*DING*DING*

Jesse Jablon, tall beautiful red haired woman, and her green haired wife Jacoba, walked into the Graced With Sugar cafe. The cafe was known for its delicious desserts, which for a price could be delightfully filling to a fault. She would even turn willing customers into a treat and send their last piece home to be restored.

Unfortunately for the Jablons, this trip wasn't for pleasure. Even still, Jacoba took a deep breath to savor the sugary scents, eying the customers' pastries and sandwiches. "Wow, everything here looks great. Are you sure we can't get anything honey?"

Jesse hugged her wife back with enough tough love to almost break her back with the audible *CRACK*. "I'm sorry but that's out of the question. We missed enough work this week even WITH Sero using you as an inflatable for advertising. We need to stick to the essentials. Besides..."

Jesse pointed at very suspicious pair of huge cakes at the main counter, next to the smiling shop keep. "We need to pay for that."

Jesse sighed. "Again."

Grace, red haired owner and head chef of the cafe, waved them over. "Jesse! Jacoba! Great to see you again!"

The run down couple waved back politely, but were more concerned with the 4 foot tall, three layer cakes. One of them almost looked like chocolate with lots of purple icing. Some purple flourishes looked suspiciously like ripped denim short-shorts. The patch in the middle layer made it look like the cake wore a skimpy shirt barely containing two big sugary ice cream breasts. But the defeated purple eyes at the top, pleading with them as they walked up, gave away the cake's identity.

Jesse looked at her daughter the cake and shook her head. "Didn't we tell you to stop this streaming and transforming yourself into random things bit? This is the third time this month we've had to come down and buy you before some creep tries to eat you!"

Jacoba meekly interrupted. "Actually, it's the fourth."

Angry smoke came out of Jesse's head and her arms shook with rage, but she managed to control it. At least until she turned to Grace. "And you! Have you no soul?! You know we can't afford this every single time-"

Grace calmly put her hand over Jesse's mouth, not even breaking a sweat when Jesse's head grew devil horns and was surrounded by actual flames.

"And her rival Trinity has graciously agreed to be served to guests until both of their tabs have been paid, isn't that right?"

Jesse's seething rage subsided enough to look at the purple and blue cake next to Jill. Only then did they notice Trinity was missing a few slices, exposing layers of frosty inner purples and blues around what was left of her outer boob icing. No surprise most of the cuts were from that region.

Unlike Jill, Trinity seemed to have no trouble speaking in her current state. "Damnit Grace change me back! If she didn't shove me into that stupid mixer of yours-"

Grace looked at Trinity so hard that darkness surrounded the counter. "Then you would have stuffed her into the cannoli machine I specifically asked you to stay away from? So I'd have tons of purple goop to clean out of that too? Look, be happy Yuki and Laura seem to be so interested in you. Now get out of my sight!"

Jesse and Jacoba were so stunned their jaws slammed to the ground. They watched a young blonde woman with a blue blouse and red hair ribbon effortlessly flip down Trinity's top head-layer on to a plate, split her into 4 slices, and carry her to a table with the women she could only assume were just mentioned and their friends.

"I'll get you Graaaaaaaaace!!! I want donuts tomorrow!" was the last they heard before the short Asian ladies and their busty pink haired friend devoured her. Their chairs creaked under them and Jacoba could swear their hips were expanding.

Jesse took a deep breath, letting her inner demon subside. "Okay...so?"

Grace nodded. "Your kid's playing with fire, but I can't deny she's basically giving me free advertising. I can put Jill to work if I need to. But for now..."

Grace reached under the counter and pulled out a tray of cookies. "I wanted to give a peace offering. On the house."

Jesse turned up her nose, suspiciously. "Grace, I know you mean well, but I'm not sure-"

*OM NOM NOM*

"Mmmmm!!!"

Her speech was ruined but Jacoba stuffing chocolate chips into her mouth. She paused realizing they were staring at her. "What? They're delicious."

For once, Jesse laughed. "And did you stop to think what else Grace added to them?"

Grace giggled. "Just sugar!"

Jacoba looked to her wife defiantly. "See?! Just-"

*WUB*WUB*WUB*

Jacoba's butt instantly doubled in size from the excess calories, knocking over a chair.

They looked at each other for seconds, tension building...

"HAH!"

"HAHAHAHAAAA!"

...Before everyone laughed at the sight of Jacoba's new huge seat cushion.

Jesse dared to take a small nibble before finishing. The pressure she felt against her blouse from her own expanding assets told her not to push her luck. "Oh wow these are good. I'll eat these when I have proper exercise equipment nearby. Thank you for being understanding Miss Grace."

"Please, just Grace."

"Whatever. Look, we'll just pack up our daughter and-"

*DING*DING*

They turned to the front door. A blond woman with a messenger cap and a blue blouse ran up to the counter, clearly out of breath. She slapped a large manila envelope onto the counter for Grace.

"Special...Deliv...."

Grace pressed a tip into the woman's hand while opening the letter. "Thanks Phoebe. Oh my, I almost forgot it's a Red Head Night."

Jesse blinked, watching the familiar looking woman jog back out the door. "A what?"

Grace pulled out the envelope's contents while continuing the conversation. Waving her arms around in natural conversation. "Oh, just a girls night between me and some others. This must be part of tonight's gam-"

Jesse grabbed Grace's wrist holding the photos from the envelope. "What the FUCK happened to my other daughter?!"

Grace for the first time looked at the photo. She expected to see Emi in some variety of helpless state, so the abstract painting of the fish-netted goth girl didn't phase her. The strange brown and blue woman on the other canvas though, "Joy of the Soul," seemed to be included in the photo as an afterthought.

"Oh, Joy? Is she...?"

Jesse breathed smoke. "Jill's sister. WHERE ARE THEY?!"

Jesse's yell blasted Grace's hair straight back. Still, the baker remained otherwise unphased. "Well, according to the note, Emi is being held at 678 Bait Ave. I am to arrive with a rag tag group of heroines to save our loved ones, or else-OH!"

Jesse lifted Grace off the ground, holding her up to look her in the eye. "I'm going with you. When do we leave?"

Rather than answer immediately, Grace looked up to study Jesse's hair. "Well...I suppose you are a red head too. Come on, I'll introduce you to the team. We leave immediately. Phoebe?"

The server with the red ribbon walked out of the kitchen. "Yes Grace?"

"Think you can close up the shop tonight? I've got a hot date."

The blond nodded. "Uuuuh, sure thing boss."

Jesse put Grace down. The baker removed her apron with a flourish, revealing a sort of spy sneaking suit matching her normal outfit's colors. "Let's go to the hideout then. We need to get you equipped."

Jesse nodded. "Jacoba, make sure Jill gets home in one piece! I need to make some punk WISH Bong Cha found them first."

With that, the red heads marched out the back exit.

Jacoba, for her part, carefully lifted up her giant purple cake daughter. But something was still bothering her. She turned to the blond behind the cash register.

"Uuuh, Phoebe, was it?"

Phoebe smiled and nodded.

"Weren't you a messenger girl just a few minutes ago? And even THAT was after serving that other streamer's head?"

Phoebe nodded faster. "Yup! I work a few jobs to help feed Kitanya Sparkles the very best bitty cat!"

Jacoba's head tilted to the side in confusion, making a loud crash sound as she did. Jill's layers almost slid off each other, but Jacoba noticed at the last minute. She had to run back and forth, forcing Jill's three layers to separate in the air momentarily including flipping the middle one, but they managed to splat back together safely with minimal icing splatter.

"Oh, I see. Well...I'll see you later. Bye! Nice meeting you."

Phoebe waved back to them. "So long silly friends! Have a pleasant evening!"

* * *

Grace drove Jesse to a small almost-non-descript building in the industrial district. Small, a few windows, a small space for parking in the back alley near the rear entrance.

That back wall was painted bright crimson red, in stark contrast to the dull grays around it.

They got out of the car a few feet from the door and walked towards it. Jesse noticed two other cars she didn't recognize on the street. She looked at the letters above the red-on-red door, and asked, "What the heck is RHFL? This doesn't look like a Finance company."

Grace looked back near the door with a sexy grin. "Red Heads For Life."

As soon as she finished speaking, the door swung open. Grace spun back, letting her twin tails fly in the breeze. "Come on in! You need to meet the team."

Jesse watched Grace disappear inside and huffed. "They have a fucking team for this? What am I getting myself into..."

She walked through doorway and a dimly lit entry hall, then opened another red door within. She winced in anticipation of the worst, and opened the door with a loud click.

Inside was a small but well lit locker room, everything painted various shades of red. All in all it was 20 by 20 feet, with a few benches and large open cubbies lining three walls. Large metal hardware chests and cabinets were built into the fourth, some open and containing weapons more suited to a cat and mouse cartoon than a rescue mission.

There were also three red haired women waiting to greet her.

"HI JESSE!!!"

Grace was nearest to Jesse, hopping up and down as if she just did a basic task for a loved one.

She recognized Scarlett on Grace's left. The transformation happy woman with long red hair flowing down her back wore a suit matching Grace, wearing a blue and red sneaking suit over every inch of her body below the neck, still with an ice cube on the front. She already had a few gadgets tucked into her belt. Some like the grappling hook made sense, others like the hair dryer not.

"Grace, I appreciate you not selling slices of my daughter, but are we really rescuing Joy with this weirdo?!"

"Oh she's not that bad once you get to work with her. Her meltdowns come in handy!"

Jesse turned to the third woman in red. "Fine. And who is..?"

The unfamiliar woman had candy apple red hair simple short hair style. Her outfit was bright red up top with white below. And her choice of equipment, with some sort of laser pistols and cutting tools seemed...Jesse couldn't believe she was thinking the word among these flattening freaks...competent?

She walked up to Jesse extending an arm. "Oh don't listen to that author I'm more than competent! But where are my manners! I'm Allison Ables, you can call my Ally. I've heard so much about you, it's a pleasure to finally meet!"

Jesse slowly shook the eager inventor's hand. "Jesse. You're all here because...?"

Scarlett went back to filling her pockets with random gadgets, none of which Jesse wanted to see again. "Amber's with them too. Poor woman got smashed into a painting while cut in half."

Jesse turned back to Ally. "Phoebe's there."

"Wait, the woman at the Cafe is your...?"

"Just my Flatmate. Honestly I'm surprised Cassie didn't get her this time."

Jesse blinked. "I'm sorry...who?"

Ally pointed to a lava lamp in the corner she didn't give any thought before. The green goop floating inside looked strange, sometimes showing flashes of a shocked model's face.

"She goes overboard too often. Put us through a paper shredder more than once when we weren't paying attention. I make sure she absolutely knows not to interfere now and again."

Jesse nodded slowly. "Ah, got it. You actually deal with your enemies properly."

Ally shrugged. "Enemies? She's our third Flatmate. I just don't want her interfering tonight during our red gam-"

"Good!" Jesse cut her off. "Because if anyone gets in my way tonight, they're joining your green friend in there. So...how much extra stuff do you have? Ropes? Guns? Anything?"

"Right over here!" Grace took Jesse by the elbow and walked her to the only other locker with equipment in it. "I asked the girls to get something in white and black for you. Once you're dressed we can get you...at least the rope I guess."

Jesse nodded at the suit. "Nice fit, but...um...can I get some privacy?"

The others all sighed.

"What, I don't want to strip in front of that red haired..."

Jesse pointed at Scarlett but paused mid sentence, realizing her mistake.

Ally ignored that and came over. "Look, I'm not stripping in front of her either. But fortunately we have some tricks."

Jesse's face tensed up. "Now I'm getting a headache. What the heck are you talking ab-WHOA!"

Ally swiped at Jesse and spun her into a small whirlwind. Jesse's clothes flew out of the swirl, then Ally slammed Jesse's new sneaking suit over the top.

*WOOMP*

Jesse stood still, eyes spinning, but now dressed in the new suit.

Ally looked supremely satisfied that her trick worked. "You look great! Can you move in that? I want to make sure you can still use those 24 hour punches I keep hearing about. I do want to feel one of those later, there's gotta be a scientific explanation for those I can-"

*PUNCH!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM*

*SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAM*

Jesse pulled back her arm, still smoking from punching Allison across the room. "If you've heard so much, you'd know I don't use those dumb tricks. I have all the raw power I need."

Allison was a one inch thick splat of clay against the brick wall. She mostly looked like a smear of her normal self, only smashed 9 feet across by Jesse's strength.

"Oooooooow...that's...pretty good...even if I didn't turn into a bounce house."

*CRRRRK*

Allison noticed the lines spidering through her new form. "...Thaaaaat hit harder than I thought. Now I wish you did punch me into a-"

*CRSSSSSSSSSSSSH*

Allison shattered apart, clattering to the floor as a multicolored pile of pottery shards.

Her newest weirdo dealt with, Jesse stood straight up to study her new outfit. "You know, this actually looks good, even if it's showing off the mom butt too much. Better heels for action too. Hey, if I get some of inventor girl's guns will they do more for me than they did for her? And, like, I know you're both crazy. But if any of us end up in pieces like that where ever we're going, who's cleaning up the mess?"

"That's easy!"

Jesse jumped, surprised Ally spoke clearly in her state. "What the...but you're a useless pile of dust!"

There was a sound of clattering chips, then Allison's red clad arm shot up from her wreckage. It pointed right at Jesse. "Hey now, maybe YOU'RE helpless like this, but I'm perfectly capable of...pointing at you. That and this..."

Jesse's jaw dropped to the floor while Allison effortlessly thrust her arm into her remains to dig around. Seconds later she pulled out a small chrome laser pistol. "I have us covered."

Allison zapped herself with one of her patented restoration beams. Two seconds of green glow later, and her remains zipped into the air and pieced back together with a clatter of ceramic clicks.

Jesse almost coughed looking for words. "Wait...you just....have that?"

Allison reached into the shelves behind her and pulled out a second one, then tossed it over. "Never leave home without one."

Jesse caught it and stuck it in her belt. "What else is back there?"