The streets of Metroville, Wisconsin were always busy on a Saturday afternoon, but it seemed they were especially busy today. It felt as if you couldn't take two steps without bumping into someone! Last everyone checked, their city wasn't this populated, was it?! Well, truth be told, it wasn't that populated - really, it was the work of one man who made it seem so busy.

By night, he was known as "Professor Dreamweaver," a heinous villain who preyed upon children and struck fear into even the bravest of hearts by use of mind manipulation. By day, however… he was simply known as Arthur Kirkland, a journalist for Metro-News.

"That was possibly the most tense moment of my life…" he mumbled to himself as he walked through the actually not-so-busy streets. He was simply making everyone think they were bumping into people so he could walk faster through the town - it was sort of a defense mechanism he had picked up during school so people wouldn't notice him. And, right now, he definitely didn't want people to notice him, as, well…

He was currently carrying The Hero's baby.

… Don't give him that look.

Kidnapping the girl had actually been exceptionally easy; simply do his job at first and interview "The Hero" (who he had figured out to be Alfred F. Jones a long time ago), and then bring in his alter ego as an illusion and run out with the girl while Alfred was distracted! Utterly brilliant!

The only thing he had hated about his plan was that awful, horrible interview. It was the only thing that bothered him about being a journalist - having to hear how everyone hated his counterpart… He had never heard that violent of a reaction before, but what was he supposed to expect from his arch nemesis?! Of course he'd want him dead! He just hadn't know that he thought he was a child molester, for God's sakes! He wasn't anything of the sort! He just wanted children! And it's not like he could have any of his own, since…!

… Well, let's just say he "shot blanks."

Arthur used to have a wife, you know - a beautiful, redheaded, Irish girl, who had wanted kids just as much as him. They had tried for so long to have some of their own, but after a year… they decided to get tested to detect any problems. That was when they discovered it - the fact that Arthur could not and never could have children of his own.

When he had told his wife and brought up the idea of adoption… he divorced her. She had wanted kids of her own, not someone else's kids, as she put it. Arthur hadn't seen it that way - he just wanted to raise a child… what did it matter if they didn't have your blood?

He had always wanted children, ever since he was a young lad. While other boys would daydream about roughhousing, or sports, or their dream girl with the dream body, Arthur had other dreams in mind - the dream of being a father, living with a loving wife, raising wonderful kids, etc. That had been his goal for so long, and with the abilities he had, he created very vivid fantasies for himself revolving around this very idea.

So, when he had heard that he could never have kids… well, he considered himself very strong for not having snapped. No, at first, he had simply tried to adopt a child while living on his own, but then he heard the second most terrible news in his life:

"Since you're a single man without even a girlfriend, you probably won't be able to adopt…"

Apparently they were worried that without a partner, he wouldn't be able to raise a child right… they were going to deny him his right to the child that he so rightly wanted, and deserved!

That was when he had snapped. He decided enough was enough - he was getting a child, no matter whose it was!

He disguised himself - a simple, black mask that covered practically his entire face, since he realized his eyebrows would be a dead giveaway in a lineup. He went out that night and broke into one of the orphanages to try and talk to the kids, convince them to come with him by showing him what a great father he could be! He would hug him every day, and show him such great love…

The child, of course, had been ecstatic - Arthur could feel it! The child had take the original image he projected and perceived him as the loving father he had always wanted. And the boy would have gone with him willingly, too, if it wasn't for the blasted person on night watch that night!

The lights switched on, and Arthur fled.

He tried again a few nights later, but this time the child screamed before he could even say or show him anything! He kept trying, and trying, and trying, and even tried to deter anyone who stopped him by doing something he had promised to give up ever since high school - filling someone's head with nightmares.

It took no great skill to do this - he was simply able to tap into their mind, find what scared them, projected the image, and then let their own imaginations do all the rest. However, there were usually so many people, and so many children as well, that Arthur usually grew nervous and ended up leaving anyway.

He hadn't even realized how many attempts he made at "kidnapping" until his name started appearing in the papers - his own company had thought of the name: "Professor Dreamweaver."

He had laughed upon first seeing the article - this is what people were calling him? Well, he supposed it was clever, but horribly cheesy, as well! He had shrugged it off, figuring people wouldn't pay it any mind.

That was, until… The Hero got wind of it.

Arthur shuddered as he remembered the first meeting with the superhero. To be completely honest, that first encounter almost scared him off from his antics completely, but… his desperation to have a child proved stronger, and he kept at it despite a super's efforts to stop him.

Before he knew it… he had become a full-fledged supervillain. It was possibly the first time he had been truly pleased with his decision to never register or tell anyone of his power when he was younger - it would have been a dead giveaway for sure.

And now it seemed that the fruits of his labor had finally paid off! He had gotten what he had always wanted! He finally had a child to raise and care for…!

He had stolen Françoise A. Bonnefoy-Jones from an Alfred F. Bonnefoy- Jones.

… Well, perhaps he could use the word adopted, instead~

"Aren't you the cutest thing?" Arthur asked the baby with a chuckle, rubbing his cheek against hers.

She let out a bubbly laugh, her little blonde curls bouncing about, her cheeks turning a soft rosy red - she looked like all those beautiful, porcelain dolls in the antique shops or the toy stores! Just too perfect and pretty!

"Awww!" Arthur cooed, giggling and kissing all over her face. "You're a little princess! Oh!" He gasped a little and smiled. "I wonder what your power will be…!"

He watched her clap her chubby, little hands and laugh, trying to use them to grasp Arthur's hair once more. It seemed she loved chewing on things, hmmmm?

"I better get you a teething ring," Arthur said with a laugh. "Little ankle-biter~ So precious." He sighed happily and turned a corner to walk to the local Walmart instead of his house to purchase said item immediately. He didn't want her chewing on anything dangerous, after all!

Humming could be heard as the door to Arthur's one-story home was opened, allowing him to walk in while carrying Françoise (who was currently snuggling a stuffed elephant doll that she had loved from the store), as well as a plastic bag full of baby formula, baby food, and a teething ring. She was currently trying not to fall asleep, which meant she looked positively adorable with her droopy eyes and her head bobbing against his shoulder every few seconds~ Aw~

Arthur giggled and set the plastic bag by the front door before walking down the hall to the nursery he's had set up as far back as he can remember. It was themed to imitate a circus currently, with red walls and Dumbo decals on the walls, though he might have to change it to a Princess room soon. Ah well, he'd wait till Françoise started talking and told him if she wanted to change anything!

Anyway, he walked over to the far side of the wall and gently placed her into the white crib. "Sleep tight, my little angel~" he whispered before kissing her forehead.

He watched her rock onto her back, yawning cutely. One of the elephant's ears was hanging out of her mouth as he began to tuck her in, and her lids seemed to fully close as he took her hair out of her pony tails and let it all flail out across her pillows. She looked so delicate and breakable then… So vulnerable… She was his responsibility from now on - he was to take care of her, and protect her from harm, and make sure that nothing ever, ever happened to her…

Oh, what fun!

Arthur smiled lovingly at her before quietly tiptoeing out of the room, leaving the door open so he could hear her if she cried for him. He went all the way down the hall, turning the TV on for background noise before he grabbed his plastic bag and headed to the kitchen to make dinner for him and his new daughter. Or, at least, that's what he had been intending to do, before he heard some unsettling words on the telly...

He whipped around to see The Hero on TV, a panicked look on his masked face. Dressed in his super suit - white spandex with light blue lightning accents crossing the legs and arms, along with an insignia of a spiked fist on his chest - he looked like the iconic super hero you would see in a comic book.

Except for the fact his demeanor wasn't. It wasn't at all in the slightest. He was openly scared, something he had never seen the other act like- not at all in his years of loosely knowing him. Flitting about the screen with his super speed, he was bouncing about like a jumping bean, practically yelling into the boom mic, "IF ANYONE HAS SEEN MY DAUGHTER, PLEASE TELL ME! IT IS IMPERATIVE - SEE?!" He gave a stretched, terrified laugh, "I USED A BIG WORD TO TELL YOU ALL IT'S SUPER DUPER IMPORTANT! SO PLEASE SEND US INFO IF YOU FIND HER! KAY THANKS!" And with that, he had bolted across the screen with a scream and ran into the distance. Leaving the current newscaster at a bit of a loss.

"... You heard it here, folks!" she quickly recovered with a sympathetic smile at the TV. "The Hero is in a panic and is actively searching for his daughter! There can only be one man to blame - his arch-nemesis, the evil Professor Dreamweaver."

Arthur felt his blood run cold at hearing that. Shit. Shit.

"Surely, there can be no greater loss than a father losing his child - if this man is found, he will be put into custody and dealt with immediately. Please call the station if you have any idea of his or the girl's whereabouts."

Arthur turned the TV off, sent into full-fledged panic mode.

Of course Alfred would look for him…! Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?! They would probably search everyone's house, and if they came into his and saw her… He was a dead man.

He, he would have to disguise her, somehow…! He'd give her a new name, make fake, "legal" documents for her, and make sure to fool everyone into thinking he had simply found an adoption agency that would allow him to finally have a child! Yes, it was all so simple…!

But before all that… he had to do something about Alfred. He couldn't get that heartbroken look out of his mind - he looked like a kicked puppydog… He had to do something - maybe, maybe wipe his memory of his daughter…? He had tried erasing minds before, and it had worked, but he had never tried it on something so major in a person's life… And even if he managed it, he'd have to erase the town's mind, too, and destroy and currently existing documents of her - he'd be exhausted by the time he was done with it all!

… Well, he supposed that was just the price he had to pay for his new, happy little girl.

Arthur was shaking like a leaf as he stood on Alfred's front porch. He had been practicing what to say all afternoon - Oh, Alfred, I'm so sorry for your loss! Is there anything I can do to help?! (He had assumed Alfred would be too heartbroken at the current moment to realize his secret identity had been compromised). But even with his practice he still felt incredibly nervous! What if Alfred realized he was Professor Dreamweaver and killed him?!

He shuddered, but, with a deep breath, decided it was now or never and rang the doorbell.

To which the door slammed open and off the hinges. In a robe, with a five o'clock shadow, stood Alfred, eyes red and puffy, and a little boy in his arms. Said little boy looking equally saddened as he rubbed his eyes and wrinkled his freckled dusted nose, looking ready to cry. Arthur felt his heart tighten; he had forgotten about his son…

"Alfred," he started, his voice cracking and tears starting to well in his eyes as he looked at him. He almost felt guilty now…! But, but at least he did have another child, so, so there was that! "I am so sorry…! I heard what happened, and -"

Arthur didn't have time to finish his sentence as Alfred captured him into a tight, shaky hug, simultaneously sandwiching his son between them both. The Brit felt his heart break when the son wrapped his little arms around him as well…

Barely keeping back sobs now, Arthur returned the tight hug, muttering, "I'm so sorry!" over and over again. This poor family… he had to take their pain away - erasing their minds would be a blessing!

Besides! They didn't need another child as much as he needed just one.

Alfred moved away from him to give him a small, broken smile, "Hey," he choked, "It isn't your fault… Whoever took her is to blame."

Arthur felt his throat constrict when he heard that. "... Y-yes," he croaked out, his voice sounding hoarse. "I know, but… still… I feel awful for you…"

Alfred laughed… Well, it just sounded like a hollow rattle to be perfectly honest. "Oh, don't be - I'm more…" his bloodshot eyes watered as he held his son closer - almost desperately, and kissed the top of his head, "Worried with how Arma… Will take this….."

The boy in his arms looked up at his papa as if he was in physical pain. "Sissy's gone, papa…" he whispered, tearing up and burying his face into Alfred's shoulder. "I never got to say goodbye…!"

The boy's father nodded solemnly and hugged his son tightly, kissing his face slowly, "I know… I know…" he then started to cry all over again, "N-neither did I -!"

Arthur quickly wrapped his arms around both of them to give them a tight hug, feeling as if he was about to collapse soon. He couldn't take this anymore! He had to wipe their memories soon…! "M-mind if I… come in?" he asked quietly, looking up at Alfred.

Alfred broke off their hug and nodded, smiling a small smile and allowing Arthur passage into their living room once more, "Of course, Arthur - you're always welcome in our house."

Arthur smiled softly at them before coming inside. "I-I'll make us all some tea…!" he offered before rushing to the kitchen.

Alfred gave a nod of approval and sat down on the couch, rocking Armel in his arms and whispering softly to him, "Hey champ - what should we do today?"

"Find Françoise!" he replied immediately, his eyes and nose still running down his face. "We have to find her, papa!"

Alfred felt his heart breaking in half for the millionth time today, as he took a tissue out from a box nearby and wiped his son's nose and eyes - and not in that order, for that would be rather gross. "I know, I know - and I think we will today!"

Armel gave one of those heart-melting, childish smiles and wrapped his arms around his dad's neck in a tight hug. "I'm glad, papa…! I love Françoise! She's so tiny!"

Alfred laughed softly and stroked Armel's bangs back so he could kiss his sweet, little, rosy cheeks. "Very tiny - probably not bigger than a butter stick!" he couldn't help but give a goofy smile. "That's what your Mother would always say!"

Armel giggled a little and rested against his papa, gazing up at him with wide, wondering eyes. "Papa… what happened to mommy?"

Tightening. Tensing. Guilt of some sort… Those were the emotions that always flooded through him every time his sweet, impressionable son asked him this question. He hated answering it, and he had the answer to this question memorized like the back of his hand. It was.. It was just such a hard thing to answer.

It wasn't as hard to answer as something else about his wife though… But he didn't want to talk about that.

"I know she died," Armel muttered, tightening his hold around his father. "But…"

"I was going to tell you she's an angel in Heaven now - with all the great Saints she would teach you about, sport!" Alfred chirped as best as he could, while doubt wriggled inside him about anything he was telling his son right now. He knew that was bad, but… If there were these so called Saints and angels then how come his wife had died and crap? Why couldn't they have healed her?! Saints did that stuff, right?

Well, anyways, he could rock a wiki on that when he didn't have so much stuff on his plate!

For now, at least, his son seemed very happy with the lie. He looked up at him with sparkling eyes and gave a huge, toothy grin. "That's great, papa…! She'll help us find Françoise!"

Alfred gave a stretched smile and nodded, though inside he felt exhausted and ready to give up. "Yes, yes - she'll definitely help us find your sister~"

Armel giggled and kissed his papa's cheek. "And she sent Arthur here so you won't be lonely anymore!"

At that, Alfred felt himself almost lose composure. H-his son thought he was lonely?! And needed company! A-and that he and Arthur were more than just friends?! Was that what he was getting at! N-no! He couldn't be! His son was too young to know - t-to know about… About "la amour" as their Mother babbled about! N-no! He could never be suggesting -

"Tea time!" Arthur interrupted with a sympathetically cheerful smile as he waltzed in and placed two teacups on the living room table. "I hope you like strong tea!"

Alfred tried to give his best calm, and polite smile as he leaned forward carefully and took a cup, "It isn't my favorite - I prefered ice tea, but thank you all the same."

"Ah, sorry," Arthur joined them on the couch, staring at the ground. "I'll remember that next time… Er -" he blushed a little. "Not that there will be a next time, I, I mean, if you don't… never mind."

Alfred furrowed his brows slightly and tilted his head, sipping quizzingly from his cup now. "Pardon? What are you talking about?"

Arthur sighed and shook his head. "Never mind, forget I said anything…" Truth be told, Arthur wasn't entirely sure if Alfred would even remember him when he erased his mind of Françoise… "Just, um, I have this… technique, that sometimes helps me feel better." He smiled lightly at him. "Maybe you could try it?"

Alfred smiled a little and gave a nod, placing his cup down and hugging his son tightly. "Sure! If it helps you," he closed his eyes, "Then I hope it helps me!"

Armel giggled a little and closed his eyes as well, smiling. "Oui!"

Arthur smiled a little, though inside he felt nervous, guilty, awful… he actually felt like the villain everyone called him - he had ruined this family by taking their child… But, but that was why he was here! To rectify his wrongdoing and take their memories away…!

So, taking a deep breath, he scooted closer to them and concentrated. He started straight at the both of them and imagined working through their mind - finding every image, every memory, every soundbite of Françoise and scrambling it so that it couldn't be found again. Since, well, he couldn't completely destroy it - no, memories could either be scrambled or replaced, but never destroyed completely.

What he didn't realize, however, was that as he started to erase their memories… something else very strange happened.

She began to disappear in any and all photographs taken of her - the images even rearranged themselves if she had been the main focus, and pictures solely of her turned to dust. The room Alfred had for her began to rewind itself, going back to the time when it was their Mother's music and art gallery room. Every toy Alfred had bought for her disappeared - either back to the toystore of simply turning to dust if handmade. Everything that could leave a clue to Françoise's existence… started disappearing. In real life.

It wasn't just an illusion.

Arthur didn't realize this, however, and he hadn't even really thought that far ahead. He was emotionally drained, too, so he was honestly surprised that he had come up with this much at this point.

Anyway, when he was finished, he felt so physically drained on top of emotionally drained that he just collapsed into the back of the couch. He sincerely hoped Alfred still recognized him, because he didn't feel like running like the dickens out of his house being called a "stranger." "S-so, how do you feel…?"

He watched Alfred and Armel open their eyes, yawning a little as they did so. They seemed a bit sludgy, as if they had just awoken from a very long and turbulent sleep to look like -

"Hey!" Alfred commented, giving a confused look as he rubbed his five o'clock shadow, "Did I forget to shave again, sport?" He then turned to Arthur and gave a pleasant chuckle, "Did I, Arthur?"

Arthur blinked in surprise. Well, he seemed completely back to normal… Which was wonderful! He smiled, but before he could answer Armel interrupted with: "You did, papa!" He laughed. "You turned into the Beard Monster again!"

Causing Alfred to laugh and make some playful growling noises as he began to tickle his son, "Did I now?! Guess I'll have to feed my insatiable appetite!"

Armel squealed with laughter and pushed at his father's hands. "PAPA! NO!"

Arthur felt incredibly happy watching them. These were the types of memories he wanted with his own child, and, and now he would be able to have them…! Françoise was all his, and there were no consequences! He could be happy - they could be happy! Father and daughter…! Oh, it had such a nice ring to it!

He just had to get started! Right away!

"Well," Arthur chuckled as he stood up. "I suppose I've overstayed my welcome! I'll leave you two alone now."

"Wait!" Alfred stood up and ran over to Arthur with a large grin, looking away and blushing a little. "When can I… See you… Again?"

Arthur didn't completely understand at first. "... See me, again?" he asked, tilting his head. "Would you… like to?" He had been planning to never see him again! After all, he had taken his child… it made things a little awkward.

Alfred gave a nod and whipped out his cell phone with one hand, giving a 100 watt smile, "Maybe we can make it a Tuesday? For coffee?"

"Um…" Arthur chewed at his lip. Should he really enact with him anymore…? He supposed there would be nothing to tie him to the kidnapping now, and he seemed to really want to hang out with him… What was the harm?

"... Sure, Tuesday."

Author's Note, TheGuardianKnux: DREIDEL DREIDEL - oh no wait this is the end of the chapter, me! Stop doing that. XD Anyways! HOWDY HO CHILDREN. This is the end of chapter two! Congrats for suffering - I mean making it this far! C: But now that my mouth is way too numb because of a wisdom teeth extraction, here I am! DELIRIOUS AS HELL.

Author's Note, Annzy B.: Luckily, that's why we write these chapters ahead of time XDD ANYWAY! I hope you all enjoyed the second half, and liked reading about Arthur's side of things! I'm afraid the journey is just beginning ;)

Knux: And I liked… Umm…. Uh…. I liked dreidels and I'm not even Jewish. c:

Annzy: *laughs* Oh, Knux XD
We would also like to thank everyone who favorited, followed, and/or reviewed last chapter! The feedback is much appreciated ^^
Please leave a review and tell us your thoughts so far! :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!