Chapter 21/epilogue, this is the end of the story...well this particular one anyway. ;)

Here we go.

Saturday, October 31, 11:23pm.

The boys had just flown inside their home (fuzzy's cabin) and set their bags of candy down on the ground followed shortly by the three of them just falling to the ground in exhaustion. But before they could 'pass out in bed' as Butch had put it, there was something that they needed to talk about, at least a little bit, before they called it a night and Butch decided to be the one to ask.

"Brick?"

"Yeah Butch?"

"Did we really decide to not steal the treasure because we felt guilty about doing that to the girls or because we were just tired like you originally said?"

Brick looked at his brother for a moment, he wanted to say it was because they were just tired but he, and both of his brothers, knew it would be a lie, so he admitted the truth.

"No Butch, it's because we would've felt guilty about it." Brick said dejectedly. Brick rubbed his hands over his face and Butch was staring at Brick in shock but he knew he was right.

Brick continued by saying, "I'm not entirely sure at what moment during the night's adventure we developed a guilty conscience but, without a doubt, it is what stopped us from going through with it." Brick pulled his hands from his face and sat up. "I know we would've had no trouble at all with stealing it if the girls had been alone the entire night solving the clues by themselves and we came along later and saw the treasure afterward. I also think meeting someone like Dick Hardly didn't help either."

Butch nodded in agreement on that one. Thinking about it, he was fairly certain that even if they hadn't spent the night with girls, they still would've thought Dick was evil even by their standards. There was just something about Dick that really bothered him and it was hard to figure out why.

"Brick, why does Hardly bother us so much? I mean, we were originally created by Mojo and then resurrected by the embodiment of all things evil, HIM, so we should be used to anything that's evil."

Brick shook his head, he wasn't really sure how to answer that but he tried to anyway.

"It might be because Dick wasn't a hyper-intelligent monkey or a satanic demon. Despite our superpowers, we still have more in common with human beings than either of those two so it could be because Dick is a truly evil human being and that's why it bothered us so much."

Again, Butch had to nod in agreement. It did make sense. Then Butch asked the big question.

"So...what about us...getting along with the girls?"

Brick turned to Butch with wide eyes and, while shaking his head, said, "No Butch, not tonight. As much as I hate to admit it, Blossom was right, we're too tired to discuss that particular topic much less make a decision on it."

Butch stared at Brick with wide eyes, "Dude, that's the second time you've called her by her name and not 'Pinkie'."

Brick blinked in surprise before saying, while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Actually, that's the third time. Just after you two took off, she said 'Happy Halloween' to me and I said 'Yeah, you too Blossom.'

Butch just stared at Brick with a raised eyebrow before Brick narrowed his eyes and got a little defensive.

"Knock it off Butch, it has been one hell of a night and I was just too tired to mock her anymore, alright?"

Butch put his hands up in front of him saying, "Alright, whatever you say dude."

"Good."

With that discussion over, the boys began to turn in to bed. Even though they were still in their costumes, they were too tired to change out of them. Brick would bet money that the girls would follow the same train of thought as them too. But before they got too comfy, Boomer asked a question that was bugging him since the police took Dick away.

"Brick, what are we going to do the next time we see the girls?"

Brick turned toward his younger brother with a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" Then Brick sighed in slight annoyance before asking, "And why are you asking this now? I just said we would talk more about this sometime tomorrow."

Boomer rubbed his head sheepishly and said, "Yeah but, this has been in the back of my head since the police took Dick away. How are we going to fight the girls again after all this? I mean, HIM and Mojo would still expect us to try and destroy them, right?"

Brick opened his mouth to respond but then closed it, he didn't know how to answer Boomer's question. Brick face palmed in dismay and said, "Boomer, why did you have to ask that question now?" He said in a tired whine. "The situation was tense enough already without having to worry about Mojo and HIM's reactions."

Boomer looked down and said, "Sorry."

"Actually Brick, it's a good thing he asked because we're going to have to think of something to tell them if and when they ask us why we aren't trying to destroy the girls." Said Butch.

Brick thought about it for a moment and had to agree, it would be a good idea to come up with some kind of story to tell Mojo and HIM. Well, mostly HIM since he's a demon. Mojo would just get angry and his reaction would be more funny to them then anything else.

"Either way," said Brick, "we're waiting until tomorrow, at the earliest, before we try and figure everything out. So let's just try and get some sleep, alright?"

Butch and Boomer both nod and go about trying to find a comfy position so that they can fall asleep. Within minutes, they were asleep, leaving Brick the last one still awake. Turing to look out the window at the night sky, he wondered how different the future could be for them regardless if they changed their ways or not. Letting out a sigh, he pushed those thoughts from his mind and fell asleep a few minutes later.

Saturday, October 31, 11:45 pm.

Meanwhile, the girls had just touched down outside their home.

"Oh boy. The Professor is going to let us have it the moment we walk through the door, I just know it." Stated Buttercup.

"Well, he has every right to Buttercup, we did stay out way too late. The treasure hunt alone would've pushed us at least an hour past curfew regardless if either Dick Hardly or the boys were involved." Responded Blossom.

"I just hope he won't be too mad at us." Said Bubbles.

Blossom put a comforting hand on Bubbles' shoulder and said, "Don't worry Bubbles, he'll understand. It's just a matter of convincing him to wait until tomorrow morning to explain what happened since it will take too long to explain tonight."

Bubbles smiled at Blossom for the kind words and Buttercup floated up to open the door. Once inside, and after Buttercup shut the door, the girls heard him.

"GIRLS! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?!"

The girls flinched at the volume and angered tone and Buttercup muttered, "Here it comes."

Professor Utonium walked around the corner to the foyer from the living room but before he could start berating them for coming home late, he noticed their costumes were all torn up.

"Girls, what happened to your costumes?"

The girls exchanged nervous glances before Blossom spoke. "It's a long story Professor but the short version is, this has been the wildest Halloween ever."

Utonium, remembering his initial anger, then asked why they were so late.

"Why did you come home so late girls? You're way past your bed time. You should've been in bed...what, two hours ago?"

Blossom nodded respectfully saying, "I know Professor and you deserve an explanation but we are exhausted, both mentally and physically, and it'll take too long to explain what happened tonight. We'll tell you everything tomorrow morning but for now, we really want to go to bed."

The Professor looked at the girls for a moment and could clearly see they were on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, especially Bubbles whose eyes were barely open at this point. Letting out a sigh, he relented, saying, "Alright girls, you can go to bed but I expect a full explanation in the morning."

Blossom nodded, saying, "Thank you Professor. Good night. Come on girls."

The girls slowly floated up the stairs and to their room while Utonium watches them go. As he does though, he realizes that something had obviously upset them over the course of the night because they all had a slightly haunted look in their eyes and that bothered him. After the door to the girls' room had closed he went off to bed himself wondering if he was going to like what he heard the following morning.

Inside the girls' room, the three pillow cases of candy were put in the corner and the three of them then floated over to their bed and just collapsed onto it not bothering to change. Within moments, Bubbles had fallen asleep but Buttercup and Blossom were still awake.

"Blossom?"

"Yeah?"

Buttercup lets out a sigh and says, "What are we going to do? I mean, after what happened tonight, I'm actually having a hard time envisioning us fighting the boys again."

Blossom closed her eyes in thought before she responded. "I know, so am I." She sighed. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it though, but for now, let's just get some rest, alright?"

Buttercup nodded and yawned before closing her eyes and fell asleep almost as fast as Bubbles did.

Blossom meanwhile, before she allowed the bliss of sleep to claim her, looked out the window of their bedroom at the night sky, just like Brick did, and wondered if it could be possible for the six of them to, at the very least, peacefully coexist.

Sunday, November 1, 7:35 am.

The girls awoke to the smell of breakfast downstairs and their growling stomachs let them know just how hungry they were, despite having a little smoked ham back at the estate...just before one of the cannons tried to blow them apart of course.

The girls glanced at each other nervously, how was the Professor going to take what happened?

"So, I guess we need to get ready and go downstairs?" Buttercup asked.

Blossom sighed. "Yeah, we do."

"I worried about his reaction." Said Bubbles in a sad voice.

Blossom turned toward her sister and said, "Don't worry Bubbles, he won't be mad at us after we explain what happened. If anything, he'll be shocked, not mad."

"But that's what I'm worried about the most, Blossom." Bubbles explained with worry. "When we tell him that Dick is still alive and what he tried to do to us, especially the part when we almost..." Bubbles couldn't bring herself to say the next part so she just skipped over it, "well, he's going to be horrified."

Blossom sighed sadly and said, "I know, but we have to tell him."

Knowing how their father will react to the knowledge that Dick Hardly was alive and that he tried to kill them all last night, the girls got out of bed, changed out of their costumes and into their nightgowns. The reason for changing into their nightgowns as opposed to their day clothes was because they knew he was going to tell them to stay home today and, to be honest, they didn't feel like leaving the house today anyway. Besides, they had a lot to think about in regards to the boys.

After changing, they left their room and floated downstairs to find the kitchen table full of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. They quickly grab their seats and fill their plates. They're just about ready to eat when the Professor walks in and greets them.

"Morning girls." The Professor says happily.

The girls actually freeze at his happy tone because they know they're going to completely destroy it upon explaining what had happened. They still return the greeting though.

"Morning Professor." Said Blossom.

"How'd you sleep?" Asked Buttercup.

"I should be asking you that. You three were absolutely wiped out last night."

Blossom nodded, saying, "There is a reason for that. You see, what happened was..."

But the Professor held up his hand and said, "While I do want an explanation, let's have breakfast first, ok girls?"

The girls blinked in surprise before nodding in agreement.

After 20 minutes of silence, with the exception of asking someone to pass something from across the table, the plates were clean and the Professor took the empty plates and placed them in the sink. When he came back and sat down, he folded his hands on the table, leaned forward, and said, "Alright girls, I'm ready, what happened last night?"

The girls gulped and looked at each other nervously before Blossom looked back at the Professor and said, "Ok, here's what happened."

45 minutes later, the Professor's face was beyond pale. Dick was still alive and he had tried to kill his girls last night, all for a treasure that was hidden on an estate. He was also surprised that the girls would make a bet with the Rowdyruff Boys and actually spend time with them but he was absolutely floored when they admitted that at the end of the night, not only did they work together in apprehending Dick, but they actually enjoyed being in each other's presence. He would also have to thank them for saving the girls too, especially Boomer since Bubbles wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for him.

The Professor gathered the girls in a tight hug and said, "Oh girls, I'm so sorry for what you had to go through."

"Well, to be honest, with the exception of the near death expirence of course, it was actually pretty fun." Explained Blossom.

The Professor looked down and smiled. "I am surprised that you and the boys got along though."

Blossom nodded. "It makes you wonder doesn't it? The real question now is, like Brick said, wheather or not it was just a fluke because we had a common enemy."

"Only time will tell girls, but I hope it wasn't." The Professor said happily. Just then however, the Professor's eyes darkened slightly as he let the girls out of his tight hug and said, "Girls, I want you to stay home today and rest up. Alright?"

The girls nodded, they already knew he was going to say that but the dark look in his eyes was a little concerning. So much so in fact, that Bubbles asked about it.

"Professor, you look really angry all of a sudden, it's kind of scary."

The Professor nodded apologetically, saying, "I know sweetheart and I'm sorry. I'm heading out for a while girls, and I when I come home, I want to still see you three here."

Blossom raised an eyebrow asking, "Where are you going?"

"Down to the police station to speak with Dick."

"What? Why would you want to talk to him after what he tried to do to us?" Buttercup asked angrily.

"Buttercup!" Blossom said just as angrily.

"I'm not going to have a friendly conversation with him Buttercup." Said the Professor in a tone of voice that the girls had never heard him use before and their eyes were wide in shock and even a little fearful. "I want you three to stay here, understand?"

The girls nod and with that settled, Utonium grabs his car keys and walks out the front door. After getting in his car and pulling away from the house, the girls, who watched him leave from the front door, are about to go back inside when Blossom notices something on the ground, a folded piece of paper. She picks it up and reads it. The letter is from the boys and it says that they are willing to call a cease fire until they all figure out what to do. Blossom realizes that one of the boys must have put it in the crack of the door jam while they were eating breakfast. Smiling, Blossom shows her sisters the letter.

"Wait, so, they're not going to cause any trouble at all?" Buttercup asked, stunned.

"I guess not." Said Blossom with a small smile.

"That would be another good sign for the boys to change their ways, right?" Asked Bubbles, hopeful.

The smile still hadn't left Blossom's face, "It's definitely a step in that direction Bubbles."

Buttercup was still a little dubious though saying, "Would Townsville even go along with the boys suddenly becoming good? I mean, after everything they have done, the city wouldn't just up and forget everything, would they?"

Blossom thought about it for a moment and said, "Let's see if the boys are actually willing to change their ways first Buttercup before we start working on breaking it to the city. No point in figuring that out if it turns out to be a fluke like Brick said."

Buttercup nods in agreement and the girls shut the front door.

Sunday, November 1, 9:00 am.

Utonium had just pulled into the police station's parking lot when he saw a few armored cars loaded with treasure nearby, with a heavy police and S.W.A.T. escort. Upon getting out, he saw that the chief of police had noticed him and was walking over with a second man following behind him.

"Professor Utonium." Called out the chief.

"Good morning sir, how are you this morning?"

"Oh just working out the final details for Mr. Harlot's fortune and what he plans to do with all of it."

The Professor's eyes widen slightly at the mention of Harlot and asks while pointing at the man next to the chief, "Harlot? Nicholas Harlot?"

Harlot nods. "Yes, that's right."

The Professor nods while saying, "I'm Professor Utonium, the Powerpuff Girls' father. They told me what happened last night and...who they had to deal with as well as rescuing you."

Nicholas' eyes widen in understanding before darkening slightly on the account of just who they were talking about.

"Ah, yes, that...man. And I use the word, 'man', loosely. I was pretty lucky they came when they did since I was tied up for two days. The chief also filled me in on who the three boys were as well." Nicholas cracked a small smile. "Amazing to think that three boys who usually cause trouble for the city and normally try to destroy the girls would end up helping people instead." Nicholas then extended his hand, "I'm glad to have met your daughters, Utonium. Please, if there's anything I can do for you and your family, just let me know."

Utonium took Nicholas' hand and shook it but politely declined the offer. "Oh, that's not necessary Nicholas, the fact that the girls were able to help someone in need is more than enough for them, but I appreciate your kindness."

With the pleasantries out of the way, the chief asked why Utonium was here.

"So, what brings you to the station Utonium?"

The Professor's eyes darken and he says, "I'd like to have a one on one talk with Dick, if you don't mind sir."

The chief and Nicholas' eyes widen in surprise.

"Why would you want to talk to him Utonium?" Asked the chief.

"This isn't the first time Dick has tried to pull a stunt like this, sir."

Nicholas nodded. "He's right sir, remember what Blossom told us last night when you asked if the girls knew him?"

The chief gave a blank look for a moment before he remembered what Blossom said. Turning back to Utonium, he said, "Well, I guess I can allow that but I have to be in the room with you."

The Professor sighed but nodded in agreement, "Very well, if you must."

The chief then turned to Nicholas. "Nicholas, I'll leave you with Officer Perez, he'll help you finish up out here."

Nicholas nodded saying, "Alright sir, thank you."

Nicholas walks back toward the armored cars while the chief and the Professor head inside the station.

A few minutes later, the Professor was sitting in front of Dick's cell. Dick still, more or less, looked the same as he did the last time he saw him, most notably the fact that his skin was still green and his 'hair' was still a tentacle. The exo suit however was new. According to the chief, exo suits are only available to the military and they didn't work as good as Dick's did yet but Dick admitted last night that he had hacked a military computer in the past and obtained the blueprints for the exo suit and, through trail and error, improved the military's design. The chief also explained that the reason he knew what exo suits were and that the military were the only ones who were supposed to have them in the first place, was because he had a relative in the military's R&D department.

Pushing all that aside for now, Utonium decided to get straight to the point.

"Dick," the Professor began in a low growl, "I thought I told you once before to stay away from my kids."

Dick just smiled evilly from behind the bars and replied, "In my defense Utonium, I was searching the house for that treasure long before your 'kids' showed up. It's not like I purposefully went out of my way to seek them out."

The Professor stood up and grabbed the bars of the cell and angrily said, "That's beside the point Dick, you still tried to kill them, and why did you say the word 'kids' in that tone of voice?"

"Oh, that? Because, you created them in your lab. Therefore, they are an invention, objects, not human beings, and no amount of, as Blossom put it, human interaction, is ever going to change that fact. You and Mojo should've patented your creations and sold them instead of treating them like people."

The Professor's blood boiled at what Dick was saying, how dare he think of his girls, and the boys even, as mere objects, incapable of feeling and/or thinking.

Dick finished by saying, "You and I, as well as the police chief over there in the corner," Dick gestured over to the chief as he said this who looked as disgusted as ever at Dick's line of thought, "are human, Utonium, they aren't, and they never will be."

Before the Professor could let Dick have it, the chief called it off. "Alright, that's enough out of you Hardly. Professor, it's time we left this...'man' to rot. I've already talked to a judge and he'll hold a hearing on Dick's actions sometime next week, somewhere around November 8th or 9th."

The Professor wanted to argue but decided that the chief was right. Dick was in jail now and that's what was important. Before he left however, the Professor wanted to say one more thing. "They are human to me Dick, and there is nothing you can ever say that'll change my mind of that."

Dick just chuckled at that and said, "Touching Utonium, but I still couldn't care less."

Monday, November 2, 8:00 am.

The following day, at school, the girls had just entered Pokey Oaks and everyone was talking about what they did on Halloween, what they went as, and how much candy they raked in.

Robyn Snyder was talking to Mike Believe (A/N I think that's his name if not let me know) when she noticed the girls come in.

"Hey girls, over here." She called waving her hand.

The girls waved back and floated over to Robyn and Mike.

"Hey girls, how'd your Halloween go?" Asked Mike.

The girls glanced at each other for a moment before Blossom answered.

"Ummmm...it was alright, mostly." Blossom said with a nervous smile. She wasn't sure how all their friends would react to not only taking on a bet with the Rowdyruff Boys, but also going on a treasure hunt with them, and ending the night with finding out an old enemy of theirs tried to kill them.

Then Robyn asked about the boys which didn't surprise Blossom since she was the one who originally saw them and came to warn them they were out that night.

"Blossom, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened with you three and the RRB?"

Robyn had asked this a little too loudly because everyone in the room got dead quiet and turned in the girls' direction, including their teacher, Ms. Keane.

"Wait, the Ruffs were trick or treating on Halloween?" One student asked.

"I didn't see them on Halloween. Are you sure?" Another asked.

"I didn't think they would've trick or treated, just, you know, stole the candy instead." Someone else said.

Blossom spoke up above the rucus. "Guys, settle down, it's alright. Oh, and Robyn, we didn't end up fighting thank goodness. We knew all of you guys were still out trick or treating so a fight would've been bad for everyone, not just us." Blossom explained to the whole class.

"Wait, so the Ruffs didn't fight with you guys at all?" Asked Mitch.

Just then, Buttercup remembered her anger toward Mitch for ratting out to Butch what she was wearing.

"Well Mitch, considering you're the reason the boys found us in the first place-" Buttercup started to say before Mitch cut her off.

"Hey, woah, hang on a second Buttercup! The reason I pointed them in your direction at all was because as I was walking around the corner of the school, I walked right into Butch and we both fell to the ground. I then jumped up, before I realized who it was I just bumped into, and told him to watch where he was going. After I saw it was him, well, you can probably imagine the thought that went trough my head at that moment, he then got in my face and told me to watch where I was going. Both he and, what's the red one's name, Brick, then gave me a look that screamed 'your dead' and Boomer, after looking back and forth between his two brothers, asked me if I wanted him to read me my last rites."

Mitch took a deep breathe to calm himself and Buttercup blinked in surprise before saying, "Oh. I thought you pointed them in our direction to get back at me for threatening you after you laughed at my costume."

Mitch grinned nervously and said, "Well, actually, the reason Butch didn't beat me up, was because I did eventually tell him what you were wearing and he just started laughing. He said I put him in a good mood."

Buttercup gave Mitch a flat look and said, "Yeah, thanks a lot."

"What was Buttercup dressed up as?" Someone asked.

Before Buttercup could say anything, Mitch answered, "She was dressed as a nun."

Buttercup face palmed and a few of the students started snickering. Buttercup then spun around and angrily said, "Alright, don't start. I already got enough of it from Mitch and Butch! Got that?"

Everyone stopped snickering after that.

Then Robyn asked, "So, then, what did happen? If you guys didn't fight, what did you do? Because I saw the three of you follow the boys out into the woods that night."

The girls looked at each other nervously again when Blossom sighed and said, "Ok, this whole thing started with a bet and it just went from there."

The girls then spent the next 45 minutes going through the whole night from the bet, to seeing a ghost out in the cemetery, going on a treasure hunt, the boys actually helping on the hunt, saving each other from traps and the ghosts, their near death expierence, which was the hardest part to explain, all the way to finding out Dick Hardly was the skull ghost and what he had said to them and the boys reaction to Dick as well. To say everyone was speechless was the understatement of the year. Knowing that there is someone who is that evil was horrifying and it was actually scarier than any giant monster or super villain attack.

Robyn was the first to find her voice after the girls had finished. "Are you guys sure you're alright after all that? That was terrible."

Blossom smiled and said, "Yeah, we're alright. Don't worry. Dick's in jail now and I can only imagine he's going to get the harshest punishment possible for what he tried to do to us."

Then Ms. Keane spoke for the first time since the girls walked in. "What about the boys Blossom?"

Blossom turned toward her teacher and said, "After everything was settled, we just went back to the tree house we left our candy in and had a civilized goodbye. We peacefully went our separate ways."

Ms. Keane nodded then asked, "So what happens the next time you meet them?"

The girls shrugged their shoulders and Blossom said, "We don't know that yet. All we do know is that, after everything that's happened, we're all a little confused, emotionally anyway, on what'll happen next for us. In fact, the boys actually left us a letter yesterday morning stating that until we work it all out, they want to call a cease fire; they won't cause any trouble for Townsville."

This surprised everyone, the thought of the RRB not causing trouble was a strange thought but it was a good thing regardless. Ms. Keane happily nodded, hoping against hope, that maybe the boys could be good if only so that the girls didn't have to fight them anymore. With the exception of Mojo and HIM, the RRB were the only ones who could really harm the girls.

With it all out in the open, Ms. Keane decided to start class so the girls didn't have to keep thinking about it and try and help them forget about it.

By the end of the of the school day, the news media had gotten ahold of what had happened that night and it was all over the city by dinner time. The city was absolutely appalled at Dick Hardly's actions against the girls and there was even a fair amount of outcry on the boys' behalf as well; even if they were a menace, what Dick had tried to do was cruel and evil by a wide margin. Within a few days time, Dick Hardly had become public enemy number one.

Saturday, November 7, 11:46 pm.

In a cell at the police station, Dick was quietly laughing to himself. What the city thought of his actions now was irrelevant because even though he wasn't seeking the girls out specifically that night, he did have plans to destroy them at some point in the future and the RRB would've been icing on the cake. Dick checked the power level of the life support system on his exo suit, which read 'power system failing'. He grinned in triumph, he had successfully sabotaged the emergency back-up power. He wasn't going to give the city the pleasure of sentencing him. Looking at the recording device he held in his hand for the girls and the boys to see, his only regret was that he wouldn't be around to see their demise first hand.

As his labored breathing became slower and slower, he said out loud, "I...will...have...the last...laugh." Dick Hardly then took his final breathe and let out the evilest of laughs before finally becoming still.

HO...LY...CRAP! I am done! This was a massive, but fun, undertaking.

As I was writing this story, I realized my major mistake; instead of slowly working my way up to this type of story by writing short little one shots or short 3-5 chapter stories, I went for the multi-chapter 'novel' right away XD

In any case, the follow up story, oh right, I'll make it official, there is going to be a follow up story, won't be up for a while but before I even write that one, there is a shorter story, titled 'Talking' that'll take place between Powerpuff Halloween and the sequel.

I appreciate all the support and positive feedback that you all gave me, and for a first timer as well. It helped me push myself to keep going with this story because there was one or two moments where I thought I was wasting my time writing this so thank you for that.

See you all in the future. Goodbye.