Sedusa woke up pretty early in the morning, well if you can call seven o clock early. She looked around and realized she was sleeping on a bed. That was strange. She remembered sleeping on the couch. So to find herself here was quite confusing.
She knew whose bed this was. Hell she slept on the same bed as Professor when they were dating, they never had sex however. She made sure to let him know where they stood in the relationship when she was Ima. She really didn't need to because Professor wasn't after sex.
God, that man. How could he be so...so kind? So easy to take advantage of? He was her easiest conquest, but it was still a bit painful for her to break his heart in two. Her thoughts strayed back to the bed she was on. When did she get here? Did she sleep walk, or was she brought here? Her clouded thoughts were disrupted by the bedroom door opening, and in walked the man that plagued her thoughts.
Professor tried to be as silent as possible so as not to wake up the room's other occupant. There was so much to do now that he had Sedusa living with them, there was also many problems with the situation as well.
He chastised himself for rushing into this situation. It was a reckless gamble and he actually wondered what prompted him to take Sedusa under his roof. He tried to convince himself on a number of occasions that he was performing an experiment on the criminal mind, but even he knew that there was more to it than that. What was it though? He still couldn't understand it. He tip toed to his closet with a lot of clothing bags. His journey was interrupted by a cough. He looked up and saw green eyes looking at him warily.
"Professor," Sedusa started tiredly with a cute yawn.
No! It was not cute. Professor had to remind himself that he was dealing with a criminal.
Sedusa looked around.
"How did I get in here?" Sedusa asked suspiciously.
Professor masked his face into that of indifference," I brought you here last night. I know how uncomfortable the couch can be."
"You mean we slept...in the same bed?" Her cheeks were burning and she had to use her long straight hair to cover her embarrassment.
"Don't be absurd. I slept on the couch. Rather that than sleeping with you," Professor scoffed.
Sedusa scowled at that. She had to admit, that sounded really hurtful.
"Well, whatever!" She retorted with a heated glare.
Professor sighed and then decided to address the situation in a civil manner.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."
"Like I care," Sedusa huffed.
Professor sighed again as he looked at the upset woman. How could he call himself a gentleman when all he could do was throw insults at her every time?
It was only just, his mind told him. Maybe it was, but that still didn't make it right.
"What's in those bags?" Sedusa decided to change the subject before she really got angry at the Professor.
Professor looked at the bags he was holding and then at Sedusa before replying - rather softly - to the woman. "They're your new clothes."
Sedusa looked at Professor weirdly. She had to have heard wrong somehow, right?
"What?" Sedusa asked.
"I bought you new clothes. Listen, we need to set a few things straight if we're going to be living together for four days," Professor said.
"What do you have in mind?" Sedusa asked while rolling her eyes.
"A lot of people don't like you at the moment, which I can agree with-" he got a glare for that one"- so I bought you these clothes to disguise your identity until your days in this house are numbered." He proceeded to take out a few dresses and a few wigs as well.
"Are you serious?" Sedusa asked incredulously.
"I know a lot of people, Sedusa. Some of which will not like seeing me with you," Professor said.
"That's your problem, not mine," Sedusa snarled.
"You mistaken there. If people see you with me then I'm sure they will alert the authorities, which would result to you being sent to prison without my participation whatsoever," Professor said critically.
"You'll be joining me for harbouring a criminal," Sedusa smirked as the many ideas started forming in her head. Her small victory was cut short however.
"People will believe my statement on my actions being for the betterment of Townsville, and I'd be free to go without delay," Professor replied easily.
Sedusa's jaw tightened and she exhaled in frustration. Professor was a smart man when it came down to it. She got up from the bed, noting how better she felt from yesterday. She didn't feel a lot of pain, only a little discomfort with her legs. She made her way to the Professor and eyed the dresses and wigs.
"My you have good taste, Professor." Professor didn't know whether she was being truthful or mocking him. He decided to go with the former.
"I'm a single parent with three girls. One picks up a few things," Professor said.
"I can see that," Sedusa said.
"...I need you to take the girls to school today," Professor said.
"What the hell? What are you on about?" Sedusa asked in bewilderment.
"I have an important meeting to attend and I can't take the girls to school because I'm already late," Professor said with a frown.
"They can fly there!" Sedusa argued.
"That's not how things work around here, Sedusa. Although they can fly. I don't like them depending on their powers too much. They maybe superheroes, but I prefer to treat them like anyone else. They're my daughters and I will give them the experience and upbringing they deserve, including indulgence of a normal everyday life," Professor said seriously.
Sedusa paused when she heard Professor's tirade. The man really cared for his daughters, something she found both pathetic and heartwarming. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she did not argue further.
"Don't worry about transportation. I have an extra car in the garage. Try not to finish the gas in one day," Professor said evenly.
Her mind was working again. She could use the car to escape this mess and possibly never see the Professor again.
"And don't try running away either. The car has a special GPS system that can track your whereabouts." He read her mind quite well.
"You're going to such lengths to keep me here. Are you sure you're not falling for me?"
Professor's mouth frowned in distaste, "I'm interested to get to know you, but not because I find YOU interesting. This is not about us. This is about helping Townsville. You will benefit out of this at least. You won't have to worry about rent or food for the next four days. All you have to is co-operate and then be on your way like this never happened. I think that's a fair deal in my book."
Sedusa grumbled under her breath. Is there anything he hasn't figured out?
Professor left a few minutes later and Sedusa was left alone in the master bedroom. She roamed through the different shopping bags. She saw a lot of things from pants, to dresses, to shirts, and underwear. She blushed heavily as she eyed the lingerie. She briefly wondered how it was possible for Professor to know her size in everything, and if he was some sort of pervert who touched her while she was sleeping. Then she remembered that she told him when they were dating, as a way fo teasing him at first. She looked at the wigs and one caught her eye.
The girls woke up like they usually did. They performed their regular morning routine and now they were ready for school. All that was left was the Professor. They didn't feel like dealing with Sedusa's drama right now, especially Bubbles. So the quicker they got out of the house the better. Their luck was not reassuring however.
"Where is he? We're going to be late again," Buttercup said irritably.
"Relax, I'm sure his almost done getting ready," Blossom said gently.
"I just want to get out of here as fast as possible," Bubbles said quietly.
"We're with you there sister," Blossom reassured her.
After five more minutes the girls had run out of patience.
"Professor! We're going to be late!" Buttercup yelled in the direction of Professor's bedroom.
The door slowly opened and the girl's sighed in relief, only for their moods to sour when they saw someone unexpected. Sedusa, in not just any disguise, but that of Ima Goodlady. White hair, white dress, dazzling little earings, cute white bracelets. The woman was certainly beautiful, but the girls knew from experience that this woman was anything but a 'Goodlady'.
"What the heck?! What are YOU doing in the Professor's room!" Buttercup fumed. She was seconds away from beating the crap out of the seductress.
"Geez, get that stick out of your but. Professor put me there to rest. Nothing happened," Sedusa said with an irritable scowl. She didn't have to explain anything to them, but she didn't want them to get the wrong idea about her.
"Liar!" Buttercup spat angrily, but she was stopped from attacking by a calm Blossom.
"Where's Professor?" Blossom asked.
"He had an early meeting and he was late," Sedusa shrugged.
"Why are you wearing that outfit. We already know that you're not Ima Goodlady. You're just a fake," Bubbles said with a frown.
"Do you want to get in trouble when people see you with the real me?" Sedusa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So you're taking us to school," Blossom surmised.
"Pretty much," Sedusa said simply.
"Arg! For the love of...Why is he even putting up with her?! Why is he doing this to us?!" Buttercup spat in anger.
Sedusa's line of thought was on the same thing, but she decided not to voice it out. She briefly noticed that Bubbles was quiet again. It was a bit strange for Sedusa to see the normally hyper-active blonde with such a dark look on her face. Oh yes, she knew the girl didn't like her -maybe even hated her- but it was still unnerving to see Bubbles this way, as if she would attack if Sedusa made any mistake.
"To be honest, I'm not really sure...So how are we getting there?" Blossom asked Sedusa.
"The extra car," she said as she started going to the garage.
"Heck no! You could easily steal it!" Buttercup cut her off in stride.
Sedusa scowled, "Listen, I know if I do anything wrong then I will end up not only getting beaten up by you but also going to the new prison. So give me a little more credit. I haven't don't anything wrong so far." She brushed past the irate black-headed girl and continued to the garage.
"So far," Bubbles muttered.
Soon all the girls followed Sedusa to the car.
Sedusa had to admit, the car did look very nice. It suited her taste quite well.
"Why did he leave his favourite car behind?" Buttercup whispered, but got no answer from her sisters.
The journey to Poky Oaks Kindergarten was uneventful as Sedusa drove through the suburban environment. No one felt like initiating a conversation. Sedusa was both happy and sad at that. They did not like each other and it seemed that she was making matters worse. She remembered the talk she had with Blossom yesterday and she really didn't know where to start in proving that she didn't want to continue crime. But it was near impossible for anyone to find common ground in this situation. The only silver lining was the fact that she would only be at the Utonium residence for four more days and then she can move on with her life.
There was a problem though. What kind of life did she really want for herself? Crime was everything she knew. Seducing was something she was very good at. But the pain of being constantly on the run and never finding peace and stability was slowly starting to overwhelm her. She looked at her rear view mirror and saw the girls conversing among each other. They didn't notice her and she felt relieved at that, she didn't need more squabbles. She could admit that they looked...cute, but she knew there was more to them than that.
Buttercup was obviously irritated with the situation. Sedusa knew that the girl was just waiting for any slip up to take matters into her own hands. Blossom seemed like the more sensible type. She analyzed the situation for what it was and didn't run to conclusion too fast. Sedusa knew she could have a normal conversation with the red-head, but the other two girls would never submit to such antics. Bubbles surprised her the most. The blonde was very angry at her and would have beaten her to a pulp if it wasn't for her sisters. At first Sedusa thought that Bubbles was angry at her for using her father for her own pleasure alone, but upon looking at things further Sedusa realized that there was more to it than that, a lot more.
She remembered the day when she pretended to be Ima. The excitement and longing she saw in Bubbles eyes was burnt into memory. The girl was so willing to give her a chance to be apart of their family and she tried on a number of occasions to make sure that Ima was comfortable around them. Sedusa knew the real truth however. Although the girls didn't need a mother, they were still willing to welcome the prospect wholeheartedly, especially Bubbles. Sedusa guessed that Bubbles was truly hurt to find out that the person she thought could be her future mother was none other than their arch-enemy. Sedusa sighed.
They approached Pokey Oaks and saw a lot of cars and adults surrounding the place.
"Oh no! Today's parents day!" Blossom exclaimed in realization.
"Professor's gonna miss it again," Buttercup sighed with a frown.
They arrived at the school and the girls immediately got out of the car. But before they could leave they were interrupted by their teacher.
"Oh girls, there you are!" Ms Keane chirped with a wave as she approached the girls.
"Hello Ms Keane," the girls chorused.
"I hope you remembered today was parent's day. I'm sure you told Professor, right?" Ms Keane asked.
"Well, Professor had an early meeting, so he couldn't come," Blossom said.
Ms Keane sighed and said, "Again? Honestly, that man has only ever been to one of these events."
The girls shrugged. They didn't mind that much. If there father was busy then they didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Okay, get into class," Ms Keane said with a sad frown. She could understand that Professor had a job that took most of his time, but he could at least make time for his children, especially on parents day.
The girls looked back at the car which was behind them and quickly left without a word. Ms Keane saw that and looked at the car herself, only to see a woman inside. She had witnessed the girls coming out of that particular vehicle and her interest was peaked. She walked to the car and decided to address the woman.
"Hello, I'm Ms Keane," Ms Keane greeted with a smile.
The woman looked at her in surprise at first and then quickly gathered herself," Ima Goodlady."
"It's nice to meet you, Ima. I saw the Powerpuff girls come out of this car. Did you drive them here?" Ms Keane asked politely.
"Oh yes! Professor was very busy so I...decided to take the girls to school myself. Although I forgot to make them breakfast," Ima said with a sheepish grin. It was too easy for Sedusa to act like someone else and this moment was no different. She had gone through years of learning how to act like a proper, exciting and alluring woman when it called for it.
"Breakfast? Oh, so you live with them?" Ms Keane asked curiously.
"Yeah, I do," Ima said kindly.
"So am I wrong in assuming that you and the Professor are a couple?" Ms Keane asked in amusement.
Ima thought about that. If she agreed to dating the Professor then Ms Keane would become less suspicious of her than if she refused the claim. She decided to just wing it. "No, you're not. We're actually starting out."
"Oh, that's so wonderful! I'm sure you two will be happy together," Ms Keane gushed. She had dated Professor before, but after arguing over her cat she realized that they didn't share common interests. He was a good man, and deserved to find happiness. Ms Keane was happy with the fact that Professor finally got hitched with someone.
"I'm not really sure about that," Ima said with a timid smile.
"Nonsense! You're delightful! Professor would never pass someone like you up," Ms Keane said reassuringly.
"Thank you. You're a pleasure to be with as well, Ms Keane," Ima said.
"Oh, you're too kind, Ima. Oh, by the way, don't talk about cats when you're around Professor. He can get a little crazy," Ms Keane said with an amused grin.
"I can only guess." The two women laughed in unison.
"Well I'm sure the girls told you all about parents day," Ms Keane said.
"They actually didn't. They don't...uhhm... We don't interact much," Ima said softly.
Ms Keane picked up the train of thought and replied, "Hey, don't worry about them. They are just adjusting to someone new. Give them time and they'll come around. They're good girls."
"I'll take that to heart," Ima said. It was more than that however.
"Well, parents day is about to start. Maybe you can use this time to bond with them," Ms Keane suggested.
"How does parents day work?" Sedusa was starting to get nervous. The girls hated her enough. Interacting with them at school could potentially be disastrous.
"It's just a day at Pokey Oaks where parents can interact with each other and their children. Pokey Oaks uses this day to get parents involved in their children's lives." Ms Keane said and mentally sighed in relief. Finally, the girls could at least have a parental figure looking after them instead of being alone, again.
"I-I'm not sure. I don't want to intrude-"
"Please do! On a number of occasions Professor couldn't come to these events because his job demands a lot from him. I feel for those girls. They've done nothing but good all their lives and they don't even get a chance to have a parent at school? That isn't fair. I'm sure you can agree with that," Ms Keane said.
Oh crap. Sedusa knew now that her choices were severely limited. She mentally sighed and prepared herself.
"You're right. I'll do it," Ima said.
"Great! Come, let's go inside!" Ms Keane said excitedly.
They went into the classroom and saw all the kids talking among each other at their tables, and the adults talking to each other in front of the class. As soon as they walked in however, every single eye landed on them, including the girls. Sedusa could clearly see the shock that was written on their faces. She would have laughed if the situation was humorous. That's when an idea came to her.
"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Ima asked with a giggle and the atmosphere immediately lightened, some people even joined Ima with their own laughs and chuckles.
"You'll fit right in." Ms Keane patted Ima's shoulder and went to the front of the class. Ima followed suite and stood with the other adults. Some welcomed her and she replied in turn.
"Okay, settle down everyone!"Ms Keane screamed over the noise. Everyone followed suite and the classroom was silent. "Now I know everyone's excited about parents day because of the many different games we have, so I'll make things quick. First we'll have the parents with their children to take a family photo. Then we'll start off with quiz games and the fastest family team to answer all the questions correctly will win a prize. After that we'll have a brief break and then we'll have the field events. I'll give you more details on those events when the time is right. Alright, parents, I want you to go sit with your children. I will call you alphabetically for your photos," Ms Keane said.
The parents started for their kids. Ima swallowed hard when she saw three pairs of eyes boring into hers. It wasn't the fact that she was afraid of the girls that worried her greatly. People didn't know who she was and if her cover was suddenly blown then she was really screwed. Why did she agree to this again? She approached the girls cautiously. She could see the hundreds of questions in their eyes and had to force herself to relax and act like a proper woman. As soon as she was near them it was Buttercup who started.
"What the heck are you-" Blossom quickly covered her sister's mouth so as not to arouse suspicion, but she did look at Ima expectantly.
"I decided to join you girls today. Ms Keane told me all about how busy Professor can be and I want to use this opportunity to spend time with you," Ima said, doing her best to keep in character.
"Mhhhmmmbbm!" Buttercup struggled to say anything with Blossom's hand on her mouth.
"Why?" Bubbles asked incredulously. She was more confused than angry at the moment.
"You spend too much of these events alone. I don't think you deserve that. And remember, you don't have to call me Ms Goodlady. Ima will do," Ima said with a smile as she took a seat behind the girls.
The girls immediately understood what she meant with the last statement. So that was the alias Sedusa was using.
"Well, we don't need you," Bubbles said quietly.
Anger flashed in Sedusa's eyes. Here she was trying to make the best of the situation AND trying to be civil with these brats only to be repayed with animosity. Honestly, she was genuinely trying to be kind. The least they could do was give her the same courtesy. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Relax, don't blow up.
"Look...We got off on the wrong foot -" she ignored Buttercup's scoff and continued "- Let's at least put our differences aside, just for today. I'm not going to cause trouble as long as you don't ask for it."
"What did you say?!" Bubbles hissed with narrowed eyes. The nerve of this woman.
"Enough! This is no time for that. Let's just go with what she said, girls." Blossom's sisters looked at her incredulously. "Just for today. We can be enemies with her later."
Buttercup thought about and soon grumbled in defeat. Bubbles however looked adamant.
"Bubbles please! We can't cause trouble or it could affect Professor," Blossom implored.
After hearing that Bubbles nodded her head in acceptance.
"Right. You got a deal Ima," Blossom said to the white-haired woman.
"That's good..." Ima said in relief.
"...Utonium..? Utonium?" The girls looked up and saw Ms Keane looking at them expectantly.
"I guess we're up," Blossom said and the group went to get their photo taken.
Professor came home later than he would have liked. He really hoped nothing bad happened today concerning the girls and Sedusa. He was too tired to deal with any sort of drama at the moment. He noted that the house was quiet and went to the girl's bedroom. He saw the door slightly open, indicating that they must be sleeping. He looked inside the room and sure enough the girls were sound asleep on the bed. He smiled warmly and made his way to his own room.
He opened it and saw the sight of Sedusa, in pyjama's, sleeping on his bed. He smacked his forward. He forgot that he let her sleep there. He was a bit startled when he saw her suddenly sit up and looked at him with a sleepy frown and squinted eyes.
"Hmm...Professor?" Sedusa mumbled tiredly while rubbing her eyes.
Gosh, how can someone so evil be so cute? Professor had to repeat his mantra "She is a criminal" a hundred times in his head so he could block out the sight of the beautiful cream coloured woman whose eyes seem to glow- Professor quickly slapped himself. What on earth was wrong with him? Like seriously, that came out of nowhere.
"Hello, Sedusa," Professor said when he gathered himself.
"Hey...How was work?" She decided to at least have a conversation. Things were already awkward enough.
"Why do you care?" Professor replied.
"Tch. Fine! I won't ask again," Sedusa said curtly as she glared at the man and then looked away from him.
Professor's eyes soften a bit, "It was bit busy. I hardly had time to relax at all. Being lead scientist has its perks and drawbacks."
Sedusa, however, continued to ignore him.
Professor sighed, "I'm sorry for that."
"You may say it as many times as you want. I know you don't mean it," Sedusa replied critically.
Professor looked away, "I'll stop with the jabs, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that," Sedusa said seriously.
The awkward silence was back again.
"...Did you know that today was parents day at the girl's school?" Sedusa asked after a pause.
Professor grimaced then looked down.
"Yes, I did. I couldn't go however because of the work load." Professor said remorsefully. It wasn't fair to the girls. His new job was taking more and more time away from them. He didn't like it, but there was little option. The girl's understood, but it didn't mean that they were happy with it.
"... I... Participated in your place," Sedusa said carefully.
Now she had the Professor's full attention. He knew that the girl's did not like Sedusa and he was already dreading the worst.
"What happened?" Professor asked hesitantly.
Sedusa shrugged her shoulders.
"It was hot and strenuous. The girls annoyed the hell out of me and I annoyed the hell out of them. I was irritated, angry, and had half a mind to attack your daughters right then and there on the school grounds" Sedusa said with a scowl.
Professor's frown deepened when he heard that. God, it was worse than he thought.
Sedusa's scowl suddenly disappeared and her features softened.
"...We had fun," she said softly after a pause.
Professor was looking at her in surprise. The girls and Sedusa had fun? What was she playing at?
Sedusa open her night drawer and took out a few photo's. "Here."
Professor took the photo's and looked through the contents. His heart skipped a bit as he skimmed through each picture. He was pretty shocked to see Ima in them.
The first one that was taken in front of the classroom was a bit awkward, but humorous. The second taken during the quiz event was a lot more calm and warm. As he continued to skim through the photo's they gradually got better and better, up to the point where Sedusa and the girl's looked like an actual family. Even Bubbles was smiling in a few, and that smile was anything but fake. He looked at Sedusa- who was looking anywhere but his direction- and couldn't help but stare at her. It was weird seeing her so shy, but he was more focused on the photos that he just looked at. They seemed genuinely happy together and the greatly confused the scientist.
"I don't know what to say...I'm glad that you guys had fun and you took care of them when I couldn't," Professor said quietly.
Sedusa nodded her head and tried to hide her blush.
"I thought you guys didn't like each other though," Professor said confusedly.
"We decided to form a truce for the moment," Sedusa replied.
Professor quickly went to the room's bathroom and came out wearing pyjama's. He was about to leave the room but was stopped.
"Just come to bed." It was said in frustration, and Professor had to wonder what she was frustrated about.
"What?" Professor asked in surprise.
"You heard me. Like you said before, that couch is not comfortable. I don't bite," Sedusa said annoyedly.
Professor did not move from his position.
"I thought you were a gentleman. Isn't a gentleman supposed to fulfill the request of a lady?" Sedusa asked rhetorically.
"I..." Professor looked down with a frown.
"Come on! I won't do anything bad...just come to bed already." God, this was so messed up. They were acting like a nervous couple and Professor could not figure out why he was not refusing her...offer.
Professor made his way stiffly to the bed and made sure to have a substantial amount of distance on the one side of the bed. He heard Sedusa sigh and he looked to his side. She was staring at him in exasperation.
"Will you relax? If I wanted to seduce you then you would already know," Sedusa huffed and then flopped on her pillow. She put on an eye mask and soon fell asleep.
Professor stared at her still form for a while. Her long hair that cascaded along her soft and delicate shoulder. Her plump pink lips that held a cute pout. Her beautiful face that held so much mystery. He was reminded of why he fell in love with her the first time. She was beautiful, but there had been more to her Ima alias, that's what he valued greatly about her, well, until she stabbed him in the back and broke his heart. Professor decided to squash those thoughts, there was no need for them. He put his head on his pillow. He needed to sleep. He was still very busy tomorrow. He closed his eyes and let slumber take him.