A/N: A huge thank you to the anon(s) who left reviews on my first and last chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! And don't worry, there's plenty more Ace and Snake interactions to come :D


"Ace man, I love you, and I'm going to ask you this as respectfully as I can," Arturo said. "But have you been taking anything stronger than weed lately?"

"Look smartass, this wasn't some drug trip, okay? Trust me, I'd know."

"So what you're saying, is that HIM, the master of all evil, just visited you out of the blue at work, showed you a highlight reel of all your biggest blunders, and gave you some magical potion to get rid of the Powerpuff Girls?"

"I know what I saw!" Ace said. "And I have proof; look!" He handed him the vial.

Arturo picked it up and held it up to his eye, examining the purple confection suspiciously.

"Even if what you're saying is true, making a deal with HIM? That would be insane! You don't even know what's in that!"

"Well whatever it is, it will make the Powerpuff Girls as harmless as kittens. And if there's one thing with HIM I do trust, is that he wants to take down those brats more than anyone."

"Ace," Arturo sighed. He took a seat on Ace's bed. "I know they made our lives hell back in the day. But I mean, that was kind of their job. And they were just kids, they didn't know any better."

"'They're just kids' is what you say when some little snot swipes a candy bar from the gas station, or pulls some girl's pigtails at recess. Not when you're talking about three girls with godlike superpowers."

"What good will taking them down do now? They haven't looked at us twice in years."

"Arturo," Ace said. "Don't you remember the good old days, before they came around and ruined everything? We were able to do whatever we wanted. The cops couldn't stop us, the mayor definitely couldn't stop us. I mean, aren't you bored out of your mind? Don't you want to get that back without having to worry about getting your ass kicked all the time?"

"I don't know man," Arturo said. "It's kind of nice having some stability in my life for once."

"Now you sound just like Snake."

"Look, I get what you're saying," Arturo said. "Sometimes I do kind of miss the old days. But I like how things are now, it's a lot more chill. And my Papi always tells me how proud he is of me for going legit."

Ace sighed. Anything to do with his Papi was the one thing Arturo would never budge on, even with him.

It was time to bring out the big guns.

"Arturo, listen," he said. "Maybe you've been enjoying playing house, but I'm dying over here. Everyday for six years, I woke up and had to go to that store that makes a mockery of everything the Gangreen Gang stood for. But I did it, for you guys. Because you're important to me. And now I've lost the one thing I had to give back to the gang, and Snake hates me for it. Now, we finally have a way out, to make our lives mean something again." He turned his eyes downcast.

"But, if you're happy with the way things are, if you want me to go from one thankless job to another, I will, and I'll flush this down the toilet," he held up the vial. "Because I want you to be happy, you and the boys. That's the most important thing to me at the end of the day."

"Ace, come on," Arturo said, reaching out to him. "You know I don't want you to be unhappy."

"I know you don't, little buddy. You've always been a good friend. But maybe some of us just weren't meant to be happy, you know? Maybe sometimes we just have to learn to accept the hand life dealt us."

Arturo shifted his weight. He and Ace continued to talk for a couple hours going back and forth on their options, and once the options narrowed they came up with a plan that had Arturo in equal parts excited and terrified.

When he headed off to bed for the night, he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep.


Snake sighed as he typed in Tommy's phone number on their landline.

As a general rule, he tried to speak to Tommy as little as possible, and it wasn't very often that he needed to do more than exchange a few civil words. He was Ace's friend after all, not his. But he knew that this was not something he could wait for Ace to handle himself.

The phone rang on the other line. Again. And again.

It continued to ring for what must've been close to a full minute before someone finally picked up.

"Yeah?" came out the gruff, annoyed voice of Tommy.

"Tommy? This is Snake."

"Oh, hey!" he said. "Sorry, I thought you were one of the bill collectors again."

"Nope, just me. But anyway, if you're not busy, we really need to talk about-"

"How's Ace doing?" he asked before he could finish his sentence. "I saw you guys on the news. Man, that lady was a bitch, am I right? You can't do anything without someone throwing a goddamn hissy fit these days. Tell Ace I miss him already; work sucks without him."

"I'll pass on the message," Snake said in a deadpan voice. "But speaking of Ace, I figured he didn't get a chance to talk to you with everything that's been happening, but we'd all really appreciate it if you'd refund him that motorcycle. Especially now with us both out of a job, we can't afford it."

"Hey, don't even worry about it, I get it," Tommy said. "Hell, I'd even say to just keep the bike for old times sake, but it looks like I might be out of a job myself soon. If you guys don't want it, I need to sell it to someone who does."

"What do you mean?"

"Melinda hasn't been at work since you guys left, and Larry has an even bigger stick up his ass than normal. Rumor has it they're in the process of getting a divorce as we speak, and Melinda is planning to sue him for full ownership of the store. Not to mention people have been boycotting the store left and right since that news story got out. It's been a real shitshow lately, and there's been talk of letting people go."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tommy," Snake said. And he was, a little bit. God knows Tommy was no star employee but even he didn't deserve to lose his job over something that he had nothing to do with.

"Eh, shit happens. But yeah, tell Ace not to worry about the bike. I'll come over tomorrow to get it back and bring you your money."

"Thanks, that would be a huge help," Snake sighed in relief. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"Don't mention it. And tell Ace if he's interested, I'm running a deal right now for some home grown, premium quality grass-"

"Goodbye, Tommy," Snake hung up the phone.

Okay, so maybe he spoke too soon. But, at least he was easy to reason with.

Snake felt the tension in his back and shoulders loosen up. One less thing to worry about. Maybe, just maybe, things might be finally turning around for the better.

His thoughts were cut off when the phone rang a minute later. He glared at the phone; that man just didn't know when to take a hint.

"Tommy," Snake said. "We're not interested-"

"Sanford?"

Snake froze when he heard the voice on the other line. He tried to speak, but no words would come out.

No, it couldn't be her. It couldn't. And yet, even after all these years he recognized her voice immediately. Why would she… Why now, of all times…

"Ivy?"


Up in the penthouse in the most luxurious apartment building in Townsville sat a young woman on the couch, glued to her TV as she watched the news. She had pale green skin, so light one could only tell it was actually green if they were right next to her, black hair cut into a bob that went down to her shoulders, and wore a professionally tailored skirt suit with black louboutins. She was supposed to be at work ten minutes ago, but right now work was the last thing on her mind.

"They even hired another one of his green friends, another gangster. He goes by Snake, but his real name is Sanford Ingleberry."

This was not the first time Ivy Ingleberry had seen her brother's mugshot on the news, nor was it the most concerning reason she had seen it for. But, it had been the first time in years, and the emotions of hearing about the brother she hadn't been in contact with in so long made her so heavy with emotion she could barely move.

Shock. Worry. Relief. Guilt. Pain.

When she stopped hearing his name in the news a few years ago, she feared the worst. She didn't know the exact details of what kind of life he was living during that time, but she knew it wasn't safe or stable.

When her parents refused to try and find him to check and see if he was okay, she took matters into her own hands. She hired a private investigator behind their backs and nearly cried with relief when the P.I. came back with proof that he was not only alive, but had a job and was getting his life on track.

So many times, she wanted to walk into that store just to see him. And every time, she found a reason not to.

When she heard his name again, saw him lose the good reputation he spent years building, she knew she had to do something this time around.

For the rest of the day, her brother didn't once leave her mind. Not when she was berated for being an hour late to work, not at the board meeting when her father announced the new cellphone their company was coming out with, and definitely not when he later ranted to her in private that he "wouldn't let that boy or this news story ruin the Ingleberry name all over again."

That night, she didn't get any sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw a twelve year old Sanford sobbing in his friend's arms as she and her parents drove off, never to return.

She didn't know what to do back then, all those years ago. But now, she did.


"Sanford?"

She was met with silence on the other line. She felt her palms get sweaty as she waited for a response, any response, and almost apologized and hung up when she heard a shocked, quiet voice.

"Ivy?"

She sighed with relief. At the sound of his voice, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's me," she said softly. "I saw you on the news and I just wanted to know if you're okay."

"I-I don't… what-" he stuttered on the other line. "How did you get this number? Did Dad tell you to call me?"

"He doesn't even know," she said. "I called because I wanted to check on you. It's been so long since I've seen you in person, I don't know if I'd even recognize you anymore."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you get disowned."

The tears threatening to spill finally did. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

She was met with silence once again.

She took a minute to clear her voice. "If you wouldn't mind, maybe we can meet up for coffee some time? My treat, of course. Unless you don't drink coffee. We could get something else, it doesn't matter-"

"Why are you really calling, Ivy? What do you want?"

"I want to help, whatever you need. I also want to talk about everything that happened, but if you're not comfortable with that, then I understand."

She waited anxiously as Sanford thought it over. "And you're sure this has nothing to do with Dad or covering his ass with the business?"

"I promise."

"Okay," he said. "As long as it's somewhere quiet. I don't want to get hassled by reporters or people who are pissed at Ace."

"Thank you, Sanford. Yes, of course, anywhere you want. I could even take you to my place and make us something here. How does tomorrow sound?

"It's Snake now," he corrected her, not unkindly. "Tomorrow is fine."

He gave her directions to his apartment, said a quick goodbye, and hung up. As she sat alone in silence, she repeated the name to herself several times to see how it felt. Snake. Snake. Snake.

It would take some getting used to, but it was the very least she owed him.


Arturo waited nervously at the table one of the C.O's had assigned him for his father. As much as he looked forward to their visits and wished he could come more often, he always felt jumpy being anywhere near a prison and around so many cops. They looked at him as if they were just waiting for him to make a wrong move so they could lock him up right next to his father.

"Mijo!" A loud, warm voice greeted him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Papi!" Arturo cried. His father, while sharing his name, looked the opposite of him in every way. Where Arturo was short and slender, his father was tall and broad. Where Arturo sported a head of messy black hair, his father's was buzzed off. And yet for all their differences, when he jumped into his arms and embraced him, his warmth and sturdiness made him feel as safe as he did as a child, being tucked into bed at night.

"No touching!" yelled a C.O. a few feet away.

His father sighed, pulling himself away. "Que bastardo. What kind of person doesn't let a man hug his own son? Answer me that," he muttered.

"Don't worry about it," Arturo patted his hand, before pulling away when he saw the guard glare at him. He held out a tupperware bowl.

"I brought you something; chicken enchilada soup, just like Mami used to make."

"You spoil me, Mijo," his father grinned at him. "Speaking of your mother, have you spoken to her recently? How is she and the girls doing?"

"Better," Arturo said. "Mami got a job working for Mr. and Mrs. Garcia, and Conchita is doing well enough in school that she might get a full ride scholarship for college."

"That's fantastic!" his father cheered. "Conchita was always such a smart girl, ever since she was little. I knew she'd make something of herself."

"Yeah," Arturo said. His smile died a little. "I'm proud of her too."

His father noticed, and gave him an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean it like that, Mijo. You know I'm proud of you too."

"I know, Papi."

"You've been through a lot," he said. "All of you kids have, but you…" he shook his head. "But enough of that. Tell me, how have things been going? Are you still kicking ass at Si Senorita's?"

"You know it," Arturo said. "Actually, speaking of that, do you remember my friends Ace and Snake?"

"Yes?" his father's voice grew suspicious.

"Well, it looks like we'll be working together soon."

"I see."

Arturo's stomach dropped at his father's tone. "You think it's a bad idea?"

"I think…" he sighed. "I think you need to focus on your work, Mijo. And sometimes having friends around, especially friends like those two, can take you off track. Trust me when I say you need to be careful about the company you keep."

"They're good guys," Arturo defended. "They've both worked really hard to turn their lives around, just like me."

"I know," he said. "But something about them, especially that Ace fellow, never sat right with me. I don't know how to explain this," his father paused. "But there are criminals, and there are criminals. Neither are good company, but if you give the first an opportunity to change their lives, they'll take it and do everything in their power to better themselves. With the second… they'll always go back to their old ways in the end, no matter how much they swear this time will be different. They enjoy it too much. I've seen it time and time again, and I know what it looks like."

Arturo thought back to his talk with Ace, and what he promised he'd do for him. He still didn't know if it was the right choice, but he sounded so convincing at the time…

Ace wasn't perfect. No matter how much Snake or his father or anyone else liked to act like he was a naive kid who saw Ace as a saint who could do no wrong, he knew that wasn't true.

Ace was an asshole, but he also was the most ride or die person he had ever met. Even at his very lowest, when he had no reason to give him the time of day.

If it wasn't for him, he'd still be stuck with his cousins; the same people who got his father locked up and convinced him to leave home in the first place, to drag Arturo with him and make him leave his mother, sisters, and everything he knew behind.

His father was right; it was important to watch the company you keep. And ever since his father was taken from him by the people he thought were his family, the Gang were the only company he could rely on.

"Thanks, Papi. I'll keep that in mind."


A/N: So yeah, in case you didn't notice, "Ivy" was partially inspired by the character in the PPGZ anime. Though I say "partially," because really, the only similarities are her name, general appearance, and love for technology (and being rich, I guess lol). For the most part, she's going to be acting as an OC.

Still, I hope you guys like her character! I don't write prominent OC's too much but I'm gonna try my best to not make her too annoying or distracting. I wanted to give Snake someone from his past to reconnect to and I like the idea of him having a sister.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think :D