TW: Light Sexual Innuendo

Ace fidgeted in his seat across from Karen Carlson. He watched as the staff members scuttled around like ants, making sure everything was ready before they went on air. Next to the reporter stood a girl powdering her face.

"Uhh, Mayor Copular," a young intern, either in his late teens or early twenties, looked down at the makeup palate in his hand and back at Ace nervously. "I don't think I have anything that matches your skin tone…"

"Leave it, Carl," Mrs. Carlson snapped. "We don't have green face powder, obviously. I don't think they even make it," she shot Ace a sneer. "He'll just have to manage."

Ace scowled. "I wouldn't wear that shit if you paid me. Do I look like someone who wears makeup to you?"

"I…" the frightened teen hesitated. "Sorry."

He ran off towards the back, eager to get away from the pair.

"You almost look presentable for once," Mrs. Carlson looked him up and down. "At least you don't have brain matter on your clothes this time."

"I dressed up just for you, toots," he winked. "I know you like your men spiffy."

Her face scrunched up in disgust, and Ace couldn't fight the smirk on his face. However, it soon died as he saw "Justine" give him a warning look offstage.

"If you want to stay mayor, you need to make Townsville like you," she warned him as he was getting ready. "Right now, they still see you as a good for nothing thug and until that changes, they're going to everything they possibly can to undermine you."

He looked towards the camera and felt his palms get sweaty. It wasn't the first time he'd be on TV, but it was the first time he knew he'd be on TV beforehand. He reached up to adjust his sunglasses, but quickly remembered they weren't there.

Mrs. Carlson shooed away her makeup girl and a few moments later, the rest of the staff scattered out of the way. The cameraman stepped in front of the camera to face them.

"Alright! Places, everyone! We're going to be going on air in 3, 2, 1…."

Mrs. Carlson sat up straight and brushed her hair out of her face. She looked at the camera with a big, fake smile.

"Good morning, Townsville!" she said. "Today I'm here with our new mayor, Mayor Copular. Mayor Copular, how are you doing today?"

"I'm uh, I'm doin' great Mrs. Carlson. How about yourself?"

"Just fine," she said through clenched teeth. "But we're not here to make casual pleasantries, are we?"

"No, I'm afraid we're not," he cleared his throat. "There's somethin' I wanna to say to a very special little girl and her family, who have done a lot for this town."

He turned to face the camera, and tried to wipe his hands on his pants as inconspicuously as he could. Now's the time to turn on the charm.

"To Buttercup Utonium, her sisters, and the rest of Townsville, all I can say is; I hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me for all I've done," he made his deep brown eyes go as wide as he could.

"This is hard for me to admit, but it's true. That night, I was terrified; not only for myself, but for my dear, dear friends Arturo and Billy. Ever since Grubber left and Snake… well, I'm sure you know," he looked down. "They're all I got left in the world. If anything ever happened to them, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

"Your friends Arturo and Billy," Mrs. Carlson said. "Just to be clear, you're referring to Arturo de la Guerra and William W. Williams? Your fellow co-conspirators in taking over Townsville, and former members of the dangerous street gang known as the Gangreen Gang?"

Ace shot a look towards Sedusa, who nodded at him to keep going.

"Yes Mrs. Carlson, that's exactly who I mean," he said. "You see, I didn't grow up like the Powerpuff Girls or like many of you nice folks watchin' at home. I didn't have a big, nice house or a family to care for me. None of us did. All we had was each other. I woulda died without them, and they woulda died without me."

"So, you made yourself a little makeshift crime family is what you're saying," Mrs. Carlson said. "Sanford Ingleberry was a part of your gang too, was he not?"

Ace stiffened. "He was," he said. "But he ain't- he's not anymore."

"So, you're not going to let your feelings get in the way of letting justice be served?" she asked. "You're going to make sure he's punished to the full extent of the law for murdering three people in cold blood, including our late mayor?"

"Now, sayin' it was in cold blood is a bit misleadin' to the folks at home-"

A cough off camera interrupted him and his eyes turned toward Sedusa. She gave him a hard look and shook her head slightly.

"He'll always be a brother to me, but as mayor I have to put the well being of Townsville first," he said. His fingernails dug into the side of his leg. "It's up to the judge to decide his fate."

"I see," Mrs. Carlson said, her lips pursed. "Well as mayor, do you have any plans for Townsville? How do you plan on dealing with the surge of crime now that we no longer have the Powerpuff Girls to defend us?"

Ace paused. Sedusa warned him that he would be asked this, and went over several generic responses he could give.

"Just say something like you plan to keep things going as close to the old status quo as possible," she said. "Say you and your team are working together on the best steps to take going forward."

"One good thing about being a former criminal you see, is that I know how criminals think," he said. "I know what motivates 'em to do the things they do, and I know how to keep 'em in line. Ya don't spend the better part of ya adolescence lookin' over a gang of wild teenage boys without learnin' a thing or two. And Townsville can live rest assured that any lowlifes breaking the law will have to answer to me. Personally."

"A criminal who's tough on crime," she mused. "Well, if you deliver on your promise, it would be certainly be an improvement from the last time we had a criminal in office. That Morbucks girl cost me my BMW."

Ace had to fight the smirk growing on his face as the mental image of Karen Carlson waking up to find her car stolen entered his mind.

"Well ma'am, you don't have to worry about that under my watch, I promise you."

"That's good to hear, Mayor Copular," she said. "Now, before I let you go, I just have one question left to ask you."

"Shoot."

"How exactly did you take away the Powerpuff Girls's powers?" she asked. "And who was the friend who helped you, if not Mojo?"

Ace's face fell, and his stomach dropped. "What?"

"After you killed Mojo and took over his hideout," she said slowly. "You agreed to a live interview. You told me and all of Townsville that you were directly responsible for taking the girl's powers. How did you do it and who was the friend who helped you?"

Shit! He thought. I completely forgot about that!

"I… uh," he looked desperately over at Sedusa, who looked equally anxious. She made a zipping gesture over her mouth. He looked back over at Mrs. Carlson.

"My lawyer said I can't talk about that," he said. "I plead the fifth, or whatever."

"This isn't a courtroom, Mayor Copular," Mrs. Carlson said, a shit eating grin appeared on her bright red lips. "We're just two people having a conversation. Don't you think Townsville deserves to know what happened to their dear heroes?"

"Look," he said. "I've said and done a lotta dumb things in the past. I mighta… overexaggerated my involvement in what happened to the Powerpuff Girls."

"Overexaggerated? To what extent?" Mrs. Carlson asked. "Surely you do at least know what happened to them, don't you?"

Ace felt his mouth go dry. "No," he said. "I lied, okay? I don't know nothin. Hell, Mojo probably was behind it. Or maybe nobody was and it was a weird thing with their genes. I don't know how their powers work."

Mrs. Carlson snorted. "You really expect us to believe that after you admitted it on live TV?"

"You can believe or not believe anythin' you want. I don't blame ya or anyone else in Townsville for not trustin' me. All I can do is tell ya the truth now."

He shook his head, his face burning with humiliation at what he was about to do.

"I was never a real villain. Just some dumb kid who thought he was hot shit. I lost my job and got roped in with Mojo because I figured it was a sign from God, the universe, or whatever ya believe in that I just wasn't meant to live like everyone else. Of course, the boys and I got in way over our heads, but we were too stupid to notice until it was too late. I thought takin' out Mojo would solve our problems, but it just made things worse," he swallowed.

"Before I knew it, we were surrounded by an army of cops who were threatenin' to take us to jail for a long, long time. And I knew there was only one way out; play into the role of the big bad villain that everybody expected me to be. I mighta gone a bit too far with it," he gave the camera a bashful smile.

"Just so we're all clear about what you mean," Mrs. Carlson said, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "You're saying you made the whole thing up for attention?"

"I'd call it 'street cred,' but that's basically the gist," he said. "I got no idea what happened to make those girls lose their powers any more than you do. I just wanted people to take me seriously for once."

"Well, if that is true, that's awfully convenient for you, now that you're Mayor and trying to rebuild your reputation."

"How could I have possibly done it even if I wanted to?" he asked. "I don't got no magical powers. I ain't no scientist. If Mojo did do it, he never woulda trusted me to carry it out for him, I can tell ya that. He called me an idiot more times than I care to say. Besides," he said. "The girls had been losin' their powers for a while. I was still workin' as Super Savings like a regular Joe when they started gettin' all outta wack. It just don't add up."

For the first time, belief started to cross Mrs. Carlson's face, and Ace knew he had her.

"If you weren't the one who took down the Powerpuff Girls," she said. "That still makes you a liar. How can Townsville trust someone to protect them who'd tell such a hideous lie?"

"I've done plenty worse in my life than lie," he said. "I ain't a good guy, I admit it. But sometimes ya need a bad guy to get rid of the worse guys, if ya know what I'm sayin. And that's exactly what I plan to do, from this day forward."

Mrs. Carlson looked at him for a long time before speaking again. "For Townsville's sake, I hope you mean that. I suppose only time will tell."

"Well?" he asked Sedusa after the interview as they walked out to the parking lot. "How'd I'd do?"

In response, she just gave him the most genuine grin he had ever seen on her. She grabbed his face, pulling it down to her level, and showed her approval by sticking her tongue in his mouth.

As soon as he got a moment to catch his breath, he felt slightly dazed.

"I'm guessin' that means I did good?" he smirked.

"Better than good," she said. "I mean, you were an idiot for saying anything in the first place, but you talked your way out of it like a champ."

"What can I say? I got a good teacher," he couldn't hide the proud smile on his face.

"Now if you ask me," she said, rubbing her hand on the side of his arm. "You earned a reward for how well you handled yourself. You want to take this somewhere private?"

"Damn, I didn't know lyin' made you this horny," he teased. He already could feel his heart beat in anticipation. "Let's get home and put the mayor's bed to good use-"

"Actually, I was thinking here," she said. "My car has a huge backseat that never gets any use."

"You serious?" Ace asked, laughing. "How are we gonna explain ourselves if we get caught?"

"We're not going to get caught," she said. "And if we do, well…" she smirked. "I'm sure you can talk your way out of it with that silver tongue of yours. Now come on!"

She pulled him by the hand and led the way. And Ace, eager to show her that his "silver tongue" could be useful in more ways than one, eagerly followed.

Arturo wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stood in the kitchen, cooking Ace's favorite meal for when he got home from his interview.

He spent most of the previous day locked up in his room. Ace made it clear he didn't want to talk, and Arturo didn't particularly want to either. He hated arguing with anyone in the gang, and the whole ordeal has left his stomach in knots.

He knew that he couldn't stand for things to go on like this forever. And while he was waiting for Ace to leave, he got an idea to try and smooth things over wth him.

Years ago, once the gang had finally saved up enough to get an apartment, Arturo offered to cook them whatever they wanted to celebrate.

"I'd kill for some chicken marsala man," Ace told him. "Haven't had a proper one since my ma passed. She didn't cook much, but when she did," he whistled. "You'd swear you died and gone to heaven."

Ace gave him the best recollection of the recipe he had, and he could still remember the beam of pride he felt when Ace told him it was just like he remembered it.

A few minutes later, he heard the front door open along with Ace and Sedusa's laughter. He walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey Ace!" He greeted his friend. "How did things go?"

He tried not to feel hurt when Ace's expression faltered slightly.

"Alright," he said. He paused when the smell from the kitchen hit him. "You cookin' somethin?"

"Chicken marsala," Arturo beamed. "You know, to celebrate. I know you were dreading having to go on TV and apologize and all that, and, I don't know," he rubbed the back of his head self consciously. "I thought it might cheer you up."

Sedusa leaned over and whispered something in Ace's ear, and his eyes got a wicked gleam. "That's great man, but do ya think you could put it in the fridge for later? I uh," he looked over at Sedusa. "I'm gonna be busy for a bit."

Arturo looked back and forth between the two, his eyes settling on Sedusa and her fake innocent smile.

"Sure man," he said. "Whatever you want."

"Thanks," he walked towards the staircase and paused when he realized Sedusa wasn't following him."

"You comin?" he asked.

"In a minute, I have to powder my nose."

"Alright," he said grinning. "Don't take too long though."

After Ace was out of earshot, Arturo was stuck alone with perhaps his least favorite person in the world. She folded her arms across her chest and cocked an eyebrow.

"I know what you're doing kid, I'm not stupid."

"What?" he asked. "Making lunch?"

"Trying to butter up Ace so he forgets that you're a little thief," she said. She started circling around him like a shark, and Arturo could feel his heart beat in his chest. "But it's gonna take a lot more than that to make up for your mistakes."

"Well I guess I could offer to chupa su verga," Arturo said. "Seemed to work for you."

Sedusa grinned.

"Look kid, I'm going to warn you now; you can either smile and stay out of the way, or you're gonna force my hand. So if you care about your friend and want to stick around, I'd tread very lightly."

"Ms. Wednesday, please," Professor Utonium begged. "Just tell me if the girls are safe. That's all I ask."

"Professor," she let out a sigh. "I've told you this the last three times you called me. I'm not allowed to tell you any information about the girls. It is up to their legal guardian if and when he decides to contact you-"

"Their new guardian?!" he exclaimed. "You mean they've already been put in another home?"

There was a moment of silence on the other line. "Goodbye, Professor."

"No, wait-"

The other line went dead. Utonium uttered a word he never allowed himself to say in front of the girls before slamming the phone back on the receiver.

He frowned at the huge pile of legal paperwork scattered all over his desk. He had no idea what he was doing, and he knew it. How would he? He was a scientist, not a lawyer. And he never thought that… that his girls could…

His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Ms. Wednesday?" he answered immediately.

"Er, no," an older man's voice answered on the other line. "I assume you're waiting on a call from someone else?"

"Can I help you with something?" he said, harsher than he intended. He was too exhausted to be polite.

"Are you Professor Utonium?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Professor Nicholas Marlow," the man on the other line said. "I've been given the privilege to foster your extraordinary daughters."

The Professor snapped up in his seat. "You have Bubbles and Blossom with you? Right now?" he asked. "Oh, how have they been? Are they alright?"

"The girls are fine," the man assured him. "They're adjusting surprisingly well, I'd say."

"Can you put them on the phone?" Professor Utonium begged. "Please, I just need to hear their voices-"

"I actually had a better idea," Professor Marlow said. "You see, I told the girls the other day that I'd take them to visit their sister Buttercup in the hospital, I know they're terribly worried for her. I'm sure they'd love to see you as well, and I thought it would be a nice surprise if you could meet us there. Are you free tomorrow morning around ten?"

"Absolutely!" a wide grin appeared on his face. "Thank you!"

"Of course," he said. "I know we don't know each other yet, but I would like for us to be friends. Your girls seem to love you very much and I trust their judgment. Every family goes through rough patches, especially during times of stress. If you need help for anything involving the custody case, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Professor Marlow. I mean that," he said. "I was so afraid my girls would end up with… well, I'm sure you've heard your fair share of horror stories about foster care."

"Unfortunately there are many bad actors out there," Professor Marlow agreed. "But I promise you, I have nothing but good intentions regarding your girls."

The next morning, Blossom woke up two hours before she set her alarm clock and felt her stomach ache with excitement and nerves when she realized that she'd get to see her sister for the first time in weeks.

"He's taking us to visit Buttercup?!" she exclaimed after Bubbles woke her up the other night to tell her about her talk with Professor Marlow. "How did you talk him into that one?"

"I didn't, he just offered!" Bubbles said. "He was talking about his family and what happened to them-"

"Family?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

So then Bubbles told her about the story of Professor Marlow's late partner and his kids. Blossom had to admit she did feel a little guilty about assuming the worst.

The next morning, she made sure to sincerely thank Professor Marlow and apologize for her previous behavior.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," he said. "I was acting a bit suspicious, I'll admit. But I promise to be completely transparent with the both of you moving forward. I want you girls to feel safe and happy here."

Only a few minutes after she woke up, Bubbles soon followed, and together they got ready for the day.

"Well well well," Professor Marlow gave them a wry grin when he knocked on their door to make sure they were awake, only to find them ready to go. "I guess someone's excited."

"We are," Blossom agreed. "Do you think we can get there early? I mean, if there are any issues with the hospital staff letting us in-"

"Oh, I doubt there will be any issues, but I know you want to see your sister as soon as possible," he said. "Tell you what; I'll take you girls as soon as I'm done getting ready myself."

Once they had all piled into Professor Marlow's car and got to the hospital, Blossom and Bubbles froze when they saw a familiar face in the waiting room.

"PROFESSOR!" Bubbles exclaimed, loud enough for the entire building to hear her. She jumped into their father's arms, Blossom trailing close behind.

"Oh, girls!" he cried. "I'm so happy to see you! I missed you so much!" Hot tears poured from his eyes and onto the girls' heads. After they embraced, the Professor turned to face Marlow.

"Thank you, sir. Really," he said. "I had no idea when I'd see my girls again, and this is just the biggest relief you could imagine."

"Of course," he said. "Now, let's go check on Buttercup, shall we?"

The four made their way to the front desk, and Professor Marlow gave the receptionist his big, toothy grin.

"We're here to see Buttercup Utonium," he said. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to her. "I'm her current legal guardian. This should explain everything."

"Oh yes! Professor Marlow? I remember her doctor told me you'd be by today."

"Great! What room is she in?"

"Oh, well let me check here," she did a double take when she saw the group before her and frowned.

"Just one second," she picked up the phone and dialed an extension.

"Yes, this is Sheila. How many visitors did you say were allowed in at one time? Alright… I'll let them know." She shot them an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, but we can only let three people in her room at a time. Hospital policy."

"Oh, that's disappointing to hear," Professor Marlow said, furrowing his brow. "Well then, I suppose I'll just wait down here and then these three can go up-"

"I'm sorry sir, but since Buttercup is a minor and you're her legal guardian, we can't allow any visitors without you present. I do apologize for the inconvenience."

"What?! But why?" Blossom exclaimed. "We're her family."

"I know, dear," she said. "But like I said, it's hospital policy. We can't bend the rules for anyone, not even the Powerpuff Girls."

Blossom gritted her teeth in frustration. "Well, fine! I guess I'll just sit down here and wait."

"Blossom," the Professor said. "I can't keep you from seeing your sister. I'll stay down here," he said. He then turned back toward the receptionist. "Can't I go let them see her for a bit and then switch places?"

"We only allow a maximum of three visitors per day. They say it can get a bit overwhelming for the patients."

"But she's in a coma," Blossom argued. "How can we possibly "overwhelm" her? Isn't more excitement a good thing, because it might wake her up?"

"Like I said, it's hospital policy," she said.

"Well," Bubbles said quietly. "I guess I could stay behind. Just," she sniffled. "Just tell Buttercup I love her, okay?"

"No honey, I'm not making either of you girls stay behind for me," the Professor said. He turned to Professor Marlow.

"Please let me know how she's doing. If she's okay, if there are any changes. Heck, even if her pinky finger twitches I want to know about it."

"Of course, Professor," Marlow agreed. "I promise to stay in contact."

"And you'll let me see my girls again soon, right?" The Professor asked pleadingly.

"We'll set up something as soon as we all get settled," Professor Marlow promised.

The Professor nodded and looked over at his two healthy daughters once again.

"I'll see you girls soon," he promised. "Be safe, and be good."

Lunartyk: The Rowdyruff Boys will not be making an appearance in this fic, at least as far as my plans are now. But we will learn more about Professor Marlow as the story continues ;)

GGG Fan: Hi! :D Yeah, Arturo definitely had it rough growing up too in some ways, just like his friends. And yep, Ace is falling under Sedusa's spell more and more it seems, unfortunately for him and those around him.

Thanks to everyone reading! Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter! :D