Well, here was the bottom of his thirty-second tub of ice cream.

Life was oh so fulfilling like that sometimes, wasn't it?

One minute, everything seems sound, and then news is dropped on you like a fucking bombshell and you realize the past few months were pretty much a lie, your child had been stolen from you, you were given false memories, and the man you had fallen head over heels with was a huge liar and you almost broke his face in but flew off like a little bitch.

Oh, yes, life was the best right now, weeks after that bunch of crap had happened. "That bunch of crap" including his child being taken by the evil, douchebag of a villain, Professor Dreamweaver, and him not even remembering it. How could he not remember his child being taken, you may ask? Well, you see, this particular villain's power had to do with the mind. He could make people see anything that he desires, which can range from wonderful, happy things to deranged, horrifying things. It's a great distraction, sadly, and it usually allows him to get away with a lot. And apparently that power also includes being able to take away every loving memory a father has for his daughter!

And then not admit the truth for several months…
To which the two then started dating and Alfred had actually proposed!

To say Alfred was mad would be a complete and utter understatement. What made it worse was that he was "The Hero" of Metroville, and he had been powerless against it all. He had been powerless in his own life.

Sighing, the now pathologically depressed American ran a hand through his five o'clock shadow, his other hand dropping a spoon into the ice cream and fumbling around for the remote. Shitty TV; nothing decent on it all week -

"We interrupt this program to bring you a shocking interview!" the suited character on the TV announced, sounding much too urgent for a dumb interview. "Everyone's been talking about how quiet it's been with the supers seemingly gone for good in our precious city, but no more, folks! We have with us today Professor Dreamweaver! The villain that has been missing for months!"

Eyes widening, anger boiling, Alfred could feel his laser vision instinctively charging up to shoot the bastard right in the face. Bastard. Bastard of all bastards. Just what importance did this bastard bastardly have to say?

Bastard.

"It's a special case we have here, folks," the TV announcer continued on, smiling now. How anyone could smile at that man he had no idea. "The local villain has agreed to go directly to jail to spend the rest of his life there as long as we give him this one-hour interview and broadcast it live! He says he has a story to tell, and here he is now!" The camera shot switched to a close-up of Professor Dreamweaver's head. He had that stupid mask on, the one that covered everything except his eyes and mouth, though the rest of his costume was missing. Instead of his colorful costume, he wore simple khakis and a white, button-up shirt. But the most noticeable thing about him was how thin he looked - it was as if he had turned anorexic since the last time he saw him. His face was thin and gaunt, the mask looking much too big for his head now, and when the camera zoomed out he looked like a toothpick sitting in that red chair. And that nervous smile he wore as he sat there, staring at the camera…

To Alfred, it felt as though he was staring straight at him, as if caught in deadlights.

Alfred's own deadlights.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted, his voice surprisingly strong and steady. "I'm glad to be here. I should have done this a long time ago…"

"Tell us, Professor," the interviewer said, sitting across from him and looking very interested. "Why are you here today?"

"Oh, well…" Arthur took a deep breath and let it out slowly, staring down at the floor as he admitted, "... I wanted to apologize. For everything. And clear up some misconceptions that I heard going around about me..." He looked up, frowning and his eyes still managing to retain some fierceness. "For starters, I am not a child molester. Damn it - the very thought makes me want to throw up."

Alfred felt himself roll his eyes as he hunched down. Yeah right - why else had he stolen his daughter?!

"Then why do you target children, Professor?" the interviewer asked, as if he was talking to the author of some book. "Why try to take orphans?"

Arthur smiled lightly and shook his head. "You're not going to believe it - no one is, I'm sure - but I've just always wanted to be a father. I thought I would be one, too, when I had a wife -"

"You used to have a wife?" The interviewer seemed genuinely surprised.

Arthur just chuckled and nodded. "I know, it seems an odd concept, doesn't it? But anyway, I - oh, let me start from the beginning." He sighed and cleared his throat, the only sign that gave away how nervous he must feel. "Ever since I was a young lad I've loved children. I would always volunteer at the local daycare, and enjoyed reading to them, giving them piggyback rides - I didn't even mind when they pulled on my hair." He smiled nostalgically and looked up a little, as if there was a little screen he was watching. "I knew from the start that I wanted to be a father - if I was nothing else except that… I would be happy."

Silence went on the air for a few seconds before the interviewer asked quietly, "And what happened? What stopped you?"

Arthur's happy smile fell quickly into a frown, and he looked back at the man across from him. "... As I mentioned before," he sounded as if he was talking about a murder, "I had a wife once… She wanted children as much as I did, so naturally once we were married we tried as often as we could. But after months and months of, well, trying, and seeing no results… we went to see a doctor. To find out what was wrong, you know?"

"Yes, that's the logical thing to do," the interviewer nodded in agreement.

"We thought so, too." Arthur sighed, looking down at the floor and starting to wring his hands, his next words coming with much more difficulty than before. "So, we saw the doctor, and… my wife was fine - "fertile as a farm," he said… Me, on the other hand…" He smiled sadly. "... He told me that something was wrong with my… reproductive tract, and that… I would never be able to have children…"

Collective gasps went throughout the audience, and it was probably that which made Arthur tear up more than his confession.

"Imagine that, right?" Arthur asked, sniffling slightly and wiping at his eyes. "The thing I wanted most of all, and here I'm finding out it's impossible for me."

"... So you decided to steal orphans?" the interviewer asked, frowning sympathetically.

Arthur laughed and shook his head. "No, no - not yet, anyways… First, I had to tell my wife the news, and suggested adoption as an option - after all, I just loved children. They didn't have to be my own! … Only," Arthur swallowed, slumping down ever so slightly in his chair. "She didn't feel that way… She divorced me."

Alfred felt his mouth twitch, and his slightly damp eyes blink. While he had been mindlessly glued to the telly, hearing something personal that Arthur had told him managed to make him snap out of it a little and shiver. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to ignore any sympathy he was feeling once more. He wanted Arthur to suffer still...

"To be honest," Arthur continued on that plasma screen, "that whole exchange… it made me feel rather worthless." He swallowed and looked up at the interviewer. "It made me think, "What good am I, if I can't have children? What's my purpose?" And… well," he smiled sadly again. "I suppose that's why I had never really… looked for love after that. Because I thought no one could love someone who can't even do something that's inherent in nature - reproduce. So, I turned to single-parenting, and went to an orphanage to see if I couldn't adopt."

Feeling a twinge of hollowness, Alfred had to look away for a moment and wipe his eyes discreetly. N-no… He wasn't going to feel this way! Not at all!

"I'm guessing the agency didn't let you?" the interviewer guessed, giving Arthur a small smile.

"You're right," Arthur told him, nodding and taking a deep breath. "They told me that since I was a single male, without even a girlfriend, that I was most likely not going to be able to adopt. And, I guess… being told that…" He laughed softly and looked away. "... I snapped. I decided that if the bloody system wasn't going to let me have the child I've always wanted, that I'd just take one for myself. So, that night, I put on a ski mask and went to the orphanage to convince a child to come live with me." He smiled and lifted his hands, a bright, clear picture emanating from his fingertips, showing a picture of "Professor Dreamweaver" smiling lovingly and holding a child in his arms. "I would show them things like this, inside their head," he explained quietly. "I would show them what I wanted to do - give them a loving home, where I would care for them… That's why some of them got upset when I was stopped, because they weren't getting something they've been yearning for, either - a loving home, a loving parent… Simply someone who cared."

Tears were budding up more in Alfred's eyes, causing him to swear loudly. No! He couldn't sympathize with this evil, heinous liar! He couldn't! He just couldn't -!

"That sounds awful, Professor," the interviewer told him, sounding completely honest as he frowned. "So, to you, The Hero wasn't a hero at all."

Arthur smiled, though it looked a bit ironic to Alfred. "No, no, he really wasn't," he admitted, chuckling soon afterward. "That is, until later… but I'm getting ahead of myself." He took a deep breath before continuing his story. "After months of trying and failing to… well, "steal" a child, and being stopped by The Hero, well… I'd had enough." He shook his head. "I felt so much hatred for this superhero that everyone loved that I decided I'd take revenge on him by doing something that I regret to the very bottom of my heart to this day. I took his child from him."

The audience gasped again, the camera switching to a shot of the people looking amongst themselves with shocked faces and hushed whispers. While Alfred felt himself start to blubber and wail with sobs once more.

"And… you succeeded?" the interviewer seemed shocked by that more than anything.

"... Yes," Arthur said quietly, swallowing and taking a deep breath. "You see, I… Along with his daughter, I took his memories of her, too." He chewed at his lip. "I took every memory of her ever belonging to The Hero, allowing her to fully become my child, once I acquired some fake IDs."

"How did you find out where he lived?" the interviewer asked.

Arthur chuckled and gave a little grin. "You mean, how did I figure out what his actual name was? Oh, that was the easy part. It's so bloody obvious - I'm surprised no one else knows who The Hero is yet."

And if Alfred wasn't sobbing, he would have glared at the screen for that.

"Anyway," Arthur continued, chewing at his lip again. "After I had her, and taken the memories away, I had fully intended to never interact with The Hero again… But, well…" He smiled, a mix of sad and happy all at once. "... That didn't happen…" He sighed and looked down. "I kept bumping into him in town - after all, he knew my citizen counterpart, whom we'll call George, for now. He's such a polite man, so of course he had to say "Hi," to me, and I didn't want to act suspicious so I indulged in the conversation. Though…" Arthur hesitated and looked into the camera. "I think part of the reason I kept agreeing to see him, and even called him out when I saw him in the street sometimes, was because I felt guilty… And wanted to make sure he was all right, without the memories of his daughter."

At that Alfred felt his tears start to die down as he began to gaze back up at the screen. That's why Arthur kept… Bumping into him? After winning? After taking his daughter?
Could that really be true, or just another lie?

"But, after awhile…" Arthur laughed softly and reached a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "... I guess he had taken a fancy to George, because he asked him out on a proper date."

The audience gasped once more, and the interviewer quickly asked, "Did you agree?!"

"... Yes…"

And at that, Alfred couldn't help but chuck an empty carton of ice cream at the TV in his anger. Stupid bastard - taking advantage of his naivety!

"Why did you agree, Professor?" the interviewer asked, clearly in shock. "You had said you planned on never interacting with him again."

"I know, and I really did plan on that…" Arthur swallowed again, shifting in his seat as he tried to find the words. "... To this day, I don't really know why I agreed… Part of me says it was just to humor him - one date and then it would give me an excuse to never see him again. I could say it had gone horribly and go on my merry way, right? After all, rarely anyone remains friends with their exes. But…" Arthur's eyes zoned out for a few seconds, and he actually smiled for this next part. "... That date had gone so awfully wonderful, that… I agreed to a second one. And a third, and a fourth, and countless others…" He laughed at himself, holding a hand up to hide his smile like he so often did. "And I loved each and every one of them… The Hero really is a sweetheart, you know - he makes you feel as if you're the most special person in the world."

Another carton was aimed at the screen, yet Alfred didn't throw it as he felt something inside him, something hard and rock solid, slowly starting to crumble.

Though he didn't know what.

"... Do you love him?" the interviewer asked softly, as if trying to wrap his own head around it.

"..." It took a few seconds for Arthur to answer, and when he did, he looked straight at the camera again - making Alfred feel as if he was talking directly to him. "... Yes. I'm in love with that man."

Which made everything crumble in return, leaving a man in dire need of a shave in the dust and debris.

"I imagine those feelings made it hard for you," the interviewer assumed. "What with you having taken his child."

"Oh, you have no idea…" Arthur sighed, an utterly pathetic sound this time as he stared at the floor again. "Even when we had just started dating I would be so overcome by my guilt that I would fall asleep crying, some nights… others, my powers had a field day tormenting me. After all, The Hero hated my villain self - he had told me that he felt Professor Dreamweaver should be executed, and he had such hate shining in his eyes as he said it… that I, I…" He swallowed. "I couldn't help but imagine his kind, loving eyes quickly turning to vile hatred when he looked at me… and I couldn't stand the thought of that. So, I thought the best thing would be to just keep it all a secret. I had the child I'd so desperately wanted since youth, after all, so I should have been happy! And I was!" Arthur looked back up at the interviewer to smile. "Don't get me wrong, the time I spent with that little girl, the times I read to her, fed her, taught her, held her… They were, undoubtedly, the happiest moments of my life. In my messed up mind, I felt that any possible guilt I felt was worth it for this darling little girl, and yet…"

"A-and yet?" Alfred felt himself croak as he now clinged to the sides of the television and stared into it with wide, bloodshot eyes. He had to know what Arthur was going to confess this time!

"... I knew I couldn't keep up the charade when The Hero did something so utterly frustrating that I still can't believe it." Arthur took a deep breath and let it out with a laugh, shaking his head again. "That idiot actually proposed to me, "George," can you believe that? Because I sure as hell cannot."

The audience didn't seem to believe it either, as they shared more hushed whispers.

Alfred felt as though his already "exposed" heart was being shot through again as he heard Arthur say that, and had to turn away to rub his eyes. Not again… He didn't want to hear about his screw up again…!

"It was completely unfair," Arthur complained, shaking his head slowly and smiling a small, incredulous smile. "Because I wanted to jump into his arms and scream "yes" a million times over… but I couldn't." He stopped moving altogether to take another deep breath, looking up at the interviewer. "How could I marry someone whom I had stolen something so precious from? It just… it didn't feel right. I had already felt so guilty with us just dating, I probably would have died from a heart attack if I had to lay next to him in bed every night and think, "Here's the man I love, and whom I hurt… so deeply. Sleeping calmly next to me, loving me..."" Arthur started to tear up again, though he didn't wipe them away. "... When I really, truly don't deserve it."

Realization was settling in now, causing Alfred to stand up. He knew he couldn't be sure if Arthur was telling the truth. He knew he couldn't be sure if this was all really happening either - if this was all an illusion or not. And, Hell, Arthur really could be telling the truth…. But despite all those odds -

Did Alfred forgive him?

He wasn't sure if he did or not.

"... What did you do then, Professor?" the interviewer asked, sitting forward in his seat and fixing his eyes solely on the villain.

Arthur stared at him for a few, long moments, before saying as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I showed him the truth." He turned his head and stared off into space. "I gave him his memories back, fully expecting to die once I did…" He frowned, looking almost confused. "... But he didn't kill me. To this day I don't know why - maybe he truly is just such a good hero that he couldn't even really think about killing me, even if I so greatly deserved it."

Alfred knew he couldn't stand this anymore. He had to talk to Arthur right now. That was his only choice, no matter what, he just had to talk to him maybe one last time.

They had unfinished business to take care of.

As he left to go do just that, however, the TV in his room still played the broadcast.

"And, well, that's the whole story I suppose," Arthur wrapped up, shrugging and leaning back in his chair. "I'm here, I haven't seen him since I told him the truth, and I just wanted to publicly apologize for everything… Well, actually." He stood up, staring at the people in the audience almost defiantly. "... I have one more thing I'd like to do. I don't deserve the privilege of hiding behind a mask anymore." He could hear the audience talking amongst themselves, wondering if he was going to do what they were all thinking. "... From now on," Arthur started to say, holding his hands up to his mask, fully prepared to take it off. "You can all call me by one name, and… and that name is -"

To which he was promptly swooped up in a blur and flown out of the room before he could reveal anything further to the public.

Author's notes, TheGuardianKnux: DUN DUN DUN DRAMATIC STARTING CHAPTER~

AN, Annzy: Well, the prequel kind of set us up for that… XD

AN, Knux: -3- I knoooow~

Annzy: XD Anyway! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! This one's a bit different from the previous story if you couldn't already tell ;) More twists, turns, and other stuff!

Knux: And we hope you like them so keep reviewing and commenting or whatever. XD

Annzy: Your feedback is important to us! ^^