Chapter 4 up and ready : ). May be quite a break between this and the next chapter but I'll do my best to update as quick as I can.

Many thanks to Nineteenninetytwo for beta reading this for me.

The run to the Lair was thankfully uneventful. Megamind kept to the side streets and crept as stealthy as he could, making sure all the while that Roxanne was OK and that he wasn't hurting her.

As he ran across the road leading to his Lair, he had gotten an unpleasant prickling on the back of his neck which made him stop and look over his shoulder, to see if Tighten was following. He peered backwards through the night, his heart hammering, but thankfully, there was no sign of the new villain.

The heavy rain had eased during the sprint to the Lair. From somewhere around him crickets chirruped, and a dog howled in the distance. It was a lonely sound. As lonely as the swollen silver moon that hung in the air, illuminating the Lair and surrounding objects. As he approached the entrance he stopped, and shifted Roxanne in his arms. It was strange how everything seemed so peaceful. After the fun run from hell earlier he supposed that anything in contrast was peaceful.

He looked down at Roxanne. Her mouth was slightly open and her forehead was gently furrowed.

She looked troubled... she was troubled.

I'm the cause of her troubles.

Slowly he walked into the Lair, happy and relieved that he and Roxanne had made it safely. Especially Roxanne. He walked through the Lair, his boots echoing hollowly throughout the cavernous building, and he laid her down on the couch as carefully as he could manage, making sure that her head was properly supported by the pillows. He walked over to the generator that he'd had in the Lair to turn the heating up. He'd always hated the cold.

The generator clicked, the noise loud in the silent room, then thrummed into life. He looked over to see if this noise had disturbed her in any way. If it had, she gave no sign. He stared at her from where he stood. She looked comfortable and at peace; he couldn't have wished for more.

Megamind walked back over to Roxanne and gently knelt down in front of her. Remembering how she had fallen earlier, he wondered if her back was OK. After wiping her damp hair from her eyes, he suddenly realized that all of her would still be wet, and in the same instance he blushed slightly. Should he remove her clothes?

No. The way everyone had looked at him in the restaurant swam into his mind's eye. He was sure that the generator would soon dry her out. Blushing still from the thought of what may be beneath her dress, he stood up, and after some searching he returned with a blanket for her and a mug of warm milk. Something for her to drink when she woke up, if she stuck around that long when she did wake...

Megamind knelt down in front of her again, gazing upon her face. She really was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, made all the more beautiful by her kind heart. He couldn't believe that he may never have found out what lay beneath that reporter armour. He'd learnt so many things about her in the last couple of weeks; so many wonderful things. How wrong he had been to write her off as just a nosy reporter. How on earth was he going to right this mess? Tighten would come for her again; he was no doubt searching for her right now. He shivered at the thought and at what he had seen tonight.

No matter what would happen, he must protect her; that is, if she let him.

He sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes again and noticed that it was drier. He quickly checked the rest of her by gingerly stroking the side of her dress to see how dry she was becoming.

Dry enough, he decided, so he picked up the blanket and gently covered her with it, tucking it up under her chin so that she would be completely warm.

He stood by the generator for a while, warming himself whilst observing her. Roxanne made soft sleeping noises that he tried to ignore, but found he couldn't. He blushed, when she murmured a couple of times, and her face moved slightly but she slept on. Megamind began to observe that she was becoming more restless. A hand had dropped out from underneath the blanket and the other had settled on her stomach.

After removing his gloves (if she had any sort of awareness, he didn't want to scare her with the touch of his gloves), Megamind gently took one of her hands in his. She was so cold he was alarmed, and he looked at her with sad eyes.

My fault.

He began to slowly and softly stroke her hands, trying to get the blood flowing, and using his own body warmth to heat hers. She would surely wake up soon.

His heart skipped a beat; what would he tell her when she did wake up? He hadn't really planned what he was going to say. Concentrating on keeping Roxanne warm, Megamind hoped that when Roxanne did awaken, he would say the right thing.

What can I possibly tell you?

He remembered those eyes from across the table...

Roxanne was aware of a warm sensation growing and filling her with warmth. The transition from cold to heat stung like a thousand needles, and she knew she had to open her eyes and make her way home, but she found that she couldn't do it – it was so comfortable were she was. Her limbs were heavy and it felt like she was melting into her surroundings.

She became aware of someone gently rubbing her hands. This above everything else commanded her attention; it was bringing her consciousness back. Pulling her and saving her from the blackness. But then she suddenly became aware of a dull pain in her lower back. So she laid there in the grey cloud between dreams and awakening, deciding...

Finally, she opened her eyes.

The hum of the generator was the first sound she was aware of.

Where am I?

She could hear an isolated dripping sound from another direction, and her eyes studied the ceiling in confusion.

Where...?

And then suddenly, the whole scene slipped into place. She had been here so many times she knew it like the back of her hand.

Then who's touching my...?

She glanced to the side, and there, looking scared, was Megamind.

With an startled cry she pulled her hands away from him, who alarmed at her outburst backed away with both hands half raised. He started to breathe heavily, aware that his eyes were starting to cloud and water. Roxanne stood and began to glare at him, but then her face froze.

As Megamind watched, silent tears began to fall slowly down her face. She closed her eyes. Megamind approached her slowly, still keeping his distance.

"Roxanne?" he softly asked.

She didn't move. Didn't give any indication that she'd even heard him. Roxanne heard his boots slowly walk towards her, and was aware of a hand gently touching her shoulder. She found that she couldn't resist it. Besides with the pain she was feeling in her back, she wasn't going any where soon. It wasn't too serious; it had just taken a hell of a knock tonight.

Tonight.

Hal.

"Roxanne, please, let me care for you."

The reporter turned her eyes to his, and in the same instance, she remembered.

She remembered everything; the forcefulness of his arms, the horrible claustrophobic feeling when he'd hugged and kissed her. She'd become a frightened animal in those few horrible minutes; the feelings she had experienced could only properly be described as primal. From what she'd remembered, all she had been able to speak were stuttering sounds of panic as she'd fought to get away from him. Hal, her camera man, had meant to do her harm. If he realized that he couldn't have her sooner, he would have done her harm.

Again, Megamind's soft words cut through her thoughts.

"Roxanne, let me care for you."

The whole shock of the night's events flowed over her. The walls, surrounding objects all flowed and merged into one, everything became all cloudy and fuzzy...

She was dimly aware of Megamind holding her, catching her as she swayed. Then she clung to him, sobbing.

"I thought he was going to rape me."

Megamind held her tighter at these words. He didn't say anything at all; what could he say to that? He was certain that if hadn't have shown up when he did...

After a few minutes when she grew silent, he picked her up and laid her back on the couch. The villain walked away from her up to the generator, and she watched him. He picked up the mug off the generator – where he had placed it in order to keep it warm – before he walked back over to her and knelt down beside her again. He held up the steaming mug.

"Its milk, for you."

Roxanne stared at him, quite stunned. Gently, he slid a hand behind her head and moved it forward a little. Then he brought the steaming mug up to her lips.

"Drink this, Roxanne. It'll help."

The reporter found that she couldn't say no; she felt so drained. Megamind gently tipped the mug and stopped after a couple of seconds. She felt the fingers underneath her head move slightly in a stroking motion as though he were comforting her, trying to soothe her. The warm milk flowed through her and seemed to melt away the coldness.

Again he repeated the action.

She was becoming drowsy, and by the time the whole mug was empty, in spite of herself, she felt so relaxed. She was asleep again by the time he had put the mug away and wrapped the blanket around her once more.