Another short story set pre-movie. Hope it's enjoyable.

Megamind drummed his fingers on the dash board of the invisible car. Beside him Minion hummed.

Where was she?

The sun was barely up, the birds had just started their singing. Down the street a car engine spluttered and then thrummed into life.

Hardly anyone was about, but he knew that she usually was and should be.

His eyes kept wandering irritably up to the balcony of Roxanne's apartment. A few flowers hung over the side of the rails. They swayed in the morning breeze.

Megamind scowled at them as if they were mocking him.

"Where is she, Minion?"

"Just give her another couple of minutes, Sir. I'm sure she'll be out soon"

Megamind sighed dramatically and slumped back into the drivers chair. They'd been waiting out in the car for over an hour. They had listened to AC/DC and Deftones for a while, but when it approached the time that Miss Ritchi was to appear they had shut it off and waited...and waited.

Another 10 minutes went by. By this time Megamind was getting increasingly irritated and fidgety and Minion increasingly worried. A car kept stuttering and cutting out in the road behind them; the owner was having a hell of a time getting it to go.

Minion had become very fond of Miss Ritchi as the kidnappings had progressed. He knew Sir had become very fond of her but that he would never willingly admit it.

"Er... Sir?"

"Yes?" Megamind tersely answered him.

"I'm getting worried."

Megamind didn't say anything in reply. To be honest, he had been getting worried, too.

"Sir, do you think we should go up there?"

Megamind sat there in silence.

Should they, or shouldn't they?

He had never seen the inside of Miss Ritchi's Lair – or as she called it, her apartment. Whenever they had kidnapped her from it (which was rare) Minion had always made the journey on his own and Megamind had stayed behind.

Behind the car continued to stutter. A vein began to pulse in Megamind's temple.

"Sir?"

She was probably fine; maybe she wasn't even there? Perhaps she'd gone to work very early this morning? It was possible.

Maybe she had the day off and hadn't told them. If that was the case, then how inconsiderate, Megamind thought to himself.

We should have kidnapped her even earlier than this.

"Sir?"

What if she wasn't fine? Megamind found himself thinking.

His eyes again found her balcony.

Again the car stuttered behind them.

What if Metro Man and Miss Ritchi had gone out together today?

Megamind's face clouded over.

"Sir?" Minion raised his voice as he heard the car door opening.

Megamind stepped out the car, swung round so that he was facing the other way and pulled out his DE-GUN. He fired, and the car behind them exploded, leaving the poor occupant stunned behind the remains of a charred steering wheel.

"Lets go, I think Miss Ritchi has kept us waiting long enough," Megamind said irritably.

He began to walk in the direction of the building, cape fluttering behind him and leathered hands balled into fists.

At Minion's suggestion they had flown up to the balcony using one of many jet packs they kept in the boot of the car.

They softly touched down one after the other.

A glass patio door blocked their way, which beyond this where white see-through curtains.

Megamind stood there not quite sure what to do. He was outside her apartment; he had never been here before. He touched one of the glass doors hesitantly with a leathered hand.

"Is this one of her safety mechanisms?" he curiously asked Minion.

"I guess you could call it that, Sir."

Minion reached out and opened it by a little handle as he had done only a few times before.

Megamind stared, quite horrified.

"That's IT!" he exclaimed.

This was all that was keeping her safe?

Minion drew the curtains slowly and they looked into the room.

It was still slightly dark, and where Minion had drawn the curtains a ray of morning sun light cut through the middle of the room.

Megamind stepped in after Minion and stared around at Miss Ritchi's apartment.

He recognised some objects from magazines he had read whilst in prison growing up. The very air smelled like Miss Ritchi. He saw a load of paper work on a table, and accompanying it was a mug half full with some brown liquid. He picked it up curiously. He read the words WORLD'S BEST DAUGHTER and smiled. Eyeing the liquid he brought it up to his nose and smelt it.

"AUGH! It's disgusting!" he exclaimed. "How can she drink this stuff? What is it?"

"Its called coffee, Sir."

Megamind put down the mug; he didn't care for coffee.

He let his eyes travel around the room. Everything looked so tidy, but not so it was uninviting. He felt safe here. The atmosphere was very relaxing.

Megamind turned around and met the worried face of his oldest friend. It appeared she wasn't here.

He was about to say to Minion that they should go and wait outside Miss Ritchi's work until she either went out for lunch or finished for the day, when he saw yet another door.

He was certain that Miss Ritchi was behind it.

Walking over to the door in huge self assured strides, he reached it in no time. Spotting a mirror on the wall, he quickly checked his reflection then opened the door. He sprung inside, cape swishing dramatically.

"Prepare for abduction Number 66, Miss Ritchi! What's that? No, please don't ask how I was able to track you back to your home, you should know that for a genius such as I, it was nooooo..."

He trailed off, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. He just had enough time to see the back of Roxanne before she ducked into the bath in a cloud of bubbles whilst shouting at him to get out!

Blushing violently he retreated and slammed the door to the bathroom shut.

Megamind didn't dare to kidnap her again for at least another few weeks. When she was next in his Lair she found that he couldn't look her in the eye, and his usual flamboyant, over-dramatic deliveries of his lines weren't up to his usual standard. It resulted in one of the most boring and awkward abductions that she could ever remember.

She had looked up at one point just in time to see him quickly turn his head the other way, but not quick enough that she couldn't help notice the blushing on his cheeks.

Which in turn, soon made her blush.

As much as she disliked him, she didn't like to see him in this way – and the abduction was as boring as hell.

Clearing her throat, she spoke for the first time in what seemed like hours.

"Megamind."

He jumped as though she'd struck him, and this, to her surprise, made her feel guilty.

"I'm not going to ever bring up what happened between us the other day."

He looked at her, blushing more violently still.

"So we'll just forget it ever happened, and go back to how we were before, OK?" she said.

Silently he nodded, and after a moments pause, he smiled with relief.

A couple of days later, on a Saturday no less, Roxanne had just woken up and was starting her Saturday like any other. It was lovely weather so she decided to have breakfast on her balcony. Opening the doors that led to her balcony she stopped. On the table that she kept out there for mornings such as these was a small wrapped parcel.

The parcel was wrapped with black gloss paper and tied with a silver ribbon. Her eyes narrowed in curiosity and she started to unwrap it.

She smiled at what was revealed a black mug with the words WORLD'S BEST KIDNAPEE inscribed with silver lettering.

Taking it inside, she started to make coffee.

Returning once again outside, mug in hand, she sat down and took in the warm air of spring. Smiling, she looked out to the horizon, and wondered if she would see him today.