Beginning, or First Date (With No Kidnapping)

DISCLAIMER: (Do I really have to say this?) I do not own Megamind in any way, have no financial stake in the movie or characters, and this story is just for fun. Thanks, DreamWorks, for letting us play in your sandbox.

AUTHOR NOTE: Thank you to all who have taken the time to post reviews of my two stories. It's so nice to get feedback, and to know that some people are enjoying my work. Of course, now I'm worrying about disappointing people, and agonizing even more -Arggh! (Covers face with hands.) (Peeking through the fingers: Hope you like this…)

Chapter 2. First Official Date

Eventually Roxanne admitted it to herself: the closer the time came for Megamind's arrival, the more nervous she was becoming. Earlier, it had just seemed exciting, when she was curious to see what would happen, and eager to ask some of the questions she had been ruminating about during the last two days. Now she was wondering if she was just kidding herself, believing her own lies and half truths spun in that story she told Julia, which simplified all the complications, and made it easier to pretend it was just like a normal date.

The damsel-in-distress part of her had awakened, and started worrying over the sanity of voluntarily putting herself completely into his control, on a hoverbike no less, and going to a remote location. The damsel was complaining, "What were you thinking, selecting those activities? Why didn't you pick the dinner in your apartment? That at least would be safer."

"Because that would have been boring. The stargazing sounded interesting, and riding the hoverbike is exciting. Besides," she reminded the damsel, "what difference does it make where our date starts? If Megamind really wants to take me somewhere else against my will, there's little I can do to stop him. Nothing has stopped him for years." She would have to be by Metro Man's side constantly to keep Megamind away. She shuddered; that sounded revolting. Then she found herself chuckling, thinking of all the female residents of Metro City who would probably melt at the thought of being with Metro Man 24/7, while she would rather be with Megamind. Definitely something wrong with her.

The damsel was still whining, "But he gave you the option of not seeing him! You can still cancel. Say you're sick."

The reporter tried to soothe her. "We've always been safe with Megamind. He's never harmed Roxanne, even when we hit him. Besides, maybe I can get a story out of this."

"No, no stories. This is not about using him or tricking him. I'm doing this because I want to see if I can have a personal relationship with him, a real relationship. That night he seemed like an interesting, complex, fascinating man, and I was attracted to him. He made me feel things I haven't felt in a long time."

"But he's an alien," the damsel moaned.

"So is Metro Man, but no one seems to have any problem with the idea of him dating a human female. Besides, it's just one date."

"You promised three months," reminded the damsel.

"Oh. That's right. I did. … I'd forgotten about that."

"See, see, didn't think this through, did you?"

"But he was so sweet at the end of that evening, and during our contacts on Saturday."

"But," the damsel retorted, "he was also scary some of the time in that room."

The reporter spoke up again. "I think the scary behavior was all an act, part of some weird plot that oversized brain of his came up with to get Roxanne to date him."

The damsel muttered, "I still think there's a trick in this somewhere." But she didn't seem very emphatic.

The reporter pressed, "All the evidence points to him being safe. I still think it will be interesting, at the very least. Look, this date can't possibly be worse than the one with that crime novelist." The damsel grudgingly agreed. "We have a list of questions prepared. We'll ask, and hear his answers. We'll observe what he's like tonight. Let's see what happens. Then we'll decide. Besides, three months is not that long. There was no agreement on how frequent the dates have to be. If Roxanne doesn't like what happens tonight, she can string out the time between the dates. And after all, I can't imagine the dates being more inconvenient than all those kidnappings. At least we'll know for sure when they'll happen."

That seemed to shut up the damsel, and she finally went back to sleep.

Her fears put firmly back in the closet, now Roxanne only had what felt like the usual first date jitters, a slight nervousness about the unknown, coupled with the thrill of anticipation. She tried to read, and couldn't concentrate, and kept glancing at the balcony doors. Finally, she heard a sound, and she practically ran outside. She couldn't see anything; no, there was a slight shimmer, like with the invisible car. She whispered, "Megamind?" and the shimmer dissolved into the alien and his hoverbike.

"Good evening, Roxanne," he said, smiling shyly at her. "I brought you these. I understand it's traditional." He held out a bunch of yellow roses.

She smiled back at him as she took the bouquet. "Thank you. They're one of my favorite types of flowers."

"I know."

She looked at him quizzically. "How did you know?"

Now he appeared a little embarrassed. "Well, you know I had you ahh… under surveillance for months. Forty-five days ago, you went to that Mexican restaurant on 2nd Street with your co-worker, Tina. She told you about getting similar flowers from a man, and you...ahh…. mentioned it. You don't mind too much if I use my knowledge to try to please you, do you?"

Roxanne gave a little laugh. "I should probably be annoyed, but… no, I guess I don't mind, as long as it's to please me. Here, come in while I put these in water."

Megamind felt somewhat nervous about going into Roxanne's apartment, but also a little excited. It gave him a sense of being closer to her by being invited into her personal space, even if only for a moment. He had seen the recordings made by the spybots, but it wasn't the same thing as being there. He paused to look around the living room, examining the photographs in frames, while Roxanne arranged the roses in a glass vase in the kitchen. She carried them back to the living room, where she placed them on the table before her couch. She turned to pick up her jacket from the arm of the couch, but Megamind had it in his hands, holding it out for her to insert her arms. "Thank you," she murmured. Really, he was trying so hard; she was impressed.

She zipped up the black leather jacket, and said, "Ready to go."

Megamind was gazing at her with an odd expression on his face, and then he chuckled. Before she had time to get miffed about this, he gestured to each of them, and observed, "We match."

She looked, and he was right. Megamind was wearing his typical style of outfit (minus the spikes), but there was no blue today, not even the lining of his cape; his clothing was totally black. Roxanne had black jeans and black shoes, and with the jacket covering her midnight blue shirt, she appeared to be in all black also. "Huh, I didn't really think about it; I guess black just seemed appropriate for star gazing."

Megamind smiled again. "And once more, we think alike. Let's go."

As they approached the hoverbike, Megamind said, "While the helmet is optional tonight, I must still insist on the safely harness."

"No problem," she replied. She climbed on the bike, and as he belted her in, she teased him, "What, you've not offering me your cape tonight?"

"You are dressed much more appropriately for riding tonight; understandable, since this time you were expecting it. But, later, if you decide you're too cold, you are welcome to borrow my cape."

Roxanne put her arms around him once he settled himself on the bike. "But wouldn't lending your cape leave you cold?"

Waving his hand in his usual dismissive manner, he stated, "The cape's more for style than comfort for me. But even if it were not, a gentleman would never let a lady get cold if he could do something about it." While Roxanne silently took that in, he continued, "I'm about to engage the invisibility shield and the motor. Are you ready?"

"Yes." In a moment, she could see a slight glistening in the air surrounding them.

They took off slowly, and gently accelerated. She watched the lights of the city as they sped toward the south. It really was an interesting way to travel. They talked about the various landmarks that they passed, but mostly they were quiet. They had been riding for about a half an hour when Megamind stated, "We're close. About ten more minutes."

"So, when are you going to show me what this bike can really do?"

He looked back over his shoulder into her face. "You're a bit of a daredevil, aren't you?" Before she could respond, he warned, "Hold on tight." She barely had time to strengthen her grip on him, when the bike surged forward. It was a little scary, but also exhilarating. Rather like an amusement park ride. She wasn't really afraid for her safety; she felt sure he would never be reckless about that. About two minutes later, they landed, with the bike decelerating in only the last 15 seconds.

"That was great!" Roxanne exclaimed. "We'll have to do that again."

"I like going fast, too. Something else we have in common."

Once they both dismounted from the hoverbike, he opened a series of compartments on it, and took out a blanket and numerous containers. He accepted her offer to help carry the items, and led her to a nearby clearing. After spreading out the blanket, the containers were arranged, and he opened them to display the various food and drink options. There were several types of sandwiches, fruit, salad, and, among the drink options, the same wine as before. "You know," Roxanne commented, "there are other options for wine."

"I chose to stick with what was safe, meaning known; but I would happy to hear what else you would like me to make available in the future."

They proceeded to eat and talk, with Megamind asking additional questions about her past and her work. Roxanne requested more stories of his childhood growing up in the prison. When he offered her dessert, she said, "Let's save that for later. I don't see the telescope, unless it's packed away in the bike."

"No, it wouldn't fit in the bike, but stargazing is still on the agenda." He got up and walked to the cliff face, and removed a tangle of branches, revealing a small cave. He was in and out of the cave within seconds, returning with several cases in his hands. "I brought it earlier, and hid it here."

"You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."

"It was not... too much trouble." He began to assemble the telescope, which was a more complicated model than she had expected. It had an attached computer and motor, which enabled them to locate specific astronomical objects merely by typing in the name. Roxanne admitted it had been years since she used a telescope of any type. She found it interesting to look at the near Earth objects, such as Jupiter and its moons, and the rings of Saturn. She requested to see the various Messier objects that she recalled from her one astronomy class in college. Then Megamind inquired, "Would you like to see my home, or rather, the star around which my world once revolved?"

She answered, "Of course."

As she looked through the telescope eyepiece, Megamind commented, "I know that it's not a particularly remarkable looking star."

Roxanne glanced at him and said, "Does it make you sad, to look at the star, what would've been your Sun?"

"Maybe a little... mel-on-choly." After a pause, Megamind asked, "Are you ready for dessert now?"

Sensing it would help change his mood, she agreed. Back on the blanket, Megamind told her, "Since you liked the brownies so well, Minion made more. And there is cheesecake left from before." He got out these items, but then told Roxanne, "Close your eyes." She hesitated for only a moment, but did as he directed. Then he instructed her, "Open your mouth."

"You're asking for a lot of trust on a first date."

"Maybe I am. So, Roxanne, are you going to trust me, or not?" he challenged her.

The damsel stirred, but stayed asleep. Thinking 'leap of faith,' she opened her mouth. She was not surprised that he put something in it, but she was somewhat startled at the flavor.

She chewed, swallowed, and gasped, "That's amazing." She opened her eyes, and saw him grinning at her, holding a plate with the cheesecake and the brownie together.

With a mischievous look in his eye, Megamind inquired, "Would you like me to keep feeding you? I don't mind."

"Thanks, but I think I can handle that myself," and she held out her hands for the plate and fork. He had a similar plate prepared for himself. They ate in silence, savoring the flavor. When they were done, he offered to open the wine, and she accepted.

As they talked and they drank, Roxanne realized that she was having a very good time, and enjoying his company immensely. She was feeling comfortable, and relaxed, and sensed inside her that spark of attraction toward him. She realized she was just looking at his face, and had stopped hearing what he was saying. He had moved close to her, where she was lying on her side on the blanket, propped up on one elbow. He picked up her free hand, and held it in his, caressing it tentatively. He stopped talking, and gazed at her face. Slowly, hesitantly, he leaned close to her, and gently put his lips on hers.

She closed her eyes, and fell into the sensation. It was better, better than that time in the Lair, because now she was more certain of how she felt about him, and she let herself merely enjoy the sensuality of it. She was aware when he whispered her name, and gently pushed her shoulders until she was lying on her back. His hands were caressing her face, her hair, her neck, her shoulders, and her own hands had crept, as if of their own accord, around his waist and up his back. She was thinking about how long it had been since she had been with a man in any way, how good this was feeling, how she missed this, and how she didn't want it to stop. When she began to wonder about the fact that he seemed such a different man than the one who had repeatedly kidnapped her, a warning bell began to go off in her head. Then she realized she needed to stop this, halt this before it went too far, before she got in too deep. There were things they must discuss first.

He had captured her mouth; he was holding it hostage. She tried to speak, but her lips were restrained. Finally, his mouth moved to her throat, and she was able to say, "Megamind, stop; we need to talk."

At first, he didn't seem to hear her. She repeated herself more loudly. He stilled, and then, as though the words had suddenly burst into his mind, he jerked himself off of her and scuttled to the other side of the blanket. There was fear, embarrassment, and guilt on his face as he whispered, "Roxanne, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't-mean to-"

She rushed to reassure him, "No, no, it's fine. You did nothing wrong."

"But I must have, because you told me to stop."

"I... was enjoying what we were doing. But, before we go further…in this relationship, there are a few things I need to know." She gradually moved over to sit next to him.

Cautiously, he asked, "What do you need to know?"

Roxanne took a deep breath, and said, "What do you plan to do about Metro Man?"

This question appeared to startle Megamind, and he responded, "Nothing." After a pause, he added, "Is there something in particular you would like me to do to Metro Man?"

Roxanne almost laughed, but controlled herself. "What I need to know is: do you have any intention of resuming your active rivalry with Metro Man? I mean, are you still going to try to, I don't know, capture him, defeat him, annihilate him?"

Megamind was relieved. "I have no interest in any further interaction with Metro Man. As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't exist. That is, as long as he is not a rival with me for your affections."

Roxanne murmured, "Oh, there's no competition there. He truly is not my type."

"That's nice to hear. Am I to assume that indicates that I am, in some way, your type?"

"Nice deduction, Sherlock." Roxanne smiled at him, but then became businesslike again. "And just to clarify, do you have any plans to continue in any type of criminal activity?"

Megamind was equally somber when he replied, "At this point, my only plan is to focus on our relationship."

Roxanne pressed him, "I need a promise from you that you will engage in no more criminal activity from now on. I can forgive you for the past, but I can't date someone who's actively involved in any type of illegal behavior. Can you promise me this?"

Megamind hesitated. "I don't want to lose you before we've barely begun. But I will not lie to you." He observed the disappointment on Roxanne's face, noticed her start to pull away, and he rushed in, "Please, let me explain." She nodded, and he continued.

"My criminal activity, as you label it, has all been connected to my rivalry with Metro Man. This rivalry began in childhood. The photo I showed you, the classroom picture: you may not have recognized him, but one of the children in the class was the child who grew up to be Metro Man. He was the teacher's pet, the most popular child in the class, the leader. I think the teacher was a little afraid of me, of my alienness. She actually used him to enforce her discipline on me. And he was the one who orchestrated the ostracism by the other students. He was seen as all things good, and no matter how hard I tried, I always ended up being labeled the bad one. So I finally decided if I couldn't be good, I would be the best 'bad" there was. He was the focus of all my anger and frustration. If he was good and heroic, then I would have to be evil. I decided it was my destiny, a destiny I couldn't escape, one that felt forced on me, not one I willingly chose. It is only now that I recognize that I have a choice. Now, I don't want to be bad, to be evil. I want to be, Roxanne, whenever you need me to be, whenever you want me to be."

Roxanne was feeling overwhelmed by all she had heard. It felt like a lot of responsibility being placed in her hands. She replied, "I'm glad to hear you don't want to be bad, or evil, but I want you to be yourself, not force yourself into a mold of my making."

"I'm not even sure I know who I am anymore. Will you help me find myself, while we explore what we could be?"

"We can try. But you have to be honest, with yourself and with me. You can't just pretend to be what you think I want. That will only blow up in our faces down the road."

"All right, I will try very hard to be honest." He looked down, and then up again, glancing at her face. "And in the interest of honesty, there's more that I must tell you." He dared to pick up one of her hands and hold it. "When I began my career as a criminal mastermind, I knew I needed money, a lot of money, for my inventions, the ones necessary for defeating Metro Man. I didn't want to rob banks; that seemed so tawdry, so petty. And hardly suitable for a genius and a supervillain. Discussing it with Minion, we decided that it actually would be easier to patent and sell some of my smaller, less dangerous inventions. The problem was that I never had legal citizenship established in this country, let alone on this planet." He gave a little chuckle, saying, "The ultimate alien."

Sobering, he continued, "From some of the connections I acquired from my 'uncles' in the prison, I eventually contacted some people sophisticated in the establishment of alternative identities. These uncles pulled in a few favors for me, and the identity of a reclusive, eccentric inventor was established. I actually made a fair amount of money, which was then invested and secured in several different financial establishments in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. The process seemed rather shady to me, but the accountants assure me it's actually quite legal. So, when you asked me to promise no more criminal activity, I'm not sure how the latter fits. I don't pay taxes, but I'm using legal loopholes. And I don't know if the false identity I use for my patents is considered illegal or not." He took a breath, and tentatively looked into her face. "So, Roxanne, how close do I fit to what you require?"

She was stunned. "How much money do you have in these offshore accounts?"

"Does it matter?" A curious look came onto Megamind face. "If there's enough money, would it make me more attractive to you?"

Roxanne laughed. "No, I'm not really that mercenary. It's just the reporter in me; I'm inquisitive. But to answer your question, yes, I'm satisfied with your answers for now. Although, I must admit, eventually I will want to investigate the legal technicalities."

"Fair enough." After a pause, "Any more questions?"

"So what would you expect to do with your time, when you're not with me? I do have a career you know."

"I could spend all my time when I'm not with you planning for our time together." But seeing the slightly horrified look in her expression, he hurried on, "but I expect I would just continue inventing. It is what I'm best at, besides being evil, of course."

"Ha, ha. But you've stopped being evil, right?"

"Yes, Roxanne."

"I think I learned enough to be comfortable... resuming our prior activity." Putting her arms around him, she leaned into his face and kissed him.

They were cuddled up together, her back to his front, his arms around her, and he was nuzzling her neck. Roxanne thought to herself that she had no idea what time it was. Glancing at her watch, she started. "What's wrong?" asked Megamind.

"It's later than I thought; we need to leave. I have to be at the station early tomorrow morning."

"Would you like to have another experience of seeing how fast the hoverbike can go?"

"Sounds good." She helped him hurriedly pack up the blanket and food containers. The telescope was also packed away, and put back in the cave. "Aren't you worried about the safety of that?"

"Minion or I will come pick it up later tonight. Let's get you home to your bed."

As they said goodbye on her balcony, Megamind inquired, "When can I see you again?"

"I don't know. Definitely next Friday, but I don't know about before that. It depends on what happens with work."

"It seems like a long time to wait. But I don't mean to be demanding. What kind of contact from me is permitted? I know I'm not supposed to have you under surveillance anymore. How frequently am I allowed to call and to send you text messages?"

"I would say … calling every evening after work is acceptable, and a few text messages through the day would be all right. That's as long as you understand I may not be able to respond or answer the phone. It all depends on what's happening with work."

"All right, I'll try to be good, and follow the rules. And you'll let me know when I'm making a mistake, but will not be too hard on me, right?"

She smiled at him. "Yes, of course." She kissed him goodbye, lingering for just a moment, and swiftly went inside.

As she walked away, he called after her, "Sleep well."

He hoped she could sleep; he didn't think he would be able to for hours. He was so keyed up. The evening had gone better than he had expected. He knew he would lie awake reviewing every moment, especially the kisses and caresses.

He must have done some things right. Roxanne had seemed pleased with him, attracted to him. It was a good first effort. It gave him some confidence, but he knew he must still go carefully. Well, he had a Plan; he always did. But this was so dissimilar from his battles with Metro Man. Then, Megamind had been trying to defeat him, destroy him. With Roxanne he wanted something very different: he wanted to capture her heart.

Epilogue

Roxanne was amazed. She'd encountered Tina several times through the day, and not once did Tina ask any questions that were not work-related. Near the end of the day, Roxanne asked her, "So, why no personal questions?"

Tina responded, "Julia passed on the command. I'm just following orders. I can delay gratification, when I really want to. You noticed I didn't say anything when those flowers were delivered to your desk at lunchtime."

Roxanne laughed. "Meaning, you're more interested in hearing the dirty details of what happens later in this relationship, then the beginning. All right, as a reward for being so good, I'll tell you the date was wonderful last night." She clearly had Tina's attention, but Tina continued to keep her mouth shut. "He took me riding on his... motorcycle, we went on a picnic, and went stargazing with his telescope." She could tell Tina was dying to ask more questions, but was still patiently waiting. She laughed again. "And yes, we kissed. That's it, that's all you get."

"So, you think this one might be a keeper?"

"Well, I hate to make a prediction so early in a relationship. We did just have our first official date. And there are some complications to be resolved. But, yes, I think he just might be a keeper."

AUTHOR NOTES:

Sorry, I couldn't help myself; still putting in borrowed quotes, this time from Twilight. (Fortunately for those who hate the series, you won't be able to tell what they are.)

Everyone get the significance of the yellow roses? No? Think movie, Megamind saying goodbye to the Metro Man statue…well, they looked like roses to me.

Once I set up this alternate reality for Megamind in "Revenge," I started wondering how he could be accepted by society as "good," and how could Metro Man retire, without the usual storyline of faking death or new villains. My next story, the end of my trilogy, will try to address this. My plan is to update weekly. Questions will be answered, mysteries revealed. What, you have no questions? I'm either being too subtle or too obvious.

In case I puzzled anyone, Messier objects are astronomical objects, mostly galaxies or clusters of stars, large enough to be viewed through binoculars and small telescopes, so they are often favorites of beginning amateur astronomers.(Yes, I am one of those people with a telescope in the closet that hasn't been used in years.)

As always, reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated. Some of the past comments even prompted me to make some changes which I hope make the future chapters better. I am happy to answer any questions; just send me a personal message.