Of Dread and Playthings

Gru knew something was different the moment he went down to his lab, well not exactly true the three girls had been rather quiet that day at breakfast and the drive to school. But the Minions, they were all excited and acting strange, talking louder then usual and laughing anxiously. He could not imagine what had them all excited but he chose to ignore it.

"Good morning sir" said Nefarious. As was their morning routine Gru ignored him and sat at his desk its metal surface shined to perfection so that if he wished he could see his very own reflection in it. Somehow he always found that calming, but not today. He opened his book of evil plans and began working. His work was interrupted from time to time by excited giggling from the Minions but at last he managed to tune them out and get some work done.

"Sir do you happen to know the date, sir?" Asked Nefarious suddenly, breaking Gru's train of thought.

Gru felt the pencil snap in his hold, growling he grabbed another. "No I do not, don't you have a calender or something to tell you what date, today is?" He was not disturbed after that but still his concentration was off.

It came time for dinner and he got up and away from his work. After a long stretch and yawn he walked back to the entrance of his lab and back to his living room. He had to flick the light on which was odd, usually the girls would have the place all lit up by the time it got dark. Speaking of the girls, it was oddly silent in the house, he could not hear their laughter, or the gentle pads of their feet as they raced up and down the hall waiting for him to finish his work. In fact they had not visited him in the lab when they got off school today. Cautiously Gru went to investigate what was going on. He checked the bedrooms but they were all empty, he checked the kitchen but that too was deserted. He was about to check the rest of the house when a red light from the backyard caught his eye. Now in an almost panicked state he hurried to the backdoor and opened it.

"SURPRISE!" His heart leapt into his mouth and he stumbled back in shock. "Happy Birthday!" They all shouted. The three girls rushed to his side and gave him a group hug and the Minions joined in soon after. He looked up and saw his mother smiling at the scene, not viciously but contentedly. Nefarious patted him on the back.
"Lets eat!" said Nefarious.
"No!" Agnise Said.
"Yeah we can't eat yet he has to see the cake and we have to sing the 'Happy Birthday' song and then he has to make a wish and blow the candles out." Margo said, ever the eldest and more mature.
"What are you going to wish for?" Asked Edith.
"What do people usually wish for?" Gru asked.
"Whatever you want! I'd wish for a unicorn if I was you." Agnise said happily.
"Were," Corrected Nefarious.
"Yeah, you can wish for anything, you just can't tell anyone what you wished for because then it will not come true." Stated Margo knowledgeably.
The cake was brought out and one could not have missed it. It had over two hundred candles on it.
"We didn't know how old you were turning." Explained Agnise as she sucked on her Unicorn's ear.
He smiled at her, at a loss for words, then turned and listened as they sang Happy Birthday. When they had finished singing he leaned forward and asked.
"Now?" They all nodded encouragingly. He blew out the candles, it took four breaths and two fingers to put the candles all out then everyone clapped and cheered excitedly.
He cut the cake, giving the first slice to his eldest daughter Margo then his other two daughters, and then his mother, and finally Nefarious and then himself. The Minions cut their own slices as he finally sat down to eat.
"Gift time!" A Minion shouted in their funny tongue.
"Oh! Oh, Ill go first! Me! Me! Can I go first?" Edith begged excitedly. He nodded consent smiling widely. Edith stood up on her chair giving a bow to the large crowd then she turned to Gru and began to sing. It was obviously a song she had written herself, by no means was it going to be a hit song but it was sweet and some of it made him and the crowd laugh out loud. When she was done she gave another bow then sat back down amid cheers and applause.

He received a few other gifts, a handmade lopsided mug from Agnise with a pink unicorn painted on the side, at least he thought it was a unicorn, he was also depicted on the side as were her two sisters and even herself but the most distinguished of the drawings was the unicorn. Margo gave him a striped scarf she had knit herself, it was black and gray.

"To match your suite." She explained.
The party went on all night and as the sky turned pink with dawn, Gru let out a contented sigh, yesterday had been perfect. He sat on the couch, which was usually in the living room, Agnise was asleep on his lap, she was gently sucking her thumb and every now and then he could have sworn she would mumble something about unicorns in her sleep. Edith was asleep on his other side her feet tucked underneath him to keep warm and her body curled on her side. Margo sat on the foot stool, her legs crossed and attention on the sunrise.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" She asked quietly.
"Very much so, but who told you it was my birthday?"
"No one." She answered swiveling the chair so that she came to face him, away from the sunrise. "You should get to sleep sir, I'll clean up here." He nodded and attempted to stand up, one of them moaned in complaint the other curled into an even tighter ball. Sighing he took Edith, Margo picked up Agnise the lighter one, and they both carried the sleeping sisters to their beds. After tucking them securely into bed Gru went back outside. Margo was sitting back on the couch, but not the center where he liked to sit.
"So, how did you know it was my birthday?" He asked again sitting down beside her, the exhaustion of more partying then he had ever done before was starting to take hold, he leaned back, his eyes closed. "Hmm? You did not answer me."

After a long pause he sat up, he was in bed, in his room. He did not have any recollection of how he had gotten there. He stood up and opened the heavy curtains, night time, he looked at his clock, 3:00 AM blared in bright green letters back at him. He went to his closet and opened the double doors, his suites looked normal, his rack of knitted gray and black scarves, everything was placed exactly as it always had been. He looked at each and every scarf trying to determine which was the one Margo had knitted but it was impossible, they were all the exact same.
Gru worriedly went back to bed and tried to sleep the rest of the night.

The next morning he sat at the breakfast table looking at his three daughters who acted as if the party had never been, they were so casual he did not even know how to bring up the possible dream party they had thrown him. After dropping them off at school he went to the backyard, nothing was changed, the weeds were still overgrown. Margo was still trying to get the backyard into a better state so as which she and her sisters could play out in the backyard but it would still need a lot more work to be done before one could even think about walking barefoot out there. He had not been barefoot during the party though, feeling as if he were looking too far into it, he went to the living room. Nothing had changed or been visibly moved that he could see. He sat down and was brought down to his lab, stepping out the Minions greeted him the way they always did, the same problems, no hint at a previous party or possible scheme.

Disheartened he went to his desk and slumped into the seat.
"Good morning sir" said Nefarious. Gru ignored him. "Sir do you happen to know the date, sir?" Asked Nefarious suddenly, breaking Gru's train of thought yet again.
"Haven't you got a calender or something yet?" Gru said.
"Um... No sir." Replied Nefarious hesitantly, then he left Gru to his thoughts and plans.
Gru sat at his desk defeated. The best day of his life and it had been a dream.

He sat back rubbing his eyes then went to grab his book of plans, opening his eyes he smiled. In front of him was a lopsided cup with a pink unicorn on the side. He picked it up carefully, it was already filled with pencils, pens and erasers, he emptied them onto the table and observed the cup more intently then he had the other night.
A reflection off the top of his desk made him tip the cup upside down.
Inscription on the bottom of the cup, "I love you daddy"

So, how did you like? I have a few more 'Despicable Me' stories to come but first, I have to update my other stories.

Please R&R one moment of your time will make my entire day! Also, the system keeps taking the names and parts of the paragraphs out, just roll with it pls.

~BloodInkLilacQuil