Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

This story takes place when Margo is thirteen (I figure her to be eleven in the movie, Edith to be about eight, and Agnes about four? What does everyone else think?) I wanted to write a story e exploring Margo's feelings as she grows older. This is not slash. Nothing inappropriate is to happen, so please rest assured.

It was so dark. Not just the literal darkness of the bedroom, it was everything around Margo. Or at least that is what she was noticing, the darkness. And she was trying to resist it. But it was so very hard.

When Margo closed her eyes, there was one scene that played over and over in her head. His dark form reaching out for her. And then he caught her, and held her tight.

"I got you." He had said.

She had buried her face into his dark coat, it had come as a surprise, and she had never imagined it would be like this. She had thought up until he came to Vector's fortress that he did not care. But he did.

And even though he had saved her, was her hero, he was still dark. And she knew that he would always be.

Margo, lay in her bed, letting the darkness take over her.

There was a book that Margo had hidden. It was a book of faerie tales; and in each story a handsome prince rescued a fair maiden usually from the clutches of an evil, aged villain. There were pictures that went along with the stories, and Margo saw that some of the villains in the story resembled Gru. Biting her lip, Margo had taken this book (which was really more of Agnes' and Edith's book) and hid in underneath her mattress. She felt very guilty in doing so, but it was not like she was hiding the book away forever. Margo just wanted to hide it away for a while, and she was not even sure why.

Margo was dismayed when Agnes started looking around for it one night.

"What are you looking for, Agnes?" Margo asked from her bed. She was busy writing in her diary. Being able to produce words and prose from her own pencil pleased her, much more than writing in a online blog ever could. Her thoughts were supposed to be sacred, private. For her eyes only. She kept her diary hidden beneath her mattress as well.

"The book with the fairy tales." Answered Agnes.

"Oh!" Margo sat up. "I'm…sure it will turn up. Why don't you find another one for Mr. Gru to read to you tonight."

"Uh…okay. Dad really dislikes this one about the Pretty Purple Ponies. Let's make him read it until he begins to like it." With that, Agnes was out of the bedroom.

Margo began to chew on her pencil. Agnes and Edith were now in the habit of calling Gru "Dad." Margo would call him Dad on occasion, but most times, she would still call him "Mr. Gru" when she found it appropriate. Gru never questioned Margo over it.

A few minutes later, both Agnes and Edith came running back into the bedroom. Edith tripped, and Margo cringed. Edith was always tripping. Gru entered the bedroom behind them.

He still had his black coat and scarf on; usually by bedtime he had stripped them, and would be just wearing his gray turtleneck. He had his hands clasped behind his back. Margo sat up straight. Her heart pounded.

"Hi." Her voice squeaked out in a whisper. She did not mean for it to sound like that.

"Hello, Margo," he answered. He did not seem to notice her voice, or if he did, he probably took it as just a tickle in the throat.

She had not seen him at all that day, he had gone to work in the lab early, and two of his Minions had been watching Agnes and Edith all day. Margo missed him terribly when he was away all day long.

Agnes shoved a book into his hands, and he sighed.

"Ageen?"

Margo took off her glasses, and placed them beside her as she listened to a story so familiar, she could recite. She thought she could feel the hardcover book under her mattress as she shifted. Margo stared at the villain as he read aloud.

"You skipped a page!" Agnes pointed out. Gru rolled his eyes, turning back a page.

Margo smiled, Agnes was so not stupid, and she showed Gru just that. She wanted to go over and put her arms around him, but held herself back. Maybe after he finished reading to them she would.

From across the room, Edith twisted the key to their jewelry box, and the tiny ballerina inside began to twirl to the familiar sound of the "Swan Lake Waltz." Margo's eyes were getting heavy, and though she tried, she could not stay awake against the jewelry box lullaby. It was a sound so sweet and familiar, a sound that she associated with good things, and therefore, it was easy to be sent off into her dreams. The darkness had swept over her even before Gru had said his "goodnights," and left the room.

"I got you." He had once said, as he held her against him. She rested her head against his chest. In her dreams, she could relive that moment again and again.