Lucy…

Lucy…!

"Lucy! Lucy, vhere are you?"

Cold limbs gushing through the water, with his heart pounding in his throat, he looked everywhere for her. The hard, numbing throbs in his head from the previous explosion made it hard to breathe, lungs clenching, hardly deflating or filling though the coldness of the ocean.

He didn't care. He didn't even bother to keep himself up at the surface, for if he had to dive, he would. No hesitation.

She wasn't there, he couldn't see her! Gru started to panic; What if the explosion hit her so hard it had broken bones inside her body, made her go fainting and slowly sinking into the depths of the sea? Or worse – what if she died?

Gru could feel how small and vulnerable he suddenly appeared in the middle of the sea, while the volcano in the background imploded, magma gushing out of the opening and flooding the beaches of the small island.

Was he really alone…?

Was she gone…?

Suddenly, bubbles on the surface, stirring water.
With a loud gasp, Lucy appeared on the surface, keeping her head up to gulp in the air. She was alive…

"Lucy!" Gru didn't hesitate to swim up to her, helping her to stay up at the surface, as a shriek echoed in his already dull ears and arms flung around his neck, pulling him down with a force he hadn't bided, body sinking back into the water.

Quickly, he breached the surface again to gasp for air. And luckily, he wasn't the only one.
"Oh…I'm sorry, totally forgot you need your arms to keep you up…"

Lucy chuckled awkwardly. With said arms, the man grabbed her hands and pulled her to him as close as possible. She was alive. That was all he cared about right now. Looking back into her eyes, his heart continued to pound loudly. But not out of exhaustion. Not from the fading shock of losing his dearest Lucy.

No, these green eyes which he had thought he'd never see again were looking back at him. And he was lost in them, as a smile appeared on each other's faces. Lips barely parted, he struggled with the words we wanted to direct to her. It was so much he wanted to tell her, so much his thoughts rearing up in is mind, but the voices of the minions echoed above the water, turning his head, the yellow henchmen were paddling in their little boat – straight past them.

With a little chuckle, he looked back to her, seeing the same amused smirk on her face.

A shrug was his comment.
"Dhey'll be back…"

...

"Gru!"

Three little girls, scared and worried for their fathers life, ran up to the tall man, dropping their guns and equipment to fall into his arms.
Kneeling down to pull them tightly against him, Gru held his three kittens, soothing and comforting and assuring them he was alive.

"We thought you were dead…" Agnes whined and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He gulped, not daring to think of what would have happened if he was. Would they be sent back to Miss Hatties…?

"Oh, baby-gurl…" he kissed her hair, stroking over her head. "I'm here, I'll never leave yu again…"
All three of his children were starting to cry, even Margo.
"P-Pinky promise you'll never leave us?"
Gru looped his arms around them, comforting them, humming soothing sounds to stop their crying.

"Shhh…yes, my pinky promises…"

Lucy stood just some meters away from them, watching the little family's reunion and couldn't help but smile. These girls totally adored him. They loved him like children loved their parents, unconditionally. With all their heart.

And he did the same.

A pang in her heart shook through her body as she felt herself falling even deeper in love with this man, who gave these three children the love and care they needed, held and comforted them, and promised he'd never leave them.

She continued watching them, and even continued as Lucy was sitting on a small barrel, filled with the ammo for their jelly-pistols, on his big metallic ship, flying over the ocean back to the AVL's headquarters.
He was lying between his three daughters, nuzzled in a blanket to keep them warm, holding them in his arms and the smallest of them nuzzled against his chest, tiny hands clawing into his sweater as if she made sure by herself he wouldn't move away from them, no matter what happens.
It was amazing. Close to crazy what these girls had accomplished, how much they had changed him to the core of his heart. She had witnessed this man – he was rude, grumpy, he didn't hesitate to steal the moon to suppress mankind. He was a villain. But to these girls, he was a hero. An authority, and even more important – a father.

Lucy's heart filled with pure pride and love for this little family. She knew she wasn't a part of them, nor could she imagine that Gru ever wanted her to be. Yet she felt an inner longing to become one. She wanted to stay with them. She wanted to care for them. And if it was her destiny to protect Gru and his children from harm, she wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Twitching in her dreamy state, she saw Agnes stirring in her sleep, shivering from the cold wind that blew inside the vehicle. Slowly moving from her seat, she snuck close to the sleeping father and his daughters, took the duvet to pull it over the youngest little body.

She was so peaceful there on his chest, feeling safe and sound in his presence, exhausted and happy that her Dad was alive.

With a smile, Lucy carefully moved back to her seat, as she heard a thin, small voice.

"Lucy…?"

Lucy turned to see Agnes being awake, blinking to the redhead. "I'm sorry sweetie, did I wake you up?" – "Mh-mh!" Agnes shook her head. "I was just relaxing my eyes…"

A yawn escaped her lungs. Smiling, Lucy caressed Agnes head. "Go back to sleep, hon. Don't worry, I'll make sure your Daddy won't move from your side." Agnes smiled absently minded. "That's nice of you…"
And for a longer while, silence returned, just the casual sound of the turbines outside of the ship were echoing in the metallic stomach of the vehicle.

"Lucy…?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're alive." Agnes blinked a few times, before smiling at her. Lucy gave a small chuckle, before moving closer to Gru again to speak silently to the blackhaired girl.

"Aw, Agnes…I'm glad you guys came to save me in the first place. I saw you fighting against these vicious purple munchkins, you guys did a-w-e-s-o-m-e!" she mused. "You were literally blowing them away with your pistols and then your Dad came to free me from the rocket, and…hehe…he even asked me what I'd say if he asked me for a date and-"

"He loves you, Lucy…"

Lucy paused after realizing herself she was starting to trail off with her giddy reconstruction of the story, but now that she heard the girls words, she could feel her own emotions dropping for a second.

Gru…'loved' her?

A sudden warm, tingling feeling inside her stomach vibrated, making her muscles form into a knot before releasing again, heat seeped inside her cheeks. It was a beautiful imagination – but she was quite sure it wasn't true.

"Oh, Agnes. I'm sure he likes me, I really do like him back, but – I'm sure he doesn't really 'love' me, don't you think? It's probably more of a…love between friends or colleagues, or-"

"But he told me so…"

Lucy's heart suddenly fluttered inside her chest.
"O-oh…he did?" she tried to play it off cool without bursting from all the emotions bubbling up inside her.

"Yes…you should have seen him that other day. He woke up like he was the happiest person in the world, and then he came back home, and he was so down…" Agnes stretched her arms.

"And then he told me that I was right when I said Gru likes you, and that he really likes you, and that he cannot like you, because he never was going to see you again. So I told him to ask you for a date."

She couldn't follow the girls speech word by word, but she realized she was talking about the day she told him that she was send to Australia.
And that he had tried to ask her for a date.

Not making an effort to sound confident at all, for her heart was already melting slowly by the story she heard, she breathed: "B-But why didn't he just…call me…?"
"He was scared…I don't know why, but in the end, he was just so unhappy that you'd leave…"
Agnes suddenly opened her eyes again, looking back at the redhead. "Lucy…will you really leave us?"
Lucy glanced between Agnes and Gru.

"I don't want you to leave us, Lucy. You're so cool and Gru loves you and—I don't wanna see him so down in the mouth again without you. And you still gotta marry, you can't do this when you're in Australia, can you?"

She was sure it was her innocence speaking out of the girl, but whatever this was true or not – it just left Lucy so dumbfounded and in awe, that she couldn't stop staring at Gru.

He was still sleeping, lids pressed together, hiding these pretty blue pools in his eyes, his facial features so relaxed and peacefully that it just made him more beautiful with every second.

He really loved her…?

He was feeling down and depressed because she would have left?
He tried to call her and couldn't dare…?
He wouldn't want her to leave him…?

Something inside her wanted to grab him and hug him, kiss him and promise she'd never, ever leave him again, but Agnes asked her a question.

"Lucy…?" she asked again, insecurely.

"No…" Lucy suddenly shook her head. "N-No, Agnes, I – I won't leave. I won't leave for Australia…" She assured her, patting her head gently. The small girl smiled and nuzzled her face back into the sweater of her father, eyes closed and body relaxed over Lucy's answer.

"Good…"

...

"You won't leave for Australia…?"

Silas stared distraught at his agent.
"Miss Wilde, I have set all the applications and formulas at your office in Australia, everything was planned and now you crawfish out?"
Rubbing his temples, he glared at the redhead next to the bald man with the ridiculously long nose.
"Don't tell me Mister Gru has something to do with your decision!"

Lucy sunk in her chair, and with a glance over to her partner, she could see he was doing the same.

Once Gru ordered Nefario to bring the girls and the minions back home, the two of them quickly reported Eduardo as arrested and headed to the headquarters.

But now that Lucy had brought the subject on the table, Silas quite content was flushed away by the irritation on his face.

"No." Lucy answered after a while. "No, my partner has nothing to do with this, he didn't ask me to do, nor did he manipulate anything to make me do this. But I am seeing myself not ready for such a step yet. Actually – not at all."

Not at all? Gru frowned, looking back at her.

What did she imply with that? She was supposed to go, although Gru was tempted to beg Silas to let her stay.
"May I ask how this comes?" The obese director eyed them both with skeptical eyes.

Lucy started fumbling with her fingers. How should she frame this without sounding too manifesting towards Gru? After all, that little talk she had with his daughter was their little secret.

"Well, Sir…" she mumbled, before taking up the guts to speak in a confident voice.
"There is something that is still to be done for me. Something, that is far more important than this mission. More important than my job…"

"Lucy…!" Gru tried to hush her up before she'd probably be fired by Silas, but Ramsbottom just pursed his lips, suddenly realizing what she was talking about. The way Lucy was looking back at the man next to her, the man she had spend the last two months together on this mission.

He was aware that it was the ex-villain who saved the world and rescued his best agent, and as it seems, it wasn't just out companion- or friendship.

Lucy smiled comforting at Gru. "It's okay…" she whispered in his direction, smiling even wider as she assumed she was getting his drift. But as it seems, he wasn't at all.

"Fine…" the silence was broken by Silas sighing stressed, leaning back in his chair as his butler arrived to refill his teacup.

"Miss Wilde, I have sent you to this plane once, and you jumped out of it without even hesitating, out of the simple reason that you wanted to see Mister Gru again – I guess this will happen just on and on, no matter how often I'll force you to move there…"

A sparkle of hope gleamed inside Lucy. She could stay? She could stay here in Pasadena with Gru and his children?!

Jumping in her seat, she looked over to him, whispering giddy words of happiness. And even Gru stopped playing cold and serious for a second, pure relief marked in his face. She was going to stay!

She was going to stay with him and the girls!
"Whatever this means to both of you, I also may inform you that you can continue popping up here in future, Mister Gru."
"-Vait, me?" Gru looked away from Lucy, back at Silas with a confused look on his face.

"Are you sayin' I'm –"

"An official member of the AVlL, yes. It's almost a shame to admit, but – yes, you happen to prove yourself as incredibly helpful in this case, which makes you both the best agents in the entire organization. It would be a huge loss to our agency to 'not' have you in our team."

"You mean we both would be partners forever?"

Both Lucy and Gru asked in unison, and Silas nodded.

"Indeed…"

...

"Isn't that amazing?!" Lucy jumped on the spot, the wooden planks beneath her shoes creaking from her happy walk.

"If you'd join the AVL, we could become partners in crime – well, actually more like partners in law, and fight against criminals and all kind of thugs and thieves and then we'll clobber them and –"

She turned on her heel, seeing Gru watching her with his hands behind his back and an amused smile on his lips. Indeed, that idea was great. But what was even more appealing was that he would share these moments with her together.

She paused for a longer while than intended, blushing over that smile and clearing her throat.

"Well, uhm, to make it short – it's going to be awesome."
"Yeah, it wuld…"
"Are you going to join? Silas let this open for you after all."
"Hmm…" Gru shrugged feebly, forming a smile. "Honestly, Silas didn't seem so happy about dis idea. He probably doesn't like to see us around togedher."

Lucy blushed over that thought. Together…
"He rarely likes to see agents around him with…committed relationships. He likes to stay professional."

Committed relationships…
Did Silas see their relation as solid? Like – they were a couple? With the whole hugging and kissing and other stuff - thing?
Not that Gru wouldn't like this idea, but – he wondered if Lucy would like this stuff at all. With him…

Once again, he gulped. No. He was just no in her league to think about this. She was brave, funny, beautiful – and what was he? Nothing special. And not that much of a pretty sight as well.

Never had a human being – except his kids – seen him as something so important that they could seriously fall in love with him.
Lucy noticed the shift in his eyes.

"Hey…are you okay?"

"Huh – oh…yes, I am! Excuse me!" Gru shook his head and pushed the bad thoughts out of his mind, being replaced by a new feeling when Lucy was walking closer to him than ever before. Hands barely touching, but he felt hers nudging his from time to time, and an awkward silence grew between the two of them as they headed back to the streets so he could bring her home.

Lucy kept secretly admiring him from her angle. He was so sophisticated, and elegant, and all she thought of was what his daughter told him.

'He loves you, Lucy…'

"U-Uhm…Gru…?" the redhead broke the silence again, hastily, and she definitely hadn't intended to be this way.

"When you asked me how I would react if you asked me out for a date – I said yes."

Gru didn't look at her, suddenly feeling heat seeping up his cheeks.

"Well, uhm…what would you have said if I asked you the same?"
"I-I-uhm…"

He hesitated. He stammered!
She'd definitely think he'd struggle with words to formulate that he wouldn't be interested, although he was trying to imply the exact opposite.

"We-well, uhm…I wuld have said yes at instant."
"Really…?"
Gru nodded swiftly.

"Heh – that's good to hear! Well…do you think you'd even like to go out with someone like me…? I mean – there are so many other great and nice and…way more beautiful women than me outside this world and from all of them you asked ME…"

She started to chuckle awkwardly, and Gru heard that trail of certain bitterness in her voice that made his heart heavy. She didn't think that she was beautiful? Or good enough for him…?

He stopped, grabbing her wrist out of reaction.
"Bu-But Lucy, you're…you ARE pretty, and you ARE worth being asked out, after all –"

And then the words left him. He was realizing in what kind of situation he brought himself, holding her hand and looking deep into her eyes and feeling his heart pound so loud.

A sigh escaped his lips.

"Lucy, if you'd know how I felt all dhe way vhen you vere gone, vhen I tried to ask you out – I felt just as you – unworthy, ugly, awkward, vhatsoever – like I'd never even deserve somebody like y—"

Suddenly, his voice was blocked by something pressing against his lips.

Hands have grabbed his scarf around his neck and pulled him so close to Lucy, her face just inches away from his, kissing him deeply and all Gru could do was giving a small surprised sound, before closing his eyes and responding. She kissed him…His heart was pounding in his throat, butterflies fluttered in his stomach; automatically, he looped his arms around her frame and pulled her in closer as their kiss grew deeper, Lucy giving satisfied little sighs.

They didn't speak; there was nothing to speak about as they shared soft and deep kisses, clinging to each other to their dear life.
It didn't take long until Lucy drew back again, hands letting go of his scarf and to spare some awkwardness, Gru did the same.
Giggling slightly, Lucy made fan-like movements with her hand to cool down her blushing face, giggling slightly at the sight of Gru's lips, covered in her red lipstick.

"This was for rescuing me…" she said after a while, seeing Gru's dreamy look in his eyes over them both just sharing kisses like this. Lucy grabbed her purse and looked down on the ground.

"Well, uhm…I think I can walk alone from here back home…th-hank you again for…well…saving me from this crazy El Macho man."
"N-No problem…" Gru had his hands behind his back again, fiddling with his fingers nervously.
"So…uh…when are you free? I'd have time around this weekend, we could go to watch a movie or go and have dinner somewhere…"
"Sounds good." Gru nodded.
"Well…uhm…then I guess…I'll see you then." Lucy looked back at him and smiled, before she turned around and left, walking down the streets back to her little apartment.