Hello again friends! After a lot of thinking, a book of mini-fics and one-shots, some more thinking, and then a slight writer's block; I've begun a sequel! If you're just joining in, it would probably help most to go and read What They've Needed All Along, as this story ties in right where that one left off. I wasn't sure if I had wanted to start where I am or not; but then ideas came rushing in and it just all made sense! So enough rambling, I'm just gonna jump right in here; so here's the first chapter; I really hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1

The days following their engagement had passed by in a blissful serenity. It had taken all of Roxanne's willpower to get out of bed on her first morning back to work, but Richard had sent her an e-mail telling her that he had something important to inform her about and therefore her "nosy reporter" senses were tingling. She bundled up against what the television had already warned would be a blustery cold day and practically hugged the mug of coffee Minion handed her when she realized just how cold it was outside. She shrugged deeper into her favorite blue coat and new black scarf as she made the short travel from car to office.

"Good morning Roxanne. I trust you had a good holiday?" Richard greeted her as he walked into her office as soon as he saw that she had sat down.

"Yeah Richard, thanks. It was really nice. Yours?"

"Oh very relaxing, we spent the holiday up in the cabin. Mother was a right pip as always." He shook his head in an affectionate annoyance. "Anyway, I know you've only just gotten back in, but there's something I wanted to talk to you about." He went to hand a folder over to her but stopped as he watched her left hand brush her bangs out of her eyes. "Roxanne? What is that?" he reached out and pulled the hand towards him.

And then a sound emitted from his throat that Roxanne never would have expected to hear come out of her boss. "You little minx! You've been holding out on us! Congratulations are in order! When did this happen?"

For as small a man as he was, Richard's voice could carry through walls. And soon enough several of Roxanne's coworkers had popped their heads over their cubicles if not walked right into her office to gather around her and ogle the ring that sat on her finger.

"You'll have to let us give you a shout out on the air!" exclaimed Tom, one of the desk reporters. Roxanne agreed and watched as he eagerly ran off. Several others of the writers and smaller reporters ran off, but she was still left with a sizable group surrounding her.

"All right, all right! Move along! Maid of Honor coming through!" Reena called out as she pushed through the mini-mob.

Reena had come home the day after New Years and Minion had practically jumped at the chance to pick her up at the airport. Megamind and Roxanne had both given him a very knowing look but the fish brushed them off and said it was the polite thing to do for someone who had helped them out as much as she had.

With Minion's driving it didn't take long before Reena ran into the sitting room of the Lair; laden with bags.

"I've brought presents!" she placed the bags down on the floor and hurried to hug both Roxanne and Megamind, leaving the blue alien stunned. One look at Minion told him that he'd received the same greeting at the gate. Reena could often get in exuberant moods like this and with what Roxanne was sure to be several cups of caffeine in her system the blonde was not likely to slow down anytime soon.

"W-well first why don't we have a snack? I'm sure you're hungry from your flight." Roxanne said in an attempt to tell her friend the good news while she had the chance. She looked to Mykael and Minion and jerked her head towards the door. The pair quickly picked up on her suggestion and hurried away with exclamations of what to grab.

"Well… I guess I could go for a little something." Reena shrugged and sat down on the couch next to Roxanne. The reporter looked around to make sure they were alone before she smiled sneakily to Reena.

"What have you got up your sleeve?" Reena asked. She didn't have to wait long for an answer as Roxanne lifted her hand to shoulder height; wiggling her fingers in the air. Reena's eyes opened wide as saucers and she grabbed Roxanne's hand to better look at the ring.

"Roxie! Blue Boy proposed?" she practically squealed and pulled Roxanne's hand closer. "It's beautiful!"

Reena continued to hold Roxanne's hand, staring down at the impressive ring. After a moment Roxanne gave her hand a gentle squeeze and Reena's eyes traveled up to Roxanne's face. Her best friend smiled at her almost pleadingly and raised an eyebrow. No words were needed and Reena brought the woman into a squishing hug.

"Yes! Of course! What are besties for?"

Reena leaned up against Roxanne's desk and smirked, shaking her head.

"You realize that you won't have any peace by lunch time?"

Sure enough; at the lunchtime news Roxanne's engagement to Metro City hero Megamind had been announced and the calls began pouring in. Different stations called to confirm the announcement and to request permission to announce it as well. Several papers and magazines called asking Roxanne for interviews, but she politely informed them that she would have to speak with her fiancé first. And then there were the emails; fans and old colleague alike had began flooding her email and by the time it was time to go home Roxanne was feeling exhausted. She began to gather her things to go home, ready for some peace, when Richard burst back into her office.

"Roxanne! In all the excitement I nearly completely forgot! I have a very important offer for you!" He handed her the same folder he had tried to earlier. "It's another international piece. You're to go to London this time; seems there's a young up and coming scientist there; and seeing as you live with a scientific genius.. I-"

"You figured I'd be perfect for the part?" Roxanne smirked at him, saving him from saying it aloud. He chuckled, nodding his head.

"You'll be there for a week; I figure a few days for the report and a few to just enjoy the city. You and your crew will have a guide: Charles Pembroke. Now I know that this is a bit soon after well…your big news.."

Roxanne thumbed through the folder quickly and then looked back up to Richard.

"It's no trouble at all Richard; I just need to pack and get a few things in order."

"Fantastic! Your flight leaves on Thursday!"

When Roxanne returned back home that night she walked into the kitchen to find Minion preparing dinner. The small television was on and Roxanne sighed as the trio of reporters sat at their news desk and talked excitedly about her engagement.

"Good news travels fast I see."

"It's practically all they've talked about all day long." Minion said.

"Why? People get engaged every day." Roxanne sighed and plopped down onto the stool at the breakfast nook. "I think I received hundreds of emails today." She rubbed her forehead, willing the headache away.

"Well yes, but it's not every day that someone gets engaged to the city's hero." Mykael said with a chuckle as he entered the room and Roxanne spun around to look at him. His sleeves were rolled up and he was covered in grease. He wiped his hands on the towel that he held. "I thought I heard you come in." he leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek, smirking as a smudge of grease left his nose and smeared her cheek.

"And just in time too, dinner is- SIR! Just look at you!" Minion huffed. He had turned around from the stove, ready to announce that dinner was ready, and instead was shocked by his friend's grease covered appearance. "Go and clean up right now!"

"But you just said that it was dinner time…" he stopped as he took in Minion's stern look. Feeling rather like a child he huffed and turned to go clean up. Roxanne chuckled as she looked from Mykael's retreating back to Minion's face. "It's just as well…I kind of wanted to change into something more comfortable. I'll be sure that we are both here in five minutes." She called back to him as she hurried down the hall to their bedroom.

"You've been very quiet tonight; is everything okay?" Mykael asked. It was true; over dinner Roxanne had been very quiet. She had attentively listened in on the boys' discussion about the work that had been done on the Hudson, and his attempts to put an invisibility shield on the bike, but she had otherwise remained quiet. Slowly she placed her spoon from dessert back into the bowl and nodded.

"Yes, but…I have some news."

Instantly the blue man's face blanched.

"N-news? What kind of news?" he swallowed nervously. Instantly a number of different possibilities began swarming around in his head; that her job was sending her to a different state; that the town had turned on him and he was to go back to jail; that she was pregnant…

"You're not pregnant are you?" he asked. "Not that that would be a terrible thing it's just well..it's so sudden and, well not that I wouldn't want children with you.. I just.." he stopped his quick speech as he realized that she was laughing.

"No silly, I'm not pregnant." She giggled. They had spoken about having children before and while neither was opposed to the idea, they preferred to at least be married first. "No it's about work. They want to send me on a trip for a special report… to London."

"London?"

"Oh Miss Ritchi, that's just wonderful! I hear that some of the best restaurants are there; it's not France, but it's still good! When do you leave?"

"Now hold on…" Megamind put a hand up trying to pause the situation. "London? That's pretty far away. What's this all for?"

"Some sort of report; I haven't really read the briefing yet. Richard told me it's about some young and up-and-coming scientist. I'd only be gone for a week. But I have to leave Thursday."

"Thursday?"

"I know…I wasn't too happy about it either, and Richard feels really bad. But; well, this is a really big shot. I can't say no." she said. Mykael frowned slightly before reaching forwards for her hand and taking it in his.

"I just… maybe you could stay home? There's a dozen other reporters who could take it. And you could stay here…where it's safe." His eyes pleaded with her and she knew that he was thinking back to her last international endeavor; when on live air she'd been knocked to the ground by an angry mob and had to be dragged out by her crew. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"This won't be like last time; it's completely different. I'll be safe; we have a guide and I'll be staying inside of the city."

"And accommodations?"

"We'll be staying in a hotel; Richard even promised me my own room; for the inconvenience of having to leave so soon."

"We'll upgrade it to a suite." He said quickly.

"W-what?" she said, rather confused.

"A suite; and I'll come along."

"Sweetie… as much as I appreciate that, and believe me I would love to go on an honest to goodness vacation with you, the city needs you." She smiled to him. He slumped only slightly, and smirked crookedly.

"Well, I suppose that you have a point there. But you can't blame a guy for trying. Well you'll still need a crew. A competent crew." He said when she opened her mouth to say something. "You can bring some of the reserve bots. I'm sure you'll all have bags and what not, and you never know what sort of miscree-ants are hanging about a place like London."

Roxanne chuckled; she really couldn't say no to that.

Later that night, Roxanne sat curled up on the couch in the lab, reading over the folder that Richard had handed her earlier. She made a thoughtful hum in the back of her throat; which caught the attention of her blue companion. He looked away from his sketches of plans for something he had in the works.

"Find something interesting?"

"Just reading up on this scientist that I'm supposed to be interviewing; kid is more like it. He's only sixteen!"

"Really? Is he some sort of genius then?"

"I suppose, it says here he was homeschooled, graduated early and has since been experimenting in physics. Recently by accident he discovered what he claims could be a natural unending power source."

Mykael shrugged, unimpressed. "What's the big deal? My people did that years ago."

Roxanne smirked.

"He's trying to claim he invented a new element." she said.

"Nobody can invent a new element…that's preposteroos. It's been attempted; but the atoms burned out too quickly. Could he discover a lost one or even a new one? Sure. But even that is unlikely. He'd have to be as smart as me to do that."

Roxanne couldn't disagree with him there; she'd read the same articles that Mykael had; she knew of the brilliant man from the other side of the country who had discovered a long lost element. Since his findings hundreds of scientists had attempted to find or invent their own elements to get their names in the light. Only one group had thus gotten close and their atoms had burnt out before a second was even up.

"What's his name?" Minion asked out of curiosity. Perhaps they could research it online and put that wonder to rest.

"Stuart Gregward Winston." Roxanne read from her pages.

Slowly hero and sidekick stopped their tasks and slowly turned to look at Roxanne in disbelief. She shrugged and the pair looked to each other with barely restrained smiles, biting back their giggles before bursting into raucous laughter.

"Gregward!"

"Stuart Gregward, sir!"

"It's like a bad butler, and banker all rolled into one!"

"Oh how unfortunate!"

"Oh that's the best thing I've heard all week!"

Roxanne chuckled in spite of herself. It was moments like this that especially made her smile; moments when they were all gathered around, even if while preoccupied with their own tasks, and there could be felt that warmth of family; and moments where she could sit back and laugh as she watched her boys joke and laugh, and often act, like children. These were the moments that she lived for and what made her long days worth it all.

So there we have it! Chapter one! Love it? Hate it? Let me know! This adventure has only just begun.