Well, darn it… I was hoping to have this done before Christmas. But with all the prep and last minute shopping, oh well; you know how it goes. Hopefully you all have enough Holiday spirit to enjoy this little story even though it's late. I thought it would be fun to see how Megs enjoys his first Christmas with Roxanne.
Dreamworks gets all the praise and adulation for Megamind and all the other characters, not me.
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
"What do you think?" Roxanne asked as she stepped back to admire her handiwork.
It was two weeks before Christmas, and she was busy at work setting up the decorations and ornaments in the little apartment attached to the lair that she shared with Megamind. This being their first Christmas together, she wanted to make it special for her beau, who at the moment didn't seem to appreciate all her hard work.
"Roxanne, do you really have to put all these… cute things in here? I mean really, cuteness is not befitting my formerly e-vil lair!"
He looked skeptically around the room with a single arched brow at the garlands, snow globes, wreath, and Christmas tree, all of which sparkled and glowed in the soft gleam of the Christmas lights. A tiny piece of him deep down had to admit it was all kind of pretty, but then there was the much more dominant, ex-super-villain side that screamed do NOT admit to liking this; liking cute sparkly things is for wimps!
"Megamind!" she said with a laugh. "Come on, lighten up. I know this is the formerly evil lair, but that indicates that it's no longer evil, so cuteness can make itself right at home here without batting an eyelash. And sweetie, this isn't actually part of the lair, it's our home, and it's Christmas. You're supposed to decorate and make it special."
He watched her as she stood in front of the tree, fussing with the ornaments and making sure everything was placed just so. She reached out and plucked a glittering snowflake from a branch, stood back to survey the tree, and moved it precisely three inches down and to the right. She stepped back once again, and with a satisfied smile she said, "There!".
Roxanne had always been more of a minimalist, but with Christmas just two weeks away, a whole new side of her that he had never seen before was showing itself. When she initially told him she was going to decorate for Christmas, he was a bit leery. He'd seen how ridiculously sappy some of the decorations could be, but knowing Roxanne's simple elegance and classic good taste, he figured he was safe.
When he awoke the next morning to find box after box of Christmas items being carried in by obedient brain bots as Roxanne instructed them to place their load on various tables around the room, he knew he was in trouble. Especially when he saw the giddy light in her eyes as she unpacked the contents of the boxes. She began throwing herself into her project, busily hanging a string of lights here, placing a snowman there.
To make matters worse, Minion was enjoying himself just as thoroughly as she was. The little fish was absolutely alight with Christmas spirit. Although Minion had always been drawn toward the absurdly sentimental holiday, Megamind was always far to busy scheming up a new and astonishingly evil plan, so he wouldn't allow the time to celebrate it. Besides, a mushy holiday like Christmas wasn't exactly a day that was fitting for a super villain and his sidekick.
Now that Roxanne had entered Megamind's life so intimately, Minion finally had a sympathetic ear for his longing to celebrate the once forbidden holiday. This being his first real Christmas, Minion was putting his all into the set up and celebration. The two of them wandered around the apartment carrying ornaments, trying to decide where each item would look best, and giggling like children. Watching the whole affair made Megamind vaguely embarrassed for his friend.
With an exaggerated roll of his eyes and shake of his head, he finally had to excuse himself and head for his work room downstairs, where he could surround himself with his inventions. His assortment of robots covered in lasers and spikes always set his mind at ease.
He had easily lost himself in his work, and several hours later had decided to go upstairs to check on his beloved and his friend, and to see how the decorating had progressed. He hoped that the two hadn't gone completely overboard. When he walked through the door however, he was rather horrified to find that the entire apartment had been transformed from his comfortable lair to a wonderland so sweet, just looking at it might just give him a cavity.
Worst of all, right there in the corner that he had set his sights on for a new idea cloud he had in mind, stood the Christmas tree in all it's fluffy, twinkling glory.
"Roxanne, look at the size of that tree. It's taking up the whole corner! Remember I told you that I… "
"No Megs, no idea clouds in here. You have the entire lair to do whatever you want with, but let's just keep this little space for living in, free of secret plans and robots and inventions, ok?" she said as she crossed the room and took his hand in hers.
"You know, it wouldn't take up that much room, and I really don't think it would look too bad in here. I could use red and green string to tie up my ideas if you'd like. That would be Christmassy, right?" he asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
Roxanne burst out in a fit of laughter at the slightly desperate look on his handsome face.
She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek, softening his increasingly uncomfortable expression. "Baby, you'll be ok. You can get through the next three weeks or so with all this gushy, glittery stuff in the house. Just give it a chance; you never know, you may find it grows on you."
She knew this was hard for him. She understood how he felt; knowing that Christmas had never given him very fond memories made her heart go out to him. After all, this was the time of year he had lost his family... his whole world, not to mention that growing up in the prison wasn't exactly conducive to bringing holiday cheer. It wasn't that he hated Christmas; he just didn't understand the joy that could be had in it because of the hardships he'd had to face. Knowing all this, Roxanne was determined to help him begin to make happy memories to replace the bad.
She was really proud of him; after all, he was being such a good sport about just going with the flow, and letting Roxanne do as she wished as far as the decorating went. She was trying to go easy on him, but there were certain things she just couldn't do without during the holidays.
It had always been such a big part of her childhood, and most of the decorations she had belonged to her mother and grandmother. Her heart absolutely ached at the thought of leaving those special things in their boxes; they needed to be put out and admired.
He looked at her, fully intending to tell her that no, he most certainly could not get through the next three weeks surrounded by these sappy holiday trappings. But when he saw the light of excitement in her beautiful eyes, and the sweet, childlike smile that brightened her lovely face, what actually came out was, "Oh, alright! But three weeks, and not a single second longer. The countdown begins right…" he looked at his holo-watch, "…now".
"That's what I want to hear!" she beamed.
"And I hope you know I'm making a considerable effort for you in this, Roxanne. I certainly hope you appreciate it."
Despite the display of irritation he put on, she could see the sincerity in his gloriously green eyes.
"I know, and I do." she said, and she pressed her lips against his in a tender kiss. "Thank you."
Oh… she always knew just what to do to melt his heart. With a sigh of contentment, he gave her his first genuine smile of this very trying day, although he couldn't resist milking the situation for just a little more attention.
With a roll of his eyes, he responded with feigned irritability, "Yes, yes… your welcome. But really, Roxanne. The things I put up with for you! Do you have any idea what all these," he shuddered, "adorable trinkets are doing to me? This is absolute agony! I'm honestly starting to wonder about you. You may have a sadistic streak that I haven't noticed until now, and I'm beginning to be genuinely concerned."
She giggled again. Man, he's just too cute! She nuzzled her face snugly into his neck and said, "Oh, you're such a baby sometimes! But I love that about you."
When he heard that, he sputtered in horrified shock and his eyes grew as big as saucers. No, she did NOT just call me that! He pulled her back so he could look into her bewitching blue eyes and began, "Baby? I'll have you know that… "
The instant she heard his rant begin, she smashed her lips to his in a deep, wet, searing kiss. He was tense at first, still ready to defend his honor, but within moments the effect of her kiss was overwhelming and his oversized brain checked out. What were we talking about? His arms wrapped tightly around her, and he was lost in her kiss.
When she felt this, she knew he was putty in her hands. With a final tiny nibble on his soft, expressive lower lip, she pulled away and nuzzled her nose against his. "You're so cute! I love you, Megamind."
The vacant, dreamy look in his eyes was momentarily clouded when he heard her use that dreaded term of endearment, but she was so close to him, and her kisses were so.… Oh well!
He smiled at her tenderly and said, "I love you, too."
They stood there for a moment longer, holding each other tightly and drinking each other in. Then suddenly Roxanne burst free from his grasp, and in a few quick steps she crossed the room and said, "Hey, watch this!"
She reached down and began to fiddle with a small control pad attached to the cord of the strands of lights that encircled the tree. In an instant, the lights began to twinkle and softly blink intermittently. When Megamind saw this, he could feel an instant headache coming on.
She walked back to her boyfriend, and slipped her arm around his waist. With her head resting on his shoulder as she snuggled closer she asked, "Isn't it pretty?"
"Oh, yeah. It's great." He said with an effort, trying not to let her see the tiny twitch that he felt developing in the corner of his right eye.
Just at that moment, Minion walked into the room. "Oh, there you are Sir! What do you think? It turned out pretty well, didn't it?"
Megamind turned toward his dearest friend to give him a strained response, but when he saw him, the words caught in his throat. He looked at Minion with wide eyes, mouth still open. Minion was holding a tray of little gingerbread cookies which he had just finished decorating, and was wearing a candy cane striped apron with the words "Ho Ho Ho" emblazoned in green on the front.
"Minion, what are you doing?" he asked, his voice thick with annoyance.
"Oh, I just made these cookies. I thought it would be a nice touch to finish up our day. Do you want one?"
Megamind continued to look him over for a moment longer, and then answered with a considerable amount of patience, "Umm… no. You know, I suddenly have this incredible headache. I think I'm just going to go sit in our room for a while… in the dark." He kissed Roxanne one more time, and said, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Just let me know when Minion has dinner ready". With that, he turned and walked down the hall, rubbing his temples as he went to enjoy the blinky light and glitter free confines of his room.
Over the next several days, Megamind watched the preparations as they continued to take place in the lair. Minion and Roxanne had spent time in the kitchen baking up a storm, and the pantry was literally bursting with goodies and confections. I could get used to this.
As Roxanne had no family left in the area, this was the first Christmas that she had spent with people she cared about for a long time. She was overjoyed at being able to enjoy sharing her favorite holiday with the two people she loved the most, and this put her in a delightful mood.
Megamind enjoyed the way she bounced around the lair with enthusiasm, and listening as she hummed snatches of Christmas songs while she worked on her laptop preparing for her next story, or got ready for bed at night. Seeing her this happy and excited was adorable, and he would catch himself just watching her with that silly dreamy eyed expression that he tried so hard, but unsuccessfully to hide.
In fact, he was enjoying it so much, he was almost able to forget about those obnoxious lights that blinked tauntingly on the tree that was perched in his idea cloud corner. Almost, but not quite.
Things began to become more disruptive as the holiday drew nearer, however. Riding the elevator upstairs with Minion one evening after a successful but very difficult rescue, he looked forward to nothing more than a quiet evening to unwind. When he opened the door, the annoying sounds of old Christmas carols were emanating from the speakers that usually blasted his favorite Guns and Roses or Metalica songs.
The scratchy, tinny sounds of the ancient music, and the vibrato voice of Bing Crosby as he belted out White Christmas assaulted his ears as he walked over to the stereo and cranked down the volume.
Just as he stood up to breath a sigh of relief, Roxanne came from around the corner, still dressed in her blouse and pencil skirt that she had worn to work.
She threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on soft blue lips. "Hey handsome. Nice job on that rescue today, you two were incredible!"
"Oh, you were there?"
"Of course, aren't I always?"
"Oh, yes. I know, I was just a little busy. I didn't even see you this time."
"Hmm, yeah. That one was a bit tricky. You had me a little nervous for a few minutes there, but you did great. Really pulled it off in the end, and the crowd loved it!" She said smilingly at him.
"Hey, you ok?" she asked, noticing that he looked a bit tense.
"Oh, fine. Just need to relax." He fibbed. He wasn't about to tell her that the music she had just been blasting was tantamount to torture, and was still bouncing painfully around inside his head.
"Oh, of course. You just sit down; I'm going to go change, and then I'll get you something to drink and we can snuggle up on the couch. Have you eaten yet?"
"Yes, we picked something up on the way home."
"Good, me too. Hey sweetheart, let's have a movie night."
The thought of snuggling up with his sweet, soft, cuddly Roxanne and a warm blanket to watch a movie instantly lifted the weight of his day, and the memory of that annoying music from his shoulders. He perked up, and with a smile he said. "Perfect! Hurry up. I'll go pick something out. I've been wanting to watch The Expendables again, but we could go with, say… I Am Legend or something. What do you think?"
Roxanne called from down the hall "Actually, I have a movie for us that I picked up on the way home."
Why is it I have a feeling I'm not going to like this. "Huh. What is it?"
"You'll see."
As Megamind sat down on the couch and removed his baby seal leather boots, he tried to think of what she could have possibly picked out. Normally she had excellent taste in movies, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was in for another round of torture.
Leaning back on the couch, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the blissful quiet, and relative darkness of the dimly lit room. Just as he felt himself beginning to drop off, there was a flashing brightness that disrupted his catnap. He could see the intermittent blink even with his eyes closed. Oh, no.
He opened his eyes to see the Christmas lights flashing and twinkling mockingly at him, robbing him of the precious serenity he was trying desperately to achieve after his tiring day. Who would have thought that his newest nemesis would be a tree. Blasted blinky lights!
"Are you ready?" Roxanne asked as she popped a dvd into the player and crossed the room to snuggle with her sweetheart.
"As I'll ever be." he replied with an attempt at a smile. Hey, I can do this. Only fifteen days, five hours, thirty two minutes, and seventeen seconds to go before my life returns to normal.
"Here you go." she said, and handed him a cup of hot cocoa. With a kiss on his cheek, she settled herself in, wiggling until she was as close to him as she could get. She drew her knees up and lay them across his lap; if she were any closer, she would actually be sitting on him, which he wouldn't have minded a bit. Once she was comfortable, she pushed the button on the remote.
When the screen blazed to life, any semblance of peace that Megamind was clutching on to for dear life instantly slipped away as he read aloud the title. "Bing Crosby's White Christmas?"
"Yeah! This was a favorite of mine and my mom's when I was growing up. Have you seen it?"
"No!"
"Oh good. You're going to love it! I can't wait for you to see it." Roxanne said excitedly with a smile.
There's that little girl smile again. Great, now I can't get out of this, I don't want to disappoint her. "Uh, yeah. Me too."
Suddenly from behind him came an excited voice, "Oh, I love this movie! Scoot over."
Minion plumped his massive robotic form on the couch right next to Megamind, penning him in, and in the process almost crushing his right leg when he accidentally sat on his boss. "Ow!"
"Oh, sorry Sir. You're going to love this movie, it's such a classic!"
There was no escaping it, he was stuck here subject to torture by Bing Crosby. He decided to make the best of it for Roxanne's sake, and resolutely settled in, crushed between his beloved girlfriend and his fishy best friend as they passed a bowl of popcorn back and forth over him, ooing and awwing at the greatness of this Christmas "classic". Megamind could feel the twitch begin to assault his right eye again, but no matter what, he was determined at all costs to survive the next two hours.
The days progressed toward the holiday in much the same way, with Roxanne becoming more wrapped up in the spirit of the season, and carrying Minion right along with her. Megamind put on a heroically brave face, and did his best to play along.
Watching her excitement was actually quite contagious, and at times he found himself being slightly swept up in the tides of her enthusiasm; despite being subject to several more sessions of torture by ridiculously silly Christmas music and sappy holiday movies. As long as he didn't cast his gaze toward the dreaded tree that blinked derisively at him in the corner, he actually had to admit to himself that he was beginning to enjoy himself; but only for Roxanne's sake, of course.
Roxanne became quite nostalgic, and told him stories of the Christmases she remembered from her childhood. Her stories were quite touching, especially when he watched the way she lit up as she relived the memories, and he began to understand why she was so enthusiastic. He was amazed that a day that had always held so much regret for him could be filled with so much fun and joy for anyone.
She told him about receiving the best gift she had ever been given when she was sixteen; a necklace that had belonged to her grandmother. She described the way the chain attached to a wide but delicate pendant that swirled down and to the sides in the form of a V, with three little pearls that hung from it like teardrops.
As she described it, he vaguely remembered seeing her wear it. The only jewelry he had ever seen her wear, aside from her pearl earrings as a matter of fact.
"I remember seeing it, but it's been a while. Why don't you wear it anymore?"
When he asked this, she became slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, well… I actually don't have it anymore."
"Why not?"
She was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then almost apologetically she said, "Well, it got lost during one of the kidnappings a few years ago. The Equestrianator, remember? It got caught on something when I was hanging there, and broke off."
When Megamind heard this, he looked crestfallen. Wow, I am such a jerk.
"Please don't feel bad, it was my fault, really. I shouldn't have worn it to work like that; kidnappings were an occupational hazard for me back then. I should have known to leave it at home."
With sad puppy dog eyes he looked at her and choked out, "I'm so sorry Roxanne… I was a real jerk. I have a lot to make up for, don't I?"
Oh, god… look at those eyes! Roxanne slid over and climbed onto his lap. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she placed a soft little kiss on his forehead. She gazed at him through her lashes, smiled sweetly, and said, "No, it's all water under the bridge. Everything's already forgiven and forgotten, so I forbid you from feeling bad about this. Besides, it's ok… I still have the earrings that go with it, see?"
She lifted her hand to place it lightly behind her ear, showing Megamind the very earrings that he had been thinking about a moment ago.
Seeing her wear the earrings that went with her beloved grandmother's lost necklace was quite a blow. He felt absolutely terrible, and the expression on his face continued to betray his feelings, even though he tried his hardest not to show it.
Roxanne felt guilty about having said anything. Why can't I keep my big mouth shut? She placed her hand on his cheek softly and said, "Hey, it's ok. Really. No more worries, sweetie. I don't care so much about the necklace anymore. I have you now, and you make up for anything I've lost over the years, times six!"
And with that, she kissed him slowly and gently. She filled that kiss with all the tenderness and love she could muster, and followed it with more kisses on his mouth and neck that stole his breath away, and removed every regret that was tugging at his heart.
Just before his impressive brain switched off due to Roxanne overload, he thought about the lost necklace, and his amazing intellect began to formulate a brilliant plan. Yes, that will be perfect!
The final week before Christmas passed quickly. There was still holiday prep to complete, including shopping. There wasn't much to do, as they had decided not to do much for each other in the way of gifts.
After all, Megamind was a super genius. Anything he wanted or needed he could whip up for himself in no time, and do better job of it than anything she could find for him in a store. To get him anything he would really enjoy, she was going to have to get creative. There was one tiny idea she had that had been tugging at her mind for a while now. It wasn't much, but never the less, she thought he would enjoy this little holiday tradition immensely.
As for herself, there was really nothing she needed or wanted, just time with her boyfriend was more than enough. So, after some discussion, they decided to focus their gift giving energy on Minion, who deserved a fantastic first Christmas, and some of Roxanne's friends from the office. Wayne was also added to the list, much to Megamind's annoyance.
Knowing that Megamind hated crowds on a good day, Roxanne decided to be gentle with her blue beau, and didn't ask him to accompany her on the shopping excursions. Spending time at the mall would be a nightmare for him, as he would be surrounded by pushy and frazzled last minute shoppers, not to mention face to face at every turn with his new and hated enemies, Christmas music and blinky lights.
As it turned out, this worked out perfectly. To Roxanne's surprise, that particular week turned out to be incredibly busy for Megamind. He was constantly being called on to lend a hand, and she saw very little of him in the days leading up to the Holiday weekend.
With the gifts all wrapped and placed under the tree, Christmas Eve finally arrived. All that was left for them to do was sit back and relax.
Relaxing was a bit difficult for Megamind, however. Roxanne noticed he seemed very distracted and lost in thought. What she didn't know was that he was anxious… in fact, he was downright excited to see his brilliant plan come to fruition the next morning. Waiting was becoming increasingly difficult for him, and there were a few times that he thought he'd have to bag the wait, and just go get her surprise right then and there.
She watched him suspiciously as the evening progressed. He had a slightly manic look in his emerald eyes, and was having a very hard time sitting still.
"Hey you, why don't you come sit down and relax for a minute? Your bouncing around is making me nervous!" She said with a chuckle as she patted the couch next to her and gave him an alluring smile.
"Oh, sorry. I … um, think I had too much coffee today, just having a hard time sitting still." he said sheepishly as he plopped down next to her. Even as he sat there, he continued to fidget and wiggle his foot back and fourth, and a barely contained giddy smile crossed his lips every few moments. Finally, Roxanne could take it no longer.
"What exactly are you up to?"
He looked at her with surprise and said defensively, "Why Roxanne, I have no idea what you're talking about."
With a knowing smirk she responded, "Megamind, I've known you for a long time; I know you better than anyone else, and I know for a fact that you're up to something."
"Listen, it's Christmas; why don't you give those nosy reporter skills of your's a break for the weekend?" he said as he touched the tip of her freckled nose with his index finger. "There's nothing going on, and even if there was, it would be on a need to know basis only. And right now, you don't need to know."
His smug grin at her was infuriating. He wasn't going to play along, and her curiosity was burning a hole in her inquisitive brain.
"You know I can make you tell me. None of your secrets are safe from me, it would be a piece of cake for me to figure this thing out!"
When he heard her challenge, his smug grin grew wider. He raised an eyebrow in an amused expression and moved in so close, their noses were a mere inch away. He gazed at her like this for a moment, making her heart flutter, and then in a low voice as smooth as silk, he purred, "Au contraire, my dear Miss Ritchi. Any information held within my considerable brain will not be disclosed until I deem it necessary."
She knew he had her. He wasn't going to tell her anything, come hell or high water. She decided to just let the matter drop, for now. Maybe later she could figure out a way around his surprising defenses. Besides, he's so incredibly sexy right now, it's much more fun to just play along.
She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air," Aghhhh, fine! But don't think this is over. I will get you to talk!"
"Ah, ah ah. Try as you might, You'll never discover a thing. My lips are sealed."
She had been watching him feverishly as he spoke; the arch of his brow, the way he lowered his lids slightly as he gazed at her, his self satisfied smile that tugged more at one corner of his mouth. When she heard his response, she couldn't take it any longer. I bet I can unseal those gorgeous lips.
She threw her arms around him, and planted a smoldering kiss right on those very lips in question. She was right, her kiss instantly unsealed those lips, and he caressed hers back in turn, and slipped his tongue into her mouth to gently smooth against hers. His arms slipped around her, and he lifted her onto his lap, hands roving up and down her body and straying up to entangle her hair. His soft, strong mouth slowly worked it's way down to her jaw, and then her collarbone, drawing out a rapturously happy moan from his beloved.
This time, Megamind was right. Roxanne was happily and sufficiently distracted to completely forget about her curiosity for the rest of the night.
In the midst of his romance induced brain fog, Megamind couldn't help but think triumphantly, Now, if I had just known her weakness a year or two ago, I can think of one or two e-vil plans that might have come out very differently.
"Sir, Miss Roxanne? Wake up, it's Christmas!"
Megamind opened one eye and asked groggily "What time is it?"
Roxanne lifted her head from her pillow just long enough to peek at the clock, and then groaned, "Five o'clock."
Megamind sat half way up in bed and looked toward the door. Minion was there, peaking around the partially open door, his eyes wide with anticipation and a fang filled grin on his fishy face. Normally, Minion would cringe at the very idea of opening his Boss's closed bedroom door, especially now that Miss Ritchi had moved in, but he had been awake and waiting for so long, his excitement was now at an unbearable level. He felt that he would burst if he didn't get them up right now.
"Min-ion! Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Yes, Sir! I have breakfast all ready for you. Come on, you have to get up, you've got to see these stockings! They're packed with stuff!"
"Just give us another half hour… "
"But Sir, come on! Miss Ritchi… "
"Oh alright. Come on Megs, he's not going to give us a break until we're up." Roxanne said as she sat up and pulled the covers off her sweetheart, her voice still scratchy with sleep.
When Minion saw Roxanne pulling herself up, he excitedly retreated back to the kitchen to get their coffee ready. Oh boy! I can't wait to see what's in those stockings!
"Roxanne, don't you remember how late we stayed up last night? I'm exhausted! Just a little more sleep, please?" he practically begged as he reached out and grasped the blankets, pulling them back over him in an attempt at reclaiming his warm, blissful sleep.
"Come on Megamind, this is his first Christmas. Didn't you see how excited he was? You've got to do it, for Minion."
"Minion will be fine, he can wait." he responded, already more than half asleep.
Suddenly he felt soft lips peck his cheek, and a sweet voice whispered in his ear, "For me then?"
His eyes popped open, and when he saw Roxanne gazing at him through her long lashes, hair still rumpled from sleep, his heart turned into a puddle of goo. He knew he couldn't refuse her anything when she looked at him like that, no matter how tired he was.
"Oh, fine." he said in an attempt at irritability as he threw the covers off himself. As he pulled his cape on over his pajamas, the memory of his plan came back to his slowly waking brain, and his irritability was instantly replaced with giddy excitement.
Minion had made them a breakfast to remember, complete with scrambled eggs and fresh cinnamon rolls. Roxanne wondered how early he must have been up to get their feast ready for them, and she absolutely melted at the delight that the fish was taking in his first celebration of Christmas.
It didn't take much persuasion to entice Minion to leave the breakfast clean up for later, promising that they'd all pitch in. Besides, those stockings were absolutely begging to be opened.
As she watched her two favorite men unload the contents of their very first Christmas stockings, she had to fight to hold back the giggles, especially when she saw Minion's delight at even the smallest trinkets that lay hidden in the recesses of the fabric. Both of them reminded her of excited six year olds; it was hilarious to see the way they animatedly prattled on about their new treasures.
The rest of the morning progressed at a lazy pace. They had decided days ago that they would open gifts after an early dinner, but now that the day was finally here, Roxanne was surprised to find that Megamind was giving her more trouble about waiting than Minion was. He continued to look impatiently at the packages, and came up with countless excuses why they should just open them now.
She even noticed that he didn't seem a bit bothered by the lights that twinkled on the tree, and there wasn't a single twitch to be found at the corner of his eye; something he had been trying to hide from her, without success. She was incredibly proud of how far he had come.
After a fantastic dinner that Minion worked hard to spoil them with, it was finally time for gift giving. Minion was the recipient of the majority of the gifts; being such a loyal friend to them both, he deserved it.
They surprised him with a huge aquarium that he could stretch out in; complete with all the trimmings to make it comfortable. His enthusiasm was so evident, and the smile on his face was so sweet, Roxanne couldn't stop laughing. Even Megamind had a good chuckle at his antics.
He was brimming with excitement, and he immediately called on the brainbots to help him move it to his room so he could begin the set up. He was bound and determined to have it ready to go by bedtime, which meant they probably wouldn't be seeing much of him for the rest of the day.
That left Megamind and Roxanne to exchange their gifts. Megamind was so impatient to surprise Roxanne with her gift, he could scarcely breathe.
"Are you ready?" he asked, trying with all his might to keep his exhilaration in check.
With a giggle, Roxanne said in response, "Not yet, I want to give you a gift first."
That took the wind out of his sails in an instant; he didn't want to wait a single second longer than he had to. But this day was all about making Roxanne happy, so he reined in his excitement and said, "Oh, ok. Sure!"
She got up and went to the tree. She pulled out a package and handed it to him with an anxious and happy smile. It was flat and square, and his curiosity was immediately aroused when he saw it.
He opened it gingerly, and when he saw what was hidden beneath the wrapping paper, his eyes grew in shocked surprise.
"Oh my… do you know… I can't believe… " he sputtered when he examined his gift, turning it in his hands and gently running them across the cover. "Oh my god! The 1978 AC/DC Live from Atlantic Studios promo! Roxanne, do you have any idea how rare this is? It's practically impossible to find! I've tried for years to track this down, and even I couldn't find it. How… where did you get this?"
Roxanne was so thrilled at his reaction she couldn't stop giggling. It was difficult for her to choke back the laughter long enough for her to answer him, but with an effort she managed to say, "A friend of mine from collage works in the music industry, and he was able to help me hunt one down for you. It took us quite a while, too. Do you like it?"
When she asked him this, he tore his eyes away from his gift to look at his girlfriend in wonder. Somehow, she knew the one thing that he'd wanted for years, and she was able to track it down for him… something even he couldn't do with all his amazing intellect and the infinite resources available to him.
But more than the gift itself, he was in awe of the thought and effort she had put into finding something he would love. "Roxanne, it's amazing. Thank you!"
And with that, he threw his arms around her and swept her up in a loving embrace, picking her up off the floor and kissing her.
When he put her down, she was slightly dazed from the feverish kisses he had just planted on her eager lips. He helped her sit back down, and when she was comfortable he said, "Now it's your turn."
He reached into the branches of the tree, and pulled out a tiny box that was hidden there; so well hidden, Roxanne hadn't seen it when she retrieved his package a moment ago. He handed it to her with an adorably manic smile, and then sat down right next to her to watch her progress as she tore open the paper, biting his lip as she lifted the lid.
When she saw the treasure hidden inside, she gasped in surprise, and sat speechless as she stared with wide eyes.
"I looked all over the city, checked out every vintage shop I could find. It's not an exact match, but I think it's pretty close." he said hopefully.
Roxanne continued to stare silently at the gift in her hand.
"I know it can never replace your grandmother's necklace, but I hoped that this might be able to help make up for it's loss."
He waited for her reaction, and when she continued to sit quietly looking down at the necklace, he began to get nervous. The smile on his face faded, and he leaned forward to look at her, hoping to be able to tell something from the expression on her face. His heart stopped when he saw tears slip down her cheek and drip into her lap.
"Oh, Roxanne. I'm so sorry! You don't like it… I… I guess it was kind of a lame idea. I don't know why I thought I could make up for you loosing it. I'm so sorry about your grandmother's necklace, it was entirely my fault."
When she heard him apologizing, she looked up at him with a searching gaze, eyes still brimming with tears. "Megamind," she said, her voice quavering slightly, "Remember when I told you that the best gift I've ever received was my Grandma's necklace? Well, I was wrong; as wonderful as that was, this is by far the best gift I've ever received. I can't imagine anything I could ever love more. I can't imagine anyone I could ever love more."
His relief at these words was overwhelming, and his heart raced when he heard her express her love so sweetly. With a sigh he said, "Oh, thank God… I thought you hated it!"
She laughed as she wiped away her tears, and with a sniff she said, "No, I absolutely love it! Thank you so much. I can't even begin to tell you how much this means to me. And Megamind, you don't ever need to apologize about the necklace again, ok?"
"Ok." he answered with a tiny smile as he looked at her adoringly.
The couple gazed at each other a moment longer, and then Roxanne said. "I can't believe how similar it is to my grandma's! How did you remember it so clearly after all this time? You couldn't have seen it more than once or twice."
He tapped his big blue head with a long index finger and boasted, "Amazing intellect, remember? This mind is like a steel trap; nothing escapes this memory."
She chuckled and said, "And how did you find the time to look for it? You've been so busy the last week or so, I've hardly even seen you."
"Well," he said, looking a little bit like the kid who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "Not all of that time I spent away was on rescue calls."
"Wait, so were out hunting this down for me?"
He grinned and said "Yes, I felt a little guilty tricking you… and I'm sorry about that by the way; but I thought it would be worth it in the end if I could find the right one."
"You were right, it was worth it." she said with a smile that lit her whole face.
He took the necklace from it's box, and placed it around her neck, fastening the clasp. He leaned back to admire it on her. "Lovely!"
"Thanks," she said, and her cheeks blushed a deeper shade of pink. God, she's so adorable!
"Oh, I almost forgot! I have one more present for you." she announced as she jumped up and rushed to the tree to grab it.
As she carried it back to him and placed it in his hand, he recognized a distinct look of giddy anticipation in her eyes.
"What's this? I thought we were only going to do one gift for each other. I don't have anything else for you."
"Oh, it's ok. Don't worry about that. Hurry up, open it!"
Her excitement was contagious, and he began tearing the wrapping off the small package with gusto. When he opened the lid to the box and looked inside however, a puzzled look crossed his face.
"Wow Roxanne, I don't really know what to say." He reached in and picked up a small clump of green leaves with a cluster of white berries, all tied together with a red bow. He held it between his thumb and forefinger, examining it quizzically.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I don't get it. It's a weed."
When she heard him say this, she burst into a fit of laughter that made her sides hurt. She had to struggle to control herself enough to say, "It's not a weed! It's mistletoe."
The confusion on his face deepened. He stared at the sprig of leaves suspiciously, turning it about to look at it from every side. "Missile-toe?"
Roxanne was laughing so hard by now, she was bent over double, with tears streaming down her face. She couldn't even catch her breath long enough to correct his pronunciation.
He looked at her slightly indignantly and said, "I don't understand what could possibly be so funny, Roxanne! I've never even heard of missile-toe, and I don't have the foggiest idea what it's used for; by the sound of it, I'm not sure I want to know. You should have saved the gag gifts for Wayne."
She had to make a monumental effort to stop her uncontrolled fit of the giggles, but was finally able to reign it in; as long as she didn't look at him for too long… his confused and offended expression was enough to set her off again.
"No, no… let me explain. Mistletoe is a very old Christmas tradition. Hold it up over your head and see what happens."
His expression shifted from confusion and irritation to mild panic. He looked at the unassuming cluster of leaves apprehensively and said, "No way."
"What? Come on! Just do it, it's ok. Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise."
She lowered her head so she could gaze at him through her long, dark lashes and said, "In fact, if you do it, I guarantee you'll like the results."
He watched her as she fluttered her lashes and gave him that sweet, teasing smile. Oh, why does she have to do that! "Alright, but this better be good."
He lifted the sprig of festive leaves over his head, and when he did, Roxanne threw her arms around his neck and kissed him; the sweetest, most tender, and loving kiss she had ever given. She held him like this for a long time, caressing his head and the back of his neck, and she felt him melting into her arms as he held her close in return.
When she finally pulled away to look at him again, she wasn't at all surprised to find him staring with his familiar sappy grin, eyes half lidded and glazed over.
"So? What do you think? Was it as good as you were hoping?"
Signs of life began to crackle again in his eyes when she spoke to him, and he looked at her and said, "Oh, infinitely better!"
With a wide smile, he held up the mistletoe again, and pulled her in to try out his gift for the second time.
The days after Christmas flew by quickly, and the couple found themselves ready to ring in the New Year together in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
Megamind and Roxanne sat snuggled up on their couch, all the lights off in the apartment except for the lights on the tree, which Roxanne had adjusted to prevent them from blinking, so as not to annoy her sweetheart. She found herself feeling slightly sad that another Christmas had already come and gone, especially because this was the best one she could ever remember celebrating.
Despite her regret at the passing of the holiday season, she was glad for Megamind. She knew how hard he had been trying to be positive in the face of all the little annoyances that had been driving him crazy for the past few weeks. He had hardly complained at all, and kept up a brave face the whole time. Thinking about all the effort he had put out just to make her happy made her love him even more.
"Well sweetie, the three weeks is almost up."
"What do you mean?"
She laughed and said, "The countdown, remember? 'Three weeks, and not a single second longer'? Time's almost up; we'll be taking down all the decorations in a couple of days, and your life will be normal again."
"Oh, yeah. You know, I've been thinking. I wouldn't mind much if you decided to leave them up for a while longer."
"Really? Even the dreaded blinky lights?"
"Well, you know… I think I could handle it a bit longer. Not that I want them up or anything, but to make you happy of course."
"Huh. Well, I was kind of thinking how nice it would be to get things tidied up and organized. And you can have your corner back! I guess it won't hurt to have a tiny idea cloud in here, as long as you don't get too carried away."
"Uhuh. Well Roxanne, I know how much you like your decorations. It won't hurt me to put up with them a little longer."
She smiled knowingly and said, "Ok. How long were you thinking you might be able to handle them?"
"Oh, I don't know. A week, maybe two?"
She couldn't stop herself from laughing when she heard this, especially when she saw the hopeful light in his eyes.
She planted a peck on his cheek and said, "Ok, handsome. Two weeks, and not a single second longer. The countdown begins right…" she looked at her watch, "… now!".
Hope you enjoyed it!
Just one little thing, the credit for the mistletoe goes to my friend Nora Salisbury, who mentioned once how much she thought Megs would enjoy that holiday tradition. When she said that, this little idea sparked to life in my brain and, well… here you go!
Thanks for reading!
Please review!