"Redemption"
PLOT SUMMARY: How can Roxanne and Megamind be together, Metro Man retire, and Megamind be accepted in society as good, with no new villains and no fake deaths? Here's my version. Pre-movie, AU/AR. Sequel to "Revenge" and "Beginning, or First Date (With No Kidnapping)."
DISCLAIMER: DreamWorks owns the sandbox. I'm just playing in it.
AUTHOR NOTES:
Thank you to nineteennintytwo for beta reading and making some vocabulary suggestions, grammar/ punctuation corrections, and a few other changes. Also, thanks to all who posted reviews on the stories that precede this one. I've incorporated some suggestions made by a few of you.
You might be able to skip "Beginning" (although you'll miss some character development, especially regarding Roxanne, and the introduction of original characters who show up again in "Redemption,"), but some major plot events in later chapters of this story won't make sense unless you read "Revenge."`
Chapter 1. Anniversaries
"What do you want to do for our anniversary?"
Roxanne looked up from her laptop, a quizzical expression on her face. "Anniversary?"
"Yes, anniversary. In a few days we will have been officially dating for one month. Isn't it traditional for couples to celebrate these dates?" Megamind had tended to obsess about dating traditions from the beginning. Some of those were really sweet, like the flowers.
"So in what way do you think we should celebrate?" Roxanne asked.
"In whatever way you like."
Roxanne rolled her eyes. She got up, walked over and sat next to him on her couch. "Spending time with you is special enough. I don't expect a gift-"
Megamind looked slightly worried. "It's traditional for the man to get the lady a gift?"
"Stop worrying. Different couples do things differently. The important thing is that they agree on how they want to handle things."
"So how do you want to handle things?"
"How about by ignoring it?" Megamind looked crestfallen, and Roxanne relented. "If you want to do something, just tell me."
"Well, I've been reading online," he began (Roxanne thought, always a dangerous activity), "and it seems like most couples celebrate anniversaries by going out to dinner at a fancy restaurant."
Roxanne thought back on their various dates. At first, both wanted to spend time as themselves, without Megamind in disguise. That ruled out lots of traditional dating activities, like movies, concerts, restaurants, museums, even outdoor activities in the daytime. So their time together was spent mostly at night, going to out of the way places in the country or the woods: stargazing, walks, boat rides, flying on his hoverbike (she especially enjoyed the latter- it was exhilarating). Then they moved on to dinners at her apartment, watching movies on DVD or playing board games or video games. Megamind had seemed reluctant to spend time with her at the Lair, and refused to make any plans for that location. She was a little hurt, wondering if he still didn't completely trust her. She would even have been willing to be blindfolded or wear that special helmet. But, she told herself sternly, there could be another reason entirely. She had chosen not to press the issue yet.
"Does this mean you want to try going out in disguise? I thought you weren't comfortable going to restaurants that way."
"I'll admit I haven't been in the past. But, Roxanne, I feel badly about limiting you because of my….unique appearance."
"I really don't care; I just want be with you."
Megamind smiled. "I love hearing you say that."
"Well, it's true," and she squeezed his hand.
"Thank you, but I still want to try going out with you to do 'normal' dating activities, which means in disguise."
"How about this? Let's start with something that might be easier, something not in an enclosed space, like bike riding or a walk in the park in daylight. If that goes well, we can work our way up to restaurants." He agreed.
"So, I'll wear a disguise for our first anniversary date. What normal outdoor thing would you like to do?"
"I don't care. What would you like?"
"But I want to make sure it's some activity that you'll be pleased with."
Roxanne was getting a little frustrated. "This anniversary thing is more important to you than to me. Therefore you should pick. In fact, I would like you to pick. It relieves me of the burden."
"Oh."
As Megamind contemplated that information, Roxanne added, "Look, I really need to get my report finished. Give me about 20 to 30 more minutes, and I should be done."
While Roxanne went back to pecking at her keyboard, Megamind thought about what to do for the anniversary. If the traditional activity of dinner at a restaurant was out, what could they do? He wanted it to be something different…. special…. maybe exciting. He reviewed in his head the various dates they had shared, trying to judge what activities Roxanne seemed to like best. By the time Roxanne was done with her project, he had made a decision.
He told her to dress for riding, but to meet him in front of her apartment at 2:00 in the afternoon. He refused to describe his disguise, saying he wanted to see how fast she could pick him out. When she walked out into the sunshine, she had no problem. He had to be the slender man dressed in black leather, studs all over the jacket, standing next to the blue and black motorcycle. His long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he was sporting a goatee and mustache. As she approached him, there was no doubt when she saw his bright green eyes. "Thanks for the flowers. They were beautiful, as always."
"You're welcome, as always." He leaned in close and whispered, "Happy anniversary."
Roxanne nodded toward the vehicle. "Nice bike. Where did you get it?"
"I stole it," he whispered gleefully.
"You what!" Roxanne exclaimed, aghast.
"Ha! Got you! Just kidding. I made it from spare parts I bought on Ebay, for a steal! Ha! Of course, it also has some of my own modifications."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"You liked riding the hoverbike so much. I thought you would like to try riding a human motorcycle. My plan is for us to go out into the country where we can go fast, then have a picnic in the park up north."
"That sounds fine."
"And here's your helmet. Besides being safer for you, I thought it would also help hide your identity as we drive through the city."
"Good idea."
Megamind was careful as they sped down the city streets. It did seem pretty tame after the hoverbike, but she wouldn't tell him that. He might interpret that as her asking him to be more reckless.
As they reached the outskirts of the city, Megamind pulled over. Twisting back to face her, he said, "I have a request. I've added a safety harness to the bike. I'd like you to wear it."
"Motorcycles don't have seat belts."
"I've just told you; mine does, for you. It would make me feel more comfortable when we go faster if you had more protection."
Roxanne sighed, "All right."
Once he had Roxanne secured to his satisfaction, he began to drive more quickly. Megamind had plotted their route to go on back roads and twisty lanes to give Roxanne a more thrilling ride. Roxanne had expected it to be less exciting than the hoverbike, but found that the feeling of gravity was greater, and the closeness to the ground gave its own sense of danger and adventure.
Megamind always enjoyed going fast, but it was even better feeling Roxanne's arms around him, tightening as they took the turns and corners. There wasn't much talking, but on occasion she would exclaim over a particular turn, or mention something about the scenery.
They were going down a long straight section, and Megamind took the opportunity to accelerate. Suddenly they heard the sound of a police siren, and there were blue and red lights flashing behind them. With a sinking feeling in her chest, Roxanne was trying to plot out the possible scenarios, and how to exert damage control, when Megamind told her to hold on tightly, and the motorcycle surged forward.
"What are you doing?" she yelled at him, but got no response from him. She wasn't sure if he was ignoring her, or couldn't hear her over the increased roar of the engine. She was starting to feel a little bit scared and, frankly, irritated with him. He had promised no more criminal behavior, and here he was, running away from the police.
She dared to take a quick glance behind her. The police car was still in pursuit, but they were slowly pulling away from it. Megamind took the first turn to the right, faster than she would've preferred. It was a little frightening how much they leaned toward the ground. "Why are you running away? You'll be in even more trouble if they catch you," she yelled toward his ear.
"Oh, they're not going to catch me!" he shouted back at her. And he made a decidedly evil laugh.
He made another hard, quick turn. They were approaching a more wooded area, closer to the county park. He suddenly decelerated, and turned into an area beneath a stand of trees. They were not far from the road when he stopped and shut off the engine. She could still hear the sirens, and watched the police car approach and then race past on the road. "I'm surprised they didn't notice us," Roxanne stated.
"Please, Roxanne, give me a little credit. I am a genius after all. You're an intelligent woman. Surely you can figure out what I've done," Megamind said with exasperation.
Her irritation at him was increasing, but she didn't want to admit that she didn't know what he meant. She glanced around, and finally noticed the shimmer. "Oh. Do you put an invisibility shield on all your vehicles?"
Megamind shrugged his shoulders. "When you have the technology, why not use it?"
Roxanne started fiddling with her safety harness, but was having a little trouble with the fastener. "What are you doing?" asked Megamind.
"Getting off this bike," Roxanne snapped.
Megamind looked puzzled, but then offered, "Here, let me help you."
"For a genius, you sure made a really stupid design here. A person ought to be able to unbuckle herself!" As soon as he released her, she dismounted from the bike and strode away from it, tossing her helmet to the ground.
Megamind was a little annoyed, thinking that Roxanne was acting unreasonably. But he was also feeling somewhat scared. Things between them had gone so well for an entire month. (Alright, there had been a few bad moments, like that time he apparently misunderstood something she said, and thought she wanted to have a picnic up in the trees. She had gamely gone along with it, thinking it was something he wanted. The whole incident had been a fiasco, embarrassing, but Roxanne had laughed about it later. It hurt him when she teased him about it, but he said nothing, to avoid a confrontation. He wished she would pretend it never happened.)
But overall things had been good. He had felt that Roxanne truly cared for him, and their relationship was growing… deepening. She'd not been really angry with him since that night in the Lair. He was afraid of losing her, and he didn't understand why she was upset. Today was supposed to be a celebration of their relationship; now something had gone terribly wrong. But he couldn't figure out what it was. He approached her warily. She'd stop walking, but her back was to him, and her arms were crossed.
Roxanne was thinking that she hadn't expected this. Things between them had been going so well. (Alright, there had been a few awkward moments. Like that time in the second week when he had tried to serenade her on the balcony- another bad idea he got reading on the Internet. She had to tell him to stop, fearing the neighbors would think she was torturing animals out there. He had been hurt, and sulked for a day. When she tried to tease him about it later, he pretended it had never happened. She thought he was being childish, but she let it go.)
Still, overall the relationship was satisfying. She had become comfortable with him, and was very fond of him. In one short month, she'd become accustomed to the daily contact, the regular dates, and, yes, the physical affection. She didn't want to give it up. But she couldn't ignore this; it could be the beginning sign of a real problem.
Hesitantly, Megamind asked her, "What's wrong?"
She turned around, her arms still crossed, and explained, "You promised me, promised me, you wouldn't engage in any more criminal behavior. But you just ran away from the police, after speeding!"
Megamind exclaimed in frustration, "Well, I didn't hear little Miss Daredevil telling me to slow down before the police started chasing us. And what did you expect me to do, stop for them?"
"Well, that's what a law-abiding citizen would do," Roxanne retorted.
"As the nosy reporter who's been covering my activities for all these years, you ought to know that I haven't been a law-abiding citizen for my entire adult life, at least not until very recently. Evading the police is kind of a habit with me. It's basically instinctual."
Relenting a little, Roxanne grudgingly acknowledged, "I guess I can understand that reaction."
"But besides that, have you considered what could've happened if I had stopped?"
"They would have given you a speeding ticket, big deal."
Megamind sighed. "First off, I don't have a driver's license. As I told you before, I don't have citizenship. No legal status, no driver's license. And if I had one, it certainly wouldn't match the face I'm wearing at this moment. I would have to suddenly come up with a story, a fake name. I'll admit I'm a little sketchy about all the procedures for speeding tickets. What if they would want to take my picture? I know nothing about the man whose image I'm wearing. What if he's wanted by the police? Let's say for some reason they decide to haul me back to the police station or to jail. What then ?
"Now let's talk about the possible effect on you. If we were lucky, they might not ask you to take off your helmet, or look too closely through your visor and recognize you. But what if they did? How are you going to explain this, being discovered on the back of a motorcycle that was stopped for speeding? I don't know if it would have any negative impact on your career, but I didn't want to take the risk."
"It's actually possible that my celebrity status could have convinced the cops to let us off with a warning," Roxanne replied.
"That may be, but I'm not used to thinking of you protecting me; my attitude has always been that I should be protecting you."
Her arms had finally become uncrossed. Roxanne softly asked, "Even when you were kidnapping me?"
"Well, protecting might not be exactly the right way to say it. Maybe, 'keeping you safe.'"
They were both silent, than Roxanne said, "I'm sorry for getting angry with you. Now I understand why you handled the situation that way."
"I'm sorry if I frightened you, or made you uncomfortable or anxious. I'm not used to having to worry about things like speed limits. When you drive an invisible car, traffic laws don't apply."
After another pause, Megamind asked, "Is this where we get to kiss and make up?"
"I suppose so, yes, but I'm not comfortable kissing you when you're looking like another person."
"Then let's go back to the bike, and take advantage of the invisibility shield." As they walked back to the motorcycle, Megamind asked her, "Still in the mood for the picnic in the park?"
"That depends. What's on the menu?"
"All your favorites, of course."
"Well, all right then." Roxanne thought, I really shouldn't tell him that it was kind of exciting fleeing from the police. He might arrange to make it happen again.
Megamind wanted to continue to use the disguise watch so that they could do more types of activities. They debated whether he should keep with one disguise, or use a variety. They started with one, mainly because Roxanne thought it might be easier on her. He showed her a selection of options, and let her pick. It helped that whatever his disguise, Megamind's brilliant green eyes were always there in the stranger's face, looking back at her. But after a few outings (a bike ride, a trip to the cinema, and the art museum), someone at work asked about that guy with the brown hair and glasses that she had been seen with. So Megamind tried varying the disguises, a different one every time. Then someone said something about her playing the field, and wasn't she dating Metro Man? (Even Tina was giving her strange looks, although she continued to ask no questions.) That did it; Roxanne was ready to try a disguise of her own.
Actually, in the beginning, it was rather fun and exciting. He taught her how to capture images of people to use with the disguise watch. Megamind took her to the airport, because they were more likely to sample people who did not live in Metro City. She teased him about whether he would like her to be a redhead or a blonde, or if he would prefer someone who looked Asian or Middle Eastern. He insisted he preferred brunettes, and wanted her to find someone who looked at least a little bit like herself. She asked if he would do the same for her, and he rolled his eyes. "Yes, point out the next blue skinned, big headed person you see, and I'll do just that."
After practicing with the more mundane outings, they were finally ready to try the dinner at the fancy restaurant that Megamind had requested. Even though Megamind maintained it did not matter what she wore, Roxanne insisted on wearing her favorite purple dress with the ruffles. She thought it would help her feel more in the mood for the occasion. To humor her, Megamind wore his all-black outfit and skipped the cape. His dark-haired, Eurasian character was wearing a black suit with a bright blue tie that had a pattern of tiny lightning bolts. To please Roxanne, Megamind had twiddled with the programming so that the short haired brunette Roxanne had selected for her disguise was wearing a dress very similar to her actual attire.
At first, everything went well. All right, Roxanne almost burst out laughing when she heard the name Megamind used for the reservation. ("Mr. Blue, I can't believe you did that." "It's B-L-E-U, and it's pronounced bleh-oo, and it's French." "Yes, for blue.") He'd ordered champagne, and they toasted their 'second' anniversary.
While waiting for their food to arrive, a couple came to their table, the man looking excited and the woman hesitant. "Miss Ritchi, would you please give us your autograph? We're big fans of your work."
Roxanne glanced at Megamind, to her disguise device and back to his eyes. He shook his head slightly, but said in a bright voice, "Didn't I tell you how much you look like that local TV reporter- what was the name again, Miss Ridgely? But you didn't believe me." "Turning to the man, who was now looking confused, he explained, "We're from out of town, but I come here sometimes on business. I've seen the local news, and I told my girlfriend she looks so much like one of the local reporters, she could be her sister."
"I told you that wasn't Roxanne Ritchi, Kevin. We are so sorry to have interrupted you. Enjoy your stay in Metro City." The woman grabbed the man's hand and towed him away, saying faintly, "I can't believe you embarrassed me that way."
Megamind caught Roxanne's eye and they both burst out laughing. She leaned toward him and whispered, "I was afraid for a moment that the device had malfunctioned."
"No, you just did a really good job of selecting a woman who is similar to you in appearance. Even if it had, it wouldn't be a big deal. You could just pass me off as a cousin from out of town, or an old friend from college-"
"Or a representative from a station in a bigger market trying to woo me to a new job. If it was your watch on the fritz-"
"I would have to duck under the table."
As they ate their meal, they fed each other bites of their respective entrée. Megamind considered it a personal tradition, going back to the first time they ate together, and Roxanne didn't mind humoring him. They both agreed everything was excellent. "It had better be, at these prices," murmured Roxanne.
"Hush, dear," responded Megamind, "I can afford it. I have news: I've made another sale."
"Oh, Meg- , Michael, that's wonderful! I would say, Monsieur Bleu, that this calls for another toast."
"And what are we toasting?"
"Why, to your new career as the incredibly handsome mechanical genius and master of all invention." They clinked their glasses, and Roxanne added "I'm so proud of you." Megamind smiled shyly, and under his disguise, she was sure he was blushing.
"Really, it wasn't even one of my better ideas," Megamind said, and waved his hand dismissively-knocking into a tray of drinks being carried by a waiter. At first Roxanne thought the server would recover; he wavered the tray back and forth, and she saw the glasses lurch from side to side. Then, to her horror, they all tumbled over, some of the liquid falling onto Megamind. The disguise gave a flicker, and she jumped up, pushed him toward the floor, and hissed, "Under the table, quick."
He did as she asked, but whispered back, "Why?"
Roxanne stuck her head briefly under the tablecloth, and said, "Look at your hands." He did as she directed, and watched them flicker tan to blue and back again. Now the horror was on his face also. "I'll pay the bill, and get us out of here somehow. Stay there," Roxanne directed. Megamind nodded, and looked again at his hands, flickering between colors.
Roxanne decided a frontal assault would work most effectively. Pointing her finger at the server trying to clear up the scattered glasses and ice, she commanded, "You there, bring me our bill immediately, or we're leaving without paying." As the waiter started to rise, she added, "And bring a fresh tablecloth along with it. Now!" The waiter scampered to do her bidding, as Roxanne tapped her foot, trying to look imperious, but not making eye contact with anyone. The manager hurried over, and began to apologize profusely. He was offering her free desserts, an extra bottle of wine with their unfinished meal, but she cut him off. "Look, we don't have any trouble with paying the bill. But we're leaving now, and I need a fresh tablecloth to go. I promise to send it back. Or will pay for it if you insist."
The manager was extremely puzzled, and insisted, "But why do you need a tablecloth?" Roxanne scrambled for some sort of explanation. "My date; he was drenched by the drinks, and he's terribly aquaphobic. He had a traumatic experience as a child with …. a fire hydrant. Sends him right into a panic attack to get hit with liquid unexpectedly. It helps him calm down to, ah, be completely covered with a dry cloth," Roxanne explained, as the waiter hurried up with the bill and the tablecloth. "Oh, good."
She glanced at the bill, quickly calculated a generous tip, and threw the appropriate amount of cash on the table. Practically ripping the tablecloth from the waiter's hand, she squatted down and looked under their table. By this time, Megamind was clearly blue in the face. She handed over the dry tablecloth, saying "Come on, Honey, let's get you out of here and back to the hotel." Megamind completely covered himself before slowly coming out from under the table. Roxanne put her arm around him, and guided him out of the restaurant. With her free hand, Roxanne was speed dialing Minion. Now she was really glad he had insisted on chauffeuring them to the restaurant because parking in the area was horrendous.
She instructed him to meet them as close to the entrance as possible. By the time they made their way outside the restaurant, the car, disguised as a nondescript black sedan with dark tinted windows, was only a short distance away. She helped Megamind into the car, and Minion drove away quickly. As soon as the door was shut, Megamind pulled the tablecloth off his head, and Roxanne twisted her watch to regain her natural appearance. "You were magnificent, Roxanne." They looked at each other and laughed hysterically. "Aquaphobic? Is that even a real condition?" Megamind asked.
"I think so," Roxanne answered. "I remember doing some kind of report about phobias years ago. But, it doesn't really matter; I just had to say something. I guess we can't use those disguises again."
"Well, at least not at that restaurant."
"At least we got to eat most of our meal."
"And we drank almost all the champagne."
"Happy anniversary."
"Happy anniversary." Minion, glancing in the rearview mirror, saw them kissing, and smiled.
AUTHOR NOTES:
If you enjoyed this, a review/ feedback would be appreciated.
The incident with the bumped tray of drinks is based on an actual event that occurred two days before I wrote this chapter, when my family went to a restaurant. My husband hit the tray while gesturing as he talked. But he didn't need to hide after being splashed with the liquid.
When I started plotting out this story, I had read about 30 to 40 Megamind fanfiction stories out of the 350-400 on the website at the time. (At the time of this posting, there are over 500.) I was trying very hard to not duplicate others' ideas. My reading of others' stories slowed down considerably, as my obsession became writing and rewriting my own work. It was frustrating to encounter ideas in other's stories that, I swear, I came up with on my own. But, we are all using the same source material (the movie, Megamind), so some replication is to be expected. I finally decided I would just go with my original plot outline. If people think I'm 'copying,' there's nothing I can do about it. If you stick with me to the end of chapter 4 of "Redemption," you'll probably know what I'm talking about.