Chapter 1

It was well after midnight and the lab was quiet. All the usual hustle and bustle of the lab had ceased and was replaced with the snoring minions. However, a light still shined in one of the corners of the lab where Gru was currently sitting. He sat there silently gazing at the blueprints for the rocket he had built to take him to the moon.

'I can't believe a month has passed since den,' Gru sighed heavily remembering the incident and how he was able to accomplish his life-long dream of reaching the moon and how he was able to rescue his daughters on the same day. It had been a very happy day in his life, and yet here he was staring at the blueprints feeling somewhat unfulfilled.

He knew now that nay heist he attempted would only pale in comparison with stealing the moon. Now, what would he do next? Gru sighed heavily at this thought, but was brought out of his thoughts when he heard someone coming down to the lab.

'Who could be up a dis hour?' Gru thought to himself, when Margo appeared in the doorway of the lab. Her worried eyes scanned the lab clear with the intention of searching for someone. It was only until her eyes landed on Gru did her worried gaze soften. And she hurriedly walked over to his desk.

"Margo, what are you doing out of bed at dis hour?" Gru asked her, concern obvious in his voice. "Is everything alright with you?"

Margo nodded, "I just couldn't sleep. I looked in your bedroom, but you weren't there. Then I went downstairs and I still couldn't find you, so I thought you might be down here. And it looks like I was right." Margo finished quickly giving him an uneasy smile.

Gru didn't miss the unease in her voice when she was telling him she couldn't find him. He knew that she still was afraid that he was going to leave, even though he tried to show her that he was there to stay forever. Trying to hide his guilt, Gru continued.

"You know, you shouldn't be up at dis hour. You start school tomorrow, no?" Gru didn't need to remind her because she knew as well as he did that school began tomorrow. 'Ugh…school. What a horrible institution that keeps me from knowing whether my daughters are protected or safe for a six whole hours!' Gru thought to himself, smiling slightly as he realized he liked thinking of the girls as his daughters.

"Oh, I know. I guess that's why I couldn't sleep. I mean school's never been easy for Edith and me. And with Agnes starting her first day tomorrow, I guess I'm just a little scared. For her, you know," Margo quickly added the last bit trying to convince Gru that she was merely scared for her younger siblings and not for herself.

"Well, maybe dis year will be different. A lot has happened since the end of last year, yes? You are practically all grown up, you are going to be in the 5th grade dis year after all," Gru added taking note of Margo's speedy and quick responses.

"I guess…" Margo answered.

"Don't worry about school so much. Everything will be fine!" Gru said, trying to cheer her up a little. "And if everything is not fine, I will make it that way."

Margo chuckled a little at this comment. "If you say so, Mr. Gru."

"You do not believe me?" Gru responded, trying to mask his disappointment that Margo still insisted on calling him by such a formal name. "I promise that if everything is not perfect at school, I will do everything in my power to make it that way." Gru held out his pinky. The girls seemed to take pinky promises more seriously than anything else. And he could see that Margo seemed to believe him some more after he held out his pinky for her to squeeze.

"Okay," Margo smiled slightly at him.

"Now, I think it is time for both of us to be in bed, do you not?" Gru said as he stood up and walked with Margo towards the door to the lab. Margo nodded and yawned as they headed upstairs.

Before entering her room, Margo turned around and gave him a hug. "Thanks, for you know, listening. It means a lot." She smiled before she let go.

"Anytime, Margo. Now, into bed or you will never be able to get up tomorrow. I will see you in the morning," Gru smiled at his eldest.

"Goodnight, Mr. Gru," Margo said quickly as she jumped into her bed.

"Goodnight," Gru replied, as he quietly closed the door behind him.

'I don't know what it is about this school that has Margo worried, but I will make sure to find out,' Gru thought to himself as he headed down the hall to his own bedroom. 'Nobody will hurt them again, I will make sure of it.' Gru thought as he quickly drifted off to sleep.


Breakfast was quiet. Margo was eating her pancakes completely lost in thought. Edith was not at the breakfast table this morning because she was still fumbling in her room searching the floor for her lost boot. And Agnes was staring at her pancakes.

Gru, sensing the tense atmosphere, tried to break the silence by calling for his middle daughter, "Edith! You should have found everything you would be needing for today yesterday! Hurry down here so you can eat your breakfast."

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Edith replied. "I just need to find my other boot."

Gru sighed and then directed his attention to his youngest. "Agnes, what is wrong with your pancakes? Are dey no good today?"

Agnes whipped her head up and looked at him with teary eyes. "I don't want to go school today!" Agnes sobbed and ran over to her father who was by the stove.

"Why? What is de matter?" Gru's forehead creased in worry as he bent down to his smallest as she cried her eyes out I front of him.

"What if the –hic- kids don't like –hic- me.? What if –hic- they are mean –hic- to me?" The last word seemed to be drown out by the sound of her cries.

Gru was momentarily shocked by the small girl's outburst. Gru was still relatively new to the parenting game and he wasn't quite sure what he should do. Hesitantly he reached his hand to comfort the small child. "Agnes, c'mon, it will be okay." He picked up the small child and hugged her tightly trying to soothe her sobs that had started to subside into small sniffles on his shoulders.

"De other kids are going to love you. And if dey are not, den you don't have to go dere anymore. Now, no more crying," Gru finished. "You're a beeg girl now, right?"

Agnes sniffed away the last of her sobs and nodded. Gru put her back on the floor, "Now, go finished your breakfast before we leave for school." Agnes nodded and hurried back to her place at the table to finish her pancakes. Gru turned his attention back to the lunches he was making for the girls before he realized that Edith was still upstairs.

"Edith! Do not make me come up dere. I want you downstairs this instance," Gru called upstairs as he finished putting the last sandwich into a brown paper bag.

"I'm right here. Jeez, you don't need to yell," Edith replied as she walked into the kitchen to quickly eat her breakfast.

"Good, now hurry up and eat most of your breakfast. We will be needing to leave in five minutes," Gru said to her before turning his attention to Margo, who had been surprising quiet through the entire morning. "Margo, is everything alright? You seem awfully quiet dis morning."

"I'm fine," Margo replied. "Just tired I guess."

"If you say so," Gru said not entirey convinced that was the problem. He looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was time to leave. "C'mon, girls, it is time to leave now. Get your lunches and backpacks and get into the de car." Gru grabbed his black jacket and striped scarf and headed towards the door.

"You girls have everything you will be needing for today?" He reminded them one last time before locking the door. The girls nodded and headed for the car.

Gru looked in his rearview mirrored as he headed in the direction of the school. Edith was teasing Agnes about how horrible school was. Agnes was currently holding her hands over her ears as Edith insisted the lunch ladies feed the smaller students to the dogs. Margo, however, just stared blankly out the window. This sight concerned Gru even more. His oldest was completely ignoring Edith's taunts and didn't try to stop Edith from teasing her baby sister. 'I am thinking I will need to keep my eyes on her for a while,' Gru thought before he told Edith to stop teasing Agnes. It wasn't long after that until they arrived at the school. 'Here, we go,' Gru thought.

"Alright, let's go girls," Gru said as he put the car into park. 'Let's get this day over with,' Gru sighed as he and the girls headed toward the school.


That's the end of chapter one. I know it's kind of slow at first, but I promise that it will be more exicitng. Please drop a review if you can!

~KatieDibbs