The cool night air whipped the trees, shaking loose their leaves, and you could smell the winter months fast approaching despite it still being only late August. In the skies above, partly blocked by some oncoming storm clouds, was the moon at half crescent. It was a pretty sight, but scenery was the last thing on his mind this night.

Taking wing, the creature flew onwards across the thick woods, seeking what he desired... what he needed. With his superior sense of smell and hearing, locating his prey wasn't that hard at all.

Feeling in a playful mood he landed in a nearby tree, being sure to cause some noise before taking flight once again. He picked up the sound of a man's heart; it was beating faster now, pumping all that precious blood through his veins. God, he could smell and taste it from here. Quickening his flight pattern he landed in another tree, then another. So far, this was good fun.

Finally the man broke out into a run and he knew the games were over. Taking flight he beat his wings quickly to build momentum, and moved higher into the sky. When he was at the right altitude he suddenly began to glide, with great speed, down towards the ground where the man was now running for his life. He stood no chance, of course. He was without weapons, without any way to defend himself. He was finally bearing down on him, and opened his mouth to let out the last sound the man would ever hear; his hungry, deadly screech, before tackling him to the ground, and began feasting on his neck.

Megamind sat up quickly, snorting loudly, and felt his heart hammering in his chest. Where was he?

He looked around to see he was in the library of the manor, and remembered he had come down here since he had been unable to sleep. Roxanne was still upstairs, judging by the time of night it was, and he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Why was it he couldn't fall asleep up there, yet down here he had blissfully fallen into a deep slumber after a few minutes of reading a book?

Maybe it was the stress.

Stress?

It had been a week since Roxanne had handed him the bombshell that was her pregnancy. The idea of a child still sent mixed signals throughout his mind. If he could ignore the medical implications and possible complications, he feared what kind of father he would be. Would he be good at it? What if he was a horrible father and made mistakes? Roxanne might grow sick of his attempts and leave with the child, like his own mother had done, but instead of just leaving she would take away the child with her. The memory of his mother's departure brought a sour taste to his mouth and he got up from the table and made his way through to the kitchen to get something to drink.

He opened the fridge and pulled out some juice and a cool glass before moving to the breakfast table, and sat down at it, pouring himself a glass. While most men would take comfort in alcohol from the dread growing in his mind, Megamind chose to ignore the alcohol. Taking a slow drink he set the glass back down, before rubbing at his forehead.

"Why are you up?"

Wayne's voice startled him and he lifted his head to see the towering shape of his brother half silhouetted by the moonlight pouring in through the windows. As usual he wore nothing to bed, but at least when he wandered throughout the house he wore that dressing gown of his.

"Had a nightmare," Megamind answered quietly.

"Hmm." Wayne understood that. Bernard suffered horrible nightmares most nights, horrendously violent things when he would rip people apart and feast on their bodies like an animal. Little did he know how close his boyfriend's nightmares were to his brother's... He grabbed his own glass from the fridge but instead of juice he got himself some water. "Worries too?" he asked.

"No," replied Megamind in a rushed tone.

"Don't lie, I can tell when you lie," smirked Wayne as he joined him at the table, pulling out a chair to sit. "It's okay to be scared, you know."

"No it isn't. Fear affects judgment. Judgment affects actions."

"Most guys get scared when their wives or girlfriends get pregnant, Megamind," Wayne said, "They worry if they'll do their partner right. If they'll be good fathers. If they'll live up to their own father's teachings. You're worried about all of that aren't you?"

Megamind frowned angrily, but it released from his body on a tired sigh. "God. I am. I'm terrified and I'm never terrified."

Wayne chuckled softly. "No, you have a habit of running head first into danger and thinking about it later. But that's something I admire about you. No matter what the odds, you go at it, and never give up. I think you'll do the same when the time comes for that baby to come out too."

"What if it's sick?" Megamind asked quietly, voicing his innermost fears to his brother in the darkness. "What if, what if our genes didn't mesh well enough and it's... it's..."

"They have tests to figure that out now days," Wayne explained. "To see if the child is suffering any medical problems."

"But what if it is?"

"Then... you and Roxanne will have to talk about what you're going to do," he said carefully.

The idea of abortion hadn't even surfaced amongst them once. Even when Roxanne found out she was pregnant she had stated firmly she would want to have the baby, whether Megamind wanted to be there for her or not. Of course her fears of being a single mother had been eased after she had finally admitted to Megamind (during the act of making love) that she was pregnant and he had accepted it, and her. No way would he chase away the greatest thing to ever happen to him, and that even beat the fact he had killed Dracula.

He had somebody who loved him, and that somebody was Roxanne Ritchi. Darling of the news network, the woman had been a shining jewel to him for years. Every day he would either watch her program, or have it recorded so he could watch it after his vampire slayings of the night. It was just something about her that had enthralled him from the start. Those striking blue eyes, her soft brown hair and the way it was short like that instead of long and flowing like most girls. Her easy smile, smooth complexion and yes, that little beauty spot on her chin. God, how many hours had he spent watching her news?

It had only been by chance that she had been attacked by a vampire one night, and Megamind had been in the area due to reported spotting of the beast. He had been that caught up in the adrenaline of dealing with the monster, he hadn't even noticed it was the beautiful woman until he had her in his car, taking her home. If he had wiped her memory of the incident like he should have, she would have forgotten him entirely. But he hadn't wanted her to forget... not him.

Now here she was, sleeping in his bed upstairs with a baby that defied science alone growing inside her.

And she loved him.

It all felt like a dream sometimes, when he would wake up and find her sleeping there beside him. Her kisses were electric, and when her fingers would trail over his pointed ears, oh man. Heaven.

He was pulled out of his little memory slash fantasy moment and sighed, before rubbing at his throat. It felt tight, so he got himself another drink.

Wayne meanwhile was sitting at the table, watching his brother carefully. Megamind had missed out on so much while he had been unconscious, but one thing he still wasn't aware of was that their long-lost mother, Nina Zammit, had re-entered their lives. When Megamind's pixelated image had been broadcast and the nickname 'Blue Man' had been given to him, he had brought on a rush of memories for the older woman. She suddenly remembered things that her husband, their Father, had erased when she had left them.

Megamind was about to start on an adventure with Roxanne, with the pregnancy and eventual birth. Who could he go to for help? Those family members who had children were in other states, most across the country. If he could ask his own mother for help... if he would ask his own mother for help... if he even knew she was back, first.

Roxanne had kept her part of the deal; once Megamind was healthy enough she had told him she was pregnant. Now it was his turn to keep his promise too.

"Megamind?" Wayne asked.

"Hmm?"

"Something... else happened while you were sleeping," Wayne started.

"Uh oh," Megamind said. "You're not pregnant are you?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

"Just checking," grinned Megamind.

"Mother came back."

Wayne, like Megamind, wasn't a person to mince their words. Their Father had taught them from a young age to be direct and honest about situations, and it did no good to lie and try to hide things. While he had hidden this fact from his brother for a while, it was for a good cause. Too much news might have caused a bad mental relapse and he didn't want that on his conscience. He watched his brother's face in the dim light for any signs or flicker of emotion. There weren't any, and that was worrisome.

"What," Megamind said quietly.

"Nina, the woman who was married to Father. When she saw your picture on the news, it sparked all the memories that had been erased back to life for her. She showed up here, at the gates," Wayne explained.

"And you let her in?" Megamind asked.

"Yes. I did," Wayne replied firmly. "She was my Mother too, and I wanted to speak with her. I wanted to know."

"Know why she chose to forget us and get on with her life?"

"Not like that, Ethelwine."

"Don't call me that."

"Tough. This is serious. She came back, don't you understand? She said she had felt you running around in her dreams for years. Me, and Father too. Even Minion. He had removed so much but she suddenly could remember things, images, moments. You know why she left, don't you? She couldn't stand to see us become soldiers at such a young age. She hated the fact our innocence was taken from us so early. She couldn't watch us go and get hurt," Wayne went on to explain, hoping his brother wouldn't get to his feet and storm off.

"I don't get hurt every day. And you can't get hurt ever."

"She didn't know that, all right? Look. Fact of the matter is she's back. We've all spoken with her, even Roxanne," Wayne said.

"And she kept that from me too?" Megamind asked weakly.

"Not out of contempt. Because she didn't want to overload you. None of us did. But she..." Wayne sighed. "She wants to see you."

Megamind wanted to shout "No!" at the top of his lungs but he stopped himself. The news of the woman who had abandoned him had smothered his worries about becoming a father temporarily. He didn't know how to feel, or what to think. Slowly he pressed his hands to his large head and shut his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "She wants to see me," he whispered.

"Yes. She does. Would you give her that, if only just once?" Wayne asked.

"I don't... I don't know..."

Reaching over to him, Wayne gently gripped his brother's shoulder. "You don't have to decide right away," he consoled his brother. "But think about what you could gain by speaking with her, all right? You can't stay angry. Father said that anger always clouds one's judgment, so don't let it cloud you from her forever."

Megamind only nodded before he slid the hands to cover his face. So not only was he having nightmares, he had the stress of becoming a new father, and now his mother was on his mind too. Why was the world out to get him lately? Hadn't he done the world a favor by killing one of the deadliest monsters in its history? No good deed goes unpunished. Isn't that how that stupid phrase goes? He suddenly understood it, though he wished he didn't.

"What's going on in here, a midnight meeting?" Bernard asked as he walked into the kitchen. He had awoken from one of his own nightmares (this time killing and eating a dog of all things) to find Wayne not there with him. He was tugging his own dressing gown close around him and his glasses were sitting haphazardly on his face.

"You could call it that." Wayne smiled up at the man as he approached, and reached out to gently wrap his arm around Bernard's waist to pull him closer. "Just told him about Nina."

"About time," Bernard said with a yawn, covering his mouth as he did.

"Please don't start," Megamind muttered into his hands.

"I didn't say anything," replied the librarian with a frown.

"Guys, guys," Wayne sighed. "Please not now?"

It was common knowledge that Megamind and Bernard didn't get along. They hadn't gotten along since their first meeting, Megamind having been wary of the werewolf since day one, and Bernard just clashed with the blue-headed man. Sure he was a vampire hunter, and a damn good one, but he could act like a brat most times. It got on Bernard's nerves, and he wasn't one to hide his opinion on things.

Bernard huffed and leaned into Wayne, lifting a hand to toy with the man's hair. "So what are you going to do, blue man?"

"I don't know, Wolf man," Megamind replied dryly, lowering his hands to look up at the man. "What would you do? The woman who you called Mother, who took off suddenly, returns and wants to see you."

Musing on it briefly, Bernard shrugged. "Tell her to take a hike."

"Bernard!" Wayne gasped.

"What? I'm being honest," replied Bernard. "She chose to leave, didn't she? She didn't want to see you two get hurt, but come on. Life is pain. Anyone telling you otherwise is trying to sell you something useless. Now she's back and wants to fix things, which is amiable I admit, but still doesn't detract from the fact she left."

"But that's just your opinion. You're not telling Megamind to do that, are you?" Wayne asked through gritted teeth.

"No. I'm not." Bernard sighed. "What he does is up to him. If he wants to see her, let him see her. If he doesn't, don't make him feel bad about it."

"I wasn't about to make him feel bad about it," Wayne replied quickly.

"Look, honey," he placed both his hands on either side of Wayne's face. "I'm glad you were able to reconnect with her. I am. But you can't make your brother do the same if he doesn't want to. That's called being a bully, and you're not a bully. Now come back to bed. It's cold and I need something big and hot to cling to." He kissed him, despite Megamind being right there, and pulled away before leaving the kitchen. "G'night blue man," he called as he did.

"Ngh ngh," Megamind said through his nose. While he had no problem with Bernard and Wayne being together like this, what he did mind was when they would kiss in front of him. He and Roxanne never kissed in front of them. That was private, and personal.

"He's right. I'm sorry if I sounded like I was trying to force you," Wayne said as he got to his feet, grabbing his empty glass as he did. "And about going back to bed. We both need our sleep."

"You go on. I'll go to bed soon," Megamind said, and it wasn't long until he was alone in the kitchen again. Sighing, he got to his feet and took his own empty glass to the sink and left it in there before leaning forward, and peered out the large window. Outside was the garden, the topiary bushes gleaming in the pale moonlight, and there was a slight mist moving in from the north. His dream suddenly flashed through his memory and he was disturbed to see just how much of the outside world mirrored his dream.

Shivering, he moved and made his way back up the stairs to his bedroom. Quietly he opened the door, tip-toed across the floor, and climbed back into the bed besides the sleeping form of Roxanne. She was on her side and in a fetal position, a pose she took on when she was alone in the bed. Easily he drew in close against her back, and buried his head into her back and shut his eyes while his hand rested on her hip.

"Are you all right?" her voice was soft in the darkness, but full of concern.

"You should be asleep," Megamind replied quietly.

"So should you," Roxanne retorted, tilting her head back to try and look over her shoulder at him.

"Nightmare. Then Wayne found me in the kitchen," he explained as his hand massaged her side slowly before he wrapped it around her front, resting his hand on her stomach. "He told me about Nina." He wasn't yet ready to say the word 'Mother'. Would he ever? He didn't know.

"He said he would," she said as she covered his hand with both of hers. "I'm glad he did... how do you feel?"

"Confused. I don't know what to do," he admitted, hating sounding unsure of himself since it just wasn't him. So much of him had changed these past few months...

"That's understandable. But whatever you choose to do is your choice," Roxanne said as she settled herself against the cushion again and let her eyes shut on a tired yawn. "And in future wear your slippers when you go downstairs. Your feet are cold as ice."

"Sorry."

"I'll forgive you this time, mister."

"Such a loving, understanding woman. What did I do to deserve you again?" Megamind asked as he pressed a kiss against her shoulder.

"Absolutely everything," she smiled before she rolled over onto her back, then her side again, so she could wrap her arms around him and pulled him in close. "Silly question."

"Right. Silly question," he agreed before she kissed him, stopping him from saying anything more. God, he loved her kisses so much. They seemed to be the only thing to uncloud his mind and send all his worries and woes skittering for shelter. She was warm all over, and his cold body readily welcomed her warmth and presence. He kissed her back as tenderly as he could, but was soon surprised to find himself on his back and the woman now laying on top of him and her hands creeping up under his pajama top.

Hadn't they been trying to fall back to sleep?

Ah well. It could wait.

To be continued