Author's Note: Well...time to update this! This will be something a of a (very late) Valentine's Day special, just for all of the followers/fans of this story!
I apologize for the approximate 2-year-long hiatus on this story...ran out of inspiration and whatnot...again.
Onward to Chapter 4!
New Year's went as fast as it came. Soon, Valentine's Day was well underway. Gru and Elizabeth had been dating for over 1 month. Their relationship was going steadily and smoothly, and Gru knew it was almost time to take his relationship to the next level. After their special dinner together, they started going out every weekend together. Taking strolls around the town were satisfying enough for the both of them, give or take a few special trips to certain places like restaurants and recreational spots. And with Valentine's Day approaching, he knew he had to make it a special day...for the both of them!
His plan was simple; take Eliza to a romantic dinner in candlelight, give her an elaborate gift, and perhaps...maybe...
...give her a kiss...?
He tried to push that thought into the back of his mind, and focused on the main problem:
What gift was he going to give her?
As he concentrated on this, he was unaware his phone was ringing a few feet away. After a minute of ringing, a voice message played instantly which caused Gru to jump slightly.
"Gru! It's Dr. Nefario! I'm on my way back from Australia, and I need you to be able to pick me up at the airport tomorrow! I've got a lot of things I brought back that I thought you would like, so make sure to have some minions to help carry everything! I'll call you when we land, alright?"
Gru walked over to his closet to pick out an appropriate suit for his date with Elizabeth.
"What're you doing, Mr. Gru?"
Gru yelped and jumped around to see Agnes, Margo and Edith standing in the doorway.
"Oh, girls! You scared me half to death!"
Agnes ran over and hugged his leg, "Why are you picking out fancy clothes, Mr. Gru?"
Gru stammered, "Well, uh, I'm just...um, picking out something to wear when I meet Elizabeth for Valentine's Day...um, anyway...what are you three up to?"
Edith smiled, "We're making Valentines for everyone! Wanna make one for Elizabeth before you leave?"
Gru laughed lightly, "Maybe a little later. Right now, I'm trying to find something to match this red tie..." He began to mumble to himself about which jacket matched the dark red color of his chosen tie, which shoes to polish, what flowers to give to Elizabeth, what places to take her after dinner...
Margo, Agnes and Edith just looked at each other, shrugged, and walked back to the kitchen to finish making their valentines.
After about 20 minutes of decisions and preparations, Gru stepped out of his bedroom all dressed up in a black suit with a white shirt and his dark red tie. When he came into the kitchen, the girls just stared in awe. Even some of the minions who joined them for making valentines were staring. Margo adjusted her glasses, while Edith's mouth hung open.
This sudden awkwardness made Gru back away a step as he said nervously, "What? D-Don't look at me like that...tell me what you think. Does it look bad?"
Margo quickly replied as she stopped fidgeting with her glasses, "No, no! I think you look great! You know...if I were Eliza, I think I'd be really impressed."
She smiled as Agnes giggled, and Edith and the minions nodded their heads enthusiastically. Gru smiled back, giving them each a tight and loving hug and a kiss on the forehead.
"We made Eliza some valentines, Mr. Gru!" Anges cheered as she handed Gru the card she had just finished. Hearts were drawn all over with glitter sparkling along the border of the card.
"So I see," Gru complimented, "They look wonderful. I'm sure Eliza will love them!" Agnes giggled again as Edith and Margo gave him their own valentines for Eliza. He placed them in the pink gift bag he had filled with a small gift and his own card he had picked out. He still had a little time to drive into town to buy her a bouquet of flowers.
He grabbed his car keys, took his coat off the coat rack, and called out as he stepped out the door, "Okay girls, I'm heading out! Don't cause trouble for Grandma once she gets here! I will be back in a few hours!"
The three girls called back with farewells, and Gru closed the house door behind him.
Gru drew in a deep breath as he pulled his car up to Elizabeth's house. He began tapping his fingers on the steering wheel nervously as he waited, until he finally saw a female silhouette walking through the house door, locking it, and walking towards the car. Elizabeth opened the car door, and allowed herself to greet Gru and sit down in the passenger seat next to him.
"Hi, Gru! Thanks for picking me up tonight! Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!"
Gru laughed, "It's my pleasure, Elizabeth. And Happy Valentine's Day!"
He drove them to a famous restaurant just outside of town that he had read about on the Internet, and had reserved a spot for himself and Eliza a couple weeks prior. The hitch, was that Eliza had no idea about where Gru was taking her. He wanted it to be a surprise, or rather, he wanted the entire date to have one surprise after another.
After a friendly conversation about what was new since they last saw each other, Gru stopped in front of the restaurant. Eliza took a look outside the window, and gasped.
"Is this where we're eating?" She had an enormous smile across her face.
Gru answered simply, "Well, I reserved two of the best seats in there...just the two of us, tonight."
Eliza began to giggle like a little girl, and it almost reminded of Agnes's laugh that always echoed in his house. He let himself out of the car, and opened the door for his date. He took her hand and placed it on his arm, leading her into the restaurant. After they were seated and ordered their food, they began to make idle conversation until Eliza reached into her purse.
"I have something for you, Gru! I thought I should give it to you now before I forgot!" She gave him a small box wrapped in red paper and a card. Gru raised an eyebrow as he opened the card, and he began to read it aloud.
"Dear Gru,
"Thank you for the wonderful times we had this past month! I've never met a funnier, kinder, entertaining father of three girls like you! I hope your Valentine's Day will be the best with the people who love and care about you, and I'm forever thankful for that day when we first met before Christmas! Happy Valentine's Day to you, Gru!
"Love, Eliza."
Gru couldn't help but smile at this point, and he looked up at Eliza with a blush on his cheeks.
"Thank you, Eliza. This is a wonderful card."
Eliza blushed as well, "Open your present, silly! I want to see your face once you figure out what it is!"
"Alright, alright, I will!" Gru unwrapped the present and opened the box. He could feel his jaw hang open once he saw what was inside. It was a wristwatch with the face of the clock made of obsidian, while the wristband, hands of the clock, and frame were made of sterling silver.
"Eliza...!" Gru was almost speechless as he took the watch out of the box and attached it to his wrist. "It's beautiful...I don't know what to say, but...thank you very much!"
Eliza giggled again, "I thought you'd like it! I thought it suited you well, perhaps make you a little more sophisticated!"
Gru took the watch and attached it to his left wrist. He admired it for another minute, while Eliza simply looked on with a big smile across her face. Finally, Gru handed her three cards from the girls, Eliza loving each one she opened. He then gave her his own card he got for her, and she too read it aloud.
"Dear Eliza,
"I wish to send a Happy Valentine's Day to you! I have enjoyed every moment we've shared together, and I wish to have many more memorable times like this with you in the future! From all of us to you, Happy Valentine's Day!
"With Dearest Sincerity, Gru (and Agnes, Edith and Margo)."
Eliza closed the card and held it close to her chest as she said quietly, "Oh Gru...this is so sweet. Thank you!"
Gru grabbed the gift for her and slid it across the table to her. She noticed the gift, looked at Gru, then back to the wrapped box. She nervously took it and unwrapped it slowly. She opened the lid of the box, and inside was a necklace on a silver chain with a pink spinel gem attached.
Eliza's eyes began to fill with tears as she took the necklace out of the box.
"Gru, I...I've never gotten something like this before...thank you! I...I can't believe you got this for me! Thank you, thank you so much!"
Gru walked over next to her and helped her put the necklace on around her neck.
"Pink is still your favorite color, is it not?"
Eliza sniffed as she fixed her hair, "Yeah, of course it is! Gru, I love it so much...!"
She stood up and faced Gru as she wiped her eyes from her tears. She suddenly threw her arms around him, and hugged him tightly. Gru stood there in surprise for a few seconds, but returned the embrace with caring arms gently wrapped around her.
"I'm glad you like it, Eliza."
"I love it, Gru. Thank you...so much!"
They finally broke their embrace, sat back down in their seats and had a wonderful dinner in the candlelight together. Laughter, jokes, compliments, and random discussions were exchanged across the table for hours. Once their dinner was eaten, they shared a simple dessert, Gru paid for the check and got prepared to leave. He slipped his coat on, and held his hand out for Eliza.
"We still have some time before it gets too late. Would you like to go somewhere else for a little while?"
Elizabeth smiled and took his hand eagerly, and they walked out of the restaurant and back into the cold winter air, hand-in-hand.
They both walked around the town for another hour, and they eventually found themselves in the local park. The white winter lights were lit in the trees lining the sidewalks, and the central fountain was lit with the water reflecting the colors within . Eliza didn't dare let go of Gru's hand after they left the restaurant, for she was attached by the unexpected warmth he possessed. They stopped in front of the fountain to admire the numerous mixtures of colors the lights released into the water. Gru looked down at Eliza, who was staring st the fountain with a look of awe, and shivering from the cold breeze that blew through the park. Gru took his coat off and placed it over her shoulders, making Eliza look back at him. She smiled sweetly, and hugged the coat around her shoulders tightly.
They kept on standing in front of the fountain and holding hands for another minute, until Gru cleared his throat.
"Elizabeth?"
"Yeah?"
Gru turned himself toward Eliza, which made her turn back to him. She was still smiling brightly, the reflection of the lights in the park outlining her face perfectly, and her new necklace glittering around her neck. Gru's face was turning a deep red, and he slowly reached a hand up to fix Eliza's long hair that had gotten slightly messy from the winter wind. He leaned in close to her, his eyes meeting her blue ones intensely.
He whispered softly, "Eliza...I never thought I would meet someone like you. You mean so much to me, and I do not want to let you go...I care about you, so much..."
Eliza felt tears stream down her cheeks, as she stared back at him. She was surprised to hear those words said so intently and lovingly to her.
"Gru, I...I care about you too...I want to spend the rest of the night with you. I don't want it to end...not yet..."
Gru caressed her cheek and wiped the tears away as he answered, "Neither do I..."
He leaned in even closer, his heart pounding through his chest. He never would have guessed that he would find someone who would adore him this much, aside from his daughters. This young woman, whom he had met before Christmas, was one of those people most precious to him...and now...
...
...
He felt soft lips touch his. Soft, sweet lips belonging to the woman he fell for, returning his kiss with such passion.
Her arms slithered around his neck, lightly embracing him. Neither of them wanted to break their kiss; the moment was too perfect.
After what seemed like forever they broke their kiss, but their faces remained close together. Gru was about to break the silence between them, but only to have Elizabeth press a finger to his lips, giggle, and kiss him again. Gru finally melted into her arms, wrapping his arms around her so tightly to protect her from the cold, harsh winds, and welcoming her into his warmth and the romantic, loving care within himself.
Gru parked the car outside of Elizabeth's house, allowing himself to get out first, and letting Eliza to take his hand after he opened the passenger door for her. She took his hand, and he escorted her to her front door on the porch.
Eliza unlocked her door, then turned to him with a smile.
"I had a lot of fun tonight, Gru." She traditionally brushed her hair behind her ear as her cheeks became flushed, "Maybe we can do this again sometime."
Gru nodded, "Yes, I would enjoy that very much, Eliza. Would you like to go out to lunch sometime next week? Maybe pizza?"
Eliza laughed, and kissed his cheek playfully, "Of course! I'd love to!"
Gru smiled back, taking her hand for the final time that night.
"Well, goodnight Elizabeth."
"Goodnight, Gru."
With that, they gave a goodnight kiss on her porch that night as the snow began to fall. They didn't think this Valentine's Day could have been any more perfect with each other.
And as Elizabeth and Gru lay in their beds later that night, they both seemed to have agreed that it was a night that would never be forgotten any time soon.
Oh boy! This actually took months to finish (figures since this was supposed to be for Valentine's Day)! I'm sorry if it's too long or too "meh." It was late at night when I finally finished this monster of a chapter, and I was running out of ideas to write for this.
It might not be my best, but hopefully you fans enjoy it!