CHAPTER SIX: SUSPICION
Mr. Perkins checked his wristwatch: 7:30 pm
"Gru… late again…." He groaned.
Mr. Perkins leaned over on his large chair and looked around him. His bank, The Bank of Evil (formerly Lehman Brothers), is one of the most successful villain banks in the world
And you can judge that through its interiors, the Bank of Evil maybe located in a hidden spot inside a random bank of the nearby town, but once you gain access to enter its security systems, you will see the internal glories that the bank has got.
Down at the hallway, marbles pillars with Greek-inspired statues were places between the columns. Each statue portrayed a series of suffering as it tries to carries the pillars above their shoulders, but at the last column, the statue was portrayed being entirely crushed by the pillar itself!
This art form shows that the Bank shows no mercy over their victims! Especially to villains who doesn't know how to pay their bank debts in a right time.
After the hallway is the main lobby, the bank lobby is in complete shades of red and gold, a giant crystal chandelier hangs at the middle of the ceiling, illuminating the entire lobby.
Inside the lobby are the reception desk and two staircases at both corners, and up the staircase leads to the Bank Manager's office where Mr. Perkins currently runs.
His office is in light green walls with his huge painting of his own version of Napoleon in his Imperial Throne hanging on it.
Behind his desk is his large iron vault, tightly secured with its giant bolts and security knob at its middle.
Mr. Perkins walked across his office and stared out of his balcony inside the bank. The Bank manager in his blue suit looked around his bank and thought,
That Gru may have got away with his son, Vector who is stuck on the moon, but he won't get away from his bank debts that he refused to pay.
For him, this is the only thing he can do to avenge his son's defeat. But somewhat, he felt like this isn't enough to ruin Gru's life. He wants to give his family the same fate as his son.
Speaking of Gru, Mr. Perkins turn his eyes down at the lobby where he saw Gru walking passed the pillars and stopped in front of the receptionist. He has a thick dark suitcase in his hand.
Mr. Perkins studied Gru's face, he doesn't like that confident smirk on his face as he talks to the female receptionist.
Just like Ramsbottom, Perkins has never liked Gru. Aside that he's the archrival of his nerdy optimistic son, Perkins believes that Gru is somewhat unprofessional of his job as a villain. That bald-headed creep has no chance of becoming the world's greatest villain because he's too nice and weak-hearted, and he's got three innocent girls to prove that!
And now, Gru made an appointment with him regarding his bank debts, and to Perkin's great dismay, Gru took the wrong time picking out a time for the meeting.
Mr. Perkins was about to leave his office and go home, but his chance got ruined by Gru's sudden errands with him.
Perkins sighed grimly, This is going to be a LONG day…
The intercom beeped on his wide desk, "Mr. Perkins…" his lady receptionist said. "Mr. Felonious is here…"
Perkins took a few seconds to reply. Felonious… he thought, Gru has no right to be named "Felonious"…
The Bank manager went to his desk and pressed the button on his intercom, "Send him in…" he sighed.
Mr. Perkins went back to his seat and stared down on his picture frame displayed on his desk. He looked at his photo of his son, Vector, probably in his age of eight, holding a toy shark and stretching it up high like an airplane. The little Vector sat on his father's shoulders. Mr. Perkins and his son looked happy on that photo.
Though he's always seemed cold towards his adult son, he always wants the best for him. In other words, he still loved his son. And he will do everything to ruin Gru for taking Vector away from him.
Mr. Perkins heard the creaking of the door and saw Gru entering his office.
Perkins sighed and gave him a cold stare, which Gru didn't noticed.
"Good morning, Mr. Perkins…" the ex-villain greeted him, and looked at his manager.
"Spare me your cherry mood, Gru…" Perkins groaned. "You better give me a good reason why you should make this meeting out before my departure…"
"Of course I got a good reason, sir…" Gru said and went to his desk. He puts his heavy black suitcase on his table and clicked open the lock. Then, Gru lifted the lid and turn the open suitcase in front of Mr. Perkins.
"As I promised to pay, Two Millions Dollars…" Gru said with a smirk.
Mr. Perkins looked at the open suitcase filled with thick layers of green cash strapped neatly across at each side of the case.
The manager looked stunned, his tiny eyes widened. Actually, he NEVER thought Gru will be able to pay in time. All he wanted is to see him suffer in debts as a payback for taking his son away, but it seemed like Gru found a quick way to get himself out of the mess he caused.
Gru went to his seat at the other side of the desk. "So does that mean I'm free from my debts now?" he sighed with a smile, excited to hear that his debts are officially paid and well taken care of.
Mr. Perkins took a few minutes to reply, his surprised face vanished. "Actually, no…" he muttered, almost growling. He shoved away the suitcase at his side.
Gru's smile disappeared as he saw his boss' tiny eyes glared at him.
Mr. Perkins sighed and pulled open his side drawer. "You may have paid your Bank debts, but you still have one more debt to pay…"
Gru felt uneasy and sat uncomfortable on his seat. He watches Perkins as he pulled out a red rounded apple from his drawer.
Gru gulped. He remembered the time when Perkins discussed the same money issue and pulled out that same apple. And to picture out his disappointment without any harm, Perkins crushed the apple with his bare hand and told him that once he won't pay his debts sooner, he'll end up like that crushed apple.
And now, Perkins is doing the same thing again: Scaring Gru by settling another threat and exampling his anger by destroying an apple.
"I want my son back…" he hissed coldly, his huge fingers clench tightly around the apple. The ex-villain looked shocked.
"Vector?" Gru confirmed nervously, he heard his boss clearly but sometimes he's hesitant when he heard this, especially if he mentioned something about his son.
Gru knows how this person dislikes him and he needs to be careful with his words. Ever since he registered here as the bank's client, Mr. Perkins showed bitterness on him, with no apparent reason. Obviously, being his son's rival is one thing!
Of course he was villain before, and villains should never fear anything. But when it comes to money business and has to face this huge scary man, Gru should give all the respect he can give despite having a villainous personality.
"I know what you did to him…." Perkins growled, he laid his apple on the desk, stood up from his chair and walked slowly to Gru.
The poor Gru felt his body frozen in fear, he couldn't move out of his chair. Perkins stopped and stood before him, his large shadow dawned over Gru.
"He would become the greatest villain of all times IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!" he boomed, his eyes beamed in anger.
Gru squealed and fell off to his seat, he completely lost his balance and hit the floor. His face frowned in fear and shock.
Frightened, he began to crawl away as Perkins stepped forward.
"He dreamed for all his life to conquer the world, but you ruined his once-in-a lifetime chance… you took him away from me!"
"I…it's your son's fault!" Gru stammered, trying to explain his side as calmly as possible. He never wants to upset his manager. "He took hostage of my girls and…"
"And that's another thing!" Perkins shot. His large hands grabbed Gru's jacket collar.
Gru could feel his feet leaving the ground as his large, stout boss carried him above on the floor with one hand. Perkins pulled Gru closer to his face.
The terrified Gru started to sweat in fear as Perkins' furious eyes looks directly to his frightened gaze.
"That's another reason why I hated you so much…" Perkins shook his collar, almost like strangling him. "Vector is a lot smarter, stronger than you…. He never lets his emotions get into his way… BUT YOU…"
Gru gasped in air, Perkins' hot breath is making him almost breathless. "You're not strong… you let your emotions get into you… You're so weak! Weak enough to show pity on those girls…"
"What?" Gru seemed surprised; no one has ever called him weak before.
"You don't have the right to become a villain, YOU NEVER HAVE!"
Mr. Perkins has never acted this violent towards his client. But if this client had taken someone very dear to him, then Perkins has a good reason why he needs to act like that.
"But, I…" Gru struggled for words, but the insults has somewhat caught his tongue.
"You're the most worthless villain I have ever seen… what kind of villain who puts his family first before conquering the world?!"
Perkins released his tight grip on Gru's jacket and dropped him on the floor. Gru quickly recovered his composure and looked down, confused.
Perkins sighed. He slowly went back to his table, grabbed his apple and began playing it on his hand.
"You still have one more debt to pay…" Perkins muttered, still toying with his apple. "And this isn't about the bank debts itself…"
"What do you want, then?...You want your son back?!" Gru quickly said, still couldn't believe that this guy would get this bank business too personal.
"Yes, Gru!" Perkins said between his teeth. "I want Victor!"
Victor was Vector's original name but Victor himself changed it due to its lack of awesomeness, which his father would sometimes disapprove.
Gru's eyes widened in shock, that nerd had caused him too much pain in his neck, most especially when he took the girls as hostages. That is something that Gru find it unforgivable.
No, he will never ever forgive that Vector for involving the girls, and what happened to him with the moon is something that he deserves.
"Did you hear me, Gru?" the impatient Perkins stared at him. Gru is still silent on his position.
"Seems like you got deaf…" he said as he looked at Gru who is now staring back at him with cold eyes. His frightened look vanished and is now replaced by a serious glare.
"Don't give me that look…" Perkins hissed as he noticed Gru's dark expression, as if he's trying to scare the heck out of Perkins.
Gru's position began to change. His stood up straight with his hands clenches into fists, his eyes narrowed and his bushy eyebrows meet, his lips got crooked and his stare got even angrier.
"You don't scare me with that look..." Perkins said, getting annoyed by Gru's angry stare. "I'm financially powerful, I can make your life a living hell if you just…"
"Actually, sir… You already did…" Gru finally said.
"I beg your pardon?!" Perkins growled, insulted by his response.
Gru gathered his breath and said: "All my life I've done the best I could to gain your trust, but now I realized I've doing the same old bonkers without gaining anything!"
Mr. Perkins just stood still, completely shocked. All he knows about Gru is that he's too afraid to answer back, especially to a high-ranking villain bank boss like himself.
But now, seeing Gru quite defensive made him speechless.
"I have respected your opinions, your orders and your position. But no matter how hard I try to follow your orders, you're still supporting your mediocre son…. As far as I know in business, you can't just put YOUR family first before your responsibilities in this bank!" Gru said, his voice shaken in extreme anger.
Perkins shot back a beast-like frown, "You're the one who puts his family first rather than his job, don't compare me with your weaknesses…"
"And don't compare me to your incompetent son of yours…" Gru finally said, "Your Victor is nothing but a four-eyed leech who rather feeds on your support rather than to himself…"
"How dare you…" Perkins hissed in rage, his fingers are slowly crushing the apple on his hand.
"Oh, I dare alright!" Gru muttered, his angry eyes twitched, "And you know what? Your son is better off on that moon…"
Perkins' heart began to race. His anger is starting to run across his veins that he couldn't even move his body. He just stood there, frozen still, his eyes is wide open, surprised by Gru's furious behavior.
He wanted to scream at him, but his voice is caught by surprise. His hands are shaking in rage. And the apple, in his other hand, is starting to bleed out its juices as his fingers crushing it.
But this scene didn't even stop Gru from showing his boiling bitterness onto his oppressors. These two Perkins, Vector and his father, made so much trouble in his life, and there's no stopping him on telling him how much pain they gave him.
"I may be weaker than you, but I never been a horrible father…" Gru continues with a snarl, "I bet you ordered him to stop me getting that moon, and what's a result? A human idiot forever stuck on the moon!
"You never thought of your son's safety, you always want him to get this and do this, without even thinking what will happen to him…"
Mr. Perkins felt his heart skipped a beat. His thought began to race; it's true that he's been helping his son to stop Gru from getting that moon, but he never thought that getting the moon from Gru would lose him forever.
"Hey, I've always cared about my son's safety…" Perkin lied. At some point, he doesn't care much about his elder son; Vector is way too reckless to be worried about. "It was you who took him away and…"
But Gru cut him off. "Oh that's right, go on, Blame it on me!" he said, sarcastically and angrily, "If there's one person who's held responsible of Vector's lost, that's you!" Gru pointed his finger on his boss, who is completely stunned again.
"I was in my verge of my victorious achievement as a super villain. If it wasn't for your orders on stopping me, your Victor would've be here on Earth by now!
YOU'RE THE WORST FATHER WHO EVER WALKED THIS PLANET!"
Adrenalized by rage, Mr. Perkins crumpled his large fingers around the apple and the fruit finally got crushed in his enormous hand! Apple juice smeared across his fist and drips on the carpet like raindrops.
As Gru saw this, his aggressive personality began to simmer down. His breathing finally went normal and his angry face suddenly calmed down.
The anger in his eyes suddenly gone and is replaced by a wide-eyed shock, shocked of what he had acted earlier.
Gru felt that Mr. Perkins' oppression is way too much that he couldn't help unleashing his beast-like anger and almost caused stress on Perkins, especially when his boss took things too personal and blames him for losing his only son.
Gru looked with wide eyes at Perkins, the angry-looking bank manager still had that crushed apple in his grip. His tiny eyes widened and his nostril grew in complete rage.
Holy Bonkers… Gru gulped in his thoughts, Why did I just say that?!
"Umm, I…I…" Gru stammered, his voice shaking, trying to apologize of what he just said. But Perkins' fiery eyes glared even deeper at him. The Manager had heard enough…
"Get out…." Mr. Perkins breathed, almost growling.
"GET OUT NOW!"
Terrified, Gru jumped with a squeal and hurried to the door.
"IMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRY!" Gru cried in panic as he raced down the staircase and flee.
Mr. Perkins glanced at his balcony and watches Gru run away across the lobby like a coward. He even got tripped on the carpets of the hallway due to his panic flee. The terrified Gru fell his face flat on the floor but quickly got up and run again through the main doors, as if nothing happened!
He finally dropped the crushed apple on the carpet floor and groaned. He walked slowly towards his desk and sits on his chair and tries to calm down.
It's dangerous for an old man like himself to feel too much anger. Stress and shock are a deadly combination for a heart attack.
Stress, because he failed to make Gru's life difficult by giving him a lot of bank debts and pressure to get Vector back.
And shock, because in all his years learning about Gru's behavior, he had never seen him so wild and bold before. What Gru did is highly intolerable, and he couldn't help but to screamed at him to get out.
The tired Perkins leaned his back on his chair and stared on the suitcase of cash that Gru left behind.
Perkins' raised his eyebrows, puzzled. How did Gru got all those cash in just a few days?
Perkins pulled opened his table drawer and pulled out all his medicines for the heart, he motioned to his intercom, pressed the button and called his receptionist. "Get me some water…"
It's night time when Margo, Edith and Agnes reached home. Their yellow school bus stopped in front of their tall black atypical house they call home, the doors slid open and Margo, Edith and Agnes hops out of the bus.
"I can't wait to tell Lucy and Mr. Gru…" Agnes cheered, excited to tell their parents about something to their school.
"Not if I tell them first!" Edith challenges her. Despite her heavy pink sports backpack, Edith ran passed Agnes and went to the door.
"Hey, no fair! Let me tell them…" Agnes cried, but Edith had already entered the house and ran to the living room.
Carrying her white-and-pink unicorn backpack, Agnes tries to chase after her while Margo warns them, "Hey, slow down… you two can tell them both!"
But they ignored her and the two playing chase-up around the house.
Edith and Agnes were all running wildly, laughing and giggling around the hallway. When suddenly, Edith hit someone on her way, the impact was stronger enough to knocked them both down.
Edith looked down to see Dr. Nefario, lying almost dizzy from the hitting the floor. The shocked Edith jumped away while Agnes and Margo appeared behind her.
"Whoa, I… I'm so sorry, Dr. Nefario…" Edith apologized, awkwardly.
Agnes and Margo went near the old man and helped him up.
"Aw, that's fine…" Dr. Nefario said, recovering from his dizziness. "this old timer should need a lil' knockover once in a while, literally…"
"Then, can I do it too?" Agnes insisted, excited to play some rough playful games on the old doctor.
"Uh no, not times, dear…" Nefario chuckled nervously.
"Okay guys, let's go…" Margo interrupted.
"Aw, but we haven't tell them yet!" Edith complained.
"Tell them what?" Nefario asked, curiously.
"It's a surprise…" Agnes told him.
"And we're not telling you unless Lucy and Gru hear it first…" Edith added.
Nefario raised his eyebrow and smiled. It's cute to see these girls keeping a little secret to make a surprise out of it.
Margo cleared her throat to get their attention.
Edith and Agnes glanced back and got her point, "Oh okay…" they sighed gloomily.
"We'll tell Lucy and Gru after we're done with our homeworks…" Agnes told Nefario in addition.
"Now Let's go!" Margo said again, she tucked her Lesportsac knapsack around her back and headed up stairs.
Dr. Nefario watches them as Edith and Agnes followed her and went to their bedroom.
"Speaking of Lucy, I wonder if she's okay…"Dr. Nefario thought, curiously. It's been a while when Lucy got home from her cupcake business in the Paradise mall. He greeted her but instead of greeting him back; she walks passed him with a worried look in her eyes and went to the living room, closing the big doors behind her.
She didn't go out of that room ever since.
Dr. Nefario had a bad feeling about this. Lucy is acting strangely today, just like the time when Gru jailed himself up at his office ever since he got that message from Perkins.
Then, he remembered that Gru is gone the whole day. He left early morning to pay Perkins a visit, ditching the investigation on Felix with his wife.
Nefario rolled his eyes and shook his head. How could he been so silly? Gru is working with Felix, which is why he will never do something so stupid against him such as investigating him.
But will that only make the situation even worse? Gru is working with the AVL and with the AVL's suspect, Felix.
Who will Gru work first? Who will he trust first? The Anti-Villain League or Felix Grudgeman?
Nefario sighed. He worried too much about his friend and he hopes that Gru knows what he's doing.
He doesn't trust this Felix despite decapitating the Statue of Liberty with him yesterday, but he does trust Gru, and he really hopes that nothing will go wrong between him and Felix.
The old doctor walked across the hallway. There, he saw the living room doors still closed. "Lucy hasn't come out there yet…" Nefario thought. Somehow he thought strange things are happening so suddenly.
First, Gru's self-jailing in his office, for three days…
Second, the sudden appearance of this Felix Grudgeman, and Gru's deep trust on him…
Third, Lucy's mysterious behavior, acting almost secretive…
What on earth is happening? He asked himself in confusion. Ever since Gru got that note from Perkins, things got total disarray.
He was about to leave and get some space to think things through when he heard:
"I knew it that Gru is up to something…"
Stunned, Nefario stopped and glanced back at the living room doors. "Was that Mr. Ramsbottom?"
The old doctor may have a slight hearing impairment but he heard it somewhat clear that Lucy is talking to someone, someone like her AVL director.
Curious and confuse, Nefario tip-toed near the closed doors of the Living room and stick his large ear at it.
"But that can't be, it's just can't be…" Lucy's voice sounded shocked.
"Now, calm down…" Silas told her, "I know how it upset you regarding this matter but we have to stay calm…"
Nefario adjusted his hearing aids and listened carefully.
"So our suspicion is confirmed…" Silas said, "Gru and Felix are working together as partners-in-crime…"
"B..but that's enough proof for your suspicion, sir…" Lucy sounded hesitant.
"Then, can you explain why he mentioned you're from the AVL?" Silas sounded assertive. "He knows who you are and where are you working with, and he also mentioned about your husband without even telling him yet… and not to mention the cell phone he got from him…"
"Cell phone?" Nefario thought, confused, "Felix has Gru's phone?"
Silas went on: "And what about El Macho's Magnet aircraft? That thing is well-secured in our organization; no one can enter there without getting detected, except if one of our members uses his identification code and stole it without bothering our security systems…"
Nefario lowered his eyebrows, confuse. Was he talking about Gru?
He waited for Lucy's reply but all he can hear is silence.
"Think about it, Lucy…" Silas said, convincing her. "I know your husband has a change of heart, but once he's a villain, he's always a villain… Human behavior doesn't change permanently, they will repeat their mistakes whether they meant it or not…"
"But what about when you recruited him?" Lucy's voice sounded defensive, "If he was thinking like a villain, then shouldn't he refuse to help us get El Macho?"
"But he DID refuse at the first place…" Silas pointed out, "If you had forgotten, Gru refuse to help us by the time he got here, which proves that he still has those villain personalities in him!"
"But that isn't enough to tell if he's really on Felix's side…" Lucy sounded desperate this time, "Please, Mr. Silas, Let's not rush this thing…maybe Gru has a good explanation about this and…"
"Oh, He WILL explain this when we get into the bottom of this…"
"But, Mr. Ramsbottom…"
"That's enough, Lucy…" Silas sounded annoyed. "Like I said, our suspicion has already confirmed that Gru and Felix are working together. I knew it that Gru will never resist going back to be a villain again…"
At the back of the door, Nefario is still eavesdropping, his ear pressed almost firmly on the thick wooden door, trying to get a better hearing of the conversation. And hearing Silas' statement about Gru going back of being a villain, he suddenly felt twitchy.
For some reason, Silas got a point. Gru does have this strange urge of becoming a villain again, though he didn't really tell him that he's willing to be one again, still Nefario had a weird feeling that Gru wants to be evil once more. And working with Felix must be his best option…
"So are you saying that I should get Gru as one of ours suspects?" Lucy's voice shivered.
"I'm sorry, Lucy…" Silas said, "But I believe so…"
Nefario felt his heart pounded in shock. Oh no, the AVL has founded out! He thought in panic.
"We don't have much evidence to lead us to the suspect, except him…" Silas added, "The more Felix continues his acts of villainy, the more we investigate Gru… He's the only one who has a much bigger connection to him."
"But I…"Lucy's voice sounded like it's breaking.
"Stay strong, agent…" Silas encourage her. "What I need you to do right now is to stay quiet and keep a watchful eye on your husband, and everyone that he's communicating to…"
Nefario gasped silently. He's positive that one of that everyone is him!
"I… I understand…" Lucy sighed bitterly.
"Remember, Agent Wilde…" Silas said, "You're dealing with two suspects now and unfortunately, you're on your own…"
"Be vigilant and don't trust him…" Silas warned her.
Nefario waited for Lucy's reply but he heard nothing, not even form Silas'. The conversation must be over.
The old doctor moved away from the doors. Fear is starting to rise up in him; his breathing grew heavy and his heart pounding hard.
Just as he thought, the Anti-Villain League has found them out! Felix's crime is way too big that it caught the attention of the AVL. Gru and Felix will be arrested if Lucy had proved them guilty.
Well, Nefario doesn't care much about Felix. After all, he doesn't like his attitude and watching him getting arrested by the AVL will be a relief, but seeing Gru gets arrested too is a hard thing to watch.
Nefario walks quietly away from the doors and into the hallway.
There's got to be a way to get Gru out of this… he thought, thinking what he can do to stop the AVL on investigating Gru. Then, an idea came into his mind. Gru only hired Felix because he needs assistance for the unpaid debts,
Now that bank debts are paid then that means, Felix can leave him alone.
His services are over and that he can leave Gru alone! Finally, He will be out of being the person-of-interest of the AVL's investigation and the only person that the AVL will after is Felix alone.
Gru will be safe from his criminal involvement, and everything will be back to normal again!
That thought relieved him a little, until someone came in the door.
Nefario glanced back to see Gru entering the house, he looks tired and stressed.
"Gru…" Nefario called him, "I gotta tell you something…"
Gru looked up at him, his tired navy-blue eyes stared at him blankly.
But before Nefario could warn him about Lucy and Silas' investigation on him, Lucy came out of the living room door and saw her husband, Gru, with Dr. Nefario.
Lucy had just finished having a video conference with Silas Ramsbottom, where each person has a video camera that projects their images with each other's screens. She just used their giant flat-screen television to communicate with Silas while he talks to her by his laptop.
The two guys stared quietly at Lucy, and she stared back too.
Silence comes in. Lucy opens her mouth and tries to say something but she stopped and looked away.
Lucy needs to stay casual towards the main suspect, but how can she be casual if the suspect is no other than her own husband? It's really hard for her to accept such fact.
Nefario watches her nervously. He wants to tell Gru about Lucy and the AVL's intention on the investigation, but seeing the presence of the subject of his agenda is really scary and uncomfortable.
Gru noticed their awkward silence. "Uh, okay..." he began sheepishly, his bushy eyebrows arched up "Is there something I should know about? Because at the look of your faces, you seemed a little… excited?" he guessed with a timid chuckle.
Lucy and Nefario stared at each other.
Silas ordered Lucy to investigate not only Gru and Felix but also his companions as well. Does that include Dr. Nefario too?
Nefario, on the other hand, heard the whole thing about her and the AVL's newest development for the investigation. He needs to remind Gru about Felix's end of services or else, the two of them will become second suspects next to Felix.
"WE GOT SOMETHING TO TELL…" a loud tomboyish voice yelled from behind them.
Lucy and Nefario glanced around and saw Edith popped out between them and jumped over Gru.
The tall dark-clothed father toppled down on the doorway as his daughter landed over his chest.
"We gotta tell you something, Mr. Gru…" Edith said excitedly. She looked down at him as he regains his consciousness.
"Whatever it is, its better be good…" he grunted in pain as he carries Edith on his hands and slowly stood at his feet.
"And it is…" Agnes appeared between Lucy and Dr. Nefario, who are still quiet.
"Really now?" Gru placed Edith on his shoulder and smiled down at Agnes.
Just then, Margo appeared between Lucy and Nefario. "Hi, mom… Hey, Dr. Nefario…"
"Oh hi, dear…" Lucy greeted her as Margo kissed her on her cheek.
"Hey there, Margo…" Nefario greeted back as Margo gave him a high-five.
"Hey, Mr. Gru…" Margo greeted him sweetly.
"Hello there, Margo…" Gru smiled at her as she hops beside him and gave him a hug.
Lucy and Nefario watch this scenario with mixed feelings.
No matter how hard she tries to defend him, she can't deny the fact that Silas maybe right about Gru working with Felix. She experience it herself lately at the mall, and unfortunately there's no doubt that Felix has a possible connection with her husband.
But how can an innocent loving father like Gru would accept working with such an evil person?
The two stood there quietly and watch Gru and his girls laughing and talking happily outside the doorway in the night.
Unlike Lucy, Nefario thought differently. Since he knows about the AVL's plans for Gru, he has to make a move quick that way he won't get involve, he has to convince him to fired Felix before the AVL hunts them down both. Not only that it will save them both, but it will also save the welfare of the entire family.
But he has to warn him quietly, since Lucy is on their tails…
"So what's the thing you're gonna tell me?" Gru smirked and carried down Edith from his shoulder.
"It's about our dance recital!" Edith began, "We got another dance recital coming up…"
"It's another Swan Lake ballet dance…" Agnes added.
"But it's not the usual swan lake dance; it's a BLACK SWAN DANCE…" Margo refries.
"Black Swan?" Gru asked in interest, "Well, that's a darker-theme for a little girl's dance recital…"
"It's gonna be Halloween soon…" Agnes answered. "And we need a Halloween-themed for the original dance…"
"It'll be awesome!" Edith blurted in excitement, "We'll dressed in black, and wear black crowns, scare the audience with our black…"
"Okay Edith, Let's not scare Gru a little…" the awkward Margo told her.
"So you will come right?" Agnes stared at him with her best puppy-dog eyes.
"Oh of course, of course I will…" Gru said.
Agnes rose up her pinky at him and said: "Do you pinky promise?"
Gru took a while to reply. His thoughts raced back at the time when he decided to go get the moon instead of going to their dance recital. It's a thing that he finds it a little disturbing. If he could just go ahead to the dance recital, just as he promised; the girls wouldn't get kidnapped by Vector and almost ran away with them.
Even though he forgave himself for that mistake, sometimes the incident bothers him.
"Pinky promise…" Gru smiled reluctantly, he rose up his pinky and linked it at Agnes' tiny pinky.
"Great!" Agnes cheered.
"Alright!" Edith cried, excitedly.
"Hope we'll see you there…" Margo told him, eager to see that finally her dad will come to the show to watch them dance.
"Oh you will, pumpkin…" he told her and rubs her shiny brunet head, "We will see you there…"
"Okay, girls…" Lucy finally said, checking her watch. "It's already past dinner time, Let's go get some bites…"
"I want hamburger!" Edith blurted.
"Can we get pizza instead?" Margo suggested.
"I want Jellybeans for dessert!" Agnes said.
Lucy approached the girls and led them back inside. "Now, now... You three better think it over or else We'll missed dinner…"
"But I want hamburgers, with cheese and bacon on it…" Edith said again.
"Didn't you just eat burger for lunch already?" Margo pointed out.
"But the burger in the cafeteria tasted awful, I want a real one!" Edith argued.
"I know Jellybeans tasted better in burgers…" Agnes butts in.
"No, they don't!" Edith glared at Agnes.
Lucy watches them as the three argued while they're walking inside the house. Then, Gru walked passed by her, she noticed his face looked tired and troubled.
"Um hey…" she called him, Gru looked back.
"Yes, Lucy?" he asked.
"Ummm…" she began, trying to start a conversation. But she needs to be mindful of her words, she doesn't want the suspect to notice that he's being spied on. "So how are your errands going earlier?"
Gru's tired eyes widened, almost shocked. He still remembered the look on Mr. Perkins back at that back: his small eyes burning in anger, his nostrils flared, his teeth clenched tight and the apple was crushed instantly in his bare hand.
He could tell that he upset him big time, and he didn't even thought of stopping himself for being so harsh on him.
Lucy noticed his frightened look, and she felt worried. "Um, Gru… are you okay?"
Gru shook his head as if he just woke up from a bad dream. "Um, of course, I'm fine, I'm fine… I'm very fine…." He said and chuckled nervously.
Lucy could feel that he's not being honest of his answer; she felt something is bothering him when she asked about his errands. Then, another thought hit her: Does those errands involve Felix?
Stressed, Gru pinched his bridge of his nose and sighed, "I think I need to rest…"
But before Lucy could say anything, he quickly turn away from her and went into the other side of the living room.
Lucy gulped. This investigation will not be easy for her, especially that her beloved husband and partner has become one of the suspects now.
Lucy was deep in thought when Nefario cleared his throat, "Um, I guess I'll just be in my office for awhile…"
"Um, sure…" she breathed, her face looked sad. Then, she walked across the hallway and followed the girls to the kitchen.
Nefario watches her as she disappears in the hallway, then he started walking but he's going to his office, he's going to see Gru in the other side of the living room.
Gru's house has an enormous living room. Aside from the entertainment section where his giant flat screen television and his crocodile-shaped couch were displayed, he also has another section where a warm fireplace is structured and a giant rhino-shaped chair and a pink teddy chair-shaped chair are displayed beside it.
But at the other side of the fireplace section is his black acoustic piano. And on that piano, Gru assembles it by lifting the lid and sits firmly on his piano seat. He barely plays his piano due to his busy schedules as an ex-villain, father and a newly-recruited agent. Perhaps a good play would help him relax after all those hard, scary encounters he went though.
But before he plays, he stares down at his pinky and recalled his promise to Agnes lately.
Then, in a blink of an eye, he recalls his childhood…
Gru was only 10-years old when he had his first recital, a piano recital. He's always good in piano in that time, and he hopes that his mother would appreciate his musical talent. Just like Agnes, he too was expecting his mother would come. He even made her promise that she would show up before his piano recital starts.
But all his mother's reply was "EH…"
To a 10-year old, it's easy to stay positive, and he actually believe that he's mother would come to see him play despite her unclear response.
The day of his recital has arrived. The school stage is lightened up; a beautiful grand piano is displayed at the middle of the stage, waiting for its young musician
And there he was, the 10-year old Gru wearing his best penguin tuxedo with a blue bow tie, appeared on the stage, bowed to his audience and stared for awhile, no sign of his mother.
Then the boy motioned to his piano and plays his featured piece.
The audience marveled at the young pianist but as he plays, Gru glanced back and forth, eager to see his mother among the audience.
The young boy is still hopeful, maybe his mother was just late and will appear during his recital…
When he finished his piece, he rose up from his seat, took a bow and finally gets a closer look at the crowd, but sadly he didn't saw his mother.
He looks around from the bottom side to the front row, but still he can't spot her.
The young Gru remained smiling for his amazed audience. But as he leaves the stage, tears flowed down from his eyes…
Even in his older age, he still remained hopeful. That someday his mother would be so proud of who he is and what he is capable of.
But he wasn't expecting that being a father of three orphan girls would make her proud rather than being a moon-stealing villain.
But still, Gru felt hurt when she didn't show up for his piano recital. He was so ready for that, but his mother still doesn't care about it.
Stop being a baby… Gru thought to himself, trying to get matured, it's all in the past, You can't reset it…
Gru shoo away the thought of his past and looked down at his piano keys. He flexed his fingers and was ready to play when suddenly:
"GRU…" Neafario pops beside him.
"MOTHERPLEASECOMETOMYRECITAL!" The startled Gru squealed and fell of his seat, thudding on the hard wooden floor.
"Gru, we need to talk…" Nefario said firmly, he stared down at Gru, who is now lying flat in his back.
Gru sighed in infuriation. First: his argument with Perkins, Second: Edith crashed over him and now this. Can his life get even more surprising?
"If this is about Felix's 'mysterious' behaviors again, I already told you: He is not a schemer and he will not do anything stupid against me…" Gru said as he recalls their small conversation this morning about Felix's unruly behavior towards his minions.
Nefario stopped for awhile when he said that. He remembered how awkward he felt when he tries to ruin Felix behind his back by reporting that incident to him, but it's very surprising that Gru seemed to fully trust this person rather than his best friend.
"It's not about Felix anymore…" Nefario confirmed, trying to put that thought aside.
"Well, good…" Gru sighed and finally got up from the floor, "I'm not in the mood talking about it anyway…"
"It's about Lucy and the AVL…" Nefario began.
Gru stopped short and stared at him in concern. "What about Lucy?"
"Well…" Nefario sighed, "I overheard her talking with this Silas guy inside the living room lately, and…"
Nefario stopped. He needs to be careful of spreading a bad news. Seeing the stress in Gru's eyes, the old doctor can tell that he went in a rough state and he needs to talk this news as calmly as possible.
"And…" Gru noticed Nefario's uncertain tone of his words.
"And they know about you working with Felix…" Nefario finally said, who can't seem to find any other choice of telling this in a calmer way.
But to his surprise, Gru didn't react.
Instead, He just went back to his piano seat and sighed, "Oh well, that wasn't so bad…"
Nefario couldn't believe his ears, the news about the AVL are after Gru and Felix is bad enough, and still he remains calm to this.
"Wasn't so bad?!" Nefario exclaimed at Gru, "Gru, the Anti-Villain League are investigating not only Felix but including YOU too! And if we don't do something, they'll…"
"Nefario, please…" Gru rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
Then, Nefario stopped and looked at Gru, remembering the same gesture as Felix does. And to his surprise, they looked and acted the same way.
"Look, I know you're concern of me and I appreciate that…" Gru began and looked at his Nefario's goggled eyes, "but if you're considering of firing Felix to get me out of the AVL's watch list, then I'm not doing it…"
"Wait, what?" Nefario gasped in shock.
"Felix has done well on getting money for the bank debts…" Gru explains, "And it would be rude to fire him after all he did for us…"
"But Gru, didn't you said that you and Felix made a contract that after this heist, you'll pay for his services and leave us alone?" Nefario remained him.
"Well, the deal has been changed…" Gru said.
"Change?" Nefario asked, puzzled.
"Felix will work with me as my personal villain-for-hire, his services will be for free and will continue to do heist with me until I had enough…" Gru explained. He turned away from Nefario and faced his acoustic piano.
"But Gru…" the old doctor said, determined to give some senses into Gru's head, "the AVL are investigating you right now and their getting Lucy to do that, you won't risked your relationship just for that four-eyed villain…"
"If it's necessary, I will…" Gru answered firmly, playing an F-major scale on his piano keys.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Nefario said, stunned. "Felix is a not an ordinary villain, he's a walking plague! He's pure evil and you can't trust such a person…"
"And who are you to tell me that?" Gru rolled his eyes in annoyance and continues playing a G-major scale.
"I'm your Friend!" Nefario finally said, "We've been together for years, but this Felix just came in just a few days and trusted him more than me…"
Nefario's voice sounded like its breaking. It's hurtful for an old man to see that his friend that he considered family is giving much attention to this total stranger.
But Gru remained silent and continues playing his piano.
The old doctor couldn't take it anymore. He has to convince Gru on getting rid of Felix before the AVL finds out and ruins their friendship.
"Gru, do you have any idea what will happen if you continue your work with Felix?" Nefario glared at him but he didn't even glanced back.
Completely pissed at Gru's silent treatment, Nefario marched beside his piano and said: "The longer you stayed working with Felix, the deeper the AVL's investigation will become…
And the more this investigation deepens, the greater the damages your family will get!"
Then, Gru stopped playing and looked at Nefario, his eyes frowned.
Nefario sensed that he finally got his attention, "Look, I'm speaking as a friend, "he said, almost begging, "You have to fire Felix or our family will suffer…"
Gru moved his eyes away from Nefario and stared down onto his hands. It took awhile for him to response, and then finally Gru said: "I'm sorry…"
Nefario's hopeful face drops in shock.
"But I'm not doing it... the deal is already been done: Felix and I will collaborate as villains and…"
Before Gru continues, Nefario shouted: "YOU RATHER CHOSE THAT GUY RATHER THAN YOUR FAMILY?!"
"Nefario, you had no idea what you're saying…" Gru argued, seeing Nefario's violent reaction.
"And I had no idea why you trusted Felix so much?" Nefario blurted out, disappointed. "What makes you trusted him more than anyone, more than me?
I can't believe you would risk sacrificing your family just for doing evil deeds with this guy! Soon the AVL will have enough evidence to put a price tag for your arrest. And if that happens, don't you dare come crying for my help…"
"Who needs your help?" Gru grumbled. "You've always been a pain in the neck anyway…"
"What?" Nefario asked, surprised of his response.
"You really want to know why I trusted Felix more than you…" Gru began and rose up from his chair. "Because I don't want you to repeat the same mistakes…"
"What are you talking about?" Nefario said, stunned.
"I'm talking you and your old selfish lil' acts…" Gru glared at him, "When I took the girls here for the first time, I never felt so light and happy before, and what did you do? You took them away from me, and thanks to you, Vector almost flew them away for good…"
Nefario shivered as he stared at Gru's angry look, "Gru, that was years ago and…"
"And what about your new job opportunity…" Gru cuts him before he would finish his sentence, "you know our jelly-jam business is running low and instead of helping me out, you went off and find some other boss who is better than me…"
Nefario shook his head, "No, Gru… that's not what you think…"
"And though that evil-minion experiment wasn't enough for you, you even let El Macho get Lucy as hostage..." Gru growled, his upset face grew darker and his navy-blue eyes frown at him. "You were there at his headquarters, and instead of saving her from your boss, you came crying for my help like a coward wimp…"
Nefario couldn't find the words to start with. Gru is right! The old doctor has a long series of betrayals towards him: the girl's sudden departure, his resign and his alliance with El Macho, his minion-napping spree and experimentation on them, and also, Lucy's imprisonment in the hands of his boss.
"So tell me now, my good friend…" Gru marched towards Nefario and looked at him in the eyes.
"Why should I trust you?"
The question struck the old doctor's conscience. Because of his selfish acts, he endangered so many of his loved ones. And he bet Gru was deeply hurt with that, nothing in this world would hurt him more than seeing his very loyal friend turn selfish and almost putting his family in danger.
So how can Gru trust him without making any selfish deeds over and over again?
"No wonder Gru would trust Felix that much", Nefario thought. Felix was able to keep his word of finding immediate money to pay the debts. In some cases, Felix saved Gru from perilous bank debts and he seemed to earn his trust.
Comparing it to his actions, Nefario didn't do anything except causing trouble to his family.
In other words, Felix is more dependable than himself.
Realizing this, the old doctor shrugged in remorse.
"That's what I thought…" Gru sighed, noticing his silence. "Felix may have flaws but he is more reliable than you, and I hope you understand why I trusted him so…"
Gru retreated to his acoustic piano, his face still looked upset.
Nefario didn't say anything. He just watched Gru sit back at his piano seat and plays some few Major and Minor scales on its keyboard.
Gru didn't even looked back as Nefario turns away from him and leave the room.
Silence fills the room and Gru sighed "Finally, some peace and quiet…" he thought.
Then, Gru motioned his fingers on his keyboard and is ready to start to play a piece, when suddenly:
"But, Gru…" Nefario appeared to his side again.
"ATLASTPEACEANDQUIETAAAAHHH…" he screamed, Gru got startled again and fell off from his seat.
"Um sorry, did I surprise you there?" the old doctor asked in concern.
"Can you people be more careful on surprising someone?!" Gru yelled, irritated. He jumped on his feet and regained his balance.
He glared at Nefario who is staring back in awkwardness.
"Sorry, it's just that…" Nefario began, "I forgot to ask: What about Lucy and the AVL? They going to start investigating you and Felix, you know…"
"Then, let them investigate…" Gru quickly answered, "Felix is a very skilled villain. He will never get caught and so would I…
I'm not afraid of them, not anymore…"
Then, Gru returned to his piano, leaving the stunned Nefario behind him.
Nefario repeated the last words in his thoughts, the last time he heard that is when he and Felix are inside his ship during their Liberty-stealing scam.
The old doctor asked the same question about being tracked down by the AVL, and surprisingly, he said the same answer as Gru's: "I'm not afraid of them, not anymore…"
Is this just a coincidence? Or they just share the same interest?
After all, they are always together and they could've have shared the same idea to each other.
But Nefario shooed that thought aside and refocused on the AVL agenda.
"But Gru, this AVL can be dangerous if they found out you guys. Is there anything I can do to help you two?" Nefario insisted, trying to be productive.
"Maybe perhaps a little privacy would do just fine…" Gru answered without looking back.
"But the AVL…" Nefario said, determine to contributed some help and earn his trust again.
But Gru glanced back and gave him a blood-chilling glare: his bushy eyebrows meets, his tired blue eyes narrowed in rage, his teeth clenched tight, almost like its breaking and his hands balls up into fists, almost knocking the piano keys in front of him.
Nefario gulped and got his point. Gru seemed to be not in a mood of talking about Felix or the AVL any longer.
"Umm yes, of course…" Nefario said with an awkward smile, "You need privacy, a whole amount of it!"
But Gru didn't say anything nor changes his expression; his face still looked like his going to kill someone. Seeing this, the frightened doctor starts marching slowly out of the room.
"I'm terribly sorry to surprise you there," Nefario tries to apologies as the angry-looking Gru watches him out of the room. "Maybe we can talk some other time, alright? Okay, seeyoubye!"
Gru watches him as he jumped near the doors of the living room, went out and slams the door behind him.
As soon as Nefario disappeared, Gru stopped glaring and sighed.
"What has happened to me?" Gru asked himself. "Acting so defensive to my old friend and comparing him with Felix… How could I been so awful?"
Gru looked remorseful. Nefario was just trying to protect him by telling him about his discoveries on Lucy and the AVL's newest development in the Felix investigation. But instead of appreciating his efforts, he scolded him and even compares his past mistakes to Felix's flawless record as a villain assistant.
Gru felt terrible. Nefario doesn't deserve to be treated like that. The old doctor was just trying to help and make things right despite his past mistakes.
But his decision was made clear: Felix will forever be his villain assistant, to satisfy his craving for villainy and to help him gain more time to his family.
The consequences might be big but at least he's got a talented villain to get him out of any sticky situations, somewhat that Nefario failed to do.
Then, Gru took a deep breath and motioned in front of his piano. Now that pesky Nefario is gone, perhaps a little piano playing would help him calm down.
He went through a lot today: keeping Felix as a secret from the AVL, his outrage towards Mr. Perkins lately and now, his violent behavior to Nefario.
Indeed, maybe a soothing piano music would calm his stressful day.
Gru flexed up is fingers, but he suddenly glanced back to see if anyone would startle him some more.
Relieve to see no one was there, he began playing his favorite piano piece. It's the same piano piece that he played back when he was still a kid, that time during his piano recital.
The piano music was entitled Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.
END OF CHAPTER SIX
Author's Note: Thanks for checking out this fan fiction chapter, Things are getting pretty intense now that the AVL are getting Lucy to investigate Gru and Felix,
And I also added one of Gru's childhood insecurities. Almost every part of the official movie trilogy itself was Gru's flashback, showing all kinds of his childhood memories of fear and anxieties.
In this fanfic, little Gru was emotionally hurt when he found out that his mother didn't show up at his piano recital, and that incident has a great involvement in this story…
Not to mention that the Moonlight Sonata is the same piano piece that Felix played at the last chapter…
In Felix's warning says "This is just the Beginning". This is what the Anti-Villain League remembered when an unexpected incident awaken the quiet town near the residential area. And to their great surprise, Felix victimized a fellow villain!
Which villain did he attack? Was it Gru? What else will he do next? Let his terrorism begin in Chapter Seven: Felix Strike Again
