Thanks for moving on to see what happens next!

And now another chapter, and a bit more angst for our handsome blue hero and his sassy reporter. (With a couple of brighter spots mixed in for good measure. This is a Megamind story; we've got to have some fun with this, right?) :)


As hero and sidekick rocketed down the road in in full stealth mode, the spacefish showing off his highly developed reflexes as he swerved dangerously in and out of early morning traffic, their speculations as to how the day would turn out was interrupted by Megamind's ring tone.

"Ah, it's Chris! Perfect timing." he said when he picked up his phone and recognized the number of the caller. Despite the anxious rolling he felt in his stomach at the thought of the serious conversation he was about to have with the detective, he found it impossible to answer without having a bit of fun with his friend.

Assuming a mischievous smirk and a slightly cavalier tone, he said, "Metrocity's magnificently handsome hero speaking… "

"Megamind, we need to talk. How soon can you be at the station?"

"Oh… we can be there in a few minutes, we're on our way over there as we speak."

"Good, see you in a few."

Detecting a hint of strain in the officer's voice, Megamind said, "Wait, what's going on?"

For a few moments, Chris' only response to this question was silence, and Megamind began to feel that anxious quiver in his stomach intensify uncomfortably as he wondered why his friend was being so uncharacteristically reticent.

After several seconds of dead air on the other end of the line, Chris finally said in a strained voice with a deep huffing sigh, "Listen, we'll talk about it when you get here, ok?"

"Alright, we'll be right there." Megamind said, his brows furrowing deeply as he closed his phone.

He sat staring out the window sightlessly as the oncoming cars whipped by, obviously mulling a troubling turn of events around in his prodigious brain. As he there pondering, Minion watched him from time to time out of the corner of his eye, switching his attention from his boss to the hazards of the road.

Finally, after observing his friend's agitation and feeling the tension beginning to thicken in the air, he asked with concern, "What is it, Sir?"

Megamind sat quietly for another second, and then with narrowed eyes and a slow shake of his head he said, "Something's wrong... "

"What do you mean, something's wrong?"

"Something's wrong… he wouldn't tell me what it is over the phone, but there's definitely something going on."

Minion looked worried as he watched the road, dodging and weaving in and out of cars as he shot ahead toward their destination. A moment later his eyes flicked to his boss and he asked, "Do you think it happened again?"

"I don't know, Minion. We'll find out soon enough."


Roxanne and Cody were the first to be on the scene to report the hot news item of the morning, the robbery that had taken place at Metro Savings and Loan in the day's early hours while the city still slept. A robbery at this bank wasn't out of the ordinary, it had always been the pick of the litter for hold ups among all the banks in the city, but what did seem unusual was the absolute lack of information she had been sent on her way with. All she and Cody knew was that there had been a robbery.

Pulling up across the street in the KMCP van, both reporter and cameraman took in the typical scene; several squad cars were parked along the front of the stately old building with lights flashing and officers milling about performing one task or another as they worked the scene of the robbery. Watching the activity for a moment before hopping out of the van to set up and begin her broadcast, Roxanne's mind was carried back to the day that she herself had been caught up in another robbery that had taken place at this same bank.

A tiny smile stole across her lips as she thought of her release from the thugs not at the hands of her usual rescuer, but rather at the hands of the villain, her long time kidnapper. Her heart fluttered as she remembered the way she felt that day when she began to realize for the first time that not only did Megamind truly care for her, but that she was beginning to fall for him too.

She was roused from her dreamy thoughts when Cody interrupted her, saying, "Hey, wake up… you're not going to get much reporting done sitting there daydreaming like that. Being first on the scene doesn't mean much if you sit in the van thinking about your boyfriend and let the other reporters show up and scoop the story."

Looking slightly sheepish and feeling her cheeks begin to warm a bit, she snickered and said, "That obvious, huh?"

"Uh… yeah. Are ever not thinking about him? I'm actually not sure how you manage to get any work done at all between all the time you spend with the imaginary Megamind, and finding ways to meet up with the real thing during the day. You guys are almost ridiculous!"

Roxanne rolled her eyes and shook her head with a loud laugh as she unbuckled and opened the door of the van. "Cody, that's my job. I'm not 'finding ways to meet up' with him; I'm supposed to report on his hero work! You know that, come on!"

"Oh ok, so then that must explain all the extra time it seems to take after the broadcasts are over and I'm sitting there with Minion waiting for the two of you to stop fawning over each other. Or are those special investigative interviews you're conducting and just not telling me about? Yeah, that must be it."

Cody paused to shake his head and continued, "Rox, do you have any idea how awwk-waaard it is for me and Fish Sticks to just sit there waiting around while the two of you finish your shameless flirting sessions?"

"Ooooh, Cody… don't call him that. He hates to be called Fish Sticks. Music Man calls him that all the time and he can't stand it! And we're not that bad, stop being so sensitive! All we do is talk, I don't know why you're getting so bent about it." she said with a giggle as images of her cameraman and the spacefish sitting uncomfortably on the curbside, trying not to look in their direction as they waited for the couple to stop "talking" darted through her mind.

She was immensely enjoying the fun she was having with her cameraman and thankful that he was helping to keep her thoughts off the cares that waited at the back of her mind. She thought not for the first time of how happy she was to finally be able to work with someone who was actually normal and whom she got along with so well.

"Ok, yeah. But it's the way you're talking that gets me. All that deep, longing eye contact, and smiling, and the touching and hand holding and… ugh, I'm getting a stomach ache just thinking about it. It's enough to make me yak!" He quipped with a smirk as he hoisted the camera on his shoulder and swung the door of the van shut with a slam.

Rather than shooting Cody a much deserved snarky comeback, Roxanne leaned on the side of the van and giggled until her sides ached. Despite his knack for sarcastic exaggeration, she knew there was a tiny kernel of truth to his observations, and the way he described it so disgustedly left her in stitches.

With a deep draw of breath in an attempt at chasing the last of the giggles away, she said, "Oh God Cody, you're so much fun! Alright listen, even though you're completely overreacting, we'll try to tone it down a bit if it really makes you that uncomfortable."

Cody chuckled and said, "I'm just kidding Rox, you guys are fine; although it is weird for me to stand there while you two are in the middle of one of your sappy, doe-eyed staring contests."

Roxanne burst out in a final round of giggles as she grabbed her mic and shut the door, and then clearing her throat she said, "Stop it! I've go to get serious here… I've got a broadcast to do remember? Come on, you get set up and I'll go try to find out what I can before the report."

"You got it, Boss!" Cody said in his best imitation of their mutual aquatic friend, and turned around to find the best possible location to set up for the report.

She watched him go with a grin and a shake of her head for a moment, and then she turned to find a cop to dig a little information out of to help bulk up her broadcast. The sad lack of details she had to report on just wouldn't do; the city's top reporter didn't get where she was without a lot of ferreting out of tiny details that the other reporters in town didn't take the effort or even think to look for. She may be a thorn in the side of the PD at times, not to mention a bit of a worry for a couple of heroes she knew, one in particular, but that's what made her the best at what she did, and she wasn't about to let that slide now.


The first thing that Megamind and Minion noticed when they entered the station was that the atmosphere of the building felt different. The air was thick with tension that could be seen in the nervous glances of the officers and detectives that passed by quietly rather than boisterously greeting them with a handshake or good natured ribbing, and in the whispered conversations that were passed between small groups of huddled officers as they watched the new hero and his partner walk by.

In fact, the place felt more like it did less than a year ago when he was still being hauled in by the back of his cape in Metro Man's massive fist. But this time it was infinitely worse; before he had become the hero there was a comfortable normalcy to the comments and stares which were often laced with barbs and enjoyable banter that had simply grown to be an expected part of the complete experience in executing one of his plans. Now however, the reaction of the cops to his presence in the station seemed leery and full of mistrust. Everyone seemed to be hanging back from him and casting him confused or disapproving glances, some even looking at him with an expression that hinted at a sense of betrayal.

Despite the duo's attempts at their usual grand entrance and congenial hellos to everyone they saw, the cops were having none of it, and instead uncomfortably excused themselves as quickly as they could to rush off to one "important" task or another.

"Oh wow, everyone seems awfully busy today, no one even has time to stop and say good morning." Minion observed as they approached the conference room, looking around with a slightly puzzled expression.

"I don't think they're really that busy, Minion."

After a moment of quietly reflecting on his boss' comment, Minion said, "No, you're right. I don't think they are either."

"I told you something's going on." Megamind said with a concerned scowl as he reached for the conference room door where Chris was waiting to meet with them.

"I just hope it's not what I'm starting to think it is."

With a final glance and an acknowledging nod at his friend, Megamind took a deep breath and summoned up his all of his enthusiasm and charisma so as to appear as unconcerned as possible, and opened the door. Seated at the table were Chris and George Bennett, who were speaking in hushed voices in what seemed to be a deep and weighty discussion. When the pair stepped inside, the detectives instantly stopped in mid-conversation and watched with scrutiny as the blue spaceman swaggered in with all his usual showmanship.

"Ah, good morning Christopher! Nice to see that the sharpest tack on the force is up and at it so early in the day. But Bennett, you're the last person I would expect to see here at such an ungodly hour. Putting out such effort is so unlike you! Have you finally decided after all these years to tag along with my main man here and learn how to be a real detective? Bra-vo Bennett, there's hope for you yet!" Megamind said to the portly detective as he motioned to Chris with a smirk.

Rather than bursting into a deep mischievous chuckle and racing headlong into his usual pleasant round of banter and a hopeless battle of wits with the big headed genius, George's brows creased uncomfortably as he looked down at the files splayed on the table in front of him. Chris cast a sidelong glance at his partner with uncertainty, and then looked up with reluctance to meet the green eyes of the hero standing before him. Both detectives appeared haggard and worn, and looked as if they were about to do something that they had been deeply dreading.

"What? Why is everyone so on edge around here today?" Megamind asked as lightly as he could with a shrug and his hands spread in front of him in a questioning gesture.

After a moment's hesitation, Chris cleared his throat and said, "Megamind, Minion; we have a bit of a problem… "

"Oh, is that all? Just let us know who you need us to round up and we'll have him here in a jiffy!" said the blue man with a chuckle, deliberately making light of the situation and trying to ease the tension a bit.

"Actually, no… I hate to say this, but the problem is with you. We um… need to know where you were around four o'clock this morning, Sir."

Megamind's smile faded instantly as he sat in the chair opposite the detectives, and he asked, "Why, what's going on?"

Chris' eyes narrowed awkwardly as he looked away with an excruciatingly remorseful expression, and he said, "Well, there was a robbery at Metro Savings and Loan this morning, and the security guard on duty witnessed the whole thing. He… uh… he said you were the one who robbed the bank, Sir."

Megamind and Minion both stared dumbfounded with wide eyes at the detectives for several moments as they allowed this morsel of information to sink in. Both had been expecting something like this when they saw the telltale signs that something was wrong, both when Megamind answered Chris' call, and again as they entered the building, but actually hearing the confirmation that their suspicions were right left them momentarily speechless.

Minion, in his protective need to defend his boss, recovered first and said, "He was at the lair, working in the lab with me. Roxanne was there with us, she can vouch for him too."

Megamind immediately piped up, "Come on, you don't really think I'd do something like that, do you? Not anymore… I mean, we all know I was once the best there was at robbing that and any bank in the city, but those days are over. I'm the hero, the Defender now! You know that…"

"Listen, we're not saying we believe that you did it, but we have to try and find out what's going on; that's our job. The eye witness to the robbery said it was you, so we have to question you, that's all there is to it."

"Well you heard Minion; I was just where he said I was, in my lab at the lair with Minion and Roxanne; go ahead and confirm it with her if you need to, she'll agree with everything I just said."

"Ok, we'll check it out… just so it looks like we're doing our job right." Bennett responded, sounding incredibly relieved that for now his friend seemed to be in the clear.

"Exactly what happened last night?" asked Megamind,

Bennett rifled through the files in front of him for a moment, and finding and perusing the sheet of paper he was looking for, he then said, "At about four AM, the security guard said he was walking the floor of the bank and heard odd noises and such, and turned around to find you standing there; he has no idea how you; or… well, whoever it was, got in because there was no indicator from the alarm system that there was a break-in."

"He said you proceeded to kick the crap out of him; and whoever actually did rob the bank did just that; the guy was beaten up pretty badly. He said you then forced him to open the vault, and that you unloaded the bank of as much as you could carry out on your own. That's the last thing he said he could remember, but he must have been knocked out cold by the perp, because they found him unconscious and locked in the vault this morning. He's at Metro General being checked out right now, but it looked like he had a pretty serious concussion when the paramedics hauled him off."

Chris broke in and said, "But we have another issue we need to talk to you about; this is the second time in as many days that there's been a robbery that you've been accused of, and they seem to be escalating each time. Do you have any idea what's going on here, Megamind?"

Well this is it though the hero as he glanced at his aquatic sidekick, who looked back at him gravely and gave him a reassuring nod.

He drew in a deep, steadying breath and said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a pretty good idea as to what's going on. Not a solid understanding, mind you… there are still far too many questions left unanswered for my liking; one of the reasons why I've held on to this information this long. But in light of recent events, it seems quite clear that I need to share what little information I have so you have a better grasp on what's really going on… "

With that, Megamind proceeded to divulge every bit of the information that he had been guarding so closely for days, down to the last miniscule detail. As he explained the situation in the back room at the drug house that night, the expression in the eyes of the detectives alternated from skeptical, to shocked, to fearful.

He then went on to explain the research that Roxanne had done for him, pointing out the similarities in the crimes that he had been falsely accused of in his villainous days to the current mess they found themselves dealing with. He finished his presentation to the officers by pointing out that the recent robberies he had been accused of came directly on the tails of the incident at the drug house that stormy night.

"You see, there was a threat in the look he gave me before he vanished; I knew that wouldn't be the last we'd see of him."

"Okay, well what about Kessler? The coroner's report came back, it said his death was due to his weakened state from his years of drug use." Bennett asked dubiously.

"Was there anything out of the ordinary? Even the smallest detail could be significant."

Chris picked up one of the files on the table and rifled through, saying, "There was one thing, but the doc said, again, that it was probably a result of the type of drugs he used. Where is it… ah, there it is. Okay, it says here that they found an unusually high level of serotonin."

"Do you mind?" Megamind asked as he reached out to take the file from his friend.

"No, go ahead."

Megamind's eyes widened in shock when he read the report, and he looked up sharply at Chris, asking, "Do you have any idea what you're looking at here? It's nearly impossible to get levels this high. You know what this means, right? Hallucinogens cause spikes in the level of serotonin… our new villain seems quite adept at making witnesses think they're seeing me pulling off one of his little escapades."

"And as for there being no way he could have possibly made his way into the room while you gentlemen were standing guard, I personally watched him vanish in a puff of mist. If he can do that, he can make his way in without the need of a door."

The two detectives looked at Megamind, finding themselves at a loss of words. Finally, the silence was broken when Bennett asked, " So what are we supposed to do? Put out an APB for a guy who turns himself into smoke when you get too close? And how are we supposed to give a description of him when he can make himself look like anyone he wants to look like?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous; like I said, that's the reason I kept things quiet for so long… I wanted enough evidence to back up the unbelievable story I had to tell you. But just give them the facts; tell them everything I told you just now, and take the research Roxanne did for me and use it as a support to get the point across. The more they know about the new villain we have lurking around the city, the sooner we'll have him behind bars."

"How are we going to nab him if he turns into a cloud of mist whenever he feels like it?" asked Chris.

"I don't know yet. But if any of the officers happen to have a run in with him, I need to know all about it. Their experiences might just give me the details I need to get to the bottom of this and figure out a way to stop him."

After a moment of quiet as everyone in the room reflected on the situation, Chris spoke up; "Megamind, it would have been better if you had told me about this right away. Yeah, it's a wild story, but you have enough info here to be convincing. The thing is, because you've waited to share this, there are an awful lot of guys right now that are starting to wonder… "

"I know, I saw as much when we were making our way up here to meet with you." Megamind said with an expression of regret. Damn it, I wish I had listened to them when I had the chance.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You have your alibi for both robberies, it'll be fine. Once the word gets out there, and George and I will make sure it does, you'll have no problem with the force backing you up on this."

"Thanks," Megamind responded, feeling touched and slightly bolstered at the support he was receiving not just from Chris, but also from Bennett, who was nodding his head in agreement until his chunky cheeks bounced at his partner's promise.

Minion had been listening to the entire exchange, and up to that point one of the worries that had been weighing heavily on his mind had yet to be addressed. He cleared his throat and asked, "Excuse me, but what happens when word gets out to the citizens that Sir is being accused of all these crimes? With his already colorful background, I'm afraid it wouldn't take much to send the city into a panic. How is he supposed to do his hero work when the city thinks he's turning back to being the bad guy?"

Megamind looked stricken as he considered the implications of the entire city in panic mode because they believed that their new hero had once again become the villain. But Chris, immediately seeing his friend's distress, said, "Don't worry, every officer on the force has been strictly ordered to keep quiet and not allow any of this to be leaked to the press. Not a word of it is being released; we're giving out a very generic statement to the news agencies about the robbery last night, and that's how we're going to continue handling it until we catch this guy and have it all wrapped up."

"Well that's a relief!" Minion responded.

Despite Chris' reassurances that the citizens wouldn't find out about the accusations being hurled at him, Megamind knew the mind of a reporter far too well. He had nothing to fear from his Roxanne of course, but there were other reporters out there who, though they may not be as perfectly skilled and astoundingly talented as his beloved, were dripping with nosiness, and were unethical besides; each of them looking for any lead to a story that could push their name into the limelight. All it would take was for one of those reprobates who called themselves journalists to catch a whiff of the mess he was dealing with, and the story would be out, making his job far more difficult and placing the city as a whole in danger. I've got to find this guy before it's too late…


Roxanne walked determinedly through the crowd of officers as they worked the scene of the robbery. Looking for just the right one that would supply her with the missing pieces of information she needed to make her report the go-to broadcast for the citizens in Metro City to get the meat and potatoes of what had happened early that morning at the bank.

As she worked her way through the assembly, she spotted ahead a slightly familiar face... wasn't that the same cop she saw the other night at the old house in Lakewood when she was trying to find her way in closer to the action? Yeah, when he turned around so she had a better view of him, she realized that it certainly was the same guy; the one she told Megamind had looked like such a dim bulb. Bingo...

She approached the clueless looking officer confidently, and with a disarming smile she said "Well hi… um, what was your name again?"

When the man heard her address him, he glanced around for a moment, trying to decide whether or not she was speaking to him, and then with a confused expression he turned back to her and said, "Uh; Sergeant Zietz, Austin Zietz… "

"Yeah! That's right… Zietz! It's great to see you again!"

Now the sergeant was really confused; this woman looked incredibly familiar, but he just couldn't quite place her. Did he know her from somewhere? She seemed to know him. Rather than look stupid, he decided to play along. Besides, she's pretty hot! Maybe with a little smooth talking I can…

"Funny running into you here, right? And today of all days! Can you believe this?" she said excitedly, motioning with a sweep of her arm at the bank and all the bustle that surrounded it.

Zietz looked her up and down with a greasy smirk that made her want to gag, and then taking a step closer to her he responded with a smarmy tone of voice, "Yeah, it's pretty crazy. You know, I was the first one on the scene when the call came in this morning. I was standing right there when they opened the vault door and found that security guard laying there on the floor all beat to hell, rambling like an idiot."

Roxanne stepped away from him so as to maintain an acceptable distance between them, and with a dramatic gasp she put a hand delicately to her lips and assumed a wide eyed, worried expression. "Oh no! The poor thing! Is he going to be ok?"

The more Zietz looked at her, the more certain he was that he had seen her before, he just wished he could remember where. Oh well, who cares… she seems to dig my story; just a little more smooth talking… "I don't know, they said he looked pretty bad; a concussion or something like that. So uh, what about you? It's been a while, what do you think about going…"

"Rambling huh?" Roxanne interrupted him enthusiastically, casting him a charming smile. "So what did he say? This sort of thing is just so exciting… I'm so curious!"

The sergeant seemed to be getting caught up in Roxanne's feigned starry eyed inquisitiveness, and in a tone that suggested he was just as impressed with himself as he imagined she was with him, he answered, "Oh, yeah! You know, I'm not supposed to be saying anything, but because it's you… You know, that's the craziest part about this whole freak show; he said it was... "

Suddenly Sergeant Zietz stopped in mid breath with wide eyes and his mouth snapped shut; the reason that this woman looked so incredibly familiar to him had just struck him like a bolt of lightening. Oh my God, this is that reporter, Roxanne Ritchi! I can't believe I almost told her everything!

His manner instantly changed, and he nervously blurted out the canned response he was told by his superiors under penalty of life and limb to give out if he was approached by a member of the press, "I'm sorry miss, but I'm not at liberty to discuss the nature of this case. A statement has already been issued to all news agencies explaining the facts of the case as we are prepared to release them. No other information will be given out at this time."

When Roxanne heard his response and saw his change in demeanor, she knew the jig was up; for now. If a dimwit like Zietz figured out her charade and refused to fork over the info, it was a pretty good bet the rest of the cops on the scene were even less likely to spill it. Besides, it was almost time for her broadcast, she'd have to settle for the bare bones version right now, and do a little more snooping later on.

"Damn it!" she said under her breath with a huff and a shake of her head, and without a glance back she turned to rush off and find Cody, knowing he probably needed help with the last minute setup necessary to be ready for the broadcast.

As he watched her go, Zietz's thoughts were a mixed bag. He was kicking himself for not noticing right off the bat who it was he was he was talking to and for coming so close to leaking all the details of this sensitive case to a reporter, and not just any reporter. Yeah, he let some of it slip, but the most important tidbit he had managed to keep back from her in the nick of time. Another part of him was incredibly disappointed to find out that the smoldering beauty he was just hitting on was the new hero's girlfriend. Wait a minute; oh shit… I was just hitting on Megamind's girlfriend! Oh my God please don't let him find out!


When Cody indicated that the camera was rolling, Roxanne put on her most professional demeanor and began, "Good morning Metro City. Early this morning a robbery was reported at Metro Savings and Loan, the crook making off with an undisclosed sum of money from the safe."

"The crime was reported by the morning security staff when they reported for duty. A security guard was in the building at the time of the robbery and was an eye witness to the crime, but no description of the perpetrator has been made available to the press at this time. There are unconfirmed reports that the guard was injured during the robbery, and that he is currently being treated at Metro General."

"As always, KMCP will continue to cover this story as information is uncovered. Be sure to stay tuned for the latest developments in this case. This is Roxanne Ritchi, reporting live from outside Metro Savings and Loan."

When Roxanne gave the cut signal, Cody stopped recording and said, "First rate as always. And once again you have more info in that one little report than any of the other stations… how'd you get so fantastic, anyway?"

"Oh come on, stop it." Roxanne said as she turned around to survey the scene of officers milling around the entrance of the building, coming and going as they wrapped up their work and prepared to allow the bank to open for business. "It really wasn't that great. I wasn't able to get the whole spiel out of that cop I talked to; he figured out who I was before he spilled the rest of the story. I guess I must be a little off today."

"Well you still got enough out of him to make your report the talk of the town; no worries Rox. You did great!" Cody responded as he checked his equipment and began to set up for the next broadcast.

"I don't know Cody, I'm feeling a little overshadowed by my cameraman here. The place you have us set up is brilliant! Look at that, you practically have us right by the front door. What a fantastic backdrop to my report!" she said as she watched the cops exiting the front entrance, packing out their equipment and discussing the case with one another in hushed tones. She was actually rather surprised they hadn't been asked to pack up and move considering the way they were guarding the details of this case so closely.

Just as she was about to tell Cody she was heading out to do a little more digging for details for the next broadcast, she just barely caught the mention of the name she adored most coming from one of the officers that had just stepped outside. Her first thought was that he was talking about how Megamind would handle the case if he were on the scene, or possibly that he was on his way over to lend a hand.

With that excited flutter she always felt at the thought of getting to see her hero in action, she nonchalantly took a few steps closer to the officer and his companion as they walked by, hoping to catch a word or two of their conversation. Despite the fact that they were speaking in low voices, they were just loud enough for Roxanne to hear bits and pieces of their conversation over the din of the other cops at work, and the little that she heard made her stomach knot with worry.

"… believe… Megamind… do this… "

No, I must have heard him wrong.

The other officer began to respond, and again all she was able to hear was snippets of the conversation, but it was enough to stop her heart. "… saw him… identified… without a doubt… "

Without caring about the fact that she was barging in on a confidential discussion between police officers about a sensitive case, Roxanne turned and ran to the two cops, reaching out and grabbing hold of the arm of the one whom she had heard speaking first, demanding fiercely, "What did you just say?"

The two gentlemen looked at her with shock as she glared back and forth between them icily, her blue eyes challenging them to dare to refuse to answer. Uncomfortably, they glanced at one another, silently kicking themselves for discussing the situation so carelessly within earshot of the reporter and opening this can of worms. They knew exactly who this was, and felt a sense of guilt for the fact that she had to find out about what had happened in such a tactless way.

"Listen, Miss Ritchi. You know we're not supposed to release any information to the press… "

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it. Did I just hear you say it was Megamind that did this, that he was identified without a doubt?"

She already heard everything, I might as well tell her. The officer whose arm she grasped cleared his throat, and with an immensely regretful expression, said, "The witness was doing an awful lot of rambling, so it is possible that he was confused… it could have been that head injury talking, you never know. We still have all of our follow up work to do to see if his story checks out; but yes, I'm sorry Miss Ritchi, he did say… "

Roxanne's stomach clenched and her heart lurched as she heard the direction the officer was taking this, and without even letting him finish she turned and walked away, her eyes focused on the news van ahead and oblivious to the rest of her surroundings. As she strode ahead making every effort to stifle her emotions and appear calm to the crowd of people around her, she replayed in her mind the broken pieces of conversation she heard, and the cops admission that Megamind had indeed been blamed for yet another crime.

As she passed by Cody, he looked up just in time to see the wounded expression on her usually confident face, and he called out, "Hey Rox, is everything ok?"

Without any indication that she had heard his question or even noticed that he was there, she continued on ahead quickly toward the van.

What the heck… "Roxanne?" he called again in a worried tone, and then watched her with a puzzled look in his eyes as she passed him by without a word.

Reaching her destination, she climbed quickly into the driver's seat of the van and slammed the door behind her, blocking out some of the noise and bustle of the world around her. She covered her face with slightly shaking hands, taking comfort in the relative darkness and solitude they provided, and felt tears begin to prickle her eyes as she squeezed them shut tight. She forced herself to take slow, deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, trying to wrestle away the panic that threatened to overtake her.

When she felt steadier, she slid her hands down a bit to cover her mouth and stared sightlessly at the steering wheel as she shook her head slowly, not wanting to allow herself to accept what she had just learned. She simply couldn't believe it; it couldn't be happening again, could it? And not so soon, it just couldn't be possible. But it was. She felt a cold knot begin to form in her chest as the realization slowly began to sink in that the one thing she had begun to fear more than anything else had come back again to haunt the man she loved.


I have a few notes… ;)

First, Fanfic has been terrible about not listing this story as recently updated on the archive. (It's happened three times in a row! Grrr!) It might be a good idea for you to just to check in every now and then to see if I've posted a new chapter since the site isn't listing the updates properly, that way you'll be sure to catch the new installments when I get them up.

Second, I know next to nothing about the way hallucinogenic drugs actually work on the body; the little bit of info I've woven into the story here I spent an afternoon researching online to find out, and it's such a complicated subject I still didn't really understand it. From what I gathered, even the experts that study this don't understand it completely. For the sake of the story, we'll use our imaginations and just pretend that it works the way Megamind explained it, even if I got it wrong, ok? Thanks X6! :)

Please… review, review, review?