A camera flashed, capturing her look of horror just as she heard Carlos's voice pipe up from behind the two men who were leering at her. "Ms Ritchie! I tried to stop them but-"

She glared at the tabloid reporter. "Pushed your way in, huh? That's just like you. So classy, Tom."

"Hey, I'm just making a living. You know that. Nothing personal, Roxanne. Uh, unlike what we see before us…" He looked her up and down and chuckled as the camera flashed again. Megamind lunged for it, nearly falling to the floor as he left her grasp. "Yikes! Is he drunk? What's up? You two having a little private, post-battle party? Emphasis on 'private'? You've got the outfit for it…"

Holding the cape closed in front of herself and thankful it was generously cut, she reached out to her blue hero again, alarmed at how dazed he seemed to be. "Stop it. Leave him alone," she added as the cameraman took another photo of the ex-villain not at his best. Behind them Carlos kept up a stream of useless protests.

"Give me the de-gun," Megamind muttered to her, swaying a little as he glared at the men from under lowered brows. The holster was on the same side as his injured hand and where she stood helping to steady him.

"No," she protested. "Heroes don't go around dehydrating people. Even nasty little pricks," she added, with a piercing look at the smirking reporter looking on in amusement. Using the pistol would only give him more fuel to work with anyway.

"Heroes? So you buy the whole idea that he's turned over a new leaf? Become a new man, haven't ya, Evil Overlord?" He crossed his arms and smiled condescendingly, obviously unimpressed with the scenes he'd witnessed throughout the day. Deep down, Tom Raines believed he could spot a well-played set up when he saw one. He was beginning to wonder what role Roxanne might have played as well in this new plan of Megamind's and just how long she'd been working with him. It made for some very juicy speculation, especially considering the scene he was witnessing at the moment.

"We are not talking to you, and I am not making a statement. Come on," she coaxed Megamind, her arm around his waist. As Roxanne pushed her way past the scandalmongers, she heard Tom tell his cameraman, "Get that, Nate. That's a picture worth a thousand words. Or a thousand bucks by the time we sell it all over!" Her jaw clenched as the camera flashed again. They stood at the elevator, agonizingly waiting for the doors to open, listening to Tom attempting to goad them into saying anything at all, hoping for a few choice tidbits he could work with as "quotes" for his story. Roxanne knew better than to respond, but she wasn't sure if the fact that Megamind wasn't answering either was due to him having decided silence was the best way to deal with the annoying duo, or if he was quiet because of being in too much pain. He was not acting right at all, and she cursed the elevator for being so slow and herself for delaying their departure while Tom continued his snide remarks.

"Does that get up remind you of Wonder Woman at all?" he mentioned to his cameraman, who muttered something back about Cat Woman. They both ignored Carlos who was still ineffectually haranguing the two.

Taking her eyes off the slowly lighting numbers, Roxanne looked at Megamind next to her, who stood tensely, eyes on the doors with a dark expression. He looked back at her for a moment. Neither spoke. The ding heralding the arrival of their escape was the most welcome sound in the world until the doors parted.

Minion's considerable level of intelligence was often overshadowed by that of his boss, but he was quick in his own right and especially good at assessing a situation at a glance. As the camera flashed again, Tom Raines made the mistake of laughing at Minion's startled expression, assuming Megamind's pet fish would be as much of a pushover as the doorman had been. With a toothy scowl, one giant mechanical hand reached out and grabbed the camera poised to capture yet another shot. The plastic made a loud cracking sound as the hand closed around it and dropped it, the glowering brown eyes never leaving the cameraman's shocked face. Roxanne led Megamind into the elevator and motioned Carlos to come in as well while Minion held the doors.

"Hey!" protested Tom. "That's private property! You can't –"

Finally grabbing the de-gun from it's holster, Roxanne gritted her teeth and fired at the annoying man.

"You said heroes don't use guns on people," Nate the cameraman complained, staring at the blue cube on the floor.

"Yeah, well… I never said I was a hero." Roxanne smiled thinly at him and added, "Give him a good watering, and he'll be back to normal in no time. And maybe we won't press trespassing charges. This time."

The elevator doors closed as the stunned man was gingerly picking up his colleague, asking, "Where am I supposed to get some water?"

"Well, if you just spit on him enough. Oh! Or you could try-" The doors closed, cutting off her suggestion. "I'm sure he'll figure it out."

Minion looked at his friends, finding Ms Ritchie's appearance startling and Megamind's condition alarming. "What happened? It took so long for you to come back, I didn't know if something had gone wrong." He motioned at the quiet form still leaning on Roxanne.

Roxanne ignored his question, knowing it was too complicated and personal to explain until they were alone in the car. "Carlos! Why did you let them up?"

The short doorman looked sheepish. "Well, I did stop them at first. But they were real pushy. I mean, I was going to pull my weapon even, but they said they were colleagues of yours, and then they said they'd press charges if I threatened them." The man hated to admit he'd been cowed by threat of a lawsuit. "So then I was going to buzz you and see if it was ok, but they got right in the elevator! Didn't even wait!"

She sighed and shifted her weight under Megamind's shoulder, holding the cape closed. Tom Raines was as morally bent and twisted as his tabloid stories. "That jerk isn't my colleague." She sighed, knowing stronger men than her mild doorman had been cowed by Tom before. "It's ok, Carlos. Don't ever let them bully you like that again though. Next time, pull your gun anyway and aim for their kneecaps."

A weak chuckle rumbled at her shoulder. Megamind was enjoying seeing her temper flare. "My dear Ms Ritchie, I never knew you had such… violent tendencies." He smirked at her and tightened his hold on her waist. "You're becoming rather familiar with my weapon too. What will people think?"

The fact that he could still joke was heartening, but she couldn't answer what she was thinking in front of the other two present. Feeling sick at heart about his condition, she only smiled back at him, their faces close together.

Once in the lobby, they made a dash for the car and sped away, leaving Carlos staring after them, thinking he had never known a stranger day. Not long after that, the cameraman exited the elevator carrying his cubed colleague.

Nate looked on as Tom reappeared right on the sidewalk before him, so dumbfounded that he continued pouring the stream of warm water from the bottle he'd found in the back of the car even after Tom was fully rehydrated, until finally the reporter knocked the bottle out of his hand. "Enough already!" He ran a hand over his head to brush the extra moisture from his dripping hair. "Did you get the camera?"

"Yeah, but you saw it!"

Grabbing the busted photographic equipment with a scowl, he examined the mess closely until he found what he was looking for. "Got 'em…" he muttered, holding up a small rectangle with tiny metallic strips on one end. "This is all that matters anyway." She's going to pay for that little stunt.

"Ok, Sir. Into bed."

"…mmm fne…"

"No, you're not fine…"

As Minion argued with his not very competent friend and carefully coaxed him onto his bed, Roxanne set down her bag as she looked around herself, finding it strange not only that she was in her former captor's bedroom, but that it seemed very familiar somehow. The authors of the books they had studied together suggested he slept every which way from no bed, to regenerating in controlled climate chambers, to sleeping hanging upside down like a bat so the blood would rush to his head and feed his enormous brain. But obviously the furnishings he used were very normal, with a bed piled in comfy pillows and a closet, lamps and a writing desk, and all the usual things one finds – there were no spikes or leather or blatant display of evil or badness, and yet the décor was in his signature colors and seemed to fit the image she had guessed was at the heart of him. In fact, as she gazed around at the surprisingly elegant room, the first thing she thought of was his delicately detailed gun, followed by her Frequent Kidnapping Card, the items that had first made her wonder what he was like outside the villainous role he played. Those same details of silver filigree were seen subtly throughout the room. Once again she wished she knew what had become of that small piece of plastic he'd made for her. She looked over to see Minion pulling a boot off the prostrate blue figure who appeared unconscious until he grimaced. She moved closer and noticed his hand.

"Minion, that hand is swelling." The thawed peas had been discarded. "Why don't you get something for that, and I'll get his other boot off."

"Ms Ritchie, don't you think you should be resting too? Those were Dr. Morrow's orders."

"I will soon enough. Let's get him settled first. He's in a lot worse shape than I am, and I'm worried about why he's gone downhill so suddenly."

Minion frowned. "Oh, I'm not surprised. He never follows orders, and he always pays for it. All right then. I'll go get the ice." He actually had not seen his boss in such bad shape before, and he was worried which made him feel a little annoyed with her, thinking she was to blame for the delay at the apartment. As he left Roxanne unbuckling the boot, he wondered where it might be prudent to suggest she rest. Dr Morrow had implied she would stay in Megamind's own bed, but he certainly wasn't going to suggest that to her himself, and they didn't have a guestroom. Heck, we've never had a guest!

Having removed his footwear, she wondered if Minion would undress him further. I'll leave that to him. I don't have any idea how he even gets these things off. There were no obvious zips, buttons, snaps or anything on all his distinctive clothing. But I can at least put my own clothes on. Removing his cape, she grabbed the shirt from her bag and pulled it over her head. When she turned around she noticed he had opened his eyes slightly and was watching her as she pulled it down the rest of the way.

"Darn…" he croaked.

She stifled a laugh. "You have some drive, spaceman," she teased, not sure how he could even think about romantic encounters in his condition.

With a dry swallow, he watched as she put her hands on either side of him on the bed, hovering over him with a kind smile before placing a kiss on his head. His good hand reached up to stroke along her side, thinking if he felt better he'd have her on the bed beside him in two seconds. Yet another reason to hate Hal. "Don't want to let my prize get away."

"I'm not going anywhere." She sat down on the bed beside him to make her point and pressed her lips to his cheek and then his forehead again. He closed his eyes, floating away, and heard her say something.

"Megamind?" She put a hand to his head with a frown.

"…mmm…"

His skin felt too warm, but she didn't know if she was feeling the heat from her own hand, so she put her lips to his head again, trying to assess his temperature the old fashioned way.

"Mmm…" One hand reached up toward her before falling back onto the bed, and she pressed her lips to him in a kiss just as Minion returned with ice and rolling what appeared to be a typical hospital IV stand.

"He feels really hot."

"Probably dehydrated. That's what this is for." He indicated the IV. "Dr. Morrow taught me how to do this a long time ago. In prison I first learned how to change the bags, but later, when he realized Sir was going to keep getting in trouble, he taught me the rest too." He gave her the ice and began to prepare a catheter. "He's used to this, Ms Ritchie. He's had a rough life, and there've been plenty of times he's needed to recoup in bed with an IV."

She sighed. All the years she'd known him and never really bothered to wonder or be concerned. "I've never really thought about it before, Minion. I mean, about what happens to him between his public appearances or after a fight. About his private life. Not until recently." She looked around the room again. "But I think… I'm going to be around a lot more from here on out. So maybe you'd better teach me how to do this too."

The fish barely paused in his work before answering. "Ok. I will. But just watch this time. We may have to redo it later anyway… a lot of times he pulls them out when he's unconscious." He barely glanced at Megamind who frowned with incoherent grumbling. "Ms Ritchie, I'm not sure… um… we don't have a guest room."

"I'll stay in here." She smiled at him, slightly self-conscious. "Just call it following doctor's orders."

Minion paused again as he was arranging the stand and moving it out of the way. "Okay…"

Roxanne watched him. "So… I take it you didn't know about… us."

The brown eyes looking at her seemed almost apprehensive. "Well, to be honest… I don't know very much about... what's been going on." He had a feeling he shouldn't mention Bernard. Then he gestured at the silent figure on the bed. "I mean, obviously Sir has always enjoyed your company. That was at least half of why he kidnapped you so much. And I knew he was, um, meeting with you… But I'm guessing lately it's become more than that?" Seeing her nod, he added, "He usually tells me everything. Not this time."

She realized that could have led to some bad feelings on the loyal sidekick's part, and she sighed thinking about how much explaining there was to do. So many questions to ask and answer. "I'm sorry, Minion. I'm just so tired. Can I take a rain check on the explanations?"

"Oh! Of course, Ms Ritchie." His curiosity had made him nearly forget her own state of post-battle fatigue. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing. Yet. Really, it's ok." Even a shower can wait. She moved around to the other side of the king-sized bed, and as though sensing her getting further away, her hero suddenly called out incoherently. "I'm not leaving," she shushed him before responding to the helpful fish. "I just want to sleep right now, and staying here means I won't be worrying about him," she explained as she kicked off her shoes and crawled onto the bed, lying down near her hero with a yawn big enough to split her face. Then she pulled the cape lying at the end of the bed over herself and took his good hand in hers. "Let's worry about the rest later."

"Good idea. I want to let him recover a bit before anything else. I can take care of some other things while he sleeps and…"

She was out before he finished his sentence.

Looking in later, Minion was struck by the strangeness of the vignette before him. Megamind lay flat on his back, IV trailing from one arm, now dressed in his pajamas and covered in a blanket, dark purple bruising more obvious on the parts of his body that were visible but already beginning to clear. His rapid healing ability was a blessing. And there was Ms Ritchie lying on her side snuggled up next to him covered by his black cape, her chin on his shoulder and still holding his hand loosely in her sleep. He watched them for a moment, then walked away again thoughtfully. The strangest thing was that it seemed so… right.

He woke to the sound of laughing. Eyes dry and blurry, head feeling full of cotton, he sat up and realized he'd been put into his pajamas and automatically wondered if Roxanne had been present for that. His torso ached just from the effort of sitting, and after a moment he recalled being flung against a car and lifted his shirt. The bruises there were probably enough to distract her or anyone from noticing anything else about him. Standing up, he swayed a moment before realizing he was still attached to the IV and thoughtlessly began to pull it out. Then he wrapped the blanket he'd been covered in around himself and unsteadily followed the sound of voices down the hall.

Roxanne lounged in his black executive chair, laughing with Minion, her hands curving around a mug of something steaming. A delectable smell hung in the air, and Minion was gesturing as he related a story enthusiastically while Roxanne watched him with a smile. To his surprise, one glowing brainbot was quietly acting as her footstool, it's eyestalk nearly closed, approximating the satisfied expression of a drowsy cat. He huffed. The thing might as well have been purring. When he did that they usually tried to bite his boots.

"What gives here?" They both noticed him at the same time.

"Sir! You're up!" The fishy grin shone out, and then faded. "Where is your IV? Sir…"

Roxanne thought she'd never seen him looking more tired and faded. "You're awake. It's about time," she teased, getting up and turning the chair toward him. "Come and sit down." As he trudged forward, she moved to steady him and looked down at his hand. The swelling was gone. "How's that hand?"

He looked at it and flexed it incautiously, wincing as he did. "Well, it's better…" Suddenly he noticed the scent that was in the air was stronger around her. "You smell like chocolate," he murmured, as she helped him sit down.

"Minion made me some hot chocolate before I headed back to your room for a nap. It's really good. You feel like any?"

He frowned at his smiling sidekick. "You never make me hot chocolate before bed…" Then he paused. "What time is it?"

"You've been asleep almost 24 hours," Minion informed him, handing him a mug. Somehow he'd known he would wake soon. "It's 5 o'clock Monday."

"No wonder." Sleeping for long periods made him have odd dreams. He much preferred to have power naps, waking to work for a short time before returning to bed again. "I had the weirdest dream…" he told them, glassy-eyed as though he was still seeing it. "At first I was looking into my own eyes. They were so close, it was all I could see of myself… and I had very hairy eyebrows, for some reason..."

Roxanne snickered, making him look up at her sharply. "What? If you hadn't noticed, I prefer to be well-trimmed," he informed her with as much dignity as his tired frame could muster.

She giggled again and stroked a finger along his cheek. "Oh, I noticed, but…well… you're sporting a pretty good five o'clock shadow right now, mister."

He deflated a bit, realizing she was probably right if he'd been asleep that long. "Forget you ever saw that." She smiled at him. She was the last person he wanted to see him looking scruffy and off his game, but it was a little too late for that now. "Anyway! Then you and I were having a yard sale, Minion. Right here! We invited the public into the evil lair and sold all my inventions."

"Whoa!" the fish answered with a frown. "Why were we doing that?"

"Apparently I thought I didn't need them anymore because they were good for nothing but evil. Which is patently ridiculous, of course. But you know how dreams are." He waved his hand dismissively.

Roxanne was thinking about Bernard and arguing back and forth with him over the morality of being good or evil. It was interesting to her to know that he could conceive of his inventions being used for something other than destruction. Has he only just finally realized that after yesterday, or has he always believed it? "You told me you were evil and couldn't be anything else," she gently challenged him.

"Well... wasn't it Augustine who said created things are neither good or evil in themselves, but only the intention with which they are used? I'd agree with that. My intentions weren't good. But no matter what they're used for... my inventions rock." It was strange how one could end up saying and doing things in a dream contrary to what one really believed, and that was partly why he disliked dreaming.

"Yes, they do, Sir," Minion supported his assertion, but Roxanne smirked.

"Except that shark that kept trying to eat you."

He gave her a mild warning look that only made her laugh and then continued, telling them about a giant evil robot and an entire set of wearable tools he'd created to imitate Wayne's powers, watching their faces as they listened intently to the whole story, skipping over his lapse of memory regarding a certain button and the difficulty he had in controlling Wayne's powers. "It was as though I thought I had to make myself into some sort of pseudo-Metro Man figure." He frowned and snorted. "And I was dressed in white!"

Minion and Roxanne looked at him in surprise. "Quite a Freudian dream, Sir, considering your latest acts of heroism."

"Don't psychoanalyze me. You know I hate that."

"Sorry, Sir."

"That giant robot was impressive though. I'd put my personality into it, and then I had to destroy it with the Death Ray because it was trying to kill me. Right over by the old observatory." He sat staring into the distance, struck by the implications of what he'd dreamed. Then raising one hand he waved with his fingertips and added, "And I waved goodbye to the old evil me… ka-boom."

Roxanne thought she'd never heard of a dream with such clear significance before, when Megamind asked, "Do I actually have a giant robot stashed somewhere?"

"Not to my knowledge, Sir."

"Hmmm… Minion," he suddenly asked nervously. "Did we ever use something called 'The Forget Me Bomb'?"

The fish looked uncomfortable. "Uh, well…"

Megamind's eyes drifted to the console beside his chair and spotting a newspaper there with a large photo on the front page showing the tower lying in the street and his own photo smaller below it. The headline read something about the new defender of Metro City, and he began reaching for it when Roxanne stood and said, "All right. Back to bed."

"Uh! But I just got up!"

"And you still look beat, and you pulled out your IV which I may have to put back in now. And-"

"You put my IV in?"

She smiled proudly and motioned with a thumb at his finny friend, who smiled. Obviously the two were getting along very well. "I did. Minion showed me how, and I did the last one myself." Then she scolded him, "You sleep very restlessly."

Only when you're not in there, Minion thought. He'd observed his ward with Roxanne beside him and without, once she'd awakened and come out of his room. The difference in his sleep habits between the two situations was striking.

"You're supposed to stay in bed a few days, remember? Doctor's orders. And it's my job to keep you there. You're not going to make this difficult for me, are you?"

"Not if you play your cards right, Ms Ritchie," he answered with the best roguish grin he could muster, and then he stood and looked at Minion, gesturing toward the paper. "What about all the mess out there?"

"Got the team on it. Don't worry."

"Are you keeping an eye on them? You know how the 300 series can be."

"Not to worry, Sir. I'm on top of it." He motioned toward the monitors, which showed the brainbots repairing buildings and clearing away rubble around town from Hal's destruction. "The city officials are very grateful for the free cleanup."

"Oh yes. And I suppose I have to meet with them sooner or later." He slumped, not looking forward to it, not sure what to expect. A reprimand? Thanks? Demands of further restitution? A trip back to prison?

"Well, actually, I took that on. Acting as your spokesperson, I set up a meeting for you with them on Thursday. I hoped that would give you enough time to recover, and Minion assured me much of the cleanup would be done by then too, so that will be in your favor." She knew he wouldn't be fully himself again by then, but it wouldn't hurt for the mayor to see just how much he'd risked in saving the city. "I hope that was all right."

"Of course." He was touched she went to the trouble for him. "I trust your judgment. I may have to ask you to fill that role again, depending on just how things go. Maybe permanently?" He felt weary again standing there and thinking of what lay ahead, which Roxanne noticed straightaway.

"Change is always difficult, even good change. Come on. I need a nap myself anyway." Taking his hand, she coaxed him along, feeling him follow along easily. Glancing over her shoulder at Minion with a meaningful look, she saw him nod silently back to her before crumpling up the newspaper Megamind had been about to read.

Maybe David's advice wasn't so odious this time. If it means Roxanne is willing to lead me back to bed… I wouldn't mind staying put for a few days. And she's right. Even good changes aren't easy. He glanced at her walking along beside him. At least she's willing to stay. It was never going to be a matter of her rushing into my arms and never another thought of what's happened between us for the past 5 years. Especially what happened on Saturday. Dear god, it was only Saturday that that whole Bernard plan fell apart? "How are you feeling?" he asked her and was also struck by the thought that it was now Monday and the beginning of the workweek. "And what about your job?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"NO! No, I just… wondered how long you could stay actually."

She smiled. "I've taken some personal days. I think I need it after all, and I did promise my boss I'd get the first interview with the villain-turned-hero for him." She didn't mention that she had also been pressed to write a story on the days of their secluded recovery together. It would make great copy, but she would have to approach it carefully, especially considering what Minion had showed her in the newspaper Megamind had been about to read. And then the tabloid too, which of course would have started it all. But she wasn't about to burden her rescuer with such things for now. He'd never rest with his blood boiling over. Bad enough me knowing about it. Damn you, Tom. She was a little impatient to get back to work and begin counteracting the rumors she'd seen in print with the facts, but she still had work to do here. She felt a responsibility toward this man who'd saved her life and whom she felt now deserved a chance to start a better life. And she could admit she wanted to know where their relationship could lead. She wasn't sure when they would get around to discussing some of the stickier aspects of what had already transpired, but at the very least she realized waking up next to him and watching him sleep peacefully had made her smile with contentment as much as thinking about the changes in his life that were coming up did. "As far as how I feel, I'm mostly just tired."

"Your back is recovering?"

She stretched a bit to test it, feeling the soreness. "Pretty well. I decided I had to stop taking the Percocet though. Whoo! Made me way too loopy!"

"What a shame… your loopiness was rather enjoyable back at your apartment," he dared to venture.

He caught her coy glance. "You wouldn't try to use that to your advantage, would you?"

"Eh heh! No, of course not," he assured her quickly. Then with a sideways glance he added, "Although… the evil me might be tempted to think about it. A little bit." He cleared his throat. "Or a lot."

She laughed lightly and squeezed his hand. "You don't need any help."

"Really?" His face brightened as they entered the room.

She smiled as she took the blanket from his shoulders and watched him ease down on the end of the bed. "I would have thought that was pretty clear already."

"Well," he answered with a shrug and a glance aside, "you've been hesitating a little. And I thought that maybe the loopiness might help you at least get past the visuals. You know… forget about the big head and the blue skin and-"

"Megamind!" She frowned at him. Where is this coming from? I've never heard him be that self-depreciating before. "I don't have any reservations about the way you look. Why would you say that? Where's that self-confident, 'incredibly handsome criminal genius' I used to know?"

Doesn't she realize how much of it was an act? I must have done a better job than I thought. He looked at her silently. "I know how people really see me. I've always known. I just find it amazing that you… you're able to see past all that." Hadn't she been attracted to Bernard more and been glad to be with someone normal?

All at once she felt sad realizing now that his peacocking was mostly an act to disguise how he really felt about himself and the way others saw him. "I don't see past it. I like you the way you are." Picking up his hand, she smoothed her fingers over his long blue ones, thinking that she really did like what color he was. And everything else about him too. "I do think you're incredibly handsome, Megamind," she assured him, looking into his bright green eyes.

He stared at her a moment. "I just think you're incredible, Roxanne." Emboldened, he gently pulled her down toward him by the hand and kissed her. As she straightened again, she could see the adoration in his eyes as plain as day.

When have I seen that look on his face before? No wait, it was Bernard. When we toasted... to being normal. Oh no. What must he have thought when I said that? "That's not why you were coming to see me at night, was it? You thought I wouldn't want to see you?" she asked, her brow wrinkled in concern as she searched his face, thinking he might have only found the confidence to come see her under cover of darkness, waiting for her to turn the lights out, because he thought she didn't like the way he looked.

"Well... not really." Or was it? "Mostly, I just… couldn't stay away. And Minion didn't know what I was up to. And I didn't want to explain and hear him gripe at me so…." She sat down beside him to listen, and as he held her hand and was struck again by how beautiful he found her, he got distracted from what he was explaining. "I just wanted to be with you so much."

They looked at each other silently, and his heart jumped seeing her stand and start to move away. But she had only gone to sit on the bed, sinking into the pillows and holding out her arms to him. "And now here we are... Come on."

He stared at her a moment longer, almost unable to believe in the gesture of affection on offer, before crawling to her and lying down in her arms, closing his eyes as he put his head on her chest. "Oh, Roxanne... you are pure bliss…" he breathed and gave a little groaning sigh of happiness.

As she slid her hands around him to hold him, feeling his arms slide around her and hug back, she rested her cheek on his forehead, giving him a kiss. Being wrapped up together felt so natural, they lay silently enjoying the novel but comforting feeling without any awkwardness.

Megamind began thinking of the lyrics to an Aerosmith song. I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing... watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you're far away and dreaming... I could spend my life in this sweet surrender... Too true, Steven Tyler. Having just woken up, he wasn't very sleepy, and every small movement Roxanne made resonated through him, especially as the fingers of one of her hands began to roam over him casually. Does she have any idea what she does to me?

Sleepiness came in sudden waves despite being somewhat aroused by having him so near, the warmth of his body against hers, their legs tangled up under the blanket he'd pulled over them. David had warned her against any "fun" activity though, and she hadn't realized how tired she still was. Beginning to drift away, a stray thought floated to the surface - how soft the fabric under her hands was and how it contrasted with the wiry muscles she could feel under it, and she murmured, "I like your pajamas. The little hazard symbols are so you."

He groaned and rolled his eyes. I knew it was time to get new PJs. Too late! "Yes, well… consider them fair warning. I may be hazardous to your health." As he heard her faintly chuckle, he muttered, "Although I'm afraid you've found that out already." But she hugged him tighter for a moment, and somehow he knew she wasn't going to blame him for what Hal had done. As he listened to her heart thudding gently under his ear, he thought about all the conversations they'd had in the past couple weeks. He had a feeling she would probably say people ought to take responsibility for their own actions, no matter what kind of corner they'd been backed into or circumstances they found themselves in. And then he knew that in order to win her respect, he would have to take responsibility for bringing up his own bad decisions, the deception of continuing to be Bernard when he could see she was torn between what she thought were two different men. And that was a more frightening prospect to face than any super-powered hero or villain. He swallowed and whispered barely loud enough to be heard, "Roxanne... I love you..."

She didn't move, didn't say anything, and he ventured to look up at her. She was asleep. With a sigh, he nuzzled against her and closed his eyes, determined to hang onto what he had for now.