Hello, my minions.

The time has arrived. Time for the 36th and final chapter of Bleu Leather. Shiriter, bring your bag of popcorn. Mysterious, strap yourself in for the extra-long chapter that will leave you begging for the next part! BE PREPARED! AND ENJOY!

Chapter 36

They arrived back at the house in mid-afternoon and walked in on the smell of aloe and lavender. The scent was oblivious to three-fourths of them, whom had an image seared right into their brains that was not budging for quite some time. And it was… disturbing.

Tigurr was positively disgusted, and still ranting and raving about the "eye torture" he had just been put through.

"-I mean that… that was dirty dancing! I cannot believe you did it in front of guys no less! And I think you were intentionally swaying your hips for those five minutes straight. But—"

"Ok, seriously, shut the heck up, kitty", Skritch finally said, slapping his hand over his jabbering mouth, silencing the purple man. "It was all in fun, and you're acting like I murdered someone."

"FYI, you were about to do worse to me yesterday."

The daggers that shot out of his intense blue eyes almost killed Tigurr, and he shut up once and for all.

"Great! Cleaned up and returned to the house! Now we can go", a voice rang out. The person to whom it belonged to came gracefully bounding down the stairs.

The clothes she worse now breathed absolute authority, unlike before, when they had been a gag. Megan now sported a leather vest, almost like a shell surrounding her chest, securing her vital organs. Underneath was a shirt that was made of light but durable charteruse cotton, and then below was a utility belt like Kaitoia's, Tigurr's, and Eboni's that held her valuable tools. Then that led to faded brown trousers that went to the knee before they were perfectly tucked into boots with a thick black heel and laces that went from the top to the precipice of the flawless pointed toe.

They all realized they wore similar clothing, but there were differentiating characteristics about each, like how Aidan still had his signature trench coat, only harder-armored around his torso.

But then after Megamind was finished observing, a stupidly late thought came to mind.

"Why exactly did we go down to the lake? Or leave the house at all? Annabelle could have just dry-cleaned us all and then made the clothing appear in under a minute."

Megan looked unfazed by this. "She needs to save up her energy, because believe it or not, those spells take a lot of your reserves out if they're used in large numbers."

"But only one water pipe works in here."

"We all worked together to produce water that showered over one person. That's why we needed privacy."

"But you could have gone down to the lake with us", Skritch countered.

"No, we couldn't have, because then you'd be a pervert about it!" Megan exploded. Skritch had shattered her good mood. That was a cocky thing to do around these parts. She held her muderous gaze at him and breathed heavily out of her nose for good measure, like a bull about to charge. Skritch drew back just the merest bit.

"Megan, don't let bother you. You need to keep cool for tonight." Annabelle came down the stairs, following her friends and placing a calming hand on her strong shoulder. She wore Megan's exact costume, except with more teal and gold accents in it, and of course her helm that had been on her head before. The wings on the sides glittered like new, reflecting the objects around her in the metal. Her purplish lips were perfect and supple, and her hair resembling the exact consitency of heavy whipping cream, yet it bounced up and down lightly as she moved.

"God, by the way, how long do you plan on keeping that eyeshadow on? I haven't seen you without it."

Skritch darted off the floor and said in Annabelle's face, "Forever!"

"You'll have to take it off sometime."

"Well, I made a pact with myself. No one sees me without eye makeup if I can help it, and that's that."

"Ha ha, let's see you just try to do that for a few more days, Gothy Face."

"Yeah. Let's see."

"Knock it off!" Megan scolded, pushing the two apart. "He can do what he wants with his face…" In the next few minutes, the other girls and two women came rushing down the stairs clothed in almost identical outfits to everyone else's. Megamind followed Roxanne with his eyes as she came down clothed in the tight vest and boots. They looked good. No, more than good… she looked beautiful in her war outfit.

They met eyes and shared a shy grin.

"Hey aliens", Eboni called out. She stood in front of the three who had just entered and grinned at them, shaking her head. "That was s'me bold stuff y' did back in th' lake. Bu' Skritch? Y' would've kept your audience's attention better if you h'd some clothes on during d'ncing."

"Oh please, it wasn't like some desperate stalker would pop out of the woods and jump me."

Kaitoia paced towards her brother, Vixen in her arms, and handed him his Staff, which he slid safely in the sheath that was attatched to his back. She leaned against him for a moment.

"And that is what happens when we let guys take a bath together in a mermaid lake full of rocks", she muttered in his ear, causing him to laugh.

"Okay! Everyone is gathered, and now we can go", Megan announced. "Move out!"

All the Rebels filed out the front door. Some threw one last glance at the building, missing it slightly, since they all knew they probably wouldn't ever stay inside it together again. It had been their only safe haven for a while. Now was their final night of laying low, their final night of plotting and checking and waiting and watching. Tommorrow there would be tense inactivity until someone made the first move to trigger an all-out battle to the death of one side or the other. Good wins, or evil wins. Mortals fall, or humans remain oblivious to the fact that they themselves thread the immortal realms together all on their own so both races thrive and go about their days, ignorance in bloom.

And now was the time to enjoy these last moments while they could be enjoyed.

Through the overcast, Megamind saw the sun set over the scraggly tree boneyard that was once a lush and fragrant garden before Narcissa had started foreshadowing her wrath. It would be dark night soon; maybe in a couple hours. That would be when the nocturnal creatures reigned.

"Gather in a circle, everyone. Riiiiight… here", Megan instructed. She led everybody over to a patch of particularly gnarled trees that trailed of into the distance with more sordid and twisted boughs, like a mining tunnel with no light.

"Around the tree… and then link together by holding hands."

Tigurr made sure to not wind up next to Skritch and scampered over as close as he could get to Kaitoia, trying not to catch the eye of Megamind, who grasped her other hand. Roxanne, of course, was on his other side. All made a ring around the ugly tree, and then Megan gave out further instructions.

"Now, for the place to open up for us, we need to each confirm we are Rebels and not spies or intruders. For that, we need to extract a thought strand from our heads and gather them all in the tree bark."

Skritch opened an eye. "How'll we do that?"

"In the past, I've always used the Staff, but now that it's linked with Megamind, it'll be his job", Kaitoia explained. She let go of his hand momentarily, and so did Roxane so he could do the task properly, until her drew the stick out from the sheath on his back only to hold it in his hands without a clue what to do.

"Er… Kaitoi—"

"It's simple, Syx. Just concentrate will your whole head, and as soon as you extract some of your thoughts, it'll extract everyone else's if our hands are connected to yours. Quite like a circuit, actually." She paused for a spell. "Everyone ready? Have a thought prepared?"

"Yes", the circle replied at once.

"Alright. Take it away", Kaitoia grinned at Megamind.

He experimentally placed the sphere to his forehead, guessing it might make it easier. Through his closed eyelids, he could tell that the orb was accumulating an icy blue glow that was striked through with forks of wintry white like lightning in a small blizzard.

Megamind thought of something—just something small and sweet, and immediately underwent a sensation of what felt like tiny wires integrated in his temples. It only lasted a second before they left.

He grabbed Roxanne's and Kaitoia's hands in his, and the Staff lifted in the air all on it's own. Spiderwebs of blue light strands burst through the glass orb and two each connected briefly to everyone's temples, where what seemed like their thoughts traveled through the connections until they were meshed together at the top of the sphere; just a little ball of frosty light.

The strands retracted. The Staff fell into Megamind's waiting hands, and what was left was the ball of light hovering in front of his nose for a few seconds before it moved. It darted once around the tree, and then dove into a twisted knothole, where it disappeared.

Then exploded.

Radiance shone through the cracks in the bark, and there was a loud, skeeeoww! And the tree wasn't there any longer. In its place was a rectangular opening in the ground that had a friendly, dim glow coming from inside, and slightly weathered stairs that led down inside in a spiral.

Megan was the first one down, and then the others followed, some eagerly and some hesitantly. Kaitoia sidled up against her brother and Roxanne, and being careful not to trip over Vixen, led them lower into the ground until it seemed to slide shut behind them, leaving a staircase that led up to nowhere. Megamind would worry about getting out later.

"What is this?" he asked, curiousity almost killing him now. He looked up at his sister hopefully.

"You'll see once we get all the way down… and… look."

The smell that greeted them was warm and sweet, like root beer, and to his slight surprise, he heard people talking, laughing; even dancing.

Well, not exactly people. Creatures like the Rebels.

They were all having one big celebration right under here in what looked like a pub with non-alcoholic drinks. Instead of stuff that would drunken them, especially for the younger ones, they all drank either apple cider or root beer like most of the place smelled, and seemed to love every drop. There were some creatures playing darts, or even at pool tables, getting competitive. Some chatted, some disputed, some talked about war, and some were just lounging alone, enjoying their beverage.

"Exclusive underground club-slash-hideout", Roxanne said aloud. "I like it."

"Yep. Since this is the last night before we have to really battle to the bone, we always gather down here to discuss it in person, and have a little fun while we're at it. But all the rebels in here are just a fraction of what the Dissent has accumulated as armies that will help us attack tommorrow. They are in their own places, guarded by gargoyles. Those guys also guard around here, too, in case Narcissa sabotages the place, but she's never discovered it because we move it each year."

"Clever!" Megamind exclaimed. "So far, I'm liking what we have to do here."

"Ho, brother, you have not even seen the half of it yet." She made sure not to go into a sullen undertone to signify that tommorrow was underway, but instead just gave him a sort of light warning. Then she trailed behind the Rebels as they made it past the crowds, who parted for them with glee, clapping as they went by. Some strode by with straight faces. Some smiled. Skritch swaggered. Kaitoia caught up and waved a bit, and then Roxanne, and then-

The entire room seemed to have run out of breath as soon as they saw Megamind, or more specifically, the Staff he had still cradled in his arms. A pool ball clunked into a hole and rolled down on the wood, which was a loud noise against the silence that had suddenly choked everyone.

And then to Megamind's surprise and slight discomfort, almost all got down on one knee, bowing to… him. The others that didn't bow looked at him and let their mouths hang agape in wonder. Some got the courage to run up to him and touch his shoulder as if they couldn't believe he was a physical being and not an illusion.

He glanced at his artifact, which had started to glow a bit and pulsate in his palm as if it enjoyed the attention. He glanced all around him with uncertainty at the people and creatures still staring right at him.

"What…"

"You have come to help all of us!" Someone called out from the left side of the room. "I sense that raw power!"

"W-who said that?" Megamind demanded, cursing himself when his voice wavered.

Some of the crowd stepped aside as someone else stepped through, towards the bewildered blue geniuswith the magic stick. As he pushed through the tightly packed audience, he muttered something about how flabbergasted tree sprites could get, and then Megamind had to look up about one more foot just to see the man's face.

He was very tall. Very gangly. A thick carpet of wavy shag hair the color of oil covered nearly his entire face, and what he could see of it were sunken cheekbones, very pale skin, and one of two eyes that was colored like a silver stormcloud. His eyebrows were thin and curved up mischeviously like Skritch's, whom, by the way, also possessed the same sharp and pointed ears. His lips were thin, rosy, and curved up in a proud smile.

The tall man seized Megamind's hand and shook it vigorously, leaving his arm feeling like it would fly off even after he had stopped making it thrash about. With a nervous smile, he hid it behind his back and tried looking the man in the eye that showed behind his hair. He could have sworn he saw a tiny fork of white lightning make a slash across his pupil.

"Stop it, Pekybhus. You're freaking him out", Kaitoia said, half-laughing as she did so.

"Oh, am I?" he asked, though Megamind couldn't tell if he was beign sarcastic or not. "Oh, bother. He'll get used to me. Everyone has. They must." He paused for a while. "Anyhow, I congratulate you, blue man, for stumbling upon our little club we have here. Were it not for someone as powerful as you to join us soon before we fought, we would have had to resort to something so much more difficult."

This time Pekybhus's eyes lit up with sincere gratitude that made Megamind untense ever so slightly. He didn't want to know what anyone would have to do without him, and he was satisfied with his choice. And the irony.

"Dad!" Someone else called from the crowds. "Dad! Who are you talking to? Why is everyone—oh."

Another pushed past everyone to side against Pekybhus. The boy looked at Megamind with wonder, a small "whoa" escaping his grey lips. He looked about fifteen or so, but the odd thing about him was that his head was shaved in a buzz cut right down one half of his scalp, and the other half hung shaggy and gleaming metallic purple in the dim light over one of his turquoise eyes. His ears were even bigger than his father's, and were heavy with piercings.

"Syx, this is Pekybhus's son, Tailor. They got kidnapped together a few years ago, and helped with some previous rebellions that existed before this one. They're elf and tree nymph hybrids, one of the rarest types of land-oriented nature spirits, which appealed to Narcissa, apperently. And—"

"We prefer to call ourselves Pine Elfs, thanks", the tall parent said stiffly. "By the way, Katie, you have quite a set of loose jaws when it comes to this magical sphere. Learn to shut up."

Megamind was about to make an indignant outburst at the elf's brusque statement, but Kaitoia held him back with a rueful expression in her eyes that changed to sarcasm when she faced Peky bhus, muttering an unenthused, "Thanks, I'll remember that…"

"Well!" The gangly elf said after a moment of silence, clapping his skinny hands and rubbing them together. "Welcome, Syx. Welcome indeed. All of you, make yourselves at home and strike up a conversation! Meetings with the three head rebellions in half an hour. In the meantime, why don't you all grab some cider? Root beer?"

"Cider sounds nice", Tigurr piped up quietly.

"Cider it is, then!" Pekybhus announced.

"Tonight is the night, and tomorrow will be the day! Everyone! ENJOY IT!"

The entire pub resounded with ecstatic cheers as the occupants returned to all their activities gleefully, while others still hung around the Rebels, particularly Megamind. He greeted them a little stiffly, as it reminded him of when he had first become a hero and all the fans that came with the duty. All he wanted was to have a private talk with Roxanne for a bit, and talk war with the Rebels if he had to. Later he might warm up to the festivities, but for now he felt rather antisocial.

As he finished up shaking hands with a dryad, he still saw Tailor the Pine Elf looking on at him wistfully.

What was it about him?

What a wild animal. Complete wild animal. Already, he had made out with a few dozen nature sprites that promised him a kiss if he could catch them, and what did he do? Caught every one of them. Kaitoia had commented that no satyr had ever been able to do that, much less a creature who wasn't natively devoted to nature, such as Skritch. But here he was, kissing a brunette one until she was intoxicated; drunk with how his lips had moved so skillfully against her dainty little mouth, and when he pulled away, he almost made sure to leave a gleaming little strand of saliva between them for effect.

Then they went separate ways and Skritch went off to chase another sprite. How perfectly typical. The jerk.

Megamind rolled his eyes at the post-Addiku alien as he scurried past, intent on catching a maiden with slender legs and laurels in her hair. Not long after they had run by him did the sprite get caught by her thin hips and whirled into the air, only to be drawn into another simmering kiss on Skritch's busy little lips.

He ignored his obnoxious clone and sipped up some more apple cider, which he had requested to be heated up and fizzy. That always made it taste better. He could feel it in his mouth and going down his throat, prickly and sweet and delicious.

Just like Roxanne.

They sat across from each other, Megamind intent on making things a little less tense. What was on his mind now was the deal with the promise they had made in bed a couple nights ago. That if he died, he died. No questions asked. That he deserved to die, since he was one of the most important pawns in this game of gory chess, being the one with the power to shut Narcissa down once and for all. The task intimidated him, and there would be a strong possibility of death, but…

Something didn't seem right with the promise.

Megamind's toxic green eyes looked beseeching. Roxanne noticed the nuance in his expression immediately. In fact, she had the same topic on her mind at the moment.

"Roxanne…"

"The promise."

"Yes. I wanted to talk about that to you. Something doesn't seem… quite right."

Roxanne heard him out.

Megamind sighed through his nose. "The pact was that you would let me die if I was in danger of dying. And I know that seemed appropriate at the time I made the decision, but now I realize that might not be very fair to you. Does it make you feel… I don't know… selfish?"

"I thought you would never ask, Space Boy", Roxanne said with gusto. "That has been bugging me since yesterday. I'm glad you realized. It's been making me feel like I'm taking a victory of living while you get beaten to a pulp, or worse."

Megamind shuddered a little at the thought of getting whipped or grasped in the tentacles of a monster. "To tell you the truth, I've gotten a little more courageous. Before I turned Jhonny into—"

Skritch bolted past again, guzzling down root beer that was crackling with electricity while waving around a pool stick.

"—him, I was petrified at the thought of going into these grave matters like this, with only magic I had learned that I posessed several days ago. Now the thought of dying in battle sickens me. After all, I won't be alone, but I suppose I am crucial in all this after all, aren't I?"

"From what I've picked up, the Earth might as well split in half without you", Roxanne replied. "Not that I'm pinning the weight of it all on your shoulders. You will have help. Depends on how big those rebel armies are if we get to see them tomorrow. Plus, I believe in you. Remember how you were scared of facing Titan and then you abandoned me to go back to your jail cell?"

Megamind inhaled and prepared for a rebuttal, but realized he had abandoned her when he did that. Described it perfectly. He had been terrified. The only thing that made him gather bravery was the fact that Roxanne was tied to the top of a tilting Metro Tower, that Minion had come back for him after all that he'd done to the poor henchfish, and that Titan was his creation. He made him into what was to be a hero, and it was his responsibility to revoke him of the powers if he used them wrongly. Simple as that. Once he had done that, the feeling of being appreciated and doing something right made him officially good and gradually stripped of his villainous insecurities. It was the right thing to do good, and after he had beaten Titan like so…

"I can do anything."

Roxanne grinned. She had been watching the gears in his head turn all this time. If he thought, he didn't take offense. He had gotten good at admitting his mistakes… quietly.

Was it her plan to mak him think like this? To elighten him? If so, then she was… a genius. He admired her for that, for being the smartest person he knew, besides himself of course. He was glad he thought before getting indignant.

"Which means I should strive for both of us… I could never bear to lose you not even in death, even if we followed each other into it. That promise needs to be redone, do we agree?"

"Yes."

"Alright then", Megamind sad, inching a bit closer to Roxanne so his hand was laid across the top of hers. "I promise to keep both of us safe. If we survived Titan, we can survive this. If I die, you die soon as well. You don't have to go through that, and I don't want this connection we have to feel like a burden because I'm an alien." His eyes had become even more rounded and vulnerable as he spoke, which started to jab at Roxanne's heart with their intensity. She couldn't say no. She didn't even want to. Unlike she had expected, she was absolutely fine with the connection.

She was currently in he process of unearthing new feelings for this brilliant alien.

"It's not a burden. In fact, it makes me feel really… special. I promise."

Before either of them knew what they were doing, Megamind's lips suddenly met hers in a gentle, loving kiss so full of tenderness it made their pulses quicken a little. She tasted of the cider, sugary and fizzy and sweet. It made him deepen the kiss just a little. That cider was so good…

A booming voice jolted him apart from his girlfriend and sent a shudder up his vertebrae.

"Well! I didn't know you had a girlfriend! You could have introduced me to her!"

Pekybhus now stood by Roxanne with a bony arm draped around her shoulders. That thing was long. It reached all the way to her leg. She hastily pushed it away and eyed Megamind ruefully.

"I'm Roxanne Ritchi. Nice to meet you…"

The elf took a closer look at the reporter, inspecting her face closely so she got a whiff of his breath that smelled of a Christmas tree. "Why, it's a human! A mere mortal. Congrats on being the first one to join this rebellion. I wonder why Narcissa kidnapped—"

Pekybhus suddenly stopped in midsentence as a seldom look of fright crossed his tight face. Whoops. His mouth had slipped. He knew the carnal dangers of Narcissa like any other who had been around long enough to know her.

"…A-anyhow, I hope your lady friend here has gotten used to all the… surprises that lurk around here. You really have to be desensitized to…"

The tall elf's attention seemed to be drifting away fast. "Um… you know, the meetings are starting. You better gather around in the Rebel's room. Especially you, um… Syx, is it? Yes. Both of you, scoot along."

Megamind and Roxanne hopped out of their barstools and looked to where the others were going. Many of the creatures were filing into separate rooms while some remained outisde, but most went in the private rooms. The two soon caught up with Tigurr with a cider mug in hand, who looked over at them and motioned for them to get inside.

Megamind's hand brushed against Roxanne's as they walked inside, silently saying, Don't you wish the elf hadn't killed the moment? Roxanne spoke back a yeah with her eyes. They broke off and looked at the room they were in.

It was compact, but spacious at the same time. The ceilings were low, and a few lamps emanated soft yellow light, casting eerie shadowws on the wooden floor. There were bunkers that lined the walls in one section of the room, and in the other section was a small desk with an oil lamp. Accompanying it were several chairs.

Skritch scurried up one of the beds and settled there, looking over everyone else. Tigurr sat in a wooden chair, clutching his mug and taking sips from it. Soon, everyone was seated and then conversation began.

"Okay", Megan begane darkly. "I know you're all having a great time, but there are matters that need to be discussed, as you all know. This night that comes before we battled head-to-head has been traditional for a century. And as always, we have a little bit of fun, but we can't go without one more session of planning the final plans if we're heading out to do the dirty work tommorow. Just giving things a once-over. Never can be too safe, really."

Eckere leaned back in an armchair, guzzling down her fifth mug of root beer with gusto.

"Hollld… on…" she said between gulps.

She slammed the mug down on the desk beside her. "Now talk."

"Okay. I know the Dissent and the Retaliation are in line. I spent all day going over every detail. Now I just need to have a mental checklist in order." She pointed over to Kaitoia.

"Katie! Got your nunchakus prepped, and remember your katana skills too?"

"Of course. To forget would be impossible."

"You never told me you knew how to use a katana", Megamind said flatly.

"Learn something new every day."

"Skritch and Tigurr? Have enough endurance to fight? This is the real deal we're talking about here, and Tigurr's just been the messenger here… plus Skritch was born yesterday."

"We'll be fine", the aliens replied in unison. "Skritch has his powers, and I'm getting past that cowardly state of mind I had when I was terrified. Controlling these instincts is not that hard!" Tigurr said, and after taking another slurp of cider, grinned a cute grin.

"Great. Peachy. Eboni and Aidan, no more undercover little expeditions that put others in danger, even if it's for an important cause. One more time without warning, and you'll have to regain my trust. Clear?"

"Swear on the symbol on my shirt", Aidan said.

" 'f course, Meg", Eboni mumbled.

"And then Eckere and Annabelle. Even though Eckere is a little glitchy, you two are the ones I trust the most, though I am not playing favorites. Eckere will help issue all the weapons we need, in addition to other creatures that will assist in that. Annabelle, grab your diary from the storage space of yours tomorrow, and we'll be suited for success."

Annabelle forced a smile, which was almost painful as a steaming hunk of metal dropped through her stomach. She couldn't confess. Not now. Maybe she could wait… sneak out from battle… steal the diary away from Narcissa. Something. Something desperate that would make everyone forgive her for all the wrong she'd done. Maybe they wouldn't, but maybe there was some hope.

"Vixen, you're our slick little spy. Still as agile as ever? Good with a machete, probably even better than Jhonny?"

Vixen hopped down from Kaitoia's lap with a cocky sneer. "The jewel-encrusted one I fancy the most. I wish Katie had an identical one… but they are awfully hard to craft, I know." The cat propped herself against her mistress's calf and sighed. Kaitoia petted the red fur on her head.

"And last of all, Megamind", Megan said, trying not to let her tone go too grave. "You need as much energy and mojo as you can muster for tomorrow. The war may last days or weeks, even. The shortest one we've ever had is one that lasted one day. You up to it?"

Instead of feeling belittled by it all, his eyes returned with their familiar heroic glimmer that hadn't been seen for quite a while with how much he'd been wilting under pressure. The fact that Minion was in Narcissa's clutches, and that he'd be battling in full-combat mode no sooner than tomorrow… he would find a way to cope with that and save Minion while he was at it. He just didn't need to think about how terrifying and gruesome it would turn.

"Yes. I'll do what I can. Sordid attitudes have been encumbering me for almost all the time I've been here."

"Yes, I know", Annabelle mused. "Even the most cheerful person can turn gloomy if they enter these parts. It's what Narcissa uses to discourage powerful magic."

"Funny tactic, but that won't be working on me anymore", Megamind said, shaking a finger mischeviously. "Not if I can help it. Even if I have to stick on a fake smile, I'll do it."

Megan became slightly less stiff and grinned at her valuable blue alien. " 'Atta boy."

They were about to end the once-over with one more small conversation concerning how everyone's magic was holding up, but suddenly Eboni cringed a bit when she felt her communicator vibrate in her belt. All eyes turned on her as she drew it out, the device shaking in her hand.

"Prob'ly s'mething I should take m'self", she declared. She lef with a flourish out of the room and into somewhere separate where the others would be out of earshot. Where everyone would be out of earshot. The vampire left swiftly: almost too swiftly.

Megamind noticed this. How many times she had done it.

"Anyway, as I was about to say, and I think we should tell Eboni when she returns—"

"Megan?" Megamind cut in. "I think I'll go out and get some more cider for Tigurr. He's running empty. Want more, cat?"

"What are you talking about? My mug is half—"

Megamind's arm jutted out and knocked the mug out of his hands, sending it flying to the ground with a loud clatter.

"—full."

Megamind tried not to let the stunned silence in the room spread too much. "I'll get you a new mug right away. I know how yummy that stuff is." He masked his urgency with a considerated grin and hurried out the door, shutting it behind him.

He was once again exposed to the milling crowds and people having dartboard contests, a few stragglers occasionally coming up to him to wave hello. He waved back, but with a bitter smile, since he had an increasing suspision about something he could not place.

Was it about Eboni?

What he wanted to know was why she kept dashing off whenever she received a call. She couldn't just answer it in front of everyone? What was the harm if the was calling another rebel?

As he weaved in and out of the chatting creatures, he glimpsed a snatch of tousled black-and-silver hair disappear as soon as it came into view, behind a female satyr. He followed it at once, dodging the chatterbox Pekybhus and his son while he was at it.

Megamind went on following Eboni until they reached an unfamiliar corridor where the people diminished and cold air began. Almost as if the whole place were unfinished. Her footfalls became easier to hear.

Soon they were the only two in the vicinity. Megamind knew one little slip could easily give him away to what he was trying to observe. He evolved into tiptoeing until that was too risky,too, and came to the conclusion that she had to come into the desired room sooner or later.

Eboni veered off into another passage. Megamind braced himself on a wall that was more dirt than wood. These parts were most definitely incomplete. From that point on, the ground was solid packed earth.

A few more strides, and he heard a door slam at last. Then he heard talking.

He heard two voices, both female.

One voice…

One… voice…

Megamind bit back a howl. He was going in to investigate, like it or not.

As he paced softly around the wall and into the dark hall, the unfamiliar voice became louder and suddenly much easier to identify.

So much…

Eeeeeasier.

Megamind's forehead had broken out in a cold sweat once he stood face to face with the door. His hands felt sticky inside his gloves. He could hardly bring his muscles, any cell in his body to grasp the doorknob and open the door.

The Staff seemed as petrified into silence as he was. The purple smoke was dissolving into the wood of the stick, leaving a gaping, hollow glass orb with ternished golden snakes coiling around it.

His arm quaked in his terror as he made a desperate grab for the round knob, fearing it would slip through his fingers with how humid it was in the pelted gloves. His eye twitched when he heard… he heard…

Good god.

"Eboni, you have done well. I'll make sure you get a round with speaking from this manuscript, this… diary. The cloudsprite's journal. Amazing."

He wouldn't succumb with swinging the door open as his fear changed to rage. Rage that bubbled… boiled dangerously.. was about to breach…

The surface.

All on its own, the Staff leapt out of his rattling hand and spun in the air gracefully before giving off an intense, hot glow from its core, smoke reforming into an ugly face, and then the door was blasted to splinters as he stood before the vampire herself, litte miss Goody-Two-Boots. The last shred of wood bounced at her frozen feet. He skin was almost translucent with how much she had paled with utter shock as she stood in a twisted, immobile pose so still she looked no different than an alarmed, timorous stone statue created by Medusa the gorgon.

The eyes of poison green shrunk as the image from her communicator gave an outraged gasp, and shimmered away into nothing but choking silence.

Nar…

Ciss…

A.

It clattered to the ground.

Megamind almost blacked out.

What did we have here?

"A… dirty… traitor…"

Eboni did nothing else but let her last little guttural scream slip past her throat.

"Victorian."

So the vampire failed at hiding her secret.

The alien has just found out.

Disbelieveing eyes witnessing the worst.

She'll be shunned away soon, without doubt.

From this point things spiraled downward

Into a seething morass of tragedy.

I should know, for I have seen it.

Bodies turning raggedy.

Evil at its best

Consuming the whole West

Heroes dying

Twisted screams flying

Who will have the last dying breath?

Do you know?

Finis

We... are... done.

YES! AFTER TEN LONG MONTHS! AND IT'S NOT EVEN OVER! *EYE TWITCH* my nephew is crying for real right now. HEHE. HE. HE...

But I will not be posting this story as complete just yet. I'm currently working surgery on the beginning chapters, which need MAJOR revision. I think the crappy writing there is what turned people off to this story. Plus, the poem at the end was an afterthought, and I added one to the start as well, which means I will repost some chapters with corrected spelling and better words.

Dining Tables Tacked to Ferris Wheels should be coming in about two weeks. Until then...

Hope you enjoyed :)

(P.S. I have a short little post-BL story I'm writing to tide you guys over because I could not get the concept outta my head XD Ta! :D)