Was he…imagining things? Did Dru accidentally knock him unconscious, leading to a semi-realistic dream, or did his wife look…different? Not in an insulting way, but her beloved turquoise coat was black, and her scarf covered in grey spots instead of pink. And the gun in her hands, where the heck did she find that? That was one of Nefario's most dangerous weapons, hidden directly at the top of the weapon wall, poised in her hands.

"Wha…" Gru scrambled for his freeze ray, pocketing it, "Lucy?"

Lucy perched one foot on a nearby crate. "That's right."

Her heel crashed through the crate, making her tumble forward. She gasped, jumping back up and brushing splinters off her coat. She grinned, "But, you can refer to me as Wicked Wilde. I just made that up on the spot, pretty evil right?"

Gru's mouth was open for so long that she had to shut it herself. He wasn't sure what to start. "What…what is going on?"

"You're not gonna believe it, but…" Lucy rubbed her palms together with a mischievous grin, before doing a little leap on the spot. "I'm a villain!"

He took a moment to register the words. The outfit change. The attempted cunning quirk in her eyebrow as she smirked. And then, without thinking, Gru let out a chuckle. He couldn't help it, finding the whole scenario adorable. His hand soon flew across his mouth, noticing Lucy's pout.

"I, uh, heh…" Gru pushed down his laughter, taking her hand with a sympathetic smile. "Sweetie…that's very cute. I wouldn't say black is your colour as much as blue, but you do look beautiful."

Lucy shook her head. "No, no. I really am a villain now!"

"Villains know other villains, and dark clothes won't do anything," Gru insisted.

"Well I could change into my regular clothes and I'll still be a villain," Lucy smirked.

At this point, Lucy would've double-downed on laughter and finally admitted her attempted joke. She wasn't one for pranks like her cunning daughter, Edith. Every time she tried, she'd giggle uncontrollably.

None of that was here. Gru's smile faded. "I'm not sure I'm catching the joke…"

"It's no joke!" Lucy tugged on the end of his scarf, "We'll go steal something right now, c'mon!"

Nearby, Stuart the Minion trundled along with a party blower sticking out of his mouth. Lucy knelt down to his height. "Hey, you want some bananas?"

With dilated pupils, Stuart grinned, "Banana…"

It took him a moment to take her seriously, as she dashed for the lab elevator. Gru reluctantly followed, head tilted. "Wait…you're not serious?"

Nodding, Lucy punched the button. "You gonna join or are you gonna try and stop me?" she wiggled her eyebrows, before the elevator shot up towards the house.

Okay, it's not a joke.

"Lucy!" Gru yelled after her, running towards the emergency staircase. It wasn't his preferred method, but after multiple instances of the Minions hogging the elevator, Gru had no choice but to install it.

The issue? Once he reached the top, he sat on the step, struggling to catch his breath. He wiped his forehead, but not without catching his wife speeding past him. Scrambling to his feet, Gru chased after her.

With a joyous grin, Lucy ran through the hallway. Her excitement couldn't stop her from barging into her brother-in-law, who smiled at her presence.

"Ah, you're back!" Dru cheered, mid-chew in his umpteenth slice of cake, "Did you give that villain a tasty side order of kick-ass?"

"Dru!" Lucy grabbed his shoulders, "You want anything from the store? I'm gonna steal it."

Dru blinked once. Blinked twice. Then, after he dropped his cake, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Whaaaaaat?!"

With an eager grin, Lucy made a break for it, leaving Dru dazed and most of all…puzzled. He turned, watching her leave. "Who…who are you and what have you done to my sister-in-law?"

Beside him, Gru rested his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "She won't be stealing anything," Gru clarified, before continuing to chase his wife, "Lucy!"

Lucy raced past the living room, before peeking back into the room. Her eyes lit up. The girls!

They all settled in the living room, indulging in their own activities. Margo eagerly watched the most recent episode of her favourite murder mystery series. Edith sat beside her, grinning at the karate manga novel she received for her birthday, whilst Agnes frolicked around the room, trying on different princess gowns.

About to break the peace with her thrilling news, something held Lucy back. Maybe…don't tell the girls, a voice in Lucy's head advised. With slight reluctance, she nodded to herself.

"Lucy, stop!" Gru's voice made her jerk.

Chuckling, Lucy headed towards the front door with Gru in tow. Briefly glancing at their parents, Margo and Edith shrugged before returning to their usual activities.

Peeking over the couch, Agnes tilted her head. "Are Mom and Dad okay?"

"They're probably just flirting again," Edith replied, eyes glued to her book, before she shuddered and stuck out her tongue, "gross."

"Edith," Margo rolled her eyes, "they love each other."

"Yeah!" Agnes agreed, before holding her hands to her heart, "I can't wait to be in love!"

Edith scoffed, "I can. The only thing I'm in love with is my ninja stuff."


The Mini Mart. 9:30pm. Edging towards closing hours. The workers, exhausted, aching and overworked, watched as each minute passed like a ticking time bomb. A few late and drunk customers irritated them, but at least there wasn't a rush.

Before one particular super agent - no, super villain - slid into the store. Lipstick taser poised, Lucy crept around the store. "Alright, hands in the air!"

Gasping and dropping their bags, the customers obeyed. Lucy hummed to herself. "Sounds so weird saying that, but it feels really good," she twisted her lips, "Or really bad, hm."

A tap on the shoulder made Lucy pounce the other direction, pointing the taser at the shop's manager. With a smug scoff, he stepped closer. "Hey, sweetface, enough with the show and step outside."

Unintimidated by his effort, Lucy shot him with the taser. He screamed, "OW!" as his limbs jiggled and sparkled like Christmas lights. Once he collapsed, Lucy exchanged her weapon for her trusty flamethrower, advancing on the shop assistant serving behind the till. She gasped, throwing her hands up in the air.

"C'mon, have I gotta say the cliché robber phrases?" Lucy pulled the trigger, a large flame erupting from the barrel. The shop assistant shrieked, ducking behind the desk. "You know what to do."

"But-"

"I've got plenty of phrases up my sleeve," Lucy threatened. Though, she looked more like a dark-coloured cupcake trying to threaten others.

"But, you didn't say what you wanted," the shop assistant murmured.

"Oh!" Lucy lowered her flamethrower, wincing. Whoops, that's embarrassing.

"Lucy!"

Finally catching up behind her, Gru slammed down a few packets of twizzlers with the correct change. He lay his hands on Lucy's shoulders, giving the attendants of the shop an embarrassed grin. "I apologise, my wife only wanted these."

"Gru!" Lucy tried cutting in.

"Keep the change," he added, before escorting his wife out of the store.

Once they were outside, Lucy slipped away from his grip. "What are you doing?"

"Wha–" Gru stammered, "What am I doing? What are you doing?"

"Robbing the store," Lucy answered, somehow expecting him to understand.

But, of course, he didn't. Lucy Wilde, the purest and most lawful good person he'd ever met, wouldn't just steal. "How can you say that so calmly? You're an agent, a good guy, remember?"

He gently placed the packet of twizzlers in her hand, hoping she'd snap out of whatever was going on.

"I was," she winked, "besides, this is just for a day, what's the worst that can happen?"

Gru tilted his head. "What do you mean for a day?"

"That's what Nefario told me," Lucy shrugged, opening the packet of candy.

Inhaling, Gru felt his frustration bubble inside his chest. "Nefario did this?"

"Yep!" Lucy beamed, grabbing his hands, "He's got this cool Villainization Ray, and it worked like a charm!"

Villainization Ray. Gru rolled his eyes. Nothing shocked him when it came to Nefario's range of bizarre weaponry. But, turning his wife into a villain? He'd be having words later. Before he could ask further - more specifically, why she'd even consent to this happening, Lucy grew distracted again.

"No freaking way," Lucy circled around a fancy red car, almost exploding from excitement when she finally realised, "this is Da Vinci's car!"

Gru glanced around. He scoffed, spotting her sitting in a laundromat hogging five different machines. "Weird seeing her out of work," Gru scoffed.

SMASH!

Flinching, Gru whipped his head around. Lucy found a rock large enough to smash the driver's window, managing to unlock the door. "That's for firing my man," Lucy clarified.

She munched on a twizzler as she smashed the side-mirror off its hinges. "That's for calling me childish."

Feeling his limbs freeze, Gru tried tugging her away. "No, no, no!"

Lucy scrambled out of his grip, jumping into the driver's seat. Her eyes lit up, spotting the keys inside the middle compartment. "What an idiot."

Jiggling the key into the ignition, Lucy laughed as the car kicked into gear. The headlights shone inside the laundromat, alerting Da Vinci inside. It took her a moment to realise…

"Hey!" her scream was inaudible from inside, but Gru could make out, "that's my car! "

Gru clasped both sides of his head. "We're dead. Lucy!"

Grabbing his arm, Lucy dragged her husband into the seat beside her. Toggling the gear stick into reverse, Lucy stamped on the gas. "Let's bolt!"

Gru screamed as the car shot backward. He ducked as Da Vinci stormed out of the laundromat, but the car soared away just before she caught a good glimpse of Lucy.

"Stop, hooligans!" Valerie screamed, running after them.

Glancing behind, Lucy laughed, "Let's see how fast she can run."

Gru grabbed the headrest. "Let's not- "

SCREECH!

Whirling the steering wheel, the car skidded around the block. They lost sight of Valerie…until she slowly emerged behind in a moped. She was off-duty, but always wore a tactical belt with low-key weapons. She whipped out a BB gun, the best she could do - until she could use the pepper spray - firing at the car.

PEW! PEW!

Gru gasped, digging the back of his head into the seat. Lucy gasped, dodging the bullets yet smashing into a couple of parked bicycles. She glanced back, cackling. Now, they'd experienced many car chases beforehand - but Lucy was always safe, in the right mind, and always had a plan. But at this moment, she was driving so recklessly that Gru doubted her for a moment.

"She's seriously shooting at her own car?" Lucy scoffed.

"Just park the car somewhere and let's get out of here," Gru's chest thumped. And then we'll switch you back to the Lucy that doesn't crash into multiple bicycles, he thought, please.

Lucy gave a smug smile. "Good idea. I've got other plans."

Gru whirled his head around. "Other plans?"

She stomped on the gas, soaring through a busy road with parked cars specked everywhere. Gru clutched the dashboard with a notorious grip. Sliding in between two cars, Lucy jumped out of the vehicle. In a frenzy, Gru yanked the door handle multiple times, before simply pressing the unlock button. He chased after his wife, who led him behind an apartment block.

Valerie's heels grew louder, each angry click causing each nerve to spark in Gru's body. We're dead, he thought, clenching his eyes shut. He held Lucy's hand tight, ready for the inevitable doom.

Sharply inhaling, Valerie stormed towards her car. She threw open the door, but not without a frustrated growl at the broken windshield. Gru peeked past the corner, watching as Valerie sat silent inside the car. Contemplating what to do. The director soon shook her head, before driving away. His heart catapulted.

Oh. My. God.

He felt Lucy tugging his shoulder. The grin returned as she smooshed her cheek against his. "That…was…awesome!"

As for Gru, his chest thumped like someone was thrashing a drum. He stared ahead, thankful that he was even alive right now.

Whatever Nefario did to Lucy, he needed to fix it. And stop whatever other ideas his wife had up her sleeve.


After a tiresome and extensive trip back home, mainly tugging Lucy away from other bursts of villainous temptations, Gru stormed straight down to the lab. Luckily, they dodged the girls before they asked suspicious questions.

With crossed arms and knitted brows, Gru glared down at Nefario. Foot tapping. The scientist gave a toothy grin. "Look on the bright side, she pulled it off."

Gru clenched his fists tighter. Nefario bowed his head.

Pacing across the room, Gru threw his hands up in the air. "How did this happen? You're gone for ten minutes and you turn my wife into a villain?"

He gestured to Lucy, who sat atop an empty crate. With perked brows, she examined a yellow weapon in her palms, almost tempted to fire it at something. Gru gently pried the weapon from her hands, placing it back on the weapon wall.

"Not to throw anyone under the bus, but I was only given the task," Nefario held his hands up in surrender.

Frowning, Gru turned to Lucy. "You asked?"

Lucy nodded, standing. "I really wanted to come to the party."

His shoulders fell. Even with the new villainous attitude, he could still see her disappointment. She really wanted to join the party so much that she turned herself into a villain?

"I don't see any reason why she can't attend," Nefario prodded.

Closing his eyes, Gru pressed his temples. He whirled around, still furious. "Don't get involved, okay? There is a perfectly good reason, and I'm not risking her getting upset."

"I doubt Lucy would let a bunch of villains mock her, Gru," Nefario crossed his arms, "I'm surprised you're not trusting her."

They rarely argued. Ever since they met during the 70s, Gru always saw Nefario as the father figure he never had. But, when Nefario had the cheek to comment on his decisions, Gru couldn't help but snap back. "I'm sorry, I forgot she's your wife."

Rolling his eyes, Nefario stopped himself before starting an argument. Even if he held the most common sense between them, he wouldn't win.

"Where is this weapon you used, anyway?" Gru asked.

Nefario hobbled over to the weapon wall, retrieving the Villainization Ray. "I was meaning to see if it still worked."

Gru facepalmed. He hoped that everything would've been such a severely stretched prank, that even Da Vinci found a way to get involved. But of course, he had a weapon for everything. Though during the years, he couldn't find a sign of a Hair-Growing Ray anywhere, much to his chagrin. "So you used my wife as your lab rat?"

"She asked."

Shaking his head, Gru turned to face Lucy again. "Alright, honey, let's shoot you back to normal before–"

He stopped. She wasn't sitting on the crate. Peering around the room, Gru searched for her. The weapon wall, the closet, everywhere. And then, the realisation dawned on him.

She's with the villains.

Gripping the ray tight, Gru jabbed a finger at Nefario before storming away. "We're going to reevaluate your weaponry vault."


Back at the Villain Party, everything was spectacularly…dull. Tina Nelson struggled to stay awake. Frankie Fishlips gurgled his sixth ocean cocktail. The others simply tried listening to Dru boast about his most recent heist, but his piercing voice could've cut their lifespan short.

"So then I broke into the shopping mall, completely invisible from the security guards," Dru frailed his hands around, standing atop a table, "all of the shops in front of me, so much to choose from!"

Though he wasn't the most patient person, Glam Slammer was thankful that Dru reached a turning point in his story. "Did you steal some fancy clothes?"

Tina shook his head. "Nah, he's definitely a jewellery person."

"Nope and nope," Dru grinned, before drum-rolling on his lap, "I stole the biggest…most valuable…"

Everyone leaned closer. Dru whipped out a large picture of a…

"Cookie!"

The villains slumped back in their seats, aggrieved. Not the world's most valuable diamond or gold sequin dress. A freaking cookie. The Black Knight glanced at his watch, desperate to leave.

Jittery from excitement, Lucy rushed into the middle of the room. She didn't know where to start or what to say. All the villains together in the same room as her, an absolute dream come true! Luckily, her subconscious convinced her not to embarrass herself, so she introduced herself with a simple, "What's up, fellow villains?"

"Lucy!" Dru cheered, hugging his sister-in-law with an eager grin, "How did your first heist go? What did you steal?"

"Nothing, but I hijacked my boss' car," Lucy winked.

Dru's jaw dropped. "You did not!"

"This is just the beginning, Dru," she gripped his wrists, "my gosh, I'm dizzy with villainous ideas. I could go and steal something from the Paradise Mall, or turn off all the monitors at the theaters. Or kick everyone's garbage bins before the trucks come tomorrow morning."

The villains burst into laughter just as Gru entered the room. He noticed Lucy staring back at them with a frown. His cheeks grew cold. No, no, no.

With a harsh chuckle, Glam Slammer crossed his arms. "Pardon me, but who may you be? Don't tell me you're a villain just like this one," he gestured to Dru.

Tina slapped his arm. "That's Gru's wife, you idiot."

Glam widened his eyes. "The agent?"

"That's me!" Lucy jabbed a thumb on her chest, "Though I'm less agent and more villain right now."

"Aha…" Gru forced a chuckle and joined the circle, lowering Lucy's wrist, "she's just joking-"

"Ah…a transitioning hero!" The Black Knight jumped in, shaking Lucy's hand, "Those are the best types of villains."

Also intrigued, Tina threw an arm around Lucy's shoulder. "Absolutely, chick. We need more female villains."

Trying to wedge his way between them, Gru shook his head, "No, no. She's not going to-"

"And to be a true, warm-blooded villain," Tina continued, "you can't just be kicking over garbage bins and calling it a day."

Lucy hummed. "How about knocking on people's doors and running? A classic."

Grabbing Lucy's shoulders, Tina sat her down at a nearby table. She glanced at the drinks across the table. Licorice alcohol? Lucy shuddered. Okay, that's one thing she can skip.

"You wanna prove yourself as a villain?" Tina threw her hands on her hips.

Lucy nodded, balling her fists in excitement. Gru gulped.

"Then, I dare you to…" Tina grinned, before tapping her lip and pacing, "uh…"

She faced the other villains, gesturing wildly. Any ideas? Everyone exchanged glances, shrugging.

"Perhaps we shouldn't prompt her," Gru finally finished a sentence without interruption, "there was just a small mistake. Lucy is an AVL agent, a good guy, not a villain."

At the mention of the AVL, Glam Slammer gasped. A lightbulb lit up as he dramatically strutted towards Lucy. She held her breath, ready for the challenge.

"If you're so bad," Glam tempted, "you would steal the most valuable possession that the AVL keeps hidden away."

Lucy's eyes lit up. Gru clenched his teeth in terror.

And if the scene couldn't get any worse, Gru heard his phone ding. He glanced at the notification center…and his entire body froze. The phone almost fell from his grip.

One Message from Director Da Vinci:

Agents Gru and Wilde. Report to my office. NOW.