Despicable Me: Down the Bloodline
(Rewritten Edition)

Hey everyone! Welcome back to one of my very first fanfictions.

If this is the first time you're reading this story, then I really hope you enjoy. A ton of time and effort has been placed into this, so hopefully, all of that has been translated into something you'll love reading. I should mention that this does have an OC, who is a pivotal character, but the majority of the content is exploring the brilliant Despicable Me family in-depth. If you love them as much as I do, then hopefully, you'll have a fun read.

However, if you've already read this story a few years ago and are wondering why it's been randomly updated, well, I've just gone through and completed a HUGE re-write. The story events and characters are basically the same bar for a few tiny alterations, but the main point was to go over each scene with a fresh coat of paint and, I believe, improve them massively. As well, as you can tell by the large increase in the word count, there are many additional scenes and extra story beats that I think have provided some more context and realism. It's almost like a whole new DTB integrated into the original.

I really love the story I managed to create back in 2017, but honestly, I couldn't read it back without absolutely cringing at how awful the writing style was and how stupid the plotline got in some places lol. Not to mention that a few characters were really OOC. So, for a long time now, I've been working on fixing that and changing things up so I can at least read it back myself and enjoy it. Hopefully, YOU will enjoy reading it a lot more too, and I haven't just completely ruined it.

Additionally, I've gone through and lessened Gru's accent, as it was previously WAY too hard to read haha. I've still given him a little bit of one in the writing, but hopefully, it isn't a bother.

Anyway, enough rambling, I seriously hope you enjoy the kind-of new Down the Bloodline. Let's get started!

Chapter One -
A Step Too Far

It was the day when Balthazar Bratt attacked Hollywood with a robot when the news came in.

One of my assistants alerted me at speed. A blonde little girl with a pink hat had been located in the island nation of Freedonia. I'd been waiting for this day for many years. Ever since we'd been separated, I'd been utilizing every method I could think of to track her down. I had been coming up empty until that moment. Unsurprisingly, I had traveled there in an instant…

That's when that 80s-obsessed idiot kidnapped her and placed her on top of the World Records building. It had been some awful timing. I cannot translate into words how anxious I was when I found out. I frantically changed course to Los Angeles, to save her before she got hurt!

A redhead, blue-adorned AVL agent got there before me.

It was from a distance that I observed the woman safely guide her and two other children away from the falling building. A short while later, they met up with the rest of their family. I assumed that she'd been adopted in the time I'd spent looking for her, as every orphanage record I could get my hands upon supported the fact that she was no longer in one.

But, realizing that she'd actually been adopted by Felonious Gru, it all made sense now.

Being an ex-villain, the man had many enemies. Me being a current villain, I understood that. He must've been utilizing some impressive methods to keep the children hidden and protected from intel gathering, hence why it was so difficult to find her. Knowing that fact, it would likely take some work to get her back. It would take some planning.

It was now a week later. That planning was complete. The intel had been gathered. It was time to make a trip to the Gru mansion.

It was time to get Edith back.

A huge collective cheer thundered its way through the lab as Phil hammered the last nail into a large, grey ray gun. The minion couldn't help but feel a rush of importance as the crowd of his yellow brethren threw themselves into the air with an all-mighty roar. Smiling with an exuberant grin, he put his fist in the air and audibly cheered along with them.

Their master, Felonious Gru, was standing right beside Phil as he hammered that last nail. He only just managed to contain his cheer, in order to retain his intimidation factor in front of the minions. However, he still found himself unconsciously hopping up and down in excitement. This was, of course, a big achievement...

A full week of non-stop research had been put into this metal giant, and he was ebullient to get it up and running. He just hoped that all this hard work hadn't been for nothing...

After a few seconds of watching the crowd of minions cheer jubilantly, the former villain shouted with a loud authoritative voice, almost instantly grabbing the attention of the entire lab.

"Okay, okay! Everyone calm down!" He exclaimed. They all turned to face him questioningly. "We do not know if it works yet!"

Just as he closed his mouth, his wife Lucy descended from the lab elevator, emerging with a tired yet quizzical expression.

"What's with all the noise!?" She rubbed her fatigued and frustrated eyes. "We can hear you upstairs!"

"Oh! Sorry, honey..." Gru shrank down under his wife's irritated glare. So much for keeping his intimidation factor; the minions couldn't help but snicker amongst themselves at his weak reply. However, it didn't take long before they were returned to obedient silence. "Hey! Shut up!"

"What's going on?" Lucy interrogated while strolling over to him. "And more importantly, why is it going on at six-thirty in the morning?"

"Oh!" Gru looked down at his digital watch. "I, uhh…did not realize it was so early. But look, we have finally finished de ray gun!"

"Ohhhh, you mean the ray gun that's been keeping you so busy the past few days...?" Lucy held a grin but still appeared frustrated, as she placed a somewhat judging hand on his shoulder. "The ray gun that's been keeping you so busy in fact, that you've been spending very little time with your own family...?"

Gru cringed a little. That was true, he hadn't spent much time out of the lab as of recent. It had only been a week since the events of Balthazar Bratt and his giant laser-firing robot. Considering that his girls were uncomfortably close to falling to their deaths, spending time with his family should probably be his number one priority...

But, even with that, this ray gun was extremely important to him. Well, it wasn't the gun itself that was important, but rather, what he and the minions had built it to do.

"Um, yesss...that ray gun." He coughed under his breath. "B-but...do yoo not know what this means!?"

"Not really..." Lucy couldn't hold back a yawn. She'd likely be more interested if it wasn't, as she'd proclaimed, 6:30 AM.

Gru immediately got a little giddy, excited to explain it.

"If our research is correct, then this ray gun has de capability of melting carbonite!" He eagerly pointed towards a pile of papers and clipboards, most of which were covered in annotated schematics. Lucy's eyes slightly widened in realization. "We can free Dr. Nefario!"

With that, the minions leaped up and cheered again, as if this was the very first time that they had been told. Of course, they had known since Gru excitedly proposed the idea last week, but no matter how many times they heard those words, the elation still hit them just the same.

"That's great, Gru!" Lucy loudly replied, trying to speak over the shrieking sounds of the minions, which was proving to be quite the arduous task. As she leaned in and gave her husband a big kiss on the cheek, the minions all stopped cheering and turned to face the couple with a heart-warming smile.

"Awwww..." They cooed in unison.

"Yeah, yeah! Just...be quiet!" Gru shouted, listlessly waving his hand at the group. Regathering his thoughts, the AVL agent shifted direction and planted his gaze on the nearest minion, placing his hands behind his back to regather his authority. "Mel! Go get Dr. Nefario and position him on de stage! Ensure that de ray gun is prepared for de unfreezing!"

"K!" Mel scampered off and chattered to a few other minions in their gibberish language. As he and four of the little yellow creatures pushed the gun out of the room, the rest of the minion crowd dispersed to do their own individual activity, the majority of which led to some form of damage.

"I am so excited to see him again!" Gru chirped, altering his professional demeanor and dancing around the lab with childlike glee. "This lab just hasn't felt de same since he got himself frozen. Nothing really has..."

Lucy shifted her head slightly in discomfort.

"Well...do you think he'll wanna stay here now?" She tried to pass the question off in the softest possible way. The moment the words left her mouth, Gru instantly stopped dancing and inquisitively turned to face her.

"What do yoo mean?"

"Uh, he is still into the whole villainy thing, right? And now that you're, y'know, no longer a villain...what's he actually gonna do around here?"

"Well...I-I...I dunno...maybe him and Dru could do some stuff together." Gru wracked his mind for a convincing reason. There was clear unease in his voice, one of which put his spouse a little on edge. Obviously, he had not considered that. "Plus, Nefario's a part of de family. He won't just pack up his bags and leave..."

With that response, the El Macho situation was the first thing to flash through Lucy's mind, but in order to avoid furthering his worry, she decided to keep her mouth closed. Maybe it was best to just give him the benefit of the doubt here. After all, the scientist had saved the day with the antidote.

"I mean, if you think s-"

"WELL, IF IT ISN'T MY FAVORITE NEMESIS'S!"

Gru and Lucy both jumped in fright as Dru came running up from seemingly nowhere to pull them inside a huge hug. Lucy chuckled as his hold got tighter, while Gru frowned and frantically shook his brother's arms away. His earlier playfulness had evaporated in the company of his significantly more energetic twin.

"Aww! I've missed yoo guys!" Dru giddily pranced around the lab, giving each minion he saw an overpowering hug.

"I wasn't expecting yoo to be home so early, brother..." A small indication of disappointment hung inside his voice. He loved his brother to death, just as he did the rest of his family, but his never-ending energy got very annoying very quickly.

In a way, his girls held that same form of energy, especially Edith and Agnes. But, for whatever reason, their childlike behavior never really irritated him, possibly because they were actually children. His brain apparently held an exception for Dru, especially when he was arguably more childish and louder than all his daughters combined.

It was like having a walking megaphone around the house...

"Wellllll...de villainy does get quite boring after a while," Dru almost pranced right into a table loaded with oddly colored liquids but managed to save himself at the final moment. "And I was starting to miss my family!"

"Well, you got home at a good time, Dru." Lucy beamed a toothy grin in his direction. "Nefario's getting unfrozen! Fancy watching?"

"Wait...yoo're gonna unfreeze Dr. Nerfroid!?" Dru shouted, the decibels of his voice increasing as each word left his mouth.

"Nefario!" Gru corrected sternly. "Ne-far-io!"

"Whatever!" Dru waved a hand in his direction, as if to swat him away. "Of course I'll watch!" He glanced around the room at that point, his features slightly falling. "But first, where are de gurls? I haven't seen them in, like…three days!"

Gru released a low huff.

"They are still asleep. It is six-thirty in de morning, if yoo had not realized..."

"Oh..." Dru sulked in disappointment. However, it didn't take too long for him to perk up again, a plan coming into vision. "I'll go wake them up!"

Before either Gru or Lucy could protest that decision, Dru darted into the elevator and flew up towards the house with a frivolous smile planted firmly across his face, leaving the two to stand there with expressions of frustration.

"Ugh...I always forget how annoying he is until he walks through de door." With a sigh of fatigue, Gru turned to face a few nearby minions, who had all been watching the conversation in interest. "Put de unfreezing on hold! A few things need…ironing out first."

The minions nodded and jogged off, while Gru started towards the elevator, Lucy watching after him in confusion.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do yoo think?" He sneered playfully. "De gurls will probably want breakfast after their rude awakening."

"Ooo, breakfast!" Cheering, she jogged up to follow her husband into the elevator, who gave her a small smile as she did so. "Good idea!"

As the elevator shot up into the house, Gru internally beamed with happiness and excitement. Today was going to be a good day, he could just feel it. Nefario had been the missing cog of his life for a while now, and once they got him out of that block of carbonite, they can finally be a complete family again, just how they were before.

He never could've predicted how wrong he was.

Keeping himself silent, Jack sat outside the looming double doors, peering around at all the different stolen artifacts that were mounted upon the shelves around him. The room was completely empty, bar for him and the organization's receptionist, who refused to offer him any attention.

Jack wasn't one to get scared, or even nervous, but at this moment in time, he couldn't ignore the concerning amount of fear building inside his chest. Today, the big boss wanted to give him an 'important' assignment, or that's how a few co-workers had described it. Even though he had a pretty good relationship with the boss, he still scared the ever-living daylights out of him.

He just gave off this unexplainable, terrifying vibe, as if catching a single glance of him awoke a sleeping demon inside his head who was obsessed with inciting nerve. Though the way he conversed with his employees seemed friendly, there was just something strange about his overall appearance, something Jack couldn't for the life of him pinpoint...

While the teen was lost in thought, the loud ring of a telephone broke the silence, making him jump on the spot in fright. He calmed himself down with a low huff when he realized it was a phone call. A freaking phone call. What was it about this room that was so god-damn terrifying!?

The receptionist spoke quietly over the phone for a few seconds, not seeming very interested in the conversation she was having. Eventually, she slammed the receiver down and offered Jack a snide glance.

"You may enter."

Jack decided against responding and shuffled his way through the doors. That receptionist woman, kinda like the big boss, gave off a very weird vibe too...

He entered a long, but very thin room. Inside, the walls were plastered with a dark yellow and red wallpaper. It was decorated with excellently produced paintings of famous villains, all of whom were deceased. At the end of the office was a large desk, a bulky red chair placed firmly behind it. At the moment, it was facing away from him, indicating that the boss was electing for a more ominous start to the conversation.

Nothing new there…

Trudging towards the wooden chair in front of the table, Jack kept his head down and wracked his nervous brain at speed. He needed a good way of traversing this conversation! No method seemed viable. He always thought it best to plan out what to say beforehand, to avoid blurting out something that would cost him his job.

Or, more importantly, his life…

Finally, he reached the desk and gradually slumped down in front of it, keeping a keen eye on the boss's swivel chair. With a clear of the throat, he perked up and started the conversation.

"You...uhhh..." The fear in his voice box caused him to halt for a second. "Wanted to see me, sir?"

A very, very large man, who stood at around 7 feet tall and wore a dark green tuxedo, slowly rotated his chair until he was making eye contact with Jack. He stared him down, his glare deep and darkened. Seconds, for Jack, passed like minutes.

The boss continued to glower at him, until of a sudden, he beamed a bright smile.

"Jack! Glad to see you made it on time." He cheered, his voice as loud as it was low-toned. "How the devil are you?"

"I'm...yeah, I'm doing good, sir." Jack's fear quickly evaporated. That prior terrifying atmosphere vanished within an instant, and the teen was feeling his confidence return at speed. It happened the same way every single time he entered the office, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he still felt that initial terror. "I trust you are doing well yourself."

"Of course." With the pleasantries out of the way, the large man put his elbows upon the desk and talked with more of an edge, proving the importance of his next sentence. "I have a very big job for you today, young man."

Jack grinned, his butt bouncing on the seat excitedly.

"Cool. I love big jobs."

"Yes." The man shifted his gaze down. "But...this is probably the biggest job you have ever faced. I'll be perfectly honest; I wasn't sure if you were ready. But it is soon to be your fifth year at the company, and I'd say that's worth celebrating, not to mention that the standard of your work recently has been absolutely excellent." He cackled a little. "I mean, frightening thirteen men into soiling themselves at once? I know you're the right man for this job!"

"Uhhh...thanks." Jack's beaming smile forcibly pulled itself across his face. That day had been a pretty good one. Not only were those guys ridiculously easy to frighten, but the level of intimidation that he possessed had to be his personal best. It was an experience to be proud of. "So, what's up?"

"I'll be frank, the IVB is having a few financial difficulties at the minute." The boss's gaze swept off a little shamefully. "Villainy as a profession has been suffering and it's difficult to bring in a consistent flow of income. However, we've come up with a plan that could potentially excavate trillions of dollars and certainly recuperate the company, that is if everything was to go smoothly and without complications."

"Nice..." Jack nodded casually. The boss rose an eyebrow.

"Yes..." He frowned, slightly frustrated by his nonchalance. "The plan we have devised involves kidnapping all of the world leaders at the very same time and demanding each respective country a hefty sum for their safe return."

"Ooook..." Jack leaned in, intrigued. "So...where do I come in?"

"Now, you're too young to be a villain just yet, Jack..." The man relaxed back into his chair, answering the question that he knew the teenager was screaming inside his mind. "So, don't get yourself too excited."

Jack, collapsing into his seat again, scoffed angrily.

"Too young?" He spat. "Age shouldn't matter if I'm capable enough."

"Well, age does matter when it comes to experience." The large man tightened his gaze on his employee, his voice growing somewhat hostile. "And you're only seventeen. I didn't start my first villain heist until I was at least twenty-three."

"Yeah, yeah, spare the lecture. I've heard it a million times before." Jack huffed, turning his head away in frustration. The boss scowled. "Where do I come in then?"

"You come in by doing your job!" The large man exclaimed, as if the answer was obvious. "Why else would I have called you here!? The International Villain Brotherhood hired you to intimidate villains into doing our will."

"Mm-hmm, I read the job description."

"Hey!" The boss boomed heavily, leaning in closer to glare at Jack with a petrifying look. However, it didn't seem to faze him, an oddity that both infuriated the boss further, and completely threw him off. "I would advise against that sarcasm! Remember who you're talking to! I don't have to give you this mission, so I would appreciate some co-operation!"

"You'll get co-operation…" Jack quickly argued. "But the sarcasm comes bundled in the package."

The boss stared at the teen for a few beats, irate, before pulling away and slightly softening his demeanor.

"Yes...well, I guess that's a plus." He nodded in agreement, yet, kept a hold of his aggressive tone. "Sarcasm can help with intimidation, especially in reference to death. However, I advise you to be more thoughtful on who you are utilizing that sarcasm on."

Jack gave a single, composed nod before continuing.

"So, who's the nutjob I'm intimidating today then?" He questioned spiritlessly, sinking further into his seat with impatience. "Joe from the superstore?"

"Not quite. He's possibly one of the most ambitious and skillful villains I know." The boss explained, looking off into space in thought. "He was recently involved in a very large altercation in LA, and to give him credit, the level of expertise he displayed was remarkable. If I'm not wrong in saying, I believe he once stole the moon..."

With that announcement, Jack's eyes widened immediately. Was he being serious? Surely not. Of course, that story has gone down as one of the biggest and most revolutionary heists of all time, and if it had gone right, it would surely have changed the face of villainy as a whole. If the boss really was referring to him, then things were sure to get difficult...

In a short-lived spark of panic, the teen felt his pounding heart skip a beat.

"You...you want ME to intimidate FELONIOUS GRU!?" He exclaimed. With acrimony, he shook his head in doubt, looking at the boss like he'd transformed into a ghost. "There's no way I can do that! That guy's crazy good! It would be pointless…"

"He may be, as you say, 'crazy good', but if you cannot handle intimidating the top villains, then how do you expect to become one yourself?"

"You know I can intimidate top villains!" Jack snapped. "But Gru is just a step too far. That dude's a pro, I doubt I'll even close to him before my butt's kicked into another universe!" As he spoke, the boss emitted a low growl of anger, one of which Jack tried hard to ignore. "Plus, I thought he'd gave up villainy to work with the AVL!"

The boss lifted a finger to point at the teen.

"Once a villain, always a villain." He stated. "He must be using the AVL as a part of his next plot. He's a very cunning fellow. That's why it is imperative that he is involved in this scheme. If anyone can help us kidnap world leaders, it's him!"

Jack shook his head.

"This is insane..." He paused to glare off to the side. "I just...I can't intimidate Gru. His track record is way too risky for me to try."

"Jack..." The boss sharply glared at him. "If I recall correctly, co-operation was bundled in that package."

Jack knew he had him there. Any convincing argument against his own quote would be pretty hard to come by.

Since joining this organization, his only wish was to join the heights of the IVB's top villain ranks. He couldn't particularly remember where the dream came from, but in all honesty, he didn't really care. By looking at the riches and fame that came in tandem with such a status, the reasoning was probably pretty obvious...

However, he knew such a dream was impossible to achieve without first complying with his boss's demands. He, of course, owned the biggest villain organization in the world. In fact, it was one of the only ones that the AVL hadn't suffocated yet. For that reason, his opinion was likely important.

With a huge sigh of defeat, the IVB agent gave in.

"I'll get right on it..." He mumbled, getting up to leave. He couldn't stand sitting there for another moment. He absolutely despised losing arguments, almost as much as he despised losing a fight...

"Jack!" The boss's loud yell stopped the seventeen-year-old dead in his tracks. "The art of villainy is a tricky skill to perfect. It requires not only strength, but a good mind and good planning. Your usual methods of punching people until you succeed will be useless against Gru. Devising an effective plan of action beforehand is crucial!" The boss turned his chair around. "But if things turn sour…remember your training."

Jack elected against a response and solemnly turned around, leaving through the double doors. He couldn't ignore the thump of his heart inside his chest, no matter how hard he tried. Devising plans beforehand certainly wasn't his forte, so how could he not feel a significant portion of fear right now? That and the fact that he was nowhere near experienced enough to deal with a master villain like Gru.

Yep, this was going to require the one thing he hated doing above anything else...

Using his brain.

The stage in the lab was cluttered with around eleven minions, all of whom were fussing around with the large ray gun, shouting out nonsensical instructions to one another. Struggling under the intense weight of the oversized weapon, the band of yellow creatures were uncontrollably moving it around at different angles and directions, until finally, they were pretty sure that it was facing the block of carbonite that was Dr. Nefario.

All the other minions, plus the Gru family, were watching from the seats in front of the stage, a countless number of excited smiles flooding around the room.

"I can't wait to see Uncle Nefario again!" Agnes hopped up and down in her seat, much like Gru after the last nail had been hammered. The former villain peered down at his cheerful daughter and beamed a warm smile. He loved her excitement. It only seemed to add to his own.

Unfortunately, the excitement of another person arrived to destroy that entirely…

"Me tooooo!" Dru shrieked, shooting out of his seat, almost knocking over a few nearby minions.

"Ugh, yoo've never even met him Dru! How can yoo be excited to see him again!?"

"Finnneee...meet him then!" Dru rolled his eyes as he retook his seat. "It is basically de same thing."

"What if the minions don't turn the ray gun off in time and Nefario melts as well!?" Edith suddenly exclaimed, jumping up to stand on her seat and looking directly at her father, as if her purpose was to scare him.

Well, she succeeded...

That was a possibility he hadn't considered. Had the minions considered that? Surely the device only melted carbonite, right? It didn't melt actual humans as well, did it? Those questions served to destroy his excitement, and he sent Edith a fiery frown to inform her that it had. She only grinned at him mischievously.

"Edith!" Margo snapped. With a level of comfort that spanned far beyond her years, she turned to face her father and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure nothing like that will happen…"

"It couldddd..." Edith jeered, leaning in closer to Gru. "What if the ray gun malfunctions and explodes and then we all get killed!"

Agnes gasped in fear, another victim of her excitement erasing questions. She leaped over and held tightly onto Gru's arm, searching for some form of reassurance. A few other minions who surrounded the family gasped as well, jumping into each other's arms in a frightened cuddle.

This had no effect on Gru though. In all the years where the minions had been tasked with building a large weapon, not once did something go lethally wrong in that fashion. He had total faith in their technological expertise, and he knew that there wasn't a chance on earth that it would explode. Of course, other complications were still a possibility…

"Well, at least yoo'd shut up then..." Gru mockingly smiled at her, prompting everyone to giggle at Edith's expense. The nine-year-old clearly didn't see the funny side, as she crossed her arms, turned away, and frowned in her seat.

Even though he was happy to laugh, Gru could still hear those lingering doubtful thoughts that had been sparked by his middle daughter. What if they hadn't done enough research? What if the gun's laser module hadn't been built correctly? What if a formula in their schematics was incorrect and the ray gun only strengthened the carbonite?

As those questions repeated themselves over and over in his head, one of the on-stage minions strolled over and put his thumbs up, indicating that they were ready.

A tinge of fright droned right through Gru's heart, causing it to skip a beat.

"Um...maybe we shouldn't do this just yet." He turned to Lucy, trying hard to ensure that his fear didn't show on his face. "Or maybe...we can find another way to unfreeze Nefario. I-I mean, I'm sure there are countless effective methods that do not require, uh...big, freakishly powerful laser guns."

Detecting his worries, Lucy chuckled and put a soothing arm around him, talking to him like he was a small child.

"Chill out, honey." She quickly planted a small kiss on his cheek, to be used as another method of reassurance. "You've worked way too hard on this laser to bail out now. Besides, this is a gun the minions built. How could it possibly go wrong?"

At that point, Edith jumped up from her seat again.

"Well, what if-"

She was quickly interrupted by Margo, who threw her hand across her mouth to stop her from talking.

Turning away from his wife, Gru's already heightened stress levels elevated once more as one of the minions waddled up to the button on the side of the gun, waiting for the signal to press it.

After a few seconds of blankly staring at him, he inwardly chastised himself for this pessimistic reaction. Dr. Nefario was currently trapped inside a carbonite block, unable to feel or think, and here he was worrying over every single piece of well-thought-out research that simply couldn't go wrong.

He also couldn't forget how much he and the minions had missed Dr. Nefario's company. All the sad times he'd spent working on inventions without him. All the solemn times he'd spent fixing things that the minions broke without his sardonic comments. All the miserable times he would look over to Nefario's carbonite block, afraid that they would never get him out...

But now, there was a way to get him out! How could he not go through with it!?

Swallowing back his fears, he gulped and shone a forced smile, giving the minion a nod. Ecstatic, the yellow creature jumped up and slammed his little hand on the button, igniting a large red light on the side of the weapon.

A huge whirring sound quickly filled the room, making Agnes cling tighter to her father's arm. When the sound only got more violent, Gru was almost prepared to cling to Lucy in a similar fashion. On the complete other side of the coin, Dru and Edith stared at the gun with their mouths agape, drooling uncontrollably. They both shared unconditional love for crazy, large weapons.

Finally, after ten seconds of shaking like it was somehow frightened too, the gun released a colossally powerful red laser that went flying at speed towards Dr. Nefario. The sound it made was practically deafening, causing every singly minion, plus the whole family, to jump back in their seats and hold a hand to their ears.

After a moment, the laser shut off and the block of carbonite was left to quiver with a red glow, as it slowly melted down. Everyone in the room watched on in anticipation, hoping that soon, they would see Dr. Nefario look back at them.

Then, with a thundering boom, the block shattered into pieces and released the elderly scientist, who stepped back and had to stop himself from painfully sprawling onto the floor. As he slowly regathered his thoughts, Nefario couldn't say a word. All he could do was turn to Gru and his family in confusion and inquisitively eye them up.

After seeing his very first movement for god knows how long, the family simply couldn't hold back their exuberant exclamations of joy.

"DR. NEFARIO!" Gru and Lucy yelped, running up to him.

"UNCLE NEFARIO!" The girls shrieked, also running up to him.

"NERFROIDDDDDDDD!"

Dru picked him up in an extremely uncomfortable hug.

"I-I...uh...what...who are...what is..." The scientist stuttered, trying to speak over Dru's overzealous squealing. Once the blonde had finally put him down, Nefario's mind run itself ragged with questions, all of which he wanted to ask at the same time.

"I am so happy to see yoo again, Nefario!" Gru gave his old friend a hearty slap on the back. "Yoo have had us so worried!"

"Worried?" Dr. Nefario offered him a strange look, before sharing it with the rest of them. "What in blazes happened then?"

Gru's happy expression quickly transformed, as he threw his gaze toward a nearby minion.

"Well...Dave got a little too excited with de new carbonation ray..." He chastised, his tone quiet yet furious. "...and yoo got frozen in carbonite for two months."

The whole family turned to give Dave an irate stare, who put his head down and nervously chuckled. After a moment or two of awkwardly shuffling on the spot, he elected to trudge away with a guilty walk.

"It took you two months to get me out of carbonite!?" Dr. Nefario criticized.

"Well, yes...but we did not know what to do."

"Hmph, clearly! I should've been out within two minutes!" With an expression full of irritation, he flung his hands in the ray gun's direction, scoffing under his breath. "And you didn't have to make the ray gun that blasted big!"

"Yoo know, a thank yoo would be nice!" Gru crossed his arms and frowned down at him. Even though he seemed genuinely angry, inside, he was far from it. In the end, the constant impatience and lack of satisfaction were what made Dr. Nefario who he was. He was sure to have a great time getting to know his brother.

Speaking of which…

"God Gru, yoo're soooooooo useless!" Dru playfully punched his brother, who offered him an irritated sideways look. Nefario rudely stared the blonde up and down.

"And who's this loud fella?"

"Ugh...Dru meet Doctor Nefario." Gru sulked, his features sagging with exasperation. "Nefario, this is my twin brother-"

"DRUUU!" The man in question yanked Nefario's hand and gave him a wildly energetic handshake. "Nice to finally meet yoo, Nerfroid! I've heard a lot of things about yooooo..."

"Uh...well, yes." Nefario nervously pried his hand out of Dru's grasp, as if he were afraid the man would explode if he wasn't fragile enough. "Nice to meet you too...I think."

"Yoo know, a little birdie told me that yoo have been looking for a villain to join up with, now that my brother has gone all soft! Well, guess what!" Dru clicked and pointed his fingers at him. "I'M YOUR MAN!"

Nefario turned to Gru with a look of absolute misery, who couldn't help but relay a humorous grin.

"H-how...how did you meet-"

"It is…a long story." Gru put his hand up to stop the scientist as he glanced at Dru, who was shifting his line of sight between his brother and Nefario creepily fast. "And a loud one..."

Before the elderly scientist could respond with a scoff or some other disapproving noise, the three sisters ran up from seemingly nowhere and jumped into him with a long hug, almost knocking him off his feet.

"I've missed you sooooo much, Uncle Nefario!" Agnes cheered, holding tightly onto his leg.

Nefario offered them his first smile in two months. "Yes, I...I missed you too."

"What's it like being frozen in carbonite?" Edith asked.

"I don't know," Nefario shrugged. "I can't remember a thing about it."

"Aww...that's boring." Edith sulked, crossing her arms and turning away from him in disappointment. Lucy chuckled before wandering up to Nefario and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Nice to see you again, Doctor." She greeted. Nefario gave a simple nod as a response, before he shuffled off with a slow waddle.

"Right, let's see the state you've left my lab in then..."

Gru watched him walk away with a reminiscent smile, one of which he'd been holding back for the past few minutes. He could remember, prior to their Freedonia vacation, when he was sitting in front of the lab's only window, watching the moon. Nefario's frozen form was beside him, a part of the catalog of memories. Getting him back was as important as getting his AVL job back, both of which he'd succeeded in.

His gaze was caught by the minions, who were slowly steering the huge ray gun off-stage. Everything had worked, there were no complications, and no harm had been done to anyone. Things couldn't have been more successful! His family were finally whole again and he couldn't wait to get back to day-to-day life.

After a moment of admiring his thoughts, Gru rolled up his sleeve and inspected his high-tech, 'G' labeled digital watch.

"Looks like it is lunchtime." His gaze landed on his daughters. "What would yoo gurls like to be eating?"

Before they could respond with their barrage of food options, Dru leaped in front of his brother's line of sight and shouted his desired choice, almost scaring him off his feet.

"OOOOOOO! Let's have hot dogs!"

"Yes! That sounds awesome!" Edith chirped. With blinding excitement, Dru picked up his three nieces and energetically pranced towards the lab's elevator, in hot pursuit of the kitchen. As Gru stared on with a mix of surprise and exasperation, Lucy slowly began following the rest of her family, giving him a mocking smirk as she strolled.

"Well, come on then. They ain't gonna make themselves."

Gru grinned in return and trailed on behind, giving occasional approving thumbs up to any nearby minions. The whole family shot up the elevator, an experience that was more than a little cramped, and emerged into the living room, where a general sense of glee could be felt in the air. The girls and Dru sprinted out of the room towards the kitchen, while Gru and Lucy chuckled and followed behind with a small stroll.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Gru diverted towards the front door. "I have got it."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lucy asked.

"No, de gurls look starved! Go get de hot dogs started, I will be back in two seconds."

Strolling through the downstairs hallway, Gru opened the front door with an evident elated swing, where he found a young, teenage boy standing before him. He wore dark black shades, had long brown hair, extremely large biceps, and an array of scars surrounding his face. He donned a scruffy grey hoodie and battered black joggers, both of which looked like they'd been pulled from the garbage dump.

When Gru answered the door, he was glaring off down the street, as if he thought of himself as much cooler and more important than everyone else in the world.

"Uh, can I…help yoo?" Gru inquired with a suspicious look. A few seconds after the question had been asked, he slowly turned his head and inspected the AVL agent, tearing him apart with an extremely fierce gaze. He resembled that of a vampire scanning its prey.

"Well...that depends if you're who I'm looking for." The teen responded sharply. For a boy so young and unkempt, his manner of speaking was oddly professional, as if he'd been working in an office for decades. "Are you Felonious Gru?"

With apprehension, Gru cleared his throat and answered nervously.

"Um...yes, that would be me."

Upon receiving confirmation, the boy smiled venomously and extended his arm out, offering a handshake. Gru accepted it, but due to how strangely intimidated he felt, didn't smile back.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gru." The boy greeted, removing his shades to gather a clearer view of the bald man. For such an innocent greeting, the boy's voice sounded oddly evil, as if every sentence was a threat. When he looked into his eyes, Gru couldn't ignore the very bizarre feeling in his chest. "My name is Jack. I am sorry to bother you, but at the minute, I have a large issue on my hands, and...I require your assistance."

At this point, his prior venomous smile faded, and an equally venomous frown took its place.

"For the record, no is not an option."

Gru took a cautious step backward, affixing a watchful eye on him. Jack noticed his obvious fear, and even if he wanted to, couldn't hold back the satisfied menacing smirk. He may have witnessed this reaction hundreds of times before, but no matter how many times he laid eyes upon it, it still gave him that same feeling of satisfaction.

Especially when it was Felonious freaking Gru.

"Um...well, that..." Gru frowned, a finger edging towards the adjacent emergency button, that would unleash several powerful lasers from the doorframe. "That would depend on what yoo are wanting."

"Hmm..." Jack pondered, turning away from Gru. "Nah, that ain't an option either."

Before Gru even had a chance to react, Jack swiftly thundered forward and punched him very hard, knocking him unconscious in almost an instant. Within only ten seconds, Jack carried the former villain's body away from the doorstep and over to the van stationed on the curb, managing to remain completely unnoticed in the process.

Emitting a huge growl from the engine, Jack sped off down the road at speed, quickly escaping with his new hostage...

At this moment, Lucy emerged from the kitchen and looked down the hallway to inspect the front step.

"Gru, honey. I heard a commoti-" She halted upon noticing the wide-open door. She nervously traipsed through the hallway, watching every nook and cranny, before peeking her head outside to analyze the front garden. "Gru?"

"Where'd you go?"

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