"Roxanne?"

The reporter was sitting on the floor leaning against the exit door, staring blankly at the wall ahead of her. She started when she heard her name, turning to see Karina watching her from the end of the hallway. Roxanne stood up quickly, smoothing out her skirt as she replied, "Karina?"

"Are you alright?" Karina asked, "Not to be rude, but I saw you yelling at Berry…"

"Yeah, a lot of people did, unfortunately," Roxanne groused. "Sorry about that, by the way,"

"Don't be, Berry can be really full of himself sometimes." Karina admitted, "But still, I've never seen anyone get that pissed off at him before."

"I'm sure," Roxanne shook her head. "I was out of line, and I know it. But I can't shake this feeling that everyone sees me as some big joke. I mean, Megamind and Metro Man? Seriously?"

Karina shook her head, sighing. "I can see why you'd be so upset. It does look like some huge media circus."

"Exactly," Roxanne threw her hands up in the air. "It's bad enough that I have to see them as often as I do, but in this capacity?" She wished she could call the whole thing off right then and there.

Karina glanced at the weary reporter for a moment before deciding that she could give the girl some advice. "Is that such a bad thing, though?"

"What?" Roxanne asked incredulously.

"No, just think about it. Would this really be such a horrid thing to see through?" Karina knew she had sparked Roxanne's interest when she caught the surprised, thoughtful look on her face. "Really, when will you ever get a chance like this again? To see what's underneath their tights, so to speak?" Karina allowed a smarmy smile to take her lips as Roxanne raised an eyebrow in her direction, "You don't think they're taking it seriously? So what? Just go with the flow, it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks – they're the ones who pushed you into this in the first place! Have some fun with it!"

Roxanne looked at her quizzically for a moment, furrowing her brows together. Have fun with it? She asked herself. Could she? It certainly was an interesting opportunity, and not one she should pass up. Her reporting instincts were burning for her to use this situation to her advantage, like when Megamind first started kidnapping her and she got official statements from him before Metro Man could come and take her home again.

Though their sudden appearance dashed all hopes she had of actually finding the romance she had been missing out on, everything else seemed to be working in her favor. The popularity, the chance to promote her career more, more face time with the villain and the hero… Yes… what the hell was she even moping about in the first place? Karina was right!

"You make a lot of valid points, Karina." Roxanne smiled mischievously. "I think it's time to get off my ass. Thanks for the pep talk."

Karina smiled back as the reporter started to walk back stage, "Anytime. And Roxanne?"

Roxanne half-turned back to face Karina.

"Knock 'em dead," Karina smirked, and laughed with Roxanne as they headed to the studio main room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

When Roxanne breezed past the super villain and super hero this time, she didn't spare them a glace. Both noticed that her expression was no longer darkened by the great weight of rage, and even carried a hint of a smile as she quickly walked back to the filming room.

Roxanne heard the audience murmuring excitedly amongst themselves, obviously happy to be there. Some sounded downright restless, but when they saw her on stage again, many cheered as if they thought she were some sort of rock star. She found herself grinning goofily and bowing deep, accepting their praise like she hadn't before.

"Ready to get back to filming?" Sean asked cautiously when she sat next to him on the couch again. He had heard her shouting at Berry then.

"Absolutely. Sorry for the delay." She smiled at him, much more at ease than when she first came out.

"Alright then," Sean smiled back, her enthusiasm infectious. He saw that the two supers had resumed their places on stage as well, and the host signaled to the camera operators to begin countdown.

"And we're back with the famous Miss Roxanne Ritchie, who has sportingly agreed to come play on our show, Hearts of Destiny." He turned from the cameras to face her, "I must say Miss Ritchie, I am honored be interviewing you. You are quite an incredible woman."

"Thank you, but really, you're too much." Roxanne flushed pleasantly. She was the one usually flattering her guests in the spotlight, not the other way around. It was an unexpectedly delightful change.

"Don't sell yourself short. Your career has been nothing if not outstanding and inspiring." Sean insisted. "But don't take my word for it. Let's let our viewers and our guests get to know the woman behind the news room at KMCP 8," The audience heartily agreed with hoots and clapping.

"You ready?" Roxanne nodded. "First question: Before you worked for KPMC, you were a reporter for channel 23, Regal News. What was the most exciting event you reported on when you were working for that station?"

Roxanne's eyebrow's raised, surprised at the in depth question. She had thought they were going to ask for her favorite color or something trivial. She took a deep breath, and considered her answer as a startling memory from when she was only 22 made her side ache in a phantom pain.

"Well, about half a year after I started working for Regal News, I stumbled on a gang war when I was doing a piece for a local bakery." The audience mumbled nervously, never anticipating this turn of events.

"I didn't want to just leave the piece I was working on, but I was a reporter at a news-worthy scene before everyone else. I told my cameraman to film some of the action while I called the police. After that, I started to give details of the scene when I heard someone yell out for help." Roxanne took a deep breath, not really wanting to share this story.

"When I looked around, I saw that there was a kid out side of one of the buildings, holding onto his shoulder. He had been shot. I quickly went over to him without thinking, and tried to lead him away from the danger. I was almost back to my news van when I heard someone shouting behind us. When I turned around…" She had to steel herself when some of the more painful imagery of her memories assaulted her. "There was a gang member standing not twenty feet from me. Still shouting, aimed his gun and shot me."

The audience's shock was nothing compared to the looks on Megamind's and Metro Man's faces. She had to admit, she was a little surprised that Megamind hadn't known, with all his illegal activities, surely he had hacked into her private records before?

"That's horrible." Sean said, losing a little of his show host bravado. "I take it the police arrived a little after that?"

"They did, not that I'd remember," Roxanne said ruefully, "There was only a few bright lights, people shouting at each other in the ambulance and ER. It was the single most painful experience of my life – not to mention the scariest."

"I'll say. Still, that has to be one of the bravest reporter instances I've ever heard of – right up there with those who volunteered to go to Iraq." Sean commented, before clearing his throat. "But, back to business. Why wasn't this reported on the news?"

"The footage before and after the shooting was. In respect of my privacy after I told them I didn't want to have that kind of thing on film, they made sure it never was released. It was used for evidence in the courts, but even that was kept away from media involvement. All in all, I have a lot of respect for Regal News for that, and it really was great place to work for."

"Any other stories like that from your career as a reporter?" Sean asked next.

"No, thankfully." Roxanne shook her head and snorted, "I get more than enough action being tossed around during a kidnapping as it is, which I'm sure everyone here already knows all about."

The audience and Sean laughed a little at her comment. She saw Megamind and Metro Man squirm a little out of the corner of her eye. "I understand that's where you get most of your popularity from. Tell me, though, with all the kidnappings and craziness in Metro City, did you ever consider quitting your job and taking an offer somewhere else?"

Roxanne actually laughed out loud at that one. "No way! Why report on regular crimes when you can get right in the thick of a comic book adventure?" Her laughter died down after a moment and she took a moment to reminisce. "Okay, that wasn't always the truth. In the beginning, I did want to move away from Metro City. But it wasn't from the kidnappings or being in danger, really. It was all the tabloid attention that really got on my nerves,"

"Tabloids? What do you mean?" Sean asked.

"Well there were a bunch of local magazines that were obviously trying to garner any attention they could to sell out. After the first few kidnappings, they kept accusing me of actually being a willing participant in Megamind's crimes, or of whoring myself out to Metro Man to get extra attention from him. It really disgusted me that they would violate any of my good standing just to generate gossip." Roxanne shook her head.

"I can see why that would frustrate you. I take it you learned to ignore them in the end?"

"Pretty much, it was either that or leave town."

Sean nodded before actually looking sheepish, "Now, I don't wanna pry too much into your privacy like some tabloid would, but this question is more about the reason you're here." When Roxanne waved for him to continue, he asked, "Have you ever been in love before?"

The question drew a bittersweet smile to her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yes, Mr. Days, I have."

"Can you tell us a little more about the experience, who it was?" Sean pressed gently, finding that he genuinely wanted to know more about this woman sitting in front of him.

"Yes," She said surely, "His name was Andy, and I went out with him for three years."

"You sound like you're still very fond of him. How come you're not still together?"

"We met when we were sophomores in high school. A year after we started college, he got sick. When he turned twenty, he died. That tends to stop a relationship." She said a little bitterly. The audience was actually silent at this point, and she was stunned that they were actually showing a little respect.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Sean said, placing a hand over hers on the couch between them briefly, outside of standard show protocol.

"Don't be. He's moved on to a better place." Roxanne smiled genuinely this time. "I firmly believe that. And it was actually because of the incidences surrounding his death that I became a reporter in the first place. However, while we're on the subject of Andy, I have an announcement of my own to make." She looked to Sean to see if he understood what the producers had agreed to letting her do on screen before the show. Sean nodded, and she turned to face the cameras.

"Andy died of bone marrow cancer because his insurance refused to pay for the life-saving procedure on grounds that it was experimental and not worth their time or money." She took a breath, "His mother and some other sympathetic individuals opened a foundation in his name, called the Willows Foundation. You should be able to see their number on the bottom of your screen. They are dedicated to helping those who need it get the life-saving treatments they need should they be unable to pay for it themselves or their insurance companies refuse to pay for. Call this number to make a donation of your choice, and thank you in advance for your kindness. Andy could not have asked for a better memorial than this."

Sean smiled encouragingly at the camera when it focused back on him. "Let's do everything we can to help. As well as any private donations that come from this number, any one purchasing a ticket to this show's live audience participation will be unofficially donating a portion of the proceeds to the Willows Foundation as well."

The audience went wild, glad that they had unknowingly helped the lovely lady on stage, and any cancer survivors they could. Metro Man, and even Megamind, were applauding her efforts for the foundation.

Sean grinned and announced, "Well that's all we have for you today folks. You've gotten to know our star, Miss Roxanne Ritchie a little better, and next episode we will be asking Metro Man and Megamind questions. Have a great night!"

The ending show music played as the cameras took random pans of the wild audience and caught Sean shaking Roxanne's hand in an enthusiastic farewell. She waved to the audience and walked off stage. There were a couple shots of Metro Man and Megamind waving to the audience too.

Once the cameras were shut off and the crew was packing up, Sean stretched back over the couch and looked over at the two supers gazing in the direction where Roxanne left. He laughed at the confused expression on their faces, causing them to turn their attention to him.

"You two have no idea who that woman is, do you?"

Sean shook his head, "It's sad how much time you spend with her and you don't get just how great she really is." Metro Man looked affronted, but Megamind was just sad, as if he was taking what Sean said seriously. He let them think about what he said without waiting for an answer, walking off stage himself. Both seemed a little peeved at the fact he just called them morons, essentially, but mostly, he could tell they were just too stunned at the woman behind Roxanne's reporter bravado.