The next morning, she woke before the alarm from the stomach-twitching feeling of the last night's popcorn going back the wrong way. Rushing out to the bathroom, she emptied her stomach before checking the time. Half an hour early, she could just as well get up. Reaching for her handbag she had left on the bathroom floor last night, she grabbed the unused test and went to use it. Two red stripes. She was with child.
"Goddamnit…" she sighed, almost in a whine.
Making a cup of coffee for herself afterwards, she picked her favorite clothes she had left here, put them on, and applied makeup to her face. Not feeling any appetite, she drank her coffee, brushed her teeth and headed out. The AVL was alright with people stamping in and out earlier, and she could just as well use the hour she was gonna save on waking early and skipping breakfast, on getting a head start this afternoon to collect her belongings from Gru. She hadn't officially moved in with the Gru household yet, they had only been dating for a bit over half a year, but she did notice how her wardrobe wasn't as full and her favourite perfume was missing. Again, she sighed in melancholy. She wanted to stay with him. In his house. With the girls who loved her and she loved and she wanted to be with him, hold his hand, snuggle on the couch.
But he dumped her, didn't he?
Yes, she was sure he did. Maybe he didn't want to go on missions with her as well…?
"Oh, Morning Miss Wilde!"
"Morning Silas." The director stopped midtrack from his way towards the copy machine.
"Lucy, something's wrong?" He didn't normally call her by first name, but she didn't normally come early either, she was a night person after all.
"Oh yeah... no. Gru broke up with me last night." She almost felt annoyed at how he was fighting the muscles in his face from smiling.
"I'm so sorry for that. Was it ugly?" - "You... can kind of say it was. I won't go into details now, maybe we can talk about it some other time? I just want to get to work and then head home. Do you know when the medical office is opening? I need to discuss something with them." Abortion or not, she needed to talk to them about her being pregnant. The AVL had a strict policy for their agents and planning maternity leaves and lowrisks missions was a high priority to take care of anyone who wanted to stay but still raise a family. Silas was looking suspicious at her, completely dropping the smile that was breaking trough.
"They open at ten, as per usual. See you later, I'm expecting the report by lunch. And, do stay professional with Mr Gru. I don't know what happened between you but I'm expecting you both to not pull drama into the AVL. If you can't work together anymore, just say it."
"It." She said after a few seconds of heavy-heart-pondering.
"I'll tell that to the schedule planner, you won't get missions with him anymore."
She nodded. Good. It would take a long time until she'd get over him completely. And definitely over not being his partner anymore – but at least one was happy to see them apart from now on. She looked back at Silas.
Sighing, Lucy booted her computer up and got started on her report of their latest mission. Maybe that would help her distract herself from her sickness and heartbreak. Lucy was staring at the screen. She was just about to describe how Gru and she had ended up in the headquarter of the hacker that was attempting to steal all money from the entire planet, losing all forms of communication. She decided that the minor detail that they spent quarter of an hour hiding in a cleaning closet, having a quickie. Had that been when she conceived? It did match the time, but on the other hand, all the other times they had been having sex lately could have been the conceiving moment. Shaking her head, she scolded herself for even dwelling on it. It was over. She wasn't going to live with a man who couldn't listen to her when she was hitting rock bottom. Continuing the report, she kept checking on the watch in the corner of the screen, waiting for it to hit ten to eight, a perfect time to go down to the basement of the submarine - to get to the medical office.
...
In the meantime, Gru had made his way downtown to quickly meet Lucy before she'd head to work – and talk to her. And of course apologize to her. Last night, Margo really helped him along with realizing what grave mistake he made. This would take way more than a lame bouquet of flowers and an apology. He walked upstairs to apartment number 47b and rang the bell.
Nothing. Not even a sound inside.
He started knocking.
"Lucy?"
No answer.
That was weird – usually she wasn't going out that early to work, right?
After a while, Gru was still waiting in front of her apartment, he figured that Lucy either knew that it was him and wasn't opening the door on purpose - or worse: She was on her way to the Abortion clinic!
Gru bit his lower lip, hoping that it was the first point he thought of.
Looking between the door and the watch on his wrist, he started to get impatient - and the thought of her waiting at the clinic to get rid of what they have been fighting over.
With a last bite on his lip, he turned around, jumped on his motorbike and started the engine, dashing over the street. His first stop would be the AVL! Perhaps there was somebody who knew where she went off to, so he could chase after her. Better would be of course, if she still was at work, so he didn't have to make the effort to run after her.
Just some moments later, he jumped off his vehicle, made his way through several elevators into the belly of the submarine and straight through the hallways. He feared he was too late - what if she already aborted it yesterday or early in the morning? Some passing agents stared at him, curiously about what was startling their top agent so much that he'd run around in such a hurry! Staring at the upcoming doors, he started to count.
One, two, three, four...
Number five was his office, and right next to him...
Lucy's!
He felt slightly bad for just bolting into her office like that, but he had to...
Grabbing the doorknob, he was just about to turn it around, as he saw something big and heavy making his way through the hallways, in the corner of his eye.
Silas...
Gru let go of the knob and turned around. "M-mister Ramsbottom..." he stammered. "U-uhm...have yu see Lucy somevhere?"
Silas walked out in the hallway, and saw Gru standing in front of a door. Not his own, but Wilde's, and his hand was firmly holding the knob. Silas' clasped around the cup of tea in his hand harder, feeling the instinct to protect one of his protegees from a 'former' villain. Silas wasn't used to hear Gru, the cocky, sassy piece of priggish filth, nervous and stammering. Had he caught him in the cookie jar?
"Mr Gru, aren't you driving your daughters to school at this hour? You're never here this early!"
Oh darn! He had forgotten about this too. Ugh, well, hopefully they'll be okay to forego the luxury to be driven to school by him and take the schoolbus: Margo would take care of it, he was sure! She was a mature girl and he trusted her to make sure that Edith wouldn't be skipping school again!
"Y-yeah, dhey are uh-dhey'll take dhe bus today." he offered a short, cramped grin, then he shook his head and took a breath to continue:
"Mr Ramsbottom, it's very important, yu need to tell me vhere Lucy-"
"Regarding miss Wilde, consider it confidential. You're not her partner here on the AVL anymore, you'll be assigned a new partner by the end of the day." He tried to look as professional one could with a pile of papers under one arm and a cup with kittens attired in monocles in the other hand.
Wait - did he just say she wasn't his partner anymore?!
She, Lucy Wilde, the agent who recruited him, went with him through endless cases and missions...She just shunted him?
Was she really that mad at him to deny his partnership with her...
He gulped, heavily, staring at his Boss with saucer eyes and a paled face.
This couldn't be... Eyes darting between the stack of paper and his Boss, even back to the door of his partner- his former partner - and back to Silas. Was he serious?
He didn't want another Partner... He wanted Lucy!
"I-I can't have anodher partner!" he blurted. "Vhy did she-vhy?!"
He didn't care how distraught and confused he looked in Silas presence - he just couldn't believe this fight brought them both to go separate ways now...He had to speak her! Now!
"S-Silas, I need to see her! I need to talk to her! Vhere is she, was she here? Is she still here, or-did she say anythin' 'bout an appointment at a hospital?!"
Silas was not expecting Gru to freak. Sure, he had expected him to be mad, even get up in his face and shout, or demand that he would be brought to Wilde. But getting scared and continuing losing his thread? This was uncanny, something was wrong. Horribly wrong. The mention of a hospital triggered his thoughts to wander. Whatever had Gru done to the woman? Had she- No, she couldn't have gone down there to report domestic violence, could she? Not the time to make rash assumptions Silas!
"How di- never mind, never mind." Silas shook his head, almost tattling on Lucy's position. "Where Agent Wilde is right now is none of your concern anymore Mr Gru, just go down to the lab and blow something up or whatever, that is not on my table at this moment. I will need to sort through your partner change anyway later on, you can meet Wilde then, on safe and neutral land. Do not try to corner her, she's busy today and I need her job done before lunch." Silas tried to get past Gru before he could say anything else, but they both were wide enough to take up the space of the narrow hallway. Once he passed by, he gave the annoying man a short nod. "Good day."
That was the moment when Gru snapped.
"GODDAMNIT!"
Gru heard himself yelling through the hallway, directed to Silas. It was weird. It all blurted out, just out of the sudden!
Silas wasn't going to tell him where is girlfriend was?!He was denying him to see her?!
Enough! He couldn't pretend to be the nice and democratic ex-villain at the moment, it was about her... it was about their future!
Silas jumped slightly from the curse from the man, this was just getting weirder and weirder. Gru would never stop low enough to admit Silas as a person with power over him over a small thing.
"Silas, I'm beggin' yu!"
Wow, he was begging him? When was it the last time he begged or pleaded, especially Silas?
"Dis is not about me - dis is not about yu! I have to stop her from havin' an abortion, i have to stop her before she'll leave me forever!"
Abortion?! Lucy Wilde was pregnant? At her age? The woman was in her young forties!
Gru didn't care who heard him, and how the other agents would react to his sudden, loud outburst. He felt blood rushing in his head, his hands shook and he violently clenched them to two fists.
"Lucy Wilde and her welfare is my GODDAMN concern! Dun't yu understand?!"
Out of reaction he put his hand on Silas shoulder and pushed him back before him, so he could look into his eyes with full wrath, and desperate.
Silas was about to shout at Gru to calm down and shut up when the man grabbed his shoulders, pulling him so their noses were touching. A hot wetness told Silas that half of his cup of tea was now all over his foot.
"I dun't care how busy she is...i dun't care if she's not my partner anymore...Please...jus' tell me vhere she is!"
Gru's threatening words only angered Silas. Who was he to obviously making his girlfriend, nay, ex-girlfriend upset and then demand him to tell where she was? Once Gru fell silent, Silas pushed the man's hands away from him with the sides of his arms. Eyebrows firmly together, squinting his eyes at him, Silas was talking trough his teeth.
"Will you shut your pie-hole Mr Gru, the rest of the office doesn't need to know! Oi! Back to your business!" He waved away some people that peeked through offices and the kitchen. "I fully well understand now", he hissed, trying to be as silent as possible, staring intense in the mans humbled face. "She told me you dumped her. She told me it was ugly, she told me she didn't want you as her partner anymore so she could keep on being professional. I told you, She isn't your concern anymore, because you made her not being your concern anymore. You have no right demanding her whereabouts, and if she feels a least bit threatened by you I will have you removed from this department."
Gru stepped away from him. Defeated.
Great…he had made all of this just worse…
...
Lucy was walking slowly back to her office, looking at the pamphlets she had gotten about how the maternity leave would work and the plan for being a parents and working at the AVL. The abortion information had been easy, she had until a few weeks to just walk down there and demand two pills that were to take with 24 hours apart. Her thought were quickly gone when she heard her name and the word "abortion" shouted in a rough, husky, Russian-accented voice. Sneaking around the corner, not exposing herself in the hallway, she saw Gru yelling at Silas. It wasn't the same angry shouts from last night. These were desperate shouts for help. And they were right in front of her office door. Fudge.
"Mr Gru, you stay away from her until I have talked things through with her, I won't expose her to you if it turns out you have hurt her in any way, emotionally or physically. Whatever she is doing about her condition, it's out of your hands, and it's been out of your hands since the moment you broke her heart." He backed away from the man, really tempted to call security and have him escorted. "Now go to your office or down to the lab, I won't have you near that door until I have Wilde's oral approval. If she has already aborted the child, then that's that, don't you dare pester her about it one more second."
Mad, not only because Silas wouldn't let him near his girlfriend, but also because in his opinion Silas definitely knew too much about their private matters, he clenched his teeth together.`What in heaven's name has she told him that he'd assume he would have hurt her?
Never would he dare to hurt her physically, he'd rather cut off his very own hand.
Accepting that Ramsbottom made it to his task to be Lucy's bodyguard and watchdog and keeping him, the threat and danger, out of her way, he kept his mouth shut, for his pleading and requesting wouldn't make Silas move and show him where she was. Frustrated, he growled at him, deeply, but told himself to pull himself together. He had to see – he wouldn't have any power now over Lucy and her decision…
And even if she already has abolished their child – he was not in the position anymore to detain her.
And Silas would make sure he wouldn't have the chance, anyway.
About to start a second rant, no matter how unprofessional he'd be, his gaze suddenly wandered off the shorter man and back into the hallway. Behind a corner, he saw Lucy, peeking from behind a wall and observing the scene between her boss and her ex.
All his expression softened up, almost dropped, and he was tempted to mouth her name.
Lucy stared back at him, directly into his eyes. New, fresh tears build in her eyes and were so close about to fall over her face. He was here – why?
Was he trying to speak to her? Keep her away from abortion? Or…apologize? She didn't know…
But honestly, she also didn't want to know, nor to talk to him right now.
With a lump in his throat, they kept staring at each other, until reality pulled Gru back, he stared between Silas and Lucy, and then sighed, deeply.
"I understand…" he answered, calmly, caving in.
Although he was beset with worries about her, about their child and if she already had done the step he feared…
He kept his temper under control, placed his hands on his back, casting a last glance at Lucy, before he turned around, heading into his office and shut the door tightly. After a few more minutes of calming herself down, Lucy stepped out of the corner, and walked up in front of Gru's door, not really knowing what to say.
"Miss Wilde!" She jumped from the sudden concerned voice of her director. "Do you care to explain what is going on here? Mr Gru just shouted as if the world was crackling beneath him." Lucy looked over to the door, fully aware that the soundproofing to these small offices weren't completely solid. She hoped he would hear because she was in no mood to repeat everything again.
"Gru got mad at me when I said I didn't want to stay pregnant and he, kindof... he kinda told me that if I did an abortion he wouldn't care for me anymore, alright?" she gulped when she thought back to that evening. "And then we went separate ways. I stayed in my apartment tonight, and once I leave here, I'll go and get my things. It's not worse than that Silas, I have told you - Gru isn't a dangerous man."
"He stole the moon miss Wilde."
"Soon four years ago, and he put it back within hours." She defended him in the same voice she used everytime she was defending him. "He has never had the intention to physically hurt a person, and he wouldn't hurt me in any other way than being rude. You've read his files Silas, he has never murdered anyone, never even beaten anyone up."
"You know how he got when Vector kidnapped his girls miss Wilde, he could kill to protect them. His profile clearly says he's protective of things he consider his, and the way he reacted about an abortion, telling me he had to stop you, he obviously sees it as his right to decide."
It was getting annoying for her to hear Silas keep hating him and let her do the job of counting all the good things and meanings behind his actions.
"Anyway…" The director walked back to his own office, the large, beautiful one with the amazing window. "You go ahead and finish your report. I'll make sure he will stay away from you to the rest of the day, or week – you will tell me whenever you want me to fire him."
She gulped, but nodded. "Of course, Sir…" Lucy walked back over to her office, shut the door, not locking it, and got back to work. She logged onto the instant messaging program they had for the network, and sent her report to the printer in the archive department as soon as she had finished writing it. She felt some fresh tears falling down again, and she wiped them swiftly with the sides of her hands, careful not to ruin the makeup.
After yesterday's fight, she just wanted to be friends again. Curses, she loved this man, that hadn't stopped. But her brain told her she needed to stand her ground. She wouldn't talk to him until she was sure he had apologized to her correctly – she still had her pride!
On the other side of the wall, Gru was sitting in his own office. He had witnessed every single word she told him.
With a cup of coffee in his hand and a stack of files and folders on his desk, Gru perched on his chair, his face buried in the free hand - and completely unable to work through even one of these folders. Too many thoughts buzzed in his head. How would he ever be able to speak to her?
Despite its rather dowdy way he had taught her his opinion, she has defended him anyway ...
"Gru is not a dangerous man."
She had defended him…! She always had defended him…
He knew his traumatic past and the loss of his father were no excuses to act the way he did. He could not help it.
Everything he loves and cherish, even if it is almost nothing, is more important to him than his own life - and in this case it was the girl, his friends, and Lucy ...And, apparently, now also his unborn child.
Sighing, he sipped his coffee, but he had absolutely no appetite. His thoughts were buzzing around, uncoordinated, and worry drilled holes in his head.
He hated changes. He hated everything that was not exactly as it was before, everything that changed rapidly and was running out of his hand.
The fact that both would now no longer work together, that was one thing - but that he had apparently now lost the love of his life -
He could not sit there and watch as they would both go apart further and further from each other. He could not live with it, to let her go without apologizing properly beforehand.
He did not care whether she would accept this or not, or if Silas allowed it or not- he had to try.
...
After a couple of hours Gru crept out of his office and assured that Silas would not watch Lucy's office like a Doberman. He quickly hopped over to Lucy's office, took the doorknob in hand, and - turned it around . To his surprise, the door was unlocked.
A low scraping sound told Lucy that her door was being opened. She moved her eyes towards the door, seeing a black, long shoe step in. Moving back her eyes towards the computer, she prepared herself to not soften. Insecure he peered into her room.
"Lucy ... ? "
Lucy sat in front of her computer and didn't deign to even look at him. That starts to well ...!
"Lucy , uh ... can ... can I talk to you for a minute ? "
She did not answer. The muscles of her face tensed up, trying to act as if she hadn't even heard him. He sounded so regretful… She had her face still turned towards the screen again, feigning to write, even though she couldn't focus. She listened carefully on his every word.
He bit his lower lip , but stupid to stand in the doorway was not much better , so he slipped into her office and closed the door behind him.
" Lucy , um ... I ... uh ... wanted to apologize for my previous behavior towards Ramsbottom. Dat was not cool of me, I think ... " he started to speak again, fumbling over his words. Not cool, indeed!
"I think Silas will hate me even more now, ehehe ... " He laughed softly and sheepishly, but she still didn't seem to be interested in his words.
"Listen , um ... I 've been thinking , and ... have come to dhe conclusion dat I am clearly not in the position to tell yu vhat to du vith dhe baby - . I forced yu to keep it and ... dat was stupid of me. I jus' thought dat ... " He swallowed .
"I know to be a modher of children who are already present, is something else dhan actuall n' a modher. I saw yu, how well yu dealt with Agnes , Edith and Margo, how much you love dhem, and I ... just assumed yu'd be ready for an own, too." He stared at the floor .
She had to bit the tip of her tongue not to smile in his presence. The girls…Mentioning his girls made her heart melt. She did love them, as much as Gru loved them perhaps. And then the image of them hearing they were going to have a sibling, Agnes happy face when she discovered she was going to become a big sister. Gru knew she was probably ignoring him…but he continued nevertheless.
"Vhat I did was stupid and ignorant of me. It is, after all, yur body and yur decision, vhat will happen to our- I mean…yur child. And if it is yur own unpressured wish to abort it ... then dats how it shuld be. All…All I vant is seein' yu happy. And smilin'. And if yu think dat havin' dis child is not goin' to make yu happy – dhen yu shuld know dat I'll support and help yu. And will not gainsay…I jus' dun't vant dat ... "He had to swallow again .
" I... jus'... dun't vant dat ... "
Gru felt his hands began to tremble, and he has already chewed on his lip for so long that he again tasted blood.
He simply could not manage to tell her that he cannot let her go, and he knows that she did not want it herself either. Helpless, he stared back at her, the room filled with tense silence.
Lucy suddenly gulped heavily. The way his voice was cracking. The way he was starting to tremble and couldn't continue his sentence…
He was on the edge of breaking down in front of her. She couldn't deal with him crying! No, she needed to stay stone faced, until he left.
Finally, Gru turned around and opened the door.
"I , uh ... I 'll leave dhe door open at home , dhen yu can still take yur remaining valuables ... if yu need me , I'll be in dhe lab."
And with that, he left. The door was shut, Lucy was still alone- but his words hung in the air and slowly choked her.
She wasn't prepared for him to actually resign, admitting she could leave him without him protesting.
He had learned. He understood. He d! She rounded up her work, sent the profiling to Silas, gathered her things and locked her office. His words still wouldn't leave her mind. It was more than she had needed to accept his apology.
Pressure dropped off of her like ice on a hot summer-day. She leaned against the door to her office, went over his given speech again and again.
"And if yu think dat havin' dis child is not goin' to make yu happy –"
Happy…
Happy…
A sudden, small sting twitched through her belly and automatically, she placed both hands over the spot – until she realized what she was touching there. The place where a baby was going to grow. His baby. Her baby…
She never wanted a child of her own…but with him…
The pain ceased once she had placed her palms on the spot. Someone inside her was making itself felt. Wanting to give her a sign.
And suddenly, she felt…happy. Happy that there was somebody giving her a sign and making its presence felt. And then she thought of Gru; and her heart fluttered. She was sure – just for him she would go through all of this. Just for him, she would give him an offspring.
She met Silas by the elevator once she was heading home, he as well heading to the parking lot.
"Miss Wilde."
"Yes sir?"
"How are you?" She laughed and waved her hand.
"Oh, I'm fine, much better, thanks. I've... I've decided to keep it."
"I thought you didn't want it?"
"Yeah well... It might not be so bad if I have the AVL medical ward, and Gru, to support me."
She smiled and then leaned in to him. "Besides, such a fine specimen as myself should contribute to the gene pool!" She chuckled, but her boss wasn't as amused by her joke. " So, you will stay with him?" Lucy hunched her shoulders. "Not sure yet…if he does want me back…"
"It's not depending always on him, Miss Wilde."
But Lucy shook his head.
"His girls always wanted a sibling and Gru is such a nice and caring father – and he's one of a kind! He deserves a child, and the girls deserve a sibling…"
She sat herself in the car and started to drive. It wasn't long until she was in the suburb with the tall, dark house.
Now - what was she going to do? Would she get her stuff and leave? It wasn't that much really, mostly clothes and bathroom stuff.
Seeing something pink running around the yard, she stepped out of the car with a smile. She was running after Kyle, who had grabbed one of her barbies, but both stood still once they saw the redhead.
"Lucy!" Edith shouted and ran up to her, hugging her legs. "You weren't here for breakfast today!"
"Hey Ninja, yeah, I wasn't. Your dad and I had a fight and I didn't want to continue it at home."
"You're not breaking up, are you?" Urgh, it stabbed her heart realizing how hurt these girls would be of it all.
"Not yet sweetheart, not now. Is your dad home?"
"He's down in the lab." Just as promised.
"Ahh, yes. Always working, huh? Well, could you tell him I want to talk? I'll be up in his bedroom, I need to sort out my clothes."
"Yes, sure!" She said and went off already, before returning again.
"Hey, Will you stay for dinner?"- "That, depends on your father. I'd love to though, your dad makes the best food." She smiled and got up, walking into the house with Edith. Nothing had changed inside here. The same mess of his and his daughters stuff, the same scent and warmth…
She sneaked upstairs into his bedroom, and opened the door, sitting down on the king-sized bed. She wasn't angry anymore, that feeling had disappeared once he apologized. And she could imagine his face once she was telling him about her decision on keeping their little one…it made her smile.
...
"So…it's over now, isn't it?"
Gru nodded, slowly and tiredly.
"Did she or you break up?"
"Hmph…" Gru shrugged.
"Oh, you know…" Nefario placed the beaker back in the shelf, which was suspiciously unstable and rickety.
Didn't he even know that if just one of these liquids would spill, the floor would have had it? It wasn't like the charges for a new metallic ground would be for next to nothing! "Love always has its ugly sides, too. I remember, back in my days, when I was your age, Gru, it always has been –"
Ugh, now he was starting to chatter on to him again, about how much experience he, the glorious scientist, just had.
Gru really didn't need any love-guru right now – he needed comforting, sympathy, anything! But not the "I still remember"-thing!
Gru groaned, and shook his head, interrupting his coworker with a slightly annoyed: "Doctor Nefario – it's not about some minor reason vhy we broke up – she is pregnant and doesn't want to keep dhe baby!"
"Ohhh, yes I do recall back in my sixty- wait, what did you say?!"
Behind goggled eyes, Nefario stared at Gru with a dumbfounded face.
Yes, he heard right, even though his senses of hearing were decreasing throughout the years.
"She's…pregnant!?"
"Yes…"
"And you are the—"
"Who cares, it doesn't matter anymore!" he said, and involuntarily, anger and frustration started to brew inside him once more. "She'll abort it anyway, so vhat's dhe drama about?" Gru rolled his eyes and turned around, giving him the cold shoulder.
It was odd for Nefario to see him like that. He didn't seem that angry, actually – but sad. Of course he was sad, if he would hear his girlfriend or wife would abort their child after a huge fight, he'd be heartbroken.
"Gru, uhm…I know it's none of my business, but-perhaps there is a chance she'll keep the child." - "Pff, yeah, sure she will…" he muttered.
"And just because this…well…love didn't last, doesn't it mean either you both can't stay friends, or you'll end up alone eventually. There are so many fishes in the sea-"
"Dun't yu understand?!" Gru wheeled around, grabbing the already wonky shelf and tearing it off the wall, the beakers smashed on the ground and into a million of shards, the green, yellow and purple liquids spreading on the floor. Nefario backed away.
"I have scared her off vith who I am! Vith vhat I am! I fought for her to stay and she left because of me! Because I pushed her to keep dis…THING!"
This… thing…
Pausing in horror of what he just said, he stared at the floor, the colorful sludge on the ground that was eating its way through the metallic ground.
With a shaky voice, vibrating with wrath, he continued:
"Yu think dhere is any chance dat she'll ever consider me as a friend anymore? Me? Nefario – it's over, a'right?! I thought I wuld be some good guy after all and no, I'm not! I was born to be bad – and was born to be alone!"
"Gru! Gru!"
Gru stopped instantly, something inside him that was burning his heart puffed out. He turned around, and saw something pink in the distance running towards them. After several moments of confused staring, he noticed that it was one of his daughters, Edith.
She ran all down the hallways, through some groups of minions, Gru left Nefario alone in the mess of crushed beakers and spilled acid and approached the blonde girl. "Edith, vhat's wrong?"
Edith came to a stop, and breathed heavily. She ran often and long, but why the hell did she always have to run down the entire hallway to meet him halfway? Wheezing, the little girl gulped.
"Lucy…she's here…!"
Gru looked at Edith with saucer eyes. So she did come after all…?
"Uh, thanks Edith, but I know, she's here to pick up some of her things, and dhen she'll leave again, no need to-"
"No! Gru, she wants to see you!"
"Me…?"
The ex-villain frowned. What else did she want now? Tell him again what an idiot he had been? That she really will abort the baby?
"Y-yes…she's waiting upstairs…in your bedroom!"
Gru sighed, patted Edith's head and nodded.
"Fine…I'll go and see her."
Several moments later, Gru stood in the elevator and made his way up to the living room. Again, he felt his teeth grinding against his lower lip, and he wondered, why Lucy was requesting to see him. He thought it was over…? If she was ignoring him some moments ago…he clearly saw that as a sign of…well…rejection. He did all he could do, he apologized and assumed that was it, but…He couldn't say he was all too excited to speak her again. If Gru assumed it was just something he wouldn't like anyway, why even bother?
With a weird feeling in his guts, he walked upstairs and stopped in front of the bedroom door. Okay…take a deep breath…
'Stay calm, stay cool – pretend like this entire breakup is not a big deal!'
He opened the door at one go and looked inside. Lucy was sitting on the bed, alone, staring at him, and Gru stared back at her. And then she smiled…
His intention to keep his coolness seemed like a little birdy flying away and leaving the man speechlessly and nervously standing in the doorframe, again biting on his lower lip and shaky, sweaty hands.
"U-u—uhm…" he stammered. "E-edith told me yu…wanted to see me…?"
Lucy bit her lip to not giggle at how insecure he was. Oh, it reminded her of how preciously awkward and cute he had been on their first few dates…
"Yeah, I saw her outside when arriving." She moved her hand over the soft duvet, motioning him to come and sit by her. He nodded, carefully sitting down next to her and looking at her like a guilty little puppy. "I wanted to tell you that I did listen, and... I'll accept your apology."
It was like a whole burden fell off his shoulders instantly as Lucy told him she did actually listen to him and…that she accepted his apology.
He had assumed she'd never wanna hear a single word from him again – she had seen him from his worst side and yet she came back…? She moved her hand up in the air to indicate that she wasn't done talking once he wanted to talk. "You seriously hurt me Gru, you did. You have always made me feel important and human before, but last night, once you found out I'm pregnant, I became second priority, a vessel for your child."
Gru nodded in shame. She knew he was sorry and she knew that it was genuine. So, Lucy moved closer to him and placed her hand on his cheek to make him look into her eyes again.
"But I know that you weren't yourself in that moment. And I know your apology was real and true and honest…"
"I'm an idiot,I know…"
"Yes…yes, you are, Gru." And then she smiled. "But you're my idiot."
A sweet moment of silence followed with both of them looking into each other's eyes and cupping their faces. Gru leaned his forehead against hers and she closed her eyes to savor that moment. Before she let herself drop on the bed and pulled him with her until they were lying on his bed, the place they shared their deepest love and intimacy.
"I've decided on keeping it." She whispered. "Y-yu-yu will?" He sat closer to her, still uncertain if she wasn't joking.
"Are…are yu sure about dis…? Because…if yu are…I'll du anythin' for yu, I swear…" he carefully reached for her hand, as if she was a fragile doll. "I'll be dhere for yu …!" Just inches apart, she felt secure and safe in the bed, just focusing on the air between them and smiling warmly. "I know, big guy. But Gru –" her smile faded. "It's gonna be some tough months. . I'm gonna get big. I'm going to be moody, I'm going to be whiny. I will most likely be slow and you'll be impatient with me when I'm not walking fast enough. And I need to know that you're preparing yourself for this." Curling his lips into a way cockier smile, he chuckled softly, and then he kissed her on the lips, softly. "How culd I ever be impatient vith yu, hm?"
She laughed softly into his chest. "You big lug, you…"
Again, none of them said a word but lying next to each other, caressing and holding and snuggling and sharing small squeezes and kisses. And it was perfect. She felt happy. She felt secure. She felt like she could only live through that pregnancy with him, together…
"On the other hand..." she started again and tapped her chin. "My boobs are going to grow, I guess it has some benefits", she added jokingly.
"I think I can live vith dat." Gru said with a smirk. "For yu…" he lifted up her chin to look into her eyes. "…anythin', my dear."
She felt tears of relief building up from his reassuring words, the softness in his tone, the gentleness of his fingers running along her face as he put some threads of hair behind her ears…
For a moment Gru was scared he hurt her somehow, or these moodswings had already sat in – but probably she was just relieved – and he was too. "Uh…Gru?"
"Hm?"
"The girls can't know yet. I'm just a few weeks in, I could easily …miscarry." She looked up in his face, making sure he heard of the risk. "I don't want to make them happy and then they'll see me rushing to the hospital all bloodied up."
Gru gulped. He feared this word and he feared it would happen to her. Now that she apparently started to like this entire baby-business, it would be horrible for both of them, knowing their baby had died before it really started to involve. "Lucy, I'm sure it's goin' to be fine..." She nodded, feeling encouraged.
"We don't have room for my furniture, but... I would like to move in here and I could rent my place out? I don't want to live alone in my apartment if anything would happen, and Gru, the risks are there." She buried herself up against his chest even more.
"I know…but as long as yu stay vith me and as long as yu take things a bit more easy, yu'll be fine…"
He was about to continue until he felt her lips on his skin beneath the fabric of his sweater. She had her fingers hooked in the collar of his sweater and tugged it down, lips now caressing the crook of his neck. A short shiver ran through his body, instinctively, his hands held closer to her, while one was slowly running down her waist. She suppressed a giggle when she felt his body shivering underneath her, she had managed to get him started, apparently. "Lucy..." he placed his hand beneath her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. "Yes, Gru…?" she said, in a sensual voice, eyes gleaming happily at him. "I love yu..." - "I love you too, Gru." She lifted her leg and let it travel over his hip, so they were closer still. She continued to tug at his collar, and found the collarbone, giving it butterfly kisses, moving towards the base of his neck.
"L-Lucy, n-no, I'm ticklish dhere…" he stammered. "I know…" she said and winked at him.
Gru's heart skipped a beat at her sensual tone. With his free hand, he cupped her thigh, stroking down the length of her leg and feeling her smooth and soft skin against his palm.
He had to admit, he had missed her skin close to his and the feeling of her lips a bit. Sharing this intimacy with her was just soothing his nerves and made him forget about the previous, horrible hours of fighting and crying. Sighing silently, he enjoyed her lips on his skin, hands wandering over her thigh, up to the hem of her dress, feeling tiny tingles running down his spine and just as he was about to dip beneath her attire, he jumped as there was a knock on the door.
"Not now!" he called, but that demand was ignored and suddenly three young girls opened the door and before Gru could protest, they jumped inside the bedroom.
"Oh, goodness!" Lucy exhaled and both of them let go of each other, sitting up.
"Gurls, come on, I said-"
"Gru, are you and Lucy together again?"
"A-Agnes..." he stammered a bit helplessly. He looked between Lucy and his daughter, but Lucy nodded in confirmation. Entwining his fingers with hers again, he smiled at Lucy.
"Yes…we are, aren't we?"
"Absolutely." Nodded Lucy.
"So, no more fights? No more sadness? No more 'I screwed up?' " Margo asked and winked at her father.
"No, neidher of dhem." Gru chuckled. "Yaaay! We're so happy!" Agnes jumped on the bed and gave both of them a big hug, as long as that was possible, being just too small to embrace both of them. "Yeah, happy...!" Edith rolled her eyes, but smiled and joined the group-hug.