A/N: Bello! I'm back with the next chapter.

Chapter 4

Two metal chairs and a table stood in the center of a small, bare, room. A single lightbulb hung from the ceiling, casting light on faded white walls. A clock ticked away quietly, mounted high in a corner. A one-way mirror stretched across one wall, taking up most of that wall. The room currently had three occupant: Gru, who was ensconced in one of the chairs. He was slated to speak with Panther and Miss Hattie and try to get them to reveal more information about the kidnapping ring. More than that, he wanted to find any clues as to the background of his girls. The other two were his diminutive minions, Dave and Phil; the same two who had participated in Gru's raid and helped take down Panther.

Panther was escorted in by a uniformed police officer. The bright orange of his jumpsuit added a splash of color to the otherwise dingy room. He took his seat and stared at Gru with no expression. His eyes flickered briefly to the little yellow minions standing at attention in the background. They glared back with what they thought were appropriately menacing expressions.

"I suppose you know why I've come?" Gru began.

"I can hazard a guess. You want me to spill." Panther snarled.

"You could call it that."

Panther's face was relaxed, yet his body slightly tensed, like he was ready to spring into action at any moment. Gru never let down his guard, but was confident in his own ability to take Panther down. Dave and Phil were also 'armed and dangerous'; a label they proudly placed upon themselves.

"What's in it for me?" Panther asked. The consummate mercenary, looking out for himself.

Gru leaned forward. "Less time in jail. I have been authorized to offer you half your sentence commuted if you give us information leading to the capture of the mastermind. If you give us information on the locations of prominent kidnapped children and children's homes used as fronts, we will treat that as cooperation and will reduce your sentence accordingly."

Panther sneered. "You think I am fazed by jail? You've barely got anything on me anyway. I'll be in and out. I don't need your commuting and your reducing mumbo-jumbo. I've landed on my butt plenty of times; I'll just get back up again."

Dave and Phil were on the verge of cracking up. "Butt." Their giggles threatened to overflow, until Gru snapped his fingers. They immediately tried to straighten their faces, rather unsuccessfully, but managed to swallow their brimming laughter.

Gru pushed on. "When the AVL gets involved, you have cause to fear. You wouldn't want me digging up your past records, would you?"

That made Panther pause for thought.

"You don't want to cross those higher up in power in the ring. I understand that." Gru said. "Come join the AVL. They will protect you. Cooperate and give us the info, do your reduced sentence, then train as an agent. Us former villains, we know the way of the street, the gritty reality of the underworld."

Panther looked unconvinced. "I'm no turncoat. I don't want any part of the AVL. Lone wolf, man. That's how I work. I look out for me and no one else."

"Getting a shorter sentence would be looking out for yourself." Gru took a deep breath and prepared the ace up his sleeve. "Plus, we'd consider paying for that information. $500 for leads, $2000 for information leading to capture of the mastermind. " That got Panther's attention, and fast.

"But, since you're not interested, I guess I'll move on to other prospects." Gru stood and turned to leave. The minions also moved to leave the room.

"Wait." Panther muttered. A small smirk played on the edge of Gru's lip. Within fifteen minutes, Gru had coaxed from Panther various homes used as fronts for the ring. The most Panther knew about the mastermind was that he was likely Eastern European and used the codename 'Arctic Fox'.

Gru nodded in satisfaction. He reached into his coat and produced a stack of photographs of kidnapped children, with his daughters' photos mixed in. Each photo was labelled with the name of the child.

"Do you recognize any of these children, or do you know whether your former employers were involved in their kidnappings?" Gru asked.

Panther pored over the photos. He picked out Dominic Bamford and Caley Allen, two low-level bureaucrats' children. "I overheard one of the ring talking about them, and I was one of the guards when moving them."

Gru's heart fell as Panther placed Agnes' and Edith's photos into the pile he did not recognize without hesitation. Panther identified yet another photo; Shane Longman, son of a businessman. "He passed through my building and was moved down south," Panther commented. He was nearing the end of the pile, when he stopped on one photo. Gru bent over to see he was holding Margo's picture. His heart thumped faster.

"I seem to recognize this girl. But, she was filed under a different name. Anya, or Andra? Something of that sort."

Gru's heart was in his mouth. He struggled to keep his voice level. "Was she kidnapped?"

"Well, I think she was filed together with the kidnapped children." Panther's face screwed up as he tried to recall.

"Who would know for sure?"

"Probably the person in charge of the home she was placed under." Panther's words were guarded.

To maintain a façade, Gru asked, "And who would that be?"

Panther merely shook his head. "I've told you enough. Information doesn't come free, you know."

"You'll get your money when your information is verified and when you're released from custody."

"Half my sentence commuted too, right?"

Gru nodded and signaled to the mirror that the meeting was over. A minute later, two guards came in and escorted Panther out. Gru leaned back in his chair, considering the meeting a success.

Miss Hattie, however, was completely uncooperative. Partly because she was a fairly high-level member of the ring, and partly because she still remembered and resented Gru's subtle Spanish insult during their first meeting. She didn't flinch, even when told she had been identified as a regional coordinator of the ring. She didn't bother with the offers of a reduced sentence and information-for-money. After two fruitless hours, she was escorted out. Gru sat a while longer, chewing his lip and thinking.

The professional side of him was a bit disappointed, but the personal was optimistic. Panther's apparent recognition of Margo as a kidnapped child was a lead he could start working on. Despite Miss Hattie's refusal to cooperate, he knew that the AVL analysts were already scouring the records from the Home she ran. "It's just a matter of time," he told himself.

He conveyed the latest information to a grateful Anna Bailey, and elicited a promise from her that she would keep an eye out for information directly related to his girls.

Gru strode out of AVL headquarters and stretched. Dave and Phil trotted behind, both slouching in weariness. Gru looked down at them and smiled.

"Come on, boys. Let's get something to eat." Gru said. Dave and Phil cheered.

"Eh, eh, boss! Gelato?" Dave suggested.

"Hmm, yeah. Sounds good. Phil?"

"Eh...hehe...banana?" Phil grinned.

"Tell you what; we'll get the ice-cream first, then you two enjoy your bananas. But I don't want you saving the bananas for home, alright? We all know what happens."

"Foo-fie! (Food fight!)" Dave and Phil exclaimed.

"Man, that one last week was a doozy." Lucy had just done the grocery shopping, and gave helpful little Bob a bunch for himself. He was over the moon with joy, till Kevin saw his bounty. Over fifty minions had entered the fray by the time Gru managed to break it up.

The trio entered the ice-cream store, and while Dave and Phil squabbled about whether chocolate or vanilla ice-cream tasted better with bananas, Gru perused the flavors available.

"Agnes likes strawberry, Margo and Lucy like vanilla, and Edith and I prefer chocolate. Looks like Neapolitan is the best solution." Gru thought to himself. As he paid for the ice-cream, he ruminated on the fact that Neapolitan was composed of three common flavors. While so different, they went so well together, and served as a compromise of flavors for his family. He resolved again to keep his family, and especially his girls, together.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review if you're enjoying the story thus far. See you soon, and God bless!