The kinds of injuries that one sustains while being a vampire hunter were numerous, and strange. It wasn't every day that somebody was admitted to hospital with horrible open wounds caused by human nails that tore open flesh, after all. Broken limbs were one thing to handle, but injuries of a more 'mystical' genre were hard to explain away to medical professionals and whenever a hospital was an option it was turned down. Mainly since they had records that could be easily obtained, and if you could be traced, you weren't a good vampire hunter.

This meant that the Family had their own medical faction. While they too did battle against the threat of vampires their main concern was tending to other injured Family members. There was one stationed in every city where vampire activity was high, and Metro City was just one of those places.

Wayne could still remember meeting their doctor, all those years ago. She had been brought to the manor with her Mother and introduced to Father, and his two sons. How small and petite she was, big blue eyes and pale hair to match creamy skin. How she had blushed at seeing him, back when they were young, and how she had shied away from Megamind in his blue skin and large head.

They had met with her previous times, as well. When Megamind would be so horrendously injured they had no choice but to take him to be mended by her. Now she was a confident, mature young woman who worked diligently and knew the risks associated with her job. Seeing how she had to work in secret with medical equipment her house was 'off the charts', just like Wayne's family home. It was snuggled away in some woods to the South with a path only those who knew of it could find, and make their way through properly.

With Bernard still tightly held in his grasp Wayne had flown there as fast as lightning, if not faster, and was soon hammering away at her door. It only took two good slams of his fist for it to swing forward and land with a crunch on the floor.

"Lady?" he called into the house, stepping inside. "Lady!" Wayne called again.

Such an odd name to give a little girl, but there were stranger. Lady's house was similar to his own but had its own unique spins on things. She had more modern, abstract art on the walls and statues here or there. Her medical certificates and credentials hung proudly on the wall associated with a photograph of herself graduating Medical School. Of course it was all under a false name, a name that also appeared on birth certificates, drivers licenses, and pass ports. Only those in the family knew her as Lady. To everyone else, she was Lucy.

The young woman came hurrying down the stairs, her hair tied in two plaits that hung down the front of her chest. She was tugging on a dressing gown, tying it into a knot. "What's the situation?" she asked, having no time for pleasantries whenever somebody showed up calling her name like this. She didn't even flinch when she saw the sorry state of her patient with his face stained with blood like his shirt, the horrendous open wounds and how stiff and lifeless he looked. She'd seen worse.

"Bernard, I can't, I think they killed him, look at his face he isn't breathing I don't-I don't know what to do." Wayne explained shakily, uncomfortable and unfamiliar with this total feeling of helplessness. All of these powers at his disposal but he couldn't even save the man he loved.

Lady rushed up to him and pressed her fingers to Bernard's throat, before quickly tugging one of his lids open to stare at his eyes. "Bernard Dunning, yes. Werewolf. Bring him downstairs with me." she instructed and hurried to a grandfather clock near the door. She opened the chest of the clock and tugged on the swinging metronome twice, revealing a hidden passage way just beyond the clock. Even though not everyone in town knew of the house, if in the rare chance somebody did find it they couldn't just happily happen upon her small hospital down stairs. Holding the door open she watched Wayne rush through, before following after him and the door slid shut behind them.

"Tell me about your family." Megamind said as he and Roxanne sat across from each other at a round table in a restaurant they had both agreed upon.

"Hm?" Roxanne lifted her gaze to look at him.

"Please? You know about mine but I don't know a thing about yours. I want to even things up." he explained as he looked down at the menu he held in his hands and realized he was gripping it too harshly.

"Oh, sure. Of course, if you want to know." she smiled as her eyes drifted down the menu list of items available. "I have a mother and father, both still alive. Daddy worked in the military ever since he was old enough to enlist and is highly decorated. He wanted a whole heap of sons to carry on the family name buuuuuuut my Mother had other plans. She used to be a teacher, you see, and wanted to get back to teaching as soon as possible. But then I came around," Roxanne grinned, "And she chose to stay on at home."

"A stay at home Mom, then?" Megamind asked quietly.

"Pretty much. Then she got pregnant again when I was six and had my two sisters, Amanda and Juliet. Course now a days Amanda answers to Mandy and Juliet answers to Julie..." Roxanne went on to explain. "They kept us all pretty busy and I acted Mommy to the two of them as I grew up, taking care of them so when she could, Mom could return to work since our family needed the money what with three little girls to feed."

"What do they do now?" he asked, setting the menu down, listening intently.

"Mandy works in the stock market, of all things. She's hard as nails, all professional business suits, all day meetings and stuff like that." smiled Roxanne. "We don't see her a lot but when she does come around she's always larger than life, make no mistake."

"And Julie?"

"She's trying to get a band started up, of all things." Roxanne chuckled. "She plays bass guitar really well, and sings good too. They're working the underground scene right now but I hear tell one of their songs is going to be used in a commercial so that'll get their name out there more."

"So we've got a news reporter, a rock star, and a stock broker. Your parents must be very proud." he said with a small, odd smile on his face.

"Very proud. Since my Daddies name is Charlie he's always called us his Angels. Kinda silly." she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Not silly." Megamind smiled still. "I think it's... nice."

"...did your Father call you... anything?" Roxanne asked quietly.

"Only my name." he replied as he picked up his glass.

"Which is?"

"Eth-ahahhhhh!" Megamind pointed at her triumphantly, grinning like a loon. "Almost!"

"Consarn it!" Roxanne laughed, snapping her fingers. "So close!"

"Consarn it?" Megamind echoed, before snorting. "I didn't know I was seeing a grizzled old prospector."

The two burst out laughing together, totally oblivious to the looks they were getting from those around them. A waiter finally appeared to take their orders, and gave Megamind a good, long hard stare before walking away with their orders.

"Why'd he give you that look?" Roxanne wondered, eyes trailing the thin waiter.

"Cuz I saved him three years ago." Megamind shrugged as he picked up his drink.

"What?" she asked with eyes wide.

"Yeah. Sometimes a small slither of memory remains in their psyche and when they see me, in whatever disguise I was wearing at the time, they get a feeling of de ja vu. You know. They seen me before but don't remember where." Megamind explained simply as he grabbed his drink again. "It happens a lot."

"I see... that's amazing. How the human mind works, that is." Roxanne said. "Since I already know you're amazing."

"Careful you'll give me a big head. Er. Bigger. You... you know what I mean." he sagged faintly at his failed pun but smiled sheepishly anyway. Roxanne really was as wonderful as he thought she had been long before ever meeting her. Was it foolish of him to get his hopes up like this? She had asked him, after all, not the other way around. He had never been out on a meal with a girl like this before, and he wondered what the norm was for things like this. Did he have to pay for everything, or were they going to pay separately?

There were rules to obey when it came to things like this. Damn it, why hadn't Wayne answered his phone call when he rang him multiple times in the past hour before heading out with Roxanne? Was he that wrapped up in Bernard he didn't have any time for him anymore? If so, Megamind suddenly found a whole other reason to hold the werewolf in discontent.

Wayne hated the smell of hospitals.

This was something he had decided upon years ago when he had been still very young, and Father had experienced a particularly bad run in with a Berserker vampire. Even though it wasn't a real hospital but the same house he was now currently sitting in. Back then, his arm had almost been ripped clean out of his socket and had needed emergency surgery to ensure he didn't loose total feeling in the limb entirely.

He could still remember Megamind sitting besides him, holding his hand as tightly as his small blue one could while he held Minion close to his chest. The stink of the place, all the cleaning materials, and the closed in space had made Wayne feel sick. Couple that with the fact that their Father was in such a dangerous place, the smaller Wayne had cried the entire time he had been sitting outside waiting to hear word.

This time, however, he was alone sitting in almost the exact same chair he had waited in all those years back. Even though he offered to help, Lady had turned him away, informing him she and her parents would manage the situation. Bernard wasn't dead, but he was very much close to it. His throat had almost been clamped shut thanks to the vampire, and he had suffered several cracked ribs that threatened his poor lungs that were already strained from almost being choked.

So he waited outside, trying his best not to listen in on the voices that gently drifted through the white doors. A beeping machine represented Bernard's heart and he hated it; it was beeping too far and few between for his liking. He knew how strong Bernard's heart was, he had felt it hammering against his own body not a few nights ago. Why had this happened now? It was cruel.

"Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."

Father had told him and Megamind that once, reading it from a book while he and his sons had relaxed in the dining room after a busy day.

"What do you think the poet meant when he wrote that?" Father had asked.

"That, that to loose love is worse than not knowing what it's like to have it?" Megamind had guessed.

"That's right. And he's right." nodded their Father as he turned a page in the small red book he was reading.

"Do you miss Mother?" Wayne had asked, and he had heard Megamind stop breathing from his place across the room. Mother was never something you brought up if you could help it, especially in Megamind's presence.

"Yes." Father had answered softly. "I miss your Mother every day."

"Then why did she have to leave?" Megamind asked. "Didn't she love us?"

"She loved you both with all her heart." Father said. "But it was her love for you that let her leave."

"I don't understand." Wayne had sighed.

"She could not stand to see her sons possibly suffer with a life that I had given them. She was mad. I tried, Wayne, I really did to keep your Mother here but if you love something you have to let it go." Father explained softly.

"B-but it says that, that if you do that and it comes back it's really yours." Megamind had sniffed.

"And if it doesn't, it was never truly yours." Father finished the saying. "I loved your Mother, and she loved me, but our love wasn't as true as I would have liked. Her feelings were very strong, and she was very stubborn. She made her choice. That's all there is to it." Father had buried his nose in his book after that, and had remained silent the rest of the night.

His Father... Wayne could remember his Mother, but not as well as Megamind could. Unlike his brother, Wayne did not have a gifted memory. He remembered feelings more than her actual movements and voice. He remembered being out in a garden with her, the sun warm in the sky, and how she had smelt of roses. She had made him feel safe, and that's what mattered. But she had left; she had loved them too much and to see the two of them end up in pain or, worse still, in Bernard's state now would have killed her.

She had loved them too much.

Did he love Bernard too much, too fast? He didn't know. The man brought him that safe feeling again, one he had yearned for a long time despite the fact he was so strong and agile nobody could physically injure him. He needed Bernard, he needed that man in his life and to see him so lifeless in that alley way had terrified him at the prospect of being without him, having now had him. Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? Maybe one day he had believed that, now though... the idea of being without Bernard felt like torture.

Looking at his wrist watch he grumbled at the time. It was past midnight now... how had so much time passed without him knowing? He groaned and leaned back, pressing his head against the wall slightly.

The door to the operating room suddenly opened and Wayne was on his feet in a flash, watching as Lady walked around the door. She had changed into pale blue clothing and was tugging her rubber gloves off. Already her mask was hanging down around her neck. Lifting her gaze to look at him she gave him a small smile. "He's very lucky you're as fast as you are, Wayne." she said. "If you hadn't brought him to me when you did... I don't want to think about what could have happened."

"Is he all right?" Wayne asked.

"Not yet but he will be." Lady explained as she gestured to him to follow her down the hall. "Thankfully his werewolf disease also helps him heal incredibly quickly, and bare pain, better than most. If he were a normal person going without oxygen for so long could cause severe threats of brain damage. He's going to have one Hell of a headache and sore throat for a few days, but compared to the alternative I think he'll be grateful."

"You don't know Bernard very well... he's rarely grateful." Wayne heard himself say on a tired, but thankful, laugh. "But I think... you're right, this time..."

"Can I see him?" Wayne asked. "Please?"

"You won't get much of a conversation out of him." Lady pointed out. "He's resting now, but yes. You can."

He was showed through to a recovery room and felt his stomach empty out within him when he saw Bernard laying in a bed that seemed too big for him. The slashes to his face had been seen to, and his face was covered in small medical pieces of tape as well as some stitches. He had a drip in one of his arms, and a breathing apparatus was helping him breath and it covered up his nose and mouth. His face had some color to it, but it was gray... far better than the blue that Wayne had seen him with previously but still disheartening.

"Bernard." he said as he made his way across the room and touched the mans hand with his own.

Lady watched him carefully, before walking up to stand at the foot of Bernard's bed. "Are you two together?" she asked.

"Y... yes. We are." Wayne admitted.

She smiled. "That's so sweet. I thought so, judging by how worried you were. How long have you been seeing each other?" she asked.

"Three days." he replied weakly as he found a chair and sat down, but not before making sure it was as close to the bed as possible.

"Ouch." Lady winced before moving to him and rubbed his shoulder. "I'll bring you a blanket then, since I guess you'll be staying until he comes to?"

"Thanks Lady. This really means a lot to me." he thanked her, lifting a hand to cover her own with it.

The white haired girl grinned toothily at him. "I know. That's why I love my job. Try to get some rest yourself, though." she pointed out before leaving him with Bernard for a moment in order to fetch a blanket.

Wayne turned his attention to Bernard's face, and sighed before reaching out and gently touched the man's cheek. The vampire seemed to have done some real damage to his face, but wounds would heal, and scars would quickly fade for the werewolf. "Megamind's right." he whispered to the man. "A war is coming... and... I'm going to have to fight it, aren't I? If not for me then for you… And everyone else." Wayne shut his eyes tightly and let a shudder shake his massive, muscular frame. "And I just know you'll still want to fight, too... no matter what I'm going to tell you, to try and keep you safe... I don't want to have to see you like this again but I very well might have to..."

He fell quiet and kept stroking his thumb against Bernard's unmoving hand as Lady returned with a blanket and draped it over his shoulders. Once more he thanked her, and she nodded, dimmed the lights and left. Wayne knew he should call his brother, but he didn't want to bother him with something he could do nothing about because Minion had been right. He had been taking on a lot of responsibility, and it wasn't fair. He'd give his brother a break, tonight, and he'd tell him the next morning about what happened.

No doubt he'd blame himself for not being more diligent with vampire hunting, but he'd soon snap that kind of talk from his brother. Besides, he deserved some down time with the young lady who'd caught his eye years ago and only just now was able to get close to.

"-and that's when I created the watch. It makes getting around a lot easier." Megamind explained as he and Roxanne were once again in the blue Bentley, driving through the city streets. Their meal had been amazing, and filling, and in the end he had all but wrestled the woman into agreeing to allowing him the honor of paying for the food. She had grumbled of course, but deep down she felt touched that he felt that way so strongly about paying.

"So why did you save me without wearing it?" she asked.

"Unfortunately as I came around the corner to help you my wrist hit the wall." Megamind said as he looked at his left wrist where his watch sat happily, before looking back at the road ahead of him. In such a brief amount of time he had improved as a driver, even if he found Roxanne's backseat driving tips a little annoying... but he knew she meant well. "If I hadn't, the disguise would have stayed in place."

"Funny little thing, isn't it?" Roxanne asked as she tilted her head and grinned at him.

"My watch?" he asked.

"No, fate. So many what ifs, yet everything fell into the place it way it had. Now look at us." she grinned as they vanished into the thickness of the forest, out of sight and out of mind to the rest of the world. "I really wanted to hang out later with you but I need to get a goods night sleep though and it's a shame..."

"Meh. You and your work." Megamind scoffed.

"Hey come on, I need to wake up looking bright and beautiful for my job!" Roxanne grinned.

Megamind smirked as he turned down winding roads making lefts and rights through the trees. "Well... I really don't think a good night sleep would help."

"What?" Roxanne turned to look at him, confused at what he had just said.

He looked lost for a second, before quickly looking around him in a mild sign of panic. "I mean. I mean that, that you're already beautiful so I don't see why a good night sleep would help. Any. More. Yeah. Yes." he trailed off and felt a wave of relief at seeing the house grow into view through the trees.

Besides him, in her seat, Roxanne watched him carefully. The night really had been something the two of them needed, a chance to relax and not worry about vampires, and attacks, and other things like that. They had both learned so much about each other, but more importantly how they bounced off one another. Roxanne would never have guessed that one day she would find herself meshing so nicely against a man with blue skin who fought vampires for a living. He was just so... wonderful to her. He could be incredibly brave and heroic one moment, and the next he was a polite, sweet man who worried over every little thing that dealt to her.

For a while Roxanne had feared that her feelings towards him were a side affect from him saving her not once, but twice. If so she would have been no better than those women in those stupid, silly action movies that just spent the time crying out for help and fell into the arms of the hero. Those bimbos were not something Roxanne hoped to be, ever.

But having been living in his house for the past few days, getting to know him one on one like this... Roxanne realized what she felt wasn't just because of his acts of heroism. She really did like him, and she hoped he was feeling something back towards her since all the signs were pointing to yes.

"That's sweet." she smiled finally, wanting to reach over to him and touch his hand but he was driving, and she didn't want to startle him. "You're sweet."

"Sweet?" Megamind scoffed as he finally parked the car in the garage, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. "I don't think I'm that sweet."

"No, you are." Roxanne affirmed. "You don't see how great a guy you are, and I don't know how that's possible."

"Guess I'm just humble that way?" he asked, unbuckling his seat belt to turn so he was looking at her properly. "I don't know."

"You buy me dinner, we dance, you compliment me about everything about me and then you ask me why I think you're sweet?" she asked, huffing a breath. "How is that possible?"

Megamind gave a slight shrug, before looking down at his hands and his watch. He twisted the face of the watch, and his disguise vanished. "I just don't... have confidence in some places. I can fell a vampire, and take on a group of them as well as their human slaves, but when it comes to things like this I'm..." he trailed off and shrugged. "I've got no experience."

"Confidence, experience..." Roxanne sighed, leaning against her seat as she looked at him. "These are things you need to work on." she was quiet for a moment, before speaking softly. "I'm going to give you some confidence."

"You are?" Megamind asked, watching her as she sat up properly.

"Yes."

She leaned over, reaching for him. Her hands traced against his arms and gently guided him closer to her as she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips softly to his own. Megamind's eyes had remained open all throughout, wide with shock, despite knowing what was coming. At least, he hoped he knew what was coming. Only when her lips finally brushed against his did his green eyes finally slip shut, and he shuddered beneath the tender kiss.

He kissed her back, as best he could, and he tried lifting his hands to touch her but she was slowly withdrawing from him. Her hands, however, remained on his arms. Opening his eyes he saw her face was flushed red, making her freckles stand out against her cheeks and nose. Megamind didn't have to wonder if his own cheeks were inflamed, he could feel it washing over his entire body.

"Feeling a little bit more confident?" she asked softly.

"Yeah I... think I am." Megamind replied quietly.

"Only think?" Roxanne smiled in the darkness of the garage. "That doesn't sound too confident."

"So I guess you better give me a little more confidence?" he asked coyly.

"Okay, that was lame." she smirked, and just before he could retaliate (or apologize, she really didn't care what it was) she was kissing him again, her hands now trailing up to gently place themselves around his shoulders and allowing him a chance to put his arms around her middle and tried to pull her closer. Between them the controls of the car stubbornly refused to get out of the way, making their second kiss a little restrained, but they made the most of it.

She knew they were probably getting a little more heated when his hands began grasping at her that certain way, and the sounds he was beginning to make. Roxanne hadn't been in a car in a situation like this since high school and all the memories of fumbling in the back seats of cars came rushing back. Hadn't she changed at all since those years with her first boyfriends? She had barely known what she was doing back then, much like how Megamind currently was. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?

Roxanne broke the kiss to breathe sharply, eyes still shut as she felt his lips trail against her jaw before pulling away entirely. Their eyes opened and adjusted to the darkness as they looked at each other in the car, and she could see his smile in the dim light that was filtering into the garage from the house. No doubt Minion was still awake, worrying about where they were. The last thing she wanted was the fish walking in on them in the midst of kissing in the car, since that too brought on memories of her Daddy doing the exact same thing back when she was sixteen. That boyfriend had fled and was never seen from again, but that tended to happen when your girlfriends' father was an army general who was seven feet tall and looked like he could break you with his thumb and fore finger.

Minion wouldn't scare her off, despite the obvious strength in his suit, but she would be all kinds of embarassed.

"We should get inside." Roxanne told him breathily. "All right? Minion will be worrying..." god, she sounded like a chicken saying that.

"You're right." Megamind conceded easily. He quickly kissed her cheek though before pulling away, and opened the car door before making his way around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. "...thank you, Roxanne, for tonight."

She laughed, unable to help it. "You're welcome." Roxanne smiled, rubbing at his goatee fondly. "Come on, before your Momma Fish worries himself to death." she pulled away from him and headed to the door that connected to the kitchen of the manor.

Megamind stood there against the car a moment, before he scowled. "Minion is not my Momma fish!" and then he hurried after her into the house where, of course, Minion was waiting and worrying himself half to death.

To be continued