When Roxanne walked Eagle down the stairs to the dining hall, she was surprised to see just how many people there were here now. Seemed those people who lived further away than those who had shown up first thing had finally arrived; the Family had all but doubled in a few hours. Many had driven, whilst some had been lucky enough to grab a flight over.

She felt her stomach fall when she saw three bodies being ushered in, covered in white sheets that were stained red with blood. They were carried through to another part of the house, probably a cold room or something, for safe keeping. She had overheard that the Family managed their own funerals and autopsies, since the kind of injuries people died from here could hardly be explained to a regular funeral home. It seemed as though the entire Family could break off from society entirely, and continue unattended quite easily.

Roxanne looked around the room at the faces of those gathered. Most were grim, while others still had that endless determination that continued to impress her.

Obviously word had gotten out about Dracula, since the second somebody saw Eagle they easily moved her from Roxanne's grasp to a big chair, where the shaken woman was given something hot to drink. Not many fighters came face to face with Dracula to live to tell about it, but hers had come at a dreadful price as evident by the three new bodies.

"He just... just kept demanding he be there... to pass the message on... he was horrible, horrible." Eagle whispered as her hands shook slightly, causing her mug to tremble in her grip.

Minion spotted Roxanne and made his way over to her, worry clearly marked on the fishes face. "Oh Miss. Ritchi, how are you? You look half dead."

"I'm kind of running on fumes." Roxanne whispered back, looking up at the fish. "I didn't get much sleep."

"You need to rest..." Minion said.

"I can't; not yet." she shook her head.

"Why?" asked the fish. "You're no good if you're not rested."

His attention, and that of most everyone gathered, got snatched up the moment Megamind appeared at the top of the stairs. The alien stood there in his black boots—theyseemed chunkier today and looked heavier than normal—leather pants, simple black shirt, that patented flowing leather jacket, as well as those black gloves. Resting atop his large head was the same hat Roxanne had first seen him wear all those months ago, and resting on both hips were swords. He was carrying his own as well as his Father's. No doubt within his jacket, and strapped to his body, were other weapons he seemed capable of just pulling out of his jacket when desired.

Roxanne could hardly read the expression of his face. He didn't look mad, nor determined either. There was no joy in his eyes, but there was no sadness either. It was like he was a blank slate, wiping clean the emotions that clouded his mind to just live in the moment, and get through each step at a time.

After what felt like a lifetime he began to make his way down the stairs, hands gripping each hilt of the swords as if they were keeping him alive.

The crowd of people parted like the sea had done for Moses, and Megamind continued his walk through them until he reached the door and stopped. Turning around he looked at the Family, his Family, and swallowed slowly.

"We all know the procedure, and what's going to happen. Make sure you're prepared."

Roxanne heard Minion gave a squeak of unhappiness and glanced up at the fish. A procedure? Prepared? Were they all going to follow him, or take part in some kind of ritual? She wanted to know but felt that now wasn't the time to be asking questions. Instead she followed Megamind after he walked through the door, as did mostly everyone else, including Minion and Wayne.

Hadn't they done this already? Roxanne had hugged him goodbye last night, hoping to see him again. It had been horrible but this time it felt worse. She watched as Minion spoke to his friend, his master, in hushed tones nobody else could overhear. Were they actually speaking an alien language to one another? Their lips moved in a way she'd never seen before. The fish shuddered within his head bowl, and Megamind reached up, pressed both his hands to the glass and smiled. "You'll be fine." he finally said in English.

"It looks like you're going off to die." Roxanne said, aloud, unashamed to voice her feelings and fears.

Wayne looked down at her, then at his brother. "Fighting Dracula can always be dangerous."

"Extremely." Megamind said flatly as he tugged at his gloves, making sure their lines were right along his fingers. "But he's asking for me, and he'll get me. And just like him, he probably has a whole hoard of vampires in waiting too, so I'm going to bring the Family with me."

"It's like a war out of an old movie." Roxanne whispered. "The two heads of the sides fighting it out while their supporters do too."

Megamind smiled faintly.

"And you want me here, don't you?" she asked.

"I do. But I can't stop you if you follow." Megamind said honestly. "Be prepared if you are going to come along, and know your place. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to fight, you fight with everything you've got. If I tell you to abandon me to save yourself, you do that."

"You're quoting Dumbledore in a way, you know?" Roxanne tried desperately to slice through the tension in the air, but it seemed impossible.

"Man knows how to coin a phrase." the alien grinned. "But promise me, Roxanne. I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do." Roxanne replied. "It doesn't stop me from worrying, or being scared for you."

"Tell you what." Megamind walked to her and set his hands on her shoulders. "You be scared for me. That way I don't have to be."

"I don't want to be scared." she said, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in close to bury her face in his neck. "I want you. I've never been this way, or felt like this, ever. I'm scared, and I hate being scared, but the idea of you going out there, and not coming back is... terrifying. I hate admitting it. I really, really do."

She felt his arms wrap around her, and his breath against her neck. "It doesn't make you any less a woman if you're afraid." he mumbled. "You're still the strong, reliable and lovely woman I fell in love with."

Roxanne said nothing, afraid that if she dare open her mouth she would say something pathetic, or clingy. She just held him, wishing they were worlds away from this, and that he wasn't going to face off against a monster that was renown through literature for being a monster. She wanted the embrace to last forever, just as much as he did, but he carefully unwound his arms from her, and she accepted she had to let him go. Taking a deep and calming breath Roxanne gave him a shaky smile and playfully punched his arm. "Go get em, tiger." she said as strongly as she could.

"Rawr." Megamind smiled. He then turned his attention to Wayne and took a step towards him. "Watch out for everyone, all right? Anything starts to look hairy get them out of there. Especially... you know."

"I know." Wayne nodded before reaching out and grasped Megamind's shoulder. "You've certainly come a long way, little buddy." he smiled. "We're all very proud of you."

Megamind gave a faint smile and shrugged, then wheezed as Wayne suddenly pulled him into an embrace. It seemed for a moment Wayne had forgotten his own strength, since it felt like the life of him was being squeezed out. After an awkward apology, Megamind climbed into his car with Minion and drove off after all the other retreating vehicles. Roxanne stood there, watching them go, before lifting her hands and running them through her hair.

"Right then." she said.

"What are you going to do?" Wayne asked.

"I'm not going to stay at home and worry. I'm going." Roxanne replied.

"Well I'm going too. Just to keep an eye on you."

"Thanks." she said with a small smile, then headed back into the Manor in order to find herself something to use.

~*~

With the city as abandoned as it was, finding parking was easy. Megamind ended up pulling up in front of the city hall, since it was just around the corner from the fountain. He adjusted his hat as he stepped out, and paused when he saw the huge rectangular pool of water that stretched between city hall and the Metro City museum, way down at the other end. It could give the man made lake in Washington a run for its money in scale, and grandness.

He then, surprisingly, crossed the street and approached the water. During his drive into town he had, of course, activated his disguise. A pale, bald man stared back at him out of the water, while Minion locked the car behind them.

Just as Minion was turning around—wearing his own disguise of a tall, intimidating looking man, with a tiny pony tail sticking out the back of his head that looked very much like his tail fin—he was surprised to see Megamind actually deactivating his watch. "Sir, what are you doing?" he asked, hurrying over to the alien. "Your disguise, why did you-"

"I'm going to be going to confront one of the most evil men in the history of the world, Minion. I would rather do it in my own skin than anyone else's," Megamind said as he unbuckled the watch and handed it to Minion. "Do with it as you wish."

Minion stared at his friend as he crossed the street again, away from the water, and he too looked at his reflection.

By the time Minion joined Megamind walking down the street, he too was without his disguise. So far they hadn't run into civilians, which was a blessing but also a worry. Was there really nobody around, or if there was maybe they had been caught up in the crossfire of the Family and vampires? What if, from one of these many windows, people were watching him? A blue, bulbous headed alien and a fish in a gorilla suit, walking towards the centre of town as if it were any other day.

Minion spotted some of the Family members hanging back, watching from shadows, weapons already drawn and ready. Good, they were in the right place for back up. He looked down at Megamind who was pointing. "Go join the others." he said.

"What? But Sir-"

"Do as I say, Minion." Megamind urged. "Please."

The fish stood there and sighed, before nodding his body and gave his friend one last glance before he hurried away to duck out of sight. He looked back from behind the wall, where he now stood with some of the Family, all of whom were seemingly holding their breath and watching as the blue man continued walking down the street.

Megamind had never walked through town without his disguise like this before. It felt, amazingly, riveting. Even with the sense of dread and evil in the air, walking these streets without a disguise in place was liberating. It certainly helped him feel like he could spit fire, and face death head on. Which, given the current situation, was probably not too far from the truth.

There, just ahead of him, was the fountain; it was very old, but had recently gone under a restoration project, and now looked all white, shiny, and new. It dribbled water pleasantly, and many people visiting the City would normally stop to take a photo of it. Even Megamind, with his vague interest in architecture, had to admit it was simple and beautiful. However, today, it was far from beautiful because of the man sitting on it.

The man was wearing a pinstripe black and grey suit. A red tie stood out against a white shirt. His shoes were shiny, sleek, and expensive looking. Thick black hair was styled back, and his handsome European face was turned away for the moment. He appeared to be looking at his reflection too, since, despite the stories, vampires did cast reflections. They just tended to look off, especially around the eyes. They tended to look hollow, lifeless. What was that old saying again? That eyes were windows to the soul? Maybe that was why vampire's eyes always looked wrong in reflections.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Megamind, standing there in the middle of the road, and he gave a low, bemused, chuckle.

"So we finally meet." he said, and he seemed to glide to his feet, hands resting in his pockets. "I must admit you're not at all what I expected."

"I'm not?" Megamind asked calmly.

"I expected somebody... well. Larger, I guess would be the best word. But, after living as long as I have, surprises are few and far between. Really, the way your Father went on about you in his deranged state made me think you would be grander to behold. Instead, what do I get; a skinny, big-headed man from the heavens themselves." Dracula gave a slight scoff.

Megamind knew what he was trying to do; mentioning his Father like that. He was trying to anger him, to blind him with rage so the battle would be far more one-sided than it otherwise would be. Despite the rage crawling up his spine, Megamind pushed it away. Remaining calm and level headed was the key here. "Sorry I disappoint you." he replied sarcastically.

"Oh well. One of millions, I dare say." shrugged Dracula as he began to walk forward. His movements were so fluid, almost like dancing, but seeing somebody dance normally brought joy to ones heart. Seeing this man in the suit walk was like witnessing the murder of a baby.

The alien gripped the two sword hilts at his side, and the vampire stopped in his tracks.

"Ah, you believe you have a chance of killing me?" he asked, smiling slowly to show that each one of his teeth was pointed, and no doubt incredibly sharp. "Or let me guess, the one to banish me back to the darkness so I'll never return?"

"I don't believe." Megamind replied. "I know."

"Such authority and conviction!" Dracula laughed, and clapped his hands in amusement. "Oh, this shall be fun. This is not going to be easy, quick, or painless either." he took another step forward, the look of amusement wiped from his face only to be replaced with one of utter loathing. "You killed my Children."

"You killed my Father."

"Ah, if I recall you're the one who ended his life."

"No. He was dead the second you turned him." Megamind replied, in a matter-of-fact kind of way. "I've been freeing your slaves for years. Each one purified and allowed to die, finally, after suffering at your hand. All the dead are better off, but especially my Father. The only ones to suffer with their death were your precious Children."

"Enough talk." Dracula suddenly announced. "Let's do what we came here to do. Shall we?"

"Love to."

"LET IT BE KNOWN!" the man suddenly held his hands up above his hand, calling to the city so powerfully it felt as though his voice was everywhere, even inside your own head. "UNITE IF YOU MUST BUT YOU SHALL FALL! YOU WILL ALL BE MINE!" Dracula suddenly looked back at Megamind and held a hand out, but in a way that it appeared he was blocking somebody. "He is mine. Nobody touch him. You will know pain from my hand, and mine alone."

"Didn't you say enough talk?" Megamind asked dryly.

Dracula's reply was to suddenly rush forward and bring his hand slamming down onto Megamind's chest. The man had moved so fast, the alien had barely a hair's breadth to brace himself. He flew backwards, easily, tumbling and rolling. But the second he was on the ground, he unsheathed his sword and was on his feet. The European man was nowhere to be seen, but Megamind soon felt where he was when he felt needle like pins dragging across the skin of his head. The leather seemed to be putting up a good fight against the claws of the now invisible man, but the cuts to his head were painful, especially those across injuries that were still healing from his exploits the previous night.

Megamind ran from the foe, counting to himself as he did. He felt the tugs at his cape, and spun around, bringing his sword down. Dracula, just now reappearing, managed to block the sword with his own hand, but not without sustaining some deep cuts to his palm. The vampire barely seemed to register the pain; he hissed at the blue man and swiped at him with a foot. Naturally, Megamind avoided it, and blocked another advance with the man's hand with one of his own feet. This was a bad idea, since he was suddenly spun by Dracula and slammed back down to the ground with tremendous force.

Around him, Hell was breaking loose. It appeared as though somebody, one from either side, had felt now was the time to suddenly launch an attack. Vampires, daring the sunlight and the blades of the Family, had come pouring out of seemingly nowhere. Naturally the Family came back just as strongly, and it wasn't long until the air was full of the sounds of war. Screams, hisses, cries, and the sound of weapons brought to bear; blood being spilt.

Yet for the two men in the middle of it all, they may as well be standing on the moon.

Dracula could smell the blood on the sword that the alien was using. It reeked, not only of the blood of his Children, but hundreds of thousands of other vampires. All of them done in and destroyed by this man, who looked like a good breeze could send him rolling away like a piece of paper. His reflexes were so fast, he had to wonder if it was the alien blood running through his system that gave him such speed. Or maybe it was he who was slowing down? Impossible. His strength came from the blood of those he consumed; he knew he was faster and stronger than this skinny man.

His train of thought derailed when a stake suddenly embedded itself in his shoulder. Dracula let out a roar of anguish as blood flowed freely from the wound. He reached up, grabbing the wood and pulling it out of his injury, and threw it away.

Megamind stood there, holding his crossbow in one hand, then tossed the thing away. Somebody else could make better use of it, since he knew it was foolish to think he could stake the monster from here. A stake wasn't enough to destroy Dracula, not after all these years. He backed up, and the beast was upon him again. But each time his blows were blocked with that sword, or Megamind's feet. Dracula followed Megamind, circling the fountain at least once fully, before they doubled back. They didn't get too far before Megamind pulled out one of his smaller blades and swung it across Dracula's face.

Pride was one of a vampire's greatest weakness. Feeling the pain ebb over his precious, handsome face, Dracula screamed bloody murder and repaid the gift by swiping his own hand across Megamind's face. His nails were long and sharp, and they dug into the aliens face. Megamind screamed and backed away, since the claws had reopened the wounds made by the Berserker a few nights ago. Chance available, Dracula tackled Megamind with all the force of a Berserker, slamming Megamind up against a wall. Megamind's head hit the wall; he was sure he heard a crack, but he could spare no time to scream or flinch at the pain.

Dracula was almost upon him, when the same knife used to scar the man's perfect face plunged into his stomach again, and again. This caused the monster to finally flinch, and with one good kick from Megamind to the right spot, he howled in pain and fell backwards. Blood was already beginning to seep into his clothes.

Suddenly he transformed. His clothes seemed to almost melt, changing from material to wings, and they unfurled themselves from his body. The hair on his body seemed to suddenly spread over the skin that was being revealed with the transformation of his clothes. Megamind watched as the man somehow became not only a bat, but a giant, unholy one with glowing red eyes, fangs, and claws that could rip through anything. It snarled at him before its wings finally flapped, and it took off into the skies. But Megamind was prepared for this, too. If Dracula thought he now had the upper hand, being off the ground, he was gravely mistaken.

The alien reached down and pressed his thumbs against the heels of the boots Roxanne had thought looked larger than normal. The bottom of the boots suddenly fell away, revealing two exhaust exits on each heel. Megamind put his sword back in its sheath, and pulled out another of his weapons that had been strapped to his back; built to shoot smaller, thinner stakes that could still do damage. Just as Dracula began to turn and dive down to slam into him, Megamind jumped easily, and the jets in the boots activated.

Flying without wings to help guide him was always difficult, but his main concern was making sure he kept Dracula in his sights, while also avoiding slamming into buildings or other vampires. The vampire screeched in annoyance; he had ultimately landed on the ground, before turning around and taking off after his now flying prey. It seemed this alien had many things up his sleeve. He flapped his wings fiercely, despite the throbbing pain in his shoulder and stomach; he felt pleased to see the open wounds on the alien's head, and noted where the leather had been torn. The smell of that blood... it was unlike any he'd smelt before.

Megamind suddenly spun so he was flying on his back, and aimed his 'gun' of sorts at the vampire. Pulling the trigger, a barrage of small, thin stakes shot out at Dracula. Some embedded themselves in his arms and chest, but most of them ended up shooting through his wing membranes. The vampire screamed again, and his flying became far more hazardous then before. Damn it, why was this happening? Why had this little man gotten involved in a war that wasn't his? Dracula's right wing suddenly clipped a building, sending him falling head first into the ground, just barely missing landing on a few of his underlings. They, in turn, raced to their fallen lord and tried to help him up. Instead, he snarled like the wounded animal he was and they backed away from him in fear.

Dracula was just lifting his head when one of those large boots came swinging, making contact with his face. His jaw cracked, and the force was swift and surprising enough to send him rolling. But as he rolled, he managed to reach up and grab hold of one of the boots in his claws. He all but tore it from Megamind's leg, and he heard the call of alarm from the alien; there was a satisfying thump when he no doubt came crashing down to earth as well. Pulling himself to his feet, Dracula began plucking the stakes from his body; his wings and fur slowly melting back into clothes. Only now they were ruined, no longer impressive looking at all. They were ripped, torn, streaked with blood and grime.

Lifting his head, he saw Megamind laying flat on the ground, face down, and barely moving. It seemed the sudden fall to the ground had done more damage than he had anticipated. "I must admit!" Dracula said as he began to walk towards the fallen alien, "You're... far more than I gave you credit for. I haven't seen an equal like you for generations. Almost a shame I have to kill you." He was now standing over the fallen alien, breathing hard; he paused momentarily to brush a hair out of his face. "But oh well."

To be continued