Author's Note: I know, this came before the next chapter of Pin Up Boy, but with a reason: the story will end on Thanksgiving Day, and I wanted to have it completed and posted before then. There will be one final chapter to come following this, and then it'll be on to the next story! My deepest thanks once again to all who have been reading and reviewing. My vision of this universe may not contain the kind of ending some folks seem to want, but I do have plans to take it in directions I hope my readers will find interesting and entertaining. For those who may not have read "Getting Back to Business" (or who read it so long ago they've forgotten), the reference Megamind makes to "what happened two days ago" is in the last chapter of that story. Thanks to all for coming along on this ride — now, onward!

Chapter Nine
Destiny Ends

Though all around them, the noise and tumult of their dying world shook everything as the final throes of death shake the creature fighting futilely to escape it, Kyrel and Eliaan stood in each other's arms and watched Mykaal's tiny escape ship speed away until distance and debris and the coruscating light in their beleaguered planet's atmosphere took it beyond their sight.

Eliaan sighed. "Well. He belongs to the Universe now, tsi'ale."

"Or is in the hands of the Unseen One, as the Potrell would say, tsi'aan," Kyrel pointed out with a calm but sad smile. "Don't forget, Mykaal isn't alone. Brave little Ootori. I hope you find as safe a refuge among the Terrans as your 'little brother.'"

Her husband nodded as he held her more closely when the ripple of a quake shook the stone of the plaza beneath their feet. "I do wish we'd had just half another year before this happened. My father told me that the Elders had decided to initiate contact with the Terrans when the next survey ship was sent out. They're at a pivotal point in their development, and handled adroitly, our ambassadors could have been of great help to them — not to mention that it would have better prepared them to meet beings of our kind."

Kyrel leaned her head against his shoulder, still looking up the way their son had gone. "Mykaal will be our ambassador, now. The Terrans are generally very accepting and protective of the young; our son will find people to take care of him with his eyes and his smile alone."

That brought a wan smile to his father's lips. "Yes, I suppose he will. In the Time After, perhaps we'll be able to watch over him, just to make sure."

"We'll know soon," she sighed, turning her attention from the heavens to the man holding her. The upheaval the planet suffered as it was forcibly pulled out of its orbit toward the maw of destruction that had already destroyed their sun caused buildings and trees and mountains alike to buckle; the infrastructures that had provided light now that their star was gone crumbled, leaving them only their agitated atmosphere to give any illumination. It shone in Kyrel's green eyes as she looked into Eliaan's amber ones, gazing beyond the physical form to the soul of the man she loved. She sensed him gazing back in the same manner, and smiled.

"Where we go, we go together," he said, "as we promised each other on our bonding day. In life, and beyond. Thank you for walking the path of Destiny with me, tsi'ale."

"Through this life and beyond, tsi'aan," she replied, touching her lips to his in tender passion. The arms about her tightened protectively, and their kiss remained unbroken as their world ended — and the next phase of their life began, together.

"Well, that went better than I'd expected — though not quite as well as I'd hoped," Roxanne told her own husband after she finally made it home, about half an hour after Minion finally finished his session with the Teacher. The ichthyoid's "lesson" had taken just shy of seven hours, and though he suffered no ill effects from it, he'd gone off to the kitchen to start preparing a light supper, not because he didn't want to talk about the experience, but because he wanted a little time alone to consciously process everything. Though Megamind wanted to talk to him about his own issues, he really wanted to talk to both his friend and Roxanne together, so he'd been willing to honor Minion's wish.

While he'd waited for his lady to return, the blue hero had kept an eye on the reports from the patrol bots out and about the city, just in case there were any problems stemming from Wayne's confession. The worst so far seemed to be a bar fight that had started after an argument over whether or not Scott had ever given a damn about the city, and a group of people egging the statue of Metro Man in the fountain where Titan had finally been brought down. Nothing the police couldn't handle, so Megamind had left them to it.

Roxanne had a different perspective to offer when she returned home. "The station's phone lines and email boxes overloaded five minutes before the interview was over, and there's been a lot of commentary on the social networks. Most of it is sympathetic, not negative, but there is a fair amount of anger out there. Wayne says he's okay with it, he actually expected it, but I was sort of hoping the people of Metro City had learned something, these last few years. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, either."

"How bad is it?" Megamind wondered as he let Pinky and the other household bots take care of Mommy's coat and other things.

The reporter waggled one hand, not too broadly, lest one of the brainbots interpret it as a signal for play. "No death threats, though I think that's mostly because now that they know Wayne still has all his powers, there's no point to it. And we probably haven't heard from the worst factions yet, the people who were seriously injured or lost family and friends when Hal went on his rampage. They went ballistic when Wayne came out of hiding to clear you of murder, and now that they know the truth..." She shook her head. "I can't see anything pretty coming of that."

"Have they accused us of complicity?" He didn't like to think of that possibility, but he knew it existed.

"Not yet. Wayne did make it pretty clear that we didn't say anything because he leaned on us to keep quiet, and I actually suspect that this might wind up convincing some of the most persistent skeptics that you really have changed. I've seen some discussions to that effect. If you were still a villain at heart, you would've blown Wayne's cover sky high just to have the pleasure of showing him up as a liar and a hypocrite. After all those years of losing to him, no true villain could've passed up a chance like that."

Megamind blinked rapidly for a few moments as he processed this unexpected logic. "Very likely," he finally admitted as Roxanne wearily dropped onto the nearest couch, where he joined her. "So I don't suppose we can presume that we've already seen all the worst of reactions and find that everything will have blown over by tomorrow morning."

She grimaced. "Maybe, but I doubt it. That was half the reason I wanted Wayne to schedule the interview for this week. Between the Thanksgiving holiday coming on Thursday and the big football game that started right after the interview, people might have other distractions that they consider more important than the real answer to the old question of what happened to Metro Man. I'm sure we'll hear negative reaction from some of the more extreme groups, but I have a feeling that most of Metro City will forgive him. It's been over three years, the city's in better shape than it ever was, they have a new hero who they like in a lot healthier ways than they did when they fawned over Wayne, and you're doing a spectacular job. If things were different, they all might be calling for his blood, but as it stands, the situation and the timing could be much worse."

Megamind propped his feet up on the coffee table. One of the housekeeping bots that happened to be passing through saw this and tried to get him to take his feet off the table, but when Daddy ignored him, he eventually gave up and continued on. "I guess I'm grateful that they didn't immediately turn on me. I have tried very hard to win their trust."

Roxanne kissed his cheek, then curled up against his side. "You did, and you have. By tomorrow, we should have a better idea of how bad it'll get. At the end of the program, we gave out all the numbers and addresses for people to contact to tell the judges and the DA how they feel about the situation, and what they consider an appropriate punishment. They'll probably get everything from 'nothing' to 'send them all to burn in hell.' On the bright side, though, the network brass were very happy with how the interview went. They don't mind controversy and scandal, it's good for ratings — just so long as it's not about them."

Megamind sniffed derisively. "Typical. You're so much better than all these gossip-rag mentality media moguls, Roxanne. They don't deserve someone of your caliber and integrity making them look good."

She turned her head to kiss him again. "Thanks, sweetie, I love you, too. So what do you suggest, that I switch to a different network, one that's more deserving of my extraordinary talents? I don't know if one exists..."

"Then I could make you one of your own, and you could turn it into something that will put all the rest of them to shame."

She chuckled. "Yeah, that'd be just about the only way it'd ever happen, and you'd have to keep on funding it so we never had to take advertiser support."

He stroked his chin for a moment, thinking. "That wouldn't be a problem. All I'd need to do is set it up to be funded by the income from a few of my more lucrative inventions and investments, and make sure it's properly managed. If I pull a few strings with people in the FCC, the whole thing could be up and running by the end of the year."

This time, Roxanne laughed outright — until she saw the look on his face. "Wait a second — Mykaal, are you serious?" She took a second look, blue eyes widening. "You are serious! Hon, I was just joking! I don't like the way the network does things sometimes, but I couldn't run a network of my own!"

Megamind waved one hand. "Of course you could! You are the smartest person I know!"

"Yeah, and I'm smart enough to know that this is a ten-ton monster of a job I do not have the experience or the training to do! Besides, I'm also pretty sure I don't want to run my own network, and definitely not by the end of the year! I enjoy being a reporter, not an administrator, and I'm still working on building my career. Maybe in five or ten years, once I'm better established as a national-level reporter, if the network gamesmanship gets to me, I'd be willing to be a part of a project like that, but not now."

She kissed his cheek for a third time. "Thanks for the offer, though, and the vote of confidence."

The blue head tilted to return the kiss, though on her lips rather than her cheek. "You're welcome, though I think you're underestimating yourself. I thought that's supposed to be my issue, not yours."

She grinned. "Overstating your abilities because you're actually underestimating them? Two days ago, I might've agreed completely, but today..." She gave a little shake of her head and brushed back the errant bangs that drifted into her eyes. "To tell the truth, I always knew you underestimated your abilities even when you were bragging about them. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have ever let a bullying superpowered brat convince you that you were doomed to be evil. But even I never expected that you might be missing the actual mark by a couple thousand light years, not just a mile!"

Pensiveness creased the flesh between Megamind's brows. "Do you really believe everything I've told you, even without seeing any proof of it for yourself?"

The reporter nodded firmly. "Yes, if for no other reason than that ever since you gave up the evil bit, you've never lied to me, not about something this important. And it all makes sense, really. There had to be a reason why the three of you were saved. I might've thought that you were just the only ones sent to Earth, that others might've been sent to other planets, but if your people could've saved others, I would've expected them to send more than just one of each kind, so none of you would feel so lonely and different."

"Sort of like Noah's ark," the blue genius reflected.

"Exactly. If they were trying to save the species, they would've needed at least two of you, male and female, since you reproduce the same way we do, more than that if they didn't want to have a really lousy gene pool."

Megamind's thoughtful expression turned to an impishly proud smile. "See, you are smart, just like I told you. Noah should've been thinking more along the lines of at least ten by ten, not two by two."

Roxanne snorted. "That would've taken one heck of a big ark! What you told me about how and why you ended up here makes a lot more sense on a purely logical rather than mythological basis." A rueful giggle escaped her. "You know," she added confidentially, "back when we were all still in the thick of the kidnappings and battles and good-versus-evil shtick, I did come up with a couple of theories of my own about that."

Now, one of her former kidnapper's brows arched inquisitively. "Oh? And you never mentioned them to me because..."

She rolled her eyes in a self-deprecating manner at his prompt. "Because they were totally ridiculous, pure schoolgirl reasoning. One was the sort of 'origins of Superman' bit, which I have to admit was the product of first hearing that you'd left your planet as a baby just before it was destroyed. Not very original, but it was better than the notion I had for a while that you must've been the son of some extremely important people, that maybe you were the heir to a kingdom or an empire, so they had to save you to save the throne or some such nonsense."

Megamind lifted his chin and looked down his long nose at her in a way that could only be described as imperious. "Oh? And why would that be so unbelievable?"

She kissed the tip of his nose before answering, stroking his goateed chin with one thumb. "Because, your highness, that makes about as much sense as sending just one baby away to save a species that needs two to tango. With your entire solar system destroyed, there wouldn't be any kingdom or empire left to save. I'll grant that sometimes, both you and Wayne acted like bratty, spoiled princelings, but it just didn't seem plausible. The rulers of empires and monarchies are usually very particular about anything concerning their children, and if your parents were some kind of royalty, they would've wrapped you in golden swaddling clothes and pinned on a diamond-studded note saying, I'm a prince, take care of me."

Her husband grunted. "That's almost what Wayne's parents did. Have you ever seen the gilded pod he arrived in?"

She nodded. "And from what you just learned, his father did consider himself a prince of sorts. Your parents didn't. But they did know that you were even more unique and precious than any mere royal spawn, and they did their best to save you. That makes a lot of sense, and not in a fairy tale sort of way. And personally, I think it makes you much more fascinating and special than being just another kid of someone who happened to wear a crown."

Now, both black eyebrows arched. "That's... a very different attitude. A lot of people on this planet seem exceptionally impressed and fascinated by things like crowns and the people who wear them — or they totally despise them. You sound like you couldn't care less."

"Not unless I have some reason to respect the person under it," his wife assured him. "And to be honest with you, I have a lot more respect for what you've got inside this—" She ran one hand over the large, smooth top of his head. "—than anything you might ever wear on it."

The smile that tugged at the corners of Megamind's lips was both abashed and proud. He took the hand that had caressed him and kissed the fingers lightly, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts, taking into account all she had just said. Finally, he let loose a small sigh. "I really wanted to wait and tell this to both you and Minion at the same time, but he's got a lot on his mind right now, processing everything he learned from the Teacher, so I think it'll be better if I have a talk with him later."

"I'm sure he won't mind," Roxanne agreed, but was now curious. "Sounds like you have a big announcement for us."

The big blue head nodded. "I've been doing a lot of thinking ever since yesterday — I know, not much of an admission. I was having a hard time coming to any kind of a decision, until I heard some of the things you said to Wayne during the interview."

"Anything in particular?" she asked, not pressing but rather giving him a few moments more to think, if he needed it.

But he answered right away. "The first and most difficult step is deciding to act on what you feel in your heart is right. I'd been thinking and thinking about what I should or shouldn't do — if I used the Teacher and the data gems, how would doing it affect my job as the city's defender, how would it affect my relationships with you and Minion, how would learning so much change me, should I do this, should I do that, if I choose this, will I have to sacrifice that..."

Now, he shook his head. "I was starting to feel like I was on a treadmill, running and running and not getting anywhere. When you said that to Wayne, it finally occurred to me that maybe what I was really doing with all my thinking and soul-searching was avoiding making a decision. You said it in the interview, and you said it yesterday: one step at a time."

The reporter understood. "That's all anyone can do, even people with superpowers, or super-genius, take new things and situations one step at a time."

"I know — or maybe I should say, I know now, I finally let myself accept that it's true." He took a deep breath as he settled back into the couch a bit more, then let the breath hiss out in a long, soft sigh. "That was always one of my problems when I was fighting Wayne: I tried to make up for not having superpowers that would let me fly and move faster than anyone else by trying to make my schemes fly, taking two or three or more steps at a time. It was like trying to race down a steep hill toward a cliff in a car that hasn't had its brakes installed yet. The only place you're going to go is right over the edge. If there's one thing I do know for sure, it's that I never want to fail like that again, not with anything, not if I can do anything to prevent it."

Roxanne listened attentively, and when he paused, she nodded. "That's completely understandable. But are you thinking of not using that teaching thing because you're afraid of failing?"

She was relieved when Megamind easily said, "No. What I was afraid of was failing you, and Minion, and all the people I promised to protect because I don't think there's any way I can fail with this kind of instruction, not unless everyone was wrong about me being Natoshi'ana — and in my gut, I'm sure they were right. I don't want to get my head so stuffed with what I learn that it winds up changing who am I, how I think and feel. And I was afraid of feeling like I'd failed my family and my people, and myself, if I didn't use what they gave me."

His mouth quirked into a very odd half-smile. "I was getting about as mixed up and confused as I think I've ever been — until you said that thing about doing what you feel in your heart is right. Then it hit me: I was back at the point where this all started two days ago, wondering if I'd ever find out what Minion's real name is, or anything else about our planet and our peoples. Do you remember what you told me then, when I was griping about hitting a dead end when it came to getting any more information out of the message sphere I've had since I was six?"

She had to think about it. "Something about needing to be in a strong emotional state, or that maybe your people have exceptionally strong and sensitive emotions. I was right about that, wasn't I?"

"Completely right, there was plenty of confirmation of that in the things I learned yesterday. It was feelings that helped me find these new things by triggering the last message from my father, it was feelings that my mother and Minion used to help guide me through a very difficult time before I was born, it was feelings that moved a whole planet to want to save my life. So when it came to deciding what I should do next, I realized that I was doing way too much thinking and not enough feeling — not enough trusting my own heart and gut instincts to help me figure out the right thing to do."

He suddenly sat up straight and pivoted his entire body to look directly at his wife as he took her hands in his own and continued. "All of these feelings are important: my excitement over having a chance to learn anything I could ever want to learn, my pride in what I've managed to accomplish as the city's defender, the protectiveness I feel toward its people, the love I feel for you and Minion, the friendship I'm learning to feel more toward Wayne and other people, and even the respect I feel for my mother and father and all the people who died, but made their last effort giving me a chance to live and be everything I want to be. I can't sacrifice any of those things because they're all important. They're all a part of who I am, and if I give up any of them, it'll be like cutting off an arm or leg, or tearing my heart to pieces. I can't do that, Roxanne. I just can't."

His big eyes were full of a kind of heartbreak Roxanne had seen only once before, and she had to close her own eyes to keep the memory of that rainy night at bay. "I'm not asking you to do that, love," she said gently. "I never would. I love you just the way you are, and the way you are is the last survivor of a race who cared for you enough to find a way to save you and give you this opportunity. I would never ask you to give that up."

When she opened her eyes again, she was startled to see the moment of pain suddenly melt from Megamind's expression and transform into a relieved sort of joy. "Great, because I'm not going to! I figured it out! I don't have to sacrifice anything that's important to me; the only thing I have to give up is my impatience. The problem isn't that I want to do and have all these things; it's that I want to do them and have them right now, as fast as possible, not as fast as is practical. All these worries I have about turning into some kind of zombie supercomputer...!"

He blew out an eloquent raspberry. "That's what comes from watching too many bad sci-fi movies and reading comic books. Yeah, super-intelligent people in those things come off as emotionless and arrogant because they think anyone who isn't as smart as they are is beneath them, like insects."

A wash of bright lavender-pink swept across his cheeks and ears. "I know, I've called other people mindless drones, and some of them do act that way. If I'd found these things and used them when I was still a villain, when it was just me and Minion, I probably would've gone that route. I'm glad that's not what happened. Because now I can see that the way to have all the things I want without turning into something I'm not and don't want to be is to do things just the way you said: one step at a time."

Though the last part came out in an eager, excited rush, seeming to contradict what he'd just said, the light in his bright green eyes and the expression on his mobile face told Roxanne that he did understand what he was saying. The one thing he would need to give up, to surrender, to have all the wonderful things that he wanted was his habit of rushing ahead, doing too much too quickly, acting on anything and everything before thinking through all the ramifications, letting excitement become a complete loss of control that lead to devastation, to failure. He had to give up being his own worst enemy, had to give up accepting failure, and instead, he had to genuinely embrace success, and all that he needed to do to succeed.

The reporter took a deep breath as she tried to sort through all these weighty thoughts. It was no wonder, she mused, that Megamind had been thinking and thinking and thinking ever since he'd wakened from using the Teacher. With everything that he had to process, it was a marvel that he hadn't blown the electricity in all Metro County, not merely in one wing of the prison!

She let out the breath in one expansive sigh. "That sounds like a very good plan," she began, slowly, thoughtfully. "Being afraid of success can be even more crippling than being afraid of failure — but are you sure this is what you want? A lot of things can seem like impatience, and I wouldn't ever want you to give up your excitement and enthusiasm for everything in life. It's too big a part of who you are."

To her relief, he grinned, an almost wicked gleam in his eyes. "Oh, come on, Roxanne, can you ever imagine me losing that? I'd have to be permanently drugged and comatose! Besides, even if it could happen, that's biggest reason to start these studies slowly. It's easier to back off or say stop when you're not barreling ahead at full speed."

"True," she admitted, letting herself feel the relief she'd been afraid to set loose inside her. "Okay, I'm on board with this plan, and I'm pretty sure Minion will be, too. When do you want to start?"

Megamind's big grin suddenly faded into worried hesitance. "Well, ah, I was thinking — that is, if... um, if you don't mind... Would it be okay if I started tonight?" The question came out as a small, timidly voiced squeak.

Roxanne blinked, then smirked. "What was it you just said about going slowly?"

His entire face turned an endearing shade of fuchsia. "I know, it sounds like I'm wanting to rush right into it, and I did promise you could use the Teacher tonight, since Minion's had his turn. But before I make any more decisions, I thought it would be a good idea to at least start with the lesson my parents felt I should have first, the studies about the Natoshi'ana. If I know what it was like for the other fourteen who came before me, I think I'll have a much better idea of what we can expect to happen if I do take this farther. But if you want me to wait until tomorrow..."

His wife, however, shook her head. "No, I think you should go ahead and do it tonight. Aside from the fact that I need a good night's sleep after all the stress of today, I also think that you're right, you should know all you can about what might happen before you go any farther. Today was my last day for work until after the Thanksgiving weekend, I made that arrangement with Mr. Kincaid when we scheduled the date for Wayne's interview, so I'll have plenty of time to have my turn once I'm rested. And if you promise I can use this Teacher after you've done this beginning session, I'll hold you to it even if I have to have Minion and Wayne both sit on you to keep you from using it again until after I've had my turn."

"That's not a bad idea," Megamind admitted, albeit with embarrassment. "I know how to be stubborn and persistent, but that's not the same as patience. Between you and Minion, I think you can help me learn how to be better, that way. You've both been unbelievably patient with me." He said the last most humbly and gratefully.

"I'll do my best, sweetie. So, now that you've had a day to process it all, do you still think that this is your real destiny, the path you want to take to get the most out of your life?"

The blue genius cocked his head in a contemplative way, nibbling on his lower lip as he pondered the question. Finally, with conviction, he said, "Yes, I do. After the interview was over but before you got home, I was chewing on everything that had happened and what you'd said about making decisions, and I remembered a quote I once read somewhere: When man faces destiny, destiny ends and man comes into his own. That's what this is all about, facing destiny and coming into my own. I'm the last one of my people, and yet everything that they ever were and thought and believed and accomplished is mine now. I can't ever make them or their civilization live again, but I can take what they gave me and create something with it here on Earth that will be the product of their gifts and mine together, but a part of Earth, too."

His entire manner lit up like a Christmas tree. "That's really an amazing thought, isn't it? Ayalthis and its peoples are gone now, a part of the past, but because I'm here and have a chance to learn to make the most of my abilities, I might be able to make a future for Earth that will let the spirit of my people live on, long after all of us are gone."

While he spoke, he had such a look of wonder in his face, Roxanne was certain he was literally glowing like the stars from which he'd come. She cupped his cheek with one hand, smiling as she fancied herself able to literally feel the energy tingling against her skin. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever heard of," she agreed with deep affection. "Just don't leave the rest of us out of the loop, okay?"

Megamind's green eyes, which had been only half-focused as their owner gazed off into the distance of the future, suddenly snapped their full attention back to the woman seated before him. He eagerly snatched up her hands again and held them tightly. "Are you kidding? I expect both of you to come along for the ride! I need you to be a part of this, or it won't be worth it! And with the work I do to defend the city and help improve all the infrastructure and the quality of life, not to mention the educational systems and, oh, just everything else...! What would be the point of doing all this if it's just for myself? You know me, I never think of anything on a small scale, I like a big stage, and the bigger the better, with this! You have to be a part of it, Roxanne, especially you, and Minion. The rest of the world may benefit from whatever comes of it, but the two of you have to be first!"

The waves of bubbling excitement rolling off him almost literally knocked her over like the surf at high tide, and she laughed as she leaned forward to give him a soft kiss to calm him down. "Okay, okay, I believe you! And I also believe it when you said you're not ever going to lose your excited-with-everything kind of enthusiasm. I have a feeling that this is going to turn out to be one of the biggest and most amazing things this world has ever seen, and I most definitely want in, on everything!"

Megamind's laugh was bright, with just a delicious trace of his old evil cackle. "Oh-ho-ho, I see what you really want, my nosy reporter! You want to be the first with every single spoot, if any happen to come along!"

She gave him a marvelously wicked grin in return without bothering to correct his mispronunciation of scoop. "You bet your pointy purple-pink ears I do! If you're thinking of setting me up with my own network, why not? At least I can be counted on to report everything completely honestly, as a totally unbiased source—"

When he leaned in and caught her lips in a much more passionate kiss than the one she'd used to momentarily calm him, Roxanne let herself get thoroughly caught up in the moment, as well as in the strong, slender arms that wrapped around her, holding her close in grateful and loving delight. At length, he let her come up for air, and she sighed in pure happiness, eyes still closed as she savored it all. "Well, maybe not completely unbiased," she finally allowed, and kissed him right back.

Minion, coming both to tell them that supper would be ready in about twenty minutes and to ask Megamind about something he'd learned during his session with the Teacher, saw the couple contentedly and enthusiastically wrapped up in one another and decided that his question could wait until it was time for dinner to be served. He smiled and hummed to himself as he cheerfully ambled back to the kitchen, pleased and relieved to see this visible proof that despite the huge change which had just entered all their lives, the most important things would go on just as they should, altered only, perhaps, in how much more deeply they were cherished.

To be concluded