Overprotective: Chapter two: Edith finds out
Edith stared at the small, mechanical bug she had found in her hoodie. Her blood ran cold when she realized what it was. In her youth, Edith had been destructive and loved causing damage and mischief wherever she could find it. Unfortunately, some of her mishaps and misadventures had inevitably ended in her actually occasionally hurting people, especially other wild children, like boys that were bullies.
But she never had felt the real, pure and unadulterated desire to truly murder someone until just now. Someone had planted tracers on her. She had found them this morning in the hood of her sweatshirt. Now staring at the tiny, offensive thing in the palm of her hand, its little, shiny metal body out of place against the pale pink fingerless leather gloves where it lay.
And the worst part; she had a pretty good idea of who did it.
"Gru." She growled, for once in her life truly hating her father. The father she loved so dearly and always wanted to be around him. Now she wanted to punch him in his pointy obnoxious nose.
She growled. She knew exactly why he did it too. Thomas. Thomas was the most harmless man she had ever come across. Sure, he was into skateboards and rock music and had tattoos and piercings, but he was a peace loving man. Those stories about punk kids were stereotypes; Thomas would never hurt anybody. He might have been in with the "punk crowd," but at least he would never abduct children or make an army of purple indestructible Minions to take over the world.
But that could be ignored when one brought fathers into the matter. Edith remembered how Gru had reacted to Margo's first boyfriend; Antonio. He had been infuriated and had almost killed the boy. There was also one incident when he had used a freeze ray on Antonio. Then again, Edith had to admit, when she had seen Antonio dance with that other girl, she herself, realizing Margo's heart was broken had had a hard time not attacking the boy and beating his face in.
But Thomas wasn't like Antonio. He was loyal. He was devoted and sweet and as far Edith could tell from watching him, he never looked at any other girl except for her.
Sure, Edith knew that some good things were too good to be true, but she trusted Thomas. Thomas never seemed to be interested in anyone besides her and that was good sign that he wouldn't stray like Antonio and all the other boys Margo had dated had done.
But Edith wasn't a complete fool. Thomas was her first boyfriend; she had never dated before meeting him in high school. So, in all fairness, she didn't have anything to prepare her for possible heartbreak besides her older sister's tragic experiences with boys.
But she had told herself not to think about it. She had to enjoy what she had. She had learned that when she, Margo and Agnes had been sent back to the orphanage for girls by Dr. Nefario and then abducted by Vector. It had been a terrible day for all three of them, but nothing could compare with that unyielding pain of feeling abandoned; helpless, like no one would be able to help her and her sisters. It had helped her appreciate Gru even more.
But now, all she wanted to do was see black and blue marks all over him. He didn't know Thomas; that was true, but this sign of clear invasion of privacy made it obvious that he didn't just not trust Thomas, he didn't seem to trust her either and that really made Edith angry. Angry and hurt.
She trusted Gru, but the trust appeared to be one-sided. Was it because she was still a teenager? Or because she was a girl? Those helpless questions played throughout Edith's brain. Was she just not good enough? Was it because she wasn't as smart as Margo? Was that why Gru didn't give her the benefit of the doubt, as the saying went? Did he think that she just couldn't handle it?
Edith clenched her hand around the offensive gizmo, ignoring the pain of it digging into her flesh behind her glove. She stomped off towards the large, black, ghoulish house that was the Gru residence, trekking across the lawn in fury and climbed up the steps to the door in her rage, glaring the whole time.
The Gru Home:
Ferocious sounds of steps thundered onto the porch and up in front of the door of the house. Suddenly, the noise of contact was made with the door and the door was suddenly kicked open viciously.
As the door swung open and its creaking sound made everyone in the room freeze, they watched as the very intimidating Edith came into the room, glaring at everyone.
Agnes and Lucy were sitting on the large stone crocodile couch, playing scrabble, both giggling the whole time, Kyle sitting below them and wagging his strange little tail, waiting for the opportunity to eat one of the wooden squares on the board game, and Gru was sitting in his black rhino chair, reading the newspaper. All four of them had their attention grabbed at Edith's abrupt and violent entrance.
Upon the sound of the loud crash from the door swinging open, the cries of two babies; Gru and Lucy's twin girls, Anna and Helen screeched out into the house, forcing several unseen Minions to cry and yell out in shock and worry.
"Edith!" Lucy exclaimed, getting up, "You woke your sisters up!" She started walking to the staircase to go up to the room where her babies were to comfort them. Edith said nothing as she watched her mother's departure.
"Gru," Edith snarled, raising her squeezed right fist, and opening it to reveal a small metal object that had a glowing red light in the middle of it, "Why did you put this on me? What? Don't trust me? I'm really that untrustworthy? Funny, I don't remember you saying I wasn't to be trusted when you trusted me enough to fire jelly guns at the Minions when they were going all purple and psycho."
Gru blinked in surprise. Finally, he spoke, "Eeedith," He began, his accent stressed, "Whaat are youuu talking abouuut?"
Edith's glare hardened, "This tracer-thing was in my hood this morning. I have no idea how long it's been there. Now why did you put it there? Was it because of Thomas?"
Edith wasn't usually very intimidating. Having grown into a fifteen-year-old young woman didn't change that. She had bright blonde hair that would usually go down past her shoulders a couple of inches, but she had tied it in a high ponytail. To take even more away from any possible threat she might have, she was wearing all pink; pink sweatshirt with a hood, pink fingerless gloves, a pink baseball cap that was backwards on her head, the bill of the cap facing her ponytail, pink jeans and pink sneakers. But, the one thing that made everyone in the room freeze, were Edith's bright blue-grey eyes, blazing with anger and rage that would make even Mr. Perkins; Vector's father shake in his very large pants.
"Eeedith," Gru said, getting up from the chair and tossing the newspaper onto the seat, trying to be careful of the ferocious tiger that just came into the house, "Caalm doown, weee weeere just conceeerned. Yeees, I put theee traceeer theeere, but eet was for youuur own good."
"Gru!" Edith spat, clenching her fist around the tracer again, now furious, "Let's get something straight, I can take care of myself. I'm actually taking Karate classes now, in case you don't recall. And I've already made it up to my second purple belt! I can defend myself when you're not around."
"Edith, calm down," Agnes pleaded, getting up off the couch, earning a glare from her older sister, "Please calm down." Edith just stared but didn't say anything. Agnes had always been cute and adorable, but she had now grown into quite the pretty girl. She was now fourteen years old and had a river of shiny black hair that grew down nearly to her waist, and still had the sweetest bright brown eyes.
"Edith," Agnes started again, "Margo was just worried-" Agnes gasped at what she had just admitted.
Edith halted her anger for a moment. "Margo?!" She demanded, stunned. Gru was covering for Margo? Of course he was, dammit. She growled, "Margo was the one that put the tracers on me? Not Gru?"
"Eeedith," Gru started, voice turning into a pleading noise, "Margo waaas just worreeed abouuut youuu."
"For crying out loud!" Edith snapped, storming past Gru and racing up the stairs towards Margo's room, passing many innocent Minions on her way, waving hello to her and crying out, startled as she almost ran them over.
Edith got to the top of the stairs, saw Margo's door and marched towards it, ignoring Kevin, Billy and Dave who where kicking a soccer ball to each other in the hallway.
Kevin looked up, noticed Edith getting closer and jumped up, waving, "'ello!" Kevin yelled enthusiastically.
"Hey, guys," Edith stated nonchalantly, "I need to get into Margo's room. Get out of the way." She stormed past them, earning startled mumbles, and opened Margo's door, coming inside, infuriated.
"Margo!" She spat, seeing the brown-haired older girl; her teeth grinding together, "You put a tracer on me? You put a tracer on me?! Your own sister?"
Sitting on her bed, Margo Gru looked up from where she was reading her chemistry book, shocked by her sister's savage entrance and burst of anger.
"Edith?" She asked, brown eyes going wide.
"Margo," Edith growled, "Just answer me, it's one thing if you put the tracer on me, but did you put anything on Thomas or on any of his possessions?"
Edith watched Margo's countenance. Watched how she reacted to the question cautiously. It was as Edith had thought. Margo looked down at the ground, as if embarrassed. She clenched her teeth harder. It was one thing if it had just been her that Margo had spied on, but it was another if Margo had kept watch over Thomas. Margo wouldn't just be invading her space and privacy, but Thomas's as well. That was unforgivable.
"You did." Edith hissed, both fists tightening, and she ignored the pain of the device in her hand, "Why, Margo? Why did you spy on both me and Thomas? What gives you the right?"
"Because I was worried," Margo said poignantly, looking up and meeting Edith's eyes with a fiery look, "I am worried. Edith, don't you remember what happened with me and Antonio? I don't want Thomas to hurt you the same way, or worse. I only wanted to…." Margo stopped herself short. She stopped because she knew what would happen if she said that she was trying to protect her sister.
She knew how willful Edith was-how resentful she would become if anyone made a point of trying to look after her.
"Say it, Margo," Edith growled, "Say it. We both know what you were going to say. At least have the spine to say it."
Margo held her breath and took a chance, knowing that there was a possibility that Edith would never forgive her, "Yes, Edith," She answered, without regret, "I was trying to protect you. And I always will. I know that you'll always feel bitter towards me for it, but I'm doing it to protect you."
Edith glared again, "And what happens when Agnes starts to date?" She sneered.
Margo didn't say anything. She closed the chemistry book and placed it back onto the bed, and then turned back to Edith. "Edith," She started, voice sober, "I'm trying to protect you both. I'd do the same for you both."
Edith said angrily, "Agnes defends you now, but do you think she'll agree with you when you and dad spy on her and her boyfriend and get involved in their lives without them knowing? If she ever finds out, anyway?" She had a smirk on her face that reminded Margo of the old days, when Edith was a child and would send a mischievous grin at their parents and do something she wasn't supposed to with Kyle or the Minions, or climb on a high place she wasn't suppose to and nearly give Lucy and Gru heart attacks.
"Of course," Edith snapped, "Now that she knows about this, what makes you think you can hide it from her when you're hiding it from her and her boyfriend. If she ever starts dating."
Margo's gaze never wavered. She had a feeling that this was going to happen. She had told herself again and again that maybe, just maybe this was a mistake. Her conscience warned her that should Edith ever find out, her sister would never forgive her. But her protectiveness had always won out.
Now, it looked like she had to face the consequences.
"Edith," Margo said in a gentle voice, "I'm not sorry. I am sorry that I've hurt you. But I'm not sorry for protecting you. And I sure won't apologize to Agnes, should she find out and get angry at me for checking in on her and any boyfriend she has." She added, not so fierce anymore, "Even though I know it's a long way off, I'd do the same for Anna and Helen too. And so would you."
Edith tried not to explode again in her anger, but the more she thought about it, the less angry she got. Her whole body became more lax as she pictured if she were in Margo's position and if it were Anna and Helen at the age of fifteen and they both had boyfriends. Edith let out a defeated sigh at that realization.
Yes, yes she would have done the same for Anna and Helen. Those two little babies; while not being her biological sisters, they were still her sisters and family. She'd do anything to protect them. And Agnes.
So yes, if she ever found out that Agnes or Anna and Helen had boyfriends, she'd do whatever it would take to protect her sisters from being hurt in any way at all.
Edith walked over to the bed where Margo was, and sat down next to the brunette. "You're right," She finally admitted, eyes meeting her sister's light green ones, "I would get suspicious if Agnes had a boyfriend. Same with Anna and with Helen. I don't want to invade their business, but-"
"But you can't help how protective you'll be." Margo finished, a knowing smile on her lips, "Trust me, I felt the same way when I found out about Thomas."
Edith stared at her sister, suddenly feeling drained. Getting angry at people was exhausting sometimes. "I'm sorry," She sighed, "I guess after Antonio, Max, Gregory and all those other stupid boys, you have every right to be suspicious. I just really wish you had told me."
Margo looked down at the floor, now feeling ashamed. "You're right about that," She admitted, "I wanted to tell you. But be honest, would you have let me do it if I told you how suspicious I was?"
She heard a dry laugh next to her, "Yeah, I kinda see your point."
Edith then started, "But look, we're sisters…..so I'm not gonna stay mad at you. I don't like that you're spying on us. I guess, if we're going to make this work, you have to tell me when you're planting things on Thomas and me, okay? I have the right to know."
Margo turned her head to shift a glance at her sister. "And Thomas?" She asked curiously, "How much should he know?"
Edith shrugged thinking as she spoke, "When you guys are sure that he can be trusted and that he won't hurt me or break my heart," She added, looking at Margo intensely, "He won't," Margo shrugged at the blonde's certainty, and Edith carried on, unnoticing, "I know this probably defeats the purpose, but if you really want to be convinced that he won't hurt me, don't tell him yet that you're putting tracers and other things on him."
Edith looked at Margo, and upon seeing the strange look Margo was giving her, Edith chuckled, "If someone knows they're being watched or listened to, of course they'll behave and act like they're supposed to. But if Thomas doesn't know that he's being listened in on, then you'll know for sure whether his actions are genuine."
Margo thought about that for a moment. Yes, that definitely made sense. Made a lot of sense in fact. Margo smiled wide at her sister. Sometimes, Edith really surprised her.
Edith noticed Margo's smile and rolled her eyes. "Don't look so happy," She grumbled, "I can't believe I'm actually giving you guys permission to spy on the two of us. And that I'm agreeing to lie to my boyfriend."
Margo shook her head, looking out the doorway, thinking about the rest of the residents of the house, "I made that mistake several times before," She said, thinking about how she had left Edith and Agnes by the fountain in the mall and had gone with Antonio instead of looking after her sisters, "I know better now. I'd never willingly choose a boy over my own family again."
Edith watched Margo. She remembered that too. She remembered the sense of abandonment. She and Agnes had both wondered what they had done to deserve Margo turning her back on them.
She pat Margo's back gently. "You didn't mean to," She answered, reassuring the brunette, "You were excited. The first boy that ever showed you attention. Of course you didn't know what else to do."
Edith continued, thinking for a moment, "You guys can watch Thomas and me, but when it's clear that he won't hurt me in any way, I want you to tell him the truth. I already feel bad enough getting ready to lie to him." She added, narrowing her eyes at Margo, "Until it's made obvious that he won't do anything to piss me off, there won't be any freeze rays, no fire rays, no lipstick tazers, no shrink rays, no fart guns, nothing, understand?"
Margo tried not to burst out laughing at that thought. The mental picture of her, Agnes, Gru, Lucy and Dr. Nefario having Thomas pinned against a wall, him looking scared as she held a fire ray, Gru holding a freeze ray, Lucy holding a lipstick tazer, Agnes holding a shrink ray and Dr. Nefario holding a fart gun, and aiming them all at the terrified boy popped into her mind, threatening to make her burst out laughing at the image.
Edith seemed to have read her mind just by looking at her sister. "Don't you dare!" She snapped, glaring, "I don't want you thinking of any fantasies about hurting Thomas until you know for sure he's not good for me, okay? In the meantime, leave him alone. Spying on him; fine, being suspicious of him; fine, but threatening him or hurting him; that's out of the freaking question!"
Margo finally laughed, "Okay, okay, okay. I'm just glad that you're not too angry at us for this."
Edith shook her head, "Oh, I'm pissed. I'm plenty pissed. But I understand. I'd as I said, I'd probably do the same for Agnes, and when Anna and Helen get older, the two of them as well."
Margo nodded, thinking about their two baby sisters. It was a hard thought to fathom. Anna and Helen were literally only born five months ago. But one day, they would grow up. They'd go to high school, then college and would probably meet a few boys along the way. And all five Gru, Lucy and all three of Anna and Helen's older sisters would be pulling their hair out in worry.
Margo smirked. Oh, okay, only she, Agnes, Edith and Lucy would be pulling their hair out. Gru would be trying to pull his nonexistent hair out.
Yes, seeing Edith and Agnes grow up and seeing Edith get a boyfriend caused Margo to have a great deal of anxiety-worrying both about her two immediate little sisters, and her two baby sisters' future. She knew it was a long time from now, as she and Edith had established, but it was still stressful to think about, because it would happen at some point.
But Margo knew she had to concentrate on now, and on Edith and Thomas. "Alright," She said, looking at her younger sister kindly, "I know we should probably talk about this in more detail, but we'll talk later. I need to study for my test that's coming in a few weeks, so just let me get back to my book." She kneeled down and picked up the chemistry textbook.
Edith rolled her eyes. "You and studying," She laughed, "If it's in a few weeks, can't you cram it at least a few days before?"
Margo sighed, smiling fondly. Edith hadn't changed. She was bigger, was in high school, a bit more responsible, and had a boyfriend, but she hadn't changed.
"Off with you." Margo said, nodding to the door, "I need to concentrate."
"Alright, alright." Edith mumbled, getting up and walking through the door. She turned back and added, "So should we be discussing "mission peeping in on someone tomorrow?" She sent another mischievous smile at Margo and laughed when the brunette glared at her.
"Go downstairs and apologize for the ruckus." Margo growled. She had heard some commotion, but hadn't known what it was. Seeing Edith come into her room angrily, however, made it obvious what made the noise.
She knew Edith didn't want to apologize to anyone, not even to Gru, Lucy and Agnes and the Minions, but she knew the blond would do it anyway.
"Yeah, yeah." Edith laughed, turning away and walking down the stairs to their parents and sister.
Margo shook her head, opening her book back to the page she had left it at when Edith came rampaging in.
Nope, nothing had changed. At all.
Okay, I know that Margo and Edith might have been kind of out of character, but to be fair, nine years have passed since the second movie in this fic, and Margo's in college now and Edith's in high school, so their personalities have changed a little.