So I had originally planned for this to be a two part mini-fic BUT part two ended up being well over 10 pages. SO… I'm cutting it where this is, editing the last bit and it will end up being 3 parts…maybe 4 :)

Becoming A Villain – Part 2

There was a while where David hoped that this whole villain business was just a phase; that one day he'd wake up and Mykael would have forgotten all about it and be back to his normal self.

But as the months went on David began to see how wrong he was. With every passing day the boy continued inventing and studying; and all the while becoming more withdrawn. So as a parent David decided that perhaps he should try a different tactic.

At first he ignored it all together; hoping that maybe in some form of reverse psychology that his boy would see the lack of concern and give it all up.

But when that didn't work David decided to start getting tough. It started with lectures, which moved to fights, and then to pure forbiddance against being a villain.

"You're a good kid! You've got your whole future ahead of you!" he practically pleaded, but Mykael had stopped listening and pushed past David and stormed out of his room and down the hall; David leaned back out the cell door and called after him. "You're too smart for this!" he watched the retreating back turn a corner and he huffed in annoyance. He looked to Minion then and gestured a hand towards the boy.

"Why haven't you tried to talking him out of this? You're supposed to be some sort of sentient guardian aren't you?"

The Warden would never forget the day that he learned that Minion could talk. The little fish had explained all about what had happened to their planet and that his role was to serve as a guardian to the infant Mykael. He explained that Mykael's and his races had both been killed, as had Wayne Scott's. He also explained that while the three of them were around the same age Minion's race had extensive knowledge of their ward's race's history and knowledge of how to care for the one they were placed with. However David also knew the Minion and Mykael had formed a sort of brotherhood.

"Well.. I-..I'm supposed to support him." Minion replied.

"Oh come on, you can't possibly think that this is a good idea."

The two stared off with one another for a moment before Minion finally sighed.

"I might not think it's the… best idea. He could do a lot of other things. But if this is what he wants to choose then I can't stop him. All I can do is do my best to make sure that he doesn't get hurt."

David did not miss the pointed glare that was directed his way.

By the time that Mykael was 13 he already had been in trouble twice for minor delinquent behaviors; never mind the trouble from David for sneaking out after lights out. David had gotten him out of any serious trouble but a hard grounding had been handed out as punishment. For days he just laid on his bed; miserable and silent. It was only after enough nagging from Minion and David that he put something in his system that he left the confines of his bed and stomped off to the cafeteria.

The blue figure sat hunched over his meal. He barely even registered the man that approached him until he sat down across from him.

"What are you doing Lee?" It was Joel; one of the men who had been there since he was a baby; one of the men that Mykael considered an Uncle. Joel had already made it quite clear that he didn't approve of these new choices. But Lee didn't answer.

"You're too good for this kid. Too smart! We always had a promise that you wouldn't end up in here like me; didn't we?"

"Deals were meant to be broken"

"Not with family." And with that he stood and walked away. He watched as Joel walked away, and pondered his words for a moment before he stood up and stormed out of the cafeteria and back to his desk.

As the Warden made his nightly walkthrough he found Mykael hunched over his desk, fast asleep. He let out a heavy sigh and roused the boy only enough to get him into his bed. As he made to leave for the night he was stopped as a voice called out.

"You alright there Warden? You seem a little off."

David looked over to find Joel still awake and sitting on his bed. There were many times were the Warden questioned just how Joel not only managed to end up in prison but to stay there for so long. He had been there since before Mykael had crashed into their lives and remained there still. But as he recognized the old tattered papers in Joel's hands he got the feeling that sometimes the man would rather be in his cell than go back out into the world; back out into the world where his wife had divorced him and the daughter that once adored him refused to speak to him. Every night he would fall asleep reading the old letters they once wrote.

David could not ignore the pang that went through his heart as he thought about losing his own boy. He ran a hand through his slowly graying hair and sighed as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. He tried not to make a habit of being friends with the inmates; but right then he just needed to get it off of his chest.

"I don't know what to do anymore…I feel like I'm losing him. It's times like this I miss Keene…she always knew exactly what to do."

Keene; sweet old Officer Keene who had helped to soothe the baby when he had first arrived and taught David all the tricks to changing, burping and to not pick him up every time that he cried. She had been a sort of house mother for everyone there and after she retired the loss had been felt by the entire prison.

"I know I might not be exactly father of the year over here…but he's a good kid; he's just confused right now. He's been through a lot for a kid his age." He paused as he regarded the Warden, taking in his tired eyes and haggard stance. "You're a good dad Warden Pearce; maybe all the kid needs is just a change of scenery; something to get him out of this day to day gloom."

As David drove home that night he began to think that maybe Joel was right; he'd been beginning to think recently that perhaps raising the boy in a prison hadn't exactly been the best idea.

Very early the next morning, after no sleep the previous night, David returned to the prison to find Mykael already awake.

"So I've been thinking…"

"Oh? I thought I smelt smoke."

"Very clever. But I was thinking…you've sort of out grown that bed don't you think? And this room.." he paused to clear his throat, still after these years finding it odd to call the cell a room. "..Well it's a bit small."

"Does any of this have a point? I'm busy." He gestured with the book that was in his hands.

"How about moving out? My apartment might not be huge… but there's two bedrooms and room for a desk."

He watched as the boy muddled it over in his brain, trying not to show any excitement. Slowly he turned his chair to face the Warden.

"Let me get this straight…your place? A real bed?"

"Yup."

"And real food?"

"Well I'm no chef but it's better than here."

He watched as Mykael calculated it out in his head. He looked to Minion and the two seemed to share a silent conversation before bright green eyes and the hint of a smile were directed towards David.

"Can I start packing now?"

It had not taken long to pack or unpack into what was to be his new room. They stood in the middle of the living room in a tense silence.

"Well…ahem… well you've been here a few times; you know where the bathroom and kitchen are." David said; feeling rather awkward. His mind began a batter over whether the boy should have been living there all along or if they would have been better staying at the prison. "We should…probably discuss the rules."

"Rules? You never said anything about rules!"

"It's just a few." David attempted at being patient. "There will be a curfew; say an hour later than back at the prison? And… if you want to go out ask; I'll drive you if I can. And you'll do chores for money."

"Chores? A curfew? This stinks." Mykael plopped down onto the couch.

"This is gonna be different for all of us." He chanced a glance at Minion, whose dome rested on the coffee table, and was glad that he'd cleaned the previous night. "It's just going to take a few minor adjustments." He looked around the room again; knowing full well how different that this was going to be. But he figured that if he wanted a chance at getting his boy back; this was the best shot that he had short of sending him to military school; and with his knowledge and their weapons he knew that was not the best idea. They had remained settled with home schooling since the debacle with that paint bomb and Mykael was thriving on the chance to learn on his own.

"Now we don't have to have that tutor come here if you don't want… but your work will be done on time still. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

By the time that Mykael had turned 15 he already had received a diploma and was well through correspondence courses for a university. David had truly thought that perhaps his boy had finally turned himself around and was going down the right track; he was still moody, which was to be expected with a teenager, but he hadn't heard of any villain talk for nearly two years. It was as if one day Mykael had just woken up and decided to immerse himself in his studies. He'd done more than the courses required and studied off on his own interests and stayed up until all hours of the night with his nose in some book or another.

Slowly he began to come back out of his shell; it started with Friday night pizza and movies, and chores without complaint, and slowly progressed into full conversations minus the attitude. There were increasing occurrences of Mykael speaking rapidly over some meal or another about some exciting thing that he had learned or figured out on his own. An entire afternoon had been taken up with his discovery of a college textbook being incorrect in its formulas.

Hoping for even more father-son bonding David began trying to teach his boy how to drive; only to quickly discover that he had a lead foot and a near complete inability to stay in one lane. It still passed for bonding time though, and for David that was good enough.

It was this renewed sense of hope that brought David to bring his boy to yet another invention convention. He had little worry about the boy being shunned there, were nearly all those that were presenting had been laughed and scorned for their inventions and ideas. He saw Mykael come back to life there; as he hurried around and talked to the many different scientists that he met. What David had not anticipated was coming up behind his son as he spoke to an inventor and hearing a detailed discussion of how the laser gun on the table had been built. He took the boy by the arm and guided him out of the building with the excuse that it "was time to go." He stayed silent until they were sat in the car and then turned to face a pair of green eyes.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" he asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb, you know exactly what I mean. What was this all? Some ruse? Acting like you're changing back to yourself just so I won't be suspicious that you're still on this villain kick?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mykael answered dully.

"Asking for details on how to build a laser gun? First off all you and I both know that you're smart enough to figure that one out on your own; secondly what the hell do you need one for?"

Mykael shrank beneath the steely gaze that was directed at him. He stayed silent for a moment before finally straightening back out and crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

"What do you care?"

"I care because you're my son… and I don't want to see you do something stupid with your life." David quietly admitted. Even with the small changes he still remained afraid that he was losing that once happy boy. "Is it something that I did? Something that I didn't do?"

"What are you talking about?" the hint of a sneer rose at the corner of Lee's lips.

"You know what I'm talking about!" David snapped but slowly brought himself back to center and took a calming breath. "All this change: this villain talk, and closing yourself off. You're giving me whiplash kid. One second you're determined to destroy the city, the next you're acting like…" he stopped himself from saying "my little boy again." When had it gotten so hard to be honest with his kid? "We used to talk… a lot… if you remember."

"I grew up."

"That's bullshit."

Mykael turned his eyes back to the Warden in shock; it was rare to hear the man talk like that…especially to him.

"I've just been…angry."

"Why?"

"…I don't know." He looked down as he answered. It was one of the better lies that he ever told. He might have been angry, but right then he didn't want to hurt the Warden; he didn't want to admit that the reason that he'd been so angry was that he didn't have a normal childhood, or friends, and that he'd been picked on ruthlessly by the few children that he had ever been around. David sighed heavily before he reached over and clapped his boy on the shoulder.

"Maybe this is just one of those things that happens around this age? I was a hellion for my father too." He smirked; trying to smooth over the edges.

"Seriously? You?" the blue face smirked at him in amused disbelief. David chuckled and turned the engine over.

"Oh sure. Come on, we'll get dinner and I'll tell you all about it."

Yup sorry.. had to cut it here. Or else we'd be reading a 20 page fic here! (and while I'm sure that most of you wouldn't mind that… I felt it right to cut it.. before the real drama starts.) Leave me all sorts of love and stuff?