Chapter 3

As the days, turned into a week, the family developed a routine; everyone missed Kevin, and there were times, where the girls would all cry uncontrollable for him, followed by the Minions.

The worst occurrence was Jerry, when he had found one of Kevin's golf balls in the garden and had become hysterical, leading to Gru holding him all night, telling him it was ok to grieve. As the Minions began to settle back in their nest, one night Gru out of curiosity (since he had always given them their privacy) crept to the nest and spied on them. They were all huddled together; arms wrapped around each other, their combined grief made easier by their dependence on each other, as Gru couldn't contain a small smile.

They all missed Kevin, but it was getting easier as the days went by, Gru even managed to squeeze in two dates with Lucy, when he realised the girls were getting better, and Agnes still didn't wake up crying in her sleep, which were the moments Gru felt the most helpless as he calmed down his little kitten.

Eventually it got easier, especially when Gru went outside to find Kevin's golf club, had been twisted into a heart shape and left on his grave along with some flowers. Soon there was laughter in his house again, gradually but getting stronger, and it seemed the family had reached their biggest hurdle for a very long time, but that left one person Gru still had to deal with, and it all came to a head on the Saturday.

It was Gru's idea for Lucy to take the girls to Super Silly Fun Land, something she understood and in truth she was looking forward to spending more time with the girls.

Even though they had become closer in circumstances less desirable, they were all fantastic, and at times she couldn't believe they were not Gru's children biologically, they all had traits of his personality and at times, such as when Margo was frustrated, she sounded just like him! She could easily see the three girls eventually growing up to become members of the VDL, she could see Margo, as a brilliant tactician and field agent, due to her organisation skills. Edith as special ops due to her ninja skills and since little Agnes was a little mistress of manipulation, she would be a perfect as one of those femme fatale spies, though Gru was so devoted to his children, he would rather die than put them in danger, or Lucy mused to herself, if they every decided to become villains, they would be perfect at that too.

As they all drove away from the house, as Margo began to tell them about the time when they had just met Gru, and he had blown up a carnival stand to get Agnes precious unicorn, something Lucy wondered if that was true or not! As Gru waved the four women in his life off, he turned his attention to the Minions; they had all just been paid and were eager to spend their hard earned spoils in the mall, as he ordered Dave to keep an eye on them, something Dave understood fully.

Dave had been one of the few Minions, who had never been turned and had become a source of stability for the rest who had, something he was very pleased about, as Gru was determined that none of them ever found themselves in the same place as Kevin and in a sea of yellow and blue, the house was finally empty, which was a rarity in itself. For a brief second, the house seemed almost unnerving being totally devoid of life, apart from Gru and of course, the other person beneath the house.

As Gru activated the tube to the deeper lair, he found himself clenching his jaw, as he came to the metal bridge overlooking Nefario's workplace. He had expected to find Nefario trying to reflect on the past week, to see him contemplating his actions in Kevin's death, instead as he stepped over the bridge, his footsteps echoing on the metallic surface he found Nefario, bent over the large vats Gru used to manufacture his jams and jellies…when he was trying to produce them, and adding chemicals, he couldn't identify. Gru watched as one red and one blue beaker were being poured into the vat as the active ingredients combines and Gru narrowed his eyes, this was not what he had been expecting at all, as his mouth twisted further. "Doctor Nefario, could you come up here please?" Gru said, in a tone, he hadn't used in a very long time, as he clamped his hands behind his back, trying to make himself as stern as possible.

Nefario looked up, and seemed to peer through his goggles, "It's a bit far Gru, can't you come down here?" Gru forced himself to drop his tone, and become more relaxed, as if one of his girls were in the room. "It will only take a second…if you don't mind", Gru practically said the last words through gritted teeth, as a second for Gru was several for Nefario who took ages getting the small lift up to Gru…which made no sense, but things always went slower for Nefario, Gru could never figure out why!

After a few minutes, Gru heard the laboured steps of the Doctor coming up behind him, as he tried to keep his tone, as relaxed as possible. "I'm just curious Doctor, what are you making down there?" he asked, gesturing to the vat. "Oh, you wouldn't believe it," the Doctor said in his typical voice, with no shred of the weight the rest of the house had carried over the past week. "I took some blood from the Minions, and found that there base DNA had been re-sequenced, and they carried trace amounts of PX-41 in their bloodstream, I've spent all week studying the ingredients and I've managed to replicate it". Nefario couldn't hide the enthusiasm in his voice as he continued. "Can you imagine, how much this would be on the black market…and what we could do with it?" Gru just blinked, but kept his composure calm as he stated "You took blood from the Minions?"

"Yeah, the little one, the one who came through the window…the one I injected first. I didn't even mean to take his blood, but then I was refilling the hypo-spray, I found a small bit…bit of an accident really", continued Nefario as it was clear to Gru he was playing out the scenario in his head, and had not even bothered to notice the expression changing on his employer "You mean Kevin?" Gru stated slowly, as Nefario nodded, "Yeah that's the one…got a bit lucky too as it didn't work on all the others, because of how we changed them back". All Gru could do, was absorb this information, Nefario had used Kevin's blood…to create a serum, which created monsters!

Anger suddenly overtook Gru, a rage filled anger, that he had suppressed for too long, but there was no one to stop him now, there was no conscience guiding him. Just him and Nefario, as Gru reached into his pocket, pulled out his freeze ray, as aimed it at Nefario, who just gasped as in the last second Gru tilted it so it flew past Nefario and hit the metal hand rail.

Nefario didn't have time to react, and Gru didn't give him the opportunity as he kicked the rail, which shattered into a hundred icy pieces, as he grabbed Nefario by the scruff off his lab coat and held him over the rail, at least twenty feet over the vat of PX-41. All Gru had to do was let go, and he wanted to, in that moment he desperately wanted too, as the Doctor struggled in protest. "Wait a minute Gru…what are you doing?"

"What am I doing…are you being serious, what are you doing? I came down here expecting you to be sorry about what you had done, to be sad, to even cry and see how you can make some amends…but instead I find you remaking PX-41…and what were you going to do with it…test it out on the Minions, again"

The look on Nefario's face indicated the fact as Gru's rage spilled over. "Oh, you have to be kidding me…again!" Nefario was silent, as Gru carried on "You know Nefario I've had some time to think about this, and something doesn't make sense, is that how did El Macho know about the Minions…unless you told him".

"Well, we needed to try it out on something, we originally tried it on dogs, but their metabolism speeded up and the dogs exploded, what else were we meant to use?" Nefario tried to explain.

"So it was you, who took all of them…the ice cream truck, the lights in the sky…it was all you…why?"

"Because they trusted me, when I took them I told them…well most of them that it was a holiday".

"To lower their guard, and to make your job easier, well that about sums you up doesn't it!"

Gru feeling the fatigue in his arm, moved the Doctor back to the platform but pushed him to the ground.

"You know Doctor, I've had some time to really think about you, and realise a few things I never even questioned. Three years ago, you were the one who called that terrible orphanage, to get the girls taken away…because you thought they were a distraction"

"Well they were, they were getting in the way of the mission," Nefario tried to explain, futilely

"But you never thought to run it by me first, and later on all three of them told me of the neglect they received in that terrible place…to the point I was ready to go over there and blow the building up"

"And did you?" queried Nefario, since this was one thing he didn't know about Gru

"No, I contacted the authorities, and they dealt with it…not that I didn't want to, but Margo made me promise not too", stated Gru through gritted teeth, it had taken quite a bit not to renege on the promise he had made to his eldest and a part of him, always regretted it. "But it doesn't change the fact that because of you they were put in harm's way…and again with El Macho"

"But I contacted you, the moment I saw he had taken Lucy", volunteered Nefario, even it was clear at this point that he was just trying to save himself and was telling Gru everything Gru wanted to hear, a notion that Gru understood, and just ignored.

"But what about the Minions, when you were conducting those experiments, luring them into a false sense of security…did you ever think about them?" Gru practically screamed in Nefario's ear, eager to hear his explanation.

"Well no, of course not…their just Minions".

Of all the answers to choose from, this was the wrong one as Gru's eyes blazed with fury.

"Just Minions…just Minions, so in your eyes they don't count that there less than human beings?"

"Well, no Gru", the full ramifications of Nefario's words were now directed back at him, and he was now suddenly worried about his life.

"You know Nefario, there is one thing I can't get from my mind, and that is something you said when you came to El Macho's, you said and I quote, "I'm happy to create an evil army to destroy the world, but nobody messes with my family"…remember those words?, well do you"

"And I meant those words too", Nefario tried to assert, clumsily.

"So, kidnapping, and torturing the Minions…so I take it, to you their not family? Because where was your conscience at that moment? And tell me this; if Lucy hadn't been kidnapped, would you have even contacted me...well tell me?"

The confirmation was in the silence, and that was everything Gru needed.

"Of course not, you would have unleashed hell on the world, and my Minions would have been the cause of all of it"

"Now Gru, we've done hundreds of crimes, over the years, and you never showed such concern before". Was the counter argument by Nefario, which did nothing to temper Gru's rage.

"But the difference was is that I made sure no one ever got hurt, unlike you" Gru stepped back from Nefario, to get some distance from the man, but close enough to kick him from the platform if he so desired.

"And did you ever wonder, at what point I was going to notice their presence, or lack of it?" Gru practically hissed, madder at himself in that moment because of the reality of not having noticed it himself, and was met with more silence from Nefario, until he found the next words.

"But Gru…it was just a Minion, and I didn't kill him…it was an accident". The voice dwindled out, as Gru tried to calm down and failed, and his next words came out in more of a mocking laughter

"Just a Minion…is that how you really think of them? Let me tell you something about Kevin, his best friend is…oh sorry was called Jerry, his favourite ice cream was rocky road and he was a golf fanatic. Yesterday I had a letter from the Renaud Country Club, asking if he was going to take part in the Coffin Cup Tournament…and they expressed more remorse at his death, then you!" Gru finished, as he caught his breath.

"But I didn't know, the medicine was going to kill him…how could I have known that?" Argued Nefario, who was coming to realise that no matter what he said it made no difference to his employer.

"No one could have known it was going to kill him, but I fully expected a man with a conscience to read the bottle, or I don't know take some responsibility for the reason Kevin was suffering in the first place. Did you actually think they could go through a trauma like that and walk out unscathed? Because of you, and your actions over a thousand of them are suffering each day. They are all scared, scared of their own shadow…and scared of you." As Gru, took a deep breath, and contained

"You know the worst thing is Nefario, when you first came to work with me, I don't know…I guess I thought of you like a father figure…someone who knew what was best for me. When you told me you were going to leave, I was disappointed…but I understood, so I was happy to let you go. But you betrayed me; you betrayed my girls and you betrayed the Minions…so what good are you to me now…well tell me?" Gru finally confessed, and for some reason felt better as he did so, as if he could let the curtain rise on the real reason he had kept Nefario around for so long.

All Nefario could do was gulp, as he took everything in, and Gru to notice, a flush appeared across his face.

"Gru, I'm sorry, I just didn't realise…", once again silence which seemed to conclude everything Gru was feeling, as he could see the sentence forming in Nefario's eyes before he spoke.

"I'll leave, I'll leave immediately", Nefario said, as he tried to push himself up from the platform, as Gru took a step forward, it was now the perfect moment to throw him from the edge, and both men knew it, as after a second Gru just looked at Nefario and to the Doctors surprise, began to laugh. It was an uncommon sight on Gru, which Nefario found more disturbing than anything else.

"Are you joking with me, you think you have the right to leave…seriously", as he began to count off misdeeds with his fingers, "First you built a rocket, to help me steal the moon, two you betrayed my girls, three you left me for El Macho, four you brainwashed and kidnapped my Minions…and so on, and finally your ineptitude led to Kevin's death".

Gru smiled, and for a second looked so evil with it, a shiver of fear crawled down Nefario's spine, as he stepped over to Nefario and leaned in closer. "Because of what you did, the Anti-Villain League wanted to take you into custody too, they even said to me that they didn't give a damn about killing someone…but they seemed to make an exception for cruelty to Minions, and endangering children, and every other villain in the industry knows too"

Nefario swallowed nervously, knowing that his very life hinged on Gru's words "So what are you going to do with me?" Gru liked the hesitation in Nefario's voice as his smile grew wider. "I agreed to keep you in custody, since no other villain on the Planet is stupid enough to hire you, but now you're here for good. You are here under my rules, whatever I tell you to do; you do. Whatever I decide to do, you do. And maybe, just maybe one day I'll trust you again, but every time you see my Minions, I want you to remember that there is a massive space where Kevin once stood, that can never be replaced and that you can never make up for…oh and whilst we're on that subject".

Gru turned from Nefario, and did the one thing he should have done, earlier as he pulled his freeze ray, and without a word aimed it at the vat beneath them. As the ice, spread across the vat it froze the accursed PX-41 instantly, as it expanded and caused to the vat to crack, and the ingredients to shatter across the floor rendering it ineffective in an instant.

As Nefario looked at the remains of the formula, he looked back at Gru, and nodded, "I understand", he said in a hollow whisper, before adding, as finally with what could only be guilt etched across his face "Gru, I am really sorry for what happened".

All Gru, could do was look at him, as finally the rage he had been feeling began finally to subside, as he replied "Yeah, me too…by the way, clean the mess up, none of the Minions want to see you at the moment". He finished the sentence in a sharper tone, ensuring the Doctor knew how serious he was as he turned on his heel and walked from the platform and the Doctor. He was sure that one day, Nefario would be forgiven, if the girls had taught him anything it was forgiveness, but that was one day…and that wasn't today.

As Gru shot up the teleport tube, he suddenly felt better about the whole thing, he knew he could have easily killed Nefario, and no one would be the wiser, but he hadn't so as he stepped from the house, into the clear daylight, he threw a glance in the direction of Kevin's grave and gave him a small note of thanks for everything.

And it was exactly at that moment, he saw the blue car of Lucy's pulling down the road, as he caught the four woman laughing together, there face filled with smiles, which he returned as Lucy parked and Edith came bounding from the car "Gru, Gru Lucy tasered a carnival barker", she claimed triumphantly as all Lucy could do was smile, slightly embarrassed by the obviously true claim "Really, well then you have to tell me all about it", Gru replied as the rest filed out of the car and along with the fluffiest teddy bear Gru had even seen which Agnes was trying to drag across the garden. In a serendipitous moment within five minutes all the Minions began to arrive back at the house, looking more relaxed and happy than they had been in a while, whilst Gru shot a look of thanks to Dave, who only gave a small nod of acknowledgment back.

As the family, minions included stepped back into the house Lucy even though it was clear she had enjoy her day bonding with the girls quickly whispered to Gru, about Nefario as he reassured her that it had all been sorted and he would never hurt them, intentionally or otherwise again. Something she didn't question further, but was defiantly relieved about as she began to tell Gru, that hitting the carnival barker with her lipstick Taser, when he had tried to con Agnes out of teddy bear was an accident…honest.

The End

Ok, well thank you for reading, and I think I should explain why I wrote this. I love the movies, both of them and can't wait for the third one and the Minion spinoff. But I hate Nefario, pretty much for the actions listed above. Also, what he did to the Minions was just evil, and he never showed any remorse for it.

Please review xxx