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Despicable Days Chap 5 part 2

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Margo had spent the last twenty minutes comfortably relaxing on the couch, still stroking the strange furry creature. She had always wanted a dog, and she supposed this creature wasn't much different from one. The ten-year-old could still hear her little sisters in the next room so she didn't feel the need to check on them.

She had spent most of the time since Mr. Gru left staring into space. She was still trying to adjust to the idea that she and her sisters had been adopted, and as if that wasn't surprising enough, their new father turned out to be an evil villain.

There was a lot she needed to think about.

"Margo?" a tinny voice called.

The older girl looked down at her to see Agnes staring up at her inquisitively. Margo hadn't even notice her wander in the room.

"Hey, Agnes," she greeted with a reassuring smile.

Her sister smiled back and began to climb up on the couch next to her. Margo helped her up when she saw her struggling.

"Kyle!" Agnes squealed, cuddling the disgruntled creature. Kyle looked irritated at first to be woken up from his nap, but his tail was wagging slightly at the attention.

"Is that its name?" the older girl asked in surprise. Margo had been too unnerved by its large teeth to hold the creature the way Agnes was, but Kyle didn't even growl in protest at the girl's death grip. "What kind of animal is it?"

"It's a puppy!" Agnes told her gleefully, stroking Kyle.

Margo continued to stare at her sister and the creature. That most certainly was not a dog, but Margo figured Agnes wouldn't know any better.

The older girl watched Agnes play with the animal's fur for a bit, and it didn't take long for Edith to wander in the room.

"Edith, do you know what kind of animal… Kyle is?" Margo asked, stroking the creature's head.

"He's a dog, isn't he?" Edith asked in a bored voice.

Margo gave her a frustrated look. "He is not a dog."

"Well, whatever." Edith shrugged. "Kyle is Kyle, does it matter?"

Margo thought for a second before realizing that, no, it really didn't.

"Anyway, are you done resting yet?" Edith asked, playing with Kyle's 'ears'. "I'm bored."

"Yeah, Margo! Play with us!" Agnes chimed.

Margo nodded, smiling slightly. "Okay, what do you want to do?"

"Let's play tea party!" Agnes suggested excitedly.

Edith blew a raspberry at the idea. "Nah, that's boring without Dad."

Agnes pouted. "But I want to do something with Mr. Fluffy!"

"Is that a new toy, Agnes?" Margo asked kindly.

"Yeah, Dad won it for her."

Agnes gasped, suddenly getting an idea. "I want you to meet him!"

Agnes ran off, presumably to find her toy.

"So, you still don't remember anything?" Edith asked eagerly.

The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes. "No Edith, the last thing I remember is the orphanage. My memories aren't going to come back that quickly." Although, Margo thought to herself, I wish they would hurry up.

"Edith," Margo began again. "Before I lost my memory, did I like it here with Mr. Gru?" Margo watched her sister intently, awaiting her response.

"Of course you did," she answered, and Margo frowned, disappointed at the simplicity of her response.

"Did I like it better then at Miss. Hattie's?" The desperate girl prodded.

"Well, yeah, duh. That's why we were sad when Dad sent us back."

"He sent us back to where?" Margo asked, and then blinked in realization, "to the orphanage?"

Edith avoided her eyes and concentrated on Kyle, obviously wanting to drop the subject.

"So… he didn't want us?" Margo asked slowly, and to her it made sense. Why would a man like him want to adopt three girls?

However, the older girl wasn't expecting Edith's passionate response.

"No! Dad wants us!" Edith deafened firmly, her bright blue eyes glaring resolutely from below her beanie. "He said so."

Margo wanted to scoff and ask how Edith could trust someone who had already sent them back once. However, she held her tongue, not wanting to hurt Edith who was so sure she had found a father.

Margo was even more grateful she didn't say any of the biting comments that had sprung to her mind, because not a second later, Agnes walked back in the room.

The young girl's eyes looked a little wet, and her lower lip was trembling.

"Agnes, what's wrong?" Margo asked in concern, jumping off the couch.

"I can't find Mr. Fluffy anywhere!" she explained miserably. "I think he's lost!"

"Didn't you have him down in the lab the other day?" Edith questioned. "Did you leave him there?"

Suddenly, Agnes brightened up and rushed out of the room.

Margo watched her leave in confusion. "Where is she going?"

"Probably to the lab."

"What!?!" Margo yelled and ran after her younger sister. Gru specifically told them to stay out of the lab, and even though Margo didn't care if they obeyed him or not, she still didn't want her sister anywhere near where an explosion had gone off.

Edith was close behind her as they rounded the corner. Margo's jaw dropped as she watched a giant blue tube engulf her sister. Agnes waved at her from inside it, and all Margo could do was stare. Margo noticed the tube was open so Agnes still had a chance to get out.

"Agnes, get out of there!" Margo ordered in a strained voice.

Out of the corner of her eye Margo saw Edith walk forward.

"Edith!" she yelled after her, but the middle sister had already climbed in the tube after Agnes.

"Come on, Margo!" Edith called encouragingly.

"Both of you get out of there, it's dangerous." Margo couldn't believe what was seeing. If she hadn't heard how unsafe the lab was, she might have been tempted to follow them herself, if only to figure out where the tube would take them.

Edith cocked her head to the side. "But we want to show you the lab. If you see it, maybe it will help you remember."

Margo hesitated at Edith's logic. Her sister was right, if she was around familiar surroundings then something might trigger her memories and they could come back faster. Besides, she had no obligation to listen to what Gru said. He was a villain; he had no right making rules if his job was to break them.

Finally Margo nodded, her curiosity winning out. "Well… alright."

She cautiously entered the tube and looked around at the clear blue walls, waiting for something to happen. An empty feeling coiled in her stomach as the whole tube moved, taking them all the way down. Through the glass, Margo was given an impressive glimpse of the lab. There were too many rooms to count and the ceiling was so high she couldn't believe this was all under the house.

Along with the maze-like architecture Margo could also see little creatures running around. At first she thought they were a result of her hitting her head.

"Umm, what are those?" she asked, a little freaked out.

"They're the minions; they work for Dad," Edith explained, thoroughly enjoying being the expert.

"Are they friendly?" the disturbed girl asked worriedly.

"Of course they are! Dave's the best… but Kevin always tells me these really cool stories."

The lift stopped and the three girls stepped into the lab. It smelt like cleaning supplies, meaning the air and room was sterile. The cold room felt forbidden to Margo, and she wished she had never agreed to come down here. The villain's house seemed welcoming compared to the lab, but then again, so did a morgue.

One of the yellow creatures, this one had only one eye, stopped when he saw the girls. Margo froze as it looked at her, and then glanced at Agnes, making sure her little sister was behind her and as far as possible from the creature. She then glanced at Edith, but she was already approaching the minion.

"Boka de nah pacotu?" the yellow creature asked.

"Yeah," Edith answered. "We're looking for Agnes's unicorn toy."

"Mr. Fluffy's lost!" Agnes explained apprehensively.

"Ah, pinopo." The minion shook his head sadly, and Agnes pouted.

Margo glanced at the three involved in the conversation, confused by not just was the minion was saying, but how her sisters seemed to understand him.

"Oh, okay Danny." Edith glanced back and her two sisters. "Let's keep looking for it, come on!" She took off down one of the halls, waving for them to follow.

"Edith, wait!" Margo shouted, and grabbed Agnes's hand before taking off after her. Finally she caught up with the middle sister. "You can understand what that creature was saying?" she asked slightly out of breath.

Edith shrugged. "Yeah, most of the time," she said nonchalantly.

They continued to walk deeper into the lab, making too many turns for Margo to count.

"You know where we are going, right Edith?" Margo asked worriedly.

"Yep, I know exactly where we are!" Edith took them down another long hallway. A few minions waved as they passed.

Each room in the lab was different. Some rooms held rockets; others had shelves of labeled chemicals, and most disturbing of all were the rooms full of elaborate looking weapons. Edith and Agnes barely glanced at the equipment. Every once in a while Edith would run her hand along a weapon or something that looked suspiciously like a bomb, but for the most part Margo got the impression her sisters were used to an environment like this. She couldn't help but wonder if she had ever grown used to this place as well.

When they first entered the lab the signs of an explosion were everywhere, but Edith seemed to be taking them to the far corner of the lab where the explosion only seemed to have jostled a few shelves. There was still fallen object and glass everywhere, however, and Margo had to be careful not to trip over the scattered weapons.

"Hey!" Edith suddenly shouted. "I've never been this way before! Come on!" She ran ahead again, and Agnes let go of Margo's hand to follow her.

"What!?! I thought you said you knew where we were going?"

Edith just laughed and glanced over her shoulder at her sister's, eyes brimming with excitement.

Edith took them all the way down to the end of the hallway, which opened up into a large room. This room had the highest ceiling yet.

"What is this place?" Margo asked, but didn't expect an answer.

Half of the room had a large stage with strange gray colored tiles. In the middle of the room there was booth with different colored switches. Edith didn't waste any time. She crawled up on the booth and began flipping switches, and pushing buttons.

"Edith, you don't know what that does!" Margo warned; grabbing Agnes's hand before the little girl could go help her sister.

"I know! But I bet it's something awesome!"

With a wide grin Edith pushed a large green button, and a loud 'whirring' sound filled the room.

"What did you do?" Margo's shouted over the noise. Eventually the sound died down to a low 'humm' and then the tiles on the stage began to glow different colors.

The three sisters cautiously approached the stage and watched the floor glow from red, to purple, yellow, blue, and then finally it stayed at a constant green.

"What is this for?" Margo wondered out loud.

"Let's go check it out!"

"Edith!"

But it was too late. Edith had already climbed up on the stage. She was only on a green square for a second before she was lifted into the air. Edith gasped as she floated off the ground as if she was weightless.

"Edith? How are you-"

"Whoa… Margo, Edith is flying!" Agnes shouted, pointing at her blonde sister.

"What's happening?" Edith shouted, accidentally doing a summersault. Suddenly, her uncertain voice was filled with laughter, "you guys gotta try this!"

Agnes face broke out into a grin. "I want to fly too!" she shouted as she removed her hand from Margo's.

Agnes climbed up the stairs to the side of the stage. Just like her sister, when she reached a green tile she was lifted into the air. Agnes's screeched in delight.

"Weeeeeee!"

By this time, Edith had already reached the ceiling, and pushed off the roof towards the ground. Edith's momentum slowed long before she hit the floor, allowing her to do flips in the middle of the air.

"This is the coolest ever! Margo, you have to come up here!"

"Yeah, come up here!" Agnes chorused.

"You guys…" she breathed in amazement. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing, but as she watched them giggle as they pushed off the walls, she couldn't help but feel envious. She took a cautious step forward, and then another one.

Before she knew it, the stage was right in front of her, welcoming her to step up.

She felt herself grin in excitement as she hoisted herself over the edge and walked onto a green square. Almost immediately a gut-wrenching feeling of falling twisted in her stomach as she was lifted off the ground. Her limbs tingled at the weightlessness, and she almost forgot to breathe. She continued to float upwards, and Margo felt uneasy about getting too high off the ground. The brunette waved her hands as if she was swimming through the air, but that did little good in controlling her movement. Only when she hit the ceiling was she able to push off and go anywhere.

Edith zoomed around her, pushing off from wall to wall as fast as she could. Agnes, on the other hand, giggled as she did flips in the air. Edith ran into Agnes once, not paying attention to where she was going, but without gravity and little momentum the crash was in slow motion.

Margo grinned at her sisters' antics, and for the first time in a while, her chest felt unexplainably lighter. Margo laughed as an idea popped into her head.

"Hey, watch this!" She pushed herself off a wall and managed do three flips in a row.

"Whoa!" her sister's cried in awe, and then proceeded to do the same thing.

Margo laughed as she used the other wall to shoot herself to the floor, and then from the floor she quickly propelled herself to the ceiling again. The three sisters laughed as they enjoyed their new playground. 'Edith was right,' Margo thought giddily, 'this is the coolest thing ever!'

The shouts and loud laughing of the three girls could be heard throughout much of the lab, and it wasn't long before word got around about what the girls were doing. From minion to minion the excitement in the anti-gravity chamber spread until it reached the ears of a certain doctor and super villain.

A half an hour later the girls were immersed in an anti-gravity form of tag. Edith was 'it'.

"You're stuck now, Margo." Edith pointed out, referring to her older sister's position in the middle of the stage, away from any walls to push off from. Edith crouched into a corner, getting ready to push herself off and tag her sister.

"Eet looks like some leetle gurls found dee antee-gravitee room." An amused voice observed from the doorway.

Margo froze and looked over to see Mr. Gru and an elderly man watching them.

"Tag, Margo! You're-"

"Umph!"

"Ow… it." Edith finished rubbing her head. She gave her sister an annoyed look. "You didn't even try to move!" she accused.

"Hi Daddy!" Agnes greeted with a giggle, hanging upside down in the air.

Edith just seemed to notice their audience now. "Dad! This thing is so cool! How come you've never shown it to us before?"

"That's probably because the anti-gravity tiles are for making transport easier, not for playing with!" The grumpy older man explained as he approached the control booth Edith had been messing with earlier.

"But Uncle Nefario, it's really fun! You gotta try it!" Edith exclaimed as she pushed off a wall and did a flip in the air.

"I'll pass," Nefario grumbled. "Now come on down from there so I can shut this thing back off."

"Why should we?" Margo heard herself ask, not wanting to be torn away from the most amazing device she had ever seen. In the back of her mind, she was also testing the waters, curious to see how the men would react to her defiance.

"Because it's not for playing with!" the doctor argued.

Gru tried to hide a chuckle at his friend's frustration.

"Although," Gru broke in. "I'm not seeing any 'arm een dem using eet."

The doctor gave Gru an annoyed look, and the villain just shrugged.

"What? We 'aven't 'ad a use vor eet een years," Gru reminded him.

Nefario opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again, realizing he didn't have a convincing argument against Gru.

"Yay!" Edith cheered. "So we're not in trouble?" she asked hopefully.

Gru placed a hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say dat. I told yoo gurls I deedn't want yoo een dee lab until eet was feexed. Eet's dangerous."

"More dangerous than your house?" Margo countered pointedly.

Gru blinked at the hostility in her voice. "Yes Margo, much more dangerous."

"Then maybe someone with such a dangerous house shouldn't let kids wander around." Margo could feel her previous anger rising in her chest, and with her position floating above the two men, she felt a surge of power run through her.

All her disappointment and anger towards their caretaker came rushing back. She never really cared about what her adoptive parent would look like, or the kind of house they would live in. She hoped the house would be big enough for her sisters to play in, and their mom would be confident and beautiful. Edith would often say how she wished her Dad's eye would sparkle… especially when he laughed. However, through all the speculating and praying, they truly did not care what their parents looked like, or how big the house would be. At the end of the day, when they entered their empty bedroom at the orphanage and crawled under their thin covers, all they wanted… was to be wanted.

And now they were adopted, and everything was supposed to be okay. But it wasn't. Their house was cold and forbidden. They didn't even have a mom, beautiful, smart, strong, or otherwise. And she couldn't imagine their intimidating caretaker's eyes sparkling. Perhaps when he ran over someone else's car… but certainly not when he looked at them.

Margo used to think she really didn't care who adopted them, as long as they wanted all three of them. But now, she couldn't help but think: Anyone but him.

"Maybe," she continued venomously, "there shouldn't be kids in this house at all!"

Mr. Gru had asked her to give him a chance, but she just couldn't. This lab, his job, it was all too much. And it wasn't fair! She never had anything normal kids had, and today she woke up to find she was never going to. She felt like crying, kicking, and screaming all at once. But instead, she did what she always did: she took it out on the person responsible.

"Margo?" Gru's voice was softer than she expected, it almost sounded hurt.

However, the resentment building in Margo's chest didn't allow her to care.

"What are you talking about?" Edith asked her. They had both floated to the ceiling, and Edith was giving her confused and slightly worried look.

"Yeah Margo, aren't you having fun?" Agnes asked from below them.

The question made Margo's anger receded a bit. She had been having fun, probably the most fun she had ever had in her life. And back at the ice cream shop she had been genuinely happy, but that was before she saw their house and realized who this man really was. Now, everything she had seen and felt were jumbled in her brain. Every good thing Gru had done that day had been met with a bad.

"I…" She was so confused. "I was, but…" And she was frustrated; with the situation, with the careless man who seemed to care, and with herself for not being able to remember if he really did. "But… I don't know." Last of all, she was scared. And what scared her that most was not knowing. She didn't know what she should do, or if there was anything she could do.

She felt her stomach drop as she let out a strangled gasp. She was falling, straight out the air and heading towards the ground. The once green tile beneath her now shone red. However, as quickly as the weightlessness left, it was back again. Margo could hear her heart thumping loudly in her ears and she looked around to confirm that she was once again floating. She glanced wide-eyed at the green tile beneath her, remembering briefly how it had flickered to red.

"What was that?" Edith shrieked; having only fell a few feet like Margo had.

"Gurls! Are yoo okay?" Mr. Gru shouted up at them, his voice shaking slightly.

"Y-yes," Margo managed to answer. She swallowed to help clear a lump in her dry throat.

"Daddy?" Agnes asked, her voice more curious then fearful. She was closest to the ground, and had been just eight feet away from having a very painful landing. Margo and Edith were up much higher, and even with their sudden drop, were still only five feet away from the ceiling.

"Nefario, what 'appened?" Gru demanded not taking his eyes off the girls.

"I'm not sure, I didn't touch anything…" He looked over the control panel and then back to the green tiles. "There was no reason for it to glitch, unless…" He snapped his fingers. "The explosion! The tiles must have shifted, and now the connection isn't stable."

"Can you feex eet?"

"Easily, but not without readjusting the tiles manually, but I can't do that while the girls are up there. And Gru?" his voice turned grave. "It's likely the tiles will give out again soon… and this time, for good."

Gru didn't need to hear anymore. He ran up to the ledge of the stage, his eyes still glued to his daughters.

"Okay gurls, I need yoo teh geet back on de stage."

"I'll adjust the power so they have a little more weight," Nefario's informed him.

Margo didn't understand what Nefario meant until she felt herself slowly lower towards the floor. She tried to help this process out the best she could by trying to push herself through the air, but with little result.

Margo understood what was going on, and she was pretty sure Edith did too. The device that was causing her to float wasn't working properly, and if the tiles beneath her turned red again, then she and her sisters would fall.

"Margo?" She could hear the wavering uncertainty in Edith's voice.

"It'll be okay," she assured her sister, giving her the most confident smile she could muster.

Edith hesitantly returned the gesture.

"I gawt yoo." Gru said in relief as he plucked Agnes out of the air and set her on the ground where she would be safe. Agnes had thankfully floated low enough for Gru to reach her, but Margo and Edith still had a ways to travel.

Margo's whole body was tense. It was like they were racing against time, and they couldn't move fast enough. There was nothing she and Edith could do but wait.

And then, it happened again. Margo felt the weight return before she even saw the tiles turn red.

She drop fast, and she could hear Edith's scream meet her own.

"Gurls!" yelled a terrified voice from beneath them, and Margo shut her eyes.

"Umph!"

Margo landed heavily on something surprisingly soft and warm. Whatever it was, it held her tightly, and with her mind a blur and her body shaking uncontrollably, she could do nothing else but cling to her savior.

"Eets okay, I gawt yoo two. You're okay."

These words had a calming effect, and her mind begun to clear. Margo didn't need to look up to know who had caught them. He must have sprinted on stage the second they fell in order to get to them on time.

Instead of pulling away from him like she had in the past, she continued to stay in his comforting embrace. He smelt like warm laundry soap with a lingering sterile smell, probably from working in a lab. It was a strange combination, but a familiar one.

Familiar. Finally, something was familiar. Although no memories had returned, at least it was something.

Margo felt movement to the right of her, and as she looked up she could see Edith in Gru's other arm, looking around. Her little sister had recovered must faster then she had.

What Edith had to say made Margo groan.

"That was so cool! Let's do it again!"

Gru chucked and held Edith tighter, kissing the top of her head affectingly. The loving action made Edith's grin grow wider.

Gru set both of them down, and Margo was surprised at how close the ground was from his arms. That was when she realized Gru was on his knees, most likely brought down by the weight of catching two children.

"Nice catch, lad." Nefario praised with a relieved smile. He then proceeded to turn off the machine, making the red tiles turn back to their original dull gray color.

"Daddy!" Agnes called as she ran up the steps of the stage and jumped into his lap.

"Dere yoo are!"

Agnes giggled at his playful tone, and squealed happily when he scooped her up into a hug.

Margo timidly watched the interaction between Mr. Gru and her sisters. Agnes was beaming up at him from her place in his arms, giggling happily. And Gru was grinning freely down at her, his eyes sparkling with adoration. Edith playfully griped the sleeve of his sweater, causing Gru's gaze to fall on her. Affectionately, he reached up to adjust her beanie so it was uncovering her eyes. Margo saw Gru look Edith over quickly, as if confirming to himself that she was all right. His warm gaze fell on Margo next, and she felt herself tense. He seemed to check her over like he did Edith, and immediately she saw the relief in his eyes. With the way he was looking at her, Margo was worried he would scoop her into a hug like he had Agnes, and she felt a stab of disappointed when he didn't.

"Are yoo gurls okay?" he asked, looking at Margo intently.

She nodded numbly. "Y-yeah… thanks for catching us." Margo felt like she should say something more. An apology felt just as appropriate as a thank you. She had been unbelievably angry with him, so frustrated and confused, but now, watching him with her sisters, she couldn't summon the same spite that she had felt moments ago.

"I wasn't 'bout teh let yoo get 'urt. I would do anyt'ing teh protect yoo gurls." There was something undeniably true about his words. His voice rang with certainty, and what startle Margo most, was that she truly believed him.

"That's 'cause you're the best Dad ever!" Agnes cooed.

Gru grinned down at her "And yoo are dee best keeds ever!" he mimicked, making her giggle.

Margo wondered if there was more truth in Agnes's declaration then she would have originally thought.

----------------------------------------------------

Mr. Gru, Margo and her sisters were brought back into the house by the blue chute. She was surprised they hadn't been in trouble, despite Mr. Gru's earlier declaration that they were. However, everything seemed to have fallen apart with the near death experience. Mr. Gru just seemed happy to get them out of the lab so he could make dinner.

"What were yoo gurls doing een dee lab een dee furst place?" Mr. Gru asked while heading into the kitchen.

Edith stopped suddenly. "Oh yeah! We never found Agnes's toy!"

Margo wished Edith hadn't brought that up, because once Agnes heard this, her eyes widened and her lower lip began to quiver.

"Oh no! Mr. Fluffy!"

Gru raised an eyebrow. "Eh? What's dis?"

Margo moved to comfort her sister. "She left her toy in the lab," she explained, placing a soothing hand on Agnes's shoulder.

"Yoo mean dee one I put een your toy box? I found eet yesterday…"

Agnes's whole face brightened. "Really?"

Agnes then changed direction and ran upstairs as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Margo smiled fondly after her sister, and at the same time she could hear Mr. Gru chuckling lightly.

She turned back to her caretaker and watched him pull out ingredient from a shelf. Margo rubbed her left arm awkwardly, racking her brain for something to say.

"Umm, Mr. Gru? Do you need any help with dinner?" She surprised herself with the offer, for just moments ago she had been looking for any reason to argue with him, and now, she wanted to be useful. But then again, he did save her and her sisters. And even though he was a 'bad guy,' she couldn't keep pretending he didn't care about them.

He smiled down at her. "T'ank you Margo, but eets fine. Yoo should go play."

"Oh… okay," she tried to keep her voice nonchalant to hide her disappointment. When adults said 'go play,' they usually meant 'go away'.

"Unless…" he began carefully, making her halt before she exited the kitchen. "Yoo really want teh 'elp?"

She turned back towards him hesitantly. "Can I?"

She expected him to sigh and annoyance and either tell her 'yes' or 'no'. What she didn't expect was for a wide grin to on his face.

"Ov course!" He waved her over and grabbed a round chair for her to kneel on so she could reach the unusually high counters. She climbed up and got a good look at the ingredients.

"'Ow eez lazania soundeeng teh yoo?"

Margo smiled and looked up at the man. "It sounds great."

-----------------------------------------------

"Alryght gurls, tyme vor bed."

"Aww, now?" Edith complained.

"Yes, now. Eet's getteeng late."

After a very good dinner; and in fact, the first dinner Margo had ever helped cook, the four of them had spent the evening together.

Agnes had convinced everyone to play tea party with her and Margo hadn't expected Mr. Gru to give in and join them as easily as he did. With Mr. Gru playing, Edith was more than willing to sit down and participate in the game, even though she usually preferred more physical activities.

The evening had gone by quickly, and Margo hadn't even noticed when the sun left the sky. It was surprising how comfortable the house felt now. Although the house looked the same – minus the ax – from when she first arrived earlier that day, Margo no longer felt like an imprisoned guest.

Out of all the rooms in the house, their bedroom looked least like it belonged in the house. The room had been taken over by pink girly items from toys to dress up clothes. However, Margo froze when Agnes climbed into her 'bed'.

"Are those… bombs?" she wondered out loud, moving a little closer to get a better look.

Gru waved off her question as he forcibly had to pick up a laughing Edith in order to get her in bed. "Dere deactivateed. Perfectly safe."

Margo glanced at him uncertainly and then back to the bed. She almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. She was adopted by a villain, slept in a bomb, and had tea parties in the evening. It was like a twisted fairytale.

Margo slowly got into bed. She found herself believing Mr. Gru promise that it was safe. She had been more open about believing him ever since the falling incident in the lab. However, her new willingness to trust had nothing to do with Gru catching them.

"What story eez eet tonight, gurls?" Mr. Gru asked, heading to the bookshelf.

"Read your book Daddy!"

"Yeah, One Big Unicorn!"

Margo looked at the blonde in confusion; Edith wanting to hear a book about a Unicorn? The ten-year-old thought she would never see the day.

Gru chuckled and pulled a light, homemade book from the shelf. "One Beeg Unicorn eet eez den."

Mr. Gru settled on the pillows between the three beds, this way they could look over his shoulders at the pictures.

""Ere we go…" he began, opening the book to the first page. "One beeg unicorn, strong and free, t'ought he was 'appy az could be…"

Margo noticed the unicorn in the book had a scarf just like Gru had been wearing earlier that day. She realized this was more than just a normal kid's picture book.

"Den t'ree leettle keettins came around, and turned 'is 'ole life upside down."

With a grin, Margo saw that the little pink and green kittens looked like her sisters. And the blue one…

"Dey made 'em laugh." Gru reached behind him to tickle Agnes, making her squeal and giggle. "Dey made 'em cry." His voice became soft, almost regretful. "He nevair should 'ave said goodbye…"

Margo frowned and looked up at him. Edith did say something about Gru sending them back. It was strange how this book seemed to pull everything together.

"And now he knows he can nevair part… from dose t'ree leettle keettins dat changed his heart." He finished with a smile. Looking over to his left he saw Edith snuggling deeper into her covers, a sleepy expression on her face.

Margo did the same, taking off her glasses before her head hit the pillow. Surprisingly, the make-shift bed was very comfortable, and as Mr. Gru turned off the lights she found her mind drifting back to the contents of the book.

"Good nyght, gurls," Mr. Gru said softly as he leaned over and kissed Edith lightly on her head.

He pulled up Agnes's covers and tucked her in snugly. He kissed the top her head as well, making her smile.

He turned to Margo, and she felt like she should say something.

"Good night, Mr. Gru."

"Good nyght, Margo," he said softly, and to her surprise, he leaned over and kissed her head, just like he had done for her sisters. Margo felt pleasantly warm inside at the display of affection towards her.

"I love you gurls. See yoo een de morning."

At his words, strange butterflies appeared in Margo's stomach and she couldn't help but wonder; Is this really what being loved feels like? It had been so long since she had parents, or anyone to love her she couldn't remember.

Margo laid in the dark for a long while, thinking over everything that had happened to her, and desperately trying to remember what she had forgotten. That book he had made, they way he interacted with her sisters, the goodnight kisses…. those where everything she hoped her adoptive parents would do, and more. It's true, he was nothing like the parents her and her sisters dreamed of, but like Edith had said about an earlier subject, did it matter?

From the moment Margo had seen his house and learned about his job, all she kept repeating to herself was: anyone but him. But now, she couldn't help but think, why not him?

Her thinking had begun to change not when he caught her, but after. Although she was grateful to be alive, it took more than one act to convince her of anything. It wasn't until after their near-death experience, did Margo start to notice things she hadn't before.  At first, it was just a simple look. In his eyes Margo could see how absolutely relieved he was that they were safe. He looked at her and her sisters like they were precious and irreplaceable. And the way he interacted with Edith and Agnes, how his smile always matched their giggle… felt so natural.

Those moments were small, and easily overlooked. But it was little moments like those that slowly began to give her hope. It made her start to think, that perhaps he did care about them. At the orphanage, Margo had grown used to being overlooked. Adults would come in and out adopting children, but none of them wanted the three girls that refused to be adopted separately. It was almost impossible for Margo to accept that, after all those years, she woke up one morning with a new father and a new life in front of her. No, she may be young but she had been alive long enough to know life didn't work that way.

But maybe, this one time, life did work like that. Because Mr. Gru had been the only one to adopt them, the only one to give them good night kisses, and the only one to tell them he loved them. Despite his job and strange house, despite the fact he didn't look anything like what she pictured, he did what no one else had done in years: he wanted them. And slowly, anyone but him, turned into, why not him, and finally became, please be him. Because more than anything, Margo wanted this to work; she wanted a home and a family, but not just any home and family. She wanted a strange house with an underground lab, and weird yellow creatures running around. She wanted a bald father with a heavy accent, violent tendencies, and a loving smile when he kissed them good night. She wanted to stay with Mr. Gru, and she prayed he wanted that too.

Suddenly, Margo put on her glasses and jumped out of the bed. She managed to make it out of the room quietly without waking her sisters. There had been one question that had been bugging her since the beginning, and she finally felt brave enough to ask.

She finally found Mr. Gru in the kitchen. He was looking over some blueprints, but his eyes didn't seem to be focused on them.

Nervously, Margo bit her lip before speaking. "Mr. Gru," she called quietly, in the still room her voice was easily heard.

Mr. Gru looked up suddenly, startled by her arrival. "Margo? What are yoo doeeng up?" And then his expression became worried. "Eez somet'ing wrong?"

The brunette shook her head. "No… I just have," she hesitated; know this sounded stupid, "a question."

Mr. Gru's expression softened and he waved her over. She climbed up in the booth across from him. Margo concentrated on her hands, finding it difficult to look up at him. She had no idea how she was going to ask the question she needed to.

"What eez eet, Margo?"

The girl didn't speak at first, trying to collect her racing thoughts the best she could. At last, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She was worried the question would sound silly, something he could just wave off. But she wanted Mr. Gru to give her a real answer. She didn't want to hear how adult usually talked to children, with misdirection and a lot of padding around the truth. Instead, she needed to hear a serious response to be satisfied, no matter what his answer was.

Finally, she took a deep breath and tried to ask again, only to have her eyes fall on the blueprint. "What are you working on?" It was a much easier question then the one she wanted to ask.

Gru chuckled lightly and move the paper so she could see it better. "Eets a new plan I've been workeeng on. De government 'as created a weather controlleeng macheene. Eet would be very useful eef we 'ad eet eenstead." Mr. Gru explained with a mischievous smile.

Margo shifted uncomfortably. She realized he was talking about his job, and the thought of what he did still made her nervous.

"But don't tell aneeone. I 'aven't even told de minions yet," he said with a wink.

Despite the villainous plot on the table in front of her, Margo could help but crack a smile. Whether she supported the plan or not, it was kind of cool he was letting her in instead of keeping it from her.

"But I'm guessing dis was not de question yoo were t'inking of," he stated, rolling up the blueprints.

She shook her head, knowing she couldn't put off the question any longer. "No, I was just wondering… why?"

"Why?" he echoed.

She nodded self-consciously. "Yeah, why… did you adopt us?"

"Oh." Gru sighed. "Dat's your question?"

Margo stated silent, once or twice risking a glance up at him before looking back down at the table. This was the question that had plagued her from the very beginning, and it only grew as she learned more and more about her caretaker. Why would a villain want to adopt three girls? His house obviously wasn't set up for kids, and his job wasn't exactly family friendly.

"Margo…" his voice was soft and hesitant. "Yoo gurls 'aven't asked me dat yet, but I guess I should 'ave seen eet coming." He sighed, and to Margo's surprise, stood up and walked over to her side of the table. He kneeled in front of her so he could talk to her better.

It was Mr. Gru's turn to look insecure before speaking. He seemed worried to how she would react to his answer and that only made her more anxious.

"Don't hate me, okay?" he pleaded, and Margo's throat closed up at the desperate tone in his voice.

She shook her head. She couldn't imagine hating him. Even though the thought had crossed her mind once or twice that day, she knew it had just been her frustration seeping through. She had never really hated him.

"Eets true dat I nevair wanted keeds," he admitted, and hurriedly glanced up at her, looking worriedly for her reaction.

Margo kept a straight face and waited for him to continue.

"And when I adopted yoo gurls eet was vor my own selfish reasons. I deedn't expect…" he was searching for the right thing to say, "t'ings to work out like they deed."

Margo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Gru rubbed his eyes, and Margo realized she had asked the one thing he was trying to keep vague.

"I deedn't expect yoo gurls teh be living 'ere permanently." Margo flinched, knowing this meant he never intended to keep them, something she had been dreading. "I also deedn't expect to geet t'ree beautiful daughters instead ov what I originally t'ought I wanted…. I fell een love wit' yoo gurls, and I had been foolish teh t'ink I could use yoo gurls like I did," his voice was painfully regretful. "I'm sorry vor letteeng yoo down." He lightly touched the tender spot in Margo's head where she had been hit in the explosion. "Both tymes. But you're weeth me now, and I am nevair letteeng yoo go."

After hearing those words, those frustratingly familiar words, Margo threw her arms around his neck, keeping her eyes closed tight, but despite her efforts, she couldn't keep the tears from rolling down her face.

"Thank you," she whispered her voice thick with emotion.

She felt Mr. Gru tense at first, and then slowly he wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh Margo," he breathed softly.

Eventually, they broke apart and Gru gave her a playful look. "Now, I t'ink eets tyme vor yoo to geet back to bed, don't yoo?"

Margo smiled and nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Good nyght, Margo."

Margo bit her lip, and tried to gather her courage. Her sisters said it so effortlessly, so it couldn't be too hard. And she wanted to try it. She wanted to see how it sounded coming out of her mouth. "Good night, Da- Mr. Gru." She cut herself off at the last second, not being able to go through with it.

Margo quickly turned and left the room as fast as she could, not wanting to see the surprised expression on his face.

Calling him 'Dad' was such a simple thing, but for some reason, it felt so complex. Margo realized this was something she couldn't rush, just like getting her memories back. They would both come to her in time, she just had to be patient and wait. In the meantime, she thought as she crawled back into her bomb bed, she had a home and a family.

And she hoped, this time, it was for good. Something inside of her, whether it was a deeply buried memory, or a newly discovered truth, told her it was. Somehow, she knew she was home.
Chapter 1

Chapter 2 part 1

Chpater 2 part 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 part 1

Chapter 4 part 2

Chapter 5 part 1

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Despicable Me is owned by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios.

Yes, this is the ending. Some of you might have wanted to watch Margo slowly reclaim her memories (and so do I), but I never intended to show you. Mostly because this is only a one shot, and the first day was the most important anyway. If you want and epilogue, here is what happens: Throughout the next two weeks Margo slowly began to remember things from her recent past. It started out with small things, like the specific memory of Gru cooking pancakes in the morning, and over time more and more pieces began to fit together as her memories returned. After two weeks she could remember everything, and she secretly felt embarrassed for forgetting so much. Eh, not much of an epilogue… if anyone wasn’t to continue where this story leaves off, please feel free. I think it would be interesting to see how, and in what order her memories return.

Alright, so I really hope you liked this one. It wasn’t that hard to write(not like chapter 4), but since it was so long it became rather difficult and complex. Now, I know Margo acts a little different than in the movie when she first arrived at Gru’s house, but that was on purpose. Although she does have some of the same lines, as you probably noticed, she didn’t act exactly the same. She was a little more cautious in my fic, and that was done because: 1) She actually knows he is a villain, unlike last time where she was more curious and trying to figure everything out. 2) She knows there is danger, because she just came back from the hospital because of this place. 3) Her sisters are very accepting of the new house, causing her to be more on guard, and protect them from a danger they can’t seem to see.

Margo also is more accepting of Gru in the end of day one in this chapter then at the end of day one in the movie, mostly because Gru loves them. Margo doesn’t fully trust him, far from that actually, but because she can tell Gru cares for them, this makes her more willing to give him a chance.

Sorry, I don’t normally explain the character’s actions so fully, but because it is so easy to compare this Margo to movie Margo in the beginning, I wanted you to know that everything is intentional and (hopefully) not out of character.

The next chapter is about a grown up Edith. She is so fun to write for as a grown up you guys! I had no idea! It might take a while to come out though, but I’ll definitely enjoy writing it!

Alright, so before you all go off and enjoy the rest of the party, (I know there are some awesome fanart and fanfics coming out today in celebration of Gru’s B-day) please don’t forget to leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Thanks! I hope you enjoyed it!
© 2010 - 2024 DPshrineINclosetGirl
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megadragongirl's avatar
It's sweet and nice to find fanfics about family and comfort,which makes it a refreshing read:)