6:00 PM
Roxanne entered her apartment to find her husband flipping through TV channels.
"Hi, honey." Roxanne said.
Megamind mechanically कहा "hi" as she walked around the सोफ़ा, सोफे and sat अगला to him. She took the remote from his hand and turned off the TV. He immediatly sat up and sighed in relief.
"Do आप know how addicting watching टेलीविज़न is when no one's home? We should really get rid of it, I can feel my brain rotting just द्वारा looking at it!"
"No one's home? Did Mandy come घर after school?"
"Yes, but she left a few hours ago. She was going to meet Isaac somewhere."
"Isaac again, huh? So where's Minion?"
Megamind attempted to avoid the सवाल द्वारा changing the subject, but it was no use. Roxanne knew him too well.
"Minion is...spying on them."
"Hmph." Roxanne smirked and looked away into the distance, knowing that her vague response would annoy him. It did.
"What? आप should know me द्वारा now, I hardly ever let her out of my sight."
"You should really leave her alone. She needs to live her own life...without आप always looking over her shoulder."
Megamind started to say something, but gave up, knowing that she was somewhat right. He slouched and crossed his arms, alomost in denial, but called Minion on his watch anyway.
"Minion, are आप there?"
After a delayed pause, "Yes, sir."
"I need आप to fall back."
delay..."Why, sir?"
"Because I कहा so."
"Sir, I feel Roxanne had a hand in persuading आप to do this."
"Roxanne has nothing to do with my decision..." Megamind could feel her eyes on him. "Ok, maybe a little. Just fall back!"
"I will as soon as I'm done eating my frys."
"Good--wait, why are आप eating? I told आप to look after Mandy."
"I know, that's what I did, but she saw me and made me sit with her until आप called. I believe you've been busted, sir. द्वारा both women in the family, might I add."
Megamind glanced over at Roxanne, defeated once more, then back at his watch.
"Well...just be घर before seven."
"Got it, daddy." Mandy's voice came on, she was laughing. Even if it was at him, Megamind loved to hear her laugh.
"Megamind out." He कहा as he switched his watch back to normal.
Silence. Defeated silence.
"You know," Megamind began in sudden confidence, "that should count as being social--"
Roxanne shrugged off his attempt to be right for once. "Oh please! That so does not count, they've been फ्रेंड्स forever--"
"Exactly, they're friends, that's being social--"
"He's her only friend!"
"I only had one friend--"
"That's different!"
"How is that different! Tell me how that's different!"
Now they were half joking, laughing at themselves for dragging the same argument on for so long.
"You know," Megamind said, "you were my सेकंड friend. Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Yeah, because I was disguised as someone else before आप found out and dumped me. In the rain!"
"Are आप ever going to let that go?"
"No, never." Megamind कहा sarcastically, smiling at her. He leaned in to किस her when--
"We're home!" Minion said, barging in.
Both Megamind and Roxanne jumped in surprise. Megamind looked at Minion with an almost annoyed look on his face.
"You could have warned us." He कहा dryly.
Minion smiled. "Sorry."
Mandy and Isaac walked in and went straight for her room. "Hey mom, dad." Mandy said.
Millie came bounding across the room, greeting her master.
"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie." Isaac said.
"We're gonna work on our science project."
Neither of her parents had to remind her to not do all of the work because of their security with Isaac. They'd been फ्रेंड्स forever and he was very smart, so he demanded to do at least half of the work for every project they did.
"When does your mom want आप back home?" Roxanne asked.
Isaac shrugged. "She didn't say."
Roxanne turned to Minion and waited until the kids were upstairs. "Minion, why do आप listen to him?" She said, pointing to Megamind.
"Why wouldn't I listen to him?"
"He tells आप to go spy on our daughter and आप listen to him?"
Megamind scooted closer to her. "Hello? I'm still here!"
"Well, Mrs. Ritchie," Minion began, ignoring Megamind, "I've been taking orders from him all my life--"
"Minus the last seventeen years."
"True, but it only feels natural to do as he says, even though we arn't partners in crime anymore. Also, I like spying."
Roxanne found that kind of weird, but then again, she found Megamind and Minion weird in every way, so most weirdness had become normal.
"I'm gonna go wash the dishes." Minion said, excusing himself. Roxanne also found it weird that he liked doing the chores, but she never complained about that.
"And...we're alone again." Megamind said. "I do have my reasons for spying."
"Oh really? And what would that be?" Roxanne asked.
"Ever since Mandy was little, I've been worried about...everything."
"Everything?"
"Everything. I knew she wasn't going to have a normal life. But it's not just that. After she was born, the only nightmares I've ever had were about her being kidnapped."
Roxanne nodded. "Well, that makes sense. You're a super hero and all, enemies might try to kidnap her, but no one's even been able to rob a bank after आप swiched sides."
"Yes, but I'm not just worried about super villains या enemies, but about...the government!"
"Why on earth would the government want to kidnap Mandy?"
"To bribe me! Or, something. Think about it, They've been calling and sending mail for years now, they want me to make them weapons for the military, but I don't want to! They'll eventually try something--"
"Megamind, you're overthinking this!"
"Am I? Isn't it normal for a father to be protective?"
"Well, to an extent," Roxanne said, putting her arms around him. "But आप seriously need to relax. Mandy is सुरक्षित as long as she's in Metro City; as long as we're here."
