Sick with apprehension, he threw himself down in the snow next to the bleak package and tried to prepare for the sight of… what? Her blue eyes empty forever? Soft skin turned white and waxy? Blood matting her brown hair? He didn't know, but when his grasping fingers finally stopped fumbling and managed to pull back the zipper, his lungs emptied in a heaving gasp.

Roxanne. Alive. Bound and gagged and blindfolded but obviously alive. Relief coursed through his body in an uncomfortable hot wave that rose into his mouth, sweet and overwhelming. His head dropped in silent thankfulness for a moment before he looked up again at her lying bound in the rumpled folds of black plastic. Blinking, he gulped down a breath, hearing bits of snow pelt the stiff bag.

He'd done it. He'd saved her. Sitting back on his heels, he tried to take it in, so relieved to see the telltale rise and fall of her purple dress that meant she was still breathing air with him that he simply watched it for several moments. A vision of her intimate garment flashed through his mind but was easily dismissed. This wasn't the time for that. Watching her lying there, conscious but clearly uncertain of what was happening, all he could do was ride out the release of tension so overwhelming it made him shake. As he waited for the trembling to ease, her head turned slightly, trying to sense her situation, and he realized she was shaking as well. She would have heard the explosion, could feel the hardness of the cold ground beneath her.

Finally he pulled the zipper down the rest of the way. Startled, her bound hands and feet gave a convulsive jerk. A ragged strip of cloth tied around her head, torn from a sheet probably, covered her eyes, nearly hiding tufts plugging her ears as well. Someone had been determined not to have her seeing and hearing any more than she already had. Most disturbing was the gag stuffed in her mouth, held in place with grey tape. That was nasty.

He carefully pried at a corner until he could ease it off, wincing as it pulled her skin. That pale skin that he knew so well, every freckle infinitely valuable at that moment. Removing the sticky strip, he wadded it up and tossed it aside, then gently took the cloth from her mouth. She moved her freed lips and tongue, wetting them, still sightless and fearful, wondering what was about to happen.

Neither of them had spoken, and seeing the crystals of snow settling on her hair and skin he was reminded of time constraints. There were no spare minutes to spend on sentimentality. He began to reach for her other bonds and opened his mouth to speak, wondering what had happened to her up to that point and what she would say when she saw-

Then he stopped. Thought of their last meeting. Thought of the detestable suit he'd had to put on to go looking for her. Thought of what she'd been doing there. Her other story, more interesting than him.

She's gotten herself into this mess, and it wasn't a rescue. He was simply recovering his property. No one was going to derail his plans. Not her and certainly not some two-bit drug ring. Focus.

And since she was already so conveniently tied up… He lifted her out of the bag and, remembering the spikes just before tossing her over his shoulder, hefted her in his arms instead, juggling the defrost gun in one hand as he began walking back to the Hudson. That insistent vision, the lace of a red bra, popped up again. No, he denied it the attention it demanded, no more feelings. Not even that.

The wind had begun whipping his cape, tugging at his slender body already carrying weight it wasn't accustomed to. He squinted against the driving snow and felt Roxanne's dress flap around his hands. Her shaking grew more intense, distracting, but he was determined to be immune to her discomforts. Feeling like some kind of caveman carrying off his claim, he was startled to hear her voice, small and fearful just as they left the dark footpath between the buildings.

"Please..."

His steps faltered, but he recovered quickly and continued walking. About time. He'd never heard her beg before.

"Please," she tried again, having no idea what was about to happen to her or even to whom she was directing her plea. All she knew was that bravery had deserted her long ago. She'd already been inside a body bag. She was scared and cold and about to die; she just didn't know how. "Please don't kill me," she whispered.

Megamind stopped in his tracks. The wind died for a moment. The snow ceased its dancing and fell silently around them. A violent tremor wracked her body. He noticed her lips, almost blue, quivering below her covered eyes, and his perturbed pride melted. Setting her down feet first, he coaxed her down to the ground, laying his weapon to one side.

Roxanne's stomach quaked with despair. Now what? She didn't even know where she was anymore. Her throat was thick and choked with anxiety, her eyes burned under the pressure of the blindfold, too terrified for tears. Her feet were being untied and then her hands were freed. She considered her options, tensing to fight or flee, but the thought of being shot in the back was paralyzing.

Megamind took hold of a corner of the blindfold, imagining whipping it off and revealing just who it had been to pull her fat out of the fire. But somehow he didn't have the stomach for gloating. And then he realized the cloth was caught in her hair. He teased out the strands that had been tied up in the knot, not feeling like being vindictive. Not sure of what he was feeling anymore at all. His tumultuous emotions had been too abused all day; shoved down, denied, pushed aside. But he had to wonder… what was she going to say?

Her eyes were still closed when he removed the strip of cloth from them. They opened uncertainly and found his face. Her eyes fixed on his, lips parting silently. Then with a cry, she grabbed onto him and buried her head in his chest.

Megamind crouched at his victim's side, stunned beyond words. This wasn't quite right. He was… the baddest of the bad! She should have been terrified to find herself in his clutches, not crying with relief on his cape. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, but instead… Unconsciously placing a hand on her back, he realized he was having trouble identifying his own feelings. He was so glad she was all right. And she had looked at him and seen a welcome sight. And had thrown herself into his arms. And she wasn't letting go. And it felt… good.

He was supposed to be angry. He had determined to be immune. But hearing her sniffing into his suit and feeling her hands clutching at him and her ribs heaving under his fingers, he finally dropped his defenses and sank down onto the snow, wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose in her hair. (ART: Found)

This was no time for worrying about crossing invisible lines or who had said what. He lost track of time, barely aware of the freezing cold and blasts of wind gusting around them. He thought about nothing but the way she felt, soft and alive under his hands, safe, as they sat on the snowy path. And he only relinquished his hold on her when he felt her begin to pull away. No uncontrollable sobbing had broken her composure, but the look of immense relief as obvious as the tears on her face when she looked up at him touched his heart.

He reached up to her hair, brushing at the flakes of snow. "Are you all right?" Mentally he kicked himself. He'd said he wouldn't let himself go there anymore, but he couldn't help it. Yes, she was well and truly nestled under his extraterrestrial blue skin. How was that able to make him miserable and happy at the same time?

"Yeah," she answered, a little breathless. "I'm ok. Frozen... but ok." She smoothed her hands over his arms with something akin to amazement on her face as he watched. Her mouth moved a few times, trying to find words. What would it be, he wondered. Thanks? A rebuke? Surprise? With the wall between them obviously in ruins, he held his breath, almost daring to hope for some kind of breakthrough.

"What – what are you wearing?"

Oh brother. He rolled his eyes as her fingers trailed over the fuzzy trim at the edge of his glove. "The question is," he countered gently as he saw her racked by more uncontrollable tremors. "What aren't you wearing? Where's your coat?"

"They took it." Her thin violet dress offered scant protection from the cold, and her lips felt too stiff to form words properly. "W-when they were looking for a wire."

She watched him get to his feet. What was he doing? As she looked on, he reached for a weapon lying on the snow and with a sweep of a red beam of light, cut most of the lower portion of his cape off.

As he knelt again to drape it around her shoulders, he noted her startled expression. "I never liked that cape anyway."

Dazed, she gazed up at him from the ground. "How did you find me? Why?"

Suddenly he felt defensive. "Well," he fumbled. "You were missing, and everybody thought it was my fault. And I don't like being blamed for things I didn't do. Just the things I mean to get blamed for." Seeing her sitting there on the frozen ground, shaking as she clasped the edges of his cape in white fingers, he began to help her to her feet.

"You just rescued me," she wondered aloud.

To him it sounded like some kind of accusation. What did she mean by that? What did she want?

"No, I didn't," he argued, tensing up and trying to avoid seeing the way she was staring. His lips formed a little pout. "They were ruining my plans, that's all. Messing with my precision timing, hijacking my victim, taking-"

Roxanne had stepped closer and simply rested her head against his chest again, effectively cutting short his tirade. There was no misinterpreting her posture of relief and trust.

Trust. He put his arms around her once more as she huddled close, resting his lips on her hair. She did smell so good. Well, was he just supposed to push her away? His eyes closed as he sighed in defeat. There was no way he was going to be able to deny it now. She knew. She knew everything, and he wasn't entirely happy about how vulnerable that left him, exposed all alone. But he couldn't seem to stop his hands making soothing motions down her back as he protested weakly, "I was just going to put you in the car and get on with it. I'm on a tight schedule here, you know! But since you- you're- I mean-"

Everything he said sounded so lame. He had just decided he probably should shut up before he made even more of a fool of himself when she looked up again. And the look in her eyes was a revelation, telling him without any words at all that he didn't need to make excuses to hide why he'd done what he had done. He couldn't put his finger on it, but whatever was passing between them confirmed his original assumption with more certainly than he'd ever known before. She did enjoy the banter. She did care. Just for now the walls were down and the rules were suspended and everything was clear as they stood silently looking at each other with the snow swirling and blowing around them.

The moment ended abruptly with the sound of an otherworldly scream echoing through the dark sky. They turned and caught sight of a white figure in the distance, towering over most of the downtown buildings, its head level with some of the tallest, stumping along through the streets, howling with rage and trying to smash anything that crossed its path.

"Is that the plan?" she asked.

"Yep."

Roxanne nodded thoughtfully. "Not bad."

Megamind had to admit he thought it looked good too as he began to hustle his victim toward the invisible car with a hand at her back, wincing when she stumbled and muttering about why the hell Minion had released the thing already. It would head right for the reporter, and she was in no condition to be swept up in its icy grip just now. If that good-for-nothing guppy hadn't screwed up, he could have at least brought her back to the Lair to recuperate for a bit before they got started. Timing! No one understands timing!

At least the weather was cooperating. In a sense. The two hunched over against the sudden stronger gusts of wind that heralded the arrival of the blizzard's leading edge. "Come on," he called to her as they scurried along the crunchy, slippery sidewalk. "We need to move."

Squinting against the snow now flung stinging into his face, he reached the invisible car outlined in crusted snow and pulled at a door handle. Nothing happened.

"Megamind?" Roxanne shouted as flakes plastered the side of her head.

"It's frozen shut," he admitted through gritted teeth. And the can of knockout spray was inside too. Could he bring himself to use it on her now? Or was he just going to let her see the inside of his extremely private transportation?

"This is just perfect…" he grumbled, pulling out the defrost gun. He flipped the main switch and trained it on the crack of the iced up door while Roxanne tried to duck her head down into the remnant of cape and danced in place. He didn't want to use too much power. Just needed enough to melt the ice in the mechanism… nothing more or the door would be closed permanently. And if he damaged the paint job, Minion would have an unholy fit.

The snow beast turned and headed their way as the weather conditions shifted. Megamind was torn between knowing they were not in a good position to make the most of the big showdown and wanting to get Roxanne out of the weather but cringing at allowing her to be privy to all his secrets. And yet it made no difference either way when they abruptly found themselves in a total white out.

He could see absolutely nothing through the barrage of ice particles but continued trying to discharge his weapon anyway, hoping he was aiming in the right place, feeling Roxanne move closer to press against him at the same time. If she didn't stick close, she risked getting lost in the storm less than three feet away.

"Come on, come on…" he muttered. His skin was stinging, burning in the howling wind and frozen water painfully pelting them.

"I am so cold," Roxanne moaned pitifully from somewhere near his ear.

"Just a little longer," he shouted back.

The monster roared again, definitely closer now although they could no longer see it or anything else, including the car right in front of them. This wasn't going to work out so well for the big finale. No one would see it!

Then another sound began, an odd whistling barely detectable through the noise of the storm and the snowbeast. A whistling so low they couldn't be sure it was really there until it steadily grew louder. Strong and sustained, it seemed to be straightening out the whipping wind. The snow gradually let up, little by little, becoming less and less until they were able to see each other and then the car and the street, and finally it stopped snowing all together. But the strange wind kept blowing. It crossed their path and blew the snow right off of them. It was unusually warm. It was blowing the clouds right out of the sky.

It was Metro Man.

Looking up in amazement, Megamind forgot his car door for a moment. He and Roxanne watched the super hero zip past high above, blowing into the sky with super breath, dispersing the blizzard until the stars showed through and finally wispy clouds were all that was left. (ART: Frozen five)

"What does that say?" Roxanne asked weakly, squinting at the monster now bigger than ever. "All hail Roxanne Ritchi… Ice Queen?" she read in disbelief, seeing the snow beast sporting a gigantic t-shirt with the logo sprayed on it in blue paint.

"Heh heh…" Megamind looked back at her with a sheepish grin and a shrug. Now he kind of wished he'd listened to his sidekick and left off that little detail.

Roxanne rolled her eyes and clutched her makeshift cape tighter with a tired sigh as her antihero returned to concentrating on his frozen vehicle.

Megamind felt like he was suffocating under waves of exasperation. The whole thing was turning into another fiasco. Roxanne kidnapped by someone else, nearly killed, then Minion prematurely launching the snow beast, the stupid blizzard making everything too hard to see, and Metro Muffin having gotten rid of it far too easily anyway. And here he was just trying to unstick a stuck car door! And they were in the completely wrong part of town for the big finale. The visibility level here sucked; nobody was going to even see what was happening. He wanted to shout, Stop! Time out! Do over!

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, you know."

"What?" Roxanne's words had hardly registered in the midst of his frustration.

"I know you think I was just being mean. Cold." She nodded toward the snowman. "Saying what I said last time… but… it wasn't. I wasn't trying to hurt you."

Megamind looked up in time to see his nemesis attempt to blast the frozen monster with laser vision. His rays went right through without effect, and it kept coming.

"Well, what were you trying to do?" he asked, lowering his eyes to the gun trained on the iced up door.

"I was… I was trying to help you."

"Help me?" he repeated incredulously. "How was that supposed to help?"

Now Metro Man made an attempt to fly through the monster himself, but when he shot out the other side the beast only laughed as the hole refilled with snow.

"I couldn't tell you about the story that Dan assigned me to. But I wanted to try to get you to… try harder."

He glanced back at her. "Try harder?"

"Yeah. So he wouldn't start assigning me to other stuff."

"What's so bad about that? I assumed you'd welcomed the challenge. The variety." He couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Roxanne was silent for a moment. "I like my usual beat," she quietly admitted.

His eyes grew wide. "Why on earth didn't you just tell me what was going on?" he turned around to question in earnest.

"Because!" she answered. "I knew you'd get mad. I just knew it. I knew you'd step in and mess with those guys and ruin my story! Because, ok, I did want to do that story once I found out what was going on. I wanted to find out what they were up to and turn everything over to the police and stop them."

"Well, they almost 'stopped' you. And now they know you have all that information and pretty soon they're also going to be informed that you're not-" He stopped, thinking of Big Hannigan with disgust.

"Dead."

"Yes."

Roxanne looked at him, wondering if he knew any of the people involved personally. "What do I do?"

Megamind thought. He couldn't be the hero. But he still had influence in the right circles for this kind of thing. Or rather, the wrong circles. "I'll take care of it."

That was all he said, but it was all he needed to say. Roxanne knew she would be all right.

With the danger from the storm removed, news helicopters were now hovering as near the humongous snowman as they dared, gathering footage for breaking bulletins and tomorrow's reports. Visibility wasn't going to be quite as bad as he had thought, but they were out of time to move to a better location for the live final act and here he was still dressed in the suit he desperately didn't want to be seen in and Metro Man still apparently clueless that the beast was homing in on Roxanne right down at his side at street level. It was close now, very close, almost on them, and would scoop her up before the hero knew what was going on. Actually, he probably wouldn't think to stop it, assuming that's what was the script without knowing the details of what she'd already been through. But seeing as how she already looked like a limp rag, the frustrated blue villan just didn't have the heart to see her put through yet more that day.

"Megamind," she suddenly said.

He turned to look at her.

"I like my beat. But." She stopped, her eyes searching his. "Look, I know it's hard… but it can't be about you and me." It was the closest she was willing to come to talking about what they could never talk about. "It can't be."

He turned away again. He knew what she meant and he knew she was right, but he couldn't bring himself to reply. He could make sure underworld drug lords never bothered her again. He would certainly make sure Big came nowhere near her, but he couldn't be the hero in his own evil scheme. It was a loss anyway. Firing up the defrost gun, he blasted a red hot beam at the hovering hero's left shoulder to get his attention. The burst of energy that could destroy a car barely shifted the flying figure, but Metro Man turned and spotted the two of them at last.

Returning his attention to the snowman, he flew down beneath it and lifted it off the ground, flying higher and higher. Its mission thwarted, the monster roared and waved its snowy appendages until it froze hard in the thin air far above the city. Then the city's savior crushed it in a massive explosion of blocks and chucks and spicules of ice and snow that rained down to the ground, creating a mountain that blocked several city streets for weeks. It had been the greatest and most destructive snowman Metro City had ever seen and would be talked about for years to come.

Megamind sighed as Metro Man flew down to hover before them. "Having car trouble, little buddy?" the huge man smirked, picking up Roxanne and taking off again. "Better luck next time," he called back.

Eyes locked on his, Roxanne looked back over the hero's massive shoulder as he watched her being whisked out of reach, farther and farther away, getting smaller and smaller until she was gone. He looked down at the gun in his hands and frowned... and gave the invisible car a vicious kick.

"Oow..."

And that was the end of his great winter scheme.

A week later, a more relaxed blue alien was once again settling down to his afternoon espresso, comfortably spooning copious amounts of sugar into the bitter liquid while listening to the afternoon news. Roxanne was praising Metro Man's clean up of the city. As she recalled the final moments of the gigantic snow beast highlighted by clips gathered from the station's helicopter, Megamind took a sip of his dark drink and began tapping at a keyboard.

Minion lumbered into the room carrying a basket of laundry. "Oh, what a fetching jacket Ms Ritchi is wearing."

Curious, Megamind glanced up.

"That's not her usual style," the fish mentioned thoughtfully. "But I like it. Kind of looks familiar."

"Metro City is finally beginning to recover," Roxanne was saying. She paused to pull the front of her new coat a little closer, looking directly into the camera. "Everything is thawing," she remarked and then paused again. "Including the Ice Queen."

A slow smile spread across Megamind's blue face. The camera had panned behind her to a scene of children climbing and playing on a pile of ice and snow that marked the remains of his snow monster slowly melting in the warmth of the early spring sun, but not before he caught a good look at the leather jacket Roxanne wore. Black and sporting a furry trim, it looked warm and cozy beneath her sparkling blue eyes and a Mona Lisa smile that touched her lips.

Minion lifted a torn cape from the laundry basket. "I guess that explains this," he said. "You want to share with the rest of the class?"

His boss chuckled and grinned wider. "No, Minion, I don't. But I do have a brilliant new plan. And it's time to get to work!"

ART: Found ...art/Found-358740387

ART: Frozen five ...art/Frozen-five-375527067

Sorry that was so long, but I hope you liked it! Please leave me a review. :) A word of encouragement? There's an epilogue in the works... might get here sooner with some fuel! ;) Thanks again, eleathyra! And thank you all for reading!