Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It all began a few months after the Lorwardian invasion. Kim couldn't sleep. After all the commotion and developments that came with the destruction of half the world, going to university and studying just seemed bland. She knew, she would need a semblance of normality again and going to university would be just that. But between Ron leaving to get the full picture of his mystical monkey powers after becoming the Monkey Master and their relationship breaking apart because it couldn't handle the stress of long distance, her sense of normal changed.

She wondered, if she really should go to university or if she should try and help the relief efforts around the world.

A degree would come in handy when she wanted to pursue a career later but being Kim Possible would generally take care of all educational requirements but the most involved scientific careers. And she generally didn't plan on becoming a scientist, lawyer, or doctor of any sort. She hadn't yet decided on what she wanted to do with her life. Maybe she would do a few years with Global Justice, though the way they did things didn't really suit her style.

Her parents would support her decisions, but she didn't want to live off them for much longer. She would need a job to support herself if she weren't to go to university. But a job that would pay more than minimum wage required a degree of some kind that was more than a high school diploma.

All this indecisiveness was causing her to become frustrated with everything and everyone and most of all with herself. She found herself snapping at her parents over dinner for the most mundane reasons. She snapped at Monique over the phone when she asked for the newest developments. She always apologized right after every time but still felt bad for doing it in the first place.

At night, she laid down and tried to sleep but the constant thoughts kept her awake and her mind began whispering dark thoughts.

So, she found herself wandering the streets of Middleton at night and mulled over everything again and again and again. Just to keep herself occupied and to tire herself out. She usually snuck back in through her window in the early hours of the morning just before dawn or just before her parents tended to get up.

It was on one of those mornings when Kim was just on the way home that she spotted a familiar figure illuminated by a streetlamp. She thought she was losing it now because she was so fatigued from everything, but as she walked closer, she recognized the familiar scent wafting to her. The slight metallic smell that always accompanied Shego, and the spicier overtones from her bodywash. It stirred something deep inside Kim, something she never thought she had lost. It left her nervous and giddy.

Shego stood with her back to her, Kim approached her and from just out of arms reach addressed her. "Hello, Shego."

Shego turned around, and looking Kim up and down, started smiling. "You look like hell, Princess."

Kim grimaced and ducked her head. Shego had always been direct. It was something Kim greatly liked about Shego. She looked back up and just gave a one-sided shrug.

"Your parents riding your ass for not already having your life figured out?" Shego said with a smirk.

Kim sighed and stepped closer. She didn't detect any sign of an incoming fight. "Not really."

"Then why do you look like you haven't had a proper night's sleep in weeks?" Shego genuinely looked concerned now.

"Maybe because I haven't had a proper night's sleep in weeks." Kim made a throwaway gesture with her head. "But what are you doing here?"

"Oh, me? I was just wandering about. My biorhythm's basically shot to hell by years of working at night."

"Nothing to do with you wanting to get away from Drakken?" It was Kim's turn to smirk. She had seen the video where Drakken's vine had snuck out and wound around Shego and pulled them together. Shego had smiled but to the trained eye it was obvious just how uncomfortable she really was and that, given the opportunity, she would raise hell with Drakken.

"Ugh. Don't get me started. He's so infuriating. Can't a guy just not take a hint?"

Kim chuckled. "One would assume that he would have realized by now that you're actually gay. But he never was one of the brightest."

Shego started to crack up, too, before suddenly becoming serious. "What? How-"

Kim looked caught in the headlights. "I mean- You are, aren't you? Or did I misread everything terribly?"

Shego mustered Kim again and seemed to decide something. Smiling slightly, she said, "No. No, you didn't. But how did you know?"

Kim looked up and down the road, whilst trying to think of a way to tell Shego. Looking up at the rapidly lightening sky, she was reminded that she needed to get home soon. She enjoyed conversing with Shego, as odd as it may sound, and didn't want it to end just yet. She made a decision. "How do you feel about breakfast? I need to get home and, yeah…" Kim trailed off and looked everywhere but Shego.

"That depends."

"On?" Kim looked up, slightly hopeful.

Shego smirked again. "If you plan on answering my question."

"Of course, I'll answer. Who do you take me for?" Kim shot back hotly.

Shego raised her hands defensively. "Was just teasing you. No offence." Kim deflated and Shego smiled. "Lead the way, Kimmie. I'll be right beside you."

"Sorry." Kim started walking towards her home and Shego fell into step right beside her. "It's just that everything frustrates me right now."

"No problem, I know the feeling."

"Thank you for understanding." Shego smiled at Kim sideways. "And to your question." Kim shrugged. "You don't seem to be the type for it. As stupid as that sounds. You always picked up exactly two types of guys, either ones with a lot of money or the big burly guys with less intelligence than your average potato. And also, let's be honest, you're hitting on me for a long time."

"I'm not hitting on you!"

Kim only looked at her disbelievingly and raised a brow.

"Alright fine, maybe sometimes." Kim grinned triumphantly, but only for a moment. "But you're not little Miss Innocent either. You were giving as good as you got."

"Was not!" Kim gasped.

Shego raised both brows. "Oh, yeah? Remember when I was in South America with Junior? And I quote: 'You're make up actually works in that light.' With that look you were giving me. You expect me to believe, you've not been flirting? And that was just one instance off of the top of my head."

"Hmm… maybe a little." Shego additionally inclined her head in disbelief. "What? I'm only human. And you are a good-looking woman."

"And don't you forget it." Kim snort-laughed in response and Shego joined her.

Before long they had reached the reconstructed and improved Possible house. Kim timidly walked to the left of the door and looked up to the low hanging roof.

Shego narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't tell me you sneak out."

Kim looked back over to her. "You think my parents would approve of me walking around all night?"

"I guess not. But why don't you have a key?"

"I forget it." Kim blushed a little and looked down.

"You know, I could help with that." Shego looked at the lock of the door.

"Of course, you could. I just seem to have forgotten that you can pick a lock instead of just burning a hole in the door." Kim walked with Shego to the door.

Shego knelt down, pulled out a lockpick, inserted it into the lock and fiddled with it for just a few seconds before the door was unlocked. Shego put the lockpick back into its place. "You know, I could teach you. Lockpicking might come in handy sometimes." Shego stood up and pushed the door open, indicating for Kim to pass.

"You would do that?" Kim whispered conspiratorially.

Shego let a smile play around her eyes and followed Kim into the kitchen.

Kim opened the fridge and rummaged around in it. "You know where everything is. Not much has changed since the last time you were here."

"You really trust me so much that you let me poke around in your cupboards?"

Kim looked at Shego, confused. "Naturally. Why would I have any reason not to?"

"Because I'm a villain?"

"Were. You were a villain." Kim smiled kindly. "Eggs and bacon alright with you?"

"Sure. Whatever. It's fine."

"Good. Would you hand me a spatula from the drawer over there?" Kim pointed at the drawers next to Shego.

"Whoa. Wait. I've heard of your cooking talents." Shego grabbed the spatula and walked over to the stove, where Kim had placed a pan. "I think it's better, if I do this part."

"I can cook some things." Kim made to grab the spatula from Shego, who swiftly held it above her head. "Fine. But for your sake I hope it will be bloody amazing."

"Go sit down, Cupcake. Let me cook in peace, will ya?" Shego snarked and Kim playfully stuck out her tongue but otherwise did as told.

Shego swiftly prepared the food and served a plate with it to Kim before sitting down on the other corner of the breakfast nook.

They smiled at each other and joked around with ease. And they were more at ease with their flirting.  

They were in the middle of a laughing fit, their food long gone, when Kim's parents entered the kitchen. "What's going on here?"

Kim and Shego immediately sobered up and looked caught. "Nothing." Both said in unison.

"This doesn't sound like nothing." Kim's father said doubtfully whilst starting the coffeemaker.

Shego suddenly jumped up. "Oh, is that the time? I should get going, Dr D will be an unbearable nuisance when he doesn't have an audience for his rants."

"Oh?" Kim looked confused for a moment before catching on. "Wait. I'll come with you to the door."

They all but bolted from the room. Shego opened the door and Kim stepped out with her, pulling the door ajar behind her.

They looked at each other for some moments not really knowing what to say.

"I had-" "We should-" They began at the same time.

"You first." Shego insisted.

"Thank you. I was saying, we should maybe do this again. I, well, I had fun." Kim put forward the offer of another meeting.

Shego smiled genuinely and pulled out a small notepad with a short pen. She scribbled something in it, ripped the page out and pocketed the notepad again. She extended her hand with the folded piece of paper to Kim, who took it and confusedly looked between it and Shego's face.

"I enjoyed myself, too. That's my number. When you find yourself wandering the streets at night again, give me a call or shoot me a text, maybe I'll join you."

"I don't-" Kim chuckled nervously. "I honestly don't know what to say."

"Say thank you and go face your parent's inquisition." Shego put on her trademark smirk.

"Thank you. I will. Call you, I mean. I hope I'm able to escape the inquisition. For now, at least." Kim blushed furiously. She was internally kicking herself for her inarticulateness.

"Calm down there, Kimmie. Don't want you blushing yourself out of existence." Kim lightly slapped her on the shoulder.

Shego dramatically grabbed her shoulder and winced in fake-pain. "Oh, the pain! The great Kim Possible has defeated me. How shall I ever recover from this?"

"Shut up. You're such a drama queen." Kim rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes, they might get stuck."

"Says the queen of eyerolling."

"She sure does. Can't have competition now, can I?" Shego winked. "But really, I need to go."

"Yeah, I guess, I'll see you around sometime then."

"You bet you will." Shego turned around and started leaving. Kim was about to go back inside when she turned around once more. "And Kimmie?"

Kim raised her brows in response. "Hm?"

Shego looked at the pavement for a second before looking back up. "Make it sooner rather than later."

Kim nodded and went inside. She let herself fall against the door with her back and sighed. She glanced at the piece of paper she had gotten from Shego. She took a closer look; it was indeed a phone number. And then it caught up with her what had just happened. She had met Shego and invited her for breakfast at her house. They had laughed and flirted with each other. They had gotten along.

Kim realized another thing: She hadn't once felt like she wasn't taken seriously. She had felt valued and more as a person than in a long time.

And then it hit her. Shego had said she wanted to see her again. Soon.

Oh dear, was this the start of something more? They had flirted with each other openly after all. That did mean they were interested in each other, didn't it? Or would they only be friends with benefits in the end?

Kim drew her hand frustratedly through her hair. She was exhausted. Her parents would soon leave for work and her brothers for school. That would give her a few hours in which she could possibly catch up on some sleep.

But now she had to get out of her parent's inquisitiveness. They didn't really need to know why Shego had been there in the first place.

Kim slipped the paper with Shego's number into her pocket and went over to the kitchen. "Hey, I'm gonna go to my room. Have fun at work. Love ya." Kim ran up the stairs, taking two at a time, hoping her parents would be too befuddled to call after her.

Chapter Text

Drakken had been ranting incessantly about one thing or another, not that Shego cared in particular, but his voice grated on her nerves after a while. She desperately wished to be somewhere, anywhere, else. Letting her gaze wander to the clock on the wall, she internally groaned. It was only 4 in the afternoon. On a Friday no less.

Shego disinterestedly flipped the page of her magazine. It did nothing to distract her.

Why was she still here? She could scare off Drakken and leave. But she had nowhere else to go.

Her phone vibrated. She pulled it out, wondering who it might be as only a handful of people had the number.

Looking at the screen she saw a text from Kim. Opening it, she had to smile. Which in turn drew Drakken's attention.

"What're you smiling about, Shego?" He walked closer, trying to spy what it was that had Shego smiling.

"None of your business." She turned off the screen and pocketed the phone. Getting up and stemming her hands into her hips, she glared at Drakken. "And if you don't need me to actually do something productive, I'm gonna go home now."

"But Shego, I always think of us as friends. And don't friends tell each other things?" Drakken whined, which made Shego glare harder at him. He got the hint and backed off. "Fine. Go home. But don't forget to clock out." He called after her, but she was already out the door.

Shego directly went to the garage and got into her car. She needed to go home and get ready. Kim had texted her and actually asked her to hang out tonight.

Shego shot a quick text back asking about the when and where before she started the car and drove towards her apartment.

It was going to be an interesting night.

When she reached her place, she parked and pulled her phone out again, checking for a message. Kim had answered.

She proposed meeting at 8 o'clock in Middleton Park. Shego drew her brows together. 8 o'clock? That was a little early for a sleepless night, unless-

No, it couldn't be. Would Kim really be that bold? Was this going to be a date?

Shego got out of the car and walked up to her condo in the heart of Middleton. It was a nice open place with high ceilings on two floors.

On the way up, she started planning what she was going to wear. She decided to go with a more casual yet slightly formal outfit. Jeans and a blouse would do. After all she didn't know what Kimmie had planned. But first she needed to take a shower.

* - * - *

At ten to eight Shego parked her car in the park's lot.

She got out, looked around and spotted Kim at the entrance. She was glad for her outfit choice. Kim was also dressed casually but slightly formal. So, this seemed to actually be a date.

"You're looking good, Princess." Shego smiled at Kim.

"You're not too shabby yourself." Kim beamed back.

"This old thing?" Shego grinned. "Not even worth mentioning."

"Oh, I would disagree." Kim winked, causing Shego to duck her head. She felt a slight blush creep up her neck. What was this? She was supposed to be the confident person here.

Shego awkwardly cleared her throat. "Well, you obviously have something planned."

"I do." Kim smiled and practically bounced with energy.

"Let's go then." Shego chuckled and indicated with her hand to the park entrance.

Kim beamed and grabbed her hand. "Follow me." She started pulling her along in a very light jog.

Shego chuckled indulged her. Kim's excitement was contagious. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Just trust me." Kim laughed. Shego just shook her head lightly.

After a few moments, Kim slowed down. They hadn't even broken a sweat, which was not surprising because they both were rather well trained.

Shego observed her surroundings and noticed that they had reached a more secluded area of the park. It was a small hill overlooking the park and a part of Middleton. On the grass, a few feet away from them, was a blanket spread out and a basket stood on top of it.

"A picknick? You planned a picknick?" Shego asked incredulously.

Kim self-consciously rubbed her arm and looked at the ground. "You don't like it?"

Shego looked at her disbelievingly, rushed out a breath of air and grabbed Kim by the shoulders, making her look up. "This is so-" Shego caught herself and looked away.

"So…?" Kim whispered. Shego dropped her hands and stepped away.

"Nothing." Kim didn't need to know that she was secretly a big romantic. And no one had ever put this much thought into a date with her. She was very touched right now but didn't want Kim to know.

Kim narrowed her eyes for a moment and studied Shego. Then she smiled and took her by the hand leading her over to the blanket.

"You know you're cute when you get like this?" Kim sat down.

"I'm certainly not cute." Shego protested half-heartedly, sitting down, too.

"Whatever you say." Kim opened the basket and pulled out sandwiches cut into triangles. "I hope triangles are alright."

"Triangles are the only way to cut a sandwich, let's be honest." Shego took the offered piece and bit into it.

"We got so much in common." Kim joked lightly. The ice had been broken again. They settled in and started talking about trivial things, touching upon old adventures and fights as well as their own experiences.

After about an hour they were finished with their food and drink and just sat next to each other on the blanket and gazed at the cityscape in the distance.

Shego felt utterly relaxed in the presence of Kim and let her mind wander.

She would never have thought that she would ever sit next to her arch-nemesis and be on a date with her. It was true, she had been flirting with Kim for a long time. But she had never thought that Kim had actually been flirting back in earnest. And now, they sat next to each other, not fighting, not even throwing jabs or banter back and forth, beyond joking with each other. This was absolutely uncharted territory.

Shego, looking over at Kim and studying her, smiled fondly, her breathing slowing. This was good. This was amazing actually. She wanted to make this work, whatever this should be.

Kim turned her head and they locked eyes. Shego found her uncertainty reflected back at her. Kim smiled warmly. They just gazed at each other for a long while.

"What do you think about taking a walk?" Shego asked.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Kim answered, practically radiating happiness.

They gathered the blanket, folded it and put it in the basket. "I'm gonna put this in the Sloth and then we can go."

"That's a plan." They silently walked next to each other back to the parking lot.

Shego nonchalantly leaned against the hood of the Sloth with crossed arms and had her gaze distractedly fixed on the floor, whilst Kim put the basket away. Her doubts caught up with her again. This thing between them, whatever it was, was definitely doomed from the start. She was a grumpy sod with anger management issues and Kim was an effervescent person with just enough of a mean streak to be worth knowing. They would undoubtedly clash with each other over every little thing.

Except sandwiches in triangles. The thought came unbidden into her mind.

Maybe they did have some things in common after all. But their characters were vastly different; it would never work.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kim's voice broke through Shego's thoughts.

She looked up, slightly dazed. Her eyes found their focus again and when she saw Kim standing in front of her, with a concerned expression on her face, all of her worries swiftly evaporated. This could work. Afterall, for every relationship to work, there was a lot of work involved on both sides.

Shego smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing. Come on." She pushed herself off of the hood and held out her hand to Kim.

Kim hesitated only for a split second before taking the offered hand. "Where are we going?"

Shego flashed her a mischievous grin. "I think now it's on you to just trust me."

* - * - *

They arrived in the part of the town with a few bars and clubs. Kim looked at Shego sideways.

Shego just kept grinning at her. She had a plan. Right now, it probably looked to Kim as if she wanted to go to a bar or club or something, but that was not her intention. From Kim's confused ogling about, she gathered that Kim hadn't been here before. At least not at this time of day.

Shego tugged at the hand she was still holding and guided Kim down a darker alley.

"Shego?" Kim asked, uncertainty clearly in her voice.

"Yeah, Cupcake?"

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"You're not trying to, I don't know, suddenly jump me and kill me?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Shego stopped and faced Kim.

"I don't know. This place just doesn't exactly evoke a lot of friendly feelings."

Shego smiled gently. "That's the whole point. If the surroundings are very uninviting, repulsive even, the general public and other, more unsavory, people won't think that what's hiding here is actually here."

"And what is here?" Kim became curious.

"You'll see in just a moment." Shego turned around and went up to a non-descript door. She forcefully knocked and waited for just a moment. A small slit opened for a few seconds and was slammed shut again, before the door opened.

Shego grinned at Kim and held her hand out again. Kim took it again and stepped closer. They entered together and the door was closed behind them with a thud.

"Whoah." Kim whispered. Shego just grinned. "What is this place?"

They moved through the place to a bar at the other side of the room. The room itself was like a weird cross between a restaurant and a bar. At least it had snug booths as well as high tables with bar stools. The lighting wasn't exactly dimmed but it was also not extremely bright. It was just right to bring out the wooden interior.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Shego asked whilst hoisting herself onto a stool at the side of the bar. Kim shook her head. "Well then, look around. It'll be your first clue. I'll fill you in on the rest."

Kim sat down on the stool next to Shego and turned to the room. She observed with wonder in her eyes. Shego just watched her trying to figure it out. She herself let her gaze sweep the room to see if anyone of the present people would be of any consequence.

A few booths were filled with couples and the bars were dotted with a few small groups. All of which were of no importance or at least didn't tick her off. She was more or less a regular at this place since its inception.

"Is this an underground gay club?" Kim looked at her suspiciously.

"Something like that." She flagged down the barkeeper. "Two waters, please."

"Something like that? How can it not be? All I can see are same-sex couples or groups."

"Well observed. But this is not just a place for us to meet. It's also a safe haven. This is the place to go when you are at risk of your life. And the law can't or won't help you. We work with the official groups and when they don't have any alternative anymore, they bring people here." Shego sipped at her water. "Many find a sense of family here and return."

"You always say 'we'. Are you involved?" Kim was genuinely interested now.

"I might have been a villain for a long time, but I was never a monster. And being on the other side of the law gave me some insight and a lot more flexibility. I saw that in some parts queer people were downright hunted. I couldn't just stand by and watch. I tried talking to them and send them to some organizations but those were more often than not attacked by bigots and idiots." Shego ranted passionately.

Kim laid a hand onto her knee. "And then you made this place?"

Shego shrugged and drank from her water again. "I couldn't let them be slaughtered when I had the means to protect them, could I?"

Kim grabbed her water now, too. She turned away from Shego and swept over the room with her eyes again. "You are… amazing. This is… amazing. I don't know what to say."

Shego had a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. "Don't say anything. I just thought you could use something to show you that no matter what this world throws at us, life prevails. And even when things seem to get hopeless and you feel useless, there will always be someone or something worth fighting for."

Kim drew her brows together. "How…"

Shego looked over and smiled sadly. "Let's just say I'm speaking from experience."

"Right." Kim doubtfully intoned.

"And I'm also a little more perceptive than people usually take me for. Why else would you have sleepless nights and be frustrated with everything? You graduated high school and saved the world from an alien attack on the same day. College just doesn't seem as appealing when you know your reputation alone would open you a lot of doors, does it?" Shego fixed a black spot in the wood of the bar as if it held the secrets of the universe, entirely lost in thought.

Kim looked at her for some time. Then she swung her body around to the bar again and put her half empty glass down. She propped her head onto her hand and just stared at Shego, seemingly considering what she had said.

"You were a hero once, too. People looked up to you. And they put a lot of pressure on you. It wasn't just your brothers and the lure of evil that drew you to a life of crime." Shego harrumphed. Kim was hitting a little too close for comfort.

"Being a villain comes with less obligations. You didn't need to fulfill anyone's deluded expectations for your life. You could freely choose who you wanted to be."

"Don't you get any funny ideas now, Princess. You are and always will be a hero. Villainy is nothing that would suit you." Shego smirked at her putting her hand under her head, mirroring Kim's position.

"Oh, how would you know?" Kim challenged.

"Trust me, I know. I mean I was a successful villain for quite some time. I should know." Shego put on a self-satisfied smirk.

"Yet you still work for the same guy whose plans I mostly didn't even need to seriously foil because he sabotaged himself."

"That contract is about to run out. I'm just watching the clock until then." Shego grinned.

"And then? What will you do?"

"Don't know yet. I guess we'll see where life will lead me." She winked suggestively. Kim blushed and looked down.

Shego sighed deeply. "Look, all I wanted to say is that you should go to university and study. You'll never know what it might come in handy for. And if it's just to annoy your future employer with your in-depth knowledge about certain things."

"Speaking from experience again?" Kim grinned playfully.

"You bet. Drakken is too amusing when he is frustrated." Shego grinned back and threw back the last of her water. "Let's get you back to your car. We don't want your parents wondering where you are."

"Oh, don't worry. They're out of town and the tweebs are on a sleepover." Kim said off-handedly. She, nevertheless, also emptied her glass and jumped from her stool, patiently waiting for Shego.

"Is that supposed to insinuate something, Princess?" Shego raised her brows.

Kim's eyes widened. "No! I mean, no. It's not… I just…"

Shego doubled over laughing.

"Shego!" Kim put her hands on her hips and put on a disapproving scowl. "Not funny!"

"Sorry, Kimmie. I just couldn't help myself." Shego got up and steered Kim out of the place, her hand securely on the small of Kim's back.

Chapter Text

When they returned outside, night had fully fallen. The alley they stepped into was dimly lit by a streetlight at the corner of the main street. People could be heard partying loudly from the clubs and bars in the vicinity.

Kim walked next to Shego, slightly leaning into the hand that still lay on her lower back. She shortly wondered why she felt so comfortable with Shego being subtly possessive.

They walked like that back to the main street and into the throng of the people that now crowded the place. Shego steered them back into the direction of the park and pulled Kim closer until they were out of the crowd. Kim only glanced at her sideways for a second before she accepted Shego's behavior. Maybe Shego didn't do it consciously, Kim pondered.

When they were a good distance away from the party goers, Shego suddenly stepped away and dropped the contact. Kim suddenly felt cold and alone. She stared at Shego perplexed.

"Uhm…" Shego shuffled her feet. "I didn't want to lose you. Back there, I mean."

Kim nodded and they started walking next to each other again. After a few paces, Kim decided that it just wouldn't do. She laid her arm around Shego's waist and pulled her close. Naturally, it earned her a very confused look. She shrugged and answered honestly. "Don't ask. I don't know." Shego nodded and put her arm back around Kim, who sighed.

After a few more meters, Shego broke the silence. "So, it's a nice night."

"Very nice." Kim agreed and spotted an ulterior motive but decided to play along.

"And you don't need to be home early."

"I don't."

"How about we just enjoy the night a bit more and, I don't know, do a bit of meandering."

Kim looked at Shego's profile. "I'd like that very much."

Shego turned and looked at her, an indescribably gently look on her face for just a split second before it was hidden again. "Good. Very good." She beamed.

They turned from their original path and just quietly walked arm in arm.

Kim had a lot going on in her mind. This whole thing with Shego was weird but it felt so right. They had been enemies from the first moment they had met. And they had always been at each other's throat at the first sight of the other. But below the surface of them always fighting had always been a deep respect, too. At least it had seemed to Kim that way. And Kim did respect Shego for her abilities as a fighter. Even without her plasma powers, she was very proficient.

But this, now, was something entirely different. Were they dating now? Sure, there was a definite strong attraction between them, and the flirty banter didn't come out of thin air. But dating, possibly a relationship in the future? Or was this just a thing to take their edge off? Did Shego just want to get into her pants?

Kim sneaked a peek at Shego. She seemed so relaxed and calm. It just didn't seem right that she would just want to fuck her and be done with it.

But they had never been especially friendly with each other besides in that one week when Shego had been turned good. But did that even count? After all, she had had her brain waves flipped. But were her tastes flipped, too, or had her brain just been inhibited. Wade had said there had not been an evil thought in her mind. But that was just personality, did that also extend to interests? Kim didn't think it did. Interests weren't directly linked with personality, were they? No, they definitely weren't. She thought back to cheerleading in high school. Bonnie and she had two different personalities and still both did participate in cheerleading.

So, chances were Shego still did enjoy roller skating and shopping and all those things, just didn't either have the time or friends to go with. Speaking of friends – did Shego have friends? She probably had business associates both on the good and bad side, but were any of those friends?

Kim realized that there was so much she still didn't know about Shego. They really did need to get to know each other before anything more serious happened between them.

But right now, she was comfortable with how things were. She never thought she could be as comfortable with Shego as she was right now, but here they were. This certainly wouldn't have been possible a few years ago. Or even just 6 months ago. There had still been too much bad blood between them. But sometimes their admiration for each other shone through, especially in the last few weeks before the invasion. They had actually banded together to mock Drakken or to complain about their current situation. It was quite refreshing. But they never forgot their fighting. It was the one thing Kim always looked forward to the most when they had to stop one of Drakken's weird evil schemes again.

If they were to get together, would they still fight each other? Kim didn't want to lose the fighting she did with Shego. And, if she was being honest with herself, she did miss fighting Shego. It had always been a challenge to outsmart her. Kim knew for a long time now that she would never really be able to best Shego when it came to pure fighting prowess. She had much more experience and the advantage of her powers when she got bored of fighting fair.

Come to think of it, Shego had definitely toned down the use of her powers when she fought with her. Sure, she had shot blasts at her and occasionally swiped at her with ignited fists, but they were in fact nowhere near as hot as she remembered them being in the beginning.

Had Shego planned anything before it all had gone south in the invasion? Had their weird relation with each other been evolving even before they were pushed on the same side to avert an apocalypse?

Kim thought back to when it might have started that she didn't want to simply kick Shego into jail when foiling Drakken. Not that any prison could hold her for long. Or could it? After the Lil' Diablo thing, Shego had been in prison and not broken out on her own. She had been broken out by Motor Ed and Junior. She didn't escape prison not once but twice. Twice she just sat there or did whatever she did in jail and did her time. Why was that? That wasn't her style. Usually it took her a few days and then she broke herself and Drakken out. She didn't then, though. She didn't even break Drakken out when she had been running around relatively free. She went on vacation. She didn't even spare a thought to Drakken and his evil scheme.

And then there was the thing with Warmonga. Why did she save her? Of her own volition. She had really been angry when the big alien had struck her down. What was that about? Surely, it couldn't just be because Shego wanted to destroy her herself? She didn't strike her as the person to kill people. Especially not after what she had shown her earlier.

And their small exchange after it? 'Next time, you're mine.' Said with that sultry voice, it was definitely meant to be taken ambiguously. So, Kim's 'We'll see about that.' had been equally ambiguous.

Yeah, their relationship had been evolving even back then. Kim realized that now. But how long would it have taken them to get to where they are now, if not for the invasion as a catalyst for change? As an accelerator?

Kim looked at Shego again. Yes, this right now was the beginning of something different. But nothing she didn't welcome. It would be difficult for them because of all the expectations people had for them but when they would both be willing to put in the work, they could lean on each other for support. At least that was how Kim reasoned. She herself would be willing to do it.

Kim contently sighed and let her head fall onto Shego's shoulder. Shego turned her face down to Kim. "What's got your mind so heavy?"

"This and that. Everything and nothing." Kim tried to elude.

"Anything in particular? You can be honest with me, you know." Shego said with a soft but serious edge in her voice.

Kim stopped walking and stepped away from Shego. "I was just thinking about the last year and such, you know? And I was wondering…" Kim looked down.

"Wondering about what exactly?" Shego grew nervous.

"Have you been trying to get somewhere with me even before the invasion? I mean, were you planning on anything?"

"Uhm… I…" Shego suddenly found their surroundings very interesting.

"Shego?" Kim stepped closer again and risked laying her hand onto the other woman's arm. Shego stared at the hand as if it would suddenly transform into a swarm of bees, before she gave in.

"I wasn't planning on anything. I was just trying to see where it would lead if I gave in to the attraction between us a bit more. Were a bit less aggressive." Kim felt that Shego was holding something back.

"But I was with Ron then." Kim said and immediately mentally kicked herself for it.

"You were. That's one of the reasons, why I didn't just show up in your life at one point and ravaged you." Shego smirked suggestively. Kim blushed, for several different scenarios of that suddenly popped into her mind, each more graphic than the last.

"And others? Assuming there are more than one?" Kim swallowed hard and tried to get back to the topic.

"You were a minor. I know it was still weird to be flirting with you and more than once I whacked myself up the head for doing it but you were always this very mature person stuck in the body of a teenager. I guess it comes with the territory of having to grow up fast when you're saving the world on the regular."

"Shego?" Kim interrupted her rambling.

"Hm?" Shego looked at her with such a vulnerable expression in that moment.

"It's alright. You don't need to explain yourself to me for it." Kim stepped close to Shego again. "We're here now. Whatever this is, we'll figure it out."

"You're right. We will." Shego leaned closer, staring into Kim's eyes. Kim became giddy. Was Shego about to kiss her? Did she want Shego to kiss her? 'YES!' her heart yelled at her. Her mind was a little more cautious and only whispered a quieter yet no less powerful affirmative. Kim subconsciously leaned closer, too, nervously licking her lips.

Shego's hands found Kim's sides and pulled her in. Kim let herself be pulled and put her own hands on Shego's waist. Their foreheads were leaning against each other; their surroundings had completely fallen away in that moment.

"What are we doing?" Shego's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I don't know." Kim whispered back. Not knowing was becoming quite the theme recently.

Shego's eyes rapidly flicked between Kim's eyes and lips. "I really want to kiss you right now." Her voice was dark and husky.

"Please…" Kim rasped hoarsely.

Shego leaned in and Kim closed her eyes in anticipation.

"Oi! You homos!" They were jolted apart by the harshly spit words of a slightly swaying man.

Shego turned to him, pure menace radiating from her. "Come again?" Her left eyebrow seemed to have taken residence just below her hairline.

"You heard me, you stupid dyke!" He had raised his voice. From around the corner came two other guys, leaning on each other. The guy addressed them. "Bro, come look, I found a couple lesbos. Maybe we should show them the light?"

Shego made a low, deep growling sound. Kim grabbed her wrist. The skin beneath her hand was really hot. "He's not worth it. They're drunk. He doesn't know what he's saying."

"Oh, he knows." She narrowed her eyes at him but calmed down a bit, if only for Kim's sake.

"Bro, we totally should. They look smoking hot." One of the other two answered, staring lewdly. Kim had to suppress a disgusted shiver. The guys had advanced and were just about ten feet away.

"You're right, dude. Especially the redhead. I'd like to tap that." This was spoken by the first guy.

That comment did it for Kim. Had she been trying to avoid an altercation before, this just sent her. She didn't know where it came from, but the guys misogynistic homophobic attitude made her inexplicably angry. She jumped forward, pulled her right fist back, and hit the guy square in the jaw, making him fly some feet. His friends were too stunned by it to even move.

"Kim!" Shego cried out and was beside her in an instant.

"Shit…" Kim mumbled. This had not been planned and Kim was almost ready to freak out completely. Why was she suddenly punching people? She didn't punch people just because they made idiotic comments about her.

"Whatever happened to 'he's not worth it'?" Shego now looked at her genuinely interested.

"Well-"

"You're gonna pay for that, bitch! I'm gonna kill you both!" The guy had gotten up again and now tried to throw Kim a punch. She casually leaned out of the way and Shego took over, shoving the guy into the pavement again.

He stumbled to his feet again but before he could even make a move on them again, Shego ignited the plasma on her right hand and held it up. "I dare you to try it." She snarled at him.

Kim looked over her shoulder to the guys friends who seemed to have left their stupor. They didn't seem particularly happy that their leader had been so casually flipped off. She touched Shego's arm. "Uh, I think we should go."

"Why? We were just getting started." Shego looked at Kim, her face softly illuminated by the green glow.

Kim had to shove several impure thoughts aside in that moment. The first of which was a deeply purred Sexy. "I don't doubt, we would win this, but I really don't want to have to explain to the police why we've beaten up three guys and not each other."

"Hm…" Shego glanced over Kim's shoulder to the other two guys. "You're right. I have just gotten my record purged. Don't really want to spoil it just yet." She looked at the leader guy who currently looked to be weighing his options. "Especially not with some maggot like that." Looking at Kim again, she grinned. "I know a place we could go not far from here. Should we make a run for it?" She offered Kim her left hand.

This is definitely a bad idea. Kim thought before she grinned and took the offered hand.

Shego hit the guy with a small blast into the chest that knocked him down again and started running with Kim beside her.

After a few minutes Shego stopped in front of an apartment complex. Kim looked around and saw that they were only a five-minute drive away from the park at most. She turned to Shego, patiently waiting for an explanation.

Shego rubbed the back of her neck. "Uhm… do you wanna come up for a cup of coffee… or something?"

"This is where you live?"

"Yeah? So…" She was shifting from one leg to the other.

Kim was struck by the seemingly uncharacteristic behavior. She was aware of what Shego was saying, but did that really mean what she thought it meant? Maybe it was not what she thought it meant, maybe she was escalating things again?

Kim evaluated her options for a few moments, humming and hawing quite dumbly. Back before the guys had interrupted them, she had really wanted Shego to kiss her. Like really, really wanted it.

But did that also mean she was ready to possibly sleep with Shego if the opportunity presented itself?

Kim internally shook her head. She should definitely not get ahead of herself. It was just an offer of coffee or something.

Kim finally smiled at Shego. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Great. I mean… uhm… yeah. Let's go." Shego was so nervous. It was a side to her that Kim didn't know she would ever see. It was something that made her be drawn to Shego even more than before.

Kim walked next to Shego into the building and into the elevator. A deep warmth was settling into her stomach when the doors closed. Kim briefly wondered, if this was just passion or if it was something more, before she was jolted out of her musings by Shego placing a hand on her cheek and roughly pulling her in for a searing kiss.

Kim instantly reacted and fervently kissed back, a hot fire shooting through her body.

Her mind meekly tried to warn her about the consequences of following the path of desire but instantly gave up when it was overruled by Kim's raging passion.

They stumbled out of the elevator and to Shego's door. It was unlocked by Shego and as soon as they were inside and the door had closed behind them, Kim was pushing Shego against the door, shoving her hands beneath her top.

They were not getting to 'coffee or something' that night. But they wouldn't be left unsatisfied in any way.

Chapter Text

To take Kim home with her had been a split-second decision really. Shego had initially wanted to take things a little slower but desire had taken over the moment they had stepped into the elevator.

Her control had been waning before, but they had been so rudely interrupted by the three idiots. The way Kim had radiated pure want in the moment before their almost kiss had been intoxicating.

But that little Miss Perfect, Kim Possible, would get that explosively passionate had been a slight shock to Shego's system. A welcome one, but still a shock. She probably should've seen it coming after Kim had punched that guy.

Yet, after letting Kim have a few moments of dominance, she had flipped their positions and shown Kim who was the leading lady in this dance, only to be pushed back after a few moments and steered towards her sofa in the living area behind her. So, Kimmie had been observant even in the haze of passion.

Shego didn't want to admit defeat just yet and started pulling Kim's shirt up. Kim raised her arms and they parted long enough for her to get rid of the offending garment. When they joined again, Kim started attacking the hem of Shego's blouse. In the meantime, they had reached the edge of the sofa and Shego took the opportunity to switch roles again, swiftly turning them and pushing Kim down. Kim made a sound of displeasure in the back of her throat and bucked her hips up in an attempt to get some kind of control back.

"Fuck." Kim had hit Shego's knee just right and was now wondering which God to thank.

Seeing Kim coming undone beneath her made Shego feel very confusing things which were pushed aside for the moment as she herself ground down and found that Kim had had the right idea. This was just too good.

After that everything became a little hazy. All she remembers is that they had got rid of their clothing somehow and later made it back into Shego's bedroom when their first, and second, and third, thirst had been stilled and they became much more gentle with each other.

* - * - *

When Shego woke up, she let her eyes roam around the room and judged by the way the light sifted into the room that it had to be late morning, probably almost noon.

She leisurely stretched and felt all her muscles hurting in the right way, whilst her eyes drifted next to her and over the body of Kim. She had to smile softly and reached out to touch the mess of tousled orange that tried to imitate Kim's hair. Shego knew she herself would probably not look much better but she didn't want to deal with that until later.

Kim groggily moaned and stretched, too, before she turned around and looked over. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you, too, Princess." Shego rasped before clearing her throat. She was steadfastly refusing to let this get awkward.

"What time is it?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Around noon-ish, I'd guess." Shego smiled impishly. "I guess you didn't plan on staying out this long?"

"I didn't." Kim suddenly looked shocked. "Oh."

"What is it?" Shego grew ever so slightly worried. That tone did never bode well.

"I…" Kim suddenly seemed close to laughing. "Am I right to assume our clothes are still downstairs?"

Shego just stared at her and blinked a few times, before bursting out laughing. "I think so, except if your clothes can magically walk up stairs."

"Well, I hope you're gonna appreciate the show, because I really have to pee." Kim said when she had finally calmed down enough.

"Oh, I certainly will." Shego said sitting up against the headboard and waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Kim huffed. "Why do I even like you?" She swung her legs out the bed anyway and sat up, too.

"Must be my charming personality."

Kim only responded by grabbing a pillow and whacking Shego with it, before she got up. She lasciviously stretched her arms over her head, before looking over her shoulder. "Left or right?"

"Uh…" Shego needed to gather her thoughts for a moment. Yep, that was definitely on purpose. Kimmie was a little minx. She needed to remember that. After all, two could play that game. "Left."

Kim went into the bathroom and Shego got out of bed herself. After last night's exercise, she felt hungry. Walking downstairs, she went straight for the other bathroom, following her own call from nature and to tried to fix her hair as best as she could.

When she walked out, she picked up Kim's shirt and went over to the sofa, around which the rest of their clothing was strewn haphazardly, to drop it.

She located her own things and stepped into her underwear and slipped on the blouse she had been wearing the previous night. She was just buttoning it up when she heard Kim purr behind her. "Shame. I was quite enjoying the view."

Shego turned around and walked over to Kim at the bottom of the stairs, swaying her hips very indecently. "Behave or you'll get your pretty ass whipped."

Kim looked at her challengingly. "Is that a threat? Or an offer?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Shego laid a quick peck on Kim's lips before stepping around her and lightly slapping her butt. "Now get dressed. I'll make us something to eat."

As she stood in front of the fridge to gather supplies for their brunch come lunch, Shego's mind tried to ask her what had just happened. Since when was Kimmie such a flirt and that pushy? She could be flirty granted, but that much? It seemed they were both caught up in this thing and just went with the flow. They always had been competitive and didn't back away from a fight. But was this a replacement for the physical fighting they didn't do anymore? She didn’t want to admit it, but she missed the fights. They would have to do some sparring one of these days.

Shego had thrown together some light lunch and turned to retrieve some plates from the cupboard overhead. Her thoughts had her hesitate for a moment. This was almost domestic. Since when did she do domestic? Maybe this could be a one-night stand? She turned and caught sight of Kim sitting at the breakfast bar, observing the world outside. Nope, not a one-night stand. She definitely wanted to do it again.

Did that mean they were dating now? Or had they even crossed into relationship territory? Why did things always become so complicated between them when they stood on the same side?

Shego pushed the thoughts aside to be dealt with at another time. She grabbed two forks and the plates and carried them over to the bar. "Here ya go. It's not much but it's something."

"Thank you." Kim took the offered fork and they started to eat in silence.

When they had finished, Shego stacked the plates and forks and put them to one side. "So, when are your parents coming back?"

"Later in the afternoon. They said they'd be back somewhen between 4 and 5. I should probably be home before then." Kim shrugged.

"Can't have them thinking you went wild and partied all night."

"Something like that." Kim smiled at Shego. "No, but honestly, I have a mountain of college letters to go through. And to think I only applied to three."

"Everyone wants a piece of that ass…" Shego smirked. "…and I got it."

Kim slapped her arm. "Ow! What did I do now?"

"Seriously?"

"What? I'm a fully credentialed teacher, after all."

"For childhood development. I think, I'm firmly past that. Especially after last night." Kim raised her brows and Shego put up her hands.

"Alright, alright. I'm never allowed to have any fun, am I?" Shego mock-sulked.

"Oh, you had enough fun." Kim had a bemused look on her face that was contagious.

"That I indeed had." Shego grinned like a cat that got into the cream. "Anyway, I think when you want to be home before your parents, we should leave soon."

"You're right. I shou- Wait, we?" Kim looked at her disbelievingly.

"Of course. You think I would just put you out on the street? I'm gonna accompany you back to your car. I got morals and standards you know." Shego huffed and crossed her arms.

"I know. I just…" Kim looked around. "I didn't expect it, is all. I wouldn't need you to come with me, but I'll gladly accept it." Her eyes finally found Shego again, clearly showing how happy she was.

Shego got up and grabbed the plates. "I'm gonna get properly dressed now." She put them into the sink, they could wait until later to be cleaned. She then stepped up to Kim again. "And while I'm gone, don't do anything I wouldn't do." She put her hands onto Kim's hips and leaned in slightly.

"I think, I'll keep doing the opposite." Kim smirked and closed the distance between them.

Shego had to force herself to break the kiss or they wouldn't leave the apartment anytime soon. "Smart girl." She purred before turning around and walking back up the stairs.

When she had reached the safety of her walk-in closet, she allowed herself a little panic attack. What the hell was happening?

They were behaving as if they were already a couple. And the worst part, in Shego's opinion at least, was that she didn't mind it. She actively wanted to share things with Kim. This had never been the plan.

Her initial intention had been to get them to admit that they were indeed attracted to each other. And maybe to hook up once and to go their separate ways after. But now? They had hooked up with each other, but they got along on a personal level, too. And Shego found it most perplexing that she felt comfortable around Kim. Like she didn't have to hold her thoughts or opinions back in anyway.

What would happen if this went on further? Would she have to introduce herself to Kim's parents? Or, better said, re-introduce herself. She definitely wasn't the kind of person one would bring home and expect to make a good first impression. And she had already made a less than good first impression on all the Possible's. She would have to do some serious explaining to get them to view her even remotely close to the way Kim currently did.

And how did Kim view her currently? Were they on the same page about what was going on between them? Come to think of it, Shego didn't even know which page that was herself.

She sighed and started to get dressed. One step at a time. She shouldn't get ahead of herself. This was not said to be something they would repeat anytime. This still might be a one-off thing. Just because they had had a very domestic moment didn't mean they were in any way involved with each other now. And it definitely didn't give her a small melancholic pang in the deepest depths of her being that they might not be.

What did she expect? They had literally been at each other's throat almost every time they had met in the past. That they weren't anymore was only because of circumstances that had been beyond their control.

She personally didn't mind that her record had been purged but that had meant she had to stay on the straight and narrow. She had had a steady income besides from crime related sources. And Drakken was still paying her, too. But as soon as that contract was up, she really needed to look around for something to occupy her time with. Crime had paid well, but it just wasn't what it used to be a few years back.

Shego glanced at herself in the mirror and gave herself a once-over. It wasn't the most sophisticated of casual outfits, but it would do.

She walked downstairs and was greeted with Kim lounging on the sofa. It was a sight she could definitely get used to having in the future. Shego grimaced for a second. She was getting ahead of herself again.

"You ready to face the outside world again, Pumpkin?"

Kim looked over the back of the sofa and smiled. "Always."

"That's what I thought." Shego grabbed her keys and stood by the door waiting for Kim to join her.

Kim got up and walked towards her. A few steps away, she started to sway her hips very seductively. A warning fired somewhere in Shego's mind, but it was too late. Kim pushed her against the door and deeply kissed her. Shego didn't complain and was a willing participant.

When Kim stepped back, Shego had to forcefully pull herself back into reality. "What was that for?" She dumbly asked, still slightly befuddled.

Kim bit her lower lip nervously. "I just wanna say, whatever happens, I will never forget last night. Or this morning."

"Glad to hear it." Shego opened the door smiling. "Let's go then."

As soon as they were outside the building, Shego grasped Kim's hand. Kim squeezed the hand in return. They were good. Everything would be alright. This was new and scary, and they didn't know, if it would work out but they'd be damned if they wouldn't at least try it.

The walk back to the park was utterly unremarkable and a welcome change of pace from what they had experienced the night before.

All too soon they had reached Kim's car. They stood a little awkward next to it for a moment.

"Uhm, drive safe and all that, I guess." Shego rubbed her neck self-consciously. She really wasn't good at these things.

"Thanks, I guess." Kim mirrored her words and smiled a little.

"Listen…" Shego sighed deeply, getting Kim's undivided attention. "I'm not very good at this whole thing. I don't even know what this-" She gestured between them. "-is or whatever. All I know is that I won't forget last night either. And whilst we're being honest here, I don't want it to be a one-time thing."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that… maybe… we could meet up again in the future and I don't know… do dinner and a movie or something. See where it leads us. You know what I mean?" Shego was getting more agitated by the second. All this was really not her strong suit. Casual hook ups were more her style. But there was a definite connection there and she didn't want to disregard a chance for something serious. As far-fetched as it might seem.

"I'd like that. Very much. I wanted to suggest the same, but well…" Kim scrunched up her face. It was a very adorable expression. Wait, adorable? Since when did she use that word? Shego internally shook her head.

"I'm not the type you would expect to accept such a thing?"

"Exactly. And I really didn't want to make a complete fool of myself." Kim chuckled awkwardly.

"You're far from a fool." Shego stepped close to Kim and encased her face with her hands. "And if you should be a fool, so am I." She laid a tender kiss on Kim's lips. "This whole thing is utterly… yeah…"

"Yeah…" Kim agreed. "Who would've guessed?"

Shego snorted. This was getting a little too sappy for her liking. "There probably are some weird porn stories about us on the internet."

Kim groaned and let her head fall against Shego's chest. "Way to ruin the mood."

"What? It's the truth." Shego smirked good-naturedly, even if Kim couldn't see it.

"Don't, please, don't. I really don't want knowledge about this in my head." Kim looked up again. "I really should drive home now." She unlocked her car and opened the door.

Shego stepped back. "I'll see you around then."

"Oh, you will. You certainly will. Can't have you running off with someone else now that I got you."

"I'll run off with whomever I please, thank you very much." Shego crossed her arms and huffed. The cheek.

"But that would reflect very poorly on your girlfriend. And you don't want that." Kim smirked mischievously.

"Which girlfr- Wait, what?" Shego could only look at Kim, utterly dumbfounded. Did Kim just? She blinked. And then blinked some more. And then she started grinning. "Well, if that's the case, I'll try to restrain myself. Can't have my girlfriend's reputation be compromised. What would the people think?"

"Exactly. See ya." Kim started the car and drove off.

Shego looked after her until she was out of sight, then walked over to her own car and drove home. She still couldn't believe how casually Kim had made clear that they were an item now. This was something she needed to think over.

She was in a relationship now. In a relationship with teen-hero sensation Kim Possible.

The gravity of that whole concept would eventually catch up with her. One plate would fall victim to it. It would be a worthy sacrifice.

Chapter Text

On Monday morning Kim entered the family kitchen where her parents were already busy.

"Morning!" She greeted them happily.

"Good morning, Kimmie-cub!" The newspaper greeted her from the breakfast nook with the voice of her father.

"Good morning!" Her mother smiled at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you." Kim beamed back and grabbed the cereal from the cupboard.

Saturday afternoon, when her parents had returned, she had still sat at her desk and sifted through the mountain of letters she had had neglected in the past weeks. She had gone downstairs to eat dinner with them and mindfully had failed to mention that Shego and her had met up the evening before. Also, she really hadn't wanted to tell them about her change in relationship status. It was still too soon, too fresh. She had wondered if they'd even understand. But all the worries that came up had been squashed by the happiness she felt.

On early Sunday morning, Wade had called, and she had gone on a mission in Spain. It was a minor incident, but she had been away for most of the day and had returned quite late in the evening. She had grabbed a light dinner and excused herself with the remaining letters.

Kim sat down in the breakfast nook next to her father and started to eat her cereal.

Her mother had asked her before bed, if anything had happened while they had been out of town. She had just smiled and replied in the negative and immediately knew her mother didn't believe her. She let it rest but had looked at her with that one look which clearly said, 'We'll talk later.'

She had been relieved when her mother left. She would tell her. She wanted to tell her. But for now, she mainly wanted to keep it to herself. At least for a little while.

Her mother indicated for her to make some room and Kim wordlessly scooted over. She had that look on her face again. Kim looked at her questioningly and she just plastered on a kind smile.

"Oh, this is interesting." Her father's voice emerged from behind the newspaper. "I think this will interest you, too, Kimmie-cub."

"Oh, really? What is it?" Kim's curiosity had been piqued.

"Local police reports of an incident on Friday evening in the Middleton city center. According to their statement, three men were attacked by two women. One man sustained a minor bruise on his jaw when he had been punched in the face by a redhaired woman. He also stated, he had been attacked by the other woman with green fire, which she was said to have shot from her hand. Police are looking for witnesses of the incident. The suspects were described as follows: One had long, thick black hair and an exceptionally light skin tone. She is said to be able to light her hands with green fire. The other woman was described as having an athletic build and voluminous flaming red hair. Possible witnesses can come forward at their local Police station or call."

Kim looked at her father with an expression she hoped let nothing slip. So, the guy she had punched had gone to the police or someone else had called the police. That was just great. She only hoped that no one would put two and two together and link it with Shego and her. Maybe it would silently blow over.

"Doesn't that description sound familiar?" Her father asked and folded the paper.

"What do you mean?" Kim replied innocently. Please don't figure it out. That thought ran like a mantra through her head.

"Well, I don't think there are a lot of people around that can light up their hand with green flames and also shoot green fire. That does awfully sound like Shego got up to something fishy." Her father looked thoughtful for a moment before he continued. "But what unsettles me much more is that the other woman matches your description. I don't know what Shego might be up to, but you should be careful when she goes around and picks up women that look like you."

"I don't think Shego is up to much of anything these days." Kim had figured out some time ago that the secret to successful lying laid in not lying at all. After all, she could tell the truth, no one told her to share the whole truth.

"Hm. From this article, it sure sounds different." Her father was worried about her safety. If he knew that the red-haired woman had indeed been her and not some other, he would undoubtedly blow a gasket. No, some secrets best remained that way.

"It was on Friday night, near the city center, maybe the guys had been intoxicated and the women had only defended themselves. And now it was blown up as this attack on the guys. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened." Kim tried to give a different perspective without giving to much information.

"Hm. Maybe. But, please, be careful, Kim. Just in case."

Kim had to smile. She might tackle guys twice her size through windows, sometimes several times a week, but her father still worried about her. "I will, Dad."

She put her spoon into the empty bowl and made to get up. Her mother hadn't said anything in the matter yet, which Kim found quite odd. It would undoubtedly come soon.

Her mother let her out and sat back down. Kim put the bowl and spoon into the dishwasher and turned to leave. In the doorframe she turned to their parents again. "Have fun at work today. I'll text you if I get called away on a mission. Love you." Then she went upstairs to her room and sat back down at her desk to look through the small pile of universities she hadn't applied to but now considered as options. She would have a look online at their courses and other amenities. Maybe there would be one that convinced her to go.

Kim sighed. Everything had been so clear and easy before the Lorwardian attack. She had known who the bad guys were and who the good. It had been just graduation and not the end of the world. And then it almost had been.

And now everything was different. One of her initial choices for a possible university had been hit hard by the invasion and was currently closed, for starters. But also, it had put her whole plan into perspective.

She thought about changing her major to something else. Something that might be more useful in the long run. Social studies or Psychology might be good choices. Criminal justice didn't seem as appropriate. The world would recover, but people would always need help. She had always tried to protect the ones that needed help. But maybe her approach to helping people professionally had been wrong.

Shego had shown her what she had done for the LGBTQ community. That, whilst it was probably technically in a legally gray area, was helping people directly. It made it possible for people to live a life where they wouldn't need to resort to crime to survive. Or would even be drawn by the promises a life on the wrong side of the law made.

Kim realized that crime fighting at its core shouldn't be about catching criminals and putting them away. It should be about improving people's lives for them to not have to need crime to live.

Her phone rang next to her before she could dwell on that much further. She glanced at the screen and saw Monique's name. She accepted the call.

"Hey, Monique. What's up?"

"Hey, girl. I've just read something interesting online." Monique definitely set her up for something. Kim played along, nonetheless.

"Wow, and you call me with that news? I feel honored." Since when did she become sarcastic? Had Shego already rubbed off on her?

"Uh-huh. You wanna tell me something, girl?"

"Nothing I'd know of." Kim suspected that Monique had read the incident report, too. But it had probably been embellished by some gossipy news site.

"Ya sure about that?"

"Pretty sure." Kim leaned back in her chair and waited for Monique to tell her what she had read. She wondered, if she should tell her friend about her newfound relationship and decided to wait for Monique's take on the article.

"I don't believe you. Maybe you're hanging out too much with your new girlfriend?"

Kim actually choked. "What?!"

"Yeah. I can read between the lines. And the article I read talked about a green fire shooting woman with black hair and another with voluminous red hair. And I don't know that many people who'd fit that description to a tee." Monique had an accusatory tone in her voice.

"I-" Kim tried to defend herself but nothing came out.

"So, you went on a date with your arch-nemesis? How did that go?" So, Monique hadn't been as oblivious as her father and had actually put two and two together. Kim decided to go with honesty. But not before swearing her friend to utter secrecy.

"You need to promise me one thing first."

"Anything, if you tell me everything." An immediate eager reply made it through the phone.

"You can't tell anyone about this until I tell you otherwise. Do you swear not to tell anyone? Not even my parents know about it."

"I swear. Now spill. I wanna know everything. How was it?" Monique was a refreshing breath of air with her enthusiasm. And if this went well, maybe she would actually tell her parents.

"Nice." Kim smirked. She did have a mean streak sometimes.

"Just nice? Seriously. You punch a guy and it was just nice?" Monique was exasperated, but not on the war path again because she hadn't been told immediately after it had happened. That was better in Kim's opinion.

"You know, I don't kiss and tell."

"Oh, so you kissed her? Was is good? Is she as scary up close as she seems from afar? Come on, tell me. Please." Should she tell her? Oh, what the hell. Monique wouldn't stop otherwise anyway.

Kim quietly moaned with pleasure as she recalled the night. "It's scary how good she is. Amazing, actually. The things she did to me-"

"Whoa there, girl. Hold up for a sec. Are you saying you actually didn't just make out with her but went all the way?" Kim could picture Monique's shocked expression.

"It might have happened. But it isn't about-"

"No no no no no. Kim! Seriously. You go on one date with that woman and by the end of the evening you have sex with her?"

"I wouldn't exactly put it like that."

"So, you haven't slept with her?" Monique sounded relieved. Kim only slightly regretted having to destroy that.

"I did. But it was more in the fuck each other's brains out kinda way." It was the truth and when else could she use that kind of truth, if not with her best girl.

There was a long silence on the other side of the line. Kim waited for Monique to come around again. "Okay. Who are you and what have you done with Kim?" Monique did have a point. But Kim actually had a counter.

"Monique, it had only been a matter of time before we would've done that. We always had this weird thing going on. We had some flirty banter and then we'd fight. We actually sometimes stopped for a talk in the middle of fighting."

"You stopped fighting? But she is the one that always tries to kill you, isn't she?" Monique really didn't know much about Shego, Kim realized.

"No. Well, yes, but actually no, not in the way you think. We- She never actually tried to kill me. At least not intentionally, I think. She has morals and standards, you know. She's actually very…" Kim was trying to find the right word.

"Very?"

"Considerate. She's very considerate. Amongst other things." Kim smiled again. Shego wasn't just considerate. She was empathetic and kind. True, she was what others would call a bad bitch. But her sarcasm and abrasiveness were part of the package. Part of the charm.

"I don't know, Kim. Isn't she evil or something? I'm just trying to look out for you here." Monique sounded genuinely concerned. Kim was touched. "Especially after your break-up with Ron." And being touched was gone.

"Monique, I can look out for myself. What happened with Ron has nothing to do with this. We're better off as friends."

"If you think so. But do you think a one-night stand with your former arch-nemesis is really advisable?" Oh, she thought it had been a one-time thing. She certainly would be in for a world of surprise.

"No, I don't think so." Kim said with a grin.

"Good. That you had one is already weird enough. Seriously why would-"

"Monique!?" The woman had to be stopped before she ranted herself out of existence and went off into an entirely different direction.

"What?"

"I don't think so because we are together now."

Silence.

And some more silence. Kim could hear the erratic intakes of breath. Her friend was obviously trying to come to terms with everything.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"But…" A deep breath. "I can understand that you might have a one-time thing with her because of all the unresolved sexual tension and your pent-up sexual energy. But… you're together? As in a relationship together?"

"Yes, Monique, that's what I meant by 'we're together now'." That didn't exactly seem to go well. Kim grimaced. Would Monique come around eventually?

"I'm sorry, but how exactly do you think that relationship is going to go? You're about to go to some college on another continent and she lives who knows where. If long distance didn't work out with Ron, how do you think this will go?"

"There's really a lot we haven't talked about recently. I don't know yet which university I'll attend. I don't even know which major I'll choose. And actually, Shego lives here in Middleton. Also, will you get off of Ron. We talked about it like two civilized adults and made a choice. We worked well together when we lived closely, but he needed to focus on his training, and I have to focus on what I wanna do. Long distance was only a catalyst for the inevitable breakup. We were friends first and a couple second. I love Ron, I really do. But not in the way we both deserve."

"And you love Shego in that way?" Monique deadpanned.

"I-" She swallowed hard. Did she love Shego? Sure, they got along well. And there was definitely a physical element to their relationship. But was this love? She thought hard about it. She didn't need to hide her strength with her. It didn't bother Shego that she could throw a guy twice her size through a window without breaking a sweat. After all, they were evenly matched when it came to physical prowess. And one of her criteria for a partner had always been that she wouldn't need to hide what she was capable of.

And she did feel comfortable in Shego's presence. Well, maybe not back when they were still going hard at it with their fighting but now that they were essentially on the same side, and they had spent more time with each other in their own minds and of their own volition, there was definitely some element of comfort.

Though she felt comfortable around her friends and those weren't bothered by her abilities. But she didn't love them. Granted, she also didn't sleep with them. Or did even want to sleep with them. But was what she had with Shego love?

"Kim? Are you still there?"

Kim crashed back into reality. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked, if you love Shego." Monique patiently repeated herself.

Kim sighed. "I don't know."

"Then you better figure it out. Relationships build on physical attraction alone are usually doomed from the start."

"I know." Kim paused. "Wait. You're suddenly a-okay with it? What happened to 'isn't she evil or something'?"

"Kim. You're my friend. Do you really think I wouldn't support you in your decisions?"

"I didn't say that. I just…" She released a breath. "You seemed to be so opposed to the idea and now you're not."

"I was mad that you wouldn't tell me something like that, and I would need to read it in an article. And I guess, I just need to get used to the idea of you dating your nemesis."

"Because she's my former nemesis or because she's a woman?" Kim wondered. She had to know.

A long-suffering sigh could be heard from the other end. "You of all people should know that it has absolutely nothing to do with her being a woman. I'm just not fully convinced that you two have anything more in common than your frequent tousles. Or even that she has more interest in you than to just use you as a casual fuck."

"I know there is more. I've felt that there is more. We have a connection with each other, as cliché as that sounds." Kim snorted slightly.

"But it's all a bit sudden, isn't it?" Monique sounded doubtful.

"Hm. Maybe. Maybe not. Our… whatever it was, had started to evolve long before she even considered going on the offensive with her flirting. And I obviously answered in kind. There always was something there. But even if it shouldn't work out for us, we have at least tried."

"Alright. Just be sure this is what you want. I'll be here when you need to talk, you know. No matter what."

"Thank you." Kim appreciated that Monique was willing to offer support in spite of her not fully trusting Shego.

A short silence unfolded between them. "So? What is that about you not knowing your college major anymore?"

Kim smiled again. This was more in line with normal. Normal concerns. Ordinary problems one talks about with friends. Not that relationships weren't something she didn't talk about with friends, but this relationship was something special. It was something different.

Kim latched onto the easy out Monique gave her for the time being and started talking about all the things she had thought about in regard to switching to something that benefitted people more in the long run.

And then they talked some more about how excited Monique was to be accepted into a good design school in California.

It was almost like old times. And when they finally hung up the phone, Kim was a little more assured that it might be a good idea to tell their parents about everything.

Tomorrow. Not today. For today it would still remain her little secret.

Chapter Text

Kim lay on her bed in the early evening reading a book. She had been staring at the same page for some time because her mind kept wandering back to her talk with Monique. And she also wondered how she should break the news to her parents.

By telling them about Shego and her, she would also admit to being the one that punched that guy from the paper. And that would most likely not go over well.

Why had she punched that guy? He was just making stupid comments. They could've just walked away, and nothing would've happened. But they didn't. They listened to the drivel the guy and his friend were spouting. Kim recognized now in hindsight that maybe she had been very frustrated with the guy for interrupting. And combined with her overall frustration, she was just shorting out. No big deal.

"Hey, Kimmie." Her mother pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, mom." Kim sat up and stretched to put the book down on her nightstand. She winced in slight pain.

"Kim? What is it?" Her mom looked at her, concerned.

"Nothing. Probably just a scratch on my back." Kim tried to dismiss it. But what she didn't count on was her mother being a doctor and her mother.

"Can I take a look?" This was not a question, Kim realized.

"Sure, mom." Kim smiled, turned around and slipped her shirt over her head. In the same moment she noticed her mistake. That 'scratch' was a little reminder of how she had spent her Friday night.

Her mother gasped as soon as she saw her back. "Kim. That looks like much more than a scratch. That looks like you've been attacked by some wild animal."

She bit her lip to suppress her laugh. That is one way to put it. It was really good that her mother couldn't see her face. "It's not that bad. Only one hurt just now and only because I stretched too far."

"This is bad. Kim, you should've told us, if you got hurt. Who did this to you?" Her mother was dead serious.

Maybe it was time to come clean. She wouldn't be able to get out of this one with half-truths and maybe it was good to tell her mom first. She could maybe advise her on how to break the news to her dad. She took a deep breath. Time for honesty. "Shego."

"Shego?" Her mother had sat down behind her and was inspecting her back and tracing her scratches with her fingers. "But the other day you two seemed to be very-" She broke off suddenly and traced some scratches repeatedly.

Kim steeled herself for it. Three, two, one…

"Kim? Those weren't inflicted from behind. Shego must have faced you and scratched up your back. And those marks here." She put her fingers onto them. "They seem like she really dug her nails into you." She pulled Kim around. "Kim. Those look like they were made… You must have been willingly…" Her mom desperately looked around the room. Kim could empathize. It must be hard for her mom to find out her daughter had sex with her old nemesis. Or let alone the fact that her daughter had sex. "Did you sleep with Shego?" Her mother finally asked incredulously.

Kim looked down and blushed profusely. That was answer enough.

"You did. So, on Friday you went out and met up with her. That means it was you who punched that guy." Kim could see how her mother was trying to get to grips with all the new information. This had not been the plan.

"He was drunk and spouting off idiotic ignorant drivel. I just snapped. Believe me, he would've ended up much worse if I hadn't stopped Shego."

"But, Kimmie, why didn't you just walk away?"

Kim slipped on her shirt again. She didn't want to have this conversation in her bra. "Well, I was frustrated. Before that guy appeared, Shego had been just about to kiss me. Everything had been perfect until then, we walked about, talked about this and that, the mood was perfect and just right before it happened that idiot interrupted us. I guess I just-" She shrugged. "You know."

"So, you didn't just attack him out of the blue?"

"No. I wouldn't do that. He was just asking for it. And I was just shorting out in that moment. It wasn't planned."

"And sleeping with Shego? Is that something that happens regularly or was that also not planned?" Her mother was clearly uncomfortable with it but apparently needed to know for her own peace of mind.

"Also not planned. It just happened. But before you ask, no, I don't regret any of it. And no, it didn't happen regularly, it was the first time." Kim bit her lip. "Though maybe now it might happen more often since we're a couple and such."

"A couple? This is all a bit sudden, isn't it?" Her mother was visibly confused.

"Not really. Our relationship had been evolving for quite some time. I think we would have… ended up in bed with each other some day anyway. The invasion and us working so closely together to defeat it, has somehow put us on the fast track to it."

"But is this just a physical thing? I mean, I'd like to believe we raised you better than to make that into a relationship."

"It's not just physical. We have a connection with each other. We get each other on some weird level, I can't explain. And I feel comfortable with her around." Kim smiled widely.

Kim's mother sighed. "But you two were constantly at each other's throat not even six months ago. What changed that you suddenly decide to become an item?"

"I don't know. It just happened." Kim rubbed her hand across her forehead in defeat. "Not knowing is becoming a standard for me currently, I'm afraid. All I know is that we're both not sure if this is going to work or not. But I think we're both ready to put in the effort to make this work."

"I don't know, Kimmie. This all sounds like a set-up to me. Are you sure she isn't up to something and just using you?"

Her mother's concern was touching. She still wanted to protect her from harm. But in this case, Kim knew this wouldn't be necessary. "Mom, you should see the way she is around me. She's just so vulnerable and insecure sometimes. It's just… It's like she also doesn't know what this is and is just taking one step at a time. She is so considerate, but also so deeply passionate about things she cares about. She isn't just evil. She actually isn't even evil in the classical sense of it. She turned to crime because it was easier, and she could be who she wanted to be. She showed me something of what she does to make this world a little better. And we talked about some stuff. She actually inspired me to go to college and to not just rely on my reputation to open doors."

Kim's mother stood up. And walked a few steps up and down. "I…" She started and stopped, only to walk some more steps. "She did that?"

Kim nodded. "She did. And she also made me reconsider my choice of a major. I want to make a difference. And just pursuing criminals won't solve anything. I want to major in something that will be beneficial to people before they even consider having to turn to crime to solve their problems."

"It seems, she really isn't trying to turn you to the bad side." Her mother leaned against her desk.

"No. She actually dissuaded me from it quite decidedly." Kim grinned.

"She seems full of surprises." Her mother moved over to the window and looked out.

"She is and I want to get to know her fully and just share things with her. The little things and the big things." Kim had a dopey smile on her face. Thinking about Shego and all the possibilities made her feel warm all over and her stomach do flips.

"One last thing: How does she make you feel?"

Kim looked at her mother's back for a moment and then down onto her bed. How did Shego make her feel? She closed her eyes and pictured Shego. She was smirking that one smirk that always got to her. But Kim didn't feel anger or even exasperation. All she felt was… "Warm. She makes me feel warm, and comfortable, and like I can be me without being questioned about it. And weirdly, she makes me feel safe." Kim looked up at her mother confusedly. "And I wanna make her feel the same." Her mother nodded slowly and turned around, smiling. Kim sharply breathed in, realization setting in. "Is this what love feels like?"

Her mother came over to her and gently touched her face. "You'll figure it out, Kimmie. Together." She dropped her hand and jerked her head towards the window. "I believe you got a visitor." She walked out the room but stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Dinner's in about half an hour if your brothers haven't burned down the pizza place. I'll call you when your father returns."

Kim sat on her bed for a few seconds, staring at the space where her mother had just disappeared. That went better than she had expected. Wait, visitor. But where? She searched her room and her eyes landed on the window.

She wouldn't, would she? On second thought, she would definitely. Kim stood up and walked over to the window opening it. She peered into the darkness, trying to adjust her eyes to it. She was suddenly blinded by a small green flame.

"Good evening, Princess. Had a nice chat with your mother?" Shego smirked, appearing just inches away.

"You're-" Kim started but didn't finish the sentence, instead she opted for pulling Shego into a kiss in a spur of the moment decision.

"You could've used the front door, you know?" Kim beamed, giving Shego room to slip through the window.

"And miss this? Never. Besides, I don't want to face your parents." Shego let herself drop into Kim's desk chair.

Kim closed the window and sat down onto the end of her bed. Grinning, she innocently looked from the floor up to Shego. "Kimmie?" Shego was immediately suspicious.

"Well… you know…" Kim drawled.

"Oh, spit it out already!" Shego got impatient.

"My mom wants you to stay for dinner." Kim rushed out.

Shego's brows shot upwards. "Excuse me? She wants what? Why?"

"Because she knows about us now and I think she wants to let my dad know like that."

"Who does let people know about things like that?" Shego drew her brows together.

"We call it the Stoppable-way of letting people know. We present him with a fait accompli, and he can't do much anymore but grumble." Kim smiled encouragingly. "And he will grumble. Oh, how he will grumble. But this way it's easier, believe me. Especially because he still sees me as his little girl." She chuckled. "I guess that illusion is something my mother can't have anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she might've seen what you did to my back and figured it out. She was quite shocked at first, but I think she came around in the end." Kim shrugged.

"Is it really that bad?" Shego looked at her, concern evident in her eyes.

"No." Kim tried to assuage her concern. "It's just one or two scratches that don't really like it when I stretch too far."

Shego got up and sat down next to Kim. "Could I see?" She asked gingerly.

"Uh, sure." Kim was slightly taken aback by the question. She was so used to Shego just taking what she wanted and if she had a question it was not this demure. Nevertheless, she pulled up the back of her shirt and turned herself.

"Wow." Shego breathed softly and let her hand slowly drift across the scratches, causing Kim to shiver delightfully. The hand stilled. "You cold?"

"No." Kim rasped hoarsely. "Quite the opposite in fact."

The hand slipped lower and around her. Shego's chin came to rest on her shoulder. "Should it be that I turn you on?" She purred.

Kim turned around and put her arms around Shego's neck and gave her a coy look. "That you do. But I'm not complaining."

Shego gave in and captured Kim's lips. After some moments, they let themselves fall onto the bed and were heavily making out.

They didn't hear the heavy footsteps that raced up the stairs to Kim's room, but what they heard were the screams of Kim's brothers.

"Tweebs!" Kim yelled. "You ever heard about privacy!?"

"We can't hear you, we're blind." They said in unison, holding their hands in front of their eyes.

"What do you want?" Kim jumped up from her bed, threatening bodily harm to her brothers.

"Mom sent us after you didn't respond." Jim said.

"Isn't that Shego?" Tim questioned.

Behind her, Kim only heard Shego groan. Se decided it was time to send her brother's running. She assumed an especially threatening stance. "Go and tell mom you did your job before I kill you. We'll be down in a minute."

Her brothers looked at her with big eyes and wisely decided to retreat.

Kim relaxed her stance, turned around and looked at Shego. "I'm sorry."

Shego sat up. "What are you sorry for? That was maybe not how I had pictured it going, but now your father will be clued in as to what we get up to."

Kim buried her head in her hands and groaned. Shego got up and put her hands onto Kim's shoulders. "Hey, it won't be that bad. I'll promise I'll be on my best behavior."

Kim looked up. How did she deserve to get to see Shego like this? This softer side to her. Kim smiled and just tightly hugged her. Shego hugged her back. It was a very soft moment.

Kim stepped back but kept the contact. "Thank you."

"No problem. Should we go?" Shego smiled.

"Let's go." Kim grabbed Shego's hand and led her down to the dining room.

Chapter Text

Shego was led into the dining room by Kim, who even in the presence of her family refused to let go of her hand. Shego confusedly looked down at their hands and then questioningly up at Kim. Kim smiled at her encouragingly and with a look that seemed to say, 'I'm not letting you go.'

Kim cleared her throat to get the attention of her family and Shego just watched. Internally she was really nervous, but she tried to not betray that to the outside. Especially not now the whole Possible family had their eyes on them.

"You probably remember Shego, my former arch-nemesis. I just want you to know that she is my girlfriend now, as in we're in a relationship." Kim said resolutely and led them over to the table.

Shego could only obey Kim's slight push onto a chair and had to get herself back into the now. She had expected anything but that. Well, I guess, anything is possible for a Possible. She looked up and found herself being stared down by Kim's dad. If looks could kill, she'd be meat paste right now. Did he know what happened Friday night? Did he know that she practically defiled his daughter? No, probably not, otherwise she'd probably have been strapped to some rocket already.

Shego decided to just observe for now. The Possibles were a quick adjusting and accepting bunch of people. This would hopefully hold true now, too.

"So, Kim, anything else you want to tell us?" Kim father carefully enunciated, with a quiet rage in his voice.

Shego's heart rate involuntarily quickened, her hands became clammy. She tried to wipe them on her jeans before folding them in front of her and laying them on the table. She swallowed hard and tried to push the sudden onset of panic down. Kim's hand landed on her thigh and squeezed it lightly. It pulled her back down to reality and calmed her a bit. She wasn't in the clear yet, but Kim's soothing strokes on her thigh did wonders for her.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I was the other woman from the police report this morning. I punched that guy." Kim looked directly at her father. She was taking responsibility for her actions.

Her father laboriously breathed in. "Why?"

"Because I was frustrated with everything and he appeared at the wrong time in the wrong place and spouted some very idiotic, homophobic and misogynistic stuff. And I was just short circuiting, I guess." Kim held his stare.

"Is this true?" He turned his icy look to Shego.

"It is absolutely true." Shego tried to hold the look but failed in the end.

"And why should I trust you?"

"Because if I were to have had any say in it, the moron would've ended up in intensive care with third degree burns all over his body… Sir." Shego held his stare this time, trying to leave no doubt as to her sincerity.

"And why is that?" He was vetting her, she realized. Questioning her intentions, without actually doing so openly.

"Because the guy was threatening your daughter. And I do not take well to that." The hand on her thigh stopped in its motions.

"Because you're the only one that can threaten her?"

"James!" Ann Possible exclaimed, shocked.

Shego slightly raised a hand to stop her. "It's alright." She turned her gaze back to Kim's father. "No. I have a deep respect for your daughter's abilities. And I know very well just how able she is at taking care of and defending herself. I've been on the receiving end of it often enough. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't try to protect her in any way I can." The hand on her thigh clasped down hard in silent protest, so she went on quickly. "Though I also realize that me protecting her means I'll have to accept that she'll fight alongside me. And I can live with that. Actually, I wouldn't have it any other way. I intend this to be an equal relationship. Anything else just wouldn't be fair to any of us."

"So, you're committed?" His icy stare was mellowing a bit.

"I am fully committed to try my best. I don't know, if this will last, but for as long as it'll last, I'll put in the work." Shego was absolutely serious about that. She had had two days to think about what she wanted from this relationship and had realized that this might be the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. She was happier when Kim was around and a little more carefree when looking at the world as a whole. She really wanted to make this work.

"Kim?" Kim's father turned his attention back to his daughter.

Shego found Kim's eyes trained on her when she looked to the side. She locked eyes with her and found herself falling into them. They were full of admiration and so gentle. And there was a hint of something more, something Shego didn't want to identify. Mainly because it scared the living daylights out of her.

But she, in turn, dropped her guard and let everything she felt openly reflect in her eyes. It must have given Kim the answer she evidently was looking for and then some. Kim slowly let her eyes fall close and then turned to her father.

When she finally spoke, she did it with an unwavering voice. "Dad, I know you might not understand it, but I am absolutely sure about this. I didn't enter this relationship blindly. I know there will be fights and they will most likely be incredibly intense. But that is how we always communicated in a way. But I think we can also find a way to communicate that is less violent. We don't always have to fight when we are in the same room after all. And I am fully committed to make this work, too. I know this sounds so much like trying to force something, but I'm not. I don't know either if this'll last. But for as long as it does, I'm in it a hundred percent."

Kim's father looked at them with a long, hard look. And then he blinked, and all the hardness was gone. "Alright then. Who wants a pepperoni pizza?"

"We do!" The twins exclaimed and held their hands out.

They had been noticeably quiet throughout the whole exchange. They were little geniuses, so much Shego knew. But they hadn't made that much of an appearance when she had stayed with the Possibles before. She realized that she didn't know all that much about them. Did they have any problems with their sister being in a relationship with her? Or did they just roll with the punches like the rest of their family? She would talk to them if she ever got the chance to.

A pizza carton was put in front of her. She stared at it uncomprehendingly for some moments, a thousand different thoughts running through her mind.

"Didn't think you'd actually get dinner, when I spoke of dinner, did ya?" Shego was torn from her thoughts and whipped her head around to look at Kim. Then the question finally caught up with her.

"No, frankly, I didn't."

"Well, then you better believe it. You got a whole pizza to your name. Dig in." Kim laughed and bit into a slice of her own pizza.

Shego looked around the table. They were all eating happily, and it seemed that, just like that, she'd become part of it. She opened the box and found her favorite pizza inside. They must've ordered one for her. But Kim's mother didn't know about them until this evening. She must've gone to the effort and called her husband to order one more. And she had remembered the way she liked her pizza. This family would be the death of her one of these days. Why couldn't they be normal? She took her first slice and let her gaze roam around the table again. No, she would definitely not want them in normal. They were brilliant in the way they were.

"So, Kimmie, how was Spain?" Kim's mother started a conversation.

"Sunny and hot, mainly. Not much hassle." Kim replied between bites.

"Wait, you go on missions alone now? What about Stoppable?" Shego almost choked. Kimmie did go on missions alone? Whatever happened to Team Possible?

"Ron's in Japan getting training as Monkey Master." Kim half-shrugged. "And the only time I realistically needed him, was when we fought Drakken and you. And that only because you took your job as a sidekick seriously and are a really good fighter."

"So, you used him as a distraction?" Shego asked pointedly. She knew Kim didn't really want to admit it.

Kim cast her eyes down and mumbled. "Yeah…" She looked up again. "But he was capable, too. Just not as adept maybe."

"I never said he wasn't capable. I mean he kept up with you and you did some crazy stuff."

Kim narrowed her eyes. "Is that a compliment I'm hearing there?"

"No…" Shego drew out the vowel. It had been a compliment, but Kim didn't need to get it immediately.

"It was. That was clearly a compliment." Kim smiled at her smugly.

"So, what? Sue me." Shego couldn't help but snark back a little.

"No. But I might do something else." Kim smirked at her. Oh, the game was so on.

"Oh, and what would that be? Fight me and actually win?" Shego raise a brow challengingly.

"Last time I checked; I did actually win. And the time before that. And the time before that."

"You wouldn't stand a chance against me in a fight. Without exploding lairs and me having to save Dr. D's butt." Shego smirked.

"I know that." Shego was a little surprised by that admission. "But no one said anything about fighting fair."

"Oh, little Miss Perfect suddenly doesn't wanna fight fair anymore? That's new. Where'd you pick that up?" Shego wanted to cross her arms to completely slip into taunting mode, but she resisted the urge.

Kim smiled predatorily and Shego grew just a smidge concerned. "I learned that from the best."

Shego actually broke out laughing. "Oh, did you now?" She calmed down and smiled widely. "I guess that college degree paid off in the end."

Kim's hand shot upwards and gently landed on Shego's cheek. "I'd say not only that paid off in the end." Kim murmured. Shego leaned into the touch and they got lost in their own little world for a moment.

"Are you gonna make out again?" Their tranquility was disturbed by Kim's brothers.

Shego glared at them with a withering stare. "No. I do have a sense of decency. Unless others." She suddenly changed to smiling sweetly. They immediately knew what she was referring to. And they also seemed to realize that good was a choice for her now and not physically mandatory. They wisely shrunk back a little.

"Okay. No fighting at the table." The Possible matriarch put her foot down. "Now, if everyone is finished, hand me the boxes and I'll throw them out."

Shego also got up. "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, that's not necessary. Sit down."

"Please, I insist." Shego felt Kim's confused look on her. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder and shortly looked at her to calm her down. She wanted to talk with Kim's mother to make sure she was as alright with this as it seemed.

"Alright, if you insist." Kim's mother smiled warmly at her and handed her a few boxes. She seemed to have gotten the hint. She walked out of the dining room and Shego followed her.

Chapter Text

They had gone outside and thrown away the boxes in the recycling bin. Kim's mother had led them around a corner to a bench that stood on the side of the house. She had indicated for Shego to sit down and then followed suit.

"I gathered you wanted to talk to me about something." Kim's mother smiled.

"Yes, I did. I do." Shego was stumbling over her words.

"No need to be nervous. You can trust me, I'm a doctor." Shego looked at her incredulously, Kim's mother smirked, ready to burst out laughing.

"Was that… A bad joke?" She slowly shook her head.

"Sorry. I just couldn't resist. But really, you don't need to be nervous."

"Can't help it. Past experiences have taught me to be careful and old habits are hard to shake." Shego shrugged, a haunted look crossing her eyes for a split second.

"I understand." Kim's mother looked at her empathetically. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I just wanted to make sure, if you're really as alright with Kim and me as you seem." Shego scrunched up her face apologetically. "Not that it-"

"-would make much of a difference, I'm afraid." When Shego just looked at her surprised, she elaborated. "I learned a long time ago that when it comes to these things in particular, parents can't do much. They can offer their opinion but that's it. The decision still isn't theirs to make."

"Past experiences?"

Kim's mother smiled sadly with a faraway look and nodded.

"I'm sorry." Shego said sympathetically.

"Don't be, it worked out in the end. But this isn't about me, this is about Kim and you." She turned serious.

"Yes, so, you are alright with it?" Shego got back to the matter at hand.

Kim's mother shrugged. "As long as your intentions are good, I won't interfere."

"But you want to? Please, be honest. I can't convince you of my motives when you're not honest with your objections."

Kim's mother looked out over the yard and deeply sighed. "Okay." She fixed Shego with a hard stare. "After all the time Kim and you fought each other, I just don't really understand what has changed that you both suddenly don't anymore."

"Our relationship with each other has always been of a somewhat strange nature. At least since she got me to help my brothers get their powers back. My brothers and I usually aren't exactly on speaking terms with each other, but she got us to work together again. And I started to respect her for her fighting abilities more and more after each of our usually short fights. We actually started talking when we fought." Shego amusedly snorted quietly.

"You started talking? About what?"

"When I say talk, I mean we started to trade quips and bantered away with each other. And then we fought some more. Our fighting became a way of communication. We challenged each other with it. We made each other better and refined our styles."

"But it can't have been just fighting and banter? There must've been more? Come on, I already know more about your relationship than I'd like to." She closed her eyes, a troubled look appearing on her face for a moment, before opening them again.

"Very well. I occasionally started to throw a flirty comment her way. I just wanted to throw her off her game. Let me tell you, it didn't work. Especially in the last year when I decided to get a bit more aggressive with it. Your daughter gives just as good as she gets in every respect. But I never expected her to actually mean any of it. I just filed it under she's cottoned on to my attempts and was trying to use my tactics against me."

"She meant it?" Comprehension seemed to slowly set in with Kim's mother.

"She meant everything. That's mainly why I personally never understood why she was with Stoppable. Sure, he's a good guy and such, but I had never understood why, when she had him, she was still coming on to me so strong. And then I just thought that maybe, because we always had this physicality going, we just had some unresolved… tension that would someday rectify itself."

Kim's mother looked at her with narrowed eyes. She knew they were getting to the heart of the matter. "What changed?"

Shego scanned the yard. Then she pulled out her wallet, plucked a slightly singed picture from it and handed it over. "One of Drakken's henchmen found it. I made him swear on his life and that of his family to never breathe a word of it to anyone."

Kim's mother studied the picture in the dim light of a window nearby. "You look… happy. You both do. This was when you were staying with us, right?" She looked up and handed the picture back.

Shego looked at it wistfully. "Yes. And that's when things started to change. I saw Kim in a new light. She was doing so much along with her hero work. And she still found time to hang with me. We did so many things together. Sure, I did feel a bit bad that she blew off Stoppable for me, but the real me was still there in the back of my mind, buried, and it justified things pretty well for myself. We were developing a connection with each other. After that whole thing, I understood so much more. And I might've realized that maybe it wasn't just physical… tension… between us." Shego slipped the picture back into her wallet and pocketed it again.

"You were a hero once. Kim said, you chose evil because you could be who you wanted to."

Shego sighed. "I did. Everyone was putting their expectations on me. In a way, society forced me to become who I am now. And that's also why I put Kim onto the track of university instead of just relying on her reputation. She's a hero. The world needs her to stay that way, whether she or the world ever come to realize it."

"You mean, you need her to stay that way?" Kim's mother interjected doubtfully.

"No. Kim staying on the side of good has nothing to do with me. Should she ever turn, the world will burn because she wouldn't care about the lives of others." Shego admitted grimly.

"Surely, she wouldn't get that ruthless." Kim's mother seemed appalled.

Shego looked at her for a long moment until comprehension dawned on her. "She never told you, did she?"

"Told me what?"

"What she did to me on the night of the Lil' Diablo incident."

"She got Drakken and you arrested, I presume."

A dark look crossed Shego's face. The night still haunted her sometimes. How had she let Drakken get that far? Messing with a teenager's mind and playing with their emotions was something that was just as bad as mind control in her books. True, she had played along. But she had never imagined that Kim had been so emotionally invested in the drone.

"That, too. But me… She had kicked me into a signal tower, and I got electrocuted with several hundreds, possibly thousands, of volts. And if that wasn't bad enough, the tower came down on top of me and buried me under it. They had to clear the remains from atop me to drag me out from under it. All the while, Kim stood off to the side with the police and didn't even seem to care that I could've died."

Kim's mother looked at her with a shocked expression. She didn't seem like she could quite comprehend how uncaring her daughter had acted.

"In the end, I realized that I had just been the unfortunate target for everything she had kept bottled up. And we all have a bad day now and again." She smiled mirthlessly.

"A bad day? She could've killed you." Kim's mother paused and narrowed her eyes. "And you didn't retaliate."

Shego nodded approvingly. "Exactly. I realized that little Kimmie had been straddling the edge in that moment. Heroes that stop caring about the lives of their adversaries quickly fall and become villains. I didn't want to be the reason she fell."

"Why not?"

Shego unseeingly fixed a point on the floor in front of her. Her shoulders dropping slightly. "Back in the day, I knew a few heroes that turned. But as soon as they got to powerful, Global Justice swooped in and dealt with them. And it's not pretty. That's part of the reason, why I started as Drakken's sidekick instead of just my own thing."

"They didn't seem that bad from what Kim told me."

"They only care about results and as long as they get those, they are quite manageable. As soon as someone stops cooperating with them, they come down on them quite hard. And when someone should go so far and directly attack them… Well, we all know what people drunk on power with virtually unlimited resources are capable of."

They stared ahead, both silently acknowledging the unspoken truth.

"Then, I guess, it's good for Kim to have you at her side to keep her on the right path." Kim's mother smiled at Shego with genuine affection.

"I'll give my best, but I'll make no promises." She smirked.

Kim's mother turned serious. "You genuinely care about my daughter?"

"I do."

"And she is safe with you?" She immediately followed up.

Shego got very serious herself. "If you were thinking for one moment that she wouldn't be, do you really think we'd be having this conversation right now? Don't you think my brain wouldn't already be in a jar in your office if you had any doubts about my intentions?" She grimly smiled.

Kim's mother inclined her head a little and raised her brows acquiescingly. "True. Though my husband might still have reservations about you, I think you're telling the truth and would do anything to protect Kim."

"Thank you… I think." Shego looked down at her knees and thought about why she cared so much about what Kim's family thought about it. Was it just because she wanted to be accepted? Or did she just not want Kim to have to make a choice between her heart and her family?

She felt that she was being scrutinized. She looked up and questioningly raised her brows.

"I'm sorry, if I get a little personal here, but…" Kim's mother trailed off, hesitating.

"What is it?" Why did people never just ask?

Kim's mother narrowed her eyes. "Do you love my daughter?"

"I-" Shego had expected many things but that had not been it. Did she love Kim? It would certainly seem like something akin to it was forming, but did she love her? It was certainly a complicated thing between them that was only made worse by the fact they had been enemies for so long. Did they even trust each other? She was comfortable with Kim around. She wanted to tell her how her day had been, what stupid hour-long rants Drakken had gurgled out again, how bored out of her mind she had been with it all, and how she couldn't wait for her contract to end. Basically, that was the reason she had been outside Kim's window in the first place. She just wanted to see her, talk to her, listen to her. She actually wanted to know how Kim's day had been, if she had made any headway in her quest for higher education. Was this a sign that she was serious about this whole relationship? Was this a sign of love? She sighed. "It's complicated, I'm afraid."

"Complicated how?" Kim's mother didn't back down.

"I feel-"

"Shego? Mom? Are you out here?" Shego was saved from having to delve deeper into her feelings by Kim.

"We're around the side, Kimmie." Her mother called out. Moments later, Kim walked around the corner. Shego involuntarily beamed brightly and Kim's mother only looked at her knowingly and smiled.

"There you are. We got a little worried when you didn't come back." Kim sat down between her mother and Shego and leaned against Shego's side. Shego slipped her arm around her instinctively. Kim's arms came to rest on top of them.

Kim's mother stood up. "I better head inside then. Don't want anyone staging a rescue mission." She smiled kindly at them. Then she looked directly at Shego and nodded. Shego got the impression that Kim's mother, in fact, knew much more than she led on. "And don't get too frisky, girls." She turned and vanished around the corner.

Kim swung up her legs onto the bench and leaned more fully into Shego's side. "You were brilliant in there."

Shego nuzzled the top of Kim's head. "I tried my best. To be honest, it was quite scary."

"I noticed. I was worried for a moment, you'd bolt. What had you so panicked?" Kim's concern was evident in her voice.

Shego was quiet for a while. This was something that had to do with her personal past and why she, in part, became who she was today. Did she trust Kim enough to reveal that part of her past? She closed her eyes and listened to what she was feeling in that moment. She felt calm and safe. Like nothing could harm her. She actually felt at peace with the world for a change.

"It's a long story." She opened her eyes again and spoke calmly.

"I got time and I'm willing to listen." Kim turned her face upwards.

"Be that as it may, it isn't a story for today. Maybe some other day." Shego smiled. She didn't feel ready to face those particular demons of her past just yet.

"Hm. Alright." Kim hummed acquiescingly. Shego was grateful for the respite she got in that matter. Someday she would tell Kim about it all, someday she would face those demons, but not today, not right now.

"So, how was your day? How is the search for a university going?" Shego tried to steer the conversation into a lighter territory.

"Ugh…" Kim whole-heartedly groaned. "Don't remind me."

Shego laughed out loud. "That bad, huh?"

"Worse." Kim laughed along.

Shego decided for herself that if this was how things between them were going to be, she was absolutely there for it. But she also knew that these quiet moments would eventually come to an end. She only hoped it was still a ways off.

Chapter Text

Shego was reading an interesting article in the Villains Weekly when her phone rang. A very bad feeling started in the pit of her stomach. She looked at the screen and saw Kim's name. Kim had never before called when she knew her to be with Drakken. It had never happened in all the weeks they had been together now. The bad feeling became outright dread.

"Shego, your phone is ringing!" Drakken was stating the obvious as usual. Shego elected to ignore him for now in favor of actually taking the call.

"Kim?"

"Shego? Oh, thank god, I've reached you. I really need your help right now." Kim sounded desperate. And were that-

"Are those gun shots?" Shego was shocked. How had Kim ended up getting shot at.

"Yes." Kim panted. "Fuck!" A bang sounded exceptionally close. Too close. "Hold on, I need to relocate."

Shego only heard rustling for the next few seconds. She assumed Kim had shoved the phone in her pocket. She patiently waited for Kim to answer again. But not without getting increasingly anxious with every passing second. Drakken chose that exact moment to put his nose where it didn't belong.

"Kim? As in Kim Possible? Since when does Kim Possible call you? Why would she even-" Shego pinched his mouth shut.

"None. Of. Your. Business." She didn't have any patience to deal with him right now. Pushing him back she got up and started pacing, intently listening to the sounds on the other side of the line.

Then the rustling stopped.

"You still there?" Kim sounded out of breath.

"Of course, I'm still there. What is hell going on there?" Shego's anxiety about the whole situation slowly became anger. Anger at the idiots that had the gall to shoot at her girlfriend.

"I don't know. I went on a mission. A diplomat was supposed to be kidnapped here. I got here and they started shooting at me. I barely made it out alive. But now they are chasing me, and I can't escape. They got every escape route blocked. I really need your help."

"Where are you? I'll be there as soon as possible." Shego was already running for the exit, leaving behind a stunned Dr. Drakken.

"Listen, I gotta keep moving, otherwise they'll catch up to me. Wade can help you locate my exact position. He's most likely got me chipped."

"And how do I reach your nerdlinger?" Shego slipped behind the wheel of her car.

"I have an old Kimmunicator in my room. It should be in my desk." Kim sounded anxious again. Shego heard yelling in the background. "Shit, they found me again. I gotta run. And Shego?"

"What is it, Cupcake?"

"I'm really scared." Kim's fear was palpable. Shego's anger at the idiots reached a boiling point. If she got her hands on them, they would most likely not survive the encounter.

"It'll probably take me a few hours to reach you, but I'll be there before you know it. Just… keep moving." Kim hung up and Shego stashed her phone in the cup holder. She drove out of the lair and towards the Possible household. Speed limits were just a fickle suggestion to her.

When she reached the house, she jumped out of the car. At the door, she took a calming breath. It wouldn't help anyone if she lost it now. Nevertheless, she urgently banged on the door with her fist.

The door was quickly opened by Kim's mother. "Shego?"

Pushing past her, Shego sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time. "Kim's in trouble."

She opened the first drawer on Kim's desk and rummaged around for the Kimmunicator. Not finding it, she slammed the drawer shut and moved on. Meanwhile, Kim's mother had caught up to her.

"What do you mean, Kim's in trouble? She's on a mission rescuing a diplomat."

"It was a fake. She called me. They're trying to kill her." She was frantically rifling through the drawers.

"What?" Kim's mother was stunned.

"Yeah. And if I get my hands on them, they'll be the ones dead." She found the Kimmunicator and turned it on.

Wade appeared on the screen. "Kim, why are you-"

"I'm not Kim. She's in trouble and said you got her chipped. I need her location now." Shego's patience was wearing thin.

"Why would I give that to you?" Wade was defiant.

"Because my girlfriend is getting shot at somewhere and if you don't do what I tell you, you'll be the first one to feel my wrath." She hissed through gritted teeth.

"You're- Kim's-" He swallowed. "Kim's getting shot at?"

"Yes. So, location, now!" She barked. She might even feel a little sorry for him if it wouldn't be such a dire situation.

"A small town on the west coast. An old trainyard."

"Shit. That's farther away than I hoped."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I got an idea how to get there. Can you have the location data aircraft compatible?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks. I'll be in touch." She closed the connection and turned towards Kim's mother again.

"Oh dear, you're shaking." Kim's mother laid her hands on Shego's shoulders.

She shook them off. She had no need for sympathy now. "I promise to get her out of there. No matter what."

"What's going on here?" Kim's father came up the stairs.

"Kim's in trouble, honey." Kim's mother called down the hall.

"I always knew Shego would get her in trouble." He snorted derisively.

"As a matter of fact…" Shego loudly spoke up and stepped into the hallway. "…I'm the one who'll get her out of trouble. And if you got a problem with that, so be it. I'm not letting some morons kill her."

"Kill her? What do you mean?" He stopped short at the landing.

"Her rescue mission was a fake and they are currently chasing her around a trainyard and shooting at her. She called me for help. I'm gonna dash. I don't have time for chit-chat right now." Shego walked towards him and rudely pushed him aside.

"If my daughter's in danger, I'm coming too." He grabbed her upper arm.

"No!" She abruptly turned around, ripping her arm from his grasp, and heatedly stared at him. "No. You are staying right where you are. It's bad enough that Kim is in danger. But I won't put your life on the line, too."

"And I'm supposed to believe that you'd willingly risk your own life for her?" He stared right back at her. She felt how much he just wanted to run and save his little girl. But this was not his place. Kim had called her and not him for help.

"If it means getting her to safety, then yes." She held his stare for what seemed like hours.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" A mirthless laugh escaped her. "I love her, and I'd do anything for her, including willingly laying down my life." Shego finally broke their staring match and looked to the floor. The urgency of the situation catching up to her again. "And right now, we are wasting precious time that could decide about her survival. I'm going. Alone. I've got a plan. And at the end, I'll bring her back safely. Even if it's the last thing I'll do."

Shego turned around and descended the stairs. At the bottom she was held up by Kim's father. "Shego?" She looked up over her shoulder. "Good luck." She smiled and nodded before walking back to her car.

A deep breath she didn't know she was holding escaped her. Starting the engine, she planned a route in her head. Firstly, she would need to make a short stop at her apartment. She drove off, hoping for light traffic.

When she finally made it into her apartment after, what seemed to her, hours but were just a few minutes in reality, she went straight for her closet.

Shoving aside some clothes on hangers, she revealed a concealed safe. Scanning her palm and then punching in a sixteen-digit code unlocked it.

Inside was something she didn't want to fall into the wrong hands. Two black vests. Bullet resistant vests to be exact. Those weren't ordinary ones either. They were incredibly lightweight for their bullet stopping capabilities.

The last time she wore one was when she found out firsthand what Global Justice did to heroes-come-villains. It wasn't pretty. And after, she hoped she would never need one of these vests again.

She grabbed one and put it on. Fastening the straps on the sides, she hoped it would be enough protection.

Grabbing the second one, she almost sprinted out of her place and into the elevator.

Go City was her next stop. The Team Go Jet was the only piece of transportation to get her to the west coast in about an hour. She just needed to get to it. Which would probably be quite easy. Her brother, the numbnuts, probably never updated the security at Go Tower.

Reaching the tower half an hour later, she hoped Team Go would not be there. She didn't want to explain why she turned up in a vest and needed the jet. It would only cost her time.

She put her hand on the scanner by the door and flashed her glow for a second. As expected, the door opened. If she ever would've cared enough about destroying her brothers-

She didn't get farther in her thoughts for she saw Hego sitting at the big table. He turned around when he heard the door. "Shego?"

"Hi?" She uncertainly raised her free hand.

"What are you doing here?" He seemed very confused.

"I'm just-"

"Shego? What are you doing here?" Mego had appeared from somewhere.

"Seriously? Is there an echo in here?" She walked forward into the main chamber, shaking her head in disbelief. "Anyway, can I take the jet for a mission?"

"What kind of mission?" Hego was already aggravating her by his mere presence. And now he was asking stupid questions, too.

"I need it. That's reason enough."

"But-"

She held up her hand. "Honestly. We both know, I'm only asking because I'm trying to be nice. I'm taking it and that's that."

Hego helplessly looked to Mego for support. His brother only shrugged. "What do you expect?" And then he turned to Shego and looked her over. "Why exactly are you suddenly wearing a vest again? I thought you swore to never touch it after what happened. And why do you carry around another?"

Shego rolled her eyes heavenward and took a deep breath to calm down. "Since I don't want to get shot. And for all your sakes, I hope she is still alive when I get there."

"Who?" Hego's was very close to getting his ass whooped, if he didn't stop questioning everything.

"Kim. And now get outta my way." She pushed past him towards the hangar.

"Kim? As in Kim Possible? Since when do you go around rescuing Kim Possible?" Hego was following her and Mego seemed to be just along for the ride. He probably hoped she would beat Hego up.

"If you must know, since we're together. And now stop following me." Just keep walking. It ran through her head again and again and again. She really didn't want her brothers, especially Hego, in her personal affairs.

"Together? So, you two are fighting crime together? That's commendable. I always knew-"

"Uh, Hego? I don't think she meant it like that." Mego interrupted his brother.

"But-" Hego started and Shego's patience ran out. She spun around and fixed him with her most intense look. Mego wisely stepped a few feet away from his brother.

"Kim and I are an item. We are together as in we are in a relationship. As in we kiss and more. You are such an idiot." She was yelling. She didn't want to be yelling.

"But that's unnatural. You know what our parents would say-" Shego shot a big blast of plasma right in front of his feet. This was exactly why she had hoped he wouldn't be here.

"I don't give a flying fuck what our parents would say. And if you can't keep you narrowminded, bigoted and, frankly, stupid opinions to yourself…" She kept her free hand blazing brightly.

"How can you say such a thing? They did nothing but love and support you. And you went and chose a life of deviancy and perversion. And now you involve Miss P-"

Shego fired another blast, and this time she didn't miss. She hit him squarely in the chest. He yelped and ran away. He was lucky that his suit protected him from most of her powers by design.

Shego extinguished her plasma and looked at Mego with raised brows.

"That went well." Mego smirked.

"I'd say." She sighed. "Why does it always have to end this way?"

Her brother just shrugged. She turned around to finally get to the jet.

"Shego?" She turned around halfway. "Good for you. And give them hell from me, too."

Shego carefully studied her brother. "They don't know, do they?"

He smiled sadly. "Do you think I would be standing here, if they did?"

"True. Just don't let them influence the twins too much." She genuinely smiled. She always liked Mego. He had his heart in the right place and a brain in his skull. If he weren't so egocentric, she would probably get along with him for longer than a few hours at a time.

"I'll try my best. Good luck, sis." He turned around and left. She looked after him for a moment before she, too, turned and went into the hangar.

Chapter Text

Shego had been in the air for a few minutes when she contacted Wade again.

"You got the data?" She cut right to the chase.

"I do."

"What do you need to hook into the system?"

A small port popped out at the bottom of the Kimmunicator. "Something that can connect to this." He was quite clipped in his manner. She didn't fault him. After all, she had been the bad guy in his narrative for most of his life.

"Hang on. There might be- Ah." She popped the device onto a port on top of the instrument panel. "There you go." She was glad to have been responsible for a lot of the systems in the jet.

He started typing and Shego followed whatever he was doing on her navigational output. When he was finished, she corrected her course slightly. "Thank you." She focused on the sky outside.

"So, Kim and you are really together?" Wade's voice startled her slightly. She had thought he had disconnected when he was finished with transferring the data. She looked at him and stupidly blinked a few times.

"She hasn't told you?" Shego had presumed that by now all of Kim's closer friends knew about their relationship. Kim had been on a few missions since they had announced their relationship to her family. Why did she not tell her nerdlinger about it? Were they not friends?

"No. To be honest, it never came up. We don't often talk about personal things. I guess, I'm just a little surprised by it. So, you're really-"

"Yes. You got a problem with that?" Hego had done a number on her already frayed nerves.

"No. Not at all." He put his hands up.

"Good." For her, the conversation was over with this.

"So… This is long-term then?" She looked at him and then focused on the sky outside again. She had a flashback to when Kim had come over to work on her college situation when her family had driven her up the walls.

Kim had sat hunched over her laptop for hours at the breakfast bar, when Shego walked up from behind, slipped her arms around her and rested her chin on Kim's shoulder. "You should take a break and eat something."

"I'm almost done with this." Kim put her pen down and swiveled around. Shego put her hands on the counter on either side of her. "Then I'll take a big break."

"Hm-mh." Shego intoned doubtfully. "I'll remind you of your words in an hour."

"I promise. Please, just let me finish this. I'll make it worthwhile." Kim started her puppy dog pout and Shego folded immediately. She knew, she wouldn't stand a chance against it.

"Fine. Be that way." She turned around and walked to her sofa again, flopping down on it dramatically. "I'll be over here. My good looks withering away unappreciated."

Kim had to laugh and turned around shaking her head again.

Shego grinned to herself. She could listen to Kim's laugh all day. But even better than making her laugh was when Kim slipped back into work mode and started chewing on her pen again.

Crunch. Kim yelped and almost fell off the chair. She disbelievingly looked at what she had believed to be her pen. It wasn't a pen. Shego had sneakily switched it with a grissini.

"Shego!" Kim shot her a withering glare. She burst out laughing. It was short-lived for Kim launched herself at her. She dodged on instinct. "Come here! That was so not funny!"

They flew across Shego's apartment for almost half an hour in an impromptu sparring session when Kim's initial anger had dissipated. It had been exhilarating to fight Kim again.

"Ideally. At least if I have any say in it. Which I do incidentally." Shego turned to him.

"Woah. That's actually scary." Wade was taken aback.

"What is? That I have any say in a relationship between equals? Shocking, right?" She frowned, sarcasm lacing her tone.

"No. You were smiling. Actually smiling. I only know you to be scowling and angry. Kim must really be rubbing off on you."

She smirked when another recent memory made its way into her thoughts.

A week after the grissini incident, Kim had again fled her home and commanded the big window front in Shego's living area as her idea board. Complete with pictures and red string.

Shego had watched her make the first connections and then decided this was something she wouldn't want to eventually get roped into.

"I'm gonna go work out for a bit, if you don't mind." She had got up to get changed into more suitable clothes.

"Alright. Whatever you want." Kim answered absentmindedly, completely absorbed in her work.

About an hour, after a good, hard workout, Shego stepped back into the living area. Walking across to the fridge to get herself a bottle of water, she felt eyes on her tracking every movement.

When she turned around and looked over the bottle, she saw Kim staring at her with dark eyes and a hungry look. She smirked internally; externally for a moment while she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel.

She put the bottle down on the counter and sauntered towards her girlfriend with swaying hips. She knew exactly what she was doing. But who could blame her when she was looked at like that in her own home?

"See something you like, Princess?" Kim looked at her like a deer in the headlights and swallowed hard.

"I- Uhm- I- Yes." Shego saw Kim's arms lift up before undecidedly dropping again.

"You can touch me, you know?" She smirked, this time openly, and laid her hands on Kim's hips and trailing them up her sides.

It broke some barrier in Kim, and she grasped onto Shego, flipping them around, practically slamming Shego into the window behind.

Shego would've complained but she recognized that this was lust, and she wouldn't get through to Kim. And anyway, why would she complain when she had seen what was happening and poked Kim with a metaphorical stick. Also, Kim was doing wonders on her right now and, oh dear, she was doing everything right now except complain.

And with that, she had surrendered and enjoyed herself.

"You have no idea." She chuckled for a second before the gravity of the current situation caught up to her. "I really hope she's still alive."

Wade looked at her and then started typing on his keyboard for a moment. In a HUD on the jets window appeared a readout of vital signs. "Those are Kim's. She is still alive."

Shego refocused on the young genius on the small screen. She couldn't believe it. Did he actually help her? "Does Kim know about this?" It was the first thing that came to mind.

Wade looked everywhere except at her. "No." He mumbled.

"You sneaky little… Next you tell me you aren't engaging in some mad science experiments." She shook her head in disbelief. Kim knew the weirdest of people.

"I would never." Shego recognized this as a statement of plausible deniability. It could mean both, that he would never do such experiments, or that he would never tell her. In that moment, she just hoped he would never pursue a career in villainy. Or politics. Though in her books that was pretty much the same, with the only difference being that villains still had morals for the most part.

"Thank you." A deep sense of gratitude flooded her when she looked at the vitals in front of her again.

"No problem."

"No, I mean it. Thank you. You didn't need to show me this. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're right. I didn't need to, but I wanted to. And you seem to be honest when it comes to Kim." He briefly flashed a smile. "Also, you didn't need to jump into a jet and rescue her, risking your own life in the process. But you did it anyway. Without a second thought."

Shego let out a breath. "I did, didn't I?" She let her gaze sweep over the instruments in front of her. "What does that say about me?"

"That you care a great deal about her." It had been a rhetorical question, they both knew it, but sometimes even such a question needed a verbalized answer.

"Yeah, no kidding." Shego answered sarcastically but without malice. "Anyway, purely hypothetically, could you land this bird?"

"Not just hypothetically. Wait, what are you planning?"

Shego strapped the second vest on top of her own. "Oh, I'll just take a page out of Kimmie's book." She pulled a parachute from under the seat and strapped herself in.

"You're not thinking about dropping in on top of them. That would be highly dangerous." Wade's voice rose an octave or two.

"The only danger will be me. They won't expect someone to try something as stupid as that. Anyway, I also hope they will be focused on catching Kim and just won't look up." She checked her gear again whilst answering him. Anything to keep her mind occupied or else she might lose it. Everything about this was a huge risk to begin with. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong, and one of them or they both might end up dead. And she really didn't want to die today. But more importantly, she didn't want Kim to die today.

"Fine. But for the record, I don't like this one bit." Wade said, pulling a joystick towards himself.

"You don't have to like it. In fact, I don't even like it." Shego looked over the instruments once more. Then she peered outside. "This the correct location?"

"Yes. You're right on top of it."

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Turn this bird upside down and open the hatch."

"Good luck then. And give 'em hell." The jet inverted, slowed and the top opened.

Shego spared one last look at Kim's vitals, before she unbuckled her seatbelts and started dropping. The air whipped her hair and, for a second, she cursed at not having had the foresight to bring a hair tie. Then she focused on the rapidly approaching ground and on when she needed to deploy the parachute.

At the last possible moment, she ripped the cord, and the instant deceleration knocked the wind out of her. She really didn't like skydiving. Steering between two of the few buildings below her, she wondered why they hadn't noticed her yet.

It was promptly answered when several bullets rushed past her and shredded through her parachute. That definitely quickened her descent.

Several feet above the ground, she opened the harness of the parachute and went into freefall.

She rolled upon impact with the ground, quickly oriented herself and then dashed into a building nearby, keeping herself ready for a fight at a moment's notice.

Chapter Text

They had definitely seen her come down. She hoped that they assumed her to be injured, but realistically didn't hold out much hope for it.

They wanted to deal with Kim Possible with a full-frontal assault with guns. They were lucky that Kim had never had to deal with the reality of people actually killing her before or she would’ve most likely trained herself up to deal with such a threat.

But what they probably hadn't considered was Kim Possible's most formidable enemy actually coming to the rescue. With a vengeance. And not afraid to play exceptionally dirty. When Shego was honest with herself, she was ready to not only inflict severe bodily harm on the people here but to also kill them, if necessary.

She needed to find Kim fast. And without the aid of the Kimmunicator it would be a lot harder.

Or not.

"Psst. Shego." That had sounded like someone whispering her name. Shego looked around and realized she was in a building that had been probably used for storage, judging by the sheer amount of floor to ceiling shelves with big free space between them. "Up here." She looked up and on the topmost shelf she spotted a shock of red hair. Kim peered down at her and vanished out of sight again.

It was a good spot for hiding. Shego quickly made her way to the top and peered into the dimly illuminated space.

She spotted Kim curled up with her legs hugged tightly to herself a few feet away from her in the middle of the shelf. Crawling toward her, Shego's heart broke. It was a pitiable sight. Kim was visibly scared out of her mind. She hadn't yet been confronted with the harsh reality of hero work: that some villains were actually willing to cross the line and kill the hero.

She tentatively put her hands on top of Kim's knees, rubbing small circles with her thumbs. "Hey. I'm here. It'll be fine."

Kim launched herself at her and hugged her tightly. Rubbing Kim's back, Shego continued to whisper soothing words. She couldn't imagine what Kim was going through. Well, she could in a sense. Her own fear of losing Kim was potentially coming close.

"Kim." Shego pulled back and unstrapped the second vest. "You need to put this on."

Kim looked at her with the most confused expression a person could possibly have.

"It's a bullet resistant vest. I'm wearing one, too." To emphasize her point, she slapped her hand a few times on her own vest.

"Oh, okay." Kim warily took the vest and slipped it over her head. Shego helped her fasten it. It was apparent, Kim had never had anything to do with something like it.

Shego squeezed Kim's shoulders again. It was more to reassure herself. "We'll get through this. Together." She nodded. Kim quietly smiled at her.

"Alright. Do you know how many there are?" Shego needed to get the lowdown before she formulated any kind of plan.

"Seven, I think. Could be more. I never really cared about counting them, I was more concerned with running and hiding." Kim sassed. It was a step in the right direction.

"We need to draw them in the open. I can knock them out, but they need to be at one place." She wisely didn't say that she fully planned on knocking them out and firmly putting them into intensive care.

"I saw her slip in here." Voices below interrupted them.

Shego swallowed and nodded again. Peering over the edge, she took in the scene. It were only four men. They held their guns steady and didn't wave them about. Those were professionals. She sent a big thank you to any and every deity that might be responsible for Kim's survival.

She leant back and turned to Kim. "I'm gonna draw them outside. I don't want any nasty surprises if I can help it." She turned around and made to jump down when Kim grabbed her arm and pulled her back around again. Kim drew her into a kiss.

When they pulled apart, their foreheads were still touching. They looked into each other's eyes. Kim drew a breath.

"Don't." Shego put her right hand up and caressed Kim's cheek. "Don't say it, please." She closed her eyes and felt Kim release her breath. "Whatever happens here, I just…" She opened her eyes again. "I don't wanna lose you." She tried to say everything she couldn't put into words with her eyes.

Kim smiled tersely. Shego framed Kim's face with her hands and laid a kiss on Kim's forehead. "See you on the other side." She grinned despite not feeling like it and after a quick glance down, dropped from the shelf.

She had deliberately dropped down behind the guys. An entrance with style was something they couldn't take from her. "Looking for me, boys?"

They whipped around and raised their weapons. Shego had been ready and zigzagged towards the exit.

"Get her!" They ran after her just as she had planned. One of them yelled something that sounded like he was calling for backup.

She grinned, if she could draw all of them out, that meant she could knock them all out at once. Then the error in her plan hit her like a ton of bricks. Sniper. There might be a sniper. She needed to get up onto the roofs.

Looking up, she figured a direct approach would be best. Wall jumping up, she burst over the edge and scanned the rooftop she landed on. Not finding a threat, she moved on to the next building. She jumped around one side of the trainyard, before a bullet whizzed past her just as she was jumping down to change sides of the area.

It was a blessing in disguise. There was a sniper, but she could've died in that moment. Her vest wouldn't have withstood that bullet. But she had a rough fix on the location of the guy now.

She quickly scaled the wall of the building and burst over the edge. The idiot tried to run away from her. A predatory grin spread across her features. She leapt after him and clasped one hand over his mouth and the other wrapped around his middle.

"And this is where you regret every single one of your decisions." She darkly rasped into his ear. She could feel the fear radiating through him. It only fueled her on. She activated her plasma and his clothes immediately lit on fire.

He tried to scream in agony, but she only clamped down harder on his mouth, effectively muffling his screams. Technically, she could put him out of his misery by knocking him unconscious, but she didn't. He was supposed to feel everything. She smelled his flesh starting to burn. It let dark things rear their head inside of her.

When he finally went limp in her arms, she extinguished her plasma and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. "Pathetic." Looking down at him, she had the urge to kick him. And she did. Hard. No one tried to hurt Kimmie.

Then she refocused back onto the mission at hand. There were still other morons to hurt. Stepping up to the edge of the building, she surveyed the scene below. It was a lot of open space. And several of the gunmen were already converging to the open space in the middle. A big crane stood nearby. She leapt to it and made her way down.

When the gunmen had assembled in the middle of the yard, she jumped down and landed in between them. It was a big risk. They could shoot her at any given moment. She hoped that they didn't have a big interest in killing anyone else besides their intended target.

"Hello again. Did ya miss me?" She mocked them. It was unwise and she realized that in the same instant she spoke the words.

"Why are you here?" One of the guys stepped forward. She assumed him to be the commander. "This doesn't concern you."

Shego smiled sweetly and raised a brow. "That's where you're wrong. This does concern me. No one hurts Kim Possible."

"Except you? I've read the memos. Shego the great big bad now laying low and being a law-abiding citizen. What's your obsession with her anyway? You couldn't care less if we neutralized her."

Shego primed her plasma without igniting it. To dispatch of the guys around her, she would need an arcing blast around her. This took a bit of an effort to pull off. She needed to keep the commander occupied. "You're wrong again. I'm far from a law-abiding citizen. I don't care much for the law. I live by my own morals. They occasionally align with the law, but that's just coincidence. As for Kim Possible…" She deliberately trailed off and moved around a bit. She needed to see if there were some guys in the back hiding. The gunman around her shuffled nervously. No doubt had they heard of her and her plasma. They were right to fear her. Though no matter what they did, they weren't escaping her wrath.

"As for Kim Possible, you just don't kill her."

"She's 18 now. She's an adult and as such we can kill her."

"Believe me, I know that she's an adult. And I would ask who your employer is, but I don't much care. I'm just gonna burn your asses and set an example." She never lost her smirk.

"But that still doesn't answer what's it matter to you, if we kill her." He was getting impatient.

She rolled her eyes exasperatedly. More so to subtly look at her surroundings. She spotted Kim on top of the crane. This could be useful. Kim was obviously preparing a distraction. She kept her in her peripheral vision. Just as she was about to swing from the crane, Shego answered the commander's question.

"You don't get to harm her in any way, because she's my girlfriend." With that she summoned her plasma and ducked down, explosively releasing it around herself just as Kim came swinging at the commander's back. He must've heard something because he turned around and fired a shot from his weapon, just as Shego incinerated his clothes and he started screaming.

Kim's grip slipped and she tumbled to the floor.

Shego saw Kim tumble down in slow motion and ice-cold fear gripped her. This couldn't happen right now. She sprinted over to where Kim had fallen, vaulting over the commander, blasting him again for good measure. "Kim!"

Chapter Text

Shego slid to a halt next to Kim and fell to her knees. "Kim! No no no no no!" Her hands frantically flew over Kim's body looking for the bleeding she needed to stop. Her mind was a hundred percent in panic mode. Kim had been shot. This was bad. After everything, this just couldn't happen now.

Kim groaned. Shego's hands immediately froze in place. She stared down, wide-eyed, not quite processing what was happening.

Kim drew a deep breath. Or at least tried to before groaning again and opening her eyes. "Fuuuu-owww…" Her eyes found Shego's and she cracked a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey." Shego exhaled. And then relief flooded her, and she started laughing, tears in her eyes. Kim wasn't dead. They made it. But… "How?"

Kim brought her right hand to her chest and dug out the bullet. Holding it up, she smiled. "I'm wearing the vest you gave me. But it still hurts like hell. Remind me to never do something like that again."

The vest. Of course. How could she have forgotten that?

Reality kept rushing back to her when sirens started blaring in the distance and the telltale chop of helicopters could be heard overhead. She briefly looked to the sky and wanted to get up and get out of there when Kim sharply grasped her wrist. She looked down in confusion.

"You don't need to run anymore."

Shego blinked dumbly for a moment. Her past had conditioned her to get as far away from sirens as possible whenever she heard them. But Kim was right. She didn't need to run from them. She wasn't a criminal anymore. "You're right. Sorry. Old habits and such."

"Good. Now, can you help me up. I'd rather face whoever's coming standing upright. Or at least not lying down." Kim held on to Shego with an iron grip.

"Sure. Come here." She knelt next to her and put an arm over her shoulder. "Sorry, but this is going to hurt. A lot." She proceeded to prop Kim up. She could hear and feel how much Kim didn't want to scream out in pain. Getting shot was not a walk in the park and, even with a vest on, could leave devastating consequences. Shego hoped that Kim hopefully had just a few broken ribs at most.

They had barely made it to a standing position, when black vans screeched to a halt in front of them. Out of one leapt a familiar figure that purposely strutted over to them.

"Here we go." Shego muttered under her breath.

"Miss Possible. What a surprise to find you here." Dr. Director's eyes landed on Shego. "And in such… illustrious company no less."

"Doctor Director? What are you doing here?" Kim's arm around Shego tightened slightly.

"Well, we got a tip that some villain might be up to something here and apparently…" She gestured around with her arm in a broad swipe before zeroing in on Kim. "What happened here?"

"It was a setup. They wanted to kill me. I don't know who is behind this." Kim leaned onto Shego a bit more. "And, frankly, I don't care." Kim spoke a little too forcefully and groaned in pain again.

"Miss Possible, are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Kim snapped. "Sorry."

"You should have a medic check you over. We have one here." Dr. Director pointed to a van behind herself.

Kim hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Shego helped her over to the van and she sat down on the rear. A medic immediately appeared and started checking her over. Shego unwillingly gave them some space and turned her attention to Dr. Director. "Let's walk for a bit, shall we?" Her tone made clear that this was no request to be denied.

They walked away from everything in silence.

"Up on that roof is another one. Might not be in such a good shape though." Shego pointed upwards.

The Doctor stepped in front of her. "What happened here?"

"Kim pretty much summed it up. It was a setup and these idiots wanted to kill her. Kim hid and called me. They didn't factor in someone showing up who was ready to kill them for what they did." Shego shrugged.

"You didn't?"

"Listen, Betty, I'm only somewhat nice to you because of Kim. And I'm giving you these idiots because I know that whatever you'll be able to do to them is much worse than anything I would do." Shego turned stony.

"I don't think-"

"We both know what you do to people that go against you and your precious organization. I'm asking you to do that to these idiots. Or have you forgotten the last time we worked together?"

"No, I haven't." Dr. Director's expression turned stony. "But that would be extreme."

"Good. That'll be just about enough. And just as a warning: don't even try to recruit Kim or I will do unspeakable things to you. Personally. And we both know how that'll end."

"Global Justice will stop you with force, if necessary."

"Don't care. You won't be quick enough to stop me." It was a barely concealed direct threat.

Dr. Director narrowed her eye suspiciously. "What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Kim Possible?"

"That is none of your business. And I would stay out of it, if I were you." Shego turned around and started walking back. Behind her, Dr. Director drew a breath. "Don't even. You stay out of my business, I'll stay out of yours, and we'll get along just fine. Understood?" Shego didn't even bother turning around.

"Understood." Dr. Director sighed defeated.

Shego reached the back of the van again with Kim beaming at her when she spotted her. Shego grinned back. "What'd the doctor say?"

"It doesn't seem that anything's broken, but I should get a physician to check it out, if it doesn't get better in the next few days."

"Good. Although you'll probably be in a world of pain for the next few days." Shego tried to look apologetically.

Kim grew quiet and looked to the ground. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shown up like you did. I don't think I-"

Shego knelt down and grabbed Kim by the shoulders. "Don't even think like that. Don't even start. I'm here and we lived to fight another day. That's what matters. We learn and vow to do better next time. From now on, you'll be prepared that something like that might happen. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the possibility, but I guess I hoped it just wouldn't happen to you. That the bad guys wouldn't realize you're an adult now."

"What do you mean?" Kim looked at her in confusion.

Shego closed her eyes. "I said too much."

"Shego… Please."

She sighed and put her hands on Kim's thighs. "Not here. Not like this."

"Then let's head back to Middleton." Kim simply stated and raised her wrist to call Wade. Shego grinned and sat next to Kim in the van. "Wade?"

"Kim? Oh, thank god you're alright. So, I gather Shego reached you in time?"

"Yeah, she did." Shego leaned over. "And she wants to know where you parked."

"Uh. There's a small airfield near your location. I'll send you the coordinates." Wade was clearly still a little unnerved by Shego. She grinned. "I hope there isn't a scratch on it."

"No. No scratches. And I gotta say, for its size, the jet handles impressively well. You could virtually land that thing in a driveway."

"Oh, I know. After all, I designed half the features myself." A slight note of pride slipped into her tone. When she looked to the side, Kim was staring at her with her mouth agape. "What?"

"Nothing." Kim caught herself and looked back to Wade. "Thanks, Wade. We'll take it from here. And can you let my parents know I'm out of danger?"

"Sure thing, Kim." The small screen turned off.

Kim grinned at Shego again. "What? Seriously, what is it?" The look Kim was giving her was very unsettling.

"Nothing. Just…"

"Just what? Spit it out already."

"Who would've thought my girlfriend is a nerd."

"I'm most definitely not a nerd. I just happen to know my stuff." Shego became slightly defensive. She didn't want to reveal to much. Sharing still didn't come easily to her.

"Admit it. You are a nerd sometimes and you enjoy it."

"So what? Maybe I can talk shop with the best of them. But that doesn't mean I'm a nerd." Shego crossed her arms. "And maybe we should think about getting to that airfield. Any ideas?"

"A few. But really, I don't mind that you are nerdy about some things. It's… endearing, for lack of a better word."

"Listen, Princess, I. Am. Not. A. Nerd." Shego really wanted to get Kim to drop it.

"What is Newton's first law of thermodynamics?"

"In an isolated system, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed. Fuck."

"See. You know your nerdy stuff."

"Just… drop it, will you?" Shego gave up and stood.

"Sure." Kim looked around feigning innocence.

"You're impossible, you know that?"

"No, I'm Kim Possible. I can do anyone." Shego did a doubletake. Did Kim just…? "But I chose to do you." Kim also stood up and looked around.

"Well, uhm, thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, which car do you think is easiest to hijack?" Kim looked at her with raised brows.

"I never said anything-"

"Didn't need to. It was written clearly on your face. So, which one?"

Shego shook her head. Kim was unbelievable. Maybe she was rubbing off on her a little too much. "You see the one at the entrance? I think we'll take that one."

"Good choice." Kim grinned and started walking.

Shego looked back at the van they had sat in mere moments ago and grabbed the vest Kim had been sitting on. It might be Global Justice tech, but, in Shego's opinion, it didn't mean it was theirs to keep.

They reached the car and Shego went up to the guy standing next to it. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way."

"I don't understand."

"She means, you either step aside or she'll burn your butt." Kim stated matter-of-factly and leaned onto the car.

"I don't think-"

"What are you doing?" Dr. Director's voice cut through the air.

"Appropriating this vehicle for a while. What does it look like?" Shego snapped. She really didn't have the patience anymore to deal with her.

"Kim? What does this all mean?" Dr. Director turned to Kim.

"It means I've had enough of this place and really want to go home. We're just borrowing. And anyway, you have trackers in all your vehicles. You'll know where to pick it up again later."

"But-"

"You still owe me. This is the least you can do. And now if you'll excuse us, we have a flight to catch." Kim opened the passenger door and sat down, closing it with a little more force than necessary.

"You've heard her. She's pissed about this whole thing. It would be better for you to ease off for a while. And remember my warning." Shego slipped into the driver's seat, threw the vest on the backseat, and started the car, making a turn and keeping an eye on the Doctor in the process. She could only start to relax a little when she couldn't see the compound anymore.

"Say, Princess, don't you have a car?" Shego looked over at Kim for a moment with a raised brow.

"Uh, yeah. But my brothers are upgrading it right now. Had to get here the old school way."

"Ah. And you being okay with jacking a car?"

"We're borrowing it. And anyway, the last time I worked with GJ, I nearly got blown up. I just figured Dr. Director would survive us borrowing one of their cars."

Shego hummed and kept her eyes on the road.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just…" She sighed. "I'd never have expected you to be okay, let alone do, something like this."

"Maybe I'm not as goody two shoes as I used to be. Today has really driven home that the world isn't just black and white. It's not even just shades of gray." Kim breathed out and let her head fall against the window. "My whole life just got a lot more complicated than it ever was."

Shego silently reached over and put her hand on Kim's knee. Kim grabbed her hand and laced their fingers. "But you're still here. You don't know how much that means to me. And I'm just so tired. Let's go home."

"You're stuck with me for a while, I'm afraid. Try to sleep. I'll wake you when we're at the airfield." Shego caught Kim's grateful smile.

She had to smile sadly. Kim's life really had changed in the span of just one day. Shego resolved to do everything in her power to make it clear in the villain community that Kim Possible was under her protection and anyone stupid enough to attack her would pay an exceedingly high price.

Chapter Text

Kim was annoyed that someone would dare to disturb her sleep. How could someone even think of something so cruel. And she had just fallen asleep. That someone was also insisting on shaking her. And calling her name.

"Wha?" It was all her tired mind could come up with.

"Kimmie, we're at the airfield. Wake up, we have to get in the jet. And I'm not carrying you."

Airfield? Jet? Carrying? It took some moments for her brain to connect the dots. She jolted upright and regretted the movement immediately. Swearing through her teeth she clamped her right arm across her torso. It helped, but not much.

"Glad you finally decided to join me again." Shego said with an amused undertone, but looking at her, Kim saw the playful tone betrayed by worry.

"Sorry. Just… tired, I guess. Wiped, actually." Kim smiled slightly, then sighed. "Getting into the jet will hurt like hell, right?"

Shego drew a breath and forcefully released it.

"That's what I thought. Then let's get this over with." Shego stepped to the side and offered Kim her left hand. Kim grabbed it gratefully with her right and got out the car. When Shego wanted to slip her hand out of Kim's, Kim adjusted her grip and firmly laced their hands together. Oh no, you don't.

Shego shortly drew her brows together but quickly relaxed.

Something must be weighing on her mind. Kim thought while looking over at Shego's profile.

They wandered across the airfield to the jet that already stood on the runway. When they were a few steps away, the top opened on its own. Kim shortly wondered about it but figured it wasn't of great importance, because Shego beside her remained calm. It was her jet after all. Although upon closer inspection… Kim noticed the paintjob and wondered why it hadn't struck her earlier. This was not Shego's jet per se, but rather the Team Go jet. She had gone to her brothers for help?

Kim tried to put it all together, but fatigue was making everything hard. She just wanted to sleep.

Shego stepped to the side for Kim to first climb up the few steps into the jet. Kim looked up and wished for a moment she could float up, then drew a breath and started climbing. Memo to myself: Never get shot again.

When she finally reached the top and swung herself in, she was out of breath. Flopping down into the co-pilot chair, she spotted her old Kimmunicator sitting on top of the dashboard. The screen turned on and Wade appeared. "Hey, Kim. How are you?"

Kim growled. "I have been better."

Shego gracefully slid into the pilot seat next to Kim. "Thanks, nerdlinger. The bird looks clean."

"Of course, it does. I know what I'm doing."

"That you do apparently." Shego smirked. "But now I'm gonna take over again."

"Aye aye, Captain." Wade threw a lazy two-finger salute and the screen went dark. Shego unplugged the Kimmunicator and held it out to Kim.

"What was that?" Kim asked and slowly took the device.

"Nothing. What do you mean?" Shego shrugged and started to buckle up.

"That was almost friendly between Wade and you." Kim also fastened her seatbelts.

"Well, we had some time to talk on my way here. We have reached… an understanding." Shego ran through preflight checks and looked over at Kim. "I'll try a gentle takeoff. But it's a short runway so…" She let it hang in the air.

"It's probably gonna hurt a bit." Shego grimaced apologetically. "No, it's all right. Let's just go."

"If it's any consolation, it'll probably get better when we reach cruising altitude and speed." It was only answered with an acknowledging noise. Shego had finished her checks, started the engines, and contacted the ATC.

Kim's eyes were drooping again. She tried to keep awake though. Better to know when the pain was coming than to be shocked awake by it, she reasoned.

After a short and precise conversation with the ATC, Shego ramped up the engines and the jet started rolling.

The pressure on Kim's ribs was steadily increasing and she gritted her teeth. Just keep breathing normally. It wasn't her first time in a jet. She knew what to do. But her ribs were tender.

When they reached their assigned altitude and the speed kept steady, Kim breathed a sigh of relief. She dreaded the landing already. From experience she knew the space to land at Go Tower wasn't very much.

"Put on the vest and try to sleep, Kim. You look like hell."

"Thank you." Kim answered sarcastically. "Wait, why would I want to put on the vest again?"

"Because it helps with posture. You shouldn't put so much pressure on your ribs. And you start slouching. Especially when you fall asleep sitting up."

"Alright. Makes sense." Kim looked around for the vest. Finding it, she undid her seatbelts and then put the vest on again. She immediately felt how she was forced to have a straighter posture. It actually was a relief on her ribs. "Thanks for the tip." Kim buckled up again.

"No problem. Besides, your mother'd probably kill me, if I would let you do anything bad for your injury. Not that your parents won't already have my head. Anyway, I'm keeping a relatively low speed, so it will take a while until we reach Go City. Just try to sleep. Please. It will do you good." Shego looked at her with a concerned expression.

Kim blinked slowly. There was definitely something in what Shego had said that they'd need to talk about. But not right now. Maybe later. Her eyes were heavy. "Alright." She mumbled before she let herself drop into darkness.

Kim jerked awake suddenly. "What is it?"

"We're on final. Just wanted to warn you."

"What? Oh. Alright." Kim took in her surroundings. Go Tower loomed in front of them. She felt a lot more rested than before. That nap had done wonders. She still wasn't a hundred percent, but she wasn't in danger of falling asleep on her feet either. Sitting up straighter, she braced for the landing.

After they had disembarked from the jet, Kim leant against a crate in the hangar and tried to not feel all the discomfort from her ribs. She realized it would be a long while until she would be back to before. But it also made her all the more grateful for the vest Shego had given her, because without it she would've certainly met her end. Or would've come awfully close to it.

Looking up, she spotted Mego entering from a side door. She pushed herself upright in the same moment Shego also saw her brother.

"Is he-"

"Yes, Shego. I sent him on a wild goose chase." Mego crossed his arms.

"Thank you." Shego clapped a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Anyway, she looks bad." He pointed at Kim who walked over to the siblings.

"She met the business end of a gun unfortunately." Shego's expression darkened.

"Then your foresight was a good thing. Your preparedness saved us a lot of hassle in the old days, after all." He grinned. "And the attackers?"

"Well, I handed them over to Betty."

Mego looked mortified. "Betty Director? You know what that means… I- You- What were you thinking?" He pointed an accusing finger at Shego.

"That I'm sending a very, very clear message. Mess with Kim Possible and you get something worse than death." Shego's tone was ice cold and a ripple of dread ran through Kim.

"But it's Doctor Director we're talking about. How bad can it be?" Kim spoke up. She didn't follow why the siblings were so grim about the head of Global Justice.

"You'd be surprised. She was another reason why I quit the hero business. Anyone with half a brain would've after seeing what she did. Anyway, this isn't a conversation for now… Maybe some other time I'll explain more." Shego walked past Mego.

Kim looked at Mego for an explanation, but he just looked apologetic and shrugged.

"By the way, I might've stupidly slightly threatened Betty, too." Shego said offhandedly.

"Have you gone out of your bloody mind? Do you have a death wish or something?" Mego actually yelled. Kim flinched back.

"Look, I know how bad it is. I know how stupid it was. I know that I'll have to sleep with both eyes open from now on. I don't need a lecture from you. But I couldn't let her try to recruit Kim. Not after-" She broke off with a defeated sigh. "Anyway, you know what to do, if they come knocking."

Mego gently laid a hand on Shego's shoulder. "Just this once. And now get out of here before the big doofus comes back."

"Thank you, Mego. You have no idea what this means to me."

"Love you, too, sis." He smiled.

They had reached Shego's car and were on their way towards Middleton. The air between them was so thick it could be cut with a blunt butterknife. There were many things between them that needed to be talked about.

Kim held her head in her palm and stared out the window. She didn't know what the history between Shego and Global Justice was. She didn't know why Mego had been so mortified when Shego had told him she had turned over the criminals to Global Justice. She didn't know why Shego was scared and yet so brave at the same time, when it came to Global Justice.

Kim closed her eyes. It all came down to what she didn't know about Global Justice. And apparently, she didn't know much about it. And also, not much about Shego's history with Global Justice. Why did she call Doctor Director Betty? Why did Shego go so far as to threaten Betty Director to not recruit her? What was the story?

Kim turned her head and looked at Shego. She was focused on the road ahead. It was getting dark outside. The sinking sun gave her a striking appearance. All hard angles and sharp edges. Kim knew she should be afraid and terrified of the woman. At least going by what kind of power lurked just beneath the surface and their past. But strangely… Kim felt safe in her presence. Protected even.

She knew what she herself was capable of and that she didn't necessarily need the protection. But after today… Kim was utterly grateful for Shego's intervention. She didn't want to know what could've happened otherwise.

Shego turned her head and looked at her. The softest expression on her features. Kim's insides burned up with warmth. There was this pull, this connection, between them in this moment. The certainty that whatever this life might throw at them, they would brave it and come out on top; together.

She felt deep inside her that she wouldn't, couldn't be apart from Shego tonight. The day's events were still too raw in her mind. And she doubted her parents, for all their well-meaning intentions, would be able to help her through the emotional turmoil that raged within her mind.

Kim felt a hand on her knee. She looked down and then up, focusing on Shego. "We're here."

"Don't leave me." Kim whispered desperately. Everything felt like it came crashing down on her in that instant.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Shego whispered and leaned towards her.

"I- I don't want to be alone tonight. I can't do this without you."

Shego put her hand on Kim's cheek. "You don't have to. I'm with you."

Kim leaned into the touch gratefully. It notably calmed her down. "Thank you. Do you think I could stay with you tonight?"

"Always." Shego's eyes were drawn to movement at the front door of the Possible house. "But first we need to assure your family that you're okay."

"I guess." Kim sighed.

Shego leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You'll be alright."

"No." Kim smiled. "We'll be alright."

Chapter Text

When Shego and she got out of the car, her parents rushed over to them and hugged her. The hug was cut short by Kim wincing in pain. Her parents looked at her with so much concern. She couldn't bear it and silently walked past them. Once inside she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked around herself. Everything was still the same, but it seemed different. It was a very disconcerting thing. She hugged her arms around herself and just stood there, quietly staring. Anxiety clawing at her.

She didn't notice her parents and Shego coming inside, too. She didn't really notice anything until Shego stepped in front of her and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Hey." Shego spoke quietly.

Kim looked up, focused her attention on Shego. "I just- It's-"

"I know. Take your time."

Kim nodded gratefully and inhaled deeply. "I'm gonna- Yeah. Could you- No." She blew out a frustrated breath and started anew. "My mom probably wants to talk to me. Could you take care of my dad maybe? 'Cause I don't think-"

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it."

"Thank you." She started to walk upstairs, heavily gripping the banister for support.

Walking into her room, her ribs were hurting like hell after the light exertion. Maybe her mother would give her some pain meds if she asked nicely? Probably not without extensively checking her over first. That was too much hassle to her right now.

She needed to focus on what she wanted to do. Getting a duffel bag and putting it on her bed, she wandered into her wardrobe to get some clothes. She heard her mother enter her room and sit down on her bed.

Kim turned around and went to the bag to pack the clothes. Then turned around to go back and get some other things. Her mother sat on the end of her bed silently watching her go through the motions.

She packed the last things she needed into the bag and zipped it shut. Staring at it, she realized that she wouldn't be able to lift it in her current condition. It frustrated her more than she would like to admit.

She sat on the edge of her bed next to her mother and sighed. "I'm fine."

"Kim." Her mother's tone was warning.

"Alright, I'm not fine." She spat angrily.

"What happened? And why are you wearing… that?" Kim's mother vaguely gestured at the vest.

"It helps with my posture. I shouldn't put too much strain on my ribs. And I'm slouching apparently. Or so Shego said."

"Yes, but what happened?" Her mother became impatient.

Kim just wanted this mess of a day to be over. She sniffed. "I got shot, okay."

"What?" Kim's mother breathed.

"I was wearing the vest. It stopped the bullet. I just got hellishly bruised ribs. Don't worry, I had a medic check me over." Kim looked away. She didn't want to be so short with her mother but at the same time hadn't the patience or energy to get into it with her.

"You must be in so much pain."

"You're the doctor, you tell me." Kim snapped and regretted it immediately. "Sorry. It's all just a bit much right now. My whole life just got turned upside down and shifted sideways. I'll need some time to process it all."

They were silent for a while, before Kim's mother spoke again. "So, you're not staying?"

"No." Kim drew a breath and hesitated. "I can't explain it, but I feel deep inside that I need to be with Shego right now. It's… I don't know." She shook her head. Things weren't being very clear in her head anymore.

"Alright." Her mother put a comforting hand around her shoulders.

"Dad won't like it."

"He won't but leave that for me to worry about."

"Everything's a mess right now." Kim buried her head in her hands.

"It'll get better. No one expects you to have all the answers right now. You'll figure it out." Kim's mother rubbed her back. "Take as long as you need. We'll be here if you need us."

Kim looked at her mother sideways with a sad half-smile. "Thank you."

* - * - *

Shego had watched Kim struggle up the stairs. She wanted nothing more than to help her. In the end, she turned around and looked at Kim's parents.

"What exactly happened? Wade only told us that you two are out of danger and on your way home." Kim's mother spoke up first.

Shego sighed deeply. This was going to be hard. "Kim's world changed completely today. Everything she believed got shifted. And she got injured. She'll be alright but it'll take time."

"What can we do to help? Can we do anything?" Kim's father was concerned. Shego saw how he was holding himself back. He wanted to help his little girl through this but was helpless. She knew how he felt.

"Give her time. Space." Shego needed to be honest with them. They needed to understand. "She needs to come to terms with it on her own. All we really can do is support her and be there for her. And you should know, she's asked if she can stay with me tonight. I imagine that you'd rather have her here, but well… she feels a bit overwhelmed with everything."

"You seem to get through to her. And if you don't mind it." Kim's mother said sincerely.

"Never." Shego replied immediately. As if she would have any problem with Kim staying with her. What kind of girlfriend would she be if she had? "But you should know that she might've said tonight but it could as well turn into more than one night."

"If that's what it takes." Kim's mother nodded.

Shego looked upstairs for a moment. "Kim expects you to want to talk. You should go to her." She said to Kim's mother, who immediately followed her daughter upstairs. Then she turned and addressed Kim's father. "And I imagine we need to talk, too."

Kim's father nodded tersely and walked into the kitchen. He indicated for Shego to sit at the table in the breakfast nook, before sitting down himself. Shego followed his request and sat down.

They looked at each other for a while, before Shego finally spoke up. "If it's any consolation, I can imagine how you feel."

"Can you?" He doubtfully raised his brows.

"Right now, I want nothing more than to go to Kim and help her. I want to lift all the shit that has happened today from her shoulders. She shouldn't have to deal with all this. Unfortunately, it has happened and now…" She fell silent and fixed a point on the table, forcefully pressing her jaw together.

Kim's father was silent and then sighed. "You really love her."

"More than you know." She whispered. It scared her just how much she had fallen for Kim in the last few weeks.

"I have to thank you."

"Whatever for?" Shego looked at him, confused at what he could possibly mean.

"For bringing Kim back."

"She got injured, though, because I wasn't quick enough." A grim expression settled on her features. "She got shot because I-"

"I firmly believe, you did everything you could to protect her. She is wearing a vest. I guess, you gave it to her. What would've happened if you hadn't?"

Shego looked away, unwilling to even entertain the thought.

"Exactly. And judging from what you did today, I believe that you would put her well-being and happiness before yours anytime. I might not fully understand what Kim sees in you, and I might not approve of many of your life choices, but I think I can put aside my reservations for Kim's happiness." Shego raised her gaze to look at Kim's father. Did he just say what she thought he said? His expression turned dead serious. "But don't think I won't send you into the next black hole, if you so much as think about hurting my little girl."

"I wouldn't dream of it. And if I, against everything, should, I will jump into the rocket myself."

"Glad to hear it."

"Did Kim really get shot?" A voice sounded from the entryway. Kim's brothers stood there and looked worried and uncertain. Shego's heart went out to them. They might be geniuses, yet they were still children. And Kim getting attacked like that was probably not very comforting.

Which in turn led Shego to realize something. If Kim was fair game to be attacked with lethal force now, her whole family might be endangered.

"Yes." Kim's father answered and waved the boys closer. "But she'll be alright."

"Can we help her get better?"

"Not right now, I'm afraid. We need to give her some space. She's been through a lot and needs to adjust to it." The boys looked dejected.

"But maybe you can help with something else." Shego spoke up. That got their attention and they sat down at the table. "What kind of defenses does this house have?" She looked at each of the others at the table in turn and earned blank stares.

"None, I'm afraid. This house was rebuilt with minimal changes to the old." Kim's father led.

"But that doesn't mean we couldn't make some." One of Kim's brothers followed. Shego really needed to learn how to tell them apart.

"That's what I thought." Shego smiled at them conspiratorially. "But I'm just talking about passive defenses here. No lasers or piranhas or alligators and most definitely no spinning tops of doom. Maybe a nice and gentle biometric stasis field or something. Nothing that is set off by the neighbor's cat. And for everything that's good and holy, change the lock." She saw how the gears were already turning in their heads. But she had to rain on their scheming parade a little. The safety of Kim and her family was nothing she wanted to leave to chance. "Come up with some concepts and show them to me. Between all the smarts in this room and my experience we might just come up with something good. Deal?"

The boys looked at her. Then at each other. "Hicka-bicka-boo?"

"Hoo-sha!"

They turned to her nodding. "Your terms are acceptable. A first concept should be available in 48 hours." They got up and ran out of the room.

When Shego looked back at Kim's father, he was looking at her with narrowed eyes. She shrugged. "When they're busy scheming up things, they might forget to worry for a while. I figured it's enough that we worry about Kim."

"Smart. But there's more to this than just that." He was smart, she had to give him that.

"Let's just say there's something fishy going on and I don't like it. I have this feeling in my gut that I'm missing something. The hit on Kim was no accident. They were professionals. The whole thing must've been planned in advance. Rest assured I intend to find out what's going on. Preferably before I'm branded a complete pariah in the villain community and all my contacts dry up."

"It really annoys you that you don't know?"

"A bit. I'm more pissed, if you'll excuse my language, that people I like are threatened like that. And I don't take well to people I like being threatened."

"I figured after your little outburst earlier. So… Uhm… Did you- I mean-" He drew a steadying breath. "What did you do to the attackers?"

"I didn't kill them if that's what you mean. Though they will wish they were dead. I burned them up pretty badly. But they won't have much time to dwell on that, if Betty Director does as I asked."

"Global Justice's Betty Director?"

"The one and only." Shego grimaced. Thinking about the head of GJ always left a sour aftertaste. "I sent a pretty clear message by handing the idiots off to her."

"That you're now on the side of the law and Kim's under your protection."

"Not even remotely." Kim's father was like all the rest of the world assuming Global Justice was a 'lawful' organization simply because they went after criminals. Shego smirked. "You got the latter half right. I stated that Kim is definitely under my protection. But I also made clear that I will stop at nothing to ensure her safety. And that includes handing them off to my sworn enemy for… Let's say neutering."

"That sounds… painful." Kim's father looked worried. Shego couldn't fault him.

"Not as much as I'd like, but they won't be a threat to anyone anymore." Shego's tone clearly indicated that the topic was ended for her there and she didn't want to get into it more. The grim reality of the matter was that even the good guys had to play dirty sometimes.

"Needs must." Kim's father acknowledged grimly.

"Unfortunately."

Silence descended upon them until they heard footsteps on the stairs a few minutes later.

Kim appeared in the doorway. "I'm ready."

Shego got up and walked over. "No bag?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"My mom got it. She was right behind me a second ago." Kim leaned back into the hall. "Mom?"

"Just a second." The voice sounded from somewhere in the house. Kim shrugged and leaned back into the kitchen.

"So, what have you been getting up to?" Kim looked at the occupants in the kitchen.

"Oh, you know, the usual. We talked about our deepest feelings and weaved flower crowns." That earned Shego a smack on the arm. But Kim cracked a smile and Shego counted that as a small win.

"Don't be a smartass."

"Alright. Seriously though, we talked things over and hashed some things out."

"Do I want to know?"

"I'll tell you later." Shego smiled.

"You've got everything, Kimmie?" Kim's mom appeared in the hall behind Kim.

"Think so." Kim turned around and walked into the hall. "And even if I should've forgotten something, I'm just across the city not on the moon."

"If you say so." Kim's mother turned to the stairs. "Boys! Come, say goodbye to your sister."

Kim's brothers appeared and practically launched themselves at their sister. Kim looked around perplexed for a moment before hugging them back.

"Get better soon."

"We'll miss you."

"Thank you. I'll miss you, too, tweebs." And as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone again. "That was weird." Kim mumbled before looking between Shego and her father, who had joined them in the hall.

"Don't look at me. I had nothing to do with it." Shego held out her hand to Kim's mother for the bag.  

She handed it over. "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"Sure." Shego furrowed her brows for a moment. "You'll be alright for a second, Kimmie?"

"I guess." Kim looked confused by the question.

"Just making sure you're alright. Don't worry about it." Shego smiled at Kim before looking at her mother. "Lead the way, Dr. Possible."

Kim's mother turned around and walked through the living area into the dining room. Shego got the impression that she didn't want to be overheard by her daughter.

When they finally faced each other, Kim's mother held out a pill bottle. Shego took it and read the label. It was painkillers. She questioningly looked up at the other woman.

"Kim would never ask herself. She isn't very good at asking for help. She always wants to do things herself." Kim's mother exhaled. "Anyway, if anything gets worse with her-"

"I'll immediately ship her off to the next Emergency Room and then call you. Don't worry, I'll keep a close watch on her." Shego assured her.

"Oh, I'll keep worrying. It's a mother's prerogative, I'm afraid."

Shego wistfully looked down at the pills in her hand again for a long moment. "Yeah…" This family was so different from her own. They were accepting of each other despite their shortcomings and personal choices. She tucked the pills away and looked up again.

She was met with a kind smile. "We'll work on your optimism."

"Never had much reason for it." Inclining her head a bit, she elaborated. "Maybe it's time that changed."

"It is." Kim's mother practically pushed her out the room. "Now let's get you on the road."

They had said their goodbyes then and drove off. At the first red light, Shego dug out the pills she had gotten from Kim's mother. She chucked them over into Kim's lap.

"Here. Those are for you."

"What?" Kim looked at her totally befuddled. It was quite cute. Then Kim looked at what was actually thrown at her. "Painkiller? Where did you-"

"Your mother provided. Seriously, you should ask for help more. There are people that care about you enough to help."

"I'm asking for help. My whole career is founded upon helping each other."

"I meant help for you personally. Not help for you to help others." That came out harsher than Shego had intended.

Kim looked into her lap dejectedly. "I-"

Shego internally sighed. "Listen, I'm not good at talking about stuff. You know me, I prefer to throw a sarcastic comment at things and be on my way. All I'm saying is, to get through things sometimes…" She held her hand out to Kim. "…we all need a hand to hold."

Kim took the offered hand and smiled gratefully. It gave Shego hope that they might just make it through this.

"Together?"

"Together." Kim affirmed.

Chapter Text

"Couch or bed?" Shego asked when they entered the apartment.

Kim spared a glance at the couch. "Bed, please."

"Alright."

"But before that, I think I need a shower."

"That can be arranged." Shego smiled, standing at the foot of the stairs. "You need help?"

"I think I can manage." Kim looked upstairs, sighing. "Slowly."

Shego went up the stairs and brought Kim's bag into the bedroom, then returned to the top of the stairs. Kim had almost managed the stairs.

"You look pathetic." Shego leant on the railing with her hip.

"Thanks." Kim rolled her eyes.

"You know how I meant it." Shego crossed her arms defensively.

"Yeah." Kim finished the stairs, stood up straighter and laid her hands on Shego's crossed arms. "Yeah, I know. And believe me, I hate every second of it. But it's the situation right now and we'll have to work with it."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Shego relaxed her stance. "Come now, let's get you in the shower." She put her hand on the small of Kim's back and gently guided her towards the ensuite bathroom.

Shego fetched a towel, leaving Kim to undress herself. When she returned Kim stood slightly hunched but still very much dressed in the middle of the bathroom. Shego put the towel down on the toilet and gently laid a hand on Kim's shoulder. "What's wrong?" She spoke in a hushed voice.

Kim sighed. "I… I… I can't raise my arms up." She sounded defeated.

"Let me help you." Shego gently lifted the hem of Kim's top.

"But-" Kim quietly protested.

"Shh. Let me help you." She raised Kim's arms and pulled the top off, carelessly dropping it on the floor. Then continued to undress Kim.

When she had finished, she turned on the shower and laid her hands on Kim's shoulders, leveling her gaze with Kim's. "Be honest, do you need help showering?"

Kim lowered her gaze to the floor. Shego stayed patient. She knew that it was not a nice situation to be in for Kim. To be taken from 100 percent to not even be able to lift up your arms beyond a certain point was a stark contrast. Kim needed time to adjust.

"Maybe." It was mumbled so quietly, hadn't Shego stood so close, she would've missed it.

"Alright." Shego stepped back and ripped the Velcro open on her vest. The resounding noise echoed through the room, visibly startling Kim, who looked up. Shego just dropped the vest next to Kim's clothes on the floor and started opening her jumpsuit.

"What are you-"

"I'm not getting in the shower with my clothes." Shego just brushed Kim's unvoiced question aside. This was nothing sexual; this was just about helping someone in need.

When she had undressed, Shego tested the warmth of the water with one hand and took Kim's with the other.

Gently guiding Kim in the shower, Shego reached around with her left hand and picked up the shower gel. Catching Kim's deer in the headlights look, she laid her right hand on Kim's cheek. "Please trust me."

Kim nodded slightly and Shego started washing Kim's body. She was especially careful when she reached Kim's chest. The bruising was already showing angrily. They were lucky that the idiot hadn't had a higher caliber gun. A flash of anger ran through her which she quickly suppressed.

"It's not your fault." Kim spoke up suddenly. Shego jerked out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"It's not your fault. You did what you could. It's not the first injury I got, and it certainly won't be the last."

"It still sucks. And we were lucky. Really lucky."

"I know. But we can't change the past." Kim took Shego's hands. "We go forward and work with what we got."

Shego looked at Kim for a moment and then nodded. Kim was right. Of course, Kim was right. They couldn't change the past, as tragic as it may be. She signified for Kim to turn around and started washing Kim's back. With every bit more washed, Shego's anxieties and worries ebbed away. Kim was here with her. She was alive. They both were alive. They worked together on their issues. Life was good. It could be better; but it could also be a lot worse.

She finally reached Kim's hair and as she was massaging in the suds on Kim's head, Kim finally fully relaxed. A smiled spread across Shego's face when Kim dropped her head back with a small content noise.

They were good.

Shego started rinsing off Kim and then made them switch sides under the shower. She quickly soaped up and rinsed herself off.

Kim meanwhile had stepped out of the shower and tried to dry off. Shego saw how Kim struggled. She seemed set to do this on her own. Shego let her. For now.

But when Kim tried to dry her hair, Shego couldn't take it anymore. She stepped behind her and gently raked her hands through Kim's hair, just slightly activating her powers quickly dried Kim's hair.

Kim sighed and let her head hang defeatedly. Shego laid her hands on Kim's shoulders. "Give yourself time. It'll be alright."

"I know." Kim sighed again. "I'm just so tired."

"Go ahead and get ready for bed. It might be wise to take a pain killer before sleeping. I'll be right with you." Kim nodded and left the bathroom.

Shego dried herself and then heavily leaned on the sink, letting her head hang down. She closed her eyes and just breathed for a moment. Then she looked up and faced herself in the mirror. She just stared at herself for some time, feeling the exhaustion settling in her body. She herself was also tired. It wasn't often she had to push her powers to the extremes she had today, all the while keeping herself in control of them.

The last time she had had to push herself that far had been when Warmonga had shackled her, and she had to break free to save Kim. She had always known that her powers were in part fueled by her emotions. But that moment had been the first time something had enraged her like that. And it was the first time she had realized that she might like Kim a bit more than she should have. At that moment, she had pushed that thought as far away from her as possible. It would do no good. Villains and heroes never got along beyond mutual respect.

That things would develop in the ways they had wasn't something anyone could've foreseen.

And now Kim trusted her with her life. Depended on her.

It was all a bit overwhelming for Shego. But standing in her own bathroom and thinking herself into oblivion was no way forward. She wanted to be someone Kim actually could depend on. Someone that was there and was willing to share the burdens.

She took a deep breath, pushed herself away from the sink and walked into the bedroom. She could worry about the mess in the bathroom in the morning.

She found Kim sitting on the end of the bed staring unseeingly at the floor in front of her. Kim was already dressed in her pajamas. How long had she been standing at the sink? Shego shook off the thought and went to her wardrobe, getting a pair of pajamas for herself.

When she had dressed, Kim still hadn't moved from her place. Shego stepped in front of her and addressed her quietly. "Hey."

"Hey." Kim looked up. Shego sat down beside her.

"It'll be fine. Eventually."

"How can you know that?" Kim looked at her doubtfully.

"We've come this far, haven't we?" Shego smiled and laid her arm around Kim pulling her close. "If someone would've told me a year ago that I'd be sitting here with you and that I'd- like you." She strained out the last words. Almost said out loud what she couldn't admit out loud just yet. Not with those words at least. She chuckled a bit. "I'd've blasted them into the next century."

Kim laid her head on Shego's shoulder. "True. I'd've probably done the same thing. Who knew where these nights would lead? And all because I couldn't sleep."

Shego smiled down at Kim, reminiscing about the morning in Kim's kitchen several weeks ago. Things had been so easy back then. "Speaking of… I'm wiped. Let's get a bit of sleep."

They got under the covers and Kim found a position that was comfortable and allowed her to still be very close to Shego.

"Thank you." Kim mumbled just before she fell asleep.

Shego buried her nose in Kim's hair. "Always." It was a whispered promise.

Chapter Text

A few days later, Kim sat on the sofa when Shego came back from a grocery run. She took one look at Kim and knew that something was wrong. She sat the bags on the counter and started unpacking. "What's wrong, Pumpkin?"

"Nothing."

"You know very well that you're an abysmal liar." The only answer to that was an annoyed 'hmpf'. Shego decided to drop the subject for the moment.

After she had put away the last of the groceries, she walked over to Kim. "Look what I picked up while I was out." She held out her hand with Kim's favorite stuffed animal. Kim had complained about not having it for the last few days and Shego had thought she'd be nice and swing by the Possible household to pick it up. Whilst there she also inspected some of the twins' larger plans for home protection and reigned them in a bit. Not everything had to be reinforced after all.

Kim looked up. "You got my Pandaroo?"

"I thought it might cheer you up."

Kim made to grab the plushie, but Shego pulled her hand just out of reach. "Here's the deal: You tell me what's bothering you and I give you this… whatever this is." She furrowed her brows.

"It's a Pandaroo." Kim made grabby motions with her hands. "Gimme."

"More like a DNAmy abomination. Anyway, will you tell me what's bothering you?" Shego raised a brow.

"Fine. I'll tell you." As soon as Kim had agreed, Shego let her have the stuffed animal abomination. Kim hugged it to her chest. Shego sat down and expectantly looked at Kim.

"Ron texted. He wants talk."

"So, talk to him. I don't see the problem with that. Isn't he your friend?"

"Best friend but that's just it. I haven't told him about us yet." That did surprise Shego, and it must've registered on her face. "We don't talk as often as we used to. He is busy with his training and I– I don't want to bother him with my problems. The last time we talked, you and me, it was still kind of fresh and I– I didn't want to jinx it by talking about it too soon. And maybe upset Ron."

"Hmm. If he really is your best friend, he'll understand."

"You think so?"

"Kim, you threw him in a world of supervillains and other craziness. Did he for one second blink an eye at that? No, he never did. He kept up with you and took it into stride. He might have had his shortcomings, but when it counted, he was always there for you. He'll understand."

"And if he doesn't, you'll make him?"

"No. If he wants to, he can talk to me. If his protective instincts run high or something. I am willing to talk it out with him."

"You would do that?"

"For you? Sure. And if he should suddenly lose all his limited senses and not understand and become hostile towards you, I'll still be here." Shego paused for effect. "And kick his ass."

Kim seemed to mull it over in her mind.

"And if it makes you feel any better, I can be here when you make the call. I'll sit over there and quietly read a magazine or something." Shego pointed to the armchair.

"Thank you. I- I- Thank you."

"Anytime."

* - * - *

In the evening, Kim had set up a laptop on the coffee table so that Shego would be out of frame. She was nervously waiting for Ron to call, sitting on the sofa.

"Stop biting your lip like that." Shego growled.

"Sorry." Kim released her lip. "Why do you care anyway? Don't you have a magazine to read?"

"Theoretically, yes. But your nervous energy is making me nervous. And also," Shego got up from the armchair and practically imprisoned Kim on the sofa with her arms. "I don't think I can control myself forever to not come over and bite it too."

"Promises, promises." Kim mumbled before her brain caught up with her mouth.

"Oh, you don't believe me?" Shego smirked and invaded Kim's space even more. Almost but not quite laying her lips on Kim's.

"Maybe I don't." Kim closed the distance.

And just then Ron called.

Shego dropped her head. "Tell him, he has the worst timing." She pushed herself off and flopped down on the armchair, opening the magazine.

Kim took a deep breath and accepted the call. Ron's worried face appeared on the display.

"Are you alright? I talked to my parents, and they had talked to your parents, and they say you've been hurt on a mission."

"Hello to you, too, Ron. I'm fine. Everything's alright. Don't worry."

"But you've been hurt. How bad were you hurt? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Ron, calm down. I said it's fine. I got shot but it didn't do much damage fortunately. I was wearing a bulletproof vest. The bad guys are already taken care of and in prison."

Ron looked at her shocked. "Shot? You got shot? With a gun? A real gun?"

"Yes, Ron. But I'm safe now."

"Are you sure? My parents said you're not at home. Where are you?"

Kim's eyes were drawn to Shego, before she sighed and looked back at the laptop. "Ron, we need to talk."

"I didn't do it, I swear."

"No, Ron. I'm serious. It's about me and what has been going on the last few months."

"Oh. Okay. What is it?"

"It's… Well… It's… I've met someone and it's serious between us for some time now. I should've told you sooner but… Well, it's rather complicated."

"How complicated could it be? Is it someone I know?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Oh god, it's not Brick Flagg, is it? It's not Monique either, she would've texted me immediately. Did Bonnie break up with Junior?"

"No, Ron. Neither of those. Have you hit your head or something?" Ron's outlandish guesses were just ridiculous, Kim had to chuckle a moment before getting serious again. "No, it's… It's…"

"You can tell me, you know. I won't judge. Alright, maybe a little. But I won't laugh, that's a promise."

"Alright. It's-"

"Are they insane?! They can't just print something like that!" Shego exploded off the armchair. Kim looked at her startled like a deer in the headlights. "Sorry, Kim. I just found the reason why you were attacked. I gotta make a few calls."

Shego disappeared into another room, but not before Kim heard her grumbling: "What are they thinking encouraging assholes to attack people I love?" Kim's mouth dropped open.

"Uh, KP? Kim? Earth to Kim Possible? You there?" Ron tried his best, but it only registered faintly with her. "Kim! KIM!"

"What?" Kim harshly turned to Ron. "Sorry. I just… She… I… sorry."

"Was that Shego?"

"Yeah." Kim grew nervous. This was not how it should've gone. She needed to talk to Shego. She also needed to talk with Ron.

"So, you're with Shego?"

"Yes."

"Like with with Shego?"

"Yes, Ron, I'm with with Shego. We are in a relationship."

"Hm. Interesting. I mean it was only a matter of time. How did your parents take it?"

"Surprisingly well. Wait a minute, what do you mean, only a matter of time?" This was not how Kim saw Ron reacting.

"Remember when Shego got turned good with the Attitudinator? You were hanging out with her constantly. And the way you two were looking at each other. I knew that if she had stayed good, I wouldn't have been able to keep you."

"But she had been turned good. And now she isn't. Isn't that even a little surprising to you?"

"What do you want me to say Kim? That I'm against it? That it's not right because she's a villain?" Ron sighed. "You forget that I was hit with the Attitudinator, too. I know what and what it doesn't change. It only changes the way you think about things. It can't change feelings or emotions. It can't even change what we want. I wanted to take over the world for Nacos, remember?"

"Oh, that. Yeah. But-"

"No, Kim. No but. As long as she treats you right, I'll be alright with it. Well, maybe not alright alright, she was a villain for several years after all. But when I worked with her to get you off the Lorwardian spaceship I saw that she cares about the people around her. She's got a good core under all the layers of sarcasm and anger management issues."

Kim was shocked. "Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real Ron Stoppable?"

"Nothing. I am the real Ron-man. I just had a lot of time to think. Sensei wants me to meditate for hours. He says, control comes from within."

"He's not wrong, you know."

"I guess." Ron admitted before lighting up. "Here, check this, KP."

He sprinted away from the camera and sat cross legged on the floor. He closed his eyes and started levitating with a bubble around him. He swayed a little to the left and a little to the right before the bubble popped and Ron landed on his butt.

"I learned the bubble floatie thing!" Ron excitedly ran back up.

"You learned the bubble floatie thing." Ron's excitement was infectious.

"Who knew what I could do when I applied myself?" Kim just looked at Ron. "Yes, I know. But still, this is impressive, right? I can be so lazy now. I don't need to walk anymore."

"Ron." Kim laughed. It felt like old times.

"I know, I know. It's my honor to walk." He put up his hands in defeat. A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "But seriously, KP, you can tell me stuff like that. We might not have worked as a couple in the long run, but I still love you. You're still my best friend in the world and I support you."

A heavy weight was lifted from Kim's shoulders. "Thanks, Ron. So, we're good?"

"The best, KP. Now go and see what your girlfriend is up to. She sounded pissed and I fear for the unfortunate soul that gets his ass burned."

"She did sound rather angry." Kim smiled genuinely at Ron. "Thanks again, Ron. You have no idea what this means to me."

"No problem, KP. Talk to you soon." He disconnected and Kim closed the laptop.

She really needed to see what it was that Shego had found in her magazine. The reason why she had been attacked. What could that have possibly been? But more importantly, Shego had muttered about attacking people she loved.

Loved.

The word echoed around in Kim's mind. It had probably slipped out unconsciously. Did that mean Shego loved her? Like love love?

But why wouldn't she tell her that to her face?

Kim stopped in her thoughts. Why hadn't she herself told Shego that she loved her?

Fear. It was fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of what it meant. Fear of the scale and depth of it all.

Though no one ever fell in love without being a little bit brave.

Kim got up and went over to the door Shego had vanished behind. She really needed to talk to Shego.

Chapter Text

Kim's hand hovered an inch away from the wood of the door, ready to knock. The door was slightly ajar. Still, knocking was the polite thing to do.

Why was she hesitating?

Was she afraid? Afraid of what? Kim shook her head to clear it.

She had faced down Shego when they were enemies, she could do it now.

What was the worst that could happen?

Breakup. They could break up.

Kim let her head fall and sighed in defeat. Sometimes her mind was her own worst enemy and got so far ahead of itself it was ridiculous.

She had told her dad that she wanted to solve fights with non-violent communication, or at least try. This was the first time they had to communicate about serious things in a serious manner. It was important to their future.

Be bold. Be brave. You're Kim Possible. You can do anything. She psyched herself up for what she could walk into. Shego had seemed pissed when she had seen the article. And Kim knew that Shego wasn't always rational about her anger. But she also knew that in order to get to the bottom to everything she had to walk into the room and face her girlfriend's wrath. And possibly get her to back off from her murder plans.

She breathed in, straightened her back and knocked, before slowly pushing the door open. "Shego?"

"What?" The other woman barked at her from behind a desk.

"I just wanted to talk about why you stormed off. You have found the reason I was attacked?" Kim let her eyes sweep the room surreptitiously. It was clearly an office space but also one side of the room was completely covered in shelves full of books.

"Yeah. Here." Shego threw the magazine she had been reading across the desk. Kim stepped forward and took it. Her own name was written in big letters across the top of the page. Underneath, a little smaller, it read: Teen hero not a teen anymore. Kim looked up confused. "What?"

Shego held up a finger before returning to the call she was on. "I don't bloody care. If you don't give me the information I want, I have other means of getting it. And those won't be as nice. You know who I am. And trust me, you haven't seen half of what I'm capable of."

Kim studied Shego for a moment. There was barely concealed anger broiling away just beneath the surface. Like she wanted to jump through the phone and rip apart whoever the unfortunate soul on the other side was.

It was interesting to see Shego in that state when it wasn't directed at her, as it had been for so many years prior. Kim decided that for the moment it wasn't too dangerous, and she had to only truly worry if Shego tried to leave the room. Until then Kim focused on the article again.

Skimming it briefly, she saw a rant about how she had single-handedly foiled the plans of all the big names in the villain business and that it might be time to take action against her, after not even an alien invasion that crumpled half the world could stand a chance against her.

Kim felt a moment of pride in her accomplishments before her blood ran cold. The article went on to explain how the sight of her in her graduation gown, fighting off the invasion, was a clear indicator to her age and that it meant she had come of age and thus didn't fall under the villains' code for protection of minors anymore.

Essentially, the article declared that she should be taken out of the running. Permanently.

She let the magazine drop onto the desk again and leaned on it heavily. So, that was the reason. She turned 18 and it was open season for her.

She swallowed thickly and suddenly everything around her seemed to close in on her. She had been hunted by the people. Like it was for sport. Or more likely there was a prize for her head.

She should know about this. Why didn't she know about this? Didn't Wade have some monitoring in place to prevent something like this? She was sure she should have known about this.

Her breath quickened and her vision started to shrink. They wanted her dead. Dead. No, that couldn't be true. The villains she fought always used non-lethal weapons. Or did they? She thought about her gallery of villains. Duff Killigan used exploding golf balls. They could be categorized as lethal would she have been caught in one of the explosions. Monkey Fist, while more of Ron's arch-nemesis, used monkeys. Whilst cute on the outside, were prone to simply maul a persons face off. Also, pretty lethal in her opinion. Señor Senior, Senior used his spinning tops of doom and those were ripping into steel and concrete. Those were also lethal. DNAmy had her big wild beasts. With their abnormal strength and big teeth. She thought about all the traps that she had escaped over the years. Pools of acid. Giant wiener dogs. Giant lasers of doom of all kinds. Several explosions. Robots of all kinds.

Her fingers dug into the desk. No wonder Ron had freaked out when he had looked at it all. They had more often than not escaped just by the scruff of their necks and sheer dumb luck. She had skill, yes, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to her that the villains didn't really try to eviscerate her. Sure, they might talk about it, but in the end, it was sometimes a little too easy to overcome them. They were supposed to be hardened criminals.

Kim looked at Shego. Her now girlfriend was the weapon of one of those villains for the longest time. And as Kim thought back to some of their fights. Shego missing her head by just a hairs breadth with her claws and plasma, slicing a piece of metal nearby instead. It was all a bit suspicious. Was Shego not fighting to the fullest of her abilities because she didn't want to kill her or because of this 'villains' code for protection of minors'?

It didn't matter anymore. She had turned 18 and was thus free to be killed apparently. There was probably a list of Most Wanted Heroes out there and she'd be damned if she wasn't near the top of it.

And everything that had been floating in her mind came to a screeching halt in that moment. She probably wasn't just near the top; she probably was the top. Number One Most Wanted. Dead or Alive. And going by how her last mission had almost ended, it was preferably dead.

Villains would hunt her for sport. For the reward. For the glory.

Her vision blurred and she felt herself sway. It was becoming too much. It just couldn't be true. They wanted her dead. Not just incapacitated. Or hurt. Dead.

She felt her grip of the desk slipping as she keeled to the side, her body overtaken by panic. Her live truly had changed. Nowhere would be safe anymore. Nowhere.

And then she was jolted out of her spiral by a warm hand on her back. She whirled around a little too fast in her current condition and lost her balance. Waving her hands around in a futile attempt to grab onto something, anything, to stop herself from falling.

Her fall was stopped by Shego stepping close to her and grabbing her by the elbows. "Hey there. Calm down. It'll be alright."

"They want me dead." Kim desperately looked at Shego.

Shego closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, seeming to come to a decision. "Unfortunately."

"They want me dead."

"They won't succeed as long as I'm here." Shego's tone was glacial.

"Oh no, they're gonna go after my family." Shego slowly steered her towards the desk chair.

"We're already working on protection. Don't worry. That was part of the reason why I stopped at your place today." Shego pushed her gently down into the chair. "Your brothers are smart, but they sometimes lack direction."

"But what about my Nana or my uncle or Ron?"

Shego knelt in front of her and put her hands on Kim's thighs. "Kim. Your whole family is full of people that can defend themselves. Your grandmother knows kung fu, your uncle has his robotics, and Stoppable is somewhere in Japan surrounded by literal ninjas. I'm pretty sure they're safe."

"But what if they're still attacked? With lethal force this time." Kim didn't quite understand why Shego was so calm about this.

"They won't. The villains want you. And killing your family won't achieve that."

"And what if they kidnap them to get me to come out? Extortion and such."

"Then I'll be right there with you getting them out. And I won't hesitate to show them the error of their ways."

"You'd kill them?"

"Only if there is no other way. I told you I have morals and standards. I won't go on a killing spree just because someone insists on being a pain in my ass."

Kim looked at Shego, silently mulling over what she had said. And then she remembered another thing from the article.

"Shego? What is this 'villains' code for protection of minors'?"

Shego stood up and seemed slightly uncomfortable. "It's uhm- You know." She waved her hand around in a non-committal way.

"After all that's happened recently, I think I have a right to know." Kim implored.

Shego regarded her for a moment before dropping her head. "Alright." She then sat on the edge of the desk.

"The 'villains' code for protection of minors' is an agreement between all the big-name villains in the world to not use lethal force against minors. Or have it endanger uninvolved minors when they try to pull off their world domination plans. It was a hard-won fight to get it instated. But it also had the unintended side-effect of pulling some heat from Global Justice off the villains because they didn't have to worry as much about the villains taking schools and such hostage to get their ways."

Kim put her hands on Shego's thighs. "Is that why I never faced lethal opposition? Only stun batons and such when weapons were involved?"

"Yes. And because no one wanted to land on Hench Co.'s no-sell-list, they conformed to the agreement. It had been hard to get Hench Co. to sign the agreement in the first place. Yet they didn't come to regret it. It boosted their non-lethal weapons sales to security firms because the stigma of selling lethal weapons to child killing villains disappeared. Slowly, but surely."

Kim nodded in understanding. "How come this is the first I'm hearing about this?"

Shego let a dry chuckle escape. "How would it look if the big bad villain who wanted to rule the world would shy away from using violence against children? You could then theoretically take them down with a class of kindergarteners. It's a backroom deal for a reason. Need to know only. And only crops up once or twice a year in the margins of 'Villains Weekly'."

"I'm subscribed to that. Wade is subscribed to that. We read it regularly. And yet, this is the first I heard about it. How? I just don't understand."

"Kim, do you really deeply read the articles in 'Villains Weekly'? It's a gossip magazine, I doubt there is much in there you're interested in."

"Well, the recipes look nice."

"You can't even cook to save your life." Shego raised her brows.

"Well, Ron appreciates them." Kim said defensively. "And anyway, why didn't Wade ever say anything? He's my intel guy and takes his job seriously."

"He probably did some research and found that it is a hush-hush deal and probably figured, as long as it doesn't endanger your life, you don't need to know." Shego explained patiently.

"You're probably right. Still, if I had known about it, I would've prepared for its protection falling away. Now, I feel like I have to scramble to come up with a defense. I'll have to change how I approach missions and mission prep. And-"

"And I'll be right there with you. Helping you prepare for what's to come. Because in part I feel responsible for this mess we're in now."

"Shego, how are you responsible for it in any way? It's not like you sent the gunmen after me, did you?"

"Absolutely not. But I- I-" Shego dropped her gaze onto her lap.

"What? You what?" Kim furrowed her brow and ducked and tried to capture Shego's eyes.

"I didn't tell you about it because I forgot about it." Shego mumbled barely above a whisper.

Kim smiled. "You're only human." Shego looked at her with a long-suffering look, held up her right hand and ignited it for a moment. "With added bonuses. But under it all, still human. This is something you have lived with for years. It is never spoken about and as such, it slipped your mind. And it isn't as if there was some big newsflash to announce it somewhere. It was one article in a gossip magazine. One that villains only read because they're all just a big group of gossips. Most of them probably didn't believe the article to be true and one went out of their way to test that theory. And they got burned."

"Literally, I'd say." The corner of Shego's mouth lifted slightly.

Kim smiled fully, before getting a grim look on her face. "But that means you will be turned against. You came to my rescue, my rescue. And whilst you may not have pushed us out into the harsh light of day quite yet, people will wonder and at least they'll know that the invasion wasn't a fluke when we worked together. That we're at least friendly with each other, if not friends."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Shego, why are you sorry? I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be here. And I literally wouldn't be here period, if not for you. I don't care what people have to say."

"But your reputation-"

"I don't care. People wanting me dead has put things quite into perspective. Life's not about what people say. It's about what I want. And I want you in my life. And if anyone stands in my way and wants to threaten that, they'll have to deal with my girlfriend and me kicking their ass." Kim spoke with finality and a nod. "But I should worry about your reputation. You have carefully built it up and hidden your hero past and now it's probably all gonna be dredged up and you'll lose credibility as a villain. Everything you've worked hard for."

"Not everything." Kim knitted her brows together in confusion. "You're still here."

Kim felt her cheeks warm. "I'm serious."

"So am I. The moment you called for my help, I didn't care about my reputation, all I could think about was how I wanted to hurt the bastards for trying to lay a hand on you. I went and dealt with my brothers, especially Hego, listening to his insults, to get the means to get to you faster. I went ahead and threatened Betty, knowing full well what she could do to me, so she wouldn't involve you in their organization. I'm helping your brothers ramp up security at your home, so your family can be safe from future attacks. My reputation doesn't matter to me anymore. You do." Shego put her hands on top of Kim's on her thighs.

Kim stared at her and blinked slowly, her mouth hanging open in disbelieve at the sincerity. She looked up into Shego's green eyes shining with so much unsaid emotion. And she just fell in, the pull in her chest spreading to her whole body, making it pulsate with everything she felt in that moment. All their history, the good, the bad, the ugly and the wonderful. Everything that happened to get them to this moment flashed in her mind. "I love you." It was sudden. She had had no control over saying it. It just sprang forth. After a moment of shock, Kim sank into an almost serene peace. It was out there. She knew it to be true in her heart. In her mind, her very soul. She loved Shego.

Kim saw shock reflected back at her for a moment, before Shego's features melted into the softest they had ever been. Kim felt Shego's hands on her cheeks, before Shego leaned down slowly and captured her lips in a very soft kiss. Leaning back, Shego opened her eyes and just stared in wonder at Kim. "I love you, too, Kim."

Kim could've sat in silence forever, just content in the moment, but her nagging brain had other plans unfortunately. She sighed and closed her eyes in preparation for what she had to talk about, to at least voice her mind. "I'm sorry, but-" She opened her eyes again. "I guess there is some kind of history between Betty and you beyond just villain and law enforcement animosity."

"Kim…" Shego's hands dropped to her lap as she sat up straight.

"Just- You don't have to tell me everything. I just want confirmation to know what I'm getting myself into. As I'll think we'll cross paths, if I keep on with the hero business."

Shego looked at her for a very long time after that. Kim let her have the time. If Kim's intuition was right, the reason was not simply something Global Justice did but something more personal.

A sigh left Shego's lips. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. I do. But not here." She slid down from the desk and stepped to the side, then held out her hand for Kim to take. "Let's go to the living room and I'll tell you."

Kim eyed the offered hand for but a moment before taking it and following Shego out the room.

Chapter Text

Shego laid herself onto the length of the sofa. She looked at Kim standing undecided on the side. Opening her arms, she coaxed Kim into laying down on top of her.

When she closed her arms around Kim and Kim snuggled close, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was just what she needed to get the courage to go through with telling the story.

Kim's 'I love you.' had been a shock, but she knew it had been as sudden for Kim to say as it was for her to hear. Shego knew it was the truth. There was no question about it. And her saying it back had also been the full truth. They had danced around saying it out loud for several days, if not weeks.

When Shego came to Kim's aid in that trainyard, she had stopped Kim from saying it. It hadn't been because she wouldn't have believed in Kim's sincerity, it was to spare her the full heartbreak if bad had come to worse and Kim hadn't made it. Ignorance is bliss and all that.

But now that it was fully out in the open, Shego felt like she owed Kim an explanation. No, not owed, but Kim deserved an answer to her question. An honest answer. True, Kim had given her an easy out, but that would've been not anything she could stand for now. Honesty was something she could give Kim freely. And as such she decided to bare her past, even if it hurt her. But having Kim close to her soothed the pain. She dropped her nose down to Kim's head and inhaled, letting the calm wash over her.

"You're right. It is something personal between me and Betty. Deeply personal. And it's one of the few things my brothers and I agree on." Shego spoke quietly. "I'm sorry, I have to ask you to not interrupt me because I need to get this out in one or I don't think I'll have the strength. Please?" Shego felt Kim nod against her chest.

"Thank you. So, it's something that happened many, many, many years ago. When I was still a hero, but it was the last time I carried that title."

* ~ * ~ *

Many, many, many years ago…

"You know what to do?" Betty Director stood resolutely in front of her.

Shego nodded. "I get her to back down. She won't be a problem for you anymore."

"I hope not. No pressure, but you are our only chance for a peaceful solution." Dr. Director laid a comforting hand on Shego's shoulder. "I know she was your friend but-"

"She is my friend. But I don't think I've been a very good friend to her." Shego dropped her head. Fidgeting a little with the black vest she was wearing. She didn't understand why she had to wear it, but also didn't want to question Dr. Director too much.

"You couldn't have known what she got up to. You are not her warden."

"But I could've helped her. Maybe I could've prevented her from doing this." Shego stepped past Dr. Director. "I could've helped. But I've been too busy with my own life to see her struggle."

"You're doing it now. You'll talk her down and we will help her." Betty turned around and regarded her with a weird look for a moment. "You just have to follow the plan."

"I know. The plan. But it feels like I'm betraying her trust."

"She is blinded by power. She can't see what is right or wrong anymore. We need to help her. And the plan will help us do that."

"But her powers are a part of her. As are my powers. How can she be blinded by them?"

"I never said her powers blinded her. I said power blinds her. Her powers give her supremacy, authority over others and she will hurt them, if she doesn't control them."

Shego looked at Betty for a long moment. "You're not planning on taking her powers from her?"

"No." Betty fixed her with a hard stare that made the hairs on her neck stand up. "And now let's get going before it's too late."

Shego had infiltrated the lair of her friend and looked in horror at what was before her. Vats with unidentifiable goop glowed softly and others swam with bizarre creatures she hoped were dead.

In between all of it stood a young woman looking at the readout of some machinery.

"Tish!"

"Shego." The one named Tish turned around, facing her fully. "What do you want here?"

"You have to stop with this. This isn't you."

"Isn't me? And how would you know that? We haven't spoken in ages and now you come in here trying your hero shtick on me. It's not going to work." Tish raised one of her brows mockingly.

"Please. I know I've not been a good friend-"

"Not been a good friend?!" Anger flared up in Tish's face. "Not been a good friend, she says. Knowing that every time I tried to reach her, she blew me off for her new friends." She spat the last word like it was poison.

"I'm sorry. It's all been overwhelming. I'm trying to do good in this world. Be the hero the world needs me to be."

"And they let you be that hero? Don't delude yourself. They use you. Like everyone else around you. They are only interested in what your powers can get them. And as soon as you're no longer useful to them, they'll lock you up as dangerous." Tish looked around taking in the machinery seemingly waiting for something. "They'll do the same thing to me. Lock me up and take my powers away as soon as they have their hands on me."

"No. They won't." Shego stepped forward until a bolt of lightning cracked in front of her. She looked at Tish. A sad look lay in Tish's eyes for a moment before it was replaced with hardness. Shego knew that this had been the only warning to her. The next bolt would slice through her.

"Did your precious Dr. Director tell you that? Newsflash, she lies. Everything that woman spews about the greater good is a lie. She doesn't care about people, she only cares about results."

"Please, Tish. Give this up and come quietly."

Tish smiled at her and for a moment Shego thought she had gotten through to her friend. "No. I don't think so. This world needs to see. And I'm gonna open its eyes." She turned to some part of her machinery, laid a hand on it, and pushed a bolt of electricity through it.

That was the moment all hell broke loose around Shego as dozens of Global Justice agents swarmed the room from all angles. All of them trained various guns of all sizes on Tish. It was the moment Shego understood why she wore the vest.

Shego had been pushed away from Tish in the chaos. Looking up, she saw that Tish's eyes were trained on her. They held the truth. Tish knew that this was going to happen. She was willing her to see the truth. To open her eyes.

Tish held her hands out from her side. She didn't move. Several agents in special suits stepped forward and grabbed Tish roughly, yanking her away. Shego followed them and when she saw Dr. Director standing next to Tish, she hoped this was the end.

And then there was an injector in Betty Director's hand, injecting Tish with something.

"No!" Shego surged forward, throwing plasma at the injector, blasting it away. But it was too late. She was too late.

Tish sank to her knees. Shego skidded to a halt in front of her, peripherally noticing the guns now pointed at her. But she didn't care.

"Tish? You knew."

Tish weakly smiled with effort. "I'm sorry." Her breaths became labored. "You needed… to… see…" Tish fell to the side. "My friend."

Shego saw red. She shot up from the floor and rounded on Dr. Director, getting right into her face. "What did you do to her?"

"Suppressed her powers." The woman gave back cooly.

"You said you weren’t planning on taking her powers."

"And we did no such thing. Her powers are just suppressed."

"And with it you made her into little more than a wilted vegetable." Shego turned around throwing her hands up into the air exasperatedly. The agents with their guns twitched nervously. "She tried to tell me. She tried to tell me that you would betray me. She tried to tell me you're lying to me. I didn't want to believe her. But she was right." Shego turned back around with her features mirthless.

"Be reasonable. She was a threat to the world."

"No. She was only a threat to you. And you couldn't live with that. Whatever you're planning, with me or with any of my brothers, it stops here and now. You will stay away from them and me. If I catch any of your goons near any of us, I will hold you responsible. You, personally. Do you understand?"

"Now, come on. Don't be like this. You should know that being a hero requires sacrifices."

Shego rushed forward and grabbed Betty by the front of her uniform. "Do. You. Understand?" They stared at each other, calculating, eyes narrowed.

"Yes." Shego shoved the other woman from her roughly.

"Glad we could come to an understanding." Shego smiled an obviously fake sweet smile. "I'm gonna walk out of here and this will be the last time we will be on the same side. Come after me and you will regret it dearly. Goodbye, Betty."

Shego held her head up high and walked past Betty Director to the exit. The agents parting before her to let her through.

* ~ * ~ *

Back in the now…

"I went back to my brothers and told them what had happened. They believed me. Hego took a little more convincing but after he checked on where Tish went, he believed me, too. It is why Team Go doesn't cooperate with Global Justice in any way. We all liked Tish. She had a difficult childhood. Both her parents were bioengineers and after her mother died in a work-related accident when she was very young, her father was driven insane. Her powers were a product of his. He forced them onto her. And then he was taken into custody for it. And she… well… Global Justice took notice of her, but she broke with them when she was 15. And made her own life. Ultimately, four years later, she ended up a villain." Shego sighed deeply. Kim hugged her tighter in response.

"But it took a year before Betty approached me with the plan to bring her in. I was apprehensive at first. Tish had been my friend. We were… close, for a while. I- She- Well, we had bonded over having superpowers thrust upon us and being expected to do good with it. And whilst she was a few years older than me, she never really bought into the Global Justice propaganda. And when she saw that Betty had me under her wing and was essentially… grooming me to follow her command and such, I think she just wanted me to see what Global Justice really was. A corrupt organization that didn't care about anything except results. She sacrificed herself so I could be free to make my way. I left hero work behind me and became a thief. And then I signed up with Drakken to seem like less of a threat after Betty set her goons after me. Several of them quit after they got their asses burned. And none of them wanted to face me ever again. So, we came to an impasse of sorts. One I willingly upset, to make it clear to her that I wouldn't tolerate her trying her shit on you. You have worked with her in the past, true, but she hasn't given you the full propaganda package yet."

"To be honest, the first time I had contact with them, I thought them to be full of themselves. Betty teamed me up with one of her best agents, Will Du, and he was an incompetent idiot that grated on my nerves."

Shego smiled. "They're not incompetent, per se, they are just arrogant and think their way is the only way of doing things." Another sigh. "But seriously, Global Justice is an organization with no real oversight and near limitless resources. And as such they do things that other agencies would consider absolutely vile and repulsive."

Kim looked up at Shego. "I hadn't planned on joining up with GJ. I like my freedom and my way of doing things. It gets the job done. And I'm not accountable to anyone except myself. And after what you just told me, I will not ever join up with them and be very wary of them from now on." Kim leaned up on her hands and looked down at Shego. "Thank you for telling me."

"You deserve nothing less but the truth from me, Kimmie." Shego put her right hand on Kim's cheek and pulled her down into a kiss.

When they separated, Kim looked at Shego with a contemplative look.

"What is it?" Shego drew her brows together.

Kim sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way. You just unloaded a lot of things on me, and I'd like to think about them for a while. Alone. Could I go to bed now and have an hour or so to myself?"

"Anything you need. I'm just gonna go and follow up on a few leads to see who attacked you."

"Does it matter? We know the threat now. Who was responsible doesn't really matter, does it?"

"It does to me. I just want to know. They might play fast and loose in the future, and I don't want to risk it."

Kim smiled at her. "Just don't do anything rash." She pushed herself upright. "Without telling me beforehand at least." A smirk graced Kim's lips for a moment before she stood up. "I'm sorry…"

"No need. Take the time. And if you'll need more, just tell me." Shego sat up, too.

"Thank you." Kim's smiled again. Then she headed up towards the bedroom.

Shego looked after her contemplating what to do. She had told Kim a lot about what the breaking point was for her to fully turn to villainy. That mission had been fraught with betrayal from start to finish and had showed her that the good guys were the ones lying most of the time. Villains had no need for lies. They were evil. Lying would serve no purpose. But because the good guys thought the villains were lying, they interpreted willful misdirection and omissions as lies.

Shego took a deep breath and forcefully pushed it out again, before getting up. Walking to the fridge she got herself a water and took it into her office. Maybe she did have some answers to who had attacked Kim.

Kim was right, though. It didn't really matter who had attacked her. But this was a matter of principle for her. She hadn't burned all her bridges with the villain community by saving Kim and handing the guys over to Betty for nothing. It was a statement. A clear statement that told everyone that daring to attack Kim Possible would have dire consequences.

Shego sat down in her desk chair and drummed her fingers on the edge of the desk absentmindedly. Her eyes strayed to the clock on the opposite wall. It was too late to reach anyone anymore.

She got up again and walked to her bookshelves. Trailing her fingers along the shelves, she looked at the books, not taking in the titles.

She walked a few rounds in front of her desk, trying to dispel the restless energy. It wasn't working.

She groaned, grabbing her water, she made her way into her training room. Maybe beating up her punching bag would calm her down.

She threw a few lazy punches and then just leaned on it. Closing her eyes, she realized what the problem was.

She hadn't thought about Tish in a very, very long time. It still hurt like hell thinking about what Betty had done. And that Tish had willingly sacrificed herself for her. She had been more of a hero as a villain than Shego could've ever hoped for when she had actually been a hero.

Thinking back on it, Shego could see that Betty had probably recruited her for exactly the purpose of bringing down Tish. What Shego hadn't told Kim was that Tish had actively tried to bring Global Justice down. All her plans had involved breaking apart Global Justice and trying to rip them out of the shadows and into the public eye. So, it had been easy to assume that Tish only wanted to open the worlds eyes to the threat of Global Justice. But maybe she had wanted to open Shego's eyes to its threat, too. It had all seemed like a last stand. And Tish could've easily defended herself against the agents. But she hadn't even fought back. She had surrendered. And still Betty injected her with whatever it was.

"Oh, Tish, I'll forever be grateful for what you gave me." Shego sniffed sharply. Then she turned around, grabbed her water, and drank the last of it. Walking into the kitchen she looked at the clock on the oven. It had been an hour and twenty minutes since Kim had gone up.

Shego decided to check on her and, thusly, made her way up the stairs.

"Hey, you still awake?" She whispered into the darkness of the bedroom.

"Yeah." Kim answered quietly as well.

"Okay. I'm just gonna take a shower and… well…" Shego trailed off, unsure of what Kim wanted.

"And then you'll join me in bed?"

A weight she didn't know she had dropped from Shego's shoulders. "And then I'll join you in bed." She smiled. Grabbing a towel and a shirt, she went into the bathroom.

After her shower, Shego slipped into the bed and Kim immediately settled on her shoulder. "Thank you."

"No problem. It is a lot to take in." They fell silent.

When Shego thought Kim had already fallen asleep, Kim spoke. "You said, Tish and you were close. Were you together?"

"Does it matter?" Shego whispered back.

"No. Not really. I was just curious." They fell silent again.

After a while Shego whispered, "Yes."

Kim nodded and made an affirmative noise, before pulling Shego tighter to herself and nuzzling into her side.

Shego smiled and knew that Kim understood.

"To be honest, I have so many more questions. But they can wait until tomorrow. Goodnight, Shego." Kim whispered into the crook of Shego’s neck.

"Goodnight, Kimmie."

Chapter Text

They sat opposite each other at the breakfast bar by the kitchen, each reading a part of the morning paper they shared. It was a quiet morning, the weather outside the windows a muddy grey.

Kim was still digesting everything Shego had told her the previous evening. She had been truthful, when she had told Shego that she still had a lot of questions. But whenever she thought she had some questions that made sense, another thought occurred to her answering those questions but giving her others that she wanted to ask. Also, she didn't know how to breach the subject. She had felt that it was something that pained Shego to talk about and she didn't want to pick and rip at old wounds and making her hurt again. Kim frowned and turned over the paper in front of her.

"Something the matter, Princess?" Shego peered over the edge of her paper.

"No. Just lost in thoughts, is all." The edges of her mouth jumped up for a moment.

Shego hummed and they fell silent again.

"My parents are homophobic assholes." Shego suddenly broke the silence a few minutes later.

Kim just blinked at her a few times. "Okay." She put the paper down and folded her hands on top of it.

"And Hego parrots everything they say." Shego tossed her paper aside and sighed deeply, setting her forearms on the counter, clasping her hands together.

Kim realized that this was something Shego needed to get off her chest and wanted her to understand. "I'm sorry, but what?"

"You remember when I was over at your place for dinner and was panicking because your parents found out about us, and your father gave me the third degree?" Kim nodded. She remembered how she had tried to calm Shego. How Shego had seemed completely off kilter for a moment in the face of Kim's father finding out about them. "That's the reason. Well, my own father is the reason."

"I take it, your parents didn't react well when they found out you're not straight?" Kim asked quietly.

"Understatement of the century. They could live with me becoming a villain but drew the line at gay. My father went nuclear when I told them. Well, more like confirmed what they had heard." Shego drew a hand through her hair. "And my stupid brother worships the ground my parents walk on. He'd probably believe fairies ruled the dinosaurs and unicorns built the pyramids, if they told him that."

"Hego's really that stupid?" Kim couldn't quite believe that to be true.

"Probably not. At least I hope not. Although when I told him, we're together, he didn't get it. And even after Mego tried to tell him he had the wrong end of the stick; he didn't get it. And then he insinuated, I lead you down a path of deviancy and perversion."

"Well, if this is the path of deviancy and perversion, it's pretty decent. Amazing really." Kim smirked at Shego.

"Oh, don't start, Princess." Shego scoffed.

"Sorry. I just…" Kim closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Why are you telling me all this now?"

"Context, I suppose." Shego shrugged. "What I told you yesterday doesn't exist in a vacuum, and it was preceded by other things that brought me to the breaking point."

"I thought as much." Kim nodded resolutely. "Alright, tell me everything then."

The look Shego gave her then was indecipherable, but it gave way to a soft smile. "Before I tell you I want you to know that you're amazing and I love you."

Kim reached across and put a hand on Shego's clasped ones. "And I love you. Now tell me what you want to tell me. I'm listening."

Shego took a deep breath. "I had quite a loose friendship, if you could even call it that, with Tish before she finally broke ties with Global Justice completely. Afterwards, she just said it had been 'grave differences in opinions' that led her to quit. At the time I couldn't understand why she would quit a job like that. It was secure and upstanding and paid quite well. Gods, I've had been so obnoxiously naïve back then." Shego chuckled darkly. "But as I grew closer to Tish and we hung out more with each other, I saw how she helped people by not going through the official channels and how much quicker and more direct it was. Yeah, sure, she sometimes robbed a bank or something to get money. But what is that compared to feeding a slum full of starving people or helping them build houses? I began to see the world in shades of gray. Mind you I was still very much a part of Team Go and saving the city from supervillains. But my methods changed over time. And I argued more than once with my brothers for a more involved approach with the community. But as much as Senior is stuck in his traditional villain ways, Hego was stuck in the traditional hero ways." Shego snorted derisively.

"And your family never said anything? I mean you hung around a villain." Kim wondered. "Did they not accuse her of turning you over to the dark side?"

"I told you, we met, when she wasn't a villain, and she made a very good impression on my brothers and my parents. And she garnered brownie points because of her tragic past. So, not really. Sure, Hego occasionally made a comment about bringing Tish back to the side of good but never in earnest. He knew that ship had sailed. And because Tish steered clear of Go City, we never encountered her in our work."

"Then how did you end up with Global Justice?"

"When my parents found out about my relationship with Tish, it blew up and I moved out. And with me needing to come up with money for rent and stuff, Betty pounced on me and offered me a job. It didn't go over well with Tish. She sat me down and told me in detail what kind of things went on in the deep corners of Global Justice. The deep corners she and other supervillains with powers had been subjected to. I didn't believe her. Couldn't fathom that any organization that stood for law and order could be that cruel. We broke up and that was another thing Betty effectively used against me, to groom me into a follower. And then she sent me against my former friend, when Tish made to directly attack Global Justice. And we know how that went down."

"But how did your parents find out about it? Did Hego pick up on it and run to your parents with it or something?"

A mirthless laugh escapes Shego. "An offhanded comment from a friend of a family acquaintance of all things. And because my father pushed me on it very aggressively, I told him it was true. He then tried to push me into a wall. I reacted on autopilot and threw him across the room. That was when my mother came into the room to see what the commotion was. She saw my father on the floor, my hands ignited and immediately accused me of attacking him. Talking about how it would look in the news and what the neighbors would think if it came out, I attacked my father. By then, my father had regained enough of his senses to bait me with 'What would the neighbors think, indeed?' and I just lost it."

"What did you do?" Kim's mind was flooded with several scenarios one worse than the other.

"Not what you think, they're still my parents, after all. I just told them it was my life to do with as I saw fit and that they could shove their legacy up where the sun doesn't shine. And then I left. A few days later, when my father was out, I came back and collected my stuff and fully moved out. My mother tried to convince me to rethink, but my mind was made up."

"Wait, their legacy? What legacy are we talking about here?"

Shego chuckled. "You know…" Kim drew a blank and it must've reflected in her expression. "The Go legacy of Go City? The descendants of the founders of Go City ring any bells? Why do you think the city is named Go City?"

"I don't know, places have weird names sometimes. How was I to know you had any connection to that?"

"My last name is literally Go? You never…? Oh boy." Shego sighed. "Yes, I'm a descendant of the Go City Go's, the family that founded the city back when. But I don't give a rat's ass about it unlike my parents."

"Wow. I'm in the presence of royalty." Kim joked.

"I told you, don't start. You don't have the excuse of being freshly injured anymore, I won't hesitate to knock you around a bit." Shego narrowed her eyes.

"For that you'd need to catch me first." Kim jumped up, leaving Shego behind at the bar.

"Oh, it's on, Princess." Kim heard Shego behind her when she had reached the foot of the stairs.

Kim was halfway up the stairs when the doorbell rang. She froze, turned around and looked at Shego quizzically. She had never heard anyone ring the doorbell in her time at Shego's place. Shego looked as confused as Kim felt. And then there was insistent knocking on the door. More like banging. Someone must really want something.

Shego moved to the door and opened it a crack.

"Where's Kim?" Kim recognized that voice.

"Who're you?" Shego snarled and readied her hand.

Kim quickly rushed across the room and grabbed Shego's wrist, swinging around the door to peek at the person outside. "Monique? What're you doing here?"

"You know her?" Shego looked at Kim with a raised brow.

"Know her? I'm her best girl." Monique spoke up, just to be met with Shego's withering stare. Kim tugged at Shego's wrist. She knew that her girlfriend was a very private person and probably about to make a literal burning statement. Kim didn't want Monique to be on the receiving end of one of Shego's blasts. She needed to find out how Monique knew where to find her fast. Kim hadn't even told her parents the address.

"Monique, what are you doing here?" Kim implored her friend.

"Wade told me where to find you. I'm flying to California tomorrow and wanted to say goodbye to you in person."

Kim felt Shego relax whilst pushing out a groan. "You could've led with that. Or, I don't know, called or texted beforehand."

"I did do that. But someone seems to have forgotten that a phone needs charging every now and then." Kim could hear the sour disapproval in Monique's voice. She had been busy and wasn't in contact with anyone a lot recently. When Ron had texted her the day before, she thought she needed to charge her phone again but forgot again when she started to worry about how Ron would take the news of her relationship with Shego.

Shego opened the door wider. "Then come on in before I lose my patience."

Monique rushed in and Shego let the door audibly fall close behind her. Kim felt it safe to let go of Shego's wrist and moved beside Monique, who seemed a little overwhelmed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shego busy herself in the kitchen.

"So, you got the scholarship?" Kim tentatively asked.

"Yeah, I got it. I almost didn't believe in it anymore. But I got it and I'm moving tomorrow. You know, to find a place and maybe a job, too, while I'm at it." Kim steered Monique to the sofa and gently coaxed her to sit down.

"That's great. I'm definitely gonna miss you."

"Don't worry, I'll call you. And you'll hopefully call me." Kim sat down on the other end of the sofa.

"Of course, I'll call you."

Shego groaned. "Ugh, before this turns into a "no you, no you" thing, I'm gonna head up and take a shower." She walked to the stairs.

"It wasn't." Kim looked at Shego.

"Uh-huh. Whatever." Shego said dismissively and started up the stairs.

"Love you, too." Kim called after her.

Shego just turned around, rolled her eyes exasperatedly and shook her head while making a face, before turning around again. Kim recognized it for what it was, Shego was trying to keep up her badass attitude in front of other people. But in the slightly more pronounced sway of her hips, she could see the truth. That vixen.

"Hello, Earth to Kim? You in there?"

"Wha?" Kim blinked and shook herself out of her trance. "I mean, what?"

Monique looked at her. "Man, you got it bad. You were drooling."

"I was so not." Kim indignantly shot back.

"Like a geriatric person in a home." Monique laughed.

Kim put her head in her hands. "She's gorgeous and I'm but a simple woman, let me drool."

"I wasn't gonna stop you, if we weren't in the middle of a conversation. By the way, you know that Wade's got you chipped, right?"

"I know. It's no big deal." Kim shrugged.

"No big deal? So, you consented to being chipped?"

"No. But it literally saved my life, so I won't complain." Kim leaned back into the cushions.

"Yeah. That was some messed up stuff. Do you have any idea yet why you were attacked?"

"Oh, yeah. We found out literally yesterday while I was talking to Ron. It was an article in Villains Weekly that revealed I'm 18 now and as such an adult and fair game for lethal force."

"What?" Monique looked at her like she had lost her marbles.

"Yeah. Apparently, I had protection because I was just a teenager and killing kids is worse than anything else in the villain community. A really big no-no. Though who exactly ordered the hit on me is still unclear. Shego tries to figure it out, but it doesn't really matter much to me who it was."

"You're not worried they'll try again?"

"I'm certain they'll try again. But Wade and Shego are both working on stuff. Wade is improving my battle suit and Shego has something in the works with my brothers. So, I'm not really worried about it. It happened and I'll learn from it." Kim shrugged.

"Girl, I'd like to have your chill. Nearly gets killed and only talks about learning from it." Monique shook her head in disbelief.

Kim bellowed a laugh. "Don't get me wrong. I was freaked out like hell afterwards. I mean, I got shot. Without a vest, I'd definitely not be here right now. Best scenario, I'd be in a hospital. Shego really became my knight in shining armor that day."

"She really has changed."

"Oh, she hasn't changed at all. I told you, she's different in private. Fiercely protective of the people she cares about."

"I say. Back at the door, I felt as if she was about to torch me." Monique nervously chuckled.

"She was." Kim stated matter-of-factly.

"Thanks for saving me, I guess?"

"You're welcome." Kim smiled.

They fell silent for a moment.

"You know what a little naked mole-rat told me? Ron and Yori are apparently hooking up." Monique said.

"Oh." Kim raised both brows. "Ron didn't tell me that yesterday. Though he was quite freaked out about me getting shot."

"Yeah. Maybe. Anyway, have you told him about Shego and you yet?"

"I did. Well, I kind of did. Shego found out about the reason for my attack in the middle of my call to him and then it was kind of unavoidable for him to not know by the way she verbally exploded." Kim smiled nervously. It hadn't been exactly how she had pictured it going but when had a plan ever worked as intended.

"How'd he take it?"

"Surprisingly well. I'd have expected more backlash. But he was quite accepting of it."

"Maybe hooking up with Yori made it easier for him to accept?" Monique sounded doubtful.

"No. I think he knew something I didn't. He said, it was only a matter of time. That if she had stayed good back then, he wouldn't have been able to keep me." Kim looked off into the distance for a moment, letting Ron's words fully sink in. He was right, but also not quite. The time she had spent with the good Shego, she had also always felt like something crucial was missing from their interactions.

"That's what you told me, too. That it was only a matter of time before you two would've hooked up."

"Yes, about that. I thought that back then it was just us having unresolved tension and it would resolve itself someday. I didn't think there was more to it than that. I never thought that I would find myself in the apartment of my former nemesis, having fallen for her. But I also wouldn't change it for anything. I mean, there will most likely come times when we will have a hard time. She has her baggage and I have mine, but we can work on it and find a way to make things work."

"So, you have figured out, if you love her?" It was said as more of a statement than a question.

"I have." Kim nodded. "I do love her. I think I fully figured it out when I was dodging bullets and hiding from bad guys. I just wanted to see her again. That wasn't how I wanted things to end."

"Are you sure?" Her friend's concern was touching. Kim doubted that this would be the last time she would be asked by Monique if she truly loved Shego. It was probably still a very weird concept for the people around her to see her be at ease and happy with the one person that always fought her on sight not even a year ago.

"I am. I love her, more than anyone." Kim beamed.

"And she loves you?" Monique asked with a doubtful tone.

"She-"

"I do." Shego suddenly cut in, standing behind the sofa. "Love her, that is."

Kim playfully slapped Shego's forearm, before resting her hand on it. "You can't just sneak up on people."

"Au contraire mon amour, this is my place, and I can sneak up on whom I want in it." Shego levelled her gaze onto Kim.

"It's really a gorgeous place you have here." Monique jumped in.

"Thanks." Shego stepped around the sofa and plopped herself down between Monique and Kim.

"And the view… must be better when the weather is clear." Monique laughed nervously looking everywhere but directly at Shego.

Kim wanted Monique to be at least a little more comfortable with Shego. It wouldn't be good in the long run, if Monique always expected an attack. But judging from the way Monique currently tried to make herself as small as possible, it would have to come from Shego. So, Kim looked at Shego imploringly and earned a blank expression. Kim subtly nodded her head in Monique's direction and Shego rolled her eyes but relented.

"Listen, Monique?" Shego leaned forward and captured Monique's attention. "I know things have been developing a little suddenly and you're probably not really convinced of my motives or motivations. I can understand that. So, here's your chance at 20 questions with me."

"I- I don't-" Monique stammered nervously. Kim felt for her. Shego could come on a little strong sometimes. And if you weren't used to that it was quite unsettling.

"Come on. You must have some questions. I'm not exactly known for having a lot of information being known about me. Kimmie here is probably the person who knows the most about me." Shego waved her hand in Kim's direction.

"And she's incredibly hedgy with details." Monique bit out. It was true. Kim never really answered questions about Shego or Shego's past. She felt it was not her right to divulge such information to anyone. So, she had kept exchanges about these things with Monique quite vague on purpose. Shego was a very private person and that was something Kim respected.

"And I appreciate her thoughtfulness on this very much." Shego looked at Kim for a moment with a thankful expression, before turning back to focus on Monique. "But this tells me, you do have questions about things and would probably like some clear answers. This is your chance to get them. Maybe your only chance. I'd suggest you use it." Shego smirked.

Kim had a sudden feeling of impending doom. It did not bode well that Shego was doing this willingly. She could have said a few reassuring words and made her position clear. But this was much more than Kim had anticipated. Although, she should trust Shego to handle the situation. Kim couldn't and wouldn't run interference between her girlfriend and the other people in her life forever. And Shego seemed to get along with her parents and brothers just fine. She even had come to some kind of understanding with Wade. So, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. And Monique had a lot more tact than Ron, for the most part.

Shego put her hand on Kim's thigh and rubbed soothing circles with her thumb. Kim looked down at the hand and then up at Shego, who was still looking at Monique. The gesture seemed like something Shego had done subconsciously to calm her down. It spoke more of the place they were at as a couple than any words ever could have. So, Kim took a deep breath and willed herself to relax. Shego had this. No need to worry. Kim trusted Shego to handle this in an appropriate manner.

"Fine. But you asked for it." Monique finally made her choice. "You care about Kim?"

"I do. Very much so. Or do you think I would've allowed her to stay with me the past few days?"

"I guess not. Still, you're a villain, who's to say you haven't got her under some kind of mind control?"

The hand on Kim's thigh clamped down for a moment before relaxing. It seemed like Shego needed the contact as much as Kim needed it to stay calm.

"As Kim constantly and incessantly reminds me, I'm a former villain. And even still, anyone who knows even a little bit about me knows that I abhor mind control in any way, shape, or form. So, no, I wouldn't subject her to something like that. Ever." Shego stated with a voice cold as ice.

"And you don't want to turn her evil?"

"No."

"Or kill her?"

A labored sigh escaped Shego. "No, I never wanted to kill her."

"Because she had been underage or…"

"Because life would have been incredibly boring without her." Kim saw how confused Monique was by that statement. And she herself only understood where Shego was coming from because she felt the same way. "Don't get me wrong, Kimmie was a huge pain in my ass from day one. But she was also the only one who could keep up with me in a fight. And wasn't intimidated in the slightest by my powers. Do you know how boring it gets, when everyone you fight folds as soon as you bring out superior firepower? It was convenient when it was the police, but well, after a while, things get boring. And then Kimmie walked onto the scene and not only took my plasma powers in stride and adapted her fighting style. No, she had the gall to sass me. In the middle of a fight. It was refreshing. Of course, I could've seriously harmed her or more, but I would've lost a worthy adversary."

"So, you're not holding her against her will or anything?"

Kim snorted out a laugh. "Sorry. Sorry."

"What's so funny, Princess?" Shego looked at her with a raised brow.

"Just the thought that you could hold me against my will."

"Shall I recount all the times you ended up in restraints?" Shego smirked at her.

Kim mirrored the expression. "And shall I recount all the times I got out of them?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "I swear, one of these days…"

"Promises, promises…" Kim leaned over with a challenging glint in her eyes.

"Please, stop! I don't want to know." Monique had her eyes closed and seemed like she desperately tried to not picture things.

Kim felt her face become hot. How could they get so carried away in just a few sentences?

"Heh, this is nothing. Her mother probably got more scarred by how she found out about us." Shego shrugged and got up.

Kim felt her blush spread down her neck. Why did Shego have to mention that?

"What do you mean?" Monique questioned.

"Yeah, what do I mean, Princess? Do tell." Shego threw over her shoulder with a downright evil smirk while walking into the kitchen.

"I hate you." Kim mumbled and refused to look at anything other than the floor. Maybe it would open up and swallow her?

"Kim?" Monique practically begged her to put a stop to whatever it was she imagined.

"Well… Uhm… You see…" Kim stammered helplessly, embarrassed out of her mind.

"Kim! Just tell me. I don't think anything I can imagine is worse than what actually happened. And I'm really starting to imagine some seriously weird things."

Kim took a deep breath. "My mother found out because my back was totally scratched up. I had moved and it twinged, and she wanted to know, if it was really nothing big as I claimed. She said it looked like I had been attacked by some kind of wild animal." Kim raised her finger and pointed at Shego. "Not. A. Word."

Shego held up her hands. In one she had a tumbler and in the other a bottle with an amber liquid. "Wasn't gonna say anything."

Kim blinked for a moment; her train of thought lost. "Is this really the time for drinking?"

Shego opened the bottle and poured in two fingers of the liquid. She put the bottle back on the top shelf of a cupboard, before turning around. "It's either this or someone gets crispy. I don't do open honesty very often. And especially not on a 'you just gotta trust me' basis. I get antsy. And you know what happens when I get like that." Shego fixed Kim with a look over the rim of her glass before downing half of it.

"Yeah. Whatever. Drink your whisky." Kim waved her off and turned back to Monique, trying to get back to her story, and not letting Shego affect her.

"It's bourbon." Shego defended, slowly sipping the rest of her drink.

"Potayto, potahto. Anyway…"

"No, that's vodka, Kimmie." Kim could hear the self-satisfied smirk.

Kim breathed out heavily through her nose, begging for patience. "Shego…" She said through clenched teeth with a clear warning in her tone, not looking at the current bane of her existence. She absolutely knew what Shego was trying to do. But they were having company, and this was not the right time for them to get into it.

"Alright, alright." Shego huffed and dropped into the armchair.

"Anyway, as I was saying." Kim strained to regain her patience. "My mother saw the various scratches on my back and asked who had done that to me and I thought 'now or never' and told her it had been Shego. And well, she is a smart woman and quickly figured out that the scratches were something I must've been a willing participant in. And then she put two and two together and the rest is history."

"Wow. That must've been quite the shock for her."

"She seemed more concerned with me losing my temper and punching that asshole. Or she tried to desperately repress what she had just learned. Probably the latter."

"Yeah. I think I might follow her down that route." Monique looked past Kim into the distance. "Oh, shoot, look at the time. I promised my parents, I'd meet them for lunch."

They got up and Kim led them to the door. Halfway there, Kim turned because she felt Monique not following her anymore.

"Shego?" Monique addressed the former villainess sitting in the armchair, seemingly uncaring of all things around her.

Shego looked up and just raised a brow in acknowledgment.

"Keep her straight, will ya?"

A very amused expression settled on Shego's face. "I'm afraid that is the one thing not even Kim Possible can do."

Monique's lips twitched upwards for but a second. "You know what I mean. Girl needs someone to tell her when she's being stupid sometimes."

"Don't worry. I've been keeping her in check since the beginning."

Monique shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know what she sees in you." Shego just looked at her with an expression that seemed to say: You and me both. "Anyway, was nice meeting you and not getting torched. See you around someday." Monique nodded and then joined Kim at the door.

"I'm going to miss you, Monique."

"I'm not out of this world. I'm still gonna text and call you." Monique moved in for a big hug. They separated and Monique looked at Kim very seriously. "Are you absolutely sure that this is a healthy relationship you're in?"

Kim looked a Monique, being very confused.

"Just back there she was constantly trying to get under your skin-"

"Oh!" Kim suddenly understood what that must've looked like. "No, I mean, yes, she was, but well… You've interrupted us when you dropped by. We were just about to-"

"I don't wanna know."

"-spar. Honestly, Monique. I'm starting to think you need to find someone." Kim laughed.

"What do I know? Maybe that is some kind of foreplay for you." Upon hearing that, Kim just smiled knowingly. "Oh dear, it is, isn't it?"

"All I'm saying is that, yes, this is a healthy, consensual, equal relationship. And I'm without a doubt sure that Shego is serious about this because otherwise she wouldn't have entertained your questions in the way she did. Or even let you through the door to begin with."

"I'll believe you. For now. But if she decides to break your heart, I'll come for hers."

"I'll let her know. Now, get out of here. Don't want to be late for lunch." Kim opened the door.

"Yeah, I better get out of here and let you get back to sparring with your girlfriend." Monique chuckled.

"Alright. That's it. Goodbye. Text me when you arrive in California." Kim pushed Monique out the door with a laugh and closed the door behind her.

Kim smiled and sauntered back towards the armchair Shego was sitting in and kneeled on it straddling Shego. "Thank you."

"Whatever, Princess." Shego tried to play it cool.

"No, thank you. You didn't have to do what you did."

"Hmpf. I just thought that playing nice with your friends might be beneficial to me in the future. And if it only helps in them not coming after me with torches and pitchforks, claiming I'm holding you against your will. As if you couldn't make your own decisions." Shego rolled her eyes.

Kim leaned in and captured her lips for a moment. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Anyway, where were we before we got interrupted? Ah, right, you failing to catch me." Kim leaped backwards from the chair and landed with a challenging glint in her eyes.

"Oh, you're going down, Kimmie." Kim took off and Shego was in hot pursuit not even a second later.

* ~ * ~ *

*beep beep be-beep*

Kim cracked an eye open. She was really relaxed right now. Monique had been right; their jabs and sparring was foreplay to them. Shego's warmth beside her pulled her back into the sleepy state she was in, and she closed her eyes again.

*beep beep be-beep*

Shego grumbled. Kim needed to remember to put her Kimmunicator on silent next time. She made a noise between growl and sigh and grabbed a shirt from the ground next to the bed.

*beep beep be-beep*

Kim put the shirt on and leaned over to grab the Kimmunicator from the nightstand. "This better be important, Wade." She grumbled.

"Sorry to disturb you. But I did some digging like you asked and I have found something." Kim snapped to attention. She had forgotten that she had asked Wade to dig from his end into the article.

"Okay. What have you found?"

"Nothing much. Just the informants for the guy who wrote the article." Next to Kim, Shego tensed. Kim reached out her hand to try to keep Shego calm for a moment longer.

"Anyone we know?" Kim furrowed her brow. Who could possibly tell about her age?

"Not that I know. But that isn't to say this isn't a situation where a friend of a friend told his cousin and so on." Wade shrugged. "Or maybe the article was a shot in the dark and they were coincidentally right."

"Yeah. That is definitely a possibility. But someone wants to be sure." Kim smiled fondly.

"That someone is right, you know?" Shego griped behind her, slipping into some clothes, too, before leaning on top of her. "Can I contact you later to tell you where you can send the list, Nerdlinger?"

"Do I need to worry about their health?" Kim cut in before Wade had time to react. She raised a brow and inclined her head towards her girlfriend.

"No. I won't go after them."

"You won't?" Kim was puzzled by that response. Shego seemed to be planning something but if it wasn't going after the informants, what was it.

"I won't. I'll use Betty to do my dirty work."

"You can't be serious. After everything? Have you hit your head or something?" Kim sat up and fully faced Shego.

"What's the alternative? Me going after them and getting slammed with a charge of vigilantism? Which would reactivate my old records, mind you. And I won't do that to you." Shego looked at Kim with a very serious face that left no option for discussion.

Kim stared back with an equally stony face. But the more she thought about what Shego had said, the more it made sense. Kim growled. "Fine. But this is the last time."

"I know what you said, but you don't need to stop working with them on my account, you know."

"Shego. What they did- The methods they used- That kind of stuff doesn't fly with me. This is the end. I am fully capable of doing my job without them. They aren't capable without me."

"Why do you have to be so infuriatingly loyal?" Shego said through clenched teeth.

"Because I trust and love you, doofus." Kim smiled at her and turned back to Wade.

"So, I'm forwarding the list to Global Justice?" Wade asked with an air of uncertainty.

"Kind of. Forward it directly to Doctor Director. And then cut all Team Possible ties with them. I don't want anything to do with them anymore." Kim stated resolutely.

"Alright. May I ask why?" Wade said, while typing on his computer.

Kim's eyes flicked over to Shego. "It's personal. I have gotten new information about their methods, and it is something I can't and won't associate my name with in any way. And they better respect that decision."

"Alright. Any notes for Doctor Director before I send it?"

"How about: Fuck off." Shego cut in with disdain.

"Shego! No!"

"Fine. Have it your way. I'm just saying, she deserves it."

"Be that as it may, I'm better than to directly curse her out. I'm a little more eloquent." Kim rolled her eyes. "How about: With all due respect, I hope this matter will be handled appropriately. Regards, Kimberly Ann Possible."

"Alright, Kim. Anything else?"

"No, I think that gets my point across pretty well." Kim smirked.

"Okay. I'll send it off and see to blocking their access to you."

"Please and thank you." Kim put the Kimmunicator back onto the nightstand. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shego staring at her.

"What?" Kim raised her brows.

"With all due respect and full name? That might be worse than what I would've said. Better hope Betty doesn't come after you for the disrespect."

"Well, if she does, we'll just have to kick her butt. Speaking of, I better call Ron and tell him about Team Possible's stance on Global Justice before they try coming for him." Kim leaned over to grab the Kimmunicator again.

*beep beep be-beep*

"Speak of the devil…" Kim answered the call. "Hey, Ron. What's up?"

"Hey, I know I said I'd talk to you soon yesterday, but I didn't think it would be this soon."

"Ron, what is it?" Kim stifled a laugh.

"You won't guess who just made me a job offer." Kim met Shego's gaze.

"Global Justice." Shego spoke grimly.

"Heh, I guess you did guess."

Shego swung around and sat next to Kim so Ron could see her. "Stoppable, please tell me you haven't taken the job."

Ron was stunned for a moment, before he shook himself out of it. "Hell no, I wouldn't do something like that without consulting my best friend first."

"Ron, listen to me, this is important. Do not take the job. Do not even talk to them, if you can avoid it. Team Possible does not work with them anymore." Kim spoke slowly and decisively.

"Since when?" Ron seemed confused. Global Justice had been nice enough to them in the past. But that was it, they had been nice to them because they wanted something from them.

"Since last night. I got new information on them and decided that it's nothing I want to be part of." Kim could see Ron trying to put the pieces together. "And if I should guess, Betty Director is probably trying to get to me through you." Kim had another epiphany in that moment. "And by extension, she's most likely trying to get to Shego."

"Or she is trying to figure out what we are to each other." Shego pushed out.

"Or that. Ron, you haven't told them about us, have you?"

"No. They didn't ask. They just talked about past successes and offered me a job with them. I told them I'd think about it. Nothing more."

"At least something you did right, Stoppable." Shego snarked.

"Hey, I did a lot of things right. And you can't scare me anymore." Ron shot back.

"Are you sure about that? I'm still able to burn your backside."

"I'd like to see you try. I got mystical monkey powers now, remember?"

"And I got plasma powers from outer space, you're not special."

"Yeah, and the next time we meet we might just have to see what's better." Ron challenged.

"Oh, you're gonna regret that, Stoppable." Shego squared up.

"Oh-kay. No one is going to do that. Both of you, behave."

"She started it." Ron piped up.

Kim sent him a scathing look through the screen. "I don't care. I'm ending it." She fixed Shego and Ron with a stare that practically dared them to talk back.

After a moment, Ron started to grin. "Shego, your girlfriend is kinda bossy."

"Your ex is kinda bossy." Shego shot back before, to Kim's horror, both descended into a laughing fit.

Kim crossed her arms and slumped down. "I'm not bossy."

"You are, but we still love you, KP." Ron calmed down.

Shego slipped an arm around her. "We do. That's something Stoppable and I can agree on."

Kim leaned her head on Shego's shoulder. "You are all hopeless."

"Well, if we're hopeless than so are you, because you love us." Shego nudged her playfully.

Ron got a serious look. "You know it's weird seeing you two like this. Weird, but strangely right. It just… fits. Like it was meant to be somehow." Ron shrugged. "But what do I know?"

Kim sniffed quietly. She wanted to hug Ron. He was truly her best friend. And right now, she realized just how much she missed talking to her best friend. "I miss you, Ron."

"I miss you, too, KP. Maybe I can get Sensei to give me some time off and I'll come visit."

"And would you bring your new girlfriend Yori with you?" Kim smirked.

"Why would I-? She's not my-" Ron sputtered.

Kim chuckled. "I talked to Monique this morning."

"Monique? I haven't…" Ron stopped and narrowed his eyes in thought. "Rufus!"

From somewhere on Ron's end was a small 'Uh-oh' and a squeak heard. Before Ron sighed in defeat. "Yeah. Okay. Maybe. You know I wanted to tell you yesterday. But then everything happened as it did, and I thought I'd just tell you the next time I talk to you. And yeah, maybe I somehow wanted to stave off a repeat of last time you thought Yori was interested in me."

Kim felt Shego perk up at that comment. She needed to divert the attention to something else quickly or she felt like she'd never live down how jealous she got that time. "Well, I don't think there is any danger of that when I got the woman of my dreams right here."

"Oh no, Princess, flattery will get you nowhere. Spill the gossip, Stoppable, how bad was it?" Kim really should've seen that coming.

"Very. I'm talking majorly, category 10, green as a cucumber, jealous. All the while telling me she wasn't."

"Uhh, that's interesting. Didn't think Miss Open-minded could get like that."

Why were her girlfriend and best friend intent torturing her? "You know I'm still in the room, right? Can you gossip on your own time?"

"Oh, come on, where'd be the fun in that?" Shego smirked at her, to which Kim only narrowed her eyes. "But I guess if you insist, I can wait until I meet with Stoppable to get all the hot gossip on you."

"Or you could simply not do that."

"Hey, I still got to uphold some semblance of a reputation. Also, I'd call it bonding with your friends. You want that, don't you?" Shego smiled at her with a definite checkmate smirk. And Kim had to give it to her.

"I hate you." Kim grumbled in response.

"No, you don't." Was said in unison by Ron and Shego. Kim didn't know if she was happy with them getting along.

"Be glad I don't. Now, can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"I guess." Ron conceded. "So, Global Justice bad and on our shit list?"

"Very much so." Kim nodded.

"Okay, KP. I'll spread the word at Yamanouchi, too. Just in case."

"Thanks, Ron." Kim smiled.

"You're just doing that without proof or further reason?" Shego questioned.

Ron looked confused. "Of course. I trust Kim's judgment. And I know better than to press you on whatever the reason is. I'd like to live, thank you very much."

"Who said it had anything to do with me?" Shego crossed her arms defensively and scowled.

"Well, if it would've been something Kim found out on her own, she would've outright told me the reason. But I guess it has something to do with you, maybe something really bad Global Justice did to you in the past. And you told Kim, and she believes you. And, as I said, Kim's opinion on something like that is enough for me to believe we're doing it for a good reason. So, yeah, I think it has to do with you, but I won't press you on it."

Shego had a disbelieving look on her face. Kim patted her on the shoulder. "You let Rufus watch online courses again, whilst you napped, right?" Kim smiled. Something like this had happened in the past.

Ron rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Maybe."

"You know, if that is what you retain when you're not actively listening, imagine what you could learn if you actually would listen for once." Kim looked at him sternly.

"Yeah, but let's face it that's just not my style. I learn by osmosis."

"Do you even know what osmosis means?"

"Something with cells?"

Kim laughed Ron's Ron-ness was getting to her. She shook her head. "Yeah, anyway, you know what to do now. I think I have to fix Shego after you broke her."

"Yeah, and I should better get back to training. But I will ask Sensei for some time off and I'll let you know."

"You got it, Ron. Talk to you soon." Kim smiled.

"Bye, KP." The call ended and Kim put the Kimmunicator back onto the nightstand once again. Hopefully for longer this time around.

She turned to Shego. "You okay?"

"Was he always that smart? I don't think he was always that smart."

Kim just hugged her. "He isn't wrong when he says he learns by osmosis. The problem is just that he tends to forget the things quite quickly again. I bet Rufus watched some online courses on psychology or something and Ron was napping nearby. Don't worry, it will probably not happen again."

"Good. Because that was seriously scary. And I don't scare easily." Shego turned in the embrace only to hug Kim back. "And your people are just freaky. You give them no concrete reason or proof of anything and they believe you. Just like that."

"So? They know when it's something serious and trust my motives."

"Yeah. But Stoppable knew I gave you the information and I'm pretty sure your Nerdlinger figured as much. Why do they still believe you and by extension me? I'm a villain. I might be lying for god's sake!"

Kim sighed and leaned back. "Were you?" Shego wasn't used to have people believe and trust her.

"No. But-"

"Didn't think so. Face it, you're one of us now. Your opinion has as much weight as everyone else's. We might argue and fight or give you a hard time over it, but we'll still respect it. You have different experiences than we have. And we care about those, too. The good and the bad."

Shego sighed. "You're too good for this world."

Kim felt her heart grow. "No, I just love you. Unconditionally." She bumped Shego with her forehead, before snuggling close again.

"Whatever did I do to deserve that?" Shego practically wrapped herself around Kim.

"You were being yourself. How can I not love you?" Kim spoke quietly.

After a few deep breaths, Shego spoke equally quietly but with truth ringing from every syllable. "Well, then I thank you for being yourself, too, and allowing me the privilege of falling in love with you." The timbre of Shego's voice rolled through Kim. It calmed her to the core and assured her that everything was going to be alright in the future. No matter what Betty Director should plan, or anyone should throw against them, they were going to come out on the other side.

Kim took a deep breath, letting herself be enveloped by Shego's scent, the slight metallic one that always accompanied her and the spicier overtones that were from her bodywash that Kim had been allowed to use several times by now. And for the first time in her life, she felt content. Not just happy or at peace, but like this was where she was supposed to be. She had her family and her friends, and yes, everything was changing and that was scary, but it paled in comparison to the true contentment she currently felt, curled into the side of the woman she loved, who held her in a tight embrace in turn. If this was her future, she knew she would be alright.

Chapter Text

12 years later…

"Moooooooom!" A loud yell echoed through the house, causing the, until then, peacefully slumbering inhabitants of the bedroom to groan in annoyance.

"You've been summoned." Shego grumbled from somewhere under the covers.

"No no, I think she wants you." Kim grumbled back burrowing herself deeper into the warm blankets, still hoping against hope to be able to fall back to sleep.

"Nah, Kimmie, you brought 'em home, you take care of 'em."

"You agreed to it. Your name's on the paperwork, too. Don't think you can weasel out of it now." Kim poked Shego's side.

"Mom! Ash took my maroon sweater again without asking." The voice was closer.

"Did not! Don't blame me because you lost it." The voices were joined by angry footfall. A second later the door to the bedroom burst open to let the squabbling teens in.

Shego sighed and sat up. "Charlotte! Ashley! Be quiet!" She used her sternest voice to get the attention. The two girls looked at her puzzled. "Charly, your sweater is in the wash. And now, both of you, for the love of everything good and evil… Get. Out."

The teens looked a bit sheepish but left. Leaving the door wide open. Shego groaned again.

At that moment, another teen ambled past the door. They looked into the room and nodded. "Sup?"

"Dom, could you please close the door the two hell cats left open?"

"Sure. See you at breakfast." They did as asked. Silence fell in the bedroom once again.

"At least one of 'em is sensible." Shego muttered and looked over at Kim, who still didn't seem to have a care in the world. "You can't be serious? You just went back to sleep? Oh, no, Princess, not today." Shego smirked and then pulled the blanket off of Kim.

"Ah! Give it back!" Kim bellowed.

"After being rudely woken by teenagers yelling? I think not."

"You are evil!" Kim crossed her arms, sitting up.

"What else is new? That's how we met if I remember correctly." Shego looked at Kim with a bemused expression.

"You wanted to feed me to sharks." Kim grinned good-naturedly.

"Well, we have teens in the house. Might be a good alternative to sharks."

"Yeah, but did you forget that I escaped pretty swiftly?" Kim looked at Shego with a challenging face.

"True." Shego chuckled. "How did we end up like this?" She laid back down. Kim joined her, laying on top of her.

"Well, there was this one morning when I couldn't sleep. And I met you standing underneath a streetlamp. Might've been around five a.m."

"Hm. I remember that."

"And then you gave me your number and I asked you out."

"Yeah. And if I remember correctly, we had one hell of a night afterwards." Shego smiled down at Kim who hummed in agreement.

"And then my mother found out about us pretty soon because of that."

"Would you have it any other way?"

Kim thought about it for a moment. "No."

"And then everything blew up around us basically, but it worked out in the end. We worked through some things together and came out stronger on the other side."

"And don't forget we probably slightly traumatized Drakken."

Shego laughed out loud at that memory. "Well, that was a good end to my last day of employment with him. He was convinced you'd blow up his lair, just for old times' sake."

"Not in the dress I was wearing." Kim laughed along.

"Yeah. And now we have a horde of young humans under our care. Why did I let myself be convinced it would be a good idea?" The question was utterly rhetorical. They had had that exact conversation a thousand times over already.

"Because family is important. And for people who feel like they have no place in this world even more so."

"And that is why you are the hero and I'm decidedly not."

"As if you're still as bad as you were when we first met." Kim propped herself up and pecked Shego on the lips. "Now, we better get down into the kitchen before someone burns it down."

"Not unlikely, though I think Dominique has it under control. They'll make a good cook or something eventually." Shego stretched languidly before getting out of bed and vanishing in the bathroom.

Kim watched her and wondered, not for the first time in the last years that it was bordering on a bloody miracle that they had built a life together with a family.

Who knew, Shego was just what she had needed in her life?