Oh, the number of times Kim Possible had been in this medical room in the Middleton Medical Center. You never really thought about it until you had children of your own. And Kim had four! Gracie, Emily, Zoe, and Nicky; and even more, she had the greatest wife and soulmate anyone could ever hope for. Shego Possible was without question her rock, her greatest hero. This…all of this? Kim's life, despite a few rough spots that only a world saver could understand, was near perfect.
But it was the end result of one of those rough spots that found her and her eldest daughter in the hospital room on a day like today. The previous winter, Kim and Gracie had been in New Zealand at a Global Justice base when WEE had sprung an unusually sneaky trap. Kim and her brother Jim had been taken hostage and Gracie…Kim still had a hard time talking about it. Gracie had narrowly survived being shot down in the family hovercraft. Kim had been blissfully unaware of poor Gracie's predicament at the time; thank God. Kim…she…she wouldn't have been able to go on knowing that…and as it stood, Shego and GJ had ridden to the rescue just in time, Kim's green Goddess bearing witness to Kim's duel with her old rival Bonnie Rockwaller. And Shego had given Kim a fight song, no less.
The whole affair had left Kim with only a broken rib which had long since healed but…but Gracie had been far less fortunate, surviving several broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion. But like a true Possible, Gracie had endured and worked her way through her recovery as few others could. Her friend Mary Tyler had practically spent the entire summer at the Palace and had accompanied her best friend to a number of doctor's visits for moral support. And Billy…Billy Murphy had been at her daughter's beck and call all summer.
But Grace Anne Possible had been fit to pop at the limitations imposed on her by her condition and had become not just a little insufferable in the home stretch of her recovery Where in the world had her daughter developed such a stubborn streak? Surely not from Kim's side of the family…
"Knock knock," Doctor Parker poked his head in and both the ladies turned expectantly.
"So…what's the word Doc?" Gracie managed a nervous laugh. "Will I ever play the saxophone again?"
"Well I'm afraid that little tidbit is beyond me," The doctor chuckled as he walked in and brought Gracie's test results up on the screen. "But all of your tests look fine. Body CT, x-rays, EEG, everything looks normal. Gracie Possible, I now pronounce you officially healed."
Oh thank Goodness; Kim could think of several people who would be thoroughly glad to hear that, least of all Shego. As Kim wrapped her daughter up in a congratulatory hug, she couldn't help but laugh at the memories. If you'd told 17 year old Kim that Shego would become the most doting mother she'd ever seen, she'd have said you were crazy. But even Mama Bear Shego had her breaking points, especially when Gracie had tried to climb out her bedroom window, just to get out of the house.
"Thank you so much Doctor Parker," Kim offered a handshake and it was heartily accepted. "The little fireball here was getting a little difficult."
Gracie let out an indignant squawk and glared daggers at her mother.
"No thanks necessary, Mrs. Possible," Doctor Parker assured her, shutting down the computer screen. "Let me see if I can get you two ladies discharged quickly."
"YEEEESSSSSSS," Gracie belted out a few minutes later as the pair exited the medical complex. "FREEEEDOOOMMMMM!"
At that, Gracie's pet naked mole rat, George, popped out of one of the pockets of her daughter's cargo pants, scampered up to Gracie's shoulder, and proceeded to join the celebration, attempting to perform a moonwalk while Gracie walked to the car.
"Alright you two," Kim sighed as she unlocked the family Chevy Traverse. "Settle down now. You can burn off that excess energy on the training grounds when we get home."
"No ice cream?" George squeaked as Gracie buckled herself in.
"Yeah," Gracie cheered. "I thought we got to get ice cream after the doctor."
"Young lady…that was when you were six," Kim couldn't help but roll her eyes as she pulled into traffic. "You're fifteen now."
"But…sniff…you and Momma always say I'll always be your little girl," Gracie gave a mock sniffle. "Please Mommy?"
She wasn't going to look! Kim knew darn well what was going on next to her. Gracie was pulling out the big guns, deploying the dreaded PDP, better known as the Puppy Dog Pout. As much as Kim hated to admit it, that little gem was all Kim's genes. But…well how was she to know that someone could've taken Kim's most potent weapon for manipulating her parents as a kid and…well, Shego as an adult, and turn it against Kim herself?
"Oh please, Mother of mine that I love so much?"
She was losing control and she knew it. Kim could feel her head turning, almost as if under a spell. And then, BAM! She caught the look full in the face and the mother's will crumbled like the walls of Jericho.
"FINE," Kim gasped in surrender. "Well get you that ice cream! Just put that away!"
"Thank you, Mom."
God, Kim prayed. You're teaching me a lesson, aren't you? I mean, this is just plain wrong! I…I can't think of…if this IS a lesson, please make my grandchildren just as skilled at this art of warfare as my daughter has become.
What are the odds Mom uttered that same prayer? You're probably loving this irony. Aren't you, Mom?
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"NICHOLAS ANDREW POSSIBLE, YOU COME BACK HER THIS INSTANT AND GIVE ME THAT KETCHUP BOTTLE!"
It was like living with the world's smartest animal; and it was driving Shego INSANE! She loved her son with all her heart, REALLY she did. But either Nicky's "Terrible Twos" were happening in spades or Shego had best petition the Vatican for an exorcism. WHAT in Heaven's name did Nicky find so fascinating about the fridge? And how was he able to always get the darn thing open despite being a good four inches shorter than the door?
"Momma…uh…" Emily's mossy green locks appeared over the balcony at the top of the stairs.
"What…gasp…what is it, honey?"
"Uh…Mom and Gracie just pulled in."
"Thanks," Shego gasped as she dove for the ketchup bottle as it left Nicky's hands, snagging it before it shattered all over her nice clean floor. "Could you please…gasp…help me with your brother?"
Shego had just replaced the bottle in the fridge, seriously considering the merits of having Wade install a retinal scanner lock, when Kim and Gracie entered through the kitchen door. Her wife of nearly sixteen years took in the scene, a thoroughly exhausted Shego leaning against the fridge, one of her daughter's wrestling to get her squirming little brother up the stairs, and just burst out laughing.
Why that little…Kim gave her wife her best daggers look and…and that only made Kim laugh harder. Oh sure; the little Princess could yuck it up now but tonight was HER shift to give Nicky a bath and put him to bed
"Good news from the doctor, Muffin?" Shego sighed, planting a kiss on her daughter's pale green cheek.
Kim took a deep breath as the laughter finally subsided and grabbed a chair to steady herself. "Our daughter's as healthy as a horse," She replied as she leaned in and planted a kiss on Shego's lips. "What did Nicky swipe from the fridge now?"
"The ketchup," Shego moaned, slumping into a chair at the table. "I don't know what's wrong with that boy."
As only a teenager could, Gracie quickly disappeared to her room, likely to fill her friends in on her prognosis, leaving the older set alone in the kitchen.
"Want something to take the edge off?" Kim offered, heading to the fridge and removing the pitcher of blood orange soda and placing it under the cupboard.
Had their fates been different, had Kimmie not been pregnant in high school and gone on to college under…well…normal circumstances, the spunky redhead would've made a bar tender worthy of Flanagan's Cocktails and Dreams. She could make a Ruby Relaxer like no other. But…no, things were most definitely not so severe that Shego needed a drink. Now that she had managed to get between the little stinker and the fridge…it was a LITTLE funny, looking back on it. "Nah, I DO love my little boy. I'll save the drinking for when he starts dating. Could I have a shoulder rub though?"
Kim was only too happy to oblige. According to her wife, Shego was certainly the one with the "magic fingers" in the family, not that being able to heat her own flesh to tackle the most troublesome knots didn't provide her an edge. But Kimmie was most definitely no slouch in that department. Kim downed her soda and got up behind her wife, flexing her fingers.
Ohhhhhh…that hit the spot! Shego could feel Kim's strong hands just melting the knots away as they danced across the older woman's shoulder blades. She'd have to rely on her wife's back rubs a lot in the coming weeks. After almost sixteen years of teaching, Shego Possible had long since developed a reliable routine for getting through the first few weeks of school but this year, she'd had a few US History classes thrown into the mix and…well…qualified or no, she was still nervous. No matter how old you got, fear of screwing up could still get to you.
"So where are the twins?"
"Ah, Emily just took Nicky upstairs," Shego sighed contentedly. "I swear, it is amazing how good natured and tolerant he is with those two. If either of my older siblings ever tried HALF of what the girls get away with with Nicky…" She let the sentence trail off. "So...everything went well at the doctor?"
"God bless those meta-human genes you passed on," Kim heaved a sigh, taking a break to get the feeling back in her digits. "I…I am just so glad that horrid affair is behind us."
Shego tensed up. She'd caught that catch in her wife's breathing. New Zealand HAD been a trial on their family. She'd been the first to see Gracie in her condition and…and Shego had witnessed Kim square off against her original adversary in a katana battle that would put any kung-fu movie to utter shame. Her and Kim renewing their vows had been a welcome distraction from it all but once the family settled into Gracie's recovery period, Shego wasn't alone in seeing how difficult a time Kim was having. Shego and Kim had no secrets between them but…why was Kim so hesitant to talk about it? Did she somehow blame herself for what happened to Gracie? Shego would've given Gracie the exact same orders in that situation so…how could Kim have known what that ship was capable of…or that the little bugger could even fly to pursue Gracie?
Shego turned in the chair, to Kim's surprise, and wrapped her own arms around the shorter woman. "Kimmie…Princess…you know you can tell me anything, anything at all, and I will do whatever is in my power to make it feel better. Are you doing okay with everything that happened? Is there anything you want to talk about, with me or Abby or Mom or…"
"Oh Eme, I'm fine," Kim planted a little kiss on the tip of Shego's nose. "Really, I am. I…I'm just so glad that Gracie is finally better; any one that you can walk away from, right?"
Well…not the response Shego was hoping for. As much as she wished to the contrary sometimes, Shego certainly couldn't force her wife to divulge anything. But Kimmie would come around in her own time. She always did. And when she did, Shego would be there with a pair of shoulders to cry on, no waiting.
"So who was that on the phone this morning?" Shego slid back around, changing the subject. "Wade calling with a mission?"
"Nothing concrete," Kim replied, reapplying her efforts to a particularly troublesome knot. "Minnie's been picking up rumblings that the Seniors might be gearing up for something. Wade said he'd keep us posted and let us know if anything comes up. Good thing too. I was starting to think Mongolia had scared everybody off. Being just an award winning author was getting to be a little boring."
"And I suppose being JUST my wife has become a barrel of yawns now too?" Shego shrugged off Kim's hands and got into a kneeling position on the chair, once again facing her wife.
"Well, ignoring the fact that you're a meta-human who can hurl balls of flaming plasma…which most of the rest of the world would find to be anything but," Kim attempted a little nibble at Shego's ear lobe. "You're a new surprise every day. What about me? Am I getting boring?"
"Eh, maybe a little," Okay…Shego couldn't help herself sometimes and she KNEW she'd pay for that little comment.
"SHEGO!" Kim squawked in indignation.
"Oh you know I'm kidding," Shego planted a kiss on Kim's forehead. "People find plasma slinging far from boring? Well I'm fairly certain they feel the same about a woman who sets fire to the counter top while trying to make toast!"
"Ha…point taken, Eme; so we're doing pretty good for almost sixteen years of marriage?"
"Are you kidding me, Princess? We're doing great!"
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"We…we don't know what to do, Mr. Spencer. Charlie and I…my brother and I had every dime the two of us had, sunk into that custom shop, picking up where our Dad left off and making it a success. Charlie had been designing this new muscle car that…well…he said it would make Carrol Shelby sit up in his grave and applaud. I mean, this was one of those opportunities that, at least Charlie thought, comes along once in a generation! It's something that completely revolutionizes your field. And Charlie and I decided to make the move and build the car. We had to mortgage the shop but even then, we could only get so far. Then, out of nowhere, this super suave Ricardo Montalban type guy, says his name is 'Senior' if you can believe that, shows up and agrees to finance us for the last leg, says he has an eye for talent and he had a few experts lined up to give us a boost. He claimed that he might also be able to discourage some 'specific competition'. I…I had my doubts but Charlie…he wanted so bad to complete the car that he begged me. So I caved. We signed the paperwork the next day. The following night, Charlie goes in to check the garage only to find the doors forced open and someone making off with the master plans and…"
"It's okay," Elliot replied. "Believe me when I say that it's going to be okay."
"Charlie made a move to stop the guy and…and now he's in the hospital with a concussion. He can't work on the car, I can't handle the store by myself and…can't afford to hire anymore help. What are you going to do? Hell, what can ANYbody do? Now…now the bank is about to call in the mortgage and…and we'll lose everything. Damn it; I TOLD Charlie that we shouldn't have trusted that guy. Now…what can you do? Hell, what can ANYBODY do?"
"Well Mr. Hoffman, this is a fairly classic story. The rich and powerful take whatever they want. My associates and I…we take it back. We provide…Leverage."
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Leverage Inc. had called a number of cities home and had worked in a number of buildings with tech that would make even the best hackers giddy with excitement. But while technology was far from his "thing", Elliot Spencer could appreciate the toys that Hardison had to play with here, especially with the mission they now had at hand. The Hutton case had struck Elliot more than most other cases. Call it growing up in small-town Oklahoma but the hardened mercenary, hitter, and now urban Robin Hood had a soft spot for "mom and pop" shops, especially ones that passed from parent to child. His own father had operated such a facility. Spencer Hardware had been the best hardware store in three counties in any direction. Even if he and Dad weren't exactly on speaking terms right now…he'd do anything to help stores like that. Just like Value More, whatever this one took, Elliot was prepared to do.
"So is it safe to say that we're all thinking the same thing?" He sighed, sinking into his chair as Hardison brought up the holo-projector.
"The Huttons weren't the first ones to be hit," Their tech guru began, highlighted portions of the Pacific coast appearing. "All along the coast, it's been the same story. Raul Senior has been buying up promising up-and-comers in automotive engineering, all people that are tops in their field but still in financial trouble. And at ever location, after Senior swoops in with his Ricardo Montalban routine, somebody who seriously knows what to look for, sneaks in and takes what they want, no matter who gets in their way. Some just get roughed up…others wind up at the morgue."
This wasn't good. Nate had talked about guys like this. Raul Senior, Drew Lipsky, these guys weren't ordinary white collar criminals. Leverage had only every come across marks like this…Elliot could count the number of times on one hand. The way Nate and Sophie talked about these guys…they were like ghost stories you told around the campfire. Whenever one of them would show their face, Nate put them through the ringer preparing. Sophie…Sophie was like a dozen different people. And Nate…those times were the only ones the team couldn't blame Nate for wanting to drink.
"I hacked CCTV footage at all of the locations and the hitter looks to be this guy, Edward Lipsky, goes by the…"
"Motor Ed," Elliot sighed, rubbing his temples. "Top of his class at MIT, the original grease monkey; the guy's a joke but…he's not a hitter. What these two are doing working together…" He looked at Hardison and Parker. They WERE thinking the same thing. This was out of their league and as much as they wanted to leave them in peace…Nate and Sophie were the only ones who could handle something like this.
Author's Notes:
Yep, it's a Leverage Crossover. Partial thanks has to go to NoDrogs for the inspiration but I always wanted to explore the actual characters interacting with Kim, kind of in a mentor role. Look for more information about Kim's connection to the modern day Robin Hood organization in the later chapters.
Kim Possible and all characters associated with that name are the copyrighted property of the Disney corporation and the intellectual property of Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle.
Leverage and all characters associated are the copyrighted property of Electronic Entertainment and the intellectual property of John Rodgers and Chris Downey
Grace Anne Possible, George the Naked Mole Rat, and Abigail Normal are the intellectual property of Poetheather1.