Hi, everybody! Okay, I put the HARSH challenge out and got 2 comments back, both saying I should write any sequels myself. And I'd like to. So I figured I'll do it in short bursts. And whaddaya know, I already did a burst! Here it is.

PLEASE NOTE that I'd still be tickled if somebody else wanted to take a stab at it, so the challenge is still on, if anyone is interested.

I'll update when I can. I have loads of little vignettes and stuff that I'd like to share. And everybody else, keep writing! I love DS!

"Wow" is dedicated to Ninnik Nishukan and PoisonousAngel. Thanks for the nudge, and you guys write the best DS!!

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"Wow."

Just one word. But coming from Shego, it was a big word indeed.

Drakken watched her look around, wondering what she meant. "Wow" could have a good meaning or a bad meaning. What did it mean when she said it at this particular moment?

They'd just taken their first steps into their new home. Prison, he corrected himself. But he had to admit it was a fine prison indeed, much nicer than the Mount Middleton cracker box he'd been living in before.

Dr. Director had moved them to Upperton, far outside the city limits but close enough that GJ could extend one of their underground travel tubes directly to the house. That way, Shego could make her daily commute to GJ headquarters for her new job without going out in public. Shego hadn't been pleased with that bit of news -- she'd been looking forward to being able to travel through the city -- but Drakken had assured her that if she behaved herself, Dr. Director might loosen the reins. The head of GJ had done so with Drakken already -- she'd let him redesign his disguise image on his holographic imaging device so that he would appear slim and handsome now when he ran his allowed errands.

That is, he would look slim and handsome at the point when he could run his errands. He pulled his crutches closer to his body so that he could comfortably follow Shego through the front door of the house. He couldn't walk very well yet, and he certainly couldn't drive a car. It would be some time until he would be allowed to leave this house on his own.

The house was one of GJ's newer safe houses, and it had been remodeled with its new occupants' tastes in mind: vaulted ceilings, hardwood floor, black furniture, darker paint than most homeowners would want -- not a lair, but as lair-ish as the typical house could get. The whole move, from preparations to this moment, had taken three months, during which time Drakken had healed somewhat and Shego had developed her entire teaching schedule for her future GJ students.

And they'd gotten married. A very simple ceremony, no guests -- just Drakken's mother, Shego's brothers, and Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. It had taken place in Drakken's cracker box and had lasted all of ten minutes. But it was enough. Drakken had nearly passed out with joy, and Shego had seemed...unusually content. Drakken was still concerned that his mother might drop dead from sheer happiness, but so far she merely grinned so wide that she looked like a Canadian on South Park. Drakken himself had been grinning a lot since, too. Marriage! To his longtime love, no less! And all because his father had tried to kill him.

He had once told Shego that life was a bitch. Well, it could be marvelous, too. As far as he was concerned, it was pretty damned marvelous right now. Except for one word.

"Wow." Shego said it again as she stepped slowly into the living room.

What did she mean? If she hated the house, Drakken feared that their new lives would take a sharp turn from marvelousness and charge straight for unbearable. "It's big," he ventured. "Lots of room."

"Yeah, I guess." Shego threw open the dark green curtains and gazed out the sliding glass doors. Outside was a large backyard with a brick storage building at the far end. That was where Drakken was supposed to keep the more dangerous substances and materials he would be working with. GJ trusted him with such materials now, but they didn't want them in the house.

Drakken ventured another comment. "Want to check out the lab?"

"Bathroom," she responded, a bit too sharply for Drakken's tastes. No doubt she was concerned about the size of the tub. Shego loved to take long luxurious baths.

Oh please be a big tub, please please please, Drakken thought. With exaggerated cheerfulness he said, "To the bathroom, then!" and led the way on his crutches.

"I'll be happy when you get that knee surgery," Shego commented as she followed him down the hallway.

"All in good time," he said, but they both knew it wouldn't happen for at least a year. Drakken's body needed time to stabilize. The amount of damage he'd sustained was causing all sorts of complications this time -- bouts of severe pain, muscle spasms, dizziness, even a few blackouts had occurred. And fatigue. Lots of fatigue. But Drakken was determined to overcome everything his father had done to him. The old bastard wasn't going to win, not at this point. "Sir" was still in a coma in some undisclosed locale, and Drakken wished at least once a day that he could just set the man on fire and be done with it. But he wasn't sure if his father would feel the pain. No pain, no gain was his motto on that subject, so he let the idea go. For now.

Apprehensively he peeked into the bathroom. He let out a sigh. The tub was big enough that he would be able to lay in it stretched out. Definitely bigger than the normal bathtub. Probably because the doctor wants me to soak my leg every night, he thought. How handy that such a requirement meant a big tub for Shego, though.

"Wow," Shego said when she peered over his shoulder and saw the bathtub.

Drakken still couldn't figure out if she was pleased or pissed. "Look, it's got jets!" he noticed. "Isn't that great?"

"Wow."

Drakken clenched his jaw. "Let's check out the kitchen."

"Nah. That's your department. I may wear a ring now, but I'm not cooking." Shego headed for a door that led down to the basement. "Let's check out the gym."

With no small amount of trouble, what with the crutches and all, Drakken followed her.

The gym was small but had enough equipment to provide even Shego with a decent daily workout. Drakken knew she would be able to supplement it with the equipment at GJ headquarters. This stuff was mostly for him, he knew, so that he could build himself back to some semblance of health.

What took up most of the large basement was Drakken's new lab. Smaller and more cramped than he would have prefered, but equipped with the latest toys. Dr. Director had already warned him that he wasn't getting all this cool stuff for free. "You'll work for it, Drew," she'd told him. "I wouldn't waste good money on you if I didn't expect great things back. Do we have an understanding?"

Yes, they had an understanding, and Drakken was eager to get started. He missed working. And this lab was so much better than the tiny bedroom he'd had on Mount Middleton.

Happy at what he'd seen so far, Drakken said, "This place is turning out to be pretty good, don't you think, Shego?"

"Bedroom," was all she said, heading back to the stairs.

Drakken tried to keep his smile in place. She knew we were going to end up in a typical house, he thought, looping an arm around his crutches and using the rails to haul himself slowly up one stair at a time. She knew that turning herself in meant a life without luxuries. She knew that marrying me would mean...less than some other options. Didn't she? Is the reality of her choice hitting her just now? Is she going to regret her decision to stay with me? Not for the first time since they'd said their vows did Drakken feel a stab of panic. He pushed it down, telling himself not to jump to conclusions.

Shego was already at the bedroom door. "Wow," she said.

Drakken could hardly stand it anymore. He looked past her to see where they'd be sleeping from now on. "Nice bed?" he squeaked. He hadn't intended for it to come out as a question.

"Queen, not a king," Shego noted. "Damn."

"Hey, I went from my wonderful big red bed to a crappy single," Drakken pointed out. "I'll be happy with a queen."

Shego turned around and eyed him. "I'd prefer more room."

Drakken shrugged. "I don't think we can swing it."

"Swing it?" Her mouth quirked. "An interesting way to put it."

Drakken just looked at her.

"Some maneuvers require more than a queen-sized bed, you know?" she said suggestively.

Oh. OH! "Um...we...uhhh..." Drakken felt his face flush.

Now Shego grinned. "I guess there's always the floor..."

"Shego!"

"Of course, we can't do much anyway until you get better, though I think we've managed quite well so far, don't you?"

Drakken swallowed, overwhelmed for a moment by a tide of conflicting emotions. He felt relief to learn that Shego wasn't angry by the house. She wouldn't crack jokes if she was. He felt embarrassed by her not-so-subtle comments, even though she was only stating what he already knew -- that they'd managed to get quite adventurous despite his injuries. And he felt hot and tingly from the wave of love that washed over him. He worried too much, he realized. Shego was a tough woman -- tough to deal with, tough to live with, tough to be in love with. But he didn't need to worry so much. She really did love him and seemed determined to stay with him.

He grinned. Wow!