Kim Possible is the property of Walt Disney Studios. Batman and the Joker are the property of DC Comics.
Feeling in a little cheerier mood. This story, as the previous three, is background of sorts to a larger work.
THE DAY SHE FOUND OUT
The diamond district of Amsterdam was a great contradiction: eighteenth century buildings protected by twentieth-first century security. The completely modern woman on a rooftop was concentrating on overcoming the latter.
Shego patched into yet another system. Her computer pulled out the necessary information to disable the defenses when Operation Glitter went into effect. The name was a bit much. There was no great scheme like in the old days, no death ray, no world conquest, it was not even for the money. The loot would probably just go on the pile with the rest.
Still, Shego loved chaos for its own sake, and the last time anyone had hit the diamond district like this, they were driving panzers.
More than the chaos, she liked the audacity of taking all of Amsterdam's diamonds in a single night. Give Junior credit for thinking big. Everyone else thinks he's a dolt, but he has come up with some crafty schemes this past year and a half.
Senior Island had become Shego's latest haunt. It had been three years since Crime Fighting Med School Wonder Kim Possible had finally smashed Dr. Drakken's organization. Dr. D. had had a good plan, as good as the Diablo scheme. How she had figured it out was beyond Shego. Drakken was in super secure lock up now, and Shego had not even tried to bust him out. She was a sidekick, not a knight or samurai. Suicidal loyalty had not been in the job description.
The fraternity Yeah, that's the right word for that boy's club. of evil masterminds had no doubt as to who was at fault. It couldn't be the evil mastermind, of course, so how about the head of security? Especially since this chief used the small bathroom in the club house.
Since then she had been black balled. Some even accused her of being on the other side. Not to her face, though. The carefully saved money held out for a year, then began to show the effects of running from half the world. That's when Junior had called.
Their partnership had gone well. He had remembered what she had taught him in her brief stint as his tutor in villainy, before jealous Senior had ended that gig. They had hit on several profitable jobs, not that that had been hard anymore.
Everybody always talks about how important a good villain is for the hero. Does anyone think about the other way around? I mean, would anybody care about the Joker if he didn't have Batman after him? Kim's a doctor now, doing post-grad work at the Jarvic Center. You can't go chasing off saving the world if it means people die at your place of work. I also hear there's a bun in the oven. Good job, Ron! Score one for the sidekicks of the world.
So in the long and short of it, she and Junior would most likely be ankle deep in hot rocks come next week. Oh, for a real challenge! That GJ agent Du wasn't too bad, but he falls for the same leg sweep every time…
She stood up, when something almost made her fall over, and off the roof. The holster on her left calf played 'White Wedding'. In all the years she had had that phone, it had never rang. Her hand trembled as she reached for it.
"Ms. Cabot?"
The voice Shego used was carefully modulated. It came out older, far more refined. The Go City girl was now a Boston Brahmin.
"Mrs. Cabot. How may I help you?"
"Mrs. Cabot, this is John Henson at Go City Store and Save. We've had a break in."
A break in! "And what is missing?"
There was a pause. "I'm sorry to say that they took everything. We've never had anything like this. Yours was the only unit hit. As you know, it was in our most secure area. Inside, under constant camera surveillance, actual guard contact every hour on the hour…"
"I know what I've been paying for." 'Mrs. Cabot' said coldly. "Do continue."
"We have no clues. Nothing on the camera. No sign of forced entry. This was a pro job like we've never had."
"We called as soon as we found out. The owners are afraid that someone who does something like this has more than just goods in mind. They might be out for you. Please be careful."
"Thank you for your concern, young man. I can assure you that I am safe."
"Good. The adjusters have a complete inventory of your lot. We promise fair market value for anything not recovered within ninety days. Again, we're terribly sorry."
Mechanically, Shego put the phone back in the holster. A hand went green, and a chimney shattered from a blow driven by white-hot anger. She didn't even remember how she made it back to the jet amid all the claxons going off.
The jet was on auto-pilot all the way to the island. It was far too dangerous for Shego to fly in this state of mind. She kept thinking about what Henson had said.
There wasn't much of value in there. Still, there's a cool million out there for me, and that's just the legal bounty. The Jugular Gang will double that, if I'm brought in in two pieces. It may be time to get back on the road. I still have three places paid for. Bangkok is nice this time of year, and the Jugulars probably wouldn't think of me hiding so close to Malaysia.
She jumped out of the jet when it landed. It was late, but she knew Junior would still be up. He was at the pool under his stupid sun lamp. His hands were behind his head, so she knew that he was thinking.
"How did it go?" he began.
"No time to talk, Junior. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."
Not much to pack in the room. Was there ever? Can be on the road in…
Shego had a guest suite in the grand Senior house. She had not so much as moved a chair. Why would she, it wasn't like it was her place, any more than any other place she had been in the past many years. But the room was changed.
There were several boxes in the floor. A few were opened, their contents placed about the room. Rolled up posters were still in the Go City Maulers garbage can. A stack of photo albums were on an end table. Who now would believe she had once been quite the shutter bug? Great training for casing places.
The dresser caught her eye. Two boxes were open and on it. One held the gold cross her parents had given her for Confirmation. She thought of the Billy Joel song every time she saw it. Beside it was the rosary Junior had given her at her Mother's memorial service. It was too dangerous to go to the funeral, so Drakken had sent in none other than Kim Possible with a hidden camera, while Shego, Drakken, and some other villains and minions watched from the Middleton lair. Shego later sent money anonymously to St. Agatha's for masses to be sung in her memory, and had sneaked in on one.
Beside it was the memory of a Christmas of long ago. Picture Perfect Princess, which she had not asked for, sat on a horse. Her arms were around the armored shoulders of its rider. The princess's moon eyes were looking at, not Picture Perfect Prince, but the scarred visage of Sir Mayhem, which she had asked for. His armor had the scratches and dings from his countless duels with Hego's Sir Havoc. Later she had learned how to use Mayhem's upswing to lift the Princess's skirt. Mom was not amused.
The last item out made her gasp. There in its frame was her Father's shield, along with a picture of the two of them, the day he got his first decoration for valor. She stood in front of him, as proud as any six year old girl could be of her hero Daddy. A huge smile was on her face, she craned her head toward the camera, and had her eyes closed.
She took off the taloned glove. Retractable or not, she would not have this scratched. Shego ran her fingers along the outline of her Father's badge G426784.
"I could have lost everything else." She said to the badge. "But I would have turned the world upside down to find you."
Her senses told her someone was at the door. Sure enough, it was Junior. He stepped in shyly.
"Okay, Junior, two questions. Number one, how? How did you figure out where I kept my stuff? No one else has come close enough for me to know they were looking."
"It was not easy." Junior began. "I knew you had to have a stash somewhere. I knew you wouldn't have it in a bank or place with that sort of security, so I began to look at the more secure storage areas. I also guessed it would still be in the Go City area. That narrowed it down some."
"Then I checked the masses sung at St. Agatha's for your mother the year she died. I knew that you would go to at least one of them. After that, it was a matter of finding which storage units had visits from women older than yourself within the following day or two. That got me down to three places. From there I hacked into their monitoring systems, and picked the tape which I felt had to be you."
"The break in was the easiest part. Their system was no problem, and your defenses were ones we've practiced on lately."
Shego nodded, smiled a little. "Good, good. You not only learn, you retain, and you apply. And everyone else thinks you're dense." He blushed at her praise.
"Now for question number two." She stepped forward, the tips of her fingers glowing. "The dangerous question. Think carefully before you answer…"
"Why?"
"You have been here for eighteen months. I wanted you to think of this as home." Junior began talking faster as she drew closer. "But how can you think of this as home when it's like a hotel room to you? A very nice hotel room, Father only buys the best in bedding and decorations, but still it's not your Picasso."
"I thought maybe if I found your things, which I knew you hadn't used in years, you might feel differently about this place. Some of them had to have pleasant memories! You might use them here, build more happy memories. Want to stay!"
Junior yelped when he realized she had moved him away from the door, against the dresser. Shego came right up to him. She grabbed his arms, he started to scream.
Then she kissed him.
She kissed him like she hadn't kissed any man in a long time. Maybe never. It was soft. It was warm. It was passionate, not with lust, but with stronger feelings. He was petrified at first, but returned the kiss at last. Shyly, then with a flicker of Latin passion.
Shego laughed as she broke the kiss off. "Get out," she whispered, "before I change my mind."
Junior stumbled out the door. Shego closed it behind him.
Every emotion from elation to terror clamored for center stage in her mind. She sat at her desk trying to sort it all out.
I've had a lot of guys throw me a key, tell me to make myself at home. But he wants me to make this home. It's the nearest thing I've ever had to a…proposal?
Shego had to laugh at that. To say she wasn't the marrying kind was more than a slight understatement. Then why could she see herself talking with her mother?
Yeah, he's great, Mom. Catholic, handsome, rich, and has been in jail only a few less times than me. Of course he loves me. He broke me out, once.
The angry part of her mind butted in. Look at what he did! Spied on you. Found out your deepest secret place. Ransacked it! He violated you!
"So? We're the bad guys! It's what we DO!"
There was one person she could call. Someone else who knew what it was like to see more in someone than those around him. Someone who knew happiness the way she knew anger. She had a lot the think about, and she needed help.
She turned the computer on. Patched in the communication function. For once the time difference should work in her favor. Real late on the island, prime time there.
"Kim, you've got a call. It's not work."
"Ron. Wanna sleep. Baby has me tapped out. I told you to kill the next caller."
"I don't think I could take her out. She's more your speed."
Kim Stoppable staggered to the computer. When she saw the face on the other end, she was awake immediately.
"Shego?"
"Can you send the sidekick away? Girl talk."