Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or any characters from the show and I don't own Assassin's Creed, though they both are pretty awesome. Also a warning: Kim and Shego are OOC, in my opinion. I'm totally aware of that. There's also enough angst to feed a small army of emo vampires. *shurg* This wasn't so much about characterization as it was about style and perspective. More at the bottom.
-Echo Tower-
"Echo Tower, this is Control. Status? Over."
"Control, Echo Tower. Nothing to report. Over."
"Roger. Out."
There is only one good thing about today: it's the last day you have to stand here. That's the only truly positive thing going through your mind at just after four in the morning. You're alone out here, of course, with no one to keep you company. You really don't need or want it at the moment anyway; in a strange sort of way, company is exactly what brought you to this moment. Specifically, the company of a particularly troublesome group of coworkers and one very, very annoyingly anal boss. But hey, you signed up to be a Global Justice agent of your own free will and there's no backing out now. You're stuck exactly where you are and you know it. The knowledge isn't comforting though. It's more like having a can of salt poured into your eye.
You can't help but sigh in exasperation, though at your fellow agents or at your boss is tough to say. All you do know is that, as soon as it's physically possible, you're definitely reporting this injustice to Doctor Director, personally if need be. There is a fine line between punishment and torture and it has definitly been crossed.
What has the big and bad Will Du, who is currently your lead agent and supervisor, so angry with you, a green agent barely a year into your contract, that he would subject you to this? Well, that is easy, in truth. Face it, the guy is a jerk, to put it lightly, arrogant and straight laced, has no room for fun and games, even out here on this deserted-island-turned-prison, and just won't lighten up.
One, just one person, comes on shift stumbling drunk and he puts the entire stationed force on dry status. It ticked a lot of people off. You weren't that person, whether you'd like to say it's because you were clever enough not to get caught or smart enough not to drink at all is between you and your conscience. Fact of the matter: it wasn't you who made the entire island a no-party zone. Yet, when someone decided to pour itching powder in his GJ issued jumpsuit, whose door did he practically beat down in rage? Yep, yours. Now did you do it? Again, that's between you and your conscience.
Whether or not you did do it, your punishment was far from proportional to your supposed crime. Doing laundry for the entire island, guard force and inmate alike, would've been a more appropriate action. But no, the high-and-mighty Du decided to put you on Echo Tower duty for two weeks solid. And on day shift no less! Everyone tried reassuring you that it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded. They were wrong.
See, Echo Tower isn't a manned position for a reason: it's impractical. The fifty-foot pillar of steel and concrete was built back when the only inmates would be regular felons who simply couldn't abide by the rules of a high security pennitentiary. Therefore, it seemed perfectly logical to place an outpost at the furthest point from the facility itself, on a cliff, and, lucky you, it just happens to be the highest point on the island. Hence why you're very happy about there not being a forecasted storm. Lightning is not on your list of things to see this evening.
In fact, nothing is on that list. You can't even see the facility from where you are. After the prison was converted into GJ's specialized facility for the most dangerous criminals (a good example would be Professor Dementor, currently in Delta Block, cell 5), Echo Tower was abandoned as other dangerous, yet obviously more evasive (a good example would be Shego, former lackey to Doctor Drakken) criminals bypassed the Tower system with ease. Now, security was much tighter around the actual facility and the Towers weren't manned at all. Oh, right, except Echo, because that's where you are!
Can you hear God laughing at you yet? Or maybe it's Fate, Karma, Destiny, pick your diety, it doesn't really matter. Why? Because it gets better!
Since the Towers were no longer manned, there was no reason to keep any sort of vehicles on the island; agents had no reason to venture outside the guard shacks set up along the inner perimeter wall (which is outside the actual facility but inside the outer perimeter wall, remember?) and having vehicles only served mechanically minded criminals, like Motor Ed, with a complete array of get-away rides. This of course means that you've been walking, yes walking, out to Echo Tower every day for two weeks straight, which is easily a twenty mile round trip, on top of standing in the damn thing for twelve hours straight, from two in the morning until two in the afternoon. Oh yeah, remember the fifty foot tall thing, you can't forget that! In fact, you're halfway certain your knees will never forget that. Stairs, you've decided, are evil.
So, just to recap, you are standing in a Tower, the same Tower you've been standing in for the majority of the last two weeks, after having to carry your gear, which all-in-all weighs about fifty pounds, with you, up several flights of stairs to stare at the ocean (oh, yeah, you're facing East, by the way, which is why the entire 'day shift' gig is oh so sweet) where nothing happens, while surviving on military rations and nutrigrain bars. Perhaps you wouldn't be so aggravated by your current predicament if there was even a small chance of something actually happening. Not the case, though. Aha, hear that? That was a chuckle from on high. Your story is amusing to some higher being, otherwise you wouldn't be cursed so, would you?
What with the rebuilding of Earth after the Lowardian invasion, almost all anti-peace movement stopped (well, slowed down considerably more like) which meant that no one was too keen on busting the morons trapped in their cells out any time soon. Three years later, they were still sitting in their cells. In fact, they didn't even want to be let out! The facility was the safest place they could be, tucked away from the world. Under the Geneva Convention, as well as the ridiculous holier-than-thou extra standards GJ enforced, they were allotted a considerable amount of creature comforts most of the agents didn't think the inmates should have. That was another hot topic of debat, and you could debate the matter yourself, with yourself, if it wasn't for the fact that it seems quite insignificant considering the past two weeks.
Seriously, you're here to guard guys who try to destroy the world on a regular basis, yet you're the one with roughly eighteen hour shifts while they can sleep all damn day if they want? Unfair. Oh, that might've been a stifled giggle. It was probably a mosquito buzzing near your ear but, in your current mood, it sounded like laughter.
You should probably pretend to watch something to take your mind off the laughing heavens. Of course, you've been pretending to watch things for two weeks. It's practically habit now. You look in the usual places, notice the usual things, staunchly ignoring the panel behind you that has cameras aimed in directions you previously didn't know existed for reasons you are certain you'll never know. You can't even play with the cameras by changing the views. At least you can move your eyes still.
Oh look, the ocean is still there. Hey, that slightly green rock is still next to the slightly red one. Now you walk to one side of the Tower. Yes, the forest seperating you from the rest of the island is still there. Surprisingly, it's still visible from the other side of the Tower as well! Gasp aloud for you can see the sky if you lean out a little! Dear God, the moon is still in the sky, you can see it! Alert the authorities, everything is exactly as it should be!
Okay, maybe you're overexagerating or being hypercritical or some other nonsense. You wonder if you were like this before your time as a GJ agent; it was over a year ago after all. Has training made you attempt to find humor, even if it's bad humor, in every nook and cranny for fear of facing the very real dangers of the world? Has this place made you so angry that you can't help but mock every living and nonliving thing within sight? Are you so angry with Du that you can't just quietly accept the punishment (be it well deserved or no) and barely refrain from saying these words to his face by shouting them in your head for hours on end?
Eh, enough of this psychological mumbo jumbo. There are rocks to stare at; get your priorities straight!
Wait, what was that? Your brow furrows in confusion as your eyes try to see what it thought it saw before. Movement, there by the shoreline. No, it couldn't be. But wait; it is! Hastily, you scramble to the other side of the Tower's platform and dig through your gear, locating your night vision goggles and rushing back to your previous spot. With the aid of technology you never thought you'd get to use out here, you begin your search. What made that movement? What could possible be along the beach, so far below a steep cliff? Then you spot it; a hovercraft. Quiet and efficient, true, but no sign of its occupants.
What should you do? You reach for your radio but your hand pauses. Even if you call it in now, the quickest help can reach you is, what, an hour? Less if they run? And that will just make the defenses at the facility weaker. Plus, if you take down these daring people (surely no one would venture here alone), well, you'd be a hero! That would certainly show Mr. I'm-So-Awesome to stick someone out in the middle of nowhere! You reign that thought back in with the consideration that, maybe, whoever owned the hovercraft was just lost. Not likely, but strange things can happen. Really, there's no situation to report quite yet, and there was a good chance those on the recieving end wouldn't believe you anyway. Okay, so scratch that, you can handle this yourself. What do you do now?
Luckily, you don't need to think too hard about your next step; it's been drilled into you. The first thing you reach for is your M16. A bit primative, considering GJ's advanced technologies, yes, but efficient. You know there's a loaded magazine already in the well but no round is in the chamber. Pulling the charging handle would alert anyone within half a mile so you leave the weapon as is and slip your arm through the sling, reaching for your primary weapon for this particular scenario. It feels a bit surreal that you have a shotgun in your hand, loaded with less-than-lethal point rounds (which comically look like the bombs cartoonists liked to draw) and are actually contemplating shooting a person. But this is what you trained for and whatever doubts you have about anything must be shoved aside for the moment.
Slipping the sling over your shoulder, you pick up your goggles again and scan for any sign of life. Knowing your luck, whoever you are looking for is probably going the long way around the cliff rather than straight up it. You stop breathing though when you hear what sounds suspiciously like a curse and falling rocks shortly follow. Okay, so these people are coming straight at you. Do they know you're in the Tower? Probably not; it didn't make sense to come straight at you if they knew your position and armament. You are tactically superior to someone climbing a cliff, so it's a safe bet that you have the element of surprise. Good. However, your weapons aren't ready to fire yet. You'll only have a couple of seconds of surprise. You flick off the safety on the shotgun; you'll give whoever they are the chance to survive the encounter before you bring your M16 up.
Minutes tick by slowly, all the while you scan with your goggles. Finally, you see movement practically right in front of you. One arm is reaching up, clawing at the ground for purchace. You're stunned a moment; there's something familiar about that limb. When the other follows and the figure manages to hoist herself up, you instantly make the connection. Without a doubt, that is Shego, the Shego. Weren't you thinking about her earlier? Damn. Apparently, you only need to think of the devil for her to appear. Now you know what you're up against. Shego doesn't have any tag-along partners when she was being stealthy. It is just you and her. You reach for your M16.
"SHEGO!" The cry almost elicites a startled yelp from you but, somehow, you keep yourself in check while looking around wildly. Who said that? Who else is out here? Finally, you spot the only other person (you hope) in the vicinity parachuting down. How she got there, you have no idea, but as you lift your goggles to your eyes again, it becomes apparant. Landing on the cliff, maybe twenty feet from your Tower's base, is none other than Kim Possible. You know enough about the young redhead to piece together two reasons why the rest of the facility is unaware of her presence; either she was sent here by Doctor Betty Director herself or her master technician, Wade Load, had her covered in every sense of the matter. The fact your radio is silent buffers these thoughts.
So, now it's you, Shego the former (uh, maybe?) criminal and Kim Possible, all alone on a cliff on a deserted (save for the facility of dangerous people) island. Midigate a few of those things, add in some alcohol and a few flirtateous remarks, and you probably wouldn't mind the situation. Or maybe it's not your cup of tea; either way, it isn't happening. Get your mind back on track.
At this point, you decide to just wait and see what's going on, since you don't yet have enough information to act one way or another. Kim Possible has halted Shego several times in the past; you'll just be back up, if the need arises.
You expect them to launch into one of their classic battles, fighting for supremacy. That doesn't happen. Instead, the two women just stare at each other silently. Why? You have no idea. But it's making you uncomfortable. They should be fighting, right? Suddenly, Shego moves, making as if to blow the redhead off completely and head towards the facility.
"Shego, wait!" Kim cries out and rushes to the other woman. You expect a flying kick or punch or... something! Instead, Shego puts her hand up, motioning the redhead to stop. To your surprise, the younger woman complies a few feet away from her target.
"You really think I wanna hear it, Princess?" the former, possibly soon-to-be reinstated, villainess growls. You're suddenly very grateful for the stupid little control panel. There's obviously something else going on here and you might as well find out what it is, seeing as it's in your best interest to stay concealed. As quietly as possible, you move to watch the screens, which adjust to the light using advanced night vision. It's far better than peering over the ledge of your Tower. In fact, it's almost like watching the season finale of your favorite show. How will this all play out? You aren't sure but, as this is as good a time as any, you notice a few things that seem noteable.
First, Shego is dressed as she is typically portrayed or seen, wearing her trademark green and black catsuit from when she was a hero. Odd, that she wouldn't opt for a new uniform. Surely she wears a different size now than she did then; why get new outfits that are tied to her old life? Food for thought, but for later. You also notice that Kim is not dressed as she usually is, or at least as she was prior to the Invasion. She's wearing the standard issue Global Justice uniform, a clear sign that she was on duty when she decided to drop out of the sky. There are also some curious attatchments to her belt that signify she's currently assigned to the Asia Area, which is nearly a quarter of the way around the world. Now that's intriging.
"Shego, listen-"
"No!" Shego vehemently replies, taking a step back from the redhead. You blink a few times. Yes, the cameras are very good, but their less-than-perfect quality prevent you from seeing what you think you hear in her tone: tears. Maybe not falling, maybe being held back, but you could've sworn you heard them. The cameras do lend a curiously luminous appearance to the green hued woman. She almost looks otherworldly. "I don't want to hear whatever you have to say, Princess." That nickname held a decidedly venomous edge to it. Obviously, there's more going on between these two than the world is aware of but you have a front row seat. "I'm doing this for me, period. End of discussion."
"You don't have to, Shego! Please, hear me out!" Oh yes, Kim Possible is definitely pleading with her supposed arch foe. Who knew you'd be present for such odd happenings? Kim puts her hands up in a gesture of surrender or perhaps it's meant to convey she's not attempting to hurt the other woman. Something makes you think she's already failed that second supposed objective. "Please, baby, let's talk about this."
Um, what? Did you hear right? Kim Possible just refered to Shego as 'baby'? A quick scan confirms there's no one save the three of you in the area. She wasn't talking to you, you're sure of that. So... she had to be talking to Shego. Huh. No end to the oddities, it seems.
"Don't 'baby' me, Kimmie. I'm tired of this and I'm doing something about it!" Shego roars back but makes no move to leave the area. For someone so violently opposed to listening to the redhead, she's displaying a noticeable reluctance to remove herself from the conversation. She hasn't even ignited her hands yet or dropped into a fighter's stance. She's just... standing there. You continue to watch, a small part of you pointing out how wrong it is to eavesdrop on what must, as incredulous as it is, be a lover's spat. "I'm done, you hear me? Done!"
"No, Shego, this isn't over!" Kim's starting to get annoyed, that much is certain. You've heard the young woman can have quite the temper when the mood strikes her but she's more known for being surprisingly stubborn. "You've said enough hurtful things yourself, and I've sat there and listened and talked them out with you every damn time! Now it's time for you to sit there and listen to me!"
Huh, Kim Possible swears. Either that's so rare you're one of a handful of people to bear witness to it or it's so new a development that word hasn't spread yet.
"Oh, because now you have time for me, is that it?" Shego spits back, though quieter than her previous reply. Not to say her anger has died down any, if what you can read from her body language is accurate, but she seems to be obliging the redhead's plea. She's still standing there, after all. Now it's Kim's turn to answer.
"I misspoke earlier, Shego. I just... I wanted to do this right." Kim winces, obviously regretting her word choice. Whatever she tried to accomplish, it must've gone wrong. Shego confirms that guess with an almost sad look to her.
"How? By ignoring me? By ditching me every chance you get for stupid missions? By transfering halfway around the world? That's how you do things 'right', Kimmie?" Shego makes the air quotes with her hands while glaring at the other woman. "I thought I could handle you being a GJ lapdog, keeping me a secret from the whole damn world, I really thought I could because I love you, Kim." Well, this is news. Shego is homosexual, and apparantly Kim Possible is too. Well, that at least partially justifies why the scene happening before you makes no sense; you're probably one of a very select few people who are aware of these facts. This revelation of yours doesn't stop Shego from continuing, though, after a quick breath and a visible shift from the almost sad look back to angry. She pulls off angry very well. "I love you, damnit, but I'm not going to do this anymore! I'm a better thief than a needy, unwanted girlfriend."
"Now you hold it right there!" Kim has officially gone from being pleading to being angry. You're about to witness her temper firsthand. At least it's not directed at you. "I know you're angry, Shego, but don't you put words in my mouth! I love you too; I wouldn't be doing all this if I didn't. You think I don't know how unfair I've been to you? How bad I've felt every time- every single time- I've had to ditch you because work called, how terrible I've missed you since I transfered, how much Hell I've gotten for having Wade rewire and reposition whole satellites so I can call you while I'm supposed to be maintaining radio silence; Shego, what the Hell! I know I haven't akways done right by you but there's a reason! I've been doing all this for you!"
"For me? For me!" Ah, there it is. Shego's hands just ignited in green fire as that last sentence left her lips. Okay, things might get out of hand here soon. Something tells you to wait before acting though. It's probably the look in Kim's eyes. She is not moving away, not dropping into a defensive stance, not doing anything that would signify alarm at Shego's rising anger. Instead, she looks intent on finishing their discussion, one way or another. "How the Hell has any of this been for me, Kimmie? How has putting your career over our relationship possibly been better for us, for me? Well?"
Kim faultered, a first as far as you know. You can't tell thanks to the night vision, but considering the redhead's penchant for blushing, it's safe to assume she is doing so now.
"Oh, it must be good if the Great Kim Possible can't even say it!" Shego sneers, her green flames still burning. They just appear as bright spots on the sceen. Very deadly bright spots. "Come on, Kimmie, I've got to hear this!"
"I needed the money!" Kim suddenly blurts out. Shock registers on Shego's face, followed swiftly by an even angrier expression than previously. Is there no end to her anger? It must be a deep well. A very, very, very deep well. That's a scary thought. What's scarier is the high probability that you'll be flung into that well once the two women discover your presence.
"You needed the money!" Shego parrots back, though volumes louder than Kim. It echoes out slightly, which is a little ironic considering you're standing in Echo Tower. Beside the point. Kim's quick to amend her words. Or attempt to, rather.
"That's not what I- okay, it is what I meant, but, damnit, can't you let me finish?" Kim yells, a bit of desperation in her tone. There's some underlying fear or apprehension about the redhead.
"Please, Princess, this just gets better by the minute!" Shego growls out. Her flames are burning a bit brighter, her coutanace radiating the anger she feels. Really, the woman is an open book. Just... written in a different language. An angry language.
Kim opens her mouth a time or two, searching for words no doubt, but gives up. Instead, she does the surprising. In one fluid motion, she steps into Shego's space, that deadly circle that no one sane would even think to enter with her in such a fury, and presses her lips to the green skinned woman's. You watch the scene from the safety of your Tower. Apparently, for Kim Possible, kissing is an acceptable excuse for ignoring a lover. If you are having relationship troubles, take notes; the girl can do anything, keep that in mind.
It takes a moment, longer than it probably should have, but Shego reacts to Kim's kiss. It's not... expected, though, or perhaps it is. There are the sentimental types that would say Shego's going to melt into Kim's touch and be calmed. Then there are the practical who are reaching for their M16 right about now in preparation for the violent reaction. But you're the one witnessing it. Her flames exstinguish, and her arms move to lock the redhead in place, obviously enjoying the so sorely missed affection. However, a moment later, she practically shoves Kim away, slightly more distraught than angry. These women must be bipolar. Shego attempts to comment, to question or return to yelling, but Kim stops her with the words she was looking for earlier.
"I never, ever meant to imply that my career means more to me than you do. It doesn't. You're my world, Shego. We've been over it a thousand times, every moment, every mission, how we went from always wanting to defeat the other, to outdo the other to not wanting to disapoint the other. Our relationship has grown, evolved, changed in ways we can't even describe." Kim's tone is steady, rock solid almost. Come to think of it, she hasn't cried yet. Odd, she seems to be the one more prone to emotional reactions. Or maybe she's just certain that she can talk Shego down. Is she really such an absentee girlfriend or is there something else going on that hasn't been stated yet? Being the third party observer to this sort of thing sucks when you don't have any prior knowledge. Seriously, dramatic moments like this should come with pop ups to inform the onlooker to what each person is refering to... actually, that would be helpful all the time; it would certainly get forgetful spouses out of a lot of 'you forgot our anniversary!' arguments. "I've always admired your strength, Shego, so please, be strong for me now. I don't... Look, can you just trust me on this? Just wait a little longer?"
There's a moment of silence. The two women are just staring at each other. How long has it been since all this started? Maybe half an hour. Checking the time doesn't seem to important right now though. Shego's about to say something. The lack of happiness on her face does not bode well for Kim.
"No, Kim. I can't keep doing this. I can't sit in our apartment, alone with all the memories we have, and wait for you to come back. If I'm going to sit around and wait for you, I'm going to do it with at least the prospect of kicking your ass." The words were obviously meant in a more snide way but there's little, if any, inflection of that in Shego's tone. There's little that can overpower the sorrow. She looks away with a heavy sigh before returning her gaze to Kim. Twins tears slip out, falling down each cheek. With the strongest voice (sans anger) she's used so far this night, Shego states her intention. "If I'm evil, at least you'll come running when I choose."
Ah, okay, now that makes sense. She's coming to bust out a villain to work for, one of Kim Possible's many old enemies. Actually, that was a very logical plan; the redhead always ran off to whatever part of the world her current mission entailed at that villain's leisure. All Shego had to do was provide ample motivation, and she would be able to see Kim whenever she chose. Hell, under that logic, might as well take every prisoner in the entire facility; then she wouldn't have to waste time busting one out before seeing her Princess again. Evil: thinking outside the box since the dawn of time.
"Shego-"
"No, Kim. You haven't given me one answer so far. Excuses? Yes, plenty, and I've had enough of them." Point to Shego, the woman isn't lying. Kim hasn't explained herself yet. Shego moves to brush past Kim but the younger woman catches her wrist and refuses to let go. Her other hand is desperately searching the pouches on her belt. "Kim-"
"I was never ignoring you; I was doing research. You said you wanted to get married in France; the residency requirement is forty days, including ten day notice before getting married. Remember when I took that really long assignment last year, took most of the summer? I pulled some strings; they gave me a residency permit that won't expire. You said you wanted to honeymoon in Iceland; it took some time, but I finally got someone to owe me a favor from there. We'll have our own little place, tucked away, it's damn near isolated because I know you don't want anyone pestering us." Point one: France? Who knew Shego was such a closet romantic? Point two: what is with her obsession with Iceland? "I wanted to get it right, Shego. I thought I was doing an okay job. It's taken some time-"
"Everything with you takes time." Shego sighs, almost in a defeat way. The woman who was so keen on walking away a few seconds ago now seems trapped between going through with her nefarious plot and throwing herself into the redhead's arms. Which would be interesting because said redhead was still frantically searching her pockets, obviously failing to find what she was looking for in the pouches on her belt. Seriously, GJ must design their uniforms based on platform RPGs for all the random stuff you can pick up and carry in those damn pouches and pockets. They're so hard to iron too. "It took you a year and a half of dating to realize the buffoon was your rebound and dump him, two months to ask me on a date, six months to ask me to move in with you-"
"Okay, just because I wasn't trying to rush things between us doesn't mean you can hold that against me!" Kim hotly defends herself as she continues her search.
"Kimmie, we've known each other for, what, six years?"
"Known, not dated. Huge difference."
"Not to me." Shego turns away, trying to muster her anger. Obviously, she's not buying what Kim's selling. Shame, you'd definitely buy it, wouldn't you? Perhaps that's not your cup of tea. Well, shame, the facility cafeteria only serves Earl Grey and Green Tea. "Okay, fine, so that explains the ignoring-"
"I was not-"
"-and the missions thing, a little bit." Shego didn't even let Kim try to object, talking straight over the redhead's attempted interjection. "Why join Global Justice? I accepted the fact you're going to be a goody-goody until the day you die, but did you have to become one of them?"
Hey! Did she just insult you? Probably; you probably wouldn't be too fond of the people who constantly arrest you, right? Maybe you wouldn't be doing anything wrong to be arrested. Or maybe handcuffs are more your bag. Pick a tea and drink it already.
"Must you be so hardheaded about this?" Kim nearly growls while glancing down at her uniform. "Where the Hell is it?"
"Where the Hell is what?" Shego snaps. She might have found her anger again. However, before the redhead can explain, she makes a triumphant noise and pulls something out of a pouch you watched her check three times. Obviously, a flustered Kim Possible is a less-than-effective Kim Possible.
"This. This is why I joined up with GJ. Like I said, it was for the money, for you. All that overtime, the missions, the extra work: all for this." Well, at this point, it's almost cliche. The box is small and black. It's closed though, so you can't take a peak at the ring, though you're not even sure you can see it through the screen. There are binoculars hanging from a bolt though. Enterprising. "I wanted... I wanted to get this for you and from me, just me. No borrowing money from my parents, no loan, and no one giving it to me as a favor. I wanted to work for every last penny and buy you this ring so that when I ask you to marry me, you'll know I mean it. Every word. And I did it, put up with more bullshit than you know, and made the amount I needed with my last paycheck." Shego reaches for the box but Kim moves her hand back, as if the former villainess isn't allowed to touch the box quite yet. "I don't... I didn't want to ask you yet, Shego, not here. That's why I asked you to trust me, to wait."
"Kimmie, I..." Shego tries to defend herself but falls silent, her gaze lowering to the ground. With a sure hand, Kim lifts Shego's chin, reestablishing their eye contact as there's no longer Kim's hold on Shego's wrist to keep the green skinned woman in place. Shego doesn't seem too keen on going anywhere though.
"Don't. I screwed up; I tried not to and failed, so don't blame yourself and don't try to apologize."
"I wasn't going to apologize!" Shego managed to glare slightly before the expression dropped. Kim smiled, somehow suggesting that she thought otherwise. "If you hit your mark two weeks ago, why the Hell are we standing here?"
Kim sighed and shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. "Because I was scared."
"You were what?" Shego speaks more in a surprised tone than angry or disappointed. You know Kim's been a GJ agent for a year, and now you know all that work was moving towards this moment. How long would you put up with something you don't like for the one you love? Is that devotion? Or is it just crazy? The fact that Kim Possible is admitting to being scared is also something of note.
"I was scared, Shego. While I was sitting all alone in that room, the month after I got to Dubai, that's when the doubt and the fear set in and it was just too strong." Kim leans in, placing a gentle, innocent kiss on Shego's lips. When she pulls back, it's barely noticeable, and you have to strain to hear the words the redhead whispers. Damnit; of course this thing doesn't have volume control. "I got nervous, in a way I have never before been nervous. Especially on that payday, when I finally hit my goal. Enough money to buy the ring, plus cover a good chunk of the wedding and honey moon and some extra to live off of for a while. Last week, after rechecking my math half a hundred times, I called my mom and dad and told them I'd finally got it, finally reached my goal. But I was still scared. It's a big step. I've been taking baby steps though, working to the big one of actually asking you. Last week, I worked up the nerve to call your brothers. It's old fashioned but I wanted their permission. Even after I got it, I was still scared. I was terrified of what I wanted to do, even though everything in my heart told me it was right."
"So why were- oh." Shego pulls away slightly, her face portraying how quickly her mind was racing. "Three months ago... that was when I-"
"Yes." Kim simply responds, her smile faltering. This is taking a while, you note. You should have brought popcorn. "That's when you started getting very... angry with me."
"I missed you, Kimmie. Out of the two plus years we've been dating, I've barely seen you. The phone calls are good, but it's not the same." You quietly note that this portion of the conversation sounds a lot like what GJ agents go through in the aftermath of assignments. At the moment, dispite their very unusual selves, Kim and Shego sound like any regular couple. Strange.
"It's not." Kim takes a deep breath and sighs, resolution in her young features. "That's why I quit Global Justice."
"You quit?" Shego seems simply dumbfounded by this revelation. Somehow, you didn't think quitting an espionage organization like GJ was that simple. Apparently you were wrong. "When-"
"When I got off the phone with your brothers, I turned in my two weeks' notice. I have never seen Doctor Director so angry but it actually went better than I was expecting. I was still nervous though. Technically, I'm still under GJ's employ until the end of this week." Shego closes the distance between them and holds Kim tightly to her, the redhead returning the embrace and wrapping her arms around Shego protectively.
"I thought a Possible never quits." It's a muffled whisper but you barely make it out.
"A Possible will quit anything if there's something more important. There's nothing more important to me than you, my precious jade dragon." You can't rightly tell, but it seems as if Kim squeezes Shego a tad harder as she says her next word. "Nothing."
Well, this went from possibly life threatening to rather sweet and tender very quickly. Given the very active lifestyles of these two particular women, that shouldn't be so surprising. This is also probably the first time you've heard someone refer to a loved one as a 'dragon' without it being an insult. Perhaps Echo Tower is secretly positioned in the Twilight Zone. They stay like that for an extra moment or two, then separate and just stare at each other. Shego is the first to speak.
"Are you still afraid?"
"No." Kim shakes her head. She's still clutching the box in her left hand, curling her fingers around it while resting her hand on Shego's shoulder. "Just like everything in life, I was scared until something bigger and scarier came along and made my previous fear look like nothing at all. I was terrified I was going to lose you when you hung up."
"You were." Shego admits without hesitation. "I didn't think I would but I was out the door before I could catch up to what I was doing. Then... at that point, it just seemed like the best course of action. I wanted to hurt you, like you hurt me."
Ouch, the truth stings. You can see Kim wince from the implications; obviously Kim was well aware how deeply she'd injured Shego and was acutely aware how much pain Shego intended to inflict upon her.
"I never meant to hurt you, Shego. I was going to propose the moment I got home and then I changed my mind. I was going to propose the moment I got the ring... I know, I took too long, but I was hoping you could wait just a little longer. It was selfish, but... I'm so sorry."
Things have settled down for the most part; there's still emotional pain to sift through but the anger is now gone from the couple. You might as well go back to making sure those rocks haven't moved and leave the two alone, not that you have been an intrusion to this point.
"Wait a minute." Okay, scratch that previous observation. Shego is glaring at Kim. "How long have you had that ring? This whole damn ordeal could've been avoided if you told me all this when it happened!"
"Uh oh." Kim looks appropriately abashed but there's something about the way her eyes aren't looking at her partner that hint whatever she's blushing about has little to do with what Shego's thinking. "Believe it or not, I've barely had this thing for a few hours."
A few hours? It's almost a quarter to five in the morning here; where on Earth could she have purchased an engagement ring at this time of night? Shego appears to wonder the same thing.
"What? Kimmie, you better start telling me the whole story." Kim sighs, looking at the ground. Shego reconsiders, apparently, and adds in a soft tone. "Come on, Kimmie. I'm still a little mad but I love you and I want this to work."
"That's the problem; I think you'll forget being mad in favor of being proud." Kim replies with a soft laugh, holding up the box. "We kept arguing, it seemed every time I called I just made you angrier, so I started doubting whether it would work between us. I knew we loved each other... but I was afraid that wouldn't be enough. It ate at me, that everything would be in vain if you chose to walk out on me. I decided I would buy the ring, hop a transport to Go City, and propose the moment I found you... but when I tried to go to the shop, those doubts came up and I got so scared. I thought you might laugh in my face. Or spit in my face. I don't know which would've been worse."
"Kimmie." Shego puts her hands on the redhead's shoulders, trying to reassure the young woman. "I was very angry with you, but if you had just talked to me, I would've understood. I get it; you're bad at lying so you just avoid the subject altogether to keep it from me. That's a little sneaky but for all the right reasons! We just need to improve our communication."
"That's for sure. It'll be easier when we aren't half a world away though." Kim smiles and you notice the sky is getting lighter as the dawn approaches. It's close to five in the morning. Seems like this little dibacle will be wrapped up before sunrise. But Kim still hasn't-
"Yeah, it will be easier." Shego smirks triumphantly. "Now, how exactly did you get that ring?"
Ah, Shego wasn't letting Kim off the hook. Good. You should know the whole story, even if you're just an observer. The redhead promptly drops her gaze again, takes in a deep breath, then meets her lover's eyes. She looks calm and collected, much like the Kim Possible you've always heard about.
"I stole it."
Um... what?
"You what?" Shego almost yells, her face portraying pure shock at this revelation. Kim seems unaffected.
"I stole it. When you said where you were going, I could guess the rest. Like I said before, my fear of losing you trumped everything else. I knew the store would be closed but I didn't have time to track down the owner... so I broke in, stole the ring, and hopped, er, well, hijacked a jet to get here as fast as I could. Didn't it strike you as odd that I got here after you even though Dubai is closer?" Shego had not found that odd, in fact. Did you notice that little oddity? Weird. Still, Kim Possible stealing... maybe you are in the Twilight Zone. Shego is obviously speechless, so Kim presses on with her story. "That's... I wanted to wait until I could at least pay for the ring before I proposed. That's why I'm still holding it. Now that I'm not going to lose you- and I am not going to lose you- I can go and finish doing this the right way."
"Kimmie... you're an idiot." Shego shakes her head with a smile on her lips, completely dumbfounding the redhead. "Don't you dare pay for that ring."
"What?" Kim shouts, completely thrown for a loop. However, Shego's hands still firmly on her shoulders discourage any rash behavior, like backpedalling away in confusion.
"Kimmie, think about it. What was the first thing I gave you as a gift?"
"The special edition anniversary Pandaroo cuddle buddy." Kim says without hesitation. Shego nods.
"And what were the first words out of your mouth?"
Now Kim's blushing; it's easier to see with the impending sunrise. "Did you steal this?"
"Exactly. And I remember how your face lit up when I told you I bought it and showed you the reciept. It wasn't the gift, Princess, it was knowing I did something I don't usually do just because I knew end result would make you happy. It was change, a change that meant you were- are- more important to me than anything else in the world." Shego places one hand on the ring box. You're pretty sure it's the first time she's touched the box so far. "It's the same for me, just opposite, as confusing as that is. I would expect you to buy the ring but, because I am the most important thing in the world to you, you stole it. You could've taken the chance, done the right thing, and showed up just in time to stop my escape. I know you, Kim, you could've talked that old cyclopse into letting me off the hook. Did it cross your mind?"
"It did." Kim admits with a shake of her head. "I didn't want that though. I knew that, if I didn't stop you, explain myself, prove myself worthy, I'd lose a piece of you anyway, a piece I'd never get back. You thought the same if you stole the cuddle buddy?"
"Exactly the same." Shego confirms, looking at the black box. "And the fear of losing even a piece of you trumped everything else. So I bought it."
"And I stole it." Kim laughs, shaking her head. "We're rubbing off on each other."
"Probably because we rub on each other so much." Shego gives a lewd smirk, one Kim has the courage to return. Oh dear. Seems you went from watching a romantic drama to the opening scenes of a porno. "Can I see it?"
Is Shego refering to the ring or something else? Tsk tsk, get your mind out of the gutter!
"Well, I have to ask first." Kim finally pulls away from Shego's hold, the emerald woman allowing her to go, and, right there on the cliff, drops her right knee to the dirt. She holds out the box, opening it up to display the ring that she worked so hard for as she speaks. "My beautiful jade dragon... Shego, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
There's the briefest of pauses, perhaps Shego's inner demon goading her to say no for giggles, but then the emerald woman smiles broadly and leans down, her face inches from Kim's. "Yes."
As the two share a tender kiss, you finally take notice of the time. It's just past five in the morning. Exaclty one hour ago, you were telling the rest of the facility that there was nothing to report, and then all this happens. Speaking of that damned facility.
You reach for the radio and turn the volume down just in time. Rather than blaring out the message, the black device practically whispers it, much to your relief. A look at the ground below- it's light enough you don't need the cameras to see them- confirms that the engaged couple have not taken notice of your presence.
Well, now, this brings up a few more problems. One is you'll need to respond to Control's inquiry on your status. That wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't a criminal standing at the base of your Tower, wrapped in the arms of her lover. That's right, Kim Possible might've done it all for love but she still stole that ring now resting on Shego's finger. Now you have your second problem: deciding if you're going to report Kim's crime. In all honesty, you could call in that Kim Possible and Shego are standing at the base of your Tower with no effect. Will Du is not going to send anyone out here unless it'll make him look good and saying that a soon-to-be retired Kim Possible is standing on a cliff with her new fiancee, even if it is the infamous Shego, won't cut it. Telling him that Kim stole the ring, and you have proof via the cameras, will certainly warrant his attention.
You could opt to say nothing at all, though. Really, what harm is stealing an engagement ring? And you notice Kim never said she went to a jewelry store. You aren't sure what her mission was but you're pretty certain you heard a few rumors going around about a huge black market sting somewhere near Dubai. It's completely logical to think that she might have stolen the ring from the black market. Two wrongs don't make a right but does it need to be reported?
"I say again. Echo Tower, this is Control. Status? Over."
If they have to ask one more time, you know there'll be trouble. You have to make your decision now. You click the button and raise the device to your lips while taking in a breath.
"Control, this is Echo Tower..." Now only one question remains.
What will you say?
-End-
Author's Note: Okay, that was strange, yes? I was thinking back on when I used to read those Choose Your Own Adventure books and how they were written in second person. I don't come across many things, fanfic or otherwise, written in the second person perspective and decided to try it myself. I learned a valuable lesson: that it's hard! I think the hardest parts were trying to not influence 'your' view of the situation (although I did throw in some rather tasteless commentary every now and again, just because I can't leave well enough alone) and staying in the present tense. The accompanying piece to this one will be my reaction to the events. Which means first person, which I can barely read, let alone write. Challenges make us better though, right? Here's hoping.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this random delusion of mine. I promise I'll stick to the third person from now on and leave the rest to the pros, lol!
Oh, and if you're going to leave a review (flames or praise, it matters not), could you please include what your response would be to the radio traffic (and whether or not you deserved the punishment, haha)? I struggled long and hard with myself over what I would do, but I ended up picking exactly what I thought I would initially. I usually stick to my first impulse, even if it's wrong, so I'm not too surprised by that. I would like to know how other people would react though. I'm the curious sort.
