Chapter 01: The Beginning of the End.
The worst bit was that life carried on. You didn't die from a broken heart, even if you wanted to.
Two days after her mother returned home from hospital, Kimberlee Ann Possible returned to school and fell back into the safety of her normal routine. The only problem was that it didn't feel right anymore. She tried to pretend that everything was alright but the truth was that felt as if she was standing on the outside of her life looking in on an act. She smiled and laughed, studied diligently and worked hard during cheerleading practice.
All the while, the numbness inside her grew and enveloped her like a curtain.
It felt as if everybody was treating her differently as well. Her mother kept looking at her with an immeasurable sadness, as if she saw nothing but sorrow in her for the rest of her life. Ron kept trying to act as if everything was normal, he still came round to over her a ride on his bike every day before school, laughed loudly whenever he could and continued to be her light hearted, somewhat goofy friend. But, Kim couldn't help but feel that it was all an act. Whether to try and distract her from her own feelings, or hide his – she couldn't say. All she knew was that it was worse than Wade's cold silence.
He rarely called her socially, wounded by her lack of trust in them when she refused to tell that she was going to go to Shego for help. Wade's world was very black and white, it needed to be. Kim understood that because if Wade thought that evil had a good side, there would be no saving the world from his genius.
But, it hurt. She hurt and nothing that she did took that pain away.
She hoped that relief would come from her missions but even the criminal world seemed to have quieted down. Nobody had heard from Drakken in weeks, last seen when he came to save Shego from the hospital and Seniors seemed to be on holiday.
Kim would've done anything for a little bit of attempted world domination or even just a cat stuck in a tree but there was nothing – just her normal, boring, routine.
888
She had just gotten home from school when her Kimmunicator beeped. Having gotten so accustomed to not hearing it she stared at it for several seconds until one of her brothers hit her with a wadded up piece of paper from where they had been sitting in front of the television, doing their homework.
"Hey!" Tim yelled as she blinked at him. "If you're not going to answer that, can we play with it?"
Kim snapped out of her reverie and glared at him. "Tweebs!" she snapped. "Pick up your mess." She ran up the stairs, turning on her Kimmunicator as she did so.
"What's the sitch Wade?" Her answer was routine, habit yet she could still see Wade hesitate for a second before he gave her a brief smile.
"Hi Kim," he said slowly. "How was school?"
For a brief second, she wanted to be flippant, telling him that if he was interested, he could just have dropped by her locker but instead, she smiled at him, controlling her temper.
"Oh, you know – the usual," she said lightly, also not quite willing to let him off of the hook completely. "What can I do for you Wade?" I know that you won't call me socially...
He hesitated, studying her, then finally smiled slightly.
"I ah... I mean, that is - Miss Kyoko called, Nakasumi-san wants to know if you can help with some protection detail tonight. There's this Toy Parade in Tokyo and he's... worried."
Having reached her room, Kim frowned and dropped down on her bed, holding the Kimmunicator above her head.
"Will there be any high tech at the parade?" she queried to which Wade shrugged.
"Just the usual," he pointed out. "Toys. Nothing worth stealing that you can't buy in a store. He's just... Jumpy."
Kim raised an eyebrow and stared at her friend.
"Jumpy?" she queried to which he nodded, appearing embarrassed.
"Yes," he replied. "Jumpy."
Kim raised an eyebrow. "As in jumpy the way you described me last week?" she pointed out.
Wade surrendered. "Yes," he said. "And, let me be the grown up and say that I'm sorry. You have been jumpy Kim, jumpy to get out, jumpy to get away. This is your chance, it can be fun!" The distance that Kim had been sensing in him seemed to fade away as he grinned at her like a little boy.
Unable to help herself, Kim grinned. "Ron would love it Wade," she said. "Thank you."
Wade grinned at her though his features briefly became hesitant.
"You'll be okay KP?" He queried. "I mean – you won't..." He seemed to struggle to think of what to say.
Kim sighed and put the Kimmunicator down so that she could start getting dressed in her mission clothes, already doing the math on how long it will take them to get to Tokyo.
"It'll be like old times Wade," she said lightly. "Don't worry, I'm over myself. And thank you for this, I really appreciate it." She should've said sorry as well, but – she couldn't make herself say the words though what she had said seemed to be enough for Wade.
Although she couldn't see him, she knew him well enough to know that he was smiling.
After taking several deep breaths, she mustered up the strength to smile as well.
Going on a mission was routine after all.
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He watched her as she flowed through the gathered ninja's, her jet black hair trailing down her back.
Shego looked good – very good – Drakken mused as he watched his side-kick. Really, she could be known as his second in command, but that would bring complications into their contract. And, he liked to think that he was solely in charge of his operations.
But, in that same breath he had to admit that he would not be able to talk to the men as she did. She spoke to the ninja's in a low, sharp tone – her gaze meeting every one of theirs as she repeated her orders.
"You are to provide me with ground cover," she said. "I will acquire the target. I am counting on you to make sure that the target is in the right position for pick up. Also, if there is any interference it will be up to you to neutralize it, especially if it is Kim Possible and her damned sidekick. I want them out of the way." He waited to hear her falter, but she didn't, her words clear and confident. "Remember," she added, her tone dropping lower. "What ever they can send your way isn't half of what I can do if you guys fail me. I am counting on you."
Shego didn't count on a lot of people.
They all bowed to her as one and, at her signal, retreated to their individual modes of transport. Shego watched them disperse and then turned around, giving Drakken a cold look when she noticed him staring at her.
"Anything to add?" she queried as she flowed to his size, her movements snake like.
Drakken smiled at her, though his face held no humour. "I liked your last threat," he said. "They expect you to follow up on it."
Shego snorted and placed her one hand in her hip. "They know that I will," she said coldly. "Any last orders or are we going to stand here all day chatting?"
Drakken shook his head and turned to fix her with a stern look. "I would just like to stress that you can't fail any more than your men can," he said. "This is possibly the most important mission that you have ever done for me Shego and if you feel that you are not up for it, then you must tell me now."
Shego blinked at him, clearly unsure of what he was saying and then, quite suddenly, furious that he showed doubt her.
"If you want to do it, just say!" she snapped. "God Dr. D, when have I ever given you any reason to doubt me? Between the two of us, you have more screw ups against your name than I do. I only ever fail when your plans do!"
Drakken gave her an icy look. "It takes two to tango Shego," he said coldly. "And, before you go Mount St. Helens on me, I've never doubted you. But, this is the first time that you've gone out for me since you were taken up in hospital. And, it will probably be the first time that you see Kim Possible since you blew her off. I hope."
Shego snorted, but he saw her back stiffen. "Drakken, if you seriously think that Kim's the first person I 'blew off'," she made quotation marks with her hands, "then you are in serious denial about my love life. I told you, that little escapade's over."
Drakken didn't drop her gaze immediately. "You and I both know that's not true," he said coldly. "It will begin again and again when you face Kim Possible. I just want to make sure that you have what it takes to finish it every time."
Shego snorted and rolled her eyes.
"I have what it takes Dr. D," she said – her anger slipping away to exasperation. "You know that I'm that good."
When he didn't say anything, she left him, her hair bouncing off of her back as she walked to her awaiting jet.
Drakken folded his hands behind his back and watched her enter the cockpit, speak a few more words with her troops and then started to direct them one by one to exit the hanger.
He could tell that she didn't take him as serious as he wanted her to take him, unable to understand that this plan commencing on this day might well be the one.
World domination was around the corner and he needed Kim to remember the pain that Shego had caused her. It was one of the reasons he needed Shego out in the field but it wouldn't help him one bit if his side-kick wasn't prepared for the next couple of weeks.
Smiling to himself, unable to help it, he started whistling as he went back to his lab to put the finishing touches on synthodrone number 901.
To Be Continued…
AN: My apologies for taking so long to get round to this, I lost the first version of this document and then got very busy with a personal project as well as my work. Please remind me why I want to work again? Oh yes. Work pays for my internet connection. There for, technically they pay me to enable to write… Hmm.
Thank you for all the reviews that I received on the first chapter! I didn't reply to all individually, (I had trouble with my internet connection) but thank you! :D Reviews feed plot bunnies. ;)
Alyss
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