A/N: This is chapter is long, but I had a lot to say. Please let me know what you think. :)
Chapter 2 – Puttin' on the Ritz
Middleton High – Tuesday Morning, 4th Day of Couple-dom
The seniors in Middleton High's 20th Century history class sat around chatting happily as they waited for the class to start. Well, most of them were happy, that was. One was decidedly unhappy, and she was doing her best to make sure that everyone knew it.
"Would all of you please shut up?" Bonnie asked, irritated.
"What's the matter, Bonnie?" a random student asked, and from where she was sitting, it sounded to Kim like it was Alex, "Someone spit in your Cheerios this morning?"
"My brand-new car got stolen last night," Bonnie replied tartly. The class took that in for a second and promptly broke out into snickers. She had been boasting about that car and rubbing it into their faces from the moment she had got it, and everyone, Kim and Ron included, loved the poetic justice. Bonnie scowled even deeper at their mirth, and as was her custom, promptly turned on Kim. "Laugh it up, you perv, but I know it was your thieving freak of a girlfriend that took it."
Kim stopped chuckling and looked at Bonnie, completely unperturbed. "Well, if it was Shego, you are never going to find any proof," she said good-naturedly. "And, you are never going to see it again. But as far as I know, she was home last night, so take your unfounded accusations and stick them up your…"
"People!" Mr. Barkin barked, interrupting Kim. She smiled sweetly at Bonnie and turned around to pay attention, all the while mildly shocked at what she had been about to say. She didn't know if her feelings for Shego or Shego's off-color influence was to blame for the outburst, or even for that matter if Shego had taken the car or not, but it seems her retort instinct hadn't cared one way or the other and it was determined to put Bonnie in her place. It was a heady experience, and Kim decided she liked it.
"Listen up, people, I have an announcement," Mr. Barkin was saying as she truly turned her attention towards the front. "As many of you know, homecoming is less than two weeks away, and today is the official start of the campaign season for the King, the Queen and their court. Any senior girl is eligible for Queen and any senior guy is eligible for King."
"Since Kim is dating girls now, should she really be eligible for Queen, Mr. Barkin?" Bonnie asked snidely. "Shouldn't she be in the running for King?"
"School rules clearly indicate that all girls are eligible to be Queen regardless of beauty, social standing or sexual orientation, Miss Rockwaller," Mr. Barkin recited, having heard that particular jibe many times before not only about gay students, but ugly and poor ones as well. "And consequently, Miss Rockwaller, if you are going to attempt to humiliate one of your fellow classmates in my class, please do so with something that at least pretends to be original," he requested, causing the class to dissolve once again into Bonnie-deriding snickers. "The student council has also decided that the theme for Homecoming will be 'Costume Ball' and there will be a prize for Best Costume," he told them. A low buzz zipped around the classroom as people pondered the possibilities. "All right, people," Mr. Barkin interrupted. "Enough with the chit-chat, it's time to get to the business of learning."
Kim obediently opened her book, but her mind was a million miles away. She was asking Shego, duh, but there were still a lot of unknowns to think about, and they were much more interesting than listening to Mr. Barkin prattle on about the Cuban Missile Crisis. First, they had to get costumes; Kim had a few ideas about that, and she had a good idea where she could find what she was after. Next, she really didn't know the school's policy about same-sex couples. The few gay students they had at Middleton rarely brought dates to dances, and when they did, they brought fellow high school students. That went over okay, but her girlfriend was older and a former criminal, and Kim could see where that could cause consternation both with the teaching staff and some kids' parents. But, she decided, she didn't care; as the old saying went, it was better to beg forgiveness than to ask for permission, and she figured there was little they could do if they showed up together.
A plan thus formed in her mind, Kim reluctantly turned her attention back toward Mr. Barkin, only to have herself once again distracted when her wrist Kimmunicator started to blink, indicating she had an incoming call. She casually answered it, her face lighting up when she saw Shego on the screen. She turned her wrist to the front of the classroom to alert Shego to where she was and then turned it back to face her. Shego nodded and mouthed one word. "Lunch?" she asked silently. Kim nodded gently so she didn't attract attention, but her smile got wider, and Shego smiled back. It was only then that Kim realized Shego hadn't really been smiling before and that she looked a little troubled, even though she was smiling now. Kim couldn't really call her on it in a silent phone call, but lunch was only three short periods away and she could ask it about it then. Shego waved bye and signed off, giving Kim yet another thing to be distracted by.
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
"Hey Princess," Shego called out as Kim came out of the classroom door. Kim smiled and came over to her, happy that the three periods had passed by so quickly. "Ready for lunch?"
"Boy, am I ever," Kim replied. "And we have a few things to talk about while we are there."
"We do?" Shego asked, surprised. After her sucky night, she had felt a little off this morning and had decided that she needed to get out of the house and do something. She thought seeing Kimmie would be a nice break; she didn't realize there would be things to talk about.
"We do," Kim confirmed. "So, where are you taking me? I only get an hour."
"Your choice," Shego said promptly.
"How about Clown in the Cube?" Kim suggested as they walked to her locker. "It is quick and we don't go there as often as other places."
"Works for me," Shego replied.
"Excuse me," Bonnie sniffed, brushing past Shego without really seeing her as she opened up the locker that was right next to Kim's.
"Hey Rockwaller, where's that new ride of yours? I didn't see it in the parking lot," Shego taunted.
Bonnie whipped around. "See, I knew it was you. What did you do with it, you psycho bitch?" she spat.
Shego chuckled. "Wasn't me, Rockwaller," she said mildly. "I'm a millionaire many times over. What the hell would I want with your crappy little car?"
"Getting revenge, duh," Bonnie said dismissively. "Because it only took me three hours to tell the whole school how the perfect Kim Possible had dumped Stoppable for a lezzy ex-con."
"Ah, see, I didn't know for sure that it was you," Shego said, a wicked smirk appearing. "Granted, I figured it was, but I didn't know it was, so I left you alone. Now that I know it was you, Rockwaller, well, that's a whole other story."
"Please be good, Junior," Kim asked quietly, wanting peace more than she wanted revenge.
"I'm always good, Pumpkin," Shego smirked innocently. Kim rolled her eyes. "See ya later, Rockwaller," Shego said amiably, and with a flick of her wrist, slammed Bonnie's locker door shut as she and Kim walked away.
"Did you have to do that?" Kim asked in indulgent exasperation.
"Yup," Shego affirmed, still smirking. Just as they were exiting the building, they heard Bonnie's cry of frustration and a low level of accompanying laughter.
"What did you do?" Kim asked, knowing you should never trust a smirking girlfriend.
Shego chuckled. "I melted the lock," she admitted.
Kim sighed as she got into the passenger's side of Shego's car. "Please tell me that it wasn't you that stole that stupid car," she pleaded.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation, Pumpkin," Shego replied, still smirking.
Kim thought about pursuing the conversation farther, but realized it would do her no good. She still wasn't sure if Shego had stolen the car or not; Shego obviously didn't care if people thought she did, but that didn't mean she did. It would be much more ironic and subversive if everyone thought she had and she hadn't, and letting everyone think that seemed like a very Shego thing to do. "You are a pain even when you are good, you know that, right?" Kim chided, as Shego started the car and they pulled out of the lot.
"Of course, doy," Shego scoffed. "Life would be way too boring without some sort of mischief."
"I agree," Kim said unexpectedly, and Shego glanced over in surprise. Kim smiled but said nothing.
"All right, spill it, Pink," Shego ordered.
"How would you feel about potentially breaking a few school rules, or at the very least, making a few people uncomfortable?" Kim asked.
"Dunno," Shego replied. "I guess it would depend on what it is for."
"Ah," Kim answered, but said nothing more.
Shego sighed as they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "Now who's being a pain?" she asked, exasperatedly.
"Two can play the game, Junior," Kim said with a smirk as she got out of the car. She headed towards the restaurant, only to be stopped by a thought that reminded her of something. She turned around and walked back to Shego, enveloping her completely in a heartfelt hug. "I'm sorry you were sad this morning," she said sincerely. "Are you feeling better?"
Shego was stunned; she hadn't really thought she had given anything away when she made the call to Kim, but apparently she had. Either that or the kid was psychic. "I suddenly feel a whole lot better, Princess," she admitted, returning Kim's hug with vigor. "So what is it you are not asking me?" she prodded when they had separated.
"Well, I was hoping I could persuade you to be my date for Homecoming," Kim said nonchalantly as she held the door open for Shego. "It is coming up in a couple of weeks."
"You're kidding, right?" Shego asked skeptically as they stepped up to the counter.
"Nope," Kim answered. "I am Captain of the cheerleading squad and potential Homecoming Queen; I have to be there. And if I am there, I want to have you there with me."
Shego didn't say anything; instead she took the opportunity ordering her food afforded her to come up with a response. "If you want me to be there, Pumpkin, I will be there," she said finally as they sat at their table, and allowed herself an "aww" moment when Kim started to wiggle like a happy puppy. "But, I take it from your earlier question that there may be problems?"
"That I don't know," Kim admitted. "I don't think there are any school rules against it, but I am not sure. But I do know that some students may have a problem with it."
"Eh, fuck 'em," Shego said dismissively. "It's a public school and there has to be a non-discrimination policy."
"That's kinda what I thought, though I was a little less, um, colorful," Kim admitted.
Shego chuckled. "So, speaking of the dance, any desire to Homecoming Queen?" she asked with a smile. "I could rig the election for you."
"Don't bother," Kim told her. "It doesn't mean that much to me and it is going to be Bonnie anyway."
"But it could be you. It would be a cakewalk to steal the ballot box," Shego tempted.
"Thank you, but no," Kim said affectionately. "I would much rather win the Best Costume competition."
"It's a costume thingy?" Shego asked, her interest piqued. Kim nodded enthusiastically. "And I take it from the emphatic nod you have some ideas," Shego guessed.
"Yup," Kim answered. "Did Aunt Mim and Aunt Sheila keep any of their old stuff around?"
"Only two room-sized walk-in closets full," Shego said wryly.
"Spanking," Kim said happily.
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Kim barely kept herself still as she impatiently waited through the last of her classes and cheerleading practice. After practice was done, she didn't even bother to change but grabbed her stuff and bolted for the Mansion. Too eager to actually wait for Shego to answer the door, she used her keys and ambushed Shego in the parlor.
"Hey Shego!" she chirped, startling her fitfully dozing girlfriend on the couch.
"Oh, hey, Pink," Shego said sleepily. "What're you doing here?"
"Costumes!" Kim said cheerfully.
"Don't we have a while?" Shego asked drolly. "Like almost two weeks?"
"Don't care," Kim said perkily, fairly hopping from one foot to the other.
"Have you had too much caffeine today, Princess?" Shego inquired
"Only the soda at lunch," Kim responded. "So, where's the stuff?"
"Settle down, Pumpkin," Shego said, amused, trying to calm an obviously excited Kim. "The rooms are this way."
The rooms were side-by-side, and each had their own separate entryway. When Kim went through the door, though, she saw that it was one large room with walk-in closets lining the walls. "Wow," she breathed. It was better than she had hoped. There were literally piles of dresses to choose from.
"So what's your pleasure, Pink?" Shego asked with a grin. "For actual outfits that they wore, we have society debutante, belle of the ball, early 20th century explorer, and top hat and tails. In terms of true costumery, we have 'Napoleon and Josephine,' 'Anne Elliot and Capt. Wentworth,' 'Billy Yank and Johnny Reb', and looks like several generic 'Prince and Princesses.'"
"See, I knew this place would rock," Kim said excitedly. She went from closet to closet and took inventory, unabashedly admiring the gowns. Each one had a small tag attached that specified the societal or familial function that it had been worn to as well as the date it had been worn on. Most had been made for and worn to the Goshen's perennial New Year's Eve party, but others had been worn to weddings, debutante balls and other society functions. Kim spent a while going through all of the closets, trying to choose between all of the possibilities. She was about to give up and ask Shego's opinion when she saw a closed wardrobe that she hadn't been through that stood off to the side. She opened it, and stood for a few moments in reverential awe.
The wardrobe contained two pairs of clothing; one pair was a set of sparkling white gowns and Kim didn't need the tag to know that this had been Mim and Sheila's wedding attire. After making sure her hands were clean, she tentatively reached out and touched the sleeve, marveling at the intricate bead and lace work that made up the sleeve. She smiled and let the sleeve drop, turning her attention to the other set of clothes. Now that was a ball gown, she decided. It was emerald green and empire-wasted, which allowed the skirts to flounce without being as expansive as a hoop skirt would have been. The bodice had a base layer of emerald satin and was covered by meticulously-crafted and gorgeously-wrought black lace. The skirt was made up of green satin and green tulle, and it descended from the black velvet belt that tied in a large bow in the back.
The other outfit in this set was just as extraordinary, although in a completely different way. It was white-tie ensemble, complete with a waist-length tailcoat with its two tails trailing down the back and black trousers. The coat lapels were black satin, and the double-breasted waist had the traditional set of non-functional buttons. The bowtie and waistcoat were white as tradition dictated, but the white wing-collar dress shirt was fastened at the cuffs with emerald green cufflinks, and there was an emerald satin sash that perfectly matched the green satin of the gown and broke up the glare of the white.
Kim reached out for the tag attached to the gown. The gown was gorgeous and she wanted so badly to wear it, but there was no way that she would wear it to Homecoming where some idiot jerk could spill punch on it. She read the tag, and it told her that this had been worn at "Our 30th Birthday Celebration." She reluctantly let the sleeve drop.
"If you love it that much, Princess, I would wear it; you would look beautiful in it," Shego encouraged.
Kim sighed. "I would never subject such a beautiful gown to the danger of a high-school dance," she answered firmly. "Besides, I would probably offend Aunt Mim if I wore it."
"I seriously doubt it," Shego retorted. "For one thing, she's dead, and I doubt she cares about crap like that anymore. Two, if you don't wear it, what else is it supposed to do? Hang in the wardrobe until it rots or the moths get it? And besides, why would Nana Mim get offended? The dress was Nana Sheila's; the tux belonged to Nana Mim."
"Really?" Kim said, surprised.
"Yeah. She did dress in pants from time to time. She was gay and she had to prove it, you know," Shego teased.
"Well, to be absolutely truthful, we simply dressed in whatever had captured our fancy at that particular time," Mim unexpectedly objected. "It wasn't a statement of any sort. If we thought a dress would be more attractive, we would wear a dress. If trousers seemed better for the occasion, we wore those. And there were those times we either disagreed or the costume dictated it and one would come in trousers and the other a gown. But that was rare, and we would switch back and forth; for instance, I was Napoleon, but Sheila was Captain Wentworth." She smiled at the young ladies who had turned to face her. "But I agree with Junior, Kimmie-Ann; you should wear the gown. It is of no use to anyone locked away in a wardrobe."
"I don't even know if it will fit," Kim protested weakly, temptation warring with responsibility.
"It will fit, and you are going to wear it," Mim stated kindly, effectively ending the discussion. "So, dearest Junior, does this mean you will be wearing my white tie?"
"I hadn't thought about it yet," Shego answered. She thought for a couple of seconds. "How about my catsuit and mask like before? They are green and black, so it will match."
"As if," Kim retorted.
"Heavens no," Mim said at the same time.
Shego chuckled. "Heh. I got you both," she said, smirking. "But seriously, I haven't decided."
"Well, you do have some time," Kim pointed out. Her statement reminded her to look at the time, and she discovered that it had become much later than she had thought it was. "I should really get going," she admitted.
"Before you go, Kimmie-Ann, I should show you where the accessories for that dress are," Mim said, and glided out of the room to the one next door. Kim and Shego followed, and Mim floated in front of a bureau. "In the third drawer from the top, there are full-length black gloves and a black wrap that goes with it."
Kim opened the drawer and retrieved the items. "Thanks, Aunt Mim," she said happily.
"Not a problem, dear," Mim replied, smiling. "But, if I were you, I would start looking around for shoes. Your feet are nothing like Sheila's and I am certain that the shoes that match will not fit."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kim promised. She carefully took the dress' hanger off of the hook in the wardrobe and carefully held the dress aloft as she turned to leave. "I'll see you soon, Junior," she said. She paused, and unexpectedly, she put the dress back on the hook, walked over to Shego and kissed her. "Please call me if you need to talk," she gently ordered, her arms still wrapped around her. "It's not like you to be sad. Grumpy, usually, but not sad, and it freaked me out for most of the day."
"It was nothing, Princess," Shego demurred. Kim fixed her with a chiding eyebrow. "All right," Shego acquiesced. "I'll call."
"Good," Kim stated. "Bye, Aunt Mim," she called out as she gathered the dress back up and headed out the door.
"Bye, Kimmie-Ann," Mim called back amiably. After Kimmie was gone, she looked at Shego with an interested look on her face.
"Don't start," Shego groused. "Yes, I know she just kissed me; yes, I know I just told her that I would call if something was bugging me. I don't need you to tease me about it."
"Sheila is much more the teasing type," Mim reminded her, but she couldn't quite keep the smile off of her face. "Besides, I was more interested in what precipitated the request rather than the request itself."
"Eh, I had kind of a crappy night," Shego answered. "I guess Kimmie picked up on that when I called her this morning and it worried her a little."
"Yes, I should say you did have a terrible night," Mim said sympathetically. "That was a dastardly set of nightmares you were put through."
"How did you know what I dreamed last night?" Shego asked, suspicious. "Did you have something to do with it?"
"It was not us this time, Junior," Mim forestalled her. "Those were all of your own invention." Mim looked at her, concerned. "Are you all right, Junior? Is there anything you would like to converse about?"
"Nah, Kimmie did make me feel tons better. And besides, I figure it was just me being stupid," Shego assured her.
"Well then," Mim said crisply, moving on to happier things. "Would you like some information about the other accessories for that dress?"
"There are 'other' accessories for the dress?" Shego echoed, popping an intrigued eyebrow. Mim nodded smugly.
After her Nana Mim had told her everything she needed to know about the other accessories for the dress, Shego spent the next almost two weeks collecting them from where they had been stored. She also spent the almost two weeks figuring out what she was going to wear. She had the same collection of gowns (minus one, of course) that Kim had chosen from, and any of them would have done nicely. None of them exactly fit the bill, though, because there was only one thing that Shego wanted to wear. The hard part was convincing herself that wearing it wasn't going to assign arbitrary labels to both Kim and herself that they might not want to be labeled as. Eventually though, natural apathy toward other people's attitudes and opinions took over, and so, on the night of the Homecoming dance, she found herself dressed in Mim's white-tie formal attire as her car drove towards Kimme's house.
Kim heard a car pull up to the front of the house and went to the door. She opened it to leave, and was surprised to see an older gentleman standing on her porch, dressed as a chauffeur. He looked at her and his eyes widened briefly before settling down into a wryly-bemused twinkle. "Good evening, Miss," he said, doffing his cap. "Your car is waiting to take you to the dance."
"My car?" Kim questioned. "Um, no offense, but where is Shego? She was supposed to pick me up."
"And she is, Miss. She is in the car," he answered.
"Um, ok, I guess," Kim said, a little puzzled, but willing to go along with whatever it was Shego was up to.
"Right this way, Miss," the driver requested, indicating the car that was parked in the driveway.
"That doesn't look like Shego's Mustang," Kim mentioned.
"That's because it's not, Princess," a familiar voice told her. "It is a 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost," Shego said, smirking at Kim's stunned look.
It wasn't just the exquisite car that Kim was staring dumbly at. She was also staring at the exquisite specimen in tails that was standing beside of it. Shego had obviously chosen to wear Mim's matching formal wear, and the sight of her, resplendent in black, white and green, was making Kim doubt her newly-realized sexuality less and less as the moments passed. She was gorgeous, from her carefully braided hair to her pristine white gloves to her meticulously-polished shoes. It was only when she heard the older man speak that she realized she had been obliviously staring, and she tried to snap out of it before anyone noticed.
"It was really quite unkind of you to send me to the door without warning me what was on the other side," he chastised Shego, shaking his head.
"I told you she was a Possible, Chuck," Shego protested.
"You did not tell me she looked exactly like Miss Miriam," he retorted.
Shego chuckled. "That would have spoiled the fun, Chuck," she laughed. "Anyway, Chuck, meet Kim. Kim, meet Chuck. Chuck takes care of all of my cars, and he graciously agreed to drive us tonight."
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Possible," he said, doffing his cap once more.
"Very nice to meet you," Kim answered.
As they shook hands, Shego was afforded her opportunity to look at Kim. Damn, but she was beautiful, and that dress did everything it could to make her more so. She was missing something, though, and Shego decided to rectify that. She retrieved three boxes from the seat of the car, and when Kim was done talking to Chuck, Shego presented them to her. "Nana Mim told me about some other accessories for the dress," Shego explained when Kim looked at her oddly. "One is the car, which was a birthday present from Nana Sheila's parents, and the others are these," she explained opening the boxes one by one to reveal first a necklace, then a bracelet, and finally earrings that were made of beautiful diamond-encrusted emeralds that perfectly matched the dress. "They were Nana Mim's 30th birthday present to Nana Sheila."
"I can't wear those, Shego," Kim said instantly. "The dress is one thing, but…"
"Of course you can wear them," Shego interrupted. "They go with the dress." She carefully took off the jewelry that Kim had been wearing and handed it to Chuck before fastening the drop-shaped emerald pendant around Kim's neck. The bracelet came next, and finally the drop earrings. "Now, shall we go win a costume contest?" she asked, producing the top hat, cloak and cane that finished off her outfit and opening the door for Kim with a flourish.
Kim smiled at her and reached up a black-clad hand to draw Shego in for a kiss. "You are awesome," she said when they parted.
"Only because of you, Princess," Shego said chivalrously tipping her top hat with a saucy grin before she closed the door. She got in on the other side and sat down as Chuck climbed into the driver's seat and started the car.
Kim was suddenly shy, and abruptly started talking to cover her embarrassment. "So, um, how does the car go with the dress?" she asked, making conversation.
"It is the same shade of green," Shego said. "At least according to Nana Mim, her parents knew how much she liked green and wanted to get her a really nice gift for her 30th birthday. They figured that it would also come in handy for the party."
"They bought her a car for a party?" Kim asked incredulously.
"Well, yeah," Shego answered. "But then Nana Sheila and Nana Mim drove it back to Middleton and it became their touring car. So it wasn't like it was a one-time ride."
Kim smiled. "Can you imagine driving that far in this?" she asked. "That must have been some trip."
"Pfft. Knowing them, they probably managed to save the world between there and here," Shego joked.
"Probably," Kim agreed. They laughed, and Kim was surprised to see that they were turning into the high school. It didn't seem like the trip had been that long. A small knot of students stood out the gymnasium waiting to get in. One of the guys noticed the classic Rolls coming into the parking lot and he alerted the rest of the students. They all turned to look, and one ran inside to tell everyone else. Soon the gym emptied out, and the entire school, including Ron and Monique, stood watching as the car pulled up to the curb.
"Well, nothing like making an entrance," Shego muttered wryly.
"You were the one that picked me up in a beautiful ninety-year old car that was sure to attract attention," Kim reminded her.
"The car went with the dress, and I am sorry, but as beautiful as you look in that dress, the Mustang was not going to do you justice," Shego stated, enjoying Kim's blush. She grinned wickedly. "Besides, I like making an entrance."
The car pulled up to the curb, and as was his duty as temporary chauffeur, Chuck got out and opened the door for Shego. She smirked, adjusted her top hat and swept out of the car with her cloak and tails trailing behind her. She circled around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Kim, offering a white-gloved hand to help her out of the car. Kim took it and emerged from the car to find the whole school looking at her. She smiled brightly and took Shego's arm, the crowd parting for them as they made their way to the gym.
"Now that was a statement," Monique, who was dressed as Vixen said to Ron, who was dressed as the Fearless Ferret with Rufus the Wonderweasel as his sidekick.
"No kidding," Ron agreed. "Who knew Shego could pull off the Zatanna costume so well?"
Monique raised an eyebrow. "She is wearing pants, Ron; she isn't Zatanna," she said.
"Then what's her costume?" Ron asked. "Pants?"
"No," Monique said, rolling her eyes. "Unless I miss my guess, that dress is early 20th century Parisian and the tux is custom made to match. It is kind of abstract, but they came as a society couple from last century."
Ron looked at them more closely. "No, they didn't," he disagreed. "They came as Mim and Sheila."
"Who were a society couple from last century," Monique pointed out. Kim drew closer and Monique's jaw dropped. She maneuvered her way through the crowd so she could meet up with Kim as she passed. "You look fabulous," Monique told her as they walked together. "But Kim, honey, I have to ask, are those things real?"
"Yup," Kim said smugly.
"How much money does she have?" Monique asked playfully.
"Oh, she didn't buy these; they're heirlooms," Kim answered.
"Same vintage as the dress?" Monique asked. Kim nodded. "That explains why they match so well," Monique reasoned.
Monique and Kim continued to chatter happily as Shego, Kim and Monique entered the gym, not noticing how they had all abandoned Ron. He looked after them a little sadly before following them into the gym.
Bonnie glared at them as they walked into the gymnasium. As the duly-crowned Homecoming Queen, she was doing her duty and holding court inside the gym, but they had spoiled that by causing everyone to go outside to look at their spectacular entrance. It annoyed her, and she decided to let them know, but even more annoying, they didn't care. They ignored her completely and went straight to the dance floor.
As if on cue, the DJ started spinning a slow song. Shego and Kim smiled shyly at one another, the both of them a little self-conscious, but soon they overcame that, put their arms around each other and started moving with the music. They forgot where they were, and they were so wrapped up in one another that the dance, life and the world spun around them, and they were completely oblivious.
Ron watched them from the sidelines, his heart breaking a little bit more the longer they were out on the dance floor. He had done the right thing on the beach in Mexico; he knew that he had, but now that decision was starting to hurt. He had let Kim go, released her from her obligation to him so that she could explore and find out what she really wanted. From what he was watching now, it was obvious that she had found what she wanted, and it wasn't him. There could be no more pretending that this was a crush or a phase or something that would harmlessly dissolve before she came back to him like she always did. That realization smacked Ron like a blow to the chest and he knew he had to get out of there.
"Let's go home, buddy," Ron told Rufus, now completely depressed that Kim was dancing in Shego's arms and not his and not wanting to be obvious about it. Rufus nodded sadly, and together they left the dance.
Or at least they would have, if they hadn't been waylaid by Monique. "Don't go, Ron," she said, having seen what he was looking at and correctly interpreting his thoughts. "I know it's tough, but Kim will miss you and worry about you if you are not here. Don't spoil her night."
"Why does it all have to be about Kim, Monique?" Ron asked, real anger showing through. "Why does she get to ignore me and I still have to care that she might be upset when she remembers that she should come find me?" He paused, and his face crumpled. "Why do I have to be the good friend who lets her go and doesn't hate her for breaking my heart?" he asked, his voice soft and plaintive.
"Because you are her best friend, sweetie," Monique reminded him gently. She grabbed him by the arm and started to gently lead him towards the door. "Come on. Let's go get some air." Ron nodded and they left to go outside.
After the dance was finished and all of the swaying couples broke apart, Mr. Barkin got everyone's attention. "I need your attention, people!" he bellowed into the microphone. "It is time to introduce the Homecoming Queen and King and their court!" Half-hearted, sarcastic applause echoed through the gym. Mr. Barkin ignored it and proceeded to rattle off the names of the freshman, sophomore and junior princes and princesses. They all dutifully paraded from one side of the stage to the other and went down the stairs to the dance floor. Mr. Barkin cleared his throat, preparing to announce Bonnie and Josh as the Queen and King, only to be stopped by a frantic hand placed on his arm by one of the other faculty. They conversed in whispers for several seconds before Mr. Barkin turned back to the microphone. "It seems there has been a miscount," he announced, "and the Queen and King honored at today's half-time ceremony were not in fact the duly-elected King and Queen."
A murmur went around the crowd, and as Kim leaned up against Shego, she could swear that she felt Shego chuckle. "What did you do?" she asked softly. "I am not going to be the new Queen, am I?"
"Now why would I know a thing like that?" Shego asked, affecting innocent outrage.
"Because you rigged the election to get back at Bonnie," Kim replied.
"Did not," Shego countered, and just that second, Mr. Barkin announced Bonnie as the Homecoming Queen. "See?" she said, but she couldn't quite keep the smile off her face.
"Again, I repeat, what did you do?" Kim persisted.
"I might have put in a call into somebody suggesting that they recount the votes," Shego admitted.
"And?" Kim asked, but before Shego could elaborate, Mr. Barkin did it for her.
"It seems that the votes for King were incorrectly tallied, and Joshua Mankey is not King," he said. "Instead, it seems that Michael Peterson is the correct king."
There were whispers shooting back and forth, until someone figured it out. "Big Mike! Big Mike is the Homecoming King!" someone shouted in a stage whisper, and indeed, Big Mike, resplendent in his Incredible Hulk costume, was making his way towards the stage. Bonnie looked horrified and Shego thought about feeling bad for pulling the prank for all of two seconds before realizing Big Mike was an awesome guy who deserved an honor like this, and Bonnie truly deserved a King like him.
Big Mike climbed the stairs to the stage beaming, knowing it was coming because Shego had asked him, much as she had asked Kim, if he actually wanted to be King. He liked that idea, and so her plan had been set into motion, and now, Queen Bonnie was walking down the stairs with King Incredible Hulk in order to begin the traditional King/Queen dance. The school, too shocked to actually laugh, watched as the Court paired up. It wasn't until they realized that Bonnie only came up to about Big Mike's waistline that shock started to give way to amusement. Fortunately for Bonnie, the Court traditionally only danced for a couple of minutes with their partners before the entire school joined in, and when they did, Josh, the former King, took pity on Bonnie and cut in. And Kim, seeing that Big Mike no longer had a partner, let Shego sit one out and went to dance with him.
That dance finished, and Shego rejoined Kim. They danced a few more dances and applauded when Monique won Best Costume. It was only then Kim realized that Ron was missing. That concerned her, so she went to find him and found him leaning against the gym wall. She dragged him to the dance floor and danced with him for a few dances, and being the good friend he was, he followed Monique's advice and pretended to have a good time. After one or two, though, he begged off. Kim knew something was wrong, she had known him too long and knew his moods too well for him to fool her, but he refused to admit he was unhappy, and Kim had to let it drop, for now.
"I'm worried about Ron," Kim told Shego as Ron practically ran out of the gym.
Shego sighed; she had seen it too, and she knew what it meant. "If I had to make a guess, I would say Stoppable isn't as comfortable with us as he thought he was, and tonight we were a little too in-your-face for him," she hypothesized.
Kim's face contracted in a worried frown. Before she could say anything, though, Mr. Barkin was back up at the microphone with yet another announcement. "If I could have everyone's attention, I have a final announcement to make," he said, and a cheer went up at the word "final." "Homecoming is a time for school camaraderie, and so I think there is no better occasion to announce a new member to our ranks. Would everyone please welcome our new teacher, Ms. Nina Johnson," he said, indicating a young woman who had joined him on the platform.
Shego paled, even more than usual, and Kim couldn't help but notice. "What is it?" she whispered. "Do you know her? Did you steal from her?"
Shego grimaced. "I guess you could put it that way," she muttered, bemusedly. "Yeah, I know her," she admitted. "She was my first girlfriend."
"Oh," was all Kim said, but her emotions, already on alert because of Ron, went into overdrive. Jealousy flared up immediately, followed by protective anger. She didn't have the whole story, of course, but she knew Shego hadn't dated since high school and that Shego had been reluctant to start anything with her because of what had happened in high school. That made this person responsible, and Kim took an instant dislike to her that ran deeper than mere jealousy. This made Kim less than thrilled when she saw Ms. Johnson making her way over to them after she had left the stage.
"Hello, Sheila," Nina said cordially as she stepped up to them.
"Nina," Shego replied laconically with a nod of her head.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Nina asked.
"No," Shego replied simply.
"Hi, I'm Kim Possible, Shego's girlfriend," Kim said, stepping up and marking her territory. "I'm a senior here at Middleton. You'll probably be seeing a lot of me around."
Shego kept her face neutral and her hands at her sides, but she badly wanted to smile at Kim's obvious claim of her and even more badly wanted to kiss her for making that claim. Nina smiled politely. "I'm sure I will, Miss Possible," she said politely before she left them alone.
"I think I want to go now," Shego requested.
"So do I," Kim agreed.
Chuck was waiting for them as they exited the gym, and though they were polite with Chuck and each other, they didn't say much on the ride to Kim's house. When they got there, Shego got out of the car to open the door for Kim, and together they walked to her front porch.
"Thanks for everything tonight, Princess," Shego said sincerely, before gathering her up and kissing her.
Kim kissed her back, reluctant to let go. Though she was trying to hide it, Shego was rattled, Kim knew it and she, though she wasn't sure how, she wanted to fix it. They had to part eventually, though, and when they did, Shego smiled at her and retreated back to the car. Kim watched until the car pulled away before she trudged upstairs. As she undressed, she thought about everything that had happened that night, and as she crawled into bed, she sighed. Both her best friend and her girlfriend were obviously troubled and she wanted to help them. She just didn't know how.
After Chuck had dropped her off, Shego opened the front door of the Mansion and went upstairs. After taking off her clothes and making sure everything was put away properly, she flopped into bed. She fell asleep quickly, but that night, after an almost two week absence, the dreams returned, and she ended up not getting much sleep that night or most of the nights that followed.