The Love That We Cannot Have
"Love that we cannot have is the one that lasts the longest, the one that hurts the deepest, and feels the strongest…"
Chapter Three
Kim's Point of View
I eyed the door warily, fear setting the hair on the back of my neck on end. This was undoubtedly going to be one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, one I'd never considered having to face, despite my anatomy. Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to indulge my own fears because Sheridan was just as nervous as me to face her parents with the news that she was pregnant with my child.
Seeing how panicked she was, I wrapped my arms around her. "I'm right here," I reminded her softly. "We're in this together, and that won't change, no matter what they say," I promised firmly, placing a kiss on her shoulder, and she let out a deep breath.
"Thanks, Kimmie," she muttered, as she reached out and opened the door, leading me into the unfamiliar house. It was certainly impressive, but it couldn't keep my attention–not as we marched to meet the firing squad. I stayed silent as Shego led me toward what I assumed to be the living room, our hands laced together.
The moment we stepped into the room, I caught sight of Shego's brothers and a couple, who I knew must be the parents of the five. Both of them were very similar in looks to their children, aside from the altered coloring of each.
Mr. Gogh was tall, with broad shoulders and a strong jaw. His hair was dark brown, but his eyes were the same emerald green of Sheridan's. He seemed to be completely relaxed, his mouth curled into a small smile, as if he was perfectly content just to spend some time with his family. I could tell that he was the more relaxed of the elder Goghs.
Mrs. Gogh was physically very much like Shego, in spite of her bright blue eyes. She was tall, her body lithe and fit. Her black hair hung to the middle of her back, in stark contrast to her pale white skin. It was obvious just from looking at her that she was the driving force in the Gogh family, but she came off as being very warm, as well.
It was Hego that first noticed us. "Sis!" he boomed, a wide grin stretching across his boyish face. "Finally, you've seen the light and are here to reclaim your rightful place as a member of Team Go, ready to fight for justice once more!" he proclaimed, striking a heroic pose, and I struggled not to burst into laughter.
"Welcome back, sister. Now, enough about her, let's talk about me! I always knew that she would return to the team, and I was right, wasn't I?" Mego smiled charmingly, tossing his head arrogantly. He didn't get a chance to continue, however, as the twins jumped up excitedly.
They rushed over to hug their sister, who returned their embrace surprisingly enthusiastically. "Hey, Shego! We're…glad that you're back!" they spoke in turns, both of them grinning up at her. "We missed you!" they said happily.
"Alright, that's enough!" Shego snapped warningly at Hego and Mego when they opened their mouths, raising one plasma-encased hand and eyeing her brothers, who immediately back down. The twins snickered, while their sister smirked. Her parents were watching in amusement, and I wondered how common this scene must be for them.
"Boys, why don't you go outside for a bit so that your father and I can speak with your sister?" Mrs. Gogh asked, though it was clearly not a suggestion. They reluctantly filed out, and she turned to the both of us. "Now, the two of you feel free to have a seat. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kim. I'm Shay and this is my husband, Damon. We've followed your exploits for some time now," she said with a friendly smile on her face, as Shego and I both took our seats.
I hope you still think it's a pleasure after you hear what we have to say… "It's a pleasure to meet both of you, as well," I said sincerely, a weak smile on my face. Although, I wish it was under better circumstances…
"So, what brings you here, Sheridan?" Shay asked curiously. "We weren't expecting you to return so soon after your last visit, considering it's only been a week," she said knowingly, and I gathered that Shego didn't visit often, most likely due to her strained relationship with her brothers, Hego and Mego.
Shego hummed quietly to herself. "I have something to tell both of you," she started, her voice reflecting her anxiety. "I just don't know how you're going to take it," she muttered, frowning a bit.
"What's bothering you, Firefly?" Damon murmured, watching his daughter with concerned eyes, his wife mirroring his concern. Sheridan and I exchanged a glance, and I smiled faintly in a show of support.
"It's alright, darling. Whatever it is, you can tell us," Shay encouraged quietly.
She took a deep breath. "Mommy, Daddy…I'm pregnant," she blurted out, cringing slightly by my side. It took all my self-control not to flinch as the words left her lips.
Instantly, the change in the elder couple was apparent. They were both visibly shocked and shaken, likely because they were aware how nigh impossible it should have been for Sheridan to carry a child. Once the shock wore off a bit, they seemed to go in two totally different directions with their reactions.
Damon seemed to be getting angry, not at Shego but at the person who got her pregnant. That was unfortunate for me. His hands were clenched, and he was taking deep breaths. Shay, on the other hand, was now looking at her daughter with a wide smile on her face, tender affection clear in her blue eyes. Hopefully that meant that I could count her as an ally when the rest of the news came out.
"Who is he?" Damon suddenly demanded, and I flinched at the pronoun. Technically, it could be applied to me, but I always identified with the female gender for the most part. "I'll kill him! I'll kill the man who dared get my daughter pregnant! It wasn't that blue idiot that you work for, was it?" he asked frantically, but Sheridan was too startled by his outburst to respond.
"Dear, why don't you calm down for a moment? Take a deep breath and settle down," Shay suggested gently. "Just give her some time. It's not really any of our business if she doesn't want to tell us," she tried to reason with him, but he rejected her logic out of hand.
"I think we have a right to know who the hell knocked up our little girl," he protested, and I took a deep breath. Shego was still speechless, and her father seemed to be working himself into a frenzy of fatherly overprotectiveness. I had to do something…
"It's mine!" I burst out, and all eyes turned to me. Sheridan's parents seemed confused, but Shego was staring at me with gratitude in her eyes. That look gave me the strength to push forward. "The baby is mine. I'm the one who got her pregnant," I explained soundly, watching as their expressions grew stunned once more. I didn't blame them. I'd be looking at me like I was crazy, too, if I was them.
Thankfully, Shego seemed to have recovered from her bout of muteness. She began to explain the situation with Drakken's plot, as well as our own roles in things. When the time came, I quietly interjected and told them how I'd been born intersexual. By the time that Shego finished her explanation, they seemed a bit calmer, but Damon was now staring at me suspiciously. Outwardly, I remained calm under his scrutiny, but on the inside I was panicking.
Both of Shego's parents exchanged a glance, appearing to come to an agreement. "Sheridan, please go and join your brothers outside for a few moments," Shay said firmly. My heart sank a bit, but I forced myself to remain still.
"But Mommy–" Sheridan started to argue, but I cut her off when I placed my hand on her arm. She looked at me inquisitively, almost as if questioning my sanity.
"It'll be fine," I said quietly, letting her know with my eyes that I would be alright with her parents. I couldn't deny them the chance to speak to me alone, not when I was responsible for getting their daughter pregnant, even if I wasn't fully culpable for our present situation. I had expected this, after all, and I wasn't going to back down.
My lover cast me a look of doubt, but she didn't protest as she rose and left the room, letting her hand brush my shoulder as she passed me. Her touch grounded me, and I faced the other two occupants of the room steadily.
Damon cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What are your intentions toward my daughter? What makes you think that you're worthy of her?" he asked sternly, even condescendingly, almost as if daring me to rise to the jab.
I kept my back straight, and I looked him directly in the eye as I answered. "I plan to stand by her side and do everything I can to make her happy, as long as she'll have me. Even if she decides that she doesn't want to be with me, I want nothing more than to keep her and our baby safe and happy, sir," I said strongly, speaking nothing but the truth. "I don't know that I am worthy of her, but I know I'll spend every day working to deserve her," I added. I didn't know how I got so lucky, but I'd do anything to keep her with me until the day she sent me away.
"Pretty words, but can you really back them up?" Shay asked shrewdly, though I could see the glimmer of respect in her eyes. "You're only seventeen, after all, still living under your own parents' roof. How could you possibly support my little girl? Surely, you don't plan to make her pay for everything out of her own pocket?" she asked mockingly, but I didn't let it get to me. It was an obvious line of attack, and one that I'd prepared for, though unknowingly at the time.
The corner of my mouth twitched up into a smile. "Yes ma'am, I can absolutely back them up. I might only be seventeen, but I've experienced things in my life that most people probably never will, even if they live to be a hundred years old," I said truthfully, letting a bit of my experience show through my words and my tone, which I usually kept hidden. It tended to throw people off when I spoke of things that they considered beyond me, despite my magnanimous and widespread reputation.
"That doesn't change the fact that you are still a minor, living in your parents' house," Shay mentioned, though both she and her husband were eyeing me appraisingly now. "We've kept track of your career as a hero, and, unless the public has been sorely mistaken, you've never asked for nor taken any recompense for the missions you frequently go on. So, how could you hope to afford the lifestyle that my daughter is so used to?" she asked again.
I smiled a bit secretively. "It's true that I don't take payment for helping people who are in trouble, or who need my help, but my skills are useful for more than simply helping those in need. There are hundreds of ancient artifacts that have been considered lost to the world, simply because they're too difficult to obtain. However, there are many wealthy men and women to whom those artifacts are priceless works of art," I said nonchalantly, and their eyes widened a bit, showing that they caught on.
"You're a treasure hunter," Damon said in amusement, seemingly forgoing his ire, for the moment. "I've kept an eye on the happenings of a certain fortune hunter known only as Kitsune, who is said to be the best of the best. No one seems to know anything about this person, and those that do are unwilling to say anything because they value his or her services too much," he said, a wide grin splitting his face. At his side, Shay looked suitably impressed, and I allowed myself a moment of pride for my skills.
I smirked just a bit, before cocking my head to the side. "The sponsor of my first hunting trip gave me the name, and I decided to keep it, for the sake of anonymity," I revealed, candidly admitting to being the well-known adventurer. "Due to the priceless nature of the artifacts I recover and the extremely wealthy nature of my clients, I'm very well paid for my efforts. I've accumulated a very large amount of wealth in my short years, and I would love nothing more than to use it to assure the comfort of both Sheridan and our child," I said sincerely, my voice softening at the end. I'd spent very, very little of that money, partially because I intended to keep my wealth undisclosed and partially because I never felt the need to throw money around needlessly.
Both Shego's parents were smiling at me now, their eyes wonder-filled. "After everything that you've just revealed to us, I honestly can't think of a reason that we shouldn't give you our blessing with Sheridan," Shay said candidly, her eyes more forgiving toward me now. "We're well aware that you're not the one truly liable for this situation, but we absolutely respect the fact that you're so willing to accept responsibility for it."
"However, if you ever hurt our little girl, you can be sure that there's not a force on this earth that will keep us from hunting you down," Damon warned me seriously, and I nodded solemnly in agreement, struggling to repress the shudder that wanted to escape. The man may look easygoing, but he knew how to put the fear in you. "Now, what's the immediate plan for dealing with everything?" he asked more calmly, and I relaxed in response.
"Sheridan and I spoke earlier about finding a house for ourselves. She doesn't know that I'm wealthy yet, but I plan to explain things to her later today, if we have the time," I mentioned, and they nodded. "Though, we both agreed that the first thing we should do is get her checked out by a doctor, so that we can make sure that she's fine. Then, in a few weeks, we'll go back to the doctor and have the baby checked out, too," I explained.
"That's probably for the best," Shay said, concern showing itself in her blue orbs once more. "What about her criminal career? Does she plan to continue her underground exploits?" she asked, failing to hide her slight disappointment at her daughter's choices.
I grinned widely and shook my head in the negative. "No, she's decided that she'd done with all of that," I told them, much to their relief, though they quickly became concerned once more.
"Is it really that easy?" Damon wondered aloud. "She is wanted in numerous countries, all over the world. There are so many warrants out for her arrest…" he trailed off worriedly.
"That's where I come in," I interjected before they could get themselves worked up. "Because of all that I've done to help the different governments of the world, as well as some very influential people in the political world, it won't be a problem for me to use my influence to have her record cleared. The only thing she'll be left with is a set probationary period, during which she'll be monitored by the only person capable of going toe to toe with her: me," I said slyly, and they both laughed a bit.
"The more that we talk, the more convinced I am that you're the perfect person to keep our Firefly in line," Shay said warmly, and I internally celebrated my triumph. "Now that we've had our talk, why don't we go and gather everyone for lunch?" she suggested, and I nodded eagerly. I hadn't eaten yet, and I was sure that Shego was just as hungry as me.
"I'll go and start getting everything ready, honey. Do sandwiches and fruit sound alright to you?" Damon asked, already heading in the direction of the kitchen, I assumed.
"That's fine, dear," she answered, leading me out of the room. "What do your parents think about everything, Kim? Have you already told your family what's going on?" she asked.
I hummed quietly. "We stopped by my house to speak with them before we came here, actually. They're taking it pretty well, actually, and they're happy for the two of us. I'm sure that they'd love to meet you and Damon sometime soon," I mentioned and she lit up.
"That would be wonderful, and I'm sure Damon will agree with me that we'd enjoy meeting your parents. Now, let's grab the kids in for lunch before Sheridan decides to give her brothers a few burns, why don't we?" she asked mischievously, and I laughed as we stepped out onto the back deck.
From there, I could see the Wegos playing a game of soccer with a number of their duplicates. On the sidelines, Shego was laying on a lounge chair in the sun, seemingly trying to relax. I say trying because Hego seemed to bothering her, undoubtedly going on about his delusions of her rejoining Team Go. Mego was, as usual from what I could see, completely absorbed in himself, examining his reflection in a mirror.
Shay whistled loudly, and they all looked up instantly, even Shego. "Come inside if you want lunch!" she yelled, and those seemed to be the magic words. "I'm going to go and help Damon with the sandwiches. Is ham and cheese alright with you?"
"That's great," I agreed with a smile, and she reentered the house, while I waited for Shego to reach me. Her brother stormed past me with yelled greetings, while she took her time, shaking her head at their noisy antics.
"Hey," she murmured, leaning forward to peck me on the lips. "How was your talk with Mommy and Daddy?" she asked nervously, and I wrapped my arms around her reassuringly, letting her lay her head on my shoulder.
"Everything went fine. They really just needed to make sure that I was serious about being with you. They love you, and they want you to be happy," I said softly, and she hummed happily when I gently rubbed her back. "Now, I'm sure that you're just as hungry as I am, so why don't we go inside?" I asked eagerly. I felt like I hadn't eaten in a week, and I was impatient to get my hands on some food.
"Agreed," she said enthusiastically, pulling back before taking my hand and leading me through the house once more.
As she pulled me along, I couldn't help but think that we had wasted a lot of effort worrying over her parents' reaction. I thought back to her father's threat, and I didn't bother trying to hide my shudder now. Then again…
.To Be Continued.
A/N: So, there were a couple surprises in this chapter that came out of nowhere. I really didn't plan for things to go this way, and I had to rewrite this chapter a couple times because it just wasn't coming out right, but I think it turned out okay in the end. Though, now that things turned out this way, I definitely have plans for "Kitsune" in the future. Anyway, let me know what you all think!
Kimmie and Shego
