Author's Forward
Hey, everyone, sorry about the delay! Real life has been kicking myself and my flow/feel beta, Neo the Saiyan Angel, in the rear end for the last couple weeks, so getting this out to all of ya has been a bit of a challenge. But here we are, with a chapter that I put a bit extra in for your patience! And speaking of patience, I'll not take up any more, so on to the review replies!
Jimmy1201: yup, the Tweebs may be a pain, but Kim's still their sis, right? And, yeah, Kim, Ron and Shego at least get some R&R! As to the perpetrator of the mental process attack, and whether it's over or they're waiting for another opportunity... Well, only time will tell!
KP-RS-SG-KP-RS-SG
The Sloth's emergency lights flashed as Ron reached out without prompting and hit the hazzard lights button. The surface of the car's huge brakes flashed orange as the former thief pushed the brake system to its maximum effort, the force of her emergency braking lurching all occupants forward into their restraints.
"What the flying Christ?" Kim roared from the back seat as the four point restraint dug into her shoulders, chest and hips. Her eyes widened at her unimpeded view out the front window of the Sloth and the two kilometer long line of vehicles climbing up a hill in front of them.
"Goddamn stau!" Shego growled, lessening the pressure on the pedal when they dropped below one hundred and thirty kilometers per hour, giving the brakes and brake fluid a chance to cool and the occupants a chance to catch their breath. She turned down the radio and blew out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding, "The warning came up on the HUD just as I was hitting the brakes, too..." She glanced in the rearview at Kim's pale, adrenaline tight features and chuckled, "Y'might wanna have your brothers or Wade set up more checks for emergency traffic alerts, Princess..."
"Yeah..." Kim breathed out, chuckling at the same time Shego did. The pale woman glanced back in the mirror as she slowed some more and merged with the line of traffic, setting both of them into a giggle fit to release their tension. Ron and Rufus stared at them as if they were insane, but the always infectious aspect of laughter got them to chuckling after a moment as well. When Kim had enough control to speak, she glanced at Shego and asked, "So, how fast were you going when you saw the jam?"
"Oh..." Shego flushed slightly, "A li'l over three fifty four? K-P-H, I mean..." She sighed and looked out, noticing the flashing of emergency lights ahead and grimaced, "Looks like a wreck..."
"Oh..." Kim smiled at her, reaching forward to rest a hand on her shoulder, "Based on the music and Ron's worried look... D'ya wanna talk about it?"
Shego sighed, glancing back in the rearview as they crept along at a sedate fifty kilometers per hour. "I don't know, Kimmie..." She glanced over at Ron, "It's... I'm not even sure where to start, y'know?"
"Is it about Ron and how you feel? Something else?" Kim prodded and Shego nodded.
"Both, sorta..." Shego pouted at her own thoughts, "Just... Back at the rest stop, I kinda had a flashback to a date at Harley's dad's steakhouse in Jackson Hole... Kinda got me to thinkin' about, well, us?" She half rounded on Ron, startling the blond at the intensity of her gaze, "Can you tell me something, Sport, without equivocating?" Ron looked as if he wanted to act clueless, but the fact that he knew what the word meant was obvious by the nervous gulp. Steeling himself, he nodded, "I... Don't want to push myself, or you, but this has kinda been buggin' me since... Well, since the day on the train, when I kissed you and ever since Kimmie said she loves me, and... How it seemed you didn't have any problems with it, y'know?"
"Shoot, Shay." Ron said with a resigned expression.
"Sorry, Sport... Please understand that I don't like putting you on the spot..." Shego took in a deep breath, her insides fighting a battle between positive, hopeful feelings and cold, leaden dread, "Do you love me? I mean, as more than a new friend, or as your fiancée's girlfriend?"
Ron's entire being seemed to relax with such a force that it calmed even Shego's frayed nerves. "Every bit as much as Kim does." Ron's answer was simple, but carried the same weight of conviction had Kim asked him. "I know you probably wanna know why or how?" Shego nodded and Ron smiled, reaching over to rest his hand on Kim's, whose had was still on the former thief's shoulder, "Because you're awesomely badical, I think you're beautiful in the way KP is. I mean, hell, if you and KP weren't girlfriends and I wasn't with her, I'd probably have fallen anyway... But add all that to the fact that KP loves you?"
"That last..." Shego started, a nervous half grin on her face, but Ron held up a hand to stall her.
"Wait, Shay..." Ron's voice was gentle, but firm, which surprised Shego immensely. She gave a hesitant nod for him to continue, "Yes, I love you, as much as Kim does. We... Talked about it this morning, when we were showering together when you went to get breakfast..." Shego nodded again, earning a chuckle from Ron, "I told her I was getting really strong feelings for you... And we kinda worked it out this way... If the person is someone we both like... If it's someone we both like like and it's someone we could or are falling for already... Then wherever KP's heart goes - and I mean truly, deeply and madly like with you - mine will follow without regret or hesitation..."
"And..." Kim interjected with a firm tone, "It's the same way with me..."
Shego nodded at Kim in understanding, then looked at Ron, "So, if I'd've been a man?" Shego asked, figuring that'd throw him off. She was beyond shocked when he chuckled.
"I'd be finding out what the other white meat was like..." His face screwed up slightly in... Not disgust, but in an obviously unsettled fashion, before he shook whatever he saw in his head away and continued. "Well, I'd be finding out about it emotionally at least, but, well..." Ron shrugged, chuckling with a nervous blush, "Never be normal, y'know?"
The stau ground to a temporary halt as a tow truck blocked one and a half lanes to right a tipped semi-tractor so it could be towed off by a flatbed truck. Shego took the opportunity to twist in her seat towards him a bit more, staring deep into his eyes. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw no deceit, nor hesitation, "You're serious..."
"As that wreck looks..." Ron chirped with his serious face in place, "If not more so... But, all that said..." He brought his hand down to where hers rested just behind the Ruf-pod and clasped his fingers with hers, his face completely serious, "I don't want you to ever force yourself to feel the same way about me, 'kay? Take as long as you need..." He laughed, raising her hand to kiss her knuckles gently, "I... I may not have been in love love with KP back in pre-K, but it's not exactly a lie that waited fourteen years for her... Looking back, since I never thought Kim had cooties I think that was just the first sign of how I felt... And I knew I was in love with her by the time she kissed Walter Nelson back in sixth grade - I mean, okay, I didn't know I was in love, then, but I know things changed with how I felt for Kim - so I knew how I felt for at least eight years! So... I can wait for you, too, Shay, I promise."
Rufus squeaked in annoyance from the Ruf-pod, staring between the three humans, chittering at Ron and Shego, "Yes, Rufus, I know, it's repetitive, but..." He glanced at Shego, "I just want to make sure she understands how completely I believe this."
"Stup'd." Rufus pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, "Gettin' 'nnoyin'."
"Actually, it is kinda stupid, isn't it?" Shego chuckled, hoping Ron didn't feel the slight shiver that ran down her arm when his fingers slid along hers. To hide her brief hesitation, she reached to pat Rufus' head and give him a fond smile, "I'll make it up to you in Amsterdam... I know this great little shop, all high quality bud at reasonable prices, and I'll buy ya a bowl or two, 'kay?"
"Wait..." Kim narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Shego, then Rufus, "You both like pot?"
"Rufus likes pot?" Ron boggled, earning a groan from Rufus and Kim and a startled giggle from Shego.
"Ron, Cannabine Plus is basically pot pellets!" Kim griped at him, then favored Rufus with a slightly annoyed gaze, "And there's times he's eaten a week's supply in one night..."
"Aft'r rough mission!" Rufus defended himself, sticking his tongue out at Kim, who sighed and assented that he was right with a reluctant nod, "I smoke t'enjoy!"
"Oh, like that's any better..." Kim sighed, shaking her head. She twisted her lips wryly and reached out to pet Rufus gently on the head, letting him know she'd let it slide, "At least you have the vet's card..."
"Wow, I never realized..." Ron blinked, then it was obvious that it struck him why, exactly, Rufus was always lethargic when he ate the Cannabine Plus pellets and could keep up with him in eating. He looked down at Rufus and grinned like an idiot, scratching the back of his buddy's head just as Kim removed her hand, "Man, now I feel kinda dumb."
"Is okay!" Rufus answered with a sigh, his eyes closed as he thoroughly enjoyed the scratching.
"Doofus..." Kim and Shego said at the same time, neither bothering with the jinx, and the older woman continued with a wry laugh, "Anyway, Princess, I've had a medicinal card since Go City legalized it back in '97..." Shego glanced at the still stalled traffic before looking at Kim seriously, "Most pain killers, even opiates or analogues like Tramadol, don't work on me... And it helps with my anxiety issues which, again, most drugs don't help with... And those that do tend to hit me with serious side effects, and those side effects last longer with me."
"I notice you're still not denying liking it for the high." Kim said with a mixture of amusement and mild disapproval.
"Didn't think I had to, Princess." Shego smirked, shrugging, "But I didn't start using 'til I had a reason, and usually I only smoke it when I'm in a lot of pain, or feeling a lot of anxiety..." Her smirk turned into a grin, "Or when I'm in Amsterdam! But even then, I tend to drink more than I smoke..."
"Does your anxiety really get that bad?" Kim asked and the older woman grimaced.
"Yeah, pretty bad at times." She glanced over at Rufus, "Just ask him, he saw me after I told you about Harley and why I left Team Go..." Rufus nodded solemnly and favored the woman he considered one of his favorite humans with a warm smile.
"So you're saying you'd be a blubbering mess if you didn't?" Ron half chuckled, his chuckle turning into a laugh when Shego favored him with an annoyed glare.
"Frankly, yes." she declared with as much dignity as she could muster, before blushing slightly, straightening in her seat and looking back to the roadway, "Well... More of one..."
"Hey..." Kim said, squeezing the hand she still had on Shego's shoulder, "It's okay, Shay, I just get uncomfortable with it a bit. I mean, if people don't overinduldge it's okay, I guess? It's kinda like I was with alcohol before I got my first buzz last Valentine's Day up in Toronto... Hell, Tara's been using cannabis for anxiety since she came out as bisexual back in her sophomore year. She can't smoke it 'cause, as she says, it's too harsh for her lungs, but she does use it, and apparently only for medicinal purposes... I guess her parents' divorce didn't help much with her anxiety, either, thinking about it..." Shego made a grumpy sound of acknowledgement, but smiled slightly at Kim's attempt to sooth her wounded pride. "Hell, I'd've probably used it instead of naproxen, codeine or Tramadol if I wasn't allergic to it."
"So that's why you bailed on the one concert back in July..." Ron boggled at her.
"Yeah, getting a ferociously intense headache followed by munchies sucks..." Kim giggled.
"Wait..." Shego blinked, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, Ron stayed at the concert?"
"Me too!" Rufus squeaked, then earned a deep blush from Ron as he pointed at his human pantomimed Ron's high state and said in his broken English, "An' 'e w's all 'Woah' an' 'Dude' an' 'KP is awes'm' an' 'Whee!'! Th'n munchies!"
"Your brother's Bueno Nacho had to restock the ground beef twice..." Kim murmured as if in awe of the achievement, drawing a scowl from Ron.
"I was hungry, and so was Rufus!" he defended himself and his buddy, earning a laugh from Shego.
"It's called 'munchies' for a reason, Sport!" she reached over and gave him an impromptu hug, then quickly straightened as the vehicles ahead of them began moving once more.
"Yeah, yeah..." Ron tried to grouse, but the hug seemed to raise his spirits too much.
Kim let go of Shego's shoulders, but saw she still had a slightly pensive look on her face. "Anything else wrong, Lover?"
Shego started slightly, as if not expecting that nickname at the moment, "Kinda..." She twisted her mouth into a rueful half smile, "Kim... With how you feel about me, does it... Does it seem like you love Ron any less now that you love me? That it... That what you feel for me, what you both feel... Diminishes what you had before me?"
"Of course not." Kim and Ron said in sharp honesty, Kim continuing, "Jinx, you owe me a back rub!" She chuckled along with Shego and Rufus as Ron moaned in mock annoyance. Glancing back at her new lover, she continued, "Honestly... I feel closer to Ron than I ever have... That he trusts me this much, that he trusts you, the woman I love as much as I love him... That he trusts what he and I have for the two of us to fall in love with you..." Kim smiled slightly, unbuckling her belt long enough to lean forward to kiss Shego's neck just below the ear, which earned her a shiver of pleasure from the older woman, "If anything, having you with me... Us, I guess... Even if you're only with me right now... It's brought us so much closer it's not even funny..."
"So..." Shego sighed out as Kim sat back and buckled her belt again, "You... Both love me, that much?" Dual nods of the head left the older woman pondering for a long moment. Impulsively, she reached out with her hand to grasp Ron's, squeezing tightly as if a drowning woman offered that very hand to save her, "I... Thanks, guys..."
"No problem, Beautiful..." Ron murmured, squeezing her hand a couple times in reassurance, "Shay... Would it bother you if I ended up saying how I feel to you?"
"I... Dunno?" Shego half laughed at the shy tone in Ron's voice, glancing at Kim and seeing the same amusement dancing in her eyes, "Why don't you try it, Sport?"
"Sometime..." Ron assured her. Shego realized that she wasn't wiping that hand on her pants as she had a couple times since starting to share Kim with Ron. She also realized he was looking at that hand and smiling, as if he felt some significance to it. Then he leaned his seat back, putting his arms behind his head as if preparing for a brief nap.
"Doofus..." Shego muttered fondly, shaking her head as the traffic began to thin out and she could start to accelerate in earnest.
"Ayup! That's why I'm so lovable!" Kim giggled and Shego scoffed with a roll of the eyes. It seemed to be what the blond had been waiting for, as despite his question a moment before, his next words caught the older woman completely off guard. "Love you, Shay..." She felt his eyes on her, despite his eyes seeming to be closed, felt her own lips quirking in a slight, shy smile. The smile was quickly joined by a soft blush that crawled up her neck to settle just across her cheeks and ears.
She didn't mind, though; for once, the voice in the back of her mind barely let out a grumble and her stomach's only flip flop came from the brief, but nonetheless present, burst of happiness the words gave her...
KP-RS-SG-KP-RS-SG
When they slowed down to surface street speeds Ron decided to sit up and look around. He'd been awake for a little over a minute, enjoying the change from Shay's earlier choice of music to the current, metal and symphonic blend. The woman lead singer had a lovely voice, not too high pitched or strident, but powerful and emotive.
He was about to speak when he noticed Shay was nodding to the beat and humming along with the singer. He relaxed a bit and changed his mind, watching the emotions flow across Shay's haunting features. Haunting's a good word to describe her... he thought with a smile. He knew that Kim had a somewhat different take on it, but he'd been quite serious when he'd said he considered Shay as beautiful as Kim, in his personal definition of beautiful. Getting to know her, she'd gone from hot but scary - or hot and awkweirdly off during the Miss Go sitch - to hot and cool... To haunting and beautiful. And he'd already been falling for her, hard, when Kim had admitted to being in love with Shay.
He knew people wouldn't understand how he could be as in love with Kim as he was and still love Shay just as deeply. To him, it was easy; to others, he'd have to admit that he loved them equally in the same way most people loved both parents equally, or an aunt and uncle equally. It just made sense to him! Of course, the fact that they were so much alike, but so different at once, and completely smoking, to boot! And the personalities that went with them, while filled with aspects that were laudable, were also aggressive, even abrasive. Even Kim could get that way, on her period or off. Shay was a lot calmer now than she had been, even after the Lorwardians, which had helped with his feelings.
Seeing her like this, however, he had to admit that Shay had a prettier face than Kim. Granted, Kim was very, very attractive, in a prettily cute fashion, yet Shay looked as if she'd be worthy of statue carved to represent a Greek goddess. Her lips were slightly fuller than Kim's, her chin was more her nose, while a touch longer, was more elegantly shaped and helped draw the shape of her eyes and the high cheekbones together.
Their bodies he had to consider equally attractive. Shay did have the larger bust, both women had nearly perfect shape and symmetry, the latter being something Ron remembered being somewhat rare according to health class, Shay's were just a little nicer in his opinion. Kim, however, the nicer ass, but Shay had the better sway to go with her somewhat sexier hips. Both women's legs were, in a word, perfect, and while he prefered the color of Kim's hair, Shay's hairstyle fit her a lot better than her old, flowing hair.
Ron decided to stop there, because he knew he'd keep up that kind of tit-for-tat about their bodies for hours if he didn't. So, a wash, with both having amazing bodies and both were equally attractive physically, in an overall sense. He blinked as he realized that the song had switched over to a new one. There was still a symphonic aspect to the song, but the backbeat was more like an electronic dance track than the symphonic metal of the prior song. "I've been left out alone, like a damn criminal..."
Ron was floored when Shay began singing. Her voice was lower than the singer for the group, but Ron couldn't help but feel a tingling of arousal at the smoky, burry contralto emanating from the pale woman. "I've been prayin' for help... Cause I can't take it all..." The song obviously held some meaning for her, because her face was slightly drawn and tight; not grief stricken, but there hurt and a wistful melancholy were plainly visible.
He missed the next few lines to his shock and the pleasure he felt hearing Shay's singing voice. Just as badical as I thought it'd be... Ron smiled, Different than KP's, but still nice...
"...And I'm desperately holding on to it all.." Shay continued, her voice taking on a slightly biting edge as she continued singing, "But I'm lost... I'm so damn lost..." She began to nod her head slightly, not along with the song so much as in agreement with what the lyrics were saying. "Oh, I wish it was over! An' I wish you were h-here..." Ron felt his heart break a little at the small, pain filled hesitation, and was reaching out to pause the music, even as the former thief continued on, "Still I'm hopin' that somehow..."
Shay jumped as the music cut off and the last few words had been sang without the song, and looked over at Ron with wide eyes. The blond wasn't sure what to do, but, deep down, something was screaming at him to be his goofy self. Remembering how well acting on that little voice, that instinct that'd earned him a place in Kim's heart had turned out, he smiled at her and murmured, "Comin' to Amsterdam gettin' ya down, Sheegs?"
Shay blinked, then shook her head out of whatever stupor she'd been feeling and laughed slightly, "Nah, Sport... This song always makes me think of Harley is all..."
"Oh..." Ron nodded in understanding.
"Silly, huh? That music could get me all like..." she waved a hand vaguely at herself, "This?"
"Nah..." Ron shrugged noncommittally, but kept his smile in place, "Just means you loved him, y'know?"
"Yeah..." Shay agreed softly, and she chuckled slightly, "What's funny is that Within Temptation always gets me kinda zoned out. Not bad enough I can't drive, but... Y'know?"
"I do, I do..." Ron nodded, thinking about his own reactions to some of Sublime's music, smiling at the point of similarity between them.
"I guess it's kinda ironic that I'm listening to them, since they're from The Netherlands..." Shay chuckled.
"Really? Coolio!" Ron chuckled, then seemed to realize they were in a residential area, " Oh, hey, um... Are we in Amsterdam?"
"Huh?" the pale woman asked, looking around, "Oh... Umm..." She stopped at a light and glanced around to get her bearings and winced, before leaning forward to beat her forehead lightly against the top of the steering wheel, "Shit!"
"Huh?" Kim's groggy voice floated to the front of the Sloth, "Wha's th'si'ch? 'Re we 'n 'Mst'rdam?"
"Uhh..." Shay's blush deepened, the embarrassed flushing crawling down below her neckline, "Yeah?"
"Cool!" Kim enthused, not seeing Shay's problem as cars began to move in the cross street. However, seeing the tension in her lover's frame, she reached out and gently grasped her shoulder, "Y'okay?" she asked, unbuckling herself and leaning forward to look around. Ron followed her gaze and, past some fancy looking houses was a rather large park. When he looked back, Kim had rested her chin on Shay's shoulder and was murmuring softly, "Wha's wrong, Lov'r..."
"Um..." Shay let out her breath in a huff and grimaced as if in annoyance. Kim leaned back slightly and grabbed a bottle of diet soda, opening it and taking several gulps as the older woman glanced back back at the red-head, "I was kinda spacing and, well..." Shego pointed to the right from their stopped position on the street called De Lairessestraat, "I kinda own a place up near the Vondelpark..."
"Wait..." Ron thought for a moment, as if Shay taking them to her place was the furthest thing from his mind, "Um... That's kind of like... Amsterdam's Upperton style area? Upper middle class and stuff?"
"Yeah, what's the problem?" Kim asked, the caffeine from the soda kick starting her brain a bit, but leaving her a little lost at the same time.
"Um, I was kinda driving to my place without asking where you guys planned on staying?" Shay half gurgled as she turned onto the cross street, somewhat agog at his blasé attitude, "I mean, I should've at least aske-..."
Kim's laughter stopped the former thief as effectively as a gag, and Shay turned an incredulous half glare at her, "Oh, God, I'm sorry..." Kim muttered, starting to gain control of herself... Until she caught the annoyed, worried and above all embarrassed expression on Shay's face. She immediately descended into an even louder, more strident giggle fit, joined in by a couple of rueful, half embarrassed chuckles of Ron's own.
"What's so goddamn funny?" Shay growled at the two of them, causing Kim to fall over on her side with her amusement.
"Y-you're... You're embarrass-..." Kim hyperventilated for a brief moment before holding her breath, hoping to compose herself enough to speak. The tactic was working, but was just as quickly raising Shay's ire further, and the red-head forced her words out in a rush that sounded like one word, "I can't believe you're embarrassed about taking your girlfriend and her fiancé to your house, Shay!"
"Is Kimmie always like this when she wakes up?" the older woman ground out in a drawn out manner, turning her half glare on Ron before looking back at Kim, "It's not funny!"
"Um..." Ron murmured, scratching the back of his neck in consternation as Kim's laughter, almost under control, increased once again, "I, um... Didn't know you had a place here, Shay, but it might be a good thing, y'know?"
"How so, Stoppable?" Shay growled.
Ron held up his hands as if to ward off an attacking lioness, a blush of his own spreading from his nose to his cheeks as he stammered out, "Um, I kinda-sorta might've been a little predisposed and might've kinda forgot to call and make preservations at a hotel or something this morning? Y'know..." Shay's growl and the irritated ticking of her right eye made Ron realize he should stop while he was ahead. He did, but, unfortunately, Kim couldn't see why he stopped and continued, turning her mirth on Ron instead.
"Preoccupied." Kim tittered, blinking at Ron's questioning grunt and misunderstanding Shego's second growl as agreement with her correcting Ron, "Preoccupied, Ronnie, and reservations, not preservations!"
"That. Is. Not. My. Point." Shay griped as she pulled into an empty parking spot on the side of the roadway, all but slamming the gearshift into park. She half spun in her seat to spear both of them with a glare, ignoring Rufus who had woken up and was staring at all of them like they'd grown three heads, "My point is that I got all the way to Amsterdam and most of the way to my house without even asking if you had a place reserved or-ummph!"
Kim silenced her with a kiss, her eyes closed but her mouth still curled in amusement. Shay started to flinch back, but a firm hand twining itself in her hair and a gentle caress of fingertips on her cheek stopped her. After a few seconds of angry staring and deep breathing through her nose, a soft sigh of fading annoyance escaped and the older woman's eyes slipping closed in mute acceptance of Kim's affectionate gesture. After a small eternity that barely measured across the span of a few seconds, Kim pulled back with a soft giggle, giving one last peck to her lover's lips. They both pulled back slightly and stared at each other before the red-head finally murmured, "It's sweet you're so worried we'd think you were being presumptuous, but you're being ferociously silly getting all defensive about it!" She leaned forward again to give the former thief a quick peck on the nose, "It's so cute!"
"Aww..." Rufus cooed, giving a double thumbs up to the two women.
"Yeah, well..." Shay tried to huff, affecting a pout and facing forward for a moment. She let out another huff, this one honestly annoyed sounding, before murmuring, "Sorry, I'm just..." She waved a hand in a vague, circular fashion as she sought the words to describe her worries, "I am being silly, I guess, just like you said."
"No big, Love..." Kim said coyly, drawing Shay's attention back at her just as Kim leaned up and put her arms around the seat to give her a friendly, if slightly awkward hug. The older woman reached up to where Kim's hands rested and squeezed them, before putting a hand on the wheel and another on the gear shift.
"Well..." Shay sighed, "Shall we go to my place then?"
"Yup!" Ron chuckled at Kim's enthusiastic reply and nodded in turn. Shay smiled and put the car in drive, checked traffic and pulled out, heading towards her house...
KP-RS-SG-KP-RS-SG
"Okay, so're we all gonna be in on this?" Joss asked as she rode in a borrowed, P.L.L., L.L.C.'s stealthed hovercraft towards their Denver, Colorado destination, "Or is it jus' gonna be me'n' Meegs here slippin' in?"
"We'll be offering backup..." Tim said from the screen of a small, VTOL Wadebot about the size of a coffee maker, the Mini-Wadebot v. 3.2, and Jim continued from a nearly identical one, "And assisting Wade... In data acquisition."
"Which is why we're both carrying one of these," Mego nodded at the twins, holding up a Mk. V Kimmunicator, "I have a couple questions, though. First, what we're going to do if one of us gets spotted? I know that I can shrink out of sight. And, no offense, Joss, but how good are you at being sneaky?"
Joss smirked and stood from the co-pilot's chair, making nary a sound despite wearing a pair of cargo pants and a burgundy colored version of Kim's second mission shirt. "I learned t'be real quiet while huntin', an' I'm good at hidin' in plain sight, even better when I have some cover."
"She is good at hiding..." Felix grimaced from behind the pilot's seat, "There was an honest to God ninja that was at our school once, and she makes less noise just moving around than he did!"
"Well, then..." Mego smiled, glancing about the other eight passengers in the hovercraft, "I guess we're set. The plan's solid... My second question is this: what if we don't find any incriminating evidence?"
"Then..." James sighed, grimacing slightly, "We bring down their systems so hard they can't do anything until it's too late."
"I'm still worried about this..." Drew muttered, but his eyes were clouded with anger, "But just make sure we get something... I don't want to risk any of us going to jail for B and E!"
"We will." Joss promised, then glanced at the empty seat next to her, "So, um... Where's Aunt Anne, Uncle James?"
"She's conferring with a lawyer." James chuckled in a surprisingly evil fashion, "In hopes of having an injunction placed against Miss Tripe." He caught Drew giving him an odd look, and held up his hands, "Now, Drew, even you admitted I've always had the better evil chuckle."
"Yes..." Drew admitted with a bit of a moue, before he smiled, "But I had the evil laugh down..."
"And then you..." Jim started with a giggle, "Turned into a good guy!"
"Yes..." Drew said in a drawn out manner, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "And the perks are so much better..."
"Just how did you..." Jim started, but a stern look from his father shut him down in an instant.
"You're too young for that story, boys." James' tone and look should have brooked no argument, but the twins were known for their persistance.
"Awww, c'mon, Dad!" Jim objected, Tim continuing with a petulant, "We're almost as old as Wade!"
"And the details are Drew's to reveal..." James nodded, then smirked, "When you're older. Now drop it, boys."
"Thank you, James." Drew said with quiet decorum, before chuckling along with James as if at some private joke, "Ah, old Mr. Burns... I still don't understand how he was able to put up with all of us - especially after the sentient lasagna - and keep on being such a player..."
"The old man had skill..." James nodded sagely, then glanced down to his right, "We're almost here. You two ready?"
"Yup." Joss and Mego nodded, "Where should we start checkin' things out, Meegs?"
"I'd say her office..." Mego murmured, "Then get a Mark V on one of the media servers, in case they have a copy of the show to broadcast already... Not to mention the pictures."
"Let's hope that's the only place they'll have them." Joss muttered.
"Good news, though," Wade called from behind Jim as he walked up to the workstation the twins were working from, "I have an e-buddy that worked on their above board systems. He says that the media servers and likely Tripe's are all on the office intranet, separated from the external access systems. Get on one of those, and we should have free run from here. All we need is proof of either collusion or being an 'unwitting pawn' of one of Kim's known enemies and we'll be able to stop the broadcast."
"Awright." Joss nodded as they settled into a hover three feet from the five story office building's roof. She glanced about downtown Denver and shook her head, muttering, "Clever to put this in here, considering who pays her paychecks..."
"Yeah," Mego agreed with a snort of annoyance, "Even I turned her down for an interview a few years back... And I never liked Vulpa Networks..."
"That," Joss chuckled she readied herself to open up the hatch, "Is just proof you're not as bad as everyone thought you used to be, Meegs..."
"I know." Mego chuckled, then went silent as he grabbed Joss' shoulder, making sure to shrink just himself down to roughly Rufus' size, before Joss dropped them quietly onto the roof.
The stealthed MiniWadebots flew out behind them, and Felix closed the hatch with a whispered, "Careful, Joss, love you."
Joss held a thumbs up back towards him, before slinking across the gravel roof. Mego, who had met a few ninja in his life as well, was shocked at just how quiet the nearly sixteen year old Montanan moved. The girl quickly made it to the roof's access to the elevator. She quickly picked the lock with one of Wade's gadgets and made her way inside and down a few stairs to the elevator shaft's ladder. "Fourth floor's her office." Joss whispered and Mego nodded.
With a breath, the girl carefully mounted the ladder and went down to the fourth floor, checking the size of the vent shafts by opening the cover. They were just big enough for them to squeeze in, although the fit would be tight across Joss' chest. Grumbling slightly, she propped it open and squeezed inside, crawling with her elbows as quietly as she could while leaving Mego to take up the rear and drop the cover back in place. Not that he minded; he was working with someone that obviously had a clue!
A few minutes later found them in an odd, disturbing conundrum. The vent had split, and they were over what should have been an empty office... And the vent shaft had suddenly increased in size enough that Joss could walk crouched if she wanted to. "This was supposed to be an empty room, not a room at the conjunction of ten huge air vents!" Joss muttered in worry.
"Want me to check her office, maybe you can find something in these vents to give Wade or the twins access somewhere." She glanced at him and reluctantly nodded, carefully lifting up to the vent that would take him to Tripe's office while she glanced between the ten vents. She turned on her own wrist Kimmunicator and shined the light around, immediately noticing several arrows pointing various directions as well as solid vent access points.
Pursing her lips, she walked to one of the smaller ones and whispered into her headset, "Meegs, I'm taking the small vent that will be immediately to your left when you come back."
"Got it..." Mego answered, and Joss went to work. When they got over to the vent, she noticed it was a toolless design. She opened all but one of the levers, then tied the extra length of grapnel line she always carried off to it; just in case the airflow was monitored for changes over time that would indicate an open hatch. She clambered in, bracing herself in the shaft before closing it, leaving the line inside in such a way that a tug one way would close it, the other would open it. She just hoped Mego would figure it out.
Ten minutes later found her almost one hundred and fifty feet down, or ten stories below street level. She was finally at the point the vent shaft went horizontal, and was glad she could still crawl on her hands and knees, as opposed to crawling on her belly. She was, however, growing more and more worried, and was just about to risk calling Wade when she felt a minute tapping at her foot. Glancing back, she saw the two foot tall Mego and sighed in relief. He made his way to her shoulder, and whispered, "Back that way about twenty feet was a vent cover over a hallway... There's men dressed up like WWEE goons walking the hallway..."
"Great..." Joss sighed, then shrugged, "Let's look around, keep in touch, two minute intervals."
"Right." Mego agreed, then tapped his Mark V, "Remember to record anything important..."
"Gotcha." Joss gave him a thumbs up, and went about her business. About five minutes later she was crawling towards a vent cover letting through a lot of light. When she got to it, she realized she was at the back of a positively huge control center, with a fifteen foot diagonal screen at the front. She barely choked back a shocked curse as she saw who was standing in the command area, yelling at the screen: Deegan Tripe, wearing a hoodless WWEE uniform!
She turned on the Mark V's audio and video recording equipment, tapping into it with her earpiece and was shocked as she heard the woman speaking, "...ell Gemini that Agent Delta needs to speak to him, now, you insignificant little peon!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!" the poor Lambda on the screen was pale white as he put her on hold. Ten seconds later, Gemini was on screen, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Report, Agent Delta!" he muttered, and Joss again had to bite back an exclamation as Mego's voice cut through the audio she was still recording.
"Joss, evac, now!" he hissed.
"No can do, got jus' what we need t'help m'cousin!" she whispered in a barely audible fashion, hoping he heard her.
"Well, the twins got some good stuff from the media computers, and Wade found some info, but I think one of us tripped something, 'cause they're going to 'purge the vents' in five minutes." Wade informed her, "Whatever you have better be good, but you only have about a minute to get more before I'll drag your ass out!"
"Shut up and let me check!" she half growled, then listened in.
"Very well done, Agent Delta!" Gemini beamed at the woman, "And even if you don't manage to succeed fully, you will plant the seeds of doubt in people's minds."
"That is my hope, sir!" Tripe answered, standing straight and saluting Gemini.
"As soon as you are finished, I think it'll be time to arrange a little... Accident... For Deegan Tripe!" Gemini continued, "Don't you agree, Agent Delta?"
"Yes, sir." Tripe nodded, glancing to her left, "Delta Three has everything set up... And if we can pull this off and spin it right, it'll make Possible look even worse!"
"Excellent!" Gemini crowed, "Make it so, and contact me as soon as the show is finished... Goodbye, Agent Delta."
"Sir!" Tripe saluted again and Gemini nodded, signing off.
Joss, having heard enough, began to make her way back to the junction leading up. She would have to use the grapnel and hope no one heard it. Glancing at her wrist, she knew it would be close, and just hoped Mego would be waiting for her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him a bit down the shaft, his eleven inch frame making the sound of a somewhat large rodent as he sprinted to her. "Hang on..." she whispered when he scrambled up on her shoulder.
She shook her head as he seemed ready to stay on her shoulder, hissing, "Grow a bit more, make sure you can stay put." When he hit two feet, she nodded, then hoped her aim was right. She launched the grapnel, and when she heard a minute ting, she tugged... Satisfied it would hold their weight, she started it retracting on setting three, which would start out somewhat slow, but end up with them veritably rocketing through the shaft.
She almost giggled when she saw that the grapnel's hook had clung around one of the heavy duty bolts holding the door in place. She had just tugged on the line connected to the outside lever when she felt a slight pressure buildup in the line. She immediately pushed the door open and let Mego jump out, before following him quite unceremoniously. Mego had immediately grown to full size and closed the hatch, and Joss jumped up to throw the levers on the right side while he did the left.
An instant later, there was an odd, almost ringing roar that was flanged ever so slightly. Both heroes took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before glancing around themselves. "Should we just go out in the hallway, or be sneaky again?" Mego asked.
"I'd like to," Joss replied, "but, well, no need to point suspicion at Team Possible just yet!" Mego nodded, and they waited a few moments for Jim and Tim's remote controlled Wadebot v. 3.2's to maneuver through the real building's ducts back to them, before making their way back up to the vent they'd made their ingress through, hoping that their so far mostly unnoticed status would remain just that...
KP-RS-SG-KP-RS-SG
Kim ran her right hand's fingers along Ron's bare chest in random, gentle circles. He was lying on his back, and she was draped half over his right side, half on the bed with her left arm curled mostly under her. Her left leg was wrapped under and around his right in an awkwardly comfortable manner and she was using his arm as a pillow, even as his was out to his side and had maneuvered under Shego's pillow in his sleep. She moved her hand down to the bottom of his floating ribs and gently tickled him, giggling lightly when he barely moved, Serves you right for staying up for almost thirty seven hours! the red-head thought at him, biting her lip at the cute half pout, half smile on his face even in his sleep.
My silly, lovely man... she thought to him, How you and Shay convinced me to go with gentle tonight, I'll never know, but thank you for doing just that... She leaned up slightly and planted a soft kiss to his chest before laying her head back down. Their love making that night had been slow and tender, a response to a mild argument she'd had with Shay over some teasing the older woman had given her. While Ron had cooked a quick dinner from the older woman's dry and canned goods, Kim had asked if the former thief was alright with her adjusting the sound system in the house's den, just a bit. Shay had teased her, wondering if she was always this possessive. Kim hadn't reacted too well to it, much to her embarrassment, but at least it had been resolved. Well, mostly... The security consultant was still calling her an 'audio nerd', much to her frustration!
The love making had helped, and had put her in a better place, mentally. She knew, for example, that the tenderness had been something she'd needed with him, and would probably not just want, but need, for some time. This despite her normal desire for a more intense, rougher experience with him. Combative sex? she wondered to herself, smiling faintly at the idea. It fit, and her smile expanded slightly, Yeah, that fits me... At the same time, the intensity they had shared a couple hours earlier had been... More than normal... Almost painfully taut, like a guy-wire about to snap, yet deliciously relaxing at once.
She could get used to it, with Ron, but it would take time... And she'd need the old way of doing things and not just occasionally. She liked how it felt, as odd as it still seemed to her, and liked the soreness - so much like the day after a heavy workout - left in her legs and hips when she managed to work him up. But, not tonight... The near bruising she normally preferred on her breasts wasn't there, and she felt a brief flash of disappointment as she brought her left hand up to caress her right breast. But... Okay, I am liking this, kinda anyway... she thought as she traced the curves of her right breast with her fingernails, barely touching the flesh.
The hand moving from her hip almost made her jump in startlement. She quivered and let out a soft, moaning purr as the fingertips of that hand ran up the side of her waist with a feather light touch. "Getting to like it soft, Princess?" Shay's husky whisper drew a deeper shiver, bordering on a shudder, as Shay's left hand slipped from her side to her breast, gently nudging under the red-head's hand like a cat wanting head scratches.
"I think I'll like it like that with Ron sometimes..." Kim closed her eyes and bit her lower lip as Shay's knowledgeable fingers began to gently knead at her breast. The calloused hands of her lover somehow managed to avoiding her hardening nipple, drawing a quiet, anticipatory groan from the red-head before she continued, "But, with you?" She twisted her head around, almost surprised to find Shego's lips seeking hers. The kiss was brief, unhurried and had an undercurrent of pleasant, understated passion, "With you, I think I'll always love it soft... You're my soft lover..." Kim bit her lip again as the words struck her, a sudden thought sliding across her mind like oil in a hot pan, That... Really sounded possessive, didn't it?
"Good..." Shay whispered in her ear, briefly breaking her out of her thoughts, but causing her to stiffen slightly. The older woman sensed the change and shifted her position to a slightly more convenient one. Her right leg ended up sliding from between Kim's and curling around the heroine's knee, and she pushed herself up on her elbow so she could more easily look at her younger lover. Kim smiled up at her, but knew that Shay could see the troubled look in her eye as soon as the older woman's gaze shifted to one of mild concern, "Y'okay, Pumpkin?"
"I..." Kim whispered, looking away from her and back to Ron's chest, where she had once again placed her right hand. She hung her head slightly as she stared, suddenly feeling scared; she knew from a little bit of studying she'd done after finding out about her and her father's altered minds had told her most suggestion has to have some basis to work. Looking back on the last few months, especially since July, she'd realized she'd become very, very greedy... Not wanting to share Ron with their friends unless she was there, not wanting to share her friends with their friends... Not wanting her mother around her own husband...
"Yes, Love?" Shay prodded, making Kim stiffen once again. Kim swallowed, trying to work out how to explain her worries without sounding petulant.
"Am I..." Kim started, stopping to swallow as Shay gently rolled her nipple between her thumb and forefinger, "Am I greedy? Selfish?"
"Yes." Shay answered simply, an odd mix of humor and seriousness in her tone that made Kim stiffen slightly. The older woman briefly changed the rolling motion of her fingers into a pinch; not as hard as she liked Ron doing it, but the hardest she'd done to Kim up to then, startling her silent long enough for Shay to add, "And before you fly off the handle, let me explain what I mean." Kim nodded for her to continue, and the fingers relaxed, gliding over to the other breast, "Okay... Kimmie, first off, you're human, so greed, or selfishness if you don't want to be so crass? It's par for the course. And, yes, I understand what you're asking... Going off of what I could see of you before the Lorwardians and after we met in Munich - and what Ron told me about you during the summer - yeah, you have been. Jealous, selfish with your time, your friends, etcetera..."
"Yeah..." Kim hissed as Shay's fingertips began to glide down her stomach, the pressure even lighter than it had been on her side, "But... But is that me, or... O-or just..." Kim shuddered as the older woman kissed the side of her neck, just behind the jugular where her scalp ended and her fingers brushed teasingly along her hips centimeters above her trimmed mons, "Am I... Was I... Becoming s-someone else? W-sas it j-just... The hypn-notic suggestion?"
"I don't know, Kimmie, only you can answer that..." Shay gently scooted back slightly, carefully rolling the red-head over onto her back. Kim could feel the cool air on her core, could feel the almost desperate excitement as the older woman slid her fingers down the very outer edges of her lips.
"What I do know, Princess..." she planted a soft kiss on Kim's slightly open lips, and the red-head's breathing became half ragged and quick...
"Is that you seem to be the Kim Possible I've tangled with..." She carefully dipped just the tip of her finger inside of Kim, drawing a shuddering gasp from the younger woman...
"That I've battled against... That I've fought beside..." she moved a finger up, sliding lazily left and right from until she encountered Kim's engorged clit as it peeked almost coyly from its hood...
"That I've respected for years..." Shay's finger, barely touching the flesh, began to stroke with infinite patience and gentleness at a spot that Kim felt would be about one o'clock if the older woman were facing her core...
"That I've loved for a little over a week..." Kim knew what Shay was doing to her... Had experienced it after her second time making love to Ron the first night she was fully with Shay... And knew that the older woman would work her up to, and could hold her at the edge of, orgasm quickly with it.
"And, Princess..." Shay added, leaning down to gently worry at her neck, "I don't... I can't love someone that's truly selfish, like you're worried about... Like you might have been at the start of this vacation of yours..."
"P-please, Shay..." Kim begged, gazing into the older woman's beautiful eyes and unconsciously bucking her hips to increase the tortuous pressure. Shay's had other ideas, her incredibly strong arm holding her down easily, even as the older woman lightly ground her palm into Kim's mons, "Please d-don't draw th-this-nnngh... O-out..."
"Shhh..." Shay whispered, kissing her again, keeping eye contact with Kim and pouring all of her emotion into the gaze, "Let me do this for you, Kimberly... Let me take your mind off of your worries, 'kay? Or maybe, if you have to worry, doing this for you will help make it less bothersome..." Kim opened her mouth to counter, but the older woman's was there, gently sealing the words away.
Kim moaned in mingled desire and protest, but as Shay's tongue meeting hers drew her thoughts from her worries and into the present. Everything else flowed away as she stared up into the lovely, incredibly intense passion she saw within her lover's eyes, surrendered her body to the tender ministrations. Soon, she felt an exquisite, almost painful pressure building in her belly, a pressure that seemed like liquid fire that slowly melted its way to her sex, as if seeking to join the finger stroking ever so softly against her. Her body quivered as if a high tension spring, a soft mewl seeming to seep from her very being as the fire settled under Shay's finger, seeking, begging for release as much as that simple sound.
"All for you, Kimmie..." Shay murmured, breaking the kiss, her face serious as she continued to stare into Kim's eyes, "All for my Princess... My lover..." She continued to stroke, and Kim knew she was waiting... Waiting for the sign they both know meant the red-head was right on the edge. Finally, Kim's moaning became a keening whine, and while Shay kept the pressure the same, she flared a bare fraction of her power. It wouldn't burn, but that added, almost electric sensation and slight warmth spiraled the sensations up ten fold. Then, with deliberate, husky intonation, she whispered, "I love you, Kimmie, now, always and forever."
That was it; Kim didn't know how, or why, but it had been as if her body were waiting for that simple, but heartfelt declaration. She felt her body tense, forcing her eyes closed at the sheer power of sensation flowing up and down her body; odd, random flashes of light exploded behind her eyes as the pressure sought release. Her back, despite the older woman's strength, bowed, lifting her back and rear from the bed several inches, yet still, Shay kept the soft pressure and stroking up. Her voice failed her, no sound coming from her throat aside from an explosive exhalation of her pleasure. The pressure, that torrent of liquid fire flowed from her brain, lanced through her heart and belly, to Shay's finger, and seemed to continue out of her.
The feeling rolled on and on through her tense body for so long, until, eventually, her body slowly relaxed onto the bed. "Wow..." Shay murmured, "That was intense, Kitten..."
"Wha-..." Kim muttered numbly, only then realizing that her lover was using more pressure on her clit, but lessening the pressure, bringing her down from the intense orgasm with slow, knowledgeable care. "Yeah... God..." She could feel how much more wet she was, and flushed slightly, "I'm soaked..."
"Indeed..." Shay agreed, her ring and index fingers teasingly sliding down to spread her lips before dipping one carefully into her, "All for you, like I said, Kitten..."
"K-kitten?" Kim croaked, staring in confusion at Shay's amused, loving countenance.
"You sound like a kitten when you come, Kimmie..." Shay whispered, her breath tickling the red-head's ear.
"Oh..." Kim nodded, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of her beautiful lover's finge-... Fingers... she realized in shock, having not felt the second finger at first, God, I wish he was awake... She mused as she glanced at her fiancée, Ron would probably love how I feel right now, especially since he could enter me without any problems! He loves me, and making love to me, but he's so worried about hurting me. She sighed, moaning quietly as Shay's finger brushed the spot Ron's cock did in certain positions, loving the sensation the older woman's still plasma wreathed fingers gave her. And now I might finally be over feeling so worthless that he has to worry about hurting me when I can tell he just wants to go all out...
They both love me so much... she smiled and moaned slightly at the sensation of Shego inside her, But they should keep some for themselves, I don't deserve that much of their love... It shouldn't be all about m-... Her mind stumbled like a train derailing as that last thought bounced around her head, bringing all of her thoughts to catastrophic halt. That was it! It was so simple to understand why she'd felt the way she had... Her body stiffened as her mind started to work again, and she didn't notice that Shay had withdrawn her fingers from Kim's sex. Kim paid no heed, her realizations striking into her heart like a thousand hot needles. She knew, after all, that a month, hell, two weeks before, she would have thought about how she would feel to have Ron inside her, not how he would feel. Now, she could think of his feelings, his desires and pleasure, and before she could... Just like it had been when he asked her to marry her, or their first month and a half in Go City!
And just like that, a cascade of realizations struck her, starting with the fact that she'd been beyond merely selfish, and in the worst possible way she could imagine: she'd been, unconsciously, trying to push people away. It'd started with her father, their argument. She'd loathed herself for what had happened, the words she'd said, for believing that her father thought that way... Especially after he'd told her he was fine with her and Ron's relationship! She should have known something was wrong, but... She hadn't, she'd accepted it at face value, because by that time, she'd started to feel completely and utterly useless. The careless words of a small minded, jealous man had slipped in with whatever had been done to her and coiled like a python around her most treasured sense of self.
She'd lambasted her mother for marrying an uncaring jerk like her father. She'd lambasted Ron for having the temerity to suggest something seemed off with her father. The change had been so sudden, but in Kim's mind, it had been building for months... Yet, looking back, she couldn't think of one incident since the middle of her junior year in high school in which her father had said one negative thing about Ron! But she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was damaged goods... That she wasn't worthy of her loving family, her friends... Ron...
And because of that, and the argument with her father, she'd become suspicious of her friends. It had started with Monique when she'd called the black girl to talk about what had happened, about what she was feeling. But... Monique had begged off, saying she had a paying freelance job to get to and a date with a hottie. Kim had accepted it, on the surface. In reality, she'd felt spurned by her friend and had begun to distrust her. She waited for Monique to call, knowing the girl was busy with school, but not caring. Monique had only called five times in the next three weeks. No! Kim snapped at herself, She'd called more, but I'd been busy with school or missions, and only talked to her five times in the next three weeks!
The last time she'd talked to Monique had been after the new mission wear had been designed... Her eyes snapped open in shock; she hadn't even thought of calling Monique, her best friend, when she'd started a relationship with Shay! She... She hadn't even thought of Monique since the last call... Oh, God, I've become such a cunt... she thought, realizing that she'd slowly been cutting ties with even Tara and Alex. She'd felt, at the time, like she was being forced to see them each and every day. And although she'd hung out with them, hidden her fear that they didn't want to be around her, she had felt she didn't deserve their friendship!
Those thoughts had coiled around her, seeping into her heart, her very soul like a slow, but inevitable poison... And had remained there, almost sleeping but ever watchful, ready to pounce whenever the other girls had something else to do... When they wanted alone time with each other... Her other friends from home, mostly passing acquaintances, and classmates she'd helped with school work. At the time, she thought they'd all seen through her, to how weak she was, when, in actuality, she wasn't weak... She never was, but she had been manipulated, and it made her sick to her stomach!
"I'm sorry..." Kim whispered, not realizing she'd spoken aloud, "I'm so, so sorry for... For what I've done t-to... To everyone..."
"Kimmie..." Shay whispered as Kim started to cry, pulling the smaller woman to herself, enfolding her protectively in her arms, entwining her legs, trying to get as much contact with the red-head as she could. She kissed Kim's temple when the girl began to sob quietly, stroking her hair, her back, doing everything she could to let her younger lover know she was there, "I'm here, Kitten... What's wrong, tell me... What are you sorry for, hmm?"
"I..." Kim's breath hitched, "I-I was p-pushing... Pushing everyone away... I didn't want them to see..."
"See what, Kim?" Shay prodded as a silence descended, "What didn't you want them to see?"
"H-how weak I was..." Kim half hissed, half bawled, "How much of a failure I was starting to become..." She shook her head when Shay made a sound of admonishment, "I know, I'm not, but... A-at the time... I thought e-everyone was trying t-oo distance themselves, so I k-kept trying to keep th-them closer... I d-din't want them leaving m-me behind!" her breath hitched but she bit the sob back, continuing, "B-but, the more I thought th-they were distancing themselves f-from me... I-it was the other way around..." Kim let a few sobs out, but continued doggedly, wanting it all off her chest, "A-and... I blamed them... Even Ron... But I cou-couldn't let them go... But, if they di-didn't stay close to m-me... I tried t-to cut ties mo-more... Like... Like I started to at first w-with you... I didn't want to b-believe you'd gone evil again, b-but... But it just seemed s-so easy! Feeling th-that way, it was a-all so easy, to j-just let my worst side out at everyone!"
"Shhh..." Shay murmured softly, rocking the girl as much as she could in their awkward position, "You're not weak... Especially not now, not if you can tell me this..." Kim nodded in acknowledgement, all she could manage to do, and the older woman kissed the crown of her head a few times, a soft, teary smile on her face, "Just let it out, Kimmie... I'm here, I won't leave... I promise you, I'll never leave..."
Kim wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, Shego comforting her with soft words and gentle humming, but it was enough. Slowly, the tears ebbed and Kim looked up into Shay's eyes. She saw that the older woman had cried with her and her face crumpled slightly, "Sorry..."
"For what, Princess?" Shay asked, bringing her right hand up to smooth some of Kim's hair from her eyes.
"For making you cry..." Kim bit her lip for a moment, before moving in and planting a brief, soft kiss to Shay's lips.
"You didn't, KP..." Shay assured her with a smile, cupping the red-head's face, "I... Used to feel that way, just before I left Team Go... I..."
"You weren't in a good place..." Kim finished for her, earning a nod from the older woman. She brought her hand up to cup the older woman's hand to her face and kiss her palm, and gave a gentle verbal prod when Shay frowned slightly, What's wrong?"
"Nothin'..." Shay grimaced and shook her head, "Well, somethi'n... Just... When I pleasured you, I didn't expect, well... For you to figure out something so big, y'know?"
"Yeah..." Kim tittered, "Thanks, by the way... You're so good at that..."
"I aim to please, Princess..." Shay chuckled, leaning down to kiss Kim's nose.
Kim opened her mouth to say more, when a sudden, jerky movement from behind her startled her eyes wide. "D'wn!" Ron called out in a sleep slurred manner, his voice strident even through the haze of sleep clinging to him, "Tw' m're, ri't, twenny met'rs..."
Kim started to crane her neck in confusion, but when Ron's body tensed, she found herself all but flying through the air as Shay, her arms still wrapped around the red-head's chest, dragged her bodily from the bed. It was a good thing, too; an instant after Kim's face moved from the bed, the blond's elbow came arcing around to slam viciously into the bed in the same spot. "Ron!" Kim screamed, and incongruously, that seemed to snap him out of whatever nightmare he was in, at least partially.
The bed frame creaked from the force of the blow, then Ron opened his eyes and flashed his legs into a kip up, dropping into a low monkey stance. He was only starting to sweat, but his eyes had a brilliant blue glow about them. He was breathing heavily and staring at Kim and Shay, their nude bodies lit by his eyes. "KP?" he asked, swallowing, "Shay? Wher-..."
"We're at my place in Amsterdam, Ronnie..." Shay murmured quietly, her tone full of quiet reassurance, "It was just a dream, Sport... Calm down, breathe..." Ron blinked, his Mystical Monkey Power fading as his surroundings struck him, and the pale woman nodded encouragingly, "It's alright, we're real, we're not the enemy... You're in my room, safe, not fighting, I promise..."
"Shay?" Ron begged suddenly, his eyes filling with tears of relief as he took a step forward, awkwardly stepping off of the bed. Both ladies were there immediately, holding him up as he all but collapsed into them, "Oh, God... The train... I... I'm sorry, KP, Shay, I'm sorry..."
"Shhh..." Kim and Shay murmured to him, Kim's worried eyes catching Shay's across his back. She gave a minute shake of her head, then mouthed, "Trust me..." She pulled back and looked into Ron's eyes, cupping his face and making sure he didn't look away, "We're not there, Ron, I promise... We're safe, you're safe, those people you were protecting on the train all came out alive... You did what you had to, to protect them..."
"But..." Ron started, but Shay gently interrupted him.
"No, Ron..." she raised her voice just a tad, "You had to do what you had to do... No one faults you for it!"
"But..." Ron said again, pushing on when Shay opened her mouth to stop him, "I didn't wanna kill again... I promised KP I wouldn't aga-..."
"Shhh, Ron..." Kim soothed gently, "I never asked for that promise... And I've never been in that situation..." She bit her lip when she pulled back slightly to look at him, "I'm... I hope, if I ever am, I handle it as well as you did..."
"I..." Ron's knees almost gave out on him, and the two of them sat him on the edge of the bed. He sniffled gently as he stared off into space, shuddering slightly as he shook his head.
"You what, Ron?" Shay asked, and Kim hoped the former thief using his name would snap him out of the spiral like state he was in, "What happened? We've been told you had to, but what happened to bring it to that point?"
"There..." Ron started, only to swallow and glance back and forth between the two women he loved, "They... Came in after the first wave... The soldiers... The GJ guys, too?" both women nodded at him and he continued with a heart wrenching whisper, "They took out the other guys at range, and I knocked a couple out that almost snuck in on us..." He shuddered again, "Then... When we thought it was all done, TJ took a pistol round to his armor." Ron's voice was a distant monotone, but tears continued to fall down his cheeks, "They were screaming... One in French, the other in really thickly German accented English, saying that they were there to destroy us because we represented those holding Humanity down..."
"I..." Ron looked away from Kim as he continued, as if ashamed of what he was about to say, "Part of my equipment since I started training at Yamanouchi is a few shuriken and a few throwing knives..." The women nodded and he glanced back at them. Shego only showed understanding. Kim knew he saw both her understanding and concern, but she hoped he realized it was concern for him, and she knew there was no condemnation in her eyes. There might have been, that day, but, after everything... She knew Shay hadn't heard the whole story, but she knew having those weapons had saved as many as one hundred lives...
"I took 'em out and threw them before the guys could get their weapons to bear..." Ron closed his eyes tightly, "I-I can still see their faces... They looked... They looked so sure of what they were doing... Like Monkey Fist when he was attacking Yamanouchi with the Yono..." Ron opened his eyes again. They were less frightened, not as pain filled, but it was obvious that taking those lives was harder on him than he'd let on. "They... They were going to kill so many people..." He looked at Shay, then Kim, his eyes begging them for forgiveness, "I had to, but... Am... Am I a bad person, Shay? KP?"
"No, Ron..." Kim cried quietly, glancing at Shay and then throwing her arms around her fiancée when the older woman nodded. Shay joined her, heedless of the crawling sensation, the growl of disgust she heard in the back of her mind, "God, no... I heard about what you did, Ron... Read the report... They'd have killed so many people, like you said... Soldiers, civilians... You..."
"That doesn't make you a bad person, or a monster..." Shay whispered in his ears as he stared at his clenched hands, "I promise... If you were a bad man, or worse, you wouldn't react like this to taking lives, Ron..." She took a deep, shuddering breath, "I... My Harley was a soldier, Ron, and he felt like this after a few of his missions... I'm..." She took another breath as Ron's scared, pleading eyes locked on hers, as if looking for a lie. She made sure to show him her sincerity, and steadied her voice, "Like I told Harley... If anything, it makes you a protector..."
"Yeah..." Kim agreed, squeezing Ron gently as he looked at her, "Ron... Are... Do you need to talk to Dr. Hauptfall?"
"I..." Ron thought about it. He didn't discard the idea immediately, but he glanced back and forth between the women he loved, he sighed and nodded, "Not now, but... Later... When she's off work, if she's able..."
"You can talk to us any time you need to, too." Shay gave him a soft smile as he looked at her, Kim doing the same when he turned back to her.
"God..." Ron muttered again, dislodging their arms briefly to bring a hand up to wipe his face, wiping at his eyes. He glanced between them, "I... Are you two okay? I didn't..."
"No," Shay answered quickly, "Harley used to have some nasty flashbacks, including physical reactions like that..." At Ron and Kim's inquisitive looks, she gave a melancholy half chuckle, "I know it's been years, but I've still got the instincts..."
"Thank God..." Ron whispered, then yawned heavily, "I don't feel like I've slept a wink."
"Maybe we'd all better get a little bit more sleep." Kim suggested, snuggling up to Ron, who rewarded her with a gentle hug back.
"Yeah..." Shay murmured, standing and glancing down at them, "Bathroom break for me..."
"Um..." Kim blushed as she remembered what they'd been doing only ten minutes ago, "Me too..."
"Me three?" Ron gave a weak chuckle, and both ladies joined him. A moment later, he felt a tapping at his foot and saw Rufus looking up at him worriedly. He leaned down and petted his buddy, "Hey, Rufus... Just a nightma-..."
Kim sighed as she left the room, hoping her love would be alright. She quickly relieved herself and cleaned up, before making her way back to the bedroom. "Open." she murmured as she walked through the door.
"Be right back." Ron nodded, leaving the room as Shay was returning.
The older woman favored Kim with a serious expression, "D'you want the right or left side?"
"What do you mean?" Kim was confused for a moment, until Shay nodded at the bed.
"Will you be more comfortable snuggled up to his right or left side?" Shay asked, bemusing Kim further, but drawing an answer from the red-head.
"Right." She shrugged slightly, still somewhat confused as they heard the toilet flush.
"He needs both of us, tonight, I think..." Shay muttered, her face looking slightly ill at ease.
Kim nodded in sudden understanding, shock writ plainly on her face. She walked over to the older woman and threw her arms around her, "Thank you, Lover..."
"No big, Love..." Shay returned the hug, just as Ron came back in the room. Kim lay down on the right side of the bed, earning a confused look from Ron.
"What?" he asked, reaching up to scratch his head and obviously trying to act like he was confused.
"Trust us, Ronnie..." Kim smiled and patted the bed to her left, keeping silent until he shrugged and joined her, crawling over her to lay down. He lay on his right side and wrapped himself around Kim, his arms holding her close to him as he buried his face in her hair. Kim smiled and slid her left arm under his head, the smile growing as the bed sank slightly and Shay pulled herself up behind him. As she threw the sheets over them, it was plain she'd startled him quite a bit, as he blinked several times and his mouth opened and closed a few times in shock.
"Don't, Ron..." Kim begged softly when it seemed he was about to jump out of the bed.
He glanced at her in worry, but Kim's arms held him in place, as did Shay's voice as she snaked her left arm below his to wrap it around his chest, and her other slipped under his head above Kim's, allowing her to gently stroke Kim's neck. "You need this, Ron."
"But..." he started, but a shushing noise from Shego stopped him, confusing him more.
"No questions, Doofus!" Shay half barked, drawing a giggle from Kim and a startled squeak from Ron.
Kim draped her right arm around Ron's chest to lay her hand lazily on Shay's hip. The action drew a resigned but not unhappy sigh from the older woman as the red-head murmured, "Good night, Ron, Shay... I love you..."
"Love you too, Kim." Both of her lovers murmured at the same time, and she leaned her head forward to settle under Ron's chin, hoping her love would be alright soon. After one of the most intense orgasms of her life and the comedown from the adrenaline rush Ron's flashback nightmare had engendered, she was asleep before Ron started his response.
"Love ya both, too..." Ron murmured. He had already been ready to sleep, and was lightly snoring a few seconds after Kim, which drew a chuckle from Shego, despite her own feelings of worry.
"Sleep tight, Sport..." Shego murmured, giving him a light hug. He relaxed even more, and the pale woman felt an odd sense of relief and elation. She remained awake, however, staring at both Kim's angelic and Ron's goofy, but still cute, faces, hating herself for her weakness. She was enjoying the sensation of holding the young man in her arms, she truly was! But that voice was still there, taunting her, reminding her that, despite the differences, the young man that she was holding and comforting was so similar to her Harley, and it worried her. Because, for the life of her, she found she couldn't disagree with the voice's taunt that she was seeking to replace her lost love with him, no matter how much she tried...
Author's Notes
Well, there we are, hope it was worth the wait! Sorry for the delay again, but real life's been kickin' me and Neo's butts. And I'm going to short this AN's again 'cause, well, huge chapter. But I do have to say, the things that occur to a person on a road trip can, indeed, be deep... And sometimes quite embarrassing! Then we have the family helpin' out Kim, Ron and Shego, and stumbling onto one hell of a surprise! And finally, a bit of a sexy, tender and startling moment, and ending with yet more concerns and worries. Next chapter's going to explore more of the dynamic that Shego's beginning to see in Kim and Ron's relationship, and we get to see the results of Team Possible Bravo's actions!
Anyway, as always, thanks to Neo the Saiyan Angel for her flow/feel beta work. As well, remember everyone, there's lots of fics out there so keep up the reading, and remember: if ya like a fic, give the author a review!