A Price To Pay
Standard Disclaimer - These characters belong to © The Walt Disney Company, and whoever else has stake in Kim Possible. Kim Possible was created by Mark McCorkle & Bob Schooley. All rights reserved. This story is a work of fiction and for fun, so copyright infringement is unintended.
Story Specific Disclaimer – Some liberties have been taken with the general character builds. Kim and Ron are 19 and Shego is 22, eventually I'll post more of the changes that I've made on my profile. Some parts will be non-canon but hat is only because I felt that there needed to be some explanation for Kim being as incredible as she is.
Rating- M for possible violence, some harsh language, and intimations of a physical relationship between two consenting adults (eventually). So if any of the above offends you, I apologize, but please don't read past the disclaimer.
Violence – I figured I should toss this in there just in case, you never know when Kim might suddenly get into a fight with a super villain or something; she's only a cheerleader right? Of course there's violence. It's not like I'm putting out a story about Kim and company sitting around knitting (and even then a villain would probably bust through the ceiling) Kim is teen hero so fights are very likely, how detailed hey are really depends on how well I can write them.
Subtext – So this is an alternative fan fiction so it's pretty safe to say that Kim and Shego more than likely have feeling for each other that aren't strictly related to their "work" relationship. I mean just take a look at episodes like "Stop Team Go" and the subtext isn't even subtext any more it's main text.
So - having read this lovely disclaimer, if you then read the story and are surprised that Kim and Shego are kissing each other, I warned ya. If you're offended by it, I apologize but maybe you shouldn't have read past the disclaimer.
Author's note- I know, I know, what is this? An update to a story that most people have probably long forgotten. My most humble apologies for the amount of time it has taken for me to shuffled through everything and deliver this chapter. A plethora of events have taken place over the last couple of months and I am just managing to get my life back into order. I cannot make any promises that the next chapter will be out within a week, but I shall try my best to get it out as swiftly as possible.
As always any and all comments are always welcome.
Chapter Four- A Mother's Cost
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The music blared from the speakers set at various points along the clubs walls. Sending a pulsing wave of beats and notes over the open dance floor of the club. Platforms rose at various points around the dance floor leading to different seating areas. The dim lighting of the club was cut through with randomly pulsing lights and streaking lasers that matched the beat surrounding the dancing people. Bodies meshed together, moving to the beat, as the songs shifted seamlessly from techno to pop, an eclectic mix of people shimming to the music.
Kim leaned over the railing that separated her from the pulse of moving bodies, red hair trailing over her shoulder while she bobbed her head to the beat. A smile crept across her face as she let the music roll over her, closing her eyes to focus just on the beat for a moment. Her thoughts shifting to the past day and the internship she would be starting the next day.
Wade had kept her waiting for two hours before getting back to her with more information about what would be expected of her. The conversation had left her with more questions than answers. Top secret location. Top secret method of getting there. Top secret private instructor and an unknown amount of time away from home. It hadn't been the lack of information that had bothered her, but Wade's inability to look her in the eye while relaying it had set off alarm bells. He had explained it away saying that he was working on some big project and then he had ended the call, with the assurance that Global Justice would be sending transportation her way in two day's time.
And then worrying Wade hadn't been her biggest problem. Convincing her parents had taken some work. Nearly six calls to Dr. Director, an in person meeting with the woman herself, and calls to her school and professors to verify the situation. It wasn't until they had several written agreements that her parents had agreed with her decision to take the opportunity. There had been a tense moment when Dr. Director had bluntly stated that they had no actual control over Kim's decision. Her smile widened, remembering the look of infuriation on her mother's face and how she had been glad that there were no medical implements in the room. Her mother was a lot of things, if not over protective, and having that statement thrown in her face hadn't won Betty Director any points.
They had even pulled Wade into the conversation briefly, her parents managing to wrangle a promise that the genius would let them know that she was doing fine. There had missions where she had disappeared in the middle of the night and not come back for several days and the secrecy that came with her line of work barely surprised them anymore. But a mission had never taken several months and they had at least had a way of contacting her if anything. This time none of those luxuries would be available to them.
She shifted her thoughts away from her parents focusing instead on the club in front of her, reveling in the perceptible energy coursing over the crowd. Nocturnal had become an easy favorite among the college students when it had opened during Kim's freshman year. She had stumbled across the well hidden secret on a night when the adrenaline rushing through her body after a mission had left her too revved to go straight home. The intoxicating bass of the music had pulled her into the club and onto the dance floor, her excess energy seeping into her dancing. A routine sprang into place after that first night and it was quickly repeated at least 3 times a week. After a month of regularly appearing at the clubs doors a raised booth in the back corner of the club had been set aside for her.
Of course one of the perks of being a regular was that she knew the other regulars as well, she smiled at that thought her eyes falling on a woman standing near the bar. Tall, dark hair, a lithe body painted into a black dress. Kim's smile grew wider and she caught the woman's eye, lifting her hand in a half wave. The woman's eyes brightened she gave Kim an appreciative once over before nodding her approval and responding to the wave with a half bow.
Kim let her hands drop to her side giving a little half turn towards the woman, freezing mid motion when she realized Monique was standing behind her a smirk firmly set on her friends face. Blood flared to her cheeks and she scurried away from the railing trying her best to ignore the knowing look she was receiving.
"GF, I know you've got a thing for girls, but have you ever taken a good look at the ones you hit on?"
Kim looked up, confusion clouding her face.
"What are you talking about Mo?" She sat down next to the dark skinned girl.
"Kim, every girl you ever hit on is tall, athletic, has dark hyair and a nice figure." Monique gave Kim a pat on the leg. "I don't know about you but that sound slike a certain TDDPTT to me." She sighed when the confused expression on Kim's face grew. "Tall, Dark, Deadly, Plasma Throwing Thief." She clarified, pushing aside a grin when Kim's face turned bright red.
"I don- That's no-" Monique held up a hand to cut off her arguments.
"C'mon I've known you since high school, and during that time the only pin up in your locker that stayed the same was that mug shot of Shego's. You only get that love sick puppy look when you talk about her."
"I do not look like a love sick puppy when I talk about her." Kim hissed glancing around the booth. "Fighting Shego is different, I feel alive when we fight." Her expression shifted towards something close to reverence. "It's like she's this uncontainable force. When she moves its pure energy."
Monique smirked at the expression on Kim's face. There's the love sick puppy.
"Whatever you say GF, all I know is you need to get over this hang up you have with her. It's never going to go anywhere. "
The cushions of the chair pushed into her back and she let out a sigh, taking in the stark truth Monique had thrown at her. Somewhere along the way the fights had changed. She had stopped looking forward to the fights themselves; it had become a matter of seeing Shego that had excited. Fighting against her usual enemies didn't give her the same rush, monkey ninjas were boring, dodging exploding golf balls too easy and even the odd tangle with one of DNAmy's creations couldn't keep her busy for long. She had started longing for the contact a fight with Shego would bring and she had begun to admire the way the older woman moved rather than her fighting style.
Green eye's looked over the dance floor again, her hand brushing against the skin under her collarbone that burned just a little hotter than the rest of her body. She could feel her heart beat pick up as she thought about what had happened the night before, glad that she had taken the time to adjust her holographic overlay to compensate for the newly marked patch of skin.
She looked over at Monique fighting the urge to tell her everything that had happened, finding that she suddenly needed someone to know that she had died. That she had let her life spin so far out of control during high school. That she practically had to drug herself to make it through the day. That she couldn't sleep without nightmares rising up to block her from any kind of dreamscape.
"Your right, maybe this internship will be the break I need. A chance to get away from stopping evil masterminds every week." Her expression dropped.
"You know I expected you to be BOTW, bouncing off the walls, about leaving tomorrow."
"I'm nervous, excited, scared. What if I don't do well?" Monique let out a laugh at her words, grabbing Kim by the arm and pulling her up.
"Last time I checked your Kim Possible, you can do anything." She gave Kim a tug and pulled her down the steps leading to the dance floor. "Now I don't know about you but I plan on spending my BFF's last night in town having fun. So you better start dancing." Monique punctuated the threat by giving Kim a playful twirl and pushing her further into the sea of moving bodies.
Kim let the music move over her, touching something dead inside of her and let her body react on its own moving in its own ballet. She shoved aside thoughts of Shego and the internship., focusing completely on the feeling of the music bouncing across her skin. She didn't hesitate when arms circled her waist and twisted her around, tightening their hold when her arms snaked around the other woman's neck.
Ignoring the pang of loss she felt when the eye's she met weren't the fiery green she had hoped for. She lost herself to the music and the feeling of being wrapped in someone's arms, pretending to not be disappointed that the arms around her didn't have a pale green tint.
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The only window in the house that was still lit stood out starkly against the night. Even that was just a faint glow against a dark backdrop of concrete and steel that made up the house Shego had grown up in. East side, third window to the left. That meant it was her mothers workroom. By the faint shadows that were moving she would guess that the only one awake was her mother. That in itself was a small miracle after she had spent half the night dodging the security system her parents had in place. It was worse than trying to get into Go tower undetected. She leaned against the brick work taking a moment to try and catch her second wind. It might as well have been her third or fourth wind after how little sleep she was running on.
Well-worn handholds marked a clear path up the side of the house, leading to the window that was still lit. Gripping the brick Shego smiled at the familiar feel of rough gravel. Some things never change. She could have scaled the side of the building in her sleep. And when she was younger she had done just that. Taking the time to carefully carve out the slight depressions around the bricks just to be able to sneak in and out of the house whenever she wanted too. Of course having the ability to emit plasma from her fingertips had come in handy at the time.
The distance between her and the open window closed quickly and she took a deep breath before kicking off the wall with enough force to send her through the window. Her sudden entrance into the room barely parted the curtains, a soft breeze following her into the room sending a trail of goose bumps down the pale woman's arms. A faint grin made its way onto her face, her entrance into the room had gone completely unnoticed by the sole occupant. She took the opportunity to shift further into the shadows by the window.
Watching her mother working at the slanted table brought back memories of childhood afternoons spent in the room. Seeing the bold lines and pencil strokes slowly become something more. A house with three stories, a museum modeled after the Romans, even the plans for a simple tree house that had meant the world to a child. The figure at the desk wore glasses now, there was a slight slouch to her posture, and a smattering of grey peppered her hair. But the familiar movements were still there. Graceful hands carried the pencil across the paper without hesitation, there was a gentle rhythm being tapped out by her feet a tendency her mother had always had when he work overwhelmed her.
Shego could almost convince herself that stepping out of the shadows would take her back to her youth to the time before the comet. She couldn't quite stop herself from speaking.
"Máthair," she said quietly cursing the shakiness in her voice. Her mother's movements stopped completely the tension in her back immediately visible. There was a slight intake of breath and a silence filled by the chairs wheels on the wood floor as her mother stood, turning to a wide eyed look on the open window. Shego spared a thought to be glad that the work lamps glow didn't quite reach the darkness she was hidden in.
"Sh-Shayna? Is that you?" The words were barely a whisper but Shego could make them out perfectly and she found a response leaving her mouth without consent.
"Tá Ma, it's me"
Another silence followed, this time filled with the sound of fabric rustling as her mother moved closer, eye's searching for some sign of the body that the voice belonged to. She was almost afraid to blink too hard. Afraid that somehow any movement she made would break whatever dream she was in.
"Saints above," her mother whispered, voice thick with emotion. "Are you all right?" Her mind jumped to the worst in an attempt to explain her daughter's secretive if not sudden reappearance. Shego found her heart beat picking up, tapping out a sharp beat at her mother's reaction. The anger and disgust she had expected to hear wasn't there. Instead there was only concern and a fearfulness that she realized had nothing to do with a wanted woman being in the house. Some barrier she had put in place fell to pieces while her mother rambled on with more questions.
"I-I'm all right," the words were shaky again and the childish urge to confide in her mother was bubbling up. She shoved that thought aside, forcing them back into their box. Lined blue eyes searched the blackness that hid she go's face. The older woman took several more steps forward halting a few feet from where her daughter stood. Her hands reached out, wrapping around the fabric covered arms that she could barely see, dragging her daughter into the light. A move Shego hadn't been prepared for.
Smaller arms closed around her, a brief instant of panic rose up and then she was surrendering to the hug. A long lost warmth spreading through her body as she slumped into the hug. Forgetting for the moment why she was back. Forgetting the pain and anger from the past. Letting her self remember what it felt like to be held in the security of her mother's arms.
She had spent so much time preparing for the worst. Quietly rehearsing a response for the ire she would face. The betrayal she was so sure her mother would be feeling. It had never occurred to her that she would have been missed. Years had gone by, nightmarish years, where she had been haunted by that last argument with Hego.
It had been raining, a trick of the weather that had seemed fitting for her mood. Tearing the Team Go mask from her face she had flung the door shut behind her. Not even turning when a crunch reverberated through the room and the wood met Hego's blue clad form. Plowing ahead without even brushing off the bits of wood scattered on his jumpsuit he stalked up behind her.
"Look here Shego, you can't just go off on your own during a mission," he said oblivious to her hunched shoulders and clenched fists. "We are Team Go, not Team Shego."
"It's not Team Hego either," she shot back, whirling to face him wishing that she could somehow channel her powers through her eyes.
"Well as the leader I make the decision-"
"Who the hell made you the leader? Maybe when it was a kid's game you were in charge Hanlon, but I don't remember ever voting you into the leader's seat." He shifted uncomfortably under her glare pulling himself up to his full height, only to take a step back when he realized that at some point she had almost matched his height. And now he was facing a pair of raging green eyes set in an equally outraged face. Backpedaling mentally he took stock of the situation, bringing his hand up to her shoulder in an attempt at a calming gesture.
"Shego, Calm dow-"Anything he might have said was cut off as the world flew past him. A blur of flaming green on his hand and he was flying over her shoulder and lying on the floor, the glowing fist inches from his face.
"My name is Shayna." She had taken a deep breath before moving away from him, looking down at the mask still clenched in her hand.
In one heart breaking moment the years of playing hero as kids flew past her mind's eye. Years of adoring her older brothers and doting on the twins before the comet had changed everything. Stealing their childhoods and any sense of normalcy they could have had. In the blink of an eye she made her choice, dropping the mask to the floor and moving away from her brother and towards what was left of the door.
"She- Shayna! If you leave now you're not just leaving the Team, there won't be a place for you in this family." His harsh words had slapped against her already fragile psyche.
"I know." Her words were whispered as she slipped out the door.
In that moment six years ago she had believed him. Not bothering to consider the rest of her family, she had taken his words for law and let it shatter her. She had slipped into the house, packed her things, and let. No note, only the remnants of her teenage years left behind. There had been too much anger and hurt running through her to attempt to take more.
She had convinced herself that her family would have sided with Hanlon. Ignoring any argument she might have had. But the arms wrapped around her in a sure hold held no resentment; she found herself relaxing, arms circling her mother in reflex.
Minutes passed in silence and then her mother let out a sigh, taking a step back to look at the daughter she hadn't seen in six years. The lamp threw streaks of light across Shego's tall form, casting her skin in an amber glow that hid any traces of the normally pale green coloring. Childish features had grown into high cheekbones and a strong jaw. The gangly limbs that had sprung up overnight were carried with a grace and sureness that clashed with her memories of an uncoordinated teen. Only the eyes were the same. Jade orbs that took in everything around her with a guarded look, a slight twinkle of mischief flared and was gone. A bored expression replacing it.
"Well you've certainly grown." Her mother joked attempting to break the silence.
"I drink a lot of milk," Shego smirked crossing in front of her mother to lounge across the armrest of the couch. Pamphlets and schematics littered the table next to it, her mother's bold handwriting marking each of them. She could feel her mother's eyes on her and she kept her gaze on the papers.
"Máthair, I need a favor," she glanced up as she spoke taking in the streaks of white in her mother's reddish brown hair. Her mother's jaw had dropped in surprise, her mouth working to form a coherent sentence.
"Wh- I thoug- You came back for a favor?" Hurt clouded her eyes, darkening them to indigo, she stalked forward. Any belief she had that her daughter might be planning on repairing their relationship was gone, overwhelming emotions rising up in its place. Cold green eyes looked back at her, masking anything Shego might have been thinking.
"I need to borrow the test house," Shego's voice took on a subtle monotone, "I know it's free for the rest of the year."
Just like that, no explanation, no excuses. Her mother ran a hand through her hair, recognizing the tone. It was Shayna's favorite way to respond to conflict. Especially when she had caused it. If she knew she had done something wrong there would be no apologies, no justification, she would just throw her attitude at you and move on. Never making excuses.
"I'm helping Betty with a . . . project." Lies were so much easier when they had some place in the truth.
"Betty Director? Your helping the woman that-"
"Is now the Leader of Global Justice. Yes I am." Shego grinned at the amalgam of emotions running across her mother's face. You weren't expecting that, were you Máthair. She hadn't seen that many conflicting emotions on her mother's face since she had convinced the twins to dye their hair different colors.
It filled her with an odd feeling that was out of place for what she was trying to accomplish. Facing off with her mother after so many years, setting foot in the house she hadn't been near in years should have made her uneasy. Instead she felt like she was coming home, stepping back into the easy role of annoying her mother, pushing aside the hurt and stepping back into the familiar.
The pain of coming home was still there, but she let it slide past her focusing instead on the reason she was back. The older woman blinked a few times sorting through the few options she actually had. The girl in front of her had changed so much over the years, but the telltale traces of honesty were still there. She could see the tension in Shego's jaw, the unconscious clenching of her hands that meant whatever she needed the house for it was important.
This was the opening she had prayed for over the years. The moment when her daughter would come back, it wasn't happening exactly as she would have liked but she would take it. She moved forward taking the seat across from her daughter, noticing for the first time just how rumpled she was. Dark circles stood out against her skin, the green eyes following her movements were bloodshot and hooded their usual sharpness diluted slightly.
"How much is this favor worth to you, Iníon?" She asked sorting through the words carefully.
"Anything," Shego didn't hesitate, "Everything." She dropped her gaze to her lap avoiding the searching look her mother had turned on her. Her response had been smooth; requiring no thought, helping Kim was worth any price her mother could ask.
"All right," Her mother grinned at the honestly surprised look on Shego's face. A look that stripped away the years and reminded her of the teenager she had lost. It would take time to mend the barriers and bridge the gap that were between them, but she had an opening and she wasn't about to waste it. "I have conditions."
Shego inclined her head slightly a rush of relief rushed over her, making her lightheaded. It was taking all of her reserves to even focus on her mother's words in the state she was in she couldn't find it in herself to argue over payments and conditions.
"You don't get to disappear again; I want to be in touch with you at least once a week." It took a second before she received something resembling a nod. "And you have to come to the Samhain festival," She punctuated the words with a raised hand at the half spoken argument she could see in Shego's eyes. "That's all. You'll be in the area, Shayna and I know where you'll be staying. Don't think I won't send the twins after you." Shego's mouth shut instantly at the barely veiled threat in her mother's words. Her brothers wouldn't be able to actually force her out of the house but they weren't known for their discretion.
Samhain. The festival was a little over a month away and would be one of the largest celebrations in the area. Shego vaguely considered attempting to get out of that piece of the agreement. Thoughts of booths and lights, games and music banished that idea as the child inside of her voiced its opinion.
"Okay." Her agreement was punctuated by the jingle of keys landing in her lap, a smirk covered her mother's face. She considered for a moment what she had just agreed to and then pushed it aside for a time when she wasn't exhausted. Clenching the keys in her hand she stood up moving towards the window she had come through.
"The security codes are the same as always." Her mother explained gaining a smile, "And Shayna, we will have a talk sometime soon." There was no hostility in the words, just a simple utterance of truth that wouldn't be denied. In that moment Shego bowed her head and moved back to her mother. Catching the older woman off guard as she was hauled into a hug.
"Slán go fóill, Máthair." The Gaelic promise to return fell off her lips and then she was gone, leaving behind the faint smell of lavender and a shell shocked mother.
"Slán leat, Iníon." Her words slipped through the now empty room, the fluttering curtains the only sign that he daughter had actually been there. Reaching Shego just as she began her trek down the side of the house.
