Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or have any claim to it.

Author's Note: First of all, I apologize to all of my readers for neglecting this story for so long! This chapter has been in progress for literally years, but…life is crazy.

In the early episodes, Shego clocked out at certain times, especially weekends, so it seemed like she lived elsewhere. In the Sick Day episode, however, she clearly had a bedroom at the lair, so I'm assuming that change happened early in the second season.

Time Apart

New Zealand was, indeed, very beautiful. It was also relatively quiet, which was perfect for Shego's mood on this trip. Naturally, she spent plenty of time on the beach, but she also wandered through the wild landscape, enjoying the majestic vistas. After the third day there, she also made a point of daily workouts. She needed to stay in shape if she were to have any hope of returning to her career. Granted, that was part of what she was trying to decide, but she didn't want her laziness to make the decision for her.

Most importantly, Shego had ample opportunity for the soul-searching that she needed. There were many questions that required answers, and as the days passed, she gradually answered them. While she pondered, she spared a few moments to reflect on the fact that Kimmie had also apparently acquired a Moodulator on that fateful weekend. Shego couldn't help wondering what had happened to the young redhead on the love setting. Had she gone after anyone? If so, who? Her sidekick? Some other poor, unsuspecting boy from her school? Either way, that would have been something Shego could have enjoyed, if she hadn't been similarly affected.

The green-skinned villain had considered taking a side trip to visit Dr. Bortel and ask how his contraption worked. Could it actually create emotions, or did it draw on what was already there?

Did she have underlying feelings for Dr. D that this thing had brought to the surface and exaggerated past all reason? Shego didn't know, and frankly, she wasn't sure she wanted to find out, which was why she'd decided against that particular visit. If what she'd felt was real, at least in part, things could never go back to the way they were. It was also logical to conclude that real feelings wouldn't go away, while artificial ones would. Therefore, she'd have an answer eventually, and maybe the intervening weeks or months would give her the time she needed to accept whichever conclusion she reached.

In a way, she reflected, it wouldn't be surprising if something deeper than employer-employee had developed between Dr. D and her. The nature of their business put them into continuous close contact, and they'd often had to rely on one another to escape from Kim Possible, the authorities, or an exploding lair. Furthermore, since she'd moved into the lair a couple of years ago, the lines between their business and personal lives had blurred, although she hadn't really noticed until now.

Then again, was that really a bad thing? Supervillains, as a rule, didn't have many friends. In fact, most of them worked alone, which made Dr. D very unusual in having a sidekick at all. Sure, they might hire henchmen (or make use of trained animals), but that wasn't the same as having a partner, as she preferred to think of herself. In fact, that time when Shego was sick, Dr. D had felt so incomplete without a partner in crime, even for a single day, that he'd gone out of his way to find a replacement. Shego, too, had long ago discovered that she didn't work well as a lone wolf. Having grown up in a large family and becoming part of a superhero team with her siblings, going solo just didn't feel right. Besides, although she had the supernatural powers of a supervillain, she lacked the ambition and planning tendencies necessary for the really big schemes. And, since she was really trying to be honest with herself here, she'd miss the company.

This train of thought naturally led to an even more difficult question – how did Dr. D feel about her? This was not something she believed she could fully answer on her own, nor did she imagine she'd be able to ask him. The only option Shego had was to play through events in the course of their relationship and infer what she could.

His behavior while she was under the influence of the Moodulator didn't tell her very much. For one thing, she didn't trust her own memories of that time. Secondly, she knew that the situation was not anything close to normal. For her to go so abruptly from adamantly keeping her distance from him to adopting blatant seduction techniques would undoubtedly have been a shock to Dr. D's system. It was no wonder, under such circumstances, that he was confused and even frightened by her uncharacteristic actions. So was she, when you got right down to it.

Shego thought back to some of the earlier times in their partnership, back when Dr. D actually used to say "Nice work, Shego" now and again. She clearly recalled the year he'd unexpectedly paid for her Christmas vacation, which had led to her interrupting her beach time to save his neck.

Admittedly, such considerations on either side had become rarer over the past year or so, but Shego didn't know what that might mean. Was it merely a consequence of being thwarted by Kim Possible with such regularity? Or were they just too accustomed to one another, perhaps taking each other for granted? Shego understood that such things occurred after several years of marriage, for example. Not that she considered herself married to the man, of course, but there were certainly similarities with regards to their living arrangements, at least. Recently, the barbs and squabbling seemed to be thicker on the ground, but did that indicate that they cared more or less than they once had?

Then again, the early years hadn't been all roses; the time Dr. D had used a mind-control chip on Shego was perhaps the most obvious example. Her instincts had told her to leave after that incident…but she hadn't. Now that she thought about it, that decision was odd. She certainly wouldn't have taken such treatment from anyone else. The entire notion of turning her into a puppet was abhorrent, of course, but once she'd cooled down, she'd taken time to reflect on what he'd used it for. He'd mostly just wanted someone to listen to him. It was really so pitiful that she'd found herself unable to walk out. So she'd been bored silly and done some housework she wouldn't normally do. It was hardly the worst thing that had ever happened to her. When she thought of the things he could have forced her to do, she always gave an involuntary shudder. His evil had limits, probably more than hers did. In the end, it was that very thing that kept them together as a team.

Shego rose abruptly from her beach lounge and began packing her things up. She wasn't going to get any further while she stayed here. It was time to go home…and find out if it really was.

The lair felt empty. As much as Dr. Drakken tried to shake off the feeling, it just wouldn't go. His footsteps seemed to echo uncannily throughout the rooms, and he began leaving a radio on almost continuously just to fill the silence.

It was ridiculous, of course. Sheer physics would indicate that the addition or removal of a single human being could have no noticeable effect upon the behavior of sound waves in a building this size. Therefore, the impression of emptiness was purely psychological. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less real to his perception.

The first few days hadn't been too bad. After all, Shego had often taken vacations in the past, and there had been times in their association when she'd taken the weekends off on a regular basis. Drakken had been able to think of those few days as one of those times, putting off his larger concerns. Besides, he'd had his renovations to do. He'd finished fixing the wall where she'd engraved their initials, but of course, he couldn't stop there. He'd added an entertainment center and new shelving units and changed the paint, wallpaper, and floor coverings in almost every room. While he was at it, he'd installed new kitchen appliances and bought that bundt cake pan he'd been thinking about for ages.

On the fourth day, Kim Possible and her sidekick showed up to accuse Drakken of being responsible for the Moodulator.

"Don't be ridiculous!" he snapped. "You and Shego must have picked them up when you were fighting at Bortel's lab. I had nothing to do with it."

"Wait…Shego had one, too?" said Kim Possible, seeming nonplussed.

"Teenagers," Drakken muttered. "You think you're the only ones affected by anything that happens."

Meanwhile, the sidekick had been looking around warily.

"So, where is Shego?" he asked – rather impertinently, in Drakken's opinion.

"On a personal leave of absence, not that it's any of your business," replied Drakken. "Now if you don't mind, I'm very busy." He turned away, but not before seeing the two teens exchange a significant glance. He wondered if their experience of those fateful days on the emotional roller coaster had been anything like his, but he wasn't about to ask.

"Just one more thing," said Kim Possible, sounding almost sympathetic. "Where is Shego's device now?"

"Out there," Drakken waved vaguely, steeling his spine. He did not need sympathy from this red-haired troublemaker. "I crushed it somewhere in the hills. With any luck, the pieces have been scattered by wind and birds by now. Use the door when you leave, if you don't mind." He did not bother to see them out.

As the days turned into weeks, and the initial burst of energy faded, things changed. Shego's absence began to hang in the air, like something palpable, and it started to feel more permanent. Drakken tried to reconcile himself to the emptiness. It wasn't as though he'd never been alone before. He'd been an only child, after all, and he'd left college to pursue his options in the evil-genius career path when Shego was probably in kindergarten. Unfortunately, none of these memories or realizations were likely to make him more resigned to facing the future alone.

Those early years sort of blurred together in a long series of building robots and software programs to steal from businesses and government agencies, sometimes legitimately selling his inventions, constantly being on the run, hiring henchmen when he could afford it. He'd even worked with Dementor for a time. And finally, there had been that fateful Tuesday that had left him with blue skin and a scar over his eye. Another inch, and he might have lost the eye entirely. He didn't like to think about it.

He had been far from successful in those days. The name of Dr. Drakken had scarcely been a blip on anyone's list of public enemies. It was only after adding Shego as a sidekick that his career had really taken off. With her to steal money and components, Drakken was free to scheme and invent. With her raw power to run interference with law enforcement, he was more likely to get his machine of the month up and running. Thanks to her, he was able to put some 10-15 plots into action per year, as opposed to Dementor's one or two.

He didn't show her enough appreciation, Drakken decided. If she did come back to stay, he would give her a raise. That hardly felt like enough to make up for what she'd gone through, but it was a start. If there was anything else she wanted, they could work out the details together.

In the meantime, Drakken made a halfhearted effort to organize some of his plans and blueprints, even going so far as to make lists of things he needed on a few of the more likely candidates. His creativity was gone, however, and he developed no new ideas. He did visit his mother a few times, but seeing her lonely lifestyle only depressed him further. He frequently forgot to eat, and, though he often felt tired and listless, he had difficulty sleeping.

At long last, the phone rang, the caller ID indicating that it was Shego's cell phone. Drakken juggled and nearly dropped his phone in surprise that he was actually getting a call. She was brief and to the point, merely letting him know she had booked a flight and would be back in two days. He was unable to meet her at the airport, of course, as the two of them together would likely alert security and local police. Therefore, he was forced to wait impatiently at the lair until he heard the door unlock at the touch of his partner's palm.

Shego stood for a moment at the door, collecting herself. Taking a deep breath, she pressed her palm onto the panel, and the door slid open for her. She couldn't stop her stomach from flipping over when she saw Dr. D standing there, his face lighting up as she stepped inside and set down her luggage.

"Shego!" he exclaimed, clearly happy to see her. Almost immediately, however, his smile faded, to be replaced with an expression of uncertainty. "Are you…back?"

That one small question was loaded with meaning, and they both knew it. As the door shut behind her, Shego took a moment to really look at her boss. His cheeks appeared gaunt under a 5-day growth of beard, the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than usual, and he appeared to have lost about 10 pounds. Whatever his feelings might be, he needed her, and maybe that was enough for now. They could figure out the rest as they went – if, in fact, there was any more to figure out. She gave him a small smile that might have held a hint of self-mockery.

"Yeah, I'm back," she told him. A spark ignited in his eyes, and Shego immediately chided herself for the corresponding glow she felt somewhere inside her ribcage.

"Excellent, excellent," he said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "I've got several plans in the works, but I haven't been able to settle on anything." Almost absently, he picked up one of her bags and walked toward the laboratory, gesturing extravagantly with his free hand as he began to outline some ideas. And just like that, things were back to normal.

Almost.

Author's Note: I know it could be argued that Shego did sort of "go solo" in A Sitch in Time. At least, she became the mastermind. Still, I thought it was interesting that she kept Drakken around as the muscle. Apparently, she didn't want to be completely alone at the top.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have never actually been to New Zealand, which is why I kept descriptions vague. I did look up some photos on the Internet while researching this chapter.

Review responses:

Basil Allegri: Thank you! I also love the characters just the way they are, so I always strive to keep them in character while creating new situations for them.

Katsumara: I hope you're still forgiving. It shouldn't take this long to write a chapter! I'm trying to create a new writing regimen. Maybe I can fit it in with my exercise regimen. :P

PomPomKitty21: Well, thank you. One of my pet peeves when I'm reading is authors getting too enamored of the world they've created and going off on lengthy, random tangents. I may sometimes squeeze in a random idea that I think would be fun, but I try to keep it short.

snarky Beth: Yeah, I think after the roller coaster ride they'd both been through, some awkwardness and insecurity from both sides was to be expected. I think they both benefited from their time apart, though in very different ways.

CajunBear73: Having things out in the open is very difficult for these two, especially at this stage. Still, they were obviously able to work together again.

TwilightPrncss: Aw, thanks. Hope you stop in to read this conclusion.

u r awesome: I'm so glad I could brighten your day, and I hope you found the time to read this chapter as well. Sorry about the insanely long wait!

BiblioMatsuri: Thank you. I'm quite the "grammar snob" myself, so I appreciate your point of view. When I do have errors, they were typos that I didn't catch while proofreading.

Guest: Well, I finally did. Whoever you are, I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to the story.