She stood in the centre of the playground. All around her, pre-teen children ran about, the air filled with the sound of their play as they waited for school to start. She turned slowly, taking in the sights she never thought to see again, until her eyes latched onto a scene just outside the school gates.

"But I don't wanna go to school." The little girl stood, every fibre of her being emitting the self righteous indignation only a six year old girl can generate.

"Don't start. I'm not interested." The mother's voice dismissive as she pushed her daughter towards the school gates. "Look, your brother has already gone in."

"Huh!" Obviously not impressed with this information, the young girl tossed her long black hair with derision. "That's because he's an idiot."

The only answer she got was a rough push in the direction of the school gates before her mother turned and walked back to her car. The little girl watched her leave, before picking up a school bag far too big for her and turned to enter the school gates. She quickly found her way blocked by three boys, eight or nine years old, and with rather nasty expressions on their faces.

"Hey, look who it is." The leader looked back over his shoulder at the two boys behind him. Turning back to face the young girl once more, his voice dripped with scorn. "This must be Hego's sister. I bet she's as big a crybaby as he is."

The girl's face was impassive and unimpressed as the three boys laughed at their joke, but when she moved to go around them, they quickly moved to block her entry into the more she fixed them with an unimpressed look as she waited for what she knew was coming next. God boys were so predictable.

With a sadistic leer, the leader of the group took one step forward, but before anyone else could react, a small voice spoke up from behind them. "Hey you big bully, leave her alone."

Whatever self confidence had prompted the speaker to intervene melted under the combined gaze of three older boys. Behind them stood a small redhead, perhaps seven years old, who suddenly looked as if she wished she were a hundred miles away.

"What did you say?" One of the followers snarled in her face, unable to comprehend that someone had actually stood up to them.

"Eeep." The little girl suddenly lost all ability to speak as the full implications of her intervention suddenly became clear. Looming over her, one of the boys flung out an arm, the open palm striking her in the chest, causing her to fall back, her back and head striking the hard playground surface with an audible smack. Ignoring the snivelling cries of the girl, the boy turned back to watch his leader.

Satisfied that the pitiful challenge to his authority was over, the leader of the gang turned back once more to face is latest victim. Expecting fearful anticipation, he was met with a steady green eyed gaze. The raven haired girl positively radiated distain, causing just the slightest iota of uncertainty to enter his mind.

He didn't even see the knee move, but his world exploded in white hot pain as it connected with is groin. Collapsing to his knees, and then toppling over to one side, he fell to the floor, his mouth open in a silent scream. His two accomplices watched with open mouths as their leader was incapacitated, their gaze inexorably drawn to the picture of agony unfolding before their eyes.

After a few seconds, they managed to drag their eyes away from the curled up figure on the floor, only to be met by the steely green eyed gaze of the black haired young girl. Unable to move, they could only watch as she stepped over the boy currently rolling about on the ground and closed the gap between them.

"Are you going to get out of my way or what?" the tone of voice left noone in any doubt as to what the answer would be. With one last look at their leader, the two boys turned and ran. Without another word, the dark haired girl walked on into the playground, ignoring both her victim and the young auburn girl now curled up in sobbing ball.

The woman who had watched all this shook her head, and walked over to stand by the little redhead. The tears were coming to an end as the pain subsided, and after a minute or two, the small girl sat up and looked around. Her eyes eventually falling on the woman who was now crouched by her side.

"You know, you could at least have said thank you!" young girl's voice was filled with hurt indignation.

The older woman laughed. "What for, it's not as if you did anything to help, is it?"

The redhead picked herself up from the floor and stood. "I don't even know why I want to be your friend anyway." With an arrogant toss of her auburn curls, she flounced away disappearing into the crowd of children.

The grown up version of Shego stood, a fond smile on her face as she watched her go. She wasn't really surprised when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"God, was I really that precocious?"

Slowly turning, Shego looked into the cornflower blue eyes of her oldest friend. "Oh please. As if you didn't know!" A smile twitched on black lips as a wave of contentment swept over the thief. It was matched by the smile evident on the other woman's face, and before Shego could even move, she was caught up in an embrace that took her breath away.

Eyes squeezed shut to deny the tears that had suddenly welled up, Shego sought to swallow the lump that had appeared in her throat. Her friend smiled as she felt the wet sensation on her neck, but did nothing until she sensed that the green woman was once more in control of her emotions. She knew full well how much Shego hated being seen to be weak.

Stepping back from the hug, she let her exquisite face take on a mildly amused look. "Hey girlfriend, you miss me?"

Shego snorted in dismissal. "Not even. I don't know why I ever let you hang around." The grin on her face proving the lie expressed by her words.

"Because I taught you how to break men's hearts." The redhead's voice filled with mock indignation.

"And I taught you not to care." The retort causing both women to laugh.

"I'm dreaming right?" The black haired woman's question hung in the air once they had regained their composure.

The willowy redhead didn't answer but turned to look at the horizon. There was a dark smear was cutting across the sky like an arm stretching out menacingly, as if reaching for something in the distance. Shego felt cold just looking at it, somehow certain that it was slowly growing.

Her eyes met those of her friend, but before Megan could explain any further, Shego suddenly convulsed in agony, her hands flying to her side as she bent over, a wave of pain stabbing through her abdomen. She barely felt her friend's hand on her shoulder and although she could see her lips moving could not make out the words. Instead, in her mind she faintly heard another voice speaking as if from a great distance.

"Careful lifting her out, she's been badly hurt."

Forcing her eyes open, Shego looked up from her kneeling position, she had fallen without even knowing it. She looked straight into her friend's face pinched as it was with both sympathy for her pain, but also urgency as she tried to impart her message.

"Shego..." any further words were lost as another wave of pain rushed through her.

"Lay her down on the bed. Damn she's started bleeding again." Once more the barely heard words sounded in her head.

"Shegoooo" Megan's voice faded as the green thief's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell backwards into oblivion.

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"Okay, Okay, so I was being melodramatic, is that a crime?" Ron Stoppable wished Yori would let it drop, Middleton airport was hardly the place to have this conversation. Yori had only asked how they were going to speak to Monkey Fist when he was petrified. It seemed a perfectly sensible question to ask, but Ron seemed to take it personally. She had also asked why they were going to the international airport when the ex master of Tai Shing Pek Kwa was currently propped up in a sealed room under Global Justice headquarters. She was now sitting demurely with her hands neatly folded in her lap, watching Ron pace up and down waving his hands above his head in frustration. Outwardly calm, Ron could feel the disapproval eminating from her body.

"Hey, you were the one who assumed that thing was some supernatural entity, who was overreacting then huh? For all we know it was just some wierd crossbreed knocked up by DNAmy."

Deep brown eyes looked up, locking his gaze in a steady stare, causing the young man to falter in his diatribe. "Y-Y-Yeah" he stuttered suddenly disconcerted and feeling foolish under the piercing glare. "Just another one of Amy's mutants." His voice began to tail off as his objections melted under his own sense of logic. "One that is somehow immune to metal, and can animate the dead."

"Alright, alright something wierd is going on." He finally conceded the point, causing Yori to once more settle down in the image of serene patience. "We just need to break into Lord Monty Fiske's castle, avoid the booby traps and retainers, find a hidden library somewhere and locate his copy of the Monkey prophecies. Piece of cake."

His sideways glance showed that Yori was not taken in by his false bravado, but she didn't have a better plan and with Makoto flying back to Japan taking Jiro's remains home, she didn't want to stay in one place for too long. After all there was always the chance that Ron might be right, and the answers were there for the taking. With a simple nod of her head, she signified her approval and resumed her meditation as she waited for the plane to England.

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Kim Possible was bored. The first two days had been a blur as she had drifted in and out of sleep, aided by the drugs coarsing through her bloodstream. After a while, however, her need for the pain relief began to diminish, and she was able to sit up as the powerful narcotics cleared from her system. She had plenty of visitors, Monique dropped by after work, and even Dr Director managed a fleeting visit just to see how her protege was getting on, and also to check up on her agents, who were still standing guard over the injured teen. Her family were also in attendance every chance they got. Her mother and father both taking time off work to sit at her side whenever they could.

Even the twins dropped by, brought by her father when her mother was busy, although their visit had to be curtailed when they began dismantling the monitor claiming that it was only operating at ten percent efficiency. After that, their visits were kept short and under constant supervision.

She was a little hurt that Ron didn't come to see her, but Wade explained that he had been called away to deal with some Yamanouchi business, which she accepted with surprising equanimity. She knew that something was wrong at the ninja school, even though she had never really asked about what had really gone on during Ron's school exchange, and he had never volunteered any information.

So there she lay, with nothing to do but think. It wasn't something she had ever had time for before, her life and temperament not being geared up for introspection, so it took her some time to order her jumbled thoughts.

There was one recurring theme that kept bothering her, however. Why had she flown off the handle like she had, it really wasn't like her at all. Assessing her own feelings about that night took some time, but she eventually had to accept that it wasn't Ron's feelings that had bothered her, but rather her own.

It wasn't the casual closeness between Ron and Yori that had caused her outburst, but rather the fact that it highlighted the gap that had grown between them while she was away at college. Her anger had been a displacement activity to divert her mind away from the fact that she didn't feel the way she thought she should about her boyfriend.

She could finally admit to herself that her feelings for Ron had changed over the past few months. She still looked on him as her best friend, and she knew he would always be there for her if he could, but their lives had diverged from the joined at the hip relationship from high school. He had his own life now, where she was not a major factor, just as her own life had expanded beyond the closeknit circle of friends she was used to. More importantly, whereas she had moved on from Highschool, it didn't look like Ron had, new job notwithstanding. It was like he didn't want to grow up.

She also had to admit that part of her reaction had been her own drive to succeed regardless of the consequences. That last thought didn't sit well with her. Was she really that obsessive that she would almost pick a fight with a largely blameless third party just to avoid admitting that her relationship was not as solid as it should be?

Over the course of the day, she came to the conclusion that maybe she was, and she felt somewhat shameful over this revelation. Looking back over the past year, she had to wonder to what extent her feelings for Ron had been real, and how much had been doing the right thing because it was expected.

Late in the afternoon, she had finally worked through all her own emotions and had drawn up a plan of action in her head. Over the course of the holiday she would see if there was any future in continuing with her relationship with him. Her major concern being how breaking up with him would affect their long term friendship. In the end she decided that whatever had to be done, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. With that final thought, she settled back down to sleep, bouyed up by the knowledge that in a few days she would be going home.

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The first thing Shego noticed when she woke up was the comfort. She had vague memories of strange dreams, darkness and fear, with a voice desperately trying to tell her something but never quite being audible enough for her to hear the message.

Now she could feel the reassuring softness of a pillow and, on moving her legs, the delicious sensation of clean sheets. With a smile on her lips she rolled over onto her back, and was rapidly brought back to reality by the shooting pain in her side. Stifling a groan, she opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. Looking around she could see understated wallpaper and subtle furnishings indicating some kind of bedroom. It looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it in her mind. First priority was locating the door and window, to determine access points and escape routes. No bars or reinforced doorframes indicated that she was not in a secure location. With her local environment identified, Shego could now concentrate on the other factor that she had picked up almost immediately. The red haired, green eyed young woman watching her from the doorway.

"Oh crap, its another dream." Shego turned her head away from the sight briefly wondering if the saxaphone playing cow was going to make another appearance. "You haven't seen any rollerblading sheep have you?" she quizzed her hallucination.

"Mom, I think she's still delerious." Kim Possible turned to someone behind the door.

"No, I don't think so. The fever broke last night, she's probably just disorientated." came a familiar voice, and Shego saw her benefactor doctor appear behind her teenage nemesis.

"You've got to be shitting me!" the thief exclaimed and let her head fall back into the pillow. Memories rushing back of days spent in this very room under her Ms Go persona.

"OK young lady, I think that's enough of that mouth." Shego could only turn and stare as she was scolded by what appeared to be Kim Possible's mother.

"What the F..".

"I said I didn't want to hear it." Dr Possible interrupted. Her voice was stern, and made Shego feel about ten. Shego had never really got on with her own mother, even from an early age, and wasn't too inclined to take orders from somebody elses. Still, she figured she owed her benefactor at least that respect for all the care she had obviously been given.

"Fine, whatever." she sighed and closed her eyes.

A giggle made her open them again, to see the older woman nodding in satisfaction, and more to the point, Kim Possible laughing. "What the hell are you laughing at." she snarled at the young girl. Ignoring Mrs Possible's narrowing eyes at her language.

"Kim honey, could you give us a moment?" Dr Possible fully entered the room, and waited for her daughter to nod and leave, before closing the door. "I just need to unhook you." her comment in response to Shego's puzzled look, before the thief realised there was a saline drip running from her arm. A brief moment of embarrassment as she realised the doctor had to detach her from a catheter as well, but the professional attitude of her benefactor brushed aside any awkward moments.

Once everything was removed, Anne Possible opened the door, to find Kim leaning up against the wall just outside. She obviously had something on her mind, and her mother figured it was best to leave the two antagonists together for a while.

"I'll leave you two to talk." Dr Possible said, as she turned away from the two women. "Just remember that you are both recovering from surgery. I don't want to hear any fighting." looking pointedly at Shego as she left the room.

Shego sank back into the pillow, grateful to relieve the ache in her side. She closed her eyes in an attempt to avoid dealing with the situation, but she could feel those green orbs looking at her even with her eyes closed. With a sigh, she opened her eyes and turned to look at Kim.

"Good to see you up and about Pumpkin." she said, and winced as she forgot herself and rolled onto her side to look at the teenager. "Fuck!" she swore, but Kim noticed she did it under her breath, and couldn't help smiling at the thief shying away from a confrontation with her mother.

"Thanks to you." she replied. Shego held up a hand to forestall what was coming next but Kim just ignored her.

"Why?" she asked softly.

It was something that had occupied her mind ever since she found out how she got into the hospital. When she first woke up after surgery, all she could remember was hanging from the helicopter looking up at her raven haired adversary. Her mother was the one who told her that it was Shego that had brought her here. It was only after her second day recovering from her injuries, that her mother told her how badly injured the thief had been when she arrived. She also explained how she found her car still in the carpark, with the thief passed out inside.

Kim had been rather surprised to find out that her mother was hiding a fugative, but understood that her mother felt she owed Shego a massive favour for undoubtedly saving her daughters life. What she didn't understand is why Shego had done it.

When no answer was forthcoming, she moved to sit down on the bed, wincing slightly at the pain in her ribs. Looking straight into the older womans eyes, she asked again.

"Why did you save me?"

Sighing, Shego shook her head and closed her eyes. "Believe me Princess, if I knew how much trouble it would bring me, I wouldn't have bothered."

Chuckling slightly, she looked up at Kim and pulled herself up into a sitting position, raising an eyebrow as she watched the redhead adjust her pillows to make her more comfortable. It looked as if she was going to say something else, but just as she opened her mouth, Kim saw a look in her eyes as if something had just come to the thief's attention.

"God I need a shower." Shego snapped, pulling her hair in front of her eyes, and dropping it in disgust.

Silently, Kim pointed to the ensuite bathroom. Shego flung the covers off and strode purposefully towards the door. Kim, sat on the bed, listening to the sound of running water, and some thankfully muffled curses as Shego cleaned herself up. This actually proved more difficult than the young thief expected. Although her wound had largely healed, the muscles and tendons were still very sore, and Shego found that she couldn't raise her arms above her shoulders. Washing her hair required bending down and sticking her head under the showerhead, desperately lathering with shampoo to remove the blood and sweat that had built up during her fever. When she finally finished wringing the water out of her waist-long locks, she stepped out of the shower, and found a fluffy white robe hanging on the back of the door. After putting this on, she bent down and wrapped a towel around her head to dry her hair, and stepped back into the bedroom.

"You didn't answer my question." Kim said as Shego re-entered the room.

"No, I didn't, did I." smirked Shego as she sat down in front of the dresser. Reaching up to dry her hair, however, she encountered a problem as the torn muscles in her side protested, and she pulled her arms down with a frustrated hiss. In the mirror, she saw the redhead move up behind her, and begin to rub the towel gently so as to dry her long hair. Once most of the moisture was gone, Kim picked up a brush and began to smooth out the strands . Picking up a hair-dryer, she began to comb and brush the hair while drying it off with a low heat setting. Once it was all dry, Kim continued to brush the hair, to bring out it's shine, running her fingers through it, and marvelling at how soft and silky it felt.

"Enjoying ourselves are we Kimmie?" sneered Shego, causing the teenager to jerk back in embarassment, her face flushed as she realised what she was doing. "Oh God, I'm sorry" she flustered, "I just didn't expect it to be this soft" she blurted out, and then blushed even deeper as she realised what she had said. "Did I just say that out loud?" she thought to herself, and quickly turned away mortified.

"You've actually done a pretty good job." Shego commented, focussing on her hair, and checking for any tangles. If there was one vanity she had, it was her hair. Actually, in her own mind, Shego admitted to being pretty vain in general. After all, If God didn't want her to look after herself, why did he make her so damn hot? Satisfied that her own standards were satisfied, she turned to look back at Kim who was suddenly feeling the urge to leave the room.

Any further conversation, however, was interrupted by Anne Possible, who knocked on the door. "Are you decent?" she asked, and opened the door on Shego's acknowledgement. "I've brought you some clothes to put on if you want." she said, placing a pile on the bed. I've still got some of the clothes you left behind when you last stayed here. I'm afraid the catsuit didn't survive removal.

"I'll leave you to get dressed." said Kim, as she stepped out into the hallway.

"We'll be just down stairs." said her mother, following her out. "I'm just making some lunch if your hungry."

Shego nodded acknowledgement, and waited for the door to close behind the two women. Alone again, she sat on the bed and wondered if anything could get any wierder.

After ten minutes, she came downstairs, dressed in jeans and a white blouse. Following the sound of the television, she found Kim lying on a sofa apparently watching old cartoons. The young girl did a double take, once she saw what her old adversary was wearing but managed to suppress a burst of laughter, she just turned away to hide a smile. Once composed, she sat up to give Shego room on the sofa, however, when the older woman sat down, she found the wound in her side pulled as she sank into the upholstery. Sliding to the floor, she positioned herself where she could see the screen. Shrugging, Kim pulled her feet back onto the settee and lay down with her head on one arm. When Mrs Possible entered the room, carrying a tray of sandwiches, she found her daughter laying on the couch watching Tom and Jerry while Shego sat on the floor, her legs curled up beneath her, and her head resting on a cushion by Kim's side. Kim's hand was slowly running through the raven hair spooled on the cushion beside her.

The reason for Shego's apparent lack of reaction became apparent immediately, she was asleep. Kim sat up as her mother entered the room, but before she could say anything, the door bell rang. Seeing that her mother was busy setting up lunch, Kim stirred herself from the sofa and went to open the door.

"Ron."

Kim cringed inside as she heard the icy tone with which she greeted her boyfriend. She could see him physically flinch at the harshness of her greeting.

"Err, hi Kim. Can I come in?" The nervousness in his voice was a sharp contrast to his usual confident assumption that he was always welcome in the Possible household. Kim stepped to one side, silently opening the door to give the young man entry into the house.

"What's with the doorbell anyway?" Her voice a slightly accusing tone combined with hurt undertones. "You normally just come right in."

"Discretion and all that. It seemed appropriate somehow." The tension between them was intense, but his miserable demeanour finally broke through Kim's emotional barriers, the effort of maintaining them too exhausting in her current state, especially when it was her best friend who was hurting.

"God I've got issues." Kim mentally berated herself as she remembered her resolution to give her relationship a proper chance. She couldn't help herself from glancing out of the doorway as Ron property entered the house.

"It's OK, she's not here." Ron's misery only highlighted the fact that they both knew she was looking for Yori. "She had to sort something out at the airport, we just got back..." His voice trailed off as he realised he was only making matters worse.

"Look, KP, there's nothing going on between us honest. We're just caught up in some trouble that's all!"

"I know that." Kim's answer just a fraction too hurried to come across naturally.

The underlying hostility finally snapped Ron's patience. "Look. This is ridiculous. I've never done anything to give you reason to think that I was anything but honest with you."

The antagonistic tone triggered an instinctive attack response from Kim. "Riiight. While I'm away at college, you just happen to end up riding around on your bike with a japanese schoolgirl clinging round your waist. Nothing for me to worry about there."

The blood drained out of Ron's face as the angry words stabbed at his very soul, his own anger rising in response. "I've been covering your back since kindergarten, I'd have thought you would at least give me the benefit of the doubt." His voice rising in volume as he released his own frustrations.

"Covering my back? Going behind it more like. Going on dangerous missions while I'm kept in blissful ignorance. You even had my website turned off while you swan around the world with your new sidekick." Kim's voice had switched from blazing redhot anger to incandescent whitehot fury. "And the one time I get hurt, where were you? Jetting off to Europe on your own agenda. Yeah, you really had my back then. Did you just want me out of the way so you could get the credit for a change?"

Kim's eyes suddenly widened, as a possible explanation formed in her mind. "Is that what all this was about? You riding to the rescue with your sidekick, saving the world? 'Cause if it is, you really need to come up with your own schtick, that caper is already covered."

"WHAT?" Ron's jaw dropped at the sheer audacity of the accusation. Words failed him as he looked into his girlfriend's eyes and saw only recrimination and mistrust.

Kim turned her head as she heard a noise from the living room. "Keep the noise down, I don't want you to wake her."

"Wake who?" Ron's question spoken at the same time as another voice spoke out from the room behind them.

"Too late!"

"SHEGO!" he shouted, spinning in surprise he turned to face the dangerous woman, "SHEGO'S IN YOUR HOUSE."

Stepping back, he somehow managed to trip over his feet in his hurry to put distance between himself and the master thief. With a cry of surprise, he fell, pulling Kim down with him, and landing on her, eliciting a muffled scream of pain as her ribs protested this treatment.

"Oh crap!. Are you ok KP?"

"Of course I'm not OK you clumsy idiot." Kim gasped as she tried to speak through the pain. In her agony she didn't register what she had said, but the words cut through Ron like an icy dagger to the heart. However, he didn't have time to reflect on the hurtful implications of his old friend's response.

"Get off her, you moron" snarled Shego, stepping forward, she reached down and grabbed his shirt. With barely a grunt of effort, she pulled him off the injured heroine, but suddenly winced as she felt a stabbing pain in her side. Reaching down, she felt a sticky fluid through her blouse, and her stifled groan turned into a snarl as she reached a clawed hand towards his face.

"What's going on here!" Mrs Dr Possible walked in on a scene of chaos. Shego held Ron by the throat, while her other hand looked to be about to claw out his eyes. Kim was on the floor, white faced and her eyes shut as she tried to overcome the waves of pain rolling over her ribs, while Ron himself looked as if he was about to pass out in fear.

"Shego, put him down, you'll get blood all over my rug." The dismissive tone in Dr Possible's voice cut through the red mist currently fogging the enraged woman's mind. Pulling back her clawed hand revealed five puncture wounds circling Ron's face where her nails had pierced the skin. Staggering back, as she pushed him away, Ron reached up to wipe the sweat away from his eyes, the grey pallor of his skin showing how close he believed he had come to serious injury.

"I I I'm sssorry Kim!" he stuttered, all thought of their recent arguement forgotten at the sight of his best friend in pain. "Are you OK?"

"No big." she gasped as she picked herself up from the floor, groaning as she felt fresh pain from her ribs. Her denial somewhat unconvincing what with the grey pallor to her skin and the beads of sweat on her brow

"Shego, are you OK?" she asked, seeing her nemesis bent over, clutching her side. One glance from Shego expressed her feelings on the sidekick's clumsiness with no room for misunderstanding. Ron somehow managed to blanche even more at the implied violence given in that look and moved to position Kim between himself and the dangerous woman he had managed to antagonise.

A whimper slipped out from his lips, as the intense gaze followed him as he ducked behind his friend. Popping up from a trouser pocket, the head of a naked mole rat took one look at the situation facing him, and promptly ducked back down, with only an "Eeek" expressing his take on their predicament.

"Look Kim." Ron finally managed to find his own voice, "I obviously caught you at a bad time. How about I come back later and we can talk when you're feeling better?"

He got no response as the redhead struggled to contain the wave of nausea that rose in her gut while she struggled to contain the agony currently stabbing her abdomen. Seeing Dr Possible busy examining Shego, and Kim leaning against the wall ignoring him, discretion won over valour.

"Maybe some other time KP OK? See ya later." Ron Stoppable turned and ran, for the first time thankful as the Possible front door swung shut behind him.

Having dealt with one problem, however, Kim turned to face a much more serious issue. Her mother took one look at the pain visible in her eyes and moved decisively, raising her daughter's polo neck to check on her condition. One look at the bruising evident in her child's side was enough to draw conclusions.

"That's it young lady. Back to bed for you. You too missy." Mrs Dr Possible's last comment was directed at Shego, who was slumped against the hall wall, probing the new strapping the doctor had just applied to her reopened wound. "Thanks to typical male exuberance, we have put back your recovery by two days. I don't want to see either of you up again before tomorrow."

"Come on Shego." Kim moved to support her erstwhile opponent, as she pushed herself away from the wall. "No point arguing with her in this frame of mind. Best to just do as she says."

There were no complaints from the older woman as Kim ducked under her arm to support her, although it was hard to say who was helping whom as they slowly moved up the stairwell. Shego's room was closest, and Kim carefully steered the two of them through the doorway, not letting go until both of them fell awkwardly onto the bed, each letting out a moan of pain combined with relief as they flopped onto the mattress, neither having the strength left to move for several minutes. Barely aware she was not alone, Shego unbuttoned her blouse and let it slip to the floor. Minimising her movements, she also managed to push off her jeans and slipped under the covers, finally releasing a groan as her body realised that nothing more was expected of it.

Kim lay on her back, the only position that made breathing bearable. She lay still for a few moments while the waves of pain and nausea subsided, her eyes closed, listening to the sound of Shego getting into bed. That was the last she knew, until her mother woke them up the next morning with breakfast.

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"I'm sorry honey, I really need to get back to work, there is an emergency at the hospital." Dr Anne Possible was dressed in her white coat ready for an extended surgical procedure scheduled for later that morning. "Are you sure you're going to be OK?"

"Relax Mom." Kim was sitting up against the spare bedroom headboard, looking down at the still slumbering thief. "What kind of trouble could we possibly get into here?"

Reassured by her daughter's self assured confidence, Dr Possible ruffled her daughter's hair and turned to leave the room. "Oh, don't forget your father and brothers are due back later today from their fishing trip." Smiling at the groan she heard from her eldest child, Anne Possible left the room and headed downstairs to finish getting ready for work.

"Brothers?" The voice was still thick with sleep as the older woman by her side stirred. "Oh yeah, I remember them. I think?"

"Yeah, the tweebs are hard to forget, believe me I've tried." Kim's voice reflected the grin on her face. "You've still got time to run away if you want."

Shego rolled over to face her young adversary. "Oh please. I think my brothers have got the edge on being disfunctional. I can't see your two being a patch on the train crash that substitutes for my family."

Kim thought about this for a few seconds, before a smile crept over her face. "Ooo a challenge. I bet you can't last an hour before threatening them with physical violence."

Shego snorted with derision. "Yeah, two twelve year old kids? They can't even replicate themselves. You've got yourself a deal."

"So what are we betting?" Kim was suddenly apprehensive by the blase way in which her former enemy was taking the suggestion.

"Oh, I'll think of something, don't you worry." Shego's tone was almost playful as she sat up and swung her legs out over the bed, but the look on her face was positively wicked. Ignoring her semi naked attire, she sauntered over to the en-suite bathroom and closed the door behind her. Kim lay on the bed for a few minutes until she could hear the shower running, at which point, she forced herself to get up and headed for her own room wondering what she had let herself in for.

After showering and getting dressed Kim was surprised not to find Shego already down stairs. Just as she was wondering if the thief was having trouble with her hair again, she heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Speak of the devil." she murmured as Shego appeared in the kitchen, once more dressed in Ms Go's clothes. Instead of looking for breakfast, however, The thief headed straight for the key rack, and without even a please or thank you, took Kim's car keys and turned back towards the front door.

"What the hell do you thing you're doing?" Kim was incredulous at the sheer chutzpah exhibited by the older woman.

"What? You think I'm going to sit around dressed in beige for the foreseeable future? I really don't think so."

"And you think I am going to let you walk out of here with my car keys?" Kim stood up from the barstool she had been sitting on.

"Come with or stay, it's all the same to me." Shego waved a hand dismissively. "But I'm going shopping" and with that she opened the front door and stepped outside.

She wasn't really surprised to find herself followed. As she slipped into the compact car parked on the driveway, the passenger door opened and Kim slid into the seat beside her.

"Well alright Pumpkin, let's indulge in the worlds third greatest pleasure." The engine roared into life, and the car shot off the driveway heading for the mall.

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Shopping with Shego was a very different experience to shopping with Ms Go, Kim was finding out fast. Although Club Banana was high in the shopping itinery, Shego's tastes differed wildly from her alter ego's. Whereas Ms Go was a picture of decorum and tasteful inconspicuousness, Shego revelled in exhibitionism. She went through shops like a tornado through a trailer park, sucking up all the attention from shop assistants as she swept up great armfuls of expensive clothing.

For a college student living on a set income, Kim almost saw it as immoral at the sheer disregard for economy exhibited by her companion. Even more galling was that however garish and tasteless the outfits were, as soon as Shego tried them on, they suddenly worked. Her own self confidence shone through even the most gaudy outfits, investing them with a style and edge that transformed them from tawdry dross into urban street cred.

Gucci, Versachi and Yves Saint Laurent all fell prostrate to the unlimited credit card wielded with expert precision by the young thief. This was shopping like Kim had never experienced, Shego didn't even seem to look at prices, every decision was based on whether or not she liked the look.

Eventually, even Kim got caught up in the whole shopping adventure, going into shops she had never even considered before and even being coaxed into trying on a few outfits. Shego's tastes tended to be more European, and certainly more expensive, than Kim had ever considered before and the new experience carried her away for a few moments, revelling in the feel of ensembles exceeding a thousand dollars an outfit. A feeling that quickly evaporated once she saw the price tag. Still, shop assistants who would normally glare if a teenager even dared set foot in their establishments were falling over themselves to offer suggestions and advice. One glimpse of the discrete black credit card bearing the simple moniker "Coutts of London" and nothing was too much trouble.

Whereas Kim was revelling in the hedonistic thrill of pure capitalism, Shego found herself enjoying the whole experience for much more mundane reasons. From an early age, she had been the sole female in a male dominated world. Her subsequent career changes had simply exacerbated this situation, and for the first time in many years she was relishing the simple pleasure of shopping with a female companion. Someone who understood the importance of latest fashions and coordinated accessories.

It was in Prada that it happened, Shego had found a pair of green calfskin boots she was trying on, when her eyes fell on a grey suede leather ankle boot. "Hey Kimmie." The teenager peered around the shoe rack to find her companion holding out a pair of boots. "Try these on for size."

Shrugging, the younger girl slipped off her own trainers and slid her feet into the soft embrace of leather. Zipping up the side, she stood and took a few tentative steps, before striding out more confidently as she realised how comfortable they were. Grinning, she sat back down and took them off again, only to gasp when she saw the price tag.

"Seven hundred and eighty dollars? Who pays that kind of money for a pair of shoes?"

Shego's grin was her only answer as the older woman picked up both pairs of boots and headed for the counter. It was only when Kim saw that they had both been rung up on the register that she realised Shego was buying them too.

"Wait, you're not buying them for me!" Kim's protest fell on deaf ears.

"Relax Pumpkin, they're on sale." Shego handed the open mouthed teenager one of the bags she had picked up from the counter. She walked towards the shop entrance, looking back to see her younger companion still in shock.

"They were originally nine hundred." Her quip accompanied by a wicked smile as warm feeling enfused her. She realised that buying things for someone else could be just as pleasurable as buying for herself. Besides, the look on Kim's face was priceless.

Of course she had to suffer the next ten minutes once the younger girl caught up with her, refusing to take them back. Finally exasperated, she stopped and turned to face her redheaded tormentor. "Look, It's only money OK? They look good on you."

Kim could only trail in the extravagant thief's wake, her head in a daze at the casual dismissal of such profligate waste.

Shego, on the other hand had other things on her mind. For a while now, there had been something nagging at the back of her mind. Something was out of place, and her well honed instincts were suddenly flashing alarm signals in her brain. Casually strolling along the mall's aisle, she let her peripheral vision have full reign, on the lookout for whatever was triggering her finely tuned sense of self preservation.

Suddenly reversing direction, she caught Kim off guard where she had been trailing a few feet behind, but more importantly, she spotted what had been bothering her for the past ten minutes.

Surprised by the impromptu U-turn, the man who had been following them instinctively reacted to make himself look less conspicuous. To a well trained eye like Shego's, this made him stand out from the rest of the lazily meandering crowd.

"Come on Kimmie, time for something to eat." Shego headed for the food hall, all the while keeping a covert eye on the man who was still trailing them, unaware that his cover had been blown.

The cheerleader shrugged, perfectly happy to sit down for a while after the past two hours of dedicated shopping. The two women walked together for a while, until Shego was sure they were both still being followed, then she suggested that Kim get a table while she went to the bathroom. As they split up, the tail followed the older woman, without a second glance at the redhead, letting Shego know that she was the target. She turned off the main mall walkway and ducked into a staff only area, ensuring that her stalker saw where she went.

The man hesitated for a few moments, wondering what he should do. However, his orders were clear, trail the black haired woman and report back on her location. Tentatively, and with several furtive looks from left to right, he pushed open the door and stepped into the empty corridor behind.

The passageway turned a corner after only a few feet, and he hurried after his target, there being no other exit from the corridor. He never saw the figure spreadeagled against the ceiling, arms and legs braced against the walls, watching his every move. Just as he moved away from the doorway, the legs swung down silently and struck him between the shoulderblades.

"Ach Scheisse." The European accent told her everything she needed to know. With a quick kick in the stomach as he tried to get up, she grabbed him by the throat and slammed his back into the nearest wall.

"So. You're one of Dementor's boys eh? Too bad for you. You tell him he had better leave me alone if he knows what's good for him."

Her only answer was a spit in the face, as the man struggled ineffectively against her vicelike grip. It was a move he was to come to regret, as the delicate feminine fist slammed repeatedly into his ribs. It was only after she heard the crack of splintered bone that she let him drop to the floor curled up in agony after the relentless pounding she had dished out. Wiping the spittle from her jaw, she bent down and grabbed his face in one hand lifting his chin so she could look into his eyes.

"Now is that any way to treat a lady?" Her smile was devilish and he could only watch as a booted foot swung towards him. It was the last thing he saw before collapsing unconscious in a heap. Shego walked away without looking back, unaware that an RFID chip implanted in her victim's arm was sending out information to a command vehicle currently sitting in the parking lot.

When Kim saw Shego returning, carrying a tray loaded with potato salad and bottled water, she could tell something was different about her. The walk had a more confident strut and her body language literally pulsated arrogance, much more the Shego she knew. The older woman walked with a definite swing to the hips that couldn't help but draw attention, and from what she was seeing, the thief was revelling in the limelight. Seeing the questioning look, Shego declined to explain, just brushed off the unspoken enquiry with a wave of her hand.

"Life is good Princess." and she settled down to eat her salad, leaving Kim no option but to do the same.

As the car swung back onto the driveway, neither occupant could fail to miss the Volvo Estate no resident outside the Possible house. A groan from the passenger seat elicited a chuckle from the driver. Oh yeah, this was going to be a piece of cake. Neither girl was aware that the car had been tagged with a tracking device, nor did they see the white van pull up across the road ten minutes after the car had been vacated.

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From Kim's point of view, the first ten minutes actually went quite well. Her father greeted them both as they entered the house, an over enthusiastic hug for his daughter, eliciting frantic squeaks of protest over the state of her still fragile ribs, while Shego had to suffer the effusive thanks of a parent in total awe of the person who had saved is little girls life. Kim couldn't help but grin at the embarrassed half smile frozen on Shego's lips as she once again reassured the Doctor that saving Kim's life really wasn't any big deal. The green thief finally escaped by hurriedly launching into a detailed description of the morning's activites just as Dr Possible paused from breath. Disengaging her hand from the grip that had been pumping it in a handshake for the past five minutes, she could see his eyes glaze over at the relentless extolment of the high points of fashion. As James coughed and excused himself with almost indecent haste, Kim could only roll her eyes at the fickleness of the male species, while Shego just looked at her with a heavy lidded glance of satisfaction, actually going as far as winking at the younger woman.

Thereafter, it was as if her worst dreams were coming to pass. True to form, the twins were out back, evidenced by the muffled explosions coming from the yard and as usual, their latest prototype launcher came spiralling through the window in a cloud of smoke, but from then on nothing seemed to go to plan.

Whereas Kim was used to out of control rockets, and her well trained instincts warned her to duck at the right time, Shego seemed to waltze through the chaos without any effort whatsoever. As the rocket twisted and turned through the room, she just seemed to step out of the way just as the projectile veered off into a new direction.

After being made to make a third evasive manouver to avoid collision, Kim had given up. It was obvious Shego wasn't phased by out of control missiles, and she was getting fed up with having to dodge out of the way. Ignoring the protest from her ribs, the cheerleader flipped into a forward roll and swept up the frying pan from the stove.

As predictable as Old Faithful, the rocket powered it's way towards her, and the skillet swung in time honoured fashion, destined to convert yet another pioneering space vehicle into scrap metal. Except that this time, there was no impact. Not meeting the expected resistance, Kim spun around as the heavy iron pan's momentum pulled her off balance, and she fell to the ground in a humiliating heap.

Her derriere stung with the impact of the kitchen floor, and her eyes closed momentarily with the pain. When she opened them again, she looked up to see a delicate black fingernailed hand wrapped around the rocket, having just extinguished it's engine with a precision application of plasma power. The young girl's face fell into a frustrated scowl as she looked up into the amused smirk of her tormentor, and things just got worse from then on.

Her two brothers came tearing into the house, expecting to find their latest creation in a mangled heap at the feet of their older sister. Instead, they found her sitting on the floor, frying pan in hand as evidence of her intent to destroy their masterpiece. Even better, the machine in question was still intact, currently undergoing an apparently approving investigation from their sister's arch enemy.

"Nice engineering." Shego made a pretence of admiring the rocket, nodding her head as she examined the craftmanship. "Pretty good for a couple of fourteen year olds."

"We're twelve." Jim piped up, his voice smug with pride as his work was treated with respect by someone other than his father. Inwardly Shego grinned as she peeked through the corner of her eye at the exasperated look in Kim's face.

"Really?" Shego allowed her voice to rise as if in surprise. "You know, this is a nice piece of work, what mix did you use in the fuel?"

She let the boys prattle on about Nitrous Oxide ratio's and other things she had no interest in, all the while keeping an eye on Kim while the redheaded girl's frustrations grew, as evidenced by the emotions playing across her features.

"Oh come on Pumpkin, you have to admit, your brothers are pretty handy with the explosives." Shego interrupted the twin's flow, thereby drawing their attention to the expression on their older sisters face.

"Gaaah." Kim couldn't take any more schmoozing and propelled herself up from the floor. Slamming the now redundant frying pan on the kitchen table she stomped out of the room.

"She never appreciates our work, she just destroys it." Tim's voice was laden with resentment as he watched his sister leave.

"And you let her get away with that?" Shego probed, hoping they weren't sophisticated enough to detect the way she was steering the conversation.

"Hell no." Jim's voice piped up with an upbeat tone. "Let's just say she doesn't put her shoes on without having to check them first." This last comment elicited a chuckle from his brother. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Wow was she mad."

A smile broke out on Shego's face. Not only was Kim going to owe her, it looked like she was going to have plenty of ammunition for the next time the two women met in combat.

"Now this story I HAVE to hear." She draped an arm over each of the boy's shoulders sweeping them out of the kitchen and into the living room. "Tell me about it."

Kim was sitting hunched in the armchair when they entered. Unable to storm out again without looking petty, she just had to suffer in silence as the three conspiritors swapped stories about her humiliations.

Early on, she had tried to intervene, bringing up her own victories over Shego, but her brothers never seemed interested in those. Shego was handing them potential dynamite and they intended to absorb as much as possible.

Finally, glancing at the clock, Shego rose from the sofa where she had been sitting. "Look boys, it's been great chatting and all, but I've got some shopping to put away. I mean, look at the time, we've been talking for over an hour already." With an evil smirk at the teenager now sitting hunched in her chair, followed by a wink, she swept out of the room leaving the Possible siblings alone in the room together.

"And what the hell was that all about?" Kim rounded on her brothers with a hiss, almost as soon as her nemesis had left the room.

"What, she's pretty cool." The twins chimed in together, Jim actually putting away a pad where he had been taking notes.

"Look, how would you like to earn twenty bucks?" Kim decided to try a different tack. There was no way she was going to let Shego get away with this.

"Doing what?" Tim looked at her suspiciously, his big sister not being renowned for generosity to her younger brothers.

"Can't you see how she wrapped you round her little finger? She played the two of you like a finely tuned piano."

"Huh?" The two boys looked at each other in total incomprehension.

"Alright, Alright." Kim realised she was going to have to sweeten the pot a little. "Twenty bucks and five free rides a week for a month. Just wipe that smug look off her face will you?"

Jim and Tim looked at each other and then at their sister. "Twenty bucks, free rides and your DVD player, and you're on."

"What do you need... forget it, I don't want to know. You're on." Kim held out her hand to shake on it. The boys left, already planning some diabolical scheme to win their prize, while Kim settled down with a self satisfied smile on her face.

It soon became apparent that she would have to wait for her revenge. Dinner time proved an unexpected trial, as Shego amused the boys with stories of her own younger brother's exploits. Only a single wink thrown her way during the main course told her that they had not forgotten their agreement.

For Shego, the meal reminded her of simpler times, before her family relationships had become so strained, even going as far as to bring back memories of life before the comet. Kim's brothers were older than her own twin siblings had been, but they had the same zest for living without any of the cynicism as the Wego's, and she found herself enjoying their company more than she thought possible. Even Kim seemed to lighten up half way through the main course.

As darkness fell, the Possible household settled down for the night. Jim and Tim were sent to bed for testing the effects of Heavy water on the goldfish, and Kim and Shego both turned in early, their earlier excursion tiring them out more than either of them had expected. It didn't help that Anne Possible had scolded them both about their morning activities, lecturing them about the finer points of muscle healing and the dangers of a relapse. Both women were glad to escape to the peace and quiet of their own rooms.

Only the two Dr Possibles were up, relaxing over a book and some fine wine, so there was no-one to notice the van parked across the street, nor the furtive movements of a black clad figure sneaking across the road, focussing what looked like a hand held satellite dish on the second floor windows. After a few moments, he pulled out a radio and flipped the switch.

"Am in position. Prepare for phase three."

For someone who had been operating on the wrong side of the law for as long as she had, Shego was a pretty good sleeper, but even asleep, her instincts and senses were on alert for the tiniest hint of trouble. It wasn't long, therefore, before her dreams were interrupted by a sixth sense that she was in danger. Eyes flashed open as she lay still, seeking to identify what it was that had awakened her, until finally, she could hear stealthy movements the other side of her door, and even the soft whisper of a voice.

Slinking noiselessly from under the duvet, she crept over to the door, as silent as any ninja, her every muscle tense in case it should open before she got there. Positioning herself just out of direct firing range, she reached out and with one movement, jerked open the door, while launching a bolt of green fire at whatever intruder was behind it.

Both Dr Possible's heads jerked up at the concussive thud they heard from the upstairs floor, closely followed by a high pitched scream from a voice they knew well. Book and glasses went flying as they shot to their feet, and ran to the stairwell, meeting a terrified Jim rushing down, his face white with fear. Passing the scared boy to her husband, Anne Possible was sick with apprehension at what she might find as she rushed up the stairs to find Shego kneeling on the floor with a sobbing Tim scooped up in her arms, while repeating over and over again, "I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry."

Anne quickly moved in and relinquished the shaken Shego of her charge. A rapid check for injuries remarkably revealed only a slight charring of the hair on one side of his head. Fortunately, anticipating an adult assailant, Shego had aimed too high to cause any damage, although Dr Possible could now see the sweeping scorchmark running up the wall opposite the door to her room where her arm had pulled up as soon as she saw who her erstwhile attackers were.

Satisfied that her son was unharmed, her attention now turned to the young woman still kneeling on the floor in front of her. Eyes were unfocused, and the body began to shiver as she kept repeating "I'm sorry."

Recognising shock when she saw it, Dr Possible stood up, and took Jim back to his room, depositing him in his bed while promising to be back soon. She then returned to find the thief still kneeling in the hallway, staring vacantly at the wall. Gently lifting her to her feet, Anne steered Shego back into her room and coaxed her to lay down on the bed, swiftly covering the shivering body with the bedclothes.

Hearing movement by the door, she saw Kim staring white faced at the scene before her. Wanting to get back to her son as quickly as possible, she waved her daughter into the room, instructing her to reassure the shocked woman now curled up in bed that no harm had been done.

Kim was left alone, unsure what to do next, but feeling sick in the pit of her stomach at the danger she had put her young brothers into. What kind of hero was she that tempted fate just to save face? Badly shaken herself, she sat on the bed and stroked the green woman's shoulder, constantly reassuring her charge that noone was hurt in her best babysitting voice, while in her own mind a little voice was repeating over and over again "No thanks to you."

She finally left the room once she was satisfied that Shego had gone to sleep, only to be met by her mother coming out of the boys room having settled her sons back down for the night.

"I don't know what got into them." Kim's mothers voice was questioning. "It is so unlike them to pull something like this on a guest. We're just lucky that Shego's reactions were fast enough to prevent something much worse."

Kim nodded glumly, feeling worse by the minute as her mother went to update her husband on the state of affairs. Trudging back to bed herself, guilt welled up inside her causing tears to prick at her eyes as she climbed the stairs into her room. She sat on the bed and let her head fall into her hands as she tried to take in what had happened, when the four note alarm rang out from her Kimmunicator sitting on the desk.

Numbly picking up the device, she activated the screen, to see Wade's face peering out from his room.

"Hey Wade, what's the sitch?" Her voice was lifeless, not caring what world catastrophe was taking place, but the young man's voice cut through her misery.

"I thought you ought to see this Kim, I'm patching you in on the local news channel."

The screen flickered and suddenly, his face was replaced by those of the two anchors of the Middleton News.

"The body was identified as one Robert Brinkley, a part time worker for the once notorious criminal, now Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr Drakken."

The picture changed to reveal the smouldering remains of Dr Dementor's lair where she had had her fateful encounter with Drakken and Shego.

"He was found in an old test laboratory near to the center of the mystery blast, apparently unable to escape in time before being incinerated."

A picture of a youngish man appeared on the screen, and Kim's jaw dropped as she recognised the guard she had knocked out in her infiltration of the lair. A guard she had forgotten about totally in all the subsequent furore, and one she had apparently doomed to a firey death.

"Survived by a wife and two children..." Kim heard nothing more as she let the Kimmunicator fall from her slack fingers.

When Anne Possible got up the next morning to check on her convalescing patients, it was to find Shego gone, and Kim curled up in a ball on her bed, staring red eyed at the wall.