Shego let out a yawn and opened the door the rest of the way. She hadn't been expecting the redhead to ask to talk until the morning, and she had actually gone straight to sleep.

Once Kim was inside she closed the door and turned on the lights. She gestured for Kim to take a seat on the bed as she slid under the covers and stretched slightly. "Ok Princess, start talking. I would like to go back to sleep soon."

She took a seat where Shego had suggested. "U-Umm… well," Kim muttered, fidgeting on the bed.

"Spit it out," Shego groaned. She really just wanted sleep. She didn't want to put any effort into teasing the younger girl; she just wanted the redhead to say what she needed to say.

"Why do you call me by those nicknames?"

Shego cocked an eyebrow at that. Even though she was slightly surprised by that question she said simply, "It's called flirting, Cupcake."

Kim turned slightly red. "You… you've been flirting with me since we first met? I was just a freshman in high school!"

"Yep, and I was a sophomore in college."

"Wait… what?"

"I'm not that much older than you Kimmie. I got my degree while working for Drakken. He paid my tuition and still paid me to protect him. All I had to do was get my degree in a place that would never expect me to turn evil. Go City."

Kim gaped. "So… you're only like five years older than me?!" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah. Basically. I developed when I was young so I've always looked a little older than I am."

"So… when you said that you were picked on in high school… were you telling the truth?"

"Yeah. I still was with Team Go in high school. I quit as soon as I was out and started working for Drakken. Sure I helped protect Go City even though my peers treated me like shit. They all thought that since I was a hero I wouldn't ever do anything back to them. That'll teach those assholes," she sneered, remembering what she'd done.

Kim didn't dare ask. The look on Shego's face said that it was not a pleasant experience for her tormentors.

"Now then, is that all you wanted?" Shego asked, snuggling a bit deeper under the blankets.

"Why?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"Huh? Why what?"

"Why do you flirt with me?"

"Seriously? Why do you think I flirt with you?"

"To throw me off during our fights," Kim said with a straight face.

Shego was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh of disbelief. This kid did not know a thing about serious flirting it would seem.

"Ok Kimmie, let me ask you this. Have I ever seriously hurt you before?"

"You kidnapped my boyfriend who happened to be a synthodrone," she said in slight disgust.

Shego darkened at that memory. She then said in a dangerous voice, "No. Drakken called Eric back to the base and I actually hadn't known he was a synthodrone until he suddenly appeared. I had nothing to do with that. I just stole whatever shit he needed and he did the rest."

Kim bit her lip slightly. She sort of believed Shego, but she still wasn't sure.

"During that time, did I do anything to hurt you?" Shego asked again.

"We fought."

"Mmhmm, yeah. You do remember that my plasma can burn through metal right? I do remember cutting you with my nails while they were plasma charged, but did you notice that I didn't burn you and that it wasn't a deep wound?"

That realization seemed to shock Kim. It was true. And then she thought about all her other fights. Shego had never once actually burned her. In fact, if she'd really wanted, Shego could've killed her by now.

"And also, I was the one who really got hurt when you think about it."

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"Kimmie… That night you asked, 'Do you know what I really hate?' and I replied, 'That your boyfriend melted?' and you said, 'No, you.' That hurt a lot more than you'd think," she said in almost a whisper. "And don't forget that kick. You sent me flying into the crumbling building that was electrically charged and lethal at that. As I collided, I know that I saw something that was even worse than you kicking me into something that would have killed anyone else. You were smiling."

Kim didn't know how to reply to that.

Shego sighed and continued, "You have no clue how I felt after that. I was actually terrified to face you again. What would happen if you'd been corrupted that night, and the thought of killing someone didn't faze you? You'd actually been smiling when I could've been dead. Sometimes… I still worry."

Kim was shocked. She couldn't believe it. Shego had actually been scared… and Kim didn't even remember much about that night. It was all sort of a blur. Everything had happened so fast.

When Kim didn't respond, Shego finally decided it was time. "Kimmie, I need you to leave now."

"Huh?" Kim asked in confusion. Was she being kicked out of the house?

"I heard the water stop so Monique is probably out of the shower. You can go take yours now and go to sleep. In the mean time, I do need to get some sleep before I go back to work tomorrow. We could probably end up talking all night. Let me just say this: I flirt with you for all the reasons that most people flirt with each other. Simple as that. It isn't to distract you, and it isn't to make you feel uncomfortable. I never planned to seriously injure you in any way, physically or emotionally."

Kim was so confused, but before she'd realized it, Shego had gotten out of bed and practically shoved her out of the room locking the door and heading back to her soft bed to sleep.

"Alone at last," Shego said with a satisfied smile.

The redhead stood outside Shego's room until Monique noticed her. She had a feeling the two had talked, and she could also tell that whatever Shego had said had surprised Kim. Monique decided to take Kim's mind off of it saying, "Hey Kim, the shower is free."

"Oh, thanks!" Kim said in a rush, snapping out of her daze. She grabbed her things and walked into the bathroom. When she stepped under the warm water she let her confusion and questions slip down the drain, along with the drops of water cascading down her body. She wasn't going to think about it anymore that night. Instead, she was going to go to bed and rest. The next day was probably going to be exhausting like this one had been, and she knew she would need her rest.

As she dried off and got dressed, one thing kept plaguing her. Even after she crawled into the bed beside her sleeping best friend and closed her eyes, she kept asking herself one question.

"Does Shego… like me?"