Author's Note: Enjoy.

Chapter Ten: Hart's War

Shego entered the door to her home and looked around. It was quiet. Jake peeked in from behind her wondering what the hold up was. The raven haired girl stepped further inside. She could feel the presence of someone in the room but it wasn't Neelam.

Shego closed the door behind her and followed Jake as he trotted down the hallway. He seemed pretty content, it was obviously someone he knew well.

"Welcome back, Trouble." Joy said. She was dusting the wooden furniture in their bedroom.

"For now," Shego remarked.

"Hopefully not for long." Joy said. "I'm waiting for that girl to knock some sense into you."

"Very funny."

Shego sat down on her bed and dug into her boot pocket removing the nicked item. She laid it down on the bed next to her and removed her boots.

"That's a nifty little gadget you got there." Joy said. "One of those new iPhone's or whatever you kids are carrying around nowadays?"

Shego laughed.

"Something like that."

Shego eyed the communication mechanism and sighed. That thing was more trouble than it was worth.

"Trouble got troubles?" Joy asked.

"Something like that." Shego repeated.

"Talk to me." Joy said sitting down next to her.

"I'm afraid if I talk anymore I'll definitely lose my voice." Shego said.

"Nonsense."

"There's this girl…"

"Oh," Joy said throwing up her hands. "Nothing good ever comes after that statement."

"Will you listen?" Shego huffed.

"Alright."

"We've become "friends" and my latest assignment was to acquire this little piece of equipment." Shego said.

"What does "friends" mean?" Joy asked repeating Shego's air quotation hand movements.

"It means figuratively speaking," Shego said clarified.

"So you're pretending to be friends?"

"No," Shego said thinking about it. "Well…"

"That's what I think of when I hear figurative friendship." Joy said. "But I get the feeling it's more literal than you want it to be."

"Why do people insist on trying to read between my lines?" Shego asked. "I don't know what we have."

"Stealing from friends usually has a negative impact," Joy said, turning back to the subject.

"Yeah no kidding."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I don't make friends easily." Shego said. "It just felt like our "friendship" was coming along to quickly."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to give it back to her," Shego said. "Place it in her hands and, oh I don't know, try and talk it out."

"My goodness," Joy said staring at her.

Shego jumped lightly when she felt Joy's cool hand press against her forehead.

"I think this is more than "friendship"." She said, chuckling lightly.

"It's barely that," Shego said. "It can't be anything else."

"You're guilty." She pointed out. "You don't become guilty."

"That's not true." Shego said. "Doctor D took her friends wheelchair a while back and that was kind of low."

"So you've known her longer than you're trying to let on."

"You didn't ask how long I've known her." Shego said. "You asked what "friendship" meant."

"So, How long have you known her?"

"Oh I don't know…" Shego said counting. "We were Freshmen's when we first met. Since I was Fourteen maybe?"

"You've lived here long enough to have known someone for that long?" Joy asked.

"Well, not in town," Shego said. "But I was highly employable at a young age in my line of business."

"You really should consider a career change." Joy told her.

"That's the same thing Betty keeps telling me."

"Oh, How is Betty?" Joy asked. "She hasn't been by in so long."

"Yet I've still had my run ins with her." Shego muttered. "She's doing amazing."

"Still seeing that boyfriend of hers?"

"Fiancé now." the raven haired girl replied.

"Heavens," Joy gasped. "He's a very lucky man."

"Yeah," Shego said with a smile.

"You could have someone like Betty." Joy prodded.

"She does," Neelam said appearing in the doorway.

Joy rolled her eyes in evident aggravation.

"I didn't know Betty was a sadistic bitch," Joy said sounding innocent. She shrugged her shoulders. "You learn something new about a person everyday."

Shego turned her head and tucked her face into her shoulder as she tried to hide her smile.

"You're more trouble than you're worth," Neelam said. "Get out."

"Someone who loves you child." Joy said getting up. "Worships the ground you walk on…"

"I said 'get out'." Neelam said. She stood upright, from her position leaning on the door frame. "and don't come back."

"Why would one need housekeeping when they have their own personal slave?" Joy asked as she walked out of the room.

The two women stared at each other as they heard the door to their room close.

"I don't want that woman back in here." Neelam said. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"I like Joy," Shego defended. "She's welcome here anytime I'm home."

Neelam glared at her but Shego ignored her. She was feeling bolder. There was something about Betty's words that she had taken to heart. Shego and Samantha were the same and there was no reason she should be a victim.

"You should be careful of your choice in friends…"

"Why is it, you never like any of my friends?" Shego asked. "Is it because they don't like you?"

"It's difficult to get along with those little mongrels you call friends." The woman replied.

"I beg to differ," Shego said. "I find my friends to be very easy to get along with."

Neelam entered the room fully and sat on the bed next to her girlfriend. Shego smiled when the other woman took her hand in hers. The darker skinned woman brought Shego's hand to her lips and kissed the back of it.

"Let's go to dinner," Neelam said. "Someplace peaceful."

"Peaceful is always nice," Shego said. "But I've got two tickets to today's Wrestle Mania and I plan on using at least one of them."

"You sure do plan a lot of things to do without me." Neelam said. She sounded genuinely upset by this fact.

"I said two." Shego said. "I plan on doing a lot of things with you. I just more often than not get stood up."

"You have to find things we both like to do," Neelam said. "You seriously expect me to like Wrestle whatever?"

"Not completely," Shego answered honestly. "But I do expect you to like doing things with me, even if you aren't totally into it. It's only two hours long and it starts at one o'clock."

"I think I could handle an afternoon of over grown men in tiny suits, saying ridiculous things, and slamming each other into the ground."

"Really?" Shego asked, Shego's jade eye's lit up with hope.

"Really."

Kim left the audio visual club with a smile on her face. They'd been receptive of her script. They wanted to make a few changes to it but she'd informed them that they had the freedom to do whatever they felt they need to do.

The redhead stopped at her locker before going to her car. She was tired but she had a few things she needed to do before she went home. The boys had other plans and had decided to stay later. She let them know she would be expecting a call from them if they needed her.

It had been two days since she'd last seen Shego, which surprised her. There were no late night visits, no missions regarding the other girl, no phone calls from Betty. Nothing. She didn't know whether she should begin to worry or not. She shrugged it off. Shego would come to her when she was ready.

Her cell phone vibrated and she stuck her hand into her pocket and retrieved it. Flipping it open she read a text message.

"Outside 6:30?" Kim read aloud. "6:30 where?"

"Outside."

"Duh."

Kim turned her head to find Jim and Tim staring back at her curiously.

"Dweebs."

Kim readjusted the things in her arms and began walking to the car.

Monique had decided to start using her own car again. Something about having made a deal with her father. Kim mentally shrugged. She supposed she go home and out her things away. The walk to her car was short. The boys took their seats in the back. Kim tuned them out when they started talking about building things that would surely get them grounded.

The boys hadn't helped and she hadn't recognized the number. Kim sighed. It was Friday and Winter Formal was tomorrow. Who ever decided to have it on a Saturday was an idiot. She thought about that for a minute and smacked herself on the forehead. She had thought of it. It sounded like a brilliant idea at the time but no one should need all day to prepare for a dance that started at six and ended at eight thirty.

They pulled into the drive way but Kim didn't pull into the garage. She figured she'd be leaving again soon.

The boys got out of the car but she stayed seated for a while longer. The fact that she hadn't had any contact with Shego gave her a headache. She looked at the time, it was six.

Getting out of the car she scanned the area for any vehicles she didn't know, and spotted nothing. She shrugged got her things from the car and made her way inside the house. She dropped her messenger bag by the door and went through the dining hall into the kitchen.

Kim went over to the sink and washed her hands. Kim turned off the water and used the dish rag to dry her hands. She walked across the kitchen to the refrigerator and opened the door. Peering inside her eyebrows rose. All for a few vegetables it was bare. It seemed her father hadn't gone grocery shopping. He'd probably forgotten again. She closed the refrigerator and went through the cupboards she was hungry and nothing she came across seemed appealing. She checked the time, it was fifteen minutes before she would go "outside."

"Pizza." Kim muttered she went over to the phone and got out the number. She dialed and when someone answered the phone she placed an order.

Monique rested against her car, arms folded over her chest. She stood outside the one house she never thought she would see the inside of, The home of the Rockwallers.

Her phone buzzed and she answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Are you going to come in or stare at my house like a stalker?"

"Stare like a stalker."

"Get your ass in here." Bonnie said opening the front door.

Monique pushed herself off the car and made her way over to the door.

"I don't even know why I'm here," the dark skinned girl said as Bonnie pulled her inside. "We don't even like each other and suddenly I'm over your house "hanging out" or whatever the hell this is going to be."

"You're making this more difficult than it has to be." Bonnie told Monique. "Kim wants us to start getting along and we both know that isn't going to happen with her around."

"I really don't think this is a great idea." Monique said following behind the brunette as she went deeper inside the house. The brunette shuddered and Monique's eyebrows rose as they heard Connie and Lonnie laughing off in the distance.

"That's disturbing." Monique said.

"Tell me about it." Bonnie said. "It would be better if it didn't come out more as a cackle."

They began ascending the stairs when Bonnie's mother appeared at the top.

"Bryony dear," The older woman called. "Come be a good girl and help mommy."

"Last room at the end." Bonnie told Monique the girl nodded and Bonnie went to give her mother a hand.

Monique finished going up the stair before she followed Bonnie's instructions. She got to the girls bedroom door but found it locked.

"She's such a genius," Monique mumbled to herself.

Kim opened a pop tart and looked at the clock, five minutes left. She tucked away the toaster pastry easily and went outside.

She opened the door and Jacob awaited her. He lounged lazily on her lawn.

"Good Afternoon, Jacob." Kim greeted the lazy canine.

The old dog sat up and waited patiently for her to come over to him. Calmly he began to led her away from her house.

Kim scoffed. The older girl hadn't called her or sent her any form of contact and all of a sudden she sent her dog to come and fetch her like some chew toy.

The redhead shook her head. She was contemplating giving Shego a piece of her mind.

Kim followed Jacob and they soon came upon the small park, the boys had taken him to. There in the parking lot, Sitting on top of the hood of her car, was Shego.

"Good boy, Jacob." Shego praised. She slid off the hood of her car and scratched him behind the ears. She straightened and turned her attention to the redhead. She looked her over. The redhead's face was blank, except for the small quirk of her eyebrow.

"Good Afternoon, Kim."

"Good Afternoon, Sam."

"You look like your doing well." Shego commented.

"And you look like you have some explaining to do."

"I already explained my compromising position in this circumstance." Shego said. "You just weren't very forthcoming with providing a solution to my situation."

"You could begin by quitting your current occupation." Kim answered. "Until then I highly doubt your existing state of affairs will improve."

"And do what?" Shego asked. "I refuse to sit behind a desk and watch my life pass me by."

"So you'd prefer to sit in a jail cell and let it pass you by." Kim retorted. "That is a perfect plan Ms. Orrick, kudos."

"I didn't have you come here so you could preach to me." Shego snapped.

"Yeah, what was up with that." Kim said. She thought she'd finally feel relieved when she had the older girl in her sights but apparently, she'd been wrong. The flash of irritation that surged through her commanded to be acknowledged. "The next time you want me, come and get me yourself."

"There's something wrong with this girl." Shego muttered to Jacob. He whined in reply.

"Can you take something I say seriously for once?"

"Not when you use that tone." Shego said. "I keep telling you I'm not five."

"Sometime's I feel like I have too," Kim said. "There's something about certain English word's you don't seem to comprehend."

"You really shouldn't take this personal." Shego said.

"It's hard not to when you ask permission." Kim said. "What were you thinking?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Shego said. "Things are so much easier when you just steal shit and wait until someone notices it's missing."

"Tell me was it the 'N' or the 'O?'"

"I got put between a rock and a hard place. What was I suppose to do?"

"Not do it." Kim said. "How do you expect me to trust you?"

"I don't," Shego said losing her patience. "I'm a fucking thief, you've got to be an idiot to trust me."

"I'm an idiot for trusting someone I thought was my friend?" Kim said.

"I keep telling you we aren't friends." Shego said.

"So now you're a thief and a liar."

"You take that back or I'll punch you into the middle of next week." Shego threatened. She didn't take being called a liar lightly. She didn't care who it was.

"I'm not taking a damn thing back." Kim said. Her own temper rising to meet that of Shego's. She watched the dark haired woman clutch her fists in anger.

"Prepare to load up." Shego said.

Kim didn't understand until Jacob sat next to Shego's side of the car.

"You're just going to run away again?" Kim asked.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to admit you were wrong." Kim said. "For once take responsibility for your actions and stop blaming other people."

"I've never once blamed anyone for anything I've done." Shego said moving closer. "Don't accuse me of something I haven't done. That isn't fair."

"Yeah, and taking advantage of me was?"

Kim's body went ridged. She could feel the radiating heat the taller girl gave off.

Shego dug into her pocket and held out the hand held device, which Kim quickly accepted.

"I almost let you fool me into thinking we could be something more than enemies." Shego forced out through clenched teeth.

"Don't play the victim." Kim retorted. "Nothing you've done in the last week makes any sense to me."

"Nothing I've done my whole life has made any God damned sense to me," Shego exclaimed. "So, welcome to my fucking world. You wanted in, and now that you got it, you want out."

"I want out of your bullshit!" Kim growled.

"You asked for this," Shego said.

"I asked to be your friend."

"We can't be buddies. We can't be partners, and we damn sure can't be friends. " Shego felt enraged, but something held her back from hitting the other girl.

"Fine." Kim said. "I'm sick of trying."

She watched Shego turn her back on her and walk briskly to her car. She opened the door and Jake quickly got in.

"I wish you'd stay the fuck out of my life." Shego said

"I wish you'd stop dragging me into it." Kim snapped.

Shego didn't respond. She got into the car and started the ignition, before pulling off.

Kim sighed. That had gone the exact opposite way it was suppose to go and she somehow got the feeling it was her fault.

Author's Note: I'll see you guys next chapter.