WARNING: This chapter is a lime scene, so if you don't want to read it then skip down to the next chapter. Also, I felt inclined to raise the rating on this fiction from 'T' to 'M' because of it. I debated long and hard (no pun!) on if I really wanted to include this or not, but I felt that the descriptions of the characters motives in the scene were too noteworthy for the entire plot not to address seriously. Call it "artistic license" if you want to, but I didn't want to cheat on my story.

Also, as a twist, a great deal of the action happens from Shego's POV in this chapter. The reason why is explained at the end (I don't want to ruin it for people now)

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Chapter 10 – Shego's Passionate Heart

Despite the heat of the bath, Ron was breaking out in a cold sweat. The pain in his shoulder was still strong, but he refused to take any morphine to dull it – he wanted to keep his mind clear and he was aware of the addictive qualities of the drug. Neither of these things however happened to be the primary source of his discomfort.

"Stop squirming!" came a delightfully pout-laden voice behind him.

That was she – the entrancing creature that was causing him a great deal of irritation at the moment. Oh, it wasn't the fact that she was being a little bit too doting on him; he kind of liked that attention. Nor was it the fact that she followed him around constantly these days, he actually liked that too. It wasn't even the fact that she was in his bath at the moment, gingerly soaping his back, he was a big boy and could deal with that.

It was the fact that the hot water from the tub had completely soaked her white linen chemise and he could see everything.

It wasn't the first time that he had been privy to such an intimate view of Shego's body, but the contrast between then and now was stark. When he had first brought her here from the hospital she had been little more than skin and bones and his viewing of her had been more clinical, like a doctors practiced eye when observing a patient. Now however, months of fattening up had put all the weight that she had lost back on, and then some. Ron ruefully thought that perhaps a bit too much weight, and in all the right places. He caught a glimpse of Shego out of the corner of her eye - she was trying to wring out the cloth she had been using on his back and he was entranced by the effect the motions of her arms were having on her chest.

"Was that a jiggle? Is she doing that on purpose? Is she trying to kill me?"

Ron started to mentally walk through his multiplication tables in an effort to keep the obvious effects of Shego's attentions at bay. Just as he was starting to make progress he felt two arms drape around his chest and start to rub a soapy cloth over him. It was enough to light his skin on fire under normal circumstances, but what really sent him over the edge was the soft firmness of twin globes pressing against his back.

"B-b-b-b-b-ella!" Ron shouted, as he stood upright in the tub.

"What's wrong?" Shego said with a tinge of concern in her voice.

Ron paused for a moment, wondering what to say. Eventually he decided to go with his inner Ron-ness and just blurt out the truth.

"Maybe you should wear a … towel or something." He stammered out.

Shego pouted for a second and then plaintively said, "What, you don't like what you see?"

"No! I mean… well, definitely no… or yes I do! Does that make sense? You're very beautiful and…" Ron let his voice trail off, there didn't seem to be a good way for him to get out of this situation without further embarrassing himself.

"Well, the view from down here is pretty good too Tim." Shego practically licked her lips at sight before her.

Ron blushed about three different shades of red and then stepped out of the tub, reaching for a towel. Shego had been getting under his skin, in a way that no woman ever had before. He bitterly thought that with her recent "sex-offensive" and Monkey Fist's early appearance that pretty much all of his plans had gone out the window. It was frankly, just a little bit too much for him to handle.

"You know, I think I'm getting a little cold. I'll get dressed and warm up by the fire." He tried to offer some excuse to explain his sudden departure.

"Oh, from what I saw you didn't look like you were that cold." Shego replied to him tartly.

"Oh God, she saw it…"

Ron was besides himself as he opened the door and stepped out into his room. His rooms, being the master suite, were very similar to the small apartments that Shego had been living in, which meant it came equipped with it's own bath as well as a study and a bedroom. The bath led right to the later and he wondered if he had really escaped the dangerous situation with the raven-haired temptress.

He threw himself backwards on his bed and closed his eyes. Things were definitely not going according to his plans. Ever since the night of the ball, when Fiske had wounded him, Shego had latched onto him like he was her own personal cuddlebuddy. It wasn't that he didn't particularly like it – actually it felt pretty good to have a woman, especially a beautiful one like Shego, practically doting on him. However the problem that Ron was having was that she was Shego, and hence, his enemy.

"Or is she? She certainly doesn't seem to be acting like it these days… but then again she thinks I'm someone else. Do I like her? Definitely. Do I want to bed her? Absolutely. Should I?"

Ron left that last question unanswered. Despite how he knew these things often worked out and the pain that was associated with them, he also knew that he had a serious ethical problem to deal with. He had been playing at Timothy North for so long that he had forgotten that deep down inside Ron Stoppable wasn't quite the same person. In fact, Ron was in many ways the complete opposite of Tim. Where Tim could lie and cheat and manipulate people to do his bidding, Ron felt completely unable to do any of those things.

It was a strange duality of personality that Ron hadn't been able to completely resolve. When he was playing at being North, it was almost like he was watching his body do things from the outside. It didn't go very far to assuage his guilt about the things that he did, but he reasoned in his mind that he was like an actor playing a part in a period drama. After all, when he did something like say, kill someone; didn't they always come back healthy and whole on the next iteration through the Time-Loop?

"What to do about Shego? I can't tell her the truth, but she's bound to find out sooner or later. I want to tell her… I want to be able to tell her everything, about me, about this situation. But what will she do when she finds out I lied to her? Would she believe me if I said that it was in the past and that I loved her now…"

Ron couldn't believe himself. "Love… Shego?" Those words echoed in his mind. He knew that he had feelings for her, strong feelings even, but did he truly love her or was he just… lonely. He thought for a moment and then tried to describe the woman.

"Beautiful, without a doubt. Smart, clever and cunning, but also warm, kind and sensitive. Her heart is fragile and I could break it in an instant. Could I do that to her? She's also… loyal. Incredibly loyal."

The idea of loyalty held a special meaning for Ron and he sighed for a moment. Shego had fallen into his trap so completely that he bitterly hated himself for having tricked her in the first place. She had proven her loyalty in the hallway when she had battled Monkey Fist on his behest, but he knew it wasn't exactly loyalty to him. It was loyalty to Tim North and his web of manipulation, betrayals and deceit. Ron knew that if he were ever going to have a relationship with Shego, it would take him a long time to dig himself out of the hole he had made.

"How could I screw this up so much?"

That thought was abruptly interrupted by a small drop of water hitting his face and he opened his eyes suddenly. Before him, leaning over his prone position, was Shego and she was in her full glory.

"W-what?" he managed to get out before Shego fell on top of him.

She rubbed her nude body against his chest and then whispered in his ear, "Sorry… my clothes were wet."

What happened next was pure instinct on the part of Ron. All thoughts of complications and problems were instantly shoved to the side as he felt Shego's damp breasts press against his chest and he moved to put his good arm around her. Quickly they were locked in an embrace and a kiss that warmed them both more than any fire. This continued for long minutes until Shego slowly broke the kiss and then moved to the head of the bed.

She peeled away the top layer of blankets and slid seductively between the sheets and then she lay on her side and patted the empty spot next to her.

"It's cold out there Tim, lets warm up a little bit… in here," her already throaty voice was low and seductive and Ron felt himself pulled to her by the pure force of her eroticism.

Once under the covers it didn't take long for them to resume where they had left off and Ron found himself being lost in Shego's passion. He had only known her before as a fighter, but even then he could tell that she was fiery, and not just her hands. Now he realized that her attitude also extended to the bedroom. He wasn't sure if he should be thrilled or scared.

He barely noticed it when his towel had found it's way to Shego's hands and then to the floor, he was too preoccupied with the sensation of her lips across his chest – it was one of his weak points. With a deft movement and with much concern for his injured shoulder, Shego moved from her position at his side to one that was half on top of him. It was a better angle for them to continue their kissing without having to crane their heads and it brought along with it the pleasant sensation of chests touching as well as… other parts. Dimly in the back of his mind Ron realized that he should have stopped things there, but he was already so far gone that he was almost a slave to the passion of the beautiful woman in his bed and he realized then and there that his plan had completely blew up in his face.

He loved her, without a doubt, and all he was doing at this point was fighting a doomed retreating action. He admitted to himself how bad this would hurt later, but plunged ahead anyway. If he could give her just a fraction of the comfort that she had given him so far, then it was worth the pain. She deserved as much.

Shego smiled both inwardly and outwardly at the way things were going, for once her heart and body were in perfect unison. She knew, without a doubt, that she loved Timothy North. The fear and anger that had gripped her heart when he had been shot was proof enough and she admitted to herself that no matter what happened, she could not bear to be without him. She was still struggling with her own fear of physical intimacy, but her love for Tim was quickly overcoming the remaining obstacles to their union, and if things went well tonight then even that would become a thing of past.

She wasn't sure exactly when she had decided it, but sometime within the last two weeks since Tim had been injured she had started to feel very keenly that she was missing out on something. Her heart raced when she was with this man, her legs felt weak and all it took from him was a kiss or a caress for her to be painfully aware that she was a woman – the anticipation and the pleasure were so intense that they actually hurt. It was a first for her. She had resolved that tonight she was going to do something that she had never done before - she was going to make love to a man that she loved.

Oh she was no virgin, but she also had never really been in love. The men she had been with had either used her, or she had used them and at the time she felt that she was ok with that. Now, looking back on her old self, she felt nothing but pity for the woman who was so bitter that she wouldn't even deign to give herself a chance to actually find love. Real love. Love like she felt for this man. It was so strong and so powerful that she was giddy with it's feeling like it was intoxicating liquor. Just saying his name to herself sent her into fits of butterflies and when she was alone in her room, she would hold her pillow and wish that it were him. This feeling was so new to her and so wild that she couldn't understand it, but then she had thought to herself, "Why even bother!"

She knew that he hadn't come back to her with the three words that she wanted him to say, but in her mind she considered it a technicality. Tim's actions, his demeanor and his touch said volumes about how he was feeling and that was enough proof for her. So it was with deliberate action that she trailed her arm down his firm abdomen, coming to rest on the proof that he wanted her.

"B-Bella…" he moaned in response to her gentle touch.

Shego didn't give him time to utter another word, she wanted this, wanted this more than she had wanted anything in the world and she was fiercely determined to not be rejected. She silenced him with a kiss that started off languidly and then built to a fevered pitch of probing tongues and biting lips. It was a distraction for what she planned to do next.

Gently she shifted her weight, taking care not touch his injured shoulder, and she repositioned herself to straddle him. They reluctantly broke their kiss as Shego used her arms to push herself into a sitting position on top of him.

Tim seemed to come to his senses momentarily and asked her, "Bella, are you sure about this?"

She thought it was sweet of him to be concerned about her in this way, no man ever had before. Some of them had literally just forced themselves on her while she was drunk… or worse. She still remembered her experiences in Bedlam and she fought a little bit to drive away the memories.

"Not tonight. Tonight I am going to do what I want to do, everyone else in the world be damned."

It was a very Shego-like thought, part of her old persona reasserting itself. She didn't really mind, so long as it helped her get the things that she really wanted she'd welcome the bravado and arrogance.

Shego began to rock her hips gently, brushing her sex against his. She grabbed Tim's hands in her own and said, "This is my answer."

She smiled broadly when she saw the look of consternation leave Tim's face, even if he hadn't professed his love he had at least accepted this part of her and she wanted to give it to him so badly. It seemed that her enticements were having the desired effect on Tim and he grunted a little bit and then made a move to flip her over onto the bed, but she stopped him and stilled his arm.

"No, not that way… at least not tonight. I need to do it like this Tim." She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast as she leaned back. She wanted to do this, but she needed to do it on her terms. She was afraid that if she laid on her back and felt his weight upon her then the memories would be too strong and she would panic and not be able to carry on. She didn't want that, she didn't want another abortive attempt at lovemaking, she wanted her first time with this man she loved to be a total experience for her. One of mind, body and heart.

It was a surprisingly easy thing to do, more so than she had thought it would be. Perhaps it was the position they were in, she didn't feel vulnerable like this. She was actually a little startled at how strong and in control she felt being the one to set the pace for their lovemaking, it seemed to be the last piece of the puzzle to her feelings. There was a moment of hesitation as she felt the full length of him inside her, but she locked onto his face with her eyes and reached out her hand to touch his cheek to dismiss it.

"This is Tim. My Tim. I love him."

She smiled at the look on his face, it was so cute that she couldn't believe it. She had always thought that Tim was a very attractive man but he was even more so when his face was contorted in pleasure and it stoked the fires of her own feelings. She was careful however, not to lose sight of her lovers face. It was the anchor to her emotions that allowed her to remain here in the present and not traveling down the dark corridors of her mind. She had scars to heal and it would take a lot of time and a lot of love, but eventually they would go away and when they did she would give herself over completely to this man and sit back and bask in the joy of his passion. Until then however, she would do what she had to in order to master her fears.

"I wonder what he'd look like without that beard?"

It was a strange thought, one of the many strange thoughts that popped into her head while she was grinding her hips on him. It seemed odd to her that her brain would be so random while her body was so worked up, but she didn't pay much attention to it because it was in a way part of her plan – thinking about him. If she thought of Tim, and only him, then the fear stayed away and her body burned with pleasure, it was as simple as that.

Tim was stirring her inside now and she felt his passion strongly. It excited her immensely and when he pulled himself up to her and began to lightly run his lips across her nipples it sent her over the edge. Soon she was shaking and thrashing on top of him in the throws of a powerful orgasm. She waited for the warm glow to subside and when it didn't and when she realized that Tim was still going at it, her eyes went wide. It wasn't long before the same wonderful feeling began to build inside her and she discovered something about herself that she didn't know before.

"Multi-orgasmic… ahh"

An hour later, both of them covered with sweat and the remains of their lovemaking, they finally collapsed in each other's arms from exhaustion. Shego snuggled up to Tim's side and basked in the warmth of his body while she trailed a finger across his chest.

"Tim…" she muttered while she tried to crawl deeper into his side. It wasn't the prelude to a conversation; at least not really, she just liked saying his name.

Tim, for his part, turned his head and gave her a hot kiss on the lips that soon turned into another furious make-out session. When they broke away, minutes later, he left his face nestled in her shoulder and began to whisper to her.

"I love you too."

Shego's heart skipped a beat at the sound of those words and she found herself burning with desire anew. This was yet another new experience in a long list of new experiences that she was mentally filing away in a folder probably named, "About Tim". As her mouth moved across his chest she was grateful that for once she allowed herself to risk something, a fragile part of herself that she was afraid of being injured. She had taken the gamble and the rewards were something more than she had ever hoped for. It seemed like nothing she ever had and nothing she ever would have could possibly come close to rivaling the sublime bliss of being one with someone she loved.

The kissing and the lovemaking didn't end until long into the night.

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A/N: Wow, I wrote like over 3000 words of pure smuff for this chapter. Not much to say here, but I left this as it's separate chapter so that people could skip it if they want to. I'll allude to events that transpired here in the next chapter so as to form some continuity between chapter 9 and 11, so no loss there really if someone didn't want to read it.

The implications of the events that transpired here should be obvious for everyone who's been following the story. I'll go a little bit more into Ron's POV in the next chapter, but I felt that this event was more Shego's story than his – after all, even though Ron has his own issues to overcome in their relationship, his are or more of an "after the fact" sort of deal, where he can push them off into the distant future in his mind to be dealt with later. Shego on the other hand has very real and immediate hurdles that she needs to overcome. I hope I did justice to the seriousness of the situation of her abuse and how it had left an emotional wound on her.

I toyed with the idea of having Ron blurt out his identity at the end, but I decided against it because I really wanted Shego to have this moment. She's been through a lot so I thought she deserved, at least for a little while, to have something she had always wanted (love). I left her satisfied and happy, but I'm afraid we all know it's not going to last for long.

Also, I thought it would be exceptionally cruel to have her struggle so hard to triumph in her feelings over her fears only to be brought low again by the sudden revelation when she is at her most vulnerable. Although Ron wants to be honest with her, even he isn't stupid enough to spring something like that at such a time.

To me, the entire lime scene was sort of bittersweet. All you have to do is stretch your mind a little bit so that you have some empathy with Shego and I think you'll understand what I'm saying. Her love is a very fragile thing and it comes with a lot of baggage and scars, but even through all this she was at long last able to find the thing that had eluded her for so long.

Anyway the next chapter will be more along the lines of my normal length, and expect a few instances of more lime-like goodness interspersed with the rest of the series, maybe even another full on smuff scene, but that's not the entire thrust of my story (wow what is it with me and the double entendre's tonight?)

Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing – see you next chapter.

QC