I don't own these characters. Disney does. Well, I do own Isabel, Kane, and Cali.
14: Ecology 211 — How to Prepare and Interact
It was a lazy weekend for the trio. Shego was beating up on her pinball machine. Kim was playing tug of war with Cali. Bonnie was lying on the couch with her Kimmunicator tablet, aka the Bon-pad according to Kim, but Bonnie had yet to name in hand, appearing to be working.
"Do you think we should adopt or go with artificial insemination?" Bonnie pondered aloud.
"Wha?" Kim was so stunned that Cali was able to pull her over. She made a strangled noise as she tried to catch her balance, but Cali had her. She ended up on the floor.
"The hell?" It sounded like Shego fell against the pinball machine. "The hell you say? Fuck, Duchess, I lost the ball!"
Bonnie snickered. "I just wondered where we stood on that now. I mean, it's been a year. Isabel… well, Mommy is sure she's going to die before we have kids. Or worse, the twins will beat us to it." She and Kim were still trying their best to remember to call Isabel "Mommy" as Shego was struggling with "Mom" for Ann. It was easy to do when they faced the women, but not so much when the Moms were not around.
All the twins, Possibles and Gos, were now involved in serious relationships. Some longer than others, but all certain that they had found the One. There was some skepticism in that, but the twins were ignoring that. There were more than likely weddings in the future for Jim and Tim, but Wes and Wen seemed satisfied as they were.
"So, where do we stand?" Bonnie asked curiously.
Kim picked herself up off of the floor and sat down by Bonnie, earning a sorrowful look from Cali because she still wanted to play. Shego exited the game room to pace the living room. Cali trotted around her.
"I wouldn't mind adopting," Kim offered, glancing at Shego. "There are a lot of kids out there that world be thankful for three moms, even if it's weird."
"If we adopt, and this is a big IF, I want a baby. I think we need to start with a clean slate," Shego replied, running her fingers through her hair.
"Would adopting appease your mother?" Bonnie asked.
"Man, fuck Mommy. This is our decision. But, yes, she'd accept an adopted grandchild with open arms. At this point, she just wants a grandkid. If he or she fell from the sky, Mommy wouldn't ask any questions," Shego answered.
"I'm sure the fact that you can practically hear your biological clock ticking away helps," Bonnie teased.
The eldest frowned. "That's the last time I tell you about my nightmares." The lawyer stuck her tongue out at Shego. Recently, Shego had been having a recurring dream that she was too old to have a baby and it always made her wake up in an anxious sweat. Most of the dream, she could not remember, but she always knew she could not carry a baby.
"Bonnie, would you be all right with adopting?" Kim inquired.
Bonnie was silent for a moment. "I think… I think I want to have a baby. I want to carry a baby." Her hand went to her flat belly for a moment.
Both Kim and Shego blinked, but that did not stop green eyes from going wide. Bonnie glanced down briefly and then smiled at them. Shego paused from pacing, eyed her wives, and then sat down with them.
"Are you sure?" Shego inquired, keeping her voice from shaking.
"Yes, I am," Bonnie replied in a stronger tone.
"So, you want to be artificially inseminated?" Kim asked.
"Well… I guess in a way," Bonnie replied.
Shego's brow furrowed and she pursed her lips briefly. "In a way? How else do you plan on getting pregnant?"
Bonnie pressed her tablet and then moved, so her wives could see the screen. They looked at an email from Kim's mother. Scanning it, they got the essence of the message. Science was on their side.
"You want to carry our baby," Kim gasped. Shego's mouth just hung open.
Bonnie nodded. "I do. What do you think?"
"I think that's great. Oh, my god! It's more than great!" Kim proclaimed and Shego nodded several times, tongue-tied by the revelation. They both embraced Bonnie and held her tightly.
"So, we're all on board with this plan?" Bonnie asked with a smile, even though that much was clear.
"Our own… our own …" Shego's voice trembled and she put a hand to Bonnie's stomach. Kim did the same and then Bonnie put her hand over theirs.
"The growth of our family. Our own, biological baby," Bonnie said in a low tone. Her wives had to take deep breaths.
"Our baby," Shego whispered and then her entire face lit up. "Oh, my god, you want to have our baby!"
Bonnie laughed and Kim held them both tightly. Shego suddenly showered them both in wet kisses. Kim chuckled as she turned her head to get a proper kiss. They then turned their affection to Bonnie, who laughed even through the kisses.
"I didn't think you'd both be so happy over this," Bonnie confessed.
"Are you kidding? You want to carry our baby! That's fucking sweet!" Shego declared.
"Spanking!" was all Kim could manage.
They reveled in the good feelings for a moment longer before Cali interrupted. The feline jumped on Bonnie's lap and stared between the three of them. Silence between them seemed to stretch to eternity before Kim spoke up.
"Cali, Bonnie wants to have a baby," Kim explained. To that she got the closest thing to an arched eyebrow a cat could give. "Like a human cub." Cali sat up a little straighter.
"You'd have to protect the baby and not play with her until she was old enough. Okay?" Bonnie asked.
Cali nodded enthusiastically and then rolled off of Bonnie. She changed into her humanoid form and the first thing they noticed was her bright, wide grin. They smiled back at her.
"I would definitely protect your human pup!" Cali proclaimed. "Packs always protect the pups. So, when will the pup get here? I wanna see!" They all laughed and Kim stroked Cali's ear.
"Well, if we start the procedure immediately and it takes immediately, we could have a little human around in less than a year," Bonnie told her.
Cali pouted. Despite her advanced brain, they guessed she told time similar to a dog. Everything was forever to her and while she could find things to occupy herself and distract herself, she still hated to wait. But, they were sure that in less than ten minutes, she would forget that they even mentioned a baby until the baby showed up.
"It'll go by in no time," Bonnie promised.
"Are you sure?" Cali pressed, still pouting.
"Yeah, and while we wait, we get to watch the baby growing inside of Bonnie. We'll watch her change and wonder about the person inside of her," Shego chimed in softly, sounding awed by the idea.
"Then I take it we're starting this immediately?" Bonnie guessed because of her wives' reaction to the plan.
"I'll call the lab tomorrow," Kim offered.
"The Moms want us to call them. They said they should be able to make things go quickly," Bonnie explained.
"Whatever makes this easier and faster," Shego replied.
"Then I'll call them tomorrow," Kim stated and everyone nodded, including Cali.
-8-8-8-8-
The Moms came over the apartment more often, even though Bonnie was barely ten weeks pregnant. They mostly cooked, even though Shego and Kim tried to make the meals. Cali stayed close to Bonnie whenever she was home. Shego doubted she would be able to survive having her mother around another thirty weeks, even though she knew Bonnie and Kim enjoyed it when Isabel was around. She was certain that would wear thin soon enough, though.
"Have you started looking into names yet?" Isabel inquired, gliding around the kitchen.
"Did you look at the list that I gave you?" Ann added. She was in the kitchen, too.
"Yes," Bonnie answered.
"Did any of the names stand out?" the surgeon asked with hope in her voice.
"We'll pick our own names, thank you both very much," Shego commented as she came into the inhabited part of the building. She was in a green tank top and some black shorts. Flopping down on the sofa, she gathered Bonnie into her arms and her hands went right to Bonnie's abdomen.
"Shego, come on, I need to do this work," Bonnie said, trying to wiggle away.
"You can. I just want to hold you and our little girl," Shego replied.
"Can I finish prepping my case? Besides, you're supposed to be helping Kim set up the nursery," Bonnie pointed out.
"We've got eight months," Shego countered.
"Firefly, let your Duchess breathe! You don't have to be under her every second of the day!" Isabel scolded her daughter.
Shego ignored her mother, not even bothering to respond with a snaky comment. She did not let go of Bonnie, who focused on her tablet, reading a document. Kim marched into the living room. She was dressed in a tank top and baggy sweat pants.
"Shego, what the hell? What happened to helping me clear the guest room to become the nursery?" Kim huffed, glaring at her spouse.
"According to her, you have eight months to do that," Isabel chimed in.
"Plenty of time," Ann added, just to cause trouble.
The hero stomped her foot. "Shego! We can't just wait until the last minute to do this! We should get it done now while we have the time!"
"Kimmie, she's barely a tadpole! Calm down," Shego replied.
"No, I will not calm down. We agreed to get this done. We'll have eight months to cuddle Bonnie and touch her stomach to feel our daughter. If you start putting it off, you'll keep putting it off. Am I supposed to just do everything myself?" Kim demanded.
"Dammit, Princess, it's only for right now," Shego argued.
"You say that now and then you'll say it tomorrow. You know what, whatever. I can do anything. I'll move the guest room to the other end of the apartment while you sit on your ass," Kim declared, throwing her hands up.
The hero was then gone in a fury. Shego watched her go, only reaffirming her grip on Bonnie. Bonnie wiggled, but did not turn.
"So, Kimmie and I do all the hard work while you sit around and reap the benefits? Hardly seems fair, my love. Will you also be the one that wants the baby only when she smiles?" Bonnie asked plainly.
"Duchess," Shego hissed. "I will pull my weight. I just…" She did not have an explanation. She merely caressed Bonnie's belly and some strange, but brilliant and light feeling coursed through her. She felt so connected to Bonnie and to their child. She loved it, could not get enough of it, and had to kiss Bonnie's cheek in a way to let the attorney know how wonderful it all was.
Bonnie turned, needing to see Shego. The soft expression in those emerald eyes was beyond anything Bonnie had seen. Something inside of Shego was changing or growing or developing. Bonnie was not sure which it was, but Shego could not allow it to take over or she would be negligent in other things.
"Sweetheart, please, go help Kim prepare the rooms. We'll all appreciate it in the end," Bonnie requested, patting a pale hand.
Shego frowned. "But…" Her hold on Bonnie tightened.
"Do you really want Kimmie mad at you for the whole night or longer? Do really think it's fair to her to abandon her after you promised to help? You know she'll remember and while she might not say anything about it for a while, it's going to come up again."
Sighing, Shego took in the words. Now was not the time to come across as unreliable. If anything, she needed to prove that she could be trusted with anything, trusted to do anything. But, she did not want to leave Bonnie, her hands did not want to have their baby.
"You need to go, love," Bonnie said gently as she eased Shego's hands away from her.
Sighing again, Shego let go and got up. She marched over to the guest room, where Kim was unplugging the few electronics in the room. They were moving everything to the far side of the apartment, where they had several empty rooms. This guest room was to be their nursery.
"Princess," Shego said when it became obvious Kim was not going to say anything.
Kim did not even bother to glance up. Snorting, Shego stepped into room. The hero still did not look at her. She embraced Kim from behind and was pleased that Kim did not fight her on it.
"Princess, I'm sorry," she whispered into Kim's ear. "I'm sorry about ditching you, even if it was for just a moment. I'm here for you. I want to help prepare for the baby. It's just… I'm drawn to her for some reason. I'm fascinated with the idea there's a baby there, growing, waiting, soon to be here. A tiny version of all three of us. I can't believe it. It continues to blow my mind and I just have to touch her, hold her, feel that she's there."
"I can't be the only one doing this, though. We're supposed to be a team, there for each other. I should be able to count on you. If you say you're going to help, I expect you to help," Kim stated in a low tone, eyes facing forward.
"I know, Princess. I understand. I just need you to understand I'm a little distracted."
"Shego, you think you're the only one? I'm taken with her, too, and she's barely there, but things need to be ready for when she comes. I want to hold her, touch her, and feel her, but I also want to make sure that everything's ready for her long before she shows up because I know we're going to have to hit the ground running with her. Besides, the sooner we get ready, the sooner we can just lie around, feeling Bonnie's belly. So, I want to get this done."
Shego nodded; it made sense. Of course, it was contradictory to her nature, which was to wait until the last minute to do stuff, but they could not do that with a baby. They needed to make sure everything was ready for their little bundle of joy. So, she went back to work with helping to more stuff out of the guest room to help make way for the baby's things. She kissed Kim's neck as an apology and they got to work.
-8-8-8-8-
By the time Bonnie was showing, it seemed like she had a magnet in her stomach that attracted her spouses' hands. Cali was almost as bad, paws or an ear pressed against her stomach. They were going to have a baby shower in a month, even though the other mothers and grandparents had pretty much purchased everything they needed.
For the moment, the trio lay in bed. They let Cali sleep at foot of the bed for now. Bonnie slept in the middle, even though she got up several times at night, sometimes for food and sometimes for the bathroom. But, her wives both liked touching her swollen abdomen now and did not mind being awakened by her midnight wanderings. They even caressed her in their sleep.
"Princess, Duchess," Shego said in a sleepy tone. She was half-asleep, kissing on Bonnie's shoulder.
"Yeah?" Kim replied in just as a dazed tone. Her hand tucked neatly right below Bonnie's belly button.
"I think … I think I want to do this," the pale woman commented.
"Be a mother? Good because we're over two-thirds of the way there," Bonnie remarked.
"No, carry one of these. I never really thought about, but it's all I've thought about since you got pregnant, Duchess. I want to carry our next baby," Shego explained. Her wives chuckled, almost as if they already knew that.
"And when would you like to do this?" the redhead asked curiously, slightly teasing.
"Tomorrow if I could," Shego answered honestly.
"I don't think we want to deal with two babies and a confused kitty, as you know we would," Kim pointed out. While Cali had a vague idea about "pups," they all knew that she was going to be utterly bewildered when the baby arrived. They tried their best to prepare her, along with themselves, but they all were completely aware that things were going to be crazy when the baby showed up.
Shego nodded. "I know, I know. I just want you both to know that when we're ready to do this again, I want to carry the baby. It seems so amazing."
"Let's get through this baby first," Bonnie commented with a chuckle as she patted Shego's hand.
"Yeah, who knows what kind of surprises she has to offer with all of our blood mixed together," Kim remarked.
"She's going to run us into the ground and we'll love it," Bonnie said.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Mom already said if she's anything like Kim, we're lucky there's three of us plus a sentient cat," Shego stated. "Mom" being Ann. They had been playing around with the titles a lot more recently, doing their best to get comfortable with them. It was easier with the Moms than the Dads, but they were doing their best there, too. They were one big happy family, after all.
"Mom always makes it seem like I was a terror as a kid. I'm sure I couldn't have been that bad," Kim insisted.
"Considering how you are now, I can easily picture as some crazy kid that doesn't understand doing certain things could very well kill you," Shego replied.
"Seconded, which is another reason to hold off having another baby until we get to know this one. Kim's genes might overpower ours. I doubt we'd survive raising two of her," Bonnie teased.
"Hey!" Kim pouted. "I wasn't that bad."
"Sure you weren't, baby." Bonnie patted her hand. "Not that Shego was any better."
Shego gasped. "What? Who told you that?"
"Mommy, of course," Bonnie smiled smugly.
"Mommy is full of crap. I was no worse than her sons," Shego declared.
"The sons that tried flying?" Kim asked.
The former thief scoffed. "I'm pretty sure you tried flying, too, Kimmie. You did jump off the roof, more than once according to the many tales we've heard. How about you, Duchess? What were you like as a kid?"
"Good," Bonnie answered and Kim laughed.
"Tell the truth," the hero urged her, poking her in the thigh.
Bonnie blew a raspberry. "Fine, my behavior depended upon where I was. At home, I was on the bottom of the totem pole and I did my best to stay out of everyone's way because I didn't want to be tormented. I tried my best not to be at home. Outside, with my peers, I was…" Bonnie sighed. "I was very mean. I treated people how my siblings treated me, especially Kimmie."
"Why'd you zero in on her anyway?"
"Because she was nice was to me and because she was so amazing," Bonnie answered with awe in her voice. "I came from a place where almost all I received was negative attention. To me, that was normal, so that's what I gave Kim… all the time. I don't want that for our baby."
Kim kissed Bonnie's cheek. "Don't worry. It won't happen because we'll definitely be giving her all of the positive attention she could possibly need. She'll be fine."
"I hope so," Bonnie replied.
"We know so," Shego insisted.
The trio was able to go to sleep after that, thoughts of what their baby girl would be like dancing through their minds. Along with that thought were images of a pregnant Shego. How would Shego be able to hold on for before her biological clock's alarm blared and she needed to carry a baby? They would be ready.
-8-8-8-8-
Bonnie's mouth dropped open as she walked into the break room of the firm to find some of her coworkers waiting with a surprise baby shower. Kim and Shego were there, along with their parents. Bonnie almost cried, which she blamed on the pregnancy and hormones.
"Sit down before you fall over," Kim said, moving a big, decorated chair behind her pregnant spouse. Bonnie complied without a word.
"What's all this then?" Bonnie asked, voice trembling.
"Exactly what it looks like. A baby shower for the legal rottweiler," one of her coworkers explained.
"Did you?" Bonnie asked her wives.
"Nope, this is all your coworkers. They just called us to make sure we were here for it," Shego explained.
Bonnie arched an eyebrow. She was pretty private about her life outside of work when she was at work. She did not think they needed to know anything about her beyond her abilities to win cases. She definitely did not tell anyone about her wives, but then again every now and then her wives were up at the firm for her.
"We figured you'd want your best friends here," another coworker said, motioning to Kim and Shego. Her wives chuckled.
"Yeah, you want your best friends here," Shego commented with an amused smirk.
"Now, I really didn't think you guys liked me enough to do this," Bonnie admitted before she realized what she was saying. Her coworkers laughed.
"You're hard to get to know, but it's not like we hate you, Bonnie. You're an amazing lawyer and seem to be likeable person. We'd like to get to know you."
Bonnie's lip quivered and her eyes watered without her permission. Thankfully, she could blame her emotions on her pregnancy. Shego and Kim acted, getting the party started to distract everyone from Bonnie crying. She was able to use the time to get herself together.
"Just so you know, the baby shower we have planned is going to be much better than this," Isabel whispered to Bonnie.
"Isabel, stop. Everything is not a competition," Ann scolded the martial artist.
"What? It will be. And you, of all people, can't tell me everything isn't a competition. You haggled over everything as we put the shower together and heaven help anyone that didn't bend to your will," Isabel retorted.
"Touché," Bonnie snickered. "Where are the Dads?"
"Kane sends his apologizes, but he has long since refused to set foot in this building because of how they used to treat you. He wouldn't be civil toward any of these people. He promised to call later," Isabel explained.
"James got stuck in a meeting. He said he'd try to sneak out, but I think they'd notice the head of the propulsion department missing," Ann remarked.
Bonnie chuckled. "Well, he is a genius, he might pull it off."
James Possible actually did find a way to get away to the baby shower. He was a pleasant surprise, along with all of the other presents that her coworkers gave her. There was cake and conversation. For the first time, Bonnie felt like she belonged at the firm beyond being a talented attorney.
"Our baby shower will still be better," Isabel hummed as she passed gifts to Bonnie.
"Way better," Shego concurred as she took pictures with Ann.
Kim and Ann shook their head to the statement, but could not scold the Go women without appearing to be hypocrites, especially Kim. So, Kim helped with the presents, Ann continued taking pictures, and Bonnie continued enjoying herself. In the end, they needed the three cars they had to take everything away.
"James, thank God you drove here, too," Ann commented with a handful of gifts that she was going to put in her car. She had to drive Isabel back home before she could return home.
The rocket scientist smiled as he shifted the pile of gifts in his arms. "I couldn't miss this. Our daughter's having a daughter. I can't believe it!" He flashed a wide grin at Bonnie, who was just walking with them to the car. She had to go back to work, though.
"Isn't it great?" Isabel asked.
"Beyond great. I wonder what the little one will look like, act like," James admitted.
"Well, we'll find out in a couple of months," Bonnie said, rubbing her own swollen stomach.
-8-8-8-8-
Through thirty-six weeks of doctor's appointments and little sonogram pictures, Shego and Kim both proved how similar they were to their fathers by taking those with calm pride, but totally freaking out when Bonnie went into labor. Bonnie was at work when it happened, planning to start her maternity next week. A request as she left in an ambulance got a coworker to call her spouses for her.
"Oh, my god! Where's her go-bag?" Kim shouted as she marched from the bedroom to the living room to the bedroom again.
"Who cares? Let's go!" Shego shouted, already by the door.
"She'll care when she wants a change of clothes!"
"We can just buy her new shit!"
Not wanting to see her two humans fight, Cali dragged the bag out from the back of the closet. Kim grabbed it and checked to make sure it was the right bag. She then grabbed a different bag that Cali hopped into; they were going to sneak her into hospital with them. Now, they could leave.
Bonnie had a private room and was in bed when they entered the suite. A nurse was checking on Bonnie and left after introducing herself as well as explaining how far along their wife was, not that the nurse knew that they were all married. Bonnie offered them a soft smile.
"How you feeling, baby?" Kim inquired as she placed the bags down by a pullout sofa. She hoped they did not have to make use of it. It was not like she and Shego would be able to fit on it, after all.
"I'm better now that you're both here," Bonnie replied with a smile.
Shego pulled up a chair right next to the bed and took Bonnie's hand. She massaged Bonnie's knuckles with one hand and gently touched Bonnie's enlarged belly. Kim came over and placed her hand Shego's hand, entwining their fingers.
"Can't wait to meet her," Shego said with a smile.
"Neither can someone else," Kim remarked as Cali poked her head out of the bag.
The feline quietly padded over to them and leaped up onto Shego's shoulder. They had explained to Cali that if she was going to stay in the hospital with them then she would have to be a silent as possible. The delivery suite was monitored, so the nurse would hear any noise in the room. Cali also had to scout the room for hiding places beyond her bag in order to duck into the closest one if a nurse entered the room.
"Hey, little Gemma, ready to meet your moms?" Kim asked in a quiet voice. Cali tapped her with a paw. "Oh, and your first friend? We're already for you."
"Really ready. So, come on, precious gem," Shego begged.
Gemma proved that she was going to be as stubborn and independent as her mothers because several hours later, Bonnie had not dilated further. Parents came and went and then came back. Brothers did the same. Friends came and went, requesting calls for when the show was really set to begin. Yori and Ron stayed while poor Monique was stuck out of town, trying to get a flight back home.
"Dammit, isn't she early?" Monique demanded and Kim could hear her friend pacing.
"Yes, by a couple of weeks," Kim replied, under-exaggerating. Bonnie was almost a month early, but they had been assured that everything was fine. Of course, the fact that Gemma was taking her dear, sweet time to come was nerve wrecking to the point that they were beginning to think something was wrong.
It did not help matters that Bonnie was experiencing painful contractions. Kim and Shego hated not being able to do more than hold her hand, caress her forehead, or offer a small kiss to comfort her. Sometimes, she shook the bed as she gripped the nearest thing as a contraction ripped through her petite form.
It got worse before it got better and Bonnie had long ago decided on natural childbirth. Bonnie almost broke Kim's hand as her body convulsed with from the latest contraction. Shego looked like she was ready to break, wishing they could do something more to comfort Bonnie.
"Bonnie, it's not too late to change your mind. You can take the shot," Shego practically pled with her.
"No," Bonnie replied through gritted teeth.
Kim was about to fall to her knees when Bonnie eased up on her hand. She was starting to regret helping Bonnie work out because her grip was killer now. Thankfully, she dilated to ten before two days passed and Gemma was born pale and pink with a head full of dark hair. The proud mothers got to hold her before the nurses took Gemma for observation because there was always a chance of her lungs being under-developed since she arrived early.
"Congratulations, Grandma," Ann said to Isabel.
"Congratulations to you as well, Nana," Isabel replied with a grin.
They would have congratulated their daughters, but the new parents were busy with their own celebration, which had to do with a lot of brief kisses. Ann and Isabel had to leave the room to tell their husbands about the birth of their granddaughter because the men had left the room once the birthing had started.
Kane and James had sat out with their sons as well Wade, Monique, Ron, and Yori. Monique was happy the baby took her time coming so she could grab an emergency plane in to greet the kid. They all waited around for a chance to see the latest member of the family, Gemma Isabella Possible-Go. It was going to be a long trip for her when everyone wanted to hold her. Their proud grandfathers shook each other's hands, too emotional to even say anything. Honestly, Isabel was surprised Kane had not fainted considering how much he had panicked when he heard Bonnie was in labor.
"Oh, my god, I'm a grandpa!" James grabbed Ann into a tight hug. "We're grandparents!" Ann only laughed and hugged him back.
"You're an Uncle," Monique told Ron in awe. He put his hand to his forehead and just shook his head. "If you're this tongue-tied now, imagine when you become a Daddy."
Ron's eyes went wide and Yori smiled while patting him on the back. "Do not worry, Ron-kun. When the time comes, you will make an excellent father and you will be a great uncle."
Wade chuckled. "I think you guys just blew Ron's mind."
"Don't worry, Ron. We're uncles. We get to do all the fun stuff," Tim assured him, clapping Ron on the shoulder.
"We spoil Gemma and then send her back home for her moms to deal with the fallout," Jim joked.
"That'll be so much fun," Wes declared and his twin came him a high-five.
-8-8-8-8-
"Welcome home, Gemma and her Mama," Kim announced as the family marched into their home. Kim held the car seat that contained Gemma while Shego was carrying Bonnie in her arms. Cali had been nice enough to transform so that she could carry the bags.
Gemma was asleep, so Kim put her in a basinet they had set up in the living room. Shego gently placed Bonnie on the couch. They all just mellowed in the living room for a second, cuddling and glancing at the basinet, waiting for Gemma to do something.
"This is surreal," Kim said.
"Incredibly so. We have a baby. We're moms now," Shego commented in awe.
"A beautiful baby girl," Bonnie added.
Her wives nodded in agreement. In the few short days since her birth, Gemma had darkened some and she was not as pink. She had lovely turquoise eyes that Kim and Shego knew would control them for the rest of their days, as they had already been trained so well. But, there was always the chance that her eyes might change color, not that they wanted that.
Bonnie was now officially on maternity leave, which would give her three months to bond with Gemma. But, right now, all Bonnie wanted to do was sleep, which was fine. Her wives had Gemma, when she happened to wake up. Cali trotted around them, curious about everything from feeding to diapers to crying to rocking Gemma to sleep.
Unfortunately, Cali's curiosity was also dangerous. She got underfoot, almost tripping Kim while she was rocking Gemma to sleep. For a moment, olive eyes glared at the cat, but quickly softened.
"Cali, I need you to step out of the way. We need to be very careful with Gemma," Kim said gently.
Cali nodded and jumped up on the coffee table. She wandered the table, bumping the empty bottle that was there. Shego shooed her away with her hand.
"You can't rub up against Gemma's bottle like that," Shego scolded the feline.
Cali slinked back, not entirely sure what she had done wrong. She tried to stay out of the way while trying to see more of the baby. When Bonnie fed Gemma, she had decided on breast feeding long ago, Cali leaped up on the back of the couch, again, trying to get a closer look. Shego practically yanked her down.
"You don't need to be nose-deep during the feeding," Shego stated as she dropped Cali to the floor.
"Shego, she's just curious," Kim scolded her older wife.
"She doesn't have to be that close. She's breathing all in Gemma's face. What if Gemma gets sick?" Shego countered.
"She could get sick from any of us breathing on her," Kim argued. To be on the safe side, they had canceled class for a couple of weeks to avoid bringing home any foreign germs.
Shego opened her mouth and then closed it, letting them all know she had been on the verge of saying something hurtful. Instead, she turned and walked away. Kim sighed, hoping they had avoided something bad. She would find out a few days later that she had only delayed the inevitable.
-8-8-8-8-
Cali sat on the top of the basinet with her tail and a paw hanging over the side. She swayed her tail and Gemma smiled. Cali chuckled, delighted that she could amuse the baby, and she swayed her tail more. Gemma made a cooing noise.
"What the hell are you doing now, Cali?" Shego barked as she entered the living room.
"Shego," Kim sighed from her space on the sofa.
"No, no, no, Princess, don't say anything considering you're just fucking letting her do this shit," Shego snapped and then turned her attention back to their cat. "Get your fat ass down before you break the fucking thing and stop putting your fucking dirty paws in the baby's face. In fact, get the fuck away from the baby."
"Shego!" Kim jumped up, but the damage was done.
Cali's face fell as if the world had collapsed on her. She was gone by the time Kim turned to try to offer her some comfort. Olive eyes glared at Shego.
"Shego, what is wrong with you? You're being way too hard on Cali! I know being a mother brought more stress than we imagined, but you can't keep treating Cali like she's going to kill Gemma!" Kim pointed out.
"She could hurt the baby, so stop being so eager to jump to her defense."
"Stop being so quick to jump down her throat, especially when she hasn't done anything wrong. You're just going to make her paranoid around the baby and she will make a mistake around Gemma if you keep this up."
"Oh, please, if you let her get too comfortable around the baby she's liable to hurt Gemma!"
"What is all is the yelling about?" Bonnie huffed as she stormed into the living room. She glanced into the basinet. "You're going to wake Gemma. Now, what's the problem?"
"Shego's overreacting to Cali again. She chased the poor thing off," Kim sneered.
"Shego," Bonnie sighed.
"Stop acting like I'm the problem here! We can't have a filthy fucking animal touching the baby!" Shego exploded, panting in anger. Her wives gasped.
"Shego, you don't mean that. Cali is not some filthy animal. She's a part of our family and loves us deeply, including Gemma," Kim pointed out.
"That 'filthy fucking animal' saved my life," Bonnie reminded the eldest.
Those two statements threw cold water on Shego's fury. Her eyes softened and her shoulders slumped. She ran her hands through her hair as her eyes settled on the floor and just stared blankly at it.
"Shego, you have to calm down about Gemma or you're going to drive yourself crazy," Bonnie said as she and Kim moved to embrace their older wife.
"You're already completely wound up and she's barely a week old. How are you going to make it through the rest of her life if you can barely make it through her mostly sleeping through the day?" Kim pointed out.
Shego sighed. "She's so tiny and I have to protect her…"
"Yes, but not from Cali. You know Cali wants to protect her as much as we do. Yes, we have to watch Cali with the baby, but not suspect of her anything. She's going to have accidents because Cali's like a curious child, but as long as we keep an eye on her and set ground rules, we should be able to avoid the serious accidents. Screaming at her won't help. It's just going to make her more edgy and that's when something more than likely will happen," Kim explained in a low, calm tone.
Shego only nodded. She knew she had been hard on Cali since Gemma had been born really. She did not mean to be. It was just that every time she thought about Gemma, she remembered how small and helpless Gemma truly was. She had to protect Gemma from everything. But, they were right; Cali was not exactly a threat.
To apologize without having to say the words, Shego made Cali a steak for dinner. But, Cali never showed up to eat it. By the time it was bedtime, there was still no sign of the cat.
"I'm going to go look for her," Kim stated as she slipped on her shoes.
"Kimmie, she'll come back when she's ready," Shego insisted.
"Yeah, but I'd rather be sure. She might get into trouble," Kim said and was gone before her wives could object.
"Maybe you should go with her," Bonnie suggested.
"And leave you here with the baby alone?" Shego sounded positively scandalized.
"You're not going to be gone forever, love, and Gemma's asleep. Kimmie might need you or Cali might need you," Bonnie pointed out.
Shego sighed, but she was putting on her own shoes before she even realized it. She was out the door just as quickly. Bonnie shook her head.
"What am I going to do with your mothers, precious?" she asked the sleeping child in her arms. Gemma did not have an answer.
-8-8-8-8-
Cali shivered as she curled into high niche in a building, not too far from home. She licked her bloody paw and tucked her whole body in as tightly as possibly could. Bellowing howls echoed through the night as the breeze cut through her battered form, making her tremble more. I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home. She was close, had considered returning, but decided against it. She would not dare go home, even as the howling grew closer; no, especially as the howling grew closer.
"Cali!" the familiar voice of her personal savior sounded over the blood-curdling howls. "Cali!"
The feline wanted to leap down and run to Kim, but then the howling sounded again. She tucked herself even deeper into the little corner of the building. The roaring howls seemed closer and she could hear the silent padding of approaching footsteps.
"Cali!"
The temptation to jump and make a mad dash for Kim was overrode by the paralyzing terror dancing on her every nerve. Her teeth actually chattered and she wished she could just vanish back into the safety of her home. She would never go near the pup again if she just could go back home.
"Cali!" Kim's voice was much closer now, as if it was just below her.
Taking a chance and peering out into the alley, she saw Kim, standing only a few feet away. She could take a chance, she could dive into Kim's arms, but then Kim would take her home. They would be followed. Her humans would be in danger. The pup would be in danger.
"Cali!" Kim shouted again.
And then the padding footsteps got closer. The small pack was now in the alley, at Kim's front and back. They were massive predators with large, tawny bodies with thick legs, big paws, and bigger teeth. Long fur blew in the cold night air as the pack released more bellowing howls their thick muzzles.
"Why do I have a feeling that DNAmy is somewhere nearby," Kim muttered to herself as the four animals snarled at her. She assumed she was looking at wolf-lions or some combination of wolves and big cats. She guessed DNAmy was trying to recreate Cali, but in a bigger form.
As the four drew closer to Kim, Cali growled and leaped out of her hiding place. Transforming on her way down, she landed by her human, but watched the pack.
"Cali, where have you been and why are you bleeding?" Kim demanded.
"Original alpha sent a pack to come get me," Cali answered, blood pouring down her arm and dripping from her fingertips.
"Of course. Well, they'll have to go through me," Kim pointed out. The growling animals made if clear that they had no problem with that.
The pack jumped at them simultaneously. Kim ducked one and dodged the mighty claws of the other. Cali roared before she rolled under the other two and then slashed at a hind leg with her good hand. They growled and turned back to her, claws out.
"Cali, be careful," Kim called as she tried her best to use her two opponents against each other, but they seemed in tune with each other.
"You, too," Cali grunted.
Kim moved and kicked one of the beasts in the face, earning a growl and swipe of the claws of the other. Jumping back, she avoided the deadly claws and tried to figure at an escape route. The fire escape seemed like a likely candidate, so she went to grab the bar. She had not been able to pull herself up fast enough as one of the creatures slashed her thigh very deeply.
"Damn!" Kim hissed as her blood poured from her leg.
-8-8-8-8-
Shego grumbled to herself, angry to be out looking for Kimmie and their cat when she could have been at home holding their daughter. But, she knew she had no one to blame but herself. She had to stop overreacting with Cali.
The thoughts left her mind as she heard the unmistakable sound of her wife cursing, which was accompanied by animal noises. She took off in the direction of the noise to find Kim kicking what looked like a giant wolf, but it was the wrong color, in the mouth. Cali was on her back behind Kim, trying to fend off three other strangely colored canines.
"Only these two," Shego sighed as she ignited her hands and joined the fray. When her plasma first hit the creatures, they turned to snarl at her, but as the plasma kept coming, they wised up and ran off.
"Shego, we need to follow them. They were sent by DNAmy, trying to get Cali back or trying to kill Cali," Kim said.
"Cali and I have it. You take your ass home and get those gashes looked at," Shego ordered as she trotted off. Cali followed right behind her. They moved quickly enough that she did not have to worry about Kim being behind them, not with those wounds on her legs.
The pack led them right to DNAmy, who was hiding out in an old factory. Shego decided for the direct approach because she was not going to have this incredibly dense and irksome woman endanger anyone in her family, including the cat she had just screamed out a few hours ago. Cali paused when they were right outside.
"Cali, what are you doing? Come on," Shego urged.
"You're returning me, aren't you? Because I hurt the pup," Cali said, stepping back while being hunched over in a very feline-like manner.
"What?" Shego asked and then realized what things must look like. "Are you nuts, Cali? I'm not returning you to that fucking asshole. I'd never give you away. You're a member of our family. We're your humans and you're our cat."
Cali stared at her with wide, sad golden eyes. "But… you yell at me… and get angry… a lot… especially around the pup."
Shego put her hands up. "I know, I know. It's just because I worry about the pup. Just like you do. I'm just not very good at worrying yet. I'm going to get better and I know you're not purposely trying to hurt the baby."
Cali was quiet for a second. "I was gonna go home. I was gonna come back, but then the pack showed up and I didn't want to led them home, to you or Bonnie or Kimmie… or the pup."
Shego sighed and marched over to Cali. She looked at all of the cuts and bruises. Cali was bleeding badly from her left hand and shoulder. Emerald eyes softened and she reached out to pet her. Cali closed her eyes, flinching, until she realized Shego was caressing her. Shego felt like an ass, knowing Cali thought the worst of her now. Cali opened her eyes and Shego smiled.
"You're a good cat, Cali. I'm sorry for what I said. You're doing a good job with Gemma. Now, let's go talk to your old alpha, so the bitch can understand you're a member of our family now and she's never getting you back, ever," Shego declared.
Cali smiled and followed Shego as she blew the door off the factory. DNAmy was whining about her babies as she patched them up. Shego and Cali were in her face almost immediately. Shego had her hands blazing and the pack whimpered while backing away.
"Shego!" DNAmy gasped, backing up also.
"Don't go anywhere! Listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once: leave Cali alone. She's not yours! She's our cat, part of our family, and nothing of yours!" Shego barked.
"She's my baby and you have her living in that unholy household of yours!" DNAmy screeched.
"Did you just seriously refer to my household as unholy? Have you stopped to look in a mirror once because last I checked, if nature wanted certain creatures to exist they would and if nature didn't want them to exist, they don't. What the fuck are you doing now? It's not enough that you made a wocelot, but now you're making fucking wolions? The hell is wrong with you?" Shego countered.
"Not just those," DNAmy said and the smirk that settled on her face made Shego believe that she had made a tactical error in coming with just Cali, who was injured.
DNAmy pressed a button and the factory was flooded with lights. The place was full of large predators that had been mixed with other large predators. By Shego's count, they were outnumbered twenty to one.
"Fuck," she muttered, but she did not back down.
"I'll take back my baby once they're done with you," DNAmy declared.
As soon as the animals moved, Shego was surprised that Yori and Ron dropped into the factory. Her brothers followed and so did Kim's brothers, who came armed with science. Wade also showed up with some science to help. Shego and Cali looked around at everyone.
"Kim called us," Ron simply explained.
"Of course," Shego smiled.
Fighting off the animals was not very difficult with the super-help. And to clean up the mess, Global Justice showed up. Another call from Kim. They took the animals and DNAmy, who was wanted for some strange crimes, like stealing from a lot of zoos and genetic labs as well as environmental terrorism.
"I didn't even know environmental terrorism was a thing," Ron remarked with a chuckle.
"Thanks guys," Shego said to everyone.
"Thank us with a cookout tomorrow. We want to see the baby," Hego pointed out with a smile. All of the brothers nodded in agreement with that.
Shego chuckled. "Okay. Come on, Cali, time to get hone and get you stitched up."
Cali barely had the energy to nod. She changed back into her proper form and Shego carried her home. When they entered the house, Ann was there, stitching Kim up.
"Hey, Doc, I got your next patient," Shego said, holding up Cali.
Ann only nodded, undoubtedly expecting it. She glanced at Shego. "You'll be after Cali."
Shego could not argue because she had certainly seen better days. Cali would be stuck in her humanoid form until she got the stitches out in a few days. It was the end of a long night, but the start of better days.
-8-8-8-8-
Gemma survived her first family gathering, which was the promised cookout. And even though she had only sat in the living room in her basinet, it seemed to zap her of all of her energy. Her mothers were the same. She was laid out in her basinet by the bed while her mothers were knocked out in their bed. Cali was just as dead to the world, stretched out over Kim's hip and Shego's thigh. It was a peaceful night. The house was trying to be peaceful now. Well, as peaceful as a newborn would allow.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: the end.