LYBCD chap 14

Disclaimer: I own an obsession and a lot of ideas. That's pretty much it.

So sorry for the wait. I was really focusing on updating my Fillmore fic "Darkness: Master of Shadows" because of the plethora of ideas I had for it, and so that really took up my writing time. That and school. Bleck. ;)

Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed, and a special thanks to GorillaKing1990 who got me back on track with writing. You rock. :) I loved to hear what everyone thought about the last chapter, and I'm glad it was liked despite the fight scene.

But enough waiting. Here it is, and enjoy!

Dedicated to my school. I may the work, but I am going to really miss the classes when they're finished. They have given me more ideas for stories than I can remember.

Ron didn't want to fight Shego. He hadn't even really decided to fight her. There just wasn't anything else he could think of to do. Kim was in trouble. Everything else was secondary.

He watched Shego's hands clench, her face harden, and found himself curious about what she would do. Their last fight had forced her into showing her true feelings about him. She had seemed almost remorseful about what she had done. It had made him feel…strange.

What did she feel now? He hoped she didn't think he was doing this to test her or anything silly like that. If she knew as much about him as she claimed to than she should have known that he wouldn't just stand there while she beat Kim in an unfair fight.

"Ron, what do you think you're doing?" Kim demanded breathlessly, fending off one robot's kick. "You're going to get hurt."

Ron didn't answer. He couldn't. It made him so happy to think that Kim was worried for him, but it smote him with shame when he realized that she didn't think he could take care of himself, let alone help her. Perhaps she was right. He couldn't protect her, but there was no one else here. But he didn't say anything, and he didn't look at his friend, he just kept staring at Shego, although even he didn't know what he was waiting for. Shego opened her mouth finally, but before she could speak a blaring alarm cut across her, and she glanced up in surprise. All of the lights in the lab began flashing red as smoke billowed out of the control board of Drakken's latest creation. The mad scientist let out a shriek, and dove at the board, desperately pressing buttons.

Ron had his back to Kim, and now he smiled at Shego slightly. He was glad that he had finished messing with the doomsday device before he had noticed Kim's predicament. Tongues of flame had begun to lick tentatively at the red and black surfaces. Shego rolled her eyes theatrically.

"Next time, losers!" she announced, before running over to the smoking machine and snagging her employer by the back of his lab coat. Shego tossed Drakken nonchalantly over one shoulder and darted down one of the hallways. By the time Kim and Ron had caught up to them, the red hover car was already rising out of its hanger and away.

Ron watched the craft rise with a strange mix of feelings. He was glad that there wasn't going to be any more fighting for the present, but at the same time he was aware of the unwelcome knowledge that they were on opposite sides. Sooner or later they would meet in violence, and what would happen then?

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain came down in torrents. It beat against the window with a ferocity that seemed misplaced in the being of a simple weather phenomenon. The wind whistled through the trees, mournful and restless, as though it wanted to rip them from their roots. Every so often, the house shook.

Ron sat and watched the rain. He was supposed to be working on a book report due at the end of the week, but his mind was too full of dark thoughts to concentrate on anything as trivial as school. It was true that he generally put off his schoolwork, but this time he felt that he was justified. Not that his teachers would see it that way. He could just imagine the excuse. Oh please Mr. Adler, I didn't get the assignment finished because I love my best friend, but she doesn't love me back, and just recently I realized that her arch enemy isn't such a bad person and so I want to be friends with her as well, but I feel like I'm betraying my best friend, and so I have to keep everything a secret, and I feel awful about it, and…

He groaned and passed one hand over his face. Everything was so confused right now. As opposed to before? He thought suddenly. It was true that his life hadn't been what you would call simple for a long time now, but lately it seemed as though things were coming to a head, and he wasn't entirely sure whether that was a good thing. At least the way life was now he felt…not safe exactly, but comfortable and familiar.

Familiar. Like the pain he was feeling tonight? Kim had gone out with Josh again tonight. He didn't know where, or he might have tried to sneak in wearing a fake beard or something. At least, he might have done that a week or so ago. Truth was that he didn't think he could face Kim tonight. He was feeling guilty. Kim had a nasty burn from her fight with Shego, and the other Shego…things, and here Ron was being friends with Shego behind his friend's back. And earlier, at Drakken's lair, although he had stood up for Kim, he hadn't wanted to fight Shego. He didn't want to hurt her, and he didn't want her to have to choose whether to hurt him.

Everything was so confused, and it was all his fault, as usual.

Perhaps it was because he was so caught up in his musings that Ron failed to hear the light touch of feet upon his window sill. He just went on thinking. A slender hand reached out and raised the window from outside. It creaked as it rose, and Ron was pulled rudely from his thoughts. He turned, and there was Shego crouching on the window sill. She was clinging to the window sill with one hand, and had just tapped on the glass with the other, and as usual she looked perfectly at ease.

Ron couldn't think for properly for a moment. His mind simply spun. The sight really didn't seem real. All he knew was that this was the best thing that had happened tonight. Then thought came rushing back. He scrambled to open the window, tripped over his own feet and went sprawling.

"Gah… Shego! You're here!" He pushed himself to his feet once again, and went to open the window, all the way berating himself silently. He couldn't even get across the room without tripping.

Shego slipped inside as though she did this every day which, Ron was forced to remind himself, she probably did. She just didn't seem like the same person who he'd last seen beating up his best friend. Shego closed the window again, shutting out the rain, and glanced around his room. She looked comfortable, but a little hesitant, as though afraid she was intruding. And…she wasn't wearing her uniform again. Instead, she was dressed in a black exercise outfit picked out with electric blue highlights, and a pair of comfortable shoes. The outfit looked new, and fit her perfectly, and it made her look, well, very attractive certainly, but also…natural, as though this was how she should look. Only, even Ron wasn't sure what he meant by that. Her hair was hanging loose, and looked slightly damp, as though she had showered just a little while ago. Or maybe it was just the rain.

She gave him a half smile; not quite a smirk, but playful.

"Sorry about popping in like this," she said. "But I'm really not a phone person." Her smile widened, and Ron felt his own lips curving upward in response. Shego crossed over to Ron's desk and sat down in his chair, spinning it first, deftly, so she could rest her feet on the desktop. "It just occurred to me," she continued after a moment, "that it was my turn to take you somewhere, so I decided to come and see if you'd like to get away from your homework for a while.

"You have no idea," Ron said feelingly. "But how did you know I'd be here?" Shego shrugged one shoulder. It was funny, but if he didn't know how self confident she was, Ron would have thought that she was embarrassed.

"My surveillance of the Princess showed she was out at some art show, and I just figured you'd be up here working since you weren't out with her." She very kindly avoided the word 'date', but Ron guessed that that was the real reason why Shego knew he would be up here in his room, alone.

Well, not quite alone.

An angry squeaking shrilled through the room suddenly, and Ron turned to find that Rufus was standing in the doorway with his whiskers bristling, and was probably about to attack.

"Ah, Rufus, no! Ron darted over to the door and scooped up the quivering mole-rat before he had a chance to do anything. "It's okay buddy," he crooned gently. "She's a friend, remember?" Rufus chittered skeptically. "Yes I'm serious," Ron retorted, colouring slightly. "I haven't been making anything up, and I haven't been brainwashed." Another chatter. "She's perfectly nice once you get to know her." Rufus was quieter now. He was still uneasy, Ron could tell, but he was going to give Shego a chance. Ron looked up, and saw Shego watching him with one raised eyebrow.

"You really can understand him, can't you?" she asked.

Ron nodded. "Yeah."

"But I thought he could speak English."

"He can." Ron felt faintly defensive. He always felt defensive about Rufus. "It's just that it's hard to pronounce, and he doesn't like to do it when he's upset or mad at me." He smiled a little. "He's okay. He's just not used to you yet." Shego smiled back, small smile, but a sweet one. It was as though he had done something right.

"Sorry about that, Rufus," she said then, addressing the rodent for the first time. "I'll try not to surprise you next time." Rufus cocked his head slightly, gauging her motives, then chittered a hesitant acceptance.

"Hey Rufus," Ron said. Shego's taking me out somewhere. You're welcome to come with us. The mole-rat considered again, than nodded. Ron had a feeling that Rufus was only coming to keep an eye on him, but he was glad anyway. Maybe Shego and Rufus could get to know each other a little.

"Come on Ron," Shego called from the window. The rain seemed to have slackened slightly, but was still beating against the pain, and Shego was waiting with one hand poised ready to open it so that not too much rain should get in.

Of course we're going out the window, Ron mused silently. His parents were downstairs, and would probably not be pleased to see Shego. And wasn't that the understatement of the night.

"Come on, little buddy," he said cheerfully. He slipped Rufus into his pocket and crossed to join Shego by the window. She lifted the pain and motioned him through, following deftly when he was perched on one of the tree branches outside. The window snicked shut, and Ron felt excitement tickle at the back of his neck and down his arms. It was delicious to be sneaking out on this wild, wet night. The wind whispered through the tree branches and showered them with drops. The tree's trunk was wet and cold through his shirt, but the leaves still offered some shelter. Shego climbed down the tree, and he followed fairly easily. This was his tree after all. He'd been climbing it since he was six. He grinned at her when they reached the ground, trying to express the thrill he was feeling. And she smiled back; a smile that was almost a laugh. She reached into her pocket and drew out a small, black object. He heard a soft clicking noise, and then a small area about ten feet in front of them began to glow softly. It looked like…a floating door?

"Cloaking device," Shego explained when she saw his look. "I always cloak the hovercraft when I'm out somewhere." Now that Ron was looking for it, he noticed that a large space of grass behind the glowing door was perfectly flat, and that the rain was forcibly stopped by nothing about ten feet from the ground. The craft must be quite large. Larger than a car, at any rate.

Shego swung the door open with a kind of casual flourish, and Ron looked with interest at the interior which had suddenly appeared. Coolest craft ever, he decided internally. He entered into a large area, upholstered in dark blue, and took his seat in one of the black pilot seats. Shego sat next to him and began to adjust the knobs and leavers on the incomprehensible dashboard in front of them.

"Where are we going, Shego?" Ron asked suddenly. He wondered why he hadn't thought to ask before this.

Shego smirked at him, almost like her old self. "It's a surprise," she said. Then she flipped a switch, and Ron's stomach descended as the hover car rose smoothly but way too unexpectedly. "Just relax and enjoy the ride."

"The sculpture to your right was designed by Edward Grant, and entitled 'Knock'. It represents man's confusion in the face of adversity."

Kim glanced from the spectacled tour guide over to the mass of bronze triangles and was glad that it at least represented confusion about something. That at any rate she understood. It wasn't really that she couldn't understand modern art; it was simply that she had no interest in it. As far as she could tell, it pretty much meant whatever you said it did. Besides, she had never been that interested in art, let alone the kind that took very little skill and less talent.

She wished Josh had taken her somewhere else tonight, or at least that she could tell him how boring she found these shows, but he always had so much fun at them. Art was such a large part of his life that Kim sometimes found herself worrying that he might want to break up with her if he learned how she felt. It would make these outings much more enjoyable he shared a small part of her dislike. Then they could giggle together about what the works looked like to them, and speculate on how much the artists must have been paid. She and Ron had gotten through many a school field trip that way.

The tour group was moving, and Kim reluctantly drifted with them. It looked like they were heading into a portrait gallery. Swell.

Josh turned back to her, his eyes alight. "Come on Kim," he said impatiently. "Some of my favorite paintings are in here!"

"Sure Josh," Kim said, forcing a smile. "I'm coming." She followed, inwardly sighing. At least the tour was almost over. Then maybe they could find a nice place for dinner.

And in fact, the rest of the evening did go well. The dinner following the art show was quite nice, and Josh was his usual sweet self. He did talk about the show, and she had to pretend that she had enjoyed it as well, but other than that, Kim enjoyed herself very much. It was nice to have an ordinary date after all the interruptions which had been happening recently.

It was close to eleven when Josh dropped her off at her house, and Kim felt extremely happy. Even her father peaking at them through the window didn't bother her. It had been a good day, and at that moment, it seemed likely that tomorrow would be even better.

The Hovercraft descended smoothly toward an elegant building designed with Grecian pillars and a roof of red tile. Shego glanced over to where Ron sat with his hands pressed against the window, his excited face inches from the glass, and she wanted to chuckle. What was it about him that made her feel so relaxed, so free? She had gone through years in the public eye without showing a single unguarded emotion, and yet whenever she was with him she kept catching herself laughing, or talking about something small from her past. In a way it was good, because he was getting to know her, and that was what she wanted, but there was still some part of her that insisted that she was leaving herself open, and that was a dangerous thing to do.

She had been worried that she would be met at the window by a retraction of his offer, after what she had done to Kim. She could not have blamed him, but she wasn't sure she could stop hating Kim, even if she wanted to. And it wasn't just because Kim had her perfect life. It wasn't just because Kim had Ron. But how could she explain it to him, when she could barely admit it to herself. What's the matter, Shego? Are you afraid he'll drop you if he knows you hate your mother? Shut up. But it's true, isn't it? Kim is so like your mother; so confident and flawless. Shut up! He couldn't understand, and she couldn't try to make him. So she had almost stayed home tonight, or gone out somewhere alone. Except that she wanted to see him, even if he was angry or…hurt. She had needed to take the chance.

And he had been unhappy when she had looked through the window at him, but now he was so happy, so excited. He had been glad to see her. She thought about how he had been acting tonight, and it struck her, according to him, they were already friends, despite the fact that he still knew very little about her. And she remembered what he had said when explaining Rufus' outburst. 'He's not used to you yet'. Yet. That word seemed to hint at a future. Ron was confident that Rufus would have time to get to know her. Or maybe she was being too hopeful, but then, that was the other affect he had on her.

And now was a time to enjoy herself. Tonight they were just two friends without a larger care in the world.

"It's awesome!" Ron announced, pulling his face away from the glass for a moment. "What is this place?"

"The Elysium Spa." Shego brought the hover car down gently and landed in a copse of trees where no one would unexpectedly run into it.

"A spa?" Ron asked in dismay. "Isn't that where you get, like, mud facials and stuff?"

Shego laughed. "Yes," she said. "But this particular one also has state of the art gyms, a full size pool, indoor hockey rink and huge baths, to name just a few of their amenities. I come here all the time."

"In a spa?" Ron shook his head. "No way."

"Sure," Shego said. Her smirk was more teasing now. "What's the matter Ron?" she challenged. "Afraid of a little Epson salts? Besides, it's my turn to take you out somewhere. Don't you trust me?" She almost regretted saying it. Did he trust her? She could so easily be leading him into a trap.

"Of course I do," Ron said ruefully. "It's those creepy spa ladies I don't trust." He sighed, and Shego could tell he was gearing himself up, half playfully. "Fine, I'll give it a try," he said then. "But if I get healthy I'm blaming you."

"Fair enough." Shego lead the way out of the hover car and made certain that it was completely invisible. The rain had almost completely stopped now, except for a few feathery touches on her face, and the landscape was drenched in watery moonlight. They crossed the lawn like two shadows, almost invisible themselves.

It was true that Shego had been to the spa many times, usually on her days off, but she had never ever taken anyone else here, and it made her slightly nervous to see Ron standing next to her in the velvety entrance hall, shaking the damp from his hair. But this was a place where she was able to relax, and to be herself for the most part, and she wanted to share it with him. She had never used the pool or the gyms much, because she had never had anyone to use them with. She generally just came here after her own work outs to get massages or other relaxing treatment. But she had often wished she had someone to play here with, and if there was one person who was worth the risk, it was Ron.

Shego flashed her pass to the desk attendant and successfully got Ron in as a guest. She felt a little glow of satisfaction as she did. It was the first time she had ever used hat privilege.

"So where too first?" Ron asked.

"Well, I've always wanted to try out the badminton courts," Shego offered with an impish smile.

Ron smiled back. "I have to warn you, I really suck at badminton."

"So do I," Shego countered, which was true, not because she lacked the skill for the game, but simply because she hadn't played it in many years. But it was still one of her favorite sports.

"Then lay on, Macduff." Ron bowed with an elaborate flourish and offered his arm playfully.

"I certainly intend to." Shego curtsied back. In general, she would never be caught dead behaving like this, but with Ron she didn't feel silly. She didn't even think about it. "Loser buys ice cream," she challenged instead, and as they walked together down the corridor with its blue green carpet and faint smell of chlorine, she was sure of only one thing; Ron was going down.

Thanks for reading guys, and thank you very much for being so patient. I promise I will not take so long for the next one. ;)

I have a feeling this chapter needs some more editing for grammar, but I want to get it up, so I will edit it afterward, and post a fixed version.

Tell me what you think. If I'm putting in too many inner thoughts, do let me know. I like to explore people's feelings this way, but I don't want the story too be boring, and I tend to like my own writing, so it's difficult sometimes to tell if I'm being too detailed. I also have trouble working Rufus into the story, which you can probably tell by now. I don't know what it is. I just tend to forget about him. It could have something to do with the fact that I find him really difficult to write for. Hope he's not too awkward in this chapter Thanks in advance everyone. ;)

See you all next time!