Ann was browsing the large library of wines and spirits in one of the lower levels of Go Tower. The isles in the room was a collector's dream. The room itself wasn't very large but contained three isles of humidity and temperature controlled cabinets and one isle of free standing shelves of liquor. On the far end wall were actual rundlet casks. She was a little befuddled by the wide array of spirits available. She looked in the cabinets through the glass and saw were some very vintage wines she imagined cost thousands to have. I just want a glass! She began to realize the room was not meant for keeping anything intended for a drink. Or at the very least, not for casual drinking. She was suddenly startled by one of the Wegos stepping into the room and jumped, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm beginning to realize I'm not supposed to be in here." Ann lingered on his eyes for a moment. The copper color catching the light in a way to reflect a more radiant red. It was peculiar and she wasn't sure how to feel.
Wego smiled apologetically, "Heh, I didn't mean to startle you. And our home is yours! You're supposed to be where you want to be." He came in and started perusing the collection.
Ann stopped staring as soon as he spoke and gave a nervous chuckle, "That's far too generous. Really."
A brief shake of his head with a smirk, "Relax. We don't hero that much anymore and this place is big enough for like…," his eyes drifted to the ceiling for a moment, "a hundred families. I don't think I've even been in all the rooms. You want a glass?"
Ann nervously chuckled, "Was hoping to find something simple. I didn't intend to drink your vintage collection here."
He shrugged, "What are you in the mood for? Something fruity? Sour? Something more Earthly?"
"Something that'll take the edge off." Another nervous smile crossed her lips.
"I've got just the one." Wego opened one of the cabinets and picked up a wine bottle, seemingly at random. He looked at it and shrugged with his brows, "I'm sure this will do something." He waggled the bottle in his hand.
"But that's-"
"It's only…," he looked at the label, "a hundred and fifty years old. It's fine."
Astounded, "Are you sure-," He can't be serious.
"Come on, it's not gonna drink itself," he joked to assure her the wine was made for a reason. He pointed with his head towards the door to coax her to follow, "I know the perfect spot for this."
"O-okay." She followed him to the elevators outside the room. Once they got in, Ann remained silent while Wego quietly made his own elevator music and subtly danced to it. It earned him a small chortle. Once they arrived on the floor he intended, he took her to a lounge area. He picked up two glasses and set them down on a lacquered oak table. They sat on matching leather chairs that overlooked a view of the city through the large window. Ann watched him pour the bottle into the glasses and suddenly realized Wego was not much older than her own sons, "Um, aren't you a little young to be drinking?"
He smirked and looked at her, "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking?" He watched her blush a little, embarrassed. "I'm kidding, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. You'll notice my family are rather heavy drinkers. We have a much higher tolerance thanks to our glow." He swirled the glass a little and gently breathed in the scent, "You wanna talk about that edge of yours?"
"Ohhh, no, n-not really. But thanks. Just the wine." An uneasy smile crossed her face again.
"Hey, no problem. No pressure," he politely handed Ann her glass. "I'm a little on edge too." He paused a moment, realizing that wasn't all that comforting, "I'm sure that didn't make you feel any better, I just felt like mentioning it… fooor no apparent reason at all."
Ann sniggered and took a sip from her glass, "You want to talk about it?"
"I wouldn't burden you with my petty issues."
"I'm sure they aren't petty. Try me."
He took his glass and sat in a chair facing Ann across a small lounge table between them. "I'm just worried about Shego, is all. Well, I guess I'm not now. I don't know what to feel. I'm ecstatic she's back. I suppose I don't know how to act around her. Heh. Confusing, right?"
Ann tried her best to decipher what could be eating at Wego, "Mm, only a little. I can understand seeing your sister portrayed as a villain for so many years can fill you with worry. The people she'd be mixing with, the influences they'd have, the places she might end up, where it could take her in the future."
Wego gave a tilted bob from his head, "Well, she wasn't portrayed as a villain, she is one, or was. I'm not quite sure. But…, I'm starting to understand why you're on edge. Worried about my sister's influences on Kim?"
Ann internally facepalmed with an imaginary hand, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend."
He shook a defensive hand at her, "Not at all. I know my sister has quite a complicated past. A past I don't know a whole lot about except what's been on the news and the brief moments of what she's told us."
She wanted to know more but was unsure if she was pressing too hard for information. She thought a moment and thought to try, "Can you tell me about her? Anything from when you were growing up?" Anything to replace the imagery of Kim in a hospital room getting stitched up, getting X-rays for broken bones, or the operating room.
Wego leaned back in his chair and thought a moment. "Unfortunately, there isn't a lot I can recall. I was pretty young and for the most part called her 'Mom' after our parents died. Even now, when I try to remember what my parents look like, I can only see Shego's face on both of them. Silly huh?" he smiled, "Shego was really great from what I remember. She was like any other great mom you hear about. Putting in a hundred percent and then more whenever we needed it. She cooked, put us in school, guided us through homework, got us to do chores as a team, got us to be a team." He took a large sip from his glass and held it for just a moment. "The stuff in-between though, I just… can't remember…, not clearly."
Ann's eyes frowned at the story, "No grandparents? Aunts or Uncles?," she realized she may have been asking too much, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry."
He dismissed it, "We all lived under one roof, one really big roof. And, it was a really big meteor."
She leaned forward as if to offer some form of focused condolence, "I'm so sorry."
He shrugged sadly, "I was too young to remember. But Shego, she was a do-er. She got us through the worst of times. She got our inheritance, our tower, and essentially supported all of us. And then on one shitty night, while I was asleep, she left. I only recently found out why, but that's not important right now. Now that she's back, I have to forcibly say 'Hey Sis' so I don't accidentally call her Mom again," a soft chuckle to himself. He tried to emphasize with his hand, "My memories of Shego are that of a strong woman with a massive heart and a brilliant brain. No matter what anyone says, that's how I will always think of her. I hope that takes some of the edge off."
Ann nodded into her glass and finished it. She took a moment, "It does." Ann tried to use this information, to change her idea of Shego to someone she could hate less, but one short conversation about her was not enough. She did make a good note of it, however.
He picked up the bottle, "Another?"
"You don't mind?"
"Are you kidding? Why would I mind? This is Mego's stash," he grinned.
Ann was overcome with shock, "Is it really?"
He chuckled as he poured her another, "It sure is!" He raised the bottle to his lips and downed the rest. With a huffing sigh, "It'll be our little secret."
"Wego!" She admonished and pushed the glass away.
He chuckled, "It's fine, really."
She worriedly glared, "Isn't he going to get mad?"
He nodded quickly with a bright smile on his face, "Oh, he'll be furious when he finds out," he put a hand up and became reassuring, "Don't worry, I was planning on taking the blame anyway. You have nothing to worry about, I promise."
A confused stare, "B-but, why?" Ann really didn't want to become more involved than she already has.
He continued chuckling, "This may or may not have something to do with finding out why Shego 'left' when we were kids." Ann was stunned. "Hey, I was just going to smash the bottles, drinking it was a much better idea. We don't have much time to finish it once it's opened anyway - too damn sweet for me though."
"How much did it cost?" A quietly spoken question as if Mego were in the room with them.
An unsure frown as he looked upwards with raised brows, "That one? Not sure what he bid for it, but somewhere around a mil, I think."
She leaned her head forward with concern, shock, and worry, "A million dollars!?"
"What did you think of it? Definitely too sweet. Also, you better finish that glass before it dies."
She picked up the glass worriedly and sipped at it quickly. The sweetness was like a sharp sherry and downing it as quickly as Wego did would be very discomforting. Another sip, "You're positively evil." Another.
He laughed genuinely and then gave a mock one with arms craned upwards and fingers curled, "Muwha-ha-ha-ha-haaa." He gave a calm smile to her, "This is between me and my two older brothers, but off the record, they deserve a lot worse than a missing bottle of overpriced wine and whatever my twin brother is doing to get back at Hego," an indecisive bounce of his head from side to side, "He's kind of stuck between bengay in his underwear and throwing out his rare trading cards. My guess, if you ask me, he's gonna do both."
Ann covered her ears, "I'm not listening!"
"It feels so good to confess crimes. No wonder villains talk so much about their plans."
"I think I have to check on my husband now!" Ann was getting up until Wego decided to stop his charade.
"I'm sorry," he chuckled, "Really, I was mostly playing around. I am getting back at my brothers but I didn't mean to worry you. I should have been focusing on you. I'll take my leave, please enjoy the view." He gestured to the view of the city and started walking out.
She saw he really didn't mean to make her uncomfortable and perhaps thought she may have overreacted. She didn't want him to leave on her account, "W-wait. Can we talk more about Shego?"
He turned to her, "Um sure, but I pretty much told you all I can."
She nodded once, "Maybe-maybe I have some information for you."
"Oh?"
"I wasn't sure earlier, but what you told me makes me more confident that Shego really could be," she quickly stopped herself and corrected, "I'm sorry, it's just…,"
Wego shook his head, "I understand." He allowed her to continue.
She paused a moment before going on, "We had a rather brief conversation early last week over the phone. I felt she was taking my family away from me. Involving them in this whatever-war. First it was Kim and now my husband, but I won't let her involve my boys. Over my dead body will she have them," she couldn't stop herself from saying the things she meant to keep quiet. She looked at him apologetically, "I was scared and she tried to assure me that his involvement would be minimal and he'd be nowhere near danger. It was hard for me to talk to her. Every time I heard her voice, I thought of the time I almost lost Kim." Wego was clearly discomforted by this. His brows raised and a subtle frown showed he was shocked to hear Shego would ever go that far. "I brought it up, I brought that incident up, and the next thing I hear is a loud pop that nearly ruptured my eardrums followed by her screaming her apologies," Ann waved a confused hand to the air gently, "When I got a hold of her again, she said she meant to hang up. I wasn't sure, it's easy enough to fake, but your story gives me more confidence she was sincere." She took another sip from her glass, "It's very difficult for me to believe her but to hear she was like a mother to you helps." Ann gave a subtle smile.
A slow nod, "I'm sorry to hear about Kim. I'm glad she recovered. If it weren't for her, I'd probably wouldn't see Shego again. From what it sounds like, they have a lot of history together. I'm actually a little jealous." A soft huff, "I'm glad to know Shego apologized. I know an apology doesn't make up for what she did but 'screaming her apologies' sounds like remorse."
"How that relationship started is what concerns me. And where it's going. And how it'll end… if it ends. This whole situation is overwhelming."
"That… I can agree. The overwhelming part I mean. I'm glad to see Shego again, I just wish it was under better circumstances. As far as their relationship, no idea. But…," a beat, "considering she put her…, you, your family and her friends under protection, I think Kim is in good hands."
Ann took these words in and nodded in agreement. It ate at her though. Her mind screamed 'trick' but decidedly avoided more of the conversation.
~oO0Oo~
Both Kim and Shego stared at the ceiling while lying in bed. With their tension diffused, Shego felt it was safe to ask a burning question she had, "How'd it go with Dr. D.?"
"I have so many questions," Kim promptly answered, "but later. I need to figure out what to tell Ron. It's time, it's just-"
"I can tell him and I can do it gently." The obvious necessity to avoid having Kim relive the experience again was Shego's ultimate goal. She advised with eyes that plead with unease and hoped Kim would listen to her just once.
But Kim was in command. It's her call, her experience, and her story to tell. "No, it has to be both of us. I'm just going to take something to keep myself calm."
Was Kim over-medicating? Is this a worry that Shego should have? Shego wasn't sure if she needed to fight Kim on this, "Kim?" Was she being too controlling? Too untrusting? The questions burst into her thoughts like buckshot.
Kim knew this was difficult for Shego. She knew it was difficult for everyone. It was a constant reminder that the Kim they knew, that she, will never be the same again and needs special care. And, to some extent, special handling. Kim hated that but she reminded herself they were being supportive. "Just one extra pill, you can watch me take it." Shego sighed, unsure if it was a good idea. "It'll be okay. I'll do the talking, you… show him."
Shego became more authoritative, "Kim, you tell me immediately when you can't go on."
Kim gripped Shego's hand to assure her, "I will. But we should do this now."
~oO0Oo~
Ron stood in front of Shego's office with his back leaned against the wall. He was playing with his phone to pass the time. Once he spotted Kim and Shego he put the device away. Shego was walking without Kim's support and mostly without a limp. He was awed by her ability to heal so quickly. The two women approached silently until Shego instructed Kim how to enter. "Kim, place your hand here and your head here." She guided her gently to the hand and eye scanners. "Next, enter a pin of your choosing." Shego stepped directly in front of Ron to block his view of the pad. She spoke over her shoulder, "Enter it again to get in." Kim did and the cylindrical door spun to allow a single person to enter. Two could fit if they squeezed but a pressure plate would fail and they would not be able to enter unless specifically set to. "Ron, you're next."
"I have access?"
She closed her eyes a moment. Ron always seemed to strike a nerve Shego couldn't tolerate. How could he be so dense and yet so necessary? She contained her expletives and calmed herself internally. She cursed herself for acting this way and realized, despite his silly assumptions, he was about to get informed of the true terrors this world holds. She tensed at this. She didn't want to hurt Ron but it was time to get him onboard. "You have one-time access." Shego entered a code, took his hand forcefully and positioned it. She did the same for his head.
"Whoa, okay, easy." He wasn't sure if Shego was carrying some anger from the fight. He was under the impression they made up. Maybe, he thought, Kim and Shego had a fight. Or maybe just angry-Shego being angry-Shego.
"In," she instructed flatly.
He entered and then it was her turn to do the same.
All three were present. Directly ahead was Shego's desk built with six large monitors that could be swiveled, turned, raised and lowered. Three on top of the others. Kim had the same setup for her desk on the right of Shego's. Shego had a wall shelf that contained only a single picture frame with an extremely faded photo. Only Shego knew of what it was. Kim's shelf was empty. There were no other chairs besides the ones Shego and Kim had. The office also had a small bedroom and bathroom connected to it, closed off by a wooden door.
Shego flipped one of her trash cans over and motioned to Ron, "Sit." He did reluctantly. Kim quietly placed her trash can next to him just in case his stomach decides to turn.
While Shego logged into her network, Kim took a long, deep breath. "Ron," she started very seriously, "Do you remember earlier this year and years before we were called out on missions rather frequently? It was one right after another with same old 'you won't stop me this time' crap?"
"I remember, KP." He gave a quick nod.
"I was getting tired of it. Same villains for the same dumb crap. I wanted that to end and I wanted to make a real difference," she paused. She remembered how excited and determined she was. "I applied to be part of Global Justice elites. But, I was rejected, initially. They said I had the potential to be a great addition," she circled her hand in the air, "but would be better off if I enlisted in their training programs first; to gain experience," she scoffed, "I was a little angry. I thought they were underestimating me," she shook her head subtly, "I was naive anyway. You don't apply to that faction, they come to you. So, that brings me to what I did next.
"Ron, I told you I was going to study overseas until graduation." A brief uncomfortable sigh came as she was nearing the topic that would change Ron's view of the world, perhaps even of Kim,. "And while that part was true, the real reason for doing so was to stop every broken-record villain we've run into… permanently. Or, at the very least…, let me enjoy a special vacation I planned without interruption. In retrospect…," she looked away for another moment, "in retrospect, I probably could have told you. But, I kept you out of it because I know you don't want the same career path as I do and I also didn't want you to be part of the terrible things I did." Kim was still ashamed of it. She closed her eyes and took a moment to move past it.
Ron took her pause to ask, "What did you do? How did you get everybody? How did you know where?" He was not sure how it was possible but her slogan echoed in his mind and he continued to listen.
Kim knew she was about to paint herself a terrible picture and worried what Ron would think of her, "I took advantage of Wade. He helped but he didn't know I was actively terrorizing our old enemies." Ron gave small look of shock. He didn't know she was capable of being on the offensive in such a way. Kim pushed on. She tried to make her excuse seem reasonable and almost pleaded, "I just wanted them to stop, Ron. I had a full plate of work and school and extracurriculars every day. I wanted to help people, protect them, but it was ridiculous. If it wasn't Monkey Fist, it was Drakken, if it wasn't Drakken, it was Hench, if not him, it was Electronique, if not her, it was McDuff, it was always something stupid. So..., I hurt them..., one by one, I crippled them. I sent their locations to GJ and I finally got noticed." She leaned towards him, "I was in, Ron. It took me months but I did it. I was thrilled. And then, then Betty…," Kim's voice changed. It got lower and angrier, "sent me on a mission. Some place sick."
Kim was holding it together, but her anger was clearly showing. Shego placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm okay," she looked up to Shego, "I'm okay." She turned back to Ron, who was unsure how to react, still not knowing what happened. He was unsure why Shego had to calm Kim. "It was a torture house, Ron. I was purchased, to be another victim," Ron furrowed his brows and couldn't believe what he was hearing, "I attracted attention from a collector," She closed her eyes but continued speaking. A light tremble at the memory but she pushed it away quickly, "And Betty was going to get a nice, fat deposit in her account for delivering me." She turned away and grabbed Shego's arm tightly, "Show him the aftermath, not… not the children, I don't want him to see that. He doesn't need to see that."
Ron looked at Kim, confused, and then looked at Shego. His voice could only utter a small and soft, "What?"
Shego spoke very seriously, "I'm going to show you some images, some of what Kim wanted hidden from you. Wade was able to grab satellite shots of what Kim did to survive." Shego brought up an aerial view of the facility in Belize, smoldered in flames and bodies of guards splayed out.
Ron instantly cringed. He played out a scene in his head of Kim attacking, of how she had to defend, and of how she finished, "I don't understand. W-why did you have to do this? Who are these people?"
Shego continued for Kim, "The men you see lying dead on the ground are mercenaries hired by Global Justice. They-"
Ron tensed, "Dead?"
Kim quickly answered softly while staring at the floor, away from the picture, "Yes. As is everyone in that building. I used whatever I could in the area to set it on fire. I… I had to." She looked up and stared into his eyes, "I had to." She tensely ground her teeth.
Shego interjected to stop Kim from continuing, "Ron, I need you to listen carefully." She watched tears well in his eyes as he cocked his head to look at her instead of Kim, "Kim was going to be a victim and she did what she did to survive. The people inside were victims who were only there to suffer for the entertainment of a disgusting, monster."
He brought a hand to his scalp. He pulled tensely at a tuft of hair, "I just…" he shuddered, "I don't understand any of this." His eyes darted to the image briefly and back to Shego.
Kim got up and held the hands of her best friend. She took a breath for herself, "I think we should take a break."
He shook his head, "No Kim," he pulled away, "just tell me why! None of this makes any sense!"
Kim forced herself to stay calm so Ron could, "Ron, I know this is hard. Believe me, I know this is hard." Kim suddenly thought it was a mistake to give him this much information at once. She second guessed herself, that she should have handled this better.
Ron's breathing was a shallow, "Kim, why did she do this to you? To them? Why?"
Shego jumped in, "Money. Power. But, she isn't asking or ordering this to happen, she just allows it for coin… and perhaps protection. The problem's complicated. She's not the only hand in this pile of shit." Shego brought up another image, "Six days, Ron, they searched for six days for Kim's body." He cringed hard at this. "They loaded the bodies of mutilated children into a truck and dumped them in a mass grave." Ron put his hand up to stop Shego and looked away. Shego gave him the needed time before continuing. She chastised herself internally. She forced herself to feel numb to keep her sanity but it wasn't helping Ron. He slowed his breathing and looked up again with a teary anger in his eyes. A gentle nod let her know to continue. "They bombed the area to cover up any evidence.
"I knew Betty wouldn't stop searching for Kim. She's a threat to the integrity of Global Justice. I was scared, Ron. A person with the amount of power wouldn't stop to find Kim. I used the little information Wade gathered and a device he and Dr. D. made to make her and all of GJ to keep their distance. But it wasn't enough. She would have used anyone Kim cared about as leverage and we'd always be looking over our shoulders. It's why I have you here at the lair, it's why I moved everybody." Shego leaned forward on her desk to give Ron the most sincere look she could, "I'm sorry we kept you in the dark," she stared in those tear filled eyes, "I'm sorry for the dumb shit I put you through. It was what we agreed on, to keep you from having the nightmares while being kept in a lair." She paused to let those words sink in.
Ron closed his eyes and nodded his understanding. He opened his mouth to speak and a faint tremble was in voice, "How are they able to do this? How are they completely unnoticed?"
Shego looked to Kim for an approval. She knew him best and Shego hoped Kim knew when to stop. Kim gave her a saddened nod to continue, "Here's what we know about Betty and her secrets so far." Shego passed a file to his lap and elaborated on specific details about Dr. Betty Director and the overall process of how she extorts money from villains, allowed sick 'private prisons' to exist, and the basic workings of what keeps Kim and everyone generally safe. Shego went slow and tried to read his expression to see if she needed to stop. She paused when he needed time to process and only continued when he was ready. Kim could only watch Ron's heart break. It wasn't just the horrible living nightmare that existed, it was also the fact that GJ was supposed to be one of the good guys. They were supposed to be the ones to take care of situations like these.
Kim wouldn't allow Ron to know the gory details of what she encountered. And she tried desperately to explain that if it weren't for Shego, none of them would be safe.
Ron was left completely speechless. He struggled to form words but nothing came. All he could think about was that it wasn't supposed to happen. Who was to protect everyone if not Global Justice?
Kim thought it might have been far too much now. That she should have told him a slowly over the months. She thought she was protecting him, "I'm sorry Ron, I'm so sorry. I never wanted anyone to be involved," Kim gave him some more time but she need to ask, "Ron..., will you help us?" She immediately cursed herself silently. How could she ask that so soon?
He was left muttering and staring at his hands, "It's unreal. How can this be possible? Any of it, how?" The reality was hitting him harder than Kim expected. He rubbed and pinched his forehead. In a breathy whisper, "H-how?"
Shego softened and crouched down to meet him eye to eye, "Out of all the crazy you've encountered in your life, technologically or otherwise, you know there's a lot you just accept because your priorities are just to stop evil. This is the most evil and we need to stop it. Do you want to end this?"
A very breathy, "Yes," was his response.
"Will you help us?"
He looked at her dead in the eyes, "Yes, but-but what can I possibly do against… this?"
Shego stood back up, "I have a plan. But, it will take time. If we go in unprepared, we fail and more will suffer. We train, we get intel, we eliminate obstacles surgically."
Ron reflected how this must have been so awful for Kim. His eyes darted around to think of something to say to her, "Kim, I'm sorry, I just didn't know." His eyes teared looking at Kim, "I'm sorry."
Kim hugged him, "You weren't supposed to know. None of this was supposed to exist. But now we have to prepare."
He nodded on her shoulder, "There's more isn't there? I should know."
"You don't need to. You will never sleep, Ron." She hugged him tighter, "Don't ask again."
Ron was silent but eventually pulled away from Kim, "What now? Just back to laundry duty? Walk around, like everything's normal? Wait for the next order? What can I do?"
Shego started, "Right now, take the rest of the day off. Do what you need to help yourself. I'll schedule a psych appointment with our doctor. Whatever you need, Ron, just let me know. We'll reassign your distraction-duties to the new team members."
Ron buried his head into his hands and then abruptly got up and headed for the door. He pushed a button to exit and left.
Kim slumped in her chair and felt as if she just crushed the life out of her best friend.
Shego tried to reassure her, albeit her tone was saddened, "He'll be fine Kim. Like everyone else, he just needs time."
Kim took a breath and exhaled her response, "I know he will. I know." She took a moment to gather herself, "This office, you planned for me to be here?"
Shego sat down in her chair with a lethargic thump. The mood was now fully darkened, "I knew I wasn't going to be able to say no to you, but I had to try. I know I'm better off with you, but I'd still prefer it if you were just safe and had no further part in this. I planned the office from the beginning knowing you'd deny me the chance to protect you."
"So…, what can I do here?"
Shego wished she'd just take a break. She answered anyway, "You have access to everything like I do. I was serious about you being in command. With the few exceptions I noted earlier, you… command… me. I have tasks for you, but given you are here, I'm interested in what you would like first."
She thought hard. She chose what ate at her the most, "If that's the case, I want a briefing on what's happened between the time you left me alone at our island home and now."
Shego let out a stressful sigh, "Alright, you're the boss. But we're doing this slow."
A subtle nod, "Alright."
Shego went on to describing her investigation on Dr. Director, setting up the lair and her home, and moving her parents and friends to safer places within the first two months in greater detail. She proceeded giving her information on someone who has a leash on Betty and a link to 'Satan's Teacher'. Additionally, she informed her that destroying that facility in Belize may have been taken personally. Then she spoke of allies ranging from loyal henchmen to connections she's made during her mercenary days.
Kim closed her eyes, listening to every detail, and only opened them when Shego shared a file or image. "Okay, stop here…, for now. I'm sorry, I know there's more…"
Shego was actually thankful for the break. "Just let me know…," Shego checked the time and pondered briefly, "Hey, we have a pretty big kitchen here, you want to help me make lunch?"
Not exactly the most appealing task, but for the moment, it was much better than thinking about the details she just heard, "Okay."
~oO0Oo~
Kim and Shego spent the long walk in silence and tried to compartmentalize along the way. Neither of them liked the silence but neither of them had anything left to say. Each of their steps echoed lightly down the long corridors. Each step became more noticeable than the last. Kim shifted her pace to be asynchronous to Shego's but Shego didn't like the echoing of so many feet and shifted her pace to match Kim's. Kim, having thought it was unintentional, tried again only for Shego to do it once more. Kim huffed a small laugh, a small distraction from the flooding thoughts she was slowly managing to push down, "S-stop that."
Inquisitive as she let her mind wander, "Hm?"
"Nothing…," she shifted again but it wasn't long before her steps were in sync again, "You're doing it on purpose aren't you?"
Still confused, "Kim?"
Kim's eyes narrowed, unsure of Shego, "Your feet."
"Oh," she understood now, "yeah, I don't like the clip-clop. Sounds like a horse," she focussed harder now to keep pace with Kim.
Kim snickered, "It's killing me!"
"We're almost there." Shego smirked back and saw that Kim was trying to throw her off but managed to tactfully stay toe to toe. The awkwardly walked a short minute until they arrived.
Kim huffed, "Ass." She looked around the vacant area filled with long tables with a hint of surprise, "This is-"
Shego quickly noted the obvious, "A cafeteria, yes. Gotta feed your live-in henchmen."
She blinked at its vastness, "Why haven't I seen your other lairs have these kinds of accommodations?"
"You never went deep enough," she shrugged. "Villainy isn't cheap, Pumpkin. But hey, it creates jobs," she smirked. "Alright, let's see," she stared into the giant refrigerator, grab the tomatoes and the shrimp. I got everything else." She pulled out several bags of vegetables and shrimp in each hand.
Kim walked over and peered in, "How many do we need?"
"All of them."
"Oh…," it dawned on Kim that they weren't just cooking for themselves when Shego handed her a hairnet, "A gumbo?"
"Good guess, going to be a quick shrimp and corn gumbo. The steps are basically throw shit together in a large pot and put some heat on it for several hours. Except, we don't have that much time, so we're gonna pressure cook it."
"You don't have a designated cook or… cooks?" Kim was a little shocked she wouldn't have staff for this and the time that Shego spent with her would mean everybody starved. It didn't add up.
"Our um," she twisted her face mildly, "current cook is in need of some personal time," Shego looked at Kim suggestively.
"Ron," she said quietly.
She shrugged her brows, "So it's me, or if you want, us, today. I think one of our techs used to be a chef. Maybe I'll put everyone on a rotation if no one volunteers to help. But… this first."
Kim and Shego prepped the food and loaded two giant pressure cookers. Kim noticed a slight smile appear on Shego's face whenever she cooked, "How long have you enjoyed cooking?"
"Hm?" Shego tilted her head towards Kim, "I guess as long as I can remember. Dad and I would bake a lot when I was a kid while Mom was away on business. And Mom would do the same when Dad was away. We'd cook roasts, little desserts, and sauces that she knew. I would hang around our chefs when they were both away. The chefs were so much better at it," she laughed, "I didn't get a lot of time with my parents when I was young, but when they were around, we cooked. They made it fun. I guess I get a little nostalgic."
"Chefs huh?," Kim put a hand on Shego's hip, "As in plural?"
Shego turned to face her, "As in plural, Pumpkin. We had a big estate and my entire family, along with the live-in staff, stayed there."
"Hmmm," Kim joked, "You were a big spoiled brat back then, huh?"
"Ho ho," she chuckled, "I'll admit, my upbringing focused on how to lead and I was given every opportunity they could afford, but I was taught to do the work too, Kim." Shego corrected herself casually, "Then again, I thought every family had a house full of live-in staff until I realized maids and butlers didn't have their own maids and butlers when I was ten."
Kim snickered, "Cute… but also terrible."
"Yeah, well, everyone lives in a bubble." She quickly changed the subject back to the meal that needed to be made, "Alright, let's get the kitchen set up to serve everyone. No backing out now, Cupcake," she smiled, "The team will be happy to see you."
Kim gave an embarrassed laugh, "Why would they be?"
Without looking, "You're kind of famous, Kimmie."
"What? No I'm not. I just help out."
"Come on, this again?" Shego stared at her incredulously.
"Well I didn't think it would make me famous," she defended.
"Yeah, yeah, come on, cut some bread, get some bowls and trays from the cabinets. Chop chop, we only have about an hour and half before they start marching in."
Kim narrowed her eyes, "I thought I was your boss."
"You can officially reprimand me on Monday. It should give your Monique friend a chance to see that I'm not always a terror."
"I'll consider it, now, where's bread."
~oO0Oo~
Kim served every shocked face in line who saw her, greeted her, and complimented her. Each ecstatic to have met her so closely. Right beside her was Shego showing subtle signs of jealousy. But, there was no sign of Ron. When everyone was served, she turned to Shego, "Do you know where I can find Ron? I'm little worried about him."
"I can show you were his room is but no guarantees that he's there."
"It's a start."
She lightly smacked Kim's arm, "Kimmie, don't forget to eat"
Kim put up her hands, "Just until I find Ron, don't worry about it."
With a wave of her hand, "Alright, follow me."
~oO0Oo~
Shego pounded on the thick metal door, "Yo! Ron! You in there!?"
Kim admonished with a look filled with disbelief, "What is this? A raid? Could you be a little more gentle?"
She defended, "Not easy to talk through these doors, Kimmie. Call him on your Kimmunicator."
"Oh, that's actually a good idea." Kim began to dial him when he opened the door.
The door uttered a loud thump and opened slowly, "I'm here guys," he sighed heavily, "just come in."
"I'll wait outs-"
Ron interrupted, "You too Shego."
"What?" Shego did not think her eyebrows could reach that high.
As he walked back in, "Might as well, you'll hear it from Kim anyway."
All three walked into his room and he sat back to his bed and stared at his feet.
Kim started, "Ron?"
The room itself wasn't very large but had the bare necessities - A white wall which hung a thin screen TV, a blue adjacent walled, framed in white with wall shelves. The shelves held several fidget toys, a few pictures of rufus and rufus and Ron, together, selfies, and a couple of pictures of him with Kim's family and friends.
His voice was void of any of his usual bright optimism, "Yeah K.P.?"
To the left of his bed was a desk and a laptop with limited internet access. And just to the right of the desk was the door to a connected bathroom.
Kim shared her concern, "You didn't come to lunch. Why don't we all eat together?" She wore a gentle and encouraging smile.
Unfortunately, her smile was left unnoticed, and his understandably melancholy mood remained, "Oh, It's lunchtime? Sorry. I was going to cook some chicken dish. I guess I better get to it."
Kim quickly stopped him from getting up, "No, no it's okay. We took care of it."
Shego jumped in, "You have the day off, Ron, and your duties are being reassigned. I meant it, anything you need."
He laid back down and closed his eyes to avoid staring at the ceiling light, "Oh, yeah, about that..., I'm probably not going to be good at whatever you intend for me to do." He rocked his head slowly against his pillow, "I want to help guys, I do, but look at my history. I'm not smart, I'm not useful, I'm likely just going to burden both of you or screw it up. The last thing I want is get you killed Kim. So yeah, I'm probably just good with my grunt work. It's the only thing I can do well."
Shego's eyes knitted, "Kim, can I please kick his ass?" She felt sorry for him but self-loathing was not an option right now.
"Shego! Stop it."
Ron allowed it in his most depressing voice, "It's okay KP, it's only fair."
Kim tried to settle this quickly, "Will you just stop! Both of you." She reproved their behavior with a glare at both of them.
Shego took a breath and corrected with what she meant to say, "Ron, I'm not going to do anything to you. Listen to me, which I'm sure you're tired of doing, but hear me out," She dragged a hand over her face for what she was about to say, "Believe it or not, you've done a lot. You helped protect Kim. I'm not gonna have you fish for compliments, so I'm stopping there. Okay?" She didn't like showing her nicer side to anyone but Kim. "I understand you're in a shit spot right now. You've been thrown into this clusterfuck and I know I didn't make things easier for you before all this happened." Shego pulled out a chair from his desk to sit next to him, "I know you don't trust me, and hey, I get it, but right now, Ron, we need to work together. We need your help, I need it."
He sat up, "Shego… do you really have something I can do? I mean, what you said before… it's true, isn't it? I don't have any skills."
Shego released a heavy, dissatisfied sigh, "You didn't get a whole lot of guidance growing up, did you?"
Kim gave a disapproving tone, "Shego?"
She defended quickly, "I wasn't being sarcastic," Shego took a 10x10 Rubik's cube off his shelf and shuffled it. He handed it to Ron, "Complete it."
He pursed his lips, confused at the abrupt task, and began working on it, "I don't get why you want me to play with a toy, Shego." Kim and Shego watched the rotating puzzle unravel in front of them in silent and concealed aamazement. After six minutes he solved it. "Okay, here. What's your point?"
Shego facepalmed, "You just solved a 10x10 Rubik's cube in less than seven minutes! When you were fucking with Drakken's weapons and machines, did you really just hit things at random or did it just make sense to you? Answer honestly." How can he be this smart and so stupid!?
"I don't know. I mean," he rolled his eyes exaggeratedly thinking about it, "I had to hit things at random first to see what it did. His machines seemed to follow a standard, you know, so I just made them do what they weren't supposed to do and boom," he shrugged, "I just wanted to make things difficult for you.
Shego twitched an eye, "Oh, believe me, you did," a brief hesitation, "Are you still not seeing what I'm getting at? You're a mechanical genius, you idiotic buffoon!"
"Okay, yeah, feelings, still hurt," he glared, "And I'm not a genius, Shego. I can't design or create. I wreck things, it's the only thing I'm good at. And maybe cooking. Unless you got something I can destroy, and you know, not secretly, I can't do much else."
Shego was losing the remaining amount of patience she had, "Kimmie, has he always been like this? I thought he was supposed to be all high energy and self confident. What the hell?"
Kim was actually getting a little irritated as well. It seemed like he was, in fact, fishing for compliments. She was understanding, though, and replied with a subtle casualness, "He compares himself to people and never sees his good sides. So he beats himself up a lot. But in front of everyone else he tries to make people's day better by always forcing a positive attitude."
He was surprised Kim would say all this, "Uh guys? I'm right here."
Shego tried to make it very clear, "Most people can't do what you can do, Ron. I can direct you, use your full potential, but you need to want to. You want to know what tasks I have for you? I intend to use you for testing Wade's and Dr. D's work. I need you to make sure it's safe for us to use and expose all the flaws. I need you to look at…," Shego didn't want to talk about mission locations but it was necessary, "some very bad places and tell us how to get in. I need escape routes that only you can see when we're on a mission. Do you understand how important you are to this?"
Ron was sincerely surprised. Filled with disbelief but still surprised, "Well… why didn't anyone tell me!? Kim, did you know?" He looked at her for confirmation.
She shrugged, "I always said you had a lot of potential, Ron. But you wanted to play video games, you wanted to be popular, you didn't want to study for the subjects you didn't like-"
He threw his hands to the air, "Okay! Fine. But your potential speech could have been said to anyone. It seemed like it was just, you know, bullshit to make people feel better about themselves."
Kim tightened a corner of her mouth, "Everyone does have potential, it's not bullshit."
"Oh come on, some things are just easier for some people and-"
"And now it's lunch. Get up, vent time is over, eat," Shego ordered while Ron frowned for getting cut off, "Hey, don't mope anymore, we don't have time for it. Not until this is over. I need my team fully functional in two months, I need better visibility as to whatever the fuck is lurking over the cyclops so I can take him, her, or them out. This is hard enough. I need help!" She paused to collect herself, "Look, I need our team to be a team. When we're working, we aren't going to be friends. We need a system, a protocol to follow. Commands and orders need to be followed to the letter. No jokes, no trying to look at the bright side, no emotional attachments. We plan, we command, we follow, we execute." She let out a heavy, stress filled sigh. "I literally have a single plan. If I fail, that's it, I don't have a plan 'B'. We're lucky to have some time on our side, but it will run out."
Ron saw a bit of the terror and fear in her eyes. She tried to mask it with anger but it was there, lingering in the subtle quiver of her shoulders. He became more serious, "I get it Shego. I'm sorry, I'll cooperate."
Shego relaxed to this. Maybe now they won't fight anymore. Perhaps now, Ron can work with her. "You don't need to be sorry. No one does. Everyone here was thrown into this." She looked at a clock on his wall, "Come on, I don't want the kitchen burners evaporating all our food."
He nodded, "Alright," and all left.
~oO0Oo~
Hego shrieked, "Fuck! Ahhh! Ahyahyah! AGH! GODDAMN IT WHAT THE HELL! FUCKIN' BURNS!" He dashed to the shower, "Owowow!" He breathed frantically through his teeth as he aimed the showerhead at his crotch. "What the fuck?" The scent of athletic cream woft in his nose. "What the…," he brought his underwear close to his nose, and as soon as he did, a bright flash came from behind him.
Wego snickered, "Oh yeah, that's definitely going on the internet."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but that's just beautiful." He grinned with every intent to do harm.
Hego turned around quickly, "What the FUCK!? GUYS, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"
One twin huffed, "Should we tell him after he finds out his trading cards were given away."
Still protecting his crotch, "YOU WHAT!? I'M GONNA KILL YOU TWO!"
"Oops!" They snickered.
A vein had exposed itself on Hego's forehead, his eyes bulged with madness, "EXPLAIN! NOW! RIGHT NOW!"
Casually, "We've been recording the whole time, so maybe you want to put some pants on." Wego waved a finger pointing at his lower extremities.
"COME! ON!" He was getting up and slipped a bit from the wet shower floor. "I'm actually going to have to kill you. I'll keep digging graves for as many of you as I need to but you guys are DEAD!"
"You know it doesn't work like that."
"You big idiot."
He growled fiercely, "EXPLAIN!"
Wego playfully slapped his twin's arm and pointed at Hego, "Oh, I think he's going to have a stroke. You still recording?"
"Yup."
"Good," he quickly became angry. His face carried a hateful frown, "I want to see his face when I tell him we found out why Shego left."
Hego slowed his breathing, and huffed heavily through his nose. Shame overwhelmed him and was on the verge of crying. He took one hard look at both of his brothers and walked past them. He sat on the edge of his bed and let tears seep into his hands.
"I can't tell if he's faking."
"Turn it off, turn off the camera." Wego did and approached their big brother.
He moaned out, "I'm sorry," he cried, "I'm so sorry." Hego thought of that day he cast her out. The day he made the phone call to the bank to close out her account. The day he locked her out of the tower.
Wego looked at each other awkwardly, "Okay, this wasn't part of the plan."
A tremble from his thoughts, "It was a mistake. I thought it wasn't right. I was sure of it. And I pushed her out. I kicked out the one person who was keeping us all together. The one person that did everything. I'm sorry."
Both twins shook their heads in disbelief and disapproval, "Why didn't you try to get her back?"
He threw his hands outwards, "Because I'm an idiot!" he was willing his tears away, "Kim brought her back. She made it make sense. I just… I didn't think it was natural, I didn't get it. And when she became a villain for that blue guy, I thought, 'Oh, I made the right decision'," he wiped a hand across his face, "But I'm going to make up for it, guys, I swear I will."
The ridiculousness of his idiocy made Wego feel more angry. They calmed themselves knowing, now, Hego was going to be better, "Shego told us that too. She didn't want us messing with you, but goddamn, Hego, you basically got rid of our mom! I don't even remember our actual mom and dad!"
Hego cringed hard hearing this. It had almost started up his tears again. He sniffed with heavy intake, "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I will make this up to you and her. I swear it."
Mego ran into the room, "WHO KNOWS WHERE MY VINTAGE WINE WENT!?" He observed the room a bit more, "WHY AREN'T YOU WEARING PANTS!?"
Hego lifted his head toward Mego, "Wine collection, huh? No sports cream in your underwear?"
Fully confused, "What!?"
Wego answered quickly, "We found out why Shego left."
"She told us not to mess with you-"
"but you guys were pieces of shit."
"You deserve worse."
Mego was slowly gathering the situation, "Just to be clear, it definitely wasn't one of the Possible's? Right?"
Wego threw his arms out, "I fuckin' drank it Mego!"
"Okay! I get it! I didn't want to accuse them." He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, "Guys, I've regretted what I did for years. If… if you want to drink the rest, go ahead. It was a stupid hobby anyway." He looked away shamefully.
Wego stared at them for a moment, ensuring they were feeling real remorse. "So, all these years, telling us she left on her own to be a villain was a fuckin' lie. Great!"
"We should have gone out. We could have done it, we could have had her back sooner."
"We weren't sure what she'd do to us if the stories about her were true. We thought she was actually evil! But great, they weren't, thanks guys." Both Hego and Mego frowned.
Mego chimed in, "We're going to repent, Wego. We're gonna be better."
"I sure as hell hope so."
~oO0Oo~
Shego's face contorted at the very sound of the voice that came over the phone. That bubbly shrill giggle was more than enough to make crush the device with her hand. But she couldn't, it was too important.
"How's my little blue man, hmm?" Amy teetered.
Shego was back in her office while Kim was getting her suit tested. It was the perfect opportunity to negotiate what Amy would want in exchange for helping Shego perfect a serum that wouldn't take away her glow.
In complete disbelief Shego asked flatly, "You want… a date with him?"
"You did say anything."
"You know I meant anything within my control. The guy isn't a romantic, he doesn't like anyone that way!"
"No date, no help." Shego could sense her being smug behind the phone. "I'm waiting," she said in a sing-song tone.
Shego grit her teeth, "You'll get your date Amy, but you help whether or not it goes well or I don't even try."
"Mm, fine. I'll need a pint of your blood."
"A pint?" Nearly a growl into the phone.
"Two if you could spare it."
Shego was getting suspicious, "The contract on the use of my blood is that it is the sole purpose to aid me and serves no other! If there is any extra of the sample left, it is to be destroyed!"
"Alright! Okay, you big meanie. I just need the pint, sheesh!"
"Fine, I'll get back to you when I have more details." Shego hung up and groaned at the air.
~oO0Oo~
Shego walked into one of the sub labs in the lair. She wore a faint smile, not meant to be threatening. Dr. Drakken glanced up at her for a moment and continued working, "No."
Shocked, "But-"
He repeated, "No."
"Just-"
"No."
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK!"
He looked up and pointed a precision tool at her, "I know that look Shego! You wear it every time you want something and I'm going to hate it." He waved the tool once and attempted to get back to work.
"Well, maybe this time you won't hate it." I know you're going to hate it. Shego held in her thoughts and tried to be convincing.
Without looking up, "No."
"Dr. D.!" she stamped her foot.
"Oh, what, Shego?" He placed the tool on the table, stood up straight, and folded his arms.
"I need you to go…"
He leaned forward a little, "Yes?"
"...on a date…"
He craned and twisted his neck, "Wiiiith?"
"DNAmy."
Disgusted, "Eww, no."
Her hands were thrown upwards, "You used to like her!"
"No, I did NOT!" He was given a stern look. "Alright! Maybe a little, but that was before I found out about her little cuddle fetish with her… creepy abominations." He glared, "Creeps me out," he shuddered in disgust.
She thrusted her finger forward and upward, "One date! You never have to see her again after. Just do it!"
He looked away like a child, "Why!?"
She looked as if about to strangle him, "Because I need her help and the only way I can get it is if you go on a date with her. Okay?"
"Why should I?"
Shego narrowed her eyes at him, "Because some genius made a particular serum that stops my glow. But let's not stop there, let's talk about how I have been the lair's maid and butler on top of doing everything else for you for years. Shall we? Hmm!? Remember the sock incident?"
"FINE! FINE! Fine, Shego, we don't need to go there. One 'date'," he finger-quoted, "But I choose where."
She rolled her eyes, "Great. Where do you wanna go, Dr. D.? Just make it's secure. And not here."
"Oh, it's secure alright," he nodded, "Don't you worry about that." He held an awkwardly smug face for a lot longer than he should.
"Great, you have no idea. I'll pick it out, you just be there."
"Yes, erm, thank you, I guess."
~oO0Oo~
The door to Shego's and Kim's office slid open and Kim entered. Shego was hunched over with her arms splayed out on her desk. A heavy sigh followed by a stressful flapping of her lips, "Hi, Pumpkin. Is your suit fixed?"
"I… think so. Wade made the modifications instead of handing it to Drakken. Are you okay?"
Another dramatically heavy sigh, "Yeah, I guess."
In a sympathetic tone, "Come oonnn, what's the matter?"
Shego sat up, "Dr. D. has a date."
Kim paused a moment to make sure she heard right and then snorted some laughter, "What?"
"With DNAmy."
Kim snorted harder, "What?"
"And I basically have to set it up for them like some kind of morbid matchmaker."
Kim couldn't hold it any longer and laughed, "Pffbt whaha what?"
"KiiiIIIiiim," she whined.
Still recovering from laughter, "Okay, okay, start from the beginning." She walked over to her desk and sat down.
"You know how that pen of mine takes away my glow and basically makes me normal?"
"The fatty pen."
Shego's eyes rolled gloriously, "Yes Kim, the fatty pen." Kim snorted. "Anyway, it's crucial I get something that doesn't have those negative side effects. Drakken can't figure it out. Wade's beyond brilliant, but he just doesn't know organic chemistry or molecular biology to the depth that I need. So I asked-"
"Shego, you didn't…," Kim worriedly asked.
She defended with worry, "I have to, I don't have a choice!"
"Ask ME! This is my field. So that's what you were talking about back at the docs place?"
"Kimmie, yes, I generally don't want you involved, I have so many other things I need you for that I can't have you prioritize this instead, and lastly you just started learning. We don't have time for tests even though I know you'd eventually get it right. Please understand, I need someone who already has the expertise on a mad-science level."
"And what if she screws up or-or-or deliberately hurts you?"
"I'll let her know that you'll send all her pets to a chocolate factory for jolly good fun."
Kim put a hand to her forehead and then stressfully extended her fingers, "I'm serious, Shego. This is really worrying."
Shego spitballed a plan, "I'll give you all the data she has before we test it. If you see anything wrong, we make sure she understands that going back on our deal has consequences."
"I don't know about this Shego." Kim shook her head.
Her eyes begged for an alternative, "I don't know of any other options, do you?"
Kim looked defeated, "My dad and I know scientists… we could-"
Shego glared incredulously, "Ask them to develop a serum that would aid someone they only know as a supervillain and trust they don't alert some government agency of this detail that I'm otherwise desperately trying to keep secret?"
She closed her eyes to think and pursed her lips briefly, "Alright, fine, but I do want that data. I want the process. Everything."
She leaned back, "So far our agreement is that she only helps if she gets-"
"Drakken. Does he even like her?" Her nose scrunched with the question.
Shego waggled a hand and only uttered a sound, "Eh."
A roll of her eyes, "Great… just great."
Shego shrugged, "The loose terms are that she helps even if the date goes horrendous."
Kim waved a hand around, "Yeah, because an emotionally distraught mad scientist is the best candidate to work on something so important."
"Yeah," she flopped herself back on her desk.
Kim placed a hand on her back, "I'll help, but mainly because I want her to know it's not just you involved. And not to mention the date should, at the very least, be entertaining."
Shego mumbled, "Or terribly horrifying," then it hit her, "Wait, you intend to watch them?"
Kim smirked, "How about a double date?"
She looked disgusted as she sat up again, "With them?"
Kim looked at her with a raised brow, "You think Drakken won't purposely try to push her away? Besides, wouldn't it be better to make sure they actually have a date and she has no way of lying her way out of a deal?"
She thought a moment, "You're sexy when you're so smart. But, you are aware, this will be the longest, most awkward, and uncomfortable date… ever?"
"We'll get through it… probably. So, when is this happening?"
Shego turned her palms up, "Hell if I know. Any ideas?"
"Next Saturday? I'm guessing the 'where' is the real issue here."
She nodded slowly, "Uh huh. Basically any place secure is dark and dank and... Gah! Why couldn't she just want money!?"
"The heart wants what it wants," Kim placed a hand on hers.
"Cute Kimmie, but I need someplace fast."
"Why not one of your-," she cleared her throat, "our safe houses? You could blindfold them on the way. We could just clean up the gym, the giant window is good enough, throw in some music, it'd be great."
"But- but that's my sanctuary place, I don't want them tarnishing that with new memories of them…," Shego shuddered to think what could happen.
"Come on, Shego, it's one time. And the more I think about it, if things go well, maybe we can use her in the future."
"But KiiiIIIiiim," she whined.
"Shego-o-o," she authoritatively pushed back on Shego's whine.
Shego slumped, "Kiii-iii-iii-mmmm," she whined harder.
She pointed at her, "Don't make me make it an order."
Clearly unhappy with the decision, "I'll burn the place down 's what I'll do Kim. If I can't have it, no one will!"
Kim knelt down and hugged Shego's waist, "That's my girl." She set her head down on her lap.
"You suck," she pouted while caressing Kim's head, "Stop moving around so much down there."
"It's comfy."
Shego placed a hand on Kim's head, "That extra pill is making you sleepy, isn't it?"
"Mmm." She further nodded into her lap.
Well, this chapter was super stressful for me to edit. I had to cut a small scene and it hurt a little. Sigh.
ANYWAY, this is the midway point and I need your reviews. Like... I NEEEED it. So far, I get that Kim's trauma was a bit much (and I've reduced that and will be reducing further in future chapters) But, are you seeing redundancy of words? How do you feel about the story so far? Do you like the interaction with the other characters (Everyone I mention will be more relevant later - especially when I make the sequel to this story). What do you think of the writing style? Should I painting a better picture of the environment? Emotions? Expressions? Is it too much? Too little? Are things tying together as you expect? Am I straying away from what you want? Please don't make me hold the next chapter hostage :)
Your feedback is really important. I'm trying to improve my vocabulary and writing style constantly and I can't tell if you're just following along because I'm shipping a KiGo story or if the story is actually interesting.
And in case you don't know, check out my profile for story order as ALL my stories are connected.
Up next (Chapter 15) is some more Shego and Ron time, a little bit of Will and Cynthia, and a brief scene with Monique. Chapter 16 will be a fluff chapter with Monique, Kim, and Shego going on their shopping spree.
And thank you all for reading!