Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible; that's all Disney.

Author's Note: I've had half of this chapter written for weeks, but I had trouble finishing it. It turned out to be a lot steamier than I expected, which might be good news for some of you.;) Near the end, there are some references to my previous story, Alien Consequences. I don't think it will interfere with your enjoyment if you haven't read it, but I made a few assumptions about what happened between Mad Dogs and Aliens and Clothes Minded.

By the way, for those of you who have followed my Avatar: the Last Airbender work, some people have gotten together an awards presentation for that fandom. I've been nominated as Best Author, so if you wish to vote, look up the author Citrus Productions, and make your selection. I'm not sure how long voting is open.

Warmth

At long last, Shego and Dr. Drakken were able to excuse themselves from dinner and get back to their suite. The walk was silent, as they were both consumed with their own thoughts.

It might have surprised Dr. D to know that Shego had almost as little idea of why she'd been goading him through dinner as he did. She wasn't about to let him know that, though. Oddly enough, she didn't really want to entice him into bed. Well, she did, but not like that, exactly. Not yet. If they consummated their relationship now, she was almost positive that she wouldn't make it through the three days of abstinence at Go Tower, which would effectively negate the things she'd said earlier. After all, it had been a long time…

Suddenly, they were there, and no sooner had the door closed behind them than Drakken began speaking.

"All right, now what was that a—" he was interrupted by Shego's mouth on his. She still didn't have a clear idea of where she was going, but she knew that her teasing had affected her as well, and she desperately needed to be close.

"I guess I'm just in a sort of…naughty mood," she said when she finally pulled away.

"Ah." He did not completely leave her embrace, but he did put some space between them.

"Come on, loosen up! I don't think you ever looked this scared when I was threatening you!"

"Well, excuse me, but you're not exactly acting like yourself today. I don't know what to expect."

"I promise, there's no mind control this time," said Shego impatiently, lifting up her hair for emphasis. "You're welcome to check." Drakken gazed at her neck for a moment, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. Then his features relaxed and his lips slowly stretched into a smile.

"I suppose I ought to be thorough about it, hm?" he suggested, and without waiting for a response, he was kissing her neck and shoulders, moving her hair out of the way as needed. Shego responded by moving her head obediently when he gave signals with mouth and hands.

This is more like it, she thought, but the only sound she could make was an approving noise in the back of her throat.

"I didn't find anything that didn't seem to belong there," he agreed after an indeterminate length of time.

"Told you," she murmured just before pulling him in for a satisfying kiss. He was driving her crazy. Then again, she supposed she deserved it. "Why don't we move this to the bedroom?"

"Really?" the nervousness was back, but not as intensely as before. "B-but it's the middle of the afternoon!"

"At home. Here, it's almost sunset. Nobody will think it's strange if we go to bed." She firmly took him by the hand, and he meekly followed.

"Uhm, just out of curiosity, what do you have planned?" he asked hesitantly as they entered the bedroom.

"I'm not planning to cross the final boundary yet, if that's what you're asking," she replied, smiling slightly and looking him carefully up and down. "There are a few things I've been wanting to try with you, though. Think of tonight as a prologue."

"Prologue?"

"To the wedding night."

Drakken swallowed and licked his lips, trying several times to form words without actually managing it. Shego, meanwhile, sat down on the bed and reached back to unzip her dress.

"What does that mean, exactly?" he finally got a question out.

"Come over here and find out." When he gave in and approached, she proceeded to show him exactly what she meant.

It was a lousy summer for romantic comedies (actually, Kim was beginning to worry that it was a lousy decade for that particular film genre), which limited the choices at the movie theatre. Kim and Ron eventually decided on a new Disney offering called Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, based loosely on the theme park ride of that name.

Ron was pleasantly surprised to discover that the story did involve some undead pirates, but that was part of an overall plot that contained enough romance and clever comedy to keep Kim interested. The sword-fighting and adventure on the high seas appealed to both of them. On the way home, naturally, they had to discuss it, and Kim found it refreshing that they'd finally seen something that contained things of substance to be discussed.

"It kind of reminded me of the time Drakken got possessed by that pirate captain," Ron commented.

"He was nowhere near as scary as the Barbossa guy, but…I see your point," Kim acknowledged. She honestly wasn't sure how she would have felt if she'd had to face a ship full of pirates that looked like rotting skeletons in the moonlight and shrugged off attacks that should have been lethal. Under the circumstances, the people who'd had to fight them appeared to have maintained their composure remarkably well. Of course, they were actors, which undoubtedly made it easier.

"What about that freaky monkey?" added Ron, shuddering. He'd literally jumped out of his seat when the skeletal simian had suddenly appeared and frightened the film's heroine. Kim couldn't help giggling a little at that. She still found it very ironic that her boyfriend could wield monkey power without losing his lifelong fear of the animals for which it was named.

"It was pretty creepy," she acknowledged, then laughed. "I wonder how it got cursed? Pulled a coin out of the chest?"

"And I would not have wanted to be the one who had to put its blood in to break it," said Ron.

"It was kind of interesting, though, how the movie sort of challenged traditional concepts of morality," Kim turned the subject a little. "You know, the idea that someone could be both a pirate and a good man?" There had been characters in the film who'd had difficulties with that ambiguity, but most had accepted it in the end.

"I don't know if it's all that new," her boyfriend answered. "Haven't people been romanticizing pirates for a long time?"

"I guess, but this story seemed to show the shades of gray a lot better than most. I think what I'm saying is that I'm glad it had a good plot and complicated characters. It wasn't just a mindless action film."

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with a little mindless action!"

"Well, sure, but once in a while, don't you want entertainment that makes you think?"

The incredulous look he gave her pretty much said it all, but he commented anyway: "You're kidding, right?" Kim could only laugh.

"One of these days, I'll get you to appreciate great works of film and theatre," she promised. By this time, she was pulling into her driveway. She would have dropped him off, but he'd insisted he was happy to walk the short distance, especially on such a nice night. Kim put the Sloth in park and shut off the engine. "Well, here we are."

"Yeah, we are." They both sat there for a moment, unmoving. It was Ron who broke the silence. "This has been a great day."

"It has," Kim agreed. She popped the trunk, opened her door, and stepped out. "Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule for me," she added teasingly. Ron followed her lead by getting out of his side and beginning to collect his picnic basket and wet swim trunks.

"I'm never too busy for you," he replied, matching her tone. Kim removed her things from the car as well, getting ready to go into the house. Despite having her own entrance now, she was planning to just go in the front door. It wasn't all that late, and it would let her parents know that she'd made it home safely. Besides, she had to stop by the laundry room to hang up her suit and towel.

Unfortunately, once she'd closed the trunk and was balancing her items, she realized that they were both too burdened to give a proper goodbye to one another. Ron appeared to notice this at almost the same moment because he quirked an eyebrow.

"Got a little ahead of ourselves, didn't we?" he asked ruefully. However, he was a creative thinker, and he swiftly laid out their beach blanket, tossing their things onto it to protect them from whatever might be crawling across the ground. "Problem solved!" he announced before striding over to take her in his arms.

She giggled a little but melted happily into his embrace, trying not to think about which members of her family might be trying to spy on her. Granted, the Tweebs would probably be grossed out, so it was unlikely they'd see much. That left her father, but she could hope that her mother was keeping him reined in. She sighed and sobered.

"I don't want this night to end," she complained. In only a week, they'd be heading up north to begin their college routines, and everything would be different. As much as they were trying to pretend that things would remain the same, she knew that couldn't possibly be true, and she was pretty sure Ron knew it as well. She hoped and believed that their feelings for each other wouldn't change – or at least, that they wouldn't change for the worse – but she couldn't shake a slight feeling of insecurity. Except for the summers when he went to camp and that exchange program with Japan, Ron Stoppable had been within walking distance ever since the day they'd met. Having to rearrange their schedules in order to spend time together would definitely be an adjustment, but it was one she was determined to make.

"I know what you mean," he murmured, holding her just a little more tightly and resting his head against hers. "These next few days are going to be…"

"…so the drama," she finished the sentence. Since they'd each taken today off for their date and Thursday for the wedding, they were working crazy hours for the rest of the week. In between that, they somehow had to get all of their packing and last-minute laundry done, not to mention checking their lists to see if there was anything on their to-do lists that they'd missed. Then there was always the possibility of a mission. Although the world-saving type seemed to have dried up, at least temporarily, they were still getting the occasional request for more mundane things like pet-sitting or small business advice.

"Well, cheer up, KP," Ron encouraged in a hearty tone that sounded forced. "There's still the weirdest wedding of the century coming up!"

"This century's still young, Ron," she reminded him.

"Do you honestly think there's going to be one stranger?" he challenged, backing up so that he could look into her face. She thought it over carefully.

"I wouldn't want to bet against it," she decided eventually. "You never know what those Hollywood types are going to do. California might make it legal to marry your pet one of these days."

"Better them than us, I guess. I'm cool with loving your pets, but I don't think you should love your pets, know what I mean?"

"Actually, I do." There was a brief pause, during which Kim wondered whether she should just kiss him already or continue this postponement of the end of their evening. Before she could decide, Ron spoke again.

"Do you really think they can do it?" he asked, his gaze far away. "Dr. D and Shego, I mean?"

"What, get married? Why not? Despite their pasts, they're legal residents of this country."

"No, I mean…go straight. Stop being the bad guys."

"Oh." Now she got it. Sometimes Ron's mind went on, and he'd just start talking wherever his train of thought had left off, not realizing that those around him hadn't followed his mental process. "I think maybe they can. Shego's been a hero before, and they did help us save the world, so it's not that much of a stretch to think that they could find some sort of happy medium to live in. Not heroes, maybe, but not villains, either."

"Maybe you're right," he conceded, looking into her eyes for a moment before capturing her lips with his. Kim felt like she was melting into him. While this wasn't their first kiss of the day, she had the strangest feeling that she'd been waiting for it since she woke up this morning. Feeling bold, she worked her tongue between his lips, and the noise he made in his throat was enough to encourage her to explore his mouth fully. He returned the favor, and she pressed their lower bodies together, feeling the arousal that he still, after more than a year together, tried to hide from her. As their hands began to wander, she knew unequivocally that she wanted…more.

The thought made her eyes fly open, and she broke their connection, breathing heavily. In all of their make-out sessions, she'd never felt desire as strongly as this, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. Ron's eyes remained closed for a second or two, but he slowly opened them to look at her in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with genuine concern, and Kim felt badly for making him doubt himself again. But how could she explain? You've got me so turned on I can't think straight. Yeah, she didn't think either of them was quite ready for that kind of confession.

"No big," she managed. "It's just…wow." It wasn't like she'd never had dreams or fantasies about them together, but he'd always been safely distant. This was the first time she'd seriously thought about it while they were actually close and showing their affection. It was dizzying, almost frightening. She didn't know what was different now. Was it the fact that they were only a few days from striking out on their own, being adults in truth as well as in law?

"I thought that was my line!" he complained good-naturedly.

"No, yours is 'a-booyah,'" she corrected, glad to return to a safer area.

"Oh, right. A-booyah!" he said, making Kim laugh.

"Well, I should go before someone inside gets curious. Or impatient."

"Yeah, I guess you should," sighed Ron reluctantly. They shared one more kiss, just to say good night, and they each picked up their things. "See you around."

"Absolutely." Kim's heart was still racing, and she needed a little time and distance to sort things out. So, after greeting her family briefly and putting her beach stuff away, she retreated to her room, grateful now for the solitude it provided.

Drakken awoke surrounded by warmth. There was a moment of disorientation before he realized that the source of the unfamiliar heat was Shego, sleeping beside him.

It really happened, he thought, still a little in awe of what had transpired before they had fallen asleep. And she's still here. Checking the clock on the bedside table, he noticed that an hour had passed since the last time he'd looked at it. Considering that his body told him it was late afternoon, it was a reasonable length for a nap. He felt refreshed but unwilling to move just yet. It was very comfortable here, and he didn't think that was just the bed.

Shego made a soft noise, but instead of waking up, she merely rolled over. Drakken turned onto his side and just watched her sleep. It suddenly hit him that, starting in a few days, he would be able to wake up next to her every day for the rest of his life. The thought gave him an overwhelming feeling of happiness.

As promised, they had not crossed the final intimacy boundary, but they had seen and touched more of each other than ever before. Drakken's flowers had gotten away from him once, but since all they'd done was cradle Shego gently, he felt much more confident about proceeding to the wedding night when the time came. All in all, this had been a brilliant idea of Shego's. Eventually, she stretched in a very distracting manner and turned towards him with her eyes open.

"Hey," she greeted. "Sleep well?"

"Well enough." He stroked her hip under the sheet. "This was really a great idea. I'm so glad we…took this time together."

"I'm full of good ideas," she replied, with just a hint of her old snark. "Maybe now you'll start listening to me, genius."

"I'm listening," he insisted. "Believe me. I never knew that hands and mouth could feel like that."

"You ain't seen nothing yet. Just wait 'til we get to the main event."

"I think it might kill me."

"It better not. I've been waiting a long time for this, and once is definitely not going to be enough."

When he heard that, Drakken frowned in puzzlement.

"Two months isn't really all that long," he remarked. It was hard to believe, but they'd only been a couple for two months and engaged less than that. Shego avoided his eyes as she sat up and put her arms around her knees.

"Yeah, well…I haven't had a lover in more than a year. So I'm sort of counting all of that time."

"Really?" He was intrigued. He'd never considered her love life to be his business when they'd had a purely professional relationship, but he was well aware of some of her…pursuits. While another man might have been insecure or jealous knowing that his bride-to-be had a past, Drakken didn't really care. When he thought about it at all, he was honestly relieved that one of them knew what they were doing in this area. In a way, it took a lot of the pressure off.

"Last summer, we were in prison," she reminded him with a shrug. "The two guys who broke me out were…not viable options, even if we hadn't been constantly on the run from Kimmie and company."

"But I thought…Midas?"

"He does have great hands, but he's also as gay as a maypole," Shego laughed. "And if you recall, I didn't go back to him after that first Warmonga business. I guess I just haven't been in the mood for conquest since then."

"I see." And he thought he did. He'd had the feeling, during those weeks of recuperation, that something was changing between them, but he hadn't wanted to say anything for fear of driving her away again. "So what are we supposed to do now? I don't think I can go back to sleep again."

"I probably could, but we don't have to. We could see what kind of night life is happening today. It was pretty kicking last night."

"Night life?" said Drakken blankly. "This is a private island with a dozen or so people on it. What kind of night life could it possibly have?"

"Well, Senior turns in early, but we're not the only ones here whose body clocks are on Eastern Daylight Time. Let's go see what's shaking."

"Oh, all right. As long as we can get some more private time here before we have to leave."

"That, my dear, is a promise," she assured him, and they were off to see what Bonnie and Junior were up to.

Author's Note: I could have parodied the name of the movie, but since it was also by Disney, I figured I might as well keep it. It's not like they don't cross over their own stuff occasionally. The "love your pets but not love your pets" line is adapted from the film The Truth about Cats and Dogs. I just felt like throwing it in there.

Review Responses:

Katsumara: Love means never having to say you're sorry, and that includes the relationship between author and readers, doesn't it?:) At least Drakken got a reprieve from the torture here.

Boris Yeltsin: Yes. Yes, I do. Longhorn's good, too, but we don't have as many nearby.

CajunBear73: Thank you very much. At least Drakken got more than teasing in the end. Still, those three days are going to be long for him. Oh, and don't worry about Ron. He will get his moment.

Caraline Fisher: Well, I did notice that almost all of your other favorite stories are for Inuyasha, and I'm guessing that I'm much older than your usual favorite authors. Thanks for telling me how much you're enjoying the story. This one is almost over.

snarky Beth: Right you are, and the couples' moments continued here. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Yamal: Sorry, but Junior is harder to write than it might seem, and since he isn't a major character in this story, I haven't made the effort very often. He'll put in an appearance at the wedding, though.

Man of Faith: I thought about that regarding the volleyball, but I guess I was looking at the graduation game as being among friends, while the one I wrote was more competitive and might have included people they didn't know as well. I am working my way through your stories. I particularly enjoyed Kettlecorn.

pendragon56: Thank you for finding this story and reviewing! I am trying to be faster with my updates, but it hasn't really worked out so far. Especially as I get into steamier scenes (as in this chapter), I feel more constrained as to when and where it's appropriate to work on them.