Chapter 25: Dark Night.
Kim couldn't wait for her father to leave when they got home, but to her consternation, he decided to hover around for a little bit before he returned to her mother.
Fathers were good at hovering. It was one of the things that they did best when they didn't know how to deal with a conversation or, for that matter, start one. She could tell he wanted to speak to her about something, but he was having difficulty saying it and she wasn't ready to talk because she had other things in mind. She managed to stop him from following her into her room by telling him that she wanted to get dressed and take a shower. It vexed her that he stuck around and hovered outside the bathroom door when she came out. She was about to snap when she noticed a change in his demeanour, signalling he had decided how to broach the topic.
"Kimmie Cub," he said softly at the bottom of her room's stairwell and looked up just as she was about to go to her closet. "When you're finished, can I come up?"
Relieved he finally decided what he wanted to say, Kim smiled at him and motioned to him to come up. "Sure," she said. "Why don't you come and sit with me – I just need to do my hair."
The scientist looked simultaneously relieved and awkward as he followed her up the steep stairs and cleared himself a spot on her bed to sit down. Her room was still exactly as she had left it when she went to meet Shego.
Kim refrained from looking at her father as she thought of the woman, wondering how things could feel and look so different after just a few days. She felt older, wiser. It was as if a part of the world had been opened to her that she never knew existed. It was exhilarating and frightening at the same time.
She's out... Kim thought as she went to the mirror and brushed her hair while keeping an eye on her father as he picked up the pandaroo on her bed. If you make a comment on that, you're a dead dad...
"Honey," her father spoke so suddenly she almost jumped. "Thank you for bringing your mother back to me... To us. You did an incredible job according to Global Justice."
Despite herself, Kim flinched and grimaced as she glanced at him through her hair, rhythmically brushing it as to appear unconcerned.
"What else did they say?"
Dr. Possible shrugged and put the pandaroo on his knee as he used to when she was a little girl. She wanted to tell him to be careful with it, because it was a little threadbare, but she refrained from doing so with iron self-control. I can stop sleeping with it whenever I want...
"Not much else," her father said as he gently stroked the panda/kangaroo hybrid. "Betty said that Mr. DuPont will be tried for kidnapping and that you and your mother will have to testify. The doctor who helped him will have her licence revoked and tried for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon."
Kim glanced at him with a frown and pushed her hair out of her face. "Is that it?" she queried. She hadn't spoken to Dr. Director at all since they had left the island. Although she hated to admit it to herself, she was worried about Global Justice's actions towards her. She hadn't acted accordingly and it wouldn't take a lot for Mr. DuPont to realize that he could have her accused of assault. Global Justice could make it disappear of course, they had that kind of power, but if they didn't want to help her...
"Yes," her father said calmly, unaware of her worried inner dialogue. "And then she told me that Shego's escaped, which I gather you're pretty happy about."
Shoot, Kim thought as she schooled her face to calm.
"She helped me Dad," she said as she carefully put her brush down and moved to lean against her closet door. "I feel that it's only fair. I mean – if she did something wrong, sure, arrest her. But don't arrest her for the one thing she did right."
To her surprise, her father smiled at her. "You surprise me every day Kimberlee," he said slowly. "I think that it was a very brave thing that you did, asking Shego for help."
Stunned by his words, Kim shrugged and turned back to the mirror. "I had no choice Dad," she said. "I needed to find Mom. Global Justice was dragging their feet and time was moving away from us. I did what I had to do, and luckily – everything worked out well in the end."
Her father nodded, but she could tell that something she said had caught his attention.
"Kim," he said slowly. "I think it's time you stop doing what you feel you have to do. You're a kid or... A teenager. Do what you want to do."
Puzzled now, Kim gave her father a small smile. "What do you mean Dad?" she said. "I do what I want to do all the time. It's a privilege of the under-twenties apparently."
Her father chuckled but his heart wasn't in it. "Enjoy it," he said. "But, you see Kimmie, what I mean is that... I want you to stop fighting crime." The last came out quick and blurted out, the words stumbling from him and stopping Kim dead in her train of thought.
"What?" she queried surprised. "Dad?"
The man shifted, his eyes worried as he looked at the pandaroo. "It's not... a game anymore Kim." He said slowly. "It stopped to be a long time ago. I mean... it was cute in the beginning but... It's reaching that point where you're going to get hurt."
Kim mused over his words for a few moments and then shook her head. "Dad," she said patiently. "Nothing's changed. What happened to Mom had nothing to do with me; I won't ever put this family in harm's way."
Dr. Possible sighed and stood up, walking to his daughter so that he could rest his hands on her shoulders. "Things have changed," he said. "You've changed, Kimmie. I think it's time to call it a day. Let the world save itself for a change, you have a life to live."
Kim blinked and squirmed out of his grip. "I... It's not like that Dad," she said. "I mean... I do it because I want to. It's no more dangerous now than it was three months ago and I like it..." She trailed off and turned her face away, thinking about Shego. "Or, I used to."
Her father smiled at her sadly. "Just... Think about it," he said. "I know you will. This was a great hobby Kimmie and not a day goes by that I am not proud of you. You have shown your mother and me that you will be an amazing, accomplished young woman. I don't want this to ruin you."
Kim sighed softly and smiled at her father, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "It won't, Dad," she said. "I'll think about what you said alright? You should get back to Mom, I don't want the twins wearing her out. I'm going to Ron."
She could see the relief in her father's gaze. "Thank you for not shooting it down, Kim." He said softly. "I really think it's time you quit this job. While you're ahead..."
She sighed softly, then smiled at him to put his mind at ease. "Perhaps," she said. "We'll see what happens, Dad. You never know."
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She was still in bed when the message came through...
Shego sat up awkwardly and looked at the corner where she had thrown her clothes, listening to the mechanical squawk of the tiny radio.
"Shego?" Kim Possible's voice was hushed. "Shego are you there?"
Shego remained on her side of the room, looking towards the corner. Grimacing she pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest.
"Shego?" Kim's voice came again. "Shego are you there?"
She felt herself leaning to get off of the bed, but stopped herself and waited, still looking at the corner.
"Shego?" Kim sighed suddenly and the sound went dead.
Shego took a deep breath and rested her cheek on her knee. Clearly, the young woman now knew that she was out. Her voice had sounded light and playful, almost as if she was calling to a neighbourhood friend and planning mischief. The teenager's world was at peace again, her family reunited. Shego wished that she could say the same.
She knew that Kim was trying to contact her in order to try and discuss their relationship if it could be called that.
The idea frightened Shego because for the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say.
How did this happen? She thought as she lay down again, looking at the pandaroo that was still on her bedside table, untouched. How did I allow myself to fall for her like this? Was it because she's vulnerable? Because she needed my help? Is this my suppressed hero speaking? How could it be that I fell in love with her?
There were no answers and no solutions in the dim light of her room. Shego grimaced and pulled herself up into a tight bundle when her cell phone rang. She jumped surprised and fumbled for it instinctively, though she didn't answer it immediately, realizing that it might be Kim Possible. When she checked her Caller ID, she saw that it was Drakken instead and grumbled to herself as she took the call.
"I'm sleeping," she said by way of answering. "I'm not on till tomorrow."
"Shego!" Drakken snapped on the other side. "My sensors picked up a strange signal entering our facility! I think we've been bugged!"
Shego sighed and rolled her eyes as she settled back onto her pillow. "It was harmless, it was one of my equipment and I'll turn it off right now." She half considered throwing some of her plasma towards the little radio but realized if she did so she would burn her clothes. Decisions, decisions.
"Yes but Shego!" Drakken started but she ended the call and sighed, pulling herself into a small bundle wishing that she could just sleep through her life until it sorted itself out.
When the phone rang again, she growled and answered it immediately. "Drakken, I said I'll deal with it!"
There was a pause on the other side. "Deal with what?"
Shego sat up with a start, immediately grabbing her ribs for support. "Kim?" she queried, hating herself for feeling excited and stupid at the same time. She heard the teen hero take a nervous breath but she could hear the gentle smile in her voice as she replied.
"Ah, yes. Hello."
There was an awkward pause. Biting her lip, Shego slowly pushed herself up again and turned on her bedroom light.
"What can I do for you Pumpkin?" She queried, hoping that her voice gave nothing away about the emotions that she was feeling.
She heard Kim swallow dryly and shift.
"I ah…" She paused. "I want to see you again Shego, I heard that you escaped from Global Justice and… I'm so pleased for you. I mean… I didn't want them to take you after you helped me and…" She was babbling, her nerves doing nothing for Shego's own. "What are you doing tonight?"
The question caught her off guard.
"I ah… Nothing," she said shortly. "Listen Kimmie I don't…"
The teenager interrupted her. "Can we see each other then? Please? I want to see you again Shego. And I can sneak out tonight."
Shego closed her eyes, wishing that she didn't hear the excited hope in Kim's voice. "Alright," she said finally. "I guess… We have to talk. I'll tell you where you should meet me."
The relief in Kim's voice almost broke her heart. "Okay," she said brightly. "Thank you Shego! I'm looking forward to seeing you again."
She hung up before Shego could reply, leaving her staring at the telephone. She was sure that she had heard Ron Stoppable's voice at the end of the line – asking Kim who she was talking to. Breathing out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Shego ran her hands through her hair.
"What am I going to do?" she whispered, looking at the pandaroo. "What am I going to tell her?"
At the thought of seeing Kim Possible, she could feel her heart start to beat more excited and the butterflies mutating to frogs in her stomach that bounced around. She was like a school girl with a crush on her favourite teacher, her palms sweating at the thought of touching Kim again, however briefly.
"Gods," Shego whispered as she put her head back into her hands and took a deep breath. "I can't do this. I can't see her again."
It was going to ruin everything.
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Kim spent the day with Ron, more for his sake than her own.
She was determined to try and reassure him that everything was alright and that it would return back to normal. He seemed too happy to drag her to Bueno Nacho, recapping his side of the adventure and telling her how much more efficient they were than Global Justice. The conversation was mostly one sided, with Kim only making the right amount of listening sounds to have Ron think that she was still paying attention. Ron also gave her back her Kimmunicator, which had he had kept for her ever since she left it in the parking lot. Its familiar weight seemed foreign in her pocket and she avoided contacting Wade, worried that the ten year old would take her time with Shego worse than Ron did. He also had a very strong sense of right and wrong and, although he was smarter than the two of them, his maturity was a bit lacking sometimes. She didn't want to hurt him.
They avoided the subject of Shego and Ron seemed to have forgiven her for leaving him behind so she didn't want to push things. None the less, she couldn't help but feel that he was avoiding an issue, avoiding a conversation he wanted to have but couldn't find the courage to start. Frightened that it might have something to do with the villainess, Kim didn't pursue the matter.
When they went to visit her mother in the hospital, Kim found out with a touch of relief that the woman was going to be released that evening, on the condition that she saw a trauma counsellor before she left. Kim thought that it was a very good idea though, when it was suggested that she see the counsellor as well, she balked and firmly stated that it wasn't necessary.
It was only on the trip back from the hospital that Ron finally fell completely silent, the one-way conversation ending abruptly when they entered their neighbourhood. Kim watched him, feeling a little bit worried as he stared out the bus window. Rufus hadn't come out to look at her once and she suspected that the mole rat took her abandoning of his friend very serious. She sighed and looked at the people around them. She couldn't remember the last time they had paid for a bus trip as more than half the city's bus drivers owed them a favour for one thing or the other.
She glanced at her watch, feeling a touch of anticipation when she realized that it was almost time for her to start getting ready to see Shego. The woman had sent her a text message telling her to meet her at the university campus in Upperton. It was quite far from Kim, but she didn't mind as the chances of them being seen together were less there than here in Middleton.
"I'm glad your mother's alright."
Kim blinked when Ron finally spoke up again and glanced at him only to find that he was already looking at her. She blushed when she realized that she had completely lost track of time and that he might well have been staring at her for a while now.
"Me too," she said and smiled at him before looking at the other passengers again. She had a feeling that someone was watching her, but she suspected it was because she felt guilty at the thought of abandoning Ron again to go to Shego. "Everything worked out well in the end."
Ron smiled at her, but didn't speak up immediately. He sighed and to her surprise, closed the pocket in which Rufus was sleeping so that the mole rat couldn't come out.
"Tell me something Kim," he said slowly. "And you can be honest. I won't take offence. Did you like working with Shego?"
Kim felt her stomach do a back flip and nodded slowly. "Yes," she said. "I'm ah… Well. You know. It was different Ron. She does things very differently, without really needing to consider how the things that she does affects people. There's a kind of freedom in that that…" She paused and found herself blushing, realizing that it might not be the answer her friend wanted. "That comes with too little responsibility in my opinion," she finished lamely. "You have to consider the consequences of your actions." She sighed and judging by the look that Ron gave her, he wasn't convinced of her conviction.
Kim sighed again and briefly touched her friend's knee.
"The truth is Ron, that although I liked working with her, it was also a lot more stressful. I never knew when Shego was going to abandon me or when she was going to stab me in the back. She might've helped me, but she didn't support me, not the way that you do. That was as stressful as it was exhilarating working with her 'no consequences' actions." She paused suddenly, remembering her deal with Big Daddy Brotherson. She stopped herself from cringing; telling herself firmly that she did what she had to do to get her mother back.
Ron missed her shift in emotion as he was staring at her hand on his knee. Glancing at her, he carefully took it and squeezed it, gently entwining his fingers with hers.
"I wouldn't want that life," he said softly. "There's always a price to pay."
Kim had to agree, but she didn't say anything but pulled him up. "This is our stop," she said and raised her voice a little. "Thanks for the lift, Angus!"
The bus driver, an African American man close to retirement, tipped his hat with a smile and waved them off. "It's the least I can do after you helped me with that flat tire," Angus said. "Who knew that your hair dryer's that powerful?"
Kim laughed and pulled Ron out of the bus. "It never ceases to amaze me. Thank you!"
They stepped out onto the street and waited for the bus to leave. It was only when it disappeared around the corner when Kim realized that they were still standing hand in hand. She blinked surprised and carefully allowed her hand to slip from Ron's. To her surprise though, he didn't let go of her hand immediately but turned to look at her, his brown eyes filled with a depth she wasn't used to seeing in him.
"Tell me something Kim," he asked. "That night when you left to go to Shego... Why did you kiss me?" He let her hand slip from his and waited for her answer.
Kim blinked at him numbly; so much had happened in between that she had almost forgotten about it.
"I ah..." She paused, her mouth dry and her face suddenly aflame. "I don't know Ron."
He too blinked at her answer and shifted, rubbing his elbow awkwardly.
"You don't know?" he queried in a small voice to which she had to nod.
"No," she said. "I... I don't know what happened, Ron. It was..." She didn't know what to say. "Not planned."
Ron laughed suddenly, finding relief in her words which she didn't know she gave. "Good!" he said. "Because honestly KP, I don't know what happened there either. I was a bit like... Whoa, what the hell?" He smiled his characteristic goofy smile playing across his features. "Not that it was bad you know, but we're best friends."
Kim chuckled, though she didn't feel any better. "Ah yeah, it was weird wasn't it?" she forced a laugh. "This whole week has been weird."
"Yeah." Ron said and chuckled though this time she could hear that his was a bit forced as well. "Weird."
"Yeah." Kim agreed and paused.
They looked at each other and slowly but surely Ron's face sobered.
"So..." He hesitated. "You didn't mean it."
Kim almost moaned. "No, no it's not like that Ron," she swallowed and struggled for words. "I mean... Ron, I love you. You're my best friend. I didn't not mean it. I just... It just happened. I'm sorry if you didn't like it."
Ron held up his hands quickly. "No, no no!" he said quickly. "No, I didn't mean it that way KP, I mean – I liked it a lot. I mean... You're a beautiful girl and all. And... Well... But... We're best friends. Like you said. I love you of course. But... As a friend."
They stared at each other and for the first time, Kim felt as if they weren't communicating at all and they knew it. But, they both seemed to be saying the same thing so... She forced a smile.
"So, we're cool?" she queried.
Ron laughed immediately and shrugged. "Of course," he exclaimed. "I mean. We are right? That was just an accident and a result of what's been one crazy week."
Kim swallowed and forced herself to relax. "Yes," she said. "This has all been so full of drama. We were just completely taken with it."
"Yeah," Ron agreed and seemed to relax a bit. "That's good. I just wanted to know you know. In case there's a misunderstanding."
Kim shook her head quickly. "No misunderstanding," she said. "Listen ah... I've gotta go. I'm tired and I want to make sure that the house is clean and..." She paused, dreading her next words and hoping that she was going to be right as to their outcome. "You're welcome to come with me of course, I can always use an extra hand with the cleaning."
Ron held up his hands quickly. "Nope, sorry KP," he said with a smile. "It's been established that I love you but, you know – there's limits. You're on your own in your house, I don't trust anything lying around there with your brothers and all."
Kim smiled. "Fair enough," she said, relieved that Ron responded as she expected him to. "I'll see you around Ron."
He smiled at her and nodded. "See ya Kim. It's good to have you back."
Kim nodded at him, but didn't feel very confident when she said.
"It's good to be back."
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It was past midnight when Kim finally found her way into Upperton University's grounds. She was all alone, surprised to find that not even campus security were around.
Grimacing, hugging her arms to her chest, Kim slowly moved over to some abandoned benches and sat down on one of them. She was happy to be alone for a few moments, glad that she had made it here safe without anybody following her. She was a little bit worried about the discussion she had had with Ron. They said that everything was fine but… It worried her. She couldn't put her finger on it exactly, but Ron had looked too hopeful for lack of a better way of describing it.
The prom's coming on, Kim thought suddenly. We'll probably go together. She grimaced, wishing suddenly that she had more options than taking her best friend. But, as she had told her mother before all of this started, boys were afraid of her. Or, not being afraid of her but most certainly intimidated.
Although she was a cheerleader and always praised for how hot she looked, nobody ever approached her with date proposals. The closest she had come to a boyfriend in the past two years was Josh Mankey and that turned out to be a disaster.
The truth was that she hadn't been all that into him though she had wished that she was. She could never understand what had happened though, why she had just suddenly realized one day that she didn't want to date him.
It's because you're gay, her subconscious told her but Kim pushed the thought away.
I'm not gay, she thought. I just… really have a thing for Shego.
She blushed in the dark, remembering the woman's touch. It wasn't something she would soon forget. She was about to look at her watch to see what the time it was when she heard a noise from behind the trees close to her.
She turned in the noise's direction, expecting Shego but to her surprise she saw a tall, bulky silhouette come her way. She frowned and jumped up immediately when she recognized the man as Big Daddy Brotherson's body guard. She wanted to ball her fists and prepare herself for a fight, but quickly stilled her nerves, knowing that she wouldn't be playing by the rules if she did.
"Quiet night out?" she queried to which the man merely grunted. "What can I do for you?"
The man stopped at the other end of the bench and put his hands flat on it so that she could see he wasn't armed.
"Big Daddy wants to know when you'll roll your dice."
Short and to the point.
Kim struggled to keep her face stoic. "When I have it," she said. "You can reassure him, I haven't forgotten about our deal."
The man grunted again, turning around abruptly and disappearing back into the night. Kim grimaced and shook her head at herself. She was about to sit down again when a small noise behind her made her turn around.
Shego stood across from her, her face blank and her hands pushed deep into the pockets of a stylish dark leather jacket. Her gaze flicked in the direction that Big Daddy's man had gone off in before she turned back to Kim.
"Playing with the big boys now I see." Her tone was blank, devoid of all emotion.
Despite that though, Kim immediately felt better for seeing her.
"Shego," she said with a smile and immediately went over to her, feeling giddy with excitement. "It's good to see you."
Shego raised an eyebrow but before she could comment Kim hugged her tightly, breathing in the mixture of Shego's perfume and the smell of her leather jacket. It felt good, touching her again.
Kim felt Shego sigh softly and briefly touch the small of her back, breathing deeply as if taking in her own scent.
"Have you paid Big Daddy yet?" she queried and gently pushed Kim away from her so that she could look at her.
Kim grimaced, unable to keep herself from shivering. "Later," she said. "I will, of course, naturally. We had a deal and I'll keep to it, things have just been so crazy at home..."
There was a brief flash of sadness in Shego's features as she sighed and sat down on the wooden table. "Don't hesitate," she said. "People like that soon decide that they might not get paid and need to extract their own payment. You don't want that, Kim."
Kim quickly shook her head. She wanted to sit down next to Shego, but something in the woman's closed off body language made her hesitate.
"I'll pay him," she said. "Don't worry."
Shego snorted and shrugged, then sat back slightly so that she could look beyond Kim, her green eyes searching the darkness. "Fine by me if you don't," she said. "You're deal."
Kim frowned and unconsciously crossed her arms in front of her chest, unsure of Shego's attitude. She had thought that the woman would be happy to see her, but so far she had not shown so much as an acknowledgement that they were more than just acquaintances. They looked at each other in silence until Kim shifted uncomfortably.
"I'm glad that you managed to escape from GJ," she said, repeating what she had said earlier. "It wouldn't have been right if you got caught for helping me."
Shego shrugged, her green eyes finally meeting Kim's.
"Are we going anywhere with this?" she queried abruptly.
Frowning, Kim shook her head. "What do you mean?" she asked puzzled.
Shego sighed, sounding exasperated. "You said you wanted to see me Pumpkin, there must be a reason."
Kim shrugged, shivering in the cold she didn't feel before. "I just wanted to see if you're alright," she said softly. "And hear when we're going to see each other again."
Shego raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and crossed her legs, her eyes still sharp. "Why would we want to do that?" she queried dryly.
Completely puzzled by her behaviour, Kim shrugged and carefully reached out to touch Shego's knee.
"Well, because we..." Shego's eyes narrowed, making her falter. "Well, we're you know. We." She couldn't understand why Shego was so closed off suddenly.
Shego looked at her for a long time her gaze finally settling on a look of pity. "There's no 'we' Pumpkin if that's what you're implying. We slept together. It was fun. We had a wild adventure and now, it's time to part ways again. You do not belong in my world, and I certainly don't want to be a part of yours."
Her last words hurt so much that Kim found herself standing there, absolutely speechless.
"Shego," she managed after a while. "Shego, what are you saying? I thought... I mean... You... It's not right."
"No?" Shego queried and twisted her head to the side. "Neither is life Princess, and the sooner you learn that, the better it will be."
Kim looked at her numb struck and closed her eyes. "Shego," she insisted. "I... I didn't just sleep with you because it was part of the adventure. I thought it meant something."
Shego looked at her, half amused, half exasperated. "This is the real world Kimmie, an act of love doesn't necessarily mean something." She paused. "It didn't to me."
Kim took an involuntary step back.
"I don't believe you," she said, her mouth dry with shock. "Why are you saying this Shego? Are you scared people might discover us? I'll be careful. We'll be careful. This can... work."
In the dark light, she thought she saw Shego falter but her words showed Kim that she was wrong.
"There is nothing that can work, Cupcake," Shego said coldly. "Look. Kid. It was good, I'll give you that. But, I'm saying this because I've had enough babysitting you for these past few days. To do that for longer? Please." Her tone went acid like only Shego's could. "You said that you'll be careful? Were you careful when you were captured at DuPont's? Were you careful when you negotiated your deal with Big Daddy Brotherson? Or when you allowed your own, personal emotions to interfere when we had DuPont hostage? Were you careful when you almost strangled him in a rage?"
She waited for Kim to answer but the teenager stared at her in silence, her eyes wide with horror.
Shego smiled slightly and shook her head with a satisfied sound. "I didn't think so," she said. "If you want to play at being gay, Kimmie, go grab one of your cheerleader friends. You'll be surprised how willing some of them might be."
Kim blinked horrified that she felt warm tears cascade down her cheeks. "Shego," she whispered. "I... want you. Why did you do this to me?"
Shego shrugged as she hopped off of the bench and slipped her hands into her pockets. "Because I could," she said. "Because you forgot one thing when you set out on this venture and that is that I'm still your opponent. You lost sight of the fact that tomorrow or the day after you and I will probably face each other on opposite sides."
She started to walk away, but Kim—desperate to try and understand how things had gone so wrong so quickly—grabbed her by her arm and pulled her back. Shego reacted in an instant, launching Kim away with her powers as she pulled her arm from the young woman's grip.
Kim flew back against the bench and stayed there, not unconscious, but unable to move from the magnitude of emotions milling around inside her.
Shego looked at her and snorted, slipping her hand back into her jacket pocket.
"See you around Kim Possible," she said and turned her back on the young woman. "Remember, we're even now."
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AN: Okay, I miscalculated. One more. Just One. It will (must!) be up by the end of the week. Hope you guys enjoyed this, thank you for all the reviews once again. My thanks to PixieJenn, TenchiKnight and noncynic (who I don't thank enough thinking about it) for ironing out my rough work.
For those of you who've missed it – there will be a sequel for this story. It might appear through November if I decide to do it for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – 1 months, 1 novel, 50000 words...)otherwise, you'll have it for December. :)
Have a good one,
Alyss