I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.

This chapter contains mature content. If that's not your thing, skip the 5th section of this chapter.

5.7: Gather

Jack Hench was usually a man who could read people very well and understand changing trends. He could also out smart most people when it was to his advantage. Most of all, he typically had good instincts. Those were the traits that made him a good businessman and that let him know that his time left serving the Emperor was short. The only thing that kept him breathing now that most of his scientists were loyal to Junior was the fact that he controlled Hyperion.

Hyperion was the mightiest warrior at Junior's disposal, possibly even better than Try-Acid considering the fact that he knew he could not power his way through everything. Hyperion only followed Hench much like Try-Acid only followed Drakken. Of course, Hyperion only did this because he needed Hench to do something for him. Hyperion needed Hench to get secrets to his true master – Betty Director, who, of course, had allied herself with the Emperor's most hated enemy.

Looking around his extremely comfortable and posh living quarters, he considered what he had already agreed to. He knew that all of his hard work would be gone eventually, either Junior would slay him or Shego would win and the decadence that he was accustomed to would vanish.

"And all I'll have left for my troubles is my purple skin," he chuckled, shaking his head. His skin had changed color a number of years ago after exposed to chemicals during an earthquake. "But, at least I'll be alive if Shego wins. I can always build my fortune again once there's a solid economy."

A smile curled onto his face as he thought about growing his fortune again. There was fun to be had in that challenge, so he could look forward to it. He was sure that after the war there would all types of things that he could use to his advantage to make money. He would once again surround himself with talented people and use them.

"Perhaps I can even get close to Shego again. She played ball with me in the past, so once this is all over, I might be able to go right back to how it all was before this." He smiled more as he picked up a flash drive and rolled it through his fingers.

He held the destruction of the Empire in his fingertips, just as Junior held Hench's destruction at the tip of his tongue. Hyperion was already gone, figuratively anyway. Hench needed to do the same. He needed to kill Junior before Junior killed him. He plugged the flash drive into his computer and contacted Betty Director.

-8-8-8-8-

A meeting had been called. Shego hoped that it was all good news since she had not called the meeting. But, no one in her camp called conferences for no reason. She finished up her last bit of paperwork and then moved on to the conference room. People were still filtering in and she snagged a seat by Kim.

"How's practice going?" Shego asked and then she looked around. "And where's the rest of your team?"

"Practice was actually called off today, so I was with Shin when this came up and the rest of the team was probably resting," Kim answered.

The western ruler frowned. "Called off? Why? We're getting ready for D-day here. You should be practicing as much as you can," Shego pointed out, about to go into a panic until Kim took her hand.

"Calm down. I think we got the day off because they were upgrading the Paladins. We're going to be ready. They're all excellent. God, you should see how we all improve daily. And we're all hyped about taking down Junior. We're ready, Shego. We're ready," Kim promised. Her eyes stayed locked with Shego's, not wavering, forever reassuring.

The pale woman nodded because her mouth would not work. Kim released her hand as the room filled with people, including the pilots that Kim was just speaking of. Shego silently admitted that the day off probably did them good as they were smiling. Everyone sat down while Wade hooked up the monitor.

"All right, I was told we have a number of presenters to get us all on the same page, but I'm not sure if there's an order since this isn't an official meeting," Wade said, casting an apologetic look to their leader.

Shego waved if off. "I believe you called the meeting, so you might as well start us off. Wow us," she remarked with a smile.

Wade shrugged and brought up the specs of the Paladins. "Okay, so this and the Bebes thing that I'm going to bring up next is actually a collaboration between me, Doctor Porter, Jim and Tim Possible, and Tatsu. Decoding the armor we took off of the clones helped us work out how to update the Paladins and upgrade our weapons. We were also able to incorporate nanotechnology that Doctor Porter has extensive knowledge in to make the Paladins true forces to be reckoned with. Tatsu isn't here right now because she's currently uploading new software to the Paladins and later we'll be upgrading their hardware. We're working on giving them a new hyper mode that in theory should be able to help bring down the flying citadel for a second time," he said and showed images of the Paladins based on their planned upgrades.

"How are they taking to the upgrades?" Kim asked since she knew as well as anybody how moody the suits could be.

"I haven't had a chance to talk with Tatsu about it, but if it was a problem, she'd be on my Kimmunicator, telling me all about it. Hell, she'd be telling you. No matter what, you all will be practicing tomorrow and hopefully you'll be able to use the new mode in a simulation until we put the new hardware on them," Wade answered with a smile.

"Y'all better not mess up the Comanche," Joss commented with a smile of her own.

"Don't worry, you'll like the upgrades. The Paladins are going to be infinitely better now that they have input from other scientists. Doctor Porter put in plenty of fine ideas to help the Paladins take on the Bebes." Wade gave the blond a nod.

"Thanks, Doctor Porter," Kim said appreciatively. No one else spared Vivian a glance.

"The Paladins will be able to take out more Bebes, so our human forces can focus on the clones and whoever else Junior wants to throw at us. The Paladins will also be able to overcome any heavy machinery that we might encounter. They should be able to wirelessly interface with computers like they do with each other," Wade said.

"All of that should come in handy with the invasion," Shego concurred.

"Yeah. We just have to get the Paladins ready and the pilots have to be able use it all," Wade replied with a shrug.

"We'll get used to it," Monique proclaimed with a confidence that all of the pilots shared. They nodded in agreement with her.

"Well, that settles that," Shego remarked.

"Now, onto the Bebe problem, then." Wade clicked over into another slideshow and the specs of a Bebe came up on screen. "Doctor Porter, you want to handle this?"

Vivian shrugged and sighed. Betty gave her an encouraging pat on the arm, which got her up from her seat. Wade stepped aside and Vivian stood before a room of people that detested her and had every right to do so.

"So, as you can see we were able to almost completely reassemble this latest incarnation of Bebes from scraps taken off of the battlefield. It looks like Drakken retreated to his last Bebes design instead of trying to maintain my design." Vivian swallowed nervously, expecting a reaction, but none came.

"This means that shouldn't be too hard to beat then. He's always sucked at robots. The best he's done was the Little Diablo incident," Shego pointed out.

Vivian nodded in agreement. "He hasn't improved much beyond that, especially since Junior had him focus more on weapons than anything else since he started working for Junior. Most of his free time had been used developing and improving Try-Acid and trying to make a clone army. Fortunately, through all of that effort, he was only able to fully develop two clones."

"How many clones has he tried to make?" Kim asked curiously.

"I've only seen his lab through monitors because I didn't make it a point to leave the Hive, but I counted roughly two hundred clones as he showed off his tanks. I think he has the genetic material to make more," Vivian answered.

Kim growled. "So Hench's people can chop them up into more monsters that aren't even alive?"

"That's what Junior will have him do. Drakken had been using his own brainwashing techniques that he continuously bragged about to control the clones, drilling them with all of his ideas and beliefs until they were ready to fight," Vivian replied.

"Was he raising the clones in tanks?" Trin asked.

"Yes, he was keeping them in the tanks, waiting for them to become teenagers. Kim has left him believing that nothing is more powerful than a teenaged girl," Vivian answered.

"All right, let's get back on track," Shego ordered.

"Right." Vivian actually blushed, which earned odd looks from everyone. "So, back to the Bebes. He's taken away their ability to act independently, more than likely because they've rebelled on him twice when capable of making a decision. Instead, they programmed to react to the many different movements that have been played in their memory to recognize. So, for example, if they were fighting with Shego, they would recognize the moves and react accordingly, but if you did something completely new, they could only react to what that was closest to in their memory banks."

"So, all we have to do is throw something at them they're never seen before?" Shin, the non-cute one, scoffed. "You make it sound so easy."

"I actually was not suggesting that. Merely pointing out a major design flaw. What will work to our advantage is that he kept in the Bebes' Hive mind. In theory, we can just corrupt the Bebes with a virus that they'll just pass on to each other," Vivian explained.

"I'm not a fan of the term 'in theory.' Tell me exactly what you want to do and how you can do it," Shego stated.

"I want … No, we want to attach a virus to files that I know Bebes would transfer to each other. To infect the Bebes, we, Doctor Load, the Possible brothers, and myself want to develop an electronic device that can be fired from a weapon at the Bebes and start the virus in as many Bebes as possible to allow it to spread as quickly as possible and take down Junior's newest Bebe army as soon as possible."

Shego nodded and looked at each person that was mentioned. "Well, have we created this virus or ammo?"

"We're in the stages," Tim replied and motioned for Vivian to go to the next slide.

"Yes, Doctor Load and I have made progress on the virus. The twins can fill you in on the ammo." Vivian quickly motioned to the twins with both hands. She returned to her seat while they stood.

"It's not much to say on the ammo. It's shaped like a regular bullet, but when it hits a Bebe instead of going through, it'll cling to the Bebes and release a small charge, which will be the virus uploading into the Bebe's system," Tim said.

"How long until that's done?" Shego asked.

"It is done," Jim answered with a scoff.

"Now, that's what I like to hear!" Shego proclaimed, hitting the table with her palm. Almost everyone else smiled in agreement. "Who's up next?"

"I've got important news and it'll help move into the next phase of planning our invasion," Betty said as she stepped up. She connected a flash drive to the computer and opened up the layout to Henchipolis' defenses.

"Holy shit," Shego muttered in awe. "He really came through for us."

"Yes, he did. Not only that, but files on the weapons that they use as well as plans for Drakken's territory and even some things on the Flying Citadel. We hit the jackpot," Betty remarked.

"Great. That'll help us plan our attacks," Shego stated.

"How the hell did you get this information?" Wade asked in shock. "I've been trying to hack it for years and couldn't get close."

"I used my man on the inside," Betty replied.

"Speaking of him, make sure everyone knows that Jack Hench is to be taken alive should they happen across him," Shego said.

"What the hell? Are you just going to give asylum to all of Junior's fucking cronies!" Jim hollered and for once most of the room agreed with him.

"Since when does not killing someone equal asylum? Besides, Vivian surrendered to Betty, not me. And last I checked, Vivian came in handy. So, how about you all stop whining over shit and let's work on a plan of attack. We're going to take out Hench's operators first as they pose a bigger threat because of the brain trust living there. We hit Drakken next to take out the Bebes and clone army. Hopefully, we'll be able to save some clones in the process. Junior, we save for last because we are going to need every last man focused on that, all right?" Shego stated.

"Sounds like the thing to do," Trin concurred, which got the rest of the crew focused on the real problem. They started talking strategy, weapons, defenses, how to get the slaves to safety, and millions of other issues.

-8-8-8-8-

The invasion was planned and set. Everyone knew when they would be leaving out. So, they had a couple of days to say farewells to loved ones that were not going. For the Elect, it was a time to relax with spouses or friends before their work took top priority over everything.

In the afternoon, Kim suggested that they all have a get-together and Shego seconded that by suggesting they barbeque at her place. Everyone seemed to agree as they showed up with snacks and drinks, even Jim showed up. Of course, he looked horrified by the glamour of Shego's home. He could not stop looking around and his mouth refused to close if only to allow him to say something snotty.

"We're having a party?" Shin (the cute one) asked with a grin. "Mom, Momma, our whole family is here!" She was in awe as she looked from family member to family member and then to new friends. She bounced on her heels.

Kim smiled because of their daughter's excitement. One of the reasons that she wanted to have the gathering was for Shin to see everyone before they left for who-knew-how-long. She also wanted to experience a normal family gathering while they had the chance.

"What, Shego, all this elegance and no swimming pool?" Tim teased with a grin as he stepped into the backyard.

"Keep it up and I'll spit in your food!" Shego remarked. She had a huge backyard for everyone to lounge in, but there was no pool or anything else elaborate. Just a grill, some grass, a couple of thin trees, and a garden that obviously needed some love and attention. She was working the grill, but Shadow Hand of all people was preparing the food.

"Could we not hear about spit while you're manning the grill?" Wade requested.

"Could you take your complaints elsewhere?" Shego countered. Suddenly, the sounds of things falling and giggling caught her attention. "Dammit, Joss, you and Peewee better not be breaking stuff!"

There were more giggles and she could hear the patter of feet charging deeper into the apartment. Shadow Hand brought out more seasoned meat and glanced around the yard, spotting his son with Jessie by a tree. They were sitting together and Ryujin was blushing.

"Don't make any trouble for Ryu," Shego warned her bodyguard.

"I know what she is," he replied in a low growl.

"You mean a great kid that possibly loves your son? Yeah, she is that. Calm down, old man. She's different, but she's good. Leave them be. She's a person," Shego assured him in a low tone.

Shadow Hand grunted and returned to cooking. He did glance up every now and then, checking on his son. Shego could not help rolling her eyes.

"So, you bodyguard is a badass ninja as well as personal chef?" Monique asked from her lounge chair.

Emerald eyes rolled. "More like chef in general. He showed me how to cook, but he refused to ever cook for me."

As the food was finished, Shego placed the items on a nearby table. Everyone had plates full of good food and then there was music that was drowned out by good conversation. Shego shared a lounge chair with Kim and smiled.

"This was an excellent idea, Princess. We needed this bit of camaraderie before going to do quite possibly the craziest thing we'll ever do in our lives," Shego said.

"We'll do it again once Junior is defeated," Kim promised with a smile.

Shego was about to respond, but Shin charged over. "Mom! Momma! May I please have seconds?" the child requested with a wide grin as she presented her empty plate.

Neither parent wanted to get up, but Kim spotted a solution. "Go ask your Uncle Tim to make you seconds."

Shin nodded and was off like a shot over to Tim. She grabbed the edge of his shirt to get his attention and he smiled down at her. Shego and Kim smiled as Tim ruffled Shin hair before he made her a second plate.

"Tim seems to like having a niece," Shego noted.

"I think so. Jim claims he's going to try," Kim replied. She glanced over at her other brother, who looked like he was trying to inch closer to Tim and Shin. Of course, he never made it.

"When?" Even though Jim had showed up and kept his nasty thoughts to himself, he had not spoken to anyone. Despite the fact that he had been trying to move closer to his twin, he had not stood next to Tim or anything either. "We're not holding him hostage. Unless there's something that I don't know."

Kim chuckled, even though she knew that Shego was serious. "We're not. I think he's just sour that his opinion no longer matters and he's trying to deal with it."

Shego snickered. "As long as he comes through on the battlefield."

"He will. He doesn't want Junior to win. He might oppose you if you end up in charge after it's all over."

Shego waved that off. "I'm not worried about that."

"Let's enjoy this moment."

Shego nodded and looked at their guests. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, talking and laughing with each other. Even Tara, who really only just met everyone, let loose and fit right in. It was the perfect afternoon. No one would have guessed that in two days, they might all be marching to their deaths. Shego could not help thinking, eat, drink, and be merry for soon you go to die. But, she shook that away to join in the festivities.

Her eyes fell upon Trin and Tatsu, who were tucked away in a corner as expected with them, sharing a lounge chair. It was rare to see them showing signs of actually being a married couple. She took it as a good sign and then it seemed even better when Shin decided to go curl up with her aunts.

"Hey, Aunt Trin, did you eat the hotdogs? I ate the hotdogs because Ryu says they're good and he's right," Shin proclaimed with a grin.

"I know. Tatsu had some, but I only had one," Trin answered.

"You should have more than one. I'll get you another one!" Shin jumped up before the blond doctor could object.

Trin chuckled, even though she did not know what she would do with another hotdog since she did not want one. She took Tatsu's hand and rubbed her knuckles. Tatsu pulled Trin closer to her.

"When this is all said and done, should we have one of those?" Trin wondered aloud.

Tatsu glanced over at Wade and Amy, who were standing with Tim, but looking at Shin. She wondered if they were thinking about the same thing. Wade met her eyes, smiled, and nodded to let her know that he probably was thinking of the same thing. She squeezed Trin's hand.

"When this is all over, I'd love nothing more than to have a family with you. You ready for something like that?" Tatsu asked.

Trin sighed and relaxed into Tatsu. "I think I am," she replied as Shin hurried back over with a hotdog for her aunt. Trin opened her arms to receive the child and the food. Shin cuddled right into Trin, which earned surprised looks from almost everyone in the yard.

-8-8-8-8-

Bonnie laughed as Joss told a story about how she broke her hand trying to punch through a wall. Monique and Tara were standing with them and they all had plates in their hands. Monique and Tara grimaced as Joss ended her story, but it definitely sounded like something the woman they had come to know as the "wild" Possible would do.

"So, how are you three holding up? How's your new digs looking?" Joss asked curiously.

"It's huge," Tara replied. "I didn't expect such a luxury suite. I feel kind of bad for living there, considering I know how other people live."

"I don't think too much on it. When we beat Junior, everything'll start looking better and I bet people won't be living in rundown shacks anymore. We'll make sure of that," Joss declared and why "we" she meant all of them.

"It is a very nice apartment, though. We don't know what to put in it," Monique admitted with a laugh. She, Tara, and Bonnie had moved into their apartment a while ago, but it was empty beyond the essentials. None of them knew what to put in it; they had no clue what their own tastes were anymore.

Joss smiled. "Don't worry. You'll figure it out when we're done with this and you can breath a sigh of relief. My apartment looks like crap and I've been there for years because I haven't been able to stop and think about what comforts should be in the place. It doesn't even feel like home, just a place I sleep. When we're not all running a mile-a-minute, then we can set up home."

The trio agreed with Joss. They looked forward to that so much that they had to toast the idea. The whole yard toasted the idea when Joss said it loud enough for them all to hear. They raised their cups, or fifth hotdog in Ryujin's case, "to setting up a home."

-8-8-8-8-

Kim sighed. "I didn't think Shin would go to sleep in her own bed so easily tonight," she commented as she came into her bedroom out of her bathroom.

Shego snorted. "She didn't have much choice. All the company today and good food zapped all of her energy. She was about to fall asleep in the yard."

Kim chuckled and smiled at the beautiful body waiting for her in their bed. Shego was stretched out in her pajamas, which consisted of a green t-shirt and black panties. Kim was glad that Shego was comfortable enough around her to dress as such. Kim, on the other hand, had on a pink camisole and black pants.

"Are those my pants?" Shego inquired, crawling to the side of the bed for a closer inspection of the pants.

Kim smiled. "Maybe."

"I was wondering where they went."

"They found out that they look better on me."

"They'd look even better on the floor," Shego remarked and yelped as soon as she realized that she said that aloud. Her eyes fell to the floor.

Kim giggled. "I was actually hoping you'd say something like that."

Wide emerald eyes shot up to the redhead. "You wanted who to say what now?"

Kim smiled as she climbed onto the bed next to Shego. The pale woman actually retreated a bit to give Kim space to get comfortable. Kim was not interested in space and moved right next to Shego in the middle of the large bed. Shego swallowed loudly as Kim took her hand.

"Hear me out and please don't be nervous." Kim took a deep breath. "I love you, Shego. I want to be with you in every way possibly, including sexually. I know this probably isn't the best time to bring this up, but … Shego, I don't know what the future will bring, but …" Kim's voice shook.

Shego reached up and cupped Kim's cheek with her free hand. "I get what you're trying to say and I love you, Princess. God, do I love you, but I don't want you to do this out of fear one of us might not make it. I want you to be ready and I want it to be special."

"It will be special and I am ready. I want you, Shego."

"Kim …" The name was exhaled softly, like a prayer.

"I want this tonight. The world is uncertain, but I am not. I want you." Kim leaned for a sweet, but passionate kiss. The show of affection pulled a long moan from the pale woman's throat. Shego could only nod when the redhead pulled away. "Do you want this, Shego?" Kim whispered.

The older woman nodded again. "I do."

Kim smiled and kissed Shego again. Shego responded, kissing Kim back with a burning fire, letting Kim feel her desire. The redhead returned the favor, pushing back with a roaring fervor for Shego. By the time they pulled away, they were both out of breath and burning hotly for each other.

"Lie down," Shego requested in a low voice.

The petite hero could only comply, falling onto the pillows. Shego followed her to the head of the bed, but settled over Kim. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled at each other. Kim reached up and caressed Shego's cheek, which the older woman mimicked briefly. Shego leaned down for another kiss, which Kim readily accepted.

"You taste so good," Shego whispered as if it was a secret.

Kim's face was flushed. "You do, too."

Shego went in for another kiss, pouring herself into it and feeling a wave of something indescribable as she realized that Kim was taking her in. "It's like a dream," Shego commented in a low voice as they broke apart.

The redhead could only nod as a blush stained her peach cheeks. Shego felt her heart swell as she stared at Kim, not believing her eyes. She placed several gentle kisses to Kim's neck.

"I can't believe you're here. I can't believe you want me," Shego whispered.

"I more than want you. I love you," Kim replied with a smile.

Shego sniffled. "I love you, too. I want to give you everything your heart desires."

"Then love me."

The pale woman nodded and continued kissing Kim's neck. Her hands made their debut, caressing Kim's stomach and arms. Kim purred at the touch and her hands found Shego's back. Shego growled and went back to Kim's mouth, kissing her for all she was worth. Once again, Kim returned the kiss, putting her all in it, too.

Shego was not sure how her hands ended up in Kim's camisole during the kiss, but neither of them minded. Kim mewled and moaned, making Shego shudder and moan right along with her. The camisole had to go now because Shego needed more.

"I'm going to take your shirt off now," Shego told Kim, clearly giving the younger woman a chance to back out.

"Yes, please," Kim breathed.

Shego sat up a bit, wanting to see in full what she was about to reveal. She inhaled sharply as healthy, but flushed, toned flesh was displayed for her eyes only. Perky breasts with rosy tips stared at her, begging for her attention to the point of making her mouth water. As she tossed the camisole to the side, she finally exhaled.

"So beautiful," Shego said reverently.

"I want to see you, too," Kim requested, air hands bunching up her lover's t-shirt.

"Pull it off for me."

The Legend nodded and did just that, pulling Shego's shirt up and the older woman wiggled out of it. The t-shirt was discarded to the side of the bed while Kim's eyes feasted on the sight before her. She reached up, but hesitated.

"May I …?" Kim entreated, eyes begging Shego for permission.

"God, yes," Shego hissed.

Kim had never touched another woman before, but her hands knew what they wanted to do. Kneading pale cleavage, she marveled over the softness. Shego moaned and pushed herself into Kim's learning hands. Kim smiled at the sound.

"Feels good?" Kim asked as she basically played with the twin treasures, filling her hands and caressing Shego's body.

"So good, Princess. Like a dream come true," Shego answered.

"I'm going to do more."

Shego was sure that was a warning, but her mind could not figure out what more Kim could do. She was already in heaven, after all. And then she felt hot lips wrap around her right breast. Shego howled in pleasure.

"Fuck!" the western ruler shouted and Kim released her.

"Did I hurt you?" Kim asked with concern.

Shego panted. "Hell, no! God, Princess, that felt so good! Let me show you."

Kim was about to protest, but Shego descended upon her, attacking with loving lips to her neck. The affectionate mouth moved down to Kim 's collarbones, kissing both as her hands moved to massage Kim torso. Her fingers crept closer to Kim's breasts as her mouth did the same.

Kim wiggled and panted, both in anticipation and sheer pleasure. Her heart rate sped up and she found herself unable to think. She did not want to think, only experience Shego.

Shego dragged her tongue along Kim's delicious skin. She wanted to lap the hero up, drink her in, and live off of Kim for all eternity. Taking her time, she licked and kissed one delightful hill and her hand took care of the other. Kim cried all and clutched Shego's head firmly to her.

"Don't stop!" Kim begged.

Shego's response was to take a rosy peak between her lips and she suckled. Kim's back arched, allowing Shego to take more of the redhead into her hungry mouth. Her tongue played with the jewel between her lips while Kim pawed through Shego's lush mane as if it would keep her from going out of her mind from the intense feeling.

As much as Shego wanted to stay where she was, she was all too aware that there were other places she wanted to taste. Her free hand, the one not occupied with a beautiful breast, inched down Kim's torso. When she reached the pajama pants, she pulled away to look into olive eyes, earning a disappointed whine from her lover.

"Is it all right?" Shego asked.

"Yes. From this moment on, you never have to ask," Kim answered with a small smile.

Shego smiled back and turned her attention to getting Kim out of her pants. She eased the baggy black pants down Kim's slim, muscular thighs. She felt short of breath as she saw Kim nude for the first time. She was speechless, overwhelmed by the sight, by her emotions. All she could do was lick her lips and hope Kim saw all of her love and affection in her eyes.

"Come here," Kim said, pulling Shego down for a passionate kiss.

The couple moaned into each other's mouths, taking each other in, felt as if they were exchanging souls. Shego's fingers refused to be idle through the kiss and sought out the new treasure that was uncovered. Kim yelped and bucked as she felt a curious finger run through her.

"Sorry," Shego apologized as her hand stilled.

"No, don't stop," Kim panted, looking her lover in the eye to make sure Shego knew that she wanted this, wanted everything.

Shego nodded, too stunned to say anything, and went back to intimately stroking Kim with a single finger. Shego felt like she might implode from the simple, yet profound touch. The redhead moaned and purred, her hips moving with Shego's wonderful finger. Shego added a finger, just to add pressure and pleasure. Kim wrapped her arms tightly around Shego, pulling her closer. Their chests pressed together and they both moaned.

Shego went in for another kiss, which Kim put her all in. Shego matched Kim's passion and Kim hooked her leg around Shego's waist, silently begging for more. Shego gave her just that, nudging one finger into the redhead and knowing what heaven felt like now. That was all it took for Kim to scream into Shego's mouth. It was probably the most delicious scream that Shego ever tasted.

Kim's body went limp and Shego pulled away to see the flushed beauty beneath her. Kim offered her an exhausted smile. Shego gave Kim a tiny peck on the lips.

"You're incredible," Shego said.

"I think you mean you're incredible. I'm definitely taking Junior down, just to make sure we do this again," Kim remarked.

Shego smiled. "We will, Princess. We will."

Kim fell asleep shortly afterward. Shego smiled more and held the younger woman to her. She hated thinking that she could die happy at this moment, but she could. But, beyond that, she would make sure they had a chance to do that as often as possible in the future by taking down Junior.

"I love you and our family too much to let things end here," the western ruler stated, kissing the top of Kim's head.

-8-8-8-8-

The day of departure was upon them. Jessie, Shin, and Vivian would be left behind, but they would see their heroes off. Shego and Kim had a long goodbye with their daughter while Vivian had a long goodbye with Betty. Jessie and Ryujin also shared a long goodbye, though barely touching each other beyond holding hands. Shego then pulled Jessie off to the side to give her last minute instructions for watching Shin.

"I know we've gone over this a million times, but bear with me," Shego said as she ran down her list of taking care of Shin.

Jessie patiently nodded through the whole thing. "You know, I have this stored in my digital memory."

"I know. It takes some getting used to that you're not the average teenager. Now, you know you can have my room. Keep an eye on your mom. You can have her over if necessary. Everywhere in the place is open to you except Kim's room."

Jessie nodded. "I know."

"Okay, then that's it. I hope you and Ryujin did more than hand-holding these past couple of days. Who knows when will be back."

The blond shook her head. "I didn't think it was right. I haven't told him what I am yet. I doubt he wants his first kiss to be with a toy."

Shego sighed and put her hand on Jessie's shoulder. "Kid, I've learned a lot of things in my life, like hesitating is the first step to regret. And Ryujin is a great, understanding guy. You know that better than most. If I can accept that you're a person, and you've proven that, then he can too and I'm sure he would like to know you care and know he has something waiting for him at home."

Jessie nodded, but did not move. Shego could see clear fear in the blond's eyes, which caused her to laugh a bit. Jessie was definitely a teenage girl. Shaking her head, Shego joined the Elect and Rebels to move out.

Jessie watched them and reached out, grabbing at nothing. She realized that Ryujin could be leaving and never coming back. He would never know how she truly felt and he might even doubt her at his lowest times. And when he glanced back out of all the others, she could see despair in his kind, brown eyes.

"Wait!" Jessie cried, running toward the group. "Ryu, wait!"

The ninja turned around fully to catch the weeping girl in his powerful arms. She threw her arms around him, embracing him as tightly as she could. His eyes went wide as she gave him a sweet, fond kiss full on the mouth. He relaxed into it once he realized what was going on and returned the affection with as much emotion.

Tears ran down Jessie's face as she pulled away. "I love you. Never doubt that. I love you."

Ryujin could only nod. He opened his mouth to say something, but she put her finger to his lip. He looked down at the finger then at her.

"Tell me when you come back," Jessie stated.

Ryujin nodded and she released him. She went back to her mother and Shin while he returned to the departing warriors. Those being left behind waved as their loved ones marched onward to destiny.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the invasion begins.