A/N:: Thanks to all of you who continue to read and review!
And as always, thanks to bcbdrums for editing!


Exchanging


Shego wasn't sure what woke her up first. Possibly the pulsating hum of the television, or perhaps the vent system kicking on and slightly vibrating the furniture with its sudden start. It could have also been the soft sound of snoring along with the numbness of her legs. She opened her eyes and looked into the darkness, the faint illumination of the television along with the twinkling lights of the tree casting a dull, eerie, shifting glow across the room.

Shego went to shift her tingling legs but was blocked by the source of the soft snore. Drakken's head lay nestled in her lap, his arm draped under his head and resting over her thighs. Shego froze and stopped her leg from shifting. She had a small, foggy, tired memory of Drakken falling asleep with his head on her shoulder. She hadn't said anything because she had actually been enjoying the movie...which was a whole other concern. She must have fallen asleep as well.

She looked at him in the flickering light, a content expression across his face as he slept. Shego looked at the humming television and managed to grab the remote with little movement, turning it off. The absence of the hum was a slight relief on her eardrums, and the Christmas lights were left as the only light source. She looked back down at Drakken.

"Comfy?" scoffed Shego softly. There was a sniffled response and a shifting of his head followed by an incoherent mumble.

Shego rolled her eyes and knew he hadn't actually heard her, his response more likely translating the sound into a dream he may be having. Her eyes caught the bracelet in the dim light and she looked at it as best she could. It wasn't the most attractive jewelry she owned, but the idea of him tinkering around the lab to make it sent a small wave of tension across her nerves. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, save for the fact she knew she shouldn't be feeling it.

The past weeks played in her head, her thoughts mostly dwelling on the aftermath of Motor Ed's party—seeing him with Carmella after the race, and his firm claim that there was nothing between them. Shego looked at Drakken again and found that she'd been subconsciously running her fingers through his hair. She felt her chest grow heavy as she slowed her hand's movements. The feeling was replaced by anger as her hand retreated.

Just let it go... As he said...nothing there.

She felt him shift and took her chance to get her legs out from under his head in one swift motion. She hadn't expected the motion to make him fall to the ground. But it had. Drakken woke with a start and Shego fought a snort as he looked comically around and then at her. Her anger faded and she rolled her eyes.

"I didn't expect you to fall. My legs were starting to hurt," sighed Shego. She stood and stretched to the sound of cracking in her body.

"What?" asked Drakken. He looked around, clearly still confused.

Shego rolled her eyes.

"Nothing... You fell," sighed Shego again. She looked at the tree. "Merry Christmas?"

"It...oh, we fell asleep?" asked Drakken, clearly still waking up. "Uh, yes. Merry Christmas, Shego. Did we finish the movie?"

"I did," sighed Shego. "You nodded off."

Shego made her way to the light switch and flicked it on. She let out a yawn as the blood finally returned to flowing in her lower body. She rubbed her leg slightly where it was still numb. She was about to suggest getting actual sleep or else convince Drakken to cook some breakfast, but Drakken was already at the tree. He was clearly alert by his wide eyes and the childish grin on his face as he began sorting some boxes. Shego stared at him in disbelief as he turned to beam at her, making a grand gesture to his separated piles.

"What are you, five?" asked Shego.

"Five? Huh, yesterday you called me a toddler," Drakken smirked.

"Congratulations you gained a solid two years of mental growth," snorted Shego as she sat on the ground near her gifts.

Drakken rolled his eyes and repeated her statement in a mocking tone as he grabbed a red package with a large green bow. It was similar to a smaller package on the other side of him. Drakken gestured to her boxes where she had two similar wrapped ones. Shego grabbed the smaller of the two and before she could inquire who it was from Drakken spoke.

"My mother," said Drakken casually. "Safer than Eddie's I'm sure."

"I'm sorry, Motor Ed sent us something?" asked Shego, pausing in untying her ribbon.

"Yes," Drakken hesitated and pointed to a small package in her pile and a long one in his. "I don't know if I should use the X-ray machine before we open them or not."

"Did my elbow remind you we had that thing?" Shego rolled her eyes. "Been collecting dust for years but now it has so many uses, apparently. Why do you even own one?"

Drakken shrugged.

"Thought I broke my leg, I found it easier to order one than go to some quack," said Drakken. He took the lid off his box.

"Dr. D...you fit in that category," snorted Shego. She rolled her eyes. "Only a quack buys an X-ray machine online because of a minor injury rather than go to a physician."

"I'll have you know...I did break my leg," glared Drakken. Shego heard him whisper, "Trying to get the thing in the lair."

"I heard that," snorted Shego as she pulled the tissue from her gift.

She looked to see Drakken pulling a dark gray sweater with an high shawl collar. Shego paused her opening to watch Drakken stare at it. There was a look of delight on his face but as he glanced at Shego it faded to apprehension and he began putting the gift back in the box.

"Aren't you going to try it on?" smirked Shego. "Your mother made you a sweater."

"So? Doesn't mean I... Fine," Drakken rolled his eyes as he pulled it on.

It reminded Shego of some sort of well-dressed college professor from back in her school days. All it was missing was a collared shirt and Drakken's old glasses. She stopped herself from laughing and just nodded.

"It's very nice...Professor," smirked Shego. She watched his confused expression before he smiled.

"Thank you," grinned Drakken as he took it off. Shego felt like saying it wasn't a compliment but she chose not to.

"Yeah, sure," snorted Shego as she pulled open hers.

She paused as she saw a thinner knit material in navy blue. She wondered if Drakken had given her the wrong one but there was a small note with her name on it attached to a very thin package nestled against the wrapping tissue. Shego took out the knit material and unfolded what looked like a dress that seemed rather small, so it was most likely fitted. The neck was bigger so it was probably off the shoulder as well. Shego put it down and looked at the note.


Shego dear,

You left this at the house on Thanksgiving,

so I put it in this box along with your gift.

I assumed it was a favored color of yours.

I hope you like the gifts.

You seemed to like those shoes I sent you and I found these boots

in my closet. I don't think I ever wore them.

Have a Merry Christmas!

With Love,

Mama Lipsky


Shego raised a brow in confusion as she looked in the smaller package and saw the blue silken material of the nightgown she'd worn at Thanksgiving. Shego closed the little box quickly and felt suddenly warm. She remembered changing in the closet because of Ed startling her from the bathroom, and must have forgotten it there. She couldn't figure out how embarrassed she should be but instead glared at Drakken. Who had opened up the other gift from his mother and was eating homemade candies.

"What?" asked Drakken. "I didn't make it, don't be mad at me."

"No! When you packed up our things for your quick escape...you forgot that nightgown in your closet," snapped Shego.

"You packed your own stuff. I just put it in the hovercar," Drakken snapped back. He paused and then laughed. "Is that why the dress is blue?"

"Yes," hissed Shego. She glared at him as she shoved the box aside. "Great, now your mother thinks I go around in that kind of outfit in the lair."

"She knows you have your own room... How did you not know it was missing?" asked Drakken. He raised a brow.

Shego's glare faded as he gave her a questioning look. She tried to pull her thoughts together. It was clear Drakken had assumed she wore that often and just in her room. It was a pathetic reality that she did not and had only worn that because of him for any fake staged rendezvous they might have needed.

Yes, go ahead and lie to yourself.

She shrugged nervously.

"I have others. How was I supposed to know it was missing? I just thought it was still in my dresser," lied Shego. She looked at the long box. "She said boots."

Shego didn't meet Drakken's eyes as she changed the subject and grabbed the long box. She heard him eating candies and was about to tell him if he was hungry he should go make breakfast but chose to focus on her gift instead. She pulled the paper away to reveal some tall black leather boots. She smirked at the most likely expensive vintage fabric. The silver serpent around the ankle that wove into the heel made her certain these were the same make of heels she'd gotten the previous year, also from The Company.

"How come you got boots, all I got was candy," muttered Drakken as he ate another piece. "And mine says to share it."

"What can I say," smirked Shego as she closed the box. "Your mother likes me more."

"In your dreams," grumbled Drakken. Shego went for a candy. "Excuse you."

"Ohm...she said share," said Shego. Drakken moved it farther away. "Do you want me to fight you this early for candy?"

"Hmm, fine," Drakken moved the box towards her and she took it. "Hey!"

"You ate half of it already," replied Shego as she ate a piece. "Want to open Motor Ed's?"

"Eh," Drakken sighed and grabbed it. "Let's hope it's not going to kill us."

"I don't think mine will," said Shego. "I didn't do anything to him...lately."

Shego watched Drakken open his and raised a brow. Drakken held up what looked like a decorative tail pipe for a motorcycle and a book. Drakken glared at the book and dropped the pipe back in the box. He held a look of annoyance on his face as he mumbled. Shego snatched the book before Drakken could slide it away from her.

"Better Bike Building for Dummies." Shego snorted and looked in the box. "He sent you a tail pipe and...are those training wheels?"

"Yes," glared Drakken. "After I won!"

"I'd say there's probably a meaning behind this...but it's Motor Ed," shrugged Shego. She chuckled slightly until she opened hers. "What the hell is this?"

Shego yanked out a black nightgown. Before she could process her fury Drakken burst into laughter.

"Guess he couldn't stop thinking about that blue nightgown of yours either," Drakken shook in his laughter.

"I'm so glad your family worries about what I wear at night," snapped Shego. "Uhg, hope you enjoy your cousin's funeral. You can use your training wheels on a bike built by a dummy."

"And you can wear that," said Drakken with a smug smirk. "It's black."

"Doesn't he have a girlfriend now... What would Cleopatra think?" glared Shego. She had half a mind to call her.

"Judging by the fact that it's not see-through or leather...she probably helped pick it out," said Drakken. "Have you met Eddie? That's actually tasteful."

"Uhg," Shego tossed it into the box aggressively and snatched a heavy box. "Geesh."

"Oh yeah, that's a bit heavy," Drakken moved to help her with it but she waved him off.

"I just underestimated its size," said Shego as she began opening it. She paused as Drakken grabbed the smaller box. "Wait...open the big one."

"Okay," smirked Drakken as he put the small questionably wrapped one aside. "Is it related to it?"

"Uh, yeah," said Shego. She nodded towards the smaller one. "I want to see if you can figure it out before you get to the rest."

She watched Drakken begin opening the bigger box and resumed her opening. She slowed her unwrapping, suddenly realizing this had been the first year they'd been at the lair for Christmas... They'd even gotten a tree and gifts. The years prior they'd just left gifts if they got each other any...or she was on vacation. Her internal thoughts were interrupted by an excited sound coming from Drakken.

"Shego! These are parts for a laser!" grinned Drakken as he dug out some coil she'd stolen. "How did you get these parts? Some of these are impossible to get."

"I have my methods," smirked Shego as she opened hers.

A dark green metal item lay inside. It held two marks for feet. Small feet. Hers only she was sure. She pulled it out of the box and grinned. It was a new hoverboard. Judging by the slots on the side it had extension wings and some sort of shield. It was a completely new one rather than an upgrade of her old one. She hit the power button and it hovered, the wings shooting out.

"Got sick of my old one breaking down?" asked Shego as she stood and hopped on.

"No, got sick of you complaining it broke down," grinned Drakken, still focused on his box. "Shego...did... Did you go on missions to get these items?"

"Maybe," smirked Shego as she flew around the room. "You tell me. You're the one snooping in my magazines. You saw the ads."

"The ads," Drakken said softly to himself as he closed the box. "You... You were circling ads that corresponded with what I needed."

"Doy," snorted Shego. "Why else would I take missions? Ones that paid well were too long term, so there's no way it was for money. I'd think you'd get that, Captain Oblivious."

"Well yes...that makes sense," snorted Drakken.

He was looking at the box, his face shifting. Shego rounded the room and landed, trying to figure out his expression. She raised a brow as she put the hoverboard away. It dawned on her what he might have thought—the circled ads, her not telling him about the missions... She felt a wave of anger as she realized he'd assumed she'd been planning on possibly leaving. She'd thought they'd gotten past that when they agreed to be partners.

Can you blame him?

Shego rolled her eyes and shoved him gently in the shoulder, pulling him out of whatever he was dwelling on.

"Did you think I was looking for another job?" She tried to not sound angry.

"Well...no." He looked uneasy. "It's just I haven't had a lot of luck lately and—"

"I can't believe you thought I was planning on bailing," scoffed Shego. She narrowed her eyes. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do," Drakken responded quickly. "I just... I wouldn't blame you. Funds are low, the plotting stagnant...which come New Years is over."

"Dr. D..." Shego sighed and rolled her eyes. "Trust me... If I was bailing I'd be gone longer than a weekend."

Shego wanted to continue the argument but didn't want to press something that was clearly a concern of his. She would let it go for now. She glanced at him. She felt satisfied by how embarrassed he seemed about it and the fact she had very little to say that might not make him more agitated...or egg herself on.

It's Christmas after all.

She snorted to herself and grabbed her last box. She looked at Drakken who was still staring at her, a faint smile on his lips. She shot him a glare to stop what his expression was causing her stomach to do. It worked because he suddenly stopped playing with his box and grabbed the last one. She didn't sit back down on the floor but instead sat on the arm of the couch. She opened her box and kept glancing as Drakken struggled to get her wrapping paper off. In lieu of actual great wrapping, she may have used far too much tape.

She smirked and opened hers. She raised a brow in confusion as she pulled out a small elegant envelope and placed the box down. She turned it over to see a very elaborate wax seal. Curiosity buzzed in her head as she opened it. Inside was a very fancy formal invitation and two beautifully decorated tickets. The invitation was to a gala and Shego looked at the date. A grin spread across her face.

"Are we pulling off another heist?" she asked, clutching the envelope tightly against her chest.

"No... Just a ball," said Drakken nervously. "You seemed to have so much fun last time... That's actually why I got you that dress... "

Shego felt the grin spread across her face and turned the tickets in her hand. The idea of going to a ball next fall for the sheer purpose of having a relaxing good time...surprisingly sounded nice. She rolled her eyes at the thought, the only reason she'd had fun was because she and Drakken were pretending to be some married couple on an evening out while pulling off a grand heist. Shego looked as he finally got the paper off.

"So now you and I are going to a ball as ourselves? Or are we continuing the misadventures of the doctor and the teacher?" asked Shego as she fell back and sunk into the couch.

She saw a grin on his face as he looked up. It vanished quickly and he cleared his throat before speaking.

"Well I wouldn't want to make it awkward...since I don't need to be there." He was fidgeting with the box. "You could take Junior... Or Dean."

"Oh," said Shego as she let her hand move the tickets to her lap. "So you don't want to go."

"It's your gift Shego," said Drakken as he opened the box. "Take whoever you want."

"I see," muttered Shego as she looked at the tickets again.

Shego ran her fingers over the thick paper. She could just tell him she wanted him to go with her, but she suddenly wondered if his reserve was the same reason he'd told Carmella they were nothing more than partners. Her musings stopped as she heard the click of metal and looked up to see Drakken had opened the case. She watched his expression freeze and his hands slowly moving to pick up the particle... Honestly, Shego couldn't remember what it was actually called.

"Is this...can this be...the Particle Regeneration Core?" He held it with more care than she ever had. "How did you...when did you...?"

"It's the one you need, right?" asked Shego. She smirked as she knew it was.

"Shego? Did... Did you steal this from Protonia?" His eyes shot open even wider.

"You know her personally?" asked Shego in shock.

"Know her? I met her once a long time ago... She just has the only one... She made it," grinned Drakken. "No idea why she created it... No one does... But this...this is what I need for my Tubtonic laser."

"Yeah...that's what all this stuff is for," said Shego. She had no idea what a Tubtonic laser was, but it had been on the list.

Drakken's grin faltered as he looked at it and then put it back in the box. There was a shifting look on his face and she wondered what he was thinking now. Shego raised a brow but Drakken jumped up, a strange and familiar glint in his eye. She sat up and watched his eyes dart around the lair.

"The only thing on the list that I didn't get was what you already crossed off—" Shego was cut off.

"Yes...that...that I will worry about," said Drakken. He held a soft look on his face for a second before it quickly became an evil grin. "You believe that it will work? My plan?"

"I believe you're insane enough to do it," said Shego.

Shego barely had time to respond as Drakken sprinted towards her. She had expected his normal deranged glee filled rant about his plan. She had not expected to be plucked off her seat and pulled into a tight hug. Shego flushed at this sudden contact. Clearly there was something about this laser she didn't know to make Drakken so emotional. Not that he wasn't normally, just that it was mostly anger, whining, and petty vengeance. Her own emotions started spinning, but as quickly as it started it ended. His hands released her and left her slightly kneeling on the couch, Drakken backing away a full three feet. The grin on his face became a little more nervous. She could tell he was worried he'd overstepped his bounds but Shego was too shocked to even process a proper response.

"G-Geesh Doc, it's just some tinker parts," she laughed nervously, hoping the warmth in her face wasn't showing.

"Uh, yes... Sorry about that," chuckled Drakken. He cleared his throat. "Breakfast?"

"Yes," said Shego quickly.

She watched as Drakken practically sprinted from the living area. She was glad for this because she let out a deep sigh of relief. Her chest was pounding and suddenly she didn't have any reservations about telling him he was going to the ball with her. So it was a very good thing she had time to regain her composure. She began to wonder if she'd made a mistake in choosing that particular plan of his to support, his behavior suddenly seeming alarming. She glanced after him and smiled slightly.

"Guess he liked it," she snorted to herself as she sat back into the couch.


Drakken took a deep breath as he made it into the kitchen, a wave of embarrassment washing over him as his actions finally caught up to him. He was simply lucky to have had the strength of mind to let go of her quickly. His smile returned as he grabbed ingredients. It was one thing for someone to believe he could take over the world... Quite another to believe in his own inventions. It was one of many reasons he'd stopped working on his own projects all together, instead choosing to alter existing ones.

He suddenly wanted to start working on his plans, reworking them even, making them more cohesive... But he decided to focus his energy on pancakes. He had just added the cinnamon to the mixture when the thoughts came pooling back, this time for a different reason. His smile faltered into a less maniacal one as it clicked.

Shego wasn't leaving. She hadn't even considered it. She'd been getting his Christmas gifts…for his own invention. He suddenly remembered her injuries, her elbow, the cut on her thigh... He realized there hadn't been some sort of shopping venture. She'd been taking dangerous missions...for him. He'd known where that core was and some of those parts for years... He just never sent her...and she hadn't stumbled across knock offs. She'd put herself at risk because she believed in him.

He wasn't sure how long he'd spaced out on this thought, but he'd burnt a few pancakes in the process. He thought about his own gifts to her... A hoverboard...tickets to a ball she'd most likely take her boyfriend to...and a bracelet he made because he killed a plant. Then he thought about Snow-Man Hank. He felt his shoulders slump as he put the pancakes on the plates and grabbed the tray.

Her gifts seemed far more meaningful than his... He had tried to make them more so, but in comparison...they looked pathetic. Shego had taken the time to read his old plans and decipher his own scribbles that sometimes annoyed even him. She had tracked down a nearly impossible movie just to make his Christmas tradition stay alive...and had watched it twice. He glared as he walked with the tray into the living room.

"What's that face for?" came Shego's voice.

Drakken looked up to see she had cleaned up all the wrapping paper and mess from that morning and the night prior. Her face slightly tinted from having done so he assumed.

"You were practically skipping when you left... Are we out of syrup? Because there is a maple tree I guarantee we could try to harvest," smirked Shego. "It will end horribly but it will be a nice fire."

"Shego... Apart from opening a gift on Christmas Eve...did you have any other family traditions?" asked Drakken. Perhaps he could make up for his gifts this way.

"Huh?" asked Shego. Her hand lingered on her plate. "Ohm...not really."

She quickly grabbed her plate and began focusing on it.

"Well there has to be something—" Drakken was cut off.

"Why are we talking about this again?" asked Shego quickly. "Just the thing last night...and ohm...pancakes. Nailed it."

"Shego?" asked Drakken. "I just asked because you got me Snow-Man Hank and...surely there is something... Sledding? Do you want to go sledding?"

"I am never getting you anything again," she whispered to herself.

Drakken was about to comment but stopped as he thought about how much and how little he knew about Shego's past. She'd never even told him about her brothers until she'd had no choice. She'd only revealed as much as she had because of tequila, if he was being honest. Before last year he would have assumed it because it was Shego... Shego didn't have friends and trust. However, he knew differently. They'd talked about the darker aspects of Team Go because she did trust him. He watched as she slowly ate her pancake and tried to piece her reactions together.

She'd obliged in his holiday traditions. He knew she liked going to his family events, and had even agreed to them without him.

I don't even like those.

Yet hadn't wanted to tell him this. Something wasn't adding up. It could be it was the over-abundance of Snow Man Hank's credo of being caring and compassionate that might have him over-analyzing Shego because of it. It wasn't like Shego hadn't told him stories about her past... Team Go mostly... Team Go completely. She had talked once briefly about fishing... Drakken raised a brow. Shego looked up from her pancakes and raised a brow in return at whatever expression was across his face.

"Now what?" scoffed Shego. "Your pancakes are probably cold and you keep staring at me—"

"What's your favorite Christmas memory?" asked Drakken. He was testing his theories for the second time in the last two days.

Shego put her fork down and stared at him suspiciously. He had a sudden clarity of how many times he'd pressed this issue and glanced at her hands. There was no glow yet, but he looked to his left and wondered how fast he could clear the couch arm and how much of the Christmas tree might catch fire if he successfully dodged a blast.

"Fine," sighed Shego as she turned in her seat to look at him. "My favorite Christmas story?"

"Yes?" asked Drakken with a relieved sigh.

"All right, fine. So fun fact about Go City... We may have villains like Aviarius, Math-ter, Gardener—"

"Who were those last two?" asked Drakken suddenly. Shego waved him off.

"Then there are villains like Electronique, Long-Fingers, Phantazma—"

"You're just making names up aren't you? No one calls themselves those names," Drakken was suddenly more concerned by this than his question.

"No...they're real. We also had darker villains as you know, like...Dweller, Stitches, Hush, and Dollmaker," sighed Shego.

"I still haven't heard who exactly Stitches and Hush were," Drakken mumbled but bit his lip to silence himself.

"Those were and are Go City villains...but there were also transient villains. Villains stopping through or starting out in, at the time, a major villain city," sighed Shego again. Drakken saw the smirk on her face and nodded.

"It used to be a great place for villain needs," nodded Drakken. He'd be lying if he hadn't gone once or twice in his early villain days or had a few assistants do so before the villain markets moved. "Did you know—"

"Do you want me to tell the story or not?" asked Shego with a glare. Drakken nodded. "Okay then. It was a few days shy of our first official Christmas as Team Go... It was a crap show. For the first few years we had these...hideous outfits even that made comic book superheroes look like high couture fashion... Until Mego and I designed the uniforms—"

"That must have been a fun bonding time," snorted Drakken. Shego rolled her eyes.

"We argued about capes for three weeks," Shego breathed in annoyance at the memory. "Back on topic. This was one of the only Christmases that I enjoyed outright. That's because it may...have also made villainy seem...enticing."

"Well now I'm really interested...considering you were still a superhero," Drakken smirked at her agitated look at the word, "for several more years if it was only the second holiday after you got your powers."

"Yeah," Shego continued. "That's because I was very suspicious of some officials taking DNA samples... Don't stop me... So when a nearby city had a possible break in where the lab was... Obviously I decided to go...for my own reasons."

"I'm not really seeing this whole Christmas thing—" Drakken was shushed and ate his pancake as she continued.

"Fine, I'll move on. I got to this place...not even looking for anyone to have broken in. The whole place is decorated for Christmas, even the labs. This is important. So I head to the highest security lab...and of course it's unlocked. I don't see anyone and I'm looking for the DNA vials and that's when I met Mr. LiteBrite."

Shego's grin was shockingly vibrant as she said the silly name. Drakken wanted to interrupt with how insane the person had to be to call themselves a name like that. Especially a villain. He instead cut off another piece of pancake and let Shego to continue proving his theory.

"That wasn't what he called himself, but he never actually said his name. So the guy, honestly couldn't have been that old...was a total klutz and was stealing some glowing strange liquid," sighed Shego. "So now I had to stop him...because it was my job to stop villains. Side note, called him Mr. LiteBrite because of this weird mask he wore, and he was all in black...like the old Lite-Brite toy. You couldn't see his face and his voice was very distorted...but—"

Shego laughed.

"His mask...mirrored what his expression was under it...and yes I know those masks were sort of common back in the eighties. So was the game," Shego rolled her eyes and continued to smile. "He had this serious look the entire time, but it would glitch out and show this Christmas-colored panic face...it was hilarious. So he tries to escape by knocking stuff down. I slip and fall—"

"Such a fun Christmas story," smirked Drakken. Shego ignored his comment as she seemed focused on her story.

"As I'm lying on the ground, embarrassed and angry...the guy comes sprinting back over, his face going through all these expressions and just completely forgets I'm supposed to be stopping him," Shego was leaning on her good elbow and looking off at the Christmas tree. "So he keeps apologizing and slips on the same mess that took me down and pulls us both out of the mess. We knocked down all of the Christmas lights because he's using them as leverage to get us up. So he's got expressions mirroring all these colored lights we're just covered in. I don't even think he realized how embarrassed he was, but the mask portrayed it. He even blushed according to the mask...which was a bright neon green color. It was great. I couldn't stop laughing."

Drakken raised a brow at her expression but found himself thinking about similar experiences, including one in his first year of villainy where he had not only caused several accidents winning him no favor among other villains, but one lab accident in particular where he'd injured a starter villain like himself because he'd been trying to steal the item before them. He cringed at the memory, his thoughts falling back to those masks. Nearly every young male villain had donned one of those light color masks and audio tuners... It was the 'in' villain trend at the time. He looked at Shego who had stopped talking and was just staring off.

"Shego?" asked Drakken. She shook her head and resumed her story.

"Yes, anyway. Turns out he had seen what I needed and...I'm assuming...to try to escape gets them for me...because he'd already broken into the stuff. The entire time, he's ranting about a bunch of nonsense I can barely understand because of those tuner things...and oblivious to the fact I do this every day...keeps insisting I see a doctor because of how hard I'd fallen... It was really sweet. He ends up leaving because my brothers came for backup...that I didn't need."

Drakken saw her annoyance and smirked.

"Before he leaves he's just still embarrassed and rambling and says he's really upset he did all this in front of a pretty girl. I made a comment about how he was lucky there wasn't mistletoe and he nearly fell out the window... And when he left I burned the lab to the ground and said he did it... Great alibi... Unfortunately it meant my brothers bought me Lite-Brites for Christmas... And every year Hego laments the woes of the Christmas lab bandit who got away, not knowing I'm the one who destroyed it. That is my favorite tradition... The continuous lie to Hego never being checked. And that's my best Christmas story. When I secretly destroyed a lab so the government couldn't use it with the help of Mr. LiteBrite... And Hego doesn't know till this day."

Shego smiled contently and went back to eating.

"Shego that wasn't even a Christmas story... That was more like...a first crush story." Drakken rolled his eyes and then smirked. "Is that why it was your favorite Christmas...first boyfriend?"

"No!" Snapped Shego. Her face was red. "It's because I got away with it...and every year...I enjoy the fact it will forever haunt Hego. It was also my first taste of doing something bad and I liked it."

Drakken rolled his eyes and chose not to have that argument, because he knew he was about to stir the pot of a completely different one.

"Shego... I meant a story from before Team Go," sighed Drakken. "You know a lot about my childhood, mostly because you're nosy and root through photo albums... I haven't even seen a picture of you as a kid."

There was a long pause and Shego rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, never going to happen, Drakken," scoffed Shego as she stabbed at her breakfast. "Hard to have a photo album after a block is leveled by an comet hitting it."

"Oh," Drakken muttered, he hadn't really thought about that. "I'm sure there's some...somewhere."

"There's not, trust me," Shego put her fork down completely. "No pictures, no records, no other family members... Now is there a reason you keep asking me these things?"

Drakken chose his words carefully, which was a great feat as he had to stop himself from further agitating her.

"Do you not have many fond memories before the comet?" asked Drakken.

He watched Shego's expression change, her eyes scanning his. She sighed and looked back at her partially-eaten and cold food. She picked up her fork and began spinning it in her hand on the plate. Drakken scooted a little away from her, now wondering if she was debating on using a weapon on him. He couldn't see her doing so, but he did notice the slight green glow in her hand as the fork started to bend in her fist. She let out a defeated sigh and dropped the fork before sitting back and turning to him.

"All right... You want a story...a family tradition? Here it is." Shego cleared her throat. "We might have had things like Christmas Eve gifts, and family dinners. Possibly went caroling on Christmas. Thanksgiving might have had a big turkey or maybe just a TV dinner."

Drakken raised a brow in confusion.

"I will never know... I know my parents were helpful people... They often made Hego babysit us... My dad and grandpa built us a really big tree house in a nice neighborhood. My mother home-schooled us...maybe. I only know that one because we never went to a public school...never in a school system, even," continued Shego. "But again. All maybes...or occasional foggy thoughts... Could be real...or imagination. Alas, Dr. D. I will never know."

Drakken stared at her as she huffed and went to clean up the plates if only for an excuse to leave the room. Drakken hadn't thought Shego just didn't remember. He'd just wondered if her family had simply been distant or they just didn't see each other often. The fact she didn't remember much made things a lot more clear. Her need to look at pictures and mock him about them, the fact she seemed rather fond of his mother when they'd first met...even partaking in the insanity of Micheal.

He thought back to when he'd thought he'd been boring her with his play-tent stories... Now he realized she'd probably been trying to imagine her own...and why she hadn't shared but instead wanted to go to bed after his story was done. He knew he would have... Well...maybe. The thought of having vague or no memories of his childhood was a foreign thought. Some sort of induced amnesia from being nearly killed by space rocks would definitely do it. He frowned to himself at not having even thought of that... He hadn't even questioned it when she'd told him about it years ago.

He looked up at Shego, trying to figure out what to say... Apologize for bothering her? In his musings of the proper response to this information, Shego's voice registered.

"Are you done—"

"You can have some of mine," cut in Drakken. Shego stared. "I mean...I have plenty of useless memories you can just pretend are yours... A lot involve Eddie."

Shego blinked at him with an expression that made him feel as stupid as he knew he'd just sounded. He waited for the eye-roll and the sequence of snark-flavored mocking to begin. He didn't even know why he'd said it instead of something normal and mundane...or just not responding at all. He decided he should grab the plates and leave before she could start.

"Do you know how weird what you said was?" asked Shego. Drakken cringed.

Too late.

"Yes, I do," said Drakken in defense. "No need for you to start insulting Shego. I just didn't think before I spoke."

"That's nothing new," muttered Shego. Drakken grabbed the plate. "Who says that?"

"Fine!" Drakken glared. "Don't accept my offer."

Drakken grabbed the plates and headed into the kitchen to dump them in the sink. The moment he did he had to pause and question his own sanity. He couldn't quite figure out what had possessed him to say that. The idea of telling someone they could pretend some of their childhood memories were theirs... Okay so it wasn't insane, but it begged a lot of internal questions about why that had been his go-to response. Drakken walked back into the living space to see Shego sitting on the couch with her legs on the coffee table and looking over at the Christmas tree again. He was going to wordlessly grab his things and walk out, but Shego spoke.

"Shawna," said Shego with a smirk.

"Excuse me?" asked Drakken in confusion as he looked at her.

"I want that memory. Might add some spice to tell people my first kiss was with a girl in a rocket ship," she gave him a cocky grin. "I'd tell it better anyway."

Drakken glared.

"You cannot have my first kiss memory," he snapped.

"Hey, in my version I knew she liked me...and I didn't bore her with space camp talk," snickered Shego.

"No," glared Drakken.

"Oh come on...you're not using it to its fullest potential," laughed Shego.

"You want the one with Eddie's first kiss? It involves an underage, drunk, crying fifteen-year-old Eddie and you having to pick him up instead of going on your date," said Drakken. "I'm not using it."

"I will need more details but it seems like fuel I will need to make his life miserable," snorted Shego. She shook her head and sighed. "It's sweet...thank you... Still weird."

"Agreed... But to be clear, you want embarrassing Eddie stories?" asked Drakken.

"Oh yes," nodded Shego as she stood up and walked over to the tree. "Especially after his little gift."

Drakken watched as Shego unplugged the tree and began picking up his things.

"Speaking of gifts...what's this?" asked Shego. Drakken watched her slide the previously dropped gift out from under the tree.

"Oh...I picked that up from the post office," said Drakken nervously. "It may have... fallen."

Shego shrugged and looked at the box.

"Well it's professionally wrapped." Shego looked at the tag and smiled. "Junior... Oh how nice. We don't normally do gift-exchange."

Drakken watched in curiosity, wondering what expensive lavish thing Shego had gotten. It was a perfectly rectangular medium sized box, so it wasn't jewelry. Drakken watched Shego's expression and raised a brow in confusion. The sweet and content smile melted into wide eyed horror as she moved the box and read the tag, and then came the sound of something heavy moving inside. Drakken put his box down as Shego's face went red.

"Shego...what is it?" asked Drakken. "Are you worried it's broken? I mean I dropped it and I was going to open and check but—"

"No!" yelled Shego as she clutched the box towards her. "I... It's nothing."

Drakken took a step back at her wild expression. She nearly tripped over the boxes as she clutched it under her arm. She seemed to have grown more alarmed after he said he dropped it.

"Shego if it's broken...I can replace it for you," sighed Drakken.

"No! No," Shego's voice was very high. "Don't...don't say that."

"Is it something I can't replace—"

Drakken watched as Shego practically flew out of the room and even hit the wall in an effort to leave. Drakken rolled his eyes and went to grab his boxes. He paused as he saw the note from Shego's box on the ground and looked after her before picking it up to read. It was written mostly in Spanish and Drakken could barely make out something about Shego forgetting to take the gift Junior had got her a month ago. Drakken shrugged. He wasn't about to question what insane item Junior had bought Shego to make her react that way. Probably some horrible inside joke.


Junior Better Run ===