Author's note:

Phew, we finally made it, chapter six of six. I hope you're all still with me. The title of this one finishes our little set from Shego's chapters by using the actual track name: Ace of spades. While I could have chosen a few different lyrics from the song for this one, I went with the title and you'll soon see why. Anyway, enjoy and I'll see you at an end for a round up of what the hell's just happened across these six chapters.

##

Chapter Twenty-One: The ace of spades

It was late, although not that you could tell that from inside the main chamber of Dr Drakken's lair. Windows were an excess expense that the super-villain often chose to eschew when building his lairs these days, given that they were, as Duff Killigan had so finely put it earlier that evening, 'constructed on the cheap'. Gathered around a large rectangular table, the two men in question were sat with usual stalwart of their gaming days, DNAmy and the late in the day replacement for Professor Dementor; Shego.

Shego swirled the glass in her hand as she stared into the eyes of the Scotsman sat opposite her. After Drakken had, against all conceivable odds and reason, used a remote-controlled drone to order and collect Pizza from a parlour in Middleton, they'd all eaten and then settled down to play Texas hold 'em. Killigan had 'taught' her the rules, but after she had made some significant winnings, he, along with the others, had cottoned onto the fact that she was well versed in the game. Ru-Ru, the naked-mole-shark, had rolled over laughing when the golfer finally made the deduction. Apparently, she'd fooled everyone but him with the lie she'd told at the end of Monopoly.

Absentmindedly, Shego reached into the bowl of peanuts and fed one to the rodent-fish. The creature had donned its little croupier's hat again and was serving as the dealer, chip broker and peanut eater. Much to his creator's heartache, he'd elected to make his perch beside the green-skinned woman; who had actually become rather fond of him. Though not that she was going to admit that to anyone. "What are you going to do, Duffy?" she asked with a heap of sass in her tone.

"I'll see yer hundred and raise ye another five," Killigan said and tossed the chips onto the pile in the centre of the table.

Like all the other games it had been fiercely competitive. The two scientists having the advantage of being able to calculate all the combination odds in their heads, but also being the worst bluffers at the table. The net result had been that Shego wiped Drakken out with a measly two-pair, while Killigan got his revenge on Amy for her bankrupting him during Monopoly. On doing so, the Scotsman had produced a bottle of single-malt whisky and she had happily taken him up on the offer of a 'wee dram or two'. That had been an hour ago. Now the once full bottle sat with only a few measures left in it.

Shego took a sip of the rather fine scotch as she locked eyes with her opponent. "I'll see your five hundred." She tossed the chips onto the pile. Now we'll see if your bluffing or not, the pot having just reached that point where you could still fold without suffering too big a loss, but putting any more in would compel you to go all the way.

"I'll call ye on that, Lass," Killigan said. "Ladies first."

The man's decision to check instead of raise told Shego what she needed to know and she flashed him a wicked smile, you are so bluffing, Duffy. "Three tens," she said as she placed her cards face-up on the table.

"Ach, I dinnae believe it!" the Scotsman exclaimed as he threw his cards down. "I wis sure ye were bluffing, Lass."

"'Fraid not, Duffy." She drank the last of her scotch, then started collecting her chips.

Beside her, Ru-Ru clapped, before scampering around the table to collect the cards. When he returned, Shego tossed him another couple of peanuts.

"Stop stuffin' yer face ye wee beastie and get the cairds dealt!" Killigan boomed, he reached for the bottle of scotch, but she beat him to it.

"At-at-ah," Shego admonished and waggled a finger at him, "the winner gets first dibs." She poured herself a decent measure before handing the bottle over.

On either side of them, Drakken and Amy were sitting with glasses of cocoa-moo and watching the dual intently.

Ru-Ru finished his peanuts, picked up the deck of cards and dealt them each two face down.

Shego took one peek at hers; the seven of spades and the ace of clubs and left them on the table. She then picked up chips totalling one-hundred and sat them in the centre of the table. "I'll start you off nice and small this time, Duffy. One-hundred."

Killigan looked at his cards, his expression giving nothing away. It seemed that golf was not the only thing the Scotsman was good at; he excelled at poker. "I'll see that, Lass, and raise ye two." He placed the chips in the pot.

Without hesitating, Shego matched the man's two-hundred and added another three-hundred of her own.

Killigan took a moment or two to think, something she knew meant nothing, before matching her bet.

The naked-mole-shark then promptly dealt three cards face-up on the table; the ace of hearts, seven of clubs and the three of diamonds.

Not bad at all, Ru-Ru. Two pair; aces over sevens from just the flop. One more of either and I'm taking Killigan to the cleaners. She sipped her whisky as she waited for her opponent to make the first move, eyes narrowing when the Scotsman eventually opened the betting with a cool one-thousand. My, my, Duffy, someone's feeling confident or is risking an awful lot on a bluff, just to gain a few beans. She feigned contemplation for a few moments before matching his bet and adding a further two-thousand. The man responded quickly by equalling her two and adding another one. Keeping her gaze locked straight ahead, she was just able to see the cards on the table as she worked out the possibilities. He can't have anything better than me at the moment unless he has a pocket pair, but it's just as likely he's waiting for something. A straight perhaps? Only one way to find out. She matched his bet and signalled Ru-Ru to draw the turn card.

The naked-mole-shark buried the top card from the deck, picked up the second and placed it down neatly beside the others. It was the nine of hearts.

Ok, Ru-Ru, not your best draw, however, she gave him a peanut nonetheless. A possible indication to her opponent that the creature had just dealt her something useful. She then opened the bidding with one thousand.

"Yer playing wi' fire here, Lass," Killigan boomed as he matched her thousand, then added five of his own.

She laughed and ignited a single finger. "It's a good thing I don't burn then…" She flicked the tiny ball of plasma towards her opponent. Killigan did not flinch as it caught his beard and singed a few hairs before fading completely, "…unlike some people." That nine of hearts can't have helped with any possible straight he was looking for after the flop. Is he sitting with pocket nines? She matched his five-thousand and then hit back with another five of her own. Not going to let you force me off the pot that easily.

Killigan laughed, "ha, the lass has more ba's (balls) than you, Drew. Maybe you shid be her sidekick."

"What!" Drakken declared in outrage, "Shego? Tell me what to do? NEVER!" He slammed his glass of cocoa-moo on the table as though to emphasise his point.

"Keep your pants on, Dr D," Shego admonished offhandedly, never taking her eyes off of Killigan, "I don't want your job, I'm happy with my own." It was a lie, Kimmie had proved that to her recently, but she was not going to admit that out loud. Besides, she had a poker game to win.

Drakken grumbled something but she completely blanked him. In front of her, Killigan matched her wager and indicated for the naked-mole-shark to draw the river card. The creature dutifully did so and Shego smiled internally, thanking you, Ru-Ru. The river was the ace of diamonds; giving her a full house. So, a flush is out as is any possible straight. And even pocket nines won't beat what I'm holding. I'm virtually golden! However, she elected to start conservative before seriously testing the Scotsman's resolve. "One- thousand," she said and slid the chips across the table."

"HA!" Killigan exclaimed. "One-thousand, Lass. What is this, the wee kiddies table?" The man then drank the last of his whisky, "am goin' a' in," before shoving his entire stack into the centre of the table. "Care tae match me?"

Oh, I'll match you, Duffy. The question is, will you match me. "That bottle of malt," Shego said and gave the man a sly smirk, "do you have another one with you?"

Killigan frowned, "aye, Lassie, ah do. But whit o' it?"

"I'll see your chips," she shoved her whole stack into the pot," and raise you your other bottle of whisky."

Amy gasped as she looked between the two of them, "oh my! A real wager."

"So, yer after me malt are ye?" Killigan said rhetorically. He scratched his beard for a moment. "A'right, Lass. I'll wager ma bottle. However, it's gonnae cost ye."

"Name your price," Shego said smoothly.

The Scotsman gave her a sly grin, "a date wi' you."

There was a heartbeat of deathly silence before everyone else in the room reacted in their own unique way. Ru-Ru's jaw hit the table and his beady eyes popped out of their sockets. Amy clapped her hands over her mouth. Dr Drakken spat out a mouthful of his cocoa-moo and stared wide-eyed at Killigan as though he were insane. And Shego… Shego laughed.

"Seriously? You think a bottle of single-malt whisky, albeit a very good one, is worth a date with me?"

"Aye, Lass, ah do," Killigan said without any hint that he was jesting. "But if yer so sure yer gonnae win, it disnae matter. Or are ye faird o' takin' me on."

She was certainly not afraid of taking Killigan on in battle or in a hand of poker. However, should I feel insulted that he thinks that a bottle of scotch is actually worth a date with me? Then again, the Scots love their whisky almost as much as the Russians do vodka. In the end, she decided it didn't matter. She'd be taking his whisky from him and would lose nothing she cared about. "Fine, you're on. What have you got?"

"Lassies first," Killigan retorted smoothly.

"If you insist," she flipped her cards face up, "read 'em and weep, full house; aces over sevens!"

Killigan let out a deflated sigh, "aye, well done, Lass." He then turned over his first card to reveal the nine of diamonds. "But nines are better than sevens." He then flashed her a broad grin.

Shego looked at the nine he had just revealed and her eyes darted to his face down card. OH SHIT, NO. IT CAN'T BE!

Killigan turned his second card over to reveal the ace of spades. "Full house, Lass. Aces o'er nines."

Her mouth fell open, "I thought you were bluffing!"

"A Scotsman never bluffs when his whisky is on the line. Ye'd dae well tae remember that, Lassie."

Before she had a chance to respond, Dr Drakken declared through a fit of hysterics, "ha! You have to go on a date with Killigan, Shego!" his voice suggesting that this turn of events more than made up for his collective losses at every game that day.

"No way!" Shego exclaimed as she got to her feet, "absolutely not!"

"Are ye seriously aboot tae back oot o' a bet, Lassie?" Killigan said smugly. "An a' thought you had mair gall than him," he continued, pointing at Drakken. "But I guess the pair o' ye are jist twa wee peas in a pod."

Shego clenched her fists and struggled to keep them from erupting in green plasma. True, she was a villain and didn't care what other people thought of her, but she lived for a challenge. Killigan had thrown the gauntlet down, she'd picked it up… and lost. Her pride would not allow her to back down. "Fine," she spat through gritted teeth, "I'll go on one stupid date with you."

"That's smashing, Lass. I'm no flying oot 'till Monday, so we can gae oot the morin's night."

She rolled her eyes and had to resist the urge to punch Drakken, who was now doubled over in his continued hysteria. "Fine, you get to take me out for one drink, that's it. And if you even think about touching any part of me, I'll burn you to a crisp."

"Now, now, Shego. Don't be a sore loser," Drakken said as he straightened up and wiped a tear from his eyes; an expression of glee plastered over his blue face. "I think Duff gets to decide where he takes you."

Killigan looked completely unphased by her threat. "Aye, that a do, Drew. So, I'll be takin ye oot tae dinner somewhere in yer Middletoon, Lass."

She ground her teeth to the point that they almost turned to dust. While there was no hard and fast rule governing this sort of wager, the fact of the matter was she'd been so convinced that she would win, that she had not bothered to stipulate what a date would entail and so as the winner, Killigan had the right to call the shots. "Fine. You can buy me dinner at a nice Italian restaurant tomorrow night. And it's called Middleton."

"Aye, that's wit a said, Middletoon," Killigan replied. "But Italian food is fine wit' me. So, I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven."

"No," Shego said in a tone colder than absolute zero. I draw the line at anyone coming to my house. "Pick the restaurant and I'll meet you there."

The expression on her face must have conveyed how serious she was about this point as Ru-Ru squeaked, "yikes!" and scampered off to hide behind the bowl of peanuts.

This time Killigan did back down, "a'right, Lass, dinnae get yer knickers in a knot. There's a wee place ca'd Antonio's, if a remember correctly."

He did and Shego knew it was the most expensive Italian restaurant in the tri-city area, however, in her considered opinion, it was also the best. It seemed the Scotsman at least had good taste. However, "good luck getting a table at this short notice," she replied.

"Jist leave that tae me, Lassie, and I'll see ye there at seven-thirty."

"Fine, seven-thirty it is."

"Oh, how romantic," Amy then exclaimed as she joined her hands together under her chin and let out a dreamy sigh.

Drakken, on the other hand, chose to be even more childish, "Shego and Killigan sitting in a tr…"

She snapped. Without even looking at him, Shego ignited her fists and sent a stream of plasma balls at the mad scientist.

"…EEEEE!" Drakken yelled as he ran for it.

"Well, it's been a fun night but a bes' be off," Killigan then said as he got to his feet. "And I'll be seeing you the 'morin, Lass."

"Me too," Amy agreed and followed suit. "Come on, Ru-Ru. It's well past beddy-bye time for you."

The naked-mole-shark reappeared from behind the bowl of peanuts. "Yuck!" he spat and trudged off towards his owner.

"Now, Ru-Ru, we've talked about this. If you don't get to bed at a reasonable time, you get cranky in the morning."

Somehow, I get the feeling that 'beddy-bye' time involves more than him just going to sleep.

Ru-Ru glanced over his shoulder at her, raised a little paw and uttered, "bye-bye," in what sounded to her like a longing tone.

Heh, guess the little 'beastie' took a liking to me. She watched as the naked-mole-shark hopped into Amy's bag, but did not see the flicker in his beady little eyes as he did. I suppose I'd better head too. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll be too tired by the time I get home for a face-off with little Miss Go. "Yo, Dr D," she said, her tone soft enough for Drakken to poke his head out from behind a stack of crates, "I'm going home."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amy and Killigan depart, just before…

"What!" Drakken yelled, his tone containing a hint of venom. "And leave me to clean up this mess! I think not, Shego."

"Sorry, Dr D, but it's still the weekend and my contract states that I don't work weekends unless it's for a pre-agreed evil scheme and that I get paid double time."

"What!" Drakken exclaimed in outrage, "I don't recall agreeing to that!"

"Yeah, well you did," Shego replied, "and if you've got a problem with it, talk to my union rep. I'm sure she'll be delighted to be woken up at midnight by her least favourite villain."

The mad scientist clenched his fists at his sides. "Fine, go home, see if I care."

She watched Drakken stalk off and heard him mutter something about leaving the mess until Monday, but she didn't care. Either she'd make the henchmen do it or remind him that if she had to clean, there would be no one out stealing components for his latest evil scheme. Sauntering over to the sofa, she picked up her biker jacket and helmet, then left the main chamber; completely failing to notice the light weight increase.

Well, that was a complete and utter waste of a day and now I'm stuck going out on a date with Duff Killigan of all people. URGH! How do I get myself into these situations? She trudged down to the hanger, released the security systems on the Blackbird, donned her jacket and helmet, then hopped on the bike. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll crash on the way home and put myself in a coma for a couple of weeks. She revved the bike's engine and guided it to the cargo elevator. Urgh, I so need a vacation.

##

Shego sat her keys and helmet on the table beside the door and headed into the living room. For the second night running, her glow had burnt the alcohol from her system and so she was completely sober; thus at the potential mercy of…

"Well, that went well. Did you have fun?" Miss go asked without a hint of sarcasm.

Will you just go away? It's late, I've had to put up with three mad super-villains and a feral naked-mole-shark all day and I would just like to have a nice, quiet drink before I go to bed. She entered the living room and headed straight for her liquor cabinet. Is that too much to ask?

"You tell me. It's your head. The only reason I show up is because something's bothering you…"

Somethings bothering me alright. Shego opened the cabinet and withdrew a bottle of single-malt whisky and a glass. Crossing the room, she set the bottle and the glass down on the coffee table, removed her jacket and tossed it onto the sofa and sat down. She even managed to pour a drink and get comfortable before…

"So, did you have fun?" Miss Go asked again, seemingly not willing to be deterred.

No way! I had to put up with Drakken, DNAmy and Duff Killigan all day. What part of that could possibly be construed as fun? She swirled the contents of her glass around before taking a sniff, detecting hints of spice, treacle toffee and sherry oak; she knew her malts.

"Geez, I don't know," Miss Go said as she rolled her eyes, "maybe the part where you got to beat the three of them at both Clue and Monopoly?"

I only stayed to play those stupid games because it was the lesser of two evils…

Miss go quickly cut in, "I thought you were supposed to all be about evil…"

It's a damn figure of speech, Shego bit back. She took a sip of the malt, rolled it around her tongue, then felt the burn as she swallowed it. Anyway, the point is, didn't have fun, only stayed to avoid you banging on about Kimmie all day.

"Oh, but Drakken's face when you bankrupted him at Monopoly and then wiped him out at poker…"

A grin spread across her face at the memory of the mad scientist having a meltdown as she took his money and chips; he'd almost started crying. Shego rolled her eyes and sighed, ok, fine, so it was amusing to see Drakken break down like that over a silly game. She let out a light chuckle at the memory of Killigan's cry of despair when she beat him to the murder room at Clue. Damn, I must be tired if I'm agreeing with you that easily.

"It's been known to happen. So, speaking of Duff Killigan…"

URGH, don't remind me.

"Sorry, but someone has to. What do you intend to do about it?"

She had to finish her first glass of whisky and pour a second before she was even willing to entertain that subject. I'll just have to go and put up with him. It's only dinner. I survived a whole day with him, Amy and Drakken, I can handle Killigan on his own for two hours.

"That's the spirit. After all, it is only one date."

Shego listened to Miss Go's words and searched them for any hint of deeper meaning, but found none. Hang on a minute, aren't you supposed to tell me that I shouldn't go. That I'm a villain and I should just screw the fact I made a bet and lost?

"You'd like to think so, but I guess your sense of pride is too strong for even you to argue with yourself over."

She rolled her eyes again. The one time I want that smug asshole to argue with me and she folds without even a hint of a fight. Fine, guess I'm stuck going on one stupid date with Duff Killigan. She bated the question to see if Miss Go was going to dare suggest she should be open to the possibility of it being more than one.

"What, waiting for me to say you should go on a second date with him if the first goes well?"

Something like that. Isn't that the sort of crap you peddle?

"Not when the subjects something your mind is certain about; no conflict, no 'crap'. And you've been certain about your sexuality for a long time. Men are for manipulating if there's something you need; woman are for dating. Besides, we both know who you'd rather go on a date with."

Don't even think about bringing up Kimmie, she spat and took another drink.

"I didn't," Miss go said slyly, "you did."

Screw you. She put her feet up on the coffee table and slouched back against the sofa.

"Don't worry, I'll save that subject for tomorrow. The real question is, are you going to go to game day next time?"

Absolutely not! I put up with those loonies plus that feral naked-mole-shark, purely to get away from you.

"Seriously, are you going to deny that you became rather fond of little Ru-Ru as well as the fact you had some fun?"

She finished her second glass of whisky as the memory of the naked-mole-shark charging at, then proceeding to maul Drakken, played in her mind. Ok, fine, so I thought the little guy was pretty funny, big whoop.

"He was sad to say goodbye to you."

Shego recalled the look she had received from the naked-mole-shark as it trudged across the table and to DNAmy's bag. Yeah, I got that impression too. Given how much on an introvert Amy can be, I doubt he gets out to have fun much and I bet her cuddly nature really grates on his bad-boy rebel one.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her jacket move slightly and her eyes turned to focus on it just as Miss Go said, "and sneaky enough to stow away in your jacket pocket."

"Oh, no! No, no, no!" Shego said out loud as she watched her jacket slip off of the sofa.

A noise that sounded far too much like an, "ooof," for her liking, echoed from the depths of her jacket. She quickly sat up and looked down at it, just as a small pink head appeared.

Ru-Ru picked himself up, let out a sleepy yawn and then gazed around at his surroundings. On catching sight of her staring down at him, he let out an excited, "woo-hoo!"

"No, no, no, no," Shego said quickly, "not happening." She stared intently down at the naked-mole-shark, "what on earth do you think you're doing here?"

Ru-Ru met her gaze and quickly said, "ta-da!"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I get it, you stowed away in my jacket, very clever, but why?"

The naked-mole-shark lay down amidst the long, fluffy white fibres of the rug and pretended to make itself comfortable, "home."

Shego's eyes widened, "oh no! No way. Forget it! You're going straight back to Amy!"

"Yuck!" Ru-Ru spat and nestled himself deeper into the rug, "ut-uh, ut-uh!"

She reached down, picked him up by the scruff of his neck and stared into his beady black eyes. "Read my lips, no way. Not happening."

The naked-mole-shark gave her a sad look that was rather reminiscent of Kimmie's infamous puppy-dog-pout. "Pwease," he squeaked.

She felt her resolve weaken, much as it did when confronted by the same look from Kimmie. However, she shook her head and reiterated, "absolutely not. I don't do pets, hairless, genetically spliced or otherwise." She then set the naked-mole-shark down on the coffee table. "Besides, why would you want to stay with me? Amy created you and clearly loves you. Is your diet and beddy-bye time really that bad?"

Ru-Ru visibly shuddered and then said, "ut-uh, not love, collectable."

She gave him a sideways look, "collectable?"

"Uh-hu," the naked-mole-shark nodded. He then quickly glanced around the room and darted off the table.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" She made a grab for him but missed. Her eyes then followed him as he ran across the floor, hopped up onto the phone table and tossed a notepad and pencil onto the floor. Ok, what's the little devil up to? She watched him struggle to carry both back to the coffee table and so got up to help him. Picking up rodent-fish, notepad and pencil, she set all three down on the coffee table and sat down to watch him furiously scribble a series of surprisingly detailed drawings. It seemed Amy had been right about the parent naked-mole-rat, or whatever relation it was to her creation, being exceptionally clever. Where on earth did the buffoon get that damn thing? It sure as hell can't be a normal naked-mole-rat.

Once he had finished, Ru-Ru laid out his drawings and drew her attention to them. "Ah," he said and pointed to one of Amy pulling a leaver, followed by an arrow that pointed to the geneticist cuddling some sort of rhino-snake; love hearts above her head.

"Ok…" Shego uttered as her eyes scanned the rest of them. Each showed Amy pulling the leaver, followed by her surrounded in love hearts and cuddling the resultant creation. However, in the background of each, looking on with longing expressions, was a steadily increasing group of creatures from the previous drawings. She then reached one that was clearly the naked-mole-shark himself.

Ru-Ru then pointed at the last image, one that simply showed Amy and her love hearts standing beside a question mark; with himself now part of the crowd in the background.

"Ah," Shego said, realising exactly what the naked-mole-shark was getting at. "Amy creates you one at a time, gives you all her love for a couple of months, then you simply become part of her collection when she moves onto her newest creation."

"Uh-hu," Ru-Ru nodded emphatically.

"What and you think you'll get loved as my only child if you stay here?"

The naked-mole-shark blew her a raspberry and shook its head, "ut-uh, yuck!"

"Then what?" Shego asked.

"Freedom," Ru-Ru said with a grin, "and cheese!"

I guess beddy-bye time and his diet really are that bad. But I can't keep him… can I? She shook her head again, dammit, Shego, get a grip of yourself. Of course you're not keeping him. You don't do friends, pets or asylum seekers. "The answer is still no," she said emphatically.

She then watched in horror as she was subjected to the full force of the infamous puppy-dog-pout; including the slight sniff Kimmie occasionally added for extra effect. Where the hell did he learn to do that…? Unless he's got some or all of Rufus' memories. She rolled her eyes, no, not happening, I am not going to be shanghaied into keeping him, just because he can do that infuriating look of Princess'. The slight watering in the corner of the naked-mole-shark's eye drew a longsuffering sigh from Shego's lips. "Fine, you can stay…"

"Woo-hoo!" Ru-Ru exclaimed as he clapped excitedly.

"…but only until I can get a hold of Amy, then you're going home."

Ru-Ru's expression of delight did not change and she had a sneaking suspicion that he firmly believed he could wear her down on that stipulation. He then gave her a sweet smile, "cheese?"

Shego hit her palm off her forehead. What have I just signed myself up for? Picking up her glass, she drained the last of the whisky from it. She then put the cork back in the bottle. "Fine, but then it's bedtime. And I swear if it gives you bad gas during the night, it'll be the last you get."

Ru-Ru gulped slightly as she held out a hand for him to climb onto. The naked-mole-shark promptly hopped on, then took some serious liberties by scampering up her arm and onto her shoulder.

"Wait a minute, who do you think you are, Rufus?" she said in slight irritation as she turned to scowl at the creature.

Ru-Ru held up the claw equivalent of a thumb and forefinger and said, "little bit."

Shego sighed, "I suppose you are literally half Rufus, but don't think you'll be making a habit of travelling on my shoulder," she paused and thought for a moment, before adding, "or in my pocket." I am so not carrying you around like Stoppable does his naked-mole-rat.

She picked up the bottle of whisky and returned it to the liquor cabinet, then headed into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, Shego found a block of cheese, cut off a generous chunk and handed it to Ru-Ru. "Remember, bad gas and that's your last. And for your sake, I hope you're house trained or toilet trained… or whatever. Just don't leave your droppings on my carpet or furniture."

The naked-mole-shark nodded and chomped down on the cheese as she left the kitchen and headed upstairs. Walking into her bedroom, she set him down on a poufy lounge chair. "You can sleep on that and don't even think about disturbing me while I sleep. My bed is off-limits."

Ru-Ru nodded but was clearly giving the remainder of his cheese far more attention.

She picked up her pyjamas from the bed and headed for the bathroom; not wishing to give the creature a free peep show, as knowing her luck she'd find that Amy's genetic splicing had given him a liking for human females. Once inside, she changed and used the facilities before going back into the main part of the bedroom. In the short amount of time it had taken, the naked-mole-shark had already finished his snack and snuggled down atop a cushion and pulled the throw over himself.

Shego shook her head as she climbed into bed. How do I get myself into these situations? She cast the thought aside as she lay down and closed her eyes. For now, she didn't care. It had been a long and quite frankly bizarre day and, given the streak she was currently on, tomorrow was liable to be just as bad. Sleep came quickly and without another thought from either herself or Miss Go.

##

Author's note:

Phew, ok, everyone take a deep breath after that lot. Did you all enjoy it?

When I started writing chapter 16, I hadn't planned on Kim taking Monique to Raul's, let alone to introduce a new subplot regarding her search for a boyfriend. By the same token, I also had not planned on Shego going to spend her Saturday with Dr Drakken or for him to be having other villains over for a game day or to create a naked-mole-shark. I had also not planned for Shego to lose the poker game (initially she was going to win) or for Ru-Ru to stow away in her jacket until I came to write chapter 21. Which has left us with three new subplots from a set of chapters that was never supposed to exist... oh boy am I in trouble, lol.

So, where does this leave us in the grand scheme of things? Answer: I don't even want to hazard a guess, lol. In my very useless plan to take over the world (yeah the document is actually called that), I have an event written down that has been somewhat of a fixed point in time since I finished chapter four and decided where I wanted to take this story. While we are still on course for it (we'd probably be there by now if I didn't keep adding in extra chapters and subplots), I don't want to reveal what it is or put a time scale on how much longer it's going to take to get there. However, you will know when it happens and with a bit of patience, we will get there, promise.

In regards to the next update, it will probably be three maybe four chapters. However, please don't quote me on that as I may very well end up going off on another tangent, lol.

Thank you all once again for your incredible support and I will see you all next time out. Until then, have fun and I hope to see you soon.

Warmest regards
K1G0