A/N: Drakgo cooking adventures, and a bit more. I wrote this straight through before work and didn't read it so forgive errors please!

10. Mushroom

Drakken kept glancing at Shego as she slowly sliced the mushrooms on the cutting board, while he was making rapid work of shredding the cooked chicken breast. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she used the small knife with caution, determined not to cut herself. Drakken though had already received two cuts, but it was due to his inattention to his own tasks and his constant watching over hers.

He finished the chicken and placed the shredded pieces on a plate, his hands burning slightly from the freshly cooked meat. Then he turned back to the stove top where chopped bits of bacon had been cooking in the pan. He strained them, saving the bacon fat for later, and then lightly tapped Shego on the shoulder. She glanced at him.

"I'll do the white wine first, and after it's reduced a little I'll add the chicken stock."

Shego nodded, her brow still furrowed. "Still don't know why I'm learning this when you do all the cooking."

After pouring the wine into the pan and starting the reduction, Drakken walked up behind Shego and set his hands on her shoulders.

"Because you need to feel more confidence in the kitchen," he said gently, smiling down at her painfully slow slicing of the mushrooms.

She sighed, and he was certain she was rolling her eyes though he couldn't see. Her slicing continued.

Drakken gently pressed against her back, and then slid his arms around her middle. He felt her tense slightly as his hands protectively covered her second-trimester baby bump, but it didn't deter him. That was another thing she needed to gain confidence in.

He understood her fear, after the last time. But he knew that she, like him, already deeply loved the child within her. He wanted her to relax and enjoy the pregnancy, not just for her sake, but the baby's. They had done the research and understood that a mother's stress could negatively impact the growing child. In fact, he supposed that knowledge was the only thing keeping her as strong as she was.

He reached up to brush her hair back from her cheek and kissed her, letting his lips linger as he gently rubbed her belly.

"You're doing fine..." he said softly.

Shego's hands stilled in slicing the mushrooms. Drakken knew she had caught his double-meaning. Suddenly, she turned around and flung her arms around him, clinging to him tightly. He held her close, his arms surrounding her and drawing her into him as she silently cried against his neck.

The sudden tears were another fairly common occurrence, and he had only just arrived at a place himself where he didn't cry every time she did. But he was determined to be her example of strength as they braved the frontier of having a child again.

Shego's tears stopped almost as suddenly and she pulled away slightly. Her hands slid to his shoulders where her fingers dug into the flesh through his shirt.

"Sorry," she breathed, looking away guiltily.

Drakken let his fingers weave into her hair at the back of her head as he brought her into a deep kiss. He felt her tension begin to fade as a yearning hum left her lips. But their embrace was cut short as a familiar sound reached Drakken's ear.

He pulled away suddenly to lift the pan of reducing white wine off the burner as it began to boil. He glanced at Shego apologetically who looked very taken aback by his sudden absence from her arms, but the tension that had risen fell again as she watched him pour chicken stock into the pan and replace it on the stove.

"Sorry," he said, coming back to her arms. She set her head on his shoulder and sighed, and he was relieved to feel her relaxing as he held her close again.

"So when do we add the mushrooms?"

"We...should have sautéed them already, actually," he admitted.

Shego pulled away slightly, and he saw her grimace.

"But it's not a problem!" he said quickly. "We can sautée them in a different pan with the bacon fat, and then add the reduction. And...then we'll add the garlic and cream and finish the sauce."

"I'm still not sure about this savory crepe idea, either," she said. "I've only seen coq au vin as a fancy dinner thing."

"Savory crepes are excellent, Shego... I'm surprised you've never had one."

Shego gave a slight shrug and slowly turned back to her assigned task of slicing mushrooms.

"When do you make the crepe...tortillas?" she asked, glancing briefly at the bowl of batter.

"That will be last, so they're hot," he said, moving behind her as he had previously.

"Mmh... I'll take your word for it."

Drakken leaned into her, his arms circling her as before. This time, Shego leaned back into him to his relief and delight. He covered her baby bump with his hands again kissed the side of her head over her hair. She hummed gently in response, so he repeated the action.

Shego's slowness in learning to cook did have certain benefits, he thought with a smile as he kissed her temple a third time. She hummed again, and he glanced back to check the sauce before resuming watching her methodical and slow slicing of the mushrooms.

He let one arm circle her further while his other hand remained protectively over her belly. He felt her smile, and his own grew. Benefits indeed.

A/N: The baby events referenced in the story are from my fic "Rekindling."