About thirty minutes later found Shego sitting at her vanity, brushing out her hair as she smirked at her new idea for personal entertainment. She had dressed in a pink and teal one-piece swimsuit that had stayed at the back of her closet since its purchase, and she'd gone ahead and put the track pants back on over it. No need to alarm Mrs. Lipsky too much.

But alarmed she would be, Shego was sure, when she started flirting with her genius hero son. The woman thought that Shego was trying to tempt Drakken into evil... So, why not give her some proof? Not evil of the world-takeover kind, though. Just your ordinary, day-to-day, men-and-women type of evil.

Satisfied with her hair, she grabbed her sunglasses and beach towel and hobbled on the crutch out of her room and down the hall. Thirty minutes should have given Drakken time to take care of whatever mischief Cuddles had caused—unless the tree was down again—and hopefully make up a picnic lunch. There were plenty of ways to show Drakken affection during lunch that would put a twitch in his mother's eye. And if things seemed to be getting out of hand, she would just enjoy sunbathing on the beach.

She entered the kitchen to find Mrs. Lipsky tossing a small red ball for Admiral Cuddles to fetch. Drakken was frowning and looking at two soda cans, apparently trying to choose between them.

"I'll take a lime sparkling water," Shego said as way of greeting.

Both Lipskys looked up and gave her a quick once-over. Admiral Cuddles ran and jumped up on her legs. She ignored him.

"I thought you weren't coming?" Mrs. Lipsky asked.

"Sunbathing is one of my favorite hobbies. Didn't your son tell you?" Shego said with a grin as she walked up to lean against the counter.

"No, he didn't."

Drakken had grabbed the sandwich ingredients back out of the fridge and was quickly throwing one together. "Yes," he said distractedly. "Sometimes she uses a tanning bed in the lab..."

Drakken looked up with a start when he realized what he'd said, and smiled innocently in the face of his mother's twisted brow. Shego sidled up next to Drakken as he finished wrapping her sandwich and packed it into the small ice chest he'd gotten out.

"That doesn't sound very professional," Mrs. Lipsky said, shaking her head.

Shego shrugged. "I'm used to getting what I want."

Drakken looked at her with a half-frown as he gathered up the ice chest.

"Mother, would you get Admiral Cuddles's things?"

"Of course, dear!"

Shego started toward the door, passing Mrs. Lipsky as she picked up the dog's food and water bowls and the ball. Already there was more of a spring in her hobble with her decision to stop trying to act nice and to just be her typical, sassy self. Even if Drakken's mom did end up hating her, she knew it wasn't going to change anything in the long run. Except maybe how future holidays were spent.

She was nearly at the stairs when the other two caught up to her, and she was ready to begin flirting level one.

"Dr. Drakken..." she said, putting a hint of feminine worry in her voice.

"Yes?" he turned to her quickly as he picked up on exactly what she wanted him to in her voice, though his brow twisted in confusion at her formal use of his name.

"I'll never make it down those stairs all the way to the beach... Do you think you could carry me?"

The concern in his eyes immediately turned to irritation as he realized what she was doing. She smirked at him, as Mrs. Lipsky couldn't see her face.

"Yes," he said. Then his brow rose. "Ah...can you carry the ice chest?"

"Not with my wrist... Oh Mama Lipsky, would you mind? I'm sure I can manage the dog bowls."

Shego took great delight in Mrs. Lipsky's confused face and in Drakken's anxious frown. He set down the ice chest and picked Shego up. With the crutch looped over her arm, Shego set her towel across her middle and Mrs. Lipsky handed her the dog bowls and toy before picking up the ice chest.

Admiral Cuddles rushed on ahead of the trio, wagging his tail all the way down the stairs.

The trip down to the beach continued in silence for three flights of stairs, until the silence gradually became filled with the heavy breathing of the two Lipskys. Shego lightly rubbed Drakken's neck and smiled up at him as they made it down another flight.

"Drew..." Mrs. Lipsky said breathlessly, "I didn't realize...you and your assistant...were so familiar."

Shego waited until she caught Mrs. Lipsky's eye and then winked. The older woman looked inestimably confused.

"We...um... Well..."

"We've worked closely together for almost five years now," Shego said. "There's not much we don't share."

She suppressed a laugh at the disturbed look on the red-haired woman's face, and likewise smirked at the annoyed and confused look on Drakken's face.

When they reached the beach, Drakken made to set Shego down, his arms trembling, but Shego held on tighter.

"I can't use the crutch in the sand," she complained. He blinked, and then frowned. "Mama Lipsky, why don't you choose a spot for our picnic?"

The older woman didn't go too far from the beach door of the lair before setting down the ice chest.

"Good choice, Mother," Drakken said, catching up quickly and setting Shego on her feet.

Admiral Cuddles took off at a run down the beach, barking excitedly. Drakken looked after the dog in concern for a moment, but then settled on spreading out the picnic. Mrs. Lipsky seemed to have recovered her equanimity as she looked up and down the beach with a smile.

"Oh my!"

Shego smirked. "Forty-six..."

"What a beautiful place!"

The sun had burned most of the clouds away, and only a few of the puffy rain-laden dark masses were left, hovering low over the crashing waves. The sun beat down from high in the sky, warming the sand and creating the ideal setting for a picnic lunch.

Shego dropped the dog bowls and toy and spread out her beach towel with practiced ease. She hopped out of her sandals onto the towel and carefully went down to the knee of her injured leg, and then sat down. She checked the pocket of her track pants, making sure her ring was still there, and then wriggled out of them. She folded them carefully and set them at the end of her towel and stretched her legs out, dropping her sunglasses down on her nose with a grin.

She looked over at Drakken who was watching her uncertainly. He had likewise spread a large blanket out on the sand and sat the ice chest on it. Mrs. Lipsky was mopping at her brow with a handkerchief.

"Ever been to the Caribbean before?" Shego asked the older woman.

Mrs. Lipsky blinked at the question, and then settled down slowly on the blanket. "No, I haven't. It's very picturesque."

Drakken watched the two women as he unpacked the lunch.

"I've gotta say, I don't really have anything to complain about living here," Shego said, rolling over onto her stomach and leaning up on her elbows. "It's a built-in vacation spot and it's out of the way. No one bothers us."

"How long have you...lived with my son?" Mrs. Lipsky asked a bit nervously.

"Ever since he hired me," she grinned. "But I did keep my own apartment for my days off until recently."

Shego reached for the chicken-salad sandwich and strawberries that Drakken had set out for her, along with a can of the requested sparkling lime water.

"When we were trying to take over the world, I was on call almost twenty-four seven," she added before taking a bite.

Mrs. Lipsky looked a mixture of sad and concerned. Drakken was frowning until his mother turned to him, and a fake smile instantly took over his face.

"Would you like some strawberries, Mother?"

"Oh no thank you dear, they're not really to my taste."

Admiral Cuddles ran back to them, his entire body wagging in glee. Drakken set up his bowls and opened a can of food into one and poured bottled water in the other. The dog shook sand out of his fur before digging into the food.

"So tell me, Mama Lipsky," Shego continued. "What was Dr. D. like as a kid? I mean, his genius must have shown at an early age."

"Oh it certainly did! He took apart our house phone when he was only five years old."

Shego took another bite and smirked at Drakken. He was staring down at seemingly nothing and scratching the dog's haunches, his brow twisted in worry.

"Did he ever show..." Shego lowered her sunglasses on her nose, "evil tendencies?"

Drakken turned to her with sudden ire. "Shego!"

Mrs. Lipsky's face fell in sadness, her lower lip trembling as she looked at her son.

"I'm just curious," Shego said with a shrug, her smirk unwavering.

Drakken rubbed his face with both hands.

"Oh, my poor son! Where did I go wrong?" Mrs. Lipsky cried.

Drakken stood and grabbed Admiral Cuddles up with him, who protested being taken from his food with a whine.

"I'm taking a walk," he said. He threw an angry glance at Shego before turning and talking off toward the surf.

Shego grinned after him and pushed herself back to a sitting position.

"So...that's a no?" Shego asked.

Mrs. Lipsky looked at her with a frown, and then with a huff, started off down the beach after her son.

Shego chuckled and pushed her sunglasses back up and continued eating her sandwich.

Drakken stared at the waves as they rolled in and vanished against the shore, petting the small dog he held tightly in his arms. Absolutely nothing was going as planned. He had assumed by this point that the three of them would have been tying ribbons on candy canes to add to the tree, and that he and Shego would have been making excuses as to why his mother's wedding planning ideas wouldn't work.

"Son! Son!"

Drakken turned with a sigh as he heard his mother's approaching voice.

"Yes, Mother?"

"Son, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" she said worriedly as she reached him.

He shook his head and set the wriggling dog down in the sand. "You didn't," he assured her with a tired smile.

"It was what Shego said, wasn't it? About you having evil tendencies?"

Drakken's face twisted in a tired sigh. "Mother... Why are being so hard on her?"

His mother blinked. "Don't you think she's acting very strange?"

The dog was pawing at his ankles and barking, so he picked it up again.

"H-how so?"

"She barely said a word to me on the ride back from the airport, and she's been getting moodier and more sarcastic ever since."

"You mean...acting like herself," Drakken said, his brow furrowing as he frowned.

"And then...with that horrible shirt she was wearing before, and now a swim suit... It's almost like she's trying to..." she lowered her voice, "to woo you her with her wiles."

Drakken's brow rose as he saw a potential opening.

"Would that be...quite a surprise, if she was?" he asked, scratching Admiral Cuddles's head and turning to walk back to their picnic spot.

"Oh Drew, it's to be expected."

He looked at her quizzically.

"Why wouldn't she be attracted to my handsome hero of a son? But I'm not so sure she's reformed her ways the way you have."

Drakken's face fell. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, it started with all that gang business back at the airport..."

His brow twisted in confusion. "Gang business?"

"Well yes. If she's involved in gangs, it can't be a good sign. And she was obviously trying to hide something from me."

As Drakken approached the blanket he noted Shego's tired expression as she lounged on her beach towel. Her braced wrist and bandaged leg seemed for the first time to take away from her natural menace, and he pursed his lips a bit at the new vulnerability the injuries naturally covered her in.

When she saw the pair approaching, she pushed herself up a bit and grabbed one of the strawberries he had set out for her, biting only half of it and slowly licking her lips afterward.

He grinned. The way things had been going, they certainly couldn't get any worse with Shego simply being herself. And his mother's presence notwithstanding, he definitely didn't mind the flirty attentions...

"Shego dear, have you told my son about those awful cunts?"

The dog fell from Drakken's hands as he choked on his own breath, gasping at what he'd just heard from his mother's lips.

"M-M—Mother, what did you say!?"

He was too stunned to notice Shego biting her cheeks and holding in her laughter.

"The gang who vandalized your fancy flying car. They scratched their name on the side of it with their keys," his mother continued.

Drakken was still choking, and he finally noticed Shego was fighting off laughter as she sat up on her towel. He fully registered his mother's words and began to realize in part just what was going on.

"I had such trouble sleeping last night, worrying that some of your former evil comrades had decided to take some sort of revenge against you since you saved the world. But Shego told me they were after her."

His mother sat back down on the blanket and continued her lunch. Shego rolled over so her face was momentarily to their backs, and Drakken saw her shoulders shaking behind her hair.

"Shego, have you told my son about it yet? I imagine you haven't had time..."

"No," Shego said from somewhere behind her hair, "I haven't had a chance yet."

Drakken's heart pounded as he sat back down on the blanket with a frown. He took a large bite of his sandwich and chewed it angrily as Admiral Cuddles crawled into his lap.

"Why don't you tell us both now? Why was it your fault?"

Drakken made eye contact with his mother and saw the look of warning in her eyes. So...something that had happened completely randomly had started all the nonsense of his mother's distrust of Shego? Well, she was giving him a chance to put a stop to it. So that's exactly what he was going to do.

"What happened?" he asked, after washing down his bite of sandwich with a sip of his grape soda.

Shego turned back to face them, having recovered her equanimity, and shrugged. "Someone keyed the hover car."

"A...gang?" Drakken tried to follow whatever story she had obviously made up.

Shego shrugged again. "I guess. After I came out of the vet, the hover car was keyed."

Drakken furrowed his brow as he considered. It could have been random... Or it could have been targeted. It could have been some sort of revenge as his mother had said, or it could be some new threat. It could have been something as simple as...someone who recognized them and didn't trust them as heroes yet. That happened fairly often.

Or...Shego could have done something to precipitate it. Not that it mattered to him. Only Shego knew the truth.

He narrowed his eyes at her and she shifted her sunglasses higher on her nose. He grimaced. So it was something she'd started...

"Well... You...remember all of our evil connections," Drakken said, spinning the lie further. "Do you think it's something we need to worry about?"

"Nah," Shego said, stretching out on her towel.

"Well, you see there Mother? Shego says it's nothing to worry about."

His mother didn't look convinced. "But the horrible things I hear about gang violence on the news... Are you sure these cu—"

"Now Mother!" he cut her off quickly. "If Shego says everything's fine, then...everything's fine."

She lowered her voice without lowering her voice. "I still think you're putting too much trust in her," his mother whispered.

Drakken watched Shego lower the sunglasses to roll her eyes, a frown settling on her face as she continued her lunch.

"Hey, did you put something different in this?"

"Hm?" Drakken looked to where Shego was pulling apart her half-finished sandwich.

"It tastes different."

He shook his head. "It's...just the usual."

The corner of Shego's mouth twitched for a moment, but then she seemed to let it go. "Tastes different. It's making me a little nauseous," she said.

Drakken let her comment pass as he pet the small dog in his lap. Her opinions about most things changed on a whim.

"I think it's delicious, dear," his mother said. "It's my recipe, isn't it?"

He smiled tiredly. "Yes, Mother."

Admiral Cuddles suddenly perked up. He left Drakken's lap and trotted away through the golden sands, either seeing or smelling something that his human companions were unaware of.

"Do you like sunbathing, Mama Lipsky?" Shego asked, lowering her sunglasses again.

"Oh... No dear, we didn't have beaches and sun like this where I grew up."

"You should try it sometime," Shego said, laying down with a smile. "It's very relaxing. Just melts your cares away..."

"At my age?"

"Why not?" Shego said, readjusting her sunglasses and smiling.

Drakken looked at his mother's perplexed and yet curious face. Perhaps this was an 'olive branch' moment, if he could find a way to work it in his favor.

"And it's best when you can get a massage, too," Shego continued. "There's this spa I go to in Greece... They do absolutely the best hot stone massage you'll ever have."

"Oh... That sounds..."

"I haven't been able to convince Dr. D. to try it yet," Shego said, grinning up at him. "Maybe we could all go sometime."

Drakken's face began to relax. It seemed...Shego was actually trying now? The spa didn't appeal to him at all, but perhaps if it convinced his mother to like Shego—

"That's very kind of you dear, but massages sound a bit too intimate for coworkers to share. That sounds like something just for families."

The smile she then gave to Drakken caused his hair to stand on end. He slowly met her expression with a broad, put-on grin.

"Heh-heh. Mm."

"Son? You haven't been working too hard lately, have you?"

Drakken's face fell to confusion at the sudden subject change. "Ah, well...no?"

"Inventing all of those wonderful things to help people must be very taxing."

Drakken shrugged. "Oh, it's...all in a hero's work, Mother."

His mother was on her knees and moving behind him. He leaned away in confusion until her hands began massaging his neck. He took a sudden breath, and then let it out in a long sigh as he felt his muscles beginning to relax.

"There you are, Son. No need to go to a spa. It sounds like the sort of place there might be women walking around in bathing suits anyway. Your sweet, innocent eyes don't need to see that. Probably all gold-diggers, too."

Drakken's eyes opened and he found Shego staring at him, her expression something between shock and anger. His lips parted to speak, though he had no idea what was about to come out. And then...

'Rrarf arf arf!'

Drakken turned and saw Admiral Cuddles about fifty yards down the beach barking loudly at something only he could see.

"Ah, I'd better...ah..." He got up and ran toward the dog, grateful for the distraction. As he got closer he saw that it was barking at a shallow pool that had been created by the recent high tide. He slowed down and narrowed his eyes. Inside the pool was a largish, brown octopus.

Hmm. Well, you don't see that everyday.

"Mother!" he turned and called down the beach. "Come see what Admiral Cuddles found!"

He watched as Admiral Cuddles excitedly stepped into the pool, and then backed off when the octopus moved its long slippery tentacles. The dog appeared to be changing motives every second, unsure whether to attack, play, or be afraid.

Drakken smirked. Mutant octopi might be a good idea... Definitely terrifying. But, given his experience with mutant plants perhaps he should stick to robots...

His mind drifted back to the conversation and he wondered if he should arrange some sort of resort vacation as a compromise, if only to try to get his mother and Shego closer together. If they were doing something Shego enjoyed, then maybe more of her good qualities would stand out to his mother and she would get off the whole villain-thing. Although her clear and direct attempt to put Shego off a moment ago was rather disconcerting...

"What is it, Drew?"

He grinned at his mother as she reached his side. "Admiral Cuddles found an octopus!"

"My goodness! What a fascinating creature! I've heard that they're poisonous... Is it safe?"

Drakken's brow furrowed. "Um... I'm not sure."

Admiral Cuddles chose that moment to decide on attack, and rushed into the pool to nip at one of the octopus's arms. Drakken watched wide-eyed as the octopus grabbed his little dog, who yelped in fright and scrambled for escape. Drakken bent over and reached for the dog, who leapt into his arms.

Drakken fell back on his rear end, his clothes immediately becoming covered in damp sand as the dog scrambled up to his chest.

"Oh...Admiral Cuddles," he said with a bit of disdain.

The octopus began squirming out of the pool, and when the dog noticed he ran away down the beach in fright, yipping the whole way.

"Cuddles!" Drakken called.

"I'll get him back dear," his mother said, "you get yourself cleaned up."

His mother stepped down the strip of golden sand after the dog, and Drakken frowned at the octopus as it crawled back toward the surf.

"You would make a good ally in evil," he said to it as he rose and headed back toward the picnic.

As he approached the blanket and ice chest he took in Shego's relaxed form where she lay on her towel. She appeared every bit herself out in the sun, right down to the devil-may-care smirk on her face, excepting the pink and teal swim suit that he'd never seen before.

She sat up as he got close, and he sat down with a frown and furrowed brow. As he brushed the wet sand from his polo shirt and jeans, he felt Shego slide up close to him and set one of her arms around his waist. He looked down at her anxiously as her other hand rested on his chest. His eyes darted down the beach to where his mother was still chasing after Admiral Cuddles.

"Want to give your mother something real to complain about?" the sultry voice at his shoulder said.

"Trouble-maker..." Drakken said, taking off one shoe and shaking the sand out of it. "I should have changed..."

"What makes you say that?" Shego said, sliding her hand up to his shoulder.

"Because it won't...make her accept our engagement," he said with a frown as he replaced his shoe. "We need to figure out...some plausible story."

Her other hand gripped his hip. "What's wrong with the truth?" she said in his ear, her hot breath igniting his senses.

He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "You're never this...this frisky," he protested, annoyed at the tremor in his voice.

Shego leaned back suddenly, her smirk still plastered on. "Maybe Christmas brings out the best in me."

Drakken turned as the sound of approaching barks heralded the return of the dog, running toward them with its tongue flopping casually out the side of its mouth. Drakken's mother was several yards behind, unable to keep up with the energetic animal.

He shifted and put a few more inches of space between himself and Shego, and her smirk faded a bit.

"Let's just tell her and get it over with."

"No," Drakken shook his head, watching his mother's approach.

"Why not?" Shego leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"We could...if she didn't think you were going back to villainy," he said, turning to give her a pointed look.

"I never left. Neither did you."

"But she doesn't know that! She thinks I'm some paragon of virtue now," Drakken hissed. "What really happened with the hover car, anyway? Why did my mother say—?"

"Catch him!"

Drakken looked up at the sound of his mother's voice and saw Admiral Cuddles approaching at top speed. He reached out and grabbed the dog by the collar, effectively stopping it, and it yelped in surprise.

When his mother reached the blanket she was out of breath and doubled over, her hands on her knees. Drakken held the dog to keep it from running again, its paws dirtying his pants again as well as the blanket.

"Are you all right, Mama Lipsky?"

Drakken looked over at Shego in surprise.

"I think...I could use a lie down," she said breathlessly.

"Go on and take your mom back upstairs, Dr. D. I'll keep an eye on Shorty."

Drakken stared at Shego's uncharacteristically kind expression. When she flicked her eyes over to his, he knew it was only pretense. But it was some of the best acting he'd ever seen as she turned caring eyes back to his mother, who he saw was looking at Shego with a surprise that mirrored his.

Shego shifted over to the blanket and took hold of the dog's collar as Drakken stood back up and took his mother's arm.

"I'll get this stuff packed up, too," Shego said.

Drakken started toward the lair's door, and then paused.

"Thank you. You're always...so attentive," he said, looking to add to the act.

The eye-roll Shego gave him told him it probably wasn't helpful, and he grimaced as he helped his mother to the door. He looked back one more time once she had started up the stairs, and saw that Shego had lay back down on her towel. He closed the door and caught up to his mother, supporting her at the elbow.

"Wasn't that nice of Shego to offer to clean up for us?" Drakken said with an encouraging smile.

"I might have thought so if she hadn't made me carry the ice chest down the stairs," his mother replied.

Drakken's face fell.

They walked up the many flights of stairs in silence after that, but for their mutual heavy breathing. After four flights they both paused and Drakken barely caught himself from stumbling as his mother leaned against him.

"Drewbie..."

The lightly pleading tone of his mother's voice put him on guard, but he still looked down at her with a smile. Her face was concerned.

"Why don't you send Shego home to her family for Christmas? You're her boss, you can tell her you'd rather just spend the time with the two of us."

Drakken's heart sank.

"She wouldn't take that well," Drakken blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"No, I don't suppose she would," his mother said as she continued up the stairs.

Several minutes later found them at the top of the stairs, still out of breath.

"You know Drew, you really should have an elevator installed before my next visit."

"Next...visit...?"

"Yes dear. Now I'm going to go freshen up...and when I come back we can tie the ribbons on the candy canes and hang them from the tree," she said with a grin over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hall.

Drakken hesitated for a moment before heading to his room to freshen up as well. Beach days were definitely not his thing.