Author's note:
Ok, halfway home, metaphorically speaking, given Kim and Shego are back in Middleton at the very start of the chapter, lol. For this chapter title, I've used the name of another instrumental piece; After the ordeal, this time from Genesis' Selling England by the pound album. So, let's get on with it.
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Chapter Fourteen: After the ordeal
"…Shego…"
Shego lay on her side and tried to roll away from the voice as she let out a disgruntled, "mrgh."
"…Shego…"
She heard her name again and pulled covers that existed only in her dream over her head as she once more grunted, "mrgh!"
A hand reached out and shook the green-skinned woman by the shoulder. "Shego."
Upon realising that her grunts had done nothing to deter her would be waker, in a sleepy, dazed voice, Shego replied, "I don't want to get up yet, Danni." However, she was now awake enough to know that she felt like utter crap.
Kim's hand briefly recoiled from her rival's shoulder on hearing the name. Danni? Who on earth is Danni? She made a mental note to ask the woman over breakfast, however, for now, "Shego!" she said loudly and gave the villainess another shake.
Shego turned and wearily opened her eyes. In the brief haze that still fogged her tired mind, she saw long tresses of blonde hair framing a face that held a pair of icy-blue eyes. "I feel like hell, Danni, leave me alone.
Kim chuckled slightly and replied playfully, "no, Kimmie."
At the sound of the hero saying her own name, Shego violently jerked back to full consciousness. The blonde hair and icy-blue eyes immediately vanished and she found herself confronted by fiery-red locks and olive-greens. "The hell, Kimmie," she said as she sucked in a mouthful of air.
The hero gave her rival a warm, albeit slightly tired smile; it was just after four in the morning. "We're back in Middleton."
"Great," Shego replied, her tone slightly sarcastic. "Urgh, I feel like hell," she then added and promptly broke out into a coughing fit.
"Yeah, you just told me. I know the feeling all too well," Kim said sympathetically and offered the green-skinned woman a bottle of water. Before she could help herself, she then asked, "so, who's Danni?"
Shego, whose hand had just taken the bottle of water froze and her eyes widened in horror. "What did you just say," she asked, even though she had heard her rival perfectly well.
"You called me Danni twice while I was trying to wake you," Kim replied, however, she could already sense that she should have kept her mouth shut and pretended like nothing had happened.
"She's no one," Shego snapped bitterly and quickly busied herself with taking a drink of water. Great, I haven't dreamed about Danni in a very long time and the one time I do it has to be while I'm asleep in Kimmie's car. Will I ever be rid of her?
Which means she's definitely someone, Kim thought. Other than she had once been a member of Team Go, had gone to college to get a degree in child development and the other scant details she had found out during their two nights in Spritzers, the rest of Shego's past, prior to their first encounter during the explosive robotic tick debacle, remained a complete mystery to Kim. Given how she's just reacted and the fact it seemed normal for this girl called Danni to be waking her, I'm willing to bet she's someone of importance. An old girlfriend perhaps? However, Kim knew better than to pry further tonight. "Let's get upstairs. I think we could both use some sleep."
"I was sleeping," Shego said curtly, as she sat up. She then cast her gaze onto the backseat, where Ru-Ru lay asleep. "Do we flip a coin to see who has to try and move him?"
Kim laughed, "no way. That little sod's sunk his teeth into me more than enough times already. Besides, he's your pet."
Picking Kimmie's backpack up off the floor, Shego reached over into the back seats and set it down beside the sleeping naked-mole-shark. Deftly, she plucked him up by the fin and deposited him inside. She then delicately pulled the bag back through into the front seats.
At the same time as her rival was ensuring a narky Ru-Ru did not try and take a chunk out of her fingers, Kim opened her door and climbed out of the Sloth. On her way towards the building, she'd hacked its security system and fed all the CCTV cameras a loop of the past few minutes. Hopefully, given it was the middle of the night, they'd make it up to her apartment without encountering a soul. Coupled with the hologram that had sat in place of her car all night, there would be no evidence that she'd even left her apartment, let alone returned with the countries once more most wanted supervillain.
Shego too climbed out of the car. She was about to close the door when her eyes caught sight of her prison uniform, shit I almost forgot about that stupid letter. The last thing I need is for Kimmie to find it and decide to read it. She reached back inside and plucked it from her jumpsuit and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans. Good riddance to bad rubbish, she then thought as she slammed the door shut on her prison had been two and a half years since her previous stint in jail, her longest since she'd first been arrested. Hopefully, it would be even longer before she was forced to don orange again.
"The elevator's this way," Kim said as she locked the car and pointed towards a pair of metal doors.
Ru-Ru still sleeping inside the backpack and a tissue held under her once more running nostrils, Shego followed Kimmie over to the elevator, let her rival press the call button and stepped inside when the doors slid open.
Kim smiled to herself on seeing that the carriage was empty and stepped inside. Unless I get super unlucky and someone has just entered the building at street level, we'll get upstairs and no-one will be any the wiser. While she wanted to put her desire for Shego's presence to go undetected purely down to the woman's status as a wanted supervillain, part of her recognised the feeling as being akin to the few times she had snuck Josh Mankey in and out of the Possible residence without her dad finding out.
The elevator doors closed and the carriage made no stops on its way up to the top floor. When Shego stepped out and saw only one door on the short hallway, she knew Kimmie lived in the penthouse. Looks like someone's making good use of all that money they're raking in. However, in fairness, I'd do the same in her position. Indeed, had it not been for the fact that she had designed her own home and either had or could easily acquire everything else she wanted, she might have felt a little jealous of how much she suspected Kimmie made in a month and maybe even reconsidered her line of employment. However, three years ago, when she'd finally got the house built, decorated and furnished, she'd reached a strange level of contentment with her life that had only started to wane with her more recent boredom.
Kim opened the door and ushered her rival inside, now feeling strangely calm about the prospect of having the woman stay the night. Perhaps her apprehension had run dry around about the time she'd been convinced she'd wake up to find a poisonous spider or scorpion in her bed. "Come on in."
Upon stepping through the door into Kimmie's apartment, two things became abundantly clear to Shego. First, her assessment of the fiery-haired vixen's use of her not inconsiderate finances had been dead on and second, Kimmie and herself had similar tastes when it came to interior design. Both points evidenced by the living room layout, sofa style, the CD player she instantly recognised as a Bang & Olufsen Overture; she had one in her own bedroom and the banana inspired house phone, which she recalled came from the same company. Great, she sighed internally, more things we have in common. Why is it the more I find out about her, the harder it is to dislike her?
"Do you want anything before going to bed, maybe a hot drink?" Kim asked as she closed the door and locked it behind her.
Shego heard the multiple locks click into place and had a bad feeling that in her current state, she would not be leaving without Kimmie's say so. "I'll take a mug of hot orange juice if you've got any," she said in response to the asked question, then added, "just so we're clear, I'm leaving after I've had some sleep."
"And breakfast," Kim said with a grin before she headed into the kitchen. "Have a seat and I'll go boil the kettle."
Shego rolled her eyes, "fine. But don't even think about getting your mom to come over to have a look at me." She then placed a still sleeping Ru-Ru on the sofa and sat down beside him.
"I'm not that cruel," Kim laughed and proceeded to fill and boil the kettle. However, if your cough gets a lot worse overnight, I might not have a choice. She shuddered at the memory of her mother injecting her in the backside with antibiotics morning and night for days on end during her incarceration within the Possible residence. Only how on earth I'd explain how you miraculously managed to escape from jail and end up in my apartment, I don't know. That and I don't particularly want to talk to mom right now. She found a bottle of orange squash in a cupboard, poured some into two mugs, topped them up with hot water, then took them over to the sofa. "Here," she said and handed one to the green-skinned woman. You really don't look well.
"Thanks, Princess," Shego replied and took the offered beverage. With her ability to use her glow still limited to a small fifteen-second burst around one hand, she needed to blow on it before she could drink it; her heat resilience strongly tied to it. Glad this is one of the last times I'll need to do this.
With the potential flashpoint that had been Danni now seemingly forgotten, Kim began to relax. "I keep the bed in the spare room made up in case…" she paused mid-sentence, upon realising the sad reality that Shego would be the first person to use the spare room since she moved in. "…well, I just keep it made."
Even in her current state, Shego could detect the sadness in Kimmie's tone and suspected that the hero had just become privy to an unhappy truth. She's never had anyone stay over. Unfortunately, that's the cost of the lives we chose; you quickly lose any and all connection with almost everyone you know. Not to mention she lost her best friend the same night she broke up with the buffoon. "If it doesn't feel like I'm lying on lumpy concrete and I don't have to put up with Bonnie's snoring, it'll be just fine."
The comment helped bring Kim out of her saddened state and she let out a light laugh, "you too? I had to put up with her at cheer camp once, but at least that was only for a long weekend."
"Yeah, but I was either not in my right mind or in solitary confinement for the most part, so escaped the worst of it" Shego replied and took a sip of her hot orange juice; it hurt slightly to swallow. Guess it's probably safe to add a sore throat to my list of symptoms.
Kim had to resist the urge to fire off a barrage of questions pertaining to how her rival had been treated while in prison and the particulars of what it was like for her not to have her glow. From what she already knew, she doubted Shego would wish to talk about her incarceration and the green-skinned woman had made it clear during their second night in Spritzers that the subject of what the GJ serum did to her was not something she wished to discuss. Kim took a drink from her mug in order to prevent an ill-advised question escaping from her lips. However, in the end, she couldn't resist skirting the edge of the subject slightly, "was that a result of the GJ serum?"
A scowl formed on Shego's face, but she bit back a harsh remark that would have put an end to the subject. There's little point denying it now, not after she saw me at my lowest yesterday. "Yes," she replied bitterly. "The first time I properly felt like myself since the volcano lair was when I woke up at about this time last night," however, there's no way I'm telling you what helped me come back to myself.
"Wow…" Kim breathed, I've only had a day or two at a time when I've not been in my right mind and that's been because mom has had me doped up on painkillers. "I guess it sucks that you're now sick."
Shego gave the hero a knowing smile and took another mouthful of her beverage. "I'll take a short illness and freedom over feeling perfectly well but still being in the slammer." She then locked onto Kim's gaze, but her tired state greatly reduced the effectiveness of her stare. "You risked your reputation, career and probably your freedom to bust me out tonight, Princess, and I'm not buying that your conscience got the better of you. So, I want to know the full reason why."
Even though her rival's normally piercing stare had been diluted by tiredness, Kim still awkwardly bit her lip and averted her gaze. She took a couple of sips from her mug, but when a stolen glance revealed that Shego was still staring at her, she realised she had to say something, "if you wait until breakfast, I promise I'll tell you everything."
Knowing that there had to be a fairly complex explanation for why Kim Possible; world hero had broken her out of jail, Shego chose to acquiesce to the request. "Ok, Kimmie, have it your way. But remember, there's no forfeit bottle for you to drink from if you find yourself not wanting to answer a question."
Kim laughed and perhaps due to how tired she was, accidentally said, "we can save that for our next night in Spritzers." The moment she heard the words leave her own lips; she clapped a hand over her mouth. Shit! Way to blow it, Possible! Now she knows for certain that I want to ask her out for another drink, but I've given her zero indication as to what I want it to be. Even I don't know that. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Shego heard the comment and watched as Kimmie hurriedly clapped a gloved hand over her own mouth. Well, that answers that; she does want to go out for another drink with me. While normally she would have made her rival uncomfortable with some sassy comment, for once, she chose to restrain herself. "Why don't we put that on the breakfast menu too," she said, because I have no idea whether or not I want to say yes yet and am too tired to sit and thrash it out tonight. With that, Shego stood up from the couch. "Come on, you can show me that spare room of yours and where the bathroom is. Also, do you have any more of those balm tissues? I think I'm going to need them."
For a brief moment, Kim had seen the guillotine blade, or should that be the green plasma ball, dangling above her neck and fully expected it to take her head clean off her shoulders. However, when she heard Shego's suggestion, a wave of relief crashed over her. I cannot believe I got away with that… I can't believe that she's willing to consider us going out again. When the green-skinned woman stood up, she followed suit. "The spare room's through that door there," she pointed to a door in the far corner; past the kitchen, "and the bathrooms this way," she beckoned Shego to follow her. "I'll let you use it while I go get you some pyjamas and find you some more tissues."
Shego followed Kimmie to a short hallway and then entered through the door indicated to her. Inside she found a fully equipped bathroom and having had nothing but showers since moving into the volcano lair, felt a strong desire for a long soak in the tub. It's always the same when I get out of jail. I'll probably do that when I go home, after I… the thought died in her mind when she broke out into another coughing fit.
Kim left Shego to use the bathroom and headed for her bedroom. Going into her wardrobe, she withdrew two clean sets of pyjamas; her favourite lilac set for herself and a sky-blue pair for Shego; she did not have any that were green or black. Depositing her own set on her bed, she went into her en-suite bathroom and fished around in the cupboard under the sink for a fresh box of tissues. She had a half thought of having a shower before bed but rejected it on the grounds that she felt way too tired. Heading back into the hall, she waited for her rival to finish up in the bathroom. Urgh, I can't wait to get my battle suit off. Heh, Wade's going to have a fit when he sees the damage it's sustained tonight. However, it'll be best if I leave it for a week or two before telling him. I'll need to come up with a plausible explanation too.
Shego exited the bathroom to find Kimmie waiting for her. "Ok, I don't hate you right now," she said on seeing the large box of balm tissues.
Kim chuckled at what she assumed was her rival's weird way of saying a purely friendly, 'I love you'. "I'll take that," she said and offered both the tissues and pyjamas to the green-skinned woman. "I hope you sleep well and I'll see you when you get up."
"At this rate, it'll be lunchtime before either of us is awake," Shego replied and took both items from the hero. She then walked past her rival and back into the main living area.
Kim turned to go down the hall back to her bedroom when she heard her rival say one last parting remark.
"I don't often say this and rarely do I genuinely mean it, Kim, but thanks," Shego said sincerely. Heh, never thought I'd ever find myself saying that.
Wow, she must really mean it if she's calling me Kim. Excluding her time as Miss Go, I can probably count on one hand the number of times she's done that. Kim turned to look at her rival and gave her a warm smile, "your welcome."
Without further delay, both women headed to their respective rooms for some much need sleep. However, while tired and in the latter's case feeling horrible, both Kim and Shego could not deny a sense of both anticipation and apprehensive; in equal measure, at what the new day and their breakfast discussion might bring.
