A/N: SO I promise next chapter. Straight Fluff and Romance... but for now... This!

Company Chatter

The light breeze and the sea air wasn't helping Shego rest. Shego had been sitting on the deck outside her room for an hour, hoping the night air would help her, but it hadn't. She was looking at the cliff edge above the lair, where hidden behind trees, growth, and untamed nature was a magnificent home... or manor really judging by what she'd seen... before Drakken had insisted on leaving.

It had been two days and he hadn't even mentioned it, let alone given any gauge worthy reactions to the portrait that had been on display.

There was a a feeling of movement over her hand and she smiled as she let Perri tangle around it before she looked down at the small flower. Her eyes glanced around all the flowers, they seemed slightly restless, which meant Drakken wasn't asleep either. She wondered if it was Drakken or just the plants, seeing as she wondered if Drakken had even slept in the last two days... perhaps keeping them on edge as well. Shego got up from the sun chair she'd been relaxing in and pulled her hand from Perri to gracefully jump through her window.

"You know, I keep thinking he's going to spontaneously declare we need a new lair," scoffed Shego as she leaned against the windowsill where the Flower moved towards her, "You guys got any heads up on that?"

There were no response from the Flowers other then their normal movements at her voice. Perri rested against her cheek and she smirked. If it wasn't for the one small blue flower, she wouldn't even know if they understood language... and even then, she still wasn't sure. She shooed them all off the sill and closed the window before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Which she directly left in annoyance as she realized that she was missing quite a few items from a shopping list that should had been fulfilled Monday night with all the food. She was about to go pound on Drakken's bedroom door and complain before she looked at the hallway closet and rolled her eyes before walking over to open it. It would make sense Hector would place them in here, had any henchmen entered her room, the would have been tossed out a window faster then they could blink.

Her brow raised as she looked through the hall closet, which did in fact have the products he was looking for, but that wasn't the only thing it now held. Large picture frames were stacked ton the floor, some very haphazardly, while others were covered with a few extra linens and towels. Shego didn't even have to turn them around, though she did for one, to know they golden frames were from the lavish forgotten home above their lair. She was certain the march larger ones were stored somewhere in the upper part of the lair and away from any of the henchmen seeing them.

This raised even more questions.

Shego closed the door to the closet and forwent getting her items and instead found her way heading to the lab. She didn't even bother checking to see if Drakken was in his room, because if he was fixated enough to remove portraits on his own, then he wouldn't be sleeping. Her mind played over the last few days since the discovery of the old Company residence. He'd not mentioned a word about it, instead finishing what he'd been working on before the mysteries wall laid way to new mysteries.

He didn't even overreact.

This had baffled her more than the whole experience. He had not declared they were relocating, had not even made a fuss of it.

Yet he took all those down himself and hid them?

Shego shook her head as the elevator doors finally opened to the lab. As she'd expected, Drakken was at his worktable. The only light on was above his head where she saw him sketching away on something she hoped was for himself and not his copious contracts. He looked up as she walked down the stairs, which meant his mind was not focused on his work.

"I didn't ignore a single alarm," he said in defense as she approached him, "I'm simply choosing not to listen to the one about sleep. I am nearly done with this design and stopping now would ruin my vision. The armor idea I have uses sound waves to reflect any hit- Shego?"

She'd simply sat on the edge of his desk as he ranted and waited.

"I didn't come down here to harass you?" she rolled her eyes.

"Oh," he shrugged, "Well then, can't sleep? If so I could use some assistance in testing a prototype I should be done with in an hour or two-"

"Why are the paintings from the house shoved in the upstairs storage closet?" interrupted Shego. Drakken expression contorted before falling into calm.

"Don't want the hench-staff to pilfer them or something as they clean up the place," Drakken replied as he rotated his design, "Does this look militarian or mad science?"

Shego looked at a few armor designs and pursed her lips before replying.

"First. Militarian... not a word. Second. Both," Shego turned it away from both of them, "Your having them clean up the house?"

"May not be a word but you knew what I meant," smirked Drakken before giving an annoyed sigh, "You seemed rather taken with the place and it's a waist of space not to utilize."

"Huh," Shego tilted her head and smirked, "So no dramatics about wanting to leave because of its origins?"

"Shego, I would be a fool to think half the lairs I have owned over my years in villainy had not been directly used or created by those apart of the Company," Drakken scoffed, "Besides, it's not been forgotten for decades. Probably around 1967 I'd think."

Shego gave him a questioning look and he looked annoyed but continued.

"After the Company ended... most turned tail and fled," continued Drakken bitterly, "No one to protect them."

She watched Drakken's hands clench on the pen before letting out a frustrated grumble and giving a slight toss to the pen before pushing away from the desk.

"Apart from that one image, were there anymore?" Asked Shego. Drakken nodded, "Like..."

"You can look at them you now," Drakken grumbled as he grabbed his pen angrily and resumed his sketching.

"Hey, you said I could ask, remember?" scoffed Shego, "I get that the company brings up issues you have with your father-"

"I don't have issues with my father?" Drakken cut in. Shego raised a brow, "The only quarrel I even have with the man is he put blind trust in those who were never truth-worthy nor loyal... but I have no resentment personally towards a men I never knew."

Shego crossed her arms and watched the features on his face closely. There was no shifting or eye contact avoidance and she felt suddenly confused.

"But when we talked about the company when I first found out about your family... you acted like being compared to him or being associated..." Shego trailed off as Drakken shook his head, "Enlighten me."

"I meant what I said about not wanting to be compared to a man I never knew... I had enough of that growing up," Drakken grimaced, "Imagine your whole life having people tell you things you said or did or how you reacted was like a person who was only a photo... now add the villain world to that... every thing you do wrong picked apart in comparison... comparison from rumors or stories... or worse... to remaining cowards who were apart of the Company showing their faces just to egg it on."

Drakken shook his head.

"My issue is mainly with the Company... and the fact that it was right to fall apart," Drakken scratched his head, "Truthfully Shego... you probably know more about it then I do to begin with... which still baffles me. Why would Team Go need to know about something that dismantled before they were even born let alone saving the city."

Shego let out a loud snort, earning a confused look.

"Well first off, history repeats and the only way to stop or avoid it... is to know about it. Learning about villains of the past and present was key... and honestly one of the only things that kept me sane. In fact in college its how I got such high marks in my psychology classes. Breaking down the motives of villains and history of it... made for a great paper," mused Shego.

"What's the most pathetic motive?" asked Drakken casually.

"One guy's sandwich got eaten," shrugged Shego. Drakken opened his mouth to inquire more but she covered it, "Nope. Not changing topic that easily."

His response was muffled.

"Doesn't hurt to try."

Shego continued.

"Besides, where do you think all those villains went... vanished? No, they just relocated," said Shego, "Go City probably had more then I know even, that place was dangerous before we were heroes. It's why my brother's and I were home-schooled..."

Shego trailed off as she said it. A wave of both confusion and remembrance flooded in.

"That's... why though?" she asked allowed. She looked at Drakken.

"I don't know you were telling me," Drakken replied. He squinted at her, "Weren't you? Am I that tired?"

"Well I'm sure you need sleep," Shego rolled her eyes but shook her head, "No. I don't know why I know that... I mean I got memories back, but that just... My mother home-schooled us, yes... but why do I know that was the reason?"

"Well you just said yourself it was riddled with crime and evil- Why didn't they just move?" asked Drakken. Shego searched her thoughts.

"I think... My family always lived there... for generations," Shego's head began to hurt and she pushed aside deeper thoughts on the subject, "Probably just a case of familiarity... assumed if they kept us out of trouble and away from danger we would be fine."

"Parents home-school and protect you from villains and evil around the city... you all grow up to face just that," Drakken looked unamused despite his attempt at an ironic jest.

Shego rolled her eyes and looked at Drakken.

"So is all you know... is what your uncle told you?" asked Shego. Drakken looked taken off guard, "Or do you know more."

Drakken looked slightly annoyed at having not avoided the topic.

"I may have looked more into it when I first entered villainy... got slightly curious how much fact was in his words," Drakken began spinning the pen on his desk, "I know originally it was built on the foundations of several families... part of the contracts of the company was a structure of loyalties involving them."

Drakken's face scrunched up in disgust as he trailed off.

"Interesting... so you think the house above belonged to one of the original families?" asked Shego.

Her mind half listening to Drakken and the other echoing with words from her last meeting with Botox... and the reality that the Leviathan's were probably not the only family to be ended by the lunatic's selfish motives. Her mind swam with the Botox's hench-creatures and they eerie forced nightmare faces. All once living and thriving people prayed upon by madness and science. She suddenly pictured different members of the Companies' families in their place.

"Shego?"

Drakken's voice pulled her out of the spiraling of thoughts she was beginning. She let out a shakey breath and cleared her throat.

"Yeah?" she breathed.

"I was telling you that I've told you all I can answer and then you spaced out," he tilted his head at her before nodding, "I think its late."

"Did you just say... you say it's late?" asked Shego as Drakken stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it, "Wow. How tired are you?"

"Everything's slightly floopy and I'm seeing stars," stated Drakken casually as they headed to the stairs, "I am certain I would have passed out at the table if you'd not showed up."

"Before or after you started working on the prototype you spoke of?" yawned Shego. Her attempted smirk fell into a smile as his hand laced with hers.

"Right in the middle of it," yawned Drakken in response. Might have woken to a small fire, nothing new."

Shego stared at him as he hit the elevator button. Her brows furrowed.

"It hasn't happened in a few months," he clarified. Shego scoffed.

"Oh wow... a relief... months you say?" she shook her head as they got on, "About due then is it?"

His response was muffled by another yawn but Shego didn't continue as she leaned against the opposite wall as his hand fell lazily away from hers. Her mind lazily playing back the last few hours of conversation, if only to avoid the visuals she'd been drifting towards before they'd called it a night. Drakken knew stories, bits and pieces, of the Company... and eluded that the home above was long forgotten due to the end of it...

That's all he consciously knows.

She had her own thoughts about just how many of Grandma Lipsky's tales of Dr. Drakken were just tales at this point. Something to ask him about at a different time, one when she didn't feel like she was tempted to sleep on the elevator floor. Perhaps Drakken was right, she may know more than him overall. Her stomach twisted into a painful knot at this... her eyes glanced at Drakken. His dark eyes fixed on the buttons, she was sure his mind was already racing in all directions and she wasn't about to add a painful one to it.

But she felt more compelled to tell him as he'd clarified that his bitterness wasn't to do with his father but with- Something clicked.

It dawned on Shego as she connected some of Drakken's responses over the night. Her shoulder's slumped as she looked at him lean against the elevator wall as his exhaustion began to sink in. She'd thought Drakken's aversion to wanting to talk about the Company was some sort of blind resentment of living in his father's footsteps... but it was a wrong assumption. It had less to do with any entitlement it may have given him, or even avoiding dangers he didn't know about... it was the companies cowardly reaction to his father's end.

They ran away.

All Drakken had known about it, and all she'd thought she knew... would indicated just that. The moment the person who essentially kept all in line and protected was gone... there was nothing.

"... he put blind trust in those who were never truth-worthy nor loyal."

Shego felt like a final piece of a puzzle she didn't know she'd been working on fell into place.

Trust. Loyalty.

It was something Drakken gave... hopefully... blindly to those he thought deserved it. It was a betrayal of trust and friendship that had catapulted his villainy... the very catalyst that had pushed him for revenge. Her own memory swarmed with their confrontation years ago on the beach after Warmonga... that coldness he'd held in his eyes that had been unreadable.

Her head reeled with the psychological breakdown she was preforming in her mind, regretting momentarily her years studying it for her teaching degree. Because the understanding pain she felt made he wholly uncomfortable, even tho it was in the past. Something she never tried to dwell on when avoidable.

She glanced at Drakken, who was scratching at one of the buttons in deep focus.

She wanted to tell him what she thought, her own analysis... wanted to ask him if that was the reason he didn't want to be known, if only for her validation... but she didn't. It was late, and unpacking all of that would lead to no where and wasn't worth the price. Her whole being tensed with wanting to inquire, tell, unfold every layer... but she bit it back.

Drakken looked over at her and before he could say anything as the elevator stopped, Shego had moved towards him. Wrapping her arms tightly around him and leaning on his shoulder in silence, seemed to take him by surprise. His stiff response faded quickly as his arms wrapped around her. Shego closed her eyes as the door closed again, leaving them idling in the silence of the elevator, but she didn't move. She snuggled closer into him and waited for him to pull away and giver her a tired and questioning look.

He didn't.

He instead, wrapped his arms tighter around her.

Okay, Onto FLUFF!