Kim was sitting in front of a crackling fire. The morning air presenting a chill that seeped through her clothing. She shivered as she tried to get closer to the heat. Behind her, there was a rustling from the tent that was pitched a few feet away. Bonnie emerged from the tent, cheeks and nose red from the cold. She, much like Kim, was bundled up in a thick jacket. Bonnie looked indignant as she took a seat next to Kim.
"Remind me to not accept camping as a date ever again," Bonnie huffed, exhaling a small cloud as she did so.
"You suggested it," Kim said with a giggle, pulling Bonnie closer.
It had been the week prior when Bonnie had approached Kim about having a little getaway. The proposition was spurred on by the lack of villainy taking place in the world. Kim had found herself doing small jobs; getting cats out of trees, helping the police track down fugitives, and the like. As far as Wade was able to tell, the super villain community was laying low. So, Kim agreed that she could take the weekend away from saving the world. The idea of camping came from Bonnie, who wanted to try something out of her comfort zone. Kim agreed with ease, finding them the perfect spot to camp just outside of Middleton.
"Talk me out of it then," Bonnie pouted, nestling in Kim's arm.
"Yes ma'am," Kim laughed, stoking the fire to keep it going. "It'll warm up soon. Then we can get to exploring.
The couple spent the next few hours cooking breakfast and getting ready for their hike. For Kim, it felt domestic and comforting. It was normal and nothing like her relationship with Shego. The slow ease of everything involving Bonnie felt foreign. If Kim was being honest with herself, there was still longing in her heart for Shego. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, Kim was drawn to Shego. On nights when she was alone in her room, Kim would stare at her window for hours; waiting for Shego to appear now that she was out of Global Justice. But, the woman never showed up. She had practically vanished after leaving Motor Ed to get arrested.
The hike was needed, allowing for Kim and Bonnie to bond more. They talked about school and what they wanted to do; gossiped about what was going on with their classmates. It allowed for Kim to put her thoughts of Shego in the background. It wasn't until they were on their way back to the campsite that things went sideways. The Kimmunicator went off, earning a groan from Kim. She told Wade to not contact her unless it was absolutely important. As she answered the call, she could feel the annoyed look from Bonnie.
"This better be world ending," Kim said, giving Wade a stony look.
"Sorry, Kim," Wade replied with an apologetic look. "If it wasn't important I wouldn't disturb you."
"What's the sitch?"
"Drakken was broken out of prison," Wade informed Kim. "He was seen being escorted out by a woman with green skin."
"Shego?" Kim asked. "Why would she break him out now? She's been off the grid for months."
"Beats me. I've done my best to search for her, but there's not even a blip."
Kim bit her tongue as she thought about the one place Shego would be. She never told Wade where the waterfall was; her little secret with Shego. If Shego hadn't even appeared on Wade's radar, that was the best bet on where she was.
"I've got an idea."
KP+KP+KP
It was dead silent in the car. The only thing that could be heard was the rumble of the engine and wind rushing. Kim was focused on the road, clenching her jaw. Bonnie, on the other hand, was staring at the passing scenery. She was scowling, now that her weekend with Kim was being ruined by Shego.
While they were packing up, Kim had insisted that she go alone; Bonnie going on the defensive. She had heard Kim tell Wade not to track the Kimmunicator; giving Bonnie a good idea on where Kim was going. They got into an argument about the situation. Kim refused to let Bonnie be put into any danger, while Bonnie argued that she had been on a mission before. Although Bonnie had seen Kim angry before, the look of fury in Kim's eyes was intense when it was directed at her. Kim conceded, telling Bonnie to stay out of the way if things got dicey before getting in the Sloth.
So, there they were; sitting in the car and stewing in it. Bonnie looked over to Kim, who was staring with intent at the road. The redhead had a calculated look on her face, eyes scanning the road for the next turn. Bonnie let out a soft sigh, reaching over and placing her hand on Kim's leg. She hoped it would give a soothing effect. Kim relaxed slightly at the touch; placing her own hand over Bonnie's.
It was another ten minutes like that when the Sloth finally turned off the main road and onto a worn down path surrounded by trees. Once they made it to the rock-covered entrance, Kim cut the engine and looked at Bonnie.
"Promise me," Kim started. "If I tell you to run, you will."
"I promise," Bonnie said. She wasn't scared of Shego or what might happen; especially since the woman had rescued her a few times.
"Thank you," Kim whispered.
Kim got out of the Sloth, approaching the boulder that covered the entrance to the waterfall. It looked like it hadn't been moved much. The layers of moss that crept along the boulder and rock wall almost sealing the crack. With all her might, Kim pushed the boulder; making an entrance large enough for herself and Bonnie to fit through. Kim motioned for Bonnie to follow her quietly. They made their way through the tunnel, the sound of water crashing coming from up ahead. Coming out the other side, Kim tensed slightly at the sight before her.
There was a small cabin sitting a few hundred feet away from the water. It stood proudly under the cover of some trees; a set supporting a hammock next to the porch. It reminded Kim of one she had seen before, the sight of the cabin pulling at her heart. Then there was Shego herself, sitting in a lawn chair close to the water. She was reading a book, shade from her sun hat blocking out the sun that crept through the trees. Kim was doing her best to not lock onto the smooth green skin of Shego's exposed stomach. She was pretty sure her brain short circuited from the sight of the woman in a bikini.
Shego looked up from her book in the direction of the waterfall. She turned her head slowly, registering that she had visitors. The look of shock at seeing Kim and Bonnie there at the same time turned into a scowl.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Shego snapped, eyes hard as she looked between the two intruders.
"Like you don't know,' Kim accused as she snapped out of her tunnel vision. "Where's Drakken?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Shego stood up, scowl deepening at the mention of her employer.
"He got busted out of prison. There were reports of a green woman with him."
"And you just assumed me?"
"You are the only green woman that would break him out."
"Touche. Problem is, it wasn't me. Unless the fucker cloned me, and I doubt he did that."
"Why wouldn't you go get him?" Bonnie asked. She acknowledged the tension in the air, but didn't care to pay heed to it. That drew Shego's ire onto her.
"Not that its any of your business, cheerleader," Shego scoffed. "But, I want him to suffer in there more for what he did." The comment was directed more towards Kim rather than Bonnie.
"Alright then," Kim said, turning back towards the tunnel; no emotion behind her words. "Let's go, Bonnie…"
They left without another word, leaving Shego behind. The woman was shaking as she watched Kim leave with Bonnie. Plasma flickered around her fists as Shego gritted her teeth; now she had to go through the effort of find Drakken and the mysterious green woman he was with.
KP+KP+KP
To say Shego was pissed off would have been an understatement. After Kim and Bonnie had left her little piece of paradise, Shego had a one track mind: Find Drakken. Not that she had a clue on where to start. The last place she had been was the home lair a few months prior to grab more of her belongings. Yet, if Shego had been the one to break Drakken out, he would have wanted to get revenge on Kim. He would always send her off to gather things over several months for his next scheme. At least that was a start.
There weren't many lairs Drakken could go to, almost all of them going up in flames because of Kim. Although she had some sort of stepping stone, it wasn't much help. She would be flying all over the globe trying to find Drakken. Walking into the cottage, Shego went into the bedroom to change and gather her thoughts. There was a moment of hesitation as Shego reached for her catsuit. It had been forever since she had put it on, opting out for casual clothing since she was broken out of GJ Max. She let out a sigh as she pulled the tight fabric of the suit on.
Shego crossed her arms as she continued to think about where Drakken would go. There were two lairs off the top of her head that were still in working condition; one in the Arctic and the other in the Caribbean. If she had to hazard a guess, Shego would bet that Drakken had opted to go some place warm.
KP+KP+KP
After leaving Shego's hideout, Kim and Bonnie drove back to Middleton. With their trip being cut short, neither was happy with the situation that had arose . Kim was running through all the possible things Drakken could do, now that he was out of prison. She was currently stuck on the fact that Shego hadn't been the one to break him out.
Bonnie, on the other hand, was having thoughts of doubt about her frail relationship with Kim. She knew what she had signed up; being in Shego's shadow. Yet, it appeared to be on a deeper level than anticipated. The brief interaction Bonnie had just witnessed made it clear on how Kim and Shego felt about each other, even if they weren't being honest with themselves. The same could be said for Bonnie. If she wanted to be unrealistic about the situation, it could be easily written off and Kim would eventually forget about Shego. Realistically, her romantic relationship with Kim was dead on arrival.
A chime rang through the Sloth as Wade appeared on the console screen. He looked worried as he watched Kim snap to attention and almost swerve off the road. Once the car was stable, Wade gave Kim an apologetic look when she glared at the screen.
"Situation, Wade?" Kim asked.
"Just that I found Drakken's location," Wade said nervously. "He's at the lair in the Caribbean. There's been a bunch of activity there over the last few hours. The power output is remarkable for a place that got blown up."
"Got it. I'll head there after take Bonnie home."
"I'll send you the coordinates." The screen switched off, leaving Kim and Bonnie in silence once more.
Once Bonnie was back home, Kim stood in front of her closet, staring at the blue and white fabric of the battle suit. She hadn't used it on a mission since Little Diablo. The fight with Shego had torn it up and caused minor malfunctions in the tech. Wade had not only fixed it, but upgraded the stealth mode. If she wanted to get in and out of Drakken's lair, it would be best to take the suit.
The Kimmunicator chimed, snapping Kim out of her staring. "What's the sitch?"
"A development on what Drakken is doing," Wade said and loaded a video onto the screen.
"Hello, Kim Possible," Drakken said as the video started playing. "Perhaps you recognize the nemesis that you left to rot in prison. Dr. Drakken. Cell Block D. Home of the annoying cell mates!" Drakken was wringing his fists as he got angry.
"Digressing!" Kim heard Shego say off screen.
"Shut it, Shego!" Drakken snapped. "You're here merely to witness and weep." There was muffled talking from off screen before Drakken continued. "Where was I? Evil genius… rot in prison… Ah yes! My new doomsday device will steal all the Earth's oxygen from the atmosphere and there is nothing you can do to stop me in…" The camera panned over to a timer that wasn't counting down. "60 minutes and… Counting? Why isn't this stupid thing…" The video cut short as Wade ended the connection.
"He's clearly unhinged," Kim said with a frown.
"If the energy output is anything, he's not even trying to hide his location," Wade added. "It's clearly a trap."
"If Drakken wants his chance at revenge… He's going to get it."
"Do you want me to get Ron?"
"No, I think I've got this one," Kim said as she reached for the battle suit.
KP+KP+KP
When Shego had arrived at the Caribbean lair, she found a very giddy Drakken standing along side an unearthly woman. Drakken informed her that the nine foot tall woman next to him was Warmonga. Shego raised an eyebrow a s the woman saluted and stated that her purpose was to follow the orders of the Great Blue. There was a brief moment of Shego trying to piece together the strange green woman's ramblings before she realized Warmonga was talking about Drakken. That had been a good laugh that didn't end so well .
After a tussle with Warmonga, where Shego had been thrown across the renovated lair, she was promptly placed into a pair of futuristic cuffs. The cold steel wrapped around her wrists and ankles, encasing her hands and feet so that she couldn't attempt to escape. If she hadn't been annoyed by her current situation, Shego would have found it cool that she was able to float around freely.
While Drakken was talking to Kim, Shego floated up beside Warmonga. She tried to get the dark green woman to join her in mocking Drakken and derailing him in his rant. Yet, Warmonga was set in her ways of respecting Drakken and calling him "the Great Blue". It was starting to grate on Shego's nerves, but not as much as Drakken trying to get his timer started.
Once the video feed to Kim was disconnected, Drakken turned his attention towards Shego. He was sneering at her as he approached, dismissing Warmonga from the laboratory. Shego's eyebrow quirked as Warmonga left, glancing at Drakken as he stopped a few feet away from her.
"See, that is someone that is loyal to the cause," Drakken said.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Shego asked, looking at her employer with disdain.
"How long have you been out for?" Drakken asked with a hurt tone. "How long was I wasting away in Cell Block D? Waiting to be back in the free world?"
"It's April?" Shego said with a tilt of her head. "So, ten months."
"Ten months! And not a peep from you or any rescue attempt. Only for me to learn that you were traipsing around with my imbecile cousin! Why is that, Shego, a being not from our world was the one to get me out?"
"You deserve to rot for what you did." The statement was blunt and void of emotion as Shego glared at Drakken.
"You knew what we were doing. You are just as much to blame as I am."
"I wasn't in on the whole plan, Dr. D. You neglected to inform me that your plan involved emotionally manipulating Kimmie's emotions."
Drakken looked away from Shego wearily, feeling the small spike in temperature. He rubbed his hands together as he tried to figure out what to say. He didn't want Shego to get out of her restraints before Kim got there. "It was an end to a means, Shego. You must understand that things had to be sacrificed to achieve world domination."
"I got thrown off a fucking roof because of your world domination! Am I that expendable to you, Dr. D?"
Drakken's mouth flapped for a moment. Shego was glaring at him, but there was a hint of sadness in the woman's eyes; waiting for an answer. He clamped his mouth shut as he tried to think of an answer. Yet, he was at a loss for words. Drakken gave Shego a sad look before he left the room.
It was fifty minutes before Drakken came back into the lab. Shego glared at him as he grumbled in the direction of the clock. There were ten minutes left before his device was set to activate; and Kim Possible was still not there.
"What's keeping her?" Drakken grumbled, glancing to Shego as if she had the answer. "I want my revenge."
"Like you can even handle Kimmie without me," Shego snorted at the thought.
"Ooo, I think somebody's jealous."
"Hey, I'm just sticking around to see the cheerleader kick your Great Blue A-"
"Shego!" Drakken snapped, getting into the woman's personal space. "It's not going to happen because Kim Possible will never be expecting my secret weapon."
"Oh, and what secret weapon is that?" Kim's voice asked from behind Drakken. Confused, the man turned around as Kim appeared out of thin air: arms crossed and not looking too happy. Shego frowned at the sight of the battle suit.
"Ack!" Drakken squawked, backing away from Kim. "Whe...Where did you come from?"
"You've got your secrets, I've got mine."
There was the sound of thudding footsteps from behind Kim, causing Drakken to grin. Kim tilted her head in confusion before turning around at the sight of a shadow looming over her. Warmonga stood proudly in front of Kim, hands on her hips as she looked down at the heroine.
"You're not Shego?" Kim said with a frown.
"No shit," Shego grumbled from her spot next to Drakken.
"You're… You're so…" Kim stammered, trying to think of the best way to describe Warmonga.
"Kim Possible," Drakken declared proudly as he walked past Kim. "Meet my new interstellar sidekick, Warmonga." He flourished towards the alien with a maniacal grin.
"As in alien?" Kim questioned before she was back handed away by Warmonga. She crashed into one of the new computers of the lab, landing beside Shego with a grunt.
"10-4, on that," Shego confirmed with a look of boredom.
"I thought you wanted nothing to do with him?" Kim grumbled as she stood up, now noticing that Shego was in restraints.
"I wouldn't call this on the clock."
Kim was about to respond but the sound of a laser being fired in her direction had her jumping out of the way. She bounced back and up onto the computer she had previously crashed into. Warmonga glared at her, alien pistol in hand.
"You will bow down to the Great Blue! Or suffer the wrath of Warmonga." The giantess declared, aiming her pistol at Kim again. Warmonga fired multiple shots at Kim, making her dive out of the way and from the high ground. The battle suit kicked into gear as another shot was fired, morphing Kim's right hand into a mitt-like sling. Kim easily caught the purple blast that was heading her way.
"Do they play catch on your planet?" Kim quipped, launching the blast back at Warmonga. The ball of energy hit Warmonga in the chest, sending her flying backwards into another of the large computer screens. The electric shock paralyzed the alien for a brief moment; just enough that Kim was able to start advancing on Drakken.
As Warmonga stood up again, Drakken started to gloat, "Too bad, so sad, Kim Possible. Now I can do anything."
"Except stay out of jail," Kim snapped.
"It was you who imprisoned the Great Blue?!" Warmonga asked, anger ridden in her voice. She pulled a small rod from the pouch on her thigh. It extended into a staff with a thick bulb at one end, while the other had a blade attached to it. With a shout of her name, Warmonga launched herself towards Kim; staff held high in the air.
Kim bounced back just enough to avoid getting hit. The force of Warmonga's impact cracked the flooring of the layer, splintering it out into shards. The staff came around again, making Kim dive between Warmonga's legs to avoid the swipe. She swept Warmonga off her feet with a low kick. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time to get out of the way when Warmonga stood again. The bladed part of the staff came careening towards Kim's head. Throwing her arms up in a vain attempt to protect herself, Kim trigger the battle suit's shield.
The staff bounced off the energy field surrounding Kim. Warmonga scowled at the hindrance as Kim smirked back. With a twist of the staff's middle, that bladed end glowed with purple energy. Stabbing towards Kim, Warmonga broke through the shield. The sudden lack of protection threw Kim off guard as she tried to move out of the way. As Kim tried to jump out of the way, the staff connected with her left side. The force threw Kim off balance and she hit the floor with a groan. She could feel her upper arm burning in pain: the staff having ripped through her suit.
On the other side of the lab, Drakken was dancing with glee. Shego, on the other hand, was doing her best to watch with as little interest as possible. Yet, when Kim hit the ground and Warmonga was standing over the girl, something started to flicker in Shego's resolve in just watching. It was spurred on by Drakken's incessant need to gloat.
"See, Shego?" Drakken said. "Warmonga is better than you."
There was a small yelp as Drakken reacted to the sudden heat way that washed off of Shego. The restraints surrounding her hands glowed green as plasma started to melt them from the inside out. Warmonga was towering over Kim, staff raised for the killing blow when a bolt of green knocked her back. Shego was glaring at the alien, melting away the bonds around her feet.
"Oh no, you don't," Shego growled as her feet hit the ground.
"Shego… what are you doing?" Drakken said with a simpering tone. "I'm about to snatch victory."
"I'm not going to let this She-thing waltz in and destroy Kimmie," Shego turned towards Warmonga as the alien charged at her. "Ya hear me?"
There was probably a portion missing inn Shego's statement about it being her job to destroy Kim, but she didn't have the chance to say it. Warmonga tackled Shego away from Drakken. The two continued to fight as Kim recovered. She let out a groan as she looked towards the timer to see it had twenty seconds remaining on the count. Behind her, Shego was making a comment about Warmonga following a blue sock puppet if it said it was the Great Blue. She slashed at Warmonga, only to be thrown through the roof. She crashed back down with a scream as Warmonga turned her attention towards Kim.
Approaching Kim, Warmonga picked the staff up from the ground. She reached Kim and bared her teeth in frustration at the girl. The staff was once again raised above Warmonga's head, about to come down on the heroine. Kim grinned as the battle suit's stealth mode kicked in, concealing her from her opponent. Warmonga stared in confusion at the space Kim had once occupied, unsure as to where the tiny human had gone.
The staff smashed into the ground as Kim ran behind Warmonga. When the staff swung around at thin air again, Kim grabbed it from the alien woman. Warmonga turned in confusion, only to be hit by her own weapon floating in the air. She was knocked back into a section of the lab that housed hovercrafts.
Kim reappeared just as the time struck zero. Drakken was cackling as he put on a gas mask, watching as a device akin to a cylindrical device covered in vents started to hum to life. The vents snapped open, creating a draft as the oxygen was sucked into it. With a frown, Kim moved towards the device. She bounced back when a battered Warmonga stood in front of her. Stealing her nerves, Kim rushed forward, using the staff to vault over the alien in her way. While in the air, Kim threw the staff at the device, hitting it in one of the vents.
The resulting shock of energy that rippled throw the machine caused it to explode. It expelled all the captured oxygen back out in a shock wave. Kim hid behind of the control panels, only getting slightly jostled by the explosion. Drakken and Warmonga were slammed against the wall of the lab, causing its walls to crumple and fold in on themselves. Kim scrambled back as the floor beneath her started to move towards a small cube at the center of the lab.
"Nononono," Drakken cried out, running towards the little cube in terror. "You can't possibly be all that. You're not… You're not."
Kim look towards Drakken with embarrassment. The mad scientist was laying on his stomach, throwing a tantrum in the middle of a destroyed lair. She got into a fighting stance when Drakken jumped onto his feet in confidence.
"Fine… Destroy my lair. Ruin my scheme. But, at least I still have my loyal alien!" Drakken motioned towards Warmonga with glee.
Static sounded through the space, one of the monitors that still had a screen intact came on. The image on the screen had Kim extremely confused. A blue tinted puppet that looked like it had been made out of a sock and googly eyes addressed Warmonga.
"Hello… hello," The puppet said, its voice eerily similar to Wade's. "I seek the one called Warmonga. Meet me on… uhm... Pluto. I am the Great Blue. I repeat, I am the Great Blue."
Warmonga stared at the monitor in confusion, not understanding how she could have mistake Drakken for the being. "If he is the Great Blue, then…" Realization hit as she turned her attention to a rather nervous looking Drakken. "You lied to Warmonga."
"I-It's cool," Drakken stammered. "It's cool. C'mon, chill out. I'm blue.. heh… I'm great…" His stammering continued as Warmonga took a hold of him. He let out a wail as the alien tossed him out of the lair and into the ocean at high velocity. Kim was unsure as she watched Warmonga march past her. There was the roar of an engine and through a hole in the ceiling, Kim saw a ship soar into the sky.
"Did it work?" Wade questioned from the monitor. The sock puppet was no longer there.
"Spanking," Kim replied, turning towards the screen. "But, how did you know?"
"You need to keep your eye on this," Shego said, tossing the Kimmunicator towards Kim.
"Shego, you clued Wade in on the puppet plan? Thanks..."
"Don't get too chummy, cupcake. I just want to get back to being left alone." Turning away from Kim, Shego stopped for a moment. "But, if there is a next time… You're mine."
"We'll see about that," Kim mumbled, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
KP+KP+KP
The tree branch groaned at Shego's weight as she sat on it. It had been a week since the debacle with Drakken and his alien friend. In that time, Shego had one day of peace before Drakken started to bombard her phone with calls and texts. Most of the voicemails started out strong with promises of a better contract before derailing into sobs and apologies. She had yet to return any of his calls, wanting the man to stew in guilt for a bit longer.
Going back to work for Drakken was the reason why Shego had shown up at Kim's home. Although she didn't full y forgive Drakken for Little Diablo, it was a paying job and better than thieving. It also meant she was more likely to run into Kim more often; and she wasn't sure she was ready for that. As she stared into Kim's dark room, the thought of entering bubbled up. It would be like before, when she would visit after a caper; even if they hadn't fought last week.
Shego moved into a crouched position, balancing on the balls of her feet. The branch groaned at the pressure; leaves rustling at the movement. From within Kim's room, the light came on. Startled, Shego leapt from the tree to the roof as quietly as she could. She did her best to slink out of view of the window, hiding near the chimney.
Kim poked her head out the window, whispering Shego's name into the night air. The woman felt compelled to reveal herself, watching Kim intently. The redhead looked around and off into the distance. When she had looked outside, her heart had been racing in excitement; grinning at the idea the villainess was there. But when she saw no sign of Shego, she let out a soft sign and closed her window; returning to bed.
When the light coming from Kim's window went out, Shego stepped out of her hiding spot. She wanted to enter the room with the assumption that Kim had left the window unlocked. Letting out her own sigh, Shego jumped off the roof away from the window. She didn't trust that Kim had actually gone back to sleep. With a new resolve, Shego made her way to the home lair.