New day, new chapter, more fun!
As always, thanks for the reviews and favs. This one is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I felt it was important enough to let it stand on its own.
Enjoy.
Chapter 7
Love, of course, was the furthest thing from her eyes the next morning as she glared at young black man on the computer screen. No, fury was probably the best description. And despite being who knew how many miles away, the young man looked absolutely terrified of her.
Good.
"Shego! Down girl!" Ron shouted again, as he struggled to hold her back with a full nelson. Mainly to keep her from turning his monitor into melted slag as she tried to get at Wade. "Down! Bad Shego!"
It had started innocently enough. Ron wanted to get a better idea of Shego's legal standing, and low key see if they could resolve any and all legal issues to starting a more physical relationship. Given their need for someone with either vast knowledge or the skills to quickly find out, and as much discretion as possible, they'd settle on Wade. After all, it wasn't like one could go into a legal office and be like, "Hey, I own this formerly human woman, and I want to know if I can legally fuck her brains out," without potentially tipping people off before being able to try and handle whatever shit might come there way.
It went to hell when, before Ron could figure out how to broach the subject, Shego had asked Wade if he knew about petplay in that same dangerous singsong she'd used two nights ago. Before Ron could even hope to warn the tech genius of the danger, Wade had responded he did.
"You sick asshole!" Shego yelled at the screen, her hands blazing with plasma. Ron had barely managed to get her into the hold, keeping her blazing hands safely away from everything he could as she descended into a furious tirade of accusations and abuse.
That was almost ten minutes ago and she wasn't slowing down. Ron gave a disgruntled sigh as he saw Wade hiding behind his desk and reaching for a button that would no doubt cut off the call.
"Wade, don' you dare hang up!" he barked. The black boy stopped in shock. Then throwing as much authority into his voice as he could he barked in Shego's ear. "Sheila, if you do not stop right this instant I am throwing you in the kennel!"
That made her pause and she twisted to glare at him. "You wouldn't dare," she hissed.
She stilled when she saw the look in his eyes. If anything, the Voice got more potent. "Try me." he said.
Shego tried to ignore the flush of arousal that flooded through her. 'When did he get so dominant...' her rapidly clouding thoughts wondered. But she settled down, the plasma extinguishing.
"You going to be a good girl?" Ron asked in The Voice.
"Yes, sir," she squeaked. He let her out of the hold and she rolled her shoulders. Wade looked like he'd just had a heart attack at the shock of what he'd just seen. Given her own state of shock and sudden excitement, she didn't exactly blame him.
Ron gave another grunting sigh, then righted the chair to his computer and set it down a bit further back than normal. For a moment Shego was curious about that, but then he sat down and pointed the floor next him. "Sheila, sit." he said in The Voice.
In her absolute shock, she came over and knelt next to him. Looking up she could still see the screen from their position and guessed that Wade could probably see both of them even with her on the ground.
"Alright, Wade," Ron said, his tone going back closer to normal, though still more authoritative than usual, "I have some questions. Questions that I would rather not be getting out."
"Uh, sure Ron," Wade said, still watching Shego nervously.
"I mean it Wade," Ron sad firmly, "I know you have problems keeping things from Kim or refusing any of her requests, but I don't want anything getting back to her." The black kid looked increasingly nervous. "If anything gets back to her or anyone else, I'll tell Kim you suggest making Shego a pet because you had a sex fetish and I'll let Shego at you."
Shego had never seen a black man go white before, but Wade did an amazing job of making it happening. She glanced up at Ron with a hint of admiration. Who knew he could be so ruthless. Deciding to play her part, she gave Wade a lethal, predatory smirk as she rested her head against Ron's thigh. Wade went even paler.
"Right! I promise!" Wade yelped, "I swear it!"
"Great," Ron said, all smiles and sunshine. He looked down at her. "See, Shego, there's no need for violence when we can all come to a nice, friendly agreement."
Wade made some choking noises through the screen and it took all she had not to laugh. 'If Felix is a Bond villain,' She thought, 'I wonder what that makes Ron?" The image of him sitting on some throne, with her chained up next to wearing something made out of skimpy bits of cloth, gold, and jewels flashed through her mind. It didn't fit, but she put aside for later, in case things went well from this call.
"Anyways," Ron said, "The reason we called before we were...interrupted...was I want to know everything I can about Shego's legal status and what is or isn't allowed." She did her best to look contrite.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense." Wade said, messing with some keys off screen. "Where do you want to start."
"Well, first off, explain the law or laws that make her an animal." Ron said. Wade nodded, and there was more clicking, before he started reading off. Shego wasn't a legal novice, no criminal stayed that way long, but even she had trouble understanding the absolute word salad that was the law. Eventually, Wade managed to boil it down to 'Shego, and certain others weren't human, because of levels of mutated or non-terrestrial DNA. So while her brothers had managed to be just under the legal limit, someone like Ron's old nemesis Gill was as inhuman as she was.
"What would happen if we did DNA therapy to bring her under the legal limit?" Ron asked. Shego looked up at him with horror and betrayal, but he stroked her hair. "Not that I want to, but if we could convince someone like DNAmy to do something, you could be a legal human again." he said softly. Shego didn't trust the made geneticist, but couldn't fault Ron for trying to get her humanity restored. Hell, there might be a way to do it and keep her power.
"It could work," Wade said, "the problem is that as soon as Shego is human again, her criminal record probably goes live again, at least internationally. And there's nothing to prevent whoever got these laws made in the first place from amending them to bring her back in line, or come up with some other method, assuming they don't outright just order her dead." At Ron and Shego's shocked looks, Wade shrugged. "Look, I've been digging, but this thing was done this way for a reason. Someone clearly wants her out of the game. They seem happy enough to let us keep her as a pet for whatever reason, so maybe they don't want her dead exactly, but we make too many waves or she starts being a player again and who knows?"
She felt herself grow cold. Who could hate her that much? Sure, she'd stolen a lot of stuff, and hurt people directly or indirectly, but to go this far she couldn't imagine who she might have hurt or what she might have done. The world, which had already felt incredibly dangerous before, suddenly felt a lot scarier, if that was possible. She pressed against Ron's leg, needing any comfort she could.
"Okay, well, I guess that won't work." Ron said, petting her. "So this is an international law, but how does it affect her legal status here in the States?"
Wade was silent as he rapidly clicked away, his expression growing in turns darker and confused. "Well, Shego was declared an animal basically by the UN, and all their laws are basically 'treaties' between the member nations." He said, "The US has a pretty bad rep about ignoring those when they don't want to."
"So...they could just come arrest me whenever they wanted?" Shego asked, feeling the abyss open up. "Then why haven't they? It's not like I'm hard to find at the moment." She pressed hard against Ron's leg, and whimpered as he started petting her again.
"Hang on, I'm checking," Wade said. The darkness and confusion grew. "Sorry, FBI changed their encryption since last time, give me a moment." Shego blinked as he clicked away even faster.
"Does Kim know he does this kind of thing?" She asked Ron softly. The blond shrugged and kept petting her.
"What Kim doesn't know happens in the pursuit of truth, justice, and the Possible way can't hurt me." Wade said without slowing down. "Besides, she's asked me to push enough legal boundaries she doesn't have a right to complain."
That peaked her interest, but when she noticed Ron's confused look, she nudged him to get his attention. "Remember what I said the other week," she said softly, "About good people, doing good things?" Ron's eyes widened, but he nodded slowly.
"Okay, I'm in." Wade said, but his expression didn't lighten in the least. "It doesn't make any sense though."
"What do you mean?" Ron asked, his hand stopped moving so she bumped it with her head till he started again.
"I mean it doesn't make any sense." Wade repeated, clicking. "But basically it looks like someone in the FBI or DOJ might have something approaching a moral compass or they're being bribed. There's memos saying the FBI does not recognize the new law, meaning Shego is still a wanted criminal that should be pursued. But then there's other memos stating that if captured she has to be handed over to GJ, with the note this means termination. And those memos are linked to at least one other memo basically saying to put a halt on all pursuit of Shego by the FBI and other agencies and pressure on local law enforcement to do the same, until some sort of legal judgment can be reached on if the UN even has the authority to strip people of their humanity."
More clicking, "There's even memos referencing various NGO's who are challenging the laws. After all, if you can legislate that someone can be stripped of their humanity, then it opens the way for other laws to be made to strip entire groups of their humanity." Wade said, "So it looks like someone high up in the FBI is basically saying 'I want us to have no part of this shit show, and we can't get dragged in if we don't touch her.'" More clicking. "Looks like it was low-key shared with almost every other law enforcement agency. I wouldn't exactly relax, but it does explain why no one has really come after her." After some more clicking. "And it looks like the know about the pet adoption, someone marked to just roll with it for now."
Shego felt herself relax a bit. "How long do you think it would take to get all that resolved one way or another?" Ron asked. Wade shrugged helplessly.
"Years," the black kid said, "Probably even decades. I've seen cases take twenty or thirty years to get to the supreme court, and that's with cases people want to deal with. And that would only cover you in the USA." He made a gesture as something off screen. "This? It's not a high profile issue, it's probably easier ignored than dealt with in most people's minds. Come down on the side of her humanity, you get on the bad side of whoever made the law. Don't, and you're responsible for potentially involved in one of the biggest repeals of human rights and put on the same level as Hitler or Stalin. No one want their name attached to it now, and given that pretty much everyone affected was a criminal..." He trailed off, "And given the only ones who haven't been captured are Shego and Gill..."
Ice wrapped around her heart. "If Ron or anyone fights for me and wins I go to prison," she said, "And if anything were to happen to them in the meantime..."
"Exactly," Wade said, sounding incredibly sad. "Accidents happen to people who challenge the system. If we keep a low profile, and don't make waves...maybe everyone stays safe. It's why I stopped digging into who caused this when I started realizing how high up it went."
The all sat there for a long moment, lost in their own thoughts.
"So she's stuck like this?" Ron asked softly. Wade nodded.
"That sucks," Ron said, bitterly. Shego looked up at him worried. "I mean, I don't mind keeping her safe, though I can only imagine how awkward dating anyone is going to be, much less getting married. I can't imagine most girls are gonna be happy with me owning another woman as a pet for the rest of my life."
Shego's heart faltered. He'd almost said he loved her last night, made clear he wanted her. But of course he'd probably want a normal life with a wife and all that stuff. He'd wanted her, but eventually he'd move on to someone else. She hid her face to keep her emotions from showing to him. He was her owner, it's not like she could really say otherwise, so long as she didn't get thrown out.
"Not to mention, what if Shego wanted to date or marry someone?" Ron continue, making a frustrated growl. "Last night we were talking and figured that given her status as an animal whoever she wanted to date would get arrested for bestiality or something!"
Wade made a choking sound from the monitor. "Well..." he said slowly, "Don't hold me to anything, but legally in the USA she's still a human... I think, it's just that the FBI and other agencies are happy enough to just hide behind the pet adoption thing we set up to keep GJ and Interpol off their asses, even if no one actually believes anything anyone else is saying. So...maybe she wouldn't fall under those laws? Honestly the only way to really settle it would be in court, and that would start the whole shit show about the UN laws we already discussed, and no one wants any part of that mess at the moment." The black kid paused. "I'll shop around to some lawyers I know, get their opinion just to be sure." He paused, then gave them an appraising look for a moment, before something went off in his head. "That being said...it wouldn't be that hard to make sure that anyone who wanted to press the issue decided it wasn't worth it."
Shego instantly caught his meaning, though it took Ron a bit longer, and she found herself reevaluating the two of them. Ron could be surprisingly ruthless, and Wade was hacking law enforcement and basically admitting he was willing to blackmail people for them. She'd thought she'd left the world of criminal masterminds behind when she'd collapsed on Kim's doorstep. Now she found herself wondering just how many had gotten their start in something more heroic.
"I'll keep that in mind," Ron said slowly, making Wade nod approvingly. "If we can think of anything else, I'll call you. Thanks Wade."
"No problem, Ron," the black kid said, "Just keep your pet on a leash. I don't wanna get bit." Shego gave a halfhearted growl as he signed off, making Ron laugh.
He stopped laughing when he noticed how dejected she looked, and knelt down beside her. She relented into his hug, resting her head on his shoulder. A heavy sigh rocked her body.
"I'm sorry," Ron said, "I know it sucks."
"Yeah," she said sadly. She should have expected this. It was stupid of her to imagine anything long term with the young man. Damn her traitorous feelings and that damn voice and her dreams.
"On the bright side, it sounds like we don't have to worry about me being arrested," He said, sounding happier. Her heart wilted and she pulled away. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said, turning away and moving to get up.
"No, not nothing," Ron said, following her, placing a hand on her arm to stop her. She threw it off.
"It's nothing!" she snapped. "Besides, it's already going to be hard enough for you to get married keeping me as a pet! I wouldn't want to make it harder by whatever girl you find knowing you'd fucked me!"
Ron stood stunned as she stalked away. She'd made it to the door when he crashed into her, wrapping her up in a tight hug.
"Let me go!" she snapped, blinking back tears, "Let me go right now Ron!"
"No," he said firmly, his hug tightening as he lifted her up slightly. She thrashed about wildly, kicking him as she hung in the air.
"Right now!" She screamed, trying to smash her head back into his and make him drop her. Instead, he slammed them forwards, pinning her against the wall, trapping her head there with his, his lips brushing her ear.
"Stupid Shego," he whispered softly, and she felt a thrill of terror. Was he going to take what she no longer offered? His hug tightened, if that was possible, driving the air from her lungs. "My wonderful, adorable, stupid Shego," he said softly.
"Let me go," she said, a sob breaking through. "Please, don't do this, just let me go."
"Shego," he said softly. "Shego listen to me." She shook her head, struggling to get away. "Shego, the only one I want is you. There is no other girl. There is no getting married. Just you."
She stilled, eyes clenched shut, not wanting to believe him. "I only said that so Wade wouldn't suspect." his voice was soft, and his arms switched from holding her tight, to just holding her. He laughed softly, "Though, I suspect he does anyways, so maybe I should have just come out and said it." He nuzzled her. "I'm not just going to use you for a while and them move on when I find someone else, Shego. I lo-"
She cut him off with a kiss, twisting around and sealing her lips to his. She wasn't going to let him say it. She couldn't handle hearing it. But his voice, his eyes, were completely honest. There was no lie in his heart, he had absolutely no intentions of just using her. He did want her and he did care. So she kissed him, and let the tears of relief poor out as her arms wrapped around him.
"You believe me?" he asked after they parted. She nodded. "And I do lo-" she cut him off, pressing her fingers to his lips.
"Don't," she said softly. "Don't say it. I know it's cruel of me, but I can't...I can't handle hearing it." She look up in his eyes pleading me. "Want me, need me, lust for me, I can handle those kinds of things, but I...I can't handle that yet, I'm sorry."
He looked confused, and maybe slightly hurt, but he nodded. "Okay." he said softly against her fingers. "I'll try to only do things you can handle for now." At her grateful look, he smiled, and pressed against her. She flushed at his readiness. "What else can you handle?"
"I-I'm not sure," She said. "And...we shouldn't rush things, no matter how much we want." She looked down. "Things were hard enough when you clearly owned me. Now that you do and don't, that I am and am not human..." she swallowed. "I'm super confused. What little foundation I'd managed to built just crumbled. I'm a Schrodinger's cat, both free and trapped, human and non-human."
Ron sighed and pulled back slightly. She missed his warmth and wondered if she'd screwed up. Then his hand cupped her chin and made her look at him. "Well, I don't think you're Schrodinger's cat," he said softly, his voice husky. "I know you're my pet Sheila. I might have to own you because of some stupid laws, and to keep you safe from other stupid laws, but if there is one thing I know, that's real, is that you're mine, and that's real however convoluted or messed up that is, and I would want you to be mine regardless of those damn laws.
She flushed, hearing the raw emotion in his voice. She could work with that. So she was an animal, according to Wade she was still something of a human. She thought of Zita and Felix, and how happy they were. Their petplay was a lie, a fantasy, but it brought them real joy. Her status as a pet might be a half truth and a half lie, but what she felt around Ron certainly seemed real, even if people might right it off as Stockholm syndrome, and his reactions were real enough, and his emotions seemed that way too. And if he was too simple to worry about all the details about what she was, if he was so simple all he could know was that she was his pet, then...then she could live on that certainty. Make it the foundation for her world. For now at least. Petplay wasn't her thing, and maybe Ron was honest when he said it wasn't his, but it could be theirs. It could make her world as his pet a little more solid. Not a teasing game to take back some of her shattered self, but an honest life. For now.
How messed up was what she was considering, she wondered. Probably very. She'd have never thought about it even a few months ago. But when life gave you lemons, you either made lemonade or threw them at people...and she couldn't throw them at the young man who was taking on so much to protect her. The young man who clearly wanted her so badly it physically hurt him, but who would also hold off his desires to protect her.
"We shouldn't rush anything," She said softly, "And I don't know what I can handle yet." He nodded, looking a bit sad as she pushed him back.
"Okay, Shego," He said, "I won't push you."
She gave him the sweetest smile she could. Then she slid down the wall to kneel at his feet. Fighting back a giggle at his confused look, she searched inside herself for what she wanted to say. After a moment she nodded, then looked up at him, kneeling at his feet.
"Ron," she said softly, "I know this is a bit late, and I know I have absolutely no right to ask this of you. But would you please accept ownership of me and make me your pet? Will you please accept this lost stray, with nowhere in the world to call her own, and take her into your warm and loving home?" She paused to make sure his eyes were locked with his. "Ron Stoppable, will you please by my Master?"
For a heart wrenching moment, he didn't say anything. Then he knelt down and cupped her face in his hands. His kiss was deep and loving and she melted into it and him.
"Yes, Sheila," he said huskily after he broke the kiss. "I will be your Master."