A/N: OMG! Thank you all so much for the reviews! I can't begin to express my gratitude for your kind words. For some reason FFn is having trouble posting but I read them in e-mail (it would not let me respond to the ones who have accounts) so I will address them here.

There will be in fact more chapters dealing with family, mystery, and the old world villains as the story progresses. There will be more Team Go, don't you worry. You all may have noticed this fic went from being 100 planned chapters to 200 and if I am being honest it may continue beyond that. I am just so glad you are all enjoying it and its twists and turns and I hope that you continue to enjoy and read it as it progresses.

You have no idea how emotional all the love made me and gave me more drive to write more and more. If you haven't already I do have a tumblr for illustrations of RTD and its rtdragko on tumblr if you are interested.

Thank you all SOOOOOooooo much!

As always a major thanks to bcbdrums for editing and please go give their wonderful work some love and reviews too!

Recovery

Drakken's body felt like lead as he lay in bed. He'd barely left his room for the last three days since Shego had recovered. Her brothers were long gone, mostly due to Shego's very physical insistence that they leave and never return. Drakken had also become aware that his constant asking if Shego was doing all right was starting to get to her, since she seemed like she'd much rather spend time in her bedroom than out in the lair. Resting like he was, most likely. His back had only just stopped its sharp twitching that morning and he wasn't about to push it until the pain turned into dull aches that kept him from work.

Notes littered his bedside table from trying to reconfigure his laser and salvage what he had left. He looked at his television as he propped himself up on his pillows to stare at it. He really didn't want to watch anything as much as he just wanted the pain to go away so he could get back to work. He heard his phone go off and groaned as he reached for the landline. It took him a moment to realize the only person who tended to use his private number was a few doors away. He raised a brow and grabbed it with a pained groan.

"Yes, Shego?" he sighed. He felt uneasy. "Is everything okay?"

"I was wondering if..." She trailed off and Drakken turned off the television. "Are you in the lab?"

"No, I'm in bed," he groaned as he sat up. "Did you need something? Are you feeling sick again?"

"Are you?" she asked more strongly. "What are you still doing in bed... I thought you were working on your laser."

Drakken looked at his notes and felt frustrated by the fact that it was exactly what he wanted to do.

"I want to," he whined. "It hurts too much to walk all the way to the lab."

There was silence, and then, "What hurts?" she asked.

"My back, Shego... my back hurts," grumbled Drakken. He mentally cursed Hego. "As soon as it stops hurting so much, I will get back to the laser."

He wanted to whine about the fact that he was only so far behind because he'd torn it apart for her... But he stopped himself. He didn't want to aggravate Shego or make her feel less important than his work...despite his work giving him global domination and all she was giving him was the third degree about his lack of progress. Drakken rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"Did you need something?" he asked. He was fighting the annoyed sound in his voice. "Otherwise I'm going to take some sleeping medication and wait for this throbbing to stop."

"You have sleeping medication?" asked Shego in shock. "Since when?"

Drakken thought about it and looked at the bottle with great effort.

"One of my old assistants got it for me but I never used it," he shrugged and regretted the movement. "It might be expired."

"Pfft, you would take questionable and expired medication," she sounded like she was talking to herself. "Give me a few minutes and don't take anything."

The line ended and Drakken glared as he hung up the receiver. He groaned and tossed the bottle and hoped it reached his trash can. Honestly, he didn't care if it missed. He had no desire to check... He stared at the ceiling and then muttered under his breath as he slid off the bed to check if it had made it in. He nearly fell in shock as he heard his door slide open. He back-slid onto his bed and sat up slightly to see Shego. She gracefully leapt over the moat with a large box. Looking at her in the dim light and watching her move...it was a strange notion to remember that just a few days ago she had been terrifyingly ill.

"You look better," he said in response to her arrival.

"You look horrible," she countered. Drakken rolled his eyes. "What did you do to your back, anyway?"

"Not important," muttered Drakken. Shego looked at him suspiciously but placed the box on the bed.

"Is it your whole back?" asked Shego. Drakken shrugged and hissed from the resulting pain. "Well stop doing that."

"Did you bring some sort of pharmacy or something?" asked Drakken in concern as he looked towards the box. "Something you need to tell me?"

"That you're probably just being a whiny child in a man's body like normal," smirked Shego. "Did you fall in the moat again..."

Drakken glared. He wanted to tell her it was a result of him and Hego having a verbal argument that turned physical but instead he huffed and glared at his pillow before laying back on it.

"I'm assuming you have a better sleeping aid," he muttered.

"I don't know about that. Depending on how old the ones you were willing to take are...there might have been another coma victim in the lair in the same week," smirked Shego. Drakken rolled his eyes and looked at her. While her expression was smug he noticed her eyes seemed heavy.

"Shego—" he began to inquire about it but stopped himself yet again. "Should I dig them out of the trash?"

"No," she snorted as she climbed onto the bed. Drakken raised a brow. "Turn around."

"What?" asked Drakken. He felt even more confused. "Why?"

"You said your back hurts," she shrugged and held up a bottle from the box. "I use this stuff all the time. It helps relax the nerves."

Drakken stared at her for a solid minute. He knew this by the series of expression on Shego's face as he processed her words. On the one hand, having his back stop aching was definitely something he wanted, but on the other hand...he didn't think Shego massaging anything into it would help with the internal struggles he had been trying to ignore. He mentally debated if this was crossing a line. His hesitance must have been too long as Shego lunged towards him. He panicked, and his sudden movement as he jumped shot sharp pains down his back.

"Owowowow," he chanted as it seized up.

"Stop being so jumpy," snapped Shego. "I know what I'm doing okay... You think I want to hurt you or something...? You're whiny and needy enough on a daily basis."

Drakken wanted to glare at her and snap a comeback, but he didn't get much of a chance. He'd been rubbing his back and trying to think of a response which gave Shego enough time to yank his shoulder with enough force for him to land on his stomach against the bed. He tensed up at this motion and was going to protest. However her fingers dug through his nightshirt at a specific tender spot in his neck. He felt his shoulder give in to the relaxation.

"There, see," she scoffed. "If I didn't know what I was doing, I wouldn't have offered."

"This seems more like force," he muttered in the fabric. Shego pressed hard. "Hey!"

"I mean...I can still hurt you," she snorted. Drakken could picture the smirk on her face.

"I can whine even more than you know," he responded with the same amusement she had used.

It grew silent and Drakken felt the pain in his back melting away. His tension and concern that Shego was the one massaging him faded even faster than the pain. There were a few sharp pains as she hit sensitive spots but she would avoid them if he jumped or made a noise after. He was starting to drift off slightly when her palms pulled away and his back tingled at the loss.

"That should be enough for the lotion to work," said Shego. There was a pause and then a hesitant, "Gonna need that shirt off there, Dr. D."

Drakken felt all the tension return and he swallowed hard.

"You know, I think it's fine," said Drakken with a nod. He jumped slightly as Shego's face appeared in front of his.

"Shirt off. I didn't just do all that for you to sleep wrong and then whine about pain in a few hours." She glared and her face retreated. "So unless you want your jammie shirt to be unwearable again, you should probably take it off yourself."

"Aren't your hands sore... You should be resting," countered Drakken. "I mean, thank you but—"

"Shirt off or I test how well my powers are getting back to normal," snapped Shego. "Warning. I have not done much testing. I am trying to be nice."

"Do you know what nice means?" grumbled Drakken as he slowly sat up and undid the buttons. "I don't think you do."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll look it up later," Shego replied with crossed arms.

Drakken grumbled the entire time and didn't pay attention to Shego as he hissed through the pain of bending his arms again, undoing all the work her fingers did. He tossed the shirt over the headboard and resumed his position and turned his head the opposite way. He felt less awkward about it now than he had when she'd first told him to do so. He felt silly for even arguing with her. They were friends and he was in pain... And he had just essentially saved her life.

Don't get cocky, it was your fault to begin with.

He wished there was a way to physically slap a subconscious and if there was a way to invent something to do so. He waited for Shego's hands and whatever liquid she seemed so invested in to touch his back but it didn't come. He was about to ask if something was wrong when he felt her hand touch a very sensitive part of his back. He felt his back twitch slightly and then her other hand touched another sensitive part.

"What did you do?" her voice was sharp now. Drakken was confused until she continued. "You look like you fell out the hover car and onto a stone bench or something."

"Is it bad?" asked Drakken. He hadn't looked at it in his bathroom mirror, mostly because turning his neck hurt too much.

"Unless you normally have a purple and green pattern on your back?" Her voice had an edge to it. "Did... Did I cause this?"

Drakken turned to look at her. He could see the edge to her voice now, displayed on her face. That had been the reason she kept asking; she thought she'd been the cause of his back pain. He wondered if that had been the whole reason she'd even come into his room. Drakken felt the awkwardness that had been buried finally surface and he shook his head.

"No," he reassured her. He saw several emotions cross her face. "This was an issue with Hego and me."

He saw her eyes widen and then narrow. Her expression confirmed his thoughts. She'd only come to help out of obligation. He'd gone and crossed the line without even meaning to.

"I should have just told you that before," sighed Drakken. "I did appreciate the help however, my back hurts a little less."

Drakken waited for Shego to roll her eyes and leave but she simply shook her head and grabbed the bottle again. She seemed lost in her own thoughts and seemed annoyed by whatever they were. He was about to say that she didn't have to continue since she didn't have to feel obligated...but her expression softened and it made him fall silent. There was something off about her expression...and how heavy her eyes were. He fell silent save for the hiss of surprise as he felt the cold liquid on his back. He heard Shego give a slight snicker.

He let his mind stop racing as he felt his muscle scream in relief. The liquid tingled and ticked slightly as Shego rubbed it in. There was a soothing scent to it that was familiar. He began letting himself relax as he felt her fingers and palms knead into his flesh, the light floral scent engulfing him. Shego's hands were far softer then he'd imagined they'd be with all her fighting. He felt shifting on the bed and tensed as she slid her leg on the other side of him.

"Shego, what are you doing?" he sputtered as she straddled him.

"The same thing I've been doing," she snorted. There was something in her tone but he couldn't see her. "My arms were hurting trying to crane to the other side... Do you have a problem with this?"

"I ohm... I just don't think... I think it's fine," said Drakken quickly. "My back feels fine."

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" she asked sharply. Drakken shrugged and hissed at the dull pain.

Shego slid off him at lightning speed and had nearly cleared the bed before Drakken could move. He saw the anger on her face mixed with that heavy-eyed look she'd had since she'd come in. She tossed a small box at him of what he assumed was sleeping medication and aggressively put the bottle she still held in the box.

"Well instead of whining and arguing, just say that," she snapped.

Her expression reminded him of the night they'd spent sharing a bed in the yellow hotel room, as if he'd put a pillow wall up again. He'd been so confused that night and did nothing to sort it out now. He remembered her constant movement and prattling on that they were adults and it was childish to feel uncomfortable... Drakken grabbed Shego's hand which earned him a glare and he was certain he would have received a punch if she hadn't been distracted by him pulling the box away. He let go of her wrist and held up his hand defensively.

"I meant...the pressure and...I think it's not helping with what you've already...fixed," he lied quickly.

He watched Shego's expression shift as she tried to read him. He forced his eyes to concentrate and his expression to stay the same, hoping she would buy it. It was either she left angrily thinking her presence was unwelcome and he didn't appreciate her assistance...or he could explain to her she actually made him uncomfortable because he was trying to re-suppress his feelings for her. Neither of those options would turn out well, he was sure. Shego's shoulders relaxed and she seemed to buy it.

"I can finish...What's that?" asked Shego as she looked at him closer.

Drakken raised a brow and followed her eyes to the cuts from the broken chair debris but then to one of his tattoos. He grabbed his shirt quickly because he could practically sense the mischief in Shego's voice. He felt the bed shift again and hurried his efforts.

"How many do you actually have?" asked Shego as she tugged at the fabric. Drakken swatted her hands away. "Hey! I am still in recovery... I am frail."

Her hand darted again and he fought her hands off. The pain in his back had already started to dull from whatever concoction Shego had produced. His discomfort of Shego being too close to him shifted to slight annoyance at her continued attempts to try to annoy him, which she always managed to find a new way to do. Her hand darted to the fabric again.

"I am so sure... You're frail," scoffed Drakken. He rolled his eyes as he managed to secure both her hands. "Never you mind what tattoos I have."

There was a glint in her eye that faded into a casual smile. She sighed and retreated. He hesitantly let her hands go as she sat and looked at her box. Drakken scooted back against the radio bed-frame of his bed. He kept an eye on Shego for any of that glint he'd seen for a split second. Drakken expected Shego to leave but instead...she sat there fixating on her box. The smile had gone from her face and he saw her eyes dart to the door but she didn't move. He wondered what she was thinking about and he wondered if she wasn't feeling well after all.

"Shego, are you feeling—" he was cut off.

"I have memories," she blurted out. Her expression looked annoyed suddenly. "I meant... I gained memories...from the comet thing...or the coma... Either way. I have memories."

Drakken stared at her in confusion before her words finally registered.

"It gave you back your memories?" asked Drakken. He smiled. "That's great...right? They're good?"

"Yes," she said so swiftly and quietly it sounded like a whistle. "Uh, yeah...some picnics, camping...firefly catching."

Drakken felt truly happy at this, that despite what had transpired Shego had at least gained something from it. His smile faltered after a few seconds as he was about to tell her so...but she wasn't smiling. She was shifting things around in the box. He watched this and was reminded of when he would rearrange his desk drawers when he was avoiding mentioning he needed a part after he'd told Shego he didn't.

"You don't seem happy about it?" asked Drakken. Shego shrugged. "Shego?"

"I... I think I was better without them," she breathed. "I had already made peace with not having them...and now...now they're back."

Drakken opened his mouth to say he didn't understand what she meant. He knew he'd be excited if he'd remember something good he'd forgotten. He looked at the papers on the side of his bed and sighed. Sometimes he forgot formulas he'd just made because he couldn't find a pen right away. He looked back at Shego and couldn't even see things through her eyes if he tried. She should be happy, not moping in his room tinkering with a box. The fact she hadn't left at least made it clear she wanted to talk about it... With him of course, who else?

"Did you want to talk about it?" asked Drakken. He waited and she slowly nodded. "Okay... what—"

"Can we do one of those sharing things so I don't feel weird?" asked Shego. Drakken raised a brow. "You tell me something... I'll tell you something."

"I don't see why not," shrugged Drakken. "Though I think I'm running out of things to tell you."

"I have something you could tell me," said Shego. She looked at him and he saw the flicker of the glint in her eyes.

Drakken narrowed his.

"I am not discussing any more tattoos than you already know about," he said sternly. Shego scoffed.

"Lame," she sighed. "Fine...but...if I get emotional and what if that's the only thing that will make me feel better...because that's what friends do."

"Are we going to use that again...because I am not painting your nails," Drakken stated.

"So if telling me...about your tattoos would make me feel better...you wouldn't?" asked Shego with wide eyes. "Wow...this friendship is clearly one-sided."

"Yes...and if you persist... I will drop you in the moat," said Drakken defiantly.

"Whatchya going to do there, genius? Lift me with that perfectly pristine back of yours...or is there an eject button on this bed?" smirked Shego.

"Maybe," snapped Drakken. He made a mental note to look into that.

"Pfft, yeah right," snorted Shego. "You know I can always call your ex and ask about those tattoos."

"Yeah? Good luck, she's never seen them," snorted Drakken. He saw an expression flicker across Shego's face but it was gone before he could fully register it. "Are we going to argue all night or did you want to actually talk?"

"I enjoy our banter," said Shego. "It's one of the reasons I live here... It keeps me coming up with new sarcastic comebacks. Sometimes you make it too easy."

"That moat isn't that far," threatened Drakken. Shego smirked for a second before grabbing one of his pillows and flopping down. "Oh, now you're getting comfy?"

"Yeah, got a problem with it?" asked Shego. Drakken saw the heavy look in her eyes despite the playful smirk she wore.

He paused for a second and glanced around dramatically.

"If we're going to do this properly we need more pillows," said Drakken. He waited as he watched confusion float over Shego's face before she rolled her eyes.

"You are not building a pillow fort so we can talk," scoffed Shego.

"I meant for a wall but that would be good too," retorted Drakken. A pillow hit him. "Ow...that's my back."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. He saw the glint in her eye. "I don't know how I missed that big head of yours."

Drakken felt any of the remaining awkward feelings he'd had from earlier drift away and he moved his pillows to prop up against to, listen to Shego's recollections. This motion seemed to settle any further jokes or snark Shego might have had geared up. He watched her pull the pillow closer and her expression softened as she looked at the pillow. He saw the emotions skate behind her eyes and she let out a deep sigh and waited.

"Drakken?" asked Shego. Her voice was soft and it made the discomfort come back as he replied.

"Yes?" he asked cautiously.

"Before I tell you...can I ask you one thing?" she sighed. Drakken was regretting agreeing to this as she already sounded emotional.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Can I see the tattoo of my name?" she pouted. There was that glint in her eyes again.

Drakken didn't care if his back twinged at the motion. He silently shoved her off the bed. He knew she was only doing this to lessen whatever she wanted to talk about, but her snickers from the floor made him wish he'd let her leave angry at him. Especially as he felt his muscles scream at him as he leaned back against his pillow. He rubbed his arm and felt the urge to whine or even cry at the pain. He bit back the sharp pain in his shoulder and forced his wincing face into a slight glare as Shego resumed her position.

He turned slightly to look at her and wait for her to start talking. He knew she was about to tell him something she found heavy and have one of their suddenly frequent heart-to-hearts. He paused at this in his thoughts, trying to figure out when that had started...and why it continued. When had they started having this friendly pillow talk with nothing forcing them to...such as isolation or boredom? His mind played it through his head. This was the first time either of them had actively come to share personal information. The other moments were in small hotel rooms, an emotional moment at a retreat, or huddled up in a pillow fort so as not to freeze.

Was he missing something? He knew they shared random thoughts or stories while working in the lab but mostly funny or light things. He looked at Shego as she gathered a pillow for herself and thought harder. Either, despite her jokes and antics, this was very important...or they had reached some sort of step in their relationship—friendship—in which her coming to his room seemed perfectly normal for a late-night chat.

Sure, she'd brought the massage items for his back...which now raised even more questions. When had that become a thing? He stopped his thoughts as they began to spiral. He closed his eyes and willed them away as fast as he could. He knew better than to think about those things. Before he knew it he'd be misreading those small friendly gestures as more than they were. He'd had this talk with himself too many times to remember and he needed to remind himself of that.

"Dr. D?" came Shego's voice. He opened his eyes. "Are you okay? You look like you're in pain?"

Drakken was less in pain as in more of an internal argument with himself but instead he nodded. He saw her expression shift as she looked towards her box that had moved from in between them to the foot of the bed. Drakken could tell she was thinking about something and he felt a surge of panic as she kept looking at the box.

"I'll be fine, just need some rest," he said quickly. Hoping to avoid fueling his own thoughts, he didn't want her to offer another back massage.

"Oh," she seemed suddenly alert. She looked at him and sighed. "Why don't you get some rest..."

"But your memories..." he reminded her.

She shrugged and gave him a slight smile as she slid off the bed and grabbed her box.

"They'll be there later," she smirked. "I mean they better be or you'll hear about it."

"I can still listen," encouraged Drakken. He felt relief hit him as she took a step away from the bed. "I may not be much help..."

He saw the smirk deepen as she readied a witty comment he was sure, but it faded and she rolled her eyes and turned to walk away with a dramatic sigh.

"No, it's fine," she hopped over the moat. "Some blue drama queen needs his recovery time."

Drakken glared.

"I can still hit you with a pillow from here," he scoffed.

"No you can't," she called from the doorway. "You'll hit the moat and I'm not getting it for you."

Drakken rolled his eyes but was glad when he heard the door slide open and Shego began stepping out. Drakken waited for the door to close to let out a deep sigh in frustration. His back ached, his body felt tired, and now his head was hurting from all the thoughts running through it. The last one was normal for him, but among the usual ideas, equations, images, and arguments with himself...he felt a slight guilt at not letting Shego tell him what was bothering her about her newly gained memories. He turned to focus on other things and stared at his papers and the small box Shego had tossed at him earlier. It was a more-current sleeping medication. He opened the box with a sigh.

"The sooner I can get to the lab, the better."

Onwards too Scheming ===