A/N: Gonna try... Can't promise I'll get through the prompts. But we'll see how far I make it.

I can't think of lighthouses without thinking of "To the Moon," which, if you're not familiar, treat yourself to watching Markiplier or Cry play through this world-class RPG on YouTube. No, this fic does not resemble that game. There's a tiny nod if you squint.

13. Lighthouse

Shego glanced at the hunch of Drakken's back as he bent over the open electrical panel in his new laser, not that anyone would recognize the device as such. A converted lighthouse was the perfect disguise, he had told her, and for the purpose he had outlined it was certainly clever. Not that she'd tell him she thought so.

The man in blue hummed happily to himself, and despite her misgivings about the plan, Shego looked through the tall panes of glass out to the vast ocean beyond the peninsula where they waited inside the commandeered beacon. The skies were filled with a thin layer of clouds to the horizon, the light of the setting sun concealed as a result but the atmosphere not completely darkened. There was still an aura of life in the salty air as opposed to the gloom she sometimes felt looking out on a dark, churning sea.

"It won't be long now, Shego," Drakken said, bringing her focus back to the giddy scientist. Having sealed the panel, he rubbed his gloved hands in satisfaction and practically skipped over to join her at the window.

"Yeah, but domestic terrorism? It's quite a step down from world domination, Doc," she said with a smirk, drawing upon a well-practiced attitude to tease him even though she wasn't really feeling it.

"Au contraire, Shego," he said, giving her an enigmatic grin. "This is one of the biggest supply chains in the world. With resources cut off and under my control, the nations will have no choice but to yield to my rule."

The gleam in his eyes was as evil as the grin that spread across his face as he suddenly fell silent, staring out at the same rolling waters that so often left her feeling uncertain. She watched him, atypically silent as he was clearly thinking hard on something. But whether it was the plan itself or an imagined future where he was king of the world, she didn't get the chance to ask, because suddenly his brow rose and he clapped his hands together and whirled around before she could even blink.

"Our first victim!" he cried gleefully as he returned to the laser controls.

Shego turned to the windows again and started scanning the seas below. Sure enough, a massive cargo vessel was coming into view from behind a rock outcrop, oblivious to the fact that the usual life-giving light source was to be its doom in mere moments. Assuming Drakken's laser worked, of course.

Shego watched as the happy genius keyed a sequence of commands into the computer, and a loud hum slowly filled the lantern room. Forgotten until that moment, muffled protests sounded from behind the gags of the lighthouse operators Shego had tied up hours before. She looked down to see the wide eyes of the two men becoming frantic as Drakken's plan moved closer and closer to fulfillment. She stepped over and gave one man a condescending pat on the cheek.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You're safe in here. Probably. It's those sailors on that boat who should be making their peace with God."

"Would you care to do the honors, Shego?" Drakken said with a sudden spin, stepping aside and giving a gentlemanly bow and gesture to the big red switch that activated the firing mechanism. "The coordinates are all programmed."

Shego grinned and stepped up to the controls, passing Drakken as he moved to the window. He paused and glanced down into the desperate and fearful eyes of the two bound men.

"You know, as I'll be ruling the world soon you'll be in need of new careers. I offer dental," he said cheerily.

"Ready?" Shego asked.

Drakken looked out the window at the cargo ship, and then to her.

"Fire," he said with a nod, his voice hushed and eyes practically ablaze with excitement.

Shego held her breath as she pulled the lever, and the hum that had surrounded them turned into a piercing whine as the lantern suddenly became a massive, directed white beam that split the sky above the dark waters and struck its target directly. Shego shied away from the heat that filled the room, watching in astonishment as explosions began taking place on the ship. And then almost as quickly as it had appeared, the beam was gone.

She startled back to awareness, Drakken's commanding presence suddenly looming in front of her where he had hurriedly moved to turn off the laser. A cold wind was rushing past her, blowing hers and Drakken's hair and his coat. She realized she had briefly heard the tinkling of breaking glass when the laser cut through the windows upon approaching its target, but the last few seconds were a blur and she was suddenly experiencing things in slow motion.

It worked. The laser, and as a result, the plan...worked. Out on the waters, the cargo ship was aflame and slowly beginning to sink, while inside the lighthouse the two bound guards were on their knees, the fire of the explosions reflecting in their fearful eyes. And Drakken... For a moment he stood great and powerful looking out at the destruction, his triumphant cackle carrying on the wind. And in the next moment, Shego was startled out of her reverie again as his hands were around her waist, spinning her with him as he continued to laugh.

"Victory is mine! Just wait until the next ship comes along! The schedule has them staggered enough that they'll never see it coming!"

Shego focused in on his face, the rest of the lantern room blurring around them except for the light that still shone as decoy in the center of the structure flashing in her eyes with each loop Drakken spun her through. Beyond the seas, the sun finally finished its journey below the horizon and the skies darkened. The fire from the explosion reflected on the broken windows while the lantern light shone from the other side, creating an eerie atmosphere within the structure itself.

But all of this was secondary to Shego as Drakken continued to laugh with reckless abandon, spinning her and spinning her until all she could see was the blue of his face framed by his dark hair blowing in the breeze, and his pearly whites grinning down at her in pure joy.

"You did it," she said almost breathlessly as she held tightly to his shoulders and fought to keep her feet amid his wild dance.

This seemed to bring him back to awareness, and he slowed them to a stop as he gazed down at her, realizing what he'd done but not appearing the least bit insecure about it. Another distant explosion sounded, and they looked out to where another fireball and dark puff of smoke rose from what remained of the cargo ship. When their eyes met again, Drakken's laughter bubbled up anew.

One of his hands tightened on her waist, but the other he moved to pull one of hers from his shoulder. Her eyes widened as he began to actually dance, leading her around the room in front of the lantern as the explosion's glow grew more dim. As she moved with him to the rhythm of an imagined song, the scene around them began to fade, leaving only his smiling face and the delight in his eyes. And it wasn't long before a low chuckle rose from her belly and escaped the affectionate grin that had somehow found its way to her lips.