Chapter 3

Kim gasped, and put her hand over her mouth. Ron's jaw dropped. Rufus pretended to fall over in a dead faint. Jim and Tim looked at each other, but said nothing. Mr. Possible looked surprised, then his face went neutral. Mrs. Possible remained stoic.

Shego turned to Kim. "And that's what I came to tell you. After all these years, all those fights, all the times I tried to kill you, you've finally won. Forever. We will never fight again."

"Uh..." said Ron, finding his voice, "What kind of cancer do you have?"

Shego snorted. "The easier question to answer is, 'what kind of cancer do I NOT have?'".

With anger in her voice, Kim asked, "Did Drakken do this to you?"

"No. He fired me when I told him. He said I was useless, now. Then he called the other villains and told them, and now no one will hire me," she answered, taking a drink of water. There was a bitter edge to her voice.

"Well, do you know how you got it?" asked Ron, scooting a bit closer to the edge of the couch, so he could see Shego better.

"Oh, yes, I know exactly how I got it," said Shego, softly. She raised her right hand, and green and black flames burst out around it.

Although they had all seen Shego's power before, it still startled Kim's parents and brothers. Jim and Tim started whispering to each other.

"You - your POWER gave you cancer?" said Kim, eyes wide, "Well, what about-"

"My brothers?" Shego finished for her. "You know how I feel about them, but the GO Tower was the first place I went after I moved out of Drakken's." She sighed and turned off the flames. "I guess family is one tie even the worst evil can't break.

They all had tests done, and they're clean. I'm the only one with it."

"Shego, I'm... I'm really sorry..." said Kim. She started to put her hand on the other girl's shoulder, but refrained at the last second. This fragile truce was holding, but it wasn't wise to push it, regardless of what Shego had said earlier.

Shego nodded, and finished off her water. She stood up, and everyone else did as well.

"What are you going to do?" asked Kim.

Shego shrugged. "I dunno. I've seen everyone I wanted to see. I have nowhere to go, and the rest of my life to get there." She turned to go.

Mrs. Possible caught Kim's eye. She gave Kim a questioning look, and a moment later, Kim nodded once.

"Shego," said Mrs. Possible, "I'm a medical doctor. Do you have your medical records handy? Would you mind if I looked at them?"

Shego shrugged. "Not at all. They're outside, in my bags."

"We'll get them!" said the twins in unison.

Shego raised an eyebrow, but said, "Ooookay... unzip the top zipper on the green bag. The records are right on top."

"On it!" they said, and rushed to the door. Less than a minute later, they were back, each carrying a thick envelope. They handed them to their mother, who opened one and started pulling out papers.

"I'm curious," said Mr. Possible, approaching. "What does your superpower do?"

"Several things," answered Shego, "It can act like acid, it can repel objects, and I can heat it to several thousand degrees." She fired up her hands. "Like a demonstration?"

"Uh, no thanks, not now. But maybe later," he answered. He left the room with a thoughtful expression. Jim and Tim followed, whispering together.

Shego powered down her hands and turned to Kim. "Is he always like that?"

Kim smiled. "Usually," she answered.

"Shego," said Mrs. Possible, "It's going to take a while for me go through these. Mind if I keep them for a few days?"

"Nope. I don't need them," she answered.

"I would also like to have you around. I see there are several tests your other doctor didn't do," Mrs. Possible added, holding up several leaves with a green tint.

Shego thought for a moment. "Okay. I'll go check into a motel. I'll call when I get settled."

"I would prefer you stay here, with us, so I can keep an eye on your condition," replied Mrs. Possible.

"MOH-THER!" cried Kim in surprise.

"What is it, dear?" said Mrs. Possible, mildly.

Kim pointed at Shego. "She's my worst enemy!"

Shego shook her head. "Not any more, Kimmy. Nobody's paying me to kick your butt now."

"As if," answered Kim, "But-"

"Kim," interrupted Ron, "You're all about helping people. I never thought I'd say this, but Shego is a people too, and she needs help. In the worst way."

"Thanks for the backhanded support, Stoppable," said Shego, sardonicly.

"Any time," replied Ron, but he was smiling.

"Then it's settled," said Mrs. Possible, firmly, "She'll stay here with us. Kim, would you and Ron go get her bags? I'll show her to the guest room."

The two women left the room, and Kim put her hands over her eyes, and shook her head. "This is SO wrong..." she muttered.