Chapter 21

Kim sighed as she made her way to Shego´s cell in order to escort her to lunch. She smiled warmly, feeling more than a little pleased at the idea that Shego, her once arch-nemesis, now considered her as her little sister. She laughed softly to herself, remembering the many insults she and Shego had bandied back and forth between each other over the years. Insults varying from how they each had extraordinary poor taste in clothes, to ones about how the other was starting to get far too old to still be fighting.

She then looked down to the binder in her hand, opening it, only to smile and look down at Andrea's sketch, the one she had borrowed from Shego. She had made a copy of the drawing almost immediately, and faxed it over to her friend Wade, asking him to arrange a trip to the Center for their mutual friend Monique, who worked at the prestigious Club Banana, so she could take a look at Andrea's work. Kim was still smiling when she entered Shego´s cell, finding the girl sleeping peacefully, with Kim the kitten curled up contentedly upon her belly.

Kim grinned at that sight, and leaned over her, giving her a little shake. "Yo, Steph! Wakey wakey, Big Sis," Kim teased.

Shego stirred, opened her eyes, and smiled at seeing Kim over her. "Is it time for lunch already?" she asked, yawning and stretching.

"Oh, yeah," Kim replied, smiling and nodding.

Shego grinned, then gracefully got to her feet, managing to somehow stand up while still holding her kitten to herself. "Let's go, Kim," she said, then hesitated, then laughed softly. "Yes, the both of you!"

At lunch, Shego was eating, when she had a visit from Andrea's cockatoo, Polly. The white feathered bird appeared, landing before her with a rolled up sketch book in his claws.

Shego took the book from the cockatoo, opened the cover, and flipped through its contents. She then looked over to Andrea, who gave her an arched eyebrow, then a friendly wink. Shego enjoyed looking at Andrea's sketches. They were all breathtaking…phenomenal, even. There was awesome stuff in that battered sketchbook of hers, and that was a fact!

After lunch was done, Kim got to her feet, and waved for everyone's attention. Once the assembly had quieted, she began. "It's been three days since you all arrived here," she announced, smiling at the guests of the facility. "And, as such, we would like to take this opportunity to see just how far you all have progressed in your rehabilitation. To do that, we'll be using this," Kim said, holding up the small half-dollar sized metallic disk. It was the very same device she had used earlier on Shego.

Kim turned toward Drakken, who sat at the far end of the table on the left side. She walked over to him, then looked down. "I need to see your pendant, Drew," she asked, holding out a hand.

Drakken shrugged, then nodded shortly, allowing her lift up his blue globe pendant that hung about his neck. Kim pressed the small pendant to the larger disk, and waited. It was only a moment before the female voice announced, "Rehabilitation progress: Forty-five per cent complete."

Shego arched an eyebrow upon hearing that, and winked at Drakken. "I guess I'm not the only one making progress, huh, Drew?" Shego teased.

"Oh just you hush, you," Drakken retorted, but smiled.

Kim nodded. "Nice work, Drew," she told him, then headed over toward Andrea next, who happened to be seated next to Drakken. "Your pendant please, Andrea?" she asked.

Andrea fished the pendant out of her top, and held it up to her. Kim repeated the same procedure she had used for the others. A moment later, the female voice intoned, "Rehabilitation progress: Sixty per cent complete."

"Well done, Andrea," Kim praised her, smiling down at Andrea, who actually blushed happily, while Polly rubbed his soft feathered cheek into Andrea's cheek, giving her a happily little squawk.

Knowing what was coming, Duff Killigan sat up straighter next to Andrea. "I suppose I'm next, eh?" he inquired.

"Yep! You pendant please, Duff," Kim asked, smiling softly.

Duff gave her a polite nod, and lifted his pendant for Kim's inspection. A moment later, the now familiar female voice reported, "Rehabilitation progress: Fifty per cent complete."

"Not bad at all, Duff," Kim said by way of congratulations. "Already halfway there. Keep up the good work."

Kim then nodded politely in Dr. Director's direction, where she sat at the head of the table, before progressing to the other side of her to query DNAmy. Kim scarcely had time to open her mouth before a smiling Amy offered up her pendant. Kim grinned, and did her thing. DNAmy was most pleased when the voice informed both her and her colleagues that she was sixty-five per cent complete with her own rehabilitation.

The next one to be tested was strangely smiling Monkey Fist. While Kim pondered why the normally taciturn aristocrat with monkey powers was actually smiling, he presented Kim with his pendant with a small smile. Much to Kim, Ron, and Dr. Director's surprise, Monkey Fist actually had the highest percent complete of all the boys with a most impressive fifty-five per cent complete.

Last, but never least, came Shego. She knew pretty much what was going to happen, but she was still unprepared when she saw the jaws of her contemporaries nearly hit the tabletops when her pendant revealed that she was seventy per cent complete in her rehabilitation…the highest percentage of them all. She looked over at Drakken, a proud grin on her lovely face. "You know, it´s really not polite to stare, Drew," she admonished him, her dark eyes twinkling.

Drakken blinked, then looked away, smiling. "I´m sorry Shego, but---"

"Uh-uh! My name is Stephanie, Drew," she corrected him, holding up a hand to cut him off. "Start using it, will you? I'm not Ms. Evil anymore, okay?"

The whole room went as quiet as a church. Kim grinned, looking over to Shego. Dr. Director shared a smile with Kim, then got to her feet. "You have all progressed far faster than I would of ever thought possible. For that accomplishment, let me tell you all just how very proud of each and every one of you I am," she told them, quite truthfully. "Now, before you all follow our Kim here to your upcoming two hour rehab session, I would like to request that you all turn your pets over to our guards, who will follow me while I personally see them all safely back to your cells to await your returns."

Shego gave her little kitten one last pet and a hug, before she handed her over to a guard. "You be nice to her, you hear?" she said, serious.

"Of course I will, Stephanie," the guard smiled assuringly back at her, snuggling Kim kitten in the crook of his arm. The kitten settled in, and blinked at Shego.

Shego nodded, and bade her little friend good-bye for the moment. She moved over to sit across from Andrea, where they began chatting about any number of subjects like the best friends they were.