Authors notes: Yes, it's been a while. No, I'm not intending to stop this it's just that the part I'm in right now is taking a bit longer to do.

Parents and Children

"This is a bad idea," Shego said, "I know… I'll wait until tonight, go in, get Cally, and talk with her at a Denny's or something and come back tomorrow."

"Who's Cally?" Ron asked.

"My Kid…"

OK…Ron ignored the first dozen question's that came to mind.

"Um, Shego," Ron said as they walked across the street, "Let me guess—you met her yesterday and…"

"She got scared." A whisper.

"So you're going to sneak in at night, kidnap her, take her to a Denny's and bond over their meat lover's platter?" He paused, "You are off."

"Well it's a better idea than-" Ron's look cut her off. Shego grumbled.

"OK, it is a stupid idea."

"Better." Ron said. He paused, "Besides, bonding is never done at Denny's—that's a Bueno Nacho thing."

"Eugh." Shego said, getting some of her spirit back, "So I can be arrested for attempted murder by Cholesterol?"

Shego tried to put on a nonchalant face, but failed miserably, Ron noticed. Then, they were at the door, with the older man holding it for them.

"Welcome to our house." He said.

"Hello sir," Ron said. Shego wasn't normally used to politely asking people to come into their home. She also wasn't used to having a child, or having seizures, or needing to hang on to Ron Stoppable. That being the case…

"May I come in?" Shego asked. At least she didn't sound like a five year old. Ten at least. The man nodded, and they went in…and Shego enjoyed the process of walking up the short hallway at least as much as she would have liked walking on broken glass.

It was the pictures.

Shego had always had the thought that pictures of kids were simply a way to get good blackmail material on the little rugrats while they were still young and naïve. Then, if they got out of hand when they were teenagers, you could use them to embarrass them back into line. Now that she knew about Cally, Shego found they also worked dandy as "torture the Shego" devices.

There were lots of pictures. Some of them of a younger black man, in his graduation robe, still younger on a bike, then in a police uniform standing next to a younger version of the man leading them in, who was also in a police uniform—a Sergeants. Shego gave a mental groan. They were cops. It also helped her try and avoid looking at the other pictures.

Unsuccessfully.

There was Cally, in swaddling clothes, being held by the Asian woman who was glowing with joy.

That couldn't have been more than a week after she was born.

Then there were other pictures. Cally in a high chair being fed—well maybe some of the food was getting in her mouth rather than on her face, Cally on a horse, at about 5, being held by the man leading them into the house, Cally on her first bike, Cally at her first Christmas All Cally' s School pictures and just like Shego's own School pictures most showed Cally growing up with a happy tooth missing smile.

Oh yes. Walking through broken glass barefoot would have been easier for Shego. Then Shego was in the living room, where another guy—their son, she guessed, stood, in his police uniform, next to a sitting Andrea.

"Hello." Shego said. The others looked at her, along with Andrea. Then the older man came up and gave a faint frown.

"Where is everyone's manners? Sit on down and I'll get you something to drink. Soda pop, coffee, water?"

A steaming cup of 'what the hell do I do'?

"Coffee, if you don't mind." Shego said.

"Not at all." The younger man looked at Shego then turned to his parents.

"Mom, Dad… I think I'll probably head on out—we still have a lot of work to catch up on."

"You certain?" he paused,

"Yeah." The police officer gave Shego a meaningful look on his way out of the house, as his father passed into the kitchen and quickly returned with drinks for everyone.

"Names, Michael." The older man said, "This is my wife, Izumi…and that was our Son James." Shego nodded.

"He doesn't like me." Small talk had never been Shego's forte.

"Nope…not so much…not like, as, 'the woman who two minutes ago would have been worth an immediate promotion is now my kid sisters birth mother… and sitting in my dad's living room.'" Michael shrugged. "And he takes his oaths seriously, so he's going out and finding other law breakers." Izumi sighed,

"He gets it from his father."

"I…" Shego broke off. If she'd come to make peace…what if they did call the cops? She couldn't fight her way out, not for many reasons.

"Don't worry." Izumi said, "Take it from a District Attorney."

Mom's a DA? Oh God. But Izumi was continuing.

"Things are so screwed up right now on every level, you're not even on the radar. We have crooks coming in and confessing to ten year old crimes because they met god, law abiding citizens who tried to burn the city down, and people who want to be arrested because they weren't nice to their dogs…" She sighed, "And that's only the top of the list."

"Oh." Shego said, "I…" She didn't know what to say.

"So…" Izumi continued, "Cally is your girl?"

"I um…" Shego couldn't think of what to say…she had had so many ideas, but they were all banished.

So bond with Cally? Take her away from this obviously horrible… loving home? Invite her out to a lair or one of those apartments you keep for when people are trying to kill you? I know! You can invite her to see a seizure! Shego shook her head in annoyance.

"I…I mean, yeah."

"So what happened?" Michael asked. Shego looked at Ron, but continued. Briefly, (and to her great joy, not bursting into tears), she told them the story of her foray into motherhood, and what happened after that.

"Hego…" Izumi said, lips pale with fury. "Broke at least five laws I can think of off the top of my head." Michael was nodding. Then he looked at Shego and spoke, eyes worried but unflinching.

"And that means the adoption was fraudulent." Izumi looked over at her husband, and now she was all pale.

"What are you going to do?" Izumi asked. Shego looked around, and remembered her brief soaring dream of taking her child…her child away from some terrible, Charles Dickens' style nightmare. In the comfy living room, they shriveled and died.

"I um…" Shego swallowed, took a drink, swallowed again, "I… I'm not sure… I just want to get to know her…if that's alright." She paused, and then, forced out her next words. "I'm not here to try and take her… if that's what you're worried about." She gave a laugh that didn't quite disguise the catch in her voice. "Hey, maybe Hego was right… I mean, I probably would have made a pretty sh- lousy mom."

"Maybe…maybe not." Michael said, "But that wasn't Hego's call to make."

"He did." Shego said.

"And he'll pay for it." Michael replied.

"He's her uncle." Shego said, unwillingly. Now her doubts were rising up around her. Maybe Hego hadbeen right.

"No. He gave that up." Izumi said, and now her voice was forged iron. "If Cally one day wants to meet him, we may go out and see him, but he will never walk through the door to my house."

"Are you… still active in the business?" Michael asked. He means are you still a crook…

"Not…no… I was hurt and I'm getting seizures…" Shego said, "It's hard to be a mercenary if you flop over and twitch a lot."

"I see." Michael said, and that wasn't the question I asked. Shego realized looking at him. Not being a crook because you didn't want to, and because you couldn't were two different things.

How much do you want to know Cally? Shego realized. That was the question. What was she willing to give up…or would she be the old Shego…the Shego who wanted everything on her terms. They were offering her the chance… But they wouldn't be willing to let their daughter associate with an active crook.

..Their daughter So just get up and walk out. You don't need their charity. You don't need anyone's charity. Go back and get your head fixed and find some place where you can dance with a man who's name you won't remember the next morning. You can even dump Drakken—he's out of the business, so you can be free.

Alone. How the hell had this happened? How had these people, Kim, her mom, Ron, who was sitting next to her, radiating support, even these people she'd just met…how had they slipped past her armor so easily?

"I…" Shego couldn't lie…not to him. "I'm out of that business. For good." She wondered if they realized just how much of a lifetime's ambition had just died in seven words. "I may do stuff like bounty hunting…but only for people with legitimate warrants on them." And if they won't take that, screw 'em, I'm not about to go get some nice job as a check out clerk.

"There's a lot of work for that." Was all Michael said. "I always wondered why Kim never bothered to cash in any of the rewards for the people she got." Shego briefly was able to conjure a nasty grin as she looked at Ron, who was blushing.

"You know…" Ron said, "I'm beginning to wonder that as well." There was a sound from upstairs as she heard Kim and Cally come down them.

Kim and Cally were walking down the stairs, but Cally had hung back when she'd heard Shego's voice.

"Don't worry, Cally… Shego's a friend." Kim said.

"But…but she tried to get me yesterday." Cally repeated.

"Nah…she just wanted to talk. Did she chase you?"

"No…" Cally said. Kim looked at Cally seriously.

"Cally… could you talk to Shego?" Kim paused, "I really… I really owe her everything. My life, Ron…my mom… She's my friend."

"Even after everything?"

"Even after everything." Kim said. Cally paused, and the seven year old looked at her heroine.

"Do you forgive her?" Cally said. "Daddy says that's the most important thing."

"Yes." Cally thought for a moment.

"OK… Can I take her up to my room?" Kim paused,

"If you're parents agree, sure." Cally nodded and bounced down the stairs, humming a little tune.

In the living room, Shego looked up at the sound of Cally…and the sound of the tune she was humming…and for a second, Shego was somewhere else.

Shego's ankles ached and her body was a strangers. Her swollen belly looked bigger than the rest of her, and for all the guys seemed to love big chests, she wanted her old chest back, because they ached and leaked and generally made her life miserable. Her skin itched, she burst into tears….

And the painfully correct behavior of the staff didn't help things. She hadn't heard from any of her family. They would bring her anything…but not a phone, and not a key to go outside the beautifully landscaped grounds of the clinic. But there were places Shego had found, where she could be alone.

One of them was in the garden, facing the setting sun, where the light bounced off old brick walls to illuminate the roses and plants, while the radiated heat kept the area pleasantly warm. Few came here. It was Shego's place.

She waddled on out and sat down, with some difficulty, pulling the shawl around her, luxuriating in the warmth that for once felt just right.

"Here you go." She said to her baby. Baby wasn't happy, and she felt a kick on the inside of her womb. Shego patted her swollen belly.

"Sorry." Shego said, "I know I promised to come out earlier, but remember, they wouldn't let me." Another kick. "I know. They do suck." It hadn't helped that her hormones had kicked in at that moment and she'd burst into tears, stamping her foot as they refused to let her out because it was chilly.

"But here we are, and I promised I'd sing you a song." Shego had no idea why she was having these one sided conversations…but it seemed right. Her baby was the only thing that cared for her, after all. She started humming the tune, and then broke into a soft song.

She sat there, singing, until the sun went down and she heard people looking for her. Shego got up with difficulty and went back, hands around her belly. If she was difficult they might not let her come out at all again. So she'd be a good girl and go back to the room with the DVD and the videos and the books… and the door that locked from the outside.

Shego shook her head, Why was everyone so silent and staring? Then she saw Kim and Cally… With Cally looking up at her.

"Hi." Cally said.

"Hi." Shego said. She couldn't tell her…it wasn't her place to tell her and Cally's parents certainly didn't want that added into the mix, so she'd keep the se-

"Cally." Michael said.

"Yes daddy?"

"Meet your mom… your birth mom." Then, suddenly, wide green eyes looked into fearful, guilt ridden ones.

To be continued.