CHAPTER7 - First Day
"Sweetheart." Drakken muttered as he kissed Shego's forehead gently. Her eyelashes fluttered and she moaned.
"It's time to wake up." He whispered into her ear.
Shego turned her head to the opposite side and slowly put her hands over her eyes.
"We're here." Drakken said a bit more loudly.
She shifted even deeper underneath the covers.
He tried again, "Come on. You don't want to be late for work with Club Banana."
This time there was no response from her.
"Work starts in about an hour. Come on, get up now. I'll have to call a taxi. You need to get dressed."
Shego seemed to nod her head a bit from underneath the blankets.
"Did you hear me Shego?"
"Mmmmm…"
He sighed and turned to the window. He placed his palm up against the glass and stared at the new town: Lowerton. It would be their home for a while and already Drakken was astonished. Lowerton was a very residential area. He could see streets with houses and lawns, family restaurants, thrift stores, parks, school houses, and tiny coffee shops. There were bicycle roads filled with trikes, bikes, scooters, skaters, skateboarders, and even pogo-stickers! The whole town seemed cleaner, simpler and kinder than Middleton had been. 'What a great place for Kim and Ron to raise Landon.' Drakken thought to himself.
"Shego!" Drakken shook her this time. "Just look outside! Look! Look at Lowerton!" Drakken hissed in excitement.
Shego opened her evergreen eyes and propped her head up with her arm to glance out the window. "It's just another city." She muttered softly.
"It's going to be our home. Well… sort of." Drakken said in attempt to stimulate her.
"It's alright." She said a bit more lively. "Listen Drew, I think I might go get ready now. Could you make me a coffee or something?"
He sighed, "Yes dear."
"Thank you." She slowly helped herself out of bed and slowly trudged towards the bathroom. Drakken only shook his head as he made his way towards the laundry room where his suit was ironed and scented like island mango.
Shego's vision was still blurry but she could tell she looked like a disaster in the mirror. She turned the knob on the faucet and turned the water to cold. She splashed it against her face. The water washed away the imperfections the night had given her face and made her eyes open up a little bit more. She then reached for her green towel and dried her face.
'What shall I wear today?' Shego wondered to herself. It was hard to know. All her life she had worked as a villain and as a hero wearing stretchy catsuits that aided in her quick agility. She knew her favored green and black jumpsuit was no choice for today. She needed something business like and sharp. It was time to put her villain clothing to retirement. Three years of being married to Drakken had bought her a few good pairs of jeans, jean skirts, and jean jackets. She also had a few loose cotton teeshirts but mostly everything was denim. Still, none of this seemed impressive enough. She then decided on asking her husband. She opened the bathroom door and stuck her head out.
"Drakken?" She hollered.
"Yes dear?"
"What are you wearing today?" She asked uncertain.
"Clothes." He said with a slight chuckle.
Shego rolled her eyes, "Duh. I mean, today! What are you wearing today?"
"A suit." He answered from across the lair.
"Oh." She echoed. She paused a moment. "Well then what should I wear?"
Drakken chortled. "A skirt? Maybe a dress? Whatever looks nice!"
Dresses? Shego doubted she had any! There hadn't rose an occasion (besides her wedding) which required her to wear one! She bit her lip and rushed to her closet shuffling through the clothing she owned. At last her fingers landed on a last resort. It was the black dress she had worn to the sunset diner. A beautiful dress… only worn once. Her fingers held the fabric against her. It would still be a perfect fit. She closed her eyes remembering that day. She could hear Scarlet's voice in her head and still imagine her and Drakken twirling around the dance floor in small circles. So small, they felt like they were only rocking back and forth. Her head on his shoulder. The whole world vanishing around them except for that moment. Shego let her mind wander only for a moment before sighing. "This is it." She carried the dress off to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Drakken was dressed and ready for his first day on the job. All his designs had been neatly organized into a little scrapbook with information on the size, pattern, fabric, pieces… etc. He had already called a taxi cab. He now sat at a large rectangular table that used to seat an army of Henchman, alone, drinking coffee; he had another place set aside for Shego as well.
"Drewbie!" Shego smiled as she spun into the kitchen. It was the most cheerful she had seemed all afternoon. His eyes froze when he noticed what she was wearing. His jaw dropped and he suddenly felt as if he had lost the ability to form complete sentences.
"Tha-tha-wow." Drakken managed weakly.
"Ha ha. Thanks." She beamed. The fabric on the black dress still clung perfectly to her soft curvy figure. It still was shiny like onyx. Her feet were adorned by the same lace-up high heels. She wasn't wearing the gloves or the diamond choker which made her seem much more businesslike. She had pulled her hair into a sporty high-ponytail.
Drakken braced himself. "I remember – that dress…." He trailed off then added, "It still fits you."
Shego blushed, "Yeah." She walked over to the table and noticed coffee and a chocolate glazed doughnut waiting for her. She sat down eagerly.
"Be quick," Drakken warned, "The taxi will be here in fifteen minutes."
"Okay." Shego said sitting down. She took a sip of her coffee and quickly reached for the milk to lighten it to her best likings.
"So do you know what I dreamed about?" Shego asked.
Drakken looked at her and shook his head.
She sipped her coffee and looked at her feet. "I had a dream, about this person, I'm not sure who it was, it was a child I think. And it was crying. Then it sounded like it was being hurt. Someone threw something at it. Then someone else came and held the child until it stopped crying. And then they were silent, and I woke up."
Drakken looked puzzled, "It was only a dream."
Shego groaned, "Yeah, I hate dreams like that. I wanted to see what happened next but you woke me up."
Drakken scratched his head, "Sorry."
Just then there was a beep from outside. Drakken and Shego stopped talking realizing it was the taxi just a few minutes early. Shego decided she would just take her doughnut with her and quickly downed the rest of her lukewarm coffee. Feeling slightly energized by the caffeine she got to her feet and joined her husband's side. They both looked at one another. Drakken felt a sudden sense of shock and Shego felt cold all over. Neither of them was so sure they were ready for this.
"You know…" Drakken said delicately, "this is the first time… we're working together… and I'm not your boss."
Shego nodded. "I know... but… we'll be side by side this time. Helping eachother out… still partners."
"Yes." His lips curved into a tiny smile.
Shego smiled back. Drakken held out his hand. Shego wavered for only a moment before putting her palm against his and intertwining her fingers in his. He squeezed her hand and she stared into his eyes.
"I'm ready for it." She said.
"Yeah, lets make our dreams come true today."
"Yes siiir!" Shego replied with a giggle.
