Still not owning these characters or this premise.

Problem Six: Letting the truth out…

Pets are usually used to their owners, but they tend to understand that when other people come over the house, they should behave themselves somewhat. They try to feel out the new person to understand their place in the grand scheme of things, if the person should be treated like the owner or treated as threat.

Kim lay on her stomach on the dining room floor, staring into the kitchen. The redhead was watching the hips, legs, and thighs of a certain woman move about the kitchen, but it was not the woman that she usually watched. The person that she was used to eyeing had a shapelier figure, curvier hips, a fuller backside, and more attractive legs. The person that she typically watched would not be caught dead wearing any shade of blue either. She wanted the person that she normally stared at to come back because she was not enjoying her current view. It was not that there was anything wrong with that woman, but she just was not the person Kim desired.

"And here's dinner," Betty Director announced while placing a plate down on the table. The girl trotted to the table and had a seat in front of the meal.

Kim looked down at the food, but she did not start eating. Doctor Director frowned when she saw that the pet that she heard had a ravenous appetite was not eating her cooking. She could cook just as well, if not better than Shego could and she was rather certain that. Hell, it was something that even Shego might admit to. She would not take such disrespect from a spoiled teen that was a mere pet.

"Why aren't you eating?" Betty demanded in a hard tone.

"The food's touching," Kim pointed out with a pout.

"So?"

"When Shego cooks, the food never touches."

"So what? It's all going to same place anyway and it's not like it's all mashed together. Eat it," the older woman commanded. I don't need this crap, she silently huffed.

Kim's expression dropped even more. "The mashed potatoes have skin in them," she complained almost as if she was ready to burst into tears because the food did not to meet her apparently high standards.

"So?" the one-eyed female pressed. How the hell can such a shiftless, lazy former hobo have standards, the woman asked herself. It was unbelievable and it was very annoying. She would not mind slapping the little pest in the back of the head if she was going to continue whining about the meal, especially since it was a meal that she was lucky to have.

"When Shego makes mashed potatoes, she skins them before making them," the redhead explained.

"So what?" Betty huffed in aggravation and she glared at the little brat. She was rapidly learning to detest the kid. Could the brat just shut up, be thankful, and eat? She was just doing Shego a favor, after all, and making sure that the little pest did not go hungry for the night while Shego was out on a date. It was not like she wanted to be with the brat. She had better things to do with her time than babysitting some tiny idiot that could not be trusted on her own for more than half a day. She could not believe it, but Shego had obviously spoiled the skinny punk, even if she did not know it or want to admit it. The notion was almost beyond her that Shego could spoil a person.

Kim was about to respond to the question, but she closed her mouth. She put her finger up to silence Doctor Director, who was about to speak. The brown-haired woman took deep offense to being silenced by a lowly pet and it showed on her face. The teen turned her attention away from the older woman and toward the front of the apartment, which also insulted Betty. A mere pet was disrespecting her. As soon as she was about to let the brat have it verbally, and maybe physically too, Kim dashed off to the front of the apartment.

"Shego!" the redhead cheered with a huge, joyful grin on her face and attached herself to her mistress' waist as soon as Shego was through the door.

"What have I told you about this?" Shego snarled angrily. Betty strolled to the front to see what was going on.

"I thought you were going to go to Drakken's place tonight," the one-eyed woman commented while wondering how Kim even knew Shego was at the door a moment ago. Did the kid have irritable woman radar?

"I was, but he completely freaked out before we even got to his street," the pale woman replied in a dismissive tone. She did not really want to talk about, but she knew that her friend was going to want to know some information.

"Doesn't he freak out about everything?" the brown-haired woman pointed out.

"That he does. So, my little Pumpkin behaving herself?" Shego asked while rubbing the top of Kim's head.

"She's acting like a spoiled brat. She wouldn't eat the food because it was touching," Betty reported in an annoyed voice.

"Oh, yeah, she's not used to that. Pumpkin, apologize for being a pain in the ass. Betty was trying to help and you're giving her a hard time," Shego commanded. Kim turned her attention to her master's friend.

"I'm sorry, Miss Betty," Kim said in a pathetic tone, as if she was hurt the most by her actions. The pitiful look probably would have gained her anyone else's forgiveness, but not from her master's friend.

"Now, go eat," Shego ordered Kim.

The redhead released her mistress and went back to the table without any sort of protest. Betty glanced at her friend and then at the pet, who was now quietly eating with no problem at all. Shego noticed the looks and wondered what was going through her friend's mind. She doubted that she really wanted to know.

"What?" Shego asked because if she did not, then Betty would just look at her and get on her nerves.

"Nothing," the one-eyed woman answered, holding her hands up.

"It's not nothing. What?"

"She hugged you."

"Yeah, so? She does it all the time. It's damn annoying," Shego huffed.

"Your own mother doesn't hug you. No one hugs you," Betty pointed out.

"So?"

"So, like I said, it's nothing," the brown-haired female replied nonchalantly and she went to sit on the sofa.

Shego did not think anything of what her friend said about the hugging thing. She was rather used to it and did not consider it a big deal beyond the fact that it was bothersome. She went and joined Betty on the couch. She sighed and leaned back while Betty glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

"He freaked out again, huh?" Betty said, trying her best to hide the fact that she wanted to laugh. She was not doing as good a job of hiding her amusement as they both knew she could.

"Of course," the younger woman answered.

"He seems like the type to freak," Betty commented in a slightly tickled tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shego demanded with a scowl.

"Nothing, except that he's a bit flipped," the one-eyed woman replied in a trivializing voice, waving the whole thing off. She was not looking to get into an argument over something rather stupid in her opinion.

"Everyone in this damn city is a little flipped. They don't let you in if you're not a tad off," Shego remarked.

"Yeah, but he's flipped and wired. It's not a good combination. I bet he's got mother issues, too."

The pale woman's scowl deepened. "What're you, his therapist now?"

"Not at all. I'm sure that's a high paying job, though. I just think that if he laid you, you wouldn't be so up tight about everything. Hell, it might even help straighten him out a little," Betty quipped with a taunting smile on her face.

"Hey! Watch what you say with the pet around," Shego commanded, jabbing her thumb in the direction of her brat. Her friend thought that was an odd thing for her to say, but she did not even think on it after the words left her mouth.

"Why, what does she care if you're not getting laid? It's not like she can brag about social life. Have you considered just bringing him here and throwing yourself at him?" Betty proposed.

"That's probably the only way I can get him to do it," Shego sighed.

"Probably. Well, good luck to you," the elder female said, slightly teasing and being sincere because she thought that her friend could do for some physical pleasure. Shego shook her head; she was going to need more than luck to work with and they both knew that.

-*-(New day)-*-

Kim eyed the usual lovely hips that glided around the kitchen with familiarity and ease. She doubted that her mistress was even aware that she was there because if she knew that the redhead was lying there, then she would have yelled at her a long time ago. She wondered if Shego even had an idea of what she looked at when she laid on the floor most of the time. She doubted it because, once again, she would have been yelled at if Shego was aware.

The teen climbed to her feet as she noticed her mistress pouring the cake batter that she had been making into two pans. She went to dip her finger in the batter bowl while Shego put the cake in the oven. Kim carried the bowl away with a smile on her face as she devoured the remains of the chocolate batter in the dish.

"May I have some cake, too?" the petite pet requested with the brightest smile that she could muster. She held onto the belief that as long as she was cute, she could get her way most of the time when it came to her mistress anyway.

"If there's any left when you get back tonight," Shego replied.

"When I get back? Where am I going?" the teenager inquired with a scrunched up face because, as far as she knew, she had plans to stay in. She was going to stay in and bother her master, in fact.

"Away. I told you my boyfriend's coming over."

"Oh, yeah. So, you're making him a cake? But, whenever I ask you for a cake, you always say I eat too many sweets," the redhead whined with a glob of chocolate on the side of her mouth.

"You do," the green-skinned officer said while grabbing a napkin and wiping her sloppy pet's face clean of the chocolate mix.

"So, when can I come back?" Kim asked.

"I guess around ten."

"But, I don't have anything to do," Kim pouted. She could find things to do if necessary. Wade undoubtedly had a list of minor things for her to do if nothing major came up. She would really rather just stay in, though, and hang out with Shego.

"That's not my problem, Princess. You're eighteen for crying out loud. Go do something with your life. Find a guy, go on a date, or whatever it is you kids do nowadays," Shego replied in an irked tone.

"But, I just want to stay with you."

"So I noticed. You're way too clingy. Go make some friends or something. Just get out," Shego commanded rather curtly.

Kim did not look affected by the blunt order, but she continued to pout. It was not getting her any sympathy as usual. She also continued to eat the batter, which was delightful. She could not wait to get a piece of the cake that was being made from the delicious cocoa mix.

She moved around the apartment rather slowly while she was supposed to be getting ready to leave. Shego was too focused on preparing the chocolate cake to pay her pet any real mind. Kim went and put on some street clothes and then went back to the dining room to retrieve her shoulder bag. Then there was a knock at the door that made Shego swear under her breath because she knew who it was.

"Don't get it," the pale woman ordered when she noticed her teenager about to move toward the front of the apartment.

"Then you want me to leave out the window?" Kim remarked.

"Don't tempt me," Shego warned the girl, who pouted because of the remark.

The raven-haired woman marched to the door and opened it. Drakken was on the other side and he was holding a bouquet of flowers. Shego forced a smile onto her face and ushered him into the apartment. She closed the door behind him and saw that he was looking around like he was searching for something.

"Something wrong?" Shego inquired.

"No, it's nothing. I was just…" Drakken trailed off when he noticed Kim coming from the dining room. He looked at Shego. "Who's that?" he inquired while pointing at the teenager.

"Who's…?" Shego froze when she turned to see her pet standing a couple of feet away from them. She frowned in the girl's direction.

"I'm Shego's cousin," Kim lied smoothly as she approached the couple. "Kim Possible," she introduced herself with a friendly smile while holding her hand out for him to shake, which he did. He hesitated in touching her, though, but that did not bother her.

"Shego never mentioned a cousin," he commented with a perplexed expression.

"Oh, I just popped up. And you are?" Kim inquired, even though she knew who the man was.

"Oh, I'm Doctor D. Drakken Lipsky. Your name sounds familiar to me," he replied and he started trying to recall where he might have heard the name before.

"It's a fairly common last name, like Smith," Kim assured him while continuing to smile up a storm. She knew that he would not remember why her name sounded familiar and she knew that he would believe her last name was common.

"Yeah, I figured as much. You look familiar, too," he said while eyeing her. She did not seem fazed by the attention.

"I get that all the time. I guess I just have one of those faces. Well, I have to get going. You two have nice day. It was nice to meet you. Bye," Kim bid them farewell and left the two alone.

The teen shook her head once she was outside. She started walking down the street and laughed a bit because it certainly was a small world after all. Doctor Drew Drakken Lipsky was just as bizarre as she recalled him being. He was probably the most bewildered, scatterbrained inventor in the world. He was horrible with names, faces, people in general, and he failed to grasp some of the simplest scientific notions a good deal of the time. And he was the man that her mistress was dating. She failed to see the reasoning behind that.

Kim decided to not even think about it. She wondered what she should do now that she was outside. She guessed that something would come to her if she gave it some time and she walked around enough. I'd rather be home eating cake, though.

-8-8-8-8-

Shego breathed a sigh of relief as Kim exited the house. She could not help wondering why her pet seemed familiar to her boyfriend, but she dismissed it. She knew how he was with people; maybe Kim did have one of those faces. And then, she suddenly realized that she just heard her pet's real name for the first time. Her pet was called Kim Possible and now the name seemed familiar to her. That's weird, she thought.

"Shego, you never mentioned having a cousin," Drakken said.

"Yeah, well, you never asked. Besides, she's a fucking brat," Shego replied in a dismissive tone to drop the whole matter.

"Oh. Here, I brought these for you," Drakken informed her while presenting her with the flowers that he was holding.

"Thanks," Shego said, not that she sounded very thankful.

Honestly, she hated flowers and most people either knew that or would guess it. Flowers seemed so pointless to her. After all, all they did was die after a few days of just sitting there, doing nothing, except for taking up precious space. If any other gift died as quickly as flowers did, no one would want it. In fact, any sane person would be pissed to get such a gift.

It was also depressing to have to look at dead flowers, even if only for a little while before she got around to throwing them away. Who would want a present that was just going to die a few days later? Imagine if a dog died that fast; no one would ever buy a dog then. She never understood why people got flowers because of how quickly they died and she wondered whom the first jerk was that decided to present flowers as a gift. She bet he was just being cheap. Somebody should have done the decent thing and just killed him back then to stop the tradition before it got out of hand, she figured.

Shego walked off to go put the flowers in the only vase that she owned, even though she would not mind just setting them ablaze to get the inevitable over and done with. Once the flowers were safe in water without any burn marks, Shego and Drakken sat down with the cake and did a little catching up.

Drakken eventually got to rambling about a powerful laser that he had worked on before returning to Go City. She listened passively as he boasted of his genius. Her mind wandered to her pet; that stupid girl better be all right. She obviously had very little faith in her pet being out on her own.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim hardly made it anywhere before her Kimmunicator went off. She was a few blocks away from the apartment. Well, at least she probably would not have to think of some way to kill time. She retrieved the cerulean device from her pocket.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" the redhead asked.

"Hey, I heard you're some psycho's pet," Wade reported with a laugh.

"She's not psycho."

"But, you're her pet?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Why?" he inquired in a scrunched up, puzzled expression. He had not expected her to confirm the rumor. It was not that he did not believe Ron when the blond told him about Kim's new life, but it was just so hard to believe, especially since Ron was known to exaggerate and he was very dramatic. What was Kim Possible doing as someone's pet?

"It's not really something we have time to get into unless that's the reason you called. If you're got a mission for me, sitch me," she replied in a lighthearted tone to show him that it was not something that she did not want to talk about. She just did not have the time to discuss if he had an emergency for her.

"You up to looking for a missing high tech tank across the big pond?" he asked.

"I do love London."

"Good because there's going to be a jet above you in about five seconds to take you there. The Queen does appreciate this. She was also wondering if you came to a decision yet," the computer genius said.

"Wade!" Kim huffed. Now, he had brought up a subject that she definitely did not want to talk about.

"Hey, she asked, not me," he defended himself with a smile.

The redhead rolled her olive-green eyes and then looked up to see that there was a jet above her. A line was lowered down to her and she put away her Kimmunicator. She got a good grip on the cable and was on her way to Britain while the line was pulled up to the aircraft.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim came back into the apartment at about a half past ten. The lights were all out and the house was dead. Kim showered and got into her pajamas. She was about go to bed, but she decided against going to her space. She walked to her mistress' bedroom and peered inside. There only seemed to be one body in the bed and outline looked extremely familiar. She crawled into bed next to her owner and cuddled up next to the older woman.

Shego stirred when she felt someone in her bed. She knew who it was and, for the first time, she did not holler at her little pet for breaking the rules. She merely watched as Kim snuggled up to her, putting her head underneath Shego's chin. She then felt the redhead's arm drape around her waist, but she still did not scream at the girl.

She's just about the only person willing to get into bed with me just to be next to me, Shego thought while the eighteen-year-old settled against her.

The raven-haired woman sighed and made sure that the girl was properly covered with the dark green blanket that was on the bed. She continued to stare at her pet and thought about that name, Kim Possible. It sounded so familiar, but she could not recall where she might have stumbled across it.

-*-(Next day)-*-

"Kim Possible, huh?" Doctor Director repeated the name that Shego just told her while dropping into the chair behind her desk. She pulled up to her computer while Shego made herself comfortable parking her butt on the desk.

"Yeah, doesn't it sound like you've heard it somewhere before?" the younger woman asked.

"Yes, it does. We'll get to the bottom of this. How'd things go with Drakken?" Doctor Director asked, even though she could guess the answer to that question. It was just fun to irk her friend sometimes, especially about her emotionally imbalanced boyfriend.

Betty did not wonder why her friend was with Drakken. She could guess the reasons behind it since she knew much of Shego's social history and "dating" habits. Shego did not typically date, even when Drakken first showed up. They were probably only really dating now because he lived in the same city as she was and he was around all the time. Her friend was not one that usually committed to anyone because she did not like being around people generally. Drakken was not really the exception as far as Betty could tell.

Shego growled in frustration. "The silly bastard freaked out again. I was sitting on his lap, taking off my shirt, and he just claimed that an invention idea came to mind. He practically flew out of the fucking house. You'd have thought I set his ass on fire. What the hell am I supposed to do with this guy?"

"I'd make a suggestion, but you wouldn't follow it. You're going to just keep trying and you know that. You like the guy, no matter how hard you try to deny it," Betty replied. She did not know why her friend liked the guy, but she had to like him if she continued to put up with the fact that he did not seem to want to have sex with her.

"Shut up," the pale woman snarled.

"Hey, I just tell it like it is, just like you. If you don't like the truth, don't ask me any questions."

"It's not like your opinion matters to me any damn way."

"Yes, I'm sure you don't give a damn about what I think," Betty commented dryly.

"Whatever. How's the search on my little Pumpkin going?"

"Well, she doesn't appear to be on any of the 'wanted' lists," the chief informed Shego.

"You're looking on 'wanted' lists? Let's think about this for a second, what kind of crime could Princess possibly pull off? Whine somebody to death?" the officer remarked while rolling her emerald eyes.

"Point taken. She does seem pretty harmless. Maybe she was on a 'missing child' list we saw a couple of years back or something. She is only eighteen, right?"

"Yeah, that's what she says anyway," Shego answered.

"So, maybe she was a milk carton kid or something. Let's see…" Doctor Director muttered and then she searched for a few minutes before finding something strange, yet intriguing. "There's a Kim Possible website," she reported.

"Really? I doubt that's got anything to do with Princess, but might as well check it out," Shego suggested.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: it appears that Kim is about to be found out. What will happen now that it's known she's Kim Possible? Will she still be Shego's pet? Why is Shego packing her things?