Payton: Hello everybody, sorry for the delay! We're just getting back from vacation.

Mrs. Dolotta: Yeah, from "Writer's Block Isle."

Payton: You know what, Mrs. D? I actually agree with you this time. It's creepy.

Mrs. Dolotta: I know, it must be a sign of the apocalypse.

Payton: Riiiiiiiiight, whatever. Anyways, I'd just like to say, thanx for the reviews (don't think they've gone unnoticed) and I wish the hundreds of people that actually visited this story (i.e. the hits I got for it) were as nice as you guys. Sniffs MY FRIENDS::hugs them all:

Mrs. Dolotta: See that? That's why people don't review.

Payton: SHUT UP YOU STUPID ANIMAL!

Mrs. Dolotta: okay, caaalm down…

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 5 "That mother-child…thing"

"Sooo…what'd you find?" Shego asked.

"It's a bottle-feeder of baby food but he won't take it." Drakken had tried to give Maxwell the food but he pushed it away and started crying again. "Shego…" he whined for help.

"Let me see," she said, taking Maxwell and the feeder from him. "I know what's wrong here. You were holding him on the wrong side."

"Wrong side? What are you talking about? He's a baby, how's he going to know the difference?"

"He just… how am I supposed to know!" Shego snapped as Maxwell started feeding. She calmed down when she saw Maxwell close his eyes in content. "See, you were holding him on the left side when he really wanted the right side."

"Ironic you should know considering you have no experience," Drakken mumbled.

"I what?" She said sharply.

"I said, 'clever you should know, you must have had plenty of experience.'"

"Whatever." She glared at him.

He felt her cold stare. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing."

Cody grumbled something barely audible.

Since Drakken had nothing else to do he noticed it. "Something wrong, Cody?"

"No," he smarted, his eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Alright then."

Shego sighed. "You're not honestly going to fall for that, are you?" She whispered.

"Fall for what?"

"When a person asks a kid if there is something wrong, and the kid says that there is nothing wrong, then that means there is obviously something wrong."

"Huh?"
She sighed. "Caddy—"

"Cody." He corrected.

"CODY lied."

"Wha…?" Drakken considered it for a moment. "Oh, yes, okay." He turned to Cody. "Cody? I want you to tell me the truth."

Cody looked at him funny but said nothing.

"Cody…"

"I-I uh…"

"Yes?"

"I gotta go p-potty."

Pause. Drakken and Shego glanced at each other.

"Okay then, go ahead," Drakken finally said.

"I can't." He got quite.

"Why not?" Shego joined in.

"Cause I never done it by mysel' 'efore…"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Shego said officially dismissing herself from the discussion.

"Oh, Shego, a lot of help you are," Drakken said under his breath. "Come on, Cody, I'll help you." They left the room.

As soon as they left, Shego turned down the volume on the kiddie shows. "Ah, sweet merciful silence…" She closed her eyes. Maxwell was still in her arms. He stopped sucking on the bottle-feeder.

"Doo."

Shego opened one eye and looked at him. "Did you just say something…?" She said really to herself.

"Ahhh goo!" Maxwell said playfully.

"Well at least somebody here is in a good mood." She looked at Maxwell wiggling his fingers and smiling. She suddenly found herself smiling too.

"You know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're actually cute when you're not having a fit." She stood him up on her lap. He grabbed onto her hair and giggled. "Careful…don't pull on that," she warned. "That might make me…OWW!" Shego tried to keep him from pulling her hair, but she couldn't seem to reason with him. But for once, she didn't care much about it. He was so little, so innocent. You can't bring yourself to be angry at someone so defenseless…and with such a cute baby face (excuse the pun) for more than ½ a second. She did, however take his hands off her hair.

"Ehh geh gah wah wah wah," little Maxwell was happily having a little conversation with her in baby language. Shego reached down into the car seat and brought a rattle for him. He shook it in the air for a few seconds then conked her on the head with it!

"Hey!" Shego griped, getting a little upset. But Maxwell just giggled and continued his conversation so she let it go. Hey, he was only a baby after all.

"Well, he seems to like you, Shego." Shego looked up as Drakken and Cody came back into the room.

"Whatever," she said in her I-don't-care voice. She felt herself blushing a little and turned away discreetly from him so he wouldn't notice.

Drakken started to sit on the couch next to her…that is until Cody bounded up and squeezed in between them. "I like her, too!" He said eagerly. "She's cool…even though she gets my name wrong all the time. She's neat!" Shego looked at him, surprised. She didn't think she left that kind of impression. She had been trying to repel the children the whole time, but instead they just came closer! It was all she could do to conceal her embarrassment.

Drakken saw the expression and her face and chuckled.

You like? I know I enjoyed writing it. I'd just been fishing around for an excuse to get Shego and Maxwell some alone time and –walah- there it was! And the thing about Cody liking Shego, well, you might have thought that was odd considering the fact that Shego wasn't acting too nice. But think about it: young children love attention, sometimes, even if it's semi-negative…which is exactly the case! (yeah, let's go with that one! Heh heh…). Seriously though, I have younger brothers. We love to quarrel. Um, anyways, the next chapter will have the kiddies feeling a little sleepy…which gives Drakken and Shego some space. (yet another part I've been waiting to do::gets exited:). So, um, see ya! ------------Payton & Mrs. Dolotta

an' I'm movin' this to T ta' free up some options…