Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible. There.
"AHHHH!" Shego screamed out in frustration as she blasted through another prison wall. Several of the guards on her floor were running after her, pulling their guns swiftly out of their belts. She grimaced as she pummeled through more concrete.
Last time, she reminded herself. This is the last time.
"Where are you!" She muttered angrily. Her eyes lit up in relief when she hit his cell. He was sitting on his bed, eyes wide in surprise, sporting that hideous orange jumpsuit.
"Ick," she spat, momentarily raising an eyebrow at him. A chunk of the wall collapsed behind her, startling them both.
"Come on, Dr. D, time to go." She sprinted over to him, grabbed him forcefully by his collar, and dragged him to the back of the cell. "Watch out." She punched in the concrete and stared out at the landscape. It was pitch black, and they felt miles above the pool of sewage water down below. "Joy. Ok, here's what we're gonna do. See these shoes? They're gonna spout fire in about two seconds, so I'd hold on."
"Hold on…to what?" he asked, eyeing the ground, then the shoes, then her.
"Uhg." Shego rolled her eyes, grabbed both his hands, and placed them above her waist. Before Drakken could even comment, the ground beneath them began to shake, and they shot off. Drakken cried out, and several well-aimed bullets followed his outburst. He held tighter to Shego, who simply veered around the shots.
"Hey, doc, no squeezing," she informed him.
"Well, excuse me for trying to stay alive!" he shot back.
Shego kept her focus on the oncoming forest, blurred by the closely spaced treetops. It took a few more minutes to reach the clearing where Shego retracted her rocket gear, slowing until they both hit the ground. Shego landed on her feet, and Drakken just sort of stumbled away until he finally fell.
"Thanks for the ride," he mumbled sarcastically. He stood and began walking towards her. "So you've brought the jet?"
"Uh-huh. It's over there." She pointed lazily. "You can bring it around."
Drakken mumbled angrily and pulled up the sleeves of his orange jumpsuit while he walked towards the jet. "You can bring it around," he mimicked. "Stupid Shego. First she messes up my plans, then she comes here begging for forgiveness, and now—" He stopped and got into the vehicle.
The jet turned into the beginning of the clearing and Shego hopped into the passengers seat, taking hold of the second steering wheel. "Well, at least that was a success," she quipped.
Drakken scowled. "So, I see you didn't have a problem breaking yourself out the slammer."
"The slammer? Um, unlike you, I was able to get out from the county jail."
"The county—then why did it take you six days to bail me out!" he cried angrily.
"Did you not see my hair? I think that crisis was little more immediate than your behind bars dilemma." Drakken started to open his mouth when Shego finished with, "And besides, you should be grateful I decided to bail you out all."
Drakken shut his mouth. She had a point there. Dang it.
"Well, I know you need my super villain genius," he boasted. "I mean, how can you really continue your villainy without it?" He settled back into his seat, finally smug.
"Yeah, about that…" Drakken glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She suddenly looked uncomfortable.
"What?" he asked.
"Look, Dr. D, we've through a lot together; triumphs and plenty of failures and all that." Shego spoke quickly and focused her eyes straight ahead, gripping tightly to the wheel. "But I just… I can't do this anymore. World domination is never going to happen for us." When Drakken looked like he was going to interrupt, she held up her hand. "Your plan last time was nearly foolproof. I mean, you really came up with a decent plan, but it wasn't enough. It's never going to be. We'll always be defeated by that little princess and her farm boy sidekick. And I…I'm just sick of it. I need a vacation."
Drakken just stared at her, leaving Shego to steer the jet. His mouth hung slightly open, but he didn't say anything for a moment. "So you're…you're quitting?" he asked.
"Yeah, guess so," she finished with a frown.
An awkward silence hung between them. "Well, I suppose it's for the best, then," Drakken said coolly, lifting his head up as he stared out and continued driving. Shego nodded in agreement.
Neither exchanged words for the rest of ride. Then they were at their secret base, in the middle of the snowy Alps. "So," Drakken ventured, "I assume you'll just be picking up your effects?"
"Yep," she confirmed, "that'll pretty much be it."
They both paused, neither looking at the other, when Shego suddenly began walking away.
"I—" Drakken began, nearly yelling across room at her, "I can give you a lift back, if you want."
Shego stared at him, then blinked. "Yeah, sure, whatever."
When she had gone, Drakken sighed, then made a quiet trip to his own room.
Drakken had only ever kept one picture of Shego. She looked undeniably giddy, and she was hanging onto him. Actually, she was sitting on his lap with her arms around his neck, while he stared perplexed into the camera. After their photo booth shoot, and after the pictures had developed, Shego had ripped off two of the four prints and given him half to keep.
Drakken knew that Shego hadn't kept her portion of the pictures. After the chip had finally fallen out she had gone on an even more frightening rampage, attempting to destroy anything that reminded her of the horrible state she had been in—all emotional and lovey-dovey. Blech.
As he stood in the middle of his room, staring almost sadly at the photograph, it occurred to him that he would probably never see Shego again. She'd go off on some cruise, and sure, if she continued her villainy solo they'd probably have the occasional run in, but they would be competitors, not partners. He would never share his plans with her again, and listen to her critique every obvious flaw. They would never share late-night coffee breaks during overtime, and he would never sit with her in front of the fireplace while she sharpened the nails on her gloves. And how was he supposed to carry out his plans without her as his primary muscle force?
He had believed, for a moment when she had told him she was leaving, that it would be for the best. They failed together, they failed apart, what was the difference? But now he realized that she wasn't just his partner or employee; she was also his friend. Shego was the one person he confided in, talked extensively with, shared his days from morning until late at night.
Drakken sank into his chair and put his head in his gloved hands. As the picture of them slowly drifted to the ground, he thought, I'm going to miss her terribly, aren't I?
Shego picked up the few belongings she had brought into work and stuffed them into a small box. With one last look around her office, she sighed and picked up her effects. Two small knocks sounded from her door, and she turned.
"That you, Dr. D?"
He cleared his throat from behind the door, then entered. He stared at the box in her hands. "You're leaving," he stated plainly.
"Um, yeah…" Shego stared at him oddly. "I'm leaving. We already talked about this," she added.
"Don't leave," Drakken said, shaking his head slightly. The fact that he wasn't whining, wasn't even commanding her, caught Shego off guard. She stared unblinkingly into his face.
"Why?" she asked skeptically.
"I…" Drakken shifted his eyes to floor and rubbed the tips of his boots together. "I need you here," he finished, daring to look up at her.
Shego looked unimpressed. "Look, you have plenty of drones, and they'll do a decent job as far as fighting goes. Everything is going to be fine," she reassured him slowly. "Now, can I get a ride or what?"
Drakken frowned deeply. "What do you want? A raise?"
"Excuse me?"
"What is it that you want!" he reiterated exasperatedly.
Shego put down her basket and stared at him with a sudden sympathy. "Look, Dr. D," she started, and her voice was strangely compassionate, "I don't want a—well, a raise would be nice, but—no! No, I just don't want to be doing this anymore. Villainy's the life, right? But not when all you do is fail."
"So what will you do? Live out the rest of your life in the Bahamas?" he said angrily.
Shego rolled her eyes. "What are you getting so hot-headed for? It's bad for your complexion, you're turning blue." The young woman grinned, but Drakken fumed.
"You're not taking this seriously!" he accused.
Shego's expression fell. "Yes, I am," she sighed. "But I've made up my mind."
"So you're just leaving, for good?" he asked.
"Yep, for good." Shego picked up her basket and walked quickly passed him. He let her go, but the moment she was in the doorframe he panicked, and with one arm outstretched as though he would stop her, he said shakily:
"I love you."
Shego stopped so suddenly, froze so completely, that Dr. Drakken took a step back, cringing in fearful anticipation. "I-I mean, I just—"
"Why did you say that?" Her voice was soft, and it cut through him. She stayed in the doorway, her back to him, eyes at the ground.
"Because I…mean it?" he asked, hoping that was right answer.
Shego let out a short sigh, then turned around and thrust her box of things at him. "Here," she said, facing him with one hand on her hip.
Drakken stared at the box, then her, and repeated the motion again. "Does this mean… that you're staying?" he asked hopefully.
Shego put her fingers against her temple. "Oi." She looked up at him again. "Yes, that means I'm staying," she confirmed.
"Oh, Shego!" he grinned, dropping the box to clasp his hands together. "You don't know how happy this makes me!"
The young woman raised an eyebrow at him. "Ecstatic, obviously."
"So what do you say?" he asked enthusiastically. "One more exceedingly evil plot?"
"Some other time," Shego answered with a slight smile. "Right now I want you to prove what you just said."
Drakken fiddled nervously with the tips of his gloves. "Oh? And how… how do you suppose I do that?"
Shego gave him a full smile and leaned in, her lips beginning to pucker.
"Kissy face."