They made love. Silently, tenderly, slowly. Uh-oh.

"------------------------------------------------------"

"I still say it looks like a big steel dick" Bonnie said smugly, unimpressed as ever by the OPT.

"You'd know more about that than I would, sweetheart" Cin replied. 'Sweetheart' had become her pet phrase since early that evening, when they'd finally cleaned up and gone to dinner with their parents. They met again at 8 pm., and now, after five hours of trying to find ways to waste time (it wasn't hard), they were finally inside the machine. Once the door was silently sealed behind them, Cin flipped on the lights. At least that was right where you would expect it to be.

As for the rest of the interior – it looked like a cross between a nuclear power-plant control room and a plumber's shop. There were important-looking display-panels and banks of complicated switches next to valves, pipes and levers, levers, levers everywhere, even hanging down from the ceiling. And everything had a label.

Cin sat in the "Directional Control and Navigation Chair", conveniently placed in front of the "Directional Control and Navigation Panel". Dazed by the display of technology, Cin could only wonder what it would look once the OPT was powered up and "alive".

"This is SO awesome!" she gushed. Her hands ached to pull levers and push buttons.

"I bet you're a Trekkie, too" Bonnie teased, "'Main view screen, turn on!'" she giggled. Bonnie didn't know where the joke came from, she just knew it sounded corny, and it fit the surroundings.

But Cin did, and added "Take away every Zig! For great justice..." They both laughed.

Until they heard the tapping. Something was going on outside, very quietly. "We get signal" Cin whispered, in keeping with the mood, "Hide!"

It wasn't hard to find a place to hide - it was hard deciding which hiding-spot to pick. Cin dove behind the console she'd been sitting in front of, while Bonnie crouched down behind something that looked like it was probably a work-bench of some kind, except that it's surface was covered with evenly-spaced, threaded holes.

They waited.

And waited. Nothing was happening – the tapping and rustling noises had ended after only a few minutes, but no one had tried to open the door, let alone come inside. That was... weird... Cin stood up and walked out from behind the panel. Standing next to the chair, she whispered in the other girl's direction, "Do you think they – whoa!" She grabbed on to the chair's back to steady herself as the entire machine lurched to one side, then the other. It was a bit like being in a small boat. "What the hell?"

"Cin! Let's get outta here!" Bonnie whispered frantically, rushing to the only door. She began unsealing it. Cin came up behind her and flipped out the lights. When Bonnie cracked open the door, a rush of wind pushed her hair back. Had the weather changed? Was there a storm? What were those tiny lights on the ground?

"Oh... my... god..." she said once she'd figured it out.

Right behind her, her view blocked by Bonnie, Cin asked in a hushed but frantic voice, "What? Bon? What's going on?"

Bonnie pulled the door the rest of the way in, opening the hatch fully. The lake shown in the moonlight underneath them. At least two hundred feet underneath them. Once that fact registered with Cin, she grabbed onto Bonnie and hid her head against the other girl's back.

"Close it! Bon! Close it now!" Cin cried. Bonnie didn't take the time to ask Cin why she was so scared – she obviously was, so she just closed the door. But Cin was still clutching her back, and even trembling now.

"It's okay... it's okay Cin. Cindy. The door's closed. It's okay..."

Cin gradually let go of Bonnie and staggered back to her chair, where she sat with her head in her hands, trying to concentrate on breathing. Bonnie just watched her in shock. Cin? Rough, tough, tom-boy Cin was afraid of heights? The idea was so opposed to everything she imagined about her that it took awhile to grasp. Then again, it was rough, tough tom-boy Cin that had just made passionate tender love with her only hours before... Wow, 'don't judge a book by it's cover' is right! Who'd have guessed? Bonnie thought. She recovered herself and went over to try to comfort her girlfriend.

Cin clutched at the offered hand, digging her nails painfully into Bonnie's palm. "We... we're flying, aren't we..."

"Looks like." What else was there to say? Hey, look, Cin, this twenty-ton phallic freight-train is airborne! How do you suppose that happened?

"I don't... like to fly..." Cin said still hunched over and looking at the floor.

That was pretty obvious, too. "It'll be okay Cin. This thing is expensive – they're not going to drop it."

Cin looked up, "Who's not going to drop it?"

"Uhm... whoever is... well, taking it, I guess..."

"It's being stolen. And we're on it. This is bad, Bon. This is seriously bad" Cin said looking into Bonnie's eyes for emphasis. Then the machine lurched again and she clutched Bonnie against herself, burying her head in the brunette's stomach.

Bonnie stroked Cin's short blonde hair, "Okay, baby, okay... it'll just be a short ride... They can't carry something this size very far..."

How wrong she was.

"------------------------------------------------------"

The same guard was coming down the row of cells – Kim and Shego could hear her by-now-recognizable footsteps. Kim's anger began to seethe just thinking about the woman and her "dyke" remark earlier.

"Dr. Director would like to see you. Both of you" she said brusquely.

The prisoner – and her... consort – got up to follow the guard, and they walked in silence. For awhile.

"You uh... you don't like 'dykes', do ya?" Kim asked the leading question.

"Kim..." Shego tried to get her to back off, but Kim wouldn't be soothed.

"No. No, I wanna know, Shego. Everyone else has been – well, relatively – cool" she looked back at the guard in front of her, "But not you. What have I – or any other 'dyke'- ever done to you?"

The guard didn't answer.

"Hey, I'm -" Kim began, but Shego cut in.

"Kim, she's not going to say anything. They're trained not to - it's called 'Confrontation Avoidance'. It's how they deal with prisoners... We're not people to them – we can't be – no one could do that job if they thought of the prisoners as people just like them. Just drop it, Pumpkin, okay? Opinions are like ass-holes: everybody has one."

That didn't sound much like the Shego Kim knew. "I never thought you'd be taking up for... You on her side?"

"It's not about sides. It's about getting along in the Big House, is all. You don't go banging your head against walls."

"But -"

"Look, Kimmie... you're new to all this. Never spent any time in prison. And you've only been... a dyke... for what, a week? A lot of things aren't... friendly, to people like us, especially in here. Get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it! It's not -"

"- fair" Shego said with a sigh.

They walked on in silence.

"Ah, Kim, Shego. Come in" Dr. Director said cheerfully. She sat behind the table in a different – but exactly the same in every way – interrogation room. "It looks like we have a job for Team Possible. And what I called you in here to ask you is this: where does Shego fit in?"

Kim's forehead wrinkled. The Director was certainly getting to the point this time – they'd barely walked in the door. The guard was still standing outside, in fact, waiting to be dismissed. And the question had been asked point-blank: where does Shego – Master Thief, habitual criminal, and wanted in eleven countries - fit into Kim's life? The very subject Kim had been doing her very best to avoid thinking about.

Kim's mind dropped back to what she knew: "Wh – What's the sitch?"

"More coffee, Shego? Black, wasn't it?" Dr. Director asked her.

Shego smiled. Doc was playing a game again, and even if Kim was her mark, it was fun to watch. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you" she said politely.

"Kim? Perhaps you'd prefer a soda? We have 7-Up, Pepsi -"

"WHAT I'D PREFER IS TO GET BACK TO THE SITCH!" Kim screamed, losing control of herself. She glared venomously at the Director.

This is exactly what the Director had been trying to do: get Kim Possible to lose her temper. Now, the real question was, how long -

"I... I'm sorry, Dr. I guess I lost it there" Kim said, as quickly abashed as she'd been furious just before, "I don't... I don't know what... where she fits in, or what's going to happen to her – to us... but I guess I pretty much... Uh, sorry about the yelling..."

Okay, that was fast... good show, Kim. "Well, Kim. I have to say I'm impressed. Now – would you care for something to drink, and a little time to collect yourself, or do you want to get right into the meat of the matter..."

"I..." Kim started, and then thought about the question. She knew the Director well enough, and feared her enough, to know that when she asked a question, one would be wise to think before answering. Since she was asking, the "sitch" must not be very time-sensitive. And Kim obviously could use some "collecting herself" time. So, put those together, and -

"Dr. Pepper?"

The Director smiled. Smart girl. Fast learner, too... "Dr. Nehi close enough?"

"Please and thank-you."

After the Director left the room, Shego said, "I do believe you've passed some sort of test, Princess. Congratulations. I really do have the best girlfriend." She tried to keep from chuckling.

Kim looked over at her, "Having a good time, Shego?"

"Gotta take your fun where you can find it sometimes, Fireball." Now she did chuckle.

"Don't call me 'Fireball'. "

Still grinning, Shego only said, "Yes, Mistress."

"And don't... oh... I take it back" Kim said blushing a little. She couldn't stay mad at Shego when she kept smiling like that.

"What are you going to tell her? Where do I fit in?"

"Oh, how should I know? Here we are both in jail, and you're asking me how everything's going to work out? I don't even know what's going to happen in the next few hours, Shego! It's all so... so..."

"Complicated."

Kim sighed, "Yeah."

"Here you go, ladies" the Director walked in with the drinks, setting them down on the table. She draped her jacket over the chair back and sat down. Kim and Shego sat opposite her. "Now Kim: you realize Shego here is a wanted criminal. In thirteen countries -"

"I thought it was only eleven..." Shego cut in, not sure now whether the greater number was something to be proud of or not.

"Two of them split into independent republics, but you stayed on the books of both. Sort of a technicality... nonetheless, the count is thirteen now" the Director answered, "If it helps at all, you've made it into the '10 Most Wanted' lists of nine of them, up from six a year ago."

"Oh. Uh... well... yeah. Thanks. I guess." Shego replied, unsure whether she was being made fun of or not.

"My point is, Kim, I can't very well let her go on her own recognizance. If she leaves this facility, she will have to be under the guard of an agent of the GJ at all times. Preferably in restraints." Dr. Director was looking intently at Kim now.

What am I supposed to say? Kim thought, "Oh, good idea"? "Well, that sounds reasonable"? She's waiting for me to say something...

The Director lifted her briefcase to the table and opened it. While she pretended to search for something, she said, "Have you ever thought of becoming an Agent for Global Justice, Kim Possible?"

"Me? Well, I mean, sure, someday... but I'm sixteen. I'm in high school. I'm not even a Senior in high school! I can't -"

"But I can, Kim. Oh, it's a paperwork nightmare, yes, but I can do it." The Director looked over the top of her briefcase. "If you'd care to be so employed. We do have special exemptions for... talented people such as yourself. And I don't believe I'll have any trouble getting your application passed by the Board, either – you've done enough free-lance world-saving, it should sail right through."

Kim slumped back in her chair. Things were coming at her hard and fast, and she hadn't been thinking her life was going to change this drastically. Getting together with Shego had been one thing, Shego being arrested and jailed another, and now to become a full GJ agent? Paid and everything? Would she have to show up every morning in "business casual" attire, with a shoulder-holstered firearm under her jacket? Would she have a desk?

"So... exactly how would that work, Dr. Director? I mean, do I still go to school?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to, yes. It's the law in this country."

"Do I come in to work every -" Kim went on with her list.

"Kim, listen. And don't ever tell anyone I said this, because I'll deny it. It would just be a technicality. Your life would go on as before – Shego will stay here when she's not with you. Not in a cell, but we'll set up an apartment here in the compound for her. Unless you make other arrangements, that is – but I'm afraid she will still have to be here while you're in school, regardless of where she... sleeps." The Director paused for effect. "And she will join you on your missions. She will become part of Team Possible."

Kim couldn't speak. Shego either. This was an unexpected development... The Director took a single sheet of paper from her briefcase (it had been on top the whole time) and casually pushed it over to the slumped heroine. "As the Responsible Agent, you will be accountable for Shego's actions at all times when she is outside this facility. She breaks the law – any law – and she will be coming right back here. You will be fired and never asked to work here again – nor at any other law-enforcement agency, I should think. If you do this, that 'permanent record' they try to scare you with in school will become a reality. I'll give you some time to think about it" she said, pushing her chair back.

"Wait!" Kim cried. Things were going WAY too fast here, but she had to ask, "Why do you want a criminal on Team Possible? Shouldn't that be the last thing you -"

"What Shego does is your responsibility, should you accept it, Kim. I don't think we need to discuss how you might ensure she stays out of trouble. And I want her on your team for several reasons: she has skills on par with your own, and her plasma besides. The two of you – I should imagine – will work well together. Finally, as you say, she is an experienced criminal. Who better to have on our side than someone who has been so involved with the other side? Now, I'll leave you to... talk it over."

The Director left and closed the door behind her. Kim and Shego just sat in silence.

For a long time.

"Well, Pumpkin? I don't have a problem with it – sure beats sitting in a cell all day long. Might even be fun; at least I'll be back in the game, so to speak. Just on the other side."

"And on a leash" Kim looked at her, "That doesn't bother you?"

"As long as it's you holding the other end of that leash, Kimmie, I think I can deal with it..."

"Yeah?" Kim had her doubts, "Okay, let's try something then: Shego? Do not steal anything ever again. There. How's that feel?"

Not so good, actually. Stealing was a part of Shego's life, part of what she was. Even after she'd quit Drakken, she still stole, even if it was only shop-lifting. Most of what she had in her apartment was stolen, and she was proud of it. Stealing made her feel alive, dirty, dangerous, superior... And Kim could – and had just now, in fact – taken it away. With a word. With a wave of her hand. Shego's whole life...

But Kim wasn't finished, "You have to tell me the truth, right? Have you stolen anything since... since we've been seeing each other?"

Shego swallowed, "Yes... But -"

"What? Tell me all the things you've stolen in the last... week." Kim commanded. If she were going to do this – and a part of her really really wanted to – then Shego might as well get a taste for... what it might be like.

Shego's forehead wrinkled. Why was Kim doing this to her? This wasn't... fun. This wasn't kinky. This was just... unfair... "Kim... I..."

"Tell me, Shego."

The Thief closed her eyes, "Two hundred thousand dollars in bank notes from Commercial Federal Bank. A 1967 Corvette convertible. Four pairs of jeans, six tops, Red Wing hiking boots, Addidas Spring track shoes, two belts, three bottles of finger-nail polish and an emery board, and... and a chocolate-flavored yogurt. And the coffee mug Dr. Director gave me last time."

"Wow" Kim was as impressed as she was chagrined.

"Kim... I... this is SO..." Shego stammered, unable to look at her – the humiliation was finally hitting home, "I'm really not liking this, Kim!"

"Me neither. I... I'm sorry I had to - I mean, that I..." Kim couldn't get the words out. She had meant to humiliate Shego... She had no idea how ingrained the stealing was to her, but now she was getting the idea – and it would have to stop. And Kim would have to stop her. And this was how. And she hated hated HATED seeing Shego like this! And finally - if it was even possible - she HATED even more being the one who'd done it!

Shego had her face turned away from Kim, so her Mistress couldn't see the single tear running down her pale green cheek. It wasn't the humiliation, though. It wasn't frustration at being helpless. It wasn't anger. It was simply this: Shego knew that Kim was disappointed in her for all the stealing. In a lot of ways, Kim looked up to her, admired her – she knew that. But she didn't admire this. Stealing that cup yogurt, for god's sake... why had she even done that? Was that a theft to be proud of? Did that take great skill and cunning? No. She'd done it because she didn't feel like paying for it, that was all. Because she was a thief, lower-case. There was nothing glamorous in it.

"I'm sorry I stole all that stuff, Kim. I... I have... I'm..."

"Do you still want to do this?" Kim asked quietly.

It was a full minute before Shego could say, "Yes. If you do."

"Even if I won't take back the part about not stealing anything?"

This time, Shego answered immediately, "Yeah."

"You'll... return all that stuff? That you can, anyway?"

"I'll do whatever you want, Kim. And you don't have to make me, either."

After another silent minute, Kim asked, "Why..."

"Because I want you to like me."

"I love you, Shego..."

"I know. But I want you to like me, too."

"------------------------------------------------------"