I don't own these characters, except for Trin, Shin, and Tatsu. Everyone else goes to Disney.
14: Fester
The rest of the stay at the Lazy C Ranch was full of tension and cold stares. The whole Possible family stayed at the ranch, even though DNAmy and her mutations-on-parade destroyed a good deal of it. There had been an imaginary line drawn and now there was a "them" and an "us" instead of the whole family.
Slim was the only one who did not pick a side, even though he was pressured to do so by his wife. He actually thought his mother, sister, brother-in-law, wife, daughter, and nephew took things way too seriously and they had been the ones who started it. After all, Trin and Anne mostly just minded their own business as usual and had not asked for anyone to start judging them. But, he did not express that opinion at the moment because he thought it would open a whole new can of worms. He would rather everything be quietly tense than the harsh, nearly uncivilized words that came out when they argued.
Slim had to admit that once upon a time, yes, he had had a problem with homosexuals. He still had a bit of that in him, mostly because of Shin and really, he knew it was Shin and not the whole homosexual community. Shin was just wild and the boy made him nervous. Not because he was gay, but just in general. Something was wrong with that kid.
But, he was aware that a person's sexual orientation did not make the person good or bad or deviant or not because if that was the case, the world could easily be broken up to good and evil. The world was not that definite and not that well defined. To him, Kim was still the same kid that could do anything and Trin was certainly still "Shorty."
As far as Slim's opinion on Anne, well, she was his favorite sister-in-law, but she had always been a bit of a mystery to him. He liked her and all. She was a very pleasant person with a heartwarming smile and she was great to be around. She just sort of lit up a room when she entered it; it seemed like something Kim had inherited. She was kind with a good heart. She was a great person as far as he was concerned.
But, Slim silently always thought about how it was strange for a person to go from gay to straight like Anne did. He guessed it happened, even though it seemed strange. From what he understood, Tatsu had done the same thing in a way, except she had gone from straight to gay. He still could not help thinking it was odd, though.
He always countered that thought with the fact that he did not understand love much. He just knew that love did weird things to people and he truly believed that Anne loved his brother. She had to care deeply for the Squirt to put up with him and his idiosyncrasies, not to mention trust him enough to have children with him. After all, his little brother was a bit loopy in the head thanks to being a genius and all, but she stuck with him through everything, and there was a lot to stick through, and they were still together. They even always appeared to be happily married; they were happily married.
Slim knew one thing for sure and that was Anne was not looking to steal his brother's money like his family thought. He did not know where his family got that crazy idea. Maybe they just wanted an excuse to dislike her, but they needed to put away the one that they had and look for a better reason to hate Anne if they were going to hate her anyway.
He hoped his family straightened up a bit and realized how much they hurt James with their shenanigans. But, considering they had a "them" and "us" camp, he doubted that would happen any time soon. It was sad really.
Well, thanks to all that mess, Slim doubted that he would see his favorite sister-in-law or Shorty again for a long time. He would miss the pair. Maybe he could go to Middleton one day to see them. Yeah, I think I'll make that trip.
James and his family quietly left at the end of the week as planned and they were all happy to be going home. They were emotionally and physically drained from the trip. They all doubted they would get together with the Possible clan again anytime soon. Things just went too far that time and the wound might never heal.
When they got home, everyone just went to their rooms and fell out; Shego went with Kim and Tatsu followed Trin. They all just relaxed. They needed it. Tatsu did remind her beloved that she said that she would take her to see her mother.
"Don't worry, baby. I didn't forget," Trin assured her lover while curling up next to Tatsu in her bed.
-*-(Next day)-*-
Tatsu looked around the grassy expanse. She was a bit lost. It had been so many years since she had been there and she did not really know the place that well. Trin tried to help her look, but it was a bit difficult for the blonde to be of any assistance since it was such a large place and she had never been there before. She watched as her poor girlfriend rubbed her forehead in confusion as she tried to remember where she should go. She tried to remember a landmark of some kind.
"Was there a tree or something?" Tatsu asked herself in frustration. Maybe I am stupid, like so many people think, she quietly conceded. After all, no smart person would forget where her mother was buried.
"Baby, is this is?" Trin inquired as she came across a tiny tombstone. The person whose grave it marked had the same last name as Tatsu.
The mechanic walked down to the blonde to see if she had indeed found her mother's grave. She looked at the name and nodded to confirm that it was her mother's grave. She touched the small tombstone and sighed.
Tatsu sat down and just stared at the marker for an undetermined amount of time. Trin stood quietly behind the mechanic with a hand on her shoulder. She did not mind being there and would give Tatsu all of the time in the world if she needed it.
"I don't think they were married, so why do you think we all had the same name?" Tatsu asked.
"Maybe they were married. Or maybe they loved each other, but just couldn't express it properly. It's been known to happen," Trin answered.
Tatsu nodded and was silent again for a while. "You know, she was never there for me. I mean, even when she was physically in the house, she didn't even know who the hell I was. I don't know why she never knew me, but it might be because she never wanted me. Neither of them wanted me. He told me that the only reason I was even there was because they didn't have the money for an abortion. He said she used to try to miscarry, throw herself down some stairs or hit herself in the stomach and stuff like that. My old man said that she was crazy, wasn't right in the head, and that's why I'm so dumb he said," Tatsu reported.
"You know you're not dumb, baby," Trin commented while rubbing her beloved's shoulder to comfort the mechanic.
"Yeah, I know, but that's what he used to say. He used to tell me I had her brains. I was stupid and useless like her. Is that something you say about someone you love?" Tatsu asked.
"Baby, some people just don't know how to love properly. They're poisonous and so they poison those around them. It has nothing to do with you," Trin assured her. She had been traumatized in her early life and she got to escape it, but it still bothered her. She could only imagine what Tatsu had to live through for the years and years she stayed with her parents. It was not so much abuse like Trin had, but the chaos Tatsu lived in with her parents.
"When I was little and started taking things apart, he used to yell at me. He'd ask what a dumb kid like me thought I was doing and he used to slap me in the head to get me to stop stuff like that. It didn't hurt. It was like a tap," Tatsu said with a bit of a laugh.
They were intended to hurt, though. She would not consider her father physically abusive. Psychologically and emotionally abusive maybe, but not physically. She was not even sure that he did those things on purpose, but that did not make them go away. She tried to ignore the scars that were left on her psyche from her childhood, especially since she was pretty sure that they were finally healing. Maybe that was why she could talk about it little by little, she considered.
"Baby," Trin sighed. She knew that her lover had gone through with her parents somewhat because every now and then, Tatsu would talk about them for a minute or so out of the blue and then not bring them up for another couple of months. She tried to comfort her girlfriend when those times came up. She was not sure if her actions did what was intended, but she did not stop because she did not get any complaints.
"He'd insult me a whole lot, but at least he was there and knew who I was. He was the one made sure that I ate something every day while she was too busy staring at the wall. He was also the one that made sure I bathed at least once a week. He used to call me 'smelly' because I didn't like to take baths. He didn't care where I was or what I did once I was out of the house, but he was better than her. I mean, maybe he was an okay dad," Tatsu sighed.
"Baby, if you don't think he was, you don't have to try to convince yourself. I've learned that just because you have to put up with something, this doesn't make it adequate. As a father, he owed you much more than those things," Trin replied.
"I guess. You know, one time, when I was eleven, we went a whole month without talking to each other."
Trin sighed. She could not imagine going an hour without talking to her father. "Was that when you mother died?" She hoped Tatsu's father had been grieving to spend a whole month ignoring his daughter.
"No. She had been dead almost a year by then. We just didn't talk. Nothing to talk about. He drank. I drank, but we didn't talk."
Trin leaned into Tatsu, rubbing her back more. "Again, your father owed you so much more." Way more than father/daughter bonding by getting drunk with his eleven-year-old.
"Yeah." Tatsu nodded. "Maybe he did, but he was still better than her. I just didn't know what was wrong with her. Why didn't she see me? Why wasn't she there for me? I just don't understand. I mean, she was my mother. She didn't do anything for me, but she was my mother."
"I don't have that answer for you, baby," the blonde admitted. She had long ago learned that a mother did not have to automatically love her child. Apparently, that nine-month term of living in someone could be positive or negative thing on the person's emotions toward her cargo.
"I never had someone to run to if I needed protection. I never had someone I could cling to and then wait for someone else to show up and held. I had to stand my ground and either win or lose on my own. I always thought that was how life was, that I had to be on my own. And then you showed up," Tatsu said and she put her hand on the one resting on her shoulder.
"Now, you have me and the baggage I come with," Trin remarked.
"It's weird. I've got family now, don't I?" Tatsu asked. She never really had a family. Her mother was crazy as far as she knew; she assumed the woman had a mental illness that was never diagnosed. Her father was there, but he was not a real father and she got to see that now through James. Yes, her father made sure she ate and she was clean every now and then, but most of the time, he would rather smoke and drink than pay her any mind.
"That you do, baby. We'll be there for you to stand with you, even while you stand with a little bigfoot," Trin replied. She understood what it was like to not have a family and then to suddenly have one. It was a beautiful feeling and she was glad that she could provide that for Tatsu.
"Thanks."
"You don't have to thank me or anyone else. We're just here for you because that's what family does. We'll always be there for you, me especially," the blonde promised.
"You'll always be with me?" Tatsu asked with some hope in her voice.
"You know I will. As long as you want me there, I will be there. I love you like no other and I know I always will. So, you don't have to worry about no one seeing you because I always see you. Sometimes, you're the only person I see. Now, I'm no replacement for her, but it's the best I can do now."
"It's better. I know this is better, but sometimes, you just think about the past," the mechanic commented while focusing on the tombstone.
Trin nodded. "I know how that is," she commented. She knew very well how it was and how the past could torment a person, even if she was certain her life now was better than the one that could have been.
"We can go home now. I just…" Tatsu trailed off because she could not even explain it. She was not sure why she wanted to be there and to sit with her mother for moment, but she was ready to go now. She did not feel like being depressed anymore, especially since she did not see the reason behind it. "This is a really good family, Trin."
"And it's ours."
Tatsu smiled. "Yeah, ours. I like that."
-8-8-8-8-
Shego looked around the Possible house and noticed that everyone was gone. She craned an eyebrow, where was everyone? She wandered up to her lover's room and found Kim at her computer. Well, at least her Kimmie was there and she was the most important person in the house to the former thief.
"Hey, Princess, where is everybody?" Shego asked curiously.
"Out. Mom and Dad went to be alone and have some lunch. I think they just need to romance each other, remind each other what they love about the other," Kim reported.
Shego chuckled. "Your dad is a lucky guy to have that woman love him. I gotta say, I never looked at him and thought 'he could make a lesbian change teams' and it turns out, he has."
Kim shook her head. "I hate that you respect him more for that."
Shego shrugged. "The man's got game. I've got to respect that. I mean, it's not like he made Kim Possible fall for him, but he was damn close."
A smile settled on Kim's face despite the fact that she tried to fight it off. "You're a smooth talker."
"I have to be. I need to keep Kim Possible by my side," Shego remarked. "What about your annoying siblings? Where are they?"
"The tweebs went to the arcade to wind down, I guess, and Trin took Tatsu to the Middleton cemetery," Kim reported.
"Cemetery? Why?" the green-skinned female inquired.
"Her mother is buried out there, I do believe," the redhead answered.
"Oh, really? What did her mother die of?" Shego asked. She had no idea that Tatsu had lost her mother. Tatsu did not talk about her family at all when people were around. Shego could respect that considering the fact that she did not talk about her family either.
"I don't know. Trin didn't really say."
"She died recently?"
"No, I don't think so. I think it's been some years, but Trin didn't really say and Tatsu never talks about her family," Kim answered and then a thought hit her. "Shego, I just realized something."
"What?"
"I don't know anything about your family. Well, really, your parents. I mean, I know you've got brothers and everything and they get on your nerves, but what about your parents?" Kim inquired.
"Nothing much to report on them. They're just regular people, living their lives," Shego answered.
"Hard to imagine your parents as normal," Kim remarked with a teasing smile.
"Well, it's hard to imagine your family as psycho," Shego countered in a playful tone. She did not want to hurt Kim's feelings, so she smiled, too, to show she was teasing.
"Touché," Kim muttered. "So, you don't want to tell me anymore about your parents?" the redhead asked.
"There's really not much to them. I mean, they're not geniuses like your parents or anything. They're just two regular people." Shego shrugged.
"And that's all?" Kim inquired.
"That's about it. They're not really special."
"Could I meet them one day?" Kim requested.
Shego shrugged again. "Sure, no problem."
Internally, Kim jumped for joy. She did not expect it to be so easy. She decided not to press her luck and then she noticed Shego smiling.
"What?" the petite hero asked curiously.
"Nothing. I can't smile?" the pale woman inquired and her smile did not waver.
"Are you going to attack me or something?" Kim asked, wondering if she should get on guard. She would not mind sparring, but she would like a warning or something close to it if they were going to fight.
"Good idea," Shego agreed with that suggestion.
The ex-sidekick stalked over to Kim like a big cat and she did attack. It was an assault of passionate kisses. The reason that she had smiled was the reason that most people smiled, she was happy. She was just happy because she had Kim and Kim held deep affection for her. She had a special girl who she would keep no matter what, especially since Kim had sort of picked her over her family. Sure, it was not exactly that, but she had come out to them, even though she knew that they would shun her for it.
Shego was happy to know that Kim was not ashamed of her or of their relationship. It was wonderful. It was a cause to smile widely.
-*-(New day)-*-
"Home, sweet home," Trin said with a sigh as she, Tatsu, Shego, and Kim entered her apartment. She never thought she would be so pleased to enter the apartment until that moment.
"Just cook something already," Shego ordered. "I'm starving," she added as she flopped down onto the sofa.
"Me, too," Tatsu admitted while rubbing her stomach and taking a seat in an armchair.
"Oh, you mean, all of the greasy food from Montana isn't holding you over?" Trin remarked.
"Just make something edible that won't make us fall to the ground if we eat it," the former thief practically commanded.
"Sure, let me check and see if I have any arsenic to put in your plate first," the blonde commented.
"Don't make me kill you," Shego threatened the chef.
Trin only waved the moss-hued female off. She went into the kitchen to see what they had that she could prepare a meal with. Suddenly, she heard the door open and she knew instantly Shin was back. She went to greet him with a very important question.
"Where's my kimono?" Trin demanded. No one was surprised she did not greet him properly. To her, her kimono was the most important thing. He owed her that because he had ruined her other kimono.
"You won't believe what happened to me in Japan," Shin said as he tossed his bags in his room's direction. He did not see where they landed, but he hoped they were close to his door. If not, his harpy would correct that. Hell, if he left the bags out long enough, she would put his stuff up for him.
"Where's my kimono?" came the question a second time.
"It was crazy."
"Where's my kimono?"
"Everything isn't about you," Shin replied.
"Stay right there," Trin said and she pointed at her best friend. She went back to the kitchen.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Kim asked the half-Japanese male.
"I am so dead," Shim muttered as Trin returned with a kitchen knife in hand.
Shin screamed like a little girl, mostly just to be stupid. He decided to make a run for it because he did not have any weapons on him. He just wanted to tell them about what happened to him in Japan. He would have to wait and compare notes later on; the harpy was pissed that he forgot her kimono.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: the epilogue of what happened to Shin in Japan.