11. Peace
"Director?"
Kim Stoppable looked up from the pile of paperwork on her large desk and saw the familiar face of Will Du, standing in her doorway. He looked apprehensive, but Kim smiled warmly in return.
"Will," she said. "I'm glad to see you're still here."
"Couldn't really leave," said Du, stepping into the office and sitting in the leather chair in front of Kim's desk. "There isn't really much above being an upper agent in the largest espionage agency in the world."
"Ah, but who can really say we're the largest?" asked Kim, putting her pen down. "We ARE an espionage agency, there aren't really accurate statistics on how big we are, and how many other agencies are really going to come forward to challenge us?"
Will raised and eyebrow and nodded. "An excellent point. I stand corrected. Or sit, as the case may be."
"Actually, I think you're right." Kim picked up the page she was working on and tossed it onto the taller stack of papers on her desk. "But it's important to have humility. If we go around claiming to be the best, someone will just rise up to try and prove us wrong."
"I believe someone did," pointed out Will. "Through no fault of our own, of course."
"Thankfully it seems we purged the remains of Syndicate finally." Kim looked sadly to the side. "Senior Senior Senior was a surprise, though, so I guess we can never drop our guard."
"At least we got something positive out of it." Will started to stand again.
"What's that?" asked Kim.
"You came back to us."
Kim blinked, then smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I appreciate the sentiment. But I'm not here to stay. I'll only be here long enough to choose and train a proper successor."
"Never use absolutes," Will raised his finger. "They're so often proven wrong."
"I know I didn't tell you that."
"Then perhaps you should listen," smiled Will. "I came in to tell you we're almost ready to go to the proceedings."
Kim nodded. "Second time now, I hope we get it right."
"There's little we could do to live up to what she did for us," said Will. "But also little we could do to tarnish her reputation."
"Now that I completely agree with." Kim stood, and sighed at her desk. "I can't believe how much paperwork a little vacation generated." She walked around the edge of the large oak desk and came up to Will.
"Three and a half years is not a 'little' vacation."
"Picky picky," laughed Kim as she walked past the agent and descended the stairs from her office.
In the 'pit', the command center of GJ US, two rows of agents were lined up in dress uniforms, matching the one Will was wearing. Kim's black dress and jacket were not standard issue, which was one way of her reminding everyone she wasn't coming back for good. It was also a 'Monique' dress, which she was told Shego designed, so she felt it was appropriate given the event they were attending.
As Kim and Will walked between the agents, they filed behind them in two rows, silently marching to an unheard beat. They continued their formation even onto the plane, and all the way from the airport to the cemetery, only breaking line when they got into a half dozen cars to drive part of the distance.
The large open cemetery was silent and a cool breeze blew across the plots as the GJ contingent of guests met up with the large crowd already gathered. The skies were partly clouded and dull, but no rain was in the forecast to complete the cliché.
Monique was at the front of the group, standing beside an ornate urn which stood on an ebony pedestal. She smiled once at Kim then turned to address the crowd now that all had arrived.
"Dearly beloved," she began. "We are gathered here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And although we have stood here before and spoken these words, they are no less profound now, than they were two years ago. In fact, knowing how our friend gave herself not once, but twice for the safety of our lives only makes this ceremony more appropriate. In our chaotic lives, there is little we can truly control save for one thing: whether we are good or evil. And while our friend wavered many times in her life, when it counted, when lives were at stake, Shego was a good person."
Kim listened as Monique recounted moments in Shego's life, her joys and sadness, and allowed every person to feel, just for a second, the sorrow in her heart, and the joy of seeing a friend off towards the next adventure. When the time came to speak, Kim accepted, and she did her own deluge of memories, some people had known and heard before, and some that were new, hidden, personal. Kim had once felt these moments should have been locked up and treasured personally but now, standing before so many people who would come and cry for someone being buried a second time, she knew the memories could only be truly treasured when shared.
The rest of the funeral was brief, but others came to speak their peace. As each moment was explained, Kim felt a piece of someone she'd come to call friend come alive and thrive, and a bit of the heavy anchors she'd hung on her heart since going to Senior's citadel were lifted. In many ways, Shego had been lost to these people for many years now. Seeing her again, alive, was a gift that Kim got, not a punishment. It was a concept that she was only now beginning to understand. One concept, in fact, of many she was gradually coming to grasp.
After the funeral, the crowd went to a local restaurant to dine, although many departed immediately afterwards. As the day wore on, people left at a steady pace until only the core remained, the people who knew her best. Their talk was peppered my comments about the departed, but mostly about the future.
"I heard Will say you're back in the office," said Monique, nodding to Kim.
Kim had been holding her daughter Julie, who Ron had brought with him apart from the GJ entourage. The young girl had fallen asleep during the long talks and lengthy meals leaving Kim to gently cradle her on her lap. Kim spoke softly so as not to wake the sleeping princess. "Just for a short while," Kim nodded. "I've left the in the dark for so long, I'm surprised they still want me to stay."
"You're not going to though," asked Wade, sitting on the opposite side of the round table beside Zita and Felix. Florence, Felix's wife, had gotten stuck with work and was at home with their children. Wade's own significant other was back in Middletown, having not ever met Shego. Zita, perpetually, was single, but didn't ever seem to care.
"No," Kim shook her head. "I'd like to get into something else now. Something... well, less cut and dry."
"GJ is cut and dry?" asked Ron with a smile. Kim poked him playfully.
"Back to the hero business?" said Wade, excited.
"No," Kim said. "I'm thinking about... politics."
Monique blinked while Wade coughed. "What?"
"That's great, Kim," said Felix, smiling. "Better than fixing the symptoms, right?"
Kim nodded. "That's exactly right."
"At least you already live in a fortress," said Zita, neutral. "No worries about political activists storming your door."
"Actually," said Ron. "We're trying to find a place outside of the GJ community. Somewhere closer to the city around Middleton. Julie is going to start school in a little over a year and ... well..." Ron blushed and couldn't finish the sentence.
"You want her to go to Middleton schools," said Felix.
"Yeah," admitted Ron.
"That's cute," said Monique. "It was a pretty good school."
"It had its moments," said Kim, laughing.
"Not the least of which were because you went there," said Wade, smiling. "Not that I would know personally."
"I still can't believe it when I see you in person," said Kim. "It's surreal."
"My girlfriend says the same thing," mumbled Wade.
Everyone laughed and they shared more memories of high school together until the time had stretched far into the night and even the core group had to say their goodbyes. Felix was flying home, and didn't specifically say by jet or by wheelchair but still left just before midnight. Monique left an hour later leaving just Wade and Zita with Kim, Ron, and Julie.
"We better get going," said Kim as she and Ron stood. "Little Julie is going to be a nightmare in the morning unless we get her into bed soon. Are you two going to be okay getting back?"
"I've got a hotel in the area," said Zita. "I'll probably stay a few days while I'm here."
"I... can't really say, but trust me, I'll be fine."
"You can't say?" puzzled Kim.
"It's proprietary," shrugged Wade. "I can't talk about it during testing, but you'll probably be contacted when we finally go pubic."
"Me, or the Director of GJ?" asked Kim.
"Well, probably both, if they aren't the same at that time."
"Hah," laughed Kim. She gently handed Julie off to Ron and the two waved goodbye as they departed. Once outside, Kim gently kissed Julie's forehead and then more romantically kissed Ron.
"Are you coming with us to the hotel or do you have more Director business?" asked Ron, putting their daughter into the rental car.
"Actually, I have someplace else I have to go, I'll probably be gone for most of tomorrow as well."
Ron frowned. "What's going on?"
Kim tug into her purse and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. She handed it to Ron who flattened it and read.
"I don't get it," said Ron. "Six numbers?"
"Coordinates," said Kim. "Longitude and Latitude, with precision down to the second. Shego recited them to me before..." she trailed off.
"Why?" asked Ron.
"I'm not sure, but I couldn't figure out what they were until I showed them to Wade earlier today." Kim gently took back the paper and dropped it into her purse. "Shego said, 'Take care of them,' but didn't specify who they were."
"Seems fishy," said Ron. "Are you taking GJ with you?"
"A few agents," nodded Kim. "No more than my usual entourage now that I'm Director again. I don't think I have anything to worry about, this is Shego after all."
"I guess you're right." Ron hugged his wife. "Don't be back too late, tomorrow, or Julie won't go to bed."
Kim laughed. "I'll remember."
Ron smiled and got into the car and drove off. A black car pulled up immediately afterwards and Kim got in nodding to the driver, a GJ agent from the local office. With a nod, he was off to the west cost GJ office where a plane would be waiting for her to take her to whatever Shego wanted her to see just before she died.
Kim hoped it wasn't something stupid, but Shego's sick sense of humor didn't rule it out.