A/N: I'm really good at posting randomness and AU's, and really bad at posting actual headcanon fic... Well, this is a headcanon fic! It takes place after my huge fic, "There's Christmas-and Christmas," but there's still a gap of missing information...which I will write and publish at some point.

Mostly I wrote this to annoy Split-n-Splice— I mean, to cheer up a friend, and, it's always good to get more headcanon stuff out there!

This is short and bittersweet, and will hopefully leave you with lots of questions and wanting more. Enjoy!

Next Steps

Shego fiddled with her necklace as she sat slumped on the couch, a frown on her face. She shifted uncomfortably as the dark nylons she wore rode up her backside, but not so much that she sat up to adjust the garment. Rather, she simply couldn't find the drive to do so. She did tug the hem of her berry-red skirt down however as it slid too high in her shifting, and she set her high-heel clad feet upon the coffee table as she sighed.

"Shego? Oh there you—"

His words halted abruptly from off to her left. When the silence continued for several seconds she finally turned, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"What?"

Her brow rose. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but seeing her husband-to-be clad in a well-tailored black suit interrupted her distracted thoughts long enough that she forgot the rest of the quip she'd been about to level at him.

"You...look beautiful," was what Drakken managed a moment later while Shego was still blinking at his masculine form.

She glanced down to the rumples in her dress from where she still sat slumped, her hair likely a mess from where she'd leaned it against the sofa arm.

"Feel like a skewered pig."

Drakken blinked out of his daze and his brow twisted slightly as he moved to sit across from her on the coffee table, lifting her feet into his lap once he had done so. Shego looked at his familiarly concerned expression, and a fresh spike of nausea entered her already-churning stomach. As he took a breath to speak likely what was becoming a routine question or platitude, she spoke first.

"Why are we doing this?"

Drakken's expression fell to confusion, and he lightly rubbed the tops of her feet, being careful of her nylons.

"Because I want to take my future bride out for a nice evening," he said softly.

Shego rolled her eyes.

"And," he added, his eyes traveling up her legs to the hem of her short red dress, "it's Valentine's Day."

Shego watched as his gaze lingered on her cleavage after observing crossed arms across her stomach in the off-the-shoulder dress. Only one corner of her mouth rose in a smirk.

"I'm too sick to go out," she said.

Drakken's expression faltered and he looked at her face in concern. Shego bit the inside of her lip. It was half-true, at least... She was all but used to the intense morning sickness after ten weeks.

"Maybe," she added with a sigh.

Drakken lightly rubbed the muscles of her calves, still minding the nylons.

"I thought you wanted an evening out... Especially because we haven't been out since—"

That time Drakken stopped himself, and Shego glanced away, uncrossing and re-crossing her arms. She didn't know which way she preferred it—him not understanding her stress about living through a second comet-strike, or him finally figuring out the secondary excuse she'd been using to stay holed up in the lair. Although the morning sickness really was her primary motivation.

"Shego... Are...are you...?"

"No," she interrupted before he could say 'scared.' Her eyes narrowed as she glanced away to the other side of the room.

Drakken was silent for too long, and she finally turned her eyes back to him. His gaze was piercing, but asking nothing. She didn't like when he analyzed her like that... It made her feel too vulnerable. And yet...there was some part of her that wanted to crawl inside of the safety of that look... Or open herself up and let more of him in, somehow.

It was a nonsensical thought, and she pushed it away with another roll of her eyes. But then Drakken was moving to sit next to her on the sofa. He tucked her legs across his lap and set his arm around her, his fingers gripping her bare shoulder while his other hand took one of hers.

"I can cancel the reservation. And cook you dinner instead?"

Shego's stomach flipped for an entirely different reason. She internally cursed the hormonal mood swings that threatened to bring tears to her eyes as she looked into the depths of his kind, understanding ones.

"No..." she heard herself say through a sigh. "Let's go out."

Drakken rubbed her shoulder gently. "If you don't feel up to it..."

She fought the tears again as he gave her the escape, with no further questions being asked. He was too good to her... She paused and really considered. The nausea truly wasn't as bad, though it was ever-present. And she wasn't going to think about what had happened last time... But, he had been so looking forward to their date...

"You're right. We should go out. It'll be a start to making up for..."

She took a breath as she found she couldn't continue. Drakken's rubbing of her shoulder moved to her neck behind her hair. Her eyes fell to the engagement ring sparkling on her finger.

"And I can show off my brilliant...handsome, genius fiancé," she said through a shaky breath.

Drakken shifted closer to her, and she pressed into his warmth as her head found his shoulder.

"You deserve the world..." he said, his breath hot across her forehead. "But I can start with a proper date."

Shego looked up, a small smirk on her lips but warmth in her eyes.

"I thought I was your world."

Drakken's fingers moved to weave into her hair behind her head, while his others laced between her fingers.

"Only mine..." he breathed. "I still need to conquer this one to give to you."

"But then what can I give you?" she teased softly.

As Drakken leaned in to cover her mouth in a kiss, she finally let a few tears escape the corners of her eyes. But only a few; they were going out for Valentine's Day, and she didn't want to ruin her makeup.