A/N: I just want to continue to thank all my readers and reviewers! As some of my reviewers are guests only or may not check their messages on FFN. Thank you.

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As always, major thanks to the wonderful bcbdrums for editing!


Drinks and Labels Part 1


Shego tossed her swimsuit in the wash with a yawn. While it wasn't Greece or a tropical island, her tanning bed, imagination, and audio recording of ocean waves and tranquil wind-chimes would have to do. She rolled her eyes and vowed that the first chance she got to acquire some funds she was getting as much as possible and splurging. Preferably on a vacation to the Mediterranean or a Jacuzzi, whatever was available first.

"Get a hot tub and plop it right in the middle of the lab," smirked Shego. She laughed to herself. "Drakken's still annoyed at the tanning bed."

As her thoughts fell on Drakken she wondered if he'd finished his argument with Ed. Shego hadn't stuck around to hear the phone call that had interrupted Drakken's new spurt of inspiration that was Shego's gifts. Shego thought of her own phone as well and her eyes narrowed as she walked down the hall. She'd made several calls to Junior since his little Christmas surprise. He'd wisely chosen not to answer...but she was nothing if not patient. It gave her time to think of something equally as traumatic. Her insides still swirled with panicked anxiety at the thought of Drakken opening it or her not having immediately realized what it had been.

"Yeah, he's gonna pay," hissed Shego as she rounded the corner into the lab.

Drakken was tinkering away with his soldering gun and humming cheerfully to himself. Shego hated the fact she knew it was a SnowMan Hank song. She rolled her eyes and smirked as she fell into her normal seat and leaned on the arm to watch him, the deranged madness evident in his eyes as he whispered and muttered to himself and looked at his scribble as he built the smaller parts of the project. That, matched with the giddy smile that had seemed a permanent fixture on his face since he'd started this, made Shego more interested in finding ways for him to work on his own projects. She snorted to herself.

Judging by all the obstacles to get the stuff for this one...might be better off just letting him keep stealing.

"Shego!" she watched his sudden startled face. "When did you get here?"

Shego scoffed and narrowed her eyes.

"Geesh Doc, I walked right by you," grumbled Shego. "Good to know you are even more unaware of your surroundings than normal. All anyone needs to do is give you a tinker toy and they could rob the place clean."

Drakken glared but fell back into working on his project.

"Finished giving Motor-Mouth Ed a verbal lashing about his fun little gifts?" asked Shego as she grabbed her magazine. "Can't believe he called you."

"Yes, well. According to Eddie, that's what he wanted," said Drakken as he adjusted his tools. "He assumed they would make me call him and when I didn't he figured I'd at least answer his call if only to yell at him."

"Why not just call?" asked Shego.

"I always ignore his calls," muttered Drakken. He put his tools down. "I don't want to hear him rant about cars and motorcycles... And on the off chance he talks about a rocket or something useful...it's not worth the risk."

"So what did he want to talk about?" Shego flipped a page to the fashion section of Villain's Weekly.

"New Years," sighed Drakken. "Apparently they reopened the Villain's Inn."

"Reopened?" asked Shego. "Why was it closed?"

"Pyro Pete got paroled," sighed Drakken. "Apparently his party got...lit?"

Shego stared at him and closed her magazine.

"Did we not talk about that slang book?" Shego groaned.

"It was a pun Shego—"

"That's even worse," muttered Shego as she re-opened her magazine. "Yeah, so, what's going on with that then?"

"Oh, he just wanted to let me know we're going there," Drakken glared at his items. "Or rather inform me that Carmella and Cleopatra have conspired on some sort of hang out."

Shego sat up in her chair.

"You're going on a double date...for New Years," stated Shego. "Aw, how cute."

Drakken pointed his soldering gun at her and glared.

"That was a mocking tone and I know it." He went back to his work. "Besides, it beats being here alone or worse...them showing up here! Eddie, unfortunately, knows where we are."

"Who doesn't know where the lair is," whispered Shego. She raised a brow. "Why would you be here alone?"

"Well, we don't have henchmen at the moment. You're going out as normal. I assumed with Junior or Dean as you hadn't invited or forced me to come with you this year," shrugged Drakken. He sighed. "Guess this will have to wait a day longer...which is fine because my fingers are getting numb."

Shego suddenly realized she had not made any plans for New Years, nor had she thought of doing so. Drakken's conclusion made sense, as in the past she was either gone on vacation or dragged him out with her. Her not saying anything had made an easy assumption about her plans. Her mind raced over what she should do if Drakken was going out, and hadn't invited her either. Junior was avoiding her calls and...

"Dean," said Shego confidently.

"What?" asked Drakken. He'd been talking the entire time she'd been in her own head.

"Dean," Shego repeated.

"I asked what you were doing for New Years," muttered Drakken. He quickly looked uncomfortable. "It's none of my business."

He flipped his face shield down and grabbed his tool.

"I meant, Dean and I are going out for New Years," Shego felt her face grow warm. Drakken started up a blow torch.

"Glad to hear," came Drakken's muffled response. The noise of the torch on metal ended the conversation.


New Year's Eve came quicker than Drakken anticipated. He'd only remembered when Carmella had called him and left a message that she was on her way and nearly got decapitated by some lab equipment in his haste to pretend he hadn't forgotten.

It had been a chatty ride to the Villain's Inn, with Ed continuing to fill the night with idle prattle even after they arrived. Drakken fought the urge to roll his eyes at his cousin and stop wishing the lab equipment had at least damaged his hearing as they sat together around a small table.

"So then, these seriously sweet-ass laser blueprints of course had to get amped up by me," smirked Ed. "So that's my new ride."

"Only you could fill an hour with making a new vehicle," grinned Drakken. He fought the eye-roll once again.

"It is shocking how many details there were for such a simple tale," grinned Carmella. The eye contact she made with Drakken made it clear they were in agreement.

"I'm just glad it's done," smiled Cleopatra. "He wouldn't go to Tibet with me until he finished it."

"Are you looking into that energy source?" asked Carmella quickly. Drakken focused back in for details.

"Oh no," cringed Cleopatra. "I'm more interested in artifacts. Hermes said there are loads the governments are blocking which only means more interest...and money for trade. He said the energy source seems promising but it's under heavier guard than the artifacts."

"Pft, seriously Babe. We might get there and walk into a trap," snorted Ed. "That's a lot of trust for someone who's ripped you off before, seriously."

"Then he and Pandora can walk back from Tibet. They have no funds," smirked Cleopatra. Drakken raised a brow. "We made an agreement. They replace my rubies, which Hermes stole and sold to Anubis... And in return, I recall all my contacts who froze all of their assets and finances. Otherwise they'll have to make a lot of art thefts real fast to even get out of the country."

"Wait. Seriously... Babe, you waited until they were in the middle of nowhere and tapped their income?" laughed Ed. "Seriously, not surprised, just impressed."

Drakken laughed a little at the simple and effective revenge plan, but his interest was piqued by the rumored energy source. He wondered how effective it might be to be guarded over more lucrative profits such as artifacts and precious stones. He thought about his Tubtonic laser and his need for an energy source strong enough to even get it testable. It was true, he had a source to tap for it, but he'd prefer one less...temperamental. He looked down at his hands and took a deep breath.

"Cuz?" Ed's voice cut through the start of his internal rambling.

"Hmm?" asked Drakken as he focused back in.

"I asked, why do you need an energy source?" said Ed. He patted Drakken's head. "Got something going on in there, seriously?"

Drakken swatted his hand away as the girls laughed.

"As a matter of fact, yes," snapped Drakken.

"Really? What is it?" asked Carmella as she leaned on her hand and looked at him. "Something dangerous and deadly?"

"Positively lethal," grinned Drakken. "It's a device that can solidify even the softest of matter in seconds."

"So like...turning things to stone or something?" asked Ed after a beat. He rubbed his chin. "Or more metal, like... Seriously...think of all the sweet things you could make with that."

"Ooh," grinned Cleopatra. "Call it Medusa."

"It can rearrange particles and atoms to make them dense...and it already has a name," scoffed Drakken.

Although I do like Medusa better...

"Well, hey Cuz. If you need any mechanical help," smirked Ed, "seriously, you know where to find it. Could make it an evil family project."

"Eh, perhaps," said Drakken under his breath as he picked up his drink. "Something to think about."


Shego fought back the snort of laughter that wanted to break out of her mouth. Dean had both been impressed and terrified by the hovercar. Perhaps she had enjoyed a few more spins than was necessary during their descent, but it was all in good fun. She hoped Drakken hadn't planned on using it this evening, though she doubted Carmella wanted any part of the device after her impromptu ejected flight. She snickered at the image again.

"This uh...this thing really flies...fast," Dean nervously laughed as he finally stood up from where he had been crouching on the ground. "I ohm...didn't know I could scream at that octave before."

"You held it pretty long too," smirked Shego. "I thought you might have liked the whole...spiral quickly downward thing."

"Oh no," he waved his hands quickly. "That was...very exciting. I just...maybe next time...tell me it was intentional."

"Noted," sighed Shego. She smiled and grabbed his arm as he stumbled slightly. "Well I hope it prepared you for this evening."

"I was a little nervous when you told me we were going to a villain hangout," said Dean. He glanced back at the hovercar. "I think I'm good now."

"Don't worry. No one bites," chuckled Shego. She paused for a moment. "I mean Anubis might if he has a few drinks...maybe Monkey Fist... Okay if someone looks bitey let me know."

Dean laughed nervously.

"I'm serious," stated Shego. Dean's smile faded as they stood outside the doorway. "Let's have fun though."

"Right," whispered Dean as they walked through the entrance.

Shego took in the sight as they made their way past the gambling bouncers. While it had apparently been rebuilt it still looked the same, save for half of the dark bar looking like it had gotten a paint job and the lack of Global Justice Die posters or the Kim Possible dart board. She was a little let down at their absence, but she was glad to see the severed hand was back and had a new locked jar. Her eyes darted around the bar, which was more crowded then she'd seen in her many times staying upstairs.

"Wow, it's really busy," said Dean. "You sure you don't want to grab dinner—"

"Shego," came a call from their right. "Over here."

DNAmy sat at a small table in the corner that had several drinks already covering it, signaling others had been seated with her recently. Shego held an internal battle with herself if she was willing to subject Dean to hours of genetic experiment babbling...or if she could even handle it.

"Aye, join us," Shego saw Duff making his way to the table from behind DNAmy. "The place is packed anyway. There's room for two more."

Shego looked around for a second and mentally had to agree with the packed statement.

"Looks like we found a seat," said Shego. She glanced at a still nervous Dean and whispered. "They don't bite."

"Good to know," snickered Dean.

They walked over and joined them at the small table and Shego noted the empty glasses.

"Having a drinking competition?" asked Shego as she indicated to the glasses.

"No," laughed Duff. "Not yet. The Giraffe and his weather lass are sitting there... They went off dancing a bit ago."

"Monty was supposed to join us but he got busy," smiled DNAmy.

"Aye, he ditched us." Duff rolled his eyes which landed on Dean who had pulled the seat out for Shego. "Who's this?"

"I'm Dean," he smiled.

"He's my date," replied Shego. She looked at the empty glasses again. "Low on drinks or something?"

"Nah, they're training a few new ones... One ran off and cried...and the new girl over there," Duff indicated to a blonde bartender, "she waters the drinks. Kinda waiting to get to the old stable ones."

Shego looked to see him indicating to the two head bartenders she was familiar with. She had a foggy memory of being banned from use of the telephone last time she was there, but she wasn't about to try and remember why. Shego raised a brow and looked around.

"Pft, go figure. All they had to do was have this place burnt down and suddenly it's a commodity," snorted Shego.

"It burnt down?" asked Dean. "Electrical?"

"Pyro Pete," Shego and the others chorused.

"Bit of a calamity," came a drawling voice from above them. Shego looked up to see Giraffe had returned...along with his questionable giraffe suit. "Look who joined us. Hello Shego."

"Still no tail I see," smirked Shego with a heavy eye roll. A blonde woman sat next to him.

"Oh, how nice. More company," grinned the woman. "I'm Summer Gale."

"Hey, I know you," grinned Dean. "You were the news lady that—"

Shego kicked Dean. He stammered.

"The BEST news lady," said Dean quickly. "Your replacement was pathetic."

"Ooh, I like him," laughed Summer.

"Looks like Gina is finally free," said DNAmy. She pointed to the bar where a small lag had occurred.

"I'll be right back," said Shego quickly as Dean had been about to get up.

"I got it," said Dean. "I mean, I think I can handle ordering in here—"

A small explosion near a pool table and some flying metal disks that everyone casually ducked cut him off.

"No exploding pool!" came a yell from the staff.

"Sorry," was the faint reply among the arguing.

Shego looked at Dean who sat back down.

"On the other hand," muttered Dean before he handed her a credit card. "But at least let me pay."

"I'm not about to fight you on that," smirked Shego. "I'll be right back."

"I'll join yah," came Duff as he followed beside Shego.

Shego stepped over a fallen laser gun as she headed to the bar, making a mental note to grab it if it was still on the ground on the way back. Chances were it belonged to some drunken idiot who bought a cheap knockoff at a Henchco sale. Her thoughts were cut short as they reached the small line that had formed. Shego looked at her hand and debated on scaring a few people away to get to the bar quicker. Her musings were cut off.

"So," said Duff casually. Shego looked at him as he pointed a thumb back at the table. "Where'd you find the glaikit over there?"

"Excuse me?" asked Shego with a narrowed brow. "Are you talking about Dean?"

"Oh come now, Shego. The man just gave you his card. Qualifies as a glaikit to me," laughed Duff. "Where'd you find him?"

"He's my date," scoffed Shego. She looked at the card in question. "I invited him, I didn't find him."

Duff held a baffled look on his face as he looked back at the table. Shego felt a little uncomfortable at his expression. Shego glanced around the place and scoffed. He looked a more believable villain than half the ones around them. She saw a man wearing a shark costume and had to stop thinking for a solid few seconds just to process that.

"Aye...so uh," Duff had taken off his hat and began rubbing the back of his head. "So he's your boyfriend then?"

Shego froze at the word and felt her stomach do a very strange spiraling motion.

"Whoa there...he is not my boyfriend," glared Shego. "He's just my date."

"Most dates to Hogmanay are with a significant other, ain't they?" asked Duff. "Or you want them to be."

"Uh, you're here with DNAmy?" asked Shego. "What's going on there then?"

"Aye the moronic monkey-brained aristocrat agreed to meet her here and asked me to come with," glared Duff. "Then he up an' ditched us for some little ninja thing like always."

"Sounds to me like a set-up," smirked Shego. Duff glared into space for a second.

"That louse," grumbled Duff under his breath. Shego snickered under her breath.

"All right, what's the poison?" the voice interrupted Shego's smug retort as they finally got to the bar. Gina sighed a grateful smile at her. "I appreciate you not plasma blasting the line."

"It was a factor," smirked Shego. "Should burn it down more often, right?"

"Not until we get her replacement," cut in Conner as he came back with more glasses.

"Finally running away from the lovely Villain's Inn?" smirked Shego. "Too many years of migraines?"

"No, our boss just wants me to train some staff over at The Underground in Go City," shrugged Gina. "What's the order, Shego?"

Shego and Duff placed their orders and had just taken a few steps from the bar when Shego's eyes shot open and she spun around.

"Go City?" asked Shego. However more eager patrons had already filled the area. "Did she say Go City?"

"I think so, I really wasn't listening," said Duff, his expression mirroring the foul mood Shego had put him in. "I should have known there was something up. Normally he tries to stick me with bills, now he's sticking me with his lady problems."

"Yeah, not cool," muttered Shego offhandedly. "She said The Underground in Go City?"

"I am trying to lament me annoyance here lass," grumbled Duff. "I mean it's a shame the good bartender is leaving, but it's not worth traveling out of the way for a proper ale."

Shego really didn't listen to Duff blabber about logistics and drinks, as he now began to tell a story about some pub or another from his years as a golfer. Shego glared back at the bar instead. It was a reality that before Drakken she'd often stayed at the inn, and also that she'd often prattled on after one too many drinks. She glanced at Giraffe as they approached the table. While there were select villains who knew she came from Go City, most had the right mindset to keep it to themselves. Last thing she wanted was liquored gossip finding its way back to the Villain's Inn.

"She knows too much," muttered Shego under her breath.

"Who?" asked Dean. He had a bright grin instead of the nervous one from earlier.

"The bartender is going to another place called The Underground, apparently she's upset about it," shrugged Duff in confusion.

Shego saw Giraffe cringe.

"That's unfortunate," muttered Giraffe. Shego glared. "Summer, dear. Dance?"

"So long as that Shark guy doesn't try and cut in again," said Summer nervously as they got up. "You can only watch a man flop on the ground for so long before you feel sad for them."

"He should know how to attach his headpiece better if he dares to make moves on The Giraffe's girl," snapped Giraffe as they left the table.

There was a silent moment as the two left before the conversation Shego had missed resumed.

"You simply must come to my lab," stated DNAmy to Dean. "I've been working on some wonderful experiments with diluted DNA strands and fusions."

"That sounds interesting," grinned Dean. Shego's concern about Go City fell away as she cued into the conversation.

"Yeah, that should definitely happen," scoffed Shego as she grabbed Dean's arm. "Come on, let's dance."

They made it to the dance floor without much hassle despite a current game of Daggers vs Darts that seemed to be gaining a following.

"Amy seems nice," said Dean as they cleared a flying dagger area.

"About that visiting her lab thing..." grumbled Shego. "Did she ask you your favorite animal?"

"I said I like owls," responded Dean.

"I'm not a big fan of feathers," cringed Shego. She smirked. "Unless you want to see what you would look like being half-owl... I wouldn't go to her lab if I were you. "

Dean looked back towards the table with wide, horror-struck eyes. She laughed and patted his arm.

"Don't worry. She's a nutcase but she got over her whole kidnapping streak," encouraged Shego. Dean looked back at her quickly. "May I remind you...this is a villainous place, Dean."

Shego was enjoying the thumping music on the slightly crowded dance floor as they danced. It was mostly crowded due to social conversations near the bar area, versus the few who were actually dancing. As a slow song came on Shego was about to head back to the table but found Dean pulling her closer towards him.

"Don't tell me you don't like slow dances?" asked Dean, his nerves slightly gone from their prior conversation.

"I like slow dances from time to time," shrugged Shego. "Normally it doesn't occur to me until a few drinks in."

"Well we'll remedy that in due time," responded Dean as they continued dancing.

Shego smirked at this and found herself enjoying the slow dance. She could have done without the small space, but it was nice. Almost bumping into a few people seemed to barely faze her as she enjoyed a nice evening. Even when Giraffe had nearly knocked them off the dance floor by way of he and Summer's erratic dancing, she'd ignored it. Though she made a mental note that if they did it again, she was shooting some green tinted light their way. She was about to say as such when her eyes fell to the sitting area past the pool tables to the far corner of the Villain's Inn.

The seating back there was just as full as up front, but simply looked more spacious because of the booths that replaced the crowded tables. She'd first been wondering if there might be a less crowded seat over here, but the booming obnoxious laugh of Ed had caught her attention. Her eyes found the second to last booth on the left. There sat Ed on the end of the booth, Cleopatra laughing as loud as him and leaning against him. The rest of the table made her stomach and chest tighten despite her best efforts.

Drakken sat across from Cleopatra and against the wall. He held a look of forced amusement on his face, which meant he probably wasn't in favor of the joke or it wasn't as funny as the others found it. He gave a sideways glance towards Carmella who seemed not to notice this, but instead she just laughed and snuggled against him more. Shego suddenly felt her enjoyment in dancing slip away and wondered if there was still a line at the bar.

"I think I need a few more drinks before our next slow dance," said Shego as she grabbed Dean's hand and headed off the floor.


Drakken leaned against the table and did his best to smile at the conversation at hand. He was sure the inside joke that was trying to be explained had been hilarious to be a part of. Not so much to be verbally explained to. He spun his empty glass and nodded as Ed finished explaining walking in on a sugar fountain from broken bags, and seeing Cleopatra and Carmella attempting to stop it with buckets. He'd hoped Carmella had been forcing a laugh as it had been her product that was damaged, but instead she was equally as amused as the other two. All completely unaware of his lack of interest.

"Hey Cuz, let's go reload the drinks," laughed Ed as he yanked the glass from Drakken's hand as his spinning seemed to gain attention.

"Uh," Drakken nodded as Carmella moved for him to get out of the seat.

Drakken wordlessly followed Ed to the bar, knowing full well they would have to wait. Drakken crossed his arms as he stood in the line, completely missing Ed talking to him over the loud noise. He was considering how many hours until he could get back the lab and finish his invention. He took a step aside as people squeezed by them to navigate to the crowded dance floor. Drakken glared. It was far too crowded for him and on this end of the place, the sound was much louder.

His eyes ghosted over the crowds, trying to see any familiar faces. He squinted into the distance slightly when he thought he'd seen long dark hair and thought he'd seen Shego. His thought fell into wondering where she was celebrating her New Year's Eve with Dean. He scowled as he imagined her at an upscale party, which was a lot less unsettling at the image of she and Dean in a secluded setting. Drakken's jaw tightened and he tried to focus on something else until he finally tuned Ed back in.

"Seriously, what are you looking at?" came Ed's voice. Drakken paused.

"I thought I saw Shego," shrugged Drakken. He was about to clarify he had been trying to see any familiar faces but Ed didn't give him a chance.

"Cuz, seriously," glared Ed. "It's like I said at the party. You need to seriously do things without Green."

"I was looking for—"

"Green. Yeah, I heard," scoffed Ed. "What are you and Blondie doing after this?"

"If I'm not too tired, I was hoping to get some work done on my laser—"

"How... HOW are we related," snapped Ed as they made it to the bar. Drakken glared.

"I ask myself that often...but I keep it to myself," scoffed Drakken.

Ed suddenly looked agitated and Drakken couldn't figure out what had set his cousin off for no known reason. Drakken was glad they finally got to order because the sooner the drink came the sooner they would get back to the table. Drakken placed his order with the newer bartender as Ed continued whatever mental rant he was fighting not to share. His agitation had been forced away to some sort of concerned look.

"Seriously Cuz, I'm not telling you how to live your life," scoffed Ed, "but for real, you need to get out more and out of that stuffy lab."

"My lab is not stuffy," Drakken snapped. "It has an extremely nice air flow."

Drakken watched Ed's fist clench before he raised a brow at his cousin.

"I meant, you seriously need to get out more and live, seriously. How about you and Sweets come out to the family cabin," said Ed quickly, "for a weekend? Seriously, we haven't been there in ages."

"No one has," scoffed Drakken. "There's probably a wildlife family living in that thing."

"Well fine... We can go clean it up or something," shrugged Ed. He grinned. "We could have a cousin's weekend like when we were kids."

"You mean where I lock you in the basement so I can get reading done," said Drakken calmly. Ed's grin faded. "Because we can do that now. I'll just lock you out of my lab this time."

"It wasn't funny then and it's still not funny now," grumbled Ed. "I just think you need a major break, seriously."

"I appreciate whatever concern you have," asked Drakken suspiciously. "But I'd rather get my invention complete now that I have the equipment."

"Why?" scoffed Ed. "Red's just going to swoop in and break it. Seriously, the amount of truck she tanked—"

"Not this time," snapped Drakken. "This is my work, not some stolen or tampered experiment. None of those hastily-made quick fixes."

Ed rolled his eyes as they got their drinks. Drakken felt the fury in his chest build as he glared.

"So this time, the blame is solely on you when it fails," smirked Ed. Drakken glared more.

"It's foolproof," hissed Drakken. "Even Shego agrees with it this time... And normally she is very vocal about condemning plans she finds unfavorable."

"The project will be there when we'd get back," said Ed. "Who knows, maybe the four of us spending a weekend together could come up with a better plan even."

"My plan is fine," stated Drakken. Ed rolled his eyes yet again. "Shego believes in me, it would be nice if my cousin did."

"Shego just appeases you," snapped Ed, "Seriously, when will you open your eyes. She sticks around because you're predictable. She does the bare minimum and then you tinker away on contraptions that fail. Seriously, you should know that by now. It's not because Green believes in or favors you in anyway."

Drakken's jaw tightened and he suddenly wanted to march out of the place and back to his lab.

I'll prove him wrong!

His retort or actions were cut off as he heard his name a few feet away from near the bar they had left. His narrowed eyes followed the voice to where he saw a frantic excited wave from Dean, Shego smiling apologetically next to him. Her smile faltered and she raised a brow at his expression. He shook away the glare he still had on his face and gave a polite nod in their direction. He took the moment to turn and bypass Ed in order to get to the table.

"There you guys are," said Cleopatra. Carmella slid in the booth for Drakken to sit next to her. "We thought you got lost."

"Long lines," said Drakken as he put his and Carmella's drinks down.

"What's wrong with Eddie?" asked Carmella with a head nod away from the booth.

Drakken was going to make a snide comment as he looked towards his cousin. He paused as he watched the wide-eyed and confused look on his cousin's face. Ed kept looking back over his shoulder as if he had seen something disturbing. Ed put the drinks down and sat down silently. Drakken raised a brow but before any of them could speak, Ed did.

"Who the hell was that?" asked Ed as he pointed in the direction of the bar.

"Shego?" suggested Drakken.

"No, not Green. The dude she was with?" asked Ed. His wide-eyed confusion finally clicked.

"That would be Dean," shrugged Drakken. "Her... boyfriend."

"Oh, Dean's here with Shego," smiled Carmella. Her eyes darted as if she was waiting to see them. "Are they joining us?"

"No," said Drakken. Carmella looked relieved.

"That... That guy she was with..." Ed stared, "is her...boyfriend? Seriously? Where did she find him?"

"He's an accountant that she met one weekend," said Carmella calmly. "He explained that to me when we were at the movies."

Drakken saw Carmella's smile falter for a second but didn't question it.

"She's dating an accountant?" asked Cleopatra. "Is he an evil accountant?"

"No," said Carmella with a nod.

"Little disappointing," sighed Cleopatra. "Is he cute?"

"I think so," responded Carmella.

"Well that's something," shrugged Cleopatra.

Drakken sipped his drink and watched the confused look on Ed's face. He could understand his expression vaguely. The idea of Shego dating someone so...mundane...did raise plenty of questions. Drakken felt that familiar discomfort in his chest as he had the night at the hotel when Shego had declared she was going on a date with him.

"Seriously," said Ed. "Did...do you not see what I see, Cuz?"

"I am well aware of just how nerdy her boyfriend is," said Drakken. Ed's eyes narrowed.

"That's not what... The glasses...the hair?" asked Ed. Drakken nodded. "So no?"

"Is he okay?" asked Carmella in a low whisper. Drakken shrugged.

It was idle chatter without Ed for a few minutes as Cleopatra took a glass vile out of her golden purse. Drakken heard the agitated hiss from Carmella before he looked at her. He'd been too focused on Ed's distant and confused look to really contribute to the conversation. However, this caught his attention.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Carmella darkly.

"You can make more, calm down," sighed Cleopatra as she put a few drops of clear liquid in her drink.

"What poison might that be?" asked Drakken with a slight smirk at Carmella.

"It's something I made but haven't perfected and I explicitly said not to touch," said Carmella. Cleopatra gave a wicked grin as she put a few drops in Carmella's drink. "Excuse you."

"Oh relax. We've used it dozens of times," scoffed Cleopatra. "It just stops hangovers and makes it easier to get a buzz. The drinks may be half-off but they're watered down... Why pay more for less when we can get a quick pick me up?"

"I'm sorry, I heard no hangover," said Ed. He had snapped out of whatever daze he had been in.

"What are the side-effects?" asked Drakken curiously.

"It's perfectly fine so long as people know their limit," said Carmella as she snatched the vile from Cleopatra. "On drinks that is. You only need to drink it once and it lasts all night. But some people...such as my friend across from me...use it as an excuse to drink far more than they should, despite it already having a liquor effect on a person."

"I should not be shamed for choosing to get a prolonged buzz for less money and still function in the morning with dangerous items," scoffed Cleopatra. "Besides I've only used it twice before. You act like I drink all the time. I am not a bloody lush to be very clear."

"I want to try it," grinned Ed as she slid his glass over. "Save some funds for better things, right. Seriously, hit me Blondie."

"It's very important not to over-drink. So if your limit is four drinks, that's all you drink because it will hit you fast and hard," huffed Carmella as she put a few drops in his drink.

"Seriously, market it with that statement," laughed Ed as she drank his beer.

"I'm not marketing it," said Carmella quickly. "Last thing I want is a bunch of dumb college students getting alcohol poisoning because an immature junior villain thought it would be funny."

"Fair point," nodded Ed. His eyes drifted to the dance-floor again.

Drakken followed his gaze and wondered if his cousin was debating going out into the crowded area. His eyes fell on to where Shego and Dean were slow-dancing near the edge towards them. He couldn't help but think Shego looked pretty content as they rotated in place. She clearly felt eyes on her as she looked directly at him without even having to search—a true mark of how good her instincts were, he was sure. She gave him a half-smile and lazily raised a hand to wave. Drakken mirrored her actions as he took a drink of his Peppermint Pattie and he let out a deep sigh as he looked back at Carmella and slid his drink towards her.

"Mind if I give it a try?" asked Drakken. Carmella gave a slight smile as she put her concoction in his drink.

Drakken took a drink and was relieved not to taste some sort of sugary flavoring added to it. He mentally told himself two more drinks and he was done, but his eyes ghosted over the dance floor yet again. Three more.