Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Kim Possible are owned by Disney the great and powerful.

Liberty

Scattered through Latin America are a few semi-autonomous regions, recognized by no map-makers or the UN. Their distance from the central government, coupled with a lack of strategic location or economic resources, creates a condition where it would be more expensive for the central government to provide roads, schools, or other infrastructure than they could collect in taxes.

Costa de María boasted a small village and a miniscule. Agriculture and fishing represented the principal occupations. Among the many trappings of civilization it lacked was any sort of law enforcement organization. On the plus side Costa de María offered a stretch of beautiful beach – but no more beautiful than the longer beaches of real countries with tourist industries and amenities that citizens of Europe, Canada, or the United States expected.

The beach and lack of police brought the pale woman to Costa de María. She swirled her warm drink and took a sip. For the five hundredth time she thought, "Solar panels, batteries, and a 'fridge," she thought. "Can I get it shipped here, or hire one of the fishing boats to bring it in from wherever Amazon will ship to?" She would need to hire a boat. Hire the boat and leave her cabaña for a few days to get details on what was available and place her order. She might be gone before things arrived – she had already stayed a year longer than she had expected.

Shego sighed, "Damn place is almost as bad as jail." She took a sip of her rum and cola and reflected she would not be able to sit on a beach drinking even a warm rum and cola in prison. She raised her glass in the air and toasted, "To liberty."

There was a faint noise to her left and Shego glanced back over her shoulder, expecting to see a child or children heading down to play in the surf or some angler there to cast a line into waves. Several locals knew she was always willing to buy something fresh. In either case she expected to see a familiar face.

It was a familiar face, but not one she expected.

Shego blinked her eyes and wondered if she were suffering heat stroke, or some rare tropical disease had given her hallucinations as Kim, carrying a beach chair and umbrella, trudged across the black sand toward her.

"Possible," Shego growled, her voice containing a faint threat of violence.

Kim waved cheerfully and kept approaching.

"How the hell did you get here?" demanded Shego.

"Well," Kim began, as she unfolded her beach chair about three meters from the green woman, "the story I was told that around twenty-two years ago my mother and father were celebrating her residency at Middleton, and they went to a nice restaurant and afterwards–"

"You know what I mean!"

"Do I? Sorry, not sure."

"What are you doing in Costa Yo Mama?"

"I'm here to share the good news! Cthulhu loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life... But I think it involves being basted in brown butter and served with capers and garlic. Maybe you should stick with the Flying Spaghetti Monster, more user friendly. And we're running a special this week, half-off on retired Mesopotamian deities who're offering a discount in hopes of making a comeback."

"Not funny. What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the beach, obviously," answered Kim and opened the beach umbrella, then carefully positioned the umbrella to shade her beach chair. "But us fair-skinned girls must be careful about the sun. What do you use? SPF 50?"

"Are you here to arrest me or something? There's no extradition here."

Kim clucked her tongue, "I have never had any authority to arrest anyone, ever. I have, in the past, stopped you from fleeing until law enforcement officials could arrive to arrest you. But I have never claimed the authority to arrest. That would have been illegal."

"Can you answer a straight question?"

"I don't know. Maybe. You could try. Four."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Straight answer to the question, 'what's two plus two'."

"She's trying to goad me into a fight. I'm not falling for it – gonna keep my cool." "C'mon, you can do it, just tell me the truth – what brings you here?"

"Truth? I haven't seen you for a long time, and it is important for friends to keep in touch."

"Have you taken too many blows to the head? We aren't friends."

"You saved my life."

"That was a mistake."

"You've saved my life several times."

"I'm a repeat offender. I've also tried to kill you."

"When you started saving my life I forgave you. And, my repeat offender, I'll give you a chance to show me what a straight answer looks like."

"What are you talking about?"

"The beach here is nice and all, but I can't picture you spending your life here."

"I'm not planning to spend my life here. Actually been here longer than planned, but it's a good place to be invisible. Then some do-gooder showed up and messed things up."

"Anyone I know?" Shego raised an eyebrow and glared at Kim. "And you're not invisible, I can see you. Might be nice if you could turn invisible – you're wanted in eleven countries," the redhead reminded the older woman. "I don't see how–"

"Eight. Eight countries where I'm wanted. Maybe just six or seven."

Kim's brow wrinkled in thought, "I'm sure Wade told me eleven, but that was years ago... I figured it would be, like, twenty now."

"It was eleven. While I'm here on the beach my lawyer is working on probation, fines, and statute of limitation pleas in various countries. I tell you, Possible, crime does not pay. Oh, it pays for a little while – and then it all ends up in the pocket of some lawyer."

"I don't think you can wiggle out of the charges in the US."

"Canada may be difficult too. But get the list of countries down to two or three and I have a lot more options about where I can go. There are a number of countries reluctant to send prisoners to the US 'cause they think the American justice system stinks. There, I gave you a straight answer. Now, will you give me one?"

Kim shrugged, "I can try."

"Why are you here, really?"

"To see you, obviously. You think I'd show up the last day of Spring Break by accident?"

"Okay, the see me is obvious. Why?"

"I was talking with Ron and–"

"How is Dufus?"

"Ron is doing great, but his girlfriend is pressuring him for an engagement ring and–"

"How much pressure are you putting on him."

"Ron and I decided the boyfriend-girlfriend didn't work for us–"

"You're too high maintenance?"

"Why does everyone say that about me?"

"Maybe 'cause it's true."

"Anyway, remember a girl named Tara?"

Shego thought a moment, "Ditzy blonde?"

"She's not as bad as people think. She's really sweet. Anyway, Ron and I were talking about people we hadn't heard from – and your name came up."

"And you came down here just to say 'hi'?"

"Sure."

"We don't like each other."

"Then you shouldn't have saved my life. I owe you. Google™ says there is a decent place to eat in San José."

"The name? It will be one the top two places to eat in the country – or whatever you want to call this strip of beach and jungle... Of course, there are only two places to eat here."

"So, I can take you out to dinner?"

"Speaking of the obvious, nothing you've said makes sense. You haven't seen me in a couple years, we're enemies, but–"

"We were enemies. When you took the thorn from my paw I owed you a debt of eternal gratitude."

"Can the crap. There is no way you came here to say 'hi' and take me out to dinner."

"Care to place a little bet on that?"

"A bet? What are the stakes?"

"I win, and you have to let me take you out to dinner."

"And if you're lying and lose the bet?"

"I owe you dinner and take you out to eat You're a winner either way."

Shego sighed, "Got a change of outfit in your bag?"

"Yep."

"Let me go into my cabaña and change. I'll be back here in fifteen minute."

"I shall count the seconds."

Kim waited a half hour before verifying Shego had fled. She hoped the green woman had taken the jet ski with the GPS, it would make it easier to find her next time.