Two hours later Shego was bored with the movie, but at least knew what it was all about this time. It had the benefit of being original in plot, but she was sure it would have a happy ending. That type of movie always did.

"Drew," Estelle suddenly spoke up, and he grabbed the remote to pause the movie. "Why don't you go put the goose in the oven?"

Drakken removed his arm from around Shego and leaned forward. "Thank you, Mother. Shego..."

Shego looked up at his confused frown.

"You haven't touched your eggnog."

"Doesn't taste right," she said blandly, leaning back on the sofa.

"Do you still want it?"

"No," she said.

"How about your cocoa?"

"It's too hot for cocoa," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "You can have it."

He took the eggnog glass with him as he headed for the kitchen along with her cocoa mug. When he was gone, Estelle turned to face Shego with a frown.

"You know I don't believe you," she said.

Shego crossed her arms. "Then ask Drakken."

Estelle frowned. "That's not his name."

"It's the name he chose. He doesn't like being called Drew," Shego said. "You can ask him that, too. And...you know what?"

Shego turned fully toward the red-haired woman, her frown deepening.

"It's none of your business anyway."

"My son's future wife is none of my business?" she repeated in stunned shock.

"No. He's almost fifty, for crying out loud," Shego said.

Admiral Cuddles jumped down from the couch, whimpering. The dog crept under the coffee table and set his head on the floor. It briefly crossed Shego's mind that he must sense the conflict between the two women.

Mrs. Lipsky was silent for a moment, and then she crossed her own arms and frowned indignantly.

"On that note...what is a woman like you interested in my son for anyway?"

Shego blinked in disbelief. "I love him."

"A young tart like you? With strange alien powers and a thrill for criminal acts?"

Shego's hands flared with her green glow, and then she gasped. She had set her wrist brace on fire. She jumped up and away from the sofa as she took the brace off and dropped it on the floor. She stomped on it repeatedly with her left leg, ignoring the growing pain in her right as she put all her weight on it.

"What happened!?" Drakken cried as he ran into the room, stopping behind the sofa to take in the scene.

Shego put out the last of the small flames and then turned her furious gaze to Drakken's mother, her teeth bared in anger.

"Drakken!" she growled, hands on her hips. "Tell your mother... Are we sleeping together?"

He took a step back from the sofa, gasping in shock. His face blushed purple as he looked between the two women.

"Well...Drew?" his mother asked, her face regaining its calm.

He shook his head fiercely. "Of course not, Mother! You know I would never... And Shego agrees with me. We're waiting until...until we get married."

Shego crossed her arms and raised her chin as Estelle cast a critical eye on her.

"What...ah, what brought this up?" Drakken continued, his voice shaking now.

"I dunno," Shego said, limping back toward the couch. "Your mother is just unnecessarily suspicious. She apparently doesn't think I could legitimately be in love with you."

Drakken gasped. "Mother! But...but you said earlier that you weren't surprised...?"

Shego glared at the older woman, who looked only mildly put-off.

"Just finish the movie," Shego said, dropping heavily onto the couch.

"How can you think of watching a movie when you've just had a fire?" Estelle asked, letting a bit of her ire show.

Shego smirked. "I set things on fire every day."

Shego heard the older woman mutter something about self-control as Drakken cautiously stepped back around the sofa, his wide eyes looking between the two women uncertainly. Shego patted the space on the couch between them and then rubbed her injured wrist. She hadn't been aware of the sprain at all in the last several hours until now that it lacked its extra support.

Drakken sat down, still looking between the two women.

"Mother..." he said, his voice still shaking. "Don't you...don't you know me better, than to think that I would... That I would...?" He swallowed nervously, blushing again.

Shego looked past him at his mother, whose face slowly relaxed into acceptance. The woman pursed her lips, and then her brow rose as she looked up at her son.

"You're right, Drew. I don't know what I was thinking."

He smiled nervously. "G-good. That's settled. The goose...should be finished cooking by the time the movie ends, and then we can have dinner."

"That will be wonderful, Son."

Shego leaned back as Drakken started the movie again, the blue man sipping from her newly-microwaved cocoa. This time, she didn't lean against him. Whatever had given his mother the wrong idea, she wasn't about to encourage it. Her earlier idea of teasing the woman had been fun, but...the reality of her accusations when Drakken wasn't around weren't. She'd stick with Drakken's judgment on this issue.

...And deal with the issue of future children later.

Shego stared at the moist slices of goose breast on her plate. Also on the plate was a mixture of fat carrot slices and peas, covered in a thick, fragrant sauce of butter and onions and some herbs she couldn't name. There was a dark sauce drizzled over the goose that Estelle had told her was black currant, whatever that was, and the plate also bore the 'stuffing.' Shego had stopped listening to the ingredients list for that somewhere between apples and breadcrumbs. It was too many things to care about.

It all looked incredible. Better in fact than the finest restaurants Shego had eaten at. And apparently Drakken had done most of the work, as Estelle kept praising him for it. But for some reason...just looking at all of it had Shego's stomach turning.

She bit her cheeks as she pinned the gamey piece of meat down with her fork and began slicing it with her knife. Taking a very small piece of the meat on her fork and dipping it in the dark sauce, she measured her breaths as she brought it up to her lips.

As she expected, the mere act of putting food in her mouth turned her stomach. She focused on breathing as she chewed the bite slowly, worried that she might vomit at any second.

"Do you like it?"

She forced a smile as she looked up at Drakken's expectant face. She couldn't think about the taste. If she did, she knew she was sure to lose control of her stomach muscles. After she swallowed the small bite down, she took a long drink of her water.

"It's delicious," she finally said, meeting his eyes briefly before looking back at the plate. He had worked so hard... And it was the only tradition of his they really could successfully accomplish in the lair. Outside of the tree and movie, which had lost some of their charm due to other complications.

"My Drew started cooking the Christmas dinner back when he was still in high school," Estelle said.

Shego looked up to where the older woman was smiling adoringly at her son. He returned the look a bit shyly, but there was definite pride in his eyes.

Shego stabbed one of the carrot pieces with her fork next and brought that up to her lips. While the flavor was much more tolerable, it had the same effect on her digestive system. She closed her eyes for a moment as she focused again on her breathing. The holiday had been nearly ruined so many times already. Far more since the arrival of Drakken's mother. She was determined now that the rest of it all go well.

She washed the carrot down with another swallow of water, and for her third bite she tried the stuffing. She forced herself to stay optimistic. Maybe her stomach would calm down after a few more bites. She was very confused about why she was sick... It seemed to come and go at random, and it didn't make sense that even good food simply didn't appeal to her.

The effect of the stuffing was almost worse than the goose. She looked around the room as she quickly chewed, eager to get the food out of her mouth. She wondered how much of the meal she would have to eat for it to be considered acceptable. After that, she could excuse herself and lie down in her room. It was still very early in the evening, but she could say that her leg hurt. It was throbbing after the little incident with the fire, so it wasn't a lie. Not to mention her wrist was hurting, now that it lacked its support.

She cut another bite of goose, resolving to attempt at least half of the plate before making her excuses. As she brought the fork to her lips she caught Estelle's eyes on her, and paused. The woman's gaze was calculating again, but in a different way this time than it had been when she was accusing her of inappropriate behaviors.

What was she doing wrong now? Was she not hiding her dislike of the food well?

She began chewing the meat and looked down again. It wasn't the food, she knew. It was her. Something was wrong with her.

"What's wrong, Shego?"

It was Estelle's voice, and Shego looked up at the woman pleadingly. Couldn't she let just this one thing go? Drakken was oblivious to her plight and thought that for once, a Christmas tradition was going as planned.

"Shego?" Drakken asked, looking at her curiously.

"I'm...not feeling well," she admitted.

"Oh... You said that before," he said, his brow furrowing. Shego remembered telling him during the movie. But at that time she thought it had just been from his mother's questioning.

"I remember, you said you felt nauseous this morning when we got back from shopping," Estelle said.

Shego blinked. Had she said that?

She realized...she had felt nauseous on and off all day. And she'd been struggling to eat since breakfast.

"I must be coming down with something," she said with a small frown. "I'm sorry, Dr. D." She met Drakken's confused and worried gaze. "I know how important this was to you."

He shook his head. "It's all right."

"I'll just...wrap this up and put it in the fridge. We were going to have leftovers tomorrow anyway, weren't we?" she asked.

She picked up the plate and rose from the table, and was suddenly assaulted with dizziness. She barely kept the plate from falling from her hands as she sank back into the chair, her vision swimming.

"Shego?"

Drakken's concerned voice broke through the haze, but she kept her eyes closed as the lights danced in front of them. She leaned back in the chair and took slow, deep breaths.

"Shego, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

She blinked several times, and the stars started dissipating. She met Drakken's eyes to reassure him, and then her gaze drifted over to his mother's face. The older woman was scowling at her. Shego's lips parted in confusion.

"I got dizzy..." she said, still looking at Estelle's scowl. If the woman was mad that she got sick...then she was out of her mind.

Drakken stood up and moved around the table to stand next to her. One of his hands rested on her shoulder, while the other felt her forehead for a fever.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital?" he suggested.

Shego shook her head and lightly pushed his hand off her forehead. "If we do that it'll be Christmas before we get back. I'm just sick Drakken, it's not a big deal. Stomach flu or something..."

Her eyes drifted back to Drakken's mom. The woman was looking angrier by the moment. Shego frowned.

"What is your problem?"

Drakken looked up sharply, and his jaw dropped as he finally caught his mother's hard expression.

"Mother? What's wrong?"

Estelle pursed her lips and stood up, her eyes leaving Shego's and staring at a spot on the floor. "Drew...I need to speak with you privately."

Drakken and Shego looked at each other. Drakken started to step away from the table and toward the hall, and then stopped. He walked back behind Shego's chair.

"No... Mother, what is it?"

The older woman's brow rose in surprise. She looked between her son and Shego again, and Shego couldn't resist a tiny smirk. She even brought her left hand up to hold Drakken's, which was on her shoulder again. Flashing the ring was effectively flashing her claim over the man, and it had the desired effect of irritating his mother.

"You're not going to like it Drew," his mother said, her frown returning. But instead of shooting venomous looks at Shego, now she looked distinctly worried. "I really think you should come sit down with me."

"Mother... Shego isn't feeling well, and whatever it is...we can talk about it here. I don't want to leave her alone anymore."

Mrs. Lipsky lowered her voice to her typical not-a-whisper and tried to hide her mouth behind her hand. "It's probably best if we don't talk in front of her."

Shego rolled her eyes.

"Mother...you can say anything in front of Shego. I'm going to marry her, remember?"

The worry in the older woman's eyes grew, and she looked down briefly and sighed heavily. Shego leaned back in the chair, curious now. The sadness was out of character for how the woman had been behaving all day.

"Drew, I...I'm so sorry, Son."

"What?"

"Shego is cheating on you."

Shego's eyes widened. She looked up at Drakken, whose stunned eyes met her own. And a moment later, Shego burst into loud, disbelieving laughter.

"Oh come on. You've got to be kidding me!" she said through her cackling. She watched Drakken's brow furrow peripherally.

"Mother... Why would you say something like that?"

"Oh Drew, I know you're smitten with her, but she's deceiving you," his mother pleaded.

Shego was still laughing, the absurdity of all of it overriding any other emotion she may have felt in the moment.

"Doc, I'm sorry... I've met crazy people before, but your mom is trying really hard to take the trophy home on this one."

Estelle's worried expression darkened back to anger.

"I heard her on the phone with that other man. They were talking about evil plots, and how stolen jewels would make her feel special."

Shego wiped the tears that had come to her eyes. She held her stomach with one hand, the laughter making her nausea worse.

"Junior was just asking me for advice about what to get his girlfriend for Christmas. He's technically a villain, even though his heart has never really been in it."

Drakken nodded through her explanation, even though it was the first time he'd heard it. Shego felt a small sense of something warm and confident within her that he didn't take his mother's accusation seriously even for a moment.

"You're leaving something out," Estelle said pointedly. Shego raised a confused brow. "You said talking to him was the best thing to happen in two days. And what about the...risqué red lingerie you were telling him you bought?"

Shego's eyes widened. She'd forgotten about that part.

Drakken looked at her with a bit of annoyed surprise, clearly embarrassed at the idea that she might be sharing any of their intimate details with someone else.

Shego crossed her arms, her amusement having faded. "I thought Bonnie might like something like that."

"No, it was very clear. You were telling him about lingerie you bought for yourself," Estelle continued confidently. "And my Drew is a gentleman. As you said, he wouldn't be tempted into any...any sinful acts before marriage."

A warning started pricking in the back of Shego's mind. She glanced up at Drakken, who was biting his lip.

"So you see, Drew... She's cheating on you. Oh my poor son!"

Shego sighed and rolled her eyes again. She gripped Drakken's hand reassuringly, and then let go—the sprain in her left wrist was still pretty painful. The only obvious way out of this new predicament would be to tell the truth about the nature of their relationship, and further upset his mother, and further ruin Christmas... Unless she could convince the woman that she had just been giving advice to their younger, villain friend. It was the line she'd try, unless Drakken directed her otherwise.

Drakken took a deep breath. "N-no, Mother, I'm sure Shego isn't... She wouldn't do that."

"Really, Mama Lipsky. I was just suggesting to Junior that his girlfriend might like that sort of thing. 'Cause...you know... Villains don't usually care about...waiting for marriage..." Shego said, avoiding eye contact with the older woman.

Estelle shook her head as she dabbed with a handkerchief at her own eyes. "Oh, I wish it were true," she said shaking her head.

Shego frowned. "It is."

The red-haired woman looked at her again, and then up at Drakken.

"Mother...please, believe me. Shego would never...has never cheated on me," he said, his voice shaking.

Mrs. Lipsky continued to dab at her moist eyes. "But Drew... I know she's cheating, because...because she's pregnant. And she's been trying to hide it from us both."

Shego's eyes went wide. The world suddenly seemed to shrink down to only her heartbeat and her breaths, which were coming quicker with each passing second.

Pregnant?

She heard Drakken's and his mother's voices around her, but they sounded like they were under water as the blood thundered in her ears.

Pregnant?

"What?" Drakken said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh Son, I'm so sorry! My son's fiancée, pregnant with another man's child. And both of you world heroes. Oh, the scandal!"

Shego felt a pain in her leg as Drakken suddenly pulled her up to her feet. She realized she was in shock...because there might actually be something to what Mrs. Lipsky was saying. The unexplained nausea... Good food tasting strange, even the strawberries... And the random bouts of dizziness... Was she off track in her cycle? She hadn't been paying attention, due to getting ready for Christmas.

"Shego?" Drakken was saying, his wide eyes boring into hers. He looked as overwhelmed as she did, except...

He looked happy. There was a light coming to his eyes as he gently held her hands up between them, waiting for her answer.

"Is she right?" he continued. "Are we...? Are we going to be...?"

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Mrs. Lipsky asked.

Drakken bit his lip and swallowed anxiously, slowly turning his head to smile innocently at his mother. Shego watched as the older woman's sadness and confusion morphed into revelation, and finally anger.

"Drew Theodore P. Lipsky!"

Drakken let go of Shego's hands and darted around her as his mother started toward him at a speed surprisingly fast for a woman her age.

Shego blankly watched the comical chase around the table as the older woman slapped with both hands at her son's back, berating him all the while for taking advantage of an innocent young woman, and how he hadn't been raised to behave so uncivilized, and what would his poor deceased father say about his actions? To add to the farce, Admiral Cuddles left his food bowl and joined in the chase, barking and leaping up at his master's legs, tail wagging as he joined in what he perceived as play.

Shego slowly backed out of the room as Estelle continued her chastisements, a truth far more important than the one that had just been revealed needing to be known. Heart racing, she ran down the hall into her room and turned sharply into her bathroom. She didn't even bother to turn on the lights before yanking open her cabinet drawer and starting to pull things out, setting them on the counter.

I'm sure I bought a new one... Maybe a year ago...

At the back of the drawer her hand finally found several boxes of the nature she was looking for, all lined up evenly. She pulled them all out and rubbed the dust from her hands on the nearby hand towel after dropping them on the counter. She started checking the expiration dates on the unopened boxes and finally found the most recent, less than a year old. That one would work.

She opened the packaging on the pregnancy test and began reading the instructions carefully. She wasn't about to make a hasty mistake.