"Oh my son! Living a life of debauchery!" Estelle cried, burying her face in her handkerchief as she sat on the sofa.
"Mother..." Drakken said shakily, sitting beside her and nervously resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's...it's not..."
His mother turned to him sharply, her eyes wide with horror. "How many women have there been? What kind of philandering did you get up to in your years as a hardened criminal!?"
Drakken sighed and grit his teeth. "None, Mother. There's...only been Shego."
His mother pointed an accusing finger at him. "If it's just her, then why not wait? Why did you let her tempt you into such corrupt behavior!?"
"She didn't! I...I...i-it was mutual," he managed to get out, his face flushing purple.
"And what about her? What else has she been getting up to?"
"Mother!"
"Why is she hiding the truth from you!?"
Drakken sat back and blinked repeatedly, suddenly confused. "I...don't know."
"If she's not cheating on you and the...the baby is yours, why wouldn't she tell you?"
Drakken blinked again, his heart pounding rapidly as he looked down at his mother curiously.
"How do you know she's...that she's...?"
"She has all the early symptoms, dear. And she's been acting so secretive and strange around me."
Drakken frowned. "She just wants you to like her, for my sake. And she has no idea how to do that."
His mother looked confused. "Whatever do you mean? Why on earth would she think I don't like her?"
Drakken frowned, and mimicked his mother's voice. "'She's cheating on you, Drew! She's buying lingerie for another man!'"
His mother frowned. "It's a legitimate concern."
He continued on in his mimicry. "'Why would she have a change of morals because you did? She's trying to exploit you, Drew!'"
"But Son—"
"Mother!" He stopped and took a deep breath. He turned to face her and took her hands in his. "Shego is...sarcastic. And short-tempered. And...she sets things on fire every day, usually on purpose. And she gets a thrill from doing evil things. She doesn't like cocoa-moo, or movies with happy endings, or baking, or Christmas traditions. And..." he shook his head, "I wouldn't change any of it. I can't imagine a day of my life without her."
His mother looked down at their joined hands, frowning sadly.
"...You're sure of her?" she finally said, looking up at him worriedly.
"She loves me too," he said, wishing the strength of his voice matched the confidence he felt.
His mother's brow twisted in confusion. "Then why would she hide that she's pregnant from you?"
Drakken looked up at the Christmas tree. He looked down at Admiral Cuddles, laying on the floor and watching the pair with rapt attention, as if he could understand their conversation. He looked back at the tree, half-covered in candy canes that Shego had tied on that afternoon.
"She wasn't hiding it..." he said, as understanding hit him. He stood up abruptly and started down the hall.
"But...Drew, I know women. I'm sure that she's—"
"She didn't know."
"Shego?"
The soft knock on the bathroom door and the familiar voice outside brought the green-skinned woman out of her brown study. She blinked at herself in the mirror and stared at her own eyes. They looked full, and yet hollow; alive, and yet dead.
"Shego? Are you in there?"
She took a deep, shaky breath. The real world was coming into her tiny, claustrophobic hideout whether she liked it or not. She may as well...try to face it.
"Come in," she said, her voice shaking.
Drakken opened the door a crack and peeked inside cautiously. Shego continued leaning on one hand on the bathroom counter, the hand of her injured wrist loosely gripping her other arm. She watched peripherally as he stepped inside, closing the door as he moved to stand behind her.
A minute passed before she sighed through her nose and looked up at him through the mirror. His expression was concerned, and questioning. She sighed again, audibly this time, and let her gaze fall to the mess of items she had made on the counter. After a moment his eyes followed hers and fell on one specific thing.
He picked up the pregnancy test, and then scanning the counter he picked up the box it came from. His brow furrowed as he read it carefully, and then his eyes widened. He met her eyes through the mirror, silently asking for confirmation.
She sighed and straightened up for a moment before stepping back to lean against him. She set her head back against his shoulder but kept eye contact with him through the mirror. He studied her for a long moment, taking in her posture and expression. She saw his face fall ever-so-slightly before he spoke.
"Shego..." he said softly. "I...I should have asked you, if...if you... I don't know why I didn't." He shook his head in light disbelief. "It didn't even occur to me that—"
"No..." she said, the word coming out shakily as her chest tightened. "I take those pills like they're oxygen. I've never missed a day. You assumed right."
He shook his head again. "I didn't assume. I didn't...even think about it."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. She wanted to be mad at him for his lack of responsibility, but... His mother already hated her. If she made him the target of her emotional turmoil now, then she'd be all alone. And...she couldn't be alone in this.
Tears started coming to her eyes, despite her efforts to suppress them.
He set the used test and the box down, and his gaze drifted down and off to the side.
"Maybe...I secretly hoped..."
She lifted her head from his shoulder, her eyes beginning to widen as she looked at him through the mirror.
"But I would never..." he looked back at her and shook his head, "never have tried to...not on purpose. Not without talking to you."
She saw the truth in his eyes and nodded once, slowly. No, he wouldn't manipulate her into something like this. Not even through feigned ignorance or lies of omission. It wasn't who he was.
"I know," she said shakily.
He slowly circled his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She lay her head back on his shoulder and sighed as she continued to look at him through the mirror. But his gaze had drifted downward and now rested on her abdomen, where one of his hands was now gently lain.
"Does this..." she began, and his eyes rose to meet hers, "make you happy?"
He shifted his hands to her hips and slowly spun her around to face him. She looked up anxiously at his thoughtful, melancholy expression.
"I want to be," he answered after a moment.
"Do you..." she asked again, her eyes dropping down as one of his hands returned to her abdomen, "do you want this?"
His lips parted, and she saw fear flash through his eyes. But it vanished in a moment and she saw bravery take its place.
"Yes," he said with small nod. He held his breath.
She took a slow shaky breath and looked down to where he'd slightly shifted his touch. She let the warmth of his hand protectively covering what they both knew now was alive and growing within her seep across her skin. Her breaths began to come quicker as the warmth spread like tendrils up to her shoulders and then down to her fingers and toes. It was like strength being gifted to her, to let her know she could go on. The last time she'd been so afraid, there had been no source of strength. She had been forced to choose between running away, or pressing forward into the dark. But this time...
She wasn't alone. And there was light. She looked up at him.
"Okay."
Relief filled his eyes as he exhaled in a soft gasp. She didn't get to say more as his arms enveloped her and pulled her close. She held him tightly and rested her face against his neck as her tears began to flow.
"Shego," he said, his breath catching. She knew he was crying too. Several seconds passed, and then he turned his head to place a kiss on her wet cheek. "Shego," he said again, and she felt herself begin to relax. All his love for her was in his voice.
She gasped once, trying to hold back a sob. And then again. With the third, she gave up and let her voice join her tears as she cried into his neck.
She let him walk her out of the bathroom and into her darkened bedroom, where he slowly sat down on the end of her bed. She sat down straddling his lap, bending her legs to kneel on the mattress as she clung to him and cried. His hands gripped her back tightly as he simply held her, occasionally kissing her cheek as she emptied herself of emotion.
She wasn't sure how long she cried. But when the heaving of her chest calmed and her throat felt hoarse, she felt him pull away from her slightly.
"Shego?"
His voice was concerned. She drew back to look at him.
"Will this...make you happy?"
She wiped her eyes. "I want you to be happy."
He glanced away, and then back to her face, his expression worried.
"But...if it doesn't—"
She interrupted him with a finger on his lips. "I want you to be happy," she repeated. After the joy she had heard in his voice before, she knew...she couldn't take this away from him. And despite her fears...the more the minutes passed and the more the reality sank in, the more she knew... She couldn't take it from herself, either. "And when you're happy...I'm happy."
He still looked worried. "But—"
"Shh..." she said softly, and then brought her lips to his. The tender kiss was rejuvenating, electrifying all of her senses and bringing energy back to her emotionally spent body. Like a sudden flood, passion rose within her. She slid her hands over his chest and moaned desirously into his kiss.
"Shego!" he whispered, pulling away quickly and grabbing her hands. "My mother is out there!"
Her brow furrowed. "In the hallway? Right outside?"
"Well...no, I don't think so—"
He was interrupted by another passionate kiss. Her thighs squeezed his waist in anticipation as he gave in, sinking backwards onto the bed to lay beneath her.
"Mm," he suddenly hummed in protest and grabbed her hands again to stop their pursuits. He wriggled out from under her and stood up, catching his breath and giving her an apologetic look as she frowned.
"Later, I-I promise," he said breathlessly. "My mother will come looking for us now if...we seem to be taking too long."
A tiny smirk found its way into her eyes. "Yeah... There's nothing quick about what I want to do with you."
Drakken blushed and pulled her to her feet. She leaned into his chest again, grateful when his arms surrounded her and pulled her close. He looked suddenly curious and a bit shy. She answered his look with one of her own.
He licked his lips. "When, ah...when do you think...it happened?"
Shego followed his train of thought and dropped her gaze as she considered. Her hand absently slid between them to rest on her stomach.
"Actually...it must have been the night you proposed," she said, looking back up at him. "If it was after, the test wouldn't register yet. And if it was before, I...I think I would have noticed."
"Oh..." he said, rubbing her shoulders gently, looking lost in thought.
She put her arms around his neck and pulled herself up on her tip-toes to be almost nose-to-nose with him. She found herself blushing as she smiled at him, preparing her words.
"That was...the most wonderful night of my life," she said.
He exhaled shakily and a second later was kissing her fiercely, almost lifting her off the ground with how tightly he pulled her against him.
"Mm!" she protested in the kiss, hitting his back with her palm once as he squeezed her too hard. He softened his grip and she found her feet again, putting her weight down on her uninjured leg. When he broke away and she looked up at him, he was grinning with a joy she had rarely seen on his face.
"Shego!" he cried gleefully, scooping her up and then sitting down on the bed again, draping her legs across his lap. "This is...this is..." he shook his head, "incredible!"
She smiled and gently rubbed his jaw. "I'm...glad it makes you happy."
He continued grinning at her, hugging her close with another hum of joy when she didn't say more. She realized with a bit of surprise that she was happy too. But that didn't eliminate her other feelings.
"Drakken..."
He leaned back from the hug to look at her, still grinning in delight.
"You know this...changes everything."
His smile only faltered slightly as he looked at her attentively, his thumbs turning in slow circles over her shoulders.
"Our life is going to change... It has to change."
His smile shrank again, and this time she saw the faraway look enter his eyes that indicated he was thinking.
"I don't know if...if we should keep trying to take over the world," she continued, "because...a child...that we're responsible for, is going to be our world now."
He blinked, his grin fading entirely as he took in her words. The warmth she had felt a short time ago began to slowly evaporate from her body, taking the gift of strength with it.
It reminded her of her fear.
Before it could settle back into her heart, his grin returned and he shook his head briefly, a carefree look in his eyes.
"I already have the world," he said, brushing her remaining tears away with the backs of his fingers. "It's just...a little bigger now."
Her gaze dropped to her lap as her breath caught. "You don't...really mean that. You just say sappy, romantic things to make me feel good."
He lifted her chin up to make her look at him. He shook his head, his dark eyes intense.
"Shego... When have I ever thought about something before saying it?"
She bit her lip lightly. It was true... He was a master of putting his foot in his mouth. Did it work the same when he said adoring, mushy things?
"You already gave me the world, when you agreed to marry me," he continued a bit shyly. "And now...we've been given more."
She curled her hand into a fist and hit his chest once, turning her face to hide her tears. "How is it a gift? I don't...I don't know what to do with this, Doc. I—" She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked away bitterly. "I'm scared."
She heard him sigh through his nose, and his thumbs resumed their circles on her shoulders.
"Well... So am I."
She looked back at him in surprise.
He shook his head. "I don't know what to do either. I'm just...glad we're doing it."
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, sniffling once as she thought about his words. His hand moved down and covered her abdomen again, and she felt the protective warmth return. She set her hand atop his and laced their fingers together.
A sudden knock at the door startled them both. She jumped slightly, hitting her face against his jaw. She heard his teeth snap together from the force, and then saw his face pinch in pain.
"Drew, are you in there?" the familiar voice of his mother sounded from the hallway as the knock repeated.
"Yes, Mother. We'll be right out," Drakken called back.
"Are you okay?" Shego asked quietly, rubbing her cheekbone where she'd bumped him.
"Bit my cheek," he said, and she watched the movement of his tongue through his cheek against the wound.
She leaned her head against his shoulder and frowned. "I don't want to talk to your mother."
Drakken turned his head to look at her. "We can't ignore her."
"Why not?"
"Because...um..."
Shego pulled back and stared at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Because her flight home doesn't leave until tomorrow afternoon?"
Shego shrugged. "I have enough food in here to last beyond that."
Drakken grimaced. "She can't...get back to the airport without us. Besides, she isn't...just going to go away. She's my mother."
Shego hugged him tighter and lay her head down again. "She doesn't get any input about how we raise the baby."
She felt Drakken tense under her and knew he was staring. She looked up and met his wide-eyed wonder and the awed parting of his lips. A moment passed before she realized what had arrested his attention, and then her own eyes widened as she replayed her own words in her head. She sat back and stared away at the wall.
"I... We..." she looked up at him, "are going to have a baby."
A tiny bubble of laughter escaped his lips as he smiled at her, and she saw tears come to the corners of his eyes. He suddenly didn't look like the middle-aged human-plant mutant who worried about his mother's approval, but the wannabe-dictator genius-dork with endless drive she couldn't wait to marry. She shook her head in amazement and dropped her cheek to his shoulder again.
"Wow..." she breathed.
She felt Drakken's hand squeeze at her middle ever so gently, and then he started pushing her away.
"The...sooner we go out there and talk to her, the...sooner we can come back in here?" he suggested.
"Oh, not in here," she said with a smirk as she stood up from his lap.
He frowned. "Why not? I want to try out your bed..."
She shook her head as he rose and joined her, his arm wrapping around her waist.
"Not worth it. Yours is better. Trust me."
She found his disappointed pout adorable, and biting her lip mischievously she reached down and pinched his bottom. His resulting yelp made her laugh, and she leaned into his side.
"You're cute when you don't get what you want," she said with a smile.
He blushed and frowned lightly. "Oh...I-I'll get what I want."
She wrapped both arms around him and chuckled. "Lucky you, we want the same thing."