A Dream and a Nightmare

Summary: Drakken's invention takes him and Shego into their recurring dreams.

A/N: Enormous THANK YOU to bcbdrums for beta reading! This fic would not have happened without your feedback!

Shego yawned as she pulled back her bed covers, looking forward to a full night's sleep. They'd spent the entire day stealing some chemical or whatever. While she and Drakken made it out with the goods, Possible got in a few solid kicks before they took off. Shego planned to take an aspirin and ice her knees before...

What the hell?

Why was her pillow glowing?

"I'm way too tired for this," Shego muttered, snatching her pillow and stomping to her boss's room. "Drakken!"

She threw open Drakken's bedroom door to find him already in bed, fully dressed in blue pajamas. In that moment, she remembered the short nightgown she wore and the robe she'd left on her own bed. Given Drakken's stunned expression, he clearly noticed.

Well...that was his problem.

"We've talked about this," Shego snapped, holding up the offending pillow. The green pillowcase lit up the room with an eerie glow. "Do you not remember the mind-control incident? You're lucky I'm too tired to put this thing over your head."

Drakken grimaced. "I honestly thought it was understood."

"What was obviously not understood?"

"That's why we stole the oxytocin concentrate today. It was the last ingredient for my Dream Booster." Realizing he was still in bed, Drakken climbed out and stood before Shego, awkwardly adjusting his pajamas. "I said I was going to put it on our pillows today. When you didn't say anything, I figured you were okay with it."

Shego sighed. Maybe it would do her some good to listen to his ramblings every so often. "Well, I'm not. What if this thing causes brain damage?"

"I'm fairly certain it won't." Drakken pointed to his own glowing pillowcase. "Look, I'm trying it too. Doesn't that count for something?"

While he had a point, Shego still didn't know what to expect from Drakken's latest chaos creator. "But what does it do, exactly? If I'm going to be your guinea pig again, I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into. And don't skimp on the details."

Drakken glared at her. "You really don't listen to me at all."

"Not a bit."

"Fine. These pillows will give us access to our dreams. We'll be able to experience them like we do the real world." He grinned while he imagined the possibilities. "Think of it, Shego! We can use our sleeping hours exactly like our waking hours! There will be no wasted time! I can think of my next brilliant plan while I'm fast asleep in bed!" He did a happy dance in anticipation. "Oh, I can't wait!"

Shego tilted her head in consideration. Could it be that she actually...liked this invention? Staring at the pillow in her hand, Shego thought about what she'd do with an extra eight hours. "Alright, you've got yourself a guinea pig," she grumbled, heading back into the hall. "'Night, Dr. D."

"Sweet dreams, Shego! Sweet, productive dreams!"

Knowing the uncertainty ahead, Shego had trouble relaxing enough to sleep. Then, when she finally did, her train of thought continued chugging along. She was definitely asleep, but somehow she retained full control of her thoughts and dreams. Her stream of consciousness drifted in a dark void. She could paint a picture of anything she wanted.

So, Drakken's invention really worked. She did not see this coming.

Shego used this opportunity to create her house. Well, it didn't exist in the real world. It was a fantasy she conjured whenever Drakken went particularly rant-y. Needless to say, she'd imagined it enough that she had every little detail, right down to the color schemes and design materials.

Suddenly, right before her mind's eye...the house appeared. It was a Caribbean beach house. Dark gray trim popped against emerald green stucco. Wrought iron railings and terraces surrounded the house on both levels. A walkway out front went over the sand to the gorgeous, sparkling tropical ocean. As for herself, Shego now wore her favorite bathing suit.

Yeah, she could easily do this every night.

"Shego?"

"Drakken?" Shego almost jumped out of her skin when Dr. Drakken appeared on the front porch. Literally, out of thin air. She couldn't help noticing he wore swim trunks and no shirt. "N-nice look," she snapped, annoyed that he'd surprised her.

He shrugged. "We are at the beach."

"Yeah, why is that?" Shego stomped up to the front porch and leaned on the front door handle. "You said nothing about visiting each other's dreams."

"I thought it was implied..."

"It wasn't. What happened to 'no wasted time' and 'planning your next big scheme'?"

"I'll get to that," he assured her. "Since this is the first night, I wanted to test my limits. It's fascinating, isn't it? And there's so much evil potential. I could...I could give Possible and the buffoon constant nightmares! They'll never beat us if they're always tired!"

Shego grudgingly nodded, seeing the benefits of dream travel. "It's not the worst idea you've had. I wouldn't mind giving Kimmie nightmares." The following silence became awkward when she realized they had no schedule to keep. They were just...alone. In paradise. "So, uh, you want a tour? Or we could, sit on the beach, I guess...unless you'd rather take off and go to some other dream?"

"Uh, a tour sounds good. I'm curious to see how stable this Dream Booster is – you know, if the dream will hold the longer we stay in it. All of this could easily fall apart."

"Comforting."

They walked into a bright, airy beach house with high ceilings. The green and gray color scheme carried into the house, encompassing the living room and open kitchen. Overall the effect was sleek and stylish, beachy but not in a kitschy way. "Welcome to my dream house," Shego said with a wave of her arm. "This is what I fantasize about when I'm supposed to be listening to you."

"Mystery solved," Drakken retorted. "I wondered where your mind goes when you obviously tune out."

Shego paused. "You did?"

"Can't help it when you're right there in front of me. Ignoring me."

"Oh." Why was she so uneasy? Shego blamed the strange situation they'd ended up in. It was unnerving to see her house so clearly, like she would in reality. If only she could build it one day...someday...maybe before she got old. If she got old. Villains weren't known for long life spans.

"So do you ever have any other dreams?" Drakken asked. "Recurring ones, I mean." They walked through long hallways, passing a dining room, a game room with a billiard table, an elaborate gym. The floors in the hallways were a light hardwood, the smooth walls painted sage. A large, hotel-level pool beckoned them from the backyard.

Shego paused, suddenly grateful she could control the dream. If he'd been dragged into some of the nightmares from her childhood...God, that would become a nightmare in itself. "None of your business," she spat. "You're lucky I went along with this little experiment. Don't push it." Eventually they'd seen everything except the master suite on the second floor. Shego hesitated when they passed the staircase that led back downstairs. "Hey, um, you get the gist. Let's go out to the beach."

"What's the rush? I've seen every other room, we might as well finished the tour." Drakken pushed open the nearest door...and judging by the look on his face, he instantly regretted it.

The room was a nursery. Blues and greens covered the walls, the accessories, and the cushions on a comfortable rocking chair in the corner. A crib stood in the space to their left. The open closet was full with baby clothes and a filled toy chest sat next to the rocking chair.

"Oh...Shego, I'm..."

Shego put a hand on his shoulder, guiding him back to the stairs. "It's fine. Just...just leave. Leave now." She shut the door firmly behind them.

They were silent until they went back out to the beach. Shego knew he would ask about it, and honestly, she didn't know what to say. The nursery wasn't always there in the beach house. It never showed up if she controlled the fantasy, only when she'd fallen asleep. She supposed this was an odd mix of both – she had some control, but the dream could still surprise her.

The nursery's very existence confused Shego because she'd never wanted kids. If anyone dared to ask, she'd say she never imagined becoming a parent. It wasn't realistic in her line of work...not that motherhood would be her first choice otherwise. No one who knew Shego would recommend having kids, that was for sure. Her child development degree only meant she wanted to teach, not that she wanted to be a mother...

That stupid nursery. If she'd known Drakken would show up, she wouldn't have risked bringing him to the house. With her arms crossed, Shego looked out at the ocean, sensing him behind her. "It's a dream, Dr. D. Things happen even if they don't make sense. Any sense."

"Right, of course. It's only a dream."

"Exactly." She breathed easier when he didn't push. It was best to change the subject. "So, now that you've trampled all over my fantasy beach house, let's go see your recurring dream. Do you have one?" When she glanced back at him, she grinned at his uncomfortable expression. Time to return the favor. "Come on, out with it. Whatever it is, you know I'm going with you."

Drakken feigned uncertainty. "Well, uh, it is a new invention, you know. I'm more familiar with it than you are, so there's a chance you could be hurt if you tried jumping into my dream..."

"Yeah, right. I'm not an idiot." She glared at him with determination, making it clear she would not buy whatever he tried to sell her. "I'm going with you, so you might as well tell me."

"Alright, alright. Um, you know those nightmares people have where they're back in high school?"

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's it?"

"It's worse than it sounds, trust me." Drakken let out a long sigh. "I always feel like I'm sixteen again. And it was not a good time for me."

Well, Shego could relate to that. Her high school years weren't her best either. "I'll give you that it doesn't sound like fun. Maybe we can change what happens, and then you won't have the nightmare anymore."

"Worth a shot, I guess. I'm still not sure how this will work, so...let's see what happens."

A second later, Drakken found himself in his old high school. He'd been aged down to his teenage self. Unruly hair fell into his face, while a blue leather jacket fell over a navy collared shirt and jeans. Thick glasses covered half his face, which featured no scar but plenty of acne.

He glanced around the locker-lined hallway, hoping Shego wouldn't turn up. But he didn't have to look far – she stood right behind him. The dream also aged her down to a teenager. As much as he hated this nightmare, it was interesting to see her teenage self. Then again, was it teen Shego, or was it teen Shego as his subconscious imagined her? He'd have to give that some thought later.

Either way, she looked liked a teen Shego might look. Her clothes consisted of a forest green long-sleeved tee, black denim skirt and black heeled boots. Shego's shorter hair was pulled back into a ponytail and a streak of bright green dye ran through it. While he had yet to turn blue at this stage, her skin was already its usual shade.

"You were cool in high school, weren't you?" Drakken accused, taking in her look.

Shego rolled her eyes. "More of a 'problem child.' Detention would have been my second home – if I ever bothered going." She checked out the hallway, glancing down at the closed classroom doors. "So what happens here?"

"Um, things are different." He tapped his chin as he remembered his regular nightmare. "I'm myself. I remember that I'm Dr. Drakken, not Drew Lipsky. So I'm not sure what to do."

"What usually happens?"

"Nothing pleasant. All the anxiety and insecurity comes rushing back and I can barely remember my own name, let alone my locker number or my next class. I'll wander around aimlessly, and sometimes I find my locker. But then I'm late to class and sent to detention. That's when I wake up."

"Pretty boring dream," Shego commented.

Drakken glared. "To someone else, maybe. High school never scared you?"

After a long pause, Shego quietly replied, "Other things scared me."

It occurred to him that this night turned out to be way more personal than Shego expected. More than he expected. First the nursery, now they were talking about high school memories. Maybe he shouldn't have brought her along on the first test run. "Well, um, let's get this over with. I guess we can try to find my locker and get to class."

"Wait, you said this always ends with detention," Shego pointed out. "Why not hurry things along? Let's ditch this place instead." She tried the nearest exit to the grounds, but after pushing the door – even using her power – it would not budge. "Never mind."

"That happens too, all the doors to the outside are always locked."

"You could've told me that."

"Would you have believed me without trying it yourself?"

"Okay then," Shego muttered, again glancing around the hallway. "Well, we have more control of the dream now, so tell me more about high school. What's one thing that always bugged you? Maybe we can do something about it."

Drakken gritted his teeth, knowing his answer instantly. "Motor Ed."

"You went to high school with him? That sounds annoying."

"You have no idea," he said with a nod. "Even worse, he was a jock back then. Way more popular than me...which, admittedly, wasn't hard."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Motor Ed was a jock?"

"He ran track to make his parents happy. On the weekends he worked in a service garage to learn about cars. Being the only jock with a motorcycle made him even more popular."

"Of course." Shego paused, looking devious as she thought about his story. "Where did he hang out? And remember, we can't go outside."

"His favorite room in the building was Wood Shop. He wasn't into woodworking, but he liked learning about all the tools."

"Then lead the way, Dr. D."

Drakken didn't know what Shego had in mind, but he was eager to see it play out. While he'd never tell her, this nightmare partly inspired his invention – controlling what happened would surely conquer it. Even now he could feel it working. With Shego there, high school didn't seem that scary anymore. It also helped that he didn't feel like his old, disastrous teenage self. But still, Shego's presence moved things along in ways he wouldn't have thought of, so he was grateful for it.

When they approached Wood Shop, it sounded like a party. Typical for the ever-popular Eddie Lipsky. He always had swarms of people around him, and not just the swooning girls. Even the guys followed him around, usually hoping to score with the 'babes' who didn't end up on Eddie's arm. The scenes thoroughly disgusted Drakken and he was glad to escape them.

This in mind, Drakken threw open the Wood Shop door with a dramatic flourish. "Shego, meet Eddie Lipsky."

"Wow," she muttered, blinking at the scene before them.

Teenage Motor Ed sat on one of the tables like a king. Wearing a dirty white t-shirt and jeans, he showed off his knowledge of power tools to a fascinated posse of three female students. Two equally-muscled teenage boys, dressed similarly, tried to show off for the girls too by working on their own projects. They used noisy machinery with no teacher in sight.

Smirking, Shego commented, "When do they break into 'Greased Lightning'?"

"You know, I never made that connection myself, but now I see it."

At the sound of his cousin's voice, Motor Ed hopped off the table and sauntered over, the girls staring after him wistfully. "Hey, 'cuz! What the heck are you doing on my turf? I thought all this stuff was so boring compared your seriously fascinating science lab."

While Drakken lowered his eyes, the mocking laughter of the other students irritated Shego. "He's showing me around," Shego snapped. "And I don't know why anyone would want to hang out here. It's hot and I already feel the dust on me."

"That's true," Ed agreed. "Babes like yourself can't handle Wood Shop."

"Excuse you – "

He went on like she hadn't spoken. Drakken saw her hand begin to glow, and frankly, he would love to see someone get the best of teenage Eddie. Meanwhile, his oblivious cousin went on. "Yeah, Green Babe, chicks only come in here to see the Ed man, you know? I'm sure that's why my cuz brought you here, because you wanted to meet me."

"Actually, Ed," Drakken interrupted, putting a hand on Shego's shoulder. "She's with me. I'm showing her around."

Ed and the other students burst out laughing. "Right, right, funny one. Come on, Green Babe, ditch the dweeb and grab a seat next to Blondie over there. No offense, cuz, that's how it is. Babes before bros." When she didn't move, he attempted to grab Shego's arm.

That was his mistake. Shego lit up her hands and sent him flying into the table. His admirers scattered, not one offering to help him up. Before the fight could escalate, someone walked up behind them.

"What in the world is going on here?"

His eyes wide, Drakken exchanged a startled look with Shego before they turned around. "Kim Possible?"

It was Possible, but she looked like a school teacher, wearing button-down blouse and a long skirt. Her hair was tied up in a bun. She glared at the entire room with an unflinching stare, her arms crossed as she stepped into the room.

"Detention, all of you. Now."

Without even moving, Drakken found himself seated in the familiar detention classroom. Shego also looked confused in the seat next to him. "That was unsettling," he muttered.

"Oh yeah."

Motor Ed and the other students took up the seats around them. At the head of the class, Kim Possible sat at the teacher's desk. She read a newspaper but her eyes kept peering over the top at her charges. With one last glare at Motor Ed, Shego leaned in closer to Drakken. "Your 'cuz' is a real jerk. Admittedly, given how he is in present day, I'm not surprised."

"In present day...real life, whichever, he thinks I've forgotten about it." Drakken frowned, old hostility towards his cousin resurfacing. The image of Shego blasting teen Eddie into the desk helped calm him down. "But it's hard to forget the torment he put me through. Back in our actual high school, he hit on every girl who showed the slightest interest in me. Honestly, do you think that happened a lot? Needless to say their choice was obvious, even if they kind of liked me beforehand. This was a first."

Shego frowned sympathetically. "I wouldn't have chosen 'Eddie' over you. Even back then, I had no tolerance for jerks."

"You're just saying that. You wouldn't have hung out with a geek in high school."

"Not normally, but if the geek was you..." Shego trailed off, suddenly uncomfortable. "Well, it doesn't matter because I wasn't there. But trust me, I had my own problems in high school. Arguably worse than a mean cousin." She paused. "This isn't about me, though."

Drakken stared at her for a moment, realizing he didn't know much about her past. Or as much as he should considering how long they'd worked together. But he didn't want to ask her for details while they were stuck in dream detention. "Right, um...I feel like we've probably tested the Dream Booster enough. Let's call it a night."

"How?"

"Oh, um, good question." Drakken realized he didn't program an 'off' command. In his plans, he'd imagined the test subject would simply...wake up. "Well, maybe..."

"Quiet!" Kim Possible snapped at them, her newspaper lowered.

Shego glared back at the 'teacher.' "Maybe we should get out of here first."

"What do you mean? Just...leave?" Even though Drakken had drastically changed his recurring dream, he still felt some of his usual anxiety. The idea of leaving still intimidated him – especially now that Kim Possible guarded the exit.

"Why not? Let's go on three." Shego grabbed Drakken's arm, watching the front to make sure Possible stayed in her desk chair. "And...three!" They bolted to the door, their eyes on the exit, not stopping when Possible stood up to follow them.

The last thing Drakken remembered was holding Shego's hand as they ran into the hallway.

Drakken woke up slowly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. What happened? Why did he wake up? True, he was relieved they woke up, since he wouldn't have known how to end the dreams otherwise. But it begged the question...did the pillow wear off? When he looked over his own pillow, he noticed it didn't glow as brightly as before. The clock told him they'd slept for about five hours.

So he'd need to make some adjustments, try to get more juice out of it. But it had been a fairly successful test run. He wasn't complaining when, frankly, he'd doubted it would work at all.

Shego.

His eyes widening with alarm, Drakken jumped out of bed and ran to her room. He almost collided with her in the hallway. This time she'd remembered to throw on her robe. "Shego! Um, you're okay?"

"Yeah, I was just...checking, you know...new invention, unpredictable effects..."

Drakken nodded. "My thoughts exactly. You're feeling alright?"

"I'm okay, I think," she answered with a shrug. "So, it actually worked."

Scratching the back of his head, he answered, "For the most part. I need to fine-tune it, make the effects last longer, give the dreamer more control. There was still too much unpredictability for my liking."

Shego smirked. "Agreed. Um, so we don't need to talk about...for like, any kind of report..."

"No, I remember everything that happened." He gave her a sideways glance. "Unless you want to."

"No, no, that's fine, I'll, uh, go back to bed. 'Night, Dr. D."

Drakken stared after her a long moment as she shuffled back to her room. "Good night, Shego."