A/N: Not much to say here, except thanks to everyone for reading. :)
Chapter 8 – Under Attack
Sheila knew the moment she had gotten back; the afterlife felt much different on this side of the divide than on Earth. She did not take the time to savor her return; instead, she reached out, her soul searching desperately for the one whom she sought. It took some doing, but at last there she was, her mournful spirit a blight on the joy that permeated this place. Sheila called out and Mim heard her, but as was typical in these situations, Mim was as distant as she could possibly be from where Sheila found herself. Knowing the Overseers would rapidly find her, Sheila set out to find Mim immediately, for if the Overseers found her, she could be banished again without ever beholding her love.
Mim felt Sheila return before she heard her desperate cry, but it took that cry to convince Mim that what she felt was real; Sheila had managed to return to her. She really could not care less how that might have occurred; all she cared about was reaching Sheila before Sheila was taken from her again.
From opposite sides of their shared eternal plane, they made their way toward each other, sweeping errant souls out of the way as they both tried to elude the Authorities. In a way, Sheila felt quite foolish; they were ethereal not corporeal beings now, and yet she was looking over a non-existent shoulder to prevent her capture. Old habits did die hard it seemed, but all such idle musings were forgotten as the last of the obstructions fell away and she came into Mim's presence.
Neither one could speak or even think; they had thought themselves to be separated forever, so now to stand and bask in each other caused such an overwhelming rush of emotion that neither words nor thoughts could do it justice. They savored the feel of each other's essence and they remembered what it was like to feel whole. After a while, the ability to communicate returned, and Sheila was the first to break the silence. "I am so sorry, Mim," she said softly.
"There is nothing to be sorry for, Lil," Mim protested, soothing her. "I am just as much to blame as you are."
"But…" Sheila began.
"I do not wish to hear it," Mim forestalled her gently. "I only care that you are here now. We can deal with the consequences at a later time."
"Sheila Lillane Goshen and Miriam Kymberleigh Possible!" an authoritative voice bellowed from a location near to their own.
"Would those be the consequences to which you were referring?" Sheila inquired wryly.
"Perhaps," Mim allowed dryly.
"Must They always treat us as though we were children?" Sheila objected, her jubilation at being reunited with Mim causing her innate self-confidence and pride to come back with a vengeance even in the face of Divine disapproval.
"To Them we are children," Mim reminded her before they were whisked away to their judgment.
The Middleton Mansion – The next morning
Kim yawned and stretched. She looked around sleepily, noting Ron and Rufus asleep on the couch next to her and Bea snoring softly in the chair they had turned to face the playing table. The morning light was coming in through the windows and brightening up the living room, and Kim realized that the nap they had decided on after the fifth game of Parcheesi must have turned into full-blown sleep. She ran her hand through her hair, blinking, as she tried to convince herself that waking up was what she wanted to do. She looked past Bea's chair into the space beyond and saw a white form floating there interestedly looking at the photographs. Her heart quickened at the thought it could be Mim and/or Sheila, but the short hair and moustache were dead giveaways that it was not. She shook her head as she carefully got off the couch. Her mind must be seriously compensating for the lack of her sarcastic sweetie if it was coming up with phrases like "dead giveaways" in conjunction with ghosts.
"Morning, Kimberly!" Jon said happily, yet quietly, mindful of those sleeping not so far away.
"Good morning, Jon," Kim replied affectionately, his goofy charm having won her over already.
"Sheila was quite the photographer, wasn't she?" he observed enthusiastically. "I had no idea her talent was this prodigious."
"She was very good," Kim agreed. "And Mim was an awesome writer, so they made a great team."
"Still do, my dear, and nothing will ever change that," Jon said with obvious affection. "They are probably upending the afterlife as we speak."
Kim laughed. She glanced at the clock and was surprised to find out that it was nearly eight o'clock. "I'm so sorry, Jon," she apologized, her body kicking in to hurry mode. "I would love to talk some more, but I have an appointment with Shego's lawyer at nine."
"No apologies necessary, my dear," Jon assured her. "And if the others awake, I shall inform them of where you have gone."
"Thanks, Jon," Kim said sincerely. Jon nodded and Kim slipped out the front door to make a mad dash to her own house for a shower and fresh clothes.
Middleton County Lockup – 11:00AM
"Goshen!" the guard barked at Shego from the outside of her cell.
"Yeah?" Shego asked, not looking up from the paper she was reading. The Middleton Gazette had run a front page story about her capture, and the editorial page had an essay about whether a career criminal could really change. It was the editor's opinion that said criminal could if they wanted to, and she was quite critical of the way the Middleton police department had treated Shego. "Ms. Goshen has shown a complete willingness to change and has been embraced by one of our town's oldest and most respected families. I find it hard that that she, or any criminal for that matter, would be inclined to continue giving up their life of crime if they are to be harassed by the police anyway," the editor had written. Shego smirked. She was glad for the editor's support, but she did have to wonder if it was truly her honest opinion or if she was merely defending the person who signed her paychecks.
"Your lawyer is here to see you," her guard told her, interrupting both her thoughts and her reading.
Shego looked down from the top bunk. "My lawyer?" she questioned, jumping off and putting her paper on the lower bunk.
"Yeah, your lawyer," the guard confirmed, unlocking the door. "And I heard that Kim Possible is with her." Shego didn't say anything, but she couldn't help the small smile that automatically sprang to her features. The guard noted it, and her eyebrow quirked. "And here I thought it was just a rumor," she said in an amused tone. Shego just smirked and shrugged. The guard locked her cell behind her and escorted her to a holding room to wait for Kim and her still unknown lawyer. The guard left and came back a few minutes later, escorting Kim and a blond middle-aged woman carrying a large briefcase into the room as well.
"I'll be back in an hour," she informed them.
"An hour will be fine; thank you," the blond woman said crisply. The guard nodded and shut the door, and Shego's lawyer took a seat at the table and opened her briefcase. After taking out a white box, she took out a legal pad and turned to face Shego, only to find that her potential client had abandoned her seat and was currently embracing Kim with fervor. She chuckled. "Now I see why Kim insisted on coming," she said wryly.
Kim blushed and reluctantly broke off their hug. "Sorry, Aunt Zan," she said apologetically. "Shego, meet my Aunt Zandra. Aunt Zan, this is my girlfriend Shego," she said, making the introductions.
"Very nice to meet you, Shego," Zandra said.
"Very nice to meet you, too, ma'am, and thank you for agreeing to take my case," Shego said respectfully.
"It is no problem; besides, my niece, my grandmother, my mother, my aunt and my cousin would have hounded me until I did," Zan said wryly. "And please, call me Zan," she insisted. "Everyone else does."
Shego smirked. She liked Zan already; she had a sense of humor. "You must be from Mrs. Dr. P's side of the family," Shego decided, noting the family resemblance and knowing that Mr. Dr. P only had his older brother Slim and no sisters.
"That I am," Zan confirmed, smiling. "Ann is my first cousin, but my mom Pandora and her mom, Kim's grandma Nancy, are identical twin sisters and we were together a lot as kids; she is really more like my sister."
"Which makes you 'Aunt' Zan," Shego guessed.
"Pretty much, even though Kim and I are really second cousins," Zan confirmed.
Shego nodded. That would explain how Kimmie had found a lawyer so quickly; the one she had on speed dial was family. "Well, I know you had a familial obligation, but thank you again for taking my case. Kimmie here informed me that my estate lawyer wasn't going to cut it this time," Shego said.
"And she's right; you do need a criminal attorney," Zan said, causing Kim to smirk smugly. "Especially with charges like these." She jotted a few notes down on her pad. "So Kim tells me that you did have a criminal record but that Betty arranged some sort of deal whereby you were pardoned if you stayed out of trouble?" she asked.
"Betty?" Shego questioned.
"Dr. Director," Kim quickly explained.
"Oh, yeah, she did," Shego said distractedly, her mind still working on "Betty". "You know Dr. Director well enough to call her 'Betty'?" she asked Zan, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Of course," Zan said, unaware that Shego didn't know all of Kim's family connections. "Her dad Daniel is Mom and Aunt Nancy's older brother. She, like Ann, is my first cousin."
"Meaning that you have a doctor, a lawyer, the head of an international intelligence agency and a supervillain on that side of the family," Shego concluded, already knowing that Gemini and Dr. Director were twins. She smirked. "That explains a lot," she said, looking at Kim and still smirking. "But anyway, yes, Dr. Director did manage to get my outstanding warrants commuted if I stayed out of trouble."
"So if you committed another crime…" Zan began.
"…my ass would be right back in jail," Shego finished.
"Hm, that would be a good deterrent against committing more crime, especially since you seem to have a reason to want to stay out of jail now," Zan said, looking at Kim.
"Yes, I do," Shego agreed.
"So, Kim tells me that you weren't even in Middleton on the night of the alleged attack," Zan said, writing down something else.
"No, we were at the beach house in Mexico," Shego confirmed.
"And Kim was with you the whole time?" Zan asked, just to be sure.
"Yes," Shego said.
"And you told the authorities this, right?" she asked Kim.
"Of course," Kim replied. "But they didn't listen to me."
Zan frowned and grabbed the criminal complaint. "It looks like the only witness they could possibly have is the victim," she said, flipping through the pages. "And she is your ex-girlfriend, which of course complicates matters." Zan shook her head, still flipping. "I really don't know how they even got the warrant through," she said. "They are basing it solely on the eyewitness account of a spurned ex-girlfriend. Granted, she was injured and she filed the complaint from the hospital, but it couldn't have been you." Zan scribbled some more. "Could anyone verify that you were in Mexico in case they make the claim that Kim is lying for you?"
"We went to the same restaurant every night," Kim offered. "Sergio would testify for us."
"Yeah, he would," Shego agreed.
"Well, then, that is an option if we have to go that far," Zan decided. "But based on what I've seen, they have a very flimsy case. When we go to court for your arraignment, I am going to bring up a motion to dismiss."
"Would it help if we knew who did it?" Kim inquired.
"We know who did it?" Shego asked, surprised.
"Yup, we do," Kim answered. "Aunt Sheila did it."
"Nana Sheila did it?" Shego asked, and Kim nodded. Shego thought about it some more. "Actually, that makes a weird kind of sense," she said, nodding.
"Who is Aunt/Nana Sheila?" Zan asked.
"She's my great-great Aunt," Shego explained. "She lived with my Nana Mim at the Middleton Mansion where I live until she died, and now she and Nana Mim come by to haunt the place and bug us every now and again. She looks just like me, just a little more see-through and a little less green."
"She's a ghost," Zan clarified. Kim and Shego nodded. "Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder," she sighed. "Well, to answer your question, Kim, I don't think that information will help," Zan said honestly. "But we may have to bring it up if we go to trial." She wrote a few more items on her pad and put it away in her briefcase, snapping the lid closed when she was finished. "Well, I think that does it for me," she decided. "I have everything I need to write my motion and everything we might need for your arraignment." She handed Kim the box she had pulled out of her briefcase. "I'll be outside," she said with a slight smirk.
The door had barely clicked shut before Kim tossed the box to the ground and they were in each other's arms. They kissed hungrily, trying to make up for the hours they had been forced to spend apart. Eventually, they had to break apart to breathe, but Shego immediately gathered Kim up in a loose hug. "Last night sucked, Princess," she said morosely.
"For me too, sweetie," Kim said, sighing, as she put her arms around Shego's waist.
"I wanted to bust out and come see you," Shego admitted.
"I almost wish you had," Kim confessed.
"I can tonight," Shego offered.
"Aunt Zan would kill us both," Kim replied ruefully. She begrudgingly let go of Shego and retrieved the box she had hastily discarded. "I had Aunt Zan smuggle this in," she said, handing the box to Shego. "I hope he helps." Shego opened it and she smiled as she pulled out Mongkut. "I know you don't like your presents returned, but he is a loaner," Kim said affectionately.
Shego chuckled and brought him closer, smiling even wider as she caught a whiff of Kimmie's distinctive scent on him. Lucky stuffed toy must be sleeping where she had wanted to sleep last night. "He'll help a lot. Thanks, Pumpkin," she said, placing Mongkut carefully down on the table before capturing Kim's lips in a kiss. A sharp knock sounded at the door, and they hastily broke apart as Zan came back in the room.
"The guard is coming back," she explained, taking a seat. Kim and Shego followed suit, and they all sat around the table looking at one another as the guard opened the door.
"I'm afraid time is up, ladies," she said, poking her head in.
Kim and Zan got up. "We'll be in touch, Shego," Zan said, offering her hand.
Shego reached out and shook it. "Thanks, Zan," she said.
"Bye, Junior," Kim said dejectedly.
"Bye, Pink," Shego said, equally dejected. She watched them walk out the door and heard her guard taking them down the hall. She grabbed Mongkut and fiddled with him until her guard came back and took her back to her cell.
Kim didn't say much as they walked back to the car, and Zan knew she hated leaving Shego in there. "We'll get her out as soon as we can, honey, I promise," she swore.
"I know, Aunt Zan," Kim replied. "You're an awesome lawyer and you will do your best. I just miss her when she's not around."
"Of course you do," Zan said kindly. "You're young and in love. But she'll be back soon, because we are getting her out of there, even if we have to tell the court a ghost did it."
"You believe me, right?" Kim asked, detecting a note of sarcasm in there.
"Sweetie, as your girlfriend so astutely pointed out, there is a doctor, a lawyer, the head of an international intelligence agency and a supervillain on our side of the family, not to mention a teen heroine that, if the stories I hear from Ann are true, seems to have the most bizarre adventures," Zan answered. "So, a ghost? Eh, not a big deal. But most families don't have that kind of background and a jury is going to think we are nuts if we bring in that defense. So, we mention it only if we have to."
Kim smiled. Her family really rocked sometimes. "Thanks, Aunt Zan," she said. She glanced at her watch. "Do you think you could give me a lift to school?" she asked. "I promised Mom I would try to make it to my afternoon classes."
"Sure thing," Zan said. "But I think we need some lunch first, agreed?"
"Agreed," Kim agreed, her thoughts turning to food to keep her mind off Shego.
The Ethereal Realm – Later that afternoon, if afternoons existed
Sheila and Mim stood before the Great Thrones, waiting as the Overseers looked them over. They had both expected instantaneous re-banishment for Sheila, so the fact that she remained beside Mim was heartening to them both. At last the Male Overseer spoke, and there were anger and frustration in his tone. "How in Our Name did you manage to make it back here? Did We not banish you to the physical realm?" he asked.
"A great friend of ours agreed to take my place on Earth," Sheila answered honestly.
The Male Overseer scowled. "It is not enough that we separate the two of you; now it seems we must separate you from the rest of Creation if you are to be truly punished," he growled.
Unexpectedly, the Female Overseer laughed melodically, and the others in attendance looked at her surprise. "We already have much to punish them for," She said. "But We cannot punish them for exploiting the circumstances. If We have that inexplicable rule, they should be free to utilize it." Mim and Sheila looked at one another, relieved. That was one less infraction that they would have to stand in judgment for. "Do not think yourselves absolved," the Female Overseer warned, reading their thoughts. "You should have rejected Jonathan's offer and resigned yourself to your punishment."
"Yes, I should have," Sheila freely admitted. "But what I should do and what I will do are vastly different things if my Miriam is involved." She bowed her head in supplication, surprising Mim with the rare display of humility and deference. "I am at Your mercy and I will willingly submit to Your righteous punishment for me. I only ask that You do not separate her from me again," Sheila pleaded. "I could not bear it."
"That was the intention of the punishment," the Male Overseer said coldly. "And the punishment was just; you have no right to ask for anything."
"As You say, I do not have the right to ask for anything, but I am doing so anyway," Sheila answered. "I am coming to you in penitence, asking for leniency. I know my mistakes and I have learned from them."
"You have learnt nothing; You are only coming to Us in penitence because you were separated from her," the Male Overseer scoffed.
"But I come nonetheless, and is that not the point of punishment?" Sheila countered. "Is it not to make me repent for what I have done and the actions I have committed? It has done its task; I am truly sorry for what I have done; please rescind this punishment. I swear I will not go against Your precepts again."
"You will follow Our precepts only until it serves your purpose," the Female Overseer said, a knowing look on her face. "We have no guarantee that what transpired on Earth will not happen again should We allow the two of you to resume your fellowship."
"You could restrict us to the ethereal plane," Mim suggested, speaking for the first time.
"You already were and that did little to keep you here," the Female Overseer pointed out, and Mim could have sworn that there was something akin to wry amusement in her tone.
"You could banish us both to Earth," Sheila offered.
"Allowing you more opportunities to interfere with mortals?" the Male Overseer asked scathingly. "You have ruined countless destines and nearly took a mortal's life!"
"I did not 'nearly take a mortal's life'," Sheila protested. "She was far from being in mortal danger."
"You attacked a mortal," the Female Overseer said flatly. "There is no justification for that, regardless if she came to real harm or not. Why would you do something so foolish as to break the one rule that would mandate retribution?"
"It was not intentional; it was a foolish, angry impulse and nothing more," Sheila answered heatedly. "And in spite of what we are told on Earth, being dead does not exempt one from feeling the range of normal human emotions, which of course includes anger."
"But after humans have passed what happens down there is no longer supposed to be their concern," the Female Overseer pointed out.
"Anything that involves Junior is my concern, regardless of where it might occur," Sheila stated firmly.
"And so you interfere, and now the one you hold so dear is on trial for crimes you committed," the Female Overseer rejoined.
Sheila paused, her shame at that truth apparent. "That obviously was not my intention," she said petulantly. "I only wished to scare that girl, so that she would leave Junior and Mim-jay in peace. She had no business being about the Mansion at that time of night, except in order to attempt some sort of ill-advised seduction of Junior. Junior has finally moved on and is happier than I have seen her in a long, long time. I could not stand by and let the person who had caused the most pain and unhappiness in her life to attempt to take the happiness she had found."
"Except that Sheila the Younger was not even present, so the intervention was not even necessary," the Female Overseer countered. "You hold your great-grand niece in such high regard; do you not trust her to make the right choices?"
"My outburst was not about futzing with Junior's choices, for if her recent history is any indication, she will choose Mim-jay time and time again," Sheila replied. "I just want to see her happy and peaceful, and I thought it would be easier without some sycophantic harpy plaguing her."
"And yet your thought has taken her from her place of peace and happiness by separating her from the one that she wishes to be with," the Male Overseer replied. "And, if the trial down below is successful, they will be separated for many, many years."
"All of which adds to my punishment," Sheila said resignedly. "I know that I have done wrong and I am truly sorry for it; please, I only ask that Miriam and I be rejoined."
"Very well, "the Female Overseer agreed unexpectedly. "From this point on, you two shall once again be one." Mim and Sheila looked at Her in disbelief; as badly as they thought it had gone so far, they were both preparing for their inevitable separation. "Do not thank me," the Female Overseer admonished, reading both their faces and their thoughts. "For now that you are again as one, you must now face your judgment as one, even if only one of you is to blame."
"So be it," Mim said boldly. "I welcome the opportunity to be able to stand with Sheila."
"As have you always," the Female Overseer said, and Mim, insofar as a spirit could, blushed.
Middleton County Courthouse – Late the next afternoon
Shego impatiently paced around her holding cell. Zan was supposed to have been here by now; Shego's arraignment was scheduled for less than an hour away and Shego still had to get changed into more professional attire. Well, she didn't have to, but the orange jumpsuit wasn't really her style. A sharp knock sounded, and Shego turned toward the door. "Come in!" she called. Zan entered, and Shego was puzzled and more than a little annoyed when she came in with only her briefcase. Before Shego could ask where the hell her clothes were, though, a smiling, business-suit clad Kimmie came right in behind her carrying a garment bag.
"Here's your stuff, sweetie," she said perkily, giving Shego a kiss as she handed off the hanger.
"Thanks, Princess," Shego said, kissing her back. When they finished with their hellos, Shego turned to Zan. "Not that I'm complaining, but how does she keep coming in with you? Doesn't it violate attorney/client privilege?"
"Well, as of two days ago, she is a paid intern with my law firm," Zan answered with a smile. "So, she is part of your representation team and she'll stay that way until we need to put her on the witness list." Shego shook her head and smiled. She liked intelligence and deviousness like that in her lawyers. "I'll step out while you change," Zan said. When Kim made no move towards the door, she sighed. "And so will you, young lady," she ordered. Kim tried the puppy-dog pout, but it did no good and she found herself hauled out into the hallway. Shego got dressed quickly, and they went over a few things after she had let Zan and Kim back in. The bailiff came for them in due time, and they all went to the courtroom together.
Their case number was called, and Shego and Zan went to stand at the defendant's table. "How does the defendant plead?" the judge, a one Sally Lisitor, asked Shego.
"Not guilty, Your Honor," Shego said respectfully, and Judge Lisitor did a slight double-take, confirming that yes, it was Shego and this time she was actually pleading "not guilty" in her courtroom.
"Very well, the plea has been entered. What would the State request for bail?" the judge asked.
"Remand, Your Honor," the prosecutor answered. "The defendant is a known flight risk and she has practically unlimited financial resources that would greatly aid her if she chooses to flee."
"And what does the defense say?" the judge asked.
"While it is true that my client has many resources at her disposal, there is nothing for her to gain by jumping bail," Zan replied. "We request $100,000 and my client will surrender her passport."
"The state objects, your Honor," the prosecutor interjected. "That is literally pocket change for the defendant and her family, and passports mean very little when you have your own private plane."
"Your Honor," Zan objected. "The fact is, and everyone here knows it, that if my client truly wanted to flee, she could do so whether or not she is behind bars. Remanding her to custody to prevent an escape attempt is ludicrous. If she has not escaped by now, she is not a flight risk."
The judge frowned. "While I am inclined to agree with the defense counsel's assessment, the defendant is a repeat offender, and at least on paper, she does present a considerable flight risk. Defendant shall be remanded to the County lock-up for trial," the judge decided. Zan and Shego both sighed in frustration. "Is there anything else?" the judge inquired.
"Yes, your Honor," Zan answered, bringing her paperwork up to the bench. "I am submitting a Motion to Dismiss due to lack of evidence."
The judge took her motion. "Very well, I will look it over and render a judgment in a few days," she said.
"Thank you, your Honor," Zan said.
"Next case," the judge said, and with that, their time in the courtroom was over.
Zan, Shego and Kim were escorted back to the holding cell, but Kim bailed as soon as they got there. "I have to go, Junior," she said apologetically. "I just got a call from Wade."
"Go save the world, Pumpkin; I'll be here," Shego said wryly.
Kim smiled. "Love you, Shego," she said, softly kissing her before disappearing down the hallway.
"Love you too, Pink," Shego said to the empty air as Kim vanished. She sighed and looked around to find Zan looking at her.
"Well, at least your alibi is airtight," she said wryly. Shego smirked self-consciously. They sat for a few moments until the bailiff came to get Shego. "I'll meet you back at the lock-up," Zan told her. "We need to plan in case the motion to dismiss is rejected." Shego nodded as the bailiff led her out of the cell.
The Ethereal Realm – A bit later than it was previously
Mim and Sheila waited apprehensively as one very angry and one oddly amused Overseer looked them over. They were to be punished, of that they were certain, but up to this point, the Overseers had given them no indication of what that punishment might be. Finally, the Male Overseer spoke. "I truly do not know of a punishment that is great enough for the crimes that you have committed now that it has been decreed that you two are to remain together. Do you two realize how many lives you have ruined by interfering in events in the physical realm?" He asked.
"I understand that as a form of Deity you are probably prone to hyperbole, but don't you think that 'ruined' is a bit extreme?" Sheila inquired politely. "The woman was not even that harmed."
"I am not referring to that incident!" He thundered. "I am referring to at least three predestined pairings that will never come to be because of your interference!"
"Predestined pairings?" Mim questioned, not trying to be sarcastic but honestly looking for information.
"There are some spirits whose shared destiny is known before they are born," the Female Overseer explained patiently. "You and Sheila are one such pair."
"And you claim that we disrupted these destines sufficiently that these lives will no longer come together," Sheila stated. "But whose lives did we disrupt so drastically?"
"Kimberly and Ronald have always been a predestined couple, as have Sheila the Younger and Nina," the Male Overseer told them.
Sheila and Mim looked at one another and then at Him with identical dubious expressions. "Surely You are not serious," Mim said at last.
"How would it behoove me to lie?" He asked snidely.
"It would not, but Mim-jay prefers the company of women, and Junior has been in love with her for years," Sheila said, bewildered. "Why would Mim-jay be bound to someone she can never be attracted to, and why would Junior be bound to one she does not love? It makes no sense."
"To a mortal, perhaps not," the Male Overseer sniffed. "But you are not privy to Our reasons."
"And what would those reasons be?" Mim asked facetiously. "To make Kimmie-Ann and Junior miserable? Besides, as humans, we have Divine-imparted free will; so while you may know how the story begins and ends, we are allowed to choose our own way to get here from there."
"But have you allowed Sheila the Younger and Kimberly to choose their own path through life?" the Female Overseer asked. "You give them dreams of your past and stories of your great love. How can they not be tempted to follow in your footsteps?"
"They may be tempted but they are not forced to choose one way or the other. We do not give them nightmares of their wives, children, lovers and Nanas being ripped away from them in the most painful way possible in order to force them to do as we wish," Sheila retorted.
"The dreams were a necessity to guide her back from your temptation," the Male Overseer countered.
"No, they were a dastardly attempt to impose your will on a situation that You are supposed to have no control over!" Mim said angrily, her temper at last snapping. "We at least had a purpose to our intervention; if we had not made contact with them, the Earth would have been destroyed. Granted, because we did interfere, Kimmie-Ann and Junior may have become closer than they otherwise would have and that has resulted in romance. But is the dissolution of these so-called predestined pairs really worth the destruction of the entire human race?"
"Perhaps not, but your interference has changed the course of history," the Female Overseer said. "And that is the issue that is really at the heart of this matter. Why should you have the right to alter history and others' destiny to your own whims, when, as you say, every spirit should be free to make whatever choices they deem appropriate?"
"Our objective was never to change any history but that of the world being destroyed," Sheila argued. "We never had anything but the best of intentions."
"Ah, yes, but as the mortal saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions," the Female Overseer replied.
"Then what are we to say or do?" Mim asked. "We are guilty of the charges as they have been presented. There is no defense that we can offer, nor any real restitution that we can make. "
"You could rend asunder the pair that your interference has wrought," The Male Overseer proposed.
"We would willingly frolic in fires of Hell for eternity before we would ever forcibly separate our two young ladies," Mim stated fiercely, and Sheila, equally angry with the suggestion, nodded.
"You may well get your chance to frolic," the Female Overseer said, "But first your eternal fate must be decided. We Two shall retire now, and when We return, We will have your judgment."
The Overseers disappeared as two solemn spirits watched them. "What do you think of our chances, Lil? Do you think we stand a chance of redemption or are we damned for the rest of eternity?" Mim asked.
Sheila sighed. "Well, I don't think we are to be separated, which is an improvement from our previous situation," she said hopefully. "But to use the contemporary vernacular, Mim, I think we're screwed."
Middleton County Lockup – Late in the evening
Shego trudged tiredly back to her cell, a sheaf of notes from Zan in one hand and her courtroom attire in the other. Damn, it had been a long day and in spite of its length, it hadn't been all that productive. She hadn't expected the charges to miraculously disappear or anything stupidly optimistic like that, but she had at least expected to be free on bail. But the stupid prosecutor thought she was a flight risk, and even though Shego could tell that Judge Lisitor agreed with Zan that had she wanted to be gone, she would have been gone already, the judge had to do her duty and remand her, so here she still was. Needless to say, she wasn't happy about it, and she was even less happy when her crappy little cell came into view.
Stupid little crappy thing still didn't have Kimmie in it either, an attribute that depressed Shego more than its dingy appearance. She smiled a little as she thought of Kim, but then frowned again as she thought about how Kim had inexplicably bailed on her after her arraignment. There had been no emergency; that Shego was sure of. Kim was an awful liar, and today's attempt was no exception, meaning Wade hadn't called and Kim was just in a hurry to get the hell out the courtroom for some reason. Shego had no idea why Kim was trying to get away, but the thought that Kim was trying to get away from her depressed her even more. Lost in these happy thoughts, Shego sighed as the guard opened the door; she was so looking forward to another night alone.
The door clanged shut behind her, and she went to go drop her stuff on the lower bunk so she could undress and flop into the upper one. As soon as she was about a foot away from the bars, though, she stopped short. Unless her senses were going haywire, there was an energy field just in front of her. Not knowing what might be waiting for her on the other side, she cautiously put out a hand, and was intrigued when it seemingly disappeared even though she could feel it was still very much attached. It was stupid of her, and she knew it, but she thought eh, what the hell. She brought her hand back and moved her whole self through.
The papers and clothes she was carrying dropped to the floor as she got a good look at what was on the other side of the energy field. Her cell had been completely rearranged; her bunk beds were folded up against the wall and all the furniture had been pushed to the periphery, creating an empty floor space that currently held a futon and several unlit candles. Shego's eyebrows jumped in intrigue before her jaw dropped to the floor along with her papers when a smiling and sparingly-dressed Kimmie emerged from the shadows.
Kim grinned at Shego's reaction. She was hoping for happy, but stunned speechless would work too. She gently closed Shego's jaw and then kissed her, and the action brought Shego back to herself, at least enough to speak. "Um, hey, Princess," Shego said, her mind still trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
"Hey sweetie," Kim said, kissing her once again.
Shego kissed her back, and her arms encircled Kim's waist. Her mind might have been confused into a standstill, but her body knew exactly what to do. Her mind caught up eventually, and she slowly pulled back from Kim, a speculative smirk on her face. "So how in the world did you pull this off and how in the hell are we not going to get caught?" she asked.
Kim grinned. "I had some help from Wade," she admitted. She pulled Shego toward the front of the cell and pushed her to the other side of the energy barrier, while she remained behind it, and Shego was amazed to see from this side that it looked like what her cell was supposed to look like. There was no futon and no Kimmie, only a set of made-up bunk beds and some furniture scattered about. She poked her head through the barrier.
"This rocks, Pumpkin," she said in admiration.
"It gets better," Kim said proudly. She went over to the machine that Shego assumed was generating the field and pushed a few buttons. "Take a look now," she requested.
Shego pulled her head back to the other side of the barrier. She didn't notice any difference in her cell until she happened to take a look in the bunk beds. There she was, peacefully asleep in the top bunk. She nodded her head in admiration and then came back through the barrier. "That is brilliance, Princess," she said. "It actually looks like I am in here. Wade actually invented this?"
Kim nodded. "He's been working on it for a while," she confirmed. "He designed it because he wanted us to be able to be stealth when we needed to be. All you have to do is pre-record the scene that you want and play it back. The energy field creates the image and also soundproofs the area inside of it."
"It's soundproof too?" Shego asked. Kim nodded. Shego was impressed at the technology; this thing would have rocked back when she was a thief and even now it was also going to give them privacy in a place not known for such luxuries. "Wait a second, you said you needed a prerecorded image," Shego said suspiciously, the word "privacy" making her think of how Kim got her images.
Kim grinned and blushed. "The empty cell footage I got today," she said, hedging.
"And what about the footage where I am asleep in the top bunk?" Shego asked.
Kim blushed a little deeper. "Um, you can superimpose shots from photographs onto the film, and I might have taken a picture or two in Mexico," she admitted bashfully.
"Meaning you took pictures while I was sleeping," Shego said, which to her seemed reasonable. Thinking further, though, she paused and her brow contracted. "No, scratch that; that means you took pictures while I was sleeping naked," she said incredulously.
"Um, you can't tell you're naked on the projection," Kim said helpfully, not knowing if it mattered, but wanting to say something before she couldn't speak due to embarrassment. "And I uploaded it to the projector and configured it myself so that Wade wouldn't see."
Shego wasn't angry or worried that someone might see something; she was just flabbergasted-and, admittedly, a little flattered - that her supposedly sweet and innocent Kimmie was surreptitiously snapping photos of her in the buff. She crossed her arms and assumed a smirk, lifting an eyebrow at Kim. "The photos have a time and date stamp, right? Well, I guess we could give those shots to Zan to prove where we were," she said mischievously. "And we should probably add the ones I have on my cell phone to the mix." Kim's eyes widened as she realized the implications of that statement and Shego laughed. "I was bad long before you met me, Princess, so you're just a poser," she teased.
"Maybe," Kim admitted. She smiled at Shego, and unexpectedly launched herself at her, causing them both to fall back on the futon. She laughed as she pinned Shego beneath her. "But I am getting better at being bad," Kim pointed out. "I mean, I broke into a prison and smuggled in a futon and candles to spend the night with my girlfriend."
"Good point," Shego agreed. She glanced around at afore mentioned futon and candles. "Why aren't they lit?" she asked, referring to the candles.
"Well, I didn't have a match, and besides, I am pretty confident that I can make you light them," Kim said as she started to unzip Shego's orange jumpsuit.
"Oh," Shego answered, as Kim's skillful fingers moved underneath the bright orange fabric.