A/N: So, this chapter ended up having fewer parts than I anticipated because a couple of parts got to be really long. But the parts that didn't make it into this one will be in the next one, and it will make that chapter longer, so it's a win, win situation, right? ;) I hope everyone likes it.
Chapter 9 – Getting Away With It
Middleton County Lockup – About 5AM
The guard looked at his monitor and yawned. The prison was still and quiet as it tended to be at this time of day, and the guard was bored. He looked with semi-interest as the camera panned over the Shego's cell, but even the cell of the most notorious criminal in the place offered no kind of excitement, for she was asleep in the top bunk as she had been since she came back to her cell last night. Yawning once again, he grabbed his coffee and returned his attention to his magazine.
Meanwhile, within the very same cell, the reality of what was behind the bars would have probably generated much more excitement had it actually been visible. The prisoner was not in the top bunk; rather she was in a futon on the floor of the cell surrounded by smoldering candles while being possessively cuddled by a redhead who was in the same state of complete undress as she was.
The redhead's watch/communication device let out a peep to signal that five o' clock had arrived, causing Kim to sigh. She was already awake, and she knew she had to get out of here or they were going to get caught, but she still didn't want to go. Shego was still asleep and deeply so, and Kim smiled, using her forefinger to gently trace facial features that looked downright angelic when Shego was this asleep. Kim had discovered in Mexico that she loved watching Shego sleep; there was a non-sarcastic innocence about her when she was asleep that Kim found irresistible. It was an image that she wanted to keep forever, and it led her to do something she would have never thought she would do: photograph someone else in the nude.
She hadn't ever planned on breaking into a prison to spend an ill-advised night with a lover that would probably be freed within the month, either, but here she was. Granted, she had never really expected for anyone she was involved with to be incarcerated for anything, so breaking into a prison had never really crossed her mind, but even when the unexpected situation had presented itself, Kim hadn't hesitated but had started making plans to join her, even though she knew it was seriously against the rules.
Kim's fingers continue to wander as her thoughts went on their own meandering path. Shego's skin, whether due to the comet strike or genetics was smooth and soft, and Kim had almost become addicted to touching it. It was part of the reason she was here, but it wasn't all of it. Desire alone wasn't enough to make Kim break the rules as egregiously as she was. Her fingers paused as her mind came to a startling, yet not really that unexpected revelation. She knew Shego brought out her bad side, but it was only now that she realized why. She was in love, and she knew that, duh, but only now did she realize how deep it went, and she realized wryly that it was probably a good thing Shego was good now. She would do literally anything for Shego, rules or disapproval be damned. Well, maybe darned; she still didn't like to cuss.
Kim smiled and her fingers restarted their movement. In her sleep, Shego mumbled something and pulled her closer. Kim's smile grew deeper; Shego had the endearing tendency to do that, like she always wanted Kim to be as close as possible, like she was afraid Kim would run away in the night. Kim knew it wasn't a lack of trust that made Shego to reach out; it was her absolute trust that Kim would be there that allowed her to show that kind of sentiment. That kind of trust humbled Kim, and she never wanted to betray it, especially when Shego had given up so much for her.
"Sweetheart," Kim said softly, gently rubbing Shego's back to get her to wake up.
"Wha?" Shego mumbled, not even a tiny bit interested in getting up.
"Sweetie," Kim persisted, her voice coaxing. "We have to get up and put everything back before the guard comes around to wake you up."
Shego woke up a bit more and flipped over, smiling when Kim's face came into view. "Morning, Princess," she said, kissing her.
"Morning, Junior," Kim replied, kissing her back. When they parted, Kim got up and Shego scowled. "Quit pouting and help me," Kim ordered good-naturedly. Shego sighed but got up anyway. She gathered up her unused pajamas and put them on before gathering up the candles and placing them by the backpack that Kim had stashed in the corner. "Thanks, sweetie," Kim said, and after she had gotten dressed herself, dug a remote control out the backpack and pushed a button, causing the futon to fold itself up into box about the size of a notebook. Kim slipped the futon into her backpack and took out the box for the candles, making sure they were all out before she put them back in their box and put the box back in the backpack. With the futon and the candles gone, the furniture could go back where it belonged, and it did, and after the bunk bed was unfolded, the cell looked exactly like it had before Kim had redecorated. Shego begrudgingly climbed into the top bunk. Kim climbed up after her. "I'll see you soon, Shego," she said and kissed her before she jumped down.
Shego jumped down after her. "Thanks for last night, Pumpkin," she said, gathering Kim up and kissing her. "You went through a lot of trouble and you could've gotten into a lot of trouble for me."
Kim smiled. "I'd do anything for you," she answered fondly. "That's why I've been in trouble from the moment I met you," she joked. Shego chuckled and climbed back into the top bunk. Kim activated her Kimmunicator. "Wade, I need you to take over the cameras now, please and thank you," she requested quietly. Wade tapped a few keys and gave her the thumbs up. Kim nodded and cut off the call before deactivating the energy field and putting the projector away. She looked around carefully, making sure that no guards were coming up the hallway before she produced her key and unlocked the cell door. She slipped out, shutting and locking the door behind her. Shego watched her disappear and then lapsed into thought, her mind happily dwelling on last night and the morning that followed. The "I'd do anything for you" was especially thought provoking.
She had almost drifted back to sleep when the guard came around for the morning wakeup call. "Goshen!" the guard bellowed.
"I'm awake!" Shego yelled back, glaring down from the top bunk to prove her point.
The guard looked at her suspiciously. True, her prisoner was dressed and everything appeared to be normal, but the guard did note that the furniture was slightly out of place, her prisoner was far happier this morning than she had been yesterday morning and, quite inexplicably, the air smelled of burnt-down candles and, unless she missed her guess, sex. Even the night shift buffoons couldn't have missed something as obvious as two women in a cell that should have only had one, so somehow the prisoner and her visitor had managed to thwart detection. The guard smirked and shook her head. "I don't want to know how she managed it, but tell your girlfriend that I am impressed. And warn her that now I know she likes the place so much, I'll be looking to make her a permanent resident," she told Shego.
Shego smirked back unrepentantly. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, with a grin. "But I might pass along the information."
"See that you do," the guard responded. "And you had better get up and get dressed. Your lawyer phoned and she is on her way."
"Would it be possible to get a shower?" Shego asked, figuring that smelling like Kimmie might have been one of the tip offs that she had company last night.
"You spend the night breaking the rules and now you want privileges?" the guard asked incredulously.
"Um, please?" Shego asked, and busted out the puppy dog pout.
The guard sighed. "All right," she grumped. Shego grinned. The damn thing worked like a charm.
Shego cleaned up, got dressed and was waiting in the holding cell when Zan came bustling into the room. "Where's Kimmie?" Shego asked innocently.
"Well, my niece didn't come home last night, so Ann and I thought it would be fitting punishment if she stayed in school today," Zan replied, fixing Shego with an admonishing glare.
"What?" Shego challenged. "I'm in jail; how in the hell could she have been with me last night?"
"That's a very good question, but I wager she managed to somehow, because not only do we have our evidence, your guard was nice enough to inform me of her suspicions that you had a visitor last night," Zan countered. Shego had the good grace to look sheepish, and Zan chuckled. "At least I can be thankful that you stayed behind bars," she teased. "Anyway, the judge came back with her decision a little earlier than I expected, and we need to be in court in an hour. You still have your street clothes, right? Otherwise, you are going to court in your orange PJs."
"Yeah, they're back in my cell," Shego confirmed.
"Excellent," Zan said crisply. She popped her head out the door and called the guard over. They talked for a second and Zan came back into the room. "She's grabbing them for you," she said, and sure enough, about two minutes later the guard came back with the bag that Shego had hastily discarded last night. "Thanks," Zan said, before handing the bag to Shego. "Your transport will be here in five minutes. Get changed and I'll meet you at the courthouse," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am," Shego saluted. Kim's bossiness came from that side of the family apparently.
"No sass," Zan said curtly, gathering up her briefcase and giving Shego a smile as she left the room.
The guard gave Shego a couple of minutes to change before she hustled her out of the room and out to the prisoner transfer area. Shego got into the police car and they drove into town. Shego fidgeted the whole way; she was anxious for this whole thing to be done, and what should have been about a fifteen-minute drive to town felt like it was taking fifteen hours. They finally got to the courthouse and Zan was there to meet her. They went into the courtroom together and waited for Judge Lisitor at the defendant's table, and in due time, she came in from her chambers.
"After a careful consideration of the evidence, the motion to dismiss is denied," the judge informed them. "This case is more complex than either side is willing to admit to, and thus neither a single eyewitness to the crime nor a single eyewitness to the contrary is enough to definitively state one or the other whether this crime actually occurred, because the arguments for both sides directly contradict one another. In other words, someone is lying, and a trial is necessary to figure out who that is."
Shego scowled and sighed. Zan wanted to, but years of keeping a courtroom poker face allowed her to just look thoughtful. "Your Honor, may I have a brief recess to confer with my client?" she asked.
"Certainly," the judge answered. "Court will recess for fifteen minutes."
Zan nodded and gathered up her papers. The bailiff escorted Shego to a side room and Zan followed. "Son of a bitch!" Shego cursed as soon as he left. "Why won't anyone believe that I wasn't even in the fucking country when Nina broke into my house?" she asked, exasperated.
"The judge doesn't know who to believe," Zan replied. "She wants to see who is the more convincing witness and who is just lying through their teeth, and she wants the jury to do the same."
Shego snorted. "What's the fastest way to get this over without pleading guilty?" she asked. "I am so done with all of this bullshit."
"Well, don't waive your right to speedy trial for one," Zan replied. "And things move faster if you don't seat a jury. But if you don't seat a jury, you are at the mercy of the judge; there will be a verdict because a hung-jury mistrial is impossible."
"All right," Shego answered. "Keep my speedy trial but get rid of the jury."
"As your lawyer, I would have to advise against that," Zan said. "Speedy trials give you less time to prepare and again, it's you and the judge."
"Don't care," Shego said simply. "When we win, I can get back to my life."
"Meaning my niece," Zan guessed wryly.
"Yup," Shego confirmed. The bailiff opened the door. "After you, counselor," she said.
Zan shook her head and they went back into the courtroom. The judge came back into the courtroom and Zan let Shego's wishes be known. "My client wishes to waive her right to a trial by a jury of her peers, Your Honor," Zan said, causing both the judge and the prosecutor to look shocked.
"Does the defendant confirm these are her wishes?" the judge asked Shego.
"They are, Your Honor," Shego replied.
"Very well," the judge said. "Does the defendant wish to waive anything else?"
"No, Your Honor," Zan replied.
"In that case, the trial will be set for one week from today," the judge said. "I will expect you all back in my courtroom then." She pounded the gavel and got up, causing everyone in the courtroom to rise. She left and everyone started milling about, chattering in low voices because everyone excluding Zan and Shego was surprised at the turn of events. The bailiff came for Shego, and after a promise from Zan that she would be at the lockup tomorrow, Shego was escorted back to the transport and back to jail.
The week that followed turned out to be a never-ending strategy session for Shego's defense, and sleep was hard commodity to come by for Zan, Shego and Kim. The first item on the agenda was fashioning the witness list. Since their whole defense rested on the supposition that Shego wasn't even in the country when the alleged attack occurred, Zan subpoenaed the people who could back up that supposition, namely Kim, Sergio and Shego. She also included Dr. Ann Possible and Mr. Archibald Goshen IV so that they would have well-respected members of society to back up the word of a teenager, a foreigner, and an ex-convict. It was sad that she had to have backup, because the truth should be the truth no matter where it came from, but the law didn't see it that way sometimes. And her client's past, although technically not admissible in court, was bound to come up, as was Kim's youth and Sergio's nationality.
The next item that had to be taken care of was getting Sergio to the United States, and Zan hoped the State Department would be able to give them some sort of temporary visa to allow Sergio to come testify. She made a few phone calls, but disappointingly, they told her the earliest that they could allow him to enter the country would be three months from now. Not really surprised, Zan had Kim serve him with a subpoena anyway, figuring if he was on the witness list and needed to be in United States for trial, Judge Lisitor might pull a few strings and find a way to get him there. As it turned out, no string pulling was necessary, because, as Kim found out when she delivered the subpoena to his restaurant in Mexico, Sergio was actually an American citizen with dual citizenship, so all he had to do was dust off his passport and board the hovercraft.
Her witnesses set, Zan could now turn her focus to the prosecution's star witness. There had to be a way to discredit her, or if not discredit her, at least discredit her testimony. A background check proved to be of little help. Her record was spotless, and her history was nothing but annoyingly inspirational. She was born in to a poor family, but with intelligence and tenacity had risen above her humble roots and obtained a scholarship to an exclusive private school in Go City, where she had excelled both academically and athletically, becoming valedictorian of her class and captain of the cheerleading squad. College had followed and four years later, she had graduated with honors with a double major, earning a bachelor's in child development and in accounting. She had worked as an accountant for a leading non-profit organization before citing a need for change, at which point she had come to Middleton and started teaching at Middleton High. "Damn it," Zan swore. The only way to cast doubt on her testimony would be to paint her as the jilted ex-girlfriend who was after revenge, but after looking at her statement, it really didn't seem like that was what Nina was and Zan didn't want to make her into something she wasn't. After puzzling over it for a while, Zan decided to leave her be; maybe something else would come up that she could exploit.
Things were going smoothly, if hurriedly, and Zan was feeling fairly confident as the opening date for the trial came closer. The only problem they encountered was an unexpected subpoena delivered to one of the last people they expected to get called as a witness for the prosecution.
"But I don't wanna testify against SG!" Ron protested as he showed Kim and Zan his official court document.
"And I really have no idea why they would want to call you," Zan admitted. "Unless…they might be trying to establish that she has a history of violence or something like that. Has she ever specifically been violent toward you?"
"No, not really," Ron replied. "I mean, even back when she was evil, she pretty much ignored me and went straight for KP. I usually got stuck with Drakken."
"My best guess is that they want to bring up Shego's past, and you are the perfect witness for that," Zan decided. "You were there for all of it, yet you are not romantically involved with her, so that's not going to cloud your judgment, and you might bear a grudge toward her because she stole your girlfriend."
"But I don't care about that anymore," Ron disagreed.
"But they don't know that," Zan countered. "So I would expect questions about what happened when she was evil and how you felt when Kim dumped you." The look on Ron's face said he disliked the twin prospects of such questions and testifying against Shego, but he nodded.
With that problem at least discussed and a tentative plan in place, Zan at last felt ready for the trial. She had always shared Shego's confidence that they would win, but now everything was coming nicely into place to assure them of the victory. The only thing that could muck it up was Kim getting caught in Shego's cell, but Kim was skillful enough not to get caught and she kept getting away with it, meaning they made it to the start date of the trial in good shape.
Middleton Superior Court – Tuesday Morning
"The Court will now come to order, the Honorable Sally Lisitor presiding," the bailiff called out, causing everyone to rise. The judge came in and sat down, causing everyone else to follow suit. "I will now hear opening arguments the matter of the People vs. Sheila Miriam Goshen. The prosecution has the burden of proof, so the People may go first."
"Thank you, Your Honor," the prosecutor said. He automatically turned himself toward the jury box, but quickly realized his mistake and rotated back toward the judge. "Your honor, the people intend to prove that on the night of December 31st, the defendant did maliciously attack Ms. Nina Johnson with the intent of murdering her. As a career criminal with a history of excessive violence, it was only a matter of time before her violent ways caused injury to an innocent bystander. We will demonstrate her long history of violence in order to explain her pattern to the court, and then we will allow the victim to speak for herself. It is time for this threat to society to be put behind bars once and for all so that this does not happen to another innocent person."
"Does the defense wish to make a statement?" the judge asked.
"Yes, Your Honor," Zan replied, standing up. "The prosecution has already attempted to bring up my client's past," she began, "and my client freely admits that for many years she was on the wrong side of the law. However, her past has absolutely no bearing on this current prosecution, because the plain truth is that my client was not in Middleton on the night of the alleged attack, nor was she even in the contiguous United States. She was vacationing in Mexico with her girlfriend, a fact that does not change regardless of how many times she has been arrested before. The prosecution's case has no merit, Your Honor, and we intend to prove that."
There was a low murmur from the galley. Some of the buzz was intrigue; the mention of a girlfriend piqued the interest of the more gossip-minded among the spectators. The rest was approval; a good portion of the people in the galley were on the defense's side, and they included Shego's mom, her brothers, Mr. Dr. Possible, Lindsay, Monique, Kim's grandma Nancy, her great aunt Pandora and her great-grandma Francis. Kim, Ron, Archie and Ann would have been there too, of course, but court rules dictated they had to sit out in hallway until they were called into the courtroom. They also couldn't talk to one another, at least about the case.
Judge Lisitor banged her gavel. "That's enough, people," she ordered, and the crowd simmered down. She looked at Zan. "Does the Defense wish to continue with their statement?" she asked
"No, your honor," Zan replied. "We have said what we wanted to."
The judge looked surprised; those had been the shortest opening statements she had ever witnessed. "Very well," she said, pleased that they were getting underway so quickly. "The people may call their first witness."
"The people call Lieutenant Christina Worley of the Middleton Police Department," the prosecutor said.
The Lieutenant got up from the galley, strode toward the witness box and sat down. After swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, she waited for the prosecutor to ask his first question. "So, Lieutenant, you were the one responsible for constructing the case against the defendant, where you not?"
"I was," the Lieutenant confirmed.
"And could you please go through the series of events leading up to her arrest?" he requested.
"911 received a call from 1904 Carlson Lane about 11:35PM informing them that medical assistance was required at that address," the Lieutenant began.
"And that would be the address of the residence popularly known as the Middleton Mansion, correct?" the prosecutor clarified.
"Yes," the Lieutenant said. "Paramedics arrived on the scene to find the victim, Ms. Nina Johnson, unconscious on the floor. Her vital signs were good, but attempts to revive her failed. She was taken to Middleton General and admitted. After two days, she came out of her coma and gave a description of the person that attacked her."
"And what was that description?" the prosecutor prompted.
"A female about five feet, six inches tall with waist-long black hair done up in a braid and green eyes."
"Could she identify her attacker?" the prosecutor asked.
"She could," the Lieutenant affirmed. "She had been in a prior relationship with this person and was easily able to identify her."
"And is the person in the courtroom?" the prosecutor asked triumphantly.
"She is sitting over there," the Lieutenant said, pointing at Shego.
"Let the record show that the witness indicated the defendant," the prosecutor declared. "Have you ever had incidents in the past with the defendant?" he asked, switching gears.
"Yes," the Lieutenant replied. "I attempted to arrest her for robbery a few months back, and she attacked me without provocation."
"No further questions, Your Honor," the prosecution said, sitting down.
Zan stood up. "I find it interesting that you mention an attack but then give us no details. Did you come to bodily harm? And, Lieutenant, was my client arrested for it?" she asked.
"No, I was not harmed and the district attorney declined to press charges," the Lieutenant replied sourly.
"And the crime that you were attempting to arrest her for, what happened to that charge?" Zan asked.
"Another party was found to have been guilty of it," the Lieutenant admitted.
"I see," Zan commented. "Just one more question, Lieutenant, was the victim able to describe her attacker's skin color?" she asked.
The Lieutenant blinked. She obviously was not expecting that question. "She didn't mention it," she said hesitantly.
"She didn't mention it, yet one of the most striking things about the defendant is her pale green skin," Zan pointed out.
"Maybe she didn't think about it," the Lieutenant offered.
"Or maybe the person who attacked her wasn't green," Zan countered. "No more questions, Your Honor."
"You may step down," Judge Lisitor said. When she had, she addressed the prosecutor. "Call your next witness, Counselor."
"The People call Ronald Jonathan Stoppable," the prosecutor replied. Ron, who had been escorted from the hallway into the galley stood up from where he was sitting by Lindsay and made his way up to the witness stand. He was sworn in and then he sat down, his apprehension at being on the witness stand apparent the way he kept fidgeting around in his seat. "Mr. Stoppable," the prosecutor began, "what is your relationship to the defendant?"
"Um, she's my best friend's girlfriend?" Ron answered, not knowing if that was what he was after or he wanted something more specific.
That seemed to be what he wanted because he asked another question. "And who is your best friend, young man?" he asked.
"Kim Possible," Ron said, and another twitter went through the courtroom as the identity of the opening statement girlfriend was revealed to those who did not already know it.
"And just to clarify, the defendant and Ms. Possible are in a romantic relationship?" the prosecutor clarified.
"Um, yeah," Ron replied, really unsure of where he was going with this.
"And prior to the defendant becoming involved with your best friend, how did you know the defendant?" the prosecution asked.
"Kim and I would fight her from time to time when Drakken was pulling something or the other," Ron stated.
"That would be Dr. Drakken, aka Dr. Drew Lipsky, who is now serving time in the federal justice system for attempting to take over the world?" the prosecutor asked.
"Um, yeah," Ron said.
"Mr. Stoppable, when was the last time you saw Dr. Drakken?" the prosecutor asked unexpectedly.
"When his mom tricked us into falling into a trap trap at their hideout," Ron replied cheerfully.
"And during this adventure, did the defendant ever try to harm you physically?" the prosecution asked interestedly.
Ron looked over at Zan in a mild panic and Shego rolled her eyes, figuring it was her luck that Drakken had ratted out that little incident to the cops. "No, at least not that I can remember," he said truthfully.
That answer stunned the prosecutor, who was expecting a "yes" and whose whole line of questioning was designed to elicit a "yes". He took a second to regroup before asking another question. "Are you sure, Mr. Stoppable?" he persisted.
"Yup," Ron replied amiably. "I had an amnesia chip thingy in my head at the time and I can't remember a thing after we got into the building."
The prosecutor frowned and consulted his notes before trying a different line of questioning. "Mr. Stoppable, when the defendant was still an employee of Dr. Drakken, did she ever try to harm you physically?" he asked hopefully.
"Nope," Ron replied without hesitation. "Shego would always go for Kim and I got stuck with Drakken. There was even the one time where I lost a library book and I ran into her on my own, and the first thing she asked me was 'Where's Possible?'. So, no, she never tried to hurt me, even when she was evil."
The prosecutor looked at Ron with a slightly dumbfounded look on his face. Ron quite clearly was not the witness he hoped that he would be. "Um, no further questions, Your Honor," he said quietly.
Zan stood up, barely able to keep the grin off her face. "Mr. Stoppable, in the incident that People brought up, the one that you are unable to remember, can you remember why my client was there?" she asked.
"Um, because we were going to stop Drakken and she was a part of the team?" Ron answered.
"So, she was no longer on his side but yours," Zan clarified.
"Yup," Ron confirmed.
"Thank you, Mr. Stoppable, I have no further questions," Zan said and sat down.
"You may be excused, Mr. Stoppable," the judge said. "Call your next witness, please."
"The People call Ms. Nina Johnson to the stand," the prosecutor responded, and the galley held its collective breath as she went up to the witness stand. Nina went up to the witness stand, and Shego almost felt sorry for her. She seemed so defeated, even though this was supposed to be her moment of triumph. She quietly answered "yes" when the bailiff swore her in, and she sat waiting pensively for the prosecutor's first question. "Ms. Johnson," he asked. "How do you know the defendant?"
"We were lovers in high school," Nina responded. Shego's eyebrow arched; well, nothing like getting everything out in the open, she supposed.
"And what was the result of that relationship?" the prosecutor prompted.
"We broke up near the end of my senior year," Nina admitted.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I couldn't reconcile the life I wanted to have with what I felt for her," Nina said honestly. "My life was planned out; I knew what my future was, and I didn't know if being involved with her would jeopardize it. I wasn't ready to take that chance."
Shego looked at Nina in the witness stand, her face unreadable. Here, at last, was the truth. Nina had thought Shego might hold her back, even though Shego had unlimited financial resources and would have done literally anything for Nina. What a stupid supposition, Shego thought, and it also made the difference between Nina and Kim startlingly clear. Nina had dropped her because she didn't fit into her life. She didn't fit into Kim's either, but Kim had just grabbed her by the catsuit and dragged her along for the ride anyway, making both Shego and her own life conform to what she wanted them to be because she wanted it all and damn it, she was going to have it all. Shego smiled; damn, she loved her bossy princess. She turned her mind back to the testimony just in time to hear Nina describing how she had been kicked out their dorm room when they had broken up.
"Was that the last time you saw the defendant?" the prosecutor asked as a follow up.
"I saw her here and there at school until I graduated and then I didn't see her until a few months ago," Nina answered. "I realized I had made a terrible mistake in high school, and when I found out she was living here on permanent basis, I moved here to see if I could win her back."
"And how did that turn out?" the prosecutor questioned.
"She was already involved with Ms. Possible, and from what I could gather, happily so," Nina admitted. "I tried to do what I could to get back into her life, but everything I did was all pretty futile. I decided to try one last time on New Year's Eve and then I was going to give up."
"And what happened that night, Ms. Johnson?" the prosecutor asked.
"I went to the Middleton Mansion about ten to have a talk with her, but she didn't seem to be home," Nina described. "I rang the doorbell, but nobody answered. When I knocked, though, the door swung open. I went in, but nobody was there, and it seemed to be really cold. I called out to see if anyone would answer, and Sheila suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She looked at me, almost as if she pitied me."
"Did she say anything?" the prosecutor inquired.
"She said that I should leave there because I was holding on to an impossible dream and the one I was waiting for no longer waited for me," Nina related. "I asked her when she had given up on me, and she laughed. 'I never loved you,' she said, and her tone was cruel, almost mocking. 'You have me mistaken for someone else.' She turned to walk away, and I guess I just lost it. I yelled at her, begging her to remember all that we had been to each other and somehow that made her angry. The last thing I remember was her hand around my throat."
"Thank you, Ms. Johnson," the prosecutor said. "Your witness," he told Zan.
"Ms. Johnson, when Shego kicked you out of your dorm room when you broke up, was she violent?" Zan asked.
"No," Nina replied.
"Was she ever violent toward you during any time in your relationship?" Zan further inquired.
"No," Nina admitted.
"One last question, Ms. Johnson," Zan promised. "If you can remember, what was the skin color of your attacker?" Nina looked at her blankly. "The person who attacked you by your own admission, told you that you were mistaken in her identity. Did she have my client's green skin? Because if she didn't, she is probably correct and you have the wrong person."
Nina thought. "I don't remember," she said at last, her face thoughtful.
"Well, thank you for trying," Zan said sincerely. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."
"Very well," Judge Lisitor said. "We will take an hour recess for lunch and reconvene at one." She pounded her gavel, rose and left the courtroom.
The bailiff came to get Shego and he escorted her into adjoining holding room. The rest of the galley disbanded and everyone made a run for food. Zan grabbed a bite for her and Shego before heading back to the holding room herself. They talked and ate, going over the last few details of their defense. They expected the prosecutor to rest when he got back to the courtroom; there were no other witnesses on his list, and there didn't seem to be anyone else he could or would call to the witness stand. After they all got back into the courtroom, that is exactly what he did, and Zan was free to call her first witness. "The Defense calls Kimberly Possible to the stand," she said.
Kim stood up and walked to the witness stand, flashing Shego a small smile as she passed. Shego winked, and Kim colored just a little as she took her seat and was sworn in.
"Ms. Possible, what is your relationship to the defendant?" Zan asked.
"Shego is my girlfriend," Kim replied.
"And how long have you been in a romantic relationship with the defendant?" Zan inquired.
"Since September of last year," Kim answered.
"Ms. Possible, are you able to tell the court where Ms. Goshen was on December 31st, the night of the alleged attack?" Zan prompted.
"Yes," Kim stated. "She and I were vacationing in Mexico over New Year's, and we returned to the cabin about 10:30PM and did not leave it until the next morning."
"And you were with her the whole time?" Zan persisted.
"Yes," Kim answered.
"Thank you, Ms. Possible. No further questions," Zan concluded.
The prosecutor got up. "Ms. Possible, did you have any sort of dealings with the defendant before the two of you became romantically involved?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," Kim answered. "She worked for a mad scientist that I would have to thwart from time to time."
"That would be Drakken, aka Drew Lipsky, correct?" the prosecutor clarified.
"Yes," Kim said.
"And when you would go after this Drakken, did she ever physically try to harm you?" the prosecutor asked, slight triumph in his tone.
Kim smiled. "Of course," she said cheerfully, surprising the prosecutor; he had been expecting her to try to deny it or be ashamed of it. "But that was what we did back then, I was the hero, she was the villain, and our roles dictated that we had to fight. We haven't fought like that since August."
"And what happened in August?" the prosecutor asked.
"We had to go on a mission together," Kim replied. "We've been friends ever since and we don't fight like that anymore."
"Hm," the prosecutor said before he veered into his second attack. "That is a very interesting necklace you have on," he noticed. "Where did you get it?"
"Objection!" Zan called out. "Relevance."
"It goes toward the reliability of the witness, Your Honor," he explained.
"Overruled," the Judge said. "Please answer the question."
"It was a gift from Shego," Kim said.
"And where did she get it?" he continued.
"It was part of her inheritance from her great-great aunt," Kim said.
The prosecutor frowned. "But isn't it true, Ms. Possible, that the piece around your neck used to be in the Field Museum in Chicago until it was stolen?" he challenged.
"It wasn't stolen," Kim disagreed. "Shego's mother loaned it to the Museum until Shego was old enough to be responsible for it. Shego asked for it back and the Museum had to relinquish possession."
"And according the court transcripts, this transfer of possession should have happened in November," the prosecutor told her, reading from his notes. "But how long have you had it, Ms. Possible?"
"Since Christmas," Kim said promptly, unperturbed at his insinuation.
The look of surprise on his face was brief, but it was there, and Shego had to settle for a smirk instead of the full-blown guffaw she wanted to have. Kim wasn't lying; sure, maybe she was using selective facts to her own advantage, but it was true that she had gotten the amulet back at Christmas. "If she can do this kind of on-the-fly fact manipulation in open court, I hope we don't argue much or I may be screwed," Shego thought idly.
"But the Museum reported it missing in August, Ms. Possible, which coincidentally was the same time you two became friends," the prosecutor pointed out. "What happened to it during all those months?"
"I'm sorry, but, in the interest of international security, I can't answer your question," Kim said.
"How convenient," the prosecutor observed, but didn't press it further. "One last set of questions, Ms. Possible, during your vacation to Mexico was there any time that the Defendant was out of your sight?"
"Sometimes in the afternoon, yes, she was," Kim answered. "I would go swimming and she would fall asleep on the beach."
"Were there any times at night?" he pressed.
"No," Kim said and fought to keep her blush down. "We were always together after we got home from dinner."
"How about when you slept, Ms. Possible? Isn't it possible she could have been out of your sight then?" he asked.
"Well, sure, she was out of my sight, but we slept in the same bed, and since I apparently like to cuddle, it would have been really difficult for her to leave without waking me up," Kim said pragmatically, her discomfort at revealing intimate details losing out to wanting to shoot down the prosecutor's argument with a fiery verbal cannonball.
"Thank you, Ms. Possible," the prosecutor said. He wanted to ask about the incident with Ron, the one where Drakken had claimed Shego had hit Ron over the head, the same one he had tried to guide Ron to admit to, but if Kim was this clever with something he thought was clear cut, there was no way she would give the court any condemning information if he asked about that. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."
"You may step down," Judge Lisitor said. Kim nodded and relinquished the seat.
"The Defense would like to call Mr. Sergio Garcia to the stand," Zan said. Sergio came to the witness box and was sworn in, and Zan got right to the point. "Mr. Garcia, where is your residence and place of business?" she asked.
"I own a small restaurant in the state of Jalisco in Mexico and I live there as well," he said.
"And did you remember seeing the defendant any time on our around December 31st of last year?" Zan continued.
"Yes, she and her lady were in my restaurant every day from Saturday the 26th until Friday the 2nd," Sergio replied.
"And when would they be in your restaurant?" Zan questioned.
"They would arrive between 5:30 and 6:00PM and leave sometime between 10 and 11PM," Sergio replied.
"And they did this every day?" Zan clarified.
"Every day," Sergio confirmed.
"Thank you, Mr. Garcia," she thanked him. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."
The prosecutor consulted his notes. "So you are telling us, Mr. Garcia, that they would spend five hours a night in your restaurant?" the prosecutor asked incredulously.
"Yes," Sergio replied. "From what I could see, those two ladies would talk forever if given the opportunity. And they were always ravenous by the time they made it to my place, so they would eat all of my food. That took some time, too."
"Would you say the defendant is a good customer?" the prosecution asked.
"When she's around, sure," Sergio replied.
"Would your business falter if she wasn't around?" the prosecutor continued.
"No," Sergio said, shaking his head. "The restaurant is my hobby, so I don't care of it makes money or not."
"And where does your money come from?" the prosecutor asked interestedly. "A wealthy benefactor perhaps?"
"No, my money comes from my mom's divorce settlement," Sergio informed him. "My father is one of the richest men in the world and when they divorced, she got half of his wealth and me. He got the other half and my brother."
That stopped that line of questioning cold. "Thank you, Mr. Garcia," the prosecutor said. "I have nothing further for this witness."
The judge excused Sergio and Zan called her penultimate witness. Of the two parents she had on the witness list, Ann was the better pick because she would have other, new information to add to the evidence. "I call Dr. Ann Possible to the stand," she said. Her cousin got up from the galley and sat in the witness box, seating herself after she had been sworn in. Shego saw the judge do a slight double take; as daughters of identical twin sisters, they looked a lot alike, and the judge must have noticed the resemblance. Either that, or she thought Mrs. Dr. P's lab coat was especially fetching.
"Dr. Possible," Zan began. "Do you know the whereabouts of your daughter, Kimberly Possible, on the night of December 31st of last year?"
"She was in Mexico with her girlfriend," Ann replied.
"And her girlfriend is the defendant, Sheila Goshen, correct?" Zan asked, even though she knew the court had to know it by now.
"Yes," Ann replied.
"And how did you know that Kim was in Mexico?" Zan questioned further.
"She went to Chicago the day after Christmas to spend some time with Shego's family. She asked me before she left if it was okay for her to take Shego to Mexico over New Year's and I said yes. After they had left Shego's parents, we got a phone call from Lottie and Archie Goshen saying they had left and were on their way to Mexico," Ann replied. "We also got a call from Kim on New Year's Day and she mentioned that they were down there."
"One more question, Dr. Possible," Zan said. "And for this I appeal to your expertise as a neurosurgeon. A prior witness, a Mr. Ronald Stoppable, mentioned that at one point after an adventure with Shego he had an 'amnesia chip thingy' in his head. Is such a device possible?"
"Yes, it is," Ann said. "The chip that was implanted in Mr. Stoppable was a mind-control device capable of making him do whatever the person who was holding the controller wanted him to do. The secondary function of the device was to produce amnesia in the implantee so that they would have no recollection of what might have occurred while they were being mind controlled."
"And how do you know so much about the one found in Mr. Stoppable?" Zan inquired.
"I was working in the emergency room when he came in with it," Ann answered. "I was the one that removed it."
"Thank you, Dr. Possible," Zan thanked her. "I have no further questions."
"Good afternoon, Dr. Possible," the prosecutor greeted her. "I have just a couple of quick questions for you. Did you ever go to see the defendant and your daughter in Mexico?"
"No," Ann admitted.
"And you said that Kim asked you for permission to take her girlfriend on an unsupervised trip to a foreign country. What kind of teenager does that?" he asked dubiously.
"The kind that belongs to me," Ann retorted. "Besides, Kim is legally an adult, so she is asking more out of respect and courtesy than out of any real need for permission."
"I see," the prosecutor said. "Just one more question. When you removed the chip from Mr. Stoppable, what condition was he in when he was brought in?"
"He was unconscious," Ann answered.
"And do you know why he was unconscious?" the prosecutor asked.
"He had been hit on the head," Ann said.
"By whom?" the prosecutor pressed.
"I couldn't say for sure," Ann shrugged.
"I'm done with the witness, Your Honor," the prosecution said, knowing she had said all she was going to say on the matter.
"Next witness," Judge Lisitor said.
"The Defense calls the Defendant, Ms. Sheila Goshen to the stand," Zan declared. While they were at lunch, Shego had informed her, politely, yet emphatically, that she was only going to answer two questions. So, two questions were what Zan was going to ask. "Ms. Goshen, did you attack Ms. Nina Johnson on the night of December 31st?" was the first question.
"No," Shego replied firmly.
"And, Ms. Goshen, were you even in the vicinity of Middleton on the night of the attack?" was the second and final question.
"No," Shego answered. "I was in Mexico with Kimberly Ann Possible, who is my girlfriend and with whom I am having a romantic relationship," she stated, making sure she covered all of the bases so she didn't have to answer any of those inane follow-up questions.
"Thank you, Ms. Goshen. I have nothing further for this witness, Your Honor," she said.
The judge's brow contracted in surprise; like the opening statements, she had never experienced such brief testimony from a defendant. "Do the People have any questions for the defendant?" she asked.
"Yes, Your Honor," the prosecutor said. "Ms. Goshen, if you didn't attack the victim, then can you explain how she described someone who looks exactly like you?"
Shego shrugged. "I must have a doppelganger out there," she said nonchalantly.
"A theory that the defense has already put forth," the prosecutor observed. "Tell me, Ms. Goshen, would you happen to know who this look-alike is? She would have to be a relative of some sort. An evil twin, perhaps?"
Shego didn't answer, but looked at Zan. This was the one question that she had been dreading for the whole damn trial. She had no desire to lie under oath, but if she told the court that the ghost of her dead Nana had attacked Nina, she was going to bypass jail and go straight to the loony bin. She sighed and decided that the truth was best, even if it made her look like a fucking nutcase. "Yeah, I know who did it, and no, it wasn't my evil twin. It was my great-great Aunt Sheila Goshen. She looks exactly like me and she inhabits my house from time to time," Shego said.
"How can she look exactly like you?" the prosecutor challenged. "If she is your great-great aunt, she would have to be quite elderly and thus would look nothing like you."
Shego sighed. "Nana Sheila isn't elderly anymore; she's dead," she admitted.
The prosecutor stopped and stared at her. "You are trying to tell the court that a ghost that looks exactly like you assaulted the victim," he clarified.
"Yup," Shego confirmed. "That's why my lawyer has been asking everyone what the attacker's skin color is. I'm green; she's white." The courtroom was dead silent. "Listen," she told everyone. "Let's think about this from my perspective; first off, why in the world would I want to be here in Middleton attacking a person I would honestly just rather forget, when I could be on a beautiful beach ringing in the New Year with the person I want to spend the rest of my life with? And second, why in the world would I tell you some crazy story about a ghost attacking her if it wasn't true? The only thing I would be accomplishing is making myself look nuts." No one said anything, not even the prosecutor. Shego sighed. She was so completely and utterly fucked.
The Ethereal Realm – Heaven Only Knows When
Mim and Sheila waited as they had been waiting for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time. There was an unfamiliar silence between them; even when they hardly knew one another or were angry with each other, they could still carry on a conversation that would last for hours. Now, though, there was nothing to say, and the silence was a palpable presence that separated them. They hoped they were not to be separated; their brief separation assured them both that they preferred oblivion to the prospect of existing apart. They really had no desire to be damned for all eternity, either, but they had no defense for what they had done, so potential damnation was what was looming before them and was causing their silence. Mim at last made up her mind to speak; something had to be done about this melancholy. She got as far as opening her mouth when the wind swirled about them and they found themselves standing once again in front of the Overseers.
"Your judgment is at hand," the Female Overseer said, her words ominous though her tone was light.
"We figured as much," Sheila muttered.
"It has been decided by Ourselves and Others that you are guilty of tampering with beings and destinies that were not within your purview," the Female Overseer informed them. Mim and Sheila exchanged glances; this was neither shocking nor unanticipated information. "And, it is also Our decision that because of this unsanctioned alteration of others' lives, you are hereby to be cast out from this Place."
"If that is Your decision, then we will abide by it," Mim said quietly.
"Silence, Miriam," the Female Overseer rebuked. "I am not finished yet." Mim bowed her head in deference, but not before giving Sheila a questioning look. Sheila shrugged. "Though it was debated amongst Us whether your punishment be eternal damnation, it has been decided that you are to be confined to Purgatory until such time as full recompense is made to those whom you have wronged. So that recompense may take place, your place of Purgatory will be the realm of Earth, and while banished to it, you must assist those whose lives you have altered. These lives would include Sheila Miriam Goshen, Nina Elizabeth Johnson, Kimberly Ann Possible, Ronald Jonathan Stoppable, Lindsay Rosalind Woolsey and Bonnie Joanne Rockwaller. These were the predestined pairs whose lives you disrupted, and these pairs you must assist in their unplanned relationships and destinies."
Mim did not know if she was actually allowed to speak, but she need clarification and she was willing to speak out of turn for it. "Forgive me for the interruption," she said politely. "But if we are to assist in their new lives, does this mean we can leave the pairings as they are? Because we would prefer damnation to breaking them apart."
"So you have made clear before," the Female Overseer reminded her. "But yes, the couples will be allowed to remain as they are currently constituted, but you and Sheila must help them in this new destiny. And, you must help all of them, even if you do not wish to help those you dislike."
"We understand," Mim said respectfully.
"There are three more things that you must know before you are sent from this Place," the Female Overseer said. "First, if you interfere with any other lives but the ones you are there to assist, immediate and eternal damnation will be your punishment. Second, in order to facilitate you in your quest to make amends, you will be allowed to roam over the face of all the Earth and will no longer be confined to your former place of residence. Third, and finally, if when these couples leave their mortality behind, it is determined that full recompense has been repaid, you will be allowed to return Here." Mim and Sheila looked at one another; it was bad to be banished from Paradise, sure, and it might be unpleasant having to do supportive things for two women who were instrumental in making the two young ladies they cared most about miserable, but as punishments went, it could have been far worse. At least there was the hope that they could return one day. "Now begone!" the Female Overseer ordered. "One life you have upended is already in need of your services." Mim and Sheila bowed their heads respectfully and disappeared.
"That punishment was not just," the Male Overseer declared unhappily. "Their punishment should have been far more severe for the egregious crimes they committed."
"They were banished from Paradise and separated from the Eternal," the Female Overseer disagreed. "That is severe enough."
"But it is not forever," the Male Overseer protested.
"They must be allowed to fulfill their destiny," the Female Overseer said. "They cannot do that if they are damned eternally." She smiled. "The power that lies in their amulet will keep the younger Goshen and Possible alive longer than the other four," she mused. "That in turn means that they will be the last to arrive, and since the elders should be able to return when all six have crossed over, they will soon follow. We shall both sets ascending on Us at practically the same time. And they shall be here for eternity." The Male Overseer thought about that briefly and grimaced before he disappeared.