Author's Note: Took several days off and on to get this chapter typed up. Very long chapter. Will take awhile after this chapter to update the story. Also, some sexual content at the end of this chapter. Nothing to detailed. Just revealing some ways Shego and Merrick could drive the other over the edge.
Chapter 5: Holidays and Celebrations.
The days went by swiftly for the couple while they got a chance to get out and do more since Merrick didn't have football practice anymore. The couple spent every waking hour that they could together and they never got tired of the other's company. Shego even started to believe in soul mates but that was still far fetched to her. She enjoyed the time she spent with Merrick and hated anytime he wasn't around. Those times when Merrick wasn't around, she would be out in the city fighting crime, at home with her brothers, or in a class at school. Other than that, Shego was seen with Merrick wherever he was. They couldn't be separated, even when her brothers, namely Hego and Mego, tried to get her to see less of Merrick. They pleaded that she and Merrick's relationship was moving way to fast. Shego would go into a rage and storm out of the tower. She would end up at Merrick's home and they would go out on a date somewhere.
Before the couple knew it, the holidays were coming up and school was let out for the holidays. Shego decided for once to spend Thanksgiving with her brothers. She hoped it would get them off her back about dating Merrick. The day after Thanksgiving, Shego went to Merrick's home to see what he was up to and maybe go out on a date somewhere. Her visit caused her to be depressed because what Merrick told her while they went on their date. He spent the holiday alone with only Jake for company because his dad had to work.
Jake ended up eating most of the turkey while Merrick tried to save some for his dad. The dog, however, won the tug-of-war over the turkey and Merrick was only able to save a leg from turkey for his dad. Even after Merrick told Shego what Jake done, she didn't laugh any and stayed depressed for their whole date.
If she knew Merrick was going to be alone, she would have invited him to the tower for the holiday. She promised Merrick if they were still together, he would spend the next Thanksgivings with her and her brothers. For now Shego decided to make it up to Merrick on his birthday. The date of his birthday was still unknown to her and she had never asked him about it.
Shego thought about asking him several times when they were together but every time it slipped her mind because of the fun they were having. She was curious about why he never asked her too, she figured it was for the same reason she hadn't asked him. Even though Shego was depressed over Merrick being alone for the holiday, she asked Merrick finally when his birthday was and she was surprised how close it was to his birthday.
She knew she had to look for Merrick a gift, well more than one because Merrick's birthday was on Christmas Eve. The birthday gift would ease her guilt over leaving him alone for Thanksgiving. However, Shego wondered why Merrick warned her not to be around him on his birthday. She knew he wanted her to be there but to tell her please not to be around him on that day made Shego curious about his warning and she had to ask why.
"Why don't you want me around on your b-day," Shego questioned after Merrick warned her about not being around him.
"Well, I had bad luck on every one of my b-days. I usually end up in the hospital because of my bad luck. Sometimes I cause it and other times I had bad luck without trying," Merrick said while they were coming out of the movie theater.
"Oh, well this year you may have good luck. I'm going to be around, your not going to spend your b-day alone like you did Thanksgiving," Shego said sadly because she was still depressed over him being alone on that day.
"I have spent b-days alone before but it be a nice change to have you around. Just keep your distance because I hate for my bad luck to hurt you too," Merrick said while he wrapped an arm around Shego's waist as they walked to his truck.
"Ok," Shego said while she wrapped an arm around Merrick as well.
The school opened back up after Thanksgiving and the days drew on until the next holiday season. School was the same for the couple, classes and setting the record straight on any rumor Duncan thought up during the school break. Though the rumors had lessened, they became worse than the first Duncan spread about the couple. Merrick refrained from getting in a fight with Duncan over the rumors and Merrick held his temper in check with Mego. It seemed wherever the couple turned, they would get static about them dating. Shego got the blunt of the problems at home because of her two older brothers while her younger brothers liked Merrick. The Wegoes started liking Merrick after they played a joke on him.
The first day of school after Thanksgiving, Merrick started to drive Shego to school as well and Merrick offered to take her brothers too. The twins took up the offer but Mego shook his head at the offer and continued walking to school. On that first day, Merrick learned Shego's brothers had powers too because right before they got to school, Merrick looked in the rear view mirror and saw six Wegoes sitting in the back seat. He pulled the truck over to the curb and rubbed his eyes then turned and looked back at the Wegoes but only saw two of them. They were smiling at him and Merrick returned to driving while he shook his head. When Merrick looked in the rear view mirror again, he saw eight Wegoes then.
"Alright, I know you two are up to something," Merrick said with a laugh.
The Wegoes laughed at Merrick's statement and went back to just the two of them when Merrick looked in the rear view mirror. He smiled at them and shook his head. After Merrick learned Shego's siblings had powers too, he looked at Shego and she nodded to him.
"Yeah, we all have powers," Shego said flatly making it sound like she was embarrassed about the fact.
"I know now what two of the powers are but what about your other two brothers," Merrick questioned while they neared the school.
"Well, Henry's super strong and Melvin's is well, a shrinker," Shego said before they got into the parking lot of the school.
"I see, well ok. All of you guys' secret is safe with me, besides I don't want Sheila to hurt me," Merrick said with a smile while he looked in the rear view mirror again.
"We understand," Wego one said before he jumped out of the truck.
"Like he said," Wego two said before he left the truck.
After Merrick took Shego and the twins home after school, the twins asked her all kinds of questions about Merrick. She answered every question she knew an answer to. They admitted he was a great guy and they had fun messing with him. They added that they liked the fact of him not freaking out over them joking with him. At least he could take a joke, even one that would weird out a normal person.
The Wegoes, after the first day they met him, would get Merrick to take them to the park and other places they enjoyed to go to. They would play sports together and Merrick would take them rides in his truck when he had nothing else to do. The twins would play jokes on Merrick and Merrick would laugh at the jokes and never get mad. Shego didn't resent Merrick spending time with her younger brothers, so as long as Merrick showed up for their dates or spent time with her. She was actually glad at least two of her brothers enjoyed being around Merrick. The older two, however, wouldn't listen to the twins when they would explain how great Merrick was.
When the next holiday season came around before the end of the year, Shego still hadn't found Merrick a gift for his birthday nor for Christmas. She saw things she could have gotten for him but she wanted to get him something special. It was their first Christmas together along with Shego spending time with Merrick because he said he never spent time with a girlfriend on his birthday because of the fear of them getting hurt by his bad luck. Shego wanted to respected Merrick's wish not to be around him on his birthday but she wanted to make him happy on his birthday too. She ended up asking Merrick what he would like as a gift and he simply told her a birthday cake because he doubt he would get one since his dad had to work on his birthday.
Shego didn't want to just buy him cake. She wanted it to be special. She decided to bake him one even though she didn't know how to cook. Shego left that up to Hego and Mego after their mom died, so she never learned how to cook. There was one problem with her baking a cake besides not knowing how, Merrick didn't tell her what kind he liked and she wasn't about to ask him. That would give away her secret of getting him a cake for his birthday, so Shego decided to bake a cake she thought Merrick would like.
The night before Merrick's birthday, Shego came into the tower after her date with Merrick. She was upset with Merrick being an hour late for the date but her anger wavered when Merrick said he was late because he was shopping for her another gift for Christmas. He said it was going to be a big surprise and he wasn't going to give it to her until after his birthday.
"No use and letting my bad luck ruin your Christmas," Merrick gave as an excuse before Shego gave him a goodbye kiss.
"Well, I can wait on the gift, as for you. I hope your surprised tomorrow," Shego said with a smile before she left the truck.
Shego went right into the kitchen when she got home and started on the cake. This surprised her brothers at first because this was the first time they saw their sister cooking. Hego and Mego groaned after Shego explained what she was doing and the twins asked could they help. Shego, however, ran everyone out of the kitchen because she didn't want to be bothered and she wanted to do it on her own. After Shego stuck the cake pans into the oven, she went into the living room right as an alarm started sounding the tower. Team Go knew what that meant and they headed to their multicolored jet. There was a crime in progress that the cops couldn't stop and it came down to the team going and saving the day.
An hour later, Team Go came back into the tower and the brothers were cheering their success in foiling another crime while Shego did most of the work. They went to the table they all sat at and the brothers sat in their chairs while Shego stood behind hers. She remembered she forgot something but she couldn't remember what it was until she smelt something burning.
Oh, no! Mal's cake, Shego thought as she bolted from the room and ran into the kitchen.
Shego wept a little after she pulled the cake pans out of the oven. The cake wasn't completely burnt but Shego knew she ruined it. She sat in the kitchen for a long time after she saved what was left of the cake. She wondered what she could do now, since all the grocery stores were closed and she wouldn't have the time in the morning to cook Merrick another cake. She was going to spend the first part of the day with Merrick then spend the rest with her brothers, just to keep them happy. Shego decided to finish the cake she started and give it to Merrick while she would explain what happened to it. She knew he would understand like he understood every date she had to miss because the city needed saving.
Shego was nervous the next morning while she walked to Merrick's home because of the cake she was carrying. The outside of the cake looked fine but Shego knew the inside was a different story. She knew if Merrick didn't like her cake, she wouldn't stop loving him but she will show how much he hurt her feelings by slamming the cake in his face.
The thought of Merrick's face covered in her cake caused Shego to laugh while she started up the steps to Merrick's home. Shego wondered if Merrick's father would be home because she would like to see what the man looked like just once. She didn't even know what the man did for a living because Merrick had never told her but she was curious how the man could work all kinds of odd hours.
Shego knocked on the door and she didn't get an answer for a minute, so she knocked again. A second later, there came a sound of someone in the living room falling onto the floor then that person mumbling something. Shego had to keep herself from laughing at the sound of Jake attacking that person because she knew who Jake was attacking.
After a minute of the dog growling, Shego heard footsteps coming to the door and stopped on the other side of the door. The door swung open and Shego saw she just woke Merrick up because his hair was in a mess and he was rubbing his eyes while he stood there wearing nothing but boxer shorts. Shego blushed at seeing Merrick dressed like he was but for some reason she didn't feel like shielding her eyes from him. Merrick was awake enough to smile at Shego when he saw her and after a second of looking at Shego, he waved her into the house.
"Make yourself at home while I go put some clothes on," Merrick said in a groggy tone after he shut the door behind Shego.
After his statement, Shego stood where she was and watched Merrick go up the stairs that led to the second floor of the home. Shego stood there for a minute and started walking down the hall that led to the kitchen while she looked at the pictures that hung on the wall. This was her first time in Merrick's home and her first time seeing Merrick's family.
Shego stopped at a picture of a woman with little girl in her lap. Both of the people in the picture had red hair and green eyes and this made Shego wonder how come Merrick didn't look like them, he didn't even look like the man Shego saw in another picture that she took to be Merrick's father. Shego smiled at the thought of Merrick being different in every way. He being different was the reason she loved him and stayed around him, that and because they have so much fun together.
After Shego got tired of staring at Merrick's mom and sister, she continued walking to the kitchen, where she placed the cake on the kitchen table and sat down in a chair. She hadn't been sitting there long, when Jake came into the kitchen and growled at her. Shego gave the dog an evil smirk and flamed up her hand. Jake yelped from the fright of seeing Shego doing this and sat down on his hunches and started howling.
Shego laughed at the dog and said, "I'm not going to hurt you unless you misbehave," while she unlit her hand.
For some reason what Shego said caused the dog to stop howling. The dog turned his head to one and ran up to Shego then jumped in her lap. Jake tried to lick her in the face but Shego held him down. Finally, Jake gave up and laid down in Shego's lap. Shego sighed at Jake laying in her lap and she shook her head at the dog.
Even the dog is different because of Mal. But that's why I love Mal for, he's different, Shego thought while she started to wonder why it was taking Merrick so long to put on clothes.
After several minutes, Merrick came into the kitchen wearing clothes he usually wore to school but his hair was still in a mess. Shego shook her head at Merrick not combing his hair, it was the one thing he never did. She had grumbled about him not combing his hair when they first started to date but she gave up after Merrick refused to listen to her. His hair was always in a mess and Shego decided that was how Merrick liked his hair. It was his own style, was another thing that made him different. He didn't care what he looked like and he told Shego once if someone didn't like how he looks, they should turn their head. That statement got a laugh out of Shego because she knew he was talking about her and she knew he wanted her to look at him even with messed up hair.
Merrick walked to the kitchen table and sat down across the table from Shego while he laughed at Jake sitting in her lap. The dog perked up his ears at Merrick and acted like he wanted to go across the table to Merrick. Merrick shook his head and looked back at the dog.
"Jake, living room," Merrick said while he pointed to the door leading into the living room.
Jake lowered his head and left the couple in the kitchen at Merrick's command.
"Why you do that for? He wasn't bothering me," Shego said with a frown.
"He was about to eat the cake," Merrick said with a smile while he stared at the cake Shego brought him.
Shego let out a nervous laugh and saw that Merrick looked like he was about to tear up but he never did. Instead he got out of his chair and walked around the table then knelt down beside Shego. He hugged her then and told her thanks for the great birthday present. Shego hugged him back but she felt ashamed about what she did to the cake. She wanted to tell him about the cake before he even tried it but she didn't want to change the mood Merrick was in, he was truly happy for once.
Merrick stood back up after a minute of hugging Shego and went about the kitchen to get the things he needed to try the cake. When he came back and sat down across the table from Shego, Shego started singing happy birthday to him. Merrick chuckled at her singing and when she finished the song, Merrick told her the birthday was happy for now but he bet something is going to happen before the day was over with. Then he started to get him a piece of the cake while Shego tensed up at watching him find out about the inside of her cake.
The second Merrick saw the inside of the cake, he stopped what he was doing then shrugged his shoulders while he continued to bring the piece he cut to the plate that sat before him on the table. At the first bite of the cake, Merrick stopped chewing and shrugged his shoulder again and continued to eat the cake. Shego knew Merrick was acting like he was about the cake because he wanted her to be happy but she knew he hated it, she knew she would.
"Mal, I'm sorry about the cake. We had to go stop a crime last night and I left it in the oven while we were gone," Shego said sadly while she turned her stare away from Merrick.
Merrick chuckled at Shego's statement and she wondered if he was laughing about the cake. But like always Merrick surprised her with his words and actions.
"Sheila, you don't have to explain what happened to it. So what if it's a little over cooked, I love the gift. I wouldn't have gotten a cake today if it wasn't for you and I'm not being just nice with what I'm saying. I love the gift I got from you as much as I love you," Merrick while he continued to eat the piece of cake.
At hearing Merrick say he loved her, Shego looked back at Merrick with a smile and she saw he had finished the piece of cake and was getting another one.
"How can you eat that cake, I imagine it tastes awful," Shego said while Merrick started on his second piece.
"Oh, the icing helps but its not half bad once you get use to the taste. You want any," Merrick said with a smile while he worked on the second piece.
"No, I made it for you and only you," Shego said happily at how Merrick was acting about the cake.
She knew he might dump it in the trash after she left but for some reason she doubted he would. He acted like he was enjoying the cake and that made her happy, though it was starting to gross her out over watching him eat the black and chocolate cake. Shego knew she could never eat one piece of the cake but Merrick was already enjoying a second piece, which surprised her but she knew she made his day just by cooking him a cake. A thing she would never do if she wasn't in love.
"Well, all for me then. I'll work on this cake rest of the day, all I got to eat until I cook dinner," Merrick said while he finished the second piece.
"You cook," Shego asked while being surprised over the fact.
"Yeah, mom taught me how to," Merrick said while his smile turned to a frown.
"Mal, I wish you would tell me what happened to your mom and sister," Shego said while she felt sad as well.
"I will eventually but today I want to be happy before I have my bad luck for the day. Want to watch some TV," Merrick said while he stood up from the table and took the cake with him. Before they went into the living room, Merrick place the cake in the fridge and stated that Jake couldn't get it now.
Shego spent more than three hours with Merrick and most of that time was spent snuggled up on the couch with Merrick while they watched TV. When they got bored from watching TV, Merrick gave her a tour of the home but Shego had to beg Merrick to let her see his room. After they were in his room, Shego spotted an old guitar propped up in a corner of Merrick's room. She asked Merrick could he play it and Merrick shook his head. Shego insisted on him trying to play the guitar and Merrick let out a sigh while he went and took the guitar from the corner. While Merrick started walking back to Shego with the guitar in his hands, she sat down on his bed and he sat down beside her while he looked at the guitar.
Merrick tried to play the guitar while they sat on his bed but he was lousy. He finally gave up and sat the guitar on the floor while he looked at Shego. She was looking around his room with surprise because she figured he would have posters of cars or women but he didn't. The only thing he had displayed in the room was pictures of his family and trophies he won while he played football for his hometown high school. The more Shego learned how different Merrick was, the more she loved him.
When Shego looked back at Merrick staring at her, she felt her love for him growing in her and she leaned over and kissed Merrick for no reason at all while she wrapped her arms around him and forced him to lie on his back. Shego continued to kiss Merrick for a minute until she broke off the kissing because she realized she was making out with Merrick. She pulled her head away from Merrick and blushed at what she was doing.
"Sorry, Mal," Shego said with a sheepish grin while her face looked flushed.
Merrick chuckled at Shego's look and said, "You didn't hear me complaining."
Shego smiled at Merrick and started to go back to kissing him but before she could, they heard the front door open and close. Shego rolled off Merrick as fast as she could and sat up on the bed when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Merrick sat up when Shego was off of him and they sat there while they listened to the footsteps getting closer to Merrick's room.
Right as the footsteps were at Merrick's bedroom door, a man Shego took to be Merrick's father in some of the pictures down stairs came right into Merrick's room. He stopped walking the second he saw the couple sitting on Merrick's bed. The man turned his head slightly to one side at the teens smiling at him.
"Hey, dad. I thought you had to work today," Merrick said while he continued to show his smile.
"Well, I did but I took off early to spend time with you on your birthday," Merrick's dad said calmly while he looked surprised at Merrick having a girl in his room.
Merrick noticed his dad's look and said, "Dad, this is the girl I been telling you about."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Sheila. Merrick's told me a lot about you and he can't stop talking about you," Merrick's dad said before he turned around and left the room.
Merrick laughed at what his dad said after he left and Merrick then looked back at Shego, who looked frighten about something.
"What's wrong," Merrick asked when he saw the look Shego had on her face.
"He knew what we were doing," Shego said while she shook her head.
"We were just kissing, wasn't like we were doing something else," Merrick said while he stood up from the bed.
Shego shook her head again because she wasn't sure what came over her earlier. She kissed Merrick and started to make out with him for no reason at all. She knew she was getting too close to Merrick but for some odd reason she enjoyed what she did. The only thing she was afraid of was what would have happened if Merrick's father didn't show up and stopped her. But she knew Merrick would have stopped her himself if she tried to go too far.
"Yeah, but I'm surprised how he acted over it," Shego said while she stood up too.
The couple left Merrick's room holding hands and went down stairs to find where Merrick's dad was. He was in the living room sitting in a recliner while he was using a remote to flip through the TV channels. When the couple came into the living room and sat on the couch, Merrick's dad cut his eyes at them and smiled at them before he went back to watching TV. The room went silent except what was blaring from the TV.
Merrick finally spoke up and said, "Dad, you don't have to worry about a cake, Sheila brought me one."
"I'm glad of that. I didn't have the time to even go buy you one," Merrick's dad said while he turned his head from the TV.
"Yeah, she baked it for me," Merrick said with a smile.
"What I wonder is how Miss Sheila had time to bake you a cake with her running around fighting crime," Merrick's dad said while he looked back at the TV.
Shego was stunned at Merrick's father knowing about her secret and she figured Merrick told him. She got mad over the idea of Merrick breaking a promise and she showed she was mad by the look on her face. Merrick, however, was shaking his head at her because he knew why she looked mad.
Merrick's father turned his look back at the couple when he caught movement of Merrick shaking his head in the corner of his eye. He chuckled at the sight of the teens' looks because of what he said.
"Relax, Miss Sheila. Merrick didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own. After Merrick described what you looked like, I saw a picture of the female crime fighter in the newspaper that fit the description Merrick told me. When I first saw you up stairs I knew you were her," Merrick's dad said calmly before he went back to watching the TV.
This was too weird for Shego, both Merrick and his father seemed to have the ability to read her mind. Merrick did it all the time and even answer questions she was asking herself. But to see Merrick's dad do it during the first time they met one another caused Shego to wonder if these two guys were telepathic or something. She wasn't crept out about it but was amazed. Shego enjoyed trying to fool Merrick with a game of 'What am I thinking'. They kept a tab on the games and as of right now it was a tie. After seeing Merrick's dad doing the same mind reading trick, she would have to ask Merrick later how they were able to know what she was thinking.
"Oh, well I baked the cake after I help stop a crime last night," Shego said while she felt ashamed at the thought of Merrick breaking a promise.
"It's nice of you to bake Merrick a cake even when you got other priorities. So where's this cake at," Merrick's dad said while he started to get out of the chair.
Shego felt embarrassed about the cake she baked now especially if Merrick's dad was going to try it. She really didn't care to impress Merrick's dad because he seemed impressed with her already. He didn't have a fit over what he knew the couple was doing up stairs and he acted like Shego being a crime fighter was normal. She, however, was ashamed of her first try at cooking and she failed. She usually didn't fail at anything, even in school she was at the top of her class while Merrick, oddly, was right behind her in the grades.
"Umm, dad. Sheila said the cake was just for me," Merrick said while Shego smiled at knowing Merrick knew what she was thinking about.
"Oh she did, well that's a shame. I like cakes. But I take it that the cake was a gift," Merrick's dad with a smile while he sat back in the chair.
"Yep and I get all of the cake," Merrick said with a smile.
Merrick's father slummed his shoulders at not getting any cake but he laughed at the notion. Then the three of them sat there in the living room and talked for over an hour. Shego learned even more about Merrick because Merrick's father told her about him, even embarrassing events in Merrick's life. When those kinds of events were told, Merrick hid his face in the couch and Shego laughed at how cute he was acting.
Before long, Shego learned what Merrick's father did for a living. He was the head researcher at the research center in Go City and he developed advanced weapons for the US military. Some hi-tech stuff many people didn't know about and Merrick's father even added that all the blueprints were in his head and nowhere else.
Right before Shego sadly decided she had to go home, Merrick asked his father, "Dad, did you get the gift I asked you to get?"
"Yep, it's in the vault that's in my room, you know the combination," Merrick's dad said before he flipped the TV to another channel.
"Good, Sheila be surprised tomorrow---if I don't end up in the hospital this year that is," Merrick said grimly.
"I hope not and Mal I got to go," Shego said sadly while she started to stand.
"Mal," Merrick's father questioned while he looked at Shego with a funny, confused look.
Shego giggled at the question and said, "It's the pet name I gave to Merrick."
Merrick's father shook his head at Shego's answer then smiled as he went back to watching TV while he stated, "Cute."
After the simple statement Merrick's father made, Shego left the room while Merrick walked her to the door. They stood at the door for a minute and Shego gave Merrick a goodbye kiss then told him, she would see him in the morning. After Shego was outside and Merrick had shut the door behind her, she heard Merrick and his father's voice coming through the living room window. She stopped and listened to what they were saying because she was curious how well she impressed Merrick's dad.
"Merrick, whatever you do, don't let that girl get away. Your mom be proud of you dating a girl like that, just wish I could have some of that cake," Shego heard Merrick's father say after she stopped to listen to the guys' conversation.
Shego smiled at what Merrick's father said because she knew she impressed the man without trying. She felt guilty about Merrick not letting his dad have any of the cake but she was glad Merrick wouldn't let him. Shego knew Merrick's dad wouldn't think less of her if he found out she burnt Merrick's cake but she had a good record with the man and didn't want to ruin it.
At least Merrick's father liked Merrick dating her and she was glad the man did. Shego sighed happily at making Merrick's day even though she didn't plan the brief make out in his room. She enjoyed it and it seemed to her Merrick did too but Shego didn't want the making out to happen from now on, well not every time they were together. It would lead to more things between her and Merrick, which could very well make or break their relationship. She knew that and she wanted it to stay the way it was before the incident in Merrick's room. Still she enjoyed it, though.
Maybe after we're together for a good while I would look forward to it, but right now it's too soon to do what we just did, Shego thought while she stomped through the snow.
The only thing Shego hoped didn't happen, while she walked home, was Merrick having bad luck on his birthday, which Shego thought was just a myth. But Shego knew Merrick was being honest about having bad luck and Shego noticed Merrick's father frowned when Merrick talked about being in the hospital. The only thing she could do was wait and see if Merrick did have bad luck on his birthday.
An hour later, Shego was back in the tower and she felt miserable. Her brothers were beyond annoying like always and her being there wasn't helping them get off her back about dating Merrick. Hego and Mego would plead their case about what Merrick was after because he was a teenage boy and the Wegoes would ask how the birthday party went. Shego finally had enough of them getting on her nerves and stormed off to her room. Once she was in there, she flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling.
She laid there for a long time while she wished her brothers would leave her alone about dating Merrick. She understood the twins liked Merrick and she was glad for that but even they annoyed her over the endless questions they asked her about him. Hego and Mego caused Shego nothing but grief because of what they accused Merrick of thinking about. It even caused her to go into a rage over them haggling her over what Merrick was supposedly wanted and they would back down for a day or two then go back to accusing Merrick of having thoughts he never had.
Far she knew, Merrick never once said anything in the nature of what her older brothers accused him of thinking about. He never did anything on their dates but hold her hand or hug her when she would snuggle up to him. She even knew he was uncomfortable with her snuggling up to him at first because he would get tense. But Shego got him to feel comfortable about it because she snuggled up to him anytime she could and now they cuddled all the time when they were alone. The only time Shego could remember him kissing her besides the goodbye kisses was the first time they kissed. Shego knew most of their physical contact, other than holding hands, was a result of her doing something to cause it. Now she caused them to make out earlier and she wondered what Merrick thought about the ordeal.
He seemed ok with it, hope he doesn't think less of me, Shego thought right before she heard a phone ringing in the tower.
A moment later, Hego hollered Shego's name and Shego jumped off the bed and ran to where Hego was because she knew who wanted to talk to her on the phone. The first thought that popped in Shego's mind, while she made her way to the phone, was Merrick calling her and wanting to talk about what they did earlier. If that was true, Shego hoped he was ok with them making out for the first time while she hoped he wasn't thinking she was like the girls he hated. When Shego got to the phone, Hego gave her a sour look and handed her the phone while he walked away.
"Hey, Mal," was all Shego said in a nervous tone.
"Hey, Sheila," Shego heard Merrick say in a weak tone after a second of silence.
"What's wrong, Mal," Shego questioned while she got concerned over how Merrick sounded.
"Well, I don't feel too good. Dad left right after you did and I started getting sick about an hour afterwards. I need to get to the hospital but I'm in no shape to drive. I can't get in touch with dad because he never gave me the number to the center. I hate to ask this because you spending time with your family but could you come over and drive me to the hospital," Merrick said weakly.
"Getting you to the hospital sounds more important right now, I'll get there over as fast as I can," Shego said while she got scared over how weak Merrick sounded.
After Shego got scared over the way Merrick sounded, she didn't wait to hear if Merrick said goodbye because she hung up the phone and bolted to the front door. Hego stopped her from leaving for second but he motioned her on when she explained why she was leaving in a hurry. It was the first time Shego ever seen one of her older brothers not pleading with her to stay home and not go see Merrick. It was a start Shego knew to them being ok with her dating Merrick, so she thought. But right now her only concern was getting Merrick to the hospital because if he called her to take him, she knew it was serious. Shego didn't laugh at Merrick telling the truth about having bad luck because she believed him now. She just hoped Merrick would be ok and it was nothing life threaten.
Shego ran all the way to Merrick's home and when she got there, she saw Merrick was already outside sitting on the top step while he had his head laid up against the hand rail. Merrick didn't even try to stand for Shego, which was the first time she ever saw him continued to sit at the sight of her. She knew then Merrick was really ill and that worried her. She didn't say a word when she got to Merrick and started to help him stand. No words were spoken either while Shego helped Merrick walk to the passenger side of his truck. Shego helped Merrick get inside the truck and shut the door for him after he handed her his keys.
Shego ran to the driver side of the truck, jumped in, shut the door, and crank the truck up while she got worried sick over what was wrong with Merrick. Shego knew it was urgent to get Merrick to the hospital but with the roads covered in ice and snow, she had to creep along the roads. While she drove down the streets and passed cars that were driving slower than her, she would glance over at Merrick, who, while having his head laid against the door's window, would shake for no reason then moan while he held his stomach.
"Mal, what is the world is wrong with you," Shego said in a scared tone while she passed another car.
"I don't know, I started to get sick after I finished off your cake. I thought I was just catching a cold but I started to hurt all over then I got dizzy," Merrick said weakly while he shook his head.
Shego frowned at Merrick's statement, she knew her cake had something to do with him being sick now. If he wasn't sick, she would be happy to know he ate the entire cake but she was scared of what she did to Merrick by baking him a cake. She caused him to be weak and frail by burning his cake then giving it to him but she couldn't blame herself for him eating it. He did that by his own free will just to make her happy.
While the hospital came within sight Merrick chuckled weakly and said, "Sheila, I know what's wrong with me."
"You do," Shego asked while she started driving the truck across the hospital's parking lot.
"Yeah, you poisoned me for being late yesterday," Merrick said while he lifted his head off the window and flashed Shego a weak grin.
"No, I didn't, that joke might have been funny if I wasn't worried sick about you," Shego said sadly while she finally found the emergency entrance.
Merrick never replied to Shego and laid his head back on the window. Shego pulled the truck right in front of the emergency door and jumped out of the truck. She ran around the truck and helped Merrick out then held him up while they walked to the door.
Right before they entered the hospital, Merrick whispered, "I hate hospitals."
The couple didn't have to sit in the waiting room long because a nurse saw how serious Merrick's condition was and led the couple to a room. Another nurse came into the room and checked Merrick's vitals while she asked him all kinds of questions. When she asked Merrick what he had eaten, Merrick told her nothing but a birthday cake. That answer caused Merrick to go through tests for possible toxins in his blood, which caused Merrick to chuckle weakly at his joke about accusing Shego of poisoning him.
Shego stayed with Merrick while he went through all the tests he had to endure. She had to leave his side when the doctor made the decision to start pumping Merrick's stomach clean because of the high doses of carbon in his blood. Shego stood outside the room while Merrick endured the procedure and she felt like crying because she ruined Merrick's birthday. She knew Merrick was joking about her poisoning him but it hurt her feelings. She already forgave him for hurting her feelings because she knew he didn't mean to but instead he was trying to help her worried feelings with a joke.
It backfired for him like her one great gift for his birthday, she thought, backfired for her. She was happy when she left his home but now she was standing in the hall of a hospital fighting back tears. The thought of hurting Merrick unintentionally hurt her more than his joke. Shego proved to herself with her thoughts and feelings that she cared about Merrick because how she felt while she stood in the hall.
I love him and now I get worried over him being sick. How in the world did he cause me to feel like this? This isn't me. I right now be up on some building just to stay away from my brothers. I guess it doesn't matter why he caused me to feel this way. I love him and care about him, I just hope he be ok, Shego thought before she got tired of standing in the hall.
She paced up and down the hall for over an hour until finally the doctor came out of Merrick's room. The second the doctor saw Shego, he flashed her a smile and Shego knew Merrick was going to be ok. He told her Merrick was doing fine but he wanted to keep Merrick in the room for a few more hours, just to make sure.
Shego let out a sigh of relief and walked into Merrick's room. He was laying on a hospital bed while he wore a hospital gown and had an IV stuck in his arm. The second he saw Shego, he smiled at her and waved her into the room. Shego never smiled back at Merrick and folded her arms in front of her while she walked to the chair beside Merrick. Merrick's smile turned to a frown when he saw how sad Shego looked.
After Shego sat down in the chair, Merrick said softly, "Now do you believe me having bad luck on my birthday?"
"You only had bad luck because of me," Shego said sadly while she stared down at the tile floor.
Merrick let out a sigh and said, "Sheila, you didn't cause this. I did with my own stupidity. I was going to eat all of your cake because it was a gift from you. Course I didn't think about eating all of it in one day but I did because how happy you made me today. I wanted to make you just as happy by eating the entire cake."
After a moment of silence, Shego turned her eyes up to Merrick and smiled weakly at him. She was learning how much Merrick did love her and she knew she loved him just as much. Risk a trip to the hospital to make her happy, was a kind of love Shego was looking for and now she had it. She just hoped she didn't continue to put Merrick in the hospital, course for some reason she thought Merrick looked cute in the hospital gown.
"Mal, what am I going to with you, you silly thing," Shego said with a laugh.
The couple laughed at Shego's statement because Merrick was being silly over eating the entire cake in one day. The room went silent then and after a minute, the couple started talking to one another like they did on every one of their dates. The talk was mostly about how many ways Merrick had bad luck on his birthdays. Merrick wouldn't tell Shego what happened to him on his third birthday and Shego wanted to know what happened but Merrick refused to tell her until later. Shego finally gave up and decided he would tell her when he felt comfortable about telling her.
Right before Merrick was released from the hospital, Merrick's dad came into the room and thanked Shego for driving Merrick to the hospital. Shego admired how grateful he was for her and she knew she just gained some points with the man; even though she wasn't after impressing the man by driving Merrick to the hospital. She did it because how worried she was for Merrick.
The three of them stayed in the room until Merrick was finally released. Shego left the room while Merrick got dressed in the clothes he wore to the hospital. After he was dressed, he and his father came out of the room and Shego tried to give Merrick his keys to his truck. Merrick, however, waved off taking the keys and insisted Shego drive him home. Shego felt like it was an honor to drive Merrick home and she did while she tried to get Merrick to give her a hint about what her gift was. All he told her was, she would find a use for it and it matched her green and black jump suit.
After they were back at Merrick's home, the couple sat in the truck and watch Merrick's father go into the house. Shego snuggled up to Merrick after his father was out of sight and she started telling Merrick how worried she was over him being sick. Merrick hugged her and told her that it would take more than birthday cakes to stop him and he again accused Shego of poisoning him. Shego laughed at the joke this time then gave Merrick a goodbye kiss. They sat in the truck for a few minutes and Shego finally said she had to go and handed Merrick his keys back while they got out of the truck.
Shego stood by Merrick's truck and watched him go in the home after he told her he would see her tomorrow if he didn't have any worse luck, which caused Shego to shake her head at the notion of him having even more bad luck. After Merrick was in the home, Shego finally started walking back to the tower. She didn't want to go home but stay with Merrick; she hated the tower because she had to endure her brothers but with Merrick, she had fun and there was never a dull moment. Tomorrow, she knew Merrick would surprise her with his gift, he was full of surprises so Shego couldn't even guess what he got her. Shego wondered if he would ever stop surprising her while she went down the subway entrance she always went into.
The next morning, Shego got up early to go visit Merrick but she planned to stay with him all day. Her brothers got on her last nerve when she came back from taking Merrick to the hospital. It be the first time she spent an entire day with Merrick and she hoped it brought them closer. She knew she cared about him now and she was going to see how much he cared about her. The gift he got for her wasn't what she was after. She would like anything he gave her but the gift she wanted was in a form of a companion, which Merrick was to her. Shego just wanted to see how it felt like if they were together all of the time.
The only thing she planned not to happen was another make out secession; she enjoyed the one from the day before but she wasn't looking forward to them happening all of the time they were alone. She knew Merrick wouldn't insist on those kinds of secessions and it would fall back on her to initiate the make outs. But the day before she started to make out with him for no reason at all and she was worried she would do it again today. The only thing that puzzled her about the whole event was why she did it to begin with. If she could figure out that piece of the puzzle then maybe she could avoid making herself uncomfortable by her actions.
When Shego got to Merrick's home, she felt nervous for some reason and her hand shook while she started to knock on the front door on Merrick's home. She didn't get an answer at first but after a minute she heard Merrick walking down the stairs. After he opened the door, Shego saw he was again only had boxer shorts on and the sight of Merrick dressed like this caused Shego to blush. She knew now why she made out with Merrick, the sight of Merrick in nothing but boxer shorts. Merrick waved Shego into the home while she shook her head at the thoughts she had. Merrick squinted his eyes at the sight of Shego shaking her head and didn't get a reply out of her because she was in a daze. Before Shego knew what she was doing, she placed a hand on Merrick's bare chest and Merrick looked at her with a confused look.
"Are you ok," Merrick asked while he strained his eyes at Shego.
Shego only nodded to Merrick and giggled then she realized what she was doing. She snapped her hand way from Merrick and shook her head.
"Ok? ---Make yourself at home while I go put some clothes on," Merrick said while he shook his head before he shut the door and went up stairs.
Shego stared at him as he went up stairs then she felt ashamed at how she was just acted. She was acting like a giggling school girl and that was unlike her. The teenage hormones were running wild in Shego and she knew she had to control them. She thought about Duncan in the same boxers and that helped her because she shuddered at the thought and even gagged a bit.
When Shego had control of herself again, she went into the living room and flopped down on the couch. While she sat there, she got worried over what kind of statement she made by her actions. Merrick didn't seemed to like how she was acting and even gave her a hard look. That was all she needed, to act like the girls Merrick hated and for him to reconsider dating her because of how she acted. She knew he wouldn't dump her but he would be uncomfortable around her for awhile; she just had to get him comfortable again.
If I don't see those boxers again, everything be fine, Shego thought while she tried to keep herself from imagining Merrick in boxers.
A few minutes later, Merrick came into the living room wearing some other clothes he wore to school and he was smiling about something. He stopped smiling when he saw Shego was giving him a nervous stare.
"Sheila, if I know your coming over this early again, I'm going to have more than just boxers on," Merrick said while he sat down beside Shego.
"No," Shego screamed and she covered her mouth with her hands when she realized what she just said then she blushed at revealing a desire to Merrick.
Merrick chuckled at Shego's outburst and said, "Don't blame yourself because I'm partly to blame. Unintentionally anyways. I spent most of the day yesterday trying to figure out why we did what we did yesterday. How you were acting earlier helped me figure it out, so no more boxers."
"I'm sorry about that, Mal," Shego said while she felt herself blushing again.
"Don't worry about it, I might end up overreacting at the sight of you in a bathing suit," Merrick said with a smile while he put an arm on Shego's shoulders and pulled her to him.
Shego smiled as well while Merrick held her in their embrace. She was happy to have Merrick in her life and Merrick was too good to her. Things she thought he would be melodramatic about, he would act calm over. He spoke softly to her and she never heard him raise his voice unless he had to. Those times would be when Shego couldn't hear him because of loud music or noise. Shego knew Merrick was her sweet heart now and he would continue to love her even if she again acted like she did earlier.
"Well, we won't be able to see that until this summer," Shego said while she looked up into Merrick's eyes.
"True. You hungry? I'll cook us breakfast," Merrick said while he took his arm off of Shego and got out of the couch.
"Yeah, I get to see how well of a cook you are compared to me," Shego said with a smile while she stood up too.
Shego followed Merrick into the kitchen and she sat down at the kitchen table. She had to keep herself from laughing at Merrick working in the kitchen, he was proving to her he was more skilled at cooking than she was. It was a trait she never figured she would never need since she could order out anything she wanted. But seeing Merrick had to cook for himself, Shego wondered if she should have learned how because she might have to cook someday for herself.
After Merrick was finished cooking, he brought the food to the table and sat across the table from Shego. Shego gave him a sad look which he chuckled at while he stood back up and sat down right beside Shego. She gave him a hug for knowing what she was thinking and she turned to start eating breakfast. They sat at the table and enjoyed the meal while they talked about things Shego knew Merrick wanted to avoid talking about. While they talked, Jake came into the kitchen and Merrick fed him from his hand while the couple talked and enjoyed each other's company.
When Merrick finished, he slid his plate away from him and got up from the table. He told Shego he was going to go get her gift and she could met him in the living room. Merrick left Shego in the kitchen while she wondered what he got her. She still didn't care what he got her as long as she spent the day with him, which was all she was after for the day.
Shego finished her breakfast and went into the living room. The second she sat down on the couch, Jake jumped into her lap. She shook her head at the dog but let him lay in her lap while she rubbed his head. Moments later, Merrick came into the room while he held a small metal case in his hands.
Upon seeing the case, Shego asked, "What in the world did you get me?"
"Just something dad created a few years back," Merrick said while he handed the case to Shego after Jake jumped out of her lap.
Shego looked the case over and had to ask Merrick to open it for her because she couldn't figure out how. Merrick chuckled at the request while he sat down beside her and Shego let him take the case from her. He laid the case in his lap and pressed two hid buttons that were on opposite corners. A clicking sound came from the case then a lid popped open. Merrick then handed the case back to Shego while he smiled at her. After Shego had the case back, she looked into the case and squinted her eyes at what was inside.
"Mal, why does a pair of green gloves need a fancy case," Shego questioned while she reached into the case to take one of the gloves out.
"Sheila, I be careful with those gloves. Dad designed them for mom, so she could use them while she did some gardening around our home back in Texas. I'm not sure what dad put on the finger tips but whatever it is can cut through nearly anything. Make short work of your fingers if you touch the fingertips of the gloves," Merrick said while he reached over and stopped Shego's hand from touching the gloves.
"Oh," was all Shego said while she looked scared of the gloves.
"Yeah, only draw back with them is, you have to keep them sharpen if you cut solid things like concrete. All you need for that is a metal file," Merrick said while he helped Shego take one of the gloves out of the case.
Shego held the glove gently in her hand and she tried to avoid getting her fingers close the glove's fingertips. She wasn't sure why Merrick was giving her such a dangerous gift but she liked thought of the power she could have while she wore them. Just to be dangerous without having to use her powers was something she knew she would enjoy.
"So, if they were your mom's, why you giving them to me," Shego said while she slid the glove onto her hand.
"Well, they remind dad of mom. So he wants to get rid of them and I don't think I would look right wearing women's gloves. Figured you would find a use for them," Merrick said while he smiled at Shego holding the tips of the glove close to her face. Shego took her hand away from her face and looked at Merrick with a smile on her face.
"I love the gift," Shego said while she reached over to hug Merrick but she stopped because she realized she was about to hug Merrick with the gloved hand.
She smiled again at Merrick and held her gloved hand away from Merrick while she hugged him with only one arm. The second Shego stopped hugging Merrick, she held the gloved hand out in front of her and she eased the glove off with care. Merrick helped her put it back in the case while he told her it was better to leave them in the case unless she wants to use them and he added she would need to practice with them.
Shego smiled happily while she shut the lid on the case and sat it at her feet. She then snuggled up to Merrick and wrapped her arms around him while she laid her head against his chest. Shego figured Merrick would tense up after the incident earlier but he didn't. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. She giggled for a second because she was happy about Merrick being still comfortable with her wanting to cuddle up to him
She sighed a relief and looked up into Merrick's eyes while she said tenderly, "Mal, I love you."
"I love you too, Sheila," Merrick said while he hugged her harder.
Shego was always happy at hear him say he loved her and she brought a hand to his face and held it there for a second. She then pulled his head down to her face and kissed him. Shego only held the kiss for a second because she was afraid of a repeated episode from the morning before. Even when it was a usual kiss to Shego, she still felt the same feelings from their first kiss. She wasn't sure how every kiss caused the feelings but she enjoyed the feelings. It was like it was meant for her to kiss him and she liked that idea while she thought over why she was there this morning.
Her idea for the day was to find out how much she would enjoy Merrick being around all of the time. Today he would have to run her off to get rid of her. But she doubted he would do such a thing because she could tell he was enjoying their embrace as much as she was. Merrick was still hugging her after their kiss and he continued to stare into her eyes.
How I love those blues, Shego thought while she felt how much she loved Merrick.
After a moment of silence, Merrick spoke up by asking, "So, what you got planned for today?"
"Well, let me think," Shego said while she scratched her head, "what I'm doing right now."
"All day," Merrick questioned while he smiled and squinted his eyes at Shego.
Shego was surprised at his response, she wasn't sure if he was happy with her spending all day with him or not.
"Yep, why is there a problem with that," Shego stated while she looked sad for a second.
"Oh, I'm not complaining. Just surprised is all," Merrick said softly while he hugged Shego again.
"I just want to spend the day with you instead of my brothers," Shego said happily while she snuggled up closer to Merrick, to the point she was nearly in his lap.
Merrick chuckled and said, "Well, I'm honored but we need to find something to do because my arms will fall asleep before long."
Shego giggled at Merrick's statement and she suggested they could watch TV but neither of them came out of their embrace. They sat there for a long time not saying a word while Shego listened to Merrick's heart beat. It became a lullaby to her and she about fell asleep in Merrick's arms. Shego snapped her head up when she started to drift off to sleep but she snapped her head up to fast. She head butted Merrick in the chin, causing him to yelp from the pain. Shego turned her look to Merrick and saw he had his eyes fasten shut while he felt the pain. She started to let go of Merrick but he continued to hold his arms around her while he shook his head at her.
"I'm sorry, Mal," Shego said sadly while she turned her look from Merrick.
Merrick chuckled and said while still in pain, "Don't worry about it."
When Shego looked back at Merrick, she saw he was still in pain but was forcing a smile at her. She felt sad over hurting Merrick but like always he was upbeat. Merrick finally opened his eyes and looked into Shego's eyes before he winced from the pain. He unwrapped his arms around Shego for a second and rubbed his chin then he went back to hugging Shego. Shego tried to apologize again but Merrick shushed her by leaning down and kissing her.
Shego was surprised by this and it showed because she went wide eyed for a second before she closed her eyes. She felt the same feelings again and she fought the urge to start making out with Merrick. Shego was grateful when Merrick stopped the kiss a few seconds later and he smiled at her while he sat back up straight.
"Now, stop saying you're sorry for hurting me," Merrick said softly through his smile.
Shego could only nod to Merrick because he caused her to go into a daze. She finally got her senses back after a moment and she laid her head against Merrick's chest. Shego sighed happily and snuggled up as close as she could to Merrick. They held their embrace for a long time without say a word. Merrick finally spoke up after the long silence and told Shego, his arms were falling asleep. She laughed at the statement and they went out of their embrace.
"So, what do you want to do now," Merrick asked while he reached his hand over to hold Shego's.
Shego sat there for a moment without saying a word while Merrick held her hand. She was fighting the urge to kiss Merrick again because she knew what would happen if she did. She finally decided a walk around the city would cool her off and if she got cold during their walk it would give her an honest excuse to cuddle with Merrick. Shego told Merrick her idea and they got up to leave. Merrick had to bundle up before they left and Shego laughed at how cute Merrick looked when he came back down stairs. Merrick was wearing an old leather duster and boonie hat. He was finally wearing the cowboy look Shego wanted to see. Course, she knew she still had his cowboy hat and he was making do with whatever he could find to replace it. She didn't care because she like the way he looked and it showed on her face.
"Hey, I would wear this all of the time if it didn't make me stand out in this city," Merrick said when he noticed Shego's look while he took Shego by the hand and opened the front door.
The couple spent more than two hours walking around the city. They ended up at the park and walked by other couples out in the city that morning. The thing Shego longed for was happening, she was among the other couples while she walked with the person she loved. She was enjoying their day together and she wondered if every day would be like this. Everything they ever did together was simple and never fancy. Shego liked that because Merrick still wasn't trying to impress her. But he has impressed her without trying.
Once, Shego let Merrick walk ahead of her while she bent down and made a snowball. The second Merrick turned around to look at her, she plastered his face with the snowball. Merrick laughed at getting pegged by the snowball and he bent down to make one of his own. Shego went wide eyed and squealed with delight while she took off running away from Merrick. She wasn't fast enough because Merrick hit her on the back of her shoulder with the snowball. Both Shego and Merrick laughed at the silliness and continued to laugh while they got in a friendly snowball fight, which Shego won with ease. She would use her athletic abilities to dodge any snowballs Merrick threw at her while she would peg him over and over with snowballs.
Finally, Merrick gave up trying to hit Shego with snowballs and collapsed onto a bench he was standing by. Shego walked up to him while she laughed at how silly they were. She would never get in a snowball fight with someone if she wasn't in love with them. Now she had and she loved the guy she was nearing more than anything. She loved everything about him. He was too perfect to her. One of the things she enjoyed the most about him was him letting her be her. She didn't have to hide her powers around him nor had to lie about why she had to cancel a date, which were times when she had to go save the city. He knew who she really was and she knew the same about him.
"Mal, you really need to learn how to dodge," Shego said with a laugh while she sat down beside Merrick.
Merrick chuckled then shivered while he said, "Yeah, tell me about it."
"Are you getting cold," Shego questioned while she felt she was getting cold too.
"Kinda, I'm not use to snow. First time I ever saw it was when it started to come down here," Merrick said after he shivered again.
"Well, we could go back to your place if you want," Shego said while she blushed at a thought that came to her.
This cold air isn't helping any, maybe it's because of Merrick's getup, Shego thought while they stood up to go back to Merrick's home.
While they walked home, Shego took a hold of Merrick's hand and felt it was ice cold. Shego sighed and looked around her for a second before she barely flamed up her hand. Merrick chuckled at Shego's hand feeling hot and looked down at their hands to see Shego's hand had a hint of glow. He went wide eyed for a second then shook his head while they stomped through the snow.
"Sheila, you amaze me sometimes," Merrick said while they left the park.
"Oh, why is that," Shego said happily.
"Well you just do. I think you're full of surprises as much as I am," Merrick said while he turned his head to look at Shego.
"Mal, I been wondering something. How do you know what I'm thinking sometimes," Shego asked while she heated up their hands more.
"By the looks on your face," Merrick said while he chuckled at what Shego was doing.
"Just by my expressions? Ok, what am I thinking now," Shego said while she turned her face to Merrick.
"Well, your thinking about how much you love me," Merrick said with a grin.
"Yep," Shego said with a smile while she wrapped her free hand around Merrick's arm.
The couple spent the remainder of their walk, to Merrick's home, playing the 'What am I thinking' game. Oddly, Merrick got every guess right while Shego couldn't learn the trick and Merrick would have to tell her what he was thinking. Shego was glad Merrick was taking her mind off of the thought she had in the park. But she thought about it again right as they were nearing him home. She tensed up at being nervous over the thought while she started to squeeze Merrick's hand. She didn't realize she was crushing Merrick's hand until he yelped from the pain.
Shego eased her grip on Merrick's hand and said, "Sorry, Mal."
"That's ok but what was that about, "Merrick said while he stopped walking and looked at Shego with a concern look.
Shego let out a sigh and said, "I'm just scared to be alone with you."
"Why would you be scared to be alone with me," Merrick said while he looked puzzled.
"I like being alone with you, Mal, just I'm afraid what happened yesterday would happen again if we're alone. It's just too soon to do what we did again," Shego said while she lowered her eyes from Merrick.
"So you're uncomfortable with what went on yesterday, "Merrick said softly while he placed a hand under Shego's chin and lift her face up to make her look at him.
Shego shook her head for a second and said, "No, I enjoyed it but it's just too soon."
Merrick chuckled at Shego's statement and said, "I know how you feel. But what happened yesterday is making you uncomfortable now. Sheila, don't be because you don't have to feel uneasy around me. If we start to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, please let me know because I definitely stop us."
Shego smiled at Merrick then hugged him. She knew if he didn't understand then she was dating the wrong guy. But she was dating the right one, he was too perfect to her. Shego hugged Merrick for a moment then they went back to walking to Merrick's home.
As they started up the stairs, Shego said, "Mal, I love you."
"I love you too, Sheila," Merrick said while he opened the front door for her.
After the couple was back in the home, they went straight to the infrared heater that was in the living room. The second they were standing in front of the heater, Shego buried her arms in Merrick's duster while giving him the excuse she was really cold. Merrick chuckled at the excuse but believed her when her chilly hand brushed up against his arm. He then let Shego snuggle in his coat with him while he wrapped his arms around her. They stood there for a long time without saying a word while they both shivered and eventually got warm.
When they both stopped shivering, Shego came out of Merrick's coat and grabbed him by the hand then led him to the couch. After Shego was to the couch, she pulled Merrick by her and spun him around on his heels then pushed him onto the couch. Merrick looked up at her with a surprised look but she giggled and fell onto top of him. Shego then snuggled back into Merrick's duster while she laid her head on his chest. They laid there for a long time without saying a word while Shego listened to the music Merrick's heart was making.
After awhile, Shego started to drift off to sleep again but she fought the drowsiness by thinking about wonderful Merrick was treating her. She couldn't have asked for anything better than the guy she was about to fall asleep on and she was enjoying how it would be like if they were together all of the time. Shego knew he had her another gift somewhere in the house but she got what she wanted. She would ask for the second gift before she left but right now she didn't want to ruin the mood. Just the lub, dub of Merrick's heart kept Shego fixed to the way she was and she could lay there all day just listening to it.
The time seemed to stand still while they laid there in silence and before Shego knew it, they had been laying there for a couple hours. Shego finally brought her head up when she realized how long they been laying there and she saw Merrick was sound asleep. She smiled how peaceful he looked while he slept and she had to keep herself from giggling.
So I even get to watch you sleep today, Shego thought cheerfully while she nuzzled her head back against Merrick's chest.
It was a perfect day for Shego, even if all they did so far was ate breakfast together, went on a walk, and cuddled. She didn't care; she got what she wanted. Merrick was the one person in the world she wanted since she started to notice guys. He was everything she was looking for in a guy, just it took her time to really see that. She gave his a chance and now he was sound asleep under her.
Finally Shego wanted Merrick to wake up so he could talk to her again. She giggled a little and poke Merrick in the ribs. She didn't get any response out of him, so she poked his ribs harder. This time Merrick woke startled and looked at Shego's smiling face which got him to smile back at her.
"Sorry, I dozed off," Merrick said while he rubbed one of his eyes.
"You been out for more than two hours," Shego said while she started to poke Merrick in the ribs again.
Merrick jumped at being poked again and asked, "What you been doing since I been out?"
"Laying right here, watching you sleep. Now get up, its lunch time," Shego said while she started raising herself off of Merrick.
"Lunch time? Well, ok but your cooking this time," Merrick said while he sat up in the couch.
"Oh no, I'm not," Shego stated while she shook her head at Merrick.
Merrick chuckled and said, "Don't worry I teach ya."
"Fine," was all Shego said while she started walking into the kitchen.
Merrick followed Shego into the kitchen and helped her get out what she was going to need to cook with. While Shego started cooking, Merrick went to the kitchen table and sat down while he watched her cook. The only thing he told her was, if she needed help ask him and he give her pointers. She laughed at the offer of help but she knew she would need it. Cooking this time for her wasn't for a gift but to impress Merrick and she was nervous while she was cooking. She wanted it to be perfect. After Shego was cooking for a few minutes, she heard Merrick chuckle about something which caused her to stop what she was doing and ask Merrick why he was laughing for.
"Well, your cute while your cooking," Merrick said while rest his head in one of his hands.
"Your just saying that," Shego said while she felt her face turn red.
"No really, I could take a picture of you to prove it," Merrick said before he left the kitchen table and room.
"You won't dare," Shego yelled out while she continued to focus on her cooking.
In the next instance, Shego saw a flash in the room and she turned her head to see Merrick holding a camera. He was smiling at her and took another picture of her. Shego gave him a mad look then a smile while she shook a spatula at him.
"I'll pay you back," Shego said while she went back to cooking.
Merrick took a third picture of her before he left the room and returned to the kitchen table. He sat there and watched Shego while he chuckled at her cooking. Shego smiled at hearing the laughter because she knew she was making Merrick happy just by trying to cook. Though she wouldn't start to cook at the tower, she would for Merrick whenever he wanted her to. She knew he would enjoy whatever she cooked, even if it was burnt like the cake.
While Shego cooked, a thought hit her and she wondered if they would enjoy each others company if they got married. It was the first time Shego ever thought about marriage and she knew it was too early in the relationship to think about such a thing. But she was curious about how she and Merrick being married would be like. Would they be like they are now or would they get tired of one another? She didn't know but she hoped if they did get married, it would be just like they are now, except maybe more physical.
Then Shego blushed at the thought of Merrick in boxers and she shook her head hoping to get the thought out of her head. It didn't and she continued to think about it. She wasn't worried over them making out because she knew Merrick would stop them if they started, that is if she wanted him to. Now she could think about any thoughts she wanted without the fear of losing it around Merrick.
She wondered if Merrick ever thought about the things she was thinking about. Even if he told her he didn't, she was curious about his thoughts because he was still a teenager after all. Course, she wasn't about to ask him and she was never going to share her thoughts unless he asked her. The only thing Shego wondered about was how far has Merrick went with a girl. She knew he had to be close to the girl he was dating before her because of the reason she dumped him. Shego giggled at asking Merrick because she wanted to see him blush.
"Mal, do you mind me asking you something," Shego said slyly while she turned the oven off.
"Not at all," Merrick said happily while he stood up to go help Shego with the food.
"Well, I was wondering, how far have you ever went with a girl," Shego said with a smile and saw Merrick's face turning red.
"Umm, well to the point we're at I guess," Merrick stammered out while he lowered his eyes from Shego.
Shego let out a giggle and asked, "Is that all?"
"Yeah," Merrick said in a near whisper while he continued to stare at the floor.
"Mal, don't be embarrassed. This as far as I went with a guy and it's been with you," Shego said with sympathy while she walked over to Merrick and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Merrick let out a chuckle then looked up into Shego's eyes while he said, "You wanted to see me get embarrassed."
"Yep," Shego said while she smiled at Merrick knowing what she was thinking.
"I guess that was my pay back for taking pictures of you cooking," Merrick stated while he wrapped his arms around Shego.
"You better believe it. Now let's eat before the food gets cold," Shego said but she didn't try to get out of Merrick arms while she fought the temptation to make out with Merrick.
She was so messed up with the feeling of wanting to while she knew it was just too soon. Merrick would stop her if she wanted him to but that made her feelings worse. She could now and she would let Merrick stop her when she got uneasy about what she was doing. When the wanting got too much, Shego sighed then lean in and kissed Merrick while she wrapped her arms around him. She was surprise at Merrick not resisting her while she continued to kiss him. She felt him tense up for a second while she started to run her hands up and down his back but after a second she felt him relax. Shego couldn't stop kissing Merrick and she had to motion Merrick to stop her. He chuckled between the kissing and let go of Shego while he stepped back from her.
Shego gave Merrick a sheepish grin and said, "Thank you."
"No problem. Think I get my duster off before I make you go crazy," Merrick said while he pulled the coat off and laid it on one of the chairs that sat at the kitchen table.
Shego gave him a sad look but she knew he was right. He could read her looks and she should have known he knew she liked his cowboy getup as much as him in boxers. Shego let out a happy sigh and went back to the oven. She just did the one thing she didn't plan to do that day but she enjoyed it. Now she wasn't worried over being alone with Merrick, he proved to her if she told him to stop them, he will. Though she still wasn't looking forward the secessions every time they were alone, they could have the secessions whenever Shego wanted to and all she had to do was tell Merrick to stop them.
She sighed again while she picked up the food she cooked and Merrick came up to her to help her carry it to the table. Shego was amazed at Merrick not having a fit over her wanting to make out with him. He acted like nothing happened and it wasn't wrong of her. She knew he enjoyed it but she could never be sure with him. He acted the same around her no matter what went on around them and between them. While they sat down at the table, Merrick chuckled and looked in Shego's eyes for a second before he started to enjoy the food.
"Why are you laughing," Shego questioned while she wondered if Merrick was laughing at the food she cooked.
"I'm just laughing at the thought of getting too much carbon in my blood again," Merrick said after he stopped eating for a second.
"I'm sorry about the food being a little well done. I had my mind on others things," Shego said while she picked at her food.
Merrick let out a laugh and said, "Yeah you showed me what you were thinking about."
Shego blushed at Merrick knowing what she was thinking about while she was cooking but she tried to deny her thoughts by saying, "No, I didn't."
"Sheila, you have to be more convincing than that. I saw you blush about something and shake your head while you were cooking. It had to deal with either boxers or my cowboy look," Merrick said with a smile before he went back to eating.
Shego blushed from embarrassment because of Merrick knowing her personal thoughts. She knew she would have to learn the same trick someday just to pay Merrick back with the same embarrassment.
"Ok, Mal. You got me. It dealt with you and boxers," Shego said while she felt her face turning bright red.
Merrick chuckled at Shego admitting her thoughts but he never respond to her while he continued to enjoy the food she cooked him.
"Mal, I admitted something embarrassing, now it's your turn," Shego said slyly while she saw Merrick's face turn red for a second.
"Well, umm . . . I have wondered . . . what you would look like in a . . . bathing suit or at least . . . cut off jeans," Merrick stuttered out before he went back to eating.
"Cut off jeans? Oh, a cowgirl look," Shego said with a giggle.
Merrick stopped eating for a second and nodded his head. Shego had him now because she was starting to learn Merrick's trick. It was time for her to learn Merrick's mind, that is if she could master the trick.
"Yeah," was all Merrick said while he went back to eating.
"Well, tell you what, I promise when it gets warm again. I'll let you see that look just once," Shego said while she fought the laughter Merrick was causing by being nervous.
Merrick never said a word to Shego's promise but continued to eat while he would peek a look at Shego smiling at him. She knew then that Merrick did have teenage thoughts but only thoughts of her looking sexy. Shego didn't mind those thoughts because she was having the same thoughts about him. Though she didn't think she would look good as a cowgirl, she was going to keep the promise she made with Merrick. She was going to make his day when she could put shorts on again.
After the couple was finished with lunch, they left the dirt dishes on the table while Shego led Merrick by the hand back into the living room. When they got to the couch, Shego again pushed Merrick onto the couch and fell onto of him. She laid there for a second listening to Merrick's heart until she felt the urge to kiss him. Shego didn't fight the urge this time while she climbed up Merrick until she was looking eye to eye with Merrick. She flashed him a smile and then planted a kiss on his lips. Shego raised her head from Merrick and fluttered her eyes at Merrick when she saw Merrick was smiling at her. She took that as a sign to continue, which she did by kissing Merrick again. The second Shego's lips touched Merrick's, she felt the same feelings again and went into a frenzy of kisses.
She couldn't stop herself and she didn't motion Merrick to stop her. Shego was taking in the feelings she felt while she started to rub Merrick's sides with her hands. When her hands started to touch Merrick's sides, she felt Merrick was doing the same to her and that made her lose herself. Her hands went all over Merrick's chest and sides while she picked up the pace of the kisses. One of Shego's hands eventually started traveling down Merrick's stomach and ended up playing with the waistband of Merrick's pants. When she got her senses back for a second and realized what she was about to do, she stopped kissing Merrick and gave him a sheepish grin while she held out her hands for him to hold them. The second Merrick kept her hands from going to where she didn't want them to go, she went back to kissing Merrick.
Finally Shego felt she needed a breather and stopped kissing Merrick. She rolled onto her side while she continued to lie on Merrick. She felt exhausted but happy at the same time. Shego didn't feel bad about what she did but enjoyed it and she could tell Merrick did too by the smile he had on his face.
Shego giggled and said, "Now that's out of my system."
Merrick chuckled and said, "Whatever happened to it was being too soon."
"Hey, you caused it by the boxers and the cowboy look," Shego said while she snuggled up to Merrick, after she slapped him on the chest and giggled.
"Just wait till I see you in a bathing suit or cut off jeans. You may make me really lose it," Merrick said while he wrapped his arms around Shego and hugged her.
Shego sighed happily at Merrick hugging her and she knew Merrick was ok with what she just did. Though she still didn't want to make out every time they were together, she was looking forward it to happening now if the secessions made her feel the same every time. She knew she still would have to start the secessions but she didn't care, she enjoyed the feelings Merrick caused her to fell by her just kissing him. Her hands were the one thing she would have to watch out for because one of them on most betrayed her. Shego blushed at what her hand about did while she wrapped her arms around Merrick. She sighed again and started to listen to Merrick's heart.
The couple laid on the couch for a long time in their embrace. They never said a word the whole time but they would hug one another and Shego would lean in and kiss Merrick. Every time Shego kissed Merrick, she teased him by pretending to wanting to make out again. She would kiss him while she started to roll back on top of him, only to stop and smile at him. This would cause a disappointed look to come across Merrick's face which would cause Shego to laugh while she would lay back the way she was.
Finally Shego sadly decided she had to go and got up off of the couch. Merrick sat up for a second then walked Shego to the door. They stood there in each other's arms for several minutes until Shego made up her mind that she had to leave. She gave Merrick a goodbye kiss unlike the others which caused Merrick to go wide eyed for a second. When Shego kissed him, she stuck her tongue in his mouth and used it to play with Merrick's tongue. After Shego stopped kissing Merrick, they both gave each other a sheepish grin and Shego left the home.
While Shego walked home in the dimly lit dusk, she felt truly happy, even with the unplanned events that happened that day. She got a taste of how it would be like with Merrick around all of the time and she enjoyed it. Shego hoped every day after this day would be as fun and enjoyable. She couldn't wait until the next day because she planned to stay with Merrick all day again if nothing came up that kept her away from Merrick. Which she hoped didn't happen because she missed being around Merrick.
Shego's happy feeling changed to sadness the next day when she visited Merrick. When she knocked on his door, he told her to enter which Shego thought was strange for him to do. As she went into the living room, she saw Merrick was sitting on the couch while he had a picture of his mom and sister in his hands. He looked depressed and looked up at Shego with sad eyes. She did not know what was to make of this Merrick because she never saw him look so sad.
Merrick let out a sigh when he saw Shego looking at him and he went back to staring at the picture. Shego walked over to Merrick and sat by him while he paid her no attention. After a minute, Merrick sat the picture down on the coffee table and wrapped his arms around Shego.
"Mal, what's wrong," Shego asked while she wrapped her arms around him.
"Sheila, after you left yesterday, I thought over what happened to mom and Susie," Merrick said while he buried his face in Shego's arms.
"Please tell me, Mal. It's better to tell someone what's bothering you," Shego said while she cradled Merrick.
Merrick didn't say another word for a moment but he finally spoke hinting he was fighting back tears, "They were killed in a car wreck on my third birthday. From that day on, I had bad luck on my b-days."
"Mal, your bad luck didn't kill them," Shego said softly while she finally understood why Merrick did not want to tell her about them.
"I was in the car with them. They died and I lived, it was my bad luck," Merrick said while snuggled closer to Shego.
"No, it wasn't. Some things happen for a reason, both of my parents were killed in a car wreck because a criminal caused the wreck by running the red light. I blamed the criminal for a while for their deaths but their deaths made me stronger," Shego said while she pushed Merrick from her and looked him in the eyes.
Merrick looked Shego back in the eyes for a second then he turned in the couch and pick up the picture. He stared at it for a long time with a sad look and finally laid it back down after Shego offered to cook him breakfast. Shego only got a weak chuckle out of him while he got out of the couch to follow her into the kitchen. The whole time Shego cooked them breakfast, Merrick sat at the table while he looked depressed. Shego saw what Merrick meant by him telling her about what happened to his mom and sister would ruin a mood. She did not know of anything that would snap Merrick out of his depression. She only could be there for him and hoped she could cheer him up by just being there for him.
While Shego cooked at the stove, she told Merrick she loved him which caused Merrick to give her a weak smile and a sad 'I love you too' back. This caused Shego to sigh because she knew it was a vain attempt to get Merrick happy again. It was strange to Shego how Merrick could be full of bliss one day then the next completely depressed. She knew Merrick was sad over his mom and sister being dead but that was more than fourteen years ago. Her parents' death was fresher and she had moved on in so short of a time. But she knew he was blaming his bad luck for his mom and sister's death.
Mal has a hard time letting things go. He's so stubborn but I guess him being stubborn has a plus to it somewhere, Shego thought while she turned the oven off and started carrying the food to the table.
The couple ate in silence while Merrick picked at his food. Shego finished before Merrick, which was a first, and waited on Merrick to get finished. After he seemed finished with the food, Shego pulled him out of the chair by the hand and led him to the living room. She led him to the couch and pushed him down on it. She stood over Merrick for a second while he continued to look sad and Shego let out a sigh before she crawled into the couch and laid on him.
They laid there for a moment before Merrick wrapped his arms around Shego and told her how glad he was for her to be there for him. Shego sighed happily at what he told her and she knew she was helping his feelings. Yesterday she got what she wanted. Now she was going to give Merrick the same gift in return. While Shego listened the music of Merrick's heart, she thought about how much happiness and sorrow they had felt while they were together. It was strange to Shego how the mix of bliss and anguish was causing her to love Merrick more than she thought she could. But she did start to love him more while she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Shego stayed with Merrick for more than four hours and they laid on the couch the whole time while Shego finally got Merrick to talk more. She avoided asking about his mom and sister because she would have defeated her on purpose to make him feel better. By the time Shego decided she had to leave, she had Merrick feeling better because he would laugh and joke again.
The only time Merrick made a sad face after he was feeling better was when the couple climbed out of the couch and Merrick walked Shego to the door. They held each other in their arms for a long time while they stood at the door and finally Shego gave Merrick a French goodbye kiss. This caused Merrick to chuckle while Shego kissed him. Shego released the kiss finally after a moment and was about to leave but before she could, Merrick wrapped her in his arms and brought her down by him while her feet still touched the floor. She looked up at Merrick holding her in mid air and she smiled at the surprise.
Merrick flashed her a smile back and lean in to kiss her. Shego went wide eyed at Merrick giving her a French kiss and but she relaxed after a second and wrapped her arms around Merrick's neck while she enjoyed the kiss and the feelings it was causing. Merrick only kissed her for a moment before he brought her back up right. Shego looked dazed for a second but got her senses back while she smiled at Merrick. She asked him could she leave now and he gave her a sad look while he nodded his head. Shego didn't want to leave because she knew Merrick wanted her to stay but she had to. It showed she wanted stay by the frown she had on her face while she turned to leave. She let out a sigh and left while she told Merrick she would see him in the morning if nothing came up that kept her away.
All the way home, Shego felt sad and glad at once. The day didn't go the way she wanted it to but Merrick telling her how grateful she was there for him, made her day. She planned to get Merrick to laugh till he hurt tomorrow because she enjoyed the laughter more than seeing Merrick depressed.
Yep, tomorrow I'm going to get you to laugh if I have to tickle you to death, Shego thought with a sad smile while she entered the subway entrance.
Shego, however, did not get a chance to visit Merrick the next day nor did she have a chance for nearly a week. She could not even call Merrick. It seemed the criminals had taken a vacation during the Christmas holidays but were out and about everywhere. Once Team Go foiled one robbery or crime, another popped up in its place. The crime figthing was taxing on the team because they could not even to get a second of sleep. Shego did get to use the gloves Merrick gave her during the fights and they helped her several times while she knocked the criminals senseless. She was enjoying the gloves now without fear of injuring herself with them and she was right about the power she had without using her powers.
The team stayed out in the city the whole time and every once and while, Shego would come to the rooftop that gave her a view of Merrick's home. At night she would see Merrick sitting in the couch watching TV. She felt bad over him being alone but she knew he understood why she had not made any kind of contact with him. He had to hear what was going on in the city.
Finally, on the last day of the year, the city went quiet again and the team had a chance to rest. Shego wanted to crash and sleep for as long as she could. But she was missing Merrick and had to go see him. It was well into the night before she got that chance. Shego was not scared of how Merrick would react to her being away from him for nearly a week. The distance away from Merrick helped Shego slow down her hormones, which she was glad of because of the make out secessions that occured during Christmas. She knew if they kept at it then there was no telling how far they would have went.
When Shego got the the front door of Merrick's home, her hand shook for a second and she wondered why she was nervous. She shook her head at the idea and knocked on the door. A moment later, Shego heard footsteps walking to the door then door was opened up to her. When Shego saw Merrick standing on the other side of the door, she saw he had a smile on his face and she sighed at him understanding about her being gone for a few days.
Merrick waved her into the home but before she entered, she said, "Sorry, Mal, about being absent for a few days."
"You don't have to say sorry about that. I seen on TV what you guys been up to," Merrick said through his smile while he again waved Shego into the home.
Shego returned Merrick's smile and went into the home. She walked right into the living room while Merrick followed her into the room. Shego collapsed in the couch because of her being dead tired which got a chuckle out of Merrick. Hearing the laugh got Shego to look at Merrick with a stern look but she relaxed the look and smiled at Merrick.
"I like to see you go several days without sleep and still be able to fight," Shego said coyly while Merrick sat down beside her.
Merrick chuckled at the statement and said, "Well, that's true."
"My point," Shego said while she snuggled up to Merrick and wrapped her arms around Merrick.
Before Merrick did the same, he turned the TV on to a channel that was showing the New Year celebrations. While Shego started to drift off to sleep, she was woken up by Merrick wrapping his arms around her. He chuckled at something then hugged Shego. Shego hugged him back while she wondered why he was laughing for and had to ask.
"So why are you laughing for," Shego asked while she hugged Merrick again.
"I was just thinking over what they say about people who spend New Years' together," Merrick said while he turned his eyes back to the TV.
"Oh, and what is that," Shego questioned while she felt every aching muscle she strained from all the fighting she went through.
"Well, those that spend New Years' together will be together the next New Years'," Merrick said while he looked back at Shego and she winced at her aching muscles which caused him to asked, "You sore?"
"Yeah, pulling all weekers can do a number on me," Shego said while she started to rub one of her shoulders.
Merrick chuckled for a second and asked, "Want a massage?"
Shego stopped her hand from rubbing her shoulder and flashed a smile to Merrick while she nodded to him. Upon seeing Shego's answer, Merrick stood up from the couch and Shego laid flat on her stomach while she stretched out on the couch. She turned her head to one side so she could watch Merrick giving her the massage. Which he did by starting at her shoulders after he knelt down beside her. Merrick's hands kneading Shego's shoulders caused her to relax a bit but it wasn't enough. Shego let out a sad sigh and cut her eyes at Merrick.
"Mal, that feels good but I have to take my shirt and bra off to help you with the massage," Shego said while she blushed.
Shego's statement caused Merrick to turn red in the face and stammer out, "But I umm---"
"It's ok, Mal. I can lay like this and you never be able to see anything," Shego said with a smile while she kept from giggling at Merrick being nervous.
"Ok," was all Merrick said in a nervous tone while he turned on his heels to look away from Shego.
Shego waited to Merrick was completely turned around before she pulled her shirt off and laid it on the arm of the couch. She blushed at the realization of being half nude be side Merrick while she undid her green and black bra, which she keep under her while she laid back down on the couch. He was going to be the first guy to see her in this state. Guys seeing her in a bathing suit did not cause her to be bashful. But this was different, she was alone with the one guy she loved while she was topless. Shego, finally, told Merrick he could turn around, after she was laying flat on the couch again. She had to keep from giggling at the face Merrick was making when he saw how Shego looked laying there. Shego had to snapped Merrick back to reality by waving a hand in his face because he froze in a stare at the sight of her half naked.
Merrick shook his head and went back to giving her a massage. Shego sighed happily at the touch of Merrick's hands on her bare shoulders and she was amazed at the skill he showed at giving her the massage. She closed her eyes not to sleep but to take in the feeling of his touch. Shego became disappointed for some reason when Merrick's hands would glide over her shoulders and started down her chest but only stop so far before his hands would go go back up to her shoulders. It became a tease to Shego and she blushed at realizing what she wanted Merrick to do. Shego sighed sadly at Merrick finishing her arms and shoulders but she sighed happily at him starting on her back. Shego felt the same teasing when Merrick would only go so far on her top ribs while he worked on her shoulder blades. The teasing was driving her crazy but she kept her actions in check. She became truly relaxed under Merrick's hands while he worked on her lower back and his hands caused her to giggle when they tickled her sides. While Merrick was massaging her lower back, Shego fought the urge to roll over and pull Merrick to her so she could kiss him. She succeed in fighting the urge and Merrick finished with his massage. When Merrick was finished, he lean back from Shego and she gave him a grin while she motioned him to turn around so she could get dressed.
After she was dressed, she told Merrick he could turn back around, which he did while Shego sat up in the couch. Before Merrick could get up out of the floor, Shego wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. She flashed him a smile and kissed him while she pushed him back. He fell right on his back and she fell on top of him. Shego went into a fenzy of kisses while they laid on the floor and Shego ran her hands up into Merrick's shirt, tickling him with her hands sliding up and down his ribs. Finally, Shego broke off the kissing and rubbed the side of Merrick's face with a hand while she stared into his eyes.
"That's how I will thank you for great massages and for teasing me," Shego said through a giggle before she rolled off of Merrick and sat up beside him.
Shego giggled at the astonished look on Merrick face and he was speechless for a second. He finally chuckled and sat up to while he still looked surprised.
"What do you mean by teasing," Merrick questioned while he started to get out of the floor.
"Like you didn't know," Shego said coyly while she watched Merrick stand up in front of her.
"No, I don't," Merrick said while he held a hand out to Shego to help her up out of the floor.
Shego giggled and said, "About pretending not wanting to touch these," while she pointed at her chest.
Merrick's face turned a shade of red and he became speechless for a second. He finally spoke up and said, "I wouldn't have without your permission."
"Well, I think I just have," Shego said slyly while she gasped Merrick's hand that was still held out to her.
"Ok, but I'm not giving you a massage now," Merrick said while he gave Shego a nervous smile.
Shego let out a soft growl while Merrick helped her out of the floor. She couldn't take the teasing because he was driving her crazy by it but she was not sure if Merrick was really teasing her. He acted sincere over not knowing what he did to tease her. That made things worse for Shego and she had to fight the hormones Merrick was causing to course through her veins.
We're getting way too close way too fast, but I like it, Shego thought while she sat back in the couch.
After Merrick was back in the couch too, Shego snuggled up to him and tickled his sides. Merrick jumped at Shego tickling him and Shego learned a way to drive Merrick crazy. Her tickling his sides caused him to lean over and kiss her which caused them to make out for a moment. Shego giggled between the kissing and continued to tickle Merrick. She broke off the kissing after a few minutes and held Merrick from her by holding a stiff arm against his chest while she continued to tickle him. After she seen how crazy she was making Merrick, she gave him a smile and stopped tickling him. A moment later, Merrick settled down and Shego told him that was for teasing her. Merrick chuckled at Shego's statement and went back to watching the TV while he wrapped Shego in his arms.
The couple spent the rest of the old year in each other's arms while they watched the new year come. They celebrated every timezones' New Year in the states with a kiss and held their longest kiss in their timezone. Shego finally decided she had to leave after 2:00 am and was surprised at Merrick walking her not only to the door but to the subway entrance. She knew he was fond of her now and she was the same way with him. While they stood at the subway entrance, they held each other in an embrace while they had their foreheads laid against the other's and stared into each other's eyes. They occasionally kiss the other and eventually Shego gave Merrick a goodbye kiss before she slipped out of Merrick's arms and entered the subway tunnel. She stopped half way down the stairs and looked back up at Merrick, who was smiling at her while he had his hands buried in the pockets of his duster. Shego smiled back at him before she disappeared out of sight.
When Shego got home, she finally fell off to sleep while she was in a bliss. Even though she knew how fast her relationship with Merrick was going. She loved how it was going because of the feelings Merrick was causing her to feel. She knew Merrick was having the same kind of feelings. Though, she knew they would eventually do some things neither of them ever did if she did not make Merrick stop them. She did not care because Merrick was the one guy she had always wanted in her life and she could tell Merrick felt the same way about her.