Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible television series are all owned by Disney. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

If You Wish in This World to Advance

It didn't take Kim long to adjust to the fact the Shego staying at her home was not the Shego she knew. The fact this Shego was younger, slightly younger than herself, served as a constant reminder. Then there were the differences in personalities.

Kim wondered if Shego suffered any sort of mental problems from her time in suspended animation. At times she appeared brash and talkative - her attitude almost a swagger - and at other times withdrawn and almost timid. Kim eventually chalked it up the experiences Shego had undergone. Kim wondered how she would react to waking up and finding seven years had passed.

One thing clearly brought Shego joy, working in the kitchen with Kim's mother. "My Mom and Dad were killed when the comet hit," she explained. "Hego is a saint. He wouldn't let us go to foster homes; he kept us together."

Kim sometimes felt a little jealous and guilty when she got in the house and heard her mother and Shego laughing in the kitchen and went in to find them cooking. While her mother would never say such a thing Kim suspected her mother wished she could be more like Shego. While Kim avoided the dangers of the stove she tried to do more to help in the kitchen.

And Kim constantly took Shego out of the house to meet new people. Shego hung on Ron enough to make Kim jealous there also. She laughed more at Ron's jokes than they deserved. On the other hand, Kim reflected, "She hasn't already heard them all fifty times before."

Shego echoed many of Kim's own opinions. "Tara is a sweet girl, but she's not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, is she? And Bonnie… She has some good points, but she is way too stuck on herself."

"Like you aren't?" Kim thought, missing the fact it might refer to her as well.

Monique could keep Shego enthralled for hours. Shego wanted to know everything about fashions and music and celebrities in her missing years and hung on every word the black woman uttered as if it represented divine revelation.

Kim began to feel guilty about the fact she couldn't wait for Shego to move somewhere else. She wanted the interloper out of her house, and away from her mother and friends.

To compound the problem Shego asked Global Justice to create an identity for her so she could attend Middleton High. The cover story attached to the identity explained that 'Candace Young' had been home-schooled, and raised overseas by her parents in the diplomatic corp. With the death of her parents she didn't have any close relatives with whom she could stay. Evaluation testing at the Middleton counseling services indicated she was ready to start her senior year of high school, a half-year behind Ron and Kim in the second semester of their senior year.

At least Kim suffered no pangs of jealousy when sparring with Shego. On their first encounter on the mats Kim put Shego down quickly. "I wasn't expecting you to be so fast," Shego said as she dusted herself off. "I'll be ready next time."

It took Kim an additional four seconds on their second match.

"You're better than I imagined," Shego said as she rose for another round.

By the end of their first afternoon sparring Shego was angry and frustrated enough that green plasma crackled around her hands, but she didn't threaten Kim or try to use it against the redhead. Kim, however, took no chances and called an end to the exercise.

They stopped at Bueno Nacho afterward for two diet sodas.

"How did you get to be so good?" Shego asked.

"A lot of practice, and real fights. Shego… The other Shego is-"

"I hate her," Shego flatly declared. "She and Doctor Lipsky-"

"He calls himself Drakken now."

"Well, she and Doctor Drakken ruined my life. My friends are all out of college now. I can't look any of them up and say, "Hi! I was on ice for seven years. What's new with you?" She stared into the paper cup and stirred the ice and diet cola for a minute before looking up at Kim. "Sometimes I almost wish Global Justice hadn't thawed me out."

Kim suddenly felt pity for the girl and patted her hand. "It'll work out. It's rough now, but once you get caught up and adjusted to everything you'll do fine."

"Thanks, Kim. I really hope you're right."

"I know I'm right."

Shego gave her a wan smile, "So much has changed… Things I don't even realize… Is it any easier for a girl to ask a guy out now than it was seven years ago?"

"I don't know," Kim admitted. "I didn't ask many guys out when I was eleven."

They both laughed.

"I've introduced you to a lot of guys… Who are you thinking about? Josh, the quiet, artistic guy? Felix? Kevin?"

"Ron."

"Ron? Ron Reger?"

"No, your friend Ron."

"My Ron?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is he yours?"

"No, I mean, he's my best friend forever, but we... I mean, you're really hot and Ron is kind of 'Hey, watch me stuff a whole slice of pizza in my face'."

Shego laughed. "I like him. He's funny. And I can be honest with him. He was there when they fished me out of the goop. I don't have to make up any stories or sound stupid if he asks me my opinion on something everyone else knows - or where I was last year."

Shego missed Kim's deep sigh, "I guess you can ask..." Kim and Ron hadn't dated very long and Kim didn't want Shego interfering with Ron, but she felt sorry for the girl.

"Good, 'cause when you said 'my Ron' I sort of-"

"You can ask him," Kim snapped. "I so want Global Justice to find a place for you and get you out of Middleton."

A few days later, as the Possibles and Shego ate supper the Kimmunicator beeped. Kim swallowed a mouthful of pot roast, cooked by Shego, and turned it on. "What's the sitch?" she barked.

"Drakken and Shego breaking in to an electronics plant. I've called Ron. GJ has a ride for the two of you."

"Three," came a voice over Kim's shoulder.

"Three?"

"Three," said Shego in a grim voice, "I want to meet the fake."