I don't own Kim Possible. If I did, it would still be on the air. (Hint, hint.)

Shego could hardly believe that she went back. She had no idea why she did, but she had gone back for Kim. She couldn't let her die.

Dodging falling metal and concrete and struggling to keep her balance on the shaking floor, Shego sprinted through the crumbling lair to where she had last seen Kim. Upon reaching the rubble-blocked opening that was once the doorway, her hands ignited with green plasma and she struck out at it viciously, clearing a path for herself. She could feel the material of her catsuit tearing, her knuckles bloodying as they were exposed to the rough concrete chunks, but she barely acknowledged it. As soon as she broke through the wall of debris into that room, she gasped.

The entire room, once a huge, high-ceilinged lab, was a wreck. Every possible exit – except for the one Shego had just created – was blocked by debris. Concrete, steel bars, and chunks of plaster were scattered all around the floor, with a seemingly endless supply of them raining down from above. And in the midst of it all lay Kimmie, bleeding and motionless.

"Kim!" cried Shego, sprinting to her side. The girl's eyes were closed, and Shego could already see bruises forming on her head.

Gently, she picked Kim up and cradled her to her chest. Hunching over the unconscious girl in her arms so to keep any more debris from hitting her, she turned and rushed out of the main lab and through the lair to the secret entrance. She burst out into fresh air and sunlight, but didn't stop running until she had put a good half mile between her and the inevitable explosion. She didn't stop for breath, though her lungs were burning. Her arms were aching from supporting the eighteen year-old, though she really didn't weigh much.

Once she deemed herself to be far enough away from the lair, she fell to her knees, gasping for air, Kim still clutched close to her body. She had done it. She had gotten Kim out before the lair was completely destroyed, though she still wasn't sure why. Was it because Kim had saved her life just the day before, and she didn't want to be indebted to a hero? Or was it something more?

Shego gently set Kim down in the lush grass, cradling her head in her lap as she took her first real chance to inspect her wounds. She was scratched all over, and most of those scratches were oozing droplets of blood. The shoulders of her shirt were torn, as were the left sleeve and the cloth just above her chest. The bruises on her head – there looked to be about four of them – were clearly defined now, two on her forehead and two on top of her head. They clearly had been the cause of her blackout. Her body was still motionless, save for the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

"Kim," Shego whispered softly. "Kim?"

This was it, the pain she wanted to save herself from. At no point during their fights had either Kim or Shego gotten seriously hurt by the other's hand. She had never seen Kim look this helpless, this vulnerable – not even when she had saved her life and been knocked unconscious in the process. She knew she was feeling something, but she had tried to block it out. It wasn't right, what she knew she was feeling. Kim was a hero, and she was a villain. Besides, Kim was a young woman, and Shego was a woman just a year older. Shego knew she liked men…didn't she? Lately she had been questioning that. In the end, though, it was hopeless either way. Kim was straight; she dated guys in high school. Only guys. No girls. The pain that Shego didn't want was the pain of losing Kim – one way or another.

Shego took Kim back into her arms, hugging her against her chest protectively. The look in her eyes was one of pure hatred. Drakken. He had pressed the self-destruct button. He had almost killed her Kimmie.

Her Kimmie?

Shego shook her head wildly. Why was she thinking like that? Did she even think of Kim as a friend, let alone be possessive of her? Heroine. Villainess. The two just didn't mix, especially not when the two involved were mortal foes and their names happened to be Shego and Kimberly Ann Possible.

Suddenly, Shego felt Kim move in her arms, and she looked down at her anxiously. The girl let out a soft moan and turned slightly in her arms. Shego said nothing and didn't move a muscle as Kim's eyelids fluttered open and fixed on her.

"Sh…Shego?" she breathed, and then her eyes widened. She tried to sit up, but immediately fell back, clutching her head. Despite the cold expression on Shego's face, she felt an awful pang at seeing Kim in so much pain.

"Shego…"she whispered, staring up into her enemy's eyes, green on green. "Why…why did you…"

Shego set Kim down on the ground gently and stood up. "You're awake. Good. I was beginning to think I would have to wait an hour to leave."

Inside, though, her demeanor was totally different. Her mind was telling her to walk away right now so things could go on as they had been, but her heart…her heart was telling her something entirely different.

"Shego…" Kim's voice was growing stronger now. "You came back."

"So?" Shego shrugged. "You're the only person worth fighting in this gig. You die, and I have no one to call an equal."

"Why did you save me?"

"I just told you why."

"Shego." Kim wasn't buying it. "Why did you save me?"

Shego sighed and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. "To save myself the pain."

"The pain of what?" Kim had also stood and walked (more like limped; Shego could hear the unevenness of her gait) over to Shego. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Shego breathed. "I hurt myself. I couldn't stop the pain."

"How? Why are you in pain? What pain are you talking about?"

Without looking at the other woman, Shego whispered, "The pain of losing you."

Kim's stunned silence was all Shego needed to confirm her feelings.

"There, I said it," the older woman said quietly. "I couldn't bear it if you died. You…you mean too much to me. I could never hurt you in a fight; you were the closest thing I ever had to a person I could…could love, in a weird, twisted way. I don't care what you think of me now. I just had to make sure that if you found out, you found out the last time you would ever see me."

Shego began to walk away through the sunlit woods, but Kim's trembling voice stopped her cold.

"Shego…"

She heard soft, uneven footsteps as the young redhead approached from behind. "Please don't leave."

"Kim, I'm going to leave, whether you want me to or not. I never meant for you to know about my feelings. Punch me, kick me, hate me all you want in your mind. But I can't take any more pain. I'm leaving."

"Shego, please."

Shego turned to look at Kim and immediately regretted it; it made it all the more difficult to want to leave. Despite her bruised, scratched form, she looked utterly beautiful in the sunlight. Her warm olive eyes captured Shego, imploring her to stay.

"I never thought…" she murmured, "that you could possibly be in love with me, a heroine. You're…a villainess. We fight. I always thought you hated me."

Shego scowled. "News flash, Princess – I don't. I had to fight you, otherwise Drakken would fire me. There's not much of a job market for someone like me, and I didn't really feel like starving to death. Thanks for making me hurt that much more."

"No, Shego, I-"

"Please, Possible. I hurt enough. Just let me go."

"But if you would just listen to me-"

"Why?" Shego's voice was sharp, but a slight tremor betrayed her sadness. "So you can fight me? Insult me? I've been called a dyke before, Kimmie. I'm not gonna lie – it hurts, but even more so if it comes from you."

"I wasn't going to-"

"So what were you going to do? Pretend it was all a dream? Pretend that I never existed?"

"No," Kim whispered.

Shego was struck by the utter sincerity of her tone. What was Kim getting at? How could Kim not hate her for loving her?

Kim stepped closer to Shego, her eyes never once leaving the others'. She saw a single tear leak out of the corner of her eye, and coming from Shego that spoke volumes. To show weakness like that, Shego must have been utterly broken inside. Kim wanted nothing more than to mend that.

Shego was caught completely off guard when Kim leaned forward and pressed her lips against her own gently. It was a feeling like no other she had ever felt before, sweet and loving and gentle. She stood there for a moment, shocked, eyes wide, before succumbing to the soft kiss.

Kim loved her.

She could barely process that thought, could barely get past the utter warmth and love of Kim's kiss. She hardly believed that Kim, savior of the world many times over, could ever fall in love with a villain, and a villainess at that.

Kim broke the kiss, looking up into Shego's eyes again. A tiny smile played about the corners of her lips. "Shego, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. Not like this."

Shego shook her head and pulled her close again, resting her forehead against Kim's own. "Please, don't be sorry."

"I love you," Kim whispered.

Another tear spilled down Shego's cheek, and Kim reached up to wipe it away. Shego caught her hand in her own, holding it to the side of her face tenderly. With her other hand she stroked Kim's pale cheek, savoring the feel of her skin. "I love you too, Kim."

Their lips met in another kiss, every bit as loving as the last one if not more. Shego's fingers wove into Kim's fiery red locks and pressed her head closer in. Kim's arms encircled her lover's waist and pulled her in close, holding her tightly as if someone was going to snatch her away. It was an amazing sight – two breathtakingly beautiful young women, heroine and villainess, lips touching and moving together as they spoke silent words of love.

Neither of them wanted to end the moment of passion, but Kim had to break away for air. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing hard, but a smile spread across her face. She threw her arms around Shego and buried her face in her neck, her body shaking. Only when Shego felt the wetness on her neck did she realize that Kim's body was shaking with sobs.

Shego's hand stroked the back of Kim's head gently, resting her chin atop her head. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Kim shook her head, her face still hidden. She said something, but her voice was too quiet and muffled for Shego to make it out.

"Kimmie…Kim, I can't hear you." Shego held the girl by her shoulders at arm's length. Tears streaked her face, but she was still smiling. "Is everything okay?"

Kim nodded. "I just… can't believe that this is really… really happening. I've wanted it for so long; I mean, I've had feelings for you for a long time, but I thought you hated me, and…"

She trailed off when she saw Shego's solemn expression, and a darker blush spread across her cheeks. She dipped her head, the smile vanishing.

Shego, seeing the change in Kim's mood, pulled her in close for a tight embrace. "Oh, Kim, I've loved you for the longest time. I could never hate you – I just… just… oh, Kim, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Kim whispered. "This couldn't get any more perfect."

"For hurting you. I never intended to."

"You didn't." Kim nuzzled into her neck. "You couldn't have known. I…"

"Kimmie?" Shego asked when the other woman trailed off and her body started trembling. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah…I'm fine, I – ah!"

Shego caught Kim as she stepped back and, in doing so, collapsed. She cradled her in her arms again, looking into her lover's green eyes fearfully. They were bright with pain. "Kim! What's wrong?"

"It hurts," Kim whispered.

"What does?" Shego couldn't believe what she was seeing. "You were fine just a second ago!"

"I'm sorry… I tried to hide it… I didn't want you to worry…"

"Worry about what? Kim, where are you hurt?"

Kim opened her mouth to say something, but the words slipped away from her. Her eyes closed, and her head fell against Shego's heaving chest.

"Kim?" whispered Shego.

That was it. She laid Kim down on the ground gently and began inspecting her body for serious wounds. Within a minute she had found one – a bruised and swollen ankle that Shego could clearly tell was broken clean in two. She blinked, face awash in horror. Kim had walked on that ankle. She had passed out from the pain. If only Shego hadn't walked away from her; then maybe she wouldn't have needed to stand. And here they were out in the middle of a forest in god knows what country, with no way to get a ride back to civilization.

Shego scooped Kim up again and started walking.