I don't own these characters; Disney does.

4: Wanted

Kim sat on the gunwale (1) of the Global Justice, staring at the bright, full moon. The night was strangely warm, but she still felt cold. The smell of salt filled her nose, reminding her brain of a time when that smell surrounded her, suffocated her, shredded every fiber of her being. She clutched onto that memory, not wanting to go further back then that. It was best to just think about how she almost died than anything else before she found herself on Global Justice.

"Thinking of returning to the sea, Mermaid?" Betty inquired as she marched over to the petite deckhand. The question came because olive eyes were focused on the dark ocean around them, not even blinking. Kim had a habit of staring at things, but not seeing them.

"Wouldn't it be better than my forced conscription here?" Kim countered, not bothering to turn around. Her voice was normal, no bitterness or anger aimed toward the pirate.

Betty arched an eyebrow as she leaned against the wood of the railing. "Oh? Is it so bad here?" she asked, looking out to sea herself. She inhaled the smell, pleasant and relaxing to her, before sighing softly to herself.

"Out of the two ships I've been on, this one is definitely the best," the redhead admitted in a low voice.

The one-eyed woman nodded slightly. "I get the feeling that's not much of a compliment. This life isn't so bad. Coming and going as you please, doing what you want, not having to worry about being disrespected just because you're a woman."

Kim glanced at the brunette. "Is that what happened to you? You were disrespected for being a woman?"

"My life is a bit more complicated than that. Let's just say my father and I parted on very hostile terms." And distance has only increased the hostility, Betty added mentally.

"Is that why you rob from his ships?" Kim asked, knowing the prize the crew had taken earlier was from the Director fleet of merchant ships.

Betty had to glance at the younger woman for a moment. She was impressed with Kim's conclusions about the prize they just took. It would seem Kim was more than just an agile, fighting machine with the face of an angel. Sailors who had been with her for months, some even years, had not figured out that she targeted her father's company.

"While it is personal, I take whatever prize I can, not just my father's ships. Or should I say my brother's ships, as my father saw fit to hand the business over to him. I'm merely taking my share before my brother completely ruins the company, which he is slowly doing. Once upon a time, we rivaled Hench's company for shipping, but now we barely compete with Martin Smarty and his cost-cutting company that uses slave labor. Not just transports slaves, but uses them and my brother can't beat that," Betty complained, shaking her head in disbelief.

She doubted her brother's pathetic company would last another three years with the way he ran it, thus ruining their father's lifelong work. In her opinion, it would serve them both right when the company finally went under. She would crack a special bottle of wine for the occasion. Will you be happy then, Father?

"I believe Hench is in the slave business as well," Kim pointed out, just to be a know-it-all. A fairly bad habit of hers, which popped up every now and then.

Shaking her head, Betty brushed some hair from her forehead. "I know. He's one of the biggest slavers in the Empire, actually. But, that's neither here nor there. The whole point is that my father entrusted the business to my brother instead of me, even though I'm clearly the more intelligent sibling. The reason for this idiotic decision was because I am a woman. Horrible reason to pass someone up for an important position and the heir of your life's work, if you ask me anyway."

Kim nodded. "Can't disagree with you there."

"I had no doubt. Now, what's your story, Mermaid? Why were you floating around in the middle of the ocean? Vivi said you wouldn't even tell her." Yes, it was impolite to ask, but she had shared with Kim, so tit for tat.

"If I wouldn't tell her, why should I tell you?" Kim asked with a smart smirk on her face.

The captain chuckled, finding the younger woman to be quite feisty. It was not a bad thing in her opinion. She dealt with feisty all day. It was good for a woman to have fire, especially if she could back it up.

"You shouldn't. My crew has secrets. Some of them I know, others I don't. Some I don't care to know. I just find it a curious thing that a woman like you, who couldn't be older than twenty, fights like a woman who has been in hundreds of battles and is skilled enough to not kill a single man she fought," Betty replied.

Red hair swayed as Kim shook her head. "Killing isn't something I'm interested in, Captain."

Betty nodded. "In this life, it happens. Everything comes at a price. You should just be sure that you're willing to trade what you have for what you want."

"Pretty deep thoughts for a pirate captain," Kim noted.

"I wasn't always a pirate. I didn't always have blood on my hands either, but the price was more than worth it. Basically, I gambled with Fate and Fate lost, as it always does with me." Betty smirked a little, looking quite confident.

Kim made a curious noise. "Aren't you afraid that one day Fate's going to win?"

Betty shrugged. "Fate gets us all in the end. Are you afraid of that?" She arched an eyebrow. Kim did not strike her as a person who scared easy.

The redhead shook her head and her shoulders slumped with a burden she was certain she would never be able to put down. "I think Fate's taken most of what it can from me. I think I gambled with it a little too much."

"If you're still alive, Fate hasn't won yet. You still have coins to play then. Speaking of coins, did you get your share of the prize?" the captain asked.

"Yes. It was actually more money than I've had in my life," Kim answered. She could use that money to get home, she figured. She just needed to wait for them to dock at a port. She supposed it was almost lucky for her to get enough money to make her way home so quickly and thanks to the pirates.

"It's one of the good parts about being a pirate. Don't squander it like the lads. You'd think rum and women would lose their luster one day with them." Betty chuckled and shook her head. "Then again…" She trailed off, eye drifting behind her. "I'm going to call it a night, Mermaid. You should, too. We'll be on land by tomorrow afternoon according to Vivi."

Kim only nodded and Betty was gone as quickly and quietly as she appeared. Kim glanced down at her coin pouch, which held her cut of the prize. Compared to the others, her cut seemed like nothing, but compared to honest work, she knew she was pretty wealthy. The money did nothing to quiet the memories trying to haunt her, though. Her eyes went back out to the dark sea and the bright moon.

"I was supposed to see this with Josh, but I gambled with Fate and Fate won big," Kim spat in anger, glaring at this damned ocean.

She was not even sure what she thought she gambled. Maybe she had tempted those sailors on the other ship, maybe she should not have requested to accompany Josh to the colonies, or maybe she should have just been a little more humble like other women rather than insisting she could always take care of herself. Not sure of what the stakes were, she had lost Josh, and any hope for sleep, in the pot. The price was too high, she thought. The price was way too high, but she had already paid and there were no refunds.

Her eyes did not leave the water. There were moments where she felt like it spoke to her, laughed at her, growled at her, whispered to her. The water haunted her, wanted her, devoured her. It felt like it pulled at her soul, zapping her of whatever it was that kept humans alive.

When the sun came up and the captain came out to the deck, she was surprised to see Kim in the same space from the night before. Betty did not say anything, figuring the young woman needed to gather her thoughts and come to her own understanding of her new life. Betty could comprehend that well enough. Kim did not move until Will gave her a task, cleaning the deck. She trotted off to do the chore and Vivian, lacking anything better to do, watched her work for a while.

"So, what's the first thing you're going to do when we get ashore?" Betty asked her blonde companion.

"Suggest we take a new vote for captain," Vivian answered with a teasing smile.

"And where is this captain's ship?" Betty inquired with a smirk.

Vivian put her finger to her chin. "I suppose we'll just have to steal the Global Justice at night."

"Vivi, sweetheart, you know I love you deeply and dearly," Betty said before pulling the blonde close to her and holding Vivian firmly against her own body. She leaned down, putting her lips to her partner's ear. "But, if you ever even thought to take my ship, I would do this lovely body serious insult that would make your heartless mother weep with pity and my blade cry out," she whispered, running her hand up and down Vivian's torso.

Vivian silently gasped while Betty pressed her open hand to Vivian's stomach. The blonde turned and blue eyes saw the truth of the matter in the hard onyx eye staring back at her. Suddenly, Vivian let out a hearty laugh; her whole face lit up.

"I know you would, love," Vivian declared, smiling as if that was some big joke. She reached up and caressed Betty's face.

"I know you do," Betty replied and then she turned her attention out to the ocean in front of them. "Land ho!" she called out.

The declaration got the crew's attention and all eyes went out to sea, including a pair of curious olive ones. In the distance, they could see a speck and they knew it was land. Faces lit up like sparked candles and excited whispers went through the crew like the waves at sea.

"To answer your question, the first thing I plan to do when I get ashore is have a long, hot bath," Vivian replied, speaking to the captain.

Betty nodded. "Sounds good. Am I included in that idea?"

Vivian shook her head. "Why would I want to bathe with a salty, cranky sea dog who just threatened my life?"

A smirk settled on Betty's face. "Because I could just as easily leave you at this port."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "And you could just as easily get lost at sea without me."

Another smirk was Betty's only response. After that, she turned her attention to the crew, calling out orders to make sure they were ready for the docking process. From the gleam in their eyes, she guessed they were more than ready for a sort of docking process. They were practically frothing at the mouths, but she did not dwell on that. What those idiots did with their money was their own affair. Glancing over at Vivian and exhaling slowly, she had much more important things on her mind.

The ship could not get docked fast enough and despite grumbles about landing in Middleton, the men took off quicker than fish fleeing sharks as soon as they could get the planks down. As fast as the sailors disembarked, it looked like they were abandoning ship. Betty hid her face in her hand and shook her head at their foolishness. While they were a great crew on sea, on land, they were one embarrassment after the next.

"They're like sea-apes, off to waste their shares already," Vivian remarked with a chuckle.

"What they do with their crowns and pieces of eight have no bearing on what I'm going to do with mine," Betty commented, throwing her arm around the navigator.

"Or mine. You do know you're coming shopping with me, right, my dear heart?" Vivian bumped the captain with her hip.

"Oh, god!" Betty groaned and quickly searched for an escape. Her eye easily spotted her salvation. "Why don't you take the mermaid instead?" she suggested with a big smile.

Vivian cast her eyes out to Kim, who patiently waited for the ship to actually dock completely. The blonde shrugged and figured she would take her beloved up on that offer. It seemed like Kim could use a friend. She suspected Kim would enjoy shopping a little more than Betty would. Besides, it was no fun being around Betty when she was honestly annoyed, which she would be if shopping took more than five minutes.

"Dearest, you just wasted the one good idea you will ever have in life," Vivian teased, kissing the captain's tanned cheek.

Betty rolled her eye, but she was quite happy to have dodged that bullet. Vivian bounced over to Kim, smiling brightly. The younger woman felt warmed by the expression despite the chill that overcame her as she continued to think about how she was supposed to experience the colonies with Josh.

Josh had promised her the colonies were magical. She did not feel it, though. Looking at the town, it looked just like home, but somehow with less color. The beautiful water did not help. Even the warm air just felt like the breath of a corpse on her face. There was no shine to anything now, no promise to life.

"Kim, I don't suppose you'd like to come shopping with me, would you? Middleton has some of the greatest shops in all of the Empire," Vivian declared.

"I've heard about them, but I've never seen them," Kim said.

"Oh, then you must come with me! It is a brilliant experience. One much better shared with someone who can appreciate these sorts of things rather than a grouchy old captain who abandoned her femininity years ago," Vivian quipped, still smiling.

Kim chuckled a bit. "And here it is I thought you could talk her into anything."

"Oh, don't doubt that I can," Vivian replied, a boastful gleam lighting up her eyes. "But, sometimes you should use your powers for good instead of evil. Taking her shopping is like kicking a puppy. She'll come, but she will whimper and whine the whole time."

The redhead laughed again. She supposed she could take in the shops. It would give her something to do before she made her way back to the docks and found passage home. She felt it would be best for her to wait a little while to do so, just in case all of Global Justice's crew had not jumped ship when the vessel docked. The last thing she wanted was to be chased by pirates because she was able to get away from them.

"I'd love to go shopping with you," Kim answered.

"That's great!" Vivian clapped, glad for a shopping mate. "You'll enjoy the shops here. There's so much local color along with so many things from all across the Empire. It is a true delight."

The two women went off together as soon as it was safe to step off of the ship. Vivian cast a long glance back at Betty, but did not offer an invite of any kind to the brunette. Betty just watched them go, standing on deck until they were out of sight.

The smell of the ocean and the sound of the gulls followed Kim and Vivian as they put distance between themselves and the ship. Crowds of people rapidly appeared, surprising Kim. She had always pictured the colonies small with low populations.

"You look a bit shocked," Vivian noted, taking in her companion's wide-eyed expression.

"It's almost like being in the Capital," Kim muttered. Well, not quite, but it was beyond what she imagined. As they made it through the wharf, they hit cobblestone streets and there were storied, stone and brick buildings.

Vivian chuckled a bit. "It is growing rapidly, but it would need to do a lot of work to catch the Capital. It's a quaint little city with a lot of seedy, shadowy places, so if I were you, I'd stick close to me as I know how to avoid those places."

"I think I would like that," Kim replied. Usually, she would be all for a challenge and would not care about how bad any part of town was, but she felt drained after what happened with Josh. If only she had not taunted those sailors, she thought. Josh would still be here. Her heart clenched her chest, making her feel like she might vomit right then and there.

Vivian pulled Kim off before she could allow those thoughts and emotions to consume her. Vivian cut through the thin crowd with purpose, mind locked onto a target and it was clear nothing would get in her way. Kim easily kept up, even after she managed to retract her hand from Vivian's friendly grip. Kim remained in step with the blonde until something caught her eye.

Kim stopped all movement abruptly. Olive eyes opened wide while Kim's hand reached out, snatching a piece of paper from a cracked, white wall. She stared down at the paper in disbelief, frozen on the spot. Her mouth dropped open as if her jaw was broken. What nonsense was this?

Vivian was barely a yard away when she noticed Kim was no longer at her side. Marching back over to the redhead, Vivian was about to speak until she took in the younger woman's stunned expression. She turned to see what Kim was gawking at. Vivian's eyes then went as wide as Kim's and she gasped.

Staring at them both with ink eyes was a wanted poster of Kim Possible with a very good likeness of her in a sketch. According to the poster, she was wanted for murder and assault, but presumed dead. There was a reward of 100 pieces of eight for her capture or her corpse.

"Murder and assault, eh?" Vivian managed to mutter. She never would have thought this lithe, seemingly good-natured girl could be capable of such crimes.

"I didn't… I didn't kill him…" Kim replied, voice cracking as tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. Her body trembled from fury, sorrow, and a mixture of other emotions she could not identify.

Vivian glanced at her companion, noticing how the girl shook. She threw her arm around Kim's shoulders, hoping to keep her together. She then ushered Kim away from the poster, not wanting to draw any attention to them for lingering too long. The younger woman quietly sobbed, burying her face in Vivian's shoulder to mask her tears. Her hand was clamped firmly over her mouth to suppress any sounds of anguish and Vivian kindly pretended to not hear.

"It'll be okay, Kim. It'll be okay," Vivian whispered as she led the distressed woman some place private.

Kim did not bother to look where they were going, just moving as Vivian guided her. She was surprised when Vivian let her go and gently pushed her, forcing her to sit on a very comfortable bed. The softness shocked her and she composed herself enough to take in her surroundings. She was in a lavish room with a crystal chandler, rich paintings on the walls, exquisitely crafted furniture, a large fireplace with a plush rug in front of it, and a high ceiling. Curtained off double-doors stared at her from across the room. The scent of sandalwood hung in the air.

"Where are we…?" Kim sniffled, wiping her eyes to remove any evidence of her crying. Unfortunately, her eyes would remain cracked and red for long minutes afterward.

"This is my suite. Well, mine and Betty's, of course," Vivian answered with a soft smile as she sat down across from Kim, at a cozy table by the French doors. "This is where we stay whenever we're in Middleton. They act like we rent the room year round, so it's always empty when we come through this way. It's expensive to do, but quite worth it."

"I would think so…"

"Yes, I've also taken the liberty of ordering you some food and drink. I think it'll do you well. Perhaps make it easier to talk?" Vivian said sweetly, making sure it was understood Kim did not really have to say anything if she so chose to.

Kim did not respond to that. She was not sure if she wanted to speak or not. Her mouth decided for her once their food arrived. The hot tea warmed her belly and settled her nerves. Her lips started moving on their own after that.

"I can't go home now, can I?" Kim whimpered, not even noticing the noise escaped her. "I'm sure they're just waiting for me back home. I'd be arrested as soon as I went there. I know they're waiting for me. I just know it. It's the first place I'd go and it's the only place I can go."

She shook her head and rubbed her palms together briefly, not sure what to do with her hands. She took deep breaths, feeling like she would never be able to get enough air. All she wanted to do was be with her family again and now she could not even do that because she was wanted!

"Not the only place," Vivian assured her before taking a sip of her own tea and sighing contently as it slid down her throat. One of the things she liked best about being on land was the variety of beverages. There was only so much rum she could stomach on the ship.

Kim sniffled again, fighting back tears. There was way she would cry twice in one day, let alone only minutes apart. "I didn't kill Josh. I loved him so much. He was so kind, pure, and special. We were supposed to be here together, but those filthy curs on Hench's ship took him from me and then lied about it. Slaughtered this kind man while he could barely move, carved him up like some kind of farm animal. I was covered in his blood and we were supposedly the only ones with access to the room…" She paused her rambling to scoff loudly and roll her eyes. "…The captain believed I did. Wouldn't believe his crewmen could do something so horrible. Wouldn't believe what his crewmen wanted from me and apparently what they would kill to get it…"

Vivian nodded, guessing what the crewmen wanted. "So, they killed your lover in revenge?" Bastards.

Kim shook her head. "Not just revenge. If I was chained down…"

Vivian nodded again, now remembering how powerful the petite redhead could be. "Ah, so the assault part was right," she figured.

"The assault was the least I could do for Josh. Not like I could save him…" Kim's lip began to tremble again and her sobbing started immediately afterward. Vivian rushed to her side and held her, letting her cry on her shoulder again.

"It'll be all right," Vivian whispered, patting Kim on the back like one would do for a baby.

"I can't even go home now! Why didn't they just assume was I was dead? I should be dead! As dead as Josh…" Kim bawled. "I jumped over… I wouldn't let them take me. I jumped overboard and the water was like a million knives cutting me. I should've just died…"

Vivian hugged her tightly. "No! You don't say that. You lived for a reason. We found you for a reason. You might not be able to return to your home, but you have a home on the Global Justice. We stick together."

Kim did not express any displeasure at the idea of staying with the band of pirates, which Vivian took as a good thing. Of course, she ignored the fact that Kim had not really responded at all. The redhead eventually just cried herself to sleep. Vivian held onto her even then, silently letting her know she was not alone in the world.

"Vivi?" Betty called as she stumbled into the room.

"Shh!" the blonde replied as the captain stepped into view.

Betty halted dead in her tracks and her good eye blinked in shock as she took the scene in. "Vivi, what's going on?" she hissed, not enjoying the sight of her lover snuggled up close to another, younger woman. Well, that killed the small buzz she had from a few rounds of drinking.

"I think we just got a new, permanent member of the Global Justice," Vivian replied.

"I thought she was already that, so why don't you explain this one to me," Betty requested. "And we're not adopting, so you're going to have to get the baby her own room."

Vivian pouted. "But, she would be the perfect daughter!" she jokingly whined. "For right now, let's leave her be and I'll explain it all."

Betty nodded and took a seat next to Vivian. The blonde kept her arms wrapped around Kim as she turned her attention to Betty. She then went to explain the situation as best she could to the captain. By the end of it, all Betty could do was sigh.

"So, can we keep her?" Vivian remarked, smiling broadly. Betty groaned and fell back against the bed. To Vivian, that was just as good as any "yes" response.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim starts to get the hang of being a pirate.

1: gunwale — the upper edge of the side of a ship.