I don't own these characters; Disney does. But, you already knew that, didn't you?
13: Yo-ho-ho-ho!
Shego did not say so, but she was impressed with their little "Captain Kimmie," as she and Bonnie jokingly called the petite redhead. Kim had enough patience to teach Monique and Bonnie the odds and ends of how to maintain the ship. Shego considered Kim might actually be a saint for the simple fact that she had not let Bonnie have it yet. Shego loathed admitting it, but Bonnie argued more than she did! And over every little thing! If she did not shut her mouth soon, Shego thought she might have to shut it for the little so-and-so.
"Why should I have to do it?" Bonnie huffed, holding her arms over her chest. She squinted in the bright, hot sun.
"Because we'd like to get to our destination sometime this century," Kim answered the obvious. Honestly, she would love nothing more than to wring Bonnie's neck and then chuck her overboard, but like she said, they would like to get their destination sometime that century. For that to happen, they needed every hand on deck doing her fair share and they could not afford to lose anybody.
"Monique can do it!" Bonnie stomped her foot like an indignant child.
"The hell I can! Last time I checked, I was a freewoman and didn't have 'Bonnie's slave' tattooed on my forehead!" Monique replied, shouting down from the ratlines. She was trying to get comfortable with the height, so she spent most of her time in the rigging. Unlike Bonnie, she actually tried to enjoy her work on the ship, especially since she had little desire to go back to any man's cane field or plantation.
Underneath the nasty attitude, Monique knew Bonnie did not want to go back to any man's field either or go back to being property. She just wished Bonnie could figure out a better way to express her freedom rather than arguing with everyone over everything just to prove she could. For now, she assumed Kim understood Bonnie's attitude since the redhead was extra-patient with Bonnie and had not fed her a cannonball yet, but she was not sure how long that would last. Hell, she even smacked Bonnie a couple of times with some of the ratlines.
"Stop being an annoying brat and do something with your lazy ass before we throw you off the fucking ship, pirate code be damned!" Shego hollered down to the tanned woman.
Bonnie turned her nose up, but since she suspected that was not an idle threat from the helmsman, she decided the safest thing to do would be to get to work. Kim glanced up at Shego, but she did not say anything, so the green-skinned woman assumed the captain felt the same way. Shego smiled down at the redhead, but Kim did not respond, walking over to Wade. The young man was working on one of the ship's guns.
"What are you doing?" Kim asked. She noticed Wade's fascination with the weapons and picked his brain about what he thought of them. They ended up talking for a long time about what Betty and Vivian had done to the weapons on the Global Justice.
"Trying to modify the cannons like you talked about before," Wade answered. It seemed like a simple enough task now that he got a good look at what he had to work with.
"They're called guns when you're on a ship," the redhead explained with a soft smile. So far, she liked Wade very much. He was a polite young man with a lot of brains, and it disgusted her to think someone once owned him and held him back because of what he was capable of. That really needed to be a crime, she thought.
Wade laughed. "I'm still not used to all the ship talk yet. But, I remember you saying that the ship you were on before had the ca—guns modified, so it only took one or two sailors to fire them. I think I can figure out how to do that, if you don't mind."
Km nodded. She told all of them them about how Betty's ship was a few days ago, to give them a better idea about her experience on a ship. She wanted them to know she did not get everything at first either to help encourage them. Apparently, she inspired them as well.
"I wouldn't mind at all. We're a small crew. We need to be able to defend ourselves against larger crews and ships. We also need to be able to take down larger crews and ships." Kim knew eventually she would have to go after a prize or she would just end up fighting with Shego until she did. As fun as it was to battle with the older woman, she was not interested in doing that every day.
"I can do this with no problem. Do you think we should get the other weapons below deck? Ron was showing me all the guns and ammo and stuff. I think I could do a few things with those too."
"Wade, it's your show. You're the resident genius," Kim stated with a smile.
The praise got a huge grin out of Wade because it was something so out of the ordinary for him. He was never complimented for anything, especially for his intelligence. To have someone recognize and compliment his mind, and then put him in charge of something because of that was beyond belief. The fact that her smile was so genuine when she said it, too, was just about the highlight of his day. He silently vowed to not let her down.
"We're starting to look like a pirate ship," Ron commented as he came up from the galley with lunch for everyone. He stood by the captain and sipped his stew with her.
"Little by little, but if we can't fight off a crew, then we might as well just follow the map and see where it goes without causing any trouble," Kim replied, trying to be a little refined with eating, but found it impossible since she did not even have a spoon. We should probably buy spoons, she thought. That would be added to the very long list of supplies the ship needed in general and they needed to just have a more comfortable journey.
"We already caused trouble. You've stolen a ship and three people. Not to mention, I know for a fact Shego used to belong to Drakken's crew and he won't be happy to know she's with you," the cook pointed out.
"Drakken's in an Imperial prison, so I'm not too worried about him. The ship… you know more about that than I do. Should I be worried?" she asked him curiously, giving him a sidelong glance.
"Yeah. Monkey Fist is one crazy cur. Most of the crew was actually monkeys that he taught to do…" Ron trailed off and shuddered in disgust as well as terror.
Kim arched an eyebrow to his reaction. "Taught them to do what?"
"Sorry, monkeys just creep me out. But, yeah, he taught them all these Eastern arts."
"Like…?" Kim pressed. How the hell did someone teach monkeys Eastern arts?
"Oh, right. You know all about stuff like this. Sorry, I'm used to people being totally clueless about this stuff. But, yeah, he taught them to do Tai Shi Pek Quar. It's like monkey kung-fu. It was freaky! Majorly sick-wrong!" Ron shuddered again while Rufus pretended to die on his shoulder, equally disgusted and weirded out.
Kim blinked hard. "He taught monkeys kung-fu…?" Stranger things had happened in the world, she supposed. Hell, Ron had a sentient naked mole rat who could talk. Why not have monkeys who did kung-fu? "He'll come after us?" she guessed, not too worried.
"Yeah. Most definitely. This was his ship with a lot of his most valuable possessions on it. He won't be too happy that you shanghaied me either. He was trying to keep an eye on me thanks to some weird prophecy or something. He seems to think I'm going to get some kinda crazy mystical monkey power that he wants. Have I thanked you yet for getting me away from him?" Ron inquired quite seriously. He did not think it was possible to be as insane as Monkey Fist was.
"Several times, everyday," she reminded him with a gentle smile. "Is there anything else you need to tell me about Lord Fiske?"
Ron was quiet for a moment, and then he decided to trust Kim completely. She seemed to trust him completely, having told him about her treasure map and serving under Betty Blackheart, getting forced to leave her crew and everything, so he figured he should disclose more as well. Hell, with the way Kim fought, she might be able to help him, especially if she made Shego fight, too.
"He's a crazy man, Kim. He wants this mystical monkey power, and he's forcing this girl, Yori, to help him find it. He drags her everywhere, on a chain even! People just assume she's his slave because she's from the East and they don't say anything to him. She's translating books for him and decoding ancient texts for him. Kim… if we can…" Ron trailed off.
Kim put her hand on his unoccupied shoulder. "Ron, I promise you, if we run into Lord Fiske, I will get Yori away from him and back to you."
Ron's eyes opened wide. "How did you…?"
"Your eyes lit up when you said her name, even though you were talking about such a sad thing. The outrage you feel for her also shows through your eyes. My emotions used to show about when…" Kim trailed off.
"When?" Ron asked, tilting his head to regard Kim.
The redhead shook her head. She was not ready to share that, even with Ron. It was not that she did not trust him. She could easily tell he was a good guy with a big heart and they had become fast friends. She just could not speak about Josh without getting emotional.
"How about you tell me more things that you know about pirates aside from Lord Fiske?" Kim requested.
They got into a long discussion, comparing and contrasting what they knew about everyone on the high seas. Kim tried to use the information to figure out who they should plunder first. She was not in the mood to take prizes from honest businessmen, but anyone a little tilt was fair game in her opinion. They split up when Ron went to go prepare supper for the crew. Kim turned her attention to the others on the ship.
"Wade!" Kim called, walking over to the young man, who was still working on one of the guns.
"Yes, Kim?" Wade answered.
"I wanted to check on how things are going with the guns."
"We might need to buy a few things, but I've come up with a plan on how to use the guns with only a few of us. I've got some ideas for effective ammo, too. I'm going to go check out the weapons below deck in a moment."
Kim nodded and waited to hear from Wade on what they would do with the weapons. Once that was decided, she charted a course for the nearest port, wanting to gather supplies. Treasure on the ship was used for the purchases. Kim also gave each member of the crew a piece of the plunder for their own personal use. She was not surprised when Monique and Bonnie returned to the ship with extensive clothing. She was surprised when Shego did the same.
"Next time, I'm going to get some nice clothes, too," the captain grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. Sometimes, being responsible was the worst. Instead of being things for herself, she had purchased things for the ship and also for the dreary captain's quarters. A new mattress had been a must.
"You probably don't have the right taste, Captain Kimmie," Bonnie remarked.
"My taste in clothes is probably better than yours!" Kim huffed.
"Big surprise, they're arguing again," Ron joked, speaking to Wade and Rufus as they boarded the ship. They had carts of things, food, fresh planks, and other items for the ship as well as some toys for themselves.
Wade laughed. "I never would have thought."
The ladies did not take offense. They barely acknowledged that the fellows were there, except Bonnie, who gave a glare that did not last even a full second. While casting off, the ship was filled with talk of clothes. Ron took that as his cue to start cooking and Wade busied himself by improving the weapons.
When Wade went to show the captain the improved guns and explained what he had done, Kim grinned ear to ear. She showered with him praise he did not even think was possible. He worked twice as hard on the pistols and rifles that were stored below deck.
"Bonnie, Monique, come here for a second," Kim called them over as soon as Wade was finished with his report.
The two women looked up from their tasks. Monique had no problem with meeting Kim halfway as she approached them, but Bonnie was intent on not moving. When Kim and Monique went over to her, they were frowning.
"Must you always be so goddamned difficult?" Monique huffed, glaring at Bonnie.
Bonnie gave just as good as she got. "I'm a freewoman. I don't need to listen to nobody."
"But, you're free because of this woman, so how about having a little courtesy and respect for her?" Monique countered.
With a snort, Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I don't have to."
"No, you don't have to, but I know your mama taught you some manners, so you need to start using them toward Kim," Monique said. She was somewhat aware she was being disrespectful in her own way by addressing Kim by name instead of as "captain," but Kim did not seem to care, so she did not let it bother her.
"I don't need to start doing nothing I don't feel like doing," Bonnie proudly declared, sticking her nose in the air.
"You do need to start listening. You don't know nothing about being out to sea! These guys do and they're trying to keep us alive and free along with themselves! Now, unless you wanna go back to the cane fields and getting whooping, you need to start pulling your weight because I'll be damned if I'm going back to a fucking cane field!" Monique proclaimed, anger causing her face to flush and tension to race through her.
Monique balled her hands into tight fists, wanting to scream and tear at her hair, but resisting the urge. Bonnie actually flinched and took a step back, as if she thought Monique might strike her. Monique held back, but her chest heaved as she tried to gather her breath.
"Mo…" Bonnie muttered, unsure what else to say. She put her hand out, her whole arm trembling.
Monique grabbed her hand and held it in her own. They were silent for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Bonnie swallowed hard while Monique managed to calm down a little.
"Bonnie, please…" Monique whispered.
The tanned woman nodded. Kim was not sure what she was seeing, but she had a feeling it was not something the pair wanted her to see. She turned her attention to her feet for a few seconds. When olive eyes glanced back up, the duo seemed to be waiting for orders.
"Um… I was going to teach you guys how to use the guns. When we get into a fight, we need as many gunners as we can spare, which would be our whole crew," Kim pointed out.
Bonnie and Monique nodded. Kim was able to get through her tutorial on the guns without any problems. Not because of Monique's effect on Bonnie earlier, but because they found something Bonnie was a natural at. Bonnie was a good shot with both the cannons and the pistols. She liked the idea of being a gunner once she saw how good she was with the weapons. Kim was just happy to find one thing she would not have to fight with Bonnie over, pretty sure whenever she called attack, the gunner would be ready with her weapon and more than happy to use it.
The redhead quickly found out how right she was. When she felt like they were ready to take a ship, which none too soon either because they were running out of the money that was onboard when they stole the ship, Kim found them a prize. It was a small cargo ship, holding a supply of rum for the Capital. Not being able to overpower it, Kim ran an Imperial flag to get close to the ship and Bonnie was able to show off her skills with Wade's modified cannons. She disabled the ship on her own, knocking out the main mast, leaving it stranded for Kim, Shego, and, surprisingly enough, Ron to board. The three talented fighters made short work of the crew, making sure not to kill anyone.
The prize was small, but the celebration was huge, especially since for more than half the crew that was the first time they were allowed their own money from such a venture. Ron had never gotten a share under Monkey Fist. If they were not scared to lose it, four out of the six crew members would have thrown their take in the air to have it rain down on them. Instead, they busied themselves with rolling coins in their fingers and getting drunk.
"Our first prize!" Ron clapped and Rufus did a dance on his shoulder. He stacked coins in his hand, which Rufus knocked over as soon as he was done.
"We need to find a port now!" Monique laughed as Shego filled everyone's cup with stolen rum. Kim waved it off, earning an odd look from the helmsman.
"Lemme guess, you don't drink, do you, Captain?" Shego inquired. She could just imagine their captain being the one pirate on the sea who did not drink.
Kim only shook her head. She felt oddly detached from the merriment, even though they were all close together on deck. They had anchored the ship in a deep lagoon on a tiny island covered in dense forest, well out of sight of anyone looking for them. Something about today bothered Kim. Maybe it was the reality that she was a pirate captain. There was no longer any following orders and trailing behind Betty. Now, she was the one calling the shots, she was the one going against the Empire, she was the one who was the head outlaw in charge. The whole thing was surreal.
It was all so far from the future Kim had envisioned for herself, the future her parents set her up for. Yes, she had always been an odd lady, but not a "turn into a pirate captain" odd. This was so beyond everything. Was she even still the same person she had been when she first left the mother country? You know the answer to that. She just did not want to think about it.
Taking a deep breath, Kim stepped away from her crew with the hope she would be able to get her head together. She walked to the edge of the ship to look into the lagoon water. It was difficult to see the clear blue now that the sun was setting. The calm waves only managed to slightly soothe her soul.
"What's wrong?" Monique asked, stepping up beside the captain.
"Nothing much. Just not the way I envisioned my life," Kim answered honestly. It was the best she could do, too, because she was not entirely sure what was troubling her.
"I doubt anyone here — with the exception of your girl Shego — envisioned their lives this way," Monique pointed out with a small smirk.
Kim laughed a little and nodded, rubbing her forehead a little. "I guess you're right. Might as well stop feeling sorry for myself then." Despite the truth to Monique's words and her insight, she still did not feel much better.
Monique clapped her on the shoulder. "Damn right! Now, get over there and party with your crew after successfully leading us to our first little piece of piracy ever!"
Kim chuckled and decided to go along with them, even though she did not feel like partying. She was able to fake it rather well, laughing with the crew, listening to Ron try to play the drums and then Wade showing him how it was done with a little flute, and Kim showed off some of her singing ability while Bonnie danced some. Kim even raised cups with them, even though hers was full of tea while theirs remained full of rum.
The captain thought the rum might have really been getting to Bonnie and Monique. They were closer than she was used to seeing them, even though they were still arguing, the words got lower with each mug of rum and they could not keep their hands to themselves. No, they were not hitting, more like caressing each other.
Shego noticed the closeness and smiled a bit while shaking her head. She knew she was would have to find some place else to bunk later on. She figured the captain's quarters would be fine, especially since Kim redid the whole place. Plus, she would get to annoy Captain Kimmie. It was a win/win situation as far as she was concerned.
Kim slipped away from the festivities before everyone else, so Shego was not surprised to find the petite captain sleeping when the party was finally over. The helmsman did, indeed, have to find some other place to bunk down thanks to Monique and Bonnie. In her drunken haze, Shego silently admitted the captain was downright adorable and beautiful at the same time, especially in her sleep, buried under warm, red silk. Definitely not someone I'd expect to be able to kick your face off, but that's just part of the appeal.
Shego was taken from those thoughts as she watched Kim's face twist an almost painful manner, suddenly distressed in her sleep. Emerald eyes went wide and Shego almost gasped, but managed to avoid making noise. Shego did not think anything fazed or bothered their fearless leader. It actually hurt a little to realize that was not true.
"No…" Kim whimpered in her sleep and turned over onto her side. Her arms flailed a little, as if she was fighting someone off. Her legs joined in the battle, but from the tormented expression on her face, it did not seem like she was winning.
Shego acted on impulse, climbing into bed with the captain and wrapping her in a strong embrace, trying to halt the redhead's movements. She held onto Kim as the redhead tried to fight her off, but Kim was not very skilled while asleep. The whimpers got louder and turned into outright cries as she continued to twist and turn.
"No! No! Stop!" Kim sobbed, still sleeping.
"Shh…" Shego whispered, gently rocking the overwrought woman. "It's okay," she assured Kim in a hushed tone. She continued this until Kim finally calmed down minutes later. The pale woman smiled when the younger woman returned her embrace. The hug felt so warm and she could understand why people did it so often.
Olive eyes flickered open when all was calm. Kim looked around curiously, silently happy to see she was not surrounded by several lusty pirates, groping her and tearing at her clothing. Nor was she holding onto Josh's lifeless body and getting covered in his blood, but she quickly realized she was holding onto something. Seeing a pale arm around her, she could guess who it was, but she still looked up to be sure. She audibly groaned when she saw it was Shego, who smiled like the cat that got the cream.
"I'm never going to hear the end of this, huh?" Kim asked in a low tone.
Shego shook her head. "What were you dreaming about?" she inquired in a whisper. Her hand caressed Kim's back without any orders from her brain. This feels really nice, she thought.
"What are you doing here?" Kim countered. Although being caught by Shego in the throes of a horrible nightmare dreadfully embarrassed her, she did not pull away from the warm, comforting body. I need this. She needed something to calm her nerves and ease her thoughts.
"Bonnie and Monique," Shego answered, figuring they would get back to Kim's problems eventually. She refused to let the topic totally go, after all.
Kim's face scrunched up. "What do you mean?"
With a chuckle, a lewd smirk took up residence on Shego's face. "Rum makes them extra-frisky."
Kim's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Shego's eyebrows drew closer together and she eyed Kim with complete bewilderment. She thought she was pretty clear about things. "What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? They're getting it on."
Kim just looked even more lost than before. "Huh?"
The older woman laughed. "You're really that innocent? I'm amazed. What I mean by they're getting it on is that they're having sex."
Kim blinked. "Huh? How? What? I thought they hated each other!"
Shego laughed again. "No, they like each other just fine. They get along kinda like me and you, best when arguing or fighting…"
"But, they don't really mean it?"
"No, I'm sure they do mean it. Like when we fight, we do mean it because we want to win. They mean it because they want to win the argument. But, they don't hate each other…" Shego trailed off, not sure how to continue that statement.
Kim blinked again and was quiet for a moment. "We don't hate each other, right? I mean, I don't hate you."
Shego did not say anything, but she did hold onto Kim just a little tighter. It said more than words ever would. But, she decided to add to it.
"You know, Kimmie, I don't think I've ever in all my life met someone like you. You're… interesting. Can't hate someone who's as interesting as you," the pale woman replied.
The redhead smiled softly. There was silence between them before Kim spoke again. "I don't understand how Bonnie and Monique could be like that…"
Shego's brow furrowed, finding it hard to believe Kim was serious, even though she could tell that the redhead was very serious. "How could you not? You were onboard Betty Blackheart's ship and everything," Shego commented.
"I don't get it. What do you mean?"
"Betty and her navigator, Vivian." There were rumors, stories, and outright statements of people who had witnessed things or helped arrange romantic surprises for the two.
Shego watched as Kim's face tensed and she seemed to search her mind for what Shego spoke on. It was clear when she got what Shego meant because her eyes opened wide. Shego chuckled a bit when she saw the shocked and amazed expression.
"Wow! I can't believe I never noticed it before. But, that explains all of the pet names and teasing and the kisses," Kim stated, shaking her head. She scratched the top of her scalp. Wow. I blanked on everything. "I can't believe I didn't notice it. But… how do they do that…?" she wondered aloud.
"It's very simple," Shego purred. "Maybe when you get lonely enough you'll beg me to show you."
Kim stiffened and Shego realized that now was not the time to taunt the captain. This was something beyond the idea of two women being intimate. Hoping Kim did not order her to leave, Shego pressed Kim to her a little more, silently assuring the redhead she was there and everything would be all right.
"So… are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about?" Shego asked, going back to the original topic before Kim had a chance to get uncomfortable thanks to her poor timing.
Kim's eyes searched Shego's for a moment, scanning for some sign it was safe to unload on this usually crass, irksome warrior. The emerald eyes were clear and sincere. That was all Kim needed to see before she curled into Shego's shoulder and wept. Shego only held her tighter while wondering what happened to make the strongest woman she knew cry as she was. She found out the cause all too quickly as Kim spoke rapidly, hardly stopping for a breath, and relaying the tale of what happened when she left home and how she became a pirate. Shego unconsciously held her tighter when she spoke of Pete and the wrongs that so-called man had done her.
"It's okay, Kimmie. It's okay," Shego assured the younger woman. She silently vowed to cause that Pete bastard unspeakable pain and misery if they ever met up. And, she would do her best to make sure that happened. As soon as Kim was in a better mood, Shego would suggest they take Hench Company ships, not just for the large prize, but to narrow the chances of them meeting up with the crew that ruined Kim's life. Kim would probably go for it since Hench dealt in slavery.
Shego was only mildly surprised by her desire to avenge her captain. Deep down inside of her, she knew she had a protective streak in her, but it usually only extended to people she really liked. And, she just did not like to acknowledge that streak in her.
The streak had been the thing that kept her close to Drakken and now it bound her to Kimmie. Apparently, she liked her captain much more than she had previously thought.
Speaking of the captain, Shego noticed the redhead cried herself to sleep. She kissed the top of Kim's head and settled in for her own rest. Her dreams were filled with thoughts of revenge while Kim's sleep was much more comfortable the second time around.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: more KiGo and more piracy. What more could you ask for?