I don't own these characters; Disney does.
20: Anything is Possible
The Anything's Possible moved with great haste through the sapphire blue waters. After stopping at a port to make repairs, the crew was well aware of how serious the hunt was for them. They suspected, rightfully so, that things would only get worse since they singlehandedly sank a small Naval fleet coming after them. If the Navy did not take the pirates' actions personally before, they certainly would do so now. Added was the incentive of rising in rank and achieving nobility. The crew knew they were on borrowed time the longer they remained in areas controlled by the Empire or any of the Empire's allies.
"Do you think we'll make it?" Monique asked the captain as their ship hurried as fast as the wind would carry it.
"Of course," Kim declared confidently, smiling as she spoke.
"And how do you know these so called enemies of the Empire will not capture us and make us a fitting gift to the Empire to cool down tensions between them?" Bonnie demanded. "Surely the Empire with its vast net of influence could entice them," she added. Her words made all of the crew stop and make sure she was the one speaking. It seemed too elegant and it was not whining. She ignored the looks, as they seemed to forget she was educated. She was very capable of making an intelligent conversation if she wanted to. But, most of the time, she did not want to.
Kim smiled and shook her head. "No, they're ancient enemies. The Empire still considers them barbarians, often referring to them as such even in formal speeches. They would never do anything that looked remotely friendly toward the Empire. Besides, I know you guys never met Betty and Vivian, but I trust them with our safety. They wouldn't have given me this map if it led somewhere dangerous for me."
"Will we be safe with them?" Monique asked, swallowing thickly. She refused to go somewhere else and have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She stepped a little closer to Bonnie. She refused to go somewhere Bonnie's life would be in danger.
"I see no reason why we wouldn't be. The Empire would never challenge them, especially not in waters that are practically theirs and almost all of the East is either their ally or their colonies. I really doubt the Emperor is willing to go to war and chance all of his land for us. We should be quite fine… once we make it there," Kim stated with the utmost confidence. It was this brilliant and bright optimism that kept the crew together, even though they had the whole Empire after them.
The crew took their captain's word for it. She had not steered them wrong yet, so they were always inclined to believe her. Still, they checked behind them every now and then, keeping their eyes out for enemies. They would feel much better when they were on dry land in the Empire's enemy territory. Everyone found ways to keep themselves busy to avoid thinking about how they were prey for the world's largest navy.
Kim charted a route that would keep them away from any major shipping lanes, therefore make it so they were not likely to be spotted. Luckily, Shego and Yori knew the Eastern seas well and were very aware of ports that would be friendly to the company. They made sure to remain out of trouble when they were at those ports. It took a hell of a lot of self-control for most of them to do so. Kim even stayed away from taverns, just in case. Still, they never stayed anywhere for more than a day and they started to miss the luxuries of land.
"I would kill for a proper bath," Bonnie sighed as they loaded back onto the ship from another port.
"You had your chance." Shego motioned to the town they were leaving behind.
"You think that hell hole had a decent bath? You must be out of your little mind," Bonnie said.
"You might want to watch who you're talking to," Shego replied.
"Ladies, ladies, ladies, can we just get the hell on the ship and cast off?" Kim huffed.
"Amen to that!" Wade concurred.
Shego glared at him. "Nobody asked you, little man. You're the one those Navy officials were following. You almost got us all caught."
"They were asking for directions!" Wade huffed. "I'm not some idiot who's going to give us up, you know!"
"Ship!" Kim ordered. She had a feeling this would get worse way before it got better. She was right. Soon every little thing was taken the wrong way or someone had to add a smart aleck remark to something.
-8-8-8-8-
"How much longer until we hit these mythological waters?" Bonnie sneered, leaning against the gunwale. They were starting to get on each other's nerves. There was only so much one could take from the seeing the same six faces everyday and they all felt that way.
They all thought it was amazing that one of them had not killed Bonnie yet since she was by far the most annoying among them. The image of Monique shooting them halted them whenever they got really close to strangling Bonnie. And thoughts of Monique being depressed and sorrowful over the loss of Bonnie also prevented most of them from chucking Bonnie overboard. Luckily, they were able to find other distractions when they thought their self-control was waning.
"We should actually be there very soon, before the day is through. And that's good for us because I was told that most of the Navy is patrolling these waters to make sure we don't make it out of their reach," Kim replied. Taverns were always good sources of information and people always sang like birds to Shego, generally after a little convincing it would be in their best interest to do so.
"But, we will make it, correct?" Yori inquired, just to be sure. Ron stood by her and put his arm around her, trying to reassure her on his own.
"Yes, we will," Kim promised for what felt like the millionth time. She was very aware they were nervous, maybe even a little scared, but she wished they would just have faith, like she did. They needed to have faith in themselves and being together as a unit. "Guys, I don't think you grasp how far we've come. We've done way too much to be stopped now."
This seemed to quiet their nerves for a while. The captain went up to the poop deck to avoid any more questions and concerns. She was certain they would make it, but she did not want to have to assure the crew of that every five seconds. No one followed her up to the poop deck because no one wanted to distract Shego, who continued to pilot the escape. No one wanted to risk getting into an argument with Shego either, which was very likely these days.
Shego, unlike the rest of the crew, did not require Kim's word that they would make it. She was as sure they would as their captain was. They had been through too much and done too much to be stopped now.
Kim made her way behind Shego and embraced the taller woman. Kim sighed as soon as she was pressed against the helmsman and buried her nose in Shego's shoulder. Even with the leather jerkin and sea air, Kim could smell Shego and the scent calmed her, which helped her keep a cool head.
Shego smiled, feeling any stress within her leave the moment Kim pressed against her. She moved over of her hands from the helm to put over Kim's hands on her waist. The crew knew they had to leave the captain alone now or they would suffer Shego's wrath. So, they all went to find things to do with their time.
Monique and Bonnie disappeared below decks. They went to their cabin and cuddled up together on a bunk. Like the captain, they had used some of their money to make sure their sleeping area was as comfortable as possible. For a moment, they sat there in silence with Monique gently caressing the tanned woman.
"Do you really think this is going to work out?" Bonnie whispered, trying to sound strong and confident. To the ears of someone who knew her as well as Monique did, she knew there was some worry in Bonnie's tone.
"I have faith in Kim, Bonnie. She hasn't steered us wrong yet. She's given us a much better life than we would have if we never met her. So, we should trust her and her decisions," Monique pointed out.
"But, by taking this chance and going back to land, aren't we risking throwing that good life away?" Bonnie wondered aloud.
"Is that really what's bothering you? You think that if we go back to land again we could end up slaves?"
"Couldn't we?" Bonnie asked, her voice small.
Monique shook her head. "I don't think our captain or our company would let that happen. We're all here for each other. I mean, look at how Kim went out of her way for Ron when he saw Yori. Look at what Shego did to give Kim peace of mind. And remember how they rescued all of the slaves and took us with them? They gave us this freedom and I don't think they're going to let anyone take it away. Besides, I personally promise you that you'll never be another man's toy," she vowed, her voice and embrace strong. She placed a gentle kiss to the side of Bonnie's head. Those words seemed to be just what Bonnie needed to hear.
"I don't want…" Bonnie whimpered.
"I promise you, it's never going to happen. I would never let it happen and we have this family now who wouldn't let it happen. We're there for each other, Bonnie. I'm here for you."
Bonnie nodded. "You know… I'm happy I taught you to read."
Monique laughed. "You only say that because I used to write you poems before we got caught."
Bonnie smiled and calmed down. She snuggled closer Monique. Offering more comfort, Monique leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Bonnie's lips. That kiss held all of the promise that this was not the end of their freedom. They would be all right. Not just the pair of them, but the whole crew.
-8-8-8-8-
By the time the sun set, Kim was sure they were out of the Empire's reach, but she knew the crew would not be satisfied until they never saw the Imperial Navy again. She retired to bed feeling at ease and from the light snoring coming from the body pressed against her, she was certain Shego went to sleep without a worry. Although, Shego's near-coma could have been attributed to the activities they engaged in before settling in the bed.
The thought actually made Kim blush, which she was glad Shego did not see. She could not believe she felt embarrassed about an activity she had a very active role in and thoroughly enjoyed. She knew Shego would never let her hear the end of it if Shego ever found out. The older woman still liked teasing her about how innocent she was. It was not her fault she had been raised modest and she did not see any reason to be ashamed of that, only annoyed with Shego for taunting her over it.
Her thoughts began to drift from the intimate exchange between her and her wife to what Shego had been interested in before they settled down for sleep. Shego had been musing aloud about what she thought was waiting for them at the end of the map. Kim was not as certain as Shego was that there was swag at the end. It just did not seem like Betty's style. Kim eventually fell asleep wondering what was at the end, though. What would fit Betty's and Vivian's dreams?
The answer to that came days later. On a bright, clear day the crew from the Anything's Possible could see a lush, vibrant island in the distance. The large, tilting trees called to them, beckoning them closer. They drifted on a calm sea that looked more like liquid jade than water. There was a dock for them to pull into and they stepped off the ship to a small port. They were all ready to do a dance of joy when they set foot on the solid deck of the pier and looked around at their new surroundings. They suspected it was a trading outpost, which was exactly what it was. Thankfully, Kim spoke the language of most of the people at the port and they were able to get supplies because they needed to go further inland to find the end of their map.
Getting everything they needed did not take long, but it gave them enough time to share their speculations on what was at the end of the map. Shego figured it was a mountain of ill-gotten goodies and she rubbed her hands together just thinking about large hills of gold crowns. Bonnie imagined the same and could not wait to get her hands on all of that swag. Monique just wanted it to be a pile of currency, so she could immediately go out and buy whatever her heart's desire. The other half of the crew was not quite on the same page, though.
Wade, having heard plenty stories about Betty Blackheart and Vivian from Kim, thought there might be a lot of great inventions at the end of the map. He could already picture himself toying with whatever gadgets were left behind. Yori was of a similar mindset, but she thought more along the lines of combat manuals and such, knowing Betty Blackheart was a master of several martial arts. Ron and Rufus just hoped a decent meal was involved in all of that and Ron thought about the millions of decent meals he would be able to afford once they got to the end of the map.
Kim tried to figure out what her former captain would label "dreams." She supposed it could be money to buy whatever Betty and Vivian had planned for the future, but she was not sure about that. She then considered it might be something to do with a business since she knew Betty and Vivian thought about life beyond being pirates. She was not sure why they would have a map to a business, though.
"Look, you guys and stuff all of your idiotic ideas. Betty was a true pirate and we are going to be rolling in gold crowns," Shego declared, letting the crew know she thought her theory was best.
"I won't argue with that," Bonnie replied. She just wanted enough money that no matter where she went, all people would see was the wealth. And if they did not see the wealth, then she had enough money to buy revenge.
"Money is a good thing," Ron agreed, even though they had more than they would ever be able to spend already.
Kim chuckled and shook her head. The rest of the crew agreed with Ron. Money was certainly a good thing and living to be able to spend it would be even better. But, first, they had to get to it.
The captain found out they did not have to go very far into the interior of the island. Their map ended a half-day's ride to the north. They rented four horses in town. Wade had one to himself while the others paired off to save money and space. They then started off down the road. The tropical scenery they passed on the way took their breath away. The only thing that came close to such beauty was the Empire's southern colonies.
"This place is magnificent," Yori whispered in awe as she took in just the lush, beautiful trees. The whole island looked alive.
"That place is even better," Shego remarked, pointing ahead of them to a large manor house on a hill.
Kim's brow furrowed as she looked at the house. Something was not right here, she silently noted. She did not say anything and the crew pressed on, having to go through what they suspected was the manor's property. From what they could tell, this was a plantation, but they were not sure what type of fruit the plantation grew because they had never seen it before. The fruit did not catch Kim's attention because she was caught by surprise as to who was in front of the manor house, pruning a small flower garden.
"Vivian?" Kim whispered in shock and awe. She would know that body type and sun-colored hair anywhere. "VIVIAN!"
The blonde turned around because of the sound of her name. A wide smile took over her tanned face as she saw the group on horseback. She rushed over to them as Kim practically fell off of the horse to get to the blonde. The two enveloped each other in a tight embrace.
"Oh my god! I didn't think I'd ever see you again! I thought you were dead!" Tears flowed down Kim's face. Despite the fact that she was crying, her smile seemed like it was putting her face in danger of splitting open.
Vivian laughed and waved the redhead off as if that was the most outrageous thing that she had ever heard. "Don't be silly, dear. Nothing stops me or the old hound Betty Blackheart," she remarked. She pulled out a soft lace cloth from her gardening pants and wiped away the tears from olive eyes.
"Did Betty survive, too?" Kim begged, even though she figured she knew the answer to that.
"Why don't you and your friends come inside? You can see our wonderful home. We can get you all cleaned up and well fed. You can wow us with tales of your adventures," Vivian commented, eyes going teasingly wide.
Kim nodded and turned her attention to her crew. Smiling from ear to ear, she introduced them to Vivian. "Guys, this is my mentor and dear friend, Vivian Porter. She taught me everything I know about navigation, friendship, and living. She's offering us food, baths, and knowing her, anything else that we might want."
"Pretty much," Vivian agreed with a bright smile of her own.
No one argued that considering the fact they had been trapped on their ship for the most part for the past few weeks. Vivian led them inside, assuring them the horses would be taken care of. The house was as awesome inside as it was outside without being pretentious. There were a couple of maids milling about the place, but nowhere near as many servants as the pirates expected of such a large house.
"Now, everyone can get bathed and properly dressed and then you can meet us for supper," Vivian declared.
"Why do you keep saying 'us'?" Monique asked.
"You'll find out. Now, please, I'll get everything ready for your baths. I'll also get you some rooms." Vivian clapped, as if thoroughly pleased with her own ideas.
"Whoa, hold on. We're not staying. We've got to get to the end of the map," Shego pointed out. Then, emerald eyes narrowed as she studied Vivian. "Unless you've already been to the end."
Vivian smiled brightly once more. "You've made it to the end. This is our dream." She motioned around the house, but their dreams went well beyond the walls.
"What? Where's all the treasure? The crowns? The jewels?" Shego demanded, eyes blazing. Where was all of the damned money?
The blonde woman laughed, unaffected by the pale warrior. She went as far as to wiggle her index finger at Shego as if the helmsman was a naughty child. "I don't believe any of those belong to you. Everything will be explained at supper. For now, make yourselves at home," she requested, sounding as friendly as ever.
None of the crew really had a problem with that, even if they were not getting any money out of the deal. They were still getting hot baths and a warm meal! Vivian had the maids and a few other servants draw up baths for the crew. They were also given rooms. Vivian was not surprised they only needed four rooms. She was not even surprised Kim was going to room with Shego.
Vivian made a mental note to inquire, not just about Kim and Shego, but the other couples as well. She was terribly curious about the crew Kim managed to put together. After all, a few tales of their exploits had even reached the tiny island that she now lived on.
The Possible crew was all cleaned up and given new, comfortable clothing in fashion with the island. Kim was the only one familiar with the style, having read about it, but even she was unaccustomed to wearing it. It took a bit of trial and error to figure out how to close some of it because it seemed like there were buttons and laces everywhere. No one complained because the clothing was fresh and felt a lot better than what they had worn in. They were all able to rest up for a while before being led down to the dining room for supper.
The only two people at the long table were Vivian and a clean-cut brunette. The Possible crew was not too sure if the brunette was male or female, mostly because the formal clothing hid the body rather well. Well, Kim knew and she could not help grinning. She charged the head of the table and flung herself onto the brunette. The embrace was almost a chokehold, but the brunette did not say anything.
"Betty! You're looking good for a dead woman!" Kim declared with a happy smile, pulling away a bit and allowing her former captain a chance to breathe.
Betty laughed, throwing her head back. "You're looking good for someone wanted by the whole Empire."
Kim blushed. "Not like I could do much else."
"I know. I know. Besides, the Empire gets twisted in a knot over any little act of piracy. Now, how about getting off of me or Vivi will never let me hear the end of it," Betty pointed out because she could see the blonde itching to ruin the moment with a smart remark.
Kim chuckled and glanced back at Shego, who was not looking too pleased with the display either. "Uh… you're not going to be the only one in trouble, it seems," she muttered as she eased off of Betty's lap. She sat down next to Betty, across from Vivian.
Shego sat down next to her captain, making sure to sit as close as possible without merging with Kim. The rest of the crew followed suit, pulling up to the table, which was bare except for some glasses with water and bread. The crew hoped it would soon be covered in food because they all felt hungry enough to devour a whole whale on their own.
"I knew you'd make it here, Mermaid," Betty commented, a small, satisfied smile on her face. From the moment she handed Kim her map, she knew one day the redhead would come. She just did not expect Kim to come with a whole crew of her own.
"Don't let her fool you. She worried every day. She always running down to the docks to find out if you came in or not," Vivian stated, a playful smile on her face.
"Quiet," Betty shushed the blonde, waving her hand at Vivian a bit.
"Umm… excuse me, but who are you?" Monique inquired, speaking to the woman at the head of the table. She hated breaking up whatever reunion was going on, but the captain had failed to make any kind of introductions and she would like to know who was hosting them.
"Oh, excuse me. I'm Betty Porter, formerly known as Betty Director and Betty Blackheart. Kim knew me best by the latter name. Vivian and I, as well as some of my crew, now inhabit this island. I took Vivian's name to become a new person and to avoid trouble, but there isn't much. The government finds us to be a pretty valuable resource, so they're not about to allow any trouble to come to us. Beyond that, people don't assume anything about two women living together with the same last name. They tend to assume we're sisters, even though we look nothing alike," the brunette explained with an amused smile.
"Betty is obviously the older sister," Vivian teased, earning a mock glare from the one-eyed woman. The former navigator smiled and took Betty's hand, which seemed to ease whatever problems her remark caused. The brief exchange let the whole crew know the nature of their relationship.
"You help this government?" Kim asked. It seemed odd to her that Betty would not want to a keep a low profile, just in case.
"They're providing us with sanctuary because they know we can be of use to them. We've been giving them advice on how to keep pirates away from their ships. It's a good way to make sure the Empire doesn't come some place they're not welcome. Aside from that, we grow fruit. Mostly pineapples and tomatoes, but a few others. Some of the crew help on the farm, but others who had the money bought land of their own, further on the island. Some of them work for my shipping company."
"Oh, you started your own company?" Kim inquired, not very surprised by it. Shipping always seemed like it was Betty's passion more than anything else. Plus, Betty and Vivian both loved the water.
Betty nodded. "Mostly I'm just moving things on this island to nearby islands, but it's been growing steadily. A few ships have taken things to the mainland. I'm sure it'll end up where I want it eventually. I just need to give it time, which I have now. Now, what about you?"
Kim looked down at her crew, everyone looking as perplexed as she felt. "I'm not really sure. For the past year, we've just been following the map… and now we're at the end." It was like they never thought they would get there because they had not discussed any plans for what they would do next. She was not even sure if they would stay together, even though she hoped they did.
Vivian smiled and shook her head. "No, no, no. You're at the beginning. This is a fresh start for all of you. Here, you're not criminals or pirates. You're not a threat to the Empire. You're regular people with no one after you. Make good use of your new start. Some aren't this lucky."
"…Can all of us… do that?" Monique asked quietly, voice full of hope.
"Slavery of all types was outlawed here last year. It was a gradual thing, but it is gone. They started in their own capital and then the mother nation and it filtered out to their colonies. Added to that, women can own land and businesses. It takes more time and patience than it would for a man, but it can be done. So, yes, everyone can make a fresh start," Vivian answered with a smile, happy to bear good news. "I hope you all stay here until you know exactly what you want to do."
The Possible crew was not sure what to say. They were saved from talking as food was brought in. They had never seen such banquet before and only waited a few seconds before they started to eat. It was hands down the best meal they had ever had in the lives. It was a great way to start their new lives.
-8-8-8-8-
Epilogue on the way.