"What…what should I do?" Shelly asked, wiping her eyes. She and Hego had returned to the room where the others were, sitting down on the couch.

"What do you want to do?" Sarah asked. That stopped Shelly. She looked over at Hego, than at the others.

"I'd…" She paused, "I think I'd like to stay here… Henry…I have friends here… I don't know if I could start at another school…"

"I think you're right, sis." Henry said.

For a moment Shelly wondered if that meant that he really didn't want her.

"You need friends…" Henry paused, "People your own age and not…" There was a sad smile on his face, "A comic book geek who believed too many of his own fantasies." Shelly twitched. She knew who had probably said that.

"That's not-"

"I think it is." Henry said, "The thing is, between Go Tower and everything else, I can't be certain I wouldn't convince myself you'd be better off back in the saddle. I think Mrs. Renton," he nodded at Sarah, "Would be wiser, and let you chose your own path."

"There's also the issue of well…" Sarah paused, "I'm sorry Shelly, but it really is best if as few as people as possible know about your connection to Shego. Kim had many friends and not all of them would be willing to let you live in peace." Kim twitched and Sarah looked at her. "No matter what Kim said."

"And…" Hego paused, "Mego would never forgive you for stealing the limelight."

Shelly blinked, "Is he still…"

"Interested in the three most important people on the planet…me, myself and I?" Henry grinned, "Yes, I'm afraid he is, although he's gotten better."

"And the twins?"

"Actually they're your 'age' now, and giving many people in high school gray hairs."

Shelly burst out laughing. "Let me guess, the old…. We remember anything any one of us experienced."

"The same, and that means, according to them that as long as one of them is in school, all their duplicates should be free to run rampant."

"Oh dear…." Cindy said. "and I thought Middleton had problems."

Kim perked up at that, and they soon were talking about quite inconsequential and funny things. Margaret could almost forget who Shelly had been, enjoying the sound of her daughter laughing—natural laughter without the hysterical tinge that had all too often been a part of it.

But the day had been very trying given everything that had happened, and before long Kim found her head dropping onto her chest, even as Ron felt his own eyes lidding

"Okay, doctors orders." Cindy said, "Everyone not a resident of the Renton home, head home." Margaret nodded and helped her daughter up off the couch and into her wheelchair, Ron strolled out after them promising to destroy Felix at Zombie Mayhem the next day, while Hego and Shelly remained talking.

As the others left, Sarah nodded at Cindy. "Did you see Margaret?"

"Yes." Cindy said, "Sarah…it's going to take a lot of time."

"I know… it was hard enough for me and there was no one to blame in the accident." Sarah said sadly, "But I do wish she and James would work it out together." Cindy nodded at that. They had done their best for Kim and the Twins, but the tension between Margaret and her husband was palpable whenever they were together…which wasn't as often as she would have liked.

"I know…but…. We can't do everything." She said.

Sarah nodded. "Nor should we. Concern is one thing, being a busybody…"

"Yes. Night, Sarah—don't let Henry keep Shelly up all night."

"I won't."

Sarah went back in to realize that the problem wasn't going to arise. Shelly had evidently dropped off in the middle of a comment, and was curled up, sleeping.

"This happened a lot when she first gained her power—using it would lead to a crash later." Henry said, "She took to keeping energy snacks in her pockets…you might have to remind her of that."

"She's not shown much interest in using her power." Sarah said. "But I will." She gestured to Shelly's room. "Could you?"

"Oh, yes, of course." He said, easily bearing Shelly into her room. Hego paused and looked around. "Even the room…"

"M?" Sarah said, as she tucked Shelly in.

Henry gestured at the pictures. Landscapes, small towns, homes… "Shelly loved images like that. A place of her own, maybe a town where you could know other people and not have them come in and leave as parents got them, or evaluate you and then leave, because you weren't "good enough" to be part of their family." He paused, "And even if you did get chosen, you'd leave everything behind."

"It must have been hard."

Hego shrugged as they walked back out into the living room. "It was…but don't get me wrong, it wasn't a hellhole. Not by any means…it's just that it's never easy." He paused, "I'll have to…tell the others about this…carefully. Especially the Twins. They took what happened…very hard."

"I understand." Sarah said. "You realize that Shelly is on track to graduate…she has the knowledge, none of us felt it would be fair to force her to repeat classes…and it's very important for family to be at a student's graduation."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

By the time Margaret got home, Kim was nearly comatose, to say nothing of being sore. Her mother helped her into bed. Kim was a bit grimy from the adventure of the day, but Margaret judged she needed sleep more than a bath, especially given how difficult it was for her to bathe now. Showers were in her past, and she needed a spotter to get in or out of the tube.

Finally, Margaret walked back down the stairs to enjoy a quick tea before bed. Sitting down, she looked over and tensed.

James. Her husband.

She tried to relax, but too much had been said in the horrible days after Kim's disappearance and return…intellectually Margaret knew that much of it was just the outcome of not being able to do something… but both adults had still torn into each other with all the fury fear and despair could produce…and all the ability to hurt that living together for nearly twenty years, knowing every secret of the other could give them.

I wonder if we'll ever be able to go back… she thought.

"James." She said softly. Say something funny…

"Margaret." He said, his hair now far more streaked with gray then it had been, and sat down on the couch.

With two feet of empty air between them.

"I heard that Kim had some excitement today."

"It…the kids handled it."

"I expected them too." He quietly said. "I need to let Ronald know that the black hole jokes are a thing of the past."

"He'd like that."

"I know he would." James paused and looked at her. "And Shelly as well Margaret." He looked at her and Margaret found herself getting nervous.

"Or perhaps the correct name would be Shego. Would you care to explain, Margaret?"

TBC