Shego looked at her confusedly before it hit her. "Oh."

"Pick another vowel?" Kim joked weakly.

There was a pregnant pause and Kim watched as Shego's face began to lose it's color. The woman was starting to hyperventilate.

"Kim, I–"

"Look, it's alright, I get it," Kim murmured despondently. "I shouldn't be springing this on you now after we've gone out a few times. It's alright if you," Kim barely concealed the crack in her voice with a cough, "If you don't want to do anything more with me." With us, she added sadly.

"Y-you know what? I just realized that we have a scheduled music lesson right now," the music teacher said. "I'm just going to... uh, go." At seeing Kim's crestfallen face she suttered,"Um, I– I'll call you."

The redhead couldn't say anything more to make her stay so she let her go. Shego darted out of her office quickly like her ass was on fire.

Kim leaned heavily on her desk and closed her eyes.

Her skin prickled and she felt a myriad of gazes on her. Opening her eyes, she realized that the entire office had watched the drama unfold.

"Shit," she muttered before gathering the food Shego left, clutching the brown paper bag to her chest. Picking up her dignity, she asked the higher ups for the rest of the day off, vowing to work a little extra the next day. It wasn't like she wasn't ahead of her paperwork anyway. She really needed to have her mini-break down away from the office gossip mongers.

Warm tears slid down her face as soon as she walked out of the glass doors of her workplace.

She half-expected Shego to react badly but she didn't expect her rejection to to hurt this much.

"I don't know," Shego mumbled uncertainly as she sat on her brother's bed as he changed for a late shift. "I'm not sure I can handle this." She looked at her eldest brother pleadingly.

Hego just finished putting on his shirt and sighed at his sister. "Shego, you like her?"

"Yes."

"You like kids?"

"Yes, but that's not the same thi-"

Hego held up a finger. "What makes it so different?"

She glared at him, "I can't do this again. You know the level of commitment that you have to-"

Hego interrupted her again. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. She must not be worth it if you're giving up now, on the other hand, you wouldn't be here if you believed that. Think about it first."

Shego clamped her mouth shut, sat down, and thought about it.

It took her nearly a week to finally contact Kim who had been vacillating between anger and sadness all week. She had patiently but desperately waited for Shego to return her phone calls. She breathed a sigh of relief when the other woman finally called to apologize and ask for a chance to really talk.

They met at a local coffee shop but didn't actually go in. Instead, they stood awkwardly on the sidewalk.

"If we pursue this," Shego said, pacing in small swift circles, "you better not be dropping anymore bombshells on me. I somewhat understood why you'd wait to tell me this but I felt like you purposely mislead me somehow."

Kim opened her mouth to speak but Shego held up a finger, "I don't think I can do this..."

Kim's heart dropped and shattered at this but Shego continued, "I don't think a relationship between us can work... if you withhold important information that might affect us, that might affect me." She still didn't stop her pacing. Kim absently worried that she'd wear a hole on the floor.

The petite redhead nodded mutely, not trusting her voice. She dared not to raise her hopes too much but Shego was implying that she was still willing to try.

Shego stopped and looked at Kim, really looked at her. She licked her lips and took a deep breath, "I'd like to meet them."

Kim drummed her thumbs on the steering wheel as they sat parked in front of her apartment. The sun had set and night creatures made their presence known by playing their nightly orchestra. The woman had been sitting in the car for twenty minutes, neither making a move to get out. Kim had already shut off the engine and all that can be heard were the sounds of the evening.

"Shall we?" she breathed. Shego gulped inaudibly and opened the car door. Before closing it again.

"I can't do this."

Kim bit her lip and didn't push. She wordlessly started the car to bring Shego home. As much as she wanted to resent the other woman, she couldn't. She couldn't even be angry, just disappointed.

So very disappointed and hurt.

When she eventually got back to her own home, Kim watched her sons sleep, blissfully unaware that their mother's heart was breaking. She adjusted the blanket covering them when she thought they were feeling cold. She buried her nose in their hair and breathed in their calming scent, tears once again threatening to fall. No matter what, she would never regret their presence in her life. Never.

"Shego, you can't honestly be still considering this. You need to stop moping around," Mego whined. "Although, this totally boosts some sexy factor and totally makes her a MILF, I think you've lost it if you think you're gonna continue to see her. In fact, I forbid it. You need to come to your senses!" He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her. "Wake up!"

Shego slapped his arms away. "Don't be so dramatic," was all she said. She crossed her arms and huffed. She knew where he was coming from, a part of herself was screaming at her to get a grip and stop even thinking about Kim and just move on to bigger, better things.

"I know what you need, a good drink and a nice anonymous lay," he said, already dragging her to the door. Shego frowned heavily but did not protest.

Eventually, they stood in front of a bar that blinked with a neon sign of a naked woman sitting on the rim of a martini glass. Heavy bass music could be felt outside the club's doors. Wordlessly, Shego allowed herself to be led by Mego who was still grumbling about the turn of events. The bouncer knew them both well and let them in with a nod of acknowledgment much to the annoyance of the people lined up by the door.

Shego was feeling no pain by the time Mego handed her her umpteenth shot. She downed it quickly and moved to the center of the club to writhe between faceless dancers getting lost to the beat. A few women came up to her but Mego had shooed them away, stating that his sister didn't do seconds. Shego didn't recognize some of them but it wasn't really a big deal. There really was no need to remember the faces of one night stands.

But even more women and men came up to her, asking for a little of her time knowing she could give them a night to remember. She was known in this club. People knew what a hot fuck she was and they all hungrily wanted a taste themselves.

But Shego suddenly realized she was tired.

Looking around the sweaty, unknown bodies against her, she felt weary. There was nothing here but fleeting affections, of fun that doesn't extend over 24 hours.

I'm getting older, Shego thought, Do I really want to spend my nights with strangers and an empty bed in the morning?

A tight young twenty-something boldly pressed against her, lips attacking her neck, whispering dirty promises in her ear. And Shego realized, she was sick of it all.

She had been sick of it for a long time. This senseless seeking of pleasure was not her anymore. Games like these were for children and she finally understood she was no longer a child. She needed more. She wanted more.

She wanted nights staying in, watching some inane movie with someone she could see herself spending her life with. She wanted to do normal everyday chores like getting weekly groceries with someone. Perhaps they could go on a date in the park or just take a walk around the block. She could have someone to take care of her when she was sick or someone to hold when she was having a shitty day. Someone she could serve breakfast in bed to whenever she felt like it.

She thought about her house showing the touches of someone else who mattered so much to her; the pillow on the other side of her bed carrying the warmth and the scent of someone she could love.

But did she want PTA meetings and soccer games? Tying shoe-laces and kissing boo-boos?

She gently pushed away the woman gyrating against her and started walking out of the club.

"Shego!" Mego called after her as he tried to push through the crowd to reach her. "Shego! Where are you going!"

But Shego had already left the building.