A/N: Forgive me if the music terms are arranged wrong, I am clueless. I also apologize if my story is crackfic-ish. I blame my computer's pink screen. If I spelled a name differently in some parts, blame my flakiness (and please do point it out).

Shego thumped her head on the steering wheel for the hundredth time that morning.

"Just go do it, idiot," she muttered to herself. She compulsively checked her watch out of habit and realized she was late for work. Shit.

Just before she drove off, she saw the front doors open and Kim was leading a young woman out. Kim even leaned over to kiss her.

"What the hell!" But Shego was more hurt than angry. Deciding not to speculate on what she saw, and it's not like I even have a claim staked on Kim, she drove off to work. The staff knew to avoid her by first bell. While her students' blessed little lungs almost collapsed from doing all the scales in sixteenths and in forte allegro e staccato that morning.

By lunch, she agitatedly called Kim's office but was sadly informed that the woman took the day off.

Kim was pacing. Fine, she probably shouldn't have led Shego along for as long as she had without telling her about the twins but it was her every right to protect her boys and herself. What if Shego was some pedophile? She doubted it even in the beginning, but she had heard so many horror stories. Then there was the fact that the other woman was practically a stranger. Kim needed to know more about her before letting her boys meet her.

Kim also wanted to be assured that the other woman wasn't going to use the redhead's sons as a way to get to Kim. She knew how easy it was to like the other people who were nice to one's kids. She had hoped that while Shego liked her, the teacher would have genuinely liked her sons, too.

It was all pointless now. Shego ran the opposite direction as fast as she could as soon as she found out.

Kim clenched her fists. How dare that woman anyway? Who does Shego think she is? Just because she was gorgeous and funny and smart and talented...

Kim sighed and sagged in defeat. Maybe she really was wrong about Shego. Why, oh, why did she assume the woman would react well to finding out that she had children? It changed the entire equation. Girl meets Girl with Babies? Yeah. Definitely not.

It was so stupid to think anyone would want her anyway. A single mother with two young boys? Most people probably assumed she was desperate and easy. Kim reluctantly had to accept that the woman has probably moved on to greener pastures.

Large, curious green eyes looked at her questioningly. She had been acting weird all day.

"Damn," Shego muttered. To hell with Drakken, she thought as she requested a substitute teacher. The district was running low on subs though so the kids had to put up with Amy. The woman graduated with a degree in biology and was, as the students put it, "cray cray," with matching hand motions to the side of the head. Still, she didn't have to teach them music for the afternoon and the kids would be free to wreck havoc upon the school. Plus, it was a known fact that Amy had this weird sicko interest in a certain incompetent school administrator. Let the dumbass principal deal with it.

I'll make it up to the kids tomorrow, she thought to herself, knowing that playing some scores from popular movies and Broadway shows always got the kids excited. Or maybe they could practice some 1812 (with matching authentic loaded cannons) by the administrator's office to show Drakken why cutting the budget for the music and arts program and crossing Shego was a bad idea.

The children were glad of their reprieve. The woodwinds shook their heads as if it would help their light-headedness and wiggled their dextrous cramped fingers to get some circulation back. The brass clutched at their jaws, groaning at the dull ache in their cheeks, jaws, and lips. The percussion cried silently in the corner because, damn it, they were percussionists. They signed up to beat shit up, not do scales. Anything but scales! The horror!

Drakken ran out of the school's double doors just a Shego's car sped down the corner. He called shrilly after her before he whimpered in defeat, kneeling on the dusty pavement.

Shego rapped her hand on the door. Her knuckles were nearly bruised before she heard Kim's muffled voice.

"Just a minute!" was followed by rapid shuffles of feet to the front door.

She found a razzled redhead on the other side of the door. She was distracted by Kim's wet t-shirt and was nonverbal.

"Uh, come in," Kim said, a little shocked at her presence.

Before Shego could register it, she felt cold wet skin touch her. Puzzled, she looked down and found a very naked toddler grinning up at her. Right next to him was his mirror image, wrapped in a towel.

"Hi!" he screamed at her cheerfully.

"Hey, there," Shego greeted awkwardly. "Nice suit there, buddy."

"Riley!" Kim scolded, "Where is the towel I wrapped you in?"

The boy only giggled at his mother while his twin's gaze never wavered from Shego's face. Unlike his cheerful brother, he looked distressed. His mouth was turned into a downwards pout.

"Shego, this is Riley and Bailey," she introduced her boys. "R&B, this is Mommy's... um, friend, Shego."

"Hi," Shego greeted the other boy but his lip quivered and his green eyes began to form tears. Sooner than Shego could blink, he was bawling loudly, his face all red and chest heaving.

"Oh, Bailey," Kim said picking him up. "I'm sorry, I was just giving them a bath," Kim said to Shego as she tried to comfort the crying toddler. "He's not too fond of strangers."

"It's alright, I should have called," Shego said, scratching the back of her head. Where the hell did all your confidence go? She asked herself. I had this whole speech planned. While it was unavoidable to make a shy toddler react negatively to her, she still felt pretty bad about it. Kim simply bounced the tot and cooed to him softly and soon his cries softened.

"I was afraid I'd chicken out," she said to the redhead, surprising even herself with the truth. "I didn't want to let your hopes up and not come through."

Bailey finally calmed to small hiccups as he buried his face in his mother's shoulder, taking peeks at the stranger once in a while.

"Can you give me a minute?" Kim asked. "I just need to get them dressed."

"Do you need help?" she asked as Kim tried to pick up the rambunctious Riley. He giggled and ran around his mother, who couldn't move all that well because she was carrying Bailey who found Riley's antics funny.

"No need," Kim dismissed as the little boy ran down the hall in his birthday suit. Bailey squirmed in Kim's arms, non-verbally asking to be put down and ran after his brother as soon as his toes touched the floor. He, too, dropped his towel and laughed.

Kim could only shake her head and smile at them. "Sit on the couch, I'll be back in a few," Kim said to Shego who stood shuffling her feet on the carpet. "Please and thank you."

Shego slowly made her way to the plush couch and observed her surroundings. It was a small but homey place. The childrens' toys where scattered all over the floor, but that was to be expected because of their age. Shego noted the mountain of dinosaurs and the creepy trains with the faces. There was even this weird doll with large eyes and a weird felt body that had a shiny rectangle on its belly. Reading the tag on the doll, Shego quirked a brow, what kind of fucked up person came up this "tellytubby"?

The tv was on and it was showing some brightly colored kids show. Some giant creepy guy in an orange suit was talking to these Japanese looking mascots. Are they on crack? Unable to take the bizarre songs they were singing, she turned off the television. She just witnessed a new level of subversion that bothered her completely.

"Lo."

She nearly jumped out of her skin.

It was one of the twins standing beside her. By the tears that still clung to his lashes, she guessed it was Bailey. He was at least wearing his pull-ups now.

"Hi," she spoke softly and moved slowly so as not to scare him off. He looked a lot like Kim, she realized. It wasn't just his red hair or his green eyes. He had her nose and her cheeks.

He handed Shego something, which she realized were his clothes. "Odes," he said.

"I don't know," she said, "I usually don't do this on the first meeting."

His lip quivered and his eyes were about to overflow with tears again.

"I was just joking," she placated, kneeling on the floor and wiping his tears with the hem of her shirt. "Trust me, I'm an expert."

He insisted on trying to put on his shirt by himself with the way he turned his body as he tried to put it on. He put it on backwards and struggled with putting on his sleeves so Shego had to help him anyway. He easily let her help with his pants and socks. He even gave her a smile when she tried to tickle his feet as she put a sock on.

"Bailey," Kim called from behind them. "I was trying to dress your brother, why did you run off and bother Shego?"

"He was just trying to show me what a big boy he was being able to dress up all by himself," Shego explained. "Didn't you, darling?"

The boy nodded, pulling at his shirt proudly. "Ig."

"Yes," Kim agreed, "You're such a big boy now."

"Me?" echoed a voice by Kim's knee.

"Yes, you, too Riley," Kim laughed. "I have such big strong men in the house." Turning back to the shyer twin she said, "Now, Bailey what do you say to Shego?"

"Ees yoo," the boy mumbled suddenly remembering his shyness and ran behind his mother's knee where his brother stood.

"What he say?" Shego mouthed to Kim.

"Please and thank you," Kim mouthed back.

"I was wondering if you guys wanted to go out or something," Shego finally managed to say.

"We'd have to decline," Kim said, "We're going to the zoo." The twins beamed at her. Kim knew putting in the extra effort which allowed her to take the day off was well worth it.

"Zuh."

"Ooh."

The twins' excitement was in stereo and it was infectious.

Shego had to grin, "That sounds fun."

"Shego, what are you really doing here?" Kim cut in bluntly.

"I was wondering how much I could grovel to have you forgive me," Shego replied sincerely. "I admit that I didn't have to be an as" –Kim cleared her throat and gave her a pointed look for attempting to use bad words near impressionable ears– "A-S-S hole even though I was upset that you didn't tell me about your babies." She glanced at them and they were looking at her as if they understood what she was saying. "Should they be listening to this conversation?"

Kim grabbed the remote and switching the tv on, "Let's go to the kitchen."

"Wait!" Shego said, changing the channel from the weird Japanese mascots to some documentary on sea turtles. Kim looked at her oddly, "You do know they won't watch that, right?"

"They will. Won't you, guys?" The babies looked at her blankly. "You'll see turtles at the zoo."

"Zuh!"

"Ooh!"

Suffice to say, that was enough to get them hunkered down.

Kim told Shego to sit as she prepared them some coffee.

"Can you put on a different shirt, too?" Shego asked Kim.

"Why?" Kim asked, confused.

"Your shirt is wet and the headlights are on," she replied, pointedly looking at Kim's chest. "They're kind of distracting. Nice and not entirely unwelcome but distracting."

Kim turned so red and quickly scuffled out of the living room to change clothes. When she returned, she was already wearing her excursion clothes. The composure she showed earlier was gone as well.

"Shego, what are you doing here?" she asked the older woman in a quiet voice.

"I don't know," Shego responded sincerely. She held up a finger before Kim could begin her angry tirade. "I'd like for us to try again."

:"Kim, I'm really sorry with the way I reacted."

"I'm sorry, too. I know I should have told you-"

"You were being a mother worrying about her kids. I get it now. And, if you'd let me, I'd like to make it up to you," Shego said. "I really can't promise you anything right now, but please let me make it up to you." Her eyes shone sincere apology.

Kim bit her lip in contemplation.

"Ma!"

"My!"

The toddlers called from the living room. Kim give Shego an apologetic smile and used the children's call as an excuse to put some distance between her and the dark haired woman.

"Yes, R&B?" she asked them sweetly.

"Eph."

"Ant."

They were pointing enthusiastically at the tv screen where the world's largest land mammal was eating some of its leafy food.

"Wow, don't they eat a lot?" Shego said, following Kim back into the living room. "I have a brother who eats that much," she nodded, "Although he's mostly more like a pig than an elephant."

The boys looked at her in awe. She had a pig for a brother? Wow.

Kim rolled her eyes at Shego but had to laugh.

"Alright, alright," she finally said after a while. "Shego, we're gonna go soon."

Riley looked at Shego and tugged at her hand, "Go?"

"Baby, I think she has other things to do," Kim told him apologetically. Bailey hugged his mother's knee, quietly observing it all. Kim placed a light hand on the back of his head, caressing it.

"Actually," Shego hedged, "I could make it up to you by funding this little zoo trip."

"You don't have to bribe me," Kim said, offended.

"I didn't mean it that way," Shego said, holding a hand up in defense before reaching for Kim's.

"I was hoping I could make it up to you by treating you guys out today and... somehow invite myself... if that's not too forward," she said cautiously taking the petite mother's hand.

Kim's lips threatened for form a smile, no doubt remembering some of the first words they exchanged. It was a start, she conceded, the other woman did make the effort to meet her sons and was even to win over Bailey for a few moments. She knew she was being incredibly stupid but she was willing to give the music teacher another chance. Heaven help the fools and the children.

"Well," Kim pretended to think. "What do you guys think? Should we bring Shego along?"

"Go!" the boys said in sync. Riley was practically bouncing. Even Bailey was getting into it.

"I guess that means you'll have to go," Kim said. "But don't worry about having to pay for anything."

"No, Kimmie, I insist."

"Then I insist that you desist."

"Kim, really, please let me do this."

And after a few minutes of that routine, Shego gave up, mock huffed, and said, "Fine, be that way."

"Fine," Kim said, making a show of flipping her hair confidently.

The boys giggled at them, "Silly."

Mommy picked them up and gave each boy a kiss and a raspberry on his chubby cheek.

A/N: Till next time! Thanks for reading. :) Merry Christmas!