Shego helped Kim with their bags as they made their way up the stairs.

"Wow, your house is pretty big."

"With five kids, I guess it has to be... My room's at the end of hall, door on your right."

As they walked by the rooms, Kim noticed that every door had a sign decorated by each of the siblings. Shego's merely had a black and white sign with her name and a small note that said to "get out unless I want you in here."

Much to her surprise, Shego's room was like her apartment. There were no remnants of her teenage years in the room, not even a poster or two of adolescent idols or favourite movies. Kim did notice, however, a bookshelf filled with books. Gently laying her bag on the foot of the bed, she took a good look at the shelf.

"You sure have a lot of books," Kim murmured as Shego began unpacking her things and putting clothes in the closet.

"It's sorted chronologically by publication year."

"That's a strange way to sort them. Why not by author?" Kim gently pulled out a book titled 'The Euclid Way' and flipped through it. She noticed that Shego had made notes in the margins, asking questions about abstract notions of geometry.

"That makes things too easy. I like challenges, but I've already got the order for all of these books memorised."

"Oh? What year was this published?" As Shego turned to look, Kim held up the book.

"1973, Mathematical Society, Torino."

Kim flipped to the front and her eyes widened. "Wow, spot on."

"I had a lot of free time in high school."

"You were reading these in high school?!"

"Like I said, I had a lot free time... Ok, that's all of my clothes. Do you want to put yours in the closet too? There's a lot of space since I only really visit home maybe once or twice a year."

"Uh, sure." Kim placed the book back on the shelf and grabbed her bag. After she was done, she turned to see Shego lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Joining her girlfriend on the bed, Kim asked, "A penny for your thoughts?"

"A kiss would be better," grinned Shego as Kim squirmed closer and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Just wondering about high school, college, and now since you brought it up."

"Time flying by too quickly?"

"Yeah, it's all a blur to me. Makes me feel kind of old to be reminiscing about things."

"You're not old, Shego."

"I feel like it."

"What's wrong?" Kim propped up an elbow and laid on her side, watching her girlfriend answer her question.

"It sort of makes me feel like I wasted so much time in the past. I wish I had met you sooner, that's all."

"It's not wasted time to go through all these trials and tribulations... They've defined and shaped the persons we've become and there's no escaping that... We just have to make the most out of this." Kim brushed a hair from Shego's cheek, causing Shego to turn her face into Kim's palm.

"Heh, you always know what to say. You're very wise, Miss Possible, did you know that?"

Kim smiled as Shego kissed the palm of her hand.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. A tall and lanky man with glasses was looking at them.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something," he said.

"Come in, Matt," said Shego as she sat up.

As Matt entered the room, Kim noticed that his shoulder-length hair had a purple tint to it.

"Matthew Godeaux, but everyone calls me Matt or Mego," he said as he shook Kim's hand.

"Kim Possible."

"The Kim Possible of Middleton Daily fame?" asked a surprised Matt.

"Uh, yes...?"

"You have some interesting writers on your team," Matt replied. "I'm well aware of the drama plagued by the paper, but it's your writers I'm more interested in. Any of them want to do some freelance work for the magazine I'm editing for?"

Kim laughed. "Are you normally all-business, Matt?"

"I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way. Just let me know, I'm sure my sister has my contact information if you'd like to get your writers in touch with me."

Shego frowned. "Matt, just go back and finish your work or something. Don't take advantage of Kim right here and right now."

Matt shrugged. "One has to be ruthless to get what he wants."

"And I want you out of my room. Now."

"Merry Christmas to you too, sis. Hego's got a whole speech for you later tonight. See ya at dinner, Kim." Matt waved and closed the door on his way out.

"He's not that self-centred," said Kim.

"Just wait and see. He has a lot of nerve asking you flat out for your writers..."

"It's not the first time this has happened, I didn't mind much."

"Whatever. Brothers are annoying." Shego lied back down on the bed and Kim followed suit.

Finding her girlfriend's hand, the redhead entwined their fingers and softly said, "No matter how crazy you think your family is, they're pretty unique in their own ways. Mine included."

"I just hope they won't drive you up a wall by the time the week is over," Shego stated bluntly.

"Well, you can be my buffer," said Kim as she brought Shego's hand to her lips.

"And you, mine."

Another knock on the door brought the two women out of their thoughts.

"Girls? It's me," came Marion's voice behind the door.

"Come in, Mom." Shego remained lying down as Kim awkwardly sat up when Marion entered.

"I think Matt won't be around until dinner time," said Marion as she took a seat in Shego's office chair.

"He came in a few minutes ago to say hi," replied Shego. "He has a lot of nerve, asking about whether Kim's journalists can work for him."

"He's just... dedicated to his career," said Marion.

"And only himself," muttered Shego.

"Now, now, Sheridan, I won't have any of this talk today. It's a family day and we'll leave it to that." Marion looked to Kim. "Isn't that right, Kim?"

Kim merely nodded.

"Come on, Sheridan, don't be so grumpy. It's Christmas!" cajoled her mother. "Cheer up and don't let your brothers get to you."

Shego sat up. "All right, all right. If Horace does something stupid that'll upset me during dinner, I can't say I told you so..."

"I'll make sure that he won't, dear. Come on, let's go downstairs, your father wants to talk to you. Kim, would you like to help me in the kitchen? There are some desserts that need decorating."

Kim laughed sheepishly. "I'm not very good in the kitchen..."

"Don't worry, it's really simple stuff," said Marion.

"Ok."

"Sheridan! Come in, come in." Joe beckoned his daughter into his study. "How have you been? You don't call home as much as you did before. Kim's been keeping you busy?"

Shego blushed a little and shook her head. "Work's been busy, that's all."

"I understand you've also been working with Kim for a while too, no?"

"Um, yeah. Betty dealt with most of that. Work is just work."

"And...?"

"And, what?" asked Shego, confused by her father's intent of asking her these questions.

"Come now, Sheridan. You expect me to believe that everything in your life is the same as before, except instead of-"

"Please don't say her name, Dad."

"Well, you and Kim are together now. Are you happier?" Joe put his hands together and stared intently at his daughter.

"I am... A lot happier than I was before."

"Good, good." Joe took off his glasses and ran a hand through his greying hair. "I'm not getting any younger, Sheridan, but at most, I'd like to see all of my children happy before I die."

"Dad! Don't talk like that. You're being such a drama queen."

That earned Shego a chuckle from her father.

"Your mother and I... We worried about you when you moved to Middleton. I know it's not always our business to pry, but when you were left high and dry, we weren't sure whether our little girl would be herself again."

"You make it sound like I turned into stone or something."

"You shut us out, Sherri. We couldn't reach you... And then you up and left."

Noting that her father used a nickname she hadn't heard since high school, Shego answered sternly, "I needed some time and space to myself."

"Family helps heal the wounds, Sherri. You didn't let us in-"

"-I have an idiot brother who told me I got my just desserts by going out with Morgan. Dad, it was six years of my life. My life."

"We do silly things when we're in love."

Shego shook her head. "Dad, I know you liked Morgan... I did too, but it wasn't love... Not for the last few years of the relationship..."

"Then what about now? What makes Kim so different? Do you love her? Does she love you?"

Unashamedly, Shego nodded. "I do, and I know she does. She's just not like the others."

"That's all that I want to hear then. Sherri, your mother and I don't like prying but we just don't want to see you hurt. It hurt us a lot when you pushed us away."

Shego shrugged. "I'm sorry. I thought it'd be best if I got away from Go City for a bit, especially since you know how Horace was after the split. He's... incorrigible in his views. I expect him to have an all-out tirade later during dinner."

Joe sighed. "We'll try to keep it contained. You know how he is."

"Does he not realize that I'm old enough to make my own decisions? Live my own life? I'm not his baby sister anymore. We're all old enough to start our own families, but he just keeps nagging about my lifestyle choices. It's my life, not his."

Joe took one of Shego's hands. "Sherri, he's still entitled to his opinion, whether you like it or not. I know it's been a tough road for you, but just remember that the rest of your family still supports the choices you make. As for Horace, you might be right on his incorrigibility." He laughed sadly. "I really hope he won't ruin Kim's visit. It's been so long since you've been home and I don't want your brother to be the reason why your visit will be cut short."

"Me too, Dad."

"There you go! That's how you do it," said Marion as she finished piping dollops of cream onto the dessert bowls. She had made individual chocolate cakes and was showing Kim how to decorate them nicely. "Kim, have a try. Don't worry about making it look pretty, we'll be putting some frozen berries and chocolate shavings on top."

"Ok," said the redhead as she took the pipette from Marion. "Do you bake often, Marion?"

"I do, all sorts of things... You have a lot of time to kill when you don't have much to edit. Scientific conferences being periodic and all." Marion went to the stove to check on something that was simmering as Kim slowly tried to replicate the older woman's technique. "You know how it's like... you get waves of work and then there are some periods where you really need to pick up new hobbies to pass the time."

"I guess that's where working on a daily newspaper is different... Editing every day is a challenge... so is meeting deadlines for special newsprint editions. Shego told me that you studied theoretical physics in graduate school?"

"Ah, yes, those were the days. Physics and writing were my two loves back in college, well, of course, Joe was too..." Marion laughed. "I'm being silly... Anyway, I had published some conference and journal papers when I was studying, and had developed a love for the language. Writing these refereed pieces really makes one learn sophisticated language - sentence structure, diction, and even pacing. By the time I had finished graduate school, I figured it would be interesting if I helped people edit. I even did a bit of teaching when I had to juggle working with three kids, Shego being the rowdiest of them all."

"Really?"

"Even as a child, she was rather fussy. Just when you'd think she was asleep, she'd just start crying and you'd have to give her your undivided attention. Joe was much better at it than me... Horace and Matt were relatively quiet babies, but Sherri... Oh, Sherri was just a monster."

"A monster, you say?" asked an amused Shego. She had walked in on their conversation and had a smug smile on her face.

"Yes, Sherri, a monster," laughed Marion. "You really didn't like wearing any pants, if I recall. You ran around in a diaper, making your father chase you with clothes so you'd look decent."

"Mom!" The pale woman's cheeks were now pink with embarrassment. "Save the baby stories for later! Not now!"

Kim laughed. "You must've been a very cute baby."

"Oh, she was so cute. I'll show you some photos when we're done." Marion beckoned at Shego. "Come on, Sherri, help me set the table. I think Kim is almost done with dessert. I'll just go and check up on the boys."

When Marion left, Kim had a smug smile on her face.

"So, 'Sherri'?"

Shego shrugged. "Only my parents really call me that... They don't call me 'Shego'... Actually, they don't call any of us by our nicknames."

"Why is that?"

"They just prefer using the names they gave us. It's actually been a while since they've called me 'Sherri'... It's only when they want me to take their side, they used to use it to sweet-talk me."

"And now?"

"To try to keep me from leaving. They really wanted me home this year."

"Oh..." Kim put down the pipette and placed a hand on Shego's shoulder. "If you didn't want-"

Shego shook her head. "It's not this house or the family... It's just so many memories I have of being in Go City are things I don't want to remember." She gave Kim a smile. "But I've decided I'd much rather make new memories with you."

Kim gave Shego a hug and mumbled something that sounded like, "Me too."

Marion smiled. She had silently watched the exchange when she returned from checking up on her sons. As a mother, she understood her daughter's hesitation in visiting Go City for family get-togethers. Morgan had, whether Shego would admit it or not, etched herself into everything Shego saw and did in Go City. She remembered the day that Shego came home fuming with all her belongings and verbally lashed out at her brothers for the silliest of things: Horace not locking the front door and Matthew talking on the phone in the living room. By the time Marion had approached her daughter's room, Shego had thrown more clothes into another suitcase in an angry haze and was about to go before her mother intercepted her.

"Sherri, what's wrong?"

"Everything. Every single fucking thing in my life is going wrong."

Marion overlooked the swearing and gently probed her daughter. "Not everything, you still have us. Your family."

Shego sighed. "Mom, just... don't. I'm not in the mood. I need to get out of here."

"Sherri, whatever happened between you and-"

"Please," exasperated Shego. "Please don't say her name."

Marion nodded and gave Shego's hand a light squeeze. "Sherri, honey, it's not the end of the world."

"I know it isn't." Shego had let go of her mother's hand and was clenching her fists. "I just have never felt so betrayed, my trust violated to who knows fucking where and back."

Marion sat her daughter down on the edge of her bed. "Leaving here won't do anything... Running-"

"I am not running away," seethed Shego.

"Then why do you want to go?"

"I've been in Go City for my entire life. I need to get out of here... I'll stay at Betty's or something."

"Betty's all the way in Middleton, Sherri. What are you going to do in Middleton?"

"She told me she was interested in starting a business... Maybe I'll help her out."

"Sherri, think this through, ok? Stay home for tonight... I think you need to rest before you make any decisions."

"I've made up my mind, Mom. I need to get away from all of this."

"Even... your family?" Marion could not mask the hurt in her voice, but she understood that heartbreak was not something that could heal overnight.

Shego had noted the genuine hurt in her mother's voice, but she nodded anyway. She got up to go, but her mother grabbed her hand.

"Sherri, don't do anything stupid... And call us when you're in Middleton."

Shego nodded and gave her mother a hug.

By the time Joe had come home from work, Shego had arrived in Middleton. He was furious, of course, because she had left without saying goodbye, but he had asked Shego over the phone whether there was anything he could do to help. A sigh was all he got from his daughter, who then explained that Morgan had not only cheated on her, but managed to swindle her out of all their joint possessions. The apartment, the car, and possibly most of their savings had all been transferred to Morgan in the past few months without Shego's knowing. No legal action could really be taken, so Shego just told her dad not to worry. But, worry he did.

It was only until Thanksgiving of that year when Shego reluctantly came home, not wanting to be anywhere near Go City. Her brothers knew better than to aggravate her, but Horace did make remarks that earned him a punch in the face.

Very rarely did Shego lose her temper like that, but Marion understood her daughter's frustration. It was, in part, due to Horace rubbing the truth in Shego's face that Morgan wasn't right for her. Whether it was his intentions to try to convince his sister that homosexuality was wrong, or that he was merely expressing his concern, Shego had overreacted and Marion had scolded her about it.

Now, looking at her daughter and Kim, Marion realised she hadn't seen Shego as happy as she was now when she was with Morgan. Marion watched as Shego smiled at Kim's touch. Her daughter looked like she was finally at peace and that her anger subsided.

She cleared her throat just as Shego and Kim broke the embrace.

"The boys are just fiddling with things and Matt is almost done. I think we can have dinner in half an hour, if that's ok?"

Shego nodded and carried the stack of plates into the dining room.

Marion helped Kim put the desserts into the fridge and simply commented, "Thank you."

"No problem... Is there anything else you'd want me to help with?" asked the redhead.

Marion shook her head. "I think this is all. You've done a good job."

"Ok."

Shego had finished setting the table as Kim walked in, marvelling at the Godeaux's fine china. "Wow, these are great..."

"Some of them are passed down from the family... And some are the result of my mother being bored and wanting to collect china."

Kim continued looking at the cabinets when she noticed a family portrait that was on the wall.

Shego looked like she was in college since the twins were in their preteens. Horace had a serious look on his face, Matt sported a shorter haircut, and the Godeaux parents were smiling in the photo. Shego remained impassive, almost frowning.

Shego stood beside Kim. "This was taken right before I started college... And that was when Horace finally understood that I was going out with girls. Just look at his face... Ha!"

"Why were you frowning?"

Shego shrugged. "Broke up with an ex shortly before high school graduation since we were going to different colleges and things had happened between us. And then Horace gave me crap about my preferences. I'm sure that would make anyone frown, having him nag at you incessantly."

"Actually, both of you didn't want to dress up for this photo," mused Marion as she entered the room. "And, Horace was voicing his opinions an hour prior to this photo session."

"Well, we all know it was Horace's fault anyway," said Shego matter-of-factly. She turned to look at her mother, who was giving her a quizzical look. Abruptly, she said, "I'm going to just take out my contacts... I'll be down in a bit for dinner."

Kim nodded as Shego left, leaving her alone with Marion.

"Come, Kim, let's sit in the living room," gestured Marion. "And talk."

Author's Notes: I admit, I really like Shego being a bit geeky...

Er, really sorry about the lack of updates... Looks like this Christmas arc might actually be posted in time for Christmas? I'll try to update once a month from now on. School's been keeping me busy.

Chapter title is from "Sinking Hearts" by The Organ.