Chapter 61 - Love in Your Own Way
The remainder of the week flew by quickly. Kim had become fast friends with Marion - they had spent two afternoons going over various recipes and cooking techniques as Shego spent time with her father. The Godeaux family had invited Martha over for dinner during their last night in Go City and Kim learned many new things about her girlfriend, much to Shego's embarrassment.
"When Sheridan was five, she claimed that Gally and Fig Newton were her best friends because science was cool," chuckled Martha. "She was just a child, so of course I had to play along."
"Don't forget the time she dressed up as a fig for Hallowe'en," commented Matt. "She honestly thought he looked like a fig! Ha!"
"Your costume wasn't any better," remarked an embarrassed Shego. "What kind of superhero is purple? Honestly, you thought you were going to grow up to be Grapeman!"
"Don't forget bro's outfit... Fighting valiantly for justice and world peace was none other than Hego in a weird blue leotard... Man, do you remember how many laughs we got when we went around trick-or-treating that year?" laughed Matt.
"That was Team Go in our youth," commented Horace. Much to Kim's surprise, he addressed her next. "It was a childhood dream of mine to have my siblings be in a team that fought for justice, but here we are working menial jobs to pay bills. It was fun to make believe for a while."
Kim nodded as Horace continued. It was perhaps the only time he had made an effort to talk to her during her stay.
"Anyway, 'Team Go' was what I called us as children... Of course, Walter and Wallace were too young then, but don't we have a photo album of us in superhero costumes?"
"I believe you do," answered Marion. "You all started dressing up like this when the twins were still babies." She excused herself to find said photo album while Horace continued reminiscing about the past.
"We each had a colour associated to ourselves-"
"Blue for Horace, obviously," said Matt as he ruffled his big brother's hair.
"Purple for Matt," said Horace with a look of disdain on his face. He had styled his hair nicely for the evening and now he looked dishevelled thanks to his brother.
"Green for me," said Shego as she pointed to herself. "It's been my favourite colour since I was a child."
"And somehow, because we're the only ones-"
"-apart from Dad-"
"-with red hair, it's red for us," finished Wallace.
Marion returned with photo albums. "I found them.. This was when the twins were a year old," she said as she handed Kim an album. "And this is when they were about three..." She gave the other to Martha.
Kim chuckled as she flipped through the pictures. "Horace," she asked, "Were you the one who put capes on the twins? It looks like they're dragging blankets around..."
"I did... And overestimated the lengths of the dish towels when I pinned them on their shirts."
"And this one," Martha held up the album for everyone to see. "I'm appalled, Sheridan, are you doing what I think you are?"
Kim took a good look at the picture before she burst out laughing.
"Martha, did you have to point out that picture?" Shego was slightly red from embarrassment.
"It was a picture-perfect moment."
"Picking my nose is not worthy of a photo, dad," sighed Shego. "Nor is it perfect."
"It's perfectly cute," said Kim. "I mean, here you are all dressed up in a cute superhero outfit and the camera captures you at the right moment."
"You're never going to let me live this down, are you?" asked her girlfriend.
The redhead shook her head and Shego sighed.
"Don't forget that time Sheridan knocked over an entire bookshelf in the library," said Martha.
Shego merely groaned.
"What happened?" asked Kim.
"This was when Walter and Wallace were still in diapers, if memory serves me right. The children and their parents had stopped by the library for treats that year and because they were dressed up in their superhero outfits, they had also carried out some less virtuous antics," replied the elderly woman.
Shego shook her head. "It was all Matt and Horace's fault. They took my candy pail and put it high on a shelf... I was, what, maybe nine?"
"Hey! That was only because you tried to trip us as we walked into the library to say hi to Martha," snapped Matt.
Martha held up her hands to get the siblings to stop bickering. "In any case, Sheridan had climbed up the shelf and managed to knock it down... Thankfully no one was hurt and that there weren't many books on the shelf at the time - I was planning to fill it after the children had left..."
"I think I was left with a rather big bruise on my knee," remarked Shego. "And those two," she shot her older brothers a look, "blamed it all on me."
"Sherri, you should be glad we didn't severely freak out or anything at the time," laughed Marion. "I mean, your father and I were worried but, because you always roughhoused with your brothers, we knew you would be all right and come out of it with just a scratch or two."
Shego shook her head. "Why are we telling old stories about me in front of Kim?"
"Because it's fun to-"
"-embarrass you while we can," said Walter.
"You do enough of that when we're in Middleton," sighed Shego. "Now the whole family's ganging up on me."
"Of course," laughed Matt. "Embarrass you before you leave with your girlfriend here. Say, Kim, do you have any embarrassing stories to share about sis?"
The redhead shook her head. "None that I can think of at the moment."
Wallace smirked. "Maybe they're too inappropriate to be told at the dinner table."
"Wallace!" both Horace and Shego exclaimed.
The eldest sibling let his sister go first.
"You two really have got to go out more or something. Jeez."
"No inappropriate conversations will be had - we have guests here," snapped Horace. "Besides, I'm not sure whether I want to hear it. It's just so-"
"Who wants dessert?" interjected Marion as she stood up to clear the table.
"Mom, let me help." Shego shot her brothers a look that could curdle milk and followed her mom into the kitchen.
"Psst," Wallace whispered. "You can tell us, Kim. Shego's not around right now."
"Boys," said Joe sternly. "No fishing for information about your sister."
"Aw, Dad, how often do we get to poke fun at her? We all know she doesn't come home much these days."
"You can bug her about it when you're all back in Middleton," said Joe. "I'm sorry, Martha and Kim, but you know how boys will be boys."
Kim merely chuckled. "It's ok. I have brothers of my own, so I know what it's like."
"Sherri?"
"Yes, mom?"
"I'm glad everything's ok between you and Martha."
"Me too. It's like reconnecting with a long-lost friend again. She didn't have to apologise to me though... Deep down, I forgave her after my relationship with Marlee ended."
Marion put a comforting hand on Shego's shoulder. "Handling the boys ok tonight?"
"They could be worse, but I think they just don't want me to go. I admit, the week wasn't as bad as I hoped... Even Horace doesn't seem to be making jabs at me much."
"I think we all just missed having the real you around, Sherri," murmured Marion as she took out two pies from the oven.
"I guess."
"Kim's brought back a side of you we haven't seen in two years. For that, I'm eternally grateful. I don't want you to grow old and bitter, Sherri, it would do no one any good if you did."
"Mom..."
"I'm happy that you've found happiness again." Marion handed Shego a stack of plates. "I know everything your father and I have said to you might sound cliché but it's the truth. We don't want any of our children, yourself included, to miss out on greater things in life..." She headed towards the kitchen door and murmured, "Like love."
"Miss Possible, can I have a word?"
Kim looked up when Horace entered the living room after dinner. The rest of the family were still in the dining room with Martha. Shego had gone off to her room to make sure they hadn't forgotten to pack anything. Marion had pulled out a stack of photo albums for Kim to peruse during her stay and the redhead was flipping through them when Horace interrupted.
"Sure." To let the older sibling know she gave him her full attention, Kim closed the photo album and put it aside.
Horace paced around first before finally sitting down on the other end of the couch. "I... apologise if I gave you any impression that I dislike you."
"You didn't... You were, how do I put it, just a bit reserved because you didn't know who I was."
"That's one way of putting it," chuckled the blue-haired man. "Believe me, Miss Possible, you are an extraordinary woman. It's just... I never understood my sister's lifestyle preferences - I still don't. I don't understand how two women can be together in... in that way." Noticing that Kim remained impassive, he cleared his throat nervously. "However, during your stay here, I have noticed that my sister appears to be happier than she was back then."
He looked down at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to proceed. Finally, he merely shrugged and sighed. "You have younger siblings of your own, so you should understand what kind of relief it was to see Sheridan laugh again. I may not be the most supportive sibling but I do care about all of them. I just... don't know how to show it."
Kim replied, "I know you care about them-"
"-I haven't been fair to Sheridan all these years, I suppose. I understand if you might feel any bias towards me - my constant disapproval does tend to set her off."
"You just choose to make your disapproval vocal, Horace... which, I might add, is probably not the best way to show that you care about your sister." Kim wasn't exactly sure what Horace was trying to say, but she understood that he was trying to apologize to her about his behaviour... maybe.
"What I wanted to say," Horace mumbled as he made eye contact with Kim, "was that I appreciate the things you've done to make my sister happy."
Kim nodded in response. "I'll continue to do my best to keep that smile on her face."
Horace stood up and offered his hand to Kim. Once again, the grip was firm: Horace was hoping that Kim would keep that promise.
Shego leaned on a wall in the hallway. She had overheard Horace's conversation with Kim and all she could do was smirk.
Turns out big bro's a softie, she thought. I should give him more credit for being a pain in the ass.
"Oh."
Horace had just walked out of the living room and noticed that his sister was standing outside.
"Are you all packed?" he asked. He kept his eyes peeled to the space next to Shego.
"Yeah."
"All right." Horace shifted around, shrugged and then walked back to the dining room.
Shego knocked on the wall when she entered the living room. Kim looked up at her and smiled when Shego sat beside her on the couch.
"Going through more photo albums?"
"You were such a cute kid."
"I'm not cute now?!"
"No." The redhead grinned before kissing her girlfriend on the cheek. "You're drop-dead gorgeous."
"I don't think I want to be that... Because you might drop dead!"
"Now you're just being vain," laughed Kim. "Ok, fine, you're cute and gorgeous. Better?"
"Much better," mumbled Shego before she kissed Kim on the mouth. The kiss started slow but became more passionate before Kim broke it off for air.
"Shego, we're in the living room..."
"Princess, it's not like anyone would walk in right-"
"Oh! There you two are!" said Martha as she stuck her head in from the hallway.
"I spoke too soon," mumbled Shego as Kim chuckled softly.
"Are you all ready to go?" asked Martha.
"Yup, we're good. C'mon, Kimmie, time to stop looking at embarrassing pictures of me."
"I'll ask your mom for copies."
Shego rolled her eyes as Martha laughed. Taking Kim's hand in hers, they headed out into the hallway. The rest of the Godeaux family was waiting for them.
"Do you really have to drive back to Middleton in the dark?" asked Marion. "You could always leave in the morning."
"It's ok, Mom, we have to swing by our apartments to just drop off a few things, so we might as well go now."
"All right. Just drive safe."
"We will," replied Kim. She gave Marion and Martha hugs while she shook hands with the Godeaux men. She nodded at Horace to let him know that she would keep her promise. The action was noticed by Shego as she kissed her parents goodbye.
"I'll have the Middleton Daily's reporters call you about your offer, Matt. But you probably won't hear back until late January," said Kim as she shook the purple-haired man's hand.
"No worries. Just keep my sister in check," he laughed. "Safe travels."
"You too, have a safe flight back to New York."
"I'll see you boys back in Middleton," said Shego as she ruffled the twins' hair. "Don't give Mom and Dad a hard time."
"We'll-"
"-try not to."
Martha pulled Shego aside as the rest of the family (mostly Horace, as instructed by his parents) helped Kim put their luggage in the car trunk.
"Now, Sheridan, I hope to hear from you once in a while... And not through your mother."
"Ok, I'll call you as soon as we're back from Paris."
"Take care of Kim, but most of all, yourself too."
"I will," replied Shego as she hugged her friend. "Don't overwork yourself, Martha."
"If you don't, I won't" was the older woman's response.
Shego grinned.
"I'll drive tonight," said Kim as Shego was about to approach the driver's door. "You drove most of the trip when we came over."
"Ok. Just let me know when you want me to take over."
"Sure."
Kim looked over to the passenger seat. Shego had fallen asleep shortly after they left Go City. The redhead replayed the conversation she had with Horace in her head as she drove. She had wondered whether she should tell Shego about what was said, but perhaps it was for the best that she didn't to let her girlfriend find out about Horace's true feelings on her own.
Kim braked as the brake lights of the car in front turned on. As the car slowed, she turned to look at Shego again. The woman had rolled to her side while buckled in and had a peaceful look on her face. Kim gently stroked Shego's cheek and tucked back a stray strand of hair. A small smile formed on Shego's face when Kim removed her hand to steady the steering wheel.
"Shego, Shego, wake up." Kim gently shook her girlfriend. After driving for two hours, she figured it was time for a rest stop.
"Mmm, give me five more minutes, Kimmie," groaned Shego. "I don't want to go to school."
Kim's hearty laugh was loud enough to make Shego crack open her eyes.
"Huh? Oh... It's still night time."
"Apparently you thought it was time to go to school."
Shego laughed and shrugged. "My mom would used to wake me for school... I'm not sure why I thought it was time for school... It's been more than ten years since I had to go to school... So, bathroom break?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want me to take over with driving?"
Kim shook her head. "I should be good. We've only got another hour or so until we reach Middleton."
"Ok. Are you planning to head to your apartment first?"
"It's closer to my parents', so would that be ok?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
Shego stepped out of the car and shuddered. It was just below freezing and it was starting to snow again. The light dusting of snow illuminated the three streetlights in the rest area.
"Come 'ere," the older woman said as her girlfriend exited the car.
Kim shuffled her way over and laced fingers with Shego.
"Getting a bit colder now... I wonder what the weather will be like in Paris," Shego mused as they walked towards the service centre.
"Might be just the same or colder."
"I guess we should pack a bit more warm clothes for Paris then." Shego blew out a puff of air and saw that she could see a wisp of white in the dark. "You cold, Kimmie?"
The redhead shook her head.
It took them another twenty paces to reach indoors. There was a lone person manning the information booth who nodded at them in acknowledgement as they passed by him for the bathrooms.
"Do you have to call your parents?" asked Shego as Kim exited the highway.
Kim shrugged sheepishly and said, "I told them we'd be coming over tomorrow morning last I called... I was kind of hoping we'd have a night to ourselves, instead of being surrounded by family every day."
Shego grinned. "A night to ourselves, eh? It's too bad it's almost bedtime. Or is that a good thing, hmm?" She pretended to think really hard on the matter before Kim shook her head in amusement.
"I guess it's sort of childish of me... I haven't had a holiday or break in a while that I could spend with someone I'd want to be with." She turned left onto the familiar street. "The past two years was just me going home for Christmas dinner because my parents asked and then the next day I'd be back in the office."
"I know what you mean... Just going through the motions and not really enjoying yourself." Shego patted Kim's hand on the gearshift. "It's not childish, not at all."
"Thanks, Shego," murmured Kim as she pulled the car into the apartment garage. "Come on, let's get everything inside and maybe we can do laundry or something."
Shego smirked. "Or something."
"Shego... I didn't mean that."
"I know, I was just teasing. Though, the last time was-"
"-We were merely conducting an experiment on the soundproof quality of your room when you had the grand idea to-"
"-There's no harm in having a little fun every now and then," laughed Shego as she helped Kim with their bags.
"I know, I know," replied Kim as she entered the apartment. Placing their luggage aside, Kim proceeded to put down their presents near the tiny tree on the coffee table. Kim had purchased it a few days before Christmas since Shego had commented that their apartments were lacking with Christmas decorations, even though they would be away from their apartments for most of the holiday season. The redhead had managed to swing by a hardware store and found two of these miniature trees.
Upon receiving one for decorating her apartment, Shego merely shrugged at her girlfriend and stated that it didn't matter to her about decorating her own apartment. The redhead had managed to give the older woman a look and, before she knew it, Shego had put the tree in her living room.
Shego watched the redhead place the (opened) presents near the tiny tree. Kim was about to unpack their luggage when she realised her girlfriend was watching her.
"What?"
"Nothing... Just watching you work and be cute at the same time."
"How was that cute?!"
"I don't know... It's past Christmas and you're still putting the presents, which have been opened by the way, under the tree."
Kim shrugged. "I usually leave them there until it's past New Year's... Unless it's food or perishables."
"I just found it cute, that's all."
"You find a lot of things I do cute... That in itself is cute," said Kim as she watched Shego's cheeks flush.
"Say, how's Bonnie holding down the fort?"
"I called her earlier during the week to let her know about Matt's offer and she said she'll talk to our writers for me."
"Ok."
"Otherwise, it's been pretty quiet. At least her husband understands. Junior knows I haven't had a vacation in years, so he was fine with not having to stay at Señor Senior Senior's island this year."
"I can't believe they have an island..."
"It's been passed down from generations."
"Still..." Shego took some clothes out of her suitcase and followed Kim to the laundry room. "Say, what would you do if you had an island?"
Kim took Shego's pile and began sorting out the whites and coloured items. "I don't know... Maybe that'd happen when I retire or something." She tossed in some fabric softener and the pile of clothes. "I'm not sure... I've been so used to working that it'd be pretty boring on an island without something to do."
"And someone to do."
Whack. Kim used a clean towel and gently hit Shego on the head.
"Ow!"
"Sheridan Godeaux! Really, is that all you think about?"
"Kimberly Ann Possible! You're stuck here in the laundry room alone with me! What else am I supposed to think about when you're clearly showcasing yourself to me in just a tank and shorts?!"
The redhead laughed. "You could say the same about yourself, Shego. You're just wearing one of my oversized shirts with your soccer mom pants while I help you do your laundry."
"They're not soccer mom pants! They're just sweats... And you might as well since we have all of our stuff here."
"Same thing to me."
"I'm no soccer mom! I doubt I could ever be half the mom my mom is." Shego crossed her arms in amusement and playfully glared at Kim.
"Well, do you want kids in the future?" asked the redhead.
Shego stared at Kim. "Do you want kids?"
"I asked you first."
"Oh, come on, Kim. Why are we having this conversation?"
"Just want to know what you think."
"Now?!"
"Why not?" Kim crossed her arms and looked at Shego apprehensively.
Shego sighed. "I'm not mom material. I mean, I like kids, don't get me wrong, but I probably can't handle them... now."
"Ok."
"What about you?"
"I would say the same, but I actually used to babysit during high school, so I know how, uh, annoying children can get."
"Ok... Gosh, Kim, this is just one really awkward conversation... We're talking about kids already and we're not even six months in."
"I... was merely wondering what you thought, that's all."
"Ok." Shego rubbed the back of her neck and wasn't sure what to do next. Kim was blocking the door, so running away from a responsibility-loaded conversation was perhaps not the best idea.
"Sorry."
"Huh?"
"For discussing something that made you uncomfortable."
"It just caught me by surprise, that's all."
"It just made everything awkward... I like the pace we're going, so..."
"Come here, you." Kim suddenly felt Shego's arms around her. "Communication is key in a relationship and, whether the subject matter was awkward or not, we were still communicating and getting things across to one another." The redhead felt Shego kiss the top of her head to let her know everything was ok.
The redhead gave into the embrace and hugged Shego back.
"Let's get to bed, hmm?"
"Sure." Kim let Shego lead her to her bedroom - it was, after all, their only night alone together after a week and she knew Shego wouldn't let it go to waste.
"Shego."
No answer.
"Shego."
Silence.
"Shego!"
The pale woman in bed groaned as she cracked open her eyes. Her entire body was sore after last night.
Man, I really got to watch what I say to Kim in bed, Shego thought. I clearly asked for it when I challenged her last night to bring her best.
"Shego, are you up yet?"
The woman in question rolled over to her side to see Kim giving her a smug look from the doorway.
"Too sore? You did ask for me to bring it. And I brought it up a notch," laughed the redhead. "Come on, I made breakfast."
"You made breakfast? You had stuff in your fridge? You sure it's edible?"
"Oh, come on, Shego! You make it sound like I keep poison in my fridge or something." Kim sat on the edge of the bed and watched Shego struggle with getting up.
"How on earth did you manage to get out of bed?"
"I'm younger and more fabulous-mmmm?!"
Shego managed to sneak an arm around Kim's waist and dragged the redhead on the bed. They stared at each other intently for a moment before Shego leaned in close.
"You know, you should really watch your back when I challenge you. I'm full of surprises," Shego breathily whispered in Kim's ear. "It just sucks right now though since you're dressed."
She kissed Kim on the mouth before slowly getting out of bed to change. Kim sat on the bed dumbfounded for a minute before asking, "You're not showering?"
"Don't you want me to eat breakfast first before it gets cold?" asked Shego as scooped up her underwear from the floor and put back on Kim's oversized t-shirt.
"Ah, yes, please do."
"Then I'll shower after... Share?"
Kim nodded. She, too, was sore from last night's 'activities', but she wasn't going to let Shego be satisfied knowing that.
"C'mon, time to eat," said Shego as she tugged on Kim's hand to let the redhead know she was going to the living room.
"Impressive," said Shego as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "You've made good progress since... When was the last time you cooked something for me?"
Kim shrugged. "Was it the time I made chicken pot pies?"
"You mean that time we nearly burnt them because I was being-"
"-Yeah, and it wasn't entirely your fault."
"I guess it might've been then? But, Kim, this was really good."
"Thanks, your mom's a really good teacher... She was really patient with me when I was helping out with breakfast."
Shego nodded. "I guess it won't be super embarrassing when we have that private lesson with Chef Morimoto."
Kim pretended to pout at the remark. "When are we having that lesson?"
Shego shrugged. "I think he's still touring but I think he'll be in Paris the same time we'll be... I'll have to call my mom for his contact info if that's the case. Learning to cook fancy food in a fancy city... That should be fun."
"Ah, ok." Kim motioned to clean the table and took their plates to the kitchen sink.
Shego grabbed the sponge and started scrubbing. "What time is your family expecting us?"
"I told my mom that we'll be by for lunch, so we've got," Kim looked at the kitchen clock, "another three hours or so."
"Ok. Is there anything else you need to do, except for laundry, before we head over?"
Kim shook her head as Shego handed her the now clean plates to dry. "Just shower, that's all."
"All right. We'll take a three-hour shower then."
"Shego!"
"What? I'm trying to make good use of our time!"
"By taking a three hour shower?"
"Yes," replied the older woman as she scooped up the redhead and headed to the master bathroom.
(They ended up taking four hours and just made it to lunch. When asked about their tardiness, Shego merely responded with "Kim blew up the kitchen making breakfast, so we were having a 'scrub down' for a few hours", which earned her a thump to the back of the head when the Doctors Possible were not looking.)
Author's Notes: Talking about kids?! I had to throw that in.
Also, Shego in a fig costume... It's cute. I might have to draw that, I came up with that randomly.
Horace isn't that much of an ass, is he?
Happy New Year! I am going through a bout of bronchitis (or maybe pneumonia, I don't know for certain), so I am posting this update earlier than I wanted to.
Chapter title is from "UZA" by AKB48, using lyric translations by wingom on LiveJournal.