Kim cracked an eyelid, taking in her surroundings. Booyah; this was most definitely not Mongolia. She…was in a hospital room. The window was open and a warm breeze was billowing through, giving the room a summery feel. After fighting in the snowy mountains of Asia…oh that breeze felt GOOD! And someone was lying on top of her. Lying before her was…not Shego? Kim cracked another eyelid and even in her slightly dazed state she could recognize Betty's head lying down on the bed.
"Bet…Betty?" Kim breathed, reaching over to touch her friend on the forehead.
Betty stirred and opened her eyes. It took a moment but Betty's mind put two and two together, shooting up and pulling Kim into a bear hug. "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou…THANK YOU! Shego!"
Kim's wife quickly burst into the room, holding two cups of coffee and smiled at the scene before her. "Hey sleepy head," Shego sat the cups down and marched over and planted a kiss on her wife's lips. "You gave us all quite a scare."
"But…what happened to…?"
"The killer high school cheerleader?" Shego sat down next to Kim and snuggled up close. "Last I saw her, Anya Reznov had put three in her chest, one in the head, prompting Rockwaller to attempt a swan dive out of her office window. I knew," Shego hugged her tight. "I knew that my warrior princess wouldn't go quietly into that good night. You were like a Jedi out there!"
"What's my prognosis?" Kim felt so comfortable with her wife's arms around her, so totally secure. If only this feeling could last forever.
"Nothing serious," Shego explained. "Jim was right and you did have a cracked rib. The cuts from the fight weren't too bad but the one on your shoulder needed stitches. For the most part, it was just simple exhaustion. Now," Shego got up from the bed, snagged a cup of coffee, and made a move towards the door. "There's a whole host of people that will tar and feather me if I don't tell them you're awake."
The door closed, leaving Kim and Betty in the room alone.
"Kim…I…"
For the first time, Kim noticed the tremendous emotion in Betty's eyes. Was that…Betty's eyes practically shouted shame at the top of their lungs.
"I…I'm so sorry. This…this is all my fault."
That one statement struck Kim like a hammer. These two had been through so much together and had viewed each other with such an equal respect. Betty…Betty truly knew the responsibility of command, of sending her forces into battle and in that battle, they may not return. Betty never took loss lightly. But in looking in her eyes right then, Kim could see such a self-loathing that it nearly made her burst into tears.
"Betty, I…oh God Betty; how can you think that? Nothing could be further from the truth! You…you and Shego got me out. You saved Jim."
"But Gracie…"
"Gracie was following my orders and therefore what befell her falls on me, not you."
"I…Kim…you, Shego, the girls and Nicky…you…you are the only…well, you're the closest thing to family that I have left. If anything were to happen, if I bore the responsibility…"
"Which you don't," Kim reminded, holding her friend's face in her hands. "Betty, I've known Bonnie Rockwaller for more years than I care to remember. And in that time...the only plausible outcome was for her to become the monster that I fought back in the mountain. She's always been a sociopath, a high functioning one but a sociopath nonetheless. And as far as Jindal…well the enemy closest to you is the hardest to see. You…I know you'd do anything for me or my family and rest assured, we will always be there to reply in kind."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
Anne pulled the sedan to a halt and smiled as Mary Stewart helped Gracie out of the car. The trio had gone straight to the video store after lunch and all of the videos Gracie and her friend had selected met with Anne's complete approval. Their little boyfriends…God it didn't seem right that Gracie already had a boyfriend…were otherwise occupied today and both girls assured Anne that all the inappropriate stuff would've been their fault. Anne hefted up the groceries for the girls' snacks from the trunk.
"So what should we watch first?" Mary inquired, dropping the bag of movies next to her friend whom she'd situated comfortably on the couch. "The Blades of Tir Na Nog? Or the pulse pounding heart-stopping action of none other than Benedict Cumberbatch as The Fearless Ferret?"
Ah, the magic of best friends; Anne could remember so many of those times in her own youth. Anne had just gotten Shego's recipe book and started thumbing through the pages to find the recipe for garlic kale chips when the house phone rang. Abby had taken the twins and Nicky over to a friend's house, wanting to give Gracie and Mary the house to themselves. The girls had just decided on where to start their movie marathon, popping the disk in the player, so Anne snaked the cordless in the kitchen.
"Possible Residence," Anne replied as she emptied the kale into the sink and began rinsing it off.
"Mom…it's Shego."
Oh thank Goodness; she finally had some news! The girls' eyes were riveted to the screen so Anne ducked past them and headed up the stairs to Kim and Shego's room. Shego had told them that they'd launched the rescue two days ago. Locking the door behind her, Anne put the phone back to her ear.
"Thank goodness Shego," Anne breathed in relief. "Were you able to find them?"
"Our little bubble butt is sleeping quietly right next to me," Anne couldn't help but snort at the use of Kim's little nickname. "Jim's okay, Kim has a cracked rib and a few cuts but…they're fine Mom. They're all fine!"
Anne's heart leapt at those words. Her babies…her babies were once again safe and would be coming home! "Oh Shego, that's wonderful! Wait just a minute. I think I know someone who needs to know this more than I do." Anne unlocked the door and rant to the balcony overlooking the living room. "Gracie sweetie," Gracie looked up from the movie. "Your Momma's on the phone."
Much to the chagrin of the physician in Anne, Gracie shot off of the couch like she'd been fired from a cannon. Darting up the stars, Gracie snatched the phone and plastered it to her ear.
"Momma," Gracie gasped. "Momma, did you find her? Is Mom okay?"
"Your mother is sleeping soundly," Shego happily replied. "She's sleeping soundly and we will be home…ALL of us…in three days."
Mom…Mom was…okay! She…she'd been taken and…YESSSSSSS! Gracie felt like she was the happiest person in the world! She…she had to tell Mom that she loved her and…and…tears started flowing like a river as Gracie turned and wrapped her arms around her grandma.
"Shego," Anne sighted into the mouthpiece, taking the phone from Gracie. "We'll be waiting at the gate for you."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we've begun our descent into Middleton PA."
The last two days had been a whirlwind of activity for the Possibles. As soon as the doctors had cleared her, Kim, Ron, Shego, Betty, and Jim were whisked back to the Ft. Durango for a tele-conference with Will Du. He and his subordinates had been interrogating Corin Jindal with a passion. This whole ordeal had started 8 months ago with a prison break at GJ's maximum security facility. The whole thing had been a ruse to get Bonnie out. Gunfire had been exchanged and Jindal's betrayal had begun by altering the records to list Bonnie Rockwaller as one of the prisoners that were killed in the whole affair. It still wasn't clear whether the mech suits had been the target or just a red herring to get Jim and Kim. More than likely, they'd never know the answer.
"It's been a long time since we've had to take a commercial flight," Kim laughed, downing the last dregs of her champagne glass. "I guess we're going to be doing a lot more if it for a while."
Shego let out a chuckle and finished her own glass. "Man, I've been spoiling you princess. We're sitting in first class with great champagne and all you can think about is our own private craft." Shego leaned over and planted a wet kiss on Kim's cheek. "Can you imagine the looks on the faces of the insurance company when I call them tomorrow with the report?"
There had still been more to do, especially at the newly captured base site. A few of the SWC commandos had been awe struck seeing Kim and Shego together. Betty had informed them that the South Korean PM, apparently a very good friend of Betty's, had invited them to dinner at the Capital Residence in two weeks. In the meantime though, Kim and Shego had been given strict orders by Betty to go home and to leave the rest of the work to her and the scrub teams. For once, Kim didn't need to be told twice.
"Well…it may not be as 'private' as the hovercraft," Kim leaned in and whispered into Shego's ear. "But on the next trip, what say we," Kim ran her hand up Shego's inner thigh. "What say we renew our Mile High Club membership?"
Kim felt a shier go down her wife's leg. Kim could already tell that tomorrow…ooohhhh, Shego wouldn't be able to walk afterwards. And by God, Shego Possible was actually blushing!
"Kim, you're…incorrigible," Shego giggled. "What's with you right now?"
"Well I always thought this was a perfectly normal emotion," Kim took a nibble at her wife's earlobe. "For when a spouse gets out of prison."
The pair was able to wrangle in their affections by the time the plane hit the tarmac. Both met up with Ron and Jim at the security checkpoint and walked together into the terminal. "Oh," Shego had put her hand in her pocket and realized she'd completely forgotten Kimmie's surprise. "I completely spaced. Kimmie, close your eyes and hold out your hands. I've got a surprise."
"The last time I said that to her," Jim laughed. "She wound up with a frog."
Even with her eyes closed, Kim lashed out and flicked her little brother squarely on the forehead. Kim returned her hands to their original position and waited patiently. Shego pulled her hand out and placed something metallic into her right palm.
"Now you can open Princess."
Kim's open and her breath caught in her throat. "Shego…my…how did…?"
"Well," Shego began, grinning ear to ear in light of her wife's joyous expression. "On the way back to Sydney from the hospital, I got a call from the salvage crew onsite of the hovercraft wreckage. They'd recovered the luggage compartment and one of the crew managed to find your hand bag, which of course contained your engagement ring. I…I simply just asked him to ship the ring to the base and…here we all are."
Kim squealed with glee and wrapped herself around her wife and showered her with kisses. "You…kiss…are…smooch…the best…smooch…wife…kiss…in the world!"
"Alright, let's go you two," Ron smiled as he guided the entangled pair towards the terminal. "The welcoming committee's getting a little antsy."
"It's a flipping pattern with them," Jim growled as the group moved on.
They were bid goodbye by the TSA agents and marched into the commons, the smell of soft pretzels, cinnamon rolls, and the like wafting towards them. The Middleton Airport was a hive of activity but Kim always already feeling supremely good to be home.
"Over here!"
Kim turned and was greeted by a truly wonderful sight. Standing there was the whole gang. There was Daddy holding Nicky, Mom and Abby were each holding one of the twins. Andrea was seated in a nearby seat, doing her best to get up. And there was Gracie. Mother and daughter locked eyes for only the briefest of moments but it had been more than enough. She was moving slower due to her injuries but Gracie did her best to run towards Kim, prompting Kim to close the distance faster.
As Kim wrapped her arms around her eldest daughter, she couldn't help but notice the tears streaming down Gracie's pale cheeks.
"Shhhhh," Kim soothed, running her fingers down Gracie's hair like when she was little. "Everything's okay now muffin. Everything's going to be okay now. Your uncle and I are just fine."
"I…sob…I'm so…sorry Mom," Gracie heaved, holding Kim so tightly Kim was worried for Gracie's shoulder. "I…sob…I should never…sob…have left…"
"Shhhhh," Kim began rubbing Gracie's back. "You did the right thing sweetie. It's all going to be okay. I love you so much and I will always love you."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
"Wow Mom; you guys look like you're ready for some fun."
Kim savored the compliment as she did her little catwalk routine down the stairs. Her purple blouse had definitely been the way to go. And the cream colored pants were a nice touch. The centerpiece though had been her favorite emerald necklace that Shego had gotten her all those years ago. Shego meanwhile had selected her cream colored dress with the tan trim The flats Kim had gotten her for Christmas complimented the ensemble nicely.
"You look super pretty Mommy," Zoe complimented as the pair reached the bottom.
"Thank you sweetie," Kim smiled and planted a kiss on her daughter's head as thanks for the compliment.
"AHEM," Shego coughed.
"You look great too Momma," Gracie sighed, putting down her copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that she'd been reading to the twins.
"Yeah, hubba hubba," Emily replied.
"Ha…thank you Emily," Shego laughed, patting Emily on the head as she passed by. "You two promise to be good for Gracie?"
"Eh, I can handle these knuckleheads," Gracie bragged, grabbing her sisters in a playful headlock. "When are you guys going to be back?"
"We'll try to be back around 11," Kim replied, making one last check of her hair in the mirror next to the door. "I know tomorrow's a Saturday but try not to stay up too late. There's money on the fridge for you to order in, nothing bad please, and if there are any problems, Abby has her cell phone and will come straight home."
"I keep telling you Princess, you just can't improve on perfection," Shego breathed, pulling Kim towards the door. "Now come ON! We're going to be late meeting Betty and her boyfriend."
"I still can't believe it," Kim replied once they were in the car and on the road, headed towards the Lotus Blades.
"Can't believe what Kimmie?"
"What do you think? That we're going on a double date with Betty of all people," Kim laughed. "I mean, I always assumed she'd dated but…somehow it always seemed like…I don't know."
Shego's memory of hers and Betty's conversation on the jet still brought a pang of guilt and shame. Betty assured her it was fine but Shego still felt terrible about it. It was most definitely Betty's choice on whether or not she'd share with Kim; Shego could give her friend at least that much for all that she'd done for Shego's family.
"Hey, she's a successful woman," Shego replied, her free hand snaking out and clasping Kim's. "But all the success in the world doesn't mean a thing if you've got no one to share it with."
Wow…that sure was a gem. Not for the first time, Kim thought about how different her life would've been had it not been for that fateful day. If not for that day, they never would've had Gracie or the twins, they never would've adopted Nicky, Abby and Seamus…Kim and Shego wouldn't have shared so much, both good and bad. "Shego Possible…have I told you lately how much I love you?"
The pair got a corner booth at The Lotus Blades, specifically requesting one where they had a good view of the door, and sat down to order drinks while they waited for Betty. Kim had gotten only a few sips into her glass of Piesporter when she spotted Betty enter with her date. Immediately Kim was struck by her good friend. Rarely had Kim ever seen Betty in anything that wasn't practical when it came to her job…but damn if she couldn't pull off that little black dress like a champ. She was sporting a stylish pixie cut and she'd even elected to go "commando" as her friends jokingly called it, electing to go without her eye patch and using her glass eye that she used for hearings and diplomatic functions. Betty cleaned up pretty darn good. She was absolute picture of elegance and class. And her date wasn't too bad either. Tom Van Dyke looked to be around Betty's own age with streaks of grey in his brown hair and…wow! If they could every replicate Project Cradle, allowing to men to conceive and turned it over to Ralph Lauren and Josh Brolin…that baby would have to grow into that! Not at all hard to see what Betty saw in him.
Kim and Shego waved to the pair and stood as Betty and Tom draped their coats over their chairs.
"I'm so glad we could do this," Betty cheerily hugged Kim and Shego and gestured towards her guest of honor. "Shego, Kim, this is Tom. Tom, these are my friends Kim and Shego Possible."
Tom looked as if he'd been expecting this, mentally preparing himself so to speak, but actually experiencing it was another matter entirely. He tentatively shook each of their hands and ushered Betty into her seat.
The man's a gentleman. That's one point in his favor, Kim thought with a smile. "Well Betty sure wasn't exaggerating. You are cute."
"Uh…thank…thank you," Tom stuttered. "So…uh…I guess…let the interrogation commence."
"Oh it's nothing like that," Kim assured, taking another sip of her wine.
"Here," Shego smirked as she slid one of the empty water glasses towards Tom. "It's for your urine sample."
"SHEGO," Kim barked, elbowing her in the ribs while at the same time loving the scarlet that painted Tom's cheeks. "I'm so sorry Tom. You'll have to forgive my wife's sense of humor. It's…a bit of an acquired taste."
"So is fine wine," Shego smiled, raising her wine glass. "Don't worry Tom. Betty likes you…and that means I do too."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
Sir Montgomery Fiske, better known to his adversaries as Monkey Fist, marched into the cave, flanked by two of his simian warriors. He was unaccustomed to a meeting request in such a manner. He'd been safely ensconced…or so he thought, in the Bornean Rainforest overseeing his force's excavation of a new dig site when out of nowhere, an unmarked aerial vehicle fired a message canister directly at his feet. Had he not immediately ordered his forces to battle stations, honor and nobility would've compelled him to commend the pilot on such a fine shot. Who could've sent the pilot? Better than that, who could've RECRUITED such a pilot? Should he find the opportunity, Monty would be quite interested in offering the mystery pilot. Surely he could pay better than Drakken or the Senior.
Known only to a few, The Council Chamber, located deep within the Cascade Mountains, had existed for close to thirty years. As Monty entered the main chamber, he saw that all the members of the Council were already present. His old friend Amy Hall, better known as DNAmy, was nursing a cup of cocoa while chatting with Drakken. With the way things had been transpiring of late, Monty wouldn't be surprised to see something blossom between the two. Good for them. Duff Killigan and the elder Senior were sharing a brandy from the bar. He couldn't help but notice Heinrich Dementor's absence. Eh, they were far better off without him. Each of those gathered here was a villain and proudly so. But the express purpose of the Council was to draw and hold the line between evil and…just plain monstrous. If only Monty and the Seniors been able to get there in time, they might have been able to keep Heinrich from launching that damnable attack on Montreal. The fool had made no secret of his plan to…Kim and Shego were the bane of their existence but to deliberately attempt to kill Shego in cold blood was…just without honor…and Heinrich got exactly what he deserved. Had Monty himself been there, he'd have handed Kim Possible the gun himself.
"Who requested the meeting?" Monty inquired, heading towards the bar and pouring himself a cognac.
"Why Monty sweetie, we thought you were the one who called it," Amy replied, tearing her eyes away from Drakken.
"It most certainly was NOT me," Monty shot back. This was bizarre…and a little unsettling. Professional courtesy prevented any of the council from acting against each other but…
"I called the meeting."
Monty knew that voice only too well. Deftly setting his cognac on the antique table, Monty swung around, stepping into a fighting stance, facing the black clad intruder. The intruder lifted their hood and flowing ebony locks framed the face of Shego Possible. It had been several years since their last encounter and even though he was primed for a fight, he had to congratulate his opponent on her lithe figure over the years. Shego had always been a woman of extraordinary discipline. Monty heard a terrified squawk behind him. And that would be Drakken, the spineless fool.
"WAAAAAAHHHHHH," He wailed, leaping behind the couch. "I DIDN'T DO IT SHEGO! I DIDN'T DO IT! PLEASE!"
"Oh Draky-Poo," Amy cooed, looking behind the couch. "Stop being such a silly-billy."
"Ach, but he's right," Duff mumbled. "Shego, we've nae touched yer bairns. What's the idee?"
"I'm here under truce," Shego raised her hands and slowly began moving towards the table. "I give you my word that none of you have anything to fear from me today. I…Kim and I…need to show you something."
"Don't take your eyes off her," Monty barked in simian to his minions. It would've been Shego who brought them here. She was the only one outside of the council who even knew about their meeting…wait a moment…Shego knew about this place! She'd always known about this place since signing on with Drakken…and the Council had never thought to relocate after Shego's falling in with Possible. Had Shego been so inclined…Good God; she and Global Justice could've snatched them all without even a struggle. But…she didn't…at least not yet.
"What is it Shego?"
The former villain slowly drew a pin drive and inserted it into the main projector. The image was of a WEE facility if Monty hadn't missed his guess. Indeed it was, when Gemini appeared on screen with someone he didn't recognize.
"I want Possible's HEAD," The new person, a woman, barked. "If this will give me that chance to end that bitch, you've got your Agent Epsilon."
"Good," Sheldon replied. "Good; together you and I will do great evil together. And if in the process, you were to bring down that redheaded…whatever you need to do, I give you my full support!"
The projection disappeared. "Now every one of you," Shego continued. "Every one of you present would never issue an order like that. Raul," Shego gestured at Senior. "You pay for the medical care of any innocent bystander harmed in one of your operations. And Amy, you hardwire the protection of children into all of your creatures. And you Monty, you will NOT attack an opponent with their back turned. And Drew…" Shego glanced towards the whimpering blue lump hiding under the couch. "Oh for Heaven's sake, would you get out of there? I'm NOT going to hurt you!"
Shego proceeded to explain the events that had transpired in the last two weeks. Amy had gushed at the revelation that Kim and Shego were renewing their wedding vows, ever the romantic. But the mood became much more somber at upon hearing Shego's daughter had been shot down and Kim Possible and her brother had been captured.
"Bonnie Rockwaller had been arrogant enough to record her conversation with Kim," Shego brought up another clip, this of Agent Epsilon's office with Kim Possible held to a chair. "I was able to dig this out of their files when GJ took the base."
This Bonnie Rockwaller began her speech and…Monty had to fight off the urge to lash out at the hologram. This…this…CREATURE…spoke of skinning Possible's brother alive. She…she actually SPOKE of turning Shego's daughter over to be…to be…DAMN her! DAMN that monster! How…how could Sheldon have…have allowed her such…why didn't he stop her? As Kim Possible managed to free herself, Monty actually found himself silently cheering his nemesis as she quickly managed to get the better of Rockwaller and smiled as Possible thrust the sword through her opponent's chest. When the clip concluded, the room was as silent as the grave.
"Madre de Dios," Senior breathed.
"Now…I know I have no right to ask this of you," Shego sighed, pocketing the portable hard drive and looked at all assembled. "We stand on opposite sides now and we always will. I've found a happiness that I thought I'd never see and…on any other day, I'd arrest every one of you without a second thought. But…"
"Shego," Shego needed no more words. They had to do something about this. Of that, Monty was absolutely sure. Whether Sheldon had deliberately facilitated these events or it was simple incompetence, failing to control his subordinates, Sheldon would face their judgment and their wrath. "You don't have to say anymore. We may not be able to stop him but we can make it quite difficult for him. Please go with our thanks. I will see to it that you return to Middleton safely and unharmed. And I wish your daughter a speedy recovery."
"Aye Shego," Duff agreed. "Yer lass be a wiry one. She be on her feet in nae time."
"I'll send her a special pandaroo as a get well present," Amy promised.
Author's Notes:
Like my pen name suggests, I'm an optimist. I'm a firm believer in honor amongst enemies. Richard the Lionheart had nothing but respect for Saladin. I really like the idea of a ruling council that keeps villains from going too far, sort of maintains their humanity.