{A/N: No disclaimer this time; I think y'all got of by this point. :) }
*5.) Special Night*
Elizabeth had fallen asleep shortly before the puppet show had ended, so the two women decided to grab a quick snack before calling 'family time' - as they both secretly thought of it - done and getting ready for the not-quite-date later. Naturally, they find an ice cream vendor and Rayne orders mint chocolate chip while Kim gets a bubblegum and strawberry double scoop. The pale woman raised an eyebrow at the smaller woman, who had already devoured half of the strawberry scoop topping it.
"Whut?" Kim asked, pausing in her task with her tongue touching the ice cream.
"You're too cute," Rayne told her with a smile, causing Kim to blush. "Just where did it go? You've only had that jumbo-sized cone for, like, three seconds and half the strawberry is gone."
Kim's blush deepened and seemed to spread, which Rayne knew would undoubtedly end up in a full-body blush if she kept going.
"I . . . I don't get to have ice cream much," the redhead quietly replied.
"It's no big," the taller woman said, when she noticed Kim about to offer an explanation. "Gotta look out for our little princess, right?"
"Our?" Kim asked, catching the pronoun at the same time the pale-skinned woman did. Both of them blushed.
"I-I meant . . . your," Rayne lamely corrected herself.
"No you didn't," the redhead retorted in a sing-song voice, making her date blush even more.
"I-I did," was the weakly insistent reply.
"It's okay," Kim told her, patting the other's arm. "A bit too soon, though, since you haven't even proposed yet." That statement caused Rayne to choke on the ice cream cone in her mouth. Laughing, Kim carefully but firmly patted the older woman's back until she'd managed to stop.
"Not . . . funny . . . Princess . . . at all," she panted, trying to get her breath back.
"Choking isn't," the redhead agreed. "But choking on an ice cream cone because of what I said is." She let her chuckles fade away and sighed. "I'm glad you didn't stay away, Shego. I haven't felt this . . . this happy in a couple of years."
"You could've been this happy all the time if I hadn't left," Rayne replied, feeling guilty.
"That's in the past, okay?" Kim said reassuringly. "What's important is that you're here now." She smiled and added, "Now, let's drop me and Elizabeth at my apartment so I can call Stephanie and we can all get ready for tonight."
"Your wish is my command, Princess," Rayne said playfully, making a mocking bow.
TLP
Kim had just wrapped a towel around her torso when she heard a knock at her front door. Knowing it was still too early for Rayne to be there, she guessed it was Stephanie. Sighing, as her friend was earlier than she should've been, the redhead made sure the towel was secure around her (and that her hair wasn't dripping too much), she went to the door and let the blonde into the apartment.
"You look hot, Kane," she said, smirking.
"Shut up, Steph," Kim replied, heading back to the bathroom.
"Bite me, Kane."
"Did that already, you wimp," floated down the hall. Stephanie winced, because she remembered when the redhead actually HAD bitten her at her request; she'd gone celibate for a week.
"So, um, do I still call you 'Kane' now, or what?" the older woman asked, pitching her voice loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to wake the sleeping Elizabeth. "You know, since I know your secret identity and all."
"I'd prefer to be Kay Anne for now," Kim replied, going from the bathroom to her bedroom. She'd blow dried her hair and used a straightener as she wanted to do something different and special for tonight. Now that she'd accomplished that, it was time to go through her small and kinda plain wardrobe for something that would be 'date worthy.' "But . . . in private, like this, you can call me Kim."
"No problem . . . Kim," Stephanie agreed. "This is a big step for you, isn't it? And I don't just mean going on a date for the first time since I've known you, either."
"More than you know," Kim whispered to herself. It was so the drama; after all, not only was she going on a date, she was going on a date with the woman she loved who'd also broken her heart a couple of years ago. She was really nervous about this; apprehensive, too. She had had a really good time earlier, and honestly hadn't been that happy and at ease since the day Shego (Rayne!) had left her. What lessened the anxiety and fear the redhead felt was how the superpowered woman had interacted with her daughter. The plasma wielder had treated Elizabeth as though the little four-month-old was her own daughter instead of someone else's child. She didn't act or even seem like she was annoyed or disappointed or in any way negative about Kim's daughter; of course, THAT was obvious since she'd been the one to suggest all three spending the morning together. Kim didn't want to have her heart broken again, but she couldn't help feeling hope swell within her heart, as well as an irresistible urge to trust the pale woman.
'I can't go on avoiding things,' she thought. 'Sooner or later, I HAVE to open myself up to someone. And, really, there's only been one person I've ever truly trusted that much.' Nodding decisively, with a small smile gracing her lips, she reached into the back of her tiny closet and pulled out something she hadn't worn in more than three years.
An hour later, there was another knock at the door. Stephanie, of course, answered it as she was entertaining Elizabeth and Kim was trying to finish getting ready. When the blonde opened the door and saw Rayne.
"Hot damn!" she exclaimed, once she'd picked her jaw up off the floor. The pale woman was wearing a VERY figure-flattering pantsuit consisting of black pants with dark green pinstripes, a dark green top with black pinstripes, and a white shirt underneath it all. She also had a dark green tie on that wasn't tight around her neck but wasn't too loose, either. Her hair was done up in a high ponytail in the back, with a pair of 'wings' framing her face.
"Too much?" Rayne asked, a bit nervous.
"Oh, hell no," Stephanie protested. "You're absolutely delicious!" That remark caused Shego to blush heavily.
"Is Rayne here?" Kim called out.
"No, but a drop-dead gorgeous badass is!" the pale woman yelled back.
"Let me know when Rayne gets here, then!" Kim retorted; Rayne's expression made Stephanie burst out into laughter. A few minutes later Kim walked into the living room and both older women felt their jaws drop through the floor. Though an LBD was always stunning, what Kim looked like in one moved to a divine level. She hadn't grown too much from when she'd first bought the dress, so it still fit almost like it had back then; though now it showed a bit more cleavage than it was intended to. In addition to the little black dress, Kim wore a pair of tasteful black heels with ribbon straps that went halfway up her calves, and a dark green choker with a small green emerald hanging from it. She had a light green jacket that looked mid-thigh length draped over one arm.
"What are you two staring at?" Kim asked, breaking the spell the other two seemed to be under.
"A goddess," Rayne replied, making the redhead blush.
"Yeah, what she said," Stephanie agreed, her brain still not quite working again. Rayne stepped forward and held out a single red rose.
"This is for you," the pale woman said unnecessarily. "I, um, wanted to do white and all, but I-I thought that would be going too fast."
"It's perfect, Rayne," Kim reassured her, taking the flower. She looked over at her friend. "I, um, don't know when we'll be back so-"
"Don't worry, Kim," the blonde reassured her. "We'll be fine. You two go and have a good time."
Kim nodded, thankful to have such an amazing friend, and slipped her arm through Rayne's as the taller woman guided her out the door.
TLP
Shego glanced over at Kim as she drove towards the restaurant she'd selected for their date. The redhead seemed nervous, really nervous, and she could understand that completely; she was nervous herself. After all, in spite of this morning, it had been two years since they'd seen each other and their parting hadn't been on any terms at all and had apparently broken (or at least wounded) the redhead's spirit and heart. The retired villainess truly did love the former globe-trotting hero, and wanted to do right by her now, as well as make up for what she'd done. The raven-haired woman took a slow, deep breath and let it out before speaking.
"Relax, Kimmie," she said gently. "I won't bite."
"That's what you told me a few months after we'd started having sex," Kim reminded her. "I woke up the next afternoon with three deep love bites; TWO of them in plain sight on my neck!"
"Oh, yeah," Rayne mumbled, her expression sheepish. "Well, I promise not to do it at all tonight. No bad behavior; tonight, I want to treat you like the princess I see you as." That fervent desire, stated so gently, coaxed a blush to Kim's cheeks, and proved to her (again) what she was starting to realize was true: Shego (Rayne!) had really changed and truly did love her.
"You know," the redhead said quietly, after a few moments of comfortable silence, "I believe that my daughter really likes you."
"Really?" the pale woman asked, unable to hide her surprise at that. "Wh-What makes you think that?"
"She didn't cry at all around you," Kim told her. "It took her about a week to get used to Stephanie; Elizabeth didn't actually cry like you'd expect a baby that young to, but she would have silent cries and would actually get the hiccups because of it."
"Wow," Rayne said softly. Now that Kim had brought it up, she realized the redhead was right. "But why? I mean, she's . . . what? Four months?"
"Maybe she can sense what I know," the redhead replied. "That you're a wonderful, loving, and amazing woman."
"I'm trying to be, anyway," the green-tinted woman mumbled.
"You are," Kim insisted, patting the older woman's arm. "You just . . . needed some time to figure it out for yourself."
"You're pretty cute when you're understanding," Rayne told her, making her blush. "Hey, we're here," she added. Kim looked out of the car and saw that they were pulling up to one of the most exclusive restaurants in Seattle.
"Rayne . . . I-I can't afford this," Kim said, her anxiety coming back.
"Who the hell said you were paying for anything tonight?" Rayne asked, feeling a bit insulted; like she'd EVER make (or even allow!) Kim pay for anything on a date.
"Well," the redhead began, "I just thought-"
"No, you didn't," the pale woman interrupted, stopping in front of the doors as a valet began moving towards them. "You're MY princess, and when I take you out, I'M paying, you're enjoying."
As much as she wanted to insist otherwise, Kim was overwhelmed by the other woman's words. Plus, the valet's arrival curtailed that particular discussion. As the man drove away to park the car and Rayne led the way into the restaurant, the redhead decided not to argue anymore that night and just go with the flow.
TLP
The dinner was utterly fantastic as far as both women were concerned. While both had ordered dishes and desserts they each liked, neither really remembered what they'd eaten. The food wasn't important, not to them; the person they were with was all that mattered. The past, especially Kim's for the past couple of years, was left alone; their conversation was filled with talk about music interests, favorite movies, and other similar subjects. Kim admitted to having not practiced her martial arts or cheerleading since vanishing, and Rayne explained about her job. She admitted the irony of an ex-thief running a security service, which Kim had thought was funny (as the older woman had intended). Kim had confessed that she was having a rough time of it, telling her date that it was getting harder and harder for her to earn enough money to pay for her apartment without sacrificing time with her daughter; it was hard enough to spend the time that working two jobs demanded.
"I'd like to help you, Kim," Rayne told her. "I left you, that first night I showed up, all the information you needed to use one of my accounts."
"You did?" Kim was surprised by that, as she hadn't noticed the paper.
"I should've guessed you would've missed it," the raven-haired woman replied wryly, prompting a blush from the other. "If you wanted to keep working, I wouldn't stop you; hell, I'd help you get working at something you actually WANT to do if you wanted."
"I . . ." Kim's response trailed off. Rayne raised an eyebrow, which prompted the redhead to continue. "I want to go to college," she went on. "I'm not sure what I want to study, anymore, so I'd have to figure that out again."
"I'll cover it," Rayne told her. Kim's shocked expression asked the question. "Whatever your major, whatever the school, I'll pay for it. I'll even babysit while you're in classes."
"I-I can't ask that," the redhead said.
"I'm not asking," the older woman put in. "I'm telling you. If you want to quit your jobs to go back to school, and study whatever, I'll pay for it."
"Rayne . . . " Kim was finding this all hard to believe.
"I ran away when you really needed me, Kim. I can never make up for that. So, if you'll let me, I will be here for you now, for as long as you want me."
TLP
After dinner, Rayne drove them to the same park they'd gone to earlier. Her original plan was to take Kim to a movie, but that didn't seem romantic enough for her so she changed it to a walk in the park during sunset. Kim found it as romantic as the older woman had hoped it would be, and neither felt the need to talk. Though they didn't want the night to end, Rayne decided they were calling it a night; she knew that while Kim was enjoying herself completely and totally, she was beginning to miss her daughter. Kim, naturally, protested the 'early' end of their date, but not too hard.
As they headed back to the redhead's apartment, Rayne sensed a different mood come over her princess. It felt heavy, difficult. That was confirmed when Kim asked her to stay for awhile once they got there. After they walked into the apartment and Stephanie told them how Elizabeth had done and that she had just laid her down, the blonde pestered them for details about their date. Kim promised to tell her all about it tomorrow, and the other woman left. The redhead led the way to her pathetic-looking couch and the two sat down. A moment of silence passed before Rayne said, "Okay, Princess. Something's on your mind, now out with it."
"Blunt and straight to the point," Kim said with a brittle laugh. Then she looked at the woman she loved. "I had an amazing time tonight, Rayne. It was so unbelievable that I feel as though it was a dream." She sighed heavily. "But you've been so patient, even though I can tell you're deliberately reigning in your curiosity, that I don't want to hold it back anymore."
"Kim, if you're not ready to tell me then don't," the pale woman told her. "I'm not going to force it out of you, no matter how much I want to know."
"You're going to know," the redhead replied. "I want there to be an 'us' again, Rayne. I didn't realize just how much I truly missed 'us' until tonight. For that to happen, you . . . you need to know what happened to me after you left.'
"Alright," Rayne agreed. "I can't - and won't - argue with that." She took a deep breath and let it out in a long huff. "So. What happened? How did you, THE Kim Possible, and up a single mother in a shitty-ass apartment all the way in Seattle with absolutely no one knowing what happened to you?"
"Well," Kim said, "it's kind of a cliché way to start, but it all started two years ago . . . . ."
{E/N: And it's finally coming! The moment you've all been waiting for! In the next chapter, we flash back to two years ago, and learn just what happened to Kim a month after Shego's mysterious and then-explanationless disappearance.}