Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, any of the other characters from that show, or those from any other media I may reference in my stories.

I'd like to thank Feudor and Screaming Phoenix for reviewing the last chapter, and those who did the same for all previous ones.

Jen Paladin would certainly not have been happy about being 'behind' Kim and Shego, if she had been aware of it as a fact. That it was a possibility had occurred to her, and she chafed at every delay in getting on the trail of those responsible for Milly Whitlock's fate. Currently that entailed waiting for a call from the most reliable source of information they had in the Go City area. And more importantly, most discreet.

She and Samantha McCarron sat in a Bueno Nacho just outside the city limits, each working on a Naco Grande platter. Chewing a mouthful of the main course, Sam noted the familiar signs of frustration in her lover. "Really wishing you hadn't involved Kim Possible?" She asked after swallowing.

Jen's scowl just deepened. "Not like I had a choice!" She growled in frustration. "It was either her, or let the Sister deliver the ashes herself, in which case Shego would probably have found out everything that girl said before she died, and we'd be trying to head off a bloodbath!"

"You think Shego would have gotten it all from the Sister?" Sam asked before biting into her Naco again.

"I don't think Shego would have hurt her, if that's what you mean." Jen replied, "But she would at least have found out that it started in Go City, and that would have been enough to set Shego loose on the trail." She looked out at the parking lot glumly. "Not as if we could have gone to Isle Drakkon and delivered the ashes ourselves, too much chance of Shego misinterpreting our intent. No, it had to be Kim, someone both the Sister, and Shego in her own way, would trust!"

Sam nodded her agreement while sipping at her soda. "And then we had to get someone we trusted on the hunt for the other girls from Go City Milly was sure were somewhere down there." She sighed. "But, we're basing all this on the testimony of a person who might justifiably be considered no longer sane, after all that happened to her. That's why I'm not expecting quick action from the FBI, or Global Justice."

"GJ needs more than the testimony, but the FBI should move quickly, if not with enough people initially." Jen opined. "And we need to know how far to trust the GCPD. If Milly was right, and the people who attended those shows are connected, then they might have protection. From what I've heard, the Police here aren't particularly corrupt when it comes to criminals, but when politics or people of influence are involved, watch out!" She looked at her watch. "Come on, where are you!" She muttered. "We need this info, but I want to get to the orphanage and ask questions before the Bureau does! And hopefully find no sign that Kim Possible and/or Shego are ahead of us."

"Amen...and are you going to eat that, or not?"

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Even distracted by her problems, Kim had no trouble spotting Mrs Kenneally, who was apparently waiting for her. It occurred to the teen that the Wegos had been sent to locate her and bring her back to meet the woman, but they had not had time to tell Kim.

The woman was polite and curious, but withheld any questions until they were in her office, a small one with one small window, with iron grillwork on the outside. "One more thing to make the place look like a prison." Kim thought. Truthfully, though, Kim doubted the grillwork was more then decorative. It just didn't seem strong to her, and she had a little experience in such things.

Mrs Kenneally's voice brought her out of her musings with a start, cheeks reddening slightly as she wondered if she'd been rude. "Since I doubt this is a social visit to our establishment, I assume this has something to do with Anastasia Black, who you might better know as Shego?" The woman's voice was carefully neutral.

Kim hesitated before replying. "She's involved, yes, for her own personal reasons, but this actually is about a girl named Millicent Whitlock."

The woman blinked, then her brow furrowed in confusion. "Milly? Whatever would...I can see how Ana might be involved, they were inseparable for four years, until Milly was adopted, but how would such a matter concern you?"

Kim decided to be completely honest with Mrs Kenneally. "Ironically, I'm trusting you in telling you all this because Shego said that while she never liked you, she says you can be trusted."

The look of consternation on Mrs Kenneally's face neared that of outright shock. Her mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before she clamped it shut and put her thoughts in order. Finally she said "Ana says you can trust me? I was assuming that you were involved in this to stop her from doing something criminal, yet it sounds like you're working with her?"

"Actually, it's both." Kim replied, "Milly made a last request that Shego not ruin her own life trying to..." Kim winced at the renewed look of shock on the woman's face, she hadn't meant to reveal Milly's death to her this way. "..avenge her." She finished quietly.

Mrs Kenneally looked thoroughly stunned by Kim's words. Unless she was a great actress, she not only knew nothing of what had happened, but was completely surprised anything could have happened. So Kim assumed she had been under the impression that Milly was in fact living happily with her adopted family, or at least that nothing had been wrong with the adoption.

"That didn't come out the way I meant it too, I'm sorry." Kim told her sincerely.

Mrs Kenneally gave an abrupt nod of acknowledgment, but took a little longer to find words. "I am stunned, of course, but also alarmed that whatever caused Milly's death brought you here. My only guess would be that you suspect her adopted family, and want to learn their identities. But I cannot give you that information, it would have to be subpoenaed by the police."

Kim's expression became grim as she replied. "Whatever information you gave me would be false, anyway, Ma'am. Before dying, Milly told the Sisters that there never was a family in St. Louis. She was still in Go City for three to four years after her supposed 'adoption'. And when the man who had her grew tired of her, he sold her to a...a brothel, overseas." Kim herself had to make an effort to maintain eye contact, or at least keep her eyes on the woman to gauge her reaction. The results were painful for the girl to watch.

It took several minutes for Mrs Kenneally to compose herself and speak again. "By what you say, this was some sort of white slavery ring that had Milly?" Her voice was steady, but very subdued.

"That's what I've been lead to believe, by reliable people." Kim replied.

Mrs Kenneally nodded slowly, keeping her gaze on Kim, though it seemed slightly unfocused. "And why are you here carrying out this inquiry, instead of the police?"

"Actually, you should expect other inquiries, Ma'am." Kim responded honestly, "I'm actually surprised that we got here first, I was hoping that one of the other interested parties had already been to see you. There's a private inquiry by the people who found Milly, and they were going to let the FBI know about it as well."

One of Mrs Kenneally's eyes twitched slightly at the mention of the FBI, and her gaze dropped slightly. "And 'we' is you and Ana, quite a curious thing...oh, I think I see. You can't stop her from pursuing this, so you're hoping by accompanying her to prevent her...killing someone, is that it?"

Kim found herself blushing slightly, and wasn't sure why. There was a slight stammer in her reply. "I—I don't think she'd kill anyone, exactly, but she might let her temper get the better of her, yes."

Mrs Kenneally studied her for a moment dubiously. "I'm afraid I don't share your trust, if that's what it is, regarding Ana. There are some things that bring out a passion in her I can't describe as 'under control'. With regard to Milly, Ana may not be too rational at all." She pursed her lips in thought, then nodded, more to herself then Kim. "Let me tell you a few things about Ana's life here."

Kim barely kept herself from squirming uncomfortably. Not only was this subject not helping them get to the people responsible, but the longer she was delayed, the more likely Shego was to forget their agreement and go off on her own. And the girl also had to admit to a recent disinclination to learn anything new about her foe that showed how human she really was, an attitude that Kim herself was somewhat ashamed of. "Is it that I want to think of her as a monster?" She wondered. But she kept her inner thoughts off her face as she listened raptly to Mrs Kenneally.

"As you obviously know, the children here lack many things a family could give them. Privacy being one." Mrs Kenneally interlaced her fingers and held her hands slightly off the desk top as she spoke. "The younger ones live in dormitories, of which we have four, two for each gender. To date, there's never been an overcrowding problem. As they get older, they move into smaller rooms, which hold four or two children. But never a private room. When Ana was ten, she was lucky enough to get one of the two-bed rooms. And some of the children began to think 'lucky' applied to Ana, but not to her own benefit."

She smiled faintly at Kim's curious look. "You see, whoever roomed with her seemed to end up being adopted fairly quickly. And that was true, four straight roommates adopted within a month to three months of sharing Ana's room."

"But not Ana herself, obviously." Kim said softly.

Mrs Kenneally's face lost expression. "No, not Ana. She wasn't a very attractive child, to be frank. Neither was Milly, but both began to blossom in their early teens. Finally getting some orthodontic work done on them both helped. But I'm getting ahead of myself! Ana saw all those roommates adopted, and it was hard on her. She sublimated it by concentrating on taking care of Frankie and Teddy, which she'd been doing ever since Martha Waring got her involved. But she barely interacted with other children at all. And then came Milly."

"She stayed around a while." Kim surmised. "Orthodontic work? Did Shego wear braces?" She kept a straight face despite the amusing thought.

Mrs Kenneally nodded. "Almost three years. Not sure how long it took Milly to break through Ana's shell, but she did, and they became fast friends." Her face clouded over as she reminisced. "It helped Ana weather Mrs Waring's death, which shook her up badly. And then she began putting together her little 'family'."

Now Kim's brow furrowed. "I'm afraid I don't understand?"

"Ah, well...Ana saw Martha as her protector, her mother figure. The twins were a handful when young, let me tell you, getting into all kinds of mischief, and inviting the wrath of some of the other children. So Ana made friends with Henry Day, the biggest boy in the place, even though not the oldest."

"Hego."

That brought a fleeting smile and a nod. "Yes, 'Hego'. He was big, kind, and unassuming, and unlikely to get the wrong idea about Ana's friendliness. And even though he was mild-mannered, no one wanted to mess with him." She paused thoughtfully. "I never understood why she drew Warren, or Mego if you prefer, into their little group. Milly may have suggested that, but somehow I think Ana did it for some reason of her own."

Kim could only shrug in reply, she had no idea what might have gone through Shego's mind back then. If she ever had truly understood the woman at all.

"Milly 'blossomed' before Ana." Mrs Kenneally continued, "Practically as soon as her braces were out, she suddenly began to fill out enough to attract plenty of male attention." Then the woman frowned. "And that's when her adoption occurred, or according to you, something entirely different."

Kim couldn't help the pang of sympathy she now felt for both Shego and the woman she was talking to, for different reasons. "And Ana was left behind again." Kim said, and not as a question, but a statement. She felt mixed feelings about letting the conversation continue on this course. On one hand, she had to admit she was fascinated by the story now. On the other hand, she needed to get on to the part about Milly's so-called adoption, to give her a trail to follow. On the third hand...she was supposed to be keeping Shego from reaching the bad guys first, and from what Kim could tell, the two of them were currently leading the hunt.

But again, the delay might make Shego renege on their agreement and go off to try and find the trail on her own. She might lack a specific target, but Kim feared that she might have a list of likely suspects, and no patience to ascertain their guilt before resorting to violence. So she reluctantly decided to steer the conversation back to the circumstances of the adoption, and what had been unusual about it.

"A man named William Frailey began arranging adoptions outside the normal system. At first, there was just the one, he said, a couple that didn't want to go through the normal system, but for valid and understandable reasons. Then came more, two or three a year. I objected, so did Martha, but Bill Frailey has been a benefactor to this institution for nearly two decades, first with just labor..he's a general contractor, or was then, he's much more now! Then he helped buy athletic equipment, entertainment, many things as he became more prosperous."

"So someone approved of the adoptions, and overruled you?" Kim guessed.

That drew a grim nod. "The Board of Directors backed him unanimously, and that was that! And when Martha died, there was just me objecting. Mainly to not meeting the adopting couples myself, though the documentation supplied by Bill Frailey was impressive. But some Board members occasionally vouched for the adopting family, so another objection was overruled." She paused, frowning as she concentrated. "I believe Milly was the eighth or ninth child adopted in that fashion. She was fourteen, by our reckoning. She'd been with us for five years, transferred from another facility that lost funding."

"I suppose if all the children adopted that way were all of a type, you'd have been suspicious, so there must have been some variety in them?"

"Oh my, yes!" Mrs Kenneally firmly acknowledged, "Though admittedly about two-thirds of them were girls, that's not unusual. Girls are adopted a little more frequently then boys, in my experience. Age-wise, they varied from...eight to fifteen, going on my memory."

"When was the most recent?" Kim asked.

"Ah! Well, there have been none in almost a full year, actually." Mrs Kenneally informed her, "Two things brought an end..or at least a suspension, in these adoptions. First, there was a change on the Board of Directors. The new member was Marianne Keith, Colonel, United States Marine Corps, retired. And as soon as she heard about these irregular adoptions, she objected strenuously enough that they've been stopped. Though Will Frailey still says he knows people around the country who'd like to adopt, he hasn't budged the Colonel to this point."

Kim nodded in approval. "And what was the second thing?"

A scowl of distaste crossed Mrs Kenneally's face. "Thomas Frailey, William's nephew. He also began to 'help' around here. Not as good as his uncle with repairs, but he was a cheerful presence and raised no objections...until I caught him and one of the girls involved in a sexual act." She shook her head grimly. "It turns out she was hardly the first, other girls came forward once the secret was out, they'd been afraid to before. He never forced them to do it, you understand, but he did use threats when some girls became jealous when his attentions went elsewhere."

Kim's face reflected equal distaste. "And if one of them became pregnant, I wonder what he would have done? So that..." She noticed Mrs Kenneally having sudden trouble making eye contact. "What did I say?"

The woman shook her head, obviously embarrassed. "Nothing...it's just that...well, there was no chance of pregnancy occurring due to the act in question, he never had actual...intercourse with them."

Kim blinked, then her cheeks colored. "Oh..." She said softly. Then she shook her head vigorously. "Anyway, his nephew's behavior damaged William Frailey's reputation around here?"

"Well, it was certainly embarrassing to him!" Mrs Kenneally acknowledged, "He was all apologies, of course...Miss Possible, to be honest, The only thing about Will Frailey that has ever struck me odd has been these adoptions. Other then them, I think highly of him. He has done a lot of good here, there's no disputing that!"

Kim took a moment deciding on her next question. "You say he's been helping for 20 years?" Mrs Kenneally nodded. "And the adoptions began when?"

"Twelve years ago." Was the reply.

Kim pondered that a moment. "She—Ana is about 24 now, so Milly's adoption was how many years ago?"

"Almost exactly a decade, I think..." Mrs Kenneally swiveled in her seat and began to use her desktop computer. "Ah, here we are! March, and no, it was just nine years ago. Then it was at the end of that June that Team Go was 'born'. After Milly left, Ana focused on her little family. Then that was all thrown into chaos by that so-called 'comet'!"

Kim scowled as she assembled facts in her head. "Then if something Ana told me, that she was fourteen when that happened...she's only 23 now. Did you actually see the comet?"

Mrs Kenneally snorted and nodded. "I was there to keep an eye on those five in the treehouse. Henry built it, with help from Warren and Ana. The twins were only six, not that much help. And Henry built it well, make no mistake about that. You see, unlike the other four in that group, Henry has parents he can remember. He was eight or nine when he was orphaned, he remembered helping his father build things. So he planned the treehouse carefully in advance. And of course insisted that only those who helped build it would use it first. Later others could. Mind you, he was a little old himself for a treehouse, he said he built it for the twins more than anyone, but you've met Hego, you know he got a kick out of it as well."

Kim smiled and nodded agreement. "I also know he's a lot smarter then people think, it's just application of intelligence where he falls short."

"That sums it up nicely. Did you know that he recently earned a college degree in accounting?" Mrs Kenneally smiled at Kim's surprised look. "It's fairly ironic that your friend depicts Henry managing a fast-food franchise, because a certain chain has offered him a job in their financial department. Of course, he'll only take it if he can stay in Go City, and continue Team Go." Her look became solemn as she continued. "He wanted to be a hero, because a hero could have saved his parents, he thinks. He wasn't there, and the Fire Department didn't arrive in time...maybe in other circumstances they might have survived. Not that I object to this as a motivation to be heroic, you understand."

"I understand." Kim replied, glancing at her watch. Mrs Kenneally understood the gesture immediately. She rose and gestured to the door. "We can talk a little as I walk you out, the children should be occupied elsewhere."

"Firstly, the 'comet'." She said to Kim as they exited the office, "As I said, I was watching out for the five of them, afraid the treehouse might come apart around them, especially with Henry's weight in it. The object Henry calls a comet appeared out over the bay, and was traveling erratically when I first saw it. Including horizontal movement, which precluded it being a comet, meteor, or other falling object. Then it suddenly straightened it's course, save for a slight wobble as it flew, straight to the treehouse. It halted just short of hitting them, hovered for maybe twenty, thirty seconds, then exploded."

She frowned slightly. "I have to admit, the first person to run to the wreckage of the treehouse was Tom Frailey. But...he disappeared after pulling some of the wreckage away, not sure where he went. But in any event, the object was not a natural body, I'm sure of that."

They came to the main entrance, Mrs Kenneally holding the door for Kim as they stepped outside. "On the subject of Tom Frailey, I asked a friend on the police force to keep track of him. You see, I haven't given up the idea of pressing charges against him. He's currently employed at a garage called 'Porsky's Auto Repair'. And hanging out in a bar named the Bolts Hole. Not the best part of town to be wandering in, but you can take care of yourself, I'm sure." She said the last with a smile that didn't mask the concern in her eyes.

Kim nodded, then shook hands with the woman. "I'll be all right, Thanks Very much for your help. You should be having other visitors investigating this situation, hopefully not too far behind us. Maybe I can stall things enough for them to get ahead, I think it'll work out better all around."

Mrs Kenneally scowled and shook her head. "It would, but knowing Ana, 'stalling' her won't work. Even as a child, she saw that for what it was, and it wasn't simple impatience. Her instincts are pretty sharp, always have been." She trailed of thoughtfully. "You know, I forgot to mention, we got a Christmas card from Milly, the holiday after she left. Some of the other orphans who were adopted that way sent letters or cards as well. I sent the card to Ana, who was a Ward of the City by then. I never heard back from her whether she got it."

"I'll ask, maybe Milly left some kind of message...which, if Shego missed it then, will make her feel even more guilty, now! That could be so the drama!" Kim grimaced, "But, I have to tell her, even all this time later, it could still be important."

Mrs Kenneally nodded solemnly. "Your decision. I wish you luck, Miss Possible."

Kim wondered if there was enough luck in the world to help in this situation. As she reached the street in front of the orphanage, she scanned the opposite side of the street. And then again. There was no sign of a blue Mustang, and she began to worry. She looked back at the orphanage, and saw Mrs Kenneally just going back inside. Then a sudden roar, and rush of air, betokened the arrival of Shego.

"Get in, you took your sweet time, Kimmie!" The woman snapped at her from the driver's seat. Kim scowled, but quickly entered the vehicle. Shego predictably burned rubber pulling away, before Kim could even begin to put her seatbelt on.

Km concentrated on buckling in, ignoring the obvious tension in the other seat. And again predictably, Shego lost patience quickly. "Well? Did you find out who we're looking for?"

Kim shot her an angry look, then became thoughtful. "Yeah, I know where we need to go." She told the thief, "But first I need to know more about the past, Shego. There may be an answer or two as to how to find these people for sure."

Shego sent her an angry glare, then subsided and concentrated on steering them through traffic. Raindrops began to splash on the windshield. Finally she spoke, tone haughty. "So, Princess, you want a history lesson? Well, that's what you're going to get!"

I've already deviated in some slight respects from the story this is a prequel to, and not sure how I'll eventually fix that.

Sorry for the long delay between chapters, I'm still not sure about how I wrote Kim's conversation with Mrs Kenneally.

For now, Please Read and Review.