Kim was already in mid-air when she realized that last leg stretch in cheerleading practice had been one too many. She had strained something without knowing it, because she could jump higher and farther than she just had.
Not that she would get a second chance.
Her grappling gun was gone, lost when Ron had accidentally gotten them tangled up. Currently, he was probably still trying to untie them in the underground desert base. Her parachute pack had been used on the way in. and she'd made the mistake of assuming rocket boots would get clogged with sand.
Now as she began her descent, just a bit too far from the other side of the canyon, Kim stretched for all she was worth, trying to extend her leap to the best of her ability.
It didn't work.
Well, not really.
She managed to slam into the other side, the edge of the cliff catching her right in the waist. The air rushed out of her in an instant, and for a few endless seconds, her entire body refused to respond, even as she began to slip over the edge.
Kim's internal alarm system went off, and pure adrenaline forced her arms into action. They flew up entirely of their own accord, her fingers becoming clawed hooks as she drove them into the ground, trying to find purchase in anything. When there was nothing, she scraped desperately at the dirt, getting sand in her face as her struggles became more frantic.
And then she was falling.
Sort of.
She'd only been in freefall for a second, maybe less, when something that felt like steel seized her wrist painfully and yanked her up. Thinking it was Ron, or perhaps one of Wade's field robots, she started to relax.
That was when she raised her eyes to find Shego's furious ones only inches away.
Kim's throat went dry as her mouth worked in silence. Her body was still aching and slightly numb, she couldn't seem to catch her breath, and her arm now felt like it was on fire. She was in no condition to fight off Shego, especially since her feet weren't touching the ground. That last thought took a few seconds to sink in, and it occurred to her that maybe there were some things she hadn't known about Shego before.
“What the HELL were you thinking?” Shego spat.
Kim started to lick her dry lips, realized they were coated in sand, and tried not to think about that. “You were getting away. I-”
“I mean that sad excuse for a jump, Kimmie,” Shego interrupted, shaking her a bit. “I've seen you jump. So what the hell was that?”
Confusion settled firmly into Kim's brain. “Wait. You're…saving me?” she asked.
“I could still drop you,” Shego reminded her with a scowl. “And I'm still waiting on an answer.”
“I strained my leg at school and didn't realize it.”
“So when were you going to? At the bottom?”
Kim closed her eyes, unable to suppress the shudder that ran through her body, or the hot tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes as she pictured Ron finding her broken, bloody body twisted between so many boulders. She had already shamed herself completely in front of Shego, so was adding bawling like a baby to the list really such a big deal anymore?
She didn't notice the uncomfortable look on Shego's face as the woman backed up and made sure they were both on firm ground. Nor did she notice when Shego's glove wiped away the sand caked on her face.
It was kind of hard not to notice, however, when Kim was virtually crushed by the force of a fierce embrace. And when she looked up to ask what the henchwoman thought she was doing, Shego's lips crashed into hers in a rough, passionate kiss.
To say Kim was caught off guard was a huge understatement. Shego's intensity had knocked her for a loop before, but never like this. But then, Shego had never done this before, so that was to be expected.
It took several seconds for Kim's brain to react to the fact that Shego was kissing her. Once it did, though, the aches and numbness were forgotten and ignored in favor of one, overriding instinct: escape.
Shego was expecting that, though, because her arms tightened around Kim just before she could even attempt to break free. Even worse, she deepened the kiss, forcing Kim's lips apart with her own.
Kim chose that moment to aim a kick at Shego's ankle. She was furious by that point, and probably connected without enough force to make most men collapse in pain.
Shego, however, merely broke the kiss, pulled back about an inch, and smirked. “Before you make a bigger fool of yourself, Kimmie, I barely even felt that. Even if you were in top form, you're distracted, to say the least. Now, what's on your mind?”
Kim glared at her. “How dare you! You had no right-”
“Actually, I did,” Shego interrupted coolly. “Silly little girls who nearly get themselves killed should be a lot more grateful when someone saves their lives, don't you think?”
“I didn't ask for your help! I certainly didn't say you could kiss me!”
“I'm not real big on asking, Kimmie. I thought you knew that. Anyway, I would think you'd be glad that you were even alive for me to kiss.”
Kim opened her mouth, and then closed it, realizing Shego was right. Growing red in the face, she looked away. “Thanks,” she muttered.
“For the kiss?” Shego asked airily.
“For saving my life!” Kim snapped.
“Well, we can discuss how you're going to properly thank me for that later.”
“Didn't you already get your payment?” Kim demanded.
Shego laughed softly. “Oh, Kimmie, Kimmie, Kimmie. You obviously know nothing about how we evil types do business.” She leaned in again, planting soft kisses down Kim's neck. “This is just the first installment.”
“Of…how…many?” Kim gasped, ashamed of herself for losing control again so quickly.
“Many,” Shego replied with a wicked grin. “As many as I want. You owe me your life. All of it. Until the day I'm not there to save your cute little butt.”
“No fair,” Kim complained, feeling lightheaded.
“Business rarely is, Kimmie. But look on the bright side. You couldn't possibly have a better health plan. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut, unless I tell you different. And at some point, I definitely will.”
“But I…don't like…girls,” Kim protested lightly.
“Oh, you don't have to,” Shego murmured, nuzzling her neck. “You just have to like me. And since you're not really fighting anymore, I'd say you do.”
Suddenly aware that Shego wasn't trapping her any longer, Kim quickly moved away from her. “I don't!”
Shego shook her head. “You can lie to me, Kimmie, but not to yourself. Maybe you didn't like it at first, but that was then.”
“I won't be your plaything!”
“Of course not. That's demeaning. You'd be a sex toy. Or a sexy toy, if you prefer.”
“I won't!” Kim insisted.
“All those favors you've called in, and you never learned to do one yourself? You owe me, Kimmie. You owe me big. And I always collect. So you can either agree to my terms, or I can just start showing up everywhere you go. I know where you live, I know your security system inside and out, and I'm frequently horny. You really think your bedroom window is going to keep me from what's mine?”
“I AM NOT YOURS!”
“Not yet, you're not. But you will be.” Shego turned to leave. “Think about it for one minute, Kimmie. Your life, for a lifetime of pleasure. It's a good deal. Take it.”
Kim barely ate any of her dinner that night. When her parents kept asking if she was okay, she insisted that she was fine and rushed up to her room. Her brothers only gave her a curious glance as she passed them in the hall, but they wouldn't bother to check on her unless she was still acting strange tomorrow.
And Kim knew all too well she would be. Shego wasn't one to make idle threats, especially not concerning things she wanted.
There was no longer any doubt in Kim's mind that she herself was a thing Shego wanted. But she could no more tell anyone else than she could erase the day's events from her head. She couldn't forget. Something just wouldn't let her. And she had a horrible feeling that it was her own mind not wanting to forget.
Kim wondered if Shego was right. Could she have fought a little harder or a little longer up on the cliff? Was it her body that couldn't cooperate, or her mind that refusing to? Had Shego really been that strong, or had Kim just been that weak?
The questions continued to buzz in Kim's ears as she stared aimlessly out of the window. There was no point in trying to sleep that night, she knew. She would only have nightmares about Shego. Or worse, have a pleasant dream about being Shego's “sexy toy” that one or both of them would enjoy far too much.
Kim groaned in frustration and buried her face in the pillow. This was all her fault, really. If only she hadn't pushed herself, she would've made that jump with ease, Shego never would've saved her (or kissed her), and she wouldn't be lying here right now wondering exactly where Shego was and what she was doing.
Both questions were soon answered as Kim suddenly felt the weight of another body on hers.
“You look surprised to see me, Kimmie,” Shego remarked, stroking Kim's cheek with her pale fingers. “Did you think I was joking about the stalker stuff?”
“How did you get in here?” Kim hissed.
“If you were smart, you'd be asking how long I've been here. Which is a lot longer than you'd think.” Seeing the silent question in Kim's eyes, she grinned. “Let's just say I beat you home.”
“You have to get out of here!”
“I don't, actually. If you're thinking of screaming, go ahead. I'd love to see how you explain the two of us cuddled up in your bed like this.”
Kim's face grew red at the very thought. Her father was always trying to keep the boys away, but definitely not because he preferred her dating girls. And her mother was open-minded about a great deal of things, but Kim knew sleeping with a super villain was…wait…that implied she was choosing to do this. She wasn't. Shego was manipulating her, and she didn't really have a choice. Her parents had raised her to always repay her debts, and she did owe Shego, even considering all the times Shego had tried to take her life.
Only now she was wondering how much of that had been done in the confidence that she would survive somehow. After all, why would Shego kill something she obviously wanted so much?
“So, if you're willing to play nice, I'm willing to take it slow…but only for tonight,” Shego purred in her ear.
“Why did you save me?” Kim asked quietly.
“Isn't it obvious, Kimmie? I like my meat squirming. Thrill of the hunt and all that.”
“The truth, Shego. Why did you save me?”
“Because it would've been stupid for you to die like that, for one thing. It would've been like Abe Lincoln choking on his popcorn before John Wilkes Booth could pop him.”
“So you only did it because you want to kill me yourself?”
“…okay, bad example,” Shego sighed. “Look, if I really wanted you dead, you'd be nothing but bloody sheets right now. You just get in my way a lot, and I get paid to keep people out of my way.”
“You mean out of Drakken's.”
“Same difference. Mostly.”
“So you don't hate me? This isn't about manipulating me because you want to see me lose?”
Shego snickered. “I'm not that transparent, Kimmie. If I hated you, I'd kill you. I'm already manipulating you, and you've already lost. But it's not about that, either.”
“Then why are you doing this? I don't understand.”
“Oh, yes, you do,” Shego said softly in her ear. “You know exactly why. You just can't admit it to yourself. Well, I'm going to spell it out for you and that thick little skull of yours. I'm doing this because I can. And because, more than anything else, I. Want. You.”
“I told you,” Kim whispered after a long moment, “I don't like girls.”
“You don't have a choice here, Kimmie. Besides, I'm not a girl. When I'm done, you won't be either. If I'm ever done, anyway.”
“What does that mean?” Kim asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
“That means that you've never bored me before, and I don't expect you will, now that we've gotten much closer. First of many, remember?”
“Are you…going to hurt me?”
“I could…but no. I've hurt you enough, you know what it feels like.” Shego slipped a hand beneath Kim's nightshirt and dragged her nails down Kim's back. “For a change, I want to hear you scream. Not in pain, but in pleasure. Not here or now, of course. We'll get to that later.”
Kim shuddered as Shego's fingers danced down her spine. “Then why are you here?”
“Because,” Shego said, rolling off of Kim's back and settling down next to her. “You need to get used to sleeping with me. You're going to be doing a lot of that, and we have to get you to lower your guard around me. It'll be tough, but we'll get you through it.”
“But…it'll never work. I still have to fight you.”
“Nope. I'm on extended vacation as of now. Oh, and if Dr. D is smart enough to call here, which I doubt, you never saw me.”
“Shego…I can't do this. I just can't.”
Shego looked at her for a long moment. “Remember when Dr. D put the mind control chip on you?”
“Of course.”
“Remember how he made you dress like me?”
“Yes.”
“Remember how you stashed the suit in your closet?”
“Told you I'd been here a while. Now shut up and go to sleep before I change my mind and smother you.”
“Isn't there another way we could do this?”
“Sure. But I figured both of us stripping and holding each other might be a little fast for you.”
“…night, Shego.”
“Night, Kimmie. And keep those cold feet away from me unless you want a real hot foot.”
The End.
Endnotes: Every once in a while, I turn out a fic where everyone hates the ending. I think this is one of them, because I'm not adding any more. Seriously.