Kim was on her feet, her surprise and anger evident. “You can't be serious. You want me… to work with Shego? You have got to be insane!”
Dr. Director's expression went a little hard, her eyes narrowing. “I understand this is a difficult situation, but I do not feel insults are an appropriate avenue in this situation.”
Kim backed down a bit, standing upright. “I'm sorry, I am, but you can't honestly expect me to work with this… this woman. I mean, how many times has she tried to kill me in the past.”
The smile had not faded a bit from Shego's face as she just shrugged. “I was just doing my job, getting paid, just like any other working stiff. Besides, it was Drakken who put you in most of those death traps. If I had wanted to kill you, I could have done it any number of times.”
Kim just gave a wry laugh as she turned her attention to Shego. “You couldn't have killed me on your best day, or are you forgetting who always kicked your skanky butt.”
Now the smile dropped from Shego's face. “Skanky? Says the ice princess here. Tell me, did you at least give the buffoon here a piece before you dropped him like a stone?”
Kim's eyes went wide, and her hands clenched into fists. “Why you…” Kim started to move past the table to get to the green-hued villainess, but Ron was on his feet in an instant, blocking her way. “Come on KP, she's not worth it. She's just trying to get your goat… you know, why is that an expression anyways? Who'd WANT to get someone's goat?”
Shego couldn't help but laugh as she sank back into her seat. “Good to know the buffoon is still good at distractions, that's a good one.”
Now Michelle was on her feet, her eyes flaring in anger. “I let the first buffoon comment go earlier, but if you say so much as one more word about my fiancee, I WILL come over there and kick your ass, and Ron knows better then to get in my way when I get this pissed.”
Shego cast an appreciative glance over at Ron. “Fiancee huh? Traded up I see. Notice you have a thing for strong women, might have to give you a go myself, just to see what this is all about.”
“Shego, that is ENOUGH!” Dr. Director was on her feet, glaring acroos the table at Shego. “You behaviour is not appreciated here.”
Shego just raised an eyebrow at that. “Kimmie started it.”
“What are you, five?” Dr. Director leaned forward, planting her hands on the table. “Just remember, your current situation can be revoked VERY quickly, especially since Miss Possible will essentially be serving as your parole officer as well. On just her word, we can have you locked up tighter than you've ever seen before, simple as that.”
The smugness disappeared from Shego's whole countenance. “You can't be serious, that's not part of the deal.”
Dr. Director just smiled back, sitting back down in her seat. “Oh yes it is. Page eighty-three, subsection four, paragraph five. You may get to choose your partner, but that partner has final say in the disposition of your agreement if they feel you aren't living up to your end of things.” She turned her attention back to Kim for a moment, seeing the smug smile now on the young hero. “And as for you, I understand this is not the best situation at all. But this does not give you leave to have her incarcerated if she pisses you off. If I find that to be the case, your special status as an independant operative of Global Justice will be revoked, including all your security clearances.” Dr. Director sat back now, much more calm. “The two of you will work together. Kim, you will have full control of your team, as you always have. Shego, Kim is in charge, you will follow her orders. Am I understood?”
Kim gave Shego a last hard look, before sinking back into her seat and nodding. Shego tried to regain some of her earlier bluster. “Whatever.”
Dr. Director cast one more glance at the pair, before nodding sharply. “Fine then. Shego, you still have a few things to finish up. Kim, Ron, Michelle, I'm sorry for interrupting your vacation time, but thank you for coming in. I'll be in touch with Wade to give him all the details about this, as well as give him all the information regarding Shego's place of residence in Middleton. Have a nice day.”
Realizing they had been dismissed, all four rose and left the room quickly.
Ron tried to hold her back, but Kim would have none of it. She had given Shego some time to head down the hallway, and she wanted some answers. She gripped Shego's arm tightly, spinning her around and pinning her to the wall. “All right Shego, I think it's time I found out what's really going on here.”
Shego just gave her a look, eyeing her briefly, before smiling. “Good to see you too Princess. Mind letting up a bit?”
Kim just pushed her back against the wall. “I will when you tell me what you have planned.”
Shego just took anouther look at the hand holding her, before looking up to meet Kim's eyes. “Like I told you, I got tired of running. Ever since the Diablos fiasco, people have been hunting me just a little bit more nastily. I've even got about a half dozen bounty hunters on my tail, and those boys and girls play for keeps, usually with high powered sniper rifles. I figured this was the best bet to get my life back.”
Kim let go of her grip, backing up a step. “Is that why you quit Drakken?”
Shego gave her a smirk, gently rubbing her arm to get the circulation going again. “The moron was too high profile and easy to find. I mean, how stupid can you be to just give your lair's address to a magazine company? So I split, laid low for a bit, spent some time on the beach. I had more than enough to live on.”
Kim nodded slightly, noting that Ron and Michelle were now flanking her, listening in. “So choosing me as your partner, what's up with that? You must have known something like this wouldn't work out when you thought of it.”
Shego just shrugged, a hint of a grin on her face. “Have you seen the level of these agents at Global Justice? They're a laughing stock. If I was going to get dragged back into the hero biz, I wanted someone who could actually keep up with me and not stop for donuts at every shop we pass. I figure it will take time, but we can work something out. After all, working for you has to be better than working for Dr. D.”
Kim couldn't fault the arguments, they sounded reasonable enough. But there was no way she was going to trust Shego, even if she hadn't popped up on the radar in the last little while. “Fine, we'll see how this works. But the second you mess up…”
Shego moved quickly to Kim, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. All three shifted at that, but Shego kept her grin, keeping things light. “See Kimmie, we're going to get along great.” Shego gave her shoulder a squeeze, and Kim finally knocked the offending limb off her shoulder, glaring back at her. Shego just shrugged it off. “Anyways, I here you three kiddies have some shopping to do. Stoppable, I REALLY don't envy you. Later!”
Shego headed off down the hallway, as the three of them just watched her leave, right past secuirty, without a single problem. It was Ron who broke the silence first. “Did Shego actually just use my name?”
Michelle just gave a smirk towards Shego's retreating form. “And she better keep it up if she knows what's good for her.”
Kim just shook her head one final time before turning to her two friends. “Come on, let's hit the mall. I have a lot of tension to work out of my system right now, and if there isn't a mission, shopping is the next best thing.
Michelle just grinned at that, but Ron moaned as the two girls latched themselves to his arms, dragging him along with them. “Honey… KP… come on. Is it fair to torture me for what Shego did?”
Kim and Michelle shared a look, smiling brightly. “Yes, it is.”
Ron glanced down at his pocket, where Rufus was looking back, looking forlorn. “Little buddy, this is going to be a LONG day.”
Five hours later, Kim and Michelle were much more relaxed. Kim was actually smiling as they passed by yet anouther store that looked like it could have some hidden treasure they would want.
Kim pointed it out, marveling at some of the selections in the window. “Oh, don't you just love that red pair there in the window?”
Michelle grinned when she saw the pumps. “Oh, I do, but I think it's time to get something to eat, I'm starving. “What about you Hon?”
Kim turned to look at Ron, but couldn't see him for all through all the bags and boxes he was carrying. Even Rufus was invisible, simply a smaller pile of boxes trailing along behind them. She heard some muffled sounds emanating from the pile.
“What was that Ron?” Kim shifted shifted a box away from Ron's face, and found her friend gasping for breath. “Food… need food… FOOD!”
Kim and Michelle laughed, removing some boxes and bags off of him so that they could actually see him. Michelle grinned as Ron, relived of some of his burdan, practically bent over double with relief. Michelle turned to Kim, looking a little guilty. “Think we might have overdone it just a little bit?”
Kim nodded, trying to hide the chuckle. “Maybe just a little.”
Michelle leaned over, giving Ron a quick kiss in between gasps. “Don't worry Honey, we're done for the day. Let's go get something to eat, and then when we get home, I can give you a footrub. And if you're not too tired tonight, maybe we can get Kim to leave for a movie or something, and you can…” Michelle's voice dropped off to a whisper, as she spoke into his ear.
Kim almost wanted to know what Michelle said when Ron shot straight up, smiling brightly. “Tired, I'm not tired. I could go anouther two hours… three hours if that's what it takes.”
Michelle just giggled, shifting the weight in her arms. “That's my man. Now let's go get something to eat.”
Ron practically ran with his load to the mall's food court, leaving Kim and Michelle to follow along behind him. Kim, against her better judgement, had to ask. “Just what did you say to him to get him to react like that?”
Michelle just gave her a knowing grin. “Do you REALLY want to know what I said?”
Kim just took one look at her friend's face. “Maybe not.”
Ron was digging ravenously into his food, with Rufus on the table beside him gulping down food just as fast. Kim just looked on in shock. “You're telling me that doesn't gross you out?”
Michelle just sighed, watching her man. “I think it's cute. I know, I'm messed in the head, aren't I?”
Ron paused a moment in his devouring, looking over at Kim. “So how are you going to handle this sitch with Shego?”
Kim sighed, poking at her salad. “I don't know, I guess I'll just have to make the best of it somehow. I mean, she is pretty good, I doubt that's changed much since she disappeared. I just don't really trust her to watch my back out in the field, you know? Not like I always have with you.”
Ron nodded at that. “You know KP, if you want me and Michelle along for the first few to help out, help you watch your back…”
Kim could see Michelle nodding even as the brunette took a bite of her burger and sighed. “I appreciate it, but I doubt Shego's going to blow a chance to clear her record completely by trying to kill me on the first mission. Besides, you have to admit, as far as we know, she's never actually killed anyone before. Tried maybe with me, but never with anyone else. I'll just have to watch my own back for a little bit until I am sure what's going on. Of course, if it's not going to interfere with your schoolwork, you know I'm always glad to have you out there with me.”
“And I'm always glad to be out there with you KP.”
Michelle smiled faintly, meeting Kim's gaze. “So you're going to go along with this, even if you don't want to?”
Kim sighed. “I guess for a little bit. I mean, it's not like she's all bad. I mean, she did help her brothers when she didn't have to. Maybe she's telling the truth about it just being a job and a paycheck with Drakken, and the new paycheck will work in our favour. We'll just have to see, won't we?”
Ron nodded thoughtfully, ignoring the fact that Rufus had now moved on to finish what was left on his plate. “I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the end KP. Just remember, you need us, we're just a call away.”
Author's Notes - Vacation's over, and now the real fun begins, as Kim and Shego have to find some way to work together. Of course, that doesn't mean Dementor's going to make their first mission together all that easy.