Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice. Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
J. Jonah Jameson, Editor in Chief for The Daily Bugle, sat at his desk, smoking a cigar. He held a phone in his right hand, squawking into it while trying to keep the cigar from falling out of the corner of his mouth.
“That’s not good enough! I said I wanted a clear picture of Spiderman, not a silhouette of the Manhattan Bridge!” He paused for just a moment, offering the person on the other end a brief chance to explain themselves before he interrupted. “Well, I didn’t ask for a long-distance shot. Uh-huh. Alright, I’ll give you one more chance. I want that picture so close you can see his eyes through the mask! Am I understood?” Without waiting for an answer, Jameson slammed the phone down on his desk. “And will somebody get me some coffee?!” He bellowed into the chaos that engulfed the area outside his office.
“Right away, sir,” a nervous intern answered, running off to fetch the steaming brew.
“I want it black! Cream and sugar are for sissies!” Jameson shouted as though the intern hadn’t heard that five hundred times already. He turned his attention back to the paper on his desk. A knock came at the door. “WHAT?” he yelled.
“Mr. Jameson, there’s a freelance photographer here to see you,” his Secretary, Betty Brant, informed him.
“Any pictures of Spiderman?” Jameson demanded.
“No sir, but—”
“Well then send him away! I don’t want anything unless it’s of that wall-crawler!”
“Well sir, it does have to do with superheroes.”
Jameson’s eyebrow perked. “Oh really? Which superhero?”
“Kim Possible, sir.”
“Here’s your coffee, Mr. Jameson,” the intern panted as he raced into the room, oblivious to the conversation that was taking place.
Jameson snatched the cup and took a sip. He gave a hard look at the intern, who still stood there, as though he was expecting something. “Well, what’re ya waiting for, a tip? Get outta here!” The intern obeyed.
As soon as the unfortunate intern was out of Jameson’s office, Betty spoke up again. “Mr. Jameson, about Kim Possible—”
“What about her? The evil story broke weeks ago. It’s not selling anymore. What could possibly be so interesting about Kim Possible?”
“This, sir,” Betty walked up to the desk and placed a picture on it. The photo featured Kim and Shego in full lip lock.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Jameson muttered to himself. “The Inquisitor was right! Quick! Move the cover story to page 5, and plaster this sucker on the front page! This is the biggest thing since Spiderman!” He rattled off the orders at a staccato pace, giving his assistants, who had just come into the room, mere seconds to memorize them. But when one worked for J. Jonah Jameson, they developed a near photographic memory after only a few days. They ran off to do his bidding.
After all of his assistants were gone, Jameson took a long hard look at the picture. “Lesbians. This is gold!” His phone rang again. “Hello? Yeah, forget about Spiderman! I want you to find Kim Possible and get me a few more pictures of her making out with that green lady!”
A soft blanket of light fell over the green and black sheets of the bed as the newly risen sun ushered in the dawn. Radiant heat warmed the two figures that lay huddled under the thin layer of cotton that served as a barrier to the dangers of the outside world. They were the center of their universe; nothing else mattered under those soft sheets.
The sudden warmth alerted one of the figures and a yawn escaped strawberry lips. Emerald eyes beheld the raven-haired beauty that slept so softly, so sweetly, she seemed almost like a child. Thin lips pressed together and left the slightest hint of ruby lipstick on a pale forehead. A second set of green eyes opened slowly.
“Good morning, Princess,” Shego whispered softly, wrapping her arms tighter around the redhead.
Kim responded with a kiss. “What time did we get in last night?”
Shego let out a grunt and propped herself up on one arm. “Three o’clock.”
“Mm,” was Kim’s response, eyelids shutting and breathing slowing down once more as she prepared to go back to sleep.
Shego, however, was wide awake. “I’m gonna go fix us breakfast, Pumpkin,” she announced as she exited the bed and placed her pale feet on the soft floor.
“Mmkay,” Kim acknowledged, pulling the covers tighter around herself in Shego’s wake. The green woman smiled and headed off toward the kitchen to make pancakes. It was going to be a good day.
“Sir, you need to see this!” a frantic Will Du announced as he charged into the office of Dr. Director.
The rather abrupt entry made Betty jump. Recovering quickly, she asked, “What is it, Will?” In response, her top agent shoved a newspaper in front of her face. She was dumbstruck. “Oh. My. God.” She stared at the photo for a good two minutes, trying to find anything amiss. “Are you sure it’s not doctored?”
Will nodded reluctantly. “We already had it analyzed. Kim and Shego were in a club in New York City last night dancing the night away.”
“But then that would mean….” Dr. Director was unable to finish the sentence.
“It could be Stockholm’s syndrome,” Will suggested hopefully. “Kim may have fallen in love with her captor.”
“But Shego isn’t her captor,” Dr. Director reminded her subordinate. “Stockholm’s syndrome usually only takes place in kidnappings. Any realization of feelings must have taken place before she sprung Shego.”
“Are you suggesting that Miss Possible freed Shego because she believed that she was falling in love with her?” Will pondered.
“That would make sense,” Betty acknowledged. “Though we can’t rule out the possibility that Shego is simply leading Kim on.”
“I think this says differently,” Will opined, indicating the picture. “Even Shego isn’t that good of an actress. The feelings must be genuine.”
Dr. Director sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. We all know how Shego can be with the things she’s deeply attached to. She may have some difficulty in letting Kim go.”
“Should we use force?” Will proposed.
Dr. Director shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, Will. I think I know Shego well enough to negotiate a deal that will get both Miss Possible back, and Shego in custody.”
“How do you plan to do that?” Will asked, completely serious. Anyone else would have been incredulous. But Will had learned not to doubt Dr. Director.
Betty smiled. “They say if you love something, you have to set it free.”
Will nodded, understanding completely. “I’ll notify Wade and Mister Stoppable immediately.”
“Good,” Dr. Director said approvingly, watching as her top agent disappeared out the door. She took one last look at the photograph. “I never would have guessed,” she thought aloud. “I hate to break up true love, but I have to do my job. Sorry about this, Kim.”
“Glad to see you’re up, Princess,” Shego commented as Kim lumbered over to the breakfast table and plopped into her chair. Her face and arms collapsed onto the table, covered by a pool of red hair. “Not exactly a morning person, are ya?” Shego remarked.
“Mmmmn,” Kim groaned in response, not wanting to be disturbed. All that mattered was the world under the blanket that was her hair. She only came out here because she had smelled food.
Shego smiled to herself and lit a finger. Tiptoeing up to Kim, she zapped the redhead straight in the behind. Kim yelped and jumped like a cat who had just gotten maimed by a rocking chair.
“Shego!”
The villainess snickered and put an omelet in front of her now irate girlfriend. She sat down and began to distribute pepper on her own omelet, which contained green peppers and black olives. “Didja see the paper today, Pumpkin?” she said cheerily.
Kim shook her head, cutting off a piece of the omelet with her fork and consuming it. She was washing it down with a tall glass of orange juice when Shego flashed her the front page. To say that Shego got “drenched” would have been an understatement.
“WHAT THE HELL?!” Kim bellowed, snatching the paper from Shego and knocking down the older woman’s drink in the process. Shego eyed her glass of spilt orange juice with a hint of sadness. The feeling quickly passed and was replaced with a smirk as Shego observed her girlfriend’s reaction to the official confirmation of their relationship.
“Not how you thought your coming out party would go, huh, Pumpkin?” Shego teased as Kim stared blankly at the picture of the two women attempting to swallow each other’s faces. “Such a shame, too. I would have liked balloons.”
“Th-wh-ho-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” Kim demanded, shaking the paper angrily in Shego’s face. The latter slid her omelet closer to herself, guarding it with her forearms. She wanted to have at least some breakfast. “Did you hire a photographer?” the redhead shouted irately, though thankfully not as eardrum-shatteringly loud as before. Shego smiled mockingly and stood up to get the pitcher of orange juice so that she could refill the glass that Kim had knocked over during her overly dramatic reaction.
“And here I thought you’d be used to paparazzi,” she replied calmly as she poured the orange liquid in her cup, wiping up the spill with her other hand. She sat back down and took a sip, not wanting to risk any more damage to her breakfast due to Kim’s frantic arm motions. “No, I didn’t hire a photographer. In fact, cameras aren’t even allowed in that club. Bastard probably crawled in through the restroom or something.” Shego smiled with satisfaction at Kim’s visible shudder.
“Okay, sorry,” Kim whispered, blushing a little bit, much to Shego’s satisfaction. “I just thought you dragged me out there last night so you could announce it to the world or something.”
“Well I did,” Shego replied, gesturing with her fork. “But not like that. I would never tell anyone about us that you didn’t want to know.”
“I know,” Kim said, covering her face in embarrassment. She turned to Shego more seriously. “It’s just that even though I keep telling myself that I trust you with my life, there’s still a little voice in the back of my head that says you’re just doing all this to mess with me. I mean, this,” She gestured at the table with both arms outstretched, palms up, “is enough to tell me that you still haven’t gotten tired of watching me flip out.”
Shego swallowed a bite of her omelet and grinned mischievously. “Well, just because we’re on the same side now doesn’t mean making you squirm isn’t still fun.” She laughed, then stopped abruptly when she saw Kim look away with a somewhat hurt expression on her face. She sobered up.
“Kim,” Shego said softly, reaching her arm across the table and placing her hand on top of Kim’s, a gesture which caused the redhead to make eye-contact with her again. “I would never do that to you.” Her eyes held neither arrogance nor mockery. She looked straight at Kim with a completely honest expression, one that she had been wearing more often lately.
Kim said nothing for several seconds, as though puzzling out whether or not she should trust Shego. Finally, she said simply, “Okay.” That was all Shego needed to hear.
“Alrighty then,” Shego said in a markedly different tone, shifting the conversation in a more superficial route. Kim snapped out of her daze and acted as though a serious heart-to-heart had not just taken place. It was pointless to dwell on such things, she reasoned, especially considering the present company. “Whaddaya wanna do today?” Shego continued in the most informal of tones.
Kim yawned deeply. “Just lie around, maybe snuggle a little, watch TV all day, perhaps a movie tonight. Some ‘us time.’”
“‘Us time’ it is, Princess,” Shego replied warmly before placing another piece of her omelet in her mouth. The two women exchanged a smile and spent the rest of the meal chattering about current events and how fun it would be to see Kim’s parents’ reaction to that picture.
“You’re sure you know where Kim and Shego are, Wade?” Dr. Director asked for the sixteenth time. As he had fifteen times before, the image of Wade on the view screen in the main GJ Command Center nodded his head in confirmation.
“I was able to extrapolate the details in that picture you gave me to figure out which club they went to last night, then with your permission I used satellites to trace Shego’s unique radiation signature from that club to the mountain complex where she and Kim disappeared a few weeks ago. We’ve been over this already.”
Betty sighed. “I know, Wade, it’s just that our scans of the area picked up no signs of human life on that mountain. No caverns or anything that would suggest one of Drakken’s lairs either, which according to our simulations is where Kim and Shego are most likely to have gone. What makes you so sure?”
“Actually, it’s the fact that you didn’t find any natural concavities,” Wade answered simply.
“I beg your pardon?” Dr. Director boggled.
“It’s extremely rare for a mountain that size to have no caves or mineral deposits,” Wade explained. “The fact that your scans turned up nothing led me to believe that the lair may have some sort of jamming system.”
Betty slapped her forehead as she was hit with an epiphany. “Of course!” she cursed. “Shego isn’t stupid. She’d naturally take Kim somewhere we couldn’t monitor her.”
“And that’s the problem,” Wade sighed. “Without being able to scan the mountain, we have no idea what we’re going up against. There’s no way to launch an effective assault.”
“There might be,” Betty replied confidently.
“And what’s that?” Wade questioned.
Dr. Director smiled. “I have an idea.”
The bluff overlooking the mountain was seemingly devoid of activity. The tall grass hid all, a gentle swaying from the wind being indistinguishable from someone moving through the underbrush. It was this sort of disguise that was exactly what was required to hide an entire platoon of GJ agents in preparation for the coming assault. Instead of the standard blue uniforms, the Special Forces division of GJ wore green camouflage, blending in perfectly with the tall stalks.
A telescope protruded from the edge of the grass, which terminated at the top of the hill. It made no sense for Betty Director to use binoculars since she was missing one eye anyway. In her sights was one Ron Stoppable, who had just reached the massive steel gate that guarded entry into the enormous lair. A beep from her headset signaled that radio silence restrictions had been rescinded and she proceeded to switch it back on. As soon as she did this, Ron spoke.
“Why am I going in there alone again?” he asked.
“We’ve been over this before Ron,” Betty said calmly, but with enough of a hint of aggravation to signal to Ron that she was slowly losing her patience. Of course, how could she blame him for asking when the explanation she had given him didn’t make enough sense? Dr. Director disliked keeping people in the dark, but the news would have absolutely crushed Ron. She at least wanted to keep that from happening until after they had Shego surrounded.
“Yeah, I know, but are you sure KP won’t attack me?” Ron replied over the two-way radio. “Not to mention Shego’ll probably rip my lungs out.”
Dr. Director thought for a moment about how she should answer that. The obvious reason was that Kim would be too emotionally conflicted to attack Ron, and if Shego’s feelings were as they appeared, then Kim would be able to persuade Shego into standing down. She decided to say instead, “Trust me on this, Ron. And if either of them does attack you, we have several dozen of my Special Forces units as backup. Your job is to distract them until we have them surrounded.”
“Okay, but I’m still getting the feeling that you’re not telling me something,” Ron responded.
Betty smiled to herself. He was right. But she had her reasons for doing this. “It shouldn’t concern you, Ron. I’m not going to make you worry over anything that you’d be better off not knowing.”
“Alright,” came the response, and Dr. Director observed Ron pull a device out of his pocket and insert it into the keypad. The device cracked the code within seconds and the massive blast-doors slid open. “Infiltrating mountain lair,” Ron said before disappearing into the blackness.
“Roger,” Betty radioed back. “We’re right behind you.” She signaled to the commandoes behind her, who rose from their cover and began to move as a unit towards the enormous gates. Dr. Director smiled. Everything was going according to plan.
Kim’s desire for “us time” has led to a day filled with snuggling, making out, chatting about current events, and watching the media’s reaction to their relationship, which led to more making out. Currently, the two ladies are lying on the couch, having just watched a movie. Shego’s arm is around Kim’s midsection, holding her Princess protectively. The occasional flicker from the long since finished movie plays across the skin of the two females, illuminating them like some sort of electronic firelight.
Shego strokes Kim’s auburn hair softly, a loving expression on her face. One corner of her black lips curls upward in a contented smile, and those same lips are placed delicately on Kim’s forehead. The younger woman smiles at the warm kiss and snuggles deeper into Shego’s comforting form. Shego continues to stare at Kim’s natural beauty, unable to take her eyes off of this treasure she has found. Oh yes, life is good.
But good things never last.
A sudden noise catches her attention, and Shego is instantly alert, taking in a sharp breath and scanning the area with her eyes. She grabs the remote and shuts off the television, disturbing Kim in the process.
“What’s wrong?” the redhead asks lazily, but Shego puts a finger to her lips. Kim snaps out of her daze and joins Shego in searching for whatever it is that has the green woman so on edge. Shego stands up slowly, followed by Kim. Moving in the direction of where Shego first heard the sound, the two women stalk their prey. Two sets of green eyes scan the dim light of the room, trying to detect any threats. Nothing.
A sound! Both women instinctively turn their heads in the direction of the clatter, only to be met with nothingness again. They look at each other, and communicate a message with their eyes that it would be more advantageous if they split up. Nodding to each other, both women head in opposite directions.
Shego begins to search high, leaping from rafter to rafter in search of the intruder. Kim sticks to the ground, scoping out any possible hiding places. Several minutes of searching meet with no success. Kim places her back against the wall and slowly peers around the corner. Blackness. She reaches for the light switch when suddenly she feels a pair of hands grab her and attempt to pull her back.
“Whoooooaaaa!” The would be attacker flies through the air and lands on his back with a loud thud, catching Shego’s attention and bringing her down from the rafters. Kim meanwhile walks up to the fallen form of the intruder. Both women smile evilly.
“Well look what we have here,” Shego sneers. “The buffoon.”
“Don’t call me that!” Ron protests, getting up with strained effort. “And what have you done to KP?”
Kim rolls her eyes. “Uh, hello? Right here, Ron.” She waves mockingly to drive her point home.
Ron glares. “I know that,” he says, then turns to Shego and levels his finger accusingly at her. “You’ve gotta have her under some sort of mind control!”
“Doy! Do you see a chip?!” Shego yells, pointing to Kim’s forehead.
“Well, now that you mention it…” Ron trails off as he strokes his chin with one hand. “Well then what the hell is going on?” He waves his arms frantically, practically losing his mind.
“What’s ‘going on’ is that Kimmie and I are in love,” Shego says matter-of-factly. “Isn’t that right, Cupcake?”
Ron looks flabbergasted. He turns to Kim slowly. “KP… is… is it true?”
Kim can’t look at him. “Ron, I….”
“What, KP?” Ron asks, concerned. “It is true?” He turns to Shego. “What did you do to her?!”
“NOTHING!” Kim shouts, catching both Ron and Shego by surprise. “It was my choice. Shego didn’t do anything,” she continues in a much softer tone.
“Exactly, Kim,” comes a voice from the shadows. All eyes converge on Betty Director as she steps forth from the darkness. “She didn’t do anything. For example, she didn’t stop you from helping her escape.”
“Your point being?” Kim deadpans, crossing her arms.
“Did you ever think that Shego might just be using your confusion to her advantage, Kimberly?” Dr. Director says tonelessly. “And that she’s just been leading you on so that she can twist you into another version of herself?”
“No,” Kim says with complete confidence. “She loves me.”
“Or she’s an incredibly good actress,” Betty counters. “How do you know that this isn’t all just a big scheme to ruin you?”
“Because it’s not her style,” Kim points, out, stunning Shego with her ability to have complete and utter faith in her. “Shego goes straight for the jugular. She loves me, and no one can tell me otherwise.”
“I know, Kim,” Betty replies, smiling. “I just wanted to make sure you did.”
“If you want to take her back, it’s not gonna happen,” Shego snarls at the one-eyed woman.
“It is so gonna happen!” Ron growls, advancing towards her. Shego shifts quickly into a defensive stance, however, and Ron jumps back in fear. Shego snickers.
“We have you surrounded, Shego,” Betty informs the villainess, snapping her fingers and bringing forth three dozen of her agents that emerge from various vantage points around the room. “There’s no escape.”
Shego instinctively lights her fists. “I’m not gonna let you take Kimmie away. The only way you’ll be doing that is over my dead body.”
Dr. Director chuckles. “That can easily be arranged, Shego. But you’re far more valuable to us alive. How about I offer you a deal?”
“How about you go screw yourself?” Shego retorts.
“Such language, Shego,” Betty admonishes, making Shego scowl even harder. “And in front of such impressionable youngsters.”
“Kimmie’s learned that there's more to life than black and white,” Shego protests. “Which is more than youever taught her.”
Dr. Director’s face turns serious. “While I applaud Miss Possible’s personal growth, there's still the issue of the law to be dealt with. The courts are going to have a field day with this one.”
“So?”
“Give yourself up, Shego, and we’ll make sure all charges against Kim are dropped,” Dr. Director replies.
Shego turns off her fists. She stares long and hard at Dr. Director, evaluating all her options. Eventually, with a stone face, she says simply, “Deal.”
I was blown away
What could I say?
It all seemed to make sense
You've taken away everything
And I can't deal with that
Kim grabs the older woman by the shoulder. “What?”
Shego simply looks at Kim. “I’m not gonna let you throw away your future, Princess. This is for your own good.”
“Screw my future!” Kim shouts, stunning everyone in the room. “I want you!”
“You can’t always get what you want, Pumpkin,” Shego says simply.
Well, I try to see the good in life
But good things in life are hard to find
We'll blow it away, blow it away
Can we make this something good?
Well, I'll try to do it right this time around
“Like hell!” Kim screeches, attempting to pull Shego closer to her. But the green woman stands firm. “I’m not gonna let you decide what’s best for me!”
“And you know what’s best for you since when?” Shego counters, pushing the redhead away. “You’ve got a chance to get away with this scott-free. Now take it!”
“What do you care?” Kim yells, tears welling up in her eyes. “I thought you wanted to be partners!”
“I did!” Shego insists. “But that was when you couldn’t go back! Here’s your opportunity to go back! You have your whole fucking life in front of you, Princess! Don’t throw it all away!”
“I don’t care!” Kim shrieks. “I don’t wanna go back! I wanna stay with you!” She tries to grab Shego by the arm, but the green woman shrugs her off.
Let's start over
I'll try to do it right this time around
It's not over
‘Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground
This love is killing me
But you're the only one
It's not over
“I’m not gonna budge, Kim,” Shego says seriously. “You’re going with them. You can’t stay with me.”
“But I want to!” Kim shouts.
“Well you can’t!” Shego yells back. “Is this what you really want, Kim, to be a criminal for the rest of your life? It ain’t easy, Kimmie, and you have to give everything up. Well here’s your chance to get it all back! I’m not gonna let you throw it away.”
Taken all I could take
And I cannot wait
We're wasting too much time
Being strong, holding on
Can't let it bring us down
“I don’t want it back if it means losing you!” Kim cries, clinging to Shego desperately.
“Well even if you don’t accept their offer, I very much doubt they’ll be kind enough to put us in the same cell!” Shego points out. “We’re guilty of completely different crimes!”
“I’m not going to leave you!” Kim says firmly.
“You don’t have a choice!” Shego replies. “I’m not gonna let you ruin yourself by staying with me!”
My life with you means everything
So I won't give up that easily
I'll blow it away, blow it away
Can we make this something good?
‘Cause it's all misunderstood
Well, I'll try to do it right this time around
“I made my choice, Shego! You can’t un-make it! I’m not going to abandon you!” Kim shouts the words desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Whoever said you were gonna lose me?” Shego points out. “You can still see me in prison.” She turns to Dr. Director. “If it can hold me, that is.”
Betty smirks. “I’m relatively certain it can.”
Ron has had enough. He rushes up to Kim and attempts to grab her by the wrist. “C’mon, KP, let’s go!”
Kim does not react the way Ron expects. Drawing back her fist, she bloodies her best friend’s nose and sends him sprawling across the floor.
Let's start over
I'll try to do it right this time around
It's not over
‘Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground
This love is killing me
But you're the only one
It's not over
The commandoes start to move in, but Dr. Director signals for them to stay put. Kim is about to launch a follow-up assault on Ron when she feels two strong hands grab her from behind and push her to the ground.
Shego places her mouth next to Kim’s ear. “Damn it, Kim! Quit being such a fucking baby and grow up! There's no other way! You have to go with them! If you love me, you’ll stop being such a child and act like a grown woman for once!”
We can't let this get away
Let it out, let it out
Don't get caught up in yourself
Let it out
“GET OFF OF ME!” Kim bellows, squirming under the much stronger woman, trying to break free. But Shego will not budge.
Let's start over
I'll try to do it right this time around
It's not over
‘Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground
This love is killing me
But you're the only one
It's not over
“Kim,” Shego says softly. “You will see me again. Just trust me and everything will work out alright. I promise.”
“I don’t want to lose you,” Kim snivels, whimpering softly.
“You won’t, Kim. I promise you that.” Shego kisses Kim softly on the cheek. Kim’s body goes slack under Shego and she submits to the older woman’s reason.
Let's start over
It's not over, yeah
This love is killing me
But you're the only one
It's not over
Shego stands up, hands in a surrender position, and looks to Dr. Director. “Get it over with,” she says emotionlessly.
The one-eyed woman nods and signals for her commandoes to move in. Kim can only watch in sadness as her girlfriend offers no resistance to the unnecessarily brutal takedown. Shego is cuffed and dragged away. As she watches the love of her life being carried away from her, Kim lets loose one last scream. “Shego!”
Softly, she adds, “Shego….”
Yes, I’m that evil. Sorry for this chapter, but it was necessary for what I want to accomplish. The song I picked is one of my favorites, originally used inFreewheel BurningbyChaosengine(a story which has since been taken down). I won’t bother with the explanation, as it should be pretty obvious why I included it. The opening scene was in honor of “Spiderman 3,” which opens in theatres this Friday. Please read and review. No flames, please.
beeftony