Joss sighed as she walked down the street from the bus stop near her cousin Kim’s house. It was her first time coming to the city by herself, and she was going to get to stay over at Kim’s, maybe she could even talk to Ron. Kim and Ron had started going out, so she could get all kinds of inside information about Kim the other fans couldn’t get out of him.
Smiling widely, Joss adjusted the straps on her backpack and continued her walk. Tonight she was spending time with Kim, just hanging out and goofing off. Joss started thinking about her cousin, she was so strong, so wonderful, so amazing. There wasn’t anything her cousin couldn’t do.
Sighing Joss looked down at the ground and tried to figure out the dreams she’d been having lately. She kept dreaming of Kim rescuing her from some random danger, holding her close to her chest, heaving with each labored breath as they swung away. It wasn’t a bad dream, but they seemed to have a different effect on her, ever since about her sixteenth birthday a few months back.
Looking up the street at Kim’s house, Joss felt her heart leap as she realized how near she was. Soon she’d be hanging out with the world’s best cousin, and nothing could stop her from having fun. Not even if that Shego varmint was walking towards her right now.
‘Wait a minute…’ Joss thought as her eyes widened, ‘That is Shego! Kim’s been lookin’ fer her. If’n I help her rangle that varmint, she might let me join Team Possible!’
Ducking into a nearby alleyway, Joss watched as Shego stormed past looking distracted. Once Shego had passed the entrance, Joss slipped out of the alley and followed after the preoccupied green female from a slight distance, making certain to keep quiet. As she watched Shego slipping down another alleyway, Joss ran to catch up hoping to not lose her.
Getting to the mouth of the alley, Joss peeked around the corner just in time to see and hear a few bricks sliding into place. Biting her lip Joss looked at the alley, and then back up to where Kim lived. ‘Should I investigate here or get Kim? Kim would want to catch Shego herself… so I should mark this alleyway…’
With that plan in mind, Joss dug out a piece of chalk and placed a triangle of ‘x’s on a brick she could see from the street. Tucking away the chalk, Joss turned and ran for Kim’s house, knowing that this news would make her cousin smile that radiating smile of hers. Yes, Kim was just that perfect.
A few seconds after Joss had left, the secret entrance opened up again and Shego walked out with a frown. “I thought I was being tailed…” Shego said before walking over to the brick and sighing. “She’s so much like Pumpkin, I hate having to do this to her…”
With that Shego rubbed off the chalk, leaving the brick the same as all the others around it. Looking over the area Shego nodded and headed back inside.
Ten minutes later, Joss dragged Ron back to the alleyway to show him the mark. Kim had opted to stay home unless something came up, feeling utterly exhausted. Joss searched the bricks with an increasing frown as she didn’t see the mark she had left. “I swear, it was right here Ron!”
“I believe you Joss…” Ron said while he searched the bricks himself it was just getting too dark for him to see. “Look, how’s about we go back and get Kim settled, and then come back in the morning? All three of us.”
“I reckon that’ll be alright, but tarnation, I just don’t git it, where’d the mark go?” Joss said scratching her head.
“I don’t know, but…” Ron said before being cut off by his watch going off. “Uh oh…”
“What?” Joss said without looking away from the wall.
“I have to go home, gotta watch Hana,” Ron said with a frown, “Can you take care of KP for me?”
Joss looked back at Ron in surprised shock for a moment before sighing and nodding. “Alright, git along and I’ll take care of my cuz.”
As Ron ran off yelling his thanks, Joss sighed again and shook her head. ‘What in tarnation was I thinkin’ imitatin’ him? What is Kim thinkin’ datin’ him? He doesn’t deserve her,’ Joss thought as she turned back to the Possible’s house.
Getting into the house, Joss saw Kim sprawled out on the couch, a note under her hand. ‘What’s this?’ Joss thought as she pulled out the note and read it, a smile creeping across her face.
‘Oh, Aunt Carmen’s at the hospital and Uncle Slim took the boys to a science expo in Go City. That means…’ Joss’s thoughts trailed off as she looked over at Kim, ‘Best get her in her pajamas, and then some shut eye.’
Several hours later Kim awoke with a start, ‘What’s that noise? Wait … how did I … oh right Joss is here.’ Listening carefully she heard a solid thump and ran to the guest room fear clutching her heart. “Joss are you ok?”
“Yeah… Just uh… fell outta bed, that's all…” came Joss's shaky reply.
The next morning, Joss and Kim dragged themselves into the kitchen where Mrs. Possible was putting pancakes on the table. “Good morning you two… are you alright? You don’t look like you slept well.”
“We’re fine mom… just had a lot of things to catch up on,” Kim said while taking a stack of pancakes and adding syrup and butter. Joss nodded tiredly before doing the same.
“We going to look for Shego today Kim?” Joss asked in between bites a few minutes later.
“I was thinking that Shego could have erased the mark, so we’ll use the Kimmunicator to scan for it,” Kim said before letting out a yawn.
“Spankin’!” Joss declared before going back to eat quietly while a bright blush formed on her cheeks.
Half an hour later found the two girls searching around the alleyway with Kim’s Kimmunicator scanning the walls. Ron had to stay and watch Hana, so it was just the two of them. After a few minutes Kim leaned in to inspect on brick in particular. “Say Joss, you made a triangle of ‘x’s right?”
“Yep, I sure did,” Joss said with a smile. “Didja find it?”
Kim pointed out a trio of faint crossing lines with a smile. “I did.”
“See Kim? I told ya I marked it.” Joss exclaimed while walking to the area she’d seen the bricks moving, “I can see her tracks in the mud here. They walk into the wall here.”
Kim smiled as she looked at the tracks, recognizing the sole of the boot that had swung at her countless times. “Good work Joss, you’re really coming into your own. Now there has to be a trigger around here…”
Standing up Kim inspected the bricks for an obvious trigger while Joss looked at the other objects in the area. “What would a secret door trigger look like for her cuz?”
“Could be almost anything,” Kim said with a frown as she turned away from the wall. “She’s a master thief, and would know how to hide it in plain sight.”
“So, we wouldn’t know it if we found it?” Joss groaned as she leaned against the wall. “Well tarnation, that means I failed…”
“No you didn’t Joss… you got us this far… we can work through the rest of this…” Kim said trying to remain calm. The power nullifier had been modified to trigger when she summoned plasma, but it still drained the power of her Kimmunicator quickly. She needed to save it for when it was required.
Joss nodded and pushed off the wall with a hand, gasping in shock as one brick slide in with a click. “Kim… I think I found it.”
Kim smiled as a section of wall slid back and then up to reveal a set of stairs leading into the basement. “Good work Joss,” the older red head whispered as she hugged her cousin, “Now, stay behind me and be careful.”
Joss blushed as she felt her heart race from the hug. She fell into step behind Kim as her thoughts whirled chaotically. ‘What’s goin’ on with me? Why is my heart and mind all in a whirlwind? Why am I staring at her butt?’
Joss shook her head as she regained her senses, hearing a voice speaking. “I know mommy… but I still hate that name. Can’t you please call me Shego?”
Kim held up a hand causing Joss to stop, after a moment Kim peeked around the corner to see Shego talking on her cell phone.
“Mommy… I’m sorry, please stop crying…” Shego pleaded while she paced in front of a recliner. “Look, I just wanted to ask a favor. I think someone got my powers, and I was hoping you’d check her over.”
Shego slumped into a chair with a sigh as she stared at the ceiling, “It’s that Kimmie girl if you have to know… Yes mommy, I know it’s dangerous, that’s why I’m calling you.”
Joss dropped her jaw as she looked up at Kim, who seemed like she had been caught stealing cookies before dinner. Kim bit her lip and checked on her Kimmunicator before meeting Joss’s eyes and making a promise to talk about it later.
‘I am SO going to post this on the forums!… well most of it … can’t say nuthin bout Kim’s feelin’s for that…. woman.’ Joss mentally squealed as she squeezed her cousin’s hand. ‘But Kim needs me now, gotta remain focused.’
Kim nodded and stepped into the opening, standing full in the doorway. “Hello Shego.”
“Mommy? I have company…” Shego said before hanging up the phone. “Don’t suppose you’d let me run now, would you?”