“Mommy? I have company…” Shego said before hanging up the phone. “Don’t suppose you’d let me run now, would you?”
Kim stared at her long time foe quietly for a few minutes before lowering her eyes. “Shego… Why didn’t you stay? Why did you run?”
Shego lowered her eyes as she sighed. “I could smell the plasma on you… I thought you’d hate me… I needed to get away Kimmie…”
Kim shook her head sadly. “Hate you? After this mess…” Kim started before pausing, “Wait… you could smell the plasma?”
Shego winced at the accusation in the tone. “Yes… I could smell it building in you… I… I didn’t mean for it to happen Pumpkin, you’ve gotta believe me.”
“Don’t call me that,” Kim snapped while she glared at Shego. “You could have warned me about all of this before it happened, and you chose instead to run away? Tell me why I shouldn’t just drag you to the nearest GJ agent…”
Joss’s eyes widened as she pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, quickly jotting down what was happening. Pausing she listened closely as Shego spoke again, “Simple, you’d have to explain how your adopted cat turned into your nemesis, and then why you were so obsessed with getting me back. I’m sure ol’ Cyclops would love that tale.”
Kim growled a bit and clenched her fists. “Thats not the damn point Shego. I … I stayed with you … I stayed for you because stupid as it may have been I LIKED YOU!” Kim jumped as the plasma flared around her hands again and the Kimmunicator cast the containment field around her. “Shego… I need your help. I need you to teach me to control the plasma.” Kim said again once she had calmed down a bit, for some reason though, she still felt anger rising to the surface.
Shego stepped back a bit but kept her eyes on Kim. “Gets a bit hotter now when you get mad dont it?” She flared her own plasma, “That’s why I had to run Kim … I went looking for help … for you.”
Joss gasped as she watched the plasma flare up around her favorite cousin. ‘Kim can… THAT’S SO COOL! Oh God, I wish I had a camera… Nobody’s going to believe this,’ Joss’s mind screamed as she continued to scribble notes and rough sketches of the positioning.
Kim fought to calm herself down, her mind raced along the different paths this conversation could take. “Help… for me? What type of help Shego? Who could know more about this than you?”
Shego stepped straight in front of Kim and actually smiled, it was a bit sad but it was a smile none the less. “Kimmie, Princess… First things first take a deep breath and calm down.” Shego made a swooping motion, weaving her arms through a graceful pattern. It was part of a kata for centering and focusing. “We can’t do anything if you accidentally gri… just find your center and relax.”
Kim nodded a bit nervously and matched Shegos motions, focusing on clearing her mind and calming her spirit. Slowly she calmed down and the plasma vanished until nothing remained of it but thin wisps of heat trails. Joss blinked as she hugged the side of the opening.
‘Oh man… they’re so in tune with each other… Kim wouldn’t… she isn’t into Shego is she? No, must be their years of rivalry,’ Joss’s mind whispered, sounding like it was trying to convince itself. ‘It’s so beautiful… why didn’t I bring my camera?’
Shego held up her cell phone in one hand, before she nodded to it. “Now then… you asked who would know better earlier. Your answer is: my mother… she helped train and care for my brothers and me… she is probably the best person to help you. Please Kimmie… you have to believe that I wouldn’t ask her if I didn’t think it best for you.”
“I just want to know why Shego…” Kim asked softly after a moment, “Why didn’t you contact me when you turned back? Why didn’t you tell me how to find you?” Kim broke off with a shuddered breath as she tried to retain her cool state.
“I… I can’t answer that Kimmie…” Shego said honestly, “I thought about it many times, but I could just never seem to pick up the pen to write or the phone to call you. I just … froze.”
Kim looked over Shego’s defeated posture and the lost look in the green woman’s eyes. Feeling a pang of guilt, Kim used her newfound calmness to remember Shego’s ease when she was alone with Nemmy. “Shego… talk to me… It’s me… Nemmy remember?”
Shego drew a ragged breath and turned her head away from Kim in guilt. “I… I did this to you Kim… I… I just… I didn’t want to watch as you grew to hate me.”
Kim frowned slightly before she took Shego’s chin in her hand and eased it back forward so Shego was looking her dead in the eyes. “Shego… I don’t hate friends… I may grow angry with them, but I could never hate a friend.”
Joss’s eyes widened at how intimate Kim was getting with Shego, somewhere deep inside her she felt a stirring to stop this, to make Kim pull away from that evil temptress. ‘No! Kim’s better than to fall for her… isn’t she? WHY DIDN’T I BRING MY CAMERA! This would so make the members realize how sweet Kim is.’
Shego looked into Kim’s eyes silently for a few minutes before pulling away. “Kimmie… there is a lot that we have to work through… but I want you to go home and think about this for a few hours. I am going to my mother’s to make sure nothing is wrong with me, I want to invite you along.”
Kim frowned in thought before she asked, “How long would I be gone?”
“I don’t know Kimmie… your powers were gotten a different way, so your training may take longer… but I would expect you to be ready to go to college in the fall,” Shego answered quietly. “Princess… go home and think about it, I’ll be here all day.”
Kim frowned before nodding. “Fine Shego, I’ll hold you to that,” she said before turning away and seeing Joss’s eyes on her. “Shego… before I go… I have to know. Is the offer exclusive to me?”
Shego sighed as she looked at her monitors, “Yes Cupcake, it is. I don’t want your boyfriend at my mother’s place; it would be too distracting for you.”
“I’ll give you my answer by tomorrow Shego,” Kim said as she led Joss out, “Thank you for listening Shego, and for the offer.”
Shego waited until she saw Kim and Joss on the monitors before she responded, “Don’t thank me Kim… I ruined your life.”
Kim walked Joss home quietly, both young women lost in their own thoughts. Joss about why her heart was begging Kim to stay, and Kim about whether she would stay or not. Getting back to the house, Kim flopped on the sofa in front of the TV while Joss went to the kitchen for a drink.
Joss saw her aunt reading the newspaper at the table while she walked through. Grabbing a juice from the fridge, Joss sat down at the table and sighed heavily drawing her aunt’s attention.
“Hey Joss, what’s wrong?” the older female asked while folding up her paper.
“I…” Joss said before sighing again and shaking her head. “I don’t know Aunt Carmen… I just feel so mixed up.”
“Why don’t you talk to me about it?” Mrs. Possible asked while she picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. “It might help.”
“It’s like this see…” Joss started, “Let’s say yah got a friend that’s sick, nothing serious mind’ja just awful scary, and to get the help they need they have to leave for a while. Would’ja say it’s wrong for yer heart t’hurt at the thought of them leaving?”
Mrs. Possible laughed quietly while shaking her head slowly. “No dear, it’s normal. But that’s when you have to get your friend the help they need and then be there for them when they get back.”
Joss looked down into her juice silently for a few minutes before nodding, “Thanks a bunch Aunt Carmen.”
Joss finished her juice and got up before hugging her aunt and walking out of the kitchen, dropping the glass in the sink on the way. Entering the living room, she sat next to Kim silently.
“Joss?” Kim asked, her eyes staring unfocused up at the ceiling. “Are you alright with me being able to use Shego’s powers?”
Joss’s eyes widened at the surprise of Kim asking her opinion, thinking for a few minutes she sighed and scratched her head. “Shoot Kim… it doesn’t change who ya are, just makes ya better able to fight bad guys. I think ya’ll are cool no matter what ya do.”
Kim smiled weakly as she looked over at her cousin, before sitting up fully and letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m going to go make a call Joss; can you come up to my room in couple hours?”
“Alright Kim,” Joss said while her eyes grew sadder, “I’ll be there.”
“Thank you Joss…” Kim whispered as she hugged her cousin, “Thank you for being there for me.”
“Anytime Kim… I promise,” Joss replied as Kim walked off. ‘No matter what happens Kim, I still love you.’ With that Joss leaned back and sighed, watching the clock click noon.