Seventeenth Friday
Ron and Monique loaded the remains of Kim into Monique's ‘93 Taurus and took her to the coffee shop. No one thought it was a good idea. While the familiar surroundings might help Kim, but it seemed more likely that C2K without Shego would only depress her further. Kim knew in her mind that Shego would not be back, but couldn't believe it with her heart. She wanted to feel Shego's hands cover her eyes and hear her whisper “Gotcha.”
Ron ordered green tea and a whole grain muffin, Monique an espresso can panna and an eclair -- promising herself two miles of jogging tomorrow.
Kim circled the room once or twice, greeting some of the Legals. She also stopped to watch a couple men playing chess, Monique thought she saw Kim whisper something to one of the men. After making the circuit she returned and sat with Monique and Ron, appearing to only half listen as they talked.
“Was coming here a good idea or a bad idea?”
“I can't tell. I think I can be miserable anywhere these days.”
Wade spoke through the Kimmunicator, “I'm pretty sure it's Shego and Drakken”
Middleton police had established their standard perimeter around the outside of the building -- which, of course, never worked since Drakken's hovercraft would go out the top. Kim went in almost mechanically, it was better to go with the flow of habit than think about what might happen. The scene had been played out dozens of times before: Kim confronts villains, Kim fights Shego, villains escape or are captured. The scene had never played out like this.
“You look like crap, Shego. You look as bad as I feel inside. You aren't sleeping either are you?”
Shego's voice was dull and flat, “It was all a tease Kimmie. I never liked you. I used you. I lied to you Kimmie, you don't mean anything to me.”
“I love you Shego --”
“NO! YOU WON'T!” Shego screamed and lurched forward, slapping Kim. She stepped back, her arms hanging at her sides, staring at Kim. “Hit me Kim. Please, hit me. I won't defend myself. Hit me until I know you don't care for me. Beat me until I can tell myself I don't love you.”
Shego's stomach tied itself in knots as Kim sobbed and ran from the warehouse.
Drakken felt elation as Kim fled from them, “Brilliant, Shego, brilliant. I wondered where you've been going -- you've found the way to defeat Kim Possible!”
“Shut the fuck up, Dr. D., or I'll kill you.”
Drakken opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it. Shego's tone could not be ignored. “Are you okay Shego? You don't look well -- could you use some time off?”
“I'm fine, really.” But even the eternally oblivious Drakken knew she was lying. He wondered if he should give her some time off.
Ron spent his nights looking for Shego, but had no idea what he would do if he found her. Shego was right, it was best if she got out of Kim's life. But Ron knew it wasn't what Kim wanted. Kim and Shego? None of this made any sense to Ron, he only knew he had to try and do something. Ron asked Wade for help in tracking Shego -- but Wade told Kim of Ron's quest. It only managed to make Kim feel worse. Not knowing Ron's motives she feared a battle that might kill one or both of two of the most important people in her life. She begged Wade to feed misdirections to Ron. Wade felt equally conflicted, wanting the best for Kim and not knowing what it was. Monique still had Shego's cell phone number, and felt she could reason with Shego, if she would just answer her damn phone.
Eighteenth Friday
The internship had ended last week and classes began Tuesday. Kim went out to the research facility with her dad on Friday and returned with a bulky package. Jean Possible hoped it meant that her daughter had started to heal, but Kim retreated to her room -- waiting for some relief from her misery and feeding it with the endless repetition of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ When Jean questioned her husband about the package he claimed to have no idea. “Kim went in to talk with Dr. Chen and came back with whatever is in there.”
Wade's voice was serious when the call came on Saturday afternoon, “Kim, I have to call Ron this time. You couldn't stop them alone last time.”
Kim sounded grim. “You will not call Ron. This is going to end today one way or another.”
“You okay Kim? I don't like how that sounded.”
“No, I'm not okay. But I'm ready for what I have to do. Don't call Ron.”
As soon as Kim turned off her Kimmunicator Wade called Ron. “She didn't want me to tell you.”
Ron nodded, “Thanks Wade. I'm closer to Transistor World than she is, I can beat her there. But I won't let her see me unless she needs backup.”
Kim crashed into Transistor World carrying what looked like a flashlight in her hand, but no flashlight required the sort of battery pack she had strapped to her back, connected to the ‘flashlight’ by a heavy cable.
“Run Dr. D, I'll stop her.” Shego put herself between Kim and the hovercraft. Shego felt nervous. She told herself it was only because Kim now outclassed her as a fighter. Kim was slightly taller than Shego now, and had a slight weight advantage -- all well trained muscle. Shego had speed and stealth on Kim, but stealth wasn't going to win a battle. Shego also had her plasma and a world of dirty tricks, but didn't think she'd have the heart to use them. “Damn you, Possible, you've made me soft.”
The two stood, facing each other in silence. Kim didn't assume a battle stance, and she didn't bow. Instead she aimed the ‘flashlight’ at Shego. “You lied to me Shego. But you told me to do what was necessary with no regrets. You brought this on yourself.”
Shego stood still as Kim snapped on the light. Would Kim really kill her? It didn't matter, at that moment it sounded like an end to her pain. She remained unmoving as the light hit her. The beam seemed harmless, but after a few seconds in its glow irrational panic set in. Shego rolled, she ducked, she did backflips to get out of the light Kim shone on her. Familiar with her moves Kim kept the beam trained on Shego.
“Come on Shego,” Drakken shouted, “I'm waiting for you.” Shego spun and ran to the hovercraft, Kim didn't pursue, she just kept the light shining on Shego.
“What in the hell just happened?” Drakken demanded as they sped away.
“Hell if I know,” Shego answered, genuinely puzzled.
Watching from one corner of the store, Ron was equally unsure what he had witnessed.
Kim had left the window to her room open that night, a good idea because the shattering pane would have awakened everyone in the house.
“Damn you, Possible, damn you,” Shego snarled as she picked Kim up and, still holding her, slammed her against the wall. “You fucking know I fucking hate fucking mind control,” she hissed. Kim didn't raise her hands or try to defend herself.
“Kim? Are you all right?” a voice called.
“Yes dad, I'm fine I tripped and fell when I got up to go to the bathroom.”
“You sure you're okay?”
“I'm sure Dad, go back to bed.”
“Okay sweetie, Oh, clean up your room in the morning so there is not so much to trip over.”
There was silence in Kim's room as her father's footsteps could be heard receding down the hallway. “You fucking see what I fucking mean” Shego hissed, her face inches from Kim's “little Miss Perfect has to lie to her daddy. But you fucking played with my mind so I can't.”
“It's not mind control,” Kim whispered softly, “it's a neural inhibitor. Drakken hit me with it once by accident. He called it a truth ray. It just means you can't lie for a day or two.”
“It's fucking mind control Kim”
“Do you like girls?” Kim demanded
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you love girls?”
“Damn you, Possible, yes”
“How about me Shego, Do you love m--” Shego's backhanded slap hit Kim so hard they both worried it might be heard. A little blood trickled from a cut on Kim's lip.
“Truth or dare Kimmie, truth or dare. You shut the fuck up. You don't ask me anything until this is over or so help me God I'll-- I"ll--”
Shego went silent, unable to finish a threat. In the green glow that surrounded Shego Kim could see her eyes fill with tears. “You'll what, Shego? Can you hurt me worse than you did by walking away? What can you threaten me with? Rape? We both want each other. You know that.”
Shego let go of Kim and slumped to the floor, sobbing. “I trusted you Kim, You are the one fucking person I thought I could trust and you betrayed me. I called you my friend. I loved you.”
Suddenly felt Kim felt worse than she had at the any moment in the last two weeks, she had hurt Shego, hurt her badly. Kim sat down on the floor and took the other woman in her arms.
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But I had to know if you loved me the way I love you. I couldn't live with not knowing.”
“I'm wrong for you Kim, can't you see that?”
“No, I won't accept that, I can't accept that.”
Their lips met and conversation ended. A long, gentle kiss -- salty from tears and the cut on Kim's lip. Their kisses said more than they could with words.
When at last the kiss ended Kim whispered, “Come to bed, Darcy. All I want is to have you in my arms when I wake up. Can I have that? Will you stay? Will you promise?”
“It's all I want, Princess.”
Physically exhausted and emotionally drained the two fell asleep in each other's arms -- both equally frightened of what this all meant and the future -- each clinging desperately to the one person she believed was her best chance for happiness.
--The End--
Original PS - If any of you hate the ending for not wrapping things up happily enough you will really, really hate the sequel.
In case it isn't clear Shego and Kim did NOT become intimate that night. While they've admitted their love for each other the fact Shego doesn't plan to change her lifestyle will continue to cause problems.
Redux Reflection
I originally planned this as a three story series. Shego and Kim would become intimate in the second story, and I would find a way to keep them together in the third story, to be titled “My Name is Shego.” Things took a weird turn and the original three stories became six. At the end of the original Best Enemies I gave a tiny preview of Cognitive Dissonance, the second story in the original story arc.
BAM BAM BAM
“Get up Kimmie, time to come down to breakfast.”
Startled awake, Kim and Shego clung to each other.
“Ah, just a minute Dad, let me get dressed. Can you give me fifteen minutes?”
“Okay, but that is fifteen minutes for the two of you to get dressed -- not for Shego to go out the window.”
The two stared at each other. Shego's mouth moved with a silent, “Oh, shit!”
“Oh, and Shego… Jean is watching Kim's window. She said there was some house rule I never heard of -- Kim isn't allowed to sleep with anyone she won't invite to the breakfast table. Did Kimmie tell you about that?”
Kim giggled, “I forgot to mention that to her.”
Shego stared at the closed door, then back at Kim. “You people are fucking nuts,” she whispered, “You make Monkey Fist look stable.”
“I don't care what you say,” Kim gave her a big kiss. “Not after last night. Not after you admitted you loved me… Oh, Damn! I do care what you say Shego. You're still under the affects of that neural inhibitor.”
“Kim, what happened to your lip?”
Unable to control herself Shego answered. “I hit her.”
“YOU WHAT!”
“It's okay Mom, really. I deserved it.”
“Dear God, please don't tell me that the two of you are into S & M.”
“That's okay Kim. This is their house, it's only fair for them to make the rules. If they are uncomfortable with their daughter making love in her bedroom you have to respect that and obey them. I'm sure if they prefer we express our deep and sincere love in some roach-infested dive where they rent rooms by the hour to drug addicts and hookers we can find one. You must honor your parent's wishes no matter how poorly they have thought it through.”
Jean glared at Shego, “Okay, the subject is not closed.”