Kim wanted to tell herself that she was merely imagining things, but a little voice inside her head continued to insist that she was in danger of losing those closest to her.
It had all started on the night that Ron went missing. Although he'd finally shown up the next day, he had not been himself. At least, not the Ron that Kim had come to recognize as her best friend. He was very jumpy, and seemed especially on edge whenever Kim was around. It was almost as if he were afraid of saying or doing something that would upset her, but Kim was honestly more worried about him than anything else.
Then there was Shego. She hadn't said a word about her hunch since that night, and whenever Kim tried to bring it up, the subject was always immediately changed. Aside from that, Shego had become a lot more subdued lately. Her infamous sarcasm seemed to have faded away completely, and Kim found herself missing all the usual witty replies. More than that, she missed the Shego she'd first kissed, because only traces of that woman remained now.
Monique was perhaps the most mysterious. and therefore most disturbing change of all. She seemed to have absolutely no time for Kim anymore, claiming that she was simply busy for some unknown reason. The first few times, Kim had thought that might be true. But with every additional rejection, she began to sense that Monique was doing everything in her power to stay away from her. It was unusual, confusing, and above all else, frightening.
Shego knew even before she touched the door handle that something was very wrong. Perhaps Kim's parents had found out about them, or a mission had hit too close to home. Whatever it was, it was upsetting Kim, and someone needed to do something.
She eased the door open, only to find Kim facedown on the bed, crying softly into her pillow. Shego closed the door behind her and rushed over to the bed, her heart aching with every step as gently rubbed Kim's back. Instead of relaxing, however, Kim's back stiffened beneath her hand.
“Kimmie, what is it?” Shego asked. “What's wrong?”
For a moment, Kim didn't answer. Finally, she rolled over and trained her red-rimmed eyes on Shego's face. “Just tell me what I did. Please. Tell me what I did to make everyone abandon me…”
Shego's eyes widened in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“You, Ron, Monique, all of you. You've changed. It must have been something I did, so please just tell and I'll fix whatever made you all hate me…” Her expression crumbled, and she buried her face in her hands.
“Oh, Kimmie,” Shego whispered. She reached out and drew Kim into her lap. At first, Kim resisted, but then she all but collapsed into Shego's arms, her sobs muffled against Shego's shoulder. Shego merely rocked Kim back and forth like a child, occasionally stroking her hair or pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.
“We don't hate you, Kimmie,” Shego murmured after Kim had calmed down. “That's not it at all.”
“Then what is it?” Kim asked desperately.
“It's something all three of us have to explain together. But none of us hates you, I promise.” Shego gave Kim one last kiss on the nose before setting her on the bed and grabbing the phone. She punched in Monique's number with more force than was necessary.
Kim watched Shego's shoulders tense up, and realized she was quickly growing angrier by the second. ‘Is she really that upset because I was crying?’ she asked herself.
“Monique, it's me. We need to talk. All four of us.” Shego paused, and then snarled into the phone, “You tell that little coward we've waited too long as it is. We've got Kimmie thinking we hate her.”
Even from where she was sitting, Kim thought she heard a gasp.
“Yeah, I thought so. We'll be over in a few.” Shego hung up and turned to Kim. “Okay, princess, let's go.” She started to turn away, but Kim suddenly seized her face and kissed her passionately.
“I missed you,” Kim said quietly as she pulled away, her eyes shining with relief.
Shego smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach her eyes as she pulled Kim to her feet. “C'mon. The sooner we get this thing cleared up, the better.”
Monique wasn't quite sure what to do when she finally saw Shego and Kim. It seemed that she'd gone over the apology in her mind millions of times, but now, when she needed them most, each practiced word had vanished. But as she took in the somewhat fearful expression on Kim's face, Monique knew there was only one thing she could say.
“Kim, I'm so sorry,” Monique said quietly, gently taking Kim's hands in her own. “I never meant to make you feel this way. If I'd known what we were doing to you, I never would've-”
Kim cut off her apology with a fierce embrace, her eyes threatening to tear up again. “Forget it. Just promise me you'll never do it again.”
“Sure. Pinky swear and everything,” Monique agreed softly, stroking her best friend's hair reassuringly. She noticed Shego frowning, and followed her gaze to see Ron pressed up against the wall, looking as if he would do anything to escape. “Ron? Your turn.”
Ron managed to peel himself from the wall, but all the apprehension was still there as Kim turned to him. “Uh…KP, I…um…I'm-” He stopped short as Kim took a step toward him, and actually gasped when she kept coming. But before he could get anything else out, Kim walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek to his. If anything, this only made Ron look more horrified.
“Of course I forgive you, Ron,” Kim murmured. “How could I not?” She pulled back enough to brush her lips against his cheek, which instantly turned dark red as Ron backed into the wall without even realizing it.
“I think I can explain this best,” Monique offered, trying to draw attention away from Ron. She gestured for Kim and Shego to sit on her bed, before taking Ron by the hand and gently tugging him over to a chair. He sat, still shaking slightly, but did not release his grip on her hand. Monique didn't have the heart to make him, but she noticed Shego's glare trained on their joined hands and tried to ignore it. Kim, at least, looked relaxed, for however long that lasted.
“Kim, when you started showing interest in Shego beyond battling to the death, Ron and I were concerned. We thought you might be making a big mistake. But I'm glad to see we were wrong.”
Kim nodded, but didn't say anything.
“On the other hand, we also had to accept the very real possibility that you might spend the rest of your life with Shego and be perfectly happy. It…wasn't easy.”
“You mean…that's why you've been avoiding me? Because we made you uncomfortable?” Kim asked.
Monique shook her head. “No, Kim. We've come to terms with that, for the most part. The thing is, Ron and I both felt like we were losing you, in a way. It might be because it's Shego, or because it's another woman, or because we know if Shego really wanted to, she could just take off with you one night, and we'd never see you again. But we're still supposed to trust her, and it's hard with all the power she has over her life. Don't get me wrong, we know she'd never mistreat you, and that you would never let her. We were just so afraid of losing you that we started doing things to drive you away without realizing it.”
Kim frowned. “I still don't understand. Why didn't you just say something?”
“It wasn't that easy.” Monique paused and took a deep breath. “Kim, Ron and I both love you very much, so never doubt that. Only…we both love you a little more than is probably healthy or wise.”
Kim's jaw dropped, but she could not think of any way to reply to that, so she didn't.
“It was easiest for me. We've always been close, you and I, but I just couldn't think of you as a sister. It didn't seem right to me. I think maybe this is why. Seeing you with Shego made me finally recognize my feelings for what they truly were. At first, I was happy for you two, but then I found that I was also jealous. I didn't know why at first, until I started questioning my own dating preference.”
“And…Ron, too?” Kim asked quietly, trying to meet his eyes and failing when he looked down.
Monique nodded. “Ron had the worst time of us both. But I think that's because he's known exactly what his feelings were for so much longer than I did, and because he was so much closer to you. I'm not sure I could've spent that much time with you and not told you how I felt, Kim. I have no idea how he managed it until he told me, either.”
“So you two have been confiding in each other, not dating,” Kim guessed with some relief.
Monique faltered a bit. “It's a little more complicated than that, Kim.”
Kim looked surprised that her guess had been wrong. “It is? How?”
“Well, like I told Shego, Ron and I aren't dating. Never have, never will. But that's because we sort of skipped dating altogether.”
Kim seemed as if she didn't want to ask, but had to. “Skipped it how?”
Monique bit her lip. “We both understood going into this that dating wasn't a good idea. We'd spent enough time together to know what it would've been like, and neither of us really wanted or needed any of the awk-weird issues it would bring up.” She stopped, and then plowed ahead suddenly so as to lessen the blow. Not that it helped in the least.
“So we skipped dating completely and went straight to having sex.”
Kim's hand instantly shot out for Shego's, and interestingly enough, the color drained out of her face until she was nearly as pale as Shego. Shego's skin seemed to have brightened a few shades, as if her entire body were trying to blush.
“You…you're…having sex,” Kim said slowly. “The two of you.”
Monique nodded, but Ron still wouldn't look up.
“I don't…I can't…why would you DO that?” Her eyes moved to Monique. “And what happened to these feelings you said you had for me?”
“They're still there, just like Ron's are,” Monique pointed out, making Kim go red in the face. “But we chose to suppress them in the interest of allowing you and Shego to be happy. If we'd told you, it only would've put unneeded stress on your relationship, and we knew it would be hard enough on you. At the same time, we couldn't just bottle up these feelings and pretend nothing ever happened. We needed to vent somehow. And when I saw that Ron was having much the same problem as I was, I wanted to help him. I suggested we just talk to comfort each other. But like I said, we were doing that as friends, so nothing changed. We were frustrated because of what expressing our feelings for you would do our friendship with you, Kim. We needed a way to let them out without risking it. And…we found it.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying that both of you…you picture me…when you…?”
Monique had the decency to look a bit guilty. “Sometimes, yes. But for me, at least, there are times when I know exactly who I'm with, and it doesn't bother me at all. I know Ron doesn't love me that way, because I feel exactly the same as he does. It's more a means to an end…a way to admit our feelings for you without really telling you or driving us both insane. But neither of us could help feeling guilty around you, so I guess we tried to distance ourselves as best we could.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Kim, and she turned to Shego. “You knew.” It wasn't a question.
“I walked in on them, that night when I went looking for him,” Shego admitted. “I didn't know what to do. I wanted to tell you, but I knew it would hurt you, Kimmie. Monique convinced me that it should only come from them, not me, even if it meant keeping this from you. But when I saw you crying, I had to do something. I can't stand watching you cry.” She squeezed Kim's hand. “I'm sorry, Kimmie. I should have just told you from the start.”
But Kim shook her head. “No. Monique was right. If you'd told me, I might not have believed it. Looking at them now, I still almost don't.”
“Can you ever forgive us, Kim?” Monique asked. “We were wrong, and we're sorry we kept this from you, but we did it to protect you, and ourselves.”
Kim smirked. “Well, I guess I was right all along. In a way, this IS all my fault. People just keep falling in love with me.” She smiled at Monique, but Ron still wouldn't meet her eyes. “And if…sex is what keeps you two sane and close to me, I'll just have to get used to it. It's not like you're hurting anything.”
“And you're not mad at Shego for keeping our secret, are you?” Monique added.
“I can hardly get mad at her for helping you two. I did ask her to be civil, and she promised to try.” Kim smiled and laid her head on Shego's shoulder. “I'd say she's definitely been a good girl.”
Shego looked distinctly uncomfortable at being called that, but Monique saved her from any further embarrassment. “You know, all this confessing has given me a major case of the munchies. Help me round up some snacks, Kim?”
“Sure.” Kim lightly kissed Shego's cheek and stood up. She touched Ron's shoulder as she passed him, but even that didn't seem to get a rise out of him.
Shego waited until the girls had gone before closing the door and walking over to Ron. “So I see you two decided not to tell her about the last part.”
Ron looked away. “Monique thought it was for the best, and that she didn't need to know.”
“Or she cares too much about you to see you squirm anymore.” Shego sighed and squatted next to his chair. “Look, Sto-um, Ron. I'm sorry you got the short end of the stick, really I am. But I can't apologize for taking what I wanted. That's the way I am, and that's what got me Kimmie in the end. Maybe if you were more like that, you'd have her instead. But the fact is I don't let anything go without a fight, and neither does Kimmie. You ever get hit by a comet and miraculously survive, gimme a call and we'll talk about it, maybe. Otherwise, the favors end here.”
“You got KP fair and square,” Ron sighed. “I guess that's what I hated the most. You didn't cheat or anything, like I would've expected. You just told her how you felt, saved her life. That was all it took. If only I wasn't too chicken to do the other half.”
“Well, don't be too stupid to miss what's right in your face,” Shego replied. “Monique says she doesn't love you, but I say she's lying again.”
Ron blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on! She lets you confide in her. She comforts you when you're bawling like a baby. She'll hold your hand in public, no questions asked. Hell, she even lets you bang her brains out! What more do you need, Ron? Either she's truly madly for you and waiting for you to see it, or she's trying to baby you and somehow ended up with the worst case of Oedipus complex I've ever seen.”
“Wow,” Ron said softly. “…I never knew you went to school.”
“Yeah? You're still IN school, and who gets paid megabucks to do what they're best at, huh?”
“Point taken.” Ron lifted his gaze to hers. “Both of them.”
“Good boy.” Shego ruffled his hair and stood up. “One thing, though.”
“Yeah?”
Shego stuck a glowing, green fist in his face. “You hurt her, Kimmie's best friend count decreases by one, and my body count goes up by one. We understand each other, Stoppable?”
Normally, Ron might have pointed out that Kim would never allow that. But considering he wasn't feeling especially close to her at the moment, that little tidbit escaped him. “Yes, sir.”
Shego smirked and lowered her hand. Her expression softened. “So, tell me something. Exactly how long have you been hoping that Kim would be your first?”
Ron turned dark red and looked at the floor. “Too long. Doesn't matter anymore, anyway.”
“I bet you wanted your first time to be with your dream girl. Wanted it to be just perfect, right? Something you'd remember fondly for the rest of your life?”
Ron nodded.
Shego lowered her head to whisper in his ear. “Here's a thought, genius: who says it wasn't?”
He froze and slowly turned to look at her. But Shego only grinned and walked out of the room.
“If that ain't a good deed for the day, I just don't know what is,” she said to herself with a smile.
“Well, that went better than I thought it would,” Shego commented as she activated the hovercraft's camouflage option by remote.
“I guess I'm really losing my touch if I didn't notice my two best friends were in a relationship of their own,” Kim noted.
“Nah, I have been keeping you pretty busy,” Shego admitted. “And I noticed it, so that's just as good as you noticing.”
“Not really. You didn't tell me.”
“Doesn't matter. I knew for both of us.”
“I don't think that counts,” Kim argued lightly.
“Does,” Shego answered, hugging Kim from behind and nuzzling her neck.
“You can't keep doing that whenever we disagree,” Kim complained, even as she leaned back. “It's not fair.”
“Seems fair to me,” Shego disagreed.
“That's only because you always win.”
“Anytime you want to win, you only have to do the same thing to me.”
“But I have morals. I would never manipulate you that way, Shego.”
“Then I hope you don't mind losing too much, since you'll be doing a lot of it.”
“What happened to give and take? Compromising? Sacrifices?”
“Never heard of them,” Shego replied firmly, opening the back door.
“Shego, that's not-”
“Kimberly Anne Possible!” Mr. Dr. Possible's voice thundered through the house.
Shego and Kim froze.
“Think we should run?” Shego asked.
“We'd never make it,” Kim sighed. “We might as well get it over with, since today's theme is getting secrets out in the open.” She took Shego's hand and dragged her to the den, where the Doctors Possible were seated on the couch.
“Have a seat, you two,” Mrs. Possible invited in a tone that was both pleasant and insistent at the same time.
“If this is about the broccoli that mysteriously exploded yesterday,” Shego began, “I had nothing to do with it.”
“Oh, the culprits of that particular crime were already apprehended,” Mr. Possible assured her. “In fact, they were caught with some…interesting reading material.”
“What, girly mags?” Shego asked, laughter in her tone.
“Not the kind we expected, actually.” Mrs. Possible picked up a magazine. “They swore up and down that their interest in reading ‘Lesbian Life: The Number One Magazine for Lesbians Worldwide’ was purely educational.”
The smile dropped off of Shego's face in a heartbeat.
“Sorry, Kim!” two simultaneous voices shouted down the stairs.
“Boys, need I remind you that you're grounded?” Mr. Possible called.
There was a rush of footsteps overhead, followed by a door slamming.
“Mom…Dad…before you jump to any conclusions,” Kim said slowly, “Shego and I aren't…well, we are, but we haven't…that is…”
“We haven't actually had sex,” Shego supplied, rolling her eyes, “so technically, we haven't done anything wrong, exactly.”
Mr. Possible leaned forward. “Kimmie cub, I realize that all our rules about you dating applied only to boys, but that's because we never imagined you might…be dating girls. But now that you apparently are, the same rules apply. As such, we expect to be notified of any and all future dates, no matter who they might be with.”
“We haven't actually been on any official dates, either,” Kim pointed out, trading looks with Shego.
“Then you wouldn't mind accompanying Dr. Harrison's son to his school dance next week?” Mrs. Possible asked.
“The HELL she will,” Shego growled, even as Kim tried to shush her.
“So you ARE in a romantic relationship, even if you haven't found time to date?” Mrs. Possible asked innocently.
“Yes!” Kim admitted, pulling Shego back down into her seat. “Yes, we are. I…I know I should've told you from the start-”
“You certainly should have,” Mr. Possible interrupted with a frown.
“-but I was afraid of how you'd react. I never said I wasn't involved with Shego, so it's not as if I lied!”
“You also failed to mention that your sleeping together wasn't as innocent as you made it out to be,” Mrs. Possible added.
Kim blinked. “Oh. That. Okay, THAT wasn't entirely true, but I did need to be with Shego! I still do.”
“Do you have anything to add to this, Shego?” Mr. Possible wondered aloud.
“Nope,” Shego answered, crossing her arms over her chest. “You can say whatever you want, so long as it's understood that I won't stop seeing Kimmie under any circumstances. You try to pull that ‘so long as you live under this roof’ stuff, and I'll just move out.”
“Hey!” Kim protested, but Shego silenced her with a look.
“Let's just be honest with each other. You can only control Kimmie, and you know that being with me makes her happy. In fact, the only reason we're still here is because she has this idea in her head that she'd miss you too much if we took off for parts unknown. So as you can see, I haven't completely corrupted her yet.”
“Shego!” Kim hissed, grabbing her arm.
“In that case, I think there's only one thing that needs to be settled.” Mr. Possible cleared his throat. “Shego, what are your intentions for my daughter?”
“To treat her like a slightly less expensive version of a princess, short of forcefully taking over an area for her to rule,” Shego responded. Kim muttered something in her ear, and she grinned. “Also to keep her away from any boys that might deflower her.”
“SHEGO!” Kim cried, covering her face with her hands.
“What? Just saying ‘dishonor’ wasn't clear enough! This way you know exactly what it means!”
Mrs. Possible lightly cleared her throat. “We were referring more to the idea of you two being formally recognized as a couple.”
Shego shook her head. “We thought we'd wait. Kimmie IS in high school, and I AM a teacher of sorts. People talk.”
“You're not at all concerned about anyone guessing the true nature of your relationship?”
“Like Kimmie said, we're not dating. And no one at school would ever guess that we even liked each other.”
“She has a point,” Kim agreed. “NO ONE could like Sheila Gonzalez.”
“Oh, that's it. DOUBLE Catwalks tomorrow, missy!”
“Shego! You said we wouldn't mix home life and school life!”
“Yeah, and we won't! I'll just have you suspended so you won't HAVE a school life!”
The Doctors Possible looked on in amusement as Kim and Shego continued arguing.
“Did we ever fight like that?” Mr. Possible asked his wife.
“Yes, dear. Only we never got physical.” Mrs. Possible winced. “And our language was certainly much cleaner.”
“She could be a bad influence on the twins,” he added.
“Honestly, hon, I'm more worried about them influencing her. Those broccoli stains still won't come out of the ceiling…”
“I don't know, I just found this box when I got home today,” Tara said, poking at the aforementioned package. “It's from the Upperton Medical Laboratory.”
Bonnie shrugged. “So open it already.”
“But I don't know anyone in Upperton. And definitely no one in a medical lab. What if-”
“Here, I'll do it,” Bonnie volunteered, ripping the box open.
Tara sighed. “Or we could do that.”
Bonnie thrust two sealed envelopes into Tara's hand and continued digging through the box's contents. “Read those.”
Tara opened the smaller envelope first. “Dear Tara, Kim told me you'd been having some trouble with your arm. Here's a little device that will hopefully help you along the road to recovery. Best wishes, Wade.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Do we know a Wade?”
It took Bonnie a moment, but she frowned as well, and not in a thoughtful way. “No. No, we most definitely do not.”
“Hmm. Weird.” Tara opened the next envelope. “Dear Ms. Tara King, We of the Research and Development Group at the Upperton Medical Laboratory were recently made aware of your unfortunate accident. We extend our sincerest concerns, and hope this notice finds you well. It is our hope that this latest product of ours will be of some use to you. While it is experimental in nature, we have the highest confidence that it will drastically increase the speed of your recovery. Instructions are included, and should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at our toll-free number listed below. Sincerely, Dr. Charles P. Fantis.” Tara looked confused. “So what did they send me?”
“Looks like a cast,” Bonnie observed. “An ugly one at that.”
“How could a cast be ‘experimental in nature,’ Bonnie?”
“Oh, look. It's a robotic cast.”
“A WHAT?”
“No, wait. Cybernetic. C.A.S.T: Cybernetic Appendage Strengthening Technology. Here's some instructions.” Bonnie handed Tara a folded sheet of paper and dove back into the box.
“C.A.S.T. User's Manual. The C.A.S.T. is designed to provide maximum support for your sprained/broken limb, utilizing the best in protection, comfort, and slight sonic vibrations to make your recovery time all the more pleasant. Note that the C.A.S.T. automatically adjusts the first time you use it, and its enhanced memory will store your measurements, expanding on these specifications when a mode change is desired. The C.A.S.T. has three different modes: Action Mode, Daily Mode, and Sleep Mode. Action Mode is for when you plan to do any strenuous activity that might normally have negative impact on your recovering limb. Merely activate Action Mode by pressing ‘A’ on the C.A.S.T.'s keypad. The C.A.S.T. will then provide maximum thickness and comfort for the duration of your activity. When done, simply switch back to Daily Mode, and the C.A.S.T. will adjust accordingly. Daily Mode is designed to support your limb while moving about and doing day-to-day tasks. Daily Mode is activated by pressing ‘D’ on the keypad. This is also the default mode for when you choose to end any other mode. Sleep Mode is activated by pressing ‘S’ on the keypad, or when the C.A.S.T. detects that you have either fallen asleep or stopped moving for an extended period of time (default is one hour, but this can be adjusted). Sleep Mode is designed to support your limb while you remain largely unmoving. Should you make any major movements or wake up, however, the C.A.S.T. will switch back to Daily Mode. The C.A.S.T. also has individual controls for thickness, comfort, and vibration levels that can be accessed at any time. Keep in mind, however, that the C.A.S.T. compensates automatically for any unexpected shocks or impacts, always with the safety of your limb as top priority. Currently, the C.A.S.T. only switches between three colors: Midnight Black, Pearl White, and Tara Gold.” Tara paused and looked at Bonnie. “'Tara Gold?'”
“It does seem to match your hair,” Bonnie replied, holding up the C.A.S.T. “Exactly, in fact.”
Kim groaned as a familiar beeping woke her up. She grabbed the Kimmunicator from the nightstand. “Wade, this better be good.”
“Sorry, Kim. Shego asked me to contact her when…certain events were met. Is she there?”
Kim blinked, suddenly fully awake. “Yeah…” She rolled over and nudged Shego with her elbow.
“Mmm.” Shego grunted and rolled on top of Kim.
“Hey! Shego!” Kim couldn't help laughing as Shego's lips descended on her neck. “Even asleep, she's impossible! Shego, get off!”
“Huh. What?” Shego asked sleepily.
“Wade wants to talk you?” Kim asked with a pointed look.
“Oh.” Shego snatched the Kimmunicator from her. “What?”
“The package has been received,” Wade replied.
“Uh huh. Don't EVER call this late again…unless you enjoyed what you just witnessed.”
Wade grinned. “I won't be plucking out my eyes, if that's what you mean. I'd say good night, but…well, seems like you're halfway there as it is.” He cut the connection.
“Little smartass,” Shego muttered.
“What was that about?” Kim demanded.
“No idea what you mean,” Shego answered, going for Kim's neck again.
“Oooooh…Shego, no!” Kim pulled away. “I'm serious. No more secrets, excluding birthdays and holidays. So talk.”
Shego rolled her eyes. “You remember that Felix kid.”
“You mean my unfortunate friend you tried to steal a wheelchair from?”
“Hey, that ‘wheelchair’ had more military applications than some tanks I've seen,” Shego said defensively. “Anyway, I had Wade call up his mother, who in turn contacted some people she knew in Upperton. Said people might have sent a little care package to Tara. Of course I had to pretend I was you calling in a favor.”
“I imagine Felix's mom wouldn't be so quick to help someone who tried to hotwire her son's wheelchair.”
Shego glared at her. “Now you've gone and killed the mood. Hope you like sleeping without me breathing down your neck.”
Kim pouted. “Oh, come on. You're going to make us both suffer because of a mere observation?”
Shego considered that for a moment. “Must have gone nuts for a second. People in love really are crazy.” She dragged Kim back to her and closed her eyes.
Before they could get comfortable, however, the Kimmunicator beeped again.
Kim grabbed it. “Wade, what did we just-”
“Urgent, Kim. Got a hit on the site. It's Drakken.”
“He's gone bad again?” Kim asked.
“No, actually. He's the one who visited the site. He has it on good authority that Professor Dementor is planning a jail break tonight. And he'll be looking for you two. Thought you should know.”
“…thanks, Wade.” Kim switched the Kimmunicator off and looked at Shego. “So you weren't kidding when you mentioned melting someone's face off.”
Shego shook her head. “I don't joke about things like that, Kimmie.”
“But you know he didn't actually hurt me, exactly.”
“You were soiling yourself for three days, and it made you easy prey for Monkey Fist, who almost turned you and Mom into monkeys.”
“But you did this BEFORE Monkey Fist.”
“Yeah, well…I was pissed.”
Kim's expression softened. “Shego?”
“What?” Shego asked warily.
“I love you, too.”
“Killing the mood, Kimmie.”
“I am not!”
“Are, too. You can't mention love when I'm trying to be all about lust.”
“Okay. Then let's make a deal. You get back into the mood, and I won't point out how what you did for Tara is only something a very NICE person would do.”
Shego glared at her. “You were never this sneaky before.”
“I wasn't cuddling with pure evil before,” Kim countered, leaning in to leave a trail of kisses along Shego's chin.
“Flatterer,” Shego muttered, a dreamy grin plastered across her face.
Next Chapter: Monique has one more confession to make, Dementor strikes, and Tara finds an unconventional use for her C.A.S.T.