Well, I’m still surprised at how many are reviewing this. I haven’t had this kind of turnout since I started posting my fics. Although it’s nice, I still need to get used to it. So, thanks to everyone who’s reviewed so far. They’re all appreciated. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.
If Kim had tried for another kiss, Shego would have left. Which was nice that even though Shego was certain that Kim wanted to, she kept herself from doing so. It seemed she was content to let Shego hold her as the movie finished. Even as the credits started to roll, Shego didn’t try to move and neither did Kim. Both were content to just stay like this for a while longer.
However, as things always reached a perfect moment, something always happens to disturb that moment. This time it was Shego’s bladder suddenly reaching it’s maximum capacity. Shego groaned as she got up, careful to not have Kimmie drop back suddenly without warning. As Shego looked at Kim, she saw that she had fallen asleep. She smiled at Kimmie lovingly, as she beheld the angel lying on her couch. After a moment, Shego remembered what she needed to do.
When Shego was done in the bathroom, she came out to find Kim starting to stir. Shego was able to get back in place, holding Kimmie when Kim became fully aware of her surroundings. “Afternoon, princess,” Shego said softly, as they looked each other in the eye.
“Afternoon, beautiful,” came the reply.
Both smiled. Shego wanted desperately to kiss Kim, but knew that she’d only be going back on what she said earlier if she did. Suddenly Kim’s eyes went wide. “What time is it?” she asked, getting up quickly.
“About two,” Shego answered. Then after a moment, a thought occurred to her. “Why?”
“Because my dad wanted me back in the afternoon.”
“So? You know you can head back any time.”
“I know that,” Kim answered, blushing. She looked away from Shego, and Shego realized that something else was up. However, before she could say anything, Kim continued. “I was just wanting to have them know that we’re friends now.”
Shego was certain that she didn’t want to let them know JUST that, but understood that this would be a big enough shock for them as it was. However, Shego was content to let Kim introduce her however she saw fit. After all, it was her family, not Shego’s. Even though Kim had already met her family, or at least part of it. And eventually, Shego was certain that Kim would want to meet the rest of her family, but that was another problem for another day. Hopefully a day that was far, far away.
“In other words, you’d like a ride,” Shego finished for Kim with a smirk.
“Please and thank you.”
Shego chuckled as she shook her head and made her way upstairs. “Give me a minute to get changed and I’ll take you.”
Shego considered how Kimmie was acting now, as she was when she first woke up on Shego’s couch. She was so relaxed now that Shego almost had a hard time differentiating between when she kissed her and now. If Shego hadn’t known Kim was a paradox before, this really proved that she was far more complex than Shego had originally thought. Like there were countless layers in Kim that seemed to come out in different situations. Like when they’d fight, Kim didn’t hold anything back, but when they were alone, she could be sweet and tender when she wasn’t hurting or having emotional problems. Then finally, she could be completely infuriating when she was in a helpless situation that she’d also be able to get out of. Shego knew that she was going to have fun figuring all the intricacies of her Kimmie out.
She sighed as she got to her room. She didn’t have any idea of what she should wear. The only thing that she knew for a fact that she would NOT wear was her usual jumpsuit that had originally been her uniform for Team Go, and then became her usual attire when she had first met Kim.
After an agonizing debate, she finally decided on a deep green shirt and black jeans. After getting fully dressed, Shego threw her pajamas on the bed and walked downstairs. As she made her way to the garage, she saw Kimmie waiting for her. “Ready, princess?”
Kim nodded and they both made their way into Shego’s car. Shego turned it on and pulled out. Shego looked briefly at Kim when as they pulled out of the garage and driveway. She seemed a little distracted. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, and finally decided that it was Kim thinking of how best to introduce her to her family. Someone who had tried to hurt, not only her, but her entire family as well. Shego wasn’t sure that she’d be able to do it if she had to, which was one thing that she really admired about Kim. Her willingness to do things that were going to be difficult no matter what. Not that she’d actually admit it.
The drive over was uneventful. However, as they pulled up in front of Kim’s house, Shego heard Kim inhale quickly. She turned to look at Kim and could see her face full of dread. “No. Not them,” Kim whispered.
Ann was starting to get tired. She’d been searching for Kim all day. The inside of the car was hot; she was getting really thirsty and still hadn’t found any sign of Kim. She’d combed the streets thoroughly, but still hadn’t seen a sign. Ann was starting to consider calling Wade again and seeing if he’d been able to find Kim. Ann wished that she could trust her daughter, but she knew that Kim would often do things that would hurt her in the end, just like all teenagers, and she wanted to be able to help keep her from getting hurt more than she really had to.
However, she couldn’t do a thing if she couldn’t find her daughter. Ann looked at the street signs. She was nearing Lowerton and knew that if Kim had made it this far without being seen, she’d have had to have gone inside a building. Ann turned the car onto yet another street and sighed. She was going to have to call Wade again, just to check and see if he had any more information on where Kim might be. Ann knew where a pay phone was nearby, and cursed her memory for forgetting to bring her cell phone. Heck, she had even left her pager at home. So, she wouldn’t even know if anyone needed her anywhere. Not that she’d go anywhere, unless she knew that Kim would be there.
In minutes, Ann was at the gas station and looked at how much gas she had left. Better fill it up, she thought as the gauge was nearing the E. As she got out and started filling the car with the pay at the pump option, Ann looked around.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen a car like that before,” Ann overheard some people talking.
“I wonder where you could get it painted like that. I mean, I haven’t seen any car that green before.”
It took a moment before the words registered in Ann’s mind. After all, Kim said that she had been dropped off by her friend last week, and James had told her that it was a really green car that Kim had gotten out of. Ann looked at the pump gauge and could see that she still had a little more to go, so she continued to listen.
“Maybe you should ask whoever drives it.”
“She lives around here?”
“Of course. Though, she’s hardly seen outside. I think someone saw a girl going into her house last week.”
“Hmm. What’s the address?”
Ann listened to the address and as soon as she was done filling the car up, she started to make her way to the house that Kim was probably at. As she pulled up, she didn’t see anything that would be out of place. In fact it looked just like any other house in the neighborhood. However, Ann wasn’t so easily satisfied. Not when it involved her daughter. She got out of the car and made her way to the front door. She knocked, then waited. After a minute or so, she looked around and saw a doorbell. She rang it with the same effect. This was driving her nuts. If Kim had come here, she apparently wasn’t there anymore. I guess that calling Wade really was my best option, she told herself as she walked back to her car. After all, now I have to start the search all over.
Kim couldn’t believe it. How could she forget that this was going to happen? And when she wanted to introduce Shego to her family as a friend. Not her worst enemy in the freak fighting department. Her uncle and cousin were visiting. Kim felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump involuntarily. Kim turned to see Shego looking at her with a serious expression on her face. “Kimmie, if you don’t want to introduce me right now, it’s okay.”
Kim smiled in return. “I’m fine. I just didn’t expect to see them here.” To herself she asked, Is this what dad was trying to remind me of?
Kim got out of the car, and was glad that for the moment, she hadn’t been noticed. As Kim turned to shut the car door, she saw Shego getting out. Kim suddenly felt uneasy about the whole plan. Telling her immediate family was one thing, but this was something she hadn’t thought about at all. Yeah, she had thought of telling her parents and brothers, her friends, as well as maybe a few other people, but she hadn’t thought of telling anyone else. Fortunately, they were inside, so she figured that they’d have a little bit of time to collect her thoughts before she had to tell all of them about the change in her’s and Shego’s relationship.
Kim waited until Shego got next to her and then walked with her as they made their way to the front door. Kim opened it and they walked right in. Kim had hoped to have a little more time to collect her thoughts, but as soon as they walked in, Joss saw them and was startled to see Shego next to Kim. “Hi, Joss,” Kim greeted, her voice showing how uneasy she was. Joss didn’t say anything. She just stared at Shego, the fight or flight battle taking place in her mind. Kim knew that she’d need to get Joss to not do either if she was going to get through this tonight. “Joss, Shego isn’t here to fight she’s…”
“Oh, hey, Kim!” Slim called out to Kim, walking out of the kitchen, essentially cutting her off. “And who’s this?”
Kim sighed. “This is Shego. You remember her, right? She was working with Dr. Drakken when he put us in that cell a couple years ago.”
“Oh, yeah. She’s the one who shoots fire from her hands.”
Kim noticed that Slim had put a hand on Joss’ shoulder as she was starting to move away, basically letting her know to stay put. “Well, last week we became friends, and I wanted to let everyone know,” Kim continued, hoping that she wasn’t getting herself into trouble with the words she was using and that she wasn’t sounding as lame as she thought she did.
“Hmm, so she’s not going to lock us up again?”
Kim felt Shego tense up next to her. “He’s joking,” Kim assured Shego, turning to put a hand on her forearm, before she decided to light her hands up.
“Are you sure she’s not up to something?” Joss asked.
Kim sighed. Out of all the people that she could be telling about her and Shego being friends, Joss was the one person who she knew it’d be the most difficult to convince. “I’m sure.”
“How do you know?”
“Because of how she’s treated me.”
“How do you know that it isn’t just an act?”
“She could have attacked at any point when I was vulnerable after Ron died,” Kim replied, starting to get annoyed. However, Kim was surprised at the look Joss gave her when she said Ron’s name. What was that about? Kim wondered, not sure if she really wanted to know. Kim looked at Slim questioningly and he shook his head, which Kim took to mean, ‘Not right now.’
Kim sighed, and motioned for Shego to follow her into the kitchen. Kim then offered Shego a chair at the table and sat down, not sure if this was the most difficult part, or if that was yet to come. Slim came in and sat down at the table as well. Kim didn’t see Joss, and assumed that she wasn’t going to come in.
“So, both of you are now friends, huh?” They both nodded. “And do you still work for that Drakken?” Slim asked, looking directly at Shego.
Shego nodded. “I still have little more time that I have to work for him according to my contract,” Shego explained.
Slim nodded, seemingly to himself. “Why did you take an interest in Kim here?”
Shego sighed. “Well… it’s kinda personal.”
“Okay. Now, Kim,” Slim turned to Kim, “why did you allow yourself to get close to Shego?”
Kim was startled at the question. It was so unfair. After all, why does anyone get close to others? “She sent me anonymous letters offering me a place that I could get away from everyone after Ron died. I eventually took her up on her offer, and during that time, we became friends.” Kim hoped that he wouldn’t press for details. Kim was sure her mother probably would.
Slim was silent for a minute, looking at both of them, apparently thinking something over. Finally he sighed. “Well, have you told your parents about this?”
“I was going to today.”
Slim nodded. “Well, your dad is in the garage and I don’t know where your mother is. Squirt said something about her going out searching for you, but I can’t say because she left her cell phone here as well as her pager.”
Kim felt a dread settle on her. Her mother was out searching for her? She wasn’t gone THAT long, and usually when she was, if they needed to contact her, they always could have Wade find her, right? After all, he was always able to find her when he needed to in the past. Why wouldn’t he now? Kim mentally shook her head. Something just didn’t seem right. At that moment, James walked into the kitchen. “Kimmie-cub! Did your mother find you?” he asked cheerfully.
“Actually, no. I didn’t even know she had gone out looking for me until now,” Kim answered, not sure if that was a good thing or not.
“Oh, well. I’m sure she’ll come back eventually,” he replied. Then after a moment’s pause, he noticed Shego. “Who’s this?”
“Dad, this is my friend. Shego.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” James said, not realizing, or not remembering, that Shego used to be his daughter’s biggest enemy. “Jim, Tim!” he suddenly called. “Come down and meet Kim’s new friend.
Kim felt a headache coming on. It was one thing to forget things as easily as her father did, but to forget something like this. It was really irritating. As Jim and Tim came into the kitchen, they stopped short at the door when they saw Shego. “Jim, Tim, this is Shego, Kim’s new friend.” Jim and Tim looked at their father as if he was crazy. Then they looked at Kim and saw that she was relaxed, so they relaxed a little as well.
“Um, could you two show Joss around the house?” Slim asked.
“Couldn’t Kim do that?” Jim asked.
“Here, if you two do this, I’ll make it worth your while,” Slim offered, holding something out that Kim couldn’t see. Jim and Tim both grinned, however, and grabbed what Slim held out and ran off. Slim then turned back to Kim. “Okay, now you know how Joss seemed to get upset when you mentioned Ron?”
Kim nodded. “Yeah, you didn’t look like you wanted me to ask though,” Kim answered.
“Well, I didn’t. Because it seems that shortly after Ron had become her hero, she developed a crush on him.”
Kim was floored. Joss had crushed on Ron? Kim felt her mouth trying to work, but it just didn’t seem to want to operate correctly. She stopped as Slim continued. “I didn’t think much of it because there wasn’t much for me to worry about. But, because of that crush, she took the news of Ron dying really hard. That’s why I thought coming down here might help her out. I know the school year hasn’t ended, but I don’t think that she’d be able to make it through it if she didn’t work her grief out of her.” Slim sighed. “I’m not really sure how to do that. Ever since her mother died, I’ve tried my best to raise her, but there’s only so much a guy like me can do.”
“Well, what helped me was to be given some space,” Kim commented. “Maybe she needs some time to herself?”
Slim shook his head. “I tried that. She just seems to get worse if I leave her alone.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Not that she lets me leave her alone. It’s gotten to the point where I need to watch over her when she falls asleep. Otherwise she either can’t get to sleep, or she’ll wake up in the middle of the night and want to sleep with me.” He shook his head. “Not that I don’t care, it’s just not something a girl of that age should be doing with her father. It could lead to all sorts of problems.”
Kim understood what he was getting at. “So, you think that if she spends time with me, she might be able to work through her grief?”
“If ya don’t mind, that is.”
“No big. I help people, remember? And even though this will be a first time doing something like this, I can do anything.”
Kim could see tears welling up in her uncle’s eyes. “Th- thanks,” was all he seemed to be able to manage, though a voice crackling with emotion.
Kim nodded, then turned to Shego. “I’m sorry, but I think that it’d be better if I talked with Joss without you.”
“Sure thing, Kimmie. I’ll just talk with your dad and uncle,” Shego answered with a smirk.
Kim got up and started to search for where her brothers were occupying Joss. She didn’t see them anywhere in the front or back yard and they weren’t in the living room. So she made her way up the stairs just to check their room to rule that possibility out. However, as she neared their room, she heard her brothers talking. “See Joss? She’s put everything there. Even the part about how Shego plays the trumpet.”
Kim froze. They had hacked into her online diary and were even showing it to Joss. Kim felt her blood boil quickly. There was hardly any rationality left by the time she burst into their room and started screaming at them. “Why are you always hacking into my diary?” Kim couldn’t remember anything of what she said beyond that, all she knew was that her brothers took off in separate directions and Kim chased after Tim, who was closest to her. By the time she calmed down, Kim was tired and breathing hard. Both of her brothers grinned at her while she glared at them. She was in the living room and both of them were outside in the front yard. They were just five feet from her, but there was no way that she was going to jump through the window just to get them and what was worse, was that they knew that.
Finally, exhausted, Kim collapsed on the couch. She just felt drained now that she knew she wasn’t going to get them. Of course it always seemed to be this way. Whenever she chased a thief, villain, or one of the super freaks she’s fought, she never seemed to get as winded as when she chased her brothers. And they always seemed to be just a step ahead of her as well as never getting winded themselves. It was just plain frustrating. Kim closed her eyes and just wished that she’d be able to block out the world at this moment. So she could get some rest.
“That was a spankin’ chase!”
Kim’s eyes snapped open and she sat up on the couch to see her cousin extremely excited. “Really?” Kim asked, her voice showing her enthusiasm; or more accurately, her lack of enthusiasm.
“Yeah! I mean, they really had you running hard and were always able to keep ahead of you. Boy howdy! I’ll bet none of your foes ever are like that.”
Kim scowled at her cousin. Knowing that was one thing. It was a completely different thing when it was her cousin who was pointing that out. Kim didn’t say anything; she just leaned back so she was lying on the couch again. Out of everything that had happened today, this was most definitely the worst part. Kim just hoped that it didn’t get any worse, as things like this always seemed to do. As Kim heard her dad come in, Kim knew she needed to get out of the house and go somewhere. ANYWHERE!
Kim got up and started to make her way towards the door. “I’ll be back, dad.”
“Okay, honey. Have fun.”
Kim had opened the door when Shego walked up next to her. “Do you want me to go with you or just head home?”
“Huh?” Kim had forgotten that Shego was still there. “Sorry, I guess I forgot you were here.”
“What’d your brother’s do this time?”
“They were showing Joss my diary.”
“Didn’t you say you keep that online?” Kim nodded. “And they hack into it?” Again she nodded. “So, why don’t you keep it written and put it with the letters I gave you.”
“What letters?”
Kim slammed the door; half hoping that one of her brother’s faces was hit by it. “Maybe, but they’ll know that I’m writing my diary, and they constantly are going through my stuff.”
“They haven’t found that drawer yet, have they?” Shego asked.
Kim shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I know that they’ll be searching for it now.”
Shego seemed to think about this for a moment. “Maybe we should talk a little more about this somewhere where your brothers aren’t trying to listen in.”
Kim didn’t doubt that her brothers were trying to eavesdrop. Whenever it concerned her, they were always trying to find out what was being said. Especially when it concerned her. Why, she didn’t care. She only cared that they would then use what they learned to humiliate her if they could. “How about we take Joss with us?” Kim asked. “I mean, it might help if you’re there with me.”
Shego considered this for a moment. Finally she shrugged her shoulders. “If she doesn’t have a problem with it, then I guess it should be fine.”
Kim smiled. At least her brothers wouldn’t be able to listen in on what she would talk with her cousin about. That is if her cousin chose to come with them. Kim started walking towards where she last saw Joss. As she entered the living room, she saw Joss talking with her dad. “So, you think that she’s good now?”
“Well, maybe not exactly good, but I’m sure that if Kimmie-cub trusts her, then she’s trustworthy.”
Kim smiled. She was glad that her dad trusted her on this. “Hey, Joss,” Kim called, softly. “Would you like to go with me and Shego and get something to eat? My treat.”
Joss turned to Kim. “I guess.”
At least Joss trusted her father as well; although Kim had to admit that it could be part of trusting her dad as well as reading what she had written in her diary that the tweebs had shown to Joss. Kim wondered if there was a way to get back at them, that wouldn’t cause her to chase them around everywhere. If only her parents hadn’t destroyed those mind controlling chips. Pushing the thought aside for later, Kim focused on Joss right now. They both walked to the door that was being held open by Shego. “Should we take my car?” Shego asked.
Kim looked at Joss. “Sure, I guess,” Joss answered dejectedly.
“Where to then?” Shego asked, sounding bored.
“Does Bueno Nacho sound good?” Kim asked Joss.
Joss merely shrugged her shoulders. Kim wondered if her cousin was depressed about being wrong about Shego or something else. However, Kim didn’t want to talk with her about it where the tweebs could hear. They all got in Shego’s car: Kim in the passenger’s seat, Shego in the driver’s seat, and Joss in the back.
After they had pulled away from the curb and started heading down the street, Kim spoke up. “Joss, is there anything that’s bothering you?”
There was silence for several minutes as Kim waited to see if Joss would say anything. Finally, she sighed. “Yeah, there is.” More silence and Kim waited patiently. “I heard about what happened to Ron, and I started having nightmares.”
“What kind? Like in a burning plane or something?”
“Yeah, they were always with me in some kind of dangerous sitch like that, but each time I was completely alone and I couldn’t contact anyone. It was like everyone had left me to die,” Joss said, her voice starting to crack. Kim looked in the mirror and saw that Joss was starting to cry.
“So, you think that Ron had been alone when he died?” Kim asked, hoping that she was correct in this assumption.
“Yeah, I mean, he would have been fine if Wade had been there talking him through it all, right?”
Kim sighed. Was that what she thought? “Actually, Joss, Wade was talking with Ron when he was on the plane. At the funeral, Wade had been asked to give the eulogy for Ron because he was talking with Ron during that flight.” Kim couldn’t believe how hard it was to say this without having her emotions break out. After all, letting them break out would not help Joss right now. However, she felt a hand touch hers right then. Kim turned to see Shego’s hand resting on hers. “Wha?”
“Kim, don’t hold it in. You know that it will only make it worse.”
Kim smiled at Shego. Of course she’d say that. After all, this was someone who told her to back off on trying to have a relationship with her because she was still upset about Ron. “What? What’re you talking about?” Joss asked.
“Nothing important,” Kim said, grateful for what Shego said, which somehow made her no longer feel like crying. “Anyway, Wade said during the eulogy was that he tried to get Ron to jump out, but that Ron wanted to be certain that the plane was going to crash where they wanted it to. Which was what kept him in there until the plane burst into flames.” Now Kim felt the tears come on again, and this time she didn’t hold them back. She let them flow, because she knew that she’d be hurting Shego if she did. And right now hurting Shego that way just wasn’t something that the redhead wanted to do. When she finally was able to get control of herself, she continued. “Wade also said that Ron had asked him to do a few favors for him. One was that he tell me why he had to do this, and the other was to stay with Ron and not leave him alone.” Kim paused as she thought of something else to say. “I guess you’re not the only one who was afraid of being alone, huh?”
When Joss didn’t respond, Kim looked back and saw that she was crying freely. Kim couldn’t think of what to say to try and help her, so she just left it at that. They drove the rest of the way without saying anything. When they got there, Shego went up to order after finding out what they wanted, while Kim sat down with Joss at a booth. “So, did Ron live up to your expectations?” Kim asked.
Joss’ head jerked up from where it was lying on the table. “What? What do you mean?” Joss asked, sounding either scared or uneasy. Kim couldn’t tell.
“I mean he was your hero, right?”
“Oh! Oh yeah,” Joss said quickly, which made Kim wonder if Joss was comfortable with letting her know that she had a crush on Ron. Especially with how obvious it is. “I guess he did.” Joss looked out the window next to the booth. “Though, I always thought that you’d be with him if something like that ever happened.”
Kim sighed. This topic was not the way she had hoped it would turn. Especially with how uncomfortable it was when she was brought into it in general. “Well, there were two planes in trouble at that time. Wade let Ron know about them before me, so Ron was already on his way to that plane.”
“What? Why did Wade let Ron know first? Shouldn’t he have let you choose which one you wanted to save?”
“Well, I think that they both didn’t want me on that plane. I mean, I probably would have taken it, because of how much damage it could have caused to the city if it had crashed into it.” Kim sighed. “I think that he died also because he didn’t want me to take that chance.”
“You both were really close, huh?” Joss asked.
Kim nodded. “His parents told me that he was planning on asking me to marry him after graduation. He did it without me knowing about it, although I never thought to ask him about that.” Kim paused for a moment. “I just wish that I’d actually been able to talk with him about it.” Kim sighed. Even though she was supposed to be cheering Joss up, she was making herself depressed.
“Um, Kim? If Ron was still alive today, would you, um, get, um, upset if someone else liked him too?” Joss asked, clearly uncomfortable.
Kim looked at Joss, glad for the change of subject. Or at least a partial change to it. “Well, I might get a little jealous, but not upset,” Kim answered.
“Boy is that an understatement, princess,” Shego said, coming up with their food.
“What- what do you mean, Shego?” Kim asked, surprised at Shego’s sudden appearance.
“Well, I’ve seen how ‘jealous’ you can get. After all, when that Yori girl visited Ron last winter, you seemed to need someone around just to keep Yori safe from you.”
Kim would have gotten upset if they had been alone, but with others able to listen in, Kim just felt her face start to burn. Joss started to laugh. “She was that bad?”
“Well, you could have found out first hand if you said you liked Ron,” Kim replied, feeling a little satisfaction when Joss quieted almost immediately.
“So, you really were crushing on Ron?” Shego asked.
“Y- you knew?” Joss asked, meekly, almost as if she wished she wasn’t there. Which Kim figured that she probably did wish that.
“Doy, it’s obvious with the question you asked and with your response to how Kimmie reacted to you laughing about how jealous she’s gotten in the past.”
This time it was Joss’ turn to be embarrassed. Kim took one of the nacos and started eating it. “It was that obvious?” Joss asked, pulling a naco over to herself.
Kim nodded while Shego answered Joss aloud. “Let’s just put it this way. A bull in a china shop couldn’t have been more obvious.”
“Shego!” Kim snapped, shocked.
However, Shego didn’t look abashed. In fact, she seemed quite pleased with both Kim’s reaction, and Joss’ face getting even redder. Kim shook her head. She couldn’t believe Shego would say that. And especially with how Joss had seemed to take Ron’s death. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything that Kim could do about it, so she just let it go.
“So, are you still working for Dr. Drakken?” Joss asked, after they had been eating for a few minutes in silence.
“Yeah, but right now I’m on weekend leave.”
“What’s that?”
“Where I don’t have to work on the weekend, doy,” Shego answered, sounding a little annoyed.
Kim smiled. This was the Shego that she was used to. Although, she kinda liked the side of Shego that she showed her when she would spend time at her place. Especially when she got to hold her close. Kim didn’t realize she had been smiling to herself, until Shego whispered to her, “Happy thoughts?”
Kim’s eyes snapped open and she could feel herself blush furiously. Although Shego was chuckling, and Kim couldn’t blame her, she still scowled at her. “Huh?” Joss apparently had missed the exchange.
Kim shook her head “It’s nothing.”
“Oh. Okay.”
After they finished eating, Kim realized something that she had told herself that she’d do. “How much was it, Shego?”
“Don’t worry about it. I have more than enough, and you’ll be wanting to save every penny you can with college starting up for you soon.”
Kim couldn’t think of a reply to that, so she just left it at that. At least Shego wasn’t embarrassing the heck out of her now. Kim knew that somehow she was going to get Shego back for that. How, she wasn’t sure, but someday Shego would be paying for that moment. Although, Kim wondered for a brief moment how much fun that would be. Then, after disposing of their trash, they all made their way to Shego’s car, Joss keeping Kim right next to her.
“Are you really sure we can trust her?” Joss whispered to Kim.
“I’m sure Joss. If she really wanted to get at me, she had plenty of good chances last week,” Kim answered, trying not to think about the times that she could have done so much more than just hold Shego. After all, those thoughts would then lead Kim to trying again to kiss Shego, which in turn would probably result in Shego distancing herself from Kim even further.
After a moment, Joss’ next question blew Kim away. “Is there something going on between both of you?”
“What?” Kim exclaimed, opening the car door for Joss.
“Well, both of you seem to be almost, I don’t know, close friends.”
Kim thought about this as she got in the car. “I guess you could say that. I’m not sure I know many other people who’d…” Kim trailed off as she realized what she was about to say. However, she quickly continued, hoping that Joss didn’t notice her mistake. “Who’d be willing to be so nice to someone who was, until recently, their biggest enemy.”
“So, you’re really friends with her?” Joss asked.
“Yeah, she’s the main reason why I was able to get through my grief of losing Ron.”
“How did she do that?”
Kim smiled at the memory, glad that Joss couldn’t see it to wonder what it was about. “She knew what I needed and was willing to help me get it.”
“What was that?” Kim couldn’t believe at how many questions Joss was firing off. It was almost as if she suspected that both had feelings for each other. That was one possibility that she hoped was NOT true.
“I needed space at that time. I felt like everyone was suffocating me and that I had to be strong for everyone so they didn’t think that I was affected very much.”
This seemed to satisfy Joss. Kim looked in the mirror and saw that she was deep in thought. If she did suspect what was really going on between Kim and Shego, Kim certainly hoped that she wouldn’t share her thoughts with her brothers. After all, the last thing she needed was for the tweebs to start pestering her about her and Shego. That, and she knew that her parents would then likely find out, and she wasn’t sure how she’d be able to let them know in a calm fashion in that kind of situation.
The rest of the ride continued in silence as everyone immersed themselves in their own thoughts. When they pulled up in front of Kim’s house, Kim noticed that her mother was home. What she didn’t expect was to see her mother come storming out of the house. “Kimberly Ann Possible, get inside the house this instant!” Kim could hear her mother clearly even though the doors were still closed on the car and the windows were all rolled up. That was not a good sign.
“Want me to come in with you?” Shego asked, calmly.
At first Kim was startled that Shego could be so calm, but then realized why. Shego didn’t have to face her mother. Kim did. Kim looked at Shego with pleading eyes. “Would you?”
Shego smiled. “I might as well. I’m not sure she’ll calm down otherwise.”
All of them got out of the car and Kim felt like she was walking to her own execution. Joss seemed to disappear as soon as she shut the car door, and Kim didn’t blame her. She wished she could disappear like that. Kim sighed as she walked into the house, followed by Shego. Kim then made her way to the kitchen, where talks like this usually occurred. Shego sat down next to Kim, and took hold of her hand under the table. Kim smiled quickly at Shego in appreciation and Shego smiled back just as quickly.
“Now, Kim, why haven’t you told us that you were friends with one of your enemies?” Ann asked, stalking into the room.
“Mom, I just became friends with her last week. I didn’t even introduce you to Monique until after about a month,” Kim protested.
“Kim, Monique wasn’t someone you fought with on any of your missions. While Shego is someone that you’ve fought on several missions. One of which, I was a part of, remember?”
Kim didn’t see how that made any difference, however, before she could come up with a rebuttal, Shego cut in. “You know, it sounds like you don’t trust her.”
Kim was as shocked as her mother that Shego would say something like that. However, Ann was the first to recover. “What do you mean by that?”
Shego looked Ann straight in the eye, unflinchingly at her glare. “Just that you don’t trust your daughter to make good decisions when she’s still upset about losing Ron. After all, if Kim hadn’t been acting completely different than she usually does, you wouldn’t have had as much of a problem.” Shego paused for a moment. “Or is it that you had considered Ron a way of keeping Kim safe from friends that she could make.”
Ann’s mouth didn’t seem to want to work. Kim, however, was finally able to say something. “Shego, why would you say my mom doesn’t trust me? I mean, she’s allowed me to go on all those missions over the past five or six years.”
Shego looked at Kim. “It isn’t the same thing. It’s more that she doesn’t trust your judgment. Remember what I told you earlier. It’s things like that that has gotten her to not trust your judgment when it comes to relationships of any kind.” Shego then turned to Ann. “Although, it’s still better for her to hurt herself that way than to be protected by others this way.”
“Are you saying that I’m a bad mother?”
Shego shook her head. “No. I’m just saying that if Kim doesn’t hurt herself that way, then how is she supposed to learn? How can she grow as a person if you keep being so overprotective?” Shego sighed. “I know that she was upset about Ron, but can’t you see that she wasn’t able to get over her grief around those she knew as well as they knew her?” Shego looked out the window behind her. “It’s almost as if you have your own issues of letting go that seem to come out in a sideways way.”
Ann seemed to be listening only to humor Shego. “Are you done?”
“For now at least,” Shego answered, leaning back in her seat, facing Ann.
“Now, Kim, you are not to go over to Shego’s house until Wade’s cleared it. Understood?” Kim nodded. “Now, I know that I can’t stop both of you from being friends, but I will expect you both to tell me when you plan on getting together. No exceptions.”
“What about her missions?” Shego interrupted, sounding very smug.
“What about them?” Ann asked, not seeming to get the connection.
“I still work for Dr. Drakken and the last time I checked, he hasn’t given up on trying to take over the world.”
“And?”
Shego stared for a moment before she answered the question. “And I’m still Drakken’s sidekick, so I’d end up getting together with Kimmie. And wouldn’t we then need to clear that with you?”
Kim couldn’t believe Shego’s audacity. It was almost as if Shego was trying to provoke her mother. Wait, Kim corrected herself. Shego HAD to be trying to provoke her mother. Kim wasn’t sure that this would end very well.
“So, you’re saying that I’d need to make an exception to that rule for missions?” Ann asked, skeptically.
Shego nodded. “After all, Kim’s also looking for a new sidekick.”
“Are you offering?” Ann asked.
“No. Just merely pointing out a fact.”
Kim did not expect any of this to happen. All she had expected was to get yelled at for a few minutes, then get grounded for a few weeks. Not a heated debate about the whole sitch between her mother and Shego. After a few minutes of silence, Ann walked out of the room. Kim wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. However, she needed to talk with Shego about what she did.
“Why did you do that? You could have just let her do what she was going to do anyway,” Kim said, a little tweaked.
“Shego leaned back, putting her hands behind her head. “What did you expect her to do?”
Kim shrugged. “I don’t know. Yell at me and then ground me for a couple weeks or something.”
“Well, now you don’t have to worry about that. All you have to do is have your computer buddy scan my house until your mother’s satisfied, and if you’re going over to my place then, you’ll just have to tell them where you’ll be going. I’d say that you might have gotten off easier than you could have.”
“For what? I didn’t do anything.”
“I know that princess, which is why your mother was being unfair.”
“Parents can be unfair,” Kim protested. “It’s part of their job, I guess.”
“Who’re you trying to convince Kimmie? Me or you?”
Kim opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of anything for a few minutes. “So, all that you said was just getting her to be more fair?”
“Well, at the very least, she’ll be thinking about it for a while, and who knows, she might even go back on what she said.”
Kim shook her head. Shego going into that verbal battle with her mother was just to get her to stop being unfair? Shego being nice to her really was going to take some getting used to. “I think I need some time in my room,” Kim said absently.
“Would you like me to help you with keeping your brother’s out of your online diary?” Shego asked.
“Huh?” Kim asked, not paying full attention to what she had said. Then after a moment it sunk in. “If you can, I’d like it. They always seem to guess what my password is when I change it.”
“Then how about you put it as something that only you know about me?”
“How about you explain that upstairs. I’m not sure I follow, and I don’t want the tweebs to know what you mean.”
Shego smiled and Kim smiled in return. This at least would be at least a good outcome of Shego going over to meet her family. If really the only good thing she could think of at the moment, considering all that had happened since they got there.
Though, as they made their way up to Kim’s room, Kim suddenly remembered something Shego said. “What did you mean when you brought up that I was looking for a new sidekick?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to throw your mother for a loop,” Shego answered smugly.
“So, you’re no interested in being my sidekick?” Kim was almost afraid to hope that she would.
“Sorry, princess. Even after I stop working for Drakken, I’m not planning on returning to the hero business. That’s for people like you, not me.”