Another two months passed, with still nothing from Mrs. Possible or Wade. Global Justice was now completely rebuilt. Kim and Shego began packing some of their stuff in preparation for heading off to MU soon, as it was in about another month or so that training camp for the football team would start. Oddly, even with the absence of Wade and Mrs. Possible, everyone was surprised that there seemed to be no other crime going on anywhere. Many of Team Possible’s Rouges Gallery were still at large, and one would think that they would still be stirring up trouble. But so far, the martini was staying unshaken. It was quite strange, considering all the extra publicity that had come with Shego’s newfound fame as a sports phenom. But what did it really matter? Everyone was getting some much-needed rest and relief from all the stress that chasing villains all around the world every day of the week brought on, anyways.
Kim was delighting in seeing a side of Shego emerging that seemed to have been lost forever: Her happiness. And the happier Shego became, the less awkward their relationship felt – and with the loss of that awkward feeling, the only thing their relationship could do was grow stronger. Though, Kim did teasingly remind Shego every once in a while that she couldn’t lose all her snippiness, because it was the bad girl side of Shego that had attracted Kim to her in the first place. Shego brushed off the comment like she usually did, but she clearly didn’t forget the comment. Now that the seasons were well into the summer, their days together were hot; their nights, hotter - a San Francisco sauna in the middle of the fall couldn’t produce anywhere near as much fog as the bedtime encounters between the two lovers did.
It was the day after such a condensation-producing night that they were, ironically, picking out dresses at the mall with Monique for the Grand Opening Gala of Middleton’s new underground reservoir and water treatment plant – Wade had abandoned the transportation tubes installed everywhere underneath the city, and the city took swift action to refurbish them into something else after his sudden turn of sides. Now that the project was finally finished, Kim, Shego, Monique and Ron were the Gala’s Guests of Honour – and every member of Middleton University’s football team had been invited to it, too. Monique and Kim had planned a hit-and-run through Club Banana, but Shego had other plans on her mind. “Ooh! Let’s look and see what Hot Topic has!” she blurted out upon their arrival at the mall – and before Kim or Monique objected or tried to stop her, Shego dragged them both into the other store.
“Shego, I’m not sure a dress from Hot Topic will be entirely appropriate for a formal Gal – wow…” Kim’s eyes bugged as Shego dragged her and Monique over to the women’s clothing side of the store.
“I think I see two dresses that wouldn’t be too out of place,” said Monique. “The rest…well, they look-”
“Sexy…” Kim purred quietly, thinking of how Shego would look in them. “Err – you know what I was thinking, Monique,” she blushed a deep red as she caught Monique’s confused look crossing her face.
Shego grinned. Her plan was complete. She looked at the price tags of the two relatively normal dresses. “Kimmie, what do you think?” she asked. “I say I’d get a pass because I’m known to be…different.”
“Y’know, that wouldn’t look half-bad,” Monique noted.
“Um… Why don’t you try it on, Shego?” asked Kim.
“Really?” Shego asked.
“Yeah. Why not?” Kim smiled. “Like you said – It might work ‘cause you’re different.”
Shego, expecting Kim to stammer and say something about moving ahead to Club Banana, was a little surprised by Kim’s response. To have the support of her lover, even in a situation as miniscule as this…
“Well?” The light peck Kim gave her on the cheek snapped her out of her train of thought. “Go on, Different Woman. It’s obvious you’d rather get a dress from here than Club Banana. Try it on already.” Having all the encouragement she needed, Shego dashed to the dressing room in the back of the store.
“Wow – you two certainly aren’t afraid to show affection in public…” Monique looked at Kim.
“Is there a reason why we should?” asked Kim through a yawn that snuck up on her.
“No – no reason – just…Hey, just a thought - you might want to go over by that dressing room with her so she doesn’t waltz out comin’ over here and havin’ the store people think she’s stealin’ that dress.”
“Who, Shego?” The manager, passing by, startled the two women. “Oh, no…She’s been in here thousands of times – never stole a thing. Confused me, too – I just figured she…just liked this store.”
Monique and Kim shot surprised glances at each other.
“Oh, hey, Barb,” Shego waved at the manager as she reappeared from the dressing room with the dark purple dress on. “So, Kimmie? Whaddya’ think?” she asked, doing a full turn to give Kim the rundown.
Kim’s eyes nearly exploded. The dress hugged Shego’s curves even tighter than the woman’s jumpsuit. She attempted to tell Shego she looked gorgeous – but all she could do was gape openmouthed at her and babble “Hominahominahomina…”
“Uh…Kim? Hello?” Monique waved her hand in Kim’s face, but to no avail. Kim’s dumbstruck gaze was zeroed in on Shego, and she wasn’t gonna snap out of it for quite a long while. “We’ve lost her.”
“I don’t understand,” said Shego - who was even a little bit confused by Kim’s expression herself as everyone else seemed to be. “Does that mean she likes the dress and wants me to get it - or not?”
“Trust me, girl, she wants you to get it,” said Monique. “I’d change back ‘fore her eyes freeze like that.”
“I’ll ring that up for you - since no one else bothered to show up today…” the manager half-grumbled.
“Oh - thanks, Barb,” said Shego as she slipped back into the dressing room.
“Sorry, it’s just been a long day…” the manager huffed to no one in particular.
“Oh, don’t worry, I know how it feels – work at Club Banana,” replied Monique. “Weekends – whoo!”
“Looks beautiful, Shego!” Kim blurted, returning to the world. “Sh – Shego? Hello?” She looked around – then slapped herself on the forehead. “I just made a complete ass out of myself, didn’t I?” she asked.
“You were staring at hers…I dunno if that counts or not.” Monique laughed at the look Kim shot her.
“Monique! That’s not funny!” Kim whined. “I just acted like a complete and total idiot in front of her!”
“Funny what love makes you do – right, Kimmie?” Shego, having emerged from the dressing room, wrapped her arms around Kim’s waist and spoke softly into her ear. “’Sides – you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed…”
“Shego!” Kim protested, throwing her hands up to break Shego’s grip and stepping away from her as Shego giggled. “Not in front of everybody! Let’s just get this dress and get outta here. I’m hungry…” she yawned.
Kim’s abrupt change in mood startled Shego – but only slightly. “All right – c’mon, let’s go home. I’ll cook lunch. We can always come back here to get you a dress later, since this thing isn’t for a few days.” Kim nodded. After buying the dress, they parted ways with Monique – she had to work later, anyways – and headed towards the mall doors. As they were about to leave, they were stopped by a young voice.
“Shego! Shego!” The women turned to see a girl no more than 3 years old, running towards them, clutching a pen and a picture of Shego in her tiny hands. The girl did have family with her - but at the moment, her parents were having trouble navigating the mall crowd and keeping up with their daughter at the same time. The girl looked up at Shego with big, innocent eyes. “May I have your autogwaph, pwease?”
“Of course, young lady!” Shego smiled, kneeling down. “And this is to-”
“Rugua,” the girl’s mother interrupted, finally having caught up. “R-u-g-u-a.”
“Rugua?” Kim asked. “That’s a cool name.”
“People at school tease me about it a lot-”
“Rugua!” the mother hissed.
“-but it doesn’t bother me at all. I like my name, too!” the girl happily declared.
“Big Shego fan, eh?” Kim asked her.
“Yeah! Shego wules! I wanna pway football like her when I gwow up!”
“Well, keep that confidence ya’ got in yourself right now and you’ll be well on your way!” Shego grinned, handing the girl back her pen and the signed picture. “Here ya’ go, Rugua! Good luck!”
“Thank you! The girl hugged Shego out of the blue. “And pwease don’t stop being a hero again, okay?”
“Oh, trust me, Rugua – she won’t be turnin’ back to evil with me around!” Kim smiled.
“Go run along with your family now, Rugua – you don’t wanna lose them in this crowd now, do you?”
Rugua turned around, her red hair whirling. “Daddy! Mommy! Wait up!”
Shego stood up and leaned on Kim’s shoulder with a warm smile on her face as she watched the little girl excitedly run back to her father’s waiting hand. Upon the girl catching up with them, the father picked Rugua up, giving her a piggyback ride. Shego clasped Kim’s palm into hers. “You know, I used to really hate kids…but now…”
“You’re not suggesting we…?” Kim asked.
“What? Oh, hell no, Kimmie – we both know even we aren’t ready for that yet,” answered Shego.
“Can we just go home? Someone kept me up so late last night, all I feel today is tired…” Kim yawned.
“Hey, you could’ve said “Stop, Shego, I’d like to be conscious in the morning,” – but you didn’t…” noted Shego as they left the mall and walked out to Shego’s car – which she’d repaired completely.
“Yeah, yeah – let’s just get back to the house for now…”
“Kimmie!” Shego’s faint, cooing voice roused Kim from slumber.
“Mmmph – Shego?” Kim asked – then caught a whiff of the air. “What in the-”
“Stay right there, sweetie!” Shego said, stepping up into the room. You just stay in bed this morning.” Turning around, Kim finally saw: Shego was carrying a tray complete with a full breakfast meal on it, completely covered in saran wrap. “Boy, Kimmie - you weren’t kidding about being tired yesterday…”
“Breakfast in bed? Oh, Shego!” Kim gushed. Then her face dropped. “So what’s the catch?” she asked.
Shego laughed. “The catch is, you need rest. So I figured you could do to stay in bed today, Pumpkin.”
“That’s it? You have changed…” Kim said, laying a peck on Shego’s cheek.
“No – not changed.” Shego returned the peck with a full-on kiss. “Just fell back onto the right path.”
“Hmm…well, keep walking.” Kim smiled. “No, seriously, Shego – I know you too well. You wouldn’t do something like this without expecting something that goes in your favour in return. What’s the catch?”
“Wanting to see my lover rested so she’s functional in the day isn’t something that goes in my favour?”
Kim tried to hide her blushing. “Y’know – maybe we still have some learning about each other to do…”
END CHAPTER TWELVE (REWRITE)