Kim groaned as the ringing of her Kimmunicator roused her from her comatose state, and fumbled for the device. Clicking it on she squinted through sleep-blurred eyes at the screen. “Wha?”
“Kim, jeez girl. You need to start getting some more sleep or something; you look like something the cat dragged in after it dragged you through the yard. I’m just calling to see if you still want to hang out later, or if you’re too busy.”
Kim yawned before she answered, and made a vain attempt to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she spoke, “Still free. See you later Ron.” With a small click as she tapped the disconnect button and set the Kimmunicator on her night stand.
Coffee. She needed coffee.
Shego sighed as she clutched her pillow, desperately trying to chase the demons out of her mind. She hadn’t been able to sleep with the redhead on her mind. She felt something she couldn’t explain.
She felt warm. It wasn’t like the warmth from a fire, or her usual sunbathing. This warmth traveled through her, heating her entire body from the inside. It was the nicest feeling that she could ever remember having.
She was practically floating as she walked into the kitchen and began scavenging for clean dishes and cereal. It’d been Betty’s turn to wash the night before, and like usual the woman hadn’t done it. Usually this bothered her, but it didn’t feel like it was such a problem.
Betty was rather surprised to see her roommate not only up before eight, but in a good mood. She’d been living with the woman for a few years, originally to keep tabs on her for Global Justice as well as not shell out and arm and a leg a month for a place to stay. The arrangement had its problems, one of which was Shego’s mood in the morning.
“Something isn’t right. I can’t figure out what it is exactly. Either you just won the lottery, your mother apologized for not letting you be a child when you were growing up, or you finally got laid. So which is it?”
Shego paused and started to bristle, but let the jab slide. “None of the above. I’m just in a good mood.”
“Bullshit. The last time you were in a good mood was…shit….I don’t have any examples. That’s not the point. I’ve lived with you how long and never seen a good mood, ever. And here it is, six-thirty in the morning, and you’re in a good mood? You may need a CAT scan. Maybe those comet powers of yours cause time released brain damage.”
Shego shrugged and sat down across from her roommate, pouring herself a bowl of Berry Berry Crunch, “You’re just upset that you can’t spoil it for me.”
“No, I’m worried that this is a sign of the apocalypse! And look at the circles under your eyes! Did you even sleep last night? You look like the living dead!”
“Betty, we’ve had this talk, remember? No horror movies after four in the morning, they rot your brain.” Shego calmly ate her cereal, not bothering to even act offended.
This only further worried her friend, “All I know is that this is strange. Even for a pale green woman who throws plasma from her hands. Something is up. You find a boyfriend?”
Shego paused for a moment and found her mind wandering back to the woman she’d fought the day before. “N-No, not a boyfriend.”
Betty turned pale as her jaw dropped leaving enough room to park a small car inside. “A…girlfriend?”
Shego felt her face burn. Betty had managed to hit home, and even Shego hadn’t known. “No…that means I’m dating her.”
“Wait…so you admit it…you’re gay! Oh my god….I didn’t know….Wow…a lesbian room mate this whole time….I was a lot closer to being right when I called you a dyke than I thought I was…Jesus….You munch-“
“Betty….BETTY.”
Betty stopped rambling and clenched her mouth shut.
Shego sighed, “I’m not….I’m not sure how I feel, okay? I swear to god if you breathe a word of this to anyone I’ll break your jaw….I need some time to figure things out….I’m not sure what to think okay?”
Betty nodded slowly, “Alright…alright…jeez…”
Kim looked around the small open air café, and spotted a familiar blonde who waved to her. She slipped around a couple at another table and sat down. “How’re doing Ron?”
He smiled, “Not too bad. The school is doing well as well. Though some of the students can be a little mischievous at times. But so far this year the worst of it has been a smoke bomb prank. Someone switched all of the regular ones with ones with pink smoke.” He smiled when he thought about the looks on the instructors face as she complained about it. It was funny, and he couldn’t understand why she was so upset.
Kim smiled, “That’s good to hear Ron. So what brings you back to the States?”
The blonde smiled, his eyes twinkling with a inner mischief, but his face showing the signs of wisdom and hidden power. “Word has gotten around that a certain famous thief has gotten interested in a pale-green, super powered heroine. That and it’s been a while since I visited. So KP, something you want to tell me?”
Kim shrugged, “Not really Ron. I’ve gotten bored, and wanted a little excitement. Rumor had it that she’s one of the best. And it came down between her and the rest of Team Go. She just seemed like more of the actual firepower in the group, so I chose her.”
“KP I know that look.”
Kim looked at him with a puzzled expression, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He sighed and leaned back a little, “The last time you had that expression you got busted with Bonnie in the Janitor’s Closet.”
Kim was going to reply but stopped for a moment. She’d forgotten about that until he’d brought it up. Thank god for the mind’s natural filter for really embarrassing high school moments.
“Do what you want Kim, but just understand that someone, even you, could walk away hurt from this. Be careful, okay?”
Kim nodded, “I will Ron. So shall we order?”
“I thought you’d never ask; my stomach is killing me!”
Betty sat at her desk, the holographic heads of the Board of Directors floating in front of her. “I can’t be certain of the problems that may arise from this, but I suggest that we tread carefully. If Shego were to go over to crime because of this woman…I won’t even describe the problems that it could cause for not just the United States, but for the world as a whole.”
A woman’s image near the left spoke first, “Do we have an identity of this mystery woman yet?”
“Just a first name ma’am. We’re working on her identity as we speak. Facial Recognition is having trouble though, all the shots of her face are few and far between, and blurred because she was moving.”
A man with a streak of white in his hair spoke, “And if we could get this woman onto our side?”
Betty paused, “Then I believe the world may be a better place than I’d ever imagined sir. I don’t know if it could be done, not to mention there is bound to be legal red tape that will have to be cleared up, frankly it’s not a very positive outlook either.”
“Do what you can Doctor Director. That is all.” The board president’s voice interrupted one of the other board members before they could speak. With a click the board member’s head disappeared.
“I’m sorry Shego….but I had to tell….I had to….” Betty put her face in her hands in frustration. She hated the weekly reports on her friend, but she couldn’t abandon the very organization that she’d taken from being the shadows of non-existence and built up to an intelligence super power either.
She was caught in the middle of an emotional war with herself, and she didn’t want to be there.
End Chapter
A/N: No shout outs this chapter.