“Zai yi ci.” Shego commanded.
Again.
Kim launched into a dizzying series of kicks and punches, all blocked easily by Shego. Kim jumped and did a pirouette on her feet, kicking out at Shego. Shego caught her leg and pushed away. Kim kept her balance on the partially submerged log she was standing on, months of training paying off. I was almost nine months since Kim was first brought here. The repetitive training had honed her body incredibly well, though she couldn't tell, Shego surely did. Kim was faster, stronger, more agile.
Kim's fist shot out, and Shego tried to side-step it, braced herself when she saw that it was inevitable. Felt pain blossom throughout her right arm as Kim connected and saw the redhead's fiercely triumphant look.
“Pay attention,” Shego spat out in Chinese. She captured Kim's hand and her foot shot out and knocked Kim across the head and down into the icy marsh. Kim cracked through the ice, came up sputtering and glared up hatefully at Shego. It was winter now, up in the mountains.
“Zai yi ci.” Shego said coldly. Kim's lips lifted into a sneer and she turned around, wading towards shore. “Kim!” There was a threatening note in Shego's voice and she hollered at Kim in Chinese. “Come back here!”
Kim continued to ignore the brunette as she hit dry ground and headed back towards the house. Furious, Shego travelled on top of the poles and leapt to the ground in front of Kim.
“Ni teng bu dong?” Shego's voice was soft. Kim had spent months with Shego. She knew when Shego's voice grew sweet and dropped in volume, that she was angry.
“I hear good,” Kim's Chinese was elementary, but understandable. Grammer sometimes escaped her, but she was a quick learner. “I don't want to.”
“What do you mean you don't want to?” Shego's voice was low and seductive, low and dangerous. Almost a growl.
“Its cold.” Kim's breath came out in puffs of condensation. “I am cold.”
“Zai yi ci.”
Shego was expecting Kim's wild swing and dropped down to kick upwards, feeling satisfaction as her student blocked the kick and flipped away. Shego followed closely, noting the hits that she made didn't slow Kim down as much as before and some of Kim's retaliations might have actually grazed Shego if she was tenth of a second too slow. That dip in the water had slowed Kim down, though. It was cold, and her muscles didn't respond as quickly as Kim would have them and she took a lot of hits before a well-placed punch sent her sprawling into the snow.
“Okay, we're done.” Shego kept her voice impassive as Kim picked herself up, blood dripping from her nose. She wiped at it with the back of her hand and shook off the excess. “Press snow against the back of your neck, it'll stop your nose bleed.”
“Say it again. Slow.” Kim snarled impatiently.
“Snow. Press it against the back of your neck.” Shego said slowly. “It'll stop the bleeding. Is your nose broken?”
Kim shook her head, splattering icy water around her. She knelt down and scooped up snow with numb fingers, did as she was told.
“We'll break for today. Go study for a while, I'll call you when I have dinner ready.”
The redhead stormed off and Shego let out a tired sigh. Goddamn that woman. Goddamn her.
Kim, who was jogging back to the house, was thinking along the same lines. She felt frustrated and awkward in Shego's presence, her mind wandering back to events she would rather forget as she angrily tore towards the house.
“Kim.”
Kim looked at Shego over the rim of her bowl. It had been maybe weeks since Kim had woke up in bed next to Shego. This was the first time that Shego had instigated a talk with her. After that hazy day, Shego had cut herself off from Kim, no small task since they were the only two people in the house. But Shego managed it. Whenever Kim tried to start a conversation, Shego would cut her short or ignore her. Questions were answered with monosyllabic words or grunts. Touching was forbidden. For a while at the beginning, Shego didn't join Kim for dinner. Kim was confused at first, then hurt and had finally reached that place where she just felt angry. Her mind gave her the obvious conclusion to Shego's distant behaviour, but she refused to take it.
Shego wouldn't hurt her like that.
The teenage heroine placed her chopsticks on the table and crossed her arms, waiting for whatever Shego might have to say to her.
“What happened between us can't happen again.” The candles flickered. Shego's eyes reflected that flickering light. Reminded Kim of the emerald-eyed snake on the screen, which was hidden again by a strategically placed sheet. “I made a mistake.”
Those simple words were like a punch in the guts. Kim had nodded, not knowing what else to do. What else could she say? What *could* she say? But she tried anyways and cleared her throat. “You made a mistake? What do you mean by that?”
“It means,” Shego chose her words carefully. “that I should not have taken advantage of you.”
“What if I had wanted to be taken advantage of?” Kim glared at Shego defiantly, couldn't help those words from pouring out of her mouth. Shego shook her head, but Kim blundered on. “What if what we did meant something to me? What if I like you?”
Shego, who had been trying to look everywhere but at her, now leveled Kim with her gaze. “No. Because of our situation, this--” Shego gestured between the two of them. “--this cannot happen. This isn't a relationship, Kimmie.” --That derisive tone when Shego said her name stung Kim-- “You don't like me. You can't like me. You hardly know me.”
Then the green-and-black garbed woman got up and left. Kim sat in the dining room, listening to Shego's sounds in the house. They were the only two people there.
A mistake? Kim hadn't wanted to hear that. A mistake would mean that it was something Shego regretted. An apology would mean that Shego had done something wrong to her. How could it be so wrong when Kim felt so right about it? But Shego's words had hurt.
“You don't like me. You can't like me. You hardly know me.”
Their burgeoning friendship withered on the branch. Kim tried hard to prove to Shego that what she said wasn't true. Kim did like Shego. And the knowing Shego part, well, they would get to know each other over time. She tried, but Shego wasn't giving an inch. On the excuse of helping Kim learn Chinese faster, Shego refused to talk to her unless she communicated in Chinese. That was frustrating. The only times Shego would speak English was during designated Chinese lessons time. Shego taught the lessons and refused to be sidetracked or tricked into a conversation that had nothing to do with what Kim was trying to learn. If Kim did try anything, Shego would refuse to teach for the rest of the day and leave.
How could someone get up and try again when the very person you're trying to win over keeps knocking you down?
‘Literally and figuratively,’ Kim's teeth were chattering as she stripped out of her ruined clothes. In the baths, she picked up the copper pan at the edge of the water and scooped water out of the pool, trying to rinse off the slime that clung to her and warm herself with the hot water.
Shego's Chinese-language-only decree, for a long time rendered Kim almost mute except for the few phrases she knew. But as she gained in words, Shego relunctantly started talking to her again as long as Kim didn't mention what they had done. The conversation was stilted, not only because of the language, but because Shego held herself apart from Kim, refused to let them connect. There was no longer the playful Shego from before.The words that Kim did get out were few because she didn't know what to talk to her about. At these times, Kim wondered if Shego was right, that she couldn't possibly like the villainess, that a night or two of fun had completely blinded her to Shego's character.
“Are you still cold?” Shego asked, an eyebrow raised.
“L-little b-bit.” Kim stuttered through chattering teeth. Kim had opted to wear her pyjamas and a down-filled jacket. Her hair was still a bit wet, so she kept it wrapped up in a towel.
“Eat a bit more,” Shego got up from her table. She had already finished so she picked up her tray. “I'm coming back with some tea.”
“X-xie xie,” Kim muttered. When Shego came back, she noted that Kim's lips looked a bit blue and she was still shivering, even though the room, though a bit cool, was still warm.
“Okay, we'll have tea in your room. Come on.” Kim made to pick up her dinner tray, and Shego made a noise of impatience. “Leave that there. I'll deal with it. I don't want you to break everything.”
“I can,” Kim said clumsily, trying to find the words. “I can--”
“You can, you can.” Shego mocked. “You can't even talk. Come on.”
“Say it slowly.” Kim slurred and followed Shego, abandoning the tray and pulling the coat closer to her body.
“In.” Shego closed the doors to ward off the chill and pointed to the bed. Kim shed her coat and the towel that covered her head. Crawling into bed, she shivered more violently at the sudden loss of her warm jacket and the transfer into her cold bed. Shego lit a lamp in the room and placed the tray of tea on Kim's nightstand, quickly pouring Kim a cup.
“Drink.”
Kim complied, draining the cup of tea quicky, succeeding in burning her lips in the process while Shego ran out to grab a couple of burning coals from the kitchen, return to put them in the hanging braziers around the room. The room was already becoming toasty warm.
“Ow.”
“Slow.” Shego's voice was soothing. She dropped the tongs she had been using to transport the coals against the foot of the bed. “How do you feel?”
Kim had stopped shivering, but she still felt so cold. “Cold.”
“Shit.” Shego swore in English then switched back to Chinese. “Don't you get hypothermia on me.”
“W-what?” Kim frowned at the words.
“Hypothermia.” Shego said in English.
“Speak… Chinese…” Kim's eyes fluttered close.
“Hey.” Shego woke her up. “Don't sleep.” Shego touched Kim's forehead. Dry and cool. So not good. “Okay, okay Kimmie, wake up.”
“No.” Kim slurred. Shego shrugged off her shirt and slipped into the sheets, in only pants and a bra. The green-eyed woman shivered when the redhead instinctively snuggled closer and wrapped her arms around Shego.
“You're so cold.”
“Who's fault… is that?” Kim replied in Chinese. Hesitantly, Shego wrapped her arms around Kim, remembering her survival training. Don't massage the casualty, don't give her alcohol--she had given Kim tea, was that alright? And don't use hot water bottles or put casualty in hot wat--
Shego leaned forward and took a sniff of Kim's long red hair. “You took a bath?” Shego leaned forward and sniffed again. “Did you use my shampoo?”
“Shut up…” Kim started shivering again. Shego held her closer, couldn't help feeling that familiar twinge when Kim mooshed her face into Shego's neck. Kim's breath tickling her gently was… distracting to say the least. They stayed like this for a really long time. A little bit of torture for Shego. Holding something this sweet in her arms was so tempting… just a little taste, would Kim even realize in her disorientated state?
‘No,’ Shego rebuked herself. She didn't spend the last few months distancing herself from Kim to ruin it all because she couldn't control her hormones. Besides, when someone had hypothermia, it wouldn't be good to agitate their hearts. Periodically through the night, Shego would shake Kim and keep her from sleeping, afraid that if Kim closed her eyes, she wouldn't wake up. The candles dripped in their platters, their light flickering in the room, almost burnt out, but Shego didn't fall asleep in her vigil.
“It's cold, Shego… its cold…” Kim whispered.
“Stay awake.”
“No.” Kim shook her head. “No.”
“Stay awake.” Shego said more firmly. Kim made a visible effort to open her eyes. But she felt so tired and cold.
“Keep talking… your voice… hao teng…” The redhead mixed in English with her Chinese.
“Want me to tell you a story?”
“Yeah.”
Shego cleared her throat. “You have to repeat after me, okay?” Kim nodded, eyes closed. Shego was so warm. And the woman's voice was so pleasant. Pressed up against Shego like this, it was like being right up against a purring cat.
“Once upon a time,” Shego immediately fell on the Chinese tale that was most familiar to her. “There was a woman named Bai Su Zhen.”
“Bai Su Zhen,” Kim repeated. She was feeling a little bit better now.
“Bai Su Zhen shi yi ger hen piao liang yo hen dun, di nu ren.” Shego waited as Kim repeated the passage. “Ta yao yi ger bu lang bu you ger lao gong. Ta di ming ji shi Xu Xian.”
“Hen paio liang,” Kim cooed. Shego felt Kim's forehead. It was warm. Well, at least it wasn't cold. Shego tried to extract herself from Kim's arms, but the other woman held on tightly. Kim was fast asleep and this time Shego let her be.
“Idiot,” Shego stopped struggling and sighed. She didn't relish going back to her room, dreading the cold weather outside.
‘Just for tonight.’ Shego closed her eyes, nose filled with the fresh scent of Kim's shampoo.
“Mommy!” Kim, little five-year old Kim looked up at her mother to her left. Snuggled in between her brothers, they were all sleeping in the huge king-sized bed of Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Possible. It was Christmas morning. She turned to the right and grinned at her father. “Daddy.”
The two parents looked down at her adoringly. The tweebs, relatively peaceful for once, mumbled, fidgeted, and went back to sleep, sucking their thumbs. For some odd reason, little Ron was sitting at the foot of the bed.
“Won!”
“Kim, look what I got!” Ron held out a very ugly baby molerat, but Kim didn't scream in disgust. She recognized the little hairless thing.
“Wufus!”
A teenage Monique climbed up beside Ron and waved to Kim. “Hey girlfriend.”
“Monique!” Kim had grown up now to that age where she had first met Monique. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Hey, I have more right to be here than she does,” Monique pointed to a spot right beside Kim. The redhead turned around, freezing at the sight of a sleeping Shego. Bare white shoulders peeked out from underneath white sheets and Kim knew that underneath that sheet, Shego was gloriously naked.
Kim reached out to touch Shego, shake her awake gently, but froze when green eyes opened suddenly to stare at her. Before she knew what was happening, Kim was on her back and Shego was straddling her.
“Kimmie.” The way Shego drew out her name, the way she touched her made Kim's breath hitch, rising up to press herself against Shego wantonly. Shego leaned down and licked a path from Kim's chin, into her mouth. Kim groaned, as Shego kissed her hungrily.
“You want to?” Shego's eyes gleamed.
Kim whimpered and thurst her hips upwards.
“Uh-uh,” Shego shook her head. “You want it?”
“Yes,” Kim breathed out. Aware that everybody that had been there before were still here, unable to see her just like she couldn't see them. But Kim could hear them calling for her. If she called for them, she'd be taken away from here. She'd be back with her family.
“Do you want me?”
Kim noticed idly that Shego had turned into this great big snake with its jaws open wide and venom dripping from its fangs. Its body looped around Kim's, held her captive in its deadly coils. Yet that dry heat of scales rubbing against her skin, smooth and rough at the same time, was unbearable.
“Yes.” Kim whispered.
The snake smiled. Thin lips.
“Excellent.” Lightning-quick, the snake sunk its fangs into Kim's neck and the redhead arched back, moaning in absolute ecstasy.
“Feeling better?” Shego asked. She nodded towards Kim's breakfast. The day was cold and overcast, grey light filtering through the thick clouds. It just might snow again today. “Something light for your stomach.”
Kim felt slightly warm at the thought of Shego thinking about her when she was cooking breakfast.
“How did you sleep last night?”
Kim shrugged, running a hand through her hair and murmuring a barely audible ‘thank you’ for the meal. She watched Shego for a while, busy slurping up congee, mixing it with the shredded dry pork Fong had told Kim to give to Shego.
“What?” Shego looked at Kim suspiciously.
“Were you,” Kim could vaguely remember the warmth of someone pressed against her and tried to ask the question in Chinese. “Were you holding me last night? It was warm.”
Shego tilted her head to one side. “No. Maybe it was a dream. I set your room on fire,” Shego joked. “I had every brazier in your room burning.”
“Oh.” Kim looked down at her food. Shego's mention of dreams made her mind wander back to the one she had that night. With her family, Ron and Monique… and Shego. “I had a dream last night.”
Shego continued eating, not paying attention to Kim. At that moment, Kim was struck by how far away she was from everyone. On top of this mountain, in this big empty house she was totally alone. The only person there with her didn't seem to particularly like her much and their relationship was strange…
“Shego,” Kim licked her lips. She wasn't afraid of the quick-tempered woman, she knew what Shego was capable of and was adamant in her belief that Shego might lash out, but there would never be any lasting damage.
Shego wouldn't hurt her like that.
Well, she had been wrong before… and what she was going to ask the dark-haired woman might trigger a bad reaction.
“I miss my family.”
Shego flinched but didn't stop eating.
“I had a dream last night about them. I… I want to contact them, tell them I'm alright.” Kim said hesitantly. That got Shego's attention. The woman put down her bowl and chopsticks and looked at Kim.
“No.”
“I just,” Kim could feel the tears coming. It was too much. She wanted to tell them at least she was alright. She was so afraid they might forget her or think she was dead. Kim needed to reach out to them, to convince her that she was still there, that she was alright and thinking about them. She didn't know why she was so upset, probably because of the dream before. It was like… it felt like if they didn't see her, she didn't exist. “Please, Shego.”
Kim reached into her pocket and took out a piece of folded paper. When she had woken up that morning, before doing anything else, she had written this letter addressed to her family. Just telling them she was alright, not to worry and she would be back in two years. That was all she wanted to do.
“I wrote them a letter,” Kim could hear the pleading in her voice, just didn't care. “Please. I just want them to know I'm alright. you can read it over, I just--”
“No.” Shego repeated. Her voice was sharp and impatient.
“Here,” Kim got up out of her seat, wiping away the tears that leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She held out the letter to Shego. “Please, Shego, please.”
That was all the words she could dredge up before the tears closed up her throat and she couldn't do anything but cry silently. Shego took the letter out of Kim's hands.
“Look.” Shego held up the letter. Then without pause, quickly ripped it into four. Shego tossed the remains of the letter on to her dinner tray and picked up the tray. Not saying another word, Shego walked out of the dining room, leaving Kim alone.
endnote: Eeee… Shego's tooooo cool.