Critical mass: containment failure detonation in progress
Shego stepped into her house first and noticed her ‘arrangements’ had finally been delivered, now to see how Kim would react. There was only one hitch at this point, she didn’t know if Kim would notice or care considering what they had both been informed of moments ago. Deciding to make it a bit more obvious she lead them right past a large glossy piano like the one from the dining hall. Kim didn’t bat an eye, it was nearly enough to put a scowl on Shegos face. “Give me a minute and I’ll have them send down a good pile of food, we can get showered and cleaned up while we wait.” She was now leaning against the piano.
It took a few moments for Kim to recognize that she was responding without thinking, this was turning into a nightmare of questions that she had to ask. When she finally did look to Shego her eyes were drawn to the glossy black instrument taking up most of this side of the room. “When did you steal the piano?” She took the few steps around to the key cover and flipped it up, it wasn’t the one from the hall but of the same line. “Let me guess you got the guitar as well?” Shego nodded but she was still dealing with the catering department, her cell phone getting a workout. Happy for the distraction the new toys provided she looked around the room until her eyes fell upon the case. This one was most likely the actual guitar she had wanted to tinker with. The stage crew had been right though, you don’t let some stranger play the bosses guitar. When she opened the case her guess was proven correct, Shego must have demanded this for her as part of those ‘arrangements’ she made earlier in the day.
Once she was sure the lunch would be taken care of Shego closed her phone and looked over to see Kim happily unpacking the guitar. “You know it’s not nice to open presents before you’ve been officially given them Princess.” Kim ignored her and continued setting the stand up and getting the amp jacked in. “Ok I see the ever present Possible stubbornness is going to interfere with shower time, This simply will not do.” There was a confident swagger in her steps as she closed in on Kim. “I want a shower and I want you to join me, the guitar can wait, or do I need to nuke it?” Her grin was more playful than she intended. She made a grab for the instrument in Kim’s hand only to have it deflected. “Ok Yeah Right how could I have forgotten so soon, Peaches, we fight.”
Kim derailed the fight before Shego could get into a destructive tantrum. “We do fight but you’re right, shower now then food then games.” Setting the guitar in the stand she coiled up into a pounce pose before leaping past the startled Shego, “First to the shower, you know the drill”
‘Damn she’s good.’ The thought burned itself in her mind as Shego tore off after the redhead. It was and always would be a contest between them, she would have it no other way nor would Kim apparently. “That’s cheating Peaches, you can’t steal my gig here I’m the cheat!” she was within an arms length of the redhead who attempted to stall her by tossing her clothes in the direction of Shegos face. Shego dodged most of them well but she was taken out of the game by Kims panties which hit their mark. Shego would claim it was because she was trying to avoid the bra and the corner of the hall. When she finally stepped into the master bathroom she could see Kim waiting with sponge in hand and not much else save a smile. “I hope you’re planning to behave Princess, lunch will be here in a few minutes.” Shego stepped in under the hot spray pulling Kim along as well.
They enjoyed the sensuous moment under the torrent wiping away the fatigue of the morning, once they reached the point of wrapping around one another for the face-to-face hair wash they decided mutually to finish and get ready for the meal. They both wanted to work a few things out for themselves. The towel off got a bit messy when Kim swatted Shego on the butt whipstyle with her towel instigating a short towel duel. It only stopped when Shego held up a hand for a time out because she smelled the food waiting. One had to have a good nose around Drakkens various lairs to know when food was ready. Wrapped in fresh robes they casually walked in silence to the dining area, Kim took her seat across from Shego at the short wood table placing her Kimmunicator to one side.
She was expecting Kim to want information to confirm or deny what the rodent thing had told them, she herself wanted to know more but for slightly different reasons. “If you want to do some digging go ahead. I’ve got my own system and I’d like to do some checking myself.” She waved a hand over the gumbo and took a deep breath, it was as good as she had expected of the old fart. “So what made you jump at that things offer?” It had been bugging her since she saw the redhead snatch the card from his hand.
“That’s easy, I rescued them from a runaway fuel tank, they fired the foreman on the site. I got to look at their operations and well … some people here could stand to learn a few things from those rogues.” The odd look Shego gave her nearly made her choke on her spoonful. “I was in the area, one of Dad’s rockets had been hijacked by Fist, again, Fist spent most of the time babbling about trying to help some spacemonkeys, Captain Simian or some such. He seriously needs to get a new act.” Shego almost dropped her spoon.
“You really liked out there?” She never thought about or wanted to go into space again, that was where the comet came from and she was not interested in any more surprises from out there. “I stick to the clouds personally, easier to get away when you can breathe without a pack on your back.” The second time she actually took the chance was with the woman across from her, Kim in that tank putting her trust in the person sworn to defeat her. “This is getting … complicated.”
“Yes but we’re in too far now to even consider turning around. For now lets just chill, ok?” She looked directly into the living jade she couldn’t resist. “We have time for us, I want you to know that we will continue, but I … I need to think, and yes I want to look a few things up. Besides we can’t do what I wanted to right now.” She pointed to the window across from her, a constant shower was drumming the vegetation she could see.
“True, point. Ok Peaches we chill and enjoy a lazy afternoon, I’m thinking my feline should be delivered sometime soon.” She chased the last of her meal with a shot of wine and leaned back in her chair. “I’m yours from this point out so if you say we chill that’s cool, I do want to turn on some music. Give me a minute I’ll be right back.” The control console wasn’t far away and she decided to ask for requests. “I’ve got a pretty good library, want anything in particular?” ‘No, but thanks for asking. You pick.’ She hit random and Obsession by See Saw whispered to life throughout the house. Shego really enjoyed her sound system, most of the time music was the only thing that kept her from seeing just how much plasma Drakken could swallow. The steady pulse lead her back to Kim with a bounce in her step.
“Good song.” She upgraded her opinion of Shegos taste a few notches as she walked with her to the den, the wrap around windows provided an excellent view of the storm thundering down on them. “Looks like it’s going to get rough out there.” She actually found comfort in the fury of this sudden storm, there were only a small handful who could navigate under these condition and of the lot she and Shego made up the top rank.
Shego sat across from the largest of the windows almost spilling her drink when Kim slid in and curled up beside her. The redhead was working the buttons of her com-device with practiced ease summoning websites or video files, Shego had to admit the unit was a pretty sweet piece of hardware. Casually she ran her fingers through Kim’s red mane moving it slightly so she could see her face more clearly. A larger part of the mystery of this woman had been revealed and it changed the landscape entirely. She wished the rodent guy would have bothered to mention the radiation of the comet to her sooner. “Kim you mother is a doctor, right?”
Kim turned to look over at Shego the question drawing her complete attention. “Yes, Why? Are you scared of the radiation thing?” She was thinking about it along with a host of other issues as well but Kim knew something about radiation and thought she had an understanding of what was happening. “Radiation in the normal sense would have killed you at these levels within days of exposure Shego,” She leveled a stern gaze to her friend, “If the radiation that saturates all of us was lethal it would have killed us long ago. What I am most curious to know is how it can be a self perpetuating material and how I was exposed.” It was clear to her now that there was far more to Shegos observations about her, her strength her endurance just about every aspect of her physical self was somehow tied to Shego and how she came to be as she was now.
“I was concerned about that, true, but I was also curious for another reason. I know radiation can sterilize, I haven’t really thought about it but I did think perhaps someday.” She really couldn’t see herself with children but not having the option wasn’t comfortable to think about. “What about you?”
“No not really, I don’t think that’s how it works in my family.” She was too busy reading the code she had been receiving, the news was interesting and she requested further updates as they could be provided. Shego gave her an odd look at her remark as the last of her search requests was registered. “In my family line there have always been women like me, fighting women like you. The Possible hero of the twentys, Mim, had to go into hiding for a crime she didn’t commit. No kids from her, but her twin brothers kept the family tradition alive, Nanna was …” She was floored as a thought crossed her mind. Could she be the one?
Shego didn’t like the look on Kim’s face, there was something seriously wrong and Kim was no poker ace. “Nanna was? … What?” She remembered the older Possible, years more combat experience than Shego and Kim combined in a package that one would write off as a non-threat until she pummeled you into submission. “Kim?”
“I … I have a suspicion that she may know something about all of this.” She didn’t know enough about her grandmother aside from the fact that she wasn’t a ‘born to the family’ Possible. Yes the older women lived up to the family name but she was an outsider brought in. “Shit I need a real keyboard.” The Kimmunicator was nice but the thumb pad controller wasn’t the best tool for entering text of any length.
With a gentle shove, Shego displaced Kim and stood offering her hand to the redhead. “If you want to use a ‘real’ computer follow me.” Shego pulled her to a standing position and proceeded to lead Kim to her personal computer, it was nothing compared to some of the machines both she and Kim dealt with but Drakken had added some options he thought she would enjoy. “Just don’t use the three red keys the green key or the key with the skull and crossbones, don’t ask.” She waved for Kim to take the seat in front of the massive terminal display; the thing took up the entirety of what would have been another bedroom.
Kim watched as Shego entered the access code, somewhat surprised that Shego hadn’t demanded she look the other way. When she looked to the large display she saw a window displaying a long run of text, a glance at the title bar told her she needed to look closer, the title had her and Shegos name in it. “What the hell is this Shego?” Her hand, fingers splayed wide, indicated the document being displayed.
She couldn’t help it, the look on Kim’s face as she scanned some of the text had been priceless, her laughter ran itself out a few minutes later only to come close to a repeat as she saw a look of utter horror on the womans face. Kim had obviously discovered the reason she had been reading that on her last trip to the island. “You can’t be serious Kim, you mean you spend all that time online and you have never come across this stuff?” Shego was honestly surprised, with the global fan following they both had she had expected Kim to have already seen at least some of it. When Kim visibly winced Shego tapped a key and the window closed. “It’s Fanfic Peaches, you must have come across this stuff at some point?” When the redhead responded with a shrug Shego actually felt stunned. “You need to slow down and smell the smut from time to time Princess.”
Kim had no idea how to respond to that so she did what she always did, sought out more information. “Wait hold up a minute, explain why you’re reading … that, why it’s about US d-d-doing …” She couldn’t bring herself to say what she had just read. She was ok with the general sexual concept between them, but that was just wrongsick. “Who would want someones hand there even if it would fit?”
“Ok first Yes a hand will fit there but no I am not interested in that and never want to find out if its ‘all that’ second …” Shego paused as she looked down on the woman whom she would never be able to deny. “Second there’s far better out there than that Princess. Don’t even think of asking ‘but why?’ Kim you’re a globally known celeb and I’m infamous. Apparently we make a good match. You agree don’t you?” She was baiting the redhead but it was fun. She wasn’t expecting the response she got so her reaction could have been better.
“Show me,” It wasn’t a demand or a command, hell it was barely a request but Kim knew as far as Shego was concerned all she had to do was ask. “And while you’re at it explain the whole ‘reading triple x porn script wanna-be’s’ that involve US. Also tell me which are the best of the lot, I’ll want to know what the person at my side likes.” Shego had a dazed look on her face, eyes slightly glazed over. “You do realize you’re drooling don’t you Shego?” Shego instantly snapped to a straight posture and rubbed the corner of her mouth, a light green blush to her cheeks. “That good eh?” Kim had to ask.
“You have no idea Peaches, but I’d like to show yooo…” She couldn’t believe she had just revealed her more passionate desires to Kim so brazenly even though they both were becoming more heated in their innuendo and physical activities. “Sorry Peaches I shouldn’t have …” Kim cut her off with a single finger across her mouth.
“We can get into that a bit later Shego but for now I just want to do this search,” She made a quick study of the machine before her and deciphered the keyboard and pen interface it used as fast as she could, her mind was filled with two very conflicting sets of thought. “And I meant what I said, I want you to show me.” Kim let the older woman figure out all the implications of that simple phrase as she set about her task. Her not being ‘Wade’ meant the files she wanted would take longer to get, she couldn’t openly respond to Wades message but it had been a comfort and she knew ways to respond that he would find without being overt about it.
Shego staggered out of the room as if she had been struck hard enough to daze her, in a manner she had been. From the moment they had really started fighting on Shego knew Kim was after more than just a friend or a partner, she was after an equal to share her life with and she had chosen Shego. The jade woman was almost scared of the ‘what if’s’ that were beginning to plague her but she would not back down. She wanted to be with Kim no matter where they ended up on the division between good and evil. She needed to clear her mind and think, Kim wanted to be shown and for all her bravado Shego found herself truly nervous. She had been bisexual all of her life, men or women it did not matter to her so long as they accepted those interests, in the repressive societies she lived under most of the time this meant she had few friends and fewer still who knew her heart. Then the comet hit and she didn’t have to care anymore. Her very nature was different, against the norm but even then the world around her found ways to inflict wounds upon her. The skin colour was even made fun of by those whose skin colour was often a source of repression, she felt the weight of that hypocrisy all the way up till the day she left Team Go.
When her reverie was over Shego found herself sitting on her futon, bass in hand waiting for the caress of its mistress’ fingers. She willed the confusion and thought from her mind as she felt the heavy wire of the strings bend under her fingers. A pluck or two told her she needed to tune the instrument, which was no real surprise. Every time she had flown with it in tow the thing needed to be retuned. She no longer needed the digital tuner her brother Wego one, the first of the twins, had sent her for christmas, it was a nice thought and she did appreciate it but her ear had become quite good and in moments she had it in tune. She let herself get lost in the focus required to play. People assumed the bass was just a background instrument and were often surprised at the range the thing actually had. Anyone walking by might think her a strange if talented musician, seeing her sitting there eyes closed yet stroking together riff and single chord into a somewhat chaotic sound that could mesmerize if one lingered too long.
An hour perhaps more had passed as Kim worked at the research she was doing, when she had to wait for files to process she stole quick glances at the bookmarks in Shegos browser. There were lots to look through and she didn’t know what she was looking for which made it all the more difficult to stop. Aside from the expected evil-net resources Kim found a folder dedicated to what she hadn’t known she was actually looking for, until she opened one of the links within. She knew what fanfic was, she swooned over a few televised hotties the occasional movie or music idols when she was much younger and penned fantastical tales of her own. A few of which would have gotten her more than grounded. Her mother had accidentally caught her one time, it was around that time her dad stopped liking the boys in her life, except Ron who, at the time, was more of a ‘girl’ than she was. She felt a cold chill was over her as she saw a title flash by, it had a special note attached marking it as more than just a favorite, it was the story she wrote shortly after an insane dream about a woman like Shego trying to kill her. The woman may have seemed frightening to everyone else but to Kim she was beautiful. She wrote the story using all the passion her youthful mind could drawn upon and her mother spent the next few years trying to casually direct her towards a ‘men only’ line of thought, needless to say it hadn’t worked. Kim liked the company of both men and women, she had kind of had the chance to find out what it was like with a male and would eventually do so fully but right now she was hoping to find out the other side. The only difference was this would be close to the ‘woman of her dreams’ literally.
She did not know how long she spent alternating between scanning the impressive collection of stories Shego had and the data that was slowly trickling to her until the sound of a bass being played caught her ear. The heavy thump of an open E string broke her near trance and caused her to look around as if she were being surprise attacked. Between the things she had discovered about her family and what she was learning of Shego from her choice of reading material Kim’s brain decided to slip into null state, broken only by that solid thump. Since she heard no other instruments nor a vocal track Kim bet it was Shego playing and figured she had been right about the older womans skill with the instrument. When she tried to stand her foot connected with something solid yet pliant that uttered a short growling grunt in its displeasure. Looking down she say Greystroke partially coiled around her chair legs and partially under the desktop supporting the massive display. She must have really been lost in thought to have missed the felines return. Looking at the clock display on the monitor she realized it had been several hours, the rain had stopped and the sky lightened just enough to tell sunset was fast approaching, it was nearly six in the evening after all. “Hey Grey, how ‘bout we go find you mother?” The jungle cat eyed her oddly but stood and followed.
Shego’s hand slid gracefully along the neck of the bass stopping only long enough to force the taut strings against the frets so her other hand could stroke out the chord or note she needed. This was almost as enjoyable as letting herself cook under the large solar emitter lamps Drakken made, at her request. Where the lamps left her skin hot and sensitive the bass left her soul in a similar state. She was a passionate being, it was part of her nature, a fire burned within as well as without and she expected no less from those she associated with. Drakken might have been a loon but he was passionate about what he wanted, that had not been the only reason she stayed with him for so long but it was a large part. She was almost wishing she had left before the StarMaker fiasco, she was wishing she had left before the Little Diablo debauchery, the look on Kim’s face as she landed a kick that nearly killed her was one she would not forget. For a moment it looked like a mirror of her own hatred and it scared her to see such an expression on Kim.
She continued playing as she felt the weight of something large hop onto the futon, even with a sturdy frame under it the cat could make the whole thing wobble. She continued to play without missing a beat as the feline made its way to her and rubbed against her for all appearances like a household tabby, albeit grande-sized. Despite the weight and leverage advantage the feline had she couldn’t budge Shego nor make her lose her place in the riff she was currently playing. The cat didn’t mind, she could feel Shego leaning back into the affectionate rub, changing angles so both would enjoy it more easily and backing off when she needed to focus on a particularly complex set of chords. The feline had known only one other who matched its master in strength and endurance, the fiery haired woman she could smell all over her master. Under the soft pleasant smell of jasmine she could still smell the scent of the red hair, she was ecstatic at the thought of having both of them to play with. The cat flopped down and curled up around Shego watching all the while as Kim set up the amp and guitar the cat had never seen before.
To be either a master thief or a head cheerleader a number of requirements must be met starting with an impeccable sense of timing. A single misstep, a false start a lapse in judgment, any or all could lead to disaster, the same applies to music. Shego was a confident musician, her sense of timing far above that of mundanes and she prided herself on being unflappable, yet when Kim stroked the first chords out of the guitar she had been given Shego faltered and in that instant lost the timing she had been following. When Shego opened her eyes she saw Kim tapping her foot in the same tempo she had been following, Kim nodded to the bass in her hands and poised to rake the stiff pic she preferred across the strings. Shego collected herself quickly and caught the beat once more leading the way for Kim who waited until she felt the moment was right before joining in.
Shego admired the redheaded woman’s nerve, few could pick up a guitar and attempt to match the music she was playing from the heart and yet not only was Kim doing just that she was improving upon the pulse driving the music. Shego wrested control back at every opportunity not noticing the growing frustration Kim was holding in check. Finally, when she had had enough and Kim drug the pic harshly across the strings in a foul note that broke the music apart instantly. She met Shego’s outraged look with an equally pissed off glare. “Shego,” Her voice was deathly sweet and hard as steel but the look in her eyes showed more, as Shego was just learning how to see, “In everything else we may fight but music is a cooperative effort. If you want to lead that’s fine but if you hand over the lead don’t try to force it back.” She stood and slipped the pic between the strings near the bridge at the tuning head. “You’re fantastic by the way.” The hard edge had left her voice entirely replaced by the warmth she was beginning to understand and enjoy. “Let’s go get dinner and we’ll get started on my nights plans, sound good?” Shego didn’t bother with a normal reply, she simply stood and walked to the stand where she strapped her bass for safety then turned and stood beside Kim with her arm out but crooked, Kim slipped her own arm through the opening and thusly linked they enjoyed a quiet ride and short walk to the dining hall.
Dinner was a simple yet filling affair, Kim enjoyed the finer foods they offered but at heart she liked things simple from time to time and it didn’t get any more simple than steak and potatoes. Shego made no attempt to protest, mostly because Kim had earned the right to make the call but also because she rather liked the way they cooked the steaks in this establishment, the potatoes with a different matter. Kim insisted the skins be left on for some reason that Shego couldn’t fathom and she thought the taste would be mostly the same, the bits of skin reminded her of dirt. The time she spent in that rotten jungle included a lot of dirt mixed in with the plant roots and tubers she collected to go along with the few things her hunting skills had let her add to her diet. She wasn’t eager to relive that experience but Kim was equally determined to see her eat the stuff going so far as to dig up a spoonful and practically jamming it down her throat. It wasn’t until after she had actually swallowed the stuff that she realized there was a new flavour, something she could learn to like. “There are easier ways to get me to try something Princess, but that seemed to have worked so I’ll forgive you … this time.” Her teasing smile was met and the response was an overly pleased smile spreading across Kims face.
Kim waved a waiter over after pushing her plate back and draining the last of the wine they had enjoyed from her glass. “You ready for the really hard part of all of this Shego?” Hard was understating things on a galactic scale, she thought, but nonetheless hard meant hard, there would never be an easy way for them. She waited until the waiter cleaned their table and return with another bottle of wine and the small deserts before she locked eyes with Shego who offered a weak smile and a nod. “Good enough, It’s question and answer time. We haven’t learned shit about each other beyond what we were given by an outsider and what we have been through. I want to know you, I suspect you want the same or you’d have set my hair on fire by now.” Shego laughed at the thought but again nodded, it was true if she had not wanted to know Kim they would be fighting. “Ok since we seem to be on the same page here and we both tend towards the competitive side I say we set some ground rules. Don’t look at me like that, do you tell just anyone your deepest secrets?” Kim watched closely as Shego thought that over.
“Actually Princess I would say we have learned a lot about each other, mostly mundane stuff but still things we didn’t know before.” Kim had to nod in agreement with that, they had been learning but not the important stuff. “And to answer that question I have to say if I did there would be only one person, Princess, and she is sitting right in front of me.” The warm smile and bright blush she brought to Kim’s face with that reassured her in ways she didn’t think possible, then she remembered the girls name and motto, ‘She can do anything alright, even get me to walk through hell.’ Kim nodded but waited to see if Shego had anything more to say, of course she knew Shego would. “We don’t do dime slots Princess, we play high stakes and since you seem to want this to be some sort of contest then I say we go to the next level,” She waved a waiter over once more and in moments they had a single shot glass and a stupid big bottle of what appeared to be whiskey. “Ever play ‘quarters’ Pumkin?” She would likely be surprised if the former cheerleader answered either way. Kim didn’t seem the ‘drunk party grl’ type but there was no doubt she was a partier so she was likely to have encountered the game before. Shego watched as Kim fished around in the small utility pouch she slung on her waist digging out a shiny button shaped bit of metal. Placing the coin on an upturned elbow Kim did a quick flick of her arm and caught the quarter in nearly the same place it had been until she removed the elbow supporting it. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Yes Shego I have but this is my time, remember?” She couldn’t hold the grin down, Shego wasn’t easy to fluster and the few times she had been able to she enjoyed the moment. “I’ll let it slide this time because it is a good suggestion. How does this sound, for every ‘in’ the other takes a drink and has to answer a question, any question, completely and honestly, for every miss the shooter has to drink and answer a question, completely and honestly …. Does that work for you?” There were so many questions she wanted to ask and she felt they were at the point it was either ask or don’t bother.
For her part, Shego was hiding the fear she felt well her poker face was absolute. “Fair enough Princess but consider yourself warned, I will be asking you some very intimate stuff since you allow for ‘any question’ ok?” There were as many things Shego wanted to ask Kim as Kim wanted to know from her. This was the point of no return either they would find common ground to build from or they would splinter into the darkness she predicted not so long ago.
“Works for me Shego, now fill the lil glass and let’s get going.” She was enjoying the heady feeling the wine had given her and was almost looking forward to a bit more potent a feeling, she missed the glass on purpose her first try. Answering a question wasn’t as big a concern for her as what she would be drinking, if it was the really stout stuff she would likely not remember any of this. She wasn’t so sure of the game as a good idea upon reflection but it was too late now and she turned the small glass up. It wasn’t alcohol and the taste was horrid so she did her best not to spit it out, Shego wouldn’t appreciate that kind of shower anymore than she would. “Ewww that stuff is nasty!” she managed after forcing the mouthful down her throat. “Ok I missed and I’ve drunk, question?”
Shego focused her aim on the glass and held her pose to respond. “It’s not liquor or spirits but it will give you a nice buzz, if you can handle the taste.” With a surgeons precision the quarter clinked on the table and bounced up into the glass barely sloshing a drop out. “That makes two in a row doesn’t it Princess?”
For a moment she felt like being ‘evil’ and responded with “Yup and that’s one question down so one to go.” Shego scowled so deeply she couldn’t help but laugh, hard. When Kim composed herself enough to knock back the next shot she had been passed she apologized. “Sorry Shego couldn’t resist, go ahead ask your questions.” She waited until the gag reflex triggered by the drink had settled before she took aim on the once again full shot glass.
Shego waited until she knew Kim was committed to making the shot before asking the first of her questions. “Have you had sex before?” It was a simple question with a number of responses, a few of them she would not object to a few she would be repulsed by and one she would find sickeningly ‘charming’ she would prefer the repulsive answer to the ‘charming’ one any day.
Kim was fuming as the coin went sailing across the table, she should have defined the rules a bit further she thought. “That wasn’t fair Shego! … yes. Next question?” She couldn’t stay mad as she saw the slack jawed look of surprise on Shego’s face. “Ok ok not entirely accurate there, sheesh I really should have defined the rules a bit more. Don’t blow a gasket when I tell you this though, ok?” Shego recovered enough to push the glass back to Kim’s side of the table and nod. “Ron and I … Don’t look at me like that, not after that night.” Shego flushed a vivid green and nodded, “As I was saying Ron and I fooled around, a lot. He was clumsy and barely able to stay ‘in the game’ I guess the high school cheerleader fantasy was too intense, he passed out from hyperventilation more times than I’ll admit publicly.”
She knocked her third drink back before continuing, “We went most of the way but I just couldn’t … I wanted … I … he …” She couldn’t find the words to express how she felt, she still truly cared for Ron but she couldn’t go there again, yet, she had someone else vying for her heart. “Next question?” She hoped Shego would let that issue drop for the time being.
Shego was surprised, she was both happy that Kim hadn’t taken things that far but sad for the woman as well. Very seldom is a persons first sexual encounter all they expected it to be, both parties usually had some resentment or at the very least frustration that could either lead them to more exploration of themselves or a self loathing so deep seated it left scars that would never entirely heal. “I … I’m sorry to hear that Kim, I know Ron is a doof but he seemed to really care for you.” Kim nodded not questioning how Shego had figured this. “Next question, have you ever had desires or interests in other females?”
Kim managed a sly smile as she executed the perfect bounce dropping the quarter smoothly into the shot glass. Pushing the glass to Shegos side of the table she nodded, “A few times a nice bod would present itself and I enjoyed the view. Back in school there were two, I think you may have met them both over the course of our ‘encounters’. The first is one most people in school would have laughed off as insanity if you suggested the two of us liked each other. Her name is Bonnie, her eyes have a piercing look that rivals yours.” She wondered if Shego would make the connection and when she didn’t she let the matter drop, it wasn’t as completely open and honest as she had intended but she didn’t think now would be the time to go into detail about that woman, there would be time for that later.
Sensing something wasn’t being said Shego sipped at the shot glass, she had long ago learned to enjoy the flavour of this intoxicant, kind of. “And the other?” She shouldn’t have said anything but Kim had said ‘completely and honestly’ and yet held something back so she wanted to hear about this other woman whom Kim had an interest in, she would let the other slide for the moment. She set the glass down and refilled it before taking aim.
Kim looked around seeming nervous but the moment Shego was committed to the shot she answered, “Her name was Monique, very beautiful black girl from school who I met at a fashion exhibit. We kissed a few times.” Monique was there for her after the break up with Ron. She would always be a special person in Kim’s life because she knew Kim was trying to rebound from a devastating time. She kept things on a slow boil and when she felt Kim was back to her self she put an end to the casual kissing, there were a few tense moments as Kim worked things over and just as she was about to explode on Monique the girl planted a passionate kiss on her before running off for parts unknown. She was in college on the other side of the planet now, teaching not being taught, Wade had found her with relative ease.
Shego hadn’t been prepared to hear Kim had gone as far as kissing another woman and her aim suffered for it. “That was low Possible, your getting better at this.” She winked then knocked the drink down, she may like the flavour to a degree but she had the feeling she would be tired of it before too long. “I believe that makes it your turn to ask a couple of questions.” Her confident smile concealed the nervous sweat she could feel building.
Kim knew she could ask anything and get an answer but she didn’t want this to remain a sexual topic, there would be more time for that later in the game. “Hmm I should make this as embarrassing as yours were but I think I’ll go for something else, Why Drakken of all the creeps out there to work for?” She had never been able to fathom that relationship, there clearly was one even though Shego denied it at every turn. Kim could only gape as she saw Shego blush ferociously; Shego had something embarrassing to say about this so her question worked out nicely after all.
‘Where do I begin on that?’ Shego asked herself as she stared down at the table. “You know he wasn’t always blue, right?” Kim nodded and Shego swallowed as she watched the quarter flop into the muddy liquid filling the glass. “I was there when he had the accident, I was partly to blame for it actually. I had been hired to steal something from him, I got it and would have been long gone without so much as a twitter on the alarms but I made a mistake, he ended up blue for my mistake. I found out later from an experiment I asked him to do, if the stuff had hit me I would be a nice green statue right now. I guess it was the radiation in me that wouldn’t take well to the chemicals in whatever it was. He spent a week paralyzed as his skin died.” Kim was visibly shaken by this revelation but Shego knew she would want the whole story so she gave it to her.
“Even as he lay there in agony he refused to haggle with me over my ‘henchperson’ rates. Not for a single instant did he mention regret or anger, never once has he mentioned that day since. He could have let me die, he didn’t. I could have let him die, I didn’t. For a time after we managed to restore life to his skin we were … intimate. Wanna know a secret Princess,” She wasn’t really asking and Kim wasn’t really sure she wanted to know but nodded yes anyway. “He may come off as evil but he’s a creampuff, you probably know that to a degree already but not to the same degree I do. There were times when he could have killed me off and been done with it, the rules allow for that when a henchperson/sidekick fails as often as I have. Thanks to you Pumkin. He never followed through.” She grabbed the glass and drank it in a single swallow. The taste wasn’t improving but the feeling was. “The time when he returned to his normal colouration and Stoppable turned blue he ran some tests on himself, the perpetual blue tint of his skin has something to do with a stunning degree of regeneration. Inside and out he is effectively dead but undying. We checked Ron over for residuals one time a few months later and when we found none we let you find us to reclaim him.”
“Out of the game question if I may.” Kim had to ask but the question wasn’t about either of them so it fell in the ‘out of the game’ category. Shego nodded as she poured and drank another shot then refilled the glass and got ready to shoot. “This rule book for villainy … it really exists?” She had seen the general villainy guidebook the Seniors used to follow as an absolute but it never mentioned some of the things Shego had said were in the rulebook she was legally obliged to follow.
“Ok first only two more ‘out of the game’ questions for you, second … yes but technically I’m not allowed to discuss it. Union rules and all that crap.” She smiled devilishly and bounced the quarter rather roughly, much to Kim’s surprise. She was more surprised to watch the coin skip across the table hit the bottle they were drinking from and arc back into the glass. Shego smiled happily as she watched Kim arch an eyebrow and take the drink.
“So its trick shot time already is it?” She wasn’t really asking but she needed to say something, if she didn’t her mouth would refuse to open for the drink. She swallowed it as Shego had been doing for the last few shots she had taken deciding the best way was the fast way. “Second question, the uniform? Why do you still wear the Go uniform if you left them?” She wasn’t sure what kind of answer she would get, there was bad blood between her and her brothers.
Shego closed her eyes and chuckled to herself until she heard the coin smack the table, considerably harder than she had hit it a moment earlier. What she failed to see was the bright object arc across the table to bounce off her forehead. With a small yelp she reached her hand to rub the spot the coin impacted only to end up grumbling as she heard it drop into the small glass sitting a few feet away from her. That explained why Kim had to throw it so hard. “That’s not really that big of a deal, you should know the answer already in fact. You did restore them their powers after all, and you heard the conversation with ratboy earlier, consider Princess I have a total of three uniforms which get shredded with annoying regularity and yet I never need to have them repaired because they do it for themselves.” She was trying to keep herself from remembering the feeling she had when she held that wand of Aviarius’, it made her sick to her stomach then just as the thought of it did now, but then she played her role flawlessly. Only Kim and Drakken knew she had given the powers back, yes she fought to keep them but had she used her full skill the room would have been littered with the corpses of her family and friends. “I won’t go back to Team Go, they are family but they do not respect me, well the twins do but sorta, the other two, well you saw.” Kim nodded as she waited for Shego to drink and prep for the next shot.
“Ok third question,” Shego looked at her funny but checked her self with a bit of air calculation ending with a slight frown on her face as she nodded. “Aside from this arrangement of ours, regardless of how it turns out, is there anything that could bring you back to the good side?” It was reaching, grasping at straws but she may never have this kind of opportunity again. “I … I just want to know if you would go too far or what, I guess” Kim looked down trying to sort out her feelings at the moment. The drink had made her feel light and remarkably clear headed but there was an air of near giddiness lurking which made it difficult to sort out the harder to resolve thoughts.
“I’m already there Kim.” Shego bounced the coin directly off Kims forehead where it ricocheted over to the bottle putting a small nick in it before it sailed in a short fast arc into the shot glass nearly tipping it over. “I have been but I can’t explain that right now because there’s a lot to it. I have done stupid illegal things but I have been fighting the ‘good fight’ as it were.” Shego figured if Kim was going to hold some information back she could do the same, especially since it was Kim who said ‘completely and honestly’ then defied that rule so brazenly. Kim put a hand out to the glass but Shego stopped her, the chip of amber glass from the bottle had landed in it and Kim hadn’t seen that. “Trust me you don’t want to drink that, it’s been contaminated.” She poured most of the contents into her empty wine glass and poured the remnants the quarter and the glass shard into Kim’s. Seeing the shard Kim swallowed nervously and nodded. They waited for the waiter to bring them a new glass for their game.
Kim promptly filled the glass and swallowed the contents, she was beginning to be able to ignore the taste but only if she drank it fast. “Ok what’s your next question Shego?” She was enjoying the odd conversation, it was as all things between them were, a contest, only this time they would both win and lose. They both hoped to be happier for it after but even at this point neither could swear that was how it would end.
Shego leaned back in her chair thinking the questions over that she wanted to ask. It was obvious Kim wanted to learn different things than she did but that was ok, they weren’t clones so different approaches were understandable. “Is there anything that scares you? I mean really scares you, not the stuff we do when we fight.” She saw a twinge flicker across Kim’s face, which made her even more curious. “I’m guessing that’s a yes.” Kim nodded as she lined her next shot up, it would take perfect timing, good thing she was a master at that. The waiter never saw it coming but Shego did and was amazed at the gall Kim possessed. The poor guy would likely have
“Do you remember when Middleton was being shaken apart by mysterious ‘earthquakes’ a couple of years ago?” Shego looked a touch distracted as she thought back but ended up shaking her head, “You must have been out of the area then. The earthquakes were caused by this knut job who used a growth enhancer on …” She shuddered and nearly gagged as the memories returned. “I still get the shivers when I think about those … things.” Shego looked dumbfounded at her less than clear words. “Cockroaches … the creep used the gadget to turn tiny roaches into terrier sized roaches. Serious panic going on that day, from me. Ron on the other hand actually bonded and learned to speak Roache.” She could tell Shego was trying not to laugh so she went on and finished to make her point. “It was bad enough he made them dog large but for a week after he escaped, and thanks to Rons criticism, he grew them to truly gigantic scale. A normal roach can eat through things we would break teeth on, scale those mouths up to canine size and you have a lethal weapon, scale them larger and you have an armored monster who will happily chew up tanks for breakfast.”
Shego shuddered herself as she visualized that, she had some first hand experience with roaches that she felt would not be good to discuss right then. She knew exactly how strong and tenacious those scavengers could be once they took a bite of something they liked. She knocked back the drink she had waiting and burped loudly, single swallow drinking didn’t go well with polite company for that very reason. “Remind me and I’ll give you a few bug bombs for that hair drier of yours.” She gave Kim a small salute with the empty shot glass before refilling it and trying to work out the shot she would try. “Here hold this spoon here….” She put a slightly fouled spoon in Kim’s right had and a knife in the other, “Hold them ‘bout there yeah that’s the ticket.” Shego bounced the quarter off Kim’s knife onto the spoon, which changed the trajectory from across to a near perfect upwards arc that dropped it into the glass. Kim didn’t look too pleased at that. “So what’s your next question? Princess.”
Kim was busy looking around the mostly deserted room for something to use for her next shot and coming up empty, “Why are you doing this … resort thing?” It wasn’t a terribly important question but she sensed there was more to it than Shego had mentioned already. She could follow the familial thing up to the point the brothers sold off the natives land for their own gain but she thought that wouldn’t engender sympathies towards anyone of Team Go let alone the reverence she had seen the few times one of the native workers greeted her.
Shego shrugged, “Like I said before I don’t need the money, I gave back what they wanted to give me but I had to do so in a way that wouldn’t offend them, they mean a lot to me. One of those ways is this resort. Triple S gets his fifty percent I get two percent the rest goes to support the people around here who need it, next winter when its not so rainy here they’ll be building the first major modern hospital the atoll chain has ever seen.” Shego watched with great interest as Kim stood another bottle of their current drink beside the first placing her wine glass just to the other side of the shot glass, Kim couldn’t be seriously thinking of making that shot … could she?
The coin bounced off the table hit the bottle nearest to her shot off to the other bottle, which sent it to the wine glass before dropping it into the shot glass. “Damn!” The wine glass didn’t even have a nick on it and the note it sounded off was pure and true. “Senior got the real crystal, I’ll have to have a word with him on that.” Kim was stifling a laugh as Shego spent a minute examining exactly how Kim had made the shot without shattering the fine crystal glass.
“Look on the bottom Shego, the stamp says it was made in
“That’s your next question?” The bottle didn’t want to stay the way she had it so Shego poured the remnants into Kims wine glass then used her plasma to ‘spot weld’ it to the other bottle. Kim realized her mistake and shrugged. “If that’s the case you wasted the question because it’s that simple. They are family, more so than my brothers ever were for the most part. Hego is an ass always has been always will be. Mego will eventually get over himself, I hope. As for the twins, I want you to promise me you will never allow them to meet your brothers. That could kill us all.” Kim snorted and laughed loudly in agreement.
“It wasn’t a wasted question, I got what I wanted from it Shego.” She smiled with a hint of nervousness that made her seem slightly scared, “I’ve seen what your powers can do up close, I wanted to know if they had scarred you to the point you could only deal with a select few. You put on the airs of supreme confidence and independence trying to push everyone away, but when it counts, you come through. That’s all that really matters, isn’t it?” Shego shrugged again but Kim could see the truth in her lime green blush. “I do have another out of game question, If I may.” Shego nodded while indicating she had one left, “If your brothers come from your fathers first wife how are you older?”
This was a sore spot for Shego but she couldn’t hold back since Kim asked. “Father was lost without my mom and for a time he found comfort again in my brothers mother.” She felt the long standing bitterness of that well up and used every ounce of her will to crush it. “I didn’t hate the woman but she was not fond of me, I guess that’s being nice. I think she resented me because I reminded her of the woman who still held fathers heart, I’m told green tint aside I’m the ‘spitting image’ of mom, so she gave me the whole Cinderella treatment until the twins were born.” She reached over and took the chipped bottle in her pale hand. “Once they were born she ran away. That was the final nail, if you will, in fathers casket. He lasted long enough to see their first birthday, I was never told what the official cause of death was but my guess he drank himself to death.” She noted Kims shocked expression and began attempting to balance the one bottle atop the other. “Alcoholism ran high on both sides Princess though there were other reasons for it on mom’s side. Father and I had a close bond for a time before she came back into his life, she tore that up for spite.”
The bottles appeared to be rather precariously balanced and Shego had to admit to herself she was just as likely to break both as she was to pull this off but either way she was committed. “I don’t like letting people close, I … my power …” She felt the frustration build but didn’t want to take it out on Kim, it wasn’t her fault she was the way she was. She spun the coin in her fingers to find its center of mass then casually flicked it up and over to the top bottle where it landed exactly as she hoped. As the coin slid down the curve of the neck it was pitched out just enough to drop cleanly into the shot glass. Outwardly she just put on a cocky smile and waited for Kim to drink, inside she was jumping like a schoolgirl on a sugar high. No one would believe she made a shot like that. Not even if they showed the surveillance footage.
Kim downed the mouthful as fast as she could and waited for the taste to go away or Shego to ask her question, she was hoping the taste would be first but it was not to be. Shego was thinking the next question over seriously, she smiled broadly when she had a good one. “How many times have you masturbated?” Shego got the reaction she was after, the serious questions needed to be balanced with some fun or it would get too depressing. Kim spent a few minutes trying not to cough a lung up as she choked at the question.
After recovering somewhat Kim realized the taste in her mouth was nothing compared to the questions Shego preferred. “That depends on how you define that, If you mean solo, I can’t tell you. Far too many times to count. However if you mean with ‘toys’ never. Mom would go nuclear if she found out.” She blushed brightly as she looked directly at Shego, “Most of the time I’m thinking of you when I do.” It was a humiliatingly embarrassing thing to admit but when she saw the way Shego took that tidbit and felt humiliation could be worth it on occasion.
Shego sat in a stunned state for a minute as she rolled the words Kim had just said around in her mind. It meant a lot of things and each triggered new questions and new desires. Her attention was recovered by the sound of a coin being flicked skyward. Kim was still looking directly at her, her hand still in the position she used to flick the coin. Shego looked up and watched the coin reach the top of its arc then rush down towards the bottles she had welded in place. Either by shear dumb luck or insane design the coin hit edge on and rolled down the bottle following a similar path as the shot she had made moments ago, it ended the same way as well. “There is NO WAY you planned that Princess, no fricken way.”
Kim shrugged casually, “Your right I didn’t I just did what I always do when I have nothing left. I act and hope it is the right thing to do. It was a wicked good shot though wasn’t it?” Shego grudgingly nodded and took her shot. The girl could do anything couldn’t she.
“Well go on ask your question.” Shego was really enjoying the buzz and she was willing to bet Kim had never been so inebriated. The drink wasn’t alcoholic but then again it didn’t need to be. She shared a comfortable smile with the redhead she felt something for her that she had never expected.
“Shego …” unsure of why she was about to ask what she was Kim swallowed nervously. It was just a pet name but it meant a lot to her and she needed to know why. “Why … I … I’ve noticed you never call me ‘Peaches’ out here. I just wanted to know why.” ‘Ok so its not a question but it is’ she thought, her mind was clear but she felt as if she were flying which didn’t help the confusion she felt over that issue. She loved the names Shego called her but that one was special.
Shego was thinking along similar lines as she mulled the question over, “Because, Princess, That is for us and only us. I have few things I can keep private but of them that is my most important treasure and I will not share it.” There was no nervousness in her voice, nor anger. Shego had the most serious expression on her face Kim had seen thus far and her tone made her sound a touch possessive, not that Kim minded. “I know I have to share you with the rest of the world Kim but I will not share that, it’s that important to me. I don’t know if I’m making any sense or not I … it’s” Her gaze fell to the table again, she couldn’t find the words to express herself the way she wanted so she chose to follow Kim’s lead. She leaned forward and whispered, “Come a bit closer please.” As soon as Kim leaned in close enough Shego lashed out with both hands and gently but firmly cradled the face of her Princess, then she kissed her. There was nothing but her heart in that simple kiss and she could only hope that Kim would understand. She knew Kim was interested in taking things further but Kim was taking it slow. She respected that and agreed but with that simple question, Kim had forced her to act.
Kim sighed quietly as Shego released her from the kiss then she nearly whined when she felt those strong hands slip free of her face. She wanted to … she wanted, she couldn’t get past the warmth of that kiss. Unlike any she had shared before this one reached straight to her heart and lit it on fire. She heard something clink and shook herself from the dazed state to see Shegos hand resting near the point she bounced the quarter, not fancy moves no trick shots just a straight arrow into the glass. “Guess I need to drink that, what’s your question Shego.” She was running almost on auto as she tried to process things that tripped every sense she had and pitched them on edge.
Shego grinned, her kiss seemed to have completely derailed Kim. She was one of the few people who could do that and her methods had always been more towards the erotic side. She knew the question she wanted to ask, she knew Kim would respond but she didn’t want to push things any further than she had already. The ball was back in Kim’s court and it was her move. Ordinarily such thoughts would have pissed her off, she hated to have her fate in the hands of someone else as a general principle but in this instance, the person who held such sway over her was someone she could trust. For her trust was something she never gave out, it had to be earned. Drakken earned it for a time then lost it for a time, the mind control chip was a memory she would never forget nor would Drakken. In the time since they had a chance to discuss it and after actually listening to him for a moment she realized he had been both within his contractual and Union rights. Renegotiating the contract was a simple matter, dangling him over the cliff for a day did the trick nicely. The
Kim choked on the drink when Shego asked her about the pandaroo. “Err …” She definitely should have been clearer on the rules but as is so oft the case, it was too late to do anything about it. “Nanna thinks it’s the one she gave me for my birthday one year, its not. I gave that one to a girl I was visiting as part of the junior high schools ‘Make A Wish’ event. Her parents were just barely making it by living in a junk heap, almost literally, just so the girl would have a chance to live. They couldn’t get her the nice things like other parents brought their children so I gave Sheena to them for her. About a year later her parents tracked me down and returned Sheena, battered bruised and thoroughly abused but still intact.” Kim turned to look out the large window across from them. The night sky was all but shut out from the glare inside but she could still see a few stars. “Kasey had … died, the cancer was one of the types they can only treat, not cure. I was pretty messed up over that, the ‘girl who can do anything’ couldn’t save a small girl who needed saving. I think my mom knew what was happening, she was a high ranking doctor on staff at the hospital by then and somehow she got the girls parents to come back.” Without really thinking Kim poured a glass of the drink and swirled it gently in the glass before swallowing it. “They made a big show of letting me know how much the small things I did helped their little girl and how much they appreciated it but I still felt I don’t know … hollow. Before they left I returned Sheena to them, told them it was a part of their child and they shouldn’t part with it so easily.”
“I … I didn’t know Pri… Kim I shouldn’t have …” Kim cut her off with a soft wave.
“It’s ok Shego, not something to worry about, you couldn’t have known. Anyway mom was so worked up over the whole thing she went out every day after her shift ended until she found the one of the last ones that was available anywhere. I’ve had it ever since. I know it’s not the same one but I still think about the girl I gave my best friend to, silly to think of a stuffed toy that way I know but up until we moved to Middleton we had done a lot of moving around, being on the road a lot you made friends with whatever was handy. Yeah I was just a kid, Pre K no less but I remember it all. The first night after school, where I met Ron, I spent the whole time talking to that thing. Took really good care of it and made sure it got only the best treatment, you do that for friends.” She cocked a weak smile at Shego. “I’ve never told anyone, not even Ron, the whole story before. Feels good to be able to talk and not feel like I’m being judged for it.”
“That’s a lot of confidence your putting in me there Princess, why?” Shego was touched in ways she would have thought impossible only a few short years in the past. “If this doesn’t work I could use that against you, I could …” She stopped at the look on Kim’s face, there was no doubt or fear to be seen in those emerald depths. Kim trusted her, trusted her with things she couldn’t tell anyone else. “You have my word Kim, I won’t repeat a word.”
“Good Shego, and as for the why … that’s breaking the rules you only get one question per drink.” She smiled and gave Shego a quick wink. “I do believe that earns you a penalty, two drinks and two questions, but seeing as you were distracted I’ll let it slide and will settle for one out of game and one in game.” Her grin had returned to its former brilliance and Shego felt her heart flip, Kim was far stronger, far better than she had ever imagined.
“Fair enough, though I did warn you I’d be asking some intimate questions.” Kim nodded as she tipped the bottle over and refilled the glass for Shego. “So question out of the game?”
“What is this stuff and why the hell haven’t I heard of it before? Taste aside its really good!” She hadn’t meant to be so enthusiastic but found her natural energy ratcheting up as the night set in.
“It’s a root tea made from a few plants in the Amazon, its technically legal in the US but you won’t here much about it in the magazines you read princess.” Shego grinned and leaned forward a bit. “Being that I have a vested interest in this place I wanted to make sure that the people who came here didn’t destroy things too terribly bad and in that effort the most potent alcohol we carry here are a select few types of whiskey and tequila which are reserved for private functions. Alcohol and erratic people don’t mix well under the best of circumstances and compounding the problem by having dozens of these brutes eager for a good fight well lets just say I spent a fair bit of time finding alternatives that work nicely for controlling the nightmare.”
Kim chuckled and picked up the quarter once more, “You know I never figured you for the entrepreneurial type Shego but you do seem to have a knack for it.” She grinned and casually flicked the quarter into the air and caught it in a firm fist. “Back to the game and I believe you owe me one more answer so here goes, Why? Why do you continue to put up with all of the bullshit we’ve put each other through?” She had been wanting to ask that for a while and had waited for the best time to do so, this was it she felt and the look on Shegos face was one she had seen whenever Shego struggled with the weight of their arrangement.
“There are two real reasons, one is pretty simple really the other is far more complex. And if I am to answer that we will need to relocate and find the real stuff.” Shegos gaze never left the table as she waited for Kim to make the next move. The chess match they had been waging since landing on the island was reaching the end game and she found herself both excited and terrified at the prospects. She almost jumped out of her seat when she felt a delicate yet firm hand on her shoulder, the familiar grip immediately soothed her startled senses and she turned to look up at Kim who was standing beside her.
“I believe we need to find our way back to your place for the night and get comfortable, Wouldn’t you agree?” Kim extended her hand and smiled nervously to the woman before her. Shego blushed lightly as she took the offered hand and stood to leave the dining hall.
Once they cornered the general manager, Shego quietly expressed her owner’s rights and demanded the vault be opened for them to collect something for the night. The rotund dwarf swallowed nervously and walked rather fast to the lobbies’ main desk where he hit the big red panic button. Kim was then lead to the room only Shego and three others had a key to, the room where the liquors and spirits where kept. Area fifty-one had nothing on the security Shego had put into the vault, in her case it was keyed to her power and only the bio specific keys of the other three could get in. Once inside she marched over to the far wall and tapped a sequence into the wall-mounted keypad. A moment later the room expanded out in three directions as the barrier walls slid back and out of the way and the racks of bottles slid into position so they could be easily identified. “See anything you like Princess?”
Kim nodded absently as she picked up ancient looking bottle labeled g-mead, curious she decided to give it a try. She and her mother had shared a few glasses of mead on the last few of their girls nights out, Mrs. Possible saying that as long as it was done in moderation and in respectable circumstances a touch of mead every now and again was rather nice. She spent the rest of that chilly day toasty warm inside, the beaming smile she wore was matched only by her mothers as they sang loudly and walked through the snow.
Shego picked the exact drink she had been after and nodded to Kim before shooing her out of the vault so she could reseal it. A brisk walk down the staff hall behind the lobby desk brought them to the transit pod the staff in that area had, it added a few dozen yards to the trip but at the moment it didn’t matter. They were both lost in thought and the extra time allowed them to sort things out a little more.
Kim was the first to be met by the anxious jungle cat, she had been left alone for too long and was now ready to play as a result. Shego was stunned at the felines antics, Greystroke rarely pounced anyone unless she knew them well or was prepared to kill them. After a minute of playful ‘mauling’ Greystroke leapt off Kim and turned to Shego with a predatory glint in her eyes. Shego set her bottle down, dropped into a fighting stance, and waited. The war of wills was a game they played from time to time and Shego was very good at it. Greystroke coiled up and pounced lightning fast leaving Shego only a heartbeats time to react, more than enough. They met mid air, went tumbling through the entrance before spilling out into the sitting room where the struggle continued. Kim rushed in once got to her feet, the sounds Greystroke was making concerned her, she sounded like she was trying to kill Shego and from the looks of it when she caught up with the pair it looked like Shego was doing the same. It took a minute for the broad smile and nearly horse laughter she could hear from Shego to sink in, they were playing. It figured Shego would have a pet that thought mauling was a fun game since Shego thought mauling was a fun past time.
Kim sauntered past the wrestling pair and made her way to the kitchen, Shego had indeed found the most appropriate of pets and she couldn’t help but note the irony of how the feline had come into Shego’s life. She had just managed to set the wine bottle down when she heard Shego, “LOOK OUT PEACHES!” She turned just in time to see a mass of grey and green tinged fur block out her field of vision, Greystroke was used to playing with Shego and they played rough. The feline never once used its claws Shego noted, Kim seemed to have earned at least that much for her part in the cats life. Seeing Kim was in no harm for the surprise attack Shego went back to the foyer returning shortly with the dusty bottle filled with a golden liquid. From the time she had her first drink on Shego knew she would need far more potent spirits to enjoy the affects, hyper metabolism aside both sides of her family were notoriously hard drinkers though they didn’t suffer the normal maladies that accompanied such behavior. She cast a look to Kim who was slowly untangling herself from the cat then to the bottle Kim had collected from the vault. She didn’t pay it any attention until now lost as she was in how to explain what Kim had done to and for her, the bottle was from her fathers personal brewery. The one Hego sold off to get Team Go going, this was probably one of the last bottles to ever come from the place as it had mysteriously burned to the ground a week after the sale was confirmed and the money transferred.
Kim slipped quietly up beside Shego and looked at the bottle that held her attention so absolutely. “Big memories in a small bottle Shego?” She slipped her arms around the taller womans waste and lay her head on Shegos back, for a moment all she heard was Shego’s breath and her heartbeat. When she heard a sniffle from the other side she started to worry. “You ok there Shego?”
Nodding as she wiped at her eyes Shego pulled free of Kims warm embrace, she would have preferred to stay like that for the rest of the night but Kim had asked her a question and she had to answer it. “I’m fine Peaches, yeah some pretty big memories for so small a bottle but that’s a story for another day.” She reached for the bottle and turned to face the woman she had fallen in love with. “I’ll go open this if you’ll go grab us a pair of glasses.” Perhaps tonight wasn’t a night she needed to get drunk on after all.
Kim looked her over carefully noting the way Shego was standing the expression on her face, the worry she felt only grew as she saw the normally impenetrable armour she wore crack. Taking a nice pair of short broad mugs to the well-concealed microwave she waited for Shego to finish uncorking the old bottle. Once that was done Shego turned to look where Kim had gone only to find her still at the microwave. At Shego’s confused look Kim smiled warmly. “Mead is one of those drinks that is best done hot, at least that’s what mom always said. I have had it cold which is nice but it’s up to you.”
Shrugging as she tipped the bottle and filled the mugs Shego made a non-committal sound before setting the bottle back on the island counter. “I’ve never had any of this brew, I’m not even sure how Senior got a bottle to be honest, again story for another day.” She watched Kim bend over to slide the mugs into the now open door, her eyes followed the long curve of Kims back down to her sculpted rear end. She would likely always be slightly jealous of Kims figure, Shego had remained essentially unchanged from the time of puberty on. “Peaches can we drop the games for a while and just … talk?”
The smile wouldn’t leave her face easily so Kim opted to look down to the microwave and make sure it wasn’t over heating the drinks inside. “I was wondering if you were going to ask or if I was going to have to.” Deciding the drinks were hot enough she popped the door open and walked out of the kitchen towards the room with the piano. “Well Shego are you coming?” She heard Shego’s soft footfalls padding up behind her shortly after she sat down on the bench looking for a moment into the almost liquid black of the enameled instrument. Carefully leaning back to rest an elbow she watched and Shego sank into the long Cleopatra recliner that had once been the primary decoration of the room.
A sip of the drink in her mug could only serve as a distraction for so long, she had to have a bit more time to figure out how to say what was next. “Peaches, play for me please?” Kim’s expression shifted from a neutral content one to abashed surprise. “Don’t try to act so surprised Princess you’re not very good at it.” Another sip and a look back to her treasure made her realize she had perhaps, indeed shocked the woman. “You can’t be too out of practice Kimmie, from what I heard in the dining hall you missed maybe what? Three chords in the whole of what you played.” The shocked expression was slowly being replaced by one of blushing embarrassment.
“I didn’t know you heard more than a few chords before you got close.” She almost wished she could rewind to that day and erase that small part. “I … I really hate playing these damned things,” A sip of her drink left her throat awash in warmth followed by a slight chill as she inhaled deeply, the mead was lightly spiced and she found it quite the improvement over the drinks she had shared with her mother. “I never wanted to learn in the first place but Nanna insisted. She paid for it and I did the work.”
Shego snorted, that sounded a lot like a line from a war movie she liked but it didn’t fit her peach. “Still know how though, don’t you? Still sat down, lifted the cover stroked the keys.” Kim nodded with each question. “There must be something you like about it or you wouldn’t have had that look I saw.” Kim looked to the floor or perhaps into the depths of her mug, anywhere but at Shego. “Thought so, Please, play something, for me. Anything will do I just want to hear you play.” Now she looked, Shego was smiling and looking expectant, a simple nod was her answer.
“I hope you like nonsensical music Shego, because there are only three songs I know from memory and the only one I can think of that fits right now … well you’ll hear.” She turned and lifted her legs so she could swing them over the bench to face the keys. She almost sat the mug on that mirror polish but caught herself, the mead may be good but a piano was no drink holder, the mug took a seat on the floor. She was exceptionally impressed with the instrument before her. It was a true work of art in her opinion, not only was its form pleasing to the eye but its function could bring tears or laughter, stir rage or passion. Few other instruments compared, again in her opinion. The cover protecting the keys raised, folded and slipped silently away as she made ready to begin, her fingers barely contacting the keys as she found her proper position before them. “The song is called Green Bird, Ron had it on his pos computer a few years ago and I …” She shut her mouth before she embarrassed herself further, if she truly did hate the piano she would never have bothered learning the new songs she added to her music folder every year or two.
Shego swung her legs around and repositioned herself stomach down on the black sofa, her green jacket removed and draped over the only armrest it had. She was glad Kim had her back to her because when Kim started singing the vocal part of the piece she almost slid off the thing. The acoustics of the room were not concert hall quality but for a solo voice they suited nicely, a hint of reverb followed each word, it almost sounded French but no words she knew matched the syllables Kim was singing save the few English words she could hear. So focused on the lyrics Shego missed the faint opening notes Kim played as the instrumental part came into play. The combination of her voice and the gentle music filling in for the chorus that should accompany such a piece brought a smile to her face as bright as she could remember wearing and when the last notes from the strings faded into silence she gave Kim the ovation her performance deserved. “That was beautiful Peaches.”
“Thank you Shego, I guess you’re right I do like playing. No one aside from Nana ever wanted to hear me play though so I switched to something that would piss them off as much as they’d pissed me off.” She gave a weak smile and made motions of playing the guitar.
“No need to explain or defend yourself Princess, but for the record I want to hear more, later.” Shego finished off the dregs of her mead, having brought the bottle she refilled then offered it to Kim who poured another mug for herself, after warming her mug once more with a touch of plasma she offered to heat Kim’s before returning to the topic at hand. “To answer the question of ‘Why?’ … Well … I do it for two reasons, as I said the first was simple, you might find it repugnant though.” She looked into the cup in her hands and decided to just spit out what she had to say on that part of the ‘why’. “The straight up honest truth is I like being on camera, wherever we fought we were being watched.” She could feel Kim’s sense of outrage building clear across the distance separating them. “I have always had an exhibitionist side, it got me into a lot of trouble even before I switched sides.” Draining the warm drink in a number of swallows she put it on the floor below and crossed her arms under her chin, to her surprise Kim refilled her mug but left it where she had put it down. “I know that can’t have really surprised you Princess, I was a hero once, I was invited to visit G.J. … once, I also know Hench and Gemini and a host of others who monitor the world. They see everything and I enjoyed giving them a show, you being the star I performed with.”
Kim mulled those last few words over opting to ignore the violation of her privacy she felt when Shego casually mentioned them being monitored. She had to admit Shego was correct. Both G.J. and W.E.E. had the globe pretty much wired, they both had devices that let them connect any two physical locations with a short connecting tunnel regardless of the actual distance separating the places. Between the pair of organizations, it dawned on her; they had the world completely at their mercy at any given time. She finished off her own drink and sat on the floor at the ‘foot’ of the reclined chair, letting her head slip back to rest on the velvety fabric covering it. She rolled her head just enough to look up at Shegos smiling face. “You have a beautiful smile Shego.” The blush she saw now, the one that she found disturbing and almost repulsive not too long ago only added to the beauty she could see in her greatest rival. “So what was the next reason for ‘why’? I won’t pretend to understand it but I can accept the exhibitionist part, a body like yours should be shown at every chance.” The blush neared an emerald green tint and Shego’s soft glow brightened as well, she was glad they had left the lights off because she would never tire of the site the shadows presented her with when in the company of this woman.
If she could have crawled under the chair, Shego would have, compliments were a rare thing for her, the ones Drakken gave her had not gone unnoticed but she kept her distance after they had the war over the mind control chip. They could never return to the way things had been and Shego only felt a small sadness over it, she had a chance with someone every bit as important to her as the blue creampuff. “The second is because I made you a promise not too long ago that I have kept,” Shego lifted her eyes from the spot on the floor to see how Kim was taking that information, she clearly couldn’t recall the incident but Shego would never forget it for as long as she lived. “It started over a bottle of shampoo.”
Kim gaped as the memories hit her with a sudden rush of heat. “Oh yeah … that? Why would that make any kind of difference? You stayed on your side and we kept fighting. I thought you’d made up your mind and were intent on killing me because you didn’t believe me.” She thought back to that night remembering it as clearly if it had happened only the day before.
Shego grinned wickedly as she reached to close the dressing room door; she had decked the StarMaker host and left him out cold so she could cut loose with Kim. “Aww Don’t worry Kimmie, I’m still nasty.” She almost choked on that, bravado aside she rarely thought of the sexual innuendo they casually tossed at each other until then. Those words seemed to have charged the fight and both Kim and herself had cut loose. She would never cease to be amazed at the dexterity of the nimble redhead. She blocked almost everything Shego threw at her and returned as good as she got. The fight drew near the end as Kim grabbed couch cushion that turned out to be made of goose down. When it exploded in a cloud of floating feathers they lost sight of each other for a heartbeat.
With feathers everywhere Kim made her way to the door, Shego struck but Kim dodged and the door took the hit busting a large hole through it. In an instant Kim was through the newly created escape route. Scrambling for something to hold Shego at bay for a bit longer she wedged a trophy statue behind the doorknob and across the jamb. For a precious moment the door actually did slow the jade warrior but the moment would be over shortly, the idea hit her out of utter desperation.
Shego tried to scream a pleading ‘NO!’ to Kim but it was already too late, a heartbeat later the gunk was working, forcing its way past all of her defenses until she fell before it. A glassy eyed empty look swept over her face and stayed. Kim remembered that look, it was the same she had seen on Shego the last time she was being forcibly manipulated.
“Shego when I snap my fingers you will be the person you have always been and this shampoo will not work on you anymore.” She snapped her fingers, she could have done all manner of things including forcing Shego to the side of ‘good’ but that was unthinkable. She refused to take advantage of the womans defenseless position, she herself had been worked over by a mind control chip right along with the woman standing there, Shego opened her eyes and become focused again. “Shego I don’t know if you remember …” she started to ask only to be cut off by Shego, who grabbed her shirt and ran her into the wall where she brutally slammed her forearm into Kim’s throat.
“YOU BITCH! YOU used that … that shit on ME!” Shego’s fury was overflowing, she had never felt so violated. “What the fuck did you do to me dammit … WHAT?” Kim gasped for air and looked her straight in the eyes, she worked her mouth and lips but all that the girl could manage was a raspy whisper. Shego only eased up enough to let the girl recover well enough to speak.
Kim coughed a time or two and tried to regain her breathe, Shego began bearing down again before she was back to normal. “Nothing Shego.”
“BULLSHIT! What did you do to me?” In a savagely fast move she switched around taking Kim by the throat and hoisting her off the ground with her left hand while charging her right with a plasma packet, as furious as she was it was likely to be lethal outright. “Tell me what the fuck you did or I will make sure it takes you days to die!” Kim could see the tears streaming from Shegos savage eyes.
“Then you might as well get started now Shego.” She released the hold she had taken on her opponents arm and hung there. “I didn’t do anything, I can’t prove that to you but I can say I remembered what it was like under those chips. You were there, with ME, I would never impose my will upon anyone, not like that, and sure as hell not like THIS!” She held up the mostly empty bottle of Drakkens shampoo. Shego dropped her but did not take her blazing eyes off the redhead.
“You expect you to believe you didn’t try to change me in any way?” Shego refused to believe it, she would have, she would have brought Kim to her side the instant she got the chance. Wouldn’t she? “You can’t expect me to believe you haven’t been pressured to try and get me to jump sides again, I know how G.J. operates and they would have known about everything that happened in Go City.” This would have been the perfect chance and she knew that G.J. would have seen this battle. “They’ll probably arrest your pretty ass if you actually left me unaltered.”
Rubbing her throat to work out the pain Shego’s talons left her with Kim locked eyes with the older woman, “Fuck’m if they do. There is no way in hell I would do that to anyone, period. You, of all the fucked up people in this world, should know how fucking wrong that is!” Kim was absolutely livid. He voice never rose above the level of casual conversation but there was a lethal amount of venom in each syllable. “I most especially would not use it against you because, yes, I have been asked to try to get you back but if I did it that way I couldn’t stand myself.” She couldn’t stop the hot tears as she stopped her rant and stood in silent storm.
Shego locked eyes with the woman before her. “What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to come back, but I want it to be your decision, until that point all I ask is that you try to keep the dumbass from actually killing anyone. I will not force you to change, I want you to return because you want to, because …” She stopped, it had never happened like this before, but this was a moment like no other. To find herself with no words to express what she thought scared her so she dropped back into the comfortable routine of fighting the woman before her. “I have to stop Drakken, do we pick up from where we left off?”
Shego watched with deadly focus as Kim stepped back into her low ‘lets go’ fighting pose. Her eyes never left the emerald depths of Kims eyes, light reflections of her own. “Hell no, most of the shit Drakken put in this shampoo is pretty good and since I’m willing to guess you made me immune to it, goody two shoes that you are, I think I’ll snag a few bottles.” Her grin turned feral, “If Drakken thinks I get myself with it accidentally and I get the chance to pummel him for a few hours, all the better. It doesn’t hurt that since this crap has completely saturated my hair I need a shower anywho, Think I’ll go now”
Shego raised her mug to Kim and tilted it her way in mock toaste, “I never did get the shower that night.” She put the warm mug to her lips and took a slow sip of the family mead, ‘glad she picked this, I hope I can find more.’
Kim returned the casual toaste and sip, “What stopped you? If you don’t mind my asking.” Shego was being unexpectedly candid which made her curious nature fire up.
“I spent the night crying myself to sleep.” With that, she got up and brushed off her pants. “Excuse me please.” Kim nodded and she made her way to the restroom. As she passed the entrance to their room she got a glimpse of Greystroke laying on the case to her bass. “If you’re up for it I say we have a bit of a jam session.” When she looked back to see if Kim had heard her she felt a twinge of regret for her flippant casual reply, Kim was crying into her hands. “Hey what’s all that blubbering about Peaches?” She didn’t like to see Kim mad or upset but she hated to see her crying.
Kim looked up to the person she had misjudged for so long, she thought back over all of the fights spanning the years since that incident. She blamed the woman for all of the worste things to happen in her life, she hated her for the betrayal she felt over Drakkens plan, a plan she knew nothing about and was only party to after the cruel actions were set in play. They fought for months after that with Kim trying to beat her down so savagely she wouldn’t be able to walk again let alone return to a life of crime. “I … I …” She fell into another round of sobs, the words she wanted to say felt inadequate for expressing how truly sorry she was right then.
Shego dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms around Kim as the girl let out whatever daemon plagued her. Leaning her head atop Kims as she hugged her close she whispered soothing noises and waited the storm out. “What ever it is Kim, I’m right here, I wont run or tell you to be ‘strong’ you already are, much stronger than I have ever been.” She regretted her words as they brought on a fresh round of aching cries from the redhead, it was almost more than she could bear to see the woman she loved hurting so.
Greystroke wandered into the room quietly, she heard someone she cared for in pain and wanted to make sure everything was all right. It obviously wasn’t, the lightly shaded woman she considered a bigger sister was sitting on the floor with the woman she considered a mother. The light woman never sat on the floor, not once in the entire time they had shared homes, not if there were a chair of something else to sit on. Yeah they played and roughed each other up on the floor but that was for play, the pair were not playing as far as she could tell.
She could hear the anguish in her ‘mothers’ voice, she could smell the fear, taste the salt of her tears riding the air. With gentleness she rarely displayed the jungle cat got close enough to the pair to lay down and rest her head in Kims lap letting a kittenish mewl out. Most of the time she was glad to be feline, above the petty worries that plagued everything else but when she saw those she cared about hurting like this she wanted nothing more than to help them. She had been there for Shego on the many nights she returned from a fight with Kim, Shego would cling tightly and cry herself to sleep. On the occasions where Greystroke was the one in need Shego was always there. Now the other she was strongly attached to was hurting and she wanted to help, the first time they met the redhair saved her and she had a debt to repay.
Absently scratching the ruff of Greystrokes neck as she collected herself Kim wiped at her eyes with her forearm before looking to Shego. “I’m sorry Shego … for every hateful thing I’ve ever said to you. I’m sorry I actually had a moment of hatred against you, after the Eric thing I truly hated you. I thought you were in on it and enjoyed seeing me torn apart like that. When I kicked you that night I … I was someone I didn’t like. I could have killed you with that.” Tears had begun again but the heart wrenching sobs were held in check, she wanted to let Shego know how much she really meant to her, they had been enemies, rivals standing on the opposing sides but without Shego Kim would not be who she was now.
Shego at last understood what was tearing Kim apart on the inside, it gave her no comfort to know that she was as responsible as anyone for the way Kim had taken the betrayal of that warriors trust but she hoped she could do something to help. “Kimmie Precious look at me,” She slipped a hand gently around Kims tear streaked face and turned so they were looking eye to eye. “You won’t want to hear this I know but please hear me out.” Kim nodded slightly still blinking at the tears she shed. “You had and still have every right to despise me for that, I never faulted you for it. If I had known I would have put a stop to it but once it was underway I got caught up in the mystery Drakken presented, I couldn’t figure it out.” Kim sniffled a bit her attention focused now entirely on Shego. “I made some stupid decisions that night and I had no idea it would hurt you that bad, love. I am the one who should be apologizing, not you. I don’t know if I will ever be able to make it up to you but I swear I want to try, if you can forgive me.” She didn’t know when her own tears began to flow nor did she care, Kim was hurting again, because of her, again, it seemed all she could do was hurt the woman she loved. Without another word she placed her other hand to Kims cheek cradling her face like she had in the dinning hall. Her thumbs gently brushed a few errant tears away as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss upon Kim’s forehead.
Kim threw her arms around Shego and hugged her fiercely letting go of the anguish she didn’t realize she carried for so long. The butterfly soft kiss Shego left upon her skin stoked the fire burning in her heart to a roaring inferno as she looked into the mirrors of her own soul. There was such a weight of guilt to be seen in them it hurt Kim to look. “I forgave you for that already Shego but it is nice to hear you take responsibility for it, I want you to know without question how much you mean to me Shego but words alone will not do it justice.” Without a single hint of trepidation she pulled Shego close and pressed her lips to the jade womans, she poured every ounce of her love and passion into the simple act and felt the heat rising from within and without. “Err … Shego try not to burn the house down.” she said after separating from the kiss, Shegos fiery side seemed to have slipped out in the heat of that kiss. “Lets go find some place a bit more comfortable and less combustible ok?” For all the drama that she could still find a lighthearted moment was a good thing.
Shego smiled and wiped the remaining tears from her cheek, in a fluid move she stood and extended a hand to Kim helping her to her feet. Greystroke purred loudly as she too stood and began to rub lovingly against their legs. If it had been any other pair the cat would likely had put them back on the floor with her show of affection. “I think we might want to find a distraction for you furball.” Shego reached out and ruffed up the fur between the cats ears who responded by almost falling over in a purring contentment, both women had a good laugh at her expense though the cat didn’t mind. Humour was good medicine after all. Leading Kim back to the bedroom Shego motioned for her to go on ahead as she distracted the predator with a lock of her hair. She only allowed two beings to mess with her hair, ever, and Greystroke was one of the pair. Once she led the cat out into the main part of the house she kneeled and rubbed the cats jowls eliciting a near thunderous purr before she hugged the cat close. “Thank you for helping Grey, but I need you to go play elsewhere ok?” She never bothered questioning if the cat understood her, she had seen too many demonstrations of animal intellect and knew the cat understood. The sandpaper ruff tongue licking her face a few times made her laugh at the affection but she felt the cat pull away from her grip so she stood again and watched as the cat padded off towards the swinging door that lead to the playroom Shego made specially for her. A silent thanks followed her out as Shego turned her attention back to the woman she left to her room.
Kim smiled meekly as Shego walked into the room, she was sitting on the edge of the futon unsure of what to do next so she waited. Shego smiled but continued walking past her and into the small bathroom attached to her bedroom, Kim frowned a bit as Shego closed the door and wondered why the woman just left her there, until she heard the toilette flush, that was when the blush hit her hardest. Shego was human after all, she had human needs just as Kim did and the sounds of running water made her realize she needed to make use of the facilities as well. Shego seemed to take forever doing whatever it was she was doing and the longer it took the worse the urge to go was for Kim. When the door finally reopened Kim was too desperate to really pay much attention to Shego and yet the moment she saw the woman standing in the doorway her brain seemed to cease functioning. Shego stood there smiling sheepishly wearing the light grey pajamas she had used when she was at her room in whichever lair she and Drakken were occupying at the time. Kim had only seen her in it that one time and thought she was adorable in it, mussed up hair and all.
Shego noticed that while Kim seemed to be totally transfixed on her she was unconsciously crossing her legs in a familiar pose. “Better get in there Princess, I do not want to have to call the maid service for an ‘accident’ or any other reason tonight.” As if those few words unlocked her brain Kim bolted for the bathroom just barely avoiding a head on collision with Shego as she dashed past her ripping away at the belt and buttons keeping her pants up. It was all Shego could do to keep from laughing as she closed the door to give Kim some privacy. Sitting on the closest edge of the futon she laid back and rolled herself onto it making her way to the center. She had grown quite fond of sharing the matt with Kim and was hoping Kim wouldn’t take too long, she was served a healthy dose of frustration as she heard the toilette flush then the shower in the small stall turn on. Muttering to herself she closed her eyes and reviewed the evening on whole. They had accomplished what Kim wanted at the onset, they knew some of the most personal details of one another’s lives and she found that for a change she enjoyed having someone to share things with.
Some time later she heard the shower cut off and waited with an ever diminishing patience as the minutes ticked by, even for someone as image concerned as Kim it shouldn’t take this long to get ready for bed. Shego thought about that for a while after it crossed her mind, she felt spent but there was little chance of her actually going to sleep for some time. There had been a lot of large and small revelations shared and it gave her too much to think over, sure there were times when she spent most of her day just thinking about the woman in the room a door away but with the new information Shego had much more precise ideas running through her mind. ‘Never should have started reading those damned fics.’ She couldn’t help but think over some of the more enjoyably creative ones and as she did she was now able to fill in the blanks she had been forced to deal with having never seen Kim naked until recently. When the door opened she wondered if she should look to see what Kim was going to wear or just lay there and let Kim come to her however she was dressed, not being one for waiting patiently her eyes popped open as she rolled over to face the door and the woman exiting it. Shego smiled warmly at the sight that greeted her.
Kim returned the warm smile Shego was giving her albeit a bit shy and reserved, she was wearing a loose pair of shorts and a t-shirt that had a lime green heart between her breasts, her hair was still damp from the shower and she had it combed back and somewhat matted down due to the water. “I have to say Shego,” she began as she took the few steps from the small bathroom to the futon, “As much as I like that large open shower in the other bathroom I think this one would be more fun.” She grinned and blushed as she sat down to join Shego on the comfortable matt with the satin sheets of green and black. “For both of us.” She had a devilish air about her as she crawled across the large matt and over top of the older woman. The look of surprise in Shegos eyes as she leaned over her thrilled the red-haired woman in ways she had hoped to experience for a long time now. “Shego I meant what I said, you are one of the most important things in my life and after this is all said and done I want to be with you.” Shego looked touched in a way she had never expected to see and she acted on the feeling the sight evoked.
The kiss started as Kim leaned down with a smile on her lips and a fire in those evergreen eyes, if she lived for a hundred lifetimes she would never forget the vision before her. Their lips met gently as Kim lowered her face to Shegos the contact was electric, shivers raced through both women as lips parted and their tongues met. Unlike their normal relationship there was no rivalry in the kiss they were too intent on savouring the pleasure they found in one another at that moment. When they finally parted for a breath Kim smiled all the brighter, Shegos soft glow shown with the happiness she could see on her face and in her eyes. Neither of the women wanted the moment to end but Shego had to break it, she had to be sure. “Peaches are you sure this is what you want?” She tried to keep the fear and concern from her voice but from the reaction she saw on Kims face she knew she failed, scared to see what would follow she turned her head and closed her eyes. A whisper soft kiss to her cheek got her attention and she looked up at her treasure once more.
“Shego love, as long as you have known me with all we have been through do you really have to ask?” She knew Shego was worried, scared of being rejected worried that Kim might not be making a decision she could live with.
Swallowing her fear Shego nodded, “Yes Kim, I do. I have to know that you want this as much as I do or I would hate myself for taking advantage of you.” All the worry and fear she forced down rushed back to the surface unbidden. There were few times in her life she was actually terrified, this singular moment made all the rest pale by comparison. “I love you Kim, I have for some time now but we both know there was a time when you hated me with every bit as much passion.” Her voice shook as she spoke, facing Kim in any of the fights they had had never been as hard as looking into those eyes at this very moment.
“Shego do you remember that story you have on the computer in the other room, the one titled Emerald fire?” She nodded slowly, it was one of her favorites, the author had done a masterful job. “I wrote it.” Shego blanched going paler than normal. “I wrote it after a dream I had that involved a woman in green and black, a woman who wielded fire as if it were bent to her will. A woman I thought was bent on killing me.” Shego nodded, the story had a violent beginning it reminded her of something she might have done at some point eons ago. “I knew Shego, I knew the instant I saw you the woman in that dream was you, it just took me this long to figure it out. I have been wanting this for longer than you know, longer than I knew. I want you.” With that said she leaned forward again and kissed Shego on the forehead then the tip of her nose then her chin and once more their lips met, the electricity lit them both up once more. Shego responded with a hunger she hadn’t known she had, almost feral in nature, her hands went to Kims back feeling the soft skin with her bare hands, a treasure unto itself that she yearned for for so long it hurt.
Kim withdrew from the kiss her face flush from the fire burning within her, her heart raced in her chest as she marveled at the woman mere inches away. Sitting up she rested her rear on Shegos stomach so she could lift her shirt off, it was discarded with a casual flick of her wrist. Free from the confines of her clothes Kims breasts swayed with her movement drawing Shegos attention and her hands only to have Kim playfully swat them away, “No touchee love, not yet.” She smiled warmly to take some of the sting out of her action then she reached down to Shegos pajama top and started undoing its buttons the first of which exposed her cleavage but only just barely. The second button showed she wore no bra underneath as her hard nipples peaked under the looser fabric. The third button released her breasts allowing them to relax into the spread out position Kim enjoyed seeing the few times she woke to find Shego mostly disrobed and vulnerable yet content. She had to lift herself off Shego to get to the last two buttons but took her time doing so, her eyes were locked with Shegos, the fire she saw in them matched the inferno she felt in her heart and between her legs.
A thrilling shiver raced down her spine as Kim bent forward and kissed her once more, their breasts drug teasingly across one another sending even more electric shocks down her spine. She wanted to reach up, to touch the woman above her to send those same shocks down her spine but before she could try Kim leaned further forward and playfully nipped at her earlobe derailing her thought process outright. The next kiss she received touched her neck as lightly as a feather but it left her skin burning in its wake. Another kiss graced the top of her shoulder where her neck began making her squirm under the heat. Another scorching kiss touched the pit between her collarbones as she felt Kims nipples drag teasingly across her stomach, with each passing touch the fire inside was stoked to new heights, she felt like she would burst into flames of an entirely different nature than those she bent to her will. A light breeze blew across a nipple and she moaned aching for the touch of the lips behind the warmth making her tingle. She felt the lightest of the kisses yet but it was placed upon the very nipple just teased and she cried out, her eyes tore open and she looked to her chest just in time to see Kim bend to slowly lick a circle just around the most sensitive part of her areola. It felt so good yet was utterly maddening. When she thought she couldn’t stand the teasing anymore she went to lace her fingers through Kims hair only to be completely derailed as Kim took the pert flesh in her teeth ever so gently then flick it with her tongue.
Kim was glad she could sense the tension in Shego, if she hadn’t she might have bit her painfully because the moment she stroked the sensitive nub between her teeth with her tongue the older woman seemed to explode. Shego cried out and thrashed slightly leading Kim to believe she had a small orgasm which was a pleasant surprise, if it were the case. Shegos bust was slightly larger than her own but apparently no less sensitive. Releasing the caged nipple she gently kissed it then moved over to Shegos other breast this time gently suckling it and savouring the sounds of exquisite pleasure Shego was making. This was the dream she wanted for longer than she dared remember and it was better than she could have imagined. She felt Shego grip her hair tighly as she fought against the waves of pleasure crashing through her, Shego was turning out to be every bit as sensual a being as Kim had imagined. Releasing her prize Kim looked to see Shegos face and found her smiling radiantly at her a slight fog in her eyes indicating she was in a state of bliss, this was an image Kim would never forget because her lover truly glowed with delight.
Breathing hard after the initial shock of her orgasm Shego beamed at her love, Kim was every bit the seductress Shego thought herself to be, she had to be to get her to cum from just the few minutes she had been teasing her flesh. Before she could speak a single word Kim dropped her head between her breasts and trailed her tongue along the valley dividing them as she slowly slid herself backwards. Slow tantalizing circles traced from the end of her breastbone out across the flat toned muscles of her stomach. She couldn’t help but squirm as the tongue found her navel and tickled it playfully before gliding down to the top of her pajama bottoms. She raised her head so she could see what Kim would do next. She couldn’t see the blazing green eyes that were poised above her waistline but she felt the kiss through the soft material. Her pulse ratcheted up along with her breathing as she felt the warmth of Kims breath heating the material above her most intimate parts, for a moment she thought the dragon guarding her secret had come to life. It felt like the fire of a star come to rest between her legs and that fire exploded once more the moment she felt Kim press her mouth to the damp hot spot hidden under the clothe.
A sweet musky scent reached her nose as Kim bent to kiss her lovers most private of places, the dampness she encountered left her hungry for an uninhibited contact with the precious flower hidden from her. Slipping her hands to the waistband of Shegos pajamas she gently tugged and Shego responded by raising her hips so Kim could pull the clothing off her. Sitting up Kim slowly removed the satin material and cast it aside as she took in the site before her. Shego radiated a soft green glow that felt so inviting she had to take advantage of it. She nudged Shegos legs to part and laid herself between them with a slow deliberate pace. A kiss planted here a lick there she made her way up Shegos legs taking a small nibble at the soft flesh of her inner thigh. She could hear Shego shudder and draw harsh breaths as she continued her painstakingly slow course. After a last teasing nip at Shegos inner thigh Kim turned to face the prize most precious, the dragon guardian rippled with every breath, every movement Shego made, taking on a life all its own as she watched. Leaning forward she kissed the soft mound of flesh the dragon had been imprinted into and left her tongue to trail along as she slid slightly further back and positioned herself for the ultimate test of her convictions.
There was a soft haze clouding her vision as she tried to look down at Kim, the ecstasy she felt boiling in her veins was pushing her to places she had not been for a very long time. She tried to speak but words failed as she felt Kim plant a soft kiss on her dragon, the heat of her breathe scorching but pleasurable beyond words. A moment later she felt Kim place a kiss on her flower and she went off again, hours or minute lifetimes or seconds she could not tell how long she spent in the throws of bliss. Shego didn’t want it to end and as she was returning to herself she felt a fiery hot tongue drag down from the crest of her vulva across her swollen clit, she was lost to that other place swept away on waves of ecstasy she voiced her pleasure for the universe to hear. Her mind registered Kims fingers parting her labia exposing her innermost secret but thought drifted away as she felt the tongue dance across the delicate petals once concealed within. Every stroke each teasing flick sent new waves of pleasure through her and just when she thought she could go no higher Kim layed her lips upon Shegos pearl and she hummed ever so softly. Shego saw novas explode in her minds eye as she lost time and thought to the radiance overwhelming her from her core.
With every new movement Kims gentle tongue sent torrents of pleasure through her lovers body, Shegos legs tensed around her head as she was carried away with the flow of sensation. Kim endured the pressure without a complaint as she covered Shegos flower with a series of soft kisses before she dared to drink from within the well before her. Her tongue traced its way across the beautiful folds beneath it before slipping into the depths of Shego. It was taking everything she had not to ravish the flower so close to her mouth. She wanted to lap sup and drink everything she was being given so willingly but she restrained herself for Shegos pleasure. For long moments she lapped and teased suckled gently and drank deeply until at last she heard Shego scream out in a primal lust as the largest orgasm she had crashed through her. Kim drew back after placing a last single kiss on her flower, the greatest of gifts she had been given. As she started to make her way back up Shegos well honed figure needy hands grabbed her hair and almost brutally pulled her forward, she ignored the pain as she could clearly see the need in Shegos eyes.
Once even with her face Shego clasped her hands around Kims head and pulled her into a deep passionate kiss, Kim blushed a bit realizing she still had Shegos nectar all over her face and lips but Shego didn’t care. She drank from the kiss and gave back every bit of the heat she was so happily given. Breaking the long kiss wasn’t something either woman wanted but both needed and Shego collapsed into a state of contented bliss while Kim lay down on top of her pressing their bosoms together while she suckled Shegos neck. Shego traced a line along Kims spine with the edge of a fingernail until she reached the cleft of her lovers backside where she let her hand spread out and massage the firm flesh she encountered there. Kim made small noises of pleasure as Shego ran her other hand down her back to take the other side of her rear and squeezed tightly. Shego nuzzled and rubbed against the side of Kims head as she felt the younger woman responding to her touch. She could feel the short tuft of scarlet fur Kim left on her mound rub against the dragon opposing it in her own flesh. The contact alone nearly sent her into that other place again. She could not have asked nor dreamed for a better moment but she felt Kim was getting the shorter end and vowed to remedy that.
Kim felt those strong hands grip her butt firmly and begin to urge her further forward and she complied dragging her breast across Shegos face as the older woman pulled her to a near seated position while she slid back far enough to face the treasure Kim kept secret. Shego felt a rush of heat as she looked upwards from Kims soft petals to her face, there was no fear in those blazing eyes only complete trust. She placed her hands on Kims thighs from their new position and gently pulled her down to her eager mouth. Her tongue lashed out lapping repeatedly along the outer edges of her labia licking the full length of each side before trailing across her cleft, Kims cries of pleasure were the music of the stars to her ears. Her tongue flicked across Kims expanding flower teasing at the petals slowly emerging under the pressure she applied. Sliding her fingers from their perch on Kims thighs Shego parted the soft pink folds concealing the pearl she sought. For a long moment she just stared trying to memorize every crease every fold in the rosebud splayed out before her. Kims scent filled her nostrils her taste dared her tongue to seek out more of that eversweet nectar, she was helpess with her only choice to comply.
She planted a warm kiss upon Kims clit gently touching her tongue to it as she did so. This pushed Kim over the edge again and Shego drank her reward eagerly lapping and suckling with abandon, she covered the warm sweet flesh with her mouth and slid her tongue into Kims hidden depths savouring every drop as the elixir of life. Kims moans turned to begging cries, the firm body she clung to shook under the force of her orgasm each pushing her to new heights and when she thought she could go no higher Shego switched things around on her. A gentle probing finger parted her folds and slid easily into her well as Shegos tongue lay gently over her pearl. Shego watched as her Princess lost control over her body to the ebb and flow of each new orgasm. Careful not to hurt her treasure Shego eased a second finger in along with the first and began a slow rhythmic pulse matching her movements with flicks of her tongue or soft sucking kisses to her clit or the soft folds of flesh she kept secret from the world. Shego smiled broadly as Kim arched her back suddenly and let out a cry of pure happiness before she lost control of her body and collapsed. Shego helped guide her fall and made sure she wouldn’t suffer for the excess helping her land as softly as she could on the firm mat of the futon.
The warmth both felt as they lay there threatened to overwhelm them in its comforting embrace but neither woman feared it, they had found the peace they sought within each others arms and nothing would separate them now.
“I think you may need another shower Peaches.” Shego teased as Kim rearranged her exhausted body next to her own blissfully weary form. “I …” She wanted to find the words to express herself but found such things sadly lacking after such a powerful experience. She had made love with other women and a few men but she could no longer remember them, this moment pushed them all from her mind in a single fell swoop.
“We both need a shower love but that will have to wait because I’m not sure I can move just yet, in fact I don’t want to move.” Kim snuggled closer and buried her face in the long strands of Shegos emerald black hair trying to reach the womans cheek for a kiss. “Is that Drakkens shampoo I smell?”
Shego spent the next few minutes laughing herself hoarse, when she finally recovered she lifted her head and gently tried to shake her hair out of the way and for the first time in her life almost wished she kept it short as it just covered her love in a deeper mass. Kim giggled as the long black tresses covered her almost completely before Shego took the handfuls necessary to expose the face of her angel as she rolled to her side. “I toldja Peaches some of the shit he put in that shampoo was really good.” She leaned forward and kissed the tip of Kims nose and smiled. In all her life she never felt happier than she did at that very moment. “I love you Peaches, you complete me in ways I didn’t know I could feel. I haven’t the words to express just how much you mean to me so I will just let this speak for me.” They lips met once more with a gentle passion that filled them both with a renewed fire.
Beaming and fit to burst Kim leaned into the gentle kiss putting every ounce of her soul into it and hoping Shego could sense her love as easily as she could see it on her lover. The radiant green glow washed over them both enveloping them in its fiery embrace. “Up for another round love?” Shego almost choked only to have Kims kisses chase away any doubt she was ready for a repeat performance.
“For you my Princess, my treasure, I will move the universe to please.” Shego swore before she rolled on top of Kim and began her assault upon Kims willing person. They continued until the sun crested the sea and spread its loving warmth across their small island paradise. Neither was sure who fell asleep first nor did it matter they were together, they were happy and anything that threatened that would face a terrible wrath unlike any the world had seen.