Yet Another Kigo Fic! – Chapter 19

By Ken-Zero

Disclaimer: Kim and company are Disney's stuff. Kane and Isabel, used in this chapter or otherwise, belong to StarvingLunatic.

--

It was a dry, hot day. The sun beat mercilessly down on the rocky dirt, heating the area to temperatures well in excess of a hundred degrees on the Fahrenheit scale. There was a slight breeze, but it did nothing to cool; instead it just picked up loose dirt and dust and swirled it around, driving right into the eyes of the lone man staring down at the tableau from his perch.

The man adjusted his low, wide-brimmed hat, keeping the sun from his eyes, and pulled the kerchief around his neck up to cover his mouth and nose. "No sense breathin' that in," he murmured bitterly to himself.

The man turned away from the scene in front of him, stalking back toward his jeep and climbing in. He started the engine and put it in gear, all the while exuding the kind of personality that would make a cactus seem friendly. A scant few minutes later—and a mile or so away—he parked the jeep and got out.

This scene was slightly different from the first one he'd seen; it looked somewhat like a cattle ranch, except instead of the usual complement of cows, it was filled with kangaroos. One of the animals hopped up to the fence as the man walked past, and he reached out and patted its head, a small, sad smile lifting his mood only a little before he continued on into the single-story house situated in the middle of the ranch.

Inside, he hung his hat, running his fingers through his short, sandy blond hair while shaking the dust off his boots. He passed through three rooms before stopping in front of a photograph hanging on a wall, staring at it forlornly. "Ya shouldn't'a left, sheila," he muttered.

The picture featured the man standing next to a woman, both of whom were smiling—a stark contrast to his current demeanor. They were standing in front of the same dust bowl the man had just left, each holding a shovel in one hand; the other arm was wrapped around the other person's shoulders.

With only a single sigh at the memories evoked by the photo, he spun it on its hook, revealing a numeric keypad behind it. The man entered a long code, and when he was done the house began to shake slightly. Thick metal plates slid up over the windows, followed a moment later by columns of metal ascending the walls and expanding to armor the entire interior. The ceiling split down the middle, and the mechanical hissing noises of heavy hydraulics drowned out the rattling of plates and glasses as the house opened like a flower. As the man stood, the walls began to slide upward, and for a moment he felt like he was shrinking—until the floor he was standing on began to rise along with the rest of the house.

The walls retracted, telescoping into themselves, leaving the man standing in the middle of a large open area. The house continued to move up, and he could hear dull clanking sounds as the space below him separated itself into separate floors.

In short order the house—or what was left of it—came to rest, and the man found himself standing atop a virtually impregnable tower. Above him a force field shimmered to life, preserving the view while protecting the inside from the ravages of Nature. Panels on the floor slid aside, allowing vast banks of computer equipment to rise smoothly into place with hollow clicks. A larger hole opened in one wall, wide enough for two and tall enough to accommodate someone half again the man's height. The lighting penetrated just far enough to illuminate the back side, while doing absolutely nothing to dispel the darkness beginning just shy of the floor.

The man walked toward the largest screen, one displaying a map of the world's smallest continent, and stared at it moodily. He began mumbling to himself as he manipulated the controls in front of the screen, causing it to zoom in on the center of the aforesaid continent. A single glowing blue dot appeared, blinking slowly before a web of similarly blue lines reached out from it. The map zoomed back out a bit, and a phrase appeared around the first dot; it sat right in the middle of the word GAFA while the lines reached through the letters, terminating in other dots that then sprouted subsequent lines of their own, reaching in turn to still more dots, until the entire continent was criss-crossed in a tangle of blue; very little of the original map's coloration remained.

Satisfied, the man allowed an evil little grin to spread across his face. As his projection continued, eventually the entire continent turned blue, followed by the outlying islands like New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and points north-west, until it established a foothold in southeast Asia and spread like a malign disease. By the time it reached halfway into China and India he was cackling, rubbing his hands together in thoroughly evil enjoyment.

It didn't take much longer for his projection to turn the entire world blue, and when it did, he suddenly ceased his laughing and stabbed another button. The display went dark.

"Can't let it get ta my head," he warned himself, pacing now in front of the display. "First things first, and that's right here. Gotta start small, gotta work up."

Most people would say that talking to one's self is a sure sign of an unstable mind. This man would probably have had them hauled off to whatever dungeons were nestled in the bottom layers of his tower, which would have, ironically, partially proven their point. However, he was not talking to himself; a few seconds into his seeming monologue, a form moved out of the shadowy hole in the wall, its smooth bounding motion coming to a halt only a few steps away from the path the man was tracing.

"Ah, Lurk," he said when he noticed its presence. "Good ta have ya, mate."

It took a couple of steps further forward, revealing itself to be a kangaroo-shaped amalgamation of metallic parts, blinking LEDs, and actual animal flesh and blood. Both its hind legs were metal, as was one foreleg and part of its head. The animal regarded him with a steady, unblinking gaze before spreading its forelegs in an approximation of a shrug, hopping over to stand next to the display. It bounced in place, looking, if anything, anxious.

"Patience, mate," the man urged, though the evil smirk was back in place. "It'll still take a bit o' time to really get things goin', but London to a brick the country'll be ours for the takin'." He turned the display back on, the Earth in all its newly blue glory, and put an arm around the cyborg kangaroo's shoulders. "Just a few more months and this'll all be ours. And then she can't say I'm not the full quid anymore, can she? No more claimin' I don't do nothin' for me!"

The half-machine half-animal stared impassively at the sight of the man cackling madly once more.

--

Being able to walk again, Kim Possible decided, was the second-best part of having the cast off her formerly broken leg. The best part was being able to scratch the damn itches that always popped up when she couldn't get to them. She'd been looking forward to the visit this morning, where the cast had been removed, for surely every week her leg had been trapped inside the fiberglass prison.

Still, she surmised as she made her fourth lap of the outside of her dorm building, having her mobility back was pretty important. No need for crutches, no need to take things slowly like climbing the stairs…

…and she could get back to her regularly-scheduled Save the World gig.

She was really looking forward to that one, especially when all she'd had for the last five weeks were the tales Shego brought of the weird sitches that Dr. Director stuck her and Ron in. She admitted that they were amusing, especially with the way Shego presented them; Kim was beginning to wonder if the woman was secretly an author or something, since her stories were always so captivating. Still, she would vastly prefer making her own stories…or making them with Shego alongside. Either would be preferable to sitting at home while someone else got to race out and beat up the Bad Guys. That wasn't her favorite part—the simple rush she got from the action was—but it was undeniably satisfying to see law-breakers put behind bars where they belonged.

All things considered, though, she was just glad to finally have her leg back and in one piece.

Not having seen her black-haired lover that day, Kim finished her building laps and walked over to the tree outside her dorm's window. She sat against it, watching the side where the fake ladder Shego had carved into the wall was hidden. Kim could just see it, but then she knew what to look for, and where to see it; a casual observer would never notice unless, by dumb luck, they stumbled upon one of the marks.

She smiled to herself. Ron would probably find them right away. The blond was fond of touting his reliance on "dumb skill," but with Yori's training that was fast becoming actual skill, leaving only his knack for accidentally finding something critically important.

A stiff breeze stirred up, and Kim pulled her jacket tight; it was early November, her six cast-bound weeks taking up most of the middle half of the semester. While the weather hadn't turned completely frozen yet, it was snappy outside at times, and this was no exception; Kim wished Shego was home so she could snuggle up to the other woman's pleasant warmth and just fall asleep.

Before she lost herself in her daydream, though, movement caught her attention, and she watched as Shego herself dismounted her motorcycle. The former thief was very careful to park the bike behind as many trees as she could, blocking away viewing angles, before touching a button on the bike and rendering it invisible. She padded over to the wall and carefully began to climb; the blackness of her hair was easily visible, even in the dying light, against the dull red brick of the back side of the dormitory, and Kim watched her get about five feet up before saying anything.

"Shego…?"

Shego flinched before turning her head to one side and spotting Kim sitting under the tree. "Heya, Princess," she said, letting go of the wall and dropping to the ground. "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you to get home," she said honestly, holding her arms up like a little child.

Shego obliged by hauling Kim to her feet, where the smaller girl latched on around her chest. Shego closed her eyes for a moment, luxuriating in the feel of the tight grip around her. Even now, over two months after they'd first gotten over how they felt about each other, she still felt as thrilled by her companion's affection as she did at their first kiss.

"I missed you," Kim whispered in her ear, and Shego felt her lips quirk upward.

"It's mutual, Kimmie," Shego answered, placing a kiss to the top of Kim's head. "C'mon. Let's go inside."

"Can you carry me up?" Kim asked, a mischievous look in her eyes when she leaned back to ask.

Shego scoffed, "Up the outside? Are you nuts? Wait—don't answer that. It's too obvious." She was rewarded with Kim pouting, which earned a laugh from the former villainess.

"C'mon, Princess," she said, turning and walking back to the wall. Kim followed, putting her arms around Shego's neck this time instead of her chest. "At least you've got that cast off; that thing weighed almost as much as you."

"Felt that way," Kim agreed as they began their ascent. Kim was still amazed, after two months, by just how powerful Shego was, carrying the both of them up the wall with apparently little more effort than just climbing on her own. She could feel the muscles shifting under the jumpsuit Shego wore for her Global Justice forays, and decided that she owed Shego something to loosen the powerful bands in her neck and shoulders after dealing with, essentially, Kim's extracurriculars for the last month and a half.

Shego made it up the wall and crawled in through the unlocked window in Kim's dorm. When the younger girl dismounted from her back, she closed the window again and locked it up. Kim leaned in and kissed her cheek before shooing her lover off to change with the warning to keep her clothing choice loose. Shego's eyebrow rose, but Kim waved off the questioning look as she moved off to the kitchenette.

Grabbing a couple of her fluffier towels from the closet she kept her linens in, Kim hastily moved the few pieces of furniture around to make room on the floor. She had just finished laying the towels down when Shego came out in sweatpants and a sleeveless white t-shirt. Kim smiled at her, grabbed a pillow from the nearer chair, and pointed to the floor.

"Right here," she commanded when Shego gave her another confused look. "C'mon. Lie down."

She ended up getting behind Shego and pushing her to the towels when the older woman moved too slowly for her liking. Once the pale ex-thief was in place, lying on her stomach with her head turned to the side, Kim sat on her, straddling her rump while she leaned forward and kneaded Shego's shoulders with her thumbs.

Shego's eyes immediately closed in appreciation. "When'd you learn how to give a massage, Kimmie?"

"I didn't."

"Ah. Well, you're doing fine anyway."

"I know. You haven't told me to stop yet."

Shego didn't have to look to know that Kim was smiling smugly. Not that she was going to; the girl's hands were working magic on her shoulders and neck, and between the mission she just returned from and the effort her girlfriend was doing, she was looming ever closer to just giving in and taking a nap…

…Until a quick tug resulted in her wearing the t-shirt over her head instead of on her torso, the fabric caught around her shoulders.

"Kimmie?"

"Hmm?" Without the shirt in the way, the redhead's touches became both more pleasurable and more personal.

"…You've got twenty minutes to stop that…"

Kim only grinned, continuing to work her thumbs into some of the more tense-feeling areas on Shego's back. She herself was pleased to find the plasma-slinger without a bra, which made her job that much easier…and it allowed her to take advantage of the situation, which she did with less than no shame.

Shego moaned deep in her throat when Kim's fingers found the sides of her breasts, but she didn't bother moving; the touching, for the moment, was more of a relief than a source of excitement, and she didn't want it to stop for any length of time. She smiled when she felt Kim placing light kisses along her shoulders. I can't believe I'm so lucky, she thought idly. "She's the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

Shego didn't even realize she'd spoken aloud until a few seconds later, when Kim's ministrations ceased. She opened her eyes and twisted her head a bit further so she could see her smaller lover, who was smiling far more widely than what Shego believed was healthy. "What?"

Kim shook her head, opting to lean down instead of speak. She laid down on top of Shego, kissing between her shoulder blades before leaning up to whisper in her ear. "You're my best thing too, you know."

Shego laughed. "I'm gonna drown in mushy!"

"You know you love mushy!"

She twisted under Kim, rolling the hero off of her and then climbing on top. "I love you. There's a difference."

Kim's heart swelled to hear those three words again, and she leaned up to kiss her partner. A moment of mischief followed, Kim finally succeeding in pulling Shego's shirt off entirely. She laid back for a moment to just admire the scene: Shego, straddling Kim's waist this time, topless, with her glorious black hair hanging around them like a drape, one of her patented "I win" smirks on her lips. The redhead was struck with a moment of pure awe at the beauty she had all to herself.

"You are so gorgeous," Kim breathed, the feeling of wonder almost overwhelming her.

Shego, apparently deciding the odds remained in Kim's favor, leaned in for another passionate embrace, and while their lips locked she pulled the hem of Kim's shirt up, only breaking the kiss long enough to fling the article of clothing away. Soon enough Shego had what she wanted: her Princess pressed against her, both of them making gentle noises from the feeling of skin-to-skin contact, both of them similarly pleased by the lack of the obtrusive cast.

Kim broke their feverish kissing for a moment, and she smiled again when Shego's moans turned into a little disappointed noise. "Easy, Tiger," she teased, and giggled when Shego nipped at her nose. "Hey! Dinner first."

"I've got my dinner right here," Shego growled, annoyed that Kim wanted to eat instead of make love.

"Come on," Kim chided. "I know sleep can't be the only thing you need after what I heard you did today."

"And what did you 'heard' I did today?"

"I heard you had to run half a marathon."

Mention of the mission Shego had accomplished earlier brought a growl to the ex-thief's lips, and Kim smiled in spite of the expression. "Oh, be nice," she chided gently, prying Shego off of her but making no move to dress again. "It may have been huge and way too fast, but it was still just a dog."

"Yeah, well, Falsetto 'Just a Dog' Jones is going on my shit-list."

Kim giggled. "And how many other names are on there?"

"Just one," Shego responded airily. She got up, helping Kim to her feet, and made sure to draw their makeshift curtain across the window Shego used for access; the moment may have been ruined, but both girls still had hormones running wild, and that meant clothing would be…optional while Kim fixed them an actual meal.

--

Kim awoke slowly, stretching her arms over her head and feeling several joints pop as she did so. A touch around her waist reminded her that she needed to be careful; Shego was holding her there, her chin at Kim's shoulder, raven-colored tresses spilling out behind her to fall off the side of the bed. The thin sheet they usually slept under was just as tangled as their legs were, making moving even more difficult.

For the moment, Kim gave up on getting up, instead settling back to just watch her lover's face, a feeling of utter adoration growing in her chest the longer she looked. I never knew, she mused silently. Never knew that I could feel like this…about anyone, not just her.

"God, I love you," she muttered, but even that small voice was thick with emotion. Kim leaned in and kissed the tip of Shego's nose before settling back.

Then she made the mistake of looking at the clock.

Oh, shit!

Normally calm in the face of even the deadliest death trap, Kim nearly panicked outright over the fact that she'd awakened nearly a half-hour late…but if she hurried, she'd be able to make it to class on time. She wouldn't have worried so much if today hadn't been a fairly serious exam.

The sudden movement from the bed startled Shego awake, but she really didn't feel like moving, so she just relaxed while Kim flitted around trying to make herself even halfway presentable.

Just as Kim was pulling on the first leg of a pair of blue jeans, there came a light knock at the front door to her dorm. Confused, she looked over at the bed, finding Shego awake and watching her with her usual predatory leer. Kim blushed—two months in, and Shego's stares still thrilled her—but managed to ask, "Any idea who that was?"

Shego shook her head just as whoever was at the door knocked again. Kim glanced back toward the front of her dorm. "Just a minute!" she called, trying in vain to speed up getting dressed.

Then she had an idea. "Shego…" she called. "Did I ever tell you that I have the bestest girlfriend in the universe?"

"Only about forty times last night."

The laconic reply earned another blush, but Kim sighed. "Can you get the door, maybe? I have no idea who's there but I have to dash to a test in like ten minutes and I have to finish getting dressed and get everything together and…"

By the time Kim finished her short litany Shego was already grumbling while getting out of the bed. While she wouldn't have minded wandering around in the nude with just her Kimmie around, whoever was knocking at the door probably wouldn't appreciate it much. Or maybe they would, in which case I wouldn't appreciate it. She nabbed the first undergarments she could find, which happened to be Kim's, and struggled into it; the bra was at least a cup size too small for her, but it was the first thing within reach that would count as "decent" clothing. She pulled her hair back and appropriated the scrunchie Kim used while cleaning up in the morning, using it to hold her hair back in a massive ponytail.

Her "dressing" mission accomplished, Shego padded over to the door and swung it open…and instantly froze.

Standing less than three feet away, equally frozen and equally shocked, were a brown-haired middle-aged man, streaks of white at his temples, and a red-haired woman with intense blue eyes that looked like the spitting image of Kim.

Shego instantly recognized who they were. Thankfully, the shock kept her from opening her mouth…but that didn't stop her mind from commenting, Oh, shit.

The Doctors Possible—the visitors at the door—reacted similarly, both of them staring wide-eyed at the green-tinted girl that wasn't their daughter greeting them at the door in her underwear…which was obviously too small for her.

Kim didn't even notice; she was too busy racing around, grabbing her backpack and finding her notes and doing some last-second cramming and putting her shoes on and getting ready to barrel out the door.

The three stayed frozen in the doorway for a short eternity; the spell of stillness slowly began to break only after Shego remembered she had to breathe. She mentally prepared herself for the firestorm to come, knowing that if she wanted to keep her Kimmie happy she needed to weather the parental abuse and not retaliate.

She was spared that fate for the immediate future when Kim came zipping up to the door. "Got a test today," she called as she ran up. "See you later. Bye, Shego." Delivering a kiss to the stunned woman's cheek, Kim slid past her and in between her parents. "Bye, Mom; bye, Dad," she said in a rush, going on tip-toe in order to kiss each parent on the cheek as well. Two seconds after that she was gone, dashing down the hallway to the staircase.

The tension level rose again as the three continued to stare at each other. Shego was well and truly past the point of running away; freezing the first time had seen to that. Unfortunately, that left exactly one course of action—especially after Kim's little display of affection.

"Won't you come in?" she asked, stepped back and opening the door wider to allow the parents entry.

Both doctors entered in something of a daze. Shego allowed them to enter, shut the door, then all but bolted back into the bedroom to actually put some clothes on. Bad-ass superpowered plasma-slinging master thief she may be…but meeting her girlfriend's parents still scared the shit out of her, especially when that first meeting was in Kim's lingerie.

She sat back down across from them, dressed in her own clothing this time; the shorts and tank top were both gray, one of her few color concessions. She tried to calm her shaking nerves but it wasn't working too well. I really don't want to be here…but Princess'd probably hunt me down and tie me up if I ran.

At least she was saved the pain of actually having to start the conversation; Kim's mother spoke up first. "I, uh…don't believe we've been introduced yet," she said haltingly. Her alto voice was a bit jumpier than Shego last remembered it being.

She sighed. "Yeah, we have," Shego replied, standing up and leaving the room again. She came back only a few seconds later, her hair loose once again and her hands filled with objects. Standing in front of Kim's parents, she put her blue headband on first, watching as recognition dawned in their eyes. She then took it off, holding her other hand up. That hand contained her catsuit, and she held it against her body, discarding it when it became obvious, by their expressions, that they knew exactly who she was now.

"Shego," Dr. Anne Possible breathed.

"You do remember me!" the black-haired woman said with false cheer.

"Where's Drew?" Dr. James Possible asked, looking around warily. He even moved his arm away from the arm of the chair in which he sat, as if he was afraid it would bind him in place.

"Prison," she said simply. "If he's lucky."

"Lucky?" Anne echoed. "I think you're the lucky one, still free after everything you've done in the past."

The pitch of Anne's voice had remained level, but Shego could not mistake the scathing tone, and she felt her anger rising. "Walk a mile in my old boots, and then tell me you wouldn't have done the same things I did." She crossed her arms under her breasts, her posture becoming defensive. "Geeze…here I thought, if Kimmie could forgive me, then anyone could."

That brought Kim's action of not three minutes ago to everyone's minds.

"And just what was that about?" Anne asked. As if it weren't weird enough already, she was treated to the sight of her daughter's arch-foe blushing.

"…Morning ritual," the ex-thief finally grumbled.

"Ritual?" This time, it was James parroting her words. "You always open the door in your unmentionables?"

"No, sometimes I do it naked," Shego retorted snidely, then sighed. Not winning any points here… she reminded herself. Got to try and stay calm…

"Sorry," she ground out. She never apologized—at least, hardly ever—to her own parents, so it was something of an effort. "Look…I know it's a shock, and I totally wasn't expecting anyone to show up today—I don't think Kimmie was, either—so obviously we're off on the wrong foot." She stood up and extended a hand to James. "Good morning, Mr. Possible. My name's Rheann Go," she introduced herself as calmly as she could.

James, looking a bit shell-shocked, shook the proffered hand, and Shego transferred it to Anne, who repeated the gesture. With that little formality out of the way, Shego flopped back in her chair and sighed again.

"I suppose you wanna know why I'm here," she mumbled, and they nodded. Sitting up as properly as she could, she looked each parent dead in the eye and said, "I'm here because I love your daughter more than life itself, and she loves me just as much—I hope—and I couldn't stand being away from her any more. I want to be near her. I want to give her anything she wants. I want to treat her like she deserves. I want to spend the rest of my life with her…and I think she feels the same."

To say everyone was surprised was an understatement; both doctors fainted dead away.

Shego was shocked herself; she'd never really considered it before, but apparently stress called forth what little natural honesty she still had. Still, she wasn't surprised about what she'd said; she was surprised that she meant every word.

No going back on that, though. She smiled slightly at the mental image her statement had generated. Not that I would…

She arranged the unconscious parents to a position that looked at least vaguely comfortable, then slipped back into the bedroom to do a little clean-up after last night's lovemaking. She still wasn't looking forward to having the Possibles there for the rest of the day…but without knowing when they'd wake up, she had to bide her time—at least until Kim came back.

--

As for Kim herself, she was so absorbed in last-second cramming while she walked to class that it wasn't until she had to put her notes away—lest she walk right into the school building's door—that she realized exactly what had transpired when she left. Already nervous because of the exam, she felt the rest of the blood drain from her face while her innards twisted themselves into a Gordian knot. There was really only one thing to say.

"Oh, shit."

"Whassa matter, Possible? Little Perfect Princess forget her pencil?" one of the sophomores in her class asked, earning a snigger or three from the rest of the small group.

Kim didn't reply, instead turning a heated glare on the speaker; she was unconsciously channeling every off-handed lesson she'd ever gotten from Shego in belittling people, all the way back to the first time they'd met. The end result was the sophomore paling and letting out a little squeak while his cronies stopped laughing, before they all scooted off to class ahead of her.

"Stupid sophomores," Kim muttered darkly. Her whole concentration for the test was just gone now…but she still had to take it. She trudged into the lecture hall and dropped into a seat, beyond caring any more about the test.

Almost exactly one hour later she left, in almost the same manner in which she'd entered. The test had gone well enough; it was easier than she was afraid of, and that had helped cheer her considerably.

Of course, when she finished, she remembered why she was so down in the first place…which brought her right back to reality. Now she got to go home, face curious and possibly angry parents, and explain why Shego had answered the door half-naked and covered (barely) by Kim's own rather lacy bra and panties.

And Shego probably won't be there either, she grumped to herself, figuring the thief would have made herself scarce about three seconds after Kim had left for class. Not that I blame her…it's not like that was the best way to meet my parents.

That train of thought led her to wonder why her parents had decided to show up in the first place. She guessed they had attempted to surprise her while she was still saddled with the cast, possibly getting her to take the day off of her classes.

Light growling from the general direction of her stomach spurred her to get home faster, overriding the dread she felt building; she'd failed to grab anything to eat in her rush that morning. She frowned when she noticed her dorm once again hosting a large-ish crowd in front with the RAs at the doors once again; she still didn't know who'd done it the first time way back at the beginning of the semester, and this made the third repeat in the intervening time.

Shrugging it off—and not wanting to deal with the crowd—she circled around to the back and made use of Shego's favorite entry method. It took her only a minute or two more, as she wasn't nearly as familiar with them as Shego was, but she managed to find all the camouflaged climbing points. When she reached her window she tossed her bookbag in through it and climbed in herself…only to stop dead at the sound and sight that greeted her.

Shego was lounging in the large chair they liked to nap in, her usual smirk on her face.

Kim's parents were across the room from the green girl, similarly relaxed. They were gesturing animatedly while carrying on whatever conversation with Shego.

The thud of the bookbag onto the floor caught everyone's attention, and they looked over in time to see Kim pull herself all the way through the window and in to the apartment.

"Forget your keys in the rush, Kimmie-cub?" her father asked genially.

Kim didn't even bother picking up her bag; this whole scene was just too weird. She was halfway expecting to see mind-control chips pasted on her parents' foreheads, in fact. This sitch is like straight out of the Twilight Zone.

When Kim still didn't answer, Shego got up out of her chair, crossed the few steps to the window, and swept Kim into a senses-depriving kiss. The teen hero tried to resist at first, but she quickly lost that battle after only a few seconds. She felt Shego start to move, and suddenly Kim was only a few inches off the floor…still being thoroughly smooched.

When her lover finally broke off for air, Kim went limp, her arms thudding on the floor. Shego laughed at the theatrics, but picked her up anyway, carrying her over to the chair and sitting before placing Kim in her lap. Kim put her arms around Shego's neck…and then remembered the other people in the room. With a nervous look, and an equally nervous laugh, she said, "Hi Mom…hi Dad…"

Thankfully, instead of the shock and outrage she half-expected, both parents sported amused, knowing smiles. "Hi yourself, little tomboy," Anne said.

"Hey!"

"You kind of are, Princess."

"Not you, too…"

"Yes, me, too. So turn around and greet your parents properly."

Kim huffed, but got up and went to give her mother and father a hug. It was an interesting experience, because her face was still heated and blushing from both the kiss and the teasing, and she felt like the top of her head was going to pop from the pressure of her dad's arms.

Silence fell when she sat back down on Shego's lap; she didn't mean to rub their closeness in her parents' faces (in spite of that kiss), but it was really the only place left to sit. She was the first to break it. "So…uh…not to be rude, but why are you guys here?"

Anne shrugged. "It was the first day your father and I could get off of work at the same time to come visit. Honestly, we thought you'd still be in your cast, so we came to see how you were doing." She smiled wryly. "Apparently, the answer to that is 'pretty well.'"

Kim thought Shego had made her blush a lot before, but this one put them all to shame. "Yeah…sorry for flying by this morning, but I woke up late, and I had a test first thing…"

"Yes, it was a bit of a…surprise," Anne said, and actually giggled when Shego blushed almost as vividly as Kim.

James patted his wife on the knee. "Your mother and I were also a bit worried after we heard about how you went up against Drew again recently. Then again, we did watch the news bits, too…and while they weren't too thrilled about the property damage in the city here, I did notice something about how they talked about my daughter teaming up with the…how'd they put it, dear?"

"Teaming up with her 'former arch-nemesis that apparently isn't so arch or nemesis-ish anymore,' I think, is what they said."

Kim grinned. "Yup! It was actually really exciting. I think even Grumpy here," she elbowed Shego behind her in the ribs, "enjoyed herself."

Shego snorted after pushing Kim's elbow away. "I had nightmares, not fun, Kimmie."

"Not after, during." She turned back to her parents. "Anyway, yeah. It was scary at times, but nothing that I couldn't get through with her help."

"And how long has she been 'helping' you?" Anne asked, a knowing look in her eyes.

It was a look Kim knew well; it meant she'd either spill now or put up with her mother prodding her for information for weeks. She sighed. "Since about when school started."

Anne nodded. Silence fell on the four for a few seconds before the elder redhead shrugged. "Well, I wish you'd told us sooner that you had a girlfriend, Kimmie."

Shock registered openly on both younger girls' faces. Kim sputtered, "But…huh? You mean…you're okay with us?"

Anne stood and motioned for Kim to do the same. When she complied, Kim found herself wrapped up in a big hug that her father quickly joined.

Shego scoffed at the display of "mushy," which got the attention of Mrs. Dr. Possible. The slightly taller redhead turned out of the hug and beckoned Shego to come forward. When the green woman waved the invitation off, she made the mistake of looking back at the doctor's face…and getting hit right between the eyes with the more perfected form of Kim's puppy-dog pout. She found herself rising without even thinking about it, crossing the two steps and joining in. Mentally she gagged at what kind of cheesy picture they must have painted…but she had to admit that the attention felt nice, especially coming from someone not nearly as antagonistic about it as Isabel.

When all four had had enough and broke apart, Anne put her hands on Kim's shoulders and bent her knees enough to look her daughter straight in the eyes. "Kim, I won't pretend and say we knew you'd be gay, or we were just waiting for you to come out of the closet, or something like that…but we want you to know that you're still our daughter and we love you no matter what. We had our suspicions about you when you started to save the world—not because of that, but because that's also around when you started high school and yet couldn't seem to catch a boyfriend."

"Thank goodness," both Shego and James muttered, which caused Kim to giggle. Even Anne smiled.

"Even so," her mother went on, "you seemed happy while with Ron, so we let it go. And when you two broke it off…well, it was a surprise, but when you told me why…it made sense. And then you were starting college—and I know that college is a time of…new things."

Her tone sounded far too knowing. It creeped Kim out. Still, she didn't say anything about it.

"And while I might complain about your first choice of…girlfriend…"

"Hey!" Shego protested.

"…from the display at the window earlier," Anne continued without missing a beat, "and also from what she's told us, I'm not worried anymore. And I don't think your father is either. Right, James?"

"Not in the least," her dad confirmed, shooting a significant look at Shego, who actually gulped. For a second Kim wondered if Shego had gotten her father's variant of the "shotgun and wife-beater" approach to scaring off potential mates for his daughter—the version that included deep-space probes and black holes.

Then reality re-asserted itself, and Kim remembered she was supposed to be somewhat flabbergasted still.

"So…you like her?"

The timid question made Kim blush again—she almost couldn't believe she had asked it—but she still awaited the answer…and let out a big sigh when her parents nodded.

"Kim, we know you can take care of yourself; the fact that you went off to college to live all on your own—well, sort of all on your own—is only the latest proof of that. But we're your parents, and we worry. It's what parents do, and I hope you find that out someday on your own. Because we worry, we want you to have someone who can look after you…and knowing who she is, and what she can do, we have little doubt that you've made a good choice."

Tears had built up in Kim's eyes while Anne was speaking, and she hugged her parents fiercely again. After a minute, she wiped her eyes and stood back next to Shego.

"So," she said brightly, grinning almost ear-to-ear, "who wants lunch?"

--

They ended up going out so Kim could show them around; with the added benefit of Shego's prior attendance to the university, the tour was fairly complete. It was also fairly entertaining, as Kim's enthusiasm was countered by Shego's sarcasm.

Lunch was a decent affair, with Kim trying in vain to keep Shego from stealing the French fries off her plate; the thief always had some kind of counter for whatever protective measure Kim took. To her parents, the interplay was endearing, even adorable at times—especially when Kim resorted to the Pout just as Shego was putting a fry in her mouth. Shego had leaned over with the other half sticking out, which Kim happily nabbed, delivering a messy kiss in the process.

Later in the afternoon they toured some of the nearer areas of Go City, where Kim got to explain to her parents the same thing that had so puzzled her when she'd first arrived: how Shego was able to be so, well, open about walking around.

When James posited the question, Kim answered, "I wouldn't worry about it, Dad; to these people she's kinda like an anti-hero to me being the hero. They have, like, this civic pride about Shego being awesome, and that's why she came back here with her family around when I started school."

Returning to the dormitory, Kim noted that the front door had been fixed again. "Shego, did you do something to the doors earlier?" she asked.

"Nope. I hadn't been out since yesterday, before we left."

"'Kay. The locks were busted again, but I didn't stay to see why."

Shego frowned; this occurrence marked four times total, and she was no closer to discovering who had done it these last three. The suspect from the first case, Drakken and his cronies, was still imprisoned…and DNAmy wouldn't stoop to something so technological. That really left Dementor…but why the belligerent botanist would jam the locks at Kim's dorm was something she couldn't fathom.

She put it aside as they went up to their dorm, though; this wasn't a time to worry the parents. Still need to make a good impression.

Once back inside, the talk turned to the one thing Kim had dreaded the entire day since managing to accidentally "come out" to her parents:

Baby stories.

In fact, Anne managed to produce a photo album and was currently beckoning Shego closer so she could show it off. Kim's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"MOM! Where did you get that thing?!"

James answered, "Oh, she brought it along earlier, just in case you might have found yourself a bo—erm…special friend."

Anne giggled at the correction, and Shego rolled her eyes.

Unfortunately, both Shego and Anne were in the small kitchenette, and James was in its entryway, leaving Kim no way to get in and save her dignity unless she launched herself over the waist-high half-wall and countertop separating it from the rest of the dormitory. She slumped against the low wall in defeat, forced to listen to her mother explain the more embarrassing moments of her childhood that happened to be captured in the almost-immortal medium of the photograph.

She drew her legs up, put her arms around her knees, and buried her face in her elbows to avoid the Mother of All Blushes caused from her mother explaining, "And this is how she earned the nickname Bubble-Butt."

Shego whistled appreciatively. "Wow. Princess, you were certainly adorable then. And blowing bubbles out your—"

"SHEGO!"

The dark-haired woman laughed at the sound of Kim trying her damnedest to get over that counter. "Easy, Kimmie," she said, grabbing hold of the younger woman when she made it into the kitchen and hugging her. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

"Not as bad?!" Kim protested, trying in vain to escape. "You guys are embarrassing the crap outta me!"

"A mother's duty," Anne said with a smirk that rivaled Shego's. Kim fumed silently while Shego and James chuckled.

Eventually they calmed Kim down in time for a decent dinner; Kim insisted on preparing it by herself, to at least prove that she could finally handle a kitchen. When portions were served, Shego poked hers tentatively at first. Kim asked the green thief what was bothering her, and Shego answered she wasn't sure if Kim had poisoned it or not to get back for earlier, which earned fresh chuckles from the Doctors Possible.

After dinner they relaxed in the main room again, this time with Shego on Kim's lap; it was the only way to silence the slender hero, who had protested that her parents had seen enough and should probably head home, given the travel time. As was their wont, though, they apparently failed to take the hint, and Kim decided it was time for drastic measures.

She got out from under Shego and went into the bedroom, coming out a minute later in pajama pants and an old, ratty t-shirt cut in half so high up that when Kim came back around to sit on Shego, the older girl almost got an eyeful from underneath—a position she decided to repeat at some time in the near future.

"I haven't had a lot of Shego-time recently," Kim announced once she got comfortable, "so if you guys don't mind, I'm going to love my girlfriend." So saying, she put her head on Shego's shoulder and snuggled in close to her neck.

Shego, for her part, simply shrugged at Kim's parents. Get in good with the folks…get some Kimmie-lovin'…seems like it's been a good night for me. She shivered a bit when Kim found a particularly sensitive spot and tickled it with her nose.

The Doctors Possible returned Shego's shrug and simply pivoted their chairs to watch Kim's small television, affording the girls a modicum of privacy. They were simply happy to enjoy their daughter's company.

Kim paused after a few minutes when she failed to hear an important noise: the door opening and closing. Instead she heard the TV, and couldn't remember having turned it on earlier. That means…oh, man!

Sure enough, she could still see her parents when she looked away from Shego's neck and face, earning herself a small disappointed noise from her green-skinned girlfriend. Blushing slightly at her own actions in her family's presence, Kim asked, "Aren't you guys the least bit bothered that I'm making out with Shego?"

Shego had to hold in a laugh; with every word Kim spoke, the girl turned redder and redder. "I'm not," she said, even though she knew Kim's question wasn't directed at her. She was rewarded with a swat on the shoulder.

"Just as long as it's not some boy," came James' easy answer, and this time Shego couldn't keep the laugh from escaping.

"I can tell you're being blatant about it," Anne said, "but I also remember my own college days in the dorms." The younger pair watched her wink at her husband, who suddenly got a goofy grin of his own.

"Oh geeze…" Kim muttered, not liking the…almost suggestive tone of her mother's voice. "I don't know if I can handle this…I'll be in the other room." She levered herself off of Shego's lap and marched off to the bedroom.

Sharing a short laugh at Kim's expense, the three remaining people settled in a bit. A minute later Anne got up to follow Kim, leaving Shego with James.

Shego liked Kim's dad; after her bombshell earlier that had caused them both to pass out, he'd been the first to wake up, and had confided in her—after making sure she was being absolutely serious, of course—that he felt better about Shego being Kim's partner than he did of any other person, really…and not just because of her tomboy nature. As any father worried about his children, he worried about her…and based on what he knew of the previous altercations between the two fighters, he was fully reassured that Shego could keep her safe.

And happy, if the kiss upon Kim's entrance was any indication.

Shego thought his reasons were sound, but again, like any dad, his fundamentally goofy nature, combined with his tendency to slip into "absent-minded professor" moments, made him a real treat to talk to. She got to find out the story behind Drakken, too, and had laughed herself nearly senseless at how little had changed since "Drewbie's" college days.

Now, with Anne off to console Kim, they slipped in to a sort of easy silence, both watching the TV. A minute later, Shego asked, "D'you think we should check on them?"

James waved it off. "No, they're fine. In fact, Anne's probably regaling Kim with…stories…from our youth."

"Stories?"

That goofy grin from earlier returned. "Back before Anne and I started dating—actually, right around when we first met—she was a pre-med student while I was in engineering, and she'd just gotten over a messy breakup. I wasn't about to try and pick her up then…but boy, was she a looker."

"Still is," Shego commented.

"Still is," James agreed, not at all fazed that a woman in love with his daughter was effectively calling his wife a hottie. "Anyway, for a short time, I thought she was off limits entirely, because she'd only associate with the girls in nursing, pretty much. One day she and I were having lunch when I lost a micro-camera we were using in the lab to monitor the short-term field effects of high-powered electromagnets on unstable ionic gas clouds with an electric current passing through it. Turns out it'd fallen on Anne's clothing or something, because the next time I turned it on I got an eyeful of her, in the flesh—literally—along with one of her nursing friends."

Shego blinked. "She was doing another girl?"

He nodded. "Or was about to—they went off-camera before getting anywhere too physical. Still, it wasn't the only time. I probably caught her six or seven times before she asked me if I was doing anything one night and we had our first date."

"Boy…" Shego snickered. "If Kimmie's getting that story, I don't think she's going to wake up any time soon…"

--

Shego was almost right.

In the bedroom, Kim was sitting cross-legged on the bed while Anne was perched on the edge, apologizing to her.

"Oh, Kimmie, it's a parent's job to tease their kids. One day, I hope you'll have the same opportunity."

Kim looked at her mother sharply. "Are you saying you think I should stop seeing Shego?" she asked, her voice hard.

Anne deflected the anger with a laugh. "Not at all. I can tell you two love each other—and let me be the first to say that you make the cutest couple," she enthused. "Just adorable."

"Then…what? How kids?"

"Oh, Kim. How many people owe you favors? And how many of those are top-notch scientists in some medical field or another?" Anne shrugged. "You could probably even look to adopt, and have agencies lining up to present children to you."

Calming down considerably, Kim copied the shrug. "I…we hadn't really talked about it," she admitted.

"You're only a few months in," Anne replied, her tone one of understanding. "You don't have to have it all figured out right away." She gave Kim a hug, then fell silent, eventually sighing as she let her gaze wander the dorm's bedroom.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"Just remembering my days, dear. With you being in college now, I feel my age."

"You're not that old!"

Anne smiled wryly. "Thank you, dear." That smile turned mischievous quickly. "And let me give you a word of advice, while you're staying with Shego: keep lots of extra sheets handy."

"Huh?"

"Having sex with another woman can get messy," Anne explained. "Especially if there's...equipment involved."

Kim's mind was far too thrown by the non-sequitur to be bothered by the frank sex talk. Still, there was something about how she'd said that... "Voice of experience?"

Anne nodded.

Kim blinked. Twice. Then: "WHAT?!"

"Back in the day," Anne began, "before your father and I started dating, he actually planted a micro-camera on me from his lab. I only noticed it because it made a noise when I took my shirt off later that night. The way I saw it, he was being kind of creepy and stalker-like."

"But…it's…Dad. He can't be creepy and stalker-like."

"Hon, I was just coming off a messy breakup with a verbally abusive boyfriend. I wasn't thinking straight towards any man at the time. Anyway, I wanted to bust him for invasion of privacy, so I convinced one of my girlfriends in nursing—one who was a real lesbian—to come and…put on a show for him."

"A show?" Kim echoed blankly. "You…you didn't…"

"That night, yes, we did," Anne confirmed. "But I had her help a few more times, too…and we never did again. She said, and I quote, 'Annie, you're a nice girl, but I'm gonna kill ya the next time you ask me to put it in you.'" She giggled. "That first time, I wanted to catch him on invasion of privacy charges, especially when I waited in hiding for him to come and get the camera back for a few days one week. After that, though…well, let's just say that wasn't the only video project your father and I have ever worked on together."

She laughed at the look of horror on Kim's face.

"Kim, dear," she said, once back under control, "the only reason I mentioned that to you is so that you know that there's nothing you could do—no one that you could love—that would make us love you any less. But part of that parental love is having the right to tease your kids once in a while, and I hope to death that you get to experience that some day."

Silent for a moment, Kim let her mom's words sink in before moving forward to give her a hug. "Thanks, Mom. This all means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," she said, returning the hug.

--

Back out in the main room, Shego and James had resumed watching when their conversation hit a lull. The show—oddly enough, a science program on the formation of black holes—had just gone to a commercial break when the bedroom door popped open and both Kim and Anne walked out.

Shego watched her redhead come back out, noting the irritation was gone. She got up and went to her, putting an arm over her shoulder. "You okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Kim replied distantly. Shego squeezed her close.

After a short discussion between themselves, James got out of his seat and Anne went to get their things. "We're going to be heading home now," Anne said. "Shego, it was…nice to meet you again."

Shego stepped forward and shook James' hand. "And you. Look…I…hate the name to death, but…feel free to call me Rheann if you want to, okay? You deserve more than a nickname." She could feel Kim grab her other hand and squeeze it, and delivered a squeeze in response.

"Thank you," Anne said. "And Kimmie, we promise to call next time we come over, but only if you promise to get Sh—Rheann some underwear of her own to greet the door in."

Then they left, laughing at the twin looks of shock on each girl's face.

When the door to the stairwell closed, and the parents were out of both sight and earshot, Shego mumbled, "And I thought my parents were weird." She escorted Kim back inside and shut the door.

"They are." Kim shook her head to clear it. "Just…mine are, too. They are such pervs."

"Yeah…gives me hope for you in the future."

"SHEGO!"

--

A/N: No, I didn't just throw the beginning in for show. It is important.

To anyone who is familiar with Australian slang (I'm looking at you, Sobriety): beware, for a foreigner is going to try and use it. This means it will pop up with some frequency over the next chapter or two. Please let me know—preferably via PM—if I'm using it wrong, using too much, using too little, using the wrong words…or even if I'm using it right.

So yeah, this chapter took forever to do. Thanks again (I'm starting to sense a pattern here) to Love Robin for the framework for wrapping this thing up. And thanks to everyone who takes the time to read.

Oh, and I forgot this earlier: the chapter title is as thus (silly Latin phrase from freshmen year of high school...holy wow...11 years ago...):

Semper: "Always"

Ubi: "Where"

Sub: "Under"

Tui: "Your" (technically, "of you," but since that's what "your" means anyway...)

Write it out, then say it out loud, then laugh some. I found it appropriate.