"I can't stand you anymore!" she shrieked at him, her plasma hands flaring fiercely.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" he yelled back, his face deepening in color.

Shego's hands clenched, her anger boiling as she glared furiously at him. Usually her boss would flinch away, fearing her fury, however this time he stood against her, towering over her with his three inch superior height. This didn't shake Shego at all. "You think you're so cool just because you're the guy who saved the world!"

He snapped back within a second, "Oh yeah?! Well you just think you're the cat's meow, only because of your glowy hands!"

Shego threw a flame of green plasma at him. It grazed his ear, singing it lightly. He jumped back, his fist instinctively swinging forward at the contact. Unprepared, Shego got a nice punch into her face. She gasped, stumbling back, holding her face with one hand, knowing a purplish bruise would form in minutes.

The woman stared, flabbergasted at his action. Drakken gawked, stunned as he gazed at his fist, wondered he could do such a thing. Shego was always so untouchable. . .

Shock contorted into anger within a moment on Shego's face. She began to take a step forward, ready to attack, then stopped as she childishly screamed out, "You know what? I hate you. I hate you! Go die for all I care! I'm sick of you and this place!"

Fueled by her rage, Drakken retorted loudly, "My thoughts exactly! There's the door!" he whipped his finger out, pointing to the door.

Shego didn't waste any time as she stormed past him, pushing him with her shoulder as she passed. Drakken stumbled back a pace, glaring hard at her, watching as she stomped to the door, flinging it open, her hands heating up the knob. One hand held the door as she looked over her shoulder to scream at him, "Have a nice life, Drew. Good luck finding someone who will actually put up with you. I don't know how I did," she sneered, her eyes twisting in spite.

Drakken retorted instantly, "I will have a nice life, only because you won't be in it!"

He ducked right in time as another plasma ball hurtled towards him, the orb of light creating a scorch mark on the wall. He whipped back at her. "I'm going to charge you for that!" he screamed.

"Yeah right! Good luck finding me!" she practically roared, her hands brightening up as she slammed the door with a loud bang.

Drakken glared after her, eyes fixed hard on the burn mark she left behind. The blackness formed the shape of her hand, a symbol of her anger. As the tension in the room dropped, his shoulders deflated, a strange, old loneliness growing back in him. His eyebrows arched into his forehead, his lungs catching as he realized how empty the building felt without his villainess to occupy the overly large space. He placed a hand over his chest, surprised at the aching in his heart.

He took a glance around the room, something in him withering as he fixed a sad gaze on the scourged hand print, the only thing left of her.

In a rush of panic, he hurried to the door, flinging it open, not caring when he felt the singe of heat from her mark on the door. "Shego!" he cried out desperately, his voice catching as he looked left and right for her.

Nothing.

The only way he could know she existed was her hand print, forever scarred on the door.

Realizing she wouldn't be coming back, Drakken sunk to the floor, his arms covering his face as he allowed himself to cry.

(**)

Shego furiously stormed from the lair, her shoulders scrunched close to her neck as she tromped to one of Drakken's vehicles. She jumped into the hover vehicle, taking off into the night sky. Her blood broiled as she replayed the whole fight in her head, wishing she could have said more to explain how much he angered her right now.

Her small hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white beneath her suit. Her face flamed an ugly shade of green, her anger flushing throughout her entire body. She steered roughly towards the west, the plane zipping over the deep ocean below. Waves shifted beneath her, bringing a strange comfort over Shego as she flew closer to land.

Everything would be all right.

The calm part of her jacked up again when she remembered the punch he gave her. She fumed at the thought she allowed him to actually hit her when he couldn't even open a pickle jar without her. How did she let him take a swing at her?

Shego pushed down the vulnerable feeling trying to crawl out, only shifting into a higher gear. The farther she got away from Drakken the better.

(**)

The green and black dressed villain parked the vehicle in a secluded area where no one would find it. It probably helped that Drakken built a cloaking device on it, a time he actually did something right.

Shego changed into some more casual wear, not wanting to be freakishly stared at the entire night. At the moment, she wanted to be low key.

The villainess meandered through the streets, hands in her pockets as she walked with her eyes down, avoiding the bright lights of the city, the usual bumps with people alongside her. She continued walking. She wondered if she was trying to walk away from Drakken, like the further she went the more she'd forget about him.

Shego didn't know why she ever put up with that blue colored freak. More eccentric than a kid in a candy store with the near same mentality of a child too. He freaked out over the smallest things and couldn't lift a finger for himself if he was alone. Shego always needed to do the dirty work for him, whether it meant stealing money or fighting Kim Possible.

Well, it was part of her job description.

For a moment, Shego stopped, mildly confused as she realized something.

She no longer had a job.

The villainess dug into her pockets, searching for any money. She frowned in annoyed disapproval when she came out empty, not so much as a nickel to hold her name. A sigh puffed from her, suspended as she considered possible options.

She could easily go steal some money from a bank, but there would be no way she'd get far with it, not when she didn't have a place to go. Plus she didn't really feel up to it right now.

Dining and ditching didn't sound too bad, but that included actually running; right now she could barely walk let alone run.

Charity it was then.

Knowing this city like the back of her hand, Shego started walking towards the closest homeless shelter. The bright lights of the city lit her way as she trudged forward, her feet scraping against the concrete underfoot. Her usually bright green eyes glared dully at the ground, frowning to herself.

She couldn't even remember why her and Drakken carried on the fight. It started out as something stupid anyway. Drakken was having trouble finding the remote control for the TV. During his big outburst, he didn't notice it right on the counter. Shego sighed as she handed it to him, casually remarking, "You're hopeless without me."

Shego flinched as she recalled him giving a blank look to her, a slightly offended gleam in his eyes showing as he questioned, "What?"

It kind of took off from there. Shego rolled her eyes, "I mean seriously you'd never even get anything done if I wasn't here."

"That's not true!" he defended. "I can get plenty done with or without you here!"

Shego scoffed, sneering, "Oh yeah like that one time where you shut down everything just so you could open a jar of pickles?!"

His face turned a darker shade of blue as he looked down in embarrassment. "That was just one time!" he muttered.

Again, Shego rolled her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that."

He glared at her. "I could take care of myself just fine!" he snapped at her, his pride hurt.

"I'd like to see you try five minutes," she countered easily, used to these kind of bickers.

"Well you would have nowhere to go if you didn't have me!" he retorted.

Shego's breath caught for just a moment, her eyes widening as he speared this in her. A familiar anger burst in her like a volcano, spilling over everything as her plasma ignited. "I can't stand you anymore!"

(**)

Shego scuffed the ground with a foot, keeping on her way to the shelter. She finally made her way in, feeling welcomed by the warm blast of air. A relieved sigh slipped through her as she went to a dinner line, getting a warm bowl of soup before she walked to an empty table. The whole cafeteria stunk of dirt, grime and sweat, but it didn't compare to the fragrance of the freshly baked rolls and soup. She looked deadly at her meal, eyes downcast.

How did it come to this?

"Now what's a beautiful young lady like yourself doing in a place like this?"

Shego looked to her right, expecting to see some playboy monkey trying to get something, but instead found herself locking eyes with a tired old man, his entire being thickly clothed with smeared coats and pieces of blankets. She relaxed when she didn't sense any evil from him, too tired and annoyed to get entangled in a fight.

"I didn't know you need an ID to get into this place," she muttered sarcastically, looking into the broth. Squares of carrots, celery and onion floated in front of her, steam curling from the bowl.

He chuckled, smooth wisps of gray falling over his eyes as he took a seat next to her. "I guess I won't turn you in right now." He sipped some of his own soup, looking at her with a flicker of pity. "Did your husband kick you out or something?"

The thought of Drakken actually being her husband made tears almost come to her eyes as she laughed softly to herself. "Not exactly like that," she snickered, imagining the kind of reception she would have if they did get married. Kimmie and her stud of a boyfriend would be there, maybe a handful of villains and her brothers, everyone either tearing up or staring in shock. "I kind of got in a fight with someone I was staying with, and I kicked myself out."

The stranger nodded, understanding. "Boyfriend?" he guessed drinking some black coffee, his face twisting with slight disgust at the taste.

Shego smirked in thought, remembering the awkward hug from the awards ceremony. She felt her cheeks warm lightly, a pleasant feeling crawling in her. "I don't think so. Just a. . . friend," she chose the word carefully, wondering if she could even call him that. "He's kind of my boss but. . . I don't know," she sighed, looking into the soup.

"Yeah," the gruff voice answered, laughing softly to himself, as if thinking of his own joke. "I understand that." He pushed the nearly full cup of coffee from him, starting to work on the soup. "So," he asked between slurps. "Do you love him?"

An instantaneous laugh curled into the air from Shego, loud and highly amused. "Drakken and I in love?! As if! Call it more of a 'mutual friendship'. Not even that," she snorted, rubbing her mouth with her arm. "I doubt we're in love, mister," she tried to force back her guffaws.

The older man smirked towards her. "What's this young man like?"

It didn't take a moment for Shego to come up with an answer, "He's annoyingly childish; he can't do a thing without me and I bet by now, he's probably hopelessly trying to open a pickle jar," she rolled her eyes. "He never gives me anything even though I fight my butt off for him and he doesn't even say thank you for anything I do." She looked into her soup, quickly turning cold. Her voice came out more gentle, more thoughtful, "But. . . we depend on each other. I have a place to stay and he has someone to rely on. We've never had that."

The man grunted, nodding. He ate the last of his soup, reaching for hers, knowing she wouldn't care. "So this guy, does he love you?" He risked a glance to her, judging her reaction.

Shego paused, "How should I know?"

"Did you ever ask?"

"Why would I ask?" she snapped at him, a crackle of electricity dancing between her fingers.

He laughed, "Just wondering." He held the rim of the bowl to his lips, claiming the rest of the dinner. "He sounds like a good guy. Don't let him get away."

Shego stared at him. "Is that what happened to you?"

A disappointed look crossed over the man's face. He looked down forlornly, staring at his gloved hands, the fingers worn out so his skin showed. A gentle, tender smile lifted on his face as he recalled the past. "We were madly in love. She wanted to open a little coffee shop that we would run together. We would get married, have kids, grow old together. . ." he blinked back tears. A sigh escaped him.

"So what happened?" Shego boldly asked.

Shame made its way across him, "One night we got in a fight. I don't even remember why. But I left and I didn't come back. A year later I went back, unable to stay away from her. By then however, it was too late. She'd already moved on. She was hooked by the hip to someone else, someone who would make her happy."

Shego stared, stunned as a tear dripped down his old, wrinkled face. "Last time I saw her, she had a baby in her arms with a little boy running next to her. I gave up thinking I could get her back."

"After all this time?" she asked him as two more tears rolled down his face.

He nodded numbly. His eyes moved back to her, wisdom leaking out as he spoke gently, "My point is, don't let anger or fear get in the way of someone you care about. You might regret it forever."

"I guess so but Drakken and I aren't 'madly in love' like you were," she pointed out.

"Denial is always a sign," he countered, smirking at her, standing from the table. He pulled a damp hat over his head. "Anyways, I better be on my way. Good luck to you, girl. Remember what I said."

She stared after him as he wandered outside, disappearing into the freshly falling rain.

Shego moved her eyes down, heart clenching as she replayed his words in her mind. Her glowing eyes opened after a few moments, her mind set.

Now she knew what to do.

(**)

The next morning, Drakken woke up on the couch, his bare arms cold from the long night. He sat up, staring at the early sunlight. Drops from the late rain last night continued to drip down from the roof, falling into the oceans. Drakken stared deadly at it, lifting himself up as he made his way to the large window. He leaned against the glass, pressing a palm against the cool pane, his heart sunken in his chest.

A vine curled from his neck, twisting in front of his vision to wrap around his finger, an act of comfort. Drakken smiled kindly to it, gently brushing a finger along the petals. No thanks needed to be said; the flower knew this small act of kindness helped him.

He just wished she would come back.

As if summoned by his thoughts, he heard the door open. Drakken didn't turn to see who it was; he knew it was just part of his imagination. He jerked, surprised at the realism when he heard her speak out, "I'm sorry, okay? I- I guess I need you as much as you need me."

Drakken turned, slightly confused as he stared at her form. She kept her arms crossed over her chest, glaring furiously at the ground from her confession. Cold eyes lifted to him, daring him to challenge her.

His heart lifted in his chest. Drakken stared wonderingly at her as she met her steely eyes to his. A bright, overjoyed smile grew on his face as he ran to her. "Shego!" he cried excitedly. His arms started to open, ready to embrace her, stopping when he realized what he was doing. He dropped his arms to his sides, staring at the ground. He met her with gentle eyes. "I- welcome back."

The villain nearly jumped out of his skin as she flung her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly as she fulfilled his embrace. He stiffened under her, slightly confused. The joy lifted over the confusion though, so his arms held her back, her chest pressed tight against his. He breathed into her hair, taking in her scent.

"It's good to be back Doctor D," she whispered to his ear. Her head rested back on his shoulder. "I missed you."

Drakken's face twisted, tears spilling from his eyes as he squeezed her tighter, crying from relief as the familiar presence of her started filling the room.

Shego came back.

No, she came home.

(**)

i can't stop writing SxD fanfiction. o.o its like a mental disease. i just. .. can't. . . stop e.e

BLEH and i just thought of another while i'm writing this. THE MADNESS MUST END Dx

ALSO, MOST IMPORTANTLY: a big thankz you to Hatsu Yukiya, who was there when we were brainstorming ideas for a fanfic and i stole this idea cuz she didn't want it. so i guess i offered it, but she didn't want it, so i stole it back xD

THROW HER IN A HOMELESS SHELTER XD