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Revelations of Destiny	By : Kellendros Category: Kim Possible > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 63461 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 56
- 57
- 58
   As Kim went off to indulge in a long shower—and, since she knew she had plenty of time, a few… other, activities she considered equally necessary, thanks to her earlier close physical contact and exertion with Shego, and because she didn’t want any excessive… distractions, hounding her while helping the pale beauty go through her closet—Shego ran down a list of instructions and tasks with her staff before dismissing them and heading upstairs herself, albeit to much less… indulgent, pursuits.
   This was not to say that Shego wasn’t tempted—very much so—to go down the same road Kim had while showering, but rather she knew she didn’t have time for that—or to be more precise, given she hadn’t “taken care of herself” for a few days now, thanks to the multitude of preparations and distractions she’d been dealing with, she only had time to get herself into a very bad place for her to be before Kim arrived, and given a choice between the two, she’d much rather have her engine trying to turn over while Kim was around than running hot with nowhere to go. Or rather, nowhere she was willing to try and take it yet; Shego was fairly certain the “Kimmie expressway” was open to her anytime day or night if she felt like pulling onto it otherwise.
   Even with her trick for drying off using her powers, Shego was still quite conscious of the time after finishing her shower, as she still had to brush her teeth, carefully reapply multiple coats of black stain to her lips, be irritated for the millionth time that she couldn’t use her powers to burn off her nail polish without burning her fingers as well while she went through the long, messy process of taking it off like anyone else would using nail polish remover, apply a fresh coat of midnight-green after that, then wait for it to dry before filing and buffing everything to slick, lustrous perfection, and lastly, spend nearly as much time as all of that combined brushing out her long, full mane until its waves filled out with their usual body and shimmered with their usual sheen.
   Despite all that, thanks to years of experience following the same routine near daily, Shego was actually ahead of schedule—right up to the point where she walked into her closet to find something to wear. In the process of looking everything over she realized what should have been obvious to her far sooner; that although a lot of her clothes clearly fell into useable and unusable categories, an equal amount of them weren’t nearly as easy to judge just by looking at, meaning she was going to have to try them on, which also meant she was going to be parading around in her underwear in front of Kim.
   At first that didn’t seem too serious, until Shego actually started rooting through said underwear. Anything that was comfortably casual wouldn’t work under some of her outfits, and most of what was left was more revealing or risqué than she wanted, given the intent was to get the work done, not encourage thoughts of an altogether different nature in Kim—or herself for that matter, given how she felt while wearing some of the things she owned. In no time at all Shego was tossing bras and panties of myriad styles over her shoulder while keeping up a steady stream of muttering to herself.
   “Too tight… too tiny… too ugly… Whoa! Too see-through… too cute… too granny… too bulky… way too sexy… damnit, might as well wear nothing at all with these… not sexy enough… what the hell was I thinking when I bought this?”
   Shego grumbled her way through another dozen or so undergarments before she finally settled on a pair of modest, somewhat snug, light blue-grey cotton panties with darker cornflower blue trim. It wasn’t until she started putting on the accompanying bra that she ran into her second problem, as the straps dug into her flanks and shoulders uncomfortably and fairly noticeably.
   “What the hell?” Shego growled while stepping just out of the room so she could see herself in the full-length mirror on the inside of the closet door.
   Once she got a good look at herself in the mirror, it was instantly obvious what the problem was; despite dropping a little weight in the torso area, she’d more than made up for it with the muscle she’d put on, and although she wasn’t particularly huge, even a moderate increase in overall size added up to way more in the circumference department, thanks to the wonders of Pi. Up until now, Shego had been wearing sports bras, her extra-flexible work bras, or things she had bought just in the last few weeks. This was the first time she’d tried on one of her older, more unforgiving-fit bras.
   “Son of a bitch!” Shego snarled as she struggled to unhook the tight bra while heading back into her closet. A few moments later she just sliced through it with her powers and a growl, pulling off what was left and tossing the remains aside as she once more started hunting through her underwear drawers, this time with even greater restrictions on her choices.
   While she dug through her bras, Shego’s muttering recommenced as her frustration increased, along with a growing awareness of the passage of time looming in the background; she’d gone from having plenty of it to spare to none at all. Her search was starting to border on the frantic, as every time she found something suitable in one aspect, it invariably turned out to be objectionable in the other.
   “No… no… no… hell no! No… no… This thing wasn’t even comfortable when I bought it, why the hell do I still have it?” Shego paused for a second, looking up and commenting to no one in particular; “And why the hell does this feel like I’m getting ready for a date god damnit?”
   Growling and muttering incomprehensibly now, Shego returned to her search with an annoyed vengeance until, at last, she seized upon a silvery-grey satin mesh-weave number that was all-cloth, sleek, and most importantly, had sufficient play in the adjustable straps to be let out enough to fit.
   Standing in front of the mirror again after putting the bra on, Shego grabbed her breasts and lifted them, bouncing and wiggling the firm mounds around until everything settled in comfortably, then released them and stood for a moment before turning side to side, checking to make sure everything was hanging right.
   “OK, finally. About damn time.”
   Shego’s relief lasted only as long as it took to turn back to the closet, whereupon the huge, sprawling mess of discarded undergarments she’d made finally registered on her conscious mind.
   “Oh damnit!” Shego cursed as she rushed back into the closet and began clawing the underwear together in a big pile, frantically stretching and grabbing for everything until she picked up the whole heap and held it tight to her chest, turning and dumping it all back into the drawers before racing to snag the last few stray garments and throw them in with the rest, cramming everything down and shoving the drawers shut once she had.
   Giving a quick, soft sigh, Shego murmured; “Why do things like this always happen to me?”
   A second later her head snapped up as she heard a knock on the door to her suite, and her gaze darted around the closet until it settled on a short, black silk robe with a vibrant peacock feather motif on one side and the back. Grabbing the robe and pulling it on as she headed for the main door, Shego used her hands to flip out her hair a few times while calming considerably—in no small part due to the unconscious comfort being somewhat arrayed in her professional colors brought her. By the time she stood before the door, belting her robe shut, she was nearly back to her usual self.
   “Hey, Princess, you’re right on time.” Shego said as she opened the door, finding Kim standing there waiting for her in a pair of tight-knit ankle socks, frayed, faded blue cutoff shorts, and a loose powder-pink half-t.
   “It’s never good to keep a lady waiting.” Kim said as she came inside, only to pause and give Shego a wry smirk as she added; “Well, except for some things.”
   Normally, Shego had a cunning, agile mind, and this case was no exception, despite her—rapidly waning—unfamiliarity with this new side of Kim, so she caught on to the innuendo with only a second’s delay, prompting her to an arched eyebrow and dryly amused, skeptical look.
   “Oh really?” Shego’s tone matched her expression as she closed the door behind Kim, and the redhead gave a soft, amused snort as she responded; “You’ll see when the time comes, you’ll see…”
   Shego gave her head a little amused shake and started for the bedroom, only to stop less than halfway there, noticing Kim had fallen behind. Looking over her shoulder, Shego found the girl hovering only a few steps from the entrance, trailing along at a snail’s pace as the room around her captured her attention.
   Like the living room in Kim’s suite, Shego’s was about twenty feet long, but it was just a little wider, perhaps twenty-three feet in all. The entrance was in the center of one of the longer walls, and, thanks to her earlier intrusion yesterday morning, when she was desperately hungry, Kim knew the door in the near left-hand corner led to the bathroom, while the one tucked into the left-hand corner of the far wall led to the bedroom. The last door, only a few feet to the right of the one to the bedroom, was still a mystery to her.
   Much more important, now that she wasn’t distracted by hunger and a near overwhelming sense of intrusion, was the décor however, as, like most of the house, it wasn’t quite what Kim expected.
   The floor was carpeted in a plush, velvety copper weave that had a stylized Japanese ivy pattern worked into it in black, while the baseboard and molding framing the lustrous golden mahogany paneling and various doorways was carved in a painstakingly detailed leaf-and-vine pattern. Above the paneling, the walls were painted in a soft, rosy faux marble style, and the spaces between the exposed crossbeams and center brace of the ceiling were done in rippled stucco the color of aged ivory. Like the downstairs living room, the crossbeams and center brace had several frosted dome lights with brass fittings built into them, supplementing the lighting from the dozen or so brass sconces spaced evenly along the walls.
   Hanging on those same walls at varied, numerous points throughout the room were a variety of paintings ranging from modern abstract to classical realist, along with several Asian wall hangings and even a few elaborate tapestries. Complementing that were several small, antique tables positioned at various places along the walls, atop which rested a variety of small sculptures and vases of equally eclectic styles, the older pieces appearing to be (at least to Kim’s untrained eye) valuable antiques, as well. Even the expansive drapes that covered the three huge windows dominating the right-hand wall looked like elaborate works of art done in a silken medium.
   The room itself was laid out in two distinct areas. The roughly ten-foot wide area to the right of the entrance featured a plush, hugely overstuffed, eminently comfortable looking pale blue couch set up fifteen feet away from an enormous six-foot long widescreen plasma TV that was mounted to the far wall. Underneath the TV stood a squat, broad cabinet that held a computer tower, stereo, and to Kim’s surprise, what looked to be an old grey Play Station entertainment system with a handful of game cases stacked next to it. The remaining area of the room held several elegant, antique chairs and a divan set up around an equally old coffee table of heavy teak supported by curving elephant-style legs.
   “So, wha’d’ya think?” Shego asked, all but startling Kim out of her fascinated state of interest.
   “Oh! Ahhh… I don’t know.” Kim looked conflicted. “It’s… different. I mean, it’s nice and all, but it just doesn’t seem like it should work together… and yet somehow it does.” Kim suddenly smirked. “Kind of like you and me.”
   Shego rolled her eyes and shook her head, though she had a faint, wry grin as she did. “C’mon already; plenty of time for you to nose around later.”
   “ ‘K.” Kim replied, though her pace was still slower than normal as she trailed along behind Shego. It came to a dead stop again when she entered the bedroom and the process repeated itself.
   The bedroom door opened in the right-hand corner of the room, which was slightly off-square at about eighteen by twenty feet, with a dark oak hardwood floor and a pair of broad, high rectangular windows on either side of the far wall, arched at the top like every other window in the house. The only other door in the room stood ajar about five feet to the left of Kim, on the same wall as the entrance.
   The first thing Kim noticed, now that the heavy brown drapes weren’t pulled like they had been on her previous visit, was how darkly cozy the room seemed. The ceiling was lower than in the rest of the house, perhaps only eight feet high, and done in dark gold wood paneling with a soft, burled pattern running across its lustrous surface. The half-paneling on the walls was as dark as the floor, as was the crown molding framing the ceiling, and gave way to a dark tan wallpaper with an intricate grid pattern on it in darker brown, broken up by a broader pattern of big, stylized jug or downward-hanging fan shapes done with thick, dark borders and light tan centers, making them stand out noticeably from the background pattern.
   The next thing to draw Kim’s interest—and a smile—was the enormous four-poster bed placed in the exact center of the far wall, between the two windows, and flanked by a pair of heavy, matched, chest-of-drawers style night tables on top of which rested twin tiffany lamps, while an equally heavy hope chest with a padded lid rested against the foot of the bed—or rather, what drew the redhead’s attention and good humor was the fact that the bed was of the purest ebony, polished to a satiny finish, with a dark Kelly green canopy and curtains, inky black silk curtain ropes, and coal black sheets and pillowcases, all resting on a broad, thick, Persian rug done in shades of green and black.
   Despite the intriguing ambiance of the room in general, and the way the bed tickled Kim’s fancy, there was one thing that quickly tore her attention away from everything else: the sound of running water. She’d heard it before when she’d been in the room yesterday morning, but between her distractions and the murky interior, she hadn’t found out what it was. Now she wasn’t entirely sure if what she was seeing was what she thought it was.
   Taking two quick steps to the side, Kim confirmed that the broad, rough stone fireplace placed further up the right-hand wall did indeed have a pair of gentle, trickling, indoor waterfalls built into either side of it, flanking the hearth. The soft susurration of the streaming water drifted through the room just loud enough to be easily heard, but not so much that it couldn’t fall into the background once someone grew accustom to it.
   “Neat.” Kim said more to herself than Shego, but the other woman chose to answer anyway.
   “So I take it this meets your approval more then?”
   Kim turned to Shego, taking note of the big wicker hamper sitting between the bedroom door and what she presumed was the door to the closet as she did, along with the line of dark, antique Chinese dressers running along the wall behind the pale beauty.
   “Well, it’s still not quite what I expected, but yeah, I like it. I really, really do. It’s very nice… dark and comfortable and somehow cozy despite it all being so big.”
   “Well… good then.” Shego turned to look in her closet for a second before studying the dressers along the wall, trying to figure out where the best place to begin would be. A few moments later, while she was still considering, Kim casually commented; “Another thing I like is the view in here isn’t too bad either.”
   “Hmmm?” Shego glanced at the window. “Well, it is pretty good, but there are better ones to be had even around here. I’ll show you some if you want, once we get some free time to take a trip up the coast.”
   “Oh, I don’t think you have to do that. I’m pretty sure you could show me something interesting from right there…”
   “Hunh?” Shego twisted around further, her brow furrowed in confusion, only to find Kim nowhere near the other widow, but rather still standing by the doorway, arms casually crossed beneath her pert little breasts, a lazy smile gracing her lips, and her big fern-green eyes attentively caressing every inch of Shego’s powerful, curvaceous legs with their simmering gaze.
   A tiny quiver of excitement rippled through Shego at the sight of that gaze coming from those eyes, and she felt the faintest of blushes rising across her skin. Turning back to her dressers again in order to cover her reaction, she forced a dry, dismissively flip response.
   “Yeah well admire the view all you want, just so long as it doesn’t slow you down; you’re here to work, not work on me, remember?”
   “Awww…” Kim pouted with her mock-whine. “Can’t I do both? I’m really good at multitasking…”
   The left corner of Shego’s mouth twitched up in a slight smirk, and she shook her head faintly. “No. Now come over here and we’ll get started with these.”
   Kim sighed.
   “Fine…”
   Joining Shego by the dresser next to the window, Kim stood to one side while the pale beauty worked in the limited space in front of it, thanks to the night table directly behind her. In no time at all Shego was handing out various sweaters for Kim to take over to the bed, with a small number bound for the floor instead. Once she’d gone through everything, Shego came out and looked over the damage, finding that there’d only been a handful of outright casualties so far, as most of her sweaters tended to be rather loose.
   Turning her attention to the bigger pile on the bed, Shego realized the moment of truth was upon her. Taking a subtle, deep breath and steeling herself for whatever might come, Shego undid the belt to her robe and let the dark silk vestment slide off her shoulders in one quick, fluid motion, catching it with one hand while a faint, nervous shiver shot through her—she didn’t know why, but even though what she was wearing underneath it was more modest than a few of her racier bathing suits, the fact that it was underwear made all the difference in the world.
   Shego wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but she certainly wasn’t prepared for the rumbling purr of contented appreciation that came from Kim—and especially not the liquid quiver of exhilaration that rippled through her when she heard it. Even so, she only permitted herself a brief, hidden smile while draping her robe over the hope chest at the foot of the bed, carefully schooling her features to dry amusement when she turned back to Kim, one sable eyebrow ached high as she spoke.
   “Enjoying yourself are we?”
   “Absolutely.” Kim purred back, not even remotely trying to hide her enthusiastic and appreciative study of Shego’s smooth, tea-green curves. The pale beauty truly was a living green-alabaster statue of athletic physical perfection now, every inch of her lean, tight frame rising and falling with the inviting curves of her taunt musculature, the sharp lines of definition rippling deliciously beneath her sleek skin as she moved with the supple, feline grace of an albino panther.
   “Yeah, well, you enjoy the show all you want, just remember that touching the performers is against the rules, OK?” Kim smirked, then giggled outright as Shego added; “And if you try stuffing anything into my waistband I will so blast you into the middle of next week, cute or not…”
   “Awww, really? And here I brought along all those hundred Euro bills you gave me yesterday just hoping to get lucky.”
   Shego snorted softly, shaking her head and grinning wryly. “Well, what I do on my own time is something else entirely, but for now, I’m on the clock, so keep it professional.”
   “Then wouldn’t that mean I could get a private show if I wanted to… pay for it?” Kim licked her lips suggestively.
   Shego raised an eyebrow faintly, smirking as she dryly responded; “Look, I’m out of stripper metaphors, OK? So just hand me that yellow sweater there, would you?”
   Kim laughed softly and complied with a single nod. Over the next twenty minutes or so, Shego tried on all the sweaters from the pile on the bed, with a little help from Kim here and there in the form of literal assistance getting into a few of them, as well as her opinions on some of the more questionable ones whose fit wasn’t so obvious. After all was said and done, Shego only lost another five to the unsuitable pile on the floor, the rest being returned to whence they came.
   Closing the last drawer after she finished folding and putting away the final sweater, Shego turned to find Kim half sitting, half lying on the side of her bed, idly studying the covers as she waited. Shego was about to start in on the next dresser when she paused, realizing there was something off about that. It took her a moment to realize it was because Kim was studying her bed instead of her—admittedly a bit egotistical, but given this was the first time since they’d started that the girl wasn’t watching her, and that she’d been bending over just a few seconds ago, it seemed noteworthy.
   “Find something interesting there, Kimmie?” Shego queried with dry curiosity.
   “Hmh, what?” Kim looked up to find Shego looking back at her with an inquiring gaze. “No, not really…”
   Even a casual acquaintance could have told that Kim was being evasive, and Shego was anything but a casual acquaintance (in her own way), so she simply arched an eyebrow and continued to stare at the redhead evenly.
   “OK fine.” Kim sat up and ran her hand over the bed once. “These are really nice, but I gotta ask; why not silk or satin? I really figured you for a satin kinda girl.”
   Shego suddenly found herself wishing she’d kept her mouth shut.
   “Ah… well, there’s nothing wrong with regular sheets.” she replied while looking away for a moment. When she turned back her cheeks were a slightly darker shade of green. “High thread count linen’s just as good as satin anyway…”
   Now it was Kim’s turn to arch an eyebrow in dry, knowing inquiry.
   Shego gave a single, disgusted sigh of resignation and reluctantly muttered; “I used to use satin and silk, OK? But I had to stop because it got too expensive.”
   “Wha-hunh?” Kim made a show of looking around the extravagantly luxurious room they were in, prompting Shego to snap; “All right, it got more expensive than I was willing to pay, then… or wasteful. Whatever…” A moment later, before Kim could say anything further, as she was plainly about to, Shego’s blush intensified while she elaborated; “Silk and satin stain easily, OK? I was spending a fortune in dry-cleaning bills and replacement costs.”
“Stains? How would they get stained?” Kim trailed off, looking at the sheets, brow furrowed in confusion. A moment later her eyes widened considerably. “Oh… oooohhhh…” Kim turned back to Shego, a wicked smirk on her face as she practically purred; “Iiii see. Stains… well now, aren’t you just a healthy young thing.”
   Shego flushed an even deeper shade of green as she turned away from Kim to stare at the far wall again, grumbling; “Yeah well I told you I was.” A moment later she shook her head and sighed softly, her thick mane swaying back and forth in gentle, shimmering waves. “Now if you don’t mind can we please stop talking about this and get back to work?”
   Kim gave a single, soft, amused “heh” and grinned as she got to her feet. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”
   “Yes, that is so what I want.” Shego intoned dryly, though not without a thankful undertone. It was only a handful of minutes later that she found herself playing defense yet again.
   “No, I’m not going to be trying on my bathing suits! Or my underwear or lingerie for that matter, before you even ask!” Shego growled while shoving the last drawer of her last dresser shut, hiding the selfsame bathing suits from view.
   “Awww…” Kim mock-sulked playfully, “but you’re going to have to try them on eventually. Even I had to toss some of my old stuff after getting in shape.”
   “Yeah well it’s not going to happen with my horny houseguest watching me like a hawk, that’s for sure.” Shego paused for an instant, glancing at her dressers one last time. “The first time you see me naked is so not going to be while trying to squirm into something too small to fit me!”
   Kim whined again, saying; “Don’t put pictures in my head if you’re not going to follow through on them.” A moment later her expression shifted to sly humor as one of her eyebrows rose ever so slightly. “So you want me to see you naked, do you?”
   Shego rotated her head to face Kim with a smooth, exaggerated dip, looking at the redheaded teenager squarely while her black lips curled in a soft smirk. “Well d’oy! But it sure as hell ain’t gonna be like this, Pumpkin, so you can just forget about it.”
   Kim smiled back, drawing and releasing a quick breath that was barely a sigh. “Well I guess I can make do in the meantime, then.” A moment after Shego nodded and started for the closet, Kim added; “But can you at least put on a thong or something so I can check out your ass better?”
   Shego made a single, sharply strangled sound as she drew on everything she had to clamp down on the amused snort and chuckle that tried to burst from her. After a second she recovered enough to dryly intone; “Excuse me? Did you just say what I think you said?”
   “What, that I want to be able to check out that smokin’ hot ass of yours better? Yeah, pretty much. I mean, it’s bad enough that I can’t really see anything because of all that hair of yours—which, by the way, oughta be illegal in and of itself; no one should be able to have hair like that naturally—but out of the few times I have been able to catch a glimpse of it, most of them have been spoiled by the expansive coverage of those perfectly normal panties you’ve got on. I mean really, what self-respecting female villain doesn’t wear a thong if she looks as good as you do?”
   Shego felt a warm, fuzzy glow inside her at Kim’s admittedly… unconventional, compliments. She’d always appreciated people acknowledging her good looks, so long as they weren’t being jackasses about it, like Motor Ed for example, and although some of Kim’s comments smacked of jackassery on the surface, Shego could tell they were sincere in their own special, crudely lusty way—and again admittedly, the blatant, genuine hunger in Kim’s straightforward observations did nothing to hurt Shego’s enjoyment of them either. Far from it…
   “You see me doing anything villainous right now? No? Well there you go then; off the clock means I get to wear whatever the hell I want, Princess, and comfort is the watchword for today.” Shego bantered back after a few more moments basking in Kim’s commentary.
   “Yeah well, an argument can be made for villainy with you teasing me like this…” Kim responded dryly, earning an amused snort from Shego.
   “It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose there, little Miss hot-to-trot.” Shego shot back. “If you’re so hot and bothered go take a cold shower or something…”
   “That so does not work.” Kim replied in a knowing, disillusioned tone before trailing off, finally taking notice of her surroundings. “Oh wow…”
   Shego turned to find Kim standing still, staring in wonder at the orderly and very large collection of clothing and accessories surrounding them, slowly taking it all in. After a while the redhead focused on the inclined, tiered shoe racks running the length of the back wall, their multiple, heavily laden levels drawing a giggle from her.
   “So, think you’ve got enough shoes there, Shego?”
   Shego gave a soft snort. “Well, I’ll admit it’s a little excessive, but it’s not like I’m Imelda Marcos or anything.”
   “Ah, Imelda who?’”
   “Ugh…” Shego grunted after staring blankly at Kim for a few seconds. “Please stop doing that.”
   “What?”
   “Making me feel so damn old, that’s what.” Shego growled, though she had a slight smile as she did.
   “Hey, it’s not my fault I don’t know this stuff. Besides,” Kim said with a curling, sultry smile, deliberately and slowly trailing her gaze up the curves of Shego’s firm, shapely body from dainty feet to deep, dark green eyes, locking gazes with her once she reached them, “you’re anything but old.”
   Once more Shego felt a faint flush spreading across her cheeks—though certainly not from embarrassment this time—and another liquid quiver of exhilaration shivered through her. It was that smoldering gaze coming from those big, bright, fern-green eyes; Kim’s eyes; so alien to see her young, heroic teen adversary looking at her like that, and yet somehow, so very, very right as well. The ardent stare spoke to her with such promise of things to come—oh, such things to come.
   To say that it was… difficult, for Shego to force herself to keep her mind on the task at hand would have been a considerable understatement, but nonetheless that was what she was able to do.
   “Is there an ‘off’ switch for you or something?” the pale beauty teased dryly as she tore her gaze away from Kim’s.
   “Not really, no.” Kim’s amused, matter-of-fact statement held the faintest of smug undertones, and prompted a humorous snort and slight smirk from Shego in return.
   “Yeah, well, had to ask…” After a moment’s pause Shego continued; “Now, let’s get to work, shall we?”
   With that, Shego began handing things to Kim for her to carry out to the bed, and, barring the occasional relapse, Kim’s attention quickly shifted from admiring Shego to admiring her clothes—or at least, the more expensive, higher end garments, some of which were truly amazing to the girl. Equally interesting to her was the fact that a noticeable portion of the contents of Shego’s closet were things she’d at least consider wearing herself, if not outright falling into her preferred styles—well, her preferred styles if she had the means to afford them anyway. As it was, she still owned some things that were similar in nature, albeit more low budget versions.
   Despite Kim’s assistance, it took well over an hour just for the pair to clean out everything from Shego’s closet that was either too small, or needed to be tried on by the pale beauty in order to judge how well it fit now, the latter pile being larger than the former, though not by much. After one last, long, appraising look at what remained, Shego nodded decisively to herself and joined Kim in the other room, whereupon the pair stood together while staring at the two piles. Shego mainly at what had to be tried on, and Kim mostly at what was on the floor, awaiting disposal.
   “Wow… that, is a big pile.” Shego all but murmured in a dry monotone.
   “Yes it is.” Kim agreed readily.
   “Well, we’d better go get lunch now, because I’ve got a feeling this is going to take a while.”
   Kim gave a soft chuckle in response, and then, a few moments later, her smile curled into a full-blown grin as she watched Shego head for the door while she herself remained standing where she was.
   “Ahhh, Shego?” Kim paused as the pale woman came to a full stop, looking back over her shoulder at the redhead with a puzzled expression over the dryly amused, questioning tone she’d used. Then she finished; “Don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”
   As Shego’s brow furrowed further, Kim gave a little snort and pointedly cut her eyes down the other woman’s figure.
   “Oh Jeeze!” Shego vented the exasperated mutter an instant later, after glancing down to find herself still in her underwear.
   As the pale beauty spun around and strode towards the foot of the bed to retrieve her robe, Kim gave a soft laugh and teased; “Hey, don’t get me wrong; if that’s what you wanna wear, I’m all for it. I just figured that with your staff around, you might not be.”
   “Yeah, yeah, yeah, real funny. Har-de-har-har…” Shego grumbled back dryly as she belted on her robe, plainly self-conscious over the absentminded slip.
   “No, what really would have been funny is if I hadn’t of said anything at all, just so I could see how far you got before noticing on your own.” Kim joked while falling in alongside Shego as her flustered companion resumed heading for the door.
   Shego just rolled her eyes and gave her head a little shake, choosing not to reply. A few moments later, when they were out in the main room, she suddenly veered to the right while stating; “Hang on, we’ve gotta make a side trip.”
   “Ohhhh-kaaaay.” Kim hazarded with dry caution as Shego headed for the bathroom. “And we’re going in here why?”
   “Well, neither of us is wearing much, we haven’t eaten much since this morning, and we’ve both used the can since getting up, so, this is pretty much the perfect time to weigh ourselves.”
   “And we would be weighing ourselves why?” Kim asked skeptically as she entered the polished marble and gold fixtured wonderland that was Shego’s master bath.
   “Because I need to know exactly what we weigh in order to figure out our diet plans, that’s why. Height, weight, build, age; it’s alllll part ‘a the equation, Kimmie.”
   “Oh, OK.” Kim nodded in understanding, and, a few moments later, stepped up onto the black digital scale Shego got out from under the sink.
   “Hmmm…” Shego gave the scale a whack after squatting down to look at the initial readout.
   “What?” Kim looked down at the LCD pane herself, watching the black numbers flicker back and forth.
   “Just checking.” Shego responded as she reluctantly accepted the second identical readout. “One-thirty-eight; more than I expected. How tall are you anyway? Five-seven, five-eight?”
   “That sounds about right—and I’m five-eight, can’t you tell?”
   “It’s not easy with your hair.” Shego said as she straightened up.
   Kim snorted as she stepped off the scale, dryly bantering; “Yeah, like you’re one to talk.”
   Shego grinned in soft amusement while stepping onto the scale, but a moment later she quickly sobered to annoyance as she stared down at the numbers in front of her toes.
   “Ooooh no, this thing has got to be busted!” Shego growled while stepping off the scale, “I’ve never even come close to topping one-seventy before, even at my worst; there’s no way in hell I’m just shy of one-eighty now! It’s just not possible!”
   As Shego drew back her foot to kick the offending instrument, Kim hastily intervened.
   “Whoa, whoa, hang on! Wait a minute! Don’t flip your lid, it might not be broken; just calm down!”
   “Wha’d’ya mean?” Shego turned her sharp, irritated gaze on Kim.
   “Well for one thing, you’re taller than me, right?”
   “Yeah, five-ten, so?”
   “So you’re also a lot bigger than me, especially in your legs, and muscle weighs more than fat.” Kim stepped back and gave Shego an appraising look. “Corscan’s six-two and she weighs about two-forty-three, and you’re pretty close to her size from the waist down anyway. If I’m one-thirty-eight, well… you’re kinda closer to my size than hers up top, generally speaking, so… yeah, one-seventy-nine sounds about right when you put it all together.”
Shego shook her head and made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat before muttering; “Can’t believe I’m so fucking heavy… Fucking thirty pounds at least…”
   Shaking her head again, Shego scowled at the scale like she wanted to blast it to smithereens, before finally venting a short, gruff exhalation of a sigh and returning the machine to its place under the sink instead. Straightening and turning to Kim afterward, she grumbled; “Well, come on then, let’s get my fat ass downstairs so I can feed it some more.”
   “Shego, you’re not fat.” Kim stated firmly, albeit with dry annoyance.
   “Well I’m sure as hell not thin at one-seventy-nine!” Shego griped back.
   “Shego. You. Are. Not. Fat.”
   Shego suddenly found herself backing up as Kim advanced upon her with every word, violating her personal space while radiating a fierce—and fiercely freaky—wall of bizarrely combined exasperation and passion, until she bumped into the counter behind her and had nowhere else to go, whereupon she found herself trapped as Kim continued to move forward, gripping the edge of the countertop to either side of Shego and pushing right up against her, until they were nose-to-nose, her bright fern-green eyes boring into Shego’s dark green ones intensely.
   “Weight doesn’t mean anything if you’re all muscle and bone, and if I have to strip you down right here, right now and feel up every inch of you to prove there isn’t an ounce of fat on you, then that’s what I’m going to do, got it?” An instant later, Kim’s fiercely irritated façade broke somewhat as a ghost of a smirk graced her features and she purposefully pushed up against Shego a little more, drawing the taller woman’s attention to her own shapely breasts where they were compressed between the two of them, adding; “Well, aside from where it counts anyway.”
   “O-ok.” Shego stammered, completely off balance for one of the few times in her life.
   “Say it.” Kim stated firmly.
   “I’m not fat.” Shego uttered the phrase halfheartedly.
   “Say it like you mean it.” Kim demanded.
   “I’m not fat; I just weigh a lot because I’m all big and solid now!” Shego declared with conviction, her voice—and her aggressive nature—rising to Kim’s challenging attitude.
   “That’s better.” Kim replied as she suddenly stepped back, her forceful demeanor dissipating like a summer’s predawn mist at sunrise. Turning and heading for the door, she casually continued; “Now let’s get something to eat.”
   Shego shook her head almost violently, rapidly returning to her usual self now that her shock had worn off. With a scowl on her face, she stalked out of the bathroom and quickened her stride to catch up to Kim, whereupon she growled; “OK, just what the hell was that?”
   “I don’t like it when people I like put themselves down,” Kim stated plainly, “and I get enough of that crap from Ron, thank you very much, so I’m sure as hell not taking it from you as well. You were being an idiot, so…” the young redhead suddenly grinned, “I took a page from your book.”
   Shego was torn between being strangely touched by Kim’s sentiment and enraged over being compared to the girl’s buffoonish sidekick—however accurate that comparison may have been in this particular case. In the end she sort of went with both impulses.
   “Yeah, well… I… thanks.” After a moment’s pause she continued in a hard, threatening tone. “But don’t ever try and pull something like that with me again if you know what’s good for you.”
   Kim snorted faintly and smiled as she opened the door to the main hall, trying to keep the amusement from her tone as she responded; “OK, Shego.”
   Shego accepted the acquiescence at face value, and the two women proceeded to the kitchen, where Kim helped her prepare lunch; a nice mixed vegetable salad and, now that Shego’s staff had brought the bread, a pair of lean chicken sandwiches on whole grain, made with a slice of Swiss cheese, some mustard, and sweet pickles, the main meal followed by a bowl of strawberry yogurt to finish. As soon as they finished eating, they quickly cleaned up and returned to Shego’s room, feeling refreshed and ready to continue after the break.
   The next few hours passed smoothly as the pair settled into an easy rhythm, and much to Shego’s surprise—were she to have noticed—slowly established a gentle intimacy while they worked as well, with Kim standing close as she assisted Shego with changing, offering soft touches here and there as well as smoothing and tugging adjustments to the various outfits as necessary.
   “Well, that’s not too bad. It’s not particularly good, but it’s not too bad either.” Shego commented as they were taking a breather from the work, referring to the fact that they’d only added about a third of the clothes they’d gone through so far to the pile on the floor. Of course, they still hadn’t reached her evening gowns and fitted shirts yet, which she glanced over at with a faint sense of dread.
   “Yeah I guess.” Kim responded after sighing softly, a faint sense of regret in her tone as she stared at the pile on the floor. “It just seems like such a shame you to have to throw all this stuff away.”
   “Well I’m not just going to chuck it all.” Shego grumbled, certainly more regretful than Kim over the loss. “I mean, it’s not like most of it can go to Goodwill or anything, but I’ll find somewhere to send it where someone can get some use out of it.”
   “Really?” Kim was surprised. “Well, I guess that’s not quite as bad, but it’s still a shame you have to get rid of it.”
   “Yeah well, wha’d’ya gonna do?” Shego griped in resignation. A few moments later she looked up, her eyes widening slightly as a sudden and, in her opinion, somewhat crazy idea struck her. Looking at Kim wistfully studying the pile on the floor, Shego recalled various comments the girl had made since they’d started the process of sorting through her clothes.
   “Ahhh… Kimmie?” Shego ventured hesitantly, causing the girl to turn to her with a curious look. “I… really don’t want this to come out the wrong way, but… would you be ahhh… interested? In any of this stuff?” Shego quickly held up her hands, palms facing Kim in a preemptive placating gesture, hastily continuing; “Not that I’m trying to pawn off any of this stuff on you as hand-me-downs or anything, it’s just that we do have close to the same build—well, used to anyway—so most of it could be taken in to fit you with a little tailoring, and you did say you liked some of it…”
   Shego trailed off nervously, unsure whether or not she’d just insulted the feisty redhead, only relaxing when she saw Kim break into a surprised, delighted smile.
   “Really?” It wasn’t quite a squeal, but it did approach one.
   “Well sure, if you want. Like you said, it is a shame to just get rid of it all, and most of this stuff would look just as good on you as it does me, so why not?” Shego grinned playfully. “I mean, if you can get over wearing my secondhand clothes that is.”
   “Oh, silk and cashmere and chiffon and velvet and ten-twenty count cotton, however will I manage knowing where it all came from?” Kim returned enthusiastically, albeit sarcastically, her grin approaching silly now and an energetic, elated sparkle in her bright fern-green eyes.
   “Then take whatever you want, Pumpkin.” Shego replied generously. “We’ll set aside anything that needs to be altered and take it in to my seamstress in the next few days.”
   “That’s great!” Kim’s voice shifted to genuine appreciation. “Thanks a lot, Shego.”
   Kim moved to give the taller woman a hug, and after an instant’s stiffness, Shego relaxed and gave the redhead a little hug back, feeling strangely grateful herself for some reason. A moment later, after Kim released her and Shego stood looking down into her big fern-green eyes, the dark-haired beauty was struck by the sudden urge to ask a question that she knew wasn’t entirely wise, but that she just couldn’t resist giving voice to.
   “So, what? Your other girlfriend never gave you anything?”
   Kim snorted and grinned. “Depends on what you mean.” Pausing, Kim’s grin shifted to sly as she raised an eyebrow and sidetracked the point by playfully bantering; “So you’re my girlfriend now, are you?”
   Shego blushed slightly, turning away in embarrassment while dismissively grumbling; “Well I’m something anyway…” Turning back, she ventured a shy, but amused, smile as she softly added; “Working on it maybe.”
   Kim smiled back gently for several long moments, her big fern-green eyes shimmering warmly, then blinked and shifted to a full, wry grin.
   “Anyway, like I said, it depends on what you mean. Corscan gave me the bike so I could get around easier, and I’m sure she spent a small fortune taking me all over the world on our date nights… plus you saw what she left me when she disappeared. But other than that, she was pretty big on me being self-sufficient.” Kim’s grin shifted to nostalgic amusement. “Said she only wanted to spoil me ‘just right’, not too much.”
   Shego snorted softly and shook her head with a wryly amused grin. Despite only having “known” Corscan for about twenty, twenty-five minutes, most of which were spent fighting her, for some reason she thought that sounded exactly like something the big woman would say.
   “Well then I guess I’ve got some catching up to do.” Shego smirked.
   “I suppose so.” Kim grinned playfully, before her expression shifted to something far less… wholesome. “Y’know, if you want, we could get started on some that ‘catching up’ right now… if you want.”
   Shego snorted again, softly. There was no mistaking the look in Kim’s eyes or the way the redhead licked her lips suggestively.
   “Down girl. We still have a job to finish here.” Shego paused for a second, then added; “Later on though… well, who knows? We’ll just have to see…”
   “Oh reeeeally?” Kim bantered back with a smooth, playful interest. “Well I guess we should get back to work then. Wouldn’t want to waste any more time on this than we have to.”
   “I guess so.”
   Kim grinned and nodded once, then turned and, after looking at the pile of clothes on the floor for a second, reached up and across her chest with either hand, crossing her forearms as she grasped the hem of her half-t on either side and then pulled it up and off in a single motion.
   “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wha’d’ya think you’re doing?” Shego blurted in a distinctly nervous tone as she instinctively turned away from Kim.
   “Ahhh… gonna have to try this stuff on to see if it fits.” Kim returned matter-of-factly, tossing her shirt on the hope chest at the foot of the bed.
   Shego looked back cautiously to discover Kim was wearing a pale aquamarine bra with a tiny bow in the center, bracketed by a cluster of print forget-me-nots to either side of it.
   Thank god… Shego thought to herself as she watched Kim squirm out of her cutoff jeans with substantially more effort than her shirt—though she had to admit part of her was somewhat disappointed the redhead was wearing a bra and matching panties instead of the nothing-at-all she’d honestly expected.
   Shaking her head, Shego returned to the task at hand, and for the next hour or so, the duo engaged in an impromptu fashion show, so to speak, as Shego worked her way through the remaining outfits on the bed while Kim did the same with a considerable amount of the castoffs on the floor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   “Oh, that does look nice on you.” Shego said as she saw the latest choice Kim was considering in the full-length mirror on the closet door; a black vest embroidered with a broad border of colorful flowers and vines running along the bottom and inside edges, worn over the top of an off-white silk shirt with sheer, ballooning half-sleeves and ruffles on the collar and cuffs.
   “Really? I’m not so sure…” Kim replied hesitantly, “I usually try and stay away from black on white; makes me look pale.”
   Shego snorted dryly, then raised a wry eyebrow when Kim glanced at her, prompting the teen to shoot her a mildly exasperated look.
   “Oh please. There’s a difference between a smooth, creamy mint and looking like the underside of a fish. Not… that it was ever quite that bad for me, but still, no need to help it along.”
   “Well, you sure as hell don’t look like the underside of a fish now.” Shego referred to the light tan Kim had been sporting for months now.
   “I guess.” Kim turned side to side as she looked in the mirror intently. “I do like the contrast and the way it falls…” Kim paused, and then smirked slightly, “and since it’s loose, it won’t have to be taken in any.”
   “Hey, not my fault I’ve got a bigger rack than you, Princess.” Shego quipped in a playful tone.
   “You saying I’ve got small boobs?” Kim tossed back dryly.
   “Just stating a fact…” Shego licked her lips once with the tip of her soft-pink tongue, a faint grin curling one side of her mouth as she added; “Not that there’s anything wrong with having small boobs when they look like yours.”
   “Oh really?” Kim’s lips curled into a smile of her own, and the redhead’s tone, gaze, and raised eyebrow were anything but dry now.
   Shego opened her mouth to respond, then, suddenly, her eyes widened and she jerked her head around to stare at the clock on the nightstand instead.
   “Oh crap!”
   “What is it?” Kim asked with concern as Shego turned and stepped over to the bed, snatching up her robe before heading for the door with a hasty stride.
   “I almost forgot about my video conference with Brotherson.” Shego responded. Pausing in the doorway, she quickly added; “No idea how long this’ll take, Kimmie; I’ll be back when I’m back…”
   “OK.” Kim tossed the loud acknowledgement out the door after Shego as the pale woman vanished from sight, the redhead’s mind filling with thoughts of what information Big Daddy Brotherson might be able to provide them about Corscan—and anxiety over it as well.
   Kim continued trying on clothes to keep herself occupied, and it worked fairly well, because when Shego returned about twenty-five minutes later, looking faintly displeased, it only felt like somewhat longer than that to the teenager, as opposed to an eternity.
   “So, what’d he say?” Kim asked cautiously, noting the expression on Shego’s face.
   “Not much.” Shego stated dryly. “He scratched together a dossier on her that details the stuff we already knew—not much odds we’ll find anything new in there, but you never know—then tried to feed me some cock and bull story about ‘avenues of inquiry’ and ‘promising feelers’ he’s expecting more information from any day now. Just trying to chisel more money out of me, but I paid him off anyway; he is one of the most well connected guys in the underworld after all, so if anything does pop up, I’m sure he’ll get wind of it.”
   Kim sighed, looking just as disappointed as Shego now. “Looks like Corscan may be right about us not being able to find her.”
   “Yeah, well, I’ll give your girl props for an excellent ghost job, but I’m not prepared to concede that to her yet. Not until our guys have finished the long game anyway. I mean we’ve got your Lord of the Nerds and mine and my nerd herd on top of anything Brotherson might come across; that’s a lot of hounds on the trail, Kimmie.”
   “I guess.” Kim brightened a hair, but only a hair. “I just wish we had more. I really can’t stand not knowing like this; the waiting is driving me crazy. I want to be out there doing something damnit!”
   “Gotta learn to relax in the down time, Kimmie, otherwise you’ll blow a gasket for no good reason. Just put it out of your head; something’ll come up eventually, even if it is just her coming back out in the open like she said she would. In the meantime, don’t let it get to you; just have fun and live your life.”
   “I know, I know…” Kim grumbled in resignation. A moment later she looked up and smiled softly. “Thanks, Shego.”
   “No problem.” Shego smiled back before heading for the bed, taking off her robe again as she went.
   “Y’know, if you really want to help take my mind off things…”
   “No.” Shego stated with flat finality, not even turning around to see the suggestive smile she knew graced Kim’s lips—though she was smiling herself as well. “Work first, play later. Maybe…”
   Kim sighed wistfully, and then grinned playfully. “Well, I’ll take a ‘maybe’ over an outright ‘no’ any day of the week.”
   “Heh.”
   As the pair returned to the aforementioned work, Kim gradually did put most of her thoughts about Corscan out of her head, but Shego found herself facing the opposite situation, as the glimmer of an idea came to her—an idea which she initially and instantly rejected, only to have it return over and over again, until she was turning it over in her head and actually considering it despite her severe—and severely anxious—misgivings. Eventually, when they were close to being finished going through the remaining clothes, the distraction became so great that Kim finally noticed the older woman’s increasingly distant state.
   “What is it?”
   “Humh? What?” Shego looked up to find Kim looking back at her with curious concern on her face.
   “You’ve got something on your mind, don’t you?”
   “Enh, not really. It’s just that…” Shego paused for a long moment before shaking her head dismissively. “No, never mind; it’s nothing.”
   “What?”
   Shego sighed, then bowed to Kim’s question—as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she really did want to talk about it.
   “I… might have one last way to get some new information on Tall, Dark, and Stripy. I doubt it’ll be anything we can use to find her, but it could tell us more about her past. Maybe.”
   “Really? Well, what is it then, and why haven’t you mentioned it before?”
   “Because I just thought of it, that’s why. And it’s kind of a long shot too, but it is still a shot…”
   “So, what is it then?”
   “Well, you remember when I told you about my little… obsession, with finding out all I could about [The Way]? And how I decided to give up chasing that particular dragon once I’d had my little… chat, with the one Master I’d barely managed to track down?”
   “Yeah?”
   “Welllll, that would mean…” Shego waited a few moments for Kim to get it, then, when she didn’t, prompted; “That I know…”
   Kim’s eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped somewhat as Shego’s allusion finally clicked in her head. “That you know a Master of [The Way]!”
   “Exactly.” Shego paused for a moment, then added; “Well, ‘know’ might be a little strong a word, but assuming he’s still living where I found him and he’s still alive, well, he might know something about whoever trained your girlfriend. Maybe even know something about her himself…”
   “Maybe he’s even the one who trained her!” Kim posited enthusiastically.
   An incredulous, explosive, rip-snorting laugh burst forth from Shego, and she quickly clarified; “Oh, no, tha-a-a-at’s not a possibility Princess, trust me. That’s just… not on the table at all.”
   “Ahhh, OK, if you’re sure. Even so, like you said, he could know things about her, or who her Master was.”
   “That he could. That he could.” Shego nodded.
   “Soooo, what’s the problem then?” Kim asked, knowing there had to be some reason Shego had been thinking so hard about this new possibility.
   “The problem would be that he’s a jackass—a deadly jackass—and we didn’t exactly part on the best of terms, to put it mildly. Even if he is still there to be found, being found by me? Yeah, not the greatest of ideas.”
   “Oh.” Kim’s expression fell considerably, and then brightened again. “Wait, I can talk to him instead of you!”
   Shego snorted again, though softly this time. “Ahhh, no, that’s not going to work any better than me trying to do it, trust me, Kimmie. Hell it might even be worse.” Shego shook her head in resignation. “No, I’ll have to do it myself.” Shego sighed. “And I guess I’ll have to too. It’s too good a potential lead to pass up just because it’s risky.” Shego gave another soft snort and a ghost of a smile. “At least I’m in way better shape than I was back then. Older and wiser too…”
   “OK, if you think that’s the way we should go. How long do you think it’ll take to find out if he’s still where you found him?”
   “Can’t see how it would take more than a day tops, and since it’s in China, that means the info should come in some time tomorrow morning, so I won’t even have to waste any time sitting around waiting on it. With the time difference I should be able get there right after suppertime if I can leave here after breakfast.”
   “We.” Kim corrected automatically.
   “Hunh?”
   “If we can leave after breakfast.”
   “Oh no, you’re not coming with me.” Shego balked.
   Kim snorted and gave Shego a look. “The hell I’m not after all the hints you just dropped over how dangerous this might be.”
“Did you miss the part where I said it would probably be worse for you to go than me?”
   “Probably isn’t definitely, and I know how to take care of myself.” Kim shot back confidently.
   “Oh and I don’t? What, you don’t think I’m up to it or something?” Shego responded, shifting gears and trying a different approach.
   “No, that’s not it at all.” Kim answered calmly, refusing to be thrown. “But you know as well as I do that having backup in case things go wrong is never a bad idea, whether you can handle the trouble on your own or not.”
   Shego sighed. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” Kim shook her head, and Shego gave her eyes a little roll. “And I suppose if I went on my own anyway, I’d never hear the end of it from you, would I?”
   “Damn straight.” Kim acknowledged firmly.
   Shego sighed again. “All right, fine.” The green-eyed woman looked up to meet Kim’s gaze with a hard, no-nonsense one of her own. “But if I do let you come, you have to promise to do everything I ask without question, no matter what it is, got it?”
   “Ohhh, I don’t think so.” The redhead’s response was incredulous, though amused.
   “Yeah well I do think so.” Shego immediately shot back without a trace of humor. “I don’t intend to die doing this, and I’m even less keen on both of us getting killed, so you agree to do what I say when I say it or it’s no deal.”
   Shego’s seriousness took Kim aback somewhat.
   “You can’t be serious.”
   “As a heart attack, Princess.”
   Kim sighed, but still made one last, halfhearted attempt at resistance.
   “And I suppose if I don’t agree, you’ll just run off and do it on your own without me, right?”
   “Obviously.”
   At Shego’s matter-of-fact response, Kim gave a little huff and the faintest shake of her head.
   “Fine, you’re in charge then—within reason!”
   Shego raised one sable eyebrow. “Define ‘within reason’, since that certainly falls short of ‘no matter what it is’.”
   “Within reason.” Kim responded flatly. “You are a supervillain after all, and I’m… not. So, within. reason.”
   Shego snorted, her lips curling slightly as she thought; Says the girl who came up with the whole plan to squeeze play a CEO and then left me alone with him instead. Out loud she continued; “All right, I can live with that.”
   “So we’ll go tomorrow then?”
   “If there’re no delays.” Shego paused for a moment. “Speaking of which, I’d better go get the ball rolling, otherwise there might be.”
   “OK.”
   Shego left the bedroom again, and Kim busied herself going through the remaining clothes, though in a now decidedly distracted fashion, her head filled with meandering thoughts and theories about Corscan, as well as wondering just what she’d gotten herself into by insisting on going with Shego. This time the twenty minutes or so Shego was gone felt much longer to Kim than they actually were.
   “So how’d it go?” Kim immediately asked upon Shego’s return.
   “As expected.” Shego answered nonchalantly, heading for the bed. “Should have an answer soon—generally speaking.”
   “OK. So, what exactly are we dealing with anyway?”
   “What do you mean?” Shego asked while picking up a midnight blue cocktail dress.
   “Well you’re the one saying it’s gonna be dangerous. Why is that? Does he live in a temple full of fanatical monks, or some trap filled labyrinth, or at the top of a sheer cliff in the Himalayas or something? All three? Weird mystical protectors? Some deep jungle cave full of poison snakes?”
Shego snorted softly. “No, nothing like that. Not even close. It’s—”
   The dark-haired woman cut off abruptly as the intercom sprang to life, a soft hiss preceding Wade’s voice coming over the speaker and into the room, the sudden and totally unexpected interruption taking the duo by complete surprise—especially considering who the voice belonged to.
   “Ahhh, hello? Are you there Kim?”
   Scowling, Shego tossed the dress she was holding onto the bed as she stalked over to the control panel by the door, Kim falling in step beside her as she passed the redhead, though the teenager sported an expression of curiosity and concern instead of ire.
   “Yeah she’s here,” Shego growled after stabbing the respond button with a rigid finger. “Which is good for you, because she’s going to be the only thing keeping you alive if you’ve hacked into my systems, Nerd-Boy!”
   The was a brief pause as Wade swallowed nervously, then he hastily clarified; “No, no! Not at all… just jacked in. Into your intercom I mean! With the Kimmunicator! Literally! I couldn’t get the door open to go looking for Kim, so this was the only other option.”
   “Ohhh-kaaaay.” Shego accepted the explanation with a grudging reluctance while Kim spoke up in an apologetic tone; “Oh! Sorry Wade, I’m not used to how big this place is. At home I can usually hear the Kimmunicator from anywhere in the house.”
   “Yeah, and even if you don’t, I can get your window and door open with the remote arm to go looking for you, unlike here. These are some pretty solid doors you’ve got, Shego; real wood I’m guessing?”
   “Absolutely; none of that pressboard hollow crap for me.” Shego gave her head a little shake. “Not… that that matters. What do you want, Nerdlinger?”
   “I need to talk to Kim; we’ve got a hit on the site. Nothing too serious, but with Ron still in the air on his way to JFK, I figured it was better to start coordinating as soon as I could.”
   “What is it, Wade?” Kim asked intently.
   “There’s a—” before Wade could get any further, Shego cut him off.
   “Ah-ah! No hero talkie in front of me, remember? Especially not in the middle of my bedroom… Go hash this out between the two of you in your own damn room.”
   When Shego mentioned her bedroom, Wade broke into a coughing fit, prompting the pale woman to shoot a look at the intercom.
   “Oh get your head out of the gutter, Nerd-Boy! Kimmie’s helping me clean out my goddamn closet!”
   Kim snorted softly and tried to keep from giggling while, at the same time, Wade babbled in a panicky voice; “What? No. I didn’t say anything!”
   “It’s o-oh-kay, Wade. Just give me a minute and I’ll be right there.” Kim reassured the young genius, laughter in her voice.
   “OK, Kim.” Wade rapidly replied, breaking the connection immediately afterward.
   Kim gave a soft huff and then playfully chastised Shego. “Now now, you should play nicer with my friends, Shego.”
   “Yeah, well, he asked for it.” Shego grumbled softly. A moment later she looked up and prodded; “Well, get going already. You’ve got a world to save or a cat up a tree or something like that.”
   Kim snorted softly and nodded.
   “OK. I’ll come back when I know what’s going on.”
   Shego nodded and Kim headed out of the room. A few moments later the pale woman’s head jerked up, her eyes widening slightly, and she rushed over to the door to shout after the redhead. “And don’t forget to tell nerd-boy that he can’t send anything here to pick you up unless he wants it blown out of the sky! Use the airstrip I took you to yesterday. Probably be best to use the Sperlonga beaches for ocean transport too, and the highway outside of town if you go by land.”
   “OK, thanks!” Kim declared loudly as she stepped out into the main hall, flashing a parting smile at Shego while shutting the door behind her.
   Shego shook her head in mild amusement and went back to work. A little over fifteen minutes later she was in the process of evaluating a pale mauve strapless silk number when Kim returned, wearing her mission outfit and backpack along with a focused expression. Before the redhead could say anything, Shego spoke up in a dry tone.
   “OK, that… is just five degrees beyond freaky. It’s weird enough having you here as it is, but having you here dressed like that? Yeah, that’s just wrong on a dozen different levels.”
   Kim snorted softly, her serious air breaking for a moment as she smiled wryly.
   “Yeah well get used to it, ‘cuz I’m planning on being around for a good long while.”
   Shego shook her head with a grin of her own. “Just not at the moment I gather. So, as you’re so fond of saying, what’s the sitch?”
   Kim snorted sharply. “Oh, and like hearing you say that isn’t deeply disturbing.” The teen hero gave her head a little shake before continuing; “Anyway, a deep-sea research facility blew a gasket or something, and they need someone to go down to them and fix it before the entire complex fills up with seawater.”
   “And for this they need you?”
   “Well, there is the little matter of the ferociously fierce storm that’s going on in the area, and having no one with the qualifications to do the dive willing to risk going into it.”
   “I see.” Shego raised an eyebrow. “So they’re calling in a pair of high school kids and a hairless rodent. Seems perfectly reasonable.” The pale woman gave a soft hint of a snort, muttering; “Typical…”
   “No, just me. I’m not going to interrupt Ron’s trip to Paris and delay him getting to his cooking school for something like this.”
   “So you’re going without backup?”
   “Yeah, it’s no big. Besides, just between you and me?” Kim paused for a second before continuing. “Ron’s skill-set is a little… weak, when it comes to the whole underwater thing.” At Shego’s inquisitive hum Kim elaborated; “He can basically get from point A to point B, offer moral support, and that’s about it.”
   “I see.”
   Shego was about to say something further when she suddenly realized keeping her mouth shut might be a better idea. Passing up the opportunity to berate Kim about the hypocrisy of her going off alone to do something risky after the girl’s earlier argument was hard, but she didn’t want to risk endangering the opportunity the present situation might present by reminding Kim of the prior exchange. A moment later she ended up grinding her teeth as the redhead dashed those hopes completely.
   “Anyway, I should be back sometime late tonight, but if I’m not, I don’t want you sneaking off on your own tomorrow morning to go see this Master you know about, all right?”
   “Never crossed my mind.” Shego returned in a dry, even tone.
   “Yeah, sure it didn’t.” Kim smiled a knowing smile. “Anyway, see you later.”
   “Sure.” Shego gave a soft sigh and then added; “Good luck.”
   “Thanks.” Kim tossed over her shoulder as she headed for the door. A second later she asked; “I can take the off-road bike, right?”
   “Yeah, why?”
   “Wade’s got an experimental hydrofoil meeting me on the beach in about twenty minutes or so, and I figured you wouldn’t want the Ducati left sitting out in the open for the ten hours or so I’ll be gone.”
   “You’re taking a hydrofoil into a storm? What are you nuts?” Shego demanded incredulously, stepping over to the doorway so she could stare at Kim’s retreating back.
   “No, I’m taking a mini-sub into the storm. The hydrofoil is just to get me in the area fast enough to do the job.” Kim paused in the doorway to the main hall for a second, looking back at Shego with a wry smile. “Nice to know you care though.”
   Kim vanished from sight before the pale beauty could respond, which was good, because Shego wasn’t entirely sure what she would have said had the teenager remained.
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   “So you’re still in the air?” Kim asked Ron over the Kimmunicator.
   “Yeah, you know how airport security is nowadays, Kim,” Ron answered, “especially when you’re trying to bring exotic animals with you. I didn’t get on my transfer flight for over three hours, so I think I’ve still got five hours left to go, maybe more.” On his shoulder, Rufus scowled unhappily and nodded, staring off into the distance and muttering softly over the unpleasant memories.
   “Well, you really should try and get some sleep then; the time difference is going to be murder if you don’t.”
   “I know, I know,” Ron grumbled, “but unlike some people, I can’t just fall asleep at the drop of a hat.”
   “Ron, you sleep through half our classes together.” Kim responded dryly.
   “Yeah, because they’re boring! How can I possibly be bored when I’m on my way to Paris to study cooking at a real high-class cooking school? I can’t wait to see what the kitchens are like!” Ron’s tone was the pure excitement of a preschooler waiting for Christmas morning.
   Kim snorted softly and reluctantly agreed with Ron. “I guess you’ve got a point.” A second later her eyes widened slightly as she had a sudden idea she immediately pursued. “Hey, wait, didn’t you say they put you in business class?”
   “Yeah, why?”
   “Then you should have headphones and your own little flatscreen TV, right?”
   “Again, yeah, why?”
   “Well, if you’re too excited to sleep and you have a TV, then you’re only The Knowing Channel away from dreamland, now aren’t you?”
   “Hey yeah, that’s right!” Ron replied eagerly as he immediately grasped Kim’s reasoning. “I can barely keep my eyes open when you flip over to The Knowing Channel or my parents make me watch it—well, for the most part anyway, and what are the odds they’re running one of the few things on it that’re actually interesting? So there’s a pretty good chance that’ll work! Thanks, Kim!”
   “Just trying to help out.” Kim responded with dry disdain. Despite it being her idea, the blunt confirmation of Ron’s less-than-stellar appreciation of all things academic couldn’t help but get under her skin, and it showed—well, to Rufus anyway, who partially shared the opinion; Ron was blithely oblivious, as usual.
   “Score!” Ron exalted after a minute or so messing with the TV built into the back of the seat in front of him. “A special on ancient pottery! This’ll be better than watching paint dry!”
   “I’m so glad for you.” Again, the tone was bone dry.
   “Anyway, I guess I really should let you go and try and see if this works.” Ron paused for a moment, pondering. “I’ll try and call you tomorrow, but I don’t know if I’ll succeed or not. Between the jet lag and the hectic orientation I’m not sure I’ll be in any shape to stay awake long enough to do it, but I will try.”
   “Don’t go out of your way Ron. We’re going on a long… field trip tomorrow, and I’m not sure when we’ll be back or how much time I’ll have either, so if you need sleep go right ahead. Even I had a little trouble with being tired that first day I was here.”
   “OK, but if I don’t call tomorrow it’s the next day for sure, all right?”
   “OK, Ron, I’ll hear from you soon then. Bye.” Kim smiled.
   “Bye.” Ron smiled back, while on his shoulder, Rufus waved and chattered “bhy-bye!” his whiskers fanned, bright ebony eyes shining, and a big, tooth grin gracing his small pink features.
   Kim stared at the Kimmunicator for a few seconds after the screen went black, and then put the device away. After a few minutes looking out on the dark, black ocean and the clear, starry sky above, Kim pulled her backpack up onto her lap and started digging through it. A few moments later she pulled out the flight manual Shego had given her a few days ago and leaned back, opening the book and starting to read by the dim overhead light above her. She still had nearly an hour to go before the boat reached Sperlonga, and there was no reason not to do something constructive with the time…
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   Kim sighed softly as she shut the smaller door to the main hall of Shego’s villa behind her and then leaned back against it. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, drawing in the gentle scent of the various night-blooming flowers in front of her as she tried to unwind. It hadn’t been a particularly difficult mission, at least by her standards, but the long transit and waiting on the way there and back, coupled with the cramped quarters in both the hydrofoil and mini-sub, had been trying on her nerves.
   After a few moments of silence, Kim pushed off the door and headed for the stairs. As she came around the circle of planters and trellises in the center of the hall, she spotted a luminous patch of white atop the end of the inside banister at the bottom of the stairs. Moving closer, she saw a second dull white gleam on top of the inside banister of the other set of stairs as well. Even with her excellent night vision, it wasn’t until she got within a few yards of the shape that it resolved enough for her to make out the finer details in the dim lighting; a sharply folded square of heavy paper propped up like a little tent, with something written across the front of it. She had to get close enough to pick it up before she saw that it was her name—or rather, “Kimmie.”
   Unfolding the improvised card with her thumb, Kim only had to squint a little in the gloom while reading the neat, slightly slanted printing on the paper.
   Your dinner’s in the fridge, second shelf on the right. Tray’s next to the microwave, along with a bowl for some frozen yogurt, which you’ll find in the freezer. Also, I finished going through my clothes, so I put the rest of the stuff you still haven’t gone through in your room, along with the things you won’t need altered. Oh, and don’t bother with the other note; it’s the same as this one.
   - Shego.
   Kim quirked a slight smile and changed her intended destination, turning and heading for the kitchen as her stomach suddenly started rumbling at the thought of food. On the way, she snagged the duplicate note and, once she reached the kitchen and turned on the lights, tossed them both in the garbage.
   Setting down her backpack, Kim yawned as she stepped over to the fridge and opened up the right-hand door. Looking around, she quickly found the deep dish covered in tinfoil Shego had left for her, and she immediately reached in to pick up the heavy ceramic plate.
   Shutting the door with her free hand, Kim made her way over to the microwave and removed the tinfoil from the dish, whereupon she discovered her supper consisted of a double handful of dry-fried rice with garlic, fresh mushroom pieces, peas, tiny diced carrot chunks, and chopped green onion shoots, a larger portion of stir-fried broccoli, spinach, sliced celery, pineapple, and at least a half-dozen different types of chopped peppers, all liberally covered in an ocher sauce, and lastly, a broad strip of pale, lean pork, also coated in the same sauce.
   Putting the meal in the microwave and starting it up, Kim took the bowl on her tray and went to get some frozen yogurt while it heated. By the time she returned, her food was done, so, after quickly hunting down a pair of potholders, she took it out and put it on the tray as well.
   Normally Kim would have taken the food up to her room to eat, but between her hunger and the fact that unlike home, that trip was a comparatively lengthy trek here, she decided to eat right at the counter instead, standing over her tray and scarfing down the food with considerable gusto as she discovered it tasted as good as it looked—something she was rapidly coming to expect from Shego’s culinary skills.
   After scraping the last significant remnants of tangy sauce and frozen yogurt from her dishes, Kim rinsed everything off and put it in the dishwasher in a growing fog of food-and-overly-long-day-induced fatigue. By the time she made it up to her suite, she wasn’t quite falling asleep on her feet, but she was fast approaching that state.
   Entering the living room, Kim paused after closing the door and turning on the lights, seeing the neat stacks of clothes laid out on the settee and chairs surrounding the coffee table, as well as a smaller pile on the table itself. Maybe it was her sleepy state of mind, but Kim couldn’t help giving a broad, bemused grin at the sight. Between the thoughtful notes, carefully preserved supper, and this, it was all just further evidence that Shego—and living with her—was full of unexpected surprises Kim would have never previously anticipated…
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Revelations of Destiny