Chapter 4 : Selene

– Rossi, Gold and Associates Office in Go City, continuing from previous chapter –

She's here!? Unless there was someone else in the world with pale green skin under those sunglasses, the woman in the spacious office is really Shego.

Why are you here? Where have you been? Kim Possible had many questions for the former super villain as she stood at the doorway to the large corner office, gaping at the scene she was witnessing. Darling? Shego lets this woman call her honey and darling? Who is she? Could this be Shego's —?

Lov-Lawyer. Kim snapped out of her funk, remembering that they were at a law firm. So this is a lawyer's office. If Kim had been more aware, she would have seen the older woman's name and designation printed on a plate affixed on a side panel. I don't know who this woman is to Shego but maybe Shego is just being helpful. She's tall, after all.

When the woman sighed dreamily, the redhead unknowingly tightened her fist until her knuckles turned white but she kept it flushed to the side of her body. She's just trying to get Shego to lean into her. She doesn't even care which file Shego takes!

Kim's brows furrowed and her forehead creased at the minimal space between Shego's very fine figure showed off deliciously in a suit and the older brunette dressed fashionably in a white blouse and red pencil skirt. They look great together. Kim hears her own heartbeat thundering in her ears as Shego starts to lean towards the woman. What if the woman tries to kiss Shego when she leans in?

"Selene?" Shego's given name spills from her, her voice betraying uncertainty but each syllable clearly pronounced.

Oh shoot. The redhead's eyes widened. She just announced her presence to Shego and this woman. Kim would deny this if ever asked but she was really glad that her surprise call out halted Shego's movement towards the woman. To make sure that Shego isn't being taken advantage of.

Kim had moved on auto-pilot mode earlier when her eyes caught a figure dressed in a dark-coloured pantsuit moving across her line of vision behind Elsbeth. She was paying rapt attention to her new legal representation until she saw the tall-shapely figure on the other side of the glass wall. Her chest tightened at the familiar gait and movement.

It can't be. Kim has never been able to shake off her internal radar which pinged since their first meeting. The tugging in her heart pulled Kim out of her chair. She mutters some apology to the other women in the conference room, her manners working from polished decorum. Her instincts have always favoured her in some way or another, in missions mostly, but here she realises this might be the woman that she has only seen in her dreams for the last five years.

Her throat is dry after Shego's real name spills from her lips, her eyes fixated at the sight of Shego's arms almost around the shorter brunette who hair was styled to her shoulders in loose curls. Time felt like it stopped for Kim, so the impulsive redhead could study the former super villain who had only become more beautiful since they last met. How is that even possible? She's the most– Nope I shouldn't. She's - wait what now?

Shego worked hard to keep her composure when she hears her own name spoken by a voice that has haunted her thoughts. Oh no you don't Princess. You're not allowed to call me by that name. She transformed her neutral expression to a small smile when she observed Rayna's sultry expression. Screw it. I may be saving her from a grand jury and all but I don't care what the Princess thinks. Rayna's about to realise she overplayed her hand this round.

She move closer towards Rayna whose eyes widened, likely surprised that her protegee was moving closer. Shego's right hand reached around a random file and pulled it down from the top shelf. As she did so, she pressed her body flushed against Rayna's and brushed her lips on the older woman's forehead. An intimate gesture that stole both Rayna and Kim's breath. While the older woman knew that Shego's affection was platonic and to an extent, sisterly. From her angle, Kim who did not know Shego and Rayna's relationship, was especially floored by the Shego's tender smile that followed the forehead kiss.

She loves her. Shego loves this woman. Whoever she is, Shego cares for her. Kim's heart skips a beat when she recognises the smile on Shego gave to the brunette. She's beautiful when she smiles like that. That smile —

Kim is snapped out of her stupor when she observes the brunette woman lips move, saying something to Shego while extricating herself from Shego's hold to walk behind her table. Why would you want to leave? Kim yearned to be near Shego, physically and figuratively, despite the way they things ended five years ago.

The twinge in her heart doesn't stop when Shego laughs deeply and turns away to put the file on the table. She's either pretending not to have heard me or she's ignoring me. Either options made Kim very angry. How dare you? I'm not the one who left. If she thinks that I'm just going to go away quietly now that she suddenly reappears. So not happening! On some level, she knows that her anger stems from her jealousy and confusion at the brunette's closeness to Shego and said woman's surprising presence.

"Selene." This time the name is said intentionally, firm and persistent, the inflection in her tone is similar to when Kim used to address her in lairs. All that's missing is her mission suit and Ron since she's wearing black skinny jeans with a button-up blouse and Ron is back in Middleton.

This time, it triggers a response from Shego as the taller woman turns around to face her. The expression on the former villain's face was not one of joy as she walked towards Kim. The world-saving hero opens her mouth, as if to start addressing Shego but she is cut-off when Shego stops right in front of her, holding out her hand in a "stop" gesture.

Kim's knees threatened to give way when Shego pushes her sunglasses into her hair, revealing her piercing emerald eyes that had the ability to bore holes into the soul of the world-saving hero. Sometimes between fights but definitely when they became friends. By the time Kim realised the joy of swimming in the depths hidden behind emerald pools, she had already been drowning for awhile.

Why did I let her leave?

"Call me Shego," Selene Stella Goshen said firmly, refusing to allow her real name to fall from the lips of the redhead anymore. When Kim called her by her real name, she is reminded of their shared history. Painful history.

With practiced annoyance in her tone, "What are you doing here, Kim?" Shego knew why Kim was doing here but since this was supposed to be a surprise reunion, it made sense for her to question the redhead's princess. She pushed her sunglasses with the purpose to glare at Kim but when her eyes met Kim's, she softened at the olive flecks she found.

She had dreamed about Kim a lot over the years and her subconscious could never do Kim's eyes and hair colour justice. With her sunglasses, she had been blissfully shielded from their power over her. Now, she knew it was an uphill battle. She knew it would be difficult to see Kim again but no amount of preparation would have helped. Doy, that much is obvious.

Kim shoves both hands into her back pockets and responds with a shrug, saying "The same reason why people who aren't lawyers find themselves in law firms, I suppose." She continues with a smirk, "What about you? Did you violate your pardon, Shego?"

Shego straightens her posture at the implication. Oh this is rich. Princess thinks I'm the one between the both of us in legal trouble. "No," matching the smirk with her own since she had the information upperhand on Kim.

She sidesteps and gestures to Rayna, "I'm here for a job interview with Rayna." The brunette in question greets Shego's directed attention with a wide grin and flirtatious finger wave. Kim's brows furrows at Shego's answer and Rayna's greeting. "Uhm-job interview?"

"Yes, you do know what those words mean, don't you?" Shego teased Kim, resorting to their default back-and-forth banter was the safest course of action right now. Safer.

Kim was tempted to stick her tongue out at the immature jab by Shego. By inference, this means that Shego wants to work for this Rayna woman and they are obviously close. But why would Shego want to work at a law firm anyway? The redhead realised that Shego was probably not going to give her any detailed answers so she'd try the next best person in the room.

"Yup, I learnt those words separately in middle school English class, Shego. Aren't you going to introduce me to Rayna? I should apologise to your potential future boss for interrupting your job interview," Kim said impishly. Yeah right. Most interviews don't include attaching your body to your boss' body against a shelf.

Shego narrowed her eyes at the Kim's snark and request for introduction. I don't know how Rayna is going to play this after whatever she did just now but this should be interesting. Shego knows that Kim is itching to figure out who Rayna is after their little exchange.

"I was just about to. You did interrupt us," Shego walks towards Rayna's desk and Kim crossed the doorway to follow her further into the office.

"Rayna, meet Kim Possible. This is Rayna Gold, managing partner of Rossi, Gold and Associates," Shego grins at the two women sizing each other up. Wonder what sort of drama I'm going to be caught in between this time. Rayna was the protective-sort and was much too aware of some parts of Kim and Shego's story. This made Rayna so much more volatile than usual.

"Miss Possible, pleasure to meet you," Rayna smiling as she stands and reach her right hand forward to initiate a handshake with the world-saving hero. Between moving out of Shego's embrace and conceding to her protegee in their own game of chicken, she decided to return to the original script. Professional and friendly, Betty said. In my defence, I only deviated a little bit.

Kim smiled widely at Shego's introduction although she was internally trying to figure out her strategy on getting the information she needed from Rayna Gold. She brings her right hand to grip Rayna's firmly and said, "Nice to meet you too, Miss Gold."

Shego's grin falters into a clenched smile when her eyes catch the glint reflected by a piece of jewellry. What the actual fuck? The pleasantries exchanged between Kim and Rayna are muted as Shego's eyes fixate on the hands shaking obstructing the clear sight of the ring.

The movement stops when Rayna flips Kim's hands to study the precious stones set in the platinum band around Kim's right ring finger. Shego's feels all the air in her lungs escape in a big swoosh when she sets her eyes on the familiar jewellry. She's wearing the ring. Fuck she's really wearing THE ring. Oh why the hell would you do that for, Princess. Shego blinks rapidly to clear the fog and curls her fingers to grip her sleeves to remain grounded.

"This is a very beautiful ring, Miss Possible," Rayna examines the design, estimating its value to be very near to six figures. While the price peaks her interest to an extent, it was the meaning that she was truly curious about. It looks modern but elegant and expensive enough that it might be old too. Wonder who gave it to her...

Kim retracts her hand slowly out of Rayna's hold which wasn't very tight but the intense gaze and subsequent compliment made Kim blush. Pink tint warms her cheeks as she responds with a demure thank you. Any brazen bravado she presented earlier is replaced by awkward shyness. Kim is too scared to look at Shego at this point.

Shego clears her throat and keeps her voice at a neutral tone despite her internal feelings causing a wreck, "Why are you wearing the ring I gave you five years ago?"

– Five years ago, Shego's house in Middleton –

She adjust her robe for the millionth time, tugging nervously at the lapels of the dark robe and the tassel on the graduation cap on her head. She checked her phone for any updates from Kim on her ETA. The mission must be more complicated than the Princess expected.

Shego's instincts also alerted her to the imminent threat of her mother. Isabelle Goshen is likely to drag her out of the bathroom for more photographs before Kim returns. Without the redhead as buffer from her mother, she was hoping that Dr. Ann Possible, neurosurgeon would sufficiently occupy her mother's attention. Both matriarchs enjoyed each others wit and intelligence, much to Shego's annoyance since that has resulted in double nagging.

The Possibles, along with Shego's immediate family, were currently in her garden to celebrate her Masters in Criminology from Middleton University. She was welcomed with open arms by the Possibles after her pardon. The weird nerdy family that Kim Possible had made her a part of in the past two years. It helped that her relationship with Kim evolved quickly and this growth was obvious to anyone close to the hero and former villain.

Shego is pulled out of her nervous pacing when the doorknob is broken from the door of the bathroom. "What the hell?" Shego growls as the door swings ajar to reveal her mother and eldest brother, Hector. Isabelle has a smirk affixed while Hego is sheepishly holding a piece of crushed metal in his open palm. "Mom, What the hell? This is the door to the common bathroom and Hector, you should know better than to do her dirty work for her!" Shego huffs as she stalks out of the bathroom.

"Aww come on Sis. You've been in there forever!" Hector, having dropped his Hero-saving ego for the full time position of Chief of Operations for Bueno Nacho 3 months ago, calls out to his mercurial sister.

"Thanks for your help, sweetheart but I'll deal with your sister. Let me see if I can figure out what has got her huffing and puffing. You go set up in the garden with your father, James and the boys."

Hector doesn't protest and jams the twisted metal back into the hole in the door. He was glad to be excused from his sister's wrath, figuring that he should use it as advantage to ask around to see if Mr Dr Possible or the twins could help fix it.

Meanwhile, Shego sits on her bed and stares out the window, willing for a certain redhead and blond klutz to fall out of the sky. Her internal alarms did little to settle her as no signs of her favourite redhead was to be seen.

"You know she's coming back as soon as she's done, don't you?," her mother's teasing voice helped pull her from fixating on the lack of Kim in the house or garden. "I know. I'm just worried something went wrong - goes wrong," Shego mutters as she falls backwards to lie on her bed.

"Honey-"

"Mom, what will she say? I want her to know how I feel. How much I feel. That's why I-"

"No doy, obviously you feel a lot for her. Even your usually oblivious father can tell how much you love her. And we are in Go City most of the time"

"Now is not the best time for your snark. Do you even know how terrifying all of this is? She's not even back from her mission. And when she does? What then? I don't even know how to do this. I had a plan but I'm scared. So scared that I can't even remember why. Why—"

Isabelle Goshen opens her mouth, intending to use only a fraction of her "mom" voice as she studied the nervous expression on her only daughter's face. A closed velvet box, small in its size, clenched tightly in pale green hands as Isabelle sat on the bed and reached out to soothe her daughter.

"Only you know why you asked me to bring Nana's ring to you, Selene."

Notes
Sorry for the delay. I'm a student with exams. Between my last post and now, I had 3 major papers. I am uploading this during my tiny break before 4 more exams at the end of this month. Leave me a review/comment if you feel like encouraging me or sharing your thoughts. Most of all, hope you enjoy.