Author's Pre-notes

Just a quick note to the readers, this is a special Christmas double post, with this chapter following quickly behind the post of chapter nineteen. So if you're reading this one and didn't read nineteen, go read it! Hope ya like it!

Dr. Betty Director dug underneath the swathe of papers covering her commandeered desk at the Global Justice Go City offices, searching for the desk phone. After silencing the annoying ring, she pressed the intercom and barked with annoyance, "Let him in!" God, I hated this shithole office when I was Go City's regional commander, and now I hate it worse being general commander of operations, she groused internally.

She turned to try and sort through half the dozen reports lying on her desk; the paperwork from the Reginald Chesterfield case was just staggering. With over ten different eyewitness accounts, not including those of Ron and Shego, it was bad enough. But with the various bank records, grey transactions and miscellaneous irregularities, all penned in the most haphazard way in the reports on her desk, the task was daunting.

Then of course, there were also the various memos from those higher ups that had a close, vested interest in the case, and they demanded to know what was going on, which only made the process more convoluted. Gritting her teeth, she finally gave up, sweeping everything into a pile on the side of her desk and, slumping back in her chair, glared evilly at the papers that demanded her attention.

A knock on the door interrupted her hate fest, and she yelled out, "Come in!"

Agent Will Du stepped into the office and with a serious look on his face, saluted, before standing at attention before her without saying a word. "Agent Du," Betty growled as she motioned him at ease. "I did not see your report in here." She gestured at the stack of papers in front of her.

"Dr. Director, with due regards, I would prefer to consult you before I write my report," Agent Du began. "I am… Conflicted."

"Oh?" Betty raised an eyebrow. "Explain yourself."

"This mission itself was carried out in the most unprofessional manner, violating so many Global Justice regulations it's staggering," Agent Du began. "To even write a brief summary of how it happened would result in your leadership being questioned and you potentially being subject to administrative leave."

"Your point being?" Betty asked in a non-committal voice.

"Allowing Shego to commandeer command of a Global Justice vehicle, as well as sanctioning her involvement in a highly dangerous rescue mission without sufficient precautionary measures, not to mention the compulsory background check required by our UN mandate is... Dangerous to you, ma'am," Agent Du took a deep breath to emphasize the next words, "All this despite knowledge of her past, as well as the fact that she has not been cleared by any of our superiors, show a severe lack of judgment and proper leadership on your part."

"You are perfectly free to write that in your report, and I will not stop you if you feel that way," Betty replied smoothly to his criticism. "I don't see anything resembling a conflict on your part, if you feel so strongly about it."

Agent Du kept silent at that statement, but his eyes expressed concern for his direct superior.

"So if there is no problem, I expect to see your report in three hours," Betty replied dismissively.

"I just want to know," Agent Du asked. "How did you know?"

"How did I know what?" Betty asked, not seeming to pay any real attention to Agent Du's words.

"That Shego would not betray us, and that this was not some elaborate plot set up by Dr. Drakken?" Agent Du asked.

"It just didn't seem her style," Betty replied nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry?" Agent Du asked. "Could you clarify that please?"

"That's right, you only met her briefly before she left Global Justice," Betty explained. "No, it was just a hunch that she wouldn't do that sort of thing to Team Possible."

"A hunch?" Agent Du asked incredulously. "You risked the lives of your operatives on a hunch?"

"That's right," Betty affirmed. "Is there a problem with that?"

"But… That… Doesn't… Not according to regulations…" Agent Du started stammering. "How… Wha-"

Betty cut his words short, "That's how leadership is, Agent Du. You make decisions based on the information that you have available. When incompetent agents fail to submit their reports on time, or the intelligence reports are missing, or when there is insufficient funds to retake surveillance photos, there will always, always be a lack of information. This includes background checks, or whatever other information you think you may need to be one hundred percent certain that someone, Shego for example, can be trusted." She looked straight into Agent Du's eyes. "Which is why, when it comes to decision making, it is always based on a hunch."

"I see," Agent Du remarked.

"So what is it that you want to know?" Betty asked, letting the impatience creep into her voice. "Do you want to know whether I was certain I could trust Shego? Or how I knew that it would work out well and that Kim Possible will be saved? Bloody fucking hell no! But there're two things I am certain of: one, if I hadn't made that decision, Kim Possible might not be alive today. And two, I knew Shego was her best chance of survival, and I am thankful that it turned out that I was right."

"So how about you take that inner conflict of yours, and reflect today whether we did a good thing by letting Shego go on a sanctioned Global Justice Mission, but only after you hand me that god damn report!" Betty barked out at her top agent.

"Right, right…" Agent Du managed to stammer out before he dismissed himself.

Betty glanced at the retreating agent, calling out to him before he opened the door, "Will, I'd like you here at eight tomorrow morning when we discuss the second half of this case with Agent Johnson of the FBI, Detective Altman and Shego. This is important, and may help you realize why we needed her and still need her."

Agent Du nodded with a simple "Ma'am." and opened the door to the hustle and bustle of the second largest Global Justice center in the world.

Betty grinned after he quietly shut the door, shaking her head as she contemplated her direct subordinate's actions, Without that stick up his ass, he might make one fine head of Global Justice someday…

Dr. Anne Possible walked through the recovery ward of Middleton General Hospital. Her shift had just ended, but she was on her way to visit a family friend still stuck here. Walking in to the room, she picked up the clipboard with the name Jean Stoppable on the top, glancing down at the numbers and prescribed medicines and their dosages. Anne looked up at the woman lying in bed and sighed lightly. "How are you today, Jean?" Anne asked with a concerned smile.

"I'm fine," Jean returned her smile. "It's not like anything has changed since I got here, and to be honest, I want to leave the hospital as soon as possible."

"You'll be out in another two days," Anne replied. "Most of your injuries are healing fine as it stands, but just to be certain, take all the rest you can get right now."

"I've been doing nothing but rest the whole time," Jean replied with a serious tone. "I really need to get home to my family soon."

"You'll be home soon," Anne let out a little laugh. "Ron is more than capable of taking care of things while you're gone. Shego has also made it her duty to take care of Hana, and I think she takes it rather seriously."

"I hope she still remembers me as her mother when I get back then," Jean allowed herself a little chuckle.

"She will, that girl is a very bright one," Anne remarked. "Almost makes me wish I had another child, but between Kimberly and the twins, I think my husband and I have enough on our hands."

"Speaking of Kimberly, how is she?" Jean asked, her voice suddenly somber.

"She's…" Anne paused for a moment as she reflected on her daughter. "She's physically alright, no wounds or anything and I really have to thank your son for that, as well as Shego." She beamed at Jean who just nodded modestly. "But… my daughter is keeping something from me right now. She refuses to talk to me, and insists that nothing is wrong."

"Kimberly will be fine," Jean reassured her. "She's a strong girl, and when she's ready to talk, she'll come to you. Just give her time."

"I hope so. I'm just worried about her change in behavior," Anne continued, her face betraying her troubled thoughts. "She promised me she would visit a psychologist, but I found out that she canceled the appointment on her own. Have I let my daughter grow up so fast that she thinks she knows what's best for her?"

"She's sensible," Jean remarked as she reached out her hand to touch Anne's arm. "She's a mature child, unlike my Ron. She has helped Ron take his studies more seriously, and I'm thankful for that! Because of her, he's at least trying to improve himself, like working out with the weight machine we got when he started doing missions with her. Though I guess that could be part of his football ambitions and Kim's worrying about Sheila when she first moved in..." Jean admitted, shrugging helplessly. "Still, it was Kim that pushed him, and when I talked to him yesterday, he said he's even planning ahead for college!"

"Good for him!" Anne remarked proudly. "Ron is a really a great kid. I hope you don't mind that sometimes I think of him as my own son... He and Kim grew up so closely together that they're almost inseparable."

"Not at all," Jean let out a little laugh. "Feel free to take him off my hands every now and then. Kim has been a wonderful influence on him, and it would do him some good if he followed her examples."

"Ron has also done a lot for Kim," Anne returned the compliment. "I can't thank him enough for bringing my daughter back to me safely two days ago."

"I'm sure Kim would do the same for him," Jean replied with a fond smile.

"That, I have no doubt," Anne replied with a laugh. "But he's also kept my daughter from being too serious, a good damper to her domineering personality. They definitely make a good pair."

The two mothers fell silent for a moment, and reflected on their children for a moment. It was hard for either of them to picture one child without the other.

"Do you think it's time for them to get married?" Jean asked suddenly.

"What?" Anne looked askance at Jean and covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.

"I know we're both thinking the same thing, I'm just saying it," Jean replied with a coy smile.

"Isn't it too early to say anything about that?" Anne asked. "They have only been dating for, what, six months now?"

"I know," Jean said. "But they just seem so perfect for each other."

"You're right," Anne sighed, with a sorrowful smile. "But I'd just like to think that I can hold on to my baby girl a little longer."

"Oh don't worry about it, if my son ever gets any ideas about marriage, I'd insist that they wait until they're twenty-five," Jean reassured Anne. "I think it will be good for both of them, and from the strength of their relationship, I think they'll continue to wait for each other."

Anne smiled at the comment. "I hope so too, I'm far too young to be a grandmother."

Jean joined Anne in a hearty chuckle. "Me too, Anne, me too."

"…-ty community is in uproar over the recent scandal involving one of Go City's most prominent Assistant District Attorneys, Reginald Chesterfield. In the early hours yesterday, police raided Mr. Chesterfield's home in hopes of arresting him on charges involving kidnapping, rape, blackmail, witness tampering, assault, and battery, to name a few of the list of charges against him.

When police arrived, they were confronted by Mr. Chesterfield, armed with a nine millimeter pistol. Within a few moments of initial contact, Mr. Chesterfield allegedly turned his firearm on himself. He was rushed to Go City General Hospital, but was pronounced dead on his way to the hospital.

As part of Go City Channel Five's continuing coverage of this breaking news, we go to the Go City City Hall where Andrea Masterson is standing by where a news conference on the matter is expected from Senator Ethan Chesterfield and his wife, Felicia Chesterfield. Andrea?

"Thank you, Jack. There has been talk down here all afternoon of a long standing knowledge of Assistant DA Chesterfield's alleged activities and their connection to his father. Rumor has it that Senator Chesterfield is deeply involved in this scandal, and that this has been going on for well over ten years, allegedly involving dozens of women, including former Go City hero turned villainess, Shego. The events surrounding Assistant DA Chesterfield's death are not the talk of the throng of news reporters down here is that of his life. And I think, yes, here's Senator Chesterfield now.

Senator Ethan Chesterfield stepped behind the podium with his wife directly behind him. His head was bowed low as a chilly October wind blew, in from the northeast. His arm was around his wife's waist, gently supporting her body next to him. She had clearly spent a lot of time crying and was dabbing her eyes gently with a white handkerchief. The couple stood together, and Senator Chesterfield raised his head held high, gingerly scanned the audience as if to judge their mood before beginning his address.

"My wife and I are terribly saddened by the tragedy that has befallen us. My son…" Senator Chesterfield choked back a sob. "My son… Was apparently an ill person, and he allegedly did many terrible things... Things that truly shocked the both of us. If we had seen signs earlier, we would have taken steps to help Reggie in whatever way we could have." Senator Chesterfield looked to his side as his wife broke out in sobbing. Pulling her closer to his side, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. She nodded and closed her eyes, taking several calming breaths before apologizing to him, motioning him to go on.

Senator Chesterfield sighed heavily before continuing. "I'm... I'm very disheartened that my son did not turn to us for the kindness, love and support that he apparently needed. We would have provided him whatever help he needed... Maybe that could have prevented this downward spiral." he looked down at the podium, pausing to collect himself as several tears squeezed out of tightly shut eyes. "I guess... I 

guess it was because of a father's pride in his son, to see him rise so meteorically and make a name for himself in his career, that kept me from seeing the signs," Senator Chesterfield intoned gravely.

"But rest assured, that this is a lesson to me, to my wife, and to all of us, that crimes like these aren't just seen in the newspapers or the evening news." Senator Chesterfield said slowly. "Unfortunately, crimes like that make victims not only of those that are targeted for the crime, but also those that were kept in the dark by the perpetrator. I..."

He swallowed, his brow crinkling in despair as he continued. "During this terrible time, my family and I have turned to the Lord for guidance... It has hurt us deeply to find out our son was like he way, and we now ask that our supporters, or anyone watching this join us again, to pray to the Lord or to have a moment of silence for the victims and their families... So they may find at last peace and put the ordeal my son forced them to go through behind them. Let us hope and pray that no one else has to suffer tragedy as the victim's families, or families like my own, has been forced to suffer through."

He bowed his head and held his hands clasped in front of him for a moment, before looking up again, his eyes now firm. "This, what I've prayed for, will be my calling. I will find strength from this, and push to have harsher punishments for those that commit acts as my son has apparently done, increase police presence throughout the nation and anything else I can do in hopes of curbing crimes such as this. Unfortunately, no matter how harsh the punishment, crimes like this are almost impossible to completely stop. And to that end, I intend to push for more counseling and other services to victims of all crimes, not just the brutality that is rape."

He looked down at his hands for a moment where they gripped the podium, taking a few moments to collect his thoughts before continuing. "There were reasons that it was a great surprise for us, my wife and I as well as our family in general, to hear that Reggie had done something like this," Senator Chesterfield spoke gravely at the podium, again holding his wife next to him by the waist. "Reggie always seemed a cheerful and helpful son... I remember him making a proposal to me not even two weeks ago to raise money for the Go City department of family services, to help the local orphanages, foster homes, and homeless shelters through fundraising dinners... It always seemed that he had the best interest of other people in mind."

He fell silent and looked at his traumatized wife. "As I've said, my wife and I have been deeply devastated by the tragedy that has befallen our family... I believe we need some time alone to let the healing begin. Thank you very much."

Immediately a ruckus erupted among the reporters as they clamored and raised their hand, shouting questions at the podium. "Senator Chesterfield, how could you as parents let this happen?"

"As I said, I don't know how this happened... I, as a firm believer in family values, have tried to be as close to my family as I could be... Unfortunately, Reggie has been very busy in his career and personal life, so much so that we simply believed him when he told us he couldn't spend time with us. Next question, please."

"Senator Chesterfield, did you have any prior knowledge or did Reginald Chesterfield confess anything to you before today?"

"My wife and I are just as surprised as the rest of you, and it has been a very saddening experience for us."

"Senator Chesterfield, do you have any comments on the allegations that you have aided and abetted in the crimes that your son has committed?"

"Those are just rumors and I intend to fully cooperate with the authorities in any way I can."

"Senator Chesterfield, some people have made claimed a connection between the mercenaries Mr. Chesterfield has allegedly used and your bank accounts, what do you have to say about that?"

"I trusted my son fully and he had access to some of the funds under my name. It was so we could more easily give to charity when I was busy in session. With that said, I am as surprised as everyone else is when I opened my morning paper today. Please, I'm sorry but I can not answer any more of your questions. This has been a trying time for me and my family. If you please… I humbly request that you not harass me or my family; we need time to gather together for the support of each other during this tragedy. Thank you."

There you have it, the press conference with Senator Ethan Chesterfield and his wife…

A wry grin appeared on her face as she raised the remote to the television and hit the power button. She threw the remote onto the bed next to her clothing, gingerly tracing her fingers over the still seeping gauze bandage that covered her upper right shoulder. Strolling over to the phone by her bedside, she picked up the receiver and dialed the numbers to get her out of the motel's phone circuit.

She waited for several seconds before a far too cheerful voice answered the phone. Before the woman could get more than the most basic greeting, the woman that had dialed spoke up, "I need connected to Alpha-Alpha-Echo-3-2-1-6-4-7…" she commanded as pulled a small device out of her pocket. She placed it over the phone when she heard an electronic voice tell her to and patiently took out a cigarette from the pack sitting on the nightstand. She sat down on the bed and lit it up, blowing a cloud of bluish smoke as the line was finally answered.

"Hello?" a voice replied.

"Hey boss," she grinned as she spoke into the phone. "Just saw you on TV. Great performance you had there. Nice touch with the missus. Quite a tear jerker, I admit. I almost cried myself."

"Not now!" the voice hissed angrily into the phone. "You haven't reported in, and I have half a mind to 'decommission' you after last night's fiasco. I've just lost my son!"

"It's not my fault that your son can't keep his dick in his own pants," she replied nonchalantly. "He was a liability to you, and you know it."

"He was still my son!" the voice grated harshly. "Now where the fuck are you?"

"The Hampton Inn, just off I-25 north in Cheyenne," she spoke. "I'm holed up here for a while, at least until my right arm heals. That green bitch did a number on me."

"So when are you good to go?"

"In a week, maybe two," she replied. "So what do you need me to do, Boss?"

"Make them pay," the sound of his teeth grinding was clearly heard through the phone.

"No shit?" she replied sarcastically, though she smiled wickedly at the thought of it. "Any requests on how you want it done?"

"No," the voice commanded. "Just be… Creative."

"You do realize I'll need some things, right Boss?" She said as she looked in the mirror and traced the myriad of barely visible scars that criss-crossed her body. Her hands slid over hard, heavily developed muscles, her skin sometimes twitching as she brushed one of her few ticklish spots.

"Standard surveillance and weapons package?" he asked gruffly, his tone implying that was all she would get from him.

"Yes, that and the release agent." She waited for the man to yell or curse at her, but after a minute, she shrugged and continued her thoughts. "I was only at seventy fucking percent, Boss, and they almost got me. She would have torn my arm off had I not grabbed that fucking grenade before she took me down. Now you can either give me that shit and let me be at one hundred percent, or you can count this as a failed op already, and you know it..." her smile never left her face or her tone, but her eyes she saw in the mirror had hardened to a dull steel color.

"Done," was the only thing she heard before the phone clicked off into silence.

Agent Kyle Kessler knocked on the heavy, solid oak double doors of the conference room. He'd been called in to the nameless office on the twenty-second floor of one of Go City's skyscrapers. He knew, despite his currently hectic schedule, that he had to respond. After all, his second loyalty was only to the current Global Justice.

He knocked again, gingerly placing his gloved hand on the door knob and twisting it open. He stepped into the darkened conference room, noting that the blinds were drawn. He knew that the room would have been black as pitch if not for piercing, warm glow of the projector as it played a scene on the far end of the room, opposite where Agent Kessler stepped in.

A lone figure in an executive-styled chair was watching the scene on the projector; it showed a younger Shego in a Global Justice supervised live fire training session. Clearly, her moves weren't as refined as they were now, but what she lacked in experience, she clearly made up in intensity, as she relentlessly assaulted a room full of mock-terrorists with just her two glowing hands.

"Impressive, isn't she?" The figure mused in a strong, coarse voice that could only come from many years of cigarette smoking.

"Yes, sir," Agent Kessler remarked as he stepped into the room and stood at the near end of the conference table. The oaken door swung shut and left Agent Kessler feeling strangely alone in the dark.

"Does she have the information?" The figure asked.

"I think she…"

"I do not pay you to think!" The voice rapidly rose to a controlled rage. "Does she or does she not have the information I want?"

"Almost certainly," Agent Kessler gulped. "She definitely knows something about Kismet, but she has been very guarded about it."

"Interrogate her," the shadowy figure commanded.

"That is… Impossible…" Agent Kessler nervously choose his words.

"Damn it, do I have to tell you how to do your fucking job?" The shadowy figure stood up from his seat, treading heavily over to Agent Kessler.

"No sir," Agent Kessler involuntarily shrunk back at the approaching man. His bulk easily overshadowed Agent Kessler and his reputation had preceded him among his 'employees'.

"Then there should not be any fucking problem!" the man finally stepped close enough for Agent Kessler to see the weathered, almost brutal features of the most intimidating man he knew. He still had a full head of hair, and his eyes were stone cold and threatening as he shoved his face in Agent Kessler's comfort zone.

"Sir, she is closely monitored by Dr. Director, and also under custody of Team Possible," Agent Kessler explained. "We can't make an obvious move!"

"I don't care how you do it, just get me Kismet! Preferably by force, and preferably as fast as possible," he emphasized each word with a sharp jab to Agent Kessler's chest.

"There's another… Problem to that…" Agent Kessler winced as he anticipated another violent outburst.

"Fuck!" The man roared. "What the hell is it this time?"

"She has the information we want… She just doesn't know it," Agent Kessler tried to swallow another lump down his throat as the man moved even closer to him.

"What the fuck do you mean?"

"I think Lipsky stored the data in her subconscious," Agent Kessler explained nervously. "Her interviews show that she isn't aware about the super soldiers or strength-enhancing programs we put in place, but she knows it's there, and she knows to keep it away from anyone who comes prying."

"Then use persuasive means! I don't have to keep on telling you how to do your job, do I?" The man menaced threateningly.

"But, coercive methods would cause the information in her mind to regress even further," Agent Kessler hurriedly explained. "Lipsky must have been prepared for such aggressive methods, we have to somehow coax it gently out of her."

"Then force it out of her if you have to, you stupid fuck! Tap her brain, fucking copy her brain waves like Lipsky was able to do and extract it from there. I don't give a fucking fuck!" The man demanded in a raspy voice.

"That would… That would… We are almost certain that won't work…" Agent Kessler replied nervously. "If the wrong person says the code, even if it's the right code, she could berserk, or worse, her brain will fry, depending on what Lipsky put in with it. There will be no way of getting those files back again if that happens, she'd be a vegetable."

"An acceptable risk we may have to take," the man replied. "If we can't get those files, then at least, no one else can." The man took a steel cigarette holder from his suit and took one out, lighting it easily. His coal black eyes seemed to absorb the light of his lighter, and Agent Kessler felt his spine shiver. "But for now, watch her. If she's taken in, have someone question her with the Grendel protocol, but if that's impossible, we may have to bring both her and Drakken in."

"Yes, Mr. Grant," Agent Kessler replied. "As soon as we get her in custody."

Middleton, Colorado, as its residents would say, is an interesting place. With beautiful mountains bordering it on each side and exclusive and public resorts a day trip away, it sported a small town feel, but not far from big city luxuries, and above all, there was safety and security. All in all, an almost perfect place to live.

Unfortunately, it was these very things that drew a far more nefarious crowd. Below the bustling scientific, industrial, commercial and even residential districts, there were time share and permanent lairs for criminal magnates, mad scientists, and would-be world conquerors. Dr. Drew "Drakken" Lipsky fell into the latter two, and he was currently bent over a schematic of his latest invention in his newly leased lair.

The man had grudgingly admitted that the dedicated Lease-A-Lair he was in was much better than the time-share Rent-A-Lairs he was so used to. It had much better creature comforts, security, and even came with a rack of HenchCo's top of the line super computers. The henchmen even had their own common entertainment rooms, as opposed to being forced to use the kitchen as an ad hoc poker parlor. And although the lease cost more, he had finally been talked into the lease by his partner and second in command.

Those things were furthest from his mind at the moment, however. The diminutive blue-skinned man ran one of his fingers along the scar on his cheek before rubbing his beady, dark eyes with a small, gloved hand. "Yes, that's perfect." He muttered, a not quite sane smile coming across his blue tinted 

face as he looked over the schematic. "And when I get the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer..." His smile widened, and he started chuckling, which soon turned into a full out mad laugh.

A few moments after his maniacal laughter had died down, he sat back in his chair, leaning it back slightly to mull over his latest scheme to take over the world. "What else can I do to make this more efficient, I wonder?" he mused aloud, leaning forward to study his schematic a bit more.

The door to his laboratory slid open with a barely audible hiss. Engrossed in his thoughts, he missed the sound, as well as the whisper of soft soled boots making their way over to his computer station. He didn't even notice when a small, thermos sized object was gently settled next to the arm he was propping himself up with.

"You're still up working on this? You started this morning before I left!" a sultry, burry alto murmured softly into his ear.

"Gah!" he yelped out, seeming about to jump out of his skin, "Don't scare me like that! At least try to announce yourself when you come in here!"

"I'm sorry, Drewbie," the feminine voice whispered in his ear, her lips brushing his ear, "But I heard you laughing all the way down the hall, and what happens when you're working too hard on something like this? You're so easy to sneak up on!"

Dr. Drakken was about to snap at the woman the voice belonged to when he felt strong, agile fingers begin to knead at the muscles of his neck and shoulders. He let out an almost pained moan as tense muscles began to unknot, then leaned back as he felt heat radiating from the hands. He let his body relax into the soothing sensation, and didn't flinch as he saw tendrils of green flame lick past his face, the flames perfectly matching his preferred shower temperature. "Thank you, that feels so good right now," he said in an almost tender voice.

"Anything for my Drewbie," the woman whispered, as she gently nipped the top of his ear.

After a moment of his ear being gently worried at, Dr. Drakken again raised his head to consider his schematic, frowning before continuing, "And, yes, I'm still working on this." As he pondered the schematic and its implications, a thought struck him, and he looked sharply at the woman's reflection in his monitor. He knew she noticed the movement, despite her face being hidden by a fall of gorgeous raven black hair as she put her full attention to the service she was giving his neck. "Were you discovered?"

"No, Dr. Drakken!" she exclaimed in a suddenly professional manner, her hands stopping for a moment and her voice anxious, as if hurt by his question. "And I made sure that everything was exactly how you wanted it when I left.

"No one suspects anything, no one knew that you took the PDVI? Not even Team Possible?" he pushed on with his still sharp tone.

"No one suspects either of us at all!" she promised, her voice dropping submissively before continuing, "Especially not Team Possible... I wouldn't want to jeopardize this plan, it's your best one to date."

Dr. Drakken smiled and laughed briefly, his tone and eyes intense "Yes, it is the best plan I've had, even better than the Li'l Diablos!" he placed a hand on hers, squeezing it gently as he continued. "And I have you to thank for it. Before things changed like they have, I could never have done something like this! You are my inspiration, my raven-haired beauty! I'd have never thought of using the PDVI as a trans-dimensional energy tap, power converter and amplifier had you not asked me to describe what it does!"

"Yes, Drew, you're brilliant," the woman whispered, kissing the angle of Dr. Drakken's jaw. "I'm just glad I could contribute in some way to your genius. But don't go ranting like you used to, you do tend to go into areas or concepts that are so far beyond everyone it gets frustrating, sometimes to the point of anger..."

"Yes, and that's another thing you've taught me since we started being... Like this..." A soft smile spread across Dr. Drakken's face at this admission, and he drew one of her hands hand up to kiss it gently. The woman sighed as he released her hand with a soft caress. "I... I'm sorry that my ranting annoys you, it's... Just something I do, I guess. But at least you finally explained it to me without the hurty-time." Drakken said with a smile and a chuckle. The woman agreed with a sultry chuckle of her own, her hands sliding around him to massage his upper arms and tickle ever so gently along his neck.

"And now that I have the PDVI," Dr. Drakken muttered, looking at the device sitting next to his arm, "I can work on integrating it into the plans I already have. I think-..."

"I think you've done just about enough work on this tonight." she interrupted with a husky whisper, dousing the flames and reaching around him to take the computer's mouse from his unresisting fingers. She saved the modifications he'd made to his plan and shut down the machine, before unclasped the top button of his overcoat. She unzipped it to his waist and slid her once again glowing hands underneath, grazing her fingernails gently across his chest and abdomen, opening the jumpsuit more as she did so. "As they say, all work and no play..." she said a bit louder, her voice huskier as she looked at their reflection on his computer monitor.

Dr. Drakken closed his eyes as she began to nibble on his ear again. He slowly slipped off his gloves, setting them next to the PDVI, and reclined his chair a bit. She eased her lithe, athletic body around the back and onto the arm of his chair, gently settling herself across his lap. Slowly she leaned down to brush her black lips teasingly across his. Her raven hair tickled him as she pulled back, the locks spilling across his now exposed chest. "Hmmm, yes, that could indeed be part of the reason I've... Failed so much in the past." he admitted quietly, "I took my time with the lil' Diablo plan, and almost succeeded..."

"But you still didn't take enough time, nor did you unwind enough after each little success, did you, Drew?" the woman inquired as she unclasped her collar and unzipped the green and black catsuit she wore to her hip. She straddled him as she slipped her arms out of the top half of the suit, guiding his hands to her uncovered, well-shaped breasts.

"No, I never really did..." he answered, at a loss for anything else to say to the beauty above him.

A hissing moan escaped from her lips as he began to knead the mint-hued flesh, gently rolling the deeper green of her hardening nipples between his thumb and forefinger. "You didn't have me... With you... Like this..." she murmured between the gasps his light pinching brought forth from her. "You... Never had time... Before... For anything like... This... For us..." she eased her body forward and placed 

her hands on the chair back next to his head, her hands gripping tightly as she began to grind against him. "It's been... So long since I'-..."

As tears misted in her eyes, Dr. Drakken moved his hands to her mint hued face, his gentle caress silencing her in mid word. His gaze was beginning to match the heavy lidded desire he saw in her brilliant emerald eyes as he whispered to her, "But now we do, my sweet, sweet Sheegsy. You convinced me of that the first time we were together, and now I'll always have time for you..."

"You promise?" she begged, a few tears sliding down her face as she heard his words, before she beamed a bright smile at the nickname he'd given her.

"Yes," Dr. Drakken answered firmly. "We'll take the rest of the night for relaxation," he whispered, then gasped as she drew his arms around her and leaned into him, grazing his neck with her teeth. "And perhaps tomorrow, as well... So long as you're not busy with our plans?" he added in a whisper.

She shook her head negatively in answer to his question, her smoldering stare telling him to be with her more than a thousand words could. "Never too busy for you, Drew, Will you let me be yours, for as long as you'll have me?"

Dr. Drakken answered by grasping his lover's hair, pulling her mouth to his in a heated, lustful kiss...

Author's Notes

OMFGWTFBBQSauce! Okay, what the hell did I just do here? The fic's complete? What the hell? Didn't I promise a lot of answers? Didn't I say that a lot of things were going to be explained? Have I turned my back on my readers, coughed out a crappy ending, and disappeared into the holidays? Has the author gone mad? What's going on with Drakken? How creative is Miss ANThropy? I thought Shego and Kim were friends? And what the hell is going on? Will Ron find out that Shego loves him? How do Kim and Shego remain friends if they got hots for the same sidekick? Would Mitt Romney ever win a presidential nomination?

Okay, all this and so much more, mainly because kgs and I did a lot of talking, and we sort of concluded that this is a good point to end the fic, with just the defeat of a powerful bad guy. But the story's not over, I'm moving on to the second arc of The Human Element series. Yes, now I'm turning it into a series instead of one huge, long fic. Besides, it sort of makes sense to split things up. I had the cliffhanger, the buildup, the suspense and I think this is the finale of the first part, where everything seems back to normal. Seems… Wait. It's all confusing to me too.

Couple of things to add, first of all, I'm taking a break, deservedly, I hope, between Christmas and my birthday. Wow, that's pretty vague, huh? It won't be long, I'm sort of making up for it, by doing a double post, chapter 19 and chapter 20 pretty close together. Then I'd sort of take a break, find my center again, and in the meantime, write out Chapters 1, 2 and 3 for the second book of The Human Element.

We're still debating on a title, kgs is pushing for The Human Element 2: Dysjunction. I'm thinking either The Shego Element, or The Kim Element, or maybe Chemical X, where you mix sugar, spice and 

everything nice and you get… Okay… bizarre sidetrack there. There are a lot of other plausible titles, maybe The Human Dysjunction is good. Or The Human Element: Revelations. Then we have a Matrix cameo. Or not...

By the way, if Sheegsy is familiar to you guys, it's because I used Sheegsy in my other oneshot, The Days and Times of Middleton County. To be honest, I sort of had something like this planned out already, and while I was writing for that contest, I decided to use that name. Glad to see someone lost their lunch over that name.

Another thing that we both want to mention is chapter 9 and how it seemed disjointed in relation to the chapters surrounding it. That was a chapter in which we had planned on a few more major revelations of Shego's background, other than the ones revealed early on. Unfortunately, it was posted with no beta reading. The reason is that kgs-wy lost his mother during that time, and so was unable to do much of anything at that time, so he hopes the readers understand. We hope within the next couple weeks to have 9 re-beta read for a much better flowing story, as well as chapters 1 through 3 in which kgs wasn't involved as the beta-reader/co-author.

Oh yeah, speaking of kgs, the last bit was mostly written by him, he said he wanted to do that part, though I think he just wanted to throw some lime in the story (I think he's practicing for his Christmas fic...). After all, this is an M rated fic, so why not have a little bit of citrus? Heh, oh well. Anyway, yeah, merry Christmas, and I'll see you in 2008.