I don't own these characters.

A/N: this is the long-requested sequel to New Blood, which came out a year ago. You should read that before this to find out what's going on. If you read "New Blood" then you're clear to read this and I hope you enjoy it.

Also, there will be more Kigo-y goodness here. The M-rating actually kicks in right here.

New Life

1: Sunrise

Shego yawned as she put down a file that she was reading, moving it from her face, but keeping it in her hand. She maintained a tight grip, not wanting the papers to spill out on her already messy bed. Her room was full of files and papers, all read or needed to be read, but she tried to keep them off of the bed if she was not reading them. Her bed was a mess because she refused to make it.

She glanced at the clock on her cheap nightstand with droopy emerald eyes to see that it was six in the morning. The numbers were a little blurry and she rubbed her eyes, which had bags and lines underneath them, with the hope they would clear up. No such luck and then she yawned again. I need to take my ass to bed. I'm exhausted. Her body was in agreement with her, but also in disagreement. Despite years of being nocturnal, her body still fought against it most of the time, wanting to be washed in the wonderful rays of the sun like in the past.

Shego needed the sun. Her entire being desired to be kissed by the life-giving star. Her body reminded her of that much of the time when she was about to go to sleep and the sun was in the sky. Her body would fight off sleep, no matter how tired she was. Sometimes, she gave into her body's desire for the sun, staying up for the whole day. Every now and then, she stood in front of the apartment's bay windows in the living room and imagined that she was sunbathing as the rays poured into the place. All she could do was imagine it now because she was not allowed outside when the sun was up.

Shego was a prisoner, after all. She was in Global Justice's custody and the only reason that she was not locked away in most secure, darkest, deepest, foulest jail cell on Earth was because of one person. Well, one vampire, who was making her presence known just as Shego thought about her.

The convicted felon was taken from her thoughts as she noticed a lump in her covers. The lump began making its way up to her. It actually took her brain a moment to realize what that lump was. Her charge was being naughty again.

"Kimmie! What've I told you about just appearing in my room?" Shego huffed as the redhead curled up next to her. Kim made sure that the black blanket covered her whole body.

"Comfy," Kim muttered with a yawn, showing off her fangs, as she settled into the warm form that she was against. She smiled softly as she started to drift off to sleep already.

"And damn it, be more careful! My blinds are open," Shego pointed out in reprimanding tone as she reached for a remote control and the blinds slammed shut, cutting out all of that wonderful sunlight that Shego's body longed to be caressed by. Not that her body was complaining about the weight against her now.

"I'm fine," Kim countered as if she was in no danger at all. With her eyes shut, she let her roommate know that she was well on her way to dreamland. She had not even been thinking about the sun or the blinds when she came in, only lying next to the older woman was on her mind.

"You could've been hurt, though," Shego argued with concern in her voice and worry glinting in her eyes. She pressed Kim closer to her, more for her reassurance than anything else that Kim had not gone up in flames thanks to those few moments of sunlight hitting the bed. Kim's pale skin was as smooth and flawless as always, but Shego worried.

It was not an uncommon occurrence for Shego to allow her emotions into her voice or expression, but only when she was with Kim. Spending six years with the redheaded vampire had allowed her to open up to Kim in ways that she never would think about doing with anyone else. It helped that they were really the only contact they had with sentient beings outside of running errands for Global Justice, but they did not think that was the end-all-be-all of their very deep relationship.

"I'm fine," Kim repeated, sounding a bit annoyed now because she wanted nothing more than to sleep against just about the best pillow in the world.

"What're you doing in here, anyway?" the pale woman inquired with an arched eyebrow. She changed the subject because Kim was right; she was fine. Nothing happened, so it was time to move on. Besides, she did not want to be a nag.

Shego knew Kim disliked it when she harped on and on, beating a dead horse so to speak. Shego did it out of concern, first because she had been the one that rescued Kim and felt that she was responsible for the redhead's wellbeing. But, now, there was more to it than that. They were all they had in the world for the moment and Shego did not want anything to happen to the best thing in her life.

Kim knew that, but she still got irked when Shego pestered her. It was like she was being treated like a child, but she tried to keep an even temper about things. She usually made her mood known through her gaze and her tone, even though she almost never yelled. She made the attempt to stay calm most of the time to avoid things getting awkward. She had to live with Shego, after all.

"I wanted to cuddle you. It's easier to do that in your bed than in my coffin," the younger woman explained as she held in a yawn.

Shego could not argue that one and shrugged a bit, making sure to keep her grip on Kim. It was much easier to cuddle in the bed. She adjusted her arms around the smaller redhead, embracing her with care and love. Kim smiled to herself while putting her arms around Shego, which caused a small smile to creep onto the green-skinned woman's face. Looking at them now, it would be hard to believe that either of them had been a little upset a few moments ago.

"Just cuddling, though," the raven-haired woman warned the little vampire in a firm tone, her eyes fixed on Kim. Her gemmed eyes softened with each second that passed as they watched the petite blood-drinker.

"Yeah, just cuddling," Kim agreed with another yawn, showing off her fangs again for the moment that her mouth was open. Most people probably would have been scared to see Kim's fangs, but Shego had gotten to the point where she thought that Kim yawning was cute, especially when she showed her fangs.

Shego looked down at Kim as her breathing evened out, letting the former villainess know that the vampire was sleeping already. Despite being a vampire, Kim was still human in many ways. She actually wanted and needed to be reminded of that, too. Shego was the same, but Kim was more honest about it outwardly and inwardly.

The redhead still needed physical contact and affection from a person, which Shego openly offered now. Being with Kim like that let Shego know that she, too, was still human because she needed the same things and Kim eagerly delivered them. They brought each other a great sense of peace that most people probably would have killed for if they only knew it existed. Now, if only we weren't prisoners of freaking Global Justice and we could just enjoy our freedom along with this really nice peace.

Glancing down at Kim, Shego brushed some of her lush crimson hair from her pale face. "What would that be like? Freedom and peace? Can you only have one and not the other?" Shego wondered and she tried to shake the thoughts away. Her mind wandered down another road then.

They were all that they had at the moment. Hell, Kim might be all I ever have now, the pale woman thought. She was going to be "in jail" for a long time, so her brothers might possibly forget her, or even worse, disown her. Drakken would probably forget her, too, not that she cared… or so she told herself. Sure, she had rediscovered her emotions thanks to being with Kim for six years, but she still could not admit that she might actually care about her goofy brothers or nutty employer.

"Care?" she scoffed. It would be ridiculous to care about those guys.

Shego would actually rather not think about her brothers or Drakken because it would be a long time before she ever saw them, if she ever saw them again. She did not think it would do her any good to let them linger on her mind, considering she might start longing for them or changing her memories to ease away any upset feelings that might come up from being without them. Her family was lost to her, as far as she believed, but she was not going to let the same thing happen to Kim.

"You're all I got left and I actually find I like being with you. Not that I'm going to go spreading that around or nothing like that," the felon commented in a low tone, her gaze still fixed on the sleeping vampire in her arms. "It's because of that and because I promised you, that I'm going to do right by you, Kimmie. I'm going to cure you, even if it means you might leave me. I just… I want you to be okay," she whispered and hoped to God and Hell that Kim really was asleep.

Kim seemed to sense the words from Shego and snuggled closer into her, rubbing her nose into Shego's neck. The vampire whimpered, a pleasant and delighted sound. Shego could not help smiling softly to herself.

"You better not bite me in your sleep," Shego halfheartedly warned the immortal. It was not something that she ever honestly worried about, but she liked having something to say when they seemed to be getting close to a truly tender and downright cute moment.

Once Kim settled, Shego's eyes wandered from the vampire to around the room. She looked at the piles of books and files stacked in every corner. She had read it all, been through it all, at least a hundred times each. She was not going to stop anytime soon, though. She would keep her word and she would make sure Kim got what she deserved, a normal life.

"You've got people to get back to, Princess. I don't have folks like you. You've got serious loved ones, though. I'll get you to them, just like I've said before," the older woman vowed.

One of the reasons Shego still worked so hard on studying folklore and finding a cure for Kim was because she did not want the redhead to lose everyone that ever cared about her. There were still people out there waiting for Kim and Kim was waiting for them. She refused to let them miss their chance, even if it meant that she might lose Kim. After all, Kim would no longer be a prisoner with her if she was cured of her curse.

Shego looked down at the sleeping vampire again. Her eyes seemed to be mixed with two emotions, sorrow and fondness. "You wouldn't just leave me like that, would you?" she said to the air in a hopeful voice. She doubted that Kim would just leave her, but they would be parted anyway because she would still be a GJ prisoner. No matter what she believed that she would end up alone.

The thought of being alone swirled in Shego's stomach, settling in a pit and trying to grow out every time she considered what might happen when she cured her little vampire princess. The feeling always tried to roar into a full-blown storm in her body, but she refused to allow that to happen. She quelled her own emotions and just reminded herself how much she cared about Kim and how she wanted the best for the redhead. Kim would feel the same if their roles were reversed. It was only the ability to force the feeling away that saved Shego from falling into an abyss of melancholy that would have consumed her like monstrous beast.

One of them was going to end up alone anyway. Shego resigned herself to that long ago. If she cured Kim, the redhead would have to leave her. After all, GJ was only keeping Kim because she was a vampire. They would have no need or right to hold her when she was human again.

If she did not cure Kim, then the vampire was going to live forever. Shego was not sure how her body aged thanks to that meteor strike years ago, but she doubted than damned rock granted immortality when it was passing out superpowers and new skin pigments. She felt like Kim's eternity alone was far worse than her lifetime of loneliness, so she figured that gave Kim's crisis more priority.

"How dare you make me care so much about you," Shego muttered as a joke, even though caring so much made her ache and agonize whenever she realized that one day she was going to be without Kim.

The raven-haired thief knew she did everything to herself. She was the one that went out of her way to find Kim, she was the one that brought Kim to GJ, and she was the one that decided stick close to Kim to keep the vampire out of trouble. She had done it all to herself and if given the chance, she would do it all again.

Shego smiled again. "I probably felt this way even back then and didn't realize it… Nah," she said and shook that off. She was very aware she did not feel any deep emotions toward Kim like she did now back then. But, no matter what, she knew she would do everything she did for Kim all over again if she had to.

Shego would probably do it much faster if she got a do-over. Before, Kim was just a source of entertainment for her, but now, Kim was something she could not even describe. Kim was more than a friend to her, more than a lover, more than a mate, hell even more than a soul mate. She did not know what Kim was to her. Their relationship was beyond words, gestures, and anything else that people used to communicate.

"But, then again, it's probably because we're all we have," Shego figured.

They could trust each other no matter what and that came from years of codependency, if what they had could be considered codependent. After all, Shego could have easily avoided this whole mess by minding her business and could still walk away if she had no problem being locked away in one of GJ's special cells. Kim needed her for food, sanity, a reminder of her humanity, and other things. But, do I need Kim for those things as well, not counting food anyway?

They were the only ones in the world that understood each other, although they seemed to understand different things about themselves. They were the only ones on the planet capable of reminding the other that they were still human. Shego kept Kim from believing that being a vampire made her a monster and Kim kept Shego from thinking that she needed to be closed off from everyone. It was a tough job for both of them, but they were there for each other no matter what, which was why Shego was cuddling Kim at the moment, and loving every second of it. I guess we are codependent.

They had actually gotten so dependent on each other that they really could not imagine being apart. Sure, Shego could think about, even for a few moments, how she would end up alone when she cured Kim, but she could not go any further than that. She could not picture her life without Kim now.

Kim did not even think about life without Shego. To her, in her mind and soul, that did not even seem to be in the cards. Sure, she believed that she would be cured, but her thinking did not go further than that. Life without Shego to her, hell, that was like telling her to think of life without her right arm. It just did not happen.

They would possibly crumble for a while if they were separated. Not knowing up from down or how life could even go on. But, they were Shego and Kim Possible and falling apart never lasted long with them… or at least it turned into some dangerous fury quickly. Most people would probably pity someone that tried to separate Kim and Shego; and it had happened before. It was not a pretty sight.

It was definitely safer to just leave Kim and Shego to their own devices, like their snuggling at the moment. They were both quite content with the warm contact. It was like their souls were caressing each other, comforting and loving each other.

The duo had done more than cuddling. Hey, they had been together for six years now, with only each other. Perhaps, it started out as just a physical need, but by now it transcended the physical. It was something else that could not be described with any form of communication, but it was utterly fulfilling on every level imaginable and many that were not imaginable.

Their sexual relationship had started off rather awkwardly, seeming almost accidentally. Shego just doubted that it was a total accident because of Kim's enhanced senses. If anything, she would accept that it was Kim's subconscious that drove her to do something quite weird.

-*-(Flashback)-*-

Kim wandered into Shego's room, being beckoned by tiny noises that her sensitive ears were picking up. There was a strange, but spicy aroma that seemed to originate from Shego's quarters, too, and despite the fact that Kim only feasted on blood now, she licked her lips as the smell hit her nose. The fragrance seemed so delicious that Kim could almost taste it on the tip of her tongue, so she followed her nose, wanting some.

The vampire found the door locked. Shego's door being locked was not something new. She often locked her door when she did not wish to be disturbed while she did her research. Kim simply ignored the unspoken command that the lock door presented; the command being "go away." Her curiosity was sparked and it needed to be satisfied, which meant she needed to go into Shego's room.

"Nice try, but no cigar," the vampire commented under her breath with a snicker.

The redhead brazenly used her powers to get passed the locked door, becoming mist to seep through the space between the door and the floor. She found it to be a tighter fit than usual since Shego put a towel down to block that area. It seemed that she was intent on keeping her blood-drinking roommate out for once. Kim did not mind since she easily found a small space to fit through.

Kim materialized on the inside of the door and found the room covered in darkness. She could see just as easily in pitch black as in light, so the dark did not bother her. Turning her attention to the bed almost automatically, she almost did not know what she was looking at when her eyes fell on Shego. Her eyes had to try very hard to stay in her skull from the sight when she figured out what it was. The raven-haired woman was sprawled out on her bed, her head buried in her pillow to muffle the noises coming from her mouth and with good reason.

Shego was on the bed totally naked, apparently trying to work out some personal frustrations. She had one hand fondling her own supple breast and the other was buried below her waist, blocked from view by her black bed sheet. She faced the wall instead of the door, so she did not see Kim and her usually sharp senses were too focused on her current task than trying to pick up on the fact that she was not alone.

Kim just stared for an undetermined amount of time, not being caught and totally enthralled. Her mouth hung open slightly and drool threatened to spill from her lips whenever she heard her roommate moan. Her eyes did not blink as they roamed Shego's glistening form, which had worked up a sweat from the activities. Her hand reached out, but her feet did not move yet.

Amazing, Kim thought with her eyes still glued on her lovely roommate. Just incredible and beautiful… and a million other words drifted through her mind to describe the scene.

A tiny voice in Kim's head told her that she was doing something wrong. She needed to get out of there and stop intruding in on Shego's private moment. She could not find it in herself to listen to that voice. Hell, her body probably would not have obeyed her if she did want to listen to it. Something deeper, more powerful had over come her. Instead of leaving, Kim stepped further into the room.

The noises continued to assault the vampire's ears, calling her closer to the source. Her body hummed and throbbed with each noise. Shego's moans filled her ears and sounded louder to her than if a helicopter was in the room with them. There was something just enchanting about the sounds and Kim wanted to discover why it was like a siren's call to her.

The vampire shamelessly marched to the edge of the bed, getting a much better look at her roommate's most intimate parts, pale, glistening, and wonderful. From her new position, she was practically hammered in the face by the scent that haunted the halls of the apartment. Her breath hitched in her chest as she took in the heavenly musk while focusing her eyes to stay open to take in the sight. She located the origins of the smell, dew that was washed over Shego's working hand. Kim began leaning closer without even realizing it.

"Kimmie!" Shego shrieked and jerked as she noticed the vampire at the foot of the bed.

Kim jumped back when she heard her name called. She then looked up at Shego, green met green. Now, they both knew that they should be embarrassed, but they had other options and they went with those. Shego settled on being furious while Kim had little choice in remaining intrigued.

"Princess, what the fuck have I told you about sneaking into my room!" Shego bellowed while quickly covering herself with her blanket and sheet.

"Don't do that," Kim pled in a heady tone, her mouth working without any permission from her brain. In fact, her brain had checked out the moment she sneaked into the room; it did not want any part of the trouble that she was about to get into. She did not need her brain for this anyway. She boldly stepped closer to the bed.

"Kim, get the hell out!" Shego ordered harshly, her face distorting as she spoke thanks to her anger. Damn it, does this girl never listen? She only needed some privacy to take care of some rather natural business for a little while and Kim had ruined that. Damn, hardheaded, non-listening vampire brat!

"No," the redhead said simply with surprising firmness. Her tongue came out to wet her bottom lip briefly, tasting the air and needing more. She settled onto the foot of the bed and ripped away the cover that hid Shego's nude form from her. She drank in the perfect figure. It was like Shego had been crafted from marble, a pure work of art.

"Hey!" Shego hollered indignantly. Her eyes shone with fury, but underneath it all, she was confused as hell. How was she supposed to react to Kim wanting to see her naked? She then got more perplexed as Kim leaned down, closer to her core. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"

"You smell good, makes me hungry," Kim replied, licking her top lip as if she planned on feasting right there. Her breathing had increased to the point where she was practically panting. Her eyes seemed clouded over, like she was intoxicated. It was a look similar to one that she got when she caught the scent of fresh blood from Shego and she was exceptionally hungry. Her current look was foggier than the other, though.

"You better not bite me down there!" Shego figured she might have to kick the vampire in the head if she even thought about biting her there. It was bad enough that Kim had interrupted her, but now she was going on about being hungry while eyeing an area she damn sure was not allowed to touch.

"I don't want to bite you. I want to drink you," the redhead stated as if it was obvious.

"Kimmie, if you put a fang near anything down there, you're not going to live long enough to regret it," the raven-haired woman retorted with a growl, shaking her fist at Kim.

"No, that's not what I mean. I want you."

"You want me? Since when? You're straight as an arrow, Princess," the former villainess reminded her roommate.

Kim shook her head, like she disagreed with that assessment, even though as far as she knew, Shego was damn right. She could not explain it. All she knew was that she wanted Shego and she wanted her now. The urge was only getting stronger as she breathed in that powerful aroma coming from Shego, even though the green-skinned woman had stopped being aroused a long time ago. She leaned in closer and now Shego could feel warmth breath tickling her skin. She squirmed.

"I've got to try this," Kim muttered and her tongue snaked out of her mouth under its own accord.

Shego was about to yell at Kim some more, all around annoyed with the vampire's strange behavior. Her words were halted in her throat as she felt Kim's tongue on her. She was not sure what had come over the slender redhead, but at the moment, she did not care as long as Kim did not stop.

"Oh, god, Kimmie," Shego moaned, hand drifting to the back of Kim's head, pressing her closer. Kim did not voice a complaint, instead lapping at Shego like a kitten with cream.

It was that night that Shego discovered an interesting fact about Kim; the redhead had a long tongue, a long, enthusiastic, curious tongue. When she felt it slide inside of her, Shego thought her heart stopped for a moment. Licking, sliding, massaging, Kim's tongue did it all. Shego practically became a puddle for the vampire that night and could not yell at the redhead for over a week.

-*-(End of flashback)-*-

Thinking about that first night of sexual activity caused Shego to shift a bit, trying to quell down any rising arousal. She would end up disturbing Kim's rest if she could not squash the feeling. Kim's predatory senses were so good that she practically smell Shego's mood changes from yards away without looking at the older woman. Kim moved against her, which alarmed Shego.

"Uh, think about something else, something not sexy. Betty in a bikini," Shego whispered to herself and that pretty much put out any fire that was trying to rise in her system. While her tastes in finding people attractive had always been a bit wide, she would never think that of Doctor Director. There was no way in hell that she would ever think of the woman that arrested her, was keeping her and Kim prisoner, and seemed to think that they were both science projects as sexy.

With that crisis averted, Shego breathed a sigh of relief. To avoid any other mistakes, she figured she might go back to looking over the file she had before Kim made her sudden appearance. Instead, she glanced down at Kim and started thinking about that first night again. She guessed that it all happened because Kim's hormones got the better of her after her other senses made her curious. After all, Kim's body was still seventeen years old and it unfortunately would always be that way. Her hormones lucked out since Shego was not against returning the favor when it came to sex.

Coupling with them had started out as an activity to relieve frustration, or boredom once they got more comfortable with doing it. But, like everything with them, it grew deeper with time. Now, there was affection, love, and need connected with the act each and every time that they did it. And they did it often because, well, Kim was stuck in a seventeen year old body. There also seemed to be something more to Kim's appetite, but Shego was not sure what it was. She was leaning toward it being that Kim was a vampire, but she could not say that for sure. Something just made Kim crave sex often.

Shego shook those thoughts away because she really did not want Kim to wake up. She had things to focus on and Kim needed the sleep considering the mission that they had last night. So, she turned her attention back to the file that she had been looking at.

"If this is right, it might just be time to get the hell out of here," Shego muttered with a nod.

She yawned suddenly, which reminded her that she had been going to sleep. She closed the file and placed it on her nightstand. She turned out her lights using the remote that closed her blinds. She then snuggled into Kim, pulling the covers up to her chin. Settling into her pillow, she shut her eyes and thought about the future.

They were going to be away from GJ soon enough and if everything went well, she would be able to cure Kim. She would worry about what would happen after that later on. All she wanted to do was keep her promise to the redhead now and return the younger woman to real life, not the plain, dreary existence they shared right now, not that Kim complained about their existence.

Shego knew that Kim was a "glass half full" kind of girl and she guessed that was why Kim's complaints had tapered off over the years. She could see in Kim's eyes though that she longed for things to be normal again. Kim wanted to be human again, even if she had come to grips with being a vampire. There were moments when they were out when Kim paused and Shego could see envy in her eyes as she watched people doing every day things, hanging with friends, talking to each other, or simply going home.

Kim wanted to be able to see her family again, even though it might mean that she would have to leave Shego behind. She wanted to be friends with Ron again, even though he moved on with his life to a degree. She wanted those things and Shego wanted to be the one to deliver them. It would mean that she able to keep her word and do one thing right for someone that she cared about.

-8-8-8-8-

Kim woke up around noon. She found herself resting on her arm awkwardly and had to shift her position a bit to get comfortable again. She yawned as she settled back into Shego's body. She glanced up at Shego, just to watch the older woman sleep for a moment.

She smiled to herself because it was rare for her to get the chance to watch such a peaceful sight. It was nice to see the pale woman not running herself ragged trying to find a cure for vampirism or fretting about GJ missions. Shego was a more stressful creature than Kim would have given her credit for six years ago and she blamed herself for that.

She knew that Shego was a slacker for the most part, but the felon was now so hell-bent on helping her that she tended to work herself almost to death over things. Kim was flattered by the effort, but also tried to make Shego slow down some. It was not that she did not want to be human again, but she did not want Shego to die trying to find a cure for her.

Kim softly kissed Shego's chin. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She quickly shook that thought away. She hated thinking about Shego possibly dying. Not only would she feel like it was her fault since Shego had been put in the situation thanks to her, but she would also be alone after that. The thought of being alone frightened her more than anything else, especially since she believed that Shego was the one thing in her life that kept her sane now. Without Shego, she was certain that she would turn into a monster.

Kim continuously felt the tug of being a predator underneath the surface. Her inner demon, as she looked at it, even came out sometimes. When people pushed her too far, pressing far too many buttons inside of her, she had snapped and it almost always included teeth. She had not bitten anyone yet, but she had come close.

Shego was the one that calmed her down when such things happened and kept her from doing anything that she might regret later. She especially hated when she started looking at humans as something lesser than she was, therefore undeserving of any sort of feeling from her. Shego's presence alone made her stop feeling that way seconds only after it burst to the surface. Shego was her peace and her humanity.

"You keep me balanced," the redhead said to Shego and she placed another gentle, small kiss to Shego's chin.

She cuddled closer to the sleeping green-skinned woman. Shego was her saving grace. It amazed her most of the time when she thought about it, but she accepted it quite happily. She liked being around Shego and she liked to think that it would last as long as they both lived. She tried never to think that she would probably outlive Shego by centuries if she remained a vampire. She often did not even consider that she would remain a vampire. She had faith in Shego to find a cure.

She supposed that her faith had grown out of the fact that Shego was the one person sticking it all out with her. Shego was the person that saved her and the first person that she remembered after all of the torment that Adrian put her through. Shego was like her superman at first, but now Shego was her friend and lover and she just trusted the green-skinned woman with every fiber of her being.

"Thanks," Kim whispered to the older female, even though she was asleep. It was not the first time that she thanked Shego and she knew that it was not going to be the last time. She was sure she would be able to make it through anything as long as Shego was still in her life.

Shego probably would have been more than surprised to know that she was the reason that Kim was always so optimistic now. She would have been even more surprised to know she was the light in someone's life, especially Kim's life. She sort of sensed it, but to know would have knocked her for a loop and one day Kim planned on telling her. The redhead knew it would just light Shego up and she was looking forward to doing that. If she told her now, though, it would probably just add more pressure and stress to Shego. So, for now, it was Kim's secret.

With that in mind, Kim fell back to sleep with a smile on her face. She cuddled into Shego's neck while making sure that she was still covered completely with the blanket. She sighed contently in her sleep, feeling as she sounded quite often.

-8-8-8-8-

"Come on, Princess, get up," Shego said as she slapped the redhead rather hard on the rear end.

Kim snorted in her sleep while swatting at the older female, trying to keep that hand away from her ass for once. She was not ready to get up if her "cheery" demeanor meant anything. Shego frowned and hit her again. The redhead yelped and turned so that her butt was not facing her roommate anymore.

"Pumpkin, get your lazy ass up," Shego huffed, hitting the vamp again, smacking her thigh now.

"I don't wanna go out tonight," Kim muttered in her sleep, whining slightly.

Shego sighed and rolled her eyes. Every now and then, Kim did just get into her sleep to the point that she did not want to wake up. It often happened when she stayed up with the sun out, like she did earlier.

"Fine, she wants to do this the hard way, then we do it the hard way." Shego cracked her knuckles, raised her hand as if she was about to do a claw strike, and slashed down on her wrist. She hissed in pain and her face twitched while Kim shot up at the scent of fresh, sweet blood.

"What're you doing?" Kim asked curiously as she gently took Shego's wounded arm in her hand.

"Self-mutilation. It's all the rage I hear," Shego replied sarcastically as the vampire ran her warm tongue along the open cut.

Kim chuckled a bit while continuing to take in the flowing dark liquid. Shego stared down at her, recalling the first awkward time that she fed the vampire. To say back then Kim had been frail would have been an understatement; skeletons seemed to have more weight and color to them than Kim at the time. She certainly did not have that problem now and never would if her roommate had anything to say about it. She stopped after a while, knowing when Shego had given her limit by now. Once Kim was done, Shego went to put a bandage on her wound.

"So, we got another mission or something?" Kim asked while stretching now that she was on her feet.

"Of course, we have another mission. After all, GJ thinks we're their work horses," Shego remarked as she exited her bedroom. She walked out to the living room, being followed by her roommate.

Kim wished that she could argue with that, but much of the time, she did feel like she was Global Justice's attack dog. Doctor Director sent them on missions that tended to involve secret assaults for the most part, which Shego did not mind much. At least she got to do some fighting, but Kim was bothered by it quite a bit. They both felt used, but Kim felt like she was also being stereotyped because she was a vampire. She could be sent on missions that did not involve fighting. She did not love bloodshed just because she drank blood.

"Here's the briefing. Read it and get dressed," Shego ordered while handing Kim a folder that was on the kitchen counter.

Kim nodded and took the folder while turning around to go put on her mission clothing. She went into her room and read through the papers while jumping into her pants and shirt. She was allowed to wear her usual mission clothes, which had not changed over the years while Shego was forced to wear a GJ uniform.

Shego sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked down at the dreary blue uniform covering her and chuckled weakly. At that point, she figured that all she could do was laugh.

"Well, I'll really be getting the last laugh soon enough," Shego remarked to herself with a smug smirk. It's about time something went my way, our way. It felt good to know that she would be sticking it to GJ soon enough.

Kim trotted back out, having finished both getting dressed and reading the briefing. They exited the apartment the hard way; well, it was the hard way by most. It was the easy way to them as it involved not having to wait for the elevator. They jumped out of the windows in the living room. They went into a free-fall for most of the stories until Kim decided that it was time to fly. She grabbed Shego around the waist and they took off out of the city.

"Remember our first flight?" Kim asked.

Shego laughed. "How can I forget? You were so awed."

Kim smiled because flying still awed her. No matter where they were, the city, the country, a desert, and anywhere in between. There was something about soaring above it all. It helped her understand why her father went into rocket science. Watching the lights of the city fade, they drifted over a forest.

"Kimmie, set it down there," Shego commanded the vampire while pointing to an open field.

"There? But, we've got a long way to go and we need to make it there sometime soon," the redhead pointed out.

"Kimmie, just set us down there," Shego ordered in a tone that said she did not want to be argued with.

Kim eased them down to the ground, landing in an empty, dark meadow. "So, what's going on? What're we doing here?" the petite hero inquired, glancing around. Maybe the enemy was around and somehow she missed it. All she could make out was grass, shrubs in the distance, and some fellow creatures of the night, but none that they needed to engage.

"We're not doing this mission. We're not doing this bullshit for GJ anymore," Shego stated as if that was something normal. It was something they had planned out since they got stuck in their situation, but still the way that she talking about it made things seem like it was something they discussed daily.

Kim's face scrunched up with her eyebrow curled upward. "What do you mean?" Kim was as confused as she sounded. "This isn't really a job, Shego. We just can't quit and walk off like everything's normal." Besides, she did not halfway mind what they did because it left her being a hero in some capacity.

"Look, Kimmie, I know I said we'd stick with GJ and everything while they tried to find a cure for you, but there's no way in hell I'm sticking around anymore. They're not serious about finding a cure. At least, they're not as serious as I am. So, fuck them," Shego said soundly, pointing to the ground.

"But, where're we going? They're going to look for us. They're not going to just let us go. I mean, I'm a vampire and you're, well, Shego. We can't just get away like that," Kim argued.

Shego scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You know, for once I find myself missing your annoying optimism. You don't have faith in me?" she asked with a teasing smirk.

Kim stammered while making an incredulous face. "Of course, I do!"

Shego chuckled; she loved making fun of Kim, even now. "Well then, shut up and come on. We need to make it as far as we can before the sun comes up."

Kim nodded a bit, but her face did not show agreement. She frowned slightly and her eyebrows were drawn in. "What about the mission?"

Shego scowled right back. "Fuck the mission. We don't have much time, princess. We've got to go now or do you want to hang around GJ for the rest of your life being a little pet rat for them?" she demanded.

The redhead bristled at that thought. A lifetime of physical exams, blood tests, horrid whispers, and dreaded looks as if wondering when she was going to snap and eat them all? And, of course, there would be that moment where she did snap and eat at least one of them because everyone at Global Justice treated her like a lab rat and monster. No thank you, she decided.

"Where're we going then?" Kim asked.

Feeling better, Shego smiled a little. "Just trust me on this, Kimmie."

Kim nodded, agreeing now without hesitating. Shego smiled even more. She felt good knowing that Kim trusted her enough to not even need to know where they were going or how they were going to get away from a global intelligence gathering organization. Now, they just had to make sure that they got away, getting a good head start before Global Justice realized that they were gone.

"Okay, Kimmie, you need to step away," Shego instructed, shooing the younger female away with a flick of her hand.

"Why?" the vampire asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Because I'm not sure if I'm bugged or something and I wanna get rid of it if I am, meaning I need to flare up as much as possible. Do you want to be burnt to a crisp?" Shego countered with a raised eyebrow of her own.

Kim gulped and quickly backed away from Shego, leaving almost five yards between them. The vampire knew just how dangerous Shego's powers were to her, remembering what her hands had done to Adrian and seeing what they had done to other vampires since then. The young immortal shook her head, hoping to expel thoughts that had not even entered her head yet. She did not want to remember Adrian or what Shego's powers could do to someone like her.

Shego was not paying the bloodsucker much mind as she forced her body temperature up as much as possible. She figured she would have boiled any device that GJ must have planted on her. She also took the time to crush her communication link to GJ. It was about time that she was done with those jackasses.

"Kimmie, make sure you get rid of that stupid transmitter," Shego warned the redhead when she was done crushing and burning her own.

"Oh, right," Kim said since she knew that the communicator could be traced. She was not worried about being bugged because GJ knew that it was pointless to put a chip into someone that could become intangible at will. The second that she turned to mist, she would lose the device and she used that power quite often.

The slender hero yanked her communication device from her ear and crushed it in her hand. With that done, the pair was gone and on the run. They knew that GJ would be looking for them as soon as they realized what happened, but they did not care about that. They had no plans on getting caught and now they were free. Well, they were free for now anyway.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Kim and Shego find themselves missed by GJ, who try to get the pair back. Will they succeed?