A/N: Now, some of you maybe wondering why I am posting a story belonging to Visigoth. Well, as you may have noticed by my frequent run ins with kt over a certain "Bunny Eradicator 4000", such things as "creative rights" and "copyrighting" don't really mean that much to me so...
Kidding. Just kidding. Actually Visigoth has retired from the KP section of the site (a horrible thing indeed, but yes, it can happen). She then decided to put her fic up for adoption, and I volunteered to take care and finish it. These first 16 chapters are all hers, and will be marked as such in the chapter title.
Change Isn't Easy
by
Chapter One: Every new beginning...
Disclaimer: I own nada. This is a non-profit fictional piece.
--
She's gone.
The one person who ever truly cared about him had passed away.
She's gone.
She had always been there when he needed her. Sure she could be annoying at times, but that was part of what he loved about her.
She's gone.
So many things that he wanted to do. So many things that he wanted to tell her. So many things that were put off, because there was time to do them later. Then what he had thought would be years to do and say all those things had been cut down to a matter of weeks. Drew Lipsky, more widely known as Dr. Drakken, was no fool. He knew that this day would come; given the circumstances it was inevitable. But there is a difference between knowing and truly understanding. As he sat by the hospital bed, holding the now limp hand, he began to understand. Never again would she bug him about finding a girl and settling down. Never again would he hear her say 'my little Drewbie.' Never again would she kiss his forehead and make all the pain go away, if only for a little while.
Momma... momma you can't die... you can't leave me alone... I still need you...
Drew Lipsky held his mother's hand tightly, bending his head down as the sobs racked his body.
It does not matter that you know one day your mother will die. When that day comes, you will find you are not prepared.
--
The funeral was held at a small church in the retirement community where Mrs. Lipsky had lived. Drew was a little surprised at how many people attended. His mother had led an active life, and her retirement was no different. At least she wasn't lonely while I was off wasting my life. All that time spent trying to take over the world, and failing. Beaten by a teenage girl, no less. What have I gained? He looked around at the crowd and noticed that with the exception of Shego and Motor Ed, he knew no one. Motor Ed was Mama Lipsky's nephew. Shego had come more out of a sense of obligation than mourning. All the rest of the attendees were friends of his mother. It seemed strange to Drew that she had touched so many lives, yet as far as he could tell she had never tried to take over anything but his love life. In addition to the turnout, there were literally dozens of flower arrangements from people too far away to make the funeral. There was only one arrangement that was from someone he knew; a rather lovely carnation bouquet from the two Doctors Possible, their daughter Kim, his arch foe, and Ron, Kim's sidekick.
The minister droned on about full lives and better places. There was nothing else to say, really. What does one say at a time like this? No words could help ease the loss, not that the blue skinned next of kin paid them any attention. He just wanted it to be over.
He wanted it all to be over.
He didn't see the point in going on with things as usual. When you see someone close to you pass away, you start to question your own life, and the direction it is going. Drew didn't like the path he was on anymore.
The time had come for a change.
--
The lair had been terribly quiet and boring, Shego thought. After the funeral, Dr. D. had retreated to his room to 'get a handle' on the last few days. No plots were in the works. No death rays were under construction. There was a conspicuous lack of ranting about the many wrongs done to a certain blue skinned man by an uncaring and unfair world.
Simply put, it was beginning to un-nerve Shego.
It wasn't like Dr. Drakken had never faced adversity before. How many times had he been beaten and imprisoned after that little red haired nuisance and her blond buffoon of a boyfriend foiled yet another plan? How many times had she been imprisoned as well, for that matter? They had always snapped back, another plan ready to go.
But this time was different, wasn't it? This wasn't just a scheme gone wrong. He had lost something he couldn't replace and there was no guarantee he would recover.
Where would that leave her?
Shego never admitted to herself that she needed anyone. She wasn't consciously admitting it now, but she realized that she didn't want to change the status quo by losing her boss. She didn't have the technical expertise to go it alone, and she certainly couldn't see herself working for some pompous jerk like Dementor or a sleazy corporate smooth talker like Hench. Besides, she was... comfortable with Drakken. There was a mutual understanding between them. She would insult him at will, but still follow his instructions. He would ignore her insults, and keep paying her to do interesting things. It was the ideal arrangement from her point of view; she was doing what she wanted to do, and didn't have to worry about curbing her naturally waspish personality. Drakken had someone to do his "dirty work" for him. No attachments, no personal feelings...
Yeah. Definitely no feelings. Whatever made her feel better when he was around, it wasn't personal attachment.
Just as Shego reached this conclusion, Dr. Drakken finally came out of his rooms. "Shego," he said, "tell all the henchmen to meet in the lunchroom in half an hour, please. I'd like you to be there also."
This did little to calm her anxiety.
--
Drew was watching the henchmen slowly file into the lunchroom as Shego walked in, her typical bored expression firmly in place. "Okay, Dr. D. This is everyone in the lair. So what's the occasion?"
"Patience, Shego. All in good time." He looked at the faces of the people who worked for him. Mostly they appeared to be curious, if somewhat anxious. After all, when an "evil genius" calls a meeting, it usually isn't a good sign. He cleared his throat to make sure he had everyone's attention. "Let's get started."
"Now I know you are all curious as to the reasons for this meeting. Let me assure you that nothing bad is happening. In fact, I think you will be quite pleased with what I have to say."
"You all know of recent... events. I have become more appreciative of the value of family and friends. I have also developed a desire to spend some time alone. To this end, I am granting everyone here two weeks with pay to use as you see fit. It is my hope that you would use this time to visit family, friends, loved ones... but it is your time to use." The men simply gaped at one another, stunned at what they were hearing. "I also understand that some of you might not have the resources for such travel and vacation plans. Therefore I have prepared a small present for each of you. Shego, if you would help pass these out?" He handed his green skinned assistant half of a stack of envelopes, which she took with some curiosity. Until the Bueno Nacho fiasco, Drakken had never kept his plans from her. The envelopes were unmarked, so she simply started at the opposite end from her boss and handed them out to each of the henchmen. Soon she began to hear exclamations of surprise from the ones who had opened their 'present'. In each envelope was a stack of hundred dollar bills. Twenty five of them, to be specific. "I trust each one of you will behave responsibly with this money; I don't want to hear of anyone losing it in a poker game or similar nonsense. Do something that will make you happy, and I expect to see signs of that when you all return. The vacation begins now. Enjoy. Shego, will you come with me?" With that, Drew turned and headed towards his office. Shego's sense of apprehension was growing with each passing moment.
Once in the office, Drew went to the large window that overlooked the central area of the lair. A slight smile formed on his lips as he watched the celebration. "It's amazing how happy you can make someone with a handful of cash," he observed as Shego joined him.
"Yeah, it works great for getting rid of people for a while. So what are we doing while they're gone?"
"We, Shego?"
Shego blinked in surprise. "Doi, yeah we! When have you ever done anything without me that didn't end in disaster?"
Drew's smile never changed as he went to his desk and opened a drawer. "Who said I was going to do anything? I want everyone – including you – to enjoy a nice vacation. And since you are more of a partner than an employee, you deserve something a little more ... extravagant." He handed Shego a very thick envelope. "I took the liberty of scheduling the first stop on your vacation. It will only be for a day, unless you change your mind and wish to stay longer."
Shego opened the envelope and was surprised by the rather impressive stack of hundred dollar bills that she held in her hands. There was at least ten grand. She was equally surprised, but more annoyed, at the plane ticket to Go City. "Doc, I appreciate the gift, but ..."
"I know, Shego. But as I told the rest, I now appreciate how valuable family really is. I know that they still care for you, no matter what you've done. And I think that you might care for them. There is only one way to find out; use that ticket. If you spend a day with them and decide you really don't want them in your life, fine. Then you have the rest of the time and money to do whatever you wish. I'll even add extra days onto your vacation." Drew sat in his chair, folding his hands together on the desk. He seemed to study them intently before he continued. "You should find out now, Shego, whether they really mean anything to you. Not later, after someone is gone. It's too late then. Don't waste time. You don't get any more of it."
Shego was now beginning to see just how hard the death of his mother had hit Drakken. "Look Doc, I know that these last few days have been hard for you to handle, but my family... they aren't like your mother. They're... they're..."
"Pushy?"
"Yes. Exactly."
"Always telling you what to do?"
"Especially Hego. Always thinks he knows better than me what I should be doing."
"Sounds a lot like my mother, actually. Some people would call that taking an interest in you and your life."
"Taking an interest in me is one thing Doc, but Hego wants to run my life."
Drew stood and walked to the other side of his desk where Shego had perched. "Then talk to him and tell him how you feel. Perhaps your brothers feel the same way, and together you can get Hego to stop being so overbearing. Do the same with Mego and his self centered ways, and whatever problems you have with the twins as well. Clear the air, Shego. If all goes well, then you have your family back. Worst case scenario, things are the same, but you at least have told them how you feel and why you have gone on with your life without them. Either way, you tried. That's the important thing."
"ALL RIGHT, all right! I'll try. Just stop with the philosophy, it's giving me a headache. I'll give them one day. After that, I'm not promising anything."
"That's all I ask. You should probably start packing and making plans for the rest of your vacation. I don't expect you to spend all your time there, as it is probably best to take these things in steps. You'll have to catch the plane in Miami. It's an afternoon flight, but you'll have to leave here early in the morning to make it there in time."
"Why don't I just fly the hover car to Go City?"
"The American air defense systems have been dramatically improved over the last few months, and they tend to react badly to unidentified aircraft. I would hate to see your vacation cut short because you are running from the military."
Shego nodded her head. She had noticed that it had been much more difficult to sneak around without drawing at least a few curious and heavily armed jets. "Good point. So I fly low and make like a boat headed for port. What are you going to be doing while everyone's gone?"
"Oh I have a few minor projects to finish. Nothing special, just odds and ends. Then I want to enjoy some quiet time for a change. We're on an island in the Carribean, after all. No need to go any further than my own back yard for a relaxing break, right? I might even try this 'fishing' that everyone else seems to enjoy."
Shego managed not to laugh at the image of Drakken with a fishing pole and a hat with lures all over it, but she couldn't keep a sarcastic smile and comment from her lips. "Try and get some video of that, okay? It's sure to be a big hit at the next villain's convention!" Shego's face then turned thoughtful. "Then again it will probably be more fun than a day with my brothers. I'd better start packing. But first I need to figure out where I wanna go, then make reservations..."
"You'll have time to make more plans in Go City, Shego. You might even want to invite them along, if things go well."
"Not likely."
"Well, I'm giving you three weeks, if that helps. You can figure out where to go next once you're finished visiting the family."
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Shego's concentration had obviously shifted to other things. Things which did not involve the blue skinned doctor she was currently ignoring. "Hey, I haven't been to Australia in a while..." With that, she got up from the desk and walked away from her boss, thinking of beautiful beaches and guys with accents.
"Have a nice trip, Shego," Drew called after her. His face betrayed his disappointment at her lack of response. What did I expect? Hugs? Kisses? She's here only for the money and thrills, and I'm just something she has to put up with to get what she wants. Shaking off his depressing thoughts and focusing his concentration, Drew Lipsky opened the side drawer and removed a small digital recorder from a hidden compartment. Well, soon she won't have to put up with me at all...
Shego wasn't the only one who had plans. Drew also had some things planned. "Shego," he began to speak into the recorder, "if you are hearing this, then it means something has gone wrong, and you have survived me..."
MORE TO COME...