Words: 2618

Originally Posted: 3/25/18

If you've been reading The Other Side of Justice, I've got plans to continue it and I'm working on it.

If you read CW back in the day… Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? I've got something simple planned out for this, how much I actually do depends on how popular this will be though.

If you're new here… CW was my attempt at a magnum opus before I could really manage it. The rest of the story is a mismatch of subpar writing and decent edits, mixed in with sloppiness where I sped through certain sections because I let the reviewers get to me. As we near this story's 9th birthday, I figured I'd put a little more love into this. For those wondering, the breakfast scene is pretty much the last thing I really had planned out for this back in the day. Everything after will be brand new.

Enjoy.

~VLU

The door didn't open until the knocking had gotten insistent. It was just loud enough to be heard over the din of the television inside, and the knuckles emitting the noise was raising to knock again when the door clicked and began to scoot inwards.

Inside, a head of orange hair peaked out, paused a moment, then let the door open the rest of the way. Outside, the porch light gave a low buzz, attracting a few large moths that breezed out of the manicured bushes to thunk against the bulb. Illuminated beneath, two figures in dark blue stood, their hands idly clasped behind their backs, chests raised and shoulders tucked back.

They looked similar, both sporting hair dark enough to be black in the night. Both had tan skin and only modest height, with faces disciplined into steely scowls.

"William," Anne greeted her guests. "And… Betty, it's been a while."

"Since we pulled your daughter out of the Amazon," Betty agreed. She stood up next to her subordinate and tilted her head towards the door. "May we come in?"

"Hmm…" Anne stood for a moment, the only sound coming from her a hum and the clicking of her tongue against her cheek. But, then she stepped back, sweeping an arm out to direct the pair inside.

The inside of the house was dark was the outside. The lights in the living room were off, replaced by a occasional boom and blinding light from the movie that was playing inside. Further down, the entrance to the kitchen stood, dimly illuminated from inside.

Ignoring the awkward stiffness of the two behind her, Anne led them to the end of the hall and into the kitchen. It seemed unchanged from the last time Will had been there, everything was perfectly ordered and in place, save for a kettle on the stove that was lightly steaming and a teacup nearby.

"Tea? Water?" Anne offered, stepping up to the bar to let the two sit.

They both shook their heads before Betty spoke, "Sorry, the pleasantries will have to wait. We're on the clock."

"I had this figured for a business visit," Anne quipped, then sighed. "What mess has Kim gotten into this time?"

"Hmm…" For just a brief moment, Betty seemed at a loss for words. Will said nothing, instead standing to the side of both women with a steely resolve.

Meanwhile, Anne was staring them down. Her eyes were much like her daughter's, a darker green capable of twinkling mid-smile. They were also capable of narrowing, like now, into thin slits that had captured the two before her like mice in a trap. Those eyes kept them both standing there, rigidly still, as Anne lifted her tea and sipped quietly at it.

"We believe that your daughter may be in danger," Betty finally relented, cutting into the silence.

"Betty," Anne smiled amiably around her tea, "don't treat me like a child by dancing around the subject. My daughter is always in danger."

"Well…" Betty stopped, glancing very briefly towards Will, who was still standing frozen beside her. "Last night Shego attacked a Global Justice office."

"Attacked?" Anne asked, subtling tasting out the out-of-place word Betty had let slip. "Not, 'broke into'?"

"Attacked. We think she might be growing more dangerous, or angry. At least a dozen dead, a few survived with critical injuries. We're releasing it as a severe fire, so your silence on the issue would be appreciated."

"I have no interest in running to the press," Anne replied. Her tone shifted, growing lower and more serious, "Now, what does this have to do with Kim?"

"We believe she was involved. She was also sighted with Shego- outside of missions- several times in the last few days. Will and I are concerned that Shego may be trying to influence or control her." She sounded serious, in Anne's opinion, and Will looked serious where he was standing. He had a dour expression on, tilting his regular stiffness into something more somber. Yet, in Anne's eyes, Betty could see a calmness, as if there were a storm of anger lurking beneath the surface and they were sitting idle in the center.

"Betty," she called lightly, dangerously, "I told you not to treat me like a child. There were many things you could have said to get my assistance, but if you're going to come into my house and lie to my face, I'll have to ask you to leave."

Will gawked. For a brief second, anger flashed over Betty's face, her eyes scrunched and focused.

"Kim is in danger-"

"From you. Betty, William, I honestly don't care if you decide to cover up GJ's corruption and incompetence, but the moment you come to me asking to see my daughter it becomes my problem. Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you. You do not want either of us involved here."

"What have you heard?" Will asked.

"There are recordings from that attack," Anne answered. "Things that will be released if I feel like my family is in danger."

"We're not your enemy," Betty said, but her words sounded flat to everyone involved. "Some good people died last night, I just want to get to the bottom of this. Kim was there, and we need to talk to her."

"I don't doubt that you will get to the bottom of this, but don't go looking for my daughter for answers. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be."

A Short Time Ago, Not To Far Away…

Shego was just starting to drift off when a sharp slap woke her up. She lifted her hand, rubbing her wounded shoulder, then shot an annoyed look at the offender.

"You kidnapped someone!" Kim hissed, loudly, in her face.

She shrugged, laying back against the table, face flattening into the glass surface. "Might have."

"Yeah!" Chris continued, his voice growing seemingly louder and more obnoxious by the moment. "Like I was saying, she walks in and just punches this mo-fo in the face. Broke his nose! Blood was spewing everywhere, I about lost my lunch, this other fairy goes white as your ass-"

"Shego!" Kim hissed once more.

"To my credit, I didn't kill anyone who didn't have it coming," Shego mumbled.

The next words died a slow death before they could escape Kim's mouth, which hung open a moment before she slowly shut it and pursed her lips. As Kim looked over Shego, her brow furrowed, but the anger and annoyance had faded. The glossy look she was giving, like she was near tears, could have been pain, but Shego saw it as worry.

Shego herself still had the pall of a ghost, dark bags under her eyes contrasting her unusually pale lips. Her hair was matted, with a greasy sheen to the black strands, and was starting to tangle around her head, framing her face against the table. Her jacket was ripped all over, her pants missing one leg, and her leg wrapped up tight with bandages and gauze.

Kim wasn't much better. Her shirt was stained with blood, similar bags hung under her eyes as they did for Shego, dust and soot from several firefights covered her exposed skin. Nothing seemed as important to her as the look she was sharing with Shego, to the point where Shego hadn't realized time was still progressing until Chris smacked his palm against the table, jolting all three of the women.

"...and that's when she collapsed on the door," Chris finished.

Kim turned to him, tearing her eyes away from Shego to adopt a confused look. "Huh?"

"Yeah, right after she saved you. She hit the door and just croaked. Good thing I was pre~pared for shiz to go down!"

"Thanks," Kim said. Her expression softened, smile gracing her face for a moment, before she turned back to Shego. Her eyes had just started to drift closed again. "I'm not sure what I would've done without her."

"I'm still alive, you know," Shego mumbled.

"Barely," Kim whispered, quietly reaching out to run her hands through the dark locks. Shego let her eyes slide open while Kim combed out some of her hair, only stopping when she reached the crisp ends. "This..?"

"Grenade."

"Shego… I don't want you to die."

"I'm not planning on it," she replied with a smirk.

"Still, be careful…"

"Gay…" Chris whispered from across the table, only to receive a quick backhand to the gut. He coughed as he doubled over, giving his sister a glare. "I didn't say it in a bad way."

"Let the lovebirds have their moment, ass-face," Monique shot back, before turning to Kim with a sickly-sweet smile on her face. "GF, pretend I'm not even here."

"Too late for that," she replied dryly. The siblings went back to quiet, annoyed arguing between themselves and Kim found that, despite her words, it was easy to pretend they weren't there. Her attention was back to Shego, who was slowly pushing herself back up to sit next to her.

They were in a booth tucked into the back of a bight breakfast diner. Most of the motiff was retro, fifties car chassis' mixed in with sixties stools and forties sci-fi designs. The sun was still barely peeking out over the ocean to the east, covering much of the city in the greys of that moment just before the colors of dawn burned across the skye. Around them were only a few people, mostly college kids drunk or high after a night of partying, and between them were emptied plates from the first good meal they Kim and Shego had eaten in days.

In that moment, the entire world seemed smaller than the gaze between them. As if the details in their eyes, the emotions fluttering across their expressions, had more nuance than the sunrise over the ocean or the city waking from its slumber.

"...right, GF?" Monique asked, echoing for the third time before Kim actually blinked to look at her.

"Wha-?" The noise Kim made wasn't even a real word, just a high-pitched squawk that sent Chris chortling.

"I said, I'm looking forward to getting to a hotel and getting myself an actual bed and a shower. You two look like you could use the same."

"Can't," Shego replied behind a yawn. Monique gave her a quizzical look, but Kim shook her head.

"She's right. People died last night… and we weren't really subtle. Everyone is going to be looking for her."

"Mexico's pretty nice this time of year," Shego said in way of agreement. She was leaning back next to Kim in the booth, trying to get more comfortable, eyes closed once more. Kim was just sitting back, her spine a little more rigid than normal, arms tight to her side, like she had lost some of her boisterous confidence.

Monique looked between the two, from the exhausted villain to the suspiciously quiet hero. It took her a few moments of drilling her gaze into the girl before she could tell what was wrong with the picture.

"You're not coming back, are you?" She asked.

Shego's eyebrow raised, one eye open but half-lidded. It took her a moment to follow the girl's gaze back to Kim.

"We have some things to talk about," Kim replied. "And… I don't think I'm ready to go back home."

"What'd I miss?" Chris asked, glancing between the three of them.

Shego lazily shook her head. "Go home, Princess. People are going to worry about you if you run off, and you need to rest…"

"I'm not running off," Kim argued, "I'm going with you."

"Go. Tell your parents and tell your boyfriend that you're alright. I'll be around."

Kim groaned, then gave a huff of annoyance. "Shego…"

"They are gonna be worried about you, GF," Monique cut in.

"They'll understand," Kim said.

"Will your boyfriend understand why you ran off with a villainess?" Shego mumbled.

There it was again, those two words that Kim was starting to grow very annoyed with. She knew how it looked, and she knew that Shego was just using the words to push her away, to give her little shoves back into her own life so she didn't have to think of all of the implications that had arose over the last night. Shego had followed her, Kim had nearly killed a man to protect Shego, Kim had kissed her. But, to everyone else, there was still the issue of 'your boyfriend', as Shego put it.

"Ron would understand," she said, so quiet Shego and Monique almost didn't catch it. "Because I told him everything, and we agreed it would be best if…"

She couldn't finish the words. When she glanced up, the two girls were balking at her. Monique had a suspicious, empty smile plastered on her face, Shego looked like she was utterly speechless, for once.

"You…" Shego started, then swallowed her words. "You broke up with Ron?"

"For Shego?" Monique added.

"I broke up with Ron because it wasn't fair to him, or you. I was confused- I am confused. But I can't- I would never string him along if I was seeing someone else."

"Wait, wait… What?!" It was Chris who shouted. Tucked into the booth beside him, Monique was holding her hands over her face.

Shego had gone from looking shocked to looking wary, eyes focused on the redhead like she'd just grown horns. "Let me get this straight… we're dating?"

"We're married, Shego," Kim corrected her. A moment later, her head caught up with her tongue, and a dark blush creeped up from her neck to cover her cheeks, before her face slipped between her hands to hide.

"You know what?" Shego grumbled. "You're right, we do have a lot to talk about. Monique, douchebag, it's been a pleasure, but my wife and I have a flight to catch."

"Oh, em, gee!" Monique squealed, wiggling in her seat. "Christoff, did you see that?! Aren't they so cute together?!"

"Mo'..." Kim whined. "Have mercy… What I meant to say is that I went to Go City to talk to her, and she came to Pacific to talk to me. We might as well stop running back and forth..."

"GF, you're my BFF, but I gotta lay it down straight for you. You just admitted, in front of God and yours truly, that this flaming hobo next to you is your one-and-only, minister-ordained, ring-and-everything, wife."

Kim's face was beet red, hidden except for a single eye which poked out from her hands. On the other side, Monique was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Shego, isn't it time to go?"

"Mah baby's all growed up!" Monique shouted.

"Yeah, hun, time to go catch that flight."

"Y'all kids bring me lots of gran-babies!" Chris added.

Shego and Kim stepped out of the diner, ignoring the laughter and catcalls coming from behind them. Kim stood on the sidewalk a moment, giving Shego time to limp up next to her. Outside, the city looked no different than it would any other day. Cars drove past down the tilted, one-way street. A trolley jingled in the distance as it trudged along its rails. Men in suits and women covered by heavy jackets lumbered from one street to the next, trudging off to their offices.

For a brief moment, it seemed like a perfectly normal day to Kim, then she felt a hand slip into hers, and Shego's body lean up against her for support. When she turned her head to look, Shego's face was right against hers, eyes curiously looking over her features.

"Mexico?" Shego asked.

"How about some place cold," Kim replied.

"Sweden?"

"That sounds nice."