Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people in this story or in this universe. All credit to their existence goes to whoever made them.

Kim felt pain as she flew back against the wall. "How did it come to this?" She wondered, feeling her body topple down onto the floor, a sharp gasp of pain escaping her lungs. Normally when her and Shego fought, she would win, or something would happen that would cause the two to become distracted and they would grudgingly call it a draw only to leave to deal with their respective problems. But this time was different; this time there was something wrong, something else that she had never seen before: Shego was the better fighter. With no distractions and nothing to stop them, it was like Shego was a totally different person.

The world was turning dark, the sound fading into nothing as Kim lay on the floor in excruciating pain. That's when she felt something fall on top of her, crushing her into the floor. She would have screamed, if the mere act of breathing didn't send pain like sharpened daggers through her chest. The most she managed was a loud gasp of pain before the world hazed over and blackened even more.

Kim's eyes closed slowly with the darkness, and her last thought was of Shego and even in the haze of pain, the thought shocked her.

"Now she'll never know how I feel."

And with that thought, Kim Possible slipped into unconsciousness.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Shego watched Kim fly backwards into the bookshelf hidden in the wall. It was like it all happened in slow motion. After she had kicked her arch foe in the chest, time seemed to slow down to a creeping movement, everything happening so slow that it seemed days went by when it was only a few moments. Shego watched Kim sail away from her, the sickening crunch of broken ribs seemingly echoing through the small room that Kim had deemed "The Ring" for their final match. Kim only had a few moments on the ground before the bookshelf toppled over on top of her, and Shego watched in awe, and in horror.

She had finally defeated Kim Possible, finally stopped the thorn in the collective side of the community of evil. Shego felt proud, powerful, excited and … guilty? No, that couldn't be, she was Shego, the greatest fighter of her family, Drakken's not so secret weapon, the strongest person in the evil world. So why did she feel guilty about hurting the person that should naturally be her enemy?

After the incident with the Lowardians, Shego had taken a much needed vacation. She had disappeared off even Drakken's radar just to find some peace and quiet, to get away without being disturbed by her idiot boss or even to be tracked by Kim. She just needed to get away, to relax, and to have some time to herself. But during all the time, one person kept creeping into her thoughts: Kim Possible.

Shego thought of all the times they had fought, all the times she had either lost or never gotten the chance to complete a duel with her arch-enemy. Shego thought of all the times that she had held back in their fights, all the times she had been outsmarted or even unprepared and even underestimated the girl, all of it had been her undoing. But what stung the most, through all the defeats and humiliations, was Kim's declaration of hatred towards her. Shego had never gotten over that, she had never truly understood it, and she had never been more hurt in her life than that moment.

But during her vacation, Shego had time to think, time to remember everything. If Kim hated Shego, why had they bothered to banter like old friends during fights, why had Kim never truly beaten her again even when she had the chance, it couldn't all be because Kim was "good". But the most puzzling of all, why had Kim actually forgiven and bonded with Shego after her behavior had been modified? Either Kim Possible was emotionally incapable of hatred, or there was something more going on, and Shego thought she had known the girl long enough to know that Kim knew exactly how to hate a person.

It had confused Shego forever, bothered her, and even annoyed her to the point where she lost sleep over the thoughts in her head. So, when Shego came back from her vacation, she had resolved to challenge Kim to a final duel, just the two of them. No holding back, no Drakken or Ron to interrupt or bother them, no schemes or plots, no tricks or traps, just a good old fashioned one on one fight. It had taken a while for Kim to reply back, or to even accept, but Shego was relentless with this, even hounding her at home and at school, always under the banner of peace.

Three months later Kim had met Shego at Senor Senior Senior's old house in the ocean, something Shego had conned out of him in a bet to see whether or not Junior would become a pop star in prison or not. And true to form, Kim showed up alone, honoring the deal that they had made. Shego led Kim into a room large enough for their acrobatic fighting styles to work well, an old study that had been converted into a training room by Shego over the months.

And so it led to this, Kim falling onto the ground, the bookshelf crushing her beneath it, and Shego feeling very conflicted about what had just happened. As Shego's foot came back to the ground, settling herself after her kick, she put on a cocky smile, something she did to hide her emotions from people, her hands on her hips.

"What's the matter Kimmie? I thought I said no holding back … seems to me like you're going easy."

She waited for the response, but there was no sharp tongued witticism that Kim was known for, no come back, and the bookshelf remained in place on top of Kim. A thought ram through Shego's mind in that moment, something dreadful, and something terrible. Shaking her head, Shego put her gaze back onto the bookshelf, her eyes softening just a bit.

"Kim?"

She waited again, and still there was nothing. The silence was growing disturbing and making Shego worry, a feeling she never knew she was capable of. Shego took a slow, cautious step towards the fallen bookcase, a multitude of emotions and thoughts running through her mind. Had she really succeeded where so many had failed before? Had Shego finally defeated, or better yet, killed Kim Possible? She felt glee, pleasure, excitement, relief, but worst of all … she felt pain. She had prepared for this moment for so long, had prepared herself for the day that she had defeated Kim Possible, but she never expected to feel such overwhelming pain.

Shego ran forward and slid down onto her knees, throwing the bookcase across the room. She ignored the splintering wood when it hit the far wall; all that mattered right now was Kim. Shego threw books left and right, to get them off of the red-haired heroine. Shego stared down at the motionless body of Kim Possible, buried beneath the books that had once occupied the shelf. Shego pulled off her gloves, letting them fall to the ground as she rolled Kim onto her back, gasping softly at the sight.

"Princess?"

Kim Possible was bleeding, a sight that Shego thought that she would never see. Her breathing was shallow and labored, air escaping her lips in short, wheezed breaths. Blood was flowing from Kim's nose, and some of the red liquid was trailing out of the corners of her mouth. Shego ran her bare hand along Kim's cheek, smiling softly, filled with concern now, every other thought forgotten. Kim was still alive, but she was in pain, that much Shego was sure of. Shaking the heroine gentle only brought about a loud groan of pain, and after that Shego resolved to just let her lay as still as possible. She had to get help, but who could she call? No one would believe the word of a villain, and Shego wasn't a doctor, she knew nothing about helping people, only hurting them. That's when it came to her.

Shego started to pat down Kim's pockets, searching for her beloved Kimmunicator. She found it in Kim's left pocket and turned it on, waiting for the answer at the other end, a soft chuckle escaping her lips as she glanced down at Kim.

"You'll owe me two now, Princess."

The screen flashed on after a bit of static to show Wade on the other end, rubbing his eyes groggily as if he had just woken up.

"Hey Kim, how'd the fight with She-SHEGO?"

"Relax nerdlinger; I'd never use this if I didn't have a good reason. I need your help."

"Again? I told you last time that-"

"Just shut up and listen alright! Kim's hurt, I need you to get someone out here and fast."

"Alright, just give me a few minutes. Alright, I called Middleton Hospital; they're sending a team out now, fifteen minutes at most."

"Thanks Wade."

Shego turned off the Kimmunicator and let the device fall to the floor gently. Shifting a bit on the floor, Shego placed Kim's head on her lap and brushed some of her hair out of her face. Taking one of Kim's hands in both of hers, Shego leaned down and kissed Kim's lips softly, whispering gently to the young woman on the floor.

"I'll stay with you until you get better Kim. I promise."

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Just like Wade said, it took exactly fifteen minutes for the medical team to show up. They wrapped a neck brace around Kim's throat, lifted her up onto a gurney and wheeled her into the chopper. Shego stayed with her the whole time, watching the medical crew work on her supposed foe. She didn't understand why she stayed, it wasn't very villainy of her to stay with the woman that was supposed to be her arch-enemy and make sure that she got proper medical treatment. But at the moment, Shego just didn't care at all, all that mattered was that Kim woke up to see the next day and get better so that she could keep foiling plots all around the world.

When the medical chopper landed on top of Middleton General Hospital, Shego followed the crew into the building before they told her that she wasn't allowed into the room. She argued with the paramedics for a while before relenting and walking back up onto the roof. Standing on the helipad, Shego stared at the helicopter sitting unattended. It wouldn't take much to steal it and fly far from here, but she felt no desire to do that. Instead she felt angry, angry that she didn't get to stay with Kim. Shego could feel the familiar itch of her plasma about to burst from her hands, the need to give in to her frustration and go find a good fight somewhere, something to help her relieve the stress. But when she thought of doing that, the image of Kim laying on the floor under the book case, bleeding and broken, and the sound of her wheezing, and pained breath came into her head. She wasn't in the mood to do that to someone else, not today.

Turning back around and walking into the hospital again, she walked up to the nurses' station and asked for directions to Doctor Anne Possible. The nurse directed her to the third floor of the hospital, where the surgeries were done. Shego walked into the elevator and pressed the button, watching the doors close. Shego rode the elevator to the third floor alone and in silence, thinking over every emotion she had felt that day. Taking a deep breath, Shego steeled herself for what she was about to do.

The bell went off to announce the arrival onto the third floor and Shego stepped off the elevator, walking down one of the many corridors. The doctors and nurses on staff moved out of her way when she walked, afraid that she would snap and hurt one of them. She wasn't surprised, she was supposed to be evil after all, but she wouldn't hurt them. Shego wasn't the type of person to hurt an innocent without a reason. I mean sure, she was just thinking of fighting some poor bastard somewhere, but it wouldn't have been some helpless innocent at their day job.

Shego found the office she was looking for, the door wide open for people to move in and out as they pleased. Anne Possible sat behind her desk, looking through files and appointments, a slight frown on her face as she read silently. Shego leaned against the doorframe, watching for a moment before she finally knocked on the door. Anne looked up, a smile on her face the disappeared the moment she saw Shego standing there.

"What have you done to Kim?" Anne said, glaring death at Shego. Holding her hands up, Shego stepped into the room and closed the door, turning back to face Anne, who had moved around her desk and up right in front of Shego. Anne looked so much like Kim it was scary, but Shego couldn't think about that right now, not with Kim upstairs and unconscious. Shego opened her mouth to speak but before the words could come out, Anne slapped her across the face.

Shego's head jerked to the side, and she felt her hands curl into fists, her claws digging into her palms slightly before uncurling. The slap was uncalled for and made her angry, but the moment she actually saw what she looked like, she understood immediately. Her green fight suit was stained with bits of blood here and there, Kim's blood. Her hands were also covered with the red liquid from keeping Kim's face clean. It made her look as if she had just left a murder scene. Bringing her head back up, Shego stared into Anne's eyes for a moment before looking down at the ground and speaking slowly but clearly, explaining everything to the mother of her foe. Shego told her about the challenge, about the fight, about calling Wade and the ride to the hospital. She left out all the emotional turmoil and the small kiss she had given Kim; she didn't feel that it was worth mentioning.

Anne stood there in silence, listening to Shego explain everything to her, her arms crossed at her chest as she glared at her daughters arch-nemesis. When Shego was done talking, Anne just stood in silence for a moment, thinking everything over and weighing Shego's words and appearance. She had the look of a mother protecting her cub, something that made a shiver run down Shego's spine. She had only ever fought Kim, but something told her that where her daughter was concerned, Anne Possible would kill whoever tried to hurt Kim. And that scared Shego just a bit, because she believed with every fiber in her being that Anne was perfectly capable of it.

"She's on the fifth floor, the paramedics said she'd be ok … she just needs rest."

Anne only nodded before walking past Shego and opening the door, heading down the corridor towards the elevators. Shego stood in Anne's office for a moment longer before turning and following her down the corridor. The two women got onto the elevator together, riding it to the fifth floor in silence, the air between them thick with tension. The bell went off and the doors opened making Shego let out a breath of relief before getting off the elevator with Anne and walking down to Kim's room. Shego stood outside the door to the heroine's room for a while, watching Anne talk to the doctors and even checking Kim herself, before taking a seat outside of the room.

Running a blood stained hand through her black hair; Shego took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind and think of what to do next. Why had she called Wade? Why had she stayed with Kim? Why had she gone to talk to Anne? But the most pressing thought of all, why had she kissed Kim?

She thought she would feel revulsion at the memory, but instead she was filled with a slight feeling of happiness, of pleasure, like it was right. Shaking her head, Shego leaned back in the chair and groaned in frustration. She couldn't leave though; she made a promise to stay with Kim until she got better. A soft smirk crept across Shego's lips as her eyes opened to stare at the ceiling. There was only one thing to do, no matter how much she may imagine that she hated it. She would stay with Kim and help her get better. After all, Shego always kept her promises.

XXxxxXXXxxxXX

Two Weeks Later

Kim awoke to the sound of steady beeping and groaned with frustration, thinking it was the Kimmunicator going off again. Sometimes she felt that using the device as an alarm clock wasn't always the smartest move, but it was what she had and she worked with it. She tried to reach out to slap the device until it quieted down, but when she felt herself raise her arm, a sharp pain ran through side. Wincing, Kim lowered her arm back down, and that's when the memories came back: the challenge, the fight, and then blackness.

Kim tried to open her eyes, feeling her lids flutter softly as they opened slowly, only to close again at the intensely bright light above her making her groan.

"Is it some sick joke that they put the hospital lights right above a person's head?"

Her voice was hoarse and cracked from lack of use. Kim felt thirst, and hungry, and the overpowering need to have something more than hospital issue pudding. That's when it hit her, truly hit her. Kim Possible the invincible was in a hospital bed, and not for something minor like getting her tonsils removed. Rolling her head off to the side, Kim opened her eyes slowly, the darkness fading lightly through the haze of her eyelashes and eye lids to be greeted by all the well wishes of her friends and family.

Get well soon cards and balloons floated on a table off to the side, even a few gifts clearly from Wade like little floating monitors with flashing images and words floating across the screen. Sitting in the center of it all though was something that made Kim smile wide even in her half-awake state.

A limited edition Pandaroo sat in the middle of all the cards and balloons, a card in its arms as it stared at her. The words "Read Me" were written across the front of the card in neat writing that looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Kim's senses were slowly returning to her, and she really wished that they wouldn't come back. Well, maybe sight and hearing, the rest could leave her alone. She really didn't want to feel how much pain she was in. Her eyes adjusted to the light of the room slowly, and she could hear something that sounded like quiet breathing.

Turning her head to the other side, Kim gasped loudly. Shego was sitting in the chair on the right side of her bed, her head down and she appeared to be sleeping. Kim tried to sit up but that only made her pain even worse and she yelled out lightly in pain, making Shego stir and wake up. Kim immediately became worried. What was Shego doing here? Had she come to finish the job? That was low, even for Shego, but when Shego lifted her head up to see Kim staring at her and wide awake, Shego's face lit up in a wide smile.

"Hey there Princess, you get some good sleep?"