Somewhere in San Francisco

Do these guys ever give up?

She sprinted around a corner in an attempt to shake her gaining pursuers, but her legs were burning after such a long chase. There were so many of them and they only seemed to multiply.

As she rounded yet another corner, she was met with the first beautiful sight in what seemed a lifetime; a solid, wooden, eight foot wall. The hint of a smirk graced her lips as she forced herself to go just a little faster.

One foot met with the wall, followed quickly by the second, and she threw herself over the obstacle and into what she hoped was a safe zone. She landed with a grunt and less grace than she would have liked, rolling to save herself the irritation of a sprained ankle, and began to run again, trying to put as much space between her and them.

She refused to slow for several blocks, hoping to gain as much distance on her pursuers as she could. The prospect of reaching her destination sooner was also in mind, but half the city still stood in her way. Finally, she found herself a dark alleyway off the main road and stopped to catch her breath. No one would think to look for her here in such a closed off space in amongst the garbage, right?

"It's pathetic… what I've been… reduced to," she mumbled. Her breath began to catch up, the oxygen burning her lungs as it mixed with the toxic fumes. She let her back lean against a grimy wall, knowing full well that she was going to have to wash her outfit, if she didn't burn it first.

"Reduced to? Sure you weren't always this low?"

That voice; one that used to make her spine tingle in anticipation of a fight; one that she knew as well as one might know a lover's. It had been quite a few years since she had heard that voice and she couldn't help remembering the last time she heard it.

She looked up, refusing to glance towards the newcomer, staring at the wall before her instead. She made sure to keep her peripherals on her once-upon-a-time nemesis though, knowing a fight could break out at any moment.

She let out an exasperated sigh before answering. "I see your back to being their lapdog. Or did you ever really stop being so good?" The last word slid from her tongue, dripping with venom.

"Someone has to keep the likes of you off the streets, don't they?" The other person played it off, seeming to take no notice of the loathing laced within the previous statement.

It was too sweet for her liking. "I haven't done anything wrong. So what? I got a speeding ticket and didn't want to stick around for it. Shouldn't you be chasing after the real convicts?" She did nothing to hide the growing irritation from her voice.

"As far as I'm concerned, you are a real convict. You still have to pay that ticket," the words carried the same nonchalance as before.

She pushed herself off of the wall and made to leave, rolling her eyes, "Put it on my tab."

"I'm not done with you yet," her adversary's voice left no room for an argument.

That meant little to her, the unappealing thought of listening to someone lecture her about all the things she was doing wrong posing an incredible force. "I am. Catch ya later."

"Why so unwilling to fight? Scared that you've lost your touch? Spent too long relaxing?" It never took much to provoke the other woman and her opponent knew that.

Now, she was never one to back down from a fight, but her pride, along with a little common sense, was nagging at her, warning her that there was a good chance it wouldn't turn out in her favour.

She didn't listen.

She whipped around, snarling, "If it's a fight you want, I'll give you one, Princess!" The last word was filled with so much malice it froze her opponent momentarily.

That split second, along with a quick jab to the stomach and a sweep of the legs, was all it took to take her enemy down. Her nemesis was quick to recover, falling into a back handspring and righting the stance as a fist hit the cement where their head had been moments before. She hissed in pain and quickly withdrew her hand, feeling it radiate over her bruised knuckles.

"A little rusty, I see," her opponent quipped.

She snarled and sprung at her unwanted company. A few quick jabs were exchanged, blocked and dodged by both parties until the last connected with her jaw, sending her into the wall. She growled, covering up her breathlessness and flew back into the brawl, fear of inadequacy somewhere in her subconscious. She never let it show, using a hidden anger to continue fighting back.

If she had been completely aware of how she was fighting at the moment, she would have realized how stupid it was. You never get into a fight with your emotions holding the reins, especially when there is some form of fear hiding in the far reaches of your brain. You will only lose at that rate. Not being in the completely the right state of mind, she continued with her shoddy attack.

Her enemy blocked every attack with ease and caught on quickly that this wasn't really a fight anymore. A quick duck and sweep of the legs sent her to the floor almost painlessly.

Before a foot could come down to hold her in place, she rolled and stood up, pissed off that this wasn't going her way. "You're seriously fighting me over a stupid ticket?"

"Don't tell me you don't miss it. Now, light those hands up and let's really get started." Her opponent lowered herself back into a fighting stance.

It was an attempt to get her focus back on the fight, but it didn't work. Instead, she straightened up, back towards the exit. Her eyes narrowed, something flashing quickly over them before becoming hard and guarded.

"Sorry, Kimmie, but I really have to be somewhere right now, so I'll catch you another time." The pet name burned as if mocking the owner.

She turned to leave, rounding the corner and quickening her pace with little regard to the person she left behind or the condition of her filth coated suit.

Kim spoke up behind her, "Four and a half years and that's all you have to say for yourself? You have somewhere to be?"

She scowled but kept up her pace. Couldn't she be left alone?

Not answering was probably a mistake because her once-upon-a-time nemesis kept digging, "Even Drakken continued his attempts at taking over the world. So where were you that entire time?"

"Took an extended vacation. I don't usually announce it to the world that I'm taking one," she said dryly. She sped up after realizing where she was and that up ahead was an extremely high end casino.

"For four and a half years?"

She grimaced inwardly, hating interrogation, "Did I mention it was extended?"

"Then why are you in San Francisco? Don't you usually go somewhere exotic like Greece or Italy?" Kim continued to pester her.

She groaned as if this conversation was actually causing her pain. "This is a coastal city. Nothing wrong with it." She kept her focus ahead, hoping that if she ignored her company, she would vanish. Right, 'cause that worked before.

Kim knew better than to expect a straight answer, but something about the woman's words made her suspicious. Something was definitely wrong with this situation. "C'mon Shego. You and I both know that doesn't explain why you have absolutely no time, even for a sparring match. Have you seriously been slacking that much?" She knew she had pressed the wrong buttons as Shego's jaw clenched and the tendons in her neck became visible.

"I fought you just fine back there and I would have beaten you if I wasn't so pressed for time," she snapped at the younger woman. "Why are you still following me, anyways? Don't you have a world to save or something?" she sneered. Offense was the best defense.

"Evading a simple question with one of your own?"

"It was two, actually," Shego quipped, pressing onwards.

Kim let the conversation slide for the time being, "This was the mission for the night, actually. Apparently, hundreds of cars have passed through the city."

"Wow. Cars through a city. I think it's called 'society' or something like that."

Kim gave the woman a half-hearted glare. "It wouldn't seem strange except they're mostly foreign models with supercharged engines and racing bodywork. It probably would've gone unnoticed if numerous bank accounts across the country, and some outside, weren't losing large quantities of money. Two hundred fifty thousand from each and it was all tracked here," Kim eyed her suspiciously. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Shego shrugged, seemingly innocent, "Nope."

"Right." She didn't believe her, but it didn't matter. "And to answer the other question, I'm not leaving until you pay for the ticket. Now will you answer me?"

"I don't have to do anything about any of those things. Why do you care so much, anyways?"

"You've been gone for quite a few years. I thought you were dead." She almost seemed reluctant before continuing, "And because it was too easy to defeat Drakken."

"Awe, did Kimmie miss me?" she taunted the other woman wryly, watching her.

Her opponent gave a thoughtful look, "It wasn't the same without you there. So yeah, I guess I kinda did."

The other woman sniffed and carried on with her brisk walk. She felt some sort of pride at that little detail; all the years of fighting had built some sort of connection between them. They walked in silence for the next block and a half, the few people on the sidewalk giving them - mostly Shego – strange looks, before the building she was looking for came into view.

"There it is."

"There what is?"

"The casino."

"You sped through town to gamble?" A fine red eyebrow was raised.

The other woman sighed, slightly irritated at the other woman's ignorance, "Nope. But it's a stop I have to make now."

As they neared the well-lit building, Shego began to scan the parking lot, eyes sharp and focused.

"Don't tell me you're here to steal something," Kim's voice was bland.

It was much to Shego's discontent that Kim had stuck around as long as she had, "I believe this is where we take our separate paths, Pumpkin."

"You still have to pay the ticket!"

"Fat chance." She spotted what she wanted, located on the other side of the entrance, and boy, was it beautiful. She went straight for the prize, ignoring her nagging adversary.

The car was a newer model, fresh off the factory line. Although not in her colour, it could easily be modified. She hummed her approval.

"You're not planning to steal that, are you?" Kim spoke up again, voice warning.

"What are you now? My moral compass? Go off and do your thing and save the world from the real bad guys," her words were mocking, eyes never leaving the machine before her.

"Not if you're about to do something criminal."

Shego rolled her eyes, facing the younger woman. "Haven't had your fill of screwing with my life, have you? Plus, it isn't stealing if it's from people who steal to get it. It's claiming what is technically 'freelance' equipment."

"I never 'screwed' with your life. Sure, I stopped you from criminal activity," a smile cracked over her face, "but I never actually messed up your life. And stealing is stealing, whichever way you look at it."

"If you only knew," Shego muttered under her breath, barely audible to the other woman.

"What's that supposed to me- Shego! What are you doing!"

"What? I'm not getting into this wearing this dirty suit! It's disgusting and would destroy the seats."

"In the middle of a parking lot! With people driving by!" Kim averted her eyes, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Shego saw the redheads face in the dim light and grinned slyly, "Like what you see, Princess? Or scared you might like what you see?" Before she could take the second sleeve of her catsuit off, shouting could be heard from the entrance of the casino.

Her face fell. "Oh, great." She reached into the pouch around her calf and pulled out a small metal key-looking object. She forced it into the lock on the door and began to pick it. With her skill, it unlocked within seconds, but being the newer model that it was, the alarm went off. "Oh, now isn't that convenient."

Kim's eyebrows shot up, "Did you seriously break into the car?"

Shego rolled her eyes. "No, the alarm went off just so you would think I broke in. And I'm not really getting in. It's all a hallucination." She slid into the driver seat and ran her hands over the wheel. All leather interior. Yes!

She took a second to breathe in the wonderful smell before she tore open the bottom of the steering wheel and began to play with the wires, finding the needed ones immediately. The car started with the purring of the engine as gunshots began to fill the air.

Kim ducked outside of the vehicle, a shot whizzing over her head. Shego sighed, knowing that the previous world hero wasn't completely invincible, especially to extremely fast flying pieces of metal, and rolled down the passenger window, "Coming?"

"But that is stolen pr-" A shot ricochet off the top of the car and there was no hesitation from the younger woman.

Before the door was closed, Shego slammed it into gear and sped over the curb and down the highway, accelerating well over the limit. The alarm the vehicle was emitting was attracting all kinds of attention. All of it being the worst kind.

"Slow down! You already have one ticket and you might hurt somebody," Kim clipped in her seatbelt and righted herself within the seat.

"Now you're my mother? Does it ever end?" She didn't listen to the advice, speeding up instead of slowing down. They would be on her ass if she didn't hurry up. "We have one quick stop to make before we go home, anyways. Well, two. Long night ahead. "

"What are you talking about? Drop me off at the airport. I need to get back home."

"Sorry, Cupcake. They're out looking for the both of us, so it would be wise to lay low for a while. This city will be closely watched for the next few days, but we'll be in Las Vegas before they even know we left."

"Las Vegas? That's hours away! Plus, how would I get there? Just take me to the airport now and we'll be done with this."

"No can do, Kimmie. I'm heading that way tomorrow so you can hitch a ride." As she finished, shots rang out against the back end of the vehicle. "See? That could be your not-so-bulletproof body. Now hold on tight, it's about to get fun." She shifted gears, speeding up once more, expertly weaving through the thinning traffic.

"What are you doing? You're going to get us both killed!" Kim's voice was full of panic. Sure, she had been in criminal chases before - she had even been driving with rockets attached - but this was a whole new level of extreme! This city was so much bigger and there were so many other cars and lives involved.

"Awe, Pumpkin. S'alright. I'll get us home safe and sound," her voice was heavy with sarcasm as she turned the wheel ever so slightly left before jerking it right, successfully drifting around the corner and into traffic.

"That light was red!" A few more bullets hit the back of the vehicle, several shattering the rear window into a spider web.

"The people behind us have guns. Big scary guns that might rip us to shreds if we don't hurry," She looked down at the clock on the dash. The faintly glowing numbers showed that she had a small time frame. "We've got three minutes to ditch these losers. It's about to get hairy."

Shego was going well over the limit as she drifted around a second corner, successfully heading back to where Kim had met up with her.

"Where are you going? The guys with guns are back this way along with the police. This is not looking so good for you."

"How inexperienced do you think I am?" Shego scoffed, swerving expertly around traffic and through another red light, "The guys with the guns are following us. The gunfire obviously drew the cops out of that area and they are following them. Now all I have to do is cut the chain between me and everyone else."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Kim crossed her arms, giving Shego a sceptical look. She was less than confident about her plan.

"With that," She nodded straight ahead at flashing red lights.

"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Hold on tight, Princess!"

Shego swerved around the long lines of stopped cars and into the desolate oncoming traffic lane. She only had a small window of opportunity and she had to act now.

She slammed down harder on the gas than ever before as a train horn sounded to her left, closer than reasonably possible. Cars were honking to her right, either at her stupidity or encouraging her on. Shots rang out against the back of her vehicle, danger presenting itself from every side. A smirk graced her lips at the unbelievable danger she had gotten herself and Kimmie into. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

The rest of the world fell into slow motion. The front wheels of the car hit the tracks as the train came over the edge of the highway at full force, ready to slam into the side of the car. The train's lamp shone blindingly into the vehicle for milliseconds as the back tires sped over the tracks and the train passed behind, inches away from the holey rear of the vehicle. The train's horn continued ripping through the air, even as they sped well away from it.

"Now THAT was exciting! How 'bout you, Kimmie? Still too well rested?" Her adrenaline was pumping on full as she peered through the rear-view mirror, through the maze of fine cracks and bullet holes, and to the train passing over the road, her face lit up with pure thrill. "Princess?"

She looked over to a terrified form clinging to her seat. "I saw my life flash before my eyes. Don't you ever do that again."

"What's the matter, Pumpkin? Here I thought you lived for the thrill but your face clearly says otherwise. Guess someone else has been taking it a little too easy," Shego laughed as she lifted her foot off the gas ever so lightly, leaving the men with guns and cops behind a thick, fast moving barricade.

Kim couldn't relax, not realizing what she had gotten herself into. She had done a lot of dangerous and death defying things in her life but this was not just any form of hazard. Shego was at the wheel of her life. Quite literally.

Shego parked the stolen car behind the building she called her living quarters and proceeded to the door, a somewhat calmer Kim in tow. After they lost their pursuers, Shego returned to her previous mode of transportation and retrieved something resembling a bulletproof suitcase. Kim had questioned the case, but the older woman only mumbled something about the last of her malleable assets, leaving Kim still quite confused.

They made another stop at some butcher shop in the low end of town, the car sticking out worse than a tattered dress made of diamonds in a pawn shop. Shego had left Kim in the car, saying she would be quick. Kim knew better than to leave her alone, but after the events not half an hour earlier, she figured it might be easier to stay as uninvolved as she possibly could.

Shego took the suitcase with her and, as she said, returned minutes later with a small black device that looked like a touchscreen phone. Again, Kim questioned her antics, but Shego only scoffed at her and told her this was nowhere near a five finger discount.

"What have you gotten yourself into after all these years?" Kim tried as the older woman opened the door without keys, "You don't even lock your door."

The green and black clad woman smirked, "There's nothing of any value in the house." She went straight into the shadows, leaving Kim on the doorstep.

"You don't pay electrical bills, then?"

Lights flicked on, momentarily blinding the redhead.

"That would be stupid. The idiot who built this house didn't put any of the switches in the right places. All of the lights are outside the rooms, aside from the main light, which just so happens to be on the other side of the room."

Kim blinked, eyes adjusting to the bright lights.

"Make yourself at home. Not much here in the way of 'homey comforts', but whatever. Spare sleeping clothes are in the top drawer and you can have the bed. Get as much sleep as you can 'cause the morning comes bright and early, Pumpkin."

Kim quickly gazed around the room to find Shego was telling the truth. It was quite bare for anyone to really live in; practically a room with four white walls and a table.

The older woman turned to leave, but stopped when her company spoke up, "Where do you think you're going?" Shego turned, an eyebrow raised at Kim's demand. "I'm pretty sure you stole that car from the mafia; you traded in who knows what for some other random item; you kidnapped me and are willing to take me to Las Vegas; you've been pretty much considered dead for four and a half years, just showing up in San Francisco."

A smirk grew on the older woman's face, but it felt hollow, even to her.

"I could understand all of this if you were still in the criminal business, but this looks nothing like that to me! What happened that separated you from your old line of work so suddenly? Why are you acting so shady now?" Kim crossed her arms and stared at her opponent, scrutinizing her as if she was wearing the answers, "I used to know you so well, and now I can't make heads or tails of the situation."

Shego chuckled, rolling her eyes and waving as she turned her back, "I need to get a bit of work done. If you're going to drill me with questions, at least let me keep my hands busy."

Kim followed Shego out of the house, still in a huff. She was led to an adjoining garage that had its own locking system and needed an actual code over 16 numerals long. Kim raised an eyebrow as the garage doors lifted, revealing a very new looking car, along with the space for two or three more.

"I thought you knew nothing about the cars going through town."

She shrugged, removing her gloves as she walked to the side of the car and popped the hood. There were a few things that she needed to do if she were to make it to Vegas tomorrow. She began tweaking the engine, working on some of the simpler things first. This baby hadn't been out in a little while and she wanted to make sure it was still going to run.

Kim entered the room almost cautiously, looking around at all the different parts hanging from the walls or scattered along the shelves, "So, you've started up street racing? What good has that gotten you?"

The woman's shoulders dropped as she sighed in irritation. "Hey, if you don't like what you see, you are more than welcome to go back to the house."

"No, it's just…" she paused, looking for the correct word, "Interesting."

"Interesting?" She looked up from the engine, giving the other woman an incredulous stare. "How the hell do you draw that conclusion, Princess?"

"I never thought you'd be into something like this, I guess. It's surprising that you're working with cars for some kind of underground race instead of your usual villainy," She ran her finger along a pipe, checking the dust, "It seems wrong."

Shego smirked, returning to her work, "What can I say? I gotta keep myself entertained somehow, and this was the next best thing."

Kim gave a small smile, looking at her adversary buried in her work, "And after all this time, I thought that our sparring matches kept you satisfied. You make it sound like it was me who lost their touch."

"Nah. You never lost it, Kimmie."

"If I never lost my touch, then why did you up and leave without even a goodbye match, giving all you got or something cliché like that?"

The older woman scoffed at the idea, "Because that's ridiculous."

The air filled with silence for several long seconds, aside from the sound of tools tuning up the car.

"By the way," Kim sounded, breaking the silence with stiff confidence, "I never got around to it because you left abruptly and everything," She took a deep breath, "But I'm sorry."

Shego knew what she was talking about, but she had to play stupid for her own sake, "Excuse me?"

She knew she should've looked up to make her obliviousness seem more believable, but she was fiddling with a particularly tough bolt that made for a perfect distraction.

"I'm pretty sure you remember the last time we fought. I kicked you into the electrical tower and it collapsed. That was a little overkill and I'm sorry for that."

The bolt Shego had been handling dropped down into the car as she hissed a few choice words before rigidly gripping her vehicle. She could never prepare herself enough for Kim's apology.

A few tense seconds of silence passed between the two.

"Shego?"

"And here I thought you hated me," she played it off with her infamous sarcastic tone.

Kim picked up a tool that was lying on the counter and began to toy with it, "To tell you the truth, I did at the time. I had so much to deal with and you were the easiest outlet because you were my enemy. I remember looking down at the pile of rubble and feeling like I had finally defeated my greatest opponent, but then I realized that it wasn't really a success.

"You were far below, buried beneath an impossible amount of rock and metal, and I was standing on top of a building. That's not how you win a war and feel good about it. I should have defeated you by my own hands. Over the next few weeks I felt guiltier and guiltier and went to the prison to apologize. Low and behold, you weren't there, but I should have expected that. You were never one to stay still. Seems you still aren't."

Shego stood stiffly against edge of the car, "And you're telling me all this now because your guilt made you feel obligated to do so?"

"Well…" Kim paused, again trying to find of the right words. The green and black clad woman tightened her grip as if it were the only thing keeping her stabilized. "I feel that something changed between us because of it."

The older woman snorted, voice dripping with sarcastic venom, "No. I don't know what you could possibly be talking about."

"I'm not talking about the time spent apart. Even today in the alley you didn't want to fight me and it didn't seem like you were being lazy about it. Something seemed to… distract you. I just wonder what it is that could have happened for you to back down from something that you used to love."

"I plan to fix that," the older female muttered more to herself than anything.

"By street racing?"

Her fist slammed down on the edge of the car, before she whipped around to face the younger woman, "In this particular case, yes. It's the only way I can get everything I need fast."

"What happened to robbery?"

She growled and held up a finger, "If I'm going to even think about telling you anything, I need a truce until we get to Vegas. You won't alert anyone, you won't send anyone after me, and you will not stop me with your own hands, got it?"

Kim replaced the tool and leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest, "And if I decline?"

Shego threw her arms out, "Fine. Then you have no more purpose in here, do you?"

Kim watched her for a moment, her hero complex fighting with the prospect of having knowledge. Finally, one side beat over the other.

She pushed herself off and stalked out of the garage.

Shego sniffed, turning back to her work, "Figures."

The night carried on after that, Shego continuing her mechanical work while Kim tried to get some rest. To her, it was a little strange sleeping in her archenemy's bed. The idea of spending a night in the residence of her opponent was once unthinkable, let alone inside her actual bedroom. Shego never returned that night, as she had said, which should have relieved Kim, yet sadly it did not. Shouldn't she feel good that her nemesis was outside and not coming back to possibly take her by surprise?

A few restless hours later, the sun began to peek over the edge of the mountains in the far east, casting a golden glow over everything. Shego was covered in grease and desperately needed a shower, but the sight kept her where she stood. The coffee in her hands was scalding hot in contrast with the cool, early autumn morning as she watched the sun slowly creep upwards.

"God, I hate mornings." She took a sip of coffee.

"You never did seem a morning person to me."

Shego chucked, not surprised by her visitor, "I see that you are, though." Their conflict hours before was not forgotten, but it was something that needed to be overlooked for the time being if they were to make it to Las Vegas together.

She looked over to see Kim still dressed in yesterday's clothes, now quite a bit more wrinkled with the attempt of sleep. The slightly darker circles under her eyes told her that she didn't get very much, anyway.

"Coffee's in the shop if you're looking," she nodded behind her.

Kim hummed her response and shuffled into the messy space, stretching. She returned seconds later with a steaming cup, looking a little more awake. "You didn't sleep last night?"

"By the looks of it, you didn't either."

The redhead grimaced, "Is it really that obvious?"

"Clothes. Circles under the eyes. It's not like you tried to hide it, Pumpkin."

Kim didn't respond, only taking a sip of her coffee.

Shego spoke up before the silence became awkward. "If you want a shower before we leave, I suggest you make it quick. I need one as well and my trip is much longer than yours."

A fine red eyebrow was raised but went ignored as Shego finished her coffee, closed the hood of her car and headed for the house. Kim sighed and followed the other woman inside.

"We're relatively the same size so you can borrow some of my clothes, Kimmie. No need to return home smelling like you've been stuck in cage for a week."

Kim looked slightly offended, "You telling me I stink?"

Shego chuckled, deciding not to taunt her this time, "No, but you will after wearing the same clothing for two days straight. A long ride in a car doesn't help the situation much either."

"No sightseeing on the way back?"

"Have you never driven across the countryside?"

Kim looked thoughtful before she answered. Truth be told, she had never taken a drive for the sake of admiring the sights. Sure, she had been all over the world in her teen years, but it was always for business. She was always too focused on the next mission to really take in much of the scenery. "You know what? I really haven't."

Shego quirked a brow, looking slightly offended, "You've never even taken a long road trip to drive for pleasure?"

Kim shook her head. She never had the time.

Shego uttered things under her breath and marched off towards her room. She opened several drawers and threw a few pairs of undergarments, faded jeans and a light tank into the Kim's arms, ignoring the resisting groan she was emitting.

Shego pointed to the en-suite, "Go shower. We've got a lot of ground to cover today."

"But-"

"Nuh-uh. No buts. I'm the driver of this trip and you will listen to what I say," she tried to make herself sound demanding, but it just wasn't there.

"Who's the mother now?" Kim taunted as she walked by the older woman and shut the door before she could answer.

Shego growled and went back to her closet, finding her clothes for the trip; casual, but still in her colour scheme. She thought about wearing her usual getup, and as comfortable as it was, she didn't feel like wearing it for the next couple of days. It had been a while since she had gone casual, anyway.

She glanced back at the en-suite door, unsure of how long Kim was going to be, and left to get herself another cup of coffee. It was gonna be one hell of a couple days.

The sun was now completely above the mountainous horizon, signaling the perfect time to leave.

"C'mon, Pumpkin! We're burning precious daylight here!" Shego called out her door while attempting to install the touchscreen she had picked up the night before. It was a quick set up on the dash, but she couldn't get the damn thing to stay put.

The passenger door opened and a body climbed in, "I had to make sure that I had all my clothes… What are you doing?"

"Setting up a Christmas tree. What does it look like I'm doing?" Shego growled in frustration, unable to keep the piece mounted in position. Several more seconds of fumbling unsuccessfully and she gave up, tossing the thing onto Kim's lap. "Here. Read what it tells you and tell me where I need to go."

She shut her own door and started the car in one move, already setting the thing in gear. Seemed she couldn't quite keep her patience together.

Amazingly enough, Kim complied with little resistance, "Nob Hill. There's some kind of timer below it. Two minutes, sixteen seconds and dropping."

"Get ready for the best ride of your life, Princess."

Shego was already picking up speed on the low traffic roadways, turning corners and racing through reds. The redhead sighed, "Is it going to be like this the entire way?"

"Like this? You wait until we hit the mountains. It's nothing like this, Kimmie. A lot less lights and a lot more corners." She never took her eyes from the road as she turned onto the main roadway. Several other cars had joined them in the high speed race to Nob Hill.

Kim eyed the several other drivers who were just as reckless, "I see you're not the only one who has a great track record."

"Ah, but I am the best," the usual smugness was missing from the statement, as if she had clearly stated a fact. She swerved around several non-racing vehicles as if to prove a point.

"You sound so sure of yourself."

Shego smirked, "I am."

Several drifted corners later, and with instructions, the car was tearing down Nob Hill. The other racers who thought they could keep up with Shego's driving skill were largely mistaken as they had been lost behind her long ago. She was gaining on the next wave.

Kim was, once again, the one to start conversation, "So, how do they know that you actually start and go through the places you have to?"

"Traffic cameras placed all along the route. That, and the fact that the little GPS thingy has some sort of tracker in it. Gotta make sure no one cheats when the stakes are this high."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Sorry, Pumpkin. That's confidential."

A man's voice over the radio stopped Kim from probing any further, "Unit three-oh-four here. There are a large number of exotic cars heading through the Nob Hill area. Is there a ten twenty-two scheduled?"

"Negative. How many cars?"

"I got about fifty or so. More rolling in by the minute."

"Coordinating units. Standby."

"Put in back-up as soon as you can. This is definitely some kind of street race."

"Multiple units falling in as we speak."

"Copy that."

"Fifty and counting? How big is this race, Shego?" Kim turned her head, slightly disapproving.

She shrugged, "Three hundred, give or take. Don't worry, though. A good portion won't make it out of the city."

"Three hundred? How do you find that many people to get involved in a race?"

"I'm telling you, if you offer enough, you lure people in faster than a starving shark to freshly spilled blood."

Again, they were interrupted, "Alpha two seventeen, you might want to send in more units. We're outnumbered at least twenty to one."

"Copy that. Sending in everyone I can. Standby."

"This is getting crazy. The fact that I'm involved in this is not helping anything," Kim looked forwards as police vehicles crossed their path, several pulling off in an attempt to stop some traffic.

"C'mon, Princess, live a little. This is just getting exciting. Wait 'til they start setting up blockades." Several lights were ignored as she fought to overtake a few more opponents.

"Where the hell are all these guys coming from? I want all major roadways to the city shut down! Go to the nearest major intersection and stop all traffic. I repeat, stop all traffic."

"This could pose a little bit of a problem."

"Nah. Remember who's driving, now."

"Code sixes are taking over the city! I need traffic control now!"

"Sending in more cruisers."

"How do you plan to get out of the city?"

"There's only one way off of an island, Princess."

"The bridge? But it's under construction!"

"Believe me, easiest way to avoid the cops."

"Won't it damage the car?"

"Please! The amount of money I put into this thing, it's tank-proof!"

"Unit's stand by. I've got a code six with a radio in his vehicle. Keep all positions off the air."

"Copy that."

"HIS vehicle? Excuse me!" She growled at the stereo, "I am NOT a he!"

She released the gas slightly as she entered the inclined curve that led to the bridge. There were a couple police cars behind her demanding she pull over with their speakers.

Shego snorted, amused by their worthless attempts and hit the gas hard once they were on the straight stretch. As expected, the police were lost behind her.

"Great. After this, I'm going to be a wanted criminal." Kim huffed.

"Trust me on this one. You'll be out of here before they can identify the driver, let alone the passenger. As much as it pains me to admit it, you're safe with me."

"Passing vehicles going nearly one hundred sixty miles an hour hardly counts as safe," Kim stated flatly.

Shego rolled her eyes, "I'm talking the long run. Now, relax and enjoy the scenery."

"Before I have the chance to observe the scenery, it goes ripping by me."

"You're right. Not much to see on a bridge. The mountains will look much more beautiful."

"This speed through mountains is going to get us killed."

"Hello? Tank-proof? Scratch resistant paint also helps."

"Unit six-oh-three . Ten fifty nine in place. City is officially on hold."

"Copy that. Round 'em up, boys."

A grin, bordering on the edge of insane, crept onto Shego's face. Sadly for Kim, it didn't go unnoticed.

"You're not planning to ram the blockade, are you?"

The smile stayed in place, "Of course not. The car may be next to indestructible but the people inside aren't. We're going to take a little detour."

Kim watched as the bridge split off up ahead, turning into empty traffic lanes. There were cones and other useless objects blocking the highway, warning traffic not to enter the construction zone. The police blockade was set up on the traffic lanes below the developing overpass, much to Shego's delight.

Not daring to get entangled with the police, Shego swerved onto the overpass and through the signs placed 'in the way'. If possible, her grin grew as the voices took over the radio once more.

"I've got green and black M3 out of control! Hold position, hold position!"

"Not even," The older woman muttered to herself, speeding over the half-finished overpass, successfully launching the car off the end of a two storey cement cliff.

Kim hadn't the time to suck in a breath before the car catapulted over the end, landing with a heavy thud on the actual freeway below. Had her teeth not been clenched, she would have bitten off her tongue from the force of the car slamming to the asphalt.

The tires skidded as they absorbed the blow and continued to pull the hunk of metal forward, everyone else left in the dust. From there, it was to the freeway and then the serpentine trip to the city of sin.