The Way of the Gun

The Red, the Green, and the Blues

"Her hair was black as night, her skin smoother than silk and her smile blazed brighter than the sun. She said her name was Juanita and she was a simple daughter of a farmer. She and her family followed the word of God and were suffused with the Holy Spirit. During my time hunting 'Bloody-Eye' Bart and his gang her family took me in and we spent many dark and stormy nights discussing scripture and philosophy. The fiery debate was both stimulating and enlightening. I stayed for weeks and in that time Juanita and I grew to know each other in ways that can only be described as heavenly. Her family was simple, loving, and gave thanks each and every day to the Almighty for the bounty and gifts that He bestowed unto them. Sadly, the Lord giveth and the Lord can, and does, taketh away..."

An excerpt from the Good Book, written by The Preacher, Jeremiah Jackson, Legend of the Gun, now deceased

The Brighton House, a few moments before dawn

Red stares out of the window and looks out at the front lawn as the first rays of daylight come over the mountain. The massive blanket of snow which choked off the house from civilization for most of the winter was now melting away at a quick pace thanks to the warmer air. She sighs and her breath defrosts on the window.

"What're you doin' up this early," Shego moans groggily from behind her, "Come back to bed."

Red turns around. Shego's dark hair is a matted mess. She yawns and wipes the sleepiness from her eyes. Her naked, pale green body is only half-covered by the multitude of heavy blankets on the bed.

She looks so beautiful.

Red smiles but it is tinged with sadness. Months earlier they decided as a group to help Shego with her fight and initially the Indian was not opposed to the idea. However as the winter wore on she changed her mind saying that it was too dangerous for everyone to get involved. Red tried to argue but her Indian was stubborn to say the least. The matter was dropped and Red intended to continue that conversation when the time came.

She hopes that today is not that day.

Shego frowns and squints as a sliver of sunlight pokes through the glass and hits her directly in the eyes. The sadness in Red's smile disappears. Shego sits up to get her eyes out of the sunlight but the act also gives Red a full view of her front which makes it nigh impossible for her to deny her lover's request.

Not that Red has any intention of disobeying Shego.

Her Indian entices her further by throwing her arms out wide for a big stretch and a longer yawn than before. By the time her mouth closes Red's lips are there to meet them. Shego flinches, taken aback from Red's sudden but gentle attack, and then she returns the favor. Red pulls away slowly, sucking on Shego's bottom lip until the distance becomes too great and they part. Glittering emerald eyes delve into soulful jade, communicating thoughts and desires better than mere speech ever could. They hold each other's gaze for a long, comfortable moment then Shego lays back down on the bed with a mock scowl.

"I'm not gettin' up yet, it's too early an' too cold to be movin' around," she declares with finality.

Red's smile broadens at her playfulness. She shrugs off the top of her unbuttoned sleeping shirt and crawls onto the bed. Shego moves the blankets aside as Red nears and pulls them over her red-head.

"I know how ta keep ye warm," Red says in a low, soft voice.

Shego mutters an insistent yet pleasant moan as their lips meet again. It is not long before Red loses her sleeping pants and then proceeds to lose herself in her Indian lover.

Red notices the change the instant it happens. Usually it is her who is the more emotional and passionate one when they make love but this time it is Shego. Both have an intimate knowledge of how to please the other but this time it was different. They usually took turns with one taking the lead and the other enjoying the fruits of the other's labors, but at this moment Shego was at her most passionate and loving, so much so that tears were streaming uninhibited down her face.

This is the moment Red is dreading. Red knows that today is that day.

Overcome by the sheer passion and intimacy of her lover, Red joins Shego as her own tears began to fall. Measured by the sunlight as it enters the bedroom from the window, the two lovers spend their time together knowing that it may be their last, and the bedroom is completely bright from the sun's rays when Red finally collapses into Shego's arms, their lips meet in a final, furious assault, intent on stretching out their passions even more until they pull away gasping and heaving for breath.

Red settles comfortably on top of Shego's chest, her lover's arms wrap around her in a tight embrace, her fingers lightly trailing loving circles and lines on her bare back. No words are spoken as none are needed nor are they wanted; both know the thoughts of the other. Both know the stakes at hand.

Both understand the Way of the Gun.

Mid morning, the Brighton House

Breakfast is a subdued affair for Red and the others. Conversation is light as they eat with both Red and Shego being the main topics. All of the kids already ate and were doing their morning outside chores now that it is warm enough to do them. The other adults join them except for Red's childhood friends and Shego. They finish in silence and help the others with clearing away mud and debris from the winter. Shego heads back up to the bedroom to pack while Red heads to the stables to get Midnight ready.

Shego packs her things quietly. She has read everything that Ron provided for her and she learned much over the winter months. She knew how Fiske's army moved, how they set up camp, and how they walked a perimeter which would be useful to her if she had to sneak around. She had poured over detailed layouts of various buildings, battle formations, and exhaustive lists of inventory down to the last cannon shell and bullet. She packs that information in a saddle bag and then gathers her clothes. There is a soft knock at the door.

Shego walks over and opens the door. Both Katie and Thomas stand there staring at her expectantly.

"What do you rugrats want," she asks in a harsher tone than she means to, "Don't you two have chores to do?"

"C-can we come in," Katie flinches then asks meekly.

Shego backs away from the door allowing them to enter. The pair walk in holding each other's hands. They stare around the room and they know something is up.

"W-where are ya going," Thomas asks bravely.

Shego sighs, I don't need this, she thinks to herself, "Away," she says tersely, "I got a job to do."

"Is-is it somethin' we did," he asks as he fights back hurtful tears, "Are you mad at us?"

Shego responds with a withering glare and immediately regrets it. He looks like a sad, wounded puppy, she thinks, way to go, Shego. "No, it's...it's nothin' you did. Nothin' anyone here did. But I have to go," she answers finally after regaining her voice and looks away.

"Are you comin' back," Katie asks in a small voice.

Shego stops packing. Her heart feels like it could break the moment she looks back into their collective pleading eyes so she continues to stare at the clothes on the bed. She does not want to lie to them so she shrugs noncommittally. Thomas was the first child to accept Shego as part of the family and despite being aggravating he found a soft spot in her heart and refused to leave. Katie was the same and hounded her with questions about her tribe but she always listened with complete attention. Shego had also got used to them giving her hugs which they did at every opportunity. She is going to miss that.

"Don't go," Thomas pleads as he steps forward.

There it is, she thinks to herself, keep it up kid and I'll have to sneak out in the middle of the night. Impulsively he runs up to her to hug her tight but she stops him with an outstretched hand.

"Stop," she warns, her own voice threatening to break from the well of emotions coursing through her. She redoubles her resolve and takes a deep breath to steady herself.

She was able to stop Thomas, but not Katie who outflanked her by running up to her other side and threw her arms around her waist in a hug that was as tight as she could make it. She tries in vain to bury her pretty red-headed face in Shego's gun belt. Red-heads, Shego muses sullenly, what is it with them? Why do they have this power over me?

Katie sobs in Shego's side and echoes the plea of Thomas. The Indian moves her hand to her side which allows the wannabe pirate to embrace her too. He buries himself in her abdomen. Shego is nearly overwhelmed with emotion as both kids sob. She sniffs and attempts to steel her resolve again. Gently she puts a hand on their foreheads and tousles their hair in silent affection. She is unsuccessful in fighting back her own tears and she sniffs again hard.

Thomas pulls away first and wipes the snot from his nose on his sleeve. Katie pulls away next and does the same. Shego's lips are tight and taut to keep them from quivering and she squints her eyes shut to stop her tears. A full minute passes before she is able to regain her composure.

"We-we can't stop you, can we," Thomas asks miserably.

Shego does not trust her own voice and shakes her head in response. She goes back to packing her things. Katie and Thomas look at each other and nod and they both take a step toward Shego.

"Shego," they both say together.

Shego rebels against common sense and turns to look at them, "Yes?"

Thomas pulls a hand-made doll of colored thread and wool from his shirt and caresses the hair on the doll. Katie looks on, her face somber as if this was a monumental event. Shego's face turns quizzical. Shego knew the story behind the doll as did everyone else at the Brighton House.

The doll was made by Katie's mother and was fashioned to look like Katie down to the red hair. The doll was the only thing that survived Drakken's attack on New Brighton and was the young girl's only connection to her family. Thomas makes his way into the story by virtue of not having any surviving mementos of his family aside from his memories. Katie and Thomas were alway inseparable and once they made it to the Brighton House she gave the doll to him.

Now Thomas offers the little doll to Shego.

"Take it," he says in a resolute voice.

Shego looks at him incredulously. His face was firm and stoic. She turns to Katie who also wore the same face and she gives Shego a slight singular nod to take it. Unsure of herself Shego slowly takes the doll and stares at it in silence for a long moment. Years from now the doll in her hand would be a lasting symbol for the love Katie and Thomas have for each other; how could she take that away from them? She hands it back to Thomas.

"I...I can't take this. N-not where I'm going," she says gravely.

"Take it," both Katie and Thomas exclaim urgently.

"We want you to have it," Katie insists.

"It's somethin' so you won't forget us," Thomas adds, "It's all we could think of that comes from us both."

The looks in their eyes tell Shego that any more arguing on the matter would be a lost cause. She makes a show for them by putting the doll in the saddle bag with the information Ron gave her and then she kneels down so she can see them eye to eye.

"Thank you. You-you don't know how much this means to me, from both of you," she declares seriously and sincerely.

Katie sniffs then asks, "You will bring it back, won't you?"

She holds Katie's gaze for a moment then nods. Katie's freckled face opens into a smile despite her sadness and she blushes not unlike Red. Thomas blushes too and he smiles at Shego when she nods. Katie takes a small step forward and lightly places a kiss on Shego's cheek. Then she throws her arms around the Indian's neck and hugs her.

"I'll miss you," Katie whispers.

"I'll miss you too," Shego responds hugging the child back.

Katie releases her and steps away, wiping her nose. Thomas blushes hard. Shego opens her arms to him and says, "Come here you little rugrat."

She welcomes her little pirate into her arms and hugs him for all it is worth. His little body convulses and twitches as he sobs silently, and Shego tries hard not to join him.

"You take care an' look after her, you hear me," she whispers to him.

"Uh-huh," he sobs.

"Love her forever an' with all your heart. Keep her safe," she says quietly then releases him from her embrace.

He backs away, wiping the tears from his face and nods at her command. With their plan to keep Shego around now in tatters Katie and Thomas go back to holding each other's hand and they leave the Indian to finish packing. Thomas quietly closes the door behind him leaving Shego in silence. Long minutes pass as she stares at the closed door. Slowly she gets back to packing her things. That was rough, she thinks to herself, now comes the hard part.

The stables

Red finishes tightening the last strap on Midnight's saddle. He pays her no mind as he was busy munching down on the feedbag attached to his head. She grabs a brush and methodically brushes stray hair from his shoulder. Everything she did is from rote memory as her mind is occupied with one singular thought.

Soft footfalls coming from directly outside the stables shake her from her reverie and she puts down the brush.

"He's jus' about ready," Red says in a steady, neutral voice.

Silence. Then the footfalls resume until they are right next to her. Shego throws the saddlebags over Midnight then turns to face her lover. Red slowly turns to meet her gaze. Shego's face was a mess showing the emotional turmoil the day had already wrought and it was not even noon yet. The Indian's bottom lip quivers ever so slightly as she attempts to speak but fails. The silence between them is full of sorrow and it is Red who breaks the silence.

"I...I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't cry," she says, her Irish accent thick and profound, "This is already hard enough as is."

"Tell me 'bout it," Shego mutters morosely.

Red takes a deep breath and continues, "I also intend to keep my promise from way back. I told you before that there's nothing holding you here and that you are free to go whenever you want. I'm not going to ask you to stay."

Shego nods but does not say anything. Red takes another deep breath. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens you'll always have a home here with people that do more than just accept you for who you are: they love you."

Shego blinks back the tears that are starting to form and she bites her lip to keep it from quivering. Red's breath falters and it takes her a moment to regain herself.

"I canna tell ye anythin' more that ye don' already know. I...I've been dreadin' this day."

"You an' me both, Kim," Shego says in an uncharacteristically small voice.

Red straightens up in an effort to gather her failing resolve which fails even more when she makes eye contact. "I love ye, Shego."

"I love you too, Kim Possible."

An uncomfortable silence follows until Shego speaks.

"This isn't goodbye, you know? I will be comin' back," she says with as much sincerity as she can muster.

"I...I refuse to say goodbye," Red stutters as she quickly wipes her eyes to keep them from misting.

Shego nods once, "Good, me too."

Another uncomfortable silence follows. Wordlessly Shego offers Red her hand. Red takes it and squeezes it affectionately. Shego steps up to Red and with her free hand she caresses her lover's cheek. Red closes her eyes and her face forms a pout to keep her lips from quivering. Shego heart beats like a freight train as her emotions threaten to tear her insides apart. Shego moves in so that the tips of their noses touch and she breathes in her lover's natural scent, and revels in it. She closes her eyes and speaks.

"Damn the Way," Shego says darkly and huskily, "You gave me a gift by telling me your name and where I could find you. It's not fair."

"Sh-Shego..." Red says as her voice finally breaks under the emotional strain.

"Hush, Kim," Shego whispers softly, "Be strong. Be strong for me."

Red sniffs hard and nods.

"I will be back, Kim, I promise," Shego declares but still in a whisper, "The world can't keep me from you, nothing can."

Red falters for a moment and tears start streaming down her cheeks. The rest of her resolve disappears as Shego's lips meet hers in one final act. Shego intends it to seal a promise but Red thinks different. The effect is the same as they share one final, long moment. The moment does not last long enough for Red as Shego slowly pulls herself away and turns towards Midnight.

Red takes in a shuddering breath and squints her eyes closed to stop her tears. Shego detaches Midnight's feed bag and quickly tests Red's handiwork. Satisfied, she mounts her steed. Red opens her eyes and meets her lover's. Shego gives Midnight a soft kick on his sides and he walks towards Red. Shego leans over and whispers in Red's ear.

"Gelly's Rest, it's a small outpost deep in the territory where I'll be stocking up on supplies. If I win you'll find me there."

Shego gives her one last soft kiss on her cheek and then heads out of the stables. Red walks over to the entrance and watches as her Indian leaves the grounds. She watches until Shego is out of eyesight and then the world comes crashing down on her shoulders.

Shego is gone.

Red cries like there is no tomorrow. It is around noon when she finally regains some of her composure and heads out of the stables and back towards the house.

The Brighton House, noon

Ron, Yori, and Monique watch Shego's departure from inside the house. They all were respectful of Red's wishes and before the Indian left they all said goodbye to her in their own way. But the trio of close friends all wore expressions of worry for Red as they watch her slowly walk back towards the house. They back away from the window as the door opens and Red enters. Red takes a moment to wipe a few stray spots of mud from her pants as Ron, Yori, and Monique run over to meet her at the door.

The trio gasps collectively in shock as Red turns to meet them. Her face is a mess. Despite regaining her composure there were tear streaks down her cheeks and her hair was matted and unkempt, and her normally bright jade eyes were red from crying for so long.

"How're you holdin' up, KP," Ron asks.

Her look makes him regret asking but the damage is done. "Sorry," he says apologetically, "I wasn't thinkin'."

"It's okay, Ron," she says in a hoarse, tired voice, "I knew this day was coming."

"We all did, sweetie," Monique says soothingly as she puts a reassuring hand on Red's arm, "But she'll be back. We all know it."

"Trust in your heart," Yori adds, "You know what she is capable of. I have never met someone blessed with such a powerful kami as her. She is resilient and understands honor like you do, Kim-sama. If I had feelings for her foes I would say that it is them that I feel sorry for."

"Thanks Mon, Yori," Red says gratefully.

"So what's the plan," Ron asks.

Red turns to him, "First we get the Brighton House cleaned up then we get back to work."

The day passes as everyone lends a helping hand in clearing away the debris that winter brought. Red knew that despite the help it was going to take a day or two to complete but it kept her busy and that is what she needed right now. Like the others she loses herself in her work but she also dreads the coming of nightfall.

The sun dips down over the mountains and night does come. Her bedroom is eerily silent and much darker than it should be. She takes a bath and gets ready for bed without thinking. She blows out the candle on the nightstand next to the bed and closes her eyes.

The bed feels foreign to her, empty. Everyone else in the house is awakened as she begins to cry. No one sleeps well that night until exhaustion finally overtakes Red and she falls into a fitful, dreamless sleep.

A few days later, Coal Town

Red strolls in to Markus's Office and is surprised to see Jensen sitting behind the desk. She is equally surprised to see the desk free of the piles of paperwork that normally sits there when Markus is behind the desk. In fact Red could not remember if the office ever looked this clean before. Jensen smiles broadly and stands up as she enters.

"Red," he exclaims happily, "It's nice to see you! What can I do for you?"

"Jensen," she says with a small smile while reaching for the box of cigarillos at the end of the desk and opens it. She takes a handful, puts all but one in the breast pocket of her duster and asks, "Where's the old man?"

"On holiday visitin' an old friend," Jensen replies, "He'll be back in a week or two so in the meantime I'm the one in charge. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'm ready to get back to work," Red replies as she strikes a match and lights the cigarillo she put in her mouth, "I'm in the mood to hunt but not 'round here. I'm lookin' for warmer, dryer weather."

"So south then?"

Red exhales a steady stream of smoke and nods.

Jensen turns to the desk and opens the top left drawer. It is full of papers from front to back. He begins rifling through it and says, "The old man, well, you know how he is an' how good he is at findin' out stuff. He anticipated that you'd be comin' 'round askin' for some such an' told me what to look for in case he wasn't back yet. Jus' gimme a minute to go through this here."

"Take your time, please and thank ye," she replies then takes another drag on the cigarillo.

It takes him several minutes to rummage through the papers until he finds what he is looking for. He pulls out a stack of papers and lays them out on the desk. He sits down at the chair and begins sorting through the paperwork and makes separate piles. Red finishes her cigarillo and steps over to the desk. She peers over his shoulder to glance at some of the papers while he sorts them out.

"What's that one," she asks pointing to a yellowed wanted poster at the top of his unsorted stack.

He picks it up and squints as he reads it. "Fort Griffin, Texas," he reads aloud then whistles sharply as he continues reading, then he exclaims, "This is one mean place!"

For the first time since she was forced to bed down for the winter her eyes brighten.

"Tell me more."

The Brighton House, evening

Red arrives home and puts Henrietta in the stables. She takes the saddlebag loaded with bounties and other information inside with her. Ron greets her at the door and opens it for her.

"What's that," he asks pointing at the saddlebag.

"Our ticket south," she responds.

"South? So we are goin' after Shego then?"

"Not exactly," she answers cryptically.

He follows her in and closes the door behind him. He falls in step behind her and follows her up the stairs to her bedroom. On the way up they are greeted by Monique and Yori who note Red's serious but excited expression and fall in line behind Ron. Red enters her room and puts the saddlebag on the bed. The others enter with Yori being the last and she closes the door.

Red wordlessly opens the saddlebag and pulls out the yellowed wanted poster. "Here's where we're going," she states.

"Fort...Griffin," Ron says aloud as he reads the poster, "That's in Texas, isn't it?"

Red nods vigorously and points to the saddlebag, "It's not exactly near where Shego will be operating but it is closer than other places, plus the other bounties I have there are more lucrative. I know we decided early on to help Shego deal with the army but she's right, it's too dangerous for anything direct from us, we'd be slaughtered on sight. But I have a plan. It's still dangerous but at least we won't be going up against the might of the US Army."

"So? What is it," Monique asks insistently.

"We'll need a base of operations," Red explains, "I'll get in touch with Wade to set us up with a line of communication and we'll settle in at Fort Griffin. From there we'll monitor Army dispatches and movements and work behind the scenes disrupting supplies and communication channels that come from and go to Brigadier General Fiske and his troops only, no others. At the very least we should be able to reduce Fiske's firepower and hopefully take enough troops out of the fray by redirecting them elsewhere to make this a fairer fight. That's the plan so far, any questions?"

Everyone is silent and still for a moment as they process Red's words then Ron raises his hand.

"Yes?"

"Only one question: when do we head out?"

"Day after tomorrow," she answers, "That'll give us a day to get everything ready and pack plus it's going to take me some time to get in touch with Wade to get everything set up. I'll also need to get in touch with Markus who's on holiday and he's not going to be back for another week or so and he'll need to know what's going on."

"Sounds good, KP," Ron says nodding.

"What about the house," Monique asks, "We got the drop on the Blues at Cherrypoint but they've had all winter to lick their wounds. They've attacked once before an' I'm sure they're gonna try it again."

"I'll take care of that tomorrow," Red answers, "In the meantime start gettin' your gear together. I want everyone ready to go by daybreak the day after tomorrow."

Her childhood friends nod at her command. The mood brightens considerably now that they have a plan and the night is more jovial than the past few since Shego left. Red keeps up the appearance with forced smiles and laughter but all she could think about was the work she was going to have to do the next day to get everything ready. Everyone eats dinner quickly and excuses themselves to get their preparations underway. Red feels a combination of fear and elation. The emotional strain of her lover leaving has taken a toll on her but she resolves to herself that she would persevere.

She walks up the stairs to her empty bedroom and shuts the door behind her. She tries to take a soothing bath but it does not work so she washes quickly and gets ready for bed. The room is still empty. The bed is colder than it should be. The realization that her lover is gone hits her again with full force but now she has a plan. She closes her eyes and bravely fights the demons that attack her in her nightmares until dawn breaks.