At last, the third and final chapter to my most unusual tale, where we discover what's been on Drakken's mind since Shego's accident. But first, mucho gracias to last chapters reviewers: CajunBear73, Invader Johnny, Sentinel103, Jimmy1201, PikaGelly and Andreina Cummings. And now, the conclusion...

Shego gasped. "Drakken! What in the hell are you doing here?"

A few parishioners on their way out the door gave her a shocked look.

She immediately lifted her hand in apology. "Sorry, sorry…"

Turning back to Drakken, she queried, "Well, I have to say I'm really surprised to see you, Dr. D, especially here. Still, it's great to see you."

"And you too, Shego," he warmly replied. "You seem to be doing much better."

Drakken gave her a once over. "And I must say your new outfit is quite becoming, and it's even in your signature colors."

He gave her an approving smile as she did a small twirl for him. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Just something I picked up on my way over here."

She quickly breathed out a silent prayer of thanks before asking, "So, what brings you here?"

He whispered, "I have some important matters I need to discuss with you. This will naturally take some, uh, explaining, of course…"

"Well, I've got the time," she easily replied. "But why don't we talk elsewhere, maybe where it's a little more private?"

He looked around nervously, noticing that all the parishioners had now left. "I think right here will do nicely for the moment, if you don't mind?"

She glanced down at the church bulletin and shrugged. "Sure. The next Mass doesn't start for another hour, so let's have a seat. By the way, just how in the…" She stopped herself before another expletive could escape her lips. "Uh, heck did you find me?"

"I'll explain that a little later. But first things first."

"Fair enough. So please, go ahead. I'm all ears."

He began hesitantly, "Shego, on Christmas Eve, you very nearly…" He had to stop for a moment and take a deep breath before continuing. "You very nearly… died. And all because of my megalomania. Trying to take over the world once again nearly killed you this time."

She flashed an ironic grin. "Well, I really can't say that you were 100% at fault. I do happen to work for you, so I have to share at least some of the blame."

He mumbled back, "Well, yes, perhaps."

"And just to clue you, this wasn't our first close call, Dr. D."

"True, but it was nearly fatal this time, Shego. And that's been kind of a wake–up call for me. So as I was sitting in the hospital waiting room with Ron, I…"

Shego gasped. "So you were there that night! I thought I remembered hearing your voice, but I wasn't sure."

He looked down at the floor with a pained expression, one of remorse. "Yes, as they were wheeling you into the ER, I might have made a few unguarded remarks."

"Yeah, and I remember you saying something like, will I live, it was all your fault, and that you'd never forgive yourself." Her eyes suddenly widened. "And not only that, you just remembered the sidekick's name without any hesitation or prompting."

She pursed her lips. "Which denies me a perfect snarking opportunity, but that's okay. Not feeling very snarky right now anyway."

She gave him a long, hard look. "But you feeling remorseful, and remembering the Ronster's name? Not to mention the fact that you're sitting next to me in a church pew right now. Not really typical Drakken behavior. So what gives?"

He exhaled softly. "Well, I've been thinking about a few things since your accident. Quite a few things, in fact. Some of which may, er, affect our, uh, professional relationship."

"Do tell," she drawled. "I've been doing some soul-searching of my own lately." Inwardly, she began to feel a little uncomfortable. She appeared to have an immediate answer to her prayer, but feared this might end up being too much, too soon.

Drakken launched into what would have normally been a monologue. "First of all, I'm very sorry for what happened, and especially about what could have happened…"

She interrupted, "Uh, is this going to turn into some kind of an extended apology? Because I think there are actually some confessional booths available right now on the other side of the chapel."

She instantly softened her expression a bit. "I'm sorry Dr. D, but whenever you start monologuing, me getting sarcastic is kind of an ingrained defensive reaction of mine. So I'm going to purposely miss my mock window until you're done. But when you're finished, I'll probably have a few things to say myself."

He gave her a surprised look. "That's very kind of you, Shego. And I do understand that old habits die hard. But this is more of an anti-rant, if you will, and much more than just a confession. You see, I've been thinking back over my entire evil career, and how it all got started."

He chuckled to himself. "It's also ironic that Kim Possible's father played a role in that."

Shego's eyes widened. "Kimmie's dad, the rocket scientist? You're kidding!"

"Believe me, I wish I were. I went to college with James Possible, where I tried to create mechanical dates for him, me, and two of our classmates for a science department mixer."

Shego snorted, but kept herself from laughing out loud. "So your wild and crazy 'inventions' predate even your criminal career?"

Drakken gave a half-hearted shrug. "Yes. However, my efforts were, shall we say, less than stellar. They laughed long and hard over my humiliating failure. I swore to them that one day I'd show them all and that my genius would be recognized by the entire world, and then I'd be the one laughing. So I dropped out of college and began work on Bebe 2.0. It was meant to be, well, a companion of sorts, and was a mélange of the best robotic bits and pieces that I could either beg, borrow or steal. But all of that ended back on that fateful Tuesday."

He winced as he admitted, "In my haste to complete it, I hadn't remembered to check all the battery terminals to make sure that the polarities were properly aligned. So when I flipped the switch on, the Bebe-bot exploded, knocking me out cold. Its alum-based lubricant and coolant sprayed all over my clothing and skin, soaking me with the irritating goo. When I awoke a few hours later, I found that the fluid had restricted the blood flow to the upper layers of my skin, permanently turning it blue. Both of my hands were also badly burnt, and due to the alum, had shrunk what little skin I had left on my fingers and palms."

He pointed at his face. "A shard of metal had also struck me below the eye, leaving me with this scar. The final result of all this left me with tiny hands, permanently itchy skin and my now infamous shade of blue. Drew Lipsky was gone, and Dr. Drakken had now been born."

Shego gave him a thoughtful look. Without any hint of sarcasm, she replied, "Well, that explains a lot. I really had no idea about any of this, so I appreciate your sharing that with me."

Drew continued, "Anyway, over the past ten days, I've relived that event over and over and how it set me on the path to becoming a mad scientist, and fueled my determination to make the world bow down to me out of my anger and fury at James Possible and his friends. Your accident has also replayed in my mind over and over again, and after your near death experience, I've begun to question my life for the first time since my own accident. And how I should continue from this point on."

He took a deep breath. "Although I wasn't directly to blame, I played a major part in what happened to you. And after realizing that I nearly lost you, I've decided... I can never allow that to happen again."

Shego looked stunned. "Drew, I don't know what to say."

She thought for a moment, and realized that she felt different about him now. At the very least, she understood him a little better. Was she also feeling some pity for him? No, that would be totally out of character for her. But perhaps she felt a little empathy, which was still a very foreign feeling. But not an unpleasant one, at this moment. She chose her next words very carefully.

"But it does sound like you've turned a pretty big corner. And you've gone out of your way to find me, and let me know about it. And, if you don't mind me saying..." She looked him square in the eye. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say that you may seem to be developing some feelings for me. And not just as an employer/employee."

He looked a bit uncomfortable as he stuttered, "Well, perhaps so..."

She smiled back at him. "But I have to admit, it does feel kinda nice. A little weird perhaps after all we've been through, but still nice."

Returning her smile, but still anxious not to make a fool of himself, he tried to proceed on his prior topic. "Yes, many of my feelings have changed lately. I've discovered that I'm no longer able to stay mad at James, because of what his daughter did to save your life. I also can't stay mad at Kimberly Ann either, and for the same reason. Likewise with Ron, too. While you were in surgery, he listened very patiently as I explained my fears and concern over you, although he said later that the experience was quite... how did he put it? Ah, awkweird. Yes, that was it."

A few uncomfortable moments passed by as Drakken tried to think of what to say next.

Shego rescued him by saying, "Well, now that you've bared your soul so to speak, I think it's only fair that I give you my own backstory."

He nodded. "Please. Especially since you were very patient during my monologue."

She began, "It all started with my brothers and Team Go, and especially Hego. He accused me once that the more we fought evil, the more I liked it. The evil part, that is. But that's only half the story. I just got really tired of all their egos and constant bickering. Add to that the fact that the way they fought crime wasn't much different from the methods of the villains we were trying to defeat. I finally got so fed up with the whole mess that I left Team Go, and became a mercenary."

She smiled at the memory. "I found myself working on both sides of the law depending on the job, and that was exciting for me. And it was really profitable, at least at first. But as time went by, people got progressively more spooked over my plasma powers, and the offers started to dry up. Then when I got stiffed after a particularly dangerous job, I lost my temper and took it out on the guys who had hired me."

"Oh, dear," he mumbled. He could completely relate, having been on the receiving end of her short temper countless times himself.

"I roughed them up real good, and then accidentally burned their place down." She snickered, "Well, maybe accidentally on purpose. But after that, no one wanted to hire me. Duh, loose cannon kinda thing. So I tried to put it all behind me, swore off using my powers and went back to finish college. I got a degree in child development and my teaching credential, and a nice job shortly after."

He immediately thought, "And heaven help those poor kids..." but wisely kept that to himself.

"I had just finished student teaching my first semester in Go City when my past caught up with me. The morons whose place I had torched came looking for me, and since they didn't find me at home, they decided to return the favor by burning my house down. What they didn't know was my mom was upstairs sleeping. So I came home that day to find not only smoldering embers, but a dead parent as well."

Dr. D looked mortified. "Oh, Shego. I'm so sorry..."

She exhaled slowly as she recalled the bitter event. "Anyway, they were caught pretty quickly and thrown into prison. Good thing too, because I really wanted to take my own revenge out on those bastards. Which is just as well, or else I would have been the one serving time for murder. I was mad at them, mad at the world, and mad at the freakin' comet that had cursed me and my brothers with powers that had brought nothing but trouble."

Shego now spoke with an intensity unusual even for her. "If the universe had given me my powers, I was now sure as hell going to use them, and purely for my own benefit, thank you very much. I figured it owed me big time for not only what had happened, but especially for what I had tried to do right, but now with absolutely zip to show for it. And that's when I snapped. I enjoyed giving in to evil. And it felt great. It was an incredible release for me, and after honing my thieving skills, it ended up being extremely lucrative as well."

She gave an ironic chuckle. "And all that moolah, plus my credit cards and a great credit rating, is why I've never really pushed you too hard about not paying me on a regular basis."

By now, all the color had drained from Drakken's face, in the face of Shego's vitriolic outburst. He stammered, "I'm... I'm so glad you shared all that with me, Shego."

Shego could tell by the look of fear on his face that he instead would have preferred to be anywhere else on earth at the moment. "Thanks. But all that started to turn around ten days ago. I realized that my totally selfish lifestyle had just nearly killed me. And then my mortal enemy giving up a kidney to save my life? That shocker really began to change me. So we have something in common now, Dr. D. I don't think I can hate Kimmie anymore either."

She added with a laugh, "Not like I'm gonna invite her over for Christmas dinner or anything, but I think I'm about ready to turn a corner myself."

With a bit of trepidation in her voice, she queried, "Well, Drew, there we have it. So, where do we go from here?"

A curious look passed over his face. "Well, it's funny you should ask, my dear. Well maybe not funny, ha-ha, but perhaps kind of ironic. But maybe a little funny too, come to think of it..."

A small burst of green flame appeared around one hand in warning. "You're starting to sound just like the Ronster. So spill already?"

"All right then. Kim and Ron spoke to Global Justice on my behalf, and their director came up with an unusual offer. If I gave up my life of crime and agreed to work for them as a kind of consultant, if you will, then they would put me on their payroll, and work to get all of my previous charges dropped. With my, uh, unique history, they said could learn a lot about how the criminal mind works, especially considering the level of supervillains they battle on a regular basis."

She nodded. "Uh huh, maybe something like the deals that some computer hackers get when they agree to help the authorities?"

He brightened up. "Yes, exactly! And their R&D department in particular took a quick interest in me, what with all my background in hi-tech and inventions. Kind of a work furlough sort of thing, actually. As the alternative was going back to Cell Block D for an interminable period of time, I... well, I accepted."

She chuckled. "So, you've finally gone officially straight then, huh?"

"Yes. And so, I'm officially freeing you from your contract. Also... I've been authorized by Global Justice in making the same offer to you."

Shego was totally unprepared for this, and her eyes widened in surprise. "So, that's why you sought me out..."

She folded her arms as she mulled over this new development, gently scratching her chin with one clawed finger. "Well, I have to admit, that's really quite a tempting offer."

He hastily added, "And that means we would still get to work together. Oh, and don't worry, I'll still give you a generous severance package from my remaining assets, just like I did for all my other henchmen."

"Heh, thanks. Not that I really need it. But then there are those recent doctor bills..."

"And you'd no longer be my henchwoman, we would actually be colleagues now, which I think you'd find more appealing." He gave her a hopeful look. "And maybe, uh, a bit more, should you be so inclined?"

She gave him a sly smile. "Perhaps. But I'd have to insist, no more monologuing."

"Agreed!" he blurted out. "And uh, no more sarcastic remarks on your part?"

She replied in a sing-song voice, "Well, that is part of my intrinsic nature, you know. So I guess that just depends on how wide a mock window you leave open for me, and how often you do it. But maybe I could work on it."

He winced. "Well, knowing my intrinsic nature, I don't hold out much hope there. But perhaps we can both make an attempt?"

"Sure thing Dr. D. And that stands for Drew now. I'll just accord you with an honorary doctorate from Shego U, in view of your extensive experience."

"You're too kind," he mumbled back.

"So, does this offer have an expiration date? This is a big decision you're asking me to make, and not one I can take lightly. I'd like the chance to think it over for a while."

Drew began to pale. "Well, the sooner the better I would say. Especially since, uh, Kimberly Ann and Ron are waiting outside."

Shego exploded. "WHAT!? So, is this some kind of trap? And if I say no, I go right back to jail!?"

Now sweating, he mumbled apologetically, "Well, er, maybe not right away, but I fear that would probably be the end result..."

Shego's fight or flight reflex instantly kicked in. For an instant, she thought that if she immediately made a run for it, she still might be able to escape. But she feared how that might affect her new kidney. Although the transplant had taken very well, she was loathe to put her body to that kind of test quite yet.

Suddenly she realized something else, and, calming down, she gave Drew a puzzled look. "Wait a minute, just Cupcake and the Sidekick are out there? No SWAT team, police or GJ goons?"

"That's right, they both wanted to be on hand, and specifically asked the authorities that there be no, uh, adult supervision, shall we say? They both confided in me that they had a good feeling about what your answer would probably be, especially after your particular purchases today. And you did buy those clothes, when you could have easily just stolen them."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, and just how did you know that?"

Drew scratched the back of his neck in a fairly good imitation of Ron's quirky habit. "Well, Wade tracked your credit cards. He's quite the sleuth, as you well know."

Now it was Shego's turn to wince. "Nerdlinger. I should have guessed."

She continued with a huff, "So, if I turn over a new leaf and sign up with GJ, I get a 'get out of jail free card' too? And no other strings attached?"

He nodded vigorously. "Absolutely. No question."

Shego hesitated. "Okay then. Before I decide, just one more thing. How in the world did you find me here? This is the church I went to as a kid, and I've never told anyone about it since then."

He pulled uncomfortably at his collar. "Well, while you were in the hospital, Global Justice might have, uh, managed to slip a tracking device inside your suit..."

Her jaw dropped. "What? They chipped me? Why those dirty..."

Drew continued without a pause, "Just in case you did exactly what you did last night when you 'checked out' of the hospital, which was totally expected."

She slowly wagged her head. "Huh. Have I become that predictable? Well, in this case at least."

She removed her catsuit from her new purse and rummaged through its ankle pouch. There at the very bottom was the tiny tracking device. She considered treating it to a nice burst of plasma, but decided that the damage had already been done. But as it had allowed Drew to locate her, she now decided that it was a good thing after all.

"Hmm. Trust, but verify, huh?"

Drew shrugged. "Yes, something like that."

"Well, my reputation precedes me, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

A beat went by. "Would you mind giving me just a moment?"

"Certainly."

Shego turned to observe the crucifix over the altar and thought to herself, "For God so loved the world... I just never thought it would be me, but I'm glad I was wrong this time. Thank You."

She turned back to Drew and softly said, "All right. My answer is... yes."

Drew looked immediately relieved. "I am so glad to hear that, Shego. Well then, shall we go?"

He offered her his arm, and together they walked out of the church. It was late morning by now, and the sun had taken the chill out of the cool morning air. Kim and Ron, seated in her Roth SL Coupe, looked hopefully out as they approached. Drew gave then a positive nod, and both of them looked overjoyed and relieved, in equal measure.

"Well, Drew, let's see where this all leads. But once word of this gets out to the villain community, we may never live it down."

"That, my dear, is a distinct possibility."

"Still, I've got kind of a good feeling about this."

"Me too, Shego. Me too."

The End... for now.

Ah, there's nothing quite like a happy ending. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. Again, my thanks for all the kind reviews, and also for the many Favorites and Story Follows as well, but especially to arandomshipper for his suggestion to write a few more chapters to flesh out this redemptive tale. And who knows, I may even revisit this arc sometime in the future just to see how it all turns out. But for now, it's back to work on my other stories, which are ferociously overdue for some updates...