Kim Possible is owned by Disney. I own this work of fiction. I make no profit from this.

Chapter 9
Passive Aggressive

Shego was a light sleeper. She pretty much had to be given her lifestyle. People had actually tried to kill her in her sleep before, so she had developed the ability to wake up at the slightest of sounds. Not that she needed that ability at the moment.

The thundering crash that echoed throughout the complex was enough to rouse the entire cellblock. Shego leaped from her bed, fully alert. She looked around for anything that might have caused the sound, but she could not see anything that indicated an explosion.

Then the roof to her cell came off.

The sudden removal of half the generators that powered the force field caused the purple glow to vanish. Shego looked up and saw that the detached section was in the hands of some sort of hanging claw similar to those one might find in a junkyard. This did not go by the other inmates.

“Shego, take me with you!” Drakken cried suddenly, clutching at the bars of his cell. “I’m sorry for what I did! Really, I am! Forgive me, Shego! I'll make it up to you! I promise!”

“Dude, shut up, seriously. You’re the one who put her in here,” Ed remarked from behind him, still lying in his bed.

“And I’m trying to apologize for it, Eddie,” the blue doctor snarled as he turned around to address his lippy cousin. He turned back to Shego. “I’m sorry! Get me out of here! I need you!”

Shego wasn’t listening. She was looking at the claw. More specifically, she was looking at the craft that it was attached to.

“There’s something familiar about that thing…” she said to herself, tapping her chin. “Can’t quite place it, though.”

A voice over the loudspeaker answered her question. “Shego! Your chariot awaits!”

The heavy Spanish accent finally made things click. “Señor Senior Senior?”

That was the same craft she’d seen parked in the hangar at the Senior’s lair last time she visited. It was a hovercraft, and a very large one at that. It could accommodate an entire battalion. Senior had called it his “Floating Command Center” (FCC for short). The only reason he had picked the name was because “flying fortress” was already taken.

“Come with me, Shego! I will explain everything on the way,” Senior’s voice promised.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather not get hoisted up like some carnival prize,” Shego said, indicating the claw.

“Ah, but of course, only the best treatment for the lady,” the billionaire said in response, raising the claw and simultaneously lowering a rope ladder. “My apologies, but the tractor beam technology my scientists are developing was not ready in time for your rescue. I suggest hurrying. There are several Global Justice agents homing in on your position.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Shego said with a shrug and began to climb the ladder.

As the green escapee ascended the ladder, the FCC began to raise its altitude. As it did, Drakken let out one desperate cry: “SHEGO!”

“Cuz’, keep it down, seriously!”

“Oh shut up, Eddie.”

---

Shego reached the top of the ladder where she was greeted by the Seniors. “So to what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked in what for her was a cordial manner.

“Welcome aboard the FCC, Shego,” Senior greeted her with a bow.

“Yeah, thanks, but I’m all about free speech,” Shego quipped.

Senior smiled at the remark, but Junior was confused. “What does the ability to say whatever you want have to do with being aboard our Floating Command Center?”

Shego shook her head. “Forget it. So really, why am I here?”

“You are here for a very simple reason, Shego,” the elder Senior replied. “We wish for you to join us.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but didn’t you fire me last time because I tried to get between you and your son?” Senior had practically forced her off that helicopter back then.

“I have my assurances that it will not happen this time,” the billionaire insisted. “I will explain the situation in greater detail if you will please follow us.” He turned around and walked through the automatic door.

“So why rescue me, other than the obvious reason that you want me on your side?” she asked as they approached what appeared to be the dining room.

“Actually our services were enlisted,” Senior answered.

“By who?”

“By me.”

Shego gasped and turned quickly to the side, recognizing the voice. The sight made her overjoyed, but confused at the same time.

“Kimmie?”

The redhead smirked. “Hello, Shego.”

“Kimmie!” Shego practically squealed as she ran over to the younger woman and crushed her in a hug. Just days ago she would have been mortified if anyone else were to witness such an event. Now she didn’t care. When Kim was around, she never really noticed anybody else.

After a few moments Shego realized that she was getting all mushy when she should be pissed. She pulled back and slapped Kim across the face. “What the hell took you so long?!” she chided, silently noting that Kim had done nothing to block the strike.

The girl shrugged. “Well, it may have had something to do with the fact that I got arrested,” she answered nonchalantly.

“For what?” Shego arched an eyebrow and stood with arms akimbo as she waited for an answer.

“I beat my high school rival within an inch of her life,” she said evenly, as though it was nothing. To her, it really was nothing to make a fuss about.

“You have a habit of doing that lately,” the pale villainess remarked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kim frowned and dropped her head. “Yeah,” she sighed in agreement. “I hope you’re not disappointed with me like everybody else.”

“Did she deserve it?” Shego asked after a moment.

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m fine with it.” She pulled Kim in for another hug. “Though I’m still mad at you for taking so long to break me out. Why didn’t you try and visit me?”

“Wasn’t allowed,” Kim answered succinctly. “Plus, I was still kinda mad at you for forcing me to leave you. That was a wake up call I really didn’t want. Hell, I even tried going back to a normal life. I dropped out of the hero business completely.”

“I know,” Shego whispered as she held Kim tight against her body, never wanting to let the little redhead go. “And… I’m sorry I made you go through that. I just didn’t see any other way out of that situation.”

Kim nodded to show that she understood. “I love you,” she whispered softly. “I never want to be away from you again.”

“Me either,” the pale woman concurred, kissing the top of her pretty red head.

A loud throat-clearing sound interrupted the reunion and the pair of ex-heroes turned their attention to the Seniors.

“While I am sure that the two of you are most delighted to see each other again,” Senior spoke, “there will be plenty of time for recreation later. Right now we must discuss the details of our partnership.”

The ladies nodded and their expressions turned serious.

“Let us discuss this over dinner, yes?” suggested the billionaire. “I am sure that prison food is most… revolting, no?”

“Worse than mystery meat,” Kim chimed in, if only to cut off Shego before she started up. Senior was being very courteous to the both of them, and she did not want Shego ruining it by acting rude. “We’d be glad to,” she finished.

Senior smiled. “Then let us get you both out of those dreadful prison jumpsuits and into something a little more… appropriate?”

Kim and Shego cast each other a suspicious glance before nodding their heads in unison.

“Sure, what the hell?” they said together.

“Jinx! You owe me a soda!”

---

“I'm not wearing that,” Shego said flatly. “No way in hell.”

“But Sheeegoooo,” Kim whined, tugging on her arm like a child in a futile attempt to pull the woman towards the bathroom. “You’ll look sexy!”

“Yeah, and sexy is exactly how I don’t wanna look in front of that dirty old pervert,” she groused.

“But I thought you didn’t care what anybody else thought!”

“I don’t. I just don’t wanna be ogled by a guy who’s older than the two of us combined.”

“You’re wearing it!”

“Bite me, Possible!”

The redhead ceased her tugging and leaned in close to the pale woman, eyes half-lidded with desire. “Was that an offer?” she cooed.

Rather than blush or roll her eyes, Shego glared. “I’m serious, Princess. Make me wear that in front of that old geezer and I swear you’ll wish you hadn’t rushed to come rescue me.”

Kim pouted. “Shego, what’s the matter?”

“Huh?

“You’re acting weird all of a sudden. What’s going on?”

Shego just stared.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” she whined. “Don’t you wanna know what happened?”

“Not really.”

Kim looked down. A single tear escaped her eye, staining her face. “Why won’t you open up to me anymore? You were so honest before all this happened.” She looked up to find Shego still staring down at her with an icy expression.

“People change, Princess.”

Kim’s eyes narrowed. “Fine,” she spat as she walked away, throwing the low-cut forest green dress on the bed. “Wear whatever you want.”

---

Shego looked ridiculous. Kim and Senior both knew it. But they also knew that if they made any comments about her outfit, she could very well lose it and blow a hole in the side of the aircraft. Not that Senior was concerned about that. He simply had too much class to mention her amusing choice of dress. Kim just didn’t see the point in setting the green woman off further.

Junior was not so tactful. “Shego, why are you not wearing a dress?” he asked point-blank.

“Because I didn’t feel like it,” she snapped.

“But why a tuxedo?”

“None of your damn business!” she bellowed, slamming her fist down onto the table.

“Junior, it would be wise not to continue to pester Miss Go,” Senior spoke up. “What she wears is her choice.”

“Thank you,” Shego said to the billionaire. He nodded elegantly.

“Now, I believe it is time for us to enter into an arrangement,” said Senior. “You both owe us for your freedom, after all.”

“We don’t owe you shit.”

“Shego!” Kim hissed. “Sorry,” she said, her face matching the little red number she had been provided with for this evening.

“No, Miss Go is actually correct. I do not wish to become your taskmaster. Think of me as a… financier if you will.”

Shego leaned back and crossed her arms. “Go on,” she said.

“At my advanced age I can hardly begin to compete physically with two young ladies such as yourselves,” Senior continued while he cut his salmon into smaller chunks, “but I have the advantage of an immense fortune to aid me in my efforts. Whereas you two are just starting out in the villainy game and your resources are not… shall we say… plentiful.”

“That may be true for Kimmie over here,” Shego retorted, “but I'll have you know I’m pretty well off.”

“Not after Global Justice confiscated all the money in your accounts,” the elderly billionaire countered, smirking as he saw Shego’s eyes light up with rage.

“THOSE BASTARDS!” she roared, pounding the table again.

“Shego, I urge you to get your temper under control. I will not have my dinner ruined by your petulance.”

Shego scowled and crossed her arms.

“As I was saying, all I ask is that you agree to work for me as private contractors. You will be well paid.”

“You mean be your henchmen?” This time the challenge came from Kim.

Senior looked offended by the very idea. “Why, of course not! Perish the thought! You can call yourselves whatever you want. All I want out of the deal is for you two to do my bidding. Surely a large enough sum of money can convince you to do that.”

“Deal,” Shego said, bored. “When can we start?”

“For now I want my two newest instruments of evil to get some rest. And perhaps work out whatever issue is going on between the two of you.”

Kim was stunned. “You noticed?”

“Please, Miss Possible, you underestimate me. When you’ve been through as many failed marriages as I have you learn the signs that indicate when there is trouble in paradise. The best thing to do is to talk about it.” With that, he stood and left the table. “Come, Junior. We have scheming to do.”

“Yes, father.”

After the Seniors left, Kim looked to Shego. “He’s right, you know. We really do need to talk.”

The mint-colored thief rolled her eyes. “You heard what he said. All his marriages have failed. What the hell does he know about communication?”

“A lot more than you, apparently. Why the hell won’t you talk to me?”

Shego only stared. “I think we should sleep in separate rooms tonight,” she said finally. “I’m still not used to having you next to me.” She stood up and left Kim sitting all by herself.

‘What the hell?’ she thought.

Sharp pain assaulted her chest and Kim felt all the joy drain out of her like water from a sponge as an unseen hand began to strangle her heart. She choked.

What was going on? What did she do? Why wouldn’t Shego talk to her?

Kim took a bite of her salmon. At least the food was good. Maybe, if she ate enough, it would make the indescribable pain she was feeling right now go away. It was worth a shot, anyway. With that in mind, she began to tear into her meal.

---

“Ooooooohhh,” Kim moaned an hour later as she settled into her bed. While eating had managed to keep her mind off of the pain and frustration she felt towards Shego, the subsequent trip to the bathroom to throw up everything she’d just consumed only succeeded in making her feel empty again. To top it all off, now she had a stomachache.

“Why won’t she talk to me?” she asked nobody. What was her deal? One minute Shego was hugging her and giving her kisses on the head and the next she was completely shutting her out! What the hell?!

Had she done something wrong? Was it something she said? What did she have to do to get Shego to talk to her?

On the other side of the Floating Command Center, Shego sat on the bed, staring out the window of her quarters at the night sky.

“Why doesn’t she get it?” she asked no one. How childish did Kim have to be not to realize that she had hurt her? She couldn’t just sit on her ass for all those months and then just expect to go back to the way things were! Why couldn’t she understand that?

‘Doy, because you haven’t exactly been making it obvious,’ she reminded herself. ‘Still, anyone with half a brain knows you don’t just abandon somebody in prison and then pick them up at your leisure. You break them out as soon as you can!’

Why was Shego boxing her out? She had been so open before! So honest! And now she had made herself forbidden to the redhead. Which only made Kim desire her that much more.

Why hadn’t Kim apologized yet? Sure, she had professed love for her, but Kim had no idea what love was. She was still a kid!

‘Which admittedly answers my question,’ Shego realized.

So what now? She obviously couldn’t break up with Kim, not with the deal they’d just made with the Seniors. But she didn’t want to talk to her either.

‘Why?’ Kim thought pathetically to herself as hot tears stung here eyes. ‘Why won’t she talk to me?’

Neither of them slept that night.

---

“BUAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“No, Junior, it must come from your diaphragm. Like this: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Senior sighed into his hand.

“Um, Señor Senior Senior?”

“What is it, Miss Possible?” he asked, eager for the interruption from Junior’s terrible evil laughing skills.

“Do you have a minute?”

“Certainly.” He turned to his son. “Junior, we will pick up your lessons later. I need to talk with Miss Possible for a few minutes.”

“Yes, father.” Junior bowed before exiting the room.

“You certainly have him trained well,” Kim commented.

Senior took a seat and sighed. “He has much to learn about the ways of villainy,” the elder billionaire said. “And I fear that I may never be able to get through to him.” He motioned to the chair beside him. “Please, have a seat.”

Kim complied. “Can you help me get through to someone else?”

“I suspect that this has something to do with Miss Go’s passive aggressive behavior last night?”

“Passive aggressive?”

“It is a common behavior amongst arguing couples. One partner will refuse to acknowledge that there is a problem, while still dropping enough hints to make the other partner feel guilty over whatever it is the first partner feels that they have done wrong. And very often, they will refuse to reveal exactly what it was that the other person did wrong, because they feel that they should just know.”

“But I don’t know!” Kim blurted. “That’s the problem!”

“Yes, and it enables the cycle to continue until the second partner becomes fed up with the situation and explodes, allowing the first partner to appear the calm and reasonable one. It has been known to separate many couples who were otherwise well off.”

Kim lowered her head. “So what should I do?”

“Apologize, obviously.”

“But I don’t know what I did wrong!”

“Fortunately, I do. I will help you to figure it out, but you must participate or you will miss the point. Are we agreed?”

Kim nodded.

“Good then. What happened when you two were reunited?”

“Well… first she got excited and hugged me, then she slapped me in the face for taking so long to rescue her….”

“Aha! Now we know the source of her anger. What happened next?”

“Well, I explained that it was because I got arrested, and she said everything was okay. Then she told me she was sorry for putting me through all that, and I told her I loved her.”

“Ah,” Senior nodded. “Now why do you suppose she is angry at you?”

“That’s just it: I don’t know!”

“You said that she apologized to you. Did you ever do the same for her?”

Kim pondered that for a moment. “Um… no… not really. Why does that matter? I told her I loved her.”

Senior shook his head. “Kimberly, a confession of love is not the same as an apology. It is a given that you feel strongly towards her. Saying that you are sorry is admitting that you were at fault and that you want to make it up to her.”

“So you’re saying I should apologize?”

“That is exactly what I am saying. But you should also know—”

“That’s great! I'll go do it right now!” Kim stood up and prepared to leave.

“Miss Possible, I was not fin—”

She waved him off. “You’ve helped enough, trust me. Thanks!” With that, she ran out of the room.

The old man sighed. “An apology is only the first step, Miss Possible,” he said gravely. “I am afraid that Miss Go expects more than that. I pray that you will be smart enough to realize that.”

---

Kim knocked on Shego’s door with an unusual amount of exuberance for someone who was there to deliver an apology. But she was so excited! She’d finally figured it out! Well, with Senior’s help of course. Still, one more reason to trust the old man!

“Who is it?”

“Shego, it’s me!”

She heard a heavy sigh, followed by several footsteps. After a few moments Shego opened the door. “What?”

“Shego, I’m sorry!” she said gleefully.

As one would assume, this caught Shego off guard. She raised an eyebrow. “What the hell are you so excited about?”

“I figured out why you’re mad at me!” the redhead exclaimed as she hopped up and down.

“Oh yeah? Why is that?”

“I didn’t apologize!” she answered with joy.

The malachite thief crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway. “No, you didn’t.”

“But now I’m going to!”

Shego sighed and placed a palm to her forehead. “Fine. What is it you’re sorry for?”

Kim abruptly ceased hopping and clasped her hands in front of her to appear more pathetic. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting in prison all those months. I’m sorry I didn’t try to break you out sooner. And I’m sorry I didn’t apologize for this earlier.” She looked at Shego expectantly.

“Apology accepted,” Shego said evenly, like it didn’t make a difference to her whether Kim had apologized or not.

The teen began bouncing up and down again. “Yay!” she rushed forward to hug Shego, who surprised her by stepping back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Kimmie. I just don’t wanna be hugged right now.”

“But I just apologized! That makes everything better, right?”

The older woman shook her head. “No, Kimmie, it doesn’t.” She started to close the door.

“Wait!” Kim snapped as she interposed her foot between the door and the sill. Shego let go of the door, allowing Kim to come inside.

“What the hell is going on?!” she raged. “I apologized! Why are you still acting all weird?!”

“You’re the one who’s acting weird, Princess.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Well, for one thing, you acted like apologizing to me was the happiest thing ever.”

“That’s because it WAS! I thought I’d figured out a way to make things better between us!” She crossed her arms and looked away, hurt. “But I guess you’re just too stubborn to allow that.”

“You’re the stubborn one, charging in here and yelling at me because you aren’t willing to let things go.”

“LIKE HELL!” Kim screeched. “You’re the one who’s been passive aggressive ever since I rescued you! Why won’t you open up and talk to me?!”

“BECAUSE YOU HURT ME!” Shego yelled. “Because it never even occurred to you that I was MISERABLE without you! You just went on living in your own little world, thinking that I didn’t matter anymore!”

“And I just apologized for that!”

“BULLSHIT! You just did that so I’d stop being, what’d you call it? Passive aggressive?”

“Well at least now we’re talking!”

“Damn right we are! Do you need me to spell it out for you, Princess?! Do you wanna know why I’m still so mad at you I don’t even wanna SEE you right now?!”

“Why?!”

“Because you’re such a fucking CHILD! You probably didn’t even come up with that apology on your own! You got that old man to help you, didn’t you?”

All the anger vanished from Kim’s face and she looked down. “I….”

“Didn’t you?!”

“Yes, I did! Are you happy now?!”

Shego paced in a circle, attempting to pull her hair out by the roots. “Rrrrr, NO! I can’t be in love with a kid! I CAN’T! You tell me you’re in love with me but you can’t see why you hurt me! Being in a relationship means that we anticipate each other’s needs!”

“What about MY needs?!” Kim screamed as the tears escaped her eyes by the gallon. “What about the fact that I NEED to hug you? To kiss you? To hold you? I need to be close to you!”

“And I need you to grow up!”

That did it. All the emotion that Kim had been bottling up for all those months, all of last night, and all of the last few minutes exploded within her. She tightened her hand into a fist and swung at Shego’s head.

Years of fighting the teen allowed Shego to block the strike with ease, countering with a right hook of her own. Kim ducked, springing back with a vicious uppercut that Shego had to leap backwards to avoid.

And so they fell back into their old pattern. Emotion became action and they punched and kicked at each other, trying to force the other to see things their way. It was easier this way. No thinking; just reacting, dodging, countering, and attacking. It was a routine they knew well.

Shego lit her fist and swiped at Kim, forcing the girl to retreat or get burned. Kim spun backwards, executing a roundhouse kick that Shego effortlessly ducked. Continuing the momentum from her spin, she hammered her fists into Shego’s waiting forearms, driving the woman back.

Kim swung her entire arm diagonally down at Shego, who bobbed and weaved under the strike to end up on the girl’s right side, where she planted her foot into her midsection with a side kick. Clutching her most likely bruised ribs, Kim was unable to get out of the way before the older woman tackled her to the ground.

There they rolled across the room, wrestling for dominance. Kim wound up on top and began driving her fist repeatedly into Shego’s face.

“I HATE YOU!” she exclaimed as she prepared to strike the final blow. She did not anticipate the right hook from Shego that tipped the balance of power so that now the older woman was the one on top.

“I know,” she whispered menacingly as she leaned in close to her.

The redhead’s next words caught in her throat as she realized what she had just said. “Sh-Shego!” she stammered, eyes wide with panic. “I didn’t mean—”

Shego stood up and dusted her hands. “Save it. I know how you really feel about me. You love me until I tell you the truth. Then it’s back to business as usual. That’s no way to build a relationship, Kim. And that’s not a relationship I wanna be in.” With that, she left the room.

Kim looked up in shock from where she lay on the floor.

‘Did Shego just…break up with me?’

She scrambled to her feet. “Shego, WAIT!” she exclaimed as she ran after the villainess. “SHEGO!”

---

I’m baaaaack! I know, this isn’t what any of you were expecting. That’s why I did it! Not to mention that my creative juices are finally flowing again and I have so much more of this story that I want to tell.

I’d like to extend a special thanks to the folks at Slash Haven, particularly Gerarddominus, for encouraging me to update this story. I never would have found the inspiration to finish it if it weren’t for them.

Also, I encourage all of you to check out the 3rd Annual Fannie Awards on Zaratan's forum. I would be honored if you nominated this story or any of my other ones.

Stay tuned!

beeftony