Legend: Song Lyrics = Dreams

Apply Standard Disclaimers Here

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Ghost Files: Dead and Hating It
Chapter Four: Mr. Sandman
By: P.D. Pirl [10/18-24/09]

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“So, Grimmy, let me get this straight,” Shego said, tossing the pulsing green egg and catching it. “You're telling me that I can't just walk in Kimmie's dream and tell her she has to kiss me so I can come back and kick her ass?” She bounced the egg from one hand to the other as she regarded Vivian with a bit of a scowl. “I swear you and Santa are just getting a kick out of riding my ass.”

Vivian frowned and pressed her palm to the side of Shego's face. “You have to understand, Pup, that what happened to you was something that took everyone by surprise.” She smiled a little, especially when the young woman grumbled and nuzzled her hand. “Death didn't see you coming, that's quite a feat. You should feel special.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shego muttered, glaring at the glowing object in her hands before tossing it to Vivian, who easily caught it. With a grunt, she grabbed the grim reaper by the waist and snuggled the warm body like a child would to a pillow. “I still don't see why you people insist that I make her dream about kissing me. How is that supposed to work?”

“Actually, taking the direct approach might scare her off even more. Our best chance is to somehow coax her into initiating it,” Vivian explained, giving Shego a pat on the head before happily stroking the dark mane within reach. “Fortunately, it seems that Kimberly has quite an imagination. We could use that to our advantage. ”

Shego lifted her head, looked at Vivian like she was waiting for a punch line and snorted, “C'mon, we're talking about Kim 'More Vanilla than Your Grandma and Straighter than a Flatline' Possible here! God, she's just so... so... heeey...” she trailed off, a catatonic expression on her face that was slowly, frighteningly replaced by an evil grin.

Vivian stopped petting and for the first time, she considered being a little afraid of the cute, grumpy bundle on her lap.

“Hey, Grimmy,” Shego purred, a glint in her eyes that matched the grin. “How well do you remember your classic Disney movies?”

Keep going. Kim shut her eyes and gritted her teeth as she took quick, shallow breaths that tasted like salt. The rain was ruthless tonight; peppered her already battered body with blows that felt like blunt knife stabs. Can't stop now. She fought with what little remained of her strength just to keep her head afloat. The water was an overwhelming abyss of fury, gripping at her throat and squeezing until it filled her chest; threatening to swallow her. Don't look back. She forced her eyes to open, briefly grimaced at the sting of saltwater, and kept swimming.

Mud never looked so beautiful and glorious to her. She bent over and dug her fingers into the ground, a pitiful attempt to anchor her mind, to keep her soul from flying away with the wind. She was here, she tried to tell herself, but all she could hear was the sound of thunder. I made it, I did it, she wanted to say, yet all she could do was stare at her hands, dirty and sticky with mud. It didn't look pretty at all. With a violent shudder and a shaky breath, her body finally gave in to the exhaustion and she crumbled to the ground.

A wave of numbness washed over her, much like a gentle hand soothing the pain away. It was lulling her to sleep, wrapping her in a comforting, cold embrace and it was slowly shushing her frantic heart to a calm, steady rhythm. Before her vision faded completely, she remembered seeing the letters G and O and a flash of black and green. She didn't know whether or not she spoke the words, “I'm here, Shego,” a moment after she took what felt like her last breath.

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream
Make her the cutest that I've ever seen
Give her two lips like roses and clover
Then tell her that her lonesome nights are over

When Kim came to, the first thing she noticed was how comfortable and warm she felt. She sat up gingerly; her head was still spinning and her body hurt so much it felt like she lost an argument with a blender while she was inside it. She was lying on a cozy cushion that had been placed on a large round table and over her body was a thick blanket. A quick shift confirmed that she was naked under the large green shirt she was wearing. There was dim light coming from a large, wide monitor looming over her head and from one of the chairs around the table.

She craned her neck to look at the screen and finally recognized where she was. She was in Team Go's control room, or what was left of it. The computer looked like it had been reduced to a rather poor substitute for a night light and all but one of the chairs were nursing a healthy layer of grime. The same chair that was clean was also holding the other source of light in the dark room. Inside a large, cylindrical glass casing was a floating object; she wasn't sure what it was because of the green glow it was giving off. Green like the chair. Green like...

It didn't take a genius to figure out who had taken her in, put her in dry clothes and slipped her under warm covers; the green shirt alone was enough of a clue. Still, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive about being alone in the dark with a creepy-looking thing that was within arm's reach. She looked around, ready to catch the slightest sound or movement that might alert her to another presence, and tentatively called out, “Shego?”

“What is it, Princess?” The response came immediately, almost before the question was finished.

Kim sucked in a breath and bit back a surprised yip. “Shego!”

“What?”

“You startled me!” Kim hissed, glaring at the direction where Shego's voice came from. She folded her legs and pulled the covers up to her chest, feeling extremely vulnerable now that she was sure she wasn't alone. Her body still hurt and her headache was still relentless. She'd rather not fight if given the choice, yet she didn't want to look like a hapless idiot either.

A soft chuckle filled the air, but no words followed.

“Shego?” Kim spoke in a softer voice this time.

“Yeah...?”

“Can you...” Kim hesitated and chewed on her lower lip before she managed to gather the nerve to ask again, this time without a falter. “Can you come out so I can see you?”'

There was a long pause before Shego said anything. “Sure thing, Pumpkin, but you have to answer a few questions first.”

“Deal.”

“Are you afraid of elves?”

“What?”

“Humor me.”

“I don't think so?” Kim was so thrown off by the question she sounded like she couldn't even convince herself.

“Fine, whatever, is it the ears? Is that what gets you?”

Kim actually thought about it for a while. “No.”

“What about horns? Scared of those?”

“Just horns?” Kim snorted, crossing her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes. “Please, how is that scary?”

“You tell me.”

“I am telling you.”

“Up yours, Princess. What about glow in the dark eyes?”

“They make me think of cute, cuddly kittens. Are you implying something, Shego?” Kim broke into a huge grin and crooned, “Does someone need a hug?”

“No.”

The grin got bigger.

“I'm going to ignore that so you'll be alive to answer my next question.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Ignoring that. What do you think about wings?”

Kim raised her eyebrows. “Wings?”

“What, is there an echo in here? Wings, Kimmie! Wings! They go flap like you go fap, they go swish like you go shik--- well, maybe not you.”

Kim laughed, actually feeling a lot better now. She was expecting to be drilled about more serious things, like why she was here, and that was actually something she couldn't quite answer. “Seriously, Shego,” she said after her little fit of laughter died out, wondering if Shego flinched in the dark. “What's the sitch?”

A loud sigh was the first response, followed by a question. “You sure none of those freak you out?”

“Positive.”

“Know what? Let's do this your way, but don't say I didn't warn you.”

Kim turned just in time to see a pale hand shoot out from the dark and grab the strange glass casing. Shego sat down on the green chair, the still glowing object cradled carefully in her arms which she had crossed over her clearly naked chest. Kim blinked at the partial nudity and noticed that the green and black outfit was ripped and shredded in most places. She was about to remark dryly about the unimpressive play at seduction when she saw exactly why Shego was topless and she ended up gawking instead.

Folded against Shego's shoulders were two large, black wings. They seemed to have a smooth, leathery texture that gleamed just a little bit under the weak light from the screen. It was then that Shego wrapped her wings around her body, covering her nudity and the object. The thumbs of the wings, tipped by large, sharp claws, hooked together as if to lock them in place.

Kim noticed that Shego's eyes were closed but her attention immediately shifted to the pale forehead. Just above the arch of each brow were long, thin black horns that sloped backwards and stopped just before they reached the back of Shego's head. A few inches below the horns, with the exact length and angle were long, flimsy-looking ears that were pointed at the tip.

Shego was looking at her now, actually looking at her and Kim forgot to breathe when their eyes met. Shego's eyes glowed with an eerie green light but it was faint enough to see that the color had filled even the pupils and the sclera; not a speck of black or white remained. It made Kim feel like she was looking into a hollow, bottomless chasm.

“W-wow,” Kim gasped the moment she found her voice again.

In a heartbeat, Shego was on the mattress next to Kim, her mouth almost pressed to the redhead's ear. “So, tell me, Kimmie,” she whispered, “are you scared?”

Kim backed up and hugged the covers to her chest again. “Okay, I admit,” she sighed in defeat, “the eyes are kinda creepy.” She looked up and tried to stare into Shego's eyes again only to shudder and turn away. “Correction: really, really creepy. But other than that you look...”

Shego cocked a brow. “Like a freak of nature?”

“What? No!”

“Like a monster?” Shego flashed a grin, showing off her fangs. “A beast?”

“So not!”

“Like a... demon?”

“Shego, let me finish!” Kim hissed. When she saw what looked like a shrug, she said, “I was going to say you look totally baddical.”

“I think most of that saltwater went right into your brain, Possible.” Shego rolled her eyes or rather, she looked like she rolled her eyes. “You hacked up a good chunk of the ocean out there. You wanna tell me why you swam to Go Tower? We had a jet for a reason, y'know. I figured good ol' Nerdlinger was going to hook you up with a ride.”

“Wade doesn't know I'm here. No one knows.” Kim frowned, head tipped down and hands trembling a little. “Shego, I thought I killed you that night. That's what everyone told me and I believed them. For five years, I accepted it until Drakken--- Drew, he asked me to find you, told me what happened to you after I...”

“Shit happens, Kimmie.” Shego shrugged, briefly waving it off with one wing before tucking it right back in place. “You had no way of knowing that kicking me into a giant taser would make my powers turn me into a, hmm, what did those bastards in GJ call me... oh, yeah! A viscous, rampaging cannibal! Back when I was still human, that is.” She laughed a little and gave Kim a silly grin that only made the redhead squeak in fright.

“C-cannibal?”

“Blue Boy left that part out, huh?” Shego's grin twisted into a feral, predatory smirk, but it quickly faded with another hearty chuckle. “Don't worry, Pumpkin,” she cooed, laughing again when the nickname ironically made the redhead pale. “I happen to believe you taste as bad as your cooking. Let's keep that way.”

Kim sputtered, “Hey!”

“Do you really want to change my mind?” Shego purred, waggling her eyebrows and looking positively menacing. “Because I would like me a slice of pumpkin pie.”

“No, I totally stink down there! DOWN THERE IN THE KITCHEN! I mean, my cooking totally stinks and that goes double for me! You definitely do NOT want to eat me!” Kim laughed nervously and scooted over to the very edge of the table, trying to put as much distance between her and the recently discovered human flesh enthusiast. “Besides,” she quipped after a while, “is that any way to treat someone who's trying to help you?”

“I killed the last person who tried to help me.”

“Oh... did you, umm... eat them?”

Shego sighed and got up. “Go home, Princess.”

“Wait!” Immediately forgetting the bone-chilling fear that had recently reduced her to prattling nonsense, Kim scampered off the table and reached out for Shego, who was already starting to walk away. The impulse was to touch the shoulder, but when she saw the wings, she panicked and ended up brushing her fingers down the pale woman's spine.

Shego visibly shuddered and whipped around to glare at Kim. “You little perv!”

“I-I was just trying to stop you!” Kim whined, starting to pout.

“Oh, for the love of--- what do you want?”

“I just need to see something, okay? If it's not what I'm looking for, I'll leave you alone. I promise.” Kim waited patiently for any sort of response and smiled when she got a simple nod. She got on her toes, surprised at the height difference between them, and peered closely at Shego's face; her cheeks were a bit sunken and her neck was a little thin. “Can you, umm, open up?” she asked, gesturing at the wings, which slowly stretched out after the request, and she frowned at what she saw. “When was the last time you...” she trailed off and chewed her lip a bit, “ate?”

“What's it to you, Kimmie?”

“How long?”

“You're no fun,” Shego grumbled, hugging the object closer to her chest. “Five years. Happy now?”

Kim's mouth hung open for a while. “Y-Years?! But-but...!”

“Don't look at me like that, I don't know how this body works,” Shego muttered, closing Kim's gaping mouth. “But I think I can keep it up for a few more decades before I lose my mind and eat the Australians.”

“Can't you, uhh, compromise?”

“Nope, anything else makes me sick to my stomach. Funny, ain't it?”

Kim cupped Shego's face in her hands and smiled weakly. “You're fighting it, aren't you?”

Shego's grin dropped along with her gaze and she spoke in a sad, bitter voice. “Let's just say you tend to get an epiphany while you're butchering your own family.”

Kim flinched at the words but she didn't back down. “Look at me,” she pleaded, for the first time being able to look into those eyes without fear. “You're more human than I'll ever be, Shego.” She smiled when she felt Shego's wings close around her in an awkward yet comforting embrace. “Tell me what I have to do.”

Shego groaned and pulled Kim a little closer. “I can't.”

Kim's smile turned into a smirk. “Then I guess I'll just have to stay here until I figure it out myself.”

Shego pulled the hands off her face and shook her head. “You're impossible.”

“Actually, I'm Kim. Kim Possi---”

“Finish that and I will hurt you, Kimmie.”

“Grumpy much?” Kim teased with a little poke in the arm, making Shego grunt and tighten her grip on the case. She eyed it curiously and asked, “What is that, anyway? Wait, is that a glowing egg?”

“Expecting something else, Princess?”

“I don't know. I guess I was expecting something fancier, something prettier,” Kim replied honestly. “ Like a rose.”

Shego grunted. “Yeah, well, Santa doesn't lay rose-shaped charcoal.”

Kim raised a brow. “Was that supposed to make sense?”

All of a sudden, a tiny burst of yellow light flew across the room, leaving gold dust in its path. It zoomed right towards the couple and landed on Shego's head, revealing a very tiny Vivian with nothing but a wand in her hand and a smile on her face. Her ears were pointy but not long like Shego's, her eyes were shaped sharper than human eyes and while she seemed to fly, she didn't have wings. “Hello, Kimberly,” she greeted the redhead with a wave and then she looked down. “Hi, Pup!”

“For fuck's sake, Gr--- Tink, put some Goddamn clothes on!”

“Tink?” Kim parroted, still staring at the very naked – pixie? Fairy? - tiny person.

“Much better than the original, mind you.” Vivian winked.

“Only because you're flashing the world,” Shego growled, half-heartedly trying to flick away the little menace off her head.

“That's not fair, Pup, you're only half-dressed yourself.”

“But I am not sitting on someone's head.”

Vivian clicked her tongue and waved her little wand around. Her body was soon covered with dust that sparkled so brightly it was blinding. After that, she was magically wearing a green two-piece that looked so small and tight it might as well have been painted on her. Satisfied, she hopped over to one of Shego's horns and turned to Kim. “Now, I understand you're wondering what Pup has there in her arms, hmm?”

Kim just nodded.

“You see, Kimberly, you're not the only one who thinks Pup here is such a darling,” Vivian cooed, easily dodging a hand that was meant to swat her away. “It was decided that she deserved another chance. So, my boss, who is---”

“Captain One-Eyed Willy,” Shego interrupted with a snicker.

“Your boss is a captain? A pirate?” Kim asked Vivian. “But Tinkerbell---”

“I think you missed my point, Cupcake.”

“I did?”

“Sure did, flew right over your pretty little head.”

“It did?”

“Y'know, this would be a lot funnier if you actually knew her boss.”

“It would?”

“Ever consider going blonde, Princess?”

“Shego!” Kim whined, tugging at a wing. “Tell me!”

“Hey!” Shego barked and jerked her wings back. “No touchie!”

“Only if you tell!”

“Oh, Jesus Christ, let me spell it out for you: D-I-C---”

Vivian cleared her throat, making the bickering couple stop and look at her. “As I was saying, my boss, who is a kind, generous soul, created that,” she pointed at it again, but this time she used her wand. “As long as Pup has it, she has a chance to turn back into a human being.”

“You mean like magic?” Kim asked, already sounding skeptical.

“I suppose so. However, it's not so simple.”

“Because you people would just die if you didn't do it the hard way,” Shego muttered.

“Pup,” Vivian chided, stroking one of the horns and making Shego shiver. “You see, Kimberly, it's not enough that we think she deserves another chance. We want proof that someone else, someone human, believes she's worth saving.”

“That's why I'm here,” Kim said.

“That's wonderful.” Vivian smiled. “Now all you have to do is prove it in a very simple way.”

Kim frowned, confused. “How?”

Vivian shook her head. “I'm afraid only you can answer that question, Kimberly.”

Kim looked at Shego, hoping to get a hint, but all she got was a frown that matched hers.

“There's one more thing you have to know,” Vivian said, flying down and sitting on Shego's arm while she tapped the glass surface of the case. “When the glow stops, it means it's too late,” she stroke the pale hand within reach and gave a gentle squeeze. Then she looked at Kim in the eyes and whispered, “For both of you.”

The next morning, with the strange dream still so vivid in her mind even after breakfast, Kim asked her mother, “Mom, how do you make someone feel human?”

Anne gave a start at the question, completely taken by surprise. “I'm not sure what you mean by that, Kim. There are a lot of definitions out there and you're going to get different answers from different people.” She took a long sip of her coffee. “I would say that what makes us human is our desire for knowledge, your father would say rocket science, of course.”

Kim shared a laugh with her mother. “And the tweebs? The power to create so they can destroy?”

“That does sound like something they would say, yes.”

Kim shook her head. “That sounds more like a God complex, mom.”

“It does,” Anne agreed with a nod. “Did that answer your question, honey?”

Kim fiddled with her fingers for a moment then sighed. “Mom, say you know this person who's been treated like a... monster for a long time. Like, so long that they started believing it. How are you going to convince them that they're still human to you?”

“Ah, Bubble-Butt, that's easy. Especially for you.” Anne leaned over, planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead and said, “Show them you care.”

“Thanks, mom.” Kim smiled, kissed her mother on the cheek and went on her way. She wasn't really expecting the dream to magically continue, but just in case it did, she didn't want to go in there clueless and unprepared. She just hoped her memory worked just as well both ways.

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream
Make her the cutest that I've ever seen

Kim was sleeping peacefully in the makeshift bed Shego had made for her when a violent rumble sent her rolling to the floor. “Wha-what---” she mumbled, rubbing her head. The ground shook again, making her stumble just as she was trying to get to her feet. “Earthquake? Here? Now?!” she yelped and grabbed one of the chairs. A flash of yellow burst in the room and she gasped in relief, “Tink!”

“Calm down, Kimberly,” Vivian hushed, stroking the redhead's cheek. “It'll pass.”

“Pass? This happens often?”

“It's not an earthquake. The Pup's just really hungry every morning.”

“P-Pup?” Kim gawked. “THAT was Shego's stomach growling?!” she asked hysterically, letting out a shriek when the floor shuddered again. “Geez,” she breathed and pulled herself to the green chair. “I can't imagine not eating for that long...” Her body shuddered in sympathy at the pain she could only imagine and with it came a sinking feeling of guilt. “I'm probably not helping by being here.”

“I did hear her say that she can smell you from the top of the tower,” Vivian said as she sat on Kim's shoulder. “But I'm sure she appreciates your company.”

“I hope you don't mean in her stomach.”

“You probably do look like a walking slice of pumpkin pie to her,” Vivian giggled.

Kim coughed loudly and blushed. “I hope she remembers that I taste as bad... as my cooking...” Kim spoke slowly, as if tasting the last few words and enjoying herself immensely. Quickly, she placed Vivian on the table and stood up. “I just got an awesome idea!” she squealed, already excited and ready to go. “Tink, do you know where the kitchen is? And does the fridge actually have food?”

“Pup restocked the fridge after she took you in last night,” Vivian responded rather anxiously, “but she said something about keeping you out of the kitchen.”

“Pwease?” Kim whimpered, going all out with her puppy-dog pout.

“Kimberly? W-what are you doing? What is that--- oh, my.” Vivian paled, helpless and unprepared for something so cute. “All right, all right,” she conceded with a laugh, “you win.”

“Spankin'!” Kim cheered and happily followed Vivian's lead. As they were walking down the hall, she asked, “Hey, Tink? Can your magic dust extinguish fire? Like, say, burning water?”

“Please don't burn Go Tower to the ground, Kimberly,” Vivian joked. “Pup might eat us both.”

Later, after a few hours of mayhem and lots and lots of pretty fire that went poof thanks to magic, Shego found herself sitting in front of a bowl of... something. She glared at it with narrow, skeptical eyes then looked at the two hopeful, nervous people watching her.

“It's better than nothing, Pup,” Vivian encouraged her, optimistic as ever.

“Come on, Shego,” Kim begged, ready to whip out the pout if the situation called for it. “Just a little taste?”

Shego opened her mouth to say something but her stomach beat her to it by causing another small earthquake. She sneered at the grins she got and huffed. “I'll try it but if this turns my guts upside-down I'm going to take a bite out of you.” She punctuated the threat with a seething look that made Kim shrink back. With a smirk, she bravely dipped her spoon in the thick concoction and took a quick gulp. In an instant, her face brightened, “Hey, that wasn't so bad...” she took another bite, then another.

Kim and Vivian gawked as Shego finished the serving in record time and nearly bit into the bowl.

Shego looked up at Kim and eagerly asked, “You got any more, Princess?”

As Kim served Shego helping after helping of the soup she had made out of scratch, she came to a rather morbid realization. Does that mean my cooking tastes like raw human flesh? My food tastes like people? But the look of absolute gratification on Shego's face made her swell with the feeling of such warped domestic pride that she just had to smile.

That afternoon at Bueno Nacho, Kim stared at her food in a way that anyone who saw her would assume she was trying to find the meaning of life somewhere in the melted cheese. She was thinking so hard that she started asking questions that brought on a splitting headache. What if I'm dreaming about dreaming that I had a dream? She groaned. There was a simple solution to this. “Ron?”

Ron shoved a naco in his mouth and swallowed. “Yeah, KP?”

“I need a favor.”

“Sure, KP. Anything for you.”

“Pinch me.”

“No problem, KP, I'm just gonna--- wait, what?”

“What?” Rufus echoed.

Kim held out her arm. “Pinch me,” she repeated flatly, and with a roll of her eyes she even said, “I must be dreaming.”

By now, Ron knew better than to argue further or ask for an explanation so he reached across the table and pinched the offered limb. His mind began to wander. To him, the world spun out of control that night Shego died and even after she came back to life – sort of, they were calling it a coma – Kim was nowhere close to going back to normal.

“Okay, I think I'm good.”

Actually, she's getting worse, he thought. I wonder if I should talk to her about it. He absently pinched harder, getting even more lost in his thoughts.

“That's really starting to hurt, Ron.”

She must have been majorly freaked. Who wouldn't be? Hey, people, that corpse in the coffin? Yeah, it's breathing, just thought you should know! He shuddered, feeling a chill crawl up his spine.

“You can stop now. Please and thank you.”

And isn't she weirded out that Shego was never taken to the hospital? Then again, I guess if you have money, you can make the hospital come to you. Maybe super-powered people have this... thing for hospitals. His fingers twisted the already sore flesh in his grip. Flying back and forth Middleton and Go City every single day canNOT be a good thing.

“OW! Ron, I said let go!”

“Huh--- what?”

“Ron, stop pinching me!”

He gawked and quickly yanked his hand back. “Oh, geez, I'm sorry, KP. I totally spaced!”

“No big,” Kim mumbled, rubbing her sore arm. Right, so, this is the real world. She tried to lean back and relax while Ron and Rufus continued stuffing their faces. A few minutes passed with her just poking lazily at her food. It was hard to have an appetite for some reason. “Ron, can I ask you something?” she asked after a while.

Ron set his food aside and leaned close. “Shoot, KP.”

“Let's say there's someone - hypothetically speaking – you care about and you want to show them how you feel. But this person's a little, umm, thick. I mean, you do something nice for them and they're grateful and all, but what if that wasn't enough?”

Ron rubbed his chin as he thought of an answer. It was actually so he could cover up the disappointment in his face. He wasn't about to bring up their relationship any time soon, not until he got the normal Kim back. “If the Ron Man was in a fix like that, let's see... ah-hah!” he exclaimed with a snap of his finger. “I'll give 'em a little something-something.”

“Ron.”

“Not some Ron-Luvin', KP, although that is always on the menu.” He winked, happy it made her laugh. “I say give 'em a gift is all.”

Kim looked like she just made an amazing discovery. “Ron, you're a genius!” she squealed, lunged across the table and pulled her best friend in a crushing hug. “Oh, my gosh, look at the time, I better go visit Shego before it's too late.” Just as she was about to leave, she tugged at Ron's shirt. “And Ron?”

“Yeah, KP?” he said between chews.

“If you ever turn into a cannibal, just come to me and I'll fix you right up.” Kim gave him a huge, cocky grin and bounced out of Beuno Nacho, leaving her best friend and his pet mole rat gaping and staring at her like she just lost what little was left of her mind.

Give her the word that I'm not a rover
Then tell her that her lonesome nights are over

She's been out for a while, Kim thought, wondering if her cooking might have poisoned Shego in some way. Slowly, she climbed the mattress and stared in awe at the strange, magnificent creature Shego had become. “You really do look baddical,” she whispered, grinning from ear to ear knowing no one else heard her, “but right now you look like an overgrown cuddle buddy.”

Shego was on her side, her wings limp against her body and the cushion. She was curled up a little, being a little too long for the mattress, and she was choking a pillow with her arms. There was a big, satisfied smile on her face that put to rest Kim's suspicions of poisoning. It really would have been such a cute picture if Shego's wasn't wearing clothes that look like they went through a paper shredder.

Not really her fault. Good luck finding decent, wing-compatible--- waitaminute! That was when it hit her and for the second time in two days, she had yet another brilliant idea. With Vivian's help, it didn't take long to set up the plan. In fact, Shego was still out like a light by the time everything was ready.

Kim loomed over her unsuspecting victim with a huge smile on her face, her eyes quickly spying the unusually long ears bouncing when Shego shifted in her sleep. The smile turned absolutely devious as a rather naughty thought came to mind. “Hey, baby,” she whispered in a breathless, husky voice, “are you really that tired or am I just that good?”

Shego groaned, opened one glowing eye and muttered, “Kimmie, you're awful.”

“Don't bite the hand that feeds you,” Kim teased.

“Food?” Shego quickly sat up, wide awake. “Where?”

“I think I created a monster.”

“Damn straight, woman.” Shego leered at Kim. “Now feed me.”

Kim regarded the order with a raised brow, but before she could say anything, a wing shot out and smacked her right in the ass. “Hey!”

“That's for waking me up.”

“So I could give you a gift!”

“A gift?” Shego asked hopefully, “Food?”

Kim stared incredulously and shook her head, chuckling. “Is that all you think about?”

“Five years.”

“Okay, okay, don't rub it in. I'll start cooking as soon as you put this on.” Kim fished out a package from under the table and pushed it into Shego's hands. “I, uhh, noticed you have a bit of a wardrobe sitch with your wings,” she stuttered, head hung low to hide the blush on her cheeks, “so I thought maybe you could use this instead.”

Shego didn't say anything and just opened the gift, then blinked at what she saw. “Your battle suit?”

“It's better than ever!” Kim blurted out, not really thinking.

“Thanks, Kimmie, that makes me feel a lot better,” Shego drawled with a scowl, “not like it killed me the last time--- oh, wait!” She sighed, dropped it on her lap and muttered, “You are one sick puppy, y'know that? You were wearing this when you turned me into this-this... thing and now you want me to wear it? Do I get to kick you, too? You wanna see what a giant taser will do to you?”

“No, I didn't mean it like that!” Kim moved closer and held up the suit. “I meant to say that it's going to adjust and fit you perfectly. I-I'm sure it won't hurt your wings or anything and it's really easy to remove!” She tried to give Shego a confident smile but her lips twitched. “See, you just have to press this button and it'll loosen right up. I just thought you'd like it...”

“Well, when you put it that way,” Shego murmured as she took the suit out of Kim's hands and winked. “I guess you win again, Pumpkin.”

Kim's face lit up. “Y-you mean...?”

“Yes, Princess, I'm going to take a shower and put it on.”

“Spankin'!” Kim cheered and jumped off the bed, narrowly dodging the urge to hug Shego. After straightening out her clothes, she turned to leave but was stopped by a hand on her wrist. “Is something wrong, Shego? Do you, umm, need help putting it on?” she stammered the second question, blushing all over again.

“No, I'm fine. I just wanted to say...” Shego pulled her hand away and looked at the suit as if it knew the rest of the words she was going to say.

Kim shook her head, finally understanding. “You're welcome, Shego.”

That night, before bedtime, Kim was having a profound conversation with Pandaroo. She rolled on her back and lifted the cuddle buddy in the air. “Mom told me to show that I care and I did that. Ron told me to give a gift and I did that, too. But nothing's happening, Pandaroo. What if... what if I fail this mission? Don't look at me like that, I know it's all a dream!” she rambled, tightening her grip on him and tossing him in the air in frustration.

Pandaroo flipped in the air and landed in Kim's waiting arms.

“Do you ever feel that way, Pandaroo?” she asked, gazing at him curiously just in case he would answer. “I hope not.”

Pandaroo just stared back at her like any other inanimate object fixed with a pair of eyes.

“Because if you do...” She thought for a moment and said, “Well, I can't cook for you and I don't think buying you a gift will really mean anything, buuuut...!” she droned, breaking into a very wide grin. “What I can do is give you biggest hug ever!” With that, she gathered him in her arms and squeezed as hard as she could. “See? Hugs make it all better!” Her eyes widened and she pulled away to stare at him in shock, “Wait...”

Pandaroo, unsurprisingly, kept on staring.

“That's it! A simple way!” Kim exclaimed, remembering that silly little Tink's words. “I'm so stupid, how did I miss that?!” Her small celebration was cut off by a yawn and she knew it was bedtime. She slipped under the covers with Pandaroo, mumbled, “I'm going to hug you to death, Shego,” and then drifted off to sleep.

“I'm already dead! Jesus Christ on a tricycle with training wheels!” Shego fumed, tossing her hands up in the air. “This girl's slower than drying paint!” Knowing what was coming next, she moved out of the way just as a hand was about to land on her head. “No!” she hissed. “No petting!”

“Now, Pup, let's not go in there grumpy,” Vivian hummed as she ignored the feeble command and began petting away. “I happen to think you're making excellent progress with Kimberly.”

Shego tried to growl, but it almost came out as a whimper when Vivian's hand stroke the back of her neck. She cursed being a ghost for the nth time and soon even that was forgotten.

Vivian pulled her hand away as soon as she felt Shego relax. “Are you worried?”

“Doy!”

“There's no need to rush things, Pup. We still have three nights including this one.”

“Three decades isn't enough!” Shego hissed, getting worked up again. “Hugging? What's next? Holding hands? A peck on the cheek? A long walk on the beach? And don't forget that she has to figure out that she needs to do it to the real me.” She snorted at that and rolled her eyes. “God knows just how many eternities she'll need for that. Screw it! I'm going to take care of this tonight.”

“Don't do anything too rash, Pup. It's her mind and her world. There's no telling what might happen if you startle her like that.” Vivian fiddled with the settings on her watch, then grabbed Shego's wrist to the same for her. “Ready to go?”

Shego groaned when she saw that Vivian was already in that ridiculous getup. “You had to be Tinkerbell?” She made a face. “I hate Tinkerbell.”

Author's Note:

Shego's blonde comment (the fact that she said the word, not why she said it) is a shout out to eoraptor's Kim Possible: A Blonde Moment (Story ID: 3614597). Pissed off G-rated Shego is hilarious. Shego saying she was going to eat Australians was not meant to be offensive, it was a shameless reference to Lucy Diamond from the movie D.E.B.S. because Jordana Brewster is hot.

The lyrics used in the dreams are from Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes. They were slightly modified to fit the story.