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gothicthundraog · 2 months ago

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Chapters 35-38 The Heist Arch!

Chapter 35 The Heist Part 1

The Heist Part 1

Drakken used the tiny microscopic laser to put the finishing touches on his decoy. If everything went...well, at least decent...he could get access to his long-running plan's bigger players and the key parts for his new project: The Doom-V. He hadn't told Shego he was taking a break from creating a new doomsday device or world domination plan... This was more a land version of the hover car. He'd already finished another backup for the hover car. He'd told Shego the plan a few days ago, but she'd yet to really make a comment about it until...well now.

"So, just a refresher. Someone in your little villain chat contacted you and I guess a few others. That if we get our hands on this ridiculously expensive necklace at this ball...they're willing to trade something you need for something... Why?" asked Shego as she watched him finish the duplicate necklace.

"It's important Shego, and it's something that isn't exactly in easy access," said Drakken as he took off his goggles and looked at Shego. She indicated to herself. "Not even your skills could get this."

"Okay, why are you being secretive?" asked Shego. She picked up the necklace. "Whoa, nice job."

"Shego, are you vetoing this plan?" asked Drakken. He certainly hoped not; she'd yet to use any this month.

"...No," said Shego. She gave him a questioning look. "I'll let it go, but only because I have to go pick up what you told me to get for tonight."

"Shego, you stayed in budget didn't you? This is a one-night thing, no need to blow our funds," said Drakken quickly. She waved her hands in a dismissive manner. "Shego?"

"I got what you told me to get," sighed Shego. She smirked, "Meet you in a few hours, don't forget what you need."

Shego looked at herself in the mirror of the temporary city lair they had acquired for the weekend. The dress she wore was probably one of the most stunning dresses she'd ever seen, and costly. It was green silk, long and flowing, with a slit over one leg; classy, but sexy like she loved. The dress plummeted enough not to be sleazy but to distract just the right amount. The long green sleeves would soon be ended with black silk gloves. She finished putting her hair up and smirked at herself. If this wasn't enough to distract people, she didn't know what was. She looked at her alarm clock and started heading to the work room they had set up prior to that evening.

She still wasn't sure what Drakken needed that she couldn't acquire for them, but she wasn't that annoyed at him being secretive—not yet anyway. Besides, it meant a nice budget to splurge on a new look, a fancy limo ride, and an evening at an extremely expensive and exquisite event. She ran over the whole thing again in her head.

That night she and Drakken were stepping out of their usual criminal activity and attempting to steal the Obsidian Diamond—a one of a kind black diamond necklace worth billions. She was a little bitter they weren't keeping it for themselves, but Drakken had struck up a deal with another villain to trade the diamond for some machine Drakken needed for his latest plot. She'd planned on breaking in somewhere and then just taking it, but Drakken had actually formed a plot she couldn't resist... A heist. Now if his plan backfired, she would just take the necklace, but she had been intrigued by the plan enough to actually not mock it for once or veto it. The plan was to go to a fancy ball where the diamond would be worn by some socialite of course, then snag it, and walk out like nothing happened. It sounded too simple, but as Drakken kept talking about it and adding more details...well who was she to turn down an evening of fine dining, the best wine, and her favorite: crime.

She smirked as she saw Drakken adding what must have been last minute touches for the decoy necklace. It was probably the most focused she'd seen him on anything not destructive. He was dressed in well-fitting designer pants, a crisp white shirt, and his hair was slicked back and tucked in so that you didn't even see his ponytail, and his spikes were gone. Step one, dress to impress and to distract. He'd been adamant that they should blend in enough not to cause too much attention, but enough to be noticed by the right people. She picked up his jacket that was hung on the doorknob and looked closer at it; double breasted, deep navy, and with an intricate design on the one button. She rolled her eyes; of course he couldn't resist blue for one evening. She hung it back up and looked at her dress again before looking back at him. She leaned against the door frame and struck a seductive pose. She was going to love this. She couldn't wait for a reaction.

"Well Dr. D., distracting enough for you?" she asked, doing her best casual and sultry voice.

"Hmm?" He looked at her. His brow rose slightly as he looked her over and turned back to the necklace. "Perfectly distracting. Nice job, Shego."

"Oh, that's real convincing as the man goes back to his necklace," Shego groaned and stepped out of her pose. "Are you serious?"

"It's great, Shego," he nodded. "I'm sorry, but as beautiful as you are, I'm not easily distracted by your...gifts."

"A plastic bag stuck on the roof bothered you for three days until I finally moved it," said Shego. She felt a wash of anger come over her, and a little insecurity if she was honest. What was he playing at? "But this isn't even remotely distracting? I'll have you know..."

"Shego, you look stunning, and if you were anyone else, I assure you I wouldn't be able to focus in the slightest," said Drakken, turning around to look at her. "But you are you, and I've become immune to your...well...distractions."

"Immune..." said Shego. Her anger fell slightly as she raised a brow.

"Yes," said Drakken and he held a serious look. "As breathtaking as you look, you will always be the same woman who blows her nose and stares at it for far too long."

"I what... Excuse me?" asked Shego with wide eyes.

"We've worked together for...two years this June. Being honest, since you seem like you're going to punch me right now... At first there were times I was distracted enough... But then...I watched you blow your nose and stare at it, and on another occasion...I saw you pick your nose," said Drakken, as if he had been holding in a dark secret. "And moments like these, those images come back."

"I have never...what?" asked Shego. She felt her face go hot. "Okay I may glance at it, like any normal person. I don't stare and I don't pick my nose."

"One, two, three... That is an appropriate time to look at one's snot to assess if something is off, not 45 seconds, Shego," said Drakken, turning back around. "You've even asked me to look at it."

"You know what... You bite your nails," snapped Shego. She felt embarrassed, agitated, and hostile.

"Lots of people..."

"Toenails," said Shego sternly. Drakken fell silent and she smirked.

"Let's just agree we have habits," said Drakken. She saw his face darken in tone and smirked. "Did you get the makeup?"

"Yeah. I still don't know why you don't just invent something to alter our appearance instead of makeup," said Shego with a sigh.

"There wasn't enough time for that Shego," said Drakken, looking in the bag. "Did you get the putty?"

"Yes, but why?" asked Shego. She held up a small jar which he snatched.

"Part of the disguise," said Drakken as he headed to the bathroom. He ducked out again and peered at her. "Did you get the brushes?"

+++

Shego sat across from Drakken in the limo, just staring at him. His skin was a nice tan color, the light makeup only covering his hue but not the shade. The putty had been used under the makeup to hide his scar. It was unsettling knowing that Drakken was sitting there, but wasn't. It felt so weird to her, like there was a stranger that looked familiar. This was the Drew Lipsky from the pictures during Mama Lipsky's visit, all grown up. The makeup had smoothed out his skin, and his eyes were less dark around the edges, and his jaw line was slightly different even with the makeup. He fidgeted his black-gloved hands, fighting touching his face. By the glances he kept giving her, he must feel the same unease looking at her.

"It's creepy, right?" asked Shego, indicating to them both.

"Yes," said Drakken who sighed at having it being voiced. "You look so unnatural not being pale green. I mean couldn't you have worn at least green lipstick?"

"Wouldn't you think that would look out of place at a fancy event?" asked Shego. She had contemplated it. "We don't look like us."

"We're not us tonight Shego," said Drakken. He looked serious. "We're a young wealthy couple at a formal event. Before you argue, couples are less likely to be suspected of a heist. We look as much the victims as anyone else and don't stand out as much."

"Young?" asked Shego with a raised brow. "You're forty."

"Forty's the new thirty, Shego," said Drakken with a scowl. "Like you're far behind."

"Whatever," said Shego with an eye-roll. She smirked. Definitely still Drakken.

+++

Drakken fixed his collar and the silver medallion button on his coat and gave a deep sigh. He had stopped in the bathroom before they entered the ball. He was staring at himself. He felt like there was a ghost looking back at him. He gulped. It felt so...so wrong to him, and yet... He smoothed his jacket and checked his hair, a smirk across his face recalling how much time he used to spend on his hair alone in his youth. He yanked the door open, probably with more aggression then he intended, and darted out past others to find Shego.

"Dra-... Drew," came Shego's voice as he rounded a corner. He looked towards the voice.

It was, like she'd stated, weird. Her skin being fair beige in tone just seemed off to him. He'd actually been avoiding looking at her as much as possible on the ride over. She didn't look like Shego without her green hue and dark lips. This was... This was Sheila, not Shego. It probably bothered him more because of that stupid dress. It was hard imagining her with the habits that kept certain thoughts at bay. That's when he made the decision to avoid looking at her as much as possible. That was key.

"Took you long enough, I thought you fell in," scoffed Shego as they began heading into the gala. They walked behind many other couples, all arm in arm and laughing.

Drakken hadn't really noticed. He was running over the plans in his head. This should be simple with Shego's skills at swiping things quickly and flawlessly. He patted his pocket to make sure the fake necklace was secured in there, feeling a bit of nerves. He'd never done this sort of thing before, a heist... This wasn't even his normal. He suddenly began breaking down the whole plan. What had he been thinking? He didn't even know who this villain was. It could all be a set-up for all he knew. Shego was right, he could be too trusting sometimes; it made for a lot of mistakes. He began to mentally give himself a pep talk and considered...how hard could it be to swipe a necklace off a spoiled, dimwitted socialite? He slid his arm through Shego's as they approached the entrance, mirroring the others around them.

"We have three fallbacks remember, so you tell me which one we do," said Drakken as they smiled at the entrance guards. "Dr. Lipsky and guest."

"Have a good evening, sir," said the man as they let them walk in. Drakken felt Shego's hands tighten on his arm.

"What?" He looked at her, keeping a fake smile but rubbing his arm as she let go a brief distance from where she pulled him from the entrance.

"You used your real name?" she hissed and looked around, giving an annoyed growl. "You idiot, that is the..."

"Lipsky is a common surname and I'm Dr. Andrew Lipsky," said Drakken with a glare. Shego held no expression on her face. "What?"

"Oh, because Andrew is so much different than Drew," said Shego. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Whatever, it's your plan."

"Hmm," said Drakken. It was his plan, though he had to question his own thoughts now. He shook his head. "Too late. Besides, since my name hasn't been legally used in ages, it passed the background check to get in here."

"Seriously?" asked Shego in shock. "Are you telling me that you don't have a record under Drew Lipsky?"

"Only for an illegal motorcycle street race, but that should have gone off the record when I turned eighteen," said Drakken as he shrugged.

"Motorcycle...street race?" asked Shego. Drakken shrugged again and they finished walking in to the ball. "Excuse me, but you... Wow."

"Wow, indeed," said Drakken with wide eyes.

The event was held in an extensive ball room with delicate paintings on the walls lined in real gold, and crystal chandeliers above gave a brilliant glow. Live music played as everyone gathered, yet the evening was still young. There were hundreds of people there, and the ballroom was big enough. Drakken was pretty sure he'd never been in a room with that many people in his life. He tried thinking of any sporting events he'd gone to to do the math, but he didn't go to sporting events so that was zero. He glanced at Shego. She looked more fixated on the music than the people. He was certain, given her youth, she'd been to balls and galas plenty of times. He tried to calm his own nerves over how complicated his plan might have gotten as he'd grossly miscalculated the amount of witnesses. He set to ask Shego which plan would work best.

"There's more people than I thought," said Drakken. That had not been what he'd meant to say.

"Pretty normal for a ball," said Shego with an eye-roll. "No more than a villain masquerade."

"Well...what?" asked Drakken. "There was a masquerade?" Shego raised a brow.

"Are you serious... Oh my god. We'll go this year," she scoffed. "Honestly, did you live under a rock before we met?"

"I did live inside a mountain lair." He smirked at his own joke, and Shego's eye-roll was lessened by the slight snort she gave. "How many balls have you gone to?"

"The villain one, once... A few back in the day," said Shego with a shrug. She glanced at him and Drakken nodded. "This is different though."

"How so?" asked Drakken, hoping for something to level the field.

"Never gone with someone before," smirked Shego. Drakken was shocked and it must have shown on his face. She elbowed him slightly and looked at their invite. "Come on Doctor, we should find our table before we start causing a distraction."

XXXXX

Chapter 36 The Heist Part 2

"Our table should be over here," said Drakken as they walked through a maze of seating, but it was an essential spot to his plan.

"Oh, nice thinking. Perfect for keeping an eye on Little Miss Heiress and that necklace," said Shego as they found their name cards. She rolled her eyes again. Who uses their real name undercover?

"Exactly, She-...la." He raised a brow and she shrugged. "We'll be able to keep an eye on Ms. Leon and that necklace and her guards will be none the wiser.

"Mmmhmm," said Shego. She listened to Drakken repeat the plan for what felt like the millionth time, and like always he hadn't figured out the final part. That was her job.

She listened to him mutter under his breath as he pulled out her chair for her and she sat down. She began wondering what possible way this was going to go wrong. It always seemed to happen no matter how well the plan, or how informed they were, so she was planning on making the most of the evening before it came to a screeching halt. A waiter came over with several wine choices and so the evening was about to truly begin.

"Choices Sir and Madam," said the waiter. Shego didn't get a chance as Drakken answered.

"Pinot noir and zinfandel," said Drakken, and Shego raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," said Shego as she took her glass of pinot noir and took a sip. "Oh yes, this is a good one. I'm already impressed."

"Only the best for you...Dumpling," smirked Drakken as the waiter smiled and left. Shego rolled her eyes before Drakken continued. "Okay, so we need to make sure we have our story straight. As these are shared tables we can't be unsociable all night."

"Why not?" asked Shego. "Why can't we be the couple who makes snide comments in the shadows... That's my aesthetic."

"It's mine too, but for tonight we need to be a likable, under the radar, simple couple," said Drakken. He grimaced. "But check out her hair over at table fifteen."

"Is that a fucking pigeon," choked Shego as she saw a woman with a large pigeon-like ornament in her hair. She snorted. "Please let's sit in the shadows and judge."

"Another time," said Drakken. He took a drink of his wine and grimaced. "Sheila..."

"Tastes differently when it's not poured in frozen yogurt, doesn't it?" smiled Shego. She looked at him and shook her head.

She couldn't help but smile at his reaction. He didn't like wine much; why he even took a glass was beyond her. Especially not a sweeter wine at least. He slid the glass over to her without looking at her. She raised a brow. Come to think of it, he hadn't even made eye contact with her since he got out of the bathroom. She knew it was unsettling for both of them looking so...so...boring. But she at least looked at him. She wanted to kick him out of the chair. First he insulted her by saying she doesn't distract him anymore, and now he was avoiding looking at her like she was some sort of troll. Figured, her first time actually having a 'date' to a fancy ball, and he couldn't even look at her. She began staring at him, waiting for him to glance. He had to eventually look her way. It was still so off seeing Drakken so...not Drakken? She noticed something else. His edges weren't blended fully from the makeup. She rolled her eyes and used her napkin to do so.

"What are you doing?" asked Drakken with a raised brow. His hand grabbed hers.

"Your edges aren't blended, you can see some blue," said Shego. She swatted his hand off and fixed it. "I told you to watch your jawline."

"Well I'm sorry," said Drakken with annoyance. "Someone hoarded the brushes."

"Yeah, well, do you think this," she gestured to her neck and chest with an eye-roll, "was easy without them?"

Shego tossed the napkin down and looked over at the appetizer table, wondering what they may have. It dawned on her—what had Drakken said was their dinner option that night? She looked towards him as she was about to ask and froze. He was looking at her, or rather looking at where she'd last indicated. Her mind told her to punch him in the face, but the majority of her thoughts were focused on the fact that she'd caught him checking her out. Her small ego dip from his comment earlier vanished and she smirked. She was going to give him hell for this.

"Like what you see there, Doc?" asked Shego. Drakken's eyes shot open and he looked up towards the chandelier, reaching for his drink. "I thought you said I didn't distract you?"

"I was merely admiring your blending," said Drakken. She knew his face would be darker if not for the makeup obscuring his normal coloring.

"Oh, you were admiring, all right," said Shego. She smirked and scooted closer. "So, what're the dinner options, Drew?"

"It's chicken Kiev, or... Why?" asked Drakken with a groan as she leaned against him. He didn't look at her. "You know what, you were the one who pointed it out."

"Am I bothering you?" asked Shego. She pulled his arm against her. Anyone looking would just see an attentive partner getting attention, but she knew Drakken was getting annoyed now, so she let go and fell back in her seat. "Fine, I'll stop... You still ogled me."

"I did not... Never-mind. We need to focus," said Drakken. He got up and Shego raised a brow as he walked around the table. "We need to know who's sitting where, what connections they have, where... You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" asked Shego as Drakken held up the name cards. She choked on her wine. "No way."

"How in the world, of the hundreds of people here, did we get seated with Possible and Stoppable?" asked Drakken. His eyes darted around the room as Shego got up and looked around as well. "We need to move tables. Even in disguise, it's too close for comfort."

"Yeah, and you can't shut up. Stoppable will know it's you on your first sentence," said Shego, grabbing her purse and looking for another table with a similar view. "Honestly, it's a little weird he knows your voice."

"I know right? Why is he so obsessed with me?" said Drakken with an eye-roll.

"I don't know, maybe it's your little thing...about not remembering his name," said Shego with a scoff. "By the way, how long is that going for?"

"Until I give up on world domination," said Drakken as they walked towards where Shego indicated.

"So this is a lifelong grudge then?" said Shego. "Good to know."

+++

"The Pullmans can enjoy Possible's company for the evening," sighed Drakken in relief. That could have been catastrophic and an early end to their evening.

His mind was focused on his plan now. He was on the fence over whether they should act quick, or prolong it like he originally intended. A lot of his plans sometimes were quick action, but this was not only essential to his longer plan, but it was practice. If that plan was to work and no one was to figure it out, he needed to keep a cool head for once and stay focused. Though the idea of the laser cannon was a nice trade, he shook his head; a future distraction plan for Shego. She really wanted to anyway. Shego made a clicking noise. Clearly she'd been talking to him and he'd zoned out. He looked upwards and then directly at her eyes. The beige color of her skin was still unsettling. It was making it harder to remember that this was Shego, and his normal aversion tactics were dwindling.

"I said, did you look to see who's at this table?" asked Shego, holding up a card. "A Dr. Sweets and a Lady Gold? Anyone we should avoid?"

"She-...la... Sheila, normally you're the one with the intel," said Drakken. It made him nervous that she was asking him.

"This is your plan and you were adamant you were handling it," said Shego, taking a drink of wine. Her nose squinted. "Uhg, this is a terrible year."

"Oh yes, right," said Drakken. He had to remember to do that if he was going to avoid Shego knowing his plan; more research on people. "Doesn't ring any bells."

"Why hello there," came the posh and sultry voice of a woman in gold as she sauntered over. Drakken and Shego looked at each other. "Huh, you two look familiar."

"Ohm, perhaps we've met," said Shego as Cleopatra sat down beside her. They knew they weren't the only villains there, but what were the odds.

"Dr. Lipsky," said Drakken. Shego smirked as he stood and offered his hand. This was a perfect way to test their disguises.

"Lady Gold, call me Cleo," she smiled with a nod as he took her hand. "Lucky me, at a table with multiple doctors. Good time for an ailment."

"This wine will cause that," said Shego, looking at the glass. Cleopatra raised a brow. "Sour."

"Thanks for the warning." She snapped her fingers and the waiter came over. "The wine is bitter. Fix it."

"Yes ma'am," said the waiter as he took the glasses away.

"So, you are..." asked Cleopatra as she turned her attention to Shego. She raised a brow. "I'm sorry, I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"Ever been to Egypt?" asked Shego. Drakken saw her smirk. The tales were about to begin.

"Of course, I'd live there if I could," said Cleopatra, which was a play on her statement as they both knew she did.

"Perhaps Faiyum?" asked Shego. Cleopatra's eyes shot wide.

"Many times. That makes sense, I must have seen you there," said Cleopatra. She shook her head. "Small world."

"Seems to be," said Shego. She shot Drakken a look, but he was preoccupied with their next table guest.

"Ah, Carmella, did you lose your date on the way over," said Cleopatra. "This is Dr. Lipsky and..."

"Sheila," said Shego as wine came.

"Pleasure," said Drakken. Of course those were their table guests. Carmella was wearing an obnoxious pink and white dress.

"Oh, lovely, another doctor. Tell me, what do you do?" she asked. But before he could answer, their attention all drifted towards a woman in a slinky leopard gown walking by, the shine of her necklace hitting the table.

"Can you believe they let her wear that necklace?" muttered Cleopatra to Carmella. "I hear her daddy isn't too pleased with how much she spent on Dior."

"Your friends are gossips," said Carmella. Her pink gloved hand patted Cleopatra's shoulder, and Drakken saw the squeeze."Let's not ignore our company."

"Oh, is that what all the buzz is about, that necklace?" asked Shego. She glanced towards it. "Bit gaudy don't you think?"

"It's worth millions," said Cleopatra, the sound of want in her voice. "Not only that, it's the only black diamond of its size and cut. Some believe good luck falls to all who wear it."

"Ahem," coughed Carmella, and Cleopatra jolted. She'd kicked her under the table. The pink-clad woman looked over Drakken's shoulder. "Ah there you are."

"I went to get some of those puffs you wanted, Sweety," came a man's voice as he stepped around the table.

Shego and Drakken looked up to see Hector, their night henchman...henchmaid. He was dressed in a sickeningly lilac-colored tuxedo, obviously to match Carmella's odd attire. Shego and Drakken glanced at each other and then smiled at Hector. His cheerful expression slowly faded as he looked between the two. Drakken saw his shoulders slump and he took a deep gulp. Looking between them and Carmella, his smile flitted back up and he sat down, sliding some sort of sweet puff to her.

"We have table guests," said Hector. "Nice to meet you."

"This is my lovely escort Hector Ortez, he's such a darling," said Carmella as she ate a sweet puff. "Mmm, just like candy."

"Only the sweetest for you," said Hector. He was avoiding looking at Shego and Drakken.

"So, what do you do...Hector," said Shego. Drakken smirked at her as she drank their new glasses of wine.

"I, ohm. I'm in between jobs at the moment," said Hector. Clearly he knew exactly who sat across from him.

"Sorry to hear that." Drakken smirked and looked at Shego as an idea hit him. "I'm certain things will turn around for you. It's all about choices, you know."

"Interesting," said Shego. She glanced over towards a fountain. "You know dear, I really wish we'd gotten a seat closer to the fountain. It's so beautiful."

"You know, that table hasn't showed up yet. You could...switch the tags?" said Hector casually. Cleopatra and Carmella raised a brow, but Carmella nodded.

"I would be sorry to see you go, but if there's an option," said Carmella, clearly worried about the fact Cleopatra had started to say too much from earlier.

"You know, let's break some rules for once," grinned Shego, giving Drakken a playful look. Her acting was on point, and he fought a smirk.

"Oh, anything for you, Dumpling." He saw her brow flicker down, but she shook her head and smirked.

+++

"What was that with Hector? Are you really thinking about re-hiring him? Granted, you only fired him because you were mad he and Carmella hooked up," said Shego as they sat at their new seat.

"We'll see... I told you Shego, I wanted a work environment that held onto its workers. So, let's see what choices he makes tonight," smirked Drakken.

"If he betrays her for a chance to work with us again, you know we'll have to give him a promotion," smirked Shego. She almost backtracked at the word 'we' she'd said, but Drakken ignored it.

"Head henchmaid?" asked Drakken. Shego snorted. "Too much."

"Can I put it on his name badge?" asked Shego. He shrugged. "We'll finally make use of your laser engraver."

"I've used it," said Drakken. Shego saw his eyes narrow and she rolled her eyes.

"I don't think using it to write 'Dementor sucks' and then your name on Dementor's lair in a twelve-inch section is good use," said Shego as she drank her wine.

"It was on his entrance door. The battery ran out. I only got the D on," said Drakken sadly. Shego choked and nearly spit out her drink, and Drakken lifted a brow. "You okay? Too much wine?"

"You wrote... 'Dementor Sucks D.' On Dementor's lair." She regretted not going on that caper. "Okay, I take it back, good use. Very middle school, but nice."

"I don't...oh." Drakken grinned, and laughed. "I hadn't even thought about that."

"Well, this sounds like a lively table," came the clumsy voice of a very tall figure. "Summer, we're in luck."

"Nope," said Shego as The Giraffe and Summer Gale came to the table.

+++

"This is our fifth table and dinner's going to start," said Shego with a scoff. "How many people do we know are here? Hey? You? Dra— Drew?"

"Hmm," said Drakken. He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe Monkey Fist and Amy are here together."

"He needed a date." She rolled her own eyes. "Are you still hung up on her?"

"No, just...really, how desperate," said Drakken as they were about to sit down.

"I know, it makes me..." Shego felt angry at the degradation of DNAmy. Honestly it gave villainesses a bad name.

"Ah, our table acquaintances have arrived," came the accented voice of Dementor as he and two others came with him.

"Nope," said Drakken, turning on his heel before Shego could even finish realizing who it was.

"Wrong table," said Shego, putting the name cards back and following Drakken.

"Well that's great. Dinner is about to start and we need to be seated before then," said Drakken. "We're just going to have to settle. We should have stuck with Giraffe and Summer Gale. They were the least problematic."

"I can't believe you blew off Killigan," said Shego. "I thought that was going to be our table."

"Killigan is too boisterous, he'd cause too much attention," said Drakken, looking around at the remaining empty tables.

"You two wouldn't shut up is what you're saying?" asked Shego. Drakken sighed.

"Yeah," said Drakken. He muttered under his breath. "That's it. This is the table. No matter who sits here. We're just going to have to suck it up."

"That's fine, I can handle myself," said Shego. Drakken pulled out her chair again and she smirked. "You know I can get used to this."

"Running from place to place on some sort of musical villain table game?" asked Drakken as he sat next to her.

"No... Never-mind," said Shego, just glad they'd settled on a spot.

It was a little bit farther than they would have liked, but it was for the best. Too many other villains were close to that first table, which meant it wouldn't take long for Possible to start picking them off one by one. She was certain that they were hired as extra guards as this wasn't a teen social atmosphere. She scoffed internally, remembering too many in her teens she'd attended. Not that she'd complained at the time... It was one of the few things she'd enjoyed about being a hero. She watched the dancing and smirked, glancing at Drakken. She opened her mouth to inquire what plans were going to be after dinner and obtaining the necklace, but he choked on his drink again and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't drink it then. Get some water," she scoffed. "You're wasting good wine."

"How can you drink this?" scoffed Drakken. "It tastes like fermented fruit."

"It is..." said Shego. Drakken gave her a bored look and she smirked. "Just drink the water."

"I'm sorry we can't all have the extensive palette of a youth filled with fancy balls and expensive liquor," said Drakken. He took the water glass.

"I'll have you know, my first drink wasn't until my twenty-first birthday at a college party I had to leave to go save the mayor," said Shego. Drakken choked on his water.

"You...you didn't have a drink until your twenty-first birthday?" asked Drakken. Shego blushed at his shocked look. "Seriously? You? I mean even I had a few well before then."

"I had a reputation to maintain. Had to keep my nose clean, you know... Well weren't you the bad boy," smirked Shego. He rolled his eyes but she saw his smirk. "What other devious things did you do? A motorcycle street race. Any parties? Your mother said you were a social butterfly."

"A few parties, yes," said Drakken, and she knew he had to be blushing. She leaned on his shoulder.

"Hmm, parties... Alcohol, street races... Here I thought you were just some nerdy Poindexter with good grades and a bad haircut," said Shego. Drakken shocked her when his brow rose and he gave her a dark, amused look.

"Is that what you thought? Funny, I thought you were the rebellious bad girl for a long time. Strange right?" asked Drakken. Shego smoothed out his jawline again with her napkin.

"Tell me. This secret bad boy image you hid... Get you anywhere with the ladies?" asked Shego. She expected him to roll his eyes and go back to his water, but he didn't.

"What do you think?" he asked coyly, and it took her a solid minute to remember this was Drakken she was so close to. It bothered her more how much it wasn't bothering her.

"I think..." The comment she was about to make fell silent as their table guests joined them.

"What are the odds, Ruby?" They both shot their looks to the two standing in front of them. "Six ditched tables and look who we end up with. Hello Drew."

"Hermes?" asked Shego as she yanked herself away from Drakken and looked at the woman beside him. "Pandora."

"Isn't this...lovely," said Drakken as he downed Shego's drink.

XXXX

The Heist Part 3

"This is a new look," said Pandora, brushing her dark hair back as she looked at Shego. "I almost didn't recognize you...almost."

"You look nice," said Shego. She really needed that waiter back as dinner was starting to be served. "Those earrings, are they the rubies that Her-...that Jasper swiped from Cleo?"

"No idea what you're talking about," said Hermes with a coy smirk. He looked at Drakken. "So, Drew. Haven't seen you since your little party. Got some sun I see, less blue... Anything...new?"

"Must you rhyme?" said Drakken. Shego raised a brow and wondered at Hermes's drink content, though she wasn't much better.

"Oh, I forgot about that," said Hermes. He looked at Pandora. "You know, Ruby and I found it to be a startling coincidence after the party. Isn't it funny, it's such a small world..."

"We need another planet," said Shego under her breath. She ignored Pandora's smug smirk, but Shego glanced at Drakken. "But yes... Drew, isn't it?"

"Sort of like a movie. Two pairs of exes finding each other, how Hallmark," said Pandora. Shego choked a little and glanced at Drakken. He looked at Hermes with narrowed eyes.

"Drew didn't like to call it that," said Hermes, casually drinking his wine with a smug look. His eyes narrowed a bit. "Besides, it was more...friends with semi-benefits."

"Oh, that's true. Kind of like us...Sheila, is it this evening? You know Drew, we were a...thing...for a year. To this day, I still don't know her real name. She was Shayla, Shannon, Sarah, Shailee, Sherry, Rachel, Shilo, Shea, Sierra, Lauren, Savannah... My goodness the list does go on. So is it Sheila Gowen tonight?" asked Pandora. Shego needed something stronger than wine.

"Anything else to drink?" asked a waiter as dinner was served.

"Tequila," said Shego. Drakken's hand found her knee and squeezed. "...Strike that, whiskey sour please."

"Make that two," said Drakken. Shego kicked him. "Ohm, I mean..."

"I'll have a John Collins, make her whiskey sour a large," said Pandora with a sweet smile.

"Manhattan, in a large glass. Drew, you should try the Bailey's Comet they have here. Sort of an ungraded peppermint patty. Put it on our tab," said Hermes. "We're going to be getting a lot of drinks so, be attentive."

"Yes, sir," said the waiter and he left as the food was placed in front of them.

"I can order for myself, thanks," said Drakken. Shego could feel the unease wafting between the pair, but Shego had other issues.

"So, how long have you two been a thing?" asked Pandora as she cut her salmon.

"We're—" Drakken was cut off as Shego felt the need to shut down any ideas the other two had.

"Two years," said Shego. She wasn't really lying, but even if she was, it was none of their business.

"Really? At the party you two seemed so taken by others..." said Hermes with a raised brow. He and Pandora looked at each other. "Unless this is a more...open partnership."

"It's closed," said Drakken quickly. He cleared his throat. "So, let's not play around. You two are obviously here for the same reason we are."

"A good time," said Pandora innocently. She winked at Shego, who dug her nails into her arm. "Why so tense, Sheila?"

Shego's mind wandered to that necklace. Perhaps she and Drakken should just kill the heist idea, grab the necklace, and mad-dash out to the waiting limo. They could blend and no one would think it was them, they'd assume it was some jewel thieves or one of the other dozens of villains in there. She wasn't sure she could deal with the emotional and psychological rollercoaster that was their table. She looked at Drakken, trying to judge if he'd be willing to break and get the hell out of there. To her surprise, he looked calm, and that baffled her. He was normally an easy read for her, but nothing on his face indicated an emotion.

+++

It was a good thing she hadn't gotten too hasty and made a mad dash to steal the necklace. That had been the idea of Monkey Fist, who became the first to get stopped by Possible and company. Normally that would have ended an evening even like that one, but the young heiress refused to hear of it, and the ball continued. Luckily for Shego and Drakken, their unwelcome table guests had taken to the dance floor with many others. It seemed they had a similar plan to theirs: play innocent until the time struck. It was during this time that Killigan had been hauled off by guards for attempting his own theft. Shego downed another glass of pinot noir, avoiding the untouched whiskey at the table.

"Now that everyone's on high alert, this is going to be even more of a problem," said Drakken. His hands went towards his hair in a normal tick to mess it up in anger. Her arm stopped him.

"Calm down... I have an idea," said Shego, looking at her drink. "Forget the necklace."

"What? That's the whole reason we're here," said Drakken, though his voice didn't sound angry; just shocked.

"I mean for now. You said if I came up with a better idea to execute it. Here it is... Let's...forget who we are, and just... Be Sheila and Drew. A doctor and a teacher, at a ball, having a good time. We can do or be whatever we want... Then when the moment strikes, so do we," said Shego. Drakken rolled his eyes. "Tell me, when's the last time you actually just...threw caution to the wind?"

"Hiring you," said Drakken. She saw his smirk and rolled her eyes. He sighed. "I suppose it's an idea... But no more drinks for you."

"Excuse me?" asked Shego. "This is the only thing keeping me from running and screaming out of here... Also the reason I have some thoughts in my head that shouldn't be there."

"Fine, you're limited. One drink a half an hour, and you have to eat an appetizer," said Drakken. Shego rolled her eyes.

"Same for you Doc," she smirked. They both stared at each other. "All right, so that's the plan. We are Sheila and Drew. Shego and Drakken are gone for the evening. Let's live it up."

"Within reason," said Drakken, swiping her drink. She sighed, but smirked when he downed it. "That's mine and yours."

"Okay, Drew, what's your focus?" said Shego as they looked around the ball room. "What does Drew want to do?"

"Drew...wants..." Shego watched him look around the ballroom nervously, and she waited for his response. His eyes fell over to where a few women were at the small bar. "He wants to dance with the most stunning woman in here."

"Hey, if that's your goal tonight," said Shego. Something in her stomach turned. She looked at her empty glass. "I'll help..."

Drakken's hand extended to her, and Shego raised a brow in confusion. Then it clicked as he smiled at her. Shego's chest was pounding now. She felt her face flush. Luckily her makeup would cover that. She thought about rolling her eyes and saying something sarcastic about how lame that was, but in that moment...Shego didn't care if it was cheesy, lame, or if he was just playing it safe. Instead all reason flew out the window and the drinks seemed to have won over as she took his hand.

"Lame," she breathed as they went on the dance floor, but she smirked.

"It got you here, didn't it?" he asked, his hand finding the small of her back as his other locked with hers.

"You have a point," said Shego as her hand slid atop his shoulder. "Well then, wow me with your cotillion trained, ballroom dance skills."

"Why and when did I tell you that?" asked Drakken with wide eyes.

"You didn't. Your mother told me you escorted your cousins there," smirked Shego. He looked wide-eyed. "You really shouldn't ask me to take her calls for you."

"Yeah, well that stops for sure now... What else did she tell you?" asked Drakken as they began to waltz around the ballroom floor.

"Putting it bluntly, I have more fuel than I will ever use." She smirked as Starlight Waltz played from the orchestra.

"Fantastic," groaned Drakken. His eyes rolled. "The woman will always... You know what? Not tonight. As you said, we're not us."

"Mark it on the calendar, he's listening," smirked Shego. She watched him smirk. It was still unsettling.

As he spun her to the song, each time seemed less awkward than when it started, and she had to give it to him once again—Drakken may not be the most coordinated at times, but he could dance. She wished this was more formal, because each time she looked at him it was more and more unsettling. She cleared her head for a moment. She needed to listen to her own words. That night he was not Dr. Drakken, mad scientist bent on world domination. He was Drew—sorry, Dr. Andrew Lipsky. She needed to view it the same for her. She wasn't Shego that night. She was...Sheila. She let her shoulders relax. She smiled. They could be anyone they wanted.

"So, Drew, how did we meet?" asked Shego. Drakken looked confused and then smirked.

"I was in need of an assistant while working on a remote island on a new means of village travel for vaccines," said Drakken. Shego nodded. "...And?"

"I just so happened to be taking a sabbatical from teaching and was in need of a temporary job, so I answered the call." She couldn't help but smirk as he spun her again. "Your lucky day."

"Oh yes," said Drakken as the music picked up pace.

"Cliché love at first sight?" asked Shego with a raised brow. Drakken seemed to think about it.

"No, strictly professional at first," said Drakken. "We don't want to be that couple."

"Too overdone," said Shego with a nod. "I asked you out to a New Year's party."

"That's our starting date? That's simple," said Drakken. He spun her again. "Do we have a song...?"

+++

The game of pretending took a quick halt when Drakken went to switch arms and a large blast and cloud of smoke caused everyone to panic. Shego caught Drakken as he fell, and a wave of pink and blue smoke wafted around them. Hector stood far away from where the heiress and the necklace lay on the ground, holding a smoke screen box as Cleopatra and Carmella choked on the cloud. Drakken saw the opportunity he'd been waiting for. No one was around the heiress, the officials having all jumped to arrest the three smoke screen culprits. He stood up quickly and wiped the smoke particles out of his eyes. Before he could move farther, Shego yanked at his jacket. In confusion and just trying to move quickly, he let her take it.

"Are you okay, Ms. Leon?" asked Drakken as he swept down and offered his hand while the heiress coughed.

"I'm fine, no thanks to these idiots," she scoffed, glaring at her bodyguards. She looked at him and her eyes squinted as pink powder must have gotten into them. "I can't see anything. Debutante!"

Drakken saw his opportunity to grab the necklace as the heiress looked for...something. However his plans were dashed by a few things all at once: his decoy necklace was in the coat with Shego, and sharp needles suddenly dug into his leg and he let out a scream of pain. As he went to kick at whatever it was, it stopped as the heiress squealed and picked up a small cat off the ground. Drakken looked towards Shego as the guards formed around the pair again and the scene was as if it never happened. Pink and blue dust littered the floor and party-goers. While Carmella, Cleopatra, and Hector were being hauled off, Shego was clutching Drakken's jacket to her and gave him a shrug before her eyes went wide. Before he knew it, he was being hauled off to the bathroom, Shego's hand gripping his.

+++

"Why are we in the women's bathroom?" asked Drakken, as Shego shoved him in and blocked the door. "You know if you hadn't taken my coat, we could have had that necklace."

"Yeah and a blown cover," said Shego. She showed the backside of his coat, beige marks up and down it, and beyond that visual was the green flesh of Shego's chest.

Shego rolled her eyes as Drakken's eyes widened in realization. Her grabbing him had rubbed off her makeup onto his coat. She pointed for Drakken to look in the mirror. Not only had her makeup rubbed off, but in his action of wiping away pink dust he'd wiped off some of his makeup. Shego had grabbed her bag on the way to the bathroom and dumped out its contents on the counter. She tossed his jacket at him and some wipes and began getting his makeup together.

"You would have switched the necklace, Possible would have seen, and she would have busted us before we cleared the door. If you want to do this the right way, we need to be cautious. Now if you want us to do a grab and go, give me the signal and we do it," ranted Shego. She glared down at her front. "This is going to be a nightmare. Let's get you done first. If anyone comes in, you can say I'm having a breakdown and buy us time or something."

Shego began wiping his face with the cloth, very haphazardly. The pink powder was a nightmare to remove and it was all over his shirt. She felt a weird mixture of emotions running through her: disappointment that they hadn't gotten the necklace at a prime opportunity; amusement that Hector had seemingly sabotaged Carmella's and Cleopatra's attempt at stealing the necklace; frustration at the fact she had to redo her makeup, and not knowing if she'd brought the right brushes; and anger that their dance had been interrupted. Drakken's hand grabbed hers and stopped her from wiping his face. His concerned and terrified look made her look at her semi-glowing hand, and she yanked it away from him.

"Are you okay?" asked Drakken as he began wiping his own face, still looking at her. "Or is my makeup that much trouble to get off, thinking about blasting it off is a better option?"

"I was just...thinking," said Shego. She sighed and began using the towels on herself, glaring at the fabric that was taped down. "Get my zipper."

"W-What?" asked Drakken. He dropped the sponge he'd just gotten ready.

"My zipper. It'll be easier to fix this without the fabric in the way. Good thing I brought more tape," said Shego as she got her brushes out. She was relieved she'd grabbed the right ones.

"Okay," said Drakken. He reached over, not looking, and unzipped the dress before busying himself again.

"...Excuse me, sir," said Shego. It had happened so fast, she hadn't registered the movement. "Where did you learn that?"

"No idea what you're talking about," said Drakken, not looking away from himself in the mirror. But Shego saw a quick smirk play across his lips.

"Don't forget your edges," said Shego as she pulled down the top portion of her dress, tossing the tape on the counter as she did so.

Shego looked up to grab her brushes and noticed Drakken was facing farther away towards the end of the mirror, laser focused on his face, his eyes wide and unmoving. She rolled her eyes. The man acted like she hadn't worn the proper undergarment for the dress. If they weren't in such a hurry she would have continued to give him hell about earlier.

+++

"Okay, crisis averted..." said Shego as they walked back to their table where Pandora and Hermes lounged casually. "...Pandemonium sighted."

"Bit of a touch up?" asked Pandora as she sipped her wine. Her brow quirked and she smirked. "Nice cleavage, Sheila."

"Thank you," replied Shego, trying to play it off, but she felt the seize of discomfort in her spine.

"Jawline's looking well, Drew," smirked Hermes. Drakken rolled his eyes. "So, how many others are here infringing on our turf would you guess?"

"Your turf?" asked Shego. "I'm sorry, did you claim the ball?"

"Sheila, you know there are subcategories in our...career choices," said Pandora. She gave her a playful smirk. "How many countless nights did you explain that to me before fleeting off to stop them?"

"We are collectors. Gemstones and oddities. You two are...well... What is your actual category?" asked Hermes. "Or do you actually have to have a success to get a title?"

"Watch it Jasper," said Drakken as he picked up a glass that Shego took and downed.

"I'm sorry, how many heroes know you on a first name basis? Better yet, how many countries are you banned from?" asked Shego, her eyes narrowed.

"None," said Pandora with confidence. "It's called having the brains to not get caught. Only lesser villains use it as bragging rights."

"Funny, but isn't that what nobodies claim?" asked Drakken. Shego took another drink and he took the glass.

"We could go back and forth all night, but we do have a job to do," said Hermes, shooting a glance at Pandora. "Come, darling, let's not ruin our evening with petty pests from the past."

"What did you ever see in her?" asked Drakken as Shego was handed a water glass.

"It was college. First taste of actual freedom... Everyone was experimenting... You?" asked Shego with a raised brow.

"It was college... There were a lot of edibles," shrugged Drakken. "Same song and dance."

"Speaking of dancing, shall we?" asked Shego as a slightly faster song started to play.

"In a few," said Drakken. He wrapped an arm around Shego and pulled them towards a group of other people talking.

"What...oh," said Shego, as she saw Kim and Ron walking in their previous direction.

"Why, hello there," said an older man. "Some young blood at the ball I see. Reginald Hobbs. This is my wife Loraine. We own Hobs, Knobs, & Handles."

"Name's Tank Millers," said a boisterous southern man in a fine suit. He indicated to a thin woman. "This little filly is my wife Maria."

"Nice to meet you," said Maria with a warm smile."We own Southern Mesa Company."

"Bueno Nacho, Texi-Right, Deep South Nine," said Tank confidently. Drakken's interest perked, and he smiled.

"Dr. Andrew Lipsky. I work privately overseas." He gestured to Shego, who had attained a glass of wine from a bypassing waiter.

"Sheila Lipsky, his wife," smiled Shego as she shook Maria's and Loraine's hands. Drakken choked on his drink a little. "What do you two do?"

"Homemakers," the two women said in unison and smiled. Loraine continued. "You, dear?"

"I teach English overseas with my husband," said Shego. Drakken wasn't sure where she'd gone off the plan, but he smiled at the two men.

"Beauty and brains, good for you Doc," laughed Tank. Maria rolled her eyes.

"You know, your companies are nationwide, aren't they?" asked Drakken, doing his best to fight a devious smirk.

"What was that?" asked Shego as the two slowly danced to the orchestra. "Why were you so excited to talk about overseas food companies?"

"Well...we travel a lot. Some nice food connections might be nice," said Drakken. He tried his best not to sound nervous, and was glad when Shego shrugged it off. "Speaking of, what was that? When did we get married?"

"After two glasses of pinot noir and the sobering realization you're probably as close to a husband I'm ever going to get," said Shego with a shrug. Drakken fought a laugh as she rolled her eyes and smirked.

"What's that backstory?" asked Drakken as he spun her.

"We got married June twenty-seventh this year, the anniversary of when we first met," she shrugged. "Honeymoon in Greece, that's why your tan. We're thinking of moving there."

"How'd I propose?" asked Drakken.

"Wow. So this is our marriage... I'm doing all the work," scoffed Shego playfully.

"Well, you married us, I thought you had a plan," Drakken rolled his eyes. "Gondola ride?"

"Lame."

"Eiffel Tower?" he suggested.

"Are we a rom-com?" Shego rolled her eyes and groaned.

"On a beach, eating crappy Chinese food. I put the ring in your fortune cookie?" he suggested. She seemed to weigh the odds.

"In the dumpling, you got a deal," said Shego, her brow rising.

"Fine, but then you accidentally ate it," said Drakken.

"Yeah, because I forgot I put it in your dumpling," sighed Shego. Drakken dipped her and she smirked.

"Excuse me?" asked Drakken with a raised brow as the song ended.

"Please, you and I both know. I would propose to you," said Shego with a scoff. "Appetizers?"

"I would so... be the one... I chose the proposal," said Drakken, glaring at her.

"Yeah, but do you see a ring?" asked Shego, holding her gloved hands. "I mean we could be a 'new age' couple who doesn't wear rings."

"Is that the couple you want to be?" asked Drakken with a concerned look on his face.

"Uhg, no. Bad enough we're the sociable couple. I want a big diamond and to judge others from the shadows. But I can make do," said Shego as she grabbed a mini-tart.

"Well then, let's judge some people on the rings they won't miss," said Drakken, casually looping his arm with Shego's. "A doctor's wife can't be ring-less at a ball, Dumpling."

"I want a nice one," said Shego with a smirk as they headed towards a large group of people.

"Only the best for my 'wife.'" He rolled his eyes and gave a devious grin that matched hers.

XXXXX

The Heist Part 4

Shego admired the ring on her finger. She was glad she'd gotten to choose which ring they'd swiped. She was very concerned at the first one Drakken had indicated to when they'd joined a group of people. They'd opted to take one from a departing guest who had been too 'traumatized' by the events at the ball. Shego rolled her eyes. They knew nothing of trauma. As the night dwindled on, she knew it would only be a matter of time before the final opportunity arose and their evening would fall back to everyday life. But in this moment, she wasn't Shego. She was a woman back from her honeymoon in Greece with her doctor husband—a pretty picture they'd painted for all who inquired in the minor gatherings they'd joined. A strange part of her wondered about that life they'd made up. It sounded right for her...or who she thought she should have been years ago. A teacher who taught language in other countries, doing missionary work, helping the world... She found a devious smirk fall across her lips; she did travel to countries, she'd done missionary work, and she was trying to 'help' the world... It was actually pretty comical.

Still, she was going to enjoy whatever time was left in the evening. Years of attending balls, being told what was proper by her older brother, spending time socializing... Feeling like a freak who older people asked questions that bordered on too personal and inappropriate... Watching others dance and have a good time...always an act, always for show. So maybe the night wasn't so different from the past, but at least she had someone to dance with who wasn't a creepy leech. She caught a glimpse of them in a passing mirror as they danced. She felt devious. They looked like a picture-perfect couple dancing. Her expression faltered and she looked away. It was too real, and when the music ended she practically shoved herself away from Drakken. When had she started resting her head on his shoulder?

"Sheila?" asked Drakken in confusion, and it was like nails on a chalkboard. Her chest hurt.

"I think we need to focus," said Shego. She cleared her head. "Playtime's over Doc. What's the plan?"

"Oh..." Shego saw something flicker across his eyes before he nodded. "Ms. Leon has been on the dance floor all night. They're going to have the final dance of the evening in about twenty minutes. Everyone is supposed to be dancing... Perfect time to strike. We just need to be in the right position... If we can get close enough, we can casually bump into them. You've had enough wine..."

"So play tipsy and cause a distraction while you swipe it?" asked Shego, and Drakken glared.

"I can do this She-...la," said Drakken as someone walked by. He glared again. "I got you the ring, didn't I?"

"Fine. But we have one shot," said Shego. She glanced across the dance floor. "Crap."

"What...? Oh." Drakken glared as Hermes and the heiress walked onto the dance floor.

"You know," they both jumped as Pandora's voice came behind them, "under the radar has its perks. You don't have to play pretend when you can charm your way to the right position. Better luck next time."

"I don't see the necklace in his hands yet," said Shego. Pandora rolled her eyes before heading onto the dance floor with a familiar dark-haired man. "Isn't that your former assistant?"

"I really hate them both," said Drakken. Shego watched his eyes dart back and forth and then he smirked. "Come on, I got this."

"Kind of out of options," said Shego under her breath as they got back on the dance floor.

Shego watched Drakken. He was focused as they danced; a stark contrast indeed to their little role-play of Drew and Sheila. He was back to Drakken. Even through the makeup, something felt like a relief to her as they danced, both looking for the opportunity to act. And then it happened. Pandora danced nearby, blocking the guards with her fast moves and spins. Hermes and the heiress danced center, kept in tandem with Pandora so they were out of sight. Everyone else was focused on themselves, and there was an opening. Shego saw Pandora's plan before she could act, and Drakken had danced them close enough.

"Take the decoy," said Drakken, as if he read her mind.

"Now," said Shego, as her hand yanked the decoy from his jacket and he spun her out to the beat of the music.

In a swift movement her hand yanked the necklace off the heiress before Pandora's hand could reach it while dropping the decoy on the floor. It was like slow motion for a split second. Pandora's hand grabbed the decoy in her haste to grab the real one. When Drakken spun Shego back to him, without a moment's hesitation she put it in his top coat pocket behind the accent cloth. Pandora held the decoy, a look of rage flashing on her face as the guards acted fast. Her horror at grabbing the wrong one had delayed whatever escape plan the two had. Shego felt Drakken's hand on her back, and the two casually left the dance floor. They walked as calmly as they could as Hermes and Pandora were condemned by the fake necklace.

"Amateurs," muttered Shego as the two made their way to the exit.

"Ma'am... Sir, you need to stay here," came a familiar male voice. Ron was apparently working with Kim to keep everyone together. Shego glanced back and saw them holding two necklaces.

"Looks like they had a decoy too," muttered Drakken. They kept walking.

"Sir," came a yell from one of the guards.

Shego and Drakken sped up their pace as they rounded the corner down the hall. Shego could hear a radio up ahead, and there were no windows to escape through between the guards coming up the stairs below and the ones alerted ahead. Her hands were about to flare green as she prepared to form an emergency escape. Then, without warning, Drakken spun around. His hand touched her hip and shoulder and she was backed into a corner. Her eyes shot open as his face moved towards her. Her hands found his chest, about to shove him away when his arm leaned on the wall next to her head.

"Put your arm on my shoulder." Without hesitation she reacted, just not like she'd planned.

Shego put her arm around his shoulder and pulled Drakken closer against her, and his footing shifted so she could feel his breath on her cheek. It was a ruse, all anyone would think was that the newlywed couple had snuck off to make out in a hallway, clearly having had too much to drink. The smell of mint, wine, and grease filled her nostrils. Her own face was tight against his, her breath in his ear. She heard footsteps and she was going to suggest a little more believability, but she didn't have to. It became very real as Drakken's lips found hers. Her eyes shot open. This had not been what she'd expected. While it had been the suggestion she was about to make, the action of Drakken initiating it caught her off guard. Her hands pulled him tighter against her at the sound of the guards arriving, their feet stopping, and then retreating. Drakken pulled away as the sound ended and looked around.

"Coast is clear, let's go," said Drakken. He stepped away and headed towards the door.

"Okay," said Shego, whose voice was barely a whisper as she walked behind him. What the fuck was that?

+++

Drakken looked at the necklace in front of him sitting on the workstation of the apartment lair. Shego had retired upon getting there. She had been silent the whole ride over. He assumed she was unimpressed with the evening. It had broken his excitement at the victory. Everything had worked better than he had planned. Sure there were a few hiccups, but they got the necklace and framed Pandora and Hermes in the process... Not to mention the contacts he'd gained for his larger plan. He rubbed his eyes, fighting sleep as he looked at the clock. He'd make the trade before morning and all would be done. His mind played over his victories through the night, but he kept settling on something else instead... Images of dancing, laughter, and of being someone else for an evening. It played in his head over and over again. While it had been essential to the plan, he felt a strange pulling internally, as if he'd been unconsciously testing the waters. He was over his crush... He knew that. He had to be. Yet, all evening he had started letting boundaries slip more and more. And then...then...he had kissed her.

"Of course you did," sighed Drakken. He rubbed his face again, using the wipe before throwing it angrily. "What was I thinking."

He needed to keep his focus on world domination, on his plans, on that future. He was getting too comfortable, letting things slide more and more. She had become family to him, and that was it. He'd simply let the atmosphere get to him. The idea of being another person...it had caused him to push the boundaries. He didn't have feelings for Shego like that. He couldn't. His mind pushed his aversions on him as if a flood gate broke. She was lippy, cruel, violent, distant, and a complete mess. He still cared for her, like family. He nodded to himself. He'd kissed her because he had to, there was nothing more to it. There could never be more to it than that.

+++

This wasn't supposed to happen. Shego was a villain, and villains weren't supposed to feel the way she did. Shego lay in bed, unable to sleep with the sounds of the city and the rain starting to come down on the metal fire escape. Her mind had been raging since they'd left the ball. She felt unsettled. Perhaps the adrenaline of the night, the success of their plan... The feeling of a body against hers. She internally screamed. What was wrong with her? No matter what her internal needs were, there were simply lines one didn't cross.

Villains don't have rules.

It was like a different voice in her head.

Villains don't have laws. They can lust, they can love, they can hate. There are no rules.

She felt her breathing hitch as her mind swam around the idea. The ghost of his breath on her neck, his hand on her waist, feeling him against her as music played... It flashed in her head like faded images. She looked out the window. There were clubs everywhere. She held a phone that contained contacts she could go and spend a mindless night with. She told herself that over and over again, but her mind ran back to the villain party from weeks before. There would be no harm in a night, would there? She could make a call...or she could take a small walk to the other side of the small apartment. There was nothing in their contract, nothing that had been said between them...

Villains have no rules.

She walked down the hall. There was no harm in talking about it. No harm in making a casual conversation of the idea. She could play it off as she had all evening, her mind told her. It was the evening getting her carried away. The wine, the dancing, the make-believe of it all. She felt if she saw him, it would fade.

She walked into the small area that was set up as his workspace. He was still awake. She felt a hitch of relief at that. He was rubbing at his face, patches of blue showing under his thin remainder of makeup. His ponytail was visible again, and his mess of hair had returned from its gel entrapment. He seemed to be staring at the necklace, no expression on his face. She walked over, her chest pounding, but she didn't know why. Was it the suspense of getting her head straight? The adrenaline of the evening racing in her mind... Her hand touched his shoulder and he looked up, as if yanked from his own deep thoughts.

"Shego?" asked Drakken. He turned in his seat. "I thought you were asleep."

"I couldn't. There's something I need to ask you," said Shego. Why was her stomach doing flips?

"I know what you're going to ask," sighed Drakken. "It's about the kiss."

"I... Yes," said Shego. She had been about to ask about that as a way to lead to the bigger idea.

"I'm sorry I didn't clear that with you first. I-I've seen it done in heist movies before and it seemed like a good idea at the time. My apologies if I crossed the line," he rambled quickly. "I don't want you to think I was trying to come on to you in anyway. I..."

His words were cut off as a loud knock came from the apartment door. Shego's hands flared green. Who could possibly be there? She felt Drakken's hand on her shoulder as he stood up and grabbed his jacket, putting the necklace in the chest pocket. Shego was glad she'd stayed in her dress as she followed him to the door, her hands at the ready. His calm demeanor made her more worried than anything. Her mind cleared suddenly; this was obviously the villain they'd done the heist for coming to collect. As Drakken opened the door, several figures stood there, and Shego took a defensive posture as she stood next to Drakken.

"The Chameleon?" asked Drakken as a figure stood when the guards parted.

"In the flesh," came a female reply as a familiar woman in a slinky leopard gown walked into the light. "Nice seeing you again, Dr. Lipsky."

"Ms. Leon?" asked Drakken. He and Shego looked at each other and then at the blonde heiress, holding her precious Debutante. "I'm so confused."

"Good, that's how I wanted it to be. Call me Camille," said Camille with a haughty chuckle. "You passed my test and got the necklace. Good work by the way, framing those two."

"Wait, you already had the necklace, why did you want someone to steal it?" asked Shego. She looked at the woman with a raised brow.

"Easy. I get the insurance money and I get my necklace, everyone wins," said Camille with a grin. "Perhaps I should explain. Daddy's cutting me off, so I need to make my own way when he finally cuts the final card. What better way than villainy? Truth is, I don't know which villains to choose. Everyone has the misconception I'm an idiot. So I want clever friends in the villain world. A heist seemed like the perfect way to weed out the losers. So I invited every villain I'd heard of to try to steal the necklace. Made it nearly impossible to steal, then let the dominoes fall. Pretty neat, eh? I cooked it up myself."

"That's vastly overcompensated and pointless," said Drakken. Shego snorted.

"Your kind of people," responded Shego. She raised a brow. "So now what. We give you the necklace and we get a laser? How did you get that?"

"Oh, I didn't," said Camille. Shego glared. "I didn't think you'd two be the ones to pull it off. My bet was on the usual suspects... Good move by the way. I didn't think the sciencey villains had much game in it. I mean if you can get jewelry, what more do you need. Right?"

"So, you have no trade?" asked Drakken. Shego was waiting for the signal to start fighting.

"No, I do. I have a list of all the contacts from the ball...and what I thought the big guns requested," said Camille. She snapped her fingers and one of her bodyguards opened up a box. "Some sort of material mesh that's supposed to be impenetrable... Whatever it is, it doesn't break easily. No idea why... But if you want the laser, I just need a few more days."

"I'll take it," said Drakken. Shego looked at him with wide eyes. What was he doing?

"Really? Okay," said Camille and the box was handed to Shego, who placed it down in annoyance.

"Here you are," said Drakken, pulling a necklace out of his right pocket and handing it to the guard.

"This went better than I planned," said Camille with a laugh. "This villain thing is a cake-walk. Nice meeting you. I hope to see you at villain socials. That's a thing, right? Come Debutante, we have an insurance check to spend."

"What was that?" asked Shego as Drakken closed the door. She glared. "All that work for some fabric... She gets the necklace and the insurance money, and we get...a box of fabric? Yo, Drakken? Are you listening?"

"I have a use for it," said Drakken, looking at the box. "Now as I was saying before we were interrupted..."

"Forget what we were talking about, I want to talk about how we just got screwed," said Shego, her eyes narrowed. What had she been thinking? This was Drakken. "You know what, I'm going to bed. What a pointless...huh?"

"We didn't get screwed, Shego." She was just about to storm off when Drakken reached into his chest pocket and pulled out the very necklace he'd handed Camille Leon. "She did. What? Did you think I didn't make a second one just in case this happened? I know I can be overly trusting at times, but I'm not an idiot, Shego."

"You... And I didn't..." Shego stared in shock, but she felt an ease come over her as she smirked. "Well color me impressed."

"Yes, well, I have my days," said Drakken. She saw his smile flicker. "About earlier Shego. Know that I have far too much respect for you to try anything. I know it annoys you when I say it, but you're family to me and I'd never want to jeopardize that. Now here, take your necklace and let the mocking commence."

"You just have to ruin a moment with sentiment, don't... My necklace?" asked Shego as Drakken handed it to her. "Are you kidding me?"

"What, do you think I'd wear something like that? Pfft," said Drakken with an eye-roll as he headed to his room. He smirked. "It would clash with my ensemble. Besides, only the best for my...wife."

"Well then. A million-dollar necklace, an expensive ring, and a three-thousand-dollar dress all in one evening," smirked Shego. "Not bad..."

"Three thousand dollars! Are you kidding me? I said no more than fifteen hundred," said Drakken darting back out of his room, his eyes narrowed. "Three thousand... That's ridiculous... Why on earth would you spend that?"

"Hey, only the best for your wife, right Dr. D.?" smirked Shego as she slinked back into her own bedroom and closed the door.

She smiled as she heard him give a defeated groan and his bedroom door closed. She looked at her necklace, its diamonds shimmering around the large black one. It could be the ugliest thing in the world right now, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was the feeling of warmth in her chest, and she sighed. What had she been thinking? There was no way that there could be something casual, even for a night, between her and Drakken. If this necklace was anything, it was a symbol of just how far past casual they were. It was dangerously close to content.

TO BE CONTINUED

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