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Description
Sticks And Stones

AUTHOR: The Humbug

DISCLAIMER: “Kim Possible” and all characters within © The Walt Disney Company and its related entities. Kim Possible created by Mark McCorkle & Bob Schooley. All rights reserved. No profit is being collected from the fiction contained within.

SUMMARY: This is a Kim/Shego pairing fan fiction, made seasonal for Halloween and mostly the killing of a plot bunny. This is set in my own personal “Who’s Writing This Crap?’ Kigoverse, however we all know that Kasy Ann and Sheki Go Possible are the sole creations of NoDrogs and I suggest you go read his story ‘A Small Possibility’ for their origin.

TYPE: Kim/Shego, Romance, Slash

RATING: PG-13 for intimations of a physical relationship and intimate contact between consenting adult females and should also cover some occasionally harsh language. I’m not certain how it will apply to farting or yelling at authority figures. If any of this will offend you, please read something else and then seek professional help.

Sticks And Stones / Five

Mrs. Manders hadn’t followed Kim into the inner office and the young woman found herself in the lion’s den with a closed door at her back. The room was well lit and stocked with file cabinets, copies of textbooks and various other learning materials, flags of the nation and state flanking the desk and a picture of the first and current Presidents on the wall opposite the door. The only personal article that was visible was a picture frame on the desk and it was facing away from her.

The man seated at the desk was writing on a form attached to a clipboard. He didn’t look up or speak or acknowledge her existence in any way and Kim stood there feeling like a recruit standing review. Not wanting to prove Shego right… prove her wife right in the accusation that Kim was hopelessly bound by respect for authority… Kim told took a second to convince herself that there was no reason to feel subordinate to this man and cleared her throat before speaking.

“Mr. Bar…”

“One moment.”

Kim clamed up and stood a little straighter. She cursed silently to herself while Barkin reviewed his paperwork and made a few additions to the document on his clipboard. She took a moment to inspect this man who had been her teacher throughout her years at Middleton Elementary and noticed that he hadn’t changed very much. Just as broad shouldered and very likely just as tall, his hair was touched with gray and there were plenty of lines around his mouth and eyes.

She seriously doubted that they were ‘laugh lines’. Barkin finally lowered his pen and raised his eyes to her. Geez, she thought, Drakken usually looked more welcoming than this; at least the blue man would’ve been grinning.

“Kimberly Possible.”

It hadn’t been a question.

“Yes… sir?”

“Kimberly Ann Possible. Served as a student of excellent standing at both Middleton Elementary and Middleton High School, graduated with honors.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you know what’s it like to serve your country, Possible?”

“E-excuse me?”

“I said,” he growled, not offering her a seat but instead standing up behind the desk. “Do you know what it’s like to serve your country?”

“Yes.” What sort of question was that? Se did, though, didn’t she? Not with actual military service but with her many missions, the interaction with Global Justice, surely it would all count towards something, wouldn’t it?

“Yes, I do.”

“I’m sure that you think so.” He brought his powerful arms out and crossed them behind his back, feet planted as if even a hurricane couldn’t move him from that spot. “I recall those… escapades from your days here at Middleton. Cutting class, disrupting the student body.” His deep voice resonated. “Flaunting your individuality in the face of authority.” He released the last statement as if it had a foul taste.

He turned and strolled around the desk towards her; Kim decided to stand her ground and see what game was being played. The large man was around the desk in three strides and he towered over the petite woman.

“Young people… students… have no concept of discipline.” He kept his gaze up and forward, still not making eye contact. “The discipline of self-improvement, the hardship of advancement through study and regimentation.” He continued moving and passed behind her. “I recall a time when young men would hear the call to duty while still in their teens… often lying about their age, claiming to be older…” He spun and faced her, finally looking her square in the face and Kim burned with shame one second after she felt herself cringe. In her defense, Barkin’s rambling was making Kim start to doubt the man’s sanity. He didn’t leave her any more time to think before he continued.

“These weren’t boys, regardless of their age. These were young men.” His steely eyes pierced her as he reached out and lifted he framed photograph from his desk. “There are no young men these days, just little boys and little girls, each playing at being children well into their teens.”

Oh, yeah, Kim thought to herself, Shego would’ve fried him three minutes ago. Where is he going with this? She watched as the photograph was brought into her line of sight.

“My entire life has been devoted to serving my country, and I started at a very early age.” Barkin handed her the framed picture from his desk and Kim took a quick look down at the black and white image of a much younger Steve Barkin, wearing combat fatigues and covered in mud. The younger man was grinning from ear to ear, as was the grizzled looking figure standing beside him. Kim looked up at her former teacher.

“I’m sure that your former commanding officer would agree, sir.”

“That’s my mother.” His eyes narrowed coldly as he accepted the picture back from her. “This picture was taken immediately upon my completion of the advanced obstacle course.” He glowered and returned the picture to the desk while Kim considered the odds that her girls would be expelled. She did her best to remain calm as he huffed and stalked back around the desk to his chair. He sat down, thrusting out a massive hand and pointing at the seat next to her.

“Sit.”

Almost as quickly as she might reach for her Kimmunicator, the hero took the proffered chair. Barkin moved his hands apart and slid his clipboard closer with one while shooting his cuff and glancing at his watch on the other. Kim had little hope of reclaiming any control over the current sitch, not that she’d had any to begin with, but maybe she could assert herself a little.

“Mr. Barkin… I understood that you wanted to discuss the behavior of my daughters out on the playground today.”

“And so we shall. This board of inquiry is now in session!” He barked the last word. “The time is precisely thirteen-oh-nine hours and the recorded facts are as follows…”

“Board? What ‘board’?”

“ONE… the defendants Kasy Ann Possible and Sheki Go Possible were seen on the field of battle… also known as the school playground. TWO…”

“Hey!”

“… the defendants were observed having a verbal confrontation with Melissa Jean Edwards. THREE… Melissa Jean Edwards shortly thereafter reported to a School Warden that she had been physically accosted and…”

“Wait! Hang on a second.” Kim sputtered out the words; she’d never been in a ‘kangaroo court’ before but she was starting to know how it felt. “Did anyone else see what happened?”

“There are no witnesses named in the records.”

“Then all of this is based on the word of one person? This… Melissa Jean Edwards?”

Barkin almost seemed to smirk.

“Not quite. It was corroborated by your own daughter, Kasy Ann.”

“Kasy?”

“Affirmative. The victim…”

“The WHAT??”

“… from this point forward to be referred to as ‘Missy’, ran over to the Warden in a state of emotional distress and reported that she had been pushed onto her posterior. She was immediately joined by the aggressor…”

“Oh, for the love of…”

“… who shall be referred to as Kasy, who provided evidence of a verbal nature to support the accusation that it was Kasy who had perpetrated the act.” He settled back in his chair and spread his hands. “It’s all very cut and dry.”

Kim had to agree. Even with Barkin’s surreal depiction of events, there didn’t seem to be any way to refuse the evidence, especially not with Kasy having ratted herself out. She hated to admit it, but Kim wondered if Shego couldn’t teach the girls a little something about subterfuge.

“So… what happens now?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“To the girls?”

“Sign here.”

The big man nodded absently and spun the clipboard around on his desk; he proffered his pen and indicated several highlighted areas on the topmost piece of paper. Kim had to rise from her chair and half-lean over the desktop to read and sign the form. She signed her full name once, printed it once as well, and initialed a few lines of simple text that basically confirmed that she understood the report as it had been relayed to her and that this meeting had in fact even occurred. She was finished within seconds and Barkin set the clipboard aside.

Kim swallowed hard as she sat back down. Was her own mother ever subjected to this sort of treatment as a result of Kim’s antics from years ago? At least her mother didn’t have a history with this man before her became Kim’s own teacher. The young woman wondered how badly her own history would reflect against the treatment her daughters would receive.

“Mr. Barkin?”

“Yes?”

“The girls?”

“What about them?”

“What happens to them?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Correct.”

“Nothing as in ‘ever’ or nothing as in ‘not at this school’ or…?”

“Nothing as in this hearing is concluded.” He frowned at her beneath hooded eyes. “Nothing as in they are minors enrolled as First Graders in this school and as such are free from personal liability. Nothing as in no one was hurt except for another student that was shoved onto her butt and ran for help instead of taking a swing of her own.”

“But… I…”

“Mrs. Possible.” The man looked tired suddenly, weary. “The aptitude which your daughters have consistently displayed places them in the top three percentile bracket in this school. Their behavior, with this notable exception, is exemplary for children their age. They are well-liked by their teachers and our school is all the better for their enrollment.”

“Then what…”

“At any time during this debriefing did I tell you why your daughter claims to have accosted her classmate?”

“…”

“I did not.” He leaned forward and stared at her. “Care to guess?”

Kim felt herself sweating.

“Allow me to elucidate.” Barkin flipped over the paper Kim had signed and initialed and briefly scanned some notes written below. “It seems that Missy Edwards was making disparaging remarks to your daughters regarding the nature of your… marital status.”

“R-really?”

“Yes.”

“She told you this?”

“No. Apparently your daughter Kasy mentioned it to the School Warden.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” It was true, she didn’t. “I don’t really know Mrs. Edwards and I don’t know what she knows about… me, so how Missy would ever come to find out is…”

“Is beside the point.” Barkin’s face was set in stone. “Whether you want to view the subject from the perspective of what citizens do in their own home as being no one else’s business, or the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’, it equates to the same thing.”

“Which is?”

“That the point is irrelevant.”

Kim felt relieved; being forced to confront her personal life choices in front of this man, of all men, was a hundred times worse than when she’d first sat down to discuss it with her parents.

“But now do you see that it IS relevant?”

“Huh?” He had caught her woolgathering. “It is? I thought you just said…”

“Ms. Possible, surely you see that what you’ve done with your life is relevant, that it does matter.” He raised a large hand and gestured to the closed door. “Those children out there aren’t old enough to know the magnitude of the mistake you’ve made, but you can see what a disruptive influence it has on their lives, even now.”

He might as well have spit on her; she was shocked and appalled.

“How… Mr. Barkin, how can you say that?”

“This incident may be the first, but I doubt that it will be the last.” He gestured at the door again. “Is your… partner out there with them?”

“She came with me to watch the girls!”

“She’s the green woman?”

“She is my wife!” Kim’s indignation flared but faded at his shrug; it was obvious that the appellation meant nothing to him. He glanced at the paperwork on the clipboard again.

“Sheila Gordon Possible?”

“That is her name, yes.”

“Known to various levels of law enforcement as ‘Shego’?”

“… yes…”

“And it was she whom, most of the time, you left school to pursue without proper leave or permission, to perform unsanctioned activities that skirted the letter of the law?”

“… yes…”

“This is the woman you have chosen to help raise your children?”

Kim felt small and insignificant in her seat. The answer ‘yes’ had immediately formed in her mind but she burned with embarrassment in the face of this man’s accusations, so much so that the answer didn’t make it to her lips; Kim simply didn’t trust herself to speak. Barkin nodded, interpreting her silence as an admission of guilt, and flipped up the top page of his documents to expose another sheet, a list of some sort.

“You’ll allow me to read to you a few excerpts from your daughters’ files.” It hadn’t been a question. “These are statements recorded over the last year. No action was taken because of the… unusual… nature of your relationship with that woman and the chaotic lifestyle that we have all seen displayed in the media.” He regarded her sternly. “If it had been under any other circumstances, Child Services would have been contacted.”

She sat there wide-eyed but Barkin didn’t explain. He leaned forward and read from the list.

“‘They’re always yelling’… ‘Momma threw Mommy over the sofa’… ‘Mommy kicked Momma and hit her with a chair’… ‘Mommy was tied up during dinner’…”

Kim blanched. Too many thoughts were coursing through her head, too many retorts and reactions that they served only to cancel each other out. Barkin let the top sheet of paper cover the list and folded his hands over the clipboard.

“With a home life like this, it’s no wonder that your children see nothing wrong with their actions on the playground today. Yes, I realize that the acts described here by your children have been perceived and interpreted by their own immature, though highly intelligent, minds… but you can already see the damage that has been caused to their basic sense of right and wrong.”

Her emotions were running rampant and the physical effect was nothing less than a minor seizure; she had no choice but to sit in her chair like a catatonic while he heaped more accusations upon her. Kim could not meet Barkin’s gaze as he continued speaking.

“I had high hopes for you, Possible. I had thought that you were different from the rest.”

“…”

“Being wrong is a bitter pill, Possible. And it seems that I was wrong about you.”

Kim screwed her eyes shut and forced the words out.

“Mr. Barkin, if I can just explain…”

“I really don’t see the need.”

“But…”

“Do you?”

“But…”

“The record of this meeting will be added to your daughters’ permanent record, although it will not affect their grade or advancement unless there to be a repeat of this incident. I want to reiterate that they are excellent students, despite their home environment.”

“But…!”

“That will be all, Ms. Possible.”

“Mr. Barkin, please, I…”

“Dismissed.” He hunched his broad shoulders over is work and appeared as if the last five minutes had never occurred and the young redhead had ceased to exist. She might as well have, considering how terrible she felt.

Her family was her life and this man had stabbed right into the heart of her insecurities as an adult, as a parent. Without her family them and the love they brought her, she was nothing… less than nothing. Barkin didn’t react as she retrieved her purse and stood, keeping her expression calm as she turned to the door; no easy task considering how she’d let her dignity be shredded.

Why couldn’t she speak? Why hadn’t she stood up for herself? How could that man hold so much power over her after so long? Was she totally incapable of standing up for herself in the face of authority? Her eyes burned and her throat felt thick and the best thing for her was to leave right now and take her family home for a quiet sit down to discuss the sitch in peace. Then she could take all the time she needed to forget this afternoon and forget Mr. Barkin and maybe find a little peace.

Kim dragged her feet as she crossed the room, grasped the knob and opened the door. Mrs. Manders was nowhere to be seen but Shego and the girls were waiting.

“Ooo, look who’s here!”

“MOMMY!!”

Kasy set down her little assignment book and turned to the open door; Sheki looked up from where she had been sitting on Shego’s lap. Both were smiling and even Shego looked to be more relaxed than before. The whole clan seemed to be in higher spirits, in fact.

This simple tableau warmed Kim’s heart in a way that almost made her forget the inner demons she had left in the office behind her. Yes, they had been waiting… and they had been waiting for her.

“Pumpkin? All done?” Something didn’t look right to Shego; it was rare for her Princess to ever slouch. Maybe it wasn’t anything too bad, because her mate was already standing straighter as the petite redhead looked them over.

At was as if a shroud had suddenly lifted from Kim’s soul.

“Kim? Everything ok?”

“Not quite.” She smiled at them. “Be right back.”

She backed into the office and the action caused Mr. Barkin to glance up from his desk.

“Ms. Possible, I thought that I had made it clear that…”

She slowly closed the door and turned to face her old teacher, but not before Shego heard one more thing come out of that tender mouth as the door clicked shut.

“That’s Mrs. Possible, you dickweed.”

To Be Continued…

Author’s Notes: I’ve never liked the Barkin character. Does it show?

Description
Sticks And Stones

AUTHOR: The Humbug

DISCLAIMER: “Kim Possible” and all characters within © The Walt Disney Company and its related entities. Kim Possible created by Mark McCorkle & Bob Schooley. All rights reserved. No profit is being collected from the fiction contained within.

SUMMARY: This is a Kim/Shego pairing fan fiction, made seasonal for Halloween and mostly the killing of a plot bunny. This is set in my own personal “Who’s Writing This Crap?’ Kigoverse, however we all know that Kasy Ann and Sheki Go Possible are the sole creations of NoDrogs and I suggest you go read his story ‘A Small Possibility’ for their origin.

TYPE: Kim/Shego, Romance, Slash

RATING: PG-13 for intimations of a physical relationship and intimate contact between consenting adult females and should also cover some occasionally harsh language. I’m not certain how it will apply to farting or yelling at authority figures. If any of this will offend you, please read something else and then seek professional help.

Sticks And Stones / Five

Mrs. Manders hadn’t followed Kim into the inner office and the young woman found herself in the lion’s den with a closed door at her back. The room was well lit and stocked with file cabinets, copies of textbooks and various other learning materials, flags of the nation and state flanking the desk and a picture of the first and current Presidents on the wall opposite the door. The only personal article that was visible was a picture frame on the desk and it was facing away from her.

The man seated at the desk was writing on a form attached to a clipboard. He didn’t look up or speak or acknowledge her existence in any way and Kim stood there feeling like a recruit standing review. Not wanting to prove Shego right… prove her wife right in the accusation that Kim was hopelessly bound by respect for authority… Kim told took a second to convince herself that there was no reason to feel subordinate to this man and cleared her throat before speaking.

“Mr. Bar…”

“One moment.”

Kim clamed up and stood a little straighter. She cursed silently to herself while Barkin reviewed his paperwork and made a few additions to the document on his clipboard. She took a moment to inspect this man who had been her teacher throughout her years at Middleton Elementary and noticed that he hadn’t changed very much. Just as broad shouldered and very likely just as tall, his hair was touched with gray and there were plenty of lines around his mouth and eyes.

She seriously doubted that they were ‘laugh lines’. Barkin finally lowered his pen and raised his eyes to her. Geez, she thought, Drakken usually looked more welcoming than this; at least the blue man would’ve been grinning.

“Kimberly Possible.”

It hadn’t been a question.

“Yes… sir?”

“Kimberly Ann Possible. Served as a student of excellent standing at both Middleton Elementary and Middleton High School, graduated with honors.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you know what’s it like to serve your country, Possible?”

“E-excuse me?”

“I said,” he growled, not offering her a seat but instead standing up behind the desk. “Do you know what it’s like to serve your country?”

“Yes.” What sort of question was that? Se did, though, didn’t she? Not with actual military service but with her many missions, the interaction with Global Justice, surely it would all count towards something, wouldn’t it?

“Yes, I do.”

“I’m sure that you think so.” He brought his powerful arms out and crossed them behind his back, feet planted as if even a hurricane couldn’t move him from that spot. “I recall those… escapades from your days here at Middleton. Cutting class, disrupting the student body.” His deep voice resonated. “Flaunting your individuality in the face of authority.” He released the last statement as if it had a foul taste.

He turned and strolled around the desk towards her; Kim decided to stand her ground and see what game was being played. The large man was around the desk in three strides and he towered over the petite woman.

“Young people… students… have no concept of discipline.” He kept his gaze up and forward, still not making eye contact. “The discipline of self-improvement, the hardship of advancement through study and regimentation.” He continued moving and passed behind her. “I recall a time when young men would hear the call to duty while still in their teens… often lying about their age, claiming to be older…” He spun and faced her, finally looking her square in the face and Kim burned with shame one second after she felt herself cringe. In her defense, Barkin’s rambling was making Kim start to doubt the man’s sanity. He didn’t leave her any more time to think before he continued.

“These weren’t boys, regardless of their age. These were young men.” His steely eyes pierced her as he reached out and lifted he framed photograph from his desk. “There are no young men these days, just little boys and little girls, each playing at being children well into their teens.”

Oh, yeah, Kim thought to herself, Shego would’ve fried him three minutes ago. Where is he going with this? She watched as the photograph was brought into her line of sight.

“My entire life has been devoted to serving my country, and I started at a very early age.” Barkin handed her the framed picture from his desk and Kim took a quick look down at the black and white image of a much younger Steve Barkin, wearing combat fatigues and covered in mud. The younger man was grinning from ear to ear, as was the grizzled looking figure standing beside him. Kim looked up at her former teacher.

“I’m sure that your former commanding officer would agree, sir.”

“That’s my mother.” His eyes narrowed coldly as he accepted the picture back from her. “This picture was taken immediately upon my completion of the advanced obstacle course.” He glowered and returned the picture to the desk while Kim considered the odds that her girls would be expelled. She did her best to remain calm as he huffed and stalked back around the desk to his chair. He sat down, thrusting out a massive hand and pointing at the seat next to her.

“Sit.”

Almost as quickly as she might reach for her Kimmunicator, the hero took the proffered chair. Barkin moved his hands apart and slid his clipboard closer with one while shooting his cuff and glancing at his watch on the other. Kim had little hope of reclaiming any control over the current sitch, not that she’d had any to begin with, but maybe she could assert herself a little.

“Mr. Barkin… I understood that you wanted to discuss the behavior of my daughters out on the playground today.”

“And so we shall. This board of inquiry is now in session!” He barked the last word. “The time is precisely thirteen-oh-nine hours and the recorded facts are as follows…”

“Board? What ‘board’?”

“ONE… the defendants Kasy Ann Possible and Sheki Go Possible were seen on the field of battle… also known as the school playground. TWO…”

“Hey!”

“… the defendants were observed having a verbal confrontation with Melissa Jean Edwards. THREE… Melissa Jean Edwards shortly thereafter reported to a School Warden that she had been physically accosted and…”

“Wait! Hang on a second.” Kim sputtered out the words; she’d never been in a ‘kangaroo court’ before but she was starting to know how it felt. “Did anyone else see what happened?”

“There are no witnesses named in the records.”

“Then all of this is based on the word of one person? This… Melissa Jean Edwards?”

Barkin almost seemed to smirk.

“Not quite. It was corroborated by your own daughter, Kasy Ann.”

“Kasy?”

“Affirmative. The victim…”

“The WHAT??”

“… from this point forward to be referred to as ‘Missy’, ran over to the Warden in a state of emotional distress and reported that she had been pushed onto her posterior. She was immediately joined by the aggressor…”

“Oh, for the love of…”

“… who shall be referred to as Kasy, who provided evidence of a verbal nature to support the accusation that it was Kasy who had perpetrated the act.” He settled back in his chair and spread his hands. “It’s all very cut and dry.”

Kim had to agree. Even with Barkin’s surreal depiction of events, there didn’t seem to be any way to refuse the evidence, especially not with Kasy having ratted herself out. She hated to admit it, but Kim wondered if Shego couldn’t teach the girls a little something about subterfuge.

“So… what happens now?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“To the girls?”

“Sign here.”

The big man nodded absently and spun the clipboard around on his desk; he proffered his pen and indicated several highlighted areas on the topmost piece of paper. Kim had to rise from her chair and half-lean over the desktop to read and sign the form. She signed her full name once, printed it once as well, and initialed a few lines of simple text that basically confirmed that she understood the report as it had been relayed to her and that this meeting had in fact even occurred. She was finished within seconds and Barkin set the clipboard aside.

Kim swallowed hard as she sat back down. Was her own mother ever subjected to this sort of treatment as a result of Kim’s antics from years ago? At least her mother didn’t have a history with this man before her became Kim’s own teacher. The young woman wondered how badly her own history would reflect against the treatment her daughters would receive.

“Mr. Barkin?”

“Yes?”

“The girls?”

“What about them?”

“What happens to them?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Correct.”

“Nothing as in ‘ever’ or nothing as in ‘not at this school’ or…?”

“Nothing as in this hearing is concluded.” He frowned at her beneath hooded eyes. “Nothing as in they are minors enrolled as First Graders in this school and as such are free from personal liability. Nothing as in no one was hurt except for another student that was shoved onto her butt and ran for help instead of taking a swing of her own.”

“But… I…”

“Mrs. Possible.” The man looked tired suddenly, weary. “The aptitude which your daughters have consistently displayed places them in the top three percentile bracket in this school. Their behavior, with this notable exception, is exemplary for children their age. They are well-liked by their teachers and our school is all the better for their enrollment.”

“Then what…”

“At any time during this debriefing did I tell you why your daughter claims to have accosted her classmate?”

“…”

“I did not.” He leaned forward and stared at her. “Care to guess?”

Kim felt herself sweating.

“Allow me to elucidate.” Barkin flipped over the paper Kim had signed and initialed and briefly scanned some notes written below. “It seems that Missy Edwards was making disparaging remarks to your daughters regarding the nature of your… marital status.”

“R-really?”

“Yes.”

“She told you this?”

“No. Apparently your daughter Kasy mentioned it to the School Warden.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” It was true, she didn’t. “I don’t really know Mrs. Edwards and I don’t know what she knows about… me, so how Missy would ever come to find out is…”

“Is beside the point.” Barkin’s face was set in stone. “Whether you want to view the subject from the perspective of what citizens do in their own home as being no one else’s business, or the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’, it equates to the same thing.”

“Which is?”

“That the point is irrelevant.”

Kim felt relieved; being forced to confront her personal life choices in front of this man, of all men, was a hundred times worse than when she’d first sat down to discuss it with her parents.

“But now do you see that it IS relevant?”

“Huh?” He had caught her woolgathering. “It is? I thought you just said…”

“Ms. Possible, surely you see that what you’ve done with your life is relevant, that it does matter.” He raised a large hand and gestured to the closed door. “Those children out there aren’t old enough to know the magnitude of the mistake you’ve made, but you can see what a disruptive influence it has on their lives, even now.”

He might as well have spit on her; she was shocked and appalled.

“How… Mr. Barkin, how can you say that?”

“This incident may be the first, but I doubt that it will be the last.” He gestured at the door again. “Is your… partner out there with them?”

“She came with me to watch the girls!”

“She’s the green woman?”

“She is my wife!” Kim’s indignation flared but faded at his shrug; it was obvious that the appellation meant nothing to him. He glanced at the paperwork on the clipboard again.

“Sheila Gordon Possible?”

“That is her name, yes.”

“Known to various levels of law enforcement as ‘Shego’?”

“… yes…”

“And it was she whom, most of the time, you left school to pursue without proper leave or permission, to perform unsanctioned activities that skirted the letter of the law?”

“… yes…”

“This is the woman you have chosen to help raise your children?”

Kim felt small and insignificant in her seat. The answer ‘yes’ had immediately formed in her mind but she burned with embarrassment in the face of this man’s accusations, so much so that the answer didn’t make it to her lips; Kim simply didn’t trust herself to speak. Barkin nodded, interpreting her silence as an admission of guilt, and flipped up the top page of his documents to expose another sheet, a list of some sort.

“You’ll allow me to read to you a few excerpts from your daughters’ files.” It hadn’t been a question. “These are statements recorded over the last year. No action was taken because of the… unusual… nature of your relationship with that woman and the chaotic lifestyle that we have all seen displayed in the media.” He regarded her sternly. “If it had been under any other circumstances, Child Services would have been contacted.”

She sat there wide-eyed but Barkin didn’t explain. He leaned forward and read from the list.

“‘They’re always yelling’… ‘Momma threw Mommy over the sofa’… ‘Mommy kicked Momma and hit her with a chair’… ‘Mommy was tied up during dinner’…”

Kim blanched. Too many thoughts were coursing through her head, too many retorts and reactions that they served only to cancel each other out. Barkin let the top sheet of paper cover the list and folded his hands over the clipboard.

“With a home life like this, it’s no wonder that your children see nothing wrong with their actions on the playground today. Yes, I realize that the acts described here by your children have been perceived and interpreted by their own immature, though highly intelligent, minds… but you can already see the damage that has been caused to their basic sense of right and wrong.”

Her emotions were running rampant and the physical effect was nothing less than a minor seizure; she had no choice but to sit in her chair like a catatonic while he heaped more accusations upon her. Kim could not meet Barkin’s gaze as he continued speaking.

“I had high hopes for you, Possible. I had thought that you were different from the rest.”

“…”

“Being wrong is a bitter pill, Possible. And it seems that I was wrong about you.”

Kim screwed her eyes shut and forced the words out.

“Mr. Barkin, if I can just explain…”

“I really don’t see the need.”

“But…”

“Do you?”

“But…”

“The record of this meeting will be added to your daughters’ permanent record, although it will not affect their grade or advancement unless there to be a repeat of this incident. I want to reiterate that they are excellent students, despite their home environment.”

“But…!”

“That will be all, Ms. Possible.”

“Mr. Barkin, please, I…”

“Dismissed.” He hunched his broad shoulders over is work and appeared as if the last five minutes had never occurred and the young redhead had ceased to exist. She might as well have, considering how terrible she felt.

Her family was her life and this man had stabbed right into the heart of her insecurities as an adult, as a parent. Without her family them and the love they brought her, she was nothing… less than nothing. Barkin didn’t react as she retrieved her purse and stood, keeping her expression calm as she turned to the door; no easy task considering how she’d let her dignity be shredded.

Why couldn’t she speak? Why hadn’t she stood up for herself? How could that man hold so much power over her after so long? Was she totally incapable of standing up for herself in the face of authority? Her eyes burned and her throat felt thick and the best thing for her was to leave right now and take her family home for a quiet sit down to discuss the sitch in peace. Then she could take all the time she needed to forget this afternoon and forget Mr. Barkin and maybe find a little peace.

Kim dragged her feet as she crossed the room, grasped the knob and opened the door. Mrs. Manders was nowhere to be seen but Shego and the girls were waiting.

“Ooo, look who’s here!”

“MOMMY!!”

Kasy set down her little assignment book and turned to the open door; Sheki looked up from where she had been sitting on Shego’s lap. Both were smiling and even Shego looked to be more relaxed than before. The whole clan seemed to be in higher spirits, in fact.

This simple tableau warmed Kim’s heart in a way that almost made her forget the inner demons she had left in the office behind her. Yes, they had been waiting… and they had been waiting for her.

“Pumpkin? All done?” Something didn’t look right to Shego; it was rare for her Princess to ever slouch. Maybe it wasn’t anything too bad, because her mate was already standing straighter as the petite redhead looked them over.

At was as if a shroud had suddenly lifted from Kim’s soul.

“Kim? Everything ok?”

“Not quite.” She smiled at them. “Be right back.”

She backed into the office and the action caused Mr. Barkin to glance up from his desk.

“Ms. Possible, I thought that I had made it clear that…”

She slowly closed the door and turned to face her old teacher, but not before Shego heard one more thing come out of that tender mouth as the door clicked shut.

“That’s Mrs. Possible, you dickweed.”

To Be Continued…

Author’s Notes: I’ve never liked the Barkin character. Does it show?