I live! It's been a long time and I can only say I'm sorry. It's been so long to really say anything else but that. I do intend to finish this, I can't let myself not finish this before moving onto other things. (And Family Channel not airing the rest of KP hasn't help, I can add that. Feel free to email them and harrass because I'm sure they're sick of me8D!) But honestly, I'm in the last stretch of this story and I'm not going to let it- or you guys down. Well those of you who still care. And to those of you who did, thank-you. Thank-you so much to my reviewers, past and present, even to those who contacted me through dA proving they still cared.

It will not take this long for the next update. But to satisfy for the long wait, there's a mix of things in this- for those of you who don't care for certain parts, feel free to skip to where there's dialogue. 51 pages for this, take your time and enjoy!

To my past reviewers: Ace Ian Combat, Classic Cowboy, Ultimate Naco Topping, zero9q9, Rachel J. Lupin, John M. Steppenwolf, loser7, Kipcha (yay fellow Canadian!), Pojko, Bear, moon maiden of time, Chase-your-dreams, One Night and One More Time, Danny-171984, Neptune Fairy, readtome, The Brunette Bookworm, Trilobitemk7, Shadowlost, puppybear and those who contacted me via deviantART.

Thank-you.

-A. King

¤ Instalment 05 »» A Little Red Fish & A Large Black Shadow -Missions Series III- ¤

Sometime everyone goes on a trip,

And that day will surely come.

As much as we can throw everything out,

The tale of two people,

That begins here

Is filled with anxiety and hope.

- ayumi hamasaki, ‘Depend on you’

Springing the news on Ron’s parents had been far easier than Kim had been anxiously anticipating. Kim had kept reviewing Mrs Stoppable’s many possible reactions and even responses within the confines of her imagination.

Would she be angry with her son? Would she possibly say something against Kim in front of her face? Would she… would she even refuse to accept Kim’s engagement to her son? Within Kim’s mind, she recalled all the quiet observations of the few times she had been in Ron’s Mother’s presence and came to many conclusions. She never said anything against Kim in the past, mostly she seemed oblivious to her presence whenever Kim was with Ron or the talk between them was polite and few. Ron’s Father on the other hand as Kim had surmised, was a pleasant enough fellow who would probably have no quarrel with the engagement. But how would Ron’s Mother react..?

Well all that fretting and smart calculations ended up being for naught. When Ron had managed to bring both of his parents from their upstairs studies to present them with the news, their responses were pretty much like Kim’s own parents’!

Mr Stoppable broke out into cheerful enough congratulations and shook both of their hands. Mrs Stoppable, although not smiling yet, gave off an air of approval. While Mr Stoppable had been talking to Kim, from the corner of her eyes, however, she noticed Mrs Stoppable take her son aside to speak with him in private on the other side of the room.

Mm, suspicious. Kim had attempted to filter Ron’s Father’s talk through her ears to perhaps eavesdrop on Ron and his Mother’s conversation, but it seemed Kim was just not as skilful at eavesdropping as Ron was.

At first Mrs Possible spoke to Ron, he nodded, was smiling—then looked shocked! What had she said? He double-blinked in a stand-still. His Mother too stopped speaking— she was waiting for a response from her son. Then… Ron laughed! And spoke rapidly to his Mother, enthusiastically at that! Then... no… yes!? She smiled then... wait! She laughed too! They were laughing together, Ron and Mrs Stoppable. They spoke, smiling and laughing and then… she embraced her son and Ron appeared to glow.

Wot?! Kim thought, cheeks puffed in confusion. Alas. It seems she would never understand the complex relationship between Ron and his Mother. Perhaps Mrs Possible had been right in one way, perhaps there was something else in their relationship that Kim could not seem to see.

Whatever it was, Kim was just relieved that the event had not been a disastrous one.

At the present time, such an event was far from her mind. It was now one week since her visit to her parents and Kim had been busy. Not that Ron knew, but he would soon.

As Kim hung out with Jessica, Marcella and two of the girls’ friends in front of the sorority’s house in the early morning, she still couldn’t help but feel guilty. Or a eerie feeling of maybe being spied on. Constantly, she would stealthily sweep her eyes to her bedroom’s window to see if perhaps it was Ron’s turn to spy on her, but no. He would still be asleep as was how Kim left him. Ron had been completely unaware of Kim’s underhand business and she was fiercely determined to keep Ron oblivious until… well, until—

“Maiiiiilmaaaan” one of Jessica’s friends sang out and waved down the approaching mailman.

He was a young man and the only reason Jessica & Marcella’s friends had followed them and Kim outside to wait his approach.

“Hey, girls,” the mailman grinned with a knowing smile. Kim was too nervous to even roll her eyes at the tactless flirting.

“How’s it going at the post office lately?” one of the girls asked.

“Nice line,” the other one muttered to her and then spoke again to the handsome mailman: “Find any nice packages lately? Because I’ve got a nice big one waiting for you in my room.”

“Oh please,” Jessica laughed.

Now Kim was able to roll her eyes accompanied by an embarrassing smile. “I don’t know them.”

“Forget it,” the first girl who spoke said. Her tone was aggravated, “I can’t think of any more postal pick-up lines. Do you wanna go to next week’s party with me or not?”

“Here?”

“What other party?” Kim asked dryly.

“He should come with me,” Jessica’s other friend replied haughtily.

“Well?” the other tossed her hair over her shoulder and flashed the mailman another appeasing smile. “Which one?”

“Don’t pick either of them!” Jessica rolled her eyes too, hands on hip. “Every morning…”

“Actually…” the mailman looked a little apprehensive but when the two friend’s of Jessica stared sternly at him, he swallowed hard and… his eyes darted to Marcella. “If she’d invite, me, I’d love to go with you.”

Marcella who had remained silent all morning froze from the textbook she had been holding. Cautiously, she lifted her head and stared hard at the mailman. “A-are you talking to me?!”

“Of course not!” the other friend flashed dangerously.

“I am,” the mailman grinned. From his post-sack, he pulled out a series of envelopes and shoved them into Kim’s hands haphazardly. “Wanna go for a walk?”

“Uhuhuhuhuh…”

“Go!” Jessica grinned, pushing her friend in the bag forwards. Then she snaked her other hand in front of Marcella from behind to snag her textbook.

Still flushing and flustered, Marcella stumbled forwards, the mailman taking her hand and the two walked away down the street.

The four remaining girls stared, all of them only able to blink in reaction of what had just happened. The only one with a smug grin on her face was Jessica, a hand applied to her hip, the other tightly snuggling Marcella’s textbook. It was Kim along with Friend One and Friend Two who were rendered speechless.

“If only love were that easy,” Kim finally spoke sarcastically.

The two friends stamped their feet in unison and stormed back into the sorority, flaming remarks already beginning from their incredulous mouths. Still holding the mass of envelopes pressed to her stomach, Kim turned her head to Jessica.

“Did you know that was going to happen?”

“No,” Jessica’s fair blonde hair lightly drooped over one eye. “But she deserves it,” and she sighed romantically. “Marcella’s been working so hard on her medical classes that she hasn’t even noticed the boys trying to please her.” Jessica shrugged, “She needs a slight push and you just watch,” she pointed to the distant dots of Marcella and the mailman down the street. “She’s walking forward on her own already.”

Ah, Kim thought, my friends have the odd talent of speaking advice I need to hear about totally tangent subjects.

“So did you get the letter you’ve been waiting for?”

“Oh! I, um, well, let’s see…” Kim mumbled continuing to try and grasp all of the Sorority’s envelopes.

Jessica stepped forwards and helped to hold some of the letters before a few could slip from Kim’s clasp and flutter to the concrete. Together, they sorted through the mail, stuffing unknown addressees back into the mailbox and plucking out those for themselves and for their friends they would meet up with.

And then Kim found it.

Sucking on her lower lip, she held the remaining envelope in her hand, the one with her name on it and her sorority’s address. Her eyes darted to the return address and, yes, this was it.

“Is that it?” Jessica asked, curious.

Kim took in a deep breath. Now things would begin.

“Yes, I’ll catch up with you later, gotta head back. Thanks!”

“Oh, uh, you’re welcome! Bye, Kim!!”

Kim fled back into the house and crashed violently into Bonnie Rockwaller just as Kim was passing the lounge. Kim hit her at such a full force that both girls were sent to the floor like opposing magnets. Kim groaned, clutching her banged forehead as she sat herself up.

“Watch where you’re GOING!” Bonnie screeched as she sat up, struggling to adjust her ridiculously short miniskirt. “Clumsy slut!”

But Kim took no notice of the usual words in Bonnie’s arsenal and instead searched for the letter that was no longer in her hands. A hideous gasp escaped Kim’s mouth when she spotted the letter resting upon Bonnie’s lap. Quickly, Kim snatched out for the envelope, but Bonnie was closer (apparently) and clutched it first.

“What’s this?” she asked, her voice taunting. “An embarrassing letter from home? Or a love letter from an affair? Let’s see…”

“That is NOT yours. If you open that, that’s illegal and don’t hesitate to think I’ll sue your fat rear,” Kim spat, her hands out in front of her and her hair a mad mess.

Bonnie froze, looking down at Kim through her nose and regarded her carefully. Obviously, she was weighing Kim’s threat as serious. But then her eyes darted down and she need only to read the return address when her mouth fell open. Her normally slit eyes widened fully and she lifted her head to face a dangerous Kim.

“Oh. My. Goodness.” Bonnie again read the header of the return address before Kim flashed out, retrieving the envelope. But it was too late, she couldn’t erase Bonnie’s memory.

Well, I could if I smashed her head into the corner of that desk there… The thought was a tempting one.

“So that’s how you’ve been able to stay on the squad and retain your figure! I knew, I KNEW you weren’t natural!” she sang cruelly. “I knew you had some secret! I knew you weren’t perfect! HA! Wait until everyone hears about this and shame will befall you! Lonnie will kick you off the squad for sure. I mean,” Bonnie clasped both of her hands beneath her cheek and displayed a mockingly-sweet voice, “You might pass out during a cheer and hurt yourself!” Then she fluttered her fake lashes and cackled maliciously. “This is too sweet! Finally going to get some help, huh?” she sneered.

“Shut-up!” Kim hissed, then blurted: “It’s not for me, it’s for—” And she caught herself.

Bonnie froze again, her hands dropping onto her lap as the gears cranked through her head.

“Ohmigosh,” she said for the second time. “It’s not you? I-it’s him?!” Then she cupped her mouth as the laughter flowed out and she fell backwards onto the floor again.

“This is none of your business! You... I just… The immature in you, Bonnie, has no bounds!”

“Please!” Bonnie gasped, casting an arm over her forehead. “It’s not immature.” Then she hauled herself up and blinked in all honesty at Kim, “It’s ‘telling the people the truth’. Don’t you read the tabs?”

“Uh, no. Bonnie, look, this is serious. You can not just go telling everyone. You keep flaunting your wallet so why don’t you use some of that cash and buy some empathy?” Kim’s voice never once softened.

While the cruelly smirk across Bonnie’s face never left.

“Oh, Kim Possible. You are going to regret joining the squad. You’re going to regret having that loser follow you around on the team in High School, ruining our rep. He is going to regret not winning us that Regionals trophy back in Grade Twelve.”

“That was a low blow. You know he was in a coma.”

“Whatever,” Bonnie’s palm flew up, denying Kim. “This is rich. But not rich enough. I’m going to have to spice it up a bit,” and she tapped her chin in mock thought while lightly shaking some brown hair from her face.

Kim’s eyes instantly narrowed. She didn’t dare ask what Bonnie was talking about. She knew Bonnie would spill.

“So he’s going to Tri-City’s Anorexia and Bulimic Restoration Home, is he?” Bonnie’s blue eyes flashed with enlightenment. “That’s usually a girl thing, isn’t it?” she again tapped her forehead, her head cast away from Kim in that continued mock thought while her eyes still rested on Kim. “It’ll make it more believable if I might just have to add that he’s also ga—”

Bonine never finished her sentence for it was at that moment that Kim flew at Bonnie, smacking her across the face. Bonnie let out a horrified screech and started smacking Kim back while trying to push herself away.

“You just KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT,” Kim screamed while Bonnie never stopped screaming bloody-murderer at the top of her lungs.

“SHE’S KILLING ME. THAT DERRANGED POSSIBLE IS MURDERING ME.”

Somehow, that very sentence Bonnie screamed floated up throughout the sorority and into Kim’s very own room where Ron Stoppable himself was sleeping in her bed. The screams of the two girl’s catfight broke through Ron’s dreams and he woke with a start, scaring Rufus awake on his king-sized dog bed next to him on the floor.

Surely those screams had been in his dreams? He wondered this and panted with confusion. Then he heard screaming coming from downstairs and… and he couldn’t make it out but… the screams… were Kim’s!

“…she’s going to murder me and she’s going to ruin my face and give me blackheads with her dirty hands!!...” came a light voice from downstairs through all the screams.

Ron’s eyes flew open and he tore from the bed’s sheets and yanked the door open, the handle smashing into the wall. Rufus snapped up too, alert, and scampered after Ron with all the vigour of a young mole-rat in his prime.

Rufus was right on Ron’s heels as Ron stumbled down the staircase, almost falling flat on his head. A few girls he careened into at the base of the stairs gave nervous screams and squeals. In his undershirt and pyjama bottoms, Ron froze as his eyes laid upon the two girls smacking one another, pulling their hair, giving arm burns and screaming in the middle of the lounge. He couldn’t believe it. Neither could all of the sorority girls that came to also hear what the commotion was about.

Kim and Bonnie were having a violent catfight.

“I always knew one of them would kill the other but I always imagined something a little more dramatic,” said a girl next to Ron.

His brows narrowed then his bare feet tore across the hard-wood floors as he bent down, bowling into Kim, knocking her back and away from Bonnie who still squealed even as the girls parted.

“That WHORE,” Kim spat, her hands splayed across Ron’s back as he restrained her, pushing her to the opposite side of the room.

“My face!” Bonnie cried, “It’s going to be all red!! I have a date to-night!!”

“She was saying nasty things!” Kim continued to flare, her fingernails now digging into Ron’s back; he winced.

“K-Kim, calm down!” he urged, trying to take some sort of authority over Kim. Yet he was still rather nervous should Kim decide to pick him up and chuck him aside (which he knew very well she was capable of such a feat.)

But thankfully, the digging of Kim’s nails into Ron’s back lightened and instead, she clutched onto his undershirt, her head poking out over Ron’s shoulder. She glared at Bonnie.

“She… She wouldn’t shut up! She was going to tell everyone!” Kim’s voice was no longer hysterical. She had caught hold of herself quickly and leaned her head against Ron’s to seek comfort from him. Ron could barely see Kim from the corner of his eyes, but he was able to glimpse tears forming in hers.

“Hey, Kim, it’s okay, they’re just words,” and he rubbed her back, soothing her as she often did for him. As he did so, Kim again cast her head against his, closing her eyes and soaking in his comfort.

And Bonnie saw this, her eyes narrowing. “And I still will!” she announced fiercely. Her heads swivelled wildly to take in the count of all the girls gathered and stuck out her chin proudly. Thrusting a finger at Ron who had his back turned to her, Bonnie declared in a loud voice:

“He’s got an eating disorder!” Then she cackled maliciously, “No wonder he spends all his time in the sorority! I think we all know what that means! Staying here because of Kim was a cover! It seems Ron Stoppable relates more to girls than to boys!”

Ron did not move and his body become rigid. Kim too stopped fidgeting and waited for Ron’s response, it seemed to take forever for him to react and every second that passed by, Kim’s heart did ten beats inside her own throat. Her head felt dizzy and she swallowed, feeling sick inside.

Then she was instantly released from Ron’s hold as he turned and fled, pushing past some bewildered girls, and out of the sorority. Kim recovered quickly. Sending Bonnie one final death-glare, Kim pushed herself to her feet, snatched the envelope on the floor then fled after Ron.

Kim had been so enrapt on Ron’s reaction that she hadn’t even noticed Bonnie was the only one laughing.

Kim briefly thanked herself for being so rapid in reacting to Ron’s flight for he was already on his motorbike and headed out of the parking lot. Growling to herself, Kim leapt into the air, clasped the nearest lamp post then used this to catapult herself into the air and land right behind Ron on his bike.

The motorbike swerved and wobbled before Ron was able to firm his grip and continue down the road.

“What are you doing?” he asked her, his voice sounding more accusatory than baffled.

“Being your friend,” she retorted and snug her arms around his waist as not to fall off.

She thought she heard a snort from Ron. “Then you better wear your helmet because I draw the line at going to prison for that fine.”

Kim hoped Ron heard her laughter through his helmet and attitude.

As they continued to drive, Kim allowing Ron to lead her blindly to some unknown destination, Kim desperately thought of things to say once it was time for the upcoming conversation.

It took Kim awhile before she began to recognise the scenery and knew Ron must be leading her to the Tri-City mall, or at least that general area. Kim had never explored the Tri-city scenery during her limited University time other than when she had spied on Ron. The fact that there was more to explore in an area so close to home, caused Kim to wonder other things, like, perhaps… where would she and Ron go after University? Once they were married and it was time to find a place on their own.

Kim always imagined herself living at home, and with her parents (even, yes, her Tweebs brothers) and Ron dropping by to stay nearly the whole day. But soon things would change, as they had already done.

We’re already in a new stage of our lives, Kim was able to admit to herself. And before I know it, this one will change too.

It was something to think on.

But for now, Ron came to a stop and when Kim pulled off her helmet to look up, she shouldn’t have been too surprised to find herself at a Bueno Nacho next to the Tri-City mall.

“H-hey wait up!” she called in surprise as Ron didn’t even speak nor waited for her. He was off and already inside the restaurant. Jogging up to the building and pushing the double doors aside, she stood next to him in the line.

“Ron…”

“Later.”

Kim’s eyes narrowed, but it was more out of nervousness than anger. “Okay.”

So with Ron still in his pyjamas and Kim in her cheerleading sweats, they ordered themselves a meal each and only when Ron finally had his naco meal in front of him and was tearing off the wrapping over the straw did Kim attempt speech again. But not before evaluating his meal. It was a substantial size: normal.

“Look, Ron,” Kim began, already unfolding her fajita. “You didn’t need to run out back there. And what more, you should’ve waited for me. I didn’t really appreciate that.” She kept her voice cool, but allowed Ron to know that it was something that seriously nettled her.

Ron scowled, looking down. Rufus popped out of who-knew where at the smell of food and squealed in utter delight over the Bueno Nacho meal before him.

“Bueno Nacho!” the mole-rat cried and dove into the nachos; completely oblivious to his owner’s down-time attitude.

“Ron,” Kim provoked him again, “Don’t get all broody on me. It’s not me you’re upset at.”

“Yes it is!”

“What?”

Ron placed his naco down and glared at Kim. (To Kim, his glare was never something she took serious, although she should learn to do so at times like these.)

“You promised,” he cried. But then he eyed his surroundings nervously and lowered his voice, hunching down— his shoulder blades sliding up. “You promised me you wouldn’t tell anyone about my you-know-what and then I find that you went and told Bonnie of all people?! Like… what kind of friend are you, KP? What kind of… marriage-person are you?”

Kim’s jaw dropped. “ ‘Marriage-person’. You mean you’re ‘fee-an-say’?” Ron wasn’t given a chance to respond, Kim was far from done. “And I can not believe that you, Ron, you would ever think I would tell Bonnie about that! Tell Bonnie anything other than what a complete tramp she is! Ron. Look at me, Ron.”

Ron’s eyes had been cast out the windows stormily as he crunched on his food. But they meandered back to Kim, whether out of curiosity or submission, neither were sure.

Her voice dropped the incredulous tone and became that of a whisper along with infliction: “Ron, I can’t believe you’d believe I’d betray you like that—” and then she stopped herself: bad choice of words, regarding the letter in her pocket. “Ron—do you honestly believe I told Bonnie that? Really?” And this time she was asking Ron a serious question.

His eyes flickered and Ron realised how hastened he had reacted. “Nah. Sorry about that.”

“Why do you think I was so upset?” She continued, and then she invoked a laugh to lift Ron’s mood, “Why do you think I was about to tear Bonnie to shreds if you hadn’t had stepped in,” and then she grinned wider and closed her eyes, “My knight in shining armour?”

This time Ron laughed and that threat of an argument disappeared. “Yea, I was pretty manly back there, wasn’t I?”

“Oh yes,” Kim continued, “I’m sure all the girls were absolutely stunned by your manliness aurora alone. I know it was very difficult to keep myself from carrying on with you right there.”

Ron’s grin grew smug and he sat several inches taller. “You’re so darn lucky I didn’t turn it on full blast or WHAM all the girls woulda been on me in seconds!”

Kim could no longer keep a straight face and the laughter slipped free. “Everyone but Bonnie!”

“Ew, no way. My manliness shuns her. Besides she doesn’t have anyhing compared to my very own Kimbolina.”

Now Kim snorted in surprise and laughed some more. “Wow, you win for best compliment ever!”

“And I got tons more stacked where that came from if you care to find it,” he winked at her playfully.

Kim burst full force into laughter and was forced to hide her face in her arms upon the table as she continued to giggle. “That’s just so lame, Ron!” She brought up her head to breathe again and laid her head against her folded arms. “But so hot.”

Ron allowed a few laughs to himself before returning to the consumption of his naco.

They spent the rest of their meals with Kim in a giggle fit, her diaphragm in too much of an attack to digest any food what with all the faces Ron was giving her. And as Kim laughed and played their game of bantering one another, she was thankful for this moment in which they were allowed to be themselves: best friend and lovers. For there was a small foreboding feeling deep within Kim that told her what she had to do after this meal would drastically change Ron’s mood.

But before Kim could even bring it up, as Ron watched Kim eat silently (she had hardly been able to eat with all the laughing she had done and had to catch up) that Ron changed this light-hearted mood.

“How did Bonnie know about it anyway?”

Kim stopped in mid-chew, a piece of lettuce sticking out of her mouth. She blinked several times, staring at Ron studying her calmly with his arms folded and leaning back. He repeated himself.

Shoving in the lettuce and finishing chewing, Kim had only seconds to thick of what to say. It was after she laid what little of her fajita down and patted off her hands did she decide on the truth. After all, she’d have to bring it up soon regardless…

“Um,” she started, already a bad place to begin. “Well...” The ‘truth’ had this uncanny ability to become caught-up in her throat only allowing small words and syllables to be released from her mouth. It was quite awkward.

“I mean,” Ron went on, “You didn’t tell Bonnie—”

“I didn’t! Honest!”

“Soooo?”

Kim shrugged evasively, but again she repeated to herself there was no way to worm her way out of this one. She cast her head aside, allowing some of her low-hanging hair to hide some of her face.

“She saw an envelope I had.”

Ron double-blinked, truly confused. “Envelope? What envelope?”

Kim’s eyes turned downward, “An envelope I got in the mail.”

Ron’s eyebrows rose loftily. “Oh yea? Now what kinda envelope might that be, Kimbo? Do tell.”

“So I will,” she half snorted back. It was then that she swiftly pulled the envelope from her pocket and tossed it lightly onto the table, facing Ron.

Looking down, with Rufus running up onto his shoulder to peer along with Ron, they gazed quizzically at the envelope.

“What is it?” Ron asked.

Kim did not respond as she watched Ron pick it up gingerly to read the address. As he read the return address as Bonnie had done, Kim caught his lips moving as he murmured the name silently. Rufus shifted anxiously on Ron’s shoulder, glancing from Ron to the envelope. Could Rufus read? Kim wondered.

“Open it,” Kim prodded.

Ron’s eyes abruptly leapt to Kim then slowly resided back on the envelope. Rufus chattered something quietly into Ron’s ear, Ron nodded and he then flipped the envelope over and began to slowly tear it open… Kim sucked on her breath.

A pamphlet fell out.

“W-what is this?”

Just as cautiously as Ron had picked up the envelope, Ron lifted up the pamphlet and began to slowly open it up, unfolding and unfolding…

Within the pamphlet were photographs and paragraphs all about this Home for treating Ron’s illness. There were photos of the residence, of the discussion rooms, of past people being treated in the group therapy (and they were all girls!) and of the rooms they would live in. Ron squinted as he noticed how small the bedrooms were and Rufus pointed out with a squeal, the bars over the windows… just like a prison.

Briefly, Ron scanned all of the paragraphs, hardly reading anything and yet understanding fully what all of this meant.

“You’re sending me away,” Ron stated.

Instantly Kim was hurt. “No, Ron. That’s not why—”

“You are.” Ron furrowed his brow as he continued to gaze at the photos on the folded out pamphlet. The more he saw, the more words and sentences he picked up, the more anxious he became. “You’re sending me away!”

Kim closed her eyes and prayed silently. When she opened them, Ron was still not looking at her. They continued to be fixated on the photos and paragraphs explaining his new ‘home’.

“Ron, don’t you get?” Kim leaned forwards and pointed at one of the images of the inside lobby. “This is a good thing!”

This time Ron shot up at her and stared at her with the most bewildered expression ever, Rufus too.

“It is!” Kim insisted. Before Ron could explode with panic, Kim continued. “Look, we want to get married, right? But won’t it be great that when we do, we can leave all this bad stuff behind? That way we can just continue to go forwards with ourselves and never have to look back at stuff like this. We won’t have to deal with it anymore!”

“But…” Ron spluttered, his eyes constantly manoeuvring all across the pages. “I… I’m staying here?”

“Well… yea…”

“No! This is what you were talking about right, Kim?”

“What?”

Ron dropped the spread out pamphlet onto the table and looked at her with insistent and determined eyes.

“Long time ago when you first told me about this in my room when you found my tin,” (Kim flinched), “You said that they can put people into homes for stuff like this! This is what this is, isn’t it?”

Again Kim flinched, but this time out of sincere concern for her Ron. “Yes, Ron,” she murmured. “Because… we… we weren’t getting anywhere. I needed help.”

“You?!”

“Yes, me!” Kim shot back. “I love you, Ron—don’t look away from me when I say that! You know it’s true, don’t act like I don’t. But there isn’t anything I can do about this anymore. I… I tried.” She gave a small, course laugh. “ ‘I can do anything’. Remember how you said once? ‘Including fail’?”

Ron seemed to tune out on that. “You can’t do this to me, you don’t have any sorta rulement over me!”

“Yea!” Rufus shot in.

Kim looked down again, her voice spoke with a touch of irritation. “But your Mom does.”

Ron blinked stupidly.

“You talked to my Mom about this?”

“Yes. She already knew.”

“I know that,” Ron replied, a little too aggressively. “You don’t have no right to be talking about this to my Mom behind my back! That’s just, just… like, just wrong. Wrong and… Treason!”

“ ‘Treason’?!”

“Sure. Yea,” Ron shrugged. “Treason, that’s right. So she approved, you joking?”

“I talked with her.”

“What’d you say?”

“About how I was, uh, gee, ‘concerned’ for you?” Kim flopped back and glared at Ron. Honestly, she was more frustrated with herself than with Ron for not laying this confrontation out as smoothly as she could have.

“Look, I knew you weren’t going to be happy about this, Ron. But you could at least understand it.”

“That’s just it,” Ron replied, his tone monotonous. “I don’t understand how my best friend and fiancé could do something like this to me.” It was then that he calmly pushed himself from his seat and out the doors.

Panicking, Kim whirled around and watched Ron disappear through the two clear doors. Worried that he might again make an attempt to leave her behind, Kim snatched the envelope and pamphlet then fled after him. Pushing through the double doors, she caught up with him in the parking lot. A small wave of relief washed over her when she found him leaning against his bike with his brow furrowed. At least he wasn’t stranding her in his upset.

“Ron.” When Ron did not, respond, Kim shifted out her chin, firm to not let this argument get between them. “You know very well inside I’m doing this because I care. Don’t lie to yourself,” then she added more softly, “Because it hurts me too.”

Ron lifted his eyes to her. They were heavily lidded, his eyes mirroring the look of one being punched in both eyes. Kim’s shoulders slump and for the first time, she completely understood what he was so upset about. It had been something inside Kim’s mind as well as she had been working on this for Ron in the past week, but whenever it crept up, she’d shove it back down. There had been no reason to deal with it then, this was something that had to be done for their future.

But no matter what, in the end, they’d have to be separated.

“Yea, I understand that,” Ron spoke softly. Kim came to stand next to him on the bike, her head tilted to his shoulder. “I just can’t understand how you’d be okay with this.”

“I’m not…”

“We won’t be able to see each other anymore.”

“I know.”

Ron too turned his head into Kim and hid his face within her hair. He murmured, “Probably not for a real long time, you know.”

“I know.”

“Longer than before.”

Kim gave a small sniffle, but it might’ve been from the cold. Lifting her head, she tossed her hair off to one side and looked Ron back in the eyes.

“Probably,” she replied, “But… you know, they say that I can visit you, if you improve. We can look forwards to that.”

Ron gave a light ‘heh’. “Notice you said ‘if’ there, Kimbo.”

A small laugh from Kim however it was by no means a laugh of entertainment. “Yea, I noticed.” There was a passage of silence and then Kim could no longer contain herself: “Ron, I’m going to miss you so much!” and she flung her arms around his neck, bringing him lower to embrace.

Ron did not respond right away, but when Kim moved closer to hug him tighter, he gently placed his arms around her in return—resting them lightly around her waist.

“Maybe… maybe this wouldn’t be so hard on us if it hadn’t been for all that stuff from before,” he murmured. “I bet other people don’t get all upset like we do when we gotta go places all untogether.”

“When before?”

“Oh, like, y’know. All that stuff last year and the year before. All that tension living and obscure occurrences of this and that that kept testing our devotion.”

“Probably.”

And Kim knew inside that Ron was correct, even if he had a funny way of wording it. They had gone through a whole lot of strife to be able to have the strong, mature, developed and well balanced relationships that they now had, just the idea of being apart for each of them sent terrifying visions and emotions. It always brought back memories of the year before Kim’s birthday when they had spoken of their love for the other. Being apart was a horrifying experience now, a scar that could never leave either of them as the result of their battle to grow as individuals and accept a loving relationship with their best friend since forever.

“How can we do that, KP?” Ron asked finally. “I can’t… Like, I know it’s stupid but I can’t!”

Kim parted herself from Ron and returned to resting against the motorbike. “It will only be for so long, not forever. Maybe… maybe make like a date of when you think you can be all better. Focus on that.”

“I hate focusing.”

Kim placed a hand upon his shoulder, “True. But keep in mind Ron, please. Keep in mind that once this is over with, we’ll never have to part from one another ever again! Come on, Ron. Prove you can do this.”

“What?”

“I’d be so proud of you…”

A small smile made its way across Ron’s face. “Yea, I know you would.”

“And I can bring you Bueno Nacho when I can come and visit you!”

“I’d like that!”

Kim laughed, truly amused yet hiding some of her anxieties. Ron smiled back at her and touched her head with his.

“So it’s not like I got no choice in this, is it?”

Kim’s eyes flickered; it was answer enough for Ron. He again darted his eyes downward and he began to shake his head.

“Why are we doing this?” he seemed to ask himself and Kim rose her head to him in curiosity. “We don’t wanna be separated and we can control this so why are we doing this? It doesn’t make no sense to me…” he continued to mutter. “I can’t do that, you can’t do that, right? I can’t, I know I can’t…”

Again Kim could only cast her head away and close her eyes. Was this shame? She didn’t want this either and yet here she was forcing it not only upon Ron, but upon herself as well. She knew Ron would suffer and she would as well.

Remember how you suffered last time? A small whisper crept into Kim’s mind. I know, she told it, I didn’t think I’d find myself in those times again. But what other choice was there now? It wasn’t Ron’s fault he was in this mess, but Kim, as Ron’s friend, had to do something about it; it was time that Kim put an end to Ron’s sitch once and for all. Only why did the solution have to be such an agonising one? Surely this was the only way to cure Ron if she herself could not.

It seemed not even the great Kim Possible could be the one to help her best friend.

This is the only way I can help, as she had told herself repeatedly many times.

“Just think about after,” Kim whispered aloud. “That’s all we can do.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.”

“Months?”

“As long as it takes. In the end, it’s up to you, I guess.”

“Me?” Ron countered, slight hostility shining through once more, “Me? I’m not the one—”

“That wasn’t a shot, Ron,” Kim replied quietly, “It’s just a fact.”

Ron fell silent and neither looked at the other.

And then Kim discovered something amazing happening to her. No, it couldn’t be? Surely not a reaction like this! It wasn’t that bad, since when was she expecting this?! But there it was, it was happening: tears began to surface in the depths of her eyes effecting them to water. Then there was that sniffle again. It was the cold! She told herself. It was the cold…

How could she have done such a stupid thing? If only the two of them could run away to some unknown location, and hide from the world… together.

But that was silly.

For they only needed to hide from themselves.

At on that note Kim felt a seizing sensation in her chest abruptly take hold of her along with a new wave of anxiety. Sharply, she turned to look up at Ron next to her. He was looking down at the cement amongst his own brooding thoughts. Panic, inexplicably unexplainable, took hold of her and she took a small step towards him.

“Ro—”

Beep-beep beepbeep!!

As soon as Ron turned to Kim, the Kimmunicator beeped from within her pocket. He sighed as she pulled it out to respond.

“You gotta bring that thing with you everywhere?”

Kim did not react to the remark but instead flicked on her handheld device.

“What’s the sitch, Wade?”

“Hey, Kim!” Wade grinned back on the screen. “How’s life going?”

“Ha!” Kim couldn’t even take the laugh of irony. What a question to ask at such a time! “Please, Wade. Tell me you are not just contacting me for chit-chat.”

“Why is it assumed that’s all I contact you for?”

“Because that’s all you contact me for.”

“Well, you know. Gotta shake it up once in awhile, haven’t I? Ron all there?”

“Present,” Ron yawned, lifting a hand into the air as if in role-call.

Wade nodded back in greetings. “You might wanna go home and suit up, Kim. I do indeed have a mission for the both of you and guess who the target is?”

“Surprise me.”

“None other than Dr Drakken,” and Wade winked in a final flourish.

“Well, well!” Kim crowed and Ron even leaned his neck over to look at the screen in interest. For the first time since their emotional conversation, the two exchanged non-endearing looks. “Now that really is shaking it up! And when was the last time since we’ve run into our ‘old pal’?”

“Gee, I can’t even remember!” Ron answered, a grin on his face now. “The summer maybe? Of last year?! WOW! What has that man been up to? Did he take leave from the whole villainy thing or something?”

“I hope that this time gap is not a foreshadowing to lead up to a plot of epic movie proportion,” Kim winced, directing the question towards Wade.

“Review has come out that it is a made for TV-version,” he reported. Wade clacked away at the keyboard and scrolled down on something on his computer screen before returning to the webcam.

“He’s up to some activity in the Amazon. Looks, like…” Wade paused as he read something on the screen once more, a finger to his chin. He grimaced and added a frown.

“What is it, Wade?”

“Looks like he’s, well, gathering Corpse Flowers.”

“Whoah, wait, now back up there,” Ron held up his palms hastily. “Are you telling me we’re going to have to be kung-fu-ing zombie flowers?!” Then he added in an undertone to Wade as if he was trying to not let Kim hear although he certainly failed at that, “I think you of all people know I’m done with my share of flower-fighting for a life time. Cough, posies, cough.”

“What’s all this now?” Kim asked dryly.

Wade winced and grimaced, “Sorry, Ron. But I promise you these plants are not undead.” Then he turned to Kim and nodded, “They’re only called that because, well, they reek of corpse.”

Kim faltered, her nose wrinkling. “Are Ron and I going to need nose plugs on this mission, Wade?”

“You might wanna think about that, yea.”

“What in the world does Drakken want these smelly plants for, Wade?”

“It is rather redundant, isn’t it?” Ron put in.

Both laughed and Wade replied, “Not too sure, but I’m willing to bet you it’s a take-over the world scheme, smelly style.”

“I never thought I’d say this but I feel so sorry for Shego,” Kim commented.

“Don’t feel sorry for Shego,” Ron scowled, “Feel sorry for us!”

Rufus poked his head from around of Ron’s neck and nodded pitifully.

“So who’s our ride?” Kim asked conversationally, given Ron a brief smile while leaning back on his motorbike with one hand upon the seat.

“Um,” Wade fidgeted and furrowed his brow.

“Don’t know yet?” Kim asked, confusion creeping into her voice.

“N-no.” Wade sure did blink and twitch a lot—all while staring firmly to a screen off to the side. Ron couldn’t help but double-blink and feel something along the lines of ‘foreboding’ enter his mind.

A baffled smile was upon Kim’s face as she shrugged and exchanged a further glance with Ron. “What’s up? Who is it?”

Again, Wade gave an offhand shrug, twitched, blinked repeatedly, and began shuffing through papers as if it held the most urgent of matters.

However, although his response and been a fast, low, mutter: both Kim and Ron distinctly caught the person’s name.

The smile on Kim’s face was a frozen one.

Oh yes. Kim heard the name alright.

Ron didn’t dare to breathe lest Kim rain down a wrath and fury to match a higher power’s.

“Who did you say?” As her expression was frozen, her voice held a sickly sweet tone— one far too sweet to avoid suspicion what with the person in question.

Again, Wade shuffled between shrugging and twitching before they were ‘mysteriously’ and ‘unexpectedly’ cut off from Wade.

Ron did not move, but his eyes darted to Kim and he continued to hold onto that breath. Don’t move, that was his thought, don’t move or Kim might kill the first thing that does. The fact that that frozen smile had never left Kim’s face didn’t ease Ron in the least.

And that was when the shadow slipped overtop Kim and Ron. The large, and yes, Ron knew it this time, foreboding shadow crept sinisterly over the two of them standing in the Bueno Nacho parking lot. It was only when the shadow rested over Kim’s head for more than a minute, swallowing both Kim, Ron, the motorbike and the better area of the parking lot, did Ron spot that one twitch of the eye from Kim.

Yes.

Their ride had arrived.

-ø-

It was after they had stopped off at the Sorority and changed into their mission clothes and packed their mission bags that Kim sat with her arms crossed stubbornly in the front seat slouched horridly with her hair pushed up and her lips pursed into a near pout. Ron sat in a third seat next to Kim: sitting rather daintily at that. But not to be fooled for this daintiness held a hidden alert to tend to Kim’s mood—which, as Ron knew for a fact, was so precarious of unleashing her violent temper should the slightest thing provoke her.

After all, she was seated to one of her most least favourite people in the whole entire world. Yes, the whole entire world. And Kim and Ron had been all around the world. Countless times.

He sat with his back in a perfect ninety degree angle, arched to perfection with his hands firmly on the controls that flew the three of them through the skies. He had spoken barely a few words to Kim as he had greeted Kim upon his air craft. And the silence between the two stretched on since. Ron’s eyes shifted, keeping silent, as he studied the young man’s small, squinty eyes that did not flicker over to Kim, but were kept diligently straight on his path—not even glancing to any controls.

Ron may not be the smartest boy in the world, this was well known, but he had an eye for observation, and in observing Will Du, Ron picked up on the fact that Will was just as uncomfortable as Kim—but in a far more professional manner than she.

His black hair as per usual was slicked back. After all, he couldn’t let any strand, however small, risk obscuring his vision in the slightest. Will had once told this smugly to Kim when she had been pushing back her hair after a shared fight against some henchmen.

Will Du and Kim Possible had not crossed paths in many years, but it was positive that even to this day, neither would be willing to release the years of ‘friendly’ rivalry between the other.

Ron sighed, accent on the exasperation. No, they were far too prideful each for such a silly notion as that.

But, according to Wade, Global Justice’s (still) Number One Agent, Will Du, was their only ride at the time for the fastest flight to the Amazon. When the day came, Wade would not be eager to meet Kim Possible in person.

“We are one hour away from our destination,” Will spoke up breaking the silence. His eyes darted sternly around his control panel. “Scanning for possible areas of landing and the only place seems to be a small clearing an hour away from Drakken’s lair.”

“So two hours then,” Ron replied with confidence in his mathematical figuring.

“You don’t need to land the hoverjet,” Kim spoke for the first time other than the grunt of greeting she had first given Will. “Ron and I can use your parachutes over Drakken’s lair.”

Ron watched each one as they talked, his eyes now resting on Will’s demeanour. “My parachutes are for emergency use only.”

“And you don’t call saving the world an emergency?” Kim fired back. “Fat lot of good you are to the world.”

“Cliché retort. Not your best.”

“Durhur, lame fragmental responses as always; never your best.”

Will Du only blinked staring at the sky ahead.

Ron leaned back in his seat and let out another sigh. It was impossible for these two to get along. He brushed back his bangs, allowing them to bounce back into place. At least they were content being silent with the other. Heaven forbid them from being a chatty bunch! Ron hadn’t brought along his headset either. He looked over Will’s control panel and came to the conclusion he had no audio system.

He heard a small grunt from Kim once again so Ron turned his attentions to her once more; she looked purely stressed.

“Kim,” Ron leaned closer to her to whisper. “Just another hour, kay? It’s all good.”

“Not with him,” Kim jerked her head at Will. “This is degrading. I don’t need him to be my lift. What ever happened to Gustavo?”

Ron’s eyes saddened towards Kim’s aggressive attitude. “Kim, please, calm down…” But Kim was set in her stubborn attitude. “At least he ain’t comin’ with us…”

“Did you ever graduate High School?” Will suddenly spoke up, surprising Ron and agitating Kim.

“Huh?” Ron asked automatically.

“I just wonder by how you speak.” And as he said this to Ron, he gave a crude smirk at Kim.

This rude remark caused Ron to flinch and shrink back, while it only fuelled more fire to Kim’s already injured dignity.

“Hey!” she barked, “Ron can talk anyway he likes, Mister I-Speak-Sixty-Languages-And-Fifteen-Regional-Dialects. Who are you to criticise Ron?” she sneered. “Don’t you even dare. One more smart-ass remark from you buddy and we’re flinging ourselves from your hoverjet, taking your parachutes with us and we’ll walk the distance to Drakken’s Lair.”

If Will felt he had gone too far with his insults with his Loftier-Than-Thou attitude, he showed no sign. He only said, “Then I’ll reach Drakken’s Lair first.”

“This is our Mission! You’re not coming with us!”

“I am a member of Global Justice,” Will reminded them for the umpteenth time, “I’m the organisation’s Number One Agent. I can not let them down while I know there is a threat to this planet.”

“Uh, excuse me?”

This time, Will looked at her. “I cannot ignore this threat to the planet. I must do what I can to stop Drakken as well.” Then he added will staring into Kim’s wildfire eyes, “After all, we can’t solely rely on amateurs.”

Kim let out a ferocious growl and slammed herself back into her seat now steaming with her inner rage. Oh! If only murder were a legal act! Ron was now flustered out of his mind and fluttered to her side in his best attempt to console and calm this tempest that was Kim.

He was rather leaning to the positive fact that Kim had not retorted to that for it surely would have given way to another round of arguments between Kim and her rival. For the rest of the hour that Will flew the hoverjet to the clearing, the atmosphere remained silent.

Ron would have liked to continue doing all he could to soothe Kim, like perhaps whispering to her and maybe even stroking her hair… but she was seated too far from him for that. That, and now he himself was too nervous to make any movement to draw attention to himself after Will’s crude remark of the way Ron spoke.

So Ron leaned with his head facing Kim in the plush seat of the hoverjet and rested into a doze. He only awoke from his revere when he felt a sudden change—the jet was lowering in the sky and Ron realised after looking out the window that they had reached the alleged clearing.

Without even waiting for the hoverjet to land, Kim marched out of the seat, slinging her pack on. Anxiously, Ron followed her, picking up his own. Crossing her arms and refusing to look in Will’s direction, Kim tapped her foot as she waited for the vessel to land. Now that the two were giving a brief amount of privacy, Ron shuffled closer to Kim and leaned down to speak by her ear.

“KP, I know you ain—you’re not happy about this but don’t get angry… okay? Kim? Drakken’s our enemy right now.”

Ron was a little worried Kim would ignore him and refuse to respond but after an unnerving silence Kim shrugged—an indication that she gave in to Ron.

“I know,” she said.

“It’ll only make things worse if you fight with that guy. Only give him his point that we’re not as pro as he, right?”

“True.”

“So we’re together on this, right?”

“Right,” Kim smiled faintly and Ron gave her a quick nuzzle on her cheek to spread that smile before Will approached them.

“Do you have everything?” he asked stonily.

“Yes,” Kim replied shortly. “You’re going to wait here then?” she asked.

Will’s nose twitched. “I’m coming with you.”

Kim’s eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth for who-knows what words to fly out but then Ron rested a hand on her shoulder and she fell back. Ah, Ron. Always there to control that temper of hers—they were a perfect balance for the other.

So Kim’s eyes stayed narrowed and she suppressed that burning, flaring urge to snap at Will and tell him off. There wasn’t any way she wanted to partner with Will Du on a Mission ever again. But then there was Ron on her side…

It took everything within Kim to muster up the grumbled word of: “Fine.”

Will squinted his eyes at her. “I don’t need your approval.” Then he walked stoically down the open plank and into the jungle outside.

“Ron.” Kim spoke, not budging from her spot. “Hand me Rufus.”

“W-why..?” Ron stuttered, actually leaning away from Kim.

“I need something to chuck at Will’s big, fat head.”

Rufus basking on Ron’s head instantly shot up and let out a frightening squeal before rushing inside Ron’s pant pocket. The one furthest away from Kim.

Her arms swinging at her sides, Kim strode down the plank as well to join Will outside. Sighing, Ron knew that would not be the last time for Kim to ask that question.

The moment Ron stepped out of the hoverjet, he was forced to shield his eyes from the glare of the sunshine. Already he felt pressed down by the humidity and heat. Wincing, he squinted his eyes and looked to the Amazonian sun. It was wild and fierce as it bore down in its full, raw intensity down at Ron below. It burned everything it touched and it indeed touched everything.

The clearing where Will had landed the hoverjet was barely a clearing at all and Ron was taken aback by how the hoverjet had actually been able to fit in this small pocket of the Amazon. All around them were towering mansions of trees; Ron already knew they stretched on forever from when he had been looking out the window on the ride over here. For if you were to only scan distance down below, you could only see past the first few rows of trees with beyond that a mist of green and blue and trees so close to one another perhaps they were all connected to each other below the ground.

After Will Du closed up the jet and locked the doors, he led the way through the largest gap of trees and disappeared nearly instantly. Ron was cautious to follow after Kim, but was desperate not to allow too much distance between them—it would be rather easy to lose oneself down here. Anxiously, Ron would reach out for Kim ahead of him, wishing he could hold onto her backpack to guide him. Maybe if he wasn’t in the presence of Will Du.

Ron no longer had to squint as they stepped a few feet into the Amazon. The sunlight’s unforgiving grasp did not reach far inside this hidden land. It was amazing how even though the sun’s strong rays were cut off down below on the forest floor, vegetation was flourishing as much as it was. In fact, it was crazy growth, Ron thought. There were lush ferns everywhere Ron stepped and above were low hanging vines that caused Ron to shiver convulsively if one brushed his bare arm.

The sunlight may not have been as bright as it had been in the clearing, but it certainly did not slack on the heat inside the trees. Already, Ron was fanning himself and wondering if he ought to ask Kim for a water break. But at the same time, Ron did not want Kim to appear like an ‘amateur’ unable to withstand the heat, so he vowed to gulp down water only when Will did.

He didn’t until an hour later when Kim finally spoke out.

“Are you even leading us in the right direction?” she asked, swinging her hip to one side and resting a gloved hand upon the bare skin. Ron huddled next to her. “I assumed since you took charge right into this place that you knew where you were going but shouldn’t we be at Drakken’s Lair by now?”

Will glanced down at his handheld device then at Kim. “No. Is this your way of asking for a break?”

Kim let out a haughty snort. “Uh, no. You said back there it’d be an hour hike!” And she flopped her arm in the supposed direction they had came. Grievously, Kim pushed back her deflated hair and swept the sweat from her forehead. She said in an undertone to Ron, “You can take a drink now. Hand me my bottle too, please.” Ron eagerly followed Kim’s orders.

Will opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked down at his device, directly ahead and said, “No. I said it would be over a day.”

“What?!”

“What!”

“Over a day?” Kim repeated, absolutely mind-blown. She held the water-bottle Ron had just handed her from her pack. “Are you joking?”

“No.” Will looked at Kim, his tiny, black, stony eyes blinking.

“You lied,” Kim hissed.

“Kim…” Ron hastened to murmur a reminder.

“You lied to us! You deliberately lied to us, didn’t you?”

“I did not lie.”

“You did! Just so you could come with us.”

“I did not lie,” he retorted harshly. “I do not lower myself to such an act.”

“Oh yea right! Then why did—”

“Kim,” Ron whispered in her ear, sidling closer to her. “Maybe he just made a mistake.”

Kim eyes widened. “You made a mistake. That’s it, you made a mistake.”

Instantly Will’s eyes narrowed. “I made a momentary lapse in judgement.”

“A really big,” and Kim actually used air quotes, “ ‘momentary lapse in judgement’! This means we’re going to have to camp out here.”

“C-camp?!” Of course that was Ron.

“Yes.”

“And you brought tent gear?” Kim countered back in a snarl at Will.

“I-I didn’t…” Ron muttered.

“I did,” Will responded.

“This is just too lame,” Kim flopped her arms at her side. “You could have at least been man enough to admit to us you made a mistake instead of leading us on like this. You not only lied to us but now you’re putting the world in danger!”

Kim’s voice lost its incredibility and became serious, even dire, “Will, who knows what Drakken could do in a day’s time? Just because you want some glory on this mission shouldn’t be the point. The point should be the quickest and most effective way at stopping his plan and if that meant letting Ron and myself parachute down and stop him by ourselves then that’s what should’ve been done.” A pause. “Don’t you get that?”

“Drakken has sent up his lair for weeks now, if not months. It will take many more to gather all he needs for his plan; there is no danger to the world.”

Kim’s jaw slid open and she exchanged a glance with Ron. “You just don’t wanna soak up anything I said, do you?” she asked openly.

“I do,” Will gritted his teeth and for the first time was actually showing some emotion; disparity. “Kimberly, do you think I would not factor that in? I have looked at all angles—this is what I’m trained to do! As I said, Drakken will not have his plan ready for many months and we can spare a day. There is no danger to our planet at this moment!”

Kim shook her head softly. “ ‘Spare a day’ so you can be involved in this. It could have cut that day.”

“Won’t it take a day to come back then as well?” Ron asked quietly.

But Kim held up a hand to silence Ron. “Later,” she murmured to him.

She returned to Will, “What you only factored in was yourself, that, apparently, was your most important fact. I thought as a ‘professional’, you would have to put the world ahead of yourself.” Then she exchanged another look with Ron, “At least that’s something we have always understood.” Then in a lower voice to Ron she said, “Let’s go.”

So Ron traipsed over and through the undergrowth after Kim and past Will Du who was left to stand and think on what Kim had just spoken. As Ron had passed Will, Ron kept his eyes to the ground, not wishing to make any eye contact with him at all.

Will was not left behind long for soon Ron heard his feet crunching through the ferns and assorted vegetation. Kim now had her Kimmunicator out and was following a map probably sent by Wade.

At least all was silent between the two friendly rivals again. This seemed to be the best Ron could ever hope for from the two. It had almost been that perhaps they could have found some sort of common ground. But to Ron, Kim had showed herself the better person out of the two and Will had been wounded by his own pride.

They continued to walk on and slowly, like being in a movie theatre Ron compared, the daylight down in this wild world, began to dim. As the hours passed, the light slowly receded up the way it came through the leaves and branches of the canopy above. Surely within the hour, if not the half-hour, they would be surrounded in darkness. It would be then that Ron knew they would definitely be surrounded in even a more wild and twisted world; he shuddered.

“We’ll stop here for the night,” Will stated curtly from behind.

Kim halted and quietly turned to face Will. He lifted his head to the sky, although there was no sky to be seen.

“Finally,” Ron heaved a sigh, dropping onto his rear and exhaling deeply.

Will sharply turned to Kim, “You have a tent?”

“No duh,” Kim snorted lightly in an undertone while stripping off her pack. Ron noticed she had her eyes on Will from the corner.

“Well you better set it up quickly.” He too was taking off his pack and was rummaging around with such a professional swiftness he didn’t even appear to be in a hurry.

“And why’s that?” Kim asked. Did she almost sound exasperated with Will by now? She knelt down next to Ron. He was squeezing his sneakers in an attempt to relieve his aching feet.

“Because it’s going to rain.”

“Oh, yea right!” Kim let out a course laugh. “And how can you tell? You can’t even see the sky—”

“Kim,” Ron called to her gently. “Kim…”

“Not now, Ron. Look, just because you’re all ‘Oo, I come from GJ and I claim to have aaaall this training—”

“Kim.”

“Ron, hush. Doesn’t mean you’re some big shot who has special weather sensing abilities. I mean, who was wrong about the time it would take to reach Drakken’s Lair? So therefore—”

She stopped in mid sentence. Ron cast his head away from Kim, refusing to look at her. He felt embarrassment for her sake. He knew what she had felt. It had been a raindrop and it smacked Kim squarely on the nose to silence her. Soon, more came pattering down in an alaruming rate.

Kim snapped out of her trance and gave a slow, sharp intake of breath while lifting her head to the sky. More… more… and more rain came showering down onto Kim that began plastering her hair to her head. She had the feeling that more rain was yet to come.

“As I said.” Will stood in front of his already set tent. Kim stood in the now near pouring rain stupidly. “You might want to hurry,” he gave Kim one of the most obnoxious smirks she had ever witnessed on a person before disappearing into his tent.

“ERGH,” Kim growled fiercely, causing Ron to flinch on the ground next to her. Kim stared with hatred upon the spot where Will had only been momentarily. She hated that pompous, arrogant, snide-spoken—

“Kim,” Ron’s voice broke through her boiling thoughts. He was already becoming soaked. “I think we should set up the tent…”

“Yea, okay, fine, Ron,” she grunted under her breath, sending one last look of daggers in the way of Will’s tent. Oh, just wait until it’s time to face the villains and then we’ll see who’ll be shooting down who!

As she focused on these thoughts with extreme determination, she began to pull the rolled up plastic cover of the tent and the polls that went along with it. She handed some to Ron still sitting on the ground with his legs outstretched in front of him.

“Set that up,” she told him harshly, “And don’t sit on the ground. You’ll get your pants all muddy.” Immediately she returned to properly unfolding the plastic.

Without a word, Ron stumbled to his feet and began to unfold the tent polls. He had thought about asking Kim why Wade hadn’t had given them some sort of automatic tent but knew that now was not the time to ask such a question. Kim was in one of her moods once again and asking her would only irritate her.

So they worked separately on the tent although their silence was in unison. At least, for the time being.

-ø-

“Hurry and finish setting it up!” Kim’s giggled voice came from inside the collapsing tent.

Kim now was in a far more fetching mood than previous when Will had left her with that smug smile in her memory while she worked on a cumbersome tent in the thudding rain. He had probably sat up and basked in Kim’s… ‘amateur-isim’, Kim had snarled this to herself while she had been in the rain. But that had been quite some time ago by now and Kim was barely thinking of Will Du at all.

As hard to believe as it was and although night had fallen upon Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable within this Brazillian rainforest and despite the thunderous down pour as well, they still had not quite finished setting up the tent.

It had been Ron, (how Kim loved him!), who had cheered her up as they had worked separately together, yet diligently. Probably not intentionally, but he had all the same, by just being who he was, strived to help Kim finish setting up the tent and lift her mood. Ron, no matter how fierce Kim was feeling, was always there to soothe her.

“Well, I’m trying to!” Came Ron’s voice, muffed by the pounding rain, “But it’s kinda hard to see through all this downpour!” Kim giggled again in Ron’s misfortune.

Not too long ago, they had a quick round of rock, paper, scissors; Ron who lost to Kim was forced to finish setting up the tent in the rain, as was their stakes. “I can’t see the hole in the bar…” Ron called out. “It’s raining so hard I can barely keep my eyes open! And… and rain keeps splattering on my glasses!”

Kim had had barely enough time to toss her and Ron’s sleeping bags into the deformed, unfinished tent, along with herself and Rufus before the rain could get the best of her—for now the rain outside was able to rival that of a cascading waterfall! Smoothing out her sleeping bag of wrinkles and laying it straight, she sat on her legs looking to the silhouette of the skinny boy outside trying desperately to finish hooking up the last pole of the tent together.

Leaning forward, Kim poked at Ron’s silhouette through the tent and watched his head shift, so she assumed he saw her poking. “Ron, you’re such a fr00b. Pitching a tent is no big. You’re making too much of it.”

She heard a grunt course from Ron and a mumbled response something along the lines of: “Not making too much… can’t see a ruddy thing… couldn’t do any better than me…” Then, “Kim, I am so seriously getting wet here.”

The retort seemed to have written itself, “If you stay out there too long, I won’t let you come in and you’ll have to sleep under the tree like a dog!”

Kim smiled and laid out Ron’s sleeping bag beside hers despite her threat. She then lifted up the little pouch attached to her belt and raised the flap. The small naked mole-rat which was Ron’s beloved pet poked his head out and snickered along with Kim.

To Rufus, Kim said, “There you go…” as she laid the pouch beside Ron’s pillow and propped the pouch up against it so it almost seemed to form its own kind of mini sleeping bag.

Rufus sighed happily and slipped back under the pouch flap and restfully drifted to sleep.

With another smile to herself, Kim brought out her Kimmunicator and clicked it on. “Hey Wade!” She called cheerfully.

Flickering on the little screen was Wade, in his comfy pyjamas, his eyes drooped only slightly. Kim often wondered if the ten-year old super genius ever slept.

“Didn’t think I’d be seeing such a large smile on your face!” he sounded very relieved. “Gosh, Kim, I thought you’d be trying to locate my address and hunt me down!”

Kim laughed good-naturedly, “You just wait until we meet in person.”

“Only in the afterlife,” Wade muttered. “But I really am sorry about the camp out,” Wade said to her with a vague motion of his hand.

“No big, Wade,” Kim replied. “Ron and I are making do just fine; I can only be glad that it’s not a school night. At least I brought some of my textbooks with me.”

Wade laughed, “Oh c’mon, school work is not the only thing on your mind right now.”

Kim struggled so hard to hide her embarrassed smile. “W-what do you mean by that, Wade?”

“Kim…” Wade’s tone altered and he leaned forwards in his seat. “You were having that talk with Ron when I beeped you, weren’t you?”

“What talk…”

“About his new ‘home’,” Wade lifted his eyebrows knowingly.

Kim sighed, she wasn’t exactly sure how Wade found out, perhaps he had tapped into Bueno Nacho security cameras. That had come in handy a few times, but now Kim wasn’t too happy for Wade’s mad hacking skills.

“We were. He knows we’re going after this mission to visit the place. Book us the appointment?”

“Will d—”

There were no words to describe the glare upon Kim’s face.

“Er, ah, I mean…” Wade shifted himself nervously and laughed as well. “I’ll get on that!

Kim smiled smugly “You better. By the by, we’ll contact you when we’re up in the morning. And thanks again for those heavy-duty anti-rain tents, Wade. Ron is having himself a hoot outside setting up the tent.”

Wade grimaced and cracked a grin, “Lost another round of rock, paper, scissors?”

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand, “Doesn’t he always?”

“I don’t get it! It’s a game of chance! No one should possibly lose as many times as he does! It’s just not probable.” Wade shook his head.

“Yea,” Kim agreed, “You’d think a game involving no strategy would be a game Ron could actually win at.”

“I heard that, KP!” Ron’s voice caterwauled from outside.

Kim winced and continued to Wade in a quieter voice, “But then, it is a game of luck. Something Ron has little of…”

As if on cue, a pole in one of the corners gave way and the tent sagged again. The water that was gathering up on the roof of the tent came pouring down… all on Ron.

“Aww, c’mon!!” Came Ron’s cry of defeat. Ron had just proven to himself he had neither Dumb Luck nor Dumb Skills.

“Could you possibly keep it down out there?!” Will’s voice came from the other direction from inside his own tent.

To Will, Kim pulled her nose up and stuck out her tongue. But then she instantly bit the bottom of her lip as she watched the Ron-silhouette become cascaded in rain water. “Better go, Wade. See you in the morning!”

Wade chuckled, “Not too early. Believe it or not but I do sleep. Sometimes.”

Kim returned with a chuckle of her own then signed out, clicking the Kimmunicator off.

Pausing for a moment, it suddenly felt oddly quiet and lonesome in the tent. Kim softened her expression, holding the Kimmunicator lightly upon her lap. She dropped her head in blank thought, then lifted it to Ron outside and blinked slowly.

Kim turned her head again to look at Ron’s silhouette still struggling to pitch the tent and cursing fervently under his breath. It was him that she’d finally be with for the rest of her life and hopefully the rest of their lives would be for a very long time. Yet there was only this one last thing that Kim would allow to be held between her and Ron.

When Ron would return from the rehab, everything would be perfect and the two could finally be together with no more drama. This was the last residue of those once obscure times. Kim was absolutely exhilarated for such a day to arrive when she would no longer have to look behind herself and only look forward bonded with Ron. But as she knew this, she knew that in the time before they reached that happy point, there would be difficulty.

Kim would be alone. She had gone through that before, being parted from Ron and it had been one of the most scarring times in her entire life. Ron was right, how could she possibly in her own sane mind allow something like this to happen? Ron had right to think her insane!

How could she survive without him walking next to her on the pathway from the University buildings to the Football Stadium where her cheer practice was held? How could she go on missions without him to be her sidekick? And how in the world could she possibly go to bed at night without him sleeping next to her?

How could she lock him away?

For our future, she told herself firmly. The more Ron improves, the more I can visit. The sooner he heals, the sooner we can be together forever.

But to endure such a time!

Stop! Her mind screamed and she forcefully shut her eyes and swung her head away dynamically, her auburn hair swinging with the sudden movement.

Then with one quick moment of weakness, she carelessly let a tear shed from her eyes and stroll tranquilly down her cheek. The rain outside stopped sounding riotous and vengeful, as if it sensed her change in mood, sympathised with her to become a source of soothing and tender sounds. Shivering from the chill of the cold, she just caught the single tear when another cold breeze chilled her further

Looking up for the sudden source of the zephyr, she saw Ron himself come in from the rain and close the flap behind him. A quick double blink deceived her of her shock; she hadn’t even heard him finish pitching the tent. Blushing from her lack of attentive skills, she gazed up at him and put on a mask.

The mask grinned coyly looking him up and down, “I see you took your time.” It responded for her.

This was greeted with a snort but then a quirky returned smile. “Ah, well, you know me. Slow and steady wins the race.”

“How about just slow?”

Ron cocked an eyebrow and responded sarcastically, “Oh haha. I think someone deserves a thanks for pitching that tent.” And then he shivered truthfully, “I really am wet. I can’t sleep in this.”

“No, you can’t.” Kim agreed, “It’d get all mouldy over-night.”

She received another sarcastic glare, “I was talking about the fact that it’d drench me to the bone. You mind?” He added, his hands at his black turtleneck bottom.

“Not at all,” Kim replied indifferently while Ron stripped to his boxers and undershirt, hanging them on the bars overhead the tent made for such a purpose. He plucked off his glasses and cleaned off the raindrops with his undershirt before reapplying them to his face.

Realising she still held the Kimmunicator, Kim placed it by her pillow and tugged off her gloves then her belt. “Hang this up, ok?” She said and flung it at Ron who was hanging up his soaking sweater.

He let out a wail at the sudden belt-fling and recoiled quickly. “Sure thing, Captain Dictatorial.” But he smiled wistfully as she said this.

She knew he was used to being ordered around by now and he didn’t take it that way at all, but just as a part of her personality; just as she knew Ron’s limits and not to be too domineering. After all, although it had been over a year, none of them had forgotten Ron’s Coma slash The Hand Holding escapade.

Nor the little bracelet I still wear to remind me. Kim too felt that around her wrist as well as his engagement ring to her. Both were indications of his love for her.

“Yo, you listening to me, KP?”

Kim lifted her head and mentally banished her thoughts away. “What was that?” She asked vapidly.

Ron laughed, and too fast for her to react, she was suddenly sprayed with water.

“Hey!” Kim cried out and shielded herself too late only to look about for the sudden water source. To that, she found Ron standing in front of her with his dripping-wet pants in his hands, grinning from to ear to ear.

“You so did not water-whip me!” Kim cried out incredulously while flinging the water off her arms with vengeance.

“I just believe I did,” Ron retorted smugly, still holding his pants precariously.

She let out an exaggerated groan and pointed at him theatrically, “Ron, you are so going to pay for that!”

“And how would that be? I’m already drenched to the bone, I doubt you have much to threaten me with.” He gave her a mocking smile, enjoying the fact that he actually pulled one over Kim for a change.

He was right, her mind admitted unwillingly, and just as she was about to call defeat with a glare and a grudge, a threat came to mind and she turned her head to Ron, grinning deviously.

Ron eyed her suspiciously, a devious Kim was not a good thing as Ron had learned the hard way many times in his life.

“What..?” He asked her tentatively.

“Not if I berate your sleeping bag with water!”

Ron’s jaw instantly hit the floor, “You wouldn’t!!”

But with a shout of laughter, Kim launched herself forward in a flash, intent on grasping his wet pants.

“Kim!!”

Bounding forward, Kim reached out but Ron reacted instinctively by recoiling and letting out a cry of fright. Grasping the pants Kim proceeded to pull herself away, but, Ron too, had a firm grip and in result, they tumbled to Kim’s backward onto the sleeping bags, the pants lashing out water-droplets as they went down with laughter and wails.

Tossing and turning, the two each fought with equal vigour; Kim eager to return the ‘favour’ and Ron intent on having aqueous-less dreams. Soon, the pants were cast aside and the two friends were romping with each other, now both laughing in delight of just fooling-around.

“Ha!” Kim shouted in exultation for she had just pinned Ron down, not for the first time ever. “I win!” A complacent smile crept about her face.

Ron smirked back, not to be out-down, he replied, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. For I know The Great Kim Possible’s one and only weakness!”

Kim snorted and tossed her head in scorn, “So not!”

“So, so!” And on that remark, Ron ruefully reached out and tickled Kim on her left side, just above her hip.

Swiftly, Kim reacted uncontrollably, flinching back and laughing outright. Between breaths, she managed to work out the words, “No… fair..!”

As soon as Kim showed weakness and recoiled herself away from Ron, he seized upon the advantage. He pushed himself forward and forced Kim down as she continued to laugh from the sudden tickle-attack.

Before she knew it, they were in reverse and Ron had pinned Kim down. Letting the laughter subdue, she opened her eyes wider and gazed up at Ron, still intoxicated with the giggles. But they soon cleared away, and she blinked up at Ron, suddenly realising her situation.

Ron’s face depicted victory, but when Kim cleared her expression and blinked at him, as if in realisation, he stopped smiling and blinked as well. The two stayed where they were looking at each other in equal mild shock.

Reacting first, Ron pulled himself off hastily and onto his sleeping bag, a slight tinge in his pale freckled cheeks and a look of disconcertment upon his face.

Without sound, Kim lifted herself up also with a baffled look on her face. What was he so blushy for? It’s not like they hadn’t done something similar before. But then… maybe it would be one of the last times they had a night like this what with Ron’s pending voyage.

The rain outside pattered onto the tent above her head rhythmically, it made her feel drowsy. Gently, she laid herself back down onto her sleeping bag to turn on her side and look at Ron. Kim lay on her back to watch the rain hit the tent above and collect into puddles above their heads.

Other then the lashing rain outside, and the breathing of the two friends (Rufus included), not much sounded about them. The sudden torrential rain had probably sent most of the jungle creatures into dry recluse in hidden hallows and caves. Normally jungle sounds would resonate around them in the calm night air; noises such as crickets composing their sonnets, a leopard purring after a midnight meal, an exotic bird singing its song to the moon or (to Ron’s horror) some sort of simian having late-night chats with friends.

In some way, she was glad for the rain, it kept the monkeys at bay and their sounds to nil, otherwise, Ron may keep her up all night with cries and whispers like that of one in a slasher film.

Without thinking, Kim turned her head to look at Ron. Like her, his head was to the tent above. She could only wonder what her friend was thinking. It was odd to see him like this, so quiet. Ron was usually a chatter-box and it’d take a muzzle of titanium alloy to keep that mouth closed. His soft brown eyes were usually alight with optimism (when they weren’t shimmering with fear of some mad-scientist). He was normally so talkative which would turn into so many other topics that she sometimes wondered if he had Attention Deficit Disorder. Not that Ron was stupid, but to see him lost in thought was something of an irregularity.

Kim decided to break the silence with a new topic.

“Ron,” She began. She decided to speak slowly, to see if Ron actually felt like talking about anything. Sometimes, silence was a good thing.

But he responded in his normal voice with a “Ya-huh, Kim?” Then a turn of his face to his friend.

“Nothing.”

Ron purred in amusement, “Nothing my mole-rat’s rear-end! C’mon, KP, what’s up? Something you wanna say about Will Du?”

Kim grunted.

“Oh I have tons to say on him, but no. I was just… just thinking. But I don’t want to talk about it now.” Ron gazed at her silently, she could tell from his eyes he knew what she was talking about. “It’s just… I like being like this with you Ron. And I guess… I guess I’m just realising how much I’ll miss it.”

“How much it’ll hurt.”

“That too.”

“KP, look…” Ron turned on his side to properly face Kim. “I’m not happy about this one bit. I’m not happy you went behind my back, I’m not happy you talked to my Mom; I’m not happy you’re forcing me to do this. None of that is cool at all, I hope you understand that.”

Kim’s eyes began shimmer and she gave a small gasp of fright.

“But what I’m not happy about this most is being forced to be away from you. That’s what totally blows about this whole sitch.” Kim let out another gasp as Ron reached out for her and lightly skimmed her cheek; she dipped her head down slightly. “That’s gonna hurt the most.”

“But Ron, if you do what they say and improve yourself quickly, we won’t have to—”

“Kim,” his voice altered to a tone she rarely heard from him. It was so serious, so… “I know it’s hard for you to understand but it just isn’t that easy or I’d’ve stopped the moment you got all upset when you confronted me.”

A flash of guilt hit Kim and she felt she could no longer look at Ron.

“But, yea, I admit. It’s a pain, I don’t wanna do it no more. And we’re almost there, right?”

Kim looked to him endearingly.

He gave a grin, “Almost reached the end of all this, right? My turn now.”

“Ron!” It was awkward in her separate sleeping bag, but Kim managed to lean forward and wrap her arms around Ron’s neck once more. He laughed at her struggle to hug him. “I just don’t want you to go in there resenting me.”

“Oh, no… I’ll be too busy kicking ‘n screaming as they drag me and lock me in to even be thinking about that.”

Kim laughed in relief, Ron joining her. Just to hear him laugh with her once more after this confrontation comforted Kim.

However the comfort veil was suddenly lifted when she felt the cold air chill her. Instinctively she looked to the tent flap, only to remember that Ron had closed it. As it progressed later into the night with the rain still thrashing down from the heavens, it would prove colder. Something one doesn’t really think of right away when they think of the Brazilian rainforest, but cold it was nonetheless.

It wasn’t just her, Ron shivered too.

Poor Ron! Kim thought compassionately, He’s already cold and wet from standing out there so long, now he’s in nothing but his underclothes, still damp as a rag! If he doesn’t warm up, he may catch cold.

Kim formulated a plan—pulling herself out of her sleeping bag, she unzipped the zipper all the way then proceeded to do the same with Ron’s.

Letting out a quavering wail, her friend cried, “Kim! What are you doing? I’m cold enough as it is!” And he grabbed his own shoulders intent to hinder his own shivers, his teeth beginning to chatter.

“I have an idea.” Kim briefed ineffectually.

“And would Kim care to elaborate?” Ron asked dryly.

“You’ll see,” She replied straightforward.

Ron did. Rather reluctantly, he hauled himself out of his sleeping bag and onto the bitter tent floor. He watched curiously as Kim zipped the sleeping bags up again, but this time to each other. So the two sleeping bags formed one large one.

“I learned this in science class once. If you’re with someone who has hypothermia, you do this to share body heat and keep them warm. You see? Our body heat will create warmth and we won’t be so cold any more. You can put Rufus’ pouch inside too.” And with a flourish, she stood up while waving her hand at what she had just invented.

“Way to go, KP!” Ron exclaimed jubilantly. “Now let me in I’m cold,” He whined and swiftly slipped into the roomy sleeping bag. Scooping up the pouch Rufus was sleeping in, he placed it in the corner of the bag and propped it against the pillow tenderly.

Kim laughed joyously and was about to quickly slide herself in as well. A bare midriff and cold did not mix.

“Much better!” Ron smiled and faced himself inwardly to Kim. “Eww…” he wrinkled his nose and pulled away from her. “You’re still wet, I’m not going near you.”

“Ah?” Kim asked look down at her damp mission shirt. “Ron, it’s not as wet as you were, it’ll dry.”

“Nu-uh, not if we’re sharing conjoined sleeping bags.”

Kim’s eyes narrowed but her mouth kept a form of dry amusement. “Ron, are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?”

“Hey, I’m not asking, did you hear any question marks?” He added loftily, “I am implying.”

“H’mm,” Kim’s eyebrows now rose as well and she regarded Ron carefully. “Fine. But don’t get your hopes up.”

“Do I ever,” Ron laughed.

“All the time,” Kim shot back as she began to pull her clothing off as well only remaining in her undergarments along with Ron. “Well, it’s not like we haven’t been like this before,” she rolled her eyes.

She looked at Ron again and saw a look of intense amusement upon his face and Kim couldn’t help but laugh and snuggle closer to her friend to make him warmer, greeted with his laughter. Suddenly, she felt Ron’s body heat rather relaxing and, quite impetuously, she let herself nestle closer to him. Even his scent enraptured her mind and his breathing a source of soothing sounds along with the pitter-pattering of the rain above.

Letting all these things entrance her senses, she felt her conscious self begin to dilatorily slip from reality. She was beginning to lose thought of what she was doing and suddenly everything became impulse. Placidly, she raised her hand and placed it atop Ron’s rising chest. Ron reacted to the touch.

She didn’t see the movement, rather, but felt it. The delicate and slight touch made Kim shiver more than the brisk cold had that day. Not only that, but she felt a sudden rush of adrenalin course through her body and a giddy euphoria leapt inside of her. Ron had cautiously placed a hand onto Kim’s waist and as he rested it there, it still felt as if he was indecisive of his movement. So to assure him, she moved even closer to him, her hand still resting on his chest. This decided the matter for Ron and he let his hand drop and rest with repose on her side.

Together the two took rest from the events of the day. For Kim, the anxiety of confronting Ron, the near act of murdering Bonnie, the hike through the jungle and having to deal with Will Du along with the prospect of dealing with him again to-morrow. For Ron it was the shock of Kim’s surprise, being the usually ignored mediator of Kim and Will and the suicidal journey through the jungle along with the fact of having to repeat it all over again.

Although Kim and Ron were both exhausted and fatigued from their more than eventful day, neither were exactly sleepy. Ron expressed this when he began to wiggly in and pull over the sleeping bag so their entire heads were covered, Kim felt Ron move close and touch her nose with his.

It was completely dark underneath the covers, her eyes had not adjusted, so she gave a small gasp of shock when she suddenly felt Ron’s arms slip around her waist and hug her tightly. She couldn’t help but giggle again. Nestling her face into his chest, Kim took in a deep breath of Ron’s wonderful scent. She was still cold, being in her skivvies, but she still felt so splendidly comfortable with Ron regardless. In fact, she felt rather thrilled and daring, the way they laid together now, so close and intimate underneath the covers in the middle of the Amazon in their undergarments. They were both cold from being out in the pouring rain and they snuggled close trying to steal each other’s warmth that barely either of them even had. To build up warmth, they couldn’t help from wiggle about and it only made them giggle to themselves further. But they were so happy to be together like this. This was one of those times that made missions more than worth while, being out here with Ron in jungle, alone.

When Kim was substantially warmer, she nestled her cheek against Ron’s chest and felt his breath blow across her hair. “Mm, this is great,” she murmured.

“Ha,” Ron replied in a crowing whisper. “And poor Will’s in the next tent all alone!”

“Oh,” Kim retorted smoothly, a playful smile on her face, not that Ron could see. “Would you like me to invite him over for a threesome?” She rubbed him underneath his chin with a finger.

“OH EW!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! He’ll hear us!” she laughed some more pressing her head against him as she struggled to tame her laughter while wiggling her legs.

Ron purred heavily, moving even closer to Kim. “Hear what?”

“Us laughing, duh,” she laughed again. She wasn’t sure why, but she was having a serious case of the giggles.

“Mm?” Ron asked, moving further yet, “Are you sure?”

“Sure of what?” Kim struggled to stifle more giggles and to back her head away from Ron as he moved even closer, only finding out there was no more space left for her head to go.

“Maybe you don’t want him hearing something else.” He purred again and Kim felt the distinct lick of his tongue upon her cheek as he fought for her attention and nuzzled her again.

“Ron…” Kim opened an eye, after scrunching them from previously recoiling from him playfully. “What are you doing?” But she already knew the answers.

His mood was a little similar to another Kim recognised from last Spring, but this wasn’t the same and she knew it. Ron was not enhanced by the Mystical Monkey Powered Harp; now that Kim knew Ron was a little more… loving, in the Spring, she actually picked up on his affectionate moods more. That and he was now allowed to present himself to her unlike in the past where they had been unknown to one another’s feelings.

Although she noticed a difference, he was no-where near like last Spring. The only difference from any normal month to Spring was he was in the way that he was more affectionate; he preferred to cuddle next to her more and lightly harass her like he was doing so now for her attention. He never, ever forced himself on her or went too far in any way. The very first time he showed this side to her at the beginning of Spring, it frightened Kim because of the memories of last time (or lack there of!), but she soon found herself smiling and squealing inside at how wonderfully loving he was towards her.

“Kim,” he said, unable to stop his purring and gave her cheek another soft lick. “Don’t go to sleep yet.”

She yawned, “Why not, I’m so tired, Ron…” But she reached out and wrapped her arms around Ron’s neck regardless.

When she did so, Ron smiled and slipped his own arms around her waist.

“We were walking all day through this stupid jungle and I had to endure talking (and listening to, augh) Will Du, that smarty-arrogant-know-all and even carry you from time to time. I’m tired,” she stated again, “And we have a busy day to-morrow. Why not sleep?”

“Cos,” he said simply. He swooned forwards and kissed Kim on the lips so softly and so sweetly, they were the kind Kim loved best.

“Ah, Ron,” she sighed nuzzling her face next to his. “I love you, but I’m so tired…”

“But Kim,” he appealed, nuzzling her in return strongly. “We don’t have sleep-over missions often. We’re all alone out here in the jungle—”

“Unfortunately, Will is a somebody.”

“But it’s just you ‘n me in this tent,” He hid his head in her neck. “You ‘n me under the covers. Don’t you hear the rain, Kimbo? So soothing, yea?” He nuzzled her again, this time close to her ear and she could hear a slight moan escape his lips. “So…”

“So perfect in putting one to sleep…” Kim finished with a yawn. It was a poor move on her point for as soon as she opened her mouth, Ron accepted and slipped his tongue in. The instant he did, Kim felt her chest rise but she soon discovered herself unable to stop herself from returning the kiss. When Ron pulled out, he gave her lips a tiny lick with his tongue.

“Not for sleeping,” he whispered and Kim’s ears opened more to the sound of the rain pitter-pattering. It was quite loud, not that she thought on it and she felt sorry for any animal caught in its beatings.

“For…” Ron positioned himself more on top of Kim, pinning her into the corner of the sleeping bag. He licked her lightly again, barely a touch. “We should be like now, how we shoulda been in Austria.”

“Australia.”

“Yea, we should, you know. That was a missed opportunity.” She felt Ron press his body close onto hers and she blushed as he kissed her check. “It was such a cool place.”

“It was…” And Kim truly believed it to be so. Kim recalled her desire to have stayed in that small bungalow in Australia for a far longer time than she and Ron had spent in it. It was in the middle of nowhere, and it had all the comforts of a hideaway. With Ron, it would be the perfect place to stay, to live… to…

“Too bad you were all low on drugs,” Kim said. “You were insanely drugged back then.”

“Not now. That place may’ve been neat, but this place has got its opportunities.”

“Ron, it’s a tent.”

In response, Ron kissed Kim on the lips, the first was long and passionate— then he added more shorter once, although they did not skive on the passion. Kim gasped underneath and Ron kissed her again, then pulled away. She knew he was looking her in the eyes.

“So whaddya say?” he prompted. “Made my case for ya?”

Kim reached out and brushed her hand by the side of Ron’s face. The moment that she touched him, Ron leaned into the touch and basked in it. Just as Kim was to place her hand down, Ron gave it a parting kiss then surprised Kim by lightly kissing her neck.

“Ron,” she gasping, fidgeting underneath. “You’re in such a mood.”

“Aren’t you? Or are you still tired?”

“I—”

But she was unable to finish her sentence for Ron was no longer patient with her. His arms snaked tightly around her bare waist and he tugged her, pressing his body very closely to hers. Rolling on top of her into the corner, Ron groaned as he again pushed his tongue into her mouth and this time it was his turn to be surprised when Kim wrapped her legs around him and pushed her tongue into his mouth— and to be even more surprised, when it was she who turned the tables, rolling onto him.

Tightly, she clasped his undershirt and Ron’s arms around her moved higher, able to press her upper half against him and feel more of her that he had never been able to before. If only his undershirt wasn’t on! But he dare not take it off and shy Kim away, breaking the mood he had finally and successfully swerved her into. He would not be greedy with her. At least he was able to glimpse a swift, brief view as he ducked his head to kiss on her neck.

Ron gasped as Kim now clasped his shirt with both her hands and pull from him roughly, breaking his contact with her neck. Was she angry and wanting him to stop? Not yet, he wanted to appeal, please, not yet…

But no, such a thought was far from her mind, Ron was thankful for. For Kim swooned onto him once again, delving into his mouth and pulling herself higher on top of him. Ron fidgeted in his surprise, annoying Kim as he did so. In an attempt to stop him, she pressed her lower self against him, legs on either side of him. Ron gasped in his shock, pulling himself up as if to sit up, but Kim pushed him back down and the kiss she next gave him was more soothing and reassuring; a kiss to express her love.

Ron kissed her as well on the lips and he reached now for her hands, clasping them in his. When they pulled away, she gasped with pleasure and he nuzzled his cheek against hers. Placing his mouth by her ear, he began to whisper sweet words to her, words that were so private and loving, they were only uttered for the two of them to hear. Kim blushed as he spoke such adoring nothings to her and pressed herself closer to him once more in an urgency to hear and feel more. Such an intense burning surged through her chest and it gave her the notion that she fervered to weep with happiness, but no tears came however strongly this feeling swelled inside her ribcage.

Leaning forwards, she returned such words to Ron, hurriedly and wiggling her legs in an unaccounted for anticipation. Ron laughed melodically to Kim’s ear and she felt his hair sweep by her forehead. Kim blushed, looking at him and waiting for some sort of approval for the words she had whispered to him. He responded and caressed her face then kissed her upon the lips once more.

Kim lifted her head to kiss him and again found herself clasping his undershirt. Tightening her hold on Ron’s body with her legs, they kissed one another on the mouth with a returning passion. Ron’s arms again found their way around her lower back, rubbing her there and eager for her touch.

Once again they threw themselves around the other, giving into urges that they had not satisfied in a long, long, overdue time. They gave into one another for quite awhile, making sure that they not only kept quiet, but took advantage of their shared, intimate moment should they not share it again until a time neither of them knew, save just in case. They touched, loved, took and gave as much as they dared, the only boundary to keep their undergarments on and avoid certain places. Otherwise they were limitless and continued for as long as they could, only, but slowly, coming to halt when they were both ready.

Ron was kissing Kim urgently on the lips repetitively while stroking her hair when he felt this moment come. Kim was already quietening and he felt his own self begin to feel the wear of the day and their loving romp within the sleeping bag. Slowing, Ron gave her smaller kisses while nuzzling her in between until he stopped his kisses altogether and only nuzzled.

He wasn’t sure if he, or Kim, fell asleep for a brief time. But for awhile, they only laid together in silence, the only sound, their breathing. One of Ron’s arms was underneath Kim, the other cast across his own stomach. Kim’s body was tilted towards Ron and Ron again turned to face her, giving her a soft kiss on her cheek.

“I love you,” he murmured.

Kim’s eyes double-blinked and she appeared as if she had snapped out of a revere. Perhaps Kim’s thoughts were the same as Ron’s often were when they laid together in such a loving way, of thoughts of all that had happened to them the previous year and even before that: the turmoil and emotions, the pain and the hidden feelings. Shifting, she looked at him straight in the eyes. Ron was neither afraid nor offended.

“I love you too,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper. “I want to be with you forever.”

Purring with contentment, Ron laid himself next to her, snuggling close and tucking his head under hers. Daringly, he reached out and gave her bare shoulder a tiny lick.

“So you think we woke him?” Ron asked.

A small series of laughs issued from Kim. “I bet he could sleep through a hurricane.”

“Through the end of the world!” Ron whickered too. “Too bad because then we could spite him and make him jealous.”

“Oh, ew, gross me out, why don’t you?” Kim scoffed.

Ron continued to whicker naughtily while Kim smiled, waiting for his response. She was barely able to see Ron’s form underneath, but she saw and felt him lean into her and the next thing she knew, he gave her a long and gentle kiss.

Kim was blushing when they parted, she loved how he could still make her blush like that.

“I can’t wait for us to get married,” she whispered laying her head into his chest.

She felt his hand reach up and brush her hair. “I was nervous when I thought I had to propose to you, but you were right. Nothing’s going to change, it’s just going to be official. That’ll be so awesome… Can you imagine? No-one’s going to get in our way now.” Briefly, his mind flickered to Josh, of Kim sitting next to him devotedly and only glancing at Ron with hatred. Nevermore.

“Just me and you.”

“Like it always was,” he leaned forwards and Kim fell back into the sleeping bag as he kissed her again and she returned it.

They kissed a few more times before Ron rolled on top of her, pinning her to the corner of the sleeping bag and bringing the rest closer to tightly wrap themselves up. Snuggling her lovingly and brimming her with warmth.

Gasping, Kim buried her head into Ron’s chest and soaked in his scent. A flurry of memories surfaced, like the night she had spent in Ron’s sheets after she had discovered the hospital was going to pull the plug while he had been in the coma. She had snuck into his house, his bedroom and wrapped herself up in his sheets and suffocated herself into his pillows, allowing them to collect her tears as if it had been Ron himself. She had felt such a pulsating desire to constantly be with Ron, such a burn to be with him even though there hadn’t been any way he could’ve been back then.

But now she did have Ron, here, before her and she didn’t not have to substitute Ron with his blankets. Kim threw her arms around Ron and felt him nuzzle her hair and place a small kiss upon her cheek. Vulnerability was something Kim never allowed to be shown to the world, for she as Kim Possible after all, and vulnerable she was not.

And yet here, with Ron, she felt that vulnerability, as she could only ever feel with Ron, or allow herself to succumb to the notion that—yes—even Kim Possible needed to look up at someone, not down, and yearn for that look of acceptance and devotion in the person’s eyes. Of course, it went without saying that person could only ever be Ron.

Ron Stoppable whom she loved to tears.

What would she ever do without him? Surely one could not exist without the other, as it had once been said in a long ago time, many stories ago.

It was this that Kim felt now, as they clung to one another in the darkness and the merged sleeping bag. There was no threat outside that endeavoured to split the two apart, and yet they clung to each other as if that foreboding looming threat was hiding just outside their tent flap.

Yes, Kim told herself, I can only ever love Ron. It’s so obvious now, even when I look back on our childhood and everything we’ve ever said or been to each other. Back when I didn’t even know it! It was there, I just didn’t know the word. I love him…

So she told him physically by rubbing her cheek fiercely against his chest and gave a small sniffle.

From there, a sense of satisfaction rose within Kim and she felt her chest swell with that very emotion. Snuggling her arms tighter around Ron’s neck, she nestled closer, ready to fall asleep like this with her best friend and lover: such a combination of the two that there was no word to describe what they were to one another. It was a cheesy word to Kim, and she hated it, but perhaps this was really want the word ‘soul-bonded’ meant. To be so attached to someone… so attached… so attached that… Her soul could not possibly exist without his nearby. Surely this was what it meant. The fact that anyone and any other time could have possibly felt such a connection to someone else was almost insulting to Kim. No, no one had this level of attachment to another.

Kim felt her neck release its tension and the soft, lame pillow beneath her head welcome her grace, ensuring it would keep her safe as she slept— and Ron, guarding her on top was probably asleep already. Yes, this was how it was meant to be. Just the two of them. Whenever, wherever.

“I’m gonna ask you a question, KP.”

Okay, so maybe Ron wasn’t asleep just yet.

“Oh?” Kim asked, covering a yawn, although inside she had suddenly become alert. She could tell just by Ron announcing he was going to ask her something told her whatever Ron was about to ask, was not a time for Kim to doze off. “What?”

She felt Ron stir in the darkness and she blinked twice, waiting for a response. Why was he holding back? Kim frowned, was it going to be that serious? She wished she could read his expression.

“Ron?”

“Yea.” More silence. “Kim?”

“What?”

Another pause and Kim sighed. “Ron, you can just spit it out. You don’t need to hold back. Ask me anything, I don’t care.”

“Are you attracted to me?”

Kim’s instant response was a splutter of near laughter. “No duh, Ron,” Kim smirked in the darkness and reached out to play with his soft, blonde hair but just as her fingertips lay touch, he pulled away, confusing her. “Ron?”

“I know we, like, kiss ‘n stuff, but that’s not what I mean this time.”

“Then what do you mean?” And this was an honest question from Kim.

It was then that she felt Ron’s body lean closer in on her and she flustered slightly to move herself in a more comfortable position. He was back to lying on top of her, yet he propped his upper self on his hands and she conceived the notion that he was looking down at her. She tried to meet his eyes in the dark, somewhere, looming over her.

“What?” she repeated.

“I mean are you attracted to me more than that?”

“More than what?”

“More than what we already do, that’s what.”

“Meaning?”

“The kissing stuff. Like just now.”

It was Kim’s turn to accept the silence. Now she was thankful Ron could not see her clearly in the dark, her eyes were darting nervously for she now understood what exactly Ron was asking. It wasn’t a favoured topic of hers.

“So what do you wanna know about it?”

She heard agitation enter Ron’s voice— agitation that, in Kim’s opinion, crept in too quickly. “If you’re attracted to me more than that.”

“Oh.”

“Well are you?” She was shocked by his persistent blutness.

“Ron, you know I love you. I don’t exactly like it when you ask me these questions. It kinda sounds like you’re pressuring me into something I don’t want to do yet. What’s your ish, huh? You’re beginning to sound like one of those guys that just want me for—”

She stopped speaking when she heard Ron click his tongue impatiently.

“KP, I know you don’t want to right now and how many times do I gotta say I’m down with that? Hey, Kim, gimme some credit, right? My question is why you don’t wanna, that’s all. It’s just bugging me in my mind that maybe it’s me or… or, or maybe something I did and not you and… and, like, well, so I gotta approach you so you can tell me, right?” She gave no response. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Ah, yes, this new urgency of Ron’s into ‘talking’ and ‘making things clear’. A fear left in him from the days of old.

“Yea, it is, Ron.”

“So? What is it? What’s upsetting you about it?”

She jolted slightly underneath Ron and she scrunched up her eyes when she realised Ron must have felt it too.

“So there is somethin’ upsetting you.”

He probably felt her tense beneath him as well.

“So it’s something specific. It’s not just a matter of wanting to wait, hah?”

“Ron…”

Ron lowered himself in the darkness, laying on top of Kim and nuzzling her cheek against his. He folded his arms across her collar bone and laid his head there.

“Maybe you ‘n I oughta talk about it?”

Kim gave a groan. No, she didn’t want to talk about it. Why couldn’t Ron just be his clueless self right now and not pick on her slightest movements? And now she was caught and would have to tell him something, and should it be a lie that she told, which it would have to be, she would have to concoct it in mere seconds for Ron was waiting.

And still was.

“Collecting your thoughts?” he asked, his voice gentle. How alight his mind was to-night! “You know we’ve got some of those Rules about being almost-married, right? And onna them is having no secrets. Telling me is like telling yourself.”

And then Kim understood.

‘Telling me is like telling yourself’.

A small tear surfaced in the corner of Kim’s eye and the moment it did the understanding of: ‘I can’t even accept it myself, not even now’. Oh, Ron! Why did he have to bring this up? If it weren’t for him, these thoughts and emotions could still be buried and forgotten within a deserted, desolate hallway of her own inside Kim’s mind. But now that door was open, even just a crack!, and as Kim narrowed her eyes in frustration, wiping the tear away, she knew she would have to shut that door again… this time bolting it shut forever.

Ron’s voice hithered Kim from her thoughts that desired to wrap around her mind and pull her from reality:

“Did someone hurt you?”

That tear, blast it, was resurfacing again. A small voice within Kim’s mind, hiding behind some corner whispered an urgent reply:

Yes, someone did hurt me. Long ago…

She was going to respond in the negative when Ron posed her another question:

“Was it that poacher?”

Kim coughed down a laugh that had jumped out of nowhere. What a notion!

“No,” she reassured Ron. The idea of such a question when her thoughts were, at present time, so personal and so intimate, ruined her entire ambiance.

“No, thought not,” Ron replied with no sign of humour. “This started before that, long before.”

The amusement within Kim instantly deflated. Ron was nearing the answer, too near, far too near for not just Ron’s own good, but for Kim as well.

No! she thought fiercely. This is never, EVER to be brought up ever again! I’m not even going to give it a moment’s thought anymore! My life is perfect right now. I have Ron, and I have the world. I have the two things in which I covet the most. We are starting a new chapter in our lives; after all, we will be married once Ron has finished the final chapter of healing himself. And when we start that new chapter, everything of our previous troubles, everything will be left behind. We will be developed and sure of ourselves, already having learned from our past drama—there will be no need to recall it anymore. We will go anywhere and everywhere around the world, just the two of us and what we experience it all in the present time. There will be no past dwellings and we will be bonded forever, nothing shaking us apart. Nothing can tear us apart. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing in the future, nothing in the present and certainly nothing from the past.

It never existed.

And so she spoke to Ron:

“No-one has ever hurt me, Ron. I find it way past absurd that you should even think such a thing. Ron, you are clueless at times, but you always dwell on the worst. Nothing like that has ever happened to me and if something should attempt to do so I would kick it where it hurts most and spit on it when it falls to the ground. Like, c’mon, Ron. You’re just too obsessed and yea, okay, so you wanna ask me why and I can tell you why, I just don’t want to. I guess I’m just not ready in my mind, mmkay? That’s all.”

A brief pause.

“No need to write me an essay, KP,” he said. “I only asked cos I don’t want any stuff between us. Best to let it out and talk, it’s what we learned.”

He reached out and gently rattled the silver charm around Kim’s wrist—the bracelet he had given her two years ago for Christmas. A faint smiled crossed Kim’s face.

“Just wanna make sure you don’t have any, like, strife against me. So you’re really all okay? Just wanting til you’re all ready inside your mind?”

“Yea.”

“Sure thing,” Ron purred.

Kim didn’t think he would eat up her response so easily, but he did and soon she felt his arms slinking around her waist like he had earlier. Flushing as he tangled his legs with hers, he rolled onto his side, tugging her body tightly to his and kissed her.

Blushing, Kim wrapped her arms around Ron’s neck and allowed him to kiss hers. She gasped softly as she often did when he kissed her in such a manner and soon fell into his touch, rubbing her check longingly against his.

Ron laughed softly, pulling his face away to face hers and rub his nose affectionately against hers. This induced laughter from Kim and she waited for him to reach for the sleeping bag cover, pull it over their heads, and with the sounds of the pattering rain on the tent overhead, wrap himself around her once more for the night.