Birth, and Rebirth 05: Scarlet Innocence
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Corporation. All other characters are the creation of the author and may not be used without his permission.
This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work…at this time.
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Zaratan's challenge: Something Different, Something New – Contest - This is your chance to write something completely different.
And, now, for something completely different, Zaratan.
This is not a part of the (shameless plugs) Blue Eyes, Shining or the Partners, Again stories of the JadeKimVerse, the Define, Hell universe of stories, or a reading from the California King Bedtime Stories; it has began as another part of the new 'lovin' story, but a metamorphosis occurred, into the missing link that I had been searching for in the JadeKimVerse: the binder between the end of the Blue Eyes, Shining series and the beginning of the Partners, Again series.
I've named it Birth, and Rebirth.
A/N Forward:
Kim made the decision for Ron.
Josh heard the news, and now Ron has come to him for a favor, for Kim.
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Birth, and Rebirth 05: Scarlet Innocence
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Chapter 1: the news
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…Dead, at 26!
Click.
Former Teen Hero dies, saving United Nations from missile attack!
Click.
Husband, rest of Team Possible injured but in serious condition!
Click.
Middleton and world mourns!
Click.
Josh Mankey picked up his coffee mug and threw both it and the remote into the television, smashing the mug into shards but, miraculously, breaking neither the remote nor the screen as the television station continued to re-broadcast the final moments of the one woman he'd loved desperately who had not loved him in return.
'And, I still do love her, it seems, more than a little bit,' Josh thought bitterly.
"Josh?" The voice came from the bedroom, and padding of bare feet came into the living room.
"Josh," Liz came up behind him and put her arms around his neck, nibbling on his right ear.
"Darling, you've got to get some sleep: you've got a big day tomorrow."
"Liz," he looked up, "Kim's dead."
"Wha-whe-how?" Liz Mankey was a member of the Middleton High School 'cheer-sister-hood' along with Kim: she'd been the 'other redhead,' a fact that she'd held in high esteem.
"After all, if I'm the 'other woman' to Kim Possible, that's not such a bad deal, is it?" she'd told a news reporter when Kim had announced her engagement to Ron Stoppable, and she'd laughed at him as he looked perplexed.
"She saved the UN General Assembly from a missile launched into it by flying into the missile's path with her Team Possible jet; apparently, she pushed Ron off the plane after Jim, Tim, Joss, and Monique had already jumped to take out the remaining ground targets that had been identified earlier; she wasn't able to get off in time, and the plane exploded…" Josh couldn't continue, and he burst into tears, holding his wife as they both cried for their now-dead friend.
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'It should have been me, dead, not her.
'KP, it should have been me,' Ron Stoppable thought once again as he walked out of the hospital into the hoard of reporters and camera crews.
"Mr. Stoppable!
"Mr. Stoppable!
"Mr. Stoppable!
"Is it true that Kim-" Ron held up his hand, and the venue became deathly silent.
"Gentlemen, I'll make one statement, and then I'm going to go home and explain to our children that Mommy won't be coming home, ever, so bear with me, please," and the cameras all caught Ron's flinch as he spoke, seemingly realizing for the first time that his lovely wife wouldn't be back. Monique put her hand on his back, and Joss took his other arm, supporting him.
"We made a choice," Ron began, and the cameras and recorders captured his emotions as he spoke.
"The missile was closing, she was the better pilot, I had the better dumb skills," Ron laughed, "the United Nations was more important than both of us together, and one of us had to be here, for our children, so we kissed, and she tripped me and pushed me out the door while I tried to do the same to her.
"She tripped me and, as I fell, yelled 'I love you, Ron.' I watched her turn and head for the cockpit, then saw the plane turn and watched her fly the plane directly into the missile, less than three miles from the UN General Assembly Building.
"She's gone, and I couldn't be any more proud of her," and he grabbed a tighter hold onto his cane. Monique and Joss helped him, and they, along with Jim and Tim, ran interference to the limousine that would take them to the airport and home.
Ron stopped at the limo door and turned, facing the cameras.
"I'm going home now to get ready to bury my wife's things, since we have no body," and several reporters gasped, and one even let out a solo sob. "Please," Ron asked, "give us a few moments of privacy, and you'll all get your future coverage through the Team Possible feeds. Contact Marcella Goodchild, our information officer, for any additional information that you need. You all have her contact information, and it's on the website; good day to you all." Ron stepped into the limo along with everyone else, the door closed, and it sped away, escorted by UN, GJ, and US Air Force vehicles.
"She's gone, Monique," Ron looked at his wife's best friend, barely holding herself together, and they fell into each other's arms, sobbing. Ron's cane had begun to glow faintly when the car door closed and, just as quickly, the glow dissipated after he spoke.
Tim and Jim looked at each other.
"Hicka-" Jim started, and Tim held up his hand as if to stop him.
"No more, Jim," Tim said through tears. "It's never gonna be the same anymore; not with Big Sis gone."
With that one statement, the Tweeb-speak that had grown with them died, just as their sister had: quickly, and painlessly.
Beep-beep-be-deep!
Joss lifted her PosComm and punched the button.
"Hello, Aggie," and Joss looked at her 22-year-old fiancée, the current Global Justice Director of Intelligence, but today he was a broken man.
"Sweet Tea, I hate to bother Ron, but Kim left something for him if anything ever happened to her: he needs to watch it, now," and Wade started the playback as Joss handed Ron the PosComm handheld.
"Hello, my dearest, darling husband." Kim's face appeared in the PosComm viewer as Ron made a strangled sound.
"If you're watching this, then I've gone and done something extremely stupid, and I'm not coming back," she smiled.
"I want you to know that I love you, even as you are suffering now. You probably tried to stop me," Ron grinned, "and I pushed you somewhere so you couldn't.
"You need to go on, Ron, for our children, not me," and Ron's tears that he'd successfully kept in check, came out with a vengeance.
"I love you, Ronald Dean Stoppable, and I'll be waiting for you to join me in about 90 years, ok?
"And, don't you dare and try to rush things and join me early, either!" she wagged a finger at him with a big smile.
"I have one favor to ask, though, my husband:
"Please, let him sing at my funeral; I know he loved me, and I didn't love him in return, but I don't think he ever completely got over me.
"Give him this time, his one last chance to say good-bye to me, Ronnie," she smiled.
"Please: for me," and gave Ron the Puppy-Dog-Pout.
"Gaaaaack!
"All right, Kimila, one last Pout," Ron replied with a smile.
"Know, Ronald Dean, that my love for your will forever burn; even after the stars all wax cold, I will still love you, with all of my heart.
"You can save this, but you don't have to: there's a copy if it in the safe at home, along with a more private message for you and one for each of our children.
"Now, go, my darling.
"I'll be watching over you, so don't go gorging on Nacos while I'm not there!" She blew him a kiss, and then had one more thought. "And, hug our children, with this," and she held her arms out wide and brought them in, in a mock hug, "from me, to them," and Kim had one tear on her right cheek.
The PosComm went black.
"She can't be serious," Monique said between sniffles.
"She was a Possible, Mon, remember? Anything's 'Possible,'" Ron smiled, and he dialed the number from his own memory on the PosComm to call...
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"All-Arts, Mankey and Associates, Liz Mankey speaking"
"Liz?" The voice sounded surprised.
"Yes; who's speaking?" the voice sounded familiar, she thought.
"The 'Mad Dog' is 'in the hoouuuse,'" the howl gave him away.
"RONALD!" she screamed, and Josh came running out of his office as Liz slammed the speaker 'On' button.
"You're on speaker, Ron, and Josh just came in.
"We're so sorry, Ron," Liz added. "How are the kids holding up?"
"Talked to them on the phone: they're still confused, they're only 3, so they don't understand much more than 'Mommy's not coming home again,'" Ron smiled through the phone.
"Ron, this is Josh. How are you holding up?"
"So far, I'm a mess, but I expect it to get much, much worse as we get closer and closer to the memorial service.
"That's actually why I'm calling, Josh: she wants you to sing her song at the memorial," and Josh grabbed the edge of the table with both hands.
"Josh?
"Hello, Josh?
"I'm still here, Ron: I'm just more than a little bit surprised, that's all.
"What do you want, Ron?"
"Josh, I know you, and you know me. We got over being mad at each other years ago, and we both know how you felt about Kim.
"This is her request; heck, Josh, this is my request: for my wife, sir: 'please, and thank you,'" and Josh laughed at the use of Kim's phrase.
"I need to talk to an expert: someone who's done this before, Ron, but my answer is a very respectful 'Yes.'
"You won't be disappointed."
"I never expected to, Josh. Thanks," and the line went dead.
"Liz, you know who I was talking about, don't you?" Josh asked, and Liz grinned as she pulled up the master phone list that Josh had accumulated over the years on her handheld, then handed him the unit.
The name was there; Josh grinned, leaned over and kissed her, and dialed the international number over the phone.
The line was especially clean, and it rang twice before answered.
"Rose Line, Josh," the English voice said with a chuckle. "I've been expecting your call," he added. "How are you holding up, Josh?"
"You know me too well, Sir John," Josh grinned.
"Do you have me on that infernal speakerphone you Yanks love?"
"Yes, I do, but it's so I could introduce you to my wife, Elizabeth," and Liz blushed.
"Elizabeth: a good and proper name, for a change," he chuckled. "My dear, your husband never told me he'd finally trapped a young lady: I'll have condolences roses sent immediately."
"Thanks load, 'L,'" Josh laughed, and he picked up one of the portable handsets on the unit and headed into his office, talking about his dilemma with the one man he knew would understand what he was about to do, mainly because he'd done it before.
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Joss screamed and sat straight up in bed.
Wade came running in, faster than people imagined he could have ever moved; those people had never considered how fast a person moves when a loved on is in danger.
"What is it, Joss?"
"I saw Kim!" and she started to cry.
Wade sat on the edge of the bed and held her as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"She was in the cockpit, and I could see the missile coming directly at her, and she grabbed at a lever underneath her, and then the world exploded!"
"Hush, hush," Wade tried to comfort her, but nothing he knew of could work: Joss had worshipped her cousin, and her death had hurt her terribly.
It was bad enough that Jim and Tim had dropped their Twin-speak language, but Anne Possible had gone into shock when she saw the newscast and fainted, falling and hitting her head. She'd awakened in the ER, convinced that what she'd seen was a dream. It took her husband, James, and her ER Doctor, Elizabeth Christie, to convince her that she, unfortunately, wasn't dreaming.
She had required an injection to sleep that night, and she had spent the night in the hospital with James sitting and holding her hand, while he silently wept for his 'Kimmie-cub.' She'd awakened the next morning, looked at the disheveled James, sitting and sleeping, and decided that she needed to come out of her funk: she could mourn later, because her family needed her. From that morning on, Anne was a rock.
"Joss, I know you're hurting, but Kim wouldn't want you to wallow," Wade started, but Joss looked up at him.
"My cousin's gone, Wade," she announced, and Wade stood up-
"I know, Joss, I know," he stroked her hair gently, holding her head next to his heart, as her sobs diminished in volume to a quiet gurgles.
She looked up at Wade with wet eyes.
"What about you, Wade?"
"What do you mean, Sweet Tea?"
"I haven't seen you cry for Kim," and Wade flinched visibly.
"Don't you care she's gone?"
"HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL, JOSS?" Wade screamed, and his volume frightened Joss.
"I LOVED KIM," he stopped, sucked back a rising sob, and continued, quieter, "I loved Kim, like she was my sister, Joss, and now…now, my 'big sister' is gone, another 'big sister' is gone, and I couldn't prevent it from happening, either," he stood, visibly shaking.
"Oh, Wade, I'm so sorry," she reached up and pulled him back down, and the 'Q' of Team Possible collapsed and sobbed for his first, but not his last, time.
"Forgive me, Wade?" and he nodded as he cried.
Joss held him for a bit, but finally she joined him in his tears.
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Ron opened the door into their daughter's bedroom. Donna Stoppable was three years old ("I'm almost this many," she would announce as she held up four fingers), but she was already reading second-grade books and critiquing the evening news; the last one had Ron rolling some nights.
"Hi, Donna," she looked up and ran to her daddy, jumping up into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Daddy, are you OK?" She asked as she took his face in her tiny hands.
"Why, Donna?"
"I was worried about you because Mommy's not coming back," she explained, and he stared at her.
"Who told you?"
"I heard talk, Daddy: besides, it was on Internet radio: I couldn't get the pictures, but I know, and went with Nana when she told my brother."
"We all three cried together, and I helped Nana put Don to bed: he was sleepy after he cried, but I wanted to stay up and make sure you were ok, Daddy.
"So, Daddy, are you OK?"
Ron nodded.
"That's good, Daddy: Mommy wouldn't want you to be sad," she continued, and then tiny tears appeared on her face.
"I miss Mommy already, Daddy," Donna whispered, and she wrapped her arms around Ron's neck as she cried.
"I know she stopped the bad men, Daddy, but it's not fair that they get to live and Mommy has to go and be with Father God.
"Daddy," she looked up at Ron, still with tears on her tiny face, "do you think Father God looks like Granddaddy James?" she asked, and Ron smiled.
"For Mommy, I'm sure he does, Donna," and she smiled.
"Good; that way Mommy won't be scared when she meets Him."
She quietly cried for a few minutes, and then she looked up at Ron:
"Daddy, when can we see Mommy?"
Ron's heart broke when he explained that there was no more 'Mommy' to see.
"That's just not right, Daddy: the bad people's kids get to see them.
"Why can't we see Mommy? She was a good guy."
'How do you tell an almost-four-year-old that her mother is part of the wind, now?' Ron thought as he cried with his daughter as they held each other.
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Josh sat in his home studio, old-style tape machines running and playing soft guitar riffs in the background.
Josh had talked to the master of tribute songs, and he'd decided to start with a song he'd begun for Kim and played for her on a date. He'd never finished it, but he'd kept the pencil-scribbled paper with the lyrics and music on them.
He had named the song "Scarlet Innocence," because he'd always seen Kim as the innocent one in the midst of all the evil in the world. He had his first two lyrics: what he'd written for her, originally, but he needed more.
He thought of their last meeting at MoonNickel's, when she'd broken up with him and told him that she wasn't sure what she wanted, but that she was certain that it wasn't Josh Mankey.
"Kim," he had said to her as his insides ripped, "you know who you want, but you just won't admit it to yourself."
"Oh, really, Mr. Mankey?" She'd crossed her arms over her chest and made 'that' face. "And who would that be, hmmm?"
"It's Ron, of course," and she shot her coffee across the table onto his new silk shirt.
"RON?" she shouted, and the manager had shushed her. She'd given him a look, and he went back to making coffee drinks.
"Yes, Ron," Josh wiped at the coffee with napkins from his tray.
"You've been with Ron more than you were with me while we were dating."
"We were on missions, Josh!"
"You've slept with Ron, and you certainly haven't slept with me, Kim," he smirked.
"It was in the back of a CargoMaster, Josh, and we were sitting upright with 20 Marines around us!"
"Kim, he went to the Amazon for you on our first date to keep you from disappearing: I could never compete with that," and Kim had a tear escape.
"It's all right, Kim: I understand if you don't want to date me anymore; just be true to yourself, that's all I ask," and he leaned across the table and kissed her cheek.
"I love you, Kimberly Ann Possible; I'll always love you, you know that. Now, I know just where I rank, that's all," and he stood and held out his hand, and she took his hand and rose to her feet.
"Just one final kiss, Kim?" He asked, and she nodded and came around the table.
They kissed goodbye, and her lips remained closed, no matter how many times Josh's tongue knocked. They separated, and then Josh turned and left without saying another word.
He heard later from the manager that she had stood there, touching her mouth for about a minute, then sat down in a chair and cried for about two or three minutes, then stood and ran out of the store.
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He remembered dates before that, when she'd just come back from missions so exhausted that she'd fallen asleep on him, in his lap, in his car on the way to restaurants or movies for their dates.. He started carrying a pillow in his car for her, wanting her head to be comfortable when she fell asleep from exhaustion. He remembered her crying in her sleep, and he stroked her hair; that seemed to make her feel better as she slept.
She was always embarrassed when she would wake up, but he always told her that it was, using her own words, 'No Big.' He would kiss her nose as he let her out in front of her house, then he would do it again as he said goodbye at the door.
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He thought about the video he'd watched of her jet, disappearing in the explosion and the following nuclear blast.
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He scribbled quickly, scratched out several lines, then wrote again, and scratched out some of the lines again, then wrote more.
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This cycle continued throughout the night. Liz had walked in at 2:35 AM to watch him write and brought him a mug of fresh coffee. He smiled up at her when she placed the coffee on the desk in front of him, and she bent down and kissed him.
"Coming to bed, dear?" she asked.
"In a little bit, Liz, a little bit," he answered, and put his head down to the old-style composing tools of pencil and paper, then would turn to the keyboard and play a melody line and sing along, then scratch more words and notes onto and off of the page.
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The capsule was buried in the trees, deep in the woods and south of the park, away from the nearest roads by miles. It was covered with the limbs from the trees that had fallen when it crashed through when it hurtled from the sky. The major thunderstorms that had pounded the area, setting of flash floods in scattered areas, had made so much noise that no one had heard the capsule hurtling through the skies and crashing through the trees to and into the ground to end up, cradled, in a hole, supported by piles of timbers, branches, and leaves.
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"Liz, it's done," Josh looked up, his face wet with sweat and tears.
She walked in and sat, and he punched the keyboard player. It started to playback what he'd played into it as he picked up his guitar, and then he began to sing.
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"Well?" as he strummed the last chord.
"You really loved her, didn't you?" Liz asked, and he nodded.
"We all did, Josh, and this is wonderful. Ron will love it, and I know her parents will, too," she reached over and put his guitar on the table, then stood and moved over into his lap, staring into his face.
"Kim will love it, too, as much as I love you, Josh," and she kissed her husband, knowing that she would never have all of his heart:
A part of it still belonged to another redhead, and it didn't bother her in the least.
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The capsule was still buried in the fallen trees in the park, but now the top made a noise, and a tiny gap appeared in the place where an outline of a hatch appeared.
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Author's afterward:
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I'm saving all my comments for the last chapter, as well as my thanks and shout-outs, except for this one:
Thanks, Zaratan, for this contest: it forced the brain cells to work, and the problem solved itself.
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Thanks again for reading, and please review.
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