Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and I am not affiliated in any way, shape or form with anyone who does.

Kim looked up at her father with pleading eyes, "you can't be serious. Please don't do this!" The strictness plastered across his face showed her that he was serious and despite her wishes she began to sob, tears trickling down her cheeks. Her worst fears had been realised.

Her mother placed an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close, speaking in a soothing tone, "we just think it's for the best. We love you Kimmy and we don't want to lose you."

Kim pulled away, "if you really loved me then you wouldn't do this! You'd want me to be happy!"

"We do want you to be happy, but we just think that this is for the best."

"It's just my arm!" Kim waved her arm slightly to emphasise the fact. She'd fallen on a mission, breaking it in two places but, in her opinion, her parent's plan to ban her from missions wasn't what she needed. "I'll rest; I'll wait until its better. Just please don't do this! Mom!"

"I'm sorry."

Her sobs increased in intensity and she wiped them away with her good arm. "Dad?"

"I just think it's for the best."

"I hate you! I hate both of you! You're ruining my life!" She screamed at them, the anger and the pain overflowing.

"That's it! Go to your room!"

"Gladly!" She stood up sharply, almost knocking her chair over and ran into her room, collapsing onto the bed.

She began to sob. It felt like the world was crumbling down around her and she didn't know how to mend it. She pulled the communicator out of her pocket, flinging it across the room in an effort to make herself feel better but it only served as a reminder of what she was now abandoning. She wrapped her good arm around her stomach and continued to cry, trying to stop herself from thinking.

She wasn't sure how long she had lay like that when she heard her door open. She quickly wiped her tears away, not wanting to give her parents the satisfaction of knowing that she had been crying. She turned over to see Ron standing there. He walked across the room, sitting down by her feet on the bed and smiling lightly at her.

"Your parents let me in, said you might need cheering up."

"They're not my parents anymore." She sniffled, determined not to let Ron see her crying either; sure that she had to maintain the pretence of being strong.

"What did they do?"

She was surprised that they hadn't told him. She sat up and sighed; "they said that I can't do missions anymore because I broke my arm. They said…" her emotions got the better of her as the tears sprung free again and she leaned herself heavily against Ron.

"Oh," he patted her on the back as she fisted her hand into his shirt, "it's going to be okay."

"It isn't."

"KP…" He paused for a moment before continuing, his voice gentler, "Kim; it isn't the end of the world."

"Yes it is."

"Why?"

"Because they need me to save them!"

"Who?"

"The people Ron! All the people that I can't save anymore!"

"There are police you know…"

"They need me to save them!"

"And firemen…"

"They need me…

"And doctors…"

"I need to save them!" She was shocked by what she had just said and he tilted her chin away from his shirt so that she could see his face. She tried to turn away but he held her in place.

"It's okay not to save people." She shook her head gently, the tears still glistening underneath her eyelashes. "It is."

"It's all that I am," her voice was timid, broken. "It's the only reason I'm worth anything."

He wrapped his arm tighter around her back, "you're worth everything because you want to help people, not because you do."

"Want doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does." He let her head fall and she buried it against him again. His words had struck a chord inside her. She didn't want to believe him, but she knew that her anger and hurt was beginning to wane. "It means everything."