Before the Clock Strikes Six
By recon228

- INSERT STANDARD LEGAL DISCLAIMER HERE -

- 4:54pm -

Ron was sitting on the edge of his bed playing video games when the cordless phone on his nightstand began to ring. Keeping one hand glued to the controller, he reached over and grabbed the phone from its cradle. He brought his gaze away from the TV screen just long enough to check the caller ID and hit the talk button.

"Hey, Felix," Ron greeted. He cradled the phone against his shoulder so he could return full attention to the new Zombie Slayer 4 video game that his parents had given him for Hanukkah.

"So, how's Z.S. 4, dude?" Felix asked, getting right to the point.

"Ferociously awesome," Ron replied exuberantly. He cranked up the volume so his friend could hear the zombie-moans and gunshots through the phone's receiver. "You can wield two sawed-off shotguns at the same time now!"

"Sweet!" Felix exclaimed."Are the zombies any tougher?"

"Dude, zombies are nothing compared to the crazy villagers. Those guys are relentless and freaky… and I think one of 'em is chasing me with a chainsaw!"

"Bummer," Felix replied. "Well, I just wanted to give you a call and get a first-hand review before you headed over to Kim's house for Christmas Eve."

Ron quickly paused the game and brought the phone closer to his ear. "What are you talking about, dude?" He glanced over at the calendar on his desk. "Today's the twenty-fourth, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, Christmas Eve isn't 'til tomorrow evening."

"Uh, dude, tomorrow is Christmas Day."

"Duh, and tomorrow night is Christmas Eve."

"Ron…" Felix paused. "Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas Day!"

"What?" Ron dropped the game controller and jumped up from the bed. Across the room in his sock drawer, Rufus woke up and glanced over at his master with a worried look on his face.

"Christmas Eve is on the twenty-forth, not the twenty-fifth," Felix repeated.

"Since when?"

"Um… since the birth of Christ, I guess. I thought you always hang with Kim and her family every year."

"I do!" Ron replied, his voice quickly growing panicky. "I just never paid attention to what day it was! It always seemed like a December twenty-fifth kind of event!"

"Well, you at least picked up her present already… right?"

Ron suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Every year he and Kim exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, and with the exception of the year before, when he had tried unsuccessfully to battle Drakken and Shego so Kim could enjoy Christmas with her family, he had always given her Bueno Nacho Bucks as a gift. She always acted like she enjoyed them, but subconsciously Ron suspected she was just being nice to him. Plus, in the wake of their junior prom, Ron had begun to realize that something like a twenty-five dollar gift certificate to a fast food joint – delicious though it was – wasn't the most romantic gesture he could present to his girlfriend.

That's why Ron had vowed that he was going to get Kim a real gift for their first Christmas as a couple. He wanted to get his girlfriend something that really showed her just how much she meant to him. In other words, he wanted something that didn't require Ned's 'stamp of authenticity' on it. It took him awhile to find a suitable gift, but finally, after two weeks of searching – and several days of begging for Monique's help – he found the perfect gift for her.

Technically speaking, it was actually Monique who found the gift, but she agreed to let Ron take all the credit in exchange for his autographed Steel-Toe wall poster. She had been in downtown Upperton the day before, picking up a gift for her mom, when she spotted a beautiful gold locket in the window display of an antiques shop. The locket was made of 24 karat gold and had an intricate floral design etched into its polished face. In the center of the locket was a sparkling Jade stone that, according to Monique, matched Kim's eyes perfectly.

The minute Monique described the locket to him; Ron knew he had found the perfect gift for Kim. He immediately called the shop and asked them to hold the locket until he could come pick it up. At two-hundred-and-fifty dollars it was a little pricy, but with the occasional Naco royalty checks he continued to receive, it was still well within his budget.

There was just one problem: he hadn't picked it up yet…

"Uh, Ron-man, you still with me, dude?" Felix asked on the other end of the line.

"I haven't picked up her gift yet," Ron gasped, glancing at the clock on his wall.

"What time do they close?"

"Five-thirty," Ron replied apprehensively.

There was several seconds of silence before Felix said, "Well, I guess it's gonna be a Bueno Nacho Christmas again, huh?"

Ron collapsed back onto his bed and let out a frustrated groan. "I guess I'll head over to Bueno Nacho then," he announced dejectedly.

"Tough break, dude," Felix replied sympathetically. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, see ya," Ron muttered. He hung-up the phone and was reaching to place it back in its cradle when something on the bedside table caught his eye.

Next to his bedside lamp was an 8x4 inch framed photograph of him and Kim at their junior prom the previous spring. They were standing arm-in-arm and both had a look of pure joy and happiness on their faces. That had been the night they finally expressed their true feeling for one-another; the night they officially became a couple. Since then, their relationship had only grown stronger.

Glancing out the window, he saw that there was a light snow was already beginning to fall outside. Though the streets were dark, there weren't a lot of cars out on the road and, as far as he could tell, traffic was actually surprisingly light.

Ron glanced over at the clock on his bedroom wall and saw that it was a few minutes before five o'clock. He still had thirty minutes before the antiques shop closed for the evening. It would be close, but if he could make every traffic light, there was still a fairly good chance he could make it before they closed. Glancing over at Rufus, Ron could tell that his rodent-friend had the same idea.

"C'mon, buddy," he said, grabbing his winter jacket and scooping the mole rat into his hand. "Let's go get Kim a Christmas present!"

"Okay!" Rufus cheered jubilantly.

---

- 5:28pm -

Unfortunately, Lady Luck chose not to side with Ron Stoppable that night…

He had hoped to make all the traffic lights on the way to Upperton, but instead he somehow managed to catch every red light along the way. And as if having to wait at every intersection wasn't bad enough, he also found himself in a frantic Christmas Eve demolition derby with what seemed like every psychotic soccer-mom and last-minute shopper in the Tri-city area!

A trip that would normally only take him fifteen minutes to drive, ended up taking nearly half-an-hour as the helpless teen found himself tearing through the freshly-fallen snow; dodging errant vehicles that seemed to seek his car out like renegade cruise missiles, fighting to see through an increasingly thick snowfall that was rapidly moving-in from the north, and praying that he could make it to the antiques shop before they closed.

Even though Kim had insisted that he hadn't, Ron still felt guilty for ruining her Christmas the year before. All she wanted to do was spend one night of the year with her family and him; just one night without school or missions, just her family, and her boyfriend.

And as if that wasn't enough motivation, as a result of massive fan outcry, the local cable television network had finally relented and agreed to bring Snowman Hank back in place of the less-popular Stuff on Fire: Holiday Special they had originally planned to air. The show started at six o'clock, and Ron had promised Kim that he would be there.

As he drove down North Main Street in the heart of Upperton's shopping district, Ron realized that it was going to be tougher than he had originally planned. As it turned out, parking was a factor he had not taken into account.

"Oh, come on!" he growled in frustration. "Did everyone else forget to get presents too?"

"Over there!" Rufus squeaked, jumping up-and-down and pointing to an empty spot half-a-block in front of them.

"Got it, hang on, buddy!" Ron announced. He turned on his indicator and was preparing to pull into the vacant space when another car coming from the opposite direction cut in front of him and pulled into his stall.

"Hey!" Rufus squeaked angrily.

Without so much as a wave, the woman in the other car got out and ran into a nearby department store.

"Don't worry, Rufus," Ron reassured his friend. "We'll find a spot… I hope!"

---

- 5:34pm -

Rachel McDaniel had had a long day. She had been at work since seven-forty-five that morning and, except for a twenty-minute lunch break around noon, had spent the nine-and-a-half hours working the register at Main St. Antiques. That was nine-and-a-half hours of dealing with irate last-minute Christmas shoppers, listening to the same handful of Christmas music over-and-over, and watching the minute hand tick-by on the antique cuckoo clock next to the front door.

As she locked the front door and turned to walk to her car, she was both surprised and annoyed to find a frantic-looking blond teenager running down the sidewalk toward her, shouting "Don't close yet!" at the top of his lungs. On a better day, Rachel may have considered waiting for the last minute shopper… but not today. All she wanted to do was go home, open a bottle of wine, and try to forget about the grueling day she had suffered through.

"Please," Ron wheezed, fighting to catch his breath after running three blocks through the snow. "I know what I'm getting! It'll only take a minute!"

"Sorry, kid," Rachel announced dismissively. "I close at five-thirty, not five-thirty-five." She turned to leave, but Ron stepped in front of her path.

"Just give me a chance to explain, please!"

Rachel sighed and crossed her arms, indicating through silence that she was listening. As she listened with annoyed indifference, Ron explained the entire situation to her; his relationship with Kim, his desire to get her a real present for their first Christmas together, and the complete anarchy that he had endured just to make it to Upperton.

When he finished his story, Rachel just shrugged her shoulders and started to walk past him. "Next time leave five minutes earlier," she replied condescendingly.

"Wait!" Ron shouted, running after her and blocking her path again.

"Look, kid-"

"I'll give you five-hundred dollars!" he offered, pulling a wad of cash from his jacket and waving it in front of her face.

Rachel's expression instantly brightened. "Well, I guess Christmas miracles do exist," she replied cheerfully, turning back and fishing the keys from her purse. "Come on in!"

---

- 5:51pm -

Sixteen minutes later, Ron was back in his mom's Honda heading toward Kim's house with her gift in-hand. It had ended up costing him twice what he originally planned to spend, but as long as he could make it to the Possible's house before six, the extra cost would be well worth it.

Since traffic on Main Street was still far too congested, Ron decided to take Redwood Road back into Middleton. It was a bit longer, but traffic was usually much lighter. There was also only one traffic light that he had to go through along the way. As he sailed around a corner and headed toward the light going twice the posted speed limit, he saw that the signal was still green. As he got closer, however, the light switched to yellow.

"Hang on, Rufus!" Ron warned his friend.

Rufus whimpered and dove into Ron's jacket pocket, pulling the flap closed behind him.

Ron pushed the accelerator to the floor and sped-up in an attempt to catch the light before it turned red. As he got within fifty feet of the intersection, the light turned red. If he stopped, it would have realistically only taken a few seconds before the light continued its pre-programmed schedule and switched back. At that moment, however, rational thinking was quickly becoming a stranger to Ron Stoppable.

"If I don't see it, it's not illegal!" Ron shouted, shutting his eyes and flying through the intersection.

He made it through safely, but not before nearly colliding with a marked police car. The cruiser swerved out of the Honda's path, then spun around and took off after it, activating its lights and siren in the process…

---

- 5:53pm -

"Stupid-stupid-stupid-stupid…" Ron grumbled, banging his head against the steering wheel over-and-over.

He was sitting in his car on the side of the road as a light blanket of snow slowly covered the front window. Behind him, the 4x4 police sport utility vehicle he had come close to hitting sat idling on the dirt shoulder with its spotlight trained on his Honda's back window. The officer was still sitting behind the wheel and Ron could literally feel every agonizing second tick by as he waited for the cop to get out and approach his car. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, the officer exited his cruiser and walked up to Ron's open window.

"Evening," the officer greeted tersely, shining his flashlight in Ron's face. "I'm Deputy Smith with the Stevens County Sheriff's Department. The reason I stopped you tonight is because-"

"I know," Ron interrupted. "I ran the red light. Look, I'm sorry. I'm just really in a hurry to get to my girlfriend's house before six, see-"

The deputy gestured for Ron to be quiet. "You also came pretty damn close to taking me out in that intersection back there," he explained. "Now, can I see your license, registration, and proof of insurance?"

Realizing he wasn't getting out of the ticket, Ron sighed and reached into his pocket to get his wallet. His stomach turned to lead, however, when he realized the pocket was empty.

His wallet was gone…

'I must have left it on the counter at the antiques store,' he thought. He glanced up at the waiting deputy and sheepishly announced, "I, uh… kinda don't have my driver's license on me."

"Well, that may be a problem," Deputy Smith replied. He took a few steps back from the door and placed his hand on the grip of his holstered sidearm. "I want you to step out of the car, walk back, and place your hands on the trunk."

Sadly, Ron knew nothing about police procedures. In fact, what little he did know was gained solely from what he watched on re-runs of COPS. If he had known a bit more, he would have understood that the deputy was simply ordering him out of the car for his own safety, and that as soon as he could confirm Ron's identity, he would write him the ticket and send him on his way. Unfortunately, as far as Ron knew, being told to step out of the car and place his hands on the trunk meant only one thing: he was about to be arrested.

Ironically, the idea of spending the night in jail hardly even fazed him. What did have him panicking was the idea that, once again, his carelessness and procrastination was going to ruin Kim's Christmas. She would no doubt be too busy worrying about where he was to enjoy her family's activities. Then, when she learned he was in jail, she would drop everything in order to try to get him out. By the time the whole mess got sorted out, her evening would be ruined.

Ron glanced down at the gift-wrapped box sitting next to him on the passenger seat. He had made a promise to himself two weeks earlier that he was going to get Kim a real present and see to it that she got to spend Christmas with her family. Looking back up at the deputy, he realized that he no longer cared what happened to him as long as his girlfriend was happy.

"I said step out of the car!" Smith repeated harshly. He reached down to open the car door, but Ron had locked it.

Keeping his eyes glued to the deputy, Ron began reaching for the gearshift lever. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "but you don't understand. I need to get this to Kim!"

"Don't even think about it, kid! Get out of the car now!"

Before Deputy Smith could reach through the open window and grab the keys, Ron slipped the Honda into drive and hit the accelerator. As he guided the car back onto the road, he could see the deputy in his rearview mirror. He was running back to his cruiser and shouting into the radio mic on his shoulder.

"Hang on, buddy," he said to Rufus, who was looking up at his master in wide-eyed horror. "This is gonna get crazy!"

---

- 5:58pm -

Kim was sitting on the couch in her living room watching the hands on the clock slowly inch closer to six o'clock. She had told Ron that Snowman Hank started at six, and he had promised her that he would be there before the opening credits started. She glanced down longingly at the gift sitting next to her just as her mom walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Kimmie, wasn't Ronald supposed to be here by now?" Andrea asked with a hint of concern.

Behind her, Jim and Tim both snickered at the mention of their big sister's boyfriend. While they both secretly approved of their sister's goofy partner, publicly, they took advantage of every opportunity to tease either one of them.

"He's probably still at Bueno Nacho," Jim said jokingly.

"Yeah," Tim agreed. "I'll bet he's picking up your yearly supply Bueno Nacho Bucks right…" he glanced at his watch, "…now."

"He is not!" Kim countered defensively. She glanced toward the front door and smiled. "In fact, I have a feeling Ron's got something really special planned this year."

No sooner had she made her comment, than the faint wail of police sirens could be heard in the distance. As she sat listening the wail began to grow louder as the sirens grew nearer. Being closest to the living room window, James walked over and glanced outside.

"Ron doesn't drive a white Honda by any chance, does he?" James asked. He glanced back at his daughter as a pulsing red-and-blue light began to flash through the window.

"His mom owns a Honda," Kim replied. "Why?"

Turning back and staring out the window, James responded, "It looks like he's got something planned, though I wouldn't exactly call it 'special'."

---

- 5:59pm -

Turning the icy street corner onto the quiet residential street, Ron breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted the welcoming glow of the Possible Family's Christmas light decorations shining down on his car from the top of the hill. Behind him, the quiet neighborhood was bathed in a conglomeration of flashing red-and-blue emergency lights coming from the convoy of police cars that were still chasing him.

Ever since entering the city limits, he had been followed closely by what seemed like every cop in the Tri-city area. Even though the snow was causing the roads to quickly lose their traction, the pursuing officers seemed to have no problem keeping pace with him. Not that it was difficult to accomplish; a 1998 Honda Civic really wasn't prized for its ability to outrun a fleet police Crown Victorias…

Glancing over at Rufus, Ron gritted his teeth and growled, "I don't care what happens to me, Rufus! It's Christmas Eve and Kim's getting her present no matter what!"

He pulled up in front of the Possible Residence and slammed the brake pedal against the floor; bring the Honda to a screeching halt and forcing the closest pursuing cruiser to swerve up onto the sidewalk in order to avoid a collision.

As the other patrol cars began to pull to a stop all around him and their drivers stepped out with guns drawn, Ron gave Rufus a reassuring wink and, grabbing Kim's gift from the passenger seat, jumped out of the car and took off toward the front door. Rufus jumped up onto the window ledge and watched fearfully as his master ran across the festively decorated lawn of Kim's house, followed closely by over a half-dozen armed police officers.

---

- 6:00pm -

Back inside the house, the entire Possible family was gathered in front of the living room window. They watched as Ron pulled up in front of the house and started running across the lawn with several police officers chasing after him yelling at him to stop.

Jim and Tim both looked on with a bit of amusement as their sister's goofy partner ran past the window toward the front door.

"Hey, that is Ron!" said Jim.

"And he's gone postal!" added Tim.

"Boys!" Andrea scolded; giving her son's an angry look.

Ignoring the death-glare from their mother, the twins gave each other a knowing grin and ran back to the couch to get their video camera.

Kim, meanwhile, watched in shock as her best friend ran up onto her front porch and disappeared from view. She ducked past her mom and ran over to open the door for him. As she approached the door, she heard several officers shouting "Get down!" and "Put your hands up!" followed by something inaudible from Ron. Then Kim heard a loud 'pop', followed by a painful scream from Ron and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.

Kim grabbed the handle and wrenched the door open, only to be met with a sight that made her heart jump into her throat; Ron was laying face-down on the concrete porch with eight police officers standing over him. They all had their guns drawn and were pointing them down at Ron.

For a brief moment Kim feared the absolute worst. Then she noticed that there were two small metal barbs sticking out of Ron's back. The barbs were attached by two electrical wires to a yellow Taser stun gun that was resting in one of the closest officer's hands. Just as she realized what had happened, Ron groaned and looked up toward her.

Ignoring the harsh orders being barked at her from the crowd of officers, Kim ran forward and knelt down in front of him. "Ron! Are you alright?" she gasped, praying that the Taser was the only thing they had hit him with.

With a lopsided grin, Ron looked up at her and held out his arm. Resting in his hand was a small gift wrapped jewelry bow with 'For: Kim' written on it.

"I… got you… present… not too late!" Ron managed to mutter before once again collapsing onto the hard concrete ground.

---

- 9:01pm -

In the end, Ron didn't have to spend the night in jail after all. Though he was fully prepared to face the consequences of his actions, the police decided to let him off with a harsh warning. At first, even Officer Hobble – who had been a long-time ally of Team Possible – was pushing toward hauling the teen away on charges ranging from reckless driving to felony resisting arrest. But, after Ron was given a chance to fully explain his actions and the events that had led up to the traffic stop, Hobble decided that, in the spirit of Christmas, he was willing to let Ron off the hook.

There was also the fact that the Tweebs had managed to capture the whole event on video, and the entire Possible family pretty much agreed that the Middleton Police Department shooting an unarmed teenager in the back on Christmas Eve was about two-times worse than the Rodney King beating. That also helped play a role in keeping Ron out of jail… but it was mostly Hobble's 'Spirit of Christmas' thing.

Finally, after the police had cleared out and everything had returned to normal, Kim and Ron decided to retreat to the living room. They were both sitting on the couch watching an old movie. Kim was sitting upright on one end while Ron reclined across it with his head resting on her lap.

Though Ron's eyes were fixed on the black-and-white gangster film playing on TV, Kim's eyes were glued to the beautiful gold locket Ron had given her. She couldn't believe that Ron… her boyfriend… had managed to pick out such an amazing and thoughtful gift for her. The intricate floral design etched into its cover gave it a real antique and sophisticated look, and the jade stone mounted in its center matched the green of her eyes perfectly.

"Y'know," Kim thought out-loud, opening the locket and examining the empty space where a small photo would fit. "I think I'm gonna get Wade to reduce our prom photo for me to put in here. That way, whenever I open it, it'll remind me of how much you mean to me."

Ron grunted, but refused to bring his eyes away from the television.

Kim frowned and looked down at her boyfriend, slightly concerned over his obvious funk. "What's wrong, Ron?"

"I can't believe I ruined your family's Christmas again," Ron replied, still refusing to make eye contact.

Tucking the locket back under her shirt, Kim reached down and tilted Ron's head so he was looking up at her. "Are you kidding me?" she asked, surprised by his comment. "Ron, this Christmas has been even better than last year! You know how my dad loves those World's Craziest Police Chases shows, and the Tweebs are up in their room right now trying to build their own police Taser! Not to mention how much I love this gift you gave me!"

"Really?" Ron asked, looking up at her and grinning.

Kim smiled and lifted him up, giving him a long, passionate kiss. "Really," she replied, giggling at the surprised, yet content look on her boyfriend's face.

Once he had recovered from Kim's kiss, Ron reached up, stroked her cheek gently, and whispered, "I love you, Kim."

"I love you too, Ron," she replied with a smile.

Happy holidays everyone!