A/N: Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable and the rest of the cast of the series belong to the Disney Corporation and not myself. So there. Also, I don't make a dime off this. The hobby just keeps my mind and hands busy so that I don't fill my face as often.
I want to thank CajunBear73 for his mad beta skills and humor while I was writing this. The idea had been bouncing around in my head in one form or another for about four years. Much of the setting is in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Places like Mount Meeker, Longs Peak, Battle Mountain and Lamb's Slide are real places. It's a great place to visit and hike. I know the place fairly well since my wife and I honeymooned there years ago. I'd say how long, but she may read this and I don't need the thrashing she would give me.
The events take place in Kim and Ron's Junior year in high school. Before the modulator and StD. For those who have read 'Once Again' this is part of that series so a prequel if you don't mind.
Thanks for tuning in.
Winter Adventure
Chapter 1
Middleton, Colorado. Christmas Break:
"Aw come on KP, it won't be so bad. I mean you just have to go and see Nana for Christmas. You so need to do it this year. It's OK that I wasn't invited. We've shared all our Christmases for the last eleven years. It'll be alright just this once. Remember your Nana won't be around forever, you gotta spend some time with her, it's real important. You need this time with her.", the blond haired boy assured his best friend as she held on to him not wanting to let go.
"But Ron, we always spend Christmas together, it's tradition. It'll be bad luck. And I'll miss you. We're gonna be gone for almost four weeks since the school's closed that long to complete some renovations there. I mean it's gonna be fun, but what are you gonna do with all that time Ronnie?", the red headed teen heroine asked her sidekick.
As Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable came up to give her a hug. Anne Possible gave Ron one as well. Softly she whispered to him, "Ronald, you know that you don't have to do this."
"Mrs. Dr. P, I have to. I have to get better. KP gets better all the time. To watch her back I have to get a lot better if I'm to keep my promise. This is just another climbing class. I have to get good enough to at least belay Kim for her safety when she climbs.", he told his best friend's mom very softly.
Kim came back over to him. "So what are you gonna do while I'm gone Ronnie?", she asked.
"KP I think I'll get hang around. Maybe Felix will want to do some gaming over the holidays. I heard that Zombie Mayhem 2020 is coming out in a day or two. That ought to keep me busy for a while.", he lied to her keeping a straight face.
As they drove off Ron continued to wave at the red haired heroine until she was out of sight. Waiting another minute to make sure they weren't coming right back, Ron turned and walked home.
Entering his home he immediately went up to his attic room and rechecked all the gear he would need: from his dry rope and crampons to his helmet, weather proof clothing and winter sleeping bag, He checked his pack and ice axes and his haul bag which doubled as his duffel bag. He quickly checked his climbing harness to make sure it was safe. Then thinking, 'Better make sure I have my bivy sack.', as he looked over his biners. He carefully put everything in its place as he made ready to go. Picking up his cell phone Ron made a quick call, "Wade?", he asked.
"Yeah Ron, what do you need?", the genius replied.
"Is KP gone?", he asked again.
"Yea she is Ron, what do you need?", Wade asked.
"You...ugh...got me chipped, right?", Ron asked.
"Well...ah...Ron...I can't really say...", Wade continued nervously.
"Turn the chip off Wade. I know it's there. Turn it off or I'll remove it my way. If KP wants to know where I am, tell her I'm at home or the mall in the arcade or someplace.", Ron ordered.
"OK..OK Ron, it's off. Are you satisfied?", he asked in a hurt tone.
"Yes and thanks. I know why it's there, I appreciate your and Kim's caring about me. I don't blame KP for wanting it on me, but don't turn it back on until she heads home. Like I said thanks for looking out for me Wade, I'll see ya in a few weeks or so.", Ron finished.
"Ron what are you going to do? Is it dangerous? You know Kim won't be happy if she finds out that you're missing.", Wade advised.
"Wade, I have to do some things that will allow me to watch KP's back a lot better on missions. As for dangerous, even eating nacos can be dangerous.", he laughed.
---
Ron was ready to leave when his hair stood up on the back of his head. "Just a minute Dad. I think I'm gonna put some MREs in the bag too. You never know if you're gonna get stuck somewhere.", he cautioned as he shoved five meals in the huge bag.
They drove off to the north heading for Rocky Mountain National Park. It would be a few hours and Dean was wanting to talk to his son for a while. "Ronald?", he began, "you know that you don't have to do this. Kimberly's love for you doesn't depend on how well you do in school or making sports teams or even learning how to ice climb. You took up skydiving and now have, what, forty jumps and the miles you run early in the morning. Why are you doing it if it's not to impress Kimberly?"
"Well dad you know that KP and me are never going to be a couple, but at least I have her as a friend. So, I'm not going to try and impress her, I just want to be a help for her. You know, be a plus, not have the negative impact on the team. She's the leader, I'm the lackey. That's the way it is. Except for Rufus, Monique and Felix I have no one else but KP. I made a promise to her mom and dad to watch her back. By taking these extra classes and getting stronger and better, I'm doing a better job of watching her back So I'm doing a better job of keeping my promise.", he told his father.
"Is that why you keep going back to Japan son?", he asked his only child.
"Dad, you know I can't talk about that. I made a promise to the master of that school over there. After I get back I'm better prepared to watch over her each time. What you don't understand is that she gets better all the time. She does it easily, she's a natural. To stay even near the pace that KP gets better I have to bust my tail.", he said.
"What happens if you get hurt or killed doing this Ronald? You have all that money put away. The account is growing, you don't need to do this son.", he advised Ron.
"Dad, I guess I've become something of an adrenalin junkie a bit like Kim. The hardest part is to look like I'm not really getting better. With my voice starting to change I've worked real hard on trying to keep it squeaky. Even now, growing as fast as I am, I try to buy clothes that are two sizes too big so that I look skinny. I do a good enough job that she doesn't notice that I'm taller than she is. Do you how hard it is to slouch for hours on end? It must be working cause most of the school still calls me loser at school even though I can kick any of their butts six ways to Sunday.", Ron laughed.
As they stopped off at the school Dean gave his son a big hug and told him to take care of himself.
Later Ron demonstrated his knowledge of knots for the instructors finally getting the OK that night. It promised to be a fun class. The group wasn't large for the beginning 'Ice' class, but it was diverse. There was a lawyer there, a couple of other students, the owner of of an auto dealership too. 'Nice thing about climbing. You can find almost any kind of person involved.', he mused quietly.
Ron nodded to each and shook their hands as all were introduced. A few of them thought he looked familiar. Only the instructors knew who he was. Then next morning they started in earnest. Ron knew that it was going to be a long month. Ron realized right off that he seemed to be the youngest member of the class.
---
Kim Possible sat in the second row of seats behind her mother. She was still a little annoyed that Ron hadn't been invited. She tried to talk her grandmother into letting him come, but her father told her that Nana's place was a little smaller now and since Slim and Joss were coming there simply wasn't enough space to accommodate her best friend. Kim finally accepted that excuse though she still wasn't happy about it.
Two years before, Ron had undertaken a mission to let Kim have a normal Christmas with her family. He disappeared with Dr Drakken for several days nearly driving Kim insane trying to find him. She didn't like the idea of not seeing him for almost a whole month. At least she had her Kimmunicator with her and could have Wade Load, the team's tech guru, keep an eye on Ron for her.
They were almost to Saint Louis. They had decided to stay the night just across the river in Illinois. It would take a whole day and part of another one before they would be at their destination. Kim was just nodding off when one of the tweebs, Tim Possible, began putting granola down the neck of her shirt. As soon as Kim felt the scratchy tidbits falling down the inside of her top, she was instantly awake and tried to grab the hand of the little monster that had the misfortune to look like her brother.
After about ten minutes the parents told them to knock it off unless they wanted Kim to cook for them. As if by magic all horseplay ended from the twin devils.
That night they stayed in the motel taking up three rooms. Anne and James Possible knew that there was no way that blood wouldn't be shed if their three children stayed in the same room.
---
Rocky Mountain National Park:
Ron's phone rang just before he was ready to sack out. Looking at the caller ID, he smiled. "Hey KP. How's the trip going. Did you guys make St. Louis yet?", he asked.
"Yeah Ron we're in Illinois right now. The tweebs were going to get a personal martial arts demonstration earlier, but it's better now. How are you doing Ronnie? Do you miss me yet?", she asked her friend.
"KP I missed you the minute you got in the car. I didn't think I would so much, but I do. Anyway maybe if you guys go down to see Nana at Spring Break I might be able to come too.", he told her with hope.
---
Edwardsville, Illinois:
A while later they said their goodnights as they had for years. There was a knock on Kim's door just as she shut off the phone. Her mom was there and asked how she was doing.
"Mom, I miss Ronnie. Leaving this time was harder then that summer that he spent at Camp Wannaweep. That was so hard. For some reason this is harder, I can't explain it.", she confided in her mother.
"Well how do you feel about him honey? Is it like friendship or what?", the brain surgeon asked.
"Mom, I'm not sure. It's like I feel closer to Ron than I am to Jim or Tim, or even Dad or you. Is it possible to feel closer to him than family?", she asked.
"I don't know honey. Rest and go to sleep, things will work out.", she told her daughter.
'Maybe, she's beginning to see Ronald as a boy, maybe even her beau. Maybe it'll happen.', she thought with a smile.
---
Rocky Mountain National Park:
The class began the first morning working on beginning ice climbing moves, and in the afternoon, how to place ice screws. A couple days later they climbed up one of the smaller mountains. They took equipment for three nights. The morning after the climb the class worked on self arrest with their ice axes. Over the first three days they learned communication and belaying techniques on snow and ice. By the end of the week they had come back out and were working on taking people off with back boards to simulate injuries.
---
The next week they hiked to the Diamond. A thousand feet of vertical rock face on the eastern side of Long's Peak, much of it covered in ice. To get to the bottom of the diamond, it was a six mile hike uphill from the Ranger Station. The Ranger Station was at over 9000 feet in elevation. It was awe inspiring from the distance. At the foot of the monster face it just looked scary. They set up camp.
They would climb this wall once a day for the rest of the beginning class. They would camp on site to make better use of their time as well. Ron thought, 'It's time to get serious. This is going to make me better, for KP.' As he looked up at the fearsome sight.
In the morning the students paired off, two of them to one instructor. Each group began working on a route. By the end of the day the whole class was beat, Ron included.
As it was almost bedtime Ron's cell phone rang again. It was Kim. It was December twentieth. Christmas was only five days away and Ron could tell how excited she was. She loved this holiday. They talked for a while and said their good nights as always. 'She doesn't sound like she's got me pegged. I'd better put the phone back on it's solar charger again tomorrow.', he mused.
---
Over the next few days the class got better and better. One of the instructors came up to Ron. "Stoppable, I am Ben Owens. For the rest of this class and the whole advanced ice class I will be your personal instructor. Be prepared to work your butt off. I've been watching you and you're not bad. With any luck you could be great. Remember one thing though, 'there are old climbers and bold climbers. However there are no old bold climbers'. I know who you work with to help people. I am going to make you the best that I can during the rest of your stay here. Tonight we bivouac on the face. I hope you're not afraid of heights.", he told the blond haired boy.
In an hour they were a few hundred feet up preparing their 'tents'. These were closer to enclosed platforms than tents. Ron found himself inside his sleeping bag while still in a harness.
That night it snowed hard. His phone rang, but with all his gear on he knew that he couldn't get to it before it stopped ringing. 'Well, I guess KP's gonna start calling around to find me. I'll bet she won't be happy either.', he grimaced, as he finally got the phone out of his pocket and pushed the callback button.
"Hello?", came the familiar voice on the phone.
"Hi KP, sorry I missed you I was...ah...using the restroom here at the mall. There's a Monster Mayhem tournament and me and Felix are up next, so I sorta have to keep this short.", he told her noticing his instructor was giving him a funny look.
After a few minutes he told her, "Goodnight KP, I miss you too."
"Who was that Ron?", Ben asked.
"You heard of Kim Possible? That was her.", he told his instructor.
Ben raised his eyebrows.
---
Sunnyville retirement community:
Kim closed her phone with a little shiver. 'Something is not right.', she mused, 'It sure didn't sound like Ron was in the mall.'