This plot bunny hit me while I was down and weak with the flu. Silly me… I never thought they would hit a person when they're down.

Disclaimer: The characters involved are the product of a company that uses a mouse as their mascot.

Feverish

While sneaking up behind Drakken, Ron started to wonder just how many times he and Kim had been in this particular lair, stopping the so-called Scientist and his surly sidekick Shego. The slap on his left ear from a small pink paw drew him out of his ruminations, and back to the task at hand.

"Thanks Buddy." Ron whispered to Rufus, who just crossed his arms across his chest, giving him a look that looked oddly not unlike the same kind of look Kim would give him at times.

Peering around the piece of electronic equipment that currently hid his position, Ron saw the back of his target. He set Rufus down so the little guy could disable the weapon that Drakken was preparing to fire at his girlfriend while she was busy tussling with Shego. But first, Ron had to distract Drakken, so Rufus could do his job.

Just as Ron stepped out from behind the piece of equipment he had been hiding behind, his foot caught on an unseen cord, and the blond boy fell unceremoniously onto his face with a smack.

Drakken whirled around and saw Ron trying to pull his foot from the cord that had somehow wrapped around his ankle.

"So… the buffoon tried to sneak up on me, eh?" He started to look around the base of his newest laser weapon. "So that means the pink weasel has to somewhere as well."

"Hey!" Rufus piped up, and immediately realized that he had just given away his position, which was just beyond the base of the weapon, behind a junction box.

While trying to extricate himself from the offending heavy cord, Ron saw Drakken clumsily try to reach for Rufus, but miss. He then heard a familiar voice yell out from the floor beneath them.

"Drakken! Aren't you watching? Ugh… Fire!"

Immediately the blue scientist straightened back up and took hold of the two control handles, and pointed the now glowing tip down at the floor.

A number of things then happened all in just a matter of seconds. Ron finally freed himself from the cord and leaped at Drakken, who saw Ron coming at him out of the corner of his eye. While trying to step out of the way of the flying tackle, Drakken was able to squeeze the trigger, but not before the weapon turned slightly. And just after the weapon had fired, sparks and smoke began to erupt from the base. Rufus then scampered out of a small access panel on the side with a look of triumph on his slightly singed and oily face.

It was then that Ron heard the one voice he knew better than his own, but it wasn't at all what he wanted to hear.

"Auuuuuuggghhh!" And then he heard a thump, and Ron knew exactly what had happened. He had failed.

"Kiiiiiiiiim!" Ron yelled and literally flung himself off the 10-foot high platform that overlooked the main floor of the lair. He landed in a crouch on his feet, and both Drakken and Shego could have sworn they felt the entire lair shudder with his landing.

In a matter of seconds Ron was at Kim's side, and she was lying on her stomach. Ron gently rolled Kim to her back, and gasped when he saw her face. It was pale, and her lips were gradually turning blue. Quickly he scanned her body and saw no damage of any kind.

"No Kim…" He said and then cradled her head in his lap as he sat on the cold cement floor. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER DRAKKEN!"

The evil blue scientist was in the middle of his 'Happy Dance' when Ron's bellow reached his ears. He immediately stopped what he was doing, and leaned over the railing with a smug look on his face.

"I literally took her life from her, Buffoon! This ray sucks the life-force from whatever it hits, and I was going to do the same to you before your sunburned rat destroyed my weapon! But now I see that probably won't be necessary." Drakken could see the tears streaming down Ron's cheeks.

"Ron…"

With tear stained cheeks, Ron looked down at Kim and took hold of her hand, holding it next to his heart. Her eyes were almost completely shut, and her lips were barely moving.

"Don't say anything Kim… save your strength." He said with tears in his brown eyes. "I'm right here with you. I'll always be with you, no matter what. I… I'm sorry I didn't stop Drakken in time." He squeezed her hand a little harder, and Ron could feel the weak grip of Kim as she tried to squeeze back.

"So… not your… fault." Ron heard, but barely. "I'm… not gonna… make it. This time… it's not… p… possible. I… love you… Ronnie."

With her last words, Kim went completely limp in his arms, and he heard her last breath escape from her lips.

Ron closed his eyes tight while trying to hold back his sorrow. Sorrow at losing his best friend, sorrow at losing the love of his life, yet most of all… sorrow at not being able to raise a family with Kim.

"It's over." He said to no one, but his words were heard by two others that were walking away from him.

"Of course it's over, Buffoon…" He heard Drakken say, "So we're out of here. C'mon Shego. It's Friday, and I feel like Karaoke."

"No." Ron's voice was hoarse, yet filled with determination. "It's over for you."

Before Shego or Drakken could take another step towards the door, Ron was in front of the two of them in a flash. Villain and sidekick tried to voice their surprise, but it was cut off when a strong hand was suddenly clenched around each of their throats.

Two pairs of feet were lifted off the floor, yet no sound was heard from either victim. After two distinctive snaps were heard, two lumps fell to the floor… One green and black, the other blue.

Ron then went back to Kim's side, and he saw Rufus solemnly standing next to Kim's shoulder. His eyes were closed, yet Ron could see tears falling from the eyes of the little guy. He too then kneeled down and let his grief pour out like a fountain.

…x x x x…

When Ron finally started to open his eyes, he found that his lids felt like a 20-pound weight was holding them down. He also noticed that he was now lying on a soft bed. It took him a few seconds to realize that the wetness on his cheeks, and the sounds of soft crying was not coming from him, but from someone else.

Still trying to open his eyes, Ron then felt something else. A small, yet strong hand was gripping his own. He tried even harder to will his eyes to open so he could see what was going on, but he felt… weak. So very weak.

The voice of an angel then wafted through the air, and filled his ears.

"Ronnie… Don't you dare leave me. I'm right here with you. I'll always be with you, no matter what."

With no less than a Herculean effort, Ron was able say a name that he thought he would never say again, let alone hear her voice again. "Kim…"

"Ron?" The voice was now louder, and seemed to be more intense. "Ronnie? D… did you say something?"

"KP…" This time it didn't take quite as much strength as before, and Ron was actually able to open his eyes just enough to see two, no three things that he immediately recognized… Two green eyes that thought he would never see again, and red hair that he thought he would never feel or smell again.

"Am I in heaven?" Ron croaked with slight bewilderment in his voice. "For I am surely looking at an angel."

He cringed when her voice rose in both volume and intensity. "Mom! Dr. Carlson! Ron's awake! My Ronnie's awake!"

Two more people quickly entered the room and Ron could immediately feel their presence. One was decidedly familiar, and the other he didn't know.

Turning his head with some effort, Ron saw another redhead that he immediately recognized with bright blue eyes. "And there's angel number 2."

"You gave us quite a scare Ronald." The second vision said as Ron started to blink more, so he could at least see more detail. "This new flu strain really took a toll on you. That 'Stoppable Fortress of Immunity' may be tough, but when it's finally breached, that fortress can fall like a house of cards. I'm just glad your fever finally broke.

"He's out of the woods now Kimmie. It may take a few days, but your Ronnie will be back as strong as ever."

…x x x x…

In a lair not very far from the hospital Ron was recuperating in, a villain and his sidekick were waking up, each of them stretching and rubbing their necks.

"Man Shego… I've never woken up before with my neck so sore. I really must have slept funny."

"Me too Dr. D." Shego said as she applied warming heat to her neck from her hands. "Me too."

The end…


Maybe not the best 'Twist and Spin"… And the basic idea was taken from an old Twilight Zone episode… But I hope y'all enjoyed it.