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Of Two Minds, Chapter 1
Kim was almost bouncing off the walls with excitement. Today would be exactly three and a half months that Ron had officially been her boyfriend. Three spanking months had passed and there was no way in hell the passion was going to burn out any time soon. The first two months had passed awkwardly, the shy glances, the fumbling touches and the more than accidental brushes up against each other. The kisses had felt more like chaste pecks between friends, and it felt like not much had changed.
Then just last month, it was as though a switch has been thrown inside Ron which transformed him into a still awkward, but almost debonair version of Ron Stoppable, which she jokingly referred to as "Ron Step-Uppable". Of course the trigger had been Kim and her own desires, but she had let him know in no uncertain terms what she wanted, and how she wanted it. The touches became caresses, the kisses deepened, and the passion burned.
Kim was enjoying the benefits of a loving boyfriend, to say the least.
While she had shared most of the intimate details with her best gal-pal, Monique, who was certainly quivering with anticipation for the latest updates, Kim was really looking forward to going back to school during their senior year and walking through those front doors proudly, holding onto Ron's arm. Ron might not be golden in Bonnie's books, but one look at her gorgeous yet goofy partner said it all: Ron had redefined the word 'golden'.
She walked over to her bedside table and picked up a clear plastic photo frame, sitting innocently on her nightstand. It showed a picture of Ron standing behind her, holding her in his arms and nuzzling his cheek against her fiery red hair, looking lovingly at her, while she was looking straight at the camera, smiling happily, holding his hands and leaning back against her long time pillar of support. It had been taken just over a month and a half prior and she looked so happy, so carefree as though all's right in the world.
All's right in the world...
No... The thought suddenly sprang to her mind, unbidden, unwanted. "Things will never be right in the world..." she whispered, her mind trying to draw her attention away from the picture and the happiness it immortalized. "I'm sorry... I didn't want it to turn out like this…" Kim whispered as her finger slowly traced the smile she bore. Blinking hard, she tried to focus on Ron's loving face, trying to banish away the convoluted mess of fear, anger and guilt gripping her heart.
She clutched at the precious picture in her hand, before a familiar but still strange tingling sensation ran down her arms to her hands. To her horror, both her hands erupted into a bright green flame. While her hands felt strangely cold and untouched by the roiling plasma, the plastic frame she had been holding had already melted into an unrecognizable, charred lump of goo. The green flames continued to lick hungrily at the picture, causing it to bubble and pop as her smile in the picture became distended and distorted into a grotesque caricature before burning into ash. With a scream, she dropped the remains back onto the table, as she stumbled backwards. And just as quickly as the green flames had burst forth, they had receded again leaving behind a scared and hysterical girl.
"Oh no! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'msorryimsorry..." she cried, the apologies spewing forth from her in one long word with each breath she took.
She brought her hands to her face and scrubbed angrily at her tear streaked face. "I didn't mean to! It was all an accident, I swear! Why can't you forgive me?" she screamed at her hands frantically, as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. The acrid stench of burnt plastic nose, the fumes stinging her eyes as she coughed violently, fumbling at the door handle and finally dashing out in panic.
She stumbled around blindly, with no clear direction before finding herself in the living room where she found the downstairs phone. Fumbling with it for several agonizing second, she finally managed to make her hands work and dialed that one number she knew without thought with shaking fingers. The dial tone ended with a click and she heard the lonely ring on the other end. "Please... Please... Pick up..." she begged to the ether, her heart thudding in her ears before leaping out of her chest in relief when she heard the other end pick up.
"Hello?" a cheery voice greeted her.
"Ron..." she mournfully called out to him in a cracking voice. "Is tha-... Oh, God, Ron... You're there, right?"
"I'm right here, promise, KP... Wassup?" Ron greeted, concern edging into his voice slightly.
"Ron..." Kim finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh, God, I just wanted to hear your voice..."
"You okay, Kim?" Ron asked, his voice changed from mild concern to outright worry in a heartbeat.
"I'm..." Kim gulped as she struggled to quell the unease within her. "It happened again..."
"KP? Are you okay?" the unanswered question weighed in heavily on his mind. Ron quickly continued, "Hang in there, KP. I'll be over in five..."
"Hold up, Ron..." Kim smiled wryly at the concern her boyfriend was showing. "It's okay... I'll be fine... I just needed to hear your voice..."
"KP... Are you sure?" he waited as Kim took several deep breaths, then grunted affirmatively into her end of the phone. "Kim... Just remember what Doc Bonner said," Ron spoke seriously. "Whatever happened… It's not your fault, trust me... I believe that, your mom and dad believes that, the world believes that… Even Drakken believes that, and you know how he felt about Sheg-..."
"But it's my fault that Shego died" Kim cried out in frustrated self-deprecation. "If she hadn't shoved me out of the way... Hadn't saved me..."
"Hey now," Ron grumped firmly, "Shego knew what she was doing when she saved you..." Ron explained, his tone still firm, but understanding, "She understood what could happen... She gave her life for you, so that you could live, and if she wanted to do such a thing, she wouldn't want you blaming her for her death…"
"But… I feel like she's accusing me…" Kim cried, closing her eyes tightly and hanging her head in guilt, "I mean I don't understand… Why did she give me her powers? Why did she have to give me her powers before she died? It's like… She blames me and she's haunting me… She wants to remind me that I'm the reason she's dead!"
"Kim… Calm down!" Ron spoke sternly into the phone. "Shego may be evil, but she's not that kind of person! She wouldn't hold a grudge against you, she's a proud person, remember? She'd roll over in her grave and laugh at you if she knew you thought you were the reason she died… If she saw you beating yourself up like this, she'd have a good laugh."
"I know..." Ron's last comment drew small laugh from her lips despite her inner turmoil. "I just wish I could believe that..."
"Hey, KP," Ron said. "Maybe I should head over to your place now..."
"Nah, it's okay..." Kim reassured him as she drew a deep breath.
"Are you sure?"
Kim steeled herself as she tried to clear her head, "It's nothing much, really... I think it's passed... Besides, you need to help your parents clean out the garage. Besides, you're taking me out to the Upperton-Middleton Biennial Carnival later, right?"
"Right," Ron broke out into a wide smile. "Gotta look forward to it, Kim... Brings back all the good memories, the Devastator, the Devil's Gorge, the Thundering Cyclone, the..."
"I had something else in mind," Kim suggested with a growing smile on her face. "After all, we're now going as boyfriend and girlfriend..."
"Like what?"
"Oh you know... The Ferris wheel, the Funhouse, the Tunnel of Love..." Kim grinned as she could imagine the look on her boyfriend's face.
"T... T... Tunnel of love?" Ron stammered.
"Uh huh, BFBF..." Kim smiled. "It's dark, quiet and nobody can see us..." Kim nearly broke out in giggles as she heard her boyfriend drew in a sharp breath. "And that's why you should finish your chores and get over here as quickly as possible... Maybe we'll have time to go on the Tunnel of Love a few more times... I do need my daily dose of Ronshine..."
Ron coughed and spluttered as he gasped for a response. "R... Right, KP..." Ron gulped. "Chores now... Ronshine later..."
"See you later, Ron," Kim teased as she made a little puckering sound.
"R... Right..." Ron replied. "Later... KP... Right... Chores..."
Kim smiled to herself as she let out a small sigh. She gingerly placed the phone back down, and went back up to her room. Her nerves still felt a little raw, but at least this time she felt she could at least make it through the day. She had some Ronshine to look forward to.
She glanced nervously at the clock, which had only just ticked past 2:15pm. Kim rubbed her eyes as she yawned loudly. Although she had finally overcome her sometimes days long bouts of insomnia, she was still getting tired more easily than before, falling asleep before her regular hours. She wrote it off as the ever-lengthening days and the extra dose of sunlight keeping her awake, her month-long fall into a deep depression, and her almost physical need to stimulate her mind in some way or another. But at two in the afternoon? Maybe she just needed an afternoon nap...
She slowly walked back to her room, and her eyes fell upon the charred remains of her photo frame. Sighing sadly, she gingerly scooped it up and threw it into the wastepaper basket by her desk, before throwing open the windows to get rid of the stench of burnt plastic. Content that everything looked like it had more or less returned to normal, she walked towards her bed.
Kim slumped down on her bed and grabbed her sleeping companion, a Pandaroo Cuddlebuddy she had named "Pandy" as a child. Inhaling loudly, she snuggled against it, immediately thinking of Ron, which chased away her depression as his presence or thinking of him had in the last few months. She smiled as she look at her little plush buddy, and spoke to it, "Sorry I haven't been paying you much attention. It's just Ron is very fun to snuggle up with too... But I do miss you..." Kim giggled, as she felt the heat of the afternoon sun stream through her windows onto her bed. Basking in the warmth, she stretched out lazily, kicking some of her sheets off the bed, and murmured to herself, "Maybe just a little nap..."
The ringing of the phone jarred her slumbering mind. Groaning tiredly, she pushed herself to an upright position before rubbing her eyes. She felt something was wrong, the windows were wide open, the cool night air was streaming into her room in gentle puffs, and the streetlights were...
"Oh no!" Kim jumped out of bed. "What time is it? What time is it?" she wailed in panic, as she grabbed the alarm clock on her bedside table. "Oh, dammit! It's almost eleven o'clock? Ron, oh, goddammit... Ron... I'm so sorry, I'm sorry..." she muttered to herself over and over again.
She jumped out of her bed and raced downstairs to the ringing phone, blasting into the living room and picking it up on the tenth ring. "Hello?" Kim answered, as she furtively shot a glance around the house, while rubbing her eyes.
"Hey, KP, it's me..." Ron's voice sounded through the receiver.
"Oh, Ron," Kim gasped in panic. "Ron, I'm so sorry... I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know what happened to me today, I was all tired and everything, and I closed my eyes for a bit..."
"Hey, hey, KP, calm down..." Ron's chuckle lifted her spirits a bit. "It's okay. Like you always say it's no big."
"But it is big!" Kim half-shouted, as she tugged at her hair by the roots. "We've been together for three months, and I know you've been really looking forward to this, and I just messed it up... Ron, I'm sorry... I really love you and I don't want you to take this the wrong way or think that I'm blowing you off, but at least let me make it up to you..."
"Nah, KP," Ron replied brightly. "Like I said, it's no big. Besides, accidents do happen, right? If anything, all it takes is a little bleach and the stain will come right out..."
"Right, Ron," Kim breathed a sigh of relief, before the alarm bells went off in her head again. "Wait, what stain?"
"You know, the chili dog stain on my shirt," Ron replied slowly. "Gee, KP, you must be so tired you completely forgot."
"What are you talking about?" Kim asked.
"You know... You, me, carnival, today, chili dogs?" Ron hinted. "Any of that ring a bell?"
"Ahh... Ron..." Kim gulped. "But I didn't go to the carnival with you! That's what I was trying to tell you, I overslept."
There was silence on the other end of the line. "Haha, very funny, KP," Ron laughed. "Nice one... If you overslept, then who was this badical smokin' hot girlfriend I was having fun with the whole time?"
"Ron..." Kim's voice turned deadly serious, as her eyes flashed green with pure, unadulterated jealousy for a moment. "It certainly wasn't me."
"But KP," Ron pointed out. "It certainly was you. I don't know what you are talking about. We had a great and memorable date. We even took a couple of pictures together during some of the rides."
"I don't remember any of that!" Kim wailed in panic. "What the Hell are you talking about?"
"Are you sure you don't remember any of that? Riding the Devastator, chilling out at the Bueno Nacho stand, making out in the Ferris wheel? Twice, I might add. Y'know KP, if I didn't know any better, you were really into this evening..." Ron's voice now had a distinctive hint of mischief to it, before he dropped to a more serious tone. "But KP, seriously... I'm still not sure if we should move that fast... I mean, at your house or mine, with the parents out, yeah, but... Shouldn't we wait a little longer before you handle the goods that publicly?"
"Ronald Francis Stoppable!" Kim screeched through the earpiece loudly enough that it would have made Ron proud that she hit the high notes in a different scenario, "What are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke? I was nowhere near the carnival! Are you angry at me just because I overslept and forgot about it? You didn't have to go so far to make up the story of me handling your 'goods' on the Ferris wheel, mister!"
"I... I..." Ron stammered. "But KP... I was with you the whole time. It was exactly like we'd planned. I'd picked you up at your place at five, and we went to the carnival until nine. We even saw the closing fireworks..."
"Oh god, no, no..." Kim moaned as she struggled to wrap her mind around things. "That wasn't me! I was sleeping in my room..." She rubbed her temples with her left hand before sweeping her locks out of her face, but stopped suddenly when she noticed something written on her left palm. In a clear black permanent marker, someone had scrawled:
Hello, Princess. I'm back!
The blood in her face drained away immediately. "Ron," Kim spoke slowly in wide-eyed fear, as she couldn't take her eyes off the message on her hand. "Ron... You better come over quick..."
"Why? What's wrong?" Ron immediately grew serious.
"Come over, now!" the fear in Kim's voice was evident, as she hissed urgently. "I need you... My parents are on a couples' retreat, and the twins are at camp, so no one's here and I'm alone and scared..."
"Over in five," Ron replied, before the line went dead.
Kim carefully set down the phone before casting a searching look across the room. She walked over to the fireplace and gingerly picked up the poker, all at the same time keeping a watchful eye. Holding the weapon up in her hands, she gingerly backed herself into a corner and for the first time in her life, she began praying.
Ron's house was only five minutes away, but that was the longest five minutes in her life. Kim slowly counted down the seconds, as she gently eased her fingers on the comforting steel handle of a log poker."C'mon, Ron, c'mon... Hurry up, please, please hurry, Ron..." she continued in that vein, holding onto the small comfort Ron's name gave her like a mantra as her eyes darted around the living room. She flinched at every motion, and she kept a watchful eye on the shadows, praying that she was just dreaming.
The loud bangs on the front door gave her a mild myocardial infarction. Gripping her chest in a feeble attempt to slow her pounding heart, she leaped over the coffee table and scrambled to the front door. Throwing it open and seeing her boyfriend standing at her doorstep, she threw her arms around his chest and squeezed him tight, before choking out, "Ron!"
"Hey, KP," Ron comforted her, as he rubbed her back in a slow circular motion. "What's wrong?"
"Ron..." Kim whispered into his ear without letting go of his comforting warmth. "I think Shego's back..."
Ron stiffened up for a moment, before leading his panic-stricken girlfriend into the living room. Settling down on the couch, Kim glanced around the house for a moment, before finally breathing a sigh of relief. Ron sat and immediately put his arm around Kim's shoulder, comforting the panic stricken red-head as best he could.
"Ron... Is something wrong with me?" Kim whispered nervously. "I don't know... Recently, I've been having dreams of Shego... And not just when I'm asleep... It's like she's there... Spying over my shoulder..."
"Kim..." Ron sighed. "We've been over this... Shego's dead... You saw her die yourself. She shoved you out from under that falling chunk of rock and took the brunt..." he pulled her close as her shoulders quivered with withheld tears, whispering into her ear as he continued. "You tried to resuscitate her but there was nothing anyone could've done... She's gone..."
"She didn't have to... She shouldn't have!" Kim raised her voice frantically. "I killed her! If I... If I had paid attention, she... She..." a small sob escaped her lips. "I killed her... I wasn't paying attention, Ron! She stepped in and saved me, but she died, and I..." Kim collapsed into Ron's lap, body wracking sobs issuing from her huddled body as she continued.
"Don't cry," Ron gently stroked his girlfriend's hair as she cried into his lap. "It's not your fault. It was an accident. Everyone, even Drakken agrees that it was not your fault..."
"Her own family blames me, Ron! Hego said himself tha-..." she started angrily, but a finger against her lips silenced her angry grating in mid word.
"Kim," Ron said softly, "Hego's an idiot, okay? It's just his way with dealing with his grief… It's just... Okay, Shego was tough... But it was a freak accident..." He paused and waited for Kim to nod in understanding, "Besides, if you can blame yourself, you could just as easily blame Drakken who allowed it to happen by building a lair on a fault line!"
"I know she's gone... But I still feel like she's around... Like she's blaming me for her death... I can't explain it... But I'm sure she's around," Kim looked up at Ron sadly. "It's... Here," she held out her palm and showed him her palm, "Look..."
Ron's brow furrowed with worry. "Kim... Is this some sort of prank?" he asked. "Did you... No, did someone play a trick on you?"
"No!" she snapped near hysterically, "Besides, Shego's the only one who called me Princess! And that's not my handwriting, Ron!" she paused and scrubbed at her tear-soaked eyes, "And what does she mean that she's back?" Kim exclaimed frantically. "What if this was some sort of plot to get me? What if Shego's still alive? And that girl that you went to carnival with, what if it was Shego? Or Shego disguised to look like me?"
"Kim, Kim, you might be over-thinking things," Ron tried to explain slowly. "You went to the carnival with me, I promise. I remember your cherry-flavored lipstick a lot, your favorite one. You're probably just tired after a whole evening of fun. C'mon, KP, let's go to your room. I'll call my parents and let them know I'll be staying with you tonight. I'm here for you, KP... It's going to be okay..."
"Thanks, Ron... I guess... Maybe you're right," Kim smiled weakly. "I'm so glad you're here."
"For you, anytime," Ron leaned down to give her a quick peck on the cheek, which Kim turned into, making it a full kiss. They briefly deepened the kiss before breaking away, both blushing at the intimacy they had shared with the kiss. Kim sighed, leaning heavily into his frame as they walked towards the stairs.
The both of them went upstairs to Kim's room, and Ron carefully tucked Kim into her bed, before giving her a loving kiss on the forehead. Making sure that she had Pandaroo safely in her arms, and that she was snug in bed, Ron whispered that he would call his mom to let her know that he'd be spending the night. She'd understand, Kim's parents had long ago said Ron can stay over just in case Kim had a nervous episode. Tiptoeing out of her room, Ron gingerly whispered goodnight, and went to give his mom a call.
Even though she knew that Ron was just downstairs, the dark of the night seem to grip her a little tighter, and her only source of comfort was the soft toy in her arms. She shut her eyes tight, hoping to quickly fall into a peaceful slumber, but the only thing she saw was the evil pale-green visage of a villainess, maniacally cackling her triumph all the way from beyond the grave.
Author's Notes
Well, here's my answer to the KPSlashHaven challenge "Body and Minds"... This is being pretty much fully co-authored by NoobFish and I, thus the posting under our dual account. As will be obvious in coming chapters, I've taken a couple of very small liberties with the original tangent (my apologies ahead of time to Zearth, as he seemed a bit hyper about keeping true to the original challenge! :P ), but it's over 95 true to the original challenge.
Anyway, something unique here, eh? Shego's dead, after saving Kim? Somehow, Kim can use Shego's glow as her own, or at least manifest it, and mentioned Shego passing it on to her. And yet Shego's still around, apparently, and taunting Kim... Or is she?
And what about Ron? This is definitely not the Ron we saw in season four. Then again, he's had to step up a lot to try and keep Kim sane and safe with her flashbacks and flare ups from Shego's powers... And he's done it without a trip to Yamanouchi or becoming a Super Saiyajin... A refreshing change, I hope.
As always, thanks to NoobFish for co-author and beta duties. I'd suck ass without his help and smacking some sense into my sleep deprived mind. Hope you enjoyed chapter one and that you're looking forward to more!