Chapter 3 [Two Weeks Later

Despite Rick's protestations to the contrary, things were definitely changing for Team Possible. Granted, he was a more than adequate third hand, holding his own against goons sent out by Drakken, Dementor not to mention Monkey Fist's monkey ninjas. As GJ had hoped, he stabilized things and provided some guidance on protocol to the teens.

In addition, however, Rick and Kim spent a lot of time together. They rode around town in his Lexus. They ate lunch outside and spent more time hanging out at coffee shops in Upperton than at Bueno Nacho with Ron and Rufus.

She was definitely smitten with Rick, giving him latitude and decision-making calls on missions.

Ron definitely noticed all of these things. His screw ups, while still fulfilling the sabotage quota, were bordering on the ridiculous (even by his own standards). On one mission, he pulled a couple of wires, thinking that he was shutting down Dementor's atomic destabilizer and blew the lab up instead.

GJ needed a day of concentrated clean up to deal with the potential environmental fallout on that caper.

On another front, did they know what a fallout their new agent was causing?

Or did anyone other than Ron really care?

[The Tree House

Ron sulked in the tree house, trying to deal with Kim and Rick's developing connection. Granted, he'd hung out with Felix and Monique who tried to keep his spirits up but no avail. Even Wade had ventured out of his room to do a Bueno Nacho meal with him. Despite all of this, he felt left out and cast adrift on life's ocean. He glanced at Rufus who studied him with concern in return. "Ever feel like there's a new loop formed and you aren't in it?"

Even though that hadn't happened to him, the mole rat could see what the sitch's effects on his human were. He just silently listened.

"Man's gotta have his place, you know," Ron continued rambling while pouring some tortilla chips into a large bowl. "Even if it's just for us." He sighed, recalling the whole Kim/Rick 'Jinx Fest' (or Farce). Seeing the two of them making the cutsie jokes and such made him feel so ill that he left another pizza for the others and abruptly left the table to head up there. Creep horns in on the team and KP! Wish he'd go back under his rock and be done with it! He opened the photo album and surveyed the pictographic progression of his friendship with Kim from pre-K to the present through her braces, his nightmare at Camp Wannaweep and the photos taken by the grateful people they'd helped over the last few years.

"I thought I'd mean more to her than this, Rufus, you know?" he sighed.

"Aww," his tiny friend reassured him, knowing how much pain his friend was in.

Ron stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth absently. Granted, his mother would kill him if she found out but he didn't really care at that point. He simply flipped through the album before stopping at the most recent photos of the Nakasumi standoff taken from the Denver paper that morning. Granted one had him and Kim together. The other however showed him in his classic boxer-sans-pants pose. I am SO SICK of that crap! He slammed the album shut and stewed in his juices.

He sat back and recalled Sensei's advice to him. Stoppable San, you must learn to be more careful with your clothes. A snake that sheds its skin during battle is fated to lose more times than not.

"No wonder everyone thinks I'm the stupid clown!" he groused. Then he heard a sound coming up the ladder. Grabbing the slingshot, he warned, "I have a weapon!"

"Ron, put the slingshot away already," Kim advised patiently while climbing the ladder and pulling herself through the entry hole into the tree house. "I had to rescue you the last time you used that, remember?"

"Oh sure. Bring that up," he retorted crossly while setting down the weapon on the table.

"Ron, what is with you?" she asked in exasperation. "You've had this big chip on your shoulder for like the last two weeks! Get your head in the game!"

"Get my…." He stared at her incredulously. "I'd say the same thing, KP! You've fallen all over this Rick guy since GJ assigned him to us. We are a team. You and me! Okay?" He pulled out the album and opened it back up.

She fished over the pictures, not getting his point. "Ron, this is all well and good. We're still a team and best friends. Rick isn't changing that for us."

"Are you kidding?" He jumped out off of the sofa. "HE'S CHANGED EVERYTHING!"

"Excuse me, Ron? I would think you'd be happy I met someone! Is there anything wrong with that?" she argued.

"You met me twelve years ago!" he snapped, slipping in his frustration.

"Ron, you're great to hang around with and all but…." She frowned and looked him over with sad eyes. "We can't be like that…." She picked the album up and considered it for another minute before shutting it and setting it back down on the end table. "This isn't Pre-K anymore. Time to grow up."

Rufus stared at her, not believing his ears.

The words cut Ron deeply. "Yeah, I guess."

Not understanding how bad the situation truly was getting, she continued on, "Anyhow, Rick and I are going for a walk. I wanted to check on you first and make sure you're okay. When you took off on us earlier, everyone was concerned. Hope you're feeling better. See you in school tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure," he managed to answer, somehow keeping his feelings masked from her. "Enjoy the walk."

"Thanks," she expressed while climbing down the ladder again.

Ron clenched his teeth, feeling his anger and jealousy cascading across his consciousness. "Rick this! Rick that! Rick! Rick! RICK!" He headed for the exit hole.

Before he was left behind, Rufus skittered across the floor and managed to hop into the familiar pants pocket.

While Ron normally didn't like to snoop on other people, he needed to know what the sitch really was…..

[Sidewalk about fifty yards away

Rick waited patiently out by the street for Kim and Ron to have their discussion/talk/argument/whatever. While he had told himself in the beginning that he would keep his relationship with Kim professional, he couldn't help falling head over heels for her. He also recognized Ron's desire to be more than her best friend. If he wanted that, why didn't he ask her? She says it's just that. She would know. Right? And then he winced, thinking how close Dr. Director had come to pulling him out of Middleton altogether. At least I can stay here and I don't have to worry about the handler crap anymore!

"Hi," Kim greeted while walking over.

"Hi yourself," he replied while seeing her heavy expression. "Ow. That didn't go well. You and Ron talked, right?"

"Yeah. It's no big," she dismissed his concern. "I told him what's going on between us won't affect my friendship with him."

"Actually it already has, Kim," he pointed out glumly.

Her eyes narrowed. "WHAT? He hasn't embarrassed you or anything at school, has he?"

Rick shook his head. "Actually Ron's been super cool about this. All things considered, Kim, he's a real friend to both of us." He bowed his head. "It isn't just him. Actually it's Dr. Director and GJ. She's pulled me as your handler."

"No! You can't leave now!" she protested. "You were so spanking on those missions!"

He shook his head. "I've become too emotionally attached to you." He smiled. "Not that it's a bad thing, mind you. However, to Dr. Director, she wants someone to be neutral. I made a deal with her. I withdrew myself as handler if she'd let me stay here and on the team. I don't want to leave now, Kim."

She smiled with relief. "I don't want you to go, Rick, either." She ran her hand across his right cheek and let her eyes shine softly in the moonlight.

"Glad to hear that." He took a deep breath. "So, Kim, given that I'm sticking around, I'm still going to need a date for the Prom. Wanna go with?"

She grinned. "YES!" She drew him close and planted a warm kiss on his mouth.

For the next two minutes, they kept this up being accentuated in the moonlight's gentle glow.

When they came up for air, he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Guess I'd better get myself a tux, huh?"

"Guess you'd better," she agreed.

He took her hand and they started back toward her house, feeling glad that everything had been resolved for the better.

Unbeknownst to the happy couple, Ron saw the whole thing from behind the bushes. His eyes watered sadly. "Should've seen that one coming!" He slumped to the ground and buried his face in his hands lest the world see his miserable tears.

"Sowwy," Rufus expressed sympathetically.

"Yeah I can count on you, Buddy," he sniffled while wiping his eyes off. "As if I'm going to find a date now with a week before the Prom?" He got up and glanced back toward the Possibles' house knowing that everyone would be happy for Kim and Rick. Then he headed back toward his own house. With his parents gone on another trip, he'd be able to sulk and deal with his pain in solitude which was fine with him.