Blue Eyes, Shining 9: Reality Happens
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. The original lyrics to the songs referenced in this story and the music are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time).
This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.
Enjoy! Please read and review.
A/N Forward:
It's the last month of the school year for Middleton School system students, and the last year at Middleton High School for the seniors, so forgive them if their minds wander this last month.
Chapter 1 was the guys (Ron, Felix, Mike, and Chip).
Chapter 2 was the ladies (Kim, Monique, Justine, Sarah, and Bonnie).
Chapter 3 is about the ones who aren't graduating this year, or who have already graduated, some multiple times:
Why:
Wade isn't smiling,
Jocelyn is battle-ready,
Slim is angry,
Betty is worried,
Arnold is anxious,
Rebecca Jane is antsy,
Warhok is coming, with Warmonga, to Earth,
Joss' friends, Becky and Jennifer, are ready to beat their friend Joss' head into the ground with a baseball bat, and Stephen and Fletcher are worried, and
Nana is happy that she had a lousy date.
None of these folks are graduating from high school this year, but their lives are all impacted by Graduation.
Thanks in advance for reading, and please review.
- - - - - - -
Chapter 3 – 04/30: the end is coming, y'all….
- - - - - - -
Wade was a basket case, and he had no one to talk to about it.
He wanted to talk to Kim, but she was pre-occupied with getting her Mom back and Graduation.
He wanted to talk to Ron, but he was in worse shape than Kim: he still didn't know about his acceptance letter from MIST (Wade had confirmed his acceptance, but had been sworn to secrecy by the Dean of Admissions).
He wanted to talk to Joss, but she had left him the note.
'I've lost Jocelyn, forever. She won't return my calls, she won't talk to me, she won't even talk to her Dad about it,' he thought as he sat at his master console and spilled tears on his virtual keyboards.
Wade pulled out the note with 15 letters on it and stared, trying to pull the meaning from it so he could discern its meaning:
NEVER
AGAIN;
AGGIE!
He picked up the box that held Joss' promise ring, returned on his pillow the first night he'd returned home after getting Kim's mom back.
He remembered that night vividly: he'd gained and lost so much that night….
-----
"Sarah, it's 2:55 in the morning, and your parents aren't expecting you. Stay in one of our guest rooms, and go home in the morning: you need the sleep," Wade had pushed Sarah into his house, and she was so tired and drained that she didn't object.
"Here," he pushed/led her to the guest room nearest his and took her travel bag. He opened it and pulled out her sleeping wear, handing it to her as she sat on the bed, almost asleep. He knelt down and untied her mission boots, pulling them and her socks off her feet.
"Thanks, Wade," Sarah stood shakily and removed her shirt and pants, leaving her bra and panties on and pulling the gown over her head. "I think I'll sleep, now," and she fell back onto the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
Wade leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Good night, hero," he whispered, and he headed for his room with his stuff.
"It's about time," came from Wade-A, running in his room on the site management hardware.
"Glad to see you, too, Wade-A," Wade laughed as he scanned the email and PM logs for anything unique. He answered the ones that Wade-A had tagged for his action and he had changed into his pajamas when he heard a knock on his door.
"Come in," he called out, and Sarah came in, a major look of fear on her face.
'She changed out of the gown and into pajamas,' Wade noted, but the look on her face worried him.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" and she burst into tears as she ran into the room and grabbed Wade, hugging him tight.
'She took off her bra,' Wade noted as she hugged him. 'I always wondered if you slept in those things,' he thought, and he tried to pry her loose.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" he repeated.
"What's happening to me, Wade? I had a nightmare: Shego had clawed my stomach, and I woke up to this," she lifted the lower part of her pajama top to reveal glowing, green claw marks that were also oozing blood.
"Shego," he grinned and reached into his desk drawer and squeezed some specially-formulated antibiotic cream on his hands, rubbing them together, and, then, gently rubbing Sarah's stomach.
Her pained look immediately changed to comfort.
"Look at you, Mr. 'Magic Fingers,'" Sarah grinned as her tension decreased with each massage stroke.
"It's a reaction to Shego's plasma, Sarah: that's why the wound is glowing, but it'll go away after this is rubbed into the wound. I worked with the Wegos to get a sample of Shego's DNA after this first happened to Kim: you should have seen the look on her face when she called that night on the Kimmunicator," he laughed. "See? All gone," he pointed down, and Sarah looked at the wounds closing, neither glowing nor bleeding anymore.
"You're a miracle worker, Wade," Sarah smiled as she hugged him.
"Can I stay a bit, Wade? That nightmare with Shego has me spooked," she tried to use the PDP, but it didn't work, and Wade laughed.
"That was so sad, I have to let you stay so you don't make a fool of yourself, Sarah," and Wade pointed to his bed. Sarah plopped herself onto his bed, propping her chin with her hands as she looked over the end of the bed at Wade. "Besides, you, 'spooked,' Sarah: not a good look or color on you," Wade grinned, and Sarah had to think for a moment before she got it and laughed, a bit self-consciously, wondering if Wade was upset with her choice of words. His smile, though, told her she had nothing to fear, so she asked him her question.
"Wade, how do you do it? How do you and Kim and Ron do it, day in and day out?" She looked up at him in awe, and Wade was surprised.
"Do what, Sarah?"
"How do you deal with the freak fighting, Wade? Blue skin, green skin, synthodrones, crazed golfers: I'd heard about Shego from you and Kim and Ron and the news, but facing her, being tied up, and actually fighting her: well," Sarah grinned and frowned at the same time, "I was so scared, Wade," her voice barely above a whisper and quivering with some remaining bottled-up fear, "almost scared out of my pants when Shego was talking to me, teasing me, confronting me, I was sure I was going to make my underwear attempt metamorphosis," she added.
"'Underwear attempt metamorphosis?'" Wade asked, not clear on Sarah's comment, and Sarah replied with a smirk:
"Changes in the three C's, Wade: color, content, and texture, Wade," she laughed, and Wade laughed with her.
'Potty humor, from Sarah: now, I've seen everything. From Ron, I'd expect it, but not her,' he thought.
"How do you deal with the fear, Wade?"
"It's an 'acquired taste,' Sarah." Wade laughed. "After these past few years, nothing surprises me.
"Besides, you, talking about fear: that makes no sense, Sarah. After seeing what you did to Shego, Sarah, she's the one who should be having the nightmares," Wade replied, turning back to glance at his monitors, then facing her again. "You were awesome, Sarah; amazing: I never knew you were that good," Wade replied honestly, and Sarah blushed and felt so good.
'Wade told me I was awesome! Wow, that feels good: now I understand why Kim keeps working with him: he knows just what to say, all the time: I never realized that, before.'
"Personally," Wade continued, "I'm waiting for the alien invasion, next," he laughed: "That's the only thing we haven't had to deal with, yet."
"That makes sense for Kim, Wade, but what about you? You're not out in the field, so how do you deal with it?"
"Jocelyn, Sarah," Wade smiled as he looked at the poster of the two of them on his wall and the pictures of her in his room. "She got me out of my room, she got me past Stephanie, and she loves me, unconditionally. I couldn't ask for a better BFGF, Sarah, or a more wonderful and beautiful pre-fiancée."
"You're so lucky, Wade: you've got so much going for you, it's amazing."
"Me, Sarah? Look at you: you're drop-dead gorgeous, you have a wonderful BFBF of your own who would go to the Amazon to save you," they both laughed, and Lucky splashed in the corner fish tank, "you have your black belt, you have your admittance letter to MIST, you have your whole future ahead of you."
'He's never told me I'm gorgeous. He's growing up, Sarah,' she thought. "Like, you don't have a future, guy?" Sarah laughed as she stood up and walked over to Wade, taking his hand and guiding him to his feet.
Sarah took Wade's head in her hands and leaned forward, kissing him. Wade was a bit surprised, but he liked the way she felt, placing his arms around her and pulling him to her.
"Wade," Sarah finally spoke when their lips parted, "thank you, for everything. I owe you much, so very much, so much more than that, but that's all I can pay you. I know how you feel about Joss, and I don't want to get in the way of that."
"Sarah, for as much as you've done for me, I owe you so much I can't even begin to count it all."
"Wade, I do have a favor to ask, and it's a 'big.'" Sarah suddenly looked scared and worried, simultaneously.
"Sarah, for you, my friend: anything. What's the sitch?"
"Can I sleep in here, tonight? I'm scared of the nightmares," Sarah looked ashamed, lowering her head.
"Sarah," Wade lifted her face and wiped her tears away, "you have nothing more to fear, but yes, you can stay in here."
"Thanks, Wade," she leaned over and kissed him again. "You're a doll." And she bounded over to the bed and pulled the covers back, revealing –
"'Captain Constellation' sheets?" she giggled.
"Mom's idea of a joke and a 'welcome home,'" Wade grinned. He hadn't seen the sheets yet, but he'd expected them.
Sarah climbed into bed and snuggled in. She started talking about Drakken and Zorpox, what she wanted to do to Dr. D, and how she finally understood the way that Kim felt about both Ron and Zorpox. She told Wade how she felt about Chip, and she was comfortable doing it: she and Wade had shared everything for several years.
Wade sat back down and worked for a few minutes, listening and responding to Sarah's comments, then thought of something to ask -
"Sarah?" he turned around, and she was dead to the world, a smile on her face.
"Well, it shouldn't hurt to sleep in the same bed; after all, we did it before, when we were younger," he said to no one in particular as he set the alerts, placed the system in monitor mode, walked over to his bed, and climbed in. Sarah's arm was over on his side of the bed, so he moved it back, and it stayed. He leaned over to her and kissed her forehead, whispering, "Good night, hero," and he lay down and smiled as he fell asleep.
Neither of them realized that their arms moved: Sarah's to Wade's lower body, and Wade's to Sarah's breast, the gap in the front of her pajama top.
Neither of them knew what they were doing or what was happening, for they were both asleep, relaxed for the first time in weeks: if they had been awake, they would have both been embarrassed and pulled away, quickly, blushing. Neither, unfortunately, did they know that the second guest room had an occupant: Andrea Jocelyn Possible.
Joss woke up at 5:30 AM and decided to see if Wade had come back home: she needed some Wade-shine, really, really bad. It had been too long since she'd seen him, and she didn't know where he went.
She walked down the hall and opened the door to his room.
Her jaw dropped.
Wade's hand was cupped on one of Sarah Best's breasts, and Sarah's hand was cupped on Wade's – Wade.
She closed the door silently and walked slowly back to her room, grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote a 15-letter note, picked up her promise ring, and walked back to his room, tears streaming down her face as she placed the ring on the pillow between them and the note on Wade.
She went back to her room, dressed and packed, and left Rachel a note saying that she had to leave suddenly.
Joss walked out of the Load home and closed the front door.
"Goodbye, Wade," she whispered, her tears soaking her blouse. "I love you, but now I know how you feel, so I'll step out of the way," she sat on the porch and cried for 10 minutes, hugging herself tightly.
"You swore to me that you'd never leave me alone, Wade, like I was when Momma died, but I guess I shouldn't have believed you: everyone I've ever loved leaves me, except Daddy, and even he's getting married and leaving me for a new woman in his life," then stood and walked to the tube and triggered it, taking her to the airport and back home.
-----
Wade decided to call the one person that he thought Joss would talk to, and he hit the speed-dial button on his computer. The phone rang, and a smiling voice answered the phone.
"Hello, Battle residence."
"Mrs. Battle? This is Wade Load."
"Wade!" she exclaimed. "How are you doing, honey?"
"All right, I guess. May I speak to Jennifer, please and thank you?
"You've been around her too long," Mrs. Battle laughed as she covered the mouthpiece.
"Jennifer! Telephone for you," she called, and Wade heard the feet coming to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Jennifer?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"This is Wade, Jennifer."
"Hold on," she stated with more than a touch of venom in her voice.
"Mom? I'm taking this in my room, OK?"
Silence, and then Wade heard the door slam shut.
"Wade?" Jen's voice was neither kind nor caring. "What the hell did you do to Joss?"
"I DON'T KNOW, JEN!" and Wade's defenses all shattered as he broke down into tears.
"Jen," Wade whispered, just barely loud enough for Jen to hear over his tears, "I've lost my soul, Jen, my soulmate."
Jennifer Battle, in Montana, shed tears for her friends, now so-very-far apart.
-----
Samuel Clemens (Slim) Possible was working on the Tornado upgrade software at 3:10 in the morning because he couldn't sleep:
Sweet Tea, his baby girl, had come back from visiting Wade and stormed up to her room, slamming the loft shut. Slim was sure he could hear things being ripped in there, but he decided to wait for a bit.
When she came down for supper, he tried to talk to her, but she 'copped' one of her pre-Wade 'talk to the hand' motions and wouldn't talk to him.
She went on like this for hours, then days, and she was still like this now.
She wouldn't talk to him, and it scared him.
He called Betty, and she came up and tried to talk to Joss. All she got out of it was bawling and
"Dang hands!"
slamming hands into pillows, and
"I'm never speaking to him, ever again!"
slamming hands, once again, into pillows, and
"I hate him! I love him! I hate him! I love him! I hate him!"
flying pillows as they went around the room, some even down the loft stairs (Betty ducked several times), and
"Why did he have to do that?"
Betty came down from the loft in tears: her DTB (daughter-to-be) was hurting, and there was nothing she could do about it.
After she calmed down, she and Slim went into his study, and they called Wade on the secure connection.
When the link formed and Wade saw Slim and Betty, he burst into tears:
"I DON'T KNOW, Y'ALL! SHE WON'T TELL ME!" and he held up the ring in one hand and the note in the other.
Slim and Betty both knew that Wade loved Joss: so much so that, if necessary, he would, literally, give his life for their daughter. If he didn't know what had happened, this was a serious sitch, indeed.
"Ah'll find out what I kin, Wade. Ah believe you," came from Slim's mouth, and Wade's demeanor changed in an instant.
"Thank you, Slim," he smiled for the first time on the screen. "You know how I feel about your daughter, and it hasn't changed. I would never, knowingly, hurt her: I love her too much, Slim, but whatever it is must be my fault: I just wish I knew what I did so I could correct it, Slim," Wade's eyes teared up, but he regained control quickly. "We'll get through this, somehow," he continued. "Thanks for believing in me, in us, Slim," and Betty cut the connection.
"Do you remember it being this hard to grow up, Slim?"
"Not with Squirt in the house, Betty, not at all," and they hugged and cried the rest of that evening.
Slim shook his head sadly and returned to his work.
"Tornado, check email."
"Nothing for me, sir," Tornado replied. "I am happy that you were able to procure and install the upgraded 'Wilber' package, sir: that broadband dropping problem was a bit of a bother, especially when I was in multiple chat rooms and RPGs." Tornado paused, and then he spoke again.
"Sir, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"Why does Mistress Jocelyn cry, up in her room, and never come out of the house, except for school? My circuits have become accustomed to her presence, and her absence has been noted and analyzed for anomalies in our functions, but with no success.
"I, therefore, have to assume that there is something wrong with Mistress Jocelyn." Slim smiled: even Tornado knew that something was wrong.
"Ah wish ah knew, Tornado."
"Can you not access the information, sir?"
"No, ah can't and it vexes me so."
"And, now, you're reduced to imitating Drew Lipsky in your speech pattern, sir?"
"Ah hadn't noticed – wait: Tornado, are you trying to make a joke?"
"Obviously not very well, sir, if you had to ask.
"You are strange and complex individuals, sir."
"That we are, Tornado," and Slim continued his work.
-----
(Outside the orbit of Mars, on the far side of the sun from Earth)
"The first phase of the plan is complete, Warhok," Warmonga smiled at her commander.
"It was so simple: do they not yet have observation platforms in space?" Warhok mused, shaking his head.
"No advanced technology, and yet you allowed them to send you on a 'wild Blue chase?'" he laughed, shaking the walls of the command center.
"He said that he was on Pluto, Warhok!" she replied, once again; she hated it when he brought this up.
"And, had you ever heard of a planet with such a ridiculous name, Warmonga?" Warhok stood and yelled: "Did you even know where to go? How long did it take you to figure out where this place was, and then sit there, next to that tiny ice ball, waiting for the 'Great Blue?'"
"Nine kruklins, Commander," she said with a small voice for a Lowardian.
"Nine kruklins, you wasted, before you learned that you had had your snire pulled over your pu'like, Warmonga!" he laughed. "And, by these inferior beings! You would be a laughingstock," he lowered his voice and reached for her hand, pulling her up to face him, "if it were not that I loved you so much that I volunteered to remove this infestation and recover the reputations of our clans, Warmonga," he pulled her to him and kissed her, shaking the entire ship.
"So, Warmonga, when will you bring me those new Lowardians to extend my line?" he looked into her eyes as they separated.
"After we've eliminated this infestation, my lord, I shall bring you gralins of new Lowardians," she smiled as she took his hand and led him back to her quarters for some gralin-creation.
"I believe that that proposal will be acceptable, Warmonga," he said with a hint, a very small hint, of a smile as she pushed him through the door and he turned off the gravity in her quarters, allowing them to truly enjoy their gralin-creation in their favorite environment of zero-gee.
"Fly me to Xorlon!" Warmonga whispered as he removed her coverings.
"Your wish, my gra-lufu, shall be granted," Warhok grinned.
-----
Jennifer Battle was awake, and she had no idea why.
Maybe it was because the perfect couple weren't, anymore, she rolled over and looked at the picture of all six of them that Slim had taken, this spring, when it had gotten warm enough for her to produce her new swimsuit for Stephen. He's grasped his chest and let loose a howl like Jennifer had never heard before, all with a huge grin on his face.
She looked at him with a very perplexed look.
"Jen, you make that suit look sooo much better than it does on the models. Have you considered talking up a new career in modeling?"
The look on his face was totally honest, and she rewarded his honesty.
"A-HEM!"
"What, Joss? I can't get a little sample of my BFBF? What about all the times I've had to put up with you and Wade? Y'all, and your spit-swapping festivals, huh: what about those times?"
Joss looked at her BFGF, hands on her hips with her fists balled up and resting on them, and Joss could only do one thing:
"Guilty, as charged, Jen," Joss laughed as she hugged Wade. "At least we have some special guys in out lives." 'Or, some of you still do,' Joss thought sadly.
"Like, you have the corner on the market?" Becky Barlow asked as she hugged her BFBF, Fletcher Benge. They both recovered from their injuries from last year and were making it through school this year with flying colors, even working in their 'speaking engagements' with no impacts on their grades.
"I'm not complaining, Becky," Fletcher replied as he kissed her cheek. "I'm just glad we made it through last year; this year was a piece of cake. No shootings, no beat-downs, and some serious snuggling as a side benefit, to boot," he grinned as he tilted her head up and kissed Becky's lips.
Joss smiled as she listened to her friends. Fletcher had been against her, as had Becky, when they first found out about Wade, but they'd changed over the past year and the summer when he's been there for them. 'For all of us,' she thought, 'but not for me; it's all over, now,' she hated how she felt, but she couldn't get the image out of her mind.
"Joss, have you talked to him?" Fletcher asked, and Joss bristled.
"No, and I'm never talking to him, again!" she yelled.
"But, Jocelyn," he continued, and she relaxed a bit, "you're not giving him the chance that you gave me. If you could forgive me, why can't you forgive him?" Joss' temper flared again.
"You don't know what he did, and I do!" she flamed once again.
"All right," Fletcher added, "So, tell me: what did Wade do that was so bad?"
Joss turned and walked away.
"Becky, I can't believe that Wade would do anything that would hurt Joss."
"I agree, Fletch, but she won't tell me, either. How 'bout you, Jen?"
"No luck, Becks. I'm calling Wade tonight and then calling Joss' dad," and Becky sucked wind: if Jen was going to a 'rent, she was really serious about getting this fixed. Becky knew what Joss would do if she found out.
"I'm taking a college trip to Middleton next weekend," Stephen spoke up. "Jen, you want to come along? Wade told me to call him if I ever considered going to MIST: I'd have a place to stay for a college visit. I was planning to go down there with all four of us, but Joss' 'tude threw my plans a bit off."
"I'd love to go, Stephen," Jen smiled, and Becky laughed.
"Separate rooms, Jen, separate rooms," she laughed as Jennifer blushed.
"I'm taking a baseball bat to GF until she talks, Becky," Jennifer announced.
"Tell me when, and I'll bring the pine tar for both of us to use," Becky replied.
'We've got to get through to her, find out what's wrong, before she sinks herself,' was the thought going through all their minds as Joss walked to the pickup area and jumped into her Dad's truck.
Jennifer remembered Wade's words to her, and she thought about his words. 'Where was Joss' soul?'
-----
Rebecca Jane was wide awake.
She was working the overnight shift at the Bunker for GJ monitoring, and she didn't mind it one bit.
'Especially with the free backrubs to go along with the late-night shifts,' she thought as Arnold kneaded the knots out of her upper back, just below her shoulders.
Even with the pleasure, she was bothered: Was he going to ask her?
The two of them had talked to Dr. Director after last Christmas, telling her that they were seeing each other socially. They didn't expect any problems with GJ policies, but it never hurt to confirm their assumption. They didn't, at that time, know if anything was going to happen with their relationship, but they wanted to make certain that there were no problems with their planned futures.
Dr. Director had laughed when they'd stammered their questions and told them to relax, there were no issues. They all has a good laugh, and Elizabeth talked to them about the issues that they could face with both of them being in their respective careers, but that, as long as they considered the options, she had no issues with them working together. They could not report to each other if, or when, they got married; but, otherwise, there were not issues with policy. "As long as you don't get caught doing 'things' on company time and/or on company furniture," Elizabeth laughed as both of them blushed.
They'd left Dr. Director's office totally embarrassed, but they got over it as they waited for the tube to take them from Middleton to the Bunker.
They'd not done anything…on company time or furniture…but they had spent nights together, and Rebecca Jane was convinced that Arnold was the man for her. She thought that he was convinced, as well, but he's been quieter lately than before, and that concerned her.
Tonight, however, was different. He'd come into the Monitoring Center, in his usual bouncing mood, carrying several clothing bags from different stores, kissed her in front to Melisandretti Claremore, the Montana DCI liaison, and then he'd headed downstairs to change and bounced back upstairs in his jumpsuit and gone immediately to work at his console, slipping on his headset and taking calls. Mel looked over at Rebecca Jane quizzically, and Rebecca Jane had shrugged her shoulders in an 'I have no idea' response.
Mel had gone downstairs to take a quick nap around 3:00 AM, and Arnold had waited about 10 minutes before he's come over and began to massage her scalp. That almost took her out of her chair, so he moved to her shoulders.
"How's that," he asked as he continued to rub.
"It's wonderful, Arnold: thank you."
"I do love you, you know," Arnold began. "I've just been preoccupied with several things these past few weeks. Forgive me?"
"Yes, Arnold, especially if you brought back any of those desserts that you make," she smiled.
"They're downstairs," he smiled as he continued to rub her back and shoulders.
Arnold was convinced that he had, indeed, died and gone to Heaven when he first met Rebecca Jane Casey.
Her figure, her hair, and her smile had captured his attention when they were in Basic, but it was her wit and passion for being the best that had convinced him that he needed her in his life, forever. He knew that she'd never consider leaving Global Justice if they got together, so he had begun to investigate his career options should he get up the nerve to ask her what he wanted to ask her from the first time he saw her.
Luckily, Dr. Director had told them that there were not GJ rules other than direct reporting against spouses working together. He had decided that, should that occur, he'd transfer to another department rather than lose her; that's how confident that he was certain that she was 'the one.'
They had gone on some dates after last summer, and things had been good on them. He especially enjoyed her kisses: she put 150 per cent into her efforts, no matter what she was doing. When he had suggested that they go further that night…he smiled: she had actually curled his toes, several times, both standing and lying flat, that night. He surprised her with breakfast in bed that next morning: his parents' version of a traditional Tex/Mex breakfast including Huevos Rancheros, burritos made with egg, potato, and chorizo, and a chimichanga surprise made with sliced strawberries and jalapeños and strawberry jam, with an orange juice mojito that was wonderful, even with the almost-non-existent alcohol content (they did have late afternoon shifts, after all). She started calling him her 'Hispanic Ron' when they were alone, and he started wearing boxers, the first time almost causing Rebecca Jane to choke with laughter.
He was convinced that she was the one, and he's already talked to his parents about her several times. Mama was concerned that he was marrying an Anglo, but she didn't have enough concerns to stop him from moving forward. He told his Dad about Rebecca Jane's family, and he cautioned him to be vigilant and not send her down the same path as her family had gone. Those were their only concerns, both of which went away quickly when they met her in the spring when Slim had invited the students' families up to the Ranch to relax for a weekend; he'd gotten GJ's approval to include relatives from the agents stationed, as well, and Mel had done the same with her agents and their families. All appreciated that they had a place that was secure enough and with folks in the same business so they could relax and be themselves.
Arnold popped a knot from Rebecca Jane's shoulder, and she moaned in appreciation.
'I've got to do it,' he thought, before I lose her.
"I wonder if she'd like to take a weekend away from here; maybe even go to Middleton and harass Kim and Ron,' he thought.
'I wonder what they're doing this weekend.'
-----
"You're related to Kim Possible? I think that's neat."
Esther Andrea Possible was bored. This one was just like the last 15 dates she'd gone on.
She moved the peas and pearl onions around on her plate as she thought about Kimberly Ann's graduation.
She couldn't take this guy seriously, but he was a free meal and a night out; however, she was beginning to wonder if it was worth it. He was cute for an older man ('hey, at least he was breathing and had all his natural teeth!' she chuckled inside), and he was nice enough, but he was sooooo boring!
She had some more small talk, some more wine, and he took her back to the retirement home, kissing her on the cheek when she went to get out of the car.
She stepped into the front door and breathed a huge sigh of relief, eliciting a group of laughs from several of the residents sitting in the lobby.
"That bad, huh?" came from one lady in a wheelchair.
"Well, he had his own natural teeth," Esther smiled, and the lady laughed.
"That bad; I'm sorry, Esther, his daughter told my son that he was a 'good man,'" she grinned. "Guess daughter was trying to get a Momma, forgetting that Dad is a bore."
"We're talking about a 650-lb boar, Janet, with broken tusks and gaps in his fur: an old boar," Esther countered, and the ladies all laughed as the men winced, feeling sorry for Esther's date.
"Are you still going out West for your Granddaughter's graduation, Esther?" one of the men asked, and Esther's face lit up.
"Oh, my, yes; she promised to make me some lemon squares, now that she can do more than 'boil water,'" Esther laughed, and the rest followed with her. They had been around when she'd try to teach Kim how to cook; several of them had brought fans from their rooms and homes to vent the kitchen while Kim did things to food that none of them had ever seen done before. Esther's success with Kim, making Esther's locally-famous lemon squares, convinced all of them that Esther, like her granddaughter, 'could do anything.'
One man, obviously younger as he had no grey in his hair, stood up and walked over to Esther.
"May I escort you to your residence, ma'am?" and offered his arm to her. Esther smiled and took the arm.
"Why, yes, young man, you mat," and she led him out the rear door as the residents all 'oohed.'
"And, you are?" she asked.
"Gordon Garcia, Mrs. Possible. I had the pleasure to have met your son when we lived in Middleton, several years ago.
"Garcia…," Esther thought for a few moments as she walked.
"My son and daughter, Gerald Carlos and Cynthia, were Kim's first babysitters that didn't run away," he added, and she laughed.
"You're the father of the original 'Tweebs!'" she laughed even harder as they arrived at her door.
"And, if I remember the story correctly, the father of Walter 'Braces' Nelson," and they both laughed.
"Guilty as charged, ma'am. Thank you for giving me a good laugh tonight."
"Thank you, Gordon," she reached up and kissed his cheek, bringing warmth to his face. "You've made my evening, after the boring date of the century," she opened the door to her room.
"Good night, Mrs. Possible. Give my love to James and Anne, and, especially, to Kimberly Ann," he smiled as he turned and walked away as she stepped into her room and closed her door. She was glad her dinner had gone poorly: she had a chance to meet Gordon.
She dropped her purse on the couch and stepped over to her desk to check her email; Kimberly Ann had taken to sending her daily emails ever since the events with her mother. Even if the emails were short, Esther enjoyed receiving them.
Yes, there was one.
She perused it, and saw that Kimberly Ann had had that dream about flying up, once again. Esther frowned: she'd been around long enough to recognize some latent form of precognition in Kimberly Ann, even though she hadn't told James or Anne. She hadn't seen it with anything like this, and that worried her. She jotted a quick response back to Kimberly, intentionally omitting the fact that she'd seen Walter Nelson's father, sent the note, and stood, reaching and grabbing her purse as she walked to the front door, checking it for both locks being set.
She turned off the light and headed for her bedroom, turning on that light and dropping her purse on the floor next to her nightstand as she stepped into her closet. She grabbed a nightgown and her gi, bringing them both out; the gi for a morning workout. She made a mental note to pack all three of her gi's when she went to Middleton: she knew that a workout with Kimberly Ann would relax her before graduation as she changed into her bedclothes and pulled the covers back, climbing into bed.
She wondered what it meant, but she didn't worry too much about it: Kimberly Ann could take care of herself and Ronald; she smiled as she remembered the look on her granddaughter's face when she showed her grandmother the engagement ring given to her by her newly-accepted fiancée. She thought about the Cuddlebuddy she had waiting for her at the Center: it was a sad sitch, with a major skin transplant required after the dog mauling it had torn much of the fur away on the Dogerfly, somehow miraculously missing the wings…and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
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Author's afterward:
I would like to thank JAKT for beta work on this work and wonderful comments regarding Joss' and Wade's feelings. Multiple reads stem discussions about lives was never something I considered, yet it occurred, much to my delight. Thanks for the response which triggered more thoughts and, unfortunately, more baby bunnies for this story. Your willingness to tackle this, read it, and feed my muse and ego with comments helped me in the drive to deliver this work at this level. Thank you both, JAKT:
YOU BOTH ROCK!
And, a special note to KT: I already had plans for your idea, and you confirmed the need for it. And, you are correct: anger can consume if not fought. Thank you, dear lady, for taking your time to go through this in such depth.
I would also like to thank Star-eva01 for beta work on this work and recognition of several of the items I'd missed, even after going over the document several times. Thank, sir, for your willingness to take your time, especially with the day you had!
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Coming next:
Chapter 4: more gatherings of team members on both sides, and Saturday night at MTS II for several people. Preparations continue for Warhok and Warmonga, and Nana works on a damaged Cuddlebuddy and laughs about meeting Walter's father.
Details are coming in chapter Four of Reality Happens: 05/03: the end is closer, everyone….
Thanks again for reading, and please review.