Friday, Middleton High.

Kim opened her locker to stash a few books on her way to first period. The blank screen of the computer Team Possible kept there came on with a soft electric pop and the face of Wade greeted her with a tired smile.

"Good morning Kim." taking a slurp from the straw of his over sized soda.

"Morning Wade. What's the sitch?" Kim was already wondering which villain and what crazy plot was going to require her attention.

"Not a sitch perse Kim. Just thought you might be interested in knowing that over the last weekend a major operation went down." the rotund genius had begun typing away furiously, a bit of a frown drawing his mouth down as he explained. "Seems that there was a villain's convention."

Resting a hand to her hip, Kim lifted a brow at that. "Since when do villains have conventions Wade? I mean what do they do, hand out awards for best evil plan or something?"

Never pausing in his typing and not even looking up, Wade nodded. "Last year Dementor won with his turn every electric car into an electromagnet so that traffic would be a total mess unless every government paid him billions scheme."

"Really?" rolling her eyes. "Well then I'm glad we busted that little idea of his to bits."

"No doubt." Wade's face was now one of irate determination as his fingers flew across his keyboard. "Furthermore it was Global Justice leading the international task force from several countries that paid the convention a surprise visit. Rounded up almost every one attending. Drakken, Dementor, DNAmy, pretty much every major player on the bad side is going to be out of commission for a while. Of course everything was very hush hush. The whole secret organization thing and all that."

"Well color me impressed Wade. Seems they didn't need our help this time. Not that I won't enjoy a little time without Drakken and Shego." Kim quipped, starting to get curious about what was bothering Team Possible's tech genius so much. "Hey Wade?"

The typing had now risen to a tempo that surely no mortal fingers could attain, Wade didn't even look up. "Yeah Kim?"

"You sure there's nothing else?" her curiosity growing by the second.

With his nerves frazzled, Wade almost slammed his hands down on the keyboard, but he would never abuse his precious electronics. Instead he threw his hands up and clenched his fists, then made a big show of controlling his breathing, relaxing his hands as he did so. "Sorry Kim. It's just I'm still not able to connect to the chip and it's really getting to me."

Now her attention was fully focused on the screen in her locker, in fact she leaned in a bit closer so that her face took up the entire view from Wade's side.

"What chip?" her green eyes drilling holes into him.

Wade looked up with a start. "Chip? What chip? I didn't say chip." he fumbled his way through the words.

"Waaaade?" drawing out his name in a stern tone.

Not looking away from the fiery redhead, Wade felt around just off screen and produced a bag of potato chips, holding it up as he rammed his hand into the bag, then stuffed his mouth full before swallowing nervously. "Oh chips! Yeah I love me some chips don't you Kim?"

She wasn't buying it by a long shot. "Spill." she commanded.

Knowing the jig was up. "Ok, but promise you'll keep your cool?"

Kim leaned back from the screen, hand to her chest. "Wade we're teammates and on top of that we're friends. You know I'm not the kind of person to fly off the handle for no good reason."

"Well..." he didn't sound convinced.

"Like people keeping something from me that is very clearly upsetting them." her smile was dazzling and promised she would indeed remain calm.

Deciding to just go for it, Wade launched into his explanation.

"While Ron was in Japan his vitals went dark. No readout at all on my end. At first I thought it was just a malfunction so I ran a remote diagnostic, but everything came back fine. The chip was working properly, it just wasn't picking up any of his vital signs. Which naturally had me concerned, then I lost the signal from the chip altogether. I got big time worried after that, so I contacted the school Ron was attending as an exchange student and I spoke with their headmaster and he assured me Ron was fine, but when I asked to speak to Ron I was told he was taking tests and couldn't be disturbed and that at least got me calmed down enough to think that maybe the chip had some damage that wasn't showing up on the readouts and I was going to see about fixing it when he got back, but I haven't been able to get the chip to respond even with the reduced distance now that he's home and...and...uh...Kim you said you'd stay cool." Wade had just noticed that the leader defacto of Team Possible looked like she could reach through the screen at any moment and throttle him.

"Wade!" Mount Possible erupted. "What do you mean Ron's vitals went dark! When were you going to tell me about this? When did it happen?"

Wade slid down in his chair at the verbal assault till nothing but the top of his head and eyes could be seen. Kim reigned in her temper, noting that more than a few of the other students had turned to look her way. She felt a stab of pain in her temple and knew a headache was on its way. Rubbing the afflicted area with two fingers she gave Wade an opening to explain himself.

Drawing himself back into his chair fully, Wade cleared his throat. "I lost the signal the last day of Ron's trip. He called me a few hours later and he sounded fine, so like I said I thought that once he got back to the states and the chip was closer I'd be able to reconnect with it if I boosted the signal, but so far it's a no go on my end."

"Why keep me out of the loop Wade?" she asked heatedly.

"Loop? What loop?" the boy asked right back. "Kim the only two people who know about that chip are you and I. There is no loop."

"Fair point, but still." she was calming down herself now.

"Also I knew you'd overreact if I told you."

"I do not overreact."

Wade's only reply to that was to take a rather long draw on his soda, never breaking eye contact.

Kim had to admit to herself that her very recent actions had all but made Wade's point for him. What could she say? They were talking about Ron here. Her best friend in the world and the very thought that he could have been hurt or worse just made her sick to her stomach. She didn't even want to think about a life without Ron. It was just too wrong-sick.

"Ok Ok I admit I overreacted...a little." Kim fidgeted with her hair, pulling her fingers through it a few times. Then a sudden thought occurred to her. "Hey wait a minute."

Now it was Wade's turn to lean in towards the screen. "What is it Kim?"

"When Ron got back he had a bandage on the back of his neck." twisting just a bit so Wade could see and pulling her hair out of the way she pointed to her own neck. "Right here. He'd been cut by a practice sword during some sort of physical training over there. Said it was a school thing. Like how our wrestling team is here." she still highly doubted the story, but she had no reason to think Ron would lie to her.

"That's actually not that hard to believe. Japanese schools are known to have clubs based around one of the martial arts, often dependent on the region the school is located in. One second Kim." Wade began to type on a second keyboard to his left. "Ok I'm bringing up the specs from when we first chipped Ron. Wait...where is Ron by the way?" suddenly worried because he didn't want their friend to overhear about what they had done to him without his knowledge. Wade still felt pretty guilty about the whole thing even now years later.

Kim smoothed her hair back down. "Don't worry Wade. Barkin got him almost as soon as we got to school. Something about a report that Ron hadn't turned in yet. Most likely he's being given the responsibility is key speech."

"Gotcha. Ok then. Let's see here...aha!" Instantly Wade's face was replaced on the screen with a digital imaged of the human body from the shoulders up. It rotated and then a circle appeared on the back of the neck and began to flash. "That is the location the chip was implanted and if my guess is correct it's most likely the same place you say Ron was cut."

"Looks like it." Kim rested her head against the door of her locker, she had a bad feeling about all this.

"Well then we have one of two things going on." Wade said as his face returned. "The chip was indeed damaged and most likely due to the incident he told you about or..." he trailed off, not looking too thrilled about the other prospect.

"...or what?" Kim asked, all but holding her breath.

"...or somehow the chip was removed." he finished.

"Wade I am so not liking the second option." worry clear in her voice.

"You and me both. I wouldn't even know where to start on who could have removed the chip or how they would even know it was there. Ron doesn't even know about it." sitting back in his chair, Wade rubbed both sides of his face.

Kim wasn't the sort of girl who let herself dwell on the negatives. She was a person of action, well unless a hot guy was involved, then she was a person of intense stuttering and barely functioning motor skills. However this was not such a time. Her mind went into mission mode and she knew what had to be done.

"Wade can the Kimmunicator scan for the chip?" she asked.

With a nod and few key strokes Wade confirmed. "Yep. All you have to do is get it close enough to where the chip was implanted and then I can run a scan from here. It will take a few seconds, but we'd know for a fact if the chip is still there and if so, just how damaged it is."

"Got it." Kim gave a nod. "Be ready Wade. Operation Scan the Ron is a go."

Giving her a thumbs up Wade's face blinked out as the screen went dark. Closing her locker, Kim headed off to her first class of the day.

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Bonnie Rockwaller strode through the halls of Middleton High with her nose turned up. As the queen of the social ruling class why shouldn't she? Everyone either cleared a path for her silently lest they suffer her wrath or pandered to her with compliments. Things were good, as they should be for somebody as important as her she thought. Well not everything was good she conceded with a look over at her best friend Tara who was walking beside her. The curvy blonde was putting on a happy face and Bonnie doubted anybody but her knew just how much her fellow cheerleader had been hurting lately. She had half a mind to have a few of the guys on the football team go and beat Josh Mankey into a pulpy mess. How dare he hurt her best friend!

Beside her, Tara caught the venomous look in Bonnie's teal eyes. She knew that look. Nothing good ever came from that look. "Thanks Bonnie." hoping to disarm the ticking time bomb her friend had become.

"For what Tara?" Bonnie's thoughts shifted away from a pulpy Mankey and back to the present.

Tara gave a big smile. "Putting up with all my sobbing and whining lately. I know you had better things to do than babysit me."

Scoffing with a wave of her hand and flip of her hair, Bonnie pointed a finger at Tara. "You don't even have to worry about that, not ever. We're best friends. I just wish you'd let me do something about what happened."

Tara lifted her hands to ward off the very idea of Bonnie going into full revenge mode. "No really it's ok. I wouldn't want you to do anything, honest."

"You're too nice Tara." Bonnie groused. "Things like what happened with Mankey are exactly why you need to be more assertive. Stand up for yourself and stop being a doormat!"

"You think I'm a doormat?" the hurt in Tara's voice all too real, not to mention her big blue eyes going all watery.

Instantly Bonnie turned to the blonde, taking her by the shoulders so they stopped walking. "No Tara I don't. I was just running my mouth ok. I just worry about you is all. It really pisses me off that this happened to you and honestly I feel responsible for it in a way."

Wiping at her eyes, Tara was genuinely touched. She knew that Bonnie was not the nicest person as far as others were concerned. Her friend could destroy people with a word, sending their social lives at Middleton High into the gutters. She was feared and respected in equal parts, but to Tara she was her best friend and for that the blonde was eternally grateful. Tara knew she was lucky that Bonnie thought so much of her and she cherished their friendship. She knew a side of the Queen B that nobody truly did. That inside that domineering sneer was a girl with a horrible home life who was just lashing out at the world. Well that's how Tara thought of it any way. Then again Tara Strong was the sort of girl who gave everybody and everything the benefit of the doubt.

"How can you say that?" she asked Bonnie in confusion. "It's not like you're the one who broke up with me?"

Bonnie set the two of them back to walking before any onlookers could start gawking. She knew that when two of the hottest cheerleaders took the time to stand around it was only a matter of time before the lesser ranks would flock to them. "I know, but I approved of you dating Mankey so in a way it's my fault too. If I'd just told you not to give him the time of day this wouldn't have happened." her anger apparent with her next words. "Not like you needed Kim's sloppy seconds anyway."

Flinching at just how that was put, but deciding not touch on it, Tara just walked along quietly while Bonnie continued to rant. She knew her friend had only the best intentions for her, but honestly sometimes she felt like she was being swallowed by Bonnie's food chain demands. Everything seemed to revolve around that and despite Tara being popular herself, she didn't really pursue it. She could get along with anybody if they got along with her. Being popular was just something that came with being best friends with Bonnie.

"Don't worry Tara." the brunette was saying with a determined set to her lips. "I'll find you a hottie that will make you forget all about Mankey. Just you wait."

"No no, that's ok Bonnie really." now Tara really was worried. Once Bonnie got started on a scheme it was hard to sway her from it. She wanted to head this one off quickly. "I don't think I want to date right now. I just don't feel like it."

"Tara that is no way to think. You can't wallow in the past. You have to keep your head up and grab the next available guy, well next cute guy I mean." Bonnie corrected herself.

"No really it's ok Bonnie." hoping her friend would let it drop. "I really don't want another guy in my life right now. I think it would be best if I concentrated on school and stuff."

Hearing the pleading tone in her friend's voice, Bonnie decided to put her man hunting plans for Tara on hold. "Ok, but the moment you want a hottie on your arm just let me know." winking at Tara with a smirk.

"You got it!" Tara giggled as they entered their first class.

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The end of the day found Ron trudging along, hands stuffed into his pockets. The day had started off on a high note, walking to school with Kim as they normally did, but quickly things went down hill. First Barkin laid into him about that Science report he'd forgotten to do. Then he spent the rest of the day playing catch up on things he'd missed while he was away at Yamanouchi. It wasn't like he hadn't kept up with his studies over there, but apparently there were still some lessons from here in Middleton that he'd failed to get. Man the Japanese and American school systems had a lot of differences Ron thought with a grimace.

"Who knew I could be in school and still miss school at the same time!" he griped to no one in particular as he walked down the quickly emptying halls. "Not like I had a choice what classes I had while I was gone. You'd think they'd cut a guy a break, but noooooo."

Well at least things were getting back to normal for him, despite the extra homework he was going to have for the foreseeable future. Today the cheer squad was going to begin getting ready for an upcoming competition and Ron was pumped to be the best Mad Dog he could be. He fully intended to give it his all and really wow the judges.

"There are judges right?" he asked himself, scratching his cheek with a finger. "I mean it's a competition so there has to be somebody to pick a winner."

Since becoming the Middleton High Mad Dog mascot he hadn't taken part in any of the cheer competitions. The girls handled that and they never asked him to join them, which had been fine by Ron. Extra practices or free time to slaughter zombies with Felix, so not a hard choice at all. Junk food and video games all the way.

"Head in the game Ron." he chided himself as he pushed through the doors to the gym. "You learned some stuff about yourself and Sensei is right. You need to try more. Starting with making sure the ladies have every advantage going into this competition. The Ron man is not about to let the Middleton cheer ladies down."

Armed with a new found determination Ron headed into the men's locker room to change into the Mad Dog outfit. Already a few of the other cheerleaders were stretching on the floor in preparation.

Inside the Women's locker room Kim was putting her clothes away when a voice that never failed to get on her nerves filled the air.

"Try not to throw the rest of us off with your horrid timing today Kim." Bonnie shot her way as she flounced by, already in her cheer uniform and headed out.

Before Kim could snap back with a retort Tara put a calming hand on her shoulder. Looking over at the all too often bubbly blonde, Kim relaxed.

"You know she's just teasing you." Tara offered with a sheepish half grin, hoping to diffuse things before they got tense between the two rivals...again.

"Tara you really are too sweet you know that?" Kim responded with a full smile of her own. "Only you could see the good in Bonnie." she added with a frown tugging at her lips. "Any good."

Tata tucked her hands behind her back, making little circles on the floor with the tip of her shoe, looking a bit downcast. "That's what best friends are for right? Seeing things that nobody else can." when she looked back up her blue eyes were earnest as ever. "Isn't that what it's like for you and Ron?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Kim admitted. "But in Ron's case what you see is what you get. He's an open book so it's not like he's got some huge secrets that only I know about."

"Oh wow, really?" the blonde seemed truly surprised. "With all the time you guys spend together I was sure there was like totally super best friend secrets and stuff."

Kim had to laugh a little. "Not at all. We just have fun being friends. I think if anything that's the best part. When we hang out we don't have to worry about being anything but who we are. I'm not the girl who saves the world, not the co-captain of the cheer squad, not anything but just me. Kim Possible, his best friend. I know Ron feels the same."

Touching a finger to her chin in thought, Tara nodded slowly. "That sounds totally awesome." Just imagine if she and Bonnie could be like that, to not worry about social standing and just enjoy life.

"What? Are you saying that you and Bonnie have super secret friend things nobody else knows about?" Kim asked, the very idea seeming silly.

"Yep. Sure do." Tara replied innocently with a smile. "We're best friends after all."

Closing her locker Kim gave that some thought. So Bonnie had secrets only Tara knew. Hmm...maybe she could get some dirt to use against that snob. However the moment Kim looked at Tara and her open and honest face she knew she'd never use her for something like that. Bonnie was a pain, but it wasn't worth something like that. Kim had her standards after all. However Tara's words had planted the seed of worry in her mind. Did Ron have any secrets from her? Surely not. It wasn't like she had any secrets from him right? Well there was the chip which she still hadn't managed to scan Ron for yet. That was a secret for sure. Then there was the girl standing right in front of her. When Tara had been crushing on Ron she hadn't told him about it and he'd missed his chance once Tara started to date Josh. At the time Kim had convinced herself that it wasn't her place to tell Ron, but now looking back she wondered why she hadn't. Ron had always been there for her when it came to her crush on Josh. If it hadn't been for Ron pushing her to go after him she was pretty sure she'd never have gotten up the nerve to even talk to Josh, must less end up dating him. So why hadn't she given her best friend the same support?

Two strikes Kim, not good she thought. In fact she didn't like this line of thinking at all. Could Ron have his own secrets though, that was the big question? For instance that Yori girl he'd mentioned after coming back from Japan. Even though she'd never met her, Kim couldn't help but get this nagging feeling that there was something up with her. Ron had gone on and on about her, about how helpful she was, how smart, friendly, and yes cute. He'd slipped up and actually called that Yori girl cute. Why did that irritate her so much? It wasn't like Ron hadn't thought other girls were attractive. Heck he'd even said Shego was the first time he'd seen her picture. Something that never failed to cause Kim's stomach to want to turn inside out just thinking about it. Shego attractive? So not true!

With such thoughts swirling around in her head Kim decided maybe she needed to have a little talk with Ron about his trip to Japan again. This time in greater detail.

With her mind made up Kim noticed Tara was still standing there just looking at her with those big blue eyes of hers. "Uh, everything ok Tara?"

"Just waiting on you Kim." came the bubbly reply. "You looked like you were really thinking about something hard and I thought it would be rude to just walk away and I didn't want to bother you either so...yeah I just sorta...waited." looking around at the now empty locker room. "Right here."

This girl really is too sweet Kim thought. Josh really dropped the ball this time. "Come on Tara, let's go."

"Sure!" Tara chirped as she followed the red head out of the locker room.

The moment they were back in the gym proper their ears were assailed by Bonnie's voice in all its belittling glory.

"Get it through your head loser!" she blasted Ron with her words as he all but cowered where he stood holding the Mad Dog mascot head with both hands. "You are not needed or wanted! So get lost!"

Kim broke into a trot with Tara right behind her. "Whoa! What's the sitch guys?"

The rest of the squad were standing just watching the exchange, some pretending not to care one way or the other while others had worried looks on their faces. If Bonnie didn't get her way they knew things would be hell during practice.

The Queen B of Middleton High spun on her heel and faced her social rival, crossing her arms with a look of disdain. "I'm trying to explain to this loser that we don't need him."

"Look Bonnie I know you don't like Ron. Everybody knows that." Kim started.

"Ow. I'm right here ya know KP." Ron winced.

Giving him a reassuring smile, Kim turned back to Bonnie. "But Ron is a part of the squad just like you or I. He deserves to be here. He earned his spot just like the rest of us."

Even Tara had to nod in agreement, as well as a few of the other girls. Ron was touched and it helped alleviate some of the tongue lashing that Bonnie had been giving him.

With a roll of her teal eyes, Bonnie pointed over at Ron where he stood dressed in the mascot outfit, still holding the Mad Dog head. "Be that as it may, we don't need him for this routine. We're getting ready for a competition, not a game. There isn't a place for the mascot in this or did you already forget that little miss perfect?"

That caught Kim off balance. For once Bonnie was right. The squad would be focusing on a floor routine for a sanctioned competition. They were going to be judged on their performance as a team and not just hyping up a crowed of fans. That meant no mascot. Looking over at Ron she saw the crestfallen look that crossed his face and she knew that he also got the point.

"That doesn't change the fact that Ron is still a part of this squad so you don't have to talk to him like that Bonnie." she said, stepping closer to the brunette.

Bonnie straightened to her full height and met Kim's glare with her own. "I'll talk to him however I want."

Ron could see the sparks flying between them and knew the end of the world was nigh. "Um...ladies its ok. Really."

"Let me handle this Ron." Kim said cutting him off.

"Shut it loser." Bonnie snapped.

Ron sat down on the lowest bleacher seat quickly. "Shutting up now."

As the arch rivals began bickering Tara stepped over and took a seat next to Ron. She watched him fiddle with the banana foam dispenser inside the mascot head dejectedly. She could tell he wasn't really doing anything but trying to look busy. She felt sorry for him. It had to be tough being Kim's best friend and by association on Bonnie's hit list. Try as she might, Tara couldn't think of any reason Bonnie would dislike Ron so much other than that, well that and his rank on the food chain. That again. She really didn't like the whole food chain system at all. If only she were brave enough to say something to Bonnie about it.

"Hiya Ron." she said tentatively, hoping she wasn't being a bother.

Looking up, Ron's face broke into a lopsided smile. "Hiya right back Tara. How's it going?" he acted like he wasn't the target of a full fledged Bonnie Rockwaller tirade only moments ago. This was one of the things about Ron that she really liked. He never let things keep him down. He was just that kind of guy.

"Don't let what Bonnie said get to you?" she offered. "Half the time I wonder if I should be on the squad, but here I am. So if I'm here then you should be too."

Lifting a finger, "Thanks, but you got it wrong about one thing." he said.

"Oh?"

Ron half turned to face her and took hold of her hands. "You didn't mention the fact that yes you do belong on the squad. I've seen how hard you work and trust me you got mad cheer skills Tara. So if you think I belong on the squad that's a big deal to me." finishing with a serious nod of his head.

Tara felt her cheeks warming. "That's great Ron...really great...just...super great in fact." Why was she rambling, well more than usual? Wait was this more than usual or just her normal level of rambling? She wasn't sure, but she knew that Ron holding her hands and staring right at her with that grin of his was not helping at all and oh wow she'd forgotten how brown his eyes were. Pretty brown eyes in fact.

"Tara?" Ron asked when he noticed the blank expression on the girl's face. "Earth to Tara? Helloooo."

Coming out of her thoughts she giggled. "Sorry. Don't know where my brain is sometimes." cocking her head to the side while sticking her tongue out the corner of her mouth.

Ron couldn't help but laugh despite the ongoing verbal exchange close by.

"More people should be like you Tara." he said with all honesty.

That took her by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I like how you are just, well just you. You're not mean and you don't try to be someone you're not. I know when I'm talking to you that its the real you." nodding to himself. "I really like that about you."

Now the warming sensation had gone from her cheeks all the way down to her chest. "...um...thanks Ron..." she said quietly.

"TARA!"

Both teens snapped to attention, hands dropping into their laps at the enraged shriek that Bonnie had filled the entire gym with. The two blondes stat looking for all the world like children who had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Get away from that loser before you catch his stupid!" Bonnie commanded.

It was a herculean effort on Kim's part not to throttle Bonnie then and there, but she knew that resorting to violence against her fellow cheerleader was not the right thing to do. Her sixteen styles of Kung Fu were reserved for the villains, not spoiled little rich girls with egos the size of the entire state of Colorado.

Tara gave Ron a rueful glance. "Sorry Ron."

"Don't worry about it." dismissing her concerns with his trademarked Ron-ness. "Friends gotta stick together. Bonnie just wants her friend is all." he said so only she could hear him.

"Thanks Ron." Tara whispered before standing and heading over to join Bonnie as she stalked away from Kim, heading towards the rest of the squad.

Ron watched the two walk away and was glad that Bonnie had somebody like Tara as a friend. Now if only some of the good in Tara would rub off on Bonnie. A guy could dream after all.

Sensing somebody closing in on him, he looked up to see his own best friend standing there looking concerned.

"Sorry about that Ron." she wished she could prevent things like this from happening. Ron didn't deserve it. She knew most of Bonnie's wrath towards him was only in part due to the fact he was her best friend.

For his part, Ron was just as aware as everyone else was about why Bonnie singled him out so much. He took it in stride. After all her insults didn't really bother him most of the time. Just today, well he'd been so ready to put in some actual effort. Something very rare for him. The upcoming cheer competition was going to be a chance for him to show that he could be an asset, something more than just a...more than what...a side kick? Was that really what he was thinking? Ron felt conflicted. Did he want to do this to help the squad or to show Kim that he could be more than just the guy who ran interference on missions. Whoa, where was this coming from he wondered?

Taking a seat where Tara had been only a second ago, Kim placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ron it's ok really. I mean so what if we don't need the Mad Dog for this routine. That doesn't change the fact that you are part of this team. Just as important as the rest of us, no matter what Bonnie says."

Screwing up his lips in thought, Ron put aside the troubling concerns from before and focused on the matter at hand. "I don't know KP. Without the Mad Dog what else is there for me to do?" looking at her hopefully.

"Um...gee, lots of things." she just couldn't think of any right off hand.

"Like what?" he simply asked.

"Like..." looking around the gym hoping to spot something to help her out, she latched onto the first thing she saw. "Water!"

Bewildered, Ron wasn't following. "Water?"

"Yes water!" latching onto the idea fully, Kim went on. "You can make sure the squad has water on hand. Can't have anybody dehydrated during practice. Hydration is very important Ron."

Tilting his head to the side he began to rub his chin. "I guess you're right. Gotta have drinkage."

"Not only that but you can make sure we have clean towels. Sweat could lead to slips and we don't want anybody getting hurt right? So flesh clean towels are a must too." Ok this sounded lame even to her.

However Ron's face was brightening. "You are so right KP!" smacking one hand into the other. "Somebody has to make sure you ladies are in tip top shape if you're going to win and the Ron man is just the guy to do it!"

Ron stood and struck a heroic pose. "I swear not an single drop of sweat shall escape my sight. No throats shall be parched on my watch. Never fear!"

Kim shook her head with a grin. "Whatever you say Ron." Hopping up she gave him a playful punch to the shoulder. "We're counting on you."

Saluting he turned to snatch up the mascot head. "I'm going to go change and get to work." Then he was off.

Blowing a few strands of hair out of her face, Kim walked over to begin practice. She was glad she could give Ron something to keep his spirits up, even if he couldn't actually be part of the routine.

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It had turned out to be a productive practice, despite how it had begun. The girls had run through several variations of the would be routine. Bonnie and Kim had differing opinions of course on just what they should focus on, but after some heated debate the squad had settled on a merged plan, one that took the best from both co-captains' ideas and would hopefully send them onto victory during the competition. Just as he'd promised, Ron was on hand the very moment any of them needed water or a towel. It was almost scary how he would pop up at just the right time. Though most of the girls who were in Bonnie's circle either ignored him or outright refused his efforts, getting their own drinks and towels. This of course included Bonnie. Tara was the only exception and she made sure to not only thank Ron, but show him a beaming smile every time. While Kim and the rest of the girls were appreciative of his efforts.

Now things were winding down.

"Ok ladies let's run it one more time from the top." Kim called out, moving to her starting position.

The squad lined up in staggered formation, the front row of girls being the shorter ones such as Bonnie, Kim, and Tara. With the taller girls like Jessica in the back. Ron watched from the sidelines as Bonnie started the count that would keep them all in time until they could choose music to go along with the routine. Things were going great, everybody was hitting their marks with only a few minor missteps, but it was to be expected since it was only the first day. Of course Kim was flawless with her every move. Not a bit of wasted movement or energy. She looked so relaxed, a big smile in place that belied just how hard she was working. They all were and Ron had to admit to himself, yes that included Bonnie.

Ron watched as she sailed across the floor in a series of spinning leaps before curling into a ball then rolling into a side split, hands extended into the air. Opposite of her Kim had just done the exact same and their timing was almost perfectly in sync with each other. That was Jessica's cue as the tallest of them, to charge forward, taking center stage with a complex tumbling combination that would culminate in her falling into a full split with her own hands out to the sides while the rest of the girls would form two small pyramids to finish off the whole thing. Jessica nailed the landing, the split a display of grace as she finished.

Ron was just about to start clapping and whistling when he saw trouble. The right pyramid was wobbling and Tara who stood atop it, one leg raised high was doing her best to keep her balance. More than a few shouts went up as Tara lost the fight and toppled.

The world spun out of control to Tara's view and she gave a tiny scream, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain she knew was about to come her way.

Several things happened all at once. Bonnie and Kim both turned, springing up, intent on trying to help. The rest of the girls in the pyramid began to tangle into a heap as they fell in on each other. Then there was Ron who could clearly see that Tara was on her own and she was going to hit the floor head first...hard. To Ron everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He knew Bonnie and Kim didn't have a chance, having to push up from splits as they were. He saw that the other girls had their own hands full trying to avoid falling themselves, so no help from there. The look of fear on Tara's face made Ron's gut clench.

It had been the panicked voices coming from behind her that caused Kim to spin around just in time to watch Tara start her fall. "Oh no!" she knew it was hopeless but she had to try to do something.

Bonnie didn't even have to look, she knew it was Tara the moment the girl screamed. Her best friend needed her! She threw herself to her feet, seeing Kim do the same out of the corner of her eye. Just like Kim she didn't think there was anything she'd be able to do.

That was when Ron passed between them with a look of sheer determination on his face so profound that it caused both of girls to draw up short. His legs propelled him forward, right towards the pile of cheerleaders that had once been a human pyramid. He never slowed his pace, no hesitation at all. He knew without thinking that if he didn't do something that Tara was in for a world of pain and that was just not going to happen. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Nobody would ever describe Ron as an athletic guy despite all the missions he'd been on and the fact he was part of the Middleton cheer squad. No, if you asked most people they would say he was a tumbling clown at best. Kim might say differently, because she'd seen him keep up with her on their shared heroics around the globe. However even she would have to admit that Ron wasn't the most graceful at any given task. It just was what it was. Yet in this moment as she looked on Kim felt something akin to awe in what happened next.

Ron planted a foot on the gym floor and pushed off from a full run, leaping clear of the tangled girls and then he caught Tara in midair. He literally snatched her up in his arms, pulling her tight against his chest as he twisted so that he took the full impact of the fall. The two teens slammed into the hardwood floor of the gym and slid several feet. Everybody not only heard their landing, but could feel the vibrations of it through the floor.

"TARA!" Bonnie was off like a rocket.

"RON!" Kim right on her heels.

The girls in the other pyramid broke formation as quickly and safely as they could before rushing to check on the others. Not everybody was aware of what had just transpired, but just as soon as it was clear that none of the other girls were hurt, all eyes turned towards where Ron and Tara lay, now with Bonnie and Kim kneeling over them.

Tara blinked, then looked around, more than a little confused and wondered if she'd hit her head and maybe that was why she didn't feel any pain yet. Then she noticed the arms wrapped around her protectively. Arms that felt very safe and surprisingly strong. With wide eyes she twisted her head around to find that it was Ron holding her. As if that wasn't shocking enough, she was laying on top of him, her back pressed to his chest. How had she ended up like this? Blinking some more, Tara let out the breath she'd been holding during the fall.

Bonnie was there too, frantic and not sure what to do. Should she reach out, was that a bad thing to do after a fall like that? "Somebody get help!" she shrieked.

Across from Bonnie, Kim was gently touching Ron's neck, cradling his head with one hand so it wouldn't move as she inspected him. "Ron are you ok? Ron?" her voice laced with a considerable amount of fear. That had been an awful landing and right on his back. He could be really hurt and she knew it.

Bonnie looked at her red headed rival, forgetting about their animosity for the time being. "Should we move them? What do we do?"

Shaking her head, Kim tried to speak calmly, but it was a monumental task. "No. Not yet. We wait." Despite having basic emergency training, Kim was loathe to make any hasty decisions just yet.

Some of the other girls had already run to get help. Mr Barkin was normally in his office this time of day so they headed in that direction.

The first thing Ron noticed was the pain radiating from his entire back. It felt like one of Motor Ed's monster trucks had just run him over a dozen times. The next thing he noticed was the warmth of the person he currently held in a death grip against him with both arms. Letting out a shaky breath he looked from Kim's face, then to Bonnie's. There was a rushing sound in his ears so at first he couldn't make out what they were saying, but boy did they look upset.

"Did I do something wrong guys?" he asked with a wince as Tara shifted in his arms.

Managing to get turned around, Tara came face to face with her savior, their noses almost touching.

"Hi." saying the first thing that came to her mind.

Ron stared into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. He swallowed nervously. "Hi yourself."

Watching the exchange, Kim was pretty sure Tara was ok. It seemed that Ron had taken the brunt of the fall. "Ok Tara can you give us some room please. Ron might be hurt."

"Oh...OH!" Suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks and Tara realized that she was now basically laying on top of Ron, her hands pressed against his chest. Without her permission her fingers flexed against the very firm muscles under his shirt and she felt her face heating up. Then it hit her again that she was still on top of him. Softly she said to him. "I'm so sorry! Let me...um...I'll just...move. I need to move." the mumbling wasn't helping, so she went to get up.

"Carefully!" both Bonnie and Kim said in unison.

Being very careful indeed, Tara slid to the side, leaving Ron to lay on the floor alone. She missed the feeling of safety that his arms had given her and once freed from them she began to shake with the fear of what had almost happened. Bonnie wrapped her up in a hug and just held her while the blonde girl began to cry. Ron on the other hand lay there not sure of what to make of the absence of the warmth he'd just been holding. Before he could think on that any further Kim's prying fingers hit a spot on the side of his neck that sent him into a fit of giggles.

He sat up, brushing her hands away. "Stop KP you know I'm ticklish!"

Kim rocked back in shock. "Ron you shouldn't move yet! Wait for Mr Barkin to get here."

Pulling his legs up, Ron rested his arms on his bent knees, sitting there with a bemused look on his face. "Nah I'm good KP."

"You don't know that Ron!"

"Gonna be sore tomorrow for sure." he said with a grimace, rolling one shoulder.

Kim shimmied over and started running her hands down his back, pressing firmly, but gently along his spine. "I don't feel anything out of place." then she started to move her hands round to his sides.

"KP!" Ron howled as another fit of giggles overtook him. "Stop!"

She relented and sat back on the floor and let the coil of dread that had dominated her to unwind. Ron was ok or at the very least seemed ok. That had been so reckless and so awesome all at the same time. She never would have expected him to be capable of that, but then again why not? Hadn't he done some very similar things on missions before? The two of them had saved each other several times over, but some how this had been different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it just had been. Looking at one of her hands, Kim curled it into a fist and remembered the solid feel of Ron's back. Something flickered at the edge of her understanding for just a second, but then it was gone. She shook her head, sure it was just the adrenaline flushing out of her system.

The amassed cheerleaders looked on with mixtures of concern and bemusement. It seemed that both Tara and Ron were ok, if not shaken up in Tara's case.

The only thing Kim could come up with was that Ron was just about the luckiest guy she knew. He didn't seem hurt at all after basically being Tara's safety cushion. "Ron are you sure you're ok?"

Arching his back a bit, Ron found that the pain was gone. He felt fine. In fact, he felt great. "Have no fear the Ron man is fine-a-mondo." proudly getting to his feet.

"That's not a word Ron." she said, getting to her feet as well.

"Aw KP cut me some slack. I'm trying to be all tough in front of the ladies." he said behind his hand while leaning close to her.

Face palming, Kim knew she shouldn't be surprised at Ron's antics by this point. "Fine, but you're going to let Mom check you out just as soon as we get home. Got it?" the look in her eyes left no room for discussion.

Ron agreed quickly. "Sure thing KP."

A single terse word drew the attention of both teens.

"Stoppable."

It was Bonnie looking up at them from where she still knelt holding Tara. "Just...grr...don't let this go to your head, but...thank you." she said begrudgingly.

Somewhere the Devil just ordered himself a sweater.

Tara pulled her face away from Bonnie's shoulder, giving Ron a tear streaked look. She couldn't speak just yet, the realization of just what could have happened to her was too much, but her eyes told him just how grateful she was.

Ron gulped nervously, not accustomed to anything like this. He wasn't used to being in the spotlight and right now every eye was on him. Where was a self destruct button when you needed it.

"...booyah...?" he squeaked

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

I do hope I didn't mess any of the character's up. As I've said almost all the info I have on them is from reading online and watching a few clips when absolutely necessary. If I've gotten anything wrong just let me know. Also I have no idea how cheer leading works so I just winged it so to speak.