June, 2001

"You're so full of it, Possible. There's no way you did that."

Well, stupid Bonnie Rockwaller could be a doubter all she wanted. Ron was there; he'd seen it all. He'd been right there when Kim had made her way through the path of lasers to save Mr. Paisley in Upperton…and got her picture taken with a FLAMINGOAT! It was flat out the best night of her life, SO the drama! Now the picture was framed and hanging next to her bed and she had a kick butt story to finally top Bonnie's family vacation to Brazil. And Bonnie was SOOOO jealous. You could just see it on her face!

"Jealous much?" Kim laughed as she got her lunch and turned to go sit next to Ron. Bonnie grumbled something Kim couldn't quite make out but Kim still had the high ground and stuck her tongue out at the princess wannabe. She knew it all really happened, Ron knew it all really happened, and that was all that she needed. Every time she looked at the picture, she'd feel…oooooh, it was such an adrenaline rush that she couldn't take it. But…eh, it probably WAS only a one-time thing. She was only 14 after all. And except for the Hinton twins, babysitting jobs weren't so bad.

Kim set her tray down next to her best friend just in time to see Ron feed a hunk of cheese from his slice of pizza to Rufus, his new pet naked mole rat; that…that was both a kind of adorable and…DEEPLY disgusting. But she couldn't deny that Rufus had been a lot smarter than the average pet she'd seen. If it hadn't been for him, there was probably no way that they would've even gotten through Mr. Paisley's front gate and her grand adventure probably would've ended at nothing but a trip to Upperton and back. The little guy smiled up at her…at least she thought it was a smile and squeaked out a "howdy". Well…never let it be said that Kim Possible wasn't friendly. All the other popular girls called her "tin teeth" behind her back? Well that was fine. She had better friends than they did and more of them.

"Don't get used to this," Kim smiled as she slipped Rufus some cheese from her own pizza.

"Booyah; thanks!"

"See Kim? Rufus is totally cool. I knew you'd come around."

"Okay…he's not so bad," Kim flashed a small smile and opened here milk carton. The topic of conversation today was their trip to Camp North Star after school was over. Ever since she was six years old, she'd spent two months there every summer. Mom had been a counselor-in-training there when she was in college and it was kind of a family tradition. It had taken months of convincing to get Ron to come with her, especially after that "bad experience" he kept talking about at Camp Wanna Weep when they were nine, but Ron had finally agreed and they'd been going together ever since. The counselors, A.L., Wheels, and Hardware were so cool and so much fun. Bonnie Rockwaller could talk all she wanted about Camp Mohawk and horse riding and synchronized swimming. At Camp North Star, they always had fun…and Kim had just loved the look on her face last year when her team had beaten Bonnies in the swim relay at the Camp Olympiad.

"It's gonna be SO spankin this year Ron," Kim promised, swallowing a mouthful of her pizza and gazing longingly out the window.

"Just so long as it's nowhere near a science camp," Ron muttered. "You know how dangerous it is to dump toxic waste into the water? Because I do and let me tell you…"

Ron continued on in that rant, off in his own little world. Ha…since when was Ron so environmentally conscious? He always seemed to wind up on these rants when they talked about camp. The way he was talking, you'd have thought that he was an expert scientist and not just a goofball who played a lot of video games. He was still coming though. That was the important thing. And if he brought Rufus, then Rufus could make friends with a squirrel.

Kim couldn't wait. She was fourteen now and that meant that she was old enough to start taking A.L's self-defense classes. Every summer, she'd grown up with A.L's stories around the campfire about traveling all over world. She'd been to China, Thailand, Tibet; she'd actually studied with Shaolin Monks and then spent the next two months hiking across the Gobi desert completely by herself. She'd gone scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. She was a trained hang glider…it may have been Kim's family's motto that anything was possible for a Possible…but A.L really COULD do anything, just like Nana Possible. And as cheesy as it sounded, Kim wanted to be just like her when she grew up.

"And the dolphin totally had a second head and…Kim? Are you listening to me? Hello?"

Ron snapped his fingers in front of her face and she blinked. She'd…she'd been…snowboarding down Mt. Everest and…darn it; her cheeks were undoubtedly bright red. Rufus looked to be studying her, almost concerned that something was wrong. Talk about embarrassing. But as was usual for Ron, he didn't judge and continued on eating. And on the plus side, it had distracted him enough to put a stop to the rant.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Come on, Elliot. They're kids, not Marines. You don't have to run them to death."

Oh brother; Elliot had been doing this routine since he was six. Apart from helping in his father's hardware store, the Elliot Spencer had lived on and helped run his grandfather's Oklahoma cattle farm. Some would say that he'd enlisted in the Navy after high school. Heck, he'd have said that the only change from working the farm in Oklahoma and Naval Station Great Lakes had been that there was more water and he had twenty roommates. Boot Camp, SEAL training, all of it was a cake walk compared to his childhood. So what was wrong with giving these kids the same edge?

Sophie moaned in frustration. "BECAUSE THEY'RE SIX YEAR OLDS! Just…please remember that the camping trip with the nine year old campers is supposed to be about FUN! It's not a race. It's about fun and how to live in the woods…and don't you DARE try to put them through SEAL survival training!"

Awwww…well…that wasn't NECISSARILY what was going to happen. Sophie didn't know him as well as she claimed. Although, as the former Black Ops soldier watched his group assembling on the edge of the summer camp, there was ONE that he couldn't help but be impressed by. The redhead, Kim Possible, was competitive, smart as a whip, and watching her at the head counselor's self-defense classes, even at age 14, Elliot had to be impressed by the natural skill and ability to absorb new skills with utter ease, and was a natural leader. And from what Sophie had said about her and Nate's camp theater activities, Sophie claimed to always see herself in Kim Possible, the ability to put on a show that her audience utterly believed. She and her…for some reason that only God could understand…friend Ron Stoppable were both junior counselors and therefore would act as his deputies on the camping trip. The kid appeared to be a complete buffoon but absolutely loyal to Kim Possible, and Elliot could only too well appreciate the value of someone who you could depend wholeheartedly. You met people of all sorts in work like this, both young and old. A few stuck with you but when you were constantly under an alias, you couldn't always keep in touch. But those two…he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that they'd likely part ways after this. Since Leverage Inc. had been forced to relocate to Boston, and that it had grown to mean so much to Elliot, he'd been thinking of its future. And Kim Possible at least…THERE was the future of Leverage Inc. …if only it could've been so.

"Don't worry Sarah," The girl in question had appeared beside the two, sporting pigtails, pack ready and face more than eager. "Ron and I can take care of the 'Grizzly Bear'."

"Grizzly Bear?" Elliot laughed and thumped his protégé in the shoulder. "I'm not that bad, am I, Kim?"

"Well I don't think so. But certain OTHERS," Her eyes darted to her blonde haired companion. "They keep talking about me being too COMPETITIVE…or some crap like that."

She was a girl after his own heart and they'd likely have some fun on this trip! Elliot called his charges to order and began laying out their plans for the days ahead…at least as far as the kids were concerned. Over the next two days, their troop would sleep out under the stars, live off of roots, berries, and whatever fish they could catch. That was what the troop believed at least. After they broke for the first day however, if Elliot could keep the pace he'd hoped, they'd be just close enough to Camp Mohawk for him to leave Kim and Ron in charge while he made the rendezvous with Parker and the pair infiltrated the Mohawk office to get the evidence they needed to keep North Star from being foreclosed. The way Rudy Gerner had spelled it out for he and Nate, Mohawk had been gunning for this for decades and now…now was the first time that he was afraid they might actually succeed, but not only succeed, they were also setting the camp director, Tripper Harris, up for fraud and child endangerment. But Nate…Nate wasn't going to let that happen. NO one was going to let that happen!

"Okay Woodchuck cabin," Kim cheered, running to the front of the line. "Everybody follow me!"

The kid was indeed a natural leader. Not only that, the kids all seemed to follow her. The column moved out of the camp at a brisk pace. If Kim was going to keep the pace, then her little friends were going to do their utmost to follow her.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

…SNAP…

Kim's eyes darted open, looking for the source of the sound. Ever since she was little, she'd been a light sleeper though strangely only when she was sleeping outside. On family camping trips, she and Daddy were always the ones up at the crack of dawn. She looked around and barely spotted the form of Counselor Chip disappearing into the woods and heading North West. What was…no part of the camp was in that direction. What...where was he going? What was in that direction? Kim had been camping in this area for nine years and knew it like the back of her hand. Camp North Star was in the opposite direction. The only thing in that direction was…Camp Mohawk? Why was he headed for Camp Mohawk? Well…she was going to find out.

Something had been bugging her about these new counselors since she and Ron had gotten here. Counselors Sarah, Chip, and Adam seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and when Kim asked A.L and some of the others about them, they'd all been more than a little tightlipped about it, almost like they were trying to hide something from the older kids. Every one of them though seemed to be…well…very welcoming of the new faces; and strange enough, despite her suspicions, so had Kim. All of the counselors were very approachable and seemed more than eager to teach Kim whatever they could if she was willing to learn and Kim had certainly taken them up on it, even if she did feel like they and the rest of the counselors were hiding something from the campers.

"K…Kim?" Ron grumbled, turning to his friend. "Where are you…?"

"It's okay Ron," Wherever "Counselor Chip" was going, he obviously was hoping not to be pursued. Kim would be able to move better on her own. "The firewood got wet and Chip and I are going to get more."

Kim took off at a quick jog through the woods. Checking her watch, it was after ten o'clock and plenty dark outside. The moon was bright but the trees were thick enough to make any light that might have given her patchy most of the time. But thankfully what light there was and keeping her ears open allowed her at least a rough idea that she was going in the right direction and just behind Chip. She ducked under branches, stepped around twigs as carefully as she could; she wouldn't lose track of her quarry. Counselor Chip wouldn't forgive her…she stopped in her tracks. Haha…she had been about to say that Counselor Chip would never forgive her if she let her quarry get away…and Counselor Chip was the very person she was tracking.

She pursued him for close to a half hour, or so she thought. It had gotten dark enough that she didn't dare light up her watch. A light in the middle of the dark would give away her position. From what she could see of the stars, they were still headed northwest, definitely headed towards Camp Mohawk then. All the while, she had "Counselor Chip" just barely in her sights. Strange though; it almost felt like…like the man was trying to KEEP her on his tale.

"Hold it," A voice barked out of the darkness. Ever so slightly, she felt…what she had a sinking suspicion was a gun barrel between her shoulder blades. "Don't move!"

Every one of your senses can be a weapon, she heard Nana Possible's voice go through her head. As much as she admired A.L, the camp counselor had nothing on Kim's Grandma. While A.L had been training at that Shaolin Monastery in China, it had been Grandma Possible who had trained HER. Picture them in your mind's eye, their stance, their breathing, and then react.

That tentative touch of the barrel had been all she'd needed. The woods were pitch black but to Kim, it might as well have been high noon in an open field. Without a second thought, Kim dropped to her feet and shot her leg out into the stranger's legs, dropping him to the ground. Kim heard the klink of the gun barrel hitting a rock and her hand struck, wrapping her fingers around the cold black steel. Yanking the gun up and leaping to her feet, the barrel swung out and collided with the stranger's face with a CRUNCH. Like a sack of potatoes, the stranger crumpled to the ground. The gun fell from Kim's hands to the ground and…

…SNAP…

Kim whirled around to face whatever new trouble had snuck up on her, fists in a fighting position…and was staring into the shadowy face of Counselor Chip. But where only a few hours ago, she'd seen a friendly camp counselor in jeans, a t-shirt, and hiking boots, now…who was this person? Standing before her was someone out of a military or spy movie. And the look on his face was…wait…was he…did she…surprise him? His face was absolute stone…except for those eyes.

"Come with me. Don't fall behind."

"Who…who are you?"

"Elliot Spencer," He grunted as she fell into line behind him. "My friends and I are here to save your camp…and I think you can help."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

To any outside observer, Nate had to look like a delirious fool, a hopeless smile plastered on his face as he waited for Tripper Harris to enter the diner. And why shouldn't he be happy? Who could've seen a situation like this arriving? He and Sophie had absolutely no idea how right either of them were about Kim Possible. From the moment he'd set eyes on her, Nate could see the tremendous potential exhibited by this girl. She was bright, kind, and a natural leader, the kind of person that just seemed to excel at virtually everything she put her mind to and in excelling, drew people to her like a wolf pack to its Alpha member. And that was just what he, Sophie, and Elliot had managed to observe of her in camp.

Elliot's after action report…the thing read like an episode of a kid's cartoon. First of all, a fourteen year old…a FOURTEEN year old had managed to see through their disguises. Granted, sometimes the people that Nate and his crew dealt with weren't exactly geniuses but still…Hardison and Sophie had always put so much work into them and here came this young girl who managed to make Elliot and not only make him, but tag along to infiltrate Camp Mohawk's offices with Parker, eliminating guards that had to be twice her size. Elliot and Parker had been uncovered but managed to smuggle the necessary documents out the window to Kim who in turn managed to run full tilt back to their campsite, completely as if nothing had ever happened. According to Elliot, upon the revelation that Camp North Star was in danger, Kim was fully prepared to do whatever it took. There…there were just no words to describe it. This fourteen year old girl had managed to save their operation and save her camp.

"Kim, I…I hardly know what to say. You…you are without a doubt the most remarkable young woman I've ever met."

Good grief; the kid practically radiated satisfaction and not in an arrogant or superior sort of way. Nate…Nate actually saw a bit of himself in the teenager. She was satisfied in the fact that she had helped someone and nothing more. During the operation, everyone had been able to clue into the fact that Kim was an exceptionally gifted and above all kind person but…she existed to help anyone she could and as many people as she could.

"I…I just wanted to help, Mr. Ford," She breathed from the seat next to him. "Camp North Star…it's a part of me. Everyone here's like…well…like family to me. I couldn't let anything bad happen to them if there was something I could do about it."

"Oh please; I think we're to the point you could call me Nate."

The conversation was quickly broken up by the appearance of Rudy Gerner with Tripper Harris, still looking as if someone was about to jump him from any direction. From what Nate had heard about Tripper from everyone else at the camp, Tripper was practically a camp legend, running rings around the previous camp director in their younger days, pulling prank after prank. He'd been the one responsible for motivating the camp back in 1979, the year they started taking it to Camp Mohawk in the Inter-Camp Olympics. Once the mess started with Mohawk trying to set Tripper up for fraud and buy out Camp North Star…he'd become a shadow of his former self. But thank God they had some good news for him.

Taking a seat at the table, two sets of eyes immediately fell on Kim. "Uh…Mr. Ford…what…what's Kim doing here?"

"Well, I think it's better if I let Kim explain it," Nate turned and smiled at the girl.

"We did it Tripper!" Kim squealed in delight. "We got the evidence to clear you and proving the Camp Mohawk executives were behind the whole thing! We DID it Tripper! The camp is safe!"

Tripper's hands began shaking and he heaved a great sigh, turning to Rudy Gerner and pulling him into a hug. Rudy himself already looked about ready to cry. According to their initial meeting, Rudy had been twelve when Tripper, then a counselor himself, had taken him under his wing and given him the only self-confidence he'd ever had. Tripper had pretty much saved Rudy's life, as Rudy told it. There was absolutely nothing that Rudy wouldn't do for Tripper. And apart from getting Tripper off the hook, Nate's crew had one last gift to give. Reaching into his pocket, Nate hauled out an envelope and slid it across the table to Tripper.

"We also got our hands on the money they were going to plant for the frame-up. Camp North Star was awarded a grant from the State of Massachusetts for improving their facilities. Take my word for it. The money's 100% legitimate. We just figured some good should come out of their attempt."

"Wow…and I thought that saving Mr. Paisley from a maze of security lasers was going to be the highlight of my life," Kim gasped as Tripper and Rudy left the diner.

Nate nearly snorted coffee out of his nose! Security lasers? This wasn't the first time Kim had…? His eyes were drawn to the young lady seated next to him, oblivious to the fact that her table mate had just had to dramatically reevaluate her. This girl was…a natural. She was truly a natural. Even Parker hadn't tackled anything like a laser security grid at 14. Maybe…maybe Elliot was right. Sophie and Parker had started their "professions" at a very young age and…and since relocating to Boston, he'd been dropping hints about "cementing the future of Leverage" as he put it. In one of the rare occurrences when Elliot and Hardison were in agreement, Hardison actually referred to it as franchising. And if there was anyone he could think of who exhibited the necessary potential, it was the girl seated next to him. It would likely be a few years before she'd go on missions…but in those years, the team could train her. Each member of Leverage could train the girl and she'd be the very best of all of them.

"Kim, this is your last year at North Star, isn't it?"

"Yes; why?"

"Well…I've got a little project I want to run by you that you could spend your future summer vacations working on."

Author's Notes:

Well, there was a lot included in this one. I hadn't intended to but I thought it would be fun to do a backstory chapter concerning Kim and Leverage's first encounter. And I was watching one of my favorite Bill Murray movies, Meatballs, when I was writing most of it and couldn't think of a better place for a pre-teen Kim to spend her summers. Hope you enjoyed.

Meatballs and all characters associated with that film are the copyrighted property of Famous Players CFDC and Paramount Pictures and is the intellectual property of Harold Ramis.