Couldn't resist naming the chapter after one of my favorite Indiana Jones films. XD

Chapter Four

The Temple of Doom

Her photograph did not do her justice - the visage in front of him was beyond striking, blending amidst their surroundings and yet standing out at the same time.

Never did he expect to run into her before they arrived at their destination which was none other than the hidden monkey temple, and it was five more kilometers to go from where he and Bates had stopped - and in time to hear rustle above in the trees. He'd looked up in time to see a woman falling from somewhere above, and she would have broken like eggs in every bone in her body if he had not swiftly caught her like a fallen angel.

Fiske blinked. Angel...?

Women were not in his area, for his own reasons besides the fact he was often a bank to them, so he'd never had his eyes on a gold-digging female; that was not the only issue, but one he'd been born with that his mother and Bates helped him hide his entire life. A part of himself he would make damned sure this one he rescued in his arms would never find out.

Yet as he held her, brief as it was, how could he describe the lump in his throat when lush emerald eyes locked with his? Looked at him, grateful he snatched her before she broke in every bone in her body, did not have proper means to thank him...

A part of him wanted to just tell her he was not what she thought he was, as the admiration in her eyes was crystal clear, like their souls had already connected before they even had their first conversation. This was impossible; she was a young woman, bright and with so much life ahead of her, yet accomplished so much since an innocent stage. Not that different from him. This was the reason why Monty Fiske had difficulty keeping the smile off his face as he looked at Kim Possible for the first time with his own two eyes.

Removing the helmet after she pulled herself together, a wild wave of fire flew over her shoulders that made his blood burn. Why did his natural instincts have to do this to him now?

Thankfully, introducing her to his loyal valet distracted him for the moment, and they could get to business. Even though she didn't say it directly, something told Monty that she had known about him and his work for some time before today. She apparently was one of the few young faces to truly take him seriously. Or was she that eager to please, that overwhelmed by him that she could not speak lest she said one wrong phrase and crushed everything?

It made Fiske feel somewhat gratified that she thought so highly of him that she was willing to respect him. Perhaps one day after their assignment, he would return that favor. See if she was really as good as everyone spoke, and as her book detailed.

And he could see why she only based her fictional sidekick off of her real one, and not made him completely the same.

The young man was nothing like Miss Possible; he was clumsy and idiotic, if you asked Fiske. Blond-haired, freckled, and round-faced, but otherwise depicting sharp ability to see through people. The nobleman had to guess that the boy would look him in the eyes and peer through his soul; if that happened, he had another person on his list of personal dislikes. But he would tolerate the lad for the sake of the woman he requested directly thanks to Dr. Reeves.

Add in lack of grace in his appearances. "KP, next time we are aiming for clearer ground instead of the trees." Fiske suppressed a snort at the boy's additional lacking in the thrill. Why on earth would he be tagging along as so-called "help"? He looked at her with the question in his eyes, but she didn't look at him or Bates.

"Gentlemen, this is my friend Ron. Ron Stoppable."

He might have said he was charmed, but when the boy finally turned to look at him, the other was far from ecstatic to match. This was going to be interesting, but he could not wait to never see this face again as soon as they were finished, but if he ever needed her for the fourth statue, then he supposed he could not refuse her wish to bring this fool along.

In other words, he was lying when he said he was pleased to meet the other. And the suspicion was clear in the chocolate brown orbs.

"Kim's idol, whom she speaks of...fondly," he bluntly said after a sarcastic, brusque shake of gloved hands, to which Monty drew his own back as though the other's was something vulgar he had touched.

"Ron!" she hissed, making him chuckle. The wonders about her admiration for him had been confirmed after all. This had just gotten easier for him, but it had begun to be a tad awkward for her.

"I believe the introductions and a 'getting to know you' social call can wait until after we finish our business," he said, looking up at the sky. The afternoon was late, and he wanted to have the five kilometers left to be completed before the night fell. "Miss Possible, I look forward to seeing how you can do anything as they say," he told her with a smile that made her eyes lower bashfully, but the crooked grin she returned was visible for his eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking," Stoppable called when he struggled to catch up to them, panting and out of breath that Monty wanted to shove his boot up his mouth like an adolescent, "where is this - AAAAAHHH!"

All three heads whirled around and stopped in their tracks, in time to see the boy cowering in his path, curling into himself as though trying to protect himself from whatever he saw. Following his glance, Fiske just about chortled his head off, Miss Possible stifling giggles of her own, while Bates only shook his head, at the sight of the family of common squirrel monkeys in the overhead tree branches.

"Mr. Stoppable," Fiske said, almost growling in his teeth, "why on earth would a pack of simians frighten you as though they were an incoming category four hurricane?"

Unfortunately, his teeth were chattering and he was too scared out of his wits to even answer. The young woman sighed as she looked up at him and answered. "I'm sorry about him. It goes back to when we were kids, and he had a bad summer camp experience with the monkey mascot. He shared a bunk with it, and the chimp always gave him a hard time, bit him and nearly tore him apart..."

Fiske's throat rumbled as he chuckled at the story told. So, Stoppable feared all things related to monkeys - and especially the chimpanzee. Whenever Miss Possible turned on his wildlife documentations, she must have a secret perverse pleasure in scaring the life out of her poor friend, whose attention she snapped back to life with pulling him to his feet and snapping her fingers before his eyes. "That was one...crazy monkey!" he sputtered, making Monty roll his eyes.

"Of course," he told him, "you do realize that chimpanzees are not truly monkeys as they do not possess tails as the ones above us. They are actually part of the ape family."

"Monkeys, apes!" the young man retorted. "They all hold stuff with their feet and bite the hell out of you if you give them the wrong idea, man! We're talking about total freaks of nature!"

His teeth rattled as he gritted his jaw tighter, his lips keeping together in the tightest glare he could give this troublesome boy for his audibly loud vocalization of his hatred for Lord Monty Fiske's field of expertise - and what was a part of who he was as a man. There were more than a million things he could say to give this insipid lad a piece of his mind, but because of the evident horror in both eyes of Kim Possible and Bates, he restrained himself and coldly insisted they carry on. His temper continued to boil at optimum levels that he wished he could pull Ron Stoppable aside here and now just to get it over with.

What the young fool did not realize was that he had insulted the lover of monkeys himself, calling him exactly what he called those around him he studied and saved: a freak of nature.

~o~

Why could Ron not get a grip for once?!

If you asked her, the monkeys in the trees were nothing short of cute, feeding each other berries and twigs to find, and swinging from branch to branch, being cute and all. As well, don't get her started on anything natural and disgusting that Lord Fiske explained in his documentaries that monkeys were known to do when they were mad.

She had been nervous to even look at the man's face when her best friend had to insult him like that and his profession. Not surprisingly and disappointing at the same time, Fiske's glower as he could not let go of what Ron said remained. She had to avert her eyes ahead when his eyes rotated down to her. She still chose to hike beside him while Ron stayed close behind her, and Bates the valet on the opposite of his master.

"Lord Fiske," she said in a hushed undertone, feeling a little more than awkward that he must think the wrong thing about her just because of - "I'm so sorry about Ron."

"His fault is not your own." Though his glare wavered, his tone was still clipped that it made her flinch.

Was this how he really was around other people? If so, now she was more worried than ever that she might mess up herself. The Brits could be so stuck-up, from what she heard, and their polite demeanors were made for appearance whether they liked it or not. You often had a hard time reading through them - unless you were keen enough to spot certain twitches in the mouth or a flash in the eyes.

"He really means well," she tried to reason. "A bad experience can do that to a person."

"More than one 'bad experience' is enough as it is to insult one in return who specializes in his greatest fear." He was not shy about voicing it loud enough for Ron to hear.

"Hey!"

Saved by the bells, thanks to Bates. "Milord, if I may say so, perhaps you can share the map with her?"

She sighed with relief that no more tension exploded. Fiske's expression changed from irritable to something resembling excitement that a child would have over news of a new flavor of ice cream. Chuckling, he turned to look back at Kim. "Of course, when we reach our destination in one more kilometer, I shall show it to you, but know that it is an ancient simian temple housing a jade icon -" He was interrupted and halfway turned with renewed annoyance that Kim had to share with him at the sound of Ron's chattering teeth at the simple mention of the word "monkey". Brushing this off, the explorer continued, "As I was saying, there is a jade monkey statue deep within that temple that must be recovered. It is the third out of four in existence."

"And you want me to go in and get it for you," Kim stated, thinking this might be no big. What could be worse than a few ancient booby traps to spring to get what her idol wanted for the museum? His eyes lit up at her understanding and his smile matched, answering her without saying the word.

"But you won't be going in alone, Miss Possible," he added, surprising her. "I am going in with you. A gentleman never lets a lady go by herself."

~o~

He knew from the moment he laid his eyes on her that she could take care of herself, but at the last minute, he decided he could not let her go by herself. This was also HIS expedition that he felt she needed someone more...competent than the monkey-phobe himself. How on earth could she manage to survive and succeed at every mission with Stoppable around?

A gentleman never lets a lady go by herself...

Just what had he become when he had to speak the truth to her - or rather, a form of it? He felt like he should have made a fool of himself, but strangely enough, it didn't happen that way. But the way she looked at him with such fire in her eyes, opposite of her smile, told another story that did not match her words.

"I'd be honored if you could help, Lord Fiske, but I've skimmed Mount Everest, flown a spacecraft and won regional cheer-offs that I can go in alone," she insisted.

"Nonsense, I called you to help me, so therefore, I should have the say to accompany you and make sure we both get out alive," Monty stated, mildly annoyed that she had to question his decision, and she bristled but did not say anything but satisfy him with her acquiesce.

"If you insist then, Your Lordship."

Was it his imagination, or was the desire to please him suddenly dropping because of one simple statement? He tried not to smile. Being eager to worship could only do so much at a time. "Then it is settled," he said, clasping his hands behind his back as they continued their journey until they finally reached their destination and a clearing which displayed it within a majestic view.

"Oh, isn't it magnificent?" he heard himself breathe out, his heart bursting once before returning to normal for a split second, then more rapid pounds to prove he was ecstatic beyond his wildest dreams.

Miss Possible's expression was priceless, no words intended to explain it or any words to slip past her parted lips. Her friend, however, resumed his chittering, chattering teeth. At least it would only be him and the lady venturing in.

"How do we get in?" Possible asked after a long pause. "I read there's always going to be traps you never see coming..."

He chuckled, amused at her curiosity and caution. She was more prepared than he thought, as well. "Indeed, but I am confident we will make it through." He turned back with her to glare at Stoppable when he pulled himself together.

"I hope, for your sake, Your Lordship, that you don't get my best friend killed for this."

"Do calm down, Mr. Stoppable," Fiske said icily, "and rest assured, I won't have Miss Possible maimed in any sense."

She surprised him yet again, this time targeting both him and her sidekick. "Both of you, stop. You two can argue as soon as we are finished." And just like that, her sweet, crooked grin was back in place. "Lead the way, my lord?" she asked, just as sweetly.

Wouldn't mind if he did. He returned the proud beam without trouble.

Both Bates and her wreck of a friend remained behind, both watching with uncertainty. He and the lady made their way into the mouth of the monkey itself, gaping and swallowing them up as they ventured into the cavern itself. Thousands of years prompted vines and thick roots to penetrate powerful stone, but to hold the structure at the same time. Nothing that he didn't expect. Shining his flashlight, he gazed upon the ancient carvings of monkeys from the dawn of time, accompanied by archaic inscriptions and exotic Spanish carvings. "Wow," Possible breathed, keeping her voice low. "I never really paid attention to my surroundings this way much."

Fiske shot her a bemused look. "You don't look at your surroundings in an appreciative manner enough?"

"I'm always busy saving the world. It leaves little room for enjoyment."

Somehow it made him recall all his times where he made time for his research only and nothing else, aware of what he was doing but did not care about socializing. He had no friends, no real friends besides Bates and the monkeys at his castle, and certainly never had a woman to bring back home, but now was not a good time to tell her his similarities with her. However, she seemed to have a wider circle than he back in her cozy little hometown in central America. In a way, he envied her.

He stopped upon hearing the noise - a faint click, but it bounced off the walls to make it difficult in deciphering where it came from. "Shh," he said, shining his flashlight and trying to find where it was coming from. She had her own, mimicking him. Together, they did not see anything peculiar...until the rumble sounded in their eardrums accompanied by a stunning shift of the ancient concrete beneath their feet.

The floor was moving.

Which meant either the tunnel would collapse into an endless chasm beneath them, or it would lead to a spike pit, acid pit, or anything deadly awaiting them below.

She sensed the danger, too. "Come on!" she yelled, taking him by his wrist and pulling him forward, just as the gravity shifted like a roller, raising behind them into the shape of a great wave, following them and chasing like predator after prey. Her speed matched up to his as they ran for their lives, finding three sets of hallways - and one of them would lead to the tomb of the third jade monkey.

He just as soon as groaned, gripping his flashlight and wishing he could break it. They did not have time for this!

"God, which way?!" she cried, frustrated as he was.

Monty growled through his bared teeth; she turned behind him to see the stone wave closing in on them, and apparently they were left with no choice but to leap at the last minute through the left - and he meant his left, pulling her with him - just as the various stones crashed through the arch, entrapping them and blocking them from ever leaving through this way again.

He found himself laying halfway up on his haunches, staring at the cave-in and knowing they wouldn't be coming back this way anymore. But there was no telling if THIS direction was going to take them to the idol. But to rush into it would get them both killed. Coughing, he dusted himself off and stood up, looking down at Kim - and why did his throat tighten when he saw how similar her state was to him?! Her black blouse which bared her midriff was heavily covered with debris and dust. She had to spit out what had accidentally gotten into her mouth, turning her face away from him, of course. He stifled a chuckle. She had been out for the adventure before, but now she must have gotten an actual taste of doomed temples.

Leaning down, Monty offered his hand out to her. "I take it you have had your first taste of archaeological excavations, eh, Miss Possible?"

"Cheerleading has saved my life so far," she answered, dusting herself off from top to bottom, the sight somehow strangely attractive. "I never imagined this stuff from the movies could actually happen, and Ron and I both grew up with Indiana Jones." They were now walking down the corridor, flashlights scanning for more possible traps along the way.

He raised an eyebrow at her as he gazed from one corner of his eye. "You and Stoppable go back?"

"Since pre-K," she answered. "We've known each other all our lives. We go to college together, too, and he's currently dating one of my cheerleader members and friends from high school. They're still going strong."

"And yourself?" Aside from her worldwide successes, there was little to nothing known about her...personal life, but it was no surprise that she was still single. Men must eye her and throw themselves at her, or was it because of the fact the entire world knew her name and face that they didn't think a permanent relationship was possible? He began to think that a woman like Kim Possible would not want to trade any part of her identity for a man who saw her only as a trophy, either.

Her sigh was barely audible to bounce off the walls if they couldn't reach his eardrums. "Not so lucky. It's a long story I'd rather not discuss now."

Monty hummed. It was that serious that it could not be discussed while their lives were very much at risk in this place. He decided to respect her wishes and closed his lips on the topic. "It's a pity that your...friend has to carry the burden of fear for simians of every species," he said bitterly, getting a vapid expression before it softened.

"I tried telling him what a...great role model you were," she said. "I've known your work since I began high school, from your protection of the monkeys around the world to the poaching rates going down slowly, and to raising more awareness. It's wonderful."

He could not keep the smile off his face at her praise of his life and achievements - but there was so much about himself that would utterly repulse her. "Yes, monkeys and apes are majestic creatures vastly related to us that they must be preserved," he said absently.

"See, Lord Fiske? I wish Ron could understand you're a good man who means no harm to him."

He had to suppress yet another sigh. If only she knew...

~o~

Okay, a floor raising to awareness to their presence, then rolling after them like a tsunami as they fled for their lives - then come across three different tunnels, forced to just choose one only to save their own skins?! Just their day. But how could she have prepared for this? And how could he? He mentioned one time in one of his previous adventures that he was forced to make a choice between TWO different doorways while in an Egyptian tomb of a long-lost priestess. That experience nearly cost him an entire leg.

Kim had to say this adventure she was sharing with him had only gotten more...interesting. Not like she hadn't faced danger before, but to be in a tomb of an ancient civilization was fresh for her. And with her idol of all people made it better.

Like she said, if only Ron got it through his head that Lord Monty Fiske was a good man who cared about the ape world, about life itself, and among other things. However, the man himself did not respond to her words which made her lower her eyes, cheeks burning with embarrassment. Maybe she said too much.

Having to choose between left, right and middle, the left doorway was the closest they would go even though the unknown lay ahead of them both. Kim gulped even though she tried to stay positive. They would find that statue in no time, but there had to be more traps ahead...

"This is very similar to the past two I encountered," Fiske was telling her as he shone his light on the walls, which carried the inscriptions and carvings of every monkey species in existence. It made her wonder why was it monkeys, not that she was freaked by them like Ron was. "All four idols have a very fascinating legend behind them."

"You never did tell me what that story was."

"No, I never had the chance. But the locals believe that placing them in precise alignment would give an individual a great power, otherwise known as Mystical Monkey Power."

They had been walking for some time now before they came to a halt at the sight of a pedestal in the middle of a room at the end of the tunnel, surrounded with streams of sunlight coming from above. There didn't seem to be anything unusual, but they had to tread carefully. Kim had been so interested in hearing more of the legend that she decided it had to wait...because their prize waited in the middle of the room. "The jade monkey!" she gasped when she recognized it right away. The statue itself looked like it had been carved from granite, with explicit features of the animal in its name; the eyes seemed to glow vividly even from where she and Lord Fiske were standing.

"Oh, when we get it out of here, I shall see to it that the National Museum celebrates!" he declared, laughing with her, nearly doubling over as if he'd just gotten the award for his good record. His laughter, high and almost like a...a monkey...echoed off the walls before he remembered himself and their situation, then cleared his throat. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind doing the honors of grabbing the statue while I search for a way out of here?"

"No big." With that, she cartwheeled into the air and landed safely before the pedestal, watching him as he began his search for the way out of this room, but found none so far. Worry began to swell within her, but he asked her to do the simple job of removing the monkey from its sacred place -

- but when she did, the pedestal itself began to groan from centuries of standing tall, vanishing where it once stood...only for water to come through and begin to flood the floor of the tomb. "Lord Fiske!" Kim yelled, hurrying over to him with the idol in both arms; the weight wasn't bothersome, but it sure was cumbersome. He still had not found the way out, but now they had another major problem:

The chamber was going to fill with water, and they were going to drown.