As the Senior Prom approaches, the various plots and plans of both hero and villain continue to develop in this week's chapter. But first a tip of the hat to our reviewers of the preceding chappie: Sentinel103, Eddy13, CajunBear73, cybercorpsesnake, Horned King II, Sharper the Writer, Jimmy1201 and EchidnaPower. Enjoy!


Anticipation


I.

Club Banana's assistant manager gave a weary roll of her eyes as she once again rearranged the dress rack and replaced all the clothing that shoppers had tried on that afternoon.

"Man oh man, and only one sale after all that," Monique complained. "Talk about picky customers…"

Suddenly Kim came breezing into the store, grinning from ear to ear.

"Girlfriend, what're you doing here on your day off? Here to pick up your new prom dress?"

Kim happily replied, "You bet, Monique. And I'm ferociously relieved that Ron's finally taken care of both my corsage and his tux, too."

Kim maintained her gleam while Monique waited for her to continue.

"And? There's something else, I can tell. You look like you're about to burst, girl!"

"Well, yeah, actually." Kim lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. "Ron also has another little gift for me, but I have to wait until the night of the prom before he'll let me know what it is and give it to me."

Monique's eyes widened with interest. "Ooh! Sounds special. Any idea what it is? Maybe something to make up for the fact that he almost forgot Valentine's Day, I hope."

"Well, after intense interrogation, I finally got him to admit that he was actually planning on giving me his surprise the day after the prom, for our first anniversary."

"Oh?" Monique purred. "And just how long and intensive was this interrogation? Any spit-swapping involved?"

Kim's jaw dropped open as her face began to approach the color of her flaming red hair.

"Thought so," Monique giggled. "So it must be ultra super special for him to plan so far ahead, I imagine."

"That's exactly what I think, but other than that, all I know for sure is that it's in a small box. I found out about it when I spotted him giving it to Rufus for safekeeping."

Monique chuckled, "Well, no way no how are you gonna get anything outta Ron's pet. Sure, he can talk a little, but he's totally loyal to Ron and wouldn't spill, even if his English was perfect."

Kim nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but it's got to be something pretty spankin' for Ron to be so tight lipped about it. I'm thinking that it's jewelry of some kind, but that's just me," she giggled.

"Well, it sounds like a good guess to me, Kim. Let's see if we can narrow down the possibilities a bit. I'm sure it's not a belt buckle, like what you gave him for your halfaversary. So, a broach or a necklace, perhaps?"

"No, the box seemed too small for that, I think."

"All right then, how about a ring?"

"Yeah, that would be just about the right size."

"Okay, now for what kind: maybe his senior class ring? That's kinda traditional for a guy to give his main squeeze, especially since he's a football hero and you're the head cheerleader."

"That's what I thought too, but he wears his class ring all the time, including today when he palmed that mystery box off to Rufus."

Monique tapped her chin in thought. "Hmm. Well, it could be a custom class ring, maybe one with your birthstone in it?"

Kim gave a casual wave of her hand. "Monique, my birthstone's a diamond. So I really don't think… that… uh…"

Both girls' eyes suddenly opened as wide as saucers.

Monique gasped, "Kim, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Kim looked suddenly apprehensive. "Yeah, but that's kind of a big step, don't you think?"

She paused for a moment before trying to laugh the idea off. "Nah, no way, Monique. That's way too serious for us at the moment. And given his 'essential Ronness,' I can't believe that he'd actually be considering..."

Kim suddenly felt slightly giddy before breathlessly finishing her sentence. "Proposing..."

Monique smirked back, "Don't be too sure. Ron can be pretty spontaneous sometimes."

"Now you're scaring me, Monique."

Her friend chided, "Hey, I thought you were the girl who could do anything?"

Kim smirked back, "Yeah, and that includes getting real concerned over the implications here. Sounds like I'll need to do a little covert checking first, and quick."

She reached down and activated her wrist Kimmunicator.

"Hey Wade."

"Hey, Kim. What's up?"

"I've got another clandestine mission for you."

"Oh, no. Ron again?" he groaned. "And you actually mean snooping, don't you?"

Kim gave him a weak smile. "Welllll…"

"Okay," he sighed. "What is it this time?"

Kim gushed, "I discovered that Ron's getting me a little gift, and I think it might be jewelry, like maybe a ring of some kind. But he won't tell me what it is: not until the night of the Senior Prom."

"Ah, so he's actually told you about getting you this gift then, right?"

"Yup. Just need to find out what it is exactly."

He tsked, "Kim, Kim, Kim. What am I going to do with you? Haven't you heard of the saying, curiosity killed the cat? You already found out that Ron was totally on the level regarding his trip to Denver, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did, but this is different. What if it's… a diamond ring?"

Wade's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa, as in an engagement ring? I know that you and Ron are quite an item now, besides him being your crime-fighting sidekick. But that seems to be an awfully big step for him to want to take. Besides, you have several colleges just drooling for you to accept, while Ron is just waiting on you to decide so he can make his own plans."

"And that's exactly what worries me. What if he's going to pop the question because he feels the need to hold on to me when I'm off to who-knows-where? Ron's loyal to a fault, but he's not the most secure guy around, you know."

"Yeah, and especially after that case of amnesia you had last year, when you didn't even remember that you and he were dating."

"Ugh, don't remind me." She gave a self-conscious little laugh. "No pun intended. At the very least, I think I need to give him some ferocious reassurance that no matter what, he doesn't need to worry about us and our relationship. I really love Ron, and besides, he's always had my back, and I plan on always doing the same for him. So I want to keep in close touch with him, and maybe even go on the occasional mission together, no matter where I end up going to college."

"Sounds good, Kim. And you know him best. But if you ask me, I just don't get the feeling that he's about to propose."

"But if he is, I had better be prepared for it."

"Like, whether to say yes or no?"

A few seconds of silence ticked by.

"Well, yeah, I guess."

Monique's eyes sparkled as she asked, "And what would you say, Kim?"

The young redhead felt like she was being put on the spot, and another few moments passed while both Wade and Monique waited expectantly for her answer. She smiled as Monique quickly nodded her head yes in encouragement.

"Wow, that's a tough one to answer, especially since we're talking about a lifetime commitment. In fact, I've only thought about it a few times…"

But she had to admit to herself that it had actually been more than just a few times: a lot more.

"And I think eventually… that I'd really like that. But it's way too early for Ron and I to start thinking about making such a huge commitment, so I'd probably say, well, not right now, but let's talk about it again, maybe in a few years. First comes college, and we're not even graduated from high school yet."

She heaved a small sigh. "So you see, I really need a little advance 411, just to be ready. You understand, don't you, Wade?" she pleaded.

Wade shook his head slowly. "All right, Kim. I'll see what I can do. But I'm not making any promises."

"Okay, Wade, that's all I can ask. Thanks."

Relieved for the moment, she ended the call and turned back to Monique.

"Now let me try on my prom dress. I'm sure it's gonna be spankin'."

Her close friend and confidante eyed her mischievously. "You sure you wouldn't rather try on some of our wedding gowns instead, Kim? I know we have some absolutely killer styles in just your size…"

Kim could only respond with a weak grin as she once again began to blush brightly.


II.

Back at Drakken's lair, a very frustrated Shego was trying to coach an equally frustrated Bonnie.

"No, no, no! Drakken's machine may be able to give you Yori's voice, but you have to provide the correct inflection for it to be believable. Try it again."

Bonnie let out a resentful huff as she tried to repeat one of Yori's common catch phrases.

"Oh, Stoppable-san. I never tire of your American-styled joking."

Shego winced. "Close. American style jokes. Try it one more time…"

Bonnie fumed, "Man, what kind of servile butt kisser is this Yori chick, anyway?"

Shego wagged her head and replied, "Hey, don't look at me. This is Drakken's plan. But if you want to get Possible's goat, you're going to have to try harder. A lot harder."

The cheerleader narrowed her teal-green eyes and gave Shego a deep, haughty bow, sarcastically adding, "It would be my honor!"

Shego tried to take Bonnie's annoyance in stride, having already been warned of the teen's prickly self-centeredness. "Hey, it's the Japanese culture. I don't agree personally with their women acting all submissive, but that's the part you have to play in this plot. And remember, it's only until those pheromones take effect, then your home free."

Bonnie simply turned up her nose. "Excuse me, but I need a break."

Shego griped, "Yeah, I could use one too. You know, you're an even worse student than Señor Senior Junior. He was totally inattentive at first, but at least he came around eventually. You, on the other hand are just plain…"

She stopped short, in reaction to Bonnie's startled look.

The teen instantly queried, "You… you taught Junior?"

Shego gave an offhanded shrug. "Sure. His dad hired me to school him in the ways of evil. And he was really getting the hang of it, in spite of Pops constantly interrupting us. But then Possible and her boyfriend crashed the party, and I got let go. Good riddance, if you ask me."

Bonnie smugly continued, "Uh, you did know that Junior and I are dating now, didn't you?"

Now it was Shego's turn to be surprised. "Whoa. You mean you and Junior are an item?"

Ron's catchphrase 'sick and wrong' immediately sprang to Shego's mind. She continued with a little snort, "Uh, no, but I have to agree that you two were just made for each other."

"Thanks," Bonnie proudly replied.

Shego smirked, "That wasn't a compliment."

"Oh…" was the cheerleader's deflated response. "But we're really happy together."

"Yeah, you should be. You two are just the right blend of shallow, selfish and insensitive."

"Wow, that's just what Ricky Rotiffle said."

"Who?"

"Oh, just some super brainy guy that Junior hired to find him a hot girlfriend."

She airily continued, "But the moment I came along, I knew that his search was over."

Shego smugly grinned back, "Yeah, but you did just admit to having quite a fling with Hirotaka once, didn't you? It sounded like you even wanted his clone to be part of your deal with Drakken."

Bonnie dismissively waved one hand. "Oh sure. But just as a boy toy on the side."

Shego mumbled under her breath, "And they call me evil…"

Out loud she pointed out, "Let me clue you, Bonnie. Synthodrones aren't just robots that you can use whenever you want and then just turn off and put back on the shelf until you need them again. They're a lot more sophisticated than you think."

She recalled the Bonnie clones Drakken had accidentally created a few years back, and chuckled at the memory. "Well, some of them at least."

Bonnie agreed, "Oh, I'm sure they are, if Kim's synthodrone boyfriend from last year is any indication."

She sniggered to herself, "And maybe I can test out for myself just how sophisticated this new Hiro is a little later tonight…"

"Well, enough talk about my love life. So what's the deal between you and Dr. Blue Skin?"

Shego's face darkened. "Well, how about, it's none of your business?"

Bonnie smoothly continued, "Well, since I'm a member of the team now, I'd think that it actually is part of my business."

Shego grimaced. "Yeah, Dr. D did brief me on your… what did he call them? Oh yeah, food chain issues. But there's nothing going on between me and him. It's just a business deal, nothing but a totally professional, and platonic relationship."

Bonnie grinned back at her with a smirky 'yeah, right' look. Her sixth sense about such matters had been honed by years of maintaining her coveted spot at the top of Middleton High's food chain, and she could sense that there might be something here lurking just below the surface, even if Shego didn't want to admit it openly.

"And I think the lady doth protest a little too much."

But Bonnie's provocative comment only exacerbated Shego's mood, and the lithe villainess immediately flared up one hand in warning.

"Watch your step, honey. I've scorched lots of Dr. D's henchmen for way less."

Bonnie nonchalantly crossed her arms. "Yeah, but then you'd lose a key player in Blue Guy's plot. And then you don't get your payback against Kim."

"THAT does it!" Shego yelled. Enraged, she flamed both hands up to full intensity. "Why, you manipulative little…"

Shego and Bonnie locked eyes for a long, dangerous moment. But suddenly, the older woman began to chuckle, and she slowly began powering down her plasma.

"Wow, kiddo. You are evil. And if you've been honing your skills against Princess like I've been doing all these years, then your abilities are going to come in real handy in this organization. And even after Drakken's current little escapade is over, you might still have a bright future here."

Bonnie brightened up. "Really?"

"Yeah, and I could certainly give you some of the same pointers I gave Junior. And I imagine that revenge against little Miss Goody-two-shoes could prove to be just the motivation you need."

Bonnie hooded her eyes as an evil grin began to spread across her well-tanned face. "Ooh, that sounds just delicious. Then afterward, maybe I could return the favor, so to speak. Just in case you needed any pointers along any... other lines, perhaps?"

Shego's mint green face began to turn a slightly deeper hue as she weakly grinned back at Bonnie. "Um, perhaps."

But her grin disappeared just as suddenly behind a mask of sternness. "But first, back to your training. Break's over, snark face…"


III.

After hanging up with Kim, Wade sat for an entire minute in front of his computer before proceeding with her request. He mulled over what he'd actually tell Kim, depending on what he found out about Ron's secret gift. What if the jewelry in question was in fact a diamond solitaire, which would confirm Kim's suspicion of a proposal in the offing? Would he spill the beans to Kim and ruin Ron's surprise? Or, what if he discovered that it wasn't a ring at all, but something else altogether?

"Well, I can sit here and ponder this all day, but without any solid intel, I'm just spinning my wheels."

He cracked his knuckles and got right to work, his fingers flying effortlessly across his computer's keyboard. First he tried correlating Ron's name with any jewelry sales over the past week in the cities of Upperton, Middleton or Lowerton. He smiled smugly as he did so, proud of his nimble skills, using sophisticated computer search techniques that Global Justice could only dream about.

"Yeah, and considering my current abilities, I might have a bright future with GJ. Either them, or maybe the NSA…"

Ten seconds later, he got a solid hit.

"Bingo!"

The jewelry store in question was ironically the one directly across the street from the Jewish synagogue where Ron and his family frequently worshiped. As Wade carefully viewed the digitized invoice, his eyes widened in surprise. After doing some quick cross-checking, he nodded with complete understanding.

"Well, it looks like Kim wasn't too far off after all. Now, what to tell her, if anything? I'll have to give this some serious thought first…"


Next week, the Prom!


TBC…