Between a Kim and a Hard Place
Chapter 4
By: FortressMaximus
Authors notes: Thanks again to everyone who read the story as well as those who left some really great reviews!
I wasn't sure if I could get Kim and company down properly on paper, but with your kind words I'm feeling a lot more confident about tackling this new universe!
I hope you like this chapter!
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Rufus watched helpless as Ron twisted and turned in his sleep, sweat pouring off his body as nightmares ran unchecked through his mind. At times he would cry out, begging the monkeys to go away. Others, he would curl up into a ball and beg Kim to forgive him as his face became damp with tears.
The naked mole rat knew this wasn't right.
With no luck waking Ron from his frightful slumber, Rufus knew he only had one option left-Kim.
Reluctantly, he knew he had to leave Ron's side for the moment. Scampering out the raised window and to the ground, his tiny paws pounded hard on the grass as he pushed himself with all possible speed towards the house of his humans' mate.
A pair of yellow eyes watched as avian wings took flight.
Anne stood there, unsure what-if anything-to say as Kim paced back and forth on the carpet.
"I must be the worst girlfriend in the history of the world!" she all but growled, her tone dark and growing more so by the moment.
"Kimmy..."
If Kim Possible even heard her mom it's doubtful she would have paused.
"It's bad enough I miss the BEST thing that could EVER happen to me for over a DECADE, now I have to miss that I'm causing the man I love panic attacks because I'm more concerned with my own needs than what he's going through!"
Anne frowned, not liking where Kim's tone of voice was heading. Her anger was growing once again, but this time is was blatantly self-directed.
"But the worse part is that I SHOULD have seen this coming! Even after all that crap about the food chain, and Bonnie and that syntho-jerk Eric I should have known Ron might still problems with going from friends to dating!"
"Kim..." quietly intoned Anne as she tried to defuse her daughters growing anger.
"Was I kidding myself mom?! Here I am, all in my little black dress that almost gave Ron a heart attack during Middleton Days and thinking he's all fine and dandy when in reality he's tearing himself apart and I don't see it because I'm too concerned with getting my jollies than a terrified Ron who's RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!"
It was them Kim sat down, close to crying as she put her head in her hands. "God, Ron must think I'm the worlds biggest slu..."
"KIMBERLY ANNE POSSIBLE!"
Jerking her head up, Kim froze in mortal terror as Anne Possible towered over her; eyes blazing with living fire as she glared down at her offspring.
(This is how the Tweebs felt, isn't it?) she thought to herself, realizing this was partial payback for the way she yelled at her brothers earlier. Trembling under the horrific gaze, Kim curled up into the chair.
"Yes, ma'am...?"
"First thing-CALM...DOWN."
"Yes, ma'am." she whispered, taking a deep breath and let it out slowly. She repeated the processes until her mom looked satisfied.
"Second, you do not...AND WILL NOT...ever use that word in my house again."
Again, the shell-shocked teen nodded in compliance.
"Finally-if I EVER catch you calling yourself THAT word again I will turn you over my knee and I will make your bottom match your hair and I won't care HOW old you are! Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear. Kimberly?"
Nodding, Kim quietly nodded as her mom bent down to take her hands.
"Kimmy, listen to me okay?" Anne whispered, her anger moments earlier already put back in check. "Whatever has happened between you and Ron is NOT your fault..." she said, pausing to place a finger over Kim's lips before she could argue the point.
"You are such an incredible young woman, and I so proud of everything you've accomplished. But even more than that I am so happy you have found a great boy like Ron to share your heart with. However, despite everything you and Ron CAN do, the one thing you CAN'T do is see every problem that is going to happen in a relationship. You and Ron are just at the start of the greatest adventure you're ever going to have-being in love; and that is something that is going to have to unfold of it's own accord."
Slowly Kim nodded, understanding taking the place of misguided fury as she realized her mom was right. As much as she wanted to find a source to blame all of tonight's unhappiness on, doing so wouldn't help Ron in the here and now.
"What do I need to do to make it right?"
Anne smiled, waiting for her daughter to ask that very question. "Go to him."
At that, Kim blinked. "What...?"
"Go to him Kim. Have a mature discussion of what happened tonight and even more importantly WHY it happened. Tell him how you feel and have him tell you what he's feeling."
"It can't be that simple Mom...".
"It can be, if you let it Kimmy. But you're going to have to be honest with him; you can't be embarrassed by what either of you say."
Nodding, Kim knew that she was going to have to tell Ron some of her innermost thoughts and dreams-and listen to his-so they could find common ground. But most of all, she knew Ron had to realize that his feelings and desires for her wasn't causing anyone pain but himself.
"Mom, I've got to see him tonight!" she blurted out suddenly. "I know it's almost my curfew, but I've got too..."
"Don't worry about that Kim. You stay as long as you need to get all of this worked out." Anne said with a quiet determination that made her daughter realize that any objections from her father would be quickly overruled.
Standing up, Kim wrapped her arms around Anne and squeezed with all her might. "Thank you..." she whispered, fighting back the tears.
Anne started to nod in reply, but froze in place suddenly. "Rufus!"
Turning, Kim blinked as the small naked mole rat was pounding as hard as he could on the glass window. Dashing over, she raised the window and screen and cupped the pink visitor carefully. "Rufus, what are you doing here!?" she asked, knowing for the mole rat to be outside this late meant something was bad wrong with Ron.
"Ron monkey nightmares! Bad Kim dreams!" he squeaked back
For a moment, she was at a loss as to what the mole rat meant. (Bad Kim dreams?? What could he mean??) she thought to herself before she noticed the blood trickling down her fingertips and onto the carpet. "Rufus, you're hurt!" she yelled, setting her friend down on her bed beyond caring about the blood on the fabric.
"Owl. Ouch!" he said, wincing as the talon gouges sent waves of pain down his spine.
"Kim, keep him still! I'll be right back with my bag!" Anne ordered, quickly running downstairs to grab her back-up bad. Though a neurosurgeon by trade, the woman always kept a bag of common necessities in case her general first aid skills were ever needed by a family member or neighbor.
And to Anne Possible, Rufus was definitely like Ron: a card-carrying member of the former group.
As the doctor disappeared down the steps, Kim gently rubbed Rufus's head. "Owl huh? I'm betting he got a full taste of Mystical Monkey Power.." she guessed, letting a grin form on her lips as the image of an owl getting a solid one-two punch from a Mystical Monkey powered naked mole rat would have been something to see.
With a grin, Rufus gave his best 'thumbs up'..." Boo-yea!"
Leaning down, Kim let her smile fade as she kissed Rufus on the head. "I'm sorry you got hurt Rufus, but I promise I'll do everything in my power to make Ron O.K." she whispered, leaning back up just as her mom came back up the stairs.
If Anne had heard Rufus's comments on Ron's nightmares, she kept quiet about it. Instead she started laying out antiseptic and gauze. "Okay Kim, hold him steady. This might sting a bit Rufus..."
Though the alcohol did sting a bit it-along with the peroxide-cleaned the wound out nicely and with a delicate touch the gauze was on with minimal pain to the rodent warrior.
"Rufus, you going to be okay?" Kim asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.
The naked mole rat had been watching the human for several minutes and knew she was aching to get to his humans' home. She didn't want to leave before she knew everything was going to be all-right and THAT spoke volumes to the rodent; his human picked a good mate choice.
With another small smile, Rufus nodded. "A-O.K.! Get Ron's back!"
Kim grinned at the smallest member of Team Possible as she turned to her mom. Before she could speak, Anne stopped her with a hug.
"I'll watch Rufus."
"Are you sure...?"
"GO."
Nodding, Kim ran over to her closet and grabbed her mission gear; this was the most important mission of her life and she was going to give herself every advantage, psychological and otherwise. After a harried moment of getting everything together, the teen started down the stairs.
"Kimmy...wait..." called Anne, momentarily fumbling with something in her bag before walking over.
"Mom..." Kim whispered though gritted teeth; she wanted...needed...to get to Ron now!
"Kim...take this...just in case."
Not sure what her mom was shooting for, Kim reached over and took the small object into her hand. It was only after she looked at it for a full half-minute did she realize what it was.
"MOM!" she hissed, her cheeks flaming red as the small foil-covered square rested in her palm. "Where did you get this!?"
Crossing her arms, Anne looked down at her daughter. "Where do you think?"
The horror on Kim's face told exactly that she has just put two and two together and realized that her parents-her wonderful, smart and kind parents-had SEX and her dad used...THESE THINGS...on a basis she really didn't want to know about.
The teen could only look at her mom with a look of unexpected shock and muttered a somewhat erratic "W..why..?"
"I wasn't going give it to you at first Kim, but we both know that the subject of...IT...has been something you two have been dancing around for a while. I'm not saying I think tonight is the right time; that's for you two to decide. But I'd rather see my daughter go in prepared for whatever might happen than risk the alternative."
"Mom, I...don't...this isn't..."
Gently, Anne brought Kim's eyes to meet hers. "I trust you Kim, and Ron, to make the right decision. You're both smart, mature young people and I have to accept the fact that it's going to happen sooner or later. Personally, I don't want you and Ron to...be together...for a while longer, but as a woman I know how unpredictable passion can be."
Kim nodded, slowly realizing all her mom wanted was for her to be prepared for whatever happened. Considering how the slightest kiss from Ron earlier set her blood aflame having protection was only prudent.
The call was in her hands now, and after a long moment Kim knew what had to be the answer.
"No."
Anne blinked. "Kimmy, are you sure?"
Nodding, Kim put the small foil pack back into her mom's hand. "I know you're trying to help, and I know I SHOULD have that with me. But...if I do...Mom, I don't think I could stop myself for letting it happen and I KNOW I'm not ready, just like Ron's not ready. Right now, that's the easy way out, and Ron deserves better."
With a smile and nod, Anne kissed her daughter on the forehead. "He already has the best Kim; he has you. Now get going; he needs you."
With a grateful smile she dashed downstairs, changing into her mission gear on the fly. In remarkable time she (reluctantly) replaced Ron's jersey with her normal 'save the world' outfit. Reaching the door she flung it open...
...to run right into an equally startled Jim, Tim and Dr. James Possible.
"Kimmie-Cu..." Dr. P started to say, then caught himself..."Kim, are you okay?"
The teen hero just stood there, looking at her father and little brothers. The pair of twins wore expressions of fear as the moment almost looked like her earlier blowup in the living room. But unlike then, Kim said nothing and knelt down, pulling her two siblings into a tight hug.
"I'm so sorry guys. You're the best brothers a girl could want and I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings..." she whispered, meaning every word with the utmost regret at what had happened earlier.
Jim and Tim could only stand there confused for a moment before Kim's words finally sank in. As their own arms wrapped around their big sister, the pair sniffled a little.
"We're sorry too Kim"
"..and we promise to not make fun of you and Ron anymore!"
With a grin, Kim nodded knowing full well that while the boys honestly meant what they were saying at the moment, the urge to tease her and Ron would become too great to ignore in the not-to-distant-future.
And she wouldn't have it any other way.
Feeling the boys squirm slightly at extended hug, Kim let go and stood up coming face-to-face with her worried father. Before he could say anything, his daughter leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
"I love you daddy, and I'll ALWAYS be your Kimmie-Cub."
Wrapping his daughter in a tight hug, James savored the moment before he finally let go. It was then he noticed she was in her mission togs.
"Are you going to get Ron?" the elder Possible asked softly.
"Dad, Ron is the mission. I...we've..got to..." she stammered, not sure what she should say.
"Then go to him Kim; fix whatever is wrong and come back with a healed heart."
Kim stood there, a bit shocked by her father's insight. Normally he would be saying that it was close to her curfew, or that with Ron's parents out of town did she really need to go there now? But instead of the hesitant, nervous father there was only a dad who wanted her daughter to be happy and whole once more.
With a nod Kim took off, disappearing into the moonlight drenched night.
"Dad, are Kim and Ron gonna be okay?" asked Tim, catching his father off guard for a moment.
"I think so son; I think so...".
Tim looked over at his brother, who's own face reflected the relief that Ron was still going to be a part of their lives.
"Hicka-Bicka-Boo?"
:"Hoo-Sha!"
Grinning, James scooted the boys inside. "Okay you two time for bed." he commanded as the boys dashed in. With a final glance at the darkness, he whispered to whatever deity helped fathers watch over their daughters for some extra help tonight.
Anne's kiss on his cheek brought him back to reality. "Hi there Mrs. Possible."
"Have a fun time Mr. Possible?" Anne asked, grinning at the wad of Fearless Ferret merchandise that resided in a bag by the door. Picking up the bag he headed inside, locking the door afterwards.
"We had a ball Anne; well save for a few minutes ago before pulling into the driveway..."
"Oh?"
"Darnest thing--we had to dodge an owl who couldn't fly right; poor thing was acting like it had been beaten up six ways from Sunday..."
Through the darkness, Kim raced at breakneck speed towards Ron's, her heart pounding faster than her stride across the grass.
"I'm coming Ron! Don't you worry; we're going to get this fixed..." she whispered as his house came into view..."and neither of us is going to hurt anymore...".
To be Continued
Authors Note 2
-For some reason, when I write James I hear him using 'Kimmie-Cub' with the 'ie' and Anne uses the 'y'. This is real minor, but that's why there are two different spellings.
-I do really like Rufus! I just wanted to give him a heroic moment and have him out of Ron's house so the two teens can have the talk they need to have.