Prelude 3: Everything And Nothing

It was nearly closing time at Bueno Nacho when Kim finally arrived. Ned would have closed shop much earlier, considering that Ron and Monique were the only two customers that entire night (three, if one counted Rufus), but Ron had asked him a special favor, and Ned somewhat uncharacteristically agreed to wait an hour past closing time.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, you guys. My parents were just so happy to see me back from college that they invited my relatives over, so, you know, I had to go and greet them all." Kim dropped her handbag on the seat next to Ron, absently touching his hand as she talked. "Moni! How have you been, girl?"

"Briseis has arrived, sir."

"Excellent. Status on Epeius?"

"Project Epeius is one hour into Phase One. Everything is prepped and ready, sir – we are go for Phase Two on receipt of the codeword."

"Requiem Lacrimosa – I repeat, Requiem Lacrimosa. The order is given."

"Acknowledged – Phase Two in effect." The line went dead.

The red haired man raised an inquisitive eyebrow. In response, the older man nodded to him. "The pieces are in place."

The younger man sighed, and set his wineglass down on the desk carefully. "I suppose that's my cue, then." He stretched out his arms above his head, gripping the rapier's hilt in one hand. "It's a hunter's moon tonight – a perfect backdrop, methinks, for the death and chaos soon to follow." His arm dropped down, the rapier's tip a gray firefly flash. "I'll deal with the loose ends first."

The white haired man turned slightly to look at him, a disapproving frown on his face. "Make their deaths quick and painless. They were good men who served well, and deserve no less for that."

"Oh, I suppose so," he replied, pouting with exaggerated reluctance. "You certainly know how to put a damper on a night out."

"That's an order."

"I'm stubborn, not deaf, my dear commander." The younger man had already turned to leave, waving a casual farewell, before pausing at the doorway and slightly turning his head. "And the girl?"

The older man's lips curved sadistically. "I suppose you do deserve some amusement. Make her death… memorable."

The answering smile was equally cruel.

Some nights, Ronald Stoppable decided, were just perfect. Tonight was one of them. Actually, tonight was probably the best of them.

His head was resting comfortably on Kim's shoulder, his fingers absently filching a cheese-soaked nacho now and then, as his girlfriend – the bestest, awesomest girlfriend in the world, and HIS – animatedly discussed the merits of Maybelline, flattops, college malls, and Eat Pray Love with Monique.

Okay, so Kim wasn't perfect – whatever. She was still the awesomest.

He was about to make a snide remark to Moni about the relationship between women, credit cards, and global warming when their communicators beeped.

"Drat," Kim grumbled at she glanced at hers. "Sorry, Moni-bear, but we're gonna have to take this one." Her elbow gently started nudging Ron into awareness.

Monique gave her an amused look. "Ahem – work?"

"Oh, come on, we just started summer vacation! They promised us!" Ron protested, jolted out of his idle paradise. "Can't they cut us some slack? I thought they were forming some fancy new team for the small stuff-"

"C'mon, Ronnie," the redhead grinned as she tugged on his slack arm. "It's some costumed moron on an oil rig – probably Dementor or something. We'll be back in Middleton in an hour, tops!"

The freckled young man grumbled as he pulled on his jacket. "Drakk seriously needs to talk to his friends in the supervillain business a little better. Which part of 'offer of general amnesty' did they NOT understand?"

"Please – half the time he still thinks he's in the middle of another world domination scheme before he realizes he's sitting in a board meeting. He's been legit for over a year now and he STILL hides from the cops." She glanced down again.

"C'mon, Ronnie-boy, up and at it," Monique teased him in a singsong voice, as he picked up his drink to gulp it down. "You know what they say – the married couple that spies together, stays together."

Ronald spluttered and coughed, barely managing to turn his head and not spit his orange soda in anybody's direction.

"Hmm?" Kim blinked, looking up from her communicator. "Did you say something, Monique?"

"Lil' ol' moi? Natch, girl," she replied with a saucy grin. "Just remonstratin' to your boy here, that's all."

"Gosh, Moni, but we're really in a rush – we'll catch up tomorrow, okay! Promise, nothing but you, me, and shopping!"

"Lookin' forward to that, sistah." Monique winked at Ron, and mouthed to him as Kim turned away to yank her sleepy boyfriend. "Pop the Question!"

"You know I got much love for Moni, KP," Ron grumbled as he half stumbled out of the nacho franchise, "I really do, but there are times when I seriously wonder how much easier my life would be if I, I dunno, buried her in concrete."

His girlfriend just laughed – god, how he loved to hear her laugh! – and punched him affectionately in the arm. "It's just gonna be me and Monique tomorrow – girl time. You won't have to drag our shopping bags around, I promise."

"Ow! Unless something terrible happens to your car," Ron muttered under his breath, rubbing his arm. "Which probably will."

"There is that," Kim replied cheerfully.

"So, explain to me what I'm doing with you on the curb, freezing my frayed yellow hair off?" He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

"We're getting picked up tonight – the Spycar's in the headquarters for upgrades, remember?" She affectionately picked at his hair while explaining. " And we'll need something that flies for this sitch. Unless you'd rather swim across the Atlantic."

"Hmm, lemme think about that – NO." They both laughed in the cold summer night.

As Kim's chuckles started to subside, Ron glanced at her sideways. "You know I really don't mind carrying your shopping bags, KP."

She grinned without looking at him. "I know, Ron. But seriously – go spend some time with your sister and your parents. I know you miss Hana, and I KNOW she misses you too."

"Who? My crazy level-twenty-ninja-samurai-barbarian-paladin sister?"

She gave him an amused look. "Oh, you're just jealous at how quickly she became Master Sensei's star pupil."

"KP, she graduated Yamanouchi at the prime old age of FOUR. She was a master ninja-samurai at FIVE. She isn't normal."

"I thought you liked that about her." She chuckled as she took his arm and stood close to him.

"Well, shyeah, but she's still crazy. Besides, how many Japanese ninja-samurai do YOU know are going to have a Bat Mitzvah? I mean, what do I get her then, a set of eighteen katanas? Oy VEY."

Kim's chuckles burst into a full fledged laugh again, as she leaned her head on Ron's shoulder. "You're so weird. But I like you anyway." She blinked once when Ron stayed quiet, and raised her head. "Ron? Did I say something wrong?"

There was a flurry of blonde as he shook his head. "Nah. You just reminded me – you said something like that the very first time we met."

"Mmm-hmm." She rested her head on his shoulder again. "I did, you're right."

There was a few more seconds of comfortable silence again before Ron spoke. "Hey. KP?"

Her answer was slightly muffled. "What's the sitch, Ron?"

"You're so perfect. But I love you anyway."

She closed her eyes, and snuggled in closer to him. "I love you too, Ron."