Authors notes: Thanks to all of those that reviewed. As always, italicized text signifies active thought. This chapter is a little on the long side, about 7000 words. I could have broken it up, but I don't think it was proper or necessary. I am currently writing a piece for the GWA's guess the author contest so it will be a week or two before my next update.

Shego cringed as Ron threw himself on top of her. "What is he doing? What is that glow? It's blue like Hego's, only much lighter, almost a baby blue." His eyes and body glowed brightly for a moment as the shockwave and debris washed over them, but she was surprised when the crates and Ron's body took the brunt of it. "He was… protecting me." The nimbus slowly dissipated and she found herself staring into his warm brown eyes as the light faded from them.

Shego shifted under the weight of Ron's body and the crates that had been blown apart around them. She called for Drakken but could only hear the ringing in her ears. Shego grunted with effort and pain as she pushed some of the boards off of them. "This would be a lot easier if my arm wasn't numb," she thought rubbing it. She shimmed out from under him, freeing herself from the wreckage. She looked at his chest, registering its lack of movement, "he isn't breathing." Leaning over, she grasped his wrist, "no pulse." Shego threw the pieces of crate and other debris off of Ron and rolled him over on his back. "I haven't had to do this since my days with Team Go." She began chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She could taste the coppery flavor of blood on his lips and hear the crackle of the fluid beginning to fill his lungs. "Come on, don't die on me, I can't let you die now." She tried for a few minutes but it wasn't working, her arm was beginning to cramp up as she slumped against the wall. A tear left a clean line down her dust-covered cheek. She stared blankly at his still body, "you could have ran Stoppable, you should have ran." She slid down the wall a little bit and something pressed sharply into her side. She reached behind her to pull the annoyance away, ready to throw it across the room. She stopped herself and jerked her hand back, looking at the beat up baton in her grasp. Hope spread across her features as she pressed the button to activate it. It clicked and nothing happened. She clicked it again, nothing happened. She clicked it several times rapidly, still nothing. "Graaa," she growled throwing it to the ground. It bounced up sparking with electricity. "Huh!?" she gasped, snatching it out of the air quickly. She brought it down gently and touched it to Ron's chest, just over his heart. His back arched as the electricity coursed through him. Shego dropped down to check for a pulse, nothing. "Come on, come on!" she pleaded, clicking the button to power up the baton. It flickered to life and she touched it to his chest again. His back arched and she checked for his pulse. Her face lit up, eyes shining. "YES!" she cried, barely hearing herself. Ron had a pulse.

Kim was busily flipping through the pages of her test. It was three hours into the 3 hour and 45 minute time limit and she had just finished. She was using the extra time to check some of her answers. Kim was confident, but she wanted to make sure she got the best score possible. Suddenly the room seemed to grow warm and her face flushed. Her head began to hurt; she closed her eyes massaging her temples. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She opened her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach. "I just can't be here anymore," she thought, closing the cover to her test booklet. She put the test in the envelope provided and took it up to Mr. Barkin at the front desk.

"Possible, you look pale. Surely you couldn't have done poorly on the test," Mr. Barkin stated.

"No, Mr. Barkin. I just don't feel well," Kim replied.

"Better go see the nurse then," he said. He handed her a hall pass and waved her out the door.

Kim walked down the hallway toward the school nurse's room. As she passed her locker she could hear her computer beeping. "I forgot, I turned my Kimmunicator off for the test." She opened up her locker, Wade was already on the screen. "What's the matter Wade? You look like you've been crying. Did a hard drive crash or something?"

"Kim, I will talk to you at your house. Your parents are meeting you there." His lip trembled and another tear rolled down his face.

"Wade, what's the matter? Come on, I can handle it. What happened. Oh my gosh, Nana? Is Nana OK?" Kim asked, covering her mouth with her hand.

Wade shook his head no, "No, it's not Nana. Please Kim, just go to your house first. I will tell you there where it's more private."

"OK Wade, I'll see you there," Kim said with a frown. She closed the door to the locker and headed out of school. It wasn't time to go yet, but with the way Wade was acting this had to be serious. She raced across the parking lot and down the sidewalks that led to her house. She entered the front of the house to see Wade on the big screen TV in the living room.

Her mother stood touching her father's shoulder as he quietly wept into his hands. Her mother saw her and scooped her up into a big hug, tears pooling, but unshed, in her eyes. "Oh, Kimmie. Come and sit down by your father." Kim sat down and her Dad wrapped her in a hug. Anne Possible knelt down in front of her daughter and took her hands. Tears welled up in Kim's eyes as the seriousness of the situation took hold of her. "Honey, there is no easy way to say this. Ron went after Drakken and Shego alone. Wade was monitoring him and says that his vitals dropped to zero."

Kim's head swam as she sat reeling from the news her mother had given her. "Ron, Oh my.. Ron's… dead." She fell into her mother's arms sobbing as her parents held her, rocking back in forth. So many thoughts raced through her mind. "Why? Why Ron? Why did you go alone? Why didn't you wait for me? I should have been there. I could have stopped it." She couldn't say anything through the sobs though. Her mother stroked her hair, trying to calm her. They were all emotionally wore out by the time the released each other. They sat in silence for the evening, the tweebs didn't even make an noise. Her parents couldn't get a hold of Ron's parents, they were out of town on business again. Erik called to ask what had happened at school, but she just couldn't talk to him then.

Wade had clicked off to allow Kim and her family time to grieve. It had been several hours when Kim beeped him. Wade answered, popping onto the Kimmunicator screen. He saw Kim's face, tear streaked and red, but set with a grim look of determination. "Wade, I need coordinates on Drakken," she said with a crack in her voice.

Wade looked at her, fresh tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I'm sorry Kim, Drakken is using a cloaked hoverlair. I can't get him until he uncloaks again."

Kim's face wavered, "keep working on it Wade, and let me know when you find anything." She clicked off the Kimmunicator and cried herself to sleep.

The water ran off of her face, rinsing away the blood, sweat, and tears. Some of it was hers, some wasn't. Shego stepped out of the shower and toweled herself off gingerly. She examined herself in the mirror grimacing at the dark red welts on her arms. "Those are definitely going to bruise," she thought. Her hand brushed over her ribs and she flinched, "And I'm betting those are cracked. Oh well. At least I heal quickly. I don't have all the scars like Stoppable does." The comet that had crashed into her family's backyard years ago had given her special powers. Her enemies knew of the plasma she could strike with, or even could shoot from her hands. What many of them didn't know is that it had made her tougher, and a faster healer. She frowned when she dried her hair, touching the large lump where Ron had kicked her. "That definitely hurt. Life saver or not, he's going to pay for that one, when he heals. At least my hair will cover it." She rummaged through the mess on her dresser, knocking aside makeup cases, her contacts, nail files, and other clutter, trying to find her brush. She checked one of the unpacked boxes. "This stinks having to move all the time. Ah, there it is." She picked up the brush and arranged her hair so the lump wouldn't be noticeable and changed into her standard green and black jumpsuit. She looked the mirror again to make sure she showed no weakness and went to check on her adversary. She passed two henchmen in the walkway and gave them a look that could shatter glass. They steered well clear of her, knowing the kind of mood she was in.

It had been twelve hours since they the gravatromic ray cannon had exploded. Ron was lying on a gantry in a room not too far away. Dr. Drakken had ample medical equipment tucked away; it was often necessary after Kim Possible came to visit. He had balked at allowing his medical equipment to be used on Ron, saying instead that they should dump him out in the trash capsule. Shego had lit up one of her fists and reminded him that she hadn't been paid since before the Diablo incident. That was the end of that discussion. She had dressed his wounds and stitched up the gash her elbow had made on his hairline. Shego walked into the room to find Ron in the same position that she had left him in. She looked down at him, laying on his back and covered with a white sheet. "He's sure full of surprises. I wonder what got into him." She had known he could fight, it was rumored he took on Monkey Fist and won. Monkey Fist was one of the few people she was apprehensive of fighting against and Ron had beaten him. Not to mention he had taken on synthodrone #901, he was getting beat, but proved he could take a beating. "OK, I knew he could put up a fight, it's just I'm used to him running around causing a distraction while Kim did all the fighting." She stepped close and checked his temperature, adjusting the covers. "He's kinda cute when he's sleeping," she thought as she checked the machine monitoring his vital signs. Everything appeared normal. She looked down at him lying there once more, "Why did he throw himself between me and the explosion? It's sure something I wouldn't have done. No, be honest with yourself Shego. You would have done the same thing a long time ago; before you left Team GO." Shego yawned suddenly aware of how tired she was. "Goodnight tiger," she said as she dimmed the lights. She walked out and closed the door resetting the lockdown code to make sure no one 'visited' him during the night. She could think of two bruised up henchmen that might take offense to him being there. She made her way to her room and went to sleep, hoping the nightmares didn't visit her tonight.

Ron was having the strangest dream. He was chasing a slim, feminine shadow through a bamboo forest. Only he wasn't human. He felt himself running on four legs, tail swishing back and forth. He leapt at the figure as it swung up into the trees, claws raking at it's back but falling short. Lightning flashed overhead illuminating the clearing, showing his orange and black striped feline body. Rain began to beat down, falling through the foliage. A hill grew larger into a mountain as he approached, spurred on by a feeling of urgency, the figure he was chasing forgotten. The mountain grew larger on the horizon as the rain pounded down harder. He saw a blue glow at the top of the mountain and ran towards it. A cliff loomed overhead and he growled in frustration. He leapt towards the cliff, trying to dig his claws in a climb, but he couldn't get a hold. He slid down to the bottom and paced. His anger soared as he let out a roar and leapt again. The tiger's eyes glowed blue as he hit the cliff wall, digging his claws in. Pulling one leg up over the other, he made it up the cliff face and raced towards the light. The rain stopped as he approached, the glow was coming from a circle. Ron recognized it from his trip to Japan; it was a meditation ring like the one at the Yamanouchi school. Hovering in the middle of the ring was the lotus blade and seated in a meditative pose was Sensei. Ron knelt, bowing the best that he could as a cat. He looked down at himself and realized that he was now himself again, in a black ninja uniform much like the one he wore at the Yamanouchi school.

"A tiger is an interesting choice for a dream spirit," Sensei said with a smile, "for a student of Ti Shing Pek Kwar. Though I like it better than a pink sloth." He leaned forward slightly in a bow, "It is good to see you Stoppable-san. Please sit."

Ron bowed in return and sat across from Sensei, "Pink sloth? Sensei, is this a dream?"

"It is a dream as you know them, but it is more real than that as well," Sensei began cryptically. "It would be better to speak to you in person, but that is not possible at this time. Your mystical monkey power is beginning to blossom, sooner than I had predicted."

"Huh? I mean, I don't understand what you mean Sensei," Ron said.

"I have felt the rise in the power of the lotus blade these past few days. It is sensitive to the level of mystical monkey power in this world," Sensei explained.

"But I haven't even thought about the lotus blade Sensei," Ron said, puzzled.

"I told you that the lotus blade would come when you called, the same is true of the inner power you possess. In time, with much strengthening of your mind, you can call upon the power as you need it. Now, it bubbles up from you uncontrolled when your emotions take over."

"How do I strengthen my mind Sensei?" Ron asked.

"Open your mind to your power Stoppable-san. Use the meditation techniques you were taught when you were at the Yamanouchi school. That is a good start."

"Yes Sensei, I will. But why has the power come to me now?"

"I can not say Stoppable-san, for it has not yet been revealed to me. I feel our time grows short here. I will send for you this summer." Sensei replied.

"Thank you Sensei" The clouds began to part and sunlight hit his eyes temporarily blinding him. As his vision came back to him he groaned, pain shooting throughout his body. He looked up, his eyes adjusting and saw a beautiful face, painted with relief, looking down on him surrounded by an aura of white light.

"I still don't see why you sent them a message Shego." Dr. Drakken started, "you could have given away our position."

Shego sat in the room with Ron's gurney in it, filing her nails. "Don't worry, they won't get the message for two hours, which should give us plenty of time to relocate the hoverlair."

"I still don't know why you did it."

"It's fairly simple Dr. D." She blew the filings off her nails, admiring her work. "Do you really want Princess thinking that we killed the sidekick? She's enough trouble to handle when she's just trying to capture us, much less kill us."

"Yes, I do remember someone being kicked nearly through a tower," Dr. Drakken mused. "I can see why you don't want to anger her."

"I'm not afraid of the little princess, it was a lucky shot," Shego snarled. "I wouldn't have been distracted if I wasn't watching you get taken down by Stoppable."

Dr. Drakken backed up half a step, afraid he may have gone too far. Shego's attention was shifted from him as Ron began to stir on the gurney. She stood up over him as he groaned and cracked open his eyes. "He's awake! Oh, he's going to be alright!"

"I see an angel, am I in heaven?" Ron asked groggily. Shego felt a flush creep up in her face.

"AH! HA! HA! HA!" Drakken doubled over laughing. "An angel indeed!" Shego frowned and raised a hand without looking, shooting a plasma stream at Drakken. "Yaouch!" he yelped. "Well, I had better get going, so much to do," he said as he fled the room grumbling.

"No Stoppable," she quipped, "You're in the hoverlair, you've been out for a full day."

"Hoverlair?" He reached up and touched the bandage over his head where Shego hit him. "Oh, now I remember."

Shego flinched and quickly recovered, but Ron had closed his eyes and didn't notice. "How much do you remember?"

"The fighting and the explosion," he answered.

"So you remember jumping on me?" she quipped, with a little less venom than she intended.

"I don't think I could forget. You freaked out big time."

"I mean the second time," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, yah," he blushed.

"Thanks, I owe you one," she said softly. "What is going on here? I must be going soft."

"No big." "Is that compassion in her voice?"

"Don't tell anyone I said that, I don't think I could live it down. How are you feeling?" "I am going soft."

"I think I got hit by a green and black pickup truck," Ron groaned, opening his eyes again.

Shego giggle in spite of herself, "I'd like to think of myself more as a freight train." "Wait, did I just giggle?"

"Wait, did she just giggle?" He looked up at her face, her smile. "She's really pretty when she's not getting all evil on someone." "Yah, um I just realized that I haven't used the bathroom in 24 hours."

"Oh," she stammered. "Over there. Can you manage?"

"I think so," he said, grunting as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the gurney. He stood, wobbling a little and steadied out. "Where's Rufus?"

"The hairless rat? He's in the cage in the bathroom. He's OK," she said rolling her eyes. It had been even harder to keep Drakken from frying up the little guy. He kept going on and on about a family recipe for mole rat. "Gross."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks." His stomach grumbled.

"I'll go see if I can dig up some food." She put a little ice into her voice, "do not try leaving this room." With that she left and shut the door behind her locking it. "I'd never live it down if he escaped and hit the self destruct switch."

Ron looked down realizing what he was wearing. A pair of Dr. Drakken's lab pants and a white t-shirt. "Who changed me? And wait.. Cleaned me up? Oh, I don't want to know! Aww man! I had to wear my cupid boxers didn't I?"

Kim Possible woke up the next morning; she rolled over and looked at the alarm clock. It was 8:30 and she was late for school, but she didn't care. She stared out the window blankly, watching the gray clouds drift by. "It's going to rain," she thought, "angels crying for the people they left down here on earth, Ron's tears." She lay there for a while, clutching her pillow, when her mother cracked open the door. The delicious smell of eggs and bacon drifted into her room.

"Kimmie, come down and get something to eat," her mother said gently.

"I'm not hungry Mom," Kim said flatly.

Mrs. Possible looked down at her daughter in sympathy. "I know it's hard Kim, but you have to keep going. Ron wouldn't want it any other way." Mrs. Possible knelt by her daughter's bed and embraced her.

"I know Mom," Kim said, a tear trickling down her cheek. "It just aches so much. I feel empty inside."

"We'll get through this together Kimmie," her mother said releasing her. "I called off my appointments and called you in sick to school." She stood and made her way toward the door. "I'm going to dish you up a plate of food. Will you be down to eat it?"

Kim rolled over on her back, looking up at the ceiling. "Yes, Mom."

Erik and Monique came over after school; Monique's eyes were red and puffy from crying on the way over. Erik had found out last night from her parents and had told Monique about what happened after school privately.

"Kimmie, I have to go pick up your brothers, I'll be back in a little while. Are you going to be fine with your friends?" Mrs. Possible asked.

"Yes Mom," Kim replied. She was holding Monique's hands as the two comforted each other.

"Girl, this is too wrong, especially being Ron. He was such a good person, a bit goofy, but a good friend." Monique looked at Kim with puffy eyes and leaned forward to hug her.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Erik, standing off to the side.

"No, Erik," Kim replied shaking her head. "You just haven't been around long enough to know him, to see who he really is, to become his friend." She found herself angry at him in spite of herself. "I don't think you even liked him being around."

BEEP BEEP BE BEEP.

The Kimmunicator let out it's familiar call. Kim broke off the hug and snatched the Kimmunicator out of her pocket. "Go Wade."

"I just picked up Drakken's hoverlair on radar, they uncloaked and landed," Wade said grimly.

"Where are they Wade?" Kim asked her face hardening.

"They are just outside of Denver, I have a GJ hover jet in route to pick you up."

"Thanks Wade."

"Kim, be careful," Wade said, his voice laden with concern.

"I will," she replied in a near whisper.

"I'm coming with you." Erik stepped up beside Kim. "Don't even try to argue with me. I can't let you go in there alone. Not after what just happened"

"Fine," Kim agreed, "but I'm in charge. You follow my orders." She pulled him along with her to her room and handed him a set of Ron's mission clothes. She pointed to the bathroom. "Be ready in 2." She ran to her room to get ready.

They changed into mission clothes and headed down the stairs. "Monique, please tell my mother that I will be back soon and not to worry," Kim stated as she headed for the door, Erik in tow.

"I will Kim, be careful." Fresh tears streamed down Monique's face as her best friend entered the airplane and it took off. "Please lord, guide them and protect them. I don't think I could take losing another friend."

Kim's Mom pulled into the driveway just as the hover jet took off. Her throat constricted as she watched the jet zip across the sky. "Be careful Kimmie."

It only took about 10 minutes for the hover jet to reach Denver. It zipped in between buildings, staying low to the ground to prevent detection. The hoverlair was nowhere in sight.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Possible, but I am not picking up anything on the scanners."

"It's got to be around here somewhere. These are the coordinates Wade gave us and Wade is never wrong," Kim replied.

"I will keep scanning," the pilot replied, knowing he wouldn't find anything.

Kim kept looking and had Wade try some of his scans. Nothing came up on any of them. Kim hung her head trying to stop the tears from overwhelming her again. As if sensing her mood raindrops began falling from the gray clouds. They beat down upon the ground moistening the grass on the field below and darkening the pavement. Kim looked out of the windows as the rain swept over the city. Her face hardened once again as a distortion appeared in the sky over the Smarty Mart parking lot, a large circle of dry pavement below it. The lair could cloak itself, but it couldn't make the rain fall through it.

"It's time for some payback," she thought. "It's over there Captain Smith," Kim said pointing out the distortion.

"Oh. I see it!" he exclaimed.

"Bring us in at street level and rise up underneath it. It shouldn't be able to get a radar signal on us then." She readied her gear, pulling out her laser lipstick and turning to Erik. "You just stay back and keep me from being overrun by Drakken's henchmen. Be careful, they play rough. Leave Shego and Drakken for me."

"Alright, Kim," Erik said nervously. "You just be careful OK?"

She nodded her head as the pilot brought them up into position underneath the hoverlair. She grabbed out her Kimmunicator, "Wade, do you have any last minute details to give?"

"This appears to be the same design as the last hoverlair Drakken had, but I can't be sure. I'm not getting the same interference with the Kimmunicator as I was when Ron was here so I have to assume he was successful in his mission."

"Thanks Wade." She turned to the pilot of the hover jet. "Thanks for the ride Captain Smith." He saluted as she hit the button to open the ramp at the rear of the plane. It opened up and she grabbed the upper part of the doorway and swung up onto the roof. She felt around on the bottom of the hoverlair until she found a seam, she began cutting with the laser lipstick.

Erik gulped as he looked out over the 80-foot drop to the blacktop below. The jet wash made the air around him uncomfortably hot and the wind from the rainstorm tugged at him. He was terrified. "But I'm not even afraid of heights," he thought as he tried to swallow the knot in his throat. He tried to pull himself onto the roof but couldn't bring himself to do it. "And Ron does this stuff all the time?" There was a loud thump and a scrapping sound as the thick sheet of metal Kim was cutting on fell on the jet and slid off, plummeting to the ground. Two strong hands reached down and grabbed him by his backpack straps and pulled him up onto the roof.

"Come on! We don't have much time; they will know that a door for the landing gear has been opened. She boosted him up into the ship and climbed in after him.

Shego pulled the last of Dr. Drakken's Pop Pop Porter's frozen pizzas out of the freezer in the kitchen and popped it into the pizza oven. She sat down, impatiently tapping her fingers, waiting for the ten minute cooking time to pass. Her lips turned up in the faintest of smiles. "He thought I looked like an angel. I must have hit him in the head harder than I thought." A henchman walked into the kitchen to sneak something to eat and stopped when he saw her. She merely lifted up her hand, engulfing it in plasma, and was rewarded as she heard the rapid pitter-patter of feet running away.

Shego entered the room Ron was in with the pizza and a few sodas. Ron was sitting on the chair with Rufus perched on his shoulder. The little mole rat bared his teeth and let out a growl when Shego walked into the room.

"Amp down little buddy, she isn't here to fight us right now," Ron said to Rufus soothingly. Rufus still looked upset, but stopped with his threatening gestures.

"She isn't here to fight us right now." The words stung her a little bit especially the last two, but she didn't allow the emotions to show on her face. "I brought you some food. I thought you'd like to know that I sent a message to the nerdlinger to let them know that you are OK and we'd be releasing you as soon as we could." Shego opened up a soda for him; he obviously couldn't manage with his hands bandaged from the plasma burns. She set the pizza down on the table and took a seat in a chair opposite of him.

"Thanks Shego, I didn't think you could be so.." Ron stopped; realizing what he was going to say could be taken as a bit of an insult. "caring."

"What, human?" she snapped. "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I still am a person." "And I have my reasons."

"That's not what I was going to say, but yes, I guess. I'm sorry." Ron replied quietly.

"Well, eat up, before it gets cold," Shego said.

Ron scooped up a piece and began eating. Much to Shego's surprise, Rufus pulled a piece away and started scarfing it down as well. "Aren't you going to have any?" Ron asked between bites.

"Me? Nah, I'm not hungry," she replied. She watched in amazement as Ron and Rufus finished off the whole pizza. Ron rinsed it down with one of the sodas.

"That was good Shego, thanks," Ron said warmly, already feeling better now that he had food in his stomach. "I'll have to cook you something later if you'll let me."

"It was just a pizza Stoppable, don't worry about it," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Wait, you cook? I didn't think they'd let you near fire the way you stumble around sometimes."

Ron shrugged his shoulders with a grin, "Hey, I'm still growing." He looked around the room, uncomfortable in the sudden silence.

Shego felt it was time to leave 'the prisoner' to himself. Instead she found herself asking, "What is your favorite dish to cook?"

"I like cooking just about anything, but I have most recently perfected my shrimp alla griglia and Kim's grandmother's chocolate cake recipe."

"So how does the Princess like your cooking?" Shego asked with a bit of a sneer at the mention of her arch-foe's pet name.

"If we are going to talk, let's not talk about Kim right now," Ron said flatly. "I don't think we could have a civil discussion if we started talking about her."

Shego realized that she had begun to get snippy. "I suppose you're right," she said grudgingly. "We shouldn't talk about work either." "Or my past," she added as an afterthought.

"I wonder what's in her past that she doesn't want brought up?" he thought. "Agreed."

They talked for over an hour before the nagging voice of Dr. Drakken interupted them.

Shego rolled her eyes when she heard Dr. Drakken calling her name down the hallway. "Oy, never a day of rest. I thought he'd be supervising the henchman cleaning up the main bay for at least a day or two." She got up to leave.

"Shego," Ron started. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Shego felt her cheeks flush a little bit, "It's just nice to be talk to someone besides Dr. D. The henchmen he hires are all such morons." She turned to walk out the door.

"She's lonely." "Shego."

Shego turned back around to face Ron.

Ron shifted his feet nervously, "If you ever need to talk.."

"What? I thought he hated me." "Yah Stoppable, thanks." Shego turned and left out the door, so flustered that she forgot to set the lock as she shut the door behind her.

Ron sat down on the bed and folded his legs, attempting to meditate.

Shego caught up to Dr. Drakken as he stormed onto the balcony of the main bay. "Yo, Dr. D., what's up?"

"Shego, what have you been up to? And is that pizza I smell?" Drakken snapped angrily.

"What's gotten into you? I've been guarding the prisoner, and yes that is pizza you smell. I had to feed him something." Shego glared back at him defiantly.

"That was my last pizza," he began until he saw the frown on her face turn to a scowl. "Oh, never mind. I just got a call from the bridge. One of the alarms for the landing gear doors has gone off."

"So send a henchman or something," she quipped.

"I did, and I'm not getting any response from him now." He turned and punched in a display on the computer screen bringing up schematics of the hoverlair. "It is landing leg 2 in sector C. I need you to check it out." He turned to Shego only to find that she wasn't there. "Shego? SHEGO!" Just then there was a commotion on the floor below. Dr. Drakken ran to the balcony edge to look. "Kim Possible! How did you find us? And who is that?"

"Cloaking. So not good in the rain. Especially when you pick such an inconspicuous hiding place as Smarty Mart." Kim stated mockingly with a look of anger upon her face. "And that's my boyfriend that you kidnapped before, but that is the least of your worries right now Drakken." She dropped into a fighting pose.

"Get them!" Dr. Drakken yelled to his henchmen.

His henchmen ran to intercept Kim and Erik. Three went after Kim and one after Erik. Erik was doing well dodging attacks and trying to let the henchman wear himself down. Kim showed she wasn't playing games as she knocked out the first one with a spinning back kick to the jaw. She ducked as the next one took a swing at her with his baton allowing him to pass her. The third one came in charging and she stood her ground. She grabbed him, using his momentum, and, with a little twist from her hips, sent him flying into the wall, knocking him out. The last one recovered and swung again and she stepped into it and blocked, jarring his arm hard enough to get him to drop the baton. He swung with his other fist and she dropped and spun around low, sweeping his feet out under him. She grabbed his baton and whacked him with it, the electricity stunning him. She turned and saw Erik was holding his own, his henchman was panting and she knew he wouldn't be much of a danger to Erik. She turned to Drakken.

"Shego! I need you in here!" Dr. Drakken shouted frantically.

"It looks like she split on you, a smart move after what you two did to Ron. You are so going to pay!" Kim whipped out her grapple gun as Dr. Drakken turned to run. She fired and retracted the rope, pulling herself up to the balcony. She landing lightly as Drakken ran screaming down the hallway.

"Oomph!" Erik gasped as he was grabbed from behind. Shego had seen them coming and snuck around to ambush them. She twisted his arm up behind his back.

"One more move Princess and your boyfriend gets it!" Shego snarled. She engulfed her hand in plasma and held it over Erik's head.

Kim stood on the balcony looking down, mixed emotions of fear and malice on her face. Fear for her boyfriend and malice for the ebony hair vixen threatening him. "Why don't you and I settle this ourselves?" she growled at Shego stepping towards the edge of the balcony.

"Take another step and we will settle it ourselves, just the two of us. With no Erik around to see it," Shego threatened. She gave Erik's arm enough of a twist to make him gasp again. "I couldn't have him jumping in while I'm beating you."

"Shego." Ron stepped out on the balcony.

"Ron? Ron!" Kim's eyes grew wide as she gaped at her best friend, whom she thought dead, standing not ten feet from her. He was dressed in strange clothing, baggy blue pants and a white t-shirt and was wrapped in many bandages. She rushed over and threw her arms around him, tears of joy running down her cheeks.

"Ugh! How did you get out here?!" Shego yelled exasperated.

"Easy Kim, I'm still a little sore," he said with a grin. "Shego, remember that favor? I'd like to take it now."

Kim's head shot up from his shoulder, "Favor?" She backed up and looked at Shego curiously.

Shego just grinned up at Ron and asked coyly. "Are you sure Stoppable?" She cocked her hip to the side and ran her hand down it, still pinning Erik with her other arm. "You could ask for anything you know." Her eyes flashed over to Kim, waiting to judge her reaction.

Kim and Ron's faces both turned red as Kim sputtered. "Yes, he's sure!"

"So what exactly do you want then Stoppable?" Shego asked, her voice once again hardening to contain the edge that Kim and Ron were more accustomed to.

"Just let us go. Safely off of the hoverlair," he stated.

"Works for me. As long as you all go quietly. If Princess tries anything funny I'll fry the lot of you, starting with him." She motioned to Erik.

"Kim?" Ron asked quietly.

Kim just stared at Shego, surprised, and nodded. "What could Ron have possibly done?"

"Let's go then," Shego said with a sneer, pushing Erik away from her. She turned and walked over to the controls for the main bay elevator platform. She punched in a code, raising the platform and bringing the hover car up from the bottom bay. "Well, get in if you want out of this place. I don't think that Dr. Drakken is just going to land the hoverlair at GJ headquarters." She put her hand on the side of the hover car and leapt into the driver's seat.

Kim and Ron walked down the steps from the balcony. On the way Ron saw his backpack next to the console and picked it up. Erik met them at the bottom of the steps.

"Shotgun!" Ron called.

Kim rolled her eyes but climbed in behind the seats, joined shortly by a slightly embarrassed Erik.

Erik rubbed his sore arm, feeling very out of place. "Sorry Kim, I didn't mean to be caught."

Kim just shook her head, "no big Erik. It happens on missions sometimes."

Ron climbed in gingerly and Shego hit a sequence of buttons on the dash. The hover car leapt up as a section of the roof to the lair slid aside. Grey skies of rolling clouds greeted them. It had stopped raining. She flew the hover car out and brought it to a stop in the Smarty Mart parking lot.

They all climbed out and Shego turned to look at Ron. "Don't forget what you owe me," she said flatly. She didn't even turn to acknowledge Kim or Erik. She gave a mocking smile and took back off into the hover lair. It recloaked, becoming indistinguishable from the sky above them.

Kim glared at Shego's back as she left, "Owe her? I thought she owed him a favor? Now I'm really confused." Kim pressed the button to her Kimmunicator, calling Wade. He flashed on the screen. "Wade, we need a ride for three."

"Three?" Wade asked.

"Yes. Ron is with us." She turned the view screen to capture Ron's image for Wade.

"Ron! You're OK!" Wade shouted with relief.

"Well you're alright too Wade, no matter what Kim says about you," Ron said with a grin.

Kim punched him in the shoulder and he groaned. "Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I have the GJ jet coming back, he was circling in case you needed an extraction," Wade said.

"Thanks Wade, you rock." Kim turned to Ron, "are you OK?"

"I'll be fine KP, though I think I should probably see a doctor."

Kim nodded her head and looked into the eyes of her best friend. "We'll get you to the Middleton hospital right away. But while we are waiting for Global Justice, I have a few questions."

Ron rolled his eyes and got ready for a rather long explanation.

Authors notes: As I mentioned in the beginning of this chapter I am writing an entry for GWA's guess the author contest. It will be taking up a good chunk of my writing time so it may be a week or two before I am able to get the next chapter up. Perhaps I will type up a shorter chapter though.

I'd like to thank RI100014 for his idea to include Sensei to help Ron with his MMP issues. I had planned on including him in the story later on, but didn't think to do it this early. I really enjoyed typing up the dream sequence, though it isn't my best writting. Thanks RI100014.