Road Trip
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. Original lyrics to the songs referenced in this story and the music are the property of the respective authors, artists and labels. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time).
This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.
Enjoy! Please read and review.
A/N Forward:
A bit of a surprise for Jocelyn, and an adventure for all
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P1, C7: more fun, in the Center
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Rhonda kept sneaking looks over at 'neb, and Jade laughed as Grimm growled. Grimm was nothappy with the hug that Rhonda had received from 'neb, and he was so flustered that he hadn't even generated a comeback yet.
Rhonda was pleased inside. 'Maybe the guy will finally say something,' she thought.
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"kt, may I say that you look lovely tonight," Star said to a smiling kt.
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'Well, Sarah's found hers, so I suppose that the rest will find theirs,' 'neb looked at Ace and smiled. He especially liked her 'partner,' the tiny tree frog named Kip. Kip had come along for the ride, deciding that he (or she, Ace explained: she hadn't asked, and Wade laughed) wasn't as fond of the cold as the warmth of the jet, and she was quite happy spending his time with Ace and being worshipped by kt, Akinyi, and Joss. Her crescent moon light green mark on her back led 'neb to the story of his company name, and Wade and Joss had laughed and commented that "they weren't surprised at your warped sense of humor, 'neb."
Kip enjoyed her spot at the table, calmly watching the ongoing events.
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"Thank you for the reviews, by the way: I've never had poetry written for me before," she fluttered her eyelashes. "You were the first guy to do that for me, and it was so good, too," she continued, and Star had a knot start to form in his stomach as he watched kt's face.
'I think I have an 11-year-old with a bad case of crush,' he thought as he looked over at ja who, by now, had been listening and was now grinning broadly at Star.
'Oh, snap,' Star thought as kt scooted her chair a bit closer to his and smiled even more.
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"My dear Jessica," campy smiled at the love-struck young woman, "This has been a pleasure, dining with you, but I won't be back next weekend. I'm going on a cruise with my wife, and it's been scheduled for a long time; scheduled around the Fannies, as a matter of fact. I'm sorry."
"campy," Jess smiled as her heart ripped in two inside, "that's not a problem: I understand." Tears tried to form on her eyes, but she fought then back.
"Thank you for being so understanding, and thank you for convincing me to come tonight. You look divine in that dress, my dear," and Jessica smiled.
"You know what's coming now, don't you, campy," Jess grinned, and campy looked worried as she slid her chair next to his.
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They went through the dinner, and then the chanting began:
PEACH!
FRIED!
PIE!
PEACH!
FRIED!
PIE!
The chanting turned into cheers when the waiters began to roll out the trays of pie and large containers of ice cream, and the moans swiftly followed.
Walter Nelson fed pie to KimRon PosStoppable, and she purred as she reached over and touched his non-feeding hand.
"Monique is one lucky lady," she thought.
"Actually, I'm the lucky one," Walter replied, and KimRon realized that she had spoken out loud.
"But, if not her, dear lady," Walter smiled, and KimRon grinned.
'My own, personal, dark chocolate center, and this one will hold,' she grinned
Karenstern05 was being fed by Felix, and she was not upset in the least.
"Karen, are you sure?"
"Just a bit more, please and thank you," Karen replied.
"But, Karen, that's your second bowl," Felix added, then smiled. "Your lovely figure, I wouldn't want to be the cause of anything happening to it."
Karen pushed the spoon away from her mouth and stared at Felix for a moment.
Well, it was more than a moment, because Karen had wondered why no one had wanted to come with Felix. So far, she hadn't seen any reason whatsoever not to be with him.
He was a perfect gentleman from the time he had met her in the hotel lobby and throughout the dinner, pulling her chair and taking her wrap before she was seated, and he was a wonderful conversationalist.
'I love his eyes, and those hands feel so warm and wonderful,' she had realized when he had held her hand in the limo ride to the Center. She had stared into his eyes for a moment, and she was lost –
'Stop it, Karen! He's cute…oh, boy, is he cute…stop it, he's still enamored with Monique in 'neb's verse and Zita in canon…I wonder how he keeps that straight!'
Felix stared at Karen for a moment.
'She is so very pretty,' he thought as he watched her brush her hair from her eyes. 'And smart, and pretty, and witty, and pretty, and – watch it, Felix! Mon will have your hide, if 'neb leaves any after he's though with me if I do anything I shouldn't do…
They both leaned forward, their eyes slowly closed, and their lips gently brushed for a moment, and then their hands found each others' head as their kiss intensified…
"OH, SNAP!" they both shouted and backed up, shocked at what they had done, but neither disappointed.
After an awkward silence between them, a look of puzzlement from captainkodak1 and Darth Comrade, and a grin and a wink from Twila Starla, they finally were able to speak.
"Thank you, Felix," Karen smiled as she blushed and smiled.
"No, Karen: the pleasure was all mine. To quote a really good friend of mine, 'you're a bon-diggity kisser,'" Felix blushed as he reached over and took her hands in his.
"Should we do that again?" he asked.
"Maybe later," Karen smiled and Felix squeezed her hand.
"You do know I'm seeing Monique," Felix added.
"I know, and I wouldn't dare to even think that I could ever take her place, but I always thought you were cute," Karen admitted, wondering to herself where she got the courage to tell a hunk like Felix how she felt about him.
Felix smiled outside, but his heart jumped and did cartwheels inside.
Monique has been his first, mainly because girls didn't know that he wasn't broken in the head, just the legs, but here was another….
'She thinks I'm cute!' Felix wanted to dance with her, carry her into the air, but he promised to be good…for a bit, he grinned as he gently pressed her hands into his when the music began….
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"Is this what 'neb has tortured me for months about?" Mikey whined, and Ino quieted him before 'neb had a chance to reply.
When he could breathe again, 'neb spoke:
"Sorry, Mikey, but it's a big brother's prerogative to harass 'little brother' in any way possible, and stringing you along for months for this was the best way I knew how," 'neb explained, and Mikey struck him square in the chest with a Pixie Stick.
One followed, and 'neb found himself the proud owner of almost 50 grape Pixie Sticks in his lap in a matter of moments, and no one ever owned up to tossing theirs.
The orchestra began to play a familiar sound, and Sarah's head snapped up, and she looked directly at PRT.
"What are they playing?"
"I don't know the tune, but it's nice," he replied.
"Itis Saturday night in Middleton, after all, ladies and gentlemen; the Fannies are on hold, so guess what that means?" the familiar voice came over the sound system, and Sarah's hand squeezed PRT's arm.
"It's time to rebuild your computers, all you closet geeks 'out there, in here,'" the announcer from Middleton Teen Settlement laughed, "so you know you'll need…
"The NEW MOTHERBOARDS!" and the curtain remained closed to the opening chords of "A Woman Like You," and several ladies in the audience screamed their approval.
"Sarah," Wade's face appeared on the transparent screen that appeared in front of her, "a little 'Thank You,' from 'neb and me," and Sarah squeezed PRT's arm even harder as the curtain opened to -
(Chip)I've
walked in the wrong direction; I've played with the doubt inside my
mind
(Alex
and Jennifer, in harmony) de
de de de de de de de
Sarah fingered her engagement ring and smiled up at her BFBFF, and Chip winked.
(Chip)I've walked in the
wrong direction; I've played with the doubt inside my mind
( Alex
and Jennifer, in harmony) de
de de de de de de de
(Chip)I've sunk in my own
reflection, I've passed every mountain I could climb
( Alex
and Jennifer) de de
de de de de de de
'neb had wanted to hear the song, live, but he was surprised when he realized that Sarah had left her seat and was now on stage with Chip, wearing a micro-headset so it didn't mess up her hair, and she began to sing to Chip as he sang to her.
(Sarah)I've dreamt of a
calmer ocean, I've swum so much deeper through the blue
I've
toyed with the darkest notion, But I've never held a man like
you,
( Alex
and Jennifer)like
you
(Sarah and
Chip, in harmony)I've
wished that I could hold someone like you
'neb smiled because he saw Kim and Ron, Wade and Joss, KarenStern05 and Felix ('now, I didn't expect that!') and KimRon PosStoppable, with Walter Nelson, all dancing in the aisles between the tables.
(Chip)I've cleaned up one
thousand tables (the
audience laughed), I've
cleaned up drunk cheerleaders and (he
paused for a second) jocks(to even more
laughs)
( Alex and Jennifer) de
de de de de de de de
(Chip)I've even done
athlete's laundry; I've washed, oh, so many dirty (he
paused for a second) socks(more
laughter)
( Alex and Jennifer) de
de de de de de de de
(Sarah)I've danced with
evening spirits, I've seen every star there is to view;
I've read
every poet's lyrics, But I've never been with a man like you,
( Alex
and Jennifer) like
you
(Sarah
and Chip, in harmony) I've
dreamed that I could hold someone like you
As Sarah began to sing, Star felt a light tapping on his shoulder. He looked shocked when he realized that kt was standing and offering him her hand. He grinned as he stood and bowed to her. She curtsied, and the two of them headed out to the dance floor. ja, not to be outdone, had gone, literally, behind 'neb's back (well, the chair, since 'neb wasn't in it, and ja wondered where he had gone) and offered a hand to Akinyi. She blushed a bit when she stood, but she was all smiles as the two of them followed Star and kt to the floor.
ja got his answer when he stepped out and realized that 'neb was already out there with a beaming Rhonda Fatigable, and 'neb was being the gentleman that Grimm was afraid he would be: 'the perfect Southern gentleman,' Star grinned inside.
Sarah opened up her vocal chords this time, and she surprised everyone who hadn't heard her sing, but not C. P.: he had heard her, and he was delighted to hear her belt out a song with so much passion:
(Sarah)I know all the
rules to every game,
I know when the skies will start to rain
How
come I never knew your name?
"All you had to do was ask me," kt whispered, and Star blushed.
And
when every dream that I rely
all
turn to sand, and if I die
Sarah suddenly got a lot quieter, and she and Chip sang together:
(Sarah and Chip, in harmony) Please, won't you be the one to cry (for me).
"Yes, I will," 'neb and Rhonda both whispered, and 'neb beat her to it:
"Jinx! You owe me," 'neb kissed her cheek, Rhonda blushed and giggled, and Grimm contemplated five different ways that he could dispose of 'neb's body and not get caught.
Sarah and Chip took each other's hands and faced each other to sing this next verse, spreading their arms apart as if they were trying to hold the whole world in their grasp:
(Chip
and Sarah) One
night by a moonlit river, I would give the world to have you there
( Alex and
Jennifer) de de de
de de de de de
(Chip
and Sarah) One song
that my soul delivers as an answer to my prayer
( Alex
and Jennifer) de de
de de de de de de
Wade stepped over to Kim, and Ron stepped over to Joss, and they danced together for the first time this evening
(Chip
and Sarah) I'll
wait 'til the mountains fall,
I've
stood 'til the skies came tumbling, too
( Alex
and Jennifer) I
will sacrifice and give it all
Chip and Sarah took each other in their arms, and the music dropped almost off the sound system:
(Chip) now that I'm holding a woman like you,
( Sarah) like you
Chip took Sarah back into his arms, and he looked directly into her eyes and sang as if she were the only person in the room:
(Chip) now that I know I love a woman like you, like you,
(Sarah) like you
The musicians reprised the melody while Chip and Sarah danced on stage to the applause of the audience, and the dancers continued.
"Thank you, dear lady, for the wonderful dance," ja smiled as he twirled Akinyi, and she giggled slightly as he returned her to his hold. "You dance wonderfully," he added, and Akinyi…
'Not again!' Akinyi felt her face turn a bit of red. 'What is it about these 'surrogate fathers of mine' that makes them able to do this to me, all of the time?'
ja read her thoughts from the expression on her face and replied, continuing to dance, "Because you are beautiful inside and out, dear lady. All you need is the confidence to believe. Remember: when a person like you lives in your head," he smiled, "feelings are secondary; they are interpretations of mental images that are fed back to you. When awareness is focused on memories of past experiences and old mental verbalizations, the energy flow lessens. Without nurturing feelings of the heart, anxiety arises and self doubt takes over. In short you just have to believe in yourself."
"Whoa," Akinyi replied with a hint of a smile. "That's pretty deep."
A wry smile appeared on ja's lips as he adjusted his fedora, never missing a beat. "Now you know where kt gets it from."
Akinyi shook her head laughing. "I should have known."
Star and kt danced silently, occasionally looking at each other and smiling.
When the music ended, "Thank you, kt: you are a really good dancer," Star smiled as bent over at the waist and kissed her hand.
"Why thank you, kind suh," kt replied in a Southern accent, and Star laughed with her as he walked her back toward their seats.
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Ran Hakubi had slipped outside as the music started and the couples headed to the dance floor. He reached for a cigarette, and then he realized that he'd left them in the hotel.
'Just as well,' he thought as he looked skyward.
"Penny for your thoughts, Ran," a familiar voice came from behind him, and those hands he loved wrapped around his arm.
"Shouldn't that be a nickel, after adjusting for inflation?" Ran asked, and Tara resisted the temptation to whack the back of his head. Ran stood silent for a long time, enjoying the warmth of the outside and of the wonderful young woman who was now leaning her head on his shoulder, her blond hair draping gracefully onto his chest.
'Now I know what 'neb meant,' Ran thought wryly, and he smiled. "Actually, Tara, I'm worried about the closing, Tara," he replied honestly.
"Why, Ran? It's wonderful: I sat through one of the first rehearsals with Mags, Captain IT, the orchestra and chorus, and Kim, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house when they finished, including mine," Tara squeezed his arm with hers.
"You're kidding, right?" he turned and looked at her, and Tara was surprised to see real fear in Ran's eyes.
"Serious as Mr. Sitdown, Ran: fear is for the foolish, and, after spending time with you, I've come to learn that you're no fool." She smiled and pecked his cheek, and then added:
"At least, where your writing is concerned," Tara replied in a dead-pan manner, and Ran couldn't help but laugh.
"C'mon, Ran, I've got to get you back inside before it starts?"
"What starts?" Ran asked while Tara cajoled him back inside.
"'Let's Fall in Love,'" Tara replied, and Ran stopped suddenly.
"Wait, Tara: you're pretty and all, but don't you think that this is a bit, you know, sudden?" Ran asked with more than a hint of fear and excitement in his voice.
Tara laughed. "No, silly the Cole Porter song, and you and I are going to take a part."
"Oh," Ran replied as they came inside. "Who's Cole Porter?" Ran asked, and Tara smacked him on the back of the head, this repaid him with a kiss on the cheek.
'I don't blush; I don't blush; I don't blush; oh, snap,' Ran felt his face turn red, and Tara giggled as they turned back toward the entrance.
"Kidding, Ran: Ron said that he and Kim's dad had something planned that would be, as he put it with air quotes," she used her lovely fingers to make the motions, 'unforgettable," and they re-entered the Center. "We'll save Cole for the Fannies next weekend," she added.
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Author's afterward:
It's not the show you expected…
The Fannies are here, so who won? We'll find out, next Saturday…
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Next, on Road Trip
P1, C8: an 'Unforgettable' ending and week
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Thank you, to all of you, for supporting us on this new journey.
Thanks again for reading, and please review.
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2008.02.27
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