I honestly didn't get the chance to find out how old Ron was exactly when he suffered at Camp Wannaweep, but I hope eleven years old was close enough. After all, his simian fears are vital to his distrust of Lord Monty Fiske.

Chapter Seven

A Night in Fiske Castle

How much monkey was one man supposed to take?!

And how crazy was the man who loved them?!

KP really did not see what Ron Stoppable was seeing, and he knew it because of his own experiences with monkeys - primarily with the Camp Wannaweep chimp when he was eleven years old. That thing just so much as went wild when all he did was try and get along; he never figured out what he did wrong when the monster decided to go wild and trash the cabin, bite and scratch Ron, nearly tear him apart...

He might have died if the counselors hadn't come at the sound of the commotion and gave him the best medical treatments the hellish place had to offer.

Monkey paintings...otherworldly screeches in the distance...

Ron felt like he was in a horror movie - an old Gothic picture, to be exact, when he could hardly keep himself from trembling and clinging as closely as possible to Kim. Suppose a ghostly monkey could jump out at any hour of the night to follow, or maybe when she wasn't looking. Maybe if not a phantom, maybe the master of this entrapment himself.

"I've tolerated you long enough and your disrespect of my passion and profession, but I am giving tonight the last chance for you."

He sniffed. If ol' Monty boy thought he could talk to him like that in front of his best friend, then he had a good gut idea to sneak around with Rufus and find any proof to Kim. Fiske was trouble and he knew it. But a verbal confrontation would only make things worse than before.

"If I so much as hear you utter one disgraceful word to me, I shall send you on your way to the nearest inn by yourself and see how long you can last without Miss Possible!"

"Yeah, you just thought she can make it without me, didn't you?" he muttered bitterly to himself as he and Rufus returned to their room later that night after the dinner was finally over. What could he describe of the fancy food that ranged from lamb to seafood, to duck and even steak? The seasoned vegetables? All of it was irresistible, and Rufus had the time of his life, ignoring even the disapproving glance of the cold-eyed Lord Fiske who was no doubt plotting ways to get rid of him early.

"Rufus, buddy," he said as they both settled down for the night, him changing into sleepwear, "he really thinks he can get rid of me that easily just because I speak the truth?"

The naked mole rat huffed and folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah!" he spat, sticking his tongue out in the air, wishing the old creep was there.

Tomorrow they would head back home, and he just hoped they wouldn't have to deal with Fiske again - but he couldn't stop shaking away the hurt he'd seen in Kim. He knew he'd done that to her, his best friend since their early lives began, but his motivations were the right ones. He didn't like the way the old man - old by age difference, even though Fiske was still young in a sense - looked at her, nor did he like the man's passion for all things simian. Monkeys and apes were all vicious animals that took what you did the wrong way; how could Darwin compare them to humans, anyway?

He knew tonight would not be fun besides the feast itself; of course Kim got the attention as did His Lordship. They spoke to the museum staff about how they sprung the traps and barely escaped with their lives, but the statue was intact and ready to join two of its companions. One more to go, and Ron knew it was another monkey statue. He could not resist a shudder that drew baffled eyes, but Kim still would not look at him, and Fiske himself only smirked in amusement. A part of Ron wished he could wipe that smugness off somehow.

Maybe he could slip a chance tonight when everyone was deeply asleep.

Rufus was worried when he spoke this idea as they settled down for the night. "Uh oh!" He covered his eyes and shook his head.

"I know, I know," he agreed, using his hands beneath his head as an additional pillow, "it's frightening. Especially when we are in a big old castle crawling with monkey pictures at every turn...and the master himself can always catch us red-handed." He shivered to think about what Fiske would do when - or if - he found out that one of his "guests" had been snooping around his privacy, and no doubt what it would do to Kim. But it had to be a risk worth taking.

So they agreed that when a later hour came, they would sneak out and scavenge the darkness of Fiske Castle.

~o~

"OH, what an evening!" Kim exclaimed as she settled into the cozy, luxurious bed for the night. For its opulence, it was very comfortable that she could go to sleep then and there, but she was wide awake and with so much going through her mind. Out of everything to talk about with the staff, including the kind Dr. Reeves, there had been a question she may or may not have expected to ask.

"Have you a next book in mind, Miss Possible?" Even that had piqued Lord Fiske's - Monty's - attention, and she'd swallowed.

"I don't know," she'd answered carefully. "I really am trying to think of a new one, but I don't have any inspiration as of lately."

However, now that she lay in her bed, still wearing the robe she never found in her to take off - an exquisite velvet robe with richly hued blossoms, tied with a satin sash of ivory - her mind was more than restless when the seed of the question was planted and slowly began to grow, along with her latest adventure involving her idol from her teenaged life alongside her, and maybe a new leading lady who was not Kathryn could take this place and have a tall, dark and handsome man who was every girl's dream involved in her adventure...

~o~

"Coast clear," the little guy announced as he poked his head out into the hallway and ran back to his master. Their flashlight had a change of batteries that had been a stroke of good luck on their side; never did Ron think they would come to this conclusion before they got to this decrepit place.

Decrepit? Well, what could he say? The cold air, the creeping shadows, the eerie silence that could betray them at any moment and reveal either the lord himself or even the valet at his master's disposal...it was everything out of a horror movie. His flesh crawled over his muscles and bones, sensitizing his nerves in every part. Poor Rufus clung to him in his pocket, keeping his head out and clutching the edge close to him as if it were his blanket, giving him a small amount of protection.

His feet were bare, so no slippers could slow him down in his steps, but the stairs themselves which took them down to another level added further chills.

"Jeez, Rufus, what are we in?" he whispered, careful to not excite any attention. But if they both heard a noise, he would duck behind whatever was available. "Dracula's castle? You'd have to have bats in the air trying to get in your hair, the calls of ghosts you can't see..."

Should he add scary paintings of death? In this case, it involved monkeys. His teeth chattered with the rest of his body, trying his best to not look at any of the paintings on the walls as he journeyed on, suddenly finding himself fascinated by the sights of the suits of armor from medieval times, telling him that Lord Montgomery Fiske's heritage must have dated back to that era. Even there were aspects of history Ron Stoppable liked to read about on occasion.

The flashlight radiated off the silver armor, blinding him a little before he blinked the spots away. "Okay, Rufus, which room do we start? We can't risk finding the master's bedroom, because if the old chap finds out, this gets back to Kim, and she might not trust me again for a long while..."

"Eek!" the little buddy agreed and sank further in his hiding place.

These doors were carved and boarded definitely from ancient times, and he wondered how they managed to be polished to fit the modern ages. Ron really didn't want to know everything; all he wanted was to prove to Kim that - "Oh, score!" he said excitedly to Rufus when they came across a partially opened door - but when they shone the light in, disappointment washed over them both.

This room wasn't what he expected, however his interest was piqued when his eyes beheld the sight of an armory. He couldn't really tell which weapon originated from which country, but they had to be either African, Indian or Asian. Monty boy really liked anything having to do with combat, anything historical, but was he really that hard-working? Rich guys really stood by and let others do everything for them, so for all he knew, His Lordship must have simply stood beside Kim when he asked for her help, and only aided her when he saw fit. It made Ron snort with disgust.

"Kim really is in over her head if she's having...thoughts about him," he decided aloud, half to himself and half to Rufus who was listening to him as he always did. "Sure, he's tall, dark, rich and handsome, and a famous scholar and explorer - but all of this? There's no way he got every inch of these weapons and antiquities on his own. He must have just used his title and status to get goggle-eyed attention, not to mention his good looks..."

They were leaving the armory when it seemed their luck changed. Across the hallway was a cracked door, and maybe this was their last chance. If nothing, then this search had all been for nothing. "Yeah," Rufus agreed when he said this.

"Yeah, buddy, we've been out for too long. If old boy or his servant dude catch us, any lie we give to cover our tracks will cause everything to blow in the air."

However, it was this room which they struck gold: it was the study. "Oh, boy, I think we made it!" he said excitedly before he heard his own vocal chords rise a little higher than they should have. He cleared his throat. "Booyah," he said softly, laughing with the naked mole rat as they ventured into this obviously sacred place for the renowned archaeologist.

The place was sprawled with books all over, but he couldn't really find any interest in discovering what the man was fascinated with as of lately, yet he caught a few titles in on the sides facing him, raising his eyebrow. Rufus hopped from his pocket and began to crawl over the study desk.

What could you expect of a man who studies the ancient world? But he frowned when certain titles had "magic" in them, and a handful or more - "Oh, how can life do this to me?" he moaned. "How can it put me under the same roof as the man who loves what I hate?"

He paused when his attention was directed to an opened old book in front of him, showing a ninja in black and in a martial arts pose, but upon reading a little bit of the old-looking text, Ron suppressed a shriek when the words showed what slipped his lips. "Monkey Kung Fu! Agh, old Monty boy is obsessed! Monkey this, monkey that - monkey, monkey, MONKEY!" He could not take another minute in this place, disappointed that their chance had been wasted...

...but then his little friend interrupted him when he seemed to have found something. Maybe not what they would have hoped, but the title raptured them both: The Arabian Nights.

"Ooh, Rufus! The days of our youth! Aladdin, Ali Baba, Sinbad -" he was saying, forgetting about reality and instead indulging in their favorite stories, thinking about slipping this in their room for the night and return it before they left, before His Lordship found out - "Oh, God, disgusting!"

"Bah! Phooey!" Rufus gagged, turning his face away.

What they found in the page marked by a royal blue silk book marker was nothing like they expected. The couple in the artsy illustration were garbed as the culture of the title, but unexpectedly was them sitting before each other, the graphic image of the man's privates connecting with the female's - and add in the fact there was no pubic hair... "Dude, ew!" He quickly closed that book and squeezed his eyes shut, his flashlight in his grip and threatening to slip. Poor Rufus even had a hard time keeping the image out. "This is so not what I thought! What does he do with this, huh? Does he beat himself off to it or something when he's not reading monkey history?!"

"Actually, Mr. Stoppable, Lord Fiske has not read that copy of ancient erotica in years."

He actually screamed so loud he dropped his flashlight and forgot all about it - even the fact it opened and let the batteries fall out - and held the book close to his rapidly thundering heart as he and Rufus were met face-to-face with Bates the valet and his lantern. The man's eyes glittered with amusement even though his mustached mouth was set in a line of disapproval, but also relieved he caught one of the guests before his master found out. Ron had never felt so embarrassed, fears forgotten. "Oh, uh - hi," he stuttered, running his free hand through his hair. "I'm so s-s-sorry. I couldn't sleep and thought I'd explore, but also tried to find a library if there was one -" His babbling was always out of control, a habit that never left him in maturity. "- and I found this place. This book I have just caught my attention I thought it was something else..."

The man's stern expression softened when he chuckled, then stepped aside, indicating they go immediately - and they both forgot about the abandoned flashlight.

"I must assure you, Mr. Stoppable, I know Lord Fiske better than anyone. I have helped raise him from birth, after all. You need not concern yourself with anything incriminating," Bates assured him, but despite the fact his nerves calmed a little, Ron could not shake off the fact there might be more than that. He still had that shiver up his spine.

~o~

She was up by the time the sun broke, feeling at peace and enjoying the tranquility and silence. Yet to wake up in this foreign bed and country apart from the surroundings she was used to - it was a good kind of strange that a small part of her wanted to live here...

Reality kicked in, and she slid out of the bed to shower and change back into her gear. She and Ron had a great time - well, her mostly - and now was time to go home. Their ride contacted by Wade would arrive in three hours.

But as soon as she was about to step on the first flight of stairs, she heard voices. Shouting. Accusations. Her blood chilled.

"...pray tell, explain why you were in my study last night, Stoppable?" Monty's voice was silky smooth, yet menacing as he bore down on her best friend who no doubt was glaring daggers back at him. Kim swallowed and put both hands over her racing heart. Ron - he - what did he do this time?! What was he doing in the...study?!

"Well, I couldn't sleep and just wanted to find something to read until I fell asleep. I couldn't find a library around, and I happened upon it by accident -"

Ron sounded like he really meant it, but Fiske wasn't convinced. "Oh, really? Then enlighten me on a suspicion of mine: did you, by any chance, snoop my ancient texts while you searched for some way to entertain yourself?" he hissed. "I find a flashlight and scattered batteries that tell me more than recreational reading took place. You were...snooping around. Spying on me, are we? After I made it clear to you that I gave you one last chance, Ron Stoppable?"

Kim closed her eyes, feeling something tear at her inside. Ron had...he couldn't...but in her heart, she knew it was true. He was one of the boldest people she'd ever known, but the fact he dared to go late at night to nose through Monty Fiske's castle in an attempt to find something on him - it wounded her deeply that she knew she couldn't speak to him for awhile when they got back to Middleton.

What hurt most was believing that she was no longer welcome because of Ron - and what the angered nobleman stated next sent her spiraling internally.

"As of now, when you and Miss Possible leave, you are forbidden from ever returning to my humble home."

Ron's journey at night with Rufus through the castle was inspired by many Gothic horror tales from my younger days, and anyone else who is a fan of those stories, it was a pleasure. :) In addition, when he and his naked mole rat buddy find that erotic textbook, it was also based off a similar scene in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (the 1992 movie with Gary Oldman as the vampire count).

Oh, God, that did hurt, didn't it? :( Ron tried doing what he believed was the right thing, and it cost him and possibly his best friend. What will happen now?