LYBCD chap 7

Disclaimer: You all must know the drill at this point. Do I look like an abnormally large mouse with red shorts? (Don't answer that Sideos, if you're reading this…) I thought not. I don't own Kim Possible.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. Your continued (and new) support means so much to me, and every review I see brightens my day!


This chapter is dedicated to my mum, my dad and my brother Peter, who are currently enjoying the lovely experience of Mexico and who I miss terribly already.
So here is chapter seven. Read, enjoy, and review if you feel like it. I am always eager to hear what you think.
When Ron opened the door to his room he was met by a wild, hairless ball of joy.

"Rufus!" the blond exclaimed, catching his airborne pet with difficulty. "What are you doing up?"

"Huhn…worried." Rufus cuddled into his owner's hands, pressing his head into Ron's jersey in greeting.

"Oh. I'm sorry buddy," Ron said sheepishly. The events of the last few hours had completely made him forget that he'd been captured and that people would be worried about him. "How are you feeling, anyway?" Ron continued, flopping down into his chair and studying his pet under the light of his desk lamp.

"Notgood. Sorry." It was true. Rufus' pink skin was still pail, his forehead beaded with sweat. Ron gently stroked his pet with one finger, than crossed to his bed, laying the mole-rat on the pillow and covering him with a small blanket.

"You shouldn't exert yourself like that, little guy," Ron crooned as he continued stroking. "You should get some sleep now, k?"

"Nu-uh," his pet protested. "Whathappen?"

"Well…" Ron sat back a little, the events of the night still playing through his head in a confusing jumble. "I really don't know where to begin."

"Hic-captured," Rufus prompted.

"Yes," Ron said softly. He had to sort everything out, so he might as well do it with Rufus. Perhaps the experiences would be less confusing then. "Kim and I were captured. Then Shego came into our cell and there was a…" He paused. "Confrontation." When Rufus looked quizzically at him, Ron said "It ended with Shego challenging me to fight her."

"Hic-whyfight?" That was the question, wasn't it?"

"Well…" Ron trailed off as Shego's words seemed to spiral through his mind. "I goaded you into having that fight with me so I could get you alone and tell you…" "I'm not really sure," he said to Rufus. Ordinarily, Ron told his pet everything, but somehow he didn't want to share this with anyone, not yet. He didn't want to see Rufus' surprise and disgust when he heard about Shego's feelings toward his human. And Ron didn't want people thinking about her that way, not after she had opened herself to him like that.

Not after he thought about her having feelings too.

"I did pretty well in the fight I think," Ron continued after a moment. "But…I'm not sure, really, because I was really angry. More angry than…" He trailed off, while his pet looked at him enquiringly. "I was kind of in a haze, and it's all kind of blurry until I came out of it. Kinda funny, huh buddy?" he addressed Rufus, tone lightning. "The only time I actually do well in a fight against Shego I can't even remember it."

Rufus chirruped in agreement, glad to see that his human's black mood seemed to be lifting.

"But Shego eventually beat me, of course. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you something." Ron leant closer conspiratorially. "Shego had challenged me to fight her. She said she and Drakken would give themselves up if I won, and if she won, she'd let KP go and keep me as a hostage…hey!" This last was directed at Rufus, who had begun growling with a sound like marbles grinding together. Ron reached out a hand in an attempt to mollify his pet.

"It really wasn't like that, buddy," he explained. "It wasn't like we had some kind of escape plan, or anything. I knew I'd lose, but she was insulting KP and, well, I just couldn't stand there and do nothing!" KP comes first. She always has.

Rufus was still bristling, turned away and growling under his breath. Ron sighed.

"You have to understand Rufus," he said quietly. "I know it was a stupid thing to do, but hey, that's what I do, right?" A louder growl.

Ron watched disconsolately as his pet pulled away and crawled around behind his pillow to sulk. He clenched his hand until he could feel the painful pressure of his nails biting into the soft skin of his palms. Then, slowly he opened the tight knot of his fingers. Four small, white crescents were embedded in his skin. As he watched they slowly faded, the pain in his hand fading, but alleviating none of that in his heart and mind.

Maybe I'll call Kim, he thought, somewhere at the back of his mind, tell her I'm all right. But he didn't move. His enthusiasm had completely evaporated, and now he felt only empty. Kim was probably out with Josh anyway.

"I don't know, Rufus." Ron's voice was soft and gentle, the way you might speak when reproaching yourself. Was he talking to his pet, or to himself? "I don't want to be stupid. I don't try to be. But I always seem to mess up everything." He studied his hands again, big, clumsy, empty. "And I can't stop. It's not as if anyone expects anything more from me. Even KP really, she…"

He trailed off. Words were so inadequate. Deep inside he could feel a burning lump that had once been his heart. It smoldered in his chest, burning his lungs, scorching his flesh as he sat there.

Alone, and lonely.

Shego.

"I think I've loved you for years, ever since I started noticing you, not what the world sees of you. The good, strong, patient person hiding behind the mask of a fool."

He shook his head. Why had she said that? He wasn't hiding who he really was. What you saw was what you got, unfortunately. Okay, so maybe once or twice he had…

But that wasn't important right now.

Shego hadn't lied. He knew she hadn't lied. But then, maybe she was confused or something; maybe she like liked him a little bit, and that had clouded her judgment about him. Ron couldn't imagine someone like Shego being with anyone who was anything short of incredible, so maybe she had exaggerated his 'skills' in her mind.

Why was this thought not comforting?

"You're the strongest, most wonderful person I know Ron, and I'm sorry."

Ron wanted to scream. He wanted to rip things up, tear them, break them and smash them until fragments slashed the air and stuck in his thick blue carpet. Right now, right at this moment, he wanted to grab his desk lamp and throw it through his innocent windowpane, or stab his mattress full of holes.

And he didn't even know why.

But instead, Ron rose from where he sat slumped on the edge of his unmade bed, and crossed to his vanity. He turned so that his back was to the mirror, than slowly eased his jersey over his shoulders and head. There were several new bruises, turning dark and muddy now, as well as some small-to-larger scrapes on his chest and back, and one whole shoulder was turning dismal purple. One knee throbbed in time to his heartbeat, as did his tailbone and left thigh, but he didn't remove his pants yet.

Opening his top drawer, Ron pawed through underwear and socks until his fingers found the familiar red tube. Still half full. Good. Ron removed the top and, squeezing the white cream onto his other hand, began gently rubbing it into the worst of his bruises, as well as the singing soreness around his right eye, which must look truly spectacular from the way it felt. Next he removed his pants and again doctored the larger injuries, leaving small grazes and bruises alone.

He felt calmer now. Though his wounds throbbed more then ever in protest against the attention, the action of rubbing in the cream was a familiar and soothing one. Finished, Ron replaced the cap on the tube and stored it back in the drawer. Arnica was hard to find, and getting ahold of it wasn't made any easier by the fact that his mum didn't 'believe' in herbal remedies.

But now that he was finished, Ron didn't quite know what to do. It was late, past midnight he knew, but he wasn't tired. Or maybe he was. Maybe he was bone weary, exhausted. But this wasn't the kind of exhaustion that could be solved by sleeping.

"I'd like to be your friend."

He wasn't even certain why he had said it. It had…seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and he'd had to do something. And now…he wasn't adverse. For some reason the prospect of getting to know Shego, of being her friend, seemed perfectly all right. This was Kim's arch nemesis, but she was also a person, and a person in need of help, even if it was only help from him.

Kim would be furious, she'd never let him.

Nevertheless, Ron found that he wasn't worried about what Kim would say or do. Perhaps he was just too tired right now, and the worrying would come later.

But no, he didn't regret his offer, although he might get roasted if Shego came to her senses and decided that she didn't want anything to do with him.

He really must be tired because his mind kept wondering. The day's events had finally caught up with him. And to think that this morning he was worried about that English assignment on "The Merchant of Venus."

What was tomorrow again? Ah yes, Saturday. The first thing he should do when he woke up was to go and see Kim, he mused absentmindedly. He had to let her know that he was alright, and maybe she would even agree to go to Bueno Nacho with him, like old times.

And then… Well, he should really do some of his homework, including that extra stuff Mr. Barkin had given him for breathing too loudly in class. And when he was finished that, and if Kim didn't want to do anything with him….

Ron jerked himself awake from where he had been drifting off, and scrambled into his pajamas. He took special care to be quiet so he wouldn't wake Rufus, who's rather loud snores attested to the fact that the mole-rat had dozed off behind his master's pillow. The poor little guy needed all the sleep he could get to get well.

The fact was that Ron really didn't have anything to do if Kim wouldn't spend time with him, or at least nothing pleasant. He hadn't realized just how much of his life revolved around his best friend until, suddenly it seemed, she wasn't really there to be with him.

And that was when he had realized that he didn't really have any other friends. Well, there was Felix, of course, but he was usually busy working with his mother. Besides, Ron found it...difficult hanging around with Felix. No matter how hard he tried, the Rentin boy always managed to beat him at games, sports, contests; whatever they happened to be doing together. And there was only so much of that he could take, even when it was always good-natured.

He concentrated on his toothbrush, making certain he was scouring every inch of his mouth with the rough bristles. He spat strong toothpaste and rinsed.

Well, maybe tomorrow evening, if Kim didn't want to do anything, maybe he would make good on his offer. He would show Shego that he could be her friend, and a good one at that.

His covers felt chilly as he crawled underneath them and he huddled up reflexively while he waited for them to warm up. He pulled his pillow down closer to his head so he wouldn't hurt Rufus during the night. Now that he was in bed Ron could defiantly feel how tired he was. His aching muscles relaxed slowly, his eyes drifting closed like lead waits in warm water.

Tomorrow he would see Shego, and he would make good on his promise.

A small smile slipped around his mouth as his mind departed for the restful realm of sleep.


Yay! Another chapter posted and finished. I do hope it was to everyone's satisfaction. Next to be updated will probably be "Son of the Monkey Man", but we shall see.

Oh, and one other thing…That button down there on the left side of the screen told me it's lonely, it doesn't get clicked on enough, poor thing. So in a totally unmotivated surge of altruism I am beseeching you to click on the poor thing and give me some feedback. I know you'll make that lonesome little button so happy!

See you next time!