Notes: This is my own take on what happened between Ron and Zita, so don't be surprised if you don't care for or believe it.

Chapter 9: Limits

"Left. LEFT!"

"Pak, dude, I KNOW how to beat the Ice Wizard. Back off, would you?"

Pak settled down, but the sense of urgency in Ron did not as he focused his attention on the video game in front of him. Apparently he wasn't the only one that enjoyed a little healthy competition.

Ron had come to Middleton Mall to get away from his troubles for a while, and amazingly, it had worked. But this was probably because Tara, Bonnie, and Kim weren't interested in video games, so the chances of running into them in the arcade were pretty low. So for a few hours, Ron put his heart on hold while he let his fingers do the talking for him. And, in the end, they landed him a spot in the Everlot: Destiny Finals. The winner would get the new expansion pack, and over a thousands hours of free play. Ron had only played the game on and off lately, but it was a welcome distraction, and he found his old skills had improved quite a bit. Pak probably had something to do with that; he was really into the game, for some reason.

The other finalist was some redhead Ron had only glanced at, but she had to be good to have made it this far. Chances were, she didn't have a monkey in her head, so Ron figured he had an edge.

The finals weren't to start for another hour, so Ron jogged down to the food court to grab some snacks. About the best choice was a Bueno Nacho knock off known as Senor Speedy's. Ron was permanently suspicious of anything with "Seńor" in the title, but a Buen0 Nacho run now could very well cost him the finals, so he didn't have a whole lot of options.

Ron forced down a few second-rate burritos and hurried back to the arcade with about twenty minutes to spare. He took a few minutes to flex his fingers while waiting, and was surprised by how much fun he'd been having on his own. Well, Rufus was there for emotional support (he'd promised to allow a human player to win this time around). But it had been so long since Ron had had any real fun alone. He was always paired up with Kim, or Felix, or Kim and Monique, or Tara. It was kind of cool, knowing he didn't have to depend on someone else to have a good time. Although it would've been pretty nice to have Tara cheering him on, she might've just distracted him from his distraction.

The finals came and went, and Ron pulled out a last minute victory by a grand total of only one hit point. Apparently, he'd picked up a "shiny banana" that the redhead had missed, which meant he had ten more hit points to spare when facing off against the final boss.

Ron was so stunned that he only barely felt Rufus hug his cheek, and was vaguely aware of several people slapping him on the back. They pushed him into the center of the arcade, where he was awarded with the game and a code that would setup his free play time. Ron managed a brief victory speech and walked off, still in a haze. He hadn't intended to win the tournament, just to kill a few hours.

He was just passing by Fab Fashions when someone called his name.

"Ron, is that you?"

Ron turned around, and his eyes widened. "Zita?"

Zita Flores smirked at him. "So you're the jerk that beat my friend Renee in the finals? I almost didn't believe it when she called my cellphone and claimed a nobody named Ron Stoppable stole her prize."

"Zita...mate?" Pak questioned uncertainly.

"Well...no...I mean, yeah, but...not anymore. It's...hard to explain."

"Ron?" Zita asked.

"Oh, sorry. I'm still a little shocked that I won. I didn't mean to, honest."

"So the shock has nothing to do with running into me?" Zita asked, peering closely at him.

"Uh...well, maybe a little," Ron admitted. "But it's good to see you, Zita, really."

"I hope you mean that, since I was thinking of celebrating your victory with some ice cream. My treat, so it's not a date."

"Won't Renee mind?"

"She was getting a big head, anyway. Better a total stranger took her down a peg than me. I've lost a few friends by beating the pants off them in Everlot. So, we going for ice cream or what?"

Ron paused for a moment. If he went with Zita, he could very well rediscover the feelings that had attracted him to her in the first place. On the other hand, she claimed it wasn't a date, so that would mean she wasn't interested in dating him anymore.

And it WAS free ice cream, after all.

"Sounds like a plan."

Zita grinned at him. "Good. Now, tell me all about this infamous shiny banana?"


Kim planted her foot in the door, smiling as it slammed open, echoing throughout the spacious lair. "KP calling!" she shouted.

Instantly, Shego backflipped into view, frowning at her. "Kimmie, you really should learn how to knock."

"Guess I'm just feeling rude today," Kim said brightly, charging right at her.

Shego was a bit startled at the change in tactics, but not enough to throw her off much. She met Kim head-on, exchanging rapid blows and teasing smirks as they moved deeper into the lair.

"You know, this actually is a social visit," Kim admitted as she ducked one of Shego's punches. "But I always appreciate the workout."

Shego allowed a grunt, but nothing else.

"So I was wondering. This feel any different to you?" Kim slipped around another punch and delivered a right, straight-arm punch to Shego's unguarded left arm.

Shego visibly flinched, and returned a similar punch that connected with Kim's shoulder. "You been eating your Wheaties or something?"

"Yeah, or something," Kim muttered, suddenly breaking off her attack. "Thanks, Shego." She turned around and began to leave.

"Hey! You can't just come in here, start a fight, and then walk out on me!" Shego shouted.

"So ambush me after school sometime and we'll call it even," Kim replied, waving over her shoulder.

Shego grumbled for a few more minutes, but eventually made a mental note to do just as Kim had suggested.


"So when we came back, Rufus had eaten all three of the mudpies!" Ron exclaimed.

Zita laughed lightly, stroking Rufus's back as the mole rat sulked. "Oh, don't feel too bad, Rufus. Plenty of people have made the same mistake. The important thing is that you learned from it."

"Funny you should mention learning from the past," Ron said, trying to seem casual.

She saw right through him, though. "You want to know why it didn't work between us, right?"

"Only if you don't mind talking about it," Ron replied at once.

Zita shook her head. "Actually, you're the one that should mind, Ron. I should've told you then, but I was afraid you'd take it the wrong way. I still am, a little, but I figure it'll hurt less now, since the feelings aren't fresh. That, and I didn't want you to think I was superficial. But relax, it's nothing you did."

"Something I didn't do?" Ron guessed.

"Sort of, but you didn't really have any control over it. It's more my fault, I think."

Ron stared at her. "Um...what?"

Zita smiled. "Ron, when you told Kim about me, did you tell her I was your girlfriend?"

"Well, no. I told her we were dating, and then she started calling you that. But when we stopped, suddenly you were my ex-girlfriend. It was a little weird, actually."

"That's the problem, Ron. We called it dating, but it wasn't, really. It was more hanging out than anything else. Sure, we went to romantic movies, but all we ever did was talk about how fake they were. We had things in common, so we got along fine, but we weren't really...I don't know, clicking. We had chemistry, it was just friendship chemistry. You probably didn't know the difference-"

"-because you were the first girl that ever agreed to do anything with me. Well, other than Kim."

"That's my point. All of our 'dates' were hardly any different than what I do when I hang out with most of my friends. Well, except for the kissing, and we never did very much of it."

"I just thought you were against PDA?" Ron asked.

"I wouldn't know, I've never kissed in public that I can recall."

"So...I'm not sure I understand. Did you like hanging out with me?"

"Yes, Ron! But we were calling it dating, which is why it felt so wrong. If we'd called it what it actually was, maybe this wouldn't be the first time we've spoken in months."

"I did miss you," Ron admitted without thinking.

"I missed you, too," Zita replied with a smile. "No one else likes it when I badmouth the movies they're trying to watch."

"I tried to get Kim into gaming, but after that Everlot incident, she never wanted anything to do with them. And Felix is totally into them, but...well, he's not nearly as pretty."

Zita chuckled. "Ron, don't read too much into this, but...I'd really like it if we could start hanging out again. We could even help each other with the dating thing."

Ron blinked. "How?"

"Well, each girl is different, but I think I could help you know when one just wants to be friends, and when she wants more. And you could...um...tell me if any guys are interested in me. If that wouldn't be too weird."

"I guess not. I do the same thing with Kim sometimes."

"Great. But we should probably keep the dating talk to a minimum, so it doesn't feel like we're using each other to get dates."

"Right. Because we're just two friends helping each other out."

Zita nodded. "Right. Although, I should probably mention I'm perfectly happy being single right now. So what about you?"

"I, um, am actually seeing someone right now," Ron said hesitantly.

"Anyone I know? You're not going to get in trouble for coming out with me, are you?"

"No, Tara's proved to be...enormously understanding about things like that."

"Odd choice of wording. You meant Tara the cheerleader?"

"Yup, that's her."

"Hmm. Sounds like you got really lucky, Ron."

"Why do you say that?"

"From what I know of Tara, she's never had to look too far for a date. What are the odds you'd both be available at the same time?"

"Pretty good, considering I've technically only had one date ever, and even that involved mind control, so it's suspect. All I had to do was wait until Tara was free again."

"Are you being serious, or putting yourself down again?" Zita asked with a frown. "You know I don't like that, Ron."

"Oh. I was just stating fact. Usually I can't get past hello with girls. Tara only started showing interest again when I spent some time with Bonnie."

Zita stared at him. "You spent time with Bonnie Rockwaller?"

"Unwillingly," Ron added quickly. "Well, SHE was unwilling. I was more obligated, being a gentleman and all. Anyway, it worked out...sort of. But we can talk about that later. I should go home and check on my monkeys."

"I thought you hated monkeys?" Zita asked.

"Well, I've found that when they're defending my life instead of threatening it, I like them just fine. You should come over and say hi sometime. Makes them feel important when I introduce people."

"Seeing you and monkeys within ten feet of each other would be worth the trip alone, Ron. So do you still have my number, or did you rip it up?"

Ron laughed nervously. "I may have asked Rufus to chew it a little, but I'm pretty sure it's still legible."

Rolling her eyes, Zita jotted her number down on a napkin. "Just in case it isn't. I'll write my Everlot screenname and email address, in case you forgot those, too."

"So you still have my number?" Ron asked.

"Pretty sure. If I can't find it, then I'll just show up at your house, and you can give it to me while we visit the monkeys."

"Then...this whole friend thing is really going to work?"

"No reason it shouldn't. But maybe you should tell Tara about me."

"You mean tell her we used to date?"

"I meant that we're old friends. If she wants to know more, THEN you tell her we dated a few times and it didn't work out."

"And she'll believe that?"

"Why not? It's true. Besides, I plan to tell her myself. You should set up something...and bring Kim. In case there's a fight."

"Zita..."

"Kidding. But Kim's a good icebreaker. Unless Bonnie comes, too, and then it'll just be awkward and tense. I don't suppose you have a cute friend that's into gaming, do you? Hey, what about Felix? I wouldn't mind chatting with him while Bonnie and Kim bite each other's heads off."

"You've met Felix?"

Zita nodded. "At EverCon 2000. Don't know if I'd want to date him, but he's fun to hang out with, at least. So drag him by Bueno Nacho on Monday, and I'll 'accidentally' run into you guys."

"That seems a little dishonest," Ron commented.

"Ron, he's getting a potential date with me out of it. He's the one getting the deal!"

"Weren't you perfectly happy being single a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to be single for the rest of my life. Just that I can, if I have to."


Bonnie wasn't hiding. Rockwallers didn't do that. She had simply moved her regular workout at the gym up a few days, and hadn't bothered to tell anyone...which basically meant she hadn't told Tara.

She definitely wasn't hiding from Tara, because that would've been silly. Tara was sweet, kind, forgiving to a fault, and the most loyal person Bonnie had in her life at the moment (ever, really). If anything, Bonnie probably should've been hiding from Ron to avoid being tempted to do something stupid and/or crazy.

But then, Ron had never walked in on her at the gym. Tara had. By the time Bonnie admitted that to herself, she'd already been on the treadmill for forty-five minutes, and she didn't like to stop once she'd started. Plus, the more time she spent at the gym, the less chance she had of running into Tara elsewhere.

Or so she hoped, anyway.

Yet when Bonnie had finished, finding herself exhausted and sweaty, who should appear but her wonderful best friend, smiling as if all was right with the world.

"I hoped you weren't running away, but I guess I was only half right," Tara observed. When Bonnie didn't answer, she held out a bottle of water. "You can't ignore me, Bonnie. I'm your conscience by now, no matter how hard you try not to listen to me."

That only annoyed Bonnie more, mostly because it was true. But she wasn't going to admit that, even as she snatched the water and began chugging it down.

"So I got a call from Ron," Tara said casually, watching Bonnie's expression for any change. When there was none, she continued with, "He wants us to go out Thursday." Still nothing. "He said you should come, too."

At this, Bonnie stopped drinking and looked at Tara, her expression guarded and not the least bit hopeful.

"I told him I'd ask you and get back to him. And if you say no, I'm not making anything up. You're going to have to call him yourself and tell him why you're not coming."

Bonnie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll tell him I don't want to go."

"That's a lie," Tara said at once.

"So? You said YOU weren't going to make anything up, not me."

"But I want you to go, Bonnie. So does Ron."

"No, he doesn't!" Bonnie snapped. "He only asked me so I wouldn't feel left out and so you wouldn't get mad at him for leaving me out!"

"The point is that he asked you."

"No, the point is I DON'T WANT TO GO!"

"Liar," Tara said quietly.

"What do you WANT me to say, T? That I like your boyfriend and I want to spend time with him?"

"If it's the truth, then yes."

"Well, I'm not going to!"

"Why not?"

"Because I like YOU, stupid!" Bonnie shouted.

Tara just stared at her.

"Don't look at me like that!"

"So what are you saying, Bonnie? That you're going to deny your feelings because Ron is my boyfriend?"

"YES! That's what GOOD friends do."

"They also sometimes repress the feelings for so long that they just spill out, anyway. And then it's as if they never tried at all."

"So stop forcing me to be near Ron!" Bonnie cried. "I'm trying to keep myself from hurting you!"

"But what good is that if it hurts you to be away from him?" Tara asked.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to lose my best friend over a guy."

"But Ron isn't just a guy, Bonnie. That's why I like him...and why you can't stay away from him, even when you try. For all you know, maybe just being near him would be enough for you. Maybe all you really need is his friendship."

"When have I EVER needed just a guy's friendship?" Bonnie muttered.

"Never...until now. It wasn't until you spent time with Ron that you saw him for who he really was. And now you can't get that person out of your mind, no matter what you do."

"And you really believe that I'm feeling this way because I want Ron to be my friend?"

"Not really, but you never know. So I want you to promise me something, Bonnie. If you truly think you'll be miserable without Ron in your life, you need to tell him. Or tell me so I can tell him. Promise me you'll tell one of us, at least."

Bonnie stared at her best friend for a long moment. Finally, she shook her head. "You're crazy, T. You really are."

Tara took a deep breath, stared hard at Bonnie, and said calmly, "Promise me, or this friendship is over."

Bonnie nearly choked on the mouthful of water, forcing it down with a gasp she looked at Tara. "What?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Either you promise to tell Ron or myself, or this is it for us."

Bonnie looked as if she couldn't breathe. "Tara...no. You can't. You promised me you wouldn't..."

"I promised I'd never leave you if you promised the same. But denying your heart is just like not being alive at all, Bonnie. In some ways, it's even worse than leaving. So promise me, here and now, that you won't do either."

Bonnie shook her head helplessly. "Tara...I can't-"

Tara took a step backwards.

"NO! Tara, PLEASE!" Bonnie cried.

"Promise," Tara said firmly.

"I...I promise," Bonnie choked out.

Tara sighed and stepped forward. "Congratulations, Bonnie. You've passed Step 2."

"I...what?" Bonnie asked weakly.

"Step 1 was admitting you had the feelings. Step 2 was refusing to ignore them. Step 3 is finding out exactly what the feelings are. You're making progress."

"How?" Bonnie asked bitterly. "You were going to leave me..."

"Only because you're so stubborn, Bonnie. If you could be true to yourself, I never would've had to do that. So you're going to call Ron, and tell him you'll be there."

"If I don't, will you leave?" Bonnie asked softly.

"No. But I'll be very disappointed in you, and I'd rather not be when there's an easy way to avoid it. Just come with us tomorrow, and if you can make it the whole night without lying to yourself, I'll never force you to be near Ron again."

"Okay," Bonnie whispered. "I'll go."

Tara reached over and squeezed her hand. "Thanks." She began to let go, but Bonnie's hand seized hers.

"Tara," Bonnie said quietly, her voice trembling.

"What is it, Bonnie?"

"Don't ever do that to me again. Even if you mean it, just don't. No matter what. I couldn't...I can't...go through that. So don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't...leave."

"I won't leave you unless you force me to, Bonnie. That was our promise. Not word for word, but it was the sentiment behind it for me. I expect you to hold up your end."

"But I can't do that without you, T. You know that. Everything else in my life makes me crazy. Kim, Ron, school, my family, everything. You're the only thing in my life that makes sense. If you left, I'm scared I might fall apart again."

"I wouldn't let that happen, Bonnie. But you have to meet me halfway. This won't work unless we're both trying all of the time. So no more lying, to me, to you, or to anyone else you might care about. Now, why don't you grab a shower, and then we can get something to eat."

Bonnie didn't reply as she pulled Tara close and hugged her tightly.

Tara was a little startled. "Um, I'll be here when you're done, Bonnie. Promise."

"You scared me," Bonnie murmured in her ear.

Tara smiled and returned the embrace. "Well, when I can't get through to your head, I have to try for your heart."

"It worked, T. I heard you."

"Good. Now, um, you know normally I don't mind hugging you, but you're all sweaty, so..."

"So? Now it's my turn to make YOU sweat," Bonnie replied, hugging her tighter.

"Ewww!" Tara squealed, struggling and laughing at the same time. "Bonnie, let go!"

Bonnie could almost hear her mood shifting as she stared into her best friend's face. She wasn't sure if she'd ever been so scared before, not even the few times in which she'd feared for her life. And now that she could hear and see Tara laughing and smiling, all the panic she'd just experienced was little more than a hazy memory. They were both just so relieved, and before Bonnie knew what she was doing, her lips were moving.

"I love you so much, T."

At first, Bonnie was certain she'd said it so quietly that Tara hadn't heard her. But then the laughter broke off abruptly, the smile faded, and Tara was just staring at her, mouth slightly open and face frozen in shock.

Finally, Tara blinked, and a smile slowly spread across her face. "I know," she whispered. "I just never thought I'd hear you say it."

They stared at each other a moment longer before Bonnie blushed and looked away. "I, uh, need to shower," she muttered.

"I'll be here when you get back," Tara replied.

Bonnie started to walk past her.

"And I'll still know you love me when you get back, too."

Bonnie lowered her head and quickened her pace, even though she could somehow feel Tara's smile on the back of her neck like a bad itch the whole time.


Kim carefully reviewed the facts as she knew them.

There was...something between Ron and Bonnie. An attraction of some sort that Bonnie, at least, hadn't picked up on until recently. Ron was upset about the kiss, but she suspected that was more because he was to supposed to be upset, not because he actually was. It didn't matter so much to Ron that it had been Bonnie (and to Kim it should have), just that it endangered his relationship with Tara on several levels.

For whatever reason, Tara didn't seem to be taking all that much action to keep from losing Ron...or Bonnie, for that matter. She seemed confident that Ron would stay loyal, and so would Bonnie. Kim would've felt sorry for her, if she weren't so convinced that Tara and Ron weren't going to work out, anyway. Ron would need someone strong, capable and willing to fight to keep him. As nice as Tara was...well, that was EXACTLY why she wouldn't do. The sad part was that Kim didn't even have to do anything there, Bonnie would see to it that they didn't last.

Kim's only immedate goal, then, became keeping Bonnie away from Ron, and vice versa. Ron she could probably bully into keeping his distance, but Bonnie was another matter entirely. Bonnie was proving a lot more resistant, aided largely by her newfound superhuman (of that Kim was fairly certain) strength. While Bonnie seemed only capable of using said strength in short bursts, it was still something to be wary of, even with Kim's recent...improvement.

Ron was the one to focus on. Kim still had some sway with him, though it weakened with every encounter he had with Bonnie. It was best to lean on him now, and to only deal with Bonnie if she insisted on getting in the way. With any luck, she could hold his attention long enough that Bonnie would lose interest on her own. Unlikely, but something to keep in mind.

Fortunately, Kim had figured out just what would grab and hold Ron's attention for as long as she needed.

So when Ron cautiously stuck his head in her room, Kim knew just what to say.

"Hey, Ron. I decided to go to the dance with Josh Mankey. Help me pick out something to wear?"


Next Chapter: Tensions flare all around as Josh is added to the outing at the last minute, and Bonnie seems to be the only one without a date.

Reviews!

Alan Wilkinson: What Monkey Fist did to Kim is a great deal like what he did to Ron, but the effects are going to differ, since Kim didn't start out with Mystical Monkey Power.

Kitsune6: Actually, it's Monkey Fist causing the changes in Kim, so maybe you SHOULD hate him.

dlord26: I was afraid the Shego scene would be confusing. The idea was for Ron to look at kiss from Bonnie's point of view, in order to figure out why she reacted the way she did. It didn't work with Monkey Fist because Bonnie's intended target (Ron) was of the opposite gender. Only when he replaced Monkey Fist with Shego did Ron understand that Bonnie was actually attracted to him (and it's not entirely impossible that he was drawing at least some of that Shego scene from memory). I have no definite plans to include Shego further now, but I'd be lying if I said it was the first such request I'd gotten.

ManiacPolarBear: I didn't do a very good job of making it clear, but part of Ron's attraction to Bonnie is actually inspired by Pak. Though, the rest is mostly treacherous hormones (and Bonnie's cheerleader hotness). He is a teenager, after all. And yes, I remember that Ren and Stimpy scream(s).

Shkspr1048: Capturing Monkey Fist definitely changed something deep inside Ron. Whether it's "wrong" is debatable; there are some benefits to having Pak around. But as of this point, Kim is definitely missing some things, but this is due more to the change in HER perception.

Zaratan: I didn't take pheromones into account. Looking back it might make more sense, but I didn't want them to weigh too heavily here. Every attraction in the story is based on something more than just physical attraction (except maybe Pak's, but Ron would be attracted to the same girls regardless, though not as much). I'd feel weird having Pak consciously use pheromones, because logically he'd only know how to attract female monkeys, he shouldn't know how to attract teenage girls (yet, anyway)...unless of course said girls had also been exposed to Mystical Monkey Power (or something comparable), then Pak could relate somewhat. But since Tara is "normal" Pak doesn't quite know what to do with her, and she's attracted more to things about Ron that Pak doesn't control. On the other hand, Bonnie and Ron have secrets in common, and Ron's recent improvements have made him even more attractive to her.

Classic Cowboy: I don't want to mislead you. In THIS story, Kim is a virgin. My point was simply that she's had opportunity. She's on the road every week. Granted it's usually with Ron (which really just means he's the most likely candidate), but I imagine every now and then Kim takes on a job alone (Ron has to at least get sick, at most share Kim's more common injuries). And, excluding her work life, she's a teenager, and if there's a way, either the girl or guy will find it (ANYTHING's possible for a Possible...okay, bad joke). You brought up a good point: as far as WE know. Seriously, it's Disney, if Kim had sex we STILL wouldn't know it, which makes it all the easier for her to get away with! Kidding, really.