Blue Eyes, Shining 9: Reality Happens
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. The 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:
They wanted to graduate from high school, but a spaceship and things falling from the sky seem to have other ideas….
Chapter 1 was the guys (Ron, Felix, Mike, and Chip).
Chapter 2 was the ladies (Kim, Monique, Justine, Sarah, and Bonnie).
Chapter 3 was about the ones who aren't graduating this year, or who have already graduated, some multiple times: Wade, Jocelyn, Slim, Betty, Arnold, Rebecca Jane, Warhok and Warmonga, Becky and Jennifer, Fletcher and Stephen, and Nana.
Chapter 4 began to bring all of these people to their convergences, all centered on Graduation at Middleton High School.
Chapter 5 continued to bring all of these people to their convergences, all centered on Graduation at Middleton High School.
Chapter 6 brought players together at multiple convergence points: Graduation at Middleton High School, Yamanouchi, and the Bunker at the Lazy C Ranch in Montana, and the first hammer falls.
Chapter 7 brought Kim and Dr. Drakken together on the Lowardian vessel. The Bunker and Yamanouchi are both under attack, along with the rest of the planet: James Possible is left standing, and Ron takes Shego, literally…that could leave a mark. Some people decide to fight back...
Chapter 8 brought Hope to see the real Tim, the local planetary insurgent teams in action (Steve/Justine, Esther/Monique/Sarah, Commander Adams and the Bunker team), Anne and Jim back in the Space Center, Yori, Ned, Nancy, and lots of others in various roles….
Chapter 9 showed the local planetary insurgent teams in action (Steve/Justine, Esther/Monique/Sarah and some help, Commander Adams and the Bunker team, along with some surprising helpers of his own), Anne and Jim find Fredrick, Hope sees her hero off, Yori and Catherine cross the ocean, Ned, Nancy, and others in various roles….
Chapter 10 is the blow-off, the wrap-up, the end and the beginning. What happens after the final battle with the Lowardians and before the graduation beach party, and what happens to all those who are not graduating….
Details are here, in chapter Ten of Reality Happens, the final chapter: Reality…unrated …
Thanks again for reading, and please review.
--
Chapter 10: Reality…unrated …
--
The pod didn't fire back, and Joss' shot hit a hole in the body.
Sparks flew, and she smelled burning electrical components. Then, the pod visibly shuddered and fell backward.
"SPANKIN'!" Joss yelled, and she turned to the other pod.
It wasn't moving or firing, so she aimed both wands and fired, aiming at the same spot that Lindsey's fire streams were hitting, and a short, quick explosion dispatched the final pod.
"Good shooting, Joss," Lindsey called, and she came through the smoke, leading T-3. Both were covered in dirt and smoke.
"Commander Adams?" Joss asked.
"I'm fine," C. P. replied, leading T-2. "I'm afraid that he's not doing as well," C. P. pointed, and Joss gasped.
T-2's right side was burned away, and the exposed mechanical skeleton was singed and burned dark black.
"I'm shutting down, Commander Adams: it was a pleasure, serv-" the light went out of T-2's eyes.
"T-4, report!" Joss yelled.
"T-2 transferred his information to the main computer before he shut down, Joss: all of his data and compiled information is intact. Do you wish to have it installed in one of the reserve units?"
"Reserve units?" C. P. looked shocked.
"Daddy was a Boy Scout, C. P., and he is a Possible," Joss grinned, "of course there's backup. Yes, T-4: Initiate unit T-2 reserve activation, authorization A-seven-J-11-P-18-theta-prime."
"Authorization confirmed, Miss Possible: T-2 reserve activation has commenced. Shall I have the activated unit come here?"
"Please and thank you, T-4," Joss smiled.
"Activation and transfer complete, Miss Possible: unit will arrive here in four minutes."
"JOSS!" Becky's voice, almost hysterical, came over the PosComm.
"What's wrong, Becky?"
"It's Will: he's hurt: you'd better get here, stat!"
"Shall we go, Joss?" T-4 asked, and Joss motioned for C. P. to climb aboard as she jumped onto T-4's back. C. P. jumped on with his medical kit, and looked sheepish for a few moments as he wondered where he should put his hands….
"Men!" Joss knew what he was thinking, and she reached back and grabbed his left hand and put it on her waist. "Grab on, C. P.: we're moving out!" C. P. wrapped his right hand around her waist moments before Joss snapped the reigns, and T-4 took off in a mad gallop, followed closely by Lindsey on T-3.
It took them less than a minute to reach Becky's location, and Lindsey resisted the urge to scream when she saw the blood on the bandage wrapped expertly around Will's stomach. C. P. jumped off, kit in hand, and ran to Will.
"Commander Adams," Will looked up and smiled, wincing as C. P. pressed the bandages several times.
"Well, you're lucky, young man: no broken bones, but you took a nasty fall. Someone did a really good job patching you up."
"That would be me, sir," Fletcher Benge held up his kit. "I checked: no breaks that I could feel, but a lot of skin scrapes and cuts, so I cleaned the wounds and strapped him in to wait for medical assistance."
"T-4, did we save T-1's information?" Joss had dismounted and walked over to the fallen horse.
"Yes, Miss Possible: I took the liberty of prepping the process for transfer and activation of the T-1 reserve unit, pending your authorization, of course."
"Thank you, T-4: Initiate unit T-1 reserve activation, authorization A-seven-J-11-P-18-theta-alpha-Lima-sierra-foxtrot-theta. Have the unit join us here, as well. Also, send Recovery-4 for pickup of T-1 and T-2."
"Authorization confirmed, Miss Possible: T-1 reserve activation has commenced, and Recovery-4 is activated," and there was a moment's silence, "activation and transfer complete, Miss Possible: both T-1 reserve and Recovery-4 will arrive here in four minutes."
"Joss," Will's voice surprised Joss, and she turned to see something that shocked her to her core:
Senior agent Will Du, openly crying.
"Joss, T-1 turned when the pod fired and took the shot. He saved my life, and before he died," Will wiped his nose with his arm, "I asked him, why? He said it was his job.
"I'm sorry for ever doubting you and your family, Joss."
"Will, shut up," Lindsey had dismounted and knelt next to him, and she silenced him with a kiss.
"Lak I said, C. P.: a wizard," Joss commented dryly, and C. P. punched her in the shoulder and grinned.
'She's evil,' C. P. thought. 'Wade, you're in for the ride of your life, in more ways than one!'
"Does Will play 'Everlot,' too?" Jennifer asked, and Stephen laughed: he knew the joke.
"Well, does he?" She asked again, and still had no response to the laughter, Stephen now joined by Joss and C. P.
--
"Kim! Ron!"
The voice shocked Kim and Ron out of their embrace, and they looked up to see the source of the voice:
Hovering a few feet away from them was the ultimate nerd dream: a Kimmunicator, with a PosComm strapped onto it, Wade's smiling face visible in the PosComm screen.
"If you two are finished with your medical examination," Wade laughed, and Ron blushed.
"What's the sitch, Wade?" Kim felt her face flush as she spoke.
"I just got a message from Middleton International's emergency beacon: there's a jet, about 10 minutes out, and Yori wants you to meet her when she lands."
"Yori?" Ron grinned, and Kim gave him a look. "Hey, I'm not dead, even though you are the most beautiful woman in the world," Ron added.
"Good save, 'potential boy,'" Kim smirked. "Wade, did she say why she was coming here?"
"She said it was a matter of life and death, Kim, that's all."
"Okay, so how do we get there?"
"Well, you could walk, but 'Wade has a better idea,'" Wade laughed: a car pulled up and stopped in front of them, the rear doors opening.
"Climb in," he called, and the Kimmunicator flew into the open front passenger-side window.
Kim and Ron looked in were surprised to find a Wadebot, sitting behind the wheel.
"Wade, you don't have a license to drive," Ron said as he and Kim climbed in the back seat, the doors closing after they clicked their seat belts.
"As far as I've been able to determine by review of both the Middleton and Colorado statutes, there are no laws on the books that require that a robot have a drivers license to operate a motor vehicle on the streets of this fair city" the Wadebot replied as the car took off. Then, the Wadebot added, "Besides, who's going to pull me over, now?" Both Kim and Ron could hear Wade's laughter from the PosComm.
--
"We're home," her father announced, and Nancy jumped out of the car as it pulled into the driveway and ran for her car.
"Nancy! Where are you going?" her mother yelled.
"To Bueno Nacho: I'll be back," she yelled as she flung open her car front door, got behind the wheel, strapped herself in, started the car, and floored it, all in a single motion.
--
Ned drank the last of the lemonade and ate the last chip that he could reach.
"Well, that's it, then," he said to the store. "You're been good to me, and I hope I've been good to you while I worked here. Thank you, and 'have a Muy Bueno Day,'" he laughed and pulled, once more, to see if he could free his legs.
The counter shifted a bit, and Ned felt his legs move about four inches.
He also felt the pain of legs that had been landed on by a counter, and he screamed.
"GREAT GARDEN PARTY, THAT HUUUUURRRRRTTTTSSSSSSSSS!"
--
As Steve flew through the air, he wondered, briefly, if he would die when both he and the bike crashed into the ground at the speed he was traveling. He had mentally added the speed he knew he was going when he left the ramp, guessed at the speed that had been added when the bike's rocket-assist boosters kicked in, then added the momentum he figured he had gained from the shockwave made by the exploding Pods and came up with a figure that didn't sound survivable...
Even for an ex-Marine with SEAL training.
Just as that thought ended, he felt four quick vibrations from the bike. He looked and could see airfoils deploying from the forks on the front of the bike and, looking in the mirrors, he could see a matching set also deploying from the rear body work.
"You didn't think that we would leave you hanging out there in the breeze, did you, Mr. Barkin?" Jim Possible's voice came, once again, from the hidden speaker, somewhere near the handlebars. Steve felt the bike start to maneuver on its own as a preprogrammed routine took control of the bike. The rocket- assist boosters cut off and what felt like some kind of thruster system kicked in to start slowing the bike's speed and descent rate. The bike then banked and, as if by some magic that was only possible by a Possible, the bike headed for an open field that Steve could now see ahead of him: the Lowerton High School football practice field.
As the bike changed its position underneath him so that the rear wheel would land first, Steve found that he was gripping the handlebars even tighter then he thought he could. When the rear tire touched the ground at the visitor goal line, Steve had a heartbeat to marvel at the smooth landing as the front wheel made contact with the ground, and he felt thrusters and airfoils change as they began to slow the bike's speed to something that was more along the lines of a 'normal' motorcycle. The bike reached a manageable speed of just under 40mph, and Steve felt the bike again begin to vibrate; he saw the airfoils retracting back into the bike. Giving the handlebars just a minuscule twist, he felt the bike respond to his command as it crossed the home team's15 yard line.
Leaning hard to the left and gapping the throttle, Steve maneuvered the bike into a controlled "Power Slide" that ended with him crossing the home team's goal line, across the rear goal line, and onto the running track that surrounded the playing field. He popped back up and headed around the track, picking up speed as he headed toward the ground-level exit:
Twisting the throttle, he prayed that she was still alive, prayed that he would make it back to her in time and find her alive. Saying a prayer, he switched the grappler force beam control back to 'push' and activated it, heading back to Justine and the MiCo-One.
--
Justine opened her eyes to the dark.
She reached up, and she felt the ceiling above her.
That was not a good thing: the ceiling should be another 12 feet above her.
She ran her down her own internal check-sheet: everything felt okay, nothing felt broken.
The straps still were taut, and she reached up and popped the release. The four-way clamps released and retracted into their holders. She touched an arm-rest control, and lights came on:
The room was considerably smaller than it had begun: 12 feet shorter, to be precise. She had 'guests' as well: four large 'things' were now sticking through the roof and into the floor on the other side of the room from her:
'Right where I was standing,' she thought, and the thought made her smile: Thank you, Wade,' she whispered in her mind.
She turned her chair, and she was surprised to see that the collapsed roof wasn't everywhere: five feet in front of her, the roof was at full height, and the door appeared to be intact.
She stood carefully, staying bent over so she wouldn't bump her head, and she tried to take a step, then two.
'Well, I can still walk, so that's a good thing,' she giggled inside.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!
"JUSTINE!"
She recognized that voice, and suddenly some mischievous part of herself that she could not control took over as the banging started again and the voice repeated her name.
"Just a minute: I need to get dressed," she called out sweetly in the tone of voice that she used to drive Big Mike crazy and that had on more then occasion had her explaining to her mother what the marks on her neck were. She quickly walked the remaining few feet to the door and opened the door, using her best sultry voice as a greeting:
"Well, hello there, big boy: you come her often?" she grinned, and Steve slammed into her with a huge hug.
"Steve, I can't breathe," she managed to get out, and he let her go and looked into her face.
Justine was surprised to see tears in his eyes.
"When I heard the crash and saw the pods land on top of you, I thought I'd lost you," Steve whispered, and he hugged her again, just as tight as he did the first time.
"Steve, I'm fine, but the MiCo-1 is a bit worse for wear, I'm afraid," Justine said when he finally released her.
"I'm fine…really, I am," Justine Leann Flanner said in her normal calm voice, then broke down and sobbed into Steve's chest for all she was worth as the realization of what had happened hit her.
--
The car pulled up just as the jet pulled to a stop, and Kim and Ron got out as the jet's hatch opened downward to the ground.
Ron looked at the door, and Kim looked at Ron: 'he looks unnerved, for some reason,' she thought
Yori stepped into the doorway, and Ron walked to the stairway as Yori descended.
Ron bowed respectively. "Sensei, I am honored by your presence," he stated, and Yori giggled.
'Sensei?' Kim thought.
"Not yet, Ron-san, but I thank you for the welcome. I have someone that you should meet," and Yori motioned to the door.
Kim looked up at the doorway, and she felt the sadness even before she saw the young woman's face.
She was a bit taller than Kim, about 5'7", and she was not as slender as Kim, either, but she was a pretty girl 'who has had something terrible happen to her,' Kim thought. Her face, sad though strong, was framed by her long blond hair, 'not as long as Tara's but even prettier,' Kim thought, and she smiled. The young woman's eyes, a hint of an almond shape, were a lighter green than Kim's, but the sadness in them…and, without a second thought, Kim ran for the stairs, took them two at a time, and hugged the young woman as she started to sob into Kim's shoulder.
"Yori, what happened?" Ron asked.
"She lost her family to the creatures, Ron-san: her mother, father, and little brother. Her parents died protecting students when the creatures attacked us," she added.
"They attacked Yamanouchi?" Ron was surprised.
"Hai, Ron-san. We defeated them, but there were losses too great to bear," she smiled sadly, but she looked up at Ron with a worried look on her face. "I came to save my friend, Ron-san."
"I'm fine, Yori," Ron grinned, and Yori giggled.
"Oh, Ron-san: you, and your American-style jokes. I meant, of course, Ned-san: he is in the restaurant, and I do not know if he will survive much longer."
Ron's eyes grew huge. Ned was in Bueno Nacho? How long had he been there?
"KIM!" Ron yelled, and Kim looked up for a moment. "Ned's in TROUBLE!"
Kim took the young woman's hand, and they ran down the stairs as the car doors opened for them. Kim and the young woman got in the back seat, and Ron and Yori got in the front.
"Hi, Yori: strap in," the Wadebot called.
"Wade: Bueno Nacho, stat and don't spare the horses! Ned's trapped inside: the last time that I saw the place, the pods had just smashed it!"
"'Neigh', Ron," and the car slammed forward as the Wadebot laughed.
"We'll get him, Yori," Ron said, and he turned to look at Yori.
"We have to,' she replied. "I love him, Ron-san, and I cannot imagine my life without him," she replied, and Ron's eyes were almost as wide as Kim's.
--
Olivia walked, holding Sarah's hand. Monique had point, and Esther had the rear guard.
So far, they had not seen another active pod. They passed several that stood, immobile, or had fallen over, legs in mid-movement when whatever stopped them happened.
As they walked, Sarah had listened to Olivia tell stories about her family, her crush on Wade, and how Wade had 'let her down, easy.' She smiled as the young woman talked, but she feared for her family, based on what Olivia had told her.
"We're close to my house!" Olivia exclaimed. "Sarah, can we see if my parents are all right?"
"Monique?" Sarah called out, and Monique came back. "Olivia, tell her where your house is."
"A block further up, and two blocks down on the right: it's the third house on the right past the intersection," Olivia told her.
"Gotcha: be back in a few," Monique said, and she took off in a trot down the street. She reached the intersection and turned right, then stopped. She stared, and she walked slowly down the street.
"Sarah?" Monique called over the ear-bud, and Sarah reached up casually as if to scratch her head, touched her ear bud, and clicked in reply.
"Sarah, the entire block is burned: I thought I smelled smoke when I was walking just before you called me back. I'm going down there, but keep Olivia back there, please: she doesn't need to see this yet," and Sarah, again, clicked a response.
"What's happening, Sarah?" Esther joined the duo.
"Monique's gonna find my house!" Olivia exclaimed, but Esther read the look on Sarah's face.
"Come with me, Olivia: I need your help on something I found back behind us," Esther took the young girl's hand, and the two of them walked back the direction they had come.
Monique walked down the street toward the burned block, afraid of what she would find. The fires seemed to have been limited to just one side of the street: the char line wagged it way down the middle of the street, from one lane of traffic to another and back. Monique hoped that Olivia's home was on the side of the street that had been spared. Her heart sank as she remembered what Olivia had told her: the houses on that side of the street were all showing signs of burning. She hoped, again, that maybe the Roberts house had been spared; she counted the house numbers and realized that the Roberts home had not been totally burned: amazingly, only what appeared to be the front half of the house looked like half the house had burned.
She stepped onto the yard and smelled death. She took a deep mental breath and walked toward what was left of the open front door.
She took five steps, stopped at the front porch, bent over, and threw up.
When she was able to stand upright again, she looked at the porch again and realized that there was a box in front of the charred and burned hand that was extended out from the house. The box, a bright yellow smudged with smoke, had a piece of thin rope sticking out from underneath it.
Monique managed to reach the box and pulled on the rope. The box moved, and an envelope, folded underneath it, came out attached to the thin rope. Monique unfolded the envelope and cried, for it had one word on it:
Olivia.
--
"Maddoc, this is Eagle-Eye: come in, Maddoc."
The weak signal came over C. P.'s comm. unit, and C. P. touched his ear.
"C. P. here: it's good to hear your voice, Betty," C. P. replied.
"Thank the gods! C. P., hearing you is almost enough to reduce your sentence- er, assignment time," Betty laughed, and C. P. laughed with her. "Casualties?"
"Will's hurt, but Lindsey is flying him back in his jet," C. P. grinned. "Assuming, of course, that she doesn't get lost and end up in Vegas," he laughed.
"I was, but Lindsey kicked me off my own jet," Will pouted and laughed as he rode up on T-1(2). "She said that she got an emergency message from Rebecca Jane, and she booted me off my own jet and hit the afterburners even before she got off the ground."
"Wade's alive!?" Joss yelled, and Betty could hear the excitement in Joss' voice.
"She's fine, Betty," C. P. answered the unasked question, "and, yes, she's feeling much better, now," he added with a chuckle in his voice.
"Can you get back here, Commander?" Betty asked. C. P. looked at Will, who nodded.
"That's a 'roger', Boss," C. P. replied, and Betty's laugh could be heard by everyone around C. P.
"Good: I've had a few calls since this started: the Sec-Gen, the President, the Queen, and several other heads of state. We're going to be busy, C. P...and, don't call me 'Roger.'"
"'Roger' that, Betty," C. P. twisted the line once more, and Will winced: "we'll be airborne in," and he looked at Will. Will mouthed '20', and C. P. continued, "30 minutes, Betty.
"Maddoc out," and C. P. cut the connection.
"Up to a trip to Middleton, Joss?"
"Spankin'!" was Joss' reply.
"Booyah" came from T-3, and C. P. looked up in surprise.
--
Ned was almost asleep when he felt her.
"Yori?" he called.
'I am coming, Ned-san: I am here, and I am coming,' the thoughts slammed into his mind.
"YORI!" Ned yelled.
--
Nancy's car pulled to a stop in front of the collapsed store, and Nancy turned off her engine, leaned her head on the steering wheel and sobbed.
The sound of squealing wheels made her lift her head, and she saw a car slam on its brakes, coming to a stop just three spaces down from where she had parked. The doors opened, and four people came out, including-
"NED!" Yori yelled and ran for an opening in the wall, slipping between the wall joists.
Ron ran after her, and Kim stopped and grabbed the young woman's hand.
"Wait! I have to know one thing before we go any further," Kim stated.
"What's that?"
"Your name," Kim grinned. The young woman looked at her in shock, and then she smiled, grinned, and then laughed.
"Cathryn Cochran," Cathryn answered when she finally got her breath. "I'm Cathryn Cochran, Kim. Can we go, now?"
Kim pulled her into the smashed Bueno Nacho.
"Yori," Ned called, and Yori ran to the voice
"Ned-san," gasped Yori as she looked on the fallen young man, his lower half mostly hidden underneath a large counter.
"You're real, and you're here," Ned whispered.
"I'm here, too, Ned-man, and what made you decide to take a nap in a smashed building?" Ron joked and walked to the counter covering Ned's legs. He looked at it for a few moments, and then he looked at Yori. "When I yell, get ready to pull him out, Yori."
"Hai."
Ron looked over the countertop again, but this time a little more closely. After a few moments, he nodded his head as if he had come to some understanding with himself. Then, moving to the side of the counter closest to Ned, he reached down with both hands as his eyes changed from brown to blue in one blink, and he started to glow a light then dark blue, then he started to lift the counter up. As he did, everyone could hear the counter begin to moan.
Kim and Cathryn could see the counter rise. The girls watched as the blue glow around Ron deepened in color, until it was the darkest blue Kim had ever seen in her life. Kim thought she heard Ron whisper in a strained voice "just a little more" when the counter rise a few more inches.
"NOW, YORI!!" Ron shouted.
Yori, with her hands already holding Ned's, immediately glowed a bright yellow as she quickly pulled Ned away from the counter so fast that neither Kim nor Cathryn could believe their eyes. Once Ned's legs were free, he felt as if his eyes were bulging out as the blood flow that had been restricted for the past two days was restored, bringing along with it the unwelcome pain. Yori continued to pull Ned until he was outside the building with Cathryn following her.
Kim waited as Ron, with sweat start to show on his forehead, started to lower the counter back down. As the counter lowered, Kim could, once again, heard the counter moan around her. Once the counter was back like it was, Ron released his grip on it and started to move towards Kim. With each step, the blue glow faded until he was again back to his normal self.
Kim watched him blink, his eyes changing from blue to brown in that moment. Taking his hand in hers, Kim and Ron quickly followed the others out.
Once outside, they found Yori holding Ned in a seating position with Cathryn standing over them. Ned's eyes looked to be back to normal as Yori gently cupped his chin in her hand as the yellow glow, now reaching out and touching Ned and surrounding her, started to fade. As the glow faded, Yori and Ned looked at each other and smiled.
Eyes stared at each other with caring, and the two faces moved even closer…
--
"Sarah."
Sarah clicked.
"Is she there?"
"No, Monique: Esther took her back to look at something: I think she was being the distraction, this time," Sarah smiled sadly.
"Her parents are dead, Sarah," Monique's voice came across, quieter than Sarah had ever heard her speak, and Sarah could hear Monique sniffling. "I found their bodies at the door of their house, and they're burned: really, really bad, Sarah. They knew what was coming, and they left a piece for Olivia in a box that they held as they died," Monique sniffled again. "I'm bringing it back in a few minutes, Sarah."
--
"Dr. Possible?" Wade's voice was a welcome sound over the intercom.
"Yes, Wade?" Anne hugged James even tighter.
"They're both safe, and the aliens are gone," Wade spoke, and he heard the sobbing over the speakers as Anne broke down.
"Thank…you…Wade," came from Fredrick.
"You're welcome, Fredrick. I'll leave them alone, now," and Wade cut the connection to the Space Center and wiped his face.
--
Justine finally finished her sobbing, and she looked up, her makeup streaked.
"I must be a sight," she laughed at Steve's surprised look.
"No, Justine, that's not it," Steve replied. "I just never realized that you wore makeup: you wear it well, not like the 'pancake brigade' at the school," Steve laughed. "I figured that you and Possible were both naturally pretty girls, and you never needed makeup," Steve confessed, and Justine beamed.
"You think I'm pretty?" Justine asked.
"No, Miss Flanner, you're beautiful, and Mike is a very lucky man to have you in his corner," Steve replied. "If I were younger, Justine," and Steve didn't get to finish his sentence because he was now attached to a pair of student's lips, once again. 'I could lose my license for this,' he thought, and he smiled as Justine pulled back,
"That's my way of thanking you, Steve: I owe you a lot more than that, but that's all I can pay: you understand," she fluttered her eyelashes, and Steve Barkin felt like he was 17 again…
…and Steve Barkin blushed a beet red.
"BAD STEVE!" Justine grinned, and Steve blushed even more.
"Let's get back to the school, all right?"
"You still got the bike?" Justine asked, and Steve nodded.
"Good: you're driving, and I'm holding on tight," Justine grinned evilly, and Steve blushed even more.
'Mike, I hope you're ready for this!' Steve thought as he started the bike, put on the helmet, and got on holding the bike steady for Justine to climb on. Once she was on, Justine wrapped her hands around Steve's waist.
"Yummy," Justine giggled, and Steve blushed underneath his faceplate.
--
Esther walked silently, her hand on Olivia's shoulder as the young woman alternately sniffled, whimpered, and cried, all while holding the box tightly to her chest...
Esther and Olivia came back to Sarah just after Monique walked up. Olivia ran to her, but she stopped when she saw the look on Monique's face and the box in her hands.
"no," she said quietly, taking two steps back and away from Monique.
"No," she said a bit louder as she stared into Monique's eyes: eyes filled with sadness.
"I'm sorry, Oli-" Monique never got to finish her sentence.
"NOOOO!" Olivia screamed and broke into a dead run, running down the street and heading for the corner that led to her house.
"OLIVIA!" Sarah yelled and took off after her, but she didn't catch her until they were both at the corner, three houses away from Olivia's house.
Olivia stared at the front of her house, smoke stains on the roof and front exterior walls, and she started to walk slowly toward it.
"Olivia, are you sure?" Olivia felt Sarah's hand on her shoulder.
"No, I'm not sure," Olivia snapped, "but I can't not have even thought about doing it, or even tried," was her response.
"I've got your back, Olivia," Sarah whispered, and Olivia reached up, placed her hand on Sarah's, and squeezed it.
"Thank you," she whispered back, and the pair walked slowly toward the house.
Sarah saws the burned body first and pulled them to a stop. "Olivia, are you sure?"
Olivia looked at the door and saw the burned hand, placed her hand on her mouth, silently yelled into her hand, and then buried her face into Sarah's body, sobbing silently the entire time.
After several minutes, Olivia looked up, and Sarah wanted to cry herself at the look on Olivia's face. "Let's go, Sarah: Momma and Daddy are here," she touched her chest where her heart was. "That's all I have, now: that," she pointed at the house, "that's just a shell, now," and Olivia pulled away from Sarah, turned her back on her home, and started to walk away.
Sarah bowed her head, and then looked up. "God, I know it wasn't your fault, and I know that the Roberts are with You, in Your arms. Please, God, tell them that their daughter is safe, and that she will be all right: she has a new big sister, now," Sarah's head came down, and the tears watered the lawn as Sarah turned her back on the home and followed the young woman, an orphan by law, but not now since she had a new family that she didn't know she had…yet.
--
…the two faces closed, and Ned and Yori touched lips.
The kiss was tentative, at first, but then they smiled and pressed further, Yori's arms encircling Ned's body and pulling him to her.
Ned was certain, now, more than he had ever been in his life, that this was his destiny: Yori was his soul-mate, Animology be damned.
Yori was certain, now, more than she had ever been in her life, that this young man was her future, her destiny, and the panther inside of her purred with agreement and contentment.
Ned was her soul-mate, not Ron-san, and she mentally waved goodbye to those fantasies that she had built over the years about her and Ron-san.
Ned was her destiny.
Following Kim and the other girl she didn't know, Nancy walked into the building between the joists and stopped when she saw Yori and Ned kissing. Nancy remembered Yori from her visits to the restaurant: 'I'd never seen anyone try to eat a Naco with chopsticks,' Nancy remembered with a smile, but then she remembered the looks on their faces when they had talked the few times that Yori had spoken to Ned.
Nancy's heart waved goodbye to Ned, and she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.
"He was never yours: you know that, don't you, Nancy?" she looked up and saw Ron Stoppable's smiling face.
"I know, but a girl could dream, couldn't she?" Nancy replied, and she realized that she was crying. "I'm not sad, Ron. I'm really happy for him; really, I am," she said, and she buried her face into Ron's shirt and cried shamelessly.
Kim watched Yori kiss Ned, and she smiled as two different thoughts crossed her mind:
One: she now knew, for certain, that she didn't have to compete with Yori for Ron, anymore.
The other: she was happy that Ned had found someone that truly loved him for him. 'Not like a Bonnie,' Kim thought, and the thought of Ned, with Bonnie, made her shudder for a moment: even though Bonnie had changed….
When their lips separated, Ned grinned, and Yori smiled.
"Wow," Ned said.
"Wow," answered Yori.
"I think I'm in love with you, Yori, and it's not just because of that kiss, either," Ned confessed.
"I know I love you, Ned-san," Yori confessed. "Even thoughts of Ron-san do not excite me anymore like my dreams of you do," Yori blushed as a thought raced into her mind and stared at her-full-on.
"Really?" Ned smiled and lifted his eyebrows twice, causing Yori to smile before she answered his question by slamming onto his mouth with hers, and her tongue attacked his…and the attack was not ninja-like.
--
"They're all right!" Tim yelled into the microphone that now fed to every speaker in the school, and he could hear the cheers resonating through the halls.
"Hope, they-" he never got to finish, as Hope closed his mouth with hers.
"Well, that didn't take long," Jim laughed.
"What didn't take long, baby boy?" Jim heard an all-too-familiar voice, and he turned from the controls and smiled at Monique.
"Kim and Ron are safe: Wade just told us, and we just told the school," Jim replied, and he was grabbed into a hug by Monique as she wet his shirt shoulder with her tears.
"Watch out, James Timothy Jr.: she's a demon with a pistol," Esther called out, and Tim looked up from Hope:
"Nana!" Tim and Jim both yelled, and they smashed into Esther and hugged her tightly.
"Hey: save some for me," Sarah laughed, and Tim looked up and smiled at Sarah.
Jim looked up and smiled at Sarah, but his attention was distracted by the vision standing with her: A brown-haired vision, slender, long pretty legs, and wearing a green scrunchie in her hair: holding it up and back. The scrunchie matched her eyes: darker than a lime green, but lighter than his sister's, he knew he could get lost in those eyes for day, perhaps weeks.
Her smile: her smile was hidden beneath the sadness that owned her face, and he was determined to make it appear.
He walked over to her and smiled, and she cracked a bit of a smile. He clutched his chest in a mock heart-attack, and she giggled.
'Oh, man, I'm in serious trouble: even her giggle is music,' Jim thought. He looked at her closely, and he realized that he had seen her somewhere before.
"I'm Jim…Jim Possible," he stammered, and she giggled again.
"I'm Olivia, Jim…Jim Possible," and Jim realized who she was.
"You're the girl that used the 'bun warmer' on Wade on Valentine's Day!"
"Guilty as charged," she smiled sadly.
"Well you can put it away, now."
"Why?"
"Because it won't work on me: I'm already under your spell, Olivia," Jim smiled, and he had a sobbing Olivia pressed against his chest, his shirt becoming soaked with her tears.
'She's pretty, but she's hurting: I have to help her, somehow,' Jim thought as he placed his arms around her gently, trying to give her some solace for whatever was hurting her.
'How could someone this handsome even pay attention to someone like me?' she thought as she sobbed, realizing that he remembered seeing her, months ago.
--
"Commander, I have to leave, immediately." Will had just touched down, and he looked worried.
"What's wrong, Will?" Joss asked.
"Lindsey radioed me as we were flying in: she needs help with logistics in Orlando, and I needed to be in the air 30 minutes ago."
"Go," C. P. ordered as he pushed the door open and found themselves parked at a gate. Standing at the gate was:
"DADDY!" Joss yelled and ran past C. P. into her father's arms.
"You're late, mister," C. P. called as he closed the door. Will pulled away from the gate, and he was airborne in less than 60 seconds, afterburners kicking in only after he was out of the Middleton International first-ring airspace.
C. P. turned and watched Slim and his daughter, and once again he wished that he had his daughter, Sarah, back with him. Sarah Best was a nice young woman, as was Joss, but neither was his daughter….
"Commander Adams?" C. P's thoughts were interrupted by a Western twang, and C. P. was staring at Dr. Samuel Clemens Possible, the future husband of his boss. "I'm Slim Possible," and Slim stuck out his hand. "I understand we have a common acquaintance," he grinned.
"Dr. Possible, that's right, and may I offer my congratulations to you on your upcoming nuptials."
"Thank you, sir, and thank you for delivering Wade's message for him."
"It was a pleasure, Dr. Possible, and your daughter is a wonderful young woman. I'd go back into combat with her any day of the week," C. P. smiled and winked at Joss, who blushed.
"We did lose two Tornados to the creatures, though, but the replacements are operational, and the originals are back at the lab, as well."
"Good: I'm glad that you were able to use them."
"They were wonderful, Dr. Possible."
"Slim, please."
"And, C. P., as well."
"Well, Sweet Tea," Slim turned to his daughter, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait to see Wade: he went with Kim to Orlando: seems that her Pandaroo got his guts ripped out by those space pods, and Esther's gonna have to hep repair him."
"Esther Possible? 'Needles' is a Possible, too?" C. P. laughed, and Slim nodded.
"Why does that not surprise me?" he mused, and Joss laughed.
--
Jim spent the next five hours with Olivia, Tim, and Hope. Hope immediately took Olivia, hugged her, and walked off with her for "girl talk" and 'to get her cleaned up', Hope explained.
"So, bro, you found one you liked? Robbing the cradle, I see," Tim teased.
"Well at least I'm not mining the geriatric farm," Jim shot back, and he and Tim both laughed.
"Boys," both heads shot up, and they smiled as their parents walked in with:
"FREDRICK!" They yelled, and both scampered over and hugged the astronaut.
"Jim…Tim…please… I…need…air," Fredrick responded, and they backed up, laughing.
"Mom, are you all right?" Tim asked.
"Fine, Tim."
"Dad, I thought you and Ron were going up."
"We were, but Shego had a different plan," James Possible replied, and he squeezed his wife's hand. 'I need to send Shego some green roses as a thank you gift,' James thought.
"Jim's got a girl-friend," Tim started in sing-song, and Jim swatted his brother.
"Not another cheerleader, I 'Hope'," Anne giggled, and James winced.
"MOM! Pun patrol stopped before the Lowardians came," Tim laughed, but his reply was ignored.
Hope had returned, and she had brought Olivia back with her.
Olivia's hair was combed and brushed, and the tangles from the days on the streets were all out, but the scrunchie was back, 'and I'm going to have to buy her a lifetime supply of them,' Jim thought. Hope had found a white pullover blouse for her and a dark skirt that was just above her knees, and Jim couldn't decide: he liked the blouse and 'what it didn't show and show at the same time,' he grinned, but he also liked the skirt and what it showed and didn't show, 'her legs are really pretty,' he grinned some more; then he realized that he was 'doing a Wade:' grinning like a full-bore idiot over a girl, and he liked it…a lot. He decided that he liked all of her, especially her knees. She wore a pair of black flats, and she had on a pair of green socks ('they match her eyes, Hope: how did you do that that fast?' Tim wondered), and her smile lit the fireworks in Jim's heart.
He took tentative steps to Olivia, reached down, took her right hand, lifted it the distance to his lowered head, and gently kissed it.
'Dang, she even smells good!'
Hope watched as Jim Possible turned into his brother 'and, that's a good thing for Olivia,' Hope thought with a smile on her face.
"Olivia, you are a vision, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, but I'll settle for a smoked turkey and Swiss, on whole wheat, at the cafeteria. Are you interested?" he held out his arm.
Olivia giggled and took his offered arm. "From a gentleman, anything," she smiled, and Jim's heart soared as they walked away.
"Thank you, Hope," Tim whispered as he reached for her hand.
"My pleasure, Tim," she replied as she placed her hand in his.
"A gentleman?" James grinned, and Anne squeezed his hand tightly. He looked at her, and she was leaking happy tears.
"My babies are growing up and becoming wonderful young men," Anne whispered to her husband.
--
Steve pulled up in the parking lot, and he grinned at the sight in front of the building:
Mike Cotton, holding a single red rose.
"Justine, you have a gentleman caller," Steve said; Justine looked up, and her face exploded with happiness.
"MIKE!" she screamed, jumped off the bike, and ran into his wide open arms.
"How'ya doing, Brainy?" He caught her as she jumped into his arms, and he twirled her around to laughs and smiles.
"I'm fine, Mike," she answered, and then she didn't speak for awhile as they kissed a long 'Hello.'
When they separated, Mike looked out to see a smiling Steve Barkin walking toward the two of them. Mile put Justine back on the ground.
"Mr. Cotton, I wanted to tell you that Justine is a wonderful young woman, and you are a very, very lucky young man," he winked where Justine could not see him, and he leaned over. "Next battle, bring a MiCo for me, and I'll fight alongside you, anytime," he whispered, kissed her cheek, and walked away.
"What was that about?" Mike looked confused: pleased, but confused.
"I'm afraid that the MiCo-One is in sad shape: it got sat on by the last three pods we fought."
"The LAST three?" Mike sounded shocked, and she took his hand and smiled.
"It's a long story, Mike," and the couple walked toward the cafeteria.
Steve watched the couple walk away, and he wiped a tear from his eye, remembering a previous female partner. 'Good times, good times,' he thought as he tucked his bike helmet under his arm and headed to the gym to report.
--
"Daddy, kin I talk to you?" C. P. had stepped away to 'touch base' with Betty, and Joss and Slim were by themselves.
"Why, certainly, Sweet Tea: what is it?" 'as if I didn't already know,' Slim smiled inside.
"Daddy, do you think he still loves me?"
Slim looked down into his daughter's ice-blue eyes, filled with sadness, tears, hope, and fear, all at the same time, and he smiled at her.
"Joss, he never stopped loving you, you should know that by now," he replied, but his statement made no sense to her.
"But, how?" She whisper-shouted. "After what I did to him, after the way I treated him these past weeks, how can he still love me? I watched the holo, and I still can't believe that he cares that much for me," by now, she was half-talking, half-sobbing, and Slim reached over and took her hand in his.
"I even wrote a poem on the plane down here, Daddy, so I could tell him how I feel," and Joss pulled her hand away, reached into her backpack, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to Slim.
He took it and looked at the title: 'Brown.' He laughed inside, and he began to read. As he read, he could see the scenes in his mind:
when Wade first stepped off the plane,
when Wade was sitting on the bed, his bag packed to leave because he had, he thought, hurt Joss,
when Wade held Joss' hand as she made the breakthrough that helped her understand what had happened to her mother,
when Wade stood with her at Arlington as she visited her mother's grave for the first time since the funeral, 11 years before, and helped her place flowers on her mother's grave for the first time,
when Wade and Joss explained to them what happened to them, Ron, and Kim with Drakken's brain-switch machine, and Slim could see, even then, that they had a look in their eyes that said 'permanent' to him,
when Wade told Slim why Joss was upset, and
when Wade showed Slim, in a private screening, the hologram that he had sent to Joss.
"Love is strong, Sweet Tea," he handed the poem back to her with a wide smile, "especially when it's real, like mine was for your mother, and like your is for Wade. Ah thank he's surprise you," and he took her hand back into his and squeezed it. Joss squeezed back…
--
…and looked up at the approaching aircraft, still dripping wet after flying through that storm east of Middleton. It landed and taxied to a spot perfectly aligned with the stairs that had been rolled out to meet them.
"Lindsey's a spankin' pilot, Daddy," Joss grinned. The stairs, at the rear door of the aircraft, seemed to beckon to Joss, but the closed rear door seemed to tease her with its presence.
Anne and James stood behind Slim; they had managed to convince Jim and Tim to stay at the school. 'Of course, Olivia and Hope didn't hurt their chances to convince them,' Anne laughed inside as she held her husband's hand in hers, the glow of the Space Center still not having worn off.
The rear door finally opened, and Sarah Best stood in the opening.
"Hey, Joss," she called out.
"Sarah, where's Wade?"
'To the point,' Sarah laughed inside.
"He's inside, but he's scared to come out: he's afraid you still hate him."
"SNAKE MUFFINS!" Joss yelled and ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time until she reached the top. Sarah had wisely stepped back and to the side as Joss yelled, and she pointed to her left when Joss was halfway up the stairs. Joss hit the landing and took two steps into the plane, turned left, stopped, and stared.
There was Wade, and Nana and C. P. were standing behind him. Kim and Ron were seated to Wade's right, and three other teens, obviously friends of Kim's, and two of them cheerleaders, were on his left.
'Damn, he looks all hot and wonderful, but he looks so tired and so worn down. He looks like he's gonna cry, any minute.
'He looks 'rode hard, and put up wet,' she giggled inside.
"Jocelyn," he spoke the name that he had feared he would never be able to say to her face, again.
"Jocelyn, I'm sorry," he began, but she stopped him when she slammed into him and, crying, hugged him and pulled him so tight that Wade was worried about his ability to breath.
'But, with her in my arms, who cares about breathing?' he thought.
'iwuzstupid,' he heard, whispered into his ear as he felt her breath on it, and he struggled to not pass out.
"Huh?"
"Gee: super-genius communications skills," Monique laughed, and Bonnie punched her.
"I.
"Was.
"Stupid," Joss softly enunciated into his ear, and Wade pulled back and stared into her face.
"You were never stupid, Joss: it was my fault for not thinking about what you might think, even though I knew you trusted me."
"Wade, I was stupid: I didn't stay around to find out, and I never talked to you this whole time, and I had everyone tell me to talk to you, and I ignored them, but you sent me that hologram, and you explained it to me, and I love you, Wade, I love you, and-"
Wade pulled her to him and kissed her open mouth quiet.
Joss had no complaints.
"It's way quiet in there, do you think they've killed each other?" James asked as he turned the corner with Slim and Anne.
"I don't think so, James," Anne laughed.
"Well, Slim," James laughed as Slim grinned, watching his daughter's right leg lift behind her, "I think she's not mad at Wade, anymore."
"Gee, Dad: those genius skills do run in the family," Kim laughed, and James turned his head with a start. He had only now realized that his daughter was there.
"I'm back, Daddy," Kim stood, tears streaming down her face. Pandaroo in her arms, "and I'm not leaving like that, ever again," she grinned, and James opened his arms and caught his daughter in full stride and sob.
"Mrs. Dr. P., I brought her back," Ron stood, and Anne motioned to him. Ron walked to her, and Anne hugged him tightly, shocking Ron when his shirt became wet on his shoulders.
"I love a happy ending," Esther said, and she suddenly grabbed her left arm.
"What is it, Esther?" C. P. caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at Esther: she was sweating profusely, and her breathing was shallow and rapid.
"I'd better sit-" Esther fell back into the seat, her eyes wide open and her hands heading to her chest.
"Esther!" C. P. yelled, and every eye was turned to look at the two of them.
"Henry, is that you?" Esther asked, staring at C. P. as he checked her pulse.
"Pulse is weak and thready," C. P. called out, and Anne ran to his side.
"They're playing our song, Henry," Esther smiled, and James and Slim both stood, frozen.
"Who's Henry?" Ron asked, having stepped over to Kim.
"My granddaddy," Kim whispered, and she reached and squeezed Ron's hand.
"I'm coming, Henry," and Esther closed her eyes.
"GET ME THE-" C. P. yelled, and Will placed the paddles in his hands as Anne ripped Esther's blouse open.
--
Author's Afterward
Well, I thought that this was going to be the final chapter, but I guess I was wrong...
There are introductions and goodbyes in the epilogue of Blue Eyes, Shining 9: Reality Happens, and expect a full-angst-level 'thank you' to all of the fans of Wade, Joss, and the rest of the team.
--
Next, on Blue Eyes, Shining 9: Reality Happens: Epilogue the end/beginning.
Thank you, to all of you, for continuing to support me in this journey.
Thanks again for reading, and please review.
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