"I've got some bad news, guys," Wade told his friends, via the Kimmunicator. Kim and Ron were at the Rentons' House, helping Felix prepare for the party.

"Bad as in we're going to have a lousy party, or bad as in something is going to be painful?" Ron asked.

"Potentially painful," Wade informed them. "Fiske has given me the slip."

"What?" Kim demanded. "I thought you had eyes on him."

"He fooled me," the young genius admitted. "At this time, it appears that what I thought was Fiske in Sydney was actually a number of his monkeys piled up under a cloak. I'm reviewing footage to see if it was him or monkeys I recorded in Manila. There's a chance that he never left Ethiopia. Bottom line up front guys, he could be just about anywhere at this time."

"He's smart," Kim acknowledged. "We should have known that he would do something clever. Just do your best, Wade. We'll just have to deal with him wherever he shows up."

"I'll keep you up to date," Wade promised. "Have a good time!"

Kim and Ron shared a look, they now had a major villain, who wanted revenge on them, unaccounted for. It seemed a typical Thursday. Shrugging, they pitched in and helped Felix and Tara with the party preparations.

Preparing for a party in a house full of cybernetic robot technology didn't take long. The guest teens were amazed at the number of articulated arms that would suddenly emerge from the walls or ceilings and perform mundane tasks like moving furniture or cleaning. While Ron insisted that a human work on the food, the rest of the tasks were done in record time, allowing the four teens some time before the next guests arrived. Felix suggested that they spend it playing basketball, even though it was starting to snow.

The other three teens looked on, impressed, as blowers appeared around the driveway, blowing away the falling snow and raising the temperature from ice cold to simply chilly. With his motorized wheelchair, Felix was a surprisingly capable player. Kim suggested a boys vs girls game but Tara suggested that she and Ron form a team against the other two. Kim caught her friend's sly grin; Tara was suggesting that it was a couple vs couple game.

Kim didn't consider herself a couple with Felix...at least not yet. Still, she liked the young man enough to not feel uncomfortable with the way the teams were arranged. Instead, she quickly lost herself in the competition. Ron had become much more physically capable and Tara was, of course, an excellent athlete. Kim herself was at the peak of physical fitness while Felix was very capable. All told, it was a very competitive game. The first of the next guests to arrive were Jess and Steve. Instead of going in to enjoy other activities, the two joined in the fun. By the time Monique showed up, nobody really remembered what the score was but they all decided to head inside, anyway.

Kevin Guberman, a friend of both Felix and Ron, showed up next. Jess cranked up some tunes and got Steve out onto the makeshift dance floor. Liz and her date showed up and joined the pair before Steve felt too self-conscious. Kevin, Ron and Felix did some zombie bashing on a large screen TV while Monique regaled Kim and Tara with the latest gossip.

Somewhat to Kim's surprise, Bonnie showed up. Even more surprising, she was dateless. Tara broke off the gossip session and directed her friend to the snack table. While Bonnie wasn't acting overly dramatic, she was clearly upset about something. Kim suspected that her dateless status might have something to do with her current irritation.

Justine Flanner showed up, apparently another friend of Felix's, leaving Kim wondering if budding geniuses could somehow detect each others brain waves and establish friendships in a matter of days. It was a huge shock to the redhead, and her blonde best friend, when Wade, in person, ambled in the door. Kim and Ron had just engaged their good friend in a rare, face-to face conversation when Kim's cousin Larry also showed up. All in all, it was a rare blending of jocks and brains at the Renton Home, but there appeared to be no tension in the gathering.

Video games were played, a movie was on another screen. Loud music blared while some teens danced and others simply talked. A few shot baskets outside, even though the snowfall was building into a blizzard, while everyone made the occasional pass by the snack table. At some point, everyone got off of the dance floor and talked Ron and Tara into doing their mascot routine. Everyone applauded the two blondes and Kim saw both Jess and Liz get their dates onto the floor and have Tara and Ron show some of their moves to them.

At one point, Kim found herself teamed with Felix again, playing basketball against Steve and Jessica. It was almost embarrassing how easily she and her date beat the other two, although Steve in particular took the defeat with good grace. At another time, she found herself dancing with Felix and at another point, talking with Tara, who told her that Bonnie had gone through a pretty bad and dramatic breakup and that her ex-boyfriend wasn't accepting it with much in the way of good grace. Kim looked around and to her surprise, saw the brunette playing a video game with Ron and Larry. The cheerleader honestly seemed to be enjoying herself, occasionally shrieking in either joy or dismay at the fate of her avataristic character or pixelated undead antagonists.

The evening flew by, Larry chatted with her about the family. His mother was very concerned about him being out until midnight, but was only mollified by the fact that Kim would be there. Larry promptly grabbed another cola, admitting that he was carefully maintaining his caffeine intake since he had never actually been awake until midnight before in his life.

It wasn't terribly long after this that Kim found herself chatting with Bonnie. While the brunette seemed to have already put her animosity towards Ron aside, probably to keep her friendship with Tara intact, Kim was surprised to find that Bonnie was actually ready to talk without being snarky. She was actually pleasant company. Kim talked about some misadventures she and Ron had experienced, especially the whole Ray-X adventure, and had the usually haughty girl laughing and snorting in a most undignified manner.

After that, Bonnie, Kim, Tara and Monique decided to watch a little of a movie while Ron, Felix, Larry and Wade went outside to play some more basketball, since robotic arms were keeping the driveway clear of snow buildup. Other guests divided their time between food, dancing and video games. There were only a couple of hours until midnight and the guests were all making the most of their time. Unfortunately, the loud music meant that Kim didn't hear the altercation outside until it turned violent.

Chippy was bored. She was bored in only the way that a being that was trained for action can be bored when there is nothing to do. Even though the space center had been closed for this human holiday, she had taken the buses there, Frederick had let her in and she had instructed him in an hour of basic exercises. Afterwards, he showed her the Kepler Rocket and activated a flight simulation for her, so she knew what he did. He activated a simulation program for her and she proved every bit as inept at flying a spacecraft as he was at performing martial arts. After this, Frederic offered her lunch at the empty, staff dining facility. There was fruit for the monkeys as well as some delicious beetles. The simians saved the wriggling arthropods for last, crunching the delicacies with obvious relish.

Their meal concluded, Frederick offered to show her the entire facility but Chippy declined, preferring to return to her master's abode in case he needed her. Instead, he left for a party...at Chippy's insistence. Missing one bout of ceremonial kata wouldn't damage his development, but missing a party might make him socially isolated and therefore, a less effective ninja. She also wanted him to socialize for other reasons, but wasn't ready to discuss them with the human. Humans developed at a slower rate than monkeys so while he had seen more years than she, he was still curiously the younger of the two.

Finally, Chippy realized that her boredom wasn't going away, so maybe a little activity was in order. She observed the bus schedule and realized that the humans' transportation system would be running for a couple more hours. Instead of walking to a bus stop and waiting, she sneaked to the structure, unobserved and waited on the small structure's roof in the building snow. When the bus came by, she slipped atop it and rode it to her next stop, scrambling unseen to the next roof to await her next bus. Upon reaching the space center, she scrambled around the structure until she located Frederick's housing area and saw her pupil apparently reading a manual on the Kepler's upcoming upgrade. She tapped on the window to gain his attention.

Minutes later, he had let her in the front door. She told him that she now was ready to accept his offer to show her around the facility. He complied and while most of what he showed her was incomprehensible to her, she was very interested in the hangar that housed the Kepler Rocket. It was a vast, open structure with exposed support girders and rafters high up. For her it was a monkey's paradise, allowing her to leap and swing, high in the air. After some urging, she talked her student into doing the same.

It was wonderful for both simians, leaping among the high structural elements, reveling in their agility and balance...simply enjoying being monkeys. Unfortunately for the ninja, her companion tired all too quickly in the unaccustomed gravity and leaping among the girders wasn't as much fun alone. However, Frederick had another idea.

He led her to a saucer-shaped aircraft and explained that it was a practice vehicle. He fired up the engines and flew them around the vast hangar. With a gleam in his eye, he actually guided the aircraft among some of the girders at high speed, showing off his skill. Chippy understood, even though he wasn't the fit monkey she was, he had hardly wasted his life. Still feeling bored, the ninja leaped from the craft and raced her companion among the high rafters, pitting monkey agility and martial arts skill against technology and technical skill.

They spent hours playing like this, until her exhaustion finally overcame her feeling of boredom. Feeling considerably better, Chippy allowed her companion to lead her to another section of the center, where he manipulated the controls of a telescope. Soon, a television screen showed a space station and Frederick explained to her that it was his home when he wasn't on earth. For some reason, the sight of the metallic structure, floating in the cold dark, made her feel sad for him. Sensing her disquiet, Frederick manipulated the telescope's controls again, this time showing them a close-up picture of the moon. Chippy looked at the image for a few minutes, intrigued with the mountain ranges, craters and shadows, but she had a way she preferred to look at the moon.

She took Fredericks' hand and led him to a high point in the hangar. The high structure, located on a high hilltop, was above the building storm, providing a beautiful vantage point of both the surrounding lands and the night sky. There, the two monkeys crouched on a beam and looked at the moon, not noticing the mountains, craters and other features, simply appreciating the beauty of the silvery light streaming down upon them.

Unnoticed by the two monkeys, their tails crossed and arced above their heads, forming a heart shape that framed the glowing, celestial body.

When a car lurched up to the curb, Felix assumed that one of the people who had declined his invitation had come to put in a short appearance. Excusing himself from the game, he rolled his chair to greet his would be guests, two teenage boys who stormed out of the car and started stomping towards the house.

"Hello, guys," Felix intercepted the two. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Out of our way," one of them grumbled. He yanked the boy out of his wheelchair and threw him to the ground. The following boy threw a kick at the would-be host and followed his companion.

Inside the house, a couple of teens saw what was happening and either screamed or shouted. Kim was on her feet in a moment, running towards the commotion, even though she didn't know what was happening. On the driveway, Ron saw red, hurled the basketball at the lead newcomer and sprinted towards them. The ball flew true, bouncing off the back of the boy's head and causing him to approach the oncoming blonde, rather than the house. No words were spoken, no words were needed.

Ron was faster than his would-be opponent, landing a punch under his rib-cage before the other boy could throw one of his own. The newcomer staggered back and the other boy threw a punch at the oncoming blonde boy. Ron blocked with his right arm, opening his assailant and landed an elbow on the boy's solar plexus, deflating him like a balloon. By this time, the first boy was back, moving in with a barrage of punches. Ron swatted the blows away and got close enough to land a thrust kick to the boy's stomach. This slowed the barrage enough for Ron to get a thumb lock on the boy, twisting his wrist and forcing him to his knees.

"What's your problem?" Ron demanded of the other boy.

By this time, Wade and Keven had reached Felix to help him back into the wheelchair. It wasn't necessary, as articulated arms emerged from the chair to pull him back in. Kim arrived and stood over the other newcomer, making sure he wouldn't make any additional trouble.

"We're waiting," Ron repeated, twisting the boy's wrist further.

"I want to talk to my girlfriend," the boy snarled.

"Throwing your host around is a pretty bad way to accomplish that," Ron told him, backing off just a bit but not letting him go.

"Look, just let me talk to Bonnie and I'll go," he told the blonde.

"What if she doesn't want to talk to you? Ron asked him.

"That's none of your business!" The boy snarled.

"The minute you came here and started throwing my friends around, you made it my business," Ron growled back. "Now, why don't the two of you just get up and leave. There's been no broken bones and nothing bruised other than a couple of egos. There's no need for the police unless you push the issue." Ron released him and stepped back.

Both newcomers recovered their feet and seemed to be deciding whether or not to create more trouble. Ron could see the gears working inside the other boy's head. He knew that he was outmatched by Ron, much less Kim and the growing group of people showing up. He was trying to leave while salvaging just a little bit of pride.

"It was just a mistake," Ron suggested. "You got a little too worked up and weren't thinking."

The other boy glared at Ron for a minute or two, then nodded. He wasn't happy, but he managed to spin on his heel and stalk back to his car with his friend at his heels. The car tore off, fishtailing down the street. Ron looked back over his shoulder at the small crowd that had grown.

"I think the show's over," Felix announced from behind him. "Sorry for the interruption. What say we get back to the fun?"

"You don't have to apologize," Bonnie told him. "That was my ex and his best friend."

"It's not your fault," Tara assured her. "C'mon, why don't we eat some junk food and talk about it?"

Liz and Jessica followed their fellow cheerleaders to the snacks while Felix rolled towards the door, reminding everyone of all of the entertainment waiting them and the fact that they had less than an hour before midnight. The host's voice sounded strained and he was clearly upset.

Kim noticed Larry had a very worried look and decided that she needed to calm her cousin down a little. The older boy was shook up by the real life violence that he just experienced, so Kim had to assure him that everyone was fine. Finally, she had Wade and Kevin escort the boy to the video game console. With her cousin taken care of, she looked around. Ron, Steve and Jess's date were standing just back from where Tara, Liz and Jess were talking with Bonnie, ready to be supportive companions if needed. The one person she didn't see was Felix.

Kim went on a search for her host and date. She didn't like poking around someone's house without an invitation, but she suspected that the boy might not be in a good mood right now. She didn't find him in what she assumed to be his mother's bedroom, his bedroom and a couple of spare bedrooms. She made her way downstairs and couldn't find him in the garage, but then she opened another door and found him busy at a workbench.

"Hey, Kim," he greeted her without much enthusiasm, still concentrating on whatever was on the bench as she stepped inside. She looked around and realized that they were in a workshop.

"Hey, Felix," she replied, walking completely inside and closing the door behind her. "What are you working on?"

"A retractable seat belt," he told her. "That little incident taught me that I'd better have something that can hold me in the chair when I need it to, but let me leave when I want to. Once I'm out of my chair, what am I?"

The last statement was very bitter.

"You're a very intelligent, very kind young man when you're not in your chair," Kim told him.

"But what if Ron hadn't been there?" Felix asked her. "What if you hadn't been close by, or all of the people who were here tonight?"

"Then you'd be in the same place that anyone who suffered a home break in would be," Kim told him.

"This doesn't sound like the usual cheer up," Felix set his tools aside for the moment. "You know, the old sure, you've done amazing things but at the end of the day, you have to admit that you're still bound to a wheelchair sort of speech."

"It's not supposed to be," Kim told him. "It's supposed to be the everybody needs help now and then, sort of speech."

"That sounds a lot better," Felix admitted.

"It's not supposed to sound better," Kim told him. "It's supposed to be a simple fact. Felix, I'm supposed to be the girl who can do anything. There's been times I've needed help from Ron, my parents and even my brothers. How can you feel bad that you need help now and then? Everyone does."

"It's different when you're in the chair," he grumbled. "Everyone looks at you like you're helpless."

"Like me, asking you if you needed help on the stairs on the day we met," Kim agreed. "Felix, I'm going to come out and be honest with you. You amaze me! I would have respected you if you just went along with life like everyone else. Instead, you seem to relish every sitch that you have to adapt to! You seem to love it when a problem comes up, just so you can solve it!"

"Well, life is all about the challenges, isn't it?" Felix was feeling his face start to get warm, actually blushing. "It isn't that different from you facing those guys you fight all the time."

"It is the same, isn't it?" Kim mused. "You hit a setback and you adapt to it. But I don't think you need to adapt at the moment. It would be bad form if the host wasn't in the main room during the countdown."

"It would be, wouldn't it?" He agreed. "Well Kim, thanks for setting my head straight."

"Plenty of people have done the same for me," she assured him. "Give the next person the 'everyone needs help' pep talk when they need it."

The two made their way back to the main room, which was regaining the lively, rowdy atmosphere from before. The host put his fingers into his mouth and let loose a shrieking whistle.

"It's only a few minutes before midnight," he declared. "It's getting time for the countdown, so lets turn down the dance music, the movies and the video games. As the host, I get to make a couple of comments. First, I'm new in town so I'd like to really thank everyone for coming here tonight and helping me fit in, even if the snowstorm is turning into a blizzard."

A short round of applause sounded through the room.

"I'd like to thank Kim, for inviting almost all of you on my behalf. Here's hoping for some new friendships to come out of this party."

Another short round of cheers sounded.

"One last thing, here's to Ron, Tara and Kim for helping me set up! Now, it's only about a minute until midnight so here's hoping that everyone has a great new year."

A round of agreement sounded.

"Now, it's only about thirty seconds to go, so places everyone! Here we go...ten, nine, eight, seven..."

Kim noted that Steve and Jess decided to start the traditional new year's kiss with about five seconds to go and maintained it through the final seconds. Ron and Tara also chose to not wait until the last moment. Liz and her date weren't quite at boyfriend/girlfriend status so they settled for a close hug at the moment the old year gave way to the new. Kim decided to give Felix a peck on the cheek. She liked him a lot, but she wasn't quite comfortable enough yet for kissing.

Everyone sang the traditional, end of the old year/beginning of the new one song. While Kim was fairly sure that at least some of the attendees had brought a little 'enhancement' for their soft drinks, nobody seemed to be drinking enough to become impaired. Wade whispered a comment to Felix.

"Hey everyone," the host called to everybody. "The storm is supposed to get a whole lot worse, pretty quickly. I hate to break up this party and chase everyone away, but let's give it another half hour, at the most before calling it quits so that everyone can make it home safe."

His announcement was met with a round of resignation rather than anger. The weather in the mountains was always unsettled in the wintertime, so you just had to roll with it.

"Now everyone, please make another run or two at the snack table," he instructed his guests. "I don't want to be stuck with all of this food!"

The male contingent seemed more than willing to follow these instructions. Even with the last minute gorging, the party started to break up pretty quickly after Felix's announcement. Soon, it was only Larry, Wade, Kim, Ron and Tara remaining with their host. Ron shook hands with and thanked Felix for the party, as well as volunteering to come over tomorrow and help with the cleanup. Tara shyly gave her host a peck on the cheek as thanks. Tara was driving for the two, having borrowed her father's pickup again.

Kim was happy to offer Larry and Wade rides home, having borrowed her mother's minivan for the night. While her two passengers left to pile into the vehicle, she was left alone with Felix.

"I really had a good time tonight," she told him.

"So did I," he answered.

She reached out and took his hands. "I'd like another date sometime and I think it's my turn to ask you out. I'll call tomorrow."

She quickly bent down and gave him another peck on the cheek before turning and climbing into the van to deliver her passengers. She chose to deliver Larry first as although he was chronologically the oldest, he was in some way the youngest of the three. After that, she dropped Wade off then made her cautious way to her own home. The roads were getting very bad, but she managed to get home. Once inside, she called Wade.

"Please check on everyone, see if everybody got home safely," she asked her young friend.

"On it, but here's some disturbing news," he answered. "Ron and Tara made a 911 call while we were on the road! I'm checking for details now!"

"Where are they," Kim was ready to run to the site if she needed to.

"They're both fine," he reported. "They assisted with a rescue but the city is closing the roads in a few minutes. It looks like Ron's going to be stranded at the Kings'".

Tara was a very skilled driver, guiding the four wheel drive pickup carefully through the building snow. Ron had insisted that they go to the Kings, from where he could walk home. The route took them over Tri-City Creek. As they approached the bridge, another car zipped out of another street, fishtailed down their street then missed the bridge and plunged down the bank. Tara automatically pulled over.

"Call 911!" Ron told her. The blonde boy jumped out of the pickup and rushed towards the creek. Tara did as he requested, edging her pickup closer to the bank so that the headlights could provide some additional illumination to what was happening.

Ron scrambled down the bank, the lights from the bridge providing only dim illumination through the snow. The front end of the car had smashed through the ice and the tail end was slowly slipping into the hole. Knowing that what he was about to do was impossible, he concentrated on his Chi, like Chippy had taught him. Jumping onto the trunk, he unleashed the most powerful punches of his life on the edges of the rear windshield. The safety glass cracked and flexed, but did not shatter. However, he managed to break it free from the body of the car. Hyped up on adrenaline and Mystical Monkey Power, the blonde boy managed to pull half the windshield away from its mounting, allowing enough room for someone to escape.

Seeing a shadowy shape inside, Ron reached in, grabbed a handful of clothing and hauled somebody out of the vehicle. There was just enough light for Ron to see that it was actually the young man he had tangled with earlier that night. Shoving that thought to the back of his mind, he hauled the other boy to the bank and went back to see if there was anyone else in the vehicle. He had to crawl partway into the submerging car to reach the passenger. He knew that if the victim had suffered injuries, pulling him out could inflict even more. It was a chance he had to take; if he didn't pull the boy clear, he would die of drowning or hypothermia. Ron was completely soaked with icy water by the time he hauled the second boy to the bank.

Tara was neither foolish nor a wallflower. She left all of the pickup's lights on before leaving the vehicle to work her way down the bank to help. While Ron hauled the second boy out of the creek, Tara got one of the first one's arms over her shoulders and started to haul him up the bank to the pickup. Ron followed her with the second boy. When he reached the pickup, he realized that Tara had cranked the heater to full blast. The two blondes shoved their guests into the warm vehicle's front seat at about the time the first police car arrived. The policeman started a preliminary diagnosis on the two, injured teenagers while calling for additional assets. He instructed the two blondes to sit in his cruiser, where it was warm, while waiting. Soon, more police and an ambulance arrived. It took time, but eventually the two teens from the car were loaded into the ambulance. A snow plow showed up and led the emergency vehicle off to the medical center. While Tara and Ron waited, another policeman gave Ron first aid for the cuts he hadn't realized he had sustained on his knuckles and hands.

Now it was time for the police to question the two blondes. After both made statements, the policeman became very friendly towards them.

"The city closed the streets while you've been waiting here," the policeman told them. "I'll get the word out for you to go straight home, Miss King. I'll call both of your parents and let them know what's happening. A report from a policeman will sound much more official than from a teenager."

"Ron's in no condition to walk home," Tara told the policeman. "Can I drop him off on my way home?"

"Straight to your own home," he insisted. "I'm sure both of your parents will understand the situation."

The policeman first called Tara's parents and learned that they were stranded at a New Years party at a local hotel and ballroom. Ron's were home and had become rather numbed to their son staying out overnight due to violent or dangerous actions. Both sets of parents wanted a call as soon as their children reached the King Home.

Ron was shivering, but not violently as Tara eased the pickup back onto the road and crossed the bridge. It took over twice as long to reach her home as it usually would have, but she was being very careful. Finally, she eased the large vehicle into her driveway. The two teens ran from the pickup to the front door. Moments later, Tara had them inside. She sat Ron in the kitchen and hustled to her parents' bedroom. She was back moments later with a bundle of clothing.

"My dad's sweat suit," she told him. "It should fit you close enough. Now, come here." She led him downstairs to a bathroom.

"Take a shower," she instructed him. "The creek isn't the cleanest water out there. Throw out your wet clothes and I'll get them in the wash machine."

Ron did as instructed, tossing most of his clothing out through the door.

"All of your clothes!" She shouted through the door.

"Tara!" He protested.

"I won't melt when I touch it!" She snapped back.

Sighing, Ron tossed his boxers out before turning on the shower.

He had to admit that the hot water felt wonderful after the cold creek. Clean and warmed, he dressed in the borrowed clothing and stepped out into the basement den.

Although he hadn't been dragging his feet, Tara hadn't been idle. The couch had been made up as a bed and Tara was wearing long, flannel pajamas.

"I called your folks and mine," she told him. "Everyone understands that we're pretty much stranded here together. Your clothes are in the washer. Now, I'm exhausted and I'm sure you are too. Let's get some sleep."

Ron nodded and pulled back the covers on the couch. Tara, however, grabbed his hand and led him towards her room.

"My parents told me to make you a bed on the couch," she told him. "They forgot to tell me you had to sleep on it."

"Tara!" he protested.

"Ron, I'm too tired to rob you of your virtue," the blonde girl told him. "I'm tired, cold, freaked out from the whole rescue and driving on a skating rink. I've never liked sleeping in an empty house and the basement is always a little chilly when nobody's around to keep the fire in the fireplace. I'd really like to have a warm body next to me tonight, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yeah."

The two slid into the bed and Tara turned off the bedside lamp. In the dark, they cuddled up close to each other. Her head slid onto his shoulder, her arm around his chest. Her warmth enfolded his right side.

"This is wonderful," he murmured. She gave a happy sigh in response.

Was it only a couple of days ago that she showed up to cuddle him off to sleep after a rough mission? Now, he was returning the favor. Her breathing became deep and regular. Even with a lovely, kindly young woman cuddled up close, Ron couldn't sleep. He craved the surge and joy from his ceremonial katas, something that he couldn't get right now.

Outside, a shadowy form left its observation post at the basement window and vanished into the night.

It was a night of very little sleep for Ron, although he managed to stay still for his girlfriend's sake. She seemed perfectly content and he had to admit that it was nice and warm in the bed. He managed to dose off now and again but he always woke shortly afterwards, unable to completely relax. Finally, the numbers on her alarm clock reached a point at which it would be suitable for him to get out of bed.

He slipped out of his girlfriend's embrace and her bed. A little searching revealed the laundry room, where he pulled his clothing out of the wash machine and put it in the dryer. After a quick visit to the bathroom, he poked about the basement den and turned on the television, intent on getting a little news. It turned out that the streets in the entire tri-city area were still closed, with no schedule for them re-opening. He padded up the stairs and looked outside, noting that the wind was very strong and visibility was only about a block. A major blizzard, indeed.

Feeling tired and irritable, he watched more television until the dryer had finished its efforts with his clothing and he was able to get dressed. Now feeling a little more himself, he recovered his heavy coat and gloves and slipped into the King's garage to locate a snow shovel. Thus armed, he went to work on their double driveway. Still tired, he wasn't moving terribly fast. He was only about halfway done when his girlfriend emerged from the garage, armed with another shovel. Working together, they quickly finished the job and retreated back into the house.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked him, pouting slightly. "The snow's still coming down, so the shoveling can wait."

"Why should you wake up early just because I couldn't sleep?" He pointed out, wondering why she had even asked. He was doing her a favor by letting her sleep, wasn't he? Besides, if she would have stayed asleep a little longer, he could have gotten in his katas.

She frowned a little at his tone, "Maybe we should make breakfast."

He nodded. Perhaps some food would help him get his good humor back.

It wasn't easy. He wanted to help her, but every time he turned around, she seemed to be where he wanted to go. Still, he kept a smile on his face and struggled through. Soon, the two of them had a large, hot breakfast on the table. With hot food in his stomach, he felt a little more himself but he knew what he needed to feel right. After helping with the dishes, he made a suggestion.

"Why don't I run the shovel over the driveway again?" He asked. "We don't want it to build up too much."

She frowned a little, but nodded. "I'll get the fire going," she suggested. "That way, we can use it to dry our coats and boots."

He nodded and pulled his heavy clothing back on. Once outside, he rushed to clear the driveway again, then, with nobody looking, he ran through the ceremonial katas. Again, he felt the surge and joy. Full of energy, he quickly cleared off the Kings' sidewalks as well. Coming inside, he shed his boots and coat before addressing his girlfriend.

"Sorry," he whispered to her, enfolding her in a hug.

"What for?" She asked.

"For being a jerk," he admitted. "I was tired and hungry, so it took a little bit for me to get my attitude straightened out. I really appreciate how you've made me feel at home."

Now her arms found their way around his neck, "we were both a little put out after yesterday," she suggested.

Their lips met, then met again, then met for a third time and saw no reason to part company. He gently nudged her towards the couch in front of the fire and she went along with the motion.

His phone rang.

It was tempting to ignore the call but too many people knew where he was, who he was with, and could thereby guess why he wasn't answering. Tara's expression was half irritated and half amused when he looked at the caller id.

"What's up, Wade?" He asked.

"I have a request for help," the youngster told him. "An elderly woman, Mrs. Elkhorn, has depleted her blood pressure medicine. She should be down the street from you. Her pharmacy is three-quarters of a mile away, and the pharmacist is stranded inside. Go to the pharmacy and return with the medicine. Are you up to it?"

Ron looked at Tara, sitting on the couch with a sultry look, then considered what he would think of himself if he didn't help the aforementioned lady.

"I'll take it," he said. "Getting dressed now."

"Hello?!" Wade's voice sounded over the phone.

"I mean, getting my boots on," Ron corrected. He noted Tara was giggling at the one sided conversation.

"What's up?" She asked him.

"Blood pressure medicine for one Mrs. Elkhorn," Ron told her.

"She's a sweetheart," Tara declared, grabbing her own boots.

"Uh, Tara," he pointed out. "There's only need for one person to go out in the cold."

"Are you telling me I can't help?" She demanded of him.

"Well, no..."

"Do you think I can't keep up?" She asked.

"No..."

"Isn't it safer to not do this alone?" She continued.

"Well, yes..."

"Then I'm coming along!" Her tone allowed no argument.

"It's cold out there," he pointed out.

"There's no such thing as bad weather," she told him. "Only bad clothes. Now, are you coming or not?"

It was cold and windy, but the two teens were fit and well dressed. They slogged through the drifts to the pharmacy, where they warmed up a little before trudging back to Mrs. Elkhorn's house. Mrs. Elkhorn proved to be a grateful, sweet elderly lady who filled them full of hot chocolate as soon as they arrived.

"Got a pet missing in the storm," Wade reported next. "Older dachshund. Owner is afraid it could be in trouble. It's three blocks away, and Kim's helping to move a small family who's house lost power. Can you guys take care of the dog?"

After a glance, Ron and Tara agreed to this one, as well.

The day wore on with minor missions such as this. As the light started to dim, the snow and wind started to taper off. Ron's parents called in and requested that the two teens spend the night with them. Tara looked a little wistfully at her own home.

"If you want to stay here, I won't force you to come over," Ron told her.

"No, I don't want to spend a night in an empty house if I don't have to," she told him, then smiled at him. "I was hoping to have a warm body in bed with me again. We can't really say no to your folks and if we go there, we don't get to cuddle all night, do we?"

"No," Ron agreed, a tone of regret in his voice.

"Well, let's go get an overnight bag for me," she suggested. "Then head to your place. At least we'll be together."

Of course, Ron had to clear off his parents' driveway and sidewalks when they arrived. He was more than exhausted by the time he was done. By then, Tara was inside and his mother was subtly questioning her about what they were doing at her place, unsupervised.

Even though he was almost staggering and he could feel his back muscles being strained, almost injured, he went through his katas again. The surge wasn't as great, seeing as his execution left something to be desired, but he could now face the next day.

Once back inside and out of his heavy clothes, he and Tara were set side by side at the dining room table for the evening meal. It was a heavy, hearty affair that the teens dug into with a great deal of gusto, eager to replace the calories they had burned off. Afterwards, changed into their pajamas, they sat on the couch, side by side.

To his surprise, Ron didn't feel self-conscious about putting his arm around his girlfriend as they watched a movie and chatted with his folks. Well-fed, satisfied and with a warm girlfriend curled up at his side, his eyelids grew heavier.

His next memory was waking up the next morning, on the couch with Tara, with a blanket from his bed covering them.

A/N:

First, my thanks to Campy, for allowing me to use the Jess and Steve couple, as well as Steve and Kevin being friends with Ron, from his stories.

Second, my thanks to Joe Stoppinghem, for beta reading.