A/N
Chapter 13 is up and running!
Kim surprises Ron with a little something, leading to a bit of birthday fun.
Shego and Drakken face a pronouncement neither of them is ready for.
A planned outing for the Possibles and Stoppables leads to a few unexpected revelations.
Kim and her girlfriends enjoy a relaxing day at the spa.
Xander and June are forced to change their plans.
And then it's time for a very special night out for Kim and Ron, which leads to some revealing talks between their parents.
Ready or not, here's the sitch!
And now for the necessary stuff:
Kim Possible and all related characters are (c) Disney, Bob Schooley, and Mark McCorkle.
Original Characters are my creations, and I would appreciate if you ask before you use them. Thank you.
As he sat down on the couch, Ron couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing in refusing Kim's advances. His mind was at war with itself and with his heart. There was no doubt he wanted to make love with her, and had he'd not known they were probably about to do something that would heat his normal teenage blood, he would have definitely needed a cold shower in the near future. As it was, he had a smile on his face, thinking about the coming Friday night.
However, thoughts of two days from now immediately flew out the window when Kim emerged from her room in the last outfit Ron had expected. It had been a while since he had seen Kim in it, but there was no mistaking that purple, red, and gold look of the classic uniform of the Middleton High cheer squad. Ron felt himself staring like a goof at her, but he couldn't help it. He also couldn't help but notice that she once again had that sexy look that said she wanted only him.
"So what do you think, Ronnie?" she purred demurely.
"Badical, KP," he replied, trying to keep himself from drooling. "But do you mind if I ask why you chose that outfit?"
Kim blushed. "Promise you won't laugh?"
Ron nodded, still unable to take his eyes off of her. One thing about Kim wearing the classic cheer uniform instead of the new ones the squad had worn their senior year was that it fit her a little more snugly that it had when she used to wear it, accentuating every single one of the curves that it clung to.
"Because I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss you while wearing it," she said with a shy smile.
Ron scratched his head. "But KP, you kissed me several times while wearing that."
Kim smiled as she advanced on him. "On the cheek maybe. But not like this."
With that she put her hands on the side of his face and took his lips in a kiss that Ron was sure qualified as "knock-your-socks-off" hot. As they kissed, Kim maneuvered herself so that she was straddling his lap. Her hair fell around their faces, enclosing the make out session in a darkened tent, though neither could see it with their eyes closed. When they came up for air, Kim's cheer top came off, revealing that she'd changed into a bra that was still black but now quite lacy. Ron's arms wrapped around to the small of Kim's back and began gently massaging. Kim leaned back into his touch, letting her head loll backwards as she enjoyed the sensual rubbing. After a few moments like that, she leaned back in, this time kissing her boyfriend's neck.
This time, Ron didn't pull away, and instead relished the moment. This didn't feel too fast, but more like something like this was supposed to feel. Pulling one hand forward, he gently leaned her head back and repaid her neck kisses with ones of his own, making Kim squirm with pleasure. His ministrations to her neck were slower, but he kept at it longer, paying special attention to certain spots. He had learned back during their first ever make out session their first summer together that Kim liked certain spots a lot more than others, places like just below her ears, at the curve where neck met shoulders, and just above the dip in her collarbone. When he went after those places with his lips and his tongue now, she gasped and shivered.
Ron pulled back. "Something wrong, KP?"
Kim shook her head, her breathing just a little heavier than normal. "You know, we're really gonna have to work on you and knowing when I'm cold and when I'm enjoying myself."
Ron laughed a bit. "Sounds badical, KP. When do you suggest we do that?"
She answered him with another long, sensuous kiss that literally made his toes curl. The rest of the night was spent like that, just kissing and massaging each other. Kim's bra never left the equation, although there was plenty of touching after she guided Ron's hands over her heart again. Kim was slightly surprised how natural Ron seemed at it, but decided to squirrel away the information for later discussion. After all, she didn't want to spoil the mood when they were both enjoying themselves and each other so much.
They finished up shortly before their parents arrived home, giving Ron enough time to put his shirt back on and Kim just enough time to change into a t-shirt and capris. Kim had just gotten settled back on the couch and was cuddling up to Ron's side when the adults walked through the door. Her father took one look at them and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, though her mother did ask Kim a little later why the two teens were wearing different clothes than they had been when the party ended.
"Oh, we just wanted to be more comfortable," Kim replied while trying to hide a giggle.
Her mother merely smiled.
Shego had never felt so scared of such a clean room. She was still at the Caribbean Island lair, and as such was still technically home, but she couldn't have felt more out of place. The paper on the bench was uncomfortable, and the posters on the wall made her feel completely unnerved. She took some small comfort in the fact that Drakken was there as well, but only a small amount. The blue-skinned guy looked like he might be more suited to a skin color closer to her own natural green tint, and wasn't so much standing there as leaning against the bench she was sitting on. Of course, they had reason to be nervous. Home tests were one thing when it came to making you sweat, but the test they were waiting on the base medic to return with was nothing short of nerve-wracking.
Shego looked down at the gown she was wearing, wishing she could be in her familiar harlequin-patterned green and black jumpsuit. In that outfit, even if it was the outfit she'd once worn as a goody-goody member of Team Go, she was a force to be reckoned with and could handle any situation that was thrown at her. In this, she felt lost and insecure. At least Drakken was still wearing his dark-blue lab coat, giving her some sense of normalcy in a room that seemed like it was worlds apart from their normal lives. Looking over at him, she took notice of something she hadn't before.
Drakken had always seemed sort of imposing in his own way, as if he really could do anything if he could ever get completely focused on it. However, the past few weeks, Shego had begun to notice little things that stuck out at her, and not just that cute little flower on the end of the vine that protruded from the back of his neck. Said appendage was currently waving lazily at her, almost as if it was determined to give her the reassurance that its owner could not at the moment. Shego smiled, and found herself wondering if that little flower, which he seemed to be able control so deftly the past few weeks, could do certain things that would make her blush…
"Shego, are you okay?" Drakken asked, breaking into her thoughts.
Shego growled a little under her breath. "I told you to call me Sheila when we're doing something like this. Shego is my professional name. And why do you ask?"
Drakken glanced down, a nervous look on his face. "Umm…you're blushing."
Shego blinked in embarrassment. She hadn't even realized her thoughts were making her actually blush, but now that she did, she felt her cheeks growing even hotter. She couldn't even tell whether she was doing it because she was embarrassed or because he had noticed it.
"Just thinking. What are we going to do if it turns out I am?"
"If you're what?" he said with a clueless look.
Shego sighed. "If I'm pregnant. You know, the whole reason we're in here?"
"Oh," he replied as he turned his head. "Well…um…I think we might need to talk about it, but beyond that…" He seemed to be fumbling for what to say while trying to stop himself from saying something that would get him blasted. To Shego, it made him look very funny, though not in a bad way like it usually would.
Shego shook her head. "What I mean, Dr. D., is what does it mean for us?"
Drakken gulped. "Well, I still want to keep doing like we've been. I mean, I do really like you, and all. And…well…"
Shego smiled a little. "I just don't want to mess this up."
"Me either, Sheila," he said as he clasped her hand.
At that moment, the base medic came in the room. They both looked at him with anxious yet worried eyes.
"Dr. Drakken, Miss Shego, I have the results. And you're test was right. You're pregnant."
It was hard to tell who fainted first, Drakken or Shego.
Friday morning started off on a sour note at the Stoppable/Possible house. Ron was again cooking breakfast, and was intending to make some French toast for everybody. However, he didn't notice that the eggs that Kim's father had grabbed were expired, and the smell sent everybody running. The house would need to be aired, particularly the kitchen, so it was decided they'd all head over to the Middleton Mile-High Café, a local eatery that served all three meals, for breakfast. They piled into three cars and headed off. Kim's parents and brothers were in her mom's minivan, Ron's parents and Hana took his dad's Cutlass, and Kim and Ron were in the Sloth. Unfortunately, Gene Stoppable's Cutlass was almost two years older than Ron, and as such was starting to have major problems. The elder Stoppable had had several repairs done recently, but the car finally bit the dust halfway between the house and the restaurant.
Since Ron's parents had decided to be the last car in the caravan, it took a few minutes before the other members of the group realized something was wrong. They turned around and headed back, finding Gene waving at the smoke spewing up from underneath the open hood of the vehicle. After several minutes, during which all nine stomachs were beginning to growl, it was decided that they'd have to get it towed. The tow-truck showed up about a half-hour later, and someone had to follow it. However, since they were all one party, a few seating arrangements had to be changed. Hana's car seat had to be installed in Anne's minivan so that her parents could ride with her, while the Tweebs were bumped over to the Sloth. James tried insisting that the kids go ahead to the restaurant and get something to eat, but Kim and Ron were both firm in their stand that the two families needed to eat together.
However, the stay at the repair shop took much longer than it should have, mainly because the mechanic kept trying to get the authorization for repairs and other car fixes that Gene Stoppable felt were completely unnecessary. Ron's father might be normally easy-going and calm, but one thing he absolutely not stand for was when any sort of repairman tried to take him to the cleaners by adding in extra jobs and tasks. It took both his wife and his son to calm him down to the point that he was once again able to be civilized with the mechanic and work out a fair deal on the repair bill. Jean brought up the idea that it might be cheaper to just buy another car, but her husband wouldn't hear of it, insisting that once they got the current repairs done the vehicle would run for at least another ten years. Jim and Tim took one look at the vehicle, or rather Tim did, and were about to pronounce him wrong when they caught a look from Kim.
"Kim, I'm serious," Tim remarked as they finally got back underway to the restaurant, "if Ron's dad thinks that car's going to run for any longer than another 500 miles without breaking down again, he needs to get his eyes checked."
Ron sighed. "Tim, you know that, Jim knows that, I know that, Kim knows that, my mom knows that, but my dad's the one who won't give that car up. Sometimes I think he must have proposed to Mom in that thing, or that I was conceived there."
"Ron, TMI!" gasped Kim.
"And actually, I don't know that," remarked Jim.
Kim almost hit the brake in surprise. "You mean to tell me that one of you knows something the other doesn't? I thought you both knew about cars. I mean, you worked together on this one."
"Actually," replied Tim, "I did the engine work…"
"I did the work on the electronic and computer systems…" added Jim.
"And we both did the body and cosmetic work," they said in unison.
Kim was about to ask when the Tweebs started to differentiate in their interests when she caught sight of something else. As they pulled into the restaurant and disembarked, they heard a somewhat heated discussion taking place between Ron's parents as they stood next to the Possible minivan.
"I'm just saying that we should start looking, honey," Jean remarked.
"I realize that, dear, but I'm not about to go get some fancy sports car," Gene replied.
"I only brought up James's Jaguar to point out that he bought it less than seven years ago," she retorted.
Anne Possible was trying to get them to stop. "Gene, Jean, maybe you both need to come to some sort of compromise. Besides, the kids are here, and this is supposed to be something for all of us to do in a good mood."
Ron's parents both looked at Kim, Ron, and the twins with sheepish looks on their faces, then turned and smiled at each other. They hugged and kissed, and all nine entered the MMH Café with smiles on their faces. However, the restaurant experience sent the good mood into deterioration pretty quickly. It started with their waitress, who acted from the beginning like she'd rather be anywhere else but at work and took forever to take their order. The food that came out was a far cry from the fabulous fare they would have enjoyed from Ron, with much of it needing to be sent back immediately for reheating, and their drinks ran dry and sat that way for several minutes more than once. Even Rufus, who would normally consume anything and everything, declared his cheese to be dry and hard, although he did still basically devour it as if he were rarely fed and starving. Before they left, James, Gene, and Ron all made their displeasure known to the manager, although it seemed to the three men that the graying gentleman wanted to be there that day even less than the lazy waitress. Needless to say, it was not a happy group who headed back to the Stoppable house.
However, the frame of mind seemed to pick up almost immediately as they walked back into the house. Something about the house, as well as the fact that it was currently occupied by two families who were so close to each other, seemed to lend itself to good moods, and all of them drank it in, despite the still somewhat minor lingering of rotten eggs from the kitchen.
"I think someone just wanted us to appreciate Ron's cooking more than we already did," joked Kim, and nine people laughed. Even Hana let out a few giggles.
Kim's parents both had to leave for work soon after, and Jean decided to take Hana to the park to try and let loose some of the energy the little girl had. Ron's father adjourned to his home office to work on some data he'd been sent, and the Tweebs decided to head to the mall again. Kim had the spa day to get ready for, while Ron claimed he had some shopping and browsing to do. Kim offered to drop him off at his first destination, but he refused, saying he had some things around the house to take care of. As he headed up to his room, Kim got that odd prickling feeling in the back of her mind.
You're up to something, Ron Stoppable, she thought as she watched him go.
However, she decided not to press the issue, instead grabbing her bathing suit and bathrobe, as well as a few other items, and heading off in the Sloth to go pick up Tara, Zita, Marcella, and Monique.
"Girl, this was the best idea you ever had," remarked Monique as she lay on a massage table while a masseuse gradually worked the kinks and stiffness out of her back.
"I agree," added Zita from another table.
The five girls were all taking full advantage of the amenities afforded by the Middleton Day Spa. They had already done seaweed wraps and mud baths, and were now all enjoying a relaxing full body massage. They'd even paid the extra money to get a room to themselves with the massage tables arranged in a star formation so they could all look at each other. All five had contented smiles on their faces.
"So, Zita, how did Felix propose?" asked Tara with a smile.
"He took me up to the bluff at Mount Middleton. Only instead of hiking, he flew me up there with his chair. He had the whole place set up for a picnic, and used his chair's arms to lift him down so he could sit next to me. We ate and talked, and then just as the sun was going down, he pulled out the ring box. At first I thought it was just a normal piece of jewelry he was about to give me, especially since he just gave me the promise ring in March. Then he kind of smiled and asked. I think I must have sat there with my mouth open for a few minutes, because he was like, 'Uh, Zita, you kind of have to answer.' I of course said yes, and then we kissed. It was one of the most romantic moments of my life," she ended with a sigh.
"Wow," sighed Marcella. "I can't wait for something like that to happen to me."
"Gotta find the boy first," laughed Monique.
"Well, from what we've been hearing," the raven-haired beauty replied, "you might have already found him, Monique."
Monique blushed. "Hey, me and Wade are just friends."
Tara giggled. "Sure, just like Kim and Ron are just friends."
"Hey, how'd I get dragged into this?" Kim complained with a smile. "Oooh…a little lower please," she remarked as her masseuse found the spot on her back that was still slightly sore. Not as good as Ron, but still really good.
Marcella joined in the giggling. "Oh, admit it Kim. We all know he's probably been planning to ask you to marry him since you two got together at Junior Prom."
Kim blushed. "Me and Ron are perfectly fine where we are, thank you. Besides, we tried going a little farther the other night and it didn't work right. Something about the vibe felt wrong to him. So we're going back to our original plan of taking it slow. Besides, I really don't think he's ready to make that kind of commitment yet."
Tara sighed. "I wish I could find a guy like Ron. I kind of wish I'd told him how I felt after he saved us at Wannaweep."
Zita smiled. "To tell the truth, Tara, I know you guys might have had fun, but I think it would have been the same between you two as it was between me and him. We had some stuff in common, but in the end we were just too different. Although, if it weren't for him, me and Felix might not have gotten together."
Marcella grinned. "Hate to say this Zita, but you and Felix together was even more of a foregone conclusion than Kim and Ron. Even Bonnie could see that."
Monique leaned up on her elbows. "Honestly, Marce, I never understood why you were friends with that girl. You just seem so different."
Marcella shrugged. "Well, unfortunately I got caught up in her whole 'food chain' idea. Thankfully I got over that in time to make some really great friends just before graduation. I just can't believe I let her dictate me like that all through junior high and high school."
Tara nodded. "I know what you mean. I think that's one of the reasons that I never asked Ron how he felt about me. I'm not even sure he knew about it."
Kim nodded. "He didn't. Wasn't until you started dating Josh that he had any clue whatsoever."
Monique laughed. "Just as well, isn't it? I think I agree with Zita on this one. You two might have had some fun, but I'm not sure it would have been TDDUP."
Marcella rolled her eyes. "Mon, are you ever going to stop using the acronyms? Why can't you just say, 'Till Death Do Us Part.'?"
The girl shook her head. "It's just my way. Jamal's been trying to stop me from that since I was six, and it hasn't worked yet. I'll probably be doing it in the retirement home."
Tara rose up on her elbows. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind my asking, why didn't you want anyone to know it was just you and him? You even kept it a secret at your Halloween party freshman year."
Zita also looked up. "Yeah. I mean, why tell us now after hiding it for four years?"
Monique glanced down at the cream-colored padding of the massage table. "Well, I guess after graduation I realized it didn't matter where I came from anymore. That, and I knew that people would start asking about my house once everyone started rebuilding. To tell the truth, with the house we were renting gone, me and Jamal don't know what we're going to do. I mean, we appreciate Wade's parents taking us in, but we can't stay there forever. Plus, I didn't want a lot of questions to start popping up when I didn't come home that much once we all head off for college. And you know certain people would have done their best to use it against me."
Marcella shook her head. "Monique, don't even worry about what she thinks. To tell the truth, there's a pool going about when Bonnie's going to come crying home because she no longer has a posse to order around at college. We all think she's in for a rude awakening that first week. If she even goes to college."
Kim looked up in surprise. "Wait, Bonnie might not go to college?"
Tara shook her head. "Nope. I mean, nothing's for sure, but there's a rumor she might do something else, like go after ballet or move in with that boyfriend of hers."
Zita turned her head to look at Kim. "Speaking of moving in, are you and Ron going to do that your freshman year at G.V.U.?"
Kim shook her head. "No way. Like I said, me and Ron are taking it slow. We're going to live in the dorms just like normal freshmen. Besides, can you imagine what my Daddy would say?"
Monique grinned. "Really now. What if Ron proposes tonight on your date? What then?"
Kim blushed. "Like he would do that. I mean, sure, he's been acting a little weird lately…"
Tara jumped on the hesitation. "And you want him to!"
Kim smiled. "Sha, I want him to, but I'm not expecting him to anytime soon. I just don't think he's ready."
The four other girls merely smiled and shook their heads.
Ron sat the Bueno Nacho, trying to think. Somehow he always did his best thinking in the confines of the Tex-Mex eatery. His only company was still digging into a burrito twice his small, pink size. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small velvet box he'd picked up the Friday before. He almost half-wished he'd taken Kim with him to pick it up, so that the idea he had it wouldn't have been sitting in the back of his mind all week. That wouldn't have been right though, and he wanted more than anything to do this right. No, scratch that: he wanted this to be perfect. He wanted this whole experience to be completely flawless for both of them.
So far, he'd followed every step to the letter. He'd found out what she liked, he'd set up the design, and he'd asked all the right people. He'd even tested the waters on her birthday with the earrings. Not to mention he'd undertaken what he considered the second-most daunting task of this whole process on Friday night when he'd had dinner with just him and a certain person who had a lot of sway on this matter. But even that had gone off without a hitch. In fact, this whole progression had gone way too perfect, if that was even possible. Not a single thing had gone wrong so far, and it scared Ron half to death. There were supposed to be natural hiccups in this course of action, things that didn't go quite right, but so far everything had been proceeding impeccably. And that left him extremely worried about tonight.
Just to be sure he was just being paranoid, he called up Wade on his Kimmunicator.
"Hey, Ron, what's up?"
Ron was the picture of nervous agitation. "Wade, are you sure there's nothing going on right now?"
Wade sighed. "Yes, Ron, I'm sure. I even checked with Global Justice to make sure they aren't going to whisk you two away in high speed tubes. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, tonight Team Possible doesn't exist."
"So there's no way we could possibly get interrupted?"
Wade smiled. "No, Ron, you two are completely off grid tonight. Unless of course the Lorwardians attack again."
"…"
"That was a joke, Ron."
"Not funny, Wade. Not funny at all."
Xander was completely frustrated, to the point he'd started ranting in his mind like his father often did out loud when one of his schemes failed. The young man had already been through the entire database with the exception of the Zs. Why did his parents keep so many files on people that no longer worked for them? Not to mention, why was it taking so long for the current group to leave the control room? It was then that he caught some of the conversation going on between the two henchmen who sat at the controls.
"Are you serious?" replied Henchman A.
"Yep," replied Henchman B. "Dr. Adamson said they've been in the medic ward since he told them. Evidently they both fainted when they heard the news."
"Huh, so Shego's pregnant by the boss. Well don't that beat all."
"I know," replied B as he took a swig of his coffee. "Just imagine what Zunderson must think of this."
"Lars?" answered A. "I'm sure he ain't happy about it. That pushes him back to fourth for taking over the business."
B laughed. "Ha, yeah if she's only carrying one."
A seemed startled. "You mean she's got more than one?"
B nodded. "Seems that way. Adamson said he didn't say anything to the boss and Shego yet because he's not sure himself, but he's got a hunch it might be twins. Something about the way the ultrasound looked."
Xander tuned out the rest of the conversation. So he and his sister were safe, or at least they were safe in that they now existed. He was just starting to smile when it hit him what else he'd heard: Lars's last name was Zunderson! No wonder he hadn't found it yet. Cursing to himself, he entered the name into the wrist Kimmunicator built into the sleeve of his suit. He then slipped back into the grate he had entered the room from. It was time to move, and they had to move fast. If his parents had already been to the base medic, that meant his mother had already sent the call to Team Possible. It also confirmed that Future Lars was already here.
……………………………………………
Resting on her perch on top of one the high vents, June continued scanning the sea of red jumpsuits while she snacked on yet another energy bar. They'd been at this for five days, and so far no luck. And of course, in that entire time she'd yet to lay eyes on Xander. Granted, he did have several databases to check. Not to mention he also had to employ stealth a lot more than she did. June had been able to find a spot and basically stay still the entire time except to sneak off to a bathroom. Xander was probably having to not only do that, but also keep people from tracing his search. Plus, he was also having to watch for breaks in shifts, since he had the job where one of them was more likely to be seen. However, they had planned it that way, since he had not only the stealth training she had but also the espionage skills he had learned from his mother. June had tried to get her parents to teach her some of the sabotage and infiltration skills they knew, but so far she'd been unsuccessful. Her mother had even told her that, just like life, there was nothing they could teach her mission-wise that field experience wouldn't teach her better and faster.
She was just starting to grumble to herself about it when she felt a tug on her leg. She looked at it and noticed a suction cup similar to the ones their grapplers had. Following the line straight across, she saw Xander lying flat on a ventilation shaft about ten feet away. He was tapping his hood, indicating he wanted to speak over their short-wave radios.
"X, what's up?" she whispered.
"Jules, I found his last name, but it doesn't do us any good now. I just confirmed that the boat outside does indeed belong to the Lars from our time, and that he's most likely already replaced himself. We need to shift focus to that machine."
"Right," she agreed. "But how are we supposed to do that?"
"Don't worry, I've got a plan. Just head outside to Lars's boat. I'll meet you out there and explain everything."
"X, this isn't the time for Lone Ranger acts. We've got be a team here."
Xander nodded. "Right. Which is why we need to discuss this somewhere we can make some noise. I'm not too sure you're gonna like my plan. As a matter of fact, I think you might hate it."
That afternoon when Kim got home from the spa, she was surprised to find her parents and Ron's parents already home. Even Gene had stopped work early. They all attributed it to being Friday, but she noticed how all four had huge smiles on their faces. She also couldn't help but notice that her own father and mother kept looking at her somewhat strangely. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer, and sought out her mother, finding the other woman at the dining room table with a cup of hazelnut coffee.
"Mom, why do you and Daddy keep looking at me like I'm about to take off for college in about two minutes?"
Her mother smiled. "I don't know what you mean, Kimmie."
Kim's eyebrow raised. "Oh really? Are you sure? Because Daddy keep looking at me like he looked at me the first time I went to school by myself, or the first time I went off on a mission that wasn't just here in the Tri-City area."
Her mother set down her coffee cup but kept the smile. "Kimmie, both of us, your father especially, are just doing our best to start looking at you as an adult instead of a child. I mean, you are eighteen now, right?"
Kim smiled. "I guess so, but it just seems different I guess."
Anne Possible smiled. "Kimmie, if you wanted to, there's a lot of things you could do now and we couldn't stop you anymore. I think that's what has both of us looking at you differently."
"Okay."
Kim knew her mother was being evasive, but realized she wasn't going to get any farther than she had with the discussion, so she decided to put it out of her mind. However, it was still prickling in the back of her mind, especially when she noticed Ron's mother giving her a similar look. As she was about to change for her and Ron's date that night, she found a tented note on her nightstand.
KP,
Make sure you wear something beautiful tonight. I want to take you someplace special.
Ron.
Kim thought that was strange, considering that Saturdays were normally their formal date nights, whereas Fridays were normally relegated to their fun dates like Bueno Nacho and something along the lines of a non-romance movie or bowling. She supposed that maybe Ron had found out he had to work tomorrow night, and wanted to make tonight their romance night. Or maybe he had scored reservations somewhere special tonight and they would have their fun date tomorrow. Whatever it was, she decided to go along with it. She pulled out a dark blue dress she'd worn only a few times, the most notable being during their Bermuda Triangle Club infiltration during the Lil' Diablo scheme, and hung it on the door. She laughed a little as she remembered that night. It was one of the few times she'd gone against a villain, namely Shego, while wearing a dress and not had the dress get damaged. To be fair, the black wig she'd been wearing had gotten toasted by a plasma blast from the woman, but the dress had come out completely unscathed apart from a few stains that were easily removed.
As she headed for the shower, she also noticed the absence of one person: Ron. It confused her a little bit, but she figured he was probably just not back from his errands yet. As she got cleaned up, however, she kept listening for him, but never once heard him come in. She wasn't too worried until she had already exited the bathroom, gotten dressed, and done up her hair, and he still hadn't shown up. Visions of two weeks earlier started to play in her head while she did her makeup, and she knew that any second her Kimmunicator was going to start going off. But even that remained silent. That's when she heard the doorbell ring.
She heard her father answer it and invite someone in. Then her mother poked her head in the door.
"Kim, there's a very handsome young gentleman here to see you."
Kim cautiously poked her head out, and felt her heart catch in her throat. There stood Ron, but the majority of Middleton High most likely wouldn't have recognized the former goofball. He was dressed way past the nines in a charcoal black tuxedo that shone in the light. His hair was combed neatly for perhaps the first time in his life, and he looked like he had shaved no more than an hour earlier, leaving his face completely smooth. Looking down at his feet, she didn't see his customary tennis shoes like he'd worn to the Junior Prom, or even solid colored shoes like he'd worn to the senior year version of the event. Instead, he was wearing black and white spats. When he turned towards her, she noticed a nice, neat bowtie at his throat, and that his shirt had black buttons and looked dazzling white and freshly pressed. All in all, Ron looked absolutely breathtaking to her, more so than he had in the entire time she'd known him. She almost couldn't focus enough to make a mental note to ask him to clean up like this more often.
"Hi," was all she could manage.
"Hi, yourself," he smiled as he came over and placed a loving kiss on her lips. "Ready to go?"
"Uh huh," she stammered, still trying to wrap her mind around how he could look so handsome.
As he escorted her out the door, her arm in his, he turned to wave. Kim couldn't have copied the action to save her life because she was still caught in a hypnotic daze. So she didn't see the thumbs up that both fathers gave him, or that both mothers had tears of joy rolling down their faces. She did of course notice that he insisted on driving the Sloth that night, as well as insisting on being the one to open her door, but she let him. He was obviously pulling out all the stops for some reason, and she was inclined to let him.
As they drove, they talked about random things until finally Kim came to the question she was wanting to ask. "Ron, why'd you switch up the date night? Aren't Saturdays our formal date night?"
Ron smiled. "Normally yes, but I managed to swing reservations without Wade's help this time, and they couldn't fit us in tomorrow. So I decided I treat you like a lady tonight instead."
Kim smiled. "So where are we going?"
Ron grinned. "Chez Couteaux, and before you ask, we're going all out tonight. Anything on the menu goes, even the Filet Mignon and Lobster platter, if you want."
She gasped. "Ron, that thing is almost $50.00 by itself!"
Her boyfriend merely grinned again. "I told you, KP. We're going all out tonight."
When they arrived, they were led to a special table off to the side where they had a very good view of both the scenery outside and the inside of the restaurant. Fridays were also band nights at the high-class restaurant, and the small orchestra was playing some soft jazz and some big band music. There were fresh candles in the holder, and the whole mood seemed absolutely perfect. Even the moon outside was full. And true to his word, Ron pulled out all the stops. They had it all: appetizers, soups, salads, large meals, the works. The entire time they talked about anything, everything, and nothing, just like they normally did. They even gave each other bites off their plates. Kim couldn't remember an eating experience there that had ever been more romantic. However, the biggest surprised was yet to come.
Shortly after their dessert plates were taken away, Ron excused himself for a moment and went to talk to the maître d'. When he came back, he had a grin wider than she'd ever seen.
"Ron, what's going on?" she asked with a smile. "What are you planning?"
"You'll see," he said with a smile.
She looked at him quizzically for a minute. It was then she noticed the band starting up on a very familiar song. At first she couldn't place it, but then they hit the chorus and she knew. The band may have only been doing an instrumental version, but there was no mistaking the song. It was "Could It Be," the song that had brought them to their first official kiss nearly fourteen months earlier. Looking at Ron, she saw nothing but love in those chocolate brown eyes. She also saw him get up and walk over to her side of the table.
"Oh my god," she whispered.
He knelt down and pulled a small, black velvet box out of his jacket pocket.
"Oh…my…god," she said again a little louder, this time feeling a tear escape down her cheek. "Ron, are you about to…?"
"Kim, I've known for some time that you would always be my best friend. No matter what happened, you always had my back, and you let me watch yours as well. You even put a special trust in me, choosing me to be your backup on missions to save the world. Then, just over a year ago, you made me the happiest person in the world when you agreed to become my girlfriend. You make me want to be a better person, more than the slacker goofball I've always been. KP, I love you, and if you'll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life making you just as happy as you make me."
He flipped open the ring box, and the sight took away Kim's breath. Sitting there against white satin was a gold ring. But it wasn't the ring that caused her to gasp. Somehow, Ron had managed to create the perfect ring for her, for sitting on top of the ring was a brilliant square-cut, sparking diamond. It was an inch across on all sides, and surrounded by four rectangular emeralds that matched the earrings that she was wearing. She looked from Ron to the ring and back at Ron. And all she saw was love.
"Kimberly Anne Possible, will you marry me?"
For a moment, the world stood still. Nothing but her, Ron, and the ring. She had held back the tears so far, only letting the one escape, but now they cascaded down her face. There was only one answer she could think of, but for some reason her voice wouldn't say it. It took all of five seconds to find her voice, and when she did she practically screamed her answer.
"YES! I will!"
Ron pulled the ring out the box and slipped it on her left hand ring finger. And then he cemented the moment with one of the most tender, loving kisses they had ever shared.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes," she kept repeating over and over again when they parted.
Ron tenderly dabbed the tears away from her eyes, doing his best to keep from smudging her makeup. However, she wouldn't have cared if her mascara and rouge and lipstick all started running. All she knew was the love she saw in those chocolate brown eyes.
The band took up a second rendition of the song, and Ron led Kim out to the dance floor, where they danced much like they had that first night they realized there was more to what they had than just friends, much more than just best friends, even more than just partners in world saving who watched each others' backs. Anyone who saw them dancing that night over a year earlier knew instantly that it was true love, and anyone who saw them dancing now would think any less. There was no question that the strong-willed redhead and the "never be normal" blonde dancing so close and slow belonged together.
Across town, James Possible sat in the living room looking at the clock. If things had gone the way that Ron had described them when he'd asked the older man to dinner the Friday before, his Kimmie-cub wasn't coming home. In her place would be Kimberly Anne Possible, a young woman who was now the fiancée and future wife of Ronald Eugene Stoppable. The thought made him both overjoyed and sad at the same time. No matter how much he had professed otherwise, no matter how much he'd had to convince Ron that he had his blessing to ask for Kim's hand in marriage, this was still going to be difficult. He knew he still had some time to prepare for the inevitable day when he handed his daughter over to the young man for good, but it still wouldn't leave his mind.
Anne Possible could see the wheels turning in her husband's head. "James, you know she'll always be your little girl."
James sighed. "I know. I just thought I might have more time before this day came."
Anne smiled and took her husband's face in her hands. "Are you saying you wish you hadn't given your okay when Ron asked you if he could marry her?"
James smiled sadly. "No, I'm not saying that. I think I knew from that night they went to Middleton Days that Ron would be the one to snag her heart."
Anne kissed him on the cheek and snuggled up against him. "Jimmy, you do know that what went on with them then was due in large part to that device that was stuck on Kim's neck, right?"
Her husband sighed again. "Yes, but I also saw the look on her face when he dropped her off. It was a mix between relief and crushed. She may have been relieved they didn't spoil their friendship, but I think the fact that it was over before it started that time hurt her pretty bad. To tell the truth, when I saw how fast she fell for that thing, even if she was falling for something fake, it seemed like a rebound. Then after, when she and Ron came by and told us they were going to the Prom together, I think I knew then that she would most likely get her last first kiss from him."
Anne smiled at her husband. "So then what's the problem?"
James shifted a little in his seat. "Well, it's just that I thought…"
Anne kissed him on the cheek. "You thought you might have a little more time before she grew up, huh?"
"Yeah," he replied, a touch of sadness to his voice.
James looked at one of the pictures they'd recovered from the ruins of their house. It was a picture of Kim and Ron just before sixth grade. The kids had their arms around each other and Ron had his other hand in a piece sign. Kim had on a blue shirt with a lighter blue star, and Ron was wearing a red and cream striped shirt. It had been during the Fourth of July barbecue that year, and since Ron's dad was the one manning the barbecue that time, James had been the one to take the pictures. It occurred to her father how Kim hadn't even been looking at him when he had snapped the photo. Instead, she was staring at the goofball best friend standing next to her. Even then, the two kids had possessed a major connection with each other that most people took years to build.
James smiled again, and put his arm around his wife. "At least we know she's going to marry a great guy."
Anne smiled. "Yeah. He really is."
…………………………………………………………………
In another part of the house, a similar discussion was taking place.
"Gene, are you sure that Ronnie's ready for this?" Jean Stoppable said as she paced back and forth.
"Honey, you said it yourself. Ronald feeling that kind of love for anyone makes us both proud, especially since it's for their Kimberly," Gene replied with a soothing smile.
"But he doesn't know the first thing about what it takes to be committed like to someone," his wife countered. "I mean, this is his first serious girlfriend, and the others lasted only one or two days at most."
Gene smiled. "Jeanette, he knows more about what it takes to make that girl happy and take care of her than sometimes even her parents know. Just a few days ago he was the only one who could get her to accept that she needed to wear that back support."
Jean sat on the bed next to her husband. "But what if things change at college. She's very sweet, but she's still just a teenager. I just don't want Ron getting hurt."
Gene shook his head. "Won't happen. I promise."
"How can you be so sure?" she asked.
He gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Because I know what I see. Kimberly looks at our Ronald the same way her mother looks at her father, and the same way you look at me. There is no doubt in my mind that those two are perfect for each other."
Wade smiled to himself as he looked at the clock. Ron had probably popped the question to Kim already, and there was no way he was about to interrupt them. True to his word, he'd been redirecting everything to other sources. He'd even sent one Camille León sighting in London to Global Justice, even though Kim and Ron would have loved to take another crack at the disinherited heiress turned villain. Now all he was doing was going through their missions lining up rides and information. That's when he saw it.
Once again, he was looking up the info on the request from a Miss Sheila Godfrey who was located somewhere in the Caribbean Islands. Checking the coordinates for where the call for help had come from, Wade did a double-take. No, that couldn't be right. He checked again and came up with the exact same result. It was an island was very familiar to Team Possible. On more than one occasion they had blown up that very location. It had even been the sight of their very first major super villain mission. Now someone there was asking for their help, and Wade had a sneaking suspicion he knew who it was. Typing in the name, he stared at it for a few minutes. Then he deleted some of the letters, bringing him to one conclusion.
Sheila Godfrey = Shego.
For a reason that was unfathomable to Wade, Shego wanted help from Team Possible's. However, she'd only put it as a "help requested", so it probably wasn't a trap. Whatever was going on, it seemed like it might actually be legit. Wade had stifle a laugh at the looks he imagined on Kim and Ron's faces when they got the mission briefing for this one. Even if they were expecting it to come, it was probably still going to take them by surprise.
a/n
Yes, it's finally happened. And no I don't mean anything by having it come up in the 13th chapter, it just happened that way.
As always, reviews and comments are welcome. :)