Chapter 38: The Weekend Before the Holidays
"You seem strangely satisfied today," Montgomery Fiske commented to his green-skinned companion. Shego had just arrived at the couple's home, after a night of providing security and 'motivation' at the smuggler's warehouse.
"I don't think things could have worked out better," Shego answered, with an absolutely predatory smile. "Paco decided to show off his machismo and wound up providing the perfect example."
"I take it he experienced a somewhat uncomfortable, abject lesson?"
"You could say that," Shego smirked. "I don't know where the idiot got off thinking that he could grab product and get away with it. He's also been telling his buddies that he was going to bag me. Anyway, when I confronted him about his theft, right in front of the entire factory, he decided to get all bold and pull his package out. He must have figured I'd be some kind of blushing schoolgirl." Shego snorted again, examining her razor-sharp claws, "it only took one, quick swipe to get everybody's attention. After that, I think we set a record for production in one night."
"Did you inflict permanent damage to the man?" Monty's face showed it's own amusement.
"Permanent, but not drastic," Shego answered, with a broad smile. 'He can still have a legacy, but I don't think he's going to be trying to reproduce anytime soon. How was your night?"
"Not as satisfying as yours," Fiske admitted. "But still productive. Some of the drivers were under the illusion that they could intimidate the undersized European, who gave them their orders. They now have a somewhat different opinion of me."
Shego looked a little closer at Monty. The man had some slight bruising around one eye and abrasions on his knuckles. The mercenary had no doubt that the man had gotten the better of the encounter. He was now much like Stoppable was, about a year ago. He might not be able to deal with the likes of her, Kimmie or Team Go, but he was a match for anything short of a superhero or supervillain.
"Fortunately, the vehicles they drive are equipped with automatic transmissions," Fiske continued. "So the broken hands won't affect their ability to drive."
"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" Shego asked, putting just a hint of seductive purr in her voice. His widened eyes indicated that he guessed how she intended to spend at least some of their down time.
"I have a little business to attend to, before moving on to more…enjoyable pursuits," he informed her. "Some of the locals have unearthed more artifacts and I want to classify them before becoming distracted." The last remark had been delivered with his own, surprisingly suggestive, expression.
"Oh!" He exclaimed, with a snap of his fingers. "You received an email. I suspect that it is one of your coded communications from Henchco."
"What did it say?" She asked, walking towards the spare room, where they kept their electronics equipment.
"I didn't look," he informed her. "Since it may be private."
Shego smiled as she seated herself in front of the computer. That was another thing she liked about Monty. If she had been incapacitated, he wouldn't have hesitated to open her email and use her decryption tables too read the real message. As it was, he respected her privacy, trusting her to divulge what she felt appropriate.
Shego opened the email and printed it. Then she grabbed an ancient, as in three years old, laptop. This older unit had an almost unbeatable electronic security feature; it had no internet access whatsoever. In this day of electronic espionage, simply keeping the most sensitive files on a non-communicating machine was sometimes the best option. Shego called up the decryption key and started to translate the actual message. It took her almost an hour and she could barely conceal her excitement when she was finished.
She sprinted out of the house and to the small shed, where Fiske kept the artifacts he was preparing for sale. The fallen nobleman looked up with an intent, curious expression as she approached.
"Monty!" She exclaimed, shoving her hand-written translation into his hands. "Check it out!"
"The amount offered is quite generous," he commented, after studying the paper for a few moments. "And it has the potential of furthering your other goal, even though I never wanted to associate with this fellow again."
"Look on the bright side," she snickered. "We could be putting together a family reunion."
Kim, her right hand holding Ron's left, her left arm over his shoulder and his right arm around her waist, spun with her partner. As the waltz reached its end, the two teens added a little spice to their steps, with Ron lifting Kim and twirling her around. He released her waist and she executed a graceful spin, ending by stepping back into a tight embrace as the music stopped. The two teens, along with the other couples at the Winter Formal, applauded. Kim took the arm Ron offered, and the two walked back to their table. Soon, Yori, Felix and Cindy joined them. Ron and Felix played the part of gentlemen, seating the girls. About the time that everybody got settled, Oscar showed up with a tray full of drinks.
"So, everybody, what do you think?" Kim asked her companions. "Be honest, I can handle it."
"It is a most enjoyable event, Possible-san," Yori answered. "I was unfamiliar with this type of a celebration, but I find myself taking pleasure in participating."
"You did a great job decorating the gym and arranging for the music," Cindy added. "I don't have any complaints."
"I'm not much of a formal dancer," Oscar chimed in. "And this is sort of a high brow function for me, but I'm glad I'm here."
Kim smiled at that. Oscar wasn't much of a dancer but he was athletic, agile, and possessed of musical ability. As a result, Cindy had proven to be able to guide him through some fairly intricate steps. Ron, on the other hand, kept trying to cut loose and show off. Kim found herself continually restraining her PF, promising to take him to a proper dance club in the near future, so that he could really unwind. The surprise couple had been Yori and Felix.
Felix had put a booster seat on his wheelchair, bringing himself much closer to Yori's height. Yori had perched on Felix's lap while they danced in the 'closed' position. During the open position steps, Yori orbited her boyfriend, while he rotated opposite her orbit, with the lithe, Japanese girl skipping gracefully over his extended legs. Kim had to smile when recalling the couple's dancing. It was obvious they had rehearsed their dance steps.
Kim looked to her PF, ready to discuss his friend's dancing ability but her comment caught in her throat. Ron's smile was somewhat strained and he was looking at Felix. Kim doubted that anybody else could tell that something was bothering Ron, much less that it dealt with Felix. Kim wracked her brain, trying to find an excuse to get Ron off alone, when she was interrupted again.
"Hello K, Cindy," Bonnie approached the table and addressed her two, fellow cheerleaders. "I see almost all of you are dressed appropriately for the event, but not everybody knows what formal means."
She delivered her line with a pointed look at Oscar. While Ron and Felix had both rented tuxedos (the one Joe had given Ron just wouldn't fit his filled out form) a one-night rental just wasn't in the Williamsens' budget. While Oscar wasn't the only boy wearing a jacket and tie, he was the only one in the immediate area. Cindy was prepared to snap back at the tall brunette, but Oscar's discrete nudge to her elbow quieted her.
"We appreciate your concern, Rockwaller-san," Yori replied, her emphasis on the honorific making it an obvious insult. "But I can assure you that those of us here have learned to appreciate the person, so that the packaging is irrelevant."
"That may be so, Yori," Bonnie replied. "But it is customary. Some of us prefer to observe the customs." She paused, theatrically, "I thought that you honored customs."
"Indeed I do, Rockwaller-san," Yori answered. "But only where such customs do not exclude those with honor, while embracing those without."
"This is supposed to be fun," Oscar interrupted. "Bonnie, do you want to join us? I didn't see you arrive, so I don't know if you have a date or friends with you. You're welcome to hang with us if you're feeling lonely."
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," the social hierarchy's queen answered, in a low growl. "The atmosphere here is a little plain, you could say common, for my taste."
"Make sure you don't face into the wind," Oscar advised, as she turned to leave.
"What?" She demanded, spinning back around to face the table.
"It's snowing pretty heavily outside," he explained.
"I'm perfectly aware of that!" She snapped back.
"Oh, so you understand," Oscar nodded.
"Understand what?" She demanded.
"With your nose cranked up like that, if you turn into the wind, you just might drown," he advised her.
Bonnie had no answer to the round of ill-concealed snickers that erupted from the table, so she spun and marched off.
The three couples spent several minutes just chatting, until Cindy glanced over to another table.
"Oscar," she nudged her boyfriend. "If you don't mind, I'm going to dance with Larry, walk him through the steps, then push him into asking Lisa to dance. Those two have been making eyes at each other long enough."
"Lisa?" Kim perked up. "The same girl who liked Ron's freckles before…"
"The same one," Cindy giggled.
"Go for it," Oscar suggested. "And if it's okay with Yori and Felix, I'd be honored if our favorite exchange student would agree to dance with me."
"I would be delighted," Yori answered. "Felix-kun, is this acceptable to you?"
"Of course," Felix answered. "You should be enjoying yourself, not spending all of your time adjusting to my shortcomings."
"I do not find dancing with you to be unenjoyable," Yori protested. She seemed ready to speak further when Ron interrupted.
"Yori, why don't you cut some moves on the dance floor while your boyfriend fills me in on the latest Zombie Mayhem installment? I know that the rest of you don't much care for our video game addiction." Ron made discrete (at least he hoped they were discrete) glances at the others. Yori, Oscar, and Kim took the hint, leaving the blonde alone with his best human, male friend.
"Okay, buddy," Ron addressed Felix, once the two were alone. "You're way smarter than I am, so you'll know if I'm trying to get you to open up. Why don't you just tell me what's bothering you?"
Felix looked at Ron long and hard for a few, endless seconds before speaking.
"Ron," he started. "Have you ever thought less of me because I'm in this wheelchair?"
"What!? No," Ron answered, without hesitation. "To be honest, I've sort of looked forward to seeing how you handle sitches."
"What do you mean?" Felix looked just a little bit offended.
"The way you always overcome any possible obstacle," Ron clarified. "You want to attend school, so you build a crawler attachment to get up and down stairs. You want to go to the beach, so you fit the chair with monster tires. You want to attend a formal dance, so you alter the chair and work out some dance steps with your girlfriend. You've always seemed to…thrive on overcoming the obstacles that life has thrown your way. I've really admired that."
"I think I might have an obstacle I can't overcome," Felix admitted, his shoulders drooping and his gaze dropping to the tabletop.
"What is it?" Ron asked. "Can I help you with it?"
"I don't think Kim would really appreciate that," Felix quipped, rallying a little.
"Well…what's the problem?"
Felix spent close to a minute composing his thoughts before speaking.
"Ron?" He asked. "Do you ever wonder about your future with Kim?"
"Well, yeah," Ron admitted. "I did give her the promise ring. I hope that we can stay together long enough to get married, even though I know that we're young to be thinking that way."
"Yeah," Felix nodded. "Do you ever think about things in the more immediate future?"
"You mean like Christmas, Hanukkah, prom, and things like that?"
"No," Felix shook his head. "I mean, your relationship with Kim."
"Felix, I'm not that smart tonight. You're going to have to make things very clear here."
"Okay, fine," Felix looked around, confirming that there weren't any bystanders close by. "Do you ever think about becoming intimate with Kim?"
"Well…uh…er," Ron stammered, suddenly finding his collar entirely too tight.
"Ron," Felix shook his head. "We're friends and high school seniors! Can't we have this discussion without all the juvenile stuttering and embarrassment?"
"I can't say that I won't blush or stutter," Ron answered. "But I'll do my best, so yes, I've thought about it but I don't know how much of it's the hormones talking. We've decided to wait at least until we have our diplomas."
"In other words, you don't know how much of it's love and how much of it's base urges?"
"Exactly."
"But," Felix held up one finger. "When the right time comes, the two of you will become intimate?"
"Probably," Ron agreed. "I can't see us not taking that step."
"That's my problem," Felix admitted. "I can't take that step."
Ron nodded. He knew that Felix wasn't…functional in that regard. (All night Zombie Mayhem sessions, fueled by junk food and caffeinated soft drinks, spawned discussions with wide-ranging topics.)
"So I take it that you've had some thoughts about Yori in…that regard?" He asked his friend.
"Yeah," Felix confessed. "I mean, she's really smart but she's really hot as well."
Ron nodded. Sure, he was head over heels in love with Kim but he was a guy and he had noticed how attractive Yori was. He didn't feel guilty, at least not very much. He was sure that Kim noticed attractive guys.
"So," Felix continued. "What happens if she wants to…you know?"
"I take it that she doesn't know that you can't…." Ron left the question hanging in the air.
"No," Felix shook his head. "I never thought that it was that important."
"So what's changed?"
"Someone told me about a possible cure for my condition." Felix's statement caused Ron's eyes to snap wide open. "It's experimental and I don't know how many people have gone through with it. All I know is that a guy who was in worse shape than I am can now walk."
"What's the but?" Ron asked. "Good news like this always has a but."
"Like I said, there hasn't been any studies on the long term effects," Felix answered, with a smile at Ron's statement. "Because the treatment is so new that there hasn't been enough time to study the long term effects."
"What does your mom say?" Ron wondered.
"She doesn't know about it," Felix answered.
"Whoa," Ron leaned back into his seat. "Just how sure are you about this treatment?"
"I can't dispute my own eyes," Felix answered. "The guy who showed me the results wants it to be a secret, so I'm kind of on my own here…except for you."
"So you have to decide if the risks are worth the results?" Ron asked.
"Exactly," Felix nodded. "You know, up until a couple of months ago, being in the chair never really bothered me. It was kind of a game; how do I overcome everything in my way? But now…"
"What's changed?" Ron asked.
"Now that I can see a way out, I'm noticing the things that I've been missing," Felix muttered. "The other night, I was driving my van home and I drove by the Possibles' house and saw you, Kim and her brothers having a big snowball fight out in the front yard. Nobody has a problem nailing you with a snowball, since they know that you'll just laugh it off and throw one right back. Nobody has ever hit me with one; they see this chair and think that I'm too frail."
"And now there's your girlfriend," Ron supplied.
"Yeah," Felix admitted. "I keep remembering you and Kim, Oscar and Cindy, Josh and Tara, and even Brick and Monique camel fighting up at Lake Middleton. I also remember the other stuff you guys do, like how Kim likes to just run up and jump on your back, or tackle you when you're playing touch football with her brothers. I see that stuff and I wonder if Yori's thinking that she's missing out on something."
Ron lowered his head. He had never realized that he might be flaunting his abilities in front of his friend.
"No pity!" Felix snapped at him. "Don't feel bad about what you do with your friends. You guys invite me along and treat me just like one of the guys. I really appreciate it."
"Okay," Ron brought his head up again. "So you're looking at your situation in a different light."
"Yes," Felix agreed. "Then there's the…intimacy issue."
"Do you think that she's going to leave you over that?" Ron asked.
"I don't think so," Felix mused. "But I've been reading some so-called relationship experts, and most of them say that it's part of an adult relationship. I have to wonder if she's going to be missing out on something if she stays with me. Then there's what comes out of such a …physical relationship."
"Oh, kids?" Ron asked, after a few moments thought.
"Exactly," Felix nodded. "Sure, we're only seventeen, but we're going to be thinking that way in the next ten years or so. First of all, even if Yori and I don't stay together, I have to assume that anybody else I get involved with might want kids. What are they going to do when I tell them that I can't produce my half of the equation? It's no big deal for me; I learned that I couldn't father children at about the same time that I learned where children come from. But what about any girl who wants to get serious with me? Then there's mom."
"Your mom would like grandkids?" Ron asked.
"We've never talked about it," Felix answered. "I mean, what's the point of talking about it when we both know that I can't give her any? At least, not genetically related. I'm just wondering what will happen fifteen years from now, if she finds out I had the opportunity to become whole and turned it down."
"I think that your mother is a lot more understanding than that," Ron argued. "But I'll give you some free advice, worth every penny that you pay for it."
Felix inclined his head, inviting Ron to continue.
"I think you need to talk to Yori," Ron told his friend. "You don't need to tell her about your issue, or about the possible solution, but you need to find out how she thinks that…intimacy should fit into your relationship. Then you can decide if you need to bring up the other issues. You know you can always talk to me. Besides that, you can't be the only couple with your issue. Maybe we can find out how some of these other couples deal with it." The blonde boy snorted out a laugh, "I can remember when 'relationship issues' meant talking about what costumes we were going to be wearing for Halloween."
"I guess we're growing up," Felix smiled back. "But I think that's some good advice. I'll…"
The rest of their companions returned from the dance floor, interrupting the two boys' conversation. Kim and Cindy watched, anxiously, as the shy Larry approached Lisa and asked her to dance. The two cheerleaders shared a muffled celebration as the two they were observing made their way onto the floor. Soon, conversation at the table returned to previous topics.
For several minutes, the six teens discussed the upcoming holidays, the cheerleading and wrestling competitions that would take place shortly after the new year, and the putdown that Oscar had inflicted upon Bonnie. They also talked about how Hirotaka would be returning to Japan after the end of the current semester but Yori would remain for the spring semester. As the couples got to their feet and returned to the dance floor, Kim noticed that both her PF and Felix seemed less tense, as if they had dealt with whatever was bothering Felix.
Ed Lipsky walked into his halfway house with a serious smile on his face. Sure, with the cold winter, he couldn't really ride his new wheels to and from work, but the bus wasn't all that bad. What really had him happy was the fact that the parole board had chopped a couple more years off of his sentence. The fact that he went to work every night, and that he had told the bureau dudes that Red was getting too close to him, had seriously impressed that bunch. If he kept his nose clean for another year, they were seriously thinking of giving him a little free time.
The big man walked into the office and checked in with the staff. As always, the duty staffer confirmed that his transmitter was firmly in place before letting him head to his room. This was another thing that had Ed happy; he now had a private room, a reward for good behavior. Ed opened his door and stepped inside. He closed his door and reached for the light switch, only to be halted by a snarl.
"Don't make a sound!" a harsh voice hissed at him.
Ed turned on the light and turned around to see…
"Green babe?" He gasped at Shego. "Babe, it's not like I've never wanted to see you in my bedroom, seriously, but you're a felon and I can't be hangin' with you."
"Shut up, Ed," Shego hissed at him. The mercenary handed the big man a small object that looked like an oversized pill. "Swallow this!" She commanded.
"Hey babe," Ed replied. "If this is something to put me in the mood, or take care of some guy issues, I seriously don't need it. Now, we're gonna have to be quiet, but I'm willing to try if you are!"
"Ed," Shego informed him, with exaggerated patience. "I'm not here to sleep with you, I'm here to deliver you to someone else."
"Is she hot?" Ed asked.
"Listen you lunk," Shego hissed. "I'm not taking you to some stud farm, I'm kidnapping you and delivering you to someone who's going to put you to work. Now, you can come along quietly and painlessly, or you can fight it and get a lot of people, yourself included, hurt." Shego held up the object that she had told him to swallow. "This is a self-guiding tracking chip. Once it gets into your body cavity, it will make its way to the proper location. Now, I coated it with orange flavoring to make it more pleasant to swallow. On the other hand, if you let me pick the opening it goes in, the citric acid in the coating is going to be very irritating. What's your choice?"
The on duty staffer was jolted out of his paperwork-induced reverie, first by the sounds of fighting, then by a scream of unimaginable pain.
Yori was very content, seated comfortably across her boyfriend's lap, under a blanket, as he guided his wheelchair along the snow-covered sidewalks in Middleton Park. While being out on a snowy night like this might sound odd, Felix had taken a couple of precautions. First, the young genius had put specialty snow tires on his chair, providing him with excellent handling. Secondly, he had developed a small heater for the chair. The extra heat kept the pair warm and comfortable as they motored through the nearly deserted park.
The date had started somewhat uncomfortably for the Japanese girl. Her boyfriend had asked her about how she viewed a more intimate relationship and how important such a relationship was to her. Within a few minutes, she realized that he was not trying to manipulate her emotions; that he honestly wanted to know where she saw the two of them going, couple-wise. With that, the straightforward Japanese girl had given truthful answers and demanded the same in return. Soon, the date had turned into a mature discussion of what they both expected from life.
Now, with the discussion finished, the two simply enjoyed the solitude.
This was close to perfection.
That was the only thing Kim could think. She was seated with Ron in the back seat of the sleigh, sliding through Middleton Park. In the front seat, Oscar and Cindy guided the horse. The really didn't need to do so, the horse had been pulling wagons through the park for years and would probably follow the path, perfectly, with no direction. Still, it was a romantic setting.
It had taken Kim awhile to get her PF to calm down and get into the proper frame of mind. He had felt a little awkward, since the last time he had done this, he was with a different girl. However, she had managed to get him over his guilty feelings, allowing for some serious snuggle time. She heaved a happy sigh and looked over the park.
If she remembered correctly, when she and Monique had seen the two couples, last year, the night had been clear and calm. Tonight it was snowing, with just a breath of wind. Rather than make the date uncomfortable, the weather made it romantic. The large, thick snowflakes cut visibility down to a few dozen yards, making the sparsely populated park look deserted. Looking forward again, she saw some running lights appear, on the trail in front of them, through the obscuring curtain of snow.
Kim frowned for a moment, wondering why a vehicle would be on the park trail. A short time later, she realized that it was Felix's wheelchair and that the boy genius had Yori draped across his lap. Kim smiled again, glad that her two friends were also taking advantage of the park, and the free weekend. She grew confused when Ron broke their embrace and started gathering snow, from where it had piled on the back of the sleigh.
Felix heard horse's hooves on the trail behind him, so he guided his chair to the side of the trail. He took a quick glance back, just to assure himself that the driver had enough room to go by. His shock was complete when he had just enough time to recognize the two couples in the sleigh, before Ron's snowball hit him.
"Alright, he asked for it," he informed Yori, as he wiped the snow from the side of his face. "This is war! "
Both Yori and Felix gathered up handfuls of snow as Felix guided his chair up along the left side of the still-moving sleigh. Soon, a running snowball fight developed as Yori and Felix would approach the sleigh, have a furious exchange of snowballs with Kim and Ron, then back off and rearm themselves. Before long, Kim and Ron ran out of snow to throw back. Oscar stopped the sleigh (the horse was utterly bored with the whole thing) so that the redhead and her PF could jump out and reload. Ron had just taken aim at his best, male, human friend when he was ambushed.
Kim tackled the unsuspecting Ron, dropping him onto his back in the deepening snow. He howled in betrayed outrage and moved to get up, only to feel his PF wrap her arms around his neck and bring her mouth to his. Lost in the kiss, he was completely unprepared for the double handful of snow that she dropped down the back of his shirt.
This prompted an absolute free for all snowball fight, even including Oscar and Cindy. Finally, the six teens got together and built a large snowman, before continuing their previous dating activity.
"Ron," Oscar addressed his friend, as they continued the sleigh ride. "Why did you start that snowball fight with Felix?"
"Therapy," Ron answered, with a huge grin.
"Felix-kun," Yori said to the young man upon whose lap she sat. "Is this normal American dating activity?" The Japanese girl was very happy, but curious.
"Not even close to normal," her boyfriend informed her. "Did you enjoy it."
"Indeed, Felix-kun," she smiled. "I find such energetic and unorthodox activities to be most…agreeable."
Felix smiled but later that night, after dropping Yori off, he sent an email to the private account Mr. Loward had given him.
A/N:
Thanks again for reading. Sorry if the update came a little late, but I put in some time writing an entry into Zaratan's Halloween contest. I hope to continue to update once per week.
My fondest thanks go to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review or to send a PM. Encouragement and ideas are always welcome for someone with my limited intellect.
A big thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for beta reading.
'till next update, best wishes;
daccu65