A/N: A mini-fic since I'm in a posting-drought while working on something...BIG.
This is an old fic I wrote on Tumblr, answering a prompt there by sizzlingpenguincollector: "What if Kim actually listened to Ron's findings in episode 40, 'Return to Camp Wannaweep'?"
(Frankly, I'm only publishing because this was once stolen over the summer off Tumblr and I decided it best to get it on all my usual platforms.)
It helps if you watch the episode first, since I pick up directly into canon scenes and use some dialogue from the show. Also, edited slightly from the original posting to eliminate incongruities.
"You want proof? You can't handle the proof!" Ron declared, taking his notebook from his pocket and thrusting it in front of Kim's face, open to the last page. "Suspicious thing number one– er, twenty-three! Gil has been sneaking away from camp at night and going out on the lake and deep into the woods, not near any paths. Suspicious thing number twenty-four! Rufus and I found a fresh mutant footprint the way he was going. What other mutants are lurking around this lake, huh? Huh!? Suspicious thing number twenty-two–!"
"Look, Ron," Kim said with her arms crossed. "I understand you have issues with Gil and with this place, but that's all in the past."
"Is it, Kim? Is it? How come we have yet to see his mascot costume, huh? His explanation is he wants to surprise everyone with it. Four days into camp? We only have one day left! And how come he's being extra nice to me but not actually saying anything, you know? It's just all that…fake-nice stuff, you know, like Bonnie does with our history teacher."
"Hey, I've gotta pass that class somehow!" the brunette chimed in, turning and stalking away from the pair.
Kim's expression slowly began to soften, her brows knitting in worry. "Okay, going out on the lake at night is a little strange, but only because it's Gil. Have you tried talking to him?"
"Yeah, but it's like I said, he just does all that fake-nice stuff."
"Uh-huh," Rufus piped up from Ron's pocket.
Kim sighed, but it turned into a yawn. "All right. If Gil sneaks out again tonight, you can come wake me up."
Ron's eyes brightened. "You mean that, KP?"
"Sure."
"Heh. You're the best," he said, smiling in relief.
"Wade? Wade, speak to me!" Ron said, shaking the Kimmunicator as static overtook the screen. Rufus whimpered in worry at this, the sign of suspicious thing number twenty-seven. "Come on Rufus, we've got to find Kim and head to that grotto. Mm, hate that word!" he said as he ran out of the cabin with purpose.
Minutes later, the three of them were on the lake in a canoe as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. Rufus was poised on the bow as lookout while Ron rowed.
"Maybe it's another case of sunspots…" Kim said after Ron explained about the Kimmunicator.
"You know what they say about coincidences," Ron said, his face set in determination.
"Hm?" Kim asked.
"They mean you're headed in the right direction."
Kim eyed him quizzically as he steered the boat along a path he was clearly familiar with until they hit the bank. They dragged the boat up a few feet and then headed into the woods were a strange, luminescent-mushroom type of glow was already visible further in.
"Okay…maybe you're not just paranoid," Kim said as they approached and the glow intensified.
"Yeah, this place just screams evil," Ron said with uncharacteristic seriousness.
The grotto seemed to be situated within a sinkhole, and they cautiously peered over the edge at the murky source of the glow. Before they could say another word, the unmistakable figure of Gil walked from among the trees and strode confidently to the water's edge. The shocked faces of the three watchers above was the only reaction they had time for as the misguided teen began to speak.
"At last! After searching night after night! I have found my magic mucca!" Gil declared into the night. And with a grin of unbridled joy, he dove head-first into the depths.
"'Magic mucca?'" Ron said, looking down at Rufus. "Sounds worse than 'grotto'."
"Ron…I'm sorry," Kim said, and the blond-haired boy turned to look at her. "I guess your paranoia wasn't so wrong after all."
"It's okay, KP," Ron said, not giving her former doubt a second-thought. They both recoiled as Gill emerged from the swamp, noticeably larger and much more threatening than either of them remembered. "I'm more concerned with what we're going to do about…that."
"Yeah," Rufus worried, jumping up to Ron's shoulder.
Kim frowned. "I left the Kimmunicator back on my bunk…"
"Oh, no worries KP," Ron said, pulling the device from his pocket and tossing it to her. "Remember Wade called earlier to show me the grotto, but we got disconnected? Suspiciously coincidental sunspots?"
Kim fiddled with the device that still displayed nothing but static. But just then a ground-shaking THUMP startled them both and they fell back from the edge of the sinkhole.
"Yahhh!" Ron cried as Gill towered over both of them.
"Wrong, squeebs! I disabled all the communications surrounding the lake! So all of you will be prey for my revenge! Wah!"
The last he cried in shock as Kim swept his feet from under him, knocking him back down into the grotto.
"Ron, go for help! Call Dr. Lurkin!"
Ron rose shakily to his feet, holding Rufus slightly too tight. "But Kim, you heard him, he disabled the communications. We're all gonna be muck-mutants!"
"Just get Barkin to drive you far enough out that you can use your cell phone. I'll keep Gill busy until you get back," she said, setting her face as she turned back toward the mutant.
"O-okay!" Ron said, backing away a few steps. "Um, and KP?"
"Yeah?" she said, giving him a half glance as she balled her fists at Gill's approach.
"Thanks for believing me."
Kim's face softened, but before she could respond Gill fired a gob of muck at her from his mouth and she flipped away to dodge the blow.
"Yah!" Ron yelled, running back toward their canoe.
A/N: …And…the end. After that I imagine Ron would get back, find everyone mutated, and things would proceed just as in the episode. Although now with a mutant Kim and Bonnie as well. Didn't feel like writing it. *shrugs* I have to be in the right mood for Gill.