Chapter 5
A/N: Usually I post both my updates for both my ongoing stories at the same time. However, the week has been busy so I just finished this chapter. I'll update my other story either later tonight or over the next couple of days.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
As always, let me know what you think, and thank you for the reviews!
I.
Kim stood on the dance floor uncomfortably looking around at all the guests. Dignitaries of all sorts dressed in all the colors of the world dragging Kim into the undertow of underwhelmed.
Her informant gave advice that now seemed ill-advised at best. Even with her black masquerade mask sprouting glittering black feathers, Kim's simple indigo dress and tied-up auburn hair stuck out in the crowd. Don't think Cinderella, she said. Think more of homecoming but with alcohol. The advice irked at Kim's every nerve. Here she stood like a lost Cinderella.
Kim originally turned down the invitation, wanting no part in the celebrations of a new golden age. Under her watch, the world fell to its knees. Almost taken out by a disillusioned madman that made the Lorwardians and Diablos a preferable alternative. The populace shaken, the new institution of the Union weak on its knees. Kim felt wholly responsible for the tragedies that occurred.
Her eyes darted around the ballroom. Expansive and endless like something out of a fairy tale. Golden chandeliers hanging over the velvet floor, showering the room in dazzling light. With the upbeat music carrying over the crowd, Kim drifted across the floor lost in a sea of people she neither knew nor cared for. She only cared for one person in this sea and he was proving difficult to find.
He must have known I was coming. Why else can't I find him? I wouldn't want to see me either, Kim thought dejectedly while desperately peeking over the tops of the crowd, trying to find that all familiar cowlick.
Why did I even come? Kim thought as the music's roar slowly died down to a gentle whisper, soft romantic notes soughing over the room, calming the choppy gathering. "I should have never come," Kim stated exasperated stopping in the middle of the dance floor. "I should never take advice from her again."
II.
Four days earlier.
Afternoon rain slowly pattered the window as sad shriveled streams that didn't know their course or future. The rain clouds above were starting to give in to the light from above, heavenly rays breaking through as if hope were all but certain. Hope where Kim could run to that her dreams weren't dashed by another calamity. Hope that she could live her dream sooner than later.
The seconds of the clock ticked in synchrony with the raindrops trying to cling to one spot but moving inevitably to their demise to the sill. Kim and the raindrops were the same with the clock, each second like a hammer to her body and soul that her time was slipping away from her. Each tick a bell reminding her she would never get that second back.
"Kim?"
Kim turned to her best friend from high school. The chocolate beauty from Middleton High had taken leave from her career to help keep Kim level-headed. It's not that Kim didn't appreciate her support and compassion, but as she slumped her head onto her wrist, Kim felt nothing more than to be left alone. Left alone to wallow in her own sea of pity and self-doubt. Wading through her own emotions without help felt better than dragging someone down in the deep with her.
On the upside, Monique was buoyant enough to keep her afloat. Kim only ever showed this side of herself to her friend. Out in public, she maintained that upbeat, strong, charismatic character that glued the Earth together. Here in the small cafe in downtown Alexandria, Kim let her sadness seep through her cracks.
"Kim?"
"Yea?" Kim didn't take her eyes off the raindrops.
Monique sighed, "Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
What's there to tell? Kim rolled her eyes in her thoughts. You already know what's wrong and you don't want to hear it. Ever since Ron's break up with Kim, Monique fiercely defended Kim's side of the relationship. After many talks and disagreements, Monique firmly believed that Ron needed to step up and apologize before any talks of any relationship could commence.
Kim, after all these years, had a different opinion. "You already know, Monique. So why even ask?"
"Ron?"
"Yes, Monique. Ron, okay. I'm here because of Ron," Kim glanced in her direction.
Monique rolled her eyes, "He's not even going to be here. So why even try?"
"You know that answer tooooo?" Kim answered sarcastically.
"Look, you can't sit here waiting all your life waiting for him to come back. That boy made up his mind and he's gone. Time to move on."
"Last time I checked, it was my life. And if I want to wait for Ron for the remainder of it, that's what I'll do," Kim responded.
Kim's stubbornness on the issue was nothing new. Dealing it for the better part of her college years. Monique held no ill-will toward Ron and secretly hoped one day he would come to his senses. Ron was Monique's friend too after all. Yet, ignoring her attempts at contact didn't help the anger she did hold for breaking Kim's heart.
Monique couldn't stand seeing Kim in this state. If Ron wasn't going to return, the last thing she wanted to see was Kim continue to wander down an abandoned road alone. Kim's avenues were abundant and many and in Monique's eyes, she couldn't comprehend what emotional wall contained her from going after them. Kim needed to break free and move on with or without Ron.
"I'm not saying that your life isn't yours. I'm saying you shouldn't chain it down to a hopeless situation. You're holding yourself back."
Kim lifted her head, gloom dragging down the corners of her lips, "You really think I'm holding myself back?" Her brows pinched together, "Because that's not how I see it. I'm not even an alumnus of my school and I've unified the planet. Heck, I even got a war out of it. I'm a hero. As the tweebs would say, Hoo-rah!"
"Kim, that's not what I—"
"I know that's not what you mean Monique," Kim squished her face back to her chin. "Don't you ever want it to end? Don't you ever just want to feel… normal."
Monique arched her brow, "Really? Since when was Ron ever normal?"
"You know what I mean. Ron changed all the chaos in my life into something normal. He made me feel like I was ordinary. He brought me back to Earth."
"And you need Ron for that?"
"Who else?"
Another tick of the clock, "There are lots of guys out—"
"I don't want them. I just want him."
"Jeez, you're stubborn. You know—"
"Ahem."
Monique turned to find the waitress standing over their booth, awkwardly holding saucers with their coffee daintily bestowed upon them. Without saying a word, the waitress nervously smiled, setting their drinks down before hurrying off back to the kitchen.
Kim cupped her hands around the warm cup. "I... I..."
"You don't have to say anything Kim, I already know what you're going to say. Let's just wait for whoever you're waiting for," it was Monique's turn to squash her face into her hand. "Who sent you the letter to meet here again?"
"I did." A familiar voice crashed the conversation. Both turned around to find an all too familiar, unwanted face. One that compelled Kim to slam her hand to the table. "Oh, deja vu. Don't need this again. You two are meant for each other."
Shego's response softened Kim's expression, if not out of confusion. "What do you mean, 'You two'?" Kim asked.
Shego crossed her arms haughtily, "No, I can't say the same. Your boyfriend, ahem, ex-boyfriend literally tried to shank me in the gut. If I wasn't always on my toes, he would've succeeded at it too."
"Ron?" Kim relaxed her body at the mention of his name sinking back into the booth while the anger evaporated away.
"You're playing with us, right?" Monique's skepticism slipping off her tongue.
Shego arched her brow, "When do I play? Scooch over," Shego shooed Monique closer to the window as she sat down across from Kim. "Listen, Kimmie, I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help Ron."
"Help Ron?" Kim seemed puzzled. "Wasn't it Master Sergeant Bryer who sent me the letter?"
"Eh, not quite… I'm sure Bryer is going to be pissed that I assumed his name, but that's a different problem for a different time. Anyway, the point is, I used his name because he said he knew you. You for sure wouldn't respond to me—"
"Why not use Ron's name?" Monique queried.
"Oh please, and give Princess here false hope. She would have been devastated right now. That's a great way to start a conversation."
"What do you mean you know Ron? And Bryer? What are you talking about?" Kim asked in disbelief, the subtle irritation creeping up her vocal cords. Kim didn't have a clue about Shego's and Ron's relationship in the army. Being lost in this conversation was the understatement of the year.
Shego face palmed herself. "Doi! You have no clue, do you? Let me back it up a little. You see, I'm in Ron's unit. The 710th. Yea, yea, yea. We serve together."
Kim stared at Shego dumbfounded, any vexation quashed by her confusion.
Shego rolled her eyes. As if her hair tied up in a bun wasn't enough to convince, the Kim Possible. Or the green beret still grasped in her hands. Shego unstrapped the dark raincoat that entombed her dress blues. When the raincoat came off, Kim's eyes grew in shock at the ribbons and medals that represented commendations she'd rather forget.
"You're really..."
"Yes Princess, I'm really in the army with your boo. Now, can we move on from this shocking development and get to why I'm here."
"I think you should. Please and thank you."
Shego's face stiffened, unamused by Monique's snark. "Anyway… How do you feel about Stoppable?"
Kim looked at Shego in shock before her face morphed into a scowl that would frighten anyone but Shego. "Why? What's it to you?"
Shego returned her own scowl, steepling her hands in front of her. "It means a lot. I'm not in the business of letting Stoppable getting hurt."
"Hurt! Since when do you care," Kim's voice climbed. The audacity! She has some nerve coming here and asking a question like that!
"I started caring once we started serving together. We've been through a lot."
If Shego could take a paintbrush and brush it against Kim's cheek, she would find the most brilliant red anywhere in the world. Kim's cheeks were flushed, flaring with rage by the answer. Shego stared slightly amused, surprised that Kim hadn't lunged at her yet.
"I'd choose your next words carefully Shego. Just what have you two been through together that gives you the right to make outrageous statements like that," the air around the booth stiffened, the air in the coffee shop grew cold.
This was Shego's environment. "Well, I'm glad you asked Kimmie. Because there's a lot you need to know about your ex before you go anywhere near him. And I'm here to determine if you're ready for a challenge like that. So where do I start…"
"Anywhere you like," Kim's voice lowered to a dangerous tenor.
Shego cast her gaze down at her hands which began to shake at the thundering ticks from the clock on the wall. The booth becoming uncomfortably enclosed. "I know. How about a month ago. The Battle of Heard Island."
III.
Ringing. Ringing and the constant chatter of machine guns. That's all Shego could hear as she stumbled back on the glacier. The smell of sulfur and spent rounds filled the air in a sickening concoction. If it wasn't for Ron catching her, she would have tumbled down the mountainside.
"Shego." His voice was distant. She could barely hear it, her blinks long and drawn out. Either time was moving slower or passing by really fast.
"Shego!" he called her name again. The ringing thundered against her eardrums. She couldn't handle it much longer.
"Shego!" All of it. The battle. The terrible sounds of violence and gunfire tearing through the air all assaulted her ears at once as she snapped out of it.
Her sight landed on Collins leaning around the entrance of a cave that led into the depths of Mawson Peak, his rifle flashing bursts of fire. "Enemies down! Enemies down! We need to move!" Collins shouted back.
Shego's eyes stumbled, "What happened?"
"You were hit by a flash. The concussion threw you back out and I caught you before you fell," Ron explained as he stood her back up. "No time to talk. We need to move if we're going to get off this island alive." Shego watched as her team moved into the cave, tactical rifles raised, ready to engage anything that popped out. Shego gripped her rifle and followed them.
Their team consisted of the master of all trades, Master Sergeant Bryer. Communications Sergeant Ramos, Medical Sergeant Collins, Herself, and Stoppable. A five-man team, one already killed in action. Warrant Officer Ryker passed upon landing on Heard Island, bleeding out in the air.
The air around them grew uncomfortably hot and humid with their descent. So much so that even the darkness became tangible against her face. The volcano's throat grew closer with every step. And with every step, they heat smothered their skin.
Shego stopped. Master Sergeant Bryer raised a fist. Two dim lights appeared ahead, stalking toward them in the darkness. The ground shook in a steady beat, like eerie war drums growing closer and closer. It wasn't an earthquake, they were too sequenced. Through the cave, a large Diablo reared its face, like facing some sick ironic joke. Gemini had taken some of Drakken's old schemes too.
Ramos opened fire first, spent shells spiraling from his rifle's chamber. Undaunted, the Diablo returned the favor extending its huge arm. Its pincer disappearing and morphing into a large ominous barrel.
"Ramos! Ramos!" Ron shouted lowering his rifle, the aura around him turning blue. Shego watched as Ron hurled himself at the robot, drawing back his fist. Ron's power electrified the air, even causing distress upon the diablo. But Ron was too late as the plasma rotors inside the Diablo's arm fired up and spewed out their fiery plume-like dragon's breath.
It didn't take but a second for Ramos to be melted down into nothing, right before Ron's fist connected with the Diablo, shattering the living metal as if it were nothing more than a fragile vase. The team stood there shocked. Ron heaving, taking in deep breaths as he stood frozen where his punch had finished the Diablo. The whole team held their breath at the sight of Ramos, now just a puddle of cooling plasma on the floor.
Shego watched Ron's face contort, the lower rim of his eyes turning blue as the power began to surge in him. The cave shook again as another Diablo marched into their view. In an instant, Shego watched Ron grab the Diablos arm without looking, an unknown sixth sense about him. He crushed it and threw it with such force that it tumbled back where it came from in the abyss.
With the threat gone, Ron's blue glow pulsated away, a silence befalling the team as they looked at Ron in shock. They knew of his power but never witnessed it.
Just as soon as the silence fell, it shattered at the sound of gunfire ripping through the air. They all raised their weapons again, blazing a path through the agents of W.E.E. as they resumed their advance. Less than six hours to go.
IV.
"You see Kim. Stoppable went through a lot on that mission. More than you'll ever know. You sure you up for that?" Shego asked pointedly.
"You realize who you're talking to. Don't you?" Monique quirked her brow.
"I do. But do you?" Shego replied.
Kim sank in the booth, eyes heavy. Ron survived the Battle of Heard Island but not without consequences. In all the turmoil, Kim only watched from the safety of a bunker while the world burned. No matter how much she wanted to help, she couldn't. The world, rather the new order, declared her too high a price to lose to capture Gemini. But Ron, Ron moved on the chessboard as a pawn, meant to be sacrificed to a queen he couldn't even cherish.
Shego watched Kim fidget in her seat. Obviously, the news weighed on her mind and gave Shego some relief.
That didn't change why Shego came here. "Kim"— God, it's so weird using her name like that— "I know it's hard to believe but I didn't come here to screw with you. I sincerely want to know if Stoppable is who you truly want. Are you ready to face someone new?"
"Of course I am. I've known Ron my whole life!"
"I know. I'm not disregarding any of that. But Kim, you have to believe me that I'm looking out for Ron. If you can't, I don't hold anything against you. I just—"
"Apparently you forgot her name, Shego," Monique interjected.
"No, you twit. This situation isn't just something that can be solved by some cliche catch-phrase. You do realize that the phrase is as much of a weakness as it is a strength? Right?"
"And Kim's been on hundreds of missions with Ron. They've been through thick and thin. I don't know what makes you think you have any right to come here pretending to be someone you're not and question Kim—"
"Because Ron is a mess alright! We all are! Damn it all!" Monique froze, her eyes locked onto Shego's fists, tears dropping around them. "You didn't see what we saw. Your missions weren't ever like that."
Kim stared at Shego. It hurt. The chilling cold dragging itself over her skin, unsettling her heart. Ron's pain bled through Shego. Shego the extension of her best friend's torment and misery. The Battle of Heard Island inflicted more damage on Ron than Kim cared to hear. Her former enemy doubling over in misery conveyed that much.
"It was all my fault," Shego whimpered. "It's all my fault, and he thinks it's his."
V.
Thirty minutes. One hour and thirty minutes left until time expired for the amalgamation of special forces to capture or eliminate the threat to the world. Smoke rose from all around the island except the volcano itself, the signs of tumultuous battle wrung around the eastern coast.
The sun sank behind Mawson Peak, its rays unable to relieve the volcano's cold shadow over the quiet beach. Ron and Shego huffed as they dragged a defeated Gemini through the black volcanic sand to the rendezvous point. With Ramos dead, they needed to have Sergeant First Class Payson make the call to headquarters. They needed to tell the world they succeeded.
Behind them, a weary Sergeant Collins and Sergeant Bryer maintained their close distance, keeping a vigilant eye on the bounded, scowling Gemini.
"How far?" Gemini sounded.
The team didn't answer, staying steadfast in their determination to meet their objective. Even with the deadline still over an hour away, the team steered clear of delays. Gemini's forces and their stiff resistance impeded the mission enough.
"I said how far. Damn it. The least you can tell me is how far it is back to your base."
No answer. The team dredged on through the volcanic beach. Silence their only riposte. Darkness encroached on the remote island, the sun's rays continuing to wane as stars and the moon expelled them.
Shego tightened her grip on Gemini's arm as he struggled with the bindings over his arms. Gemini's strength still failed to match hers. Years of fighting and intense fitness claimed victory over whatever Gemini was.
"You know. You'd think that a man that is probably responsible for the death of millions would get a response from his captors. I applaud you, you're pretty stoic for watching your comrade getting melted down to nothing but compost."
Short temperament and short fuses defined Shego's personality and nature. Usually, horrific deeds and plots never irked her. She found amusement in them but Gemini quickly began to make an exemption for himself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron shake his head at the sight of her hands beginning to glow. He mouthed 'don't' to her.
"You know, this whole scheme wasn't even mine. I mean it was my idea to kill millions. But if you think by capturing me that this will end, you're wrong. Dead wrong. You'll see. In a couple of years, I'll be back out in society causing mayhem wherever I go."
Shego drew in a deep breath trying to remain calm. Base is less than a click out now. We'll be there any minute and I can leave this low-life to Ryder. Shego pressed on.
"When I get out, maybe the first thing I'll do is go after Kim Possible. You know she is the reason for all of this. Maybe… maybe I'll get Shego here to turn rotten again and I'll have her kill the world's only hero. Wouldn't that be poetic? Your own team mem—"
"Shut it!" Shego's slap rang through the cold quiet air. "I'm nothing like you and you're sick little mind." Gemini broke through, Shego turning on him.
"How does it feel that I used Drakken's tech to control thousands of grunts and officers to kill millions. How does it feel that Drakken's Diablo killed your teammate back in the volcano."
Shego's hands began to glow, her hand wrapping around Gemini's wrist. "You better shut your mouth before I do something I'll regret."
"Then do it."
"Shego," Ron stated calmly. "Don't listen to him. He's a psychopath."
"Stand down, Shego," Bryer ordered.
Gemini continued. "Think about it. If you had never helped Drakken for all those years, your teammate would probably be helping you drag me back to camp. How does it feel to know that his death ultimately rests on your head."
Her hand glowed, her power singeing Gemini's arm. All the words spouted from his mouth only fueled her rage. "I said shut it," her growl rumbling from deep within.
Gemini grinned wickedly, "You know you don't belong on this team. I mean, I was surprised when you showed up. But still, you know they all look at you like your the enemy. This is just their way of putting you on a leash."
"Don't listen to him Shego. Nothing he's saying is true. He's doing this on purpose," Ron said.
"Guys…" Collins treble raising as the tension in the air heated up.
Shego's focus began to tunnel onto Gemini, her powers heating up, unaware of Gemini's intentions as her hand slipped lower down his arm to his wrist.
"You want to know the only difference between you and me, Shego," Gemini lowered his voice. "You're a coward deep inside. After all these years, you couldn't defeat Kim Possible or Ron Stoppable. Do you want to know why?" He stared deep into the green fire of her anger. "The difference between you and me is you're just the catalyst. Nothing more. A coward. I'm not afraid of pulling the trigger."
"No!"
Collins's body slammed into Shego's as a shot cracked through the air. The two of them landed in the frigid volcanic sand.
"Collins! You idiot. Why—" Shego froze at Gemini's psychotic cackle and the thick warm fluid running over her collar bone, into the crevice of her neck. "Collins?" Shego asked inaudibly. "Collins?" Shego pushed his limp body up to see what was wrong. Blood poured all over her from the gunshot he sustained to his jugular.
"Ha! I told you! I not only pulled the trigger. I am the trigger!" Gemini sang before being thwacked from the butt of Bryer's rifle, silencing him.
Ron fell to Shego's side, pulling the sputtering Collins onto him, cradling him in his arms, tears freely pouring from his eyes as his comrade's own blood began to ebb as he bled out.
"Collins? Collins? Stay with us buddy. Medic! Medic!" Ron cried out as loud as he could. Behind them, Shego could see what transpired. The madman's bindings still burning from her power, freeing his metal hand, his index finger the gun meant to be her demise. Her lip began to tremble, her breathing beginning to shake as she turned to Collins. He saved her.
Shego pressed her hand against his grievous wound in vain as his life faded away, sputtering out his last breath, blood trickling from the corner of his bluish lips. The war won. The battle over. But in the final contest between villain and former villain, Gemini the conflict's final victor.
VI.
The two girls were quiet, their eyes frozen with shock. "Shego…" Kim trailed off unsure of what to say. Disbelief still reverberated through her thoughts. The very notion of Shego and Ron serving together in the army, no less at the Battle of Heard Island. The revelation dauntlessly looming over her anxieties.
Shego chinned up, wiping the tears from her hardening face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break down like that." Shego could see the trepidation in Kim's eyes, misgivings about what her service with Ron meant to her. "Before you jump to any far-fetched, weird, only happens in fiction notion that Ron and I are into each other, don't. Not even a remote possibility. We're just good friends now and I'm worried about him. And that means you too."
Kim's disquietude ebbed before misjudgment flowed back in its place.
Shego refused to let it continue. "Kim. I'm truly here because Ron needs you. In a way you're sassy friend"— Shego thumbed at Monique— "is right. You can't wait on Ron to do everything. Be the Kim Possible I know and show the initiative. Because Ron's lost his. He needs to know that you want him. Otherwise, the stubborn buffoon will keep the same course he's been on." With her final words given, Shego shot up pulling her raincoat back over her uniform. She gave Kim one last knowing look. She took her beret and fastened the olive headdress to her scalp before abruptly marching out.
Kim looked to Monique who shrugged her shoulders in bewilderment. Kim stared down at her clasped hands. Was the impetuous all on her?
VII.
Earlier that morning, cannon fire broke through the quiet calm of the sun's early rays, the sound of gunfire honoring the fallen as three caskets were lowered into the ground in Arlington. The ceremony remaining private and closed to the public at large. Only immediate families were invited to remember the three fallen members of the 710th.
Ron's hand gripped the white envelope tighter as they proceeded to lower his friend's body into the ground. Around the world, society breathed in relief, the crisis behind them. People moved on. His friend, Collins already becoming an afterthought.
The cicadas sang. Ron squinted up as the sun beamed down. Even nature showed no reprieve for the dead, holding hands with the world skipping into the future. It sickened him, hollowing out his core that not even the weather could give the proper mood for his fallen comrades. His friends. No one wanted to stop and mourn, give thanks for their sacrifice. They wanted to forget leaving Ron, the 710th, their families to shoulder the burden of remembrance.
He turned his attention to the letter before him. If he wanted to keep the memory of his friend alive, Ron wanted to read his dying wish. At least then Ron could hear his voice one last time. He tore the holder open and unfolded the white notebook paper. He took in a deep breath.
His eyes followed the scribbled cursive, taking in Collins's deepest thoughts on Ron and the advice he left for his friend. Every word, Ron soaked in. When he finished, Ron crunched the paper in the palm of his hand, turning his sight skyward. His final words were ironic.
"What's the letter say?"
Ron turned to find Shego, dressed up just like he was. Ron smiled painfully at her reddened eyes. "Not much. You know, it's just Collins rambling about… something."
"Don't lie to me Stoppable. Let me see," Shego asked holding out her own letter, the one Collins wrote her. "I say it's a fair trade."
Ron glanced down at the creased letter. He nodded handing Shego the letter in exchange for hers. Taking Shego's letter he carefully read hers. This letter seemed much more in touch with Collins causing Ron to crack a smile.
"So are you gonna do it?" Ron couldn't hide his grin.
"Pfft. Please, he knows I would never do that. God knows I wouldn't deserve the name even if I wanted it," Shego sighed. "He really showed us anyone can be a hero. What about you?"
"Me? What about me?" Ron asked, handing back their letters.
"Are you going to do it?"
Ron shook his head dismissively, "Collins lost his mind. He knows I can't change the past."
"So that's how you're going to honor him. By ignoring what he wanted for you?" Shego crossed her arms.
"Did you forget all the times at the bar? He always wanted me to move on. He must have been drinking something new when he wrote this."
"We were on deployment when he wrote that."
"Are you sure?" Ron questioned.
"Want me to carbon-date it for you?"
"Go ahead. I'm not going to do what he wants. You aren't going to do what he asked, so neither am I."
"You can't compare my letter to yours!"
"Who says?" Ron threw his hands in the air. "You?"
Shego shook her head, "Why are you being so difficult?" No response from the thick-headed blond. "Do you still feel the same way?"
"What do you mean?" Ron eyed Shego.
"Do you still feel the same way about her? And no bull. Give it to me straight. I want to know."
Ron turned away. The pang of heartache sounding in his breast. After all this time, the hope that Kim moved on seemed realistic by now. "It doesn't matter what I feel now."
"How does it not?"
"Because now I'm here. And she's there, doing what she does best, being Kim Possible solving the world's problems and saving the world."
"So just like Collins said. You're going to keep living in your little pity fiesta all your life. This is how you run away," Shego mocked.
Ron's glanced back, vexation in his eyes. "And what are you doing? Running away from prison? That's why you're here right. So you could stay on the outside of the fence."
"First off, I could escape prison whenever I want. Second, How dare you say that after all we've been through,"— Shego stepped into Ron's face— "You know I was in that shit just as much as you were."
Ron stepped back, holding up his hands. His face heating up from the anger and resentment, "Look, I'm sorry. I know you were. It's just… you wouldn't understand okay."
"Try me."
Ron hesitated. "How can I love her, Shego. How can I go back when I'm nothing," the frustration and resentment welled up in the back of his throat. "Even with all the training, all the power I have, I still couldn't protect them. Ramos died. Then we lost Collins… it could have been you," Ron sniffled
Shego compressed her lips, "Look, what happened back on Heard Island is my fault. Listen—"
"It's not you Shego. It's me. Even as a Green Beret. Even with a Ranger tab. Even as a Mystical Monkey Master, I couldn't save them…"
"You can't save everyone, Ron."
"You're right! So if I can't save them, how can I hope to save her. How can I hope to be her everything? I'm already just a damn brute! My lack of substance holds her back and even what I am good… I could never protect her."
"You do realize we're talking about Princess, right?" Shego placed her hands on her hips. "The one person who can do anything."
"Exactly!" Ron turned on his heel, pointing at her. "She's not just your ordinary girl."
"So that's it. You're just gonna cower and run away? You've completely given up on yourself! This has nothing to do with them"— Shego pointed at the graves behind them — ", it's just because you're not hot shit. Right?"
"What?" Ron squinted, not fully comprehending what Shego was getting at.
Shego took another step toward him, "You think just because you might not be as smart, not as cultured, not at her level. Newsflash! You're not perfect and neither is she."
Ron tried to step forward and respond but Shego wouldn't let up.
"She's not some goddess, Stoppable. You can't let every little mistake get to you. You think she can't mistakes? If she was that perfect, then how did Drakken manage to defeat her from time to time? Because she had weaknesses."
"Yea… smotties," Ron narrowed his eyes.
"Smott— what? Grr," Shego face palmed herself. "No, you dolt! Damn, are you that dense. You're her weakness."
"Exactly, that's why I left," Ron gave a small, solemn smile.
"No…" Shego crossed her arms, shaking her head, "You're impossible, aren't you. You're her weakness. As in you compliment her. I'm not saying she can't do anything without you. She doesn't need you. It's better than that. She wants you."
Ron let out a rhetorical laugh, "Yea, right. Look where she's got to without me. Trust me. It's better this way."
"You know. Before I met either of you, I don't think I've met two more stubborn people who couldn't see what was right in front of them."
Shego and Ron snapped their heads to find Master Sergeant Bryer stepping out of the shadow of a tree. They never sensed his approach. Bryer was still years ahead of them in skill.
"Stoppable, Shego has a point. I think you criticize yourself far too much. Those deaths on the island, It's what happens in war. They might have been your first but they definitely won't be your last."
"No disrespect Sergeant, but he's the stubborn one," Shego thumbed at Ron.
A smile drew itself on Bryer's face, "I wasn't referring to you, Sergeant Go." Bryer turned to Ron. "Never in my time have I've seen two people obsess about one another in the way you and Miss Possible do but then doubt themselves so much about the other, whether it be in one way or another. It's like I'm watching a poorly written Shakespeare play with over-dramatic melodrama."
Ron parted his lips to say something, but Sergeant Bryer merely tilted his head down to signal to him he wanted none of it. The sergeant's chest rack carried his weighted superiority, mocking Ron's own, smaller rack. It declared Ron's own service insufficient to rebut him.
"There's a ball that we've all been invited to next week. It's a masquerade, not something a unit like ourselves would usually join but it's to honor our fallen brothers and we've all been invited, including Miss Possible. So Stoppable, you'll be there."
"But…"
"I don't want to hear it. Besides dishonoring Collins"— Bryer's eyes nodded to the distressed letter in Shego's hands —"Captain Webber already put out orders. It's compulsory," Bryer tilted his head, daring Ron to challenge him now.
"Yes, sergeant," Ron complied begrudgingly.
VIII.
The music slowed, the sound gently caressing Kim's eardrums. Her chance at being swept off her feet slipping away. The sorrowful scent of chocolate cakes making their way from the banquet table tugged at her heartstrings. Perhaps destiny placed chocolate treats in the room to signal her moment slipped through her fingers.
A lull sank in her abdomen. Not one of hunger but one of emptiness. Emptiness of a soul and heart yearning, crying out to be held and loved. The pain of abandonment echoed through the void in her heart.
Kim sighed. Her shoulders sank, the shadow of dismay weighing over her. The anticipation that shone within her earlier quickly fading and giving in to the darkness of discouragement. Stranded in the center of a sea of jubilant people, the only overcast face in the room. Ron's presence, nowhere to be found. Her arrival seemed all for naught. Hope lost in a sea of depression, taking her heart with it.
The corners of her lips fell, her emotion's exasperated. Kim's thoughts danced around in her head teasing her, fomenting themselves as Bonnie. They pointed inward, fingering at her that her plight in romance was hopeless. Nothing could bring Ron back. As the thoughts in her head deafened her to the rest of the room, the room itself calming into a silent roar. The ocean of excitement and banter freezing over. New anticipation entered the room, running over Kim's skin warmly.
The sight of a Master Sergeant Bryer and newly promoted Staff Sergeant Go, standing at the front of the crowd's edge in their crisp dress blues affirmed something was amiss. They both gave Kim boyish grins that laughed at Kim for not finding her mark earlier.
"Excuse me."
A raspy, nervous voice belled the door to her heart from her back. One that slay all her fears and troubles, chasing away dark tropes of anxiety to the far-flung corners of oblivion. Her heart thumped against her chest, beating against her eardrum as excitement and apprehension wound her heartstrings into a knot lumping at the well of her throat.
Slowly, Kim turned on her sapphire heels as quarry would do when trapped by their hunter, in this case, the captor of her heart finally had arrived. Though the masquerade masks hid their identities, they did so in vain. Her fiery hair and his rough golden cowlick stood out amidst the crowd. His light, burnished sorrel eyes gave him away, sparking a fire in her cheeks.
He outstretched his white-gloved hand to her bare one, his mask accentuating his beseeching, expectant gaze. "May I have this dance."