10. October 31st (no, not that one)

The change of seasons didn't bring much change for Kim and William in their immediate lives, but preparations for changes were started. Dr. Hennison had turned Kim's pre-natal care over to an obstetrician and a colleague, a Dr. Paul Daiken, who had been "briefed" on Kim's appearance. He and Kim had developed quite the rappore, as he was a longtime cartoon buff. Kim had taken to calling him "Dr. D" when she came in for her bi-weekly visits, and always tried to stump him with cartoon trivia or other minutiae. Dr. Daiken had a cousin who owned a local automobile detaling shop, and he gave Kim and William coupons for a free full detailing and "love bath" for their cars. About the only stipulation that the couple had the doctor hold to was that he didn't divulge the sex of their child to them - they had discussed it one night, and agreed on going through the wonderment of surprise when the moment came.

Other preparations were also made for the coming addition to their family. Marcy introduced Kim and William to her cousin Maria, who was a real estate agent, and showed them the houses that Marcy had mentioned were near her - a selection of restored older homes containing some of the history of the area - some single-level, others multi-level. All of them were certainly large enough for a family, and well within the price range the couple was aiming for - but they couldn't come to an agreement on any of them.

During dinner one evening, Kim expressed again her reluctance to leave the neighborhood setting she had become adjusted to. She presented William with his own logic, with this being the place he himself had chosen to live, because of the convenience and the "small town" feel of the grocer and the market square. Maria shifted her focus to the area around Brookings Market Square. They didn't hear anything from her for a couple of weeks - until one evening, she called to tell them about a home that had just "hit the market," and was a mere six blocks from where they were presently living, nestled in a quiet neghborhood lined by tall trees which formed a canopy over the street.

Maria picked them up the next day to show them the house - a spacious four-bedroom "ranch" style home, belonging to the former school superintendent and his wife, who had retired and moved to a town in Florida. The house featured an absolutely enormous living room, complete with a fireplace and a ceiling with exposed beams. The kitchen was just as huge, opening out to a large covered wood deck, and had an island in the space between the sink and the refrigerator which held an oventop and stove, and an area of butcherblock for preparing food. A short distance away was another island built as a sort of nook, with a skylight above. Even at that, there was still room for a four-place dining table. There were three bedrooms on the main floor, and one in the fully finished and divided basement, which Kim had said she would claim as her "office." They almost immediately fell in love with the house, and proceeded with the application process.

Things had also been going well on the job front for Kim and William, with the restructuring actually progressing ahead of schedule because of William's idea to have the construction company do their work opposite office hours, so there would be no conflicts or distractions. In the short time since the initiation of the physical restructuring of the second floor, the break room that had divided the halves of the Claims and Rec department had been moved, creating a single huge expanse. The break room had been reconstructed at one end of this, and would now divide Claims and Rec from Fulfillment, which was scheduled to move from the fourth floor in the middle of November. They would be joined the following month by Customer Service and Finance, completing the physical consolidation of the four departments.

Even Data Operations was making changes, installing several large super-fast servers to handle the load, as both the company software and the database of customers and claimants was being merged into a single-point information warehouse. The aim was to bring information from all departments up when a claim was processed - this would cut greatly the number of phone calls between departments requesting information on a claimant.

Kim's body was also preparing - now approaching her fifth month of pregnancy, she had begun to "show" - her midriff starting to protrude and fill out. On her latest visit to his office, Dr. Daiken predicted a "due date" in early March. Around the middle of October she had made an "emergency" weekend purchase of some maternity clothes from the Eastgate Mall, and ordered more from online. She then had an impromptu "farewell" session for her tops that bared her midriff, packing them into a box and bidding them adieu until the following spring. At work, plans were made for Kim to be in charge of the daily reports, with accomodations for her to begin doing them from home when her maternity leave started.

This first weekend in November had been set aside for Kim and William to enjoy another "lost" weekend, escaping all obligations and chores - but first there was the matter of the company Halloween costume party, to be held in a large ballroom/hall a few blocks away from Meridian, at the Eastgate Civic Center. Kim and William had both arranged weeks in advance to leave work early on this Friday, in order to make sure everything was in place to finish their costumes.

Friday, October 31st
5:38 PM.
"Kim? Are you about done? I still need to get into costume here." William called from the couch.

"Stress not, Mr. Hodge," Kim's voice came from the bathroom. "I'm just making a few last-minute adjustments to my makeup. Then we'll get your face and hair on. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so."

"You...do know the party starts at 7, right?"

"Yep...and you do know that it's cooler to be fashionably late and make an entrance, right?"

William sighed. "Okay...you know what you're doing...and you're the driver. I'll trust your judgement."

"Oooo, wait," Kim cooed. "Let me find the tape recorder. I want that last part on record," she giggled. She then padded silently out of the bathroom and down the hallway into the living room. She caught his attention with "Let's get to work...you need to look this good, too." William looked up - and was nearly awestruck by the sight:

Shego was standing in his living room.

From the contrasting black-and-neon green of the outfit, to the tint of the skin, to the spilling cascade of raven-black hair that fell to mid-thigh, Kim was transformed into an accurate replica of "The Mad Scientist's Mad Assistant" - it was as if the green-skinned vixen from the show had herself walked out of the bedroom mirror. William tried to form some other word, but all that came out was "Wow." and a long low whistle.

Kim tittered at this. "Amazing what you can do with a black leotard and body suit, and pieces cut from green ones...a Cher wig and a little makeup."

William noted Kim's midsection, which appeared to be as slender as before her pregnancy. "Uhhh...how--?"

"An elastic midriff restraint," replied his wife. "Dr. Daiken lent it to me last time I saw him, after I told him about my costume. He said there wouldn't be any ill effects to me or the baby, as long as I don't wear it for more than a few hours." She then slimmed her hands down along her sides to her hips. "You can't even see the lines unless you're in good light, and looking for them."

Kim then went to the chair near the door, and picked up a large garment bag and a plastic sack full of items. "C'mon into the bathroom," she said, starting down the hallway. "If the costume shop was this right on with my stuff, I can't wait to see you when you're done."

7:08 PM.
"Did you use enough glue to keep the face in place?"

"Yep. That's strong stuff. Should hold everything on until you take it off. We can take the tube along, just in case. Now...let me do this last little bit here...there. Stand up and look at yourself...Drew."

William faced the mirror. Before him was an exact image of the evil Doctor Drakken. A facial mask with latex enhancements formed the face of the diabolical doctor, along with minor changes to William's hair, including judicious amounts of hair spray to spike the top and a weaved-in ponytail. The long blue coat was fitted with padding to fill out William's form to more closely match that of Drakken. William finished the look by pulling on a pair of long black gloves. Kim stood next to him and they both adopted an evil expression, their hands on their hips. "Are we ready or what?" Kim asked with a sly grin.

"Only one more thing," said William. "A picture to immortalize the moment." He went into the hall closet to retrieve the tripod for the digital camera. They posed in the living room after William set the timer. Then Kim took a small black purse and her keys from the nook counter, and they went out the door to the car. "If these costumes don't win us first prize tonight, I don't know what will." he said.

"A thousand dollars," Kim purred. "Just think of the nursery that would furnish." She turned the key to unlock the passenger door and held it open for her husband.

"I bet you just love this part," William chuckled as he slid into the seat.

"Hey," Kim grinned, "with my car, chivalry works both ways." She went to the driver's side, unlocking her door and sliding in. She inserted the key and turned it, holding it until a beep and the "ready" light came from the dash display. She then moved the shifter back to "D", and slowly and silently pulled from the curb. William turned and gave her a strange look. "You...really don't like this car, do you?" she asked.

"It's not that," he replied. "It's just that...I can't get used to moving without any noise at all. It's like coasting to me."

"Well, it's not coasting, since we're obviously accelerating. The electric motor propels the car unless you go up a long hill or want to accelerate faster. Then the gasoline engine cuts in and adds power."

"Sounds like you wrote part of the owner's manual," William snickered.

"Where do you think that came from?" Kim giggled in response. "I read it cover to cover. I didn't want to do anything to harm or mistreat my new baby." She accentuated this with a few pats on the dash panel. "Eastgate is mostly flat...and if I keep off the freeway, I can get over 60 miles per gallon. This is the wave of the future, William."

"That and hydrogen fuel cells," her husband added.

Kim nodded in agreement - then her voice took on the tone of her present evil persona. "Have you remembered your voice lessons, Dr. D?"

"Don't concern yourself, Shego," William sneered in the style of his costume, "my evil alter ego will reveal itself in due course."

"Perfect!" beamed Kim. "We are sooo a shoe-in for first place."

With this, William began to sing. "Who wants to win the costume prize? We-dooo, we-dooo...haaaaah." Kim broke into a sudden giggle as she put on her turn signal to enter the parking lot of the Civic Center.

Eastgate Civic Center
7:37 PM.
Kim and William walked arm in arm through the large glass entrance of the Civic Center, into the large atrium. There were two signs against the back wall - one pointing to the right, saying "Eastgate Orthodontia Internship Seminar - and one pointing to the left, saying "Meridian Insurance Employee Halloween Costume Ball." The sign was adorned with drawings of a devil, a witch and a ghost, all pointing in the direction of the hall leading to the ballroom. "Gosh...which way now?" William smirked.

"Oh well," Kim replied with a smirk of her own. "If we don't win first prize," she said, jerking her thumb in the opposite direction, "we can always stop by and get our teeth cleaned."

William snickered and held his arm for his wife to take, and they started down the hallway. They made note of the thin strands of taffeta strewn over the sconces lining the walls, in the blue and yellow of the Meridian corporate colors. "Soooo," William spoke slowly, "this must be what it looks like when a cheerleader explodes." Kim burst into a string of "Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm."

"Well, good," William snarled in his best Drakken-voice, "It's about time that nuisance Kim Possible got what she deserved. Now I will be free to take over the wo--"

Kim gasped and cut him short by tugging sharply on his arm. "Careful there, Drew," she growled through a smile in the voice of her evil visage, "...you're getting just a -bit- too into character."

William smiled and patted her hand on his arm. "I've been taught too well...is that what you're saying?"

"Just be nice to Kim," she said with a smirk. "She could be back as early as tonight." They both chuckled at this, and walked through the large entry to the ballroom. The room was an enormous expanse of different shades of wood - a light oak covering the floor with the Civic Center logo inlaid under a magnificent chandelier hanging over the center. The walls held panels of intricately-carved designs, each with a large lighted globe on a sconce, in the same style as those adorning the hallway. Around the periphery of the room was a low railing with carved spires that separated several tables, raised from the main floor, along with food carts. Two-thirds of the main floor also held tables with a space up the middle that led to a dance floor and disc jockey. Several couples were on the floor, dancing to a booming techno mix coming from the tall speakers on either side of the jockey's stage.

William was grabbed by the arm and turned to face a reasonably good likeness of Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, complete with white suit, cane and goatee. The man shook William's hand. "Good to see you here, William," he said. "Some were wondering if you weren't coming."

William took a bit closer look at the white-suited gentleman. "...Mr. Hawkins?"

"Yes," Michael said, as he turned to take Kim's hand. "And your lovely wife, outfitted in green and black. It's good to have you working with us, Kim."

"Fashionably late," William grinned.

"It feels good to be part of Meridian," Kim said. She was suddenly twirled by someone in a pink lion outfit. "Tina!" she squealed. "You make a great Snagglepuss."

"Thanks," Tina smiled. "He was my Saturday morning favorite when I was a kid." She then drew out in an imitation of the lion's voice," An i-con, e-vun." Kim giggled at this. Tina then looked over Kim's disguise. "You're sooo Shego tonight," she added.

"Thanks," said Kim. "What's Donna here as?"

Tina tittered, "She's Harvey, the invisible rabbit."

"Cool!" Kim then chuckled. "Speaking of bunnies...have you seen Marcy yet?"

"No...I can't say as I have. If she's here, I don't know what she's wearing."

"That makes two of us," replied Kim. "She was like that all week...wouldn't tell me a thing about her costume." She turned to her husband, who was still talking with Michael Hawkins, and placed her hand on his arm. "I'm going with Tina to find Marcy, and to mingle a bit."

"Okay," William said. "I think they'll be ready with the food around 8 or 8:30. Meet you back there?"

"Save me a plate...you evil schemer, you," Kim smirked. They then leaned in for a kiss. "See you soon." She and Tina then set off searching tables for people they could recognize. Tina began to giggle as they made their way. "What?" Kim asked.

"There's a scene you won't see on any KP episode," Tina smirked. "Shego kissing Doctor Drakken."

Kim erupted into a chuckle. "Remind me to get you a copy of 'Emotion Sickness'," she grinned. She then pointed to a table near the dance floor. "Is that Donna?"

"Yeah," nodded Tina, and they started in that direction.

Kim was stopped by someone grabbing her arm. She turned around and looked at a rather young man with sandy blonde hair who was dressed in a black long-sleeve t-shirt under a loose-fitting red jersey with white trim, and khaki pants. White sneakers completed the look. "Pardon me for being the distraction yet again," he said with a grin.

Kim looked him over - he even had freckles. "...Ben?" she said, canting her head, a smile spreading over her face. "Ben Aaronson?"

"Uh, that's Ron," the boy answered, "R-O-N...thank you." He then broke into a chuckle, holding out his arms as Kim gave him a hug.

"Ben, that's a great Ron," she said patting his back.

"Thanks Kim," he replied. "I thought you were already here earlier...I hugged the wrong you."

Her head angled again. "Hm?"

"I thought you were here in your mission clothes," said Ben. "Apparently there's someone here who looks just like you."

"Oh, really?" she mused. "I'll keep an eye out for her, and see how well she pulled the look off." She turned to see Tina and Donna walking toward her. "Well, I've got to catch up with the girls. Spankin' costume, Ben." She waved as she turned to meet the lion and the rabbit.

8:18 PM.
William had made his way to the catering carts, and was perusing the selection of food when Kim and Tina walked up to join him. "Hey you," Kim smiled.

"Hey you," William echoed, then turning to Tina, "and hey you too. Find anyone?"

"Tina and Donna," said Kim. "And Ben Aaronson. You have to see him, he's a perfect Ron...but that's all - no Marcy yet."

"Well, I'm sure she'll show up. Did she tell you what her costume was going to be?" Kim shook her head. "Me neither," William said. He then sidestepped the cart he was standing in front of, sweeping his hand over it. "Look what they've brought, hon."

"Mmmm," Kim beamed, "Knick Knack Chick Shack boneless honey barbecue nuggets. Where are the plates?"

"Two carts down, along with plastic forks and spoons." William pointed, and the two women started in that direction.

Just then the disc jockey spoke into his microphone, "Let's slide into something a bit more intimate, guys 'n gals." The speakers began to purr the opening notes of a song Kim had found on the Net last month, which had come to be a song the couple could always cuddle to - "Distractions" by a British "lounge-synth" band known as Zero 7.

Kim turned to Tina. "Find a table. We'll be along in a couple of minutes. This is one of...'our songs'...y'know?" Tina nodded with a smile as Kim sauntered back to William, lightly biting her lower lip, her eyes warm and inviting. "Wanna hold something besides a plate of food first?" she cooed, taking his free hand and motioning to the dance floor.

"Don't have to ask me twice," her husband nodded slowly, setting down his empty plate. William followed her lead until they were on the floor with a few other couples, swaying slowly in a warm embrace as the singer crooned:

-I think that I love you-
-I think that I do-
-So go on, mister-
-Make Miss Me, Mrs. You-

"This song is sooooo hypnotic," Kim said in a silken voice. "Every time I hear it, I just want to float away with you."

"We can float for the next two days," William replied, sliding his hands further around Kim's waist. "Just the three of us."

"Yeaahhhh..." Kim trailed off as she settled even further into her husband's arms. A few moments later, the song completed, and the disc jockey transitioned into "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson. Kim and William stood for the briefest moment, hand in hand. "Food now?" Kim smiled.

"You read my mind again," answered William, "or in this case, my stomach." They turned to return to the catering tables--

"Excuse me--"

Kim felt a hand on her shoulder.

"--but I think it's my turn now."

Kim turned - and took in a long slow gasp.

Kim Possible had indeed arrived. Accurate from the mane of brilliant auburn hair down to the wide eyes, she stood before the couple, hands on her hips. "You've had your little fun. Now I'd like a dance with my husband." She reached for William's hand as he stood with a puzzled look on his face, shifting back and forth between the two women.

Kim reached out and lightly slapped "Kim's" hand away. "Excuse you is right," she said with a look of slight annoyance. "Uhh - nice costume...but my husband and I were just going to go eat. If you'll excuse us..."

"A-haaa, I don't think so," "Kim" said. "You can go eat if you want...but my husband and I are going to have a few moments on the floor."

By this time, Tina, Donna and Ben had joined the little group that was growing, watching the scene unfold. "That's who I was talking about earlier," said Ben, pointing at "Kim."

"Whoa," Tina said slowly. "Talk about your Kimitation Nation. I can't tell who is who."

"I think it's obvious who is who here," said the redhead, placing a hand against her chest. "I'm Kim."

Kim placed her hands on her hips in a defiant stance. "I know who you think you are," she said, lowering her brow, "and I know who you look like...but you are soooo not me." She punctuated this last by folding her arms and sweeping her hands outward across her body.

"No? How about if I told you something about William that only he and his wife would know?"

"This should be good," said Kim.

The redhead again rested her hands on her hips. "How about the fact that William always refolds the newspaper and puts it back in the plastic bag when he's done reading it?"

Eyes turned to Kim, whose jaw had dropped. "Kim" continued. "How about the fact that, before taking a pill, William holds it between his lips as he's running the water?"

Now William's jaw dropped. "I...never told anyone that."

Kim now narrowed her eyes at her image. "This is just getting too weird. I don't know how you know those things, but you're still not me. Maybe we need to settle this in a more...physical way...like...outside?"

"Kim" now folded her arms, and took a step back. "Who needs to go outside? We can 'dance' right here...Shego." She then drew an open hand across her chest, palm out, the other moving up to her side, balling into a tight fist.

"Fine by me...chick," Kim sneered. Her foot ground against the floor, setting herself as her hands stiffened, her arms moving into a preliminary attack pose.

"Oh man," said Ben. "They're gonna fight!"

Kim and "Kim" suddenly tensed, their eyes ablaze with anger. They simultaneously hissed a "Haaa" at each other.

"We've got to stop this before it gets out of hand," William said. "Ben, you grab Kim. I'll grab my wife." Ben moved to grab the arms of the redhead. William did the same with Kim. They then began to struggle to separate the two women - who suddenly fell into laughter, the tension draining from their bodies. "What the--" said William, confused.

Kim turned to William as he loosened his grip, throwing her arms around him. "Uhhh...psyche?" she giggled.

"If you're mad," said the redhead in a familiar voice, "it was totally her idea." She slipped her arm around Ben as he released her - then she walked over and hugged William from the side, still chuckling softly.

"Oh, way to back me up, Alvarez," Kim snickered.

William studied her for a moment - then stammered, "...Marcy?"

Marcy looked up at William. "Drew?" This caused both women to laugh again.

"We had planned this for weeks," Kim said through her laughter.

William looked down at his wife. "I...don't know whether to laugh...or put you over my knee." He thought for a second. "Ahhh...I can laugh for now. I can always spank you when we get home." The women again burst into laughter. William then turned to Marcy. "That's a fantastic makeup job," he said. "I really couldn't tell."

"It took about five hours for me to get the face just right," Marcy grinned, "but it was worth the look on your face for those few seconds." William studied Marcy's face more closely, and then recognized the same type of facial additions that he was wearing.

"Told you he was a good sport," said Kim. "He's not mad," she then said, turning to give her husband a kiss, "are you...Drewwww."

"Right now, I'm much more hungry than I am mad," said William, placing an arm around both Kim and Marcy. "Besides," he added, his voice changing to match his costume, "I plot revenge much better on a full stomach." The two women moved their hands up with an "oooooo," then broke into laughter.

Tina giggled. "Yet another scene you won't see on the show - Kim Possible arm in arm with Doctor Drakken." The entire group laughed at this.

9:22 PM.
"Yeah...even with the perfect appearance, it wouldn't have been near as convincing without the voice training," said William, popping another chicken nugget into his mouth.

"Kim and I worked for over a month on that," remarked Marcy. "At first, it hurt my throat to make some of the voice inflections that Kim does...not to mention trying to lose my accent. But the more I did it, the more it fell into place."

"Yeah, and William too," added Kim, "You both caught on quickly." She then picked up another chicken nugget and dipped it into a bowl of relish, swirling it slightly.

"Kim?" Marcy winced, "I love you like la familia, you know that...but...you gotta get un-pregnant soon. Barbecue chicken and relish? Ewwww..." her voice trailed off into a pained tone as she closed her eyes.

"Hm-hm-hmm," Kim giggled as she finished the nugget. "You should come by sometime when I'm fixing one of my faves...a banana-and-mayonnaise sandwich."

Marcy put her fingers to her mouth, puffing out her cheeks. "C'mon," she pleaded.

"Hey, those are good," Tina chimed in. "My cousin in South Carolina turned me on to those. Write me in for lunch, Kim." Kim giggled again at this.

She was then cut short as the disc jockey spoke into the mic, and all eyes turned to him. "Okay listen up, guys 'n gals...it's a little late, but it's time to announce tonight's prize winners for best costume." The room went into a short round of applause. "The judges were supposed to announce this at nine, but they had such a hard time deciding...you all look so great!" The room applauded again as the chairman of the board, Michael Hawkins, brought a slip of paper to the stage. The disc jockey adjusted the mic as he unfolded the paper and read from it. "Second runner up, with a prize of $200...goes to Mr. William Hodge, who came as the eeee-vil Doctor Drakken!" Everyone around the table erupted into applause, patting William on the back. Kim and Marcy both hugged him as he stood to walk to the stage amid applause from the rest of the room. He stood to the disc jockey's left as Michael handed him an envelope and shook his hand.

The disc jockey spoke again. "The prize for first runner up, along with $500, goes to Mr. Ben Aaronson, for his portrayal of 'Ron Stoppable'!" Marcy and Kim reached across the table, trading double high-fives with Ben as he stood to receive his prize.

"I think one of you has first prize," Tina said to Kim and Marcy. "You both look fantastic."

The mic squealed a bit from feedback as the disc jockey approached it yet again. "I'm told that this is what took the judges so long to decide...the grand prize for best costume, and $1,000...for the first time in the five-year history of the Meridian Costume Ball...has ended in a tie. The prize is shared by Miss Marcy Alvarez and Ms. Kim Hodge, who came dressed as Kim Possible and her arch enemy, Shego!" The women heard only as far as their names as they shrieked and threw their arms around each other, then walked to the stage as the room applauded loudly. Michael Hawkins handed each an envelope, and they hugged again as Michael then presented them with a trophy.

Marcy then approched the mic. "If...Kim won't mind letting me hold onto the trophy for a while...I'd like to announce that I'm donating my half of the prize money to her and her husband, to help them prepare for the coming of their first child." The room erupted into applause. Kim stepped over to embrace Marcy again, and they each took one handle of the trophy, holding it aloft between them.

Kim then spoke loudly enough to be picked up by the microphone. "We have to get back to the table. I still have some relish left for my chicken nuggets." This drew a mixture of laughter and groans from the crowd, and Marcy turned her head, wincing. Kim dipped her head slightly in an embarrassed giggle.

The four filed off the stage, being congratulated again by Michael Hawkins. As they reached their table, William began to fumble at a vibration inside of his coat. "Phone," he said, opening his cell and bringing it to his ear. "Hello? Hi there...no, no problem...we're at a party, actually...no no, we're leaving soon anyway...really? When? Well, we're both working...what's best for you? Sounds good...call me Monday, we'll set up a time...okay...thanks, talk to you then." William then closed the phone and took a sip from his glass.

Kim looked at him for a moment - then poked his arm, with a slightly annoyed expression. "Well?" she asked. "Who was that?"

"Hm?" William said. "Oh, the phone. That was Maria. She called the house about 7:30...then she remembered that we had given her our cell numbers."

"O-kaaaay," said Kim, rather exasperatedly. She could tell that William was playing a small game with her. "And she called be-cause...?"

William showed just the slightest playful smirk, and turned to Tina. "Maria is Marcy's sister...I don't know if you've ever met her."

Tina started to answer - and Kim poked William again. "Hell-ooo? Phone call?"

William looked at Kim - then turned to Tina again with a bit wider smirk. "Maria is also our real estate agent..."

Kim clamped both of her hands onto William's forearm to gain his attention. "Mr. Hodge?" she smiled, her brow a bit furrowed, "I'm driving tonight...and I will make you walk all the way home..."

William cocked his head a bit. "Ummm...to which home would that be, Mrs. Hodge?" A smile then began to spread over his face. "We have two for the moment--"

Kim immediately went into a wide-eyed perk. "We got the house?"

"We got the house."

Kim turned to Marcy, and they both squealed in delight and hugged each other. Kim then turned back to her husband, folding her arms. "And you couldn't tell me that right away?"

"I...was looking for the right time to break it to you," he snickered.

"Well, NOW is a good time," Kim replied, sticking her tongue out and crossing her eyes slightly.

"Oh. Well...Kim?"

"Yes, dear one?"

"WE GOT THE HOUSE!" William exclaimed. They then threw their arms around each other, laughing. "Maria will stop by the office on Monday with the papers," William added. "I'll call down to Claims & Rec when she comes, and you can come up and sign."

Kim turned to Tina and Marcy. "We should be settled in near the end of next month...expect to be invited to a nice little housewarming party."

"I'll bring the banana and mayonnaise sandwiches," perked Tina.

Marcy lowered her head to the table, lightly pounding her fist. "That...is so wrong," she said, which brought laughter from the rest of the table.

10:17 PM.
Kim, Marcy, Tina and William exited the atrium of the Civic Center and stood at the entrance, noting a slight chill in the air. Kim gave a shiver and slipped her arms around her husband.

"Fall in eastern Pennsylvania once again," remarked William. "Another few weeks and we'll probably have our first snow."

Kim cuddled a little tighter against William. "And a fireplace to help us forget about it," she smiled.

Marcy curled her arms against her midsection. "Bad night for a bare midriff," she said. "Good thing I brought a coat in the car."

Tina turned to Kim. "You never told me where your new house is."

"It's actually not that far from where we're living now," said Kim. "It's in a neat little neighborhood, about six blocks from Brookings. It's next to a small park."

"Mason Park?"

"Yeah, I think that's it," William said. "The house is just to the west of the park, across the street."

Tina suddenly perked, grabbing Kim's arm. "You bought the Rousch place?"

"Yeah," replied Kim. "You live near there?"

"I'm on the other side of Mason Park," Tina said rather excitedly. "I can see your house from my front porch."

Kim then embraced her. "Well hi, neighbor!" she giggled.

"I guess this is where we part ways," Marcy said. "My car is two rows over." She moved to give Kim a hug. "See you guys Monday?"

"Yeah," Kim replied. "Oh hey, Monday's Backgammon Night. I'll drive."

"Okay. Come by a little early. You can drive me by your new house for a peek."

"Sounds like a plan," said Kim. They waved and continued up the row of cars.

"I'm in this row," Tina said. "I'll just walk with you guys."

"I know," smiled Kim. "We parked right next to your Volkswagen."

The three suddenly heard the screech of tires about fifty feet away. This was followed by an outbreak of voices - "There's that cartoon bitch that got me fired!" A short scream then pierced the night air.

Marcy.

Kim quickly turned to Tina. "Go get Building Security right now!" she snapped. William watched for a second as Tina ran back toward the Civic Center, dropping her Snagglepuss headgear. He turned back just in time to see his wife clear the next row of cars, sprinting toward the commotion.

"KIM! Let security handle it!" He then began to run in that direction.

The scene unfolded before Kim as she neared a second row of cars. She recognized the one doing the shouting - Brian Fenwood. Marcy was struggling against the restraint of a larger man who was holding her arms behind her at a painful angle. Brian stood in front of her, grinding his fist against his hand. A third man was behind the wheel of an older, rusted Chevy Nova which they had been in.

He thinks she's me! thought Kim. Her mouth widened into an open sneer, and she began to growl against her breath as she pushed herself to run faster, trying to stop what was transpiring against her friend.

"Hold her good, Troy," snarled Brian. "She says she knows karate, and I don't want to find out before I kick her ass for good."

Even with her speed, time was against Kim. Brian wound back and slugged Marcy hard in the stomach. She cried out and bent forward in pain, gasping and coughing, trying to inhale. A cruel smile spread over Brian's face as he brought his fist back for another blow.

"LET HER GO!"

Troy never saw the green-and-black blur sail over the hood of the car from his right. Kim's foot landed squarely against the side of the man's head and sprawled him to the ground. Marcy slipped from his grasp and collapsed to the ground, crawling between the cars, groaning and still trying to retrieve her breath. William dropped to his knees as he arrived, drawing Marcy into his arms.

Brian's eyes went wide with surprise for a second at the sight - then narrowed again. "What the--" he stammered. "The whole goddamn place is full of cartoons tonight!"

Kim's eyes were ablaze with anger as she squared herself to Brian. "Still beating up on women?" she snarled. "You haven't learned a thing--" She was cut short as Troy, not fully recovered from her kick, struggled to his feet and grabbed her left arm. She instantly brought her right hand across her body to deliver a sharp slap to his ear. He released his grip for a second - and Kim grabbed the collar of his coat, slinging him head-first against the rear fender of another car. He impacted with a sickening bang, leaving a good-sized dent in the metal - and slumped to the ground.

Brian moved in quickly, grabbing a thick handful of Kim's hair. "You're DEAD, BITCH," he spat as he tried to steady Kim to hit her.

His eyes widened in surprise a second time as the Shego wig came off in his hand, exposing Kim's auburn mane. She flashed out with her right hand at him. Brian quickly drew back his head, feeling the wind of her backhand pass a mere inch from his face. Kim then twisted, sending her left fist into Brian's upper abdomen, causing him to exclaim a loud "Huuhh!"

Brian stood stunned - both from the force of Kim's punch and from how the sequence of events in his revenge had gone so quickly against him. Kim brought him back to reality with a full-swing slap to the side of his face. "You tried to beat up one of my best FRIENDS--" she punctuated with a hard backhand, her voice rising between gritted teeth "--you couldn't even do it your-SELF--" another open-handed strike "--and you called me a cartoon a-GAIN--" another wild swing against his face "--you-are-such-a-LOSER!" She brought up her leg and thudded her foot solidly against his upper chest, throwing him backward to the ground. The driver of the Nova thought better than to stick around and floored the engine, the tires screaming against the pavement as he made a quick getaway.

Two security guards had rounded the bottom of the row of cars, running quickly toward the scene with Tina behind. "Those two guys on the ground, they're the ones!" she yelled.

Kim had pounced onto Brian and was continuing to deliver repeated heavy-handed slaps to his face, punctuating her voice which was now a furious screech. "I TOLD you, I'm NOT a car-TOON! I'm NOT a car-TOON, DAMN you!"

Marcy and William had made their way to their feet behind the cars by this time, and William moved to pull his wife from the young blonde. "Kim, that's enough! Stop!" She turned to face him, her face wild with rage for a second - and then the fury of emotion caught up with her as she searched his eyes. She collapsed against his embrace with a huge gasp, the tears openly flowing as she suddenly wept into William's chest.

One security guard pulled Brian from the ground, locking his wrists behind him and ratcheting on a pair of cuffs. The other inspected Troy, putting two fingers against his neck. "He's still out cold," he said, applying cuffs and bringing his radio up from his belt to call in an ambulance.

"I--I couldn't stop," Kim wimpered as William drew her closer. "H-he hurt Marcy...he thought she was me, with the mask and all...he wanted to hurt her bad. And he called me a cartoon...he--" her face suddenly shot up "--Marcy - where's--"

"I'm here, Kim," Marcy said. "I'm okay...just a little sore."

Kim slipped from William to move to her friend. "Are you sure? He hit you hard..."

"He just knocked the wind out of me," replied Marcy. The two women then locked into a tight hug. "I owe you," she said, her tears of relief beginning to mix with Kim's as a police car drew down the lot, its Visibar lights bathing the area in flashes of red and blue. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," said Kim. "Neither one really laid a hand on me."

One officer led Brian to the back seat of his car. Troy had regained consciousness, and a guard helped him to a sitting position as a rescue squad slid in behind the cruiser. Another officer approached the three, opening a small notepad to take names and statements.

"They attacked me first," said Marcy. "I want to press full assault and battery charges against both of them."

"Okay," replied the officer. "You'll have to come down to the station to file the charges."

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Kim asked, placing her hand on Marcy's upper arm. "We can take you, if you want."

"No, I'm alright," Marcy replied. "Just had to get my breath back. And you've already done more than you should have, in your condition...I don't know how to begin to thank you, Kim."

"Awww," Kim swished her hand. "Just hug me again. Nothing is too much for my little butterscotch bunny." They broke into mood-lifting laughter as they again embraced.

An officer approached Kim. "It would be a good idea if you didn't leave town for a few days, just in case we need any more statements or information."

Kim smiled and moved back into her husband's arms. "No problem," she said, smiling warmly, "We already had plans to curl up at home all weekend...and now, that sounds like an even better idea."

to be continued...