The Green-skinned woman strode into the room, her slender body clad in her
characteristic green and black jumpsuit.
Drakken spun around to face her. "Shego! Thank goodness your are back. You'll never believe the troubles I've faced!"
"Kim Possible?" Shego asked sarcastically. "She's been irritating?"
"Quite."
"What happened?" Shego prodded.
"I don't want to talk about it," Drakken responded in a tone that fit a two year old better than a super villain. "How was Cleveland?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Dayton."
"Whatever."
"Nothing unusual. I still think it's ironic they have the year's premier fashion show in Dayton."
"Quite."
"Is the project still on track?"
"Very much so. We'll be launching in under two weeks. Once we get out to the open ocean, no one can stop us... not even Kim Possible." With that, he broke into maniacal laughter and smiled broadly.
Shego wasn't smiling. "What makes you so sure?"
"Her... stop us... on a submarine? Don't be ridiculous Shego."
"You never learn, do you?"
"Wait right here," Ron said excitedly as he left the sitting area of his hotel room and disappeared into what Kim assumed was his bedroom. She heard shuffling from the other room, then the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, followed almost instantly by Ron yelping in pain.
"Ron, are you OK?" she asked.
"Ah... yeah, I'll be right there," he replied in a somewhat higher than normal voice.
A few seconds later, the young blonde appeared in the room carrying a small brown paper bag. Sitting down softly on the couch next to her, he placed the package carefully in her lap. She peaked into it, and her jaw dropped. Reaching in, she removed the silver box, her eyes beginning to tear up.
"It's beautiful, Ron... I can't believe it. How did you ever?"
Ron smiled. "Kim, that's the box."
She looked up at him with a somewhat quizzical expression, then returned her focus to the box. It took her a moment to find the latch as it was as equally polished as the rest of the box's surfaces. She carefully pried the lid open, sliding it back to reveal the massive stoner. Her eyes were transfixed in the glare of the brilliant diamond, and she gasped. She sat transfixed, starring at the giant stone.
"Ron..." she started, trailing off.
Ron was puzzled. He'd expected her to like it, but she was speechless... something he hadn't seen often. "Kim, you OK?"
"It... it's so beautiful," she stammered. Her cheeks were now wet with tears. She placed the box carefully on the table, and turned to face Ron.
"Happy birthday KP. Do you like it?"
Kim waited a moment, than gripped Ron in a firm hug. She snuggled her head alongside his neck, weeping softly.
"Ron, you really are my best friend."
"Kim, I'll always be your best friend," Ron said with a goofy smile. Kim pulled away from him a moment, looking into his deep, brown eyes and nearly laughing. Here she was, looking about as emotional as she had ever been, and Ron was wearing the same goofy grin that he would put on if he saw something he liked in the Smarty Mart circular. But she knew deep down it wasn't insensitivity: that was just who Ron was.
"Ron, I really, really, don't know what to say... this has to be the most amazing gift I've ever seen."
"I've seen better," Ron said matter-of-factly.
"Oh?" Kim asked, bewildered by his comment.
"Remember that cyber scrapbook? The one you gave me for Hanukah last year? Now that was special."
Kim couldn't believe it... she knew Ron had liked the selection of photos she had put together chronicling their friendship, but she never realized how much it really meant to Ron.
"I... I... I... I'm glad that you liked it," Kim replied awkwardly.
"So?"
"So what?"
"Aren't you going to put it on?"
"The diamond?"
"No, the box, Kim."
Kim couldn't believe how quickly Ron could shift from being so sweet and sensitive to being his unintentionally irritating self. "Yeah, Ron... one second." Kim took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She slowly slipped the necklace around her thin neck, carefully clasping it.
Ron's eyes widened. "Kim, it looks badical on you. Wait... I'm not supposed to say badical... It looks stunning on you, KP."
Kim wiped the tears away from her eyes and hugged Ron again, only letting go when she heard him start gasping for air.
"Booyah," Ron mouthed quietly. "Where did that come from?" he asked, rubbing his now sore arm.
"You earned that one," Kim replied with a smile.
Drakken spun around to face her. "Shego! Thank goodness your are back. You'll never believe the troubles I've faced!"
"Kim Possible?" Shego asked sarcastically. "She's been irritating?"
"Quite."
"What happened?" Shego prodded.
"I don't want to talk about it," Drakken responded in a tone that fit a two year old better than a super villain. "How was Cleveland?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Dayton."
"Whatever."
"Nothing unusual. I still think it's ironic they have the year's premier fashion show in Dayton."
"Quite."
"Is the project still on track?"
"Very much so. We'll be launching in under two weeks. Once we get out to the open ocean, no one can stop us... not even Kim Possible." With that, he broke into maniacal laughter and smiled broadly.
Shego wasn't smiling. "What makes you so sure?"
"Her... stop us... on a submarine? Don't be ridiculous Shego."
"You never learn, do you?"
"Wait right here," Ron said excitedly as he left the sitting area of his hotel room and disappeared into what Kim assumed was his bedroom. She heard shuffling from the other room, then the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, followed almost instantly by Ron yelping in pain.
"Ron, are you OK?" she asked.
"Ah... yeah, I'll be right there," he replied in a somewhat higher than normal voice.
A few seconds later, the young blonde appeared in the room carrying a small brown paper bag. Sitting down softly on the couch next to her, he placed the package carefully in her lap. She peaked into it, and her jaw dropped. Reaching in, she removed the silver box, her eyes beginning to tear up.
"It's beautiful, Ron... I can't believe it. How did you ever?"
Ron smiled. "Kim, that's the box."
She looked up at him with a somewhat quizzical expression, then returned her focus to the box. It took her a moment to find the latch as it was as equally polished as the rest of the box's surfaces. She carefully pried the lid open, sliding it back to reveal the massive stoner. Her eyes were transfixed in the glare of the brilliant diamond, and she gasped. She sat transfixed, starring at the giant stone.
"Ron..." she started, trailing off.
Ron was puzzled. He'd expected her to like it, but she was speechless... something he hadn't seen often. "Kim, you OK?"
"It... it's so beautiful," she stammered. Her cheeks were now wet with tears. She placed the box carefully on the table, and turned to face Ron.
"Happy birthday KP. Do you like it?"
Kim waited a moment, than gripped Ron in a firm hug. She snuggled her head alongside his neck, weeping softly.
"Ron, you really are my best friend."
"Kim, I'll always be your best friend," Ron said with a goofy smile. Kim pulled away from him a moment, looking into his deep, brown eyes and nearly laughing. Here she was, looking about as emotional as she had ever been, and Ron was wearing the same goofy grin that he would put on if he saw something he liked in the Smarty Mart circular. But she knew deep down it wasn't insensitivity: that was just who Ron was.
"Ron, I really, really, don't know what to say... this has to be the most amazing gift I've ever seen."
"I've seen better," Ron said matter-of-factly.
"Oh?" Kim asked, bewildered by his comment.
"Remember that cyber scrapbook? The one you gave me for Hanukah last year? Now that was special."
Kim couldn't believe it... she knew Ron had liked the selection of photos she had put together chronicling their friendship, but she never realized how much it really meant to Ron.
"I... I... I... I'm glad that you liked it," Kim replied awkwardly.
"So?"
"So what?"
"Aren't you going to put it on?"
"The diamond?"
"No, the box, Kim."
Kim couldn't believe how quickly Ron could shift from being so sweet and sensitive to being his unintentionally irritating self. "Yeah, Ron... one second." Kim took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She slowly slipped the necklace around her thin neck, carefully clasping it.
Ron's eyes widened. "Kim, it looks badical on you. Wait... I'm not supposed to say badical... It looks stunning on you, KP."
Kim wiped the tears away from her eyes and hugged Ron again, only letting go when she heard him start gasping for air.
"Booyah," Ron mouthed quietly. "Where did that come from?" he asked, rubbing his now sore arm.
"You earned that one," Kim replied with a smile.