11. Life With Kim, Pt. 1 ("Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast?")

7:34 AM.

WIlliam had stared at Kim for a solid two hours, afraid to wake her or even turn on a light to get a better look at her, for fear she would go "poof" and be gone. He had brushed her hair with his fingers once or twice in the barely-lit room. It was lighter to the touch than human hair...and smoother.

The light of day was beginning to seep into the window. William wondered how the curtain rod had been half-taken down - and how the bedspread had gotten back onto the bed. He didn't remember much of anything after Kim's "arrival." He looked her over a little more closely now that there was more light in the room. She lay on her right side as she slept, her knees drawn up slightly, one hand under her head.

Kim's skin appeared slightly different than in her TV episodes, being exposed to the properties of light and shadow in the real world, but it was perfect - not a single blemish, no scars - nary a freckle, much less a pimple. Her edges were no longer outlined, like a cartoon - yet were a bit more prominent than that of a human. Unlike the restrictions of animation coloring, the gradations of varying amounts of light combined with three dimensions lent no doubt to the fact that Kim was now a physical presence. Her body made curves and shape under the covers. The dip of her waist moved slightly with her breathing. The pillow was depressed from her head resting on it.

William caught a faint whiff of vanilla, and wondered if it was coming from the candle - or Kim. He slowly turned, so as not to wake his new guest, and looked at the candle. Even though burning for at least 20 minutes during the last night's ritual and then being relit after Kim appeared, it had barely melted. The wick only looked singed at the tip.

William turned back to Kim. There was enough light in the room now that he could see her face clearly. He thought about the cliche of most women looking like an angel while they slept...whoever coined that line had never seen Kim - but he hit the target dead center. Her face shone like a rich cream. It gave a glow to the pillow.

William leaned in a little closer, lifting a lock of her hair and bringing it to his nose.

Vanilla.

He felt like shouting Angelica's praises from the roof.

He leaned in yet closer. Her mouth was that perfect little curve, reminding one of a flourish in calligraphy. He heard the gentle sound of her breath. He felt the warmth of sleep radiating from her skin. He was close enough, all William need do was purse his lips, and he could kiss her cheek. She was here. Kim Possible was really--

"Oh!"

bang

"Owwww..."

William sat up quickly, holding his smarting nose. Kim winced and sank back onto the pillow, her hand on her forehead.

"Uhhh...Good morning. Are you all right??"

"Ih'm hfinne. Nthat was hmy hfault," said William through his hand.

"No. I shouldn't have jumped like that, I'm sorry. But you were like, right in my face when I woke up. I wasn't expecting that. Are you sure you're okay?"

William looked at his hand. No blood. "I'm okay. How about you?"

"Just a bump. It's no big."

A wave of tingles made William shudder slightly. He turned to Kim. "H-hi. I'm William. William Hodge," he said, extending his hand.

"I know," replied Kim, sitting up. "You told me last night. Well, kind of. I'm K--" She stopped. "You're...you're not going to pass out again, are you?"

"No," William grinned. "Not this time."

"Then I'm Kim," she said, grasping William's hand. "Kim Pos--"

"I...know who you are," said William, grinning wider. "Your...reputation precedes you, I guess you could say." Her touch was warm, soft...and he held her hand probably longer than he should have. Then he looked at Kim quizzically. "I passed out?" he asked.

"Boy, did you. I tried shaking you awake. You were so out. I went over and pulled the quilt off of the window. I...kind of broke your curtain rod. I'm sorry."

William held up his hand. "It's, uhh...no big?," still trying to grasp the fact that he was conversing with the Kim Possible - in his bed, yet.

Kim smiled widely. "I put the quilt over you...and I was kind of tired from the cross...so I just...crawled in and went to sleep. I hope that was okay."

...'okay,' she asks, thought William. "No, that's fine. Did you sleep well?"

"Very well. This quilt is way warm - especially after the cross. And I didn't have any night clothes to wear," said Kim, looking down over her tank top and jeans.

"Yeah," replied William. "I slept in my clothes, too...but I don't think I had a choice. You mentioned 'the cross'..."

"When I came through the mirror. That's the cross."

"It's cold?"

"Well...ever touched a mirror?" said Kim. "Think of how cold it is going through one."

"Gotcha," said William. "But...during the end of the 'cross,' there were parts of the mirror that appeared to...melt...when it formed your outline."

"That's part of the transformation from Celler to Flesher environments," explained Kim. It's kind of a residual effect. I don't know a lot about the cross other than what Wade has told me, but I do remember that part of it."

"Cel-lar?" William asked. "Flesher? Did...you come from a basement--?"

"Nonononono," giggled Kim. "C-e-l-l-e-r. Celler. You know...the cels used to create the animation frames. That's what we're called." She took William's hand in hers, and brought the back of his hand to her chest. "Celler--"

Warm. Soft. Real. William could feel her heartbeat.

She then moved his hand to his own chest. "Flesher."

William noticed the thudding of his own heart, like a child on Christmas mornng. He then asked, "You're...not a carto--?"

Kim quickly pressed her index finger to William's lips. "William," she said, "Never...ever...call us cartoons. A 'cartoon' is a term for the shows we act in...or if you're talking about a non-animated character - like a comic book or something. Calling a Celler a cartoon is actually a form of insult."

"I'm sorry." Then William grinned slightly. "What about 'Looney Toons'?"

"Look when those were made," Kim continued. "It was during the 40's and 50's. Back then, it was acceptable to call fleshers of different ethnic backgrounds insulting names, too."

"Point taken. So...you're a Celler who acts in a cartoon."

"Yep."

"You're...not just, umm, 'alive' when they make the cels?"

"Are you just 'alive' when someone snaps a picture of you?" Kim smiled.

William thought for a moment, trying to process a dozen things at once while thinking up two dozen more things to ask about. "This cross thing...you talk about it as if you've done it before."

"Many times."

"Doesn't that get tiring?"

Kim stopped for a second, collecting her thoughts. "This...isn't really easy to explain," she said. "I'm...you know...'me'...but I'm really not. Ummm...darn, Wade explained this, too. I should have written it down. There is no one 'copy' of 'me'...but each 'me' - is 'me.' Do you understand?"

"Kind of," replied William. "So do other um, Cellers, do this too? Cross over into the real world?"

"William!" Kim looked at him, rather shocked. "I'm real! I'm as real as you are! If I wasn't real, could I do this?" She began to tap William on the forehead with her index finger, in time with her words. "Hel-lo-do-you-feel-this-am-I-real-or-what?" They both laughed. "And yes, Cellers cross often," she added.

"Really," William said. "Yet I've never heard of this happening before."

"Well...it's not that many. But you won't hear about it because the people who end up meeting Cellers couldn't explain their level of fascination with Cellers to other Fleshers, much less that they actually spend time with one. Who would expose to the public that which no one else believes or would understand - no matter how real they are in the Flesher environment?" Kim giggled. "That's why you never see flying saucers landing in large cities, either."

"Makes sense to me," said William, nodding.

"A cross only comes to a Flesher who really, really believes," she continued, "and has...you'll pardon the cliche...a 'pure heart.' You won't see any evil villains crossing and wreaking havoc in the Flesher environment." Kim flopped back onto the bed. "No evil villains! This is like an extended vacation from saving the world!"

"Yeah...no Drakken, no Shego--"

"You'd be surprised," Kim interrupted. "It's a show, remember? Actually, Shego and I are best friends off-camera. We're very close. Ever watch our 'fights'? They wouldn't be so smoothly correographed if we were really enemies." Kim then lifted up on one elbow. "Did you know that Shego's really a blonde in a Cher wig??"

William's eyes widened. Kim looked at him for a few seconds - then fell back onto the bed, erupting in laughter. "So not! I'm actually jealous of her hair."

"Hmmm. How about Bonnie?" asked William.

"Now her, I don't get along with. All those insults back and forth? That's mostly real. They've had to stop production several times when our dialogue escalated into shouting matches."

Kim stood up, shooed William to his feet, and started to straighten the sheets, making the bed. William asked as he picked up a pillow and fluffed it, "You said an 'extended vacation.' Ummm...how long will you be here?"

Kim walked over to the mirror and the vial. The cap was off, laying beside it. Kim picked up the vial in one hand, the cap in the other, and held them out. "I'm here until you do this." She then made the motion of replacing the cap on the vial, yet not letting the two touch. "That's the way to send me back."

She had to be kidding! thought William. "No problem," he said. "Put the vial in my desk there. Toss me the cap." William placed the cap in the drawer of the nightstand. He then whisked his hands together. "Done and done."

Kim smiled. "Cool," and returned to making the bed. "Let's clean this place up," she said. "I'll bet it didn't look like this before I got here."

"Actually, I'm a little hungry," said William, straightening the items on his nightstand, his back to Kim. "I could make you some breakfast. I went to the store yesterday. Can you eat eggs? I'm not the world's greatest cook--"

"EGGS!??" shrieked Kim. She leaped across the bed and threw her arms around William.

"You like eggs?" laughed William, shocked at the girl's sudden reaction, while at the same time enjoying the contact. "Would you like toast with that?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," replied Kim, sliding her arms further around his neck.

"...and...some...juice?"

"Juuuuuiiccce..." Kim purred. "Lead the way."

William showed Kim into the kitchen, and pulled out one of the tall chairs on the living room-side of the breakfast nook for her to sit in.

"I suppose I should ask," he said. "Is there anything that you have to stay away from, food-wise?"

"Only two things I know of," replied Kim. "Alcohol is right out. And any form of artificial sweetener. Both cause severe chemical reactions, and can make us really sick."

"So noted," said William, retrieving a loaf of bread from the breadbox next to the stove. "There's none of either here, so we're cool. How many eggs can you eat?"

"twooo..?"

William got a skillet from the lower cupboard, and a carton of eggs and butter from the fridge. He turned on the burner, and let a slice of butter slide into the skillet.

William was still adjusting to the fact that Kim Possible walked out of what used to be his mirror in the midst of the chaos produced by the ritual last night - let alone the fact that he had awakened to her sleeping next to him. And now he was cooking breakfast for her. He thought for a moment about sticking his hand on the burner, to prove he wasn't dreaming.

He turned to Kim to ask her preference. "How do you want...your...eggs..."

Kim's expression staggered William's statement. Her eyes were half-closed, and her mouth was drawn into a day-dreaming smile. "Yesss," she cooed.

"...Kim?"

Kim snapped into coherency for a second. "Oh! Hi, hehe. I'm sorry. Sunny side up, please."

William smiled at her, and turned back to the stove, first breaking one egg against a second, pouring it into the skillet, and repeating twice more before breaking the last egg on the rim. The yolks stared back at him like some four-eyed ovoid alien. He reached into the bread bag and put two slices into the toaster. "Two pieces of toast?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

He slipped two more slices in and pushed down the levers. Wiliam then got two glasses out of the upper cupboard, and took a plastic half-gallon jug of orange juice out of the fridge. He began pouring. "Say when," he said over his shoulder. The glass was nearly full, and William stopped, turning again to Kim. She had the same dreamy expression on her face, and was transfixed on the skillet.

"Kim? Are you okay?"

"...oh yeaahh --" Her attention snapped to him again. "uhh, what?"

"I wondered how much juice you wanted."

"Oh. Heh. Fill'er up."

William brought the full glass to Kim and set it on the counter in front of her, to which she replied with a warm "Thanks," and took a sip. William almost thought he heard a rather high-pitched noise as he walked back to the stove, but quickly turned his attention to the skillet, which was now beginning to pop and spittle. He turned the flame down a bit just as the toast sprang up.

"Peach preserves for your toast? Or just butter?"

"Yes."

"Heh. Umm...which, Kim?"

"I'm sorry...preserves, please."

William then realized that Kim was watching every step in the cooking process with a distracted and passionate interest. He spread preserves on two slices of bread, and butter on the other two. He then got two plates out of the cupboard, and a spatula and two forks from a drawer next to the stove. He set down the plates and slipped two of the eggs onto one of them, and the toast with preserves. He walked over and presented the plate to Kim, who now had an anticipating look. "Breakfast is a-served, M'dam. There's salt and pepper there on the counter. I'll be there in a minute."

William returned to the stove and fixed his own plate, then sat in the chair on the kitchen side, across from Kim.

"This...is...so good, William," said Kim between bites.

"I'm glad you like it," William replied, and cut into one of his eggs.

Then he heard the noise again. It was Kim. A barely-audible whimper each time she chewed a bite of food.

"Kim?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"Forgive me for asking, but...are you...moaning?

"William..." started Kim. She looked down, blushing a bit - then lifted her eyes at him without raising her head. "I'm sorry. Yes...yes, I guess I am. It's this food!"

"You don't have to be gracious," said William. "I already know that I'm not the best cook in the world."

"It's not that," said Kim, raising her head. "And there's nothing wrong with this breakfast. Your cooking is quite good. It's all Flesher food that affects me like this."

"Oh. It tastes better than...Celler food?"

Kim's eyes widened. "It TASTES, William. That's the difference."

"Do Cellers actually eat in the Celler...world?" asked William.

"Environment. Yes, we do. In fact, Celler food has all the nutritional and caloric value that Flesher food does. But it has absolutely no taste whatsoever."

"So on a show, when you say something tastes 'good'..." he asked.

"It's acting," replied Kim, smiling and taking another bite of toast. "m-m-mmm...now...back to flesher food. Try to imagine the best meal you've ever eaten in your life. Now multiply that by three. That's what Flesher food tastes like to a Celler."

"ALL Flesher food??" asked William, intrigued.

"ALL Flesher food. It's like heaven to a Celler. In fact...it's almost better than sex." She took another bite, then added, "--almost."

Hmmm. That led him to think of questions on a subject he thought better than to bring up at the breakfast table.

Kim then leaned toward William on one elbow, wagging her fork at him. "William? You could serve roasted skunk butt in a light hollandaise sauce...and a celler would ask you to pass the salt," she smirked, and reached for her juice.

"Eww-w-w-w," William said through a laugh. He then tore a slice of his toast in half, and dipped it into the yolk of his remaining egg. He hesitated a moment with a thoughtful look on his face before taking a bite. "Guess I'll have to watch at the grocer for a sale on skunk butt," he uttered nonchalantly.

William's mistake was saying this while Kim had juice in her mouth. "Mmm-ma-HAHAHAHA!" Both Kim and the juice burst out together, spraying William.

A now-dripping William looked at Kim with a shocked smile. He reached to the back of his chair, and brought a dishtowel to his face.

"What a gracious host," giggled Kim.

William brought the towel down, exposing one eye. "Hmm?"

Kim tore a corner from her last half-slice of toast and tossed it at him. "Breakfast is on you." She lasted through about four seconds of William staring at her with that same incredulous smile before bursting into laughter again, putting her hand over her mouth to try to stifle it. She ended up having to hide her face in her arms on the counter, laughing through a closed mouth - "Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm" - lifting her head now and then to look at him - same incredulous smile - then down again, snickering and returning to "Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm..."

to be continued...