12. Life with Kim, Pt. 2 ("Duh!")

9:12 AM.
After breakfast, Kim and William set about doing a little cleaning, starting with the dishes. William took the plates and put them into the sink. He was followed by Kim, with the juice glasses. He put the dishes into the sink and started the water, then turned to get the skillet from the stove. When he turned back to the sink, Kim was leaning over it, letting her fingers drift slowly back and forth through the rising water, sometimes playing them through the faucet stream.

"Would you like to wash, or dry?" asked William.

"I....think I'd better dry," replied Kim, with a small shudder.

"Water too cold?"

"mmmm, nooooo..."

"Hmmmm." William paused. "...something else I should know about Cellers?"

"Water, William," said Kim. "We're intensely drawn to water...fascinated by it. It's an experience on all the senses."

"no water in the Celler environment, I take it?"

"No actual water. Something about an interaction with us. Anyway, water is a real treat. A bath has been known to be quite arousing."

"...so you're saying you prefer showers?"

"So not!" Kim giggled.

William showed Kim where the dishes went as she finished drying each one. When she put the glasses away, Kim put her hand on William's shoulder for leverage as she reached for the top shelf. The contact was warm, warmer than a human touch - another reassurance to William that this was no dream. Kim Possible did walk out of his mirror last night...Kim Possible was now standing in his kitchen, helping with the dishes...and Kim Possible was a physical presence, as real as he was.

William didn't realize it yet, but the contact was initiating a process in his mind about the "feelings" he had for Kim when she was just someone inside the box - part of his cathode ray "family" - and how or even if they would change now that she was an actual, physical part of his life...and how he would - or even if he could - confess them to Kim.

William's "secret wish" was to meet someone just like Kim, who wasn't in his other life - the one from inside the box. He still couldn't figure out how Angelica read that. One thing was for certain - his secret wish had come true - in spades.

After the dishes were done, William ran a sponge over the countertop of the breakfast nook and dried it with a dishtowel, then headed for the bedroom. Kim had already entered the room, and was picking up papers and books that had scattered from his desk and bookcase during the ritual. "The books were on the second shelf," he said, as he uprighted his printer, "And the papers go in the tray over the monitor."

"I was going to ask you about the computer," inquired Kim. "I'll want to send Wade an email in the next day or so, if that's alright."

"Wow. Email and everything. Just like--

"...just like for real," Kim sulked.

William wanted to crawl under the rug.

"Kim, I'm sorry. This is all still...new to me. It's...not as if you just came up and rang the doorbell, you know."

"It's okay...really. It actually happens more often than not. It is quite an adjustment, after the initial shock of the cross. I...guess I wasn't ready for it."

"Kim, please...feel free to email anyone you want, anytime you want. If you want, I can set up a second email address on my account." He looked through his top desk drawer for some screws to put the curtain rod back up.

"Thanks," Kim smiled, patting the stack of papers and putting them in the tray. "Hey, remind me to tell him to send more information about the cross...the stuff I couldn't remember."

"There's probably a lot I can think up to ask Wade," said William jokingly.

Kim smirked a bit. "There're still a lot of things I know. You don't have to resort to the super-genius just yet."

William then got the screwdriver from the floor next to the door and walked over to rehang the curtain rod. Kim sat in the chair at his computer desk.

"Kim?" William looked back over his shoulder as he was tightening the last screw. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," replied Kim.

William slid the curtains into place and turned around with a "ta-da" flourish. Kim applauded softly, smiling.

William walked back to the desk, putting the screwdriver back into his desk drawer and sliding it closed. He then sat on the foot of the bed, facing Kim. "You know...I've watched all of your episodes, and have most of them on tape. But even with all that, and now, given that you're...here, instead of on the TV...I realize that I really don't know that much about you yourself. I just wondered a few things about you that aren't readily available from the show."

"Ask away," said Kim, bringing up one knee and interlocking her fingers around it.

"Well...for instance...how old are you?"

"I'm not," she grinned.

William raised an eyebrow.

"Just as with actors in the Flesher environment, we're asked to play an age for our roles. But that's where the similarity stops. Cellers really have no chronological age, other than our creation date...but that's not considered our 'age.' Otherwise, I'd be less than a year old."

"Do you....'age' at all?"

"The only way we're considered to 'age' is when animation techniques advance. But as far as chronological 'age' - no, we don't. I'm not really any younger or older than Betty Boop or Judy Jetson."

William was amazed with the ease at which Kim's explanations fit together so well. Each answer made her all the more rea--

William mentally slapped himself. Then he continued.

"How tall are you?"

"I'm 5'5"."

"And weight?"

"You know better than to ask a lady that," Kim giggled. "I'm kidding. I'm 118 pounds."

"What, uhh...size clothes do you wear? Please tell me if I'm out of bounds here."

"Not at all," Kim replied, making a "pshaw" motion with her hand. "I'm actually a size 5, but I like wearing size 6 pants - you know, like my mission cargo pants - so I can move around freer. Those and sweatpants, which I sleep in most of the time. Anything else? Oh - size 6 1/2 shoe," she said, bringing up her foot.

Wiliam took a slip of paper and a pen from the desk, and wrote down the information Kim had given him. "Do you happen to know your measurements?" he asked.

"The last time I was measured was for the yellow cheerleading outfit in 'Number One'," said Kim. "It was 32...23...ummm, 34."

William continued writing.

"William?"

"mm-hm?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were measuring me up to buy me some clothes."

"Well, you'd be right. After all, you'll be staying a while...that is, if you want to." William then looked at the floor for a moment, and asked, "You said the way to send you 'back' was to put the cap back on the vial..."

"That's right," said Kim, with a bit of apprehension. "You're...not thinking of sending me back already, are you?"

"No!" William replied instantly. "I was just wondering...is it possible for a celler to...send themself back?"

Now Kim looked at the floor. "Yes. The same way as if you were to send me back. But something has to go really wrong for one of us to want that to happen."

"Like...?"

"Like if we were mistreated, or made to do evil things. Remember what I said about villains crossing? It's kind of the same thing, if a Flesher were to ask us to do something against our character. It's a sort of unwritten pact between the Cellers when we started doing the cross."

"Well, I don't think I have any evil planned," said William.

"You know...if you want to feel more at ease, you can hide either the vial or the cap, if you want to. If you're worrying about me sending myself back, that is."

William looked at Kim for a long moment...then said, "Kim...you were brought here by something I can't describe any other way, but a miracle. To tell you the truth, I'm still getting used to the fact that you're here at all. I don't want to keep you from doing anything you want to do. But if you want to go back someday, it will have to be by your decision...because if it were up to me, that vial and cap will collect a lot of dust, and I'll forget what they looked like when they were together."

Kim searched William's eyes for a few seconds. "William...if this morning has been any indication...I don't think it's a decision I'll have to make at all." Her mouth slowly spread into a smile.

William felt his heart shift gears, and a choke began to grow in his throat. He slapped his hands on his legs and stood up, to break the mood, which felt like it was about to become too deep to keep in control - at least for him. "I'm going to change my shirt and head down to the square. I can stop by the grocer on the way back. Is there anything particular you would like for dinner?"

"No skunk butt!" blurted Kim with a laugh. "Not even if it's on sale!"

William wrote while saying, "....no....skunk...butt."

"Okay, here's my first stupid question," Kim asked. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a reconciliation clerk at an insurance company," said William, then putting his hand to his forehead. "Urrggh, and I have to call my new supervisor this afternoon or evening. Today's his first day, and I was supposed to help him get up to speed."

"So why didn't you go?"

William looked at the mirror...then at Kim, and laughed. "Duh!" Kim giggled in turn.

William showed Kim to the living room, then went back to the bedroom and changed into a black polo top. He then showed Kim how to work the remote for the TV and VCR, pointed out where his movies were, and told her that there was lots of food in the fridge for her to make whatever she wanted for lunch.

William then walked for the door, taking his coat from the chair. He turned around - and Kim was right there. "William?" she said, taking his hand into hers. The warmth that flowed through him made him feel like leaving his coat there. "Thank you," she said, looking into his eyes.

"For...?"

"...for not being evil, of course!" she said brightly. Then she widened her grin into a warm smile. "And for..." - long pause , as if she were cautiously choosing what to say - "...breakfast."

Willliam smiled warmly back at Kim. "I'd say 'no big'...but you know that." He then finished putting on his coat, and turned for the door.

"Don't be too long," chimed Kim.

William made it about a block-and-a-half before the emotions of the last 12 hours blindsided him. He sat on a bus bench, and wept a mix of tears of joy and pain for the better part of a half-hour before continuing to the market square.
11:51 AM.

to be continued...