Tara in Trouble

"Well Shego." Dr Drakken began, "The plan is…alright."

"Really?" She asked mockingly. "That's interesting." Adding, rather smugly, "It's not…great?"

"Well if you must know Shego." He said with a huff as he began to pace the floor. "It would seem that the buffoon's feelings for Kim Possible aren't exactly what they seemed to be."

"So your plan is a bust then?" She made certain to ask in such a way so as point out his failure.

"NO!" He shouted. "If it wasn't for this girl…What's her name…" Drakken scowled as he clenched his fist and rubbed it against his forehead in an attempt to remember the name. "Tia…Tamara...Tarma…Tara! That's it. Tara. I want her taken out of the picture." He turned to Shego and ordered her to, "Eliminate her for me!"

"I could do that…" Shego said slyly as she filed her nails.

Ron's House

"I'm heading over to the Possible's for a while dad." Ron said as he pulled on his jacket.

"Don't stay too long son." His dad told him, reminding Ron that, "lunch will be ready at 12:30."

"I'll be back before that." Ron stepped out of the front door, closing it behind him.

He was about to start for Kim's house when a maroon sedan pulled into the driveway. A man stepped out of the vehicle and started to walk toward Ron. "M-Mr. Mathews?" Ron addressed him hesitantly.

"Hello Ronald." Mr. Mathews greeted Ron with a firm handshake. "Is your father home?"

"Y-Yes sir." Ron answered shakily as he withdrew his hand.

"I suggest you keep going to wherever it is you were going." Robert swept his finger in the general direction of anywhere-but-here.

"Yes sir." Ron said hurriedly as he turned away and headed for the Possible family home. Looking back he saw Mr. Mathews step through the front door, having been welcomed into the home. Ron's only thought was, 'What is he doing here?'

Kim's House

The short trip from his house to Kim's took longer than normal. He was walking slowly, pondering why Tara's father was at his house. Hadn't Tara told him last night that she was going to her visit her Grandma? If she was, why wasn't her father with her? If she wasn't, why couldn't she help him with his homework? Ron pushed the nagging questions from his mind as he stepped onto the front porch of the Possible Household. He gave himself a quick going over, straightening his hair and running his hands over his jacket to smooth it out, before ringing the bell.

The door opened to reveal a stern looking Mr. Dr. Possible. "Ronald. Something I can do for you?" He asked unconcernedly.

"Mr. P…about last night. Don't blame Kim for my mistake. " Ron began, before taking a deep breath and beginning again. "I went to Bueno Nacho to get some takeout and Tara was there and she wanted me to keep her company and I did and we started talking and one thing lead to another and pretty soon it was 8:30 and I remembered about Kim and I had Tara drive me to my house and I tried calling Kim to apologize but she wasn't home and then when I got home I tried calling again and you wouldn't let me talk to her and now I won't be able to do my Trig homework and I'll fail and get held back a year and Kim and I won't graduate together and I'll be a bigger loser than ever and…"

Mr. Possible had heard enough of Ron's desperate rambling; he placed a firm hand over Ron's mouth. "Ronald, take a breath and quit talking." He pulled his hand away. "Kim is still grounded."

"But…It's not Kim's fault. You know how much she worries about me." Ron said as he ran his hand over the back of his neck, feeling the bump that was his tracking chip. "I shouldn't have left her hanging like that. I…"

"Go home Ronald." Mr. Possible said tonelessly as he began to close the door

"But-but…Mr. P." Ron stammered, trying to plead his case.

"Goodbye Ronald." Mr. Possible said as the door closed in Ron's face. He watched through the peephole for a few minutes as Ron simply stood dumbfounded on the front steps. After Ron had finally turned away and started for home Mr. Possible walked up the stairs to Kim's room. He knocked on the door gently, "Kimberly?"

"Come in." She answered through the still closed door.

Mr. Possible opened the door and stepped into her room, leaning back against the doorframe. "Ronald was just here."

"He was?" She asked flatly, not looking up from her Trig homework.

"I think he wanted to apologize," Kim glanced up at her dad, "for ditching you last night."

"He didn't ditch me!" She snapped, before blushing deeply and softly apologizing, "…sorry."

Her outburst didn't have a noticeable effect on his mood, he remained stoic. "When he wasn't home last night." He paused. "Why didn't you come back here?"

"I was worried about him." She said as she sat up on the edge of her bed. "He's been acting so not like himself lately that I…I thought he might be in trouble."

Mr. Possible shifted nervously, it was obvious to him that Ron meant a lot to her. "Well about your punishment…" Kim's face lit up. "You're still grounded," and went back to sullen. "But, Wednesday night, when you're watching the boys for us… you can ask Ronald to keep you company."

Drakken's Pad

"Or." Shego finished, leaving Drakken confused.

"Or?" He asked anxiously.

"We could use her against Kimmie." Shego stood, smirking as she revealed her plan to destroy Team Possible.

"How?" Drakken asked doubtfully.

"Doy!" Shego sighed and rolled her eyes, explaining. "If Ron is with Tara he won't have time for Kim and her little missions."

"So?"

"So there'd be no distraction," She said smiling evilly, "It would be the two of us against the one of her. It would be…"

Drakken was imagining the ultimate defeat of Kim Possible, not at his hands…not at Shego's hands…but at the unwitting hands of the buffoon. His unblinking eyes betrayed his inattention.

"Are you even listening to me?" Shego asked as she snapped her fingers in his face.

"Yes Shego. Us against her…" He sighed, waving her away.