Author's Note: Alright! Sorry I didn't have this up last night, I completely forgot x.x;; Back for more! mmkay, questions and suchness:

1. I'd like to point out that I have theentire three stories planned out plot-wise. I've got-tons- of notes and I've written sections here and there even in the third story;I know what's gonna happen and when. I love hearing what you guys think is gonna happen (love it!), but just to let you know that I do have this all planned and nothing anyone says is going to alter anything. So, I like hearing what you think is gonna happen, but this isn't a request story so please don't say 'OMG MAKE THIS HAPPEN',sorry! (and I -do- know what's in Ron's drawer :B)

2. I'm AM Canadian. Suffer :3

3. omg, silver-badger, you rock D: I'm pleasently surprised at the things you noticed and I'm glad SOMEONE picked up one them -lol. Like I said before, there are things going down that isn't going to be revelaed til much later O:

4. Umm... I -still- haven't found a way to introduce this into the story so I think I should explain it. Sorta. Without giving spoilers. Since Ron can overhear Kim's thoughts, I'm 'pretty' sure Kim, at some point, will be able to overhear his. But when? Who knows... maybe she'll be more attentive and thus be able to receivesome when she stops jilting over Josh. ;3 After all, those are some pretty powerful thoughts and emotionsKim is dealing with of her own, I doubt she really has 'room' for Ron's to come intoo.

5. I thought how the hand-holding thing happenedwas kinda obvious, but if not, it'll be explained in more detail later.

Major thanks to: Classic Cowboy, captainkodak1, silent:tears:fall, Me262, Forlong, Ashley (love ya, girl!), crazyboutbooks (me too!), Zeldagurli, eckles, FadingSlowly, silver-badger, ShadowGirl, Kiona Kina, mjolnir870, JulesFire,kimnron4ever,Charlene, Ptashi aaaand Loo (RonxGill all the way, I'm still so disgusted in myself for writing Kim. And Ron luvins.:) Thank-you all once again for taking time to read my story and fulfill me with your comments! You guys, like... pwn big time / BIG time :3 ... THANK-YOU!

¤ Instalment 08 »» Day Four: The Progress ¤

Somewhere after midnight

In my wildest fantasy

Somewhere beyond my reach

There's someone reaching back for me.

-Bonnie Tyler, 'Holding Out for a Hero'

Progress.

That's what Kim had to do, her mission: to make progress with Josh. And to achieve that progress would be to phone him as soon as possible.

In fact, she thought, laying on her back and staring blankly at her mauve ceiling, since I've just woken, why don't I phone him now?

She was earnest and yet nervous to take the daring first step as to make contact with Josh after what happened at Bueno Nacho yesterday. But she wasn't going to wait for Josh to phone her first; she wanted to say what she wanted to him first. Just in case there was that small possibility that he hadn't cleared his head and come to reason.

Before moving over on her right side to reach for the phone on the bed stand, her eyes flickered to her left where Ron lay. On his stomach, his left hand attached to her left, resting on her pink pillow, his head was facing her, but he was soundlessly asleep. Kim noted that he was still wearing his clothes from yesterday. Then looking down at herself she found that she too was still in her clothes. Now her skirt was all wrinkled and would need an ironing out. She pulled down the trim to as far as it would go for it had lifted some in her sleep. Blushing slightly, she was relieved that she had awoken first just in case it had pulled up higher in her sleep.

Noting the time, her inner clock must still be working regardless of the long weekend, this would be around the time she'd have to wake for school, and it was a Monday.

Reaching forwards she grappled clumsily for the phone, pulling it off the charger and laid back on her bed with it. She pressed the button for his speed dial, biting her bottom lip, struggling to keep to keep her eyes open (for she was still rather sleepy), she awaited Josh to answer his telephone.

—ø–

Not much could awake Ron Stoppable out of a slumber. He was one of those people who, once they had fallen into a sleep, couldn't be awoken until they deemed ready to. A three-ring circus could be performing in the very room with elephants and lions and not a single ear-splitting roar and trumpet sound could penetrate his eardrums and into his brain. Not only that, but Ron wasn't a morning person either, so when, for some inexplicable reason, he awoke early that morning, he was truly shocked at himself.

It wasn't any noise, no bright lights that had awoken him. His mind and just given a shock to his system causing his eyes to bolt open. Whatever it was that made him awake was still inside him, although dormant, it nagged at him, refusing his protests to fall back asleep.

Then he understood. While he struggled to comprehend what was going on with himself, his eyes rested on Kim who was fixing her skirt and reaching for the telephone. Even through the morning fog in his brain (which was usually thicker than most people), he understood that what woke him was something he must have received from Kim. It was only last night that he discovered he could feel Kim's emotions and yet he was able to remember and recognise it so quickly. But he wasn't sure if it was an emotion of hers or if it was her waking that had woken him. He hoped not the latter, Kim was a morning person.

He continued to watch Kim unnoticed and immobile as she pressed the button for Josh's speed dial. That still hurt him; he was her bestest best friend since Pre-K. He used to be on her speed dial! But now he wasn't because of some stupid dude she had met a couple of years ago and didn't really know all that well. That, to Ron, was pure blasphemy. It was the speed-dial they were talking about! Not an audible alert when you signed on the IM service. Only one person could be on a speed-dial. Well, by the time he was through with Kim, he, Ron Stoppable, would be back on her coveted speed dial.

Ron expected Kim to begin speaking into the receiver already, but she was still lying on the bed, the phone pressed to her ear and silent. This could mean one of two things: A) Josh wasn't a morning person either or B) he had Caller ID and was purposely ignoring her phone call. Ron prayed it was answer B.

As time passed by, Kim kept pressing the hang up button and pressing the speed dial button repeatedly. Ron decided to make his waking self known to Kim when she finally gave some sort of reaction. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a couple of moments before dropping her free right hand to her side. Was the ceiling that fascinating?

"Maybe he's not a morning person," Ron said voicing his plan A.

Tearing her eyes away from the ceiling, she didn't even look startled to find Ron awake. "He's ignoring my calls on purpose, Ron."

"I didn't know you were psychic," Ron teased.

"So not in the mood; stop it." Kim muttered, furrowing her brow.

Ron tried to resist an urge to groan and roll his eyes. He made it half-way by giving a sort of groaned sigh with much exasperation. Maybe it was just the morning, but right then he was short on patience with Kim when it came to Josh.

"Kim, it's the morning, look at the clock. It's a no-school-Monday. I'm willing to bet the dude's still asleep (like any other sane person)." Kim still looked miserable, so he lightened up his tone of voice (it was hard, his voice was so croaky this early in the morn) and gave her a reassuring smile, "Phone again after Breakfast. Now I'm going back to sleep in this bed whether you like it or not."

Kim ignored him and turned her head over so her face was deep into the pillow in despair. She gave a moan of upset and let the phone lay on the bed. Sitting up right, Ron observed her, tilting his head to the side. She wasn't any better off than yesterday or so he observed. He thought she might be, expecting the sleep to allow her time to calm her down and perhaps come to reason, much like she was hoping Josh might.

Apparently, Ron was wrong. He hoped Kim was wrong about Josh too.

But just because he didn't have that small leverage he was looking forwards to, didn't mean Ron wasn't going to stick to his plan. No, it was a must now and he'd have to work even harder to guarantee that Kim would pick up on his small hints he would sprinkle for her throughout the day. After all, he couldn't come out too straight forward. This was a delicate procedure.

Kim moaned again in her pillow which was followed by a sob.

Although Ron was pained for Kim, he could feel the emotions rising within him again from Kim. He began to feel aggravated, feeling as if Kim were selfish to continue on moping about Josh since Ron had to feel her pain too. But of course, she didn't know he could and Ron wasn't about to tell her. Ron was disgruntled and groggy for more sleep, he felt like he had to do something to comfort Kim, more for himself than for Kim. What to do? He wasn't sure if he'd trust his mouth to say any more encouraging words to Kim, he was that tired.

But he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip through his hands either. Well, hand.

…An idea. He had thought about doing this on more than one occasion; it could be read both ways; should he? He could… what if..?

Ugh, stop it!, he told himself sternly. I can tell already the day will be full of 'What If's' like this and if I turn every one down, I won't make any kind of progress with her! Just… just do it.

So he did.

Despite Kim's face in her pillow, her face was still sideways and he could see a sliver of her open eyes, drooping in misery. To ease along Kim into a state of drear ready for sleep (yea-yea, and as additional comfort), Ron boldly reached out with his free hand, his right, and while sitting up, he began to gently pat her hair.

At first it was small tentative pats, he was still alert and nervous about his decision, wondering if it could be too bold. What if she shrugged him off or yelled? There were those 'what if's' again, he had to train himself to ignore them. Soon, his pats modulated without his really knowing into longer, placid strokes. He tried to appear as if he was insouciant should Kim look up and see him. He didn't want her to think he was coming on to her or anything.

Of course Kim looked up as soon as she felt the strokes. She didn't actually look at Ron though; with her head slightly off her pillow, her eyes focused forwards, but it was evident her train of mind was strongly concentrating on Ron's touch.

This was when Ron felt most anxious. He actually began to feel hot inside, a rush of some feeling or other tinged his cheeks, it was hard to keep these emotions in check; he hoped Kim wasn't receiving them. It made his hand patting her feel rigged, but he forced himself to continue without any jerky movements.

To Ron's enormous alleviation, and making his heart flutter, Kim laid her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes. A small sigh from her lips. Was she allowing him to continue? She wasn't refusing…

This was when Ron permitted himself to smile in victory and continue to stroke Kim's hair with repose. She had accepted. It was… Ron closed his eyes, brimming with elation… it was Progress.

—ø–

Eventually, Ron had fallen back to sleep, but he only allowed it to sweep him over once he was positive Kim had drifted off first. He wanted her last waking moments to be absorbed in his touch, maybe when she was in that dilatory state, her mind might drift and wander… maybe onto him…

He sighed, doubting it while Kim continued to rile him out of his sleep.

"What time is it?" he asked of her.

Kim picked up the phone which had fallen onto the bed, placing it back onto the charger. "Ten o'clock! Can you believe that? Tchach!" she pushed the covers off of her that Ron had placed onto her before he fell asleep.

"So," Ron shrugged, aloof. "Rufus and I would wake this time every morning if we could. Perhaps even later."

Kim rolled her eyes, straightening and smoothing out the sheets down to the tiniest of folds, Ron eyed this with trepidation.

"You'd have to break that habit," Kim replied unmindful.

Ron took immediate interest in the comment, "Oh? Why?"

Kim instantly froze. (What is she thinking!) Her eyes darted suspiciously and she quickly shooed Ron off the bed to smooth out the sheets on his side which he let out many audible complaints about. Compellingly, Kim ignored his comment. Ron had to crawl over the bed to Kim's side with Rufus on his shoulder since he couldn't walk around the bed, their arms wouldn't stretch that far. She clicked her tongue at all the new folds he had created and worked hard to smooth them out.

Standing beside Kim, he monitored Kim's twitchy hand straighten out the sheets. "Obsessive Compulsive much, KP?" Kim looked perturbed but otherwise ignored this too. Ron put his right hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from the bed. "Kim, leave the bed alone, it's done nothing wrong."

Instantly an adrenaline rush surged inside of Ron and he almost lurched forwards onto the bed. But he could tell it was distanced, it wasn't his emotions; they were transmitted from Kim. That was the strange thing, even though the emotions were very real inside of him, he could still feel that they weren't his emotions. Unless. Unless they were so strongly like last night when she was sobbing about Josh… then it had consumed all of his emotions, he hoped never to experience such a feeling again, from her or his own. Anyway, back to the present.

"Oh, Ron!" Kim wailed and Ron was briefly caught off guard by her drastically unexpected reply even with the warning emotion he just received. She brought her hands up and they shook, "I haven't phoned Josh again since this morning and I'm just so totally freaked about when I do!" She looked down and muttered, "It's inside of me like a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach." She placed a hand there.

Tell me about it…

"KP, the answer can simply be solved by phoning Mankey. How about after you phone him you jump for joy or feel this 'pit' in your stomach, ok?" Ron's own emotions began to feel nettled so he instantly took hold and calmed himself down. There was no point in voicing his annoyance of Kim's constant Josh-fret, it wasn't the front he wanted her to see of him to-day. Despite everything, he had to be kind and endearing to her. In short, he responded softly, meaningfully.

Again she looked disconcerted then met Ron's eyes. "You're right," she murmured, "After Brunch, I'll phone…" Her voice reverted to half shrill, half faked nonchalance, "There's no use in worrying about something that might not happen, right, Ron!" She lifted up her plate that was still on the bed stand from the night prior and indicated for Ron to pick up his own.

"Right, Kim," Ron replied solemnly. He somewhat hoped Kim would remember or say something about his comforting her that morning, how he had stroked her hair. Maybe a thanks, he would have settled for that if she didn't want to full-out make-out with him.

As they left they left the room, Ron looked at the bag of unneeded groceries on the floor that he had dumped from there last night. How out of place they looked, cascaded onto the floor without care and all alone.

Wow, I can relate right now.

Trudging down the stairs and into the kitchen, they dumped the plates in the washer for later cleaning. Kim seemed to freeze in the middle of the kitchen and Ron had to prompt her before she unfroze and pulled out some cereal for the both of them.

"I guess your parents are at work to-day?" Ron asked, shovelling in the food.

"Yea and the Tweebs have school." Kim looked like she wasn't too intent on eating her cereal and at other times she was gorging on the food.

It's just like my dream then, Ron thought. Sorta. I wonder… I wonder if it could end in a similar way… But wasn't there something that stopped me from...

Instantly Ron was propelled out of his seat and Rufus had to make an amazing leap to latch onto Ron before the little mole-rat was left behind.

To no-one's surprise, Kim landed on the sofa with a backwards plop! and reached for the telephone. Ron resisted a sigh; actually, the sigh was more for his unfinished breakfast than the fact that she was calling up Josh again. But Ron reposed himself in reminder that he had to be extra sensitive to Kim to-day if he wanted to go anywhere with his plan.

So he waited, hoping that Josh wouldn't pick up his phone and swoon apologies to Kim. He hoped Josh was the type to carry a grudge for a very long time. Infinity would work in Ron's little black book.

Slipping into a slouch on the sofa beside Kim, his left was still stuck to her left, but this time since he was sitting on her right, it was her arm that was discomforted. Ron would have preferred to sleep in longer, or so his eyes told him. So Ron rested by keeping them half open and watching Kim out of the corner of his eye.

Kim was jittery, biting her lower lip, slouching just like Ron. Boredom probably settling in, she endlessly flipped her left hand around in Ron's which was annoying him. She looked up at the clock in the sitting room and removed the phone from her ear, placing it back onto the receiver.

"Maybe he has his own phone number and he's downstairs eating breakfast?" Kim suggested. Or forced herself to believe, whichever.

Instead of making a comical retort, Ron smiled at her, "I bet that's it, what other reason would he have for not picking up his phone, right?"

Kim blinked astonished at Ron's response, but fell for it anyway. "You're so right, Ron!" Delighted with this façade, Kim stood up and strolled back leisurely to the kitchen where they cleaned their breakfast plates and dumped them in the dish washer. (But not before Ron and Rufus shoved in large quantities of their cereal into their mouths.)

"Guess you know what time it is, then?" Kim asked Ron, directing him to the sitting room once more.

"Ya?" Ron asked, bemused. He was able to see the clock but didn't understand what was so special about 10.18 am other than he should have still been asleep.

"No, duh, Ron!" Kim gave him an overpowering look. "H-work!" The forced normality in Kim's voice was so obviously fake to Ron, but he knew she was trying her best to not break-down about Josh all over again. He decided it was in both their best interest not to make fun of her bad acting-skills and just accept it as if she it were genuine. He wondered if Kim believed that he believed she was being genuine.

Then the 'H-work' came back into Ron's mind and he groaned. "Aww, c'mon, KP. Why not something else to ease the little grey cells? Like some video games or tele-o-vision?"

Kim shook her head, her movements were still rather sedated. "School's to-morrow, Ron. We need to have it finished, ok?"

Kim's parents had packed away Kim and Ron's homework pile that had been layering the coffee table and the surrounding area on the floor on Saturday since they hadn't cleaned up after themselves. Their bags with their text books and binders lay piled in an out-of-way corner in the room. They dragged them over to the coffee table, having to make more than one trip for they only had one hand each.

Before they could settle down, Kim reached over for the phone on the receiver and placed it on the floor beside her. One guess as to what that would be for.

Already holding each other's left, they flipped open their binders to the subject they each planned to work on. Like before, Ron snatched up the remote and was about to change it to the music channel when he realised how normally insensitive he was acting.

"Hey, Kimbo," Ron said, turning to face Kim who was reading her student planner. "You can have the remote, watch what you want."

Still in a state of upset drear, she looked slightly surprised at Ron's actions, she even flushed. "Oh, why thank-you, Ron."

"No probalo, KP. Anything to make you happy."

She flushed again, but said nothing. Turning on the television, she flicked through the channels until she found some 80's sitcom rerun and left it on that. It wasn't a show that particularly interested Ron, but he wasn't going to complain.

Deciding that his brain wasn't in the mood for mathematical struggles, he decided to flip his binder to a fresh page and begin his English paper. He pulled over Kim's agenda book to read what it was exactly he was supposed to be writing about. She was already finishing her chemistry questions, she'd be finished all her homework in no time. At least he had completed his Latin.

The only way to tell how long they'd been sitting in front of the television was by how many sitcoms began and ended on the television screen. Neither of them were too concerned with the time so there really was no need to look up at the clock.

The fact that Kim's parents weren't home and neither were the Tweebs would have been a blessing, only Ron wasn't anywhere near that far with Kim to attempt anything like that. And that, to him, was such a great pity.

Naturally, Kim had finished her homework before Ron and sat back against the sofa board watching the television show. Her eyes were drooping and she scrunched herself up, her thumb nail pressed against her lip. She had phoned Josh twice in the duration of their homeworking and not once had she received a reply on the other end.

Ron was worried for Kim, he didn't think he'd ever seen her this low before. Well, other than last night, of course. He could feel her emotions inside of him as usual. They were low, sort of in the pit of his stomach kind of feeling. The emotion kind of rested there, not doing anything, but it made him feel miserable nonetheless.

But then, maybe he was confusing it with his own feeling.

In truth, Ron hadn't been up to par this morning. Granted, it could be due to the great upset last night but this morning ever since Ron had awoken, he'd been feeling quite dismayed inside his stomach area. Although, it wasn't a dismayed emotion, no, it was a feeling.

I think I'm just not feeling well inside, Ron admitted as he flicked his pencil between his pointer and index fingers. But nothing can penetrate my fortress, so maybe it could just be a side effect of being able to feel her emotions…

Thoughts began to enter Ron's mind at first he was confusing himself wondering how he could speaking different things to himself in his mind at once when he figured they must be Kim's thoughts. He tried to filter hers from his and began to recognise a sort of 'distant' feel to her thoughts. It was hard to recognise it, but he'd get better with practice.

… I'm going to see Josh at school to-morrow, I'm positive I'll pass him by somehow at school. Should I say something to him? What if he says something to me! I don't know if I'm even stable enough to go to school; I certainly don't want to break down crying in the middle of the hallways for all to see -yeesh! It'll be humiliation nation times four! Maybe I won't set my alarum clock to-night… Ron will probably drone on in sleep.

But… maybe it's a good thing to go to school to-morrow. It might give me a chance to talk to him, maybe I should talk to him. And apologise! Or should I wait for him to come to me first?

Ron almost opened his mouth to tell Kim to 'stress not' but stopped his mouth in time (for once). But he wanted to say something to her anyway.

Remember, I'm supposed to be making progress to-day.

He scooted over closer to Kim. She noticed and turned to look at him silently. "You don't look so good," (he smiled as he said this,) "I'm almost done my Chem questions, in the meantime, why dontcha think of something for the both of us to do?"

To his surprise, she actually brightened up and returned a weak smile. "Ya, ok."

He gave her one last contented smile before return to his remaining homework. Ron endeavoured to complete his remaining homework before her brothers came home from school. He'd probably finish in time, it was still hours before anyone came home, but he still wanted to leave ample room should anything 'happen'. Not that Ron had high hopes.

When he did finish he took a huge breath of victory and Rufus scampered up his arm onto his shoulder and commenced in patting Ron proudly on the neck.

During the time Ron was finishing his homework, no thoughts of hers entered his mind. Maybe her mind was blank, well, that wasn't a far-off idea. Ever since he had talked to her, she had turned her attention to the television and seemed entranced by it as a two year old might have. He wondered if she came up with any ideas.

Ron decided to wait for a commercial before speaking to Kim. She seemed so entranced by the show he felt that he might frighten her if he said anything.

When the commercial was on, Ron said: "Did you think of anything to do? We've still got some hours left before the end of the day to kill," and he winked at her playfully to help lighten her morbid mood.

Kim pulled her thumb away from her lip and said, her voice mumbled, "I'm sorry, Ron."

He double blinked. "Ah, what for?"

She cast her head down and avoided eye contact. "I- I was so upset about Josh that… that I completely forgot about you."

Ron was silent. He titled his head upwards and looked down at her.

"I forgot about the groceries you were supposed to do for your Mother. She must be pretty upset since you were supposed to have had them done on Friday."

"Oh!" Ron laughed nervously and waved his hand at her. "No worries there, KP! She-"

Interrupting, Kim shook her head. "No, Ron. Don't try to shake it off. I… I understand." She met his eyes and there were moments of silence where all that occurred was the two staring intently into the other's eyes.

"…"

"I mean, she was so upset about your keys…"

"OH!" Ron laughed again but Kim continued.

"Let's go over to your place and drop them off. I don't want you to get into trouble, like, again. Maybe she won't be too upset if I'm with you."

Ron was greatly taken aback. "Y-you actually wanna go out? Again? Like, even what happened yesterday?" Then he softened his voice, lowered his head so his face was on level with hers and said, hushed, "What if someone sees us?"

He thought his… intense… movement might have made Kim skittish or make her turn away, but instead she held his gaze and spoke back just as softly. "It can't get any worse than this if someone sees us. Josh saw us, and that's the worst."

Recoiling slowly, Ron pulled his head back and straightened his back. "Alright, if that's what you wanna do."

"Yea, it is." Kim replied.

Their voices were so soft with one another, it made Ron want to draw closer to her. Maybe even gather up courage and put an arm around her, but as usual, he resisted. Now wasn't the time for that. Besides, Kim was already unfolding herself to stand up so Ron did the same.

As guessed, Kim led Ron back up the stairs and into her room. Directing himself to pick up the bag of groceries, Kim pulled him in a different direction and she slipped behind the screens to change her clothes. Ron sighed.

When she came out, she had only changed her shirt, now her peasant-chic top with the flared sleeves (didn't she wear that a couple of days ago?) and kept on her skirt.

"You going to change?" she asked, her voice still filled with melancholy.

Ron shook his head, "Naw, I'm fine."

Although unintentional, he apparently made Kim smile and was glad he did so. Plucking her own keys from her bed stand, she asked if Ron had his before they whisked the groceries out the front door.

It was even colder than yesterday, Ron was glad Kim had pulled along a trendy coat of hers and was now donning it.

Actually, it was the jacket Kim bought when she returned the one Ron had bought her with his pay when he had still been working for Bueno Nacho. Ron wasn't offended in any way for returning the original green leather jacket he had bought her. There was no way Kim Possible would be seen wearing the same jacket Ned was wearing. Ron had even helped pick out the new jacket; it sent a warm feeling of his own inside him that she was wearing the jacket he had bought her. (And the hug she had given him when he presented the gift to her hadn't been too shabby either!)

Ron swung the bag absent-mindedly with his free left hand as they strolled easygoing on the sidewalk, hand in hand.

"It's a nice sort of day, isn't it, Kimila?" Ron asked.

Her eyes were still dull, so her response was obviously quiet. "It is, I like Autumn."

"I'm a summer person, myself," Ron replied, Rufus riding shot-gun on his shoulder, "But I get why you dig Autumn. Kinda matches your hair."

This remark made Kim peer at Ron curiously. He managed to control his blushing mechanism and instead grinned back at her, all toothy. "It's true!"

Her eyes smiling was thanks enough for Ron, he dared to give her hand a pleasant little squeeze and felt himself desire to faint when Kim returned a squeeze of her own.

They reached Ron's house without any further conversations nor did they run into anybody. A few cars passed by now and then, but neither were concerned, not anymore at least. Why should they be? As Kim said, the worst had happened. But, to Ron, it seemed that a shower of hope was already rising out of the fog of misfortune.

"Got your keys?" Kim asked. If she had been feeling better, Ron suspected that it might have been a shot, but with the state she was in, it was only a question.

Ron decided to liven her up by reacting as if it had been a playful retort. He faked a sniff and puffed up his chest, "Yes, thank-you. I'm not that forgetful!"

The corner of Kim's lip twitched upward to show amusement, but fell as quickly as it had risen.

Unlocking the door and slipping the keys back into his pocket, Ron slipped off his shoes, Kim observing him, did the same. With socked feet, they padded onto the carpeted floor and Ron directed Kim into his kitchen where he planned to leave the groceries on the kitchen table and leave stealthily. Hopefully, other than the remaining grocery bag, his presence here would go unnoticed by his parents.

Of course, Ron had to go and forget that it was lunch time, so obviously his parents would be in the kitchen.

"Ron?" his Mother asked with a confused blink when she saw Ron freeze in the entryway with Kim. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kim lean forward slightly, as if previously timid, and look around with frightful fascination. She really wasn't herself since the break up, Ron concluded.

"Ronald," Ron's Father spoke up who was sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper splayed out before him. "What have you been up to these past days? I don't think I've seen you around much." Looking back at the paper, Mr Stoppable spoke in amusement more to himself than anyone else, "Or maybe I'm just getting old."

Mrs Stoppable's attention returned to cutting vegetables on the cutting board as she spoke to Ron. "I'd like to know that too."

"Um," Ron cleared his throat, still rooted to the spot in the entryway, "We had, like-"

"Don't say that word in your sentences, Ronald," Mrs Stoppable said, attention not leaving the slaughtered vegetables.

"Ah," Ron started again, his voice quavering slightly, "The teachers gave us, li- a lot of homework and I needed help. Kim's parents said I could stay over for the weekend. And we had missions and junk."

"Don't use that one either."

"Sorry." Wanting to leave as soon as possible, Ron held out the white, crinkly grocery bag with its contents. But before he could say anything, there was a noise to his right and it took him a few seconds to register that noise as Kim speaking.

"Ron's right, we were quite busy with homework, and, I guess it was kind of my fault too, but don't be upset with Ron for the lateness." Now Mrs Stoppable put down the knife and looked at Kim, Mr Stoppable too. "It's not his fault and I'm sorry if it unconvinced you in any way." Kim took the grocery bag from Ron and walked forwards with him, placing the grocery bag on the kitchen table.

Both of Ron's parents clearly didn't understand what on Earth Kim was talking about or why she was handing them groceries, but evidently, Kim didn't notice.

"Ron might have to stay at my place for a few more days, projects and stuff, I hope you'll allow him."

Mrs Stoppable blinked a couple of times before working out: "If he wants to," then returned to cutting the vegetables but perhaps looking a little rattled as she did so.

"Thank-you, Mrs Stoppable. Again, I'm sorry about the grocer-"

Mr Stoppable looked back up from the newspaper and said: "I didn't ask for any groceries, did-"

"Ya, ok, sorry, bye!" Ron felt himself heat up with nervousness, he propelled Kim out of the kitchen as fast as he could.

"I'm glad you found you keys," was the last sentence they heard from either one of Ron's parents before he scooped up their shoes and locked the front door behind him.

Ron sat down on the third stone stair just outside the door and put his shoes in front of him to place them on, Kim did the same. Ron didn't much like these stairs, they were way too gravely and one could easily skin a knee on them (or so he learned from experience when younger).

"You don't have to do that, Ron," Kim said as she undid the laces on her shoe to actually be able to slip her foot in.

Ron furrowed his brow, "Do what? Put my shoes on?"

"Put on a front."

"What front?" As if a 'front' might be a particularly dangerous animal lurking behind him, Ron cast a look over his shoulder before returning to his shoes.

Kim made a sort of clicking noise with her tongue, but it didn't seem like annoyance to Ron. "Ron," she started, but decided not to say anything.

Bemused, Ron shrugged it off and waited with his free hand on his knee, leaning forward and watching Kim lace up her shoes. (His hand was on the back of hers so she had two hands to utilize with.)

"You know you can hang at my place anytime you want, right?" she said finally.

To Ron, this sentence didn't seem to fit. "Um, I thought I did."

"But I just want you to know it, ok?" Kim still wasn't looking at him, concentration still on her shoe laces.

Ron felt as if Kim meant this statement to have a deep meaning and he should be very grateful to her for saying it, but he still wasn't sure why. If it was, he should at least except it like one, it may be progress in (a very well done) disguise for all he knew.

"You know, no matter what's going on, you can just call me or beep me, I don't mind. I understand."

"Right." Ron leaned back and Kim reached over to tie his shoe laces with her already able hands.

"My parents think you're cool and don't mind you hanging around, even for long sleepovers. Like this weekend for example."

She's saying this for a reason!

He decided to be brave (or stupid) and straight out ask her: "Kim, what are we talking about really?"

Kim finished one shoe lace and sat up. For a couple of moments, she seemed particularly fond of a tree on the other side of the street before her eyes darted to Ron. "Um, you know," and her eyes darted to Ron's door.

My door?

"Your parents," she mumbled and leaned over to tie his remaining shoelace.

"My parents! Oh, oh are you talking about, li- uh, talking about-"

"Ron, stop."

"It's Stoppable."

"I kinda get why you like hanging at my place so much and you never have to ask your parents to go on missions and stuff." Kim leaned back from doing Ron's lace into a perfect bow. They sat for a couple of more seconds. "They don't… they're different from mine, I guess."

Ron blinked softly.

Standing up, Kim pulled Ron up and they walked down the remaining steps together, back down the street to Kim's house.

"Ron," Kim continued, her voice slowly reverting to its normal self and out of that placid speech when she was mourning about Josh, "You can always hang at my place if you need to. Anytime. You need to know that we care, ok?"

Ron smiled at her, "Thanks, KP." He decided to say that the sitch she was thinking of really was no big, in Ron's mind at least, but decided against it since this was all working in his favour and he could use it as potential progress.

Sure his parents could get snappy from time to time. They lead very studious business lives, the both of them, especially his Mother. So they had a lot of work and deadlines, naturally they'd get a bit snappish if he was in the way.

Ron did cause a lot of trouble for his parents inadvertently, he couldn't help it and he was sorry, he had problems that couldn't be helped. They could be frustrated with him easily; he hadn't been the easiest or the best child in the world, again, nothing on purpose, but he supposed his parents really did care for him (although he sometimes suspected they'd rather not have him around because of their work). Didn't mean he didn't have any good times with them though. Rare times, but good nonetheless. 'Good' being a blatantly generic word used intentionally.

The main reason he didn't like being at home was because either a) when home, his parents where always working and that was boring to him or b) they weren't home! And Ron didn't much like being inside the house all by himself. It was lonely, which was why his parents usually bought him what he wanted. (Actually, it was lonely whether they were home or not.) But he suspected Kim thought his home life was much different than that. He thought about correcting her but decided Kim's version would work better for him.

A squeeze in his hand from Kim made Ron sigh with wonderment and she pulled him closer to him as they walked down the street, almost in sight of her house. Even as they walked, he could feel Kim's fingers rubbing his skin between his knuckles, did he ever love it.

Of course, just because Kim was showing this new affection towards Ron didn't necessarily meant she had forgotten or was healed over Josh Mankey.

Still nobody was home, as expected, when they arrived at Kim's. Immediately after their shoes were off did Kim make her way over to the telephone on the floor and dial Josh's phone number (not only on her speed dial, but his phone number was apparently memorized).

Kim sat on the sofa and Ron almost tripped over her trying to sit on the sofa beside her which was awkward since Kim's left was holding Ron's right and he was sitting on her right.

Still no reply from Mankey.

"I think he's out to lunch," Ron nodded. "Or maybe doing something with his fam." Ron resisted the urge to say 'maybe it's some sort of monkey holiday' but knew it best to keep his lips zipped for once.

"You're right," Kim said, hanging up the phone. She looked downcast and Ron felt her slowly slipping back into that depression that she had been previously slipping out of.

"Why don't we get something to eat?"

At the word of 'food', Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pant pocked and exclaimed jovially, "Food, yum, yum, yum!"

To Ron's relief, Kim smiled (but it was noticeably weak) and stood up. "Sounds good to me."

They made their way into the kitchen and once having a good look around decided on some jellied toast. Naturally, Kim wasn't really in the mood for food, but that didn't stop Ron on having two slices of his own.

As they sat at the breakfast table, eating, Ron felt that not-so-good feeling inside of him. He'd pretty much established the difference between his own emotions and Kim's incoming ones and it was clear to him that this feeling was the one of his own from before. Suddenly, he didn't have much of an appetite. He dropped his half eaten second slice of toast onto the plate and stared blankly at it.

Discretely, he placed his right hand gently on top of his stomach (for eating, they were holding their lefts). Eyes drooping, Ron half felt like laying his head on the table. Before, he thought it might have been due to hunger. Well, throw that guess out the window. He watched Rufus finish off the toast he didn't; Kim was eating slowly or maybe she was eating at a normal rate and he just ate too fast.

Ron might have said something to Kim about his upset feeling, if it weren't for her thoughts now entering his mind.

- No wonder. What if I was never his friend? Would he have turned out different? I'm glad he's my friend, not just for me, but for him as well. Maybe… maybe I've been thinking of it wrong. Maybe he doesn't just need me, maybe we need each other. Oh, these thoughts are so confusing, I don't know what to do!

Ron felt himself stiffen. What was that? What were those thoughts?

Oh my gosh, she gets it. He thought excitement coursing through him, she's slowly getting it. Bon diggity! At least, I think so…

A sudden movement from Kim and she pushed her plate decked in toast crumbs away from her, standing up. She appeared rather agitated.

Sighing, she said, "Let's go into the sitting room."

Ron looked at his empty plate where his half eaten piece of toast had previously been, longing for its ghost to come back to him. The ill feeling inside of him was still there which was how he managed to shrug off the eaten toast and follow Kim to the sofa. There she leaned into the corner, taking hold of the remote and began to flick the channels. Ron slid himself next to her. Watching her carefully, he exchanged hands so his left could hold her right, she didn't mind.

Feeling awkward, Ron seated himself close to Kim and watched her out of the corner of his eye. She definitely didn't look pleased. What was it? The thinking about him caused her to be this upset? But he hadn't heard everything she thought, so maybe he was missing something crucial. But routine kicked in and a feeling of this being his fault crept inside him and he felt himself shrink in size.

Kim's eyes were locked on the television which was some game show of sorts. Everything about her demeanour said: 'SOD OFF'.

But although this greatly intimidated Ron, he decided, you know what? I have a plan here and I'm not gonna let her sour 'tude get in the way. I think all she needs is a little Ronshine!

"Hey, KP, why the long face?" he asked, sidling even closer to Kim and with a lowered head, craned out his neck to take a good look at her and snag her attention. "Talk it out, my ears are ready and willing!"

Kim eyes flickered then looked at Ron. "I don't know," she responded with a sigh. "I just have a lot on my mind."

Don't I know it.

"Well, a penny for your thoughts, go ahead."

"I don't really feel like talking about it, actually," Kim said, still looking at Ron but her eyes looked like they wanted to return to the television show.

Ron glanced at it, then back at Kim. "Sure, KP. But you can talk to me whenever you want."

"Whatever," Kim breathed under her breath but Ron still heard it.

They sat on the sofa for awhile longer, watching the television show. Eventually Kim loosened up and unfolded herself by hanging her left arm over the sofa's arm and laying her cheek on her arm.

Ron decided to better comfort himself and go along with his plan by slipping in behind Kim as he had done before. He was worried because of her previous ill temper, she might stop him, but she didn't. Inconspicuously, Ron let his right hand stuck to Kim's right hang over her side so it looked as if he was actually holding her. He couldn't believe his own daring. Come to think of it, he couldn't believe Kim allowing him.

But she did and they remained like that until the show ended. They even remained as such until the next show started. Perhaps maybe… just maybe, Ron hoped, Kim was enjoying lying like this as much as he was.

Eventually Kim stirred and sat up. Ron sat up too with no other alternative. She stretched her arms, Ron's included, and gave a yawn.

"We should do our laundry now. Make sure we have some fresh clothes for the following day."

"Laundry?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"Yes, 'laundry'," Kim said, she looked almost as if she wanted to smile, sounded like she was, but her lips still wouldn't turn into one. "It's what we humans do to clean our clothes. Maybe you should try it sometime, it does work, you know."

"Huh, I do launder my clothes, Kim," he said as he followed Kim out of the room. "Well, actually my Mom does, but-"

"Better clean our mission clothes too. They're a downright mess from that last mission, yuck. I don't think I've ever encountered so much water in mylife."

"I'm with you there, KP," Ron concurred, "I'm staying clear of the substance for the rest of my life."

"I thought you had years ago?"

"Haha," Ron could only retort dryly.

Rufus giggled at Ron on his shoulder until Ron sent him a piercing look of silence.

Back in her room, Kim pulled the dirty laundry basket out from inside her open closet behind the screens and took a look at all their clothes they'd worn over the past number of days.

"Let's put our PJs in too," Kim suggested.

"Good idea," Ron agreed, reaching for their pyjamas left on the bed that hadn't been worn last night and tossed them in the basket.

"Anything else?" Kim asked.

Ron shook his head.

"I think I'll clean these clothes too while I'm at it." Taking a look down at her own clothes, Kim stepped behind her screen while Ron sighed waiting outside. When Kim emerged, she wore her manatee night-shirt that she'd been given some years ago when, on a mission, her pants had been torn by a swamp-gator, (one of the few times in Ron's life when he'd seen her tidy-whites).

"How about you?" she asked.

"Me what?"

Kim tsked Ron, "Are you going to wash the clothes you have on?"

"Naw."

Inevitably, Kim rolled her eyes, "Whatever then."

Between them, they each took a handle on either side of the laundry basket and carried it grievously down the steps. They had to stop numerous times to rest their arms. It wouldn't have been that burdensome to carry if they had carried it by themselves, but using an arm each was a strain.

They stopped again once they reached the bottom stairs on the main floor and then again when they where a couple feet away from the washing machine at the base of the basement stairs.

"You know how to do laundry, right?" Ron asked, opening the lid of the washing machine and peering inside doubtfully. "Cos you have to read those little symbol thingies on the tags and turn these knobby things…" Ron reached forwards with his free hand and twisted the knobs and dials on the washing machine carelessly.

"Don't touch those!" Kim commanded and booted Ron to the side with her hip as he had done to her in his room. "You gotta do whites separately or else the dyes from the other shirts will run or something…"

Ron shrugged, "You don't speak my language."

Kim grunted a sigh and began to grab a bunch of clothes from the basket with one hand and shove them into the washer around the middle. "Will you help or are you just going to stand there?"

Ron normally might have responded that he'd rather stand but decided otherwise. "I'll help," and he did.

"Do you think underwear can go in too?"

"Is it white?" Ron asked, shoving in his own blue boxers, none of them white.

"Yea, but I think I've seen my Mom dump them in with the clothes too. I think it's just blankets and towels you have to do separately."

"Kim, if you don't know how to do laundry and I don't know how to do laundry then tell me why we're doing it? Can't we, like, wait for your Mom to come home or something?"

Kim shoved in their mission clothes. "No, Ron! We're being responsible. Read it up in the dictionary sometime."

This statement actually offended Ron and he puffed up his chest, purely piqued. "Well," he said shrugging, "It's not like anyone's gonna see your undies if they do change colour."

"How do you know?" Kim said under her breath spewing out a retort that sounded like the right thing to say back. But she hadn't actually thought the statement through nor about the 'hidden' meaning behind it.

Ron stopped, blinking. Unfortunately, he didn't know that. "What?"

Kim realised her mix-up and stopped dumping her clothes in. She knew Ron was staring at her but she refused to look at him.

"What?" she asked him back.

"I thought you were a-"

"What?"

"Uh, nothing," Ron flustered, bending down to pick up some more clothes.

"I know what you were going to say, Ron!"

"Yea?" Ron asked, taking more time than necessary to gather some clothes.

"I am! I just said the wrong thing, that's all, yeesh."

"Am what?" It was fun to bend down and pick up the clothing, he caught a wonderful view of her long legs this way.

"What you were going to say!"

"What was I going to say?" Ron said standing up, starting to confuse himself.

"Remember we made a pact years ago when we were little kids? Well, I'm keeping that promise. I'll still tell you about it when it happens, just like you'll tell me, remember that?"

"Yea?"

"Yea, besides, we're too young for that kind of thing. Right?"

"Me too," Ron murmured, starting to feel uncomfortable with the conversation and started to wonder when a topic could start to feel this embarrassing with Kim. They used to be able to talk about anything and everything with ease, no matter how personal.

Wonder when things changed…

Kim ended up not dumping in her undergarments or her white shirts with the rest of the clothes. They'd just have to stick them in when they put this load in the dryer. After tapping her chin and humming and hahhing for quite sometimes, Kim rearranged the dials on the washer.

"Is this right?" Ron asked picking up a box of soap.

"I think I'll pour in the soap, if you don't mind," Kim replied haughtily. She snatched the box from Ron and poured in some soap.

"Hey, I can do it!" Ron whined, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yea right and create a cartoon washer mishap with overflowing soap: an impossible mess to clean up? I don't think so."

"Would not!" Ron whimpered back, stretching to look into the washer as Kim sprinkled the white soap onto their clothing (Rufus almost fell in!).

Kim just shook her head and closed the lid and started up the machine.

—ø–

They returned from watching some more television. This time Kim, in the corner as usual, propping herself up with a pillow on her back and Ron beside again. This time Ron was able to sneak his left arm behind Kim, his right stuck to her right. It would have been perfect for him if they had a blanket cast over them with a night sky and the entire house all to themselves.

Then we'd see who'd see your underwear, heh. He had eyed her short manatee night-shirt and smirked ruefully at all the bare leg it revealed. She should wear this more often while I'm staying the nights…

His thoughts were disrupted again when he felt that ill feeling inside of him again.

—ø–

Still damp and wet, they transferred their clothes from the washer into the dryer and then dumped Kim's whites into the washer.

("Don't put the temp up too high on the dryer, I don't want my shirt to catch fire or anything," Ron had cautioned.

"It can't do that, Ron!" Kim declared back. "It's impossible!")

When they climbed back from the basement up the stairs slowly, Kim let out a little 'Oh!' and a hand flew to her cheek. At first Ron had the stupidity to wonder what Kim could be 'Oh!'ing about but was quickly reminded when she headed for the phone.

She dialled the phone number rapidly, still standing in front of the small table beside the sofa, her free left hand resting on the sofa's arm. Ron stood on her right waiting in boredom. He still doubted she'd receive an answer from Josh but you couldn't count your mole-rats before they belched… She tapped her fingers impatiently on his skin between his knuckles.

Then in a spontaneous action, she hung up the phone by violently pressing her thumb onto the off switch and then slamming the phone back onto the receiver in an unsettling loud clatter. The frightening and unexpected outburst rattled Ron; he stared at her with wide eyes filled with shock, not daring to move.

Kim began to seethe for a tumbling emotion rolled, twisted and rose inside of Ron. A hand flew to his stomach where her emotions were bubbling. How uncomfortable the feeling churned inside of him! He could have lurched forwards! Was this her anger..?

But as quickly as the emotions formed and rose inside, they began to morph into a sinking feeling that spread out inside of Ron. Although the emotion was lowering instead of rising, it wasn't making him feel any better off. As soon as it began to change, Ron recognised it as the entwining, horrible, sickening feeling of her despair.

Reaching out, he placed his free hand off his stomach and onto Kim's shoulder. With her palm on the table, her head bent down, Ron could not read her expression but knew it all too well since it was inside of him. He squeezed her shoulder to reassure her.

Standing up straight, Kim marched right off towards the stairs and announced to all that might hear: "I'm taking a bath."

Ron was so unbelievably bewildered by this statement. He froze while trailing behind Kim as they were walking up the stairs. Since Kim hadn't noticed his halt, she kept on marching and Ron almost fell forwards as Kim kept pulling him forwards.

"Y-you what!" Ron spluttered, his voice on the squeaky side. Pushing himself upwards and forwards with the push off the carpeted stair with his free hand, he rushed to catch up with Kim. Rufus, too, looked incredulous on Ron's shoulder.

"It's been four days; we have school to-morrow," was her short (tempered) explanation, if you could call it one.

"But we washed up at the sink before!" Ron squawked.

"Doesn't count."

"Ah-oh… kay…" Ron tried to make some sense of this. There had to be a catch. Her have a bath while stuck to him! And this wasn't a dream! He'd be luckier to-day than he initially dared to think! And silly Ron was hoping that the best he might receive from Kim was a simple kiss!

Ron felt his own adrenaline sky rocket inside as he stomped up after Kim into her room.

Maybe this last phone call to Josh had made up her mind for good. Maybe she'd been thinking about Ron in the way he wanted her to longer than he thought and Josh not answering the phone made up her mind that Ron was better for her after all! But a bath!

Dude, kinky much!

Kim disappeared behind her dressing screen in front of her closet and Ron was left to stand outside the screen like the many times before.

He wasn't exactly positive what Kim was doing behind the screen, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. For some reason, this all felt much too straight-forward to Ron, not that he was against it, mind-you. It was just this didn't feel natural. Honestly, he'd expected something like this to flow smoothly, not just jump right into it. But maybe it would feel more natural later on… like once she was in the bath… Ron's heart thumped.

At that moment, Kim stepped out from behind the screen… she was… she was…

…

In her bathing suit.

Ron exchanged a curious look with Rufus who didn't understand what Ron was thinking.

"Uh… I didn't know you had a pool, KP." Ron looked about himself as if a swimming pool might pop out from under her bed or maybe one had been in her room all along and he'd been passing it by for the past years. "Is it, like, in the attic or something?"

Kim rolled her eyes and pulled Ron out of her room where he stumbled over his own clumsy feet down the stairs and into the washroom.

"I don't have a swimming pool," she retorted. "I said I was taking a bath, duh."

Now it all made sense! How could he have been so stupid as to think…

No, not stupid. Just horny.

Kim leaned over the tub and plugged the drain. Turning on the taps, the gushing water thundered against the porcelain bottom of the tub. Little bits of water spray splashed upwards decking Kim.

"Do you bathe often?" Ron asked.

Kim gave him a piercing look. She was still in a sour mood from Josh not answering his phone. "No duh, Ron."

Ron tsked jokingly and teased her, "You know you're wasting water this way, right? I'm a showering type of guy, personally."

"Riiight," Kim rolled here eyes again but this time the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "Like all the water pouring out of the shower head isn't a total waste either."

Ron laughed jovially, "Got me there, KP!"

Sitting himself down on the carpet in front of the bathtub, Ron looked up at Kim pouring in the soap which began to form into high white bubbled froth. She shut the water off and slipped into the calm water, the water tickled the sides of the porcelain making little rippling sounds but never breaching the tub's walls.

Kim let out a long sigh and leaned her head back against the tiled walls. "Not that feels so much better." Ron could only nod. "It feels like it's been months." Again, Ron could only nod as he bit his lower lip almost drawing blood.

Kim lifted her free right arm out of the water, the water running down and all around her arm, flowing back into the basin. Ron's chest rose substantially as he breathed yet it also felt constrained at the same time.

"That little wash-up at the sink was nothing compared to this," Kim said while splashing the water with her free arm.

Now tradition, Ron nodded. You're right, this is nothing compared to the sink clean-up. Nothing at all

Twisting himself to a more comfortable position for his arm, Ron sat facing the tub. He had rolled up his sleeve, his right hand holding her left dangled over the tub and was in the water with hers. It felt nice, especially the water sweeping between their stuck hands. It didn't separate them, however, just seemed to flow into the small gaps.

Kim reached forwards for the shampoo which had been placed back onto the metal rack stretching across the tub. Silently, Ron watched dubiously on as Kim poured the contents onto her hair with her right hand, bending forwards, Ron caught some of her scenery by accident.

"Hey, why don't I take the back of your hand to make things easer?" he suggested.

"Great idea," Kim responded, her voice muffled, bent over and trying to lather the shampoo with her one hand.

She gave him her soapy right to hold temporarily as he took his right out of her left palm and onto the back.

"Thanks," Kim said. Now she was able to lather her hair easier but poor Ron's arm was stuck in the air moving up and down, up and down. Soon it was becoming sore and he begged for Kim to take a short break.

When she returned to scrubbing her hair with both her hands, a fly-away splash of shampoo hit Ron in the face. "Augh," he grumbled, "Take it easy, will ya?"

The only response from Kim was a sharp tilt of her head in his direction spraying him with more shampoo.

"Hey!" Ron laughed out, trying to shield himself with his left arm.

"Take that!" Kim giggled, flicking Ron with water and shampoo.

"Ew, stop that!" Ron exclaimed but didn't sound like he wanted her to stop at all.

They began to playfully fight with each other, Kim trying to spray Ron with more water while Ron tried to shield himself. All the rapid and excited movement about in the water caused a mild tempest and the water soon began to launch itself out of the tub and all over Ron in large quantities.

Ron shrieked when the water splashed all over his shirt and pants which caused Kim to double over with laughter sliding back into the tub. Rufus deemed Ron's head an unsafe place to sit and streaked out of the way of all water and onto the sink countertop on the other side of the bathroom for desperate safety.

"Kim!" Ron wailed and stood up in a flurry forgetting their attached hands. The sudden force of movement almost yanked Kim out of the water. Her stomach impacted with the tub, water flowing in great amounts onto the floor that Ron now sloshed in, but still she laughed.

Kim tried to cease but that was ever so difficult. She struggled to lift her upper body that was hanging out of the top by placing a constantly slipping hand on the tub railing. "Oh, Ron, it's only water! Besides, you're taking a bath after me anyway, so what does it matter?"

"I am not!" Ron huffed indignantly while shaking the water off his left leg like a dog.

"Ron, stop being such a child!" Kim teased, "We're going to school to-morrow I don't want to be stuck to Sir Stinkalot."

"Am not! Will not!" Ron retorted while shaking the water off his right leg while his left becoming just as wet again by stepping into the monstrous puddle on the floor.

"We'll see about that!" and with a mighty tug, Kim yanked Ron right from underneath his own feet while he was at the disadvantage of standing on one leg and he fell back first, clothes and all, into the bathtub beside Kim. The splash he caused erupted from the tub and doused everything within reach like a tidal wave.

Kim burst into laughing, sitting on her knees in the tub while trying desperately to cover her laughter with her hand. Her diaphragm was contracting at such a speedy rate with all her intoxicated laughter that she almost doubled over on top of Ron.

Ron sat in the tub, his legs dangling over the tub rim absolutely stunned beyond all reason. His eyes were as wide as ever, even wider than if a flock of monkey ninjas were speeding his way, even wider than when Shego had been chasing after him with her flaming hands. He was positively stunned.

Then he blinked himself back to reality when he felt something touching his hair and realised it was Kim pouring shampoo onto his head.

"Augh!" he cried out, scampering as fast as he could out of the tub. But Kim grabbed hold of his shoulder and sat him back down in another splash (it was amazing there was still water in the tub!)

"I can wash myself!" he screeched struggling, flailing and twisting to free himself from Kim's hold.

"Stop squirming, you're not going to melt!"

"I'll wash myself after you- just let me go!" Ron persisted, trying to push Kim's arms out of the way and pull himself up, he was slipping so much that his head was in danger of taking a dunk.

"Promise!" Kim threatened now beginning to lather the shampoo.

"I promise, I promise, I promise! Aughblugblub" Ron's head fell underneath the water while his mouth still motored with cries of being let go. All that came out were a stream of bubbles.

"Fine," Kim reached into the water and grabbed Ron's shirt hauling him out. The water clinging to Ron cascaded itself back into the tub. His drenched cowlick-style bangs plastered itself to his forehead, water flowing over his eyes so he was reduced to squinting for sight.

"I take your word for it." Kim declared, allowing Ron to crawl out of the tub like an undignified cat that went for an unexpected dip, he was as sour as one might have been anyway.

Ron sat himself where he had been, on the rug now laden with water, his pants making a squishing sound as it slopped onto the carpet. With his head held high and his back straight as if to salvage what little dignity he had, he wiped the water out of his eyes, coughed up some water, and sniffed, refusing to look at Kim.

If he had been looking at her, he would have seen her smiling genuinely at him, maybe… maybe even dreamily..? Perhaps he did feel her looking at him, for he turned to look at her through a head held high and narrowed eyes. But when he did look at her, she was already dunking her head into the water and cleaning the shampoo out of her hair.

Ron's churlish attitude subsided quickly though as Kim returned to washing herself, all while pretending to ignore Ron but gave him fleeting grinning glances from time to time to assure him that she was just playing with him.

When it was time for Kim to wash her body, Ron didn't know what to do. Maybe he should look away; maybe it would be alright to watch if he acted casual. While he was brooding this over in his mind, she had already washing herself as normally as if he hadn't been there at all. He wondered if this was a good or bad sign.

But it didn't matter and he took a guilty pleasure in watching her, but still trying to look as if he wasn't that interested (but, boy, was he ever!).

All good things came to and end when Kim dunked herself under the water to wash away the soap.

"Ok," Kim said, reaching into the water and pulling the plug. The water by the plug made a giant gurgling sound as it began to swirl down the drain. "Now it's your turn." Standing up, she pulled a soft terrycloth purple towel off a hanger and wrapped it around herself under her arms.

"Huh?"

"I said it's your turn to shower, you promised!"

"What?" Ron pulled on his ear and poked it. "Speak louder. I think I have water in my ear!"

"I. Said: YOU. SHOWER. NOW."

"What?"

Ron strangled a gasp in his throat as he watched the remaining water trickle down Kim's bare leg as she stepped out of the tub. She bent down and levelled her mouth to his ear.

"I SAID: TIME FOR YOUR-" (Ron's ear popped open) "-SHOWER!"

"Gaah!" Ron sobbed as the word 'shower' blasted into his ear, he fell over from the force of her voice and landed backwards into the still massive flood on the floor. "No need to shout! I'm not deaf yet."

Kim plopped herself onto the closed toilet seat for some firm place to stay where she was guaranteed not to slip on her back (like Ron did as he tried to stand up).

"I didn't bring my swimwear," Ron stated, free arm flailing, and balancing with everything he had in him. Kim pulled him in the opposite direction of his near fall with her attached hand.

"So?" she said, tossing her wet hair and sprinkling poor Rufus with water on the counter. (Up until then the little mole-rat had been sanctioned from the water-catastrophe.) "Just wear your boxers, what's the difference between boxers and swimming trunks anyway?" She rested her chin in her right palm on the knee of her folded legs.

Finally stepping into the tub, Ron slipped again and hit the porcelain hard. Grumbling, he retorted: "What's the difference between a bikini top and a bra?"

Kim rolled her eyes, "So not the same, Ron."

To be rude, he mimicking her by rolling his own eyes. "Fine, whatever." Kim stared blankly at him as he began to pull his shirt off.

He was right in the middle of doing so, when he stared back at her. "Staring much?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kim blinked and lifted her chin out of her palm. "Oh! Tcach, self conscious much?" she retorted back and darted her eyes in another direction as Ron pulled off his soaking shirt, pants and socks. Only when she heard the sound of sprinkling water from the shower head did she dart her eyes back at him.

Sure, Kim had seen Ron half-naked like so on countless occasions; not just beach trips in his swim trunks but not to mention all those times Ron lost his pants. But for some reason, this time was different from all the others… She… was really noticing it for the first time. Noticing him. Like, physically. The feeling Kim was experiencing inside of her was recognisable, that same flutter inside of her that she had experienced around boys in the past. Boys that hadn't been Ron.

It wasn't that Ron was, well, muscular or had a nice buff chest like Josh or anything that would make most girls squeal and deem poster-worthy; Ron was on the scrawny side. Yet she still had that feeling inside of her. In fact, as Kim studied Ron's physical traits unnoticed, she discovered that he was actually much thinner than he appeared to be with his shirts on. Was she actually attracted to him like she was with Josh?

Kim watched Ron spray his face and the water ran down his neck, shoulders, chest…

She double-blinked hard to stop her staring eyes but couldn't help but return to the scene.

His boxers had slipped some and just barely could she see the tops of his pelvis bone on either side of his stomach poking out. Kim flushed.

He is very thin, very easy to look at, Kim thought, her brow furrowing in confusion over these new emotions. The water running down is a nice touch too…

This was all too conflicting for her! And right when she was still upset about Josh, how could she be developing these, er, feelings towards Ron when she was still supposed to be mourning Josh! Was she over him that quickly?

A pang inside of her. (Kim watched Ron's stomach muscle twitch.)

No, she wasn't over Josh. She knew she was feeling something new towards Ron. But what was it? Was it just new thoughts about him being a boy three days ago? Or… or what? Was there possibly more she could be feeling towards Ron? Towards her best friend since Pre-K?

It was difficult, but she managed to pull her eyes away and look in the other direction… Only in the other direction was the mirror. Ron's reflection.

Oh, thank-you very much, Mister Mirror, Kim grumbled in her mind. You're sure going out of your way to help me. Is the whole world against me!

Kim decided to force her eyes onto the door. She didn't want to stare, should Ron see. Would that be embarrassing? She wasn't sure of much anymore. She wasn't sure of much actually, especially when it came to Ron these past days…

Sighing, time passed and soon she heard Ron fumbling around as he reached for the tap and shut off the water. Kim decided to help out by twisting around and reaching for a towel in the hamper beside the toilet. When she handed it to Ron, she sucked in her breath as she saw him again; she hoped it was inconspicuous.

Kim watched warily, almost feeling the bags under her eyes as Ron scrubbed his hair dry with the towel. Kim could actually see his muscles underneath his skin move as he reached upward and she had to dig her mouth into her knee (her foot was on the toilet seat, her chin resting on her knee at the time) to stop herself from gasping out loud. He then wrapped it around his waist and into a knot.

Ron put pressure into Kim's hand to steady himself as he stepped out of the shower, not wanting to slip on the water-logged floor. Her hand was wet because it had been in the shower too and so was some of her arm as well. It felt strange for his wet hand to be in hers.

"See, Kim? Tha-"

"See what!"

"…"

A disconcerting silence between the two, they stared at each other in confusion. Was it ever hard for Kim's eyes to stay glued to Ron's face, they kept wanting to wander elsewhere.

"I, uh, you didn't let me finish my sentence."

Kim blinked rapidly but said nothing. She'd just embarrass herself further if she opened her mouth, she was positive of it. She didn't want Ron to know of these… these ideas and… and feelings that surfaced inside of her, it might scare him and she really needed him to help her through her Josh troubles.

Then an idea materialized. Was… could he..? Could he have been looking and maybe even thinking the same things about her when she had been showering? She knew she was blushing, she hoped Ron wouldn't notice that but that was doubtful.

"What were you going to say?" Kim asked, forcing herself to appear innocent.

Ron gave her a curious look before saying, "I was gonna say: 'See Kim? That didn't take as long as yours'." He still looked at her funny.

"Cool, um," she really didn't know what she was going to say, so she was somewhat relieved when she heard the downstairs door open and close, someone was home.

"Wonder who it is," Ron said sounding slightly nervous.

Kim stood up, splashing through the water, glad for a distraction from Ron. She peered down the hallway and heard her brothers clambering up towards their rooms.

"Loud enough?" Kim grunted at them.

Jim and Tim were caught off guard, startled they turned around looking at Kim. They regarded her wet hair.

"You took a shower?" Tim asked.

"Aren't you stuck with Ron or something?" Jim said, a grin creeping across his face.

"None of your business!" Kim snapped out the wrong retort.

"Ooo!" Tim crowed, almost bouncing up and down with glee. "I'm telling Mom you showered with Ron!"

"Immature Tweebs!" Kim spat viciously. Her free hand still inside the washroom, she stuck out her hand and waved it up and down motioning for Ron to hand her something. Hurriedly, Ron looked about himself and picked up a bar of soap.

"Ron and Kim sitting in a tree…" Tim and Jim began to sing out loud jovially.

"TWEEBS!" Kim lashed out and chucked the bar of soap as hard as she could at their heads. They avoided it narrowly and it hit the wall hard with a loud bang!.

"Wow, you sure are violent!" Jim said, poking his head out of his room where he and his brother sought sanction.

"I thought what you did was supposed to relieve stress-"

"Or maybe it was hardcore and-"

"I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU BOTH!" Kim forgot Ron and tore out of the bathroom at lightning speed, splashing water onto the rug.

Aghast and actually frightened for once, Jim and Tim slammed their bedroom door and sounds of moving furniture could be heard on the other side.

Ron, on the other hand, was much more unfortunate. How could he have anticipated Kim's outburst of actions? He was propelled forwards, but the door was still halfway open and he slammed into the corner of the door and let out a loud wailing yell and a cry.

"Stop!" he cried out, a sob in his voice.

It took Kim a few moments for the cry to register through her rage that it was Ron. The fact that it was Ron crying out in pain actually calmed her down more than the abrupt yell.

She whipped around, her wet hair whipping her own cheek. She let out an agonized cry and dropped to the ground, rushing to Ron's aid who was sitting on the bathroom floor.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry!" she wailed, tears on the verge of surfacing in her eyes.

Tentatively, Kim tried to push the bathroom door open wider so she could actually get at Ron. He let out a soft upset sound in his throat as the door hit a tender spot. He hadn't been wearing any clothes either (minus the boxers and towel), the blow must have really hurt more than it would have if he was wearing a shirt to cushion the impact.

Kim cursed herself under her breath for forgetting that she was still attached to him. One side of Ron's face was red where it had impacted with the corner-side of the door. His free hand was on his chest where he must have been injured too.

"Ron, I'm so sorry," Kim repeated her voice dripping with concern. She reached out for his shoulder and she felt him tense up as she did so. He wasn't responding to her; that made Kim feel even more horrible and wretched. "Are you mad at me?"

His eyes still not on her, he was contemplative. After awhile, he looked at her and said, "No, just a bit sore, that's all." He gave her failing smile. It made Kim almost impulse to wrap her arms around him in a warm, comforting and apologetic embrace.

"More than a bit, I'd say!" Kim replied, trying to smile as well. "Um, let's go get dressed and then I'll get an ice pack for you."

Ron nodded slowly.

She helped Ron up, the stuck hands already holding each other, Kim's free hand took Ron's arm and she used her strength to help him up so he wouldn't have to use much of his own strength. When he was standing, he looked more dazed than when on the floor. His eyes blinked continuously; Kim wouldn't let go of him, still unsure of how rattled he was exactly.

Pushing the door open wide, she led Ron around the stairs and up them. He was very wobbly on his feet so she guided them all the way up and onto her bed. Sitting beside him, she inspected his forehead again which was worsening in red.

"Hey, Ron," Kim spoke, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Ron gave her a sour look and said: "Four."

"Good, just making sure you're all alright up stairs," she attempted at giving him a playful wink.

Success, it made him smile.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper like that, Ron. It's not that—I mean, I lost it because, not what… um…" Great, her fumbling mouth now had all of Ron's attention, smooth move. Blushing again, her eyes darted down. Only, she aimed them for the comforter she sat on, not Ron's rising and lowering chest, now mostly dry. She stared, her mind entranced.

Her mind had slipped into uncontrollable trance. Emotions rushed inside of her and she began to feel flushed and faint. Her brows furrowed, trying to keep a grip on reality but even that was intricate. Right before she felt she would fall backwards, her eyes focused on a visible bleeding cut on Ron's chest. How she never noticed it before was inconceivable.

"Oh, Ron, you're hurt," she murmured. She was more shocked than she sounded.

Upon lifting her head, she met Ron's eyes at a shockingly close level. Kim even recoiled. There was some sort of tension between the two friends, she could feel it.

But I'm the one causing it, maybe he's just picking up on it. After all, I'm the one having these new dangerous thoughts, not Ron. He must be worried for me; he knows I haven't been myself. Hopefully he'll just think I'm upset about Josh… because I am! Oh, how I am…

When Josh Mankey flooded back into her memory once again, she lurched forwards slightly and Ron let out a little sound while catching her arm with his free hand to prop her back up.

It felt like ages since she thought about Josh but when he did return, unbearable emotions came with the mention of his name.

Now isn't the time to go moping about Josh, she told herself strictly. Ron's hurt…

"Here, I'll get a tissue for that cut," Kim said brusquely and busied herself with reaching into her bedside drawer and pulling out a tissue from its cardboard box.

While she did this, Ron looked down at himself and let out a started cry. His voice pitiful, he said: "I didn't know I was cut, it's my head that hurts worse." He grimaced at the little cut and cast his head away from it as if it was a pulsing gash.

He let out another sharp cry followed by a whine when Kim applied the tissue to his wound. Ron leaned back, obviously trying to pull away but Kim jerked his hand in hers forwards.

Gently, Kim pressed the tissue wrapped around her pointer finger along the slit on his paled chest, he hissed again at the stinging. The tissue seeped up the blood, a streak of red blossoming onto the white tissue.

Tenderly, Kim did this, even breathing softly. After awhile, Ron stopped fidgeting and was sitting with his back as straight as it could go. Although she could not see him, she could feel him breathing, his head above hers. From time to time he'd give an intake of breath or a small sound. All while underneath Kim's finger his would chest rise and lower; even his heartbeat was audible to Kim. This was becoming too much for her, being this close, it was beginning to feel intimate especially when accompanied with her dangers thoughts roaming her head.

In fact, for an instant, Kim felt herself desired to press herself against him and lay down on the cosy comforter all while telling him everything she'd been thinking of him lately. But that was stupid and she'd never, not ever, do something like that.

Kim repeated the cleaning up of his cut by dabbing and pressing the tissue to his cut numerous times, each time on a different area of the tissue until the blood cleaned up and decreased in bleeding. All he would need now is a bandage.

"There," she said, pulling away and crumpling up the tissue, tossing it in the trash can behind her on the floor. "Once we're dressed, I'll get you a band-aid before giving you that ice pack."

"Thanks, KP," Ron muttered. But some expression Kim didn't quite catch flashed across his face and in a much cheerier voice, stated, "Thanks for helping me, Kimbo, blood totally freaks me out."

Kim smirked, "I know, I sit beside you in science class."

"I think we better get dressed, you know, before your parents come home…"

Blushing, Kim stood up. "Yea, you're right. Don't want them to get, ah, a misconception from the Tweebs."

Ron shrugged, "If that's what you want."

She wondered by what means Ron spoke that statement, but decided that her brain was cluttered enough with confusing thoughts that she'd better just let this one go.

"But first," Kim suggested, "Let's get out clothes from the dryer, they should be done by now."

Ron smiled, "I just love wearing clothes hot out of the dryer," and he sighed dreamily.

"Me too," Kim sighed. They paused again in an idyllic remembrance. Then they snapped out of it and stared at each other. "Then what are we waiting for?" Kim exclaimed and she made to dash forwards but Ron let out a warning sound and she came to a halt.

"Oo, sorry again!" Kim's voice caressed and waited for Ron to catch up.

Ron's movements on their journey to the basement were very rigid and slow. She could only imagine the soreness he was feeling.

Eventually they finished traipsing down the final steps of the basement stairs and were soon pulling out their warm clothes out of the dryer and dumping them into the laundry basket. Then they dumped Kim's whites into the dryer for later pick-up.

Ron snorted a laugh, "Actually it'd be kind of cool if they did change colour. With all the multi colours in with 'em they might have come out all retro tie-dyed or something!"

Kim rolled her eyes, "Tie-dyed? That's so not retro, that's a style that needs to stay locked in the time capsule."

Ron shrugged not paying her any attention. "I wonder if you can actually tie-dye clothing in a washer..?"

It took them quite awhile to haul the laundry basket up the stairs between them and with Ron's new condition; breaks were frequent. But they made it back upstairs and Kim changed first behind the screen.

Her pyjamas were still a bit warm when she slipped into them and that cheered Kim up. Walking out from behind the screen, Kim donned her black tank with the green heart and matching green bottoms.

Ron changed too, a bit slower than Kim, which was reasonable. She imagined him to still be sore in his movements from that unfortunate clash with her bathroom door. You could even hear a little grunt once or twice as he changed.

Back in his blue pyjamas, Kim and Ron headed into the bathroom where they tip-toed through the water (but not before rolling up their pyjama bottoms to their knees). Kim bit her lower lip, adrenaline rush as she unbuttoned Ron's pyjama top and applied the band-aid to his chest.

"What of all this water?" Ron asked.

"Suppose we outta clean it up before Mom comes home."

They brought out the mop and bucket and slowly, but diligently cleaned up the water. Miraculously, neither one of them were splashed badly. They did have to pick up the rugs and let them dry over the bathtub rail.

When finished and downstairs, Kim stated the time. "Four O'two."

Where else would Kim head to after a long passage of time? The phone of course. There was still a chance Josh Mankey would pick up his phone.

Sitting on the sofa, Kim slunk into the cushions, Ron mimicking her, with the phone tightly pressed to her ear. She wasn't sure how long it usually took someone to reach the phone, whenever she called Ron, it was usually after one or two rings since he had his own phone in his room and a cell too. After counting fourteen rings, Kim closed her eyes, dejection overpowering her once again. She shut the phone off and carelessly let it drop onto the receiver.

Kim let out a strangled cry, slinking forwards she rested her forehead into her palm on her knee. Furiously, she felt as if she could push her forehead into her palm deep enough. Inside, Kim felt herself bleeding with torn despair.

How many times had she phoned Josh that day? How many? He'd answered none of them, that's all Kim knew. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to drive over to Josh's house right then and beseech him from his window, not caring who heard her spill out her feelings.

It was making Kim feel sick inside, every time she waited for Josh to pick up his phone, she felt more adrenaline pumping inside of her. She knew she would burst! It wasn't bearable any longer!

Damnit, Josh, answer your bloody phone!

"Hey-hey," a benignly reassuring voice spoke next to her. She felt his shoulder against hers.

"You should be mad at me."

"Yea?" Ron's voice didn't sound quizzical, it remained tender. "Now how's that?"

"I didn't get you your ice pack. I went straight to the phone."

"That's your reason why I should be mad at you?"

Kim pulled up. Some blood rushing to her head and making her feel slightly dizzy. "Um, yea!" Kim looked at him incredulously, passion rising in her voice, "Why aren't you mad at me? For to-day and for yesterday? Ron, I snapped at you, ignored you, blamed you, yelled at you, slammed you into a bloody door; what's wrong with you? Why aren't you ever angry at me!"

Kim's voice had raised so ardently that the silence following unnerved Kim. She wanted Ron to yell back at her for being so cruel to him, to tell her to get her head pulled out of her Mankey funk. But he wouldn't.

Instead, Ron assessed Kim before speaking. "Why do you want me to be angry at you for…" he cut himself off. "Kim, I'm not mad at you cos," his tone was near stern but it suddenly shifted and slid into a tranquil comfort, Kim almost fell for it, swooping into Ron as he next said: "Cos I get you Kim. I know you don't mean to be like that, you're upset over Josh. I sympathize with you, know that… ok?"

Kim watched Ron reach out for her and place a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't firm, it reassuring, she liked it.

"You can get mad all you want, let it out; do anything to make yourself feel better. And the door thing was an accident like any other. No big, Kim. No big at all."

Kim felt herself looking up at Ron.

"You keep trying to reach Josh, ok?" Ron was smiling. "He's probably out on a day trip with his fam, it's the long weekend. We'll try again later, ok?"

"Then, at least let me get you that ice pack."

"That'd be cool."

It was at that moment, such perfect timing, that they heard the engine of Mrs Possible's van pull up in the driveway.

"Mom's home from the Hospital," Kim stated.

The familiar unlocking sound of the door opened way for Mrs Possible still in her surgeon's lab coat, a jacket cast over her left arm holding her suitcase.

"Hi, kids," she greeted both Kim and Ron. "Where's your brothers?"

"Tcach, upstairs," Kim rolled her eyes, "Being twin dweebs as usual."

"So long as you don't hear any exploding noises, then all's well," Mrs Possible chuckled, hanging her coat on a hanger then slipping it into the closet.

Suddenly Jim and Tim scampered down the stairs to greet their Mother.

"Mom, Mom!" They both cried in unison. "Kim and Ron were in the shower together!"

Kim groaned and stood up. "We weren't in it together," she growled dangerously at her brothers, leering forwards. "It's called hygiene- get a clue!" To her Mother, she straightened and said offhandedly, waving her right hand, "No big, Mom, bathing suits and taking turns. What else?"

Her Mother laughed, "I thought as much." To Jim and Tim she said more sternly. "Go into the kitchen boys and help me prepare dinner. And listen to your sister: hygiene! Wash your hands first!"

Giggling, Jim and Tim ran out of the room and into the kitchen to wash their hands there.

"Ron and I should head there too," Kim said, twisting her body around to look at Ron standing behind her in silence, Rufus now on his shoulder. "Gotta get you your ice pack."

"Oh dear, what happened, Ron?" Mrs Possible asked, leading the way into the kitchen.

Trailing behind, Kim replied for Ron, or maybe answered before he could be given the chance to respond for himself. "A rather nasty date with a door."

"Doesn't sound like too much fun, here," Mrs Possible, upon reaching the refrigerator, opened the freezer door and handed the ice pack to Ron. "Just be sure to return it when you're done."

"Thanks, Mrs Dr P," Ron thanked politely. Rufus watched Ron apply the ice pack to his aching forehead.

"How'd your day go?"

"Homeworking," Kim shrugged, "but we're all done". She stood beside her Mother, watching her pull out various pots and pans, resting a hand on the counter in front of her. "We're all done though."

"That's good to hear, although your Father and I would be happier if you had completed it earlier in this weekend…"

Kim bit her lower lip, "Well, so would we, but we had… stuff to do and stuff."

"Stuff and stuff," Mrs Possible mimicked absent-mindedly. "Boys, grab the stools and help me out here. Kim, Ron, why don't you two help put away the dishes that weren't put away last night..? I need the cutting board inside."

A light bulb of reminder went on in Kim's mind. "Mom, I'm sorry! I forgot I was supposed to do the dishes last night. My bad."

"Yes," Mrs Possible agreed, "Want to tell me what happened last night? You really had your Father and I worried."

Jim's grin impishly broadened, "Maybe they were-"

"Jim!" Mrs Possible's voice rose imposingly.

"Um, I was just upset about something, that's all," Kim mumbled.

Ron pulled open the dishwasher. Kim's Mother thankfully didn't press the subject any further so the topic changed to Mrs Possible's work and how things were going at the surgery. At various points in the conversation, Jim and Tim would exclaim and made rude comments about brains, zombies and decaying bodies. Finally, Mrs Possible had enough of their inputs in the conversation and sent them out of the kitchen to clean their room before supper.

After putting away the dishes, Kim and Ron helped prepare their dinner before Mr Dr Possible came home from the lab. After many attempts of following her Mother's directions, Kim gave up and attached her palm to the back of Ron's left, allowing him to work his culinary wonders. (Mrs Possible was ever so pleasantly pleased!)

Soon enough, they all heard the second car pull up in the driveway, right on schedule too, the oven was set to go off in a mere five minutes. After thanking and praising Ron for his help, Mrs Possible sent the both of them (well, asked Kim but Ron and she were now a package) to fetch her brothers from their room (and to report back on whether or not they really had spent this time cleaning their room; they hadn't).

"Smells delicious!" Mr Possible announced once he stepped into the kitchen, Kim just behind him with the Tweebs in tow. "I'm glad I made it home in time!"

Jim and Tim helped set up the dinning room table as Mrs Possible laid out the decadent supper. Even though Kim had eaten this meal before, it somehow tasted even better than all the other times and she wondered if it had anything to do with Ron.

Later, once dinner and dessert had been consumed, it was off to bed with Jim and Tim. Unlike Kim, they had a bed curfew. Mrs Possible went upstairs to see her sons to bed, although they protested in front of Ron stating that they were more than old enough to tuck themselves in for bed.

It would be around nine thirty when Kim and Ron finished picking up all the plates and cutlery, placing them into the dish washer and then into their correct homes when dry. Although it was normally someone else's duty they were told to do it as a slight punishment for not putting away the dishes previous night. It was fair in Kim's mind.

Once done, they both ambled into the sitting room where her parents sat. Mrs Possible was writing in a notebook and Mr Possible was relaxing in his armchair with the remote beside him and the newspaper open as usual.

"Do you mind packing up your school things if you're done with them, Kimmie?" Mr Possible's voice asked from behind the paper.

"We were just about to do that," Kim responded. "Can we have the remote if no-one's watching the TV?"

"Go ahead," Mr Possible said and Kim grabbed the remote while kneeling on the floor by the coffee table where their notebooks, textbooks, planners and pencils were sprawled.

Kim flicked the channel to the fashion channel and cast her head over her shoulder every so often as she and Ron cleaned up their possessions, packing them away into their bag.

"Here, you can have some of my lead since you ran out on Thursday," Ron said and took Kim's lead case from her pencil box and dumped a bunch of his lead into hers.

"Thanks," Kim replied quietly.

When they were finished, they left their bags by the sofa where they sat, watching a sitcom together. Like many times before, Kim snuggled herself into the corner of the sofa, her back against a pillow while, Ron on her right, held her right with his left, both their hands in her lap.

Mrs Possible looked up from her writings and smiled. "Comfortable?" she asked.

"H'm? Yea…" Kim responded with half a mind, her attention mainly focused on the sitcom. Unconsciously, Kim inched closer to Ron who instinctively moved closer to her.

It was around ten-thirty when Ron brought forth her mind to reality when he yawned. Straightening her slouched back, Kim also stretched out her legs that had been curled beneath her. Unfolding themselves, Kim looked at the time and told her parents that she thought she and Ron would head to bed, after all, they had school the next day.

Slinging her backpack over shoulder, and Ron doing the same with his, they went into the basement where they pulled out all of Kim's white clothing into a new smaller laundry basket and brought it up with them.

Before they disappeared completely up the stairs, Kim called over her shoulder to her parents. "Night, Mom; Night Dad!" Mr and Mrs Possible turned to wave their good-nights to Kim and Ron before they retreated up the steps and then disappearing into her loft room for the night.

Once in her room, they dumped their school-bags onto the floor in front of her toy chest on the end of her bed and left the laundry basket behind the screen. Now sitting on the bed, her back against the bed's headboard, she announced, "I'm going to dial Josh one last time before we bed." She took in a huge breath as she readied herself for the last phone call, the one last chance for Josh to answer his phone before school to-morrow. Ron inched closer to her, his left hand on his knee.

"Good luck, Kim," he said, smiling just like every other time. This time Kim returned the smile.

Reaching for the phone, she pressed the speed dial button and waited.

If the adrenaline in her body had been unbearable before, it was a downright curse. Was she going to hyperventilate? She'd feel stupid if she did, but her breathing had increased and was perhaps a little more audible than before. If Josh did pick up his phone, she wondered if she'd be able to work her vocal cords, they felt dry as a drought inside of her.

Ringing… ringing… He still had time to answer the phone…. Ringing… ringing… And… and then…

Kim froze.

The phone had been ringing, just like all the times before, only this time… Only this time she was cut off. Someone on the other end had to have pulled the phone cord out of its jack. Intentionally.

That was all Kim could handle, with everything that day and all the hurt inside her… Her hands began to shake and she dropped the phone onto the bed sheet. Tears welled in her eyes, brimming, they flowed down her cheeks leaving wet streaks as more trailed after in an endless round.

Then she began to cry.

For the first time that day, she really lost it, no matter how much she promised herself she would hold herself together, she lost it. It couldn't be helped. Josh Mankey had hung up on her for all the times she had tried to redeem herself by begging to be listened to in Bueno Nacho or the numerous times she had attempted to patch things up by phoning him that day. He wouldn't listen to her, even after giving it a nights thought. Josh Mankey wouldn't listen to her! He had been right—it was over between them!

Crying, she pulled her legs to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees, placing her folded arms on her knees. As she poured out her emotions into a cold, heartbroken form, she began to feel a warmth swarm gently around her.

Around her…

Ron put an arm around her shoulder. He had switched his right hand holding her left to his own left while she had been crying. In absolute despair, she leaned towards him and he tightened his hold around her; continuous were her desolate sobs. Kim, though crying, struggled to remain strong, but in the end, she gave up. She swooned forwards wrapping her free right hand around Ron's neck to bury her face into his shoulder, shielding herself from the rest of the callous world.

There she continued to bleed her heart, allowing Ron to take hold of her and putting trust in him to take care of her vulnerability, to protect her. Time was not of any essence to the two. It flew by on its own accord taking pity on neither and their own internal struggles. Could it have been minutes or hours? What did they care when no-one else did for them?

But eventually, as all good things come to an end, so must the bad. Although the bad feels like an enormous and nearly impossible weight to bear in the heart, it always feels eternally longer than the good.

Kim's crying had indeed ceased, but still the pain of Josh being so pitiless towards her when all she had wanted was to explain herself was still fiercely intense inside, as it would be for a long stretch of time.

But.

But she had Ron with her. And wow… he truly made her feel wanted by someone. If she had been all alone during this time, the distraught feeling of being alone would have been far too much for Kim to handle on her own. Yes, he was forced to be with her because of their stuck hands, but the fact that he had put his arm around her and allowed her to cry into him… well, those actions meant… meant a lot to Kim. Perhaps even more now, than it would have in the past.

It was true: Ron had been so comforting that day. Not once had he been short with her about her constant Josh-phoning and depressive attitude that leaked out. She remembered him being short about Josh when they had been feeling the after-effects of their sugar rush. Didn't he say something like, 'I'm sick of hearing about him all the time'? Something to that effect anyway. And that was all that Kim had done to-day, she realised, was sob and mope about Josh. If talking about him before had irked Ron, he must have been pushed to the brink to-day!

Yet not once had he expressed his own feelings. Never once threw up his hands and told her to 'just get out of her funk' or whatever. No, Ron had reassured her, been the best of friends… put his arm around her… spoke to her gently… and had even stroked her hair that morning. Those actions weren't obligated by their hand-holding.

Kim gave a small shivering noise in her throat as she reminisced all of his soothing actions… She had enjoyed every one of them, hadn't she? Well, they certainly had made her feel better, eased her pain. She remembered when he had been stroking her hair; it really had calmed her down in ardent appease. Not just what he did, but that it was him beside her.

Now with her head buried into his shoulder and his arm around her, she sighed softly. She felt Ron react in a tremble as her breath blew across his skin. That made her blush, but she wasn't sure why.

For all of the positive actions Ron had done for her that day, Kim's negative-anger side told her that she should actually be mad at Ron. That side still wanted to blame him for loosing his groceries at the mall.

But you know what? Kim told that negative-trait of hers, Josh would have found me out confronted me at school anyway. And you can't be angry about when we went out to the mall. It's not Ron's fault he was assigned grocery duty from his Mom. I saw how angry she was about him loosing just his keys. If I hadn't been there when we dropped the groceries off, would she have blown up at him for them arriving so late?

Kim's body shuddered. Ron, thinking it was more of her own personal upset, gave her a reassuring squeeze with his hand on her shoulder. She smiled as he did so (but of course, he couldn't see that). Just a slight movement of her body and Ron felt as if he understood how she was feeling. How he instantly reacted in devotion… They really were close, weren't they?

Kim dug her face in even more, a part of her wanted to stay this close to Ron for an undisclosed amount of time but another part of her told her that her crying jilt trip was over with for now and the drear of her eyes whispered that she was readying for sleep. So she pulled away from him, but slowly, to savour every touch of closeness as she could.

When she did pull away, she couldn't help but sit close and even tilt towards him, but her arm was no longer around him. She sat for a moment's time, not knowing what to say. He obviously wasn't going to speak first. But she wasn't sure if she could talk. Her throat felt a tad sore.

Kim attempted speech anyway. "Um, school to-morrow, I had better set my alarum clock." The dictation of her actions was unnecessary to state, she knew, but she couldn't think of anything better to say and it was just a test to see how much of her voice was in working order.

Twisting around, Kim reached for her digital clock and set the alarum. Her hands and arms felt delicate and weak. It was difficult for her to hold even the alarum clock. She just wanted to draw her arms close to her and let them hang as limp as they felt. She was glad Ron wasn't holding her hand tightly. The energy of his tight grip might have sent her into a faint. Had she ever felt this debilitated in her life?

She wanted to say something again, and if she had been able to, it probably would have been another ineffective statement. But Ron saved her the trouble by clearing his throat and speaking to her.

"Kim," he said, "I-" he paused. Then: "I'm betting you don't really wanna go to school to-morrow. A lot of, uh, unfair stuff has happened to you over the weekend. But I wanted to tell you not to stress so much. Now before you bending my ear about what I just said, hear me out, ok?"

Kim wasn't in the mood for distorting, let alone bending Ron's ear. She doubted she could even get out two sentences in a row. Her frail state allowed him to continue without interruption.

"To-morrow, everything might turn out ok. Maybe you won't run into Josh, or maybe if you do, it'll be without any troubles. Maybe you'll take the lead again and spank Bonnie into her place. But you know, if that doesn't happen," Ron stopped again of his own intention and stared at nothing in particular for a few moments. Then his eyes locked onto Kim's and he continued.

"If that does happen, I want you to know that we'll get through it. Together. You and me, we'll be strong together. Take every blow everyone has to dish out at us as a team. Like, like when we were fighting those dudes, remember that?" How could she? One of them had violated her. "Remember how well we worked together? Well, it'll be like that to-morrow. Except… we won't really be kicking people's butts literally. But, like, figuratively, I guess. No matter what we won't let anything get us down. Anything, KP.

"Cos, cos I'll be here, y'know? Should you need me. And yea, I know I'm stuck to you, but that's just not what I mean, ok? Kim, forget about us being stuck with our hands, I'm here for you. I..." Kim, being perceptive to Ron's emotions for once, noticed colour rising to his cheeks, and how his eyes seemed to shimmer, he was flushing. "I always have been. Right here for you. Whenever you need me. Always."

If Kim was feeling a little more upbeat, she might have stuttered for she truly did not know what to say in return. Not that she could say anything that could even equal to what he had. It… it touched her. The emotions she felt from his speech couldn't be put into words. But she had to tell him in some way just how much she appreciated everything he had done for her. It hit her that what he had said to her, it must have taken some guts on Ron's part. He wasn't one for dishing out feelings on a regular basis. A simple 'thank-you for everything' couldn't suffice for all Ron had done for her that day.

Ron broke the eye contact and lifted the bed sheets and slipped himself underneath for the night. He watched Kim as she did the same but only before turning off the light in her room. The night's darkness swept her room but it was a placating sort of darkness and it seemed to hug the two closer together. They certainly did move closer together, a little more than the previous nights.

Kim felt it essential to say something to Ron. Even if to her it didn't feel like it was enough of a thanks, maybe Ron would understand.

"Ron, I- I want to thank-you," Kim murmured, her speech was softened and entrancing to Ron, "For…" she blushed, "For all that you've done for me. Everything." She said what she thought wouldn't suffice, it made her feel stupid.

But she was soon reassured when Ron smiled back at her. "Thanks, Kim. That actually means stuff to me."

Kim smiled back and snuggled closer, much closer, and brought their attached hands to rest between them. Together, they both gazed at their stuck hands, both wondering many thoughts.

"Ron… you're…" she looked back at him, continuing to blush so much, was it actually making her feel dizzy? She whispered softly before closing her eyes and moving… even closer (was it possible and still leave space for their hands between them?) "You're the best… most wonderful and… remarkable best friend I, or anyone, could ever have, past, present, or future…"

Ron's watchful eyes lay upon Kim who closed her eyes and drifted into a much needed dream world. Through the darkness, his eyes adjusted and regarded her carefully.

Thanks, KP… but still… nothing but a friend