When I get a story in my head, one of either two things happens. Either I think about it for a short while, and then it fades from memory, or I sit down to write it, in which case it becomes an obsession. I barely eat, sometimes don't sleep, don't watch any TV…it consumes my free time. Since April 13, all my free time, and even some of my sleep time, has been directed into this story. Frankly, I'm a little exhausted. The epilogue will probably come out Tuesday, after which I have a ten day vacation out of the country. When I return, I will be spending a few weeks reading the works of everyone who took the trouble and kindness to leave a review; frankly it's the very least I can do to return your kindness. If anyone has a specific story they want me to read, please feel free to drop me an e-mail with a link, and I'll be happy to oblige.
And after that…well, yesterday an intriguing idea for a REUNION sequel popped into my head. I'm interested to see if I can make it work. But that's on hold for at least a month.
In the meantime, my most grateful thanks to:
A.J. (hope this was quick enough for you, thank you for your kind words), AriGriffin (thank you for reviewing), Widow Shark (I put a shout out to you in this chapter, see if you can spot it. Thank you so much for your always kind reviews), LKillingsworth (I always look forward to your reviews, and I extended this chapter just because you said you like the lengthy ones – tossed in the flashback at the last minute), JPMod (I hope my version of the final rumble is satisfactory), oneredneckgoddess (thank you), BluJae (I count it an honor that you took the time to say you usually don't write reviews, and then left such glowing ones, thanks much), Jezrianna2.0 (I hope my lack of technical expertise wasn't too distracting, thanks for all your kind words), knuckz (thanks), Willk1989 (I'm kind of sad, too, but what you said is greatly appreciated), kimnronever (your compliments make my day), pokey (sometimes 'speechless' is very high praise, thank you for it), Melissa Ivory (I hope Shego performs to satisfaction), aimtbj (if I had the energy to write a thousand more, I'd gladly oblige. Thank you so much), Kimberly Ann Possible (your compliments really mean a lot to me), Emotionally Attached (Two words; Thanks Much!), Daeron Blackoak (intriguing ideas), sehnsucht 792 (thanks for all the reviews), Fuzzie Muzzie (I look forward to voting for you one day), Sestren NK (Also eagerly looked forward to your reviews as well), recon228 (my grateful thanks), Lurker (welcome to the party), Jokerisdaking (yeah, that really is creepy hurriedly turns off mind probe device what a coincidence, huh?), Miss Piratess (welcome aboard, thank you so much for your kind words…and, actually I blushed a little when you called me darling…), JasonX (very interesting ideas. Might be intriguing to see what kind of influence Bonnie might have had on Kim), Spooks-A-Lot (yep, last chapter, plus a bonus epilogue. Thanks for all your kind words), RainingInsanity (this one's long, too, sorry. Thanks for your reviews).
And thanks to all who didn't leave a review but read it anyway, I hope you found it entertaining.
And now our REUNION is complete…(the song lyrics are the second verse from "Could It Be")
Chapter 14
It's kind of funny, you were always dear.
But who'd have ever thought that we would end up here?
The clones temporarily halted their advance. They weren't the only ones surprised.
"Shego?" Kim blurted out, incredulous.
She glanced at Kim and Ron, then did a double take.
"You guys are still wearing your old high school clothes?"
"Well, actually," Ron began, "I had Wade overnight them out from Club Banana Online. I wasn't able to find-"
"Maybe we should have this conversation later, Ron." Kim suggested, "What I want to know from Shego is: why?"
Shego looked out at fifty Ray Beams.
"I have my reasons," she said darkly.
"Good 'nuff for me," Ron stated, "Kim?"
"We certainly could use the help." Kim agreed.
"SO glad you approve," Shego mocked, "Can we get this started already?"
"Watch out for the swarm," Ron advised, turning serious, "They may get frustrated and rush us all at once. If that happens, make sure you get up over the top of them or you're finished."
"Surprisingly good advice," Shego acknowledged, then shouted to the clones, "You guys comin'?"
They charged before Shego had finished her sentence. But only twelve of them came, four clones for each of them. The rest stayed behind in an ever-tightening semi-circle.
Shego blasted two, driving them back and then took on the other two. One took a roundhouse kick to the face, the other Shego tossed almost casually into the nearest fire. Extreme pain caused the Central Brain to disconnect from it.
Ron reached for the Lotus Blade and discovered he hadn't called it back to him. No time. He lunged forward, both fists finding targets, then dropped to a crouch and swept his leg through the feet of the remaining two, bringing them down. Two were knocked unconscious while the other two withdrew to the semi-circle.
Kim smacked two heads together, simultaneously vaulting over them, then spun in a roundhouse kick, knocking out a third. The fourth withdrew.
At first, no one really noticed that the semi-circle was advancing slowly, but deliberately. It tightened in on them, causing them to involuntarily retreat. Some twenty yards behind them was a sheer wall. They were very slowly being driven toward it.
Fifteen clones attacked, five each. Ron tried to call the blade to him but it did not come. Shego took down all five of hers. She was throwing herself into the task with dark enthusiasm. Each face of Ray Beam's that she drove a fist into brought her a grim sort of satisfaction.
Three clones regained consciousness from the previous skirmish and rejoined the semi-circle.
Ron knocked out three and the other two withdrew. Kim didn't knock out any but all of hers withdrew after a couple of minutes.
Again, Team Possible and Shego were driven back almost without noticing.
Ron saw that Kim was already beginning to tire, having fought twelve clones just a short while ago. This brought to him a realization. Very likely the Central Brain had focused its full attention on the battle, and was sending out small groups of clones to gather information rather than conquer them. Their moves, strengths, and any potential weaknesses were being studied. But there was something else going on.
Eighteen attacked this time, but only three went for Kim. Six attacked Ron and nine went after Shego. Kim threw two quick cross-jabs, knocking out two clones, the third withdrew. She looked to Ron, who had already driven off four. Shego, however, was overwhelmed. She'd dispatched three before the others managed to take her down. Two held her while four began raining blows down upon her. Kim broke it up, knocking out two and driving off the others. She helped Shego to her feet.
Again, a few regained consciousness and rejoined the semi-circle. They were roughly ten yards from the wall now.
Kim was breathing hard, Ron and Shego were beginning to tire. Ron finally caught the underlying strategy at work. The three of them were being worn down. Soon they would be too fatigued to resist an onslaught.
"We might want to start thinking about using lethal measures," Ron said hurriedly.
"You mean you haven't yet?" Shego asked, incredulous.
"We don't want to kill anyone," Kim panted, trying to catch her breath.
"News flash, Kimmie, they want to kill you." Shego snapped.
"Ray wanted me alive before…" Kim began.
"That was Ray," Ron said, "But I don't think he's calling the shots here. Who knows if he's even still alive?"
Twelve clones rushed, all of them at Shego. Ron and Kim bounded in to help, knocking out two each. Shego drove off all but one, who kept coming back at her. She shouted something unintelligible and began rapid-fire punching its face. Suddenly it slumped in a heap at her feet.
Kim stared at it with an odd look on her face.
"I don't think you hit it hard enough to kill it," Kim said.
"Yeah," Shego agreed, "I think the signal from the Central Brain was cut off."
"Just because you were tenderizing his face?" Ron asked.
"Maybe it couldn't take the pain," Kim speculated.
They were almost at the wall now.
"I think the Princess is on to something there," Shego said, "If the Central Mind is trying to concentrate on the battle, a certain amount of pain might be too much of a distraction."
"And force it to cut off the signal," Ron concluded, "That's the weakness we've been looking for. We need to put some serious hurt on these guys."
"What do you think I've been doing?" Shego snapped.
Twenty came at them this time; half the remaining clones. Five went for Ron, Five for Kim, and the rest for Shego. Either the Central Mind saw her as the biggest threat, or sought to punish her disloyalty. Ron backed up a few paces and discovered they were at the wall. He pushed off it and charged into his group of clones. Kim turned and ran up the wall a few paces, pushed off, and spun in the air, disabling three as she landed. Shego was brought down again, blazing green energy shooting in all directions. Ron employed several painful maneuvers and permanently brought down three clones. The other two withdrew. He ran headlong into the group that had Shego pinned down. Punch, flying kick, a twist of an arm the wrong way. One went down for good, the others withdrew.
The Semi-circle ceased its advance. Between it and the wall, Shego and Team Possible were surrounded. Kim was practically hyperventilating. Shego had taken a pretty good beating, and Ron was trying to catch his breath. He figured they had two, maybe three rounds left in them, and if they didn't turn the tide, all would be lost.
More clones regained consciousness and rejoined the group. There were some thirty-five remaining.
Nine clones attacked – three each – fought briefly and then withdrew. But before anyone had a chance to catch their breath, nine more charged. Again, three for each of Team Possible and Shego, and again they withdrew after a brief skirmish. Nine more came as the others were withdrawing. Then it was ten clones each wave, divided differently. Sometimes Shego would get the larger group of clones, sometimes Ron or Kim would.
There were no respites between fights now. As one group of clones would withdraw, another would attack immediately. Only two or three were permanently disabled. Ron saw there were still more than thirty clones remaining, and he was nearing exhaustion.
Kim took a hard punch and went down. Ron moved to help and was set upon by five clones. Shego was similarly occupied. Kim's clones began dragging her toward the semi-circle. She struggled but was too exhausted to break free. Ron became desperate. If Kim was taken back to the clones, they'd very likely finish her off en masse. Ron fought harder, but his group withdrew. He broke and ran for Kim, but five more clones moved in on him. Instead of fighting, however, three of them tackled him and held him down while the remaining two pummeled him mercilessly.
Shego was still standing, but was occupied by her own group of assailants. She tried to reposition herself closer to Kim but was driven back by a new group of attacking clones.
Kim was dragged into the semi-circle.
Ron began to lose consciousness.
Shego was taken down.
Then, shadows overhead. Something caused the daylight to dim for a second. Thirty clones were suddenly distracted and looked up.
Two parachutes.
Jim didn't even wait to land. Ten feet above the semi-circle he detached from his parachute and dropped on to a group of clones, permanently shutting down three. He came up swinging hard, driving fists into faces and feet into midsections. Tim landed on the outside edge of the semi-circle and immediately went to work.
The Central Mind was momentarily caught off guard which caused the clones to hesitate for a fraction of a second.
For Shego, it was all the time she needed. She blasted two clones up and off of her, drove a fist into the face of a third, and moved to help Ron.
Jim worked his way over to Kim's position and stood near her, driving off clones while she struggled to her feet. Tim continued to work the flank, permanently taking out three more.
Shego blasted two clones off of Ron and brought a hard knee up into the face of a third. Ron roused himself and looked up to gaze at the one who had saved him. For a brief second their eyes met, then Shego looked away. All she could see was Ron's face in the tank as water surged up around him, finally consuming him altogether. Still looking away, she held out her hand. Ron took it and stood up.
"Thanks," he said quietly, but Shego was already off, charging at the now disintegrating semi-circle.
Ron suddenly remembered Kim and charged in behind Shego. He caught sight of the faces of the twins and realized the course of the battle had turned in their favor. This gave him his second wind and he fell upon the clones with a newfound enthusiasm.
Kim held back a few seconds, trying to catch her breath and recover her senses, then moved in near her brother.
The semi-circle collapsed all together and the clones found themselves surrounded. Their numbers dwindling, they began to pack themselves in a tight knot. The Central Mind frantically tried to come up with a tactical solution but was constantly distracted by the incoming flashes of pain.
Twenty clones left. They broke suddenly, and tried to scatter, but seven of them were disabled. The Twins, Team Possible, and Shego formed a tight line and charged the clones while they were attempting to regroup. It was a charge almost borne of desperation and necessity. The clones couldn't be allowed to re-form their line or those knocked unconscious might re-join them. Fists flew, feet sailed, bodies thudded, green energy blazed…
Two minutes later, the battle was over.
The victors stood, trying to catch their breath, and looked around. Disabled and unconscious clones were scattered about them. Ron made his way over to Jim and shook hands with him.
"I hope saving our butts doesn't turn into a habit with you guys." Ron said in an exhausted voice.
"Aw," Jim said with a grin and a dismissive wave, "It looked like you guys had it under control. We just came in to clean up."
"Oh yeah," Kim said sarcastically, "We totally had everything under control."
Tim looked at his brother, "We should probably go see what we can do about disabling the artificial mind before too many of these guys wake up."
Kim nodded, "I should probably thank Shego for-"
But Shego was gone.
Ray struggled to crawl out through the tiny opening. The latch mechanism had somehow been disabled, but the massive Deathray was cut in half, leaving him a way out. It took forever to worm his way through the inner workings of the giant mechanoid. But he was almost out now.
He was still trying to figure out what exactly had just happened. One second he was lifting off into the air, his army of Deathrays doing likewise. Then something had halted his upward progress. Despite his having turned the thrusters to full power, whatever was holing him wasn't affected. In fact, it had turned him belly upward to face the sky. The next moment his mechanical beast was torn in half, and he was falling back to the floor of the cavern, with his army falling all around him.
Silently he cursed himself, knowing deep down that Kim and Stoppable had something to do with it. How many times had they thwarted him? What compulsion had kept him from outright ending their lives when he had the chance? He vowed to himself there would be no elaborate traps next time; no tanks full of water, no missing an opportunity to vaporize them. If he ever got the chance to end their lives, he'd take it.
But now, all thoughts turned to escape. He had to get away, start again. Once again, he'd been this close, and he'd tasted his impending victory. The very idea of a trembling world, throwing itself prostrate before his power and might had become an instantly addicting drug; one from which there would be no quitting. Next time there would be more and bigger Deathray units, with smarter and more evil clones at the helm.
Wires and servos tore at his clothing as he hauled himself out of the machine's torso. It had landed on its back, facing upward. He pulled himself up on to the huge chest plating.
"Now, I just know you weren't thinking of trying to get away," came a cold, dark voice.
Ray looked up to see Shego, her fists blazing, waiting for him.
"Where've you been?" he growled unafraid.
"Waiting for this moment to arrive. Get up."
He let out an annoyed grunt and got to his feet.
She calmly walked over and stood in front of him. She was very clearly furious, almost trembling with anger.
Ray regarded her casually, then suddenly took a swing at her.
Shego caught his fist with her left hand, and drove her right into his face. Ray sailed up off his feet and went sprawling.
"You want to hit me now?" Shego challenged, "Come on, Ray, get up and hit me. Let's see what the big bad Deathray can do without one of his machines!"
His whole life, Ray had pretty much gotten by on good looks, intimidation, and rage. People tended to back down whenever he became threatening. A couple of times he'd been in fights; a street-brawl or two, or a bar fight. On several different occasions, Ray had taken a hard punch to the face and gotten right back up to conquer his opponent.
To him, this was no different. He took a punch in the face, got right back up.
And received the thrashing of his life.
Shego didn't just hit Ray, she hammered him. Fists came so quickly and in so many places, Ray eventually got confused and found himself trying to block punches that had already landed several seconds before.
Shego probably could have knocked him out with a single blow, but that would have defeated the purpose. Ray couldn't feel pain if he was unconscious.
When she grew tired of hitting him, she picked him up and body-slammed him to the chest plating.
Ray began to do something he'd never done in his entire life. He begged for mercy.
"Hmmm" Shego said, pondering, "I'm gonna have to say 'no way'." And she picked him up again and again slammed him back down. Ray lay on his back in agony, raising one hand above him in a pitiful gesture of self-protection. Shego raised her fists, preparing to unleash the full of her might upon him. A hand touched her arm.
"Don't do this, Shego," Kim said quietly.
"You don't know what he's done to me," Shego protested angrily.
"Did he try to drown you in a tank full of water?" Kim asked, still speaking softly.
Suddenly, all the fight went out of Shego. Again, she saw the image of Ron, a tear running down his cheek as water surged up over his head. And she also felt the memory of Ray's arms around her as she helped him celebrate the death of Ron Stoppable. The greenish glow left Shego's fists as she lowered them and took a step back.
"Thank you," Ray panted, still in agony, "Thank you, Kimmie Cub."
Kim gasped and was instantly revolted. She felt she would be sick. Only her father had ever called her that, and the idea that this man would use the phrase in a sick attempt to somehow endear himself to her was nauseating. Even when seriously injured, Ray could be cruel.
"Don't call her that," came an enraged voice, "You don't ever get to call her that!"
Before anyone realized what was happening, Ron had Ray by the neck with one hand, and had his other raised in the air. There was a blinding white flash as the Lotus Blade reappeared and literally became part of Ron's arm. The silvery-white metal curled itself around Ron's forearm at one end, and tapered down to a point at the other, with one side razor sharp.
Ron pointed the blade toward Ray and it stretched itself forward, stopping less than an inch from Ray's left eye. Ron knew all he had to do was think the thought, and Ray would be instantly lobotomized, or worse.
Ray looked down the length of the blade and into the eyes of a better man than him. He expected to see rage, and hatred, but instead what he saw was a righteous fury. He realized that in the purest sense of the phrase, Ron was defending Kim's honor. Such an insult from Ray could not possibly go unpunished.
On his knees, Ray felt something icy and suffocating surging up around him. It rose, engulfing his torso and chest. A single tear escaped his eye as it surged upward and completely consumed him.
Ray Beam was drowning in fear.
The blade seemed eager to leap forward and end Ray's life. Ron felt himself on the verge of letting it go. Then he felt a hand on his arm.
It was Shego.
"Trust me," she said quietly, "He isn't even close to being worth it."
Ron heard her, but didn't take his eyes off Ray. Anger burned hot within him.
"She's right," Kim said softly from the other side of him, "Please, Ron."
Ron hesitated, the blade just short of plunging through Ray's head.
"Ron", Kim said softly again, putting her hand on his arm. Shego took an almost respectful step back.
Ron tore his eyes away from Ray and looked into hers.
"I love you." She whispered.
Ron released his grasp. Ray slumped into a pathetic heap, curled up into a fetal position and whimpered like a frightened puppy. The blade unwrapped itself from Ron's arm and flew straight upward. It glowed an intense bright white, seemed to take the shape of a lotus flower and then disappeared completely.
Ron held his hand up to try and call it back to him.
But the Lotus Blade was gone.
On the peak of a very lonely mountain in Japan called Yamanuchi, there is a school that has been training eager young minds in the ways of Ninjitsu for almost two thousand years.
The master of this school is known simply as Sensei.
He was trying to sleep, but felt a familiar, deep restlessness within him. He rose and went outside, gazing at the stars in a crisp, cold sky. He walked to the base of the statue of the school's founder – the warrior known as Toshimiru – and gazed impassively up at it.
He didn't think the statue was a very good likeness, and was originally against its being placed in the school at all. But that year, they had come under attack from a particularly vicious feudal governor who wished to posses the secrets of the Lotus Blade, and perhaps become Shogun and overthrow the Emperor himself. He had brought a great army upon Mt. Yamanuchi, but the students within defended the school with skill and honor. In an act of celebration, they petitioned Sensei to have a statue of Toshimiru placed within the school as a monument to their victory. Initially he refused, but they were quite adamant, and in the end, he relented.
But it looks nothing like me, he mused, wondering what his students would think if they knew that Sensei and Toshimiru were the same person.
Then, a familiar feeling, as though the very air were charged with electricity. Before him, at the base of the statue, there appeared a misty, smoky image of a lotus flower. The image seemed to stretch itself and solidify until finally, a katana was lying at the base of the statue.
The Lotus Blade had returned home.
Quietly, Sensei stepped forward and almost lovingly took the blade into his hands. Soon the young warrior Stoppable would come, perhaps in a few days, or perhaps in a few weeks. He would come with an apology.
Master Sensei, he would say, I am sorry. I have lost the Lotus Blade.
Then Sensei would note the familiar look of amazement on Stoppable's face as he was shown the very Lotus Blade he thought he had lost. And, like so many young warriors before, Sensei would ask Stoppable to tell him his part in the tale of the blade. In return, Sensei would share the secret of the blade with Stoppable; that since its forging, the Blade will, on rare occasions, choose a warrior who has wandered away from the path of his intended destiny, and help him find his way back to it. When the bearer of the Blade has achieved the correct path once again, the Blade returns to Yamanuchi to await the arrival of the next young warrior in need.
As for the fact that he was almost two thousand years old… Sensei would keep that to himself. As the keeper of the Blade, it was a secret that he alone was to bear. Oddly enough, whenever he shared the Blade's secret story with a young warrior, they never asked him how it was that he knew all these tales of the bearers of the Blade. They always assumed it was a history, passed down from generation to generation.
Sensei carried the Blade back inside, curious as to which wayward warrior it would choose next. Would it be the man with the simian hands and feet? That one seemed to have wandered far away from the path of his destiny.
Under any other circumstances, Shego probably would have been given a light charge; some misdemeanor or accessory to whatever. But considering her record, she was deemed a Criminal Menace and hauled away to await trial. As a final insult, she and Ray were put into the same police van and carted off to jail. Ron and Kim tried to explain to Global Justice what she had done, but in their eyes, Shego had only helped after Deathray's plans were thwarted. Team Possible promised Shego they would testify on her behalf when the time came.
Ray couldn't stop his pathetic whimpering. In his mind he saw the smoldering wrath in Stoppable's eyes. In addition, he heard Kim's words to Ron over and over. Throughout their entire relationship, she had never once said those words to him the way she had whispered them to Stoppable. When she said it, she meant it from a deep place that only Ron Stoppable was able to reach. At that moment, despair had washed over Ray, adding itself to the fear that was consuming him. He realized in that instant that if he had been sincere with her, if he had really loved her and stayed faithful to her, she might have said those words to him in a like manner. Ron Stoppable had been given a second chance with the true love of his life, and it dawned on Ray that he was the one who had given Ron that chance. He stared pathetically at the floor, whimpering and muttering to himself.
When the fires had died down enough in the lair, a Global Justice helicopter with a grappling cable was brought in to haul away the Ray Brain. Many clones had regained consciousness, but by that time, GJ agents were swarming all over the place, and the remaining clones were no longer a threat. Jim and Tim had been busily cutting away the anchor plating that held the Ray Brain in place. When the helicopter began to lift the Brain away, a massive shower of sparks erupted from it. Every clone in the lair suddenly slumped to the floor. The mind had shut itself down entirely rather than suffer the humiliation of being hauled away and studied in a lab somewhere.
Ron and Kim walked up the ramp, out the old lair entrance and were immediately set upon by the media. Kim had plenty of experience with reporters and knew that 'no comment' was basically the order of the day. Ron did, too, but was thrown off by a question from one reporter who'd gotten wind of a rumor.
"Mr. Stoppable," she said chirpily, "There's a rumor going around that you and the mysterious hero known as 'Ronin' are the same person. Can you confirm that for us?"
"I…um…actually…no comment." Ron stammered.
"Aw," the reporter pretended to pout, "Can't you tell us anything about the mysterious ninja hero? What's he like? What does he do in his free time? Is there a Mrs. Ronin back home?"
Unable to resist, Kim leaned over Ron's shoulder, "There will be."
Global Justice agents rushed in and shooed the reporters away. Ron looked like he did that day he opened his first Naco royalties check. Dazed and happy.
Agents led them to a waiting van. They were to be taken back to GJ headquarters for a complete debriefing.
The cell phone belonging to the agent nearest Ron began to ring. The agent answered it and then handed it to Ron.
"Someone named Wade," the agent informed him. Ron was surprised at first, but then he thought if his friend the super genius could build a device that emitted a controlled-radius EM burst, then he certainly could track down the cell phone closest to him.
"'Sup Wade?" Ron said, still in a bit of a daze.
"Dude, I just caught the live feed from the TV News! Did Kim just say what I thought she said?" Wade asked excitedly.
"You heard it, too? I thought my mind was maybe playing tricks on me!" Ron said, almost relieved.
"I got two words for you, my friend," Wade chattered in his ear, "Boo Yah!"
"That's my line!" Ron protested, laughing, "Now what am I supposed to do? Air guitar?"
"AAAAAHHHHHH YEAH!" howled the man with the blonde mullet, pretending to wail away on a guitar that wasn't there. "Dude! This nitro blower is totally going to make my sweet ride even sweeter! Seriously!"
Late August. The Middleton Auto Show was in its third day. Team Possible had gotten a tip from Wade that Motor Ed might be interested in the experimental Nitrous Oxide Blower that would be showcased that afternoon. Ron and Kim were patrolling the show floor, keeping their eyes open. Their heads weren't quite in the game, however. The summer after graduation – that summer of bliss - was drawing to an end. Soon Kim would be heading off to Go City University and Ron would be staying in Middleton. Neither of them were looking forward to parting company.
When time came for the Upperton Race Equipment company to unveil their new blower, Motor Ed and his crew came busting in as if on signal.
"Step away from the blower, car show dude! Seriously!" Ed barked. His boys threatened and menaced the crowd. Kim vaulted over their heads and landed in the fray.
"Not today, Motor Ed," she said taking up a combat stance.
"Aw, no! Not Red! Why you gotta harsh my good time?" Ed wailed. "Where's the little blonde bro? The one who likes tacos?"
"They're called Nacos and you can't get them anymore!" Ron protested, scrambling up on to the showcase platform, "Bueno Nacho closed down!"
"Whatever, bro, I didn't ask for, like, your life story! Seriously!" Ed pulled out a walkie talkie and spoke into it, "Check it! We're ready to blow this place! Red and Blond Bro are comin' with!"
Rufus scampered out of Ron's pocket and up on to his shoulder, chattering indignantly.
"Oh, yeah, and their little bald rat's comin' too. Man, that thing freaks me out! Seriously!"
"You're not going anywhere," Kim informed him.
"Wrong again, Red! Seriously!"
The roof above them crashed inward as a massive grappler lowered itself into the convention hall. People scattered in a panic. The grappler attached itself to the showcase platform and a helicopter began to haul the entire thing upward toward the roof. Kim fired her grappler, latching it to the wall and tied the other end around the Nitro Blower. The cable pulled the Blower off the platform and it sailed through the air to bang harmlessly against the wall. Motor Ed had been denied his prize.
Ed looked down at the receding convention hall, Police were beginning to converge. Going back for the Blower was out of the question. Naturally, this bugged him.
"Aw, that does it, Red!" he said, forcefully grabbing Ron by the arms.
Ron wailed and struggled, but Motor Ed was a big beefy guy. Plus he had some serious B.O. which made Ron's eyes water.
"Let him go, Ed," Kim threatened.
"Maybe I should let Blond Bro go for a skydive! Seriously!" Ed said, holding Ron menacingly near the edge of the platform.
"Let him do it, KP" Ron shouted, "You can swoop in with your blaster pack or parachute or whatever and save me."
Kim's face fell, "No parachute!" she said with slight dismay.
"No blaster pack?" Ron inquired.
"No."
"Mini hang glider?"
"No."
"Bungee cord?"
"No."
"Pocket-sized helicopter?"
"No such thing, Ron."
"Are you guys gonna go on like this for very long?" Ed inquired, "'Cause I'm, like gonna die of old age before this conversation ends! Seriously!"
Kim ignored him, "I was packing for college when Wade called. All I brought was the grappler, and it's down there. My mind was totally distracted."
"Seriously?" Ron asked.
"Seriously, Ron! I wanna go to college and all, but I don't want to leave you behind." Kim said sadly.
"OK" Ed interjected again, "I am gonna blow harsh chunks all over Middleton if you guys don't knock off the kissy face attitude. Seriously!"
Ed's crew took Kim by the arms and held her firm. As long as Ed held Ron near the edge of the platform, she wouldn't risk his falling by trying to fight her way out.
The helicopter began to descend. They were on their way to Ed's lair.
Kim tried twice to break free of her captors, but was unsuccessful. Soon they found themselves in yet another elaborate deathtrap.
They were in a room about the size of a school gym. In the center was a huge sunken tank, about twenty-five feet wide, that ran the entire length of the room, and was filled with a rather nasty looking liquid. Kim was on one side of the tank, Ron was on the other. Spanning the sunken tank was a very narrow beam about the width of a two-by-four. Slightly above them, Motor Ed stood glowering in triumph. Neither Kim nor Ron were tied up, though they both had been given some kind of electronic component.
"OK", Ed said over the intercom, "Listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. Seriously. You guys will have, like, ten minutes or something to do this thing. That'll give me enough time to get away or whatever. Anyway, one of you has to cross that beam and get to the other one. If Red plugs her half of the switch into Blond Bro's half, then the door will open and you guys get away. Seriously."
Ron and Kim looked at each other, this shouldn't be too hard.
Ed continued, "If you don't make it in time, the floor of that tank's gonna raise up and the room will totally flood."
"What's in the tank?" Ron inquired.
"Battery acid," Ed replied.
"Dude! That's nasty!" Ron exclaimed, arching his eyebrows at Ed. Excitedly he turned to Kim, "Hey! I just arched my eyebrows at an arch foe! How cool is that?"
"Whoa!" Ed barked, "I thought my cousin Drew was your arch foe!"
"He is," Ron told him.
"Dude!" Ed responded, "You can only have one arch foe. That's what 'arch' means. You can't like, have a bunch a arches! There's only room for one! 'Arch foe', 'arch rival', 'arch enemy'; stuff like that! Seriously, how did you manage to get past high school, bro?"
Ron glared at him and then thought of something, "Can you have, like an 'arch football team', or is it limited to just foes and their synonyms?"
"Aw, man, I am so not having this conversation. Enjoy your acidic doom little blond bro. So long Red," and at that, Ed wailed on his imaginary guitar, "AAAAAAAH YEAH!"
Ed turned and stomped out.
"OK" Kim began, "This should be eas-"
Suddenly the lights went out.
"Aw, now that's just wrong!" Ron yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room.
Both Ron and Kim blinked and tried to let their eyes adjust to the darkness, unfortunately it never happened. Whether they closed their eyes or kept them open, it made no difference. Not a single bit of light was getting into that room.
"KP, you still there?" Ron asked in a worried tone.
"Where else would I be?"
Their voices echoed. It was hard for each of them to tell where the other was.
"So what do we do now?" Ron asked.
"First, let's carefully make our way to the edge of the tank. Get down on all fours and crawl so you won't go falling in when you reach the edge."
"Yeah…OK", Ron sounded nervous.
Kim felt nervous. They had less than ten minutes left.
"OK, got it." Ron said. Even at normal volume, his voice echoed. She couldn't tell exactly where he was. "Now I'm guessing you want me to find the beam, right?"
"Right," Kim replied.
When they both found their respective ends of the beam, Ron asked what she wanted to do next.
"Well," Kim said nervously, "On of us has to cross this thing. And I don't think it's gonna be you."
"Why not?"
"Ron, you often have trouble successfully crossing freeway overpasses without tripping and falling. Sorry to sound so ferociously critical, sweetie, but it's true."
"Well…I don't think…" Ron began in protest, then gave up, "Yeah, OK, you're right."
"I'm not too sure about this myself."
"Hey, KP, it's cool!" Ron encouraged her, "You can do anything, remember?"
"Yeah, but one wrong step and my Club Banana pants will be acid washed."
"EEEwww! That is so eighties!" Ron observed in a horrified tone. Then an idea came to him, "Hey, why don't you tumble across?"
"What?"
"Yeah. I mean, in cheerleading you always tumbled in a perfectly straight line, no matter what!"
"Yeah, but that was on a gym floor or a football field. Not a tiny beam."
"Don't think about the width of the beam," Ron advised, "Just follow the sound of my voice, and do it."
"OK," Kim acknowledged, "But your voice is all echo-y. Can you make a softer sound?"
Ron whistled, "How about that?"
"Perfect," Kim affirmed, "I know exactly where you are. Keep whistling."
So Ron whistled. Unsure of what exactly he should whistle, he settled on their song; 'Could It Be'.
In the darkness, Kim smiled. Reassured, she took a few steps back, and then ran straight at the point where she hoped the beam crossed over the tank.
She made it without once missing a step. Well, that is until she tumbled into Ron, who didn't want to get out of the way for fear he might cause her to stray off the path.
They stood up, a little shaken, but all right.
"Got your half of the switch?" Kim asked.
Ron handed it to her.
"Man, I was worried you wouldn't be able to find me" Ron said, audibly relieved.
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Behind his head, she put the pieces of the remote switch together and the lights came on. A few feet away a door opened.
She pulled back a little and looked into his eyes.
"We will always find our way back to each other," she said with conviction, "Whether we're on opposite sides of a room, or opposites sides of town, or even on opposite sides of the world…"
Ron was roused from his memories by the announcement that the plane was on final approach to Tokyo International Airport. Kim had offered to come with him, but Ron felt this was something he should do on his own. He wasn't even sure he had permission to bring her to the school. Ron was, of course, on his way to apologize to Master Sensei for losing the Lotus Blade.
But we all know what happens when he gets there; we've already covered that.
Seriously.
And every time I needed you,
You've been there to pull me through.
Deep in the high desert of southern Nevada, in the vast, empty, sagebrush wasteland of the Great Basin, just north of what is known as Area 51, there is a mountain called Snakeback Ridge. It's a lengthy ridge that runs north/south and twists in two places. From the air, it looks like a giant Diamondback Rattlesnake making its way north across the desert. Dug into the northern end of this mountain, is a huge complex known to many as the Snakeback Ultra-Maximum Security facility. The workers call it SUMS. The inmates call it the Dead End. This is where the world's Supervillians serve their sentences; even those from other countries.
The only way to get to it is a lonely, nondescript two lane road that cuts through the northern section of Area 51. There are no signs for it, no highway markers. Most people don't even know it's there. In order to get there, one must travel through the many layers of security that protect Area 51. It's one of the most heavily guarded facilities in the world. The guards are there to keep some people out, and others in.
The day was blisteringly sunny, with temperatures nearing the one hundred and ten degree mark. Along that two lane road traveled an ordinary-looking rental truck. At least, that's what it was supposed to look like to the general public. Inside, however, were two Global Justice agents riding up front. In the rear were two prisoners, locked in their own iron link cages.
Ray barely looked at Shego. She didn't look at him at all. Shego couldn't bear the memories of the recent months; the nights in Ray's bed, his abuses that ran the gamut from physical, to mental to emotional. The day Kim Possible was shoved into a cryogenic tube, seemingly for good, was supposed to be the culmination of Shego's vengeance upon her arch foe (and yes, she realized you could only have one of those). But it had been a hollow victory. In fact, Shego didn't even feel it was a victory at all. It certainly wasn't worth what she had to go through to get it. And now, to heap insult upon injury, she had to endure the long ride to Dead End with Ray Beam sitting across from her the whole time.
Ray kept looking at her, but he kept seeing Kim's face. The face of what might have been. The fear Stoppable had instilled slowly receded, but the despair never left him. He was facing a lifetime in a facility, not with hardened criminals, but borderline insane egomaniacal monsters. He told himself he wasn't one of them. He was just poor, simple Ray Beam who got caught up in circumstances that weren't his fault.
Suddenly, the truck lurched, skidded, corrected itself, and then lurched again. Ray and Shego couldn't see out the windows, but they could see forward through the front windshield. A soft, yellowish glow seemed to envelop the entire truck. It lurched again and then actually flew into the air.
The guards let out involuntary yelps of surprise. Ray shrieked and cowered on the floor, Shego tried to get a better view of what was happening. The truck rolled over sickeningly on its side, still flying through the air. The guards were tossed about the front of the cab. Slowly, the truck came to a stop, hovering five feet above the highway, nose pointed downward.
"This message is for the two guards in the front of the vehicle," came a booming, electronically enhanced voice from seemingly everywhere, "I am going to set you down in ten seconds and disengage the Gravimetric Beam. You will then have five seconds to exit the vehicle. If you do so, no harm will come to you. If you do not comply, I will be forced to eliminate both of you."
Ray perked up at the voice.
As loathe as she was to talk to him, Shego was curious, "Do you recognize the voice?"
"No", Ray answered absently, "But it has to be one of the clones. Somehow, the Brain tracked me down and sent a clone out to rescue me."
"Don't you mean us?" Shego asked.
Ray looked at her with contempt, "We'll see, honey. If you play your cards right."
The van set down, the yellow glow disengaged, and the two guards scrambled out.
Then the yellow glow re-engaged and the van flew into the air once more, traveling north, across the desert, away from the highway.
After a few minutes traveling like this, the truck was set down roughly, on its side, in the middle of the desert. The yellow glow disengaged. From outside came a low roar; possibly the sound of a jet engine. Whatever it was came to a rest and the engine powered down.
Then a different glow, this one reddish/purple. The truck began to vibrate, subtly at first but with increasing violence as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, the truck was shuddering with great force. Those inside were thrown off their feet. The violent shuddering jarred the rear doors off its hinges and latches. The door simply fell away, unable to take the stress. At almost the same time, the doors to the cages fell away, also unable to take the severe spasms wracking the vehicle.
Then, the reddish/purple beam disengaged.
By this time, the occupants of the truck were pretty fairly shaken up. Shego had trouble standing, and so crawled out of the back of the vehicle. Ray, however, did get to his feet. He stooped until he made it to the back of the truck and then straightened up, chuckling. He knew they wouldn't let him be taken to prison. Already, he was planning his next world-conquest plot.
As he stepped around the truck, to the side where the top of the vehicle was facing, Ray suddenly found himself enveloped in that soft yellow glow. He lost his footing, but didn't fall. In fact, he hovered some six feet off the ground.
"Oh goodness!" came a friendly voice, "Look what I've done. You know, I'm always so clumsy with these ray devices, especially the Gravimetric Ray. I usually don't operate them myself."
Ray looked toward the source of the voice. He could see that the yellowish beam was emanating from a small circular hovercraft. Oddly enough, there didn't seem to be any kind of protective canopy over the two-seat cockpit. He'd never seen an open-air hovercraft before.
Odder still was the source of the voice. He had black hair, pulled into a pony tail in the back. He wore a long, dark blue trench coat - even in this hundred degree heat – with a black belt tied round it. In addition, he wore matching dark blue pants with black boots. He had a scar under his left eye. But the most curious thing about him, however, was that – as best Ray could tell through the soft yellow glow of the beam holding him six feet above the ground – the man seemed to have pale blue skin.
Ray waited patiently for the stranger to disengage the Gravimetric device.
"Just a minute my good fellow, I think I need to toggle this switch." The blue stranger informed him. He reached into the cockpit and seemed to jiggle something.
Ray was slammed violently to the ground.
The beam did not disengage.
"Oh my," the blue man said, the friendly tone of his voice unchanging, "That wasn't it at all, was it?"
Ray was lifted again to hover six feet above the ground. He was dazed, his head throbbed, and he felt one or two bones might be broken.
"Perhaps if I fiddle with this switch over here," The blue man said, reaching into the cockpit again. He appeared to toggle another switch.
In rapid-fire fashion, Ray was slammed repeatedly against the side of the truck. Again and again, the beam drove him with alarming force into the almost unyielding surface of the vehicle.
He felt things crack, break, or puncture. It hurt just to breathe. He could feel his skull beginning to swell. The truck was severely dented.
"Wait a minute!" said the blue man, still in a friendly tone, " I think this might be it!"
Ray was lifted twenty feet off the ground.
"Yes!" the blue man cried in triumph, "This is definitely the correct switch!"
The yellow beam abruptly disengaged. Ray fell through the air, tumbling lazily like a rag doll. He hit the corner of the truck where the roof met the side panel. The impact cause him to half-spin wildly before slamming back down onto the ground.
Ribs were shattered. It was pure agony just to take even shallow breaths. His head pounded with a pain so fierce, he couldn't open his eyes. His legs were bent backward the wrong way beneath him. He struggled to say something but his jaw was broken in three places. Yet for all his injuries, there was barely any bleeding. This meant he would likely live a lot longer, and thus endure much worse pain, than if he had bled to death.
Perhaps the blue man was aware of this. He tucked his arms behind his back and casually strolled over to where Ray Beam lay, crumpled up in a heap on the ground.
Under normal circumstances, there was always some kind of twinkle in the blue man's eye. He carried about him an air of evil mirth, or nefarious glee, or perhaps insidious joy. He was evil, and he liked it, and it showed. But when he got to Ray, and crouched down beside him, all of the mirth left him. There was no hint of evil glee in his eyes, or on his face. He leaned in close to Ray, his face a portrait of murderous, icy blue rage.
"Now" the blue man began, speaking slowly, "I know you're in a great deal of pain. But I also know that you can probably hear the words I am saying. So I want you to listen carefully to what I am about to tell you."
He leaned in closer. Ray tried to get away from that face, but blinding pain kept him from moving. The blue man spoke in a very low, very cold, very dark voice.
"If you ever come anywhere near Shego again, you will not live long enough to regret your error."
He stood back up, and some of the evil mirth returned to his face.
"Oh, and one more thing. Stay away from Kim Possible, too. She's my arch foe. Get your own." Then he waved cheerfully at Ray, "Tootles!"
He strode around to the back of the truck. Shego was still there, half sitting, half lying on the ground, watching everything that took place with shocked awe. He stood there and looked down at her, taking one hand from behind his back and extending it to her, but saying nothing.
Time to come home, his eyes said.
She reached for his hand and took it, struggling to her feet.
He led her back to the hovercraft.
"When did you get out?" she asked him weakly.
"A month ago," he replied, "I've been searching for you everywhere. I didn't think you'd actually go to Middleton."
"How did you find me?" she persisted.
"I got an anonymous e-mail telling what you've been up to lately, and what he's been doing as well." He answered, "The e-mail told me where the truck would be and that I was not to harm the guards. We can discuss all this at home"
"What home?"
"Grrr! Fine!" He barked in frustration "We'll find a home, and when we do, we'll go there and discuss it. Now let's go. GJ helicopters are probably on their way."
Shego stood up in the passenger seat and hollered, "Ray! I guess I forgot to tell you back there. I did recognize the voice. I was just curious whether or not you did."
The hovercraft rose up and out of sight.
A few minutes later, GJ helicopters did come, and they recovered Ray.
He spent the next year drinking all his meals through a straw and enduring thousands of hours of painful, agonizing rehabilitation.
Well beneath the surface of the earth, well below the floor of a great hollowed out room where dozens of GJ agents were examining everything they came across… deep below, in a small room sat a large metallic box roughly the size of a telephone booth.
They thought it had shorted out when the helicopter had tried to lift off. They were right, of course, but apparently no one had considered the possibility that information can be transferred. Sometimes even through the air. Or the ground.
The room had been dug by clones, unbeknownst to even Ray himself. The Brain box was put in place, and then the passageway leading to the room had been filled back in, leaving only one thin fiber-optic cable to connect it to the outside world. It sent out a signal, but the clones weren't receiving.
Still, via the fiber-optic cable, the Ray Brain could travel across the length and breadth of the internet, seeking out useful information.
In fact, one such piece of information was what caused it to send out the anonymous e-mail with the details of Ray's prison transfer. It felt if it threw in the line about not harming the guards, no one would think to come looking for it, but rather might suspect a GJ agent; perhaps Kim Possible herself.
It had a pretty good idea of what the recipient of the e-mail might do if he knew Ray had been less than kind to Shego.
It couldn't harm Ray directly, but nothing prevented it from giving information to anyone who might wish to harm Ray. And if they did, well, that was just incidental.
Now it would bide its time. Some day it would find a way to exist in the world above as its own independent, sentient entity. Perhaps it would find a way to revive one of the clones, and he could come and dig it out.
Then, of course, there was revenge to be plotted.
Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable would one day have a horrible reunion with the Ray Brain.
Not today.
But someday…
Now it's clear,
I've been waiting for you…
Ron spent a week in Japan. He hadn't intended to stay quite that long but Sensei made him tell every detail of his story, beginning with the moment Ron took possession of the Lotus Blade. It took close to three days for Ron to tell his tale. When it was complete, Ron had one or two questions.
"When I took the Blade with me, you said I had always been its master, and that it had been waiting for me to come and claim it. But how can I be its master if it no longer belongs to me?"
"Destiny", the old man replied, "The Blade recognized that you had wandered from your intended path. It chose to serve you until you found your way again."
"So, is the Blade alive?" Ron asked.
"I do not know."
"But haven't you ever been curious?" Ron persisted.
"Of course," Sensei replied, bestowing a very rare smile upon the young warrior, "And perhaps one day my curiosity may be rewarded. But I do not know the true nature of the Lotus Blade. It may be its own living entity, or perhaps it simply responds to those who have the true heart of a warrior. I have no answers regarding this."
Ron simply accepted this. Sometimes you take things on faith, and know that there aren't always going to be answers.
"Now you have told me your tale," Sensei continued, "In return I will share with you a story from the Lotus Blade's past."
And for three more days, Sensei told Ron the story of the young Irish Princess, Kimarrah and her companion, a Roman Legionnaire named Ronaldus who came to Japan in the year Four Hundred A.D. and, with the assistance of the Lotus Blade, helped to defend the Japanese homeland from invasion by a vast and mysterious army of Simian warriors.
Back home, Kim was initially disappointed she didn't get to go with Ron, but found good use for her time. She sat down and wrote out every detail of the memories she had of her relationship with Ray. It took her most of the week to complete it. And, when she was done, she burned it. It was simply a symbolic gesture, of course, but it had a cleansing effect on her. Her relationship with Ray was – simply put - in the past. There was no sense in dwelling on it. She was ready to move on with her life.
Ron returned hoping to find Kim waiting for him at the airport. He was disappointed, but he supposed she had a lot on her plate.
Turned out Kim was waiting for him at the Stoppable house. She begged his parents to go out to dinner – her treat – so she could have a conversation with Ron. She had come to a decision, and she felt she should tell Ron about it first, before informing anyone else.
Ron walked in and found her sitting at the kitchen table. A shoebox was sitting in front of her.
"How was your trip?" she asked.
"Good," he answered, "What's up?"
"Wade and I have a gift for you, and then there is something we need to talk about." She informed him. Kim pulled out the Kimunicator and set it on the table, Wade appeared on the screen.
Ron's curiosity was piqued.
Kim very carefully opened the lid of the shoebox and set it down on the table.
Out of the box scampered a naked mole rat.
"Awwww," Ron said with a wistful smile, he wasn't sure how to feel about a replacement for Rufus. This was just a naked mole rat. Rufus was special. "You got me a naked mole rat. That's cute."
The mole rat spotted Ron, stood on his hind legs, threw his hands in the air and excitedly squeaked, "Hey!"
Startled, Ron involuntarily scooted his chair back a couple of feet.
"It talks?" He asked, confused.
Kim smiled, "I don't think he gets it yet, Wade."
"I decided to borrow a page from Ray Beam's playbook," Wade informed him, "I thought it should be put to good use at least once."
"I don't understand," Ron continued. The mole rat gazed at him, waiting for Wade to finish his explanation.
"You remember those summers Rufus spent with me, don't you? Part of what he and I did was make a complete map of his brain, so I could study it in my spare time. I guess you could call it an early version of a brain scan."
"Brain scan!" The mole rat confirmed.
"So," Wade continued, "I put together the pieces of the map, asked Kim's permission if I could use her artificial brain technology, mixed it with a little cloning from a whisker Rufus had given me, and voila! Say hello to Rufus Prime."
"Hi!" Rufus squeaked, waving at Ron. Then he scampered up Ron's arm and nuzzled his cheek.
"Awww!" Kim said, a tear escaping her eye.
Ron was still dazed, "I thought you were ethically against cloning, Wade."
"And I promise never to do it again," Wade said solemnly, "Rufus knows all about what happened. He's aware that he's a clone, and that a few years have passed since his original self died. I just simply uploaded the knowledge into the artificial brain, which, by the way is sitting right here. I have it linked to our satellite network. Rufus can go anywhere in the world you go."
"Booyah!" Rufus cheered, and chattered excitedly.
"Roo… " Ron found himself choking up over the word, "Rufus… Buddy!"
Ron took his friend and held him in his hands. Rufus simply stood, gazing at him. Tears burst forth and flowed freely from Ron. They were tears of relief more than anything else, he felt all the mistakes he had made were melting into the past.
"Awww" Rufus said, and put his arms around his friend's face as best he could.
Kim sat and watched the reunion; one or two of her own tears flowed as well. Wade excused himself and the Kimunicator blinked off. After a few minutes, Kim spoke up.
"Rufus!" the mole rat turned toward her, "Remember that other thing we talked about?"
"Oh, yeah!" Rufus squeaked, and jumped back into the shoe box. He came out again and scampered over to Ron holding something in his paws. Ron examined it closely.
It was the engagement ring he had given Kim all those years ago.
Ron looked up at her.
"Been doing a lot of thinking this week," she began, "And I realized there have been two men in my life who asked me to marry them. And I said 'yes' to both. Well, I've decided I can't go through that again. I don't want anyone else asking me to marry them, ever."
Ron's heart dropped to his feet.
"This time," she continued, "I'm making the decision for myself. It's my turn to choose."
She got up, came over to him, and dropped to one knee.
"Ron, I love you", she said looking into his eyes, "And I'm asking you to marry me."
They set a wedding date for six months hence.
The wedding was a simple Jewish ceremony with Protestant elements thrown in to acknowledge the heritage of the bride's family.
It had been a busy six months for Kim and Ron. Ron got them a modest house, though it came with an attached lab for Kim's work and a secret basement with it's own hidden entrance for their superhero work. Ron was able to slip back into the role of Kim's sidekick, but on occasion, he went missions as Ronin. Eventually they came to find a comfortable balance between them. When Ron was sidekick, she called the shots during missions. If he went as Ronin, then they worked together as equals.
As much as they both had agreed they couldn't just pick up where the relationship left off six years before, that's pretty much what happened anyway. They were a part of each other, and it seemed pointless to try and go back to casual dating. In the first week or two, it was a little awkward, but things settled into the old groove once again. Both were somewhat relieved to find there really was something deeper between them, and not just echoes of the past bursting forth as a result of intense circumstances. Plus, there was the fact they were older now, and a little more practical. They would always have those early years of romantic memories. And really, the romance never really faded between them.
For the second time in less than a year, Wade actually came out in public. Though this time it wasn't to stop Kim's wedding, but rather to serve as Ron's best man. This tweaked Rufus a little, but he got over it and wound up sleeping through the ceremony anyway.
After the wedding, there was dancing. And Wade was beginning to feel overwhelmed by it all and was about to excuse himself to go home. But Kim's maid of honor came to ask him something.
She had been Kim's maid of honor at the earlier wedding, the one that Wade had broken up. Something about his bravery impressed her. Then when he came as Ron's best man, she thought he actually looked pretty cute in his tux. Besides, he was twenty-one now, and she was twenty-seven. Such age differences didn't matter so much when you were an adult.
So at the reception she went over and asked him to dance.
"Oh!" Wade stammered, "I…gosh…I don't…"
"Oh, come on Wade, you can dance with me, can't you?" She purred.
"I…no…I mean yes…I …I don't know how to…really… I'm really sorry."
"It's a slow dance! It's really easy, I'll show you!"
And, ignoring his protests, Monique took his hand and led him out to the floor.
The cool night breeze was coming off the ocean. Small waves rippled against the sand and made almost no noise at all. Ron wondered if the hint of tropical fruit in the air was natural, or was there some artificial scent sprayer meant to impress the tourists? They were taking their honeymoon on a private island in the South Pacific. There were no phones, no TV, no Kimunicator, and no people for at least ten miles in every direction. The small bungalow sat just up from the beach on a tiny island that was part of a chain of tiny islands. Every morning, a boat came by and brought them their meals for the day, and then they were left in privacy the rest of the time.
Ron was leaning on the rail of the balcony, watching the moonlight play across the water. Kim strolled out, slipped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Kimberly Anne Stoppable" she said with a sigh of contentment. She would be keeping 'Kim Possible' as her professional name, but the personalized checks, the Christmas cards, and all of that would say 'Kim and Ron Stoppable', or some similar variation.
"So what's the story behind the Stoppable family name, anyway?" Kim asked in a dreamy voice.
"Ah," Ron said quietly, "That's an interesting tale. My great, great-grandfather Nikolai Wojidubikowski immigrated to America from Eastern Europe. He barely spoke any English at all, but he was fiercely determined to make it in the new world. So when the immigrations agent at Ellis Island asked him his name he said 'I am Nikolai, I am unstoppable!', and that's what the agent wrote on his immigration certificate: 'N. Stoppable.'"
"Why didn't he do anything to correct it?" Kim was curious.
"He thought that's how America worked," Ron responded, "Come to America, you get a new life, and a new name. He was actually very proud of it. So we've been the Stoppables ever since."
Kim smiled and laid her head back down on his shoulder. It could not have been a more perfect evening. The breeze was cool, but not cold, the waves were soothing, the air smelled slightly of tropical fruits. They both stood there, going back over their favorite memories of the wedding, and of each other. Sometimes, when you're deeply in love, and everything just seems to be right with the world, you find that you and the one you love are thinking the exact same thing.
Kim took her head off his shoulder and they looked deep into each other's eyes.
"I love you," they said in unison.
"Jinx!" she said lightly, taking him by the hand and leading him inside, "You owe me a baby."
"Booyah!"
THE END.
