Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by The Disney Company. I won this series of fictions.
Just a few comments. The medal that I wrote into the story was called The Honor Medal of Crossed Palms. I in no way wanted the award given to Kim and Ron to be the same Medal of Honor given our current armed forces. I gave it that name intentionally to keep it separate from the Medal of Honor, although in this case it was given under similar circumstances as the Medal of Honor has been given in the past. I see Global Justice more as an international military style police force and not just a civilian style police force. Now on with the story.
Aftermath of Wannaweep – Chapter 10
Kim sighed and sat up in her bed. "Tara, we need to have a talk." Kim paused. "or should I say I need to tell you something. I can tell you that to answer the second question, I will answer the first." Kim said quietly. "What I am about to tell you, very few people know. Do you remember last summer when we were all at the park playing softball when Ron and I got that call to go on a mission?"
Tara sat up and nodded. "Yeah, I remember that, the two of you left on a mission and didn't come back after a couple of days. We found out later that you had been asked to stay with Global Justice for the summer for some training and to help train some other agents."
"Well" Kim sighed. "That was the cover story. The reason that Ron and I didn't return for those few weeks was that we were in the hospital. In fact for those first few days after the mission, both Ron and I were in an ICU unit at Global Justice." Kim could see the horrified expression on Tara's face in the moonlight. "Ron and I both came close to dying on that mission as any other that we had been on. That was the mission that we received the Honor Medal for."
"What happened?" asked Tara.
Kim paused for a moment, and appeared to collect her thoughts .
"Kim, please if it brings back too many bad memories then stop, I don't want to cause you any pain." Tara said as she crossed the room and put her arm around Kim. She could feel Kim trembling as she shook her head.
"No, Tara, you need to know. I want you to know because Ron cares for you very, very much, he told me as much on this last mission. You need to what happened between us and to us" Kim said quietly. "Ron and I traded lives that day. He for me, I for him." Kim raised her head, her eyes distant as if she was seeing back into time. "It all started that day on the ball field; all of us were having such a great time. It was a beautiful day and the game was tied. I was pitching, and Ron was a bat...
Ballpark in Middleton
Kim, her ball cap pulled low over her eyes was hiding the softball in her glove and smirked at her best friend Ron as he waited for her to pitch the ball. "Come on KP, put that thing across the plate so I can knock it out of the park."
"Ok, Ron, will see about that." Kim started into her pitch and with an underarm snap sent the ball hurtling toward the plate. Ron swung and there was a metallic ping as the bat struck the ball. Kim's eyes grew wide in the spilt second that she realized that he had struck a line drive right at her head. Her green eyes dilated in fear as she realized in that split second that she needed to move. She moved with the speed she was famous for acting like the ball was Shego's fist. She almost made it as she leaned back, the ball grazed her face and took off her ball cap as it sped into the outfield. Ron gasped and screamed "KIM!" and ran toward the pitcher's mound. He fell to his knees at her side and checked out her face. She looked up at him from the ground his eyes filled with concern. "Kim, you okay?" She reached up and touched her face, then stood up shakily with Ron's help. Everyone had gathered around to see if she was alright. Tara picked up Kim's hat that was lying on the ground just behind her. Ron continued to check Kim out as Tara handed the hat back to Kim. The bill of the hat was torn slightly.
"Ron." Kim said rather shakily. "I think I need a new hat, and I liked this hat too."
"Better a new hat than a new face, KP." Ron said checking out every seam of her face, touching the slight scratch that was on her cheek, "You sure you are okay?"
Kim nodded "Yeah, just let me sit for awhile, you've been practicing, been to the batting cape some huh."
Ron smiled as he led her as she walked shakily to the dugout bench. "Yeah, I have, wanted to make you proud of me at the tournament in a couple weeks, but I didn't mean to try and rearrange your face."
Kim leaned over onto Ron, "So not the drama, Ron, I'll be okay." Ron turned and nodded to Tara and the rest of the group that Kim would be okay.
At that moment the Kimmunicator played that familiar tune.
Kim reached over and took the device from her bag and activated it. "What's the stitch, Wade?"
"Kim, Ron, Drakken is on the move." Wade said.
"Then so are we." Said Kim.
Mountain range in Europe
"Man, why does Drakken always have his lair in the middle of these out of the way places?" Ron complained.
"Ron, reality check here, they are hideouts remember." Kim said rolling her eyes.
The two teens had just parachuted into the area and were sneaking toward the outcropping of rock that Wade had indicated was the entrance to the lair. Kim crawled up to the door and placed Kimmunicator on the lock. Rufus ran out of Ron's pocket and stood on top of the rock outcropping and looked around, then gave an ok signal. The Kimmunicator beeped and the door cracked open. Kim pushed the door open quietly and entered. Ron followed as soon as Rufus had jumped back in his pocket home. Ron entered the lair and closed the door quietly, then joined Kim. The two teens slowly moved through the halls of the hideout looking out of Drakken and Shego.
"Okay, KP, remind me what we are looking for here, this time, a laser, no that was last month, a super computing chip no that was last week. Alright, I give KP, just what are we looking for KP?"
Kim whispered "Well, Drakken and Shego stole some type of …."
"Wearable weapons system." said Shego from where she stood on a rock outcropping above them. "Well, looks like I can test this new system out on the little princess and the buffoon." Shego pointed her arm at the two and a blast weapon appeared on her arm. "Nothing too bad to start with first. Just a reeeal painful stun setting on this thing."
Kim and Ron barely had time to think when they were hit with a blue blast of light. Kim thought that her skin was being flayed off of her body. She heard a scream and recognized it as her own, with it she heard Ron's scream join hers. Then there was only darkness.
Kim green eyes fluttered open, she was in some type of cell. She tried to get up, but the instant she moved her head swam in circles, she struggled not to throw up. A weak voice came from beside her. "Move real slow, KP, it's the only way." She turned her head and saw Ron lying on the stone floor just about a foot away. He was trying to smile, but appeared to be in a great deal of pain. He rolled over on his stomach and groaned. He attempted to crawl over to her and check on her but it was clear he could barely move. "Lay down Ron." she said "and let's hope that it will wear off."
"Oh, it will wear off, Kimmie." said Shego as she walked into the room. "But only in a few hours, for now let's make sure you two don't get into any mischief." A group of large men came over the to two teens cell and lifted them to a standing position with their arms over their heads and chained them there. The sudden motion caused Kim's head to swim again, she closed her eyes and the sick feeling passed. Then she passed out.
"Kim….Kim you okay now..KP." a voice said.
Kim jerked her head up, "Wha…" She looked around and saw Ron hanging by his wrists next to her.
Ron smiled at her, "Good to have you back. I don't know what that beam was but I don't want to find out what else it can do."
Kim looked around "Have you seen anyone lately?"
"Only one person I have seen is someone you will be happy to see." Ron said with a smile. Rufus popped up over Ron's shoulder and waved.
"Rufus, oh it's good to see you. Think you can do something about these things" Kim said as she shook the manacles that she was hanging from.
Rufus nodded and scrambled down Ron's pants and across the room to the cell door and looked out. On the table were the keys to the manacles and the cell door. Rufus picked them up and carried them quietly back to the cell and crawled back up Ron's clothes. Soon Ron was standing on the floor rubbing his wrist. Then taking the keys from Rufus, he stretched up and undid the manacles holding Kim. They did not realize how close they were till Kim slid down after Ron released her and her arms ended up around his neck. They both blushed a bit and separated. "Let's ace this place" said Kim grabbing the keys and unlocking the door. "Let's find Shego and Drakken and get that suit back."
"Kim, the suit is right over there. Shego took it off and stored it over there. We don't have to get it back. All we have to do is remove the control chip from the backpack. Wade told me what to do while you were getting the chutes ready for our jump." Ron went over to the suit that was hanging on a rack and pried open a door on the suit. He removed the chip, dropped it to the floor and stepped on it with a crunch. "That way if we get caught again, they won't be able to reactivate the suit. Now let's get out of here and find Drakken and Shego."
The two teens slid silently up the hallways as they searched for the two villains. Soon they came to the main lab where they could see Drakken and Shego working on some duplicate suits. "Isn't wonderful Shego, the duplicator that I stole ah outsourced from that football headed Professor Bortel has duplicated the chip that is needed to operate the suits. We now have enough chips for a legion of soldiers that will be unbeatable." At that moment an alarm went off and the two villains looked around. "Possible, she must have gotten away, well it's plasma time, and time to find them." Shego said as she fired up her gauntlets.
"You won't have to go far, Shego." Kim said stepping out from behind the cover they had been hiding behind. Ron was already crawling around behind the boxes to get to the duplicator and the chips.
Shego attacked with a roar and soon she and Kim were fighting, leading and dodging all over the room. Ron had crawled up to the table where the duplicator was sitting. As he reached for it a gloved hand grabbed his. "Well, it looks like the buffoon has shown his colors." Ron reached up and grabbed Drakken by the front of his lab coat and pulled. Drakken yelled as he was pulled off balance and landed on his face behind Ron. Ron leaped up and grabbed the duplicator and the box of chips that he had seen Drakken pick up. "Ron, Look out!" Ron turned at Kim's warning and saw Shego staring at him from across the room. She turned and fired a bolt of plasma at him. He threw the duplicator and box of chips on the table and dove for cover. Shego's blast struck the duplicator and box of chips and incinerated them both.
Kim attacked as Shego fired a second blast at Ron. Her blow messed up Shego's aim some but not completely. Ron was blasted several feet across the room as the plasma blast hit him with a glancing blow. He flew into the rack of suits waiting on hangers. "Ron!" Kim screamed and stepped toward him. Shego rolled over on the floor and let loose a quick blast of plasma. It wasn't completely aimed but it did the job. The blast caught Kim square in the back and it sent her crashing to the floor. Kim could barely move as Shego sauntered over with her gloves glowing brighter and brighter. "Oh I have been waiting for this day for so long little princess." Shego said and drew back her hand to throw a plasma blast. Kim weakly raised her hand to ward off the coming blow, when a tremendous blast struck Shego and sent her flying across the room. Kim rolled over to see pale Ron leaning against the wall with his arm in one of the suits. He apparently had stuck his arm in one of the suits and fired a blast from the arm weapon system.
Shego had recovered enough to know that it was time to run. Ron fired another blast at her and she returned fire at him. The two again fired blasts at the same time and both hit their marks. Ron was knocked to the floor and Shego was sent flying to fall unconscious to the floor. Drakken got up off the floor grabbed Shego and stepped from the room as he did he pressed a button on the wall. "Goodbye, Team Possible, that button controls the self destruct device of this base. I doubt either of you are in condition to get out in time. Kim Possible, you think you are all that, and you know what real soon you won't be anymore. Shego and I will be leaving now with all the suits in the ship that we will need."
"Don't think so" said a weak voice on the other side of the room. Ron had crawled over to a computer terminal leaving a trail of blood on the floor. He turned and grinned at Drakken and said "anything is possible for Team Possible". Ron pressed the enter key on the terminal and Drakken watched in disbelief as the airship with all the suits on it detonated with a roar. Ron smiled. "You aren't the only one who knows how to use a self-destruct button." Ron then collapsed to the floor.
Drakken screamed in anger and ran the other direction carrying the unconscious Shego and disappeared down another hall. Soon the roar of the small two person VTOL ship was heard and with that roar Drakken and Shego escaped.
Kim tried to stand but couldn't. She looked down at her leg and saw her leg at an unnatural angle. She hurt all over. She dragged herself over to Ron. He lay of the floor next to the computer terminal. She rolled him over; blood was seeping from his lips. "KP, get out of here. Leave me." He said barely able to form the words.
"Ron Stoppable, don't you tell me to leave you, we are a team and we will stay a team, we will live as a team and if we have to we will die as a team." She wept tears flowing from her face, "We will get out of here." She grabbed in by his collar and dragged him over to a go-cart sitting in front of double doors heading into the main hall. She pulled him up into the cart, got in the driver's seat and sent the car hurtling through the doors and down the hall. She floored the accelerator and the car flew down the hallway. She activated the Kimmunicator and told Wade. "Wade open the main cargo door now or Ron and I are dead!" There was no acknowledgement other than the massive door opening as she and Ron reached it. The blast of the exploding base hurled the car and the two occupants into the air to come crashing down in a mass of mangled metal and two human bodies. Kim moved slowly over to Ron and pulled him over so she could see his face. His face was ashen and streaked with blood. She coughed, pain racking through her body, she wiped her mouth and noticed more blood. Ron's face moved and his eye's opened.
"Lookin good there KP" he said with a weak smile. Kim started to cry, and placed her head on his chest, she could hear the gurgling of each of his breaths. Kim pulled her head up and looking into his eyes gave Ron a kiss. His eye's closed and his arms moved slightly surrounding her and pulling her into himself. She gladly accepted the embrace and went with it. He smiled again and drew her into a second kiss. "I can die a happy man now: I got to kiss my best friend whom I love very much."
Kim said weakly as coldness enveloped her. "You aren't going to die Ron Stoppable, we aren't going to die, I love you and we are going to live."
Ron smiled at her as her consciousness left them both. "Sure thing KP, sure thing:"
Kim reached for the Kimmunicator and tried to operate it but was too weak. Rufus appeared and caught the device as it slipped from her fingers. "Rufus, we need the emergency beacon." She whispered. Rufus nodded and pressed the correct button. The Kimmunicator began to emit the distress signal.
Back in Tara's room.
Kim sat still staring at the other side of the room in the darkness. She had told the story as Tara sat with her. Kim shook her head like she was coming out of a daze. "We both woke up about 5 days later. Wade had medical teams there quickly after the emergency beacon was activated. We made a pact about the kiss, it is our bond, it makes us a team, it reminds us that we stuck together to a point that our last breaths were nearly made together that day. We knew later that we could not have a romantic relationship. It could be a distraction on mission and would hurt the team and our friendship. So, the kiss is a friend's kiss, but is also something deeper."
Tara sat in shock. She could not believe the story that she had just heard. "But, the two of you, I have never seen any scars on you. I don't know about Ron."
Kim nodded. "The docs at GJ have special treatments that helped us heal faster and reduce scarring. If you know where to look you can see them especially on Ron."
Tara sighed, "So those kisses, they aren't romantic kisses are they?"
"No, Tara, they aren't" Kim said with a smile. "I really don't know what I feel for Ron right now. I love him but not in a romantic way, not like a brother, but much more than a friend. We gave up our lives for each other that day. We faced death and made it through. That changed both of us. We have good times together, as friends and partners. We may even share a kiss once in awhile. But, you don't have a thing to worry about Tara. I don't have Ron's heart. You have his heart. Ron is crazy in love with you." Kim said with a smile. "He told me on the way back from this last mission. He loves you so much, you have given him a new life but in a very special way. He loves you because you accept him for the man that he is. I am so happy for you Tara. You will soon be getting the full force of his love in your life and I can tell you from experience that it is a wonderful thing."
Kim reached over and drew Tara into a hug. "Now, let's get some sleep."
Tara went back and climbed into her bed, "Thanks Kim. Thanks for telling me."
"No big, Tara, good night" Kim said sleepily.
