Disney owns, I don't. Nuff said! OK, this story is definitely not writing itself this time. Two days to write the first couple sections, the third had to be completely re-written several times. Folks, I've lost the zone! Hopefully, it will be back soon! But as for this chapter, we can all thank mattb3671, whose latest update to his story, Don't Touch My Monkey, finally broke that block that was holding me up!
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Redemption – Contemplations
Ron really wished his parents would let him buy a car. The winters in Colorado could get very frigid, especially in late January. It wasn't that he didn't have the money; after all, a couple more Naco royalty checks had come in, at least before Drakken had taken over they had. They weren't nearly as large as the first one he had received, but that wasn't what was stopping him. After the last time, his Dad had made sure that all money went directly to him to invest, only giving Ron a small allowance from it, not nearly enough to buy a car with. No amount of pleading seemed to persuade him, so that left Ron trudging through the snow every day to get to school. His Dad probably thought it built character!
As Ron stepped into his third ice covered, freezing puddle, muttering things his father could never imagine coming from his son's mouth if he had heard, he saw Bonnie pull up beside him in her car. He opened the passenger door, and sat down quickly, enjoying the heat blasting from the vents. Bonnie looked down at his legs, seeing the already crystallizing ice forming on the pant legs. She quickly set the heat to focus downward, and smiled up at Ron. "Thought I'd swing by and give you a ride. Guess I was a little late." She watched as Rufus, shivering considerably, jumped from Ron's pocket to stand in front of one of the vents, sighing deeply. Bonnie laughed at that.
"It's not funny!" not realizing what she was laughing at.
Bonnie looked a bit chastened. "Sorry!"
Ron grimaced, realizing what he had done. "No, I'm sorry, it's not you I'm mad with, and I shouldn't be taking it out on you. It's just, I don't know why my Dad won't let me touch just a little bit of the money to buy a car? I mean, I'm not even talking a new car, just something to drive to school in, and maybe the odd local mission!"
Bonnie smiled at him, pulling into the parking lot in front of the school. "Well, he's probably just worried about how you'd handle the money. I mean, you didn't do well last time!"
Ron smiled at her as he stepped out of the car. "You weren't exactly a big help there either you know! Ruby belt buckle ring any bells?"
Bonnie laughed, walking beside him as they entered the school. "Well, I knew you were going to lose the money. I just thought I'd get in on the fun while it lasted!"
"You know, you could have told me!"
"Would you have believed me?" The look on Ron's face gave her the answer she expected. "Exactly! Besides, it was fun, and I did get a nice gift out of the deal!" Taking off her coat, Ron clearly saw the item in question. With a smile and a wave, she took off before he could stop her.
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Ron was grabbing his books from his locker, getting ready for first period. He had changed clothes already, not really enjoying wearing his mission clothes to school, but with the condition his regular clothes were in, he had to wear something. The beep of the computer in his locker made him jump a little, as Wade appeared on the screen.
"Hey Wade, what's the sitch?"
"Monkey Fist!"
Ron scowled, whatever good mood he had left gone instantly. "You've got a lead?"
"It looks like Monkey Fist broke into the Museum of London last night. He took something called the Amulet of Skiarra, on loan from Egypt. Not sure what it does, but considering Fist is behind it, there must be some mystical qualities to it." Wade paused before continuing. "He… was a bit more brutal than usual. Only one guard was left alive and he… I think Monkey Fist was leaving you a message."
"What do you mean?"
"He… shattered the guard's legs!"
Ron felt a shiver travel up his body as he heard that. Guilt ran through him, but realized it wouldn't help in this situation. "Have you got a fix on Fist? How fast can you get us there?"
Wade had resumed typing, but looked up. "I've got no fix on his location, this happened hours ago, and was only discovered early in the morning. I only found out about it a few minutes ago. At this point, he could be anywhere, but at least I know he didn't fly out. And I don't think you need to go there. They have a sensor net there that I've been able to hack into, and Fist didn't leave any clues. Only reason we know it was him was because he wanted to be seen with the last guard. I'll keep working on it!"
"You do that Wade. I guess I'll head to class. But the second you get anything, you let me know, and have a ride handy as fast as you can!"
"I will. Talk to you later!"
Ron just nodded before the screen went black. He didn't want to, but he was wondering if maybe he should have given in to his dark side those many months ago, and that scared him just a little.
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Ron had been contacting Wade between every class, but nothing had come up yet. Now that lunch was here, he had to go back into "happy mode", so that the others wouldn't worry. He loved his friends, and he knew they were trying to be supportive, but sometimes it was just hard to be around them. It was easier to pretend to be happy around them most of the time, which was very tiring, then to have them worry about him. Not that there weren't times he was genuinely happy, they just weren't nearly as often as they used to be. Rabbi Katz described it as a "loss of innocence" to him, that point in time when a person realized that bad things could happen to them and there was nothing they could do. The missions never seemed like such a game anymore, not the fun that he used to associate with them. Even when he was scared he could find some element of fun or humour. Now, they were a job to him, a way to help people, and maybe, just maybe, hold back that loss of innocence for someone else.
He knew it wasn't gone forever, that some kind of innocence could be regained. Bonnie was the perfect example of that. She had lived in misery for so long, rarely reaching out, facing things someone her age should never have had to face, seeing things she never should have been forced to see. But now, she seemed happy, content. He knew there were moments, he had seen them, but she had recovered a piece of herself, a piece she thought she would never see again, and she was trying to enjoy it. Ron could only hope he could recover a piece for himself if… when Kim woke up.
As Ron entered the cafeteria, he saw most of his friends already seated, so he hurried into line to grab some food. He was at least glad that it was a Tuesday. Pizza day! He didn't think, with the news he had gotten from Wade, that he could have maintained a smile if it was goulash Friday. Of course, no one who had to eat that stuff could say they were in a great mood for lunch when they saw their food! He carried his heavily laden tray over to the table, smiling at the group sitting there. Brick had his arm around Bonnie, laughing at something Monique had just said before taking a bite of the pizza slice in his other hand. Tara and her boyfriend Josh were laughing as well, though not nearly as loudly as Brick.
Ron sat down beside Monique, grabbing up a slice. "So, what's so funny?"
"Well, I was just telling them about my last date with Justin."
Ron just looked at her, knowing where this was headed. "Last date?"
Monique just smiled. "He thought it would be romantic to take me to the Science Center for our date. He is so OTD!"
Ron's confusion must have shown, because Tara spoke up. "Out the door!"
Ron smiled at that. "You know Monique, one of these days your going to find your perfect guy, and you'll dump him before the entrees!"
"No way, I'll know him when I meet him, and he ain't getting away. I just have to keep looking for him. Until then, I wanna have a little fun while I'm searching!" Monique took a bite from her slice before continuing. "By the way Ron, we seriously need your help with something if you have time after school?"
Ron noticed Bonnie and Tara sharing a look and a smile, and got very worried. "I… guess I have time. What's the problem?"
Monique's smile got wider, and Ron felt like he had just volunteered for something he really shouldn't have. The statement that followed didn't help matters.
"You'll see!"
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"OK, seriously, who thought this was a good idea?"
Tara began to pout, just a little. "But we need a guy's opinion! Someone who won't drool at everything!"
"So if I drool, I can get out of here faster?"
Monique quickly gave him a look. "Nope, won't help a thing!"
"How did I ever let you talk me into this?"
Bonnie just smiled, as she went through the items in front of her. "All-you-can-eat Bueno Nacho!"
"All right, all right, but that still doesn't answer who thought I could actually help you choose dresses for the Winter Formal!
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Bonnie knew something was bugging Ron, saw it as soon as he had stepped into the cafeteria at lunch, but knew it wasn't something he would be willing to talk about, not without a little persuasion. She knew the only way to get him to talk would be to force something completely unappealing on him, and then give him the choice. It hadn't taken much to convince Tara and Monique to go along with her plan to bring him shopping with them, and she just waited until Ron would be good and ready to bail.
After half an hour of trying on dresses, hers already picked out from the beginning, she changed back into her regular clothes, and whispered to Ron quietly. "You know, if you tell me what's bothering you, I think I could convince Tara and Monique to let us grab food early. That is, before they decide that they need new shoes as well!"
Ron looked over at Bonnie, realization setting in. "You planned this from the beginning, didn't you?"
Bonnie just smiled. "Yup! So what will it be, talk to me or shoe shopping?"
Ron took a moment, contemplating his options. That's when he overheard Monique talking with Tara.
"You know, I really have no shoes that would go with this dress. Think we can stop at that new place that just opened?"
Ron just grabbed Bonnie's arm and dragged her from the store, as quickly as possible.
Monique and Tara just laughed, as they watched Ron take off.
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Bonnie was in awe of just how much Ron could pack away in one sitting, wondering if even her credit card could handle it. Rufus didn't help matters either. She had barely touched her own food, so enraptured with the sight before her. Finally, after a couple nacos, six chimurritos, three burritos, and almost a dozen orders of nachos, he sat back in his seat, a content grin on his face, while Rufus just flopped onto his back, passing out.
"So, feeling better now?"
"Booyah!"
"Good! Then you can tell me what's been bugging you all day?"
Ron looked uncomfortable, remembering the deal he had made. Realizing he wasn't going to get out of it, he decided to just come out with it. "All right! Monkey Fist struck, stealing some amulet from a museum in London."
"OK, that sounds like something he would normally do. So we track him down, get the amulet back, and put him back in jail. What's the problem?"
"The problem is how he did it. He killed all the guards, all except one. He used the last one to pass on a message to me. He… he broke the guys legs, shattered them!"
"Oh, God!"
Ron turned his eyes downward, not wanting to look her in the eyes. "I… I should have just killed him when I had the chance… this is all my fault!"
She slapped him!
Hard!
The sound echoed through the food court, dozens of eyes training on the pair, as Ron just looked up, completely shocked.
"Get over yourself, it's not your fault what he did! The guy is a bloody lunatic, and you are in no way responsible for what he does! And as for killing him, that's not you, Ron. If you had done something like that, could you have really lived with yourself? Could you have?"
His hand went up to his cheek, still feeling the force of her hit. "Well… I…"
"No, you couldn't have! So get over it, so we can go capture him, and then make sure those bastards who let him escape in the first place have a better hold of him! All right?"
Ron just nodded, his eyes still wide. Bonnie seemed to settle down a bit at that. "Look, I'm sorry I had to hit you, but you needed that!"
"Kim never would have done something like that!"
Bonnie, just smiled, grabbing her coat. "Well, I'm not Kim, am I? Now let's get going, and see if Monique and Tara are ready to go yet."
Ron rose a little unsteadily to his feet, scooping up Rufus and his coat. Bonnie took him by the arm and led him back into the bustle of the mall.
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Author's Notes – OK, quick question for anyone that can answer. I'm Canadian, so I don't know how everything in the States works, but I've seen a quite a few fics where prom occurs weeks before the end of school. For me, prom was the last Thursday or Friday of the school year, with graduation a couple days after the last exams. How does it work in the US? I know it might vary, based on state, but I've already been informed of a few cultural differences already, so I thought I'd take care of this well in advance! Thanks to those that reply!
I'd like to thank the following people;
GargoyleSama – Yes, but getting into the head of a teacher, and studying what you think will be the questions is not quite the same as seeing a whole copy of the test beforehand! I was the same way in college though, so I know what you mean. As for Kim, she suffered swelling to the brain, and needs time to heal. Now, granted while most patients who suffer a coma recover within weeks, some can last considerably longer before waking. She'll recover naturally; it'll just be a little longer!
ron-sama – It's still Team Possible, his way of showing she's still with him. As for Fist, it's been 3 months. Fist is recovered, that's why he waited so long to escape. I mean, if I can recover from a triple break in 5 weeks, I'm sure the MMP can speed things up a bit for him.
JonathonWolf – I'm glad you're enjoying it! As for the different styles, that is on purpose. It's been so long since I wrote, I'm trying different things to see what works, and where I need improvement. If you can let me know what points seemed forced, I'd greatly appreciate it, so I can improve it in later areas!
Worker72 – You know, I thought so too at first, but after a few particular episodes, plus the fan fiction here, I kinda like it. It works, if it's done well. I actually have trouble picturing Kim with someone other than Ron now. Myself, I also like the R/B stories, they just seem so opposites attract that it works, but I just couldn't make it work here. I'll just have to do up another fic with that R/B goodness!
As well as Marcie Gore, Dillymac, Darkcloud1, The Metal One, Mobius97, mattb3671, SpringNappable, Campy, and Mike9!
