Chapter I.

"You know there's a toll for this hallway…" The two kids asked the freshman who was backing up.

"I…no, I didn't." He said, feeling the lockers hit his back.

"Oh, that's just too bad…I'm afraid you'll have to pay a penalty."

"A penalty…" The boy next to the speaking kid, a fat, heavy fellow advanced.

"Yeah. My associate will discuss the penalty with you…"

"Joe and Jake…. When, when, when will you two learn." The other voice was light, and friendly. The two stopped bracing the freshman and turned quickly, guiltily. At the other end of the hallway was a blond man, book bag dangling negligently from his hand. His eyes looked out from underneath a shock of blonde hair and his body stood with ease…yet you could tell that at any moment he could explode into motion.

"Oh, um…Ron…. I didn't know you were back…"

"What, no shouts of joy?" Ron asked. "No, 'hello Ron, how was your martial arts tournament?' 'oh, it was fine, how's the extortion business?'"

"Um…" Ron held out his hand.

"Tolls, Now."

"He hadn't given us anything…"

"And he's the first student to pass this hall?"

"Um…"

"Sigh. Guys, we can do this two ways. You go to Mr. B and confess, or we have another anger management session..."

"Is he in his office?" The first said brightly.

"I think so…and I'll be checking." Ron said to the small eddies of dust that rose where the two bullies had been. He looked over at the victim.

"Hi, Ron Stoppable…. I take it you're new here, which was why the Middleton Sunshine and Glee club met you."

"Um…yeah." The kid looked nervous. Ron sighed and stuck out his hand.

"I don't bite…"

"oh..Oh! I'm David Carlson…" Ron nodded.

"Well, if those two give you any trouble, let me know… I'll…have another consouling session with them." His celphone beeped, and Ron nodded and took it, this being after school.

"Hello? Hi Bonnie… Nah, just a little problem in the hall. Jake and Joe. Wow, you're bloodthirsty today…yeah, first place again." He grinned, "I'll be there." He nodded at David, "Sorry to be off, but I don't want to be late for this…" David shook his head as the older teen left. Wow. Ron Stoppable. He'd just had his butt saved by Ron Stoppable…two time state martial arts champion.

No wonder those bullies had left so quickly.

Ron was practically bouncing as he walked into the sports auditorium, he'd left on Thursday, and been gone until this morning, which meant that normally he'd be looking for a place to crash this fine sunny Monday afternoon…but there was someone he wanted to meet first…

"RON!" The feminine squeal came just ahead of a lithe, leaping figure, which leaped into his chest, her legs around his waist. Without missing a beat, Ron put one hand around her and found himself looking into the eyes of Bonnie Rockwaller.

"Gee Bonnie…what got you so upset?" Ron asked grinning, "I can feel the anger all the way from here…" His voice trailed off as his girlfriend pressed into him, giving him a crushing kiss, throwing her arms around him, as he dropped the book bag and pulled her close with both arms, the smaller woman conforming very nicely into his form.

"Gee… I think that's a display of forbidden personal affection." A voice came to him.

"I don't know…maybe it's trying to find a quarter someone lost down their throat, or checking to see if their tonsils are still intact." Bonnie broke the rather intense kiss and frowned over at the source of the voices.

"Hmph…" She said, "Just because you two don't know the meaning of true affection…"

"Oh they get intense, Bonnie." Ron said. As he looked over. "Did your routine coordinator, Kimberly Ann Possible ever tell you about the time she and Josh got so involved that they forgot Kim's dad had left the sprinklers on a timer?"

"RON!" Kim said, looking at him in betrayed disbelief. The redhead was sitting in her wheelchair in a white short sleeve shirt with a heart on it, revealing her belly button, with a pair of bluejeans concealing her legs. Her red hair was held up with a scrunchy, the resultant pony tail falling over one shoulder. Next to her, Josh Mankey raised one eyebrow.

"Are you certain that wasn't deliberate, Ron?" He paused, "I have to admit that it certainly made for a good curfew…"

"JOSH!" Then Kim blinked, "You told Ron?" She paused, and poked her boyfriend in the side. "You are so dead."

"And now I know." Bonnie said. "And I prove my superiority by not being afraid to show my affection for Ron in public…."

"And your slobber…" Kim said.

"More affection…" Bonnie replied, before disengaging from Ron.

"You won, Ron?" Kim asked.

"First place…" Ron said, "Some good competition, but I managed to out point 'em." The other teens nodded. That wasn't surprising, Ron collected black belts like some people collected coins, to say nothing of his skill in the unarmed fighting styles used by the IDF and US special forces, for which there were no belts.. or rules.

"excellent!" Josh said, high fiving Ron.

"So, how are things here?"

"Pretty good." Bonnie said, "Kim's routine is really cool—I think we'll win, hands down."

And to think I did it because I felt sorry for her. Bonnie thought. Four years ago, when on the very day she'd made the team, Kim had been crippled, Bonnie had thought to keep her on… as an act of pity.

A supremely stupid act as her mother, Mr. and Ms. Possible and the hospital psychologist had told her, but instead of feeling ashamed, Kim had taken it, and dove into what she could do…which in her case, meant planning cheerleading routines, and doing a better job than most college teams did at it. Bonnie really regretted the fact that she'd deliberately tried to keep her off the team.

If she hadn't been hurt… wow, the Possible/Rockwaller team would have been incredible… She shook her head. Enough woolgathering.

"So, how are you and Felix coming?" Ron asked. Kim grinned.

"Got the cover design for the year book done, and the new design for the school magazine."

"You have the stories for it?" Ron asked. He grinned, "Beyond which girl belongs to the most extracurricular clubs?" Kim laughed.

"Not that story—I'm doing a survey of the new Monkey exhibit at the museum, and Justine is working on a look at the science projects we're entering into the state competition, and…" She paused, "We're having an art section in which Josh is going to be handling putting in the best artists of the school…. Right Josh?" That worthy dropped down and put his arms around Kim and gave her a kiss.

"Of course."

"Oh God…someone turn on the sprinklers." Bonnie said, Sotto voice. Kim laughed and pulled some paper out of a bag hanging on the wheelchair, crumpled it up and tossed it at Bonnie.

"Take that!"

"Well, shall we celebrate our martial arts champion… and our soon to be cheerleading and literary champions at a place suitable for the occasion?" Ron asked. Everyone groaned.

"What?" He said in mock concern, "Did something happen to Bueno Nacho?"

TBC.