My particular thanks to campy, zaratan, mattb3671, oneredneckgoddess, charizardag, K-R-4-E-V-A, WhiteLadyoftheRing, Da spoon, ron-sama, jasminevr, warprince 2000, x-forgotten-angel-x, and the real Violet Parr for their reviews.
Once again, special thanks to campy, who heads up Team Possible – Editorial Division.
If MC Honey ever asks me to cover for her at the Super Bowl, I promise I'll contribute my fee to an effort to buy the rights to KP from Disney. Until then, if you saw it on KP, Disney owns it.
I.
The half-time entertainment would begin shortly. Ron was ready. Rufus was ready. Monique and Tara were ready.
II.
The Possible women rocketed up to the tartan blimp. Kim had suggested that they approach the gondola from opposite sides, coming in from aft of the airship. Nana approved; that's what she had done the last time she had stormed a helium-filled airship. Once in place, Kim's plan called for Nana and Ann (since Kim had her hands full carrying Ann) to fire grappling hooks through the windows, then jump in, at which point they would take control of the craft.
Kim prayed that Duff was still working solo. And she really wanted to catch the mad golfer by surprise. That would make things much easier – and allow them to complete the mission that much sooner.
III.
Bright lights began to flash. Colored smoke began to spew forth from specially designed machines while lasers pierced the night sky. Then an announcer roared, "Ladies and Gentlemen! The Wolf Network Super Bowl Half-Time Show proudly presents … Rapmaster Ron Stoppable!"
The crowd went wild as Rufus appeared on stage, adjusted the mike, cleared his throat, and began to sing:
Na na na …
IV.
The glass shattered; the women jumped into the gondola.
"Your tee time's been cancelled, Killigan!" Kim snapped.
"Och, what is this lassie?" Killigan replied, clearly puzzled. While Kim was wearing her mission gear, Nana and Ann were dressed in regular clothes. Adding to the surreal tableau, Ann was wearing a regulation NFL helmet since the jet packs didn't come equipped with spare headgear and Team Possible's rule of "Safety First" was sacrosanct.
"I said, your tee time's been cancelled, Killigan," Kim repeated herself, already exasperated; Killigan was not her most dangerous foe, but he was probably the most annoying. With lightning speed she pivoted and kicked the scourge of the links, who stumbled backwards.
"Ah heard you the first time, lassie," Killigan said as he regained his footing. "But ah think you're wrong," he continued, pressing a button and crying "Fore!'"
Robo-caddies silently emerged from the recessed panels that lined the interior of the gondola. As they began fighting Killigan's mechanical goons, Kim and Nana found that the confined space restricted the moves they could make. Still, they were able to throw kicks, punches and dive at their opponents' feet.
Killigan took advantage of the melee to sling his new golf club bag, which doubled as a portable flying device, across his shoulder. He then entered a series of commands into a console and a countdown clock began ticking. "I think Ah'm a gonna have to go t' another course! Farewell, lassies!" he announced.
He was about to climb out of one of the shattered windows when Ann brought her football helmet down on his head. Killigan fell backwards and crumpled to the floor. Within Moments, Kim and Nana finished off Killigan's caddies. His mechanized help was no match for the seasoned fighters; Duff had made the mistake of buying from Henchco's clearance sale.
Nana Possible turned to her daughter-in-law and complimented her. "Well done, dear."
"Why thank you, Nana," Ann replied, knowing that praise of this sort from her mother-in-law was to be esteemed. The older woman spoke from years of hard-earned experience, after all.
Kim smiled at her mother and grandmother. "Nice work, girls." She then looked at the TV monitor. Ron had begun the song. Her joy at defeating Killigan vanished and her shoulders sagged.
Nana approached Kim. "Kimberly Ann, shouldn't you be down there with Ronald?" she asked. "I am a certified blimp pilot. And your mother is a brain surgeon. I think we can handle things from here." Nana Possible was incredibly calm, given that there were only 57 seconds left on the countdown clock.
Kim noticed where Ron was in the lyrics.
I heard'a Smarty Mart was having a sale …
At that moment, Kim knew she could rely on Nana and her mother. Maybe, just maybe, she could pull this off. She put on her jet pack. As she climbed out of the gondola, she turned back to Nana and Ann and called out, "You two rock!"
V.
The sound was deafening. The crowd was going wild. Ron knew that they were eating it up. But as he was singing and dancing he felt empty. All the cheering and attention meant nothing without Kim. But he owed it to her, not to mention MC Honey and all the people who were rooting for him, to deliver. And, since he knew Kim would at least see the performance on DVD, he wanted it to be perfect. Especially the slight modification he made to the lyrics. He was reaching that special point; still it would have been so much more fun to sing the changed words with her on stage.
Rufus in my pocket, you can't stop it, you can't top it …
VI.
Kim could see Ron below. I can do this! If I land there Ron will be able to see me. She maneuvered the thrusters and headed towards her destination.
VII.
The stadium exploded as Kim touched down on stage just in time for Ron to sing:
Rufus and Ron Stoppable, with his girlfriend Kim Possible …
She threw off the jet pack and ran to Ron. As if the whole thing had been choreographed, he grabbed her hand, pulled her to him, gave her a light kiss on the lips, then passed her to the other side in a Fred Astaire-type move, which provoked more deafening applause and cheering. She smiled and grooved as he sang:
We're not afraid of any attack …
Ron then spun around, with Rufus on his shoulder. When Ron's back and Kim's were pressed against one another, he continued:
Yo, KP we've got your back!
Kim then danced her way back to Monique and Tara to join in the chorus. Ron and Rufus finished the song to a stadium-rocking ovation. He waved at the crowd, holding Rufus aloft, beckoned his backup to join him, and waved again. His arm around Kim, he left the stage. The crowd continued to roar its approval; he had to come back out. Ron Stoppable, who nine months earlier was giving his lunch money to the bullies of D Hall, was now certifiably rock star famous.
VIII.
MC Honey insisted that Ron go meet the press. Kim went with him, but was quickly parted from her boyfriend by handlers; she watched from the side as he was led onto a podium.
MC Honey told the reporters how impressed she was with Ron, that she wanted to cut a CD with him. She described him as the next big thing. Then the questions came, fast and furious. Things about being a new star. Record contracts. Recording his first disc. Ron wasn't able to say anything because the reporters were drowning out one another.
Kim was so proud of Ron. She recalled how terrified he'd been when the news crews ambushed him the day after the Motor Ed incident. Now here he was standing in front of a pack of howling reporters and looking like a pro. As she looked at him, she couldn't help but wonder what the future would hold. She was confident about her relationship with Ron, but knew things now they took for granted would change. Would a rap star even be able to go on missions? she wondered. Kim didn't want Team Possible to come to an end, but if that was the price to be paid for Ron to realize this dream, she would find a way to deal with it. She could try working solo, maybe free-lance for Global Justice. Kim knew there were other ways to save the world and help people, though it wouldn't be the same without Ron by her side.
Ron had to admit that all the attention was pretty cool. All those reporters, wanting to ask him questions. All those cameras, filming him. He didn't want to feel big-heady, but he knew at this moment he was the biggest thing ever to come out of Middleton – even bigger than Kim, which was a concept that stunned him. Nothing was guaranteed, but he was on the verge of world-wide fame and riches that would put his American Starmaker prize money, possibly even his lost naco royalties, to shame. Big houses. Airplanes. Maybe even a yacht like MC Honey's. Nobody was ever going to call him a loser again.
As Ron entertained these visions, he saw Kim, who in all the years they'd known one another had never called him a loser, standing at the edge of the crowd, leaning against the wall, wearing her familiar mission clothes, smiling. His face flushed as he looked at her and they caught one another's gaze. Geez, she really is hot in that top, he thought.
Her smile widened. Everybody else would have suspected that the heat of the lights was getting to Ron; Kim knew her boyfriend was most likely appreciating her bare midriff and realized he'd been caught in the act.
Ron tapped the microphone. "Yo, listen up, have a holler from Ron." Everybody laughed at that. "I want to say a couple of things. First, it was incredibly cool to have sung cover for MC Honey tonight. She is a truly bon-diggity artist and I want to thank her for asking me to perform with her." He reached out to shake her hand; she responded by embracing him and slapping him on the back.
"Tonight has been badical. The fans out there were incredible. You know, you could say that this was the biggest night of my life." That earned some nods and uh-huhs. Then Ron looked directly at Kim. "But that actually took place last May. And the reason is standing in this room; you all know her. The amazing Kim Possible," he said pointing to his girlfriend. And at that moment Ron Stoppable knew he could either be a rap superstar or have his life with Kim, but not both. A year ago, he would have lunged at the opportunity to enjoy fame and fortune. But now he didn't need any of that. He had something far more exciting. Surveying the room again, Ron made a decision.
He smiled wistfully. "Dudes and dudettes, this has been a blast, but the Ron-man's rap career ends here, now. Peace and love."
The room fell silent. The reporters were in shock.
Ron took the microphone, placed it in the stand and pushed his way through the crowd to his girlfriend.
"Why?" she asked, suspecting she already knew the answer. She never would have asked this of Ron, yet on his own he voluntarily walked away from a bright, glittering future. For her."
"World famous rap star or Kim Possible's partner? That's an easy one, KP." Ron said wearing his trademark goofy grin.
Kim beamed at Ron as her eyes began to tear up. She then threw her arms around his neck and gave him a deep, passionate kiss that he never forgot.
The photographers got their shots, the cameramen their footage, and the media got a romance-filled entertainment story, which happened to be a heck of a lot more interesting than the game, which, in good Super Bowl tradition, ended in a 59-7 blowout. The other interesting story of the day, that a plaid blimp had been stormed by three women wearing jet packs was flatly denied by a Defense Department spokesperson.
IX.
While more than 100 million of his countrymen were busy watching the Super Bowl, Andrew Drake was otherwise occupied, reviewing the latest reports from Harris. Drake was especially pleased that Harris had worked out the problem of the stealth technology for the Drone-Sats. The data was very encouraging. Very encouraging indeed.
The full complement of Drone-Sats would be deployed by the middle of March. And the particle cannon would be fully operational on April 1.
He pulled out his PDA and made a notation for that date: "Drake Star on-line." Then, since he was alone, he indulged himself in a full-throated evil laugh. It felt very, very good.
X.
The moment Ron had been dreading arrived in early February. He was going to Middleton College for his admissions interview.
Kim arrived at his house early that morning. She wanted to make sure that he looked his best for the meeting. Though Ron's fashion sense had been slowly improving, he was in no danger of being asked to model his wardrobe for a men's clothing magazine any time soon. Kim had long ago realized that she didn't care how Ron dressed for her; though she always appreciated when he made an effort, all she really cared about was the young man wearing the clothes. She did care, however, how he looked to others when first impressions could make all the difference. The blazer and trousers were fine; however …
"Ron Stoppable, take off that tie right now!" she ordered.
He looked down at it. "What's wrong with it? I like it."
"You are so not going to your admissions interview wearing a Fearless Ferret tie."
"But it makes me happy!"
"Ron, take it off. Now. I know what's best for you."
"Oh, do you want me to get a new haircut, too?"
Ouch, Kim thought. He's got me there. "Sorry. I just want you to look your best today." Then, a little sheepishly, she added, "Besides, I brought you something, which I hoped you would wear." She handed him a box, which he opened, finding a tie.
Ron held up the neckwear. He wanted to be angry with Kim for bossing him around, but he couldn't stay that way. The tie was actually quite nice. And it was from her. He pulled off the Ferret tie, tied on the Kim tie, and hugged her. "Thanks. Now I can bring you into the interview with me."
Kim looked at Ron. With the new tie, he actually looked well turned out. "Think I can get you to take me to dinner while you're looking like such a hottie?"
"Only if I'm not a quivering wreck at the end of the day," he said with a nervous grin before confessing, "KP, I'm not sure about this."
"Ron, you're going to do great. I know you will." She took his hand and led him downstairs. They climbed into his sport utility wagon; Kim took the driver's seat since Ron was too jittery to be behind the wheel of the car.
"Ron, try thinking of something that makes you happy," Kim suggested. "You've told me that helped you calm yourself before."
He sat quietly and began to concentrate. His breathing began to slow. He seemed more at peace.
"So, what did you think of?" Kim asked.
Ron blushed. "You."
"That's so sweet," she cooed.
"Uh, yeah," he said nervously.
"Okay, spill," Kim demanded, wondering why Ron suddenly seemed nervous again.
"Well, I was thinking of you in your cheerleader outfit," he admitted sheepishly.
Now it was Kim's turn to redden, though she was admittedly pleased by the compliment.
They soon arrived on campus. Kim drove to the Admissions Office and parked the car. She walked in with Ron, who checked in at the reception desk. Then they sat down and waited. She saw Ron was becoming nervous again. She took his hand, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Think cheerleader."
He blushed again, but also smiled. He knew he wouldn't live down that revelation for a long time.
A short while later a woman in her mid-sixties appeared. "Hello, I'm Dimity Crawford, dean of admissions," she said as she approached.
Ron stood up and extended his hand, "Ron, uh, Stoppable." As Ron followed the dean to her office, Kim crossed her fingers. She so hoped things would go well for Ron.
The dean showed Ron to one of two chairs in front of a coffee table, then sat in the other.
He looked around the office, then realized what he was doing. Yo, Rondo, this isn't a villain's lair! he told himself. You don't need to case it!
In no time at all, Ron's palms were sweaty, his heart racing, his body twitchy. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't close his eyes to meditate. He was alone. No Kim. No Rufus. This was worse than facing the Simian Samurai.
The dean, noticing Ron's agitation and sounding concerned, asked Ron if he was okay.
"No. Yes. No. Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Th-thank you. Uh, I'm just a bit nervous."
The dean smiled. "I never thought I was that intimidating. You looked calm enough at your Super Bowl press conference."
Ron laughed uneasily. "Oh, you saw that? That was different. I didn't actually have to look anyone in the eye. Other than Kim. And Kim's different. Different from you …" Ron realized he was babbling. Oh man, he thought. I am crashing and burning. Upperton Community College here I come!
"I see." The dean paused "So, tell me Ron, why should Middleton College accept you?"
Ron froze. He'd memorized a little speech about what he could add to the student body. And now he was unable to speak. Finally, he began mumbling. He knew he must look like a wreck. For the first time in a long time, he felt like a loser. He began to get up. "I, I'm sorry. I'm wasting your time. I've wasted Kim's time. I don't even belong here."
The dean looked at Ron sympathetically. She knew he had helped Kim Possible save the world on many occasions; he'd even done so on his own more than once according to his partner, who'd written a very professional but unmistakably adulatory letter of recommendation. She'd seen him perform live, in front of millions, yet he was clearly terrified. And now he seemed defeated. Crawford knew how she was supposed to conduct interviews. She knew the guidelines and procedures. She ought to; she'd been in the admissions office for more than forty years, ever since she herself had graduated from the College. She had never bent a rule, never forgotten to cross a "t" or dot an "i". Oh, what the heck, she thought. He saved Prof. Hinckley's research project the day after he helped stop that crazy Drakken guy from taking over the world. We owe him one.
"Ron, sit down," the dean said. "I have to be honest with you. You are probably the most intriguing admissions case we have to consider right now. Your references and your essay are impressive. And your extracurriculars are simply incredible. However, your grades for the first two and a half years of high school are a cause for serious concern and your SATs, while respectable, are not on par with those of the average student here.
"I actually think you could add something to our class …"
Ron looked at the older woman, trying to register what she was saying.
"… but you have to make the case. You have to give me something to work with here. Tell me, honestly, why did you apply to Middleton?"
He sighed as he returned to the chair. "Kim wanted me to."
"Was that because she wanted her boyfriend here?"
"No!" Ron said indignantly. "Kim's not like that. She believed in me. She thought I could do better than Upperton Community College."
"So her opinion matters to you. Why?"
Ron didn't want to blurt out, "Because I love her." Though that was true, there were other reasons, the most pertinent of which was, "Because I admire her more than anyone else I know."
"So someone you look up to thought you should apply here. Why do you think that? Forget about your application, forget about your essay. Forget about what you think I want to hear or you ought to say. Why do you think that?"
Ron thought for a moment. "Because I'm smarter than my grades say I am. Because I'm resourceful. And I'm creative. I did invent the naco. You ever have one?"
"Many times, before Bueno Nacho closed down. They were very good."
"You know I'm actually taking some really tough classes this year. And doing okay. My grades before the end of my junior year may have stunk big time, but the potential was there; Kim actually used to call me 'Potential Boy'.
"I know I could have done better. But I was too busy playing video games and helping Kim save the world. I can't justify the video game thing, but I'd like to think saving the world counts for something. I mean, I don't want to brag, but how many of those perfect SAT, perfect GPA geniuses you've admitted can actually foil some whack plan for global domination or disarm a doomsday thingie? I've done that. On Christmas Eve, no less. Alone. That's probably a bigger contribution to society than being able to do calculus blindfolded," Ron said confidently before reddening. "Oh geez, now I'm getting big-heady. Sorry."
The dean smiled. "Those sound like things that justify being big-heady."
"Uh, thanks," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So what would you study if you came here?" she asked.
"Japanese stuff. Language, history. It's really badical. When I was at Yamanuchi …" Ron cut himself off before he said too much; the whole Lotus Blade thing was something she probably wouldn't get.
"Yes?"
"I, uh, studied the local culture. I, uh, really got caught up in it."
She nodded. "And what do you want to do when you graduate?"
"Well, I think I'd like to open a restaurant, something like Chez Henri's. And I have this other idea …" which he shared with the dean.
"Then why not go to a culinary institute?"
"Because I want to know more than just how to cook. You know, saving the world with Kim has allowed me to see a lot of really cool places. But it'd be nice to know things about the world other than where the best place in Nevada is to hide a Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer or where in the Amazon you can find a flower that reverses a fatal embarrassment disease or where the best place is in the Bahamas to locate a lair …"
The dean smiled. "You lead a very interesting life, Ron."
"Yeah, I guess I do."
"Do you think you'll continue with your save the world work?"
"As long as KP, uh Kim, will have me as her partner. Yes."
"You do it because of her?"
"Well, at first yes. Kim was really my only friend. All the other kids thought I was a loser. But not her. And she took me along. I'm not sure why. At first, I'd be the distraction while she took out the bad guys. But after a while, I was actually able to be useful. And now, well you know the story. We're a team. I guess I still do it for her. But I also do it because it feels good to help people. But it's no fun without her. So yes, I probably still would do it without her. But then it would seem like work …"
"Instead of?"
"The adventure of a lifetime," Ron said.
"This isn't too bad, is it, Ron?"
Crawford had caught by surprise. Ron realized that he'd calmed down and had been having a real conversation with the dean.
A while later, Ron came out to the reception area. Kim smiled as she looked up from her reading and saw that Ron and the dean were chatting amiably.
"So, how'd it go?" Kim asked as they went to the car. She was dying to know.
As they drove off campus, Ron told her about the meeting, from the breakdown to the recovery.
"Pull over. Right here."
Ron, who was driving, did as he was told.
Kim leaned over and hugged him. "Ron Stoppable, I am so proud of you. If they don't let you in, they are so ferociously stupid."
XI.
Frederick had been growing increasingly concerned about the activity at the Space Station. He still didn't know what was being constructed on the far side of the orbiting structure; the external monitors had been taken off-line and he couldn't gain access to their control codes. But Frederick did notice that modifications were being made to the landing platforms that girdled the central core. And he was sure that a number of small craft, in addition to cargo rockets, had been docking there.
The diminutive astronaut wanted very much to contact Ron about the worrisome developments, but decided against doing so. If his email was intercepted, he'd be trapped. And whoever was behind whatever was going on would be alerted to the fact that they were under suspicion. He decided he had no choice but to continue to quietly monitor the situation.
XII.
Ron could barely contain his excitement as he walked to the front door of the Possible abode. It was Valentine's Day and he had Kim Possible as his Valentine. Sure, it was all a huge commercial racket. But he didn't care. He was on the inside now. He had spent a great deal of time thinking about the day and what he'd do. He planned to start it off with a bang by giving Kim a dozen red roses. Then he planned special touches for her throughout the day. But what he looked forward to most was taking her to the dance and then springing his big surprise on her afterwards.
XIII.
Kim was ecstatic, barely able to contain her excitement. She knew Ron would be there at any moment to pick her up. Valentine's Day had brought out her inner romantic in full force. She was wearing the pearls and the Middleton College sweater Ron had given her. Poking out from beneath the latter was his red jersey. Kim Possible, strong, independent, world-saving young woman, was proud and happy for everyone to know that she was Ron Stoppable's girl this Valentine's Day.
When Kim heard the doorbell ring, she grabbed the special present she had found for him and ran downstairs. She just knew it was going to be a memorable day, and the highlight would be the Middleton High School V-Day Bash, which, naturally, she had planned and organized. She was especially looking forward to Ron holding her in his arms as they danced into the night.
XIV.
Bonnie walked to school, barely able to contain her excitement. She was carrying the mind control chip in her bag. The small device had arrived a few days earlier. Since then, she had spent a good deal of time just looking at the chip, letting her imagination run wild as she fantasized about how she would humiliate Kim.
Bonnie had spent enough time with Shego to know that planning was important. She watched Kim and Ron for a week, noting where they were and when throughout each day, looking for patterns and opportunities. Bonnie intended for this to be a truly memorable Valentine's Day. What Bonnie planned would be that much more satisfying given the failure or her recent attempt to play Kim.
Kim was all too happy these days. Bonnie planned on changing all that.
XV.
Kim was walking back to her locker from the gym, where she'd been attending to some dance preparations. She was going to meet Ron and then they'd go to lunch together.
Kim was still delighting in the beautiful flowers he'd brought her that morning – and the look of surprise on Ron's face when she gave him his gift.
"It looks like a picture …"
"Open it!" she said excitedly.
Rufus emerged from Ron's pocket to tear off the paper, then returned to his cargo pant hideaway. Ron was shocked by what he found.
"You saved this?"
Kim nodded, blushing just a bit.
"I told you there were fireworks."
Ron was looking at a framed piece of paper covered with hand-drawn pink hearts and his name written in Kim's handwriting. She'd given it to him when she was under the influence of the moodulator. After the incident he returned it to her. He couldn't bring himself to throw the paper away, but given the circumstances under which it was created, it didn't seem right to keep it; Ron assumed Kim would dispose of it.
"Then why didn't you say anything? And Eric …"
"I didn't say anything because I was confused. You're friends with someone for so long and then you start seeing them a different way and you so don't know what to think. And it's not like I didn't send out signals, Ron."
"Like when?"
Kim looked at Ron and rolled her eyes. "News flash! Remember Yori and Yamanuchi? Wade and Monique were so all over my jelling," she said with a laugh. "And then I saw how you reacted when you realized how Yori liked you, and I thought maybe you were interested in her. You never said anything to me about how you felt, and then Bonnie began playing me, and …"
"And so I have Dr. Drakken to thank for our falling in love." Ron, smiling, shook his head and looked away. He was beginning to tear up. "This is the coolest present, KP. Th, thanks."
Kim put her arms around her boyfriend. She recalled how the moment seemed magical – until the tweebs burst into the room, that is. She chuckled as she thought of how they began to set off their cootie alerts. For Valentine's Day Tim and Jim had actually made little devices that made noises and flashed lights; she had wanted to be angry but couldn't help but think it was pretty funny.
Kim had just a couple of halls to go when Bonnie stepped out of a door and blocked her path.
"Bonnie!" Kim said, catching her breath, caught off guard by her classmate's sudden appearance. "You scared me."
Before Kim could react, Bonnie slapped the mind control chip on her forehead. Instantaneously, Kim's surprised expression was replaced by an insipid, vacant smile.
Bonnie smiled evilly. "Happy Valentine's Day, K!"
TBC …