Chapter 7: Date with Destiny

"I told you, it's a surprise," Tara insisted for the fifth time. "Now quit asking me so I can drive." She reached over and swatted Bonnie's wandering hand away from the blindfold. "And no peeking!"

Bonnie grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. Tara was having a bit too much fun with this, in her opinion. She had agreed to this because Tara had seemed so desperate to make their first official date a really big deal. She hadn't been too crazy about the blindfold, but Tara had claimed it was necessary.

"Can't you at least give me a hint?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't have to," Tara replied teasingly. "Because you trust me, right?"

Bonnie made a face, but held her tongue. They both knew she never would've allowed anyone else to blindfold her; trust wasn't the issue. Bonnie's impatience, however, was another thing entirely.

"Just relax, Bonnie," Tara suggested. "I promise this will be a night you'll remember for the rest of your life."

"You sound pretty sure of that."

"I'm sure of a lot of things these days," Tara replied.

"Oh, really. Like what?"

"Like, we're here," Tara pointed out as the car came to a stop.

Bonnie instantly began to reach for her blindfold, but Tara pulled her hands away and squeezed them.

"Not yet! Wait until I take it off!"

"When?" Bonnie demanded.

"Soon," Tara promised. Smiling, she raised Bonnie's hands and kissed her fingertips lightly. "But NOT yet," she added firmly.

Blushing, Bonnie nodded faintly and waited until Tara helped her out of the car. She couldn't hear any other people, or the usual sounds of a parking lot, and hoped Tara hadn't paid too much for a super exclusive spot.

"Tara, you didn't go to too much trouble, did you?"

"Nope, it was all too easy," Tara assured her. "They practically begged us to eat here. I thought it would be a nice change of pace."

Bonnie was sure she heard a door open ahead of her, and then Tara was guiding her into some sort of building. She was just about to try asking where they were when Tara suddenly yanked her to one side, even as a strangely familiar pair of voices shouted, "INCOMING!"

Bonnie heard a loud zooming noise, and something very hot blew past her. Deciding she'd had enough, she ripped off the blindfold in time to see what looked like a homemade rocket flying out of the house she was standing in.

"Tara, you didn't!" she cried, whirling around to face her best friend.

Tara looked completely unrepentant. "I have no idea what you mean. I brought you here for a nice dinner, and I intend to have one."

"But, Tara-"

"I have the car keys," Tara reminded her, "and I'm not leaving until after dinner."

Bonnie's face fell. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because nothing is healthier for a certain stubborn somebody than a heaping helping of tough love. And make no mistake, Bonnie, I'm going to be very tough on you."

"Why? And why tonight?"

Tara sighed and smiled sadly. "Because that's how much I love you. Why else would I do this?"

Bonnie just stared at her, unable to think of even one suitable reply.

"I'm going to see if Mrs. Possible needs any help in the kitchen...or with runaway rockets. You just take your time...oh, and keep your head down." Tara reached out and stroked Bonnie's arm lightly before walking away.

Bonnie shook her head, feeling numb all over. She knew exactly what Tara was trying to do, but a forced apology wouldn't make Kim any more inclined to forgive her. If anything, it would ruin the whole night. Tara was right about one thing, though: she wouldn't be forgetting this night any time soon.

Deciding she needed to sit down before she fell down, Bonnie wandered into the living room, nearly tripping over Ron Stoppable, who was sprawled on the floor between the couch and the TV.

"Oh. Hey, Bon-Bon," he greeted casually enough, sparing her a bright smile before turning back to the TV. "I wasn't sure if you'd make it."

"You knew about this?" Bonnie demanded.

"Tara mentioned you two might stop by for dinner tonight. I'm just here for emotional support."

Bonnie glared down at him. "I think we can manage without you."

Ron chuckled. "That's great, but I'm here for Kim. You know, she isn't prepared for this, either."

"What's that mean?" Bonnie asked in confusion.

"I'm pretty sure she'll look ambushed, just like you do now. She doesn't know you're going to be here."

"This is a bad idea, I just know it," Bonnie muttered.

Ron waved off her concern. "Nah, we get worse surprises all the time. As long as you don't have a detonator strapped on you anywhere, I think KP will recover pretty quickly."

In that moment, Bonnie almost wished she did have one, as it would at least bring a swift end to this night.

"Thanks again, General Roberts!" Kim said brightly as she climbed out of the jeep.

The big man laughed. "Think nothing of it, Miss Possible. The boys and I would still be stranded in that jungle if weren't for you!"

Kim smiled easily. "I'm sure you would've managed on your own. I was just in the neighborhood and decided to help out."

But General Roberts was not a man who took that particular rescue lightly, as he proved when Kim started to walk away. "Present arms!"

The General and the two soldiers accompanying him immediately saluted.

Blushing profusely, Kim quickly returned the salute and hurried towards her house, hoping none of the neighbors had noticed. She only relaxed when she finally heard the command, "Order arms!" and the rumbling of the jeep as it drove off.

Kim breathed easier as she fished out her key and unlocked the front door. She'd only taken a few steps when the familiar smell of her mother's chicken casserole hit her nose.

"Kimmie, you're late!" Mrs. Possible called from the dining room.

"Sorry, Mom! Mission ran a little long!" Kim shouted back. Actually, it probably wouldn't have taken as long if Ron hadn't volunteered to help prepare tonight's dinner. While he was certainly a genius in the kitchen, Kim's mother had never expressed any need for help in cooking, and Kim couldn't figure out why Ron had seemed so eager to stay behind.

Kim took one step into the dining room, stopped, and blinked.

Bonnie Rockwaller was sitting at the dining room table. Right next to Kim's usual seat, no less.

Kim considered that, and the fact that only Bonnie and Ron seemed a bit tense about the whole thing. She blinked again, then proceeded into the room, pausing to kiss her mother's cheek before sitting down between Bonnie and Ron. "Dad working late again?" she asked.

"Yes, they're going to send up another satellite later this week."

"Cool. Bonnie, could you pass the peas?"

Looking a little shocked, Bonnie did just that.

"So, Kim, the mission went well?" Tara asked hesitantly.

"Oh, just fine. It was more diplomacy than anything else. Nothing, well, too dangerous."

Tara looked relieved. "I just wondered. Because of the dog tags around your neck, I mean."

Bonnie nearly dropped her fork. "You enlisted?"

"What? No, no!" Kim assured her. "They were a gift. General Roberts gave them to me. He insists I wear them when I work with him. Otherwise, apparently, the entire U.S. Army will think I don't like them."

"Oh," Bonnie muttered, but she still looked a little shaken up.

"What, you think I'd just leave the squad so you could take over?" Kim asked jokingly.

Bonnie stared at her plate. "No...never mind."

Kim got the distinct impression that something she'd said had bothered Bonnie, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

For Bonnie, dinner passed largely without incident. Tara kept Kim busy with an endless supply of questions, all of which were obviously intended to show how super a person Kim was. Honestly, if Bonnie had wanted that, she would've just asked Ron to sing Kim's praises. Apologizing to Kim was one thing, but having to listen to how great she was beforehand was just making Bonnie feel worse.

By the time Mrs. Possible suggested that Kim show Bonnie her room, Bonnie was less than thrilled but very relieved. Having sat through Tara's interview as well, Kim wouldn't dare say anything else about herself in Bonnie's presence.

"Well, here we are," Kim announced, opening her bedroom door. "Lair of the enemy and all that. I'd say make yourself at home, but then you might tear down my posters or something."

Bonnie merely sat down in front of Kim's computer and frowned.

"So...why'd you freak when you thought I'd joined the army?" Kim asked suddenly.

For long moment, Bonnie didn't say anything. Finally, she sighed. "I thought you'd quit saving the world. Because of me, or Auntie."

"I could still do that in the army," Kim pointed out. "It'd just be...more restricted than what I'm used to."

"It wouldn't be the same. They only save the world from big threats." Bonnie lowered her head. "They wouldn't have cared about Auntie, or about me. You did. Even though I...I've been so..."

Kim looked very uncomfortable. "I hope you're just pausing, instead of waiting for me to finish that thought. We've made it this far tonight without anyone getting their feelings hurt."

"Why don't you hate me?" Bonnie blurted out.

Kim actually looked amused. "Well, let's see. You didn't run over my dog, shoot my brothers, or threaten to nuke Middleton. About the worst you've ever done is capitalized on a bad day with a few harsh words. On a typical day for me, Bonnie, your words probably hurt the least. Now, if you genetically engineered a land-walking shark that ate innocent people just because you could, then I might hate you. But right now, you're so not a threat. You're...annoying, and sometimes I wish you'd either not talk or target someone else, but you're normal and safe. I'd rather get in a fight with you than some nut job with a bomb on his chest. At least with you the hurt's limited to the two of us."

"So you don't hate me, because I don't matter to you?" Bonnie asked angrily.

Kim laughed. "Bonnie, you're not listening. After I've spent all week battling evil, only to come home and have you tease me for being late for cheer practice, you're a relief. I can't hate you, because I love having you around. You're a break from evil. You're...plain mean, but not evil. I save my hatred for evil people. You care about...some people, you feel remorse, and on top of all that, you have Tara for a girlfriend. That last one alone technically makes you good automatically in my book."

"Tonight was her idea, you know."

Kim smirked. "I figured that when you failed to unleash the master plan that would embarrass me in front of my family. Also when you passed the peas without complaint. So what brings you two here, anyway?"

"I need to tell you something," Bonnie muttered, looking more uncomfortable by the second.

"Okay," Kim said agreeably enough.

"Auntie was from the future, you know."

Kim blinked, but not in a way that held too much surprise. "The thought crossed my mind a few times."

Bonnie wasn't sure if she'd expected Kim to be surprised or not, so she let it go. "She told me...all sorts of things. What I should and shouldn't do, who I should and shouldn't associate with."

"Just out of curiosity, which list was I on?" Kim asked.

Bonnie glowered at her. "Like you don't know."

"I have a guess," Kim replied, shrugging innocently.

"Auntie died...to save my life. But she said the rest of my life...was in your hands."

Kim stared at her blankly. "I'm not really following you."

"There's too much I'm not really allowed to tell you. But if I want to be...the person Auntie wanted me to be, then...I have to...be your..."

"Friend?" Kim hazarded.

Bonnie sighed loudly. "Yes..."

"So...Tara set up this little playdate, in the hopes that we would just magically stop not liking each other?"

"No, she's not that naive. She thought it would be a good idea if I apologized to you. For being...well, me."

Kim shook her head. "Bonnie, you can't apologize for being you. That's like saying you're sorry that you were born with brown hair. And besides, the you I talk to daily isn't really...you. You can't possibly talk to Tara the same way."

"That's different. She's..."

"Someone you like," Kim supplied. "Someone you love."

Bonnie turned bright red.

"Well, it's nothing we can't work with. What is it, exactly, that you don't like about me?" Kim asked, visibly bracing herself.

"You're so...perfect!"

"Oh, is that all?" Kim went to her door and stuck her head out. "Hey, tweebs! Get in here and tell Bonnie how NOT perfect I am!"

Bonnie stared at her. "What are you...?"

"You should get comfortable," Kim suggested. "Their slideshow alone is about an hour and a half. And then there's the home movies, charts and graphs, the mathematical proof that I'm supposedly so hideous I can defy the very laws of space and time." Noticing Bonnie's expression, she added, "Well, it was the only way they could explain me confiscating their last three inventions seconds before they had a chance to mysteriously explode."

About three hours later, Bonnie came downstairs, took one look at Kim, and said, "Gross."

"Make me seem a lot more human, don't they?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, inhuman," Bonnie replied.

"But not perfect, right?"

"Definitely."

"So there's no reason why you can't start liking her?" Tara asked.

Bonnie froze. "What, right now?"

Kim nodded. "You don't even have to apologize. Just give me a big hug and we'll start over with a clean slate."

Bonnie looked at Kim as if she'd grown a second head. "Why?"

"I haven't yet met a person who can hug someone they don't like without flinching. If you can hug me for ten seconds without freaking out, we'll consider tonight a success. Otherwise, we can try this again next week...and the week after that. And so on, until you can admit publicly that we're friends with a perfectly genuine smile."

"Now I have to tell people, too?" Bonnie asked.

"That we're friends," Kim added. "Not that we hugged."

"Just pretend it's me you're hugging," Tara suggested.

"I am NOT," Bonnie snapped, "going to do that."

"Is there anyone else you wouldn't mind hugging?" Kim asked.

"Just...Auntie," Bonnie said softly.

Kim gently touched Bonnie's shoulder. "What would she say about this?"

"She'd tell me to get over myself and hug you."

"Even if she was from the future, you're still free to make your own choices. You have to decide how much you're going to listen to her."

"That's just it, Kim. If I want to keep that freedom, I have to do what she told me. That's what she really wanted for me: the right to choose my own fate. I'd do anything to protect that right."

"Well, hugging me isn't that unreasonable, is it?" Kim asked.

"No. Just...weird," Bonnie muttered.

"Because you just watched the tweebs' slideshow, I'm going to ignore that. And if you just have to be mean, at least be sarcastic. That could still be mistaken for friendly meanness."

"Fine. I'm reeeally looking forward to this hug," Bonnie replied with a smirk.

Kim rolled her eyes. "I can tell by the way you keep stalling. Maybe I should just hug you instead."

"What's the difference?"

"I don't know. That we might actually get this done today?"

"Good point." Bonnie held out her arms and stepped closer to Kim. "Just...don't make any sudden moves or anything."

"I promise I'll try not to enjoy myself too much," Kim sighed dramatically.

Bonnie carefully slipped her arms around Kim. "Ten seconds, right?"

Kim shot her a glare. "One, two, thr-"

"Hey, I was holding you before you started counting!" Bonnie insisted.

"FIVE, SIX, SEV-"

There was a bright flash, and both girls turned to see Ron holding a camera.

"Ron!" Kim cried.

"What?" Ron asked.

"I want no evidence of this moment!" Bonnie snapped.

Ron looked confused. "I'm sorry, I thought we were blackmailing her into being your friend?"

Tara snatched the camera from him. "No, they're supposed to actually BE friends!"

Ron laughed. "Um, in what world? It took them twenty minutes to do a seven second hug."

"So we need practice," Bonnie muttered.

"More like you need tranquilizers and muzzles. In fact, maybe I should just give Professor Dementor a call. Bet he still has that old Bond-O Ball lying around."

"I am NEVER being stuck to anyone EVER again!" Bonnie swore. "And if you think for one second I'd-"

"Actually, Bonnie," Kim interrupted, "I did gain a better appreciation of you as a person when we were...stuck. Maybe spending time together is a good place to start. Say...a sleepover? Tonight?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "Did you plan this?"

"No, but if we're going to be friends, you'll actually have to trust me at some point. Besides, why would I plan to have you spend the night in my house when we weren't friends?"

"I don't suppose there's room for one more?" Ron asked.

Kim smiled. "I'm sure we can find some space for Tara."

"Actually, I was thinking maybe I could-"

"I'm not really big on sleepovers with boys," Bonnie pointed out.

Ron looked crushed. "Can't we take a vote?"

"Stoppable, go home. It's not like you won't be here tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that."

"Will there be sleepovers on those days, too?" Ron asked hopefully.

"If so, they'll all be girls only," Bonnie answered firmly. "Anyway, you're already Kim's friend. So quit showing off."

"Hey, Kim's friends are my friends, too! And we just discussed how close contact brings people closer emotionally!"

"I have to be her friend, not yours," Bonnie clarified.

"But we're a package deal!" Ron insisted. "Right, KP?"

Kim smiled. "Yes, but you're still not staying. Bonnie isn't used to being friendly with us yet. Baby steps, Ron. We don't want to scare her away."

"And being locked in a dark house with him would definitely creep me out," Bonnie chimed in, shivering a bit for effect.

Tara shook her head. "You know Ron is harmless."

Bonnie shot her an unrepentant look. "Then let him be harmless in his own house."

"Sorry, Ron," Tara apologized. "Maybe another time."

"You know, if I was having a sleepover, I'd never discriminate against girls!" Ron shouted as he headed for the door.

Bonnie snorted. "Of course he wouldn't. What guy has a sleepover just so he can hang out with other guys? The whole point is to get girls to come."

Kim chuckled softly. "Um, for future reference, Ron isn't your typical guy. If he has a sleepover, it's actually intended to be good, clean fun. No ulterior motives at all."

Bonnie blinked in disbelief. "Then what's the point?"

Kim stared at her. "To have fun?"

Bonnie's eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, wait. He's never even had a girl sleepover at his house, has he?"

Kim coughed, though it sounded distinctly like a confession.

"Just you, right? I should've known."

"Bonnie, it may shock you to hear this, but popularity is not a determining factor of decency. Neither is how many different dates you can rack up. And if you need proof of that, think about how many guys you've gone out with, and then think about how any of them compare to what you have with Tara."

Tara sighed at the way Bonnie's face fell. "Maybe Ron had a point. If this is friendly for you two, I think we're going to need helmets and padding for this friendship..."

Next Chapter: The Less Traveled Path

It's Bonnie's 21st birthday, and Auntie B's strange gift is only the first of many signs that the future repeats itself. But how will Kim react when Bonita advises her to flee to the moon with her family, rather than stand up to Shego?