Disclaimer: Don't own KP.

A Note from the Authoress: Okay, here's another terrible chapter for you! Enjoy!

swiglo3000: Yeah, sad, huh? Glad you like, though!
MrDrP: Yup, many twists, and yeah, I'm glad it's a fairly realistic problem for them. Hope you like the cliffie at the end of this chapter, too.
Harufu: It is not what you think, I'm fairly certain ;)
surforst: Naughty! ;) Yeah, Kim's way drawn to Ron, we'll see particularly why a bit later. And as for how they hook up . . . ? You'll have to wait and see.
IndrediRaider8: You're . . . close, I think, but don't ruin it for everyone. ;) Yeah, she'll get more plausible as we go. This one's really contrived, but real, I think. When I planned this, I planned their meetings, but not why their meetings take place. Not very smart of me, huh? Anyways, thanks for the review!
MtnRon: I'm glad you like my Josh. I'm not particularly fond of him, but I'm not going to bash him. Thanks for the review!
GargoyleSama:Ahahahaha, have to think? Wait until the end. ;)
3VAD127: Thanks!

Chapter Six

The phone of the Mankey residence rang. "I'll get it!" Josh called, stopping Kim in the middle of her quest for the receiver. She sat back on the couch, looking over her little planner.

"Oh, hi, Dad," Josh spoke into the phone.

Kim looked up at him and smiled, but her expression quickly wilted when she saw Josh's brow furrow in worry.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can . . . thanks, Dad . . . send everyone my love."

He hung up.

"Josh? Honey? What's wrong?" She closed the small book, setting it down on the coffee table.

He was rubbing his temples with his fingertips. "My mom's in the hospital . . . she . . . she had a heart attack."

"Oh, sweetie," she soothed, taking him into her arms, rubbing his back consolingly. "I'm so sorry. When are we leaving?" Her voice held a bit of remorse that, terrible as it was, was not for Mrs. Mankey. It was for Ron.

"No, no," he said, still stunned. "You stay here; you've got work to do." Apparently he'd entirely forgotten about dinner with Ron that night.

"Are you sure?" She pulled back and looked at him.

He nodded.

"I love you," she said firmly.

"I love you, too," he replied, placing a light peck on her cheek.

--

Ron bustled around his kitchen, making sure the food was just so. He wanted to repay the Mankeys' kindness, and so he invited them both over for dinner at his house. He was fixing his own special recipe chicken.

He lived in a large house, just outside Middleton, and, although it was way too much for one person, he did not have a staff who worked there, only a cleaning crew who came weekly to keep the unused rooms dusted and swept, and to clean up any messes he might have made.

He always prided himself in being a good cook, and he thought now that it was a way in which he could impress his new friend. Sure, she was married to his best friend, but that didn't make impressing her any less thrilling. He hummed the tune to a song he'd heard once, one that he never understood, but decided was pretty enough. He murmur sang, "Could it be suddenly I'm falling for you? Could it be you were right here be-"

He was cut off by the sound of the phone ringing.

He ran into the dining room, placing the nice dishes on the table, making sure the table was set appropriately.

He promptly grabbed the cordless and cradled it between his shoulder and ear. "Stoppable residence," he answered, fixing the silverware so as to make it more presentable.

It was Kim's voice. "Uh, hi, Ron?"

"Kim?" he asked, and when she made no objection, continued, "You and Josh ready for a bon-diggity meal on the Ronster?"

She couldn't help but laugh at his terminology. "Uhh, yeah, sorry, but I don't think we're going to be able to make it tonight."

Ron stopped his tinkering, his face drooping. "Oh . . . all right."

"I'm so sorry, but . . . well, Josh's mom had a heart attack."

"Oh, that's terrible . . . is there anything I can do?" Ron pulled out one of the dining room chairs and sat down, leaning his elbow on the table.

"No, no, it's fine," she assured.

"So when are you guys leaving?" he asked, pulling out his palm pilot to deal with Josh's meetings and other things, truly feeling sorry for the poor guy.

"Oh," Kim said. "Josh left about an hour ago."

"You're not going?" Ron asked, confused.

"No, they said it wasn't too serious, but Josh is her only child, he should be there . . . and to be quite honest, she doesn't particularly like me."

"Not like you?" he questioned, incredulous. "Don't see how that's possible." He had a feeling she was blushing. "So you're just staying home tonight?"

"Yeah, takeout," she answered casually.

"Josh meant it when he said you don't cook much, huh?"

She laughed. "Yeah, if I blew up the kitchen again, I'm sure he'd be rather upset."

He chuckled, then offered, "Well, I've already got some food ready over here. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like." He smiled, adding, "Wouldn't want to ruin your figure with that fattening takeout, now would you?"

"That'd be great."

--

When he opened the door, he was greeted with Kim's smiling face.

"Hi!" she greeted, smiling at him.

"Hey," he responded, "A little overdressed, aren't we?" He gestured to her ensemble then back to his own: slacks and a sweater. He couldn't help but smile, though. She was dressed very, very nicely tonight, wearing a dress that, although not 'slutty' by any means, showed off a considerable amount of thigh and just enough cleavage to keep him interested. If she didn't happen to be his best friend's wife, he would have thought she was trying to seduce him.

She shrugged. "Didn't bother to change." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I'd been getting ready when my father-in-law called."

Ron nodded, opening the door a bit wider for her to come in. "Like I said, I'm really sorry."

She shrugged. "And like I said, no big."

"No big? A heart attack is no big?" There was a twinkle in his eye as he led her to the dining room.

"When it's your mother-in-law?" she pressed on, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

"You are terrible!" he mocked, meanwhile pulling out her chair for her.

Dinner went extremely well, as far as either party was concerned. They had a good time sharing stories from their pasts, both laughing at each others' past stupidity. Kim even related how her first kiss had been a total wash, because her partner (the one and only Walter Nelson) had braces, and, well, so did she. It didn't take an explanation for Ron to understand and be tearing up with laughter.

She'd smack him playfully whenever he did something like that, laughing at her, that is, but she found it tremendously amusing that stories that, to her, had lost all their humor managed to put him into fits of laughter before she even got to the end.

They'd had some nice wine with dinner, like at the Mankeys' but Ron noticed something he hadn't before: she didn't hold it particularly well. She was a mess of giggles and bouncy girly-ness by the end of dinner, and he knew very well she shouldn't drive home like this.

He also knew she probably wouldn't believe him if he told her so.

So he offered that they watch a movie, after all, he had a very comfortable couch and a nice entertainment system. She agreed, and he allowed her to choose a DVD from his bookshelf. He'd hoped she'd choose something good, something along the lines of the Fearless Ferret, or maybe even Snowman Hank, but no, it was even better, she'd chosen a movie sequel of a videogame. "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children," he said, taking the case from her. "Good choice."

She made her way over to the couch, perching on the far end. "I've never seen it and it looks pretty good."

A few minutes of small talk and two arguments with the DVD player later, he was sitting at the opposite end of the couch from her, intently watching the opening sequences of the film.

A little over an hour later, Ron was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, watching intently as Cloud battled Sephiroth for the final time. He'd memorized this fight sequence over fifteen years ago, but it still intrigued him, the sword play, the realism.

After all, he would know.

He heard a light sigh come from his right, and looked over to find Kim fast asleep, curled up on her side of the couch. Her head was pillowed comfortably on her arm, her knees drawn to her chest. He saw her hair spread out round her head on the soft arm rest. He hardly knew her, but what he did know was that she was everything that had been missing in his life, ever since that fateful day in Japan. From this angle, he had a rather nice view, he had to admit, and he felt the sudden urge to reach out and take her in his arms.

But he did not. Instead, he simply unfolded the blanket from the back of a nearby chair, and draped it over her. She moaned quietly, curling up more tightly beneath the welcome warmth, grateful for the comforting presence.

"Kimberly Possible," he whispered, allowing his hand to linger on her shoulder. "Kim Possible . . . Kim P." he considered, watching her sleeping form. "KP." He grinned. "I kind of like the sound of that.

With that, he headed off to his office to get some work accomplished. He would need it if he didn't have Josh's help for awhile. However, he could not help but remember that there was a beautiful woman asleep alone on his couch . . . a beautiful woman asleep on his couch slightly inebriated.

But he refused to take advantage of her.

--

When Kim woke, she was surprised to find herself alone in an unfamiliar darkened room, covered by a blanket that held a vaguely familiar scent. The blanket was warm and comforting, a caring pressure still lingering on her shoulder. There had been a phone call, she knew, from her in-laws. Something about Josh's mom . . . a heart attack, yes. She looked round, the pieces slowly falling into place. She remembered having a lot of wine, and an absolutely delicious dinner. She remembered the DVD case that sat on the table beside her, she remembered handing it to Ron.

Ron . . . Yes, that's where she was.

She glanced at the little digital clock flashing in the darkness. "2:47," it smiled back, blinking at her. She thought for a moment. "Oh, damn," she cursed quietly. "I'm late for work."

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