Author's note: It's funny how sometimes a story just demands to be written. I write a story about Kim & Ron prepping for their Latin final, and get the idea for her dad to mumble something about Ron's "roamin' hands." Ha ha, cute. But then I begin to wonder what the consequences of that idle remark might be. And as I continue to wonder, a new story takes form. Hope you enjoy it.

As always, many thanks to the reviewers of my previous stories. Extra thanks with extra cheese to MrDrP for his beta reading services. Be sure to read his wonderful alternate universe tale, Nacho Boy and the Dragon Lady. You'll laugh, you'll cry, it will become a part of you.

Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible and all the other characters. Sorry, I don't have a witty remark today. Check back later, I may have something half-witty.

Disney's

Kim Possible
in

Talking Turkey

(An Essential Ron-ness Story)

by
campy

"… and welcome back to Middleton This Morning. It's 10:15. Time to go over to Summer Gale for the forecast. Summer?"

"Thanks Teri. Well, if you've got outdoor plans for today, better cancel them. See these clouds over here to our east? They're coming our way, and they're planning to stay awhile. We'll have rain all afternoon, very heavy at times, continuing until late toni—"

Kim jabbed the 'Off' button hard and threw the TV remote down, frustrated. She scowled and slumped down on the sofa. "Stupid rain!" she grumbled. "Three days in a row. I wanted a beach day!"

"Ooooh, someone's a grumpy monkey," her boyfriend sing-songed, coming up behind her and nuzzling her lush, flame-red hair. "Someone needs a dose of Ronshine."

Leaning over her, he favored her with an old standby from his vast repertoire of goofy expressions. Kim fought to maintain her scowl, but it was no use. She began to giggle.

"Didn't your mother ever warn you your face might freeze in an expression like that?" she teased.

"The Ronman is not worried," he stated confidently. "I get hot kisses from the hottest girl in town every day. This face can't possibly freeze."

He leaned over farther and aimed his lips at hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him over the back of the sofa, flipping him down to the floor, where she rolled on top of him in one fluid motion, pinning him. She regarded him for a few moments, a sly grin playing at the corners of her mouth. Then she gave him a kiss that could have melted a glacier in Norway.

"Mmm, who needs sunshine?" she purred, running her fingers through his blond hair. "Ronshine's so much better, and it never burns. We can have our beach day right here in the family room." She kissed him again, letting her hands wander freely over his deceptively wiry frame. Ron's hands lightly gripped her tiny waist, then the left journeyed south to caress her bare thigh, the tip of his thumb sliding up under the hem of her shorts leg. The other hand went northward to make similar forays into the bottom of her crop top.

"KP," he said after a while, "we shouldn't just stay here alone all day; your dad would freak."

"Let'im freak," Kim groused. She was majorly tweaked by what she saw as paternal mistrust of the young couple. "Maybe we should just let him catch us in the act. Maybe then he'll get the message that we're not in Pre-K any more."

"Kim, you know you don't really mean that."

She sighed and laid her head on his chest. "You're right, Ron, I don't. It's just … he makes me so mad!" Ron could feel the tension in her back and neck muscles. He gently caressed them until he felt her relax again. "You, on the other hand, have quite a different effect on me."

She proceeded to show Ron how very much not mad at him she was.

The telephone rang; she ignored it.

"Don't – you think – you should answer – that, K – P?" he asked between kisses.

"Let the machine get it. – The only person I want – reaching out and touching – me – is already – doing it. – And doing it – extremely well, I – gotta say."

The ringing stopped as the answering machine picked up the call. The Possibles' outgoing message was heard, then a beep, and finally: "Kim, you there, girl? It's Monique. Pick up if you're there; you can go back to smushing lips with the BF later … Kim? I'm not hanging up, so answer. You have got to see what came in to Club Banana today —"

Kim somewhat reluctantly ceased kissing her boyfriend. She acknowledged that her best female friend had a valid claim on her attentions — all the more when she called bearing news of trendy clothes for sale. She sat up and pressed the speakerphone button. "Hey, Monique. What's the dilly?"

"Girl, you have to come in and see these new shorts we just got in at the store this morning. Ron's eyes are gonna pop when he sees you in them. They are TCTBB - Too cute to be believed."

Kim looked down at her boyfriend. Ron's eyes were half-closed, his mouth set in a contented smile as both his hands now gently massaged her taut thigh muscles. He found his girlfriend's charms quite appealing from this angle. "I don't know, Monique. Ron and I were planning to stay in and enjoy the rainy day. We also haven't done a thorough check of our mission gear in a while."

"Uh-huh. Kim, it's Mo you're talkin' to here. I know exactly what equipment you want to check out. Come on, you've spent nearly every day since prom with Ron. Come to the store, Kim; I am serious — these shorts are beyond bomb on bomb. Plus, there's a bikini in your size on sale that Ron will like even better than your blue one."

Ron perked up on hearing this item. "KP, maybe you should spend some girl time with Mo. I've got things I should do anyway."

"Oh, so you're bored with my blue bikini already?" she huffed, putting on a show of indignation. "Hmmph!"

"Never, KP. You look amazing in it. Although variety is the spice of life. Except in girlfriends, of course," he added hastily. "I just know enough to know my KP needs to shop every once in a while. Besides, I don't want to get on Monique's bad side by monopolizing you. The girl knows all of Pain King's moves; she might decide to go GWA on the Ronman."

"That is one smart boy you got there, Kim," said Monique. "So what's it gonna be, girl?"

"Okay, Mon. I'll be there. See you in, say, an hour?"

"See ya then. Bye."

Kim disconnected the call and put her head down on Ron's chest again. "So, my big, strong boyfriend doesn't want to come to the mall and watch me try on clothes, carry my packages for me?"

"Nah, it should just be you and Mo today. Like I said, KP, I've got things I should take care of. Uh, family stuff."

"Well, if I'm meeting Monique in an hour, I need to get up and get ready … in about fifteen minutes ..."

A steady but warm rain was falling as Ron pedaled his rusty mountain bike up to the main gate of the Middleton Space Center complex. (His old motor scooter had shaken itself to pieces after a few days of rocket-assisted travel at triple-digit speeds.) Frank, the guard, greeted him.

"Hiya, Frank. Rocket Booster Ron Stoppable to see Dr. Possible." he showed the sentry his Rocket Booster Club membership card and his Colorado learner's permit. "I'm expected."

Frank went into the gatehouse and made a call to his supervisor. A few moments later, he raised the barrier and waved Ron along. "Go ahead, Ron. You know where the main entrance is."

In another few minutes Ron had doffed his rain poncho and cleared the lobby security. Dr. James T. Possible came from his office to meet him. Kim's father was very curious as to why his daughter's boyfriend had called him and asked if he could come to the space center. He led the teen back to his office and motioned him to take the visitor chair. He pulled his desk chair around and sat down.

"Ron, what are you doing here? Is everything all right? Is Kimmie okay?"

Face to face with Kim's dad, Ron tensed up. "Kim's fine, Mr. Dr. P. She went to the shop to maul … I mean, the mall to shop … with Monique. Yeah, we wanted to go to Make Liddle– … uh, Lake Middleton today, have a beach day, but it's raining ... Well, you know about the rain ... I mean, launching rockets for a living and all … you must have to pay attention to the weather, right? ... So anyway, when Monique called and said there were some new clothes at Blub Cabana —"

"Ronald," James interrupted curtly. "You didn't come all the way here to talk to me about the weather or shopping, did you?"

Ron took a deep breath. C'mon, guy, suck it up. You're doing this for Kim. As always, the thought of his friend, partner and lady love had a near-talismanic effect on Ron, imbuing him with the strength to push aside his fears.

"No sir. I– I wanted to talk about you and me, and Kim."

Ron set his serious face in place. "Mr. Doc– Dr. Possible," he began, "this tension between us — we have to do something about it. It's– it's hurting Kim.

"Dr. Possible, I know you only want to protect Kim. I do too. That's why I started going on her missions with her. But it hurts to think your biggest worry these days seems to be protecting her from me."

James squirmed uncomfortably. That remark had hit close to home. Here his daughter was, traveling the globe, battling evildoers, and Ronald had just nailed it — James was now more worried about Ron, her lifelong friend, than about Drew Lipsky or any other villain she fought.

Ron took another deep breath. "Sir, I'll admit, I think about having sex with your daughter."

James glared at him angrily. Ron went on. "I can't help it, Dr. P. I'm a teenage boy with raging hormones, and Kim's a beautiful, se– uhhh, passionate girl. Any guy would want to have sex with her, especially if she kissed him the way she's kissed me, and let him tou–"

James was still peeved, and clearly manifesting the early warning signs of Too Much Info. Thankfully, Ron picked them up and stopped himself.

"Ummm … well, I'm ... uh, getting off track. What I'm trying to say is, Kim and I love each other. We've been best friends so long we can't even remember not being best friends. She's saved my life a thousand times, and I've saved hers a few."

"That may be true, Ron," James protested, "but you're still very young —"

Ron held up his hand in a 'stop' signal. "We understand that, sir. And we understand that this change in our friendship is very new. We realize we're not ready to make love yet — and when it finally happens, it will be lovemaking, not just sex. We've talked, and we know we're not ready. We're not sure yet if we'll wait a few months or until we're married or what. But we are sure it's not going to happen now. Believe me, we've had chances."

"That's somewhat reassuring, Ron," the older man said, still obviously concerned. "But still … I was your age once. Passions get inflamed, things can get out of control real fast."

"Dr. P., you know no guy could ever force Kim to do anything she doesn't want to do."

James then gave voice to his deepest concern. "Actually, Ron, I think you could. Not physically, perhaps … but there are other means of coercion. Kimmie's feelings for you are intense."

Ron leaned forward and looked directly into the older man's eyes. With all the sincerity he could muster, he said, "Dr. P., I swear to you that I'd never put any kind of pressure on Kim to go any further than she's willing to. But it's not entirely up to me. You know what Kim is like, sir. She's a very ... physical … girl. She takes charge of any sitch she finds herself in. But frankly, if anyone is going to push her into doing something she'll regret, it'll be you. Kim feels like you don't trust us; like you don't trust her, and if things don't change I'm worried she might throw herself at me out of spite. And KP is a force of nature; I don't think I'd be able to resist her. I don't want that, Dr. P.; that's not the way I want to be with Kim."

He paused and looked down at the floor, then back up. "Dr. P, you and Kim's mom once told me that what you wanted most was for Kim to be happy. Well, sir, I'm here to tell you that what'll make Kim happy is knowing she has your trust. She's earned it, Dr. P."

With that, Ron sat back, spent.

James was silent for a long time. Rocket fuels and launch vectors posed little challenge to his keen intellect, but teenage girls/women, especially his Kimmie-cub, were more complicated than any spacecraft.

In the end, though, he could not escape one fact: this goofy-looking boy, this young man, knew his daughter better than James himself did, and loved her as much, if in a different way.

He stood up. "Walk with me, Ronald."

He strode out of the office, Ron hurrying to keep up. Well, he probably can't launch me into deep space today, what with the thunderstorms and all. He might seal me up in a probe, though. But maybe KP could track me down before he can launch it.

James passed them into one of the labs, and brought Ron over to what looked like a large remote-controlled toy dune buggy.

"This is our newest remote Mars explorer, Ron. I thought you might help me see if it's ready for deployment. Seeing as how you've become so wise about parenting and relationships, I'm betting you can help with other things too." Seating Ron at a console, he continued. "Go ahead. Push buttons; see if you can break it."

Two hours later, the pair drove back to the Possibles' together. In that time, Ron had managed to break the explorer. Twice. As well as the latest creations from the workbenches of Dr. Possible's colleagues, Drs. Renton and Porter. The Ron Factor could exploit the weaknesses of a sane scientist's device as easily as a mad one's. But all agreed it was far better those design flaws be exposed at the space center than a million miles from home.

Back in her loft, Kim Possible laid the fruits of her shopping trip out on her bed. Daddy must never, ever see this, she resolved, as she inspected her new bikini top. It was the same emerald green as her eyes, and not a whole lot bigger. She smiled a Shego-like smile. But Ron is going to flip over it.

"Where is Ron?" she wondered aloud. She was surprised that she hadn't heard from him all afternoon. "What was this 'family stuff' he had to do?"

Just then she heard the front door open and her father came home from work. "Kimmie! I'm home." Kim heard her dad's familiar footsteps as he climbed the stairs. But she was surprised to hear a second set of footsteps, equally familiar. She looked down her loft ladder; there stood her father, and behind him, a grinning Ron Stoppable.

"I'll be down in the basement finishing up a few things before dinner." James told his daughter. "Your mom and the boys will be home in an hour. I assume you can keep Ronald entertained for a while."

"Sure, Dad. We'll go down to the family room."

"No need, Kimmie-cub. Ron can be in your room." He glanced over his shoulder at Ron, then turned back to meet green eyes wide open with amazement. "I trust you."

James went back downstairs as Ron climbed the ladder to Kim's room. Kim was astonished. "Okay, who was that? Because it wasn't my dad."

"Sure it was, KP. I went over to the space center today and he and I cleared the air, talked a little turkey. I convinced him he should trust us. Well, you. I think he knows too much about the guy hormones to ever really trust me."

"You talked to Dad? About us?"

"Well, I told you I had family stuff to take care of. I didn't say whose family. I figured I had to do something about all the tension there's been since we started dating. I knew it was bothering you, KP."

"Ron Stoppable, you are something else," she said, throwing her arms around him and hugging him.

"No big, KP," he replied, stroking her hair. "So, you and Monique have a good time shopping?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly, breaking their embrace and leading him over to the bed. She pointed out her new purchases. "I got this pretty top, and these shorts, and here's my new bikini. Want me to model it for you? … Ron? … Ron? Hello, you okay, Ron?"

"… eep …"

fin