I continue to be amazed by the response to this story. Thanks to Andy Costa, campy, Ace Ian Combat, JeanieBeanie33, The Odd Little Turtle, jasminevr, Classic Cowboy, Jokerisdaking, Zaratan, Harufu, swiglo3000, SirDucksworthy, momike, Newpoint, MaidM, mattb3671, Cartoonatic, Theta-Alpha-One, Big B, HorizonFilm, nmorgendoffer, Go-Colts, The Incredible Werekitty, Louis Mielke, Dixon-San, TexasDad, Neccor, Jezrianna2.0, oneredneckgoddess, WhiteLadyoftheRing, and Commander Argus for reviewing and to the people who added NB and DL to the Stories Worth Reading Over and Over and Over … C2 archive. And thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favs and alerts lists.

Special thanks to my bon-diggity beta man, campy.

For those of you wondering what the Kim and Ron of NB and DL look like, take a gander at my web page, which is accessible via my author profile.

You saw it on KP, Disney owns it.

I.

Kim ran to the car, crying. She was in turmoil. Kissing Ron had felt so good, so right. But she found herself having memories of the first time she kissed Josh. Of how quickly she'd moved from crushing to dating to romance. Which had led to marriage, betrayal, and divorce. She'd only met Ron a few weeks ago. She didn't want to lose their friendship. But she didn't want to be hurt again. Spending time with Ron had led her to think about herself, of what she'd let herself become, of what her relationship with Josh had done to her as a person. She didn't like that. She was groping now, trying to find a new way. She needed time. She needed to figure out what was going on.

II.

Ron picked up the phone and called Kim's house. He knew she wouldn't be there yet, which was all for the good. He only wanted to leave a message.

"Uh, Kim, it's, it's Ron. I don't know what happened here, but, uh, I hope we're still friends. Call me if you want. Bye."

III.

Kim saw the flashing light on the machine. She listened to the message and smiled. She began reaching for the telephone, but stopped. She wasn't going to call him. Not now. She had to figure things out before she talked with him again.

IV.

Over the next few days, Kim lost herself in her research. It was her way of coping. She couldn't control her emotions, but she could control her work. Her colleagues noticed that she was agitated and stayed out of her way. They'd enjoyed the recent weeks of the slightly mellower Kim and feared the return of the Kiminator.

Ron went through the motions at work, smiling for his staff, making sure the customers had a good experience. He had hoped Kim would return his call, but finally concluded that she wouldn't; if she had wanted to, he thought, she would have done so by now. He hadn't seen her since that night and had concluded that she was now a part of his past, nothing more. He was surprised by how much that hurt. He'd lost other friends before, but it had never been the same.

He was sitting at his little desk, aimlessly shuffling some reports, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hi."

Ron looked up. "Hi."

"Got a minute for a high-strung scientist?" Kim asked, looking rather self-conscious.

"I may even have two. Sorry I don't have a chair for you. This isn't exactly the Oval Office," he said with his endearing grin.

Kim smiled. She'd missed his joking. "About the other night …"

"Don't have to say anything."

"Actually, I do," she said, taking a seat on the edge of his desk. "That kiss was great, Ron. I didn't want it to end. But …" She then told him about her conflicting emotions, her fears. "Ron, I've always thought I could do anything; I hate to think of myself as fragile. And I hate to think of what Josh did to me emotionally. But there it is. I like you. A lot. And that makes me feel wonderful. But it's also scary. I'd like to see if we can have something, but I can't guarantee that I won't go all freaky on you. This could be a bumpy ride"

Ron looked at Kim, he rubbed the back of his neck, unsure what to say. "Kim, I'm not exactly Mr. Professional in the romance department, so I can probably contribute my share of road hazards …"

Kim was smiling now. She looked down at Ron, then caressed his cheek. He rose and, now standing above her, took her face in his hands and leaned in for a kiss. It was gentle and tender and slow. Finally, they pulled apart.

"So I guess Bonnie was right. You are my boyfriend," Kim said.

"Nuh uh," Ron replied. "But I'll be your Nacho Boyfriend." He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Then maybe you should stuff it," Kim said as she pulled Ron in for another kiss.

When Ron heard one of the teens behind the counter shout out, "Oh yeah! The Bossman shoots and scores!" he kicked the door to his office shut and as a result missed the high fives, smiles, and celebratory mood among his employees, especially young Carlos Munez, who had just won $45 in the Bueno Nacho 'When will they kiss in the restaurant?' pool.

V.

"Ron?"

"So, this is where you make the magic happen," he said looking around at the high tech equipment.

"How did you get in here? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you," Kim said as she kissed him on the cheek. "Security is supposed to call before letting anyone come up."

"Ah, you have misunderestimated the power of Ron Stoppable," he said with a grin. "I told the guard I was here to feed the bear and that it was a surprise."

Kim laughed. She knew her reputation at the lab; that someone could actually joke about it was still a novelty to her. "Well, then, you'd better have something tasty for the bear to eat."

"Ah, I do," he said, holding up a picnic basket. "I think I've gotten to know you well enough to know that you'd just keep working and forget about food. That won't do." Ron opened the hamper and began to lay out a place setting for Kim.

"What about you? Aren't you going to stay?"

"Nope. You have work to do. I don't want to distract you."

"Ron …"

"S'kay, Kim. You need to do your thing. But that means you need your three squares. So this is my way of advancing the cause of science. Consider me your lab assistant, your … sidekick. Besides, I get you all night tomorrow, right?"

Kim threw her arms around Ron and kissed him. "Yes, you do. And I don't want a sidekick. I want a … partner." Kim gave Ron another peck. "Now what's in that basket?" She was distracted by the aromas.

"Chicken cordon bleu, baby spinach with raspberry vinaigrette and sparkling water. Happy eating and nanowhatevering you do here!" Ron said as he kissed Kim on the nose and turned to leave.

"Ron …"

"Yeah, KP?"

"I love it when you call me that. And you're the best."

"Back 'atcha, KP. Have a muy bueno night!" Ron said as he stepped onto the elevator.

VI.

Two hours later Kim left the building and walked towards her car. The lot was mostly empty. She was glad she'd parked beneath the light.

She was startled when the man grabbed her arm.

Kim responded immediately. She was rusty, but she remembered enough of her martial arts training to flip him. He landed on the ground with a thud. Kim ran for her car, got in, and sped off. A few blocks from the lab she pulled into a parking lot and retrieved her phone. Her hand was trembling. She pressed the speed dial button.

"Yeah?" he asked, still half asleep.

"Ron, it's Kim. Can I come over?"

"Sure," he said, becoming alert. He could hear something in her voice. "What's going on?"

"A man," she said, her voice shaky. "He was in the parking lot, he came at me."

Ron was now wide awake. "What! Are you okay, KP?"

"Yeah, but I, I'd rather not be alone right now …"

"Where are you? Are you safe?" Ron wanted to panic, yet knew he had to remain calm for Kim. "Should I come get you?"

"I,I'm at the Smarty Mart and I'm okay. I can drive over," Kim paused, collecting her thoughts. "I'll see you soon."

"I'll be here, KP. And Kim?"

"Yes, Ron?"

"Rufus wanted me to tell you that he's got a Pandaroo waiting for you."

Kim smiled, already feeling safer and calmer. "You guys rock."

VII.

Kim arrived at Ron's to find the futon had been opened and made up for bed, with even a piece of chocolate on the pillow, and a pair of pajamas neatly laid out – and a sleeping bag spread out on the floor. "Just in case you want to spend the night. I thought you'd feel safer with a Ron sleeping at the foot of your bed!" Kim responded by silently hugging him.

"You want something to drink, KP?" Ron asked.

"Some tea, please and thank you."

"Coming right up. Make yourself at home." Kim took off her coat and settled into Ron's lone arm chair, stretching out her legs and kicking off her shoes. She then removed her barrette. Ron watched approvingly as she shook out her long hair; she saw his reaction and smiled.

Ron brought over the tea, then pulled up a stool and sat down, holding his own mug. He looked at her as he sat quietly.

"So what happened?"

"I walked out the door and suddenly, this man had grabbed my arm. And then I threw him."

Ron appeared confused.

"It was just a basic defensive kung fu move."

Ron's eyes opened wide. "You know kung fu?"

Kim smiled. She'd grown so comfortable around him that she felt like she'd always known him, making it easy to forget that they were still learning things about one another. She could tell Ron thought her knowing kung fu was cool. The things that excited him, she thought. It's part of what makes him so endearing.

"I have a black belt. Or I should say I had. I haven't done it in years. When Josh and I became serious it sort of fell by the wayside. Dating, cheer squad, other school activities. Then college and the increased course work. Engagement, marriage."

"Huh." Ron grunted while looking thoughtful.

"Huh, what?" Kim asked.

"You ever consider that you gave up your safety valve? I bet all that kicking, punching, and throwing was pretty therapeutic for a super-Type A person like you."

Kim stared at Ron open-mouthed. "Are you sure you didn't pick up some advanced degree in psychology?"

"Positive. I was too busy playing Zombie Mayhem."

Kim snorted, then smiled. "Maybe I should take up training again … and maybe you can train with me!" She didn't want to consider what might have happened had a more dangerous figure attacked her. And more important, this was something she could share with Ron.

"Me? I couldn't do that. I'd have to take the newbie class; the closest I ever got to martial arts was Hong Kong Fooey on TV Trash Heap. I can just see myself: the grown man surrounded by five year olds. Way too embarrassing."

"You wouldn't have to be. We could arrange for private lessons. Go together."

Ron squirmed uncomfortably on his seat.

Kim was surprised. "I thought it would be nice for us to do something ... as a couple."

"It's not that Kim," Ron said, sounding flustered.

"Then what is it?"

"Well, I'm gonna assume that lessons are expensive. And if you look around this place, you'll see I'm not exactly Ron Millionaire. I'm, well I'm trying to save my money for a, well, I wasn't going to tell you this yet, but I've started to think about maybe, someday opening a restaurant."

"Ron, that's wonderful!" Kim squealed, as she put down her tea and came over to hug him.

Ron reddened. "Yeah, well, don't get too excited. It's just an idea. But that's why I can't afford private lessons."

"Then let me pay."

"I can't let you do that."

Kim frowned. "Why not? Some macho thing?"

"No, but …"

"Ron, this isn't meant to make you feel bad, but how much do you think I'm worth?"

"You're priceless, KP."

Kim made a gagging noise and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Captain Romance, how much?"

"I really don't know, Kim. It really doesn't matter."

"Eleven and a half million" she said matter of factly, to Ron's surprise. "The patent for the universal language translator neuroimplants was huge." She dropped to her knees by Ron and took his hands. "Ron, I have more money than I'll ever need. Up till now, it's been something to fight over with Josh. But I can share it with you. For once that money can make me happy. Please. Let me treat you to the lessons."

Ron looked down at Kim, then said, "Okay. But this does not mean I'm your Taco Boy Toy!"

Kim laughed, then took Ron's mug and set it down. She sat back and pulled Ron off the stool and onto her. Then, she quickly rolled him over and pinned him. "See, kung fu. Pretty fun, huh?" as she brought her lips to his. They never made it to the futon or the sleeping bag.

VIII.

Ron was nervous. It was Thanksgiving. And he felt like he was the turkey. This was the moment their relationship officially became serious: it was the day he was going to meet Kim's entire family: father, mother, brothers, even her brothers' girlfriends. He and Kim were approaching the front door of a house whose occupants had a combined IQ of about 20,000; 400 years of education between them; and really cool jobs. And Kim claimed to be the slow one in the family. All he could offer was his orange shirt and a high school diploma. He hadn't felt this inadequate around her since the day they first met.

She sensed his unease and squeezed his arm. "Ron, it's going to be fine. They're going to be crazy about you."

Ron stopped and looked at Kim.

"But this is Genius Incorporated in there and, well, I was the guy who had trouble remembering that the sideways thingie in math stood for infinity," Ron said, his anxiety mounting. "I mean, what if they think I'm not good enough for you? Or that …"

"Ron, there's only one person whose thoughts on the matter count, and that's me. And I think this …" she said as she pulled Ron in for a kiss, not knowing that her entire family was watching from the front window. She didn't see her parents' smiles or the high fives her surprised brothers exchanged or the looks of pleased disbelief on the faces of her brothers' girlfriends, who'd come to know Kim as their beaus' cold, sharp-tongued sister.

IX.

The day was going far better than Ron had ever imagined possible. As he suspected, there was enough brainpower in the room to launch a second Manhattan Project. But when the conversation turned esoteric and it was clear Ron was feeling lost, Kim's mother steered the discussion in another direction.

"So, Ron, Kim tells me that you're an excellent cook."

"Well, I'm okay, I guess; I do enjoy it, though …"

Kim looked at Ron and snorted. "You are not 'okay' Ron Stoppable. You are ferociously good. I've put on five pounds because of you since we started dating – and every ounce has been worth it!" She turned to her family. "Ron should be a chef in a four star restaurant. He's incredible. I could never do what he does in a kitchen. Last week, he made me …" Ron blushed as Kim extolled his culinary talents. Her parents were bemused by their daughter's enthusiasm. They recalled how she had so many years earlier raved about Josh Mankey's artistic prowess. Ron was not the first romantic interest whose praises she had sung. What struck them was how she was actually raving about somebody else being better than her at something. And that was new for their hypercompetitive daughter.

Ron decided to change the subject. He looked at Tim and Jim. "So, Kim tells me you guys are officers in the Navy?"

"Yeah, we're in, uh, research. It's great …" Tim said.

"… unlimited funding and we get to blow things up!" Jim added.

"And we get to date incredibly hot women, too." Tim offered, as he and Jim looked adoringly at their girlfriends, both of whom Ron would learn were Navy combat pilots.

"Hicka bicka boo …" Melissa, Tim's girlfriend, said with a smile.

To which Meredith, Jim's girlfriend responded, "Hoosha!"

Kim grinned incredulously, then looked at her brothers. "You're teaching them Tweeb-speak!"

Kim could tell Ron was confused, "Tweebs. Twin dweebs."

"Hey, was that a smile … DL?" Jim said with a smirk, then explained to Ron, "Dragon Lady."

Kim actually reddened, then looked at Ron. "I don't think that needs explanation … Nacho Boy."

Ron laughed, then looked at Kim's parents. "So, do you two have nicknames?"

Ann chuckled. "No, I think we've escaped that fate."

Ron looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment. "Not for long … Mr and Mrs Dr P!"

X.

Kim and Ron were getting ready to leave when Ann said, "Ron, if you don't have any plans, I hope you'll join us for the Christmas holiday." Kim was thrilled. She had planned to invite Ron on her own, but to have her mother do so was tremendously gratifying, since it meant she and her father obviously liked him.

"That's really nice of you, but I'll have to decline."

Kim was stunned as she considered the possibility that Ron had other plans for Christmas and hadn't even told her. Ron saw the look on her face, "Gotta work, KP."

"Work? On Christmas?"

"Yeah. Corporate just decided that since something like a third of the country isn't even Christian, our restaurants should be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."

"But why do you have to work?" she asked, a little heatedly.

"Uh, KP, remember, I'm Jewish. I kind of thought I should be there so some of the Christian kids could actually go to church or something …"

"Well, did you think about me? Maybe I wanted to be with you on Christmas!"

"I'm sorry, KP. I assumed you'd be with your family, and I am the manager and …"

"Christmas is very important to me!" she snapped.

"Amp down, Kim," Jim interjected.

"Butt out, tweeb!" she snarled, before turning back to Ron. "I cannot believe you're going to work on Christmas at, at … Bueno Nacho!"

Ron's eyes flared in response to Kim's dismissive tone. "I'm sorry that I work at a fast food joint, Kim. I know my work isn't as important as yours."

"Ron, that is so not fair!"

"Kim, this is the first time since I've known you that I've had to beg off of doing something with you because of my job, and you get upset. You, however, do it all the time and act like that's the way it's supposed to be."

Kim glowered at Ron. "You are so selfish! Christmas means nothing to you! You're as bad as Josh!"

Ron was shocked. He sensed something was wrong, very wrong. But before he had a chance to figure out just what it was, Kim continued her rant.

"You know what? You're just like him, you can't handle that I have a real career, that your job isn't as exciting as mine! So you're just trying to pretend it's important!"

"Kim, my job is nowhere near as exciting as yours. But I don't have a problem with it. The only person who has a problem here is you." He immediately regretted saying that.

"How dare you!" And then, without thinking, Kim slapped Ron across the face.

"Excuse me," he said, woodenly. Turning to Kim's parents, he said, "I think I should leave now. Thank you for dinner," then he turned, walked past Kim, and left.

XI.

"Oh my God. What did I just do?" Kim whispered, tears beginning to flow. She was stunned, shocked, paralyzed.

"Don't just stand there, sis," Jim said. "Go apologize to him."

"I, I can't …"

"Too good to say you're sorry?" Tim added.

Ann grimaced. The holiday truce between her all-too-often quarreling children was quickly crumbling. "Jim, Tim, please. Not now."

Kim then did something none of her family had ever seen her do before. She sat down on the floor, pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapped her arms around herself and began sobbing.

"Oh, man," Tim said quietly. Suddenly, his resentment over twenty years of bullying evaporated as he watched his sister collapse in despair. He sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "Sis, I'm sorry."

James Possible ran out the front door. Seeing Ron walking down the street, James sprinted to catch him.

"Ron!"

Ron kept walking. He was confused and he was hurt.

"Ron! Please," James said, pulling even with him. "Listen to me before you go anywhere."

Ron only wanted to be alone, to figure out what was going on, why things had suddenly gone so wrong. But the pain in James' eyes stopped him.

"Has Kim ever told you about Christmas in our family?"

"No, Dr Possible, she hasn't. And I'm sure it's very nice, but I have my responsibilities. Maybe I'm not making stuff that will save the world, but I'm trying to let some kids have a nice holiday. I thought that was important."

James shook his head. "That's not what I was getting at. Let's walk.

"Christmas has always been a huge deal for us. Singing, the tree, stories, lights, a family skit, eggnog, Snowman Hank on DVD, the whole family gathered together. Kim always loved Christmas. She's been an achiever her whole life and, to be honest, she's worried too much about what other people think of her. For some reason, this was the one time of year she would just kick back and still be a kid.

"She was so excited the first year she got to share it with Josh. The first couple of years they were together, they spent Christmas at our house. But their senior year of high school, he wanted to spend it with his family. By then they were pretty serious, so of course she agreed. Then, their first year in college, his parents moved to Florida, and each year after that, they spent Christmas with Josh's parents. Kim kept hoping they could alternate visits, but every year Josh insisted they go to Florida since they lived in Middleton and could see us more often.

"You know that Kim's pretty strong willed," James said to a grunt from Ron, "but the one exception was Josh; she was putty in his hands right from the beginning. Generally, what he wanted, he got, with the exception of her studies and then her work. Those she wouldn't give up, but she yielded on everything, else, including Christmas. I know she missed being in Middleton.

"Last year, Kim and Josh were finally going to celebrate with us; I know Kim was really looking forward to it. To be honest, I was surprised that Josh had agreed to it. Anyway, Kim wasn't a particularly happy person by last Christmas; in fact, as you know, she hadn't been a happy person for a very long time. The idea of Christmas at home actually seemed to put a spring in her step for the first time in years.

"They came over and after a while, Josh said he realized that he'd forgotten some of the presents, so he went home to get them. After he was gone a while, Kim became concerned. She called him, but he didn't answer. She decided to make sure everything was okay and went to their condo. He wasn't there."

Ron saw James grimace; he looked like he could kill at that moment.

"In the meantime, Josh had returned with the presents. We told him that Kim was worried and looking for him. He said he'd been having car trouble and that his cell phone battery had died. So he called Kim and told him he was here and that she should come back."

"Kim returned and hung up her coat in the closet. When she came into the den, she had a funny look on her face. She went over to Josh, as if to give him a kiss. But she first looked at his sweater. She saw a couple of brown hairs." James paused. "Ron, you know Kim has red hair. Josh's is dirty blonde."

"Oh, geez," Ron muttered.

"Things got very ugly, very quickly. We learned later that Kim had had her suspicions for a long time, but she didn't want to believe her husband was actually cheating on her. As unhappy as she was, she wanted her marriage to work. But she wanted answers; Josh got defensive, then belligerent, yelling that it was her fault if he went to find comfort with other women, that if she'd been a good wife, she wouldn't have been so absorbed in her work.

"Kim, well, Kim lost her temper and slugged Josh. Pretty hard, actually; he lost a couple of teeth. Josh stormed out of the house … and called the police," James shook his head as he remembered the incident. "It wasn't long before they arrived in a cruiser with flashing lights. Kim had to go to the station and give a statement. After that she retreated even more into her work, and became even more distant and edgier, which is saying a lot.

"Their marriage had been in trouble for a long time, Ron, there had been tensions, fights, and as we all learned, Josh's cheating, but it ended last Christmas. What had once been Kim's favorite day of the year had been taken from her, ruined. Kim can be single-minded, Ron, you know that. She knows that. It's like her to assume you'd be free when she wanted to see you. That wasn't right. But I also know how she feels about you." James took a deep breath. "Ron, my daughter is falling in love with you …"

"What?" Ron couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"… and I can only imagine what the idea of spending the holiday with you meant to her. I don't know if you can understand what a difference having you in her life has made. Heck, I wish you'd been around twenty years ago. I suspect her life would have been a lot different.

"That argument the two of you had touched some sensitive emotional flash points and brought to the surface a lot of bad memories for her. I can't tell you do to anything, Ron, but I saw the way you looked at my daughter today. Josh Mankey never looked at her like that. Ever. I'm not saying he didn't love her at one time, but it was different. If you feel about her the way I hope and think you do, please come back. Try to work things out."

Ron stood silently. Her father claimed that Kim might love him. Yet she had just slapped him. Did he really want to subject himself to this? Kim was passionate; in fact, he feared that she was a volcano waiting to blow. But she'd been honest. She'd promised him a bumpy road and she was delivering. Life would be easier without this. But it would also be empty. And, the fact was, he thought that he, too, was falling in love. He was scared and he was confused.

"I don't know, Dr P," Ron said, looking at the older man. "I'm just a guy who works in a fast food restaurant who really hasn't had much of a love life. I'm not used to dating beautiful, brilliant scientists who hit."

"Ron, I suspect she's going to feel bad about that slap for the rest of her life."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right …"

"Ron, I don't know how to say this without sounding cold, but my daughter is not always the nicest person to be around. She can be arrogant, too driven, and snobbish. I saw her drop friends because they weren't high enough in the social hierarchy. She's ridden her staff at the lab hard, holding them to often ridiculously high standards. She can have a sharp tongue …"

"That I know," Ron said, unable not to grin. "If it weren't for that, we wouldn't be talking."

James smiled in response. "That's true. But that night Kim lashed out at you seemed to be a turning point for her. I don't know what it is about you, Ron, but Kim responds to you like she has nobody else in her life. I'm not saying she'll be all sweetness and light; if you stick with her, you should probably still get elbow and knee pads. But you've unlocked a side of her we haven't seen since she was a kid.

"Kim told us how nervous you were about meeting us. Frankly, Ron, I don't care if you clean the toilets at Bueno Nacho. You've been doing something nobody else has been able to do, not even Josh when things were seemingly going well for them. You've helped Kim begin to be truly happy." James put his hand on Ron's shoulder. "I think the two of you can have something special, Ron. It'll take work, but sometimes the best things do."

XII.

Kim was sitting on the couch, still crying, her mother holding her.

"KP."

She looked up, "Ron?"

Ann quietly got up and left the room, Ron took her place by Kim.

"I am so sorry, Ron, I don't know what came over me … Can you forgive me?"

Ron took her hand. "Yeah, I can. And I do think I know what came over you. Your dad told me about Monkey Boy and Christmas. I'd like to find the creep and beat the tar out of him." He paused. "I'm sorry about the problem crack."

Kim had stopped crying, though her eyes were still moist. "Ron, when you walked out that door I was terrified that I'd never see you again ..."

"Yeah, well I have to admit I wasn't happy, KP. The slapping thing. You can't do that again. Ever."

Kim hung her head. "I know. And I feel …"

Ron realized he had no desire to berate Kim or to have her wallow in remorse; all he had was an overpowering urge to comfort her. It struck him as being surreal that he, Ron Stoppable, could do anything to help this incredibly accomplished, bright, beautiful woman. But apparently he could. So Ron lifted her chin with his hand; to her surprise, she saw him grinning. "And you know why you can't ever do that again? Because you pack one heck of a wallop, Dragon Lady, and I can't have you messing with my Ron-ness or the ladies will be upset! I mean, what if you were to use one of those bon-diggity kung fu moves of yours?" he asked, preening.

Kim stared at Ron, then giggled. Once again, he knew just what to say to cheer her up. She was struck by how in such a short time Ron had become so much a part of her life. How she'd enjoyed being with Ron, getting to know him, spending time with him, talking with him, comforting and being comforted by him, laughing with him, kissing and … Her train of thought was lost as she found her lips meeting his.

After they broke the kiss, they sat quietly. "I'm sorry about Christmas, KP. I'll make it up to you. But I owe it to the staff."

"I know, Ron. And what you're doing is important. I'm sorry for sounding so pompous before." That earned Kim a kiss on the forehead.

"KP, I promise that if I open a restaurant, it'll always be closed on Christmas …"

"… and we'll be together?" she asked hopefully, revealing a vulnerability few ever saw.

"Yeah, we'll be together. And since my family doesn't do Christmas, we can always do it here." he replied tenderly, before he found himself laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"The irony here is killing me. You thought I didn't care about Christmas. Yet even though I'm Jewish, Snowman Hank's been, like, my hero since I was four!" And to prove it, Ron began reciting large portions of the show verbatim.

James and Ann looked into the den and smiled at the sight of their daughter and her boyfriend laughing and holding one another.

To be continued …