The Trinity Sitch - Book 3: Blade of the Fury
Chapter 3: Boiling point
By the end of their freshman year, Kim and Ron had become monthly and sometimes weekly fixtures at the Mount Middleton Ski lodge. Whenever their study and mission schedule would allow they would make the hour drive up the mountain just to get away, at least for the night. Little did they know the staff of the lodge had come to call them 'the Stoppables' behind their backs. Even during the warmer months the lodge had taken to staying open to serve the steady stream of mountain bikers vacationing in the area, looking for fresh trails. While the small resort didn't hold a candle to the mega-mountain-bike centers like Durango or Crested Butte it made up for it with a quaint simplicity that appealed to the young couple. Ron even started bringing the downhill racing bike that had been hanging in the Possible's garage, causing Kim no small amount of concern for his safety. However, once he strapped on the multicolored body armor and full-face helmet he became 'Captain Rondo, Downhill Racer Extraordinaire!' and , after some initial 'learning experiences' he actually became a fairly proficient rider. He wasn't headed to the annual 'Kamikaze Classic' by any stretch of the imagination but he was good enough to actually have fun doing it.
Their trips slowed considerably during their sophomore year as their class loads increased and, even with cousin Joss and the Tweebs stepping up for simpler, less dangerous missions their Kimmunicators seemed to go off more and more often. At least when it was about school work they could drive up there, set up camp in front of a fireplace and study to their hearts content, knowing they could look to a later reward of some quality time together.
It was mid-winter and even the lower elevations were blanketed with snow. Fortunately the roads higher up were in pretty good condition, especially since the livelihoods of the people living up their depended on the tourists finding the roads passable. The whitened landscape was soothing to Kim, who was still rather tweaked by the battle with the Fists. Or would that be the Fisks?
Ron almost turned green when she mentioned the two had been wearing wedding rings.
They were both sufficiently caught up with their school work, winter mid-terms behind them and the final push to the end of their junior year waiting for them just around the bend. It was a good time for a break. A very good one. Following a quick video conference with Wade, Kim almost shoved her beloved into the car and drove straight to the lodge, arriving so early their usual room wasn't even ready yet.
During the ride, she made Ron describe his entire account of the 'time sitch."
"So that's all you know?" she asked, puzzled by the lack of detail in his report.
"That's it, KP. Most of what I know is about Norway and how miserable I was until Rufus 3000 showed up to drag me back to '99."
Kim risked a look at him, taking her eyes off the winding mountain road, trying to imagine him in a Norwegian folk dancing costume. The very though of her wearing the green and black 'Club Shego' clothing made her shudder. That made her think of the woman who had become something like a friend, albeit a hesitant one, over the last couple years. It was almost as if she considered Sherry Godfrey and Shego to be two different people.
"You sure looked hot in that future mission gear." Ron said with a grin.
"Shoulder pads? That is so last season. No, that's so three seasons ago. Now, thinking about you running around with your shirt off…"
"No, KP, let's not think about it. Two words come to mind."
"Uh huh?"
"Bird - chest." He said with a pout.
"Ron, you did not have a bird chest!"
"So did." He grumped, crossing his arms.
She reached out and touched his arm, pulling it gently from its mate and finding his hand. She twined her fingers with his and lightly squeezed. "Ron, if you remember correctly, you hadn't started growing again and filling out on a certain night almost four years ago. You didn't see me having any problem with your chest then."
"Well, you don't remember, so in effect, you weren't there. But Monique was and so was Shego."
She looked at him again and raised an eyebrow. "Shego? Ron…why would you be concerned about Shego seeing you without your shirt?"
He answered, not catching the look she was giving him. "Oh, mainly because Drakken was right there. I'm telling you Kim, he looked like Hego on steroids. It was embarrassing."
"Okay. I was just weirding out that you might have been, I don't know, crushing on her or something."
"Ew…Ew, no! Kim no!" He made a face like somebody had just handed him a molded Naco. He made a mental note not to mention the detail of him telling Shego she looked cute in the monkey temple fight, even though that was really just to get her goat.
"Gotta say, though, now she's gotten pretty hot!" He sat back, propping his head with his hands
"You wouldn't say that if you'd been there when she gave birth."
"No. Who woulda thunk it. She tries to kill you for years, yet you and your Mom are the first one she turns to because she thinks she'll get arrested if she went to a hospital. The weirdest thing was seeing Drakken freaking out."
"Wait a minute? Drakken was there?" She had been furious at the time, trusting him to take care of her yet thinking he had abandoned her at her greatest moment of need.
"Yeah. When Mrs. Dr. P chased the rest of us out I saw him peeking in the window. He took one look at me and took off, but I ran him down."
"And he was freaking?"
"Majorly. He kept babbling about 'not being that kind of doctor' and all."
"Ron, Drakken isn't a doctor of anything. He dropped out of college."
"I know. I was figuring maybe he brought her in one of those saucer cars of his or something. Not sure what became of him while she was staying at your place though."
Kim pursed her lips, considering what Ron told her. Drakken had been off the radar for a long time now. In fact, except for his encounter with him when Amethyst was born, he hadn't been seen at all. Strange that Sherry hadn't mentioned him then.
While they waited for their rooms they broke out their boards and hit the slopes. Ron managed to fall only once, mainly because he was trying to keep his pants up.
Kim skidded to a stop beside him, fighting to suppress a fit of giggles. "Ron, sweetheart, I really think it's time to say goodbye to those old blue ski pants of yours."
He half turned around as he fastened the snaps. "I thought you liked how these made my butt look?" He wiggled the aforementioned body part for emphasis, making Kim stifle another laugh.
"Ron, I said everyone can see your butt when those things fall down. Of all the people on this mountain, you are the one who really needs a ski bib instead of pants."
"That's so not funny, KP."
"Like it wasn't funny when Tim and Jim gave you suspenders for Christmas?"
"No, that wasn't funny. Just mock my pain." He said in a fake pout, holding his hand up, palm out and looking away with his eyes lidded.
"Whatever, drama boy. See you at the bottom! Loser is a snow beast!" She hollered as she sped away on her board.
Ron actually did get back to the lodge first, though in the form of a giant snow-ball!
"I am so very sorry, Miss Possible, but we just simply have been able to get your usual room ready for you today. You see, we had some…shall we say…less decorous college students recently and we feel the room simply is not up to our standards."
Translation: The room was trashed.
"No big. We'll just take another room. Right now the most important thing is the shower works and there's plenty of hot water."
"Of course. Unfortunately, there are no more rooms in the main lodge available tonight but since you have a standing reservation, I will offer you one of our Chalet's for tonight. It is further up the mountain, I hope you don't mind the inconvenience."
"Has it got cable?" Ron asked with a lopsided grin?
"Yes, Mr. Stoppable."
"Does it get the Mouse Ears channel?"
"Yes, Mr. Stoppable."
"Booyah! We'll take it!"
Kim just rolled her eyes.
Further up the mountain ended up being more like most of the rest of the way up the mountain. Instead of having to rely on a shuttle back to the lodge, they simply drove the winding, slippery track to the A-frame chalet. The afternoon was slipping from early to mid but they had already had a quick lunch before setting out. Since they were only there for the weekend, moving in consisted mainly of throwing their small bags on the counter near the bathroom.
Kim couldn't stand it any more. Not caring whether Ron saw or not, she started pealing out of her clothes on the way to the shower. She was glad her mission clothes were encased in her thick, maroon ski gear, since after spending the later half of the night sweating inside a mummy case things were getting really ripe.
Ron watched her as she went, his eyes about popping out of his skull as her mission shirt was pulled over her head. It wasn't the first time he'd ever seen her in her underwear but it was a rare enough occurrence he took special note. It also made him wonder why, if the bikini she bought to wear for him actually covered less, why it was so sexy to see her in a black bra and panties.
Oh well, turn about is fair play. Then again, half the planet had seen him in his boxers.
The shower took just a bit longer to heat up than one of the rooms would, since the water heater was further away, but she quickly had the room steamed up, scrubbing herself of the mission stink. Mindful that Ron would need some hot water, she shut it off and wrapped one towel around her hair, another around her body.
Ron was still in the main sitting room of the small cabin, slouched in one of the big, overstuffed chairs, his back to her. She tiptoed up to him and leaned over his shoulder, holding onto the towel for dear life.
As usual, he had fallen fast asleep in the comfortable chair.
Kim sighed and headed back toward the bathroom, intent on drying her hair. On her way back there, she noticed the sliding glass doors at the back of the building. Curious, she opened the shades and peered outside. The deck was built on two levels. The upper one was open, with seats built into the rails for guests to view the mountainous scenery. It was the lower one that captured her interest.
Steaming like a cauldron in the cold mountain air was a hot-tub concealed by a privacy wall.
A sly smile spread across her lips and she slipped out the doors. The cold bit at her semi-wet skin, giving her gooseflesh as she scampered toward the waiting Jacuzzi. Apparently the lodge staff had been there ahead of them and had prepared it. The water was fresh and hot with just a hint of bubbles. A hot chest containing fresh towels and a pair of robes sat ready.
Looking around to make sure the privacy screen was sufficient, Kim slipped out of the wet towel and into the deliciously hot water. She slipped in right up to her neck, positioning one of the water jets in the small of her back. Her grin got wider as another set of jets came on. She had been in hot tubs many, many times before, but this was the first time she had one all to herself…
…without a bathing suit!
Not meaning to and despite the knowledge it could be dangerous, Kim dozed off for what seemed like half a moment. She awoke to the sensation of water splashing in her face.
Directly across from her was Ron, arms stretched wide, half in, and half out of the water.
"I hope you got a shower before you came down here." She said, mindful that he was in much the same state of hygiene she was."
"Yeah, I just got out, then I got worried when I couldn't find you. This is BADICAL!" He was luxuriating in it as much as she was. "I hope you brought enough underwear."
She raised an eyebrow, confused by the question. "Underwear?"
"Yeah, cause I don't think what we've got on right now will dry out quick enough. Now, I came prepared!"
Kim blushed, realizing Ron had no idea what she was wearing (or wasn't) under the water. Apparently he had slipped in wearing one of his many spare pairs of boxers. Of course that's what he would do! Three years of dating, two of those spent engaged, and he was still the consummate gentleman. All that time together, even sharing a bed when they were away from home, and he still wanted to save their first time for their wedding night. It was the sweetest, most romantic thing!
Though that was starting to frustrate Kim!
It wasn't like Ron wasn't interested. On the contrary, it took a great deal of will power on his part to control himself when they were alone and lately, with growing frequency, Kim was the one having to remind herself to cool things down. She had to keep telling herself that it just wouldn't be right if she forced the issue. He had a favorite fantasy about their wedding night and if they didn't wait, it just wouldn't be the same, so, no matter how much tension built up, Kim would wait.
Somehow she knew it was really up to her to stay in control. If she ever made a move to take the relationship to that next level, there would be no stopping Ron. That would elicit his favorite line. "I'm a guy, KP, It's what we do!"
A devilish smile crept over her face thinking about what a guy could do.
"Whatcha thinkin 'bout, KP?" he said, his eyes half-lidded.
"Oh, just thinking about what you said about underwear. Thinking how, if we're not careful, we'll end up running around without any."
"Funny, Kim. I'm the last person on Earth who should go commando. T'would be too much for the lay-days to handle!"
"My, don't we have a big opinion of ourselves." She cooed, her smile getting even wider.
"Yep, can't complain. You know how it is."
"Oh, I do? Well, let me see now, what was it you told me about the 'tells' when a man is bluffing?"
"It ain't bluffing if you can do it!" He responded, enjoying the slightly dirty banter.
"That's bragging, Ron." She said playfully. "Well, I think that's long enough. Don't stay too long, you can overheat in these things." With that, she turned around and stood up, climbing out of the tub and heading for the heated box with the towels and robes. She tied the waist and turned back to see his face frozen in shock.
Something seemed to go click behind his eyes and his expression changed. Moments later he plopped a pair of soaking wet boxers on the side of the hot-tub, wagging his eyebrows at her.
"Should have thought of that while I was still in there, bad boy!" She said, turning toward the steps that led to the upper deck and the heated interior of the A-frame.
"Woooo, that's…different!" he said. Kim wasn't quite sure what to make of his expression when she looked back over her shoulder at him. The smile returned.
Ron had his eyes closed, his head tilted back as he enjoyed the heat of the soaking tub. Despite the February chill he stretched his arms out above the rim, letting the steam keep him warm. Still, the huge temperature difference made him quite away when the water level rose slightly. Before he could open his eyes he felt another body pressed up against his side. Almost involuntarily his arm closed around Kim's shoulder. She put her head down on his and despite her hair being cold and damp he thought his whole body was on fire. He could feel the fingernails of her left hand trailing up and down his upper leg, causing him to twitch involuntarily.
He became aware that he was repeating the same two words over and over, out loud. "Wedding day…wedding day…wedding day."
"Entertaining fantasies again, Ronster." She whispered in his ear before gently nibbling on the lobe.
Trying desperately to think clearly, all he could get out was "Are you hungry yet KP?"
"Rowr!" she purred.
"I...uh…meant…uh dinner. Yeah, that's it, I need to get started cooking dinner!" Since they always got a room with a kitchenette, Ron had taken to preparing their meals on their getaways so they wouldn't have to spend a lot of time and money in the lodge dining room.
"Okay!" She said sweetly. "Let's go get dried off and you can cook a romantic dinner for two." With that she got up out of the water again, not turning away so quickly this time. Ron just sat there and gulped.
"So not bragging." She trilled at him as she tied the robe closed and headed up the steps.
Of course, Ron had a very hard time concentrating on his cooking. Thankfully, he had done all the more sophisticated preparation ahead of time, considering the lack of space and the simple appliances available in their usual room. The kitchen in the cabin was slightly larger, but that was about the only difference.
Kim reappeared, still dressed in the fluffy white robe but her hair now dry. He always marveled how so much hair could dry so fast. He didn't have to worry about anything, running his fingers through his corn silk mop was enough. It was dry ten minutes after they went back inside. He slipped on a fresh pair of boxers and tied on his own robe, luxuriating in the soft fluffy whiteness.
A pair of slender but muscular arms wrapped around his waist from behind and gave him a gentle squeeze. Moments later he could feel the tip of her nose nuzzling the edge of his right ear.
"This used to be easier when you were my height." She whispered.
"Yeah, growing six inches in less than a year isn't all it's cracked up to be." He turned in her embrace, holding a spoon to her lips. "Here, give this a taste."
She tasted the proffered sauce, smacking her lips a couple times as she tried to identify the various flavors. "That's spankin! What is it?"
"It's really just a very plain tomato sauce. I think of it as what the stuff in a jar wants to be when it grows up. So, which cheese? Parmesan or Romano?"
"Definitely the second. I'm always good to go with Romano."
He turned back toward the stove, Kim keeping her arms wrapped around his waist. "I love you, Ron Stoppable." She put her head against his upper back, breathing in the scent of him.
"I love you too, Kim Possible!" He said, zestfully stirring his sauce. He almost dropped the spoon when she started gently caressing his ears. "What is that?" he asked in a distant voice.
"I was watching Space Passage: Far Station Ten the other night with the tweebs and that alien with the butt-shaped forehead and the really big ears liked this. I mean he really liked this." She said playfully.
"I can see why!" He finally let go of the spoon, turning and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close. The kiss started out gentle, almost tentative but grew more and more intense. His eyes rolled back in head as Kim grabbed his ears again and started gently nibbling his lower lip.
Some many minutes later she broke away, whispering over and over, "Wedding night…wedding night."
"Yeah, wedding night." His voice was barely a whisper itself.
"You carry me across the threshold…" She nuzzled his neck, purring like a kitten.
"You're wearing your wedding dress…" he responded.
"White wedding dress." She breathed, tightening her arms around him.
He pushed the robe off her shoulder and kissed her lightly tanned skin. The white robe! He thought. The fantasy playing repeatedly in his mind's eye subtly changed, the dress replaced with the soft, white, fluffy terry, the fuzzy belt around the waist slowly coming untied, the whole thing falling away.
He noticed that without realizing it his fingers were working on the light knot at her waist. Kim made no move to stop him, only kissing him harder.
BEEP-BEEP-DE-BEEP!
Kim glanced at the table where their wrist units sat, then went back to kissing him.
"Don't you think you need to answer that?"
"Let it go to voice mail. Wade will understand."
"Uh, Kim, remember? Fist gang on the loose? Bent on dominating all time and space?"
"Fine!" her eyes clouded over as she stomped across the room, hitting the accept key on her bracelet. Wade's holographic image appeared, his hands clamped across his eyes.
"Go Wade." She said.
"You decent, Kim?" He asked, not risking a peek.
"Yes." She growled, "Unfortunately" she added low enough the sensors wouldn't pick it up.
His fingers went back to their accustomed place at his keyboards. "I wasn't interruption anything was I? It took a lot longer than normal for you to pick up and you are wearing a bath robe at four thirty in the afternoon." He put on a silly grin that rivaled anything Ron could do.
"Grow up Wade!" Her tweak was rising, replacing the other emotions she had been feeling.
"Hey, I might have a doctorate, but I'm still just fifteen."
"What have you got?"
"I did some digging on the Tempus Simia, but it seems there isn't much to go on. The British Ministry of Antiquities logged out some into on it about four years ago…"
Ron peeked over Kim's shoulder, Wade taking mental note that he was wearing a robe as well, though he let it pass. "Let me guess, Monkey Fist!" He theorized.
"Good call, uh…Ron, could you belt up, please?"
"Oh, sorry." He said, closing his robe.
"Fist used his credentials as an archeologist to borrow some of the materials, then disappeared with them. Then the rest of the stuff just up and disappeared a month later too."
"So he went back and cleaned them out?" Kim asked.
"That's what I don't get. They just vanished without a trace. Nothing could be linked to Monkey Fist with the exception of the stuff he already had. I do have some good news, though!"
"You saved a bunch of money on your car insurance?" Ron asked, earning a glare from both Wade and Kim.
"No, I don't even have a car, and you wouldn't either if I hadn't replaced that worn out engine with a cold fusion drive like I put in Kim's car. I just wanted you to know GJ has put a full security detail on the museum until they can get permission to move the TS to a more secure location. We won't have to worry about the newlyweds making a try for the real one again."
Uh oh! Kim thought
"Wade, did you just say newlyweds?" Ron asked, a strange expression forming on his face.
"Yeah, didn't you hear?" His holograph was replaced with an image of a well known British tabloid. Most of the page was dedicated to gossip about the royal family, but a tiny article in the bottom corner announced the nuptials of a minor nobleman, one Lord Montgomery Fisk to an American scientist named Amy Hall.
Moments later Ron was on the floor, twitching and muttering, "Sick and wrong….Sick and wrong!" repeatedly.
"So it would seem she caught him after all!" Kim said, trying to sooth her fiancé.
"I guess I'll keep you two posted in case anything big comes up."
As soon as Wade said that Kim started giggling uncontrollably, earning her a confused look from Wade. Ron stopped mutter and perked up, looking back into the Kimmunicator's sensor, thoughts of the monkey marriage forgotten. "Right." Wade said just as it sunk in what he said that set the two of them off. "Oh, no, no, too much information! I'll see you guys later!" He punched out and the line went dead.
Kim put her bracelet back on the table, keying the privacy feature. Unless the world was about to explode or a horde of supervillains were spotted about to converge on their location an emergency call would be shunted to Tim, Jim or Joss.
"Where were we?" She asked in a sultry tone.
"I was about to put the pasta on to boil." Ron chirped.
"Ohhhhh! I'm not sure I really want a wet noodle." She said, dropping to her knees where he sat on the floor.
"Wedding night…wedding night." He repeated, Kim joining him in unison.
The design flaw of the cabin became apparent later as they settled down for the evening. The bedroom was on the second floor, well away from the fireplace and, despite flannel pajamas and a heavy comforter it was downright cold! Snuggling was insufficient and with a hot, crackling fire downstairs the quickly stripped the bed and set up camp right in front of it. After a full afternoon and early evening of making out, pushing their pledge almost to the breaking point, they were both exhausted. They fell asleep quickly, mutually deciding that bathing suits should be standard equipment when private Jacuzzi's were available in the future. The alternative was just too dangerous.
Ron woke up some time in the middle of the night. The first, despite being stoked up before they drifted off, had burned down to nothing but ash, leaving only the electric space heaters and their bodies to keep them warm. Kim was curled up beside him, snoring softly. He smiled to himself, wondering anew if he should tell her how badly she snored sometimes.
Outside the moon was waxing a quarter past new, casting just enough light to bathe the white blanketed landscape in a twilight glow. The very air seemed to be still, the silence of the winter night as chilling as the cooling temperatures of the cabin.
There was a stack of fire logs just outside the front door, along with a box of kindling and old newspapers. Shrugging, he knew he had no other choice. Either build a new fire or risk being really, really cold by morning. Borrowing Kim's bunny slippers he donned his old blue jacket and went outside, hoping he could bring enough in before catching a real chill.
It was as silent outside as it was indoors. Whatever night creatures were about must have decided it was too cold to do anything but hunker down and conserve warmth. He started picking out split logs when something made him look over his shoulder.
On the opposite side of the snow encrusted road, on a hill overlooking the chalet, stood a tall figure dressed entirely in black. It was too far away for him to make out any details in the partial moonlight but it seemed to be wearing some elaborate mask with tall spikes rising on each side.
Putting the logs down he took a few hesitant steps out into the snow and looked again. The dark figure was gone. Finally deciding that lack of sleep and exhaustion were playing tricks on him, he started collecting wood again.
He lifted his stack and turned to go inside.
The dark figure was standing barely twenty feet away from him. It was indeed wearing a masked helmet, the lower portion of the visor made to look like a stylized demonic grin. Its black cloak parted, revealing the rest of the ghoulish stranger. It appeared to be a man, standing over seven feet tall, not counting the spikes. In its hands was a curved sword resembling a Japanese Katana. Unlike the more familiar weapon, this one had strange runes carved into the lower blade.
It took a step toward Ron, the sword hand rising. The Gold carvings on the butt and guard glittering in the moonlight. Frightened beyond all reason Ron fell back in the snow, dropping the logs, which seemed to make no sound as they scattered around him. The dark figure raised the sword over his head as it approached, its left hand starting to glow with a nasty, purplish light. Not even able to scream, Ron scooted backwards until he hit the closed door. The sword came down in a blinding arc…
"KIM!"
Ron screamed, sitting up suddenly in their makeshift bed. The fire had burned low but was still radiating a pleasing warmth. Instantly awake, Kim put a hand on his shoulder.
Heedless of being dressed only in his pajama bottoms, Ron rushed to the front door, peering outside. Thick snowflakes fell from the dark sky, the moon unseen behind the thick storm clouds.
"Ron, what is it?" Kim reached him, wrapping her robe over her pajamas against the chill.
"I…I think it was just a dream."
"That sounded more like a nightmare!"
"Yeah, I guess so. That was so weird, like it was so real. There was this dude with a funky helmet on, dressed all in black, coming after me with a katana."
"Was it a ninja?"
"No, not a ninja…Oh my God! I just realized what he was wearing!"
"What?"
"It was a solid black Team Go uniform!"
"Team Go? Are you sure you just aren't mixing up familiar details in a dream? You didn't put any funny spices in the sauce, did you?"
"No, Kim. This was way too real. I could feel the cold air. I could hear his boots crunch in the snow. I could hear the sword cut the air."
"You're sure it wasn't just the lotus blade?"
"No, it was something different. It wasn't a normal katana. The details were a little off, like the grip was more like what you'd find on a European sword."
She guided him back inside, collecting a few logs to stoke up the dwindling fire. He was shivering and she somehow could tell it wasn't from the cold. Slowly she started to recall where she had seen an all-black Team Go uniform.
It was buried, deep in a grave!