Thanks to Zaratan, BayBee Kay, and MrDrP (I'll try to post warning signs in the future)
Disclaimer: This story is based upon characters created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney. If you recognize the characters, they aren't mine. I will never make any money from this.
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Ron walked slowly out of the elevator and down the hall to his room. He unlocked the door with his card key, but the door wouldn't open more than a few inches. The ball latch was attached.
"Go away," Kim called from inside. She was crying.
"Kim," Ron pleaded.
"I said, 'Go away'!" something struck the door.
Ron shut the door. He couldn't even change his clothes.
Ron leaned against the wall next to the door. Why was he concerned about clothes? His marriage was over. He had ruined everything between him and the best friend he had ever had.
He sat down there, numb while Rufus patted his cheek. Time went by unnoticed.
A red shirt came by, "You need to clear the hall, sir"
"It's all my fault," Ron told him.
"Please get to your room, sir."
Dar Nedvar stepped up, "Whoa, Ron. You okay?"
"It's over, Ned," Ron said blankly.
Ned waived off the security man. "Yeah, the police took away that weird hairy guy."
As the red shirt was leaving, Ron looked at Ned's half-masked face, "Kim hates me."
Ned was taken aback, "No way! She loves you!"
Rufus gibbered something indicating that he agreed with Ned.
Ned pulled Ron to his feet. "C'mon, you can crash in my room for a while."
"Thanks, Nedder."
"Yeah, good thing I stayed up for the Tolkienthon."
Ron lay out on the extra bed in Ned's room. He was asleep almost immediately.
Ron woke up with Ned an inch from his face.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!"
For a fleeting instant, Ron was feeling murderous.
Rufus was shaking one paw up at Ned, gibbering angrily.
Ron slowly sat up; surprised his head was not hurting. Then he remembered the pain in his heart. The one he put there. But what made him feel worse was the pain he'd given Kim.
"C'mon, Ron there's not much time!" Ned pulled him off the bed.
"For what?"
"I arranged for a wake up call in your room at 6am." Ned let Ron lean on the wall while he got a glass of water from the bathroom sink. "That's in ten minutes!"
Ron was almost awake. He found a glass of water in his hand and took a drink. It was cool and made him a little more alert. "So?"
"So, if you go back to your room now, Kim has to meet you in the hall when she comes out." Ned looked seriously at Ron, "Whatever's wrong, you guys need to talk."
Ron beamed, "Ned, when did you get so good at marriage counseling?"
Ned grinned, "I have been studying the male-female interaction." He picked up a book entitled, 'When Mars and Venus Collide'. "I hope to find a suitable female with whom to test my new knowledge."
Ron cocked his head, "Do you remember Zita?"
Ron made his way quickly to the hall outside Kim's room. He wasn't sure if he would hear the phone ring inside from the hall. He didn't hear a ring. Either he arrived after the call or it wasn't audible. Kim should take a little while to get dressed. She might go back to sleep. Six in the morning is a little early to be up at a con. He could be there a while.
After waiting a half hour, Ron thought of trying the door again. It's probably still latched. If it is, the sound of opening the door would set Kim off, replaying that awful scene from last night. Ron wasn't sure he could take that. But it was no worse than what he'd put Kim through. More importantly, Kim was worth it.
Ron stood up and slipped the card key in as quietly as he could. The door unlocked as expected. He tried opening it slowly, quietly. It was unlatched!
Ron stepped into a room lit only by the dawn creeping through curtained windows. Kim was sitting on the foot of the bed, staring at the floor.
Rufus
jumped out of Ron's tunic, opened a drawer, lay down on some shirts and went
back to sleep.
Ron
hesitated briefly. When Kim didn't move, he carefully sat down next
to her.
"Took you long enough," she didn't look up.
"You told me to leave," Ron said, confused.
"The wake up call was pretty obvious," Kim turned her head slightly away.
"That was Ned's idea."
She looked at him in surprise, "Ned?"
Ron nodded, "He let me crash with him too." He wanted to hold her and console her. That was his role in times like this. This time was different though. He was the problem. "Kim, I can't change what I did, but I would."
Kim rolled her eyes, "Yeah, where's that flying monkey when we actually need it?"
Ron shook his head, "It doesn't work that way anyhow. It doesn't change anything, really. It," he struggled to relate the concept, "moved me to a place where history is different. Sure, the rest of the world was different, but I was the same."
Kim looked at the mirror dreamily, "Like the two rooms."
"Sensei explained to you too?"
"I was sitting right here!" Kim said impatiently. Then she rethought and half-frowned, "Sorry, wrong Ron."
"It's okay. I should have realized that you would hear it just like Zita did."
The atmosphere became heavy again at the mention of her name. They sat quietly, without moving. Without looking at each other.
"Ron?" She said softly.
"Yeah, KP?" He answered hopefully, not wanting to make much noise for some reason.
"You didn't plan this – this 'switch'?"
"No." He was firm but still sounded guilty.
"You didn't know if you'd be back?"
"Not for sure."
"Over there, she's your wife."
"Ron's wife," he said noting the distinction, though he nodded.
"You know, if he had stayed longer, I would have."
Ron looked into her eyes, her own guilt showed, but the sadness and disappointment were still dominant. "But you didn't," he took hold of her hand. "At least, he was still me. Zita's a whole different person."
"But she was your wife," Kim said slowly.
"For a day," Ron stressed. Then he came to a realization. He squinted on eye as he looke at Kim, "Who's arguing whose side?"
Kim smiled weakly and squeezed his hand, "I forgive you, Ron."
-
I will always prefer a happy ending.
I hope it wasn't too contrived.
Epilogue soon.
