Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible. Only the story is mine.

Chapter 16: Night of Miracles, Night of Sorrow
Ron has been missing now for almost a month. He had been kidnapped from his wedding, before he even got the chance to marry his one true love. Kim was devastated beyond words. She had barely eaten or left the house for a week after his kidnapping by the fraudulent converts. True to his word Monkey Fist had sent a message that they were not to try and find Ron, but that after a period he would be released. As a gesture of goodwill he sent accompanying the message a still picture of Ron lying in a hospital bed seemingly awake and alert, even smiling just for his beloved Kim. Ron had even convinced his captors to allow him to write her a letter.

My dearest KP,

Don't worry about me. I will get through this, somehow. Follow their instructions and I will come back to you. I don't know how, but I will get back. Be strong in that your love brought me back to you once before. It will again, I promise. Keep that fire in your heart burning bright to light the way back to you, so that I can follow it home.

When I get back I still look forward to your becoming my wife. If you still want to. I can't guarantee what kind of condition I will be in, but just to hold your hand again, that would be the best medicine I could take.

If I don't make it back, know that I will always love you, and that we will be together again in that place where no shadows fall. My love for you will spring eternal. I love you Kim.

Your soon to be husband, Ron

Kim had fallen into a deep depression at the loss of her fiancée. Monique and Felix had tried everything they could think of to get her to even smile, but all met with failure. Girls from the cheer squad would walk home with Kim every day after school trying to keep her engaged mentally as well as physically.

Today Bonnie brought her home, sans Brick. He seemed to be around less and less lately. Maybe Bonnie thought having him along would only remind Kim that Ron was still missing. "Come on Kim you have to keep the hope alive. " Bonnie tried to keep the mood up-tempo. "He wouldn't appreciate it if I let you mope so much. Have you talked to Wade today?"

"I call him first thing in the morning when I get up, then at lunch, and finally after dinner to see if there had been any news." Kim's face fell as did Bonnies' as the next truth revealed itself. "Bonnie we haven't heard anything from them in nearly four weeks. It's as if they fell of the face of the earth. And the doctors said Ron… Ron…," Bonnie put her arm around her trying to lessen the pain. "Ron only had weeks left to live. Even with the most optimistic outlook he already is…"

"Don't you even think that thought Possible!" Bonnie had a fire in her eyes. "Ron said he would find a way back to you, and he has always kept his promises to you, always."

"I know Bonnie, but there comes a time when you have to face reality."

"Having faith is more important than reality, you know that. How many times did Ron rescue you not because of reality, but on faith that you could do anything. Kim, school's out for Christmas break, so try and look for the miracle; this is the season for it. This is Ron's favorite season, live it for him."

The Stoppables had invited Kim and her family over for Hanukah celebrations in hopes of getting Kim to break out of her depression and rejoin the world. Even though the wedding never took place, both of the mothers regarded Kim and Ron as already part of their families. Kim broke into tears when Mr. Stoppable asked Kim to take Ron's place in lighting the candles of the menorah. Both families broke into tears when as she lit the candles she had asked God to return Ron to her side.

It's now Christmas Eve and Kim and her family are going to the service at their church. Kim was stunned when the pastor asked her to sing for the congregation. 'Of all the songs to be asked, why did it have to be Silent Night?' the very song that had plagued her right up until the talent show.

She had been ready to decline but relented.

"Kim, please, Ron had faith in you to sing this. Do it for him." His mother requested hugging her tightly.

Kim sang with a hopeful heart, spirits lifted as she poured all her emotions out through her voice. As she finished she turned back to the large stained glass window brilliantly illuminated from the exterior lights. Kneeling down, silently she prayed again for the safe return of her beloved.

As the service was drawing to a close the minister was thanking everyone for coming before the closing prayer when the doors at the rear of the sanctuary burst open. Hesitantly a familiar figure worked her way forward through the central aisle, Shego.

Kim jumped from her seat with a fire in her eyes and pain in her heart. "Shego," she spat. "You have a lot of nerve coming back here. Let's just go outside so I can do what I have been waiting for so long to do."

"Princess, just give us a minute to do what we came here to do, then we will take up our issues, OK?" as she continued forward, stopping several feet in front of Kim. Shego turned and motioned to as yet unseen accomplices.

"Us?" Kim's anger grew as each face revealed itself to her sight. Monkey Fist, Drakken, the Senior's, DN Amy, and Killigan entered the chapel carrying a stretcher. A stretcher which carried all her hopes and fears, Ron. The look on their faces told her the story, something was terribly wrong.

"We didn't mean for this to happen Kimmie," Tears began to stream down Shego's face as she locked her eyes on the floor. "When Drakken got the blood sample from Ron he sent it off to DN Amy. He thought that with her knowledge in genetics she would be able to come up with a cure in no time. He got word from her a couple of days before the wedding she had done it. We set up the kidnapping to be sure she would have time needed to get her treatment in place. We were sure that if we asked him he would have turned us down wanting to be married before any attempt was made to help him. That's all we wanted to do, to help him like he helped us."

Kim wanted to run to him, but her feet wouldn't move. Her heart begged to go to him, but her mind held fast for fear he was already gone. She watched transfixed as they drew nearer. Gently they placed the stretcher down and stood back a short ways from him with ashen faces, every one.

Monkey Fist took over the story. "Kim Possible, for years Ron Stoppable and I have fought, and we have each had our share of victories and defeats, he has always done both with honor and dignity. I must as a true warrior acknowledge this about my adversary to maintain my own honor. I know he was on his way to offer Amy and me an amnesty as he had done with most of my colleagues here. He never would have made it in his condition, so we took it upon ourselves to try and cure him of his affliction."

DN Amy stepped forward. "I took up the task of curing him. I thought I had the treatment worked out. All of my simulations showed it would work. The cure was to have taken three to four weeks to run its course, at the end of which he would have been in as good a health as if he had never been sick."

Drakken put his hand on Amy's shoulder in an act of solace. "If you want to blame anyone it should be me. I was the one who set this up. It was me who sent the sample. It was me who betrayed you both. I am ready to accept what ever punishment that you feel is justified, anything you want."

Kim was speechless. They had wanted to cure him in repayment for his generosity towards them. They had done all they could believing they had found the answer. Now they were willing to accept punishment for their failure. Was this Ron's special gift, the ability to look beyond what someone was to what they could be. Always seeing the good even in the worst.

"Is he…?" Kim took a tentative step toward the stretcher.

"No young lady, he is still alive, though just barely." The Senior Senior spoke up. "Never in my life have I seen such a strong will in someone so young. I would believe it was his love for you that kept him alive for this long."

Mrs. Dr. Possible wove her way through the crowded aisle of villainy. She knelt down and began to check Ron's vitals. She was checking his pulse when an iron hand gripped her arm. Slowly Ron opened his eyes looking rather tired.

"Mrs. Dr. P, as much as I enjoy staring at pretty redheads, I would really like to be staring at your daughter." The corner of his mouth curled up grinning. "Please?"

"Kimmie? Would you come here please? There is somebody here who misses you."

She maintained a wary eye as she stepped closer to her mother. Carefully, Shego, her one time nemesis, backed away slowly. Kim leaned down and looked into those hazel eyes that held so much of her soul. With unsure hands she reached out and stroked his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin, she collapsed against him and buried her head into his chest. Tears flowed as he stroked her hair gently.

"Kimmie…" Her mother touched her shoulder, "We need to get Ron to a hospital where we can check him over."

"Sorry Dr. P, if I am not going to make it, I want to do it with Kim by my side." He glanced up at her with pleading eyes. "Not in a hospital, but at home or at your place, only with Kim. She is owed that much at least."

She looked down at her daughter sobbing into the chest of her fiancée. "Ok Ronald, we will take you to our house if it is OK with your parents. I want to be close by if something should happen."

The police had arrived and been about to take them into custody. All at once the villains had held out their wrists and waited to be cuffed. Ron convinced the police to allow his friends to remain in his charge. They all promised, and Ron swore on his life that they would be available to the authorities when the time came. Kim walked solemnly beside Ron never releasing his hand as his converts carried him out, still in the stretcher. Shego was on the verge of tears when, as he passed by, Ron reached out and tenderly patted her hand, his way of saying, 'I will always believe in you, always'.

Before they were to exit the church Ron called out to put him down, he would walk out under his own accord. All protested but his perseverance won out. He stood on wobbly legs and stepped carefully out into the cold night air. Ron had almost fallen as he made his way down the steps to the Possible van, but the save was made in true Kim fashion, catching him before he contacted the frozen walk. Being stood back upright he looked into her face knowing that being at her side was the only place he had ever truly been happy.

The ride back to Kim's home had been quiet. Kim snuggled closely not wanting to allow too much distance between her and Ron. Drakken, Shego, and DN Amy had accompanied them back at Mrs. Possibles request. The rest of the entourage had gone with the Stoppables and with any luck would visit on Christmas morning.

Kim had helped Ron into the family room as her mother took the well meaning trio into the kitchen for some impromptu medical Q&A. She helped him get seated on the couch in front of the fireplace to help keep him warm and went to retrieve an afghan from a closet. Her face wretched in terror as she returned with the blanket. Ron's head was laid back on the back of the couch and his arms hung limp at his side. Kim let out a low gasp and a sob as she reached out for his hand.

"I'm OK, KP. I'm just really tired." His head rose and with a smile "I wouldn't leave you without first telling you goodbye."

"Ron you scared me…" she cried.

"Sorry KP, I have just been getting fatigued quicker since they started the therapy." His face took on a sullen and serious look. "KP. There are some things we need to talk about."

"Like what Ron?" her voice suddenly becoming a whisper.

"The wedding for one, but we should get this in the open now." Ron took a deep breath and took her hands in his own trembling hands. "Kim, I have less than a week left. The treatment didn't work like it should have."

Kim sat there with eyes wide in disbelief. "It… didn't work? You're…still…going to… NO." She moved to stand, the anger in her eyes. Attempting to take out her fury on the doctors gathered in the kitchen. She made a move toward the kitchen but found she was rooted to the spot. Ron had his arms wrapped around her, not letting her go.

"Kim." He whispered in her ear. "Don't make it out like this, they did try to save me. Just because they couldn't save me is no reason to take it out on them. They tried to help, not every rescue attempt we made went right all the time either." Slowly he turned her around till she faced him in the eye. "Don't become the embodiment of vengeance, the same we have fought all these years. Let it go."

He pulled her closer as the tears stained her cheeks. Holding her tightly as her body shook, sobbing into his shoulder.

"How long Ron?" Kim asked between sniffs. Her mind had been such a torrent, she barely remembered coming home.

Ron only stroked her hair, making soothing sounds into her ear.

She pulled back and asked again more forcefully this time. "How long."

Ron closed his eyes not wanting to see the hurt look in her eyes. "One week maybe less. But no more than a week."