KP – One Oh One: Part XXXIV – Over the River and All That Jazz

It almost seemed certain that she had overslept. The room just seemed too bright to be right. A quick look at the watch sitting on her side's nightstand confirmed it. It was eight thirty and their ride would be there in just under an hour. Mentally berating herself for not setting an alarm or leaving a wakeup call at the main desk, Kim scooted out of the ridiculously comfortable queen sized bed. Ron was still sound asleep himself, sleeping partly on his belly and, unusually, with his head turned away from her.

The night before they had crashed and crashed hard. They were in bed by ten and Kim barely got the words out of her mouth when she asked Ron if it was okay if they just plain went to sleep instead of their more accustomed kissing and cuddling when they got a chance to be together, before she realized he was already asleep himself.

She was pretty ragged when she came to bed herself and she must have really slept hard. Normally when he turned like that in the bed she would end up spooned with him. Was that what they had to look forward to in married life? Somehow she had been entertaining a rather romantic notion that they would spend all their nights cuddled together, even if it meant running an air conditioner to the breaking point to keep it cool enough at night. The reality was actually something else entirely. With the exception of a quick goodnight kiss after both of them got finished with their showers, they staked out their own portion of the bed and fell right to sleep. Then again, maybe that was because of the extra room in the larger bed.

It did tweak her just a little bit, though, that the one chance they had on this trip for some romance time got shot. Sure, she was ready for some good sleep that night, but she always figured they could get up at a reasonable hour in the morning and have some time together (at least once they each had a close encounter with a toothbrush.)

Now it was skip an extra shower (more to shampoo her hair than anything else) and raid the continental breakfast. That is, if she could even get Ron up. She already had her purple crop-top/shorts combo on and was running a brush through her tangled hair and he hadn't moved a muscle. Rufus was just a little pink blob at the foot of the bed, also contentedly snoring away. Granted, the little guy did sleep twenty hours a day, but ten and a half hours for Ron was more than enough.

She was about to yank the covers off of him and drag him out of the bed when she hesitated for a moment. He often told her how much he liked watching her sleep. She often wondered just what all that was about. Sure, she had taken the time to watch him on occasion, though, being quick to nod off when she wanted to catch forty winks, she didn't have as many opportunities as he did. Really, it would take her five minutes to pack all of their things and perhaps ten to snack on some pastries and a cup or two of coffee, careful there, Possible, remember what happened the last time you had that much before a long car ride! Slipping her sneakers on, she sat down cross-legged on the floor and just looked at him.

With the covers up over his shoulder, he looked much more like the younger Ron she had know for so long, the Ron who was just a touch shorter than her, with narrower shoulders. With his face mashed against the pillow she couldn't see that it was slightly leaner than it used to be, though he really could use a shave. His beard was just a shade more reddish than the rest of his hair, something she hadn't imagined before, especially since it really didn't start appearing until his final growth spurt. Vague memories of past dreams drifted back to her. One in particular she remembered him having a neatly trimmed Vandyke. She wasn't exactly sure if she liked him that way, but with the slight haze of fuzz it was easier to picture in the waking world.

Very lightly, she traced the trio of darker freckles on either side of his nose, then the lighter ones across it's bridge. It curled up slightly, as if she were about to trigger a sneeze. He settled down, but his eyes cracked open slightly and he looked right at her.

Kim leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek, disregarding the stubble. It was most def time for him to wake up, especially since he would have to take time to shave. There wasn't going to be any appearing at Nana's looking like a bum, Florida or no.

"Wake up, sleepy-head." She said musically.

"Can't we just sleep a little longer?" He stretched his arms underneath the pillows, burying his head even deeper.

She sat on the edge of the bed and put an arm over his waist. "Sorry, baby. We've already overstayed our welcome here. The long ride down to Fort Summerdell beckons."

"Aw man." He rolled onto his back and stretched again, pushing the covers partially off.

Kim blushed crimson, surprised at what he was wearing, or more accurately, what he wasn't wearing. He was already in bed when she got out of the shower and she had assumed he simply wore his boxers to bed. That didn't seem to be the case. Not that she minded, but she was a little surprised he would do that.

"Planning something and fell asleep on me there, loverboy?" She grinned and pulled the covers back up to his waist.

"Yipe." He took a quick look under the covers. "Sorry about that, KP. I was just cooling off from my shower and I guess I forgot."

"Uh huh." She was still grinning as she got up and pulled some clothes out of his bag, tossing them to the bed.

He finally took a look at his own watch. "Oh crud. I was hoping we'd be able to get some real food this morning."

Kim went back to the sink and started brushing her teeth, borrowing a page from Ron's playbook and watching in the mirror as he got up and dressed. It still seemed so odd that he was putting on a tank top and board shorts on Christmas Eve. They had their usual Christmas clothes with them, but past experience with South Florida weather pretty much ruled out thick pants and sweaters.

While Ron took his turn freshening up, she sat on the bed and flipped through the TV channels until she got to the Weather Watcher's Network and confirmed what she suspected. She didn't quite know if it was global warming or just an unusual warm snap, even for Sunny Florida, but their destination was calling for highs in the mid-eighties.

Ron wandered back into the main room and took precisely two minutes cramming his few belongings back into his bag. His hair was still a ragged mess, but that was perfectly normal for him and she absolutely loved him that way. She got up and put herself between him and the bag, wrapping her arms around his back, then gave him a proper good-morning kiss.

"Mmm." He broke away after a couple minutes. "Any way we can stall our ride?"

"Nope, sorry, Ronnie. Beggars can't be choosers I'm afraid."

"One of these first days I'm going to invent a toothpaste you can use before going to bed so you can have a kiss like that without having to stop and brush your teeth first."

"You do that and we won't have to wait for your Naco trust. You're not disappointed, are you?"

"About what?" He kneaded her waist, not quite ready to let her go.

"That we didn't make out last night."

"Nah. We've got our whole lives to do that. Besides, we've still got two more nights before we go back home and nothing's stopping us from getting some personal time then either. These college winter breaks are badical."

Kim sat down on the counter where their bags sat. "About the next couple nights…I have a feeling it's just going to be a goodnight kiss, and that's it. You remember how Dad is, don't you?"

"Yeah, but he's gotten pretty cool about us, especially since we 'officially' got engaged."

She pulled him close and nuzzled his freshly shaved cheek. "Dad has Mom running interference for us, plus he's known you almost your whole life, but where do you think he got his…standards from in the first place?"

"Well, that's okay. I pretty much figured I was going to be sleeping on the pull-out anyway, unless you want to get a room in a hotel while we're there."

Kim considered that for a moment. "I didn't think of that. Is that a good idea?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah. We can do that any time. Heck, you could just come over to my house if we want that. This trip isn't for us anyway, it's for Nana. If she wants to be old-fashioned about us while we're at her place, that's cool. Besides, if we got a room for ourselves, how would that be any different than us sleeping together at her place if she thinks it's wrong in the first place."

"You really have turned into the smart one. Have I told you that I love you today?"

"Well, I kinda took that kiss to mean that, but I do like hearing it. Oh, and I love you too." He pulled her close and kissed her again.

"Okay, next question. Do we stay up here until the last minute smacking lips or do we raid the breakfast table?" He asked, his nose barely a centimeter from hers.

"Well, this is nice, and we did have a big dinner once I got over my little episode, but I think there's somebody else we should consider." With that, she looked over at the bed where Rufus was still snoring contentedly.

"Rufus, what do you think, buddy? You wanna sleep in while we make out or do you want to eat?"

He perked his little head up, answering by cocking a tiny eye at the two of them as a way of saying "What do you think?" Finally, he sat up and squeaked "Cheese!"

"I think we're outvoted." Kim gave him one more quick kiss then turned to finish her own packing.

"Oh, KP, you told me to remind you."

"Right. Thanks." With that, she went over to the sink and filled a cup of water, taking a couple vitamins and another pill. As she came back, she leaned over the bed and gave Rufus a big kiss on top of his head, making him squirm uncomfortably. She just grinned as she shouldered her load.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Fenton." Kim said, glancing over at Ron, whose knuckles were turning white as he gripped the seat. The big silver recreational vehicle was careening down the interstate at a rate that almost gave her pause, if it weren't for the fact they were actually keeping pace with most of the traffic. Still, the ride was just erratic enough to worry her slightly.

"Think nothing of it, Miss Possible. It's the least I could do after you cut me and my wife out of that goo." The large man said as he concentrated intently on the road.

"No big, between my laser lipstick and the one your daughter has, that green stuff never stood a chance. This looks like out exit coming up."

He turned the wheel, almost skidding the vehicle as they turned down the ramp toward Fort Summerdell. Before long they were shooting down the main boulevard, the beach shops and restaurants rocketing by.

The place looked strange compared to the two times they had been there before. If it seemed slightly quieter during their vacation two summers ago, it was a veritable ghost town now. There were still a few people out on the beach, even a couple swimming, but most of the shops were closed, with metal gates rolled down on the storefronts and there were only a modest number of people strolling about. The place was just small enough and the weather just a touch too iffy to pull in the larger crowds some of the other resorts did. Perhaps that was one of the reasons a large number of retired people called the beach community home.

Chez Leisure was in the northern part of town, on the edge of a tidal pool that separated the majority of the resort from a sprawling everglades swamp. It wasn't as close to the beach as Kim would have liked, but the residents hadn't come there for that.

Kim was glad she had helped Ron pack as they unloaded the big vehicle. In the past he was prone to bring literally everything but the kitchen sink. They were only going to be away from home for three nights, so all they really needed was some clothing. Even at that, they did bring more than they would actually need, but the time of year forced them to bring clothes for a much broader range of weather conditions. The forecast for home was projecting snow on Christmas day, so it would do for them to step off the plane at Middleton Airport wearing the light clothes they had on that day.

As the RV sped off, they were left alone on the sidewalk for a couple minutes. Finally Ron gave Kim a questioning glance.

"We got here about an hour earlier than we expected. Besides, if Nana's hip is bothering her, maybe she doesn't want to be moving around so very much. Come on, honey, we know which bungalow is hers. We'll surprise her." She picked up her bags and slung the straps over her shoulders.

Ron did the same, then surprised her by taking her bags as well. Kim normally didn't go for that particular brand of chivalry, preferring to carry her own load, but she quickly realized he was doing it more for her grandmother's benefit, having been previously exposed to her old fashioned streak.

As they walked up to her cottage, she noticed a trio of fairly large, older men sitting together at a picnic table. They seemed to take special note of the couple as they walked past, though they quickly turned their attention to whatever they had been doing before as they reached the door.

She rang the doorbell herself since Ron was struggling with virtually all of their luggage save for her toiletries bag. They waited a minute or so, exchanging worried glances until they heard movement inside. Finally the door opened and Kim was swept into a big hug.

"Kimberly Anne, Ronald, you don't know how happy it make me the two of you could come down here to see me for the holidays." She finally let her go and drew Ron into a big hug of his own, despite the heavy load draped on his shoulders. It almost pulled him off his feet. "Come inside, come in, before the two of you catch your death."

They followed her in and Ron finally was able to temporarily put his burden down on the living room couch, which he pretty much figured was going to be his home for the next two nights.

"Your Mother has sent me the nicest pictures of you two. I'm so happy for you." She pulled out a handy stack of photos that Kim's Mom had printed out. There were enough there that if she hadn't been using a high capacity digital camera on Thanksgiving Day she would likely have gone broke having the film processed.

Kim had already seen the pictures a dozen times, but humored Nana as she went through them. When she got to the one of Ron down on his knee, she lingered there for quite some time. "You know, I should really have this one enlarged so I can have it framed. The two of you make the loveliest couple."

She finally put the photos back on the foyer desk and took a good look at the two of them. "Kimberly Anne, I'm surprised at you, wearing such clothing in the middle of winter."

"Nana, it's eighty degrees outside…and this is the same outfit I wore when we helped you move in here."

"That was late spring, dear. Now this is Fort Summerdell, not that other place to the south. Really, if it's so warm then you should wear a sun dress. Like that lovely green dress I sent for you a while back. I was just dying to see the class pictures of you wearing it."

Kim smiled sheepishly. "They…didn't turn out too well."

Ron's grin was a little wider. "I think they monkeyed around with the film that day, Nana, but I'm sure we can get another picture of Kim wearing it." Automatically his hand came to rest on Kim's waist, right above the band of her purple shorts.

"Ron!" Kim growled under her breath, just low enough that Nana's hearing aid wouldn't pick it up. "I am so not wearing that outfit."

If Nana had been trying to hear what they were saying she didn't show it. Instead her eyes came to rest on something else. Specifically, Ron's hand on Kim's bare flesh.

"Now, that's enough of that. The two of you aren't married yet, you know."

Ron's hand drew back as if it were shocked. He exchanged a glance with Kim.

I warned you, she thought at him.

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