Kim Possible regained consciousness yet again, her mind simply unable to take in the stimuli it had been exposed to so far today. First, Ron had tried to kill her, then he had saved her life, all after failing to show up at home as promised or even write to her for two days. Kim fully expected to wake up at home in her own bed, discovering the entire incident to be nothing more than the product of too many Nacos before bed.

She came to, instead, to see a familiar warm face looking down upon on her with almost hysterical concern.

"KP, are you ok? Can you hear me? Quick, how many freckles do I have?" Ron asked frantically.

Kim leapt up to her feet, her mind still fogged with confusion and panic, as she backed away from Ron in fear.

"G-get away from me!"

"KP, it's ok, it's me. Ron. The Ron-man. You know, sidekick extraordinaire, inventor of the Naco, teen heart throb to…" Ron did a quick tally with his fingers "… one."

"You're not you!" Kim was almost in hysterics.

"I'm not?" Ron asked.

"You're under some kind of Shego mind control." Kim accused.

"I am?"

"Or you've gone completely insane."

"I have?" Ron paused for a moment, before responding. "You know I gotta say, this is not quite the home coming I was expecting."

"You… you're gone for months, and then you say you're coming back, and I don't get another card or anything, then you nearly strangle me and throw me out of a plane and…" Kim's words were traveling at a mile a minute. At this rate, she was sure to pass out all over again. Moving swiftly but calmly up to her, Ron placed one hand on her arm to catch her, while his other hand moved up to caress her face, silencing her in an attempt to slow her breathing.

"KP, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but it's me. I'm me. I'm not under any mind control, I most definitely was not any plane just now, and I have missed you so much." Ron's voice was calm, soothing, gentle, and hinted at just as much pain as Kim had been in this last week. Ron's touch drew a fresh tear down the side of Kim's cheek.

"God Ron, I don't even know what's going on anymore. I feel like I'm loosing my mind; I don't know what to say, I don't even know what to think."

For a brief moment, there was silence, neither knowing what to say or how to verify themselves to each other.

In the end, a rather simple solution presented itself.

Ron pulled Kim close, their lips meeting in an entire summer of desire and longing, the entire world fading around them, being replaced only by the all encompassing sensation of each other. In an instant, all doubt was shattered. This was him. This was her Ron. Whoever that imposter was, she would kick his butt later and savor every minute of it. But for right now, she had more pressing concerns.

Kim's arms moved of their own accord around the back of Ron's neck even as his own arms moved around her waist. Kim's knees went weak at his delicate touch, her muscles melting at the very scent of him. Yet she would not move away, she would not release hold of him, not for the world. Fortunately, she didn't have to, as she felt his arm move down and lift her legs up while his other hand supported her upper back, holding her slender figure in his caring grip, affording her to wrap her arms all the tighter around him.

Finally, the limitations of the human lung and the physical need for oxygen forced the two of them back to draw breath, yet their faces did not separate more than an inch the whole time as they continued to share a longing stare, their foreheads pressed against one another.

"Hey, handsome. Love the new hair." Kim whispered; a wide smile permanently etched into her face.

"Hey, gorgeous. Thanks." Ron replied in an equally hushed tone with an equally wide grin.

For a moment longer, the two lost themselves in the other's eyes, before finally speaking again.

"Ron, do you want to put me down now?"

"Honestly, not really." Ron smiled, leaning in once again for another kiss, loosing himself in the soft feel of her lips, the gentle brush of her hair over his face, before finally releasing her and lowering her to her feet.

Kim took a step back to take a look at him in his new garb. "I guess a summer in Japan really does the Ron wonders, huh?" Kim admired his new appearance, overwhelmed at how much he had changed. He still bore the same goofy smile over his face, and she even counted the same number of freckles on the sides of his face, but so much else seemed new. His hair was much longer now, combed back, though it blew freely in the wind. Ron also looked like he added quite a few pounds, and not an ounce of it was fat. His somewhat doughy physique seemed to have completely evaporated, replaced by a hard line body that seemed more befitting of a professional athlete. Legs, arms, chest, all now much more solid and defined than before. Kim tried to hide her blush. She found herself freely admitting that she could definitely get used to the new look.

"Oh you know how it is, KP. A few sit ups before breakfast, lunch and dinner, a couple dozen back flips before bed and shattering wooden planks with your arms every day in between classes, and before you know it…" Ron left his sentence unfinished, modeling his own physique to complete his thought.

"Hmm. I'll have to give it a try sometime." Kim mused.

"You kiddin? You're already way spankin as it is. Besides, we're talking ancient Japanese secret stuff here KP. Classified to the extreme degree. Can't just share with anyone you know." Ron beamed almost smugly, pretending to look off into the distance.

"Pwease, not even for me Ronnie." Kim's voice took on a low tone as she released the most devastating, most horrific weapon known to mankind.

"Oh no! Not the Puppy Dog Pout. No, that's not fair!" Ron protested as he covered his eyes, determined at all costs to keep them sealed till Armageddon if necessary.

"Oh come on Ron. You know you can share with me." Kim continued to pout mockingly, yet Ron would not relent.

"No. Nonononononononono. I'm not hearing this, and I am not looking. Lalalalalalalala!" Ron shouted desperately into the air, trying to block out all else but the sound of his own voice.

Kim shot him an insidious glance. She didn't care how much time he'd spent away, he would not defy the Puppy Dog Pout. Suddenly, a devious grin crossed her face.

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed suddenly as a sharp pinch bit him smack in the butt. Ron turned around to protest, only to find himself smack in the path of the most crushing Pout ever.

He never had a chance.

"Ok, ok. I'll give you a spare lesson sometime." Ron relented, truly defeated.

"Yay! Thank you, Ron." Kim replied sweetly, giving him a light peck on the cheeks.

"One of these days, I'm going to figure out a way past that." Ron swore.

"Not in your lifetime, Stoppable." Kim replied confidently. "Now come on, let's get off this roof. There's someone at home who's been almost as anxious as me to see you again."

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"Ronald! Come in, please. We didn't know you were home already." Mrs. Possible exclaimed excitedly as she opened her front door to the young man waiting outside.

"Oh gee, thank you Mrs. Possible." The figure responded somewhat weakly as he entered the Possible residence, struggling to conceal his awe at its splendor.

"Oh Ronald, I know you've been gone for a while, but that's no reason to be so formal."

The young man could feel the elder Possible's gaze upon him, judging him, evaluating him. "Uh, sorry…. Mrs. P?"

"That's better." Ron let out a brief sigh as she turned away. "So tell me, when did you get back to town? Kimmie is going to be so excited to see you again; she hasn't been the same since you left. I'm so sorry she couldn't be here personally to welcome you back."

"Well, don't worry Mrs. P; I'm sure she'll be dropping in sooner or later, somewhere or other. In the meantime, do you mind if I just wait up in her room?" Ron asked, desperate to end this conversation before he blew his cover.

"Of course. But be careful, I think Jim and Tim are rewiring their old toy trucks, so watch your step."

Ron shot Mrs. Possible a questioning look, but then decided not to press the issue. Instead, he headed unsteadily up the stairs, still so overwhelmed by the wholesomeness of the Possible house. "Guess her old man actually found someone willing to pay for his science in this world."

Ron eventually came to the door leading up to Kim's loft. Though he had never been in this house, he eventually decided on the door with the autographed O Boys poster on the front as being a safe bet. The door opened back to reveal a room filled with teenage paraphernalia, assorted trophies, pictures, and the like.

He quickly began his search, tearing through cabinets, shelves, drawers, her closet. Clothes were thrown into the air with reckless abandon, picture frames were turned upside down, her bed sheets were tossed to the floor, all as Ron continued his search, looking for something he wouldn't recognize until he found it.

As Ron tore through the room, the clutter and noise caused the stirring of a certain naked mole rat, slumbering peacefully on Kim's night stand. Rufus groggily rose, whipping the sleep from his eyes, before finally looking at the cause of the commotion.

"RON!" Rufus exclaimed with delight, leaping from his resting place, right on top of Ron's shoulder, throwing his arms as far around his neck as they would go.

"Eww, gross. Scram you little rodent." Ron replied, casually slapping the pink figure from his shoulder to the floor.

Rufus hit the floor with only a light thud, immediately scampering up to Ron with a hurt look on his face as he tugged at his pant leg. As he did, Rufus sniffed the young man's clothing.

"Hey! Fake." Rufus announced, shaking his tiny paw and shouting obscenities in an indecipherable tongue at the figure before him.

"Oh for god's sake." At this, Ron kicked out with his foot, knocking the mole rat clear across the room, straight into the wall, leaving him to slide slowly down to the floor, unconscious.

Ron walked over, picking the helpless creature up by the tail.

"Dear lord, now I remember why I flushed this stupid rat down the toilet when I was six in the first place." Suddenly, a cruel smile crossed Ron's face as he moved across the room with his helpless hostage dangling by the tail. "You know, if my 'twin' ever does get home, he'll probably thank me for this."

However, Ron was stopped dead in his tracks, even dropping his dangling prisoner to the floor, as his ears tracked the sound of knocking coming all the way from the front door of the house.

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"Kimmie, you're back. You're never going to believe who just got home." Mrs. Possible exclaimed with the look of pride that can only be found on the face of a parent who knows something that their child does not.

"Mom, you're never going to guess what happened to me today." Kim began speaking almost the same time as her mother did.

"Ron's home!" The two announced to each other in unison. "Wait, he is?" They asked.

"Uhh, mom. Are you saying Ron is here right now?" Kim asked, a concern growing more apparent in her voice.

"Of course he is. He's upstairs in your room." Mrs. Possible stated, becoming more and more confused by her daughter's reaction. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"Because Ron is right here next to me." Kim motioned to her side, where sure enough, Ron Stoppable had been waiting patiently.

"Hey, Mrs. Dr. P." Ron waved, a wide smile on his face.

"Ronald!" Mrs. Possible's voice took on the tone of someone who had just seen a ghost. "I-I thought you had decided to cut your hair really short."

Both Kim and Ron looked at each in worry, then up the stairs, just in time to see the other Ron Stoppable descending them with the look of a burglar caught in the act.

"Aww hell." The short-cut Ron exclaimed. Moving quickly, he grabbed a family portrait hanging off the wall to his side and hurled it at the threesome.

Kim and Ron acted quickly, grabbing Mrs. Possible by the shoulders and ducking her out of the way of the flying projectile as it went straight over their heads, right out the door, to smash harmlessly on the sidewalk outside.

"Honey, did something just break out here?" Mr. Dr. Possible had just come out into the family room to investigate the crashing sound of the portrait only to find himself faced with a visual puzzle.

Two Ron Stoppables, one to his right, over by the doorway, crouched over alongside his daughter and wife, his hair much longer, dressed in his usual clothes, and the other to his left, standing atop the stairs, his hair much shorter, dressed in black pants and a tight shirt.

"Dad, look out!" Kim's warning came too little, too late, as the Ron from atop the stairs leapt over the railing, moving up to and behind the elder Possible of the house, his left hand quickly grabbing the rocket scientist's arm and twisting it behind his back while the other hand grabbed the father's neck, chocking it hard, eliciting a gasping sound from him.

"You know, I don't care how many times I manage to get my hands around your dad's neck, it always feels just as satisfying as the first time I did it." The buzz cut Ron announced as Kim and the other Ron moved to block his path out.

"Wow, I really am a bad boy." The long haired Ron exclaimed at the sight of his twin.

"Oh god, I really am a loser." The other Ron sighed at the sight of his.

"Let him go." Kim commanded firmly to the shorted haired Ron. "This is between you and me."

"Oh, it was never just between you and me, Kimmie-cub. Daddy dearest here always managed to get himself in the way, didn't you." Ron asked his helpless hostage with a snarl on his face, before turning back to Kim. "Come on, you must be a smart girl, do the math here. Can you get to me before I snap his neck? Are you really that fast in this world?"

"I am." Ron answered firmly and confidently.

For once, all eyes on the room turned to the long haired Ron to see him focusing intently on his twin and his hostage.

"Ronald…" Mr. Possible managed to gasp.

"I can stop you before you hurt him. I can disable you and free him in exactly one move. And your odds don't look so good from there." Ron's gaze locked permanently with his double.

"Ron, are you sure?" Kim asked uneasily, her gaze still focusing on her father and the intruder in her home.

"Trust me KP. I can do this."

For a moment, there was tense silence, the new Ron unsure as to his next move.

Then, a tiny roar shattered the room. Buck teeth and pink furry dove screaming through the air, landing on the short haired Ron's shoulder, the teeth digging in with fearsome power and rage.

As the short haired Ron screamed out in pain, the original took his moment to act. In a swift motion, too quick to follow, Ron drew a shuriken from his pocket and let it fly. The oriental weapon moved cleanly through the air before digging straight into the hand drawn tight around Mr. Possible's neck.

The other Ron screamed again in dual pain, his grip failing as the rocket scientist once again tasted unrestricted air.

Kim and Ron moved together in perfect unison, Kim moving to tackle her father out of the way, as Ron dove straight for his double.

"Hi daddy. Uhmm, Ron's home." Kim explained meekly as her father struggled to regain his breath.

"So I noticed." The father Possible rubbed his neck painfully, allowing Kim to look up.

The two Rons were a fury of martial arts as they battled within the Possible family living room. Attack, deflect, counter attack, block, back and forth, one and then the other. Kim mused that this must have been what it was like to watch her and Shego do battle.

Glass shattered, a side tabled splintered, and still the two battled on. Finally, a break arose in the fight. The short haired Ronald kicked out at his double, only to have his foot caught squarely by his 'twin's' hands. Lifting up and out with his strength, the original Ron swung his double around and around before letting go, sending him flying straight through the living room window and out onto the front lawn, carrying shards of glass with him.

"Whoops." Ron let out as he realized what he had just done.

"Come on Ron, we can't let him get away." Kim rushed up to the window, but saw nothing more than shattered glass on the front lawn. There was no sign of the other Ron. He was gone.

Ron was not surprised. He recognized his twin's fighting technique. There was only one place, on this Earth anyway, that taught that fighting style and if his double was even half the master his fighting prowess suggested, they wouldn't find him for the rest of the night, unless he wanted to be found.

There was another minute of awkward silence as the two parents looked around at the shattered remains of their living room.

"So Ronald." Mr. Possible's voice was still a little scratchy, but it immediately brought Ron to attention, carrying all of its formal force. "You know how I feel about rough-housing within the house."

"Uhh, yes sir. Sorry sir." Ron apologized weakly, hoping and praying he wasn't about to get in trouble again so soon after coming home.

"However, since you are going to help clean up this mess, I suppose we can over look it this one time."

"I am? Uhh, I mean, I am. Yes sir." Ron affirmed as realization slowly dawned on him.

"And since you are going to be helping out, I suppose you'll have to stay for dinner too." A wry smile drew across Dr. Possible's face as he called upstairs. "Jim. Tim. Come set the table, and be sure to set an extra place, Ronald will be joining us tonight."

A look of confusion crossed Ron's face as he turned to Kim.

"What just happened?"

However, before Kim could answer, a familiar chattering could be heard coming from near Ron's foot.

"Rufus!"

Ron picked up the naked mole rat, drawing him close to his cheek as the two shared a deep, closed eyed smile.

"Welcome home, Ron." Kim's voice was warm and soft as she leaned in to share in this tender moment.

"We're coming, we're coming, we're… whoa. Look at this mess." Jim exclaimed from atop the stairs.

"We didn't do it!" Tim insisted.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Dude, do you have any idea what you're doing with that thing?" Brick Flag asked as his buddy stood over the smoking form of their car's engine.

"No clue." The other admitted, as he stepped back, using his hand to try and wave the smoke out of his face.

"Perhaps I might be of some assistance, gentlemen." A voice came from behind. Both Brick and his friend turned around in time to see a tall, brown haired man in a lab coat walking up to their car.

"Uhh, yeah sure. Thanks dude."

"Not at all." The man assured them. The two just looked at each other in confusion, then back over to the figure as he examined the engine block before him. "Hmm, yes, no problems. I think I can get you boys up and running again in no time."

"Really, ha that'd be awesome." Brick exclaimed.

"Indeed. By the way, could I trouble you boys for a ride into town? I'm afraid I'm rather without transportation myself." The man explained politely.

"Oh, sure thing. No problem, Mr.…?"

"Doctor, actually. Dr. Andrew Lipsky. And could you tell me where I might find some heroes around here?"