Our Place in the Food Chain: Part XIV
Summer was not quite ready to give up its hold on Lake Middleton. School may have started and the calendars had turned their backs on the months traditionally associated with the hot season but it was still quite hot, even just a bit humid, though that may have been the result of two days of rain. Saturday and Sunday turned gray and gloomy, the wet weather ranging from an annoying mist to a steady rain, though it didn't even show a sign of clearing up until early on Monday morning.
With the exception of sleeping well past noon and having a long conversation with her parents, both with and without Ron, Kim was trying to put the unpleasantness of Friday night and Saturday morning behind her. The rain had settled in, pretty much stranding his bike at her house (he so ferociously needed fenders and wet-weather gear) so they borrowed the mini-van and headed for the mall (Ron drove…just in case.) They remainder of the day mostly holding hands, Ron going way out of his way to let Kim come to terms with what had happened to her on her own, all the while knowing he was right there for her. That lasted, well, until dinner time.
"Okay, Ron. That's enough. I'm not having a pity fiesta about this. It's no different than getting banged up by one of the bad guys. Somebody tried to hurt me, I took my lumps and now I'm over it."
"Sorry, KP…actually I was just a little more worried about this being 'third week' and you having a hangover."
That brought her up short. She forgot sometimes that Ron had such complex knowledge of her to expect when she was likely to be PMSing. "Oh, so you're worried about waking the 'Queen Mother' of all you know whats?"
"It does rhyme with 'sitch.'" He sing-songed back at her, putting a hand on the middle of her back. He did note she had reverted back to one of her older outfits, namely her ubiquitous green tank top and a pair of denim capris (Club Banana label, of course.) It was actually surprising to see her dressed like that. Over the last few months she had actively avoided wearing it. She wore the combo so often some people assumed she owned nothing else. It did make him wonder if he would ever see the low-cut jeans again. If not, that would be such a shame.
There was one benefit, though. "Ah, the white cotton ones with the little cherries and mint sprigs on them." He said, exaggerating the motion of looking down the gap at the waist.
"Ron!" She popped him on the shoulder, her cheeks flushing. The embarrassment didn't last too long, as she wrapped both arms around his arm as they made their way from store to store. She put her head on his shoulder, letting him lead them.
They were shopping "Kim's" way, namely going into almost every store and at least having a look around. She gave him the hairy eyeball when he didn't protest about going into Alexandria's Confession.
"No pity fiesta, Ron." She chided.
"Nope. I'm here for purely professional reasons."
"Oh, really? What kind of pro are you today?"
"Professional Boyfriend." He smirked. "The 'Rules' quite clearly state that only the most devoted of lovers will follow their girlfriend slash significant other into these places." He looked around at the 'female forms' placed strategically around, adorned in the stores wares. "Okay, now I'm convinced, that pink pair you had last spring was relatively tame."
"Professional my foot, you just want me to show you what I was wearing last night."
"Well, there is that…but that's okay. I'm having enough impure thoughts as it is right now. Check me on this, guys won't come in here why?"
"Guys are stupid." She said, pointing to an acrylic statue of a woman's lower portion. "Just like those, but in black."
A few seconds went by. Then a few more. Finally she waved her hand in front of his face. "Yo, Rondo. Earth to Ron. Whoa, don't unspool the drool on me there loverboy."
"Sorry, KP, just picturing you in those. Wow, they cover more yet they're actually hotter than that 'sunburn' bikini you wore at the beach."
"Oh, don't remind me of that. I pitched that thing so quick. You know I've still got some tan lines from it?"
"Really?" He smirked at her as she picked out several pairs of more sedate panties, along with a cotton version of the 'cheeky low-riders.
"No, you can't see them." She said as she went to the counter. As the girl was totaling them up she turned around and whispered to him, "In here."
She led him back out into the open part of the mall. "Ron, I remember most of what happened now, at least up till you took me out the door. Is it because I wasn't feeling well that you didn't want to go upstairs with me?"
"KP, it's not like I don't think about that, it's just, considering what we've gone through and some of the things we decided. When you started acting like that it just seemed, well, wrong. Plus you were all sweaty and you were starting to talk funny."
"Gee, thanks."
"Kim, I also know that when you really start coming on to me and you mean it, you, uh, well, you kinda get scared, like you did at the beach. You can be all badical and wild when we're making out but if we start to go too far you kinda go all 'little girl' on me and we back down."
"That's not how I remember a couple other times we tried. Well, I tried."
"Yeah, but I'm talking about, you know, when we actually got in bed together. Even that time Wade interrupted us I think we were both stalling."
"But you do think about it?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm supposed to, I'm a guy."
"Ron, I think about it…a lot and I'm not a guy."
"You really think with all this thinking about it we're actually going to make it till we're eighteen? Or older?"
She gave him a light kiss. "Yes. The mature and responsible adult I was out with last night is going to make sure we make it."
"I dunno, Kim. When you wear those tight new jeans, it's really hard."
"I bet it is. Too bad both pairs are in the laundry, though I don't think that top can be salvaged."
"Oh, so you're going to wear them again. Ah, Booyah!"
"So not the drama. I paid eighty bucks for the black pair, you're darned toot'n I'm wearing them again…just not to school any more. I think Rock Banner put a hand on my butt and that new guy sits behind me. I don't know what it is about him, but there is something under those good looks."
"Oh, so you did notice he's a pretty boy."
"Yeah. That bugged me when I met him, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this time I'm in love. I can look, but I can't touch."
"Oh, you wanna touch him?" Ron said in a funny voice, wagging his eyebrows.
"Yeah, but I'd also like to touch most of the male cast of Agony County and that one guy on Pals. Doesn't mean I'm going to."
Ron nodded, done teasing her. "So, food court or BN?" He asked as they got up and resumed their store-to-store trek.
"Neither. I'm thinking real grilled meat."
"Um, isn't that what we're having at the big Possible family cookout Monday?"
She turned and seriously looked him in the eye. "Ron, you haven't missed a single Labor Day cookout since I've known you, you know Dad insists on doing all the cooking. Dad, as in who I inherited all my cooking skills from? Dad whose idea of fixing dinner is picking up Chow Fung?"
"Oh, I just thought somebody made a mistake and put a piece of charcoal on my bun last year. Seriously, it's all taken care of. Your Mom and me hatched a plan while you were asleep this morning. It's gonna be 'Knowing your Grill with Chef Ron-Ald and his lovely assistant Doctor Anne!"
"Really? So how are you going to get the golden tongs away from the 'Grill-Master?'" She laughed remembering her fathers antics from the last cookout.
They spent much of the day like that, just hanging out, talking, wandering from store to store never really buying much, just enjoying each other's company. Since they missed Temple that morning Ron went with her to church the following day. Sunday afternoon was spent watching movies and consuming mass quantities of popcorn. Kim even went on a Jelly Jumpies binge, after which she swore she would never eat one of those gooey, overly sweet, supposedly fruit flavored candies again. There really was a reason she wanted to cut down on the Jumpies. The first few always tasted so good, but by the time you finished the pack…yuck.
Halfway through the second movie (the first they honestly watched with keen interest, the second…well, let's just say two people in love can find a way to enjoy even a bad film) the inevitable happened. Ron almost jumped out of his seat as his communicator went of in silent mode. Wade had apparently installed a much more powerful shaker than his old pager had. Rufus popped out of his pocket, holding the omni-device over his head, glaring at his human as he rubbed his scalp.
Getting his out was pointless anyhow. Kim had hers out and active before the first ring stopped vibrating.
As missions go, it was utterly dull. There were no freaks to fight, no indication that any of their old foes were even involved. It was a simple case of stolen technology.
"I don't know why we even bothered to change." Ron grumped as they went back to the van.
"I think I agree with you." She said, pulling her Kimmunicator out. "Wade, why exactly were we pulled in on this and not the regular police?"
"I don't know, we got a hit on the site from the owners. Thought it might be a good change of pace from all that gushy stuff."
"Wade." Kim growled at him over the connection. "I like the gushy stuff. There's a reason my lip gloss is called 'Kissy Girl.'"
"Riiight. Anyway, you'll find this interesting. The place is owned by Margaret On. She's the mother of one of your classmates."
"Really." Kim's eyes narrowed. "This is starting to get really weird. Seems like every time I turn around this new guy turns up."
Wade pulled up some files. "Nothing really special about him. Near the top of his class at Go City Central High. Only child, mother divorced. Yadda-yadda, lots of boring stuff. Mother owns a chain of, ahem, high-tech retail gadgets. Maybe he's crushing on you." He leaned forward toward the pickup, raising an eyebrow.
"Shu-ut! She hissed, glancing over at Ron, who looked right back at her, mimicking Wade's expression.
"Well, tell them to turn this over to the regular police. There isn't much we can do ourselves."
"You got it. Have a good time at the lake tomorrow."
At least the sun was up and the streets were dry by the time Ron made it over to the house on Labor Day. It was still several hours before the rest of the fam would head over to Lake Middleton State Park, so they piled onto his bike and tooled around, just enjoying a long ride, eventually ending up at the Mount Middleton Ski Lodge. Surprisingly, the place was actually open. It used to be completely shuttered during the summer months, but the parking lot was nearly full of cars with expensive looking bike racks on them. The management had apparently found a way to supplement their snowy season income by catering to mountain bikers.
"It would be so cool if it could just be the two of us up here this winter."
"It would be so cool if you didn't run off looking for snow monsters and getting captured by DNAmy."
"Yeah, but I'm talking about just the two of us in a room, one with a fireplace and lots of hot cocoa."
"Hmmm, well, not this year, but next. Even Seniors get chaperones on the school ski trip. Though it would be nice. All cold outside, me needing to get warmed up…" She gave him a quick pinch on the backside and swung her leg back over the bike. "Come on, I'm driving back down the mountain."
The ride was only slightly less terrifying than ski-diving for Ron. That did it, he was definitely getting new tires on the bike.
They hit the lake the moment they got to the park, glad for the chance to cool down and even though Kim wore a one-piece suit, she still snuck a chance to show Ron some of her tan lines.
There was also one little thing on Ron that was clearly visible since he had taken off his shirt. Her mother had already spotted it, despite its being more on his shoulder than his neck but now the whole world could see the dark purple hickey she'd given him at the party.
She also swore that, in no uncertain terms, she would seriously kick his biscuit if he tried to lay one on her. That didn't stop him from trying.
The rest of the family arrived while they were still out in the water, Ron pretending to teach Kim how to swim (it was a great excuse for holding onto her under the water.) "Soon, very soon, I'm expecting the Ferret Signal." He said in his best Fearless Ferret voice. Kim stood up in the water and watched what was going on at the beach.
Her father was unloading a complicated looking gas grill from the back of the van. It was obviously cobbled together from things lying around the space center. Hey, what's federal funding for?
They watched him tinker with it as her mother set the picnic table, shaking her head from time to time. After a few minutes she watched her brothers look at each other and tear off running for the water, splashing their way out to her and Ron.
James was looking downright frustrated. Finally he quit missing with the buttons on the front of the grill and got out a box of matches.
"Hick-a-bick-a-boo?" Tim asked.
"Hoo-sha!" Ron said, quietly enough only the four of them could hear. Kim was actually shocked that it was Ron who answered instead of Jim. Somehow she knew whatever Ron and her mother had cooked up, the Tweebs were most likely in on it.
Her father struck a match and carefully threw it at the grill. There was a 'poof' sound they could hear all the way out in the water. Then there was a pinging sound, like bullets ricocheting off metal. The grill started jumping around in fits and starts.
Then the fuel really ignited and, no, a great gout of flame did not erupt out of the top of it, singing every hair in a ten foot radius. Instead flames shot out of the bottom of the grill.
To say the sight was spectacular just doesn't do it justice. A stainless steel gas grill arcing up into the heavens is not a sight most people get to see very often.
"J200 rocket fuel…" Jim said.
"..does it every time." Tim finished.
Kim had to hold onto her sides she was laughing so hard as Ron made his way to shore and the charcoal kettle grill Mrs.Dr.P. had stashed in the van. The Grill Master had been vanquished!
A/N – a special "Booyah" to MrDrP for his plug. Thanks!
Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney