Where Did the Time Go? : Part XIV
Ron shifted his weight ever so slightly on the deep cushions of the couch, reflecting on the day.
It was definitely a mixed bag.
Kim had been bouncing back and forth between happy and tweaked all day long, almost to the point he was tempted to pull her braid to one side and check her for a Moodulator. Only he knew better. Bonnie was plain and simple getting Kim's goat and he had to be honest with himself, he was getting plain sick and tired of it. As soon as he had the chance he was going to sit down with his girlfriend's rival and ask her plain out to be released from his promise so he could explain everything to Kim. He certainly couldn't think of a real reason not to, considering there was really absolutely nothing he was ashamed to tell her.
He was also going to ask her to try to at least act friendlier to Kim, even if that's all it was, an act.
The skiing, or in their case, snowboarding had been extremely fun. Maybe even too much fun, as the two ice packs resting on his lower legs could attest. He wasn't so much injured as he was sore. Being in dramatically better shape and significantly more confident in his abilities than he had been last year and the year before, he pushed himself a little too far and once he sat down for dinner his legs started stiffening up. Once he started complaining, Kim went into 'this is what Mom would do' mode and ordered him down to the lobby for some extended relaxation time and a couple of ice packs.
She almost made his eyes roll back in his head when she gave him a quite competent deep-tissue massage on his lower legs. With such ministrations he was quite confident he would be ready for more winter-sports fun the next day, though he would have rather tried some of the night skiing under the new lights.
The fun they had during the afternoon more than made up for what seemed like a looming disaster. At least at first.
The moment the bus arrived at the lodge, ten of the students on board, including both Kim and Ron, were immediately summoned to a private audience with one of the chaperones, who had been waiting at the lodge for them. Just as Kim had predicted, Principal Director was in the conference room waiting for them. She was sitting behind one of the long folding tables as if it were a desk. Ten chairs had been arrayed in front of her like it was a small classroom.
That's when the nature of the students summoned to the meeting sank in. Five boys, five girls and not only that, they were the five couples of note who were on the trip together. His heart sank. He could hear it already. "This is a school function, so all the policies relating to public displays of affection are fully in force. We are here to ski, not to make out and most certainly not to do other things."
At least they still had the skiing, Ron thought to himself as he took a seat.
Surprisingly, Wilma Director did something neither of them could remember her ever doing…
She smiled at the five couples. Then she proceeded to remind them to be ladies and gentlemen while they were there representing their school. That was it. No grand pronouncement about no kissing, no hugging and no sneaking away for more private activities. All of that was seemingly implied by pulling them aside like this, at least the last. Kim was openly shocked, pretty much assuming they were about to be read the riot act herself.
The moment the lift deposited them at the trail-head, she pulled Ron aside for a good ten minutes of kissing. By her estimation, Ron was her gentleman and she was his lady and to them, not being in the confines of Middleton High School, there was absolutely no shame in publicly displaying their affection for each other this way, though they did actually walk a little ways into the tree-line for their lip-lock.
"Did the Ronster come to play?" She asked him as she locked her boots into her board.
"Two words, KP. Boo and Yah!" He took one hop, a move that seemed much nicer than his old habit of repeatedly hopping around on his board to get around. Kim shook her head and started after him.
Having finally learned how to do this with a modicum of skill, Ron was actually having a really good time. It was so much nicer swooshing down the trails knowing he stood at least a fair chance of avoiding most of the trees on his way down and not ending up part of a giant snowball by the bottom of the slope.
The wind bit the exposed part of his face with tiny ice crystals. Light flurries were starting to fall but this time he knew there wasn't any chance for another blizzard like they had the week before. The cold was actually invigorating.
This was really great, especially since he wasn't screaming all the way down, though the thought occurred to him this was still better than free-fall. At least here he felt like he was actually in control.
Looking down, he saw Rufus stick his head out of the special pocket that had been sewn onto his new black ski-suit. The little guy was wearing his own tiny helmet and a scarf and was hanging his tongue out like he actually was a Peruvian Hairless.
They hit the top of the first half-pipe. Kim was still behind him, apparently hanging back to keep an eye on him. He swept across the top of the concave channel, shooting up over the edge. He bobbled slightly, but landed it upright, turning sideways to bring himself to a stop. He looked up the slope, immediately catching sight of his partner in her red and maroon ski-suit.
Kim had no intention of stopping. As with anything that took physical skill, she looked like a consummate expert. She shot up over the same edge Ron had just come off of and pulled a 360 before heading back down, executing the same stunt on the other side of the pipe. She was just having fun, warming up and not showing off yet. Jumping over the side, Ron started following suit, though he still wasn't capable of the spins, just catching a little air at the lip each time he got to the top.
Back out in the open, he shot past Kim again. There was another half pipe near the end of the run and this one would have a little larger crowd around it. That's where he was going to push the envelope a little bit.
He did manage to wow the crowd, though with a modern interpretation of the old "Wide World of Sports – Agony of defeat" crash. Fortunately, in a spectacular exhibition of "Dumb Skill" both he and Rufus emerged completely unhurt.
Then Kim hit the pipe and cut completely loose with a display worthy of the X-games. Ron was just glad he was in a good position to see it all.
On their second trip up the lift (which was a fairly long ride since they were running one of the longer trails) they spent some time snuggling. Ron put his hand on the small of her back, lightly kneading her skin, pushing the edge of her sweater up just slightly.
"Hey, I thought you were going to wear the super-suit under this." He said, realizing he was actually touching skin.
"Nah. It's not too bad up here right now, so I thought that would be overkill. I've never needed it up here before anyway."
"Well, maybe we'll get a call while we're here and somebody will thank you for being so prepared."
"You just want to see me in it." She said, putting her head down on his shoulder.
"Well, you do look bon-diggity in it, especially the white one." He winced the moment he said that, knowing Kim was still frightened by what she had done the first time she wore it, or rather the original one."
If it bothered her, she didn't show it. She just lazily played with the tuft of hair sticking out from under his helmet.
"Ronnie, if it were up to you, is there anything you'd change about the way I look?"
He twisted a little to look at her straight on. "No way, KP. You're perfect."
"Nobody's perfect, baby. I'm short and I've got a small chest."
"So. Has it occurred to you that maybe I like you that way."
"So says the guy who's four inches taller than when we started dating." She teased good naturedly.
"You really want to be taller?"
"Sometimes." She answered. "Like when I was waiting for you at the airport and had the bum foot, I couldn't see over most of the crowd."
"What are you now, five, five?"
"Not counting my poofy hair, yeah, about that."
"That's not really short. Not for a girl…uh, woman." He quickly amended as she lightly punched him in the gut. "Hmmm. I know, I'd like to see you with really long hair."
"That I can do. You know I haven't had it cut since the afternoon of the Prom. So , what do you think, as long as Shego's"
"Dye it black?" He asked, laughing.
"Hell no. You think I want to look like that snarky you-know-what?"
He pulled her braid over her shoulder. "I'm just kidding you, KP." He pulled her in for a quick kiss right before they reached the top.
Ron looked over the edge. This time they were well above the tree-line, at the head of a trail he had never been on before. "Why does this look familiar?" He said as he stuck his board in the crunchy snow.
Kim pointed to a point on an adjacent ridge. "That's where Amy's secret lab was. I came up here so I could get a run at it when you and Mister Barkin were captured."
"You think any of that stuff is still there? Maybe some of her rare Cuddlebuddies?"
"Not a chance. GJ picked what was left of the place clean and Amy's lawyers made them account for almost all her collection. I know, I asked."
"You wanted to know about that Pandaroo, didn't you."
"Yep. She had everything but a Flamingoat, which, by the way, I think they only made ten of since they were butt-ugly. Wanna go have a look-see anyway?"
Ron looked at his watch. "We've got an hour of daylight. Are we going to see anything but snow, broken rocks and twisted metal?"
"That's about it." She admitted.
"Nah. Let's hit the lodge. I'm ready for some snackage."
Ron was so proud of himself, he reached the lodge without falling once.
He pulled the ice-packs off his shins and set them aside, twisting his ankles around. He was still stiff, but a small handful of ibuprofen and Kim's massage had done him a world of good. Since they weren't headed out to the slopes any more that evening, he figured he would return the favor as Kim did her reading.
She sat back down beside him, putting a pair of cocoa mugs down on the table where his feet were propped up.
"You don't have to stay in here on my account." He said as she snuggled close to him.
"Forget it, Honey. We're here together. Besides, I like this. A nice big fire, no Tweebs to bother us and I haven't seen hide or hair of Bonnie since we got here save for dinner."
He was momentarily a little uncomfortable that she brought the other girl up, but let it pass lest she start in on him again. He wanted the issue resolved, but a promise was a promise and he was going to keep it until he could convince her to release him.
Kim picked up her backpack and started rummaging around in it. He caught sight of red plastic inside. Apparently she had her grappler gun and very likely several other pieces of her gear, Principal Director's prohibition during school functions notwithstanding. Being caught flat-footed a week earlier was a blow to Kim's pride, even though the evening ended, by his estimation, extremely well.
"Damn." She said, slumping slightly in her seat.
"What is it, KP?"
"I left my homework back at the cabin. Crud. We won't be back there until after ten thirty or so. I'm going to have to take more time than I wanted reading tomorrow."
"No problemo, Kim. I'm right here, ready to do my duty as your study pillow. I might even try my hand at braiding your hair for you."
She put her head back down on his shoulder, pulling the aforementioned cable of hair out of the way. "You're sweet, but I think I'm going back to a ponytail tomorrow. This thing feels like it weight a ton and it doesn't flow or anything, it just keeps popping me on my back." She pulled her knees up, sinking into him a little more. "What do you think I'd look like with short hair?"
"That's easy. You'd look just like your mother, only your hair is slightly darker and has more highlights."
"Okay, nix that idea."
"Why. Your mother's a beautiful woman."
"Yeah, but that look is her thing. Maybe when I'm older. Did you know she had hair down to her knees when she was my age?"
"I think I've seen pictures. She did look just like you, but with blue eyes and thinner legs."
"Great, I'm going to turn into my mother."
"Nothing wrong with that." He said, playing with the end of her braid.
Kim frowned. "Okay, that's enough of that. Here, give me a hand." She pulled the rubber bands holding the end together off and turned her back to him so he could gently work her hair loose. Once he was done, she shook it all out, creating a slightly rumpled waterfall of auburn that hung halfway down her back. It really was getting longer. For so many years it had come to a point right between her shoulders.
She pulled a brush out of her pack. "No, not that one." She said, throwing it back in.
"That the one with the spikes?" He asked, looking over her shoulder as she dug through it. After the incident with the panties and another where he had come up with a feminine product, Kim had finally forbidden his digging through what amounted to her purse, something in hindsight she should have done way back when he'd ended up getting covered in elastic constricting agent. She finally found the right brush and started working the kinks out of her hair. Flipping it over her head, she started brushing the body back into it.
"Oh, man I need a shampoo." She said as she flipped it back and finished brushing it.
Ron could only stare at her, transfixed by what he thought was one of the most beautiful sights in the world. "KP, long, definitely long."
"Sure thing, Ronnie, but when we start having kids, it's going to be 'married hair' for sure."
"Married hair?"
"Yeah. Happens all the time, women with long, beautiful hair get it hacked off when they get married, since all this takes a lot of work to keep looking good and by then it's done its job."
"Well, that cuts it, we're just going to have to stay boyfriend and girlfriend and never get married then if that's going to happen."
She gave him a half-smiling look that clearly said riiiiiiiiight.
Suddenly her hands shot to her mouth.
"What is it, KP?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair with his fingertips.
"Something Mom said last Friday. She won a Jinx but she wouldn't tell me what I owed her. She just said 'in the next decade.'"
Ron's smile got really big. "I'm the slow one, and I get it already."
"Grandkids." They said together.
"Jinx, you owe me a kiss." Kim said, poking the center of his chest lightly.
"I always pay my debts." He gave her a slow, light, tender kiss.
"I wish we could stay here all night. I wish we were seven months older and we could rent our own room together." She said, letting her fingers walk up his chest.
"Good things come to those who wait. I get the feeling we're going to spend a lot of time up here eventually." He said, taking her hand in his. "For now, I've got to spread some Ron-shine to the guys in cabin four."
She smiled and put her head down on his chest. "Yeah, until you find out that Rock is first cousins with Bobo the Chimp."
Ron just shuddered, until Kim kissed him again.
Colonel Dean Snyder, USMC (ret.) stirred his coffee from his vantage point near the entrance of the dining room. Lt. Colonel Wilma Director, USMC (ret.) sat a little ways off to the side, taking a deep drink of hers.
"You know, she had a good shot at valedictorian until you showed up." She said, setting her mug down and nodding toward the young couple in one of the many couches in the lobby.
"Still does, in my opinion. So does the rest of my class. Don't worry, Colonel, her grade is going to reflect the true nature of her work by the end of the term. I just want to really teach them some things while we're getting there." He smiled slightly. Despite his admonition, both of them, and Barkin as well, had fallen back into their old habit of calling each other by their former ranks in private.
"What's the real reason you're here, Colonel? I knew when I got this assignment I'd be working with Major Barkin again and that coincidence I could live with, but you showing up was a little too much."
"What makes you think I'm anything more than a plain old English professor now? I retired ten years ago. How long have you been out now?"
"Eight. Come on, Dean. It's something to do with Possible, isn't it?"
"Yep. She's got a bright future and I'm going to give her a little nudge along the way and if she pulls that boyfriend of hers along for the ride, so much the better." He said, finally taking a drink of his coffee."
"I think keeping them off so many missions has done more to help that boy than anything else." She said in her defense.
"Heh. The way the Major tells it, he was already on his way to improving himself before you even got here."
"Maybe. I'm still not going to let them start running off every time that thing of hers beeps and I showed you the tape of the laser incident."
"Yeah, that one surprised me a little. I'd have thought he'd do that to himself, instead of almost getting zapped by her. Still, I'd hate to be at your table next thanksgiving when your little sister shows up."
"You still think I'm busting her budget by keeping the free help tied up?"
"Yep. Then again, I don't hold their record in much regard. Anybody who'd hold that moron Du in such high regard has to have a few screws loose herself."
"Will's not such an idiot as he seems. It's just when he gets around Possible. Those two are like water and oil."
Snyder shot her a look. "Since when are you on a first name basis with Du?"
Wilma looked startled for a moment, but covered quickly. "Betty drones on and on about how wonderful he is, maybe I just picked it up listening to her."
"Heh." The older man said. He nodded toward the lobby again. "Think those two are going to sneak off for some nookie tonight?"
"Nookie?"
"Their word, why not use it. Sounds a little more gentle than premarital sex, doesn't it?"
She shrugged. "I think if those two put it to their minds to do that, there's not a thing in the world I can do to stop them. I thought they were going to be a problem, but so far she's followed my orders to the letter. Honestly, I'm far more worried about the other couples in this group than them."
Snyder nodded. "You're far more trusting than I'd be in your shoes. Then again, I've got three grown daughters so I had to go through all that with every one of them."
She polished off her coffee and set the large mug down on the table. "Well, it's about that time. Let's round 'em up and head back to base."
"So the fun begins." He sighed, taking one more swallow from his cup.
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