Where Did the Time Go? : Part XLIII
Gene and Jean Stoppable stood behind their son as he took one last look in his dresser mirror. Both of them were absolutely beaming at the tall, handsome man their son had suddenly turned into.
Walking over to his bathroom door, Ron checked himself in the full length mirror mounted there. Just looking at the custom tailored tuxedo he hoped Mister Horowitz was still around when he was ready to get married to Kim. It was beyond perfect. He never, ever thought he could actually look like this.
Rufus popped out of the cargo pocket sewn onto the left leg, giving him a big, double thumbs up (he still wondered if Naked Mole Rats were supposed to have opposable thumbs!) He knew he would be the only guy there with cargo pockets on his tux but that was the beauty of actually having one made instead of renting some dime-a-dozen thing from the mall that had been worn heaven only knows how many times (and considering MHS had their Prom kind of late, what may have been done wearing those outfits!)
"Something's not quite right." He muttered, staring at himself. "Just can't put my finger on it."
"That's just nerves, Son." Gene said, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "You look great, Kim is going to absolutely flip out."
Jean walked up behind him and tweaked his tie. It was a trim, crisp bowtie made of shimmering blue material very similar to Kim's burnt dress. It was meant to compliment the slightly darker blue buttons of the pleated shirt.
"That's it!" Ron said, holding up his finger. Quickly he pulled the tie apart, shocking his mother who had been so proud of him for finally tying it himself. Laying it on his chest-of-drawers he headed for the closet, where the old powder blue tux hung. He may not have been able to wear it any more but he couldn't bear to be parted from it. Jean restored the stitching to the hem, returning it to its condition from last year's dance.
It was what he was wearing the night they fell in love. No, not when he fell in love but the night they both learned what they had been feeling for some time was really true, the night they said those special words to each other, words that were even more true today. He ran a hand down the jacket sleeve. The pants were too short and the chest too snug now. He was five inches taller than the last time he wore that and his shoulders were a couple inches broader. It was clear to him now how goofy he looked in it but the good memories completely overrode that.
His parents looked at each other, wondering what he was thinking. Even the frilly shirt that went with the old tux was too small for him. That's not what he intended to wear, however. There was one part of it he could still wear.
Ron stepped in front of his dresser again and went to work. The book was still sitting open and even though the style was a little different, the same technique applied. Two tries later, he turned back to his parents.
Gene nodded and Jean beamed again. "Now I'm ready." Ron said, patting Rufus on the head.
Anne Possible was glad the Seniors were given a half-day at school the morning before the Prom. There was just too much to do if things were going to be done properly.
The night before she saw Kim in the dress for the first time. Stepping up behind her daughter, she pulled her hair up into a broad ponytail.
Kim shook her head. "I'm not wearing my hair that way this year. Monique was right telling me not to wear my old dress, so it's not going to be right wearing my hair that way again."
"Then what are you going to do?" Anne asked.
She ran her hair through her hair, fluffing it out. "Ron likes my hair down and full, so I'll just leave it like this."
Anne shook her head ruefully. "I don't think that will work. You went to all the trouble to pick out this beautiful dress. You need to so something special with your hair as well."
That meant the first trip to the beauty salon since the Junior Prom. To Kim's mother the results were splendid. Kim wasn't so sure. "Mom, I feel like my hair is going to break." She touched her temples. "If a sitch comes up tonight I sure won't have to wear a helmet."
"Don't talk like that, Kimmie. The two of you deserve this night to yourselves, without interruption." On that note she walked over to the desk and took the Kimmunicator off of its charging dock, putting it in her lab coat pocket.
"Mom! What if…?"
"If something comes up, somebody else can deal with it tonight. Ron can turn his off and leave it in his pocket as well, if he remembers to even bring it. For one night at least, Team Possible can be just Kim and Ron."
Smiling softly, Kim turned back toward her dresser. She already had her emerald earrings on as well as her promise ring. She pulled her necklace out of her larger jewelry box and put it on.
Anne considered it for a moment, then reached for the pendant, unclasping Ron's large class ring. "For tonight, I think he should wear this. It's just a tad too large to look right with your dress." She folded the clasp back behind the heart locket and stood back looking at her. Making a decision, she reached into her daughter's jewelry.
When Ron had first given Kim the locket on her seventeenth birthday, it had a slightly shorter chain. Anne pulled that chain out and put it on Kim's neck, hanging just above the other. "There, now that's perfect. You're wearing all the jewelry he's given you…so far." She added with a huge grin. "So, are you wearing something special for Ron tonight?"
"Mom!"
"It's okay, Kim. It's just that this might turn into that perfect moment for the two of you and if it does and both of you feel the time is right, that's your decision. If it's done out of love then there is nothing wrong with it."
"I don't think we're going down that road tonight." Kim preened in the mirror, giving her an excuse not to meet her mother's eyes.
"You still haven't answered my question." Anne smiled broadly, sitting down on Kim's bed, watching as she finished up her makeup.
Kim looked over her shoulder at her mother. "White lace. Semi transparent that shows off the bottoms of my cheeks in the back. Happy now?"
"I think Ron will be if he gets a chance to see that." Anne grinned from ear to ear.
"Mom!" Kim repeated, trying to concentrate on applying the 'kiss-proof' lip color. "That's not what tonight's about."
Anne's smile changed to a knowing grin. "The why not simply wear something more comfortable, like your nice pink cotton bikinis with the heart on the front?"
Kim rolled her eyes slightly. "I think those turn him on every bit as much as these lace ones would."
Her mother's eyebrows shot up. "You know this…how?" she was still smiling softly.
Kim turned almost the color of her lipstick. "I just know, okay?"
"Uh huh."
Kim let out a long breath. "Yes, he's seen me in my underwear…briefly. That's mission stuff, though, not time for him to be ogling me. It's just, well, remember when we switched brains?"
"Yes."
"That's what I was wearing. That kind of made an impression on him."
"I see. Honestly, Kim, if the two of you are ready it's okay with me. I seem to recall a dance just about a year ago where a certain daughter got so swept away in the romance of the moment she blew off her curfew and stayed out all night long."
Kim turned around in her chair. "Mom, I'm so glad you're cool with Ron and me but when it comes right down to it, I don't think Daddy is so much. Know what I mean?"
"That's why I'm glad the two of you have waited so far. Still, I think your father is finally coming around to the idea that you are very nearly a grown woman. Just look at you. You look like a golden age movie star."
Kim stood up and looked at herself in her dressing mirror. Her dress was still blue but it was much darker than her old one. It was an off-the-shoulder design, very classic and tasteful. The turned down portion around her shoulders was just slightly lighter blue than the rest, as was a broad diagonal strip resembling a sash that accentuated her hips. The skirt was shorted, cut on a bias with a short split up one leg.
She had to admit her mother had been right about her hair. When she told Monique what she wanted in a dress she did mention Audrey Hepburn and as nice as the dress was, wearing her hair down still made it look too…teenagerish. Now her hair was pulled tightly back like when she wore a high ponytail, but instead of a long waterfall of hair hanging down the back it was done up into a complicated bun the covered most of the back of her head, all held together with a gold colored clasp. In all, her hair, her bare shoulders, her nicely understated jewelry all came together perfectly. Even her white strappy sandals looked just right (considering she had rejected high heals since dancing was involved.)
Anne turned toward the window as she heard a vehicle approach. Sure enough, a car was pulling up in front of the house and it wasn't a little gray Chevette or a royal blue Catalina either. It was shiny and black, every bit as elegant as the dress Kim had on. A wide grin spread across her face as she watched the figure getting out of the back. She glanced back at Kim, who was forgoing watching Ron's arrival, not wanting to be seen in her large windows.
"He's here, isn't he?" Kim gushed, fighting herself about running to the window to watch.
"He's just about to the door." He mother reported, watching his progress.
"Let's go!" Kim was hopping up and down on her feet.
Anne put both hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Not too fast. You still have to make him wait a few minutes before you make your grand entrance."
"I'm ready now, Mom! We've worked so hard to get here."
"I know, Kimmie, but there are certain procedures and traditions to be looked after."
Anne cocked her head to one side, smiling broadly as her daughter's lower lip started protruding. "You know that doesn't work on me. Give me a few minutes before you come out, okay."
"Okay, Mom." Kim agreed, sitting down on her dressing chair in a huff.
James Possible was dumbstruck when he opened the door, as if he didn't recognize the young man standing on the stoop as the door swung aside.
Even though the changes had happened over a seemingly short year, they had been gradual enough that he hadn't realized they were occurring. Ron was always just Ron and he hadn't changed in many years.
That just wasn't true any more. For the first time James realized his daughter's boyfriend was almost as tall as he was. Ron could look him in the eye without craning his neck. Suddenly he was aware the boy who was never so much a boy as just Ron was now a grown man.
A grown man his daughter loved with all her heart.
That meant, if he was a grown man, what did that make his daughter, who was exactly one week older than him?
Anne reached the bottom of the stairs and took her husband's arm. "Ron, I cannot believe how handsome you look."
"Thanks, Mrs. Dr. P. I…" He stopped as he looked at the top of the stairs.
Kim stood there, looking down at him. Over a year earlier, when she had appeared at the bottom of the stairs for their first trip to the Middleton Days Festival, Ron was the one whose jaw dropped, seemingly to the floor.
This time it was Kim who stood there in silent awe. She had never, ever seen Ron look like this.
He was wearing a black tuxedo. It was a shiny material that caught the light just so you could identify every detail of it. The fit was utterly perfect, from the shoulders right to the length of the pants. The jacket was done up with two gold buttons, with matching buttons on each sleeve. Instead of a puffy shirt he had a simple, understated pleated shirt fastened with glittering blue buttons.
Over the years Ron had been trying to slick back his hair, with little or no success. Now it was clear why he had gone so long without a haircut. It was finally combed back over his head and was staying that way. If it wasn't for his little cowlick in the back she would have wondered if it was even him.
The only thing odd about the whole ensemble was a slightly oversized blue bowtie. She didn't care one little bit about the size. She knew what it was. Ron had found the one thing he could still wear from the old tuxedo and somehow it looked as perfect on him as the rest of the outfit. It even matched the lighter blue parts of her dress perfectly.
She waited a heartbeat, then two before starting down the stairs. Then she realized she didn't have to wait. Her brothers weren't about to come flying by on their latest invention. They were standing at the bottom of the stairs. Tim was holding a video camera and Jim had his digital camera. Both started shooting away.
Neither of the teens said a word as she reached the lower floor. They just stared into each others eyes, unblinking. It was Ron who finally broke the silence. "KP…" He cupped her cheek with his palm, still not taking his eyes off of her.
"Ron…" She replied, touching his face as well.
James caught his eyes as they turned to leave. "Ronald, we just want her to be happy." He smiled as warmly as he could at the young man, no, the man who would one day be his son-in-law.
"I am happy, Daddy." Kim said, taking Ron's hand.
"That's good, cause I would hate to have to bring my colleagues over to fit Ronald for another space probe." He winked at Ron. The old threat had turned into much more of a family joke.
The elder Possibles watched as the kids left. As they got out of earshot, Anne leaned over toward her husband. "I didn't hear you setting a curfew for them."
"I haven't set one for Kimmie-cub in a while. They're responsible enough. Besides, I really don't think those two will be coming home tonight anyhow."
She looked at James in shock. "And you're okay with this?"
"Ten minutes ago, I would have said no." His lower lip quivered ever so slightly. "Then I realized the two heading out to that limo aren't children any more. My Kimmie-cub is so grown up."
Anne put her hand around his waist. "James, I don't think it's going to matter if it's a few months from now or ten years from now, she's always going to be your Kimmie-cub." She led him back inside, closing the door.
Kim almost didn't see the car until they were right on top of it. She just about couldn't take her eyes off Ron. She had never seen anyone so handsome in all her life. Then all of a sudden he was opening the door for her and she realized it wasn't one of his usual vehicles.
It wasn't one of those ultra-long super-stretch limos. In fact, compared to those it was quite conservative. It was brand new and shiny black. Ron must have reserved it some time ago, considering just about every one of them in Middleton was tied up on Prom duty tonight. Carefully keeping her skirt down she climbed in.
The interior was dark red and very plush. Ron nodded toward the driver and the divider silently slid up, leaving them alone in the back.
Ron touched her face again. He wanted to kiss her so badly but he knew that would likely spoil her makeup and he wanted to get to the photographer before that happened. Once they were out on the dance floor, who knew when their faces would separate. Until then, however, there were appearances to be maintained.
Kim leaned toward him and kissed him gently. "Sposed to be kiss-proof lipstick." She explained. "Later on, I'm going to put it to the test."
"Booyah." Ron said quietly, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers. He reached behind him and pulled out a small plastic box. Inside was a single white carnation. "I figured you were going to wear your old dress again, so I thought this would look good with it. Sorry if it doesn't go."
Kim took the flower out of the clear box and slipped it onto her wrist. "It's perfect, Baby." She ran a hand down his thigh, noticing the cargo pockets for the first time. Right on cue a little pink head popped out of one.
"Hiya." Rufus waved at Kim, grinning from nearly invisible ear to nearly invisible ear.
"Okay, I was fixing to say is that a Kimmunicator in your pocket or are you just glad to see me." Kim laughed, putting Rufus' head.
"Actually, I left it at home. The watch too." He showed her the dress watch she had given him for Valentine's. "Dad thought it best we leave Team Possible on hiatus for tonight."
"Mom said the same thing. She went so far as to actually take it away from me." She gave his thigh a good squeeze. "I agree with them. Tonight is for us." She gently caressed the edge of his ear, fighting down the urge to tousle his hair. He very likely had almost as much hairspray in his that she did. "Listen, Ron." She hesitated a moment, looking at his chocolate brown eyes. "Monique and Felix, they've got a room at the Motor Lodge. They can do that since they're both eighteen."
"KP, that's fine. We'll be eighteen in just a couple more months. Our time will come."
She put her palm against his face again. "What I'm saying is, Monique said if we want to, we can have their room. That doesn't mean the waiting is over tonight but it does mean I can hold you in my arms all night if I want to."
He took her hand in both of his. "I like that." He smoothed one of her sideburns. "Do you know how much I love you?"
"Uh huh. Just as much as I love you." She said, giving him a kiss that really put her special lipstick to the test.
a/n - there is a picture of Kim and Ron in their Prom outfits on my DevArt homepage. It can be accessed as always through my profile. Be warned, there are some spoilers in the comments.
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