Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible. Disney does, or is it Pixar now? Who would like to see a full length theatrical Kim Possible movie done by Pixar?
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Author's notes: Words to the wise, darkness and manipulation are not always the ways of the bad man.
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Justine and her aunt returned home just before seven that evening. After her appointment, they had a meal at Bueno Nacho, courtesy of her brother. Setting down her books with her completed homework by the door, she slogged herself up to her room and shut the door. She knew the appointments were supposed to be beneficial, but she hadn't seen any improvement from them. She looked at the phone and walked to it, remembering her promise; she picked up the phone and dialed Ronald.
The phone rang exactly two times; "Hello?" came the quick response.
"Hello, Ronald, I am home, you can cease worrying about me," Justine said evenly into the phone.
"You know that is as likely to happen as is the proof for the unified field theory to be accepted," gently retorted the voice on the other end of the line. "I take it that your session went fine?"
"As well as any of the others it seems. I just do not see anything beneficial happening."
Justine could hear Ronald sigh on the other end of the line, "If you would but allow me to furnish an expert, instead of the generalist hacks that you are being subjected to…"
"No, Ronald, I appreciate the offer, you know I do, but I am staying the course. I actually am pretty tired tonight. I believe that I will turn in early tonight."
"Of course, my dear, I won't keep you. I will see you tomorrow at school, correct?"
"Yes, Ronald, I will see you at the same place and same time, good night."
"Good night," Ronald said as he lowered the hand piece of the phone.
Ron sighed again in concern for his friend. It had happened two years ago and it still played upon her. Ron shivered when he remembered her shortly after the incident, which is what he and she decided to refer to it as. She had come a goodly ways since it had happened, but he still didn't have his friend fully back, and he would well damn himself to bring her back all the way.
Taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes to calm himself, he slowly let out the breath and willed himself to stop trembling. Steadying his hands, he picked up the soldering pen and looked at the circuit board through the magnifying glass, but found himself not happy with the illumination. Looking around he smiled.
"Rufus, I need your help."
He heard in response, "Rufus, online, and ready to assist."
"Rufus, please, pick up the pen light, turn it on, and shine it on the circuit board."
The robot engaged its motive hydraulics and tottered to obey its master. It picked up the light and shone it upon the circuit board. "Thank you, buddy."
"Query word buddy?" asked the mechanicon.
"Buddy means, friend, pal, companion."
"Connotation understood. Rufus and Ronald are buddy."
"Buddies, the plural of buddy is buddies."
"Ronald and Rufus are buddies."
"That's right, Ronald and Rufus are buddies."
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Kim had just finished the dishes with her mother when she sought out her father. "Dad? Can I talk to you?"
Her father looked up startled from his paper, "Sure, Kimmie Cub, what can the old man help you with?"
"Well, there is this guy at school, and..." she wasn't able to get it all out before her father started to answer her.
"A boy, well I don't know Kimmie, that's, well, do I hear your mother calling you?"
"Dad, please, it's not a big. It's just that he came up when the three of us, and started paying attention to Tara."
With that phrase, James Possible visibly relaxed. "When I tried to get him to talk to me," continued his daughter, "he blew me off, but did say that he was waiting for your findings to come out on some project."
Kim's father held up his hand, "Kimmie, are you saying this guy blew you off?"
"Well, not really blew me off, but wasn't interested in me."
"But he knew about a project I am working on?"
"Yeah, apparently him and his friend Justine are some type of uber science geeks."
James Possible's face went into a state of shock. "You mean Justine Flanner? If he is anywhere near her ability..."
"What are you saying dad? He is some kind of genius?"
"Something like that Kimmie-Cub. Two years ago I was a judge at the city science fair. Justine Flanner had such a professional project, that we were all ready to hire her, being a preteen or not. But then..." he stopped with an uncomfortable look on his face.
"What is it, Dad?"
"Don't fret about it, Kimmie. I'm not sure what happened, but it apparently wasn't a good thing. If this young man has been by her side all that time, then I am sure that you have nothing to worry about with Tara."
"Well, Daddy, I was asking about the project because I want to have something to have him notice me."
"Kimmie, I can't really talk about anything like that, and I am sure that he notices you. You are such a beautiful young lady."
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"You are a beautiful young woman, and you are deserving of love and respect," said Justine with a sigh in front of the mirror and then shook her head. She stood and then picked up the heavy black blanket and draped it over the mirror. She pulled out her night gown. She turned out the lights and then changed.
When the lights came back on she was dressed in her night gown, it was long and engulfed her body. She was about to remove the cloth from the mirror, but cringed, then shivered and did not remove it. Turning on her lamp, she turned off her overhead light again and went to her bed and lay down upon it. She pulled the covers up to her chin and held them there in a death lock.
There came a soft knock on her door and it slowly opened. "Justine, honey, we are going to see your mother Sunday, will you come with us this time?" asked her aunt, just a touch of face showing from the crack in the door opening.
"I, I don't know…"
"Honey, I know that it is tough when you see her, but she seems to do better after you are there. You can come with us, and if it is too hard, then you can wait outside, but please come this time, it is her birthday."
Justine's tearing eyes shut fast as she nodded, "I'll try, Aunt Sarah."
"Thank you," she said as she started to walk away. "Would you like me to leave the door cracked? You get much better air circulation that way."
"NO!" came the frightened exultation from Justine's mouth, the fear was evident in her eyes, even in the low light of the room. "I mean, no that is okay, it does not get too warm in here."
Justine's aunt softly shot the door and shook her head as she headed towards her own room, valiantly trying to hold back her own tears.
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Michael Mikowski walked into his father's shop and waited for the large man to notice him. He looked up from the piece of steel that he was using an angle grinder was on and then shut it off. Taking off his goggles, "Mikey, what's up?"
Mike knew his dad wouldn't be mad at the news, but he was always worried about disappointing his dad. "Well, Dad, you know how you always wanted me to play football?"
"Yeah, but I thought that you didn't want to do that, well after…" his father didn't finish, he didn't have to finish.
Mike just nodded, "Yeah, well, I'm still don't. See, there is this guy that was at East that said that he would help me and Vinnie in school. We met today and I didn't really need help today, but he said that I might want to do some extra-curricular stuff, said it would look good to the teachers and all."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, he suggested that I try out for the wrestling team. He said that I would be a natural at it."
"Wrestling?"
"Yeah, Dad, the Olympic type. He said that the team was rebuilding and I had a good shot, plus it would help with self-discipline. Also, he would help make sure that my grades stayed good so I could do it all year. Plus, that there were colleges that would give me scholarships if I kept my grades up."
"Well, if you want to do it, I don't see a problem. You sure you want to do it?" asked the larger Mikowski.
"Oh yeah," nodded the smaller one, "Me and Vinnie, we got a plan."
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"So, likes I was saying Mom, Mike and I have this plan. With Ronald tutoring us and helping with grades and Mike in wrestling, and me in speech, we are going to be unstoppable."
"Speech, I just don't know Vinnie. I just don't see what you can do with it," said his mother with concern.
"Well, Ronald gave me a hand out from the club," said Vinnie as he slid the paper over to her. "They do all kinds of things like debate, public speaking, and even mock trials where they have a real lawyer help us. You have seen those infomercial guys, right? All they are doing is public speaking. Plus, the speakers and things at Dad's conventions all get paid out the…"
"Watch it, young man."
"Out the wazoo?"
"Acceptable."
Vinnie nodded, "You and Dad have always said that if I can find a job where talking was the main requirement that you could retire. Well, I wouldn't plan on anything this moment, but we can play it by ear."
"My son the infomercial huckster," deadpanned his mother.
"No, Mom, I am looking higher… much higher."
"Really, how high?" inquired his mother.
"Just call me Vincent 'Law and Order' Vincetti," commented the boy, making sure he used one of his mother's favorite TV shows.
