Blue Eyes, Shining
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….). This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.
To everyone who continues to read and review: Danke, thank you,
This is the penultimate chapter (and it's the longest by far), so grab your carton of ice cream and a big spoon, sit back, relax, and get ready for the ride.
Enjoy! Please read and review.
- - - - - - -
Chapter 8: No Sorrow
(From the archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load.)
- - - - - - -
"This calls for a celebration," Ron exclaimed. "I'll go and heat up some of the trout from last night, and I'll whip up a fresh salad and dessert, and…What?" Betty was clearing her throat.
"Well, Ron, about last night's trout: well, I was hungry, and I needed a snack, and I kinda got carried away, and, well…" Betty looked sheepishly as her voice trailed away, and Ron groaned.
"Betty! That was 4 whole trout and several pieces left over from last night: you ate them all?"
Betty nodded.
"Oh, man. Well, I guess we'll have to settle for Ronburgers stuffed with fresh chipoltles, freshly-chopped garlic, and freshly-grated cheddar. Assuming, of course, that Rufus hasn't gotten into the fridge and gone thru the second wheel…."
- - - - - - -
"Ron? Wade. Kim'll be here tonight, so add an extra plate tonight.
"And Ron? Get your Pinkto CrummyTummy medicine ready: Kim's bringing the lemon squares she made."
I heard Rufus, in the background, yell "not me!" and scamper away.
"Oh, man."
- - - - - - -
Ron went to the kitchen to see what else he could prepare for dinner. Rebecca Jane offered to assist him in dinner preparation and went with him.
Arnold and Betty gathered all of the chutes and took them to repack.
That left Joss and me standing out in the courtyard.
"Joss, I think –" and I was stopped in mid-sentence as she kissed me again. When she pulled back, she got embarrassed, again.
"Wade, I just like kissing you so much…" as she blushed and stammered.
"Joss, I'm not complaining at all, but we've got to control our actions. Your dad won't trust us if was can't control ourselves, and I don't want to test-pilot a deep-space probe for your dad and Dr. Mr. P."
It was genetic: she pulled out the Puppy Dog Pout.
"Sorry, Joss," I grinned, "but space probes override the puppy dog pout."
"Aw, snake muffins."
My turn…
"Besides, with Kim coming, she can help you figure out a way to get the red dress out of your dad," and that got her attention and produced a smile. Then, she lost the smile.
"How am I going to tell her about Momma?"
She stopped me dead in my tracks with that question.
I was speechless, but I started thinking, and you know how dangerous I am when that happens.
"We need to talk to Betty and your dad about what to tell Kim. I don't know what we can and can't tell her," I started, and she nodded agreement, but she looked a little down.
I grinned. "Besides, when she sees the bunker…" and Joss suddenly acquired the Kim-zapping-Bonnie grin, and then she giggled. Then she hit me again:
"What are we going to tell her about us?"
She stood there for a moment, and then she took my hand. "We'll figure it out, Wade," she said quietly, and she squeezed my hand.
Another thought surfaced:
"Tornado?" I called.
"Yes, Master Wade," he responded, and Tornado trotted over to the edge of the corral.
"First: please drop the 'Master,' Tornado," and Joss giggled again. "Second: do you have access to the USGS topographic maps of the ranch and the surrounding area?"
"Yes sir, I do."
"Is there a west-facing cliff area within two miles of our current location?"
"Yes sir, there are three: the first is due north also 0.2 miles, the second is due west of here 0.3 miles, and the final is 0.5 miles northeast."
"Wanna ride, Joss?"
"Does Ron like to cook?" she retorted.
"Tornado: let's go north, option 1," and Tornado jumped the corral fence, came up to us, and knelt. I started to get on and Joss stopped me.
"Wade, how much riding have you done?" she asked.
"Well…" she was sharp, my Jocelyn.
"That's what I thought. You get on behind me and hold on…onto my waist, guy," and she grinned and jumped on Tornado's back and pulled me up behind her. "Let's go, Tornado," she yelled, and we galloped away.
- - - - - - -
Two things:
One: I've got to do something about Joss and her choice of tops, especially if I was going to ride like this. Her skin, it was so soft…
BAD WADE!
Wham!
BAD WADE!
Wham!
BAD WADE!
Wham!
BAD WADE!
Wham!
I had to think about DNAmy to keep from giving Joss any surprises. I'm 13, not dead.
Two: her shampoo: strawberries, with a light spearmint aroma. I could get lost in her hair for days…
BAD WADE!
Wham!
BAD WADE!
Wham!
BAD WADE!
Wham!
BAD WADE!
Wham!
Do you know how hard it is to bang your head and not let the person you're holding onto know that you're doing it?
- - - - - - -
We got to the spot.
It was perfect.
Trees framed the view, and an outcropping overlooked the canyon. I jumped down and offered my hand to Joss. She took the offer (like she needed it!); she put Tornado on silent guard response, with selective filtering so that our conversation wouldn't be recorded (what an animal!) and we walked hand-in-hand over to a natural bench sitting atop the outcropping: a large boulder, framed by the trees.
We sat, holding hands, and watched the sun begin its descent, silently enjoying each other's company.
I had to tell her now, before I lost all of my nerve and my sanity.
"Joss," and she turned and looked at me with an expectancy that I didn't expect.
"Yes, Wade?"
"I have something to tell you, and I don't know how you're going to take it."
"Well…You'll never know until you tell me, will ya?" and she smirked.
I took a deep breath. Ok, here goes:
"Jocelyn Possible, I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you ever since I saw you on the Kimmunicator. Please don't hate me. I don't know what to do about this. I don't know if you just like me or just like kissing me or really like me or what, but I have to tell you before I lose my mind. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up, and you're the last thing that I think about before I go to sleep. You've invaded my dreams, Jocelyn. You're in my mind more than particle physics, and I never knew that something could push it aside. I love you, Jocelyn. Please don't hate me. If you don't love me, I'll try to understand, but I don't know what I'll do with my heart now that it's tasted you. Maybe I can go become a monk. Please don't hate me, Jocelyn. I've never loved anyone like this before, not even Kim. You're so beautiful, Jocelyn, just like your name is beautiful. Kim's pretty, but you're beautiful. I love you, Joss. Please don't hate me."
I must have been talking a mile a minute.
Hey, if you're laughing with me, that's ok. If you're laughing at me, remember what you were like when you were 13 and normal, then try to imagine what it would be like to be 13 and a super-genius. I can out-design the top software architects and designers, I have one PhD and working on the second, but I've never had a date. I've never been in love, not like this, until now….
I had to tell her how I felt before I lost my mind.
As I blurted out my feelings, she looked shocked at first, then she smiled, and then she giggled, and then she looked sad, and then she looked shocked again, and then she smiled again. That's a good sign, isn't it?
She was silent for at least a minute after I rambled all over myself, and then she took my face in her hands and kissed my nose.
"Wade, I'm in love with you, too. I just realized it last night, and I asked Daddy if we could get married, and he said not now, and I told him not to be silly, I didn't mean now." She was smiling real big, now, with that smile from last night that I thought would give a supernova a run for its money.
I would have sworn that I heard angels singing…
I grabbed her and hugged her, and I thought to myself:
'How did I get this lucky?'
- - - - - - -
"Well, now what, Dr. Super-Genius?" she asked me as I let her go. "It's not like we can run off and elope, and you don't exactly live around here year-round, and we're both 14, and...WHAT?" she asked when I cleared my throat.
"Well, I will be 14…"
"…and now I'm robbing the cradle." she sighed, and then giggled.
"Hey, I've always liked older women," and she hit me in the arm. "They appreciate us younger guys," and she hit me in the arm again, harder. "OK, I GIVE, I give," and she smiled.
I don't know how I lived or even survived before now without that smile in my life. It was magical, it was enchanting, it was getting darker out here, and there were no streetlights in the wilderness.
"Well, we know one thing that we can't tell Kim," I added, and she asked me the most frightening question I'd ever heard:
"Why not?"
- - - - - - -
I was silent. She asked me again.
"Why can't we tell Kim? Daddy and Betty already know how I feel, and I'll just bet that they know how you feel," she stated calmly.
"Well, you have a - WAIT? You told Betty? You told your Dad? They both know how you feel about me?"
"Yea. I told Betty last night when she and Daddy and I talked after you left, and I told Daddy more in the hot tub."
That last statement almost did me in: Joss in a bathing suit…oh, man….it probably didn't matter: since she'd told them, I was likely already dead, or maybe I'd only be mortally wounded before I was stuffed inside the probe.
"Neither of them objected," she continued, and I was able to breath. "I think that they both thought that this was a simple little infatuation that would go away in a few months."
"Joss, marry me when you get out of college," I got down on one knee. "This is no infatuation. I'll wait for you; will you wait for me?"
"Yes, Wade, I'll marry you. And, I'll wait for you as long as you wait for me.
"The question for both of us is the bigger one."
"I'm not changing my mind, Joss."
"Neither am I, Wade, but we have to be prepared in case one of us does."
Silence, then she asked another question:
"So, now, what do we do?"
"Well, hero," I started, and she laughed. "You are my hero, I told you that last night."
"And, you are my hero, Wade. You didn't have to come here, you didn't have to stay for last night, and you're jumping out of an airplane, what more can I ask?"
She then took my face in her hands, and then she locked me in:
"I have my hero for the rest of my life," she whispered with finality that I hadn't anticipated from her.
Yes, I knew the Bonnie Tyler song, but how do you turn down anyone who tells you that? Especially, when she smells so good and feels so good…
"I love strawberries," I whispered.
"And I love chocolate," she whispered back, and we started with our looks that moved almost immediately to smiles then to giggles and then to full-blown falling-on-the-ground laughter.
- - - - - - -
"Should we tell Kim how we feel about each other?" Joss asked when we finally calmed down and got up. Wow, that laughing felt good.
"Don't you think she'll get the hint?"
"Well, Ron knows…"
"Ron knows?" now, she was surprised.
"Well, you kinda branded me last night, and I saw him after last night…" I grinned, and she grinned. "Of course, I kinda told him that it looked like Betty's color…"
"BETTY?"
"Hey, I told you I liked older women, Joss."
"But not old enough to be your mother, Oedipus."
"Wow, she reads," I gave her a Shego-esque response.
"Well, D'OY!" and she tossed one back at me.
"And, I think that Rebecca Jane and Arnold might have figured something out."
"Ya think?" she answered back with her own Shego imitation.
"Who doesn't know?" I asked.
"Well, Will Du-"
"Du-Duh? He couldn't get a girl if-"
"He jumped her while she was tied down and unconscious?" she completed the question, and I couldn't help but laugh with her.
She paused, and amp'ed her attitude down several notches.
"Wade?"
"Yes, 'Sweet Tea?'"
"AARGGGHHHH!"
"Sorry.
"You were my first kiss, Wade," she offered quietly.
"You were my first kiss, also, Joss," I admitted to her, and I think she appreciated my honesty.
"Wow."
"Yea…Wow. To quote Ron: You're a bon-diggity kisser, Joss."
"Shall we do another test drive?" and she kissed me again. I really could get used to this.
- - - - - - -
After what seemed like only seconds but were actually several minutes…
"We'd better get back, it's getting real dark," I stated the obvious.
"No problem: Tornado's got radar and headlights."
"But I can't see your smile, Joss."
"Let's go. Tornado?
"Yes, Miss Joss," and he trotted over to us and clicked on his lights (talking horses with lights….hmmmm, a sale or two to mounted police forces around the country? Or to the Royal Family for the palace? Something to think about...).
"Let's go home."
"Very good, Miss Joss," and Joss hopped on and pulled me up, then she gave me a Ron 'serious face.'
"Watch those hands, Mister," she said, "I've got to give you some reason to come back to see me," Joss giggled as we galloped back to the main buildings.
'As if I needed a reason to come back,' I thought.
'She loves me, she really loves me. And it's not a movie, Wade, so there's no music coming up in the background. But, there is music…' and I realized the source:
Joss was humming, but I didn't know the song. She was happy, though. It wasn't the Bonnie Tyler song about heroes, but something sounded familiar about it; I think I'd heard it during Christmas in the last few years….
I heard her whisper, "Evil shadows, go find a new life."
- - - - - - -
My Kimmunicator beeped, and I pulled it out. Kim's face popped up clearly: yeah for the new back-lighting I'd added to the Mark 4 handheld.
"Yes, Kim?"
"Wade, I'm here and you're not, and I just found Ron and someone named Rebecca Jane cooking in the kitchen," and I gulped, "So I fed them each a lemon square." Kim just admitted attempted murder over the airways, and with glee; luckily, this was an encrypted link..
"And?"
"Ron said that they were the best thing he'd ever tasted."
"Really?"
"Wade, it's true," Ron's voice came over the speaker, and he wasn't gagging or at gunpoint: my unit measured voice stress levels. 'These are as good as Nana's, if not better. Are you sure you made these, Kim? OWWW!"
Rufus ran into view and gave the lemon squares 2 tiny "thumbs-up" and said "YUM!" That settled it.
"So, now, Wade, 'Who can do anything…but cook?" Kim fired her shot straight at me with a smugness that made Bonnie look chaste and pious, and I conceded.
Sigh. "You can, and cook, Kim," I acknowledged with a mock sullen response. I wanted Kim to succeed, but I wouldn't tell her that.
"'Word up, bro.'"
"So, now you're doing Dr. D?"
"Where are you, Wade? And where's my cousin?"
"Chill, Kim: Joss is with me. We're riding back to the main building. We'll be there in-"
"5 minutes. Hey, Cousin Kim." Joss yelled from in front of me.
"Hi, Joss." She sounded perplexed.
"We're out, ridin' Tornado, Kim,"
"Both of you?" I guess Kim starting to catch on that something was different …after all, she could even cook.
"Yes, both of us, Kim," I replied, and I heard her suck wind.
"Joss, are you still in a tiz-zy?" Rebecca Jane asked, and giggled. I would have loved to see the look that Kim gave her then.
"Not any more, Rebecca Jane. Thanks for the jump lesson this afternoon: that was spankin'!"
"No big, Joss: just following the boss," and she laughed. I knew that Kim was now in multiple knots: for Kim, knowledge was power, and there were things that she didn't know or know about, so she was going crazy.
"We'll tell you when we get there, Kim. Ron, is dinner ready?"
"Will be by the time you get here, Wade."
"Have you seen Slim and/or Betty?"
"They've been in 'conference,'" and I could see Ron doing the 'air quote' move.
"Conference?" Kim was losing it.
"We'll make dinner in 3, Ron," Joss said, and I killed the connection just in time.
Joss laughed all the way back to the house about Kim and control ninjas. I worried about Kim dishing out 16 kinds of Kung-Fu all over my body.
- - - - - - -
Joss solved one problem for me and started our discussion with Kim with the same, single action.
We galloped up to the corral where Kim, Ron, Rufus, and Rebecca Jane were waiting for us. Slim and Betty were nowhere to be seen.
I jumped off Tornado's back, offering my hand to Joss. She took it as she dismounted and then grabbed me and kissed me hard.
As a gentleman, I did the only thing that I could do: I kissed her back.
We separated, and I turned to look at Kim. She had dropped her jaw almost as far as Ron had when I hit him with the Betty 'lipstick' comment last night: her jaw was only about 2 feet below ground.
Then I jumped because Joss had grabbed my butt and pinched it: so much for discussing anything calmly with Kim; she had seen that pinch; more jaw droppage, another foot or so….
"Me like," she whispered, then she ran over to Kim. "Cousin Kim!" she yelled, and she barreled into Kim and hugged her.
Rufus had popped his head out of Ron's pants pocked when we rode up, and he gave me a thumbs-up on the kiss. Rebecca Jane mouthed 'boo-yah.' Ron grinned as he came over to me.
"Well, I guess you two talked," Ron stated matter-of-factly, and grinned even broader.
"Yes, we did," I replied, grinning still.
"And?"
"Kim, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Wade," Joss said as she pulled Kim over to Ron and I. Joss will never cease to amaze me. So much for subtlety.
"B-B-B-B-B-Boyfriend?"
"Kim, you've never stuttered before; that's usually my Sitch," Ron interjected.
"Sue me, Kim: I didn't meet mine in pre-K," Joss shot and scored: nothing but net.
Kim blushed, and Ron chuckled. Evil Wade surfaced for a moment, and I decided to fire a few shots of my own. Here goes…
"What's the matter, Kim? Jelling because you didn't get me?" I grinned, and Kim sputtered. "Yeah, I know, you and all your friends wanted the short, dark, and handsome type all along," and Ron almost choked while laughing, and Rebecca Jane just laughed uproariously, and Kim blushed even more: the embarrassment ninjas have struck again.
"Well, sorry, Kim, but he's mine," and Joss put her arm around me and pulled me next to her.
"Wade, you dog," Ron said between laughs, and Joss blushed at that comment. I resisted the urge to return the pinch favor only by a hair.
"Dinner ready?"
"Whoa! I've gotta get back to the burgers. Rebecca Jane, are you coming?" Ron yelled as he ran back into the kitchen, and Rebecca Jane followed at a dead run, leaving Kim and Joss and me out here with Tornado.
"Tornado, go back to the corral, and take the night off," Joss said.
Tornado nodded, said "Good night, Miss Joss, Wade," jumped the corral fence, and trotted into to the barn.
"Wow." Kim said softly for the first time in a long time, it seemed, "talking Tornado," she pondered.
"Kim-" I didn't have a chance to say anything, because Kim grabbed Joss and I and hugged us both.
Now, I was truly surprised.
"I'm so happy for the two of you!" Kim said as she released us, then she looked at Joss and grinned. "I'm glad that you didn't wait as long as I did and almost lose out on love," Kim said, then she turned to me and gave me the 'look:' "You know what will happen if you hurt her, Wade: friend or not, I'm going medieval on your rear, so don't make me do it, ever," and she hugged me. "Be good to her, Wade. She's been thru so much," she whispered.
"More than you know, Kim," I replied, and she pulled back and stared at me. Just then, Betty and Slim came out, each holding a lemon square.
"Kimberly Ann!" Slim yelled as his niece saw him and ran to get her hug.
"Uncle Slim!" Kim answered, and then got her next surprise as Betty came and hugged both Kim and Slim.
"Kim, we need to talk to you and Joss and Wade after dinner," Betty said as they separated.
"Great lemon squares, Kim. Has Ron been cooking again?" Slim asked. Joss and I braced for the reaction.
"No, I made them," Kim calmly replied, and Slim and Betty both did a spit-take.
"Not you two, too? Ron gave them an excellent grade, and Rufus gave me two thumbs up."
"Sorry, Kim, but I'd heard about you and boiling water," Betty replied, and I swallowed my laugh as Kim glared at me, but then grinned as she saw me choking on my laugh.
"Let's go and get some grub: Ron's cooking, again. No trout tonight, I'm afraid," Slim said as Betty blushed.
Things were looking up.
Slim offered an arm to both Joss and Kim, and he escorted two redheads to dinner. I offered Betty my arm, and she accepted with a smile and a bit of a blush.
"Watch the hands, mister," Betty said matter-of-factly. "I've seen the files," and she grinned as we went to dinner and I looked around for a really deep hole to jump into. We walked into the dining hall, and Will Du was standing in the room. He looked at Betty and me, and he looked like he's swallowed an entire lemon tree. Now, it was my turn to grin.
- - - - - - -
Ron is amazing.
He not only prepared an excellent dinner, but he somehow knew exactly what size burger and the number of burgers that each person wanted to eat, and how much salad everyone wanted, and he served up 25 individual plates that were, in a word, spectacular. He did all of this while talking to everyone and keeping Kim occupied with PG-rated Ronshine for Kim and G-raged Ronshine for Rebecca Jane.
Rebecca Jane gushed all over Kim, telling her how amazing that she was in everything that she did saving the world, and that Kim had been Rebecca's idol for a long time, and how lucky she was to have a guy like Ron. Kim was grinning more than Duff Killigan would have on the winner's podium at the Masters'.
Joss and her dad were having an animated conversation all during dinner, but it all appeared to be good, because both of them were laughing the entire time.
Betty, Will, Arnold, and I made small talk throughout dinner except for one quick conversation that Betty and I had.
"Wade, Slim and I had a talk with the Security team," and I almost swallowed my face. "We passed along the information from last night's conversation, and they authorized sharing the information with Kim and Ron and Kim's parents. There are some currently ongoing activities, but I'm not at liberty to tell you what they are."
"I understand, Betty."
"Also, I've got to make sure that Kim doesn't do anything about this. Slim and I will reinforce the limits of her actions with her and her parents. I thought you should know," she continued.
"You know Joss loves you, don't you, Wade?" she asked softly.
"She told me tonight, Betty, after I told her that I loved her."
Betty misted up a bit. "Thank you, Wade: you two and Kim and Ron renew my faith in young love.
"Slim told me what he and Joss talked about last night, Wade. As long as you don't hurt her, Wade, you've got a real shot. You hurt her, thought, and-" I finished the statement for her.
"Between Kim and Slim and James, if there's anything left after Joss grinds me into the ground with Tornado…" I grinned, and Betty laughed.
"You understand, Wade."
"After hearing what I heard last night, Betty, I'm never going to do anything to hurt her," I finished honestly.
"Good." She turned to Will, who was picking at his burger like a five-year-old.
"Will, do you like these burgers?" she asked.
"They're adequate, Dr. Director," and Betty did a spit-take as Arnold dumped his drink in Will's lap.
"Dude, you're wet," Arnold observed calmly, and Will sputtered as he stood and tried to dry himself off.
"With your permission, Dr. Director," and she nodded, and Will stormed out of the room.
"Adequate my left-" Arnold was visibly upset.
" Arnold! Please, there are young people present," Betty reminded him, and then she grinned, but not where he could see her.
Dinner was delightful, and Ron surprised us all with dessert: fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate. As he served them to Joss, he winked and said something to her, and Joss blushed as Slim laughed. When he placed my plate in front of me, he winked and said "I heartily approve of this combination, Wade." Rufus popped up and gave me a thumbs-up. Betty chuckled.
Ron is amazing.
- - - - - - -
24 hours later, and I was back in the same spot. This time, though, I knew what was going to happen, and I was as ready, physically and emotionally, as I could be. Joss was with me, Betty and Slim sat together, and Kim and Ron sat together, holding hands.
Betty spoke first.
"Kim, Ron, you're covered to hear this under your GJ secrecy agreement. What you are about to hear is still being sifted thru by the Security team, and because of that, you are to take no action on what you hear tonight. Am I clear, Kim? Ron?"
"Yes, Dr. Director," Kim replied.
"I understand."
"Good. Slim, tell us what you told us last night," and Slim went thru his story again. He held up a bit better than last night: maybe it was Betty holding his hand that helped him, but most likely it was because he now knew what was coming.
Joss made it thru Slim's story without incident. Kim and Ron sat and listened, shocked at what they were hearing, just as I had been. I could see Kim starting to tear up, and I could imagine that her insides were being torn apart. Ron was stoic.
When Betty started, I wasn't sure if Joss was going to make it, but she still squeezed my hand at all the same places, and I couldn't help but notice that she was holding up much better than last night. She did break down, however, when Betty said that she saw her dream turn into a nightmare.
I held her for a few minutes and looked over at Ron and Kim: Kim's head was buried in Ron's shoulder, and Ron looked worse than I'd ever seen him, worse than he did when he thought Kim was going to disappear if he didn't complete the Amazon mission to find the flower for its pollen.
Then, Joss lifted her head, wiped her face with her sleeve, and started.
She told the story the same way that she did the previous night: like a three-year-old remembering her own personal nightmare. Her voice was amazingly clear and strong. I held her hand the entire time, and this time I watched Ron and Kim.
When she told us how she tried to wake up Sherri Nicole and couldn't do it, Kim and Ron buried their heads into each other and held each other and wept together. Joss stopped, and I looked at her: she was crying, but not as much as last night.
"Are you ok?" I whispered.
"I'll make it, Wade," she whispered back. "I'm worried about Kim and Ron: that's why I stopped," she amazed me again: she was more worried about other people. "Thank you for being here with me, again, Wade," and she kissed me tenderly. I relished that kiss then, and even to this day, more than almost all of her others till then and since….
She started back when Ron made eye contact with her. He nodded, but he had a look of determination on his face that made me glad that Betty had made them agree to take no action before they heard the Joss' events.
She finished, and Kim and Ron both stood and walked over to Joss. Kim knelt in front of her, tears streaming. She reached up and took Joss' hands in hers.
"Whatever you need, Joss, I'm here for you," Kim said, sincerely.
Ron knelt next to Kim, said nothing but simply nodded and touched the back of Joss' hand in Kim's hand, looked up and smiled.
"Thank you, Ron, Kim, but I have my hero, now," and Joss spoke softly as she turned and looked me square in the eye. "He didn't have to be here, but he's been with me ever since I sent him an email, and he came with me last night when I finally remembered how Momma died," and Kim tried unsuccessfully tried to stifle a sob, and Joss almost lost it then. She stopped for a second, composed herself, and continued: "I'm gonna get through all of this with his help, and we're going to make it work."
"Kim, I'm not giving up working with you, but I'm going to be working with Joss, as well. I hope that you don't have a problem with it," I stated calmly, even though my heart was racing. I couldn't hurt Joss, but I didn't want to hurt a dear friend, either.
Kim smiled. "No big, Wade. I'm just glad you're here for Joss."
"I've heard stories like this before, but they were from my grandparents and their friends who were in the camps," Ron said quietly, and I was not the only one who reacted with shock. We all knew which camps Ron meant.
Ron stood, and he faced Joss and bowed deeply to her. "It has been my honor to hear your story, Jocelyn Possible," he said clearly, "and it will be my honor to do whatever GJ deems appropriate, even if it includes nothing at this time," and he bowed again, and then he knelt again with Kim. Kim took his hand and smiled at him.
"What are we going to do with these young folks, Betty?" Slim had walked over to us, Betty's hand firmly wrapped in his. Kim looked up and got another shock. "No, Kim, it's not what you think. Besides," he grinned, "what would that make Gemini to you?"
Betty looked confused for a moment, and then she grinned as Kim figured it out. "Kim, you'd have an Uncle-Out-Law," and we all laughed as Kim blushed, then laughed.
Betty leaned over to Kim and whispered something in her ear, and Kim turned redder than I'd ever seen her. Ron would have needed the entire Amazon flower population to save her from whatever Betty told her.
Betty stood back up. "No trout snacks tonight," and everyone except Kim laughed. "I'm thinking ice cream. Slim, what'cha got?"
"You name it, we've got it. Remember, I've got twenty-somethings to feed," Slim replied.
"Rocky Road?" Kim perked up.
"I love Rocky Road ice cream, Kim," Joss bubbled, "but lately I've been enjoying mine with chocolate," Joss grinned as Betty and Slim laughed, Kim blushed, I winced, and Ron and Rufus both yelled "BOO-YAH!"
"What about you, Wade?" Ron asked, knowing the answer.
I grinned and channeled Slim. "I've had a hankerin' for strawberry lately, Ron," and I waited for Ron to add:
"Wow, Wade, that's my favorite flavor, too! What are the odds?" and Joss and Kim both blushed.
Betty and Slim laughed as they headed for the kitchen freezers.
"Wade?"
"Yes, Kim?"
"You still got some 'splainin' to do, Wade," and she grinned and hugged me. 15 days ago, I would have passed out from that. Now, I enjoyed it, but I was happier with someone else.
"And, Ronnie?" Kim asked, sweetly.
"Yes?"
"What's going on between you and Rebecca Jane?" and Kim gave him 'the look.'
"Nothing, Kim. She didn't tell you there was, did she?" Ron looked worried
"GOTCHA, RON!" and suddenly Kim shifted the look to a big grin and grabbed him and got her 'Ronshine,' PG-13 flavored.
"Let's go get you a big bowl of strawberry ice cream, chipotle-burger-boy," Kim smiled as she took Ron's hand and left the room.
I was left here with Joss,
She turned to face me, and she gasped.
I gave her the same look that she gave me…
I put her face between my hands and pulled her lips to mine.
"I love you, strawberry girl," and I kissed her. Her eyes were big, but then she closed them and relaxed. I was in paradise until-
"OW!"
"'Strawberry girl,' indeed," she remarked as she pinched my butt, again.
"Sorry, Sweet Tea," and I grabbed her hands in a pre-emptive pinch prevention maneuver. "Let's go get you some chocolate," I suggested, and she shook her head.
"I like what I have right here," she whispered and smiled and kissed me.
I could really get used to this.
- - - - - - -
"Hey, Ron!"
"Wade, my man! What's shaking?"
Kim and Joss and Betty and Slim were devouring ice cream, and I'd pulled Ron back into the kitchen.
"I need a favor, Ron."
"What's the Sitch?" and he laughed.
"I need a special lunch for tomorrow…"
"For a special lady, Wade?" and he winked.
"You could say that."
"How special do you want it?"
"Surprise me."
"OOOOOO, this could be fun," and it felt for a moment that Zorpox was preparing the menu. Ron thought, then smiled.
"Wade, I promise you: you won't be disappointed."
"Thanks, Ron."
"So, Wade," he leaned in as he whispered. "'How did you know Joss was the one?'" and he poked me. "Remember when you asked me that?"
"I do, and thanks for not laughing at me, Ron."
"Hey, Wade, if you could deal with me and Algebra and not kill yourself or me, I owe you one. Besides," and he got the 'serious face,' "for as much as you've done for Kim and me in keeping us in gear and keeping us alive and safe, it's the very least that I could have done." He stuck out his hand. "That's what real friends are for, Wade," and I shook his hand.
"Really good friends, Ron. Really good friends don't laugh at a 13-year-old who's never had a date and only left his room fewer than 20 times in his life when he tells you that he's going to Montana to chase an impossible dream."
"But you forget, my friend," and we said it together:
"'Anything's possible for a Possible.'"
"Right, Wade, even Kim falling for a klutzy Jewish kid in Pre-K and sticking by me my whole life."
"Or Joss falling for a big African-American kid her age with a PhD."
"We're two really lucky guys, aren't we, Wade?"
"That we are, Ron. That we are," I reflected.
"Now, I'll have the lunch ready about 11:00 tomorrow morning. Do you have a place picked out for this special lunch?"
I grinned. "Where I told her…."
"BOOYAH!"
"Booyah, indeed. And now, for something completely different tomorrow morning," I said.
"What's than, Wade?"
"Showing Kim the bunker and some new toys," I grinned.
"Can I get a Booyah from the crowd?"
"BOOYAH!"
"Oh, boys?" Joss and Kim called, and that call was definitely not the call of trouble.
Booyah, indeed.
What happened that night? Well, it's like they say up here:
What happens in Montana stays under the blanket of snow until after the thaw, and then we wash it away so it can't be found.
- - - - - - -
The next morning I met Joss and Kim and Ron and Arnold and Rebecca Jane for breakfast.
"Good morning, all you lovely ladies: you too, guys. By the way, Arnold, a nice move on Du-Duh last night."
"Thanks, Dr. Load."
"Wade, please."
"Wade. I was sick and tired of Will's 'tude about you and Ron and Kim, and so are a lot of the rest of the people here and most of the GJ trainees. I couldn't resist doing it, even if it costs me a rank in GJ."
"Dude! That is so not going to happen," Ron challenged.
"Ron, it could. He is my superior officer while I'm on this training exercise, even thought we are peers, and while what I did is not a court-martial offense, he could still try to have me brought up on charges if he wanted to. I made my decision, though, and I'll live with the consequences."
Wow.
"I'd appreciate it if none of you said anything to Dr. Director about this, though," Arnold continued, "I want to stay with GJ, but I'll do it on my merit."
"Ok, Arnold. You have our word," and we all nodded. Rebecca Jane stood, faced Arnold, and snapped a salute. Arnold stood, returned her salute, and then smiled. They both sat down.
"Kim, are you ready?"
"Ready for what, Wade?"
"You get your first tour of the Bunker. No one other that all of us crazy people who've been putting in the hours on it has seen it yet."
"Wow, I'm honored, Wade," and Kim sounded sincere.
"Part of it is to support what Team Possible does, so my mom can get the house back," I admitted. "When I called Mom the other night, she said that the new flooring was in, and the walls had been painted, and she'd finally gotten the food smell out of my room: I jokingly told her that I wasn't sure if I could sleep in a clean room that didn't smell like burgers and burnt pizza, and she laughed and said that, if it didn't stay clean, I wouldn't have to worry about sleeping there: she had found a nice doghouse that she could order for the backyard."
"OUCH!"
"Indeed. So, my getting all of the hardware out of the house was just in time, it seems, but she did say that I could keep the holoprojectors and 2 server racks and enough equipment for Team Possible at the house for emergencies. She'd talk to me when I got back about what and where I could keep it."
"That sounds fair, Wade."
"Word, Kim," I Dr. D'ed her, and she giggled.
"Ron, do you have the blindfold?"
"Yes, Dr. Wade, I do."
"Please place the blindfold on Miss Kimberly Ann Possible." Ron went to put the blindfold on Kim. "not THERE, Ron!"
"oops, my bad," he grinned, and he put the blindfold over her eyes and stole a kiss.
"Do you have the second blindfold, oh able assistant?"
"Yes, Dr. Wade, I do."
"Please place the blindfold over the eyes of Miss Jocelyn Possible." No chance of mistake, here!
Ron put the blindfold on Joss, and he kissed her cheek.
"Lead the victims to the torture chamber," I intoned.
"Promises, promises," Kim said, and then remembered who had spoken and where she was and did her impression of a fully-cooked beet.
We escorted our blindfolded Possibles into the bunker, down the ramp to the central control arena, and sat them in matching chairs. I used the remotes to turn off all the lights, and then told them to remove their blindfolds. They removed them to see darkness.
"This is where Team Possible started," I said as I used the remote to turn on a projector screen with Kim's first website on it and a couple of picture of her in braces. A growl came out of the darkness.
"Here's where Team Possible is today," and multiple screens snapped on showing newspaper and magazine pictures of Kim and Ron after missions, and faces of the people they'd help, and a couple of shots that neither of then expected to see: Kim during her Drakken-induced disappearing act, and Ron's pants coming down several times: Rebecca Jane asked for copies of those pictures later, but I had to turn her down.
"And, here's the future of Team Possible," and I shut down all of the screens and turned on all of the lights. The banners all said:
WELCOME! to the NEW HOME of TEAMS POSSIBLE!
Silence.
"wow," was all Kim could say.
"spankin" was all Joss could say.
"booyah" was all Ron could say.
"good cheese!" came from Rufus. That shot the mood, and everyone laughed.
The screens were still out, and I used the remote to retract them into the walls..
"How did you do all of this, Wade?"
"It wasn't just Wade, Kim," and Betty and Slim came in. Betty continued. "Kim, you've done all that you've done for Global Justice and never asked for a dime in compensation, and this is our way of saying 'Thank You' without spending taxpayer dollars: all of the equipment that's here has either been donated by manufacturers and people you've helped or out of the GJ recovery and disposal warehouses, and the space belongs to Slim. Level 2 below contains a fully-equipped R&D facility for Dr. Load and his future teams; there's a fully-equipped gym and a separate workout area on level 3 below, Kim so you can kick to your heart's delight; and the computer room is on level 4 below ground in a hardened facility: if fact, this entire facility is a hardened facility. There are also living quarters on the same level as the gym and workout room."
"When Joss told me what she wanted to do," Slim joined in, "I called up Betty and suggested to her that we needed to get our favorite two redheads a little bit of equipment, and this is what she came up with. I already was moving mah labs out of the house, and I just extended the space conversion to accommodate what y'all will need. I had mah 'hired hands' help a bit ('Some bit!' I thought.) I'll move my labs in the second phase to a space that's already being built-out on level 2: as you say, Kim: no big," and Slim chuckled and slapped his knee.
"Besides," Slim added, "I was one of those people you helped, Kim, and I owed you more than a bowl of five-alarm chili.
"You and Joss are going down parallel paths, and it made sense to take advantage of re-usable infrastructure."
"My turn, Slim. Joss, catch," and I tossed her the wrist unit. She clamped it on and pointed at the beams above, then fired the line and rose to one of the steel beams forming the ceiling supports.
"Hair dryer upgrade, Kim," I said as Joss rose in the air. "The rope's been replaced with the latest synthetic; it's 30 times stronger and 30 times lighter than anything that you have now, and it's being incorporated into the new battlesuits. A separate unit can be worn like Joss did: simply clip it under your wrist. I can reverse-engineer it into the hair-dryer if you'd like."
Joss walked the beam expertly, then came down as the line controlled her descent down and started a swing until about 10 feet off the ground where she swung towards the wall, released the line, bounced off the wall, executed a pair of mid-air spins and landing expertly in a crouch, one hand touching the ground fingers pointing down and the other arm out counterbalancing.
"Joss, that was perfect!" Kim was beaming as Joss caught her breath and pulled in the line with the rewind control. Rebecca Jane and Arnold clapped, and Joss turned and curtsied, just like she had done for me the first time: that earned her more applause.
Joss walked over to Kim and handed her the wrist unit.
"Cousin Kim, thanks for inspiring me to be more than I was before. Without you, I wouldn't be standing here," and she reached over and pulled me to her side, "and I certainly wouldn't have my Wade here, either," and she grinned. Her Wade: Ron grinned when he heard her comment.
I handed Joss two more boxes for Kim and Ron, and she handed them each their own box. They ripped them open to reveal:
"The Kimmunicator Mark 4 handheld; the same capabilities are being added to the battlesuits," I told Kim.
"Cool!" was Ron's response. "Did you get the new power-saver quad chip and GPS capabilities added, or did you get Dr. Freeman's upgrades added?"
"Actually, Ron, I got both of them into this upgrade," I replied. Ron was reading the information that I was sending him? Again, with the Ron-style surprises….
Kim was visibly touched by all of this, but she had one burning question:
"So, Joss, what are you planning to do with all of this?" Kim asked. Joss turned to me, kissed my cheek, and turned back to Kim with a big grin.
"Well, Kim, let me tell you…"
- - - - - - -
To my readers:
Remember to jump over to chapter 2 of Blue Eyes, Shining - Intermezzi to learn know the details of what happened after Wade left the room (after the end of Blue Eyes, Shining: chapter 6).
Stay tuned for the final chapter of this story: In the rain.
I can't leave Jocelyn and Dr. Load without completing his request to document the upcoming years and events between now and 'Black Hole Deep, Version 2.0' and beyond, so expect more about my new favorite team (no offense, Kim).
Thanks for hanging with me on this event-filled ride, and please remember to review.