Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible. It belongs to Disney and its creators. If it was in the show, I don't own it. Any songs mentioned are the property of their respective owners and artists. I am not doing this for compensation, simply for enjoyment and practice.
Claimer: Krista Ruthie Stoppable is my OC. If you want to use her, please ask. Krysta-L (aka Krystal) was created by StormChaser90 and used with permission. If you want to use her, please contact him for permission.
After All This Time: Revenge
Chapter 18
Stoppable Home, Middleton, Colorado
3 Months Later
"Dad? I need some help." Krista sat at the kitchen table, a book and several papers spread out in front of her. She stared at one of the sheets, chewing thoughtfully on the eraser of her pencil.
Ron backtracked into the kitchen and looked over his daughter's shoulder. "What's up?"
"I don't understand this question."
Ron fidgeted nervously. "Uhhh… I may not be the best person to ask…"
"Please, Dad? I've been stuck on it for 20 minutes."
Ron sighed and sat down next to his daughter, taking her pencil and staring hard at the paper. After everything that had happened, they had made the decision to homeschool Krista for the remainder of the school year while they focused on improving her mental and emotional health. At first, she attended a therapy session every day with one of GJ's top psychologists. For the past two weeks, her sessions had been cut down to three times per week. They could see small improvements in her mental health, but they wanted to make sure she was confident and comfortable enough before they sent her back to school.
As it turned out, one of Kim and Ron's old classmates, Tara, had recently gone back to school and gotten her education degree. They hired her to be Krista's homeschool teacher. She worked with Krista for 4 hours every weekday. After her school lessons, Krista would either have a therapy session or a private dance class with Bonnie Rockwaller. Since dance was something Krista had always enjoyed, Kim, Ron, and the doctors had agreed it would be a helpful part of her treatment plan. It was its own kind of therapy – the movement and creativity allowed Krista to express herself and her emotions in ways words couldn't. Krista's days ended with a training session from her father in the art of controlling her Mystical Monkey Power.
After Krista had healed enough, Kim and Ron told her about the Mystical Monkey Power – how her father had gotten it in the first place, and how he had used it to save her. The energy transfer had caused her full power to manifest much earlier than it would have normally. Sensei and Yori from Yamanouchi had helped Ron develop a training plan to help Krista learn how to control her powers and use them to strengthen both physically and mentally. Some days, Krista, Ron, and Kim would spar. Other days, they would meditate and focus on calming and coping strategies. The sessions allowed her to bond with the parents she had known for only a short amount of time, and reminded her of their love for her and her own strength within herself.
Several minutes passed before Ron sat bolt upright. "I got it!"
Krista took a look at the paper, scrunching her nose in confusion. "Dad… I know I'm struggling with the question, but I'm pretty sure the answer isn't x equals 8."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm working on English, not math."
Ron blinked. "Oh."
"You asked your father for homework help?!" Kim laughed as she entered the kitchen. "The man who had to take his shoes off to count to twelve until he was 16?"
"Hey!" Ron protested. "I got it eventually, didn't I? I'm just a—"
"Late bloomer, I know," Kim teased. She kissed him on the top of his mop of blonde hair, then looked at her watch. "Anyway, homework will have to be put on pause. You've got therapy in 20 minutes."
Krista gathered up her papers and tucked them into her book. "Can we get Bueno Nacho after my session?"
Kim playfully rolled her eyes. "You really are your father's daughter."
"Please?" Krista assumed a perfect Puppy-Dog Pout.
"Hey, she got that from you!" Ron pointed accusingly.
Kim sighed dramatically. "I taught her too well. Fine, we can get Bueno Nacho." Krista cheered, and Kim couldn't resist smiling. "But get it in gear, or we're going to be late."
Krista ran from the kitchen to grab her jacket and put on her shoes. Kim and Ron hung back for a moment, taking in the change in her personality in just 3 short months. She had her good days and bad days. She still struggled, still had nightmares. They knew she wouldn't ever fully escape the darkness that plagued her. But she was strong, and she was stubborn. She refused to back down from a challenge. She'd need help, sure, but they would always be there to pick her back up when she fell.
They had finally gotten their baby girl back. And they would never let her go again.
XXXXXXXXXX
Global Justice Maximum Security Prison, Location Classified
"Has the serum been administered?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Initiating treatment sequence in 3… 2… 1…"
A bright, white light enveloped the room. The Global Justice scientists watched from behind plexiglass windows as tremors wracked Shego's body. After a few seconds, the light dimmed and the tremors stopped. Shego tentatively lifted one hand as much as she could in the restraints, concentrating on summoning her powers. Only a small, emerald flame resulted from her efforts, lasting only a few seconds before it petered out.
Shego let out a cry of rage. "What have you done to me?!" She thrashed angrily in her restraints, shouting insults and obscenities to no one in particular. The scientists simply watched her tantrum, calmly taking notes. This had been the fifth experiment they had performed, and it seemed that this time, they finally got it right. It would take several more sessions to fully extinguish Shego's powers, but they were heartened that she seemed to be at least weakened for the time being.
Once the villainess had worn herself out, she was escorted back to her cell and secured safely behind a series of 6-inch-thick steel doors. Shego waited several minutes until she was sure the agents wouldn't return. Then, silently, she raised her hand, a flame more bright and powerful than she had ever experienced engulfing her arm up to her elbow. This confirmed what she had suspected in the lab.
The treatment hadn't weakened her powers. It had made her stronger.
She would play along, of course, as they continued the treatment, blissfully unaware that it was having the opposite effect than what they had intended. She would endure the sessions, the prison, the abuse.
Then, when the time was right, she would strike.
XXXXXXXXXX
Stoppable Home, Middleton, Colorado
"Krista, you need to fully relax to have maximum control over your powers. Here, like this." Ron took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes and letting his body relax one muscle at a time. Slowly but surely, a soft blue glow began to grow about him, increasing as he relaxed further. Seconds later, a monkey screech was heard in the air, and a powerful blue beam of pure energy was sent hurtling towards its intended target. The rose bush in the yard disintegrated immediately. Ron opened his eyes, and the glow dimmed until it was no longer visible.
Krista sighed. "I don't know how you do that."
Ron walked up to his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder. "You'll get it, kiddo. Just try to think about things that are calming to you."
Krista tried again, and managed to create a small beam of light that singed some of the grass near the back porch.
"Now you're getting it!" Ron praised her excitedly. The sliding door to the back porch opened, and Kim stepped out into the yard.
"How's the training going?" she asked. Her eyes fell on the singed roses, still smoking from the energy blast. She turned back to Ron, arms crossed over her chest angrily. "Really, Ron? The roses? You know Nana helped me plant those!"
Ron stood motionless in the yard, suddenly fearing for his life. Then his pants fell down, revealing rubber ducky boxer shorts. He looked down, and quickly pulled them back up, embarrassed. "Aw, man! Even in my ninja gi?" Krista giggled. She had heard that had happened countless times while her parents were saving the world. Kim laughed too, and gave him a playful glare.
"And I see the grass is burnt, too. You're in for it, Mr. Stoppable." Kim started towards her husband. Ron put his arms out in front of him defensively, backing up as Kim came closer.
"Whoa, whoa! The grass was Krista's fault, not mine!" he yelled. Kim turned to Krista, mock-anger on her face. Krista playfully glared at her father for throwing her under the bus.
Kim advanced once again towards the two of them, who dispersed in different directions immediately.
"RUN, KRISTA! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Ron screamed as he ran around the corner of the house, heading into the front yard. Krista ran in the opposite direction. She was just rounding the corner to the front yard when she heard the unmistakable sound of her father being tackled to the ground.
"Ah! Ow, ow! Kim! Is the tying really necessary?" Krista peeked around the corner, and saw her father hog-tied with the black belt from his gi. Kim got up and started running towards Krista, who gave a yelp and started running in the opposite direction.
"RUN FOR IT, KIDDO!" she heard Ron scream. Krista pumped her arms to run faster, taking cover behind one of the bushes. She heard feet running by, and waited a few seconds before peeking over the top of the bush. The coast was clear.
"Boo." Krista screamed in surprise as Kim grabbed her from behind and tackled her to the ground as well, both mother and daughter bursting into giggles.
"Okay! Okay! I surrender!" Krista laughed. Kim helped her stand up, brushing the grass from her clothes.
"Uh, hello? A little help, please?" They heard Ron call from the front yard. Kim laughed, realizing they had forgotten about him.
"Come on, we better go untie your father."
Once they had freed Ron, they all retreated to the kitchen, collapsing at the table with bottles of water. This was the best day they had had in a long time. Krista's personality was becoming more carefree every day, and it warmed Kim and Ron's hearts to see her finally having a little fun.
"Krista, I have to say, we're really proud of the all the progress you've made," Kim said.
Krista ducked her head. "I have a lot of help." She thought of her therapist, her teachers, her parents… and of course, Ruthie.
Krista hadn't told her parents about what she had experienced while she was in her coma, but she thought about it nearly every day. Ruthie's words came back to her especially in her bad moments – after a nightmare, during a panic attack, when she just couldn't climb out of the dark spaces in her mind. She knew she had gotten a lot better, but she also knew she still had mountains to conquer. It would take time, but after everything she had learned over the last 3 months, she knew she could give herself the chance to let her own strength grow and thrive. Maybe she could be all that Ruthie had said she was. Brave. Courageous. A fighter.
"Still, you should be proud of everything you've accomplished," Kim continued. She looked at Ron, who nodded and left the kitchen. "Your father and I talked to your therapist. We wanted to celebrate how far you've come, and help you continue to make progress. So…" Ron returned, his hands cupped over something small, a wide grin on his face.
Krista looked between them, confused. "So… what?"
Ron opened his hands to reveal a tiny pink animal. "Say hello to Ruby – your emotional support naked mole rat!"
Krista's hands flew to her mouth. She had heard thousands of stories of her dad's old pet, Rufus - how close they were, how much he had helped him and her mom in their hero adventures. Secretly, she had longed for a pet of her own, but she hadn't yet gotten the courage to ask.
"Really? She's… she's mine? My very own pet?" Krista asked, tentatively reaching out to the little pink animal.
"All yours," Ron answered. He gently placed Ruby in Krista's hands. Krista softly stroked the creature with one finger, a sense of calm descending on her.
"Thank you," she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.
Kim and Ron shared a smile. "No need to thank us. You deserve this." Krista gently placed Ruby on the kitchen table before launching herself at her parents, bestowing one of her very rare hugs on them.
"I love you," she whispered. Kim and Ron hugged their daughter back, tears of their own threatening to spill over.
"We love you, too, baby girl. Always."
A/N: And that's a wrap on the reboot of AATT: Revenge. It took way longer than planned to get this story finished, but I want to thank you all for your patience and hanging around for the ride. This was the darkest story I have ever written. I'll admit, I cried myself during certain scenes, and I really didn't want to write some parts, but I felt this was where the characters and the story were leading me (as my favorite author Kiera Cass says). I loved writing this last chapter and getting to see Krista become more of her confident, carefree self again.
As for the scene with Shego, as well as Krystal's story, you'll have to hang tight and see where that leads. StormChaser90 and I have had a crossover planned together for a while and are hoping to start getting that out to you in the near future. It'll involve characters from his So the Vengeance universe as well as from my After All This Time universe.
I also have to apologize for the long update since my last chapter. I had a couple people message me asking if I was okay, since I had been exposed to COVID. I totally didn't mean to cause anyone to worry. I never ended up getting COVID, and actually just got the first dose of the vaccine last week. Truthfully, I was busy getting caught up from taking that unexpected time off work, applying to a Master's program, and starting up a side hustle to help pay for my Master's. Writing got pushed to the backburner. So, sorry if I caused anyone to worry. I'm doing fine, and thanks to those of you who reached out to check in.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and stuck with me through this darker version of my original. I'm excited to move on to some more lighthearted (or at least less dark) stories now. Thanks for reading.
-LP99
