Okay, so there won't be any KP/MF sexual content because she's still underage until graduation day in the coming year.

Chapter Two

Putting on Masks

"Nothing like the day before Halloween, on a Friday after school," Ron had said as soon as they'd touched down in England. Back to where it happened with him and Lord Monty Fiske - revealed to be Monkey Fist, according to him and the holographic her.

And all of this right after she confronted Shego solo when it was falsely believed to be Drakken trying something new and foolhardy to take over the world when all it had been was his plasma-blasting sidekick getting a "borrowed" costume for a villains' Halloween costume party. The older woman snatched a Medusa getup, bewitching and lethal in one, in the form of a shimmering green front sequined to look like true snake scales, the sides being black spandex; it would be finished off with a headdress of bedazzled serpents. "I'm gonna hold you to it in case it's not given back to the store; you know what happens!" Kim had sworn to her with two fingers crossed over each other.

Shego had laughed and thrown her head back. "Yeah, of course, Kimmy. I look forward to it." Part of the teenager hoped she wouldn't regret doing this, but at least Wade had the tracer and the tabs in place.

Today was the day for them to speak to Catherine Fiske. She had a cottage just on the outskirts of London, no different than the old Fiske castle which was still in the name of its current owner who was no longer a respected member of society or the British Museum. Here they were now, and Ron's jaw dropped as he noted how this place was "like stepping onto the moon", with the perfectly trimmed hedges around the property going to the entrance the teen pair walked through, and the all-white flowers which softly scented the air. There were anemones, hydrangeas, daisies, and roses notably, with green ivy crawling up and around the two-level structure of rust-colored brick. It was lovely, warm, and welcoming. Made Kim think of one of the things she wanted when she got married and had a family of her own...

"OI, nice!" Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket and looked bug-eyed at the scenery, his master's expression no different. She smiled with them.

She knocked on the door when they both walked the primrose pathway, and who answered was a complete surprise altogether. "Bates?!"

"Miss Possible!" he replied, just as shocked as they were. "And Mr. Stoppable! What brings you both here?" He got himself together and cleared his throat.

"Just wanted to know if the lady of the house was here - Fiske," Ron answered, making Kim roll her eyes and nudge him firmly to behave. "I - I mean, Lady Catherine Fiske. Is she up to seeing anyone?"

"If you're here about her son, my old master, then you'd better word whatever you want to know carefully," Bates said coldly. "I left him right after his debacle in your hometown, and his poor mother needs help more than ever. She doesn't need to have a stroke if she finds out he truly took a life."

Kim understood since this was an old woman, after all. "We're not here to cause trouble. We just want to ask her some questions about their family and nothing related to -" She dropped her voice. "- Mystical Monkey Power."

The man stepped aside. "Believe me when I say she believes in this and knows enough but wants nothing to do with it. Let's say Lord Fiske chose to not associate her with whatever he does these days."

"When was the last time you both saw him?" Kim questioned.

"We've had more visits from him since the past spring. But then he said he was going to Japan to see an old friend of his father's, never specifying what for exactly." If you asked her, he was seeking more Mystical Monkey crap. Without realizing it - or maybe he did - Bates gave away a possible lead for Wade. Good thing she had the Kimmunicator on so they'd get what they needed, and Wade could only listen in until the setting changed for actual communication.

This place was really warm and inviting, nothing grand as you'd expect of a noble house or the castles across the country. Several windows had latticework, the curtains were tapestries of flowers, and the hallways they walked through were buttery yellow and lined above their heads with crystal chandeliers. Lots of the cabinets and tables were antique, fading white wood. By the time they came into the main living area, an entire wall was composed of river rocks, including the fireplace. Sitting at the study was -

"You don't have to introduce yourselves. Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable - I've heard enough of the introductions from where I am; my hearing has gotten all the more sensitive over the years."

The first thing Kim noticed was the dress. It might as well be mistaken to be old-schooled, but there was no high collar of the Victorian era - the old within the new age. Black velvet gently hugged her curved yet frail body. The sleeves flared at the wrists. Lace was inset into the sleeves and throughout the petaled skirt. Her hair was once black as a raven's wing, and it still was, likely from being dyed. Around her neck was a choker of black lace set about with moonlit pearls and holding a faceted, passionately purple jewel. Everything about her exuded nobility at heart. And when she turned around while sitting on her stool, she bore a narrow, heart-shaped face that once was devoid of the lines that were there now. Her eyes were the brightest blue ever, just like her son's.

"Um, hello, Lady Fiske - erm, what should we call you?" Kim asked, shifting on her feet and suddenly feeling intimidated. The woman raised a delicate, penciled black brow at her, regarding her stoically before it reverted into a soft smile - just as warm and welcoming as the rest of this house.

"You may call me Catherine if you wish. I have not had visitors like you in a long time. I might appear fragile, but I assure you I am stronger than I appear - as much as in here." She put her hand over her heart then and there, just like pledging allegiance to the American flag. Already, Kim liked her, and so did Ron.

"Yeah, uh huh. Nice to meet you, your ladyship. We don't mean to bother you or anything, but we wanted to ask you about your boy, Monty chap."

She didn't seem bothered by his goofy boldness, for she chuckled deeply in her throat, a husky sound that pleasantly ruffled the nerves. "Not surprised. When you have a child, you never know how they will turn out as they grow. You both have children someday, you'll know what it's like." She turned all the way around in her seat, sitting upright and putting her hands in her lap like the proper lady she was - if only Kim could do that! - and lifted her chin. "Please, have a seat, both of you." She gestured behind them, in which there was the sofa before the fireplace, only it faced the opposite, and she joined them, taking the position in the loveseat before them. Between them was the antiqued wooden table. "Bates, why don't you get the tea ready for our guests?"

It was so hard to believe this gracious, elegant woman was the mother of their shared sworn enemy. "You really didn't have to do this, but thank you," Kim said, pushing her hair over her shoulders.

Catherine laughed and waved it off. "Oh, it is nothing, Miss Possible - or do you want me to call you both by your first names?"

Ron's face lit up. "Yeah, call me Ron. This here is KP, my best friend from all our lives and who I love like a sister." Words could not describe how much those words meant to her. "So, what can you tell us?" Rufus then came out of his pocket and went to rest on his shoulder, which the lady noticed and furrowed her brows together out of curiosity.

"I trust that's not a rat. I know one when I see it."

"Hey!" Rufus scowled at her and folded his arms across his chest.

"Nah, my little buddy is a naked mole rat." Ron patted the little guy's head. "He's been in the family for several years; he's not germ-ridden, either. He's like a real little brother to me."

"Ah." Catherine's eyes sparkled. "Reminds me of one time Monty wanted a monkey brought into our family, despite being told they were not made to be domesticated pets."

To hear the young Montgomery Fiske went far as to ask for a simian as a household addition was laughable and adorable at the same time; it made Kim momentarily forget what he truly became later in his life. Though the slightest mention of the monkey made Ron flinch. She gave him a warning look from the corner of her eye, to make him behave since this was the woman's son they were talking about. It was time to start behaving like a mature adult, too, no matter what he liked or didn't like.

"Monty started his love of monkeys when he was but a boy, before the divorce, of course. His father, my former husband - too strict with him and seldom said he loved him or gave him a pat for everything he accomplished...but I did," Catherine said with a distant smile. "Edward had the same treatment from his own father. I did try to help them both, but in the end, it was me, my boy, and Bates. I gave up my career for the sake of my husband and child, but I was determined to make the best of it, either way..." She paused then and there, having this expression on her face as though torn between revealing something or not.

A long moment of pause before she finally spoke. "...though, I confess that I was scared to death when I almost died giving birth to him. As I feared losing him if I'd lived."

She...she almost DIED? Both of them?

"Oh, yes. But if you don't mind, I'll spare you the somber and bloody details. Just know that there was an emergency C-section, and we both made it out after I underwent extensive surgery. And after it all when I first held him, he was a beautiful baby. I named him after my uncle who spoiled me as a child," Catherine said, swallowing back a sniff and clearing her throat. "I was always there for him, made up for what his own father never gave him, but I never realized the extent Edward's indifference had over him until it was too late." She sighed sadly, looking up just as Bates walked in with the tea service in his hands. "Thank you as always, my friend. It's a shame Monty didn't appreciate you toward the end. I always told you to stand up to him even if he were your master; after all, he was like a son to you as much as your boy Charles." That had to be Bates' son or something.

Bates exhaled and slumped his shoulders. "You were right, madam, but a butler's place is in submission, knowing your place even if you don't approve of anything." She shook her head, clicking her tongue.

"And you kids have it better in terms of no service like this or being in his shoes. Be blessed you have more than any of us rich folk could ever ask for." Kim decided to ask her that when the story was finished. "Anyway -" She took a cup of white porcelain rimmed with sterling silver and gold flora and Renaissance influence - and it was then that those two rings were glimpsed. On the right hand was a marquise halo masterpiece of diamonds, while the other hand boasted a large amethyst shimmering like liquid. Kim and Ron did the same in taking their share, Rufus inhaling and humming his approval.

"- Monty grew up under the pressure of his position and duties, but his escapes were monkeys as well as his passion for artifacts around the world. He chose not to take his father's way, instead settling on traveling the world and finding nothing but the best wonders, which I once did. I made my decision to leave Edward long before that, granted a condition to continue being in our son's life no matter what. I thought I'd loved him despite the arrangement between our families and the correspondence via letters long before our meeting. Can be easy for a young woman to be charmed by a man like that. I wish I'd remained had I'd known what would become of Monty after his father passed on..."

She referred to the Jade Monkey Idol incident. She hadn't been there, but she learned of it after Bates left Monty following the Middleton Space Center's attempted sabotage. To know a mother still loved her son despite whatever he did and didn't condone his actions - it caused Kim's throat to tighten as she could imagine him having it worse than she and Ron ever did. He had wealth and the highest standings which they never did, but the teen heroes had this: loving families and comfortable stability. They had it easier compared to him.

It made sense: he wanted to have all the power beyond comprehension to make up for something he never had. But why did he get his own hands and feet mutated...?!

"Monty was such a good boy until he did those things I heard of. As his mother, I gladly waited for him while busying myself with other pursuits even if I never went back to archaeology -" Which she encouraged when he picked it as a life choice on his own. "- such as art and literature. I became a school governess and artist. Pays well as you can see, and Bates is here, too. If my son doesn't come around before I die, I'd rather keep my sanity in check rather than waste my final years giving up." Mother's love proved stronger than anything in life, just like Anne Possible.

"You really believe that your son you still love is in that man who has people sacrifice so he can get what he wants?" Ron demanded heatedly. "That he could still change for the better?!"

Only if he did that, then he had his work cut out for him. He has to EARN it, as well as trust.

Catherine Fiske's gaze hardened just a little. "It's like I said, I do love my boy, but I can't make him into a better man. Everything he does is all on him. The only one who can hold on hope long enough, foolhardy as it is, is me. But I think...maybe a surprise outside help could perform a miracle if such things exist."

"Man, you're a real angel from heaven," Ron said, sniffling. "We learned a lot about Monty boy today. Even - even though we've seen his evil side, I never thought he'd be as you talked about! He should have been just like us: happy and carefree, had friends and even a girl to love him! He didn't deserve to be helpless and trapped, but I wanna know why he had THAT done to his hands and feet!" He shuddered then and there, having read Kim's thoughts.

Before Kim could say anything, the Kimmunicator beeped. "Oh, excuse me. My genius friend might have an update on your son or something," she said to Catherine, Bates having gone around to stand by her side because he deserved to hear as much as his mistress. "What do you have, Wade?" Kim took a small sip of the lukewarm tea just as he answered - and what he said caused Ron and Rufus to gawk, and the other two to gasp in shock.

"Edgar Wright, an Englishman in the Yamanouchi province - away from the secret school, of course - needs your help. He thinks he knows who did it, but a mask has been stolen from his shop!"

~o~

"Ohhh...the power...I FEEL IT!"

The voice which reached his ears the first time he put the mask on his face before the mirror was not his own. It was gravelly, hoarse, and inhuman, but he thrilled in it. The feeling surged through his body as he beheld his reflection back at his castle. Not today, but tomorrow would be the night for him.

Halloween, also known as All Hallow's Eve - Samhain, the one night when everything went bump in the night. He loved when he could discard civility, in his childhood, and be what he wanted behind his father's and society's backs. Ever since becoming part monkey by Amy's hands, he'd throw off his ninja or civilized garments to take a late-night leap through the trees, even following his release from prison due to lack of proper evidence to convict him, and on an insanity verdict just to avoid long-term.

And now, tonight would be a breakthrough to meet a desire: he would frighten away an unwanted admirer once and for all.

The all-seeing mirror pushed away its vision for him and revealed none other than the four frightening visages on stands atop a shelf just as tall as his shoulders. Whereas he'd been startled to the point of having a heart attack, his heart began to beat in the way he desired. He struggled with which one to pick, as they were all so grotesque in their own ways. For a moment, he mistook them as the true versions of the female demon masks popular in Noh theatre, but their features were more simian-like, which was precisely what he craved.

From the left to the right did he take every single one in: the first reminded him of a zombie or decayed corpse. It was dark and with shades of gray, dark blue, and black around the eyes and lips, and parts of the mask were chipped and peeled with worn age. The one after it was simple and flesh-colored, with the lips pulled backward in an inward square shape, like a plastic surgery session somehow gone wrong. The third was ivory, almost white, like the true hannya masks symbolizing envy and sadness in the woman; it was terribly spotted with brown-tinted warts, other parts being rotten brown and blue as though the blood had been cut off and began dying...

The final one must have called to his soul more than the others. It was...inhuman altogether and otherworldly. The skin was yellow, like vomit, and marked with blackened shadows around the eyes and mouth, red rimming the lips like blood. And just like its companions, the teeth exposed were lethal fangs.

There was nothing on this, no parchment or papers detailing their origins, so he automatically assumed they were nothing more than masks to collect or wear. Thankfully, there were the straps in the back to hold it in place.

When he put on the mask upon coming back, he hissed in delight at what he saw - at his own two eyes peering through the holes, and how he could imagine popping out of nowhere to scare Amy into running away from him. Going far as to truly give her a heart attack, not to kill her but just to drive the message home...

He knew just whom to test it on, and the targets were here in his castle.

In the dojo, where he was stealthy and the monkey ninjas were training. They never knew what hit them until he roared at the top of his lungs and leaped off the beams in the ceiling to land in their midst. They all screeched at the tops of their lungs, dropping the training weapons and gathering into each other, shaking out of their fur at the appearance of the monster they never saw coming - beautiful! - only to calm down when Monkey Fist reached up to remove the mask, chuckling at them and reaching with one hand to smooth out his hair.

"You are all doing well...but let's call it a day for now and begin the hunt for one DNAmy. What do you say?"

The story of Monty's childhood and his mother's near-death in childbirth was inspired by "The Wilted Winter Rose", which is the first in my Monkey Fist Saga and detailed his grim birth. Catherine DID die in that version. :'( Great story to write but very heartwrenching.

Each of the masks was simian-like, inspired by the Japanese hannya mask. Look online to see what those look like. The first three are also based upon three of the freakiest of the Unloved Ones from "The Haunted Mask", the television episode. In a YouTube video called "An Updated Tour of My Mask Making Studio", there are replicas of these bastards made. XD The real ones were said to be inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins, and the one with the mouth pulled back at every corner looked like plastic surgery gone wrong, so Pride/Vanity. XD

The mention of Fiske having gone through a trial and then acquitted on an insanity plea was inspired by one of my all-time favorites that I used for my past saga, "The Monkey's Valet" by VampireNaomi. Many of you probably know it, and it's told from Bates' perspective. Very exciting and heartbreaking, taking place before the debut episode "Monkey Fist Strikes" and ending before "Monkey Ninjas in Space" - with an epilogue after "Oh, No! Yono!"

The number 4 in Japan is an EXTREMELY bad luck number like 13 is said to be for us in the West, symbolizing death and suffering. For example, hospital wards avoid having fourth as well as ninth floors (9 being another bad one). Imagine the numbers being for any of the patients' rooms or the maternity ward.

There is a Japanese legend called "The Mask of Flesh", and it tells of a mother using the mask of a female demon (hannya) to scare her daughter away from a temple she'd go pray at instead of doing household chores. Buddha punished the old woman for her trickery by causing the mask to stick to her face. Hysterically, she prayed for forgiveness and to have the mask removed, and the prayer was answered at a cost: the mask TORE the flesh from her face. The legend inspired the Kaneto Shindo classic "Onibaba" (1964).

This chapter really was fun to write because of the appearance of the haunted monkey masks. Reviews are absolutely appreciated. :D I love how this story is going.