Hello again and welcome back to those who've been here before. Another chapter from this one for your entertainment, and we hope to continue to entertain those of you who are reading this one.
A little more background of what happened back when it all fell apart for Kim and Ron…Some had questions about why things went the way they did, and maybe this will 'splain. Or you can tell us where we went wrong(?), or see if you agree.
But before we go on, the shout outs to the following for their Faves, Alerts and Reviews: readerjunkie, Sentinel103, Jimmy1201, kaitlynchosenisme, Stomchaser90 (I'm tellin' ya, we had this name picked out way before you hit the site, honest… LOL! And thanks for the extras too.), pbow, soraXkairiXriku, JonX21, pattie103 (you any kin to Sentinel103, by any chance?...) and The Queen's Fabler. Thank you one and all.
Now, here's Chapter 1.
Storm Chaser
1
Yamanouchi, Japan, three years after Kim left Middleton:
(Your last mission was accomplished very well my friend. Not even the media knew there was something amiss.), Master Sensei told his protégé with pride.
(Being unobserved is part of what we are about, is it not Master?)
(It is and you have learned it very well my friend.)
(Thank you Master, I can only try.)
(You have finally reached your goal Stoppable-sama. Now that you have all your training what do you plan to accomplish with your remaining time on the Earth?), Master Toshimiru Sensei inquired of his protégé in what was their weekly walk through the peaceful garden.
Dressed in a red and gold-trimmed robe which gave an appearance of agelessness, the Headmaster of Yamanouchi contrasted with the recently acquired blue and gold robe of his American student. Each robe displayed to all the status of their wearers as the younger enjoyed his rare weekly 'hour-long downtime' walk with his Sensei. Sensei's robe adorned with symbols of the school's founder, Ron's was mostly plain except for embroidery on the back depicting a sword wielding monkey standing on its hind legs.
The young American had changed; now his short blond hair was complimented with a short blond beard making him look older than his twenty-one years. A small scar ran across his forehead, crossing his right eyebrow as a reminder of the bottle that had been broken across his face to celebrate becoming a Master. Two massive scars on his chest in the shape of a giant '7' were hidden by the robe as were all the older ones he acquired over his young years.
Nodding slightly to Ron, Sensei said, (The honor of you being my replacement is yours, my Student. In fact, the Kami demand it.)
(Master, I have given this much thought about my future. And as you know, with my limited abilities, I have been able to converse with the founder.)
(I do know,), turning his head to his Student, (It is good and in time I hope that you are able to share some of these conversations with our advanced students.)
(I will attempt Master, but the difficulty is much greater than trying by myself. If I can get the time to ponder with a few advanced students, I will try.)
(Good I hope to hear reports of your attempt.), Sensei said. Then nodding to the pink rodent perched on Ron's shoulder, (Now I see Rufus-san is not getting around as well as he once did. Is he well?), Sensei asked, assured the young man would share his thoughts on the subject.
(He is aging Master, he misses several of his old friends and it affects his wellbeing. Rufus knows his place in the whole scheme of things and that his time is short, so he lives his remaining days in contentment knowing he did his best. The accolades he receives he accepts gracefully.), Ron said with pride for his mole rat companion.
Then frowning slightly, (But, as you well remember he was as devastated as I was of the events that guided me here…But he helped me recover and I am forever in his debt. I wish I could do more, but he will accept nothing in gratitude for his selflessness.)
(Indeed he has been a true hero and great friend. It will sadden me when he embraces his reward.), Sensei said with poignant reverence.
(As it will for me Master, I still think that he has a few good years left and I will try to make him as comfortable as I can.), Ron said gratefully.
(Also as it should be, Stoppable-sama.), Sensei agreed. Then, (Is there anything Rufus-san needs or wants?)
(Nothing more than he already has Sensei..But Rufus misses her and our friends, too. In spite of that burden he bore, he saved me from the chasm I was falling into, and for that I am forever his friend.), Ron replied in gratitude as he looked to Rufus with a gentle smile.
Brightening, (And with the upcoming visit, Hanna will be so happy to see him again.), Ron happily remembered.
Sensei also looked to Rufus, (But my heart saddens as I see the joy begin to fade from our friend's eyes. May he live much longer still.)
(Rufus knows that he has had the life and the glory that few have achieved; that he has made friends and influenced people around the world. When he passes to the next plane it will indeed be a sad day for me.), Ron said as he reached up and rubbed the pink mole rat's head affectionately, (We are taking bets on what kind of cheese is there.)
Sensei chuckled lightly, (I would expect no less of you or Rufus-san.), also looking fondly to Ron's companion. (He will have a place of honor within Yamanouchi Stoppable-sama, that I promise you and him.)
Bowing as best he could with Rufus on his shoulder, (Thank you Sensei, this means more to me than you could imagine. As things are now, I wasn't sure where Rufus would rest when his day came.)
Returning the bow, (It is as it should be, Stoppable-sama. Come let us continue our walk, there are other things for us to discuss.)
A few moments later, Sensei sighed, (Stoppable-sama, what of your nightmares now?), remembering the events which lead to his Pupil's travels to Yamanouchi.
Pausing to consider the question, (They have lost their intensity as the years passed, so I believe I can function at what is considered 'normal' for me, but I believe that if Kim Possible had been a part of my life then, I would have healed sooner than I have…But that is in the past, there is nothing more to look back upon with her.), he said with an edge to his melancholy.
Sensei stopped his walk, (Miss Possible may have had troubles of her own we knew nothing of Stoppable-sama, and it is not our way to condemn people for circumstances which are out of their control.)
Ron considered this, and to change the subject, decided to speak about his future. (Master, though it comforted my soul, I do not wish to live here on the sacred mountain forever. Maybe it is what is best for you and the other students of Yamanouchi, but I know I must find another path. I've felt that mine, though its first steps were taken on this sacred mountain, lay elsewhere than on this summit.)
Continuing to avoid Sensei's direct questioning about a painful chapter of his life, (I know that I must return on occasion to refresh my training, so I will still have ties to this place of my growth and development.)
Then with a tease at Sensei's line of query, (There is room for only so many world saving heroes or even ninjas….if there ever were such a thing), Ron chuckled, using the cover provided in the garden to deny prying eyes and ears, as he spoke vaguely of his plans.
Smiling hopefully, (Then you are planning on finding her again?), Sensei asked the young man he had come to know quite well in the years since his exposure to the Monkey Idols; even so far as to become a friend to the young blond as well as his mentor and Sensei.
Reminiscing, he remembered being saddened by the turn of events those three short years ago when Ron arrived at Yamanouchi a sad and broken boy; the spark that he always seemed to have within him all but snuffed out.
In the intervening months, of gentle guidance, intense training and persistent soul-searching, his young pupil once again regained his spark and humor, and blossomed like no one the aged Master of the Mystical and Ninja Arts had ever seen in all his years.
Steeled by the intense training he received and the experience he acquired, Ron turned into the Ninja Yamanouchi always turned to when the odds were slim for Alumni in the field, an extraction called for in dire circumstances, some dignitary needed absolutely solid protection from persistent adversaries, if there was a need to send a message, or if called for as a last resort: removal of a threat.
In short, the former buffoon was someone that the Nation of Japan clandestinely counted on when they surreptitiously turned to Yamanouchi for help when things were hopeless. Such were the responsibilities of the Monkey Master and the Chosen One.
Sometimes when Sensei thought about it, Ron's journey from then to now was almost insurmountable for his young charge; given the lack of guidance and nurturing he received growing up, his best friend and her family, notwithstanding. When he lost that buttress of emotional support he was literally, cut off at the knees.
Three years earlier:
'Mannnn Kim hasn't talked to me in almost three months, and her folks won't even meet with me to tell me why she won't even talk to me either…Kim's shut off any way of contacting her..Even Wade can't contact her' Ron was nearly pulling his hair out. 'Maybe the Drs. P will talk to me if I visit them with Hanna.'
He was nearly frantic at hearing nothing from his girlfriend since she got settled at school in England. It was like she dropped off the face of the planet, as far as he was concerned.
Checking to see if she needed changing and noting that problem hadn't arisen, Ron called out, "Mom, I'm gonna take Hanna go to Kim's house again, maybe her folks will talk to me this time."
"OK dear, but don't be too long dinner will be ready in less than an hour."
"Yes Ma'am."
The blond teen carried his raven haired Sister over the home that he practically grew up in. Noting both cars in the driveway Ron knocked on the front door. There was no answer. This time he rang the doorbell, which he could hear ringing through the door. He also could hear people moving inside, but no one came to let him in, much less check to see who was there. After five minutes of ringing and knocking, no one came to the door, or windows.
Shocked at being shunned like this, Ron looked to his sister in his arms, "I guess they don't want to see me anymore Hanna. I get the message and won't bother them anymore either."
Then turning away from a house that no longer seemed to hold any welcome for him, in a quavering voice he said to Hanna, "Come on lets go home, I gotta talk to someone, maybe they can help me.", nearly breaking down while quietly carrying the child back home.
Wide-eyed, the little Asian child held on for dear life, as if she realized the decision her brother had come to, and what the repercussions would be for so many, for so long.
X
Later that night the boy who, only a handful of months ago, had defeated a pair of aliens bent on conquering a world and murdering a loved one, sat on his bed, alone and broken. Reaching to a night table he slid a drawer open and pulled out a phone that was unusual by design and purpose.
This phone had only one button, to power on and off, and its keypad was like none that had ever been seen in the world except by certain few. Nowhere on the device were any symbols or marks to discern a way to use the phone, and truth be known, there were no instructions accompanying the device either.
Ron sighed, then pushed the button which energized the phone and then he waited until it booted up. After taking a deep breath, he pressed his left thumb on the pad.
"Hello Stoppable-san. How may we be of assistance?", a voice asked in greeting.
"I wish to speak with Sensei, my need is great…It is time.", the blond replied using the code exactly as he had been taught.
There was a pause and a deep, soothing voice came on. "Stoppable-san very shortly there will be tickets at the counter of JAL airlines reserving a seat on a flight leaving Middleton late tonight."
"Thank you Master…"
After ending this call, Ron dialed another number on his regular cell phone, "Hey Felix, how are you doing tonight?", Ron asked his best guy friend.
"Not bad Ron, Zita and I are going out on a date in a few. What's going on with you?"
"Uh not much, but just to give you a heads up, I'm going out of town for a while and wanted to let you know about that."
"Out of town? Are you going to see Kim? I know you've missed her since she went off to England."
"Uh no Fel, I'm sorta going on vacation and I'll be out of touch for a while."
"Ron, are you alright?", Felix asked in concern for his best friend.
Sigh, "Yeah just peachy, I uh called to let you know that I won't be calling for a little while because of where I'm going. But anyway have a good time on the date buddy; say hi to Zita for me."
"Sure, see ya.", the wheelchair bound young man told his best friend.
"Yeah you too.", Ron replied then shut off his phone and removed the battery. 'See ya someday buddy…maybe. Have a good life.'
X
Three hours later, at the Middleton, airport:
"Mom, I'll be fine. I have friends there, they'll help me.", Ron said to his parents as looked up from the tickets in his hand.
"When will you be home honey?", Barb asked, not having a good feeling about this.
"I don't know Mom, but I'll be in contact. Don't worry about me. Dad, you keep the funds under your control, right now I have no idea what's going on and I don't need the distraction of having that on my mind."
"Sure Son, take care of yourself, just let us know how you're doing.", Dean advised his Son.
"Brudder.", Hanna muttered holding out her hands from her Mother's arms.
"Yeah brudder, that's me. Buffoon, loser and brudder.", he said softly. "Sis you have to take care of Mom and Dad, me and Rufus gotta go somewhere and figure some stuff out.", Ron told his Sister as he took her from Barb and held her until tears began to fall from his face not knowing if he'd ever see the child again.
"Last Call JAL Flight 1473 Middleton to Tokyo Gate A twenty-three.", a voice announced over the PA.
"Listen Sis you go back with Mom. Guys I'll call when I get the chance, I promise.", Ron half smiled as he turned and picked up the only bag he had with him.
Ron stopped for a moment, turned back, reached to his neck and pulled a chain over his head and handed it to his Father, "Uh Dad would you do me a favor and make sure this gets back to KP….I guess I really don't need it anymore."
"Don't you want to keep the Star Son?"
"Better not, it's safer here anyway. Thanks Dad for everything…Mom.", he reached to hug her and Dean along with Hanna, "I'll see you guys take care."
Releasing his family from the hug, he turned and walked up the tunnel to his flight.
X
Later that night, two men slipped into the airport security, and after scanning through the day's tapes, they found what they were looking for. After making sure there were no backups of the tape, they took their prize with them, leaving no trace of having been there.
Fifteen minutes later they slipped into the JAL office and removed 'certain' documents from their filing cabinets.
Back to the present:
Sigh, (I am certain that relationship is now over, Sensei. Kimberly Anne made it abundantly clear by the time I left Middleton that she wanted no more to do with me…For reasons known only to her and her family, she decided to cut me out of her life. Shortly thereafter her family also had nothing to do with me when I attempted to speak with them about her.), Ron said sadly, his eyes filled with sorrow.
Stopping to remember the painful event from his recent past, (She didn't return home while I was in Middleton, and I was never able to talk to her by phone or Kimmunicator…Nothing..It's as if I didn't exist to her, as if she had found someone more worthy for her than this sad example of a romantic interest…. Apparently she must have found a man she was more interested in, who was more worthy of her, when she started school there, and decided to avoid me to spare my feelings.)
Taking a breath that he slowly released, (When I finally got it through my thick skull that she probably would not return to Middleton if I was there…I…I decided that I would not be the reason she was kept from her friends, so I decided to do something positive with my life, I came here.)
Turning to Sensei, (If you remember that was a main reason I returned to Yamanouchi; that and neither Kim nor her parents wanted to talk to me. I understand them supporting their daughter, but their actions hurt more than they could have realized.), Ronald Stoppable explained with a pained frown.
(Still you should have made arrangements to go to England to see for her yourself, you have the funds. At the time your Wade Load could still have gotten you a ride and then you would be sure.), Sensei offered helpfully.
Sigh (Master that is in the past and by then it most likely would have been a waste of my time, and potentially a point of embarrassment for Kim and/or me. I probably would have found her with her current boyfriend and put her in a position of defending herself to a former boyfriend she cast off as unworthy. Someone even unworthy of breaking things off with while in the presence of someone who may have been blameless in this.), Ron countered.
(Even if I was to try to win her back, what could I have done? Plead with her, begged her? Bought her affections? No. That would have been a fool's errand.), looking chagrinned, (And we both know I've been the fool longer than I care to remember. But I couldn't have done that in the hopes of winning her back once she'd made up her mind about me. The price of her returning to me would have been Fool's Gold at best, a hollow victory for me and a dishonest life for the both of us at best.)
Looking calmly, yet still a little unsettled, (No, I couldn't do that, in the time she spent away from me she finally decided that the fool was not worth her time, nor merited consideration as a romantic interest for her. I will respect her wishes and no longer will I intrude on her life. She's made her decision, and so have I.)
Then bowing to Sensei, (And I am eternally grateful that Yamanouchi respected her privacy and didn't shadow her current circumstances, no matter how painful they could have been for either of us.)
Bowing in return, (It is as you wished, so we could do no more, unless it brought dishonor to Yamanouchi.), Sensei replied.
Then continuing, (So what will you do now that you've come to this decision?), Sensei asked, taking in all his greatest pupil had explained to him. Well aware of all the circumstances which lead to Stoppable's return to Yamanouchi, but had yet heard Ron sum it up as succinctly as he had done here.
(For now I plan to stay in Japan for my Bachelor's Degree in Meteorological Science. I have already taken the entrance exam and have been accepted for classes at a college when Yamanouchi decides to release me from my daily obligations and responsibilities.)
(Yes I understand Stoppable-sama, but are you sure this is what you want to do with your life?)
(Yes Sensei, I do. And while I will be out of the loop so to speak for the next few years I will still be able to maintain my obligations to Yamanouchi, especially while on vacation and during school holidays. Since I no longer have any need or desire to return to my former home, living in Japan makes it much easier to do all of this. Besides I doubt if anyone back in Middleton even remembers me.), Ron said, his face showing no emotion.
(But your talent in cooking….)
(Is but a hobby Master nothing more. If I had to make a living at it I would tire of the repetition of making the dishes I love and lose my creativity. Not only that, but anyone who remembers me thinks that cooking is my only 'talent' and may use this to locate me, and that is something I would not appreciate. This way I can stay 'off the grid', from even the most determined of scans to learn of my whereabouts…Not that anyone would be inquiring about me after all this time.), Ron explained.
(What made you wish to take this course of study or travel the route you are about to take?), Sensei asked, curious of Ron's new professional path.
(What is more powerful on the Earth, except for the Almighty, then the Earth itself? Maybe from taking this course of study I can help save some lives someday, as I did once before when I was the sidekick to a true hero. Who would suspect a Monkey powered ninja as a mild mannered man of science?), as Ron looked skyward. (And no one I ever knew, outside of a certain few of Yamanouchi, would think to look for me there, either.)
(Excellent answer, when do you plan to leave?)
(I am due to enter the final level of Mastery in the private ceremony in three weeks. Once that is done I will pack my bags and leave for Sapporo after a two week vacation with the family. Then they have to return to Norway,), Ron paused, (and I will once again assume the role of the monkey.)
(Sapporo, why there?)
(Master Inugi secured my invitation to study there and my private test for admittance at Hokkaido University. Since you still require secrecy for your assets I thought it would be better for the time being to go there than to go to a college back to the States. At this time I wish to remain under the radar, and it will be much easier here in Japan than in the States.), Ron said in explanation of his absences over the past month.
(I have already tested out of several mathematics and science courses as well as some of the normal classes that are taught since Yamanouchi has pushed my education further than I ever thought possible. From this I hope to bypass at least a year of college courses.)
(Ah I remember Naguti-san; he was a graduate of that curriculum there and he has very fond memories of that campus. It is not an elite University but it is a good one.), Sensei smiled behind his mustache but cautioned, (Still the name Ronald Stoppable is still remembered among certain people and agencies around the world, this must be addressed if you are to remain in the shadows.)
(Truthfully I hadn't thought of that.), Ron said in concentration. (I see my plans have to be slightly revised, but after I finish I plan to transfer and go after my PhD in the States.), looking conspiratorially at Sensei, (But I can see that I may need the help of some resources to aid me in restructuring my application at Hokkaido.)
(I am sure that Yamanouchi's facilities would be a welcome resource to aid in your family name disappearing from public purview. After all we are a ninja school.), Sensei snorted.
(A secret ninja school.), Ron corrected as he began to chuckle.
Then continuing his explanation of his plans, (So four more years before I return to the States should be enough time for Ronald 'buffoon' Stoppable to disappear even from the minds of his friends.), the blond mused, (I highly doubt after all that time, if anyone would recognize me even if we bumped shoulders on the street.)
Taking Ron from his current track of thought, (Remember young master…entropy. There is one chance for all our hopes for everything to be in order.), Sensei baited his next discussion with his most capable adversary in philosophical debate.
(Are we going to discuss chaos theory or string theory? You know that I think those concepts are too simple. Why do things have to happen to come out the way they are? Does time only move forward or does it move in all directions? I must meditate on this too.)
Ron mused as he fell silent, 'What a trip. The old Ron Stoppable would only have thought of where his next Naco was coming from.'
XX
Tokyo, Japan: days later.
"Mom, Dad, Sis! How are you guys?", Ron Stoppable said as he hugged his parents and Hanna at the Arrivals Gate, "How was your flight?"
"Long Ronald.", Dean chuckled, "And your sister kept us busy for the first few hours until she got bored and finally fell asleep."
"Well I hoped until she crashed she wasn't trying to run around on the airliner's ceiling. That would have been kind of hard to explain to the Flight Attendants.", he said with a laugh.
Then seriously to his parents, "That was an interesting name you used to travel under, do you guys think I can borrow it? I wanna stay under the radar from now on and my instructor here informed me that my last name is known too well to too many people.", Ron explained, "This way I can go on with my life and not be bothered by repeated questions about my past, something I've closed the book on. Otherwise I'd get no peace from something I've moved on from."
"It's your Mother's Maiden name, but with a slightly different spelling so I don't see why not. We can send you the papers."
"There is no need of that. I can take care of that from this end.", Ron smiled turning to his Sister who looked to be bursting at the seams, "Would you like to look after Rufus for me Hanna?"
"Yeah I would! Come on Rufus!" With a squeak the pink rodent climbed from Ron's pocket and jumped into the young girl's hands "You guys know I'm hyperactive, so that was a long time to be cooped up in that plane.", the four year old Hanna defended herself, her manner of speaking much better then when Ron left to complete his training.
"You're right about that Sis…..", Ron said, then paused, "Well maybe I should have flown to Oslo instead for vacation….You know since I'm done here, but right now it was better this way so I could keep my name out of the public eye, even if it was for traveling on a commercial airline.", he shrugged.
"And I know you've just come off a long flight, but I thought I should tell you as soon as possible that I was thinking of staying in Japan and going to college here to find a degree field which I think I could make a career of.", Ron told them as they walked back to the main concourse and the waiting car.
Barbara looked at her Son with a discerning eye at her much taller and more filled out son, "It still hurts doesn't it?"
Sighing, "Mom that was a long time ago, besides I like it here; I'm used to the language and customs now and I've even been accepted at a good school here and I am good enough that I don't have to take English spoken classes.", Ron said to his Mom.
"I've found what I need, and all I hope for is that she found what she needed too. Since she cut me off and her parents did likewise, I'll never know what was lacking in our lives together. And with my new path set, neither of us may ever discuss what the problems were between us….At least I won't be looking in that direction.", the blond young man informed his parents and his very quiet, for the rare moment, sister.
"I know honey; that's why we left too. That way they'd never have to worry about us coming by at inopportune moments.", Barb reached out for her now grownup Son.
"So where are we going this time?", Dean asked, in order to break up this pity fest, "Since this is our third visit.." "And only one from you in three years.", his Mom interrupted with a guilt nudge to Ron of the 'travel imbalance'. "We'd once again like to see some different sights of the country."
"I think we'd go to Osaka, then up north.", Ron informed his parents, "it's not far from Kobe, Nara, Kyoto and Kaeru. Among other things, Kobe has the longest suspension bridge in the world, and they have a lot of things there to see, too."
"Why do you want to go there Ronald?", Dean inquired.
"Just a different place to go, that's all, then after that we'll go to Sapporo where I'm planning on going to college.", Ron explained, "I already have the train tickets."
Barb smiled, "Sure why not, it sounds like fun. After the really hectic schedule I've had the last six months at the corporation, I need to relax." Then with a little sarcasm directed at her husband, "Of course Dean can always work from home."
"Now dear, let's not get into that. You took the promotion and it got us away from Middleton. Anne and James just drifted away from us since Ron and Kim…..", he looked over at his Son seeing him stiffen, "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it guys, I've grown up a little since then."
"A little? Son, you are a grown man! You've lost all your baby fat, and as nice as you've turned out I'm sure that it won't be very hard to find a girl before too long."
"Yeah maybe I guess, at least I've grown into the hands, ears and feet.", the blond young man told his Father as they made to exit to the baggage claim to the waiting car, "But I think I'll have the freckles forever." The three older Stoppables laughed at that.
"Do you have a girlfriend yet Ron?", the ever-inquisitive and precocious (in other words, a very pesky little sister…) Hanna Stoppable asked, then saw him shudder at the question.
"I uh dated a little with a girl Sis, but we really didn't have that much in common, so we broke up,", grimacing, "but since then she met a really cool guy. In fact they're getting married next month.", Ron's trademark grin made its appearance, brightening up everyone's day as they reached the car.
What he was not telling them was why it didn't work out or who was involved, "So I'm afraid Hanna is your chance to get grandkids; sorry.", he said to his parents. "Good luck little intruder, I'll try to be a good Uncle."
Hanna stuck her tongue out in return.
"So you are thumbing your nose at Jewish tradition Ronald?", Barb asked in matronly despondency.
"I'm not going to lie about my life any more than I have, Mom. If the Stoppable name is to go on, Cousin Ruth's boy had better suck it up, because I've decided to live life as a permanent bachelor."
Deciding to step in and break up the discussion before it got worse, "That's a big car.", Dean approved.
Ron smiled, "For over here yeah, but it's still gonna be a little crowded."
As the family got into the large automobile, "Hey Hiro, Yori, you remember my folks? Barb, Dean and Hanna?", Ron reintroduced the family to his friends….The last visit was eight months ago. "Mom, Dad and Sis, again, this is Hirotaka and Yori."
"Are they coming with us?", Hanna asked, looking curiously at them, for some reason feeling some sort of connection to the two; a stronger feeling with Yori than Hirotaka.
"Maybe for the first part of your vacation here Hanna-san, but we have plans ourselves for the second week.", Yori replied then turned around quickly to not give away that she was more familiar with the child than just an acquaintance via her brother.
Ron, already in the know about it and was sworn to secrecy, added, "We'll get to see where they had the Winter Olympics and it's always nice and cool up there."
"I'll bet it's colder than a coal miner's behind in the winter.", Dean laughed.
XXX
Middleton, Colorado:
"Hi honey, over here!", Anne called out as she caught sight of the auburn colored hair among the throng pouring out of the concourse.
"Mom! Dad! It's good to see you and to be home again.", Kim yelled while rushing up to them, then looking around while biting her lower lip, she pulled her much shorter hair out of eyes.
Misjudging his daughter's scanning of the vicinity James said to her, "The boys are enrolling at college for the semester this weekend, so they couldn't be here, Kimmie-cub."
"Oh, no worries, I thought someone else might be hiding around here.", Kim visibly wilted in disappointment, dropped her carryon luggage and reached out to hold onto her parents whom she hadn't laid eyes on in over three years.
Seeing the blank looks on their faces Kim said, "I meant Ron."
"Ronald? Honey we haven't seen him in three years. We carried out your request, to the letter so we know absolutely nothing about him anymore, much less where he is right now.", James explained as Kim's face paled, "In fact he dropped off the face of the planet without a word a couple months after you called us. And since you never asked anything about him since then we didn't bother you with this information."
"Oh.", Kim replied weakly, looking down as James picked up her bag and began to walk to baggage claim, "I uh, wanted to talk with him..T…to explain things." She looked up to him, "Is his Mom and Dad around?"
Anne continued, as Kim was distraught, "Dean and Barbara disappeared along with Hanna a few months after Ronald vanished. Since you told us of your situation and made us promise to keep it from them, we cut off all contact with the Stoppables to prevent against the possibility of accidently telling them about your situation, and it getting to Ron."
"Did you ever see Ron's cousin Ruth?", Kim asked hopefully.
"Oh you mean the one with the bad seed for a son?", Anne's eyes narrowed, remembering Ron's rant about the boy.
"Yeah his name is Shawn, and he drove Ron crazy until Ron became Zorpox.", Kim chuckled sadly at the memory of the day she met him and how Ron as Zorpox briefly tamed him, "Has anyone else been around? I mean they might know where Ron is."
"No honey; when you stop talking to people, they know how to take a hint…I heard some comments about you being all high and mighty and being too good for us locals now."
"I didn't mean it that way, I….I was just scared…during and after the breakdown, it was determined that a form of PTSD was involved too…I couldn't face anyone from home especially Ron, it would have killed him to see me that way. And the other people, they'd never understand. They all think it's easy.", the former teen hero told them lowly so others couldn't hear.
"I didn't mean to shut everybody out, but it was the only way I could cope.", Kim sniffed as she slowed.
"Kimmie-cub what happened to you could have happened to anyone. If you want my opinion Ronald would not have judged you harshly and would have supported you in every way he could.", James tried to reassure his troubled daughter and hopefully get her to relax, "Now how are you doing in college?", he tried to change the subject to something more pleasant for her.
"I had a rocky first year and had to drop out in my Michaelmas Term through the Trinity Term of my second year. Then I was able to talk to the Dean of Students and she really made a difference, but I'm making progress now.", she brightened up at the end. "And with all that drama behind me, it's good to be home again.", Kim sighed as they walked up to a very nice car which flashed its lights, "Mom, is that yours?"
"Yes honey, it is.", Anne said. "How?", asked a very surprised Kim.
"Well for some reason we didn't have to pay a dime for you to attend Oxford and the twins wanted to be a bit more independent and are paying their way by using the proceeds off some of their inventions…And we suddenly had some extra money lying around that wasn't being put to use for either of your educations…So we went and did something very nice for ourselves and we each got a new car.", Anne explained.
"Wait a minute! You're not paying for my education? If you're not then who is and why didn't anybody tell me about this?"
At her parents' blank looks and shrugs, "I mean I never received any kind of bill and the school never bothered me for any money even when I had to flake on that whole first year. It's one of the most expensive Universities around….Come to think about it, I never even received any bill for my 'sessions'…Did you?", Kim asked in shock over what she and her parents just learned.
Looking to Anne, who shrugged, "I don't think we ever saw any paperwork about that either, Kimmie-cub.", James replied, "But never look a gift horse in the mouth I always say. The only thing that your Mother and I ever got was a letter from some law firm that had a form attached to it with a request for us to fill it out about where you were to be attending classes."
"We got this when you and Ronald were off on some mission; it looked to be on the up and up, so we didn't think twice about it. We even had our own legal beagles look it over and they decided it was ok too, so we filled it in and sent it off mid-spring of your senior year."
Then again to Anne, "We haven't seen that form or heard anything else since, right honey?"
"No we never did, originally we thought it was the University sending the form. But now that I think about it I suppose it's someone paying for your education as a gesture of saying thank you for helping them out.", Anne replied as they all piled in after putting Kim's things in the trunk.
"I didn't know anything about this! So how can I say thanks to them for doing that for me?"
"If they wanted you to know who was covering the costs then they would have told you honey. I wouldn't worry about it.", Anne stated. "Just consider it a gift from someone who's grateful for all you've done for them."
"So Kimmie, what are you going to do over the summer? You never told us.", James asked as he turned around in his seat.
"GJ offered me an internship Dad. I've only seen a bit of the Agency from our… missions,", she choked up a little before gathering herself, "and since I'm interested in helping people like they do, and I have my life pretty much back in order, I thought that this would give me a chance to see if this is what I want to do…with my life…after college.", Kim responded before trailing off and going quiet.
Realizing their daughter was now lost in her thoughts of distant times; her parents left her to them as they drove home, the noise of their travel the only sounds heard above the low volume of the radio.
Kim, meanwhile, wondered what had happened to her boyfriend in the passing years. Sometimes goofy, other times showing glimpses of brilliance and amazing abilities at the most unusual times. The last time she thought she caught a glimpse of any of these traits was when an alien offered her up as a trophy during their high school graduation.
Though groggy from the hits she received during the battle, she foggily felt she could tell that Ron had gone on a rampage after one of them tossed her to the side like a wad of paper, again making her even woozier than she already was.
One thing she did see was the results of his rampage; every one of their invasion mechas in the vicinity had somehow been destroyed. And in the ensuing fight she caught glimpses of how he had caught them both in his hands, then threw them skyward into their ship, killing both in the resulting explosion.
A tear slid down a cheek as she recalled the following years since she stabbed Ron in the back by leaving and not telling him why she felt she couldn't talk to him, after he saved her from such a horrible fate.
Damn few people knew the truth of what really happened that day, and her realization of those facts is what helped drive Kim to her mental breakdown. That and combined with her fear that her mind was melting down from those nightmares she started getting within days of her midsummer departure for England to get a head start on settling in at school.
She felt her grip on reality slipping and that alone was the seed which grew into the fear that she should never reveal to her boyfriend, her wonderful boyfriend who understood everything about her and stood by her no matter what, a boyfriend who had even killed for her, that she was less than the perfect girlfriend for someone who had saved her and the world from the darkness that was the Lowardian Invasion.
Even if he wanted no one else to know that he had been the World's White Knight who took down a brutal invading Dragon in the rubble of downtown Middleton.
More tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked out the window of the car. Her parents, respecting her privacy by not questioning her, felt their hearts going out to their daughter as she wept for a boy all three missed so terribly due to their actions some three years past.
With a hitch in her breathing Kim promised, 'Ron I'm so sorry I didn't have the courage to show you the love you deserved. Maybe someday I can make it up to you.'
XXX
Global Justice:
"Excuse me Doctor Load, could you come into my office before you leave for the day?", Doctor Elizabeth Director requested via his communications device.
"Yes Ma'am. I will be in the lab for another hour or two, could it wait that long?", Wade asked.
"Of course Wade take your time.", Betty assured the young genius in GJ's employ. "When you are done with your work, I'll expect you shortly afterward."
X
"Please come in.", the one-eyed administrator called out to the knock on her door.
Moments later the African-American teen tentatively stood before Dr. Director's desk.
"Please Wade, take a seat, I have something to talk to you about."
Nervously, "Yes Ma'am, thank you. But before you start have I done any….", while looking at the chair.
"Wade I am not my brother, and I'm perfectly happy with the work you do here, so relax ….please?", Betty joked lightly to break Wade's skittish mood.
"Yes Ma'am."
"Like I said Wade, you have done a very good job for us and hope that we can have many more years of you working with GJ.", Dr. Director assured the young teen genius as he relaxed into the seat.
"Now that being said, I have an opportunity for you if you wish to take it. It's a temporary assignment for the summer that's a little different from the usual things you do for us. However it might become permanent after a few more summers if things work out right.", Betty offered.
"Ma'am you make it sound like some 'spy' kind of assignment, and you know I'm not cut out for that kind of thing. But whatever it is I'd like to know more about this offer you're making before I make a decision.", Wade said to learn more about this assignment to help him make an informed decision of Dr. Director's request. "So what exactly is it you want me to do?", the genius asked.
Dr. Director took a calming breath knowing that this could be very difficult for the young man, "Kim Possible is going to be working with Global Justice this summer in our Intern Program and I'd like you to Mentor her while she's here."
"What!….Kim's back? You really mean Kim Possible is going to be here…with us...with me? Is Ron with her?", Wade blurted out rising from his chair.
"To answer your questions, yes she is going to be back here and no, Ron Stoppable is not with her. But I want you to work with Miss Possible and assist her in learning what GJ is all about. If she is happy with what she learns, and so are we, we may offer her a position in our Agency when she graduates from Oxford."
"That's great Dr. Director! I'd be happy to work with her and show her what GJ is all about.", Wade all but shouted to her.
Then turning pensive, "But I hope she can shed some light on what she was doing where she was over in England for three years. I mean, I knew where she was going to college after she closed her website and all, but after a while she completely dropped off the map. Her chip malfunctioned just like Ron's did when the aliens were run off, so I couldn't find her that way, and she turned off her Kimmunicator and never contacted me afterwards.", he trailed off.
"And to respect her privacy, I never listened in on any communications she had with her folks after she left Middleton.", he said distantly.
Still lost in thought of events that had gone by since then, "Anyway, just after that I lost track of Ron, too.", then coming back into focus, "He was having a hard time hearing nothing from Kim when she disappeared and had no luck getting through to her too.", he said sadly.
Looking up to Betty, a sheen in his eyes, "Her parents weren't helping either, they were stonewalling him just as much as they were me about Kim..So after a while, he too disappeared and I haven't been able to find him since then either.", he said, then questioningly to Betty, "Do you have any idea where he could be, Dr. Director?"
"No Wade, I too have no information on young Mister Stoppable. And like you I've wondered about him when he just dropped out of sight one evening nearly three years ago. Shortly thereafter, as you know, his parents vanished and with that went our last known way to find him.", she explained, then held a hand up to Wade's apparent next question, "And before you ask we struck out when we asked other members of their families of Ronald's whereabouts, too."
While reaching for a remote control, "Wade before we go much further, I think you need to see this footage we've acquired. While Kim was at Oxford GJ had her under constant surveillance for her own protection. As high profile an individual as she was, we wanted to protect her from any revenge plots directed at her while she was relatively unprotected at school. We also kept an eye on her family from here."
Holding up her remote, she gazed steadily at Wade, "What you see here is what became of Kimberly Anne Possible after she got to England when she dropped off the public radar. We did our best to not pry too much into her private life, but after a while what was happening to Kim was too obvious to us to remain at the distance we had maintained, so we had to observe a little more closely for her protection. And due to the personal nature of this information I am ordering you to never relate to anyone what you are about to see. It is extremely personal and very embarrassing to Miss Possible and her family. Do I make myself clear?"
Sighing, "Yes Ma'am, I understand and I will keep this to myself." Assured of Wade's acceptance of her requirements and demands, Betty started the video.
Shocked at what unfolded onscreen, the almost time lapse physical and mental deterioration of one of his best friends, Wade watched in jaw-dropped silence until he turned to his Boss, "What happened to her Dr. Director? I've never seen Kim like this before. Did someone do anything to her over there? Did Ron rape Kim or something over here? If he did I'll change him into Veronica if I ever find him again!", Wade's anger bursting out.
Betty laughed, "A little protective of Kim aren't you Wade?"
"Yes Ma'am, she's my friend…But Kim didn't deserve that….."
"Do not worry yourself about it Wade, I can assure you that Ronald never did anything to or with Kimberly that she didn't initiate. Ronald and Kimberly had been having sexual relations with each other during their senior year in high school, and whenever they did he was a perfect and loving gentleman with her."
Wade reddened, realizing all those times he interrupted his teammates like he had in the tree house and each other's homes most of the spring of their Senior year, they had probably been involved in such activity, and it was a shock to him.
"How did you know? I mean did you have their personal lives under surveillance 24/7 or something?" His anger coming out again at the supposed invasion of privacy of his friends by the agency he was now working for.
"Wade, calm down, it was nothing like that, I assure you. Kimberly told me, that's how I came to know about it. She called a few times on my private line that you do not have access to."
"Well if things were going so great between them before she went off to England why did this happen after she got there?"
Now his boss was very serious, "Wade have you reviewed the 'Ron Factor' Files?…Not the ones that are classified 'Secret', I mean the ones classified 'Crypto Secret, Eyes Only'." Seeing the shake of the head, "I highly suggest you study those files, you are on the access list."
Once certain that he would read those files, she continued, "You see by the time Miss Possible left for England she came to the realization that in their encounter with the Lowardians Ron was the 'main character' and she was more the 'distraction' instead of the other way around as most people in the world see them.", shaking her head sadly, "And, I'm sorry to say, how she saw them on so many things between them."
At his nod, she continued, "That is how skewed her thought process had become, Wade. If she had informed me of this at the time we could have avoided this train wreck that derailed their relationship and their lives. The last straw, we learned, was when Miss Possible fully realized that Mister Stoppable stopped an alien invasion….Cold…An invasion which had just one goal…..to kill Kim Possible."
"But they came to take over the world…."
"That was secondary, Wade. Kim was their primary mission and her death was the sole reason for them being here. All else was icing on the cake as far as they were concerned. We know this because Doctor Drakken decrypted the computers we were able to retrieve from their dreadnought's wreckage shortly after the dust settled from the invasion."
Now stopping her discussion and leaning on the table, and looking Wade directly in the eye, "When it was all said and done, young Mister Stoppable stopped the invasion all by himself with his bare hands and somehow destroyed nearly all the alien gear during the process of killing two nine-foot tall, approximately a half-a-ton-apiece in weight interstellar aliens by tossing them half a mile into the sky and through their plummeting spacecraft."
"Well, er, you see…that is to say…I do have that, but I thought…"
"Wade don't cover for Ronald, we have the video of the event so we know exactly what happened that day. And don't worry, we're not interested in harming Ron over what he did that day or what he may or may not be. Our only interest in him is purely professional, we think he would make a great addition to GJ and hope to someday offer him a position here.", Dr. Director said as she looked straight into Wade's eyes to convey the honesty in that statement. "When we can find him again, I'd like to personally make that offer to him, and render any assistance to him in getting him over that traumatic event; one where he had to kill for the first time in his young life."
Once Wade nodded in relief, Betty continued, "Now back on track…When Miss Possible realized the cold hard facts of the second Lowardian encounter…that she was marked for death, and the mission role reversal between her and Ron Stoppable; not to mention that Ron handily destroyed two adversaries she, herself, could not beat…This caused her to rethink what she had been doing for previous four or five years and in her mind her true place in them….."
After letting this sink in, "Then while she was in seclusion, out of her comfort zone…she was rattled, probably a bit of PTSD was involved too…and maybe some other outside influences happened that we have yet to take into account…well in layman's terms, she freaked out and had a nervous breakdown." Dr. Director informed him.
"Why would she freak out?"
"Miss Possible began to believe her whole life was a lie…a lie perpetuated by her lover, Ronald Stoppable. Though I don't think for a second that was the case, all of you had parts within the Team that evolved to a point Kim couldn't recognize in all the chaos of the Invasion.", Dr. Director observed. "Kim's sense of mental balance took a major hit from the events she faced, and realized in its aftermath."
At Wade's look of recognition at what she said, "As a result of her mental collapse, Kim had to take a leave of absence from Oxford and returned late the following year, the whole time she was under a psychiatrist's care. They were able to stabilize her and now she's back to where she was right after she graduated high school."
"So working on her recovery is why she's here?"
"No Wade, Kim always wanted to work with GJ. She will be here as a true intern in a summer slot she's earned and then in the fall she will go back to school. If things work out she will eventually be employed by Global Justice, though I am not sure in what capacity.", Betty clarified, "She has had a very lonely and scary three years and for now she just needs time, friends and family for her to help heal."
"And we have no idea what happened to Ron? He was a big part of her stability, you know."
"We know Wade, we know, but Ronald Stoppable is still a mystery to us at GJ. We don't know if he, himself, went mad, or went underground." Running a hand through her hair, "Hell, we don't even know if he's alive right now."
"Oh? Why's that Dr. Director?", Wade asked, as he also had tossed that theory around too when he had searched for his former teammate.
"Even though most of the villains in the world were grateful to them for their lives one or two of them may have decided to destabilize the Team by eliminating the Sidekick. While we knew where Kimberly was….we had no idea where Ronald or his parents were." With a slight blush of embarrassment, "This was due to our focus at the time having been solely on Kim and almost none at all on Ronald."
With a sad breath from Wade, "As always, with everybody else."
"Yes, well we learned from our mistakes if nothing else, Wade. But we also learned the Stoppables, each one of them, had more than one passport which we lost the trace on after three of the Stoppables went through Western Europe, the others that Ronald had, fell out of scrutiny by the time it arrived at an airport in Hawaii. And none of the bank accounts in their names show any activity. Except for one.", Dr. Director paused as she pressed another button on her remote.
An overhead display came on, showing a transaction trail on a screen. "About two months after Ronald disappeared there was one extremely large transfer of funds from this one account,", a laser pointer highlighting her item, "to another offshore account in the name of RDS Enterprises."
Zooming in on the detail of the company, "All we were able to learn was that Ronald's Father was listed as being in sole control of it. When the other researchers dug into the transaction trail everything was gone and all the front corporations the funds were transferred through were found to be nothing but shell companies….Those funds immediately disappeared about five minutes after they moved.", Betty informed the genius, "Who knows where they are now and what they are funding."
"Ma'am after all this time…well I just don't know if there's much I can uncover. After three years, if this is Ron's money…..", then a thought came to him, "How do we even know this is Ron Stoppable's money?"
"You remember the royalty money?"
"Yes Ma'am Ron earned it by inventing something for Bueno Nacho. He got a significant sum at the time, but Drakken stole it from him.", Wade replied. "End of story right?"
"The royalty check was ninety-nine million dollars Wade. Drakken stole the money that Ronald had in his pockets. We assumed that it was all of the ninety-nine million dollars, but do you actually believe Ronald could possibly carry that much on him?"
Wade's eyes opened wide thinking, "Shit Ma'am….uh sorry there, but if it wasn't on him, then where did it go?"
"Wade first I have to inform you, the ninety-nine mil was the first check. Ronald had been receiving them quarterly until he graduated from high school. The last check from the Bueno Nacho Corporation, which was a doozy, was sent three days before the Stoppable family vanished. That total was in the money transfer that disappeared.", Betty explained, "After that, no more checks were issued by the corporation in the name of Ronald Dean Stoppable."
"You said doozy, just how much are we talking about?", Wade asked wondering just how much money his friend was worth now.
"Twenty-three and a half.", Betty informed him.
"Twenty-three and a half what Ma'am?"
Sigh, "Twenty-thee and a half Billion Dollars, Wade. Besides royalties, this also included a buyback of stock by the company Ronald was a majority holder in.", Dr. Director stated.
"What? How did that happen?", Wade asked incredulously, realizing he too was guilty of not looking too deeply into his friend's background.
"It seems that after the Drakken used Bueno Nacho to take over the world, its stock fell to junk status. Ron and his family bought that stock, very quietly I might add, dirt cheap. For a corporation which owns several restaurant chains as well as some other rather large businesses this rather shook up the stock market, benefiting Bueno Nacho and its stockholders.", Betty said.
"That this all happened and didn't garner the kind of publicity that comes from such a rise from the depths it came from, we chalked up to those who still had a grudge against Bueno Nacho from when Drakken had control over it.", she said shrugging. "Short story: The elitist snobs of Wall Street decided that the Bueno Nacho Corporation was 'Tainted' in their minds from its use in Drakken's Diablo plot and should just be left to 'die' in the market by publically ignoring them, even to the point of changing the subject if questioned about the company by the media."
"Wow, talk about rigging the system.", Wade said in disbelief.
"Yes, quite. But the taint didn't end with Drakken; it seems that Ron Stoppable's connection to that event even though he had created one of the most popular fast food products in the industry's history, also was part of that taint. The suits at the Corporation were lead to believe that if all ties could be severed with Stoppable, Bueno Nacho would be welcomed back into the community of accepted businesses with open arms; the quiet embargo by their compatriots would end. With the supposed possibility of the Corporation making even more money on the Market from this acceptance, they looked for ways to separate Stoppable from Bueno Nacho and the money they were paying out regularly."
"But to Wall Street and the suit's dismay, regardless of this embargo, Bueno Nacho had been making money hand-over-fist from people who still believed in the company and their products; especially the Naco. Ron Stoppable, notwithstanding.", she said while Wade smiled at the mention of Ron's creation.
"Now moving along, the Bueno Nacho Corporation, which by then was into everything and was making way more money than their suits knew how to handle, were approached by Stoppable's Father who had been given control of the royalties sent to Ron; lessons learned from the first adventure with excessive money, you know." Wade grinned remembering 'The Ron'.
"We also learned that, during the time the Stoppables came to Bueno Nacho requesting they dissolve all ties with them, royalties, stock options and so forth, and they offered the Corporation a one-time buyout of all financial ties to them.", Dr. Director said to a flabbergasted Wade.
"As a result Bueno Nacho happily cut a deal that ended the royalty payments, got their stock back and just generally got Stoppable out of their hair, at what for the Stoppables were fire sale prices. After we reviewed the whole affair it became obvious to us that Bueno Nacho got away with highway robbery, something that someone like Ron's Actuary Dad would have not accepted unless they had reasons to not get all they could from the deal."
"What do you mean by that, Dr. Director.", Wade asked.
"They got the low end of the deal …", Betty deadpanned.
"Low?", Wade interrupted.
"Wade, it was estimated that if Bueno Nacho was able to pay the Stoppables the exact worth of their stock and all the other monies owed to them, they could have left the Seniors in the dust financially.", Dr. Director said to a goggle-eyed young genius.
"Ma'am that's a ton of money, but do we actually have an estimate of how much royalty money Bueno Nacho actually chucked out to Ron?"
"Yes, now remember this is their total without the last amount, three hundred and twenty-nine million. Even if Ronald lost the entire initial ninety-nine he would still have two hundred and thirty million left over. That was a little less than three years ago.", Betty informed the now dumbstruck teen who whistled, "And if he and his parents are still around somewhere that young goofball has got to be leading the good life, even without the stock option payout."
Wade whistled again, "Wow if Kim only knew…."
"And Miss Possible must not find out Wade, not right away at least. She still has issues about being not good enough for Ronald as it is, we do not want to throw more fuel on that fire."
Wade frowned, "Not good enough, huh? Ron always felt he wasn't good enough for Kim. When she dropped him like that it must have been the last straw."
"I agree, if Kim had talked it out with Ron instead of going off on her own and being overwhelmed we may have prevented these things from occurring to both of them. Life didn't turn out that way however. Now we have a life to help rebuild. And that is the task I need your assistance in performing."
"I know Dr. Director, and I will help to try and make Kim Possible into what she should have been.", he promised.
"Don't make her into something she's not. Let Kim lead and with you and her family giving her support we can see what we saw in her seven years ago when she first popped up on our radar."
"She has to be more mature Wade, but we simply must give her time. She will make it back as far as she is capable of, but on her own timetable.", Betty reiterated. "But through it all, she did mention one thing she absolutely has focused on…"
"Ma'am?"
"Her main goal is to find her long lost lover and make things right between them."
"Dr. Director that might be harder than it sounds. If Ron has the funds that you think he has, he might have just bought an Island and become a beach bum since his life was basically turned inside out through no fault of his own."
"Wade also in the 'Ron Factor Files' that I mentioned earlier there are five personality profiles on Ron Stoppable made by five different authorities. Now what those authorities have in common is their own personal dislike for each other, but what all but one of them agree on is that young Mister Stoppable is still active somewhere. He had become an adrenaline junkie as much as Miss Possible.", Betty informed him.
"Ma'am I will study those files tomorrow if that's soon enough. Tonight Dad and I are taking Mom out for her birthday.", Wade replied.
Dr. Director said in warning, "You have plenty of time Wade, but please do not let Miss Possible see those files unless I personally give the approval. Her clearance will not be high enough and we have to judge how stable she is. Now go home and take your Mother out to dinner and give her my regards."
"Yes Ma'am I will tell her and also thanks for the opportunity to work with Kim again.", Wade said as he got up to leave.
XXXX
No cliffie here, just a bit of background and an open door to where we're going from here.
Now if Disney has questions, we're just borrowing the characters from Kim Possible in a way that doesn't make us any money, so hopefully they won't send their lawyers after us. Really, we're just borrowing them.
And drop us a review if you decide to, we don't mind.