A/N: While this chapter appeared as one part on AO3, I've split it up into two parts for here because of space requirements. This part goes behind the scenes of the episode "Mind Games". While there is no smut here, the characters do have frank discussions regarding certain topics and there is adult language and situations. I've also added a Kevin and Liz scene, a scene with Sergei where he first lays eyes on the Dirty Pair, and at the end a Crystal scene. My goal here is to flesh out the minor characters more—especially future pairings. As always, I hope you're enjoying the story.

Tara and Hope's House morning of a new school week after "Mind Games"

"This is yours, Hope..." Tara said as she gave the platinum Kitty Kat Club card to her best friend.

"A platinum card?" Hope exclaimed.

"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "As long as you stay more or less on the good guys side of the tracks and don't piss anyone off too much, you'll keep it until you turn twenty-one when it becomes a hard membership. It's not a reward for killing…" The blonde adventuress stressed, "It's an acknowledgement that you had to make a hard call—an adult decision—and because of that, you deserve to be treated as an adult."

"Helluva way to enter the real world." Hope remarked as she slipped the card into her wallet.

Nodding her head, Tara recalled, "I got mine at seventeen too. I was breaking into a mansion in Sao Paulo owned by the leader of one of the South American cartels. Got what I came for and a little extra, but on the way out, was spotted by the head honcho himself and his two guards. I didn't have a choice…" The blonde shook her head, "I tossed a smoke grenade to try to cover my escape, but they chased after me. Managed to ambush the guards and took them out without killing them, but that head gangster—he just wouldn't give up—machismo, I guess. I ended up hobbling him with my shuriken and finished the job with my knife. Went on a bender of sex and drinking after that."

"Kinda like what I did?" Hope replied apologetically, "I'm sorry if I got a little…wild…at times with David…"

"It's okay, luv." Tara replied, kissing her friend on the cheek. "We had to decompress too and we've both been in the same place you were in. You had to work everything out. That's why Betty gave us the extra time after the mission. So…" The lovely blonde quipped, "After playing babysitter for RonKimmee, putting up with the Possible parents and Kimmie's brat brothers, and winning the cheerleader competition, I think the two of us deserve a little fun and games, and you deserve a chance to break in that platinum card. Be a good girl, and I'll introduce you to Bruce…he's one of the male dancers in the strip show and he's got a huge…" Tara's lips turned up in a crooked grin, "…well…you'll see."

"All right!" Hope grinned, "You're on. After a week of babysitting Ron, I could go with a drink or two and maybe get Bruce or some other good looking hunk of a guy to click my mouse."

"Yeah, it's nice to be able to enjoy a cigarette or a drink without having to sneak out past the Possible patrol." Tara laughed, "And I wouldn't complain about having my mouse clicked by a pretty boy or girl either."

Middleton High—the week after Mind Games

"Hey Tara…Hope…"

Turning about as they reached their lockers, The Dirty Pair smiled as Kim Possible approached with a big smile on her face. "Kim." Tara responded with a crooked grin on her face, "Where's your other half?"

"Other half?" Kim looked mystified for a moment and then finally figuring out what the blonde cheerleader was referring to, shook her head, "Oh…you mean Ron? He better be ducking and covering if he knows what's good for him. I'm still pissed off at him for some of the shit he did while he was in my body."

"You must be mad…" Hope laughed, "That's two bodily functions in the same sentence."

"He really wasn't that bad…" Tara smirked, "He never found your little friend…you did a good job of hiding it." Seeing Kim blush even redder, Tara lowered her voice, "Don't worry, we're not gonna tell. If you're curious, I've got one too. David's not here to take care of me all the time, you know, and even though we have an open relationship, there are times I don't want to be arsed to go cruising for a lay…"

"Yeah." Shook her head, "I'm not sure how you two could keep an open relationship like that and not get jealous. I don't think I could do it."

"It works for us." Tara shrugged her shoulders, "It's a no strings attached sort of relationship. Neither one of us want to be tied down. But…you're right…it doesn't work for everyone."

Hope confessed, "While I was living with my 'rents, the only time I got laid was when I was staying with Tara or in the back seat of a car et cetera…et cetera…no way I'm sneaking someone into my home with my parents and brat brothers ready to pounce. So…when there was no warm body close by and I need to take care of business…I had my little friend hidden in a nice safe place where snoopy 'rents and horrors couldn't find it. Now, of course, I don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Yeah…" Kim sighed, "I'm sorry about what happened with you and your parents, Hope. Maybe one day you all can…"

"Thanks, Kim." The olive-skinned cheerleader gave the redhead a warm smile. "It's okay…really. There was a lot of heavy drama going on that no one knows about but my bestie…"

"It was pretty bad, Kim." Tara confirmed.

"I'll tell you about it sometime, soon, Kim…I promise." Hope vowed.

"Anytime you're ready." Kim smiled warmly, "After what the three of us have been through, I'd like to think we've become best friends."

"We have, luv." Tara affirmed with a grin.

"Yeah." Hope agreed before continuing from where she had left off. "Getting back to moving away from Stalag Rossi, I'd planned on moving out once I turned eighteen anyway." She shrugged her shoulders, "This just speeded things up by a few months—that's all."

"And I like having a roommate. The house got pretty lonely sometimes." Tara said as she gave her best friend a smile. "Anyway, getting back to our original subject…"

"Ron." Kim gently chuckled.

"Right." Tara nodded her head, "He actually was generally good although there were a couple of times we had to use a bit of Mr. Freunge's Pavlovian negative reinforcement on him…"

"Speaking of which…" Hope interrupted, "Sorry about the bruises we gave you when we were sparring."

"That's okay." Kim smiled, "They're healing up. I made the mistake of underestimating you. It's…" She blushed crimson, "The girls are still a little delicate when I guess Ron got a little more carried away than he should have, but otherwise…no lasting damage."

"He's a teenage boy who suddenly finds himself in a girl's body." Tara smirked, "Take three guesses as to what the first thought on his mind was going to be."

"I know…" Kim sighed, "And I gotta admit…I was a little curious and did a little exploring myself."

"It's perfectly normal, Kim. I'm sure Ron didn't mind. If anything, thinking of it probably turned him on even more." Hope replied with a chuckle. "And speaking of our bold explorer…"

Chuckling, Kim interjected, "I'm not really that mad at him. Like you said, he generally behaved himself. It's just that…" She squirmed a bit, "Damn, they're sensitive. I think he discovered two of my really erogenous spots and tweaked them for all they're worth!"

"Yeah…" Hope laughed, "Still…if for no other reason than to make a point, let him stew outside in the doghouse for the rest of the day, and then, once you figure he's done enough groveling and apologizing, let him back in."

"Pretty much what I was thinking of doing." Kim chuckled and then turned to Tara, "David was a big help too. Tell him thanks from me when you get the chance, would you, Tara?" Kim pleaded.

"Sure." The blonde girl nodded her head, "He's out of country and I can't reach him right now, but I'll pass it on to him. By the way, he said that you were a quick study and had fun working out with you."

"Thanks." Kim replied, "He gave me some pretty good pointers." Kim nodded her head and then lowered her voice so that only her two fellow cheerleaders could hear, "Oh…I haven't forgotten my promise. Not a word to anyone—not even Ron."

"Thanks." Tara smiled at her fellow cheerleader, "It's not that I'm ashamed of being bisexual, it's just that there's no need to make people—especially on the squad—nervous or upset for no reason."

"Most of the girls would be pretty cool about it, I think." Hope observed, "But there'd be a few…enough…who'd be like Marcella and Bonnie. Their assholes would pucker if they found out."

"You're probably right." Kim nodded her head and then, her lips turning up in a wry grin, joked, "I never imagined I'd be talking about this sort of thing…you know…" she blushed, "…little friends, self-pleasuring, sexual orientation, and open relationships and all. I mean…this is the first time I've been able to talk about this stuff in a casual way with anyone!"

"You mean you've never talked about this stuff with the other cheerleaders or your parents?" Tara asked with a look of genuine concern on her face as she remembered her conversation a week ago with Kim's mother and a conversation a while back with Jessica and Crystal. "Or with a best girlfriend?"

"I don't have a best friend who's a girl like you and Hope are best friends to talk to." Kim shook her head ruefully. "Ron's my best friend and I can't talk to him about stuff like this. He'd go catatonic knowing that sometimes I need to…you know…"

"Take care of business." Hope grinned.

"Right." Kim smirked back. "And I can't talk about sex with Dad—he freaks out about me even thinking I get normal desires and urges. As far as he's concerned, I'm still his little Kimmie-cub. I mean, I'm not looking to sleep with every boy…or ANY boy for that matter…right now…although…" Her lips turned up in an evil grin, "I did have this dream about riding Josh Mankey like a bucking bronco…"

"Kim Possible!" Tara chuckled, "You've got a vivid imagination! Good for you."

"Thank you. We do the best we can." Blushing, Kim gave a comedic bow and then continued her train of thought, "As for Mom…" The redhead shook her head, "Yeah…she's willing to talk about it, but she's so…clinical…if you know what I mean."

"Yeah." Hope nodded her head, "Kind of like listening to a sex ed lecture in health class."

"Exactly." Kim agreed. "When we talk, there's this…I don't know…barrier? Is that the right word?"

"That works." Tara nodded her head, "She's your Mom. That makes her an authority figure, right?"

"Yeah." The young redhead acknowledged, "I guess it does."

"So that's going to color how the two of you talk to each other." The blonde observed. "She might not mean to come across as patronizing…"

"But she does." Kim nodded her head in affirmation.

"At least you can talk to your Mom about this sort of stuff." Hope sighed, "My Dad's worse than yours, Kim. That's why I'm living with Tara now. When him and Mom found out about my birth control pills they blew up. Hell…I thought he was actually going to beat me for a moment—or at least try to. If he'd have tried, my training with Tara and David would have kicked in for sure. I couldn't believe either of their reactions. I mean I knew they'd be upset, but…my God…I'm glad they didn't find out about…"

"Salzburg…" Tara remarked.

"Exactly." Hope nodded her head, "They threatened to lock me up in a super-strict boarding school until I graduated and so I called Aunt Lucinda and Tara and told the 'rents, sayonara."

"And I got a new roommate." Tara grinned. Her smile fading, the lovely blonde commented, lowering her voice, "You know, Kim…if you ever need to talk about anything—boys…sex…whatever… without it getting put on the Middleton High Broadcasting System, you can come to us."

"Yeah." Hope nodded her head. "You might not have had any best friends who are girls before, but you've got two now."

"Thanks, girls. I really mean it." Kim smiled as the bell rang. Closing her locker, the redheaded hero remarked, "Well…I better get to class."

"Catch ya, later, Kim!" Hope grinned, "I've got science this period.

"And I've got English." Tara sighed, "I'll see you girls at lunch."

"Later!"

Before the last period of the day—one week after 'Mind Games'

Peering around the corner, Ron hissed in an effort to get Hope's attention, "Pssst…is it safe?"

"Coast is clear, Ron. Kim's already in class. You can come out now."

"Whew." The blond sidekick let out a breath as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "KP is so mad at me right now…"

"She's not that mad at you!" Hope sighed as she gave the youth a rap on his head. "You just got a little out of hand…if you know what I mean…once or twice and the girls are a little sore because you couldn't keep your hands off 'em."

"Come on!" Ron pleaded, "I was curious…wouldn't you be?"

"I'd know when it's time to throttle back a bit!" The olive-skinned cheerleader shook her head.

"Don't you think you're blowing things out of proportion a little?" Ron protested.

"Rufus?" As Hope called his name, the little naked mole-rat poked his head up out of Ron's pocket. "Front and center."

"Yes, Ma'am." The rodent chattered as he climbed up on his human's shoulder and delivered a crisp salute to the cheerleader.

"Rufus? Tell the truth…" Hope demanded, "Was Ron a good boy in Kim's body?"

Shaking his head, the little rodent faced his human and made a shame…shame gesture with his fingers, "Bad boy…Bad boy."

"I rest my case." Hope smirked.

"She's never gonna forgive me—is she?" Ron moaned.

"Kill the drama, lover boy!" Hope chuckled as she patted the young man's shoulder, making sure not to harm the little rodent. "Like I said, you weren't that bad. For the most part, you really were quite good compared to the way a lot of other boys might have behaved. A lot of it's just me and Tara giving you a hard time. Just stay away from Kimmie for a while and give her a chance to cool down and for certain parts of her body to go back to normal, then do a lot of groveling and apologizing, and you'll be okay. Oh…and if you're smart…you'll never…ever…bring this subject up again—especially not to her!"

"Oh…I promise!" Ron vowed as he raised his right hand, "I will never breathe a word about this to anyone again! Ever…ever."

"Good boy." Hope grinned as the bell rang, "Now, you better get going before you get detention."

Middleton Kitty-Kat Club—a week after 'Mind Games'

"Thanks, Big Mike!" Tara grinned as the husky valet took the keys to her Alfa-Romeo Spyder.

"Sure thing, Tara." The big high school student who worked part time as a valet for the nightclub replied as he got in the driver's seat of the sportscar. "Hi Hope." He said as he grinned at the olive-skinned young woman wearing a burgundy dress standing next to her best friend. "Heard you got your platinum card. Sorry about the way you got it."

"Thanks, Mike. I am too." Hope answered back as she looked at her new platinum card.

"Come on, luv." Tara grinned at her best friend, "Let's go. I'm buying the first round."

"Lead the way." As the pair walked towards the entrance, Hope proposed, "You know…maybe we should think about including Kim in some of our stuff…maybe a girl's night or something like that?"

"That's not a bad idea." Tara nodded her head in agreement. "She doesn't really get the chance to just blow off steam. Next time we do popcorn and movies or shots or…hmmm…I could swing a silver card for her…yeah…we'll bring her along."

"Cool." Hope grinned as the pair reached the entrance and presented their club cards to the bouncer. Entering the nightclub, the duo quickly made their way to the bar where they recognized a familiar figure wearing a dark blue cocktail dress and diamond necklace.

"Cheeky!" Tara squealed, and then put on a mock pout, "Your boss is in so much trouble it isn't even funny!"

"Hey Cutie! Cheerleader!" The supervillainess known as Shego's lips turned up in an evil grin as she spied the two women approaching her, "Looks like someone's got your panties in a wad."

"You can blame that bloody bastard you work for." Tara scowled as she lit a cigarette and inhaled.

"Whatever did Drew do to you two?" Shego exclaimed as she sipped her bourbon on the rocks. "Last I heard you guys were bringing down the Haus…as in Markhaus…nice work by the way taking out fatso and Kramer, Cheerleader. I know you're feeling bad about it." Shego said in a surprisingly consoling voice, "But those bastards did a bunch worse to a whole lot of other people and would have done the same to you."

"Thanks, Sheila." Hope replied in a soft voice as she took a white wine from the bartender. Shaking her head, she let out a breath, "Too bad von Stassel got away…"

"Hey, Kid…" Shego replied with a friendly elbow nudge to the olive-skinned cheerleader's side, "You can't win 'em all. Anyway…" She asked as Tara sipped her gin and tonic, "What did Drew do to you two to get you ready to cut his balls off?"

"We got caught in the fallout of your boss's last take over the world masterplan." Tara grumbled. "When that sodding Brain-Switch Machine swapped out Possible and Stoppable's minds into the other's bodies, guess who got called in to babysit."

"Oh…" Shego laughed, "You poor…HAAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA…I'm sorry…It's just…Stoppable copping his first feel…Come on! You gotta admit…It's funny!"

Their smiles turning to laughter, Tara and Hope both nodded their heads in agreement. "Okay…" Tara reluctantly conceded, "You're right. It's funny…now. Then…that was a different story."

"Yeah." Hope sighed, "You have no idea what we had to put up with. Cheerleading competitions were beginning…we had to call David in to look after KimRon, and we had to babysit RonKim while at the same time dealing with the Possible parents and Kimmie's brat Tweeb brothers."

"I figure you owe us rounds for the night." Tara declared with a snort as she lit up a fresh cigarette.

"Fair enough." Shego nodded her head, "But…let's take this conversation into the back office, okay…there's some stuff I wanna tell you two that I don't want to get out."

"Right, Sheila." Tara replied as Hope nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay…let's go." Turning to the bartender, Shego requested, "Hey, Max? Can we have the keys to the back office?"

"Here ya go, Sheila!" The bartender said as he tossed the keys to the raven-haired supervillainess.

"Thanks! And…keep the drinks coming. We're gonna be there awhile."

"Before we get started, Cheeky…" Tara asked as she took a sip of her gin and tonic, "Have you heard anything from your side of the tracks about an Operation or Project Gotterdammerung?"

"I haven't heard much more than the name." Shego admitted. "I do know that it's a MALUS project and that it involves the heavy use of rare earths and that you put at least a temporary crimp in their plans when you stopped von Stassel's attempted coup." Shaking her head, she ruefully declared, "I wish I knew more. If I come across anything, I'll let you know. The name alone—End of the World—makes it a little too ominous for my tastes."

"Thanks, Sheila." Hope remarked, "So…what did you want to tell us?"

"Yeah…" The dark-haired supervillainess took a deep breath, "Like I said, this doesn't leave this room because if word gets out I'm doing this, my rep on my side of the tracks will be shot and I'll be number one with a bullet on everyone's hit lists."

"You've got our word, Cheeky." Tara swore as Hope nodded her head in agreement, "Not a word to anyone."

"Especially not Possible." Shego stressed.

"Not even Kim." Tara and Hope affirmed.

"Okay." Sheila nodded her head, "I'm going to confirm something you probably already suspect; I've been quietly and in as low-key a manner as possible doing everything I can to sabotage Drakken's little plots. It's not because I've suddenly decided to become a goody-goody." Shego stressed, "Thing is, if even one of his plots gets too close to succeeding, or…God forbid…actually working, then an awful lot of innocent people will die. And you know what that means?"

Nodding her head, Tara responded, "Yeah. The heavy hitters will come down hard on not just Drakken, but you and anyone else on their radar."

"Exactly. They'd have to." Shego replied. "Everyone would be calling out for blood—and they'd have a right to. So…Drakken, Demenz, and the others can't be allowed to actually succeed or even come too close to succeeding. We all got lucky that no one got killed when that geezer Senor turned out the lights in Europe. Thankfully, backup generators kicked in and it seemed like he avoided turning off power in places like hospitals."

"Yeah." Hope nodded her head, "It could have been a lot worse. In any event, his blackout came at exactly the right time for us…we were kinda hanging by a thread."

Seeing the look of curiosity on her friend's face, Tara smirked, "von Stassel put us in a death trap that would have turned us into instant statues…"

"Always figured you'd look good bronzed." Shego laughed.

"Yeah, well…none of us really cared much for the process of how it was going to be done." Tara snorted.

Hope quipped with a crooked grin, "von Stassel wanted to do the Han Solo in carbonite routine. Anyway, the blackout helped cover our escape."

"Like I said, we all got lucky." Shego sighed, "After that, I had a few pals of mine pay the Senors a visit where they laid out the facts of life. I'm not worried about Junior—he's an idiot and doesn't really want to play in the game. All he wants to do is work on his tan and play the pretty boy. But I hope the old man got the message."

"So…back to sabotaging Drakken…" Tara prompted.

"Right." Shego nodded her head, "If it means I do stuff like bribe henchies to drop crates containing sensitive, fragile instruments, 'accidentally' fry a new invention while throwing a temper tantrum, leave a door conveniently open, or letting Kimmie kick my ass, then that's what I'll do to keep Drakken from actually succeeding. Problem is…"

"You can't be everywhere. While you can slow up Drakken, you can't really do much to stop Dementor or the others." Hope finished as Sheila nodded her head.

"Yeah. So…when I find out something, I leak word to you guys or find a way to let Kimmie know what's going on without her figuring out I'm the leak..."

"Now Ron barging into our practice and then the two of them blowing out makes sense." Tara exclaimed as she and Shego both lit cigarettes. "We were in the gym practicing for regionals and Kim was running us pretty hard."

"Gotta admit, it was a pretty tough routine." Hope interjected.

"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "There were a lot of steps and moves and it called for all of us being in synch, which, because we were all tired, we weren't. And so…"

"Kimmie rammed into you…" Hope finished. "Hard."

"I felt like I got hit by a sodding freight train." Tara grumbled, "Anyway, her and I both end up on our arses with Bonnie barely keeping from laughing. The only reason she wasn't laughing was because I was giving her a do it and I'll ram a pom-pom up your arse look."

"And then her and Kim go into their usual pissing contest." Hope sighed as she took a sip of wine.

"Then Ron pops in." Tara related once again picking up the narrative, "Kim tries to blow him off, but bless his heart, he makes her break off the practice, giving us all a much needed breather."

"After that, we got word from Wade that Drakken had called for help." Hope remarked with a chuckle.

"Yeah…that was me." Shego snickered. "Drakken had invented a Brain Switch Machine and…it actually worked. So, he had me kidnap this Army private…"

"Cleotus Dobbs…" Tara interjected.

"Right." Shego nodded her head, "And swapped minds with him so Drakken was running around in Dobbs' body and…"

"Dobbs was in Drakken's." Hope nodded her head, "But why snatch a private? Wouldn't an officer be a better catch?"

The dark-haired villainess shook her head, "Too likely to attract attention and raise the alert level. A private assigned to guard a top secret device has the necessary security credentials to get through any checkpoints—which was really all Drakken needed to nab the Neutronalizer."

"No one's gonna care about where a private is or what he's doing while he's off duty. All he's gotta do is show up when it's his watch, keep his mouth shut, and do as he's told." Tara remarked as Shego nodded her head.

"Exactly." The green-skinned villainess resumed her narrative, "I arranged it where Dobbs could escape where we were holding him and get access to an open comm unit. I couldn't let him out for too long, but I was hoping it would be long enough for him to get hold of Nerdlinger or someone like that."

"It worked." Hope replied. "The two of them left—both of them swapping sob stories about how miserable their lives were. Like Boo Hoo Hoo I can't take a shit without someone wanting something from me or Woe Is Me because everyone's picking on me and I'm the only one who'll take care of Rufus."

Laughing, Shego quipped, "I think you just summed up the Princess's and the Buffoon's life stories. Anyway…we were holed up in Drakken's Grand Canyon lair and they snuck in…well…they thought they'd snuck in, but Drakken picked up on them—take three guesses who triggered a silent alarm…"

"Gotta be Stoppable." Tara laughed.

"Got it in one." Shego snorted. "I'd crated DobbsDrakken up in a box with enough holes for air where I figured Kimmie's scanner would pick up on him and it did. So they got him out in time for me to make my grand entrance and that's when the fun began. The usual fight ensued—I'm not going to bore you guys with the details—you both know how these things go by now. I punch, she kicks, I slash, she dodges, so on and so forth. Well, to make a long story short, I knocked Princess into one of the Brain-Switch thingies and one of the henchies booted Stoppable into the other and that little rodent of his landed on the activation button and that's…" The villainess's lips turned up in a broad grin, "…when the yucks really started!"

"And that's where our story begins." Tara sighed as Max brought in more drinks and cleaned the ashtrays. "We got a call from Wade while we were…entertaining…David."

"But before that…" Hope interjected, "Tara helped me to get away from some family drama…hopefully forever."

"Oh?" Shego, not unfamiliar with family problems, tilted her head and listened closely, "What happened?"

"You know the old saying that some people will better your life by staying in it while others will better it by staying out of it?"

"Yeah." Shego, again recalling her own family issues, responded sympathetically. "It's a saying I agree with one hundred percent."

"Well…I decided that the best way to better my life was to keep my family out of it." Hope said in a soft voice as she sipped her wine.

"For what it's worth, Kitten…" Shego declared in a gentle, sincere, voice, "I'm sorry."

Tara and Hope's House—the Beginning of Mind Games…

"Thanks, Tara." Hope said sincerely as she flashed a sad smile, "It means a lot to me—you letting me stay with you after my parents threatened to transfer me to Sister Penelope's School for Proper Young Ladies after Mom found my birth control pills and freaked…"

"It's okay, bestie." The blonde adventuress said, hugging her best friend close to her. "So…have you filed the legal paperwork for emancipation?"

"Yeah." Hope nodded her head. "Aunt Lucinda helped me get the lawyer and I paid her back for the cost of the fees and the documents. My 'rents aren't fighting it. Dad's disowned me…fine…" She shrugged her shoulders, "They weren't planning on sending me to college anyway. Once I turned eighteen and graduated high school, I was out the door. To be honest, I think they're glad I'm out of their hair."

"Well…" Tara grinned, "Let's get you moved into your room. By the time you get settled in, David will be here and we can properly christen what will now officially be your bed."

"Sounds good to me, bestie!"

"Uhhhh…girls?" Wade's voice came through both Tara's and Hope's Kimmunicators as they sat on the couch on either side of David, both girls kissing and nibbling his neck and face. "Girls? This is kinda important. Is it safe for me to turn on the cam?"

Catching her breath as she reached for her Kimmunicator, Tara straightened out her hair and put her top back on before pushing the accept button as Hope did the same. "Wade…" The lovely blonde cautioned, "This better be sodding important."

"It is." The blushing young techie replied, "Kim and Ron have run into a little…problem."

"How little a problem?" Hope asked as she rearranged her hair and makeup.

"They got a distress call from this army private…"

"So that's why they scarpered out of practice." Tara deduced.

"Right." Wade confirmed, "Drakken and Shego had kidnapped him and Drakken used some sort of Brain-Switch machine…"

"Brain-Switch machine?" Hope snorted.

"Yeah." Wade affirmed. "So now we've got Dobbs' mind in Drakken's body…"

"Poor Dobbs." Tara snickered.

"It gets worse." Wade sighed, "Ron and Kim got caught in the machine…'

"No…" Tara shook her head as her best friend laughed, "Don't tell me…they didn't…"

"Uhhh…they did." Wade confirmed. "Kim's in Ron's body now and Ron's in Kim's."

"You're telling us, Wade…" Tara took a deep breath and exhaled, "That a teenage boy's mind is trapped in a teenage girl's body?"

"Yeah." Wade replied as Hope let out a breath.

"David, luv?" Tara turned to her boyfriend, "Could this get as bad as I think it could?"

"The sooner we get there…" The handsome spy responded, "The better."

"Wade…" Tara announced as she, Hope and David quickly got to their feet. "We're on our way. Make sure that Ron…er…Kim…you know what I mean…is not left alone without adult supervision. Mrs. Possible will understand why. Got that?"

"Got it." Wade acknowledged.

Possible House—During Mind Games

Beep-beep-da-beep

"What you got for me, Wade?" RonKimmie asked as the techie's face appeared on the Kimmunicators screen.

"Nice try Brain Switch Boy." Wade snorted, "Now put Kim on."

"Oh…all right." Ron grumbled as he handed the Kimmunicator to his friend whose mind was now inhabiting his body as his mind was inhabiting hers. As Kim talked to Wade, the young boy's mind marveled at the new sensations he felt from this body. Looking down he caught a glimpse of Kim's breasts as he made a production of flipping her hair. Wow! So that's what they're like! Neat! I can't wait to…

"You managed to get hold of Tara and Hope?" Ron heard as Kim talked to their friend via the Kimmunicator. As he heard the other girls' names, he paid closer attention to the conversation.

"Tara's boyfriend is bringing them over and they said to be sure that Ron was not left alone without adult supervision. I'm not sure what they meant by that…" Wade reported.

"I think I understand why." Mrs. Possible declared, giving RonKimmie a pointed look. She then spoke to Wade, "If you talk to them before I do, tell them I said thanks."

"Will do." Wade responded, further reporting, "There's also been a security breach at Private Dobbs' post. Something big and top secret was taken."

"The Neutronalizer." DobbsDrakken muttered, quickly announcing, "Ya'll weren't supposed to hear that. Forget I ever said that…please."

"I've got more bad news." Wade moaned, "Drakken's abandoned his lair. Cleaned the place out. Including the Brain-Switch Machine."

"No…" KimRon moaned, "You mean I might be stuck in this body?"

"Booyah!" RonKimmie exclaimed as the sound of car doors opening and shutting were heard, shortly followed by the doorbell ringing. "I'm popular!"

Opening the door, Mr. Dr. Possible smiled as he looked on at a blonde young woman wearing boots, black pants and a cream crop top, an olive-skinned dark-haired girl wearing boots, jeans and a pink t-shirt, and a tanned young man with dark hair and wearing jeans, boots, and a casual pullover shirt. "You must be Kimmie's friends." James exclaimed as he ushered the newcomers into his home. "Come on in. Have you eaten."

"We're fine, Mr. Possible." Tara replied. Deliberately addressing the person who looked like Kim, she announced, "We got your friend Wade's message that there was some sort of problem."

"Uhhh…" KimRon spoke up, "This is gonna be kinda hard to explain, but we were on a mission and got zapped by some sort of Brain-Switch-Machine of Dr. Drakken's so Ron's sorta in my body and I'm in his."

"Weird." Hope sighed, playing her part, "But then this is Middleton where weird happens all the time." Seeing RonKimmee glancing down her/his shirt, the dark-haired cheerleader snapped, "Eyes front, Stoppable!"

Immediately picking up on what her daughter's fellow cheerleader had caught the boy currently inhabiting Kim's body was trying to do, Ann gave the cheerleader a wink as she added her icy warning, "You heard the young lady, Ronald. Keep those eyes where they're supposed to be."

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to get major weird?" KimRon moaned as Tara placed a supportive arm around the shoulders of the boy Kim was currently residing in. "Don't worry about it, luv. We'll get it all sorted out and we'll do our best to keep Stoppable in line."

"Thanks." KimRon smiled at her fellow cheerleader.

"Ron? Won't your parent's get upset if you're not home?" Ann asked.

"Yeah." RonKimmie replied, "They're home this week, so I told them I'd be back by curfew."

"They might freak out if they see Kim there instead of Ron." Tara noted.

"I can take care of that." David suggested, "I'll take Kim-Ron and the private to the Stoppables and stay with them while you and Hope stay with Ron-Kim." Speaking to KimRon, he pointed out, "If you're going to be stuck in that body for more than a few hours, it might help to know how things work for us guys and if you think you might be getting into a fight or something else that involves athletics, you're definitely going to need to get used to how that body functions."

"He's got a point there, Kimmie." Ann agreed.

"David did a couple of years in the IDF, Kimmie, and saw some fighting." Tara pointed out, "I think you'll find that he'll give you a good sparring session."

"Okay." Kim reluctantly agreed, "But I want you girls to promise that you will please…" she then looked at Ron in her body gazing at her reflection in the mirror, "…please…try your best to keep him from…"

"We'll do the best we can, Kim…but we can't be with him everywhere 24/7. No matter how close an eye we keep on him, he's going to get some alone time somehow." Hope replied apologetically, lowering her voice so that the redhead's parents couldn't hear.

"Just do the best you can." Kim sighed in resignation and then turned to David. "Ready when you are."

"See you later, luv." Tara smiled as she kissed her boyfriend on the lips.

"Later, hottie." Hope smirked as she also kissed the undercover agent on the lips, receiving raised eyebrows from onlookers.

As KimRon and DobbsDrakken left with David, Mr. Possible turned to Mrs. Possible, glancing at the two cheerleaders, "Do we want to know?"

"Probably not, dear." Ann whispered back.

"Ummm…guys…" RonKimmie called out, "I gotta…you know…and I don't know how to…"

"Mrs. Possible?" Hope prompted, "Could you help him out while Tara and I Stoppable-proof Kim's room?"

"Sure girls." Ann smiled, "Come on Ron…" Mrs. Dr. Possible said as she threw an arm over RonKimmee's shoulder and firmly, yet gently, guided him to the downstairs restroom while the two cheerleaders took the loft stairs to Kim's room.

"Upstairs?" Jim whispered to Tim

"Observation probe?" Tim whispered back.

"Gotta be infrared capable." Jim muttered.

"Let's do it."

"Hicka-bicka-boo"

"Hoosha!"

"Okay…" Tara snorted as she searched through Kim's drawers, "I know she's got one hidden somewhere…" Spotting the object she was looking for buried beneath some underwear, she called her friend over. "Found it." Smirking, she pointed at the little device, "While diamonds might be a girl's best friend, this is a close second. Think it's hidden good enough?"

"Yeah." Hope replied, "Might not be a bad idea to set out a few pairs of underwear so that RonKim can get to them easily without having to dig into the drawer though. He might not intend to snoop, but…"

"Good idea. Accidents happen." Tara nodded her head as she took out three pairs of panties and bras and placed them in an empty drawer. "We'll put in some clothes in this drawer too and make sure Ron understands that this is the only drawer he sticks his hands in."

As Hope brought a couple of pairs of jeans and t-shirts, along with socks, and put them in the drawer along with the underwear, she asked her friend, "What about her diary? I mean her real diary. Not the journal she keeps on her computer where Wade, her little shit brothers, or some other hacker could access. Is it in a good hiding place?"

"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "I think so. She's got it stuffed away in a really hard to get to place. Stoppable would have to be really looking for it and I don't think we really have to worry about him doing that. She's not hiding it from him."

Nodding her head, Hope agreed. "You're right. She's hiding it to keep her 'rents and the Tweebs from it."

"Speaking of the Tweebs…" Tara sneered as she caught a metallic glimmer out of the corner of her eye, "I spy something with my little eye…" Grabbing a letter opener lying on the desk, the blonde adventuress threw it at the intruder, bringing the little probe down in a hail of sparks. Raising her voice so that the Tweebs, as well as anyone else in the house, could clearly hear her, she called out, "Little brats! The next goddamn probe I see I'm gonna ram it up your sorry little arses!"

Hope shouted, "Do that again you little shits and I'll kick your sorry asses all the way to town and back!"

"Honey?" James gasped as he heard the girls' shouted curses and warnings.

"I'll go up and ask them to be more careful about their language," Ann sighed.

"Stoppable!" Tara's voice easily carried down the stairs. "Get your arse up here! Now!"

Shaking his head at the shocked look on the Possibles' faces, Ron took a deep breath as he/she whispered a mantra, going up the stairs as if he/she were a condemned man walking the last mile. "Please don't kill me…please don't kill me…please don't kill me…"

"I guess we know now why they call them the Dirty Pair." Ann sighed as James stood mouth agape. Then, waiting a decent interval until Ron had made it up the stairs, Ann quietly followed, pausing behind the door so that she could hear what was going on inside without being seen.

"Sit down, Ron." Tara ordered as she pointed to the edge of Kim's bed. Taking a flask out of its hiding place in her boot, she took a swig and then passed it on to Hope who also took a drink.

"Want some, Ron?" Hope asked as she held out the flask.

"No thanks." The boy trapped in a girl's body answered back with a single head shake.

Pulling up a chair and sitting down where she was facing RonKim, Tara's lips turned up in a slight smile. "I know you're experiencing a whole lot of strange feelings and stuff going on inside you right now."

Shaking his head, RonKim replied, "Yeah. It's a mess. I never imagined…how do you girls…"

"How do we cope with all that?" Tara and Hope both chuckled. "Just like you do. We take it day by day. Doctor Possible can tell you all about the different hormones we girls have running around in us and she can fill you in on some of the more biological stuff too if you've got questions there…"

Nodding her head in approval at the blonde teenager's words, Ann continued to listen. "I also have a feeling you've got a ton of questions so…shoot…we'll answer them as best we can and those we can't handle; you can go to Mrs. Possible. I'm sure she'll be glad to help. So…go ahead."

"Ummmm…" RonKim asked red faced, do I have to wear this…"

"A bra?" Hope interjected, "Afraid so, Sport—at least a lot of the time when you're out in public, and you'll want to wear a sports bra when you're doing athletic stuff. Kim will appreciate you wearing one because it'll keep you from sweating under the bust. That can cause zits and she'll really get mad at you if she develops a rash or zits there."

On hearing that, Ann covered her mouth to conceal her gentle laughter as she continued to eavesdrop.

"It'll also give you some support and it'll help you move around all the more easily…" Tara explained, "Also, it keeps the boys from getting a free show when it gets cold out and things get a little perky up there. So…keep the girls covered when you go out."

"What else?" Hope asked.

"Going to the bathroom…" RonKim began.

"If you have to use a public restroom…especially the school restrooms…and you're just taking a piss…" Tara replied, "Hover…don't sit…and if you do have to sit, like if you've got to take a crap…and yes, Ron…we gotta go too, just like guys…wipe the seat before sitting. You don't know who planted their bum there before yours."

"And remember always front to back." Hope laughed, "Kim will not appreciate it if you leave her with a yeast or bacterial infection. And…for Kim's sake, keep it fresh. Don't worry, we'll walk you through what you have to do. Mostly, everything takes care of itself. You just have to do some common sense hygiene."

"One more thing…" Tara sighed, "Okay…it's natural that you're going to be curious and there's no way me, Hope, and Mrs. Possible can keep an eye on you 24/7. Just…don't overdo it. Kim will not be very happy with you when she comes back into her house and finds out that parts of her body are sore because you've been busy—get my drift?"

"I….uhhhh…think so." A red-faced RonKim stammered.

"Good." Hope smiled, "I'm glad we understand each other. See that drawer there…" She pointed to the top drawer that was partly opened, "We put in a couple changes of clothes, Kim's pajamas, and some underwear for you. We'll also make sure Mrs. Possible knows that this is your changing drawer. DO NOT go into any of her other drawers without permission from Kim, Mrs. Possible, or us…got it?"

"I got it." RonKim responded with a nod of the head, then declared challengingly. "You know I do respect Kim's privacy."

"We know you do, Ron." Tara replied in a conciliatory voice, "It's just that every girl has her little secrets and, while you might not intend to snoop or pry, if you're rummaging through the drawers trying to find, let's say a top, and run into one of her little secrets, well…I don't need to go on, do I?"

"No." RonKim answered back, "I wouldn't want to hurt or embarrass KP."

"We know." Hope and Tara both replied as they placed their hands on RonKim's shoulders. "And we think Kim's very lucky to have such a good friend as you in her life. So…unless you have any other questions, let's get our books out and get started on tomorrow's homework…right?" Tara smiled as she took out her textbook.

Nodding her head and smiling in approval, Ann turned about and made her way down the stairs to her waiting husband. "I don't think we need to worry too much about Kim's friends, dear. They seem to have the situation well in hand."

"Are you sure? A still skeptical James replied, "They seem a little…"

Chuckling, Ann acknowledged, "Yeah…they may be a little earthy—especially where their language is concerned—but they seem to be good girls at heart." Ann sighed as she gently guided her husband to the couch and joined him sitting there, "You know, I never really noticed it until now, but James, how many female friends does Kim have?"

"She's got tons of them." James chuckled as he threw an arm over his wife's shoulders, "There's the cheerleaders…"

"How often do they come over? Ann countered, "How often does she tie up the phone gossiping with them? And how often does she go out to do stuff with them?" Ann shook her head, "Our daughter doesn't have a girl best friend…"

"She's got Ron." James pointed out.

"Yeah." Anne nodded her head, "And he's been a helluva great best friend for our Kimmie, but…there are times a girl needs to talk to another girl her age about stuff like boys, dates, stuff like that."

"She can talk to us about that sort of stuff." James weakly protested.

"Not really." Ann shook her head, "If it's something really important, I know she'll come to one of us, but there are some things that she just doesn't feel comfortable talking to us or Ron about. Stuff that she could talk to a best girlfriend about. And having a close friend who's also a girl would give her someone to do things with that she really wants to do that Ron might not like or want or feel comfortable doing. You know…" she chuckled, "…girly things."

Stoppable House—the week of Mind Games

"Ron? Is that you?"

"Yes, Mom!" KimRon called back, trying to catch the right inflection in her friend's voice. "I've brought over a couple of guys that are helping Kim on a mission. Would it be all right if they stay over?"

"Sure." Jean Stoppable, a rather plump white-haired matron, replied as she entered the kitchen. "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah. We ate at Kim's." KimRon replied as Jean entered the living room.

"Don't be rude, Ron." Mrs. Stoppable reproved, "Introduce me to your guests."

"This is Private Dobbs, Mom."

"Ma'am."

"And this is David…"

"Bruckner, Mrs. Stoppable." David interjected as he held out his hand.

"He's Tara's boyfriend and he's helping me look after Private Dobbs." KimRon explained, "The private got kidnapped by Dr. Drakken and got his mind switched and we're trying to find a way to get him back."

Shaking her head, Jean laughed, "If it were anyone but you telling me this, Ronald, I'd say they were lying, but with all the stuff you and Kim get into…well…you be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I will, Mom." KimRon promised.

"That's good." Edna acknowledged, "Your father's at an actuarial conference and won't be in until tomorrow. If you're sure you've got everything in hand, I'm going to drive over and join him."

"That'll be fine, Mom." KimRon sighed, relieved that his mother would be leaving soon, but also concerned by his mother's seeming lack of interest in her son's activities. "I've got it covered here."

"Night, Ronnie!"

Sighing in relief as Mrs. Stoppable left the house, Kim remarked, "I wasn't sure how that was going to go. You'd have thought she'd have suspected something."

"Well…" David grinned, "Like she said, the two of you get into weird stuff so, she probably takes it as a matter of course."

"Yeah…I guess you're right." Kim nodded as she made a mental note to check with Ron about how he was getting along with his parents. "Ron's room's upstairs." Hearing Rufus squeak, KimRon let the little mole-rat out of his hiding place, "Come on little guy. I haven't forgotten you. I'll get you some cheese."

"Thank you."

As the three made their way up the stairs, Kim queried, "Okay…what are some of the basics I'm going to need to know about how to get around in this body?"

"First off…" David asked, "Boxers, boxer-briefs, or briefs?"

"Huh?"

"What sort of underwear does Ron normally wear?"

"Boxers…" Kim replied, "Why? Does it make a difference?"

"Some." David responded. "Boxers would look better on your friend because he's pretty skinny. I prefer boxer-briefs because I'm very active and they give me more support and freedom of motion and they do a good job keeping everything where it's supposed to be. As long as you're in his body, you might want to think about switching to boxer-briefs for that reason. Don't wear boxers with loose shorts 'cause if you're climbing a ladder or doing sit ups, you might give someone more of a show than you're wanting to give them."

"Oh." KimRon's face reddened in embarrassment.

"Also…" David's face also reddened slightly, "Tara likes me in boxer-briefs."

"I see…" Kim drawled.

"Anything else?"

"Right now…" Kim took a breath and exhaled, "Just some general pointers would do."

"Okay…when you're staying somewhere with women and you want to avoid getting your ass kicked, " David very strongly advised, "Always…always, lift the lid when you pee and be sure you clean up the area around when you're done. And when you're done, always…for God's sake, ALWAYS…lower the seat! If you don't she will wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and then you will hear a blood-curdling scream and then your life as you knew it will end."

"Ain't that the truth!" DobbsDrakken moaned in agreement as Kim laughed aloud.

"Anything else?" Kim chortled.

"Yeah. Men's Room etiquette is different from Ladies' Room." David explained, "From what Tara and my other female friends tell me, you all see the girls' room as a conference area where you check your makeup, talk about us guys, and just generally socialize—am I right?"

"Yeah…" Kim answered back with a head nod, "Pretty much so. Why? Is it different for guys?"

"Real different!" Dobbs interjected.

David nodded his head, "One…you never use a stall or urinal adjacent to the one someone else is using unless all the others are taken. Two…you don't talk while you're doing your business. You get your business done, wash up—if you know someone in there with you, it's okay to talk to him at the sink. If you're using a urinal, you look straight ahead—never look to the guy on your right or left and never…ever…turn around—not unless you want to buy the guy next to you a new pair of shoes."

Laughing, Kim quipped, "It's like I'm living life as an alien now!"

"In a way, you are." David agreed with a chuckle as the student anthropologist in him came to the fore. "Some of it's purely biological, some cultural and social with roots in biology, and some purely social and cultural constructions."

"Anything else I need to worry about?" Kim asked.

"Yeah." David nodded his head, "Don't forget to use deodorant and shower daily—especially if you're very active. Depending on Ron's hormone levels, he can get quite gamey after a hard workout."

"Yeah." Kim nodded with a wry grin on her face, "I know."

"Also…unless you're bi, looking at girls probably won't cause a problem unless you're staring and her boyfriend's with her, but if there's some guy you're into…a little something's going to happen."

Looking down, Kim, whose thoughts had turned briefly to Josh Mankey, at once spotted the problem. Blushing she uttered a panicked, "Oh. How…"

"Try to think of something else. Anything not involving sex." David suggested.

"Baseball works for me." Dobbs helpfully provided.

"Also wear loose pants."

"Now I understand why Ron only wears loose cargo pants." Kim, still blushing, sighed and then asked, "Is it usual to have all this pent up energy? I feel like I wanna run or hit something!"

"Testosterone." David explained, "Come on…get into some workout gear and we'll take a mile run and then maybe a quick sparring session if you're up for it. That should burn off some of that energy."

"Spankin'!" Kim exclaimed. "Let's go!"