Possible Home—the week of Mind Games
"Can you help Ron out with the rest of his homework while I go out and grab a smoke, Hope?" Tara asked, "I'll help him out with his bath and get him ready for bed."
"Not a problem, bestie." Hope answered back. "Hear that Ron? We get algebra done and when Tara gets back from feeding her nicotine lust, we'll get ready for bed."
"Sounds badical to me." Ron smiled back, "Can you help me with this word problem? I can't figure out what x is."
"Let's see…" Hope sighed as Tara made her way down the stairs.
As Tara walked down the loft stairs, she heard Mrs. Dr. Possible's voice.
"That's a really nice thing you and Hope are doing for both Kim and Ron."
"It's no big, Mrs. Possible." Tara smiled back, "They're both good friends of ours."
"I'm glad." Ann replied as she walked with the Tara to the front door. "Come on…let's take a walk." Seeing the younger woman heave a dejected sigh, Ann chuckled, "I know you wanted to go out to sneak a smoke. Kim told me you're a smoker. I wish you'd quit." The doctor pleaded, her voice and expression one of concern, "But I won't bore you with a lecture you've probably heard a thousand times already. I'll make a deal with you. You refrain from smoking on the property, and I won't say anything about that flask you've got hidden in your boot or what's most likely in it. Deal?"
"Deal." Tara winced, "I guess I can forgo my third favorite vice until we get Kim and Ron sorted out."
Chuckling, Ann quipped, "I think I know what your second vice is…" Her eyes dropped down to the boot where the flask was hidden. "And I've got a feeling I don't want to ask what your favorite one is although it probably involves that young gentleman who brought you here."
"Probably not and it does." Tara chuckled as the pair exited the house and walked down the driveway. "So…what did you want to talk about?"
"I'm curious…" Ann inquired as the pair walked, "Does Kim have anyone at school to talk to…other than Ron?"
"Hmm…you mean like a counselor or teacher she likes?"
"No…" Ann shook her head, "More like a friend...a girlfriend. Like you and Hope obviously are."
"I'd have to say I'm afraid not." Tara replied, "She gets along well with most of us on the squad…except for Bonnie…"
"I'm very familiar with Kim's problems with Bonnie." Ann sighed, "But…continue, please."
"But she's not really close to any of us as in sharing confidences, doing things together…that sort of thing…I think that's what you're asking about—right?" Seeing Mrs. Possible's confirming head nod, Tara continued, "I know she's involved with a lot of other extracurricular stuff like yearbook and tutoring…but I don't think she's close to anyone from those activities—at least no one that I'm aware of. And of course, there's her other extracurricular stuff…"
"Yes." Ann nodded her head, "Me and James have always been of two minds about that. We're proud of the good her and Ron have done, but we're worried about the two of them getting seriously hurt or worse."
"It's a fair concern. This recent mess is a pretty good example of how weird and possibly dangerous things could get." The blonde girl nodded her head in sympathy. "What do you think would happen if you were to put your foot down?"
"And forbid her from going?" Ann paused for a few moments as she debated on answering the younger woman's question and then decided to go ahead, "We had considered it and we will do so if we see her grades suffer, if behavioral problems arise, she gets seriously injured, or we're told to do so by the authorities, but…" She shook her head, "If we were to just arbitrarily tell her to stop, I'm afraid she'd go behind our backs, resent us for trying to stop her, and once she was old enough…"
"Just leave and probably not come back." Tara completed as Ann nodded her head.
"What worries me about her and concerns me most right now…" Ann confessed, "Is that Kim might be lonely. She's a naturally competitive person…I fear she gets that from both me and James. And…" The loving mother forced herself to admit, "She can be off-putting and domineering at times. That…" She said with a crooked grin, "Is all on me. It might have been awhile since I was a teenager, but I still remember what it was like to have my first crush on a boy or want to talk with a friend about stuff I wouldn't want to talk to my parents about. And Ron…well…him and Kim are close…very close. He'd give his life for her without a moment's hesitation and I love him for that, but…"
"He's a boy." Tara finished as Ann nodded her head. "There are things like having problems with her period and going bra and underwear shopping and…I'll spare you the mention of certain other topics that I know you know full well we talk about among ourselves, but that you don't want mentioned that we talk about…"
"Thank you." Ann's lips turned up in a smirk. "It's just that Kim doesn't have anyone she can talk to about stuff like that, and that worries me."
"Well…Hope and I can't force her to open up to us, Mrs. Possible…" Tara declared, "But we can let her know that we'd be willing to listen to her and we can invite her to join us when we get together for stuff like our movie and popcorn nights or, there's a tea shop Hope and I like to go to…maybe she might like that as a change of pace from Bueno Nacho."
"Thanks." Ann smiled, "I really appreciate it."
"I can't make any promises…" Tara cautioned as the pair approached the front door, "Kim has a say in this as well. But…Hope and I will leave the door open for her."
"That's all I'm asking, dear." Ann smiled, "Before we go in…I think we can both use a swig of whatever it is you've got in that flask."
"All right, Mrs. P." Tara grinned as she took the flask out and opening it, handed it to the older woman who took a hearty swig before handing it back.
"Wow!" Ann breathed, "That's good gin!"
"Yeah." Tara replied she took a swig and then closed the flask and slipped it back in its hiding place, "And I'll keep my promise. No smoking on the property."
Middleton High—the week of Mind Games
"Okay, Ron…let's run through it again." Kim sighed, as she, still in Ron's body, once more demonstrated the program for the competition as Ron, Tara, and Hope looked on.
"There's no way I'm going to be able to do this." Ron wailed, "It's too complicated!"
"He's right, Kim." Tara agreed. "It was giving us problems yesterday and we've had weeks of practice. You can't expect him to pick up on it in just a day or two and in a new body on top of that."
"And you definitely can't expect him to be the top of the pyramid." Hope added. "Put him in, and we're going to have a disaster."
"We're going to have to think of something." Kim growled, "Regionals are tomorrow." Taking a deep breath as she reluctantly acknowledged that her fellow cheerleaders had a point, she relented, "Okay…let's get some lunchage."
"Snackage, KP!" Ron corrected, "Lunchage sounds stupid."
"You take Ron…" Tara said to her friend, "And I'll go with Kimmie."
"Come on, Ron!" Hope commanded as she took RonKim by the hand, "Let's feed our faces."
"You doing, okay, Kim?" Tara asked. "You look kinda stressed."
"It's that bad?" KimRon sighed.
"Only when I look at your red eyes." Tara joked. "Problems adjusting?" She asked as the pair exited the gym and slowly made their way down the hall.
"Some." Kim confessed. "David explained a lot last night and helped me burn off energy…"
"He's good for that." Tara quipped with a wicked grin on her face.
"I didn't mean it that way!" Kim blushed, "I mean I'd never…"
"Don't worry about it, Kim." Tara laughed, "No harm done."
"Thanks." Kim nodded her head as the pair entered the lunch room where they saw Hope and Ron already standing in line with two jocks from the football team, Lenny and Barry further back in line, abusing one of the Chess Club members, a short slender young boy wearing a green t-shirt and jeans named Paul Gertz.
"Arseholes." Tara growled, "Come on, Kimmie. Time to clean out some trash."
"Fine by me." Kim replied as the pair approached the bullies. Turning around, Hope and Ron saw their friends closing in on the two jocks.
"Looks like my bestie's pissed." Hope declared as she turned around in response to the bullies' taunting, her teeth clenching in rage as she saw Lenny hold the poor Chess Club nerd still while Barry gave him a wedgie. "Now I am too." She spat out as she stomped towards the jocks and tapped Lenny on the back of his shoulder at the same moment Tara tapped Barry.
"Hey…shithead!" Hope growled, "Want to try that with me?"
"Oy…arse for brains!" Tara cursed as she delivered a kick at the back of Barry's knee while Hope landed a kick on Lenny's crotch, smirking in satisfaction as both jocks cried out in pain as smiles appeared on both Kim and Ron's faces.
"Want some more?"
"No! No more!" The jocks cried out as they held up their hands in surrender as Barry limped back, "We're leaving."
"How are you doing?" KimRon asked as RonKim came over and helped the young boy to his feet.
"I'm okay." Paul replied as he was escorted by the cheerleaders and Kim still in Ron's body to the front of the line, "Thanks."
Unknown to the two girls and their friends, a young boy with dark hair who had just came into the lunchroom was getting ready to intervene on the behalf of his friend in the chess club. Seeing that the Dirty Pair and Kim Possible and her friend already had the matter well in hand, Sergei Radovsky relaxed and nodded his head approvingly. "Khorosho." Then, gazing appreciatively at the Dirty Pair as they helped his teammate to the front of the line, he whispered in his native Russian with a smile on his lips, "Krasivyye zhenshchiny."
"What was that, Sergei?" Dave Ponder, who had also watched as the entire scene had unfolded, inquired of his fellow chess player."
"I said that they…" The young Russian replied as he inclined his head slightly in the direction of the two ladies, "…were two of the most beautiful women I have ever seen."
"Yeah." Dave readily agreed as he placed a hand on the Russian's shoulder, "But they are way outta our league…well…my league anyway. Come on…let's get our slop for the day and check and see how Paul is doing."
"Da." Sergei answered back as he joined his friend in the line, "But I would not be so sure that they are…as you phrase it…beyond reach."
"A boy can dream." Dave laughed as the pair got their food and made their way to the table where the chess club sat. Setting down at the table with Sergei, Dave inquired, "How are you feeling, Paul?"
"Da." Sergei, echoed, grimacing at the contents on his plate as he sat down. "How are you, tovarisch?"
"I'll be all right." Paul replied with a shaky grin as he glanced at his rescuers, "Thanks to them."
"Yeah." Dave replied, nodding his head, "Sergei and I were about to step in, but before we could do anything, they were already on top of it." Laughing, the young chess player joked, teasing his Russian friend as he gave him a playful elbow to the ribs, "Guess who's got his eyes on the Dirty Pair…"
Chuckling, Paul shook his head, "Forget about it, Sergei, they're cheerleaders—they're high up on the food chain and we're down at the bottom. Our kinds just don't mix—never have—never will."
"I don't know about that." Dave rebutted, "Sergei might just be able to pull it off. Don't forget—he's on the varsity soccer team, so that makes him a jock too. And the blonde girl—Tara—plays online chess with Kevin."
Speaking of Kevin…" Paul interjected, "Where is our fearless leader?"
Lunch—Mr. Amberson's Room—Liz and Kevin
"I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this game!" Liz cried out in frustration as she looked down at the chessboard on the table in front of her in Mr. Amberson's room.
"You can do it, Liz." Kevin Guberman responded encouragingly. "You've already got the moves down pat. The rest is learning as you go."
"Was it this hard for you?" Liz asked as she sat back down at the table, eyeing the white knight in her hand suspiciously.
Smiling at the redhead seated across from him, the slender chess captain replied, "Yeah. Believe it or not, at first it was. It's easy to get overwhelmed if you try to learn too much too soon. For now…let's just stick to the basics…okay?"
Nodding her head, Liz replied with a grin of her own, "Okay…I can do that. On one condition."
"Name it." Kevin grinned.
"We go roller skating this weekend."
"Ummm…" Kevin stammered, "I don't know how to skate."
Her lips turning up in a wicked grin, Liz replied, "Don't worry. I'll teach you. So…"
Laughing, the chess team captain answered back, "Okay, you've got a deal. This weekend we'll go roller skating."
School Cafeteria
Smiling as the boy joined his friends at the chess club table, Kim turned to her friends, "I think I've found a way to get us through Regionals."
"Oh?" Tara smirked, raising her eyebrows, "Do tell…"
"Okay." Kim's lips turned up in a wicked grin, "What do you all think of this?" Lowering her voice, she whispered the details of her plan to her friends huddled around her.
"I like it." Hope grinned. "No one will see it coming."
"Works for me, KP." Ron nodded in agreement. "There's no way I'm going to be able to do that routine…not in a day…not in a week."
"Glad that's settled." Hope declared, heaving a sigh of relief as she turned back to the line, "Come on…let's get back in line so we can get our daily dose of ptomaine."
Middleton High—afternoon
"Last period coming up." KimRon sighed with relief as she/he walked down the hall to Kim's locker. "Just a moment while I put up these books and get out my science book and I'll be ready."
"Take your time." Tara replied, waiting patiently as Kim opened her locker and transferred her books.
Turning about, Kim's eyes spied the object of her crush, Josh Mankey, walking down the hall. "Ahhhhh….gahhhhhh…" Kim stammered as Tara looked on confused.
"What the…" Turning her head about, the lovely blonde nodded her head as a wicked grin appeared on her face, "Oh…" Turning back to her friend, she glanced down, "Got a pistol in your pocket, Kim or are you glad to see me?"
"Huh?"
Tara pointed down where Kim at once spotted the bulge in Ron's trousers.
"Oh No…" Kim panicked, "Cheerleading…Mr. Barkin in a dress…Is that working?"
"'Fraid not, Kimmie." Tara smirked, "You're still standing at attention." Moving aside slightly, the blonde cheerleader hid the bulge. "Now you know what a guy's greatest strength and his greatest weakness is." The blonde chuckled, "Gotta get a handle…" She smirked, "Sorry, bad choice of words.. You just have to be a little more careful and, for heaven's sake, while you're in that body, don't ogle Josh or any other boy! You don't want to get into fights all the time or have Ron deal with the issue when he comes back to that body."
"It shouldn't be that way." Kim remarked, "It's not right."
"No…it isn't." Tara agreed. "But it's a simple fact of life in a lot of places." Deciding to take a chance, Tara took Kim into her confidence, "Look…Kimmie…the only person who knows this around here is Hope…and now you. It's not that I'm ashamed…it's just that I don't want to have to deal with all the drama in the locker room and all that would come with it if Bonnie and the other cheerleaders found out."
"So…" Kim murmured, "You're…"
"Bi." Tara nodded her head, "Yeah. And no…Hope and I are not involved with each other. She's straight and we're also best friends. If you're curious, I prefer boys, but every now and then…well…you know what they say about variety."
"And David doesn't mind?" Kim exclaimed, keeping her voice low.
"Nope. We have an open, no-strings attached relationship."
"Seriously?" Kim exclaimed, "How does that even work?"
"Well…he's out of the country a lot so if he wants to have some fun on the side, that's okay by me and if I want to have some fun, he's cool with that too." Tara explained with a shrug of her shoulders.
"So…you weren't upset when Hope kissed him?"
"Of course not. Hell I watched them fucking each other in Salzburg and Hope watched me fuck him."
"No offense…" Kim gasped in a disbelieving tone of voice, "But I don't think I could…"
"Don't knock it 'til you try it, Kimmie." Tara laughed, "But…yeah…our kind of relationship isn't for everyone. It works for us, but that doesn't mean it would work for you or any of the rest of the girls. If nothing else, I have a feeling your father, at least, would have a stroke if he were to find out you were in a three way with Josh Mankey and Bonnie."
"Him and me both!" Kim laughed. "But yeah…I guess I see what you mean. Because you're independent, that gives you more…"
"Yes and no." Tara interrupted, "Yeah…I don't have to answer to…"
"Tara…" Kim reluctantly confessed, "I…ummm…I had Wade do a…"
"I know, Kim. Sooner or later, you or Ron or the both of you were bound to figure it out." Tara interrupted, "I won't insult your intelligence by trying to bullshit you any further. Tell you what…after school…" She said, "You…me…Hope…Ron…Wade…your room…true confessions. Okay?"
"Agreed." Kim nodded her head.
"All right." Tara nodded her head. "I'll let Hope and David know it's going down—they're my partners and I clue them in on everything. David will keep Dobbs away while we all talk—no need for the good private to know. Also…no need for anyone else to know…right?"
"Right." Kim nodded her/his head. "And Tara…thanks for being honest."
Possible House—that evening—the week of Mind Games
"So…I think we've found a way to get through Regionals." KimRon told her parents as she recounted her day, giving Tara a slight nod of the head.
"That's good." James replied, nodding his head.
"Yeah…" RonKimmie concurred, sighing with relief, "I'm going stay in the background while Kim puts the mascot mask on and does the routine. It's not cheating because Kimmie's mind is in my body and since I'm the mascot, I'm technically a member of the squad."
"That's good thinking." Ann nodded her head approvingly. "So…anything else happen?"
"Not really." Kim sighed before asking, "Would it be all right if we all went up to my room? We need to make some plans for Regionals and catch up on some school work and then I need to get back to Ron's house and make sure Rufus is taken care of for the night."
"Sure, honey." Ann smiled, giving Tara and Hope friendly smiles as well as the teens made their way up the loft to Kim's room.
"Okay, Kim…" Ron inquired as everyone sat on the floor, "What's going on?"
"I'll let Tara explain." Kim replied, gesturing for the blonde to continue.
"This is going to take some time…so…if you need to take a piss or whatever, I'd suggest you do it now." Tara requested.
"Ummm…" Ron held up his hand.
Hope sighed, "Go ahead, Ron. You should know how everything works by now."
After Ron had returned, Kim queried Tara, "Okay…who or what exactly are you? Really?"
"I'm…I guess you could say I'm something of an independent contractor." Tara explained, "Right now, I'm working with Global Justice and a separate international intelligence agency. While it had its start as a part of British Intelligence, it now answers to an international body. It's head is called…"
"Mother." Wade supplied.
Nodding her head, Tara continued, "While you two were just dealing with local issues like helping out police and fire departments, Global Justice and Mother weren't too concerned. But, as it began to look more and more likely that Team Possible was about to move up to the next level, the major players wanted to be sure that you guys could handle it before letting you go on."
"Major players?" Kim asked.
"The major world intel and law enforcement agencies." Tara replied, "Like Global Justice, UNCLE, Mother, the CIA, MI-6, FSB, and so on…"
"They're looking at us?" Ron exclaimed, his mouth agape in surprise.
"You're beginning to attract notice." Tara answered back, "Which can be a good thing…or a bad thing—depending on your point of view. I was sent by Mother and Global Justice to monitor and evaluate you." The blonde declared.
"And what was your conclusion?" Kim asked.
"That you're very good at what you do and that the biggest mistake they could make was to try to stop you from doing it." Tara honestly replied. "I saw how you performed against Drakken and Shego. And by the way, Sheila is not someone to take lightly…"
"You can say that again." Kim muttered as Tara continued her narrative.
"So…for you to do as well against her as you've done and still be in one piece…well…that's pretty damned good. I'm one and one against her myself with neither one of us really wanting to go for round three."
"You've taken on Shego?" Ron inquired.
"I've worked with her and against her." Tara answered back. "She's a mercenary like me. The big difference between us is that I only take contracts from the good guys while she works the other side of the tracks and will occasionally come over and work with the angels when interests align."
"You were the one who broke into the Iranian Embassy several months ago…weren't you?" Kim asked.
"Yeah." Tara replied with a smirk. "That was me. The Iranians were going to sell the Eye of Xerxes to the Russian mafia in exchange for some nuclear bombs that they got from the Ukrainians who in turn stole them from the Kazakhs." Sighing, she lamented, "For all the good it did. The Russians sold the nukes to someone else. Shego tracked one of the buyers…"
"So…that was you in the gunfight at the Space Center!" Ron surmised.
"Yeah." Tara nodded her head, "Me, Shego, and Hope."
"You're doing this too, Hope?" A surprised Ron exclaimed.
"She's my partner." Tara declared, smiling at her best friend who smiled back at her. Sighing, she confessed, "I almost always worked alone except for occasional team-ups like with Shego or David. Hope…and now Wade…and I hope you guys are my first real partners. It's funny…" Her lips turned up in a wry grin, "I used to hate having to work with others…too much chance of something going wrong, I always believed. But now…after cheerleading with you guys and working with Hope as a partner…I think I like being part of a team." The young blonde agent felt warm as she saw the smiles slowly appearing on the faces of Kim and Ron on hearing that heartfelt confession.
"That fight at the Space Center…" Kim nervously prompted, "When Shego…"
"She didn't have a choice, Kim." Tara said in a soft voice, "Believe it or not, Sheila doesn't like to kill. I don't either."
"Neither do I." Hope interrupted in a voice barely above a whisper.
"You've both killed?" Kim asked in a hushed tone.
"Yeah." Tara replied, "The last time was the last mission we were on—when we were in Europe while you were dealing with Senor and his boy. The scholarship thing was a cover story put out by Global Justice."
"That's when I made my first kills." Hope admitted.
"Can you tell us about what happened?" Kim asked.
"Yeah. Fuck Betty if she wants to pitch a fit. You two have a right to know what's going on if we're going to work together." Tara declared as she and Hope, with some added commentary by Wade, filled them in on everything that happened at Schloss Markhaus and what they knew of MALUS and Project Gotterdammerung.
"What does that long word Gotterwhatever mean?" Ron asked.
"End of the world." Tara translated.
"Oh."
"Right." Tara nodded her head. "We need to track it down as quickly as possible and once we do…shut it down…hard. That means it'll most likely be an all hands on deck type thing…"
"Meaning you'll need us." Kim announced, letting the blonde agent know that she wanted to be included.
"Wherever KP goes, the Ron-Man follows." Ron declared.
"You both will be there." Tara vowed, "So will Shego."
"Shego? She'd be on our side?" Kim interjected with a surprised look on her face, "I'd have thought we'd have to fight her."
Chuckling, Tara responded, "No…believe it or not, she doesn't like groups like MALUS that want to control everything. Don't get me wrong…she's no saint…far from it. But as far as she's concerned groups like MALUS that really want to take over and dictate everything to everyone also take the fun out of living in the world for her."
Laughing, Kim shook her head, "Weird. So why does she hang out with Drakken and help him in his schemes to take over the world?"
"One…she's taking him for everything he's worth while doing the least amount of work she can get away with." Tara laughed, "And two…Drakken's not really interested so much in world conquest as he is in recognition and in settling grudges."
"His going after my Dad and his friends makes sense now." Kim observed. "He went through an awful lot of time and trouble just to get back at my father and his friends for laughing at him twenty years ago. So…" Kim inquired, "Anything else you want to tell us?"
"Yeah…lots." Tara and Hope both laughed as the blonde took her flask from its place of concealment in her boot. Opening it, she took a swig and passed it to Hope who did the same before handing it back to Tara. "Want a sip, Kimmie?"
"Why not?" Kim chuckled as she took the flask.
"Just take a little sip." Tara advised, "It's strong and I don't want you passing out."
Taking the smallest of sips and swallowing, Kim felt its warmth travel down, "Wow!" She gasped, "You weren't kidding. What was that?"
"Gin." Tara smirked, "My poison of choice. I promised your Mom that I wouldn't sneak out to smoke outside if she'd let me keep my booze. By the way, Kim…" The blonde grinned, "Your Mom's pretty cool."
"I think so." Kim smiled back at her fellow cheerleader.
"Yeah." Hope agreed, "Wish my mom was like yours."
"Okay…" Kim took a breath, "You were telling us…"
"Right." Tara took a deep breath. "Okay…here's everything else. Get comfy everyone."
After a lengthy narrative in which Tara and Hope explained everything from Tara's arrival to Hope linking up with the blonde as her partner to Wade finding out and comparing notes with Kim and Ron, the tiny group all fell silent for a moment.
"So…" Kim asked, "Where do we go from here?"
"Me and Hope were talking about this a few weeks ago and here's an idea we came up with." Tara replied, "Let me run it by you and see what you think. We want to try to avoid stepping on each other's toes as much as we can—right?"
"Yeah." Kim agreed.
"So…You guys go after the villains in your rogues gallery like Drakken, Monkey Fist, and the Senors where the prospect of finding yourself in a possible killing situation won't be as likely—although watch it with Monte—he's a goddamn psycho."
"I knew he was five hundred miles of bad road." Ron grumbled.
"While we concentrate on MALUS, those nukes, and any other situations where killing is a strong possibility." Tara proposed, "And in those situations where we're all needed, we all pitch in. Work for you?"
After making sure that Ron was on board, Kim nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah. That works. But don't be afraid to call on us if you need us. I don't want to get into a situation where I might have to kill…'
"Me neither." Ron added.
"But, those warheads can kill a lot of people and hurt a lot more and I have a feeling that Project Gotterdammerung is something that will make those nukes or even Drakken's most evil scheme sound tame in comparison. Please…let us know when you find any of the nukes—we'd like to help, and we definitely want to be in on it when you shut down MALUS."
"Count on it." Tara swore as Hope nodded her head in agreement. "And you let us know if you need help and we'll be there."
"Thank you." Kim smiled back, "I will."
"That's it then?" Ron grinned, "We're all working together?"
"Looks like Team Possible and Team Dirty Pair are now married." Tara laughed as she took another swig from her flask and passed it around with Hope taking a good swig, Ron passing, and Kim again taking a dainty sip.
"We better get downstairs." Kim suggested, "I've got to get back to the Stoppables and we've all got a long day tomorrow—don't forget—Regionals."
The Kitty-Kat Club—One Week after Mind Games
"So…Kimmie knows about you guys now." Shego noted with a shrug of her shoulders, "Hard to keep a deep cover like that for a long time—I couldn't do it." The dark-haired villainess admitted.
"Kim and Ron are the only ones outside our circle who know." Tara replied lighting a cigarette and then passing the lighter and cigarette case to Shego who did the same. "And…we're probably going to need them when we find the other nukes and finally bring down MALUS."
Nodding her head, Shego agreed as she took a drag from her cigarette, "Yeah…I suppose you're right. Kimmie pulls her weight…and yeah…although I'll kill either of you if you say this to anyone else…I suppose Stoppable isn't all that bad. He does have this weird knack for being in the right place at the right time and figuring out exactly what to do to pull Princess's little ass out of a sling."
"Weird? Isn't it?" Hope laughed, "Anyway, we won Regionals thanks to Kim's little plan and then the dynamic duo took off…I figure that was you?"
"Yeah." Shego chuckled, "That'd be me. Although I had absolutely nothing to do with the little sock puppet routine that Drakken used when he broadcasted his ultimatum."
"Really?" Tara snickered, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh…all right!" The green-skinned villainess rolled her eyes, "I might have put the idea in his head. I mean…who was going to take that puppet seriously! Right? Right! I just didn't want the Army or CIA or someone else to send a hunter-killer team down there when Possible and Stoppable were more than capable of dealing with it and without anyone getting killed in the process."
"Okay…so…go on…" Hope prompted as she took a sip of wine.
"All right…where was I…" Shego sipped her bourbon, "Okay…Drakken moved us to a Time-Share lair that Demenz had recently left and I made sure to leave a forwarding address that Nerdlinger could pick up on, bribed the henchies to break some stuff—although the morons almost broke the goddamned brain-switch-machine which I told them NOT to do…"
"Ouch!" Tara winced, "I'm glad they didn't do that! One week of KimRon and RonKim was enough thank you very much!"
Shego shrugged her shoulders, "What can I say? Drew's cheap and you get what you pay for." Smirking she continued, "Hell…I even left the back door open for Kimmie. Good thing they showed up when they did too. Dr. D was about to Neutronolize…whatever the hell that is…I still haven't found out what that goddamn thing was supposed to do…Paris. You know how much I like Paris! He was going to vaporize or whatever my favorite lingerie store!
"You mean…" Tara gasped in outrage, "He was going to Neutronolize Un Amour de Lingerie? The bastard!"
"Tell me about it!" Shego cried out in horror. "You know…" She said in a moment of reflection, "I gotta give it to Stoppable again. We found Kimmie, him, and Dobbs; and Drakken ordered me and the henchies to deal with them." She let out an ironic laugh, "You know what that kid did? The buffoon tried to pass himself off as Kim so that I would zero in on him. He was willing to take a beatdown for her! Of course, Drakken and I knew what had happened with them—I was there at the time. But…it was gutsy of him to do that. Can't help but respect that."
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head as she took another sip of wine, "I've never really gotten close to either one of them until recently. I mostly hung out quietly with Bonnie and her little clique until I met my bestie. I knew Kim from middle school through cheerleading—but not very well—Kim wasn't and in some ways still isn't the easiest person to get to know. Ron…he was always that annoying little yapping mutt in the background—but where Kim was concerned, you couldn't pry him away from her. Whatever she needed…whatever she wanted…whenever she needed him…whenever she was in trouble at school or anywhere else…he would be there for her. On the one hand, it's very romantic. But on the other…"
"It can be very disturbing." Shego, drawing on her training in psychology and child development, observed. "Right now, from what I've seen and what you've told me, it sounds like they're trapped in their own little insular co-dependent world. That's not healthy and it's potentially dangerous. It looks like the Princess is beginning to take steps to get out of that trap. She's got a crush on that boy you've been telling me about—which, by the way, is perfectly healthy and it's good that she is showing an interest in someone other than Stoppable. I also think it's good that the two of you are reaching out to her. She needs a wider circle of friends. But be careful to take Stoppable into account. You need to be sure to involve him in enough of your activities so that he doesn't feel like he's being marginalized or excluded. That'll feed into his resentment at what he's going to see as you two and that boy intruding on his space."
"His space?" Hope interjected with a raised eyebrow.
"Right." Shego nodded her head. "Don't forget…other than her parents, he's been THE most important part of her life for at least twelve years. And she's been THE most important part of his life for the same amount of time—with that rodent coming in second. His parents, I get the impression, are a distant third—if they're even on the map. You two, that Josh kid, and anyone else who wants to reach out to her…or him…are going to have to break through that wall—and that's not going to be easy."
"But for both their sakes, we need to do it." Tara declared as Shego nodded her head in agreement.
"You bet your ass you two need to do it—and you need to encourage Kim's interest in that boy as well as his in her…if he is interested in her, that is—don't force the issue." Shego advised. "If he's not interested in her, Kimmie will have to deal with her first bout of unrequited love—which is something she's going to have to deal with sooner or later anyway. So, either way, she's going to grow from this—which again, is good. It forces her out of that co-dependency bubble. Be there for her if that happens and help her find someone else. While Stoppable might be a shoulder for her to cry on, there's no way he's going to help her get back on the bicycle and that's what she has to do. It also wouldn't hurt for someone to show an interest in at least dating Stoppable…" She then waggled her eyebrows suggestively at the pair.
"You're not suggesting…" Hope rolled her eyes.
"Look…" Shego sighed, "You don't have to fuck him…" The dark-haired villainess repressed a shudder at the thought, "And it doesn't have to be the two of you. Just someone to notice him and nudge him outside his comfort zone a little. What's going to happen if this insular little codependency those two have continues…" Shego warned, "…is that it's going to turn into obsession for one or the other or both. Right now, I'd say Stoppable is the one most likely to develop an obsession—he's already showing signs of putting Possible on a pedestal. If things continue more or less unchecked, he'll turn her into St. Kimberly. Now…what do you think is going to happen once he discovers that St. Kimberly has clay feet and hopes and desires like everyone else? What do you think's going to happen when she finds someone who rocks her world and she lets him pop her cherry and he's not some loser, but a genuinely good guy? What do you think Stoppable's reaction is going to be then?"
Nodding her head, Tara replied in a soft voice, "It would probably devastate him. At the very least it would trigger a massive meltdown and probably kill whatever relationship they had, and he would be a mess for some time."
"Best case..." Shego declared. "He hits an emotional rock bottom…maybe goes somewhere else far away from Kimberly…maybe sticks around and weathers the storm…whichever…and eventually rebuilds. Hopefully stronger and wiser for the experience. But worst case…his obsession drives him to engaging in risky behavior like alcohol and drug abuse…suicide…or homicide." Taking a deep breath, the supervillainess further cautioned, "Look…there's no way I'll ever…EVER…use this information OR pass it on to Drakken or anyone else—you have my word on that—Cutie…Cheerleader, but Drew and Demenz aren't stupid—especially not Drew—DON'T make the mistake of underestimating him. Sooner or later, Drakken's going to get angry enough, frustrated enough, and driven enough to the point where he's going to get really serious. That's when he'll do his homework and he WILL figure this out on his own and he WILL use it to drive a wedge between those two. Yeah, I'll be putting up every roadblock and obstacle I can think of and I WILL let you know what's going on and we WILL get together to find a way to counter it—and if that means me blowing my cover and switching sides, I'll do that. You've got my promise on that Cutie…Cheerleader. But…for Possible and Stoppable's sakes, try to get them out of that narrow little world they're currently living in—please."
"Thanks, Sheila." Tara sincerely replied, "You've given us a lot to think about."
"Yeah." Hope nodded her head, "I never knew things could potentially get that bad."
"I can get with you both sometime…" Shego offered, "And lay out different variations and possible outcomes for you to keep an eye out for, but in the end, the best thing for you to do is just be there for them." Pausing as everyone's drinks were refreshed and as Shego and Tara both lit up fresh cigarettes, Shego took a breath, "Okay…where were we before I got sidetracked? Oh yeah…the henchies kept Possible and Stoppable busy while I switched the private and Drakken back into their old bodies, then Drakken ordered me to activate the neutrono-thingie…only…" her lips turned up in a sly grin, "… what he didn't know was that before moving in, I checked the power demands for both that neutrono-gizmo and the brain-switch thing and compared it to the power supply for the lair and guess what…"
"There wasn't enough power for both machines." Tara smirked.
"Exactly." Shego grinned as she nodded her head triumphantly. "Anyway, Nerdlinger tells Drakken that the Army was on its way—I guess they got tired of waiting and decided to send a hunter-killer team after all. Tell the kid I said thanks for the heads up. Drakken orders me to activate the self-destruct. So…after making sure I left them enough time and juice to activate that brain switch machine and get out, I pushed the button, made a big production of letting them know I was doing it, and then took off with Dr. D."
"Kim told us that after a little hiccup where Rufus and Ron got switched, they all made it back into their own bodies and got out in time." Hope related, "The neutron-thing was recovered and they're back in school."
"Well…" Shego smiled, "All's well that ends well, I guess."
"I'd like to propose a toast." Tara announced as she held up her glass, "To us. The Middleton Babysitters Club. May we keep our charges safe and sound…and sane."
"To the Middleton Babysitters Club!" Hope and Shego both grinned as they held up their glasses as well, joining in the toast, with Shego adding as an extra toast, "And may none of them ever dirty their diapers on our watch."
Middleton—Old Town Square the Saturday after Mind Games and the Cheerleading Regionals
"Hey Crystal!" Mikey, the proprietor of Old Towne Comics and Games grinned as one of his favorite customers came in. "Congrats on winning the competition."
"Thanks, Mikey." Crystal smiled back as she approached the counter. "It was kinda weird though."
"How so?"
"Well…" Crystal explained, "First, both Kim and Ron were acting really strange."
"Okay…"
"Kim seemed clumsier and more awkward than usual. I mean, normally she has no problems getting through our routines, but this week she kept falling all over herself."
"Was she sick or something?" Mikey asked as he handed his customer a soda after taking one for himself.
Shrugging her shoulders, Crystal responded after taking a drink. "I don't know. Maybe? Normally, after practice, when we're showering and changing back into street clothes you know…we kinda…" The tawny-skinned cheerleader giggled, "We kinda cut up a bit…" Blushing as she saw the look the store owner was giving her, Crystal snorted, "Get your mind outta the gutter, Mikey! Not like that! Anyway…Kim's normally laughing along with us, but this week, she kinda kept to herself and…now that I think about it, even Tara and Hope were quieter than usual and were hanging around Kim more than they normally do. Maybe something was up…"
"So…" Mikey inquired, "Anything else happen?"
"Yeah." Crystal nodded her head. "Kimmie changed up the routine for the competition. Normally, she's at the top of the pyramid, but this year, she let Bonnie take the top while she took Bon-Bon's spot on the bottom, and had Ron doing most of her special bits."
"Apparently those changes worked out okay because you won." Mikey noted as he retrieved his customer's books from the pull bin.
"Yeah." Crystal nodded her head, "We won…but it was still very weird—but then…" She giggled, "Weird shouldn't surprise me…after all, I live in Middleton. We've got the copyright on weird here."
"Tell me about it." Mikey grinned as he took his customer's money and handed her the comics. "Oh…" He added as he took a card from his pocket, "Zoe told me to give you this and asked me to tell you to call her when you get the chance."
"Zoe?"
"Yeah." Mikey nodded his head, "The girl who bought that statuette you wanted—you remember—the dragon?"
Nodding her head, Crystal replied in a longing voice, "Yeah. The one I let get away."
"Well…like I said, she wants you to give her a call."
"Did she say what about?"
"No." Mikey responded, "But she did seem to feel bad about buying that statue out from under you. Told me that if she knew that you wanted it that bad, she wouldn't have bought it. Maybe she wants to sell it to you?"
"For a lot more than she paid for it I bet." Crystal grumbled, "Thanks…but no thanks." Pausing for a moment, the tawny-skinned cheerleader asked, "What do you know about her?"
"Not a whole lot." Mikey admitted, "She comes in and picks up her books a couple of times a month like you. I know that she goes to Middleton Community and works at the Kitty Kat Club."
"Is she a waitress?" Crystal asked.
"No." Mikey shook his head, "Dancer. Big Mike could probably tell you more about her. He works as a part time valet over at the Club. You might want to talk to him."
Nodding her head as she looked at the card with Zoe's name and the Kitty Kat Club's address engraved on it with calligraphed letters, Crystal responded, "Thanks, Mikey. I might just do that. I'll see you in a couple of weeks!"
"Take it easy, Crys! And tell Big Mike his Fearless Ferret books are in!"
"Will do!" Crystal responded as she exited the door. Turning the card over, she saw a phone number and two words written by hand…Call me."
Middleton High School—the Monday after the week after Mind Games
As Steve Barkin surveyed the students making their way up the stairs towards the main school entrance from his post before the doorway, a most unusual sight befell him. Something that normally would be the set up to a joke was playing out in reality right in front of his eyes as three teenage girls, a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead were slowly making their way up the stairs, their heads hung low, hands over their foreheads. Smiling broadly as he recognized all three girls and the condition they were in, he called in a deliberately loud and cheery voice.
"It's another great sunny Monday at Middleton High! Are you three ready to fill your heads with knowledge and learning this wonderful and glorious day?"
"Tie your dick up in a pretzel and hang you up on the flag pole with it." Tara muttered in a low voice.
"Lock you in a cage with a horny gorilla." Hope cursed also in a low whisper.
"Pay Shego to shove a plasma ball up your ass." Kim Possible grumbled in a barely audible murmur.
"What was that, ladies?" Steve grinned, "I thought I heard you three say, 'Yes Sir, Mr. Barkin! We are bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for another week of learning."
"Yes, Mr. Barkin, Sir." All three girls sang out in unison, "We are ready to learn all sorts of new and fun things this week. We can't wait to get started."
"That's what I thought you said." He laughed as the three girls drew closer. Lowering his voice, he whispered to the Dirty Pair, "How much and what did the Rookie have?"
"She made it through five shots of tequila before passing out." Tara grinned.
"Not a bad first time." Barkin laughed, "You two know the routine. Take the rookie with you and get her straightened out."
"Yes, Sir." Tara and Hope grinned as they guided their friend through the doors, "Come on, Rookie." Hope smirked, "We'll get you some water and some toast or something for your stomach."
"Congratulations, Kim." Tara quipped, wincing as she did so, "You're suffering through your first hangover."
A guttural "Grrr…" was the only thing out of Kim's mouth as Ron Stoppable approached.
"Careful, Ron." Tara warned, "We're armed and dangerous."
"I know." Ron said, making sure to keep his voice as low as possible. "I brought you girls something." He said as he handed each girl a bottle of water. "I thought this might come in handy."
"Bless you, Ron." Tara smiled as she gave the blond boy a kiss on the cheek.
"You're a sweetie, Stoppable." Hope grinned as she kissed the sidekick on the other cheek.
"You're the best, Ron." Kim smiled at her best friend as she kissed both his cheeks.
"Come on, girls…" Ron, still keeping his voice low, urged as he gently herded his three charges towards the cafeteria, "Let's get some nice bland harmless toast and coffee into you before class."
Bonnie's voice then resounded through the hall, "Guess we're gonna have to call you girls the Trashy Trio now!"
As she uttered her words, three middle fingers from the right hands of three different girls rose up in the air simultaneously as they all bit back at the same time, "Sit on it and spin, Rockwaller!"