This was supposed to be the triumphant return, the time to make all of Middleton High regret that they had ever scorned him. This was supposed to be his time to shine.

Instead, he was so nervous that it was all he could do not to hurl.

He shouldn't feel nervous about this. The opening game had been last week, even though he hadn't been a starter for that one. Coach Roughman had not been happy that Ron had missed a couple of days of practice. While Yamanouchi must have pulled some strings to excuse his absence to the school and he had made up his schoolwork, it wasn't good enough for the coach. The grouchy man worked him extremely hard for the rest of the week, then sat him on the bench for the first half of the opening game against Upperton. Ron understood, the coach was making it clear that even if the school accepted his not being around, he didn't. It didn't mean Ron was happy about the lesson, even if he understood the necessity.

When he got on the field in the second half, he took out his frustrations on Upperton. He wound up having a great game and the team won. The following Monday, the coach gave him a harsh critique of his effort, then informed him that if he didn't screw up during the week, he would be starting against Middleton.

Ron decided that was as close as the man could get to giving a compliment.

Oh, the coach had kept an eye on him all week, but Ron had kept his nose clean. Actually, keeping his nose clean hadn't been all that hard. The only thing close to an incident was Wednesday morning, when he had kept his promise to work with Rick a little as the eagle. Somehow, the coach had spotted him walking into the gym during cheer practice and stormed in after him. Ron knew what was about to happen, he was going to get the lecture about not hanging around the cheerleaders. By the time Roughman got into the gym, Ron was working with Rick. The coach still stayed in the gym, glaring at him from across the floor, until Ron decided to demonstrate a move.

Ron put on the eagle's head and executed a series of flips and handsprings. Returning the costume to its proper owner, he explained how your moves had to be more exaggerated when doing gymnastics in the mask. When he was done, the coach, and the cheerleaders, were looking at him with something resembling respect. There were also a couple of his teammates in the area, hitting the weights or working out, who were looking at him with amazement.

Score one for the Ron-man!

So, here he was. It was Friday night, high school football night. The past week had been great, he had crushed his classes and done so well in practice that Roughman only yelled at him half of the time. His teammates respected him and even the cheerleaders were friendlier to him. The only problem was that he was about to go up against Middleton. He had spent the Summer in football camp with these guys and if Barkin hadn't told them to rough him up a bit as revenge for changing schools, he was pretty sure the guys would take it on themselves. It was going to be a painful experience.

There were loud cheers around the field when the Eagles took the field; Eastside was close enough to Middleton that the numbers of fans for both teams was about even and Barkin wouldn't tolerate his student body showing disrespect for the visiting opponent. When the team ran by the cheer squad, he exchanged a high-five with Rick, in the Eagle costume. Hamming it up, the mascot sprawled onto his back and did a backwards somersault, acting like the high five had knocked him over. This brought on some polite laughter and made Ron note that while Rick didn't have the athletic and acrobatic ability he did, his comedy insight was better. This thought was interrupted by the loud cheers that accompanied the Mad Dogs taking the field.

Stretching was pretty much automatic, so he was able to look around while he did so. He couldn't help but look towards the Middleton fan section. Maybe he had grown up a little, maybe he had a bit of a changed attitude, but it wouldn't hurt all that much to see Kim with Eric. To his shock, Kim was on the cheer squad and Eric was playing a saxophone in the band. Both of those were unexpected but he didn't have the time to wonder about it very much, it was time to head to the sidelines for the customary pre-game prep talk and last minute instructions; then the introductions.

The announcer had decided to introduce the Eastside offense, followed by the Middleton defense. As the starting running back, he was the second man introduced. He expected loud boos, or silence, when his name was called. Instead, there was about half boos and half cheers from the Middleton side. Surprisingly, Tara, Crystal and Kim visibly cheered and applauded his name, while Bonnie gave the three a scathing look. Then, it wasn't time to worry about his popularity within his old school; the game was on and all other thoughts were swept away.

The first quarter seemed to pass in a blur. The trash talking from the Middleton side was even worse than he had expected it to be; comments about him being chased from the school by a little redhead, not measuring up to a fake boy, even loud postulating over what Kim and Eric were doing to each other. During the plays, it was clear that the Middleton defense was keying on him, out to inflict pain at every chance. Somehow, high school level insults and pain just didn't matter as much to him as it used to.

Kim had once described Bonnie as high school evil and that applied to the game. Sure, the comments stung; but he had memories of frolicking on a beach with Yori to counter the innuendo flying his way. Sure, it hurt when knees and elbows dug into him during the pileups, but they didn't hurt as much as Shego's plasma or Fiske's punches and kicks. Not only that, he had the ability to shut them up.

While the Middleton defense was keying on him, the rest of the Eastside offense was free to gain yards and score points. Roughman knew his business and made full use of Barkin's obsession with the transfer student. As the first quarter came to an end, Ron was bruised and tired...and part of a team that was ahead by ten points. As much as Ron disliked Barkin, he had to admit that Middleton High's do-everything man was too much of a professional to throw a game out of petty spite. The second quarter started with the Mad Dogs playing team defense, and Ron racking up the yards. A sure way to shut your opponent up was to make a play, and he started making more and more.

Towards the end of the first half, he broke free for a long run into the end-zone. With the impressive run, he decided to indulge in just a little bit of trash talking of his own.

"Keep running your jaw," he told one of the safeties, as he was trotting back to the sideline. "It makes you slower."

Coach Roughman actually gave him a pat on the shoulder-pads when he reached the bench. Catching his breath, he looked over to the Middleton sidelines and noted that Bonnie was the head cheerleader, which surprised him. If Kim was back on the squad, he would have expected her to be the captain again. There was clearly something taking place here that he didn't know about and he shocked himself by actually hoping that the redhead was doing well. He also noted that Monique and Felix were in the front row. He shared a wave with his friends, when they saw he was looking their way.

Then it was halftime and the coach was going over the adjustments he wanted in the second half. It was pretty much what Ron expected; they were going to take advantage if Middleton wanted to key on Ron, and let Ron run wild if the Mad Dogs wanted to play team defense. Ron didn't really pay all that much attention to what the coach planned on defense. Instead of listening to what his team's defense had to change, he looked back to the Middleton stands and watched the cheer squad in action. Again, he noted that Bonnie had taken the top position on the pyramids, but apparently gave Kim a great deal of air time for tumbles and acrobatics. He decided he'd ask Wade, Monique or Felix about that when he had a chance.

Then, it was back to the field. For the third quarter, Barkin didn't exactly sell out to stop Ron, but he assigned at least one man to key on him on each play. This meant that while Ron was still putting up some good numbers, Roughman was able to use him as a decoy with a great deal of success. The Mad Dogs weren't able to stop the Eagle's offense, and the lead grew. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Roughman called for an elaborate, trick play. The quarterback pitched the ball to Ron, who ran outside and pitched it to a receiver, heading back into the backfield. Ron then poured on the speed downfield while the receiver tossed the ball to the quarterback. Ron had a step on the safety, who had come up to try to tackle him and was now out of position. The quarterback's throw was on target; Ron caught the pass in stride and outran everyone into the end-zone.

With one team holding a solid lead over the other, second and third string players on both sides swarmed onto the field. Ron, along with the rest of the starters, was sent to the bench to watch the rest of the game. At first, it wasn't just being lazy. The starting quarterback got the offense together and went over what they should do better the next time. Ron decided to take it as a lesson; the quarterback took being a team captain seriously.

There wasn't much more action for the rest of the game; the clock wound down to zero and the two teams came onto the field to exchange handshakes, congratulations and condolences. Ron shook hands and exchanged pats on the shoulders with young men who, only a few minutes ago, were digging their elbows and knees into him, and who he had been running over. Such was athletics. Some of the cheerleaders, from both schools, also came onto the field. He exchanged a high five with Rick, who was still in the eagle suit, then found himself face-to-face with Crystal.

"Good game," she offered him.

"Thanks," he replied, sure that this was just typical good sportsmanship. However, Crystal didn't move on to another player, despite Bonnie glaring at her from a short distance away.

"Ron," she placed herself firmly in his path. "I know that some of us didn't stick up for you as the Mad Dog, and I'm sorry about that."

"Thanks," he repeated, and this time he meant it. "How's the squad under Bonnie?"

"Not as bad as you might think," she admitted. "She's in it for herself, but she knows that she's not going anywhere if the squad doesn't do well." She paused for a bit. "I'm glad that despite everything that happened to you, you're doing well."

"Yeah," he gave her a genuine smile. "Sometimes things work out for the best."

She paused again. "So, what do you do on weekends now?"

"Oh, it's the same-old, same-old," he shrugged. "Video games and taking the occasional mission. I have a new little sister, and she can be a handful. Fun, but a handful." He didn't see the need to tell her that he was also working out, following a program that Wade had come up with for him, or that he had started to visit a dojo.

"That's good," she told him. "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow night?"

"Not really," he admitted. Then, upon seeing her expression brighten a little, put two and two together. "Wait a minute! Are you asking me out?"

"Well, yeah," she told him, looking him right in the eye.

"I'm flattered," he admitted. "But I'm seeing someone."

"Oh?" She didn't seem bothered by the rejection. "Someone at the new school?" She looked pointedly at Michelle who, Ron had to admit, looked hot in the cheerleader uniform.

"No," he answered. "Someone from out of town."

"Well, it was bound to happen," she told him, smiling. "Good luck with her."

With that, she was off to offer some congratulations to other Eastside players. Ron trotted into the visitor's locker room, glad to know that someone on the old squad still thought fondly of him.

It seemed kind of ridiculous that he needed to take the bus back to Eastside, then jump on his scooter and ride home when the Middleton stadium was actually closer to his house. He shrugged on the way home, deciding that something must have happened somewhere, that made someone come up with the rule. He was feeling good about himself as he put his scooter away, then put his sweaty clothes into the wash machine. Taking Hana from his parents, her roughhoused with her a little bit. The little girl loved it and before too much time had passed, she got tired. His parents watched him, smiling, as he put her to bed then returned to his room to compose an email to Yori.

While Master Sensei, or someone else at Yamanouchi, didn't like the idea of live-time phone calls or live chat between the school and those on the outside, he had no problem with either written or electronic correspondence. Ron understood that there were certain aspects of her life that Yori just couldn't reveal to him, and he was fine with that. He did his best to not brag or act arrogant, he didn't want her to get into trouble for revealing something that she shouldn't or for letting certain details of their last meeting get out. Instead, he described the classes he was taking, the friends he was making in his new school, the old friends he was staying in touch with, the practices and drills he went through, life with Hana and his parents, and the fact that he missed her.

He steadfastly refused to consider that the Yamanouchi masters might approve of such correspondence because it would let their students infiltrate American schools more effectively.

He read Yori's answer to his last email; the academics she did and some of the drills and workouts that her instructors put her through. She also asked after Hana and what the two did together, asked what he did when he wasn't in class, on a mission or at practice. Finally, she said that she also missed him and looked forward to the next time that they could meet. She also suggested that she would very much like to try either skiing or snowboarding with him. He smiled thinking of that; a cold, snowy mountain, steep slopes, Yori with a wide smile, evenings sitting in front of a fire and nights...

Suddenly, Wade's face appeared on his screen. The distraction, although unwelcome, was probably for the best.

"I've got a minor mission for you, tomorrow," Wade told him. "No fighting, no danger."

"That sounds too good to be true," Ron told him. "What is it?"

"Nothing major," Wade assured him. "I don't want to say anything more, but it's one that I would like you to take on, on a personal level."

"Okay..." Ron was getting a little more suspicious, even though he trusted Wade. "When and where is the mission, and when and where do I meet up with Kim?"

"No Kim," Wade told him. "Be at the retaining wall in Middleton Park tomorrow at eleven A.M. No equipment needed. I know it sounds mysterious, but I think it's something you need to do."

"Okay, how formal are we talking?" Ron asked him.

"Very informal," Wade assured him. "You can do your usual workout, then show up. This is more a meeting than a mission."

"Okay, but this is unusual, even for you, and even for me." With nothing much more to do, being tired, and the hour getting late, Ron called it a day and went to bed.

Trust Wade to know not only that he was up and about on Saturday mornings, but that he was working out. He had gotten into the habit of getting up in the morning, running and then, from Yori's suggestions, turning it into a training course. He did calisthenics, sprinted up hills, then climbed trees and jumped between them. He did a lot of these barefooted, since there wasn't anyone in the undeveloped land just off of the park to see him. Finished, tired and sweaty, he pulled on his shoes and trotted to the retaining wall.

There, alone and clearly waiting for him, was Eric.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This was foolish; but it somehow felt right and it wasn't hurting anyone. Somehow, she wanted closure with her friend, even though she knew that her friend had already met her fate, no matter what fate that was. If closure didn't affect her friend and it made her feel better, she would seek closure. Who knew, maybe this actually would give Junso a little more peace.

She had intended to visit her friends urn, but did not wish to ask Master Sensei for the key...and one of the skills she had never learned was picking locks. She was, however, a good climber and knew where the hidden hollow was located. After a couple of nights, she managed to reach it by climbing to it, but then had to change her mind before actually entering it. The only way of leaving would be to use the niches holding the revered dead's ashes as a ladder and she wasn't about to risk damage to the holy place, nor even use them in such a mundane manner. Instead, she marked an appropriate site over the hollow and returned to her quarters.

She did not know if Sensei had her watched, but duties and training kept her busy for the next several nights. This was just as well, she had equipment to gather and fabricate. On her next opportunity, she again climbed to the hollow, then anchored a rope ladder in the stone face above it and climbed inside. It was a full moon again, so she did not need a lamp or a flashlight to see. Instead, she faced Junso's niche, and urn, with only natural light.

"I come to tell you news of your daughter and your friend," she addressed the cold stone. "Your daughter is free of Yamanouchi. Master Sensei himself delivered her to Ron's household. She is being raised by his family, so he believes her to be his adoptive sister. He is very fond of her and dotes on her a great deal. It doesn't matter that he doesn't know the whole story, she's being protected by The Chosen One, unaware that she is his daughter."

"Yes, I now refer to him by his first name," she continued, smiling. "I took your advice and took advantage of the recreational time Yamanouchi provides after a mission and lived. I lounged on a beach and reveled in the eyes that I drew towards me. I went on a bicycle tour with him and saw sights not for education, but for the enjoyment of seeing new things. We even got into a fight with some local thugs and reveled in being able to easily overcome them." She pause a bit. "And yes, we indulged in the activities that make me comfortable referring to him by his first name...several times."

"I look forward to seeing him again," she told her friend, who may or may not be listening. "And it isn't just for the carnal desires; I fully enjoyed myself with him while we did the other things together. Not that the carnal aspect wasn't enjoyable, it was and I fully intend on renewing that when next we meet, but I enjoyed the other aspects of a relationship just as much. Perhaps the next time we can indulge in some form of extreme sport or maybe dancing. It does not matter, it will be more enjoyable when I am with him."

"One would think that such indulgence would make me a less capable student," she mused. "But it has not. On the contrary, seeing more enjoyment in life has made it easier to accept the hardships of a ninja's life. Even if I cannot arrange to spend my next recreational time with Ron, I will still utilize it to enjoy myself. In the meantime, I continue to train and study, preparing myself for my next mission."

"I wanted to bring you up to date," she concluded. "Your daughter is being raised with love, well away from Yamanouchi and the friend you left behind is living the life that was denied you. I hope that this brings you more peace, wherever you may be. Farewell for now."

She bowed low to the niche, then climbed the ladder and returned to her quarters. Tomorrow was another day, and a day to be lived to its fullest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You're not happy," the artificial human noted. "And I can't blame you. If you turn around and walk away, I won't blame you. If you tear into me, I'll understand, but I'd rather just talk."

"I take it you contacted Wade," Ron said, concentrating both on keeping his voice neutral and his pace steady as he approached the thing. "Why didn't you just talk to me?"

"Would you have agreed to meet with me?" Eric asked. "I had hoped to talk to you in school, but when you changed schools it meant that our paths didn't cross. Like I said, if you walk away, I won't try to stop you but I think we really need to have this talk."

"So, what are you going to push onto me?" He growled back. He crossed his arms in what he hoped would convey the idea that whatever the thing had to say, he wasn't about to buy it. "Are you going to tell me to quit the missions? Tell me to keep my distance from Kim? There's no need for the later, you already managed to split us up pretty well."

"For your first question, not at all and mostly the opposite," it answered. "For the second, I wish I could say that I never meant for that to happen, but I did go out and deliberately do that. I can't deny it and I'm sorry now for what I did then."

"Well, you did Drakken's job pretty well," Ron grumbled at it. "She turned her back on me and even gave up cheerleading for you."

"I tried to talk her out of it," it protested. "As did her mom and dad. It wasn't easy to talk her into trying out for the squad again."

"Okay, I'll give you that," Ron shrugged. "I saw her on the squad last night. What happened, now that you're living with her, do you have enough control that you're willing to let her do some missions and have life away from you?"

"Maybe we better address that before we go any further," it told him. "You think that just because the Possibles brought me into their home, I'm living in the same room as Kim? Do you really think that her parents would put up with that?"

Ron held his peace. He saw no need to tell the thing that yes, he thought that was the current status.

"No," Eric told him. "The Possibles brought me in more as an orphan than anything else." It gave him a steady look. "You should know how generous they are; didn't your own parents develop sort of a hands off approach to raising you, and didn't the Possibles treat you almost like one of their own sons?"

"Yeah," he had to admit. "But there was never..." he couldn't bring himself to finish it.

"There wasn't a romantic interest between you and Kim when they opened their doors," it finished for him, when he hesitated. "Both of her parents were well aware of this when they agreed to bring me in. I don't think that any couple is chaperoned as strictly as the two of us are; when her parents aren't around, her brothers more than make up for it."

Ron offered a snort of laughter. For some reason, the thought of Eric and Kim being a couple didn't hurt as much as it used to and he had to admit, if Jim and Tim decided to take it on themselves to keep their sister in line, Kim wouldn't have many opportunities to stray.

"So, if it's important to you, can you accept that I haven't set myself up in some sort of pleasure palace?"

"I can accept that," Ron admitted. "I'm assuming that this isn't what you wanted to talk to me about."

"You're correct," it nodded. "Maybe I should start with an apology. I was built to make Kim fall for me and drive a wedge between the two of you. That was wrong. I'm sorry that I've caused so much pain for the two of you."

"Do you even know what pain is?" Ron demanded. "Do you even know what it's like to feel sorry?"

"Do you?" Eric asked, right back. "You were born knowing that damage to your body was unpleasant; and you call it pain. I was built knowing that I should avoid damage to my body. Were you born knowing what feeling sorry was, or did you come to understand it through experience? I've seen people I care about suffering consequences for what I've done...for my merely existing. I wish they hadn't suffered those consequences and I want to undo the damage I've caused. Is that what sorry is?"

Ron couldn't answer him.

"I've talked with her a lot," Eric continued, when it became obvious that Ron wasn't going to say anything. "And I've talked a lot with her parents and with her brothers. I've listened a lot to people who know her at school. Correct me if I'm wrong, but here's the way I'm seeing things. The two of you were close friends from just about your earliest memories. She has a more dominant personality and the two of you so you got into a pretty stable dynamic; she'd come up with something to do and you'd join her."

Ron nodded.

"As the two of you got older, it stayed the same way," Eric continued. "She started taking on hero missions, you went along with her. She got a job at Bueno Nacho and signed you up, as well, you went along with it. She was the cheer captain and you joined the squad as the mascot."

"I get the picture," Ron told him.

"Okay, from what I can see the important thing was that she got used to you following her and supporting her in whatever she did," Eric noted. "Even if she didn't ask, or approve."

"Yeah," Ron took a seat on the bench so he'd be comfortable while listening to it.

"Okay, I'm going to remind you that when Kim does something, she goes all in," Eric now told him. "She demanded that her squad perform at a high level and she was so demanding of her brothers' soccer team that she squeezed the fun out of it."

"Yeah, I remember," Ron grumbled. "So what are you getting at?"

"Please," the artificial person asked him. "Let me keep this in order. Otherwise, I'm going to miss something. You also know that when she gets a boyfriend, she goes all in. When she was crushing on Josh, she locked you in a supply closet, didn't she?"

"She told you that?" Ron was feeling decidedly less generous towards Kim than he was last night.

"No," it shook it's head. "She felt really guilty about it, after it happened. She told her mom and Mrs. Possible told me about it. She thought it was important when I talked to her about wanting to have this talk with you."

Now, Ron was confused and Eric seemed to notice it.

"Mrs. Possible also told me that when Kim was crushing on Josh, she talked about how smart and kind and cool he was." Eric continued. "Mrs. Possible said that this was important, as well. From what people have told me, he was a good enough guy; artistic, talented, no idiot but not genius, either He had a fair number of girls interested in him, but Kim was the only one who really went crazy over him. In Kim's mind, he was the perfect guy and she even risked her life to go on a simple date with him."

Ron nodded. Just a couple of weeks ago, he would have gotten defensive, or depressed, or even aggressive with this...thing...for bringing this up. Now, he could listen with a fairly even keel and even accept that Eric might be working his way to something important, not just rubbing the situation into his face.

"This is where it gets hard," Eric continued. "Where it all comes together. Hate me if you want to, you have every reason to, but please don't hate her. Drakken carefully played her and even though he never said so, I think I was supposed to drive a wedge between the two of you, as well as make her fall for me. He only told me to keep her busy and not thinking about him. Shego told me that as a team, the two of you were pretty solid. I did what I did, and I'm going to feel guilty about that for the rest of my life. You don't owe me anything but please, if your friendship with her meant anything, don't turn your back on her."

"I think she made her choice," Ron told it.

"She made her choice because she was manipulated into it!" Eric's expression was one of desperation, Ron had to admit that Drakken had programmed it well. "Think about it; before I showed up, Drakken learned that she wanted a boyfriend, he learned that when she crushed on a guy, she attributed perfection and she's the sort of person who goes all in to whatever she gets involved in. Drakken studied her, analyzed her and used every personality quirk against her. He knew that if the perfect guy showed up..." here, the thing motioned to itself. "She'd go overboard. Yes, she turned her back on you...to a certain extent. Yes, she just assumed that you would be okay with whatever she did, like she has for years. She did these things because I did what I did, so blame me."

"Why?" Ron demanded. "Why are you so concerned about her? Is this another of Drakken's plans?"

"Drakken's still in prison," it pointed out. "And how would the two of you going back to being friends to his benefit? She was his biggest obstacle and she was better when the two of you were close. Tell me how this benefits Drakken that the two of you become friends again!"

"I can't," Ron admitted. "But that doesn't answer the question. Why are you so concerned about her?"

"How can you even ask that?" It looked outraged, offended. "I love her!"

"Love," Ron snorted. "How can you even know what love is?"

"How can you?" It countered. "Can you define it, measure it, or do you just know that you feel it?"

"Okay, but I know what I feel is real because I'm a person." Ron glared at the thing.

"So only people can feel love?" It asked him. "Does Rufus love you, and is he a person? Fredrick declared you his friend, isn't friendship a form of love? S.A.D.I befriended Kim and Oliver protects Dr. Porter, are their feelings of affection and friendship any less because they aren't organic?"

Ron didn't have an answer for that.

"I'll admit that I started off with all the hatred for her that Drakken wanted me to have," it told him. "I was going to make her fall for me so that the man who built me could do what he wanted to do. I came to Middleton High knowing that she was a teenage pest who was standing in the way of a great man. But in the weeks before Drakken's attack, I came to respect her for her determination to do what was right, even at the risk to herself. I saw her restraint when she refused to use her physical skills on Bonnie, or her social standing for personal gain. I came to admire her and I realized that what she thought was right actually was right. I realized that I wanted her to succeed and I wanted her to be happy, even if it meant that I would be imprisoned for the rest of my life. Isn't that love?"

Again, Ron didn't have an answer.

"I tried to remain imprisoned," Eric told him. "When I stepped out of the way and let you two beat Drakken, I thought it would be best if I just stayed locked away until my end came. I guess I'm not altruistic enough to go through with it; I missed her, I missed life and I knew I didn't have that much time to be around."

"Did you really miss her, miss life, while you were in jail?" Ron asked it. "How can that be built into you?"

"How can it be built into you?" It asked. "Can you explain why you miss people and variety, other than to just say that you're human? I can't explain why, I can only say that I missed her and I disliked being in the cell. Then, when her legal team pointed out that I hadn't done anything illegal and that they could let me out, I didn't have the strength of character to say no. Call me selfish, but I wanted to live for the time that I had left. If you can honestly say that you wouldn't, feel free to judge me."

Ron couldn't.

"I didn't want her obsessing over me," Eric continued. "But I wasn't just a boyfriend, I was a cause. I was someone she wanted to make happy for the remainder of his life. When the Possibles took me in, I tried to talk her out of quitting the cheer squad, but she wouldn't listen to me. I tried to get her to stay active in the clubs and activities that she used to be in. She insisted on quitting. You know how she is when she becomes determined to do something."

Ron could only nod.

"I worked on her all Summer; and her parents did, too. There were times I would lock myself in my room and refuse to come out, trying to force her to spend time with Monique or the girls from the squad she got along with well...or you. We asked her to go on missions again. She did, but she was nervous about asking you to help. We finally got her to spend time with her friends, try out for the squad again and volunteer for all the things she used to. She was going to use the back to school thing to try to ease back into your life. Cheering for you would have been a nice start, but you caught her by surprise when you switched schools."

"I'm not going to feel guilty about that," Ron warned him. "I really didn't have much reason to be happy about Middleton High."

"You shouldn't feel guilty," he answered. "That was your choice. All I'm asking you is that you try to re-establish a friendship with her. She has Monique and some girls on the squad. She hangs with Felix a little and Wade's just as much a friend as a tech support genius to her, but she's never had a friend like you and she's missing you terribly."

"And I've missed her, as well," Ron admitted. "I guess I've been just as pig-headed as she was. If I couldn't get the girl, I didn't want her around as a friend."

"This isn't just any girl," Eric pointed out. "She's someone who takes things to the extreme and that left you kind of pushed out of the picture. I'd be surprised if you weren't at least a little mad about the whole thing." He offered a crooked grin. "Not to mention, the details were really, really weird."

"Weird is sort of my standard operating procedure," Ron offered a crooked grin back. "But I held onto this grudge for too long."

"So, can I tell her that you'll meet her at Bueno Nacho tomorrow afternoon?" Eric managed to look nervous.

"Yeah, it's time we took the plunge and tried to get along again," Ron sighed. It probably wasn't going to be pleasant, but losing his friend was going to be worse.

A bit of the old resentment came back, the anger that Kim didn't want him; but then he remembered the last time he saw Yori, the passionate kiss at the airport as they said goodbye came back to him. No, Kim didn't want him that way but a pretty, intelligent and competent young woman did. That took a lot of the sting away.

He actually shook hands with Eric before he left the park to jog home. Weird really was his standard operating procedure. His original crush ignored him for a construct, and the construct turned out to be a pretty decent guy. Now, he couldn't even feel good about hating him.

A/N: As always, deep appreciation to Joe Stoppinghem, for beta reading.

Finally! An alert! Over the past weeks, I've tried turning my alert settings on and off, even opened an outlook email account and shifted the alerts to it...still not alerts. Yesterday, I opened a gmail account and what do you know...an alert from !

Now, how long will this last?