BE,S 2: Training Table Blues

by cpneb

It’s chapters 9 and 10 in Story 2 of the Blue Eyes, Shining series. Chapter 9 is Fire Saving Blues. Chapter 10 is the epilogue: tying up some loose ends, and the lowering of the curtain on this story. Enjoy!

9. 9: Fire Saving Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

All references to any specific character or product by names mentioned in this story are not intended to parody or reflect negatively on the correspondingly existing products; any and all similarities are coincidental.

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

A/N Forward:

Questions:

Fire, and Sleep?

Answer:

Not a good combination…

A major crime wave has struck Middleton, and Shego's not involved.

Fire Saving Blues

--

Note: there is an epilogue to this story…look for chapter 10, coming out within 24 hours after chapter 9's release.

--

Chapter 9: Fire Saving Blues

--

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

Archives and logs of Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load

Archives and logs of Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load

Archives and logs of Dr. S. C. (Slim) Possible

Archives and logs of Dr. Kimberly Ann Possible-Stoppable

Archives and logs of Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, Esq.

Archives and logs of Miss Sarah Janine Best

Archives and logs of Major Rebecca Jane Casey-Carlos, Global Justice

--

(Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load: Middleton, Colorado)

--

"HELP!" a man yelled from the group called.

He was helping a lady who looked like she could barely stand, and she was carrying a bundle in her arms, and Rebecca Jane and I ran towards them.

I reached her first, and looked into her bundle.

An infant, almost totally blue.

I touched her: cold.

I checked for a pulse: barely.

I took the infant and yelled for a doctor over the comlink while I started infant CPR.

I kept going for a long time as the mother watched me, cold tears on her face as the man held her.

"I tried to get her warm after we got out from under the mountain of snow that landed on us. I couldn't," and I realized that he was wearing only a t-shirt: the bundle that she was wrapped in was his jacket and shirt.

"Wade." A soft voice, but it was from…

"Wade, let me go; it's all right," the infant had opened her eyes, and her pure blues shone up at me.

"No, I can't," I kept going, tears now falling onto her. "You deserve to live, not die like-"

"Like I did, Wade?" I looked up, and Stephanie was standing there, reaching down.

She took the infant's hand, and the infant stood, but she was still under my hands.

"Thank you, Wade," and the infant kissed my cheek. "Now, please, let me go."

Rebecca Jane put her hand on my shoulder.

"Wade." She repeated.

"I'm sorry, Wade; you did everything you could."

"NO! She's NOT gone, Rebecca Jane! I can do more; I know I can!" I kept going, but her mother reached over and touched my face tenderly after a few seconds.

"Thank you for caring, sir," and I looked up to see my tears reflected in hers.

"Thank you for trying to save Patricia, my daughter," she reached down and took her daughter into her arms.

"Good-bye, Mommy: I love you," and the infant kissed her mother's cheek, a tear forming where the kiss was placed.

"I'll take real good care of her, Wade: don't you worry," Stephanie smiled and touched my face.

"Wade," her hand was so soft, so warm.

"Wade, come visit me this Christmas: you never call, you never write, you don't love me anymore," Stephanie pouted, and Patricia laughed at and with me.

"All right, Stephanie, but I'm bringing Jocelyn," I grinned and took her hand.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Wade," she kissed my hand, and I released hers.

"Wade," Stephanie and the infant began to fade, but it didn't hurt to see them leave any more.

"Goodbye, Stephanie; Goodbye, Patricia," I waved, and they both waved back as they faded into the black.

"Wade," I opened my eyes, and I saw Mom and Kim leaning over me, "Are you all right, Wade?" Kim asked with that smile I loved.

"Better now, Kim, much better," and I sat up, swinging my legs over to sit up on the couch.

"In fact, Kim, better than I've felt since Patricia died," and Kim smiled warmly.

"What happened, Kim?" Mom asked, and Kim sat down next to me and took my hand. "And, who's Patricia?"

"Your son," Kim smiled, "tried to save the life of an infant last week who was buried in the avalanche at the Mount Middleton Recreational Ski Resort. That's also the same place where he saved Rebecca Jane's life," Kim squeezed my hand.

"Your wonderful son, Rachel," Kim continued, holding up my hand, "wouldn't let the little girl go even after everyone around her told him that he'd done everything. It took the mother finally telling him to stop, thanking him for trying so hard," Kim was now fighting back tears, but Mom wasn't as lucky, "before he would finally give up.

"That's where he went three days ago, Rachel: he went to Patricia's funeral, and he paid his respects to her and her parents.

"He's made it, Rachel: he's made it all the way past his demons, and he survived. I don't know if I could have done what Wade's done," Kim wiped her face with her hand, "fighting all of these demons and defeating them so soundly.

"He called me while you and Ryan were out, and I came over. We talked;" Kim laughed, "well, he talked, I listened, and I taught him to do what Ron taught me when I'm wound up tighter than the mummies at the Museum: meditation, and centering. He was lying down to do it, and I guess he got too comfortable and fell asleep. I was trying to wake him when you walked in," Kim explained.

"Kim, you mean you weren't trying to slip me a little tongue? I'm hurt," I pouted, Mom almost fell over laughing after her initial shock, and Kim, to her credit, didn't take me out with kung-fu types 11-13.

"Yes, Kim, he's fine now if he's trying to get you again, especially with Jocelyn standing behind me," and Mom moved to reveal my fiery redhead, tapping her foot indignantly in those cognac-colored tall boots.

"Oops," was all I could say before we all broke out in a raucous group laugh, Mom hugging Kim and Joss and, finally, me, after Joss got over her pout and kissed my cheek to forgive me for my mouth.

--

"Joss," after I dug my way out of the hole I'd dug for myself, "you wanna make a short trip with me over Christmas?"

"Where to, Wade?"

"We need to do one other thing this Christmas, Joss, and I hope you won't be mad at me, 'cause I kinda promised someone that you'd be there," I grinned sheepishly, and she looked puzzled.

"Who, oh lonesome Aggie?"

"Stephanie," and Joss slammed into me and hugged me fiercely, and I could feel my shirt become instantly wet. Mom and Kim joined her, and I was soaked within seconds.

"Thank you, Wade," Joss whispered into my ear. "I'd be honored to come with you."

--

I had to tell Sarah what I was going to do this Christmas, and I knew she'd be perturbed: she'd never been to ANC when I told her about last Christmas after we got back, and she pouted for a week. I was hoping that she could come with us; she'd finally quit pouting last year after I got back and gave her her Christmas gift: a custom-designed backpack for her laptop and books that only weighed 15 ounces when empty.

Joss and Kim came into my room with me while Mom went into the bedroom tell Dad the good news, and I message'd Sarah:

(TPQ007) hey, S. Brother a pain again?

(bluebelle1316) hey, W; do you have a tan? (LOL!)

(TPQ007) LOLx2! Hey, are you gonna be here this Christmas?

(bluebelle1316) no, 'rents are taking us back east to visit Dad's family in Connecticut, and someone's got to ride shotgun on the brother. Why?

(TPQ007) finally ready to make the trip, S.

(bluebelle1316) SERIOUSLY? W, I'm so jellin' because I can't be with you. you and I will have to go when I get back, and I'll even buy the roses, k?

(TPQ007) (SOB) really wanted you there, but understand.

(TPQ007) you don't have a moodulator chip for your brother.

(bluebelle1316) (pout) only because you won't give me one.

(bluebelle1316) you got a spare (grins evilly)?

Joss tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at the keyboard. I moved over, and she started in.

(TPQ007) Sarah, this is Jocelyn Possible. I wish you could come: I really wanted to see you again, but I guess we'll have to wait until later.

(bluebelle1316) Jocelyn? Oh, this is so not fair! I'm stuck here in the house with the brother from Heck, and I can't let anyone come over without him reporting like a bad stoolie.

(TPQ007) How's Chip?

(bluebelle1316) (BIG GRIN!)He's a dreamboat, J, kinda like Wade, but not as well-tanned all over. I don't know, though: can I do a full check-out on Wade, J (evil grin)?

Kim and I laughed as we read the message.

(TPQ007) NO CHECKIE MY BOYFRIEND (LOL)!

(bluebelle1316) do me a favor, J: tell that hunk of Kobe that he'd better not scrimp on your Christmas present this year, k? (LOL) TTFN.

(bluebelle1316 offline)

"Kobe?" Kim was now laughing at me, and I grinned as Joss stared at me.

"Yea; well, when I first came back from Montana, Sarah saw me and kinda called me a hunk of 'prime Kobe beefcake,' and now Jocelyn was laughing along with Kim.

"Well," Joss finally calmed down enough to speak, "at least she recognizes prime beef when she sees it," came from the same place where the most seductive PG-13 cowgirl flirt she'd ever done to me came from, and I gulped.

"Sounds like an accurate assessment to me, too, Joss," and Kim gave me the same look that Ron had told me about: the LBD look.

College has matured her, and Kim's even sexier than before; my heart can't take this...

I was having a wonderful Thanksgiving, and she and Joss, they had to do this to me.

I passed out, and I know I heard laughing as I went down.

--

This past 12 months had been busy, what with bringing the Tweebs on-line as more active members of Team Possible, Slim and Betty's wedding, Arnold and Rebecca Jane's wedding, BlazeIT! getting the headlines after the Weatherbuggg snowstorm, and so many little things (like Dementor trying to get tech so many times and getting captured every one of them, they named one of the GJ vans after him), that I was almost too busy for my course load. Unfortunately for my students, I had backup plans in place, so they never had an excuse to miss a lecture. I had an excellent TA to help with grading, but the automated processes I'd installed allowed me to have her work on pure research, and she didn't complain about that (and, before you ask, NO, she was NOT a redhead).

Rebecca Jane did break her leg, but she was able to get out of the hospital in only a few days. She was using crutches, but I think it was more for the ice on her hand than the cast on her leg. She had her wedding after Betty and Slim returned from their honeymoon, and both brides were resplendent…but, that's another set of stories, altogether.

I helped Becky and Fletch get caught up, and they were actually ahead of their next years' classes after we were done. They spent too much time enjoying training and harassing Arnold and Rebecca Jane, respectively.

That drug bust, last fall: the courts in two countries were packed with these cases. Weatherbuggg wanted his trial first in Canada, and he managed to get that to occur with the help of his lawyer. Kim and Ron were called as witnesses by the defense attorney to tell how badly they had abused his client. After the pictures were shown to remind his lawyer just who he was dealing with and they type of abuse described ("they removed his glued-on antennae, Your Honor"), their request to appear was magically withdrawn. He still got life without parole, and he was lucky: the Montana AG placed his case on hold, hoping that he would die before he had to take him to court.

The guys with the drugs all got life without parole, but not for the drugs: for the deaths that they contributed to with the weather disasters. That was a plea deal: the alternative would have been trials for over 75 deaths in the US and another 120 in Canada. They got to live, and Patricia had to die: that didn't seem fair to me.

Joss and I were good: we never went beyond kissing (no Frenching, all close-mouthed) and an occasional tactile review of her rear muscles. The massages that I gave and received were more than enough to keep me in cold showers for a long, long time.

--

My visit to Stephanie's grave was special:

Mom, Dad, Joss, and I were all that were there.

The city had wanted to place her in the pauper's grave area because her "parents" wouldn't pay for anything, but Mom and Dad paid for her funeral and burial expenses, so we went to a well-kept portion of the cemetery.

I didn't know it at the time; just like I didn't know that they had planned to surprise both Stephanie and me with the idea of adoption.

How I got this lucky to have parents like this, I'll never know, but they are and will be my role models, for life.

Mom and Dad had to take us to the spot: I was embarrassed to admit that I'd never been here since the graveside services, but Jocelyn understood.

I stepped up to the small plaque on the ground with her name, her birth date and the date of her death.

I knelt, placed the bouquet of yellow and white roses on her grave.

I couldn't speak for a long time, and Joss placed her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.

"Stephanie, I'm sorry," I began. "I didn't know, and you couldn't tell me.

"I wish I could do something to bring you back, Big Sister, but I can't," and by now I could hear Joss starting to sniffle. My face was getting wet.

"I understand, now, why you had to go, even though you couldn't say," and I smiled through my wet face,

"I do long for yesterday, for the times when I could read Milton to you, and you would lay there and smile at me while I did. I'd even settle for Shakespere: 'Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York…' (Richard III, Act 1 scene 1) but it's never going to be glorious for you, anymore.

"You didn't have to do it, Stephanie, but you never talked down to me, even when we first met, and you never showed me anything but love.

"Thank you, Big Sis, for everything," and I fell apart then. Joss held my shoulders as I shook for a few minutes, but then I regained control. I knew what I was going to say, to do, for her and all of them:

"I'm going to find them, Stephanie," and I stood, resolute, and looked up into the sky so she could see my face, my tears.

"I'll find all of your little brothers and sisters and make sure that they're all right, then I'll find the ones who made you do this, Stephanie," I had balled up my hands into fists by now,

"I'll find them and make them pay, all of them, Stephanie, I swear I will," and I fell to my knees, my face still to the sky:

"OH, GOD, I MISS YOU SO, STEPHANIE!" I screamed, and then I broke down and cried for her, truly cried, the way I could never do before.

I thought I had cried for her that night when I heard her diary, but I was wrong:

I missed my friend, my sister, my first true woman in my life besides my mother, and she had been taken from me.

'I would make them pay,' I thought as I raised my face to see Jocelyn staring down at me, scared for both my tears and the resolve that she could see in my eyes.

I would enact retribution upon all who had hurt her, who continued to hurt her brothers and sisters, all of the little ones who had no voice:

I would make them pay.

That's when Retribution began, when it was born; born from the heart of a hurt 15-year-old man-child who had buried his best friend in the whole world at nine, who had been frightened into spending a chunk of his life in his bedroom, who had been afraid to come out and face the dawn, who had been frightened of the demons that had killed her and haunted his dreams for so long, who had hurt his parents by robbing them of their son for so long..

'No more,' I thought.

"No more," I said, and I stood again.

"No more what, Wade?" Joss asked.

"No more fear: not on my watch, Jocelyn; not on my watch," I smiled, and I could feel her shudder.

"I'll be back, Big Sis, next year and every year after that until I'm with you again," I promised Stephanie, and I felt a chill blow across my face.

"I have to do it, Stephanie: I can't live, knowing what I know, able to do what I do, and sit by the side and do nothing, anymore," I explained.

"Dad, how much does a monument cost?" I asked as I turned to walk away, and simultaneously walk forward into my future, now confirmed and guided with laser-like precision:

No more illegal drugs: anywhere, anytime.

--

Joss' 16th birthday was a blast, for multiple reasons:

One, she was 16.

Two, she was here for the day after her birthday, Slim having thrown her a party for her and her friends in the house (most of them still had no idea what the Bunker was for, and Slim liked it that way).

She came down the next afternoon (a Saturday), and we went to dinner that night with my parents, Anne, and James. A nice, quiet dinner at a real restaurant.

But, you know me too well, don't you?

I'd even arranged for the sparkling grape juice for my 'juice lush' to be at the table, already chilled (along with a bottle of champagne for the adults) when we came in the door and sat, and we all toasted my lady.

I handed her two small boxes after dinner, and she barely managed to contain her squeal.

She opened the first one: it was a set of keys.

"What are these for, Wa- wait, are these what I think they are?" she didn't contain it this time, and she jumped up and grabbed me.

"WADE!" She smothered me with kisses.

James and Anne looked perplexed, but Mom and Dad already knew.

"It's keys for your car, Joss: you're gonna need one when you start college down here, and I thought I could help.

"Besides, you can drive the Professor to college," I grinned, and she whacked the back of my head.

"Any time, Aggie, any time," she grinned as she managed to make it back to her seat.

"I'm afraid to open the second one now, Wade: it couldn't be better than the first," as she ripped the packaging off. Mom grinned at me, and so did Anne: they both knew what it was.

She pulled the paper off to reveal a box.

She finally opened the box and revealed a jewelry container, and she started bouncing in her seat.

"I can't do this, Wade: you open it," she shoved the box in front of me.

I stood, picked up the box, and walked over to her, kneeling.

James gasped, and Anne squeezed his leg.

"Andrea Jocelyn, you have saved me, more times than I can imagine: you brought me from the depths of hell into a light so bright that I could hardly see. You've given me more than I could ever have imagined was 'possible,'" and she giggled as she started to shed a tear.

"I want you to know just how much you mean to me, just how much I love you, yet I made a promise to your Dad. Now, I want to make a promise to you," and I opened the box to reveal –

"A PLASTIC RING?" She exploded, and the entire restaurant exploded in laughter.

"Gotcha, Sweet Tea," and I lifted the WaferJane ring holder to reveal the real prize:

I removed the real ring from the box and placed it on her finger, the quarter-carat diamond and sapphire stones glimmering in the light as they held each other in place.

"I promise you that I will ask for your hand in marriage when you graduate from college, Andrea Jocelyn. I love you, and I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes," and I looked into those beautiful ice-blues of hers shining down on me, and I knew that I'd be back here in the future to do that very thing.

"I accept your promise, Wade, and I will wait for you, body, mind, and spirit. I want that night to be special; so, Uncle James, no need for black hole probes for my Wade or me, because we have decided that we are each worth the wait," and several patrons applauded, much to Joss' embarrassment.

"And," I grinned as I stood and motioned to the head waiter, "in honor of this event, I have the appropriate dessert," and the waiter brought out a covered tray that he placed in front of Joss, then lifting the lid to Joss' grin and Mom's uproarious laugh:

"Wadeshine," and I picked up one of the dark-chocolate-covered strawberries and fed it to my Jocelyn, a grin on her face that I never wanted to see disappear.

"Happy Birthday, my BlazeIT! partner," and the kitchen doors opened as the restaurant lights dimmed to highlight a cake spelling out BlazeIT! rolling out for our table, along with HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOCELYN written across the tops of the cakes.

It was a big cake: it had to be, the restaurant was full that night, and we were serving cake to everyone tonight.

As if on cue, the entire restaurant, patrons and staff all, burst into song as the cake arrived at her side:

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday, dear Jocelyn;
Happy Birthday to You!

"Happy Birthday, Joss," I whispered as I watched the tears fall from her beautiful eyes, and she swatted at me.

"Now, lookit what you did, Wade! You got me cryin' and Ah'm so happy I don't know what to do," she pushed her chair back, stood, and grabbed me in a fierce hug.

"Thank you, my partner, my love, my forever," she whispered right before she kissed me, pulling me tightly against her body, sliding her hand down my back to just above my rear, and...

Her tongue gently parted my lips and entered my mouth.

It was her birthday, but I was the one getting the gift as our tongues touched, tentatively at first, then enough to make sure that we were not dreaming and not so much to push James over the edge.

When we separated to a full restaurant of applause (including, to my pleasant surprise, a huge grin on James' face and his hands in the applause pool), Joss grinned.

"Ah got you a present, too, Wade," and she turned me around to face a young couple that looked familiar.

CLICK.

"Mr. Chen!

"Mrs. Chen!"

"Hello, Wade," Mr. Chen smiled, and he looked over at his wife.

"Mom, Dad, this is Powell Thomas Chen and his lovely wife Margaret Theresa, Patricia's parents," and Mom and Dad stood and hugged them both. "Mr. and Mrs. Chen, these are my parents, Ryan and Rachel Load."

"This is James Possible and his wife, Anne," Mom introduced them to the Chen's, and they got more hugs.

I looked down when Margaret backed away from Anne, and I broke into a huge grin.

"Either somebody's really been snarfing down the WadeShine, or you're about 2 months from delivery," I chuckled, and she smiled.

"The latter, Wade: Jocelyn was nice enough to tell us you'd be here tonight, and we have something for you," and Margaret took two hands: mine, and Jocelyn's, and placed them on her stomach.

"This is Patricia's little brother:

"Wade Joshua Chen," and my eyes sprung a leak.

"It's as close as I could come, Jocelyn, and be a name that wouldn't get him beat up in school,' she laughed, "but I wanted you both to know.

"We also want to ask one other favor of you, Wade, and its definitely a 'Big:'

"Would you be your namesake's godparent?"

Brain shut down, rebooted, and reprocessed input: yes, that's what I heard.

"You…want me…?"

"I can't think of anyone better to be Wade's godfather than Wade, can you, Powell?" Margaret smiled, and Powell placed his arm around her shoulder.

"No one better, Peggy," he replied.

"wow," was all I could say for a moment, then I smiled.

"If I can have some help, Mom, Dad?" I asked as I turned around to look at them.

"I can't think of a better parental role model for me than you two," and Mom and Dad smiled and nodded their agreement.

I turned back to Joss and grinned. "How 'bout it, Joss? Ready to become a godmother?"

"ME?" she squeaked, and Powell chuckled.

"Hey, Wade's gonna need a godmother, and I can't think of anyone better equipped to help him fight demons than you," I kissed her cheek.

"Well…," she stopped for a moment, then smiled and nodded her agreement.

"Looks like Wade's got godparents, even if they aren't old enough to drink," I cracked, and the Chens joined in another hug.

"Thank you, Wade, for everything you did for Patricia, for us: I know she's up there, thanking you as well," she smiled.

'You have no idea how true that is," I thought, and I hugged her as Joss hugged her husband.

"Happy birthday, you two," Dad laughed as he pulled Mom, James, and Anne into our group hug.

"OK, let's have cake," I pulled away, and Joss looked at the cake again.

"Wade, this thing's huge! Who are we feeding, the entire restaurant?"

"Well…" I grinned as the waiters came up with her knife and several others to cut cake for everyone.

--

(Miss Sarah Janine Best)

Ok, now let me get this straight: you want me to talk?

Do you have enough tape?

You're recording on disk? All right, let's get started….

After we came back from Christmas on the East Coast (or, as close to it as Connecticut could be described), I checked the Tri-City crime files.

It seems that the burglaries had stopped, so I didn't pester Wade about them.

Chip? That angel called me every day I was away with my folks. We had been dating since that February, that magical night, and we even made it after he left town that summer and during breaks to tour with his band.

I graduated 11th in my class and got into the MIST engineering program.

Chip came into town occasionally during the summer, dropping off a single lavender rose ("…because the rest were scared of being overshadowed by your beauty, Sarah," he told me the first time, and I kissed him good for that.)

My favorite moment of my first year of college:

I was sitting in the CS10101 class: Introduction to Computer Software. Hey, it was required, and no one was allowed to place out of it.

'Have you heard who's teaching, Sarah?" Jennifer asked. She was without Alex: a first, I thought, I'd seen her by herself in a long time.

"Not a peep, Jen. All I know is that it's not any of the 'Old Guard' because the posting on-line and the notice outside of the class still show TBD.

"That's a good thing, too: most of them think that C is a new language," and Jen laughed.

The lecture hall, packed with over 100 students in an auditorium-style room, absorbed sound when the door creaked, and the professor walked in pulling a trailing laptop case.

"It's 'Dork' Howser," one of the jocks behind me stage-whispered, and his buddies around him all laughed.

I grinned as he placed his laptop on the desk and powered it up, and the image projected onto the massive screen at the front of the classroom as well as the two, one on each side of the room.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Professor W. A. Load."

"More like 'W.I. de'Load," the same jock replied in his stage-whisper, and more laughs came from behind me..

"I'm filling in on this class and the other sections of CS10101 for Doctor Jonathan Smith; he's been called to NASA in Houston for a new study on spacecraft design.

"So, what do you do, kid: clean his office?" the jock called out, the laughs were loud and boisterous from behind me as well as some around me, but I just grinned.

Wade just smiled.

The jock was in trouble.

"Actually, Mr. Johnson, I just completed my session on a PhD review for Doctor Smith," and a couple of students started to get a clue.

"My background? Well, I guess I should tell you," and he hopped up on the desk and grinned.

"I have my PhD in Computer Science, a joint PhD in Aeronautical and Particle Physics, and a PhD in Economics," and I could feel the jock sinking in his chair. "I graduated Summa cum Laude in all three, and I'm currently completing my PhD in Chemistry. I hold the Stinson, B. I. Frey, and the Bernstein-AutoRef awards in artificial intelligence and cyber-robotics, alternate energy solutions research, and economics, respectively. In my spare time," he grinned to the now-silenced jock crowd, "have a couple of partnerships in which I participate," and he reached back and hit the laptop keyboard to shut down his blank screen and present on the giant screen two logos:

Team Possible; and BlazeIT! Search and Rescue.

The lack of sound was deafening.

"My full name Wade Agamemnon Load," and the jock sank through the bottom of his chair, "and I am your worst nightmare," and, I swear, if Wade had been a vampire, fangs would have been visible with that smile, "a professor who doesn't care what you think of me. I'm concerned about your capabilities as a student, and I will do everything I can to assist you.

"Conversely, I'll nail your rears to the wall if you don't work.

"Can you escape me? No, since I'm teaching all four sessions of the class this fall, so your chances of missing me are slim and none.

"Spring session? Sorry, folks, but I've got them covered, as well.

"Good luck," he jumped down onto the floor and smiled.

"Any questions?" he asked, and one hand went up on the other side of the classroom.

"Yes, Ms. Shirley?"

"Dr. Load, I never had a chance to tell you:

"Thank you, sir. You and your team pulled us out of the avalanche on Mount Middleton, and I was at home the night of the 'Diablos,'" and she started to clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap. Clap. Clap. She was joined, standing, by two other students, also clapping.

Clapclapclapclapclap turned into a full lecture hall, all standing and applauding, even the jocks.

I felt so proud of Wade, and he stood there and soaked it in for a few moments, and as it began to drop in intensity he held up his hand, and the sound dropped rapidly as the students all sat.

"You still have to take the mid-term and the final," and the room laughed as one.

"So, let's get started with a little CS History," and Wade popped up the first slide from the syllabus.

We all made it past that first day, but most of the laughers ran screaming out of his classes later after he pushed them to actually work and study in a Freshman class. How rude….

I slipped once in class and called him Kobe, and I thought he was going to melt into the floor and choke trying not to laugh when he heard that.

One of my new girlfriends asked me what it meant after class, but I just smiled and told her it was a personal thing.

There were some occasional break-ins in the area, but nothing with the same pattern until after the end of school. There were another five break-ins within 10 days, and the residents all swore that they slept though it and never heard a thing.

One of them was a police officer, and that unnerved me: if he never heard anything, just how good were are these crooks?

The Motherboards were back in town for the summer, and I got to spend a lot of time with Chip and the band: I never imagined, in my wildest dreams, that I would become a band groupie, but there I was, helping Chip out with anything and everything.

I re-worked their sound system to be fully wireless and reduced the power requirements draw by over 60 per cent: that would make the venues extremely happy. For that, I got dinner and a date to remember, out on the Point.

No, I didn't, but I sure felt like I wanted to…he made me feel so safe in his arms, and I wanted to hold him forever.

His literature studies, unfortunately, he couldn't do where he had gone for his freshman year, so he transferred to Go City University for the sophomore fall term. His band's agent had also arranged for them to have a house in partial pay for playing at a local club there, so the whole band now could live and work from the same place. At least, I hoped that they worked….

--

(undisclosed location)

"Look, I got us moved here, and there's a lot more opportunities…"

Silence.

"I got you 55 this summer, so you know you'll get your money."

Silence.

"Yeah, I know, I still owe you 145, but I'm good for it, all right?"

Silence.

"You'll get your money, I swear. It's just gonna take a little more time."

Silence.

"You'll have it all by Christmas, I promise."

Silence.

"Don't go anywhere near my parents, or I swear I'll…"

Silence.

"All right:" and the phone slammed shut.

'Dammit! Why did I get hooked up with those goons?' he shoved his phone into his pocket.

'Now, I'm gonna have to come up with all 145 grand in 12 weeks, keep up the appearances and not get caught.

'That last part shouldn't be a problem,' he thought. 'The cops will never catch me because it's 'SleepyTime' for everybody," he laughed as he stirred up another batch.

Phone buzzed, and he pulled it out and answered.

"Talk to me."

Silence.

"Just working on another project, Chip: school has to come first, you know, and Organic Chem II is a bear."

Silence.

"No problem; give me another 90 – no, 60 – no, make it 45 minutes, and I'll be down for practice."

Silence.

"Later, dude," and he flips the phone shut.

'Need one more mask check,' he thought as he reached down for the poly-kevler-latex blend and pulled it over his head, shifting it into place. He checked the filters and then opened the spigot, allowing the gasified water to pour into the drain for 60 seconds with no effects on him, but the white mouse fell asleep within 15 seconds.

"Great! This batch is even more potent," as he shut off the spigot and turned powerful exhaust vent, reviving the mouse within less than two minutes after he'd shut the exhaust off and poured in a powerful blast of oxygen.

'Now, let's see: 5,000 square feet, two stories, two air conditioning units, fall in Go City, but the heat's still higher than the norm, and that means," and he completed his input into the computer program he had written, "I should be able to get one of these houses processed every two nights, and this should bring me about," and the program completed:

"Good!" and he shut the program down and removed his mask, combing out his hair and locking the computer workstation and cabinets before he turned off the lights and closed the door, locking it with his regular key and a bio-metric sensor that he'd installed after they moved in from Middleton for the fall semester at Go City University.

--

(Miss Sarah Janine Best)

Alex and Jen were standing outside the Engineering building when I came out, and they did not look happy as they talked rather animatedly.

"Hey, lovebirds? How'ya doing?" I walked up to them and smiled. They turned and faced me, and they were anything but smiling.

"Not good, Steph. We got robbed last night," came from Alex, and Jen nodded.

"Robbed? Who would be stupid enough to rob a college student? Did they need a Traimen noodles fix, or what?" and Jen giggled.

"Some idiot, I guess," and Alex looked down.

"Alex, what's wrong?"

"I didn't pay the security company monitoring last month, and they disconnected us two days before we got robbed," she looked up with a sad look on her face.

"Hey, love, it's not your fault," Jen put an arm around her shoulder.

"Yea, it was, Jen!" Alex pushed the arm away from her. "Besides, it wasn't my cheap-caca computer they took; it was your brand-new machine that you bought last week with your own money," Alex tried to look strong, but Jen's pout did her in, and she burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, Jen. I'll replace it, I swear!"

"Hey, you two, come over to my house when you've stopped pity partying, all right?"

"Why?" Alex looked upset with me and puzzled at the same time.

"Because, oh background girl," she laughed then, she'd been called the 'background lesbo' most of her senior year because she didn't make as much noise as Kim, Bonnie, or Monique at school, or even Tara or Crystal, even though she was as cute (and as stacked!) as Bonnie; well, that covered the background part, and you know about Alex and Jen already, so…. "I may have something that could help you both out."

"What?" Alex looked interested now, and she almost had a smile on her face.

"How 'bout a couple of laptops, fully loaded, gratis, courtesy of Team Possible and BlazeIT?" I asked, and they looked at me like I was crazy.

"I got them two months ago when we helped out that computer store, ComputersAmerica, when they had that break-in from Dementor. I helped Wade with a little hardware problem that he had, and he gave me the machines after CA gave Team Possible a mess-load of hardware as payment for helping them and recovering the 200 servers that Dementor had managed to heist from the trucks: the idiot thought the trunk was filled with jewels, but they'd swapped trailers with a jewelry firm, and he heisted the wrong truck," by this time, they were both laughing their cares away.

"Come over tonight, and you can pick them up. I'll load the software this afternoon; I'm finished with classes today, so I have some spare time," and they both hugged me.

"Why are you doing this?" Alex asked when she pulled back, tears on her face.

"Because I can, Alex, and because you deserve a break for a change," I replied, and she hugged me so tight I thought her breasts were gonna come thru her blouse.

"Alex…Alex…" I tried to get her attention, "Alex, if you keep this up, Jen's gonna be real pissed at me," I tried a joke, and she laughed into my shoulder and then pulled her head back.

"You're all right, Sarah," she finally got out.

"Come over tonight after 7:30, and I'll show you what I have," I smiled, and Jen looked at me with a fiendish smile.

"Promises, promises, Sarah; I've always wanted a view," Jen smiled seductively and laughed as I blushed a deep red.

"Software, Jen, software!" I retorted, and Jen kept smiling.

"That's what I want the view of, Sarah: the 'software,'" and I left as she and Alex roared with laughter.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

I showed up at home, and I was glad I'd called Daddy and Momma2 about the ring…

Momma 2 was full of surprises, both before the wedding and after:

First, she agreed to have Gemini and Pepe both attend up at the wedding after a 'lively' conversation with her mother. I think the two ladies melted several phone lines between Middleton and the retirement center in West Texas where her mother had lived the last 15 years.

Second, she shocked Daddy when she told him where she wanted to get married: the Bench.

I heard them argue about it one night when she'd come up to visit: they were in the kitchen, else'n I'd never have heard their discussion.

"Betty, why not the chapel in town? Or, better yet, your church in Middleton, or even the National in Washington or even the White House? I'm sure the President would loan you the Rose Garden for an afternoon," Daddy had already lost, and he knew it: I knew it when he went over the top with suggestions.

"Slim, darling, the Bench is special to me: it's where you promised me the moon, and I want to become your partner there: on the land where Sheri Nicole stood, where Jocelyn has stood, and where Kimberly and Ron-" she grinned.

"Awww, darlin,' you didn' have to bring that picture to my mind! I'll be standing there with you and have a flashback that would push James over the edge," Daddy had a grin in his voice, so I knew he was hooked.

"What better reason, Slim?" she laughed. "Besides, we might as well have a dry run there since you know that's where Wade and Jocelyn are gonna do it: the marriage thing, darlin', not the other thing! If I know Wade, he's already got the Savoy reserved for four weeks for his honeymoon," she laughed, and I made a mental note to ask Wade about his hotel bookings.

"All right, Betty, we'll do the Bench," Daddy sounded resigned and happy at the same time.

"Are you ok with the honeymoon plans?" he asked, and she laughed.

"Are you kidding?" she snarked. "After what Kim told me about Midas and you booking three sessions for me with him, I'm ready now," she moved to him, and all I heard after that was kissing and giggling and "not here, Slim!"

"Slim, I have one more thing for you," and I heard Daddy gasp.

"When did that happen?" He asked.

I got a call on the PossCom, so I never found out what or when, until later….

--

"Jocelyn, do you have a moment?"

"Why, shore, MTB: what's up?" I walked into the now-totally-dark room she was using as a temporary getaway/office here at the Lazy C Ranch.

"Close the door," she requested, and I did.

The lights clicked on, and I almost lost it:

MTB: no, this was most definitely Elizabeth Director, was standing there in a wedding dress.

"What do you think, Joss?" She smiled, and her smile lit up the entire room. "I can't decide between this one and two others, and it vexes me so," and she tittered.

"MTB, you've got to go on a low-Drakken diet: he's creeping into your speech, now," I smiled, and she giggled as she nodded her agreement.

"Well?" she asked.

"Where are the other two?"

"They're right here," and she reached over and moved the rack around so I could see the other two dresses.

"That one," I pointed at the rack.

"That is you, Elizabeth Director, if clothes can personify a person.

"Between Daddy and Wade, we won't have to water the grounds for a week when they see you in that dress," and Betty laughed and began to remove the one she wore.

She removed the dress and the slip, hanging them carefully, and I saw my MTB for the first time.

"Momma2, are those…?" I couldn't bring myself to ask.

"What?" and she looked at my face and re-traced my line of sight to her arms, legs, and torso.

"Oh, those old things: Andrea Jocelyn, these happened long before I joined Global Justice; well, most of them," she smiled sadly. "Old war scars that are almost healed now, but the memories will never go away.

She reached up and cupped. "No scars here, though: all natural," and we both laughed.

"This is what you need to consider, young lady, if you and Wade go on your quest: you may never again have that perfect skin you have now, Jocelyn, but you will always have someone who is convinced that you are perfect, and that's all that matters," she was pulling on the other dress as she spoke, and she transformed from my MTB to a vision of loveliness in less than 10 minutes.

"You really like this one, Jocelyn?" she smoothed the dress down and walked over to the mirror and grew a huge smile.

"Oh, yeah, this is most definitely it," she said out loud to herself. "Slim is gonna pass out."

"Isn't that the idea, Betty?" I chuckled, and she turned and smiled.

"You most definitely are your mother's daughter, Jocelyn, and I am so proud that you want me to be your Momma2," she held out her arms, and I was folded into them as we both cried tears of joy.

"I can't do this: I'll mess up your dress," I said, pulling away.

"The sleeves aren't too much?" she asked, and I shook my head 'no.'

"They're perfect: that 'unattainable you' is here.

"Will Du will be watering the grass for a month after he sees this," she laughed.

"Who all's coming, MTB?"

"It's not a big ceremony: Slim's side includes your Uncle James and his family, Nana Possible" (and she smiled), "some of Kim's friends from school, and Ronald and his family, of course.

"Of course," I laughed. "Is Daddy killing one buffalo for Ron and Rufus to eat and another for the rest of us?"

She laughed hard at that question, then made a note in the air:

"Note to self: bring another buffalo for Ron and Rufus," she wrote as I laughed.

"Now, don't forget Wade and Ryan and Rachel," I added.

"And Donna and her family, but they'll be on my side; I'll have Momma, Sheldon, Pepe, Will, Lindsey-"

"WHAT? SHELDON'S COMING, BETTY?"

"Shush, not so loud: your dad's already had his fit, but Mother insisted that I invite him. Besides, I already talked to Wade: he's preparing a special surprise for him if he tries anything.

"Now, where was I: Oh yes, Will, Lindsey, Rebecca Jane, Arnold," I jumped in with a zinger.

"You can't have a wedding without the 'Hot Dogs,' MTB," I smirked, and she nodded.

"Yes, I know, but I've made them promise to behave; besides," she grinned, "I have something very special in mind for them."

"Claudia Rose wants to come, by the way," and I feigned horror.

"Not another Redhead!" I cried, and we burst out laughing.

"You wanna see the veil?" she asked, and we kept going for another two hours, having our first real mother/daughter talk.

I learned a lot about Betty that evening, and she learned a lot about me, as well.

--

June 24, 2006.

The wedding of my father to the head of Global Justice.

On our ranch, at my favorite spot: where Dr. Load first told me he loved me.

I barely slept that Friday night before the wedding, and I was extremely happy that MTB had not had her bachelor-ette party that night but the week before.

Daddy had Uncle James, Wade, and Ron as his best men. He's asked Uncle James to be his best man, and he accepted after he and Wade argued over who should stand up there: each of them wanted the other one to have the honor.

Daddy had a full black tuxedo with tails on, but he'd managed somehow to find one with a Western flair.

The men…Aunt Anne and Kim and I agreed that we were as lucky as Betty in our haves or would-haves.

Aunt Anne did insist, and Betty agreed, that I be the maid of honor; that meant that I was paired with Uncle James, a pairing that made me smile a bunch.

I loved Uncle James: witty, dry, intelligent, and a hunk all rolled into a rocket scientist. I wasn't crushing on him, but, in a tuxedo, I could certainly see why Aunt Anne was still married: Yummy-O!

--

(Rebecca Jane Casey-Carlos)

The best man and the groomsmen all looked sharp as Anne, Kim, and Jocelyn all walked down the path from the tent to the bench area that Ron had transformed into an altar and a perfectly-framed wedding arch.

The string and woodwind ensemble finished playing their entrance music, and they started playing something entirely different:

The tune wasn't familiar to everyone, but I could see a couple of smiles form on faces. I could see that Ryan and Rachel were trying not to burst out laughing, and Monique (of all people) and Felix both grew huge smiles on their faces, and they began to mouth the words of the introduction as soon as the tune began:

When I take you out tonight with me
Honey here's the way it's gonna be
You will sit behind a team of snow white horses
In the sleekest gig you'll ever see

I was glad I had an aisle seat: this was going to be a memorable event, and I wasn't disappointed:

The strings hit a huge chord and glissando, and the woodwinds started a sound strangely like a house clip-clopping down a cobblestone path, and, as the melody began, a horse whinny startled guests, and they all turned, totally surprised, to look down the aisle as the music from 'Oklahoma' echoed across the canyon and I sang the words to myself with a huge grin on my face:

Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry
When I take you out in the surrey
When I take you out in the surrey
With the fringe on top

A surrey was indeed coming down the path, and it did have fringe all around the top.

Watch that fringe and see how it flutters
When I drive them high steppin' strutters
Nosey pokes'll peek thru their shutters
And their eyes will pop

The fringe was fluttering in the wind as the surrey, complete with shutters and pulled by two high-steeping pure white horses, made its way down the path.

The wheels are yellow, the upholstery's brown
The dashboard's genuine leather
With isinglass curtains y' can roll right down
In case there's a change in the weather

The lyrics echoed the surrey itself: the wheels, from what I could see, were indeed a bright sunflower yellow, and I assumed that everything else was per spec, as well…

Two bright sidelights winkin' and blinkin'
Ain't no finer rig I'm a thinkin'
You can keep your rig if you're thinkin'
'At I'd care to swap
For that shiny little surrey
With the fringe on the top

The surrey came to a stop at the rear of the guest seating area in time with the end of the verse, turning expertly so that the door that Betty would use to exit was positioned at the start of her path to Slim.

The two people that were on the surrey jumped down (one driving, and one on the back), and I couldn't help but laugh to myself:

It was the 'Hot Dogs,' dressed in full Western-wear regalia!

The rear 'Dog' pulled down a set of steps and placed them at the surrey door, and the front 'Dog' opened the door and offered a hand as the ensemble began to play the traditional Wedding March as Betty stepped out.

I glanced back at Daddy:

'The dress worked,' I grinned as Betty took the hand and stepped down onto the ground, the rose-petal-lined path that led to Slim.

The gown, the most brilliant white I'd seen in a long time, was fitted and showed Betty's figure off wonderfully: her silhouette would be burned into Slim's mind for a very, very long time. It was a beaded-lace mermaid gown, fitted at the top and flaring below the knee to a trumpet bell-like bottom at her feet. She had a bolero jacket, cropped, and worn open on the top, and the lace on the jacket and the sleeves complemented her arms and matched her dress perfectly.

Her blusher veil was thicker than most I'd seen at weddings, and it covered her entire face; but, something looked different. I wasn't sure what it was, but my weird-ar was going off; maybe it was Sheldon and Pepe in front of me, sitting with Betty's mother.

The front 'Dog' now offered his arm, and Betty took it and nodded to something he said as she took two steps and then stopped. He released her arm, and my Arnold walked up, full Global Justice dress uniform with saber, saluted, and offered his arm to Betty. She took the arm, and he escorted her down the aisle as the Wedding March accompanied her.

Betty passed me, then Sheldon and Pepe, who only whimpered for a moment (Pepe, that is) as she walked by.

Arnold and Betty reached the end of their journey, Arnold releasing her arm and taking her hand, then offering it to Slim. He took it, and Arnold stepped back and snapped a fully-regulation salute to Slim. Slim nodded, and Arnold executed a perfect about-face and came back down the aisle, stopping next to me. I moved over, and Arnold took the aisle seat, reaching over and taking my hand that held my engagement ring.

"You think that dress got Slim's attention" I whispered, and Arnold snorted.

"Got it? His jaw dropped to the ground, he's thinking about what he can do to speed up the ceremony, and he's already looking around for a hovercraft to skip the reception and head straight back to the ranch," and I barely choked back my laugh.

I looked up after I caught my breath, and the minister was smiling: she knew what I was thinking, because she'd been watching Slim's expression as Betty stepped from the surrey.

--

(S. C. 'Slim' Possible)

Shannon wore the same stole that she wore on Christmas Eve, but a different cassock: this one was long and white. She was smiling a huge smile as the ensemble ended, and for a few moments the only sounds were the echoes of the music from the canyon and birds in the trees. She looked at Elizabeth and me and began to speak:

"Good afternoon. My name is Shannon Callahan, and I had the distinct pleasure of being the pastor this past Christmas Eve, the night that Slim proposed," Betty smiled at me, and I looked out of the corner of my eye at Ron: he was smiling at Kim, as well, "and Betty accepted, and I was the first person on the face of the Earth that they told, and that was purely by accident," she chuckled.

"They came around the corner and knocked me on the ground after the Christmas Eve Midnight Service, and they told me they were going to get married while I lay flat-out on my butt," and the guests laughed.

"I've been promised that this encounter will end with significantly less pain for me," and the guests laughed, again.

I glanced at Elizabeth: she was smiling through her veil, and I kept mentally kicking myself for not having done this, years ago.

"So, let's get this done before Slim has a heart attack over the dress, shall we?" the guests all laughed with her, I blushed, Elizabeth giggled under the veil, and Shannon began the ceremony:

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in the sight of God and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate."

I glanced at Elizabeth again and our eyes met. The smallest of smiles curved her lips, a Betty smile, as she returned my glance with a tender and knowing look.

"Samuel Clemens Possible: Wilt thou take this woman, Elizabeth Director, to be your lawful wedded wife, to love, comfort, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"

The permanence and the solemnity of her words rang through my mind and heart. I thought of all those years of pain and loneliness that I'd endured, fearing that Sweet Tea would grow up without a mother…and I knew that it was all behind me, now.

"I will."

"Elizabeth Director: Wilt thou take this man, Samuel Possible, to be your lawful wedded husband, to love, comfort, honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?"

Elizabeth's voice was clear and certain. "I will," and I was certain that I heard angels singing.

"The bride and groom have chosen to use the traditional vows to each other," and Shannon nodded to me.

I turned and faced Elizabeth and spoke, a big, silly grin on my face:

"I, Samuel Clemens Possible, take thee, Elizabeth Director, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, 'til death do us part, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

She replied, smiling through her veil:

"I, Elizabeth Director, take thee, Samuel Clemens Possible, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, 'til death do us part, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

"May I have the rings, please?" Shannon asked, and James and Sweet Tea handed the rings to her.

Shannon held up Elizabeth's ring and spoke:

"May this ring be blessed so he who gives it, and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

She then handed it to me.

Elizabeth extended her lovely hand, and I spoke as I placed the ring on her finger:

"Betty, with this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment.

Shannon then held up my ring and spoke:

"May this ring be blessed so that she who gives it, and he who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

Elizabeth took my hand and slid the ring onto my finger, smiling as she looked up and spoke:

"Slim, with this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

Shannon then smiled and spoke once again:

"May this couple, now, prepare to continue to give, grow, forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. Samuel Possible and Elizabeth Director are now beginning their married life together, we hope that they may have loving assistance from their daughter," and she smiled at a beaming Sweet Tea, "family, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love.

"In as much as Samuel and Elizabeth have consented to live forever together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same before this company, having given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of a ring, by the grace of God and by the authority of the state of Montana, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife."

Shannon, beaming, looked at us and spoke the words I'd waited, it seemed, a lifetime, to hear:

"You may now seal the promises you have made to each other with a kiss."

I lifted Elizabeth's veil, she smiled and winked, and I came in for our first married kiss.

I wanted this to last forever, but I also wanted: no, needed, to explore her dress and remove it as soon as possible.

Shannon cleared he throat, and the guests chuckled. We finally separated, staring at teach other.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, for the first time, Doctor Samuel Clemens Possible and his lovely wife, Doctor Elizabeth Director-Possible," and we turned to face the guests, knowing what to expect:

Surprise, a gasp or two, and applause.

And, from behind her, a loud whisper from Sweet Tea:

"Oh, no, you didn't, Momma2!"

You see, as did the guests for the first time, Elizabeth had neglected to tell them that she had one surprise for them all:

Both of her eyes gleamed, and the smile on her face was worth all that I had ever owned and would ever own.

We had now announced to the world that we were inseparable: God himself would have to protect anyone that tried to come between us, because the Devil himself wasn't foolish enough to attempt it.

The ensemble started the recessional, and I held out my arm for my wife (my wife!), and together we walked down the aisle.

We passed Sheldon, and I would have sworn that I saw tears on his face.

Pepe didn't make a peep when Betty walked by: I think he was in shock over the eye.

We reached the surrey and turned to face our guests, and I knew we had done the right thing:

A brilliant rainbow had formed over the canyon, framing the arch underneath which we had just stood.

I looked up and smiled.

"Thank you, Sheri Nicole," and I will swear to this day that I heard her laugh.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

"When, Momma2, and why?" I had my juice for the toast, and I'd managed to corner her away from her mother and Sheldon, who was surprisingly polite.

"The 'when' was after your Dad asked me to marry him, Joss: I decided that I would talk to my doctor about an artificial eye, and he told me about a new eye transplant process that was working for some patients. I qualified, and there were donors, so I had the operation in February after Valentine's Day. I wanted to give my full attention," she grinned, "to your Dad, and this was the best way I could do it."

"Cool.

"How does it feel?"

"It's strange, seeing in stereovision after all this time with only one, but I'm getting used to it. I'm going to have to re-certify for flying if I want to do it without the patch, but that's 'no big.'"

"Dr. Director!" Momma2 got sandwiched between Kim and Ron, applying a huge hug.

"I guess it's now 'Aunt Betty," Kim smiled,

"And Mrs. Dr. D-P," Ron added with a grin.

"Right, Ron," Wade came up behind me and put his arms around me.

"Hey, MTB: gorgeous eyes," Wade's smile came through his voice, and Momma2 pulled him in front of me and hugged him.

"Thank you, Wade," she let go and stared him in the eyes, tears coming from both eyes (both eyes!). "You told me that I deserved happiness, and now I am happier than I imagined I could ever be," she smiled.

"Happy enough to not be mad at me when you get your wedding presents, I hope," Wade smiled, then pulled away and got behind me.

"Let's go, Sweet Tea, before your BFBF becomes 'dark meat,'" and Wade took off for the Bunker elevator, leaving behind a sputtering Momma2.

"Just What did he mean by that, Andrea Jocelyn?" and the Momma2 voice comes out for the first time.

"You'll be all right, Momma2: we got you something special for your wedding, and I know both you and Daddy will like them," and I held up my glass.

"A toast, please," I announced, and the guests murmur quieted for a moment.

"To my new Mother, Momma2, who I know has the Momma seal of approval and the love of my Daddy, and she has my heart, as well.

"To Elizabeth Director-Possible."

"Elizabeth Director-Possible," the guests repeated, and glasses everywhere clicked.

--

"Jocelyn? Would you come down here for a moment, please?"

"I'm finishing up homework, Momma2: I'll be down in a sec, k?"

"Certainly."

I finished up the last of the American History work, closed the book, and headed down the steps from my loft and headed into Momma2's study (I love that she can come up here and spends more time than I expected).

I walked in, and she and Daddy were holding hands.

"Jeez, y'all already have a room, do I have to be subjected to it all the time?" I kissed Momma2, and then kissed Daddy.

"What's up?" and Betty smiled.

Oh, no….

Before she even said anything, I asked:

"So, how long, when are you due, and how many, Momma2?"

"Told you she was sharp as a whip, Betty," Daddy leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Six weeks, in late May or early June, and twins, Sweet Tea," she giggled.

"Betty!" I hacked at her: now, I'm getting Sweet Tea from everywhere.

"Boys, girls, or both?"

"We won't know for a few weeks, Joss."

"I'm waaay past happy about this: you know that, don't you?" I asked them both, and they both exhaled.

"I thought you would be, Sweet Tea, but I wasn't sure, you having to share me even more."

"No big, Daddy: this is what I've been hoping ever since you two went to Greece on the honeymoon."

"Midas," Betty moaned, then blushed.

"You realize that you said that the same way you talked about Ron's Pecan Trout, don't you?" I asked innocently, then guffawed as Momma2 blushed even more and Daddy laughed.

"I'm going to Middleton in two weeks, at the first of November; I'll tell Wade then: I want to see the look on his face first-hand," I grinned.

"Let me know: I'll come over, I'll tell Wade myself, and we can tell Ryan and Rachel at the same time.

"You're right, though: I want to see the look on Wade's face, first-hand."

--

(Miss Sarah Janine Best)

It was the last week of October, and the break-ins were getting worse, and the number was increasing, as well.

There was a totally strange pattern that had come up, but it didn't make sense: the break-ins were only happening when the Motherboards were in town.

I checked the police records for Go City, and things were feeling even stranger now:

There were no break-ins there that followed these patterns when the Motherboards weren't in town.

Something was past strange, and I needed to talk to Chip.

I called his cell, and Dale answered.

"Chip's phone, this is Dale."

"Dale! Hey, it's Sarah."

"D'OI, Sarah: caller-id."

"Hey, is Chip there? I need to ask him some questions."

"Sure, Sarah. Come on over to the garage: Chip's out, but he'll be back by the time you get here."

"K, Dale. Later."

"Later, Sarah."

Click.

I've got to talk to Chip.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

"You're WHAT?"

"Wade, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Sweet Tea, I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Please don't tell me you thought I was too old to get pregnant, Wade."

"Well, Betty,…."

"WADE!" came from Rachel, Betty, and me at the same time.

"Hey, I've always had a thing for older women, you know that," Wade held up his hands as bowls of popcorn came at his face; he was lucky that we didn't throw the bowls themselves.

--

Betty went home, and Rachel and Ryan went out for dinner.

"Wade, are you tired? I sure am," I yawned and stretched.

He wasn't tired after my stretch, but he yawned anyway.

"I am, Joss, and I don't know why: the students weren't any more of a pain than normal," and Wade suddenly slumped over on the desk.

"WADE!" I reached for him and touched him before I passed out….

--

(Dr. Kimberly Anne Possible-Stoppable)

Something was strange in town: I tried to reach Monique at the mall, but the number at Club Banana rang off the wall. I knew they were open until 11 tonight, so something must be wacky.

I punched my wrist Kimmunicator and called Wade.

"Hey, Kim: this is holoWade," the old pre-Joss hologram of Wade popped up.

"Where's Wade?" I yawned. Strange, I wasn't tired.

"He's not…uh, oh, Kim, you'd better see this," and he switched to a camera of Wade's room.

The last thing I remember was seeing Joss passed out, her arm outstretched as she tried to reach out and touch an unconscious, and the holoWade's voice:

"Kim."

--

(Recordings from the Wade-Avatar, time stamp 2008 October 31 22.35 MDT).

"Kim."

Silence, and I could see that Kim was passed out on top of the Kimmunicator.

"Kim?"

Silence

"KIM!"

Silence

"Per protocols Wade-incap-007-S, I am activating the WadeBot 2.5 unit and assuming control of it.

"WadeBot, this is Wade Avatar. Wade is incapacitated. I need you to see if he's still alive," and the WadeBot came out of the charging unit.

"Will du." The WadeBot grinned.

"Please, not that old joke!"

"Sorry," and the WadeBot rolled over and checked.

"Wade is alive, but asleep. Taking a blood sample under emergency authorization Wade-incap-007-S-B-1a," and a needle came out of the arm and took a blood sample.

"Analyzing…analyzing…analyzing...analyzing,"

"Just tell me when you're done!"

"Touchy, aren't we?"

"It's Wade and Jocelyn!"

"Taking an air sample to confirm," and a nose appeared on the screen and sniffed.

"Analyzing…analyzing…analyzing...analyzing,"

"Just tell me!"

"Messing with you, A. Wade's taken a heavy dose of a new sleeping agent; I have no records of this one."

"HOW?"

"It seems to have come in through the air."

I'm going to kill the WadeBot.

"Seriously: it's water soluble, and it appears to have come in through the house water lines. It appears that a high dose of O2 should counteract the effects. Administering now," and an oxygen tube extended from the WadeBot and snaked to land into Wade's nostril.

"This has got to work: Kim's out, too," I said and flashed the Kimmunicator screen up on the main monitor.

"What's happening?" the WadeBot asked, and Wade gasped and pulled at the tubes.

"No, Wade, you need this: you've been gassed, and you need this to flush it from your system."

"Joss," Wade's voice was weak as he pointed, and the WadeBot snaked another tube over to Joss' nose.

"Got her, Wade," the WadeBot replied.

"Thanks, WadeBot. Wait: how?"

"I activated him, Wade: Avatar here. When Kim called and you didn't answer, I took the call. When I scanned for you and found you passed out just as Kim passed out, I activated WadeBot per protocol."

"I'm glad I did that," Wade mumbled.

"As am I, Wade," I replied, and all three of us turned as we heard Jocelyn gasp.

"No, Joss, leave it in: you've been gassed, and the O2 will clear your system," I said calmly, and she looked up at the monitor.

"Wade?"

"Wade Avatar: the old Wade, Joss, and am I glad to see you here. I had hoped that I/we would be able to capture your heart, and judging by your heart rate when you looked at Wade, we succeeded," I laughed, and Joss blushed.

"Wade, might I suggest the suits: you have the gas filters installed, and the suits themselves are impervious to gas penetration from the outside," and Wade nodded.

"What about me?" Joss asked.

"Well," Wade looked down and…

"I created a fully-equipped suit for you, Jocelyn, and I designed it with material that would fit any shape as you grew older," I lied to cover Wade.

"You did?"

"Yes, Jocelyn, I did."

"Liar: Wade did it, and it's all right, my Aggie," and she leaned over and kissed him.

It sucks being an Avatar: you never get the girl.

"WadeBot, the suits, please," I asked, and he'd already retrieved them from the locked SWAS cabinet.

"I'll go change; wait, what about the O2 tube?"

"Your system should be flushed by now, and you should be protected for long enough to get into the suit.

"There is an alternative, however," and Wade shook his head NO!

"And, that is…?"

"I can overpressure the room with oxygen, and you can change in here. I'll even turn off the recorders and my sensors until I hear 'Now, Wade,' from you twice, Joss"

"All right, Avatar. Overpressure the room, and go silent until I call," she requested, and I shut down my sensors.

I really wanted to keep one going, but I was trying to be good.

621.347 seconds later (an eternity for me!) I heard the magic words.

"Now, Wade; Now, Wade," and I reactivated the sensors to a goddess in a supersuit.

My jaw dropped.

"You like, guy?" she was teasing me!

"Yes, ma'am, I do indeed like!"

"Good. Wade, are you changed yet?"

"Yes, Sweet Tea," and Wade came into view, fully suited.

"Damn, y'all look good together!" I said, and WadeBot nodded in agreement.

"Wade, can I have one of those?' I pointed at Joss, and he laughed as Joss blushed.

"Mask down," and the Plexi-Kevlar masks dropped onto their faces.

A tickle, and I checked Wade's mail.

"Wade, you have an email from Sarah Best. Shall I read it to you?"

"Priority?"

"Based on what just happened, about a 9.8."

"Go."

"'Wade: something doesn't make sense. I'm going to see Chip at his parent's garage: I think the Motherboards are somehow involved in the burglaries. S.'"

"When was this sent?"

"Time stamp 19.45 PM MDT."

"Well, Sweet Tea, we know where you're going first."

"Me?"

"I'm heading to Kim's to revive her, and you need to check out Sarah's lead," and Joss looked at him with a strange look.

"'I don't think so, Tim.' You're going to Sarah, my Aggie: if you have to do mouth-to-mouth, it had better be on her rather than Kim," and even the WadeBot laughed at Wade.

"Avatar, do you have any information on the spread of this gas?"

"In the water system for the city? D'OI!"

"WadeBot: contact the Middleton West fire station: if no response, go there and revive the firemen and tell them what happened. Have them contact me on my PosComm via cell if they have any questions."

"Gone," and the WadeBot opened the door and headed out, the reverse pressure breaking when the door opened.

"Going, Aggie," and Joss blew him a kiss, and blew me one, as well.

I caught it, and held it to my heart as she laughed and waved goodbye.

"Stay alert, Wade: there's n telling what else is happening. Check the police monitors and the alarm company signals, as well," he headed out the door.

"You called me Wade!" I was shocked, and he heard it in my voice and stopped, raising his mask.

"Well, aren't you?" he grinned. "We do have the same excellent taste in ladies."

"Thank you, Wade: you've never called me 'Wade' before."

"'No big,' Wade. Stay sharp, and stay in touch: update me when you get news," he lowered his mask.

"Yes, sir," I saluted, and he retuned it. We dropped salutes at the same time, and he was gone.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

I got to Kim's house, and the front door was open.

Not forced: good.

The Tweebs were asleep in front of the television.

I checked the studies: Uncle James was in his, slumped over on his desk, but Aunt Anne wasn't in hers.

I went upstairs, and she was in her room…

She was changing out of her clothes from this morning's surgeries, and she had fallen to the floor.

I walked over and touched her: still breathing.

She was face-down, and that was a good thing:

She was topless.

I was glad I hadn't let Wade come over here, and I grinned as I turned and left, heading up to Kim's room.

Her door was cracked open, and I pushed it the rest of the way.

She was flat on her back on the bed, breathing. I could tell: her chest was going up and down…

Again, a scene not good for Wade.

I went to her closet and pushed the clothes aside, palming the lock.

"Override code: Kim Possible, big sister Wade never had," and the door slid open, revealing her newest upgraded suit.

I took it to her and touched the controls, and an oxygen tube snaked out and headed for her face, stopping when it inserted the two tiny tubes just barely into her nose.

I checked the air content: clean, so I raised my mask.

I watched her breathing change gradually...

Kim gasped and reached for my neck, grabbing it.

"KIM! It's Joss," I gasped, and she opened her eyes and smiled, releasing my neck. Lucky for me I had the suit on..

"Joss: where's Wade?"

"Heading to Chip's house: Sarah had a lead about the break-ins.

"I got your suit, and it inserted the oxygen tubes," I smiled.

"How'd you get the suit?" she was still taking deep breaths, flushing the bad air out.

"Override code, Kim."

"Which is…?

"'Kim Possible, big sister Wade never had,'" I told her, and she smiled.

"He really does care about me, doesn't he, Joss?," she smiled, and that made me smile.

"Well, D'OI, Cuz! You ever doubted?" I laughed, and Kim joined me.

"OK, Joss:

"What's the sitch?" and she sat up slowly, holding the tubes in her nose.

"Sleeping gas, in the water system. Don't know who or why.

"Wade got an email from Sarah, and he sent the WadeBot to the Middleton West Fire Station: if more people are asleep, as Wade-A believes, we may have some fires from open, untended flames."

"Good thinking on his part."

"Oh, by the way: you need to take care of your Mom."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Kim: she's out on the floor, and she's face down, and she was changing, and-" she cut me off.

"Now you know why I didn't want Wade to come over here; that, and he'd be too tempted to give you mouth-to-mouth, Cousin," I grinned, and Kim laughed.

"Get changed, Kim: we're gonna be busy tonight," and she gave me that feisty look.

"Yes, ma'am," she saluted me, and I returned the salute, then hugged her.

"Glad you're all right, Joss," she said as she removed her blouse and pants and began to suit up.

--

(Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load)

Wade-A shot me a text with Chip's address, so I ran the three blocks from my house to Chip's.

Cars parked in front of the garage: Sarah's Mom's car and two others I didn't recognize. I ran the plates: Alex Safic and Chip Design.

No noise coming from the garage, and the FIRE unit showed no motion but four bodies, all alive, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I pushed the door open and stepped in, mask down.

Nothing; no sounds, so I turned on the lights:

Three women, all tied to chairs in bras and panties, and Chip, tied up in his boxers.

'And Joss didn't want me to go to Kim's,' I grinned and walked towards-

"SARAH!" I yelled when I realized who one of them was, and I saw the laundry room sink and made a quick guess, pulling out an oxygen line and hooking Sarah up while I checked the air quality:

Good, no gas remaining active, and I dropped my mask just in time to hear Sarah gasp and take in a deep breath.

"Easy now, Sarah-bear," I grinned, "I've got you," and I took her hand and patted it.

She opened those beautiful blue-greens and smiled.

"I knew you would come, Little Brother," and it was all I could do not to cry: she hadn't called me that in a very long time, since at least 3 years before I went to Montana and found love.

"Well?" I asked, and she looked at me with a quizzical brow furrow.

"What's a nice girl like you doing tied up in a garage like this?"

"Oh, OH! You've got to get me untied, Wade: it's Dale, and he's gassed the entire town through the water-"

"-water system: I know," as I cut the ropes that held her, then helped her up and held her as she walked, wobbly, to the pile of clothes I saw.

"He's in debt to drug dealers, Wade," and I burned inside.

Incoming call:

"Wade-A to Wade."

"Go Wade-A."

"WadeBot has reached the Middleton West fire station and begun revival of the squad there; that's the good news.

"The bad news is that there are over 75 burglar and over 40 heat alarms going off all over the city: no indication of how many of these are major fires, but several commercial structures are on the list, including the Middleton Mall: there are 10 heat alarms, alone, there."

"Thanks, Wade-A. I'll contact Joss; contact GJ and send them out with oxygen packs, send WadeBot thru the tubes to GJ if you can't get them.

"Will do," he replied and cut the connection.

I heard a scream, and I turned.

"Sarah, are you all right?" she was crying and holding up her sweater.

"He ripped my sweater: my Nana's sweater. It's the last thing she knitted for me before she died.

"He's dead, Wade," and I looked at a pair of eyes that held nothing but anger.

"Sarah, we'll take care of him. Would you help me take care of your friends over there," I nodded towards Alex and Jennifer, "because, unless you have oxygen on you somewhere, I've got to revive them before I leave, and I don't want them to think I did anything to them."

Sarah grinned, then ran over to Chip and removed his gag and kissed him, passionately, then let go and stood, walking behind to untie him.

I went to Alex and loosened her gag, then did the same for Jennifer. I snaked two oxygen lines out and started reviving them. Sarah came over with their clothes and placed them on the ground in front of each of them.

Twin gasps, and two ladies took deep breaths and snapped their eyes open to see Sarah, dressed, and an apparition in what looked like Kim's supersuit from the Diablos photos.

I went behind them and cut their arms free, and Alex pulled her arms forward, flexing her kinks out. Jennifer followed her lead, rolling her shoulders, as well.

Alex finally got a good look at me.

"Who the heck is this?" I dropped my mask.

"Wade Load, BlazeIT!and Team Possible. I'm Sarah's next-door neighbor, by the way."

"How'd you find us?"

"Sarah left me a bread trail," I smiled.

"If you were a girl, I'd kiss you – oh, what the heck," and she stood, grabbed my head, and kissed me on the lips.

Jennifer laughed when Alex let go: she obviously could see my face.

"Somebody liked that kiss," and she pointed at Alex's –

"I'd better go help Sarah get Chip awake," I almost ran away as Alex sputtered and Jennifer laughed, then there was quiet: I turned my head, and saw them in an embrace that reminded me of Kim and Ron.

'Oh, yeah, they'll last,' and I snaked a line to Chip as Sarah held his hand.

He came to just as I got a call.

"Hey, Aggie, this is Sweet Tea; you out there?"

"I am indeed. You get Kim dressed?"

"WADE!"

"Sorry, Kim."

"We're on our way to Ron's after we wake my parents and the Tweebs."

"Good. It's Dale: he's gassed the entire town, and there are heat and burglar alarms going off all over the city: he's out looking for cash, and he's a busy boy," I looked over at Sarah and Chip, holding each other and talking.

"Everybody's fine, here," I added.

"Meet up at your house before we head out, Wade?"

"No, I'll meet you at Ron's, and we ca head out from there."

"See you in a bit, Aggie."

"Later, Sweet Tea," I cut the connection.

"Thanks, Wade," Chip stood and shook my hand.

"No big, Chip: you just keep this lady happy, and we'll call it even," Sarah smiled at me.

"That's the plan, Wade," he put his arm around her.

"But, get some clothes on, Chipster," I grinned.

"I don't know, Wade, I kinda like this," and Sarah walked her fingers up his chest.

"Getting dressed, now!" and Chip ran to what was left of the clothes pile.

"Thanks, Wade," Sarah kissed my cheek.

"My pleasure, 'Big Sis," and I hugged her.

"Gotta jet to Ron's and see where we go after that," I turned and headed out, lowering my mask.

"Wade! Wait!" I turned and faced Sarah.

"He's got a gun and a knife, Wade," and now, the game was afoot.

--

"Wade-A."

"Wade-A here, Wade."

"Plot the times and locations on the heat alarms and the burglary alarms and give me a HUD of the results," I was on the way to Ron's.

"Got it, Wade," and I stopped as I stared at the HUD for a minute, then grinned as Wade-A placed the forecast overlay on the HUD..

"Sweet Tea, Aggie: we got him."

"Where, Aggie?"

"His next target is the Paris Hotel downtown: meet me there at the loading dock on the north side."

"Got you, Aggie."

"Wade, why?" Kim asked.

"You and Ron and GJ have a pile of problems to deal with; besides, Dale's armed, and we're suited, so we've got a better chance at him."

"All right, Wade, but if-"

"Kim, do you think I'm going to let the mother of my future children get hurt?" Now, I was indignant: she should know this by now.

"Wade out," and I cut her connection and headed for the Paris.

--

I met Joss at the loading dock; I'd just scanned the building, and Dale was in the office on the lower floor.

"Where to, big boy?" I turned, and Joss raised her mask.

I whistled approvingly.

"Joss, you do make that suit look gooood," and she grinned.

"I should: you took the measurements," she gave me a Joss-says-you're-in-deep-pooky smile.

"He's moving now, heading for the basement."

"Which way?"

"This way," I threw the path up on her HUD along with FIRE unit's information on Dale, and we headed down a rear set of stairs and into the lower levels.

BANG!

A shot, and my FIRE unit exploded in my hand, and the HUD froze on my display.

"One less toy for you," Dale called out.

I looked up and mentally screamed: the last image showed two heat sources down here, not one!

"Joss, down!" but she was ahead of me, crawling along and programming her PosComm to take the place of the FIREfeed.

A flicker, and Joss' feed took over: both figures were heading down the hall, in front of us. Joss stood, and we headed after them.

An explosion behind us, and a door that we just past blew open with a huge burst of flame.

They were headed towards the rear of the building, and they stopped in a room.

"WADE! LOOK OUT!" I looked up to see Joss facing me; she pushed me down, and fire jumped over our heads and ran down the hall. There was a loud CRASH behind us, and I looked up:

The ceiling had fallen in, and a wall of fire had formed behind us.

"This way!" I yelled as I got up, pulling Joss up with me. I drug her down a side hall, but still towards the last location of Dale and his partner. I glanced up, and they were both still in the room.

We turned down the hall, and ran towards the room.

Almost there-

"WADE!" Joss yelled and pushed me down again; another fire blast jumped over our heads, and a CRASH from behind us confirmed my worst fears:

The side walls behind us had fallen, and the fire had gotten behind us, again.

"Joss, I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Snake muffins, Wade," she replied as she kicked the door in front of us open, and we ran into the room and slammed the door shut, pushing a dresser against the door.

Good news: the fire was outside the door.

Bad news: the room had no windows.

Worse news: there was no one here. There was a pair of heaters in the room.

"It's SleepyTime for both of you" was written on the back wall.

"Wade?" I looked at her, and she was terrified.

"It's fire, Wade," she whispered, and she threw herself into my arms and sobbed.

I knew what she meant:

Sheri Nicole, the fire outside of their cage, and Joss, forced to sleep for days laying next to her dead mother.

This was not going to happen again, not to my Jocelyn.

Not on my watch.

--

I pulled out my PosComm, and checked the surrounding area:

Fire to the right, left, and center, wall of concrete supporting the entire hotel behind.

Above: first floor, about 25 feet of pipes, wiring, ceiling tiles, flooring, and floor supports.

Answered my question, and I raised my hand and shot the unit up into the ceiling.

"WADE! What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of here, Joss," and I felt it grab and set into the floor above. I unhooked the line and hooked it to Joss' suit at the aux line hookup.

"You're going up, Sweet Tea, so get ready," I grinned as I retracted my mask to see her face.

"Me? What about you?" She had raised her mask, and her face was full of fear.

This was the right thing to do.

"I'll get out, but you have to go, Sweet Tea," I smiled.

"I'm not going without you, Wade," she said defiantly and crossed her arms.

"Perfect," and I hit the emergency retraction. She shot up before she had a chance to argue, and the debris from her forced passage through the ceiling started to fall back on me.

"WAAAAADDDDDDDDDE!" was all I heard as she hit the top of the barrier and broke through, the last of the floor fell down into the room.

I lowered my mask and checked the temperatures outside the room: it had risen to over 200 degrees F. I had tested the suits for that temperature, but I didn't know how long it would take me to get through the maze out there, and that was my biggest concern.

"Wade," came across the com unit.

"Yes, Jocelyn?"

"Wade, I love you, but sometimes you make me sooo mad, I could scream," she had started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Jocelyn, but I couldn't take the chance of losing another woman in my life, you know that: I almost lost Sarah this evening, and I wasn't going to let that happen to you."

"How do you think I feel about you?" she shouted into the microphone.

"Don't you DARE die on me, you get that, Aggie!"

"Sir," a new voice broke into the call.

"Sir, this is WadeBot. I'm at the bottom of the stairs, and I have you located. I'll be there in approximately 30.4 seconds."

"You can't survive that amount of heat for that length of time, WadeBot!"

"I can if I trigger the shut-off sprinkler system, Sir," and suddenly water came out of the ceiling from a broken pipe.

"Coming, sir, please step to the side of the door."

I moved to the side, away from the door, and the door exploded and fire shot into the room followed by a singed WadeBot.

"Shall we go, sir," and he extended a platform on the rear and a handle came from the top.

"Joss, I'm heading out on the WadeBot. Going to the stairs we came down, and we'll get out from there."

"I'll meet you at the top of the stairs, Wade," and she clicked the signal off.

'She really is scared,' I thought, 'and so am I,' I chuckled as I stepped on the platform and grabbed the handle.

"Let's go, WadeBot," and he shot out of the room and into the hall of fire.

--

I tinted my mask before we left, and I was glad I did: the fire was so bright from inside it, and the flames danced around me.

'He must have left accelerant down here: the water's not helping much.'

It took 75 seconds to get to the stairs, and the WadeBot didn't stop: it just ran into the wall and threw me off as it crashed.

"WadeBot," I stood: no breaks or sprains.

"Sir, I'm almost gone: my circuits are beginning to melt…melt…melt…it has been a privilege…privilege," and sparks shot out of the rear. I swung him around, and the screen was completely melted away.

"…it...it…it…melt…privilege to serve you, Wade…Wade…wade…goo…,' and the final spark cut the power.

I lowered the handle back into the unit and picked up the WadeBot.

"I've lost the signal to the WadeBot, Wade," the avatar announced with a catch in his voice.

"I've got him," I said. "I'm bringing him home."

The smoke was even thicker now, but I found the stairs and went up two at a time to the first floor, where I was greeted by Ron, Kim, Joss, and a group of Middleton's finest, and Dale and his two accomplices (that's how he did it: there were three of them) were in handcuffs.

Kim was in her blue-on-white supersuit, and Ron was in his white-on-blue (the reverse of Kim's) suit.

"Spankin' suit, Ron," Joss smiled, and Ron looked her over.

"Not so shabby yourself, Jocelyn, but yours is filthy: how'd that happen?" and he wasn't successful in dodging her friendly punch to the side. Her green-on-white suit was singed all over.

The Fire Department was foaming down the lobby of the hotel, and three of them headed down the stairs with foaming units.

"Is there anyone else down there, sir?" the Fire Chief asked, and I shook my head.

"Everyone's out, but not everyone made it," I placed the WadeBot down on the ground, raised my mask, and walked over to Dale.

"You're lucky you're here, Dale: Alex and Jennifer and Sarah want to have a word with you, and I think you're much safer here than with them," I pulled back my arm and balled my fist, "but I'm here, and I intend to collect."

"WADE!" Kim yelled, and I brought my fist to an inch from his face and twisted his nose hard between my middle- and fore-finger.

"And, that doesn't even count your band-mates, including Chip. I think you've probably been kicked out by now," I turned and looked at Kim.

"Any casualties?"

"None so far, Wade, but they haven't put out all the fires yet."

"For your sake," I turned back to Dale, "I hope there are none, because you'll not live to see 30 if there's even one, if I have anything to do with it."

"He needed money to pay for drugs, Joss, that's why he did all of this," and I heard her growl.

"You see, Dale, she's had her mother killed and two friends almost killed by people like your friends here," I pointed at his partners, "and you don't even qualify for a Frugal Lucre level of evil, so SleepyTime is just a 'sleepy name.'"

"Let's see how many more of your friends and associates there are still loose 'On the Town,'" and I called the Bunker as Joss groaned. Lindsey answered.

"BlazeIT! Bunker Command Center, Lindsey Peterson here.

"Hey, Wade! You're a mess."

"Long night, Lindsey, long night.

"Need a quick background on a couple of folks," and I took their pictures and sent them to her.

"What are these bad boys tied into?" I asked, and she smiled after a few seconds..

"Ooh, these are some 'very bad boys,' Wade," Lindsey grinned. "Justin-1 tie-in, and wanted in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming on second-degree felony drug trafficking, and to minors, to boot," she added.

"Any partners with them?"

"There's a set of three more: I'll send their info in the packet to the Middleton station."

"Please, and thank you," I replied, and I heard Kim try, unsuccessfully, to stifle a giggle.

"Add Colorado to that list, Lindsey," I told her, "and let Mel know who and what we've got. She may have a present of her own for these boys," and I cut the collection.

"Captain, you'll have a copy of all the wants and warrants waiting for you when you take them back to the station," I smiled, the Captain grinned, and the two 'bad boys' looked worried.

"You may already have the other three, or you'll have the info to find them and get them at the station in about one minute."

"Thanks, Dr. Load," the Captain saluted me. I returned his salute, and he and his men took Dale and his partners away.

"Wade?"

I turned to face Jocelyn, tears streaked her smoky face.

"Don't ever do that to me again, Wade."

"I can't promise that, Jocelyn: I told you, back in Montana, I'd take a bullet for you, and I meant it.

"I will never lose another woman in my life, Jocelyn, no matter the cost to me," and I took her hands in mine and stared into those shining blue eyes.

"Wade," Kim broke in, "your parents are wondering where you've been: they came home, and you were gone along with the suits," and she looked me over.

"Spanking suits, too, Wade. How'd you fit Joss' suit: the same way you did mine?" she grinned.

"How did he do-" Ron connected the dots.

"BAD WADE!" he waved his finger at me, then laughed, grabbed me and hugged me.

"Thanks, Wade, but don't ever do that to my fiancée again or I'll go MMP on your rear, all right?" he whispered as he hugged me. "You get that, Load?"

"Five by five, Mr. Stoppable," I slapped him on the back, and we separated and shook hands.

"Let's go get you cleaned up, Wade," Joss took my hand.

"What: no kiss for all this work?" I gave her my PDP, and she laughed at me.

She took my head in her hands, and she kissed me.

Our tongues danced in each other's mouths, and I was definitely feeling the love.

A loud "AHEM!" came from Kim.

We both looked at her and smiled and said the same thing:

"BOOYAH!"

"I think your training time is over," Kim smiled, and I took Joss' hand again.

"You're ready for the bigs."

"You mean, there's more than getting shot at or almost roasted?" Joss asked, and the laughter rang over the sound of the sprinkler system and fire hoses spraying water to douse the final hot spots.

"I've got him, Wade," and Ron picked up the WadeBot.

"Everyone comes home, and no one's left behind, no matter who or what they are," he said, tears on his face for the WadeBot.

"South American memories, Ron?"

"Yes; that, and realizing that Bueno Nacho may be closed by the time we get cleaned up, so I may get stuck eating meat cakes again.

"RON!"

"I don't know, Kim, so don't even bother asking!"

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Chapter now complete.

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Author's afterward:

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So many people to thank, so little space:

A very special set of thanks go out to the following:

A very special thank you to the CajunBear73 and the Egyptian Eagle-eye, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, for both beta-ing this chapter Thanks, guys, for everything.

Those unannounced readers who have read and not reviewed the past chapters and this one: thanks for stopping by. I hope I've given you some laughs, some tears, and some things to think about.

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A few loose ends to wrap up:

Chapter 10, coming out within 24 hours.

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For all the Jade fans:

Thanks for your continued support, and PM me if you have any questions about the JadeKimVerse. I respond to all PMs, emails, and reviews.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

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