A/N: Here she is, chapter two. Not much to say, just read it, hopefully enjoy it, and hopefully review it. As always, hope you like! B)

UPDATED: I have modified one of the pieces of 'evidence' Ron uses to back his assumptions about Kim's feelings in order to maintain realism and "in-character-ness"(is that a thing?), on the advice of my two distinguished peers/critics, Taechunsa & XanQenadius. This revision is dedicated to them! Thanks, guys!

The Strange Life After

Chapter 2: Reckless

Kim Possible couldn't help but suppress a grin as she entered her dormitory. Sam was such a fun person to hang around with, his goofy smiles were downright infectious. As she headed toward her room she was stopped by a gruff voice calling her name from the reception desk.

"Oh, good to see you, Pat! Is there a problem?" she asked, taken aback by Pat's tone.

"You boyfriend came by a few hours ago" Pat replied, disappointment clearly evident from the sour look. "He seemed pretty excited to see you, but he wasn't here a half hour before he ran out in tears. He didn't even glance when I asked him if he was alright. I've acquired more than a little experience in my time, and I only know of a few things to make a man break down like that. I sincerely hope you aren't up to anything uncouth, Kimberly."

Kim gawked silently, trying to process all of this new information. 'Wait, Ron was here? He didn't tell me he was coming…he must've wanted to surprise me. Classic, romantic Ron'. Kim smiled affectionately. 'But what made him run out like that? That's a little out of character for him. He's usually so carefree…'

A new thought struck her. "Are you sure it was him, Pat?" she asked, not expecting the angry glare she got in response.

"I know how to do my job, Kimberly. Ron Stoppable is your boyfriend, right? Nice young man, if a bit…awkward" Pat said, turning away from her.

'Yupp, that sounds like Ron. And she even remembered his name! Ron will be thrilled' Kim thought. Still unsure of why he would run out the way he did, without even saying hello, Kim tried a different tack.

"He didn't say anything, Pat? I can't imagine why he would act that way…" Kim trailed off, hoping Pat would fill in some blanks for her.

"Not a thing" Pat said in an emotionless tone. "Now if you don't mind, I have a lot of work to do, Kimberly."

'Well that was weird' Kim thought, walking away in confusion. 'What exactly does Pat think I'm up to? And more importantly, what's wrong with Ron?'

She only had time to ponder for a few minutes upon returning to her dorm, however.

"Kim! You have got to see my new car!" her friend Veronica said as she burst in, practically tripping over herself.

"Huh?" came Kim's dazed response. "Oh, right, you were picking up the Mustang today…How did it go?"

"I could show you, if you'll just come with me!" Veronica exclaimed, practically dragging Kim to her feet.

"Oh, uh, okay" Kim said, clearly preoccupied.

Veronica ceased her incessant tugging, upon hearing Kim's tone. It was NOT like Kim Possible to get lost in daydreams unless it was something deeply important to her. "Hey…if you have stuff on your mind, you know I'm always here for you, right girlfriend?" Veronica said in one of her rare 'less-than-100-decibel' tones.

"Oh, it's nothing, really, V. Just a litt—" she found herself cut off by Veronica glaring daggers at her.

"Kim, we aren't exactly BFFs if you can't tell me when something important is on your mind" Veronica said exasperatedly, still using an uncharacteristic tone.

"It's about Ron" Kim started tentatively. "I haven't really been...focused our relationship for a while, being so busy. Which makes me feel guilty already, and then I find out, from the visitor's reception desk no less, that he was here earlier today to see me, and that he ran out upset after a few minutes. I have no idea what the problem could be, and now I feel even more guilty because I wasn't here to talk to him." Kim finished her story, looking at her friend hopefully.

Veronica, without missing a beat, furthered her inquiry. "Wait a minute, why weren't you here? You don't have class today."

"Oh, I was spending the morning with Sam" Kim replied nonchalantly. "He told me to meet him in the courtyard so he could thank me."

"Thank you for what?" Veronica asked, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you haven't heard? He finally came out yesterday! Would've thought it would be the talk of the school by now. I guess my little speech about being yourself finally got him to be honest with everyone" Kim said with a small smile.

"Oh, that's…good for him, I guess. There'll be a lot of disappointed girls out there though. Hell, I'm one of them! I would've never pegged him for gay if he hadn't told me" Veronica said with a scowl, clearly remembering her initial shock and disappointment. "How did he thank you, anyway?"

Kim held up her new necklace sheepishly. "Oh, he gave me this gorgeous necklace that was his sister's before she passed away. I was really touched. Heh, I even kissed him," (she saw Veronica glaring at her again) "Bu-b-but it was STRICTLY a friend kiss, I swear! And besides, he's not into girls anyway", Kim added frantically, not wanting to upset her friend by implying she was into her longtime crush.

Frowning, Veronica decided not to press the issue, (not that it mattered anyway, as she bitterly reminded herself) furrowed her brow, and returned to contemplating Kim's problem. Suddenly she had another thought: "Wait a minute, you said you met Sam in the court yard, right?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, what time did Ron come by?"

"Uh, Pat didn't say. Just said 'a few hours ago'. Barely spoke to me at all, actually. I think Pat has the idea that I'm cheating on Ron or something". Kim snorted at the thought, "Ha, can you believe it? As if would EVER do that to my BFBF".

Veronica looked thoughtful for a moment. "Any chance he might have seen you and Sam together and drawn the wrong conclusions? I mean, your room does have a view right out to the courtyard".

"That's impossible", Kim scoffed. "I was with him for, what, ten minutes? And anyway, why would Ron be in here? He wouldn't spy on me!"'Would he?' she added silently.

"What's that saying you like: 'Anything's possible for a Possible'…so, K, hear me out". Veronica paused for emphasis, holding up a hand to forestall argument. "Maybe he comes to your room to see you, doesn't find you, and decides to wait. Maybe while he's waiting, he glances out to the courtyard and sees you with a reeeally good looking guy, who gives you a reeeally expensive looking gift, and you freaking KISS him! And pleeease tell me you didn't walk off arm-in-arm again…" Veronica trailed off seeing Kim's obvious blush. "Oh my god, Kim! Add to that that you talk about Sam ALL the time, and what else is a devoted boyfriend supposed to think? Hell, I'd be just as jealous if I were him!"

The gears turning in her head, Kim's eyes traveled of their own accord across the room to her desk, where she noticed her previously closed laptop now lay open, right next to her framed photo of—

Kim jumped up with a start. "Oh no, my favorite picture! It must have gotten knocked over somehow!" She hastily straightened it before booting up her laptop. What she saw there did nothing to settle her already frazzled brain. "Um, V?"

"What is it, Kim?" Veronica asked tonelessly, irritated at her friend's sudden lack of interest in their original topic.

"Would you have any idea why there's a page about how to dump your boyfriend open on my laptop!?" Kim seethed. 'Oh, no. If this is the reason Ron ran out, I am sooo kicking someone's ass'.

Realizing the problem, Veronica suddenly decided it would be more prudent to stare intently at the floor. "Oh, uh, I was just looking at that to help Cindy. She wants to dump Jason without losing him as a friend."

Kim wanted very much at that moment to strangle her friend. "Ugh! Why couldn't she just look it up herself? If Ron saw this, which, if your theory is right, he definitely did—"

Veronica cut her off. "Hey that's not fair, Cindy doesn't have her own computer and you told me I could use yours while mine is being fixed. I was just trying to help a friend in need…" she deliberately quieted, feeling embarrassed that she may have inadvertently had a hand in Kim's predicament. Looking anywhere but Kim, she noticed that the mix CD she and Kim had made for Sam lying open. "Uh, Kim? Our CD for Sam, its…" She trailed off yet again.

Kim glanced down at the offending item. "As if he needed more evidence…" she grumbled. "And I had to get all mushy with the 'my love' stuff. I all but wrote Ron a note saying 'Oh by the way, I'm cheating on you and we're over'".

Veronica hesitantly gestured towards the door. "And I'm sure those pictures of you and Sam from last month didn't help things. Ugh…I'm so sorry Kim."

Kim slammed herself down on her bed. "Could you go now V? I think I need to be alone to sort this out."

Veronica complied, but not before adding, softly: "You should call him. If he loves you as much as you love him, he'll listen to you."

And with that, Kim was left to be tortured by her own thoughts for an indefinite amount of time.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been driving. Definitely over six hours. Ron silently thanked…well, whoever had designed his motorcycle that it got good enough mileage to make gas for his aimless wandering a non-issue. 'I DEFINITELY don't want to deal with any more people than I have to right now'.

Ron wasn't even entirely sure where he was, although his sense of direction told him, by sheer dead reckoning, that he was getting fairly close to Go City. 'That place ought to be seedy enough to find a bar that doesn't check I.D.s...God knows I could use a drink'. As if on cue, he saw the skyline of the nearby city rising up before him as he came out the other side of the tunnel.

Thirty minutes and three side-streets later, he found himself at an establishment which clearly knew exactly who they were catering to. After all, it wasn't often you found a respectable bar with the name 'The Salty Lemon'. If his mood had been better, Ron would have had to resist the urge to chuckle. 'What is this, a cartoon? Really…the owner of this place must have no pride'. As he sat at the bar, he marveled at how no one batted an eye at someone underage coming in. He'd been proofed at the door, but the bouncer had just given him a small, if knowing, nod and let him proceed.

Ron resisted the urge to order something strong, as he had little prior experience. Instead he opted for a light beer, which he quietly but quickly sipped whilst contemplating his navel. 'Why, KP? Was I not good enough for you? I thought you were better than that…'.

Not liking where this line of thought was leading, he resolved, with some difficulty, to focus on anything but Kim Possible. After all, he'd had the whole ride here to stew, he needed some time to relax. 'What was the saying? "Eat, drink and be merry?" Yeah, I think that plan suits me just fine'. Having finished his beer, he ordered another, then found himself staring out the window into the bright neon lights of Go City.

Go City hadn't always been such a wretched hive. It used to be respectable, back in the old days of Team Go. But in recent years, Team Go had become less effective (not that they were especially effective to begin with). As criminals got more and more ruthless, Team Go seemed unable to adapt. Their non-lethal methods were all well and good for dealing with supervillains, intimidated by the theatrics of it all, but when it came to small time Average-Joe-Guy down the street with nothing left to lose holding up a bank, non-lethal just wasn't going to cut it. The crook(s) would inevitably shoot someone, and successfully make an escape while the heroes administered the medical attention. And the heroes would mourn over it for weeks at a time before returning to duty, when it would happen all over again. 'But then again, I guess that's the classic problem of being a hero. It only works if you're willing to get your hands dirty. Granted, me and KP never had to plunge into the filth, but we were just lucky…'

Ron scowled at the thought of Kim again, and quickly ordered two screwdrivers, welcoming the pleasant feeling of a blackout about to overtake him.

Two hours, two beers, and six screwdrivers later, Ron Stoppable stumbled out of the bar without a shirt, but WITH, it seemed, two fans who thought he was the 'greatest damn thing since porno theater.'

"This guy, this guy, this fuckin' guy is the best drinkin' buddy a guy could ask for!"

"Yeah, tell us *burp* tell us about that blue guy again, whazziz name, Dracula? *hiccup*"

Ron smiled numbly. "Eh, gahz, but I-*hiccup* what the hell am ah sayin'? Oh, raht, raht. Ah don't got time for another shtory tonaht. Ah gotta get-*hiccup*. Ah gotta get home. No more wallywang—eh—whalloweng? Oh fuck it, chu gahz know what ahm sayin'!"

"Jesus Christ, this fucker is more plastered than I thought *burp*" said guy number one, clearly amused.

"That's okay, man, you catch-*burp* up with us, later, yeah!?" guy number two bellowed, giving his new friend Ron a pat on the back, then a push toward his bike.

"No big, man. Chu gahz rock!" Ron said with a grin, failing to notice his Freudian slip. He clambered onto his bike, still shirtless, and took off into the night at speeds he never knew his bike could manage.

"You really think he's cool to drive?" guy number one asked his friend incredulously.

"Nah, man. But he'll be-*hiccup* He'll be fine. He's the sheeyat. He can handle himself. *burp*"

"FUCK!" Ron screamed as he avoided yet another car. Getting into the left lane had seemed like a good idea, so he wouldn't get stuck behind people, but the damn headlights kept coming up on him and blinding him.

'I should give ol' Wady boy a call and tell him what happened today' Ron thought. He reached for his cell, but it wasn't there. 'Where the hell did I put it?' He quickly turned around on the bike, steadying the bars with one hand as he rummaged through his bag looking for the elusive phone.

The chaos that followed could only be described as a truly magnificent amount of carnage. First the bike slammed, at a harsh angle, into the glass exterior wall of a particularly well-to-do looking establishment, throwing its rider off in the process. Said rider then contacted with numerous items in the lobby of the building. First a desk, knocking over both it and all its contents. Then his momentum continued to carry him, still pressed against the top (or would it be side now?) of said desk, toward a television which smashed in a shower of sparks, then fell off its newfound perch onto a nearby table, breaking it in two and splintering the very expensive mahogany all over the immediate area. Meanwhile the motorcycle had continued to skid, tearing up tiles in its wake, before itself hitting a wall, leaving a sizable hole.

Ron groaned, blissfully unaware of his circumstances but fully in touch with the pain in his back, sides, limbs, head…okay, so pretty much everywhere. The distinctive smell of burned electronics permeated the air, the harsh smell hurting his nostrils. And to top it all off, now there was some unbearably loud screeching noise to contend with, to say nothing of the flashing red strobe lights that threatened to rob him what few faculties he could still be stated to possess.

His last sight before slipping into unconsciousness was of a figure, definitely female and possessed of impeccable finesse, approach him slowly, a strange green light emanating from it. Before he was able to ponder the implications of this strange new development, Ron Stoppable succumbed to unconsciousness.

A/N: I know, I'm mean, already instituting cliff hangers of such monumental proportions. Don't worry though, our beloved protagonist isgoing to be alright. Just a little banged up. An update comes tomorrow, come hell or high water, so until then, let that sweet anticipation simmer to a boil. Much love everyone, and thanks to all my reviewers from the first chapter! You guys rock!