StD - Diablo
"Here I go again"
By : Whitesnake
Though I don't know where I'm goin
But I sure know where I've been
I get on the promises and songs of yesterday
And I've made up my mind
I ain't waistin no more time
Though I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for
Oh lord I pray to give me strength to carry on
Because I know what it means
To walk alone, Oh lord it's three degrees
Here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road I've ever known
Like a twister I was born to walk alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't waistin no more time
I'm just another heart in need of rescue
Waiting on love sweet charity
I'm going to hold on for the rest of my days
Because I know what it means
To walk alone, Oh lord it's three degrees
Here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road I've ever known
Like a twister I was born to walk alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't waistin no more time
But here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go again
Oooh baby, Oooh yeah!
And I've made up my mind
Ain't waistin no more time
Here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road I've ever known
Like a twister I was born to walk alone
Because I know what it means
To walk alone, Oh lord it's three degrees
Here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road I've ever known
Chapter 7 : Life goes on
As expected talk of the fight between Kim and Ron had spread like wild fire and by the next day everyone knew that the two best friends in school were no longer friends. It was a interesting sight to see. Kim had walked in by herself looking incredibly depressed. Ron had shown up a few minutes later. His face stoic and emotionless and his eyes hidden behind his shades, he was wearing tight black jeans and a purple muscle shirt.
Kim saw Ron walking towards her, she knew she had to do something to try and fix what happened. She hadn't really meant the things she said yesterday, she was confused and upset. She knew it was a long shot but she would have to try.
"Hey Ron…?" Kim asked meekly as he approached her. "Can we talk please…..I don't want things to end like this." She said, her voice pleading.
Ron stopped for a moment and looked at her through mirror tinted shades. His pain still flowing and his anger recharged from a nights rest. Without so much as a noise he looked ahead and continued walking. Kim had made her choice yesterday and now she would have to deal with it. He had made his choice as well……it was for the best.
Tears began to sting at Kim's eyes as she watched Ron walk away from her. She knew she had hurt him badly and that hurt her even more. She would just have to keep trying to apologize to Ron….he couldn't stay mad at her forever could he?
Two weeks later…
"Damn so much has changed." Josh said to his friends.
Two weeks had passed since the hall way incident. Kim had tried for a week straight to talk to Ron and apologize but all she got was a cold shoulder in return. Her last apology had ended in disaster and they had all witnessed it. Brick, Josh, Felix, Tara, Bonnie, Hope, Marcella and Monique had been waiting for Ron to finish his swim practice when Kim entered the room to talk to Ron. They had decided to give them some space but remained close enough to hear what was going on.
"I know….I never thought Ron would just ignore her apology like that." Brick said.
Felix nodded. "Yeah and ever since then she's been off in her own little pretend world, Wade even told me she's been ignoring missions lately."
"Well that explains Ron's absences over the past week, he must be picking up the slack." Monique said shaking her head.
"He is." Josh sighed. "They've been one right after another. The Senior's, Duff Killigan and then Gemini yesterday….today he's off trying to stop Motor Ed." Josh stated.
"The nerd-linger sure keeps you guys informed well." Bonnie joked trying to lighten the mood.
"He only knows about as much as we do at the moment because Ron has been to busy to give a full report." Brick said and looked over at Hope, Tara and Marcella. "So do you three have any news on the Mitchell front?"
Hope shook her head. "Unfortunately no….Bonnie's also been helping us keep an eye on him but he's always with Kim now. We haven't been able to catch him doing anything suspicious yet.
The group was silent for a moment. "Were any of you guys really surprised when you found out about Ron's secret?" Hope asked curiously.
"Yes and no." Josh spoke up. "We have all agreed that Ron's façade was laid on a little to thick over the years and that he was definitely hiding something. The only real surprise from him was his powers…I never thought they could exist until Ron showed them to me."
"Yeah….The power thing was a surprise but that was it." Brick agreed as did the others.
"And it didn't weird any of you out?" Hope asked.
Everyone shook their heads. "Hope…we live in Middleton…..and how many times have you seen weird or strange things?" Tara asked. "We've encountered mutants, genetic screw ups, crazed villains and killer robots…..to be honest not much surprises me anymore."
Marcella giggled. "Yeah and the worst of them was that freak fish man Gill."
The group got a good chuckle out of that and it all helped them calm down a bit. Everything had been so tense lately. The school was running short on funds so their prom had to be moved up yet another month, which gave them three months exactly of waiting instead of two.
All things considered it was turning out to be one of the most eventful senior years any of the students of Middleton High had ever seen.
Anne and James Possible sat comfortably in their living room drinking some hot tea and listening to their favorite music play on the stereo. It was late in the evening and once again their daughter was out on a date with Eric Mitchell. While neither parent really liked the boy they didn't want to upset Kim so they just left good enough alone for now.
Over the past several weeks neither of them had seen Ron…..not since his father's funeral. All they knew was that he and Kim had some sort of falling out. They were sure the two would eventually get past it though because of their long friendship.
A sudden knocking on their door caught their attention. Sighing Anne got up to answer the door. She let out a horrified gasp at what lay beyond her door. Ron was half standing half leaning in their door way, his shirt was shredded, his pants torn in several spots and he was bleeding badly from a large deep gash across his chest. His right cheek had a long cut on it, his left eye was swollen shut and he had blood seeping out his nose, ears and mouth.
"RON!" Anne Exclaimed. "OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED!" She cried out as James came running.
James winced and sucked in a breath as he looked at how injured Ron was. The poor boy looked like he'd been through hell and back….twice.
Ron gave a small smile to Anne. "Hey Mrs. Dr. P." He said. "I was wondering if you could give me a quick patch up before I go home?"
"Ronald….shouldn't you go to the hospital?" James asked feeling a little green.
"No thanks…..it's not as bad as it looks….just need some stitches." Ron stated.
"I…..I'll go get the medical kit." James said and dashed off.
"You get in here this minute young man." Anne said in her usual protective and motherly tone. "Who did this to you and where is Kimmie?"
Ron's face darkened for a second. "I had a bit of a rough time with Motor Ed….he thought I made a good speed bump." Ron shrugged. "As for….Kim….she hasn't been taking missions lately so I've been picking up the slack."
Anne led Ron over to their couch as James walked back in with the medical supplies. Ron tore off the remains of his shirt and both elder Possible's froze. He had bruises in the shapes of tire treds all over his muscular torso. The gash ran from his left shoulder all the over to just under his right arm. The then noticed a really nasty burn on his right arm, as Anne debreeded the wound the sickly sweet smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
Ron took some of the supplies and began prepping the long wound on his chest for patching up. "Ronald….would you like a cup of hot tea?" James offered….he really wasn't very good with these situations.
"Yes…thank you, green tea if you got it." Ron said and winced a bit.
James went to get the tea while Anne wrapped the burn up with gauze and burn ointment. Anne Looked at the horrible gash on his chest, it was going to need easily over a hundred stitches.
"Ron…you chest wound is going to need allot of stitches…..I don't have any pain killers strong enough on hand here….are you sure you don't want to go to the ER?" She asked.
Ron shook his head. "I'll be fine Mrs. P., I'll even stitch up some of the upper wound while you handle the lower bit."
Anne just nodded and began her work while Ron accepted his tea from James, who looked ready to toss his dinner at the moment. Ron took a deep pull off the strong hot drink and then began stitching himself up top to help out Anne.
While Anne had to admit Ron seemed to know what he was doing it unnerved her to no end that he could do it without anesthetic. The worst noise he made was a light wince and his face barely registered what his body should be feeling….it was like he had suddenly become nerve dead.
After the stitching was finished they cleaned up and treated the rest of his wounds. His entire upper body was bruised horribly and Anne was afraid he might go into shock later that night unless he was watched.
Ron got up and let out a yawn, it had been a very long two weeks and he wanted to get home before Kim got back. "Thanks Mrs. P. I guess I'll be heading home now." Ron said.
"No way Ronald." Anne said sternly. "You are to march over to the guest room. You'll be staying here tonight so I can keep an eye on you….doctors orders."
"Really Mrs. P. I'm fine, it was just a couple of nasty cuts and some bruises." Ron said.
"Ron…..I have seen men twice your size and age go into shock for less. Please just stay here one night so we can keep an eye on you……please for us?" She asked pointing at James and unleashing the famous pout.
Ron's eyebrow twitched and James let out a quiet snort. "Alright….alright….you win." Ron relented with a groan, damn that pout. "But please….don't tell Kim I'm here…..I have my reasons and I'll be gone by early morning."
Anne and James nodded reluctantly. "Okay Ron…here take these to help you sleep and relieve the pain." Anne said handing Ron some Tylenol #4's
Ron took the pills and finished his tea before walking off to the guest room to get some sleep. He was exhausted so it didn't take him long to fall asleep.
Kim had just come home from yet another wonderful date with Eric. She was really beginning to fall for him but she still felt an emptiness where Ron had once been. After a week straight of trying to apologize and failing Kim decided to let Ron have his space for a while and hoped that the whole thing would just blow over.
It hurt her to no end that Ron wouldn't talk to her, but the fact that he wouldn't look at her either made the pain grow. As she walked up to the door she saw a small puddle of blood on the ground and some bloody hand prints on the door frame.
A sudden wave of panic rushed through her as she burst through the door and into her house. She saw her parents sitting on the couch looking a bit upset.
"Mom! Daddy!" Kim cried out. "I…I saw blood…..who's hurt? What happened?" She asked franticly.
James and Anne looked at each other, they had promised not to tell Kim that Ron was resting in the guest room but they could see that she was very upset. James gave his wife a nod and Anne let out a sigh….it was going to be a long night.
"Kimmie…..please sit down, we need to talk." Anne said.
Kim felt like a lead weight had dropped into her stomach as she took a seat and prepared to listen to what her parents had to say.
"Kimmie….the blood you saw….it was Ronald's." Anne said and Kim let out a horrified gasp. "He got badly injured taking on a man named Motor Ed, he told us that since you weren't doing missions at the moment that he was picking up the slack…..could you please explain what is going on?" Anne asked.
Kim could feel tears sting her eyes, she knew Ron was strong and had many powers but he could still be hurt as easily as any other person….it was just harder to kill him. Kim let out a sad sigh of her own and explained what had happened two weeks ago to her parents…..and how badly she had treated Ron and her confusion over the matter.
Her parents in a word were very ashamed of their daughter at that moment. But they could also tell that there was something else there, something that was troubling her and she wasn't telling. They had never seen Kim so confused or upset before.
"Kimmie-cub……while we are ashamed and disappointed in how badly you treated Ronald….we both must admit that we are partially to blame as well. For years now we have watched you two through good times and bad." James said.
"Ron always stuck with you dear." Anne continued. "So what if he kept some secrets, we all have them. But what you have done has really hurt him…..we could see it earlier and yet he's still doing things for you…..taking your missions."
"Wade called while you were on your…..date." James said the last word with a bit of distaste. "Ron hasn't been taking any credit for those missions he has sent him on. Once Ronald finishes he leaves and no one knows who did them….they assume it was you."
Kim had tears falling down her cheeks, with every word her parents said she felt worse and worse. Her confusion was growing and so were her feelings for Ron, no matter how hard she tried to push them down they came back stronger than before. She could easily admit she loved Eric….but she also loved Ron and it was for more than a friend. She wanted both but she knew she could only have one….and since that day two weeks ago she lost her right to chose who she would be with. The only thing she really could do was hope that Ron would forgive her soon.
"C…can I…I see him?" Kim asked in a half sob.
"I don't know……he's not a real good sight to see and….he didn't want you to know he was here." James said scratching his neck.
Kim looked at her parents pleadingly and Anne sighed in defeat, she could see that her daughter was in turmoil over this. "Alright Kimmie…..follow me…..but I'm warning you…..you're not going to like what you see." Anne said softly.
As Kim entered the moonlit room her tears nearly doubled. Ron was sleeping on top of the bed in a pair of shredded grey cargo pants, his arms and torso were wrapped in white bandages that had been stained red with his blood. The skin that could be seen was a sick green and purple color from the bruising, his left eye was swelled shut and she could see that he had been bleeding from his mouth and nose.
Kim turned to her mother and dried some of her tears. "Mom….can I please….be alone with him for a minute….I won't wake him up….I promise." Kim asked softly.
Anne nodded and left the room. Kim walked over to Ron and brushed some of his hair out of his face, her tears falling on his bandages as she looked him over. From the look of what she could see of his wounds, Motor Ed must have run over him a few times or more with one of his damn monster trucks. Kim wanted to hurt Motor Ed…..she wanted to hurt him bad.
"Oh Ron…..I'm so, so sorry." Kim whispered. "I wish you knew how much…..why….why did you go solo when you know how dangerous it is? You must really hate me…..I don't blame you either…..I just wish I knew what to do….I'm so confused….and….I want my best friend back. Please Ron…..please come back to me…..I hate seeing you like this." She whispered between soft sobs.
After a few more minutes Kim sadly left the room, it was past her bed time and she had school in the morning. She doubted that sleep would come easily tonight but she needed to try and get some rest.
Very early the next morning Anne walked into the guest room to check on Ron. When she opened the door she got the shock of her life. Ron was standing in the room by himself. His pants were still shredded but his wounds……they were gone!
Anne's wide shocked eyes watched as Ron removed the bandages and stitches, his wound had some how healed itself overnight, the bruising was gone….not even a blemish. His left eye was back to normal as was his badly burned arm…it was as if none of the injuries had taken place at all.
"Ron……h…how…..how are y…you healed?" Anne asked shakily.
Ron raised his head and looked at the only other woman on earth that he ever would consider a mother to him. He gave her a small yet sad smile as he noticed how shocked she was.
"Hey Mrs. Dr. P." Ron said quietly. "I know this looks very strange to you….but in time, when I'm ready….I'll explain everything to you and Mr. P. is that alright?" Ron asked.
Anne swallowed a small gulp. "Yeah…sure…..listen…Ron, about you and Kimmie…." Anne trailed off, she wanted to help fix their broken friendship.
Ron shook his head. "I'm sorry Mrs. P. but it's not going to happen. Maybe someday when I can get over the pain she caused me I'll consider talking to her again." Ron sighed. "I'm not ready to right now……I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready."
"But Ron….all those years….please don't throw that away…please." Anne pleaded.
"I'm sorry….but what she did hurt….more than you or Kim will ever know." Ron said softly. "For what it's worth I don't hate her…..I….she has her life now and I have mine. If I'm ever needed though….you know where or how to find me. I'm sorry if I'm letting you down, you and Mr. P. have been like a second set of parents to me….but this is something that I need to do alone." Ron removed the last bandage and walked towards the door as Anne began to tear up. "Maybe someday I can forgive and forget…..but not now…..I'm sorry. Thank you for patching me up last night." Ron said and gave Anne a brief hug before walking out the door and out of their home.
Anne dropped to her knees as tears began to flow. The pain….the horrible pain she saw in his sad brown eyes overwhelmed her senses. The fact that he had healed faster than any human in history was now sealed in the back of her mind.
Anne felt like she was losing a son, he wasn't going to forgive her daughter. She could see that his own words stung at his own heart and yet he remained strong and ignored the pain. She had never seen someone so young with so much strength and pain at the same time. How long was this going to last before he could let it go….or was it going to eat him alive like a festering cancer?
How long was her daughter going to suffer because of this….how long would it be before Kim figured out her feelings? Was it already to late or did she still have a chance? Anne just couldn't tell, she had known for a long time that Ron was in love with her daughter but now, only sadness and pain filled his once loving brown eyes…..as well as something else…..something that haunted him.
Anne quietly got back to her feet and went into the kitchen to start making the morning meal. Her tears had stopped but she still felt horrible for both Ron and her daughter. She recalled going through a very similar situation with James when they were younger, she only hoped that Kim and Ron were able to make it through like she and James did.
Ron walked into school with Monique at his side. He had called her this morning to apologize for missing their date last night. Ron had always liked Monique and when he and Kim had their falling out he decided it was time to move on.
It had taken a few days after the fall out but Ron finally asked her out and she eagerly accepted. Last night was to have been their second date. Though his feelings for Kim were still as strong as ever so was his pain and anger with her.
So to help the healing process he decided to date…..to move on and find some peace. So far it was working pretty good, he deeply cared for Monique and she made him feel better. She was pretty tweaked at him though for all the solo missions he was doing but she supported him as best she could.
To Monique it was like a dream come true when Ron had asked her out. She could tell that he still held feelings for Kim but she could see that he cared about her too. She had wanted to date Ron for a long time and now she finally had the chance. She felt a little bad for doing this to Kim but as they say…"You snooze, you lose." And Monique wasn't about to pass her chance up with a guy like Ron Stoppable.
As Kim was leaving the girls restroom she to her shock saw Ron walking down the hall talking to Monique. Her shock came at the fact that he was healed…..not even a scar could be seen! She knew his powers were strong but she never expected super healing abilities.
She wanted to talk to him, but for some reason she couldn't seem to move from her hidden spot in the doorway. As they came up to Ron's locker, Kim remained hidden but watched their interactions curiously…..something was different.
"I'm really sorry about our date Monique." Ron said solemnly. "I got a bit banged up last night and Mrs. P. patched me up. You wanna try again tonight….we can go to any restaurant, your choice." Ron asked.
"You better be sorry Baby boy." Monique said and gave him a playful grin, there was something about him she just couldn't stay mad at. "Instead of going out I'd rather have you cook me something….say chicken parmesan?" Monique asked fluttering her eyelashes.
Ron let out a small chuckle. "Alright Baby girl." Ron then grew serious and pulled his jade pendant off, it was a Buddha whit a Celtic Dragon encircled around it. "I've been thinking Monique…..I really like you allot and I was wondering….would you like to be my girlfriend, you know….go steady?" Ron asked a bit nervously.
"You mean it?" Monique asked in a mixture of excitement and awe.
Ron nodded and put his pendant around her neck. "It looks really beautiful on you." Ron said softly.
"Oh Ron….thank you." Monique said happily as she blushed prettily.
Ron leaned down and cupped Monique's face tenderly. Then ever so gently he pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. Monique's knees went weak and she had to use Ron for support, damn the boy could kiss, she felt like she was walking on air.
Neither of them ever noticed the tear filled emerald eyes that watched them from the girls bathroom. It was in that moment that Kim realized that not only had Ron moved on with his life but she had been replaced. She could feel her heart breaking all over again, Ron didn't love her.
She wept silently as her last hope of ever getting Ron back in her life crumbled with her heart. She had dared hope that Ron held feelings for her and that they might at least help repair their friendship. But now she could see that he didn't and it hurt her more then she ever thought possible.
Kim shut the door and slumped down to the floor, pulling her knees into her chest. She quietly wept into her knees as she rocked back and fourth. She didn't know what this pain in her chest was or why her heart was breaking all she knew was that she wanted it to stop. For the first time in her life, Kim Possible just wanted to crawl under a rock and die.
Disclaimer : We do not own Kim Possible
Authors : DragonMaster & Doug4422 aka Epic Quest INC.