As with every chapter before and every to follow, Kim Possible and all related characters (other than those of my own creation for the purpose of this story) are the property of The Walt Disney Company. Everything else is all mine.

After yet another quick once-over in the bathroom mirror, Kim was finally ready to leave for home. Per Wade's instructions, Ron deactivated the grid system, removed the power cell from the remote control, and unplugged and detached the power converter/battery backup/main control unit from the wall jack.

"Man, this control unit is h-e-a-v-y!" Ron groaned. "No wonder Wade hauled it in using his two-wheeler."

"You sure you want to try and carry that yourself?" Kim asked.

"Now that you ask, no, I'm not sure. Let me go find a hospital cart. I remember from our work here with the Sunshine Spreaders that there were some good sturdy carts in the back of the kitchen area."

Ron ventured on down the hallway while Kim waited for him in ICU. She kept herself busy doing light stretching and some figure-eight walks from one end of the unit to the other.

A few minutes later the unmistakable sound of an empty metal cart could be heard approaching. Ron backed it in through the ICU swinging doors to try and lessen the noise.

Lifting with his legs and not his back --- a lesson hammered into him by his father, whose own back had "gone out" several times over the years due to improper lifting techniques --- with a few grunts and groans Ron managed to raise the control unit up and gingerly set it down on top of the cart.

"There! Now, let's get out of here!"

With Kim walking alongside, Ron pushed the cart out of ICU and down the hallway to the main hospital entrance. Exiting the automatic double doors, Ron rolled the cart over to the side and braced it so it wouldn't roll away.

"I'll go get the car and pull it around, KP."

Briskly walking over to where his car was parked, Ron was nearing the vehicle when he noticed something rather peculiar about its appearance. He thought he was just imagining it, but the front of the car appeared to be lower on one side than on the other. Walking around to the passenger side, he looked down and immediately saw the culprit: the front tire was flat.

"Now how did that happen?" Ron asked himself, scratching his head. "The tires are only a few weeks old and I've hardly put any miles on them."

Strolling around the vehicle, Ron inspected the remaining three tires and found the rear one on the driver's side also flat.

"No way! Two flat tires?" Ron stood up, turned and yelled to Kim, gesturing to her to come. "Kim! Come over here!"

Hearing Ron yell and gesture, Kim ran over to see what was wrong.

"What's the matter, Ron?"

Ron pointed to the flat tire. "This!"

"A flat? Ron, that's not exactly a crisis, is it?"

"Normally it's not, but check this out."

They walked around the front of the car, and Ron once again pointed down.

"Ohhh. This is bad", Kim observed.

"Yeah, it's bad, alright. It's also something of a mystery. This set of tires is only a few weeks old and they are top-of-the-line. What are the odds of two going flat at the same time?"

"Wade would probably have the answer, if you really want to know, Ron."

"No, that won't be necessary. We do have a problem, though: two flats and only one spare. Any ideas?"

"Not about how to fix the flats, but if Mom's not already home, maybe she can swing back by and pick us up."

Kim ran back to the hospital entrance, in the automatic doors and straight to the Admissions Desk.

"Uh, excuse me, but would there be a phone I could use to make a local call?"

The woman behind the desk looked up and motioned with her head to a phone sitting on the counter. "You can use that phone, but keep the call to less than five minutes."

"Yes, ma'am."

Quickly dialing her home number, Kim heard two rings before someone answered.

"Hello, Possible residence."

"Jim?"

"Nope, but that's a good guess, Kim."

"Alright, Tim. Is Mom home yet?"

"Yeah, she got here just a few minutes ago. Why?"

"I need to talk to her. Now go get her for me."

Tim dropped the phone on the kitchen counter, causing Kim to cringe from the loud "Thunk!" in her earpiece. "Tim!!!"

Meanwhile, Tim found his mother out on the backyard patio.

"Mom, Kim's on the phone. From the sound, I'm guessing she and Ron just discovered the flat tires."

"You didn't say anything to her about that, did you?" asked Mrs. Possible.

"Nope. Not a word."

"Good!"

Taking her time, Kathleen walked inside and slowly picked up the phone.

"Kim! I thought you and Ron would be home by now."

"We probably would be, Mom, but we've run into a slight problem. Ron's car has two flats."

"Two flats? That's not good."

"No, it's not. Any chance you or Dad could come down and pick us up? I guess we'll have to deal with the car later."

"We could, but I'm wondering if maybe Ron's dad might be able to pick you up on his way home from the airport. He's supposed to be landing about now. Let me call Mrs. Stoppable and see if that might work. One of us will call you back in a couple of minutes to let you know what we've worked out. What's the number we can reach you at?"

"I'm calling from the phone by the Admissions Desk", Kim answered. "The number is 555-9904. I'll stay here until you call."

Hanging up the phone, Kathleen immediately called Rachel Stoppable.

"Hello, Stoppables."

"Rachel, this is Kate. Kim just called."

"Right on schedule", Rachel commented. Her handset beeped and Jon's cell phone I.D. came up on the LCD display. "And perfect timing, too. That's Jon calling. Go ahead and call Kim back. I'll take things from here."

"Will do."

Kathleen hung up and dialed the hospital number Kim had given her.

"Middleton General Hospital. How may I help you?"

"Yes, this is Kathleen Possible. My daughter, Kim, just called me from this phone a couple of minutes ago and said she would wait there for me to call back."

"One moment, please."

The sound of the phone be jostled around was heard.

"Hi, Mom. What's the word?"

"Ron's dad will be by to pick you two up. It might take twenty or thirty minutes for him to get there though."

"That's okay. The weather's nice, so we'll probably stay outside and watch for his car."

"Good idea. Enjoy it while you can. The forecast is for some more rain by early next week. See you soon."

"Okay. Love you, Mom."

Rachel Stoppable flashed her phone over to Jonathan's incoming call.

"So, how's the car hunt going?"

"It took awhile, but I finally found it. It was across the way from where I thought I'd parked it, way down at the far end of the row. How it got there I don't know."

"See, Jon? You got all excited for nothing."

"I suppose so, Rachel, but I was sure I'd parked it in Row B, Space 15."

"Well, at least it wasn't stolen, right?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Now that the car's been found, I've got a little side trip for you to make on your way home. Kim called her mom a few minutes ago and said Ron's car has a couple of flats, so they need a ride."

"Ron's car has two flats? What on earth has he been doing with that car this week? Those tires are practically new and cost a small fortune. Good thing I bought the road hazard warranty when I bought the tires."

"Can you hold off on taking care of the tires until tomorrow?" Rachel requested. "I've got a really nice dinner cooking and was looking forward to eating together again as a family."

"Sunday's not exactly a good day for getting a flat fixed. We'll come home for dinner, and then Ron and I can meet the serviceman at the car afterward."

"That will work for me. Oh, and Jon, when you drop Kim off over at her house, I need you to get something for me that I left there last night."

Hanging up the phone, Rachel picked up her list from the counter of things to take over to the Possibles, walked out into the garage and checked it against what she had already loaded into the car.

"Looks like everything's here. Now, all that's left is to find Rufus and we should be all set."

Reentering the house, Rachel made her way downstairs to the family room where, sure enough, she found Rufus sprawled out on the sofa, snoring away. She had learned long ago from Ron that there's no easy way to wake up a naked mole rat, so she did what she always did to wake up Ron: she tickled Rufus's "feet".

At first Rufus didn't react, but thanks to Rachel's persistence, he at last began to respond, first with flinches, then with snorts, then with giggles and finally with laughter.

"Okay, Rufus. Time to go back over to the Possibles. If you have any business to take care of, do it now."

Rufus didn't have to be told twice. He scampered into the basement bathroom, closed the door and a minute or so later the sound of the toilet being flushed was heard, followed by the running of water in the sink. The door opened once again, and Rufus came bounding out and straight up the stairs to the main floor, with Rachel close behind.

The Possible's charcoal fire was almost ready. Now all James Possible needed were the burgers and dogs. Kathleen had the burgers all prepared but wanted to wait until Rachel Stoppable arrived with the dogs.

While they waited for Rachel, James and Kathleen stretched out on the two deck lounges, shades on, basking in the early September sun, and, thanks to Jim and Tim retreating inside to their video games, enjoyed some time to themselves.

"Ahhh… a little peace and quiet", exclaimed James with a sigh of relief.

"Mmmmm…. ", was all Kathleen could say in reply.

"Imagine, Kate: once the twins are off to college, we'll be able to do this any time we want."

"It is rather nice to ponder sometimes, Jim, but I'm not in a hurry for it to happen. I've heard enough about "empty nest syndrome" to know that I need to cherish this time while they're still at home. The same goes for Kim."

"You're right as usual, Kate. Kim's only going to be at home for maybe another ten or eleven months. That sounds like a long time but it's going to be gone before we know it."

James and Kathleen let out sighs in unison, reached across the gap between lounges and held hands.

A few minutes later, the front doorbell shook them out of their bliss.

"That's probably Rachel. I'll get it."

Jumping up, Kathleen quickly walked inside, down the hall and to the front door. Opening the door, there stood Rachel, loaded down with food for the dinner.

"Here, let me help you with those", offered Kathleen.

"Thanks. There are a few more things in the car. Where do you think I should park so Jon and the kids don't see it?"

"There's a cul-de-sac down the street. Why don't we park it there? Let's get all your things unloaded so Jim can get the dogs cooking, and then I'll ride down and walk back with you."

After a week of hotel living, taxis and shuttle rides, Jonathan was finding renewed pleasure in simply driving his own car, playing his own music and deciding whether the windows should be up or down. The drive from the airport to the hospital also served as a reminder of how much he preferred Middleton over the hustle and bustle of city life.

Making the last turn before reaching the hospital, Jonathan looked ahead and thought he could see Ron and Kim by the entrance, engaged in what appeared to be hand-to-hand combat. As he drove closer, it was clear they were sparring, not actually fighting.

Pulling up to the curve, Jonathan rolled down the passenger-side window. "You two had me worried for a minute. I honestly thought you were fighting."

"Don't worry, Mr. Stoppable", Kim reassured him. "If Ron and I actually had been fighting, he'd be begging for mercy by now." She shot a rather wicked little grin Ron's way.

"Is that so?" Ron shot back. Catching Kim off guard, he tackled her at the waist and threw her over his shoulder.

"Dad, do you think there might be enough room in your trunk for a wise-cracking redhead?"

"Oh, I think we can make room, Ron. Give me a second to open it up and check."

The trunk lid popped open and Ron walked around to the back of the car.

"Ron! Put me d-o-w-n!" yelled Kim, kicking and pounding on his back. "Don't you dare!"

"I'd be "begging for mercy", huh?" Ron said, echoing Kim's boast. In spite of all of her squirming and struggling, he showed no signs of letting go.

"Okay, okay!" Kim pleaded. "I take it back! I take it b-a-c-k!"

Ron set her back down on her feet and grinned. Annoyed as she was, Kim couldn't help but grin as well.

"Well!" exclaimed Mr. Stoppable with a smile. "It looks like all that training and working out over the summer has made a difference, Ron."

"I'll say!" agreed Kim as she reached over, grabbed Ron's hand and squeezed it.

"So, are you two kids ready to go home?"

"Yes!" replied Ron and Kim in unison.

"I still need to load the grid control unit in the trunk, Dad, but after that we'll be ready", Ron added. Walking over to the hospital cart, he wheeled it across the sidewalk, down the wheelchair access section of the curb and over to the back of the car. A few more grunts and groans later, the control unit was sitting securely in the trunk.

"I'll run the cart back in to the kitchen and be right back."

"Okay, son. Meanwhile, I'm going to go check out those flat tires of yours."

Mr. Stoppable walked over to the car, did a quick inspection, and then walked back, a puzzled look on his face.

"Huh. I can't see any reason why those would both have gone flat and at the same time of all things. I'll call and have someone come out later to fix them."

Ron soon returned from delivering the hospital cart.

"Ron, any ideas why those tires would have gone flat? I can't see anything wrong with them."

"Sorry, Dad, but I'm clueless, too. All I've done this week is drive back and forth to school and around town. The only thing I can think of is someone let the air out, but who would want to do that to my car?" Saying this, Ron looked over to Kim, who was obviously lost in thought.

"Kim? KP?"

"I don't know why I didn't think of this before now. The "who" is easy, Ron: this has "the Tweebs" written all over it. It's the "why" and the "how" that I can't figure out."

"Well, while we ponder this little mystery, how about climbing in and heading home?" urged Mr. Stoppable. "I don't know about you two, but I'm getting rather hungry."

With that, all three piled into the car and headed down the road to the Possibles.

"Is everything ready?" Kathleen Possible anxiously asked no one in particular for the umpteenth time.

"Y-e-s!" was the unison reply from James, Jim, Tim and Rachel Stoppable with Rufus chiming in.

"You're sure?" Kathleen asked once again.

"Y-e-s!" came back the unison reply.

"Good! Now, Jim and Tim, you keep watch, one on each side of the house. Stay out of sight until you're certain they're coming up the walk to the front door, and then come running back here. Jim, you, Rachel and Rufus will stay back here. I'll stay out in the kitchen and answer the door when they come in. Everyone understand their assignments?"

"Y-e-s!"

"So, Sherlock, are we any closer to solving our little mystery?" asked Jonathan Stoppable.

"No, Mr. Stoppable, I'm afraid we're not", replied Kim.

"Then I guess it'll just have to remain a mystery for now, because here we are", Mr. Stoppable concluded as he steered the car into and up the Possible driveway.

Ron and Kim piled out of the back while Mr. Stoppable climbed out the front driver's side.

"Ron, your Mom said something about me needing to pick up something here. I'll walk up with you two, if you don't mind."

As they approached the front door, it opened and out stepped Kathleen Possible.

"Well, look who's here?" she said with a smile. "Come on in!"

"Thanks, Kate", Jonathan said as he entered the house, "but Rachel has a special dinner planned, so Ron and I can't stay long. I just need to pick up something she left behind and head for home."

"That's fine, Jon", Kathleen replied. "We won't keep you. I think she left it out on the back patio. Ron, you might want to come along and help your dad with it."

Ron and Kim looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and followed Jonathan and Kathleen back to the patio.

Walking down the hallway toward the back of the house, Ron soon detected a delectable aroma wafting in from the patio. "Something sure smells g-o-o-d!" he remarked.

Kathleen went out the patio doors first and quickly moved over to the right. Jonathan followed with Kim and Ron after him.

"SURPRISE!"

Jonathan, Kim and Ron all jumped from the unexpected greeting, made even louder thanks to some amplification rigged up by the twins at the last minute.

"WELCOME HOME!"

With a "What on earth?" expression upon his face, Jonathan looked over to his wife for some sort of explanation.

"Jon, this was Kate's idea. She thought we should have some sort of special dinner celebrating Kim's fast recovery and figured that, since you'd been gone a week, we could call it a "Welcome Home!" dinner celebration."

"But Rachel, it's not like I've never been away to a week-long conference before."

"No, but it's the first time our son and likely-to-be daughter-in-law have come this close to death while you were gone."

"Good point."

"Besides, I missed you, more than I can remember missing you since the first years of our marriage." Rachel punctuated her remark by throwing her arms around Jonathan's neck and giving him a big kiss.

Overhearing Mrs. Stoppable's explanation, Kim walked over and gave her mother a big hug.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm thankful to be home."

"We're thankful you're home, too, Kimmie", answered James Possible as he joined in the hug and gave his wife a loving kiss.

Feeling rather left out, Ron grabbed hold of Kim's right hand and pulled her to him.

"Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P., but I believe Kim and I are overdue for one of our own", he said as he embraced Kim in his arms and kissed her.

Looking around at the three couples kissing, Jim and Tim grimaced.

"Y-u-c-k!"

"G-r-o-s-s!"

"Times three!"

Breaking her kiss with Ron for a moment, Kim glanced over at her twin brothers and predicted, "Your time is coming, you two, and I can't wait."

Once everyone was finishing or had finished eating, Jonathan Stoppable stood up and tried to get their attention.

"I must say this had been a wonderful surprise. If I knew I'd get this kind of treatment every time I went away to a conference, I'd go more often!"

The joke elicited some laughter along with a few boos and hisses from the wives' section.

"And now you know why I never made it as a stand-up comedian. Even my own family and friends don't appreciate my jokes."

This time the response was all laughter.

"Well, since you surprised me, I have a surprise for you, or at least nearly all of you."

"Ron, while I was down in Orlando, I bumped into an old college buddy of mine from my NYU days, Bob Zimmerman. We had a great time catching up. He told me about his family and I told him about mine. Not surprisingly, he's familiar with you and Kim and your Team Possible exploits."

"Well, he happens to have a daughter, Mary, who is your age. Now, Kim, remember, I'm only the messenger here: Bob says Mary had a crush on you, Ron, for years. Bob also happened to mention that Mary is a very attractive blonde (takes after her mother), smart and athletic."

Kim looked over at Ron, who from his expression was obviously impressed that yet another beautiful girl "liked liked" him. That expression earned him a sharp elbow in the ribs.

"Kim, the elbow was probably deserved, but I wouldn't worry too much. Bob says he's sure Mary has outgrown her crush. Besides, I personally don't see how she'd be any competition for you", Jonathan said with a smile.

"Thanks, Mr. Stoppable. You may have spared your son from considerable further bodily harm", Kim responded with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks, Dad", Ron agreed with a weak smile as he rubbed his side.

"Anyway, to get to my real surprise, Ron, you and Rufus will soon be joined by a fifth member of the family. Mary also has a naked mole rat, Raquel, who needs a home for at least the next couple of years while Mary is living in dorms at college. After talking it over with your mother, Ron, we've decided to let Raquel stay with us."

Rufus, who had been sitting in Ron's lap, went crazy, jumping up and down, running around and around the patio while occasionally stopping long enough to do a high-five "Boo-yah!" with Ron.

Turning to Ron, Kim was surprised to see he too wasn't going crazy. While he smiled and seemed happy, his brown eyes betrayed a tinge of sadness. Whatever it was that troubled him, she wasn't going to press him on it right now. She slid her arm around his waist, pulled his arm around her and nestled her head on his shoulder.