Chapter VI: Quickdraw

Ron Stoppable should have felt horrible.

He always felt that way every time he fired his gun. Even if he had fired his gun to save others.

But last night, he was saving Kim. And when it comes to her safety, all bets are off.

He promised to explain everything to her and he should. Even his secrets.

Ron sighed as he squeezed the top of his left arm. The act reminded him that he was human but it also reminded him that he was alive. Alive to live a life he should have.

A life with Kim Possible.

Something he wouldn't trade for anything else.

Something he would fight to keep.

Sighing, he walked towards the living room where he heard the sound of the TV. C.T.'s getting addicted. Being a quick study, Nicholas had already learned how to operate the TV and DVD. Also, much to Ron's surprise, he was able to program his VCR.

"What're you watching, C.T.?" Ron asked even before he entered the room. Lounging on the couch, Nicholas only glanced at him and returned his attention to the TV.

"Something called Equilibrium," he answered. "The story has a nice concept of gunplay."

"Learned it already?" Ron teased but looking at Nicholas's serious face, he knew the answer.

"If it works..." Nicholas trailed thoughtfully.

"You'll make it work," Ron said encouragingly. "I've seen you use different styles of combat just by reading them."

"Half of the time it almost got us killed," Nicholas reminded him. "Where are we off to?"

"I've got to straighten some things with Kim," Ron said. "I don't want to have any secrets between us." Nicholas glanced at Ron's arm and smirked.

"You should have told her yesterday," Nicholas turned off the TV and stood. "But I guess she'll listen to you better when she had cleared her head from yesterday's fiasco."

"I'm beginning to believe the girls," Ron said with a sigh. "Now I'm really worried about Kim. If Professor Dementor could act that way, there's no telling what else the others could do."

"And I was really looking forward for a little R&R," Nicholas grabbed his cross and slung it over his shoulder. "So? Shall we?"

"A little excited?" Ron teased. He knew there was another reason that Nicholas wanted to go. A green and black reason.

"Not quite," Nicholas frowned at him. "You're being nosey."

"Hey. It's not everyday that I get back at you with all the teasing you did to me," Ron defended as he smiled. "Let's jet."

"Teasing, hah!" Nicholas mumbled as he followed Ron. "You'd never let me live this one down."

"KP's not here?" Ron was baffled as Mrs. Dr. Possible told him that her daughter was not at home.

"Something unexpectedly came up and they need to attend to it," she said.

"They? Miss Shego went as well?" Nicholas asked, leaning on the cross.

"Yes," the Possible Matriarch said. "I don't think they'd be back any time soon. Why not wait for them?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Dr. P." Ron entered the house and Nicholas followed him. Mrs. Possible left the two at the living room, saying that she had an appointment. When Mrs. Possible was gone, the two men looked at other in curiosity.

"I know KP would not flake without a reason," Ron said as he took out his old Kimmunicator. "Hey Wade!" he said as he turned on the unit.

"Can't talk right now, Ron, a little busy," came Wade's reply. Now Ron was suspicious. What would cause Wade to be busy?

"This'll only take a sec," Ron waited. Hearing a frustrated sigh, Wade answered him.

"One second," he agreed.

"Where's Kim?" he asked. There was a long pause. Longer than a second. It was as if Wade was contemplating on what to do. "Wade?"

"Can't tell you, Ron," Wade said solemnly and a hint of annoyance. This rattled Ron. Why would Wade be annoyed?

"Why not?" Ron asked but was met with silence. "Wade? Wade! I know you're there. Damn!" Ron pounded his Kimmunicator and shut it off. "You think you know a guy."

"Cursing, Ron?" Nicholas said but was obviously miffed with the lack of information and the cold reception. "What's with him? I thought you guys were tight?"

"I thought so too," Ron growled. "Could four years change a guy that much?"

"What rankled me is that he seemed annoyed to even think of giving you a direct answer," Nicholas looked at Ron seriously. Ron learned to trust that look. When ever Nicholas went serious, his mind was cranking. "Do you think he's shagging someone and we interrupted him?"

"Shagging?" Ron asked, clearly confused.

"You know... getting some booty, getting it on... making..."

"I get the picture," Ron said and suddenly groaned. "And thank you. That's an image I never want to have. But I don't think it's that... simple."

"Mission related?" Nicholas asked and with a thoughtful pause, Ron nodded. "But why would he not tell you where Kim is?"

"Maybe it's because you made her cry," both men turned around and found the twins standing behind them. Ron looked away, the intense guilt he felt could not cover the fact that they were right. Seeing his repentant face, the twins sighed and smiled at him.

"I made her cry?" Ron asked, his voice soft his soul hurt. He'd never forgive himself for making her cry.

"It was during the first week of your disappearance," Tim said solemnly.

"She'd cry herself to sleep, thinking about you," Jim said.

"Sometimes..." Tim looked at his brother and sighed

"She'd touch the ring you gave her..."

"And she'd finally fall asleep," they said in unison. Ron had no idea that Kim was in that much pain.

"We don't blame you," Tim said.

"Not anymore, that is," Jim finished.

"But Wade does," they said in unison.

"Then Wade is a selfish arrogant bastard," Nicholas said to the surprise of the twins.

"You're allowed to swear?" they asked.

"Only if I really mean it," Nicholas said calmly, as if what he did was not wrong.

"Wade may have his reasons," Ron's hand fisted, trying to control his anger. "But I still don't like it. If anything happens to Kim..."

"Kim's on a mission," Tim said in a factual tone.

"Yeah, she, Shego and Yori went to get a stolen artifact or something," Jim said. Ron and Nicholas looked at each other and smiled.

"You don't happen to know exactly where they were going?" Ron asked. The twins smiled mischievously and gave him a Kimmunicator. Only this one was black.

"The Kimmunicator Ver. 3.0," Tim said.

"Better than what Kim had and unknown to Wade," Jim finished.

"Everything about the mission is in there," the twins said as they gave Nicholas another one.

"You guys rock!" Ron said as he browsed through the features. "Say, could this detect any form of microchip?"

"It could detect any tracking device Wade made," Jim said. "And we think it's sort of our fault Wade's cautious."

"We sort of beeped Kim in an inopportune moment and the bad guys kind of captured her," Tim confessed.

"It was a good thing Shego was there to watch her back," Jim said making Ron smirk.

"They're somewhere in Montana?" Ron said, reading the coordinates in his new Kimmunicator. "How are we going to get there?"

"If you don't mind testing something for us..." Tim started.

"We could solve that problem," Jim finished. Ron looked at the Preacher for guidance but he only shrugged. Sighing, he looked at the twins and smiled softly.

"Boo-yah," he said, hoping that he wouldn't regret his decision.

>>>>>>>>>>>

"As the saying goes, Possible-san, I don't like the feeling of this," Yori said as she, Shego and Kim watched as the streets fill with outlaws. Kim and the girls were hidden from view, watching the town.

It was an abandoned town from the days of the cattle. But now, it was slowly filled with every type of criminal there was. So far, Kim made out about half of the people there.

"What are they doing?" Kim asked, noticing that most of them were wearing western clothes.

"2nd annual Quickdraw competition," Shego said, looking through her binoculars. "One guess what the grand prize is."

"Are they out of their minds?" Kim said as she saw what the villains were carrying. Pistols, machine guns and even rocket launchers. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

"I believe that they are, Possible-san," Yori said. "But what is this contest?"

"Quickdraw," Shego said as she watched the town. "I heard about it last year. The fatality was high but since the bodies were those of criminals, GJ didn't pay any more attention than it should. The only way you could win is if you defeat all opponents."

"That's horrible," Kim gasped.

"A wild flower is still a flower," Yori said sagely. Kim and Shego looked at the ninja and sighed.

"A soul is a soul, no matter how dark it is," Shego mumbled making Kim and Yori look at her strangely. "What? I got that from the preacher. Speaking of which, was it wise not to tell Ron that we're on a mission?"

"I need to clear my head," Kim said evasively.

"Knowing Ron, he'll try to find you," Shego said and Kim knew it was the truth.

"That's why I told Wade not to tell him," Kim sighed. "I know what I'm doing is cowardly but..."

"Possible-san, you will have to face Stoppable-san sooner of later. It is better to get the things out of the way before everything falls apart," Yori said, sadly. "It is not his fault that he had hidden the fact that he has learned the ways of the gun for he fears the reaction you are showing."

Kim was silent. She knew what Yori said was true. Ron was like that. He would hide things just that she would not get worried. But she worried nevertheless.

"Fine," Kim sighed. "I'll talk to him when I see him."

"There's no time like the present," Shego said with a frown.

"What does that mean?" Kim asked. Shego gave her the binoculars and pointed to the town's entrance. Kim almost dropped the binoculars when she saw who it was.

Getting out from a well equipped dune buggy was the unmistakable forms of a man with blond hair and red coat. With him was a man in a blue suit, who looked around and felt, strangely, comfortable.

"What is he doing here?" Kim asked, voicing Shego's question only that hshe was talking about the other individual.

>>>>>>>>>>

"We're here," Ron said as he got out the dune buggy. The dune buggy was something the twins made. It could seat five and have enough concealed weaponry to start a skirmish.

"Explain to me why we are here?" Nicholas asked as he took his cross from the top of the buggy.

"The artifact is a rare blue diamond the size of an apple," Ron said, eyeing the men who walked the streets. "Somehow, in some sick way, it had become the main prize at this tournament. Which, I might add, gives me the willies."

"So the mission?" Nicholas asked.

"Primarily to retrieve that diamond. The question is, how?" Ron looked at Nicholas and was shocked to see that he was talking to Seňor Seňor Senior.

"Pardon me, my dear sir. But where do we register for the competition?" Nicholas said in an English accent.

"Ahh, my good man. The registration is located at the Sheriff's office," the rich villain said. "Are you by any chance participating?"

"Of course," Nicholas smiled. "Who is the favorite to win this year?"

"That would be Monkey Fist," Senior said. "He's quick on the trigger, they say."

Nicholas thanked the man gallantly and then waited for the man to leave before facing Ron.

"That's the craziest thing you had ever done," Ron said with a groan. "It's a good thing they don't recognize me."

"To them, Ron Stoppable is dead," Nicholas said as he carried his cross. "Just don't use your name."

"This has May City written all over it," Ron sighed. He and Nicholas entered in the annual quickdraw contest in May City and that turned out to be a disaster.

"We have the better chance of getting that jewel than the girls," Nicholas said as he fell into step with Ron. "I'll bet that even Miss Possible would have a hell of a time stealing that thing back. Look around you, they don't trust each other. That Jewel is guarded well."

"You have a point," Ron could see that he did. Nicholas had enough experience with outlaws to know what they were thinking.

"Now, let's do this," Nicholas said as they neared the Sheriff's office. "Before I change my mind," he added in a mumble.

"Name?" a scruffy looking individual was manning the registration booth and looked at Ron in askance. With a nod from Nicholas, Ron smirked and told the man.

"Stampede."

>>>>>>

End of 6

Next: Skill against skill, it would take more than that to come out of it alive.

Chapter VII: Competition