Thanks to whitem, Nightwing 509, Whisper from the Shadows, AtomicFire, mkusenagi2, campy, Commander Argus, Zeerak, Classic Cowboy, JPMod, crashfourit, spectre666, Matri, RealityBreakGirl, Wanderer3, Ezbok58a, conan98002, MichaelCross, TransWarpDrive, daywalkr82, US.Steel, Taechunsa, Star-Eva01, Zaratan, The Mad shoe 1, Josh84, Disco Jesus, Uru Baen, Texas Dad, Molloy, surforst, Wind Falcon, Yuri Sisteble, momike, Slyfer, Darkcloud1, and jasminevr for reviewing and to everyone for reading.
Thanks to campy for his beta and proof work.
Write a review, get a response. Seriously.
Check out Molloy's Until the End of the World. The first chapter of what promises to be an epic, literate tale with action, adventure, romance, and at least one mention of zebras is up and waiting to be read by you.
If you saw it on KP, it belongs to Disney.
I.
Kim was disoriented.
She had been in Ten Forward, where she had been holding Ron's arm and had rejected Rayna's offensive and bizarre offer to buy him before witnessing the surreal verbal jousting over principle and expediency between the Orionisi ambassador and Admiral Nechayev.
But now she found herself standing on a dirt road in front of an old-style Earth gas station. A rather bored-looking man sat in a rocker gazing into the distance while a woman, wearing a long crinoline dress and a straw boater, looked at a bulletin board; she was the very picture of ennui. Kim was feeling very conspicuous in her Starfleet duty uniform.
"Excuse me," she said to the man in the rocker. "Where am I?"
He stared silently at Kim.
After a few moments, the woman turned and looked at Kim. "Would you like me to tell you where you are?"
"Please and thank you," she said.
"You're here."
"Uh, thanks," Kim replied. "Could you be any more specific?"
"You're right here. You're not there."
Spankin', Kim thought.
"Don't mind them, they're not used to visitors."
Kim spun around. "Q!"
"In the flesh!" he said, his arms spread wide.
"Where am I? Who are they? What's going on here?"
"Kimberly Ann, you really are quite the explorer. Plunked down in the middle of nowhere and you're still filled with curiosity and a lust for knowledge. It's quite inspiring, really …"
Kim stood with her hands on her hips and glared at Q.
"… Okay, okay. You're in the Continuum, the one on the left is Q and the one on the right is Q, and you and I are here to continue your education."
"The Continuum … The Q Continuum?" she asked.
"The one and only! Accept no imitations," the omnipotent being replied. "So, what do you think? Exciting, isn't it?"
"Actually, it seems kind of …"
"Dull? Like that Friday night back in high school when you assumed Stoppable would be available to do whatever you wanted, but you learned that he had actually had the gall to make plans with his compadre Felix, and none of your other little friends, not even your incredibly weird Cousin Larry, could come out and play and you just had the most dreadfully boring Friday night ever?"
Kim's jaw clenched. She stared at Q through narrowed eyes. She didn't like being mocked by Q. Especially when everything he said was true; for reasons she couldn't explain, the memory of that evening still rankled her. Finally, she snarled, "Yes." After a pause she added, "No, this is even worse. And that's saying a lot."
Q clapped an arm on her shoulder. "For a human, you really are a perceptive one." He then looked around and added sotto voce, "Now you know why I like to spend so much time hanging around with Jean-Luc and poking around your universe. This place is terminally boring."
"Q," Kim said impatiently, "I still don't know what your sitch is, but I really don't have time for this right now …"
"Yes, yes, I know. Stoppable's about to take a one-way trip to slavery," Q said dismissively. "Worse things could happen to him, you know."
Kim stared at Q goggle-eyed. "Worse than slavery? You are so not serious!"
"He could have dated that Rockwaller woman. She'd have eaten him alive. Or your old roommate, Yori. Sure, she seems all sweet and innocent on the outside, but deep down inside – she's one tough customer."
"Q," Kim growled.
"Okay, calm down, Miss I-don't-have-a-sense-of-humor. You're missing nothing."
"What do you mean?" she asked. "They were talking about Ron!"
"We're in the Continuum. Beyond the bounds of space and time. There is no time here. See?" he said, pointing to an outdoor clock that had no hands. "While you're here, you, too, are timeless. You've stopped aging. Neat, huh? Anyway, when you go back to Enterprise, no one will know you were ever gone. So humor me."
"Why?" she challenged him. "I really have more important things to worry about right now."
"Because," Q replied, his voice now devoid of all warmth or humor, "Your and Ron's lives, not to mention those of the nine billion people on Earth, depend upon it."
II.
Ambassador Lord Montgomery Fiske listened to the exchange between Nechayev and Rayna with mounting excitement, though one would not have known that from his expression. To all around the table, he was the very epitome of the phlegmatic Englishman who could blithely contend with any and all situations, regardless of their patent absurdity or potential for epic disaster. But beneath the composed diplomat's placid façade, Fiske was doing a mental jig. Rayna, the green-hued temptress, the overlord of criminals, was presenting him with the path to galactic domination that he had long sought. He was not prepared to speak, still wanting to see how the heated conversation between the ambassador and the admiral would conclude, but he was now sure that he could soon be rid of Ron Stoppable and in possession of the Blade of Kahless.
III.
"The most important thing in my life is that Ron and I love each other," Q said to Kim in her own voice. "Do you remember saying that?" he asked.
"Yes, I do," Kim said. "That's why I married him. You were there. Remember?" she retorted sharply.
"Mmm. Yes. I do. You know, you may have set a record. You dated, what, a week?"
"So not the point, Q. You're omniscient. You know that Ron and I have both loved each other for a lot longer than a few days. In fact, you knew how we felt long before we did. You probably knew we were meant to get married before we were born."
"Touché, Kimberly Ann," Q said with a slight nod of the head. "But I still wonder if you really know what true love is and what kind of sacrifices it might require. Sure, you married the ugly …"
"Watch it," Kim growled.
Q held up his hands. "Okay, okay. Beauty's in the eye of the beholder," he said. "But tell me, back to sacrifices. Are you willing to give up that uniform?"
"Yes."
"Your freedom?"
"Yes."
"Your very life?"
"Yes, Q, I am," Kim said impatiently.
"Good," the omnipotent being said. He paused, then continued, "Because you may have to."
Kim and Q, facing one another, stood quietly.
"You look troubled," Q said. "Doubting what you just said?"
"No," she replied with conviction. She turned from the omnipotent being and looked down the seemingly endless road. "I just don't want to die. I only want to grow old with Ron. I know you're omniscient and all-powerful, Q, but do you have a best friend, a real best friend? And I'm not talking about you and the captain …"
"I beg to differ," Q said indignantly. "Jean-Luc is my best friend in the universe!"
"Then why'd you introduce him to the Borg?"
"So you'd have a fighting chance when they arrived. How do you think you would have done if they'd just shown up unannounced?"
"What about the whole trial sitch at Farpoint Station? I've been briefed on that."
"If some of my fellow Q had their way, there would have been no trial. Just a summary judgment, and then you and I would not be here because you and all of your kind would have been wiped from existence," Q said testily. "Instead, Jean-Luc and I bonded, and your troublesome species was given another lease on life."
Kim looked at Q and, despite herself, found herself smiling. "This is so whack. You really think you're the captain's friend."
"I know it," Q said imperiously.
"Then imagine that you and the captain had known each other your entire lives, that you'd laughed and cried and joked together and hurt and helped one another, that you'd shared good times and dangerous ones, that you'd actually bared your souls to each other. Then imagine you gave your hearts to each other. That's what it means for Ron and me to be best friends." As Kim spoke, her eyes began to tear up. "On top of that, and don't ask me why, because it just is, Ron and I have a deep physical attraction to each other that's part lust, but also something deeper. It doesn't matter if we're both scarred or he's got big ears or I have a small bust, we want each other. We're best friends who were lucky enough to find out we were in love. You've twice asked me if I know what true love is. Believe me, Q, I do. I know Ron would do anything for me. And I hope he knows I'd do the same for him, because I would. Because I love him. Do you understand? I love Ron."
Q looked into Kim's eyes and could see the sincerity that infused her words. He wasn't ready to tell her, but he believed her.
IV.
Mama Lipsky and Drak Force One held station in a debris field at the edge of an uninhabited solar system while Enterprise and the marauders were located two light years off in interstellar space. Thanks to Du and Carter, though, the evil squadron was able to keep abreast of its quarry's movements. The two shuttles hovered quietly, keeping careful watch over Enterprise while holding communications to a minimum lest the Federation ship detect any transmissions.
On board Drak Force One, Shego was stretched out languidly, reading a data padd and sharpening her clawed gloves. Drakken, meanwhile, was busily fiddling with a gadget. Eric was seated at a workstation.
Eric cast a surreptitious glance at Drakken. The blue-skinned scientist was manifestly proud of Synthodrone 901, talking of him as if he were a son. To Eric, that made sense – Drakken was his creator, the man who brought him into being. He was his father, really. Shego was another matter. Eric had been programmed to recognize her as being beautiful. But there was no affection for her – nor was there animus. Indeed, he felt no emotion towards her.
Eric, done looking at his companions, returned his attention to his data padd. He knew what he had to do. Shego would not pose a problem. Drakken, however, was another matter, and he would have to think of how to best deal with that complication.
V.
"Okay, Possible or Stoppable or whatever you're calling yourself these days, here, as you like to say, is the sitch," Q began after taking a deep breath. "Big things are happening, bigger than you can even imagine. Decisions you make now will affect the lives of billions, indeed, the fate of the known galaxy. I can't tell you what's going to happen or what to do, since that may – no, will – affect your choices and thus the course of events – and thus inadvertently bring about the outcome you least desire. But I can tell you this: be alert, know who your friends truly are. And remember this: Alpha-White-Beta-Orange-Gamma-Purple-Delta-Black-Epsilon-Red. Oh, and this, too: Alpha-Orange-Beta-White-Gamma-Black-Delta-Purple-Epsilon-Red. Now repeat …"
Kim looked skeptically at Q, wondering what kind of game he was playing, and found herself growing ferociously uneasy. The impishness she had often seen in his eyes was not present. He was being serious. And given what she'd seen and experienced already of his abilities, she knew that if Q was being serious, she needed to pay attention. She took a deep breath and repeated the sequence; "Alpha-White …"
He made her repeat it over and over until she could rattle off the combination of letters and colors without hesitation.
"Well done, Possible. You have an impressive memory for a human," he said, his puckishness returning.
"No big," Kim said, trying to sound nonchalant as she sought to control her mounting worry. She still had no idea as to what was going on, and that bothered her tremendously. "Q, I know you can't tell me what's going on, but why are you doing this?"
"Because, believe it or not, you and Stoppable are my friends. Oh, and one more thing: make sure to repeat those sequences to Stoppable."
Without further comment, Q sent Kim back to Enterprise.
VI.
"Ambassador," Nechayev said, "Mr. Stoppable is a citizen of the United Federation of Planets. His freedom is not mine to bargain away. Nor are her marital rights something Ensign Stoppable can sell to you. Humans do not have marriage 'contracts,' at least not in the sense you are talking about. While humans exchange vows that are recognized by the state as creating a new legal situation, they do not exchange documents similar to the ones that would be executed were I to buy a shipment of duranium from you. Therefore, Ensign Stoppable doesn't have anything to sell to you."
"Then we have nothing else to talk about," Rayna said. "If you are unwilling to accommodate so small a request, how can I have confidence that you are truly ready to reach agreement on the larger issues before us?" She rose, then looked at her party, who had risen with her. "Come," she ordered.
"Ambassador," Fiske said as Rayna headed to the door. "It would be most unfortunate and … unnecessary … for us to end these negotiations prematurely. Perhaps you and I could talk in private for a few moments and see if we might reach an understanding that would allow us to proceed with our conversation."
"Are you suggesting you might be willing to make other concessions?" Rayna asked.
"I am merely saying that the Federation Council very much wishes for these talks to be successfully concluded." Then, looking at the officers, Ron, and Bonnie, he added, "And sometimes success is more easily attained when fewer people are involved in its pursuit."
"Understood, Ambassador," Nechayev said, recognizing that Fiske was probably about to start making offers that she would prefer not to know about. "Captain, Ms. Rockwaller, Mr. Stoppable," she added as she headed to the doors leading to the corridor. "Ensign, please escort our guests to the transporter room."
Rayna looked at her companions and smiled. "Wait for me there."
The largest of the Orionisi men merely nodded his head.
Moments later, Fiske and Rayna were alone and talking.
VII.
Picard sat behind his ready room desk and rubbed his temples. The last thing he'd needed to hear that night was that one of his officers had actually paid a visit to the Q Continuum and learned that something significant yet unspecified was unfolding.
His first instinct was to suspect that it had something to do with the PDVI and the Romulans. But since Q was involved, he couldn't be sure. He rose from his chair and asked the computer for an Earl Grey tea. As the drink materialized, the door chime sounded.
"Come," he ordered.
Counselor Troi walked in.
"Hello, Captain."
"Counselor, what brings you by at such a late hour?"
"Something told me that you might wish to talk after tonight's round of negotiations."
Picard smiled. "Deanna, have I told you how glad I am that you are half human? If you were wholly Betazoid I would be able to keep no secrets from you. May I get you something to drink?"
"No thank you, sir," she said with a warm smile.
Picard gestured to the couch. Troi took a seat, placing her hands on her knees, and Picard sat down beside her, crossing one leg over the other. He sat quietly and sipped at his tea. Then he told Deanna about the evening's events.
"That would explain the waves of anxiety radiating off of you, Captain."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Only to me, sir. You would make a very good poker player."
"Thank you, Counselor."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"That is what I find so frustrating. I'm not sure there is anything I can do."
"What bothers you most out of all this?" Deanna asked. "Q?"
Picard looked genuinely surprised. "Oh no. While I can never fully trust him, I do believe he sees me – and now Kim and Ron – as friends. Not that that is a cause for comfort or complacency. However, I feel that Q, as manipulative and inscrutable as he is, is trying to be helpful this time. And as much as I would prefer to know what is going to happen, I cannot fault Q for honoring our right to make our own decisions. Indeed, it is as if he is being … respectful."
"Then what is bothering you?" Deanna asked.
"Ambassador Fiske. The Orionisi. I do not trust them."
"I can understand Rayna, sir. But why Fiske?"
"Counselor, have you noticed anything odd about him?"
"No, sir, I have not. He is a very guarded man, and he has numerous secrets. But he is a top diplomat, so that is to be expected."
"That is all well and true, Deanna. However, while I cannot put my finger on it, I suspect that he is up to something. I only wish I knew what it was."
VIII.
"Oooo, wow. Oooo, KP. That is badical! Ooooh …. Boo. Yah …"
Kim smiled as Ron voiced his approval as she worked on the knotted muscles in his shoulders. She couldn't blame him for still being so tense. She was tense when Rayna talked about buying Ron; she could only imagine how he felt.
"… Have I told you lately that I love you, Kim?" Ron moaned.
"Not in the last few minutes, actually."
"I love you."
"Glad to hear it, since you're stuck with me."
"Even if I wind up as some Orionisi feminina's boy toy?"
Kim stopped massaging Ron's shoulders and wrapped her arms around him. "The only person whose boy toy you're going to be is mine, got it, Mr. Possible?"
Ron grinned. As much as Kim's words were meant to be playful and salacious, they were also comforting and reassuring. Ron couldn't help but feel safe around Kim, and it wasn't because she was a martial arts expert or trained Starfleet security professional. He'd always felt that way, ever since his abortive attempt to help her in the pre-K playground led to her having to rescue him from the bullies who had originally targeted her.
He reached up and placed his hands over his wife's and closed his eye. "This has been one weird day, hasn't it?"
"Ferociously," she agreed.
"Sorry," he said, a note of resignation in his voice.
"Why are you apologizing?" she asked.
"KP, don't tell me that this is how you saw your wedding day going down," he said.
She couldn't help but laugh. "No, Ron, it wasn't. I didn't expect it so soon. I didn't expect it to be on the bridge of a starship. I most definitely didn't expect it to involve Q. But it did involve you as the groom, and that makes me ferociously happy."
"Really?" Ron asked. Part of him still couldn't believe that Kim Possible had actually married him, Ron Stoppable.
"Really," she said before nibbling on his ear. "Sure, it's been a crazy nine days. But all I can keep thinking about is how we've come together since you stepped off that transporter platform. Realizing that I was in love with my best friend in the galaxy has been incredible, Ron. Sometimes I feel like I'm dreaming …"
"I know what you mean. Then I find myself fighting Klingons and wonder if I ate too many chimeritos before I went to bed."
"You really are weird," she said before tousling his hair. "It's a good thing I love you," she added playfully before saying gently, "Together, I think we can do anything, Ron."
"You really think so?" he asked.
"I know so, Ron. Don't get me wrong. You were right. We're going to make mistakes. Big ones, I'm sure. But we'll make them together. And we'll learn from them together. And I'm sure that we'll be talking and laughing about them in a hundred years when we're at the Chez Leisure in New Middleton gumming our food."
"I don't know why, KP, but that," Ron said, his voice breaking, "is so beautiful …"
Kim was sure she heard sniffling.
"… I – am – not – crying," he added.
Kim freed one of her hands from Ron's clasp and began to gently wipe away the tears on his good cheek. "I love you, Ron Stoppable. Don't you ever forget that. Ever. Promise?"
"Yeah, I promise."
They sat quietly for a while.
"So," Ron eventually said. "Can I take my bon-diggity wife to bed?"
"Please and thank you," Kim whispered into his ear.
IX.
"So how was the wedding?" Bonnie asked.
Worf paused before answering. "Unusual."
"How so?" she wondered.
"It was highly irregular," he barked.
"Hellooo," Bonnie said a bit caustically. "Worf, this is a wedding, not some battle we're talking about."
Worf looked genuinely surprised. "A traditional Klingon wedding is evocative of battle. The souls of two warriors are united, preparing them for all challenges. If they are fortunate, they will fall together in combat."
Bonnie snorted. "You must have slept in the morning of Romance 101."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Worf," she said evenly. "Kim may be wound a bit too tight for my tastes, and she has a holier-than-thou 'tude that I so don't need, and Ron is always going to be a dork, no matter how brave he is. But at least now I can be objective and say that the idea of two childhood friends finding love in one another's arms is sooo sweet. I mean, those two have been joined at the hip since, like, forever. They're together. They deserve romance, candles, whispered sweet nothings, rose petals …"
Worf looked at Bonnie with surprise; he'd only known her for a couple of days, but this sentimental side of her was something he'd have never predicted.
"… zero-gravity sex …"
That, however, was something he expected from her.
"… and all you're talking about," she said in a mockingly low voice, "is blood, guts, and gore."
"They are warriors," he said defiantly.
Bonnie snorted again. "Worf, take a look at those two. They may be warriors. Hell, they're definitely both whacked, the way they use those swords and things, but they're still just a couple of inexperienced kids."
"Unlike you," Worf said evenly.
"So unlike me," she said with a wolfish grin.
"Perhaps you are right. I will consider that. But there are other reasons that I found the ceremony unusual." Worf, after swearing Bonnie to secrecy, then explained the involvement of Q.
"You were wearing a tuxedo?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes," he replied petulantly.
Bonnie began to snicker, then laughed, then guffawed.
"It is not funny," he said.
"Not funny? Fearsome Klingon Warrior Worf in a bowtie. A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Worf watched Bonnie laugh. He still found her to be narcissistic, cutting, and calculating. But he remained intrigued by her. She was able to peek behind his façade in a way that no other woman had ever been able to. That she could so after so short a period of time alarmed and excited him. He took a moment to see things from her perspective. Finally, he had to make the admission: what she had just described was a rather preposterous image. He began to smile, then he joined Bonnie in hearty laughter.
As Worf and Bonnie reveled in the absurdity of the situation, and began to talk of others they had experienced, they both realized that they had found something more than a quick fling. They had each found, despite the difference in surface appearances, a kindred spirit. They had found a comrade, a friend.
X.
Fiske's talks with Rayna had gone well, very well. The two diplomats had been able to reach an accommodation that would provide for the swift and successful conclusion of the negotiations the next day. There were just a few more details to attend to, and those could wait until the morning.
The Englishman was excited; his ambitions were closer to fruition than ever before. He knew he had to remain rested and focused.
He assumed the lotus position and meditated. When the serenity chime sounded he exhaled and smiled.
It was good to be centered.
It was even better to know he would soon be Supreme Klingon Ruler.
XI.
Long before either Kim or Ron acknowledged amorous feelings for the other, both had entertained fantasies of passionate lovemaking on their wedding night. Both assumed that was what was done.
What neither had accounted for were the problems of being dog-tired, of having to work all day, of dealing with someone wanting to buy one of them, of the other visiting another plane of existence, of coming off of adrenaline rushes. So after Kim massaged Ron, remembered to repeat the sequence that Q had shared and they had cuddled, they both fell into a deep slumber.
When Kim awoke the next morning, she was confused. She expected to find Ron beside her in the bed. Instead, she was alone.
She sat up groggily, then became more alert as tempting aromas began to waft into the sleeping area of their quarters.
Bacon, she thought. He still has some of the bacon. Spankin'! Kim's first thought after waking had been to make love with her new husband. But those thoughts were shunted aside as she envisioned a plate of hot, fresh food from Earth. Who needs sex, when I've got his cooking? Of course, I'll need sex to work off all the calories from his cooking. This is so the win-win situation. Kim giggled, amused by the way she was thinking. She may have loved Ron, may have married him, but she also knew part of her would always see him as the goofy, hapless little boy in the playground.
She stretched, then climbed out of bed and padded her way into the small galley, where she found Ron.
"Mmm. That smells ferociously good. Are you taken?" she asked.
"Yeah. Red-headed babe. You don't want to get on her bad side, though. I hear she's got the mad fu martial arts skills."
"Really? She sounds pretty tough."
"You better believe it," he said as he took the bacon out of the pan, removed some of the grease, then began pouring the egg batter in. "And the kung fu thing isn't the worst of it. You really get on her bad side, she'll cook for you."
Kim stared at Ron through narrowed eyes. "So not funny," she said with a pout before her eyes rested on the counter. "Oh my gosh … Is that …"
"English farmhouse cheddar."
"And you're putting it in the eggs?"
"Yep."
"Okay, you can insult me all you want, if you're going to feed me that."
Ron grinned. "Sorry 'bout the crack, KP. But here's an idea. Why don't I teach you how to cook?"
Kim groaned. "Ron, you've tried that. Remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, I do. And the folks at the Culinary Institute seem to have put that unfortunate incident behind them." Kim's foray into one of the Institute's teaching kitchens was almost as memorable as Ron's infamous childhood visit to Utopia Planitia. "Seriously, Kim. If Worf can teach me to be a warrior, the Rondo can teach you how to cook."
"I don't know, Ron," she said dubiously.
"Kim, you can do anything, remember?"
"Okay, maybe I was being braggy when I said that."
"Nuh-uh," he said, all the while slowly scrambling the eggs. "I believe in you. Now come over here."
Kim reluctantly complied. She stood in front of the small range. Ron placed himself behind her. He put the whisk into her hand, then wrapped his other arm around her waist. Then, he gently took her wrist and guided it to the pan; he began guiding her hand.
"See, KP? You're cooking!" he enthused.
Kim smiled as she looked down at the almost-scrambled eggs. "You're too much, Ron."
"I am what I is," he said. "Now, if I were you, I'd be telling my hottie husband that he should let me take the pan off the burner because my eggs were done."
"Hottie husband, eh?" she said wryly.
"Yup."
"Okay, hottie husband. The eggs are ready."
"Excellent," he said as she removed the pan from the range. Ron took the eggs from Kim and served them onto waiting plates. Then he put the bacon beside them. "Breakfast is served."
Kim allowed Ron to pull out a chair for her, then watched as he set the plates down. She smiled as he brought over the coffee and juice. She looked at her plate, then began to laugh.
"Okay, you've just lost me, KP."
"I'm sorry, Ron, it's just that when you put the bacon down it made a smiley face. Mom used to do that when she made sunny-side up syntho-eggs."
"I don't remember that," Ron said as he began to tuck into his breakfast.
Kim snorted. "That's because you usually polished off your facon with inhuman speed."
"Ah yes, Ron Stoppable, Mars' most efficient eater."
"You know our children are going to have better table manners than that."
Ron stopped eating. He looked at Kim and blinked.
An awkward silence descended on the table.
"Oh gosh, Ron, I just assumed you'd want a family …" she said.
Kim cringed as she realized that while she and Ron had talked about a lot of things in recent days, they hadn't talked about everything. She wondered what other surprises there'd be for them to deal with. Try as she might, she couldn't help but look disappointed.
"No, no, KP!" Ron protested. "I'm cool with kids. Really. It's just the idea of you and me. Wow. I mean, I know we're married and all. But still. I mean, your DNA and mine mixing it up like that. Wow. I mean. Wow. You actually want to have kids with me. Me. Ron Stoppable having kids with Kim Possible. Wow."
Kim, relieved, smiled and rested her chin on her steepled hands. "I'm not ready to start now, but I'm really looking forward to having a family with you. You know you're going to make a great dad, Ron."
"You think so?"
"Yeah, I do. I can so see you giving our baby horsey rides and making funny faces and goofy sounds and …"
Ron looked at Kim across the table as she talked and imagined the future she was describing, and felt like the luckiest man in the universe.
XII.
Yori spun on her heel and kicked out. Kim barely dodged her attack.
Yori then did a double back flip, pivoted, and pressed forward with a one-two punch combination that Kim blocked.
Kim responded by hooking her ankle around Yori's and tripping up the Asian woman. Yori landed on her rump and shook her head.
"Very good, Kim. I am pleased to see that even though you now have a job of leisure, you are maintaining your skills."
Kim laughed as she saw the grin with which Yori delivered her jab. "Yeah, I actually need to work out more, sitting in that big comfy bridge chair all day is so not good for my bottom."
Yori extended a hand and Kim helped her to her feet. As she rose, she noticed the band on Kim's hand. "I am most pleased for you, Kim."
"Thanks, Yori. I'm glad you were able to join us. Hard to think that a little over a week ago I was jealing over you and Ron."
"Jealing?"
"Jealing. Jealous. The moment you two left Ten Forward for the holodeck I began to wonder what I'd done. I think that's when I first began to realize just how I really felt about Ron."
"I see," Yori said, remembering the kiss she had shared with him. It had been nice, very nice, but she had left her interest in Kim's visitor behind once it became clear he was interested in Kim. "Given the result, it is my honor to have aroused your jealousy."
The two young officers left the holodeck and boarded the turbolift. Yori exited first. She waved to Kim as the doors slid shut, then began walking down the corridor to her quarters.
Her comm badge chirped.
"Tanaka here."
"Lieutenant," the refined voice said. "Would you be so kind as to report to my quarters immediately. I have a most urgent assignment to discuss with you."
"Yes, Lord Fiske. I am on my way."
With a deep-seated sense of trepidation, Yori turned on her heel and made her way back to the turbolift.
XIII.
Eric hefted Drakken's limp form into the escape pod. The blue-skinned scientist was now lying next to Shego, who was also unconscious. It had been easy enough for the synthodrone to surreptitiously adjust the life-support controls so he could cut off the oxygen. It wasn't long before his two human companions had fainted and he was able to put them into stasis, using the portable devices that Drakken himself had invented and for some inexplicable reason had on board Drak Force One.
Eric took a final look at the man who had created him. "Bye, Dad," he said before he closed the hatch, exited the airlock, and sent the capsule on its journey into deep space.
XIV.
"Good workout?" Ron asked.
"Mmm. Yes, but not as good as this," Kim replied.
"You gonna say it or should I?" he said with a laugh.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"You know. There's nothing like …"
Kim groaned. "… Some good clean fun," she finished. She then took one of Ron's hands in hers and kissed it. "Now, more lathering, less punning, please and thank you."
XV.
"You are aware that the fleet has been dispatched to the Romulan Neutral Zone?" Fiske asked.
"Yes, Ambassador. I received word from headquarters." Yori was referring to Section 31. Starfleet Command was going to keep news of the deployment confidential for as long as possible, though nobody in San Francisco believed they would be able to do so for more than a few days. After that, word would spread and with it, fears of intergalactic war.
"You are aware that we have been conducting negotiations with the Orionisi," Fiske stated.
"Yes. In order to secure our right flank," she replied.
"We have almost reached an agreement," he reported. "There is, however, one demand being made by our visitors that will require your services if it is to be met."
"I see, Lord Fiske," Yori said, wondering what the diplomat had in mind.
"I cannot overemphasize the gravity of the situation, Lieutenant. Ambassador Rayna has been explicit about this matter. A failure to cooperate by the Federation will lead to a rejection of the pact by the Orionisi. That, in turn, could lead to not only the Orionisi, but the Breen and other hostile powers launching raids on the Federation while our ships are contending with the Romulan threat."
Fiske, who was standing with his back to Yori, turned and gazed at her.
"Do you remember our conversation of the other day?"
"I do," she said.
"And does your answer still hold? I – no, the Federation – need to know if you can be relied upon to complete this mission."
"Yes, you may count on me," Yori said as she stood tall and squared her shoulders. "It is my honor to serve the Federation and defend its security."
"Very good, then. Here is what must be accomplished by 1100 hours."
XVI.
Ron wasn't really sure what to do with himself. Kim had left for the bridge, and he wasn't scheduled to meet Miles O'Brien until noon.
Finally, he poured himself another cup of coffee, thinking how much he was going to miss drinking the real thing. His eyes settled on the computer monitor, and he decided he would indulge himself in a guilty pleasure. He positioned the device so he could view the screen while he was lying on the couch. Then he plumped some pillows, kicked off his boots and stretched out.
"Computer, do you, uh, have videos of Nan Tastic?
"Affirmative. All 87 episodes and two movies are in the database."
"Badical!" Ron enthused. A few months earlier, he'd discovered the 21st century cartoon about a red-headed cheerleader who saved the world with the assistance of her goofy best friend turned boyfriend. He watched the show constantly. It was fun, amusing – and the characters reminded him of Kim and himself. He recalled watching the second movie and the fourth season, wishing that he and Kim were involved the way Nan and Bob Solete were. Now that his own fantasy had come true, he thought it would be fun to watch the show. He wanted to watch his favorite episode, "Forward Emotion," the one where a villain slapped a mood-altering device on Nan, causing her to crush on Bob. Ron had always felt for Bob when the latter did the right thing and didn't take advantage of his friend. Ron was delighted when during the second movie Nan discovered her true feelings for Bob and the two teens became a couple.
The theme music had just finished playing when the door chimed.
"Yo, come in," Ron called out.
The door opened, and Ron looked up to see his visitor.
"Yori!" he said, swinging his feet to the floor so he could get up and greet her. "What –"
Ron crumpled back onto the couch before he could finish his sentence.
"Forgive me, Ron," the young ninja said as she approached him. She looked down at his slumped form and added, as if trying to convince herself, "The good of the many outweighs the good of the one. Or the two."
XVII.
"Goodbye, Captain. It was a pleasure to meet you. I would especially like to thank you for your hospitality. It was most memorable."
"You're welcome, Ambassador," Picard said tightly.
Rayna smiled. "Relax, Captain Picard. You won't have to worry about sullying your virtue any further. I believe our pact will stand both our peoples in good stead for a long time to come."
"Let us hope so, Ambassador," Picard replied.
"I do, Captain. And good luck with the Romulans. The Syndicate would much prefer to have the Federation as its neighbor. Rayna out," she said before her image was replaced with that of three retreating Orionisi marauders.
XVIII.
"Ensign, how long until we reach the Neutral Zone?"
Kim did a series of calculations, then turned to Picard. "Traveling at warp 7.5 we should be there in approximately 20 hours, sir."
"Very good. We will hold station for another four hours; hopefully Mr. Du and Mr. Carter will have returned by then. Otherwise we will have to proceed without them."
Kim returned to her console, making preparations for the trip to rendezvous with the fleet. It was sobering to think that less than 24 hours after she was married she would be piloting the ship to a potential war zone. She was checking her calculations when her comm badge chirped.
"Stoppable here," she said.
"Ensign, I'm sorry to disturb you, but do you know where Ron is?"
Kim was surprised to hear the unmistakable brogue; Ron should have met O'Brien for lunch twenty minutes earlier.
"I thought he was with you, Chief?"
"He's not. I waited for him in Ten Forward. When he didn't show up, I called him, but there was no response. I'm standing in front of your quarters right now; I rang and knocked, but he didn't answer."
"Well, we did have a very full day yesterday," Kim said, not mentioning the full morning they'd also had. "He probably fell asleep watching a holofilm. Let me unlock the door for you."
Kim entered a series of commands.
"Ensign," Miles said, "Ron's not here."
What Kim found to be an unnervingly long pause ensued.
"And his comm badge is on your couch."
What Kim thought of as her weird-ar began pinging. She turned to the captain. "Sir, I'm sure it's nothing, but …"
"Understood, Ensign." Instinct developed through years of service told Picard something was not right.
"Sir, if I may?" Riker asked.
"Of course, Number One. Mr. Worf, Mr. Data, you're with Ensign Possible."
Kim, accompanied by Riker, Data and Worf, headed for the turbolift. She knew it was irrational, but she suddenly found herself wishing she'd had a tracking device implanted in Ron. Without his comm badge, the computer couldn't track his whereabouts. Now he could be anywhere on the massive ship.
XIX.
More than three hours later, Kim, with the assistance of Riker, Worf, Yori, the rest of security, O'Brien, Rufus, and a host of others, employing every tool available, had searched the entire ship from stem to stern.
She returned to the bridge, accompanied by Riker and Worf.
Picard looked up and saw the hard expression on the face of his young officer. He knew without her saying a word that something was wrong, very wrong.
"Sir," Kim reported, "Ron's no longer aboard Enterprise."
"Ensign, how is that possible?" Picard asked.
"I don't know, sir. But I have a pretty good idea of where he is. And when I get my hands on that Orionisi she is going to be so busted."
TBC …