My disclaimer:
I know Disney owns "Kim Possible"...lock, stock, and Rufus. Before I get done, I will probably tick off a few more studios, too. If they want to sue me, they have to get behind all my other creditors. Since I am in south Florida, the line has formed to the right and goes all the way to Sacramento!
To all readers:
1) I really want to thank all those who have reviewed this story so far…honorable mention (HM) for AlyssC01, though the only review Alyss gave was Chapter 1… maxie2008 also gets HM, for reviewing two of the first three chapters…lxk gets the bronze, also with two chapters—only they were two of the last three, with a greater possibility of more to come…DRIFTA gets the silver, reviewing all but Chapter 4 and the latest one…And the GOLD goes to the one reader to have reviewed every chapter to date—Give it up for DARKON SHADOWS!!! The bronze, silver, and gold what, I have no idea, but thank you all!!
2) I did receive a few reviews questioning the story's placement in the "Kim Possible" category instead of somewhere else. I hoped the intensive focus on Kim & Ron in the last few legs…Oh, forget it! If you don't know it's a KP-universe story by now, you're too brain-dead to read this, anyway…I'm sure the Simpsons section of FanFiction would love your attention.
3) I was originally going to dive right into the next leg of the race, going back to 'surprise' clues as opposed to 'special guests'. The 'guest' concept appears to have shared all the flight properties of a lead balloon. However, I let the whole 'back-story' flow much too freely. Soon it became such a rich tapestry, I knew it needed to flourish on its own. This is especially true about how this interlude will play into the following three chapters…which will include the thrilling finish of the race.
4) No matter what I put here, it's still up to you, the loyal reader, to let me know what you want. Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok! (Sorry…got carried away there, but you get the idea.) Enjoy!
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(Off-screen voice of Phil): "Previously, on "The Amazing Race"…More surprises awaited our racers…
WE INTERRUPT OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAYHEM TO BRING YOU THIS 'SCB SPECIAL REPORT'!!
""""""""""
Eight Weeks Ago…
A physically-drained Kim Possible climbed up to her loft, her emerald eyes heavy and weary from her umpteenth show-down with Drakken and Shego. Her body ached from her auburn hair all the way to her clear-polished toenails as she gingerly pulled off her mission suit.
After a warm, soothing shower, she put on her favorite blue silk nightgown. Kim loved her nightgown for two reasons. First, it was loose and comfortable—perfect for letting her body breathe and begin its healing process after a mission. Second, she knew Wade's reaction when he saw her wearing it via the Kimmunicator—he was always too busy stammering and blushing to give her another mission before the next morning. Given he was an African-American pre-teen, she gigged at the thought of making him blush!
Kim crawled under her blanket and embraced her beloved plush Pandaroo. She looked up at the calendar and smiled. Tomorrow would be the last day of her junior year at Middleton High School. Her long, drawn sigh helped a lot of tension from her latest battle gently flow from her body and started her mind on its nightly wander before slumber...
'...no more worrying about the Food Chain...no more mystery meat with Ron and Mo while we long for the Senior Table...would that make the three of us 'Senior Senior Seniors' next year??' Kim giggled at that thought. '...At least schoolwork and cheer practice won't be there to interfere with any missions for a few months...'
…Then a sweeping revelation coursed through her so quickly, she shot straight up in her bed, fully alert and wide-eyed. She re-started her computer and visited her website to check her suspicions. She double-checked...triple-checked...then checked once more to be sure. In sheer astonishment, she confirmed her wildest mission dreams—every last one of her villains, from Adrena Lynn to the WorldWide Empire of Evil, was still in jail for at least the next six months...and not just any set of steel-reinforced concrete walls and titanium bars, but the veritable fortress known as Global Justice!!
At the realization of this, Kim could no longer contain her excitement as she jumped out of bed and twirled around the room with Pandaroo. She shouted for all of Middleton to hear...
"OH, MY LIVING GOD!! I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
A thumping sound was heard from the floor below, followed by, "Not if you don't quiet down and get to sleep, Kimmie-cub. It's half-past midnight!" The familiarity of her father's voice brought Kim's dancing to a screeching halt.
She giggled and called down, "Okay, Dad. Good night."
A rush of sweet relief made her virtually float back into bed and fall asleep.
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The next morning, classes began to wind down in their normal end-of-year manner. While Kim was excited about the news she learned last night, she had Wade go through those records again before she would surprise Ron with her revelation. She did not want to jinx it, just in case she missed something.
The last day of school meant a slightly early dismissal. This allowed students time to clean out their lockers for the summer. As Kim and Ron strolled toward their lockers, two Haz-Mat teams rolled a containment bin past them. Kim gave Ron a quizzical look. Ron gave her a sheepish grin.
"They're for me," explained Ron.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, KP..." Ron said as Rufus peeked out of his pocket. "...Where do you think I put my little buddy during class?"
"Riight..."
"And why do you think my pocket stays clean even though he stays with us through missions after eating all those Nacos and he has to..."
"WAY too much info, Ron!!!"
"Uh-huh, uh-huh! Ewwww!" chimed Rufus, waving an imaginary stench from his nose.
The three of them arrived at Kim's locker to talk to Wade on her mission computer system for the last time before it was packed away. Kim finally dropped last night's surprise on Ron just before logging in to talk to Wade.
"Kim," chirped Wade, "I got your message...I checked, double-checked, then triple-checked your findings."
Ron eagerly asked, "Could you check them again to be sure??"
"Okaay..." Wade typed a few more keystrokes. "...Yep. They're all on extended stay at the 'GJ Hotel', Ron."
Instead of waiting for Kim to sign off, Ron proclaimed, "BOO-Yeah!!" and turned off the computer.
In a sweeping move that even surprised Kim, Ron picked her up by her waist as if she were complete weightless. A soft blue glow swept over his usually-brown eyes. He gave Kim a strong, loving kiss, and proceeded to twirl her around the hall while shouting for joy…
"WE'RE FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
"NOT IF YOU DON'T PIPE DOWN, STOPPABLE..." growled Mr. Barkin, his stern eyes glaring at the couple while Ron was still twirling Kim. "...And WHAT did I tell you two about PDA?"
This made Ron freeze in place for three full seconds, with an ear to ear grin and a blue glow emanating from his entire body. Amazingly, he was still holding Kim in mid air, her entire body parallel to the ground. He maintained his gentle, firm hold on her waist with just one hand. Ron then moved the other arm away to point to Kim as if making a classroom presentation with a wall chart.
"Just working on some lifts for the cheer squad, Mr. B!" chirped Ron. It was only then that he noticed the simultaneously-dropped jaws of Kim, Rufus, Monique, Mr. Barkin, and dozens of Middleton students.
"...save-it-for-next-year-alright?" was the only thing Mr. Barkin could manage to say as he quickly ducked for cover in his office. Everybody else was still frozen in place.
"Whaaaaat??" asked Ron, as if glowing blue, twirling around your girlfriend with one hand and causing the faculty's Iron Fist to run and hide like a scared rabbit was an everyday thing. After a moment, the other students resumed trading goodbyes and finishing up their own lockers. This was when Monique finally approached Ron.
"Uh...Ron?"
"Yeah, Mo?"
"You can't help Kim clean her locker until you put her back down."
"Oh...yeah."
His eyes returned to their normal soft-brown hue and his glow subsided as he gently lowered Kim onto a nearby bench. Kim's facial expression was that of wonder, contentment, and sheer bliss. 'So, this is what they mean by Heaven on Earth', she surmised as her mind was still floating through the air.
After they (mainly Ron) finished cleaning out her locker, Ron led Kim out to her car. She was still in a state of euphoria in reaction to Ron's kiss, but was starting to feel the effects of his twirling speed. 'Wow...I must have been pulling four G's on those spins', Kim thought.
""""""""""
Ron could tell Kim was in no condition to drive, so he picked her up, opened the passenger door, and gently placed her in the front seat. After securing Kim's locker contents in the trunk, he buckled her into her seat belt. With Rufus checking on Kim throughout the trip, Ron drove her back to the Possible house.
Ron carried Kim up to her porch and gently placed her in the patio chair next to the door. He leaned down to Kim's frozen grin and kissed her once more before turning to face the driveway. As he walked with Rufus to the sidewalk, he finally heard Kim's faint voice...
"Ron...how...when...??" was all she could say, now a full hour after his one-man pyrotechnic display.
Ron turned back toward the porch, ran to Kim's side, and knelt down beside her.
"KP, are you OK?"
Kim was smiling, but still groggy, "Yeah...peachy...what happened? How did you do that...How did I get here? When did we—" Ron put a finger to her lips, pulled the other patio chair next to hers, and sat down.
"One, I love you and just showed how much; two, I can explain; three, I drove; four, we got here just a moment ago." Ron's gentle smile turned serious.
"Kim, we need to talk..."
"WHAT???" Ron's last five words sharply sent Kim crashing to reality! She heard them several times before, each before a massive heartbreak—first from Walter Nelson and his interlocking braces, then Josh Mankey when he fell for Tara, then Eric/Synthodrone #901 just a few weeks ago. Her green eyes shot wide open as she sat up stiffly in her chair. It was only then that Ron realized the potential meaning of those last few words.
"Kim...KIM...nonononoNoNoNoNoNONONONO KP..." begged Ron. "...oh, God...No! NOT like THAT!!!" He quickly held her head and tenderly kissed her as he continued. "No. (kiss) No. (kiss) No. (kiss) No. (kiss) I would never mean that!!"
Once Kim was calm enough to begin returning his kisses, Ron made his best attempt to quickly clarify his previous statement. "I meant talk about our roles in these 'Save the World' missions, now that there is a break for a while..."
Kim was much more receptive than before, but still puzzled, "Our roles?"
"Yeah...you as hero, me as sidekick."
"Okaaay..."
"Do you remember our first clash with Monkey Fist?" Upon hearing this name, Rufus shrieked and hid behind Ron.
Kim's face was stern as she verbally defended herself, "I know I bailed on you guys to be with Cousin Larry for 'Family Game Night', but Monkey Fist was caught, right? I said I was sorry..."
"Wait, wait, wait, KP...you still don't understand. When Rufus and I caught up to him, we were zapped with something called 'Mystical Monkey Powers'. Ever since then, haven't you noticed I began running faster, jumping further, getting stronger, healing faster, and having the courage to take more risks in our missions?"
"Of course, I did. I thought you were just finally 'growing up', Ron."
"Not just 'growing up', but growing stronger in my power as well. So has Rufus. The vet says it has nearly doubled his potential lifespan alone, in addition to everything else it has done for me."
"Yeah," declared Rufus, as he proceeded to perform a full set of Muscle Beach 'pose-down' moves. This brought giggles from both Kim and Ron.
"KP," continued Ron, "I have to confess I could have taken down both Shego and Drakken last night, if I wanted to fully use my power. You saw what I could do with it today, right?"
Kim began to get that dreamy, hazy look in her eyes again, "Oooh, yeaaah..." she cooed.
"Head in the game, KP!! Look, all I ask is to be equal partners from now on. Let me take on the bad guys and you provide the distraction once in a while, ok? I know you worry about me getting hurt. That's just like I worry about you when you face the Bebees, Dementor, or Shego."
"Shego? Oof" Kim felt one of her aches from last night calling back to her. "Don't remind me...but Ron, she is trained in several disciplines of martial arts, not just kung fu. What makes you think you can keep up with her?"
She noticed a sly grin on his face as he stood up. It began to worry her.
"Ron, what are you thinking?"
"KP..." Ron said solemnly, "You know I love you. I really wish it wouldn't have to come to this, but you leave me no choice. I'd like to make a proposal..."
"WHAT??? First, you got me thinking you want to dump me...now you want to MARRY ME???"
Even Rufus had to smack his forehead, close his eyes, and shake his head at Kim for her latest outburst.
"No, no, no...There you go again!" stammered Ron. "I'm just talking about a little wager. Although I couldn't think of anything better than someday..."
"Now who has to keep their head in the game," chuckled Kim as she stood to face him eye-to-eye. "Okay, Mr. Tai-Xing-Pek-Kwar. What's the sitch?"
"It's simple, really...we spar...full contact...your entire arsenal of skills against mine. If I win, we get to be equal partners. If you win, I will never speak of this again. Do we have a deal?"
Kim backed up slightly into her fighting stance, flashing a wicked smile of her own. "As your buddy the Pain King says, 'Just Bring It,' Ro—"
Beep-Beep-BE-Beep!!
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!!!" they shout in unison.
"Jinx! You owe me a soda, Kim!!"
Still in shock from losing her first jinx ever to Ron, Kim grabbed the Kimmunicator from Rufus. "Talk to me!" she snipped.
Wade had a look of concern on his face. "Kim...I just heard about what happened at your locker. Are you OK now?"
"Never better, Wade..." Kim's devious smile returned. "...Just about ready to serve my boyfriend his head on a platter, that's all."
"You wish, KP!" chimed a playful voice from behind the Kimmunicator.
Wade sighed, rolled his eyes, and muttered out loud, "I'll never understand love, I guess."
Kim chuckled, "What's the sitch, Wade?"
"Guys, you've traveled to many parts of the world for missions, right??"
"Yeah. So?"
"...and you know the two of you are famous pretty much wherever you go, right?"
"Go on..."
"I mean, you two rank right up there in the cartoon world with the likes of Charlie Brown, Garfield, Bugs Bunny, Mystery Inc., and the Teen Titans, right?"
This list of the cartoon world elite brought Ron to the front of the Kimmunicator. It was his turn to talk.
"Don't forget Rocky and Bullwinkle," he added, "…but come on, Wade-man. Do we have a mission or not?"
"Oh, yes," beamed Wade, "you two have a mission all right. It's a very special mission. It covers the whole world. In fact, many would even call it 'Amazing'..."
""""""""""
9:03 AM—'Amazing Race' Day 9—Kuwait City
(PLAYBACK CONTINUED FROM LAST EPISODE…)
…Once they walked off the mat, Kim had to 'freshen up'. Now it was Ron's turn to pull Phil off to one side. A camera sphere followed them, to preserve the integrity of the race. It picked up the entire conversation:
RON: "Do you guys still have all those corporate 'tie-ins' for product placement?"
PHIL: "Sure, we do. Why do you ask?"
RON (giving Phil a handful of money and a greeting card): "I have the opportunity to settle an old debt, but I need your help to do it."
PHIL: "I'll be glad to help in any way I can, so long as it does NOT interfere with the race."
RON (writing down info on a piece of paper): "Oh, no—nothing like that! All you have to do is…"
…While the camera spheres recorded the rest of Ron's plan, producers double-checked to make sure it could all be done before Team Possible had to leave for the next race leg. Once they received the approval of 'Race' executives Jerry Bricklayer, Herman van Munster, and Thad Marster back in LA, the production staff was all on board to execute Ron's brilliant scheme…
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The 'Pit Stop' set-up was pretty much the same for every leg of the race. Just out of camera range was a set of benches, where catered food and beverages were served. Portable showers and private restrooms separated the dining area from a sleeping tent. Rows of identical cots and pillows, distinguishable only by yellow name tags on the outside cover, lined the inside of the sleeping tent.
Portable air-conditioners, blankets, and heaters were available to maintain a comfortable temperature. They were unnecessary in the residence hall in South Africa. However, the heaters were appreciated during that cold early morning in Scotland. As much as the heaters were praised there, it paled by comparison to the appreciation for the air-conditioners used at this 'Pit Stop'.
Though the air-conditioners were running at full capacity, Kim began to feel uncomfortably warm as she writhed half-asleep. With one eye, she looked at the clock and noticed she and Ron still had four hours left in their rest period. The rest of the teams were also nestled in their cots, resting as comfortably as can be expected.
She rolled over toward the cot to her left and reached out to a softly-snoring Ron. Because of their close quarters during the race, he quickly became her second-favorite "Cuddle Buddy"—but he gained considerable ground on Pandaroo with every passing day.
As Kim extended her arm to caress Ron's jersey-covered chest, she smiled and returned to her slumber…
…She held hands with Ron as they walked up a hillside trail at Middleton Park. After enjoying a spectacular sunset, they packed up their blanket and began to walk back down the path.
A fog soon rolled over the trail, darkening their surroundings to nearly pitch-black. A weak flashlight provided their only illumination as the two of them continued down the path.
As they approached the edge of the park, a swarm of hideously-deformed 'Ronnies' pounced on Ron. At the same time, one of the men in the blue-and-green jumpsuits paralyzed Kim with a poison dart blown from a bamboo reed.
She watched helplessly as Ron successfully fought off the first five of the 'Ronnies'…and the next ten…and the next twenty after that. Wave after wave of the crazed she-beasts finally sank their claws into Ron and swept him into the fog.
Kim's blood ran cold as she heard sounds of torn clothes, broken bones, and Ron's agonizing screams from the wafting darkness…
"ROOOOOONN!!!!" Kim screamed aloud as she shot up straight to her feet. A quick look to her left found…an empty cot. She looked around the rest of the tent. Only an hour had passed since her last glance at the clock—yet she was completely alone in the tent. This only made her more desperate for…
"ROOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!!!"
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…Ron and the other competitors were placing streamers and balloons all around the dining area. He was especially pleased to receive a shipment from a local vendor. He began taking its contents and stacking the items into a huge pyramid display on the center dining table. His smile turned to complete horror as he heard a blood-curdling scream from the sleeping tent…
"ROOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!!!"
…Ron quickly ran into the sleeping tent to find Kim on her knees, sobbing and screaming out his name. He scrambled over to Kim, brought her to her feet and held her as she continued to cry for three solid minutes in his arms.
After Ron finally calmed her fears enough, they both sat on the side of her cot. She explained every gruesome detail of what she saw in her mind.
"Oh, Kim-Kim-Kim-Kim-Kim-Kim-Kim-Kim…" he murmured. "It was only a nightmare. It's all over…Those girls won't hurt you here. Be still…Be still…I'm here, we're safe, and it's all going to be okay…"
Somewhere in the dark recesses of Kim's analytical mind, a small voice expressed concern about what Ron muttered in her ear—he said the 'Ronnies' won't hurt her, instead of can't hurt her, since the dream was over. The other 99.985 percent of her body was just thankful to have Ron holding her at that moment.
"Actually," Ron spoke, "I'm actually glad you're up now. I've got something to show you."
Kim was still shaking, but sheer curiosity replaced sheer terror in her mind as Ron led her out of the sleeping tent. Still, she was naturally taken aback when the tent's flap was raised and she heard…
"SURPRISE!!!"
It took Kim a moment to take it all in. Balloons and streamers covered the dining area, with a banner on the far wall reading, 'Happy Anniversary, Kim & Ron!'
"Oh, Ron," Kim chuckled, "it's so beautiful…but we've only been dating for a few months."
"KP, I know that," Ron declared, "but it's been thirteen years today since we first met in Pre-K!"
Kim began to ponder Ron's statement. 'Middleton Pre-K did start a few weeks before regular school back then,' she thought. After doing the math in her head, she realized…he was right!
Kim turned her attention to a pyramid in the middle of the dining area. The pyramid rested on a table and had a blue tarp covering it.
Ron gave Kim an envelope with one hand, while holding the tarp with the other one.
"For you my love," Ron declared as he removed the tarp. It revealed six cases of Popsi-Cola, Mountain Rush, Croc-Ade and Aqua-Refina water.
Kim opened the envelope to reveal a card, along with an invoice. Normally, she would have read the card first. The twenty-page invoice, however, sprang out from the envelope to grab her attention. Scrawled across the top of the invoice was a simple message:
"KP,
Jinx debt 'Paid in Full'!
Love, Ron"
Kim threw her arms around Ron, yet looked at the pyramid and did some quick mental math again. "Hey," she said, "I jinxed you a lot more than this. And what's with the varieties, anyway? You know I like regular Popsi."
Ron was quick with his answer. "KP, even I get a burrito or tamale at Bueno Nacho now and then. It's not just a Naco every time…"
At this point, one of the camera spheres began to flicker a projection on the wall of the sleeping tent. No sound was available, due to the race's 'outside-communication' ban. However, it was showing the front driveway of Kim's house, along with the following information on the screen:
Possible House
6:27 PM local time, Kuwait
9:27 AM local time, Middleton, CO
"…and according to the invoice," Ron continued, "the rest of the shipment should be arriving right about…now!"
Within seconds, a tractor-trailer emblazoned with Popsi's familiar red-white-and-blue 'Wavy cube' logo pulled up to the Possible driveway. Attached to the trailer of the truck was a smaller trailer, containing a pre-fabricated storage shed.
Soon, the Possible family rushed out of the house to see what was causing so much trouble. The driver handed Mr. Dr. Possible an invoice and the applicable permits for the shed. Within three minutes, a full construction crew appeared and installed the shed in the backyard. Soon after that, the Popsi driver and his assistant began the process of loading the shed to its capacity with virtually every variety of soft drink in the Popsi-Cola family of brands. As they continued to fill the shed, Kim noticed some of the varieties on the loading dollies and began to question Ron about them. For every question, Ron seemed to have the perfect answer, as if was all part of the plan…
"Caffeine free? What's up with that?" she inquired.
"Kim, you and I both know you can't drink all this soda by yourself. I also know how much of a good heart you have toward sharing."
"For the 'Tweebs'?"
"You got it!"
"Riiiight!" said Kim, smiling and rolling her eyes just a bit. Those rolling green pools soon turned angry as she saw what came out next…
"DIET??? You got me DIET soda?? Just what are you trying to tell me, Buster???"
Believe it or not, Ron had the perfect answer for this, too.
"Like I said, you can't drink all the soda yourself…" He looked at Kim with a knowing smile.
"Wade!" they said in unison.
Without thinking, she blurted out, "Jinx! You owe me a—"
At that moment, Ron whipped out a bottle of Popsi from his pocket, causing his pants to fall down—again!! His brand-new boxers with the Popsi-Cola 'cube' logo were on display for the whole world to see.
"Never mind!" said Kim, her chuckle growing into a full belly-laugh to match those of everybody else in the room, including Ron.
Kim then picked up the card from the table, where it landed after the invoice debacle. The front of the card had a blue background filled with stars, with one brighter star shooting across the rest of them. The words 'Happy Anniversary' were written in script above a professional drawing of Ron's tree-house. A much-younger Ron was shown in the tree-house, staring toward the brighter star. 'He sure didn't skimp the details on this card,' Kim thought as she stared at the overall beauty of the scene.
The entire room stood still when Kim opened it, as the card began to play a familiar tune from a classic soundtrack:
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wishupon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
The song's background accompaniment continued to play. Although the card's inner message was displayed in a professional type-set, Ron's voice was heard reading the message aloud:
"KP,
Thirteen years and one night ago, I sat in that tree-house for the first time since my dad finished building it. God Bless that man…
I knew I was starting Pre-K the next morning. Brick Flagg, who lived next door at the time, told me all kinds of horror stories as to what happened in that place. I heard about bullies picking on kids smaller than them, those boring assignments, and pranksters playing tricks on kids during nap time. The only Rufus in my life then was only in my mind. I knew I would need more than that to survive Pre-K!
That's when I wished upon the shooting star. I hoped and wished with all my heart to meet a friend—someone to laugh with, someone to cry with, someone to share snackage with, someone who needed me to have their back almost as much as I needed them.
The next morning began just as I feared. Within twenty minutes of getting there, I was surrounded by some of the meanest four-year-olds to ever hit the playground—headed by Little Miss Rockwaller herself! Though I knew it would not be of any help, I thought I could at least get the teacher's attention by calling out for Rufus.
At that moment, you flew into my life—it was probably more of a back-flip than flight, but I didn't care. The bullies ran away, and you extended a friendly hand to me. With the touch of your hand, I felt an intense wave of calmness, along with the feeling of a tiny additional seed being planted in my little heart. I knew right then my wish had somehow come true.
Over the next 12-plus years, we shared each other's victories, heartbreaks, and—ultimately—missions. We hit a few rough spots, but our friendship grew and endured, along with that little seed. A few months ago, I finally came to realize the true meaning of that seed planted so long ago—it was originally a seed rooted in friendship, but now it has blossomed into a solid tree of love.
I know we must face more challenges in the times to come—senior year, college, and life-threatening missions galore. Yet, I actually look forward to the greatest challenge of my life ahead…loving you now…and for the next thirteen years…and for the next thirteen lifetimes to come."
The volume of the music resumed its previous level. However, it was Ron in his newly-developed "calm" voice that sang a reprise of the last verse:
"Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams…come…true
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, KIM!!
With love from your BF/BF,
Ron"
""""""""""
By the time Kim looked up from reading and listening to the card, she noticed every eye in the room was moved to tears—including both of hers. It was all she could do to melt in Ron's arms and continuously whisper, "Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you…" in his ear.
Ron's other ear, however, soon picked up a skeptical voice from the background. It belonged to Bugs Bunny.
"Hey, Doc," began the rabbit, "I thought you could only get about a minute on those music cards. That must've been at least four times as long. How did you manage to fit all that on there?" This realization brought on more than one look of wonder about that same thing from the other competitors.
Ron raised a hand to explain. "You all know my little pink buddy, Rufus, right?" This brought on a round of head-nodding from all who were in hearing range.
"Well," he continued, "Rufus told me all about his little mission with Kim while my folks and I—and apparently they, too—were in Paris." This brought on a sheepish 'oops' look from Kim's blushing face.
Ron went on with his explanation. "It seems he swallowed a prototype microchip that caused him to be chased by a bunch of bad guys all the way up and down the Eiffel Tower. Once the chip was returned, its rightful owner was determined to be a greeting card company. All I had to do was call in a few favors and lay down a few extra tracks—but it was all worth it, just to see her reaction!"
Kim never broke her embrace during Ron's explanation, so she heard every word of it. The same voice in her mind from before was also nagging her about the last sentence. 'What did he mean…a few extra tracks?' the voice screamed at her. That voice, of course, was greatly overwhelmed by a rampaging heart, which ignored everything else just to take in its much-needed dose of 'Ron-shine'.
""""""""""
THIS HAS BEEN AN 'SCB SPECIAL REPORT'…WE NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULARLY-SCHEDULED CHAOS ALREADY IN PROGRESS!!!
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Author's ending notes:
1) I want to thank all of you again for your patience during this interlude. This little aside is crucial to the 'set-up' of this story's next three—and final—chapters. I assure all of you the 'Race' will return to its full-scale insanity with the next chapter.
2) The production of this story, like that for any work of fiction, is solely dependent upon the constructive feedback of its readers. If you like it, I will gladly make more. If you think of ways to make it better, I am always open to suggestions. If you really think it's a piece of garbage, stop me before I strike again!! Once again, Review me, e-mail me if you wanna reach me! If you want to 'PM' me, that's ok!
Your friend in writing,
The Samurai Crunchbird