Chapter 18: Summer's End
Kim flipped her sweat-dampened hair out of her face and wondered about how she should be feeling right now. She knew that this was bound to happen sooner or later; he was a boy and she was a girl. Their active, intense life made this, for all practical purposes, inevitable. Still, she couldn't help but think that something precious to her, one of the last, tiny motes of her childhood, was now gone forever. Looking at Ron, who was still on his back, drenched in sweat and wearing an expression of joyful accomplishment, she wasn't about to feel bad, but maybe nostalgic. She smiled at her BFBF as he sat up to the applause of both his and her teammates, having just out bench-pressed Kim.
Since before Kim's freshman year, Coach Barkin had brought the football team in to compare bench-press maximums against the cheerleaders. He would then have each player, and cheerleader, calculate their strength to weight ratio. The main reason was to break down his players' excessive pride, by showing that the cheerleaders were stronger, pound for pound, than they were. Kim had always had the best strength to weight ratio, counting both cheerleaders and football players. She had always out lifted half of the football players, as well. It looked like she would manage both feats again this year, but she hadn't expected her BFBF to be one of the football players to posses more brute strength than she did.
She watched as Ron went to the blackboard to calculate his own ratio. Kim had already done it in her head and realized that she was still much stronger, pound for pound, than him. Still it irked her, just a little, that he had managed to beef up so much in the last year. She reprimanded herself for that thought, reflecting that most of the villains she fought also had a brute strength advantage on her. Shego, Motor Ed, Duff Killigan, and most of Drakken and Dementor's henchmen were stronger than she was; yet she routinely beat them. She was also, still superior to Ron when it came to a scuffle. However, she was slightly tweaked that he had managed that feat.
She shook her head as Ron completed his calculation. She reminded herself that she should really be happy for him, and proud of the fact that he was working this hard to help her. She knew that she would be able to accept the sitch, after a little time to come to terms with it. Ron gave her an almost embarrassed look as he wrote his ratio and name on a piece of tape. He then stuck the tape on a board that Coach Barkin had set up to keep track of the ratios, in descending order. Kim was impressed. Of the football players, only Oscar had a better strength to weight ratio than Ron did.
"Okay, Mad dogs," Barkin snapped at his players. "As you can see from this board, and your own calculations, every last one of these ladies is stronger than every last one of you, pound for pound. Since you obviously aren't going to overpower your opponents, we better get ready to outlast them. I want every last one of you to complete four laps around the track before I get back to the field. NOW MOVE IT!"
The football players scrambled out of the gym. The players who had been on the team last year knew the drill, it happened every time. The new players, like Ron, looked ashamed and scared, determined to put in the laps in record time. Coach Barkin talked to the cheerleading squad for a few minutes, thanking and complimenting them for their efforts. He then went to his office to do some paperwork before heading back down to the field. He would give his players just enough time to complete their laps before he arrived, if they hustled.
"Gee, now that our best player has graduated and moved on, what's the team going to do?" Bonnie asked the air, after the team and Coach Barkin had left. "I mean, what kind of season is it going to be if the low budget import's at the top of the heap at the end of this little contest?"
Bonnie delivered her last comment with a pointed, smug look at Cindy. Cindy, of course, immediately came off of the bleachers and moved to get in Bonnie's face. Tara, Liz, Jessica, and Crystal jumped up and pulled Bonnie away from Cindy while Ruth and Julie moved in to calm down Cindy.
"Just what's your problem with me and my boyfriend?" The brunette, former cross-country runner snapped at the Queen B. You never had much to say about either him or me until we started dating. Suddenly, he's low budget and imported and I'm slumming by being with him."
"Problem?" Bonnie asked back, with a massive look of false innocence. "What makes you think I have a problem? If you want to spend your time with the lowlifes, that's your business. I just hope everyone here keeps that in mind when we choose the squad."
"Lowli…" Cindy was actually an accomplished writer, not accomplished at arguing. She quickly sputtered into incoherence.
"Bonnie!" Tara snapped at her friend. "Oscar's a good guy!"
"He's dirt poor, has no style, and thinks that rolling on a mat makes him something," Bonnie snapped back. "Now if she," a chin gesture at Cindy, "makes our squad, she's going to bring us all down."
"ENOUGH!" Kim snapped. "I'm going to remind everybody here, especially Bonnie, about what we went through after a little lunchroom incident last year. That rule is still in effect. Bonnie, Oscar is a member of a Middleton High athletic team, which means if you start making these insulting remarks you're off this squad."
"You aren't going to win the regionals without me," Bonnie retorted. "Hope and Marcella were good. Replacing two cheerleaders is going to be hard enough. If you have to replace three, you can kiss that trophy goodbye."
"I can live without another trophy," the usually quiet Crystal chimed in.
"I agree," Kim growled, eliciting wide eyes from everyone else. Kim Possible, willing to not be the absolute best?
"Winnings not worth it," Kim locked eyes with her rival. "You're welcome to whatever opinion you want, Bonnie, but you're not welcome to cut down another student. Just like using the term 'Loser' last year. You keep using the term 'Low budget import' and you're going to find yourself looking for a new extracurric. Not to mention, cheerleading is giving you your gym credit. If you're off the team, you're back in gym class."
Bonnie was actually struck speechless; but only for a moment or two.
'You really seem willing to use your position as captain to help out your friends," she snapped at Kim. "I hope that everyone here remembers that when it comes time to choose the next captain. Cross Possible and you're off the squad."
With that, the tall brunette spun around and stormed off to the dressing room. The rest of the girls just looked at each other.
"Kim," Cindy spoke up. "Maybe I'd better quit. If I make the squad, it's only going to cause more tension. Bonnie obviously has a burr up her butt about Oscar, and I'm not about to break up with him for her sake."
"No way!" Liz jumped in, before Kim could speak. "We went through this before, with Ron. Bonnie had it in for him and none of us said, or did, anything to stop it. She told us not to talk to him outside of practice and we listened to her. We treated him like dirt, then we were actually surprised when he left the squad. We're not doing that again. If you make the squad, you make if fair and square and we all deal with Bonnie."
"She's right" Kim backed up Liz. "Tara, Bonnie, Mrs. Johnson and I are going to be doing the evaluations next Friday. If you impress everybody, you're on the squad no matter what Bonnie has to say about your BF."
Steve Barkin, or Coach Barkin at the moment, was a happy man. Although he had lost his best player to graduation, he had a solid base to work from for this year. First, both lines returned half of their starters and the second string players who were returning had been almost as good as those who had graduated. All told, his lines, the core of his team, were going to be better than last year.
He was also looking good in the defensive secondary and in receivers. The questions he had were in his backfield, but the answers looked to be pretty good. First, Flagg's backup at quarterback was solid and he was back for one more year. Then there was Stoppable.
Barkin had to smile when thinking about his student nemesis. The kid had definitely came to play the game. Sure, he was raw but he had some real talent. His speed was incredible and his conditioning was unreal. At first, Barkin had planned on making him a receiver but scrimmages had taught him that the kid just wasn't cut out for it. Sure, he was fast and had good hands but he couldn't recognize a blitz and play the part of the hot receiver. He also tended to get a little too physical with the secondary when the ball was in the air. Barkin had played him at running back and the kid was natural, if a little undersized. He was strong for his size, had great reactions and ran 'broken-field' style almost instinctively.
Coach Barkin frowned, thinking of the fullback position, then smiled when he thought about Oscar Williamsen. Sure, he was a little undersized for the position, just like Stoppable, but he was quick enough to make up for it. As today's little session showed, the kid was incredibly strong for his size. In addition to this, he could keep his weight low and deliver devastating blocks. While he didn't have Stoppable's incredible speed, Barkin had never seen anybody quicker within ten yards. In addition to his strength, balance, and quickness, the kid had great hands. Barkin made up his mind; Williamsen would be his starting fullback and Stoppable would be his starting tailback. Then the big man thought about what he could do with his undersized, quick, and sure-handed backfield and his smile grew absolutely fiendish.
"I'd like to say that it's good to see you doing so much better, but I have to admit that I find your improved health somewhat painful."
Shego smiled at the comment. She really smiled, no smirk, no sarcastic sneer.
"I'd say we've put in enough for one day, Monty," she informed her host, and sparring partner.
The nobleman sprang lightly to his feet and offered her a formal bow, which she returned with no trace of her usual, condescending manner. With that, he spun on his heel and walked in the direction of the creek. Shego watched his retreating back, her thoughts in turmoil.
The couple of weeks that she had been his guest had been good to her. Her enhanced healing had taken care of her wounds within the first few days. Then, she had borrowed a car for a quick, discrete run across the border into South Dakota. She kept a stash of spare clothing, cosmetics, and disguises outside of Sturgis. (She attended the rally, incognito, whenever she had the chance.) Once she recovered her stash, she felt much more herself but she realized that her months of inactivity had taken a toll. Thus, she had started to spar with her host.
She hadn't taken the full walking tour of the facility, so she was in for a shock when Monty showed her his handiwork. About a quarter mile from the house, a small creek wound through a shallow draw and supported a stand of trees. Monty had cleared out a small area, just enough for an outdoor dojo. The overhanging branches sheltered them from both the hot sun and any aircraft that may be looking down upon them. Using the lumber he had cut to clear the dojo, he had constructed other workout equipment. Thus, the woods along the creek were lined with chin-up bars, blocking and striking blocks, and a fairly challenging obstacle course. As a result of Monty's hard work, Shego was getting the most intense workouts, outside of her clashes with the princess, of her life.
She had started out by running Monty's obstacle course and doing a few katas. With her enhanced healing, she was soon up to using the blocking and striking blocks. Earlier this week, she had started sparring with Monty.
At first, her host had been able to defeat her fairly easily, but her superb training and conditioning had kicked in. Over the course of two weeks, she had gone from getting clobbered to being clearly superior to him. All during this process, he had been a perfect gentleman; critiquing her technique, strength and stamina, calling a halt when she was close to collapsing, and offering words of encouragement. Even when she recovered her skill and capability, he had remained supportive, enduring the beatings and striving to improve himself. But then, the tremendous help he had provided getting her back in shape was only part of the reason she felt so awkward right now.
The two of them had been sharing the domestic chores. As a seasoned mercenary, Shego had no problem pitching in to keep the barracks, mess facilities, and her uniforms in good working order. The fact that her barracks was a small, yet comfortable bedroom, and her mess facility was a small, efficient kitchen didn't matter to her. This was her home, for now, and she wanted to keep it neat, tidy and in good repair. She also had to eat, so she helped her host with the cooking. For some reason, doing these domestic chores seemed to make her and her host more open with each other. They chatted about past endeavors, both successes and failures. They talked a little about their plans for the future and what they wanted to accomplish. Shego had expected this to be little more that passing time, something marginally more interesting than staring at the walls. Yet, she found herself intrigued by her host and he seemed interested in her, as well. The real kicker had been the 'cake incident,' last night.
Shego and Monty were both capable, but unimaginative in the kitchen. The food that they put on the table was hot, filling, repetitive and boring. In an effort to alleviate the culinary tedium, yesterday evening they had cracked open a cookbook and tried to bake a cake. Monty had dealt with the cake while she had made the icing. The entire undertaking had been an unprecedented disaster. They had persevered, with Monty covering himself with flour and Shego splattering icing over everything that didn't duck, herself included. In the end, they produced a cake that actually tasted good, but was about the saddest piece of dessert in the history of mankind. They had also spent the better part of an hour cleaning up the mess they had made. But it wasn't the outcome that had Shego feeling so out of sorts this morning. The two of them had laughed while making the cake.
While it might not sound like much, to people like her and Monty it was very significant. The laughter had been genuine; not haughty, superior disdain or nervous, appeasing laughter. They had both laughed when Monty's first attempt with the sifter had resulted in a thin layer of flour over the entire kitchen and its contents (humans included). They had laughed when Shego pulled the mixer, still running, out of the bowl of icing she had been making. They had laughed when Shego tried to frost the deformed lump of cake that Monty had finally produced. They had laughed when Shego's efforts only made it worse. They had laughed while they cleaned the kitchen, while they changed clothing, and when they returned to the kitchen and looked again upon the fruits of their labors. Heck, they had even laughed this morning, upon seeing what they hadn't eaten last night. Such carefree, real laughter was more precious than gold to someone in Shego's circumstances.
This contemplation brought her back to the here and now. There was no good reason to stay at this safe house. She had her own, extensive, network of homes, bolt holes and hidden resources. She was back in shape and was every bit as capable as when the Princess took her down during the Diablo Assault. The only thing that she hadn't tested was her plasma bolts, since Monty had pointed out that they interfere with electronics and if she caused enough interference, someone might come looking. In addition to these factors, she wasn't getting paid to just sit around. While Drakken was still guarded by the UN, and out of reach, there were countless criminal organizations that would welcome her with open arms, and wallets. No, there was no reason to stay here any longer.
Except that she didn't want to leave… him.
Shego stepped out of the dojo area and leaned against a tree, shaking her head. She had led a hard life, so feeling like a crushing schoolgirl just wasn't her thing. She was no innocent; the vacations she took, to either the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, weren't just for shopping and relaxing in the sun. She went on these vacations fully intending on relieving some 'biological tensions.' This thought brought her up short. Was that the issue? Drakken had kept her running, keeping his Diablo Plot on schedule, for almost a year before the disastrous assault, so she was well overdue for another bout of 'tension relief,' but she just didn't think this was the case.
If she just wanted to relieve some tension, no strings attached, she would just walk up and tell him. He had lived a similar, hard life, so she was pretty sure that he would be just as capable of doing the deed and getting back to business in the morning. Heck, if she felt awkward about him, she could just take the pickup for a quick run to the nearest roadhouse, about a half-hour away. There were plenty of lonely farmers and ranchers at such places and they treated ladies right, even when drunk. While she didn't have a massive selection, she had fit, young men available if she wanted. The fact that she wasn't taking advantage of the situation told her that she wasn't looking for something quick and one-time. This bothered her even more.
A mercenary's life didn't allow for long term commitments and Shego wasn't emotionally wired that way, anyway. Sure, she remembered her encounters; she even specifically looked for a couple of them during her vacations. She didn't mind having a 'second round' now and then, but she had never even considered putting off going back to work to extend her dalliances, until now. What was really weird was that Monty wasn't the type she usually pursued. She tended to like the big, buff, pretty boys. Monty was wiry and fit and while his features weren't ugly, they were more plain than handsome. Finally, he was a little older than her usual playmate. She didn't know exactly how old he was, but she knew he was at least ten years older than she was.
All told, Shego didn't know why she was…interested…in the man. Beyond that, she didn't know what to do about it anyway. Shego heaved a massive sigh and headed for the house to take a shower. She had read that the Princess was dating the Buffoon, and wondered if she was having the same issues.
"The second step has been successful," Amy dictated into her recorder. "Both subjects appear to be in perfect health."
Amy looked into the pen, where the two, formerly crippled monkeys had been released to mingle with their fellow simians.
"Much like the first subject, these subjects appear to be trying to exert dominance upon other monkeys, even upon each other. This has led to a couple of fights, but they did not last very long. I suspect that both monkeys, having been disabled for so long, are flushed with their new, functional bodies. I will, however, continue to monitor these subjects."
"This success is sufficient to allow us to execute the ultimate goal of this program," she continued, walking towards her desk. "However, I will take this procedure beyond simple repair, to enhancement. By going this extra mile, I will assure myself that we are prepared to fulfill our end of the bargain, with no possibility of error. I shall immediately begin work morphing a spider monkey into a howler monkey."
Amy sent her file to her employer and began work on her next step. She would be able to initiate her procedure yet tonight.
'Soon, Monty,' she thought. 'I'm almost ready. Soon the two of us can be together again.'
"Mom, I'm heading over to Ron's," Kim called out as she walked to the front door. "I won't be late."
"Actually, Kimmie, I was thinking of going to the Stoppables' with you," her mother answered. "His parents are at home, aren't they?"
"Yes," Kim informed her. "It's not a date, mom, or anything like that. Ron asked me to check in on his 'big brothering' and while I've hung with him, and Hanna, nearly every day, I want to drop in unannounced, just to see how he's handling her when he doesn't expect me."
"Oh! Are you sure you won't be imposing on them?"
"No big," Kim answered. "I called his mom. His 'rents know I'm on the way but he doesn't."
"In that case, I think that I'll tag along and see the little bundle of joy for myself," Anne declared. "It's hard for me to believe that she's been there this long and I haven't even had a chance to see her."
With that, the two Possible women informed Mr. Dr. Possible where they were going, and decided that they would have a pleasant evening's walk to the Stoppables.
"So Kimmie," Anne asked her daughter as they walked. "Are you close to having another discussion with me about your boyfriend?"
"No," Kim answered, surprised that she wasn't blushing. "I mean, I want to but I don't think that it's the right time yet. I talked to Ron and he thinks the same thing."
"I bet the two of you take things right to the edge every once in a while, don't you?"
"Mom!" This time, Kim did start to blush.
"Oh, let your mother have a little fun," her mother smiled. "I'm actually impressed with you and Ronald. The two of you seem to have a much better grip on your feelings than I did when I first started to date."
"Uh, mom? I think we're heading into TMI territory here."
Anne Possible just giggled a little, happy that her daughter and Ronald had finally come to their senses and realized how right they were for each other.
Rufus slunk out of the nursery, having failed to locate his quarry inside. Tense, he edged towards his human's parents' room. The little mole rat sniffed the air, trying to track down his quarry. In a moment of lapsed concentration, he failed to check out the spare room. As he passed, a movement inside startled him. He took one look at the oncoming form and scampered for the stairs as fast as his little legs would carry him.
Jean Stoppable answered the doorbell. She expected to see Kim but she hadn't expected her son's girlfriend to be accompanied by…
"Anne," she exclaimed. "It's so nice to see you!"
"I hope I'm not imposing," Dr. Anne Possible shared a quick embrace with her friend. "But since Kim was coming over anyway I thought that this would be a good time to finally meet your new addition."
"Oh, it's no imposition at all," Jean Stoppable assured her, ushering the two redheads into the living room. "I'll let Ronald know that you're here."
"I'd like to check in on him myself, Mrs. Stoppable," Kim informed her BFBF's mother. "He asked me to make sure he was being a good big brother, so I wanted to catch him at an unguarded moment."
"Oh, that's fine," Mrs. Stoppable replied. "He's…"
Mrs. Stoppable was interrupted by a pounding noise from upstairs, moving from the spare room to the stairs. Within moments, Rufus scampered down the stairs as fast as a rodent could run. Kim, instinctively, dropped into a combat crouch as her BFBF's little buddy ran past her. Kim could have sworn that some of the little guy's chitters sounded like giggles. Rufus dove under the couch and Kim spun around, for pursuing the mole rat was….
Ron Stoppable came charging down the stairs on his hands and knees, Hanna stoppable riding him like he was a horse. The little girl was shrieking with laughter, with some of her shrieks sounding suspiciously like 'giddyap.' Ron didn't look to either side, but charged straight to the couch and slid to a stop.
"He gave us the slip, Han," he informed his sister. "But we'll catch him one of these times." Hanna's only answer was more giggles.
"Let's go hide again," he suggested to his passenger. The teenager turned around and started crawling back to the stairs. He looked up and suddenly saw…
"KP, Mrs. Dr. P," he stammered. "We were just, uh, playing around a little and…"
"I think your boyfriend's adjusting quite well to his new sister," Anne Possible informed her daughter.
"Those three carry on like that all the time," Jean Stoppable informed her guests, shaking her head in mock exasperation. "Of course, all of the activity makes little Hanna sleep better."
"Ronald," Anne Possible addressed the blushing young man. "I've walked all the way over here so that I can fuss over that child. Now come over here so that I can get a better look at her."
Ron followed his instructions, crawling over to his 'second mother' at a more sedate pace despite little Hanna's urgings to go faster. Mrs. Possible scooped the little girl off of his back and Ron got back to his feet.
"Now," Anne informed him. "I want to spend a little time talking to your mother and getting to know this little lady. I hope that you and Kim can entertain each other while I'm doing this." Anne punctuated her statement with a very direct look at the two teens, which made her daughter's blush match Ron's.
Later that evening, Kim and Ron lay, side by side, on a blanket in the Stoppables' back yard, looking at the stars. Little Hanna Stoppable was lying on Ron's chest, fast asleep. The little girl had grown restive in Anne Possible's presence, not being familiar with Kim's mother. The teens had taken the baby with them, allowing Jean and Anne to start a conversation that was still going on.
"Well, I can safely say that you're adjusting well to being a big brother," Kim informed her BFBF, idly playing with his hair.
"Well, so far she's been a lot of fun, KP," Ron said. "But I don't know what it's going to be like when I need to baby sit when I want to do something else."
"You'll get used to it," Kim assured him. "Your 'rents have already promised to not let it get in the way of any of your school activities and I don't mind missing an occasional date because of this little cutie." Now Kim touched Hanna's dark, fine hair. "In fact, I don't mind being the copilot during the babysitting."
"Thanks KP," Ron smiled at his BFGF. "Have I told you how lucky I am to have you as a girlfriend? I mean, it's not just that you're so cool about Han. I'm sooooo lucky to be dating you! The fact that you're cool with Han is a great bonus and I'm so hap-" Kim's finger on his lips silenced him.
"First of all, yes you have told me how lucky you are," Kim purred at her boyfriend. "Secondly, we're both lucky to have something like this. Third thing, Hanna's a doll, so it's hard not to be cool about her and finally, she's really doing me a favor right now."
"What's that?" Ron looked confused.
"She has you completely immobilized."
Kim caught Ron's face in a gentle grip and brought her lips down to his. Holding his sister as he was, he could only kiss back. Kim took full advantage of the situation, letting one of her hands roam, just a little, and using her tongue to search for his. The two teens were really getting into the action, to the point that Kim was deciding if she could set Hanna off to the side and take her place when Ron's eyes snapped open.
Kim almost groaned at the far-away, frightened look. Hanna snapped awake and started to cry, only to quiet down in her brother's comforting embrace. Kim did her best to provide the same comforting hold for Ron.
"Is it…" She prompted him.
"DNAmy did it again," he confirmed.
A/N: Again, I thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story. While I have tried to update twice a week, the mean cruel entity known as the real world has started to demand more and more of my attention. I'm probably going to have to drop back to one update a week soon. Please be patient.
Thank you for your reviews, I really appreciate them.
As always, my fondest thanks go to Joe Stoppinghem, for his ever-patiend beta services.
Till next update, best wishes,
daccu65