"Do you think there's any truth to Eda's story?" Amity asked, climbing into the sleeping bag that Eda had provided for her in Luz's room. Wearing Luz's shorts and tank top pyjamas was oddly both awkward and comfortable. Apparently they were made from a material the Human Realm had called cotton, and they were so soft.
Luz had a number of glowing orbs of magic lighting the room and began popping them one by one as she scooted into her own sleeping bag. "I don't know. Maybe she's just remembering something she say on TV; the Human version of crystal ball programs."
"Right." Amity replied, an increasingly familiar grin touching her lips. "So there aren't heroes there?"
"Not really like that Kim Possible girl, or even like you have here. Here, you have Demon Hunters, and jerk Wizards, and magic that can be used to stand up to bad people."
"Maybe. But even the bad people have magic, so it kind of equals out."
Luz thought about home for a moment, and the last shooter drill she had in school. She stopped herself before her thoughts started drifting to her mother and Vee. "Yeah, I guess it is kind of a matter of perspective." She rolled over onto her side to face Amity, feeling herself blush slightly as she looked her girlfriend in the eyes in the dim light of the moon shining through the window. "I hope you enjoyed our one week anniversary. I know it wasn't much of a date, but we have Lilith's New Job Party tomorrow, and…"
"It's okay." Amity smiled. "Do you ever imagine yourself saving the world, like Kim?"
Luz chuckled softly. "Me? Nah. I tried being like Azura; going on quests and saving people…"
"You save people all the time, Luz."
"Usually after putting them in danger in the first place." she frowned, and Amity matched her expression. "I'm sorry. I guess Eda's story reminded me how I destroyed my way home. Having the confidence to 'Do Anything'? That would be nice though."
Amity smiled at her new girlfriend. "You're studying all the magic tracks at school with no magic of your own. Seems to me like you can do anything too, if you want."
Luz had already nodded off and Amity moved forward to gently touch her forehead to Luz's.
Eda stretched and yawned as she entered her room, spinning her finger in an attempt to change into her usual sleepwear before remembering her lack of magic again. Heaving a tired sigh, she opened her wardrobe and the brown suit that she had last worn to Luz's Grom Night caught her eye. "Ah, Steve Barkin. I wonder where you're at now."
Each of her past flings had a reminder in her room. Most were trophies of how she had ripped them off and left them heart broken. An eyeball from the woman from the Toes, a red cap from a man she was temporarily married to in the Human Realm, Steve Barkin's suit; but none hit her as hard as the mandolin that poked its neck out from the chest in the bottom of the wardrobe.
It was barely a few weeks ago that Raine had been taken by the Emperor's Coven, and watching those kids be all lovey-dovey had brought up all kinds of feelings again. Maybe if she still had a portal, she could call or beep that Kim Possible for a rescue.
No, she could do this herself. She'd hire a Private Inspectergator to dig up what they could on Raine since she had last seen them.
Kim Possible straightened her Global Justice uniform as she stepped off of the hoverjet in the quiet little town of Gravesfield, Connecticut. It had been fifteen years to the day that her and Ron had been delivered here through a portal from another Realm that had nearly been destroyed by Dr. Drakken. Unfortunately, he and Shego had managed to escape just before and shortly after, they had graduated during an alien invasion.
"Mmmm. Smell that dairy air." Ron said, stepping up beside her. He may need glasses now, was slightly balding, and had developed a slight paunch, but he was still at her side through everything the world and beyond had thrown at them. "So who are we here to see again?"
"Someone named Jacob Hopkins. Dr. Director thought we were specifically suited considering we've been here before."
"Oh, right. The gross corpse world. Man, it has been awhile."
"Apparently, local authorities found him in a cage in his office, and he claims to have been assaulted by a resident in the community and her pet… demon."
"You think Ms. Clawthorne is back?" Ron asked as they started walking toward the police station. He was awkwardly adjusting his own uniform that always seemed to be tight in some spots and baggy around others.
"Let's find out." Kim replied, pulling open the door and stepping in. "GJ operatives Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. We're here to see a Mr. Jacob Hopkins."
"Who?" a young officer asked, barely in his twenties.
"Don't you know Kim Possible?!" an older officer asked, who was well into his fifties. "Teen world saver." he chuckled. "You babysat my son while I was in the academy."
Kim smiled and nodded to him. "How is Rodney doing, Mr. Campbell?"
The older man's face lit up at her recognition and he chuckled. "Fine, fine. Though he didn't follow in his old man's footsteps. Now, you were looking for a Jacob Hopkins?"
She nodded. "Can you show us to him?"
"We released him a few hours ago." Officer Campbell said, reaching back to pick up a sheet of paper and hand it to her. "We've had complaints about this guy before. He's a bit of a local character, always ranting about witches like it's the sixteen hundreds. He claimed a Ms. Noceda assaulted him in his place of work and ran off with a demon he had captured. I'm a little surprised you're here for something like this."
Kim read the statement while the officer spoke, and then handed it off to Ron to look over as well. "Have you questioned this Ms. Noceda?"
"Camila? Sure. She runs the local veterinarian clinic in town. Single mother. Husband passed away about a year ago. No connection to Hopkins at all."
"They always give us the weird ones." Ron said, handing the statement back to the officer.
"This seems pretty mundane for a weird one." Officer Campbell said, placing the page back where he had gotten it from. "We figure this Hopkins guy just seems to have a beef with Noceda for some reason. We're keeping an eye on him, just in case."
"Still, we're here. We'd might as well look into it. Thanks for the sitch, Officer Campbell. Say hi to Rodney for me!" Kim said, turning away and walking out of the precinct with Ron in tow. "Okay, so this does seem pretty basic if not for the talk of witches and demons, right?"
"Your Weird-Stuff-O-Meter is going off, isn't it?" Ron asked.
"Most def." she replied, touching the GJ badge on her lapel to activate a holographic image of Wade. "Wade, I need a background check and address for a Jacob Hopkins and a Camila Noceda in Gravesfield, Connecticut."
"Okay Rufus, keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious." Ron said as the little naked mole rat poked his head out of Ron's pocket. "We could be dealing with a criminal mastermind here."
The front door of the small bungalow home opened, revealing a surprised latino woman with red rimmed glasses and straight brownish-black hair down to her shoulders. "Hello?" she asked nervously, looking over Kim's uniform.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Noceda." Kim began with a reassuring smile. "We hope that we're not bothering you too much. We'd just like a moment of your time to chat with you about a man named Jacob Hopkins."
Camila's eyes squinted and she closed the door slightly. "I already answered the police officer's questions about that man."
"We know, and we're not with the local police. I'm Kim Possible, and this is Ron Stoppable. We're with an organization known as Global Justice, and we'd just like to ask you a few follow up questions…"
"Camila, what smells like mag…" a voice asked from inside the home as a young latino girl appeared in the doorway.
Kim looked down at her. She was around the same age that Kim had started her website and accidentally began her career of saving the world. "Hi there. You must be Luz."
Camila's eyes continued to narrow. "You seem to know a lot about my family."
"Are those chicharrones I smell?" Ron whispered, sniffing the air wafting out of the door. "May we come in?"
"Ron!" Kim scolded.
"Mmmm! chicharrones!" Rufus repeated, rubbing his paws together, and Luz's eyes went wide.
"You're a…" Luz exclaimed.
Kim looked from the naked mole rat to the young girl and back again. "A… naked mole rat? Or a palisman?"
Luz shrunk back behind Camila in obvious fear and the woman put herself between her daughter and Kim. "I think you need to leave."
"Wait! We're not with Jacob, and we've been there. To the… the Demon Realm." Kim whispered. It was something that only her, Ron, Rufus, and Wade knew. Even their parents and closest friends had never learned of their singular adventure through the dimensional portal. It somehow seemed crazier than being sucked through a television cable.
"Camila, I think they're telling the truth." Luz said in a different, now softer voice.
Reluctantly, Camila stepped away from the door to let the pair into the home and closed it behind them. She crossed her arms impatiently. "Please speak quickly. I have a snack on the stove."
"We're not in a hurry…" Ron insisted, taking a deep breath. "Ow!"
Kim gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs. "We won't take any more of your time than we need, Ms. Noceda." They entered the living room of the home and Kim turned to the woman. "Mr. Hopkins reported that you assaulted him. Why is that?"
"He was being handsy." Camila replied defensively. "But I already know that's not what you're here for."
"He also said that you kidnapped a demon that he had caught sneaking into his museum."
"I rescued… my daughter." she hesitated, placing a hand around Luz's shoulders, who was continuing to eye Rufus curiously. Almost hungrily. "Now please leave. You're stressing Luz."
Kim pressed her lips together in frustration before continuing. "Of course. I do have one more question though." she said, grabbing Ron by his arm and pulling him back toward the door before he tried disappearing into the kitchen. "Have you heard the name Eda Clawthorne?"
Camila's face dropped, revealing her recognition. "Do you know her?" Kim nodded. "Then maybe we should talk." she relented, closing the door and inviting the pair into the dining room.
As they passed through the living room, Ron nudged Kim and pointed out a number of photographs on a nearby cabinet that showed Camila and her daughter, who seemed very different than the young teen before them. The girl's hair in the photo was unruly, and she wore a striped t-shirt that looked as though it had just been taken out of a laundry hamper. The girl in the room was neat and tidy, with pinned down hair and freshly cleaned clothes that seemed to fit just a little too well for a growing teen. Kim and Ron sat at the table, and Camila removed her cooking from the stove top.
"This Eda… she's a good person?" Camila asked as she transferred the chicharrones to a plate.
"Enh…" Ron whined, earning him an annoyed look from Kim.
"She had a good heart when we knew her, if a little misguided." Kim admitted. "Can you tell us how you know her?"
Camila sat and looked at her daughter for a moment before heaving a sigh. "I'm afraid I don't know her. But Luz, my daughter, is trapped in the Demon Realm with her." she explained with a hint of anger.
Ron and Rufus eyed the young girl at the table in confusion as Kim spoke up. "And this is?"
"My name is Vee." the girl said, looking down at the table in embarrassment. "I'm the one that Jacob caught, and I'm from the Demon Realm."
"A few nights ago, Luz contacted me." Camila began. "I wasn't aware that Vee had even taken her place, but when Vee was caught, Luz appeared in a reflection and explained what had happened. I didn't believe her at first until I saw Vee in her Demon form."
"I'm sorry, her demon form?" Ron asked hesitantly.
Vee sighed, and suddenly her hair thinned down to an unkempt tuft, and her face widened, turning a smooth yellowish green. Her clothing faded, replaced by more smooth scales and her legs combined to form a single tail that rattled like a snake. Ron stood up and shouted in shock, and Rufus ducked back into his pocket. Kim, on the other hand, lifted an eyebrow in mild surprise. "I'm a basilisk. A shapeshifter. I need magic to transform, and I smelled some in Jacob's office. That's how I was caught."
"You said you were in the Demon Realm, Ms. Possible. How did you get back?" Camila asked. "The way Luz described this place she's stuck in… I don't understand why she chose to stay there."
"I don't know why anyone would choose to stay there…" Ron said under his breath.
"Ron!" Kim scolded. "I'm sorry, Ms. Noceda. Eda was the only one we knew that had a portal to return, and we had to go to extreme measures to get there in the first place."
Camila rubbed her eyes and looked away for a moment before facing Kim again. "So there's no way…"
Kim touched the woman's hand and smiled. "If your daughter is with Eda, she'll be safe; and if I've learned anything, it's that anything is possible with a little determination."
Camila sniffed. "Luz certainly has that."
"We'll protect your secret, Ms. Noceda. We'll also make sure Jacob doesn't bother you either. We have a lot of resources. If we can find a way to bring your daughter home, we'll let you know."
"Thank you. For the help and the reassurance that my daughter is safe with this Eda person."
"It's no big, Ms. Noceda." Kim said with a nod. She stood, pulling Ron to his feet before he could take another chicharrones from the plate. "We'd better go speak with Mr. Hopkins now."
"Uhm, what about me?" Vee asked, wringing her hands. "We only took one deck of magic cards to help me transform."
"We'll ask the Yamanouchi Ninja School to part with a few artifacts from Monkey Fist's old collection to help you out." Ron said, stuffing another snack into his mouth before Kim pulled him away from the table.
Vee and Camila looked at each other and smiled with an embrace. Kim and Ron were soon on the doorstep of the house with the door shut behind them. Kim touched the GJ badge on her uniform again, summoning an image of Wade. "Hey Wade, we've got a bit of an issue here in Gravesfield. We'll need a memory wipe on a Jacob Hopkins, and some magic delivered to the Noceda household. Also, I'd like to get R&D on some dimensional travel gear."
"That's a big list, Kim. Might take some time… Okay, I've got a cleaner crew heading there now and Hana will be arriving with a few trinkets within the hour."
"You still rock as much as ever." Kim grinned, terminating the connection. "It sure feels good to help people again with boots on the ground instead of waiting for politics to catch up."
"We still have some time." Ron said, eyeing Kim with a smile.
Kim looked back at him with a confused expression. "For what?"
"It's our anniversary, Kim! Let's see who else needs help."