Chapter 33 – Best Young Author and Best New Author Awards

"Thanks Wade," Kim said, closing her Kimmunicator and tucking it back into her purse. "I think we should… Ron!"

"What?" Ron said, mouth full with a second devil's food muffin. "I had to see if the green and blue were different flavors!"

"Are they?"

Ron and Rufus exchanged looks, and Rufus smacked his lips.

"I agree, buddy. We should try a couple more to be sure."

Kim shook her head. "Anyway… Wade said he found some pretty conclusive evidence on the security recordings. He's just waiting for Dr. Director's evidence analysis to confirm his suspicions. But in the meantime… Dover was approached by Dementor fairly early into the ceremony, so we need to question him."

"It's interesting how someone supposedly retired keeps getting connected to current crimes," Ron said as he stood, following Kim out of their row and back to where the professor was seated.

Dementor looked different from he had at the beginning of the ceremony, his suave deportment being replaced with a nervous anxiety. Next to him, Dr. Saira Bellum was frowning and seemed to be trying to get his attention, but the man was clearly distracted by something.

Notably missing from the group was Electroniqe, and Kim leaned over to whisper to Ron as they approached.

"I have a hunch that whatever he has to do with this, it didn't go the way he expected."

Seeing the duo, Dementor started in his seat and his anxious expression instantly turned into a scowl.

"Kim Possible!"

"You say that like you're surprised to see her at the awards show named after her," was Ron's greeting.

"Or like you have something to hide," Kim said as they stopped in front of him.

At that, Dementor started again and his expression went blank. Kim noted that Dr. Bellum looked almost too calm next to him.

"I am simply concerned about my wife," Dementor said, clearing his throat. "I don't suppose your Global Justice have caught up to her and that…that rotzlöffel?"

"Yeah, I have no idea what that means," Ron said, "but if you mean Game Controller, there's no sign of him. Hey, did you know he had electrical powers too?"

Rufus hopped up to Ron's shoulder and asked a question too quick for Kim to catch.

"Wait…does Electronique have powers?" Ron continued. "That's a good question, little buddy. Does she?"

The last was directed to Dementor, who scowled. "Vhat is it you want?"

"We want to know what you told Game Controller earlier this evening. The security footage shows you approached him."

"Vhy don't you investigate that ninja I saw switching all zhe light bulbs," he deflected.

"You're supposed to be retired," Kim pressed. "You have a contract with VILE."

"I have done nothing against zhe law nor against my contract. I sold one of my lairs to zhat young villain."

"The same lair that the you-know-what came from," Ron remarked.

This finally gained a reaction from Dr. Bellum, whose jaw tensed as her smile grew ever so slightly.

"Are you implying something, Miss Possible?"

"That's Mrs. Possible-Stoppable," the couple corrected in unison.

"Vhatever," Dementor said.

"Just taking inventory of all the facts," Kim added.

"Perhaps you can find out why my beloved seems to have involved herself in some absurd jewel robbery with zhat…zhat…"

"Hot dog?" Ron suggested.

"In other terms…ja."

"You know, that would fit his appearance more? The he could go team up with the condiment villains."

"Ron!" Kim said, and then leaned in gritting her teeth. "We've talked about this… Don't give our villains ideas!"

"Eh-heh, ehhh…"

"So," Kim paused to take a breath, and continued bluntly, "why did you go talk to him?" Kim asked bluntly.

"It was simply a friendly greeting to VILE's struggling newest member," Dementor said with a confident grin. "How would you feel, if all anyone knew you for was being the guy who was so incompetent he unintentionally destroyed zhe world on his first day?"

Kim and Ron exchanged a look. "But it wasn't actually his fault?"

"Truth doesn't matter," Dr. Bellum finally spoke up, startling Kim and Ron. "Only the story that's been sold and believed. He's a laughingstock among the villain community. And a bad investment for VILE."

Kim and Ron exchanged another look, and with her brow furrowed in confusion, Kim turned to leave. Dementor and Dr. Bellum shared a brief conspiratorial look as the house lights dimmed, and on stage the two hosts were seen emerging from the wings.

"Just one more question," Kim called over her shoulder as the lights dimmed. "What is your connection to Rebecca Starlet?"

There was no time for either of the duo to reply as the in-house audience retook their seats and the livestream resumed for the viewers at home. The commercial finally having ended, BCB stepped back to her podium and the auditorium lights dimmed.

"Welcome back! Boy, don't think I've ever said a variation on those words so many times… New respect for live TV hosts, am I right?"

The audience chuckled.

"We have nine more awards yet to present this evening. And starting out with Best Young Author, presenting the award is one of last year's runners-up. Please welcome BeatlesTributeMan!"

Beatle made his way to the podium to a chorus of cheers and affirmations about his stories. BCB stepped aside and he adjusted the mic at the podium. He straightened his tie as he looked up at the teleprompter.

"The high quality of Kim Possible shows in that the seasoned show still attracts new viewers to this day! And the youth of the Kimmunity represent the future of the fandom. Tonight's nominees for Best Young Author exemplify their talents. They are..."

Crazy Red Queen (excerpt from Floating)

Shego followed him over to the table, waiting for some kind of order. Weirdly, none came. Drakken merely ignored her and started going over old blueprints.

With a loud, heavy sigh, Shego decided to go to her room until he needed her.

As she was walking along the rocky corridors, her ribs started to hurt now that she had nothing else to focus on. She lifted a hand to press the side that was hurting. The slightest touch had her hissing in pain and removing her hand. Either Kimmie had broken a rib or she had severly bruised her.

It was strange to think that Kim Possible had done that to her. Any other time they had fought, she didn't hit her hard enough to do any serious damage. It must have been an accident, Shego concluded.

Shego eventually reached her room, unfortunately around the corner from Drakken's. Sometimes she would be woken up in the middle of the night by her boss practicing his victory speeches and evil laugh.

Opening the door and stepping in, she moved her hand back to her ribs when the movement of her opposite arm caused her pain.

When she entered her room, she immediately went into the small en suite and turned on the faucet of the bath tub. She didn't need to bathe, she had done that yesterday night so she would be okay until tomorrow, but she needed to soak her muscles in hot water if she was going to get through the rest of the day.

iconicgwen (excerpt from Ch 1 of Start of Something Good)

She groaned, but her small smile didn't waver. "Like I said, Doc, you're old-fashioned. You know I don't like all that mushy stuff." She crawled over to him , resting one hand against the arm of the couch and the other hand on the back of his neck. She pulled his face closer to hers, meeting him in another brief kiss. "I like you," Shego spoke as she pulled away, "And you like me, so we can give this a try... If that's what you want, anyway."

Drakken smiled genuinely, his heart pounding loudly as he delicately reached up to cup her cheek. He looked into her dark, shining green eyes. "Yes, it is." He answered truthfully.

As soon as his response escaped his lips, she closed her eyes and met him in a kiss again, pressing herself up against him. As the kiss lingered, he finally had a chance to respond to it. Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush against him, he deepened the kiss.

After what could've been minutes of kissing, Shego pulled away slightly, breathless. She rested her forehead against his for a moment , opening her eyes to see him looking at her with an adoring smile.

"Is... is this real?" Drakken asked, pulling back slightly and stuttering in disbelief. "I'm not dreaming... am I?"

Shego shook her head, moving her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. "You aren't dreaming." He hummed in happiness at her touch, and she crashed their lips together once again.

Sleeping was the last thing on her mind right now.

Sammieflute (excerpt from Ch 17 of Glow In the Storm)

It turns out, Henry's hand was fine.

But still, he doesn't know how he ended up making out on Dominique's bed.

Guilt and adrenaline surged through Henry's veins upon realizing that it had not been a full three days until he and Lindsay had broken up, yet here he was. Dominique had quite literally ripped Henry's shirt off, her hands running up and down his body as she pressed her lips on his, breaking the kiss every two seconds for air. The worst part about this is that he had returned the favor, and that he actually liked being this intimate with someone else other than Lindsay. God... why did this have to feel so good?

But jeez... did she have to be so aggressive? She had pushed him against the bed, his body in between her arms as she leaned in to kiss him. Her hands gripped the bed to steady herself. This was nothing like Lindsay; she was usually a lot more gentler than Dominique... Urgh. He was thinking about her again when he had Dominique right here! He was determined to not be thinking about Lindsay Greene, thank you very much.

Dominique's hands were now on Henry's shoulders, bringing his figure closer to hers. Henry's hands were on her waist as he kissed her back just as passionately. Perhaps if he did this the guilt would eventually go away if he put as much effort as she did. She licked her lips once. "Are you ready?"

Henry didn't miss a beat. "Yes."

"Are you sure?" Dominique asked again, with that naughty smirk.

"Yes." Anything to get rid of this feeling.

Dominique's smirk grew wider in triumph; she was victorious.

sammisue (excerpt from Ch 2 of If You Could Read My Mind, Love)

As distracting as Ann's ear-splitting screams were, Ol' Faithful remained focused on ushering the loving couple to the Middleton Medical Center. And as the screams grew louder, Drew started to doubt that they were going to make it in time. Kimberly Ann was not a patient girl. She was to be born on her own accord, and if that meant in the back of an old Sedan, then so be it. Though, neither Drew nor James knew how to deliver a baby and, while Ann tried her best to coach her husband, the torment that was her contractions morphed her voice into a banshee's shriek.

Nevertheless, that all came to an end with the soft cry of a newborn child.

Ann sighed, James wept, and Drew threw his fist up in victory, which collided with the roof of the car, cracking each of his knuckles. Ol' Faithful may not have made it to the destination in time, but she had a new label to add to her repertoire: the birthplace of Kimberly Ann Possible. Sadly, Kim's birth certificate simply states "Middleton Medical Center".

Drew never thought that he would feel consolation at the sight of a hoard of nurses in scrubs whisking Ann away, but, knowing that she and his newborn niece were in good hands felt satisfying. He may not have helped James pull Kim, but Drew was content that he was able to do his part in turning this happy couple into a loving family. Though, as he turned to survey this back-seat-turned-crime-scene, he was not too thrilled at the thought of cleaning up the mess. Stains that have been long since removed from the carpet will forever be ingrained in Drew's memory.

As Drew placed a firm foot on the porch step, he thought for a moment. All of his wildest memories with his car involved bodily fluids. The grimace returned. Gross, but not important.

The car laid silent on the asphalt. Ol' Faithful. What an apt name.

"And the award goes to...SammiSue !" Beatle announced the winner proudly.

Sammi, better known as Sheegs, nervously made her way to the seemingly vast stage, her dress brushing the floor in her wake. Truthfully, she was not expecting to win an award, nor did she prepare herself to make a speech in front of the Kimmunity, so it was time to make up something on the spot.

Finally reaching her destination, she grasped the microphone with her clammy palms. Her heartbeat deafened her as it reverberated behind her eardrums. A cold, chilling sensation traveled down her spine and out towards her fingertips, but now was not the time to let her own anxiety and stage-fright get the best of her.

With a deep breath to steady her nerves, she started her acceptance speech.

"Thank you, everyone," she smiled through her chattering teeth, "for this incredible award."

'What next? Just speak from the heart.'

"When I was a little girl, I found that my creative passions lived within the media I consumed. From a young age, I wrote fan fiction, drew fan art, and participated in fandom-related discussions on various platforms that existed on the internet at the time," she paused for a moment, the words that she desperately wanted to say next finding themselves stuck in her throat, "and if you, any of you, had told a younger me that her 'silly, little fanfictions' would seize the hearts of her audience, she wouldn't have believed you."

The corners of her lips turned slightly, a half-hearted grin towards the old, self-deprecating thoughts that once ran rampant in her head, all squashed by the love she felt in this very moment by a community she loved in return.

"She never thought that her own words could capture the vibrant and detailed ideas that filled her mind with creativity and passion. So, no, she wouldn't even dare dream of a time where she would win an award for her writing, but maybe, just maybe, a piece of her could be proud of the woman she would become. Proud of the stories that she would gift to the world through computerized screens. Proud of me for breaking through my own, damning thoughts to push ideas that I love towards others who love them too.

"So, thank you, again, for this incredible award; it's been quite the journey to get to where I am today. And thank you to those who have inspired me along the way. I couldn't have done it without you."

Head bowed, Sheegs walked back to her seat in the audience, tightly holding her Golden Rufus. She hardly noticed the resounding applause until her friend Gothicthundra gave her nudge, and then she looked up to see the whole of the Drakgo crowd giving her a standing ovation, beaming at her from behind their masks as they celebrated her long-deserved win.

"You deserve so much more than this, my friend," GT whispered in her ear before drawing her back to their seats.

Onstage, Sharper cleared his throat, ready to present the Best New Author award with a couple of the former Middleton High cheerleaders. Tara and Liz had already joined him and flanked him at the podium, wearing MHS alumni masks. Liz was wearing a striking red satin halter mermaid gown, accented with black diamond earrings.

"It's not only the young who keep this fandom alive," Sharper began.

"But anyone new who write for KP are welcome members in the Kimmunity!" Tara said brightly.

"Maybe they'll write some more stories about me, because, you know, I only have like three stories about me in the entire archive!" Liz complained.

"Liz!" Tara gasped, affronted.

"I'm just saying!" Liz retorted.

"Ladies! Let us not complain!" Sharper said nervously, and then hurriedly looked to the teleprompter. "Tonight's nominees for Best New Author are..."

Niaxi (excerpt from Ch 28 of And You and I)

Amy nodded, "that would be nice." She then looked down at the naked-mole-shark, "bye-bye, Ru-Ru. Mommy will miss you."

Ru-Ru waved a little paw and said, "bye-bye." The second the line went dead, he turned to Shego and gave her a mischievous grin that said, "I told you so."

"Yeah-yeah, well done," Shego said grudgingly, "just don't think I'm going to be that much of a pushover when it comes to the house rules."

She received a look that clearly said, "is that a challenge."

Rolling her eyes, she picked up the list Dr Drakken had handed her earlier. "Right, ready to head out and steal us some high-tech goodies?"

Ru-Ru grinned at her and gnashed his teeth, presumably at the prospect of getting to give some unsuspecting security guard the chomp, "uh-hu, uh-hu!" He then hopped down off the table and before Shego could stop him, scampered up her leg and into her utility pouch.

Instead of trying to fight with him, she simply pinched the bridge of her nose, urgh! At the rate I'm going, I might as well just put on the stupid teal headband and invite Kimmie out for coffee. She quickly shook her head. No, focus, Shego, you've got work to do. Besides, given the stunt you pulled last night, going for coffee will be the last thing Princess will want to do with you. Putting the thought to one side, she wandered out of the study. With Amy now safely dealt with, it was time to get to work.

gofordrakgo (excerpt from Ch 10 of Dwelling)

He found her silence worse than her teasing. By the time they made it back to the apartment, he had practically begun to beg her to talk again.

She smiled at him but didn't say anything until he said, halfway up the stairs, "Will you talk to me again if I say you don't have to help cook?"

She didn't pause to consider as she blurted out, "Sure."

Drew barked out a laugh, "You spoke! And I didn't actually promise anything yet! You still have to help."

He sprinted through their door as she lunged at him, and didn't stop until he reached the kitchen, clearly prepared to run no matter which direction she came at him from.

She almost gave in and chased him, but the thought of what she would do when she caught him - which she knew was absolutely nothing except tell him again that she would do anything but cook - gave her pause. Instead, she smiled with false calm and composure and sat down on the couch.

"Food poisoning will work well enough."

"You're not going to give me food poisoning!"

She turned her deliberately creepy smile back towards him. "Oh," she chuckled darkly, "yes, I will."

Drew paled but didn't waver as he repeated once more that she was helping him cook and that was that. Damn him. She should have given in and chased him. At least cornering him would have given her something more satisfying. She forced herself to keep up the act, leaning back against the couch to shoot one final eerie smile in his direction.

iconicgwen (excerpt from Ch 2 of Start of Something Good)

When a few seconds passed in silence, Shego opened one eye to look up at him. "What, not gonna fight back?"

"Nope. Too happy." Drakken answered truthfully.

A few more moments of calm silence passed, and Shego's stomach let out a growl of hunger, and her grin faded. "Well, not to interrupt your happiness..."

Drakken sighed through his nose. "I'll go make breakfast."

"More like lunch." She snarked, moving off of his chest so he could slide off the bed and stand up. "I think it's almost noon."

Drakken just nodded, sliding on a pair of slippers onto his feet. Just as he was about to move towards the door, he felt her reach out and grab his hand.

"Thanks. For making me food that is." She looked up at him from her position, lazily splayed out on his big bed like a cat. "I love you."

Although her tone was genuine, her eyes immediately widened after speaking, as if she hadn't meant to say it in that moment. But she blinked away her shock and, with a raised eyebrow, looked up curiously at Drakken. He felt a great weight being lifted off his chest at her sudden admission.

He squeezed her hand gently, a wide, dopey grin appearing on his face.

"I love you too, Shego." He answered.

MakeWolfStarGayAgain (excerpt from This Is Not A Death Fic)

Then he turned to the henchmen just beyond Drakken's view. "Gamma! Delta! Take the prisoner to his cell." At once, four hands were on him, unshackling Drakken from the table and cuffing him behind his back. They hauled him up and led him down one hallway, then another, and finally to a room at the end of a third hallway lined with cells. At the very end, they uncuffed Drakken and shoved him in, locking the door behind him.

As Gemini's agents turned their backs, Drakken gripped the bars. Shego would come for him, he thought. Shego always did.

Except this time, Shego thought she watched him die. His heart constricted and Drakken came dangerously close to not breathing. If Shego thought he was dead …

Her face formed in his mind's eye, beautiful and fierce and his. Had he told her he loved her? Yes, yes he was sure he had. He'd put all his energy into giving her one last thing of his before he presumably died. A flower. He wished he could've given her something more.

"Shego, I'm cold …"

"Shh. We're going to get you out of here, ok? I just need to –"

"I c-can't."

"– figure out how to blast those stupid –"

He let a tear slip down his cheek. Shego was out there somewhere, beyond his reach, beyond his reassurance. For him, that was worse than death.

Sammieflute (excerpt from Ch 11 of Glow In the Storm)

"No f**king way," Felicity said aloud. She checked the clock. The party was probably dead by now. For the next few minutes, she paced back and forth in her room, pondering what to do with this information. A lightbulb went off in her head. Before she was fully aware of what she was doing, she began to dial a number on the house phone. Now, she was aware of what was going to happen. As sick as it sounded, she was looking forward to it.

"Hello?" The other person on the line picked up.

"Hi Lucy," Felicity greeted, her voice unusually cheery for someone who had been crying for the past two hours. "It's Felicity."

The voice changed from formal to concern. "Oh my god! Felicity, are you okay? I was just about to check on you, and-"

"I'm fine," Felicity cut through, not in the mood for this sappy shit. This time, it was about business. "You like gossip, right? Well... get ready for the biggest gossip that's about to hit the last month of school."

She could feel Lucy's excitement from the other end of the phone, and she was thrilled and energized by it. "Dish, now. Who's it about?"

"Melvin," answered Felicity. "He's been eyeing James a lot recently, don't you think? Don't you wonder why he likes stuff mostly girls like? I can't believe we're figuring this stuff out now, he actually screams it, doesn't he?"

"No way..." Lucy was on board right away with what she was saying. "It can't be..."

"Let them know..." Felicity said, her voice hard and filled with vengeance. A malicious smile slowly appeared on her face, with the worst of intentions. "Let them know... let everyone know, that Melvin Go, is a homosexual." With that last word being spat as if it were a swear, she hung up the phone. Satisfied with her request to spread this information, she slept easily and couldn't wait to watch the fireworks.

shthar (excerpt from What's in a name?)

"And it was hard work back then! But now? They even let redheaded halfwits be heroes now. Course they seem to land on their heads a lot more than I ever did." Shego opined with a smirk to the redhead.

"Well, that's probably because the villains now are much tougher than any you had to fight."

"Damn straight." Shego agreed with a grin.

I walked right into that one, Kim had to admit. Ego, they name is Shego. Name. name. Hmmm.

"You know, until all that stuff with Aviarius I didn't know anything about you. Not even your real name, for example."

"There is a lot you don't know about me."

"So tell me some of it."

"I'm not here to talk about the past." Shego said in a forthright manner, looking straight ahead with her right hand raised.

"You're not running for office. You're not THAT evil."

"And the award goes to...Niaxi!"

Niaxi looked again at the bowl of peanuts on his tray table. Unfortunately, since he had returned to his seat from collecting his last award, Ru-Ru the naked-mole-shark had snuck onto the tray and was now lounging in the bowl. He met the creature's beady-black eyes and received an evil grin, followed by a light chomp of Ru-Ru's razor-sharp shark teeth. Niaxi sighed, 'Guess no one else is getting any peanuts now.' As though to add insult to injury, the naked-mole-shark lazily tossed one into the air and caught it between his teeth. "Show off," Niaxi muttered to himself. His attention returned to the awards just in time to hear his name being read out as the winner of the Best New Author category.

'Oh, holy *insert expletive he is not allowed to type*!' he thought in disbelief at having won a fourth award. Overcoming his shock, he quickly got up before Celi and Charlie could poke him again. Turning, he made to walk towards the stage, only to feel two jabs in his back. He turned to see the two women wearing evil grins, Celi holding her shotgun and Charlie a big stick. Scowling at them, he made his way up onto the stage to collect the award.

Niaxi looked out over the audience, feeling decidedly calmer this time than he had on the previous occasions. It seemed he was starting to get the hang of this award acceptance speeching.

"As someone who had only ever seen one episode of Kim Possible back in the day, which was Bueno Nacho (I distinctly recall the scene at the end with the jacket), I was very much a newbie to the fandom as a whole when I started watching it back in March 2020. In that respect, it is an honour to have been voted the best new writer in the Kimmunity for 2020. So, I'd like to thank Charlie, Celi and all my fans who voted for me and to dedicate this award to those in the Kimmunity who have taken the time to read And You And I, thank you."

At the adjacent podium, Sharper was still trying to usher the two mildly squabbling cheer alumni back to their seats. BCB hurried out of the wings and grabbed each woman by the arm, yanking them away. Sharper straightened his tie and stepped up to the podium.

"Ah…congrats to both Sheegs and Niaxi for their wins in their respective categories!" he said with a slightly shaking voice before the Kimmunicator beep sounded. "And that means that we're coming up against another commercial break. But when we come back, we will present awards number twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty of the evening: the Best Single Line, the CPNeb Memorial and the Kimmunity Achievement Awards . So don't touch that channel dial!"

Harry Styles's "Adore You" played during the commercial break.