Disclaimer: The Walt Disney Company owns all rights to the characters and situations associated with Kim Possible. I borrow Kim, her family and friends for no monetary gain. I do this only to distract myself from the more important things in life. Boy, am I an idiot.
The Closet II
Chapter 16
Car Shopping
Kim and Ron Stoppable left Bueno Nacho after picked up some Nacos and burritos to-go before heading to their house. While they ate, they called their folks at work to tell them about the month early final exams and their plans on going car shopping the next day. Mr. Dr. Possible asked that they hold off on their car search saying only that he and the twins had been working on a present for Kim and Ron's wedding and that it was now ready. Kim was a little leery with anything that had been constructed by the Tweebs but promised they would delay the search until after they stopped at the Possible house early the next morning.
The two teen heroes and naked mole rat spent the rest of the afternoon out in their big backyard practicing with their three new weapons. Because of the high fence surrounding the property, Kim suggested that they do it naked. Ron was a little wary not wanting to lose any appendages, especially the one of the fifth variety, but Kim assured him that the flesh in question was extremely important and dear to her too. The clanking clash of swords led the neighbors to wonder what was going on out there but being that they already knew that it was now Kim and Ron's house, and that the neighborhood teens had been fighting evil around the world over the past few years, their curiosity quickly abated and the sounds were totally ignored. After all, the sudden appearance of a helicopter or VTOL jet to pick up the teens at their parent's houses wasn't uncommon so why would the sounds of a sword battle in the backyard be any different. Besides, the only way to get a peek into the yard over the eight foot high wooden perimeter fence would be by way of a ladder and the couple would surely hear that being set up.
After the two hour long training session Kim was well satisfied that she, Ron and Rufus were able to handle their blades adequately for the time being and they all hit the showers. The two teens used the outdoor shower next to the pool before nakedly relaxing in the hot tub afterward to relieve their sore muscles from the training. After only ten minutes Rufus climbed out of the Jacuzzi, scampered over to the mole rat sized doggy door and went into the kitchen to grab something to eat before heading up to the master bedroom for a nap on the king sized bed.
"Both the Lotus Blossom and my Mystic Powers are telling me that there's more I can do than just use the blade as any normal weapon," Kim said as she snuggled into Ron's loving arms while they enjoyed the hot, soothing water, "but for the life of me, I can't get a grasp on what they're trying to say."
"I think that cause you only have a partial infusion of MMP from the bonding," Ron said as he laid his head back against the edge of the tub and closed his eyes in relaxation. "You have good control over the Lotus Blossom, being able to change its shape at will and all that, but because you only have a partial dose of MMP you can't fully understand what it's saying. It's probably trying to tell you that the three Blades can be used together. At least that's what the Lotus Stem is telling me."
"I got that part of the message but what do you mean that the three Lotus Blades can be used together?" Kim questioned as she idly ladled water onto Ron's chest with a cupped hand as they snuggled together in the large heated tub. "What can the three Blades do together?"
"When the very tips of the Lotus Triune touch," Ron barely whispered, almost like he was channeling someone or something else and a blue glow seeped from beneath his closed eyes, "you can create a powerful beam of energy that can pierce anything. The maneuver will sap most of your strength so it can only be used as a last resort."
"Sap most of my strength?" Kim questioned indignantly as she sat up to peer at her husband.
"Huh-what?" Ron stuttered as he opened his eyes and looked around, the blue glow quickly winking out. "Did you say something KP?"
"I asked what the three Blades can do and you said we can use the Lotus Triune to create an energy beam."
"I musta been channeling the Lotus Stem," Ron nervously said with a chuckle, "cause I really don't know what a Triune is."
"Yes, I see," Kim murmured and wrapped both arms around her husband again to cuddle as they both laid back in the tub. "A Triune is three individuals working as one, but that sounds exactly like what the Lotus Blossom and my Mystical Powers have been trying to tell me. We can test that out tomorrow but right now I feel like celebrating the end of school some more." A sultry smile formed on Kim's face as she cooed, "Let's go up to our love nest. My MMP is telling me that I won't get pregnant tonight."
The two teens got out of the Jacuzzi and dried each other off before they went upstairs to the Master Bedroom and walked into the closet. They laid down on the brand new, twin size mattress on the floor of the tiny space and cuddled close.
Early the next morning Kim and Ron walked the short distance over to her parent's house and entered through the kitchen door. "Hola Possible clan," Ron cheerfully chimed as he held aloft a small white bakery box. "Your beautiful daughter and I come bearing gifts!"
"Hi mom and dad, Ron made cinnamon rolls this morning," Kim gleefully added before she gave her father and mother each a good morning kiss on the cheek.
"That was sweet of you Ron," Mrs. Dr. Possible said as she took one of the rolls from the box and bit into it. "Oh, and these cinnamon rolls are sweet too. They're simply heavenly, thank you," Ann cooed before she gave Ron a little hug and peck on the cheek.
"Kim helped me make 'em," the blond boy said with pride of his wife's accomplishment, "so actually they're from the both of us."
"My Kimmie-Cub helped bake something?" Mr. Dr. Possible warily begged as he held up and closely examined one of the rolls from the box from all angles, making sure it wasn't burned or disfigured or something. "I didn't hear the fire department drive by this morning."
"Daddy!" Kim howled in indignation.
"Honey," Ann lovingly chided to her daughter as she reminded the younger redhead, "we did have to call the fire department when you tried to bake a cake for Ron's tenth birthday."
"You're right," Kim sighed in resignation then laughed as she said, "That's why I only worked on the cream cheese frosting after Ron laid out and measure all of the ingredients before I began."
"Kim had a slight problem using the mixer at first," Ron snickered at his wife's blunder when she hit the frappe setting instead of blend and sent the ingredient of the mixing bowl all over the kitchen, "but she caught on after a little tutoring and practice; And ten minutes cleaning up."
"Well you certainly did a good job Kimmie-Cub," James enthused as he savored the bite of roll in his mouth. "These are wonderful and the frosting is superb!"
"Thanks dad," Kim happily sighed before she got down to business. "Now, why did you ask Ron and I to hold off on our car search?"
"Well, the boys asked your mom and me if they could build you two something for your wedding…" Mr. Dr. Possible said as he got up and started to head to the garage.
"…But we nixed that idea when they wanted to build you a flying armored tank to use on your missions," Mrs. Dr. Possible cut in as she and the teens followed behind her husband out of the kitchen.
"You know how much I abhor violence so a tank, flying or otherwise, was out of the question," James Possible said in disgust as her reached the door to the garage and stopped with his hand on the doorknob. "Anyway, we settled on letting them rebuild my old Roth SL Coupe."
"Do you mean that old hunk-a-…," Ron started to say before Kim slapped her hand over his mouth and finished his sentence.
"…History. Ron was going to say hunk-of-history," Kim quickly said, thanking the heavens for their telepathy since she heard in her mind what he was really going to call her father's old car; Something very Ronnish. "But you forbade Ron and I from playing in it when we were younger because it's so old and rusty. You told us it wasn't safe to be anywhere near."
"Especially after the recall," Ron muttered to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Well the boys decided that they could fix it up and make it as good as new," James said as he opened the door to the garage and the two married couples entered. "They've been working on it ever since the wedding."
"And it's finally ready!" Jim and Tim enthusiastically shouted in unison from beside the tarp covered vehicle.
"But we made it better than new," Jim said as he wiped his greasy hands on the legs of his coveralls.
"We added a few extra features to help out on your missions," Tim said as he and his brother each grabbed a corner of the tarp.
"Ta-Daaaaa!" the Tweebs enthused as they swiped the tarp off of the car revealing a sporty looking, streamlined, purple colored car shaped almost like a turtle.
"Hey, not to shabby," Ron marveled as he ran a hand along the sleek lines of the vehicle. "It does look better than when it was brand new."
"Yes, but will it run?" Kim warily asked her younger brothers. "I mean the last time the motor worked was shortly after Ron and I met in Pre-K."
"Oh, it'll more than run," Jim said as he popped the hood.
"With a new duel quad, transverse, rotary design engine with gyro stabilization," Tim proudly boasted as he pointed to the new air intake system that could poke out of the hood when needed, "this bad boy will kick butt and take names!"
"We even added a grappler ray," Jim said as he closed the hood, moved to the driver's side door and opened it. "Then Wade got in on the present and added a few gadgets of his own design for your missions."
"Like a Kimmunicator screen," Wade said as his image popped on the monitor in the middle of the dash, "along with on-demand studded tires for off road and icy conditions. I also added aquatic capabilities, duel lasers both front and back, stealth mode and a capture net able to shoot up to fifty yards among a few other mission ready features. I can even remotely control the car if both of you are incapacitated."
"And if the engine isn't fast enough," Tim said as he flipped open the top of the knob on the floor mounted, gear shift lever and pointed to the shiny red button concealed therein, "we've added rockets so you can reach a speed of up to mach five." The trunk opened up and three rocket motors emerged from it.
"Congratulations on your wedding!" Wade, Jim and Tim all shouted in unison.
"Wow, thanks you three," Kim cooed and knelt down to capture her brothers a big hug. "Ron and I really appreciate all the hard work you must've put in to this." The twins tried to squirm away from the show of affection but Kim was too strong for them.
"We certainly do," Ron said with a thumbs up gesture to their tech guru still on the car monitor. "All three of you rock."
"All right boys," Mrs. Dr. Possible sternly said as she rounded up the two preteens and helped them out of their coveralls, "you still have school to attend. Kimmie and Ron may have passed there final exams but you still have one more month left."
"We'll drive Jim and Tim to school," Kim volunteered as she got behind the wheel and started the engine. It purred like a kitten until she stepped on the gas and revved the motor, then it roared like a tiger. "Hop in guys!"
"What are your plans for today?" Mr. Dr. Possible asked his daughter through the open driver's side window as the Tweebs got in the back seat and Ron sat up front with his wife.
"After we dropped Jim and Tim off," Ron said as he leaned over closer to Kim, "we need to get the car insured. Then we'll still need to find a car for me to drive."
"When you do," Jim anxiously begged from the back seat as he leaned forward and stuck his head between the front two bucket seats, "can we trick out your car too?"
"Yeah!" Tim enthused as he joined his twin brother. "We had a great time working on this one!"
"And I wouldn't mind working on a second car for you both," Wade said from the monitor. "I have a few other ideas for mission gear that I couldn't fit into the Sloth."
"We'll see," Kim warily said as she put the car in gear and waved to her parents as she pulled out the garage and headed for the Tweeb's school. "Maybe we should have one car for regular, everyday use and keep the Sloth on standby for missions."
Kim and Ron did go car shopping at Middleton Motors after they dropped off Jim and Tim at middle school. Ron immediately fell in love when he saw the vehicle of his dreams and Kim knew right away that he'd be driving home in the monstrous, army type four-by-four. It was a brand new, 2006 Hummer H1 Alpha in camouflage forest green and came complete with a GPS, a five disc CD player and had a winch mounted on both the front and back bumpers.
"Aaaaah, I see we have a customer with an eye for the finer things in life," the short but lanky salesman with a whisper thin mustache chuckled as he walked up to the couple and saw lust for the vehicle in Ron's eyes. He could also see these two were only high school students at best but was hoping to see how interested they were in buying before he directed them over to the used car side of the lot and strike a deal anyway to make his quota for the month. "My name is Walter Elias but you can call me Uncle Walt. Now, do you have any questions about the H1 Alpha or would you prefer to look at something a little more affordable? Maybe something in a used car?"
"She's beautiful," the blond boy hushed in awe as drool spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"Ron," Kim harshed at her husband of only five weeks as she pointed to the vehicle sticker on the side window, "stop unspooling the drool. This is a waaaaaaay over our budget to spend on a car and we need to consider the cost of insurance and gas and everything else."
The salesman never really liked the term budget, especially when it came from young kids like these two, so he quickly changed tacks. "We do have some very affordable used cars," Mr. Elias said as he pointed over to an old clunker that looked like it had probably been driven over five hundred thousand miles of bad road. "With a little imagination and some hard work that beauty will serve you well until you're ready to move on to a new car. I mean you're still in high school, am I right? You're what, Sophomores that just got your driver's licenses this year? You probably can't afford the one hundred fifty thousand, nine-hundred seventy-five dollar suggested retail price of the A1. It's good to dream a little but let me show you something I believe is more in your price range."
"I think I can talk dad into doubling our budget Uncle Walt," Ron said as he came out of the daze he had been in and gently ran his hand over the hood of the Hummer. "After all, we're only buying one car instead of two, KP. You got the Sloth for free."
"You drive a Roth SL Coupe?" the car salesman squawked in disbelief as he glanced around the car lot looking for the supposed piece of junk. (Er, I mean history.) "My first car was a Sloth. I didn't think there were any left that were road-worthy; At least after the recall."
"It was my dad's car," Kim informed the salesman as she pointed to the sleek, turtle-shaped purple vehicle sitting close by, "but my twin brothers put in a little hard work and brought it into the twenty-first century."
"Oh, it's marvelous," Walt marveled as he went over to the car and checked it out. "But how does it handle? If you're brothers can transform an old Roth SL Coupe into this, I'd love to hire them on as mechanics."
"It handles beautifully," Kim said as she leaned in the driver's side window and flipped open the shift lever knob. The trunk opened and the three jet engines folded out, into position. "But you might want to wait a few years before hiring Jim and Tim. They're only twelve years old so you might violate a few child labor laws if you do and I don't think your customers can handle a car that can do mach five."
"Hey," Ron yelped, trying to bring Kim's attention back to the purpose of their trip to Middleton Motors, "what about my car?"
"As I said before," Elias groaned, slipping back into his salesman spiel and headed to a line of used trucks, "you probably can't afford the Hummer. Let me show you a pick up truck that's more in your price range."
"But I want the Hummer Uncle Walt," Ron pouted as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, dialed a number and started to walk away for some privacy. "Just give me a minute."
"I don't know how he can be serious," Walt Elias said as he turned to Kim. "The H1 Alpha is the most expensive vehicle we have on the lot."
"Oh, Ron can afford it," Kim giggled. "He gets royalty checks from Bueno Nacho for inventing the Naco."
"How much can that add up to?" the salesman snidely begged. Before Kim could answer, Ron walked back over to them.
"What kinda deal can we make," Ron asked as he walked back over with the cell phone still pressed to his ear. "Can you go as low as, say, one hundred thirty thousand?"
"No," the salesman slyly said and shook his head in the negative. "I can cut you a deal at one hundred fifty five thousand."
"One thirty five?" Ron loudly begged.
"One forty five," the salesman said, shaking his head.
"How about one thirty six?" Ron quickly asked.
"One forty," Elias swiftly countered, "and that's as low as I can go."
"Done!" Ron yelled in glee before he spoke again into the phone. "You were right dad, I was able to talk him down to one hundred forty." He paused for a few seconds as he listened to his father on the phone then chuckled as he said, "Right. We'll see you tonight."
"Do you really have that much money to spend on a vehicle?" Mr. Elias begged in astonishment to the casually dressed teen.
"As I was saying, Uncle Walt," Kim cut in with a coquettish giggle. "Ron gets a nickel for every Nacho sold world wide. He's worth a little over half a billion dollars."
"Not no more," Ron laughed as he put away his phone. "Dad's mad investment skills are working like a charm. He said my portfolio is now close to three quarters of a billion dollars as of this morning. That's why he agreed to doubling our auto budget and let me buy the Hummer."
"Three… quarters of a…(gulp!)" Walter Elias' eyes rolled into the back of his head and he swiftly fell to the pavement in a dead faint.
If you're as devoted a fan of the Disney empire as I am, you may have recognized the name of the car salesman. Elias is the middle name of none other than Walt Disney. I only used his name in loving dedication to one of the two historical Disney men behind the vision that became The Walt Disney Company. (The other being Roy Oliver Disney. Does anyone else question the possible origin of Oliver as the name of Vivian F. Porter's android boyfriend?)