Once again I want to give Disney their props. They own it, I want it, but I'll live.

A big shout out to my beta reader again. A lot of this story could not happen without his help. Rondo, you are a scholar and a gentleman. Please note that Rondo and his significant other have been given cameo appearances here. Names have been changed to protect the not so innocent. (Just kidding Rondo)

She's Gonna Make it After All

Sarah walked into the classroom and set her books down on the large desk at the front of the room. Looking around at all of the posters on the wall, advocating proper dental hygiene and reading habits, it was a little overwhelming. Going from dark lairs to middle school class rooms was a big change. This time, she didn't have old enemies and the attitudinator to blame (or thank) for it. This had been her choice.

It certainly hadn't been easy getting here. The Tri-cities School Board had been very reluctant to hire a woman who had been in prison several times. Pardons didn't mean much to some parents, they had told her. She had gone to the interviews carrying sealed envelopes that Kim had given her that morning. The Board committee had opened each one, and read the enclosed documents very carefully. After an hour of private discussion, they had come back and agreed to hire her on a probationary basis. If she lived up to her recommendations, she would be kept on. If not...

They had given her back the letters that she had handed them, after taking copies. When she got out into the sunshine, she had looked at them for the first time.

First had been a letter on Global Justice letterhead. It informed the reader that Sarah Mae Go had been fully pardoned for previous crimes on the basis of her 'selfless act of courage' in the defeat of the Lowardian invasion two years ago. She was to be considered a free citizen, with all of the rights that entailed. It had gone on to indicate that Global Justice was willing to take full responsibility for that decision. Sarah had stared at the signature at the bottom of the letter for several minutes. Dr. Director Betty herself had given her endorsement.

The next letter had been from one Dr. Drew Lipsky (also pardoned) that gave her a glowing reference for loyalty and ability. He had listed her technical accomplishments, without reference to how they had been used. Drew had insisted that she was capable of handling discipline problems fairly and that she would never allow anyone in her charge to come to harm. In short, Sarah Go was the model employee, and well suited to the shaping of young minds.

That had caused her a moment's pause.

After the ceremony at the United Nations, honoring them for their efforts on behalf of the world against the alien invasion, she and Drew had begun a serious relationship. They had been happy, for a time, but while he was getting his doctorate in electronics, they had drifted apart. When her past started coming back to haunt her, she hadn't wanted to take away all that "Dr. D." had accomplished. She had left him, and cried for many nights.

Now, here was a letter that proved he did not hate her for leaving.

The third envelope had contained the recommendation of Dr. Anne Possible, staff neurosurgeon at the Middleton Memorial Hospital. She had informed the Board of Education that it was her opinion that Sarah was a mentally fit and proper young woman. If the board were so inclined as to give her the chance, they would find that she was exactly what they wanted in the way of a teacher for young adolescents.

It was the last letter that made her break down and cry. Below the Team Possible logo; Kim, Ron and Wade had each written about what they knew of Sarah Go. They didn't gloss over her past, but instead used it as a starting point. She had changed, they said, and deserved a chance to make good for what she had done. They had added their own bond to that of Global Justice. She was family, they had said, and they would be there to back her.

The last paragraph of the letter had been a request. Team Possible had asked that they be able to call on Sarah for help as the need arose. She had abilities that the team could not be without. Kim had promised to give as much notice as possible before requesting Sarah's help, and to keep disturbances to a minimum.

Team Possible didn't just believe in her, they WANTED her!

Now, here she was, ready to start out once more. This time it was for keeps. Reaching into the large tote bag she had slung over her shoulder, she pulled out a picture in a gold leaf frame. The entire Go family smiled out at her. Placing it on a corner of the desk, she kissed her fingers and touched the images of her parents. "I'll make you proud of me again." she whispered to spirits that she knew were watching and listening.

The bell rang, and young boys and girls filed into the room, alone and in small groups. One boy wandered from desk to desk, looking at the name tags that she had placed on the surfaces the day before, when the room had been assigned to her. She couldn't help but smile at the olive colored cargo style shorts he was wearing, and the slightly awkward way that he walked. For all the world, she might have been looking at a younger version of Ron Stoppable. He finally found his seat in the third row, and sat down next to a young brunette girl. They started whispering to each other with shy glances.

When the second bell rang, she rapped on the large wooden desk with her pen, and looked out on a sea of faces. 'Please don't let them see how nervous I am!' she silently prayed. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I'm your new homeroom teacher, Miss Go." Warily turning her back on the students, she wrote her name in beautiful cursive letters on the blackboard. She knew from experience just how tricky teenage boys and girls could be. "All I ask is that you keep quiet during announcements, and answer with a dignified 'here' or 'present' when I call your name. Beyond that, just keep it to a dull roar." There were a few giggles here and there in the room.

Sarah began calling names. She called the name "Paul Garvin!", and received a raised hand from the boy she had noticed earlier. The girl in the blue shirt next to him looked puzzled for a moment.

"Present, Miss Go, but..." He never got to finish the comment, as she went on with the attendance sheet in her hand.

As she was going down the list, she heard the two teens whispering back and forth to each other. "Mr. Garvin, Miss Barton, is there something you would like to share with the rest of us?" Both turned beet red in the face and shook their heads.

"No, ma'am!" the Garvin boy replied. It took all of her control not to giggle when she saw the young lad gulping repeatedly, and somehow becoming even more colored in the face.

At last, the roll had been called, and the morning announcements gotten through. There had even been a reasonable amount of respect during the Pledge of Allegiance. After that, she had left the kids to their own devices, but noticed that many of them kept glancing in her direction.

Well, that wasn't so hard to figure out. How often does a twelve or thirteen year old meet a woman with green skin, outside of a science fiction convention? Deciding to head this one off, she stood up and again tapped her pen on the desk.

"I can see that we have a few things to talk about as long as we have a few minutes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my skin is green, and it's a long way to St. Patrick's Day." There was some nervous laughter around the room. "The coloring is the result of an accident when I was just a little younger than you. It left me a little, um, different." Raising her right hand, she ignited a tiny bit of her plasma energy. Gasps ran around from one desk to another. "Don't worry, it's completely under control. All it means is that I'm different. Aren't all of us different in one way or another?"

There was a universal nod of agreement at that question. If there was anything Sarah Go understood about people this age, it was the feeling of alienation. "Then let's just all agree that our differences are what make us special, and give us something to contribute to the community." There were a few doubting glances, but even more silent sighs of relief. Paul Garvin, in particular, seemed to relax a little bit. Sarah let the glow in her hand go out.

When the bell rang a third time, Paul came up to the desk.

"Miss Go, can I speak to you for a second?"

Sarah gave a bit of her old smirk and responded, "I don't know, can you?" She winked at the young man in front of her. 'He looks a little lost, he's got to be new here.'

"Sorry, ma'am. May I please speak with you, about my name?"

"Certainly."

"My full name is Paul Ronald Garvin, ma'am. I prefer to go by my middle name, Ron." He looked up into her green eyes nervously.

"Okay, Ron, but only if you drop the 'Ma'am' and call me Miss Go." This kid was so like Stoppable it was uncanny. She was going to have to watch him.

"Thank you, Miss Go." Ron turned and hurried (without running) out of the room, headed for his first class.

Her first encounter with students had gone better than she had hoped. She smiled as the first of her geography students began to file in and take seats. Pulling her first day plans out of the tote bag that sat behind her desk, she looked into the picture once more. "I'm going to make it, Mom and Dad. I'm gonna make it after all!"