Girls night out.

"OK… so Brick…he decides to get me a anniversary gift."

"That's cool…"

"No, that's lame." Bonnie said, "Brick also wanted new tires for his car…so…"

"Get out!" Monique said. Bonnie shook her head.

"Nope.. I got four custom made radials for our anniversary."

"What did you do?"

"Got some whipped cream and mentioned since Brick liked them so much, here was some topping."

"You were going to put it on his cake?" Bonnie got a lascivious grin on her face.

"Well…among other things."

There was a knock on the door, and Shelly went to answer it, and came back with Zita.

"Hey guys," The Puerto Rican girl said, "Sorry I'm late—the manager had me cover Tony's shift."

"What happened to Tony?" Monique asked.

"Got caught peeking at the swimming pool." Zita said.

"Ouch…he survived?" Shelly asked.

"Sort of… but he's still in hiding."

With that, they got to the serious matter of the day, as various DVD's were presented for watching by the pajama clad girls, including films that none of them would have ever admitted watching to their boyfriends…or films that the various boyfriends were no doubt thanking God that they wouldn't have to go see with them right now.

But then, of course, came the truly important matters…the Discussion Of The Boyfriends. Zita was currently between friends, although Ron was trying to set her up with some boy that Shelly had never heard of.

"Him?" Monique asked in disbelief. "Didn't he try and trap you both in virtual reality?"

"Yeah, But Ron says everybody does dumb things on their first date."

"I had to become a pixie to rescue you both." Kim said, as Shelly blinked at her.

"Yeah…but maybe, I mean if he loses that "I am the greatest" attitude." Zita said.

"Isn't he in jail?" Shelly said, still trying to process "'trapping in virtual reality' with 'date material'. "

"Nah. No law against it." Zita said. Shelly shook her head.

"Well, my boyfriend is normal." Bonnie said.

"If getting you steel belted tires counts as normal…" Kim said, and squawked as Bonnie threw a pillow at her.

"I didn't say he was smart… besides, I think now that he knows the mistake he made, he'll be very… eager to make me happy." Bonnie said. "Of course… everyone should be eager to make me hap-AWK!" Now everyone else threw a pillow at Bonnie.

"What about you, Monique?" Bonnie asked, "How is Felix?"

"Very good…" Monique said, "And he's not paralyzed everywhere below the waist."

"Too much information!" Kim sing-songed.

"What?" Monique replied, in mock shock. "Kimberly Ann Possible… are you thinking I'm referring to that? Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Why? Is it crowded down there with you?" Zita asked Monique, an evil grin on her face.

"Yes. The wheelchair is fairly big." Monique said with a grin. "And Felix is the only guy at school who took me flying…" Zita opened her mouth, Monique raised a pillow in warning.

"What about you, Shelly?" Kim asked. "Any past boyfriends?"

"Nah… I just never clicked with anyone."

"Never?"

"Never…." Bonnie frowned, looking over her apartment, eyes stopping on the crucifix, by the door.

"That's old…"

"My mom's." Shelly said, "We're Catholic."

"Hey, me too!" Zita said, "You go to church?"

"Yeah." Shelly said, "I checked the cheerleading schedule, and no games are on Sunday, so I could join."

"Wow…you're serious." Bonnie said.

"Well, like mom used to say, one day out of the week isn't much, given everything that was done. I mean I used to argue, but after Mom died… well…" She shook her head. Great way to bring a party down, idiot. "And in any case, fish fry's can be pretty fun!" She looked over at Kim.

"Now, Kim… what about your boyfriend…what about…Ron?"

"So Margaret," Cindy said, "Kim's with her friends?" Kim's mother smiled, putting down her coffee at the diner.

"Yes… and I'm here because husbands don't put their wives on the couch…they just frown and read a paper"." She sighed, "Jonathon would put Kim in a hermetically sealed test tube if he could."

"How is he doing?" Kim's mother sighed. "Upset, angry…helpless." She paused, "Pretty much the standard series of emotions for something like this."

"And you?"

"Same thing, which I've seen with more patients than I care to remember…and it doesn't make it any easier now that it's happening to my daughter." Cindy nodded.

"Remember, Margaret… you have a hospital councilor if you need him."

"What… I thought my old college friend would provide that."

"I'm too close to Kim…and I figure that instead of professional services, I could just give you a shoulder to cry on if you need it."

"Oh, I've needed it." Possible said, and her eyes were shadowed. "And thank you." She thought about Kim's room…and the fact that they'd taken her door off the hinges. And the fact Kim wasn't allowed to be alone in the bathroom, unless she told her parents.

"Rabbi Katz is speaking to Ron tonight… I'm hoping that Ron will let him talk to me about Kim." Cindy paused, "She's not…or can't, talking about everything that happened and it's…at the core of her difficulties." Margaret sighed.

"I know." She said, "After Ron's parents refused to let her see him, and she tried to kill herself…"

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know." Margaret said, "If positions had been reversed, I might have done the same thing…but I still can't stop being furious with them."

"No more than Ron."

"I know…but Cindy… what about Ron?" Cindy looked at her old friend, and sighed. Margaret had no legal right to speak with her about Ron…but on the other hand, neither did his parents, right now. She could tell her a little.

"He's doing much better than Kim." Cindy paused, "His buffoon act concealed a very stable personality—he…" She grinned, "He wasn't afraid of being made to look silly, and well, humor, real humor is a powerful weapon against what happened to him. It's hard to break someone through humiliation when they're like that—they're more likely to laugh at you, and themselves, and get on with life." She shrugged, "His injuries, were terrible, but they also don't force him to change in the way Kim's forced her to change."

"The Devil, that proud spirit, cannot stand to be mocked." Margaret quoted. Cindy nodded.

"And that sort of pride game is one that Ron isn't playing." She sighed, "Kim is…" She paused, "Ron has been up front with most of what happened—some of it, I asked Rabbi Katz to ask about, simply because as a male…there as some things I don't doubt he'd prefer not to confide in me—but he's been quite open about his feelings to me, which is why I've been happy to see him and Kim together— He's a great help to her."

"He's her lifeline." Kim's mother corrected.

"Yes…" Cindy said. "Kim's… Margaret, let me be honest. We, and I mean all of us…" She sighed.

"Let the Team Possible thing go on for too long?"

"That…and well, Kim is… her entire self image is bound up in this incredible, impossible standard she's set herself. For all that Ron jokes as her sidekick, I think I've seen some real envy on her part about Ron… because he doesn't try to be perfect, to make this race with some impossible to catch finish line." She shrugged, "This thing with Shego was horrible, but honestly, I wonder if something of the sort might have happened eventually. Your daughter made no allowances for failure, and was pretty damned proud of that." Margaret nodded.

"Ron's bamboo, Kim's oak—one bends, the other shatters and falls." She paused, "And your prognosis?"

"Until she reveals what she's been hiding… I really can't do anything else, Margaret.

"Ron's my friend."

"Ron's more than that." Bonnie said, annoyance in her voice. "He stuck with you, Kim…more than Brick would have me."

"I know…but he needs someone who… well… can…"

"Walk?" Monique said, "You mean like Felix can walk?" Kim reddened.

"No…" Kim said, "Someone who…isn't scared all the time." She looked down at her long sleeved pajama's, scars invisible, but all too present. Then she looked up and grinned, "Besides… maybe… I'm just giving him some room until I swoop in and get him." Everyone else accepted the lie, and moved on to other subjects, this one being the teachers of the school.

The next morning, it was time for everyone to leave. Shelly was happy—the night had gone well, and her new friends were… friends. Even Bonnie. The first three washed up early, and then it was Kim's turn.

Kim bathed last, so that the others wouldn't have to wait and surprisingly for Shelly, asked her to help her in and out of the bath.

"Monique's had to do it before…so I thought I'd give her a break." Kim said. Shelly nodded, and helped Kim up and out, holding her under her arms, feeling Kim's legs tremble. Kim looked…well, pretty much like any naked girl Shelly had ever seen. Pale skin, red hair…

And right at the base of her back, three parallel scars, starting just above her waist and ending at the top of her opposite buttock, slashed across her spine. There were other, newer scars, as well. Kim evidently noticed Shelly's glance.

"The big one was Shego…the others are just the doctors operations." Kim looked down at her chest and grumped.

"And now because I'm not exercising enough, I'm getting bigger…which would be cool, except I bet I'll get bigger everywhere, so I'll look like some kind of hippopotamus."

"Don't do that." Shelly said, "Remember, the mascot is a maddog."

"Hmph…" Kim said, and grinned. "Thanks for the party, Shelly… it's…been a while." Than it was time to get Kim dressed, and Shelly helped her out the front door, where the other three were talking with Kim's mom and Ron.

"Mom?"

"Hey, Kimmie." Margaret said, "I thought I'd drop by and say hi—Ron's agreed to take you to physical therapy today, and I have to go take the Twins to the mall."

"To shop?"

"To apologize…remember those animatronic Santas?"

"Yes…." Kim said.

"So did the twins."

"Oh." Kim blinked, "Hey, isn't that the first mad scientist thing they've done since…"

"Yes, but I still have to make the appropriate noises…and payments." Her mother sighed on the last one.

"What?" Ron said, "You don't want to ride with me? It's been days…well, hours since I hit anything, and that fireplug shouldn't have been there!" Kim giggled.

"OK… I'll go." She said, but there was some undefinable emotion in her eyes Shelly couldn't place.

"Well, I have to clean up." Shelly said, "Bonnie, see you at practice this evening?"

"You'd better see me there…" Bonnie threatened on the way to her car. Unfortunately, her tone was ruined by her smile. Zita and Monique were heading off to get Felix, and Ron and Kim were in his van. Kim's mother waited and waved as the two drove off and then turned to Shelly.

"Thank you, Shelly." She said, "It's been a while since Kim… got out like that."

"It's OK." Shelly said, "Kim's really nice." Her mother nodded.

"Yes…but thank you again." She paused, "Sometimes, you, Ron and Bonnie are the only ones who can deal with Kim without being torn up by what happened." She smiled, "Well, I'm off to get the twins…if you ever want to come over, Shelly, the door is always open."

Shelly grinned as she went back to her apartment. That had been fun.

Yeah. Fun. Shelly stopped dead. What was that? She was alone…but… there was something by the window. Shelly snuck up to it…and then whipped the curtain aside.

"Who are yo—EEEK!" She screamed, and the black haired apparition that was standing before her, green fire filling her hands.

To be continued.