Chapter 42 – Turnaround (and also best Kim and Ron)
(7:38 pm)
Sheldon Director and his WEE henchmen gathered at the map system of the underground tunnels.
He began to explain his plan.
"Operation Quarterback Sneak will go down like this! We shall go under the security umbrella of the enemy to the opera house in two groups. One will go down the East side led by Kappa 16 while the West side will be led by me.
The East group will then create a small diversion by cutting the power off to the auditorium while the West group will go backstage. When they announce the winner to the Best..."
Sheldon then pulled out the Fannies Program, "...Unlikely/Unique story, that is when the diversion of the power outage will happen. We will then have a span of two minutes to capture the female co-host until the backup generators come back up! She will then be held as our hostage at our base!"
"So that the agency-for-good-which-must-not-be-named will be lured and they will be destroyed!" Kappa 16 said. "Number One will be pleased!"
"Very good, Kappa 16! You deserve a hefty pay raise!" Sheldon chuckled evily.
Turning to his other henchmen, he added, "I hope you follow Kappa 16's example. He is one of the best agents that WEE has to offer and has years of service! If you can follow his and my lead in tonight's operation, we will conquer the world!"
The other WEE henchmen cheered on. But Sheldon told them to hush.
"Quiet, you fools! Now, we need to knock out the rest of the security cameras in the tunnel system so that no one can see us! Remember that it will take us 15 minutes to get to the opera house from here!"
"Right ahead of ya, Boss!" Beta 15 replied, installing a virus to knock out the rest of the cameras. "And it is complete, Great Gemini! No one shall be able to see us!"
"Good! Let's move...and move silently!" Sheldon insisted. "As of now, they are on the Best Alternate Universe award, so we have to be in position!"
All of the henchmen made their way into the underground tunnels, following the signs that would lead them to the opera house.
(7:45pm)
Shego's car stopped at where the WEE 18-wheelers were at.
"Stop the car, Shego! We've found the main entrance!" Ubel said, pointing to the open door that Gemini and his WEE agents left behind.
Shego's car came to a complete stop right in a parking garage next to the food supply trucks, or what appeared to be food supply trucks.
"This car does not stop until I say so!" Shego snapped before turning the car off and unbuckling her seatbelt. "Okay...now everyone can get out of the car!"
Shego, Ubel, and all of the Killer B's got out of the vehicle.
Ubel looked at the command post filled with sleeping Rockwaller security guards "And it's better than I thought! I love it when we don't even have to lift a finger to do all the breaking in!"
Shego grinned, "The security guards in the future aren't really that good at doing their job!"
KB One said "So what is next..."
"...Mr. Drakken?" KB Two finished the sentence.
"We're going to go under the tunnel system of this woman's mansion. From what that brunette said on the television..." Ubel began before his mind began to wander. "Seriously, how did TVs become that thin and have such perfect picture clarity? I thought they were supposed to be big, bulky, and have a bad picture. What is that all about?"
"Mr. D...the plan?" Shego groaned, trying to refocus the businessman's attention.
"Oh...my bad, Shego! The lab is to the northeast of the property. To get there from here will be around 25 minutes..." Ubel said. "...if we don't run into any distractions such as one annoying redhaired teenager!"
"Relax! She and her buffonish friend probably are in the slammer by now!" Shego smirked, reminding him of the police chasing them from earlier.
"You're right!" Ubel grinned, thinking his arch-nemesis is in jail.
"Yeah, less talk, more stealing!" Shego exclaimed.
"All we have to do is to follow the signs and the element will be ours!" Ubel insisted.
He, Shego, and the Killer B's ran into the tunnels, following the signs that pointed to the secret lab. They also pointed in the direction of the opera house.
(7:56pm)
Agent Du drove the USSN vehicle down the pathway to the entrance of the tunnels.
"Look! Shego's car is already there!" Ron exclaimed.
"Obvious with the green and black trim." Kim replied. "And the missile bays."
"We're going into unknown territory!" Agent Du said, looking at the stealth suits. "So it is mandatory for us to get into the stealth suits to avoid being detected!"
"Very well then!" Kim said.
(5 minutes later)
Kim and Agent Du were both in black stealth suits that covered everything except their faces.
"Oooh! This I like!" the redhead admitted, "The black looks really flattering on me!"
"No time to admire the fashion aspects of the outfit, Miss Possible!" Agent Du said. "Uhh...where's your sidekick?"
"Ron? Are you having trouble with your stealth suit...again?" Kim groaned.
Ron came out the dressing room with his suit inside out. Rufus was on his shoulder going, "Oh boy!"
"Dude, this stealth suit is not exactly black! I can see the white part of it!"
Both Kim and Agent Du facepalmed at Ron's mistake.
(2 more minutes later)
Ron finally managed to correct his suit. "There we go! That's much better!"
Kim also peered into the security booth. "Seems like Drakken knocked the guards out!"
Looking at the Kimmunicator, she added. "From what Wade tracked of the Killer B's hive mind, they've gone through this door!"
Wade said through the Kimmunicator, "As long as the signal goes green, you are in the right path. The light will go red if in the wrong direction."
"Thanks, Wade! Let's jet and find the evil crew!" Kim replied as she went into the maze of tunnels. Ron and Agent Du followed behind her.
(8:20pm)
At the opera house, Sharper transitioned from one popular KP pairing to another.
"To present the best Kim/Ron award, I may present Sarah, Hotrod, Eddy13, MrDrP, CaptainKodak1, SugarSkullz from Tumblr, Phantomdiver from Deviantart, Loulines whom is also from DeviantArt, DisneyFreak010 from Deviantart, and...well...myself! Also coming to the stage are...well...Kim and Ron themselves." Sharper started to head to the stage to join with his other fellow Kim/Ron shippers.
Kim and Ron stood up from their seats. The left strap of Kim's overalls slipped from her shoulder before she put it back in its proper place.
Ron, meanwhile, was still playing with his fidget spinner.
Kim elbowed her husband and remarked, "Ron, put that in your pocket! We're about to be on stage!"
Rufus chittered in agreement. "Yeah, yeah."
"Okay. But I'll get to play with it during intermission!" Ron replied, putting the spinner in his pocket.
The K/R brigade came on the stage. Phantom had the envelope of the finalists in hand and the Captain held the Golden Rufus in his hand.
Eddy13 was the first to speak about the pairing.
"Man, first I won a category, now I'm a presenter. No doubt about it, this is my year!"
"K/R is practically the backbone of the entire series. Many of us see it as the many pairing of the franchise. Indeed, many of us feel in love with the concept of two crazy kids who knew each other since they were four falling head over heels for each other. As a matter of fact, it was the main reason that a fourth season was requested. Which is unfortunate considering how their relationship wasn't portrayed as prominent as many had hoped".
MrDrP was the next to speak.
"It all began 25 years ago on the very first day of Pre-K. A little girl by the name of Kimberly Possible first met a young boy by the name of Ronald Stoppable and uttered her first words, 'You're weird, but I like you!'".
This elicited fangirl screams from Sarah, Sugarskulls, Loulines, and DisneyFreak.
MrDrP cleared his throat and continued with his speech.
"Since then, their friendship grew from that point thru elementary school and from junior high!"
"Hey, I remembered that day! I bought Rufus from Smarty-Mart!" Ron shouted.
Kim interjected, "And saved a billionaire from his laser death grid..." She then turned to her rival in the royal box and give a big smirk, "...and smoked out Bonnie on her views of cheerleaders!"
Bonnie gave a low sneer to the Stoppable couple.
By the end of this ceremony, K, it is I who will be smirking in the end once I deserve to say the Best Author Award and you on the end of the humiliating stick!
It was then that Tightlips came into the room.
"Your Majesty! Someone knocked out the security cameras to the tunnel system!" he exclaimed.
"Tightlips, must you interrupt me during my thinking?" the Queen snorted.
"But...Your Majesty..."
"No buts, Tightlips. I want K and her loser husband to be humiliated! That is why I want your servants to be in prime position!"
Without uttering any objection, Tightlips replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"For when those two losers aren't looking..." she chuckled evily, rubbing her hand obsessively, "...I shall make them both tabloid fodder and...more importantly...losing everything they have!"
She wasn't concentrating on what was going on underneath her mansion.
(At the same time)
Kim, Ron, and Agent Du were still under the tunnels.
"The signal's getting stronger! I can sense that Drakken and company are near!" Kim exclaimed.
"Are you sure we're going in the right direction, Miss Possible?" Agent Du asked.
"From what we have so far on the signal, yes." Kim replied.
"KP's never wrong on her detective stuff!" Ron said.
"Yeah, it's not Drakken's plan that I'm worried about, it's the whole romance dilemma with Romeo and Juliet that I have the pressure turned up on me!" Kim uttered, blushing at the cheeks. "And the balcony scene..."
"Yeah...also, Bonnie and Amanda spiked her on the two guys that she really wanted to take to the dance!" Ron added.
Kim seethed to herself, "OOOOO! That still so angers me! And now she gloats that she has a huge mansion and a 100-foot tall statue of herself in gold in the future!"
"KP? Do you hear what I hear?" Ron asked.
"Ron...:" Kim uttered, "...now is not the time for that little drummer boy Christmas song!"
"No, KP! Seriousness on my face noted!" Ron replied, observing through a grate from above.
Kim looked down and her eyes were wide open with surprise.
"Whoa...that can't be us! Can it?"
Sarah was the next to come up with her portion of the Kim/Ron speech in one hand and sugar-coated gummi-bears in the other.
"When the chips were down during the Lil' Diablo plot and Kim was about to give up for good, Ron extended out his feelings for Kim in four words!"
"Out there..." Ron began, touching Kim's heart with his hand.
"...in here!" Kim began as she touched his heart.
"They shared their first kiss for the first time ever on the dance floor!" Sarah said in a high-pitched voice, u
Kim grinned and asked, "Did it go something like this, Sarah?" And then she kissed Ron on the lips, closing her eyes to the first time they shared that kiss 12 years ago.
DisneyFreak, Sarah, Loulines, and Sugarskulls all lit up their faces and squealed for joy.
Through the tunnel system grating, both the young Ron and Kim could not believe their eyes!
"Lil' Diablo plot? Is there something that I'm missing here?" Kim asked.
"What type of funny talk are they even using?" Ron questioned. He was about as baffled as his best friend was.
"And whoa...are we really BF and GF?" Kim asked another question. Her jaw dropped to the floor when she saw the weddings bands on both her and Ron's future self.
"I cannot for the life of me imagining myself...with you...like that!"
Ron exclaimed, "Oh no... are we...?! Oh that is so wrongsick!"
"This is too much flash-forwarding! My head is really starting to hurt!" Kim moaned, rubbing her head.
"First things first, you're going to have to find a boyfriend that really likes you!" Agent Du replied.
"That's the challenge!" Kim countered, "I can foil Drakken's weirdo evil plots easily, but the crush problem...not so much."
"Okay...why am I in a lumberjack suit! Do I own the Middleton Logging Company in the future?" Ron asked lightly, pointing to the outfit his future self was wearing.
Rufus shrugged his shoulders.
"I wonder who these people are and what the awards are for?" Kim wondered.
"Never mind that, look at you!" Ron said.
"Oh my gosh! Am I wearing overalls with a bell-bottomed sleeved shirt?! I look like a farmer from the 1970s!" Kim gasped. "Bonnie is so going to laugh at me!"
Agent Du smirked, "All you need is a straw hat, a pitchfork, and you rolling in mud with the pigs!"
"Quiet, Agent Du, or I will have the USSN dock down your so-called 'top agent' status by a few notches!" Kim growled.
Agent Du closed his mouth, hardly believing this 15-year old girl could render him silent.
"If you don't mind, Sarah, both Ron and I have a few words to say before we announce the finalists and the winner!" Kim said.
"Go right ahead, Kim!" Sarah squealed.
Kim went up to the podium and began her speech, "When I met this wonderful man 25 years ago, I did not know what type of road that it would lead me to. But Ronald A. Stoppable stood by my side for all those 25 years through life's difficulties with school, having all sorts of phobias and fears, especially with the banana-eating monkey kind and what had once occurred at Camp Wannaweep!"
"I still have to get over mine with the Stoppable lawn gnome..." Ron shuddered.
The audience gave a light laughter.
"But he overcame them all and, when it counted most during the alien invasion 10 years ago and saved my life."
"Alien invasion? What kind of nonsense is that?!" Ron chuckled, "There are no visitors from outer space...are there?" He looked around the tunnels to see if there actually are aliens.
Kim hushed him, "Shhh...I'm trying to listen!"
"But like Ron, I still had my own set of fears to get over: fear of letting my Kim-ness overtake me in non-combat sitches, fear of being afraid on the stage, and fear of making a fool of myself in front of boys, especially on my former crush, Josh Mankey!"
Kim gasped through the wall grate. This could be the answer that she was looking for! All her problems and social struggles with high school could be answered in this very sentence.
"You have to conquer those fears that are inside of you! You must have inner strength that comes from here!" the current Kim said, pointing to her heart. "If you can tap into the inner strength inside of your heart, you can conquer everything that life throws at you!"
_
Kim just stood there in amazement! She looked at Ron.
"This connects everything together! In order for me to conquer my fears, especially my stage fright, is within me! I need both the inner strength that I have, and the support of my best friend!" Kim said, learning something from that speech her future self gave her. She looked at Ron. "This is what I need to get through Romeo and Juliet with a good grade!"
"KP, you couldn't ask for a better friend than me!" Ron smiled and the two held hands again.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough mushy stuff!" Agent Du said, dismissing these gestures. "We have to get back to the mission!"
"Very well then, Mr. Stiffneck!" Kim grunted. She kept the words to herself and planned to use them when the time is correct.
The current Kim embraced Ron and said, "It has led me to graduating college, being married to this wonderful man, and having two wonderful kids! But that doesn't stop us from saving the world!"
"No, it even hasn't, KS!" Ron replied with a smile to his wife. "It is just beginning!"
"To present the nominees for best Kim and Ron, I give you one of the best KP fanfiction writers of all time and the person that has put all of this together: CaptainKodak and Sharper!" Ron replied
Both the Captain and Sharper approached the stage with a warm round of applause with Sarah holding out the Golden Rufus.
"From what Kim and Ron have said tonight about their relationship in a nutshell, these six nominees best define those exact words!" the Captain said.
"But only one will get to take home the award!" Sharper added.
"The nominees are...
The Captain: Machinations by Waveform
After the movie, we went for a walk in the park, then we went back to my place. Ron was amused by how… spartan my apartment was. I had a couch, a coffee table, no TV, and only one end table with a lamp. The bedroom had slightly more to it; a queen size bed, dresser, and nightstand. I spent more time at work than at home, and when I was at home, I was asleep. The bed made more sense than the couch, really.
We sat in the living room and talked. Well, that was what we planned on doing. Then the make out session started. Then hands started to wander. And then, well…
The first time wasn't so great. It was awkward, a little uncomfortable, and over much more quickly than either of us had wanted. The second time, though, that was just… booyah.
I know I said we were going to take things slow, but in this case, we made an exception. We lay together, wrapped in each other's arms and entangled in the sheets, just enjoying being close. My head was resting on Ron's chest, and I could hear his heartbeat. It was so relaxing. I was very close to falling asleep when Ron shifted and placed a gentle kiss on my head.
"I love you," he said.
I let out a contented sigh and said, "I love you, too."
"I never thought I'd ever get to do this," he said.
"What's that?" I asked. "Make love with me?"
"Make love with anyone." Ron shifted again so we were side by side, facing each other. "I wasn't sure how long I was going to live, KP. I mean, after everything those guys did to me when I was their prisoner, there were days when I thought they were going to kill me." He closed his eyes and was quiet for a minute. "There were days that I wanted them to kill me, just so the pain would stop."
I leaned in and kissed him. "You're safe now," I said. "You're free, and there is no way Mech will ever be able to hurt you again."
"I can still see it, though, Kim! Some nights I have nightmares about it! There are times that I'm afraid to go to sleep because I think that, when I wake up, I'll be back in that cell."
I caressed Ron's cheek. His hand, almost on its own, went to my chest. He wasn't feeling me up, he was running his fingers over the "Never Be Normal" tattoo I had over my heart. He touched it a lot when we were making love. Well, when he wasn't touching other things.
I put my hand on his and held it close to me. "It's going to be a long road," I said. "But you're not alone. I've already called the psychiatrist I saw after you were taken. His name is Dr. Phil Dale, and he helped me get through some pretty dark times."
"Yeah, he called me already to set up some appointments after I'm back in Middleton." Ron looked me in the eyes. "I'm going to miss you when I go back."
I smiled at him. "I'm going to miss you, too. But Middleton is only a couple hours away from here by air. And in an emergency, I'm sure the Autobots will let me use the ground bridge to get to you. You will never be anyone's prisoner again, Ron. I promise." It was my turn to be silent. "I have another promise to make," I finally said. "I know I can't give you back those years that were taken from you, or make up for my role in you being taken, but I promise, I swear on my life, that I will make every year we have together the best years of our lives!"
Ron wiped a tear from his eyes. "Are you proposing?"
I let out a chuckle. "No," I said. "We only just got together. Although, the thought of spending the rest of my life with you is so appealing." I kissed Ron again and held him close to me. "I finally have you back, Ron. I am never letting go. Ever."
Ron kissed me, and then we went for round three.
Sharper: Wedding Day by Otis Spifford
Ron was scrabbling around, grasping in the dark and scattering their already scattered equipment even further. He gave a shout of triumph as Kim dug the glow stick from her pocket. She shook it up and the green ambiance allowed her to see Ron slam the grappler into the ground once, twice, then a third time. With a loud snap, the grappling claw released.
Wade recently updated the grappler's design to accept interchangeable claw styles. The style they were using at the moment had three tines and looked somewhat like a larger cousin of the claw used in game parlors to attempt to snatch stuffed animals piled in a booth. Each individual tine was slightly boomerang shaped and roughly eight inches in overall length, joined together with a spring loaded device that opened and closed the claw.
"Ron, what is it?"
"The grappler, Kim! Look, the tines are made of hardened titanium, quarter inch thick. We take them apart, then put them together end to end…."
"And all of a sudden we've got a two foot long pry bar. Ron, you're a genius!"
He chuckled. "Wow, never been called that before. Oh, wait. Yeah I have."
"Except this time, you're not faking." She hugged him and kissed his cheek. Let's get to work."
Kim lit the flashlight, which was like a supernova after so long in such pitch dark. It took a couple of hours of work with only a knife and a multi-tool to work with, but it was productive work. A task with purpose and it was a wonderful thing to have. Finally they finished. The "pry bar" just barely fit in the gap between door and jamb, but fit it did. They pulled with all their might and felt the door move ever so slightly. They turned around and pushed on the bar, throwing their combined weight and strength against it. The door opened. A half inch, an inch, two, three. The bar was no longer useful and they grabbed the edge of the door and pulled, heaved. Finally, the door opened enough for them to squeeze through and they escaped their tomb with much laughing, hugging, and kissing. The warehouse was dark and deserted, but they didn't care. They were alive, and they were going to stay that way.
Sharper: Fox and the Mad Dawg – CaptainKodak1
Kim moved down the stairs quickly to where he lay. He sat up as she got to him. Laying her weapon down she started to check him over. He groaned when she touched his left side.
"Easy there KP. I didn't land real gracefully and hit that spot pretty hard."
Kim checked him over more and got another hiss of pain when she got to his left ankle. Sitting back she struggled to calm her breathing and her nerves. After a moment she reached over to touch his face.
"Okay graceful. It looks like you might have broken a couple of ribs and sprained that ankle but that's about all I can tell now."
Ron looked her in the eye.
"Well, it's better than full of holes. Let's get out of here before any more troops show up. I'm sure anybody in several blocks heard the shooting and these guys are gonna be missed by somebody. We got lucky this time. We need to be more careful."
Kim nodded.
"Okay, can you walk?"
He nodded and stood up gingerly.
"Yeah, why don't you go back up there and get one of those MP-42's, ammo and plenty of grenades. Get the rifle and we will move out. While you are getting the stuff I'll wrap this ankle up. And by the way bend down here a second."
Kim leaned down and Ron reached up and cupping the back of her neck with his hand pulled her down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"That's for saving my life."
Kim knelt beside him and without saying a word wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. He raised his arms pulled her down into his lap and joined in the kiss. They remained that way for several seconds before pulling apart. Kim blushed deeply before getting up and running up the stairs. Ron sat there for a moment then began wrapping his ankle in a strip of cloth he tore from a curtain lying on the floor next to him.
The Captain: KP Rides Again by Hotrod2001
They were going to kill you, Kim. Not kill you with an elaborate villain scheme, but rip your spine out and stuff you like a trophy. I used to see it. In my nightmares. Your eyes close and your dead and I can't save you."
"But you saved me, Ron. You were a hero. You were my hero. You accepted the Mystical Monkey Power and you saved me and the whole world," Kim said as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
Ron scoffed. "Yeah, a hero. Not so much. I killed them, KP. I didn't kill them on accident. I killed them because I wanted to kill them. I was angry that they threatened you like that. And when the Mystical Monkey Power flowed through me unchecked I went from angry to cold rage. I meant to kill them. And even after they were dead, I wanted to kill everyone and everything else that would threaten you."
"But you didn't."
"No, because, when I saw you on the ground and I saw the fear in your eyes … I realized that I was the threat. I used to have nightmares about that as well. I wasn't able to stop it and I killed you. I killed everyone," Ron said before a deep sob escaped. "Kim, I enjoyed it."
"Shhh … It's okay, babe," Kim said as she pulled him into a hug. "They're just nightmares. They're just your mind trying to cope with a very stressful situation."
"But they aren't anymore. You saw the images of Akuma. He's a Lowardian. I'm sure of it. And we're going to face him tomorrow. What if he kills you? What if Sensei lied to me about the Mystical Monkey Power being gone and I kill you? I'm afraid. And when you close your eyes, all I can see is you dead."
Kim leaned forward and kissed Ron. "Then we just need to override those images," she said as she closed her eyes and reached down to his hand and moved it from her legs to a more intimate region of her body.
"Kim?"
"It's okay. Besides, I need this too. Those images Ken had of Drakken. After the meeting ended and you headed out on the dune buggy, I went back through folder and looked at them again. I can't get them out of my head," she whimpered as Ron began to move his hand. "Every time I close my eyes, all I see is that mangled body in the rubble. We both need something better to envision when my eyes are closed."
Ron kissed his girlfriend passionately. "I love you so much."
The Captain: What's the Alma Mater by MrDrP
Ron gulped and squirmed, which proved to be fatal tells as Kim immediately hit him with the puppy dog pout. "Oh man," he whined. She didn't relent. "The scenarios were real, KP," he said. "It was badical being saved by you. And I didn't think Gemini needed to know about the whole mystical monkey power thing and I'm really glad I didn't monkey up since that video Betty showed us means even GJ still doesn't know everything that happened last spring and, well, I wanted you to have a chance to do your thing. I remembered our talk on the Enterprise. I never want you to feel super silly—"
"Supercilious," Kim corrected him. "Though I think you mean superfluous."
"School words, KP, but yeah, that," Ron said. "Anyway, I thought you'd like to come in and kick some bad guy booty and …"
"You're really sweet, Mr. Stoppable. Did you know that?" she said, taking his hands in hers. "Thanks."
"'Sha," Ron said with a self-deprecating wave of the hand. "It's what we sidekicks do."
"How many times do I have to tell you you're not a sidekick," Kim said. "You're my partner."
"I know, KP. But if you look at how things usually go down, you're still the hero and I'm still your sidekick and that's coolio. I know you're my hero."
Kim looked at Ron and her eyes began to tear up.
"Uh oh, did I say something wrong?"
"No," Kim said affectionately. "You so didn't say something wrong. And if we weren't in a restaurant and if it wouldn't give my dad a heart attack, I'd jump across this table and kiss you."
He flashed Kim a goofy grin. "I'm kind of liking that image."
"I love you, Ron," she said as she squeezed his hands.
"I know, KP," he said with a broad smile. "Which is why it's badical to be the Ronman."
Sharper: And lastly: The Next Logical Step by Biyo94
He felt her enter before he could actually see her and when he did, the sight took his breath away. There stood his date, dressed in a simple serene white off-the-shoulder maxi dress, the silk embellishing her curves sensuously. Of their own free will, his legs stood him up as if acknowledging the presence of an other-worldly deity...a goddess.
With grace only a Kung Fu Master could possess, she walked up to him, red hair tumbling over her shoulders. The soft glow of the candlelight developed an illusion of a halo around her head, and she looked no less than an angel to Ron.
The broad smile gracing her lips suddenly disappeared as her eyes flickered to his head and she gasped. "Oh my God! I can't believe you did your hair!"
His usual unkempt blond locks were slicked back, revealing a perfect hairline. Not a single hair was out of place.
Ron smiled and ran his hand through his hair, superficially of course; he didn't want to dishevel them.
"With all the surprises you decided to shower upon me tonight, it only bodes well that I retorted with one of my own," he replied rather flirtatiously.
"I'm impressed," Kim commented.
"I'm glad. You look um...what's the word I'm looking for?..."
"Beautiful?" she suggested, with her eyebrows shot up.
"No, beautiful doesn't do you justice. You look...divine," he announced, handing her the rose.
Crimson crept to her cheeks, up her neck as she maneuvered a stray lock behind her ear and mumbled a shy 'thank you'.
"Kim...the envelope please!" Sharper insisted.
Kim then opened up the envelope. "And the Golden Rufus for best Kim/Ron pairing goes to..." and both husband and wife said the winner..KP Rides Again by Hotrod2001!
Hotrod got onto the podium to announce his victory speech after accepting the Golden Rufus from Sarah.
"Wow...winner of Best Kim and Ron portrayal and of this writing I am only four chapters into my story. No pressure or anything on me seeing this whole thing through right? I'm only kidding, this is good for me. I look at this as a down payment on what the rest of the story is expected to be, and that is what I wanted it to be from the get-go; one of the best Kim Possible fan stories out there.
When I initially thought of writing a story, I wanted to give our favorite redhead a proper sendoff which was in the same grain of what the Serenity movie was to the Firefly series, something big with lots of questions answered, and an ending which also doubles as a beginning. That isn't a spoiler for anyone who's seen my artwork. We all know where this is leading to, but how they get there is the big question, and if I can figure out how to make my notes work in a sensible manner, that way is going to be a wild one with a crazy ending which everyone should enjoy.
When I first started out, I have to admit that I was fairly content to have kept Kim and Ron close to what they were like at the end of the actual show. However after much back and forth with my beta, we concluded to try to go in a different path with the two. With Kim, we decided to play into that insecurity which was always just under the skin with her, and then eventually have her fall from grace and hit rock bottom, somewhere nobody would have really expected "the girl who can do anything" could go (despite the whole, "do anything" part) and then for Ron, instead of keeping him a bumbling buffoon, we made more mature and take the reigns when it came to his friend's escapades. And somehow we managed to make it work! Most importantly, I've gotten a lot of feedback on how excited, concerned and frankly angry (looking at you Ken and Bonnie) with how the story has made them. Which I guess is good if readers are getting emotionally invested.
Either way, obviously the story still has a way to go, but you can be assured that Chapter 5 is already underway and Kim and Ron's return to saving the world is far from over! Thanks again for all of you out there who voted for us!"
And with that, the Kim and Ron delegation left the stage with a shower of applause. Once Sharper gained control of the microphone, he announced. "Once again, let's give a hand to the winners of both Best Kigo and Best Kim/Ron!"
The four beeps of the Kimmunicator tone echoed through the auditorium.
"Look like this means we're coming up on another commercial break, this time, brought to you by Tri-City Air. And when return, we're going to announce the winners for Best Comedy and Best Romance, so don't touch that dial! Stay tuned."
With that, Sharper left the podium as another Faith Hill song, "There You'll Be" played over the loudspeakers.