Thank you to Boris Yeltsin, campy, Eddy13, CajunBear73, Bobtrumpet, Jimmy1201, airauralintensity, Quathis, Un83ta813, Kray S427, and Anonymoose for reviewing.

I'd also like to express my gratitude to those of you who have opted to "favorite" and/or follow this or some of my other stories. Your support and interest mean a lot to this author.

My thanks to the ever-reliable campy for looking over this chapter.

KP © Disney; Original Characters © the Author

Chapter 42: Alien Oops!

I.

Yori, Will, Fern, and Shego reached a juncture; the hall split off yet again. All of the indicators so far had led them in this direction and while they didn't regret staying together, they were now at a loss. A long corridor stretched into the distance on their left, another on their right.

"I believe we should split into two parties," Will observed.

"I must agree," Yori said.

"Uh huh, yeah, not happening," Shego snarked.

"May I ask why?" Will wondered.

Yori, too, was momentarily perplexed but then suspected what Shego was thinking. "Ah. You do not trust us. Am I not right?"

"Let's just say 'ninja girl plus GJ guy on a mission but making eyes at one another' smells like a date, which is a good recipe for this whole thing blowing up in our faces."

Fern watched the exchange skeptically—this was like seeing Bern and his partners go at it—with her arms akimbo. She rolled her eyes and said, "Fine. I'll go with Yori."

"Not happening," Shego snapped.

"You received a pardon," an exasperated Will said. "While I believe the United Nations was acting rashly, it was within its rights. I will not arrest you."

"Thanks, Lawman," Shego replied without any enthusiasm.

"Then I will go with Shego-san," Yori offered. "Fern-san, you are with Du-san." Looking at the former villainness, the ninja then added, "I presume this arrangement will be acceptable to you."

"Yeah, but when this goes south like one of Drew's lame-o plots, don't blame me," the raven- haired woman said.

II.

As they approached still another T-junction, Kim looked down to the pouch on her leg, or more specifically the small, pink head that was peering out from under the flap. "Okay, Rufus, it's time for you to do whatever it is you do."

The mole rat nodded, then closed his eyes as if to concentrate. The sound of rolling wheels disturbed his concentration and he looked to the source of the noise. From being a model of Zen composure, Rufus became one of unconcealed panic as his eyes bugged out and he began jabbering and gesticulating furiously.

Over the years, Kim's ability to understand and converse with the naked mole rat had grown to the point where it almost rivaled Ron's. However, in this instance, she didn't even need a preternatural ability to communicate with the rodent to know what was agitating him; instead, she merely had to look at the men wearing hazmat suits pushing a large piece of equipment with what appeared to be numerous probes attached to its exterior out of the room and into the hall.

Kim's desire to help those in need was aroused as she presumed that somebody might just have had something unpleasant done to him or her. While the young hero wanted to get to her BFBF, years of experience and commitment to aiding people kicked in and she took off in the direction of the unwitting technicians, aiming to teach them a lesson about sticking things where they didn't belong.

III.

"I thought you had confidence in your mate?" Scamper asked a clearly fidgety Ron, whose earlier state of Zen calm had given way to a case of the nerves.

"I do," Ron responded. "I just wish she'd get here."

"Then why don't you go to her and show her where we are?"

"It's kind of hard to explain …"

"Give us a try," Scamper replied with what could have been described as a bemused expression.

"Okay, you see …" Ron began as he set out to explain the dynamics of Team Possible and how the Lorwardian invasion and its aftermath led to some turbulence in the way the team operated and, most critically as Ron was concerned, how Kim saw herself.

"I see," Bitey replied. "I think you need to trust her. You two are a team, after all."

"I know, but KP's so incredible and …"

Ron was cut off when one of the technicians who'd recently left came sailing back into the room, followed by a clearly in-mission-mode Kim.

She looked to and fro, surveying the scene, and then saw Ron. Her face lit up with relief at her discovery, but then she scowled and headed back out.

"You are so busted!" the trio heard her yell with anger, "Do you know how many phobias he's got and now you're probing him?"

"No! No! We didn't—" a panicked voice replied before its owner came flying into the room, joining his colleague in a heap on the floor. She strode in, her body set for combat, Rufus perched on her shoulder, ready to join the fray. They then relaxed when it was clear the danger had passed.

Kim saw her BF and ran up to the tube holding Ron and reached up her hands to the glass.

"Are you okay?" she asked, a look of concern on her face. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Ron realized that he couldn't actually speak to her. So he nodded, and then shook his head.

It was then that Kim noticed Ron's roommates, "Uh, hi," she said. Scamper and Bitey looked back and waved.

"O-kaaay, this is awk-weird," she said.

Then Ron noticed something he had seen many times over the years: the concentration writ large on her face, her hand on her chin, her eyebrow cocked, her lips pursed: she was clearly thinking of something. Then she spoke, "Ron, astral projection. Can you do that?"

He nodded and then closed his eyes. A few moments later, his spectral image appeared next to Kim.

"Hey, KP," Ron said, a bit awkwardly.

"Hey," Kim said in return.

"So, I know we can't actually touch, but is it okay if I astral-hug my bon-diggity girlfriend?" he asked.

"What do you think?" she replied, as she opened her arms. Ron's image moved to hold her, and unlike when she was at GJ, she could swear she could feel him. Surprised, she said, "Wha? How?"

"KP, I, uh, whoa .." He spluttered, as confused as she was.

"Proximity, maybe? Whatever it is, I so don't care," she said, tightening the embrace.

"Oh, yeah, oh hey, this feels nice," Ron said, relaxing into the hug.

They held one another for a few more moments and then pulled apart. Kim was now wearing her mission face. "It's time to ace this place …"

"I'm cool with that," Ron agreed.

"… Which means we need to get you out."

"And don't forget my peeps," Ron said, hooking his thumb over at the two aliens.

"Yeahhh. Right," Kim said, analyzing the situation, not sure of how she was going to liberate not only Ron, but his two alien compadres, who, like her BF, were suspended in an unidentified liquid matrix. She so wished she could consult with Wade. Then she had an idea. "Ron, the Kimmunicator's signal is being jammed. Do you think you could get in touch with Wade and fill him in on the sitch?"

"I can give it a try," his image said. "Man, this tanks though," he added, "I really like hugging you."

"Astral projection now, please and thank you," she said with a smirk. "Real hugs later."

IV.

As usual, Wade was sitting at his computer station. He was trying to cut through whatever was blocking communication with Kim. He looked from one screen, then another, began typing some commands, and when nothing happened, typed some more. He sat back in his chair and sighed before taking a sip of his ever-present Slurpster. "These guys are surprisingly good," he muttered to no one in particular.

"Yeah, but not as good as the Wadester," said a familiar voice.

Wade's eyes opened wide as he dropped his drink. "Ron?!"

"In the flesh," he said, before he chuckled nervously. "Well, actually not quite."

Wade focused on his visitor. It was definitely Ron - he was wearing just his boxers - but he seemed a bit blurry and was surrounded by a faint aura. The young tech guru reached out to touch him and wasn't surprised when his hand passed through the figure before him. "Are you a hologram?"

"Nope. Astral projection. Kooky enough for you?" Ron asked.

"Nope. It's still just science I can't explain. Yet," he answered with confidence that one day he would. "So, what up?"

"KP says the Kimmunicator is jammed and she wanted you to know she's A-okay."

"Sweet," Wade said. "So, is everybody else okay too?"

"Everybody? It's just KP here, right? Or do you know about Scamper and Bitey?"

"Uh, Kim went in with a full team: Shego, Yori, Will Du, and Fern," Wade said. He left unvoiced his curiosity about the two cartoon characters Ron had inexplicably referenced.

"Now that's as unlikely a grouping as—"

"Ron, focus, where exactly are you?" Wade asked.

"Me and my peeps are suspended in some kind of goop."

"Peeps? They have others there?"

"I told you: Scamper and Bitey. They're a couple of non-Lorwardian alien dudes but they're cool."

Wade considered what Ron just said. The implications were staggering. The science fiction aficionado couldn't help but think about the tech that might be hidden at Area 52 and as his imagination began to wander Space Passage and its "Confederation of Confederated Planets" came to mind, but he knew that first things came first: he was a member of Team Possible and had to help his friends deal with this situation.

"Okay," he said. "Look, can you communicate with them?"

"Yeah, I thought you had the world wired, but these guys, well …"

"Then let's get to it," Wade said, acting on a hunch.

V.

In a coincidence worthy of both the laws of extreme improbability and expedient fan-fiction plot development, the two teams of Shego and Yori and Will and Fern found themselves meeting one another outside a door that they all suspected was all that lay between them and the base command center.

Will and Yori once again tried to discreetly exchange looks as Fern, watching the two, smirked, and Shego ostentatiously rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay, would you two quit with the making eyes at each other?" the older woman said, "You can get a room after we find Princess and Monkey Boy."

Both Yori and Will looked surprised. Fern snickered. "We were indiscreet?" an abashed Yori asked.

"Doy," Shego said as she facepalmed herself and Fern now laughed openly.

Kim's roommate said, "As obvious as …"

"… Drew drooling over the latest Hencho catalog," Shego said. Though Drakken had put aside villainy since the alien invasion in the spring there was no question that the mad scientist remained highly interested in all kinds of technology and he was still intrigued and often annoyed when somebody came up with something novel, especially if he had previously tried and failed to do so himself.

Both Yori and Will blushed.

"Okay, if you two lovedorks can take a break from your dopey dating game," Shego sneered before she hooked her thumb over her shoulder at the door, "maybe we can get around to laying down some hurt on these guys."

VI.

Kim, Ron, and Rufus watched as Scamper and Bitey began communicating with Wade. Three-dimensional images appeared in rapid succession alongside schematics of varying kinds, all while Wade's head was projected on a virtual screen. Then, their conference completed, everything went blank, save the image of Team Possible's young webmaster.

"Wade, can you hear me?" Kim asked.

"Loud and clear," Wade said with a grin.

She shook her head. "I don't know how you guys do this, but you all rock."

"We do what we can," Wade said smugly as the two aliens nodded in agreement.

"Getting a bit big heady?" Kim asked, with a smile and arched eyebrow.

"Well ..." a suddenly abashed Wade replied.

Kim chuckled. "No need to apologize, Wade. If, no, when, this works, you'll most def have the right to brag. Let's do this."

Wade gave a thumb's up and his image disappeared. Kim looked at Ron, "Okay, Monkey Master, it's go time."

Ron responded with two thumbs up and Kim grinned, reflecting on just how weird her life was: Aliens. A seriously wack team working with her. And a mystically-powered best friend-boyfriend. Right now, despite shadowy government agencies mucking with her life and rogue reporters spreading lies about her, she knew she was in her element and life was ferociously good.

She had just blown a kiss to Ron when the overheads flickered out and an eerie red light flooded the space — except for a dancing blue aura that surrounded him. In the penumbra's wake were spectral monkeys, hooting and hollering, cavorting and jumping about. While the simian shrieking was muffled by the substance in which her BFBF floated, the sound was still audible, and the expression on Ron's face let Kim know something was about to happen. His mien was at first serious but then his features relaxed and he smiled goofily at her; she returned her gesture with something more winsome and calculated to melt his heart. Seeing his expression, she was satisfied her smile had done the trick and she activated her suit's defensive shields, defending her and the technicians she'd taken out, just in time for the cylinder's walls to explode outwards, showering her protective bubble with glass and goo.

Whereas in the past, Ron would have somehow found himself on the floor in an undignified heap, he now floated serenely above the mess. Slowly, he floated down to the floor.

"Nicely bubbled, K—" he enthused, before she wrapped him in a fierce hug and he was cut off by her lips, which pressed hungrily against his own. Ron quickly responded in kind. Any embarrassment at the presence of aliens or knocked-out henchmen was quickly dismissed as the two were reunited. Though they had been separated for only a few hours, it felt like months had gone by.

"Remind me to get captured more often," Ron said in a daze when the lip smacking was over. Rufus managed to keep his bleh to himself. He was glad his humans were a couple, but could sometimes be put off by the kissy-face.

"I so don't think so," she replied. "You can have the kisses without the abductions."

"Coolio," he said.

Kim and Ron then both took a moment to look to Scamper and Bitey, who were still floating above the floor.

"Gravity differential?" Kim asked. The two nodded agreeably in response.

"Uh, do you think I can get my clothes?" Ron suddenly asked.

"I kind of like the boxers," Kim said in a teasing voice.

"And I really like the super suit, KP," Ron said nervously. "If you know what I mean."

Kim smiled, but then reddened. "Oh! Oh! Time and place?"

"Uh, yeah, something like that," he said apologetically.

"It's okay," she said softly as she pulled away but held onto his hand.

The five headed out of the room, quickly found the storage bin with Ron's clothes, and made their way out into the base, determined to find the others and smack down the bad guys.

TBC …