Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Kim Possible are owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

And Don't Say Die

Kim's alarm woke her at a time which, under normal circumstances, would mean she had enjoyed a barely adequate amount of sleep and could review her notes one final time before her early afternoon test with an almost rested mind. Having missed more than an hour of sleep playing knight in shining armor to Shego's damsel in distress her mood was foul as she drank an extra cup of coffee to compensate for missing sleep.

The foul mood continued through the test, which Kim felt certain she failed because of missing a final review of her notes. (She, in fact, would receive the highest score on the exam, coming in second on the objective portion of the test and third in the essay portion behind two brilliant writers who had under performed on the objective half of the exam. But, not knowing that, she felt like she had failed.)

An unusual event during the test came when a delivery driver walked into the classroom. The professor accepted the long white box with a frown – telling the young man an exam was in process and he had no business interrupting. The prof simply set what appeared to be a florist box on his desk and said nothing. Speculation about the contents of the box, and who it was for, seriously distracted almost half of the students. Kim was among the students paying no attention, a combination of knowing it couldn't possibly be for them and wanting to focus on the test.

"Time," the professor announced. "Please leave your exams on my desk as you leave." As Kim filed by he scowled at her. "Ms Possible. This is for you," he said, shoving the box toward her. "Tell your admirer to respect my tests."

Several students who had been curious about the box followed Kim to a desk at the side of the room to see her open it. Some were acquaintances, some strangers, but all were curious about the contents.

A half-dozen long stem black roses rested in the box with a card, "Sorry about this morning."

"There are black roses?" one student asked.

"They must be dyed," another student – whose parents owned a greenhouse – answered, "the only real black roses are grown in Turkey."

A woman giggled, "What does the note mean? He couldn't get it up?"

"I could enjoy studying for a test that way," a man laughed.

"You'd flunk the exam," his buddy pointed out.

"So worth it."

"What's this about, Kim?" Jamila, a woman who knew Kim, asked. "Black roses mean death or something, don't they? Are you all right?"

"A friend... I'm not sure she's a friend – probably not – needed a favor at two this morning."

"And you helped her?" another woman asked in disbelief.

"I still don't get the black," protested Jamila. "Black roses?"

"She's kinda Goth," Kim explained. "And, since we're not really friends, red roses would have totally creeped me out."

"So... She sent roses to say thank you, or maybe to apologize for disturbing you, or maybe both?" Jamila asked.

"Maybe. Xandy is so crazy I never know what she's thinking."

"She a student here?"

"No, she works. She's out of college... I met her when I was in high school and ran into her a month or two ago out here."

Jamila nodded in what she considered understanding gesture. "Kim, whether you consider this Sandy a friend or not, it is clear she thinks of you as a good friend if she turns to you in her hour of need."

Kim smiled. "That sounds beautiful when you say it. I'm not sure you're right. I think she might have considered me the person she didn't mind bothering at two in the morning. Hey, you going to be around over break? I heard of a good Halal place."

"Try it without me and tell me about it when I get back. I need four flights to get home, starting tonight."

The answer made Kim feel sorry for herself. "Great, the Muslim is going to the Middle East for Christmas and I'm stuck here." One thing puzzled Kim. "How did Shego know I was taking the test?" That was more than slightly creepy.

Kim didn't know what Shego's normal working hours were. Kim wasn't even sure if Shego had a normal working schedule. But she waited until early evening, when a hypothetical work day should be done, to call.

"Hello."

"Shego? What in the heck were the flowers for?"

"Uh, to thank you to the rescue? What did you think they were about?"

"Black roses?"

"You wanted red?"

"I didn't want any! The delivery annoyed my professor... The one grading my exam! And how did you know where to send them?"

"I asked my version of Wade, Victoria Schwartz. Told her I needed to call you after your exam and she hacked your schedule."

"You could have waited 'til the exam was over."

"There are exams where you can leave early if you finish early. I didn't want to risk missing you."

"You could have sent them to my apartment."

"I don't know your address. Did you want me to ask Victoria for that?"

Kim hesitated. "No. But I'm giving it to you now. You owe me again."

"The flowers weren't enough?"

"Not when they got my prof angry! You're going to get me a take-out shrimp lo mein, And you're bringing it over here, and you're giving me a lesson on the dating program... Although considering your history with Megan and me I'm not sure how good you are with it."