Rich noticed Ron's unhappy expression during the class bell; "Hey, bro; you look bummed out."

The student body looked on this new development strangely; as if Kim and Ron's dating wasn't the talk at Middleton High, the recent addition of Richard Harte and his sister Daphne to Team Possible certainly was.

"Hah! Two more losers!" Bonnie Rockwaller had said; forget her, Ron thought; the the addition of the Harte twins gave Team Possible ten times the firepower.

And Ron Stoppable had found a friend--almost as close to him as K.P.; how strange it looked; a dorky art student, wire rim glasses, untameable cowlick on his head, and a born-again Christian at that--who liked to quote Shakespeare--was the best of friends with the former laughing stock of Middleton High, and Jewish at that.

They were closer than brothers; hence they called each other "Bro." Rich cared nothing for appearance; but the world didn't know Richard and Daphne Harte like Ron did; their fighting ability almost rivaled Kim's. Prim and bookish Daphne--they called her the "Librarian"--was as formidable a genius with computers and electronic hardware as Wade Load--which was apparently how they met, at some genius chatroom or convention, or something; she had converted an old Yugo into an ethanol-burning hell-on-wheels; it could rival Ron's rocket-powered scooter that Dr. Possible and his twin sons had souped up.

As for Richard Leo Harte: talk about not judging a book by its cover; he seemed to know it all: history, science, philosophy, martial arts; he had single-handedly defeated Drakken, Shego, and all the synthodrones and henchmen--and insisted that Kim and Ron take the credit; go figure. (But that is another story.)

"Bro--you look bummed." Rich was into outdated slang; much to Kim's annoyance, sometimes.

Ron shook his head: "That little Kimmunicator; some days I want to wreck it; I know that we're about missions and helping people, but Kim and I can hardly get any time alone."

Rich smiled: "It's your lucky day; bro--Daphne and I want to give you guys a night off."

"Uhh-what's the occasion?"

"Dude--a night with your girl--Wade not paging you guys every half hour; you mentioned it every day this week. Daphne and I will take call; just like the doctors, rocket scientists, and actuarys," he said, referring of course to the Drs. Possible and Mr. Stoppable. "--and even pastors," referring to his father. "It's already arranged."

"Bro--thanks--I owe you."

Kim was sceptical: "Ron, this is Team Possible's cred--yours and mine."

"K.P., we both know they were doing stuff as Team Harte long before we got together."

She sighed; and Ron saw in those gorgeous green eyes the same wish as his; some alone time, some breathing space. "Okay, you convinced me." Booyah, he thought.

"Well, where does milady wish her loyal servant to escort her to this evening?"

She giggled; "You sound like Rich;" and so he did. Rich made a big deal about being gallant. "But since you ask, I need to catch up on studying."

"I know just the place; a quiet little spot upstairs in the most boring house in Middleton."

"Let me guess: your house; your room." She crossed her arms; she was skeptical again.

"Well, you have to admit, my house, my room is boring--and the tweebs won't be around--and my folks always love having you over for supper."

"You convinced me;" she wound her arms around his waist. "Noble Sir, I am thy guest; and see to it that thee is on thy best behaivior--for most of the evening."

Bodacious booyah.

Riding on Ron's scooter was an exhilarating time for Kim, now. The rockets her family had added to outdistance the Little Diablos back on Prom Night now made it a serious thrill; and she could hardly tell whether her excitement was from the speed, or her arms around his waist; she hugged him harder--yes, it was definitely the latter. He popped a wheelie; she gasped, he laughed, and on they sped.

His parents fussed over her as much as her parents fussed over him. It was a quieter house; his father's traditional Hawaiian shirt was the loudest thing there. Most of the time she wished the tweebs would disappear, but being here sometimes made her rethink that wish. The Stoppables had as much love as the Possibles, but somehow the noise seemed more like a family should be, more alive.

Supper was pleasant; Mr Stoppable was very curious about the new teammate, Rich. The two apparently had a most interesting and stimulating discussion when Rich was a guest; again, his breathtaking grasp of history and religion had impressed a parent, as his breathtaking grasp of medical science and rocketry had impressed her parents.

They went up to Ron's room after supper--to "hit the books", they promised. Abe Stoppable gave them a wink; "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

As they agreed, they studied. Ron gallantly offered Kim the use of the bed to lounge on. She stretched out on it, and Ron suddenly felt a--how should he put it--hormonal surge. As a rule Kim was the likelier of the two to start a display of affection; he had sworn before the Lord, the patriarchs, and the prophets to always uphold her honor, even from himself; he started to wonder about excusing himself to take a cold shower. But--another idea came.

Ron dared great deeds since the night of the Little Diablos. He had faced Erik Drake, his physical superior, in battle. He had faced Kim's stormy objections to allowing the Hartes to join Team Possible. He was about to do another great deed, something he would not have dared to do only a month before.

Kim had started wearing the midriff-baring crop top when her braces came off; Ron always had mixed feelings; she was suddenly Popular; he was 'way down food chain. He wanted to cover her bare waist up; he wanted not to obsess on it, he wanted to not impose his opinions on her--it was all so confusing.

There had been a germ of a thought one day; it could have been viewed as an innocent prank, or as the kind of a thing a disordered mind might do--the kind of thing that might end a friendship--so he suppressed the germ of a thought.

Tonight the germ of a thought returned; and in his newfound confidence as Kim's steady boyfriend, he thought: why not?

Zerbets on the belly; rasberries; whatever one called it; it would be a test; would she view it as fun, or break the book over his head?

It was a casual moment; each one was reading their respective book. Kim lay languidly on Ron's bed, and Ron sat on the edge; the only sound was the occasional page turning. If she could have seen the evil leer on his face, she would have become defensive, but shes suspected nothing; he looked for all the world like Grinch; so as not to rouse her suspicions, he tried not to grin. He set his book down; "Hey, K.P.

She looked up and smiled dreamily She was so alluring at times like this, he regretted wasting the opportunity; he could tell she was in a mood to cuddled. "C'mon, Stoppable, show me some love." God help me, he thought, I'm an idiot to pass up an intimate moment with Kim.

She lifted her arms to embrace him; he slowly leaned over her, and suddenly dove for her belly.

Downstairs, Abe Stoppable was reading the paper, and Rachel Stoppable was perusing a gardening magazine; with shocking suddenness they heard Kim screech at the top of her lungs: "Ron!" Rachel jumped in her rocker. "Dear," she said breathlessly, "Should we check on them?"

"They'll be fine," he said with droll humor.

"Would our son--take advantage--of Kim?"

"Our son worships the ground she walks on; and she knows a dozen forms of kung-fu."

"Then--is Ron safe?"

Abe only lifted his eyes to heaven; what living, breathing teenage boy would want to be safe from that fiery-haired filly?

Upstairs, Kim sat on the edge of the bed, covering her waist with both arms, her eyes wide as saucers, her mouth a round "o" of utter astonishment: "You--perv! I don't believe you did that!" Ron was curled up in a ball on the floor, helpless with laughter; hardly a sound came from his open mouth; tears rolled from his clenched eyelids.

"Oh, Stoppable, you're going to pay for that; you are so dead!" With green eyes ablaze and a smirk on her lips, she descended on him; vengeance was hers. "Remember our agreement: when you get me, I get you back!"

She straddled him; slim but strong hands worked through his defense and tickled him in the ribs; he could hardly breath before, but he was wheezing with laughter now.

And the remarkable thing: he loved it; he had been afraid she would be angry; instead, she was just as willing to gleefully torment him as he had been to play around with her.

To be in K.P.'s hands; it was a greater extasy than even the kiss on prom night.

At last, gasping for breath, he managed to get a few words out: "Oh my God--K.P.--I give up--time out!" How beautiful she is, he thought; that rich red hair in wild disarray, those glimmering green eyes, that smile that shines like sunlight on the water.

What a goof he is; but what a sweetheart; my lifelong friend, my mission partner, and now my boyfriend, she thought. "Come on: give the winner her victory kiss;" and she leaned down.

"With pleasure; but--" and now he smirked, "--officially, since I didn't tickle you, I now get to get you back." Expertly, he shifted weight; she was unprepared, and he flipped her; he now had her pinned.

Abe and Rachel Stoppable now heard squeals and giggles erupt from the room upstairs. "Ataboy, son," Abe whispered mischieviously.

Rachel felt compelled to speak her mind again: "Abe, you know how I love Kim, but I still wish he could find a nice Jewish girl." Abe was devout a man as any in his congregation, but if Ron said to him, "Dad, Kim wants us to get married in a Seventh Day Adventist church", Abe would be the first to approve; here was a daughter-in-law--God willing--to be proud of.

A wrestling match was ensuing, and Kim was winning again. She suddenly looked up at the clock and was disconsolate; "Almost curfew," she said sadly. Well, the evening was gone; how sweet, but how short, it had been.

They sat up, sober expressions on their faces; he was about to do another brave and mighty deed; dare he say it? "I wish we could do this in fifty years, when we're old and grey."

She gazed at him shyly and whispered, "I want to do this in five years, when we won't have to go home; we'll both already be home." His eyes grew wider than hers had earlier; his heart raced into space, past the moon, past Pluto, and halfway to the next star. She stood up and offered him her hand; "Just something to think about."

He took her hand and stood up also; "Believe me, I will; I'm already on the same page." The deep brown eyes held the gaze of the shimmering emerald eyes.

The stars shown like blazing diamonds against the black velvet sky. Kim's arms were tight around Ron's waist, her head resting on his shoulder; when his scooter hit a dip in the road, their helmets would clunk together; he hardly noticed; his heart was too full.

He must remember to thank Rich and Daphne in the morning; he hoped that they weren't too busy tonight with some mission in Borneo, or some remote spot.

The End