Author's note: They last few weeks have been a bit hectic. I'm studying literature at college right now, and our teachers has been terrorizing us with literary theories such as Russian formalism, post-structuralism an hermeneutics. It's kept me from writing, but everything has its time.
The teacher I had these last few weeks, and in some courses last year, sadly passed away unexpectedly and tragically this Monday. Tragic, as he was only 48 and had a twelve year old girl.
In something moving close to irony, it was him who actually inspired me to start writing fanfics. I had read them for a while before starting myself this august, but had never considered writing myself, at least not seriously. He inspired me on the sly, with some dry wit, as was his style. He said that much of what we today consider to be great literature could be seen as form of fan fiction. What is commedia dell'arte if not taking familiar characters and putting them in new contexts? What is the Odyssey but taking a well known figure and making him run from the plot bunnies? What is the Divine Comedy but self-insertion and interacting with historicaland fictional figures?
These characters do not belong to me. They belong to Disney. Some day, like Ulysses, Virgil and Columbina, they will belong to everyone and no-one.
This is also the last chapter this time around. But I'll be back in the same universe. It'll be a series, I'm sure of it. Oh, and a tip: read this chapter, then go back, start from Ron and Kim in bed and flip on "Head over Feet" by the wonderful Alanis Morisette. That's the soundtrack.
This one's for you, Peter. Vila I Frid.
The ride home was fairly uneventful. A Global Justice helicopter had arrived after about two hours, and after a quick debriefing, Kim, Ron and Rufus boarded it. Two agents remained behind to secure the location and to later track down Monkey Fist. They had been somewhat confused at hearing that Kim and Ron had let Killigan go, but had no choice but to accept it.
During the ride, Kim had decided to check up on Killigan's story. The group that had stolen the Dellocain had been in league somehow with Monkey Fist, but Kim wanted to find out why and how.
Two hours into the flight came the answer. On the list of the various drugs that had been stolen along with the Dellocain, she found a reference to a drug that was in production by The Fossing Corporation, same as the Dellocain. The drug, Endentin, was, at the time, going through testing, but the development and research had since been discontinued. It had been intended as a way to increase muscle strength, and had been tested with good results until some undisclosed and apparently unacceptable side effects had been discovered. At the time of the robbery, they were testing it on primates. Monkeys.
Kim sighed. She could imagine what Monkey Fist had been thinking. A drug that increased the strength of his monkey ninjas, and possibly himself? Too good to miss.
Meanwhile, Ron was on the phone, talking to the Yamanouchi School. Sensei had contacted him, but Ron had been a bit too spent to maintain a telepathic connection. Ron told the story, and when he reached the end of it, he could practically feel the joy emanating from Sensei, despite that they were just talking on the phone. Sensei, on his end, felt immense pride in hearing the story, and as Ron ended his tale, told him that Ron's use of the Mystical Monkey Power and the Lotus Blade had been felt as far away as the school. Sensei had actually been surprised, as he hadn't expected Ron to be ready to use all aspects of his gifts this soon, at least not as skilfully as he had. Ron had admitted that fighting for Kim and the baby had focused him beyond-
"Excuse me for interrupting, Stoppable-San. Did you say… baby?"
"Uhh, yeah, Sensei. I… I thought that you had heard… I mean, there were reporters and everything!" Ron was a bit stumped. The last few days, he hadn't managed to go anywhere without people either congratulating him or looking at him funny, well, funnier.
"Stoppable-San, the Yamanouchi School was intended as a retreat from the outside world, were the art of ninjutsu can be studied without any distractions. And besides, our cable went out two weeks ago, and that most honourable cable man has not arrived, despite clearly stating he intended to come by as soon as he could." Ron could almost hear a hint of irritation in Sensei's voice. Almost.
"Well, I… I don't know what to tell you. Kim is pregnant, I'm the father… That's why Monkey Fist went after her." Sensei was silent for a couple of moments.
"Stoppable-San. I am happy to hear that you and Possible-san will become parents, as, I am sure, are the students here. I must, however, remind you to continue to learn about your powers. One day, the world will need a champion, and you will be the only one who can answer the call. I know, by experience, that becoming a father will change you, and make you seek a less perilous life. But you have a responsibility to the world, Stoppable-San. Never forget that." Ron's head was swimming.
"When?"
"It could be tomorrow, it could be in ten years. But if you are prepared, you will prevail. So continue your training. Not for you sake, or the world's, but for your child's sake. I wouldn't want to see the child of the Monkey Master grow up fatherless."
"Monkey Fist… said that the monkey power couldn't be inherited", Ron said. "Is that true?"
"It is true. The first Monkey Master had children and grandchildren and so on. None of his successors had any semblance of the monkey power. Your child will not walk the same path as you, Stoppable-San. Unless you see fit to send him or her here to us at Yamanouchi, to be trained as a ninja?"
"Ehh, I'm having enough trouble deciding where to go to college myself. I'm really not in the mood to start thinking about where the kid is going just yet."
"Very well, Stoppable-San", the Sensei responded, with an amused tone of voice, "I'm sure we will have opportunities to discuss this later. For now, I only mean to wish you and Possible-San well." Ron was just about to hang up when he remembered something.
"Wait, Sensei. The Lotus Blade, I'm… I'm not really sure how to send it back to you."
"There is no need to send it back to Yamanouchi, Stoppable-San. The Lotus Blade is where it is needed to be." With that, Sensei hung up. He pondered on how to let his students know the Monkey Master would be a father. He smiled, and remembered the time he had announced that he himself would become one. They would probably respond the same. Quiet dignity and respect.
Instead of having to jump out of the GJ chopper, it actually took them the entire way to Ron's door. The teens were so tired they'd practically passed out during the ride, but the helicopter seats weren't exactly designed for comfort, at least not in the sense of sleep. Ron immediately offered to walk Kim home, but she protested. After this ordeal, there was no way she would be leaving his side, at least not for the next few hours. She had already called her parents from the helicopter to tell them she was safe, and that the baby and Ron were fine too, according to the GJ medic. They were fine with Kim staying over at Ron's or Ron at their place.
They entered, said hi to the Stoppables and went directly to bed. Normally, now was about the time that they would have gone to school, but they'd decided to take the day off.
They woke a couple of hours later, in each other's arms. They laid there for a few minutes, before Kim chuckled.
"What?" Ron asked.
"Just remembered. The basketball team are playing West Field tonight. Barkin's coaching. Guess we should have picked another day to ditch school."
"Do we really have to be there?"
"Yeah. The girls are doing a new routine tonight. I have to be there to check up on them", Kim replied. She would much rather stay in bed with Ron the rest of the day, but the team had given her a second chance with the choreographer position, and she didn't want to shirk it.
"Ah, well. We've only had a day off in two months now. Guess it should be ok." Ron smiled.
"Sure. I mean, no big." Kim looked over to Rufus. He was still snoring. Maybe this could be an opportunity for a little private time? Ron seemed to know what she was hinting at.
"KP, ah, my parents are coming home any minute."
"Shoot. Well, I guess we'll just snuggle for a bit, then", Kim said, and leaned in for a kiss. A few moments later, she leaned back.
"By the way, did you get a chance to talk to Dr. Director yet? I'm just dying to know what job she had lined up." Ron hadn't said anything about it, but Kim figured he could have talked about it last night or during his ride to Monkey Fist's lair.
"Uhh, no. But, like I said, I'm not going to work there if you're not going to." They'd talked about this earlier, and Ron had spoken his mind then. Kim looked at him.
"Ron… I would have told you to do it anyway, but now? After yesterday? You kicked Monkey Fist's butt! And you used your monkey powers! You should work for them, it would-"
"It wouldn't be the same without you, KP. Really." Kim looked at him. He seemed... almost sad.
"You can do good, Ron. Whether I'm there or not shouldn't matter. I'm flattered, really I am, but come on, Ron. At least talk to her." Ron looked at his girlfriend.
"Will you consider it too, then?"
"Ron, I… I did. But I decided on something else, that doesn't mean you shouldn't-"
"You settled on something else, Kim." Ron had raised his voice a little to interrupt Kim, and this took her by surprise. "Don't… don't make it sound like anything else. You've wanted to work at GJ since we learned it existed, you don't just… change your mind like that." Kim thought about Ron's words.
"Yeah, it's a sacrifice, I said so last night. But that doesn't explain why you shouldn't work there. You can do this without me, you know that." Ron sighed at Kim's words.
"Kim…" He was struggling with how to phrase this one. "Why is it only you who's sacrificing things right now?" This took Kim by surprise.
"Ron, I… You're making sacrifices too, don't say that."
"Like what? I didn't get to play football for a week? Like that's a sacrifice with Barkin coaching. Kim, you've…" Ron paused. This was going to be too important to screw up by saying the wrong thing. Vocabulary, don't fail me now, he thought. "You've sacrificed cheerleading. You've practically sacrificed the next year to staying home. You've sacrificed going to the great universities, and you've sacrificed Global Justice. Me? I've sacrificed nothing yet. I think I should start, somewhere, and if you're not going to go to GJ because of the safety of the baby and all, then I'm gonna do the same." Kim lay silent as Ron spoke.
"You're going to make sacrifices, Ron, don't worry about that. But you don't have to do the same sacrifices as me. If you're gonna own a restaurant, you'd bet your cute behind I'm not gonna let you work evenings. And-" Kim didn't get any further.
"That's just the small stuff, KP. You're giving up your entire future here. We haven't even discussed if I'm gonna take time off from college after the first year or 18 months, but somehow you went from Harvard and Yale and Global Justice to Upperton Law and the D.A's office quicker than… quick!"
"Really, Ron, it's four years away! I might change my mind in that time. Even if we weren't gonna raise a baby there's no guarantee I would have ended up at GJ, I could have changed my mind about that too. Sure, I want to work for GJ, but… But I don't have to. My life doesn't revolve around that."
"Kim, I mean... It's just unfair, and I don't like that you're sacrificing this much for me and the baby." He paused, and Kim waited. "It's just... if we weren't in this sitch you were going places, Kim, and now… I feel like I'm holding you back, because…" Oh, he just had to put himself in the position to use that. Particular. Phrase. Didn't he? "Because you're stuck with me."
Kim stared at him, with wide eyes and a semi-gaping mouth, stunned.
"Ron… What are you…" was the only thing she managed to say. Ron sighed.
"If this hadn't happened… It's just… It's all working out ok for me, isn't it? You'll stay with me and won't… go to some fancy college and… I don't know, meet some incredibly smart and good-looking guy and-"
"Shut up, Ron." Kim interrupted him. "Are you saying that if… that if we hadn't decided to have this baby, or if it hadn't happened, then I would have met someone else?" Ron nodded slowly.
"It's… I heard some guys talking, and they said…. Well, basically what I said. It's working out nicely for me, not so much for you. And they're right."
"And the meeting new guys thing?" Kim was not letting that one go.
"Well, I mean… we don't know. I mean, I don't think you'd just dump me like that, but… We'd be living in different worlds, Kim. And not just like now, but in different cities too, probably. Who knows what would've…" He trailed off, as he saw Kim's face. She looked shocked, angry, hurt and…. Loving all at the same time. He continued. "Every time I wake up next to you or even just look at you, I… I think 'How the hell did I pull this one off?' I think that this is some fluke of fate, and that-" He fell silent as Kim put her hand on his mouth.
"How the hell did… Ron…" She gasped for a breath.
"You stood up for me, a girl you didn't know on a playground. You come with me to fight bad guys all over the world, despite that you're scared all the time. You've saved the world, people, name it, countless times." Tears were falling now, but she didn't care. Pools were forming in Ron's eyes too. She breathed again.
"You admit your feelings when you have no reason to think I would feel the same. You... You…" Her voice was staring to crack.
"You tell me you love me when I tell you that I practically violated you, and you tell me you love me and will stick by me when I tell you that I'm pregnant. And… And... You almost killed yourself to save me, Ron. I've known you for 13 years and you surprise me every single day." They were both shaking now, from the raw emotion.
"And… And you're afraid that you won't measure up to some other guy? You don't have to measure up to anyone, Ron. Everyone else has to measure up to you. You think I'd fall for… for some random guy because you're not there? No, Ron. Some things aren't possible. I can't do that." She continued to hold her hand on his mouth.
"I… I know we haven't talked about this, but… Oh god help me if I don't do this now, or you don't, then I'm gonna go crazy, so I'm just gonna do it myself." With that, she stood up from the bed. Ron sat up, ready to follow her if she was going somewhere. But she didn't exit the room. Instead, she stood by the bed, wearing nothing but her underwear and one of Ron's jerseys, and held Ron in place, as he sat on the bed.
"Ron… I am stuck with you. But not because of the baby, or because we've been friends for so long. It's because I want to be stuck with you. It took me 13 years to realize how much I wanted that, and I'm sorry it took that long. And I want to be stuck to you, and the baby, in the future no matter what. Because I love you." As she finished. She bent down, and stood in front of Ron, one knee on the ground, her hands in his.
"Ron Stoppable… Will you marry me?"
Ron sat absolutely dumbstruck for couple of moments and just stared at her. Eventually she spoke again.
"And I know I don't have any rings, or anything like that, but I… I just… I just love you like crazy here, Ron. Ron?" Ron seemed to gain a footing. He slid away from Kim, without breaking eye contact and kneeled down on the ground beside her. He reached past her, and pulled out the drawer on his nightstand. When he leaned back, He was holding a small box, covered in red velvet. Kim gasped as she saw it, and held her breath as well as her hands to her mouth. The tears hadn't stopped falling yet.
"I… I was..." Ron began, then stopped. "My dad gave me this after we told him. It's my grandparent's engagement rings." He opened the box, and within laid two golden rings. There was no stone or jewel fitted to them, despite that there obviously had been something thereat some point.
"My grandpa bought these just before he and grandma fled Germany. They had to sell the diamonds so they could afford the tickets. They never replaced them. They said…. Grandpa said that it was… sort of a reminder. That… Engagement rings sort of don't… make sense without the diamond, just as they wouldn't make sense without each other. I sort of like that. I can relate. Cause…" Now Ron took Kim's hand in his.
"I don't make sense without you. Kim Possible… I love you more than…anything else in the world. Will you marry me?"
Kim felt dizzy, and it was probably for the best that she was already at the floor, so it wouldn't hurt so much if she'd just pass out right there. She breathed hard, and her eyes darted between Ron, the rings and Rufus, who had woken up at some point and were now just following the scene intently.
"You… You're serious, aren't you", she asked.
"Note serious face", he responded. His eyes were wide open, tears were falling from them, and he wore the goofiest smile ever.
"I asked you first, you know", Kim said, her smile seemingly growing larger by the second.
"I know, but I have the rings. Makes it more official." Kim was silent for a second.
"On three?" She asked.
"On one." Ron smiled.
"One."
"Yes!" They yelled at the same time, and fell into each other for a big, big kiss, that lasted until Ron came to his senses and took Kim's hands and put the smaller of the rings on Kim's left ring finger, as she placed the other on his.
The Stoppables seemed to be running late, or just gave the kids some time alone, so Kim and Ron decided, in their giddiness to go to the basketball game instead. The felt light-headed and laughed and kissed all the way there, and all the way in.
The game started, but Kim and Ron only had eyes for each other. Eventually the half-time signal was sounded, and the girls of the cheerleading team sprinted out to perform their routines. Kim still couldn't tear her eyes away from Ron. Bonnie was fuming as they finished their program.
"Hey! Possible!" She shouted as she came up the steps to the couple. "If you'd be so kind to actually do some choreographing duties now that you're supposed to be our choreographer, if it's not too much to ask? I mean, you could stop staring at that lo- at your boyfriend for at least five minutes while-"
"He's not my boyfriend, Bonnie", Kim responded. The whole gym gasped for breath. This just… didn't make sense. Considering that they were, after all, making out right there just a minute ago.
"He's my fiancé." Kim concluded.
A silence fell over the gym. And then cheers. Enormous cheers. The cheerleading squad were giddy, and jumped up and down with excitement. Barkin, who was interim coach since coach Whistler had been offered a teaching position at Upperton University, looked up at the couple, smiled a small grin and gave the two a subtle nod.
"Well. Congratulations, then. I'm sure you'll be happy together." Ron and Kim looked stunned, as Bonnie said her words with a grin, raised her left eyebrow and walked down the stairs.
"Was… Did Bonnie just congratulate us? Unreal!" Ron exclaimed.
"I know", Kim said, "and without… any sarcasm. This is all too weird." Ron looked at her and leaned in for a big kiss, which only served to fuel the cheering crowd. As he leaned back he whispered: "I thought we weren't gonna shout things like this from the bleachers, KP."
"Did I? Well. These things happen." Kim said, and leaned back in to return the kiss, as the crowd erupted once more at the sight of the happy couple.