I do not own any Disney character named herein, and am only borrowing them to tell a nonprofit tale meant for entertainment purposes only.

Kim Possible: Fallen Heroes

By LJ58

1

Kim was grateful no one was up when she walked into the house just four months after leaving for college. It was Christmas beak, and she couldn't be happier. At least, she couldn't be happier that the term was over, she was back home, and had nothing, absolutely nothing, to distract her for one of the few times in her life.

Yes, she was absolutely ecstatic as she dropped her bags by the door, and looked around the dark house that didn't seem to have changed at all in her eyes though she had been gone for several months.

She walked through the hall leaving her bags behind, jumped up into the attic room that remained just as she left it without bothering with the ladder, or the steps, and dropped onto her bed still wearing her mission clothes that for once weren't burnt, ripped, torn, or even soiled.

She stared at the dark ceiling, and wondered if she weren't just being petty.

Okay, part of her was envious. She had to be honest about that much.

Who wouldn't be envious when your BFF since forever abruptly developed serious monkey mojo, and kicked villain butt like no one else in her entire life or memory. Even Shego could not stand up to Ron now when he got his mystic power flowing, and went full Monkey on her.

Yeah, she was definitely feeling the envy here just now.

Still, what really tweaked just now had more to do with the boyfriend part of her boy friend.

Seven months had passed since they had faced the Lorwardians, and Ron had literally saved her life, and the world. Seven months, and he only now decided that they weren't working out.

"I'm really sorry, Kim," he had told her earlier before their rides took them in different directions. "But we're both growing up, and it looks like we are growing apart. I hope we're always going to be friends, but it's time for the Ron-Man to admit it's time we went our own ways. I know you understand," he had said, sounding very mature.

She had stood there quietly while GJ took a battered Shego into custody, and dragged a whimpering Drakken away who couldn't stop staring at Ron with a look akin to horror.

She had barely gotten her knuckles dusty, she had been so useless on that one. And that after a long boring semester. She had so been ready for some action, too. Instead, she got to stand back and watch Ron flex his monkey powers while she played sidekick.

Even Rufus did more this time, as he was quick to perform the usual mayhem he usually guaranteed when he and Ron had gone after anything mechanical. The little hairless mole rat proved he still had his own mojo going, and Kim had barely been tested by the few henchmen still with Drakken before Ron had actually finished pummeling Shego into unconsciousness, and gone after Drakken.

Now, her mind still churning as she stared at her ceiling, she truly wished she felt better about Ron's stepping up, but she had to admit she was jealous. While she had been buried in books, and trying to prove she was just as good as ever, Ron had been spending all his time at Yamanouchi, and doing real work at a real cooking school/restaurant in Tokyo.

"Playing to my strengths, KP," he had grinned when explained his choices before they had gone off on their separate ways after a long, happy summer in spite of the rebuilding in the wake of the invasion.

For whatever reason, it had been a quiet summer, followed by an unusually quiet Fall, and just before she was to head home, Drakken popped up in defiance of his own conditional parole after all this time.

She had been almost gleeful as she anticipated testing her new moves against Shego after all that time. Until Ron cut in on their usual dance.

She sighed, and finally closed her eyes as she again recalled what came next.

Was she old news?

On the ride home she had learned 'Ninja Ron' had been quietly putting out 'fires' for GJ all along, and working for Yamanouchi as well. He had been doing his cooking school, training, and actually doing real ninja missions while she had been studying dry facts, and trying to pass what now seemed meaningless tests.

She banged her gloved fists at her sides on the bed, and gave a helpless grunt. Maybe she was over. Maybe it was time to just give up on the whole 'saving the world' bit. She wasn't exactly a kid anymore. Even Ron had reminded her about that one, making that comment about growing up. She sighed again, wondering when Ron had become the mature one in their relationship.

Only they didn't have a relationship any longer. From the way he had sounded, they had not had one in months, and she had not even noticed. Less points for her. Apparently, the few impersonal letters she had received of late had not been enough of a clue.

She sighed yet again, and forced herself to relax. Okay, so now she was a fifth wheel at her own game. Former game. A dropped wheel, if Ron was saying what she thought he was saying. So, no missions. No boyfriend. Nothing but three long weeks with the fam before it was back to school for the next term. This was so not how she expected to spend her holidays. Not even close.

KP

"Kimmie," her mother's voice woke her all too early the next morning.

"Oh, hey, mom," she smiled blandly as she forced herself to sit up, realizing she had dozed off laying on the end of the bed still clad in her mission clothes. Not the first time, but…..she didn't even look as if she had reason to be tired considering her near pristine state for a change.

"When did you get in, sweetie," Dr. Anne Possible asked, crushing her in her arms as she quickly met her when she stood up at the end of her bed.

"Mom! Air," she gasped.

"Sorry, dear," the neurosurgeon grinned as she released her, but only to hold her at arm's length as she studied her. "I've just really missed my daughter," she beamed. "And look how you've grown."

"Mom," she groaned.

"Okay, I know that face," Anne said as she released her, and stepped aside as Kim went toward the bathroom to rinse the sleep from her face after tossing her gloves aside. "What's wrong, Kimberly?"

"Ron and I broke up," she admitted.

"Oh. Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. What happened?" "He said we grew up, too. Only his version has us growing apart," she sighed as she paused to stare at her reflection.

"I see. No," she said a moment later. "I don't."

"I told you about his monkey powers," she said, reaching for a brush to straighten her hair as Anne watched her daughter pull back. Something she was still getting used to of late.

"Yes."

"Mom, last night he put down Shego and Drakken inside of five minutes. Five minutes. I didn't do more than drop a few henchmen, and he was done. I felt…."

"Left out?"

"Worse. I felt….like I was the sidekick. I felt…..useless."

"Are you feeling jealous of his power, Kimberly? Or jealous of his moving on, and leaving you behind?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I think maybe…. Both. Part of me is happy he's really matured. He's come into his own, and I even heard from Douglas, the GJ agent that brought me in last night, that he's really been kicking major butt while I was off at college."

"And you wonder why you weren't invited?"

"Well, yeah," she nodded. "I mean, I know I decided to take a break so I could focus on my schooling, but GJ was my dream, and now Ron….."

"Maybe that's an answer," Ann suggested as her Kimmunicator, left laying on her desk, chirped just then.

She went to the desk after a sour look at her mother, and picked up the watch-like device Wade had redesigned to make more compact, and manageable.

"Hey, Kim. Welcome home," the familiar face of her friend materialized when the digital screen lit up.

"Wade? Is this important?"

"Well, sort of," the young genius actually blushed. "When I updated your site status, you know who called almost right away. She asked if you would come and get her cat down out of a tree. Again."

"Is that all, Wade," she asked quietly.

"Well, you've got two babysitting jobs lined up, and about forty legitimate offers to date. I deleted the rest. You don't want to know," he added quickly at her frown.

"Tell them all I'm busy. In fact, put me down as indefinitely indisposed," she told him.

"Kim?" She switched off the device, and tossed it back onto the desk as her mother just stared at her.

"Honey, are you sure?"

"Mom, I might not be saving the world any more it seems, but just once, I think I would like to just have a quiet holiday at home with…"

"Jim!"

"Look out, dad!"

"Tim," her father's voice shouted even louder just before the house shook as something exploded.

"You were saying," Ann asked.

Kim sighed, and finished brushing her hair before she headed for her closet to change. "Actually, that sounds about right, mom," she told her. "I'll be down as soon as I've changed. I don't know, maybe Ron is right. Maybe I'm too old to play the games we were playing any longer."

"Games," Ann frowned as she left her daughter, her expression troubled.

KP

The holiday break was almost over when Kim eyed the Kimmunicator as it chirped, and considered throwing it against the wall. Not that it would do any good. Wade had built it too well this time. Even the off switch didn't necessarily stop it, as he built in backups in case she were rendered unconscious, or taken captive.

She was considering more and more of late that those days, however, were gone. Done. Finito.

She considered the device a moment more, a part of her curious as to what it was this time. More babysitting. A pet needing rescue. Or some old lady that needed someone to shop for her. She wasn't sure. She was sure that she was done.

She turned the Kimmunicator over, opened the back, and pulled out the battery. The chirping stopped. Dropping both pieces of the device into a desk drawer, she headed for her door, and pondered what to do on her last free day before heading back to college.

It was actually a heady experience knowing that no one, and nothing demanded her time. That she was the only one who was going to decide her day for a change.

"Going to the mall, mom," she waved at her mother who was on the phone just then. "Be back for supper."

Ann waved, and then she headed outside, climbed into her car, and drove normally all the way to the mall, listening to the radio after she pulled the fuses for the built-in communication panel she had almost forgot Wade had installed.

She half expected Monique to still be in Club Banana, but she had moved on. Most of her high school friends had moved on. She was the only one that had been clinging to the past. As she idly wiled away her day window shopping, and browsing things she would never buy, she decided she was definitely, and officially done.

That whole alien sitch should have clued her. She had gotten in over her head fast there. If Ron hadn't been there, she'd be dead now. Actually, genuinely dead.

Instead, the aliens were dead, and Ron was the hero even if the rest of the world thought Drakken and Kim Possible had saved them.

Well, she saw how long Drakken's fame lasted. And how well it had gone.

Maybe it was time for her to consider a new line, too.

College first, and then…..

Well, she'd figure it out.

KP

"I was afraid of this," Betty Director said as she eyed the reports before her.

"That Drakken was coming back," Will asked, studying the action reports on the madman's latest attempt to take over the world.

"No, Will. That Kimberly might see Ron's maturing as both a man, and a hero as reason to leave her own heroing behind."

He put the report aside now, truly stunned as he absorbed what she was saying.

"She's quitting? Actually quitting?"

"She's quit," Betty told him.

"I would hardly think one amateur is going to tip the scales of justice one way or the other," Will Du drawled as he eyed his superior.

"Then you don't understand anything. She's a symbol, Will. A living representation of what can be done when you try your best in spite of the odds. Unfortunately, symbols can also be dangerous if they end up on the wrong side. Or even no side. We still need her."

"We've got Stoppable, and I have to admit, he's become far more competent than I ever suspected was possible for him. No pun intended."

"I wouldn't have thought you meant any," Betty told him dryly. "But Stoppable's first allegiance is always going to be that mystic ninja clan he favors. Sooner or later, he'll draw a line, and it won't be on our side. Besides, Kimberly's abilities are far more impressive than you realize. Perhaps more than she realizes."

"I can see where recruiting might slip if she stops championing Global Justice as the world's foremost institution for maintaining law and order around the world," he mused. "Still…."

"That's a part of it. But only a part of it. Consider this, however," she told him as she shoved her chair back, and turned to face him. "If Possible, used to daily challenges, suddenly finds herself bored with the life she is apparently choosing, what are the odds she'll go looking for some new thrill?"

"Hmmmm. All things considered, I would suspect the odds are better than even," he admitted after a moment. "Much better."

"Exactly. But if she feels that GJ, or her hero days are done, then consider the odds she might decide to seek her thrills on the wrong side of the law."

"Even I wouldn't think…"

"Given Shego's early record, would you have felt she would end up on the wrong side of the law? Helping even an incompetent villain like Lipski?"

"When you put it that way," he murmured uneasily.

"And, consider, too, Will. Unlike Shego, Possible isn't the lethargic, narcissistic kind to sit back and let someone direct her. She would be focused. Driven, and determined to win whatever the odds. In short, she would be the kind of villain we cannot afford to take chances with."

"Dr. Director, do you honestly think she would go rogue just because she grew bored somewhere down the road," Will asked.

"The numbers don't lie. Every statistic and model I've commissioned presents us with an evil Kim Possible if we don't keep her in the fold. And every one of those models has her either conquering, or destroying the world if we don't stop her before she turns."

"Who did the models," he asked quite seriously.

"Dr. Franklyn Stein."

"He's one of the best in the field," Will frowned. "I've never known him to be wrong. He's the one that accurately predicted an alien invasion that year at the government disaster scenario games before the Lorwardians even showed up on our radar."

"And he's the one that predicts that if Kim leaves us, she is going to become evil."

"So, what do we do?"

"I'm waiting to hear from Stoppable now. I've asked him to…..intercede."

"I was under the impression they had split up from all accounts."

"They have," Betty remarked, looking troubled at that, too. "But who else do you think could reach her at this point? You?"

"Touché," he said quietly.

KP

"Possible," Shego snorted when she saw who her visitor was before she sat down at the visitor's table.

"Hey, Shego," she nodded, noting the green-skinned woman didn't look any the worse for wear after behind hammered like a nail just two weeks ago. "I'm not here for trouble. I only want to talk."

Shego smirked at her as she took her seat.

"You? Want to talk to me?"

"Truce," she asked, and slid a steaming, Styrofoam cup toward her.

Shego frowned, and pulled off the lid, and inhaled, unable to help smiling. "Is that….?"

"Triple mocha latte with cream. I remembered you always ordered it back when you were staying with us during that…."

"Don't remind me," Shego scowled, then took a sip of the rich coffee she was offered. "Heaven," she murmured, and set the cup down. "And they let you bring this in?"

"Well, what little fame I have left is still good for something," she shrugged. "Besides, like I said, I'm just here to talk."

"I can't tell you what Dr. D is planning this time. He broke out on his own this time. Knowing him, though, he probably ran home to cry on his mommy's shoulder," she growled, and took another deep sip of the coffee. "This is really good."

"I had one on the way over," Kim admitted, nodding her agreement.

"Okay. So what do you want to talk about, Princess? Because if it's not tips on mommy's little blue baby boy, I don't know what you think I can do for you."

"I was actually curious," Kim finally told her after a moment.

"About what?"

"You."

"Me," a dark brow rose as the hand holding her cup hesitated a moment. "Okay. I'll bite. Is this a reality show? Let's dupe Shego? Or are you setting me up for some….."

"Shego. It's just me, and you. Okay, and a few guards," she gestured around them. "Actually, I was just wanting to know….."

"Yeah," she asked when the redhead trailed off a moment, and looked confused.

"Why?"

"Why? Why what?"

"Well, you're…..obviously gifted in more than one way. Like now. You could walk out of here without breaking a sweat, and we both know it. So why stay? Why do what you do, when you could do anything else you wanted?"

Shego frowned at her, and took another drink of her coffee.

"Let me guess. Kimmie's have a personal crisis, and isn't sure what she should do?"

"I….I know what I'm going to do. But….I started thinking about you. I actually came to respect you over the years that we've fought, and…..I really just wanted to understand…."

"You want understanding. Find a shrink," Shego sneered at her, her eyes cold and hard. "As to why I'm still here? Hey, I've got free room and board. No one is going to screw with this badass in here. And when I'm ready, why, then I'll leave. For now, it's like a mini-vacation. One I don't have to pay for with my own money."

Shego smirked slyly as she eyed Kim, and told her, "But as for you, Princess? My secrets are just that. Mine. You want to know about me? Live my life. Maybe….. I stress maybe, you'll figure it out. In the meantime, butt out. I already have a mother."

"You do?" Kim slapped her own face. "Of course you do. I'm sorry. It's just…. Never mind. I didn't think this out. Thanks for seeing me, Shego. You'll understand if I don't wish you luck."

Shego shook her head as the redhead stood up, backing away as she continued to babble her apology.

"Hey, Princess?"

"Yeah?"

"Look out."

Kim yelped, and almost tripped over a guard, but managed to somersault backwards in time to land on both feet rather than her backside.

"And that's why I love cheerleaders," she winked at Kim who blushed bright red after she flashed everyone there since she was wearing a knee-length skirt when she pulled off her move.

Kim turned and bolted as Shego's laughter followed her out of the visitor's room.

She left the prison, headed for her car already packed for her second term, and decided her impulsive visit to see Shego had not gone quite as she imagined. In fact, it pretty much was a disaster.

She sighed, and climbed into the driver's seat, grateful that sophomore's could bring their own cars, and while she had only been in college six months, she was a sophomore now. Sometimes being an overly obsessive, and driven perfectionist could pay off.

Putting her car in gear, she headed for the interstate, and put Shego's blatant taunting aside as she decided she wouldn't miss that sardonic witch after all. Not one bit.

To Be Continued….