This story is an alternate/AU telling of the events that led from just before Season Three's "Emotion Sickness" to "So the Drama" six weeks later. Although based on the canon story, there are significant deviations, especially in the roles played by Kim, Ron, Tara and Josh. I hope that sufficient background has been given to enable you to enjoy this story even if you are unfamiliar with the two episodes in question.

The more realistic tone of the story is intended to provide a convincing rationale for Drakken's Prom Night plot but without sacrificing the lighter touch that makes KP and KP fanfiction so compelling and entertaining. The story will continue beyond Junior Prom in Part 2 later in 2020.

All Kim Possible characters and settings are the property of the Disney Corporation. Manfred von Steinhaus, Candace Du and Jason Farnaby are mine.

Librana

CHAPTER 1 - Change of Strategy

Junior Year. Six days before the Middleton Days parade. Somewhere in the Swiss Alps.

A thick pall of dust filled the air as Andrew Theodore Lipsky Jr. – aka Dr. Drakken, mad genius inventor and wannabe world-ruler – contemplated the destruction of yet another lair and yet another plan for world domination. He stood amid an eerie silence, surrounded by the twisted carcass of his latest death-dealing device, now little more than scrap metal. His green-skinned accomplice had fled when the ceiling started falling in, but he had chosen to remain – the captain refusing to desert his sinking ship.

He brushed some fragments of plaster from his hair.

I was rather fond of this lair as well. I'd just got it comfortable when …

For the first time since he had encountered his long-time teen foe, the blue-skinned villain began to seriously doubt whether he would ever make the front page of Villains Monthly. Or gain any respect from his short-tempered sidekick. Let alone take over the planet.

Why does it always go wrong?

A single tear trickled down his cheek as he thought about the previous twenty minutes.

Shego stared at the impressive-looking device that was set up in the middle of the main hall of the lair. A gleaming metal cylinder was topped by a thick rod surrounded by copper coils and capped by a ceramic insulator pierced by a sharp point. Electricity arced between the coils, and the smell of ozone filled the air, giving the mechanism the look and feel of something that Victor Frankenstein might have come up with, at least in the horror movies she was so keen on.

Set into the base was a three-position lock, into which a plastic key was inserted. The key was currently set to the "Power Up" position, awaiting the decision to arm the device. Next to the key was a digital display, currently showing that the device was seventy per cent charged.

She turned to face her employer, who was studying her from across the room.

"So what is this piece of junk supposed to do, Dr. D?" she queried snarkily. "Looks like the world's largest helter-skelter."

Drew looked pained. "Now Shego, what did we agree about hurtful words?" She sniggered: how many times had they had this conversation?

He continued. "This is no piece of junk. This will bring the world to its knees."

Sure it will Dr. D, sure it will. Just like the last plan. And the one before that. And before that. And …

She stopped listening to him and contemplated her forthcoming vacation in Bermuda.

Oblivious to her lack of enthusiasm, Dr. Drakken dug himself into a deeper hole. "Of course I can't expect a mere sidekick to appreciate the brilliance of my plan. That's why I do the inventing and you do the stealing."

That's it! She gave him a glare and a green glow appeared around her hands. He backed off.

"Take that back," she hissed. Drakken looked like a rabbit in the headlights.

He was saved by a loud ring that sounded like an elevator arriving. The two of them looked across at the device, which was now displaying "Fully Charged" and emitting a low hum.

"Alright Shego, it's time to show the world that they must bow down to Doctor Drakken." He indicated a hand-held television camera by the side of the main control console. Pushing down her anger, Shego picked up the camera and switched it on, standing a few yards in front of her boss and framing him in the viewfinder. The image of Dr. Drakken appeared on a large video display fixed to the wall of the lair.

Half a dozen henchmen spilled into the room to witness their boss' latest threat. Several were unable to suppress a yawn. The signal to attend their employer had come during their rest period. Drakken scowled at the arrivals, noting for the first time their lack of fitness and general state of obesity.

Perhaps I shouldn't have gone for Jack Hench's bargain basement offer after all?

But after this I will be able to afford some decent henchmen!

The mad scientist pushed a button on the console and nodded to his assistant. Around the world, people reacted in bored resignation as their favorite TV program was replaced by the image of Drew Lipsky for what must have been the tenth time that year.

"I am Doctor Drakken," he announced to the camera. "And beside me" – the camera panned to the left – "is my doomsday device that I will unleash on the world unless you accept my rule! Submit, or else." He stepped back from the camera.

"Hey, Dr. D, aren't you supposed to tell them what your device will do if they don't submit?" Shego's voice was picked up by the camera and in households around the globe, eyes rolled.

"Ah yes," he flustered. Trying to regain his authority he stood up straight and faced the camera again. "This device is my very own invention, the World Orthogonally-Oriented Heliographic Projector, or WOOHP for short. When I turn this key" – he pointed to the base of the device – "a beam of pure solar energy will emerge from the top of the device and turn any city of my choosing into dust!"

"Er, Dr. D, what key?"

Why I am surrounded by idiots?

"That key right there, Shego!"

Drakken glowered at the wall display which was showing a close-up of the WOOHP. The charge status display and the lock were clearly visible, but the lock was empty.

"Someone has stolen the key!" he shouted, looking daggers at the henchmen gathered around the door. They stared at each other in confusion.

Until one of them pointed towards the right hand wall, where a pink shape was rapidly disappearing into the shadows, with the unmistakable shape of a key held in its teeth.

"Shego, get that hairless freak!" Drakken fumed.

A sound from above caused everyone's attention to shift upwards, and the viewers at home were treated to the sight of two teens in mission clothes and gloves rappelling down ropes from the air-conditioning vent. As they hit the ground, the naked mole-rat ran up to the blond boy and jumped into his waiting hand, dropping the key into Ron's palm. Television images returned to regular programming around the world as Shego dropped the camera and growled at the new arrivals.

Kim Possible smirked at the pair of villains. "You know, Rufus did not appreciate that crack."

"The little dude holds a grudge," added her grinning companion.

"Kim Possible!" Drakken ranted. "How? Where ..?"

Shego closed her eyes and counted to three. "Why are you always surprised at her arrival?"

"You're busted, Drakken," the flame-haired hero called to her arch-enemy. "Come quietly and we can all get home in time for American Starmaker."

"You're not going to stop me this time, Kim Possible and whateveryournameis! My WOOHP is perfect." Even the henchmen were sniggering at this point.

The heroes glanced at each other and shrugged. The blue maniac was behaving true to form.

"Seems like we'll have to put the coco moo on hold," Kim mouthed to Ron. Turning back to Drakken, she sighed, "Okay, let's do this the hard way."

"Get them." Simultaneously from Kim and Dr. Drakken.

The resulting fight was short-lived. Team Possible went into a well-oiled routine. While Kim engaged Shego and sought to disable the WOOHP, Ron and Rufus took on the role of distraction and mayhem-making. As Ron raced towards the henchmen, Rufus jumped on to Drakken's shoulder and bit him hard on the ear, causing the villain to shriek in pain and slap fruitlessly at his neck, stumbling away from the control console.

Seeing a suicidal boy running straight at them, the henchmen gawped at each other. One, newer than the rest, took a swing at Ron as he came closer, but the boy ducked and slid between the man's legs only to land his right fist in a sensitive part of the henchman's anatomy. The unfortunate man issued a yelp of pain and collapsed, clutching his aching groin as he curled into a fetal position.

The other henchmen knew better than to get involved in a one-sided battle and tried to slip away before they would be noticed. Drakken's health cover for his employees was notoriously poor and no-one wanted to be the next recipient of a painful blow.

Finding himself unopposed, Ron ran toward the unguarded console and started hitting buttons. Rufus jumped from Drakken's neck and climbed back into Ron's pocket.

Meanwhile, Shego was still furious with her boss and was taking it out on Kim, firing green plasma balls uncontrollably at the teen hero. Kim dodged them easily as she worked her way steadily toward the WOOHP. In her growing temper, Shego failed to notice the damage she was doing to the room as her blasts tore great chunks out of the walls. As Kim arrived at the doomsday device, she ducked as a particularly large plasma ball headed her way. Everyone stopped as a blinding flash indicated the collision of the plasma ball with the humming machine.

"Nooooo!" cried Drakken as the WOOHP burst into flames and an electric spark arced to the ground, igniting everything in its path. A groaning sound signaled the imminent demise of the device.

"Thanks for doing my job for me, Shego!" The green-skinned woman glared murderously at her opponent.

"Kim," Ron called from the console. "I think I've found the self-destruct button".

"No, Ron," Kim yelled at him across the room. "Remember the plan! Disable not destroy."

Global Justice were clear in their instructions. They wanted the lair intact so they could examine Drakken's newest toys. Ron's task was to shut down the lair's defenses and keep Drakken from his latest mad invention.

"Okay Kimmila, nil problemo" the boy shouted back as he turned back to the console, failing to notice a cable strung at shin height between the console and the disintegrating WOOHP. As his leg caught the cable, he lost his balance and fell forward onto the control panel, flinging his arms out to save himself.

Sirens sounded as the lair prepared to bury its secrets.

"Ron, you ... you ..."

"Oops, sorry Kim." Ron looked embarrassed.

She looked angrily across at her contrite sidekick. "Ron, can't you get it right just once!" she hissed at him. He winced as if slapped across the face.

Shego looked between the two of them with surprise. She knew that the buffoon was clumsy but that was harsh.

Kim Possible pursed her lips as she scrutinized the chaos around her. No point in trying to arrest them now. In any event, Global Justice had pretty much stopped bothering incarcerating Dr. Drakken. These days, they were focused on what they saw as the real threats.

"Time to leave," she called to the blond sourly. The pair headed for the exit, leaving the two villains to stare at each other, surrounded by explosions.

"Er, Dr. D, we need to get out of here fast." Shego gazed fearfully at the ceiling which was showing cracks that widened as she watched.

"You go, Shego. I'll be … right behind." She looked at him sharply, his defeated tone so uncharacteristic of the always-optimistic would-be world ruler.

Shego felt a loathing for the meddling teen who had brought her employer to such a state as she ran out through the nearest door.

ooOooOoo

Kim and Ron sat in silence in the rear of the cargo plane that Wade had arranged to pick them up from outside Drakken's lair. The pilot, Captain Avery, had waved away Kim's thanks for the lift.

"It's the least I could do after you safely landed my plane in a sand-storm in the Sudan without the undercarriage last year".

Kim pointedly stared out of the window while Ron fiddled nervously with his seat belt. Rufus sat between them looking at Kim with an uncomfortable expression on his pink face.

"I said I was sorry, Kim. About tripping up." Ron broke the silence. He was painfully aware that this accident was only the latest in a long line of pratfalls. At least this time his pants had stayed on.

Rufus looked hopefully at Kim. She sighed and turned back to them.

Her face softened. "I know, Ron. And I'm sorry I harshed on you." She smiled thinly at Ron's look of relief.

But I need a reliable sidekick, and you're not stepping up to the plate at the moment. I just know what Bonnie would say if she knew about this.

Kim changed the subject. "Well at least we won't have to worry about Drakken and Shego for a while. It'll take them weeks to sort out a new lair."

Maybe I can start thinking about who might be my date for the Prom.

Thoughts of the Prom reminded her of something she was intending to share with Ron, but hadn't had the opportunity to do before the encounter with the villains. She had been talking to Monique earlier that day.

ooOooOoo

"Hey girlfriend, have you heard the DMG?"

"DMG?"

"Yes, the daily mega-goss," her friend gestured impatiently. "About Tara."

"What about Tara?" Kim was intrigued. The blonde cheerleader rarely featured in the school gossip.

"Well, Crystal told me that she had heard Marcella and Hope talking about Tara."

"And?" Kim prompted.

"Apparently, Tara told Marcella that she really admires Ron."

"That's old news, Mon. Ever since Camp Wannaweep, she's had a soft spot for him."

Monique waved her down. "No, it's more than that, Kim. Marcella reckons that Tara actually like-likes Ron and she hopes he'll ask her to the Prom!"

What? Her Ron? The subject of Tara's affections?

"Kim, you know how dense Ron can be. He's clueless about girls. You've got to find a way to tell him that Tara is interested, and needs a date for the Prom. I know it's not for another six weeks but the poor girl deserves to know where she stands."

"Yes, you're right, Mon. I'll do that later."

Monique walked away satisfied, leaving Kim looking thoughtful.

ooOooOoo

Kim looked up at Ron, who was swapping funny faces with Rufus. "Hey, Ron ..." she started.

"Hey KP, fancy a naco at Bueno Nacho when we get back?" Ron had already forgotten about the froideur between them only minutes earlier. "I'm in the mood for a double helping of cheese." "Cheeese!" chirped the naked mole-rat rubbing his stomach in anticipation.

Kim watched the two of them. She normally found their banter entertaining but today his behavior just felt childish. Her earlier anger rose again to simmer just below the surface. It's really time you grew up, Ron, and took responsibility for your life. I can't watch your back all the time.

"What were you going to say, Kim?" Ron asked as he noticed her pause.

"Oh, nothing important."

ooOooOoo

Dr. Drakken's mind returned to the present.

It was such a good plan too, he thought. And it would have worked, if only that interfering teen hero hadn't shown up just at the wrong moment. Ten minutes later and things could have been so different.

Oh, who am I kidding? Kim Possible always foils my plans.

Maybe I'm getting too old for this?

Or maybe I'm just not smart enough?

Shego felt a pang leaving her boss behind, but she rationalized to herself that he'd be okay – he always was. Heck, no job was worth getting killed over. Her last sight of her employer as she ran through the door was of an oddly-dignified man standing motionless, but tall and proud amid the wreckage of his latest dream.

Running into the lair's anteroom, she climbed the wall-mounted ladder which provided access to the escape hatch set into the ceiling. Twisting the large handle, she entered the inviting escape tunnel but stopped as she heard the sound of a massive cave-in from the hall she had just vacated. She hesitated, torn between her instinct to flee and her ill-timed conscience.

Snap, I can't just leave him in there.

Cursing her uncharacteristic weakness she dropped down to the floor and made her way back into the main hall of the lair, fearing the worst and expecting to find her boss lying on the ground covered in rubble.

She was surprised to find him standing in the same place as she had left him, apparently unaffected by the devastation that the combination of self-destruct mechanism and overloaded WOOHP had wrought.

How?

"Dr. D?" she called hesitantly.

"Ah, Shego. I'm glad to see you're okay." His words were warm, though his face was expressionless. Despite her relief that he was apparently physically all right she felt concerned for his well-being.

"Me? What about you? I thought you'd been buried. Are you hurt?"

Now she was closer she could recognize that apart from some dust in his hair, he was completely unscathed.

"No, Shego, I'm fine." He sounded anything but.

She was puzzled. "How did you escape the cave-in?"

"Oh ..." he said distantly. "That was my PFF."

PFF? "What's a PFF for heaven's sake?"

"My personal force-field. I activated it as soon as the ceiling started collapsing."

She gaped open-mouthed at her boss. "You invented a personal force-field? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Must have slipped my mind. Sorry Shego."

"So how long have you had this?"

The blue-skinned man looked vague. "I don't know. I invent so many things I lose track."

Shego looked at Drakken, noting the sadness in his eyes. Somewhere in all the time she had been with him, she had become more than just an employee. She actually cared about his welfare. Darn it.

Maybe it's time we both took a vacation?

She came to a decision.

"Dr. D?" She hesitated. He looked at her expectantly.

"Maybe it's time to get smart and give up the villain game?"

Before you get really hurt.

She warmed to her theme, "Look, just think what you could achieve going legit. The …" – What did he call it? Oh yes! – "… PFF alone would be worth a fortune. You'd have people queuing up to license it."

And we could forget all about Little Miss Priss.

Getting no response, Shego contemplated her boss. He appeared to be in deep thought but his eyes had a glitter that had been missing previously.

"Say that again, Shego!" He appeared animated by something she'd said.

"Er, I said that you could make millions from your force-field."

"No, before that."

Huh?

"I was saying that maybe it's time to call it a day with the villainy."

"No, before that. You said I'd be wise to ..."

"Yes, it's time you got smart and …"

"That's it, Shego. You are brilliant!" His face was transformed as a broad beam banished the defeated look that had taken hold earlier. "Now, let me see if I can remember …". His face screwed up in concentration.

What did I just say? Whatever it was, it seems to have brought the old Drakken back.

"Ah yes! Project Phoebus!"

Project what?

"Shego, pack up. We're heading out!"

"Are we retiring?"

"Retiring? Of course not! Whatever gave you that idea? No, we are really going to win next time!"

That's the vacation on hold then.

"Where are we going, Dr. D?"

Drakken smiled mysteriously. "Des Moines, Iowa, Shego. I have some unfinished business there."

"And then we will prepare for the new world order and the final destruction of Team Possible."

Author's Note: WOOHP sort of belongs to Marathon Media. The key probably belongs to James Cameron.