Trials of the Heart

Chapter 14

Two figures huddled under the funeral tent after all others had left. The rain fell in sheets and was whipped by the strong breeze that caused the tent to shake. The two stared at the large stone monument sitting at the head of the two elongated holes in the ground. The racks for the coffins were still there and empty chairs stood in solemn rows in the fading light of the day. Even in the failing light the words on the large headstone marking the two graves were clear.

Ronald Dean Stoppable - Kimberly Ann Possible

Together in life – Together for eternity

They gave everything they could

Everything was taken from them

We will always believe in you

Kim turned and snuggled closer under Ron's arm. The movement was complicated by the stiff brace around her neck. Ron would have normally bent over and kissed the top of her head but his neck sported the same device. They each had to take a step to the side and lean to the left as they faced each other. It was literally a pain in the neck, but the kiss was worth it. With any luck they would be able to ditch the braces after a visit to the doctor later in the week.

Kim gave him a quick squeeze then reached down to take his hand. "Staring at a headstone with our names on it has reached a new level of weirdness."

Ron grunted. "Yeah… But what do we do now?"

Kim turned and sat down in one of the chairs. She reached up and pulled the strap loose and pulled the neck brace from around her neck. She slowly rolled her head from side to side sighing in pleasure as she felt a couple of pops.

"It feels so good to get rid of that thing."

Ron pulled off his and repeated her actions. "Yeah, let's just hope that your mom doesn't catch us without them on."

Kim giggled a little. "Yeah, but I can handle a little grounding. It's worth it to really be able to move."

Kim looked down at her hands as she fumbled with the brace. "So what do you want to do next Ron?"

He took her hands. "I thought we would go right back to school and finish out our Senior year."

Kim sighed. "That's sorta what I wanted to do too. But when I mentioned it to mom and dad, they were not all for it. Apparently there are still a lot of people who think we really killed those people, and that we just got off. Dad told me there have already been some threats of lawsuits to keep us out of school."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, mom and dad told me the same thing. But, I'll do whatever you want to do."

Kim shook her head with a wince as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "No Ron. WE decide TOGETHER what we are going to do. I don't want you following me, I want you beside me. So, what are WE going to do?" Kim's green eyes glistened.

Ron lifted his hand and lightly caressed her cheek. "We are going back to Middleton High, take our exams, and go to the final dance and then graduate."

Kim beamed. "You got that right!"

She then gave Ron a quick kiss, and glanced out over the damp landscape. "What are we going to do about the Seniors?"

A small grin crossed Ron's face. "Whatever I can do, whenever they need it. They saved us Kim, and they didn't have to."

She responded with a quick nod of her head. "I feel the same way. I was able to talk to Senor Senior, Sr. while we were in the hospital, and he told me the whole story. How he launched his own investigation and found out a few things. It wasn't long before he realized what was going on.

"It seems some weapons manufacturers made a deal with the Vietnamese government. They paid off a few people to get Drakken and Shego in there and working at that lab. That way if something went wrong, they could just walk away and disavow any responsibility. But they didn't count on us going in."

"When the lab blew, they knew that if they could make us the fall guys quickly, then no one would really take a closer look as to what was going on. They could also put pressure on certain others to keep them from taking a closer look. Well, Senor Senior Sr. took that closer look. When he found out what was going on he covertly contacted Dr. Director. She couldn't do anything at the time because she was being watched. That's when Sensei came into the deal with a clandestine meeting. Sensei contacted the Seniors secretly and made further arrangements. Yamanouchi sent in the people to blend in as guards, and Senor Sr. made the payoffs."

Kim then rubbed her neck. "But I still haven't found out how they rigged the execution to make it seem like we… died."

Ron took her hands. "Sensei told me a little just after we landed in the States. Apparently almost the entire execution detail had been replaced with Yamanouchi grads. You and I didn't know, but both of us were pricked with a needle as they were binding us. The needle prick injected a special poison into our blood stream, which would work within just a few seconds to relax us and make us look dead. When they placed the noose around your neck, do you remember them messing with that wrap around your chest?"

Kim nodded. "I thought they were just checking that everything was ready."

Ron rubbed his neck, recalling what Sensei had told him. "Well, they had woven a special heavy wire into the rope of the noose. They attached the wire to the wrap around your chest. That's what took most of our weight when we dropped through the gallows."

Kim snapped her head up to him. She winced and rubbed her neck, reminding herself mentally not to jerk her head around like that anytime soon. "Then why do our necks hurt so much?"

Ron reached over to caress her neck, garnering a moan from Kim's lips.

"They had to make it look good. They allowed the drop to be strong enough to look real, but not strong enough to break our necks. Our bodies were already relaxed by that time as well from the toxin, keeping us from getting hurt worse. I guess it's like if you're relaxed in a car accident, you don't get hurt as bad as if you're tensed up."

Kim shuddered as Ron continued.

"The drug also slowed our heart rates and respiration to the bare minimum so it seemed like we were… dead. The doctor who examined us and proclaimed us deceased was also a Yamanouchi grad. He and the others laid us in the coffins and carried us out to the ambulances. The loud buzzing we heard before they activated the trap doors was a special phone. It is only used to stop the executions. The whole charade had already been exposed and the call was to stop the execution. Unfortunately, the only person that Yamanouchi had not been able to replace was the man who was to pull the handle and open the trap door. He pulled when Tuong told him too."

Kim growled a little as Ron finished explaining.

"Tuong and a number of other officers where immediately arrested. But they won't stand trial. They were 'found' after apparently hanging themselves in their cells. Dr. Director told me that whoever was really behind it all covered their tracks and any links died with Tuong and his officers. We received pardons for everything except illegal entry and on those charges we were as you remember given suspended sentences and time already served. We'll need to be careful in that area from now on. If we are ever even close to their borders do not announce ourselves properly, our next visit will be an extended one."

"So why didn't Sensei tell me all of this as well?" Kim said, her temper rising.

"The only way Sensei could keep all of this information from leaking was to only tell one person in a secluded area where no one else would hear. If it got out in any way about this subterfuge, it would have all been for naught and we would just die at a later time. And… well… that one person was me. Plus, Sensei thought it would be best for you to hear all of this from me." Ron dropped his chin to his chest hoping that Kim would understand.

Kim placed a finger on his chin and lifted Ron's eyes to hers. "Sensei is indeed a wise man."

She then took a deep breath and continued. "I take it that the toxin wore off when we were on the plane. You know it would have been nice if someone had told our parents all this before we took off. We nearly gave our parents heart attacks."

They both laughed a little as they remembered the events on the plane.

Reaching down Anne caressed Kim's face. She sobbed as she continued to stroke Kim's face. "My baby, my poor little baby..."

Anne stopped for a moment when Kim's face moved. Her mind gibbered. Kim MOVED! Looking at Kim's eyelids she saw them start to twitch, and Anne's heart went to her throat as she watched her daughter's eyes slowly open and focus on her.

The sound of Kim's voice was too much for her. "How did I get here and why am I not dead?"

Anne's scream reverberated through the cabin of the plane. James jumped to catch his wife as she crumbled to the floor. Jean looked over at her in shock, and then looked down at her son to see him moving as well.

Ron rubbed his eyes before opening them. "Are there any Nacos here in heaven? I'm really hungry."

Dean had to catch his wife as she too crumbled to the floor.

Ron shook his head at the memory. "I don't think mom appreciated my humor at that point."

Kim punched him in the arm. "You're lucky she didn't put you back in the coffin for good.

Kim opened her eyes to the morning sun. She stretched out her arms and sighed. Today would be their first day back at school. During their incarceration, the Embassy had arranged for teachers to come to their cells so they were pretty much on tract. They would have to go to summer school to catch up on some other classes but otherwise everything should work out.

When she and Ron had decided to finish out the school year at school there had been some intense discussions. There had been threats of a number of lawsuits, but a group of attorneys came in and showered the school district with injunctions and countersuits. The school board met in special session a number of times to decide what to do and finally decided to allow the two of them to finish out the school year. That didn't stop some of the parents from protesting, and they both expected to have to walk through a gauntlet of reporters and protestors just to get to school.

Kim stood up and ran through a quick exercise and stretching routine before she made her way to the shower. She picked up the clothes she had laid out the night before. Glancing out her window she could see Ron's house in the distance. Even from inside her room she could see several news vans dotting the street. Shaking her head, she stepped into her bath to get ready for school.

James Possible laid down his paper as his daughter walked into the kitchen. Kim walked over to her mother standing at the stove cooking and gave a quick kiss. Walking over to her father, Kim gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

"Good Morning Mom, good morning Dad."

Her mother and father shared a nervous glance before her father forced a smile on his face.

"Good morning Kimmiecub. I hope you had a good night sleep."

Sleep was something that Kim had not been getting a lot of. She had to have the shades open and the doors to her room open. She had woken up the house a number of times with screams from a nightmare. Slowly the nightmares had faded but they still came every other night or so. It had just been in the past few days that they seem to have disappeared. They disappeared right after Kim and Ron had decided and gotten permission to go back to school.

Kim sat down at the table and started to put some bacon, eggs and toast on her plate. She was just about to pick up her fork when there was a commotion out front. The front door opened and Ron stepped in as a barrage of questions where hurled at him. The Middleton Police Department as well as a group of private security people hired by the Seniors had been stationed at the Stoppable house and the Possible house. Not one single person that wasn't on a very short list, got to be on either the Possible's or Stoppable property. Ron shook his head for a moment and stuck a finger in his ear as if to clear it. He walked into the kitchen.

"Good Morning Possible clan and the most beautiful girlfriend in the world."

He made his way over to Kim and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Ann smiled. At least some things were back to normal. Ron had gone out of his way to do a lot of the same things he had always done. It made is easier on the families and most of all Kim. A sense of normalcy, at least normal for the two of them, made things all the more easier.

"Good morning Ron. Would you like some breakfast?"

James grumbled. "Does he ever turn it down?"

They all looked as each other and laughed. James had said the same thing hundreds of times before but now, it just seemed so right. Ron quickly took a seat next to Kim.

"Don't mind if I do MrsDrP. I worked up a good hunger getting over here. Those news-guys out there have got nothing on the Upperton Defense. Those guys are relentless. We still on for walking to school today KP?"

Kim nodded. "Yep, just like we used to."

Ron was about to say something else but didn't. The two of them had decided on this also. They had come back, and now they were going back to school. If people had a problem with that then that was their problem, not any fault of the two of them.

Walking to school was something they had always enjoyed as friends. Now since they were boyfriend and girlfriend it meant so much more. Tim and Jim sat silently as they finished their own breakfast. They would not be going to school today as they had been suspended for fighting. Jim had a black eye on the right while Tim had one on the left. A group of students had made some comments about their sister and Ron. The two brothers had jumped straight into the fray without a thought. It was soon known that the two geniuses' could fight as well as they were smart. The fight the day before had involved several students who found out the hard way the twins would not back down. Kim had cried for a long time when the two of them were sent home. Later, after she had composed herself, she went quietly down to their room and gave each of them a kiss.

Kim finished up her breakfast and stood up. Ron quickly finished and stood beside her. They glanced at each other and forced a small smile.

Ron reached out and took her hand. "Let's ace this place."

Kim pulled him down for a quick kiss and picked up her backpack. They headed out of the door hand in hand. As soon as the door opened the yelling and shouting started. Anne joined James at the door as they watched the two of them walk up the street surrounded by the private security people. It would be a long and noisy walk to school.

Monique waited outside the main door to the school. Several students were still arriving and many others stood around outside. Everyone knew that today was the day. Today was the day that Kim and Ron were coming back to school. There were a number of protest groups just off school grounds, but the police had them across the street from the school. The police had also called in a little help and no one was allowed to follow Kim and Ron on the street. Everyone was limited to the sidewalks. These precautions cut down on the crowd considerably.

Looking up the street Kim could see the caravan of cameramen and reporters making their way slowly to the school. As the group reached school grounds the police forced the news people to stay off of school property. Then she could finally see her friends. They looked like they always had. The two of them stopped at the edge of the property and shared a quick kiss, just as they always had. The camera flashes filled the air as the two completed the kiss. Afterwards they stepped over the line onto school property and made their way toward her.

Kim broke out in a big smile when she saw Monique. "Hi Mon. It's good to see you."

Monique wrapped her arms around her friend. "It's good to see you too girlfriend. How are the two of you holding up?"

She then turned to Ron. "Sup boy? Still rooting for Pain King?"

Ron was about to answer when the bell rang. The intercom boomed on and Barkin's voice thundered across the school grounds.

"All right people get to class. Possible and Stoppable, please report to the office."

The three made their way into the school and walked up the hall. Monique kept going as they reached the office. Ron opened the door and let Kim go first into the office. Barkin opened the door to his office and motioned for them to come into his private office. He motioned for them to take the two seats in front of his desk and closed the door as they sat down. Making his way to his chair, he took a seat, opened a file that was on his desk and looked at the two teens.

"Miss Possible, Mr. Stoppable, as you know, most of the charges against you were dismissed by the Government of Vietnam. The only remaining charge was that of entering the country illegally. You were given sentences of time served and asked to leave the country. As all your legal obligations have been served, the district decided to allow you to return to school. I am required by the school board to inform you of certain terms of you being allowed to remain at this school."

Barkin hesitated then shut the file and placed his face in his hands. "Kim, Ron, I'll just dump the legal crap. Keep your noses super clean and out of trouble. I know there are a few students and not a few parents that did not want you here under any terms. But, you have a right to an education and you have a right to attend this school. I have discussed your return with the student body and made it known that ANYONE that tries to make trouble will face disciplinary action that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Now, I am sorry that you will not be able to participate in any extracurricular activities."

Kim tightened her grip on Ron's hand. "We understand Mr. Barkin, and we really don't mind. All we want to do is finish out the year and graduate. But we do have one question. The Senior Dance is coming up and we would like to attend."

Barkin stared back at the two of them. "I have the discretion to allow you to participate in certain events if I feel that you would benefit from attendance to that event. I believe that the Senior Dance would qualify for such an allowance. Now, while I will allow you to attend, I can't do anything about the reactions of the other students."

Ron nodded. "That's okay Mr. B. We understand and we thank you."

Barkin nodded. "Okay, both of you get to class. The secretary will have your hall passes. Get to class."

Kim and Ron stood and left his office. Barkin waited until the two of them had picked up their passes from the secretary and left the office before he stood up. He walked to the window of his office and looked out the window. Outside of his office the phone rang and the secretary answered it.

"Mr. Barkin? I am sorry but he is unavailable at this time. No, I don't know when he will be available. May I take a message?"

Barkin glanced out his open door and mouthed a silent thank you to her.

Kim and Ron entered the cafeteria together and got in line. Several of the students got out of line and took a seat until the two of them had finished with the line. Other student hurried to join Kim and Ron in the line and spoke to them like nothing was going on. When they took some seats at a table, some of the students at the neighboring tables got up and moved to other tables. Yet there were a number of students that remained or moved to the table where the two of them were sitting.

Kim tried to ignore the whispers while taking a shower after gym. She knew that a majority of the bruises she received from the beatings were still visible. The bruise around her neck was the most noticeable. Tara had gotten sick the first time she had seen Kim's back and neck. Bonnie had started to make something of it until she found a little note in her locker warning her of a fall down the stairs that might come her way if she opened her mouth. Some of the guys had mumbled behind Ron's back as he changed. His torso was still covered in welts and bruises. Felix and Josh helped Ron with his shirt when the pain was too great.

The teachers were no different than the student body. Some went out of their way to act as if nothing had ever happened. Others seemed to be walking on eggshells around the two of them. None of the teachers were openly hostile to either of them, but a few made their displeasure of the couple's presence known in their classes by either ignoring them, or making it a point to ask the two of them questions on information that had been covered while they were going through the trial. Luckily, both of them had studied the material beforehand.

Kim sighed in relief as the two of them finally walked off school grounds. Even walking into the waves of reporters and cameramen was preferable to facing what was going on at the school. She gripped Ron's arm tightly as they headed for Kim's home. They had discussed that no matter what happened, they would not make waves and would cooperate to the best of their ability. Right now the dance was two days away and that meant more than anything else. They would go to the dance, graduate, and face a new life. Tara, Josh, Monique, Felix, and Zita had presented Kim and Ron with tickets to the dances and a gift certificate to one of the better local restaurants.

Kim and Ron entered the gym when the dance was in full swing. The music died as everyone turned to see the couple coming in through the door. There was some murmuring, and muted curses as the two of them stood just inside the door. As the crowd slowly approached both of them, some broke away and went up to Kim and Ron. Others formed a line blocking them from entering any further. A few yells came from the back.

"Go home!" And "Killers!" Echoed in the gymnasium, along with, "Go back to where you came from!" "I hope do they do the job right the next time!"

Kim looked around and started to tear up a little before speaking to the crowd. "Please… everyone. Could we please come in? We just want to join you in a few dances and spend some time with all our friends."

Another voice came from the back. "The big heroes aren't heroes anymore, why should we?"

Kim looked out over the throngs of students.

"Is that what this is all about? You think we want to come here because we think we are special or something? When did we ask any of you to do anything special for either one of us?"

Ron stepped beside her.

"Do you want to punish us because of what we did? That this gives you a chance to take us down a notch? We did what we did because people needed us, and it was something we could do together. We didn't ask for any special treatment, and we didn't think that we were special."

Kim took his hand and continued.

"All we would like to do is have one dance. If you want, we will leave after that. But please? Can we have this one dance? We have gone to school with some of you for twelve years. Can't you grant us this favor, for old time sake, for friendship, or just for no reason at all?"

The group had stood silently as the two of them spoke. Some muttering was heard as the group slowly parted allowing them in. Kim and Ron made their way to the dance floor and noticed that no one else was joining them.

Then Monique's voice came from the DJ's booth, as she had commandeered the microphone. "Kim… Ron, we can't change the past, and can only face the future. A lot of your friends would like to thank you for what you have done over the years. I've picked out a song for you; it's the one you two had practiced for the dance contest that you missed. I would like to ask everyone to let this couple have this dance for themselves. They have never asked anything of any of us, so I think they deserve this one dance to themselves."

Kim faced Ron as he took her in his arms. A slight tear fell down her face as she looked around the room. The notes of the music started, and the two of them moved to the music. As they danced, the two really listened to the lyrics for the first time, smiling at each other.

"Come stop your cryin'
and we'll be alright
Just take my hand, hold it tight.
I will protect from all around you,
I will be here don't you cry."

Ron reached up with one hand and wiped a tear from Kim's face. She grabbed his hand and held it to her face.

"For one so small, you seem so strong.
My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm,
This bond between us can't be broken,
I will be here, don't you cry."

The two of them started to move with the music, looking into each other's eyes, ignoring all others. A small smile started to creep across Kim's face.

"'Cos you'll be in my heart,
yes, you'll be in my heart,
From this day on now and forever more."

Kim spun under Ron's arm, her dress flaring up as she twirled. Ron held her close as he pulled her back into an embrace, and a smile started to cross his face that matched hers. Everyone continued to watch as the two of them seem to gain strength from the music.

"You'll be in my heart,
No matter what they say,
You'll be here in my heart,
Always."

Bonnie and some of the others stood off to the side watching, waiting for the "charade" to be over with, yet as they continued to watch the words of the song started to touch them. They watched as their two classmates continued to dance.

They thought back over the months and years, thinking of all the grief that they had given the two of them. They were the two most different people in the school, but also the two that seemed to be drawn together. Kim and Ron were right in what they had said. They had never asked a single favor from any of the students, but gave favors without question when one of them was in need.

The two teens began to move freer, faster. Each of them was sporting a wide smile. The small limps that both had displayed earlier when walking into the gym had disappeared. Their arms and legs seemed to have taken on lives of their own, and he two of them were in a world of themselves. While they may have had their differences, their love was greater now than ever before.

"Why can't they understand the way we feel,
They just don't trust what they can't explain.
I know we're different but
Deep inside us, we're not that different at all."

Kim held Ron's arms as they spun together out on the floor. She looked up into those eyes and lost her self into the depths of those big brown eyes.

"And you'll be in my heart,
yes, you'll be in my heart,
From this day on now and forever more."

Monique almost held her breath as she watched her two friends dance the dance of their lives. The two of them were completely into the music. The lyrics seemed to have given their beaten and bruised bodies a new life.

"Don't listen to them, 'cos what do they know.(what do they know)
We need each other, to have to hold.
They'll see in time, I know."

Kim and Ron held onto each other. Their lives passed before their eyes as they continued to spin out on the floor. Call it what you want… the missions, school, their lives… all came together for this moment. They would not always be together physically, but in their hearts, no matter what the trial may be, they would be together. Kim spun away from Ron as he moved the other direction, continuing to move as they had practiced so long ago.

"When destiny calls you, you must be strong
(you gotta be strong)
I may not be with you, but you got to hold on.
They'll see in time, I know."

Both of them stopped for a moment while apart, and as Ron turned to face Kim she broke into a run straight at him. Just at the crescendo of the music, she leapt up into his arms. He caught her slim waist and lifted her high into the air. Kim arched her back as he lifted her up. She had never felt so close to Ron as she did now.

"We'll show them together 'cos"

Ron held her in the air as he continued to spin under her. Kim's auburn mane spilled out into the air, shining in the lights of the gym.

"You'll be in my heart,
Believe me,
You'll be in my heart.
I'll be there from this day on,
now and forever more."

"Ooh you'll be in my heart
(you'll be here in my heart)
No matter what they say
(I'll be with you)
You'll be here in my heart
(I'll be there)
Always"

They slowly came to a stop with Ron standing behind Kim, his arms around her.

"Always
I'll be with you,
I'll be there for you always
Always and always.
Just look over your shoulder

Just look over your shoulder

Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there always."

Kim looked back over her shoulder to see Ron looking at her. She twisted her head with a grin to see him lean the other way so that he could still see into her eyes. They traded glances back and forth until Kim pushed her back away from him and turned around to face him. She slowly raised her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

They stood there for a few seconds as the last strains of the music died, and for a few moments there was total silence in the room. Then someone started to clap, then another, then another. Soon cheers and whistles joined the applause that filled the room. Kim and Ron looked out at the crowd and blushed slightly. Then over the noise of the room came a distinctive sound that had not been heard for a long time.

"Be beep be beep"

Ron looked at Kim and she smiled sheepishly. "I sorta brought it for old time sake."

"Be beep be beep"

By now the tone was almost sounding insistent

"Be beep be beep"

Ron pointed at the device Kim had pulled from the pocket of her dress. "Don't you think you should answer that?"

Kim hesitated for a few seconds more.

"Be beep be beep"

Finally Kim pressed the button and Dr. Director came on the screen, along with Wade.

"Greetings Team Possible." Dr. Director said. "I know that I am about the last person you wish to see right now. However, we have a… situation that needs your experience, and we need your help. I…I would understand if you …you declined."

Kim reached up and pushed the hair from in front of her face. Ron took her hand and nodded. She glanced at the screen. "We are in. Go ahead and send us our ride, please and thank-you."

Dr. Director's smile spread across her face. "Agent Price will be there in ten minutes. Kim, Ron, I personally thank you."

The screen winked off as she signed off. Kim and Ron stood there looking at each other for a few seconds before Ron looked around. "Well, I guess we need to get Wade to send us some mission clothes."

A gruff voice suddenly sounded from the side of the room. "There's no need for that Stoppable."

Mr. Barkin stepped from the shadows carrying two mission backpacks. Kim and Ron recognized them as the ones they had kept in their lockers. Barkin smiled as he stepped up to them and handed each of them their respective packs.

"The District Administrators told me to dispose of these items, but I thought you just might need them again."

Kim smiled up at the large man who seemed to have a small tear in his eye. "Thank-you Mr. Barkin."

The Mr. Barkin that Kim and Ron knew and loved returned in a flash as the gruff exterior quickly returned. "You only got about eight minutes to get ready, so you need to move."

Kim and Ron shared a quick glance, and then each turned and ran for a restroom. Within a few minutes of entering, they both came running out in their mission gear. Kim was in her purple shirt and black pants with the purple stripe, and Ron was wearing his black shirt with gray cargo pants.

Neither of them noticed that the room was now empty as they approached the exit, and as they went out the door, a wall of cheers greeted them. Outside most of the students were lined up in two lines forming a corridor out to the field they always took off from.

Several other people from Middleton were there as well. Officer Hobble and a large portion of the Middleton officers stood at attention, saluting as they came down the steps. Looking down the corridor of people, Kim and Ron saw their parents standing at the end of the lines. More and more people were running up cheering and applauding as they made their way down the two lines of people heading for the field. Ron stepped over to give Tara a hug while Kim did the same to Josh. Each of them stopped to shake a hand or give another student a hug. When they reached the end of the line they had to face their parents.

Kim looked up at her dad. "Daddy, I know that you wanted me to give this up… but this is what I am. It's what I do."

Ron stepped to her side and faced his own parents. "Mom, dad, what can I say?"

Anne stepped forward a little. "Kim, Ron, as much as that's happened recently, we can't stop you from being yourselves. We may not like it any more than before, but you have to be what and who you are. Just be careful." They all joined in a hug as a GJ hoverjet came in over the trees and landed in the field.

As Kim and Ron broke away from the group, James reached out and grabbed Ron's hand. "Take care of her Ronald."

Ron smiled at his girlfriend's father. "I plan to MrDrP."

Ron turned and joined hands with Kim as they ran toward the hoverjet. A side door slid open to reveal none other than Dr. Director standing there. Just before they climbed in, Kim and Ron noticed Mr. Barkin standing out from the crowd. He was standing rigidly at attention and saluting. They stopped for a moment then ran back to him. Kim wrapped her arms around him the best she could, as Ron stopped and returned the salute.

Kim shouted up at him over the roar of the hoverjet. "You are the best Mr. Barkin."

She motioned for him to bend down and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. The mammoth former marine blushed as he straightened back up, glanced over at Ron and then back at Kim.

"Stoppable, Possible, you two take care of each other, or you will have to answer to me."

Kim and Ron grinned and nodded at him as they turned and ran for the waiting hoverjet. Mr. Barkin saluted again as the craft lifted off into the night air and flew off into the blackness.

Dr. Director pulled the collar of her dress uniform open. It was over. She dropped a folder on the desk in her office. She rubbed her head wishing for the headache to go away. But, her headache was the least of her problems. She glanced down at the folder on the desk. The type of the cover was clear.

'Court Martial of Agent William Augustus Du'

She sat down at her desk and stared at the folder, her mind going back to the proceedings. The trial had been mercifully short, for him and for her personally. It was only the actions of Agent Price that there was not another folder with her name on it. But she was still the boss and Du was her 'top' agent. He had caused tremendous damage to Global Justice by his actions. It would be a long time before the security groups would fully trust her and her organization. She sat back in her seat and remembered the final minutes of the trail and remembered the words she had spoken earlier in the day.

"Agent William Augustus Du, you have been found guilty of dereliction of duty, falsifying reports, withholding intelligence data all nearly causing the death of fellow agents. You allowed your personal feelings to guide your actions and malice and forethought changed, withheld or otherwise damaged intelligence data with the intent that said damage would allow other agents to be captured, tortured and nearly killed. You are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in the appropriate facility."

Betty did not speak those words without some pain to herself. She had trusted this person. He was a good capable agent. But, he also had a dangerous ego that allowed him to do things she thought was incapable of him doing. He was nearly responsible for the deaths of two people that she highly respected, who were guilty of only one thing, and that was they were better than he was.

She turned and opened the file drawer to her desk and placed the file in a folder. Reaching into another part of the file drawer she pulled another file from the drawer and placed it on her desk. This file had her name on it. Inside was the review she had to endure over the affair. She wanted to go over parts of the report with her attorney to see what he would suggest to lessen any more damage to the organization she loved.

After she finished with her file, she had to go visit a couple of special prisoners deep within the bowels of the complex. During her tenure at Global Justice, she had seen some surprising things. But what had happened days after Kim and Ron's incredible escape from certain death surprised even her. First, there was a phone call from Senor Senior Sr. That was not a complete surprise as he had been in contact with her after he helped with the rescue of Kim and Ron. He told her a certain couple of persons would be arriving at one of the GJ safe houses. The two persons were willing to turn themselves in if GJ would protect them.

The two persons turned out to be none other that Drakken and Shego. The two had to flee Vietnam when the whole affair was exposed. Now their lives were worth nothing. First, the Secret Service of Vietnam wanted their hides on the wall. Another factor was that the people who arranged the entire affair would be much happier with the two of them dead. The fact that Senor Senior Sr. had placed a very large bounty on their heads and that Sensei had sent most of the senior class of ninjas out looking for them, each of them itching for the honor of vengeance for what had been done to the Chosen One and Kim. Finally, Kim and Ron were out, free and recovering. Nobody in the world wanted to have a shot at them more than the two who suffered the most.

Drakken and Shego had revealed just about all of their secret lairs, their hidden accounts and had turned over all the research and weapons they had developed. Now they were living within a secure section of the headquarters. They would stay there at least for awhile until something could be done. Dr. Directors smiled to herself. It was clear that Drakken and Shego were more afraid of Kim and Ron than anyone else. In Dr. Director's opinion, they would suffer more from fear than any prison could ever force on them.

Various News Articles appeared several months later…

It was announced today that Kim Possible will acting as the main judge at the Intercollegiate Cheerleading Competition, she will then attend the Leadership Camp as an instructor. Following the Camp she will work with the last year's Intercollegiate Cheerleading championship team as a special instructor…

Team Possible was honored by the Prime Minister of Japan for their work…

Ron Stoppable was named to the development board of Bueno Nacho. The developer of the Naco was….

Then, six months later…

Mr. and Mrs. James Possible of Middleton, Colorado are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Kimberly Anne, to Ronald Dean Stoppable, son of Dean and Jean Stoppable of Middleton, Colorado. Ms. Possible attends Upperton University, where she is studying International Relations. Mr. Stoppable is attending Upperton University as well, studying the Culinary Arts Program. A June wedding is planned.

Two hearts together, two souls refined by the fires of life, two lives bound together, will be forevermore side by side, just as they always have and will be. Two hearts seared by trials seldom seen or experienced… will be joined together, each within the heart of the other. Side by side, in love and in hope, even when all hope is lost.

Well, that is it. It is hard to believe that we are finished with this story. It has taken a long time and most of it is my fault. I got behind on some other stories and I just couldn't concentrate on helping with this one. The idea for the story is one of my originals. Yep, this one has been lying around the Captain's mind and notes for nearly 5 years. I had a few chapters ready when Whitem mentioned something about a story on similar lines. We got together and decided to do this story. Overtime, we put the story together and starting writing.

Then real life got in the way. I know I had a hard time keeping things going for the story. I have to thank Whitem for his patience. I know that I tested it to the limits. Thanks pal for joining with me for this story. I feel it was a good one.

The song is from a Disney movie. "You'll be in My Heart" came from Tarzan.

Thanks to all of you for hanging with the two of us. Please leave a review for the chapter and the story.

Captainkodak1

Whitem

The voting for the Fannies has been restarted. Check out the thread in Zaratan's Forum.