Author's Forward

Just as a note, I'm experimenting a bit with the third person perspective in this piece, so if things seem a little off, disjointed or outright strange with perspective shifts from time to time, well, there you go! ^_^

This fic is the result of a li'l short fic/long cookie I posted on the KP Slash Haven. It was in response to a challenge forum thread entitled "Songs, Fics" where a song and lyrics to said song are posted, and the writers are challenged to write a short form fic from that. It was stated after my short that people would be interested in reading more in that universe, and so now, here's the events that led up to that short fic. ^_^

And another quick note, I put Kim and Shego as the 'pairing' in the chapter summary section for a reason. If you have read - or go to the site and read - the ficlet, you'll understand why. For those that are members there, you'll know the answer to the following question: does it mean that Kim and Ron will break up during the course of the story? To answer those that are not members there, and have no wish to be members… I won't say outright because that'll be a huge spoiler, but I will hint that just 'cause Kim's engaged to Ron does not mean that KiGo flavor won't be part of this fic.

Disclaimer is after the Author's Notes at the bottom.

KP RS SG KP RS SG

"Okay, Miss Possible, I think we have everything cleared up!" Jerry McDermott, Go City University's Dean of Students declared. His light baritone sounded satisfied as he closed the email on his screen and removed his reading glasses, setting them on the desk.

The first impression most people got of Mr. McDermott was how big and physically intimidating his presence was. Although well into middle aged, he was over six feet tall, and built like the linebacker he'd been in college. Despite this, he was rarely an intimidating presence, especially to students. His demeanor was that of a favorite uncle, and his deep blue eyes and somewhat scraggly, thinning sandy-blond hair and big, bushy beard easily reinforced this impression.

He still couldn't believe the trouble the extraordinary woman sitting across from his desk had gone through. She'd sailed through the application process, much to his surprise and pleasure. She had even found an apartment with her fiancée before classes started.

Many of the things he'd read in her high school evaluations, and heard about her in TV or other news sources, seemed to have been true. She could, and had, saved the world, and regularly fought against foes that forced police to call in far heavier forces. She had a high intellect, as evidenced by her grades and her tutoring efforts with other students.

The flip side of the coin for her was that, when it came to things like dealing with problems on a personal level, she had a few problems. She was hesitant to go to higher authorities, even when called for, or to cause problems within the establishment. She truly was a hero, but sometimes seemed to take her selflessness to an unrealistic level. Sometimes even to the point of trying to bear other's problems on her shoulders.

And while her personality evaluations from high school showed a level of personal selfishness in keeping with most women her age, her heroic selflessness seemed to make it all the easier to fall through the cracks when problems presented themselves. And like so many students that had gone straight from high school into college – Kim doing so without bothering to take the summer semester off – that's exactly what had happened.

The most glaring crack was when she was placed in a class literally a year and a half lower than her demonstrated academic abilities. It would have been cleared up immediately had she come in to the Dean of Student's office, but being used to the way high school worked, she hadn't realized the resources available to her as a student. As he understood it, she felt that asking might have seemed she was banking on her status as a known hero and a minor celebrity.

At least her grades at semester's end had caused her to come in with questions. She'd started by asking her professor, Mr. Slocomb, about her grades, as well as the Math Department. Unfortunately, Mr. Slocomb had been not only her professor, but the head of the Math Department, and he had stifled her questions quickly. Questions she had every right to ask, and have resolved.

Even so, Kim didn't seem to feel happy about the situation that precluded her presence in Mr. McDermott's office. "Thanks, Mr. McDermott," she said in a subdued, even worried tone, "I think it was a bit too much trouble, bu-…"

"Nonsense!" Mr. McDermott interrupted gently, steepling his fingers under his nose and resting his bearded chin on his thumbs, "Miss Possible, that's what the Office of the Dean of Students is here for. We help students who are having problems, be it problems from within or without."

He paused, waiting for a moment while Kim digested his comment, before leaning forward and continuing in a compassionate tone, "GCU does not tolerate either mistreatment or discrimination of any kind! It doesn't matter if it's because of your sex, your religion, ethnic background, your sexual orientation… Or even in somewhat extreme cases such as yours, with you being a nationally, hell, internationally recognized hero, with obligations that take you away from campus from time to time!"

"Well, I don't know if discrimination had anything to do with it…" Kim began, looking down to her lap where she wrung her hands together nervously.

Mr. McDermott interrupted her with a sharp, contemptuous laugh, shaking his head lightly. Kim blinked a couple times and looked back up at him, almost as if expecting the tone to be directed at her. He saw her relax as she realized it wasn't, and he looked her straight in the eyes, speaking in the calming manner he had to literally thousands of students over the years, "Miss Possible… Kim, sorry for laughing, but what Mr. Slocomb was doing to you was not only wrong, not only unethical, not only against GCU entrance and attendance policies, but it was also discriminatory!"

Kim sighed and looked away slightly, watching other summer students walking between the campus buildings and enjoying the unseasonably cool summer day. "Sir, it's just… I don't understand why he did this? I mean, I really didn't want to sound like a… I don't know, it must've sounded like I was some kind of prima donna, expecting everything to go my way … I know how good my math is, and I knew I hadn't screwed up any of the problems on homework or the tests! And it was Trigonometry, not the Calculus classes I had in Middleton, but I thought it was a regular thing for students to test lower than they did in high school…"

"Kim," Mr. McDermott sighed in a frustrated yet strangely fond manner, "Speaking just on your math scores, you graduated as one of the top three students from Middleton High School this year. As you know, your school is one of only a few schools in the country that has an 'All AP' class structure from freshman through senior year, with no so-called 'regular' academic classes.

"That said, your math entrance exam scores, not to mention your high school grades, justified you starting out in Calculus Two! Yet, as you pointed out, Mr. Slocomb put you in Trig." Mr. McDermott twisted his mouth into a grimace, before schooling his face into a neutral expression, "Had anyone in this office known, this would have been resolved at the beginning of the semester, instead of after your grades were given."

"That's…" Kim began, looking back at the man finally, "That's another part of the problem, sir… I… I didn't want to make waves. I mean, as you mentioned, I'm known internationally as a hero, so… I thought people might think I was trying to fall back on that instead of being a good student? And with the way students were leaving his class, I thought it was my fault…"

"No, Kim," Mr. McDermott said with a sad smile, Kim's words confirming his earlier understanding and personal suspicions. "You do not have to take blame upon yourself when other students were unwilling to sit by and watch what their teacher was doing to fellow students. Especially when one of them is a known hero! Their leaving the class had nothing to do with you personally so much as the way Mr. Slocomb treated you. I'm only sorry we couldn't act until we'd fully investigated.

"You're not the first hero or student to run into trouble with Mr. Slocomb." He sighed and twisted his face into a grimace at Kim's mystified expression, "He's taken the same attitude with kids attending GCU that had cancer, and went out of town to get treatments. Or kids that had to take time from their classes for funerals, estate probates, or just to help care for sick or dying family members. But I assure you, you'll be the last to suffer through his attitude. Mr. Slocomb has been removed from the tenure list, and will no longer be the head of the Math Department; if he fails to improve his attitude by the end of the fall semester, he will no longer be a part of this university."

"I…" Kim began, the automatic protest dying on her lips when she saw the set of Mr. McDermott's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kim. I know your reputation, and that you feel responsible." He reached across his desk to place a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Please don't. He is only reaping what he's sown. GCU prides itself on being the university of choice for so many students. We have a reputation as a school that's especially well suited not just to heroes and heroines such as you, but for students that have needs that take them from campus on a regular basis.

"At any rate, Kim," Mr. McDermott concluded after receiving a nod of understanding from Kim, "We understand you're considering taking a semester, or possibly a year, off from academia. This could actually be a very good thing for you, especially with your potentially hectic lifestyle. It'll give you a chance to get out of the high school mindset, and meaning no offense, it could help ground you into a more adult mindset. As well, it could very well help you decide what major you'll be taking…"

KP RS SG KP RS SG

Ron sighed as he felt Kim's fingers tracing idle, random patters along his chest. They'd both been glad that this mission, unlike the three other missions earlier in the week, had gone as smoothly as it had. Not that saving some big fashion show in Milan, Italy from the Fashionistas should have been difficult, but it was a nice change of pace.

The threat the fashion conscious villains had used was a ray designed to disintegrate clothing. They said that they'd use it on everyone there unless the styles were changed to what they considered the proper height of style… And a few million dollars for 'consultation fees' were paid, of course. While Ron and Kim had been forced to stifle their humor when their help had been requested, the threat was actually quite serious.

After all, just the clothing being displayed at the show was worth several million dollars, and that didn't include the clothing – and reputations - of the people there for the event. Several high profile stars, clothing business executives, and just plain rich folks had been there to watch, and that much potential public embarrassment was something to be avoided, to say the least.

At least they'd had a chance to catch up with Britina and MC Honey, both of whom were attending, when the former had offered to give them a ride in her jet. It had been interesting, to say the least, as the members of Team Possible had been the first outside of a very small, select group to hear that the two women were working together on an album.

Kim's excitement had lasted, in fact, until the trio of fashion conscious villains had shown up. While Team Possible had kept them from reaching the floor of the fashion show, Kim had been targeted with it. Fortunately, the only side effects seem to have been that, indeed, it just destroyed clothing. Just as well, for Ron and Kim's piece of mind - not to mention the physical well being of the Fashionista that had fired the weapon - it had only destroyed the lower rear half of her purple mission shirt and the back strap of her bra.

Luckily they'd brought backup clothing, but it had been mortifying to the teenage heroine. Ron smiled how quickly that had dissipated after being invited to the show's after party. Kim had quickly become embroiled in a discussion of some kind with Britina and one of the better known designers, Michelle Couture. After the discussion, the latter had offered to have a new mission outfit made for Kim. She'd even offered to design an entirely new one for free if Kim felt she needed an update!

Kim, being who she was, had refused at first. A small part of it probably was the 'payment for services' feel of the offer as the red-head claimed. Ron felt that a larger part of it had actually been loyalty to her existing look that Monique had come up with after getting a little help from Rufus. And although he hadn't asked, he was fairly sure that her emotional state was as much a part of it as the loyalty to the design.

The designer, however, had continued to make her pitch while the party slowly wound down. She'd been struck that Rufus and a high school senior come up with such a design, which Michelle loved. A brief, Ron translated conversation had ensued, and she'd been incredibly pleased to discover Monique was attending her own alma mater.

That had finally given her an angle that Kim could accept. She'd offered to work with Monique, just for the joy of helping out the woman who had helped the world out so much… And working with a known fashion designer while still in school could only help Monique out later in life.

Arrangements had been quick in the making after that. Michelle had arranged to fly to New York to meet up with Monique at her campus. The black girl had also been called to work out some basic ideas while Kim's movement abilities and style had still been fresh in Michelle's head. Wade and Monique had some ideas with some new materials that could be put in the outfit, and Michelle had thrown some ideas of her own out, leaving Kim concerned with just how much each outfit was going to cost.

Kim had auspiciously been interrupted before she could blow a gasket. MC Honey and Britina had dragged the protesting red-head away to discuss some of the fashions that had been displayed at the show. Sine the two singers had planned on staying in Italy for a few days, Ron had discussed a couple ideas with Wade after Kim had been dragged away. Wade, rocking as ever, had arranged for the blond's ideas to happen.

According to what they'd told Kim, he'd arranged a ride back home, much to the red-head's pleasure at Ron's initiative. That's how Ron and Kim found themselves in the crew rest area of a high speed cargo jet flying between Milan, Italy and Madrid, Spain. The Mediterranean Sea flashed brilliantly thousands of feet below them, and Ron could just see the southeastern coast of France on the horizon.

The jet belonged to Mr. Edmunds, a Welshman who ran a transoceanic fast delivery service, specializing in exotic cars, one off prototypes and concept cars. The favor he was repaying came when Kim had saved his son's farm from destruction when one of Professor Dementor's plans had gone awry.

It was pure chance he'd been in Italy awaiting the delivery of a modified supercar for a car show in Cleveland, Ohio. Of course, before he'd been clued in on Ron's plan, he'd wanted to take them all the way to Middleton, Colorado. When Ron told him the plan to get Kim a few days off at the Senior's island, however, he'd been happy to offer the ride.

The pilot had spoken with the owner of the performance shop modifying the car he was already scheduled, and asked if there were any other deliveries that might be along their route. Some of his reasoning was to keep Kim from getting suspicious, but mostly, he freely admitted, was the opportunity to make some extra money.

They'd been in luck, as the performance shop had finished another car for a buyer in Madrid, Spain. With Mr. Edmunds' being available, as well as his extraordinary reputation, the buyer had been more than happy to pay a little more for delivery. They merely had to get the car destined for Madrid from the shop's Bologna, Italy facilities.

When he'd spoken to them a few moments later, Ron had brought up the favor, and asked if Mr. Edmunds was alright with the favor being called in as it was. The pilot had responded with a hearty laugh. He claimed that, being a proper English gentleman, it wouldn't be right to consider the favor he owed repaid when compared to such a worthy cause, considering all that Kim had done for the world. Ron found it all almost too good to be true, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth!

Kim had been ecstatic hearing that they had a ride to Cleveland. She'd immediately had Wade arrange for the sloth to be at the airport. She'd come up with a plan of her own after finding out Ron had arranged a ride, and hoped to enjoy the drive from Cleveland to Middleton, where they'd planned on spending a couple days with their families before returning to Go City.

Ron hadn't thought about it at the time, but now, in the bench seat they shared, he had a feeling she had something in mind that some members of the family wouldn't exactly be happy with. It was the look on her face; a mixture of relief and devilish, blushing anticipation that warned Ron what to expect as her tracing fingers dropped from his chest to his belly, drawing a light giggle from him.

He blinked a couple times as the realization settled in his mind before looking down at the shock of red hair leaning on his chest, "Hey, KP?" His voice was clear over the newest addition to their gadgets, a Bluetooth communications earbud. The audio was so clear in fact, that Ron's anxious gulp was clearly audible, "How many stops are we making between Cleveland and Middleton?"

"Just a couple overnights, Ronnie…" she cooed, leaning back and up to give him a peck on the cheek, "Maybe a few…"

To anyone that didn't know the red-head, that peck and her comments would have seemed the model of innocence, but Ron knew better; she never used that nickname for him except when she was feeling amorous. The hand that had moved from his chest to his belly, he realized with a sudden, embarrassing clarity, had moved again, and was resting comfortably, not to mention very high, on his upper his thigh.

Not that he minded, normally, or at that very moment for that matter. After all, with her physical activity, she'd been on birth control less than six months after puberty to help regulate her cycles. They'd known, as had most of their families, that it would only be a matter of time before their relationship grew to encompass physical love as well as emotional.

But over most of the last month, there was something off; it had almost been as if Kim was desperate during their love making. He'd asked her about it, but she'd always passed it off as stress from school. Now though, she seemed less desperate and more… Comfortable was the only word that came to mind, as it had been after their first hesitant, and admittedly clumsy couplings. The relaxed manner Kim was going about it all helped him relax considerably.

"Okay, KP," he said, letting his concern drift away unnoticed behind his normally oblivious façade, "I guess a couple days couldn't hurt, right?"

"Exactly, Ronnie… No school, no missions, no one coming in to visit unexpectedly… No Dad freaking out 'cause you're giving a pulled muscle in my back a massage…" She began to lean her head on his chest again, and Ron felt the first kisses on his chest that he knew would lead to a long bout of either teasing, making out, or both.

"Um, KP?" he asked with a small frown, "I thought that all got cleared up? I mean, he said he was sorry, right?"

"Yeah, but I'd like to have you just to myself for a few days, Ronnie…" Kim said firmly. She'd been about to say more, but one of the plane's engines sputtered and died.

"Um, that doesn't sound right!" Ron squeaked, his eyes going wide. Are we already that close? he asked himself, glancing around in a seeming panic and hoping Kim didn't realize he was panicking for more than one reason, And that sounds a lot more real tha-…

"Oh, no…" Kim's half growled, half worried tone snapped Ron from his panicky thoughts, relief washing through him as he realized she was just as worried.

"Miss Possible," Mr. Edmunds called out over the crew quarters' speakers, his voice surprisingly calm, "If I remember correctly, you have some pilot training… Would you be a dear and help me with gauges while I concentrate on keeping us airborne? We've lost fuel pressure to the port engine and the electronics on my side of the cockpit seem to be out…"

Kim jumped and hit the intercom button, motioning to Ron to follow her with a nod of her head. "On my way!" she called out before dashing up front.

Ron followed almost immediately, hearing rapid fire chatter in Spanish between Mr. Edmunds and someone else, even as they angled towards an island off of Spain's southeast coast. He heard Kim groan and slap her forehead in recognition, and he couldn't help but pipe up to try and clam her down, "Hey, look at it this way, KP… They're reformed since Bonnie married Junior and we saved Bonnie from Camille Leon, right?"

Kim seemed to digest this for a moment, then sighed, "I know, Ron, I'm just… I don't know if I could handle Bonnie right now if she's in a snippy mood."

"I guess we'll find out, right?" Ron chimed in nervously. Oh, man, this could be five hundred, no a thousand miles of bad road! Ron sat in what would be the navigator's seat in a less technically advanced jet, and Kim jumped into the co-pilot's seat, visibly relaxing as she realized all the instruments on her side seemed to be working properly.

Mr. Edmunds carefully angled his jet towards the runway of La Isla Senior. Kim called out various readings to the hawk faced pilot as he trimmed the flaps for maximum lift. Ron was very thankful that, while the cargo jet may have been down an engine, it still had enough power and momentum to make the runway easily.

He glanced at Rufus, who had scrambled up on his shoulder to watch, and figured the other three people in the jet were glad as well. The naked mole rat watched the proceedings until they were on final approach, then shrugged, "Hnk, no big!" He gave Ron a huge smile and they shared a mole rat level high five, before jumping off Ron's shoulder to make his way back to Ron's pack and a resumption of his interrupted nap.

After a nearly perfect landing, despite the mechanical problems, they taxied towards the hangars at the tower's request. Señor Senior, Sr. was standing there waiting, a concerned, almost worried expression on his face. What surprised Ron, and from the look on her face, Kim, was the fact that Bonnie was next to him, a similarly anxious expression on her face.

After pulling into the hangar, Mr. Edmunds climbed out of the pilot's seat and walked towards the aft cargo door, Kim and Ron following close behind. They caught up to Mr. Edmunds just as he started lowering the cargo door, revealing that SSS and Bonnie had moved to the inside of the hangar.

"Welcome to my island," SSS called out with a nod to the two teens, his typically aristocratic tone gone due to the concern in his voice. "Is everyone alright?" Ron almost laughed out loud as he realized that SSS was wearing a pair of well used, grungy looking coveralls over his clothing, but still wore a pair of expensive, thoroughly oil stained, loafers.

"Quite alright," Mr. Edmunds replied with obvious relief in his tone, "The old bird has amazing engines! Unfortunately, I'm afraid the diagnostics indicate the port fuel pump is completely unresponsive, and that might be what took out half of my avionics. If not for Ms. Possible here, I may have had more trouble with the landing."

"That's K for you!" Bonnie chimed in, relief evident in her voice as she cocked a hip and placed a relaxed hand there, "Always saving the day."

"It was no big!" Kim answered automatically, seemingly as distracted at the sight of the teal eyed teen in front of them. She was dressed similarly to SSS, with a smudged set of coveralls, but more sensible, steel toed hiking shoes. Her fingers, always immaculately clean and manicured in high school were anything but that. The hands were not only filthy, but visibly calloused from using tools and her fingernails were cut sensibly short, with the same oil and dirt on her hands ground under them to the quick.

Kim shook her head and went on, speaking as if she hadn't hesitated at all, "It was just calling out a few technical readings like airspeed, altitude and horizon and the like…"

"Which some experienced pilots would have had trouble with in a similar situation!" Mr. Edmunds and SSS said at the same time, laughing as if long time friends. Mr. Edmunds, confirmed the suspicion Ron had about that when he continued, "My apologies, Francisco, but I do need to call my daughter in law to arrange pickup for the vehicles… I'm just glad I decided to get going fifteen hours early!"

"Be my guest, Ethan," SSS replied easily as Mr. Edmunds went into the cargo jet to get his shipping list. SSS turned and gestured to one of the men that had come into the hangar to help with the plane, "Mauricio, please bring a cart around to take Ethan to the business center so he can arrange transport for the vehicles. And of course, the two…" he paused and glanced down at Ron's right front leg pocket, as Rufus popped out, looking ready to correct him if necessary, "Sorry, the three of you, please, feel free to make yourself comfortable!"

He walked into the back of the cargo jet to chat with Mr. Edmunds, as if unexpected guests happened every day. Which, upon brief reflection, Ron felt was partially true, especially when the Seniors had been in the villain business! "Um, thanks, Mr. Senior!" Ron piped up when he saw Kim about to object, earning a sigh and a roll of the eyes from Kim, "Oh, c'mon, KP! It's a tropical island; we could use a few hours to relax after the mission, right?"

"Not too rich for your blood, is it, K?" Bonnie challenged genially, drawing a raised eyebrow from Kim at both the teasing tone normally reserved for Bonnie's few true friends, and the easy, honest smile on the other teen's face. "Seriously, even if you leave with Mr. Edmunds, it's gonna be at least six hours to get his next plane here and the cars transferred. You two could relax on the beach, or by the pool or wherever!"

"Thanks, B…" Kim said in an uncertain tone, a hesitant smile on her lips, "I'm kinda not used to SSS being out of the villain business!"

"Yeah, but he's not in it anymore, so if you wanted, you two could probably stay for a few days…" Bonnie shrugged, walking towards the waiting golf cart, "'Sides, I'd like to catch up with things back home, y'know?"

"Sure." Kim said, glancing back at Ron, "Um, you wanna grab the mission gear, Ron?"

"On it, KP!" Ron called out, jogging to the back of the cargo jet.

He surreptitiously drew and released a deep, cleansing breath when he saw that Kim was occupied with talking to Bonnie… And not about to start a verbal war. He worried at her tight, guarded posture, but he had more pressing matters to concern himself with. He jogged forward to the crew compartment, grabbed their packs and proceeded to the cockpit to check on Mr. Edmunds and SSS. "Um, the plan didn't, y'know, do this, did it?" he asked contritely.

"Hardly, Ronald!" Mr. Edmunds chuckled, "Well, I think the port avionics package was truly burned out, but that's not the fault of the plan; they failed before I could turn the pilot's side controls off!"

"Really?" Ron queried, his tone somewhat skeptical and worried.

"Very much so!" Mr. Edmunds confirmed, "The port fuel pump failed quite catastrophically, and sent a power surge to the front, but luckily only shut down the pilot's controls. In fact, it's probably a good thing that your request to get Ms. Possible some time off took us this way… Otherwise I'd have been over the French Alps or the Jura - or possibly over the Atlantic - when the fuel pump failed!"

"Y'mean," Ron boggled at him, his voice's pitch rising higher as he spoke, "This really was an accident?" Rufus added an indignantly shocked squeak that seemed in complete agreement with Ron.

"Indeed," Mr. Edmunds said seriously, "I had just planned on turning off the left hand monitors and having Ms. Possible assist me in, but obviously her assistance was more valuable than I had expected. And it saved a potentially far more expensive problem otherwise, I assure you!"

Ron and Rufus gulped, staring back and forth between the older men for a moment. "Um, well I hope so? I wonder if this is Fate saying a vacation's a good idea?"

"Quite possibly, Ronald," SSS agreed sincerely, "As to the plan… You said you wanted a few days, but Kimberly seems rather reluctant…"

"Yeah, she's been stressed, like I said on the Kimmunicator the other day." Ron said, scratching his neck in uncertainty, "I… Think I can talk her into it? And she needs it, but I don't know how to talk to her about it, really? I can say the right things when the pressure's on sometimes, but I don't want it to get to that point, y'know? That's kinda why I also asked if you had advice on… Things… And stuff?"

"I assure you, Ronald," SSS chuckled, "I'm quite familiar with the type. My Sylvia was very much like Kimberly, so I think I can offer advice on some of the… Uncertainty you have with the purely romantic side of the relationship… Although from what Ethan said, it seems you two are quite fine in that area."

Ron turned to Mr. Edmunds with bugged out eyes, "You know what KP and I we-…" he stopped, slapping his hand over his mouth to a round of laughter form the older men.

"Not entirely, no," Mr. Edmunds said while chuckling, "But you confirmed it."

"Nothing happened!" Ron choked in a panicky tone, "Promise!"

"I know, Ronald," Mr. Edmunds replied evenly, "Neither of you were donning clothing when you came into the cockpit!"

"Whew!" Ron exclaimed, then looked back uncertainty, "Um…"

"Come, Ronald!" SSS interrupted, saving Ron from further embarrassment, "I'll send Bon-Bon on ahead with Kimberly, and we shall assist you in further way of keeping your woman happy with you emotionally…" SSS waited for Ronald to nod in understanding and relax a bit, before adding, "And physically!"

SSS' evil laugh at Ron's blushing, spluttering reaction echoed through the hangar for several seconds, followed by a brief, embarrassed cough and a subdued, but amused, "Ah, life, such a cruel mistress! I finally perfect it, after quitting villainy!"

KP RS SG KP RS SG

The recently pardoned supervillainess and well known super thief Shego slinked easily through the seemingly secure corridors in Global Justice's Strasbourg, France offices. She found the systems surprisingly lackluster, considering that the city was the Seat of the European Parliament, and by extension the European Union. Then again France had a notable lack of supervillainous activity, despite its relative importance in the world's economy, politics and even scientific communities.

Still, they do have a lot more boots walking around than back in the States, don't they? she thought derisively upon hearing a trio of agents from around the bend in the corridor ahead of her. She glanced around in the quick manner of the thief she was; spotting a vent, she efficiently opened the grate and slipped inside. She reached back along her lithe, athletic body and pulled the grate back in place just before the trio made their way around the corner.

She briefly considered her options as the men passed; when they were down the corridor, she decided to move forward along the narrow crawlspace. A huge smile broke her features as her instinct was rewarded. The vent emptied into an airshaft that could have been lifted straight out of a HenchCo timeshare lair. I wonder if the rumors about who built this particular building are true?

Shrugging to herself, she reached down to her leg pouch and pulled out what looked like an MP3 player; in actuality, it was a frequency shifting listening device. Tuning it for ultrasonic, she pointed the directional microphone up and down the shaft, nodding in satisfaction. Not even an ultrasonic detector? Ol' Cyclops would be pissed if she knew about it!

Even without ultrasonic movement detectors, she wasn't hasty. She carefully placed the device in her leg pouch and pulled out another. The new device looked to be a simple, thin film of plastic like a pair of the cheap sunglasses they gave eye exam patients after full pupillary dilation. The only noticeable difference was the bump at each end and a strap to keep it around the wearer's head.

She held it to her face, looking up and down the shaft before nodding in understanding. The floors above her, the opposite of the direction she was going, were clear. Down, however, was a modified McHenry laser grid; since she couldn't see the lasers without the glasses, it had to be the detection version; however, it could be the newer, two stage version, with harmless detection and lethal anti-intruder emitters in a single unit.

She didn't want to take the chance of the latter, so she strapped the device to her head to continue viewing the complicated laser grid. I'm so glad I chopped the hair a couple days ago!

The new hair was a drastic change, indeed. And even though she was still getting used to, she loved it, and she had Francois Le Fèvre, superstar stylist to thank for it! The angled bob cut bordered on severe, sweeping from the nape of her neck to fall just far enough to brush her collarbones.

She'd been worried at his suggestion of even bangs in front, but Francois had been right; it pulled the style together and framed her face beautifully. Overall, the style accentuated her face with an exotic flare, without sharpening the angularity of her features to severity. It also drew attention to and sharpened the beauty of her eyes, a feature she'd always loved about herself.

Breathing out an almost inaudible, bitter chuckle, she ran back over a mantra she felt would soon be quite well worn, I needed the change! She stared pensively down the shaft as the thought bounced around her head. She hadn't been content after the pardon, even after she'd started dating Drew.

In fact, that had been a large part of her discontent; she honestly loved the blue doofus, but as they'd discovered after several weeks, the dating wasn't working out. He was stuck in his experiments or lectures well over half the time and a good chunk of what remained had been taken up by his therapist. And, of course, she had been terribly bored when he wasn't around. They enjoyed going out, but…

One real argument was all it had taken. Granted, it had been an argument that was very heated, and they'd said some embarrassingly harsh things to each other. The words that had ended the argument, her words, were still fresh in her mind almost two full weeks later, "It's not like I enjoy feeling like I'm dating my uncle, Drew!"

What had followed had been painful, for the both of them, but probably necessary. They'd gone back over their relationship from the day he'd hired her almost six years earlier. After a time, they'd both admitted that, indeed, it was more like an uncle and niece, or even father and daughter relationship than anything else.

And as suddenly as they'd realized it, most of the awkwardness they'd felt since the awards ceremony at the UN had vanished. Within two days, they were back to their old comfort level, enough that she could tell him how terrifyingly dull her life had become.

Her expression softened into a fond smile. Drew had surprised her with some advice that made sense. More than anything else he'd ever said in the time she'd been around him. "Maybe you need a change!" he'd said to her, "A makeover, or just a new hairstyle, a new work outfit, something? Maybe even a new career, or a new angle on an old one!"

In truth, she wasn't really sure she needed to change, but if she were honest with herself, Drew had had a point. At least his advice worked out for the better.

She'd taken the advice for a new suit first. He'd been very obliging, and had risked potential trouble arranging it for her. Granted, she was essentially testing a prototype material he and his soon to be partner - Kimmie's nerd extraordinaire, Wade Load - had designed, but she'd wondered if it would be a good idea, considering her past. The both of them had shrugged her concern off, claiming she'd be a great candidate, just like Kim Possible when they finished with her new outfit.

The material was based on Lorwardian technology, and she had to admit that so far, she liked it. Unlike her old Kevlar impregnated polycarbonate suit, it was a thinner material, slipped on easily and felt like form hugging silk. Another benefit, to her eyes at least, was that it clung to her body even more flatteringly than her old suit. She'd never had any problems moving with her old suit; with the new suit, however, her movements were smoother, and the material was quieter when she moved, as well as being far lighter. And if Drew was right about other aspects of the material, she'd be ecstatic!

Let's see, what was it those two said? she asked herself, Watertight, twenty percent more resistant to chemicals, tears, cuts and piercing than my old suit. Thirty percent increase to blunt trauma resistance, bullet resistance as good as high quality body armor. Passive, unpowered heating or cooling depending on ambient versus body temperature, breathable, and it's completely insulated against electricity? she thought with wry mental chuckle, Who wouldn't want it in my line of work?

She barely bit back a sharp laugh when she remembered who Drew's ultimate client would be, and the irony that she was one of the first two people to test it! Who would've thought I'd be testing Global Justice's new uniform material?

Like her hair, the color scheme was a distinct departure for her. Gone was the harlequin color scheme; in its place was a new pattern of deep charcoal gray and a green that closely matched her eyes.

The deep charcoal made up the majority of the suit, with moderately broad green stripes that flowed along the lines of muscle on her arms and legs. She'd also decided on a few narrower green stripes crossing down and along her torso that accentuated her bosom and the lines of her back nicely.

She'd been so happy with the suit that she'd decided to help Drakken in return. Yet another departure, she realized, and one that made her grimace in a resigned fashion. I'm not going soft, or turning into a goody-goody, I'm just… Free of all of my old BS!

Her conflicted commiserating ended with a devilish smile. After all, having been a little nerdy when she was younger, she'd known a couple women that might like Drew, so she'd made a few calls; after a lot of apologizing on her part, she'd convinced a woman she'd been very close to in college, who happened to be both single and working at the same facility Drew was, to give the blue scientist a try. The last she'd heard, they were quite close indeed, and she honestly felt she should expect a wedding invitation any time now.

She shook her head, blinking away the sudden mistiness in her eyes. Both of 'em are in the past, this is no time to get sentimental, idiot! she griped at herself. Get your lazy ass back to work, chop, chop!

She glanced back down the shaft. Her movements in the old suit would have given her an above even chance of defeating the grid; with the improvements to both her range and speed of motion the new suit offered? This job would be a cakewalk!

With a smirk, she shoved herself into the shaft, the laser grid coming up fast. She planted a foot just above the first emitter and shoved off, squeezing her athletic form through a space that was barely big enough for her. She continued this, bouncing between all four walls, until finally she was down to a shaft leading into the third sub-basement.

This should be temporary prisoner holding, sensitive research and personnel files… The smile on her face from the heady, bouncing plunge down the shaft made her already beautiful face glow with pleasure, and brought a sparkle to her eyes that hadn't been there for literally months

She let out a content, even happy sigh, Drew was right, I've missed this! She shimmied along the shaft until she found a vent. Quickly disabling the sensors on it, she carefully moved it open just enough to peer through. Seeing no people or cameras around, she let the grate swing open carefully. She made sure it was still attached at its hinge point, then slid out, dropping silently to the floor.

Moving with swift efficiency, she found a powered on computer and jiggled the mouse. She entered the password she'd acquired at the beginning of the job, and navigated the database for a moment. Ah, there we go, 'High Grade Personnel and Persons of Interest to Global Justice… Now where, ah-ha, Will Du, GJ Second!

She opened his file and read the contents, looking for, as the person who had hired her had requested, '…information that is embarrassing, potentially damaging or injurious to the reputation of Agent Du or Global Justice as a whole…' She smirked as she found just that, whispering a chuckled, "Bingo!"

She pulled out a smartphone and activated it, surfing to her contact's name in the menu. She had no worries about the phone being detected; after all, it was designed to use GJ's internal, secure cellular system, which then went out over the general cellular network with some of the best encryption and decryption money could buy.

The other party picked up on the second ring, and she smiled at the annoyed tone, "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot it's 2 AM there. Hmm? Oh, yes, I got it. Proof?" she smirked down at the computer screen. She decided to do a little surfing of the other names on the list, and evil smirk taking to her features as the voice spoke, "Oh, nothing, just double checking… Well, maybe… Anyway, I had no idea that Stick-Up-His-Ass-Willie was a closet Cuddler…"

She pursed her lips, smirking at the question she'd been asked, "Well, apparently as a junior agent, he requested a living Cuddle-Buddy from one Dr. Amy Hall – PHD; MD; M, ASCP; MP, ASCP; MVD; MDG, ASCP; SCT ASCP-… What? Oh, well, yes, I was going to read off all thirty certifications and titles… Okay, fine… Anyway, he requested a living Cuddle-Buddy from one Dr. Amy Hall, incidentally sending her into supervillainy… Yes, so, does this fulfill… I know, I will, but I'm done, right?"

There was a pause, and she was getting annoyed. You said this would be the last of this shit I'd have to do, you bi-… "Huh? Now? Okay, fine…" she let the mouse hover over another name on the list, that of Kim Possible. After a moment's consideration, she decided against it. She knew what was in her own file, and how far back and deep the information digging went; she found the thought of violating Pumpkin like that… Unsettling.

I've so gone soft… she grimaced at the thought, Probably why I decided to do this, maybe I'll get my edge back! Her train of thought was interrupted by the voice on the phone, and she shook her head in disgust at the line of questioning she received; her professional pride was wounded by this job, after all.

"Oh, the McHenry wasn't too bad," she acknowledged grudgingly, "But honestly, without anything other than idiots in boots, it was too easy… Hell, I can name at least seven people that could've gotten past everything, just off of the top of my head! Yes, they're in the top three, but also Falsetto Jones, Nachtdieb, the Embarrassment Ninjas, probably the ninjas that Stoppable trains with. Yeah, Stoppable, too, I kinda lumped him in with Possible… Actually, when he gets his mojo going, he could be as good as I am. Uh, huh. Wai-… I don't… Yes, I am, and no, I doubt they would…"

Her last words had been spoken with a great deal of irritation. Then the person on the other end of the phone mentioned money, and not the deal making she'd needed after the whole pardon for saving the world, so… "One hundred fifty thousand… That's just the retainer? That much, really? Hmmm… Y'know what, if you're serious, I think I'll take you up on that! Yeah, sure, let me check that…"

She changed from the call function to the smartphone's desktop, called up her bank's app, and smiled indulgently. She doesn't bullshit, at least… "You got yourself a deal. Yeah, I was planning on going there anywa-… You're full of it! Who'd want to steal the tap the mayor's using? Okay… I could see that, yeah, but…"

She sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Okay, okay, so they want the thing taken in broad daylight but before it's in the mayor's han-… Obviously before the twelve gun salute, that's after he taps it, doy! Yeah, yeah, got it. I'll have full cooperation, won't I? I'd better… Okay, okay, fine… Yeah, and this is it, right? I'll actually be able to enjoy Oktoberfest, even if-… Yes, I'm actually planning on doin' it and not just… Yes, you have my word! Uh, huh… Yeah, exactly, but life happens, right? Thought so. Okay, deal, just send one of your boys here to get me. Thank you so much. Yeah, less sarcasm, whatever, bye!"

So somebody wants the Oktoberfest opening tap stolen, huh? Shego chuckled to herself, Well, who am I to argue when I'm getting paid this much?

Author's Notes

And thus starts the first chapter…! I know it may seem that KP's gotten the short end of the stick, but, unfortunately, similar things do happen… Well, without the globe trotting hero work, anyway. I'm trying really hard to present the characters as in character as possible, with the possibility of having grown up some (or in certain character's case, a lot) in the four months since Graduation.

I'm especially feeling challenged with showing a Ron as I see how he could have evolved had the writers not gotten lazy with KP Season 4. Yes, some will say he was still 'just Ron' in S4, but I honestly think he was starting to show signs of growing up in S3, especially by the end. In S4, they dropped him into the mold of being even more immature than he was in S1.

Hopefully, I'm not too far off base in that. Just as hopefully, all you readers out there like what you're reading! Do let me know if you do! Or if you spot problems… Or even if you think it sucks!

As always, I have to give a big thanks to Neo the Saiyan Angel for lookin' the fic over for glaringly obvious flaws in flow, readability, and major grammar/spelling errors. I'm sure a few slipped through, but I try not to take her away from her university studies, so… *shrugs helplessly*

At any rate, enjoy, and remember to keep on reading all of the great fanficiton out there!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based on the "Kim Possible" universe. It is written for entertainment purposes only and is a strictly not for profit endeavor. "Kim Possible" and all characters thereof are owned by "The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies"; any other name, individual, product or etc. are registered, trademarked, and/or copyrighted by their respective owners. Should any of the aforementioned or their affiliates request it, I shall change the name of any product, individual or etc. and/or remove this work of fan fiction from the Web.

Individuals, corporations and/or entities without registered, trademarked, and/or copyrighted names, but with a well known and/or public presence that may or may not appear within this work of fiction are considered fair use.

Any original characters, devices, products or etc. that are created by me may be used in "Kim Possible" or other fandom works of fanfiction, fanart or etc. so long as either a) permission sought from and given by me, or b) full disclosure of the source is given in said work. Any original characters not created by me (either by another fanfiction author, artist or etc., or characters not created exclusively by me) are used with permission.

Any use of characters that are considered "fanon" characters is considered fair use.

Thank you.