Darev: I was bored last night when I wrote this. The idea developed from a different concept I had going when I decided to make a change. My biggest accomplishment was that it was a story I was able to finish in one day. So huzzah for me!

Disclaimer: Kim Possible is a property of the Disney Corporation. The series and characters were created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorckle.

The Favor

It was almost midnight when she walked into the diner. A lone woman, shoulders sagging, eyes fixed on the lone cup of coffee in her hands, was the only patron. The woman heard the door open, heard the telltale jingle of a newcomer to the establishment. She didn't turn around. She listened to the footsteps as they approached her booth. The stranger's approach was silent though her presence filled the room. Delicate white fingers that had been calloused from years of battle clenched tighter around the cup as she heard the steps stop.

"Can I sit down?"

The sitting woman did not respond at first. How was she to talk to this friend who she had not seen in years? Once inseparable, they were complete strangers now, sharing nothing but a few short years of history.

"Kim?"

That voice. She remembered it as clearly as her own. Despite her trembling fingers, she gathered up the courage to look at the visitor in the face. Those eyes, dark pools, were a sharp contrast to her bright olive orbs. They remained staring a moment until Kim finally spoke. "Hello...Monique."

The ebon-skinned woman took that as a signal to take a seat. She made herself comfortable adjacent to Kim, the leather cushion making not a sound. Monique folded her hands across the table, waiting for Kim to begin the dialogue. She was only here by Kim's invitation and while she was pleased to see her old friend, she was not happy with the way the redhead appeared. Kim looked ragged. Her lustrous auburn locks and withered to a sickly orange. Her white skin was paler than usual and there were bags underneath her eyes. Sleep was a luxury to her, Monique realized, and the black woman understood why.

Monique sighed as she took in Kim's attire. She could smell Kim from here; the stench of sweat and shame lingered on her like a second skin. Monique could not help but turn her nose at it. The jacket she wore was old and her shirt was stained at the collar. Monique only caught a brief glimpse of her pants before she sat down. They were khakis, like the ones she used to wear back when they were in high school, only wrinkled. This was not the Kim she remembered.

"Thanks for coming, Monique. I...I needed to see you."

"Well," Monique remained in her sitting position, hands folded, like an adult waiting for an explanation from a child. "Here I am." Whereas Kim looked horrible, Monique was the image of self-esteem. She'd let her hair out, and carried the fro look better than most women ever could. Her skin, a deep chocolate, glowed with the essence of life despite being several shades darker than Kim's. She wore a simple but elegant white blouse with a flower decoration over the right shoulder. She had on black jeans that hugged her impressive figure. Strong. Confident. Beautiful. This was Monique.

Kim felt ashamed being in her presence.

Kim could not even look her in the eyes as she spoke. "Man it's...been a while ain't it?"

"Five years," Monique emphasized, perhaps a bit more than she should. That was because she was trying to make a point. The look she gave Kim was stern, but not demeaning. "You've been at this for five years."

Kim visibly winced at Monique's tone. She knew her friend would not be happy with her in this state. Kim Possible was the girl who could do anything. Her old boyfriend once commented on how arrogant a statement that was. As she grew up, Kim learned that not everything was an obstacle to be overcome, and not every obstacle could be overcome by simple teen bravado. She had been arrogant then. Now she was humbled. She was afraid when once she was brave. She was beaten when once she was unbeatable.

All because of one woman.

"I...I didn't mean to...that is...I was only doing what I thought was right. Lives were at stake." Kim still avoided making eye contact with her. "I let my anger get the better of me. I was so furious."

"As would anyone be if somebody threatened their loved ones." Monique tried to be understanding, to show Kim that she was on her side. She would do anything to wake Kim out of this stupor.

"No one was supposed to get hurt."

"People always get hurt, Kim. You may not realize it, but your actions destroyed the lives of many people. It's just that those people tended to be super villains with bad names."

"But I didn't care about them. No one I cared about ever got hurt before."

"Until then."

Kim winced again.

"How's Ron, Kim?"

The question was one she'd prepared for but was still reluctant to answer.

"You remember Ron. Your boyfriend."

"I know."

"Your ex-boyfriend."

"I know," Kim said more harshly.

"You're not together anymore. Why?"

Kim clenched the cup even more. She'd only been nursing the coffee and now had no taste for it. It was black, no milk or sugar; bitter like the woman she had become. She could see her pathetic face reflected on liquid's smooth, dark surface. "We had a falling out."

"A falling out?" Monique scoffed. This time she crossed her arms over her breasts. "He left you."

"I tried to make it work,"

"But only because you left him first," Monique cut her off.

Kim shook her head at that. "I never left Ron."

"But you did. You may have been together in body but your spirit was far away. Ever since the incident you were never the same girl, the girl he fell in love with. Ron tried to be there for you, but you wouldn't let him get close ever again. You shut him out just like you did your friends and family. You rejected his love because you learned to hate yourself. Ron could never do that. He could never hate you."

Tears rimmed Kim's face. "Then why did he leave me?"

"Because how can a man love a woman who doesn't love herself?"

Kim wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her jacket. There was moisture all over those sleeves. Kim had been doing a lot of crying of late. "I miss him."

"No you don't." Monique's retort made Kim cringe. "If you did you'd stop beating yourself up over something that wasn't your fault."

"Not my fault?" Kim almost looked Monique in the eye. She stopped herself halfway through knowing she would waver under her friend's powerful gaze. "She died because of me." Kim returned to her cup, preferring to stare into her own sad eyes that the truth that was Monique. "I killed her."

"It was an accident."

"That doesn't make it right. I was always so careful."

Monique bit back a chuckle. "Kim, you've broken enough bones and egos to put Pain King and Steel Toe to shame. I'm not saying what happened shouldn't bother you. You wouldn't be a human being if it didn't bother you. Death is never a good thing even if it is an accident."

"Then I am a murderer."

A hand slammed the table. "Enough!" Monique leaned in close. "I didn't come all the way down here just so I could hear you wallow in self pity. This is not the Kim Possible I know."

"That Kim is dead."

Monique went silent.

"She died with her...five years ago."

Silence pervaded for uncomfortable moments. Then Monique said, "Then I stand corrected. You are a murderer. You've murdered Kim Possible!"

That seemed to snap Kim out of it and she reared her head up at Monique. "Don't you think I feel bad enough? I didn't call you here just so you could make me feel worse."

"Then what did you call me here for? Huh? Did you want a shoulder to cry on? Did you want me to pat you on the back and tell you that everything's going to be okay, that it'll be exactly as it was? Well it isn't, Kim. It happened. Get over it!"

Kim almost threw the mug at her. Only her considerable discipline held her in check, which surprised Kim since she thought she'd lost it years ago. No one who respected her skills would let herself fall as low as she had. If her past self could see her now, Kim would empty her bowels in disgust. Who are you? The younger Kim would ask. You're not me. You're a stranger with my face. You're not Kim Possible. I'm Kim Possible!

"How dare you?" Kim said through bared teeth, her body trembling with barely controlled rage.

Monique sat back unafraid. She met Kim's glare with one of her own. "I dare because I can, which is what you used to do. My best friend would never run away from a fight."

"I never had blood on my hands before, Monique. You don't know what that's like." Kim suddenly realized what she had sat and sat back down. She covered her mouth with one hand, suddenly wishing she could take it all back. "Oh my god. Monique, I'm..."

She silenced Kim with an upraised hand. "What's said is said. You can't take it back."

"I'm so sorry."

"The only people you should apologize to are those you abandoned. It wasn't just Ron you turned your back on. Your mother and father. Your brothers. Your friends. People you worked with. Hell, even Drakken. Your actions forced many villains to reform. They're better people now. Good people. None of that would have been possible without a Possible!"

"I know what you're trying to do, Monique."

"What am I trying to do, Kim? You tell me. Since you obviously have all the answers. You know what? I won't even talk anymore. From this moment on it's all you. So go ahead, Kim. Speak!"

An argument is not what Kim was looking for when she asked to see Monique in this diner. But what followed was the most disturbing part of this confrontation. She knew Monique would try to make her come back to her senses, to make her realize that the death was not her fault. In her heart of hearts Kim knew this to be true. But something was holding her back from admitting this out loud. Was it shame? Was it guilt? She had hoped seeing Monique would help her come to terms with whom she'd become.

But the silence. The complete silence. It was deafening. Kim felt vulnerable, like one by one, all the world's eyes were scrutinizing her, judging her, condemning her. Kim was used to being the center of attention, but not when the audience included her own inner demons. She imagined herself up on a stage with the demons filling the aisles, clapping madly as the girl who could do anything fell on her own sword in some clichéd Shakespearian play. How they'd howl as she committed seppuku over and over again, a neverending display of self remorse for their own enjoyment.

There was only one friendly face in that crowd and hers was the only face not smiling.

It was time for the final act.

"It just happened so fast." Kim closed her eyes, the events of that night playing back before her. "I just wanted to save the day. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. But seeing Ron on the ground like that, hearing the taunts, me being the only thing standing between him and certain death...I just snapped. I attacked. I kicked. I saw my enemy go down. I thought I had won. I thought the day was saved." She opened up her eyes. "But then I forgot about the gun."

This was the hardest part to admit. "I thought I could stop him in time. I could do anything, right? So I attacked. I kicked him just as he pulled the trigger. But the gun went off anyway. The bullet went flying. It may have missed Ron, but it found another target." Despite her best efforts, the tears came back in full. "I couldn't save her."

Monique remained silent.

"I couldn't save her. She died because of me. I thought I could do anything. So why did I fail?"

"So that's it."

Hearing her friend speak brought Kim out of her stupor. She looked at Monique whose face had turned soft; sympathetic and without pity. It was a look of understanding. "It's just you being you, Kim."

The redhead blinked at that. There were still tears drying around the rim of her eyes and she had to wipe them away as Monique spoke.

"You were always so demanding. You always tried to bring out the best in everyone, including yourself. But your best still wasn't good enough. People hailed you as the girl who made the impossible possible, but there are some things even the great Kim Possible could not do. You couldn't stop the events that led to that girl's death no matter how hard you tried. That you failed in protecting someone was the first time you realized just how flawed you really were. You're a human being, Kim. We all lose sometimes."

"But she died because of me."

Monique shook her head. "She died because of the bullet and the gun. She died because some punk thought the world owed him for his rotten luck and tried to mug three kids. She died because she froze while the girl who could do anything did what she did best: save the day. If it weren't for her, three kids would be buried underneath the ground instead of one. She did what she had to do."

"But,"

"Kim...it's not your fault. You are never a failure for trying. You're only a failure if you never try. You taught me that. I'm a better person for knowing you and so is everyone else. The world is less without you. Stop beating yourself up. Please, Kim."

The more she talked, the harder it was for Kim to stop crying. It was like a water vein burst in her head and her eyes just let loose. The sobs followed and Monique moved over to the other side to embrace her. Kim leaned in and cried to her heart's content. They remained that way, two old friends taking solace in each other's company, until Kim stopped sobbing long enough to pull away. She cleaned her face with her sleeves and despite all that, Monique smiled. For the first time that evening, she saw her best friend again. Kim was finally learning to forgive herself. "Feeling better?"

"A little," Kim sniffed. "Thanks...Monique."

"I'm always there for you, girlfriend. I'll always be." Monique became serious when she turned away. "You know she'd like to see you."

Kim didn't understand what she'd meant.

"Five years, Kim. Friends don't leave friends hanging."

"Oh. I'm sorry,"

"And stop apologizing. Like I said, the only people you need to say you're sorry to is the people who love you. I'll bet your family will be happy to see you. And I know Ron will be thrilled."

"I miss them," Kim admitted.

"The feeling's mutual." Monique stood up. "It was never your fault. Don't you ever forget that." She looked her over. "But do everyone a favor and clean yourself up before visiting your folks. You stink, girlfriend."

Kim laughed despite the insult. It felt good to laugh again. Real good.

Monique's smile was genuine. "Well. I have to get going." She turned around. "Kim, do me a favor, okay? Visit her. She really misses you." Then the ebon woman was gone. Like a phantom, she passed out of Kim's life as she went out the door.

Kim watched her leave. "Monique!" Without realizing it, Kim was running towards the door. She burst through just moments after Monique disappeared and found herself standing alone in the parking lot. Her friend was gone. "Monique," Kim whispered. The name tasted sweet on her lips, like the name of a favorite song she hadn't heard in years.

"Five years, Kim."

The words rang clearly in her ears. She knew what she had to do.

It indeed had been a long time since Kim had visited the Middleton cemetery. When last she had set foot on this hollow ground Kim was just a young woman about to enter adulthood. She left her childhood behind on that fateful night five years ago. Truth was, she had left everything that made her who she was. Moving from place to place, running from the shame of being a failure...no. Kim was not a failure. She was a girl who tried to do too much at once. Maybe she could not have saved the girl. Maybe she could have taken her place. A part of Kim wanted to take her place.

There was no sense looking back on it now. What happened, happened. Now she had to look toward the future. But that doesn't mean she should forget her past.

Visiting hours were over but there wasn't a gate alive that could keep Kim Possible out. She entered the cemetery and found the one grave that had caused her to flee in the first place. It was hard looking at it now. Hard but not impossible. Anything was possible for a Possible...even coming to terms with one's mistakes. Kim's greatest mistake was to run away. She wasn't running anymore.

That talk with Monique had done wonders. Kim thanked her friend when she knelt down at her grave. Sketched on the smooth cobblestone were the words: Monique Sanders. Kim's best friend was buried her after having been shot by that mugger. It was a clear night much like this one. Kim, Ron and Monique were walking home after having a late dinner at Bueno Nacho. The man appeared out of nowhere, waving a gun and clubbing Ron over the head with it after Ron tried to disarm him. With Ron immobilized and the gunman turning on the girls, Kim sprang into action, launching into a flying kick that she'd hoped would take him out. It did, but the gun went off anyway. Monique was right in the line of fire. She never saw it coming. The blood on her hands was her own as she fell to the ground. All Kim could do was stare at her friend's body in disbelief. Kim always saved people. It's what she did. How ironic that the first and only person she failed to save would be her best friend.

Monique.

Kneeling at her gravesite then, Kim felt a sense of closure overcome her. She wanted to see Monique all these years, to say she was sorry for failing her. Kim had gotten her wish. When Monique had entered that diner, it was the most terrifying experience of her life. It was the wake-up call Kim ultimately needed. Monique had not forgiven her because there was nothing to forgive. Neither she nor anyone else for that matter blamed her for Monique's death. So why should Kim continue punishing herself?

Still, and Kim realized this as she spoke to the grave, she had a lot to answer for. Leaving Ron behind, Rufus, her parents, the tweebs, her life and her town was an inexcusable act. She would have to make amends.

This was a good start.

"I miss you, Monique." Kim placed a hand on the tombstone. "Thanks for bringing me back. I only wish you could be with me when I go back home. Our home." She teared up again as she placed a kiss on her friend's name. Then standing up, Kim said, "I promise to visit more often." She wiped the tears...with a handkerchief. "Best Friends Forever, right?"

Something happened as Kim walked away. The spirit of Monique appeared on the grave, watching her BFF walk out of the cemetery and back to the life she deserved. Kim was wrong, though. She would be with her...forever.

What were best friends for?