Hello again, all. Well, here it is. The final chapter to Fairest of Them All. I've had a lot of fun writing this and I'd like to thank everybody whose read and/or reviewed my story. This will probably be the last KP fic I write for awhile. I have a HHTYD and Pokémon one-shot I've been meaning to start. You can probably expect those sometime in the summer. Plus my Smash Bros. fic - Subspace Redux - is in serious need of some love.

On with the story! Last time, the Seniors tried sabotaging the other contestants. It mostly worked, except the ninjas Senior sent out to deal with Kim - a.k.a Anya - couldn't cut it. But now, he's starting to suspect that Anya Leavible is not all she appears to be and with only one round left in the pageant, the pressure's on the see who will get the tiara. And now, the exciting conclusion to Fairest of Them All.

Chapter 6 - She's Miss Fabulous

"We hit the jackpot, KP."

Kim nodded absently in agreement. After they had managed to finally escape from the other contestants after the talent round, the duo had retreated to Kim's dressing room. Once there, she took out the Kimmunicator and showed Ron the photos she had taken of the robbery plan that she'd found in Senior's briefcase. "This should be more than enough to prove the Seniors were involved in the robbery.

"But we can't prove they sabotaged the other pageant contestants," protested Ron.

"That doesn't matter," Kim insisted, wiggling her handheld device. "This will get them arrested and away from the tiara."

"And prevent them from becoming rulers of the richest country in the world," Ron added. He looked at Kim expectantly, a wide, toothy grin on his face.

"No."

"Aw, come on, KP," Ron whined. "You gotta do it."

"Ron, I said no," Kim said curtly. "It's ridiculous."

That's when Ron pulled out his own version of Kim's patented Puppy Dog Pout. He clasped his hands together underneath his chin, stuck his bottom lip out and opened his eyes as wide as he could. Rufus even joined in, sitting on top of his owner's head and mimicking the outrageous facial expression. It wasn't nearly as cute as when Kim did it, but somehow it always managed to have the same effect on her.

With a huff, Kim reluctantly said, "How rich is it?"

The excited grin was back as Ron replied with the air of a vaudeville showman, "It's so rich, the police give tickets to people for driving cheap cars."

Rufus fell over, rolling through Ron's thick hair as he laughed merrily at the joke. Ron himself was holding his stomach, he was cackling so hard. Kim just shook her head, but there was an affectionate smirk as she muttered, "Boys." Pushing a few buttons on the Kimmunicator, the teen hero sent the file full of evidence to Wade, the device's screen showing the progress of the upload.

"Okay," said Kim, "Once Wade gets the file, he'll call the police, Senior and Junior will be arrested and we'll send the crown back to Anvaloppia where it'll be safe."

"One tiny problem there, Kimbo," said Ron, pointing to his watch. "The last round of the pageant starts in, like...now. What if the police don't get here in time?"

"They should be able to make it by the end of the contest," Kim assured her partner. "Until then, we'll just have to stall and keep the Seniors and Bonnie away from the tiara."

"And to do that, KP, you are going to have to win this pageant," said Ron, completely pumped.

"Right. Let's go." Kim reached for the morphing necklace on the table, but stopped when Ron's hand covered her own.

"KP," started Ron in a much calmer and more serious tone. Kim raised an eyebrow; Ron hardly ever spoke like that. "How about you don't wear the necklace for the final round?"

For a moment, Kim's emerald eyes dilated and her bottom lip trembled a bit. Such an expression of fear lasted for less than a second before the young woman managed to cover it up, but it did not go unnoticed by Ron. Turning her head away from him, in a voice that was all business, Kim said, "I have to wear it, Ron. Remember, we're still undercover here."

The young man's large hand gently squeezed Kim's smaller one. "That was so we could find out who was trying to steal the tiara and stop them. We've so been there and done that. Now maybe you can let your true self show."

Instead of the encouraging effect Ron thought this request would have, he felt Kim's muscles tighten as she pulled away from him. The young woman wrapped her arms around herself and threw a nasty look over her shoulder as she retreated to a corner of the room. "You don't understand," she grumbled.

"No, I don't," said Ron desperately. "Where is this sudden stage fright coming from? The talent show and American Starmaker thing I get; you don't like to sing in front of people, there's a history there. Believe me, I understand about traumatic childhood events. But other than that, you've never had a problem with crowds before. You're a cheerleader for crying out loud. Plus, you've spoken at press conferences, done TV interviews..."

"That's all different, Ron," Kim insisted. She racked her brain for a way to accurately convey what she was feeling to her lifelong friend, but could only come up with, "A beauty pageant is just...different."

"How?" demanded Ron. "How is it different? I mean, you're still in front of people, right, so how..."

"It wasn't all about beauty, okay!" screamed Kim. "Those other times I performed or talked in front of a crowd, they weren't judging me solely on my looks."

Ron was shocked into silence. Kim never yelled like that. Not to him. Not to anyone. He didn't really know what to say to Kim's outburst, but his girlfriend saved him the trouble by continuing.

"I'm not naive. I know that at football games and regional tournaments, the boys are only watching me because I'm flipping and twirling in a short skirt in front of them." Unnoticed by Kim, Ron blushed, silently admitting that he too liked to see that. "And I know the girls in the crowd and the other teams are checking my face and figure for any flaw, constantly comparing my features to theirs."

Kim's voice was laden with sorrow and despair; it broke Ron's heart to hear it. "But at least I can pretend. I can pretend that they're only judging my performance; that my talent is why they're looking at me, not to see if I'm pretty or not."

"But you are pretty," said Ron with conviction. He grabbed Kim's arms and spun her around, forcing her to look at him. "You're gorgeous."

"No, Ron. Those girls out there are gorgeous," said Kim, throwing an arm out towards the dressing room door and the stage beyond.

"You're far from ugly," Ron said softly.

"I know that," said Kim, a little petulantly. "But I'm certainly not in the other contestants' league." Kim knew she was acting childish and she hated herself for it, but these feelings of inadequacy and anxiety would not go away. She just didn't know how to deal with them.

A string of compliments sprang up in Ron's mind, but in her current state Kim wouldn't believe any of them or just ignore them completely, which irked Ron the tiniest bit. "Then go out there and pretend it's just another cheerleading competition. Pretend that all those people aren't interested in how you look."

"How can I do that, Ron, when the whole point of this contest is about how I look? I mean, it's even in the title: beauty pageant." With a huff, Kim crossed the room, turning her back to Ron once again. "If I want to have any chance at staying in the contest to stop the Seniors, I need to wear the necklace."

Ron had to admit to himself that he was a little disappointed in Kim for thinking of herself that way. The girl who could look at a scrawny geek like him and see a person not only worth dating but loving just could not see how wonderful she was.

"It's like something out of the Twilight Zone, huh Rufus?"

The bald rodent nodded sadly from Ron's jacket pocket.

Giving an audible sigh, Ron looked down at the cursed necklace waiting on the wooden surface of the table. As far as Ron was concerned, that thing had done more harm to his Kim than any help it had given to the mission. He ought to just get rid of the thing. Still, Kim's happiness meant to world to him and he wasn't about to become the cause of any more distress.

Taking the necklace in his hands, Ron made his way over to Kim, who heard his approach, but still refused to look at him. "Ron, please just..." Her voice caught in her throat as the teen hero felt a weight fall gently around her neck. She looked down to see the necklace and finally turned to greet her smiling boyfriend who was forced to watch Kim's perfect face morphed into a wholly inferior version.

"Look, Kim, I still say you don't need this thing," said Ron, drawing his finger down the length of the necklace's chord, lightly touching the skin on Kim's neck, making her shiver. Before his girlfriend could retort, he continued, "But, if that's what you want, then I'm behind you. One hundred percent, just like always."

Watery green eyes met compassionate brown and then Kim flung her arms around Ron's neck. The young boy returned the hug in kind as a quiet, but heartfelt "thank you" was whispered in his ear.

"A truly touching scene."

The young couple spun around to see both Señor Senior and Señor Junior standing in the open door of the dressing room. Before either hero could react, Senior whipped out his special pistol and fired a thick stream of green glop at the duo. Both Kim and Ron were hit, the glop sticking fast to their clothing. The pressure from the spray knocked them to the floor. Senior kept firing until Team Possible was nothing more than two heads sticking out of a great green blob.

Kim and Ron twisted and pulled with all their might, but it was no use; they couldn't get up.

"I believe that will finally take care of our competition, Junior," said Senior, keeping his gun trained on the cocooned heroes.

Kim's mind worked fast. She'd been caught completely unawares by the Seniors and what was worse, she didn't know how long they had been standing in the room. It was entirely possible that they'd seen her without her disguise. Still, she had to take the chance that they were still in the dark. Putting on her best diva face and slipping into her Anya Leavible accent, Kim demanded, "What is the meaning of this? I insist that you release us this minute!"

"Yeah," Ron chimed in. "This is completely against the beauty pageant code. Article 6, chapter 9, paragraph 3 states that no contestant will be trapped in...whatever this stuff is. I'll report you to the BBB."

"The BBB?" asked Junior.

"The Better Beauty Bureau," Ron said triumphantly.

"Father, you did not say anything about being reported," said a panicky Junior. "That would be a blow to my managing career."

Senior raised a hand to silence his son and spoke harshly, "Junior, please, not now." Allowing a friendly smile on his face, the older villains placed both hands comfortably on the top of his cane and addressed Kim. "I have been eager to meet with you all day, Miss Leavible."

"Let us go right know," Kim said in her accent. She was still trying to bluff their way out, but a sinking feeling in her stomach told her the jig was up. "I must get to the stage for the final round of the pageant."

"I'm afraid that, for you, the pageant is over, Miss Leavible," said Senior. "Or should I say, Miss Possible?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Kim, trying very hard not to look over at Ron's startled face.

Senior's eyes flickered over to Ron before he pointed his cane at Kim's neck. "I think you do."

Kim was calm in the face of Senior's accusation while Ron struggled all the harder, desperate to protect Kim from the villain and what he saw as a potentially dangerous weapon creeping closer to his girlfriend's throat . The tip of the cane penetrated the surface of the green goop and Kim felt the polished wood rub against her skin. With a quick jerk, Senior pulled the cane back out bringing with it Kim's morphing necklace dangling from the end. The young woman felt the familiar itchiness as her face rearranged itself; her eyes changed back to emerald and her hair became fiery red again.

Señor Senior chuckled in delight as Kim stared stone-faced at the older man. "Okay, so you found us out," said Kim. "It doesn't matter. By now, Wade has all the evidence I found in your dressing room and has called the authorities to arrest you."

The smile never left his face as Senior backed away from Kim and flicked his cane, sending the necklace skittering to the floor. "That would be a serious drawback to my plans," admitted Senior, "if I was not blocking all electronic information transfers from within the arena."

A shadow of worry fell across Kim's eyes as she watched Senior extract a small, grey box with several blinking red lights from his pocket. The teen hero glanced down at her Kimmunicator on the floor which had fallen from her pocket during Senior's attack. Sure enough, the screen was showing an error message indicating that the file download had been interrupted.

Kim was about to respond to Señor Senior when the dressing room door opened again and Bonnie marched in causing Junior, Ron and even Senior to do a double take at her appearance. The deeply tanned teen was wearing a hot pink bikini that was certainly skimpier than anything Kim would dare wear.

Bonnie's bare foot tapped impatiently against the carpet as she stood before her beau. Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest, squeezing the life out of the fluffy bathrobe she'd been carrying.

"Junior," she snapped. "I have been looking everywhere for you. I need you to rub some oil on my back."

The young rich man failed to answer due to the fact that his jaw was swinging off its hinges.

"Junior!"

"Huh? Wha?" Junior seemed to be coming around, but he still couldn't take his eyes off his girlfriend. "Did you say oil?"

"Yes, oil," Bonnie said. "It helps my skin to glisten so that I don't actually have to sweat."

"That is still so sick," muttered Kim. The goop around her shoulders jiggled as she shuttered in disgust.

"Jealousy looks good on you, K. It goes with your eyes," was Bonnie's automatic response. Then she realized what she said and turned in angry surprise at the heroes trapped on the floor. "Kim?! What are you and your lapdog doing here?"

"Well, we were just in the neighborhood," said Ron, "and we thought we'd drop by to wish you good luck in the pageant."

"And what is that green slime you're sitting in?" asked Bonnie.

"This?" said Ron, looking down at the goop. "Well...you see, I had some old gum in my pocket and..."

"Oh, stow it, Loser," snapped Bonnie, turning her back on Ron. "Now, I won't ask again, what are you doing here, Kim?"

Junior was the one to answer. "She has been participating in the pageant, Bonnie."

"Kim Possible? In a beauty pageant?" The idea was completely laughable to Bonnie and that's just what she did, loud and long much to Kim's embarrassment and irritation. "Even if K did have the guts to go up against me, I would have spotted her from a mile away."

"Ah, but you see, my dear," said Senior, laying a wrinkled hand on Bonnie's shoulder, "Miss Possible has been masquerading as Miss Anya Leavible, the young girl who has been - what is the saying: 'wiping the floor with you' in every round of the pageant ."

Senior didn't go into detail about how Kim had been in disguise. Just as well, since Bonnie wouldn't have understood or cared. As soon as she heard that Kim had been competing against her, her face turned beet red and she shouted, "Kim! It's bad enough you think you're better than me in cheerleading, but now you have to try and show me up in my beauty pageant too?"

"Bonnie," said Kim in exasperation, "not everything I do revolves around you."

"You entered the pageant, didn't you?" accused Bonnie.

"Obviously," replied Kim.

"And you're trying to keep me from winning, right?"

"Well...technically, yes."

"Then I'd say this does revolve around me."

"She's got a point, KP," said Ron.

Kim growled at Ron's unhelpful remark. She did some quick thinking; odds were, the Seniors had not told Bonnie about their scheme. If she could get Bonnie on her side, they might still be able to save the day. That was a big 'if', though. But Kim knew that the way to Bonnie's heart was through her ego. "Listen Bonnie, the Seniors are using you. They only entered you in this pageant to fulfill their own plans."

Both Senior and Junior stiffened as Kim talked, but Bonnie looked as if she couldn't care less. "What are you babbling about, Kim?" she asked in a bored voice.

"They want to get their hands on the first place tiara. They tried to steal it, but failed. So now, they're using you in the pageant to win in."

Kim saw Bonnie's eyes flash and her nostrils flare. As predicted, her rival, so used to manipulating high school students, couldn't stand the fact that she was the one being played.

But then anger gave way to confusion as Bonnie asked, "Why would Senior or Junior want the tiara? It's expensive, sure, but a pittance compared to other artifacts they have." With a smug grin, she continued, "I should know. I've worn them."

Time to go for broke. "The tiara is the key to the monarchy of Anvaloppia," explained Kim.

"Yeah and if they get it, they'll become the rulers of their own country," added Ron.

"Think about it, Bonnie," Kim warned. " Señor Senior Senior is a criminal mastermind. With an entire country under his control, there's no telling the havoc he could cause."

"As long as he doesn't cause it at this pageant, who cares?" asked the unconcerned young woman. "I intend to win and with you stuck in here, that is guaranteed. Not that you had any real chance of beating me anyway."

"Appealing to Bon-Bon's sense of justice," mused Ron. "Talk about your long shots, KP."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Ron."

"On the other hand…" Bonnie paused and seemed to be thinking over what Kim and Ron had told her. "If it gets out that my managers are thieves…That's just the sort of dirt that could make me lose my title. Or worse…" the young girl's eyes widened in horror, "…the beauty pageant committee might start investigating my past wins. And I can't have that." Bonnie nodded resolutely and turned to the Seniors. "I'm going to report you two to the judges."

"Not exactly what I was going for," said Kim, "But whatever works."

"Bonnie, dearest, wait a moment," said Junior, stepping in front of his girlfriend. She stood there impatiently with her hands on her hips. "If Father and I are arrested, you will lose access to our money." Junior wasn't the brightest bulb, but he understood and sympathized with Bonnie's Material Girl attitude. "I won't be able to buy you any of those expensive gifts you like so much."

Bonnie just laughed at the flimsy threat. "Once I win this pageant, those fashion moguls in the audience will be fighting over themselves trying to make a deal with me. I'll be rich without you."

To that, Junior had no answer. In desperation, he turned to Senior. "Father, please, say something."

Señor Senior gazed at Bonnie for a minute that seemed to drag on forever. He stared at her as if trying to see right through her; to determine if she really would rat Junior and him out. Finally, in defeat, he said, "If you feel the need to alert the authorities about us, Miss Rockwaller, then by all means, that is what you should do."

Two pairs of astonished eyes, one pair of disbelieving eyes and another pair of victorious eyes all regarded the elderly millionaire who simply maintained an aura of passive calmness throughout.

"Father, that is not what I had in mind at all," wailed Junior.

"Now Junior," admonished Senior, "Miss Rockwaller must do what she needs to do to protect her career. We cannot stand in her way."

"Sure you can," cried Ron. "My parents do it to me all the time."

"Glad you see it my way," said Bonnie as she flippantly tossed her hair over her shoulder and strode towards the door.

But Senior wasn't finished yet. "And if being Miss Fabulous is the best you think you can do then we should support that."

Bonnie's determined stride turned into an hesitating stroll before coming to a dead stop. She turned towards Senior with a confused look. "What exactly do you mean 'the best I think I can do'?"

The elder man smiled like a used car salesman; he had her now. In an innocent tone, he said, "I just thought a young lady such as yourself would aspire to something a bit better than a mere beauty queen."

"Like what?" Bonnie asked.

"Why, being a real queen, of course," reply Senior as if it was the most obvious answer.

"A real queen? Like, of a real country?"

"A small one, yes, but one overflowing with riches."

At first, Bonnie said nothing. In fact, she looked at Senior as if he were crazy to even suggest something so outlandish. But then she began to consider. Was it really such an insane thought? After all, wasn't she already the queen of Middleton High School? Becoming official royalty was the next logical step. Before she knew it, Bonnie was fantasizing about sitting on a throne of gold, servants catering to her every whim as her sisters knelt in front of her, begging her to forgive a lifetime of insults and torment.

Senior watched as the spark of greed filled Bonnie's eyes and knew that he'd won her over.

Kim saw it too and rushed to try and get Bonnie on her side again. "Bonnie, don't. Senior's just trying to use you. As soon as you win the tiara he'll…"

"Oh, zip it, Kim," snapped Bonnie. She pointed an accusatory finger at her rival and continued, "You always have to try and bring me down, but not this time."

"That's right," said Senior encouragingly. "Junior and I will keep Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable in here while you go out there and win the tiara. Then we...that is, you...will be the ruler of the richest country in the world."

Junior patted his father on the elbow and giggled, "How rich is it, Father?"

"It is so rich, Junior, that not even the weather can afford to move there."

Both of the rich men had a laugh and even Ron snickered at the joke.

"Tsh, boys," muttered Bonnie.

"I know, right?" said Kim.

"Come now, my dear," said Senior, leading Bonnie to the door. "Your destiny awaits."

Before she left, Bonnie turned back and said, "You should have taken my advice and dropped out when you could have, Kim. Too bad, so sad." And then she and the Seniors left, slamming the door behind them.

Señor Senior addressed two burly men standing guard at the dressing room door. "No one gets in or out of this room until the pageant is over." The men nodded mutely in understanding.

"I can't wait to see Kim's face the next time I see her wearing the tiara," said Bonnie gleefully as she practically skipped off to the stage.

"Father," said Junior, lowering his voice, "I thought the plan was for us to be the rulers, not Bonnie."

"It is unavoidable, my son, since Miss Possible spilled the beans, as it were," said Senior with a resound sigh. "But it doesn't matter since we will be the new queen's royal advisors. Every great strategist knows that the real power behind the crown lies with the men who work secretly in the shadows."

"Should I maybe get some flashlights?" asked Junior.

"Whatever for?"

"Well, if we are to work in the shadows, how else will we be able to see in the dark?"

"Junior, I do not believe there is a flashlight bright enough to get you out of the dark."

Back in the dressing room, Kim and Ron has started struggling again as soon as everyone left, but although they pulled and squirmed with all their might, they couldn't get loose.

"This is, without a doubt, the most disgusting trap we've ever been in," said Kim.

"Oh, I don't know. That time Gil spit up on the entire cheerleading squad was pretty gross," said Ron, as he started to reminisce. "That was one of my finer moments. If it weren't for Rufus and me, you girls would have been...Wait." Ron whipped his head around frantically. "Where is Rufus?"

At the mention of his name, the naked mole rat popped out of the green goop with a great gasp.

"Rufus! Ah man, I was worried for a minute there, buddy."

"I'm okay," Rufus squeaked. The smallest member of Team Possible had dived back into Ron's jacket pocket as soon as the Seniors had burst in. He'd been laying in wait within the goop until he couldn't hold his breath any longer and had to surface. Rufus backstroked across the surface of the goop bubble and climbed up onto the dressing table. He chattered at his two friends in a worried tone.

"Don't worry, buddy, we're okay," assured Ron. "Just a little bogged down at the moment. Hey, wait a minute. How'd you get out of this stuff so easily?"

"I dunno," shrugged Rufus.

"Hmm, I wonder," Kim said to herself. With renewed effort, Kim put all her strength into lifting her right arm. Luckily, it was close to the surface of the goop bubble. Slowly, her slim fingers poked their way out of the green glop, then her palm and finally her whole hand. That was as far as she could get.

"I knew it. Ron, take a look at this."

The young man looked at his girlfriend's wiggling hand. "Kim, do you really thing this is the time for shadow puppets?"

"Ron, the reason Rufus escaped so easily is because he's a naked mole rat. This stuff must not stick to skin."

"That's great for Rufus, but it doesn't help us."

"Not necessarily," said Kim as her hand disappeared back under the goop. "If I can just get..." The muscles in Kim's face twitched with strain, but whatever she was trying to do obviously wasn't working. Nothing happened. "Rufus, can you help me out here?"

The little rodent saluted and with all the grace of an Olympic diver, plunged back into the goopy soup and swam over to Kim's side.

"I need you to push a button on the belt of my pageant suit," instructed Kim. "Last one on the left."

"Last one on the left?" muttered Ron as Rufus' head disappeared beneath the goo. "Isn't that the..."

"Yup."

Rufus' little, but powerful legs easily motored through the slime. He pressed the desired button on Kim's belt and headed up to the surface. As his head broke through to fresh air, the green goop took on a blue tint from the glowing morphing suit. Quickly, the fabric of the suit receded from Kim's skin, as did the goop, until the young woman was clad only in a sickly lime swimsuit.

Even though Kim was now mostly goop free, she was still trapped. Thick strands of the green gunk tied her bikini top and bottom to the carpeted floor. Bending her legs, Kim managed to get her feet underneath her and braced her hands against the floor for leverage.

"One...two...three!" Kim flexed her bare legs, tugging against the goop ropes which thinned and snapped until finally she was completely free.

"All right, KP!" shouted Ron. "You got free and may I say you looked good doing it."

"Thanks Ron," Kim said absently as she picked the remaining globs of goop off her bathing suit. She was just about to reach down to help her boyfriend up when the two burly guards, alerted by Ron's shout, burst into the room. Quickly getting over her initial surprise, Kim leapt towards the henchman and delivered a series of quick jabs at their stomachs, but a couple of annoyed grunts was all she was rewarded with.

"Ow," moaned Kim, shaking the ache from her hands. She'd seen brick walls softer than these two.

One of the goons moved to close and block the dressing room door while the other aimed the goop pistol at Kim. Senior must have given it to him just in case. He fired a couple of times, but Kim's cheerleading-born flexibility allowed her to effortlessly dodge. The goop harmlessly hit the walls and one well-placed roundhouse kick ended the threat of the pistol.

Rubbing his wrist, the first goon looked to the second who gave a sharp nod and both henchmen converged on Kim. The teen hero was starting to get just the tiniest bit worried, but kept up a confident façade. The guards tried to knock her out with haymakers and powerful uppercuts while Kim struck back with lighting kicks and kung fu strikes, but it did neither side any good. Kim wasn't powerful enough to really hurt the henchmen and the henchmen weren't fast enough to catch Kim, but they were succeeding in driving her towards one corner of the room.

Kim realized she was about to be trapped. Turning away from the henchman, she jumped up, planted her bare feet against the wall and back flipped over the goons' head. The move almost worked except that one of the men got Kim with a lucky backhand blow and sent her sprawling across the floor.

The teen hero picked herself up, shaking her head and wincing at the sharp sting of carpet burns on her exposed skin. She looked up and saw the two villainous flunkies advancing on her.

"Hang on, KP," shouted Ron as he renewed his struggle to get free, but the goop still clung stubbornly to his clothing. "This would sure be a good time for me to lose my pants," he muttered. "Rufus, Kim needs an assist."

The little rodent gave a salute and bounded across the floor towards the nearest henchman. His tiny claws dug into the course fabric of the man's slacks as Rufus climbed up and up until he reached a neck thicker than a jumbo jar of Nacho Cheese dip. With a feral growl, Rufus dug his sharp front teeth into the exposed skin. The henchman, however, barely felt the attack and raised his hand merely to scratch at an itch, knocking Rufus off his shoulder in the process.

"Oooh, sorry," the poor little guy squeaked.

"Good try, buddy," said Ron, his eyes downcast in defeat. Then his eyes lit up as he spotted something on the floor. Pointing with his chin, Ron said, "Rufus, check it out."

Rufus turned and saw the weird goop-shooting gun Kim had kicked out of the goon's hand. Double time, the naked mole rat bounded over and tugged at the weapon. It was too big for Rufus to lift up completely, but he could set it upright on the floor.

"Let 'er rip, Rufus!"

The rodent pulled on the pistol's trigger and shot a thin stream of green glop that hit the henchmen's feet and stopped them in their tracks.

"Booyah!" cried Ron.

The two goons looked down, blinking stupidly at the restricting gunk now covering their shoes. A swift tug of each leg and the sticky strands snapped like stretched rubber bands.

"Need a rain check on that Booyah," muttered Ron.

One of the henchmen headed towards Rufus to retrieve his gun while the other faced off against Kim.

"Rufus," the young heroine barked, "Use the gun on Ron."

"Huh!" came the twin response.

"Gun...must have...a reverse," Kim grunted out as she struggled to stay out of the henchman's grasp.

Rufus gave the side of the weapon a closer look. Sure enough, there was a switch with two settings: Stick and Unstick. Pivoting the butt of the pistol against the floor, Rufus managed to turn the gun to face Ron, placing both of his paws on either side to stabilize it. He flicked the switch to the Unstick position and fired. This time, a thick orange liquid sprayed out from the gun's nozzle which quickly dissolved the green gunk surrounding Ron into a harmless puddle.

"Alright Rufus," cheered Ron as he flexed his limbs and wiggles his fingers, relishing the feeling of freedom.

"No big," squeaked Rufus, looking quite proud of himself.

A shadow fell across the hairless rodent. Rufus looked up to see one of the henchmen looming over him, reaching down to grab him.

"Way big!" cried Rufus as he sprinted up Ron's leg and hid himself back within his jacket pocket home.

"Time to earn back that Booyah," Ron murmured. While the nearest henchman was bent over, the male teen jumped up and landed on the goon's back. Startled, the muscular lackey suddenly stood up straight, forcing Ron to instinctively grab hold of the goon's hair to keep from being thrown off. The henchman howled in pain and thrashed violently trying to knock Ron off, but the young hero managed to maintain a grip that Kim's bronco busting Uncle Slim would have been proud of.

The fight between Kim and the other henchmen came to a temporary ceasefire when they heard Ron's screaming as he held on for dear life. Kim took advantage of her opponent's distraction and delivered two swift kicks to his midsection. The blows did little more than cause the villain to step back, but it was enough for Kim to scoot around him and put herself between her opponent and Ron's fight.

"Ron, over here," shouted Kim. She didn't bother to look over her shoulder, but knew Ron understood her plan by the frantic "Gotcha, KP" that followed.

Kim's enraged opponent glared at her. With surprising speed, he charged, but Kim was more than ready. The goon lashed out with a right cross, but instead a dodging again, Kim grabbed his beefy arm and used his momentum to swing him around behind her. Caught off-balance, the henchman struggled to stay upright, but could not stop his forward movement.

At the same time, Ron was yanking and jerking on the hair of the henchman he was riding, trying to steer him in the right direction. Finally, Ron managed to get his opponent pointed towards Kim. With a skillful flip, Ron leapt off the henchman, kicking him in the back and propelling him forward.

The two henchmen crashed into each other and bashed their heads together, knocking them both out cold.

"Yes," cried Ron and Rufus, high-fiving each other.

"Nice teamwork, boys," said Kim appreciatively. "Now we've got to hurry and…"

"Please give it up for the ravishing Miss Bonnie Rockwaller. Such a beauty we have never seen before on this stage, complimented perfectly by her designer swimwear. If the reaction of this audience is any indication, Miss Rockwaller is all but guaranteed the championship."

Kim and Ron stared in horror at each other at the Master of Ceremonies' announcement.

"We're too late, KP," moaned Ron.

"Not yet, Ron," said Kim determinedly. She looked around for the Kimmunicator and scooped it up in one swift motion. Frantically, she pushed the buttons on the device, harder and faster until finally she screamed in frustration. "ARGH! It's no use. I can't get through to Wade. Señor Senior Senior is still jamming our communications."

"In that case," said Ron, "you're gonna have to get your pageant on and beat Bonnie."

"Good idea, Ron. That's exactly what I'd like to do," said Kim, punching her fist into the palm of her hand.

"Whoa, KP," said Ron. "When I said beat Bonnie, I didn't mean like a GWA smack down. I meant..."

"I know," said Kim, smiling at her own joke. "I've got to hurry on stage. Wish me luck." With a quick hug and backwards wave, Kim was out the door.

"Whoo, Kim had me a little worried there, for a second," said Ron. "Nice to see her confident self again, though." His naked mole rat friend nodded from Ron's pocket. "Well, come on, Rufus. Gotta go cheer my lady on."

Ron had only taken two steps towards the open door when his foot crunched down on something and the tinkling of broken glass reached his ear. The young man looked down and was shocked to see Kim's morphing necklace under his shoe. A large crack ran straight down the face of the emerald and several tiny sparks were sputtering out from the now visible circuitry within the fake gem.

"Uh oh," moaned Ron as he picked up the busted bauble. "I totally forgot that Senior pulled his off of Kim while we were trapped. And KP probably blanked on it too. She doesn't realize she's not in disguise. We gotta tell her, Rufus."

Ron started back up towards the door, but again stopped short, this time on purpose. Rufus squeaked and motioned for his owner to hurry. They had to stop Kim from going on stage, but Ron refused to move. He just stood there looking down at the necklace in his hand with a contemplative look.

"Rufus," said Ron slowly, "maybe we shouldn't go warn KP."

The naked mole rat looked at Ron like he was nuts. He chirped heatedly, demanding an explanation.

Ron gave an indulgent smile to his little friend's anger. "This is one time, Rufus, where I know what's best for Kim."

"Thank you, thank you," gushed Bonnie as she coyly closed the stage curtains, blocking the audience from her view. The beauty queen teen stared at the back of the heavy fabric, allowing herself a very satisfied smile. That last round had gone exactly as she planned.

Gaining the interest of a man was not as easy as most girls believed. Oh, it was simple to get them to look at you, of course, but holding that attention was the real challenge. It took more than makeup, tanned skin and a smoking hot designer outfit. A girl needed to be subtle: a gentle sway of the hips here, an innocent flip of the hair there, an oh-so-brief flash of eye contact. It was an intricate game and Bonnie considered herself to be a master at it.

And so did the audience, judging by the applause she was getting. Wowing those chumps was no different from turning the heads of hormonal teenage high schoolers. Bonnie was sure that it had been quite some time since the jaws of the fashion moguls in the audience had dropped that low. She even noticed, to her supreme delight, the jealous glares from the wives and girlfriends of said moguls. And, of course, the slobs hanging off the arena fence had hooted and shouted catcalls at her the entire time, but Bonnie took no offence. She thrived on the attention.

"Excellent, Bonnie, my sweet," crowed Junior as he slipped a fluffy robe over Bonnie's shoulders. "Although, I cannot help but be jealous at all those other males looking at you."

"Oh, Junior," cooed Bonnie, "you know you're the only one for me. Those other boys aren't nearly as handsome as you. Or as rich."

Mollified, Junior grinned stupidly at the praise and Bonnie allowed him to lead her to the back wall of the stage where Señor Senior stood waiting.

"Job well done, my dear," said Senior. "Of course, it helped that most of the other contestants had to drop out due to the injuries they sustained."

"Our sabotage!" cried Junior, clapping his hands like a little kid. "That was such fun, Father."

"Oh, please," said Bonnie dismissively. "I would have dominated them anyway."

Senior scowled at the rebuke, but decided that arguing would accomplish nothing. Instead, he took a calming breath and said, "The important thing is that the tiara and the throne of Anvaloppia is now ours."

"Yes," said Junior in his best evil villain voice. "And there is nothing anyone can to do stop us."

"And now, please give a warm welcome to our last contestant, Anya Leavible."

Every member of the villainous trio flinched in horror when they heard that name. As one, they turned to see a female figure in a white and blue bikini hurrying towards the curtain.

"How did she get loose?" asked Junior.

"Because she is the hero, my son, and quite a resourceful one at that," said Senior calmly and with great respect. "I would be disappointed otherwise."

"Well I'm gonna be disappointed if I don't get my crown," raged Bonnie. "Junior, stop her."

"Yes, dear," said Junior. He made to intercept Kim, but Senior thrust his cane out to stop the young man.

"No, Miss Possible has reached the stage. If we try to stop her now, we will be seen and ejected from the pageant," explained the older millionaire.

"Well, we have to do something," said Bonnie who was beginning to panic.

"Perhaps not," pondered Senior. "Bonnie, did you get a good look at Miss Possible before she went on stage?"

"No. Why?"

"I simply wondered if you noticed how lovely her red hair was?" Senior asked lightly.

"I don't care about that," spat Bonnie. "Why in the world would I..." Bonnie's voice trailed off as what Senior had said sunk in. "Did you say red hair?"

"I did indeed," Senior confirmed.

"But the disguise of Anya Leavible has the silvery blond hair," said a confused Junior.

"That is true," said Senior. "For whatever reason, Kim Possible is not wearing her disguising necklace."

This news seemed to put Bonnie in a much better mood. "I've got nothing to worry about then. That disguise was the only thing keeping Kim in the running. She doesn't stand a chance of winning with her own looks."

"Perhaps not," said Senior to himself. Or maybe your over confidence will catch up to you. Either way, I think a plan B is in order.

Kim's bare feet made soft slapping noises against the wooden floor of the arena as she walked briskly to the stage. The few contestants who had survived the talent round turned to greet her as she passed, but each friendly smile turned into a confused frown once they saw her. They whispered and pointed, wondering who this unfamiliar girl was. In her rush, Kim didn't notice, offering nothing more than a tense nod or half-hearted wave as she sped by.

In no time, she'd reached the curtain where her headlong charge came to a complete stop. Despite her disguise, Kim was still embarrassed about parading in front of a bunch of people in just a bathing suit, which right now felt like nothing more than a couple of tiny napkins wrapped around her body.

She just needed a minute to make sure she looked presentable. She had just been in a fight after all. A slender hand ran through her hair: no knots or curls. Nails still perfectly manicured. Toenails neatly trimmed and painted a faint baby rose. Not a speck of dirt or drop of sweat on her skin.

Stalling. That's what she was doing. Kim huffed, annoyed and disgusted with herself. She had to go out there; the fate of an entire country depended on it, but her feet simply would not listen to reason. Suddenly, Kim wished that Ron was there to push her onto the stage again. That's when she spied the Seniors and Bonnie out of the corner of her eye. They were clearly surprised that she was not still trapped in the dressing room, but the gloating grins on Señor Senior's and Bonnie's faces left no doubt that they still thought Kim would lose.

That was all the motivation the teen hero needed. With a grand flourish, Kim parted the curtains and stepped boldly onto the stage.

There was dead silence. In fact, it appeared that the audience had been frozen in place. No one moved, no one breathed, no one blinked. Not even the rowdy men hanging over the arena fence made so much as a lewd gesture. All they did was stare at her with wide, shocked eyes.

For a young girl who considered her physical image to be mediocre at best, Kim could not help but to take the crowd's reaction as a bad sign. But she took comfort in the knowledge that even if they hated her, it was Anya Leavible and not Kim Possible who would bear the brunt of their scorn.

Safe behind the illusion of a mask, Kim strode forward as calmly as if she were walking down the hall of her house. She smiled brightly at every stunned face as if greeting a close friend. Her arms swayed gently at her sides, the sunlight radiant against her skin. Her smooth, bare legs showed off her lean, but firm muscles. A series of deep breaths pushed her small chest out just enough to be noticed, but not enough to be considered tasteless.

By the time Kim had reached the far end of the stage and was on her way back, all tension and worry had left her. She imagined that she was miles away from the pageant, walking along a beach at sunset holding hands with a goofy, but charming blonde. She angled her face towards the sun, letting it beat down on her cheeks, giving them the slightest pink tint. The young girl relished the feel of the wind on her skin and for a second, could actually feel the sand beneath her feet. With one last swish of her long hair, Kim exited the stage back through the curtains.

"You were awesome, KP!"

At the sound of Ron's voice, reality came crashing back down around Kim. The teenager, blinked at the disruption of her daydream and saw her boyfriend standing in front of her looking the happiest she'd ever thought she'd seen him.

"I knew you could do it!" Ron cried, scooping Kim up in a tight hug that warmed the young woman up better than any sunlight could.

"Hey, you're the girl who can do anything, remember?"

"Sometimes I forget," Kim admitted. "But this time is was Anya Leavible who could do anything."

"Yeah..." Ron's voice trailed off as he adverted his gaze, eliciting a curious look from Kim. "About that KP..." Not bothering to explain in words, Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out the broken transforming necklace.

At first, Kim gazed at the necklace as if she couldn't figure out what it was. Then her eyes bugged out as realization set in. Both hands flew to her neck, but found nothing except bare skin. "Ron, what is..."

"Before you get mad, KP, I didn't take it." Due to past history, Ron felt it necessary to clarify that issue. " Señor Senior took it off you when we were in the dressing room, remember?"

Kim could do nothing more than nod, still searching her neck for the accessory she knew wasn't there.

Ron shrugged and said, "I guess in the fight, we just forgot about it."

"You mean I...without the...I went out there and...Ron, why didn't you stop me?" Kim asked, almost in hysterics.

With another innocent shrug, Ron answered, "I just figured that I'd let the audience tell you since you didn't want to believe me."

"Tell me what?" Kim demanded. "Ron, you better..." A single finger on Kim's lips shushed her as Ron cupped his other hand around his ear. That's when Kim noticed the uproarious noise coming from the other side of the curtains. Ron drew back the fabric barrier just a bit allowing Kim to peek out.

What she saw amazed the young woman. The entire audience was out of their seats, whooping and hollering up a storm. Applause thundered across the arena and the excited jumping of the crowd outside the fence was creating a mini earthquake. Even the refined businessmen and women in their tailored suits and stuffy airs were shaking their fists yelling their throats out, all dignity forgotten for the moment.

The reaction was so overwhelming, Kim couldn't figure out what to make of it. Her gaze snapped to the judge's table and the three figures who were looking similarly overwhelmed. All three of them knew who Kim Possible was, of course, and seeing her here instead of Anya Leavible meant that something funny was going on with the competition. But that didn't stop them from lavishing praise on Kim's performance.

"Magnificent!" cried Coco Banana. Literally, he was actually crying. It could very well have been the first time he'd shed real tears in decades. "A more natural beauty, I have never seen. Her swimwear was both enticing and reserved, hugging in all the right places."

"I am so jellin' right now," admitted Britina. "That girl's got a figure that any woman would kill for. And any man, I'm thinking."

"Me oui, a work of art," agreed Francois. "A true woman of the world who has seen and done so much and still retains her gentle nature. And that hair!"

Slowly, Kim drew the curtain closed and turned to face Ron, that goofy smile even wider on his face. "Ron," Kim said sweetly, draping her arms around her boyfriend's shoulders, "I don't say this nearly enough: you rock." Ron didn't get the chance to make a response - at least not a verbal one - as Kim's lips pressed firmly and lovingly against his.

After the crowd finally calmed down, there was a brief intermission as the judges conferred with each other. The tension in the air was thick with anticipation and more than one audience member had to be turned away by security for trying to eavesdrop on the judge's deliberation. At last, a sealed envelope was passed from Coco Banana to the Master of Ceremonies and the contestants were called back on stage.

Bonnie, who was now dressed in a low cut, green sequin gown, stood on the far right side of the line, closest to the M.C. and the tiara. Next to her was the now undisguised Kim who had changed her morphing suit into the blue and white ballroom gown she'd originally worn during the first round of the pageant. Farther down the line was a handful of other uninjured contestants whose tight smiles belayed their disappointment. The fact was that they were really only on stage now for show. Every one of them knew that the winner would be decided between Bonnie and Kim.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for. It's time to announce our new Miss Fabulous! But first, let's give all the contenders a big hand. Wonderful job, ladies."

The contestants all clapped politely, if impatiently for each other as the M.C. tore open the envelope.

"I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that our new Miss Fabulous is...Kim Possible!"

Actually, there were two young ladies on stage that were very much surprised. Kim just stared in shock and Bonnie could only writhe in fury as the audience roared their approval. An impact hit her from behind and Kim turned to see Ron with his arms firmly around her waist.

"You did it, KP!" he shouted as he tried to squeeze the life out of his girlfriend.

Kim couldn't think of anything to say. Nor did she think her mouth would work properly even if she had. Her arms moved automatically to take the winner's cup offered by the M.C. and Marcus Dubois himself placed the jeweled tiara on her head.

"Now you look like the queen I always knew you were," Ron whispered into Kim's ear as he moved to stand by her side.

The stunned young hero didn't register the compliment and it was several seconds later when her brain finally started working again and Kim realized that this was actually happening. She had just won not just a beauty pageant, but the beauty pageant. The most coveted title sought after by young girls everywhere. She looked to Ron, to Marcus Dubois, to the judges and finally to the audience trying to find some sign that this was all just a joke. That was when Kim realized everyone had quieted down and were now waiting for her to say something.

"I...I...I don't believe this," gasped Kim.

"Neither do I," seethed Bonnie. She strode over to Kim, her anger equal in power to a force of nature, but the young hero was too used to Bonnie's tantrums to be intimidated. "I demand a recount. This contest is obviously fixed."

She's one to talk, thought Kim, but she elected not to say anything. When dealing with Bonnie, it was best just to let her rant and get it out of her system.

However, Ron was never one to let an insult to Kim stand. "Back off, Bon-Bon. KP won fair and square."

"No one's talking to you, Loser," spat Bonnie, bristling at the mention of her hated childhood name. Turning back to Kim, she said, "There is no way you could have beaten me without cheating."

"Quite correct," said Señor Senior as he and his son appeared on the stage. Keeping his malicious eyes on Kim, he addressed Marcus Dubois and the judges. "Miss Rockwaller should be declared the winner. Miss Leavible - that is, Miss Possible - has been lying to us through this entire pageant."

"So have you," accused Kim heatedly. "You've been doing everything you could to insure Bonnie would win, including sabotaging the other contestants."

"You have no proof of that," Senior calmly pointed out. "On the other hand, it is obvious to everyone that you, Kim Possible, not only entered this contest under a false name, but also a false face." Looking to Marcus Dubois, Senior asked, "Surely this alone is cause for disqualification. Should a pageant participant not win using natural beauty alone?"

"Oh please," scoffed Marcus Dubois, dismissing Señor Senior's complaint outright. "Do you know how many contestants have had some kind of cosmetic work down over their careers? There's more detail work in your average pageant than in a car show."

"Besides, it is not just beauty that made Coco Banana and his colleagues choose Miss Possible," stated the world famous designer. "She has strength, courage, kindness - everything that Miss Fabulous should stand for." Britina and Francois nodded their agreement with conviction.

"The decision stands, sir," said Marcus Dubois in a threatening tone. Several of the security guards jumped up onto the stage at his signal. "Now, as to the small matter of your burglary attempt in my studio..."

"What now, Father?" Junior cowered behind Senior as the guards closed in.

The elderly patriarch seemed unconcerned with the younger muscle moving in on him. With a sigh, he reached into his pocket and said, "I did not want it to come to this, Miss Possible, but you have forced my hand."

A split second too late, Kim realized what Senior was about to do. She tried to reach forward and stop him, but her brain hadn't even begun to transmit the order to her hand before the villain whipped a small pellet out of his pocket and threw it to the ground. A think cloud of gray smoke instantly engulfed the stage, stinging eyes and clogging throats.

Senior nimbly stepped out of the smoke's range, away from the security guards, with Junior close behind, dragging Bonnie along with him. In the elder villain's hand was the tiara which he'd managed to swipe right off a coughing Kim's head. "A snatch and grab," he said to himself. "It pains me to resort to such a common thieving technique, but being named king will surely take the sting away. Come, Junior."

The two bad guys plus one high school girl dashed towards the exit of the arena. Other security guards tried to impede their path, but a few more smoke pellets stalled them.

Kim was still in the thick cloud, both hands pressing firmly against her mouth and nose, trying unsuccessfully not to breathe in. Through the monochrome haze, Kim could just make out three retreating figures.

"Come on, Ron," choked out Kim as she grabbed her partner's hand and pulled them both out of the smoke. The fresh air cleared their heads quickly and the two heroes raced to catch up with the villains. Señor Senior saw them give chase over his shoulder and urged the two youths to go faster.

Just before the group reached the exit, a platoon of at least a dozen large men dressed in blue and black striped uniforms jumped out of nowhere to block the path. Senior and Junior stopped short in surprise and were tackled by the sudden mob.

"Not the hair! Not the hair!" screamed Junior as he and his father were roughly forced to the ground. In the confusion, Bonnie slipped out of Junior's grasp and distanced herself from the fighting. One of the uniformed men, thinking that Bonnie had been captured by Junior to be used as a hostage, gently escorted the young woman away. Inwardly smirking, Bonnie played the part of the distraught innocent bystander, profusely thanking the man for getting her away from those vicious thugs. Nobody noticed that the girl had stealthily managed to scoop up the tiara which had fallen from Senior's clutches.

The sound of helicopter blades filled the air and everyone looked up to see a small black chopper drop out of the sky. The wind from its rotors kicked up a cloud of dirt and leaves and tore at the stage's cloth curtains. The judges dived under their table for cover against the fierce gale. All the contestants ran for the safety of the backstage. The audience members struggled not to be knocked out of their seats.

Needless to say, Kim and Ron were astonished at the unexpected resolution. Staggering to a halt from their mad dash, Ron asked, "Who the heck are these guys?"

"Let's find out," said Kim as she determinedly marched over to the mess of uniformed men. The soldiers - officers, whoever they were - parted to reveal both villains handcuffed and subdued.

"Stand back, Miss," ordered one of the men as Kim and Ron tried to move closer.

"I'm Kim Possible and this is Ron Stoppable," said Kim, slightly suspicious of the newcomers. "Who are you exactly?"

"Ah, Kim Possible," cried a voice from within the helicopter. A rope ladder dropped from the vehicle and a tall man in his mid-forties descended to the stage. He was wearing the same blue and black uniform as the others, but with three golden stripes of rank on his shirt sleeves.

"Sorry for the rather abrupt arrival," the man apologized. "I'm Major Minor from the Anvaloppian Special Forces. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, same here," said Kim as she shook the Major's hand.

"Your friend, Mr. Load, contacted us and said you had found the royal tiara," the Major said.

"Yes, we did," answered Kim. "You certainly got here fast."

Major Minor pointed to the helicopter that now sat silently on a field adjacent to the arena. "The latest in rocket propulsion technology. The best money can buy."

"You're dad would love to get his hands on that," comment Ron to Kim.

"What are you going to do with them?' asked Kim, indicating the struggling forms of the defeated Seniors.

The Major looked back over his shoulder. "My forces have no jurisdiction in America, but we'd be glad to drop them off at the local authorities."

"Where the charge will be attempted theft," confirmed Kim.

After checking to make sure everyone in the crowd was okay, Marcus Dubois made his way over to the group and introduced himself to the Major. "You may want to take me as well. I suppose I'm the one that's been keeping the tiara from you all these years," he said in a guilty tone.

The Major smiled in a friendly way. "We're not about to arrest you, if that's what you're worried about. I prefer to think that you've been keeping our national treasure safe for us. The people of Anvaloppia will be thrilled to have it returned."

"I'm going to miss it," Dubois admitted, "but it does rightfully belong to you."

"Very good," said Major Minor. "Now, where is it?"

Mr. Dubois, Kim and Ron all looked askance at each other, realizing that they didn't know where the tiara had gotten to after Señor Senior had dropped it. That's when they heard Bonnie call, "It's right here, where it belongs." The teenager strutted forward, the tiara glittering on her head. "I take a size six throne."

"Now hold on," shouted Ron. "Kim won the pageant. That crown is hers. I call dibs."

"Though luck, Loser," sneered Bonnie. "I'm wearing it now so that means I'm queen, right?"

"She is right, according to our laws," said the Major. He bowed to Bonnie and formally announced, "Your Majesty, you are now the rightful ruler of Anvaloppia, the richest country in the world."

"How rich is it?" shouted the audience.

Major Minor replied, "It's so rich, that invading armies need to pass a credit check before they cross the border."

The crowd and all the people on stage broke out into peels of laugher.

"Everybody's a comedian today," groused Kim.

"Let's get moving to my new country," order Bonnie with a snap of her fingers. The Anvaloppian guardsmen turned the Seniors over to pageant security and followed their new queen to the helicopter.

"My sweet, wait!" cried Junior, struggling against his bonds. "Maybe you could arrange for a royal pardon for your handsome boyfriend and his father?"

Bonnie looked at the two defeated villains coldly, not even slowing her pace. "I've never seen these two before in my life. Take them away."

As security guards hoisted the pair to their feet and led them off stage, Senior said, "Junior, you're girlfriend is most definitely the greediest, most black-hearted person I have ever met." Then he smiled and said, "She will make a wonderful addition to our villainous family."

"Many thanks for all your help, Miss Possible," said Major Minor with a salute.

"No big," Kim replied, returning the gesture.

Spinning on his heel, the Major marched back to the helicopter, hopped in and ordered the pilot to take off. As the blades kicked up another windstorm and the vehicle lifted up, Bonnie tauntingly yelled out, "I'll send you a postcard from my castle, Kim!"

Once everything had settled down again, Mr. Dubois addressed Kim, "Well, we no longer have a crown, but I am still pleased to present you to the world as Miss Fabulous."

The crowd cheered as Ron placed the winner's trophy back into Kim's hands. "Is this not the most amazing day or what, huh KP?"

"So not the drama, Ron," said Kim, waving to the crowd. "We take down the bad guys all the time."

"Not that," said Ron. "I'm talking about that fact that I can now officially say that I am dating a beauty pageant winner. Booyah! Major props for the Ron-man."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it, Ron-man," chided Kim with a playful glare. "This was a onetime thing and I only did it to help out. It was strictly business."

"Oh well, I guess you'll be giving the trophy back then?" said Ron, reaching out to take the award.

Kim held the golden prize tightly against her chest and said, "Not on your life."

"I don't get it, KP."

The beauty pageant was over. Kim and Ron had given their statements to the police when they'd finally arrived at the arena and had accepted Marcus Dubois' gushing thanks for making this year's Miss Fabulous pageant an astounding success. When the two teens had tried to leave, several of the businessmen in the audience fought their way towards Kim, begging her to model their latest fashions. Ron had been all for it, standing ready with a pen to sign the contract, but Kim had politely declined all offers.

Now the heroic duo was taking a very well deserved rest at Bueno Nacho. Ron, back in his normal red jersey, black shirt and cargo pants, was sitting in a booth with a half-dozen Nacos in front of him which he and Rufus were eagerly devouring. Kim was sitting on the other side of the booth and wearing a teal blouse and blue jeans. Instead of her usual salad, she had ordered a extra-cheesy chimerito, Grande sized. After staring at those paper thin pageant contestants all day, Kim had the sudden urge to eat something greasy with more than five calories.

As she patted the cheese dribbling down her chin with a napkin, Kim looked up to see the confused and curious face of her best friend boyfriend.

"What's not to get, Ron? We saved the day and the Seniors are in jail."

"Yeah, yeah," said Ron, waving his hand dismissively. "Old news, Mi Kimila. What I want to know is why you let Bonnie get away with taking the tiara from you. You didn't even put up a fight."

The young woman just shrugged and said, "So not the drama, Ron. If Bonnie wanted that thing so badly, I wasn't going to stand in her way. At least it's safely back in Anvaloppia where it belongs. That's all I care about."

Kim wasn't nearly as obvious as Ron was when she was lying, but to a boy who'd known the girl his whole life, it couldn't have been clearer. "Alright, what do you know?"

Kim put her food down on her grease-soaked plate and gave Ron a shrew smile. "Right about now, Bonnie's discovering that being queen isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Oh, this was going to be good. "Spill," Ron pleaded.

"During the break between the Q&A and talent rounds of the pageant, I had Wade do a little more research into Anvaloppia's income," Kim explained. "I wanted to know how they got to be so rich."

"And what was it?" Ron prodded. "Oil? Gold? Stock in Disney?"

"None of the above," said Kim. "Turns out, all of Anvaloppia's money is received through international grants and contributions. They get their funding from every other government in the world."

"You're telling me that they just have to sit back and people hand them money?" asked Ron in disbelief. "They don't make or sell anything themselves?"

"Well, not quite," admitted Kim. "All those government grants require a ton of applications that need to be filled out. Imagine all the college acceptance forms we had to fill out times about a million."

"You mean..."

"That's right," said Kim. "Anvaloppia is the biggest exporter of paperwork in the world.

True to Kim's word, Bonnie was finding out the hard way that becoming a royal did not automatically equate to a fairy tale ending. True, she did get her palace full of servants, her dresses made of the finest materials, a treasure room full of riches and a throne lined with the purest gold and silver. Trouble was, that throne was sitting in front of a table piled high with stacks upon stacks of forms that needed to be completed, signed and authorized in triplicate.

Bonnie had been at it all day and her hand was in the early stages of paralysis, but despite all her work and all her whining, she hadn't appeared to make the slightest dent in the mountains of paper.

"Ugh, aren't I done yet?" Bonnie cried as she massaged her hand to get the blood flowing again.

The middle-aged aide by her side took no notice of his new queen's discomfort. Checking over the latest filled-out form, he approved it with a nod and set down another nearly identical one in its place. "We can take a short break in just a minute, Your Highness. I just need you to complete this verification form to verify that you've confirmed that the previous forms were verified."

"I don't even know what that means," said Bonnie, throwing her hands up into the air. "Can't I just order someone else to do all this?"

"Oh no, Queen Bonnie." Her aid looked positively scandalized at the suggestion. "As our leader, it is your duty. And besides, the citizens like to know that their queen is concerned about their welfare."

The look Bonnie gave the aide spoke quite clearly about how she felt about the commoners' welfare. "This is not how being a queen is supposed to go," she argued. "I should be accepting gifts from princes and throwing random people in the dungeon and dancing the night away at a grand ball."

The aide, who hadn't seemed to be listening, perked up at the end of Bonnie's rant. "Oh, Your Highness, a ball would be an excellent idea."

"Now you're talking," Bonnie said, looking much happier.

The aide pulled down on a fabric cord hanging by the throne. A deep gong sounded from somewhere within the palace. Seconds later, a forklift rolled right into the throne room and deposited a pallet of paperwork that dwarfed what was already in front of Bonnie.

"Just fill out these Imperial Entertainment Requisition Forms, Your Majesty."

With a groan, Bonnie fell forward, banging her head against the wooden table.

And there you have it. I hope everyone enjoyed my story and got a laugh or two out of it. Again, I'd like to thank everyone who read this. And a special thank you to t-rex989 who issued this challenge and gave me the plot idea in the first place. As always, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.