Work Text:
As Kim cracked her eyes open, she realized that the world was upside down.
“Come, Warmonga,” said a deep voice above her. “We will take this one as a trophy. She will look handsome mounted beside your Thorgoggle spine…”
Dangling from Warhok’s grip, Kim could see Warmonga’s blurry, inverted face crinkle into a look of pure triumph….
Kim bolted upright, her heart racing. She looked around, trying to identify her surroundings. This wasn’t her room. It was too dark, much darker than her own bedroom. The bed was unfamiliar, too lumpy, and the smell was wrong—her bedroom had a gentle floral smell, and this room had a vaguely musty odor…
Her room. HER room was gone. Memories came flooding back to her, of the alien war, of being captured on the Lorwardians’ ship, of returning to Earth, of fighting Warhok and Warmonga…of finally stumbling and falling, caught at their mercy.
And when all seemed lost, Ron had somehow defeated the aliens. Afterwards, he’d reached down for her, a look of triumph on his face. And after a moment’s hesitation, Kim had leaped into his arms, clinging with all her might, realizing what had just happened.
In that moment, the relief had been profound. Now, stranded in the dark, a different thought occurred to her.
I…lost, she thought, her heart still pounding. I never lose.
Kim’s eyes adjusted to the dark room around her. Gradually, familiar features emerged: the glowing digits of the clock on the end table, the tiny red light under the darkened television set, the eerie blue night light glow from the stairs to the first floor. This is Ron’s basement, she remembered, the same room where they’d spent countless hours vegging away in front of cable TV. The lumpy mattress below her was the ancient hide-a-bed, folded out with a few scant pillows scattered behind her. The blanket over her was a thin flannel spread from the Stoppable family closet.
She gathered the blanket around herself, still shivering. You know this room, she thought to herself. You’ve been staying here for over a week. There’s nothing scary here. Why couldn’t she stop shaking?
Kim put her hand to her chest and felt her heart thudding away, much too fast. We won, she repeated to herself. There’s nothing to be scared of. She tried to hold on to that thought, but the vivid images flashing through her mind were determined to show her otherwise: Being picked up and pulled off the ground by the Lorwardian tractor beam…being bound and trapped on their ship…fighting against massive aliens with only her bare hands, the fate of humanity hanging in the balance…unexpectedly struck down, lying at the feet of Warmonga. Hoisted above a cruel alien and regarded as a mere spoil of war—
“C’mon, Possible”, she squeezed out through gritted teeth. “You’ve survived worse! Much worse!” She huddled into a ball, eyes clamped shut. “What’s happening to me? I can do anything, remember?”
Even have a panic attack, came a response from somewhere inside.
Gasping, her eyes shot open. Kim flung away the blanket and leapt off the bed, snatching the Kimmunicator from the end table. She absolutely could not stay in this house one minute longer. She didn’t know why, or where she could go, only that she couldn’t stay here.
The Possible family home was in shambles.
It was only hours after the invasion had been thwarted. The Possible and Stoppable families were gathered in the driveway of what had been Kim’s home, now ruined.
Kim, still exhausted from the battle, considered what had been lost. None of the family had realized their home had been destroyed until now. So many possessions, so many memories had been scattered throughout the house…not just physical THINGS, photos and videos and treasured toys and precious articles of clothing. The Possible house had been where they’d spent every Christmas since Kim and Ron had been in Pre-K. It had been where Kim’s parents had first told her she’d be an older sister. Where she’d first seen the Tweebs’ plump faces. Where she’d set up the website that claimed she could do “anything”, a boast that had led to so much in her young life.
Everyone, it seemed, was at a loss for words. Until Ron, true to form, offered a simple summary. “Aw, man…” he said in a breathless voice. “This TANKS.”
Kim was vaguely aware of their parents discussing what to do, of Ron’s parents inviting them to their own home, still intact, saying the Possibles could stay with them as long as they needed. She barely heard them. Rather, she slowly looked across the smoldering wreckage, for the first time feeling the ache of loss, the pain of senseless destruction.
From the corner of her eye, Kim spotted something familiar. She picked her way over the rubble, Ron right behind her. Carefully, she tugged the unrecognizable object out from under some fallen bricks, working it loose so as not to tear the fragile fabric. As it came free, she turned it over.
It was her beloved Pandaroo, soaked and mildewed, cotton batting leaking out of the fabric gash through its chest. Kim cradled the broken stuffed animal in her hands. Rufus emerged from Ron’s pocket and crawled onto her hand. Tentatively, he poked at the Pandaroo as if it had actually been alive, and after a moment began to bawl.
Kim was fighting tears herself. She’d had Pandaroo since middle school, and now it was destroyed.
She knew the scope of the alien invasion was unthinkable: there was destruction across the globe, lives shattered, property and homes ruined everywhere. Somehow, none of it stacked up against this one tiny loss, not even noticed until now. She bowed her head, trying to make sense of it all.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. Kim looked up at Ron, into those brown eyes, and she could see every bit of her despair reflected back at her.
His hand tightened on her shoulder, and like the moment after they’d conquered the Lorwardians, she leapt up to embrace him. She clung to Ron for a long time, choking back sobs, as the rest of the family began sifting through the remains of their home.
It was only much later that it occurred to Kim to wonder what had happened to her battered Pandaroo after that.
With the bedside lamp turned out, the only light in Ron’s attic room was the streetlight that came through the gable window under the peaked roof…that and the Captain Constellation nightlight plugged in next to the bed. It was in the light from the nightlight that Ron realized the thing jumping on his face was Rufus.
“Wha…buddy, whaddya want, it’s…” He looked at the clock. “2 AM?!! Dude, let me sleep…” He rolled over in his bed.
His naked mole rat chittered and squeaked, making sounds that formed a single word: “KIM!!”
“Huh? Kim?” Ron rubbed his eyes, now noticing the buzzing sound that had attracted Rufus’ attention. He pulled his frayed jeans from the floor and dug out his phone, looking at the display.
KIM 911…COME TO TREEHOUSE
Ron blinked. Why would Kim be in the abandoned treehouse? He wrapped a robe around himself and tapped out a hasty “OMW.”
Getting out of the house without drawing attention wasn’t easy. Hana was asleep in his former bedroom on the first floor, and the Possibles in the den next door. Creeping down the stairway, avoiding the squeaky fourth step, he found all was dark. He treaded lightly in his bunny slippers, managing to avoid stubbing his toe on the kitchen table, get the door open without a squeak, and step into his back yard without alerting anyone.
The treehouse was at the far end of the yard. The slippers had poor grip on the scrap lumber nailed to the trunk as a makeshift ladder, and he was encumbered not only by Rufus in his robe pocket, but by the box he carried under his left arm. With a final grunt, he heaved himself through the hole in the treehouse floor, setting the box to one side.
What he saw was startling. Kim huddled on the dilapidated couch they’d hauled into the tree years ago, arms around her knees. Despite the warm June weather, it was a cool night, and she was barefoot in only a camisole and sleep pants. Even in the dark, Ron could see her shivering, staring at something miles beyond the treehouse, her brows knitted tightly together.
“Kim?”
Slowly, her eyes shifted their focus to him. The emptiness in her eyes gave Ron a chill. Gazing into them, he felt as if something had been lost forever.
Wordlessly, Ron crossed to the couch and wrapped his robe around Kim. She drew into him, huddling against him as though for warmth.
“KP…what…what is it? What’s wrong?”
“I-I don’t know, Ron…I just—I just woke up—I woke up twenty minutes ago, and…”
Kim’s face was buried against his shoulder, but even muffled, he could hear the ragged edge in her voice. She stopped to catch her breath, and then words came out in a torrent.
“I woke up, and all I could think about was our house, and the Lorwardians, and Warhok holding me upside down, and—and—and they said they were going to take me as a trophy, and I was helpless, and then you fought both of them, but if—if I couldn’t beat them I couldn’t imagine how you would, and I was lying there helpless and I couldn’t move and I thought when they defeated you they’d take me and I’d never see you again, I’d, I’d, I’d never see any of you again, you or mom or dad or the Tweebs or Wade or Monique or you or even Bonnie, I’d never even know what happened to any of you, and then I—I woke up and, and I realized I was in the bed downstairs and it was all over, but it didn’t feel over, it was so close, we came so close to losing everything, and I never lose…” She tightened her arms around his neck. “I never lose, Ron! But this time I did! We would have lost if you hadn’t been there to save me, to save everything, and this time I didn’t save anyone, and I don’t know what that means, but what if—what if it means—“
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, KP, amp down!” By now, her breath was coming in short gasps, and Ron took Kim’s shoulders, carefully pulling her away to look at him. “It’s over, okay? The invasion is over! We won. We don’t have to worry about the Lorwardians anymore.” He shook her gently. “You hear me? There’s nothing to be afraid of now. We won!”
Kim shook her head. “That’s just it, Ron! You won. I didn’t win, you did, you and Drakken and Shego won, and I…I…I lost. I went up against them and I lost.”
Ron gently took her chin, forcing her to look at him. “So what? Kim, what’s gotten into you? This isn’t the first time you’ve lost a fight.”
She rubbed at her reddened eyes with the back of her fist. She sighed deeply. “I know,” she continued in a calmer voice, “I know. I don’t understand it. All I know is I woke up and I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that happened, and…the next thing—my heart was racing…and I was shaking, and-and sweating like crazy, and I just…I just had to get out of the house. And once I was outside, the only place I could think to come was here.” She gestured at the Kimmunicator lying next to the couch. “And then I realized I was—I was afraid to be alone…and…”
“…and so you messaged me, I gotcha. And I’m here. But Kim, this really isn’t like you…I mean…you’re not afraid of anything.”
“I-I know,” she said, her voice starting to shake again. “That’s what’s so scary about it. Please, just…just…hold me.” She drew against Ron once more, hiding her face, still shuddering. He stroked her hair, a motion as rhythmic and calming as petting a cat. Rufus, sitting on her shoulder, did the same, making tiny sympathetic noises.
Gradually, Kim’s breathing began to slow. She sighed again. “Sorry for being so weird…I don’t know what’s come over me…”
“Kim, it’s okay. Really.”
She continued. “Ever since we found the house…destroyed…things haven’t felt quite the same, Ron. Nothing has felt the same. It’s like, there were all these plans to go to college, and then the invasion happened, and yet we’re still talking about going…but half the colleges I applied to have been wrecked, and I’m not even sure which ones are going to take me, and you don’t even know if you can—“
Kim abruptly stopped and pulled away from Ron, a look of dismay on her face.
“I don’t even know if I can get into any of the schools you can,” Ron finished calmly. He gave a wry smile.
“Sorry,” she said miserably. She leaned into him again.
“Cried a river, built a bridge, and got over it, KP. We won’t attend the same college, I know that. Nobody’s giving out scholarships with my GPA. Anyway, my folks still need help with Hana.”
“I just…I hate to think of being away from you, Ron.” She paused. “Maybe…maybe I don’t have to go away to school. You’re going to Middleton Community, right? I mean, I could go there with you, right? That’s still college.”
Ron sat up. “Whoa, hey, hold up, Kim! You can’t go to wherever I’m going just because of me!”
“But—“
“No ‘buts’, Kim. Going international was your dream, wasn’t it? You can’t give up on your dream just because I flunked Physics three times—“
“It was only twice—“
“Three times if you count sophomore summer break, and don’t change the subject. You’ve got a chance to go places, Kim, and I won’t hold you back.”
Kim’s eyes grew watery. “I don’t want to lose you, Ron.”
“You’re not.” Ron took her hands. “Look what we’ve been through already, Kim. Nothing can tear us apart.”
Kim could feel a lump growing in her throat…but now it was one of relief. “I thought you were the one who was freaking over change,” she said with a chuckle, rubbing tears from her eyes. “When did you learn to be this brave?”
Ron smiled. “I’ve got someone who shows me what being brave looks like. Every day.” He shrugged. “That, and a little Mystical Monkey Power made all the difference, I guess.”
She tumbled into him again. “Better?” he asked.
“Yeah. I still miss the house, though.”
“Oh, hey! I almost forgot!” He leapt up from the couch. “This finally came for you.” He picked up the box he’d carried into the treehouse and handed it to her.
Kim looked down in confusion. “Well, go on…open it!!” Ron encouraged her. Rufus hopped up and down on the arm of the couch, chittering happily.
She pulled apart the tissue paper encasing the box. Once open, the contents spilled onto her lap: a stuffed animal made of purple fabric, with a pouch and a long tail. Its eyes were outlined in a darker shade of purple, and the pouch held a miniature version of the same creature.
“…Pandaroo?!?”
“Ha! I knew we could get it repaired!” He pumped his fist.
“But…but I thought he was destroyed with the house…?”
“I repaired him!”
“Really? You?”
“Well, okay…I found someone online who does Cuddle Buddy repairs…” On the arm of the couch, Rufus made a clucking sound of disapproval, tapping his foot. “…uh, alright, Wade found the Cuddle-Repairs-dot-com website for me. But I paid for it!”
Kim turned the stuffed animal over in her hands, still in shock. There was a stitch up the front of its body where the repair had been made, but both eyes were sewn back in place; the fabric had been thoroughly cleaned, and it was once more plump and soft as when she’d gotten it. It was her Pandaroo, made whole once more. She looked up at Ron.
“Well…do you like it? Is it okay?”
Kim leapt forward and kissed her boyfriend, Pandaroo squashed between them. After a long moment, she broke the kiss and whispered, “what do you think?” then kissed him again before he could respond. It was a long kiss…one that was for a lot of things.
Before long, they tumbled onto the couch, letting the kissing continue for a while. Eventually, however, they relaxed, limbs entangled in companionable silence.
“Do you remember when we built this treehouse?” she asked after a long while.
“Sure. Welllll…y’know, actually, I really just remember a lot of sore thumbs.”
He felt her chuckle next to him. “Yeah…you and the hammer didn’t really get along.”
“Tell me about it!” He held his hand in front of them, twitching his thumb. “You know, I still feel a twinge after about nine hours of playing ‘Zombie Mayhem II’…”
“Ri-ii-ight…that’s from the hammer, I’m sure…” she teased. “Remember that first night after we got it built? We dragged sleeping bags up here, and…”
“Oh yeah, I remember! We spent the night!!” Ron exclaimed. “I’d forgotten about that…we were like, what, nine?”
“Eight. It would have been great if it hadn’t rained!”
“And the roof hadn’t leaked. Never did get that patched up…” he added, running a hand over the mildewed couch. “Gosh, how many times did we sleepover in here?”
“Too many to count. Remember the fight?”
“You mean when we were nine? How could I forget? We didn’t talk to each other for like a month…”
“Longer. But we finally made up right there,” Kim said, gesturing to the treehouse floor.
“Yup…it was so cold that night,” Ron smiled. “After that, we stayed here every chance we got.”
“We kept having sleepovers until the ‘rents put their foot down, remember? We were just twelve and couldn’t understand why they didn’t want us spending the night together anymore…I cried for a week!” she chuckled.
Ron started to laugh. “Yeah…I guess they saw something we didn’t, huh.”
“Not then. It took us a while to figure it out.”
Her head had been leaning on Ron’s shoulder, their fingers intertwined. Now she sat up and smiled. “Thanks, Ron. I needed this.” She kissed him lightly.
“Anytime, Kim.” Ron’s voice was a whisper, and carried the whiff of awe she had heard so often before…that he was the luckiest guy on the planet.
She looked down at their hands, still together, and squeezed his gently. “You know, I almost wish we could stay here again tonight…”
“Uh, probably a bad idea, KP…I mean…we’re not eight anymore…”
“…and the parental units are right outside, I know,” she said, nodding. “I just…feel safe here. It was always a place just for us, a place where nobody could find us—“
A light suddenly blazed from someone in the entry. “KIMBERLY ANN POSSIBLE!!” came a voice. “WHAT is going ON in here?!!”
Ron yelped in panic, flinging himself to the other end of the couch. Despite the flashlight in his hand making it impossible to see his face, the voice of Kim’s father was unmistakable.
“Dad?!”
“This isn’t what it looks like!!” Ron shrieked, holding up his hands. “I—I mean, I don’t know what it looks like, but it isn’t that!! Unless it doesn’t look like anything, then that’s exactly what it is, because I swear Mr. Dr. P, it isn’t anything like that—“
As Ron babbled, Dr. James Possible lowered his flashlight, and in the glow the two teenagers could see his brow knit in fury. “The both of you, come out here, now.” He began to descend the ladder. With a guilty glance at each other, Ron and Kim moved towards the exit.
It was only six feet to the ground, and Kim jumped the distance easily, landing in a crouch. Still wrapped in Ron’s robe, Pandaroo in hand, she came to her feet to find all of their parents gathered around the tree, except for Ron’s mother—and only a moment later, Mrs. Stoppable emerged from the back door, cradling little Hana against her shoulder.
The looks across their parents’ faces ranged from anger (her father), to concern (her mother), to embarrassment and suspicion (Ron’s parents). She muttered a prayer of thanks that the Tweebs, staying with Aunt June across town, weren’t here for this.
As Ron climbed down the treehouse ladder behind her, it sunk in what this must look like to them: two teenagers, alone together in the middle of the night. This, she thought, is not going to be easy to explain.
No one seemed to know how to start for a few seconds. Finally, Kim’s father cleared his throat. “Now, what is the meaning of this? Your mother woke up to get a drink of water and decided to check on Kim, and she found you gone. And she woke me up, and after we couldn’t find you, we woke up the Stoppables, and then they discover Ronald is missing, too. We were ready to call the authorities when Mrs. Stoppable remembered the treehouse, so we come out here and find the two of you, curled up together inside. It’s three A.M., and I know all about what kind of shenanigans teenagers get up to in the dark…”
As Dr. Possible continued his lecture, Kim heard Ron whisper, “‘Shenanigans’?” in disbelief. “Is that actually a word?” She bit her lip to suppress a giggle. Dad is really in peak Dad-mode, she thought.
Belatedly, she realized his lecture was coming to a conclusion. She tried to put a serious look on her face.
“…and believe me, when your Nana found us, she was plenty mad, let me tell you. So…perhaps you’d care to explain exactly what the two of you were doing together up there, in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning?”
Ron and Kim glanced at each other. After a moment, Ron stepped forward. “Uh, yes…explanation. I can explain that. See, it was…because of me…”
Kim felt a surge of gratitude for Ron covering for her. She hadn’t wanted to tell her parents about the panic attack…however they reacted, she knew it wouldn’t be good.
“…see, I uh, got hungry in the middle of the night, so of course, I came out to the treehouse first…y’know, just to see if I left any nacos out here…”
She groaned to herself. The only problem was, Ron was terrible at lying.
“But of course, it was really dark out here, since it’s the middle of the night. I needed help, and who do I always call for help but—“
“Ron…” Kim interrupted.
“Right, Ron! No, I mean, Kim! I called Kim to bring a flashlight and—“
“Ron, enough. I was the one who came out here first—“
“Oh, right, when I came out she was already here, and I—“
“You didn’t come out here for nacos—“
“No, see, I only thought of the nacos after I was already out here—“
“I was the one who called Ron to the treehouse—“
“KP, you’re not helping!!” Ron said in a stage whisper.
“Ron, they already—“
“Yeah, see, Kim already knew I was hungry, and that’s why she was—“
“Enough!” Dr. Possible cut them off. After glaring for a moment, he continued. “Well, since it’s obvious you can’t even come up with a single story between you, I don’t think we need to stand here and be lied to. I had my concerns about letting you two stay in the same house, and I think this proves them well founded.” He turned to the Stoppables. “Don, our thanks for opening your home to us, but I think we’d better find a hotel.”
“Dad, you don’t have to—“ Kim injected.
“Of course, James, if that’s what you want,” Mr. Stoppable said, ignoring Kim. “But it is rather late. Maybe we should wait until morning?”
“But we weren’t—“ Kim tried again.
“No, I think it’s better if we don’t wait—“ Dr. Possible answered Ron’s father.
“Excuse me!” Kim exclaimed. “Is anyone interested in giving us a chance to explain?”
Dr. Possible turned to Kim. “Young lady, you already had your chance.”
Kim was undeterred. “No, Ron had a chance, and he was only trying to protect me,” she said, unthinkingly seizing Ron’s hand. “I was the one who came out here first, and I sent him a message to join me.”
Ron’s mother gasped. “Then it was you who called him!” Hana made a fussing sound and Mrs. Stoppable turned to quiet her adopted daughter.
“I don’t care WHO came out here first,” Dr. Possible said, “there is no excuse for you two to be alone out here, doing—“
“We weren’t!!” Kim cut her father off. She glanced at Hana. “I know what you think we were doing, and it wasn’t that!”
Her father folded her arms. “Only because we stopped you before it got that far, I’d wager.”
She glared at all of them. “No. We know better than that. I came out to the treehouse by myself, and I had the Kimmunicator, and I…I needed Ron. So I sent him a message and…he came. And we talked, and he…he held me for a while. And that’s ALL that happened,” she finished, gazing defiantly at everyone.
“But, Kimmie…” her mother said after a moment. “Why did you need him? Why call him in the middle of the night like this?”
Kim felt her cheeks start to flame. She’d been so intent on defending Ron, she’d backed herself into a corner. She ducked away from their staring. “I…don’t want to say.”
This only started a fresh round of outrage among the adults, as Kim and Ron stood awkwardly, still holding hands. As the adults spoke at once, Hana began to wail.
Ron dropped Kim’s hand and went to take his sister, cradling her gently. “Hey, hey, hey…who’s a booba?” he crooned. “Who’s a little goomba? Are these loud voices scaring you? They’re scaring me, too…”
Freed of Hana, Mrs. Stoppable joined the arguing among the adults.
“I knew letting both of them stay here was a bad idea—“
“Honey, I don’t think that’s fair to the two of them, we don’t even know—“
“What more do we need to know? They were alone together—“
“Look, I’m sure if we all just calm down—“
Kim rubbed her forehead in frustration. “Oh, for…“
“Calm down? They weren’t calm! I know all about hormones and young boys, and Ronald is just the right age—“
“That’s enough!!” Kim screamed. “Ron isn’t the one to blame, I am! Yes, I did call him out here. But not for that!”
Mrs. Stoppable scowled. “Then why?”
Kim balled up her fists. “Because…because I had a panic attack, that’s why!!”
That silenced the grownups, at least for a moment. Mrs. Possible reached for her daughter’s face. “Kimmie, is this new? You’ve never had an attack before!” she asked, tilting Kim’s head this way and that.
“No, I’ve never had one until now.” She ducked away from her mother in annoyance. “I didn’t want to tell you. That’s why I called Ron. I came out here by myself, but I was afraid to be alone. And I called him and he came. And that’s what we were doing.”
The adults looked uncertainly at each other. “Kimmie-cub,” her father said after a moment, “that may all be true, but you’re still too young to be alone with a boy this late. It’s all too easy for Ron to take advantage of you…“
“Hey…” Ron said. He passed Hana to Kim.
“My son?” Mrs. Stoppable interrupted. “What about your daughter? She was the one who called him!“
“Whoever called whom,” Mr. Possible said, hands raised in frustration, “we can all agree—“
“Hey!!” Ron said again, and something in his voice silenced everyone. He stepped up to Mr. Possible.
“‘Take advantage’? That’s what you think of me?” There was a quiet force in his voice Kim had never heard before. “Mr. Dr. P, I’ve known your daughter my whole life. I love Kim. And I would never do anything to get her in trouble.” He slowly turned to the others, and his glance seemed to take in everyone. “You all ought to know that.”
Perched on Ron’s shoulder, Rufus squeaked an affirmative “Yeah!”
No one seemed to know what to say to that. The grownups were again left speechless. Kim was silent, too, but for a different reason. Did…Ron just say he…?
After several moments, Mr. Stoppable stepped behind Ron and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Dr. Possible. “I believe my son, James. What about you?”
After an awkward pause, Kim’s father cleared his throat. “Yes. Of course I do.” He turned to Ron. “Ronald…I’m sorry I doubted you. I’ve trusted you with my daughter for years, and you’ve never let me down. I’m sure that hasn’t changed. But…” He turned to the group. “It’s very late. Maybe we should just go back inside and get some sleep, eh?”
By unspoken agreement, everyone began to move back to the house. Ron’s mother came to Kim to take Hana, a sheepish look on her face. “I’m sorry for what I said, too,” she murmured. “I trust you just as much with my son, Kim.”
Suddenly exhausted, Kim only nodded.
She picked up Pandaroo and began to walk towards the house, still in Ron’s robe. She noticed that their parents had positioned themselves between the two teenagers. There were things she wanted to say to Ron, but she decided it could wait until morning. She was growing too tired to even think straight.
Inside, Kim headed towards the basement rec room on leaden feet, dimly aware of her mother following her. As she climbed onto the bed, Mrs. Possible sat next to her. She reached for her daughter’s head, pulling a penlight out of her robe.
“Mommmm—“ Kim groaned.
Dr. Possible shined the light into Kim’s eyes, pulling down the lower lids with a doctor’s precise, gentle touch. “Don’t fuss. A sudden onset of panic disorder can be an indicator of undetected cerebral damage.” She swung the light across Kim’s eyes in a slow arc. “In the morning I’m taking you to the medical center and we’re going to run a full neurological exam, no ‘buts’. You’re overdue anyway.” She clicked off the penlight. “And then we’ll pay a visit to Dr. Fletcher.”
“The gynecologist? Why?”
She folded her hands in her lap. “To get you a prescription for birth control.”
Kim’s cheeks flushed. “Mom, I told you, we didn’t—“
“Shhh.” Mrs. Possible took her daughter’s hands. “Honey, I believe you. You don’t need to convince me of what didn't happen.” She shook her head sadly. “But the time has arrived. It’s obvious how far things have already come with Ron. You’re both almost eighteen, and you need to be prepared.” She squeezed Kim’s hands. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. But I think you should consider it.”
Kim glanced out from under her falling hair, still blushing. “And you’re really okay with this?”
Her mother gave a sigh that concealed a laugh. “God knows, I don’t want it to happen. This is all coming so soon…but I guess it was always going to. What matters is that you’re ready.” She paused, rubbing her thumbs over Kim’s fingers. “You noticed Ron said he loves you?”
Kim nodded, not looking up. “Yeah. It…caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect him to say that.”
Mrs. Possible was quiet for a moment. “Do you feel the same way? About him?”
“I’m…not sure. I think I do? I know I love being with Ron. I mean, I always have, but ever since we started dating…now sometimes I can’t stop thinking about him. Wishing he was here when he isn’t. I…I can’t imagine not having him in my life."
“And when you were scared…it was Ron you wanted.”
“Yes. I didn’t even think of anyone else. But still…when he said he loved me…it surprised me. Is that really love?”
Her mother considered her reply. “Some people would say it is. I have always believed that love is something each of us has to decide for ourselves what it means to us. So I can’t tell you what it is you’re feeling.” She sighed. “What I know is, that boy has known you his entire life, and he’s always done his best to be there for you. And let’s face it…you’re not always easy to keep up with.”
“So he deserves a chance?” Kim asked miserably.
Mrs. Possible took Kim’s chin. “No. Of that I’m certain: You don’t love someone because they ‘deserve’ it. You love someone because you love them. There is nothing else.” She moved her hand to gently brush back a lock of Kim’s hair. “I won’t pretend I wouldn’t be delighted if you chose to be with Ron. It’s obvious how much he cares for you. But I want you to be happy, and I will accept anyone you choose, when you’re ready, as long as I can see that they care for you as much as I do. Do you understand?”
Her daughter nodded, wordlessly.
“Good. As for Ron, what he deserves right now is your honesty. No matter how scary it is, you need to tell him whatever it is you’re feeling.”
Kim bit her lip. “Even if I’m not sure what it is?”
She nodded. “Even then.”
Kim rested her forehead on her mother’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re okay with all this.”
Mrs. Possible’s arms tightened around Kim, and when she spoke, she murmured into her daughter’s hair. “Oh, Kimmie…what I want to do is take my brave, brilliant, beautiful daughter, who makes me so proud…and snatch her away to a cave on the highest mountain top, and just…seal you inside where the world can never hurt you. Just like I do every time you come home bruised and battered from a mission.” She drew a long, shuddering breath and continued, a ragged edge to her voice. “But I can’t. I know you’d only spend your life trying to claw your way out of that cave…because you want so much to be a part of the world. And I could never keep you from it.”
She took the girl’s shoulders and pulled her away, and now Kim could see the tears pooling in her mother’s eyes. “All I can do is trust the both of you to take care of each other, the way you always have. And you’ve never let me down. I’m afraid from now on, you’re just going to have one more thing to be careful of.” She placed her hand on her daughter’s cheek. “So please…let me get you what you’re going to need now.”
Kim thought she’d had no tears left after the treehouse, but seeing her mother’s moist eyes…that, that undid her. She was ready to agree, to say yes, but she couldn’t speak the word. It was all Kim could do to nod her assent before she collapsed against her mother’s shoulder, and finally the tears came. Tears of fear, tears of grief, tears of anguish, tears of pain…tears of relief. Tears of gratitude. And at last, tears of joy. In the end, tears for everything that had happened in the past several days.
Clinging to each other, mother and daughter stayed that way for a long time.