“Do you want me to go into the school office with you and explain what happened?” Jean Possible asked her daughter as the two of them came into the kitchen.
“No, Mom, we're fine,” one assured her.
“Until we know if the division is permanent we don't want to go through all the paperwork. In fact, we don't want anyone to know.”
“It would only confuse their record keeping,” Kim explained. “And besides, this way one of me can save the world while the other one never misses a bit of school.”
“Speaking of missing school,” their mother gently scolded. “I don't want one of you skipping all her classes. You both need a good education in case the division is permanent.”
“Or Warmonga never comes back for her clone,” Kim thought.
“Like I'd want to be joined to that pervert,” Kim thought.
“We promise to divide classes evenly and make sure we look over homework for the classes the other takes,” they promised together.
“And switch classes back and forth every day,” she instructed them.
“Mom! Are you trying to confuse us?”
“It only seems fair. That's what you're doing to your family.”
James Possible entered the kitchen and gave his wife a kiss big enough to turn the stomachs of all four children. “You smell wonderful.”
“I suspect it's the bacon. Oh, grocery list for you by your briefcase. With another daughter to feed and a new girlfriend hanging around the house the food bills will go up.”
He sighed, “It's like adding a second Ronald.”
“Oh, I don't think it's that bad,” she comforted him.
A Kim coughed discretely, “Er, speaking of expenses… We need to go shopping for some new clothes.”
“The two of you have a closet stuffed full of things upstairs. You were fine last week.”
“Last week there was only one of us. Now there are two of me. So I only have half as many clothes.”
“But you just said we shouldn't tell the school there are two of you because you might be going back together.”
“School paperwork can wait. Clean underwear is a necessity!”
“There is a large and mysterious white metal box in the basement. You put dirty clothes into it. You turn knobs and throw switches and a miracle occurs -- your dirty clothes are magically replaced with clean clothing.
As the Possibles worked on irrational fractions and dividing numbers into themselves over the breakfast table things were relatively calm at the Stoppable home.
Rachel Stoppable stood at the stove, “I'm so glad she likes you,” she told Shego as the house guest fed Hana strained lima beans.
“She's a cute little bug,” Shego laughed. “Come on bug, eat the lima beans and grow up strong and green like auntie Shego.”
“Stop scaring the kid,” Ron hissed.
When the doorbell rang Ron's dad went to answer it. He ushered three men into the kitchen. The patrolman tipped his hat to Ron's mother, “Officer Hobble, Ma'm, Middleton police.”
The man in the dark suit and darker glasses simply stated, “David Donner.”
The young man in the Global Justice uniform shook hands with Ron, “It is gratifying to see you again.”
“Fer shur, can I call you Will?”
“You may call me Agent Du.” He looked over to Shego, “We're here to escort you to the Federal Courthouse for your sworn deposition. Are you ready to accompany us?”
“May I finish breakfast first?”
The trio looked at each other. The Fed shrugged and Officer Hobble said, “Go ahead.”
Ron's mom asked if anyone wanted coffee and the Will and the policeman each accepted a cup.
As she started her second slice of toast Shego asked, “Are you going to handcuff me to take me in? Handcuffs excite me.” She looked over at Ron, hoping he had caught the reference. She smiled, the drool factor said that he had.
“Since you're coming with us of your own volition we see no compelling need to restrain you,” the Global Justice agent said.
“He's always like that,” Ron whispered.
“Does he have any redeeming features?” Shego whispered back.
“I do possess an excellent sense of hearing,” he remarked.
Before leaving the house Shego requested a quick phone call, which the lawmen saw no need to refuse.
“Hi, it's me. Are you the right one or the wrong one? … I'll wait. … Hey Sweetie, I'm going downtown now, just wanted you to know I love you. … Yeah, I'll be a good girl.” Shego laughed very hard at something the other person said. “Oh yes, you'll find I can be a very good girl. … Later then.” She looked at her escorts, all of whom were curious about the lucky man she'd been talking with, “We can go now.”
Kim picked up Ron on the way to school. He sat up front with Kim while Kim sat in the back between the tweebs. She crouched low as they got close to school so no one would see there were two of her.
“What bribe will you offer us not to tell people there are two of you?” Jim asked.
“Ice-cream.”
“That's not much of a bribe.”
“You get a small bribe or large threat. You don't outnumber me anymore.”
“Ice-cream and the remote every day,” Tim demanded.
“Remote only on weekdays,” Kim offered.
“Who needs weekdays,” Jim said. “Weekends.”
“Friday night does not count for weekend.”
Jim and Tim looked at each other and nodded. “We'll negotiate ice cream flavors later. Oh, and twice when Mom or Dad, or the Police, ask where we were, we were with you and we weren't doing nothing wrong.”
“Done!”
“KIM!” Kim protested, “That makes us an accessory--”
“I thought an accessory was, like, your belt or purse,” Ron interrupted.
“Your going to get an accessory in the mouth,” Kim warned him. “You were too busy driving to catch what they said,” she told Kim. “They said we have to say they, ‘weren't doing nothing wrong,’ but if they weren't doing nothing wrong they were doing something wrong.”
Kim pulled up at a little used side door and Ron, Kim, and the tweebs left the car. After parking the car Kim went to her locker and checked the list of projects that needed to be done. She was in no hurry since she was already in home room.
After the bell marking the start of first period Steve Barkin patrolled the perimeter of his domain for truants. He encountered enemy activity in the gym.
“What are you doing here Possible?”
Startled, she looked up from the boxes of decorations. “Uh, the cheerleaders are in charge of getting the gym set up for the athletic banquet on Wednesday night. I'm doing a fast inventory to see if we need anything.”
He grunted, “That would be commendable Possible, except for the fact YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN CLASS!”
“I am in class.”
“No, you're not. And for thinking I'm crazy I should add to your detention.”
“I'm not here, I'm in English class with Mr. Clinton.”
“Detention, Possible.”
“Double or nothing.”
“Double or nothing?”
“You seem like a sporting man. Go check out my English class. If I'm not there you can give me a double detention.”
“That's the most ridiculous--”
“Of course, if you're afraid…”
He glared at her, “No one says Steve Barkin is afraid.”
“Well, if you won't take the little wager or check the facts…”
“You're up to something Possible. I don't know what. But I control your transcripts.”
He stalked out of the gym and headed for the English classroom. He couldn't see the students well through the window in the door so he went in.
“Steve?” the teacher asked.
Kim sat at a desk, giving him the same puzzled look on the faces of the other students. “How long has Possible been in here, Francis?” the Assistant Principal asked.
“She's been here the whole period, why?”
“Uh, someone reported a cheerleader in the hall without a pass, just checking on them all.”
He left. He had taken the most direct route from gym to classroom. She had not passed him. She could not have gotten there faster by taking a longer route. The teacher would not have lied to him. Maybe she wasn't in the gym.
Barkin finished his recon faster than Kim had anticipated. She hoped to finish the inventory and go to the library, but Barkin caught her on her way out.
“Okay, Missy, I want to know why you're in English class.”
“Uh, because that's where I'm supposed to be at this hour?”
“But you're not.”
“Aren't I? Did you check?”
“Yes.”
“Am I there.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Well, if I'm there I can't very well be here, can I?”
He narrowed his eyes and scowled at her. “Something is going on. How can a person be two places at once?”
“What should be important is the fact I'm in class the way I'm supposed to be.”
“How can a person be in two places at once?” he repeated
“Time-travel.”
“Time-travel?”
“Sure. Someone comes back from next week and presto, two of that person now.”
“So you are a time-traveler?”
She smiled at him. “I never said that. You asked how a person could be two places at once and I explained it to you. If time travel existed it would be a highly classified government secret whose existence should never be revealed to anyone.”
“But you--”
“I think you know the importance of national security.” She put her finger to her lips.
His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, “Can you tell me how the Red Sox will do next week?”
“I'm sorry. It's vital I not do anything to jeopardize the future of the free world through my presence here.”
“Just a couple games, please, I'll even take the Cubs.”
“Loose lips, Mr Barkin. It is vital that nothing be done to alter the future.” She stepped back and gave him a crisp salute, which he returned. “You must tell no one that you saw me. It's a matter of national security.” She slipped out of the gym and headed left, in the general direction of the library.
He felt a vague sense of pride for having glimpsed the nation's future… But if it was vital no one change the future, what had she been doing in the gym? Was there some sort of terrorist plot to blow up the athletics award banquet on Wednesday? Was she there to stop the plot? Should he call off the banquet? And could the scores of a couple lousy baseball games matter that much. It wasn't like he'd mortgage his house to put every penny he owned down on the games… He remembered some bonds in a safety deposit vault. He'd better cash those in while he was mortgaging his house and selling his car for money to make the bets.
Now, he needed to find Possible again. There had to be some way to get information about the future out of her worth a bet… Maybe if he offered her five percent of the profits…
He set off, looking for her in the library.
Kim left a note for Kim at her locker, “We need blue crepe streamers. Barkin on prowl,” before heading to math. Kim sighed, she had hoped to work on the English assignment in study hall, but if Barkin was looking for her she needed to disappear from view. Because of her experience with hazardous materials she been asked to help clear freshman science projects from the abandoned lab. In her hazmat suit she was unrecognizable and even Barkin was unlikely to intrude.
“Where's Felix?” Monique asked at lunch as she sat down with Ron and Kim. “And for that matter, where is Kim?”
“Hold on,” Kim said, “I'll find me.” She text messaged ‘where’ and less than two minutes later her phone vibrated. The message read ‘yearbook’.
“Oh, good,” Kim smiled. “I couldn't figure out how I was going to get that done. Kim has math next period while I do English homework in the study hall.”
“We really need someone to tell you two apart,” Monique complained.
“You could tattoo my name on your butt,” Ron suggested. Kim gave me the stare of death. “Sorry, I thought you were my Kim.”
“There is no your Kim if you make another suggestion like that, clear?”
He nodded.
“And I don't see how it would help me tell them apart,” Monique complained. Ron started to open his mouth. “Boy, you don't want to go there,” she warned. “You get the brain soap now, ‘cause you don't even need to be thinking that.” He closed his mouth.
Monique turned back to Kim, “So at the end of the day you are going to have all your homework done in every class?”
“And will have done work for seven extra-curricular activities.”
Monique sighed, “Man, I could use two of me when it's time for restocking at Club Banana.”
“Yeah, it would be great to have two of me,” Ron added.
“Why?” Monique demanded. “You spend half your day goofing off now. Two of you and you'd just get twice as much not done. What would you do with two of you?”
Kim trembled nervously as she stood before them, “You know, I'm only doing this because I really love you, Ron.”
“We know,” they said. “And we promise to be gentle.” One Ron kissed her while the second massaged her back.
Kim sighed with contentment, “I've waited so long for this.”
Rons smiled. Ron stopped smiling. When Kim split one of her ended up in love with Shego. So if he split would one of him love… Drakken? Monkey Fist? An image invaded his mind, Monkey Fist in white lingerie, little tufts of black hair sticking out through the lace. Monty held a red rose between his teeth, “Ronald, so very wonderful you could come.” Or perhaps that is what he said. It is very difficult to talk clearly with a red rose between your teeth.
“You don't look so good, Ron,” Monique mentioned. “You're greener than Shego.”
Ron clamped both hands down over his mouth and ran for the door. He nearly made it.
“Sorry about that,” Kim called to the table of sophomores. “I think he tried to eat the mystery meat.”
“I don't even know him,” Monique yelled over at the lowerclassmen.
Cheerleading practice began immediately after school. With basketball over there wasn't much left to cheer for, but the coaches appreciated the efforts the squad made to support all of Middleton's athletic programs.
Kim, as usual was first out on the gym floor. One of her had even arrived earlier. Behind the folded up bleachers was a small storage room for the mats used by the wrestling and gymnastics teams. A desperate voyeur had once drilled a hole through the storage room wall, but the view through the folded bleachers was so limited it had never been a serious problem.
“Everyone out but Bonnie?” Kim asked loudly as Liz came onto the gym floor.
“You know Bonnie,” Tara giggled, “always last one out.”
“Let's start with some stretching exercises,” Kim suggested. “Need to limber up so we don't hurt anything.”
As the cheerleaders began their warm-up Kim slipped out of the mat storage room. She always figured Bonnie came out last in order to irritate her, a silent protest to Kim having been made head cheerleader. Kim smiled, Bonnie's irritating little habit created the perfect opportunity for mischief.
Bonnie stared at the mirror. She could not improve on the perfection of Bonnie Rockwaller. Bonnie glanced at her watch. She couldn't go out yet. Better to let Kim get angry out there. Bonnie was too important to the squad formations for practice to really get underway until she arrived. Kim needed these reminders of how important Bonnie was. The brunette heard the door to the women's locker room open. She assumed another cheerleader had forgotten something, but the reflection in the mirror showed Kim coming towards her. Bonnie smiled, she had finally angered Kim enough that the redhead was going to try and tell her off - as if Bonnie cared.
“Hey, Possible, looking for me?” Bonnie taunted, “You know you need me out there.”
“Actually, yes, I'm looking for you, “ Kim purred, walking up directly behind Bonnie. “And I need you right here. Now that we're seniors I can tell you how hot I think you really are.”
Bonnie froze. That was not what she was expecting. It got worse as Kim ran a hand up the back of her leg, under her skirt and patted her butt. “You've definitely got the hottest ass of anyone on the squad,” Kim told her. “And the best boobs in the entire school.”
Bonnie's scream could be heard all the way out on the gym floor as she fled the locker room like a bat out of hell. Kim had to move fast. Even though Kim didn't think anyone would be checking out the locker room she needed to exit in case she was wrong. She went out an exit door and circled to a gym door near the mat storage room. She opened the door just enough to listen.
Bonnie screamed “Kim fondled me! Kim fondled me!” as she ran from the locker room. She skidded to a stop on the gym floor when she saw in horror that Kim had somehow beaten her out of the locker room. The other cheerleaders looked at her in amazement.
“What did you say?” Marcella asked.
“I said Kim just grabbed my ass in the locker room,” Bonnie said, trying to puzzle how Kim got out so quickly.
“What Kim?” Kim asked.
“You… You…”
“When did it happen?” Hope wanted to know.
“Just now. Right when I screamed,” Bonnie explained.
The cheerleaders looked at each other. “Kim has been out here with us for ten minutes,” Tara said. “We've been doing our warming up exercises.”
“But she-- I was-- And then she--” Bonnie sputtered.
Kim rolled her eyes in disgust, “God, Rockwaller, it's bad enough you can't be bothered to practice with the rest of us. But can you at least leave me out of your daydreams and sick fantasies? You're the last person whose ass I'd be grabbing.”
The other cheerleaders laughed at Bonnie and went back to warming up. Bonnie's eyes narrowed as she glared at Kim. They were all jealous of her perfection: perfect teeth, perfect tan, perfect talent, perfect tits. No wonder Kim had been able to recruit them for this practical joke. It couldn't work, of course, Maggie and Crystal were her tools - they'd tell her what really happened. And Tara was too empty headed to keep a secret. She'd have the truth from one of those three before she left.
Kim slipped back into the gym and the storage room.
Kim kept the squad working at a killer pace during the practice. Linda wondered if Kim was on speed, caffeine or some combination of the two as she kept them rehearsing moves. It was apparently hard on Kim, she kept running out every five or ten minutes for a drink of water from the fountain. There must have been something wonderful about the water that day. Kim always came back as fresh as if she'd had a ten minute break.
During the one minute breaks Bonnie quizzed the three. Maggie and Crystal both swore Kim had been with them the whole time. Tara simply seemed confused by the question -- which added to her credibility. If Kim had given them a prepared story Tara could have made sense.
Kim was driving the squad at a hard pace, but even while practicing Bonnie's mind was at work. Kim must have hired an actress to impersonate her. If she had paid more attention to the woman in the locker room she would have been able to detect the mask or makeup. Kim probably thought it was funny to play with her mind. Bonnie smiled. It was not a happy smile, but a smile of pure evil.
“You're killing us, Possible,” Bonnie complained. “Slow down the pace.”
“Can't keep up, Rockwaller?” Kim taunted, “Probably muscle cramps from skipping the stretching exercises.”
“God, I am so out of here,” Bonnie announced and stormed off the gym floor.
“You really are working us hard today,” Tara pointed out.
“Sorry,” Kim apologized to the squad. “Let's do ten minutes of cooling down stretchs before we hit the showers. That okay with everyone?”
“Yeah.” “Sure.” “Sounds good,” were some of the answers to her suggestion. Kim glanced over towards the bleachers in front of the storage room. She hoped Kim caught the idea.
Bonnie stared at the mirror, wondering if this could possibly work. The actress must have left. She smiled as she heard the door to the gym open without the confusion of a half dozen voices at once that always accompanied the cheerleaders going in for showers, perhaps it would work.
“You again,” Bonnie drawled as the mirror's reflection showed a familiar redhead.
“Just can't stay away from you,” Kim said.
Bonnie turned and looked closely at ‘Kim’ as she approached. This had to be Kim, there was no mask or makeup hiding identity. That was puzzling. The ‘Kim’ she had left on the gym floor knew the routines of the Mad Dog cheerleaders as well as a member of the squad.
“Who says I want you to stay away from me,” Bonnie asked as she smiled at Kim.
Kim stopped, confused by Bonnie's response, and in that moment of confusion Bonnie struck, pulling the redhead close and pressing her lips to Kim's mouth. Kim's eyes were wide with surprise as Bonnie slipped her tongue in the head cheerleader's mouth before Kim had time to react or think.
To be continued?
My whining about needing reviews to keep writing has been equal parts reverse psychology, running gag, and absolute truth. I don't like writing without an end in mind.
At the moment I plan to put this into hiatus. I suspect it will receive enough reviews that I will continue. I could keep churning out chapters like this indefinitely, fun but going nowhere. However, I would like a definite end to the story and don't have one. I will start posting again when I've figured out where I'm going. I wish to thank the many reviewers who encouraged me to continue this when I wanted to stop… Or do I darn you all to heck for making me continue this? Anyway, assuming there are reviews I will continue, I'm just not sure when. And I'm not sure yet which Kim has Bonnie's tongue in her mouth. Your thoughts?
If you want to pm me with a suggested direction I'll give it a look. Got one guy who has suggested turning it into a tragedy. I think I'll pass on that. I want an ending that readers can appreciate. “Character X woke up and realized it was all a dream,” would not be appreciated either. And if I find an end I'll try to quit whining and just write.