"Bonnie, what are you doing here?" Tara was shocked to see her friend walking down the hallways, books held tight in front of her. "I thought you were going to take the day off and stay with your mom and your sister."
Bonnie shook her head. "I couldn't just stay at home, I would have gone nuts. Mom's going crazy with the bonding after what Connie said. Lonnie is eating it up right now, but I needed a break. I figured I'd come in for the afternoon."
Tara smiled faintly, glancing up and down the halls. "And you thought school would be the best place to take a break?"
Bonnie smiled in response, but her eyes tracked to one particular sight. "No, but it's the only place I can get my Ronshine right now."
Tara turned just in time to catch sight of Ron and Kim coming down the hallway before Bonnie slipped past her, throwing herself into Ron's arms. Tara shook her head as she leaned back into the lockers beside Kim. "Ronshine?"
Kim smirked, watching the couple in front of them. "Last night, I told Bonnie the story about Ron and our time with the Sunshine Spreaders. She liked the word, started using it right away. I think it's going to get very old very fast."
Tara and Kim both giggled, and Tara turned to open her locker. As soon as the door was opened, a large letter fell to the floor in front of her. Tara reached down quickly, excited. "I got anouther letter from my secret admirer."
Bonnie had let go of Ron in an instant and was standing over Tara's shoulder. "What does it say?"
Ron rubbed his arms gently as Tara's opened up the letter. "Man Bonnie, I think I got fabric burn when you pulled away that quickly."
Bonnie gave Ron a sympathetic frown. "Sorry Hon, but this is important." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and turned her attention back to Tara. "So, what does it say?"
Tara's eyes went wide as she read through it all. "He wants to meet me... tonight!"
Kim leaned over as well to look, wanting to see for herself. "Tonight? But it's Wednesday. Why wouldn't he schedule for a Friday or Saturday night?"
Tara turned the letter over to see if there was more but there wasn't. "It doesn't say."
Kim was grinning like crazy. "So are you going to meet him?"
"He's sending a limo to my house." Tara mulled it over for a few moments before smiling as well. "You know, I think I will meet him."
Kim was almost giddy as she caught onto Tara's excitement. "So, what are you going to wear?"
Bonnie let the two teens chat as she held onto Ron's arm, still not sure about the whole situation. She still had a few doubts about Josh. When there was a pause in the planning, Bonnie cut in. "I'm gonna head for class. We'll talk more after school, pick you out the right outfit."
Pulling Ron's arm, Bonnie headed off down the hallway with him. Ron could see the concern in her eyes. "Bonnie, what's the matter?"
Bonnie glanced back at her happy best friend with a sigh. "I don't know, but I have a suspicion."
"Suspicion?"
Bonnie smiled slightly when she turned to face Monique. "Monique, just the person I was hoping to run into."
Ron glanced between Monique and Bonnie, confused completely. "Umm... weren't you still mad at Monique for what she said on the weekend?"
"Old news." Bonnie waved off Ron's concerns, latching her arm onto Monique. "Catch you later Ron, Monique and I have to go girltalk. You know how it is."
Both girls saw Ron shudder slightly before heading to class. Monique waited until he was out of sight before she turned to Bonnie. "Okay girl, what's up? I know you're still freakin' about what I said and I've said..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Bonnie cut in sharply. "Look, I need your help. Tara's secret admirer wants to meet with her tonight and we need to follow and see who it is."
Monique stared at Bonnie blankly for a moment. "Why do we need to follow her? Won't she just call you up at the end of the night anyways?"
"What if it's Josh though?" Bonnie could see the realization setting in. "If we follow, we can call Kim, get her to meet us out there, and trap that slimy worm right where we want him."
"Uhh..." Monique glanced around, making sure they were still alone. "I thought we didn't think it was Josh anymore?"
"We just said it likely wasn't him, but it still could be, and I'm not taking any chances. After all, Josh is a guy, I wouldn't put it past him."
Monique frowned, shaking her head. "This is about your dad, isn't it? You figure he's a royal snake, all guys have got to be."
Bonnie glared back in response. "All guys are snakes."
Monique smirked at that statement. "Even Ron?"
"Ron is not a guy, he's Ron." There wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation in her answer. "Kim has trained him since pre-school, and now I just have to finish him off."
Monique knew there was no point arguing further. "All right, what are we going to do then?"
Tara and Kim were still walking to class, discussing that very subject. "So..." Tara glanced at Kim, then back to in front of her, "are you thinking what I've been thinking?"
Kim's light mood faded, even at the easy set-up for a joke from that old cartoon show. "That Josh might be the secret admirer? Yeah, I have been thinking about it, with the way Josh has been acting lately. I haven't wanted to admit it to myself but I have considered it."
Tara nodded, holding her books tight to her. "I know Bonnie and Monique think that, even though they haven't told me. I think the only one who hasn't suspected Josh might be my secret admirer is Ron."
"Well I know I wasn't going to be the one to tell him." Kim shook her head, considering how that talk would go. "It's taken so long just to get him to drop the Mankey/monkey conspiracy." Kim caught her friend's curious look and smiled. "Believe me, don't ask."
Tara smiled back at her friend reassuringly."You know if it's him that I won't have anything to do with him, right?"
"Thanks Tara, that..."
"Hey Kim!" Tara and Kim turned with a bit of surprise to see Josh, the topic of their conversation, dashing down the hallway after them. When he reached them though, he paused, as if uncertain. "Hey Kim. Uhh... are you... umm... are you doing anything tonight?"
Kim glanced briefly over at Tara, then smiled back at Josh, pausing to tuck her hair behind her ear. "No, I didn't have any plans right now."
Josh rubbed the back of his neck, glancing down at the floor before looking back up. "Do you think... I could take you to dinner tonight?"
Now Kim's smile got much brighter. "Sure, sounds like fun."
"Great, I'll pick you up at seven then." With a final wave, Josh headed back the way he'd come, dodging in and out of students through the busy hallway.
Kim and Tara shared a look, one filled with not a little joy. "It's not Josh."
"How long are we going to wait out here?" Monique glanced out through the front window of Bonnie's car, watching the front of Tara's house as they had for the last half hour.
"The limo should be here any moment." Bonnie glanced down at her watch, verifying the time. "The note said six thirty, so it should be here any moment."
Monique sighed, leaning up against the door. "We should have just waited until Tara called you to tell you about her date tonight. If Tara had followed you when you went on your blind date..."
"Shhh..." Bonnie waved down her companion, her smile broadening. "The limo is here."
Both girls watched as the limo pulled up in front of the house, parking right in front. He driver left the vehicle and approached the door, dressed in the customary suit and tie. He had barely wrung the bell before Tara opened the door, following the driver out to the vehicle, her dark blue dress lovely in the evening light.
Bonnie put her car into drive as the driver got back into the limo. "We should be able to follow them no problem. Once we get to where ever the limo is going, we can see who Tara's secret admirer is."
Monique winced slightly, considering what Tara might say if she knew she was being tailed. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?"
"I'm sure." Bonnie had no doubt in her mind about the rightness of the situation. "Tara will appreciate our looking out for her. I just wish I had confided in her sooner."
"All right then." Monique kept her eyes locked on the limo in front of them as Bonnie pulled out behind it. "But this is on you if it blows up in our faces later.:"
Kim smiled as Josh held the door open for her, offering her a hand to get out. Josh had always been a gentleman on their dates, and despite his strange behaviour, he always had been. He led her up to the door, held it open for her, and escorted her to her seat once they were in.
Kim was enjoying herself immensely as they sat through dinner, even though she could see something was on his mind. She was just glad at this point that he wasn't Tara's secret admirer, as that was something that had been weighing on her mind as a possibility, even if she had not given voice to her concerns to anyone besides Tara.
They were enjoying dessert when Josh worked up the nerve he had been trying to find all evening. "Kim... can we talk for a moment?"
Kim put down her fork, her dessert forgotten. "Sure Josh, what's wrong? I've noticed something bothering you for a while."
"Yeah... something has been weighing on my mind a bit." Josh paused, gathering his thoughts. "Kim... I don't know if we should see each other any more."
Kim was flabbergasted, hardly expecting that response. "What? Was it something I did or..."
"No, no, it's not something you did, not really." Josh turned away briefly, unable to meet her eyes. "Kim, I really like you, a lot. But there's a part of you, the part of you that is compelled to help people, to put yourself in danger..."
"It's not that bad, really." Kim protested, feeling her heart ache as she did so. "My missions are usually pretty easy."
"I know that, and there is no way I'd want to change who you are. You help people, and that's a great thing. I wish I could do what you do. But there's anouther part of that..." Josh paused again, taking a couple of deep breaths. "Kim, did I ever tell you about my father?"
"No, I don't think you ever did."
"He was a lot like you. Brave, courageous, a hero. He was a police officer." Josh leaned across the table to take Kim's hand. "He was probably the bravest person I've ever known, except maybe for you. He'd be out there, stopping the bad guys, and you wouldn't believe how much I looked up to him." Josh let that sink in before continuing. "But there was anouther aspect of that. I remember how much my mother worried while he was out on patrol. She would stay awake at night, wondering if he was all right, if he was in trouble. Sometimes, she would cry she was so afraid, I would hear her from my room at night. Then, about four years ago... she got the call." Kim knew where this story was going, and her heart sank. "My dad had responded to a call, a burglary at a local convenience store. No one mentioned a gun... I remember that afternoon, before my dad left, we were talking about going to the fair, all of us as a family... but instead, me and my mom had to go to the hospital, after dad had been shot. He... didn't make it."
Kim closed her eyes briefly, sharing in her boyfriend's grief. "Josh, I'm so sorry."
Josh closed his eyes fully, letting the emotions sweep over him. "I know it's not the same thing, not exactly, but... I don't think I could sit here like my mom did and wait for that call from Wade or Ron, telling me you didn't make it, that something happened to you and... I just don't think I'm strong enough." Josh's shoulders shuddered slightly, the emotion plain on his face. "Do you understand?"
"Josh, if it's about the missions, I could cut back or..."
"No." Josh looked at her with determination in his eyes. "I told you, I don't want to change who you are. You are the bravest person I've ever met, other than my father. You go out there, and you do what's right. You save the world. Why would I ever want to take something like that away from you. I just... I just don't think I could handle being by your side through it all. I wish I could. I care for you so much... but I just don't think it's enough." Josh squeezed her hand, his gaze meeting hers. "I just don't want you to hate me for not being strong enough for you."
"Josh, I don't hate you." Kim felt like crying, knowing there was no way she could talk him out of this. "I care about you too, but..."
"Can we at least stay friends? I know a lot of people say that after they break up, but I really do want to stay friends. I just don't think I could handle more than that, not after what I've seen my mom go through."
"I'd like that Josh." Kim tried to smile but failed. "I'd really like that a lot." Despite her words, Kim was hurting greatly, wishing it was anything but what Josh had said, but she could see his side of it. Even she knew giving up her missions would not be easy, even if she wanted to, and Josh could see that. Still, losing out on the guy she had cared about for so long was tougher than anything she could imagine.
The rest of dessert was especially quiet.
"Look." Monique pointed ahead of them as the limo pulled up to a stop. "Chez Pierre's. Whoever this is, they wanted to do it with class."
Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Whoever it was had to have been planning this ever since Ron and I outted ourselves. The waiting list for this place is huge. Probably why this date is on a Wednesday too."
Monique gestured quickly to the side when the limo came to a complete stop. "Pull over quickly, before Tara spots us."
Bonnie pulled her car to the side of the road and the pair of them watched as Tara exited the vehicle. Similar to what happened to her, the driver motioned with a blind fold in his hands, which Tara seemed to quickly accept. Within a minute, she was blind and led into the restaurant.
Monique tapped her fingers on her door impatiently. "How long are we going to wait out here?"
"Not long, we just want to give Tara a chance to settle in first." Bonnie waited a whole three seconds before she opened her door and hopped out. "Okay, that's long enough."
Bonnie and Monique made their way to the front of the restaurant, peeping through the windows, trying to find Tara and her mystery man. "Come on, come on... I know you have to be there some... there she is." Bonnie pointed to a distant table near the back, where she could see Tara sitting, her back to them.
"Can you see who she's with?" Monique squinted through the window, trying to look past Tara to see who she was with. Unfortunately, the way Tara was sitting blocked her view.
Bonnie shook her head, shifting down another window to see if she could get a better angle. "I'm not sure. I think if we move a little more this way..." At that moment, Tara bent down to grab something that had fallen to the floor. "I see him, I see him, it's... it's..."
Monique saw it as well and was as stunned as Bonnie. "No way, is that..."
"KEVIN GUBERMAN?"
Monique and Bonnie were so stunned, they didn't realize that the entire restaurant had heard their exclamation of surprise. When every head in the restaurant turned to look at them, Monique and Bonnie ducked down. Monique had her hand on her chest, breathing hard. "Oh man, you think she saw us?"
"No idea." Bonnie was shaking her head, tempted to take a look. "I can't believe it, the captain of the chess team was Tara's secret admirer? Who would have thought that?"
"So, are we going to get out of here now that we know?"
Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Sure, let's just take one last look and then we can..." Bonnie peeked over and through the window, but was a bit stunned when the object of her attentions was not where she expected. "Umm... where'd they go?"
"Ahem."
Bonnie and Monique both froze when they heard the sound behind them. Turning slowly, they had to look up to see the imposing figure of Tara, hands on her hips, her date behind her looking at the pair nervously. Monique looked at Bonnie, wincing. "We are so busted."
Author's Notes – If you haven't guessed, this is a bit of an homage to Campy, who created one of my favourite pairings that I just haven't been able to write myself up till now. And for everyone's references, I have dropped clues along the way, all the way back to chapter 12.
She even heard the captain of the chess team talking to one of his friends, saying that if Ron Stoppable could date a cheerleader, maybe he should take a chance.
Then there was the letter, where I play with chess puns subtly;
Just seeing your radiant smile makes me feel like a king. Please, please say you would be my queen, if only for a night.
I tried to play it quiet like, but I do enjoy my little hints. Unfortunately, not one person told me the right name. I'm actually a bit disappointed. Oh well, maybe I should avoid overly subtle in the future.
On the next and final chapter... The end of the school year, and the group reflects. And because so many of you demanded it, a nice bonus surprise. Stay tuned!