Ben and Gwen forever

Chapter 1 First feelings

Ben hated his geeky cousin Gwen, just as much as she hated him, or at least he did at first but now since she was the only one other than his Grampa and Kevin that knew about his moonlighting as alien superheroes who didn't count as they were either really old or his mortal enemy, she had sort of grown on him, he found himself wanting to cause trouble more in her presence, to show of and impress her, although it usually backfired on him spectacularly. He found her insults were starting to get to him; he'd never cared what his doofus cousin had thought of him before, but now it hurt him inside when they argued and traded insults.

It disturbed him the rush of feelings he was getting when he thought about Gwen, he just didn't understand why he felt that way, so he blamed Gwen and caused more arguments trying to ignore the feelings inside him, it took him what felt like years to realize that that he was in love. Ben liked girls, at arms length anyway, he was still young and didn't need a girlfriend, but he needed Gwen, yet would she accept him? She was his cousin for crying out loud, sure it's not as bad as if she had been his sister, now that was a revolting thought, but they were still related, he wasn't sure what her reaction would be, but this thing inside him, he couldn't hide it anymore, he had to admit how he felt to Gwen, even if she could never feel like that about him, he had to tell her hat he loved her.

Gwen was reading something and was completely engrossed in her book at the back of the RV, while Grampa was out fishing or collecting new and disgusting worms and things for making into meals. Either way it didn't matter, Ben approached Gwen calmly yet adamantly, no matter what he was going to get this over with. "Gwen?" said Ben trying to attract her attention.

"Go away dweeb" said Gwen "I'm busy"

"No, I…I need to talk to you" said Ben shuffling nervously from one foot to another.

"Can't it wait?" said Gwen, Ben shook his head violently.

Gwen sighs and puts down her book, she folds her arms crossly and looks at her exasperating brother, her keen eyes observe that he appeared to be extremely nervous but was too annoyed with him to cut him any slack.

"What is it?" Said Gwen huffily, every time she did something no matter how small that she wanted to do, he always found a way to ruin it, sometimes she felt that he got a perverse pleasure out of been nasty to her.

"Well…" Said Ben losing his nerve he tails of unable to continue.

"Oh spit it out already" Said Gwen snappily

"I love you!" blurts out Ben.

Silence and then.

"I love you too" growls Gwen, picking up her book she promptly ignores him and starts reading again.

Ben stands around next to her slightly dazed, she didn't understand maybe he should quit but he'd gone too far to give in now.

"Gwen"

Gwen sighs and slams her book closed she leans back and hits her head against the seat cover repeatedly.

"If I have to read the same paragraph one more time, I swear Benedict Tennyson…" she left her threat at that, and glared at him.

Ben sits down and puts his hand on Gwen's, he massages her fingers slowly and Gwen is too shocked to pull away.

"Gwen I love you" said Ben "you know I like girls right?"

Gwen snaps out of her revere "Of course, but you've never had a girlfriend" said Gwen as she realized what he was getting at 'oh no no no' Gwen thinks.

"Well I love you like that"

Gwen recoils and pulls her hands away from him "Ben you, you idiot, I'm your cousin" she shakes her head "How can you possible be in love with me anyway we hate each other, we get on each others nerves"

Ben considers this "opposites attract" said Ben pleased with himself.

"And where did you hear that?" Asked Gwen.

"Dunno but I've heard of it"

"Ben" Gwen rests a hand on her forehead "A relationship between two relatives is wrong, were related so can not get into a relationship, and" she hesitates "Why would you think I felt like that about you?"

"I didn't" said Ben, tears flowing freely down his face "but I couldn't pretend everything was the same anymore, because it's not I'm in love with you"

"Stop it, don't say that" Gwen stands up sharply "We could never, even if we both felt like that, and I'm afraid find it more disturbing than anything else about you, where would we stop been cousins and start been lovers!"

Ben shudders "Urgh, ho could you? That's disgusting!"

Gwen raises an eyebrow "You're grown up enough to admit you love your cousin but not for the facts of life? You do know where babies come from don't you"

"A hospital" said Ben, as he stumbled back "so" he smiles weakly "you've rejected me, done that check" he chuckles weakly.

"Ben leave me" Gwen sits down and massages her temple "I have to think"

"Me too" said Ben, the Omnitrix activates and he turns into XCR8 "need to think also" Said Ben/XCR8 before running away, just a blur of movement as he super speeds along thinking hard.

She'd rejected him he had expected that what he hadn't expected was the pain and hurt he was feeling inside him, he just wanted to run and run and never look back but XCR8's persona reminded him that he only had another minute or so left and had to return or be stuck out here in the middle of no where.

Did he want to go back? He had no idea how Gwen was coping right now, and what if she told Grampa! He calmed down reluctantly, she wouldn't tell Grampa he was sure of this, and even if the Omnitrix timed out it would only take another five minutes or so to re-activate and become XCR8 once again.

Giving a horse sigh Ben changes direction and speeds back to the RV, at least more than two mile away from it however the Omnitrix symbol flashes and the warning beep sounds a few seconds and a red flash later, Ben is his normal self, he continues running for as long as he can and then walks slowly back in the direction of the RV.

Since the Omnitrix is not working responding it takes Ben an hour to get back to the RV, by then Grampa Max is back. Ben wasn't worried; he was terrified, if Gwen told him what he'd said…

Gwen was tight lipped and refused to speak with Ben, fortunately Grampa was under the impression that the pair had fallen out over some prank of Ben's on his cousin probably involving the Omnitrix and so wisely left them to work it out on there own.

By Bedtime Gwen and Ben still hadn't spoken a word to each other, this couldn't go on for ever, approaching her Ben opens his mouth to speak.

"Save it dweeb" alright she was really angry at him "we have to live together and work together to save peoples lives, so I suggest we forget what happened this morning"

"I can't" said Ben, his voice just a whisper.

"It can't happen Ben" said Gwen softly "it can't"

Ben climbs up into his bunk; he pulls the covers over himself and cries himself silently to sleep. Gwen herself sheds a tear as she closes her eyes and turns over onto her side.

The next day was hectic, a large ice-form alien Ben named Abomanous was attacked a governmental facility and seemed determined to turn all the people, the soldiers and scientists into human popsicles. Even though Ben went Heatblast and fought freezing with frying, in the match against Fire and Ice it was a close call.

Gwen looked at her cousin who was as white as the sheets that covered his unconscious form, Heatblast had been frozen solid at one point until his internal fire had melted his icy prison, and even though in the end Fire trumped Ice, if the Omnitrix hadn't de-activated when it had, Ben would have died along with Heatblast, he still might he was suffering acute hypothermia and was very cold and ill right now.

She stroked his cheek lovingly before she caught herself and pulled away cursing, it was all Ben's fault him and his I love you claims, he had always been weird but now he was, he was cute when he's sleeping, 'urgh I need several years of rigorous therapy' thinks Gwen, still it had been terrible to watch Ben suffer like that, to watch him die.

She walks up to the front where Grampa was "Is he going to be okay?" said Gwen, stopping herself from asking if he's going to live.

Grampa looked up at her, it frightened her when he was this serious "Ben" he hesitated "Ben will recover, but it may take a while"

"So he's, he's not going to, to" Gwen can't bring herself to say it. Grampa Max holds her by the shoulders and looks her straight in the eye "Ben will get better, it will just take longer than normal that's all" Gwen knows now that Ben will get better, If Grampa told her he will, there was no way he wouldn't she smiles relieved 'thanks Grampa" she tells him and gives him a hug.

"Now I know you and Ben don't get along and like to feud with each other" Grampa began "but I need you to put that behind you until he gets better, now I know Ben isn't exactly innocent in your…fallings out but don't rise to him or take offence until after he's fully healed, he'll need our help right now, he may try and get a rise out of you because he's on the offensive and is vulnerable"

"I understand" said Gwen calmly; she smiles "I can play nice with him for what a few days, a week?" Grampa nods "if you can I'd like you to keep him entertained, not the most easy or glamorous job for you but a bored Ben plus Omnitrix while he's ill is a dangerous combination" he sighs "I'd keep an eye on him all the time but he needs someone of his own age group" he smiles "I know you love me I'm your Grandfather but I'm also a grown-up and an old one at that, how much longer will it be until you view me like Aunt Vera"

Gwen is shocked "We'd never…"

Grampa smiles reassuringly "I didn't mean to offend you, I'm just feeling old, my plumbing days were supposed to be behind me, this was supposed to be a simply vacation with my grandkids" he chuckles "guess this vacations been more interesting than what I had originally planned" he stretches and yawns "it's getting late you should get to bed"

"Ben's using my bed" Gwen struggled to keep the resentment out of her voice, "Ben's bed or the floor Gwen" said Grampa. "I didn't mean it like that" said Gwen as she walked away "I know, I know" Grampa said as he yawned again.

Gwen pulled the curtain across past the bunk and started to undress, and pulled on her pajamas, as she smoothes her pajama top down she turns round to see Ben his eyes open watching her, she jumps and curses mentally "Ben" said Gwen hissing darkly "how long have you been awake!"

"If I tell the truth will you promise not to kill me?" said Ben in a low hoarse voice he tries to sit up and flops down again, Gwen glares at him darkly but knew it was her fault as she could have changed in the bathroom "do that again when your uninjured and you wont be for long" she promises, as she climbs up onto Ben's bunk, Ben manages to feebly grab her leg "Don go" he splutters into a coughing fit where he wants to cough but can't, and so he ends up wheezing feebly. Gwen jumps down and helps him rubbing his back, she holds him in her arms as he breaths in and out deeply, she sighs knowing that she'd have to forgive him after this, he rests his head on her shoulder and breaths in and out more normally now.

"I'm not going to burp you" Gwen declares pushing him of her and gently lowering him back onto the bed, Ben smiles but doesn't dare risk even a giggle "stay with me" he pleads, Gwen shakes her head "it's connected to that isn't it?" he nods his head "Don't go please, please Gwen I'm begging you, I don't want to be alone" he looked at her his brown oval eyes seemed endless, she couldn't deal with this part of her wanted to refuse, part of her wanted to accept, and another part of her, a dark part that she never knew existed wanted her to kiss him deeply and meaningfully.

She took an average and went for the middle option "just for tonight" said Gwen warningly, but Bens smile warmed her heart, she snuggled sown into the covers with him, he wrapped his arms around her torso and snuggled up close, she found the touching not unpleasant and wrapped her own arms around him. Ben closed his eyes and nuzzled his head under her chin; his messy hair was tickling her. All to soon his squirming ceased as he fell into a deep yet dream filled sleep, Gwen continued to hold him close, protecting him, comforting him, it took her less time than usual to fall asleep with her cousin in her arms.

Grampa Max checked on them before he decided to call it a night and smiled at the pair, they looked so cute together, he contemplated taking a photo for the family album but didn't want to cause them any unnecessary embarrassment "best of friends" said he as he pulls the curtain back into place.

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