For the Love of Cousins
(A Bwen Fanfiction)
Ben was waiting as the seconds ticked by. Come on! Come on! He thought to himself as the second hand approached three P. M. Ben sat on pins and needles as he waited. Finally, the bell rang, and the ten year old boy squelched a yell of freedom as he ran out of the class room. The boy beamed as he saw his Grandpa Max and the old man's RV. "What are you doing here…?" Ben cut himself off and growled. "What is SHE doing here?!" Ben's cousin Gwen looked up from a book she was reading. "I'm not happy about this either, Doofus." "Dweeb!" Ben spat out as Max sighed. This is going to be a long summer. He thought as he drove to the campsite in near silence.
When they reached the campsite, Max tried to coax the children into telling scary stories or roasting marshmallows. Gwen sighed, "Sorry, Grandpa. I'm web surfing." Max looked over at Ben, who was getting up. "I'm going for a walk." The boy then walked into the woods, unaware that destiny was about to throw him a curveball. As he walked through the woods, Ben noticed what he thought was a shooting star. Then, the object turned ninety degrees and headed straight for Ben. The boy jumped out of the way with a yelp. He looked up in surprise to see a metal ball. As Ben walked toward it, the ball opened, and something emitted a green glow from inside. As Ben reached for the strange object, the Omnitrix flew out of its pod and attached itself to Ben's wrist. The boy screamed, grabbed a stick, and tried to get it off. In one attempt, Ben accidentally activated the Watch and caused a cylinder to pop up. Thinking he broke it, Ben pushed the cylinder back down and became Heatblast. Instead of freaking out, Ben just curiously examined his body. "I'm on fire, but I don't feel anything." He said to himself in amazement as he bounced a small fireball from hand to hand. "Cool!" He said aloud as he noticed a pillar of smoke in the distance.
Meanwhile, Gwen and Grandpa Max were fixing supper back at the campsite. Gwen looked around. "Where's Ben?" She asked herself. She then saw the pillar of smoke. "Uh…Grandpa?!" She said with a healthy amount of fear in her voice. "Gwen!" Max yelled as he tried to stop his granddaughter from going into the unpredictably dangerous inferno, but Gwen was already charging into the blaze with a fire extinguisher. Heatblast stared at the blaze before him. He knew the fire…creature he was could put out the fire with ease. The trouble was he didn't know how. Gwen was busy putting out what fire she could with the extinguisher. When she first ran into Ben, she screamed and sprayed him. Ben coughed. "Watch it, Dweeb!" Gwen stared at her cousin for a moment. "Ben, is that you?!" He smiled at her. Gwen looked at Ben, and an idea came rushing to the young girl's mind. "Ben, try to absorb the fire." She told him calmly. With his eyes closed, Ben concentrated and soon felt the fire rush to him. When he opened his eyes, Ben saw no flames, just charred forest. "You may be a Dweeb, but we make a good team." Ben admitted as he and Gwen walked out of the forest together.
Back at the campfire, Ben was still Heatblast and was trying to explain what happened to Grandpa Max. So…The rumors were true. Max thought to himself worriedly. "I don't want to be this fire monster forever! I don't want to roast my glove every time I put it on to play baseball! As if responding to the boy's distress, the Device that had migrated from his wrist to his chest during the transformation began to flash red. Then, with a hiss and a bright flash of red, Ben was himself again. Gwen smiled. "*groan* I liked you better when you were a briquette." She said with a grin. In truth, she was relieved Ben was back to normal, but she couldn't pass up the chance to annoy him. Max looked at Ben. "You weren't a monster," Max said with a calm seriousness. "You were an alien." When His grandkids have him a strange look, Max quickly tried to cover his tracks. "What else could he have been?" Max then turned to Ben. "I don't want you messing with that watch until we know more about it. Understand?" Ben let out a sigh and nodded.
About twenty minutes later, Ben was behind the RV. He was trying to figure out how the Watch worked. Gwen grinned at her cousin's mischievous rebellion. Secretly, she envied him but would never admit to it. "I thought Grandpa told you not to mess with the Watch." Ben looked up. "I think I can help people. I mean really help them with this. Besides…" He grinned at Gwen. "…is there a better way to figure out what this thing is than on the job training?" Gwen sighed. Perhaps I underestimated you, Doofus. She thought to herself as Ben made the dial pop up. "Hey, I think I figured it out!" He said to himself triumphantly. He then turned the dial a few times and pushed the faceplate down. This time, he turned into a weird dog-like creature. "No eyes? Hmm…" Gwen said to herself as she grabbed a stick and tried to hit Ben. He "saw" her heat signature and jumped out of the way. Ben smirked as Gwen looked at him in annoyance but froze when he heard something like the wine of a motor. He reacted just fast enough to dodge a laser bolt. Ben looked at the destroyed tree for a moment. Then, he started leaping through the trees. He was too fast, and one drone smashed into a tree. As the other barreled down on him, Ben heard the Watch start beeping. He growled something that would have translated to English as a cuss word and jumped from the tree as the Watch timed out. With a yell, he landed in some bushes and prepared to die as the drone readied its weapon. Gwen, who had been following Ben with a shovel, beat the robot's head in repeatedly as she screamed. "No one hurts my Doofus…cousin!" Gwen prayed Ben was in too much shock to hear her. Apparently, he didn't hear or ignored it because he just smiled and said, "I owe…you one."
Ben and Gwen were broken from their conversation by screams. They shared worried looks and ran toward the noise. By the time they got to the parking lot, the lager, twelve foot tall "motherbot" was making a mess of things. Ben grinned, activated the Watch, and turned into a walking crystal. Crystals and lasers… Ben thought as he racked his brain for the connection. He turned his hands into crystal spikes and leaped at the robot only to get batted away into a building. As Ben looked up at the robot he was reminded of the droids from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Of course! He thought as he got up and said "Hey, Ugly! Put one in here!" Gwen held her breath as the drone looked at Ben. Instead of firing directly at Ben like the boy had planned, the robot fired at a phone pole that would squash Gwen like a bug. Without thinking, Diamondhead jumped between Gwen and the phone pole, made a giant crystal log splitter wedge out of his back, and sheared the telephone pole in two. Ben didn't realize he was still holding Gwen until she cleared her throat and said "Hello? Killer robot's still at large!" Ben would have blushed if he could have and was glad he couldn't. Why did I even hold on to her for longer than I had to? He thought to himself confused. I'll figure that out later. Ben thought as he sent a laser beam back at the robot with a grin as it exploded "Oh yeah! Who's bad?" He said as he celebrated football style by jumping up and doing a little jig. He stopped when he saw everyone stared at him and quickly walked away.
At the campsite later, Gwen and Max were packing up when Ben as XLR8 ran to them in a blur and finished picking up in no time flat. He smiled when he saw Gwen's pleasantly surprised expression. "Uh…I'll be right back." XLR8 said as his faceplate went down, and he shot off in a blur. Ben liked running; the activity kept his body busy and left his mind free to think. Ben smiled as he saw J. T. and Cash. Payback time! Ben thought as he grabbed them and stuck them on a tree branch by their underwear. On his way back to the RV, Ben was a little surprised to find himself thinking of his cousin. She's a total nerd. He thought as he smiled. He had just gotten to The Rustbucket went the watch timed out. "Where to next, Grandpa?" Gwen asked as Ben sat in the booth. "First, we get some shuteye. Then, in the morning, we head to Washington, DC." He said with a smile as Ben groaned. The one thing he hated more than Math was History. Gwen heard Ben's unconscious expression of disappointment and resolved to herself to find a way to make learning fun for her apparently ADD cousin.
Ben tossed and turned as usual. He always found it hard to sleep peacefully on a bunk with the constant fear of falling out always looming in the back of his mind. Finally, sleep came to him after about an hour and a half after he climbed in the bunk. Gwen slept well, but she woke up from an odd nightmare where she had to watch the drone that she smashed revive itself and kill Ben. She woke with a gasp and looked around franticly. It was just a dream. She told herself as she felt her heart pounding in her chest. "What would I do if he really did die?" She whispered to herself quietly as she stared at Ben's bunk above her head. Max got up at about five-thirty in the morning and started driving. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gwen shivering. He smiled and put the RV on autopilot before he went to grab a blanket for her. As he put the blanket over her, Gwen whispered something, but Max's ears only picked up a faint trace of the sound. As Max knelt by his granddaughter, her lips repeated a single word: "Ben." Max decided he would let them sleep until they woke up. They need the sleep. He thought to himself with a worried frown.
It was around eight when Gwen got up. After she had a shower and got dressed, Gwen sat down to tell Max about her troubling nightmare. "Grandpa, can I talk to you?" She asked calmly as she sat down in the passenger seat and watched the interstate fly by out the window. Max smiled. "You know you can, Gwen." He said kindly. She sighed. "I had a nightmare that one of those drones we fought yesterday…killed Ben.' She said "Ben" so quietly. Max had to bend down to hear her. Max thought of so many Plumbers who died in the line of duty. "It was a nightmare, Gwen. Ben will be ok." Max only hoped he was right. Ben stumbled into the bathroom and took a very quick shower before he got dressed. He then sat in the booth and was waiting for another of Grandpa Max's special meals. He was saved as they came upon an apartment building in flames. Ben twisted the dial to Heatblast and flew out of the Rustbucket a green flash later. It was child's play for Ben to suck away the fire into himself. For Ben to get the young boy around his age and the boy's mother out was a different matter entirely. Ben had to blast a hole in the wall to get them out. Before anyone could see him, Ben returned to the Rustbucket.
On their way to The Natural History wing of the Smithsonian, Max decided to stop at a local store and buy snacks for the day. That would be much cheaper than buying them on site. He reasoned to himself as Ben and Gwen ran off to stock up on their snacks and to restock their rations to survive Grandpa Max's cooking. There was a loud crash as Ben reached for a box of fruit snacks. Ben got a shocked look on his face and put the box back slowly as Gwen just shook her head with a small smile. Ben looked up, and his eyes narrowed as he saw a man on a giant toad filling a hole in the wall as the toad jumped to the electronics section of the store. Ben went into action, slipped behind a shelf, activated the Omnitrix, and became a red humanoid alien with the body of a bulked up wrestler and an extra set of arms under the first. Ben smiled as he admired his new form for a moment before jumping on top of the frog. The man, who looked a bit unhinged, smiled at Ben. "What an amazing creature!" The man said to himself as he watched the four-armed strongman battle his pet for a bit. The thief then looked over and grinned as he shot a bird Gwen was smiling at. The bird turned into a giant form of itself as Gwen screamed and ran away. Finally, the strange bandit said, "Come, my pet. We have much work to do!' Without another word, the man left on his unique mode of transportation with the giant frog following close behind.
As the watch timed out, Ben led the charge to the RV. Gwen looked at Grandpa Max worriedly as her nightmare still played in the back of her mind. He gave her a reassuring smile as they got in the RV. Gwen, who had taken a picture of the robber, distracted herself from her dark thoughts of worry surrounding her cousin by researching the man. "His name's Dr. Animo," she said calmly. "He was a promising vet researcher until they found out he was doing genetic experiments with animals." She said as Ben started to freak. "This guy is a real mad scientist? Cool!" Ben said as Gwen just sighed. Once they got to The Natural History Museum, there was a welcoming committee in the form of a living, breathing Woolly Mammoth. "I got Dumbo. Go find Animo!" Ben could have kicked himself for ordering Grandpa Max around, but the man understood and nodded as he and Gwen ran down a hallway. The boy looked at the mammoth with a grin and activated the Watch. Ben sighed in annoyance as he opened his eyes and saw blue tint covering them. I asked for Four Arms, not XLR8! He yelled at the Omnitrix in his mind in anger. The Mammoth bellowed angrily at Ben and moved to slap him aside with its trunk. Ben was too fast for the lumbering beast. "I can't play Ring around the Rosie with you all day." Ben mumbled. Then, he remembered something vaguely from science class. Wait a minute! Force isn't just about strength. He thought. The Force equation is F=mv where 'F' is force, 'v' is velocity or speed, and 'm' is mass. Ben grinned under his mask and hit the beast with a boost of speed. The giant mammoth tumbled like a tower. Ben laughed at seeing that. "What do ya know? School is useful after all." In a blur of black and blue, Ben raced off to find Grandpa and Gwen while he promised himself he wouldn't let Gwen in on his little realization. She would never let me live it down.
Meanwhile, Max and Gwen had their hands full with a demon cockatoo. Gwen happened to bump into an old spear. She grabbed it and felt a strange, almost innate ability to use the weapon. She knocked out the mutant bird surprisingly easy. This alarmed Max, who gave her a surprised look. Gwen smiled and played it off. "Ben's not the only one with skills." She said with a beaming grin but thought, How DID I do that? "My Transmodulator! It's complete!" Animo yelled as he reanimated a T-Rex. "Now, to get what is coming to me!" The Mad Doctor said as he jumped on the back of the monstrous dinosaur and charged off toward his unsuspecting target. As Ben ran up to them in his human form, the giant cockatoo awoke and ran at Gwen before flying off with her in its talons. "Gwen!" Ben yelled out as his hand furiously searched for Stinkfly. The green glow from the Watch had not yet fully dissipated, and Ben was already airborne. "Give me back my cousin, Polly!" Ben growled as he shot at the bird with green goo from his eyes. The bird squawked angrily at Ben and dropped Gwen off at the Washington Monument. Ben sucked in air, spat green goop on the bird's eyes, and used the opening to grab Gwen. She was able to push a wide grin back to a small smile as she looked at her cousin because of the horrid smell he emitted, but that didn't stop her from hugging him. Ben ignored her by convincing himself she was a growth on his neck.
They weren't out of the woods yet as Ben threw Gwen into the air and caught her on his back to better position her in case Polly showed its face again. It made Ben chuckle to hear her scream at the sudden shift in position, but a small part of him found an odd sense of comfort in it to know she was safe enough for him to scare her and not something or someone else. "Move it, Stinkbreath! I read that a Dr. Kelly got the award instead of Dr. Frankenstein." Ben looked around and spotted the dinosaur with relative ease. "Hang on tight!" Ben said as he flew down toward the T-Rex. Gwen smiled as she noticed the dial on Animo's chest. "Are you a good shot with that goop you can shoot from your eyes?" Ben smiled and blasted the controls. They sputtered and sparked as the T-Rex returned to a pile of bones. As the Watch, timed out, Ben landed on his butt, but Gwen landed on her feet. Ben smiled in spite of himself as he got to his feet.
After all the commotion was over and the police gone, Ben walked over to his cousin and with shifting feet asked, "Could you…" His cheeks burned red. "…teach me how to do that sometime?" Gwen looked at him with a 'come again?' look on her face. "I want you to teach me how to land on my feet, so I don't look like a Doofus if the Watch times out while I'm Stinkfly." He said with a sigh. She smiled. That's never good. Ben thought as Gwen sighed. His worry must've showed on his face because she said, "You trust me to kick bad guy butt. Why won't you trust me to teach you a skill that could save your life?" Ben couldn't argue with that logic. He sighed and followed her to the roof of the RV. "When you are falling, DO NOT tense up. Relax and roll when you hit the ground." Ben nodded. "Relax and roll. Relax…and roll." Ben played it over in his mind and did it perfectly. "Beginner's luck." Gwen said with a smile. "Again." Gwen said calmly as Max walked up. "What are you two doing?" Max asked, pleasantly surprised to see his grandchildren working well together. "I'm teaching Ben how to fall." Gwen said happily. That took Max definitely by surprise. Max had surely thought that one of Gwen's favorite activities was watching Ben make a fool out of himself. That is, unless she took the nightmare she had seriously and didn't want him to get hurt.
It was about an hour after dark when Max called Ben and Gwen in for a supper of Mealworm Stew. "So, what do you think?" Max asked them with a grin as he watched both of them sop up their bowls about a record thirty minutes later! "Delicious!" They said together. Max smiled to himself. "What was in it, Grandpa?" Ben asked with a smile. "I can't tell. It's a secret." Max said with a smile. For the first time, Gwen and Ben went to bed full of what Max had cooked without using the "emergency" snacks the kids stocked up on during the weekend. Ben tossed and turned in his bunk. It was strange. He had never dreamed of Gwen before, but the movie that played to entertain his sleeping mind this night was far from what he expected. Gwen was trapped on a knife board. Ben wasn't blindfolded, but his vision could be best described as clouded. He could see outlines of the board and Gwen but nothing else besides the white field that obscured his vision. He took a knife, threw it, and…woke up with a start. Gwen, perhaps guided by what she knew within the deepest recesses of her heart was a crush on her cousin, got out of her bunk and slept beside Ben. Oddly, Ben didn't move or say a thing for the rest of the night. Gwen woke up first and climbed back into her bunk in the middle of the night when she thought no one was watching. As Gwen curled up and went to sleep, Max quietly stepped out of the RV and sighed. "How do I handle it? What if Ben breaks her heart?" With Ben it isn't 'if' but 'when'. Max added in his thoughts as his spoken words floated into the star-filled sky. The voice of his beloved Verdona came to him on the wind with an answer. "You can't stop Love, Max. If you get in the way, Love only gets stronger." Max sighed and started to softly sing "Good Night, Sweetheart" by David Kersh to himself as he smiled at the sky and went to bed.
The next morning, Ben and Gwen woke up as the smell of bacon, sausage, and pancakes filled the RV. Max knew they had a rough night when he saw circles around the children's eyes. They both looked tired, but Ben and Gwen's faces lit up when they saw the normal breakfast for a change. Ben, however, was immediately suspicious. "So…what's the occasion, Grandpa?" Max just smiled and said nothing. He had a surprise for Ben and Gwen tonight, and it was going to stay that way. After breakfast, Ben jumped in the lake and swam around for a bit. It was nice to just have a normal summer day for a change. As he swam, his mind relaxed and was able to process things easier. Ben found himself thinking about his clouded dream. Clouded, this boy's future is. Ben thought as he laughed at himself. "Maybe I can talk to Grandpa about it." He said aloud as he swam toward shore. After he got out of the lake and toweled dry, he noticed a thin layer of hair all over his body. It was so fine that the hair would most likely go unnoticed if Ben kept his mouth shut. Gwen had gone back to bed after breakfast and was just getting up as Ben was getting dressed for the day. Weird. Ben thought with a shrug. What Ben failed to notice was that Gwen was getting out of his bunk instead of hers.
Ben decided to wait and talk to Grandpa Max when Gwen was absorbed in her laptop. The last thing he wanted was for her to hear him talk about his dream and come up with dumb theories about him. When Ben was certain his cousin was firmly settled in Dweeb-ville, the boy approached his grandfather. Max looked over. "What is it, Ben?" The man asked kindly. Ben told Grandpa Max every detail of his dream from not being able to see clearly to waking up when he threw the knife. Max looked calmly at his grandson and tapped his chin in thought as he listened. Ben has a buried crush on Gwen and is nervous about telling her because he doesn't want to hurt her. Max thought as he suppressed a smile and said, "Just keep calm, and you'll figure it out when the time comes."
As Max pulled up to a 4-star hotel that night, he yelled, "Surprise!" Gwen beamed, "A real bed and shower!" Ben was happy because he thought he'd finally be able to do some sleeping for a change. "Don't get comfortable. We're only staying tonight." Max warned as he looked at them. Ben and Gwen ran to the game room. Gwen wanted to show Ben up in a Game of Sumo Slammers: Battle Ring. They played the game for a bit, and Gwen quickly got the hang of it after a few crushing defeats at the hands of her cousin. Of course as the "tournament" wore on, Gwen adapted and was soon kicking Ben's butt. That's not to say Ben didn't fight her because he did. Ben could have sworn Gwen could read his mind. At the final battle, having run out of a supply of quarters for the game, they fought hard with Ben winning the final battle but not the war. Gwen tallied the final numbers and smiled. 27-25.I didn't do too badly. She thought as she saw Ben go off to sulk.
Ben left the game disappointed. As he looked up from his feet, he saw a kid in ratty clothes overloading the games. The kid turned as Gwen walked up to Ben and smiled as he picked up a handful of coins and asked, "You want some?" Ben reached out only to have Gwen grab his arm. She glared at him and whispered, "Ben, that kid is nuts!" Ben shook the dollar signs from his mind. "Ben! Listen to me! He shorted out the games with electricity. You probably don't know, Doofus, but the brain works on electricity." Ben's eyes went wide. "His brain is wired all funky because he juices?" Gwen was nodding slowly when Kevin noticed them talking. "You think I'm a freak?" He growled as rings of blue electricity formed around his hands. Gwen pushed Ben to the floor just as energy flew over their heads. Ben would have laughed at his cousin's messed up hair from the static electricity if they were not about to die from electrocution. Then, he saw Gwen's eyes. The fear in those beautiful emerald gems made him angry, angrier than perhaps he'd ever been. With a glare of pure hate, Ben activated the Omnitrix.
The green glow dissipated. Diamondhead rushed Kevin and gripped the kid by his shirt. "No one scares her but me. Understand, Smallfry?" Kevin smirked darkly. "Oh. I understand perfectly." Kevin said as he grabbed the faceplate of the Watch, and some of its energy rushed into him. Kevin laughed insanely as his body mutated into a smaller, dried blood red version of Four Arms. Kevin laid into Ben with everything he had. Kevin looked over at Gwen with a terrifyingly plain, twisted grin. That sent Ben into a "berserker mode" of sorts as he pulverized Kevin's head into the wall. The insane kid wouldn't take "No," for an answer. Kevin football tackled Ben with a yell. They rolled for a few moments before Kevin kicked Ben off and grabbed Gwen. Ben roared in rage and imagined crystal swallowing the boy. Ben was shocked as a crystal lattice began to grow around Kevin, immobilizing him. Gwen noticed something odd. She was able to feel the monster's grip weakening. Ben stabbed Kevin in the arm as the monster let out a scream in pain and was forced to let go of Gwen. As the Watch timed out, and Gwen fell into Ben's arms and sobbed. He held her tight rubbed her back. "Shhhh…you're fine. No one will hurt you while I'm here." That's a promise! Ben growled in his mind. "Come on. Let's find Grandpa."
Max was getting settled in the room when the children came to him. They both had worried looks on their faces. Within the overall worry, Max could tell Ben was furious while Gwen was petrified. Max glared at Ben. "It wasn't me! I-" Max cut him off with a raised hand and turned to Gwen. "What happed, Gwen?" She looked at Ben and took a deep breath. "You probably won't believe me, Grandpa." Max smiled reassuringly, encouraging her to go on. "We ran out of quarters for the arcade and were about to leave when this kid fried a game and made it spit out its cash. He offered Ben some but lost it when Ben turned him down. Then…" She froze, unable to continue, so Ben picked up the story. "…he tried to fry us with electricity. I wasn't going to take this sitting down. I turned into Diamondhead and wrestled with the kid until he absorbed some of the Watch's energy and turned into a mutated Four Arms. He punched me away and grabbed Gwen." That was a stupid move on the kid's part. Max thought as Ben continued. "What happened next? I don't really understand, but I somehow trapped the monster's legs in crystal. After that, we came to you." Sounds like an Osmosaian, Max thought as he got up. "Can you show me?" Ben looked at Gwen as if to ask her if she could go in there again. When she gave Ben a small nod, he looked at Max and said, "Yes, sir."
Ben and Gwen led their grandfather to the game room or what was left of it. There was a hole in the drywall where Diamondhead almost killed Kevin. Busted games and pieces of electronics were stowed all over the room. Toward the door stood a small crystal mountain but no sign of the psycho trapped in it. "W-where did he go?" Gwen asked nervously. Ben smiled at her. "He shows his ugly face again, I'll pound him." Max sighed. "You said he used energy, right?" The children nodded. Then, a light bulb went off in Gwen's head. "Maybe, he's like a living battery." Then, she looked at Ben and saw a figure about his height standing in the shadows behind him as she whispered, "He's looking for a charge! BEN, LOOK OUT!" Ben rolled right as Kevin lunged for him. Max's eyes went wide. It would end up being Devin's kid. Maxthought with an irritated sigh. "Come on. Change of plans. We're leaving!" Max ordered as Gwen screamed. Apparently, Four Arms wasn't the only alien the kid, whom Ben head his grandfather call Kevin, could mimic. Kevin used XLR8's speed to grab Gwen and was already almost out of sight by the time Ben activated the Omnitrix and chased after Kevin as the genuine article while Max trailed them in the RV.
Ben wasn't mad. He was pissed as he pushed XLR8 faster than the alien body had ever gone before. Once Ben caught up to Kevin, he jostled Gwen out of Kevin's slack grip before she jumped onto Ben's back. Once Gwen had her arms firmly around Ben, he grinned, pulled back on the speed so he was behind Kevin, and bum rushed him. Ben then went as fast as he could into a rapidly approaching cliff. With a yell of effort, Ben slammed Kevin into the cliff at 300+ miles an hour. Kevin's body carved a deep cave in the side of the cliff. Gwen knew what Ben wanted and screamed, "No!" as the Watch timed out. Ben glared at the new cave in the cliff and took a step toward the cave. "Ben, please, he won't do it again! Don't stoop to his level, Doofus!" She said as she hugged him crying. Hearing Gwen cry drained every bit of rage out of Ben as he turned to Gwen and hugged her tightly. Max pulled up but didn't get out as he watched Ben and Gwen embrace. Ben wiped Gwen's eyes as she gave him a nervous smile and looked around to see they were in the desert somewhere. "Where are we?" Gwen asked as she looked at Ben. Ben shrugged. "We're somewhere in the desert." He smiled as Gwen glared at him. Then, they turned to see Grandpa Max and blushed deeply. "Welcome to New Mexico." He said to them with a smile as they climbed into the RV.
Ben and Gwen were lost in their thoughts as Max drove through the desolate country on a deserted road. Ben was trying to distract himself with a game, but it wasn't working. He finally gave up and sat on his bunk to try and figure out why he enjoyed hugging and being hugged by his cousin. Am I going crazy?! Ben asked himself as he sat on his bunk and sighed. As he laid his head on the pillow, he got a whiff of Gwen's shampoo. A part of him wanted to yell at her for napping in his bunk when hers was just below his and easier to get to, but then he remembered almost succumbing to his anger with Kevin. That scared him into letting this little thing slide. Gwen was reading a book she'd picked up called The Cross-time Chronicles but couldn't get into it because her mind was elsewhere. He hugged me! She thought to herself happily over and over in her mind.
Max thought the kids needed a laugh after dealing with Kevin, so he was delighted when he saw the circus was in town. To his knowledge, Ben and Gwen had never been to a circus. He smiled to himself as he followed the signs and was soon in the parking area not far from The Big Top. Ben looked around and started to get nervous. Maybe there are no clowns in this circus. Ben thought to himself. Ben knew the thought was stupid, but the boy could hope. He was soon proven wrong as soon as the show started. The star of the circus was a clown. This one seemed even creepier to Ben somehow. He looked to Ben like what might happen in the unholy union of Steven King's Pennywise and the Joker, the two most terrifying clowns in the boy's memory. Then, there was that creepy machine that hung, looming ominously, over the crowd as they laughed at the creep. "Uh…I'm going to go get some more popcorn." Ben said as he ducked out while Gwen and Grandpa Max were still laughing at the Mayor of Creepsville.
While Ben was busy trying to calm his fears, he noticed the side acts of the show stealing from venders who had set up shop to cash in on the circus being in town. Time for them to meet my guard dog. Ben thought as he activated the Omnitrix. Wildmutt smiled as he defeated The Freaks with relative ease. The one called Acid Breath was the most difficult until Ben stopped up
Acid Breath's mouth by kicking a bag of cement into it. "Go get The Boss!" Frightwig yelled at Thumbskull. He nodded and ran off. Ben whimpered and backed up as he saw their boss was the devil clown, Zomboso. Ben noted the guy looked even creepier when he was annoyed. "This is what you interrupted me for?" Zomboso growled. The Freaks then beat Wildmutt to a pulp. For once, Ben was relieved when the Watch timed out, and the quartet of bad guys left. Now, to find Gwen and Grandpa Max. Ben thought as he ran to find nothing there but a few people crying and Grandpa Max sitting on a step, forlorn. "Grandpa, where's Gwen?!" Max looked up at his grandson tiredly. "I…don't know." He said slowly as Ben almost pushed Max to the RV.
"Grandpa, stay awake." Ben told him worriedly as they caught up to Zomboso in an abandoned theme park. Ben got out and ran into the darkness as he yelled Gwen's name. "Go tend to the brat." Zomboso ordered his underlings as they ran to intercept Ben. Ben glared at the trio, pissed. "I don't have time for you Freaks!" Ben growled as he activated the Watch, turned into XLR8, and made the Freaks bounce around like Multi-ball Pinball. As they were screaming and grunting at repeated impacts, Ben let his anger lose on them. "You have no idea what you've done. Do you?" Ben asked as he let them bounce around for about fifteen seconds longer. Then, he bound them up tightly in Frightwig's hair and zoomed off to search the rest of the park.
Ben stopped at The Hall of Mirrors as the Watch timed out. "Well, I've searched everywhere else," Ben said as he talked to himself. "Gwen has to be in there."As Ben started walking through the hall, he heard Zomboso laughing. His fear turned to anger in an instant. "Zomboso! Give me back my cousin!" Ben's shout of anger was answered by the floor opening and swallowing him. Ben fell for about a half a minute before hitting something hard with a grunt of pain. Then, the lights came on and he saw Zomboso, but strangely his eyes settled on the prone figure beside Zomboso. Gwen! Ben's mind screamed frantically. She looked horrible. Her face was drawn to her skin. She was pale and laughing hollowly. The thing that angered Ben the most though, was Gwen's eyes. The shine he secretly enjoyed in them was gone. Ben held his hands beside him as they balled up into fists. The burning rage in Ben's eyes sent a shiver down Zomboso's spine. With rage fueling him, Ben picked up Zomboso and threw him into his machine as it buzzed and sparked before a series of explosions finished off the busted machine. Ben ran to Gwen, picked her up in his arms, and couldn't help but smile as he watched her gradually come back from her zombiefied state. In that terrible moment of uncertainty as he waited for Gwen to come back, Ben realized he loved Gwen, really and truly loved her. "*soft groan*…Ben? W-what happened?" She asked with a sleepy smile. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said as he set Gwen on her feet. "Let's go find Grandpa." Ben suggested as they walked out together. Ben then heard "As Long As You Love Me" by Backstreet Boys playing in his head.
Ben tried not to smile as he and Gwen met up with Max. The Old Man was definitely back to normal, and that relieved Ben a little as he got back in the RV. Gwen also seemed none the wiser that Ben was holding her when she came back to him. That was the biggest relief of all as he sat in the booth. The last thing Ben wanted was for Gwen to know he loved her and throw it back in his face. If only Ben would have known about the huge grin behind him on his cousin's face. Gwen wasn't completely there as she returned from her zombie form, but she was aware enough to feel Ben's arms holding her gently. Gwen knew society would look down on them, but she didn't care. The only thing she would wait for was for Ben to tell her how he felt. Ben sighed. Best to avoid her. He thought as Grandpa Max called for chowtime.
The whole atmosphere while the three of them ate was dead. With the exception of the sounds of food being eaten and a radio playing softly in the background, all was silent. Finally, Max broke the silence when he saw Ben and Gwen finishing their meals. "How was it?" Gwen gave her Grandfather a nod of approval. Ben just sighed. "It was good, Grandpa." He said lowly as he put his fork and plate in the sink and walked out of the RV with a heavy sigh. Ben couldn't understand it. He knew in his heart that she was the one for him, but he was petrified of rejection. What he really needed now was someone to talk to about the situation. Grandpa Max would probably bury Ben. At least, that was what Ben thought. He found himself sniffing the air. Something familiar about that scent, but I can't place it. Ben thought in aggravation as a shadow moved out of the corner of his eye. He found himself growling as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Peace, my pup." A woman's voice said calmly as she smiled at him. "Who are you?" Ben asked the Wolf Lady nervously. "I am your mother." The woman replied with a kind smile. Ben just stared at her. "How-" "I'll explain everything when you get to the Navaho Reservation. For now, tomorrow, when Grandpa Max takes you to the Reservation, act like you have a crush on a girl." Ben swallowed hard. "It's easier than it sounds, my son." The woman said with a comforting smile before disappearing into the night. Ben sighed. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. He thoughtto himself before he headed back to the Rustbucket for the night.
The next morning, Ben was surprised to find The Navaho Reservation more boring than he expected which is saying quite a lot. Mr. Green, a friend of Max's, lead them around the village. Gwen was enamored with all the artifacts and other items. Ben was about to give up on what his supposed mother had told him to do, when Ben saw Kia. "Could this vacation get anymore…cooler?" Ben asked with a dazed expression as he watched Kia dance as it started to rain. "Uh…were you doing a rain dance?" Gwen asked nervously as the soft rain quickly turned into a storm. "Positive. Why?" Gwen jumped as lightning touched down. "That's why!" Max grabbed Kia and Gwen as Ben saw the wolf again. She growled and he gave a slight nod as he reached for the Omnitrix. "You want a fight? You got one!" Ben yelled as he slammed down the faceplate and became Ripjaws. The Wolf ran as water came rushing up. "Flash flood!" Mr. Green yelled as Kia got swept away by the water, and Ripjaws jumped in after her. He grabbed her and jumped onto the bridge as the Watch timed out. "Thanks." Kia said nervously.
Back at Navaho Museum, Mr. Green explained about the Navaho version of a werewolf. "I'll trap it and bag it," He declared. "The girls will stay here where it's safe." Gwen glared at Mr. Green. "Grandpa!' He looked back at her. "Their land. Their rules, Gwendolyn." Gwen recoiled at hearing her full name. Once they found the Wolf sifting through a pile of electronics, Ben wanted to jump in front of the tranquilizer dart but, instead, bumped Mr. Green as he fired, making him miss. The Wolf turned and attacked them. Ben jumped in the way right as a claw came down. The Watch sparked and turned yellow. The Wolf's eyes went wide as she saw that she attacked her own pup. Then, she left quickly. No one could see as she ran, but she was softly crying.
When everyone met back at the RV, Ben kept up the charade to Kia by telling her all about his alien heroes much to Gwen's disgust which hid a broken heart. Then, Ben started scratching. "Ben, are you…?" Kia was cut off as Ben started scratching his back. His face turned blue, his ears got pointy, and he grew fangs. Kia screamed and ran back to her grandfather. "Ben was attacked by the Yeneldooshi!" Ben looked at Gwen. "No! I wasn't." He protested calmly. Somehow, Gwen could tell Ben wasn't lying and thought. I knew that girl was trouble! Ben wanted to tell Gwen that the wolf was his mom but was scared she wouldn't believe him. As the night wore on, Ben continued to change. Ben glared at Kia before they split up to find the antidote to the "werewolf curse." Ben and Gwen met up again, and Gwen almost cried when she saw Ben's wolf form. She gave him a forced smile as they walked. Ben was ecstatic. "This is awesome!" He said as he sniffed the air and got a familiar scent. "I just want you to be you." He heard Gwen mumble sadly. He heard a howl as his mother jumped them. Ben instinctively pushed Gwen to the ground as he and his mother slammed into each other. "My name is Luna." She said as she and Ben tussled. "I see you've adapted well, my pup." He smiled and gently pushed her off as they both got up. Kia, ever the drama queen, said, "He's under the beast's spell!" Ben subconsciously pulled back on his wolf form to show he was fine and that Kia had been lying the entire time. "Hey, Gwen," he said gently as he saw her crying. "I'm still me." He whispered as he hugged her comfortingly.
Luna glared at Kia. "Think I am a monster, do you?" Kia was speechless. "You…can talk?!" Kia managed. Luna growled in response. "Why did you only become interested in Ben when he started changing?" Kia's face beaded sweat. "I…wanted to train and tame him." Gwen's eyes burned with anger as she walked up and grabbed Kia by the shirt. "Train him?! He's a person not a pet!" Gwen growled. "By the way, sister, I'm the only person who can 'tame' him!" Luna laughed at that. So, she does love him. She thought as she hid a grin and slipped away. Gwen quickly let go of Kia as Ben whimpered at her, hurt. Kia just sneered at him with a dark grin and walked off. Gwen put a hand comfortingly on Ben's shoulder. "That's the thing about a crush. Sometimes you get crushed."
If only you knew, Gwen. Ben said inhis mind as he actually debated buying a dream catcher to see if it would work. His Knife Game Nightmare had only gotten worse in the passing nights. Gwen walked over. "What is it, Doofus?" Gwen asked. Ben was taken off guard by the way she said "Doofus". It lacked her usual hint of aggravation, replaced now by a tone of…concern? Was she sick? Ben found himself thinking as he turned toward her. "Nothing's wrong, Dweeb." He said calmly. "I can tell when you're lying." She said, flatly as she pointed to his ears which were pinned back in sadness. "Just a nightmare." He said quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?" Gwen offered as she put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged her hand off. "I don't think I can…" He said to her as his voice shook with nerves. Gwen was truly worried about him. She had woken up on more than one night recently to Ben screaming her name at the top of his lungs in a dead sleep. Grandpa Max would make sure Ben was fine and then go back to bed as if a ten year old being tormented by night terrors was an everyday occurrence. Gwen couldn't do that to him. The unknown love she had for her cousin compelled her to softly sing in his ear until he went back to a restful sleep.
At that moment, Kevin was groaning and grumbling in the deepest part of the cave made by his body. He wondered why that snot-nosed punk Ben had beaten him. Gwen will be MINE! He thought darkly as a tall shadow blocked the light and plunged him into darkness. "Who are you, Paul Bunion?" Kevin grumbled with an irritated sigh. "I have no time for your games, puny Osmosian!" Vilgax roared as he grabbed Kevin and threw him out of the cave. Kevin grunted in pain as his face hit the dirt…hard! "The big bad Vilgax…What do you want with me?" Squidface smiled. "To get revenge on Tennyson, I need your particular skills." Kevin's mouth formed a twisted grin. "I'm in. Whatever you say, Chief." Vilgax chuckled darkly. "Now, we wait." He said with a gnarled grin.
Ben woke up well rested and in a good mood which was definitely strange, especially when he considered his track record of sleep wasn't that good for the past few nights. What did I do different? Ben thought as he sighed, got a shower, picked up his laundry, and started washing his clothes before he knew what he was doing. Max was getting breakfast ready when he heard the washer start up. That's odd. Max thought to himself,but he shrugged it off as Ben finally maturing. Gwen woke up to the sound of the washer and smiled to herself as she sat at the booth and waited for breakfast to be served. "What's got both of you in such good moods?" Max asked. "I actually slept for the first time in a while," Ben said happily. "I'm glad Doofus is washing his clothes." Ben knew why he was washing his clothes, but he couldn't understand why. Sure, it kept them clean, but he didn't usually care about that. What's happening to me? He thought not really panicky, just surprised. As Ben and Gwen sat down to breakfast, Max sighed. Hopefully, today will be normal. His hopes would be realized, but this would be a completely different situation for his grandkids.
After Ben put up his laundry, he sighed. "What does that stupid nightmare mean?" Ben asked himself as he went out for a walk so he could think. As he walked, Ben felt as if someone was following him. "Gwen, this isn't funny!" He yelled out. "I'm not your stupid cousin!" A voice said as he looked up to see a fifteen year old girl wearing a dark magenta coat with purple accents and matching purple boots. "No one calls my cousin stupid but me! Who are you?" Ben growled. The girl smiled and laughed. "You may call me…Charmcaster." The girl said as she jumped down. Ben suddenly felt something knock him to the ground from behind. Ben turned and saw a guy in a hooded black and red coat. His face was white with black vertical stripes on his lips and a menacing staff in his left hand. You just messed with the wrong kid, Houdini! Ben thought as he activated theWatch and turned into…Greymatter?! I'm dead. Ben thought as he dodged a blast. A thought hit Ben, and he jumped onto Charmcaster's face. Ben was mildly surprised as the guy Charmcaster called Uncle Hex took the shot anyway. Ben jumped away right as the blast of energy hit. Charmcaster was knocked out by the impact. "You will pay dearly for that, you little pest!" Hex, his eyes glowing with yellow fury, growled as the staff warmed up for a death blow.
"Ben!" Gwen's voice yelled right as she jumped from the tree that stood over him and deflected the blast back at Hex somehow. "How did you-" Ben tried to ask as Gwen put him on her shoulder as the blast hit Hex's collar of glowing yellow charms and knocked one loose. Gwen caught it and ran off with Hex and Charmcaster on her and Ben's tail. As Gwen ran, the charm's rune lit up bright light blue. A passing crane arm with a steel I-beam in its tow slammed Charmcaster and Hex into a wall. Ben smiled. "How'd you do that?" Ben asked as his grin widened. "I didn't do anything, Doofus!" Gwen yelled at him. "You must have done something. The rock in your hand is glowing." Ben said as he jumped off Gwen's shoulder and timed out. Gwen looked at the charm curiously as she ran her fingers over the Rune. "Luck…" She translated to herself as she looked at Ben. "I think this charm is genuine magic." Ben gave her a "Duh!" Look. Gwen felt a little hurt by that. Is this how it feels when I do that to him? She wondered to herself. "Come on, Dweeb," Ben said as he saw her sad look. "We better get back to the RV and tell Grandpa." Ben advised.
Back at the RV, Ben and Gwen told Max about their experience as Gwen showed him the charm. Max eyed it carefully. "All right. Buckle up! We're leaving!" Max ordered. The kids shared a puzzled look as they clicked in their seatbelts. Ben couldn't explain why, but he had to force himself to look away from her. "What's wrong with me?" He muttered to himself as he found a decent-looking book cover and started reading in an attempt to distract himself. Gwen looked over, saw Ben reading, and did a double take. Ben's reading?! Gwen thought in shock. Ben decided, when he was done with the first chapter of a book about a guy on a whaling ship, he couldn't look at Gwen because she saved his butt when the Watch wouldn't act right. "Thank you for the save, Gwen." He said as he looked up at her with a small smile. Gwen was even more unnerved by him thanking her without prodding from Grandpa Max. "Ben, we need to talk." She said as she put her book down and walked to the back of the RV as Ben shrugged and followed. "What do you want, Dweeb?" Ben asked. "What is wrong, Ben? Are you ok?" He looked at Gwen confused, "Yeah. Why?" Ben said with a frown. "You've been acting strange for a while. What's going on?" Ben looked away from her and sighed. "I keep having this nightmare where you are on a wheel and I have knives in my hand. I can't see, but as I throw the knives, I wake up," Ben said to her quietly. "I've been a jerk to you, and I'm sorry." He said as he looked up at her. The ten year old boy was shocked by what happened next. Gwen smiled, kissed Ben's cheek as Ben's face turned beet red, and said, "I'm glad you're growing up, Doofus."
Max hit the gas and tore down the highway. Max was worried. Hex had almost succeeded in killing Verdona when she and Max were newlyweds. Now, Gwen had put herself on Hex's hit list when she saved Ben. Max would die before he let that slimy sorcerer near his grandkids! "Grandpa, why the rush?" Ben asked. "Those people back there killed your Grandmother." Max said with a heavy sigh. "She was the most powerful magic wielder in the world." He told them as Gwen's mouth hit the floor. "I inherited her powers?" Gwen asked. Max nodded and said, "That's why the charm works for you." Ben sighed. "Why are we running?" He asked. "I can beat the crap out of them easily." His question was answered by the sound of medal footsteps on the pavement. "Hello, Tennyson." Ben looked at Vilgax with a glare. "I don't know who you are, but you are going down!" Ben yelled as Max tried to stop the boy, but it was too late. Ben was already in front of the RV in a fighting stance he saw in a movie once. In mid-motion to activate the Omnitrix, a blur grabbed his arms and pulled them painfully behind him. "Remember me, Tennyson?"
Ben smirked. "Kevin? I didn't know you worked for a fish." He said calmly. "Why you little…!" Kevin smoked Ben with a hard uppercut that sent him flying. "You Osmosian Fool!" Vilgax roared as he charged Kevin. Gwen felt her heart scream inside her chest as she watched Ben forced away from her. She then gritted her teeth as her eyes glowed blue. Sinew invisibus! She thought as two large boulders crushed Kevin in a sandwich of rock. Gwen's eyes returned to green, and she passed out with a tired sigh as Max waited to lay her in her bed. "What's the matter, Tennyson? Is your pathetic human compassion not allowing you to kill me?" Vilgax asked with a dark grin. "No, Vilgax…" Max turned the RV's turret laser on him and fired. "…distraction." Meanwhile, Ben was in the air grinning as he sailed on the power of Kevin's punch. He thought about using Stinkfly, but the bug wasn't that great in a firefight. Firefight… Ben thought to himself before he activated the Watch and rocketed back toward The Rustbucket.
Heatblast arrived just in time to see Kevin use the distraction provided by Vilgax to get to Gwen…or so he thought. Ben controlled his heat as he flew through the RV but let his anger go as he slammed into Kevin. "You…WILL NOT…ever come near her…AGAIN!" Ben yelled as he scorched away all but Kevin's Heatblast Mutation. Kevin's shivering form was completely taken over by the mutation so that he looked like Heatblast, just a shade or two darker. "You can't beat me, Ben. I've got all your powers," Kevin said with a sneer. "Gwen will be mine!" Ben glared at Kevin with a look that made the psychopath shiver. With a cold stare, Ben sucked all heat from Kevin but left him alive. Vilgax watched the boy as some strange and foreign emotion he rarely felt, fear, started to settle in the chest of the cruelest warlord in the galaxy.
Gwen rose with a groan to look outside and see Kevin clinging to life as the Watch timed out, and Ben returned to normal. She ran to him, unsure of what she would find. As she hugged Ben, she instantly knew something was off. He was silent. Ben was NEVER silent, especially when it came to unwarranted affection from his cousin. This is not my Ben. She thought as she saw Vilgax charging them. "Tempetus Impatus!" Gwen yelled instinctively as a bolt of lightning struck Vilgax, temporarily frying his cybernetic implants. Ben, please come back to me! She pleaded with all her being as she looked into her cousin's dead eyes. With tears streaming down Gwen's face, she reached up and kissed Ben gently on the lips as her heart began to shatter. Ben blinked twice and came to himself with an odd but strangely comfortable warmth on his lips. He then stared at Gwen as the nightmare started to make sense. Ben smiled in the kiss and gently kissed her back as Max looked on with a grin on his face.
The moment of happiness didn't last, however as Vilgax started to move again. "How touching!" Vilgax said with a dark smile. "That will make it all the more enjoyable for me as I feel your tiny body get crushed between my muscles, boy." Ben let his Loboan half out, noted that the Omnitrix instantly went to Recharge Mode, and disoriented Vilgax with a concentrated howl. Then, Ben laid into him with claws tearing into his pale green skin. "A new hero?" Vilgax inquired. Ben shook his head. "Just *growl* me!" Ben said as he used his enhanced speed to always be in Vilgax's blind spot and strike from behind. Seeing only one way out of this one-sided fight, Vilgax put all he had into a sprint and captured Gwen. "You change or attempt to blast me, and she will die!" Vilgax growled. Ben gave Gwen a look that said, Trust me. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod. "You win, Vilgax. Now, give me Gwen." The warlord smiled as he handed Gwen over and lunged for the Omnitrix, but Ben expected a double cross and grinned as he howled right into Vilgax's ears. The warlord yelled in agony. "Go. Now!" Max ordered as they piled in the RV and tore the road a new one.
As Ben and Gwen saw the vacant desert slipping behind them, Ben slumped in his seat. "What's wrong, Ben?" The only response Ben gave Gwen was a long sigh. Why did I kiss her? Benasked himselfashewatchedthescenery and tried to ignore Gwen which was harder for him than he expected. Stop thinking about her, Ben! He yelled at himself. You were just happy to see her alive. That's why you kissed her. That's what he told himself, but in the deepest and most isolated part of his mind, he knew he loved her. All the effort he put into trying to ignore Gwen just had the opposite effect. Gwen, on the other hand, was so happy about the situation she could barely contain herself, but she did manage. Finally, when Ben did speak, the tone in his voice killed Gwen's joy the moment it came out. "Gwen, I enjoy the idea of us being together, and I would enjoy making it real. What about Dad and your parents?" Ben asked. He knew he'd messed up when he saw the pain in Gwen's eyes. Damn it! Ben cursed. "Gwen, I didn't mean-" She cut him off. "Forget it, Ben!" She then ran to the bathroom, slammed the door, and cried.
Ben's shoulders dropped, and he looked at Grandpa Max sadly. "What did I do wrong?" Ben asked the old man quietly. Max put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Let her cool off, and then, try to talk to her again." Ben looked even sadder when he heard that. Then, his face took on a scared and confused look. "How do you know about…us?" Ben asked. Max's eyes shone as he chuckled. "Don't worry. I've known long before you did." Max said to him with a smile. "I love her, Grandpa, but I don't want her to be separated from her Mom and Dad for me." Max sighed. "Ask her about how she feels about your Aunt and Uncle," Grandpa Max told him. "I would tell you, but I don't think that's my place to tell you." Max said as he gave Ben an encouraging look and pushed him toward Gwen's makeshift isolation cell.
"Gwen, are you ok?" Ben asked softly. Gwen sniffled before she yelled, "Go away, Ben!" Ben sighed and walked away without a sound. Gwen looked up as she heard Ben walk away. Not even a "Whatever, Dweeb!"? Gwen thought, worried as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Just talk to him, Gwen." She said calmly to her reflection before she walked out of the bathroom to find Ben staring dejectedly at a stain on the table. "Ben?" Gwen asked as she took a seat by him. Ben looked up and asked, "Why don't you like your parents?" Gwen looked at him almost in tears. She then lifted up her sleeve to show Ben aging yellow bruises on her arm. He noted that some were barely visible while others were just beginning to turn yellow. Ben looked at Gwen's arm in disbelief. Then, his eyes went wide, settled into anger, and started to burn with fury. "Who did that to you?" Ben asked as he fought to control the rage that was beginning to boil within him. "Mom does that every time I come home with less than a 'B' on anything, including pop quizzes that I could in no way prepare for!" Ben gently took her in a hug and whispered softly in Gwen's ear as she cried. When we get back, I will talk to Aunt Natalie and Uncle Frank. Ben thought to himself darkly.
Gwen sensed someone or something following them. The sensation was strange. She thought of it like a mystic Wi-Fi signal. The further the RV got from whatever or whoever was tailing them, the less tense Gwen was. Ben noticed and thought, What's wrong with her? He sighed and let the thought pass, but his hand remained over the Omnitrix as he prepared for a fight. Gwen suddenly shivered as the RV was sent flying before its back end went up and the RV started to topple end over end. Ben went Cannonbolt, grabbed Gwen and Grandpa Max, and bounced out of the RV to safety in Cannonbolt's indestructible ball. Ben rolled out of his pill bug form and smiled at Gwen in relief when he saw she was ok. Max was a little dizzy but unhurt otherwise.
Max's suspicions of who had been following them were confirmed when he heard the same voice that always haunted his dreams of Verona and turned them to nightmares. "So you are a descendant of that charlatan?" Hex asked Gwen as Ben glared at him. Charmcaster smirked. "You know? Your boyfriend is kinda cute." Gwen sighed. "He's not my BOYFRIEND!" For some reason, hearing that hurt Ben. He glared at the silver-haired teen and took his pain out on Charmcaster. "Newsflash: you have old lady hair and you're like ancient," Ben said as he activated the Watch. "If you want Gwen, you magic show rejects are going to have to get though me!" Ben growled as Wildmutt. Gwen could hardly believe her ears as Wildmutt pounced on Hex. How can I understand 'Mutt? Gwen thought confused as Charmcaster opened her creepy charm bag and threw three purple and grey balls at Gwen. The balls grew into strange rock creatures about as tall as Gwen and vaguely resembled turtles. Alright. This just got much harder than I thought. Gwen said to herself as terror began to fill her eyes.
While Gwen was fighting with Charmcaster, Ben had his hands full with Hex. The wizard proved to be more of a threat than Ben originally thought. I have to stop underestimating bad guys. Ben thought with a yelp as he jumped clear of a stream of fire. Through his thermograph-like "vision", Ben was able to keep track of Hex's movement easily. Getting close to the sorcerer however, was a different matter entirely. The staff… Ben thoughtcalmly as he jumped at it but was batted away. Ben landed hard on the ground with a quick yelp as he felt his ribs crack on impact with the unmoving ground. Then, Ben heard Gwen scream and anger filled him, making him temporarily unable to feel the stabbing pain in his side as he once again leaped for the staff, ripped it from Hex's hand in Wildmutt's jaws, and threw it to Gwen. Gwen saw the staff hit the ground and ran for it before the creatures could block it and play keep away. As Gwen's hand gripped the staff, she felt herself become one with it like she had with the old spear back in DC. Only this time, she felt a powerful bond that came with the innate skill to use the weapon. Grandma's staff! Gwen thought happily as the eyes and mouth of the head turned blue with her energy. Charmcaster paled at seeing the staff activate with Gwen's touch. "Wha- How is that possible?" Charmcaster croaked as she stared at the staff in disbelief. "Natural talent…" Gwen said calmly before her face contorted in ager, and she turned the rock creatures to dust with ease. Then, Gwen saw Ben motionless on the ground as the Watch timed out and returned the boy to his human form even as Hex was stepping toward Ben for the deathblow. "HEX!" Gwen roared as a blue wave of energy knocked the breath out of Hex with a grunt and sent him flying through at least two dozen trees.
Gwen's focus instantly shifted to Ben. She ran to Ben almost fast enough to rival XLR8. She then knelt by him and saw the color rapidly draining from Ben's face. "Grandpa!" Gwen yelled franticly while she shook with her cousin in her arms. Max ran to Ben, the old man's face was covered in worry as Max called 911, and an ambulance arrived seven and a half minutes later to take Ben to the nearest hospital. Gwen insisted on riding in the back of the ambulance with Ben while Max followed to the hospital in the RV. At the hospital, Gwen passed out from exhaustion in the ER waiting room. In what seemed like only a few minutes later, Gwen was shaken gently awake. "Gwen…" She heard Max say softly. "…Ben is awake if you want to see him." Gwen smiled and nodded. Then, she walked as calmly as she could to her cousin's room.
Ben sighed and looked up to see his parents in his face. Sandra was furious. "What were you doing with Grandpa Max to get you in the hospital, Benjamin Kirby Tennyson?" Sandra asked as she glared at her supposed son. Ben gulped. When Sandra used all three of his names, Ben knew his goose was cooked. "It was a skateboarding accident. Grandpa took Gwen and me to the skate park earlier, and I had a nasty wipeout." Ben said as he watched Sandra test the story in her mind. "Since when is Gwen into extreme sports?" Ben sighed happily as Gwen walked in. To my rescue like always. He thought with a smile as Gwen sighed. "Yeah. I've had my share of wipeouts," Gwen said calmly as she walked over and stood by Ben. "The Doofus is a good teacher when he wants to be." Sandra and Carl shared a shocked look. "Well, this is a nice change." Carl said with a smile. "We'll be right outside if you need anything." Sandra said with a kind smile. Ben nodded, but he would trust Gwen or even Vilgax before he trusted the woman who had the gall to act as if she was his mother.
Gwen looked at Ben worriedly. "What did the doctor say?" She asked as Ben coughed and almost screamed in pain. "I have three fractured ribs and a concussion." Ben said through a veil of pain. "Did the doctor give you any painkillers?" She asked as she watched Ben's Dad with keen eyes. "He gave me something to take, but I can't remember the name." Ben said sheepishly as he pointed to a small medicine cup with two white pills in the bottom of it by a jug of water with the hospital logo printed on it on a small rolling table. Gwen reached up and took the medicine cup and water. Then, she gave Ben the medicine and had him suck down a generous portion of water with it. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Ben asked confused as Gwen smiled and was about to tell him when Grandpa Max walked in. "How are you feeling, Ben?" He asked as Ben grunted in pain. "I'll be feeling better when the medicine kicks in." Ben said as he managed to smile through the pain. True, there was a physical side to the pain, but Ben was still hurting from what Gwen had told Charmcaster. Max nodded. "I'll be outside if you need me, Kiddo." Max said before he walked out and closed the door behind him.
Ben was sullen and quiet, but Gwen instantly knew something was bothering him. It wasn't the injuries that keep him quiet. His periodic glancing at her when he thought she wasn't looking told her that. "Ben, please tell me. What's wrong?" Ben found the courage to look at her though he knew she would be able to see the pain in his eyes. "Gwen, did you mean what you said to Charmcaster?" Gwen gave him a confused look. "What do you mean, Doofus?" She asked him. With a long sigh as if it was a pressure release valve that released the tightness Ben felt in his chest, Ben began. "In the fight with Charmcaster, when she called me your boyfriend, did you mean it when you said no?" Gwen looked at Ben shocked. "I didn't think it mattered," she told him. The next words she said stung both her and Ben. "We are just cousins after all." Ben felt the sting of sadness. It was a little like when Kia rejected him. Only this time, he wasn't acting, and that intensified the pain in Ben's chest as he felt his heart breaking. Ben then realized for the first time or, more accurately, allowed his feelings for Gwen to surface for the first time in the form of a single tear that trailed down his left cheek.
When Gwen saw the tear, she had a powerful urge to reach up and brush it away. She beat it back by telling herself, What you feel is wrong, and you know it! You're hurting him to save him. She told herself as she walked out without a word. She walked into the waiting area and tried to hide her own sadness as she sat down by Grandpa Max. Max thought his granddaughter was worried about Ben and said, "He will be ok, Gwen. Don't worry." He then kissed his granddaughter's forehead as a nurse called him over. About two minutes later, Max left with the nurse to go fill out some paperwork as he gave a nod to Gwen. Gwen looked to her right and saw a woman smile at her. Something about the woman seemed familiar, but Gwen couldn't place it right away. The woman sat down in the seat left vacant by Grandpa Max and smiled warmly at Gwen. At that moment, Gwen saw the woman's purple eyes and gasped. "Luna?!" Gwen asked in surprise as the alien she-wolf nodded. "Gwen, I am going to ask you something and want you to be completely honest," Gwen nodded, and Luna continued. "Do you love my pup?" Tears flowed freely from the girl's face as she nodded vigorously. "I do, but I know it's wrong." Luna was clearly startled by Gwen's answer. "Is it wrong because you say it is wrong, or is it wrong because society says it is?" Luna asked calmly. "I…don't want us to be seen as freaks." Luna smiled at that. "Remember who you are talking with, child." Gwen blushed and smiled at Luna. The young girl knew what she had to do, thanked Luna, and ran back to Ben with a beaming smile on her face.
Ben took a deep breath and fought pain as his chest screamed in protest. Here you go, Ben. You can do this! He thought to himself as he heard footsteps outside his door. You kick bad guy butt every day without flinching. How is this any different? He was mildly disappointed when a nurse revealed herself to be the one behind the door. "This is just a vitals check, Ben." The nurse assured him as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around the boy's arm with a smile. Her eyes went wide when she got the reading. "140/90," The nurse mumbled to herself. Then, she turned to Ben and asked, "Can I get you anything?" Ben thought about asking the nurse to go get Gwen but shook his head. "No, thank you." The nurse nodded nervously and walked out. Ben sighed as he watched the nurse leave while Gwen walked in. "What do you want, Dweeb?" Ben asked with a hiss. Gwen's eyes took on a hurt look as she walked up to his bedside. "I love you, Doofus." She said as she took his hand gently. Ben stared at her in disbelief. "W-what?" He asked, shocked. "You heard me, Ben." She said with a grin.
Ben sat up, mouth agape in shock. A few hundred emotions ran through the boy's mind. The large majority of them were varying degrees of confusion and happiness. Then, it hit Ben that his cousin might be just devious enough to be tricking him. That one thought destroyed Ben faster than an atomic bomb. Gwen saw his face fall and contort into hurt anger. She let out a long sigh as she figured out what Ben was thinking. "Ben, do you really think I'm as awful as some girls to play with you like that?" Ben could plainly hear the hurt in her voice that tore away his suspicions as he smiled at her. Ben put a comforting hand on Gwen's and gripped it in an attempt to let her know everything would work out. She smiled at him, and Ben almost instantly caved to the urge to cover Gwen's lips with his own. As he leaned up to kiss Gwen, Ben heard someone coming to the door, and quickly as he could, Ben laid back down. The hair on the back of Ben's neck bristled in anger as he recognized his aunt and uncle's voices. "…Max, we are taking Gwen home. WE FORBID YOU TO TAKE HER ANYWHERE!" Ben found his Loboan half fighting for freedom as his anger zoomed back to levels he felt while he fought Kevin. "Ben…" Gwen said timidly, worried he was going to do something incredibly stupid. Her main fear was that he would cause her parents to call his and unintentionally get them separated. Ben tried to control his anger as he spoke. "Someone has to do something." He said with same resolve he had when Vilgax and Kevin tag teamed them.
With that calming Gwen down for the moment, Frank and Natalie walked in with scowls on their faces. Ben swore he heard Gwen's heart start to thud rapidly in her chest. Ben let out a low-frequency howl, unheard by any human in the room. Ben's ear twitched to an "I'm here if you need me" response from his Mom. Then, he began. "Where the hell do you get off treating Gwen like shit?" Natalie and Frank were taken aback by their nephew's bluntness and his sharp words. The shock was plain on their faces, but Ben was just getting warmed up. "You BEAT her if she gets less than a fucking 'B'!" He literally growled out but was too pissed to notice."She's your daughter! Maybe you wouldn't have to beat good grades into her if you let her socialize like a normal kid her age. Better yet, you could get to know her and find out how cool Gwen is when the layers of constant pressure are pulled off of her!" Ben stopped at that point and glared at his aunt and uncle. They took that as an invitation to try and defend their case. "We love Gwen. We only want what's best for her." Ben glared harder. "Beating her?! That's in her best interests?!" Ben vaguely felt his wounds heal as his anger rose. "Guess what?" Ben growled as Gwen paled. Ben noticed and quickly changed what he was going to say. "I discovered real love over the summer, and it isn't what you frauds make it out to be." As Ben calmed down, Natalie and Frank got over the shock of what Ben said to them.
Then, Frank glared at his daughter, and she managed to pale even more if that were possible. "Come on, Gwendolyn! We're leaving!" Gwen gave Ben a pleading look. Don't let me leave with them! Please! Ben let out a second inaudible signal to Luna. Then, Ben pulled himself to a sitting position and stood before beaming a Death Glare strait at them. Gwen was clearly terrified as Frank roughly took her arm and made her yelp in pain. "I'd…let her…go." Ben growled as his voice got deeper. Frank smirked."She's my daughter," Frank said calmly. "You can't tell me what to do." Ben chuckled and shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I would say I was speaking to a kid." Ben growled. This time, he let out an audible howl. Frank stared at him in disbelief. "You sound like…" Frank turned pure white as Natalie looked at him, confused. "Who does he sound like, Frank?" She asked with some concern in her voice. Ben smiled as he looked behind his cousin's parents. "Hey, Mom." Ben said cheerfully. Frank and Natalie turned and expected to see Sandra though they had never known Ben to be so cheerful in greeting the woman they thought was his mother.
Each person in the room did something different when they saw Luna. When Frank saw those purple eyes, he jumped back. Natalie ran out of the room shaking and screaming for Max. This prompted Carl and Sandra to run in the room. Sandra froze in shock and stared at Carl. Carl kept mumbling, "Oh shit! I'm dead!" Gwen smiled at Ben, ran to him, and tried to crush him in a thank you hug. Ben just grinned at his Mom. Then, Ben's face went steely as he pushed Gwen behind him and changed after Max pulled the outside blinds down. Frank was shaking with absolute fear. "How does it feel to be afraid to even move, Uncle?" Ben asked as he glared down at Frank, his green eyes burning with rage. Frank shivered under Ben's gaze. That confused and terrified Frank. Then, he saw the look in Gwen's eyes as she hid behind Ben and knew something happened to them over the summer that allowed Gwen to trust Ben with her life. "Ben?" Frank asked the wolf creature that now stood before him nervously. "What do you want, Frank?" Luna asked. She spoke for her pup because she knew, if Ben was to answer, it would be with fangs and claws. "Let me go, please." Frank pleaded. Ben sighed as he pulled back on his Loboan form. "You really are a poor excuse for a father!" Luna growled in a low snarl before she stepped aside and let Frank pass.
Luna then settled her lethal gaze on Carl. "So? How is my mate?" She said "mate" with so much venom, Ben was worried he would have to try and keep his Mom from mauling his Dad. Sandra gave Carl a Death Glare. "I'm doing fine." Carl responded with as much strength as he could muster. Two women breathing fire down his neck was rapidly devouring his courage. "Luna, I thought it wouldn't work out between us." Luna glared harder at Carl. "You decided to leave me alone with a pup on the way!" Carl paled. "I didn't know about that until Ben showed up in a basket." Luna sighed. "I will be in touch." She promised Ben as she kissed his forehead and left. Sandra was still pissed and stormed off. Carl followed close behind and was clearly trying to win back his wife.
As Sandra and Carl left, Ben smiled at Gwen. Gwen felt like a massive stone was lifted off her back, but then a terrible thought leaped into her mind. "I don't want to go into the system." She said quietly, almost crying as she buried her face in his shirt. "That won't happen, Gwen," Ben assured her with a smile. Gwen was surprised by that. Maybe Ben's growing up. She thought happily as Ben continued. "If I have to, I'll talk to Mom and Dad to see if they could adopt you." Gwen was touched by this but knew it would be a REALLY awkward situation. Dating your adopted brother who is also your cousin? She thought, unnerved by the prospect. "No need for unorthodox plans, Ben," Max said as he walked in with a sigh. "I knew this day was coming," Max said as he looked at his grandkids with a smile. "Ever since you showed Ben your bruises, I've had the paperwork filed with the proper people to be able to take care of you, Gwen." The old man said with a smile and the twinkle of a tear in his eye as Gwen tackled him in a hug. Max smiled at his granddaughter and rubbed her back comfortingly as Ben walked over to them. "So this means…?" Gwen grinned and playfully said, "It means the summer isn't over, Doofus."