When presented with the facts or faced with the truth, Gwen was a girl who could get behind the science of things. There was no mistaking her biology, after all. Once it had been revealed to her in Verdona's blunt fashion that the very blood that pulsed through her veins was more or less of alien origin, her spell books and charms collected dust in the months that followed.
Between the demanding missions she and her team took on, her mounting schoolwork, rigorous karate practices, and the mess of feelings she had for a certain roughish ex-con, there was little time for soul searching, let alone for a proper night's sleep. Her belief in luck and superstitions, however, stuck with her. Her habit of tucking amulets under her shirt, silver chains typically bearing a dependable crystal of Labradorite lying coolly against her skin, couldn't be shaken. She had trusted in her stones for too long, relied on the strength and protection they imparted throughout thick and thin, to doubt them now.
Occasionally on the weekends when she was free of her stifling dress code, she donned jewelry engraved with runes that had become a mantra in her mind. On any given date night with Kevin, when they would lounge around on the couch, wait for their orders to be served, or sit through previews on a movie night, he would play with her bangles, toy with her rings, and kiss his way up to an earlobe pierced with mystical hieroglyphics. He always studied them, took the time to pay them attention and let them distract him, but he never dared to comment on the cryptic marks. Magic was a touchy subject between them. The apparently damned topic regularly led to roundabout disputes which left them exasperated, both further convinced of their opposing points.
She is able to forgive his stubbornness. Despite how much it vexes her, Kevin's guarded nature under his resolute bravado is something she has always been able to accept in hopes that, eventually, he would lay bare in her patience and compassion.
The night she takes her Lucky Girl persona out of retirement is her point of no return. It's some form of twisted irony, she thinks, when she puts her mask on for someone who is a complete and total skeptic. Turns out, Lucky Girl is a thief this time around. It had been irresponsible to let her knowledge of spells turn rustic, reckless to not have continued her collection of books. Stealing for the faithless, taking from the hexed — it bewildered her, but to hell with it if turning back time was going to save the men in her life.
Some of the things that she was capable of frightened her. Although tampering with time had taught her a crucial lesson in power and control, she still studied black magic just in case. Whenever Kevin was knocked down in a fight or when Ben's watch timed out at the most inconvenient of times, hexes would be poised on her open mouth, agape with terror. The bitter taste of a curse would sour the tip of her tongue only to be choked down when the awareness of her partners' life force gave her hope. She had her humanity, had made that choice long ago, but she was willing to compromise it for them.
Note: Labradorite is a stone of transformation and a useful companion throughout change and self-discovery, imparting strength and perseverance.
A/N: So I totally listened to Florence + The Machine's Ceremonials on loop while writing this. It really set the mood. For the longest time, I felt that the Ben 10 series really skipped out on some deep and interesting storytelling by neglecting or hardly acknowledging Gwen's supernatural abilities. Yes, I know she's an Anodite, an energy being extraordinaire, but for the longest time she relied on spells and charms and continued to use them after discovering her alien heritage. While she is a plumber and an alien-human hybrid, she is also a witch, so I decided to write about it.
I'm considering turning this into a drabble series, so feedback would be greatly appreciated!