Author's Note: This idea came from a picture I saw a few days ago. Enjoy.
A Wrinkle in the Wedding
Gwen groaned and rubbed her temples as another inexplicable migraine took her from her thoughts. As she stared in the mirror at the woman in the white veil, Gwen couldn't help thinking of her past, especially the past year. Kevin proposed to her almost exactly a year ago, and since that day, she'd had headaches whenever she thought about him or her future. They started out small but over the past year, they had grown until now the lights on the vanity above reproach her head almost blinded her. Something inside her screamed as she closed her eyes and tried to control the stimuli she received from the room. This is getting out of hand. Gwen thought with a sigh as she thought about when she first began to feel the headaches. A year ago a few hours after Kevin proposed… Gwen's mind traced back to that event. A pained smile graced her face. "It was so romantic." Seemingly in response to the statement, a memory came back to Gwen that she swore she forgot long ago.
Gwendolyn smiled at the ten year old Gwen and Ben. The older Gwendolyn smiled sadly as Ben ran through the time portal. When Gwen turned to follow Ben, a soft but firm hand stopped her. The young redhead looked at her older double.
"I know your Ben can be a real pain, but promise me something, Gwen." Gwen noticed a hitch in the older woman's voice. "Enjoy him while you can."
Gwen shivered as the words echoed in her mind. Why would I lose Ben? Gwen looked around her changing room and focused her energies on her mind, willing it to unlock completely and seek out walled off portions of her mind. Unfortunately, a knock at the door broke Gwen's concentration.
As her eyes snapped open in irritation, Gwen felt the mystic crowbar she'd began to use in a portion of her mind evaporate and sighed in aggravation because her head continued to throb in spite of her attempt to lessen or stop the pounding in her head, unaware that the spell had indeed worked and produced a crack in the wall.
Another knock at the door but this one came with a voice. "Gwen, you ready?"
Gwen nodded and said, "Come in, Ben."
As the door opened, Gwen looked behind her with the mirror to see her cousin Ben. Strangely, at the sight of Ben, the monstrous migraine she had only moments before vanished.
As Gwen continued to look at her cousin and best friend, the redhead noticed a buried pain as she looked into his eyes.
"What's wrong, Ben?"
"It's nothing." Ben said calmly. "…just a problem that shouldn't ruin your special day," Ben told her with a forced smile.
Gwen could sense the lie in Ben's body language and tone. She wanted to ask about it, but somewhere inside her head, a voice yelled and told her to stop thinking about him and concentrate on Kevin. The voice scared Gwen because it was a male voice and not her own. Gwen blinked as she tried to shake the alien voice but felt an unconscious shiver roll through her at Kevin's name. That's strange. Kevin doesn't scare me.
As if to spite her, the memory of him draining her energy as Ultimate Kevin played in her mind.
Oh yeah? The stranger's voice taunted her.
That was the energy talking, not Kevin! Gwen asserted to the man in her head in Kevin's defense.
When you met up again, he was brokering an ILLEGAL ARMS DEAL between two high tech Nazi groups: one human, the other inbreed aliens convinced of their superiority and destroying planets to prove it! Why did he join you and Ben in the first place? "I didn't get paid." The selfish bastard was more worried about money than a threat to the PLANET!
Gwen stopped and held her head. I feel as if my mind is splitting in half!
Gwen's ailing mind crashed back to reality when she felt a warm hand squeeze hers.
Looking up, Gwen saw worry and fear in her cousin's eyes as he cut to her heart with a simple question: "Gwen, are you sure you're alright?"
Gwen stopped in the hallway that connected the reception area to the sanctuary when she heard the pure concern for her in Ben's voice. Kevin never cared enough to notice when she was upset or hurt, but Ben did. "I've just got a lot going on in my head."
Ben nodded, seemingly accepting her response. "You don't have to marry Kevin if you don't want to, Dweeb."
Am I really that easy to read? Gwen questioned as she let out a sigh.
Would you look at that? The Man in her Mind asked Gwen. You're finally waking up. Gwen felt as if the entity in her head smiled at her and nodded in approval. Trust me, Red. I've seen what happens if you go through with this. It ain't pretty!
Gwen shivered and asked, Ben 10,000 Jerkface?
What do you know? There is a brain buried in all those hormones.
Gwen mentally slapped him. Who are you?
I'm Paradox's teacher, but you can call me Warrior.
Gwen looked at Ben. The young man only nodded in understanding and hurried on ahead to inform everyone that she would be running late.
Why are you here?
The timeline has been polluted. He told her. My former student has an annoying habit of fucking things up across time and leaving me to clean up the mess.
"I know the feeling." Gwen mumbled sadly as she remembered her jaunt into the past to try and fix Kevin only to seriously screw of the timeline to the point that Charmcaster and Hex ruled the world. "I only wanted to help him."
Warrior sighed. A noble but misplaced effort, young sorceress. Some people can't be brought out of the darkness that spawned them.
Gwen let the words sink in. "Are you saying Kevin is a lost cause?"
Warrior paused and chose his next words carefully, for how Gwen responded to him would determine the course of her and Ben's lives from this point forward. Does Kevin care for you on the same level as Ben? At the end of the day, would you trust Kevin to give his life for yours?
As Gwen thought about the questions, locked off memories came back to her.
Kevin sat on a Null Guardian with Vilgax on his own monstrous stead. Gwen looked at the burning rocky hand that held her and reached for Ben who was calmly staring at the duo with an angry look of his face. With anger and defiance burning in his eyes, Ben looked at Gwen.
"Alright. I'll trade you straight up, my cousin for this stupid Watch!"
Kevin looked as if he might actually honor Ben's deal, but the beast grabbed Ben's hand as the brunette reached for Gwen and yanked him as as Gwen screamed before she felt Kevin toss her away like trash and seize the Watch.
Gwen shivered as the memory passed. Then, she noticed tear drops on her lap and whimpered as another memory came.
Ben's aliens had been seen committing various crimes, and to that end, the Tennysons now visited the mint. Then, Gwen spotted Heatblast ahead of them. When the alien turned and started laughing, Gwen realized it was Kevin. Too late to do anything but close her eyes and scream, Gwen expected the pain to come, but instead, she felt only slight heat as if she were sitting in front of a campfire.
"Believe me now?" Diamondhead asked as he looked down at her with his arm taking the flames from Kevin's fire.
Gwen shook her head and began to cry in earnest as the tears streamed down her face.
"I can't do this!" Gwen whispered as she looked up at the sky. "I can't marry that miniature Kaijū!" She mumbled sadly.
Gwen sat up straight and whirled around.
Frank held up his hands and took a step back. "Relax, Gwen." The man said softly. "I just want to tell you something. Whatever you decide, I will be happy." The man gave his daughter a comforting smile and put his hand on her shoulder. "I know you're afraid."
Gwen looked at her father in surprise. "What do you mean?" Her glare would have cut through anyone but her such, the man remained in spite of her glare.
"Ben and I talked about your adventures that first summer a while back since aliens are common knowledge now."
Gwen looked at him. "How much did he tell you?"
"Enough…" Frank said evasively. "My point is: if you love Ben, I won't stand in your way. I just want you safe and happy, two things I know Kevin won't give once he has you."
Gwen shivered. "Kevin is unstable." Gwen whispered. "If I tell him the wedding is off…"
Fire lit in Frank's eyes. "Nothing will happen to you, Gwen. We Tennysons stand by our own."
He smiled. "Between Ben, your Grandpa Max, and me; Kevin will be in for a world of hurt."
Gwen opened her mouth to respond. Before she could, an animalistic "NO!" tore through the church.
In that terrifying moment, Gwen knew. All the cosiness and acting like a good guy was just an act. The only reason Kevin teamed up with her and Ben was because he sensed all the energy he would ever need in Gwen. In Gwen, Kevin could secure a living energy factory and never have to seek out the Omnitrix for a fix again. That's all Gwen was to Kevin: a means to end, a tool; and it made furious to know she fell for the act hook, line, and sinker.
Then, Ben in the form of Rath flew through the wall. "LET ME TELLING YA SOMETHING, KEVIN ETHAN LEVIN! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!" The bipedal tiger with major anger issues sprinted back into the fray. "CAUSE RATH HAS GOT MUCH MORE THAN YOU! *ROAR!*"
In his rage, the abnormally focused Rath went for the kill. It seemed Ben and his Appoplexian body finally were on the same page with a single two-pronged goal: kill the enraged Kevin and protect Gwen. Running on all fours, Rath leapt up onto Kevin's monstrous form. Then, Rath sank a wrist claw into each side of Keven's neck.
As Kevin began to gurgle and choke on blood, Rath bent down and whispered, "You will NEVER hurt Gwen again!" Then, with an effortless moment of his wrists up and out, Rath tore Kevin's neck from the rest of his mangled mismatched body.
As the lifeless body fell, Rath jumped off his perch on Kevin's shoulder and landed with a satisfied growl. Then, he reverted back to Ben and looked at Gwen with a bittersweet expression. "It had to be done."
"NO!"
Ben and Gwen tensed and turned toward the voice as a familiar portal and man walked out. He glared at Ben. "This is not how it was supposed to be!" He growled as he marched up to Gwen. "How did you recover your memories?! TELL ME!"
"You planned this, Paradox?!"
Ben got between him and Gwen and punched the man hard enough to knock him down. Then, as Ben prepared to beat the man senseless, Paradox vanished.
At this point, new portal opened. Out stepped a man in red Crusaders' armor with a massive shield lashed to his right arm and a greatsword strapped to that hip.
"Paradox, stop behaving like a child and face me!"
Gwen's eyes widened. "Warrior?"
Ben shot her a look, and his eyes burned with green fury.
"M'lady, Benjamin;" Warrior said with a polite bow. "Forgive my insolent student. He has forgotten his way."
Paradox growled and lunged at Warrior. The armored knight dodged easily and threw Paradox into a wall.
"Much to learn, you still have, Paradox."
Paradox grit his teeth and began throwing punches. Warrior outpaced his student until the man snapped his fingers and stopped time within their warp. With a punch aided by aging abilities, Paradox turned Warrior's shield to dust.
"When I left you, I was but a learner. Now, I am the master."
Warrior swing his sword and bisected Paradox. Before his student could die, Warrior whispered with regret and sadness in his words, "…a master of fools."
Once Paradox faded out of existence, Warrior felt the Timeline begin to right itself. Around him, Warrior watched as the moment gradually shifted until Ben and Gwen were in front of a minister while the family watched.
"You may now kiss the bride."
A moment later, everyone cheered. Warrior smiled to himself. "All is as it should be." Then, the Time Knight vanished into the vastness of the Multiverse.
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