Title: Crushed
Rating: T
Summary: The reason it's called a crush is because sometimes you get… crushed. Cooper finds this out the hard way. AU, Ben 10,000 x Gwendolyn.
"The thing about a crush is… sometimes you get crushed." – Gwen, "Benwolf"
A/N: This idea has been in my head ever since I saw "Ben 10 and the Negative 10." Now that it's been confirmed by "Undercover" that Cooper has always had a crush on Gwen (I knew it, I knew it!!), I have to put it out there! :)
Cooper fidgeted nervously with the bouquet of flowers he'd brought for her. He hoped she'd like them.
It had been years since he'd last seen her.
She was the girl of his dreams. She was intelligent, beautiful, courageous and resourceful, and she'd always seemed impressed with his abilities. She didn't think he was a freak.
After taking a deep, calming breath, he finally knocked at the door.
"Cooper! Come on in." Ben 10K greeted him with a hearty handshake.
Cooper looked around in awe. He couldn't believe he was actually in Ben 10K's headquarters.
He'd always looked up to Ben and wanted to be like him.
Ben hardly recognized Cooper. He had grown taller, filled out and lost all the baby fat. Clearly he had learned that working out his body was just as important as working out his mind. He was neatly dressed, and his long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail.
Cooper didn't see Gwen anywhere. He felt disappointed but also relieved. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready to face her just yet.
Ben spotted the flowers Cooper had been holding behind his back and hid a smile. "Are those for Gwen?" he asked mildly.
"Yeah…"
"You still carrying a torch for her, man?" Ben asked. His tone was sympathetic.
"Yeah," Cooper mumbled. "Do you think she'll go out with me?" he asked anxiously.
Ben looked like he was about to say something but then changed his mind. "Well, there's only one way to find out," he said instead.
Cooper nodded. It was time to bite the bullet and ask Gwen out.
Still feeling nervous, he shuffled into the conference room where she was sitting, going over reports.
"Cooper! How are you? It's been ages." She beamed at him, and he felt slightly reassured. She seemed genuinely glad to see him.
She was even more beautiful than he'd remembered. It looked like she'd gained a little weight, but she looked radiant nonetheless.
Gwendolyn Tennyson was still his idea of the perfect woman.
As she stood up and slowly made her way over to him, he suddenly realized she hadn't just gained a little weight…
She was pregnant.
Gwen caught his look of surprise and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Ben tell you?"
Mutely, he shook his head. His heart plummeted to his stomach.
It was several long moments before he found his voice again.
"Congratulations," he said awkwardly.
"Thanks."
He cleared his throat.
"So who's the lucky guy?" he asked, envious of the paragon who had captured Gwen's heart. It had to be someone truly exceptional.
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Ben didn't tell you anything at all, did he."
Baffled, he shook his head again.
She smiled and gently patted her rounded stomach. "This is Ben's doing."
His jaw dropped in shock.
"We were married last spring," she continued.
"Oh…" was all he could manage to say.
He studied the floor.
"But I just asked Ben if he thought you would go out with me, and he said there was only one way to find out," he finally blurted out.
She looked at him in surprise, then frowned.
"Ben has a strange sense of humor," she said apologetically.
"Why didn't you tell Cooper about us?" she asked him after he had left.
Ben shrugged. "I thought it'd be better if he heard it from you."
"So you were just going to let him ask me out?"
"Sure. Why not?"
She scowled at him. "What if I'd said yes?" she asked tartly.
His lips twitched in amusement. "Well, it is up to you. Since when have I ever been able to tell you what to do?"
She gave him a wry smile. "Good point."
Cooper sighed with regret. Gwen was way out of his league, and it had been an impossible crush. Knowing that hadn't stopped him from holding on to it for years and years.
In a strange way, he felt very relieved. At long last he had confronted the inevitable.
The sting of rejection was painful, but it wasn't as bad as he'd imagined it would be.
He now realized that he didn't really know much about her. All he had was an idealized image of her in his head. Seeing her as she really was – in love with another man and expecting his child – had jolted him into reality.
He would get over her and move on. She was his first crush, but definitely not the last. There would be other girls.
And eventually, he would find the right one for him.
For the first time in years, he finally felt like he would be able to let go.
The End