Maiden- This was originally gonna be part of my Gwevin & Bera Oneshots fic, but I decided I'd just make it a oneshot of it's own. The inspiration for this work is 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum. The second part takes place about 20-ish years after the first part. Includes my OC Vera. Read and Review ladies and germs!
Need You Now
A faint and eerie pink glow poured out from behind Gwen's bedroom door. The redheaded Anodite sat in a lotus position, hovering a few inches above her bed with multiple snapshots floating around her. Each one surrounded by her magenta mana. She sighed, using a flick of her wrist to change the order of the pictures. Emerald eyes glistened with tears, with more threatening to fall with each new photo she came to. They all ranged from when she and Ben were 10 years old, off exploring the country with Grandpa Max in the Rustbucket, to the current moment. The happy and optimistic faces of her plumber friends, family and herself painted the surface of the glossy sheets. But a few in particular, she paid the most attention to. They were all from recent affairs. She, her cousin, Vera and Kevin were the main subjects.
"Gwen?"
The anodite hybrid knew that voice all too well. She used her mana to open the door a crack, to see a set of eyes that completely matched hers. "Are you okay, Gwen? I mean you haven't left your room for two days." Ben asked, his voice full of concern.
"I'm fine, Ben." she replied rather dryly.
"No, you're not." he responded sternly, pushing his way past her mana blocked door and into the room. "I know you better than anyone, Gwen. So I know when something's up."
"So concurred, Benjamin."
"Then care to talk to me, Gwendolyn?"
The Tennyson girl knew it was useless to argue with her cousin. Ben was infamous for being stubborn and almost always got his way. Besides, she saw Ben more as a brother than a cousin. More so than her own brother, Ken.
"Kevin broke up with me." she finally admitted after a few moments of silence. "He thinks he's still a monster...that he'll only end up hurting me again like he did when he absorbed the Ultimatrix's power. He said I deserved better."
Ben was silent all throughout Gwen's explanation. He didn't know what made him madder. The fact that Kevin thinks Gwen views him as a monster, or the Osmosian didn't realize what he meant to the redhead.
"He's just stupid." Gwen's gaze met the heated one of her cousin. "Kevin's plumber skills may be incredible, but his common sense sucks. He'll come around, just wait for him."
A small smile pulled at her lips, knowing Ben was right. She had to give Kevin some space and time to think things through.
"You wanna come stay with me tonight? To get your mind off things?"
"Thanks, Ben. But I'd rather just be alone right now."
"Suit yourself." he smiled, before taking off as Jetray. Gwen placed all the pictures back in the box that they'd come from and laid down across her bed, closing her eyes.
Gwen wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but when she woke up, the digital clock on her bedside table read 1:15. She was cold, lonely and somewhat afraid. Suddenly, she regretted not taking Ben up on his offer. She thought about calling or texting him or Vera, but they were probably asleep by now. Then, her mind wandered to Kevin. She knew the ex-ruffian never went to bed before 2am, so he was her best shot. So, with a shaky hand, she picked up her red cellphone and hesitantly sent him a message.
I know it's late, but I need you now.
A few minutes later, her phone lit up with the response.
I'm on my way
Gwen's eyes lit up instantly. Although they weren't a couple anymore, she would always enjoy just being around Kevin. His aura soothed her like nothing else. The redhead knew Kevin would be there in a matter of minutes, so she crawled out of bed and brushed through her long ruby locks. She didn't bother changing out of her blue tank top and black short shorts because she knew she wouldn't have time to find an outfit. A minute and a half later, she heard the purr of Kevin's charger just outside her window. As quietly as Gwen could, she unlocked and opened her window, using her mana to create steps for her to get down.
"So,what did you need me for?" the osmosian asked once the redhead was inside the car.
"I've been looking through old pictures...remembering the old days before being heroes became our jobs. And, well, I missed you."
"Why?"
Emerald eyes looked at him with utmost shock. The expression he wore was a mixture of confusion and sorrow. His black eyes staring intently at the road in front of him.
"Because, I love you." the way she said it seemed entirely natural. Kevin faltered, he hadn't been expecting such an answer. "You may think you're a monster, and all you'd ever do for me is cause me pain. But I know you better than that. I know you won't hurt me."
"I did before." he whispered, only half expecting her to hear.
"That wasn't you. It was the power."
"Still. I was the one who willingly absorbed the Ultimatrix."
"Yes, but to save not only our lives, but millions. Aggregor would've killed off Earth and any other planet he could find if you hadn't stopped him."
"I'm not talking about that incident in particular, Gwen. What if something like that happens again? What if you guys can't save me the next time?"
"We will, Kevin." Gwen's determination was evident. Stubbornness was something she was known for. "Nothing you can say is gonna persuade me otherwise."
"That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want you falling in love with an image I might never be."
"But you are!" Gwen's patience was wearing thin. Her left hand twitched while flickering pink. "You're not a psychopath, you're not power hungry and you're certainly not a killer! You're a hero, dammit!"
Kevin was taken back by her outburst, not expecting her temper to snap this quick. As her words sank in, he realized the reason behind his doubt. He didn't trust himself or Ben, Gwen or Vera to stop him if he needed to make the ultimate sacrifice again. They'd been lucky that Cooper's machine cured him. But who's to say Cooper will be around the next time? Or that he will even be curable? Finally, Kevin sighed, knowing his arguments would be invalid against the anodite. He just put on a charming smile and kissed her softly on the cheek.
"Thank you...for having faith in me...and for loving me."
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Another shot of whiskey burned down Kevin's throat. He grimaced at the feeling and threw the empty bottle against the front door, shattering into tiny, sharp pieces. This would be the third bottle he'd drained that night. The raven haired man sat in his usual armchair staring blankly at the door. His mind anywhere but there.
He expected it to whisk open, revealing the spunky redhead that had become his life. But he knew such a thing was impossible. She was such a strong girl, both mentally and physically. Entire planets would quake at her power, because they knew she could easily destroy almost anything she wanted.
The clock across the room read 1:45am. He was just where Ben and Vera had left him. Sitting in the dark, drinking himself stupid, while mourning over his lost love. It had only been a few months since his beauty had been taken from him. Most thought she died in battle, an honorable end to such a noble heroin. Truth be told, it wasn't far from the truth. Although the battle she endured, no one ever lived to tell the tale.
Obsidian eyes flickered dimly to a picture on the coffee table beside him. He stood with Gwen by his side, smiling happily into the camera. While an eleven year old boy, with mo-hawked raven hair and blue eyes, and a ten year old redhead with jade eyes stood before the couple. Before her demise, she bore him two wonderful and strong children. Devlin Max and Quinn Verdona Levin, along with their three cousins, Kenneth Ethan, Amber Gwendolyn and Roxanne Cassandra Tennyson became an unstoppable team. Each one more powerful than the last. Despite their young ages, they easily climbed to the top of the Plumber's ranks.
Now, his kids and nieces and nephew were fully grown with families of their own. It wasn't fair. Kevin had endured the most loss of anyone on his team. From being homeless and poor in New York, to the death of his father and remarriage of his mother. Kevin deserved to live out his twilight years with the one person whom he loved more than life itself. But it seemed the world loved to laugh at him. Because his beloved anodite had been taken from him by that dreaded disease.
Even though she was part alien, the cancer didn't seem to care. It attacked and weakened her body rapidly. She tried spell after spell but nothing worked. It was a miracle she lasted as long as she did. Although Kevin knew it was her inner anodite that allowed her extra time. Since energy beings don't have DNA, the cancer couldn't weaken her as fast as it would a normal human. She contemplated releasing her dormant anodite, but Grandma Verdona told her it would be useless. She could shed her skin, but her DNA would still remain the same. Still remaining infected. She would only burn out.
So, she lived each day like it was her last. Surrounding herself with family and friends. Eventually, she passed away in her sleep. She told her team and family not to cry over her death. But to smile knowing she was finally out of pain and in a better place. However, the tears were inevitable.
Kevin stared long and hard at the picture before him. He could almost see Gwen's face wrinkling with disgust at the sight of those whiskey bottles. He sighed to himself and got up to clean the mess he'd made, making a silent promise to himself and her, not to drink excessively again. She was gone, but his family was still there. His children, nieces, nephew, best friend, sister-figure and his mom. He might not have Gwen, but he had them. And he knew they would try their best to help him pick up the pieces and move on. After all, that's what a family does.