A/N: This is a reader request from Amozon28 and is therefore dedicated to her. She is currently writing the most concise review of every chapter of the prequel to this story (Seriously! These things are like cliff notes). Let this be an example to all who read and review my stories of how generously I am willing to reward efforts that go above and beyond.
This was intended as a second prologue to my first story, but evolved into this monstrosity. It was also supposed to be a one-shot but as I wrote it, I came upon some amazing cliff-hanger bits that forced me to split it in three. (My mind is very random.)
This is basically the wrap-up of Ben and Kenny's converstion in Chapter 8 of 'Intricate Tapestry'. So, if you haven't read the first story…don't bother with this one.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or any of the characters in this fan-fiction. Man of Action does.
Enjoy!
It was excessively quite in Devlin's car.
Laconism from Kenny was unnatural. The kid considered conversation a pastime. When three minutes had passed and all he'd done was stare out the window at the passing vehicles, his older cousin couldn't stand the deafening silence anymore. "Okay, Dude. Why'd you hug my dad?"
The brunette shrugged one shoulder without looking at the older teen. "I like your dad a lot." Came the simple response.
The raven-haired teenager let out an obviously disbelieving huff of air and started chortling mockingly at the younger boy who immediately turned insulted green eyes at him. Devlin only shook his head in return. "Yeah right, Kenny! You're terrified of him half the time. What about that exactly do you like?"
Kenny was stoic and his voice held no jest when he replied. "The other half of the time he cares about me and Gwenny like we're his own kids. He's a really great guy. He let me go." He immediately turned back to the window and crossed his arms with an indignant huff.
The older teen's laughter only renewed at his aggravation. Seriously, what was the kid so angry about? It's not as if he had to go face Kevin Levin in ten minutes like he did. He got him off the hook. "You like my dad 'cause he let you go?"
"Sorry to break this to you, but I'm pretty sure his letting you leave had nothing to do with you, man. He saw my eyes. He knows something's up… something big. He's likely too freaked out about that to care about ruining your weekend anymore."
The brunette twirled on his cousin with rage mixed with an unreadable emotion burning in his eyes. He nearly snarled as he spoke. "That's exactly why I like him, Devlin! He's one of the proudest people I know! He doesn't accept disrespect from anybody. He wanted to keep me there to teach me a lesson. Especially, after he found us outside the room, clearly defying his orders. He should have burned me! But, one look in your eyes and he didn't care anymore. What he wanted took a backseat to whatever he thinks is wrong with you. You're more important to him than his stupid ego. That's why he let me go!" By the end of the statement, his eyes glassed over and he had to turn away. No way, was he letting his cousin see tears fall. He had to fight it back.
Devlin turned away from him and faced the approaching headquarters building, a sympathetic expression on his face. He maneuvered in front of the garage and the sensors instantly read the signatures inside, allowing him entrance. Once inside he stalled the engine and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. He gave him a comforting squeeze. "You can't let it get to you like that, Dude. You know your dad would give up anything for you guys. He's just…easily distracted."
The younger teen let out an outraged scoff at that, turning a humorless smile at his cousin. "That is the understatement of the century. Don't you think, Cuz?" He reached to the backseat and got his bag, adding, "He asked me to tell him what he's doing to Mom."
The older teen raised a confused eyebrow at his cryptic remark. "What?"
"In the past, Dad asked me to tell him in the present about how he's hurting Mom," the brunette clarified.
Now, confusion and shock mixed on Devlin's mien. "You were with him for a day and you managed to tell him he's been a jerk to your mom? How does a topic like that even come up? For that matter, how are you going to work up the nerve to tell him what you haven't been able to for fifteen years?"
Kenny shrugged. He didn't have an answer for the last question but he could answer the first two and see what his brain conjured up in the mean time. "He asked whether Mom and he were still together now as if some part of him knew he didn't treat her right even twenty-two years ago. I had to tell him the truth because anything less would have been unfair to Mom. He didn't take it seriously and I got angry…"
The raven-haired teenager didn't like the sound of that. He knew the crap the kid said, unfiltered, when angered. "God, Kenny! What did you tell the poor kid?"
Guilt flashed in the younger teen's eyes, his voice grew quite. "I told him what happened when Mom was pregnant with me."
Devlin's eyes widened in dismay. His uncle had been having a nightmare when he wiped his memory. It very nearly emulated the events his own father had retold him about Kenny and his Aunt Julie's near death. He hadn't thought much of it at the time. He didn't even think it was a memory. Now it made sense. He was glad he took care of it.
"How could you tell him that, Dude?" It wasn't his intention to reprimand his already downtrodden cousin. It was just so…wrong.
The brunette sighed and turned determined eyes at his cousin, opening the door. "I was angry, Dev, I told you. Maybe, I still am. He needs me to help him. He asked me to. I'll figure something out eventually." He got out and held the door opened, leaning down he added with a sad smile, "I'm guessing we won't be able to hang out for a while once your dad is done with you, huh?"
Devlin chuckled darkly, humorlessly. "Not until I can figure out a way to break out again…it might be a few days depending on the severity of the sentence and how pissed he gets me." He grew serious and locked matching emerald eyes with the brunette to finish. "We can always talk at school, though. You know you can always talk to me there Kenny…about anything. I'm here for you." He sent a genuinely affectionate smile at the boy.
Kenny returned it in kind. "Thanks, Dev. I know you are. I'll be taking you up on that offer sooner than you think. I need to skip Physics Monday. I have a test I did not study for." A devious smirk spread across his face.
The older teen couldn't help but laugh at the kid's effort. "You're stupid enough as it is, Dude. I'm not helping you skip a test! Depending on how things go with the folks, I'll see if I can help you study for it, though."
Kenny didn't bother hiding his disappointment. He pouted as he slammed the door shut. "You suck, Devlin!"
The raven-haired teen blew a mockingly exaggerated kiss at his younger cousin, revving the engine. "Up yours, Kenny!"
Then he was off at an unbelievably unsafe speed for leaving an enclosed garage.
-Three and a half Months Later. Levin Residence. Gwen's Baby Shower-
The instant her feet touched the ground; the Asian American girl contracted her hover board and ran for the door giggling with unbridled excitement. She didn't bother checking behind her for her lagging older brother. Se was sure he was back there…somewhere. She hadn't bumped him that hard against the side of a car when they were racing here. He must have survived.
She rang the doorbell and quickly went to work on unbuttoning the last three buttons at the very top of her blouse, exposing the cream-colored flesh just above her newly developing cleavage. Her older brother sidled up to her breathing haggardly. "Thanks for trying to kill me, Gwenny! Then his emerald eyes dropped to her hands fumbling with her blouse, uncovering ever more skin. "What are you doing! Button your shirt! Are you getting naked?" He grab for her wrists outraged.
The female teen turned away and finished quickly, straightening her blouse. Then, she turned to the brunette with an obvious innocent smile. "No, Stupid! See. I'm just opening my blouse up a little. It was too stuffy. I'm hot from flying here. I'm not really exposing anything."
Her older brother narrowed his eyes at her with mistrust. It was uncommonly warm for late January and neither was wearing a coat but it wasn't unpleasant. "I don't believe you. Why'd you wait to land to do it? You didn't want to run the risk of anyone seeing you doing it! This is because Eddie's coming to this thing isn't it? I swear Gwen, if he comes near you; he's going to get the living crap beaten out of him. Dad told you both you're off limits to each other until you are fifteen!" Anger colored every word the teenager spoke. He was dead serious.
Gwenny just rolled her eyes and let out an insulted breath. "Like I'd go to any length of trouble for a guy. Besides, I'm fifteen next month so this ridiculous little restraining order all you boys have on Eddie will be moot." She graced him with a superior smirk, lacing her fingers in front of her demurely.
"Yeah well its not next month, Freak, so he keeps his hands off or looses them. Button your shirt!" The brunette was about to make a grab for his baby sister's blouse when the door slid open and she quickly dashed inside giggling a hello to her older cousin as she passed him on her way past the entry to the kitchen.
Devlin didn't bother looking surprised. What was the use? "Don't run in the house Gwenny! You'll piss off Mom!" He turned back to greet his obviously aggravated younger cousin who hadn't bothered running after his sociopath sister. "I see you're already having a lovely day."
The brunette just huffed walking beside him to the kitchen. They were supposed to be here early to help out their aunt with decorating the house for the party but it looked like they were already late.
There were literally hundreds of purple and white Mylar and rubber balloons everywhere both on the floor and floating in the air with their strings twirling down. They all had a message like "Congratulations!" and "Baby" on them. They gave off the illusion of bubbles. There were streamers and banners hung everywhere. The dinning room table had four centerpieces made up of baby paraphernalia and dozens of cupcakes in the same color scheme. This must have taken hours.
The brunette turned to his older cousin with impressed awe on his face. "Dude, did you guys do all this just this morning?"
The Osmosian teen raised a tired eyebrow at the question, deadpanning. "Who's 'you guys'? Mom had her first Braxton-Hicks contractions at two o'clock this morning… Scared the crap out of both Dad and me. They finally stopped at around six but I was too wired to go back to sleep, so I started on all of this." He swept his hand around the large open common area of the house. "I have inflated so many balloons, Dude…I'm pretty sure after today I don't want to see anything purple ever again.
"Is Aunt Gwen all right, Dev? Where is she?" Gwenny emerged from the kitchen with a look of concern and a purple cupcake in her hand. Her lips were tinted purple from the bite she'd taken.
"I'm fine, sweetheart." Gwen emerged from the hallway wearing a form fitting, long, white shirt-dress. She wrapped her niece in a hug the best she could around her protruding middle and moved to do the same with her nephew.
The Asian American girl stared. Her aunt was the most beautiful pregnant woman she'd ever seen. She was glowing radiantly. Her long red hair was loose and looked thicker than she'd ever seen it. From behind, she didn't look with child at all. She moved with a grace even a woman not in her state would positively covet.
The female teen knew this to be a benefit of the martial arts training the ginger partook of almost religiously. It made her itch to get in the gym. "Wow, Aunt Gwen you look amazing! I hope I look half as good as you when I'm pregnant." Awe tempered every word.
"In another two decades, we'll all be fascinated to find out if that happens for you, little girl."
Annoyance flitted across Gwenny's coffee eyes at her uncle's mocking comment. She turned to see him coming up beside her. He wore an aggravating smirk as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in the form of a greeting. The smile immediately left him the moment he looked down at her, though. "Button up your shirt Gwendolyn."
She swallowed to alleviate the dryness that suddenly appeared in her throat at the tone her uncle's tenor had taken when he had issued his command. She didn't comply, however, preferring to cross her arms defiantly and glare back at the intimidatingly tall Osmosian. She hid her fear amazingly well behind a façade of bravado. "I have a dad, Uncle Kevin, thank you."
He couldn't help smile down at her with admiration even as he heard the shocked intake of breath from the other two male teenagers. He loved this girl. What she lacked in stature and strength she more than made up for in shear moxie.
He guided her non too gently to the kitchen by her shoulders and literally sat her on one of the stools (he picked her up and sat her, like she was two), as he went around the counter to get what appeared to be humongous plate of chocolate covered fruit out of the fridge and set it on the counter.
She was fidgeting nervously now but kept her eyes resolutely on the man in front of her who seemed to be ignoring her. Her brother and cousin were at the opposite end of the counter snickering. Her aunt sat down on one of the stools near them. She could see from the corner of her eye that she was smiling at her uncle as well. She was so nervous that when the man spoke again, she actually jolted.
"Regardless of your father's limited intelligence or how distracted he might have been when you left your house; there is no way he let you walk out like that."
He hadn't even bothered regarding her as he spoke yet all the same she shrunk into herself as if he was burning her with a glare. What was it about his voice? Amazingly, she managed to find the resolve to answer back; her voice though, didn't quite make it.
Her intonation was almost a shriek. "I'm not showing off anything, Uncle Kevin!"
The Osmosian actually chuckled and leaned back against the wall-facing counter, crossing his muscled arms over his ripped chest. He shook his head as he burned the tiny teenage girl with the obsidian in his eyes. "Of course you're not. You're fourteen. Button up your shirt or I'll do it for you, Gwendolyn."
That did it.
Gwenny's hands instantly shot up to her blouse and buttoned up the last button. Then she stopped, slamming her hands down on the counter with an incensed pout and bringing her eyes down to land on them.
Her uncle snickered incredulously and shot a look at his wife. She was giggling too, as were the two older teenagers.
Kevin continued to smirk as he moved away from the counter and stood directly in front of Gwenny. He couldn't keep the humor out of his voice. "I don't think you quite got them all, little girl."
The Asian American girl grabbed the last two buttons and violently did them up, glaring at the Osmosian all the while. She spit venomously at him when she was done. "Why do I have to do it at all if I have nothing to show?"
The Osmosian's semblance turned completely apathetic and he leaned down until the girl had no choice but to cower back into the stool. His tenor dripped with the prepotency he commanded. "You do it because I told you to do it. If I find it open again today, you will go home and come back wearing a different top or don't come back at all."
He leaned back and regarded his wife in a much softer tone. "Morningstar's coming with his mother, isn't he?" When she nodded in the affirmative still smiling at him, he turned back to the now terrified teenage girl who could no longer meet his eyes. "You will stay at least ten feet away from Edward the entire time he's here, Gwenny, out of respect for your father's wishes. I will let him know this as soon as he arrives. If either of you break this rule, I will give Kenny and Devlin a free go at him."
Gwenny's saucer-sized eyes shot up to her uncle and then snapped to her cousin and older brother in horror. The teenagers high-fived each other the moment they heard this. "Oh, Yes! This place could definitely use a blonde piñata!"
She blanched at Devlin's off-colored joke. It didn't sound like a joke at all.
Her desperate eyes shot back to her uncle pleadingly. "No, Uncle Kevin! Please, I'll be good!"
The Osmosian couldn't help but let her adorable pleading big brown eyes mitigate his stern demeanor and he smiled, ruffling her long mocha hair. "Of course, you will, sweety. I'm not giving you a choice. You misbehave and your boy toy gets beaten to a bloody pulp."
The female teen immediately snapped her head back as far away from him as she could and shrunk into the stool even further. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and sulked.
Kevin laughed sadistically at her reaction, picking up the fruit plate and letting Gwen pick out something before making to head out to the back yard with her.
"You know, you used to be cool." It was a grumbled reply and the Asian American girl kept her eyes on the counter but everyone knew whom she meant.
The Osmosian didn't miss a beat as he retaliated, "You used to be cute and my favorite. Now you're making me reconsider my position. Sucks you had to turn thirteen." The moment the girl's eyes narrowed into furious insulted slits at him, he stuck his tongue out at her.
Gwen instantly shot a hand up to rub the bridge of her nose. This was the same man who not a minute ago was putting the fear of God into this girl. It was at times like this; she honestly questioned whether her husband was bipolar.
The boys were laughing hysterically at this point.
Gwenny was humiliated and insulted now. She needed to save face. "I feel bad for her," she pointed at her aunt's middle, "if you're this bad now, I can imagine the nightmare she'll have to deal with when she's my age and you're a crotchety old man." She punctuated the insult with a cruel mocking smirk.
Gwen didn't like the evil grin that spread across her husbands face. He enjoyed messing with this poor girl far too much. It was as if he reverted to a fourteen year old himself. She tried to pry him away to the backyard by yanking on his arm hard. "Come on Kevin, you're the adult here."
He sent a nonchalant innocent look at her. "She started it."
The ginger was at a loss for words. What kind of response was that from a thirty-nine year old? She pulled her husband down harshly, whispering something in his ear right before he could say something nasty to their niece.
His eyes snapped to meet hers almost frightened at what she had whispered. She sent him a pointed determined look and nodded towards the backyard.
The Osmosian sent an almost longing look back at the Asian American girl on the stool and then looked back at his wife who had one hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised in an expectant and intriguingly suggestive manner.
He let out a defeated huff of air and regarded his niece cryptically. "Yeah. You are nowhere near worth it, kid." Without another word, he was out the door with his wife.
"What was that all about?" Kenny walked to the large French style doors that led to the back yard to see where his uncles had gone.
Devlin had a very good idea what it had been about but he pretended not to. He and Gwenny just joined the brunette by the glass doors. "Don't know. Don't care. I need you guys to help me blow up another five hundred balloons, most with air some with helium. They're for outside. We have two tanks so you don't have to do the air ones all by yourselves."
He handed a white bag to Kenny and a purple bag to Gwenny. Gwenny started pulling on her first balloon right away; blowing it up by herself. His cousin however kept looking out at his parents with a contemplative expression. His Mom was sitting on his fathers lap on one of four wooden picnic tables. She was trying to feed him a chocolate covered pineapple but he kept purposely biting her fingers and causing her to giggle.
The brunette suddenly turned questioning eyes at his older cousin. "Your dad seems so happy, Dude. I'd figure he'd be totally grumpy right about now."
Devlin pulled the filled balloon out of his mouth and twirled it to tie it, sending a brief look into the yard at his parents then back at his cousin. "Why would he be grumpy? Seriously, you have to help us out here, man." He gestured to the balloons in Kenny's hand.
The brunette startled as if just now noticing he had something in his hand and pulled one out, elaborating, "Well, your mom looks so beautiful but it's got to have been a couple of months since they can… you know…"
His sister stopped blowing up her third balloon and sent him a disgusted sneer. "You're so warped Kenny! Why would you even think of that?"
Kenny turned his insulted eyes to her and raised his voice in his defense. "It's not warped. It's logical that a man that's gotten it whenever he wants it for over sixteen years becomes frustrated when he's cut off."
Devlin snickered at how aggravated his younger cousin was getting but pointedly walked away from the glass door to answer him. He didn't need the visual to go with the words. "My dad is not frustrated, Kenny. I have read every book on pregnancy there is after being stuck here the last three months, not to mention several anatomy books."
"That's why I got so wired this morning with my mom's contractions. I think I'm excited at the prospect of having to deliver my baby sister myself if she suddenly goes into labor. I'm sure I could, at this point." When the brunette's face twisted in disgust, he just rolled his eyes and continued, "I also had to become my mom's Lamaze coach a month ago in exchange for getting my car back and the opportunity to have a date to the baby shower."
Kenny perked up at this new tidbit. "Dude! You didn't tell me you had a date to this thing! Who is it?"
Devlin waved him off. He was so nosy. "Anyway, I learned that hormones make pregnant women do all kinds of weird things, in many cases, even increasing their urges. Especially, when the woman stays active throughout the pregnancy and my mom trained me until her third trimester. After that, she started speed walking. I'm fairly sure neither of my parents is unfulfilled."
Kenny sent another curious look at the couple outside. "Even if that's true… look at her. How do the mechanics of that even work?"
Regardless, how far he was from the door, Devlin still shuddered at the mental picture that question evoked. His voice sounded agonized.
"Very creatively."
Gwenny almost choked on the balloon she was blowing up when she exploded into laughter.
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