Another collaboration between Steelcode, Redbat132, and myself. Here you go, Amigos! Enjoy! :)
Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. Macy and Tommy belong to Redbat132. Sage belongs to Steelcode. I only own Rachel, Megan, Sasha, and Vampiro.
Cold Doesn't Necessarily Mean Bad
A beautiful day found Macy and Tommy wandering into the living room where they found a cute sight of the Grant Mansion toddlers climbing all over Sage, pulling his ears and tail. The wolf didn't seem to completely mind, but he did look a bit uncomfortable with all the pulling.
Macy laughed heartily, seeing the shape-shifter playing with a bunch of kids. Deep down, she had missed him. "Need some help over there, Wolf Boy?" She asked.
Sage shook his head carefully, shaking himself free of the little hands, but making sure they didn't get hurt before he walked over to the siblings, gently hip checking both as he walked around them, staying in his wolf form before nuzzling Macy's hand, welcoming her back and then playfully tackling Tommy to the ground.
"Hahahaha! It's great to see you again, Sage!" Tommy laughed on the tackle move.
Sage slowly shifted to human form, smiling down at Tommy. "It's good to see you, too," he said.
"Been a while since we last met. How are you?" Asked Macy, still smirking while placing a hand on her hip.
"Been pretty good. Still getting used to having a family. Still feels surreal," he said, getting to his feet and then helping Tommy up.
"Yeah. I think we know the feeling," she admitted.
"Definitely been there," Tommy agreed. "So, how's your dad and uncles doing? Are they around?"
"Doing good. And no. They're out on important business. Dad, Mom and my little sis had a bad run in a while back. It's made everyone edgy lately." Sage replied.
"What happened?" Macy asked with concern.
"I was at school when it happened, but I heard Mom talking to Grandpa Vampiro. She said that her biological father came and tried to take her and Megan away. Mom and Dad got Megan away and told the man to stay away. Megan's been a bit upset last few nights about it," Sage explained. "I should have been there to help them."
Macy put her fingers above her mouth, too shocked about the story. Even Tommy looked worried. Once getting over it, the brunette placed a caring hand on her shape-shifter pal's shoulder. "Sage, that isn't your fault. You had no clue what was going on. Some things are beyond our control. Believe me, I should know. The important thing is that your family is safe from that horrible guy. And right now, what you can do at this moment, is be there for your sister and help comfort her. Next time you see Megan, try to remind her that she has nothing to fear because her big brother and family is around to protect her no matter what," she said.
"Yeah! She has an awesome brother and alien family there for her and always will be here no matter what!" Spoke Tommy.
Sage gave a half smile. "I'll do that. Still feel like I failed a bit, though."
"Don't say that! You didn't fail. The only time you fail is the time you give up. I'm not the kind of person who gives up, and neither are you," Macy hated seeing her friend acting like this.
Sage sighed, but nodded. "So, we have a bit of time before dinner. Want to walk around?"
"Sure. Lead the way, Sage," Macy replied.
While walking, Macy became concerned for Sage. He still felt responsible for not being there for his sister. And she could relate if anything bad happened to Tommy. She just wished there was something she could do for him.
As they continued exploring around the Grant Mansion, Tommy started asking nonstop questions about the house, like how many people live there? What kind of alien species are his dad and uncles? Where are they from? How long have they lived there? Does he know someone named Ben Tennyson? How long has Sage stayed in the Grant Mansion?
It was obvious the boy as excited about being back at the mansion and Sage smiled. "A lot of people live here," he said. "My dad is a Vladat and for my uncles, I don't know. Not sure where they're from or how long they've been here. No, I haven't met Ben yet. And for a few months now."
The young boy continued asking questions, but some were ones Sage didn't answer as he didn't know. As they continued moving around, Macy couldn't help but feel a little chilly. "Hey, Sage. I think you should talk to one of your folks about the heaters in here. They seem broken with all this cold air," she told him, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Huh, that's weird. It was warm in here a minute ago. You're not sensitive to the cold, are you?" Sage asked, looking at a nearby thermostat.
"No. I'm usually okay around the cold back home. But only when wearing a heavy jacket if things get super chilly," she admitted, not realizing that her breath was becoming visible in the atmosphere.
"Uh, sis? Is it just me or is your breath showing?" Asked Tommy.
Suddenly, Sage felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "It's not just you," he said, shifting to his wolf form and pressing close to both Macy and Tommy, offering his body heat.
"Thank you, Sage," she said to the shape-shifter. She and Tommy knew that something was up as Sage nodded, before beginning to sniff the air before his ears twitched and he listened as an odd flapping sound and wheezing became audible.
"What is it?" Macy asked softly.
Sage bent down low, giving a growl with his hackles raising slightly. Seeing him like this, Macy knew that this coldness was more than just a coincidence. Something was seriously going on. "Tommy, stay close to me and Sage. Whatever is causing this winter wonderland must be up to no good," she spoke, keeping her little brother close.
He didn't argue and then Sage nudged Macy, motioning to Tommy, then his back as he bent lower, clearly telling them that they should get on his back for safety. Getting the message, they hugged close to the wolf to try and keep warm.
"Sage, it's getting colder," replied Macy. He growled lowly in understanding.
"We need to find somewhere warm," spoke Tommy, shivering.
"Agreed. Sage, can you lead us outside? Maybe whatever is doing this is only happening inside," the girl suggested.
Sage chuffed, starting to move forward, feeling Macy and Tommy's legs squeeze his sides and their hands clench in his fur. They got a few paces forward and went around the corner before Sage suddenly lost his balance and slipped on some ice. "WHOOOAAAAH!" Macy and Tommy exclaimed while sliding plus spinning down the hall when holding on to their shape-shifting friend.
"HANG ON!" Macy shouted.
"NO KIDDING!" Tommy shouted back, hugging Sage tight.
Growling, Sage dug his claws down to the icy ground. This resulted in slamming his side into a wall, protecting his companions as best he could, not feeling the ice shard that lodged into his front paw pad.
"Is everyone okay?" Asked Macy, recovering from that wild ride.
"I'm fine. That was actually the most fun indoor sledding I ever had! Can we go again?" The young boy asked
Ignoring that question with an eye roll, Macy looked down to Sage "Sage? What about you?" She asked in concern.
He barked, wagging his tail and giving a wolfy grin before looking down and sniffing the ice. "How strange," he thought to himself.
"That's a relief." She followed Sage's direction and felt the floor. "What could have caused the hallway floors to freeze up like that?" She questioned out loud.
Sage chuffed before looking around and finding there was an ice trail leading to one of the doors that was cracked open. "Maybe whatever is in that room over there?" Tommy finally answered, while pointing at the opened door, after seeing Sage direct his head to it.
The wolf's ears lowered to his head as he carefully stalked over to the open door before his muscles went stiff as droplets of blood dripped from his paw pad.
Macy saw it too and gasped. "Oh man! Sage, you're hurt!" She kneeled down to get a better look at it.
"How did that happen?" Asked Tommy.
"It must have been when he made that stop during our own dog sleigh ride. We need to treat the wound ASAP. Coldness plus cuts is not a good mix."
Sage growled as the door they had been heading towards suddenly opened, and he placed himself in front of Macy and Tommy, ready to defend them. "Someone is hurt?" A gasping-like voice came from the doorway. Sage growled again, his fur on end and his fangs bared.
Macy and Tommy's eyes grew wide when hearing that voice. To them, it was very familiar but couldn't figure out why. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" The girl shouted, keeping her brother by her side and she glared at the room where the voice came from.
"Come in, and I'll treat your wound," the voice said, raspy as before.
Sage stepped back, pushing Tommy and Macy in the opposite direction.
"We're not going anywhere until you come out of that room you're hiding so we can see you!" Exclaimed Macy.
"There is no reason to be afraid, Macy, or should I say Black Rebel. And her little brother, Tommy. Or for you Sage, son of Whampire," the raspy voice said, as he stepped into the light revealing himself. Sage growled at seeing the unknown alien in the blue cloak.
"Y-you!?" Macy exclaimed, totally baffled.
"That blue moth phantom guy!?" Cried Tommy, not leaving his sister's side.
Now they knew why that voice sounded familiar to them. It was the very same one that belonged to the first strange creature Macy and the Mystery Crusaders encountered when arriving at the Grant Mansion, before facing the Galactic Monsters and Sage.
The shape-shifter growled protectively, stepping more to the front, however, he placed too much weight on his damaged paw and gave a whine as the ice shard went deeper into his pad.
"Sage!" Macy quickly stepped between him and the strange blue phantom. She went into a fighting stance with Tommy staying by the shape-shifter's side to keep him from hurting his paw more. "Who are you!? How do you know our names?! I swear, if you get anywhere near him or Tommy and try to hurt any of them, I will rip that weird moth cloak of yours and shove it down your throat!" The brunette threatened, not messing around.
The blue moth man chuckled. "My, you're a feisty one. However, Sage is hurt and he needs treatment for his paw. Please, come inside and I'll explain everything."
Sage kept his paw off the ground, but remained alert. Who was this guy? He seemed concerned, but was it a trick?
"How do we know this isn't a trick? Give me one good reason why we should listen and trust you!" Macy demanded.
"Well, the fact that Rachel is my sister, therefore, Sage is my nephew, which should be clear." He turned to the shape-shifter, giving a smile. "Sage, you rescued Megan from the Forever Knights and helped Rachel capture some escaping towels all in the same day."
Sage raised his head and ears, suddenly dumbstruck. "How could he know that unless Aunt Rachel or Mom told him?" He asked himself as he looked at the alien.
Macy and Tommy looked at each other and then watched the shape-shifter as he slowly limped forward and sniffed Big Chill's outstretched hand, catching Rachel's scent and immediately relaxed, letting Big Chill rest his hand on his head.
Seeing that their friend was calm around the phantom moth alien, Macy and Tommy decided to trust him...for now.
A few minutes later, Sage laid on the floor of the bedroom as the blue moth rubbed warm water into his wound, melting the ice. The wolf looked over to where Tommy and Macy sat beside him, leaning into his side.
"It's okay, Sage. You'll be back on your feet in no time," Macy assured him, stroking his fur with her hand.
"Don't you mean 'back on his paws'?" Pointed out Tommy, having a slight humor in that tone.
"You know what I mean," Macy gave her brother a small glare before returning her gaze to the wolf, who whined as he felt the last of the ice get removed.
"There we are now. This is a special salve your uncle makes that heals wounds quickly. It will also help with the pain," the blue moth said, as he placed two of his fingers in the green salve and spread it on Sage's paw pad.
Macy studied the salve carefully. She thought back on her encounter with two certain To'Kustars that happened not too long ago. Macy remembered one of them mentioning how they treated both her and Tommy's wounds from a major fight against a group of no-good bullies. One minute, they were covered in scrapes and bruises. The next, she and her brother were completely clean. It was like the fight never happened.
"Do you or anyone else use that salve a lot?" She questioned.
"We all do. It helps for when our children or nieces and nephews get hurt from our enemies," the cloaked figure said. "We never like seeing our little ones hurt."
Sage looked at the cloaked figure for a moment, before finally settling his head down onto the cool floor, feeling a lot better.
"I know what you mean. So, since you've proven to be a friend, mind telling us who or what you are? Considering you know so much about us, yet we know nothing about you. Except you turn from a weird blue moth creature to a creepy grim reaper-themed poltergeist that shoots and breathes ice out of its mouth," Macy said.
Big Chill chuckled, not offended by her creative description of him. "My name is a Big Chill, and I am a Necrofriggan, a type of alien. I live here in the Grant Mansion. I'm sorry for startling you before. I thought you were snoopers or intruders here to harm my family," he explained, wrapping a bandage around Sage's paw to keep the wound from getting dirty.
"It's cool...no pun intended," Macy said. Tommy just chuckled on his sister's response, causing her to eye roll. Just then, a small thought came to her that bugged the brunette. "Hang on. If you knew we weren't a threat, then why did you freeze the hallways and almost tried to turn us into frozen popsicles?"
"That was an accident. You see, my brother and I, when we sleep, sometimes freeze the floors, beds, everything," Big Chill said, sounding sheepish.
"My brother is telling you the truth," a new deeper voice announced.
They turned to the door, finding a red Necrofriggan standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Sage tensed a little, wrapping his tail around Tommy and Macy.
"Whoa! There's two of you?! Awesome!" Tommy said, completely amazed.
"Does every alien this mansion come in pairs of their own?!" Macy asked out loud to no one in particular, too dumbfounded.
Sage stared at the red Necrofriggan, giving a small growl. The red Necrofriggan chuckled. "Relax, nephew. I don't hurt family," he said with a gentle smile, causing Sage to look at him questioningly. "I'm a Necrofriggan's Ultimate form, Ultimate Big Chill. But Rachel calls me Rojo."
"Isn't that Spanish for the color 'red'?" Macy asked.
"Do you breathe fire?!" Tommy asked with excitement, since this new Necrofriggan's colors looked like flames of fire.
Rojo smiled. "Yes, Macy. My name is Red. At least, to Rachel. Also, yes, Tommy. I do breathe fire, but it freezes my enemies."
"Talk about freeze burn. Remind me not to mess with you guys in a brawl." Macy said.
"You should also see someone about that ice breath thing when asleep. It seems to cause a little bit of trouble for some people here," added Tommy.
Sage barked his agreement as he tried to get to his feet. "Easy, Sage. Take it slow. You really took a hard hit on that ice." Macy gently warned.
Sage whimpered as he tried to move out of the room, only for his front legs to give out on him. Macy went to his aid, more worried than ever. "You have to rest and let the salve work on its own. I can see that patience isn't your strong qualities. Join the club. But you got to, if you want to get better. And guess what? You don't have to do it alone, because we're here for you. Just like you were here for me and Tommy."
Sage looked at Macy for a moment, before dropping his head. Once again feeling useless, he struggled more to his feet, leaving the room with a heavy limp. "Sage, wait!" Macy shouted, now more heartbroken in seeing her best shape-shifting friend like this. It's like no matter how hard she tried, Macy couldn't reach out to him.
Sage continued down the hall, hearing Macy's cries but not registering them till he reached the living room where someone else said his name.
"Sage?"
He looked up, finding his mom and dad, Sasha and Whampire, cuddled together on the couch. "Sage, why are you limping? What's wrong?" Sasha asked with concern, as she got to her feet.
"Son?" Whampire asked, resting a hand on the base of his neck.
The boy looked at Whampire before dropping his eyes in sadness.
"Sage, please change back." Sasha said, kissing his forehead.
Sighing, Sage shifted back with the wrap on his hand tightening to remain on where the wound was. "Now, what is wrong?" His mother asked.
"I'm a failure," he said.
Whampire bristled. "Who told you that lie?" He asked, barely keeping a snarl from escaping.
"It's just the truth, Dad," the boy aid. "I couldn't help Megan when that man came to try and take her...,"
"Sage, stop," Sasha said in a low, firm voice, making him look up at her. "Sweetie, don't you ever blame yourself for that. None of us could have known that that man was coming. He's very dangerous, but what happened wasn't your fault. Don't ever think that just because you weren't there to help us means you're a failure, because you're not. Do you understand?"
He looked up at her and she gently smiled. "I mean it, mijo," she said softly.
"And your mother doesn't lie," Whampire said. "And neither do I, son."
Sage leaned against Sasha and Whampire, feeling better and content. He then looked up and saw Macy and Tommy looking at him with smiles. "Give me a minute?" Sage asked his parents.
Whampire and Sasha smiled and nodded, heading out to give their son and his friends some privacy, meeting up with Big Chill and Ultimate Big Chill.
Sage stood and walked over to Macy and Tommy. "I'm sorry, I just felt like so much of a failure...I just couldn't...I couldn't...," he tried to say.
Without saying a word, Macy just hugged him. Although a bit stunned on the tough brunette's act, the shape-shifter eventually hugged her back. "You have no reason to apologize. We've all felt like this from time to time. Even me," she assured him.
"Guess we have something in common and to talk about," he whispered.
Lightly chuckling, she whispered back, "It would seem so," she said, unaware of the light pink blush forming in her cheeks.
"Gross, clear a room," spoke a slightly disgusted Tommy.
Sage looked at the boy, smirking. "First off, kid, it's 'get a room' not 'clear a room'. And second, you might want to start running," he said, slowly shifted to his wolf form, going down into a downward dog position with his tail shaking in the air.
"Uh-oh," Tommy said, before screaming as he ran for his life.
While Sage chased after Tommy, Macy just laughed at the scene. "It's good to be back in this place," she said, to herself, seeing the others also watching the amusing scene of the boys messing around in play.
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