Title: A Conflict of Interests
Author: aFigureOfSpeech (rath_robin_rye)
Word Count: 823
Pairing: KevinxGwen
Rating: T (for some swearing)
Summary: Gwendolyn was sure it had been the worst day she'd ever had. Then two very dangerous people from her past show up to remind her that it can always get worse. future!Gwevin
Note: Okay, so this is for Warse-no-miko's (on DevinatART, aka Karashi on FF . net) contest thingy. Will have a part 2. When, I don't know. But it will. (Maybe.)

And whoa, I was totally going for humorous when I started this (as you can probably tell), but somehow or another it veered way off that course. Jeez. At the end my sentiments were the same as Gwendolyn's.

Disclaimer: Ben 10: Alien Force and all characters belong to Man of Action.

It was the worst day she could remember in recent memory; one of those days that starts out bad and just gets progressively worse as it goes along.

Gwendolyn had a very good memory, too.

First, to kick off this award-winning day, she woke up.

(Gwendolyn, no matter how hard she tried, was not a morning person. Many an unfortunate alarm clock had found itself spontaneously in pieces for performing its godforsaken function. Little, itty-bitty pieces.)

Second, her coffee machine abruptly decided to follow its newly departed friend Alarm Clock #14 to the afterlife.

(Gwendolyn wouldn't really call herself a coffee addict; usually a little mana was more than enough to kick-start her day, and she generally preferred it over an artificial stimulant. However, according to some friends of different opinion no household was complete without a coffee maker – meaning that they wouldn't come over until she got one. So, of course, the morning after she got home really, really late and could really, really use that caffeine kick right about now…)

Third, still tired and already irritated with the world in general, Gwendolyn sincerely did not want to deal with the jackasses that unfortunately shared the skyway with her.

(All they needed to do was have a little decent common courtesy, but no; they felt like they had every right in the world to not watch where the hell they were going. So what if they almost ran over the little red-head who didn't have the security of several hundred pounds of metal and plexiglas surrounding her? So what if all she was trying to do was get to work? No, it was so not their problem.)

Fourth, she was late to work.

(Only a little, true, but Gwendolyn liked being punctual. And with all those new recruits running around, god knew what kind of hell would break loose. She was the unofficial mediator of the Earth-based Plumbers as her powers were particularly useful in breaking up fights and settling disputes, especially when paired with her no-nonsense face. If only it were that simple on the actual job.)

Fifth, while out working, the new recruit she was looking after as he got some field experience ran his mouth off just enough to have some rather nasty individuals take offense.

(Poor, idiot Kal. He was only a rookie, and like most new Plumbers, thought he was king of the universe just for getting in the organization. He'd humble up in time. Unfortunately, some common thugs decided he'd have to learn the hard way. Gwendolyn took her eyes off the boy for one second, and the next thing she knew he was in the middle of a full-out brawl.)

Sixth, said new recruit ended up beat to a bloody pulp and had to be rushed to the hospital immediately.

(Too slow, too slow, she was too damn slow, and Kal had paid the price. It hurt her to look at him, all cut and bruised and beat up like that. It hurt even more when he reached, blindly and in pain, for something, something, and the only thing she could do was hold his hand, try to give him some form of comfort, as the ambulance flew.)

Seventh, upon arriving at the hospital, she was told she could not stay with him as he went to the emergency room, that she should just go home now.

(They told her there was nothing more she could do for him. And they were right. She could do nothing for him. She felt torn up inside, that she had let that happen to him. She was supposed to be watching his back, looking out for the kid, but she had failed. What kind of Plumber was she? To mess up something so basic? Dammit.)

Eighth, in her daze she somehow ended up back at HQ rather than her own house.

(That was okay though, she really needed to report what happened anyway. To let them know why she'd be taking the next couple days off – staking out Kal's hospital room. At least until he got better. Because he would get better. He had to.)

Ninth, somehow or another, short-staffed as they were, she got roped into another job.

(Just some stupid hotshots making a ruckus downtown, they told her, and could you please take care of it, thanks so much Gwendolyn you're a doll! She didn't even have a chance to report.

She did not think there was any way this day could get worse.)

Tenth, completely innocent and unsuspecting, Gwendolyn arrived at the scene.

(She should have known better than to assume anything. Because of course, these weren't just some random upstarts causing trouble. In fact, Gwendolyn knew very well both the dark, scary-looking brunette and the dashing, down-right sparkling blond. She just hoped they weren't fight for the same reason they had back then.)

She said the first thought that came to mind.

"Well shit."