The Omen

By Invader-Hime

Gwen could not get over the feeling that something was wrong.

It was a gnawing sense of foreboding that never left her thoughts for very long, yet she could not put her finger on its exact cause.

Well, truthfully, she could.

But it didn't make sense.

If it did not make sense to her brain, there was no way she was going to share it with anyone else. At least, not until she figured it out. There was no way what she thought was bothering her was the cause of her worry.

So she kept it to herself, that aching pester that plagued her thoughts. Hero Time went on as usual. A threat appeared and the team would take it down. Same as always. There was nothing odd about it...not to anyone else. Ben was there, of course. Alan...yes, he was there as well...Cooper, as annoying, but useful as he always was. Even Kevin was still there...if his hair was a little bit shaggier these days. The threat appeared, the team arrived and dispelled it. Everyone went home. The same as always.

But something was wrong with it. It seemed as though Gwen was the only one who felt this way. Only she was on edge, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with it. It was too simple. No one would believe what she claimed was bothering her was actually bothering her. So, she kept it to herself. Gwen didn't want anyone talking about her being crazy...or overworked...or imagining things. She said nothing about it.

After the action, when she and Kevin were alone in the car and his arms were around her, Gwen felt worse than ever. It wasn't anything he did. He was doing his best to make sure she felt safe...appreciated...loved. She knew that...but it was in his arms that her brain seemed to scream at her that something was wrong. He held her in the dark and whispered reassuring things in her ear, rubbing her arms with careful, skilled hands.

Gwen eased her eyes open and looked squarely at Kevin's face. His eyes were still their warm brown, though they looked troubled. He could tell something was bothering her, she knew it. His large hands were warm and comforting, she wanted to forget about what her instincts were telling her... yet she couldn't take her eyes off his chin.

It was that damn scar. She hated that it bothered her so much. It made her feel guilty and superficial. It wasn't Kevin's fault he had it. It wasn't even ugly...wasn't even slightly unsightly. It was just a diagonal slash across his chin from a piece of shrapnel. It wasn't anything. It was just that. For some reason, whenever she looked at it, her stomach felt like it plunged to the floor. She couldn't tear her gaze away. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was a horrible omen staring her in the face and she couldn't even see what it was trying to tell her. It didn't mean anything...did it? She had never seen it before...at least not before the bandages came off and the stitches were out.

She feels like she should.

She feels like it is a sign of things to come...something she should try to stop..something she should tell...no...warn Kevin about.

Gwen can't shake the feeling something ominous is looming ahead, just out of sight. She can't prove anything, but she feels it and that's what is frustrating. She doesn't feel like she can worry everyone with a "feeling", especially such a vague one.

She sighed and did her best to ignore the feeling of uneasiness that overcame her. Gwen shut her eyes, leaned against Kevin and listened to the steady sound of his heartbeat. He rocked her like a child that needs comforting.

Gwen let go of her worries, if only for a few moments. It was easier to do that with her eyes closed.