A story I was inspired to write after reading "The X Of Friendship" that guestsurprise had done for newbienovelistRD.
I only own Rachel, Stacy, Alice, Daniel, Joy, Chloe, Camryn, and Emily. Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action.
Never Doubt Yourself
Rachel sighed as she got into her car and drove around to do her shopping in town. She needed a few things along with some groceries, but she wasn't looking forward to going to a few of the places because of all the gossip she'd been hearing lately.
Gossip that turned to hurtful comments that Rachel heard loud and clear as she would walk by and the glares people gave her made the comments hurt even more.
She went to a few stores and tried to ignore the comments, but one caught her attention right away.
"Did you know she took in that tramp and her three brats?" said one. "And when that tramp's husband came, they had him arrested."
"I heard she took in a girl who started a house fire," said another. "A girl that should have been put in juvenile hall."
"What about that poor girl she had her brothers kidnap? She was just an innocent girl and they took her and forced her to live with them," said the first person.
Rachel realized with a start that they were talking about Stacy and her three children, Alice, Daniel, and Joy, her niece Chloe, and her friend Emily and the comments made her very upset and she turned to the gossipers with a fierce glare that could have melted the walls. "Stacy is not a tramp! Nor are her children brats!" she said, making the two gossiping ladies jump back in alarm at the force of her voice. "Her ex-husband abused her! And Chloe didn't start that fire. Her stepfather did because he was trying to kill her! And my brothers did not kidnap Emily! They saved her life and she chose to stay at the Mansion!"
Rachel noticed everyone now watching and she decided to make sure the gossipers were embarrassed. "What about you gossipers?" she asked sharply. "Husbands beat you? Your own children in jail? Your grandchildren in juvenile hall because they got mixed with the wrong crowd?"
At the second question, one of the gossipers winced and looked ashamed and the other's face turned red at the last question, which told Rachel she hit the nail on the head. "So you gossip about others and spread false stories so that no one will pay attention to your personal business?!" she snapped angrily. "Shame on you!"
It was very quiet then and Rachel moved away, holding her head high to indicate how offended she was by their gossip and that her lecture served them right. She paid for her items, which the cashier rang up quietly, but had nodded to Rachel. "Thank you," she said. "I was hoping someone would set them straight."
Rachel nodded. "You're welcome," she said and gathered her paid items and headed out, but while she put her bags away and headed for the grocery store, she thought back about her actions and shook her head. "I probably shouldn't have done that, but I hate it when others speak so poorly of my family."
It was true. She had had to endure much of someone speaking poorly of her family from her birth father and he had been worse than the gossipers because he had spoken poorly of her sick mother and adoptive father and Rachel hadn't liked it.
She now pulled up to the grocery store and got her groceries quickly, paying for them and then heading home. Sighing again, she put away the groceries, taking out pork ribs and vegetables for supper, and put on her cooking apron to start dinner. She had just finished putting the meat in the oven to cook and stood back up when two arms suddenly grabbed her, making her gasp in alarm until she looked behind her and saw Alien X there and she let out a sigh of relief. "Alien X, did you have to scare me like that?" she asked tiredly.
"I called out your name, but you didn't respond," he said. "Rough time in town?"
"More like dealing with gossipers. Again," said Rachel with a groan. "They were speaking badly about Stacy and her children and even said Chloe started that fire and that we had forced Emily to live here."
"But we sort of did," he said. "Although actually, you offered her a place to stay after we learned her father had been arrested on abuse charges and the bank was foreclosing on her home."
Rachel sighed again. "Sometimes I wonder if…I've done what's really best," she admitted.
Alien X knew immediately what she meant as he sometimes felt the same way after he had decided to leave the other Celestialsapiens and come to Earth. He then placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "I felt that way too, when I came to Earth and you found me," he said. "But it didn't last very long."
She looked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"As you took me in and helped me learn about Earth and humans, I knew I made the right choice by leaving the Celestialsapien courts and all their debating behind," he said. "It was a relief to get away from all that."
"Debating all day can be tiring," Rachel said in agreement.
The alien then pulled her in a hug. "Rachel, you've done so much good in these past few years," he said. "You've not only helped your own kind who have needed help, but also aliens who have come to seek refuge and live peacefully with humans."
"And I don't regret any of that," she said firmly.
"Then never doubt yourself," said Alien X in an equally firm voice. "You've done what is best for everyone here and you've never once let any of us down."
Seeing what her friend was saying, she smiled at him and hugged him, feeling him return the hug just as firmly. "Thanks, Alien X. I needed that pep talk," she said.
"We all do sometimes," he answered. He then smelled the air. "Is something burning?"
"The pork ribs!" Rachel cried out and quickly opened the oven door, but found they were still cooking and not burned and the vegetables were doing fine. She was confused until she heard Alien X start laughing and she realized he had done that on purpose to get her mind off of the day and she closed the oven door again and turned to the alien, tackling him and making them both fall down. She then gave him a playful glare and he chuckled.
"Well, it got your mind off of this afternoon, right?" he asked.
She smiled and shook her head in amusement. "Yes, it did," she said and got up, helping him up, just as they heard the front door open and Camryn came running in to see her father.
"Daddy!" she cried out happily as he scooped her up into his arms, just as Rook and Ben came in too, greeting Rachel and Alien X, who returned the greetings.
And Rachel smiled as she no longer felt doubt about the choices she made to help the aliens and people she was proud to call her family.
If you're all curious about Stacy and her children, Chloe, Emily, and how Rachel met Alien X, their stories are "Magnetic Love" (Stacy and her children coming to the Mansion), "A Home Warmly Filled With Love" (Chloe's introduction story), "Suddenly Thrust Into Another World" (Emily's introduction), and "A Starry Friend" (Rachel meeting Alien X for the first time).
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GoldGuardian2418