Gratified Affairs

Author: S.A. Nestor
Timeline: Pre-AF
Disclaimer: Ben 10 - Alien Force is property of Cartoon Network and Man of Action.

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2. Invitation to Mayhem : Part 2

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"You can close your eyes to things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to things you don't want to feel." - Anonymous

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She wasn't jealous.

How could she be jealous? And over Ben, of all people.

Think logically, Gwen... she told herself, Ben has been spending a lot less time with you lately because of those stupid soccer playoffs, and his sudden popularity is just annoying because... because...

"I miss him," Gwen realized. She felt relieved to have found an answer, an excuse to why she could've possibly been jealous of Blossom's blatant crush on her cousin at all. She couldn't blame Blossom for having a crush on Ben – he'd come a long way from being the goofy little boy she'd known all her life. Very quickly, he was growing up to be more and more enamoring among the ladies. He had grown out of his chauvinistic ego, and seemed to appreciate the more sophisticated young girls.

"If I had to have a girlfriend," Ben had told her once during a sleepover at his house, when they were younger and on the verge of pubescence, "She gotta be smart, classy, and beautiful. Just like you." And then he'd punched her in he arm affectionately, and she'd tossed a pillow into his face feeling too utterly flattered to consider anything of it.

Recalling it now, Gwen wasn't quite sure what he'd meant by that. Or maybe she just didn't want to know.

They no longer had sleepovers; there came a point in their lives where their parents realized it wasn't quite appropriate for Gwen to sleep alone with a boy in the same room, in the same bed. She wasn't sure why, it wasn't as if Ben would ever hurt her. But that didn't seem to matter. Her parent's probably didn't want her to get any ideas. She felt a little offended at that, because she liked to think she was more than responsible for her age…

Gwen had taken the bus home, and throughout the whole ride her mind was troubled with Blossom's words. Her friend was only teasing, but for some reason Gwen couldn't let it go.

Gwen missed Ben, and that explained why she'd been so easily convinced to go to a bonfire party with him despite the fact that there was no adult supervision whatsoever. That had ominous written all over it, and if it had been under any other circumstances (if it had been any other boy) she would have dismissed the invite without a second thought. "What was I thinking?" She massaged her forehead stressfully, "This is all Ben's fault."

Blossom didn't take the bus; in fact, Gwen wasn't sure how she got home at all. She'd never seen a car pick Blossom and her sisters up or drop them off, yet they were always the first ones on time for school. Gwen never really asked her about it.

The bus slowed in front of a bus stop, and Gwen eased her way through the thin walkway between the clusters of other students that were all fidgeting in the small, threadbare leather seats. Her house was less than a block away, and she didn't mind walking. It was much better than being in a public bus, which for the most part was crowded, noisy and shoddy.

The minivan wasn't in front of the garage when she arrived home. Entering the house with a spare key under the potted cactus on their front porch, she kicked off her shoes and called, "I'm home!" There was no response or greeting, but Gwen had had the feeling that there would be none. She casually sauntered into the sitting room, but it was empty. Her mother was probably at the supermarket gathering groceries for dinner, but she wasn't always sure what her father did during the afternoons. As she'd gotten older, she was less possessive of her parents. She loved them, but she was also a teenager. Teenagers were too preoccupied with being unpredictable and trying to survive high school to pay attention to their parents, who lived in a different generation apart from their own.

Clink. Click…clink…

Gwen turned towards the noise, the sound of someone rifling through cabinets or a fridge. "Dad?" She called, quietly. She carefully walked towards the doorframe that led into the kitchen, and was surprised to see someone with half their body submerged inside the fridge. He was rummaging through the frozen snacks, as if trying to find something good to eat. Despite his face being hidden from view, she'd recognize that firm little butt anywhere.

Gwen tossed her backpack over the dining table and folded her arms in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

There was a loud thump and Ben yelped in pain. "Ugh, damn it!" He grumbled, rubbing the sore spot where his head hit the roof inside the fridge. He turned to glare at her, "What the hell's the big deal?"

"Ben..." Gwen sighed dramatically. "The big deal is that you broke into my parent's house." She was unusually calm despite the circumstances.

Ben blinked, as if just realizing it was her. "Oh, sorry Gwen. Didn't mean to snap. I didn't know it was you."

Gwen wondered if that would've made any difference. Would he have reacted otherwise, and smiled at her instead? The same megawatt smile that she often found herself relishing when she'd see it on him, like he was glad to see her more than anything in the world? The idea seemed flattering, but she wasn't in the mood to ask him nor did she have the nerve to. Her logic told her she was reading too much into things. Ben was Ben, after all, and despite his recent maturity he was still a little exaggerative.

"You're in my home," Gwen stated pointedly, raising her eyebrow at him.

"You sound like I'm not welcomed here at all," Ben retorted, pouting.

Hopelessly, Gwen rolled her eyes at him. "How did you get here?" She grumbled, "And would you stop pouting? It makes you look five."

"Does not," Ben retorted, sticking his tongue out at her. "And, uh, not all your windows were locked."

Gwen's eyes widened, a little startled by what he'd just said. She could tell that he was lying. He was terrible at it and always had been. "Yes they were! Ben, did you break in!?" She glared at him accusingly.

"It's not like I was gonna steal anything!" Ben was eating out of a cookie jar, his mouth full. He swallowed, and then grinned at her.

Gwen narrowed her eyes and shot him a threatening look. "You're eating our food."

Ben's grin was sheepish, but it was the same disarming grin that she would relish. "Well, I practically live here anyway," he told her reasonably.

For a second, she felt the need to smile back at him, truthfully and without a hint of irony. She shook her head, as if to shake off the thought, and frowned disapprovingly instead. Gwen was seriously reconsidering the fact that she was capable of missing someone as thick-headed as Ben. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she said, "You never answered my question: Why are you here?"

She was trying to stifle her laughter at the irony of the situation; it was like Ben hadn't changed at all, just evolved into a teenage version of his goofiness. But she had changed. Instead of being angry at his very existence, she actually loved everything about his fun-loving attitude. And that was the irony. That was why she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"I came here to ask your dad about the bonfire tomorrow night." Ben told her earnestly. He smiled, brows furrowing inquiringly, "Why are you laughing?"

Gwen's eyes widened. She hadn't realized how eager Ben was about the bonfire party. It unsettled her a little, yet at the same time she felt flattered. "Oh yeah? What did he say?"

Ben put the jar away, shrugging a little. "Haven't asked him yet. Do you know where he could be?"

Gwen shrugged. "He's probably in his office."

"Checked there—everywhere, actually. The whole reason why I had to break in was because no one was answering the doorbell."

Gwen grimaced. "So you did break in."

Ben smiled lopsidedly, like a guilty little boy who did a naughty thing he wasn't supposed to.

At that instant, they both heard the front door open. And then, "Gwen? Sweetie, are you home?"

"In here!" Ben called eagerly. Gwen kicked him in the leg. "Ow! Hey!"

"Ben, is that you?" Gwen's father, Frank Tennyson, entered the kitchen with a puzzled expression, but when he noticed Gwen he smiled.

"Oh, good. I thought Ben broke in again, but I see that you're here also, Gwen," he said, chuckling.

Ben snickered mischievously, and Gwen kicked him again even harder. "OW! Quit it!"

"You quit it," Gwen warned, furrowing her brows at him.

"I just came from the neighbors. Bob and I have arranged a game of golf tomorrow. Care to join me, Ben? Might teach you a thing or two." Frank smiled.

Ben snorted, stifling laughter. "No thanks Uncle Frank. Got the big soccer game tomorrow, remember?" Gwen couldn't imagine Ben playing golf. Ever. It just seemed too much like a serious, tedious game for grownups. He was right to think it was funny.

Frank nodded. "Oh yeah. Well, sorry I can't make it. But I'm sure Gwen will be there."

"Speaking of which," Ben grinned, "I was wondering if Gwen and I could go to a friend's party tomorrow night."

"Oh really? Whose?" Frank raised a brow, as if to silently question what Ben was up to. "And where will this party be held?"

"Ashley Evans. You remember her, right? The one with the Oxford scholarship." He'd added the last bit just to annoy Gwen. And it worked.

Frank looked thoughtful. "Ah, the honor student. She'd hosted your school's fundraiser last year, right? She's a very generous girl."

"Very," Ben agreed, elbowing Gwen suggestively. Gwen huffed and glared despairingly at him, not liking his innuendo.

"All right, you can go. Just be sure to come home by twelve." Frank nodded.

"What?" Gwen gaped. She sat down on a chair nearby, overwhelmingly dumbfounded.

"YES!" Ben whooped and pumped his fist in the air cheerfully. He patted his uncle in the back. "You rock Uncle Frank!"

Frank chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks daddy," Gwen grated, and hugged her father while Ben was looking very smug.

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NOTE:
I've decided to make this a chaptered story, instead of a collection of one-shots. Hopefully it will be at least 4 to 5 chapters long, more or less. On another note: correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure if Gwen's dad's real name is actually Frank. But he seems like a Frank to me, and I was too lazy to look it up. Meh.

Thank you to those who reviewed and welcomed me into the throngs of Ben/Gwen fans. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like a peach that's turned inside-out. It's pleasantly unusual. I appreciate it very much, and hoped you enjoyed this chapter as well as the rest that are to come. You're all awesome.

Sincerely,
- S.A. Nestor