Part Two: Aftermath
Ben and Gwen held each other for a few moments longer. Then, Frank walked up to them. Ben went into Defense Mode instantly and glared at the man. "Ben, I would never hurt my daughter," he told Ben as he put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "We just need to talk for a minute." He explained with a kind smile. Ben nodded and relaxed as Frank looked past him to Gwen. "With Lily in prison, it won't be possible to keep this house." He said as Ben and Gwen shared scared and knowing looks. Gwen thought of something. "I have enough credits in school to go to work part time." Frank shook his head. "That wouldn't be right of me to ask you to do." Gwen looked at her father. "If it means we don't have to move, I'll be glad do it." Gwen said with a stern face.
Frank was about to relent when Ben and Gwen's phones went off. Gwen quickly checked hers and found a strange email. "Thank you for your service to your planet and the Intergalactic Peacekeepers of Earth," it told Ben and Gwen. "From this point forward, you will be part-time members until such time as you complete your basic education. Back payment for eighteen months of service have been sent to your respective bank accounts immediately and continued payment will be made twice a month. Again, the Earth thanks you for your service." Gwen smiled when she saw the signature: Magister Maxwell Tennyson, Head of IPE.
Ben and Gwen smiled at Frank, and Gwen told him, "I don't think we'll have to worry about money, Dad." "Grandpa got us jobs with him as Earth Space Cops." Ben added with a grin. "With aliens as a known thing now. Grandpa will probably be looking for recruits now." Gwen said as she tapped her chin. Ben chuckled at her. "You're cute when you're tired," he then kissed her. "Vilgax attacked six years ago. I'm certain Grandpa Max has beefed up the ranks between then and now." He told her with a kind smile. "Speaking of sleeping…" Ben said as Gwen yawned, put her head on his shoulder, and snuggled into it deeper into Ben's chest. Ben gently put his arm around Gwen and lead her to her room. As soon as Gwen started to drift off, Ben left to keep Uncle Frank from eating him alive. As Ben closed the door, Gwen seemed to sense him leaving. Her face contorted in fear and sadness while she slept and began to toss and turn, but this was from her dreams.
In Gwen's mind, she found herself in a hallway. There were dozens of doors on each side of her in all manner of colors. "What is this place?" Gwen mumbled as she looked around the area for any clues to where this place was. Gwen looked up at the sound of a magenta door opening and closing as a person walked out of it. When the figure walked closer, Gwen was stunned to see the person was a slightly older version of herself! Gwen quickly got over her shock and glared at her double.
"What are you doing here?" Gwen asked her double who she decided to call Gwendolyn to keep the confusion to a minimum. Gwendolyn seemed sad. She looked at Gwen and shivered. "Well, for starters, all Gwen's have a weak telepathic link with each other because of Mana and our ability to use it." Gwen giggled. "'Mana' is Hebrew for 'What is it?' and was a cracker or something similar the Israelites ate while they wandered. It's not 'an energy field that binds the Galaxy together'." Gwen said with a shake of her head. Gwendolyn glared at her. "Semantics aside, I'm here because Ben just knocked me out because I was trying to protect Kevin from him." Gwen stared at Gwendolyn and laughed sarcastically. "W-what did you just say?" Gwen asked her older self in disbelief.
Gwendolyn smiled. "I'm dating Kevin." That one sentence sent Gwen into a tirade. "What in the fiery pits of Hell are you smoking?" Gwen asked in anger as she slapped herself. "He's tried to kill Ben and I many times! The guy is a fucking psychopath with a greed for power and money that would make Hitler look like a Shaolin monk by comparison! He double teamed Ben in the Null Void with Vilgax. He was willing to KILL innocent people on a passenger train for a cash pay out! He wanted to smash Ben to pieces when they were abducted into an illegal fight club!" Gwen said as she counted out the events on her fingers and calmly walked around Gwendolyn while the girl tried to talk some sense into herself. "Kevin plays games with your head! He fooled Ben into thinking he was remorseful when we were ten. You're smarter than that, Gwendolyn, or is he just a hot boyfriend that looks good on your arm?"
Gwendolyn just stared at her younger counterpart. "He's changed!" Gwen raised an eyebrow. "The thing about turning over a new leaf is all the dirt and grime on one side is still there. It's hard to see because you are looking at the clean side of the leaf." Gwen said before she asked, "Does he give you the proper respect and adoration you deserve?" Gwendolyn blinked. Gwen sighed. "He probably has a car and worships it." The younger Tennyson growled. "When he changed back into a physical monster, did he try to resist it?" Gwen asked. Gwendolyn fired back. "He can't control the energy he absorbs from the Omnitrix!" Gwen glared at herself. "I call total bullshit! Uncontrolled, the Omnitrix energy from Kevin's first encounter with it would permanently alter him. Over time, he would learn to control the mutation and APPEAR human and benign. You're being played, Gwendolyn." Gwen told her older self coldly as the connection began to fade and "Just Break Up with Him" by Old Dominion played from invisible speakers.
Gwen woke up with a headache and groaned as she shifted to a sitting position and stood. "Damn…what a night." Gwen groaned. For a moment, panic ran through her as she thought about her dream. Gwen ran into the living room in her pj's and looked around, praying Kevin would be no where in sight. When she saw Ben sleeping on the couch, Gwen felt a weight lift off her shoulders, ran up, and kissed Ben deeply. The brunette teen boy started away at the fierce contact. When Gwen broke away, Ben just stared at her with a silly grin on his face. "Good morning to you, too, Dweeb." Gwen frowned. "After the night I had, I need to remind myself of you." Ben sat up and looked at Gwen in worry at her words. "Why? What happened?" He asked. "While I slept, I met a version of myself that was dating Kevin." Ben's slack jawed expression spoke volumes as Gwen only nodded in response. Ben then pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "I'm not going anywhere."
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