Holy chizzle….it's chappy number two! xD

First off, I want to thank the people who reviewed. You all were detrimental to my updating this quickly (seriously, life was trampling my motivation), so thank you sooooooo much!

Special thanks to ben-kevin-forevah, DreamsofPurpleRoses, and oobid for taking the time to write awesome reviews. Those really, really helped! (Particularly with the writer's block…-_- My worst enemy…).

Review Responses!

-ben-kevin-forevah: Thank you! I actually developed an attachment to Viskaas once I started to integrate his character into the story; the character was just so pure and lovable…Who knows, Viskaas may or may not turn up in this sequel. ;D

-DreamsofPurpleRoses: Aw, shucks! It really pleases me to hear you enjoyed my story. Characters that are brave, but yet retain the weaknesses/faults that any human would somehow speak to me more than those who are flawless; they seem more realistic and relatable.

As for the ending of "Steal Me Now, Steal Me Forever", the Plumber's did in fact, rescue Ben. At the time where Eon was brutalizing Ben, you might recall how, post having his limbs dislocated, he was pretty much spiraling into unconsciousness when "a light burst through his eyelids". Indirect as that is, the underlying hint was that a spotlight was set on the two. If you remember, later on, while Gwen was sulking in the hospital, you come across the line "The backup Plumbers were the real heroes, not her. They, having been forewarned of their enemy, had overpowered the threat by sheer numbers and artillery; regrettably, the target had escaped." This was included as more substantial proof of it (considering the rarity of someone actually attributing the light Ben saw to being rescued).

Yes, unfortunately I opted to start a tad slower this time. I felt the need to introduce what Ben was going through—it's evident he doesn't recall what happened those 6 years earlier. The bowl was an indicator of…yeah, you'll see. And I happen to like Kevin when he's balanced out; as in his kinder side & his asshole side.
As for Gwen telling Kevin…just read the chappy(:

Thanks again, you're too kind! *stares at you happily, imagining flowers blooming in the background* —not at all creepy—*starts giggling, chanting about new "interweb" friends*—…nope, not weird at all. lol

-oobid: xD I'm glad to hear that! And yes, I very much do plan on dragging Ben through hell & back *grins evily* Muahahahhahahahahahaaaa! Oh, & it's your lucky day! You happened to have tuned in right before the day I uploaded chapter two!

Body of Mine

Chapter 2: Little by Little

It was hardly a surprise to find Gwen perched atop one of thousands of crates spattered across the pier with her arms crossed and a frown set athwart her lacquered lips. Both boys visibly slowed, hoping to delay the heat they would surely face, predominantly Ben.

"I think I have a sixth sense. It's telling me not to go near Gwen." Ben stared straight ahead, eyes wide and viewing his cousin with dread.

Kevin snorted slightly as he whispered back, "You could bail."

"No, no," Ben shook his head quickly. "She'd come after me. Ugh…I'm so in for it…"

"What color flowers would you like?" At that, the osmosian received a glare. "What?" he smirked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson!"

"White. White ones are fine," Ben muttered swiftly, flinching and ducking his head at the yell. He could find no way to make himself look pitiful enough so she'd have mercy.

Gwen watched as the two boys stopped feet from her post. She was beyond furious. "Where were you?" she snapped, leering down at her cousin. She'd been worried! How many horrible things had crossed her mind when Ben was nowhere to be found? Too many to count. If it'd been any other situation, perhaps one more like what he'd do, then things wouldn't have been so bad. The problem was: Ben was no morning person. Getting him out of bed required the Jaws of Life…or a smoothie. Still, Gwen did not like what had happened. Especially not when that day was so near…

Ben passed a hand through his drying hair, his face still pink from the sun. "I got nothing."

The ginger descended from the crate on a plate of mana and approached her cousin. Her lips pinched together in a thin line. "Ben," she said, jabbing him with her finger in the chest, "this is so not funny. I was really worried! What were you doing out so early? You practically gave me a heart attack! I ought to punch you for this…"

She looked him in the eyes, seeking answer. Hardly could she contain the rage, the fear that swathed her. Her nails dug painfully into her palm and it took far too much effort to unclench her fists than should have. She inhaled sharply, but just as she was about to reprimand him some more she caught sight of the dark circles beneath his eyes—ashen frames akin almost to bruises. Her jaw slackened and for a brief instant she saw white: a white room, a white bed, and a still form atop while a heart monitor chipped away at her sanity with compunction… "What—"

"Sorry, Gwen," the brunette cut her off, lightly grasping her outstretched hand before it touched his face. "I got caught up playing videogames all night and then my friend called and told me about this new Sumo Slammers game that's coming out next month." He turned his head slightly were his eye to twitch, betraying him. "I wanted to pre-order it so I went to the store but turns out I can't do that until next Tuesday…" It was a pathetic lie, but he gave himself praise for how swiftly he formed it. Not that the story in its entirety was untrue; there was a new S.S. game coming out and he had checked in on it, but that had been the previous week. Ben didn't want Gwen to worry about him. She'd been like this for years—overprotective—but for some reason he felt the intensity of it was more so lately.

That sort of worry put him on edge, though, he didn't really know why.

The girl paused for a moment, hesitant of her next move. That was definitely unanticipated. Selfishly, she was in some way relieved—the part of her that coveted his wellbeing—but something was not fully right with his alibi; her mind, however, had yet to grasp what exactly it was. Nevertheless, she pushed it aside for the time being, setting the two boys with an austere glower, driving it home her misgivings of their candor.

Ben fidgeted against the look, trying not to let the strange feeling he picked up from her freak him out. He felt exhausted when she finally mumbled a suspicious "Okay…if you say so." Shoulders slumping from released tension, he discreetly wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. I seriously need to get some sleep…

She sighed, then sucked in a breath and said, "Don't think I'm going to forget this." Her finger pushed against the younger boy once more before she turned away. Ben could hardly veil the relief he felt and smiled, only to wipe it swiftly away as the girl swiveled around and looked over toward Kevin. "You, me? We have some things to discuss…" she injected as an afterthought.

The elder paled. "What? Why?" he groaned rancorously, not wanting to "discuss" anything with Gwen. Hell, he and she were yet on natural terms after their not-so-pleasant break-up. Miracle it was that they'd put aside their differences for the sake of the team—although, this in no way meant they had to like it.

Admittedly, half of him was over it; dumb-ass fight over dumb-ass reasons. All the same, he wasn't so high-and-mighty that he'd absolved her wholly. If anyone was pro at tirade-hissy-fits, it was Gwen; but, seriously, someone as controlling and nit-picky as she was grand a step from perfect. Kevin exhaled indignantly, straightening up and crossing his arms—an obvious testament it was not something he looked forward to. Kevin stifled a sneer as he abruptly recalled the nonsensical tiffs that lead to the fallout. He was certainly not obsessed with his car, definitely didn't have a get-rich quick fixation, and he was absolutely not a heartless jerk…most of the time… An acrid tang made home on his tongue, intensifying his scowl.

Ben grasped his shoulder, digging his fingers into the muscled flesh, mercifully drawing the teen from his issues. Kevin lightly nodded in thanks; Ben must've gone through hell and back listening to the two of them. Gwen undoubtedly had vented to the brunette, as he had. The kid must have nerves of steel if he was able to deal with them both. A glimmer of respect for him budded within Kevin.

Then Ben curtly dropped his hand and pushed it up his hoodie, laboring to rub his back. "Ugh…I think I got some dirt in my clothes. It itches." His tongue peeked out as he scratched. Pausing, he glanced at the older boy and proceeded to lift his jacket, exposing his back to Kevin, asking, "Can you help me? I can't reach it all…"

There went the respect.

"No."

"But Kevin-"

"You're funny, Tennyson," the older chuckled following Gwen as she made her way toward a moored ship.

"I'm serious Kevin!" Ben whined, trotting after the ex-con, hand still thrust up his garments.

"Please stop doing that."

"What? I can't help it."

"You remind me of some bear on Animal Planet. It's ridiculous."

"Huh! Don't care. You wouldn't help me…so I took matters into my own hands and oh~ does that hit the spot!"

Gwen and Kevin watched embarrassedly as Ben rubbed his back against the edge of huge oblong container set on the edge of the pier near the ship. To both teen's horror, the boy mewled happily as he slid his spine down against the metal, slightly shifting side-to-side so that the prickling could be soothed.

The three were waiting for a Plumber by the name of Rhephen; supposedly she had information on some anomalous incidents in the towns neighboring Bellwood. Normally there would be Plumbers present to look into the matter, but many across the continent had been recruited into a massive reconstruction effort of a secret intergalactic communication facility in Ohio after it was virtually decimated in a recent invasion. Seeing as how the three teens were coincidentally near to the manifestations and not otherwise occupied, they were asked to handle the matter.

Gwen sighted the decent of a small one-man vessel and proceeded to swat Ben's shoulder. "Stop it. The informant is here."

"Ouch! That hurt 'ya know." Ben complained, rubbing his shoulder.

"Don't be such a sissy," she quipped.

"I'm not," he countered. "You just seriously pack some strength in those arms. Should I be worried my girl cousin might be stronger than me? So not cool…"

The brunette felt a hand ruffle his hair. "Benji, who isn't stronger than you?" Kevin joked. His intrusive hand was smacked away.

"Ha. Ha. I can totally hold my own in a fight."

"Yeah, when you go alien. As for good 'ol human Ben…there's a lot to be desired," the ex-con stated, gesturing at the other's petite build.

Ben gaped in a mixture of embarrassment and offense. "You wanna bet?" the sixteen-year-old snapped, leaning toward the osmosian threateningly.

Kevin sneered, cracking his knuckles and said, "Sure, why not? I've been itching to try this. Won't be much of a challenge, though."

"Why you—!"

"Hopefully I'm not interrupting anything."

Both boys froze and wheeled around to the smiling face of their informant. Black curls framed chocolate skin and round, brown eyes; she was fairly tall, curved, but thin and her smile was endearing.

"You must be Rhephen!" Gwen started, walking over and shaking her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, I'm Gwen. Sorry about these two idiots…"

The Plumber shook her head. "No, no, it's alright. I don't mind. I grew up with three brothers; trust me, I know your pain." At this, the two girls shared a laugh at the boy's expense; Ben and Kevin stepped away from one another and tried to compose themselves. "I didn't mean to offend you two," she finally apologized, facing the two, her accented voice hinting to her Hispanic background.

"None taken," Ben answered, shooting a side glance at the older male before his eyes pinned on Rhephen. "What's the news?"

The pleasant smile on Rhephen's face faltered slightly. Fishing into the bag at her hip, she produced a tablet which Gwen reached out and took. "The complaints have gotten more and more frequent. Vehicles and machinery corroding and turning to dust in seconds, Plumber members being attacked by strange creatures yet to be identified, you name it." The two teens gathered around the tablet as Gwen pulled up the map indicating the locations of the events, all of which seemed to surround Bellwood. "There were three separate occurrences where the Plumber database was hacked into. Some information was taken, regrettably."

"I'm guessing those 'creatures' you mentioned were the culprits?" Kevin asked flatly, eyes fixated on the screen.

"Yes."

The red-headed anodite considered this for a moment, feeling off-put. "What sort of information was leaked?" Her hand flicked on the screen to display the incident reports.

The informant shifted slightly, gaze shifting toward the Omnitrix bearer. "It…was mostly about Ben."

Both Tennyson cousins snapped up at the comment. Ben's brows pulled together in confusion. "Me?" Rhephen nodded.

"The majority. Some of it was also on Gwen, general information and such, and a little on Max Tennyson; location status for both."

Gwendolyn felt her heart beat thickly beneath her breast.

"So, whoever is behind all these bizarre activities is keeping tabs on Ben, Gwen, and Max," Kevin stated, noting how the ginger had abruptly stilled, eyes wide. "Any clue who it could be? I mean, there are plenty of thugs that got beef with Ben."

"No idea. Max Tennyson is, ironically, the best person to ask, but we all know he's on Khoros at the moment." Rhephen sighed, brushing aside her hair before concluding. "In any case, the task to investigate these anomalies is set on you three. Considering data on two of you has been leaked, we spared a small team of Plumbers to be ready at call should you encounter something beyond your ability to handle." As a second thought, she extended a gloved hand before her, palm up, to expose a miniature chip inserted in the wrist of her glove. She slid the thumb of her other hand over the chip and two small beams shot out into Ben's Ultimatrix and Kevin's Plumber badge. "Our badges are now linked. You can contact me if you need help, too." She handed Gwen a small ring. "My eldest brother gave it to me before he went into the army. You can keep it for now, and give it back later. Gives us a reason to hang out." Rhephen smiled sweetly, her eyes twinkling beautifully as she stepped back.

"Thank you, Rhephen," Gwen said distractedly, attention torn between her fears and her apparently new friend. "I'll keep it safe until we meet again."

"Good. Be careful. All of you," she called as she boarded her vessel once more.

The three teens waved goodbye as the aircraft severed ties with the earth and blended with the atmosphere. Ben dropped his hand and turned to his friends, a smile curving his lips upward.

"Well, that was somewhat awkward, but cool," he chirped, linking his hands behind his head and strolling leisurely in the direction of Kevin's car as though nothing in the world concerned him. "Who's up for a smoothie?"

A sharp exhale met his ears causing him to look back briefly and see Gwen's reddened face; he paused, smile faltering.

"I can't believe you're so carefree about this!" she fumed, throwing her hand past her. "Whatever is behind all these proceedings wanted information on you, Ben! Doesn't that bother you in the least?"

The brunette turned all the way to face her. "Um, not really, no. Like Kevin said before, there are practically hundreds of aliens and humans alike that hate my guts; any of them would want intel on me." He shifted his weight and set his hands on his hips, eyeing her oddly. "Anyway, whoever it is, they got data on you and grandpa, too, so what's the big deal?"

She ground her teeth, eyes flashing in frustration. How could he be so carefree about this? Had he no concern for his wellbeing in the least? Adrenalin pulsed into her bloodstream thickly.

…A white room, white bed. The never-ending tick of the clock eating away at her. There was the shaking hand that she'd found beneath the covers and grasped tightly within her own…the tears that flowed over bruised flesh and the smile in damaged ignorance…

An overwhelming sensation of horror gripped her, wringing her restraint until the pitiful girl she was bled out. It was happening all over again it seemed. Six years from hell and now, no matter how much she'd dreaded it and taken precautionary measures, it was starting all over again.

He had found Ben…

He had found them all…

And the brunette neither knew nor cared about any of it.

"He knows where you are, Ben!" She screeched unthinkingly, gasping in a mixture of fear, rage, and regret.

Ben jerked at the sudden outpouring, actually taking a slight step back in his shock. Kevin stared in questioning awe at the ginger. His previous notions of Gwen holding secrets arose once more, purely confirmed, only now he felt compelled to act on it.

"W-What…" Ben stuttered, somehow unsure how to respond. He couldn't understand the sudden spite from his cousin; it actually scared him a little. She was always so calm, collected. Ever since he was younger he knew he could depend on her for sensible advice and calm reason…but recently that hadn't been the case; she had changed. Only now was Ben starting to see how much of that change had really come about in her. "What are you talking about?" He moved to touch her when Kevin's large hand on his chest restrained his proceeding.

"Go home, Ben," was all Kevin offered, obsidian eyes pinning Gwen where she stood.

When the brunette made no move to leave, the elder male tensed his arm and shoved the boy back. Ben stumbled backward, almost tripping over himself; his wide eyes locked on Kevin, confusion and slight hurt morphing his face. "Kev—"

"Leave!" the osmosian hissed, snapping his head back to leer at the other.

The word had an immediate effect. Ben flinched away, taking yet another step back, and presented an amalgamation of resentment and offense with the contortions of his face. A brief moment later, his expression fell into an embittered scowl. "…Whatever," he spat, indignant. He was obviously not wanted. The boy turned on his heel and stalked away only to be engulfed in a wash of green luminance before the familiar form of Jetray tore into the sky in a flurry.

The tiniest amount of guilt nipped at Kevin; it wasn't as if he'd wanted to cause the younger male hurt, but he knew nothing would be gained from Gwen if her cousin was nearby. Clearly, whatever she was hiding was directly related to Ben, as if her actions and words weren't apparent enough. The ex-con turned to face her, mouth curving downward as brief memories of their break-up played like a crappy film in the back of his skull. Stifling a sneer, he crossed his arms and asked, "Mind telling me what the hell that was about?"

Her green eyes met his—a green so like that of Ben's, but somehow duller, flat like a forest hue. "I…I don't have anything to say to you," she remarked cagily, waving a hand in the air to dismiss him as she shifted away. A powerful hand caught her wrist before she could make her escape; she glowered. "Let me go."

"Not until you tell me what you're hiding."

She faltered slightly, then ripped her hand from his grip. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, masking the nervousness she felt.

"You're just as bad a liar as Ben," he sighed, crossing his arms above his chest. "You may have him fooled, but I'm not an idiot."

"Really? I'm pretty sure you have idiot engraved on your forehead."

"I'm serious, Gwen. You know something about whatever is happening here. Ben is part of it, isn't he?"

Gwen let out an involuntary gasp. "How…?"

Kevin shook his head slowly, remarking, "Lemme see, you've recently gone all mother-hen with him, you freaked out, big time, when he fainted three weeks ago and just now you practically bit his face off because you're afraid of someone knowing where he is. So tell me, Gwen, who were you talking about?"

The teen was taken by surprise when tears dribbled down the red-head's cheeks. Just as swiftly as they'd fallen, though, she furiously rubbed her face of them; her shoulders trembled a tad. "Stay out of this, Kevin. Just…mind your own stupid business." She once more turned her angry gaze toward him. Her voice dipped foul. "Go play with your car some more, I'm sure there's another alien toy you can equip it with. That's all you ever cared about anyway. You have nothing to do with thi—"

"You have got to be shitting me!" Kevin roared all of a sudden, cutting her off. His muscles tensed in rage, fists shaking, his expression almost murderous. "You think you're the only one who gives a damn about that dwarf-sized moron?" She backed away, startled; eyes pooling. "He's my fucking friend, Gwen!" Kevin went on yelling, letting loose the pent up frustration. "My best friend! He's the only reason I even put up with you after what happened so don't you dare tell me I have nothing to do with this." The teen was breathing profusely, deeply and rapid, like a bull prepped to snap.

Immediately Gwen felt ashamed. Angry as she was with his insult to their past issues, she had to acknowledge the fact that Ben was the sole person to have broken through the osmosian's outer shell. Kevin had so long dreamed of becoming a Plumber, just as his father had been, and Ben had encouraged and motivated him to do so. He'd given Kevin the opportunity to seize that lofty vision and, along the way, cultivated a deep bond between the two.

The elder of the two faced away for a few brief moments, regaining his lost composure and managing to quell the shaking of his fists.

"You're right…" came a soft account, bidding Kevin to look back at the sixteen-year-old girl. She wiped her face once more, removing any fecund moisture, and sighed bitterly. "It was stupid of me to think I could handle this on my own. All I was doing was putting Ben at more risk…I can't do that anymore." Her flat, olive irises locked with his own amethyst gaze. "I'll tell you, Kevin. All of it…"

His ragged breaths were accompanied by involuntary mewls of distress as his back arched in a painful angle. Sweat glistened on his brow which creased in all-encompassing discomfort. A hand lashed out and struck the wall, sliding to and fro with nails clawing when a cry tore from his lips.

"STO-OP!" Ben screeched, jolting upright on his mattress, his toxic eyes huge and staring at the ceiling above his head. His mouth remained agape with breath after breath scraping his esophagus like sandpaper. The bed around him stood in disarray; a betrayal of his night terrors.

The brunette finally let his eyes shut, leaning back on his straightened arms; his legs lay stretched out before him, trembling slightly. He inclined back further, tilting his head onto his shoulder.

"What the heck was…that…?" he whispered, feeling the residual impression of disquiet melt from his stiff body. He was hard-pressed to recall exactly what it was that had morphed his sleep into the lurid nightmare he now recovered from, but, while inveterate were his nightly episodes, this particular vision was much more… tangible…than the rest.

He vaguely recalled a figure that had descended on him and how it's hot breath swathed his neck bringing with it a deep sound so laced with want and loathing. But memory felt need to wipe its fingers upon wet paint and he no longer could extricate what he'd actually seen or mistakenly constructed. He sighed, feeling lost and foolish from it all.

Some juice would do him well right about now.

Slowly, his eyelids parted, emerald eyes yet upward in gaze…and the dark shadow on the once empty ceiling became evident to him.

A sick, cold horror struck him still. Liquid lead seemed to ooze through every cell in his limbs, paralyzing him. Ben could only stare in accruing panic at the figure latched to the ceiling above him.

It was watching him…

His vision blurred for a moment and when it renewed, the shadow had materialized atop him, face millimeters from his own. His legs felt pinned under a massive weight.

It was smiling…

Rigidly, the boy felt himself arching his back more and more, body struggling to distance itself from the object of its dread. Tears dribbled over Ben's eyes, noxious and massive as they watched the shadowed form bow over him, giggling as though nothing in the world could beget more mirth than Ben's unconstrained dread.

Just as the boy's body reached its limit in motion, his heart all but dead in his chest, did the creature's maw part indiscernibly, uttering in a coarse, yawning tone to him.

"Peek-a-boo, Benjamin Tennyson…I foundyou."

Ben detonated in hysteria. His right fist thrust before him—striking air—a blood-curdling wail rupturing from his throat; panic overcame all coherencies. His once palsied limbs thrashed furiously, taking no note of what they clouted in the process. Sobs interjected the cries in the instances of his rutted gasps and when finally, with prolonged time, his hysterics quelled in slight, did some of his senses come about.

Ben found himself on the floor of his room, huddled into himself and pressed up against the corner opposite to where he'd been erstwhile. He spotted abrasions on the walls bordering his sleeping arrangements which were, at that moment, utterly chaotic and noted the many objects that'd been strewn or flung about in his frenzy.

His body was vibrating; shock and adrenalin still pumping in his blood. He couldn't recall his fist ever making contact with anything tangible—part of him considered the likeliness of a nightmare gone physical—but the fear he'd felt still had his eyes sliding to and fro, wide and draining tears.

Shaking hands cupped his ears. "Pl-ease go away, please g-go aw-way…" he whined piteously, sobs escaping him. Ben was lost to everything. He felt suffocated within these four walls; he had to get out, but couldn't think of how right then.

No one was home. No one would be home for two more weeks. His parents had gone out on a cruise and Ben was left home alone. Whether or not it was a blessing for them to be gone, he didn't yet know. Still, part of him needed security and currently his room was far from it.

The bedside lamp that had been knocked onto its side rolled off the edge of the computer desk. The din it generated echoed loudly in the quiet room. Immediately Ben was on his feet. Hardly pausing to consider the origin of the noise, he bolted to his bedroom window, flicked the latch, and wrenched it open. The boy toppled out of the house hastily, scraping his knee on a twig in the process of falling and sprinted into the dusk-bathed streets…

Reviews motivate me to update faster! (the well-thought-out ones actually; as in those that pose questions, comments, critiques, & basically anything more than "Nice story. Update soon.")