(Normal P.O.V)

Normalcy had more or less returned to the city of Bellwood. My grades leveled out, my parents gave me more freedom as a "responsible adult", I found Grandpa Max more than once (that was an emotional rollercoaster), and the DNAliens weren't always the biggest concern anymore. While I wished they could be dealt with for good, taking both them AND the Highbreeds down wasn't something that was capable of being done within a single day. What's more, my team was complete again.

Zeke was officially back in working order after her return from Galvan Prime. The bruise around her neck had just about faded by now, too. She kind of gave up on the whole mismatched fashion sense and stuck with what she had; naturally everyone still gave her hell for the whole ninja thing - the different outfits and identity crisis - but she finally seemed sure of herself. Guess that's what happens when you're a teenager, though I felt like my crisis was on the horizon somewhere.

She caught up with school work surprisingly quickly, too - her grades averaged out at around high C's-low B's after all of that cramming, and despite her absence the school didn't expel her or anything - and her relationship with Julie seemed like it was officially good. It was about all that I could ask for. Each night of homework, occasional heroics, frequent smoothie outings, and fun things on the side (like teaching an oddly terrible soccer player like Zeke) all amounted to something as simple as living in content. If I was naïve, I would've even said that things almost felt like they did before I put the Omnitrix back on.

Thing is, that's exactly what I said. To Zeke. In the middle of a totally average late afternoon.

We were finally coming back from the neighborhood park around early evening, walking side by side and talking all things casual between here and the sun. I was learning a lot about her, properly this time instead of just finding things out. It definitely sounded like something had changed with her since her return to the universe, however it wasn't necessarily something bad. She just seemed more certain about the things she said, or the things she liked. It was nice to see her opening up in a better way; the way she had been when we first met was almost like a total joke by now. This was Zeke.

I gently dribbled the soccer ball between my legs, occasionally surging forward before falling right back into step beside her. Glancing down the block I could already see my house coming into view. "You're staying for dinner, right?" I asked, looking over to her. She nodded eagerly and I could tell she was hungry - well, hungry and a little sweaty from how sorely I beat her with my soccer skills. Barking out a laugh, I kicked up the soccer ball a few times against the toe of my shoe before knocking it up to my hands. "Mom's making lasagna," was added with smile, "and I think she even got a pie when she heard you were coming over."

"God, I love pie."

"Got a favorite one?"

There was some slight hesitation, probably because she was running through her options. It was a little while before Zeke came to her decision, lifting up her finger as if she made a brilliant discovery. "Cherry," the blonde answered. Her tone still didn't sound 100% certain, so from that I wagered that she really liked pie - too much to make a decision at least.

I rolled my shoulders in response and tucked the soccer ball under my arm. "I think she got apple," I admitted. Clearly, that didn't bother her much. It was free food either way, and if someone else was providing it at no cost to her, she wasn't the type to complain. Unless it was a really unfortunate choice in smoothie - such as the ever brief existence of a Chocolate-Mushroom Delight - because then she'd throw all sorts of hell. We talked a little bit more as we crossed the street. The topics weren't overly exciting, though the company was nice. We talked about a new spy movie coming out soon, how school was a total drag, and how the evening bugs were making such a weird sound; it was kind of like a high pitched shrieking, continuous and getting louder with every passing moment.

Frowning, I also came to the realization that the sound in question wasn't coming from multiple sources rather than just one. It was familiar, too, which was even more confusing. I stopped in my tracks with Zeke doing the same a step afterwards. She turned to look back at me, but that was enough. Her eyes went wide and alarm etched itself over her face. "Watch out!" She sprung into me, knocking us both to the sidewalk as a flaming ball passed overhead.

The suddenness had me smacking my head against the concrete with a dizzying crack. My grip loosened completely over the soccer ball and it bounced into the street but, honestly, that was the least of our concerns. Blinking the spots and spinning duplicates from my sight, I raised my head, soon following Zeke's example as we both sat up. The fireball looped back around, flares that danced around its center carefully dissipating away upon its approach. I was shocked to see the thin, rocky form of a lifeform so strikingly familiar. It was a Heatblast - not Alan Albright, too large and too curved to be, and too well balanced on its flaming form of transportation - however, despite its charge I couldn't feel any evil intent.
Well, not that I was ever the type to really notice that kind of stuff.

This Heatblast's face morphed into a seemingly happy expression as it got closer, while Zeke and I both got onto our feet in order to defend. Neither of us could act in time as it swooped in close to our sides. Before I knew it, Zeke was gone, yanked off her feet and essentially abducted. Whirling back to follow, it was clear they didn't make it very far like intended. While the Heatblast held her rather carefully by her side, rising higher and higher into the air, something happened that I managed to miss. The blonde suddenly cried out in pain.

I slammed down on the Omnitrix, my very form altering as I ran after them. With a quick, "Big Chill!" I snapped down the large wings sprouting from my back and rose up to meet them. Zeke's cry and insistent struggling startled the Heatblast, who, out of reflex, completely released its hold. Thankfully I was there, catching Zeke in my arms and bringing her to my chest. Smoke rolled off of the sides of her shirt, wafted away by each beat of my wings. I couldn't see it very well, but I didn't fail to notice the sudden burn in the clothing.

Panicked shot through my veins, worried that she was actually really hurt. The Heatblast made a slight advancement, hand raised as if to reach out. I snapped my gaze to them before clouds of cold passed my teeth. In its contact with the difference in temperatures, the chill turned to thick steam, making it difficult to see anything. It was about all the cover I needed, making both myself and my passenger intangible before diving back to the ground. The soccer ball was abandoned in the street when the steam settled, the Heatblast looking around frantically but not... Not in frustration. They lingered in the air for only a moment longer before shooting off in the opposite direction.

~#~

I peaked around the tree I had hidden behind, making sure that neither of my parents were near the windows that opened into the backyard before I slowly unfurled my wings from around Zeke. We sunk down to the grass; her partially on her side and myself on my knees. With my wings back around me like a cloak, I ghosted a cold hand over the severe burn of her brown shirt. It didn't look like the contact with the Heatblast had completely seared through, so maybe she wasn't as hurt as I was envisioning, but you couldn't be too sure.

Eventually, she reached out and caught my hand, giving a small grunt before propping up on her other elbow. "Are you okay?" I asked in the low, sighing tone Big Chill had.

Zeke took a moment to look me over, her gaze a little hazy as if in a daze. Her eyes flickered to the hand she had grabbed a hold of, then the visible burn mark on her shirt, then up to my hooded face. With a pointed expression, she straight up went, "Were you feeling me up?"

"Jesus Christ, Zeke.."

"What? I was just kidding."

I gave a very exaggerated sigh, squeezing her hand once before slipping out of her hold. With a flash I turned back into my human form, casting a second glance to the house for reassurance. Once I was positive that, again, I had gone by undetected, I returned my attention to her. I sat back against the tree, extending one leg out in front of me with the other bent up at the knee. Zeke sat up too, legs crossing before she touched gingerly at her sides. Both were burned it seemed, though the right was worse than the left; my guess was because the right side had been closer to the core of the heat while the left had just been held by the arm of the Heatblast.

Watching her for a moment, I cocked my head to the side. "Does it hurt?"

Zeke looked up and shook her head. She patted the burns with more force, causing me to reflexively sit up straighter. "No," she answered, "I think I was just startled by how hot it was." After a brief moment of silence, the blonde soon started laughing. "She didn't act like hurting me was her intention-"

"She?"

"-but I also don't think she planned on dropping me."

Now I was more confused, arching an eyebrow in question while I waited for some clarification. Zeke noticed my stare and proceeded to explain how, though she didn't catch what the Heatblast had said, she had noticed the way its voice had been, how ecstatic and bouncy it was. She wasn't used to listening alien voices outside of my own, Azmuth's, and the gurgles of the DNAliens we encountered, so she could only assume the gender. Thinking back, the Heatblast really hadn't looked like the broad form of my old alien, or the more defined pieces of Alan. They had more curves, but I also didn't know what to expect. How was I supposed to know what a female Heatblast looked like?

I shook my head and sighed. The "attack" had been random, there had been no reason that I knew of for it to happen, and it didn't exactly seem organized either. What was the intention behind it, if not to hurt Zeke? Why Zeke of all people? Appearing to read my mind, the blonde shrugged and shook her head. Whatever the case may have been, we either had to prepare for the next one or just be on the lookout. It could've been luck, it could've been chance. Random abductions weren't at all uncommon on Ye Old Planet Earth. In fact, I'm sure there are some groups that gather to discuss their varying encounters.
Maybe I should join one...

From beyond the tree the back door clicked unlocked and slid open. "Ben?" Mom called with a raised tone, "Ben, sweetie, are you back there?"

Knowing I couldn't go by undetected, with the grace and speed accumulated after years of the gym locker room I shrugged my jacket off of my torso. I stood up and quickly came around the trunk of the oak tree, taking care to drop the cover on Zeke's shoulders. We really weren't doing anything wrong, however I didn't want those blatant burn marks to cause a scene. As casual as I could, I leaned an elbow into the bark and waved with the other hand. "Hiya, Mom."

"When did you get back?" she asked, sharp, pointed eyebrows arching in light suspicion. "Um... How did you get back? Back here, I mean. I didn't see you come in."

'Crap!'

I was an actor, I played it off as best I could. Rolling my shoulders I turned away my gaze, taking a great interest in the orange sky overhead. "We, I- We ran back," I responded (eventually), "and the tree was the goal."

This wasn't helping. Mom just seemed more confused, and her lingering in the doorway had summoned my dad, who had just gotten home from work probably twenty minutes ago. He looked me over once before smiling. "Did you forget your jacket at the park, kiddo?" he asked. While he waited for my response, Mom leaned to the side, eyes widening when she noticed the girl that was still sitting in the grass behind the tree.

Of course, this was no way to leave a guest hanging. Apparently. With a cross look in my direction she let out a sigh. "Zeke," Mom called, "Dinner is almost ready. How about you go wash up?"

"Okay, Mrs. Tennyson," came the quick reply.

Zeke practically hopped to her feet, wearing a smile on her face that seemed to deny all evidence of her near-abduction. Knowing better than to shed my jacket from her back and expose the black char on her shirt, she left it on, and made her way to the back door. Mom and Dad stepped aside to let her through, smiling all the while but something threw them off. For some reason, they locked eyes on my jacket. Dad looked at Mom, Mom looked at Dad with the notorious "I told you so" expression on her face.

I looked between them both. There were no words in my vocabulary to explain how confused I was feeling; their super-secret silent parent language was lost to me.

Dad shook his head slightly and began his retreat inside, rubbing the back of his neck. "At least we know where your jacket is.." he mumbled simply.

Mom was pleased with herself, looking over at me as I made my approach. She either didn't notice the question in my stare or ignored it on purpose, because I was brushed off almost instantly. With a smile that screamed she knew something that I didn't, Mom put a hand on my arm. "Don't forget you have homework," she reminded me, "so Zeke can't stay very long."

"Uh huh."

But, now that she mentioned that Zeke would have to leave, I worried about the Heatblast coming back. The weird look between my parents and the unfortunate, bitter reminder of homework would have to wait. After stepping inside the house, I retreated to my room and flipped open my phone, flicking through my message history between Gwen and Kevin. If Kevin wasn't working, I'd ask him to come pick Zeke up and take her home. Not that she couldn't handle herself if the Heatblast did make a dramatic return, just that I wasn't sure what the whole motive had been in the first place.

Steps in the hall alerted me to Zeke's arrival at my doorway, knocking against the wall with a grin. My jacket was in her other hand and her brown long-sleeve was bunched in a ball under her arm. She always wore a shirt underneath, and it was black today so thankfully whatever got burned through was masked by the color. That didn't help the smell of smoke and- Wait.

My nose scrunched up to my face as I came up to meet her, taking back my jacket and tossing it onto the desk chair haphazardly. "You smell like a fancy gas station bathroom."

"Gee whiz, Ben," she responded with a slight scowl, "you're such a smooth talker."

I laughed, putting one hand on my hip and gesturing with the other. "It's not my fault," I insisted, "What'd you do, anyways? Tried to mask it with the high-pressured scent canister that was under the sink?"

The hesitation had me worrying that that had been exactly what she did. Like, I get that we don't want to raise suspicion or anything, but the masking was just an uncomfortable mixing of senses. Zeke rolled her eyes and turned away - not before she handed me her long-sleeve, mind you, which I also tossed back at my desk - before starting down the hall towards the living room. "No," the blonde answered. She lowered her voice in volume as we came around the corner. "Your mom has a brand new air freshener plugged in that's, like, motion-detecting."

My entire face lit up at that and I was close to howling with a new breath of laughter. "You can't be serious... Ze, were you spooked by the air freshener? Did it catch you by surprise?" Cackling, I barely avoided getting socked in the arm.

But it was time for dinner, and Mom didn't usually allow fighting at the table.