Chapter Seven: Anniversary
Author's Note: You may not see me update this for awhile. I got a PlayStation 3, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, so I'll be busy playing instead of writing.
Ben Tennyson picked up his nephew and gave him a grin as the boy got into his car.
Evan smiled nervously and arrived at his Uncle's house. He pretended that he had nothing on his mind. He enjoyed spending time with Kenny and Devlin and instantly put his mother out of his thoughts at the sight of his friends.
Ben saw his Plumber's badge go off; he'd been busy all day, rounding up Incarcecon escapees.
"Tennyson, this is Magister Hulka, we still haven't finished catching all the escapees, will you give us a hand?"
"Of course," Ben smiled. "I'll be there in a little bit." He ended the communication.
"How would you boys like to help me round up some goons?" Ben asked. "You too, Evan. I need all the help I can get."
Evan hopped on his hoverboard and joined the other two boys as they all set off to catch criminals.
The camaraderie between the three boys was apparent. Ben reminisced that it was like looking and seeing a reflection of himself, Gwen and Kevin, but the other boys didn't know that Evan was related to Kenny. He respected Gwen's wishes and didn't tell the other boys.
"Oh man, this is gonna be fun, right Devlin?" Kenny asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I heard Michael Morningstar was spotted in the area," Devlin alleged. "My Dad's got a personal vendetta with that creep."
Evan didn't say anything, he was afraid if he did, he might reveal too much.
"Look!" Kenny's voice sounded excited. "That Six-Six, let's get him before he gets away!"
Devlin and Kenny had spotted Six-Six and had gone after him, leaving Evan alone. The teenager spotted a figure running away.
Evan caught sight of him, the hated monster who had spawned him. "Michael Morningstar! I'm going to kill you!"
"Oh really, little boy?" Michael taunted.
"Yes!" The snarl that came out of him startled Michael. Who was this little brat anyway?
Evan attacked him, striking at him; Michael avoided the blows with ease and smirked. The little kid thought he could play hero, did he? He had never seen him before, a newbie. How amusing, he was going to enjoy breaking the would-be Plumber.
Moving forward, the enraged teenager tried to kick the object of his hatred only to hit nothing but air. He repeatedly tried to land a hit, but failed every time.
"You know, you're not even worth fighting," Morningstar taunted. "I'll kill you with my bare hands and no powers at all!"
So they fought and it seemed like hours, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Evan tried so hard to win. He used everything his mother had taught him, but it was no use. Evan felt like he was fighting a robot that could predict his every move and counter all his attacks.
Michael was having too much fun. He rained down blow upon blow and callously kicked the young man in the gut and watched as he stumbled backwards.
Darkstar gripped the boy by the neck and threw him through the nearest wall, breaking it as he bounced off the bricks. Before Evan could react, he felt the stinging pain of a steel-toed boot slamming into his face. His father continued to kick him, the pain was too much, he recalled how often he had done this to his mother and tried to be brave in spite of the pain.
Evan climbed to his feet and summoned his powers; the pink aura surrounded his hands.
"An Anodite, this will be even better, it's been so long since I've had a snack!"
Evan let loose a cry of rage and tried to send a stream of Manna toward Darkstar, the vampiric alien easily batted away the attack and slammed him into the wall, making sure to grind his face into it. The small cuts hurt far more than when he'd been kicked in the face. He made sure not to let it show.
Michael backhanded the boy as he slammed his knee into his face. He watched as the boy became weaker and weaker. Evan's body slumped against the wall, he tried to catch his breath.
"I've had enough fun." Michael prepared to drain the energy out of the impetuous teenager. He had needed more energy recently and aliens and normal humans weren't cutting it anymore.
Evan managed to take off his gloves. He was going to kill his father and he didn't care if they threw him into the Null Void. He just had to attack at just the right time.
"You remind me of someone, you've got spirit," his father mocked. "I wonder who it is."
"Contigo!" Ben shouted, forming a shield around Evan.
Stepping forward, the Alien Hero and Wielder of the Ultimatrix prepared to fight Darkstar, and this time, he was going to kill him, he had always shown some restraint, but this time, he was going to murder him for what he'd done to Gwen, he would be justified and it would be passed off as vigilante justice, no doubt the Plumbers were so corrupt they would ignore it anyway as many Plumbers were killing criminals without repercussions.
He'd mulled this over ever since Gwen had told him about how she'd been raped by Darkstar, he didn't cross moral lines lightly, and even though he had threatened his enemies with death he had always found a way to avert it, but this time, there wasn't going to be any second chances for Michael. He'd burned all his previous chances and he was going to pay for his evil deeds with his life.
Sometimes there are monsters that have to die. Michael Morningstar was one of them. It might not be morally right, but right and wrong for him had shattered when the justice system the Plumbers had prided themselves in failed to keep his cousin out of prison.
Killing his enemies was always a last resort, but the way things were going, it was beginning to become a first resort. No one could be trusted, except Gwen, Grandpa Max's Plumbers and Julie.
He was going to kill Darkstar, and no one was going to stop him. Ben deduced his nephew wanted to do the same, but the boy was nowhere near prepared to kill a man. He didn't have the skills or the resolve to do something like that. But he did.
"That's enough Michael!" Ben told him.
"Tennyson, I don't have time to deal with you!" Michael vanished from his sight. The man was gone, Ben would have to deal with him another day. Ben turned to Evan.
"What were you thinking?" Ben screamed angrily. "Your mother told you to stay away from him! You could have been killed, and believe me, I will tell her about what you've done!"
"I'm sorry, Sir," Evan mumbled an apology.
"Let's go home, Devlin and Kenny are waiting for you," Ben calmed down with a smile.
Ben sent a text informing his cousin of what her son had done and that he would be all right despite his injuries. He knew Gwen wouldn't take it well and would no doubt give her son a good lecture.
But for now, he would make sure his nephew was patched up and that they would all have a good time together. He took the boys back to headquarters where he cleaned up Evan's face and made sure Kenny and Devlin were unhurt. Then they headed home, they had a lot of things planned for the evening and there wasn't any time to waste.
Gwen came in and put her purse on the table. She sat across from Kevin, who observed her with interest. He knew he should be a hospitable host and offer her something to eat.
"I made some dinner, I'm not sure why I made it for two, but I think I had a feeling you'd be coming over."
"Thanks. I'm glad you did," Gwen gave him a smile. "What did you make?"
"Just some chicken and vegetables," Kevin smiled. "Are you hungry? I shouldn't eat in front of you."
"I'll have some," Gwen accepted his offer and sat down to eat. "I didn't see you as the type to cook."
"I had to learn after Charmcaster left. Not that she was a good cook anyway."
"How bad was it?"
"Bad," Kevin told her. "She hated cooking."
"I've tried to cook, I'm okay with it. Usually Faria cooks."
"Why would he cook?" Kevin inquired.
"He is my butler and he does live with us."
"Yes, I know, but I thought you had your own private chef or something. All that money you have."
"I don't want people too close to my operations, so I only hire people who are part of the Dollars to do housework for me."
"Tell me, is it true that you're not the real leader of the Dollars?"
"Yes, it's true, but I have met him, he's just a teenager, but he was an extraordinary boy."
"So you're just the face that everyone sees. Someone else actually started the Dollars."
Kevin took a few bites of his dinner. "So, how is the food?"
"Not bad, it's very good," Gwen told him honestly. She genuinely enjoyed his cooking and smiled at him.
They continued eating. Kevin got up to look for something to drink. Alcohol sounded very good about now.
"No, I don't need anything to drink. Don't worry about it."
They continued to talk until they were finished. He would not bring up her criminal activities, but he knew she wouldn't tell him anything. This was a strange situation, being on the right side of the law, well, as much of a right side as he could be, with a corrupt Plumber's organization could be, but he could never bring himself to arrest her, despite her illegal activities, probably because he had lived in the moral gray area for a long time himself.
Gwen decided it was time to put an end to the small talk and become serious.
"Kevin, there's something I want to talk to you about," Gwen told him gently, sitting across the table from him.
"What about?" Kevin asked.
"Today is the day that Michael Morningstar raped me sixteen years ago."
Kevin braced himself. "Take as much time as you need to tell me."
She told him of her time in prison, how the prisoners had attacked her at behest of the guards until she was worn out, and then Michael and another guard had injected her with drugs and raped her repeatedly. The gloating and the violence and the pain. She also described being beaten and flogged, being forced to work in the mines and how she had become pregnant and had given birth to Evan by herself. She recounted to him of her plan to dig her way out. How she had killed one of her rapists and how Michael had backed way and left her alone out of fear of being killed. She told of her escape and founding the Dollars, or rather, contacting Mikado to use his gang for her purposes.
Kevin was stunned. Fury clouded his vision, but he forced himself to remain calm. He wouldn't let her see him angry. He agonized that the night they had been supposed to be making love, he had been alone in tears while she was being viscously violated by his hated enemy, the happy years they should have spent together raising their sons, for they would have had more than one, were spent separated and alone.
"Can we go in the living room?" she asked.
"Yes, of course," Kevin led he to the living room and sat beside her on the sofa.
She sat down and leaned in closer to him, running her fingers through his hair. Her mouth found his and she leaned against his body.
He let the silence between them linger. Kevin wanted to say something to her, but found no words as they died on his lips every time he tried to speak.
He began kissing her, gently pressing his lips to hers, enjoying the sweetness of her mouth and branded her with his kisses whispered comforting words in her ear.
"What can I do for you? Is there any way I can help you?" Kevin asked.
"You always ask me that," Gwen looked at him. "But like I told you, just you being here for me is enough. I am piecing my life back together and you're a part of that."
"You mean so much to me," she murmured. "It was your face in my mind when I was in agony that kept me going, I never gave up because I always thought of you and Ben, and I missed you so much."
"I know," Kevin sighed. "I should have tried harder to look for you, I didn't think the body they showed us was you, I should have suspected something I should have investigated Morrg. I've known all my life he was a scumbag, I missed the obvious signs that he was behind all this!"
"It's not your fault, Kevin. None of this is."
They held each other in silence for a long time.
"Make love to me, Kevin," Gwen uttered the words she had been mulling over for a long time. Her voice was hesitant, Kevin was stunned. Could she seriously want sex on the anniversary of the day her virginity had been ripped away?
"I don't know, I mean, today is very hard for you. I'm not sure if this is something we should do."
"This isn't something I'm doing on a whim. I've been thinking about this for months, deciding if I'm ready for an intimate relationship with you. I've decided that I'm ready for this aspect of our lives and you've never pressed the issue."
"I may be a guy, but I do have other things on my mind besides sex." He was genuinely concerned about her. But he should at least make sure this is something she really wanted, and not some spur of the moment thing that came out of nowhere.
"Gwen, we shouldn't, it might trigger you, and I don't want that to happen to you."
"It's alright, I have been going to therapy and talking to councilors, I'm getting better, if I become uncomfortable I'll tell you. This is something I want, and I'm initiating this."
"I—I just want to make sure this is your decision. I don't want to pressure you into this or anything," Kevin stroked her face. "But instant fix comfort sex is a lie. Real life doesn't exactly work that way."
"I know real life doesn't work that way, but you are truly helping me. Kevin, please, let me stay tonight, I don't want to be alone, I hate being alone by myself, but I won't insist my son stay here just for me."
"Gwen, you can stay if that's what you want," Kevin smiled tenderly. He would never do anything to push her away from him.
"I've already gone to the doctor and I have no sexually transmitted diseases and my body has healed from the attacks."
"But I don't want to hurt you," Kevin told her honestly. He was deathly afraid of causing her pain. He'd heard that rape survivors would experience pain during consensual sex; he would never forgive himself if he unintentionally hurt her.
"I already took a shower. Tonight is something that I want to share with you," Gwen whispered into his ear, Kevin felt a chill go down his spine. She planned this, just like she planned everything in her life. He was thankful he had decided to take one earlier when he had gotten home from a long day of fighting criminals.
She kissed him deeply and pulled him close to her; she slipped her hands beneath his shirt and felt the warmth of his skin.
"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is only the comparison of one state with another," Kevin whispered gently in her ear. Gwen smiled broadly, so he had paid attention to what he had read after all, these were the words had sustained her soul for sixteen years.
"Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss," Gwen replied as she groaned while he kissed her neck. "It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good life is to live."
"And tonight, lovely Gwen, we will live, we've both been dead for so long. You have revived me. I will give you whatever I can, but it probably won't be much," Kevin cupped her face in his hands, stroking her hair with his fingers.
"Oh God, what a life this is," a sigh escaped her lips.
"We'll have a good life, I promise."
"Your room, please," she asked him nervously.
"All right," Kevin smiled. He would do what she wished.
Kevin felt himself move as he led her toward his bedroom, he began to undo her shirt, trying not to be too hasty, he had wanted her for years, and now she was ready to be with him.
He heard the door shut behind him, and he resolved to help her heal, as much as he could.
Author's Notes: I usually do not bash other authors, but when people say that TragedyDawl's fanfic "Rape Me", yes that is the title of it, is a good fanfic just because Gwen and Kevin have good comfort sex RIGHT AFTER IT HAPPENED Pisses. Me. Off. And I do not use the word piss lightly since I'm not one to cuss, but doing research on all the side effects of rape and reading real life stories of people who are still having flashbacks and PTSD twenty years after it happened makes me hate character rape fics. Even though it's part of my story, at least I'm trying to do it with some dignity, unlike other people.