Revelations and Consequences


Ben


When Ben opened his eyes, he found himself in an infirmary. And sitting in a chair right beside his bed there was a black haired beauty with violet eyes.

"Did I die and go to heaven, or are the nurses here all models?" he said with a weak smile.

"Ben, you're awake!" Lucky Girl was visibly happy.

"Where am I?" Ben asked. "What did I miss?"

"We are at S.E.C.T. Bellwood Headquarters. The bad guys were arrested. The hostages were saved… At least the ones who were still alive." Lucky Girl lowered her voice on the last part. "Director Steel made some arrangements with his bosses at the United Nations and King Harpor. The 'Island of the Spider-Apes' will be recognized as a sovereign state with Harpor as the ruler. S.E.C.T will turn the facility that Dr. Animo and Bazard were using into an UN embassy, to make sure the apes have a link with the rest of the world, and if anyone tries something against them, they will have a way to call for help."

"Is everybody happy with this arrangement?" Ben asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No way. Remember that big spider-gorilla with pale blue fur? Zaru? He hated it. He said that befriending humans is a mistake, and that the only way for the spider-apes to be safe is to make this planet into a planet of spider-apes by wiping out the human race."

"That's... bad," Ben said.

"Yep," Lucky Girl agreed. "Probably it will come back to bite us on the butt later. But tell me about what you did as Ghostfreak, possessing that monster. Can Ghostfreak simply possess anyone? Could you do the same with, I don't know, Vilgax? Of course, NOT the 'suicide dive' part. Could you possess him long enough for us to safely restrain him?"

"No, definitely not. A strong-willed person can only be possessed by an Ectonurite after drinking a good amount of ectoplasm produced by said Ectonurite, otherwise the person would be easily able to expel the Ectonurite. The Ultimate Root Shark was just an irrational beast, weak-minded enough for this trick to work," Ben answered.

"And do Ectonurites usually die if the being they are currently possessing gets killed?"

"No, usually not. The more experienced the Ectonurite is, the easier it gets to pull off stunts like my 'suicide dive' without any serious consequences. But it takes training," Ben said.

"You passed out for almost a day. I take it you're not experienced with Ghostfreak's skills then," Lucky Girl said.

"I don't like using him much…" Ben lowered his voice. "Each one of my aliens is me, but it's not me at the same time. Let me explain. It's like if I'm drunk, it's still me, but not quite me. When I'm XLR8, I'm hyperactive - more hyperactive than normal, I mean. When I'm Wildmutt, I want to chew bones, like a dog would. Every alien has his own instincts. And Ghostfreak… makes me want to kill people." He almost whispered the last part. "I don't turn into Ghostfreak unless it's absolutely necessary, so yeah, I don't train much with him."

"Probably another thing that will come back to bite us on the butt later." Lucky Girl bit her lip in worry. "I just wish they could take this watch off you, so you would be safe from danger."

"Are you gonna start with this again? You sound just like my cousin, you know." Ben sighed. "Let's talk about something else, like… our kiss." He smirked.

Ben knew he was pushing all of his luck with that - and, unlike Lucky Girl, Ben wasn't lucky, nowhere near it. He could understand that Lucky Girl did nothing about the stolen kiss back at the island because there were bigger problems at hand. But now, she could get fully mad at him.

She didn't get mad or complained. She just blushed. Ben's smirk turned into a grin from ear to ear.

"And you also promised you would reveal your real identity to me, 'miss Lucky Girl'," Ben said.

Lucky Girl sighed. "We will talk about this tomorrow. I will go to your house, while Un- your parents Carl and Sandra are at work."

"You know, you are also gonna have to tell me how you found out that Watch Boy is actually Ben Tennyson." Ben smiled.

"I will call the doctors to check on you now." Lucky Girl said, standing up from the chair.


A few hours later, in the house of Carl and Sandra Tennyson.

"Here he is, our newest agent in-training," Grandpa Max patted Ben on the back.

"Hi, sweetie. How did your training weekend go?" his mother Sandra kissed him on the cheek.

"It was cool, mom."

"I'm so proud of you for getting this internship at S.E.C.T. I always knew you would have a promising professional life ahead of you." Sandra smiled.

Ben smiled back to her, feeling a little guilty. Of course, his mother didn't know anything about the Omnitrix. She just thought Ben was competent enough on his own to get a safe bureaucratic position at S.E.C.T. - for now as an internship, but after he was done with high school as a full-time job. Not telling his mother the truth was for the best though. That way, Sandra wouldn't worry about him.

"So, Ben, did you see your cousin there?" his father Carl asked.

"What? Gwen?" Ben asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, Frank told me Gwen got an internship at S.E.C.T. in the scientific department. Frank and Natalie always wanted her to study Law like them, but they're also very happy that Gwen is going to be a scientist working for S.E.C.T. in the future, it's a prestigious and rewarding career," Carl said.

Funny, Gwen hadn't told him about that. This was something big.

"No, I didn't see the Dweeb," Ben said. Of course he wouldn't. Gwen was actually training at S.E.C.T. Academy while Ben was on an island facing root sharks and Vilgaxians. "I will look for her next time."


That Monday afternoon, Ben's parents were at work. Carl was a civil engineer employed by City Hall, and Sandra was a dietitian who worked in a hospital. Since this was during summer vacation, Ben had no school to attend to that day. He stayed at his house and waited for the visit his partner Lucky Girl had promised him.

He heard the doorbell ringing, and immediately ran to the door. He was obviously expecting Lucky Girl, but his visitor was Gwen.

Gwen smiled awkwardly to him "Please, Ben, don't get mad at me." Then she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Hi, Dweeb. I'm not mad. But why didn't you tell me about your new future job at S.E.C.T.? Did you think I wouldn't like you working in the same place I do or something?" He said hugging her back. "I know we have our rivalry, cuz, but I'm not that immature. I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks…" Gwen let out an embarrassed chuckle.

But, of course, Ben couldn't act totally nice and mature with his cousin, what would be the fun in that? So, as she walked past him, he took the opportunity to slap her backside. "Big butt!" He laughed.

He wasn't expecting Gwen to accept his 'joke', of course. Ben mentally prepared himself to be on the receiving end of a very painful karate move, as usual.

But that didn't happen this time.

Gwen just stood there, blushing.

Well, he wasn't going to complain about not getting hit by her, so he changed the subject.

"Lucky Girl is coming here today, cuz," he said excited. "I know I told you I was over her before, but new developments happened. She still has a boyfriend, of course, but I think I have a chance to convince her I'm the better option and-"

"She doesn't have a boyfriend, Ben," Gwen sounded completely sure of what she was saying.

"How do you know? Did she tell you that?" Ben arched an eyebrow.

"You heard her talking to her grandmother on the cell phone after you guys saved Julie from the Squid Monster, and you assumed she was talking to a boyfriend. Later she just confirmed it to you, because she thought it would be the best way to make you give up on her," Gwen said in a low voice.

Ben scratched his chin for a few seconds, thinking about Gwen's words. "I guess she told you that, right?" then he sat at the couch in the living room, and Gwen sat right beside him. "So I don't have a competitor, that's a good thing. But it means she had another reason to turn me down and I have no idea what that could be. I mean, it could be just the obvious. I'm just an average-looking guy with very bad luck with girls, the not-boyfriend material kind of guy, but… I don't know."

"You might be a doofus sometimes, Ben, but Lucky Girl knows you're also an amazing guy, with a good heart and very handsome. She definitely thinks you're boyfriend material…" Gwen's face was almost as red as her hair now. "... But not meant for her. That's why from the very start, she insisted that you two should be just friends."

"Wait…" Ben said, suspicious, "Did Lucky Girl ask you to come here? She's not going to talk to me in person?"

"She is talking to you in person Ben… Transfigura Apparentia."

And then Ben was so shocked he literally fell from the couch on the floor.

He saw a blue aura covering Gwen's body and a second later, in front of him it wasn't his redheaded green-eyed cousin wearing a cat shirt and white pants anymore. It was his black-haired purple-eyed partner, fully dressed with her Lucky Girl costume.

"No. Freaking. Way," Ben said, still in shock. "G-Gwen, you a-are Lucky Girl? How?"

"Transfigura Apparentia," She said, changing back to Gwen again. "I'm a Sorceress, an alien. From my mother's side."

"It's impossible. Aunt Natalie kind of hates aliens," Ben said.

"Sometimes, even I wonder if she actually does…" Gwen sighed. "But I guess it's just a self-defense thing, she says bad things about aliens so nobody will ever imagine that she is an alien herself."

"W-Who else knows that you and your mom are aliens? Why didn't you tell me that years ago?"

"Only my dad knows. And now you. My mother didn't want me to tell anyone. My dad never told anyone either, not even to your father, his brother, whom he is super close to."

"Do your parents also know that you're Lucky Girl?"

"No. Just like your parents don't know you're Watch Boy."

"I still hate that stupid name," Ben sighed. "If your mother doesn't know you're using your powers, then who trained you to..."

"My grandmother Verdona. And she is kind of a wanted criminal by S.E.C.T, so she also asked me to keep Lucky Girl's real identity a secret from everyone… including you," Gwen said. "But I can't do this to you anymore."

"The thing between us..." Ben whispered.

Gwen sighed. "I'm so sorry Ben. I really tried to convince you that we should be only partners from the start… I never meant to hurt you."

"I kissed you," Ben said, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Yes, you did." Gwen bit her lip.

"Oh, my…" Ben lowered his head. "Why did you want to be my partner so badly?"

"I have powers, and I can't just sit back while you risk your life. You're my baby cousin. I love you, and I would do anything to protect you," Gwen said, with a tear falling from her eye. "Are you mad, Ben?"

He should be mad. But he wasn't. His mind was too focused on another thought…

"Looking back at it now, it was so obvious and yet I couldn't see all the signs…" Ben mumbled under his breath. "All this time, Lucky Girl was the same Gwen Tennyson I always knew, but with black hair, violet eyes, magical powers and not my cousin." and then he turned his head in Gwen's direction. "Do you think that's why I fell for her? Because she was you?"

"What?" Gwen was taken aback by his question.

Gwen was a dweeb, but she was also beautiful and amazing. He couldn't take his eyes off her whenever she was wearing a bikini, for example. His 'jokes' of smacking her butt were a little less innocent than he would admit too. And it wasn't just about her beauty. He admired her intelligence and her personality too - true, she could be annoying and bossy sometimes, but she was also the best friend he could ever ask for. But he had never seriously considered anything between him and Gwen before, because they were cousins.

Lucky Girl was basically a Gwen who wasn't his cousin, and he immediately started crushing hard on her. Was it a mistaken case of love at first sight, or was he simply projecting his repressed feelings for Gwen on this other, unrelated Gwen?

"Well, let's forget about me for now, and let's talk about you…" Ben said, looking straight at Gwen's green eyes, "You blush around me a lot… When you said I should date Julie, and I said I couldn't look at any other girl with you around, you smiled... When I kissed you, you were surprised, yes, but I didn't see any hint of disgust on your face. I think you liked it… And you knew it was me all along."

Gwen was the one nervous now. She tried to hide it under a forced chuckle, "D-Do you t-think I h-have a c-crush on you? T-That's r-ridiculous, Ben."

"Forget about Watch Boy, Lucky Girl, watches and spells. Imagine just Ben and Gwen. Imagine if we were just friends and not cousins… Do you think we would… be together?" Ben asked, still locking eyes with Gwen.

Gwen took a deep breath. "But we are cousins, Ben, we can't imagine anything different from our reality."

"Well, to be honest, if we're not cousins, it would be worse for me. You would be just another one in the long list of girls that I would get a crush on and then get crushed." Ben chuckled. "I like that we're cousins. We wouldn't have bonded otherwise."

"I don't think I would 'crush' you, Ben," Gwen said, blushing, "But I like being your cousin too. We have a nice bond as cousins and that's the end of it. Whatever thing… beyond that… is wrong, and we have to bury it very, very deep and never ever think about it again." Gwen stated matter-of-factly.

Ben always took pride in being a rule breaker, but he also knew that what he wanted to do now was much bigger than cheating on school exams or stealing a glass of champagne at a party when he was twelve. But he didn't care. Between Gwen and social acceptance, he would pick Gwen in a heartbeat.

"Why should we care about what other people think?" Ben asked, taking her hand in his. "You just told me Aunt Lilie is an alien… And she married Uncle Frank, who is a human. It's a taboo too. So why can't we also give ourselves a chance to figure things out between us?"

Gwen bit her lip, she was probably trying to think of an answer.

Ben decided to make up her mind with another kiss. He slowly leaned in, and Gwen didn't move nor tried to push him away. But when he was about to brush his lips on hers, he heard the sound of the door, and both he and Gwen immediately distanced themselves from each other. Gwen grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV.

A few seconds later, Ben's father Carl appeared in the living room.

"Hi, Dad! You got home early today." Ben tried his best to pretend everything was normal.

"Oh, yeah, we didn't have much to do, and they decided to-" And then Carl stopped, and noticed Gwen was there too, "Hi, Gwen! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were coming here today!"

"Hi, Uncle Carl. Mom and Dad were out working at the Law firm. I was bored and called Ben. He was bored staying at home alone too, and invited me over to watch Netflix and play videogames," she lied.

"You invited yourself over, Dweeb," Ben said. He wasn't lying, 'Lucky Girl' had told him she would come to his house. Of course it didn't matter, he was just provoking Gwen to start a fight.

"No, I didn't, Doofus! You invited me," Gwen threw a pillow at him.

If there was one thing Ben and Gwen knew how to do was fight over anything, no matter how small. That would help to break the awkward atmosphere between them.

Carl laughed at the arguing teenagers. "You know, Ben, I always had my big brother Frank around and I can't imagine my life without him. I would've hated being an only child. So, I always wanted you to have siblings…" He let out a sad sigh. After Ben, his parents tried to have another child. Sandra got pregnant with a girl, but sadly she lost the baby. "But life gave you a perfect sister, your cousin Gwen." He smiled. "I will take a shower upstairs, you two have fun with your games and Netflix, kids."

After he left, Ben noticed Gwen looked very guilty.

"Your dad's right, Ben," she whispered, "I should be like a sister to you. But I take full responsibility for the mess that's happening between us right now. And I know how to fix it. I will help you get a girlfriend, and you're going to forget about 'Lucky Girl' and about me. Everything will be fine again, you'll see."


* For the people who read shadows59's Little Moments, you can definitely notice some nods to that story here in this chapter too (And if haven't read Little Moments yet, I strongly recommend you to read it, it's great!)

* Thanks to Aurora Nightstar for beta reading, and thanks to all of you are supporting the story with reviews, favorites and follows.

* Did this chapter surprise you, or did you already guess what was going to happen? I'm curious to know. Please, leave a review. Opinions, criticism, suggestions, cake recipes, anything you want to say. I really like to have feedback from my readers :)

* So, Gwen is going to set up Ben on a date with somebody else in the next chapter. Who do you think it's gonna be? Do you think it's gonna work? Do you think Ben should get a girlfriend and forget about Gwen?