Author's notes:

I don't own any of the series I may be borrowing for this story. Now with that out of the way:

Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/favored or followed this story. Thank you for the wonderful reviews on the last chapter.

Please review.

"Text" in double quotations is speech.

'Text' in single quotations means I'm quoting someone.

"Italicized text" or "Italicized text" is thought

Emphasis on a word will be bold and Italicized.

What Lies Within

Max had been sitting in one of the break rooms, drinking coffee, not far from the infirmary deep inside Cheyenne Mountain for the past half hour. He had been doing that a lot in the past week as everyone waited for Ben to awaken. After Ben lost consciousness he and Gwen had driven non-stop to the facility. It was an old base that shared the mountain with NORAD, and was actually the original headquarters before the organization moved it to Mt. Rushmore. He had driven while Gwen had maintained vigil over her cousin, although he was sure that term wasn't entirely accurate anymore.

He had been having suspicions about the nature of their relationship for weeks. He was now more than certain they had developed romantic feelings for one another. Though again it wasn't so much that the feelings had developed as they had realized the feelings were there. Gwen's reaction to Ben's current state was severe. She hadn't left his side since just after the fight with Animo. Even now she was by his side keeping watch, only leaving to shower or use the bathroom. She even slept next to his hospital bed in a chair. More than that though was the raw emotion he saw in her eyes whenever she looked at him. No... he was quite certain they were more than simply cousins now.

Max sighed deeply as he thought about the situation but there were more concerning matters to deal with. First was Ben's continuing coma. For now he was stable but there was no guarantee he would remain so. Ben being unconscious was troubling but even more concerning was the fact the omnitrix had disappeared completely.

Using the plumber resources available inside the base they had managed to contact Azmuth. He figured if anyone would know what was going on it would be the omnitrix's creator. The Galvan scientist had acknowledged he would come to Earth to see what he could tell them but wouldn't arrive for another day. "Can nothing ever go right for my grandchildren," he mused silently.

At that moment Gwen came into the break room and sat at the table across from him after retrieving her own cup of coffee. She quietly sipped the hot beverage staring at the table. She had dark circles under here eyes from lack of sleep and it was easy to tell she is physically and emotionally exhausted. After a few moments of silence Gwen leaned back in her chair and sighed, closing her eyes.

"Any change?" Max questioned. He didn't have to say whom he was referring to. Gwen shook her head and Max nodded even though she couldn't see it. "You should try to get more sleep Gwen."

Gwen sighed, "I try grandpa. I just can't though, not until I know Ben is going to be ok."

"I understand but still..." He paused when she sighed again. After a moment he continued. "You won't be doing either of you any good if you make yourself sick," he admonished calmly. When she said nothing he continued. "I know you're worried about Ben and I am too. I also have to worry about you though; you are my only granddaughter you know," he said with a smile.

Gwen smiled slightly, opening her eyes. "I know grandpa. I just want to know he's going to be ok. I also wish I would have done more to Animo," she said with as much venom as she could muster, which wasn't much at the moment. It rankled her so much she had almost transformed in to her Anodite form in anger when she heard Animo had gotten away.

That was something else that told Max Gwen's feelings ran deeper than appearances would suggest. She had blasted Animo with a beam of magic so powerful he would be surprised if the mad scientist escaped with anything less than a few broken bones and severe burns. He held no love for the man but he thought she had gone a little overboard. Not to be mistaken, Max had thoughts about finding Animo and finishing the job himself just after he had shot at Ben but there was a time and place for everything. "I'm sure he will pull through Gwen. Ben's been in tougher situations than this before."

His words didn't comfort her at all. Her thoughts were only for her cousin... no, the man she loves. She needed to get her mind off the subject of Ben's state, if for no other reason than to not think about why he's in that state in the first place. Her other reason was because she didn't want the conversation to travel into territory she wasn't ready to talk to anyone about.

She had noticed the looks grandpa had given her and Ben ever since the incident. They were filled with the concern and care of a grandfather for his injured grandchild but there was a hint of suspicion as well. She and Ben may have admitted their love for one another but she was far from ready to tell anyone else about it. They hadn't even had the chance to talk about the new nature of their relationship.. "Ok, so maybe Lucy would be safe since she pretty much pushed us together," she thought.

"You should totally thank her by the way," opined her other half.

Ignoring that she tried to divert the topic to safer shores. "When is Azmuth going to be here?" she asked.

Max looked at Gwen's unflinching face and knew she was deflecting. "Fair enough Gwendolyn," he thought. Taking another sip from his now tepid coffee he set it down with a grimace. "I don't know how you kids can stand to drink coffee cold," he said with a chuckle which got Gwen to smile a little. "Azmuth should be here some time tomorrow. I contacted him on Xenon the day after we got here. He said he had to prepare some equipment to examine Ben."

Gwen nodded in understanding releasing a breath through her nose. She sat in contemplation for a moment trying to figure out what might be going on with Ben. "So much for not thinking about it," she thought exasperatedly. "What do you think happened to the omnitrix grandpa?"

Max sighed again. "I wish I knew. No one outside of Azmuth's lab knows that much about that thing other than it can change the bearer into any sentient race that it has a DNA sample. Look what happened to Albedo. He is able to change into a human because his omnitrix copied Ben's DNA so anything is possible."

Gwen nodded again accepting that was the best they were going to get until the omitrix's true creator arrived. A disturbing thought then came to her, making her knit her brows with concern. "Animo likes to mess with DNA. In fact that's why he is always after Ben, so he can get the omnitrix to harness its power. What if his blaster did something to the omnitrix?"

Max looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean Gwen? Do you think he was able to somehow steal the watch just by hitting it with a plasma blast," he asked skeptically.

Gwen shook her head. "No, I mean what if the blaster was able to disrupt the mechanics of it? Maybe when he hit the omnitrix it somehow messed with it and it somehow became a part of Ben."

Max now was wondering if that might not be the case but wasn't convinced. "I don't know about that. How would it be a part of Ben? If it melted the material Ben would have been severely burned and as far as I know you can't merge something like metal with flesh." When all he got was an incredulous look from Gwen he amended his statement, sheepishly. "Well... not perfectly. In any case what would that mean? Ben wouldn't be able to use the watch anymore." Gwen just sat looking very tired and worn out. "Maybe it was just a defense mechanism. Yeah, I bet that's all it is. The blast made the watch disappear into Ben's body to protect it from damage. Once Azmuth gets here he'll be able to get it back and everything will go back to normal," he tried to sooth.

Gwen pondered that for a moment then laid her head on the table in her arms with a sigh. "I hope you're right grandpa. I hope you're right." She didn't want to contemplate anything worse. Closing her eyes she tried to shut everything out but was only marginally successful.

Ben found himself floating in an endless void. All around him was blackness darker than anything he's ever seen and that was saying something considering he had been in space. It felt like he was floating in a thick morass of gel or silicon. He could move, at least he thinks he can. He wasn't sure because he couldn't see his limbs to verify they moved. He periodically tried to 'swim' somewhere but it felt like his limbs were stuck in tar.

The last thing he remembered was destroying another one of Animo's abominations then getting shot at by the mad doctor. Being that he was in his Vaxasaurian form he didn't have time to dodge the blast and took the shot full force in the chest. All he knew after that was pain, then nothing. He had no idea where he was or how long he had been there. What he did know at the moment was he wanted to get out of wherever he was... quickly.

He was utterly bored beyond anything he'd ever experienced in his life. "Hey other me... I could use some company if you're listening." he thought. Getting no answer he rolled his eyes. "Of course. When I need something my other me isn't there. How typical." He would have said it out loud but after trying to talk and not hearing anything he gave up. "How lame am I anyway? I'm seriously trying to have a conversation with myself... in my head."

"If you're so desperate for company why don't you just ask?" came a familiar voice.

Ben was so stunned he didn't move. He didn't even blink or breathe. The voice was familiar because it was his. He had been listening to it inside his head for weeks. The surprise didn't come from the fact he heard it outside his head though, it came from the fact he heard it at all.

"Come now Ben. Don't be shy," the voice said in amusement.

"Who's the shy one. I can't even see you so why don't you come out. Or make some light why don't you," Ben said crossing his arms in defiance.

His other side sighed and he could just imagine the other him pinching the bridge of his nose. "You could see me if you opened your eyes dumb ass."

"Huh?' Ben said intelligently

"I said open your eyes doofus!" his other side said in exasperation.

Ben slowly complied with the command and was surprised to find light on the other side of his eyelids. At first, he couldn't see much. Everything was blurry but he could at least make out shapes and colors. After a few minutes his eyesight began to clear and he was able to see where he was, even though he still had no idea of the location.

To say his breath had been taken away would be an understatement. He was on a white sandy beach that stretched further than could be seen. The crystal clear waters of the ocean, he assumed it was by the smell of salt in the air, lapped calmly at the warm sand under his feet. Above, the auroras danced like ribbons of pink, purple, green and turquoise across a star laden sky. Further in the sky there was a large nebula that seemed to be casting its multi hued glow upon the landscape brightly enough there was no need for a moon. He had no idea which one it was but it was beautiful none the less. Turning around, Ben saw a line of palm trees that stretched from one end of a small peninsula in to the distance beyond his vision.

As he turned back to gaze across the water again he froze. Staring right back at him was a face that was his but not at the same time. The facial features were the same but the eyes were red. The hair was pure white as well.

Red eyes stared intently at green for a few seconds before the mouth curved into a smirk and he said, "Boo!"

"AHHH!" Ben squealed as he fell away, landing on his ass in the the sand. The other him was clutching his stomach, laughing uproariously with tears streaming from his eyes. "Oh ha ha, real funny! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

"Oh relax," the other him said wiping a tear from his eye as the laughter died. "You seriously need to lighten up. It's not like you can die here or anything. Well not really."

"Yeah well I don't appreciate being spooked like that," Ben said dusting sand from his rear as he stood back up. "Why the hell do you look like Albedo anyway?"

The other him shrugged with a smile and said, "I'm a reflection of you. I can actually look like whatever I want, or more specifically what you want. I just thought it would be funny to look like this is all," he finished with an annoying smirk.

Ben scowled and crossed his arms. "Well could you change into something that doesn't look like someone who tried to kill me?"

"Hmm I supposed I could," the Albedo lookalike mused, one hand on his chin. "What to use though. Oh... I know!" he said raising a finger. His form shifted and he turned into an Ectonurite, exactly like Zs'Kayr. "No? How about this then," he said when Ben glared at him further. His form blurred again and he transformed into a Tetramand. Ben rolled his eyes and huffed. "Picky, picky. Alright one more time now."

The Tetramand in front of him blurred once more and Ben stood in confusion. When the transformation was complete, before him was a being he had seen only a handful of times. It was mostly purple and seemed to be made of a thick smoke. It had no mouth he could see and what passed for hair, which was gold in color and cropped short, flowed like seaweed swaying in the current. White eyes starecd back at him. "An Anodite? Why'd you pick that form?"

His other self shrugged. "Why not?" it asked in a distorted voice. "This is part of your heritage after all. I thought you might be more comfortable like this."

Ben sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. "Fair enough I guess. So what is this place? Where are we?"

The Anodite looked around the landscape while answering. "I'm not really sure where this place is but this is your mindscape." Getting a confused look at his explanation he continued. "We're in your mind Ben." Ben nodded in understanding then looked at the other him strangely. Understanding what the look was about the Anodite sighed. "I know what you're thinking. For now I'll call you Ben and you can call me A-Ben, cool?"

Ben's eyebrow rose in skepticism, "A-Ben? What's that supposed to mean?"

A-Ben seemed to smirk back, eyes showing in mischief. "It's short for Alpha Ben of course."

Ben rolled his eyes and crossed is arms. "Whatever. So if we're in my mind, why does it look like this and how are we even here?"

A-Ben shrugged again. " I have no idea why it looks like this. This is what our mind came up with. I know it's not a place we've ever been to so maybe it's like our ideal place to relax or something. As for how... you're in a coma. Or we're in a coma actually."

Ben's jaw dropped in shock. "What? I don't get it. I can feel everything. The sand is warm, I can smell the salt on the breeze and everything else."

"I don't really have a good answer for you there. All I can say is this place, these sensations, aren't real. Your mind is telling you they are. Kind of like a dream," A-Ben told him.

Ben sat in the sand and A-Ben followed suit. Leaning back Ben sighed. "Just great. I don't suppose you know how long we've been like this do you?" A-Ben shook his head. " Oh well it was worth a shot. I hope Gwen and grandpa aren't too worried."

If A-Ben could smirk he would have. "Speaking of our girlfriend... nice job out there."

Ben smiled at that. "Yeah.. She loves me, is in love with me. Which means she's probably worried sick," Ben said with a frown.

A-Ben sighed. "She may have reason to be. You notice something missing?" Receiving a look of confusion he gestured to Ben's left wrist.

Ben gasped in shock. "What the heck?! Where is the omnitirx?!"

A-Ben sighed again. "I don't know. It took the brunt of that plasma blast from Dr dickhead. With the crazy shit Animo can do who knows what that did to the omnitrix. One thing I do know is that we've changed. I don't know how we've changed, but I can feel it."

"Oh that's just terrific. As if I wasn't enough of a freak before," Ben lamented which earned him a scowl. He paused with a horrified look on his face. "Oh no... Gwen! She's going to hate me now! She'll leave me! No no no and just when things were going..."

Ben's rant was silenced by a bolt of golden energy that exploded in his face, knocking him flat on his back. When his vision cleared he saw A-Ben standing over him with arms crossed and brows knitted in a scowl. "That's quite enough! She loves you, you idiot! You know DAMN well Gwen isn't going to leave you! She's stuck by you through enough shit that this is just one more speed bump in the road. She's not so shallow as to let a little something like a change taint her feelings for you. Even if you're stuck in the form of Stinkfly, she'll be there for you just like she ALWAYS HAS been."

Ben calmed down and sat back up with a sigh when he realized A-Ben was correct. "You're right. I'm being an idiot. One of the reasons I fell for her is because she's selflessly there for me. I'm giving her the biggest kiss I ever have when I wake up."

"Provided grandpa isn't around or you're a Polymorph," A-Ben said with an eyebrow raised.

Ben raised both eyebrows in response. "Do you really think we're stuck as one of the aliens?"

A-Ben sighed yet again. "I wish I knew. It's possible I guess and it would suck big time; especially if we're stuck as something like Goop. I guess you'll find out when you wake up," he finished.

Deciding his other self was right and there was nothing he could do until he woke up, Ben sat quietly until something occurred to him. "How did you do that energy bolt thing? I know it's not something I can do since I can't turn Anodite," Ben said in curiosity.

A-Ben's eyes narrowed knowingly. "How do you know you can't do it? You've never tried."

"Uh, news flash. Grandma Verdona tested me and I don't have 'the spark' or whatever she called it," Ben said a bit of irritation in his voice.

A-Ben just chuckled. "Benjamin, Benjamin, Benjamin... we were sixteen when she tested us and our beloved. Just because you didn't have the spark then, doesn't mean you can't do it now," he said with a wink.

Ben contemplated that and had to concede the point. "I guess you're right. Do you think it might be possible I can go Anodite or do the things Gwen does?"

A-Ben chuckled again. "I don't know but that would be cool wouldn't it. Like I said, we'll have to see what happens when you wake up. As for how I can do it... I'm not just a reflection of you. I'm actually a part of you. Call me your other half, heart, or the Id because you're definitely our Superego." Ben scowled but said nothing. "Hey, it's more accurate than you think. I really am the part of you that represents your instinct. That's why I can do this," he said producing a fist sized ball of golden energy on an outstretched palm. "It's also why I can change into your alien forms. Anything you can do I can do, it just comes naturally whereas you have to learn."

"Ok fine, so you're my instinct that's no reason to call me names," Ben said indignantly.

A-Ben sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. "At least one of us payed attention in psychology," he muttered quietly. "Forget about he Superego thing. Look... I don't know what is going to happen or whatever when we wake up so it'll be just as much of a surprise to me; and no, I don't know how we seem to be two separate minds and have been for the past few months." he said when it looked like Ben was about to say something.

"Could you not do that," Ben asked awkwardly. "Answering my questions before I even ask them is a little high on the creepy meter."

A-Ben chuckled again shaking his head. "Sorry sport. I can't help it if you're an open book to me, considering we're one in the same."

Ben sighed in resignation, rolling his eyes. "Fiiiine. Hey, we're not going to start calling Gwen 'beloved' and cheesy stuff like that are we? Because I think she would kick our ass for that," he said with one eyebrow raised.

A-Ben crossed his arms and turned his head away in a pout. "Not if you don't want to, much to my consternation. Maybe if you ask nicely Gwen will let you call her beloved in bed after sex," he mused with a hand on his chin.

"DUDE!" Ben shouted as he stood up, a blush on his face immediately going thermonuclear.

"What? You think she would prefer it during sex?" A-Ben asked in genuine wonder. Ben covered his face and 'meep'd'. "Oh come on. Don't even try and say you haven't thought about it. I know I enjoyed the dreams after her impromptu strip tease in the Grand Canyon. Not to mention all the eye candy from her bikini. Hmm those curves..."

Ben dropped his hands but the blush was even more prevalent than before. "Of course I've thought about it! I'm a red blooded, heterosexual, teenage male and Gwen is... well Gwen! I just don't need to sport wood when I wake up! Perv..."

"Fine, have it your way," A-Ben relented. "And who's the perv here? I'm not the one who stared at her naked when you accidentally walked in on her. Got a pretty good eye full too."

Now Ben crossed his arms, staring back incredulously. "Aren't you the one who told me 'I'm a part of you'? So yeah you did get just as much of an eye full of her as I did."

A-Ben raised a finger in protest and opened his mouth to retort when he realized he had nothing. "Touche," he said dropping his hand. A moment later he began to notice the light getting brighter like the sun was rising. He also noticed his form was fading. "It looks like our time is up for now. You're waking up," he said looking out to sea. "Remember not to panic when you do. I'll always be with you too so don't fear to rely on me. Fear leads to the dark side," he said in his best Yoda voice.

Ben crossed his arms with a deadpan expression as he too began to fade from his mindscape. "Leave the Star Wars references to Lucy. She's much better at them." With that everything went black again.

As Ben slowly regained consciousness his senses started to come back online. The first thing he noticed was the feel of a firm mattress beneath him. He could hear a soft, steady beeping and light snores coming from somewhere nearby. He felt a sense of deja vu when he opened his eyes. He was surprised to find he wasn't blinded by light as he expected to be, as it was soft though artificial. After a few minutes his eyesight came back and he saw a drop ceiling that one would find in any hospital in the world.

Sitting up turned out to be a mistake as he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He fought the urge to lay back down though and looked around the room a little. He was indeed in a hospital of some sort. The beeping he heard came from the EKG machine next to his bed. He also saw an IV stand with a liquid flowing through a tube to his arm. "Yep, normal hospital stuff," he thought. Looking to the other side he saw who he was hoping to see, if not how he was hoping to see her. Slumped in a chair next to his bed was Gwen.

She was fast asleep and he could tell she needed it. He could see bags under her eyes and her hair was frayed at the ends. Even in that disheveled state she was the most beautiful thing he had seen since the encounter with Animo.

"Ah good, you've awakened." Turning toward the voice with a start he saw a tall lean man in a lab coat carrying a notepad and pen. He had dark, black hair that reached the nape of his neck and thin wire glasses framed his narrow eyes. He seemed to have a perpetual frown on his face, his expression severe. "My name is Dr. Ishida. I'm your attending physician. You've been unconscious for a week," the man said as he came in. Pulling a stethoscope from around his neck, Dr. Ishida began to check Ben's vitals.

After a few moments he wrote on the notepad. "Your family has been very concerned about your well being. You're wife has not left your side since you were brought in," he said indicating Gwen when Ben glanced in her direction.

His statement made Ben blush and stutter out, "Sh-she's not my wife." Looking away he said, "at least not yet," under his breath, blush deepening.

Dr. Ishida's expression changed little except for an eyebrow raising above his glasses. "My apologies then. I assumed she was with how concerned she clearly has been, though you seem to be a little young to be married. Is she your girlfriend?"

Ben nodded slightly and answered. "Y-yeah. She is," he said shyly.

Dr. Ishida merely lowered his eyebrow and muttered, "I see;" his ever present frown not even twitching.

After a moment of watching Dr. Ishida write on his notepad and check readings on the various machines around the room Ben wanted to know what was happening since he had been brought in. "Dr. can you tell me what happened to me? Or Where we are for that matter?"

Dr. Ishida nodded, not turning from his observations. "You are in the hospital wing inside Cheyenne Mountain. Your Grandfather brought you here after you lost consciousness and you've been here ever since. We ran extensive tests on you but couldn't discern the cause of your coma. Other than that unfortunate business you seem to be in perfect health."

Finally done with his observations, the doctor turned toward Ben to address him directly. "I'm sure you are wondering what happened to the omnitrix, correct." Ben nodded and gave him a surprised look. "Don't look so shocked Mr. Tennyson. We know a lot about you and the plumbers. The plumbers share this base with the Air Force and NORAD." Understanding dawned on Ben's face prompting the doctor to continue. "Unfortunately we don't know what happened to your omnitrix any more than you do. We can find no trace of it either on or within you," he said pushing his glasses further up his nose with a hand.

Ben sighed in resignation and lay back down on the uncomfortable bed. "I suppose it was too much to hope for. Do you think I'll ever be able to use the omnitrix again?"

Dr Ishida's frown deepened but it was barely noticeable. "I'm afraid I can't answer that either as I'm only a medical doctor, not a scientist. However, I do know that the omnirix's creator has been contacted and will be here within the day. Now I must see to my other patients," he said leaving abruptly.

"Well he was pleasant," Ben grumbled after the serious man had left the room.

"You should have seen when we brought you in. He was ten times worse," whispered a sleepy voice from right beside his ear.

Ben smirked and closed his eyes in content as he felt Gwen put her arms around his shoulders. "was it really that bad?"

Gwen smiled back in content. "Nah, not really," she said easily. After a moment she lifted her head, the motion causing Ben to open his eyes. Frowning slightly in mock agitation she stared into his sparkling green eyes. "You had us pretty worried doofus. I almost thought you wouldn't wake up until I was like fifty or something." Leaning in she lightly pecked him on the lips. "Don't do that again," she whispered from only a few centimeters away.

Ben smiled in return. "Sorry to worry you like that. I'll be more careful in the future I promise. After all..." Trailing the back of his hand down her cheek, which she nuzzled, he leaned up and kissed her long and tenderly. "It's not just me I have to worry about is it dweeb," he finished when he broke the kiss.

Gwen smiled, releasing her hold on Ben and he sat up. "Don't you forget it either." Taking Ben's hand in hers they lapsed into a comfortable silence as they gazed into one another's eyes. After a moment her smile dropped slightly. "Ben... what are we?"

"What do you mean? I thought we were in love," he said in a light hearted tone.

Gwen blushed, looking at their interlinked hands. "Well, yeah... but I meant what are we? Are we cousins, friends, boyfriend and girlfriend... lovers?"

Ben sighed, enclosing her hand in both of his. "I guess we didn't get to talk about that huh." He patted the bed next to him, prompting Gwen to join him in sitting on it. She did so, never letting go of his hand. "I've been thinking a lot about that actually. I think we can safely say we're all of them at once don't you?"

Gwen smiled, a little reassured and blushed. "Well... all but the lovers part. N-not... yet anyway."

Ben blushed and smiled back. "Ye-yeah. Anyway you're my cousin of course but you're also my best friend." She nodded and he continued. "Now that we know how we feel about each other I think we can say we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Why do we have to put a label on it though. We love each other, that's all that matters to me. If anyone asks or when I introduce you to someone..." lifting her hand to his lips he kissed it. "...I'll say, 'this is Gwen. My beautiful girlfriend who I love with all my heart.' No one needs to know anything else do they?"

Gwen felt his words melt her heart. She stared at Ben with love filling her whole being, knowing that what he said was true. Leaning over she gave him a deep, passion filled kiss that left them both breathless. "Ok... so we're... boyfriend and girlfriend," she said between breaths. A moment later she continued. "We need to be careful though. I think grandpa is getting suspicious of us, and Dr. Ishida thought you were my husband," she said, another blush adorning her face.

Ben blushed again too. "You heard that huh?" he asked sheepishly.

Gwen looked at him in confusion. "Of course I did. He said it to me. I-I was too surprised to correct him," she said with a quiet chuckle.

Ben chuckled with her. "Oh heh. I guess we might want to be careful." After a pause he grasped her hands with both of his again. "I guess that means you want to keep it a secret," he said looking down.

Gwen nodded hesitantly. "At first I do. I don't think we should advertise we are in a relationship. It wouldn't be received well by most people and I have no idea how our parents will react. Maybe after we're eighteen and in college we can tell more people?" she asked with trepidation. He hadn't looked up and she was starting to worry that she had hurt him.

A moment of silence passed and Ben looked up with a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm, that might work actually," he said. "Though I know two people who we can tell and one of them will strangle us if we don't," he said with a chuckle.

Gwen let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding in a rush but she smiled. "I assume you're talking about Lucy."

Ben laughed hard. "Yep. It doesn't surprise me at all that you guessed that."

Gwen smiled and leaned her head on Ben's shoulder. "I guess we should let grandpa..."

The door opening and her jumping nervously from the bed interrupted what she was going to say. When the cousins looked up they saw grandpa Max standing there a slight smile on his face. "Hello Ben. I'm glad to see you awake and well."

Ben waved with a smile on his face as well. "Hey grandpa. I'm glad to be awake... finally," he said with a chuckle.

Max chuckled as well. "Well now that you're awake I guess you are wondering what's going on."

Shaking his head Ben said, "Nah, doctor Ishida told me what's going on."

Max took that with a nod. "Ah good. Well then... I guess we'll get right to it then."

Ben looked at his grandfather with confusion. "Get to what grandpa?"

"Azmuth is here," Max said seriously.

Moving aside, Myaxx entered the room with the diminutive Galvan on her shoulder. Looking at the teenage hero the scientist said, "Hello Tennyson. Let's figure out what happened to the device shall we?"