A/N: Hey, guys! I am so sorry for the long time it took me to update! Good news is I think I'm through moving for a few weeks, and will hopefully have more time to write.
Thank you for all your brilliant reviews and ideas! Special thanks goes to my good friends Just Another Fan For Life for giving me such awesome ideas and helping me out when I needed it, Marin Barnard, for unknowingly giving me an idea in one of her hilarious emails (I'm pretty sure you'll recognize that part ;)) and being so awesome in general, and Dark Shining Light, for being so understanding and nice. Love you guys!
"No way," the younger Gwen breathed and took a step back from the air-vent.
"Have you got a better idea?" the 12-year-old snapped at her.
"Yes," she stated, turning to glare at him, "We wait until someone finds us and figures out a way to get us out of here."
"Not gonna happen," the younger Kevin said, shaking his head.
"And why not?" the red head demanded, crossing her arms on her chest angrily.
"See that thin net-like thing stretched out along the ceiling?" he asked, pointing up above their heads.
"No," the girl answered, looking up and not seeing anything. The ceiling was wooden, and so dark that there was no way to see anything. Why did this place have no windows? It was, after all, a library. They should have been there to provide extra light.
"Yeah," the osmosian agreed, "Neither did I. That is, until I climbed up that ladder-" his hand moved to indicate a large, metallic ladder just tall enough for him to reach the air-vent – "and started working on the vent. Then I noticed it."
"Okay, so there's a net stretched out along the ceiling," the young anodite said, as if though that in itself wasn't strange at all, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It filters out sound so that we can't be heard," the boy explained, "My guess is, it's built into the walls to soundproof those, too."
The green-eyed girl raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. A small smile appeared on the boy's mouth, giving a clear indication that he wasn't about to answer her wordless question: How did he know that?
"Then how did Ben hear you when you called for him?" the brunette hero's cousin asked, frowning at the raven-haired boy.
"He didn't," the obsidian-eyed 12-year-old said with a shrug.
"He must have," the girl argued, shaking her head in denial, "It can't just be a coincidence. Ben doesn't go to libraries to read."
"Yeah, but he does go to libraries to find out if a guy who he locked up in jail a year ago has found his cousin," Kevin told her.
"At the exact moment that you called for him?" the 11-year-old asked incredulously.
Kevin held up his hands in surrender and took a step back from the girl.
"Hey, I'm just telling you what I know," he said, a slightly amused smile on his face, "If you want to test it out, be my guest."
"With pleasure," the girl stated and turned sharply on her heel, heading back to where her cousin was dying of boredom.
Kevin rolled his obsidian eyes. He liked Gwen, but she was so stubborn! And what was the big deal about crawling through an air-vent. Right, she was a girl and probably didn't want to get her clothes dirty. Well, dirtier than they already were. He smirked, grateful, for probably the fiftieth time that night, that there were no mirrors in the library.
The young osmosian sighed and sat back, leaning against the bookshelf. This place brought back memories of him and his parents being here. To his embarrassment, the young boy felt the sting of tears in his eyes. This place had been one of the only sanctuaries he had had when dealing with his father's death, and now it was destroyed. But it was for a good reason. Would Dad be proud of him, for helping save the life of this red haired girl everyone went to such lengths to protect? Or would he be angry for demolishing the place? No, Kevin didn't believe that. His dad was never angry with him. If he were here right now, the young boy could just imagine what the man would do. He'd look around the library, purse his lips and say:
"Well, at least one place in the house isn't turned to ash. We'll rebuild all of this next summer. Maybe we could even get your new girlfriend out here to give us a hand."
A smile appeared on the raven-haired boy's lips at the thought. He took a deep breath to steady himself, so that the tears wouldn't overflow. Suddenly, a small hand rested on his shoulder comfortingly. Gwen.
"Kevin?" she said quietly, "Are you alright?"
"Dude, are you crying?" Ben said. The osmosian could detect the humor in the boy's voice. Oh, how he must be enjoying this.
"Shut it, Tennyson," the obsidian-eyed boy growled, "before I beat you to a pulp."
"Whatever," the 11-year-old said, rolling his green eyes as his old enemy stood up, "Gwen said you found a way to get us out of here."
"Yeah, I did," the other boy confirmed, "It's-"
"Before you tell us your genius idea," the red head interrupted, stepping forward, the air of complete authority. She was determined to prove the boy wrong, and the sooner the better. "Ben, would you mind telling us why you came looking for us?"
"I came here because Sintyana told me to go check," the young hero announced, "And good thing, too."
"So, you didn't hear Kevin calling?" his cousin squeaked. A smirk spread across the girl's future boyfriend's face. He was right, as usual.
"Nope," the boy confirmed, shaking his head, "Why are you asking? Make some sort of bet with the devil, doofus?" He was teasing her now. The red head was glad she could say no. If they had made a bet, who knew what sort of ridiculous thing she'd have to do?
"No, dweeb," she shot back, rolling her eyes, "Unlike you, I have a fully functional brain."
"Hey, Tennysons!" the raven-haired boy cut in. Both cousins turned to look at him.
"What?" they asked in unison.
"Do you want to get out of here, or are you just gonna fight all day?" he asked and leaned back against his bookshelf, shrugging his shoulders, "Cuz, quite frankly, either option's good for me."
"Wait, are you saying you don't want to get out of here?" the younger boy asked, eyes widening.
"If I get back to our time, I'm stuck in the Null Void," he said with a shrug, "If I stay here, I'm stuck with you two. Got it, moron?"
"You're stuck with us?" the girl repeated, crossing her arms on her chest. The osmosian's eyes widened as he realized his mistake.
"I meant I'm stuck with your cousin," he said, straightening up and taking a step back from his companions.
"And what about me?" she continued in an overly innocent voice, taking a menacing step forward, "Are you stuck with me too?"
"Ugh, no, of course not," the boy assured her, holding his hands up and continuing to walk backwards.
"Guys!" Ben, who had been thoroughly enjoying this, yelled, and stepped in between the other two and holding up his hands to stop his cousin from trying to kill his future best friend. "As much fun as this is, can we please get back to trying to escape? You two fighting is only fun when we're not trapped!"
Gwen locked her narrowed eyes onto Kevin's frightened ones and scoffed.
"Fine," she finally stated, "Let's get moving."
Upstairs, in Julie's room, the three girls were silent. Eunice was holding her head in her hands in despair, Julie was rifling through her closet, trying to find something warm for both herself and Gwen, and Gwen was sitting at the vanity table, dragging a brush through her flame red hair, her face cold and emotionless. The only sound in the room was the tennis player's pet, muttering an occasional: "Ship!" He had followed the three girls once he had realized his little mistress might be in trouble. It didn't take long for him to realize that there was no need for him to defend her, so Ship curled up into a tight little ball, and decided to go to bed. The poor thing was all tired out.
"Okay, I found a sweater and jeans, a fur coat, leggings, a knitted tunic, a pair of sneakers, and another pair of fluffy slippers," the dark-haired girl announced, throwing the pile of clothes on the floor and tossing the shoes next to it, "What do you want, Gwen?"
"It doesn't matter," the red head answered, shaking her head as she appraised her friend in the mirror, "Whatever you pick will be fine, Julie."
There was a moment of silence as the tennis player waited for her friend to say more, but she didn't. Gwen wasn't one to talk about her problems. The raven-haired girl knew that. If there was something wrong at school, she never talked about it. Then again, whenever they did see each other, it was usually to go shopping and talk about their boyfriends. That was the one issue in the anodite's life she didn't mind discussing. Not that it was really an issue. Kevin loved her, but he had a tendency to be as reckless and forgetful as Ben sometimes. Maybe that was why the only person the 16-year-old red head would open up to was him. Because she knew he wouldn't judge her.
"Alright, this is getting us nowhere," the Japanese-American finally stated and plopped down next to Eunice on the bed. She was determined to get her boyfriend's cousin to talk come hell or high water. Sometimes she could be as hard to read as the osmosian she cared about so much. "We need to talk about what happened downstairs."
"Nothing happened," the anodite said with a sigh as she turned around, "Right, Eunice?"
"I'm sorry, Gwen," the Unitrix core breathed as she lifted her head to show her tear-stained face, "I didn't mean it like that!"
"I know," the 16-year-old told her. Neither her tone of voice, nor her face matched her compassionate words, though. "It doesn't matter, anyway."
"You always say that," Julie cut in, frowning at her friend, "You were completely and utterly humiliated, Gwen. It's not gonna help if you just bottle it all up inside."
"Yes, it is," the other girl insisted, glaring at her, "And I am not gonna yell at either of you. You've got your own problems."
"No, we don't," the brown-eyed girl told her, "Ben told me he loves me, Cooper asked Eunice out-"
"Ben told you he loves you?" the blonde interrupted, frowning at the raven-haired girl.
"Yes," she confirmed, smiling slightly and blushing.
"Look, guys," said Gwen, standing up and going over to the pile of clothes, "Why don't we just forget that ever happened? We should be happy. We won the fight with the rakari, Julie and my cousin are in love, Cooper an Eunice are dating-"
"Kevin told you he loves you three days ago…" Julie trailed off in a singsong voice, smiling brightly at her. Well, maybe getting Gwen to yell and complain about how everything in life was miserable wasn't such a good idea. She had Kevin for that. Just the hint of a smile appeared on the green-eyed girl's face at her friend's words.
"He did what?" Eunice asked, her moss-green eyes shining in surprise. She propped her elbows up on her knees, chin on her wrists. "Nobody ever tells me anything around here," she mttered, not loud enough for the girls to hear.
"You know what, Gwen, you're right," the tennis player said, standing up as well and completely ignoring her other friend, "As soon this is over, we're gonna have to celebrate. So, there are aliens after you. Isn't someone always trying to kill you, Ben, and Kevin?"
"Yes, they are," the anodite confirmed, the slight smile on her face widening.
"Good," the girl's cousin's girlfriend said, "Now let's get dressed, get downstairs, and figure out what we're doing next."
"Good idea," the red head stated and both girls started going through the clothes. Once they were dressed, Eunice tapped Gwen's shoulder gently.
"What is it, Eunice?" the 16-year-old asked, turning back to look at her and smiling gently.
"Gwen, I really am sorry," she said, her eyes begging for forgiveness.
"It's okay," the other girl told her, smiling as if though she really meant it. A hopeful smile crept up onto the blonde's face and the two girls hugged quickly.
"Come on," said Julie, opening the door slightly, "We should get down before Kevin does something crazy to try and get Sintyana to talk."
Eunice hurried out, but Gwen still hung back. Julie turned to look at her friend and what she saw frightened her. The anodite had that look on her face. The one that clearly said she was about to do something she was sure she would regret.
"Oh no," the tennis player practically groaned, "What are you gonna do?"
"I think I might take Charmcaster up on her offer," the green-eyed girl told her, sighing as if though it was something she really didn't want to do.
This brought a confused frown to the other girl's face.
"I thought you said you forgave Eunice," she said.
"I do forgive her," the 16-year-old assured her. She was dressed in the black leggings, striped, knitted tunic, and the sneakers her friend had found in the mess that was what used to be Mr. Levin's sister's closet. She, on the other hand, was dressed in jeans, the pink, fuzzy sweater, and slippers. "It's just that if I don't, Charmcaster's gonna do something horrible anyway. This way at least I'll know what to warn Eunice of."
"You have a point," the raven-haired girl agreed and sighed, "But still, we need to get downstairs."
"Right," the red head agreed and exited the room.
Downstairs everyone stood as still as statues. Kevin's jaw was set, his black eyes smouldering, arms crossed on his chest as he glared at the alien. Ben was standing next to him, his posture similar, only he never could quite pull off that menacing 'I'll kill you' look his best friend was so good at. Cooper was still on the couch, his eyes and mot wide in horror. Kevin knew a rakarus and he hadn't said anything? Was he trying to get Gwen killed?
"You knew a rakarus and you didn't say anything?" the blonde teen voiced his thoughts, his horrified expression turning into one of pure anger, "Are you trying to get Gwen killed?"
"Shut it, Romeo," the osmosian snapped, "Shouldn't you be worried about your own girl?"
"Right now I'm more concerned about what's gonna happen when you betray us and go off with your little friend," Cooper seethed. It took all of the 17-year-old's willpower not to strangle the guy. Instead he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was immediately reminded of what Gwen had told him when he had tried to teach her how to drive: this was what he did when he was disappointed with someone. Apparently, Sinty had picked up on that factor, too. Her shocked face visibly relaxed and she smirked.
"Looks like you finally learned not to pummel everyone who…disappoints you," she said, crossing her legs and leaning back on the couch.
"Yeah," her old friend agreed, a slight smirk appearing on his face as well, "Took me years to master that."
"I'm gone for four years," the rakarus mused, "And you turn from that little kid on the streets to this Plumber, who would give up his own friend just to find some foolish little red head." A dark look crossed her face and she turned away. They barely heard her next words: "You make me sick, Kevin Levin."
She was immediately met with a slap in the face. Her eyes stinging with tears the colour of strawberry milkshakes, she angrily turned back to face the teen. His face was only an inch away from hers.
"I'm not that little kid anymore, Sin," the obsidian-eyed teen announced, "But I ain't gonna hurt you."
"Right," she scoffed, rolling her eyes, still blinking back tears, "Because you need me alive to find that little girl you're so hung up on."
"You owe me," the osmosian growled at her.
"Maybe," she agreed, "But I'm not about to betray my people."
Kevin opened his mouth to yell at her, but Ben stopped him. The 17-year-old turned to look at his friend in disbelief. There was an earnest expression on the younger boy's face, begging the older teen to let him talk before he said or did something they would all regret. The raven-haired teen opened his mouth to interject, but thought better of it. Ben was better when it came to negotiation, and maybe he would be able to get something out of her. He closed his mouth, gave a firm nod and stepped aside. The wielder of the Ultimatrix stepped forward and kneeled down in front of the rakarus.
"Look, my friend here, has had a really bad day," the 16-year-old started, motioning with his hand back at Kevin, "We all have. So why don't you just tell us what we want to know, and we'll let you go. Does that sound like a good plan?"
The alien's black eyes narrowed as she assessed the three humans in the destroyed living room.
"I won't betray my people," she insisted, her jaw set.
"Okay," the brunette teen said slowly, "You're not about to tell us where my cousin is. How about we start out with something smaller? Some of your people were holding a girl called Kai Greene hostage in a ship. Why?"
"Oh, that," Sintyana said with a sigh, "We thought she was the one we were looking for. That is, before we found out what your precious Gwendolyn really looks like."
"You thought Kai was Gwen?" Cooper piped up again, a slightly amused smirk on his face, "That's got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Shut up, Doc," the rakarus snapped at him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the ex-con smirk and roll his eyes in obvious agreement. The girl had to resist the impulse to stick her tongue out at him like a five year old.
"Seriously," said the bearer of the Ultimaterix, bringing everyone's attention back to himself, "Why did you think she was Gwen?"
"Because she fit all the necessary requirements," the alien continued, rolling her eyes impatiently. Even she had to admit it was a rookie mistake. Trying to find a girl whose grandfather had been a Plumber, who had a magical aura, and who knew Ben Tennyson. Honestly, it was amazing they had stumbled on to someone that close to her!
"Oh yeah," the 17-year-old's sarcastic voice brought her back to reality, "Because she's so obviously an anodite."
"We were looking for a 16-year-old with a magical aura," Sintyana seethed at him, "And she fit the bill!"
"Kai can do magic?" Eunice's quiet, curious voice came from upstairs. Everyone turned their attention to the three girls who were at the top of the stairs.
There was silence as they all looked up at the girl. They had expected her to be bleeding or something, but it didn't appear that Gwen had done anything to her at all. That in itself was alarming. Gwen might have been the reasonable one of their group, but that didn't mean she wasn't impulsive. What had happened with Charmcaster after she kissed Kevin was proof enough of that.
"Ugh, not that we know of," said Ben cautiously, looking around the room questioningly. Everyone was just as puzzled as he was.
Finally, Sintyana voiced their concerns.
"So, the princess decided not to kill the Barbie doll, huh?" she asked, smirking slightly and leaning back in her chair.
"Yes," Gwen agreed, rolling her eyes, "And you should be more careful about what you search for on Earth. There are several cultures with such strong beliefs that they create the illusion of magic. That's why you picked up Kai instead of me."
"Smart girl you got there, Kev," the alien smirked at him as the three girls walked down the stairs, "What a shame it'll be when we capture her and–do I really have to finish that sentence?" There was the evil smile again that the 17-year-old just vaguely remembered from so long ago, when he had been living out on the streets and the two would go rob some poor sap or threaten a kid to give them their lunch money, or else. That smile used to make him feel like she was on his side, like nothing would ever go wrong and they would always get what they wanted. There had been one problem, though. When Sintyana wore that energy mask, she could have whatever features she wanted. So, the rakarus had picked shoulder-length hair the colour of flames and large eyes the colour of emeralds. It had reminded him a lot of a certain other red head, and what was even more surprising, was that he didn't mind it. He didn't feel revolted, or even vaguely upset by her. Gwen's cousin was the one that deserved to die. It wasn't her fault. Nothing ever was.
"No," the osmosian growled at her, hands clenching into fists.
"Wait," the anodite said, frowning as she stopped by her boyfriend and put a hand on his chest, "You know her?"
"Apparently, they go way back," Cooper informed, her a mischievous glint in his eyes. Eunice went over to him and curled up next to the tech controlling teen on the couch. She felt his arm wrap around her instinctively. She hid her face in his shoulder to conceal her concerned expression. Had Cooper changed his mind? Decided that she didn't matter to him as much as Gwen did? No, he wouldn't do that. She had been gone only for a few minutes, though.
A guilty expression crossed the raven-haired teen's face as his beloved girlfriend glared at him.
"Kitchen, now," she growled, one hand on her hip, the other pointing to the ruined room a few feet away.
The osmosian sighed and headed towards it like a puppy that had just been shooed out of the house by his master with a newspaper. Sinty's smirk widened.
"So, now that we know why you tried to kill Kai," Ben continued, trying to get the conversation back on track. "How did you find us in the first place? And I really don't think it was just a coincidence."
"You really think I'll tell you?" the rakarus asked, her black eyes roving over her interrogator, "You're just a kid. I really don't see why everyone's so intimidated by you. Well, besides the obvious."
"Hey, I'm intimidating," the green-eyed teen defended himself, straightening up, "And you didn't answer my question!"
"The badges," Eunice whimpered, looking up from Cooper's shoulder, "That's how they found us."
"How did you know that?" Julie asked. As soon as she and the other two girls had descended the stairs, she had stopped by the banister to survey the scene, not daring to come any closer. Now there was a frown on the young tennis player's face.
"I, I talked to one of her friends," the blonde explained, sitting up. She was speaking to everyone but the rakarus, even though her eyes were locked firmly on hers. "He told me what their plans were. He said something about a girl named Umolise being the gifted one, and how when they got Gwen, they'd give her over to her, and then she'd give her over to some guy who would then kill her."
"Sounds like an awful lot of trouble to go through just to get rid of one person," the teen hero speculated, turning from his friend to the alien, regarding her suspiciously.
"Hey, I don't question your customs, so don't question mine," Sintyana said with a shrug, not the slightest bit bothered by the fact that the blonde knew all this, "Like for instance, why do you earthlings even have sushi? It's just raw fish served on a fancy platter. It'd be cheaper to go poison yourselves."
"You know, she has a point," Ben admitted, meeting the incredulous eyes of his friends, "What is that all about?"
"This from the guy who once drank a stake, sardine, mushroom, and cinnamon smoothie," the teen's girlfriend said, rolling her brown eyes.
"Anyway," said the alien, smirking at how easily her captors could get sidetracked, "You're one to talk. You're putting an entire planet in danger just to save someone close to you."
"Yeah," the brunette teen muttered, turning away from everyone so they wouldn't see the guilty expression on his face, "Wouldn't be the first time."
A few feet above their older selves and future friends, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin were crawling through the very tight space that was the air vents.
"Shouldn't there be some kind of map to this place?" the 11-year-old boy mused, "It's huge."
"Sorry, Tennyson," Kevin sneered, looking back over his shoulder and past the red head behind him at her cousin, "But I'm pretty sure whoever built this place didn't think there would be a bunch of kids crawling around the air vents trying to escape from a library where a crazed psychopath of an alien locked them up in."
"Okay, okay," the young hero said, glaring at the osmosian over his cousin's pale frame, "Jeez, you don't have to be so mean about it."
"Would both of you shut up?" the anodite sandwiched in between the two boys snapped, "I would like to get out of here sometime this century."
"You're still mad about what Kevin said, aren't you?" the girl's more than obnoxious cousin teased, silently enjoying the reactions he was getting from both kids: a groan from Kevin and a huff of annoyance Gwen.
"Ben, shut your mouth, or I swear, I will do a spell to glue you right to this spot and leave you here until Christmas," the green-eyed girl snapped.
There was silence as the three crawled along.
"So, I'll take that as a yes?" the brunette boy said hopefully. His cousin practically growled as she turned back her left hand clenched into a fist, ready to knock out the nuisance they were being forced to travel with. In a flash, the 12-year-old had caught her wrist in his hand, keeping her from hitting the kid.
"You don't want to do that," he warned her. She turned her blazing green eyes on him. There was a flicker of fear in the raven-haired boy's eyes, but only for a moment. In the darkness, with her hair so messed up, eyes shining like a cat's, and her teeth bared, she did look more like something that had escaped from a zoo than a girl.
"And why not?" the young red head demanded, trying to pull her arm out of the older boy's grasp, but to no avail.
"Because, if you knock him out, then we're gonna have to leave him-"
"Hey!" the green-eyed boy interrupted, hurt masking his voice as he pouted. Both of his companions ignored him.
"-and guess who's gonna have to go after him once we get out of here."
Gwen narrowed her eyes, just begging him to inform her.
"Me, that's who," the obsidian-eyed boy announced, glaring at her stonily.
"All the more reason to do it," she said in a fake, sweet voice.
The osmosian rolled his eyes. He should have known that would be her response. No, he had known it. This was a girl who fought aliens on a daily basis, was still undefeated in her little karate club, or whatever it was called, and put up with the always annoying Ben Tennyson every single freakin' day. Of course his glares would elicit practically no response from her. With a sigh, the older boy released his grip on her hand, his face taking on a more pleading look.
"I said I was sorry," he reminded her softly.
"I know," she said, still in that higher holier-than-though tone, before dropping back to her annoyed one, "Now get moving. I didn't crawl into an air vent just so I could listen to doofus back there complain the whole way, and you beg for my forgiveness."
"Hey!" Ben cried again. Listening to these two insult him like he wasn't just a couple of inches away was horribly demeaning.
The 12-year-old rolled his eyes and started crawling again.
"Although," she continued, almost as soon as he'd obeyed her first order, "That last part does sound kind of appealing."
He smirked.
"In your dreams, princess," the raven-haired boy stated, almost to himself.
It wasn't long before they reached a small square of light, meaning an exit. Kevin was the first one who saw it.
"Hey, look!" he called, pointing forward with one hand, "A way out!"
"Ugh, finally," the red head groaned and hurried after him. It turned out that they were in the air vent right above the kitchen counter, where the older Kevin and Gwen were. Both kids stopped to hover at the exit.
"What is it?" Ben whispered, crawling up beside the other two and squeezing in between them. It took them a moment to make sense of the conversation downstairs, and mostly all they got were fragments.
"…you tell me?" the 16-year-old Gwen asked, her back turned to the kids, arms crossed on her chest.
"Cause…nothing…" the older Kevin answered, leaning back against the other counter.
"You know, it's not nice to eavesdrop," the bearer of the Omnitrix whispered to his two companions.
"Benji, since when have we ever obeyed that particular rule?" the younger osmosian asked, rolling his eyes and turning his full attention back to the argument below them.
"You still should have told me," the older version of the red head was saying. It wasn't hard to imagine the expression that accompanied the words.
"Well how was I supposed to know it was her?" the teenage osmosian argued, "Besides, I didn't even remember what happened when I was 13 until she showed up again."
"You didn't remember," the anodite said suspiciously, "Or was this one of those things that you just chose not to tell me and Ben?"
"Are you saying you don't trust me?" the raven-haired teen asked, his brow furrowing. You could see in his eyes though, how much the thought really hurt him. Gwen was one of the only things he was absolutely sure of in his life, and if that was gone...if he somehow, for some reason lost her… His hands clutched the countertop, accidentally absorbing and crushing the surface.
"Oh, Kevin," the girl breathed and wrapped her arms around him. No matter how angry she was, Gwen couldn't stand to see her boyfriend in pain. She could put up a decent fight when she wanted to, but not when she saw how upset he was. Like right now, for instance "Of course I do."
The green-eyed girl felt him relax both at her words and at her touch, and, without hesitation, his arms wrapped around her as well. They stood like that for a few seconds, before the young anodite stepped back and looked into the 17-year-old's obsidian eyes.
"I'm sorry," she breathed, "It's just that with what Eunice said, and then this whole thing with the rakari and Sintyana…"
"It's okay," he assured her, not relinquishing his hold, either, "And I'll tell you whatever you want to know about Sintyana after this whole nightmare is over."
A smile appeared on the red head's lips.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a nightmare-"
Crash!
The metal railing that covered the vent gave away under all the weight from the three kids and came crashing down. It caused them to topple down the six feet, give or take, from the vent to the floor, effectively ending whatever illusions any of them might have had about a career of being spies.
"Aah!"
"Aah!"
"Aah!"
Kevin was the first to hit the floor, rather painfully, on his back, then the younger Gwen fell, face first, and slammed right into him, bracing her hands against the floor on either side of the boy's shoulders, her legs tangling with his. The girl gave a soft moan and lifted her head, only to find her face not three inches away from the osmosian's. His black eyes stared into her green ones in shock, mirroring her expression. He really did have beautiful eyes. How had she never noticed this when they were younger?
Just as he opened his mouth to ask if she was alright, something else heavy dropped on them both, causing a groan of pain to escape from the anodite as it crushed her closer to the 12-year-old.
"Ugh, Ben," she growled angrily, turning her head as well as she could to glare at her cousin, who was on his back, legs hanging over hers, elbows pressed against the floor.
"Sorry," the 11-year-old muttered
"Ahem," a soft voice from above them said. All three kids turned their heads up – or, in Kevin's case, craned his head backwards, – to see the two teens staring at them with amusement.
"Glad you decided to drop in," the older Kevin laughed at his own joke. It took him a moment to realize that the other four weren't joining in. "What?"
"Not funny, Kevin," the 16-year-old informed him. A second of silence passed, and a small smile appeared on the girl's mouth. "Okay, maybe a little."
"Great, now if you two are done, could we get some help over here?" the younger osmosian growled under the weight of his two companions. His arms were spread out wide on the kitchen floor. "No offence, but what the heck do you Tennysons eat?"
He was rewarded with a kick in the shins from the younger red head.
"Yeah," the older version of the boy drawled out, "Might not want to say that while she's on top."
"Ugh, just help us," the 11-year-old girl groaned, "And, Ben, get off me." She bucked her body hard, causing her cousin to fall off the heap, summersault and land on his back once again on the kitchen floor.
"Oof!" he cried, sitting up and glaring at his cousin, "Was that really necessary?"
She smiled, but the older girl answered for her.
"Yes," she stated, smiling down at him, "Yes, it was."
Just then four figures appeared by the counter.
"Hey, guys," the older Ben's voice came as he, Julie, Eunice, and Cooper took in the scene in front of them, "We heard a crash and – Gwen?" The teen hero's eyes widened as he watched his best friend lift the younger version of his cousin off the 12-year-old.
"Yeah," the older Gwen said, "They dropped down from the air vent."
"What were you three doing in the air vent?" Cooper asked as the anodite helped the groaning osmosian up. He had taken the worst of the impact.
"Escaping one of the worst places in the world," the younger Ben answered, getting up and stretching.
The three teens behind the bearer of the Ultimaterix all exchanged looks.
"The library?" the older Ben asked, looking at the younger Gwen, "That's where she put you?"
"Yeah," the younger girl stated, pushing her hair back behind her ear, "One moment I'm fighting that damn alien, and the next thing I know, I'm being shaken awake by him." She jerked her thumb back to indicate the younger Kevin.
Suddenly, the girl saw slightly amused smiles spread across everyone's faces.
"What?" she asked.
"You might want to look in the mirror," the older version of her cousin said and picked up a nearby pan. The girl, now anxious, took it and stared at her reflection.
"AAAAHH!" she shrieked, so loud that everyone had to cover their ears. The creature staring back at her couldn't possibly be human, let alone her. It had wild, red hair, large green eyes, and pale skin. There were small cuts all over its face, and several small bloodstains. Slowly the girl released the pan, a murderous expression on her face as she turned on her fellow ex-captives.
"You. Guys. Are. So. Dead," she growled as the kitchen appliance clanged to the floor. A small, pale hand grabbed her wrist again.
"No," said the older version of her, shaking her head once the younger girl had looked up at her, "I'll take care of it."
A wide smile spread across both their faces and the older red head let go of the younger one.
"Okay," the 11-year-old girl agreed.
"Good," the older her said, "Now, get upstairs. It's been a long day."
Julie stepped forward and put a hand on the little girl's shoulder.
"Come on, Gwen," she said, and started guiding her up the stairs, "Let's go."
"I'm not two, you know," she snapped, glaring at the tennis player briefly.
"I know," the Japanese-American said gently, "But you were just spying on your older self with an ex-con and an obnoxious kid."
"Ugh, good point," the girl agreed, a shudder coursing through her and allowed herself to be guided up the partly ruined stairs.
"I'll have to get her for that one" the remaining anodite said, casing her boyfriend to have a sudden burst of laughter, which he immediately covered up with a coughing fit.
The girl rolled her eyes before turning back to the other two kids and frowning at them, "Now, what to do with you two?"
"Hey, in their defence," the older Ben said, taking a step away and holding his hands up in surrender, "there are no mirrors in libraries."
"Fine," the 16-year-old said, "You two are gonna help Kevin clear up the damage the fight caused to the house until we figure out what to do next."
The 11-year-old snorted.
"No problem," he stated happily. Clearing away all the damaged furniture and building materials should be easy enough for Four Arms or Xlr8. This was gonna be the easiest punishment ever! He liked this new, forgiving Gwen better already.
His partner in crime though, wasn't so naïve. He knew there had to be a catch, and was almost positive he was right as a slow smile crept up onto the older Gwen's face.
"Without using your powers," she added, smiling evilly.
"Oh come on!" the younger version of her cousin cried, throwing his hands up into the air. Then again, he had been known to be wrong from time to time. Okay, a lot. Okay, most of the time. Okay, there were only the very rare occasions when he was actually right.
"Is it wrong that I am terrified of you right now?" Eunice, who had been standing still as a statue, asked the girl.
The older Kevin chuckled.
"Nope," he promised her, "You should be afraid, too. She's devious."
"Where have I heard that before?" the osmosian's girlfriend laughed, turning around to meet his obsidian eyes.
"Ugh, I'm going upstairs to bed before you two get unbearable to be around," the younger Ben groaned and waved the teens away, already pushing past the blonde couple to get to the stairs. The 12-year-old stood in the kitchen, a frown on his face, glaring at the floor.
"What are you thinking?" the bearer of the Ultimaterix asked warily. He had learned a long time ago that when Kevin had this look on his face, it meant he was thinking hard about something, and it was best not to interrupt him. More often than not, though, the thoughts running through the ex-con's head were insane, and were best left alone until he found something else to obsess over, mainly his car or Gwen.
"I'm trying to figure out what the odds are of the future not changing and her not hating me if I kill her cousin in his sleep," the obsidian-eyed boy answered, lifting his intense gaze.
"Very slim," the red head informed him, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Go upstairs and get some sleep. You'll need all the strength you can get for tomorrow."
"Whatever you say, Gwen," the younger Kevin sighed and ran upstairs after his future best friend.
"We should all get some sleep," Cooper announced, once the kids and Julie were gone, "I mean, Eunice did get rid of the bodies, but that doesn't mean the rakari won't find some way to get back here. And we should be ready in case that happens."
"When it does, we'll be long gone," Kevin told the tech-controlling teen.
"But for now, you're right," Ben added, stepping forward, "We should get to bed."
"Shouldn't someone stay down here with…her?" Eunice asked, pointing back to a slumped and confused Sintyana.
"I'll stay," the raven-haired teen offered, smirking slightly, "She'd drive any of the rest of you crazy."
"Kevin-" Gwen started in a concerned voice, but he cut her off.
"I'll be fine, Gwen, really," he promised and placed a soft kiss on the girl's forehead, "Although, I completely get why you couldn't stand one night without me."
A half-annoyed, half-amused smile appeared on the anodite's mouth.
"Shut up," she told him and leaned up to give her beloved boyfriend a small peck on the lips, "Goodnight."
"'Night," he told her, smirking at her back as she hurried up the steps.
"You sure about this, man?" the brunette teen asked in a slightly worried voice that mirrored his cousin's, "I know she used to be your friend and all that, but…she's changed now. And not for the better."
"That's what I'm counting on," the osmosian told him, a slight glint in his obsidian eyes. The hero studied his face for a second, trying to find any indication of the teen's motivation, and wasn't surprised that there was none. Kevin always had motives for everything he did, but almost never gave any of them away. Most of the time, they just had to trust him.
Finally, the bearer of the Ultimaterix gave up and gave his friend a small shrug.
"If you say so, Kev," he said resignedly and turned to go. "Goodnight."
The raven-haired teen was left alone in the kitchen with the new couple. No one said anything for a while. Eunice fidgeted with the hem of her sweatshirt, while the two boys stared stonily at each other.
"Um well, we're gonna go upstairs and get some rest," the blonde girl finally said, deciding she didn't want either herself, nor Cooper here for whatever argument lay in store if they didn't get out of the kitchen in the next five seconds. She grabbed her new boyfriend's sleeve and tugged him in the direction of the stairs. "Goodnight, Kevin!"
It took Cooper a moment to budge, but when he saw the osmosian raise his eyebrows questioningly, he finally let Eunice drag him upstairs to his room. The 17-year-old smirked and headed for the living room, where Sintyana sat, elbows propped up on her knees, chin on fists, staring at the coffee table, lost in thought. When she heard her old friend's heavy footfalls, though, she looked up, her thoughtful expression wiped away and replaced by her customary smirk.
"That Doc's a smart one," she stated, as Kevin sank into the arm chair next to her couch. The light from the fire made his eyes seem even darker than they really were. "He did the right thing, not staying down here. And Barbie doll, too. I saw her fighting. She moved like a snake. Think it was animal instinct, or something? Maybe she's related to a vulpinancer or picciss volann."
There was silence as the rakarus stared into the raven-haired teen's ice cold obsidian eyes and waited for him to react. Maybe say what the blonde really was, or defend his friends. No response came, though. She wasn't surprised. While Kevin was an excellent salesman, and could beat around the bush until all the leaves fell off, he didn't mind getting right to the point either. This time, though, it would be different. He wasn't gonna say what was on both their minds. He was waiting for her to say it. Heck, he already had back his precious Gwen, now she was the one who wanted answers, and he knew it. With a deep sigh, Sintyana finally started talking.
"So, how'd she get out?" she asked, as if though this question alone meant a huge surrender.
A smile threatened to pass over the teen's lips.
"Through the air vents," he told her, and all of a sudden, relaxed into the joking kid the alien used to know. "I still can't believe you hid her in the library, though."
"Hey, I had to make do with what I had," Sintyana defended herself, a small smile on her mouth, "And, since the walls were already soundproofed, all that was left was to turn on the force field and voila. The perfect trap. I'm surprised that little version of you didn't figure it out. By the way, air vents? You have got to get more original, Kev."
"Yeah, yeah," Kevin said, waving her words away. It took him a moment to realize what she had really said, though. "Wait. What do you mean the walls were already soundproofed?" If that was true, then somebody had done it for a reason. But, really, what reason was there for making sure no one could hear what was going on in a library? It was so quiet there all the time.
"Isn't this where you Plumbers interrogate all those terrorists?" she asked, frowning at him, "I mean, an abandoned little cabin in the woods… large room with no windows…You do the math."
The teen was lost in thought for a moment. She was right, of course. Places like these were ideal for any Plumbers' business, including alien interrogations. They were practically cut off from civilization, so there was little to no chance of anyone finding them. But then, if that was the cabin's real purpose, why had it never been used? Or, had it? Kevin's eyes widened at the thought. He had used to come out here with his parents very often indeed before his father died. The 17-year-old frowned. He didn't remember much of what had happened here. He had been just a little kid, after all. He did remember one thing though. Whenever they came out here, his father would use every spare moment he had to go to the library, claiming there was some book he desperately wanted to read. His mother would tease him about it, but never questioned it. Did she know that her husband was questioning alien terrorists while they were supposedly on family vacation?
Kevin's chest ached to consider it. He remembered how much Max Tennyson's sons hated him for not telling them the truth about his profession. But the osmosian knew, though. He knew about the Plumbers, and he knew his father had been one. He hadn't lied. He wouldn't do that, would he?
"Kevin?" Sintyana was trying to get him back to the real world, "Yo, Earth to Kevin."
The obsidian-eyed teen blinked and fixed his gaze on her.
"What?" he snapped.
"What is it with you earth teenagers and your mood swings?" the rakarus demanded, sinking back into her seat, not showing even an ounce of fear at her friend.
The said friend rolled his eyes.
"Try living with Benji for a week," he told her, that smirk appearing again, "We'll see what you say then."
"Right," she drawled out, "You mean him and his hot cousin who you just happen to be ready to risk everything for and who just so happens to be the most wanted person on my planet? Great idea. I'm sure my friends will just love it."
The raven-haired teen's smirk deepened.
"Yeah, especially when they find out you knew the guy she's going out with and didn't tell them," he said knowingly.
A sad smile replaced the sarcastic look on the lien's face.
"Friends don't sentence their friends to death, now do they?" she asked quietly, "Except for in your case."
"What?" the teen frowned at her.
"Come on, Kevin, you know what my people are like," Sintyana told him, "They'll do anything and everything they can to get their hands on that pretty little face you call Gwendolyn Tennyson. They'll hurt whoever they need to hurt. They'll kill whoever they need to kill. But no one has to die. Your friends and family…they don't have to get hurt. All of that can be avoided. Is she really worth that much?"
"Didn't you say there was some kind of family back on your planet that made sure things like this didn't happen?" Kevin asked her desperately, grabbing at straws. He might not have had a photographic memory like his best friend, but he wasn't likely to forget something as important as this. "That they protected the innocents so that no one would get hurt?"
"Yeah, I did," she confirmed, a slight smile on her face, "Four years ago. I can't believe you remember that."
"Well, where are those damn morons now?" the osmosian demanded, throwing his hands up in the air and completely ignoring the last part of his old friend's answer, "Innocent people are getting hurt!"
The rakarus narrowed her eyes at him, and if she had had lips, she would have pursed them. She was thinking of whether or not to tell him something, and whatever it was, it seemed like it was highly classified, and therefore, very important.
"That family is back at the base in your hometown," Sintyana said slowly, "And they have a daughter, Umolise. She's the one who saw your Gwen killing off our race."
Out in the woods, Charmcaster had been flying around for hours, jumping from tree to tree, watching for any sign of Winston or Kai. Personally, Ken thought that she was showing off, but he couldn't say that he minded. In fact, he was enjoying the little show a lot.
"See anything?" he called up to where the young witch was perched precariously on a very high, very thin limb in a very tall tree.
"No!" she yelled back at him. The silver-haired young woman jumped down, flipped once in the air, and landed gracefully on her feet.
"Nice," the college student commented, looking at her in amazement, "You know, if this whole witch thing doesn't work out, you'd have a good career in gymnastics."
The sorceress chuckled and appeared in front of him in a flash, her fingers trailing over his chest seductively.
"I know," she breathed, her lips only inches from his, "I'm very flexible."
"Right," said the red haired young man and grabbed a hold of her wrist, taking a step back, "We should be looking for Kai and Winston. Who knows where they are?"
Charmcaster rolled her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest, staring at her companion as he walked ahead.
"You know, they could be in the woods, too," she suggested, starting to follow him.
"What would they be doing in the woods?" Ken asked exasperatedly, humouring her.
"I don't know," the witch informed him, back to her snappy demeanour, "She's a tree-hugging Native, so maybe they decided to rescue a squirrel!"
"That's hippies, Charmcaster, not Native Americans," the college student told her, rolling his eyes.
"Well, they're not anywhere here," the violet-eyed girl snapped, "We've been walking for hours now. Unless they're part that, that fast, blue, striped alien thing that your cousin could turn into, they couldn't have gotten this far."
"First of all, I've been walking, you've been flying," he corrected her, at which she rolled her eyes, "Second, I think his name's Accelerate or something, and third, if you're that concerned, maybe you should fly out over the trees and try to spot them!"
"Well, maybe I will," the young woman said in a voice as cold as ice, and stopped in her tracks. Ken turned back to her, but didn't get the chance to say another word. She had already flown away.
The young man sighed and continued along his path. His sister's friends had to be somewhere here, he knew it. He didn't need that snarky little witch. She could fly around all she wanted, but he would be the one to find the two teens.
A few moments passed before he realized something was wrong. The night was cold, but there was no wind, and yet, the leaves of a bush rustled, branches moved sinisterly back and forth. Suddenly, the young man felt a pang of fear. Who knew what lurked in the depths of this never-ending forest? Charmcaster could be in danger! No, she was an all-powerful witch. Nothing could hurt her.
And yet, something still wasn't right. Black shapes started appearing in the trees. Ken tried to tell himself that these were just creatures of the night. The one in that tree did look like a possum. But even he knew he was wrong. The red haired man stopped in his tracks and stared straight ahead, trying not to show how afraid he really was.
Slowly, the figures dropped from the branches. There were six in all, and all of them were rakari. They slowly started advancing towards their pray, while he started stepping backwards.
"You shouldn't have let that girl go," one of the males sneered, holding out a large knife.
"Now who'll protect you from the big, bad aliens?" a female one teased. She was very tiny, but Ken had seen her fight earlier. She knew how to use her size to her advantage.
"You shouldn't have come out here in the first place!" a second male snapped, and swung out at the young man with a large branch he had been holding. Ken ducked out of the way just in time, and the branch hit one of the alien's companions in the shoulder. Another male.
"You idiot!" he seethed, glaring at the creature. The one with the branch was as large as the girl was tiny.
"Let's not fight amongst ourselves," another male voice suggested, this one calmer and reasonably more human than the rest, "We still have a job to do."
"You'll never get your hands on my sister," the college student declared and swiftly kicked the rakarus holding the branch in the stomach. He doubled over, and, in the split second it took the others to assess what had happened, Ken made his escape.
The rakari screamed obscenities behind him and started running. A knife whizzed past his head and stuck in a nearby tree. The boy's green eyes widened and he quickened his pace. It was immediately followed by the sound of the remaining rakarus's voice, also a girl.
"We need him alive!" she yelled, "Alina, the trees!"
There was the sound of someone jumping into the bushes. When the red haired man looked back, he saw that only five aliens continued to run after him. The tiny one was gone.
When he turned back, a small figure, from about a yard in front of him, jumped out of the trees and slammed him to the ground, pinning him there. Her arms held his shoulders, and knees dug painfully into his sides, making the college student groan in pain.
"God, you're strong," Ken gasped as he struggled underneath her.
"Thank you," Alina answered brightly, a wide smile on her mouth as she appraised her captive, "Most people think I'm just fast. It's nice to know that someone has noticed another one of my qualities, for once."
By this time, her friends had reached her.
"Nicely done, Ali," the one with the calm voice stated, "Now if we could only get back to their hideout, I'm sure little Miss Tennyson will be willing to give herself up for her dear, dear brother."
"Aw, can't we keep him?" the girl, who Ken now realized was probably considerably younger than the others, whined, "He's so sweet."
The other woman exchanged a look with her companions. It was a look that Ken recognized well, since it passed so frequently between his little sister and her boyfriend whenever Ben was doing, or thinking of doing, something they considered stupid or unnecessary.
"Not a chance," a new voice declared, and everyone turned – or in Ken's case, tried to turn – to look at the newcomer. It was Charmcaster, flying down with her arms spread out like wings. Alina flattened herself against Ken's body, effectively avoiding Charmcaster's assult. Before any of the other rakari had time to react, the silver-haired young woman had already swooped down, and knocked the one with the injured shoulder and the one with the stick, down to the ground. They both groaned, but seemed to decide that staying down would be their best option.
The one with the knife had gotten it back, and came charging at her back. The witch ducked out of the way and reappeared behind the alien, kicking him in the back and knocking him easily to the ground, face down. She grabbed his knife and turned around just in time to see the other female and the last male charging at her. She stood up straight, like a candle, her hands pressed together, the knife in between them, eyes closed, and whispered a spell. When the aliens were close enough, she opened her eyes and threw the weapon into the air. It twirled around, and a jet of sparks flew from the tip, raining down on the three of them.
The rakari yelled out in pain and took off for the woods, shielding her heads. Whatever Charmcaster had done to the knife, it seemed to be working on her enemies. The sorceress caught it gracefully, and sauntered over to the two others.
"If you do anything to me," Alina threatened in her high, child-like voice, "The next time you see your pretty little boyfriend will be in a coffin at his funeral."
A smile spread slowly across the witch's lips as she stared straight into the determined, bottomless pools of black that were the young girl's eyes.
"Let's not play this game, Alina," Charmcaster said in a tired voice, "As much as I would love to fight with you, I've already had to deal with you and your friends once today, and that's tired me out, so, instead, I'll give you a choice." With a complete air of authority, she turned her back on the young warrior and strutted a few steps away from her, both hers and Ken's eyes following the girl's every move. "You can either let him go, and I'll send you back to your family, or-" the silver-haired young woman turned back around, a devilish gleam shining in her violet eyes. She reached into her bag and took out a handful of tiny balls that she had left over from when she still hadn't learned to conjure up creatures from the ground five years ago. She tossed them into the air, and a moment later, they had transformed into birds, about the size of the girl's forearm. "-you can not let him go, and my friends can deal with you."
Fear shone in the young girl's eyes and for a moment, she seemed too shocked to even move. Then slowly, she released her grip on the red haired boy's shoulders and climbed off him, her eyes still wary of the stone birds. She backed up into the woods and then disappeared into the trees. Ken sat up on his elbows and listened until he could no longer hear the soft sounds of someone landing from branch to branch. The birds shrank back into tiny balls and fell back into Charmcaster's bag.
"Smart girl," she chuckled and leaned down to help her friend's brother up.
"Thanks," he breathed, getting back to his feet, "How did you know I was in trouble?"
"Please," the witch smirked, "I'm a witch, remember? I know everything."
"Right," he drawled out, rolling his green eyes, "So, little Ms. I-Know-Everything, where are Kai and Winston?"
"They're about six feet into the woods," she said with a shrug, pointing one of her sharp nails to the side of the path that the rakari hadn't run into, "When dawn arrives, they'll find their own way home."
"We should bring them back, anyway," Ken told her in a worried voice, "Just in case."
"Well, sorry, but unless you can carry two people at once, we can't," the witch snapped, "They're asleep."
"Can't you conjure up those rock people to carry them?" he suggested, wondering just how mad his sister would be if he didn't bring back her friends.
"I might be an all-powerful sorceress, but even I have my limits to magic," the all-powerful sorceress informed him, putting her hands on her hips, "I can only do one more spell before I'm gonna collapse, and I plan on that being the one to take us back to Levin's crummy little excuse for a home." This, of course, was completely untrue, but he didn't have to know that. In reality, the girl just didn't feel like having to deal with two more of those incompetent rock mutants.
"Ugh, fine," Ken finally agreed, much to his companion's delight, "But tomorrow we'll bring them back."
The witch chuckled and grabbed his wrist.
"You know, if the red hair and green eyes weren't a dead giveaway, that last statement would have erased any doubt in my mind about you being a Tennyson," she stated, leaning forward and gazing into his eyes with heavy-lidded eyes.
"Um, thank you?" he tried, stepping away from the witch's sensual gaze. She just chuckled again.
A large ball of pink light engulfed them, and, after a brief sensation like he was being sucked through a metal tube, the red haired young man found himself standing outside of the cabin. The fire was all burnt out, but he could hear the faint sound of someone snoring in the living room.
"You did it, Charmcaster," he breathed, looking around, "Charmcaster?"
It was then that the college student realized the witch was lying in a heap at his feet. With a sigh, he leaned down, scooped her up into his arms, and carried her into the house. Before climbing up the stairs, Ken had just enough time to see that Kevin was asleep in the arm chair, while Sintyana was soundly sleeping on the couch, her hands folded under her head on the arm rest as a pillow.
What he didn't see though, was the smile on the sorceress's mouth as he carried her upstairs to his room.
A/N: Hope you guys liked it! Once again, I'm sorry it took so long. I'll try to get the next chapter up faster, though. R&R!