Chapter 16

It was starting to turn colder. I was finally out of the hospital. It been a month since Hope's disappearance. Gwen, Kevin, and I had been out looking and searching for leads for almost 5 weeks. I was not about to (pardon the expression) give up Hope. She was my world, my life, my everything. It was stupid of me to trust Prospero as I did. His hex on my body slowed down our search many a time. Though as much as my body hurt; my heart hurt far worse. I didn't save Hope then, just to die on her now. We promised each other we would be there for each other always.

Two years ago Hope almost committed suicide. Using a kitchen knife she was going to slit her wrists and bleed out. Bleed until she had nothing left to bleed. I remember confessing my love to her that day. I remember lying in bed with her. I remember we fell asleep late in the afternoon and then woke up sometime during the night.

"Ben?" I heard her voice whisper in the darkness.

"Yes Angel?" I said back softly.

I felt her warm touch against my face.

"Why did you want to save me?"

"I told you why baby... I love you and I believe that people are placed in other people's lives for a reason. I think you were placed in mine to teach me to look for the good in even the worst situations, to make me see that by judging people too quickly, I miss out on some of the most interesting people in the world. You loved me when I was extremely hard to love, pasted my pieces back together when I looked too broken to fix, and heard me when I didn't have the strength to even whisper. You mourned my failures and celebrated my successes with me, more than anyone in my family. I honestly think that you know more about my day to day life than anybody else. I can't imagine life without you...And I promise I'll always be there for you."

Hope sighed a comforting sigh and placed her head on my chest.

"I promise to always be there for you too Ben...always."

That memory continued to play in my mind. I had to get her back no matter what even if I died trying. It was early December and we decided that the Ledgerdomain was our last and only bet. I stood inside the landing platform of the Rust Bucket III. We had been using it to fly across and though interdimensional realms. At one point we even searched the Null Void to no such luck. Kevin operated the ship of course, and Gwen had been using Hope's wedding band for any trace of her. I finally discovered that's why she gave it back to me in the first place.

"Any sign yet?"

Gwen who had been floating suspend in mid-air with her eyes glowing in the shade of a bright pink hue finally answered me.

"I'm picking up something that just feels like Hope it has to be her?"

"Good...Kevin, how far are we from-"

"Not sure...we're looking for an interdimensional portal...but if Gwen's picking up Charmcaster we've got to be close."

"I'll see if I can widen the portal with my powers...with any luck we'll get to her faster." Gwen replied back.

I nodded. Suddenly, the room began to spin. It was the hex again. I closed my eyes as the whirling made me feel sick. I felt a sharp quick jolt to my heart. I let out a scream I tried to keep in through gritted teeth. Gwen touched my shoulder.

"Kevin!" She shouted.

"Do I need to turn around?"

"No!" I grunted. "Not when we're this close..."

"Ben...the attack you had last week was pretty bad...if that happens again-"

"No..." I interrupted almost too out of breath to speak. "I'm fine and I'm getting Hope...if there's a chance she's there I'm not leaving without her."

Kevin gave a sigh and honored my wishes.

"Then sit down Ben...let Kevin and I..."

"Gwen...I said no."

Another sharp jolt to my heart forced me to my knees. My veins had enough poison in them to kill me, but I wasn't about to let it.

"There's the portal!" Kevin shouted over my grunts. Gwen looked up swiftly and waved her hands.

"Resto Latius!" Gwen called out. An array of pink mana lit up the portal. It flashed white repeatly before widening and opening.

"This will keep the gateway open...but I don't know for how long."

"Peachy." Kevin mumbled as he entered the portal and landed the ship safely.

"When I tried to track Hope on her ring before I sensed she was that way." Gwen told us and pointed. I remembered time worked differently here than on Earth. Minutes could mean days, so that means days could mean months. In the month we've been apart it must have felt like 5 or 6 months to Hope. Maybe longer, I couldn't be sure but it had been far too long already and I needed to find her, and find her now. Using her ring we traced her essence to an underground cellar.

"I don't remember this being here." Kevin whispered loudly.

"Ssh!" Gwen and I whispered loudly back. Before we knew it, a couple of rock creatures took notice of us. Kevin absorbed the ground, and ran out a head of Gwen and me.

Kevin war cried and grunted loudly as he pounded his fists into one of the creatures.

"Tur-bo!" Gwen cried. Her powers were much stronger here and it sent those rock creatures flying, crumbling to pieces. I turned the dial on the Omnitrix and slapped it as hard as I could turning into Humungousaur. With my blind aggression I beat each one to a pulp single handed before stumbling into a great amount of pain; due to the hex on my body.

"Ben!" Kevin and Gwen yelled. I transformed back into myself. I did all I could to fight it. To no avail I fell to my knees holding my chest tightly withering in intense agony. Kevin and Gwen stared over me.

"Ben..." I heard Gwen's somber voice.

"N...nnn...no." With difficulty I got back to my feet. I spat out a bit of blood and wiped my lips.

"Let's get her." I said sternly. We walked a little ways through a few; what looked like catacombs.

"Illuminatus." Gwen called out in a soft tone and discharged a pink ball of light, to help light our way. She let out a gasp. Kevin and I looked at her.

"There!" She hollered and pointed. There was a cell up ahead. To keep me from hurting myself any further Kevin tore off the cell door and Gwen using her powers unchained Hope's wrists from the wall. She looked different. Very different. Her hair was much longer, her clothes were tattered. Though she had been removed of her Earth clothes and now dawned a long white dress. It was dirty and she was weak.

"Hope!" I cried and rushed to her. "It's me, it's Ben!"

I tried to lift her head up but she was very frail. She seemed drained.

"Hope...Angel...Sweetie...Hey..." Her head contiued to fall forward into my chest.

"Ben?" I finally heard her mumble.

"That's right...come on."

I placed my arms under and around her.

"Grab on to me Angel...as best you can."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and I carried her bridal style out of the cell.

"Is she okay?" Gwen questioned.

"She'll be better when we get her out of here." I responded. I didn't mean to take notice of this, but something was wrong with Hope. She was pale and weak, but she felt heavy to me. Not like her usual self. She also had this rosy complexion to her skin that made her pale face seem flushed. She also felt warmer. Like she had a fever. In the dress she had on, I could also tell that the top portion of her body had expanded some. She was sick. I was hoping she wasn't under the same hex I was. We made it back to the ship without any trouble. When we boarded I placed her down in a chair. I could see her clearer now. So could Gwen and Kevin.

"Is she?" Gwen pondered.

"I...I think so..." I studdered back.

"Is she what?" Kevin asked being two steps behind the conversation.

"She's pregnant." Gwen and I answered together.

"Oh..." Kevin replied unenthusiastically.

"Yeah...what?!" I shouted frantically. "How could this happen?!

Gwen sighs.

"I mean I know how it happened, I mean..."

Abruptly we all grunted at the same time as the ship shook.

"Ben...maybe your parents didn't explain it right...but when two people..." Kevin began.

"Kevin shut up!" I yelled, then grunted again. We were under attack.

"You go off on a honeymoon and don't bother to pack a condom, you and your wife should make time for yourself first, before you even think about...what, are you stupid?!" Gwen went off. My face turned bright red all the way to my ears.

"I'm not having this conversation!" I shouted over her.

The ship rattled again. I grunted and looked at Hope. Now I had to not only protect my cousin, and my best friend; but my wife and an unborn baby as well... A baby? A baby? A baby! It took all I had not to faint and believe me I desperately wanted too.