Author's Note: I own nothing.
27 Nightmare
Gwen found her cousin the next morning, sulking in her room an ice pack balanced on her broken fingers.
"I hear you tried to break Kevin's jaw." Jen shrugged.
"He deserved it, you're too nice to do it." Gwen laughed.
"Not too nice, too controlled." Jen nodded as Gwen pulled a premixed Tupperware of the same concoction she's used to fix Jen's broken nose out of her purse.
"He apologized." Gwen said focusing on Jen's swollen fingers as they vanished into the foul smelling goo.
"Good."
"I told him I'd think about it." Jen nodded. They fell silent again as Gwen chanted over Jen's busted fingers the mixture drying and flaking off rapidly. Jen sighed as the throbbing pain receded.
"Fair." The silence fell again as Jen scraped the remaining mixture off her fingers and into her trash can.
"I'll forgive him." Gwen decided. "He's stressed, stuck as something he's not. We both know what that's like." Jen nodded then yawned. "Tired?" Gwen asked, Jen nodded.
"Didn't sleep well last night." It was true she'd had nightmares for a few nights now. Gwen nodded.
"Take a nap. I'll bug you if there's a big threat." Jen nodded and flopped backwards onto her bed. Gwen headed downstairs to do some research. Her aunt Sandra was downstairs tuning her acoustic guitar.
"Oh hello! How's life Gwen?" Gwen smiled sitting on the couch next to her.
"Alright Auntie Sandra. You? Haven't seen you with the guitar in a while." Sandra nodded.
"Thought since I have some spare time on my hands I'd see if my old band wanted to get back together. We're meeting up tonight!" Gwen grinned. Her aunt Sandra was a member of a folk band. They mostly did covers from other bands but they had one song to their name though it had never gained a big following. Sandra used to play it for Jen as a lullaby. I was a sad song but a lovely little melody. Gwen settled down and pulled her spell book out of her purse.
A few hours later she frowned, glancing up at the stairs leading to Jen's room. She thought she heard a scuffle. But all was quiet save for the strumming from the guitar. Then she heard a thump and a blood curdling scream. She was up the stairs in a second.
Jen's dream started pleasantly enough. They were at Max's fishing spot, just her, Ethan, Gwen and Kevin. Except Kevin wasn't mutated anymore. At least not at first. Then green lightning spiked from the Watch, enveloping the Osmosian with a scream. Gwen shot to her feet screaming as Kevin appeared again solid unmoving stone as though a lifeless statue. Gwen kept screaming, her voice distorting as her skin bubbled and the Anodite within burst forth, howling in rage. Ethan ran not even pausing to look back as Gwen attacked. Jen screamed as bright purple eyes seemed to bore into her soul as she was dragged across the suddenly jagged ground. Wait, in their natural forms Anodites had blank white eyes not purple ones. Jen tried to twist in the grip of the mana as a spine tinglingly familiar voice cackled around her.
Cracks split into Gwen's now deep purple face. Jen screamed writhing away from her cousin. She jerked upright fighting with the blankets tangled over her head. She jumped as the door to her room crashed open.
"Jen?" She scrambled back and the blanket finally fell off her head. She bumped her head on her bed frame as she spotted her cousin in the doorway. She panted in fear trying to catch her breath as Gwen stepped slowly up to her.
"Jen? You ok?" Jen nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, just a nightmare." She gasped out. Gwen raised an eyebrow. Jen nodded. "I'm fine, just need a minute." Gwen nodded and let her cousin breathe and get to her feet on her own. The redhead pulled her phone out of her pocket as it buzzed and answered the call.
"Hey Grandpa! Everything ok?"
"For the most part, got a mission for the three of you, if you're feeling up for it. Nothing too big." Gwen glanced at her cousin and nodded.
"Sounds good. Wait three?"
"Viktor's got Ethan helping him out in the lab for the next few days." Gwen nodded.
"Ok cool! What's the mission?"
"An old friend of mine called me about an alien popping up at his mini golf course, nothing too dangerous."
"Sounds good, we'll be there."
"Thank you. He'll let you in when you get there. You may have to play a few holes to lure it out."
"We'll see what we can do. Love you!"
"Love you too." Jen had slipped out of the room and into the bathroom. Gwen stepped over to the mostly closed door. She tapped the doorframe.
"You sure you're ok?" A splash from the sink met her hears. Jen shut off the water and pulled the door open nodding.
"I'm fine. I swear. What did Grandpa Max want?"
"We've got a mission. I'll text Kevin the details." Jen nodded and toweled off her face.
They met Kevin at the mini golf course and for a few hours they played hoping to lure the alien out. It was blissfully peaceful, like they were regular teens having a fun Friday afternoon like real people.
Kevin and Gwen talked, Kevin had brought yellow roses to further apologize for his misadventure with Charmcaster. He'd also brought a finger splint for Jen, though she didn't need it. It was sweet that he'd thought of it. Even their fight with the acid spitting mole rat alien was almost enjoyable. The comet that crashed into the parking lot was less so though.
Finding a beaten bruised Vilgax in the crater left behind by the comet had Jen reaching for the Omnitrix, ready to finish this once and for all. She was sick of him coming around and threatening her and her family.
"Jen Tennyson." For once it didn't sound like a threat coming from him. More of a plea which was the only thing that kept her from attacking. "I need your help." Jen stared at him from the rim of the crater.
