Author's Note: I own nothing!
39 One Of Those
Playing keep-away with and overly large egg containing a baby was never something Kevin counted on himself doing. But here they were; him, Gwen and Ethan doing just that to keep the Tiffin from the other people in the bar while Jen, still stuck as Rath, worked her way though them. It didn't take too long for her to reach the Vreedles who for once in their lives decided that it wasn't worth the fight and ran, Rhomboid even dropped his gun as Jen lunged at them roaring, the knife-like claws on the back of her hand leaving gouges in the floor. Ethan caught the egg as Gwen decked the last alien standing and he crumpled. Kevin looked around, only the food robots were still standing. Rath had knocked Argit out, he couldn't really blame her but he didn't envy his friend the headache he'd have when he woke up. Rath demanded food from the robot and Ethan rolled his eyes, telling her to get it to go. So she did claiming the whole way that it hadn't been his idea. Kevin rolled his eyes as they set back out. He still couldn't believe that Gwen didn't approve of his friend.
"What's wrong with Argit?" He asked as Jen and Ethan ate the food Jen had gotten from the robot. Gwen shook her head.
"You mean besides the fact that he sold us out the moment he got the chance?" Kevin frowned. Gwen shook her head. "I don't get why you're friends with him."
"Well we met in the Null Void, kept an eye on each other's backs in there. It's not the easiest place to spend your childhood." Gwen flinched. She still felt quite guilty about sending him there in the first place. He shook his head. "When you go through stuff like that you learn to like each other. I don't know that I trust him as far as he could throw me but he is my friend." Gwen frowned.
"Alright. But I still don't like him." Kevin shrugged.
"Fair enough." Rath shoved the last bite into her mouth and purred contentedly, she was holding Ethan like he was a teddy bear again, he was much smaller than her when she was like this. The Tiffin burbled at them and Rath glowered for a moment.
"YOU'RE A LOT OF TROUBLE YOU KNOW THAT?" She tucked Ethan under her chin and growled slightly at the Tiffin. Ethan held back a giggle and gently tapped her on the nose.
"Be nice to him! He's got enough going on." Rath pouted. Kevin snorted.
"This really isn't funny Kevin. What if she's stuck like this for good? Can you imagine Grandpa's face?" Kevin contemplated for a moment his face caught between thoughtful and full of humor. Then of course the laser fire started.
Ethan had hoped Jen, Rath, wasn't serious about going over to the Incursions without a suit but no she left their ship with a lungfull of air and ripped her way onboard the Incursion ship. Then came back the same way. But the Incursion commander had lied and tried to shoot them down anyway. Only a bit of fancy flying on Kevin's part, leaving the Incursion commander to spin into a black hole, saved them. Rath grumbled snatching Ethan up by his collar and sitting in his chair. Being forcibly cuddled by a bipedal tiger that happened to also be his girlfriend really put his concern about fitting in at Bellwood High in perspective he mused as Rath began to snore. Gwen snapped a photo of them before Ethan could stop her. Not that he really could from his current position but he could have tried.
Kevin frowned looking over the console which was starting to beep. He flicked a few switches and the beeping slowed but didn't stop. His frown deepened. Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"What's going on?" Kevin shook his head.
"Commander Sangfroid was a better shot than we'd hoped." Gwen's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" Kevin flicked on what looked like a scanner.
"Well our engine is damaged. But we should be able to find what we need to fix it. If we're really lucky. If Jen could change we could just use Diamondhead to do it but we don't have that option." Gwen's eyes narrowed.
"We need Taydenite to fix it?" Kevin nodded.
"Yeah. Which is pretty rare." The scanner blipped and he glanced at it, his mismatched face breaking into a smile. "But apparently our luck is going up, we're in range of an asteroid with a good supply." Gwen frowned.
"Rath's not gonna like this."
Gwen's correctness wasn't surprising but for Kevin running into Vulkanus though, that was a surprise.
"It's like one of those dreams where everyone you know is in it and they all want to hurt you!" Kevin cried out and Gwen frowned at him.
"I've never had those dreams." She said blasting back a collection of Vulkanus's minions. Ethan shook his head.
"No I get what he means." Rath was busy pulling Vulkanus out of his suit. Kevin let the large tiger play with his old enemy as he fixed the engine. Gwen ended up putting an end to it. She had a bit more mercy than Kevin did, Ethan was busy calming down the Tiffin who was inside the ship but had heard the fighting. The small dollop refused to calm all the way down until Rath was back aboard. The bipedal tiger gathered the Tiffin into her hands, which comfortably fit the small being.
"YOU NEED TO STAY CALM! WE'RE ALMOST THERE." That much was true. It only took them a few hours to reach Pantophage.
"Welcome to Pantophage, as we make our final approach to the planet I would like to take a moment to thank you for flying air Levin." Kevin grinned as he spoke. Gwen frown.
"Oh button it!" She hissed. The egg beeped and a holographic image of Cicily, the Tiffin's mother appeared. The Tiffin trilled happily.
"Oh my sweet son. I am so proud of all that you are doing for our people." Fat tears began to roll down her cheeks. She turned to Rath. "I beg of you do not complete this mission." Rath frowned.
"YOU SENT US ON THIS MISSION YOU CAN'T BACK OUT NOW!" Gwen rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You don't have to be such a hard nose about it Jen!" Kevin patted Gwen on the knee.
"You're trying to teach tact to an Appoplexian, you can try until the heat death of the universe, you'll never get anywhere." Gwen nodded, Cicily wiped her eyes.
"You are right of course. I will miss you my son." The transmission cut off as she sobbed again. Ethan frowned.
"I get that losing a son would be upsetting but if she knows he'll be well cared for why wouldn't she want us to finish this?" Kevin frowned as he landed the ship.
They discovered the hard way why Cicily hadn't wanted them to finish the mission when the king of the Pantophage swallowed the Tiffin whole.
"DID YOU JUST EAT THE BABY!" Jen demanded in shock and horror. Ethan was trying to get Kevin to wake up. Jarett smiled patting his large stomach.
"Yes!"
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO KEEP HIM! I THOUGHT HE WAS A PEACE OFFERING!"
"Yes, and also a delicacy. That's what a peace offering is on my world." Jen's growling shook the ground around her.
"EATING. BABIES. ISN'T. COOL!" With that Rath leapt up onto Jarett's face and forcefully yanked his mouth open before jumping down his throat. Ethan swallowed reflexively. This was the second time his girlfriend leap down an alien's throat. This time though she broke his teeth on the way back up, the Tiffin in her hands. Jarett ran his tongue over his shattered teeth.
"Of course you realize this will mean war." Jen growled again and handed the Tiffin to her cousin.
"HOLD HIM." Gwen nodded. Jen leapt back onto Jarett's face and grabbed him by the ears, claws digging into his skin.
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING JARETT OF PANTOPHAGE! I JUST JUMPED DOWN YOUR THROAT! YOU START A WAR WITH THE LEWODAN'S AND I WILL DO IT AGAIN! BUT THIS TIME I WILL KNIT YOUR INTESTINES INTO A SWEATER!" Jarett quavered and nodded. Jen growled at him again and leapt off his face. She growled at him again and Jarett stumbled back tripping over his throne. Rath smiled and took the Tiffin from Gwen. She looked down at him and he burbled at her and she nodded.
"YEAH I KNOW RIGHT." They left easily enough no one wanted to mess with Rath. When they got outside a large egg shaped ship floated down near theirs. It opened, a gangplank lowering from the material itself. Zaw-Veenull came out of the ship first, followed behind by Cicily who gasped at the sight of her son.
"My boy! Alive! It's a miracle!" She sobbed as the Tiffin flew into her arms. Rath smiled then she scowled as Zaw-Veenull stepped up to her.
"You have achieved peace for our world!" Rath raised the knife-like claw on the back of her hand extending toward him. He froze. Gwen swore under her breath.
"DID YOU KNOW HE WAS GONNA EAT THE BABY!" Zaw-Veenull stuttered.
"Well I wasn't… I didn't know exactly…" Cicily glared at the ambassador. Rath growled silencing the stuttering.
"NEVER. SPEAK. TO. ME. AGAIN." She retracted the claw and growled again. Zaw-Veenull cowered. Cicily smiled at her and bowed slightly.
"Thank you Jen Ten. My son is safe because of you." She nodded as she rested her chin on top of Ethan's head. Ethan smiled slightly trying not to be grossed out that Rath's fur was still slightly damp. Cicily glared at Zaw-Veenull.
"Get back on the ship sir!" Zaw-Veenull nodded. Gwen raised an eyebrow as the Lewodan scrambled to obey.
"I sort of got the impression he was in charge." Cicily nodded.
"He was, until Jen Ten demanded no further interaction with him. He's failed in making an alley of her and has lost his position as such." Rath purred at that. Cicily bowed again. "Thank you a million times Jen Ten." She nodded slightly as Cicily took her son back onto the ship. The Omnitrix symbol on Jen's chest crackled with energy as the door of the ship closed and green lights flashed. Jen stumbled away from Ethan, now several inches shorter than him again. Ethan seized her around her waist and steadied her.
"You're back!"
"As soon as the Tiffin left everything went back to normal!" Gwen nodded as Ethan brushed Jen's hair out of her face.
"That baby must have been putting off some kind of interference to keep you as Rath." Kevin grinned.
"Could be." Jen glared over Ethan's shoulder.
"Well, I didn't know exactly." Jen stepped around Ethan as Gwen glared at her boyfriend.
"Kevin!" Jen spun the dial on the Omnitrix. "Rath has something to say to you!" She slapped down the dial and the now familiar orange fur reappeared as Ethan laughed. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING KEVIN E. LEVIN!"
"Please don't." Kevin squeaked as he dove behind Gwen.
