Author's Note: As much as I do love the episode Time Heals it doesn't really work with what happened to Jen. It's insanely difficult, or even impossible to stop a lucky shot from a master assassin the way it would be to stop them from hacking the Omnitrix. So we're skipping. I own nothing.
42 Normalcy
The first month of school was blissfully peaceful. The four of them still patrolled but nothing seemed so keen to attack them anymore. It was wonderful, and gave both Tennyson girls the chance to attend to their rather neglected love lives. For a few weeks they got to act like they were normal real people. It was great. Jen and Ethan headed out to Max's fishing spot one Sunday night after a particularly good movie. They liked to come out here and watch the stars. Ethan seemed a bit more nervous than usual though and Jen frowned.
"Is everything ok?" Ethan nodded and stuck his hand in his pocket.
"Yeah, everything's great." Jen smiled but it was just a touch forced.
"Because it's been quiet?" Ethan turned to her, determination in his eyes.
"No, because I'm with you." He took a deep breath. "I know life with you is usually crazy but there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. You are so important to me, I love you." She blinked at him but he kept going. "And I know you're super famous in space and could probably do way better than me, and I know I don't have fancy Plumber training and I'm not all that useful in a fight…" He was cut off as Jen grabbed his face and kissed him with the same intensity as she had the first time, when she'd been convinced she was about to die in a fight with Vilgax.
"I love you too." She whispered as she broke the kiss. He smiled and pulled her back in for another. When they both pulled back to breathe his smile was dazzling. He pulled his hand out of his pocket.
"I know this is pretty fast but I wanted to give you this." He held out the small velvet box and Jen blinked at him. He opened it, revealing a silver band. In the center sat an oval shaped emerald surrounded by a single ring of diamond. She stared. "We don't have to make it official right away. We have to wait until we're eighteen anyway but… I wanted to show you that I'm not going anywhere, as long as you'll have me." She felt tears build in her eyes as her hands flew to her mouth. There was a pause. "So what do you say?"
"Yes!" She choked out and nodded. He smiled and pulled the ring out of the box. She held out her hand and he slipped it on her finger. Then he pulled her in for another kiss. They spent the rest of the night out under the stars enjoying each others company.
They did decide to keep this new development to a select few people. Kevin just grinned and shook his head at them. Gwen was ecstatic, knowing that everything in her cousin's life moved very quickly. She hadn't expected this quite so soon though. Grandpa Max supported them but insisted on them waiting until they were at least eighteen. What was two years? Viktor had already known, the ring had been the one he'd given to Ethan's father when he proposed. Jen's parents were a bit more on the skeptical side but after sitting down for a talk with Ethan they agreed that as long as they waited they would support their daughters choice. Julie shrieked excitedly.
"I can't believe you're engaged!" She giggled at Jen one day after school. Jen smiled, Ethan was at Kevin's fixing up his bike.
"It's not technically an engagement yet Julie, it's a promise that we will though." Julie rolled her eyes.
"Jen he gave you his mother's engagement ring. He wants to be around you for as long as you'll have him. You're basically engaged." Jen grinned down at her hand then sneezed. Julie frowned.
"You ok?" Jen nodded at her friends.
"Probably just a cold, I'll be fine." The familiar rumble of Kevin's car pulling up to the Mr. Smoothie. Jen glanced over at the car, Ethan was in the backseat, Gwen in the passenger side. For a moment Jen thought maybe something was going on, that they would beacon her over and take off. But they left the car and ordered their smoothies. They joined Julie and Jen and Ethan kissed her on the forehead. He frowned.
"You're running a little warm right now, you alright?" Jen shrugged.
"I'll be fine, just a cold." Ethan frowned.
"You can still get those?" Jen nodded.
"Yep. Last time it happened my aliens got sick too. Heatblast turned to ice, Wildmutt went blind, it was bad. But I'll be ok." Gwen nodded, she still remembered that time and shuddered.
"Can't have been that bad." Kevin said glancing at his girlfriend.
"I mean I wasn't that bad, but the bad guy was. Controlled bugs." Jen stated matter of factly. Gwen shuddered again. Jen laughed but about halfway through it devolved into a coughing fit. Ethan rubbed her back.
"You sure you're ok?" Jen nodded.
"Fine. You look like somethings bugging you though. You alright?" Ethan frowned and nodded.
"Yeah, well my dad is heading to Mount Rushmore for a week or so. He wants me to go with him. Get some tech training in from the plumbers who are clearing it out and moving the stuff here. I said I'd go with him." Jen grinned.
"So what's the problem?" Ethan frowned.
"I want to stay and help you get better." Jen laughed a bit softer this time, only coughing a little at the end.
"Ethan it's a cold I'll be fine. Go! Learn things!" He grinned at her and kissed her on the forehead again.
"Only if you promise to rest as much as you can while you're sick." She nodded still grinning.
"Oh you know me."
"I know that's why I'm worried." Jen laughed and took a sip of her smoothie to quell the cough.
"I'll be fine!" He smiled and rubbed her back. Kevin drove everyone but Julie home that night. He dropped Ethan off last. Ethan paused as he made to get out of the car.
"You'll keep an eye on her?" He asked Kevin. Kevin glanced at him in the rearview mirror. He liked Ethan, he was another car guy who'd fallen for the charms of a Tennyson. He was good shot with a plasma cannon and surprisingly calm in a firefight. He nodded to him.
"I'll have her back when trouble inevitably strikes." Ethan nodded grinning slightly.
"That's all I can ask. Thanks Kevin." Kevin nodded as Ethan left the car and went into his house. Kevin drove off towards him own house.
Gwen had a sinking feeling. Something bad was coming. She was meditating to try and figure out what was happening. But nothing was happening. She frowned to herself. She sighed and flicked through her spell book, the one Grandma Verdona had left for her a few weeks back. She paused as she spotted a time travel spell. She frowned.
"Maybe." She shook her head. The thought that had crossed her mind was that maybe she could stop the accident that had mutated Kevin in the first place. But they were already lucky Six-Six hadn't shot Jen directly. At least she'd recovered from the damage to the Omnitrix, after Azmuth had repaired it. She frowned running her finger down the spell. The risk of getting Jen killed in that firefight was far worse than the benefit of getting Kevin back to normal. She hoped Kevin saw it the same way. At least Ethan would definitely be on her side. She smiled slightly as she thought about Jen and Ethan. They made a good couple. Ethan kept Jen grounded, he didn't see her as the hero of a hundred worlds first, he saw her as who she was. A very human girl capable of wonderful and amazing things but human none the less. They went well together. Gwen flipped the page as the feeling of dread pulled at her again almost more insistent this time. Nothing was happening though she even double checked with Pierce at HQ. It was a quiet night. She shook her head. Maybe she just needed some sleep.
