Gwen stepped into the dimly lit bedroom with a bowl in hand, the steam slowly raising off the surface. A pair of dark purple eyes watched her every movement from the darkness as the redhead approached the bedside.
"You don't have to be so hostile, you know," Gwen stated as she gently placed the bowl on the nightside.
The redhead then moved over to the sole window and pulled back the blinds, letting the sun shine light into the room.
"See? Isn't that better?" Gwen asked as she turned back around.
Yellow rays of sunlight kissed the silver hair, making it glisten in the sudden light. It lit up the rest of her face showing the healing scars on her tan skin, along with the scowl she wore. Hope sucked her teeth and glanced down at the blanket covering her legs. She never understood how a person could be so happy. Gwen returned to her bowl and picked it up, she extended it out for Hope to take. Hope looked between Gwen and the bowl before grabbing it, and quickly shoveling food into her mouth.
"Whoa whoa! Slow down or you'll choke," Gwen said, concerned as she pushed the witch's hair behind her ears.
Hope jerked back and glared at the girl with murderous intent through widened eyes.
"Let's get one thing straight. We're not friends," Hope snapped before returning to her food.
Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes, she was just happy the girl was now eating at a slower pace. The redhead stood up with a smile on her face as she moved back to her spot at the window. It's been seven months since the battle with Vilgax and things have somehow gotten worse. After the whole universe ending plot was revealed to the world, Plumbers took it as an opportunity to keep all aliens under a tighter leash. They flooded planets with weaponry and soldiers, saying it was for the "protection" of everyone. Even Earth gained a larger population of Plumbers that were used to monitor potential threats. Several world governments worked with them to keep humanity safe from extraterrestrials. It also spread bigotry through the inner reaches of society, hate crimes against aliens skyrocketed. Most alien technology was banned from Earth and even some species were kicked from the planet for "being too dangerous". Plumber HQ moved their high command base closer to Earth in response to this new-age threat. Instead of being a symbol of hope for all living things, Ben became the icon of authority for the Plumbers. Her cousin was sent to deal with planets that rebelled against the Plumbers and it never turned out good. Ben Tennyson was feared amongst the alien community and those who went against him never lived to tell the tale.
Gwen found out from Charmcaster that Lucy had returned to the Celestial realm with Verdona, something about being the new guardians until another warrior takes their place. Tetrax was travelling the galaxy helping oppressed aliens escape the hands of the Plumbers. Helen and Manny were currently working to improve their rank, while Allen quit the Plumbers; not telling a soul of his reasoning. She hasn't heard from Julie in a while but she sees her games appearing in the newspapers. Cooper comes to visit her house every so often to catch up, but they both agree that what Ben's doing is wrong. Gwen tried her best to keep up with all their friends and family. Charmcaster always told her that she was just wasting her time, that relationships like that were destined to fall apart. She refused to believe that.
The redhead spent the six months caring for her magical friend after she found her half dead in a cabin three miles into the woods. She's been providing her with a stable food and mana source, even bathed her for the first few weeks when the silver haired witch was incapable of moving. After a couple weeks of hearing about the atrocities that the Plumbers and Ben were committing, her mood became very foul. The witch's hatred for Ben Tennyson almost reappeared, but her distaste for the Plumbers remained the same; she was just far more open about it.
"Have you heard from him?" Hope asked, referring to her cousin.
"Not since he left for Mars two months ago," Gwen replied with a fake smile as she turned to face Charmcaster. "But I'm sure he's fine."
Hope could see the broken girl behind Gwen's calm demeanor and couldn't help but be reminded of herself. She wanted to believe that Gwen was more similar to her than she'd realized, and just like her she could be set off by a tragedy. Like she was when Grace died. She had to protect this girl at all costs.
"How about we get outta here?" Hope suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh come on! It might be a shitshow but they couldn't have closed down the malls! Let's go shopping," Hope explained as she threw the blanket off her body.
Gwen raised an eyebrow as she turned around with her arms crossed.
"You? Wanna go shopping?" she said suspiciously.
"Oh I get it, because I'm the edgy witchy chick I'm supposed to not enjoy the simpler things in life?"
"I didn't say that."
"Then let's go," she said standing up.
Gwen sighed as she palmed her face, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out in public just yet."
Charmcaster glanced at the younger woman with a confused face.
"Why not? I thought you told me that I've been pardoned for past and present crimes."
"I know! But that was before everything just blew up in our faces."
Hope continued to give her best bewildered look until Gwen eventually agreed.
Charmcaster looked in the car mirror at the tiny amount of makeup she had on, a little bit of black eyeshadow and rose colored lipstick. She didn't really wear much makeup even when she was in her teenage years, so this was a completely new experience for her. She stepped out of Gwen's sedan and looked at her outfit again in the reflection of the car window. She had a white crop top that showed her toned midriff, and in her opinion too much cleavage but Gwen fixed that by giving her a red flannel to wear on top. She had blue ripped short shorts on that showed off her tanned long legs, and a pair of beat up white vans to finish. Hope put her hair in a mid level ponytail and two thin strands of silver hair fell against her eyebrows. Gwen had on ripped blue jeans with black and white checkered vans. She wore a red tank top underneath her white blouse with her red hair down.
"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Hope anxiously asked.
"What? No, you look cute," Gwen complimented.
The redhead handed the older woman a pair of sunglasses as they walked towards the entrance.
"Wear these."
Charmaster was grateful that her sunglasses were blocking the death glares she would give the staring onlookers as they passed the duo. She wondered how Gwen ignored all the catcalls and dirty glances so easily. The silver haired witch always thought of the smaller redhead as a timid girl exploring herself as a "person". But the way she strided confidently through the mall, crushed any impressions of a shy personality. Hope was impressed with her confidence, and it wasn't like she didn't have the body to back it up. Gwen's breasts weren't as big as hers, but the redhead had an ass that supermodels would be jealous of. Hope figured it was from all the training during her younger teen years.
Gwen's attractiveness came from her constant joy that she spread to others around her. Hope found herself smiling again as she dragged her to different stores throughout the mall. The witch was shifting through racks in Forever 21 when noises caught her attention, she glanced up to see two guys talking to Gwen. They seemed to be flirting with her and she laughed at their terrible jokes and pick-up lines. I always said she was too nice, Hope thought as she continued to stare at them. The flirting seemed harmless and Hope was actually happy for the girl. Maybe she can get a boyfriend and she'd stop bothering the witch so much. Charmcaster was about to go back to looking through clothes when she overheard the guys asking for her number and if she was doing anything later. Gwen kindly rejected them but they didn't seem to take the hint.
Charmcaster rushed over to the girl's side and wrapped her arms around her waist from behind.
"Hey babe, I was thinking we could do chinese for dinner tonight," she purred to the redhead and pecked her on the cheek.
Gwen widened her eyes at first but realized what the older girl was trying to do and quickly played along.
"We can have whatever you want, baby."
The guys felt awkward staying any longer when they knew she was taken already and walked away. Hope waited for them to walk far enough before letting go. Gwen blushed slightly at the close position they were in, she could feel the sorceress' heartbeat against her back and she winced at the slow warm breathing on top of her ear. When the taller girl let go, she almost felt sad at the lack of touch. What are you talking about, Gwen? She told herself. Gwen figured she was getting a little frustrated at her loneliness.
"He did what?!" Hope laughed as she stepped out of the car with her bags.
"Kevin was so pissed, we didn't see him for two weeks. I'm still trying to figure out if he was cleaning Ben's puke all that time or he was just so pissed at him."
Hope's laughter echoed through the empty forest at the stories Gwen was telling her. They walked through the woods in a comfortable silence as the moonlight shined down on the duo.
"This was fun," Hope commented with a laugh through the silence.
"What are you going to do after this?" Gwen asked anxiously.
Charmcaster hasn't even thought about the near future, as if this little fantasy will last forever. She didn't know what to tell the girl without it sounding like a complete lie. The witch knew that the question was more leaning towards "are you going to continue a life of crime" more than anything. Hope knew she wasn't planning on doing anything evil for the rest of her life, but for some reason she couldn't promise the girl that. Like she was scared of snapping again one day, but as long as Hex wasn't in her life; she should have nothing to worry about. So what was this unnerving feeling she was getting?
"Hex told me something before he died," Hope started as she glanced at the ground. "He said to return to my roots. I don't exactly know what he meant but I'm intent on finding out."
Gwen was silent as she twisted the doorknob to the cabin, she was thinking of a response to give the older woman. She was about to open her mouth when Hope pushed the redhead behind her and pointed her glowing hand in a dark corner of the room.
"What's wrong?" she asked frantically.
"Someone's there," Hope responded slowly.
Gwen peered into the corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything and as her eyes adjusted she saw a figure sitting in a chair. The room was suddenly flooded with light as the figure turned the lamp on. Both girls gasped in surprise when they saw who was sitting in the chair.
"B-Ben?" Gwen stuttered.
Ben? Charmcaster asked herself, the man standing in front of them looked like anyone besides the young hero. He had a thin scar across his hardened face with pale green eyes that showed off his coldness. His hair had gotten a little longer and was faded on the sides with a strand hanging in front of his forehead. He stood up to reveal his muscular body underneath his black tee, his toned biceps testing the sleeve's stretchiness. Hope noticed a black leather jacket hanging on the coat rack with a faded number ten showing on the sleeve. Black skinny jeans clung to his legs and black nike low tops were on his feet. Hope raised her eyebrow at the teen's particularly dark outfit, he reminded her of how Jade used to dress. Isn't he hot? It's like 70 degrees outside. She realized the hero had two arms now and wondered how they managed to give him back an organic limb. Hope figured that that was his reward for being such an obedient pet. Ben may have looked different here, but she didn't forget how much of a prick he's been to the galaxy the last several months.
"Did you have fun shopping?" he asked nonchalantly.
Gwen tried to talk but her throat closed up as she began to sweat profusely, his aura was so ominous; it made her sick to her stomach. Hope glanced over to Gwen and saw her disgusted expression, she assumed the girl wasn't ready to acknowledge Ben's actions. She admitted that the former hero had an evil presence to his aura, but nothing she hasn't seen before with Hex.
"I have a better question! Why are you here?" Charmcaster snapped at the boy.
"I need your help," he replied coldly.
"What?" Hope muttered through her clenched teeth.
"I said-"
Ben was interrupted by Hope slamming her fist into the wooden wall next to the door. A massive crack trailed across the wall with purple light emitting from it. The teen cooly glanced at the wall to see if any type of attack would emerge from the crack.
"You disappear for months without a word and you break your cousin's heart into pieces and you come here asking for help like nothing happened?"
Ben kept his poker face as the summer night cicadas echoed through the quiet cabin. Hope was getting angrier by the second, she couldn't believe he would dare show himself to Gwen.
"I don't need HER help, I need yours," Ben explained as he pointed at the silver haired witch.
Charmcaster's eyes widened for a second before immediately narrowing them at the boy, she felt her muscles tensing up as she grinded her teeth at Ben's rudeness. He came back here for me? The witch's aura intensified as she took a step forward, whipping around like wild flames as the room darkened considerably.
"Get out."
Ben stared at the witch with his hands stuffed in his pockets, he had no intention of leaving or fighting. Charmcaster was about to explode when she felt a hand grab her shoulder and she was instantly calmed down by the small touch. She glanced back to see the solemn looking Gwen staring back at her with glassy eyes.
"Let's hear him out."
"What?! This scumbag doesn't get to walk back into your life," Hope retorted quickly.
"What are you? My wife?!" Gwen yelled as she stared at the floor with her fists clenched.
Hope didn't like it but she kept her mouth shut and lowered her hand. She didn't understand why she was suddenly on Ben's side.
"I know my cousin, he wouldn't ask for help unless he really needed it."
Ben raised an eyebrow at the duo, they were quarreling like a couple and Hope was being abnormally protective of Gwen. What was going on between those two? Ben didn't have time to figure out their current relationship.
"I need your help taking down the Plumbers," Ben calmly said.
Both girls stood silent with their eyes widened and jaws dropped at Ben's request. The man who spent months helping construct a Plumber regime and took part in their sick, twisted plots was now asking to destroy them.
"Help me destroy the Plumbers," he repeated as he took a step forward.
Gwen was the first to move as she stepped forward and slapped her cousin. Hope widened her eyes at the sudden actions of the redhead but didn't make any comments. Ben stood there in silence with a red handprint on his cheek, he clenched his fists from the impact and stared daggers at Gwen. His expression softened when he saw Gwen's squinched up face with tears rolling down her cheeks.
After all the destruction he witnessed and participated in in the last couple months, his heart still sunk when he saw Gwen crying. It happened when he killed Kevin and he promised himself that he'd never make her cry ever again. Another promise broken. Ben took a sudden interest in the floor as he waited for Gwen to chew him out. He knew it was a stretch for him to ask for anything from either of them, but if he didn't take down the Plumbers now then he wouldn't have the chance later. Only he knew what he meant by not having a chance in the future. Nobody, besides him, has seen what the Plumbers were truly capable of.
"You don't get to ask her for help when you abandoned her after she risked everything for you!" Gwen screeched. "Y-you-you fucking piece of shit!"
Hope was shocked at the response from Gwen, and she noticed that her aura was growing with every word. It wouldn't be long before Gwen quite literally exploded. Charmcaster never really thought of it as abandonment, they just went their separate ways after accomplishing their goals. Hope told the teenager multiple times that this alliance wasn't permanent so she couldn't blame him for leaving. Somewhere in her heart, she hoped that he stayed. She told herself that the sex and his words meant nothing to her, that he meant nothing to her. But she has that constant tick in her soul that says different. Azmuth was right. Ben was a beacon of hope, she couldn't stand to see him go down the wrong path. Her brain was always fuzzy when it came to him, nothing was ever black and white between them. She lightly grasped Gwen's shoulder and laughed nervously at her anger.
"I can speak for myself. If I don't want to help him then I'll say so myself," Hope interrupted gently.
Ben glanced up at the silver haired witch, slightly wary but hopeful of her answer.
"Ben, I can't help you. I have my own problems to sort out."
"People's freedoms are at stake," Ben argued.
"And so is my sanity."
Ben only nodded in understanding as he turned to retrieve his jacket, he made his way over to the door and stepped into the threshold.
"Good luck," he called out before closing the door behind him.
Gwen looked between the stone-faced witch and the door before rushing over to the entrance.
"BEN WAIT!" she yanked the door open and called out into the night.
All she got was cicadas hissing and a breeze blowing the leaves of nearby trees. Her cousin couldn't be found in the dark forest. Gwen glanced back at Hope with puffy eyes.
"He's gone," she muttered as she looked down in defeat.
Hope dropped into the chair and put her head in her hands. Why do I feel like this? She didn't lie to Ben but her statement to him felt unfinished. I wanted to ask HIM for help. Charmcaster needed to fulfill Hex's dying wish of going back to her roots. She couldn't ask Gwen for help either. With Ben gone the hero spot has been empty and people are losing hope. The redhead had to stay and be the light for Bellwood and the world. Hope knew the road ahead for Gwen was long and filled with obstacles, she had to replace Ben Tennyson after all. Meaning that there would be no time for her to accompany the witch back home.
"I think you should leave," Hope said coldly.
"Yeah I need to help my grandpa with some stuff tomorrow," Gwen laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.
The redhead didn't say anything else as she left the sorceress by herself. Charmcaster watched her close the door and she sighed deeply. Hope felt bad about the way she treated Gwen, but she needed to understand that they were from different worlds. Charmcaster knew that if she properly said goodbye to her then she'd never be able to leave the redhead's side. She was thankful for the last few months of aid she received, but now it's time for her to check out. Charmcaster had made up her mind. She was going to help Ben take down the Plumbers, and if she was going to do that then she needed to get stronger. Hope promised herself that she wouldn't hold the teenager back this time, she was going to be right by his side in every fight. Charmcaster's next stop was her old family cabin that she shared with Hex and Grace. That's where she'll find the strength she needed for future endeavors.
Gwen came back in the morning to an empty cabin. She had a feeling that she wouldn't find the older witch there but she took the trip anyway. The cabin looked completely untouched as if there weren't two people practically living there for months. Gwen slammed her fist against the wall and lowered her head. Be careful. She turned around and closed the door behind her, effectively ending that chapter in her life.
"Was she there?" a gruff voice asked the approaching redhead.
Gwen shook her head at her grandpa as she climbed into the car and started it up. Max had a sad smile on his face as he entered the passenger side. He felt pity for his caring granddaughter, she was so worried about everyone else that she never had time to herself. Just like her mother.
"You gotta call a quits on this, Gwen," Max started as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You're gonna drive yourself crazy thinking about them. Ben and Charmcaster chose their own path, you have to respect it."
"Hope…"
Max glanced at her grand-daughter with a questioning look.
"Her name is Hope, not Charmcaster."
"Gwen…"
"I won't just GIVE UP ON THEM GRANDPA! They need help or-or- nothing will go back to normal."
"Normal changes everyday. Nothing will ever go back to normal, you're asking for things to go back to the way it was; but that's in the past. And this is the present."
Gwen gripped the steering wheel tightly as she stared blankly through the windshield into the open forest. Her lip was quivering and tears threatened to spill. If Max was right then where did that leave her? Am I really just chasing the past?
"Instead of fighting to bring Ben to his past, take him to a better future."
Ben walked through his old neighborhood with his head in the clouds, he didn't pay attention to the passing honking cars. Some yelled out praises and others expressed their hate. The joggers simply gave him strange looks like he didn't belong here. He didn't belong amongst the simple citizens of Bellwood, he didn't deserve a peaceful life. Ben knew that he was moving down a path that he can never come back from. He just hoped that everything would work out in the end, even if he was the only one suffering. He crossed over to another familiar street and glanced at the approaching blue house. The teen climbed up the front steps slowly, every stair felt like a mile. He reached for the doorknob and stopped when his fingers touched the brass knob. Ben glanced back at the driveway and saw the blue minivan. Okay I can do this.
The door opened to a quiet clean living room, a dirty blonde woman looked up from the kitchen. Ben stepped into the house and closed the door behind him, before turning back to the woman. She carefully placed the plate she was washing into the sink as she slowly moved into the living room. Her eyes were wide open as she approached the teen, like she was seeing a ghost. For her, this young adult was a ghost.
"Ben?" she whimpered as she came closer.
"Hi mom," he replied.
Ben's mother enveloped her son in a tight hug within a second, she needed to see if he was real.
"My little boy…" Sandra Tennyson muttered as fresh tears appeared in her eyes.
Ben hadn't shown his face to his family in months. No calls or letters. He didn't even show up to his own father's funeral. His mother lost her son and husband in the same year. Friends and family were there to support the widow through her grieving process, but the people that mattered most weren't there. And to make matters worse, the stories and rumors that she heard about Ben broke her heart every time. The Plumbers had to put the mother into protection to keep the Anti-Ben sympathizers at bay. Life was no longer normal for the woman. Gwen would visit occasionally to keep her aunt company but even those visits were becoming a rare occurrence. Her only will to live was Ben in hopes that he would come back to her one day.
Ben caught his fainting mother and picked her up bridal style, he placed her gently on the couch. The boy moved the stray hairs behind her ears and kissed her forehead, before stepping back to watch the sleeping form of his mother. Ben made his way to the door and glanced back with a smile before closing the door behind him.
The next house he stood in front of was white, he recognized one of the cars but the other one was unfamiliar. Ben assumed it was a friend and he continued up onto the porch, before he could knock the door was opened. A dark haired Asian girl was on the other side and it seemed like she was on her way out, she jumped back when she saw Ben standing there.
"Ben?" Julie asked quietly.
"Hey," was the older teen's response.
There were several moments of awkward silence.
"Um..hah, what are you doing here?" Julie started.
"I came to-"
Another voice interrupted the teen's response, "Who's at the door, babe?"
Ben's eyes widened when Allen came into view and kissed the girl on the cheek. He turned to the unexpected guest and immediately narrowed his eyes.
"Oh it's you…"
Ben had heard that Allen quit the junior Plumbers due to some differences in their new policies, but he never got the full story out of anyone.
"Did you want something, Tennyson? I know you're not here to wish me a happy birthday."
"I just wanted to talk to Julie for a second."
"Oh? About what?" Allen said sarcastically as he crossed his arms.
"Nothing…" Ben knew how to take a hint and realize he wasn't wanted.
"Wait! Maybe you can come in for a couple minutes. We were just about to cut the cake! Coop and a couple others are here," Julie frantically explained.
"No no that's fine. I'll just talk to you later, I don't want to interrupt things."
Julie was about to argue when she was called back inside by someone and she scurried to their aid. Ben gave an awkward smile to Allen, who was leaning against the doorframe. He noticed the younger teen wasn't the same skinny kid he was a couple years ago. The former hero turned to leave the couple alone.
"Stay away from us, especially Julie. You're bad news, Tennyson and I don't want to see you around here anymore." Allen called out to the leaving teen. "I won't tell you twice."
Ben clenched his fists at the threat, but bit his tongue out of respect for Julie. I was right. I don't belong here anymore. He walked onto the silent street with his hands stuffed in his pocket. Ben noticed a stopped car idling across the road and his mood got even worse when he saw Gwen and grandpa inside. He walked over to the vehicle with a frown on his face.
"Get in," Max sternly demanded from the open window.