Chapter Eight: Perspective Part 2

Have you ever not known something about someone? About how someone really felt about you? About how you really felt about them? My name is Gwendolyn Katherine Tennyson, and this is how I came to realize something that would change my life forever.

When I first saw Ben standing there a feeling of warmth washed over me. Along with a little annoyance. It felt like ages since I'd seen him. He wasn't avoiding me, was he? Why would he be? I was probably just overthinking it, and when I found myself staring down at him after our little sparring session, I couldn't help but notice how much he'd matured.

Not just with his boyish charm but in his demeanor. There was a sense of awareness in those lime green eyes of his, Hard to believe he's the same dweeb I couldn't stand to be around just five years ago. Even still I could still see a twinkle of that mischievous brat still in there. I don't think that will ever fully go away, and I don't think I'd want it to either.

Then came our rather eventful reunion with Kevin. I didn't know what to make of him at first. He seemed like an entirely different person. Not that angry vengeful kid we once knew. I didn't know if we could fully trust him or not but his aura felt different. A far cry from the monster he used to be.

"Dang, Gwen! When did you get so hot?" Kevin asked obnoxiously

"Watch it." Ben replied.

I thought it was just Ben being a little overprotective, but it was more than that. There was a tinge of jealousy in his voice. Of course, I didn't notice at the time. Why would I? Who would think their cousin was jealous of someone hitting on them. But it wasn't just Ben's feelings that I didn't notice but my own as well.

A moment I never told Ben about. When we were talking in the castle, I thought I heard something, or to be more specific, someone. When we were in the castle,

"If only she knew how I felt…"

Did I just hear Ben's thoughts? Was I just hearing things? Maybe it was a glitch in the device that allowed that rogue private thought to pass through. At the time I ultimately decided it must have just been my imagination. But still, that thought stayed with me.

After I was slammed into the wall by the Highbreed, needless to say, I was more than a little pissed. Unfortunately, my chance at retribution was ruined by a certain overprotective hero. Ben was quick to get my side, which I appreciated.

"You're hurt!"

"It's just a scratch, Ben. I'm fine."

"Kevin, get over here." Ben demanded having completely ignored my words.

"She alright?"

"Just peachy."

"So what's the strategy?"

"Get her out of here."

"Sure thing." Kevin replied to my surprise.

I expected him to say we should all fight together but the ass just shrugged his shoulders and went along with it.

"But…" Was the only word I managed to get out before Kevin flung me over his shoulder. "But I can still fight!"

"He's too strong, and I need to be able to fight him without any distractions."

"Ben, you dumbass! You need our help!" I tried shouting despite knowing full well anything I said at that point would be drowned out by Ben's full attention being on the Highbreed. As soon as we stepped foot outside the ship, Kevin finally put me down.

"I'm just gonna go back in there."

"Uh uh." Kevin replied as he used his broad figure to block my path.

"Kevin…" I said with gritted teeth as I formed an energy blast in my right hand.

"Gwen…" He replied sternly as he placed his hand against the outer hull of the ship.

The tension was palpable but also brief as I noticed Kevin's expression soften.

"Look, if the man wants to fight alone, I say we let him.

"But I don't know if he can handle this thing on his own. When my energy touched him, I felt his strength...it was unreal."

"I think this could be a good listen for him, and if he needs our help we'll wait right here."

As much as I wanted to disagree he had a point. Ben may have matured but that hard head of his hadn't quite got the memo. But I wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing.

"Alright." I still somewhat reluctantly agreed before sitting down and closing my eyes. 'Focus...focus...There he is.'

I could see him and the Highbreed or rather their energy forces, It's kind of like seeing an outline of colors.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm keeping track of him using his vibrational pattern."

At first, it seemed Ben was keeping his own against his foe but that quickly changed, and the next thing I knew Ben was being dominated and soon found himself in the Highbreed's grip.

"Oh no!"

"Trouble?"

"Yeah, follow me."

I led Kevin to a different side of the spacecraft where Ben was moments away from having his neck snapped.

'Alright, think fast, Gwen. Hit the Highbreed. Lasso Ben down. Sounds solid.'

I heard Kevin mutter something before I fired off an energy blast at the Highbreed. I didn't even wait for it to make contact before I formed a lasso, and as soon as the blast hit I threw the lasso up and around Ben, and with a couple of good tugs, pulled him out of the ship and onto the ground a little bit away from us.

"Ben!" I shouted with both concern and anger as I took off towards him. "Now it's my turn to ask. Are you alright?"

"Yeah...You saved my life, Gwen. Thank you."

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me."

I wanted to say more. I wanted to chew him out for being so reckless but I chose to just say that for the moment.

"I know. I…Wait! Where's…"

Ben looked concerned as the Highbreed had elected to retreat into the ship instead of following him out. That concern soon turned to panic, a feeling we all shared as the ground began to rumble from the ship suddenly roaring to life sending a surge of fire towards us. Not even having to think twice, I put up a barrier around us shielding us from the intense blaze.

"Oh no!" Ben exclaimed as the ship began to slowly ascend. "We can't let that ship take off!"

"Why?" Kevin inquired. "So he goes off to lick his wounds.

"He's planning on killing everyone within five miles."

"Oh...that's bad."

"Very bad."

"So what are we going to do, Ben?" I asked.

"This time I really have to do this one by myself."

Even as Humungusour I could tell the look on his face meant 'Trust me,'

"Go for it." I said with my full support.

I watched as Ben grew and grabbed onto the still ascending ship, and even though I trusted his word I couldn't help but worry.

"We should head to the lift." Kevin suggested.

"Actually, I think I have a faster way." I replied as I stared at the opening in the cavern, the ship having just cleared it. This way we could escape easily, and I could keep an eye on the ship. Two birds, one stone.

"Hold on and keep steady." I commanded as I put Kevin's arms around my waist while I created a platform of energy beneath us, all the while shooting Kevin a look to suggest. 'Try anything funny and you lose an arm and any other appendages I dim fit.' and judging by the sheepish little nod he gave. I assume he received the message.

As we exited out of the cavern, I could see the ship. It was a good distance away, but still visible, as was the giant laser beam it was now shooting out of the ground. The ship showed no signs of going down.

"Come on, Ben. You can do it." I said to myself.

As I watched the ship from the distance my mind couldn't help but wander back to those words. 'If only she knew how I really felt...' What did that mean? Felt about what? About me? No, it couldn't be. I knew exactly how Ben felt about me...right? My drifted thoughts came back into focus as the laser stopped and the ship began to drop.

"He did it." I gleefully exclaimed, but that joy was hastily changed to worry as I could just make out Ben falling to the ground at high speed. Not knowing exactly how durable his new alien was my stomach dropped as Ben hit the ground. "Ben!"

I didn't even think. It's like my will just moved the platform before my brain had time to process it, and before I knew it, we were at the crater formed by the fallen Humongusar. I made my way down and into the crater as fast as I could, with Kevin right behind me, and to my relief, Ben was sitting there now back to normal and still in one piece.

"How'd you find me?" Ben asked us.

"Giant you shaped hole. Not hard to miss." Kevin replied.

"Ben, you did it!" I exclaimed as I rushed to his side and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay. When I saw you hit the ground I got so worried.

Maybe it was the lingering sense of relief that I was still feeling but in that moment I didn't want to let go. I wanted to just keep holding him close despite the rational part of my brain telling me to ease up. That side got it's way regardless as Ben suddenly winced in pain causing the both of us to let go.

"What's wrong?" I asked him before noticing the scrape on his leg.

"It happened when I was Humungousaur."

I think Ben could see the concern on my face since we both knew this meant he was now more vulnerable than ever.

"I'll just have to be more careful from now on." He said in an assuring tone.

"You better be." I replied as I took out a hair ribbon that I kept tucked away in the waistline of my skirt. "Here."

"Thanks."

After Kevin dropped me off at my house I had the brief hope that my parents might have called it an earlier night and I could just sneak behind undetected. Though perhaps that expectation was a bit too optimistic because as soon as I stepped onto the front porch the light came on and the front door opened and I was greeted with the stern look of my dad and the judgemental glare of my mother. Good thing I already had my excuse planned in case of this eventuality.

"Care to explain where you were, young lady?" My dad asked, putting on his 'dad' voice.

"And who was that in the car?" My mom added. "It wasn't a boy was it? You know how I feel about you dating."

My mother always told me if I wanted a boyfriend she had to approve of him first.

"Yes, it was a boy, but it was a friend of Ben's and he was there too. We just got caught up in a long study session. There's a big test coming up at Ben's school and I was helping them prepare for it and we lost track of time."

"Oh, so you and Ben are hanging out again. That's nice." My dad replied, dropping his stern voice for a moment.

"Oh shush, Frank."

"What? I'm just glad she's getting to hang out with her cousin again."

"This isn't the time to be glad. We're supposed to be lecturing her. Gwen, I'm not mad I'm just disappointed. Even if it was for a good reason you need to be better with your time management. Now get to bed."

"Yes, mom."

"Good Night, pumpkin." My dad said warmly before receiving a death glare from my mom. "I mean, get to bed right now and no dessert with dinner tomorrow."

"Yes, dad." I said stifling back a small laugh.

After slipping into my pajamas and getting into bed, just as my head touched the soft memory foam of my pillow, that thought once again 'If only Gwen knew how I felt…' I didn't know why those words kept lingering in my mind. It had to be my imagination, I tried to reassure myself, and even if it wasn't, He surely didn't mean anything by it...Then why couldn't I get the thought out of my head? Whatever the reason I decided to push the aforementioned thought deep in the back of my mind, and there it stayed, for a little while at least.

Over the course of the next week, the thought hadn't so much as crossed my mind for a second. That was until the night before the study session with Ben. We talked on the phone just before bed.

"Can't wait to hit those books." Ben said with the fakest enthusiasm.

"Yeah, You sound so excited."

"But for real. It'll be nice to hang out. Just the two of us."

"Remember after patrolling we go to our houses to wash up and meet at my house at six."

"Sounds good. Talk to you tomorrow, Gwen. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ben."

As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but smile. I can't remember the last time we had a bedtime phone call like that, but it was nice. Hearing his voice just before going to bed was oddly comforting. And then it happened that thought slowly but surely crept back into the forefront of my consciousness. Why couldn't I get rid of those words...and why did my heart start beating faster every time I thought about them…

The next day after an uneventful patrol and a nice shower to wash away all the grit and grime from some of the back alleys we investigated, I was ready for my study session with Ben. As I sat in my room waiting for him to arrive I stared at my magic tome I displayed proudly on my desk, with the custom cover that Ben had given me in full view. Yeah, it looked a bit garish but that didn't matter. It was from Ben, and I could tell he put a lot of thought into it. I wouldn't trade it for the most expensive jewelry in the world.

I had just lit a couple of incense sticks when, not even a minute later, I heard Ben's distinctive knock on my door.

"Come in."

Ben entered the room, holding his books. That familiar warmth came over me when I locked eyes with him. I'm not even sure why it's not like I hadn't been seeing him more recently. It wasn't a feeling of seeing him for the first time in ages. It was different, and for some reason, I felt...a little nervous.

"You can put your books over there." I said as I gestured to my adjacent desk, trying to hide any sense of unease.

"Alright."

Our study session got underway promptly. Going over the basic subjects, math, science, social studies, and a particular focus on his worst subject, physics, all while making idle chatter. It was pleasant...and then I decided to ask a question.

"So, any girls at school catch your interest? I'm sure there have to be a few girls at your school vying for your attention. Or do you already have a girlfriend?"

I could tell by the slight raising of his eyebrows that the question caught him by surprise. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure why I even asked. I've never pried into Ben's love life before so what possessed me to ask him now.

"No to all of the above." He replied in a friendly tone.

And then another odd feeling rushed over me...the sense of relief. Was I happy Ben didn't have a girlfriend?

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. We're both at that age where relationships start to be taken a bit more seriously. I just want to be sure you end up with someone trying to take advantage of you or something."

I'm not even sure I bought the excuse that just came out of my mouth but Ben seemed to buy it.

"I appreciate your concern.' he chortled "But trust me, you have nothing to worry about. What about you? You seeing anyone?"

I guess a follow-up question like that was to be expected.

"No. I've had a few guys ask me out." And I've heard rumors there are even more that are just too afraid of me to say anything. "But I turned them down. Told them I was too busy with my school work and extracurriculars."

Which was a partial truth. The ultimate reason was that none of them made me feel the way I envisioned my dream guy to do. It's hard to put into words exactly what that feeling is as I won't know what it is until I experience it. All I know is, I'll know it when it happens.

"Always the overachiever." Ben teased.

"And you'll be an underachiever if you let your grades slip. So let's study some more."

"I know. I know."

"Oh and I think dinner should be ready soon. You are staying for dinner right?"

"Of course. When have you ever known me to turn down a free meal?"

"When Grandpa Max offers to cook."

"Touche."

And then that day came…Friday, the day everything became crystal clear.

When I first saw Julie I could tell right away from the way she looked at Ben that she had a thing for him. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. Though the aforementioned seemed to be completely oblivious to the act.

"This is my cousin Gwen, and this is Kevin."

"Nice to meet you, Gwen."

"Likewise."

"And you're the new kid at school right?"

"Sure am."

"Nice to meet you too. Well, wish me luck."

"Good luck." We all replied.

And then the thought hit me. What if the 'she' he was referring to was Julie. Maybe Ben had a crush on Julie but was just too shy to admit and too oblivious to her own feelings. I just needed to give him a little push that was all.

As the match got underway I decided to bring up the subject.

"She's pretty cute." I 'casually' observed as I raised an eyebrow at Ben.

"What?" The oblivious one replied.

"I thought you said there weren't any girls interested in you?"

"What? Julie? No way. Julie doesn't like me like that."

"Come on, dude. It's obvious she's got a thing for you…" Kevin added before muttering something else to Ben I couldn't quite make out.

"What was that?" I tried to ask.

"Oh, nothing." Kevin replied with a grin directed at Ben but I decided not to read too much into that and continued the conversation.

"Kevin is right though. I could tell that she liked you from that conversation alone."

"I…" Ben began to reply before pausing. It was obvious the lightbulbs were going off in his head. "Oh man...I'm an idiot!"

"Totally." I couldn't help but capitalize on that chance to tease him, I was then ready to say it. To tell him that he should ask her out. But I hesitated. Why? Why was I hesitating?

'Gwen, stop acting so weird and just say it.' I told myself, and so I pushed down whatever was holding me back and came out with it. "You should ask her out."

"You know you didn't have to agree that I'm an id…" Ben began to reply before my last sentence registered. "Wait...what!?"

That was about what I expected.

"Yeah, she's nice, athletic, and seems to have a good head on her shoulders. You should go for it."

"I…" He replied again before stopping short once more.

That was not what I expected. I expected him to come clean, admit he had feelings for Julie, and with the knowledge Julie actually liked him ask her out, but he didn't. Instead, he fell silent. There was a surprising look of worry and panic on his face. It was obvious I wasn't going to make any more progress on that front. I needed to say something to break the tension.

"But then again maybe she'll just work up the courage to ask you out herself."

Julie did strike me as the type to take matters into her own hands if things weren't going the way she wanted them to.

When Ben asked Kevin to talk alone I went to lean on a nearby support beam of the stands. Now, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I really wasn't. I was sure I was out of earshot. I missed most of the conversation, but for some reason, it's like the range of my hearing increased and I could make out what Ben and Kevin were saying.

"Just leave it to me, Tennyson." I heard Kevin say to Ben.

"But what about…" I heard Ben reply.

"Don't worry about it. I won't tell her about your feelings for Gwen."

And then like the sun rising on the Earth to illuminate everything for the first time, everything became clear to me. Everything made sense and didn't at the same time. 'If only she knew how I felt…' Ben had feelings for me...romantic feelings. I was suddenly overwhelmed with a mix of emotions and thoughts. Why? How? How could he have feelings for me? For his own cousin...and Why didn't I feel absolutely disgusted by this. Why, instead, did I feel a sense of elation? This can't be right, I thought. Maybe this was all a dream and if I just pinched myself hard enough I'd wake up.

'Ow!'

No, this wasn't a dream, this was real. This was happening. Ben was in love with me, and I...I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I…

As I struggled with my thoughts Kevin walked past me on his way to Julie, I think he could tell I might have heard something. And then Ben came up to me shortly after, by that time I had managed to regain just a little of my composure but not enough for Ben not to notice.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'm fine." I lied.

I, most certainly, wasn't about to tell him what I had just heard. What was I going to say? 'I was eavesdropping, a total accident by the way, and heard Kevin say you had feelings for me and you not deny it. That I'm facing a crisis of inner turmoil at the thought that I could possibly be comfortable with it.'

"So what's Kevin talking to Julie about?" I asked, already knowing the answer, at least partially.

"He's...well...He's letting her know I'm not interested."

"Why not?" I asked, again already knowing the answer but desperately clinging to some hope that everything I had heard was in my head and the sense of normalcy that had just felt minutes ago would return. "She seems nice enough. Why not give it a shot?"

"She's...she's just not my type."

"And what is your type?"

"Someone who really clicks."

Clicks...Ben and I certainly clicked but...

"And you're sure Julie doesn't click?"

"I'm sure."

With those last two words of confirmation, I knew that sense of normalcy was long gone, and I didn't know if it would ever return.

After I got home, I headed straight from my room avoiding any sort of welcome home greetings from my parents. I hopped in bed, not even bothering to take off my shoes. I flung the covers over me and pulled a pillow over my head and sank my face deep into the softness of the memory foam mattress.

For the remainder of the weekend, I kept myself locked in my room, feigning that I was feeling a bit under the weather. Even on Monday, I still didn't want to leave, Ben even graciously said that we could postpone our search for Grandpa and the Brainguts till tomorrow. But that changed I received an unexpected late-night call from his truly

"Gwen."

"Hey, Ben. Something wrong?"

"Yeah, My dad just received a call from a friend of Grandpa's who says they might've seen someone snooping around the Rust Bucket. I can't get a hold of Kevin. I know you said you still weren't feeling a hundred percent, but I was wondering if you felt well enough to come check it out with me."

I knew I couldn't keep wallowing in my own head forever, The fight against the enemy was too important. So I decided now was as good a time as any to get back out there.

"You know what, I'm actually starting to feel better. I'll grab my bicycle and meet you at Grandpa's."

"Great. See you there.."

It was pretty late at night so leaving out the front door may have been a bit of an issue. So, using a few tips and tricks I picked up from Ben, I made a makeshift decoy out of pillows and other items in my room, then I quietly made my way out my window, onto the roof, and down the drainpipe.

Ben and I managed to arrive at roughly the same time and chained our bikes to a pole just outside the RV grounds. When I made eye contact, I had to look away. I pretended there was something in my eye, but in reality, it was because my heart started beating faster just from seeing his lime green eyes.

'Why?' I thought. My heart never beat like this before when I looked at him...or maybe it did, maybe it had for some time and that rational part of my brain stopped me from noticing...But I couldn't afford to think about that now. I had to focus on the task at hand, and then to make matters worse, I heard Ben say…

"Hey, look at me."

And when I did he gently blew into my eye, obviously trying to blow away whatever bit of particulate that he thought had gotten into my eye. And when he did I felt a tingling sensation throughout my entire body.

"Better?" He asked.

"Yes. Thank you." I replied, thankfully the dead of night hid the blushing on my face, or at least I hoped it did.

"Don't mention it. Oh, and I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thank…"

"Don't mention it." Ben interrupted while chuckling.

'Alright focus, Gwen. Focus.'

"So, what exactly did they see?" I asked as we made our way to the Rust Bucket.

"Well, they didn't actually see anything. They were out walking their dog and thought they heard some noise coming from the area. They called and told my dad about it. He insisted it was probably a raccoon or something but I figured we should check it out just in case."

"Yeah, that's probably a good call. Better safe than sorry."

After venturing further through the RV lot we eventually came across the grassy area Grandpa Max's RV was still parked in.

"Doesn't look like anyone's broken in." I communicated to Ben through the wireless as to not alert anyone who may be lurking about.

"I made sure to set the Rust Bucket's defense grid on the last time I was here. So, it wouldn't be easy for any two-bit crook to break in."

But what or should I say who we found there wasn't a two-bit crook, but rather…

"Alright, I'll check the other side of the Rust Bucket." Ben declared. "You check…"

A sudden snap of a branch alerted us to a nearby presence lurking in the shadows.

"Who's there!" Ben exclaimed as he popped up his Omnitrix, readying it in case of a fight.

"Okay, you got me. I surrender." Kevin said jokingly as he came out of the shadows with his hands up.

"Kevin!?" Ben and I simultaneously exclaimed.

"Jinx, you owe me a Mr. Smoothie!" I shouted a split second before Ben.

"Aw, man!"

"You snooze, you lose."

That moment helped ease the awkwardness in my heart even if by a small margin.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Ben asked, giving Kevin an intense look of suspicion.

"Yeah, what reason could you have to be snooping around here?" I asked, matching Ben's expression.

"Hey, hey. I can explain. I was thinking maybe you might've missed something else last time you were here. So I figured I'd come by and scope the place out myself. See if I could find any clues you might've missed."

"I guess, now that I think about it, once I found the holodisk I didn't really bother checking the rest of the RV for any more clues."

"See? It never fails to double-check."

"But why didn't you call me? I could've come with you. I kept the key to the RV on me you know."

"I'm good at getting into places I shouldn't, and I figured it was late enough and didn't want to bother you. I thought I could get in and out without anyone noticing but this thing's got one heck of a defense system." Kevin demonstrated by picking up a pebble and throwing it at the Rust Bucket only for the pebble to be deflected back at Kevin, who caught the pebble.

"That's the Rust Bucket's defense grid. It's a pretty solid defense system. If Grandpa Max actually remembered to arm the thing. He'd always say. 'The Rust Bucket's always within my sight so what's the point in arming it.'

"Well, I've already searched the grounds. Didn't turn up anything. Mind if I take a look inside?"

I could see the hesitation on Ben's as could Kevin. It was obvious Ben didn't fully trust Kevin, and I didn't blame him. Especially right now. Even with his excuse, it seemed pretty hard to believe that he chose to come here alone without informing any of us.

"Come on, I know we've only been friends…"

"Allies." Ben corrected.

"I know we've been friendly allies for a week. But after everything we've been through with the Brainguts and besides…"

Kevin then leaned over and whispered something in Ben's ear.

"...Yeah, I guess you're right." Ben replied.

I don't know what Kevin said to him but it seemed to convince Ben to be a bit more trusting.

"Follow me." Ben said as he approached the Rust Bucket. "Tennyson, code one two two seven."

Ben, then took the key out from inside his right sock and used it to open The Rust Bucket's door.

Ben entered first and flipped the main light switch to the Rust Bucket. The place was a wreck.

"The Brainguts tore this place up. So that's another reason why I didn't think to check any further. Figured if he had found anything he would have had it on him.

"You got a point but look." Kevin said as he pointed to a few unopened cabinets. "It looks like he didn't search in those."

"Nice eye." I replied.

"Thanks." Kevin replied before turning his attention to the front of the Rust Bucket and its steering wheel.

"Don't worry about looking over there. I already searched that area." Ben noted.

"Sorry. I've just always wanted to drive a Plumber's vehicle. I bet she handles like a beauty...Think I could take it for a test drive sometime."

"No can do." I replied.

"Yeah, I couldn't get it started even if I wanted to." Ben continued.

"Why not? You have the key, don't you?"

"Yeah, but this only opens the door." Ben said as he approached the drivers seat and stuck the key in the ignition.

Instead of the Rust Bucket turning on a hidden compartment just below the steering wheel popped open, revealing a circle-shaped slot.

"See, you can only start the Rust Bucket with a Plumbers Badge."

"Well, I have a Plumber's Badge. Is it coded to Max's or would it work too?"

"I'm not sure. It might work but, Grandpa would kill me if I let someone drive the Rust Bucket without his permission."

"Fair enough." Kevin replied. "Let's get searchin' shall we?"

Ben, Kevin, and I each took a cabinet. Ben's was filled with nothing but red Hawaiian shirts, Kevin's was filled with nothing but brown trousers, and mine, unfortunately, was filled with nothing but Grandpa Max's underwear, which I prayed to god were all clean.

"Ew, gross." I muttered to myself.

We completely emptied the cabinets making sure to feel for any sort of secret button or hidden panel, but to no such luck.

"Completely empty." Ben said.

"Same here." Kevin said.

"Me too." I added.

"Sorry, guys." Kevin apologized. "I thought we might've been able to find something."

"It's alright. It was worth a shot." Ben replied.

"Oh, yeah. How was your date with Julie?" I decided to ask.

"It's a long story, I'll fill you in on all the details later, but overall I think it went pretty great."

"That's good to hear."

"We should probably get going. My dad knows I'm here, but we don't want to risk your parents finding out you're not in bed." Ben said to me.

One by one we began to exit the Rust Bucket, Ben, exiting first, with me right, behind and Kevin last, but then Ben came to a sudden stop at the base of the small steps that led up to the Rust Bucket.

"Oh wait, almost forgot about the key. Kevin, could you…"

Then, without warning, I felt Kevin push me down the stairs and onto Ben, slamming the Rust Bucket's door behind me.

"Are you alright?" Ben asked as the two of us stood up.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Very funny, Kevin!" Ben exclaimed. "Now open the door."

Kevin didn't respond and just a few moments later the sound of the Rust Buckets ignition fired up. It didn't take Kevin long to find the switch for the Rust Buckets rocket boosters as they too roared to life sending the rust bucket crushing through the fenced-in area and onto a nearby road.

"Kevin, Come back!" I shouted in vain.

"Damn it, Kevin! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" Ben shouted in anger, as he brought his hand down on the Omnitrix. "Manta Sonic!"

It was a humanoid manta ray-like alien, mostly red from head to toe to tail, with two black lightning bolts on its upper torso that started from the shoulders and continued to the Omnitrix symbol in the center of its chest. There was also a yellow patagium under each of its spindly arms and yellow horns extending out from the nose of its face, and two sets of three gills on either side of its abdomen.

"Try and keep up if you can." Ben said to me before taking to the air and flying after Kevin at a speed fast enough to create a small gust of wind that blew me onto my butt.

I think I might have heard a faint "Sorry." as he disappeared from my sight. I quickly stood back up and created a platform of energy beneath myself that I used to take me into the air and follow after Ben. Moving the platform as fast I could I eventually caught sight of Ben but wasn't able to fully catch up with him. Even with the Rust Bucket's rocket boosters, Ben's Manta Sonic was able to catch up with it with little effort.

Ben attempted to enter the Rust Bucket by firing some sort of green electricity blast at the Rust Bucket's back window. However, Kevin had managed to re-engage the Rust Bucket's defense grid causing the blast to be deflected back at him.

"BEN!" I shouted in panic as his body hit the road, bouncing several times causing the road to crack with each hit before coming to a stop. By the time I got to him he had transformed back to normal and was lying face down on the ground. Now knowing that injuries carried over from his alien forms

"Ben, please tell me your alright."

"Yeah…" he replied with a muffled voice much to my relief. He turned over and I extended my hand to help him up. "I think my ego's bruised more than anything." He said before wincing in pain. "And that…"

Ben pulled down the collar of his t-shirt to show a small burn mark on his chest.

"You're hurt, again…" I said as I put my hand on the mark.

"Ow…"

"Sorry."

"It's alright it doesn't hurt too bad."

"I was…I thought you could've been…I..."

I tried to fight them back but I felt a tear fall down my cheek quickly followed by another and another until I was crying into Ben's shoulder.

"It's okay, Gwen." Ben replied as he embraced me in his arms. "I'm fine. I promise. It's just a little burn. It'll heal."

"I can't lose you, Ben. I…"

...I knew. That warmth. That comforting feeling he made me feel every time he was around. It was Ben all along. He was the one I loved. Despite that rational part of my mind trying to push those feelings down. I loved him in a way that part of my mind told me I shouldn't. I was in love with Ben, and as I looked up at him. As I looked into his eyes practically glowing in the moonlight. I wanted nothing more than to stay in his embrace...and...

"Gwen, I just thought of something!" Ben suddenly exclaimed as he broke the embrace.

"What?" I replied, having managed to reign myself back in a bit.

"Grandpa had a tracking beacon installed in the Rust Bucket. He keyed it to the Omnitrix's signature so it could be used to track it in case...Well, in case it got stolen."

"Yeah, I remember, but that was before the Omnitrix recalibrated itself. Are you sure it will even work now?"

"Only one way to find out." Ben looked over the Omnitrix from top to bottom but then let out a sigh. "There was a little button that Grandpa had installed on the Omnitrix that activated the tracking beacon. But it's not there anymore..."

Ben then paused for a second. I could see that he was thinking about something.

"Um, Omnitrix, can you locate the Rust Bucket?"

And to my surprise, the Omnitrix responded.

"Activating tracking beacon." An unfamiliar female voice rang out from the Omnitrix before displaying a holographic map similar to the ones the Plumbers' badges displayed.

"Since when can it talk?"

"I heard it speak when the Omnitrix recalibrated itself. Look, that dot must be the Rust Bucket. It's stopped. Looks like it's not that far from here. Only a couple of miles"

"Then let's get going." I said as I formed another energy platform below me.

Whatever was happening between me and Ben would have to wait. For now, our main focus was getting the Omnitrix back and to have Kevin answer for his treachery.

A/N

Aah, so close yet not close enough. Don't ya just hate when that happens? I know, I know. And I debated whether or not to have the big moment happen in this chapter, but I thought it was still a bit too soon, but as the saying goes, the best things come to those who wait.

A couple of tidbits here. You may have noticed the interaction between Gwen and Kevin was a bit different. I changed it up to make it a bit more confrontational. I'm going to go back and edit the previous chapter to reflect the changes seen here, and if you've read that chapter after the fact then just ignore this part.

The "If only she knew how I felt line." From Forever Knights castle that Gwen heard was supposed to be a line Ben had thought in the chapter but to my utter surprise, I went back and looked over that chapter and found that I somehow managed to erase a few lines of dialogue including that line. So, I'll have to go back and fix that, as it was an important line and a huge part of this chapter. I still don't know how I managed to screw that up lol.

Since Gwen doesn't have a cannon middle name I went with Katherine. I felt it would be nice if it started with K like Ben's, and I felt like it might be the kind of middle name her mom would give her.

I changed Jetray's name to Manta Sonic because it's a manta ray alien that can fly at supersonic speeds. I also just thought it had a nice ring to it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this Gwen's perspective. I wanted to get this one just right Next chapter will return to your regular narrator Mr. Ben 10.