A/N: Where the last chapter was relatively shorter, this one is far chunkier. I remember having a lot of fun with this one. Hope you enjoy.
"Tell me why I'm here again?" Ben asked before smirking. "You know, besides the fact that bad boy Kevin Levin is into girly movies?"
"I'm not here for the movie. I'm here for the actress," Kevin told him, making Ben raise an eyebrow. "Come on. Jennifer Nocturne is coming to town, famous actress and all around babe, and you're not even curious?"
"Nope," Ben said in a relaxed tone. "I wasn't interested in the first of her movies, and I wasn't interested in the two sequels Gwen dragged me to."
"You don't like anything that isn't always focused on action. Vampires are romantic," Gwen said with a smile aimed towards the poster near them.
"And hot, Kevin said with a smirk.
"There's only one hot girl for me, and guess what? She's not a blond," Ben said, shooting Gwen a smile. He knew he wasn't always the most romantic of individuals, but he did have a way with words at least.
"Julie?" Kevin said with a smirk. Gwen stopped smiling at Ben before glaring at Kevin and giving him a hard pinch on the arm. "Ow! What? Can't take a joke?"
"She's here!" someone exclaimed as Ben chuckled.
A yellow stretch limo started pulling up to the building. The crowd started cheering as soon as the woman stepped out of the car, and Ben held his stare a little too long before quickly glancing away. He had to give Kevin that - she was pretty.
"Ben..." Gwen trailed, her tone clearly irritated.
"Hey, that's a nice dress she's wearing," Ben said with a shrug. This time, he was the one to get the pinch on his arm. "Ow!"
"Smooth Tennyson," Kevin said with a smirk.
Though everything turned serious once the bodyguards that were near the actress were knocked to the floor unconscious by a laser blast. Several guys in masks dropped in immediately afterward with rifles pointed at the crowd.
"Why is it that every place we go to, something happens?" Gwen questioned with a sigh and shake of the head.
"I call it crime magnetism. This shouldn't take long though," Ben said before flying at the first guy. He turned around just in time to see Ben's fist barrel into his face, knocking him out with a follow up stomp to the head.
The second criminal fired at him, but he easily evaded the laser blast before kicking the weapon out of his hand, catching it, and shooting him with since it was set on a nonlethal setting. Meanwhile, the actress who was a hostage couldn't help but awed by the teenager's skill. Everyone knew who Ben Tennyson was, but he was doing this without transforming into any aliens.
Moving over to a group of three that must've had some of the worst aim possible, Ben didn't need much effort to avoid their shots before blasting them down. It had been a while since his grandpa trained him with regular weaponry, but it was like riding a bike once you already had the proper training.
Gwen pulled the weapon out of the hands of one of the hostage takers, setting him up for Kevin to knock him out. The Anodite looked over to check her cousin's progress, and smirked when she saw that he was mowing through them with their own gun. He definitely wasn't taking them anywhere close to serious.
"Next time, pick a better group of thugs," Ben said, resting the rifle on his shoulder before facing the last guy. The one who still had Jennifer Nocturne in his grasp. "So... do you plan on giving up or do I have to make you?"
"You did all of that..."
"I don't need powers to deal with a bunch of amateurs. Though the fact that you came in here not aiming to kill anyone has me feeling lenient. That being said, I suggest you let the lady go now, or you get to join your friends," Ben said, dropping the rifle before cracking his knuckles. The criminal's eyes darted between Ben and the open space.
His mind made up, he immediately tried to make a run for freedom while dropping Jennifer Nocturne. But before Ben could spring into action, someone flew in from a rope and kicked the criminal in the face. His eyes widened when he got a good look at the armor the person was wearing. He could've recognized it anywhere.
"You're not going anywhere," Captain Nemesis said, his fists on his hips. A wide grin sprang up on Ben's face as he looked at the man.
"Captain Nemesis," he said in a tone full of awe. "I'm your biggest fan."
"No. I'm your biggest fan, Ben Tennyson," Jennifer Nocturne suddenly said, running up to him and kissing him on the lips. Ben's eyes had grown wide, his arms at his side as he froze out of shock.
Kevin looked over to Gwen and her eyes widened in shock before her fists tightened. And as a result, each of the already unconscious hostage takers that were bound together by mana restraints suddenly had a harder time breathing because the hold on them tightened.
"Oh, boy. This isn't gonna be pretty," Kevin thought before smirking. Didn't mean it wasn't going to be entertaining.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Gwen yelled with a fierce expression.
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down Gwen," Ben said, raising his hands in front of him.
"Calm down? Some other girl kisses you, and you expect me to calm down?!" Gwen said, her expression only getting angrier.
"It's not like she knew I was dating anyone in the first place!" Ben defended, crossing his arms with a scowl.
"You know. And you went shopping with her anyway," Gwen said, eyeing the bag in Ben's hand like it was a disgusting cockroach.
"That's because she told me about a party Captain Nemesis was having. It's not an event for casual wear, and she offered to buy me a suit as thanks for saving her," Ben said before sighing as he rubbed his temples. "Besides, it gave me the chance to tell her that I wasn't interested in dating her. She told me she understood. Problem solved. We're friends. That's it."
"That's great. Have fun trying to convince the news of that," Kevin said before turning up the volume on the TV he was watching.
"Ben Tennyson rescued film star Jennifer Nocturne just a few days ago," the reporter was saying. "He was rewarded by a steamy kiss from the film star, and was even spotted spending time together in various points around the city. Is romance in the air for Ben 10?"
"This is why I hate fame most of the time," Ben said in an irritated tone.
"Why? Because it calls you out?" Gwen said, and Ben shot her a scowl while his eyes flashed. It was clear the male Anodite had just about reached his limit.
"Let me tell you something, Gwendolyn Lilith Tennyson," Ben growled, pointing a furious finger at her. "I love you. Not Jennifer Nocturne. You. But you seem to have forgotten that, so my mistake for not realizing it sooner."
"Ben..."
"Save it. I have a party to get ready for, so we'll have this conversation another time," he finished before flying up the stairs. Gwen and Kevin could hear him slam his door loudly. Kevin would bet the force of it rattled the hinges.
Gwen sat down as if all of the energy in her body was drained out of her while Kevin let out a low whistle.
"Ouch. Bit harsh, don't you think Gwen?" the Osmosian said, and Gwen's irritation immediately returned.
"Not now Kevin," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Hey, don't get all moody with me cause you all but accused Tennyson of cheating on you," Kevin said with a shrug. "Especially when a Vulpimancer could see he's not the slightest bit interested in her."
"You didn't see how he looked at her?" Gwen said, giving Kevin a look of bewilderment.
"And? He thinks she's hot. I think she's hot. Most guys around our age think she's hot. Yeah, he's your boyfriend, but that doesn't mean every girl that isn't you is suddenly ugly. Bottom line is that he doesn't want to date her because he's got you. Period. And you're supposed to be the smart one, remember?" Kevin told her, putting his hands behind his head.
"Kevin's got a point," Sandra said, catching both teens' attention. She was standing near the stairs with her arms crossed, her expression unusually stern as she looked at Gwen. "I guess even you'd be prone to jealousy one of these days. But I would ask you not to take it out on him. Especially when he doesn't deserve it. From what he told me, it doesn't even look like he's hanging out with this Jennifer girl just to upset you."
"I know what I said was wrong. But..."
"You're just jealous. I've been there too," Sandra said, her face softening as she gave her niece a small smile. "But then again, nearly every teenage girl in the world didn't want a piece of Carl while we were in high school. And I had no issues with telling people we were dating. So I can't imagine what's going through your head. Instead, I'll just give you some advice. There are two things you could do to fix this."
"Which are?" Gwen asked.
"You can always trust Ben like you normally do. He could have his pick of any just about any girl he wanted, and he picked you. I would certainly have some words for him if he decided to become some sort of teenage playboy, but he could," Sandra told her.
"And the second?" Kevin asked.
"She could always tell everyone that they're dating," Sandra suggested with a shrug. "It would solve the reason she even got upset in an instant - even if it would make more problems to take its place."
"I don't know if I'm ready for that," Gwen admitted.
"Well then, I guess you know what answer you're going with," Sandra said before looking up the stairs thoughtfully. Then she turned back to Gwen, her expression as stern as it was before.
"You know Ben called me on his flight back? He really wants to go to this party, and it's not to spend more time with this Jennifer girl. He wants to go because he made a new friend in a movie star and can talk with his childhood idol. He used to always talk about Captain Nemesis when he was a little boy. How he wanted to grow up to be just like him. It's not a stretch to say this man was the reason he decided to become a hero in the first place."
"Oh," Gwen said, looking down at the ground. Now she really felt ashamed of herself.
"Do you still believe he likes her?" Sandra asked with a raised brow.
"No. It's just... me being stupid," Gwen said, shaking her head.
"Then fix it. Not even you can get away with treating my son that way," Sandra said with a pointed look.
"I will. Thanks Aunt Sandra," Gwen said.
"My pleasure Gwen. Me and Carl want to see you two happy. Even if your happiness is a bit... uncommon. Now!" Sandra said suddenly, clapping her hands together. "The only problem left to solve is what you're going to wear to the party."
"Wear?" Gwen asked before remembering what Ben told her. "Oh, right. Ben did mention that it's not an event for casual wear."
"Exactly. Besides, you two should have plenty of time talk during it," Sandra said.
"When is it?" Gwen asked before she could her shoes tapping on the steps.
Her eyes widened when laid her eyes on her boyfriend. He was dressed in a smooth, silk black suit that fitted him perfectly. It was even complete with cufflinks, a tie, and shoes. There was even a faint hint of cologne. He looked good. She'd seen him all dressed up for her dance, but the extent he was dressed now was something else entirely.
"You look handsome, Ben. You look every bit the mature young man you've grown into. I'm sure Captain Nemesis will be impressed by the hero who's taken up his mantle," Sandra said, giving her son a hug.
Ben couldn't help but smile widely at his mom's words, and Kevin snickered at how his friend seemed to immediately perk up. The look on his face reminded Kevin of a little kid who was realizing his dreams were coming true. It was a bit of a strange image for the Ben he's come to know.
"That certainly tones down the young man image a little," the Osmosian thought with amusement.
"Well, our track record of saving the world multiple times certainly helps," Ben said, giving Gwen a side glance before turning back to his mother. "Jennifer said she'd be here in a bit. I wanted to go ahead and get ready."
"She's picking you up? Can't you fly there?" Kevin asked with a raised brow.
"I could, but she said I could invite people. And I told her that you two might want to come along," Ben told him.
"I don't have a suit," Kevin reminded him.
"I've got one of Grandpa Max's old ones in my closet. I've kept it clean, it's not horrible on the eyes, and around your size. So it's safe to wear," Ben assured his friend.
"I've got nothing better to do. I might as well. Be back," Kevin said with a shrug before heading up the stairs. Ben looked to Gwen, and his expression was a little more wary.
"You can come too if you want," he said, and Gwen looked down at the ground before teleporting away without a word. If his mother hadn't been standing next to him, he probably would've swore loud enough to wake the neighbors.
"She'll get over it soon," Sandra assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"This is so stupid. I actually get to meet Captain Nemesis, and my girlfriend won't even be there with me. Not that I could even admit she's my girlfriend," Ben said, in a sour tone.
"I'm sorry Ben," Sandra said sympathetically. Ben only sighed before shaking his head.
"Yeah, well... I'll deal with it," he said, waving a hand airily.
Sandra had lost track of how many times she heard him say that. And she was really starting to dislike how many situations Ben just had to "deal" with when he shouldn't have to be burdened with most of them in the first place.
"Tennyson? Get up here," Kevin called, and Ben noticed he sounded mildly annoyed.
When he made it upstairs to his room, the Anodite could barely contain his laughter when he saw his friend. It was obvious that grandpa's old suit was too small for him, and it made him look like he suddenly roided out while wearing it.
"I'm not going to that party in this," Kevin said with a glare.
"Don't worry about it," Ben said before snapping his fingers. Immediately, the suit lengthened until it was a perfect fit. "There we go."
"Perks of being an Anodite," Kevin said, giving himself a onceover in the mirror before nodding. Then there was another challenge: tying the tie.
Ben heard the helicopter rumble overhead, and he started heading towards the door. But before he walked out, he noticed Kevin was still struggling with the tie.
"How do you tie this thing?" he asked.
"Christ's sake..." Ben trailed before tying the tie quickly. If he did it any faster, he could've competed with XLR8. "Let's go."
"Hey, I spent a bunch of time in the Null Void. How would I know how to tie a tie?" Kevin asked defensively.
"I'm not judging. Much," Ben said with a small smirk, chuckling when Kevin elbowed him in the ribs.
"Hey, you think Jennifer would be interested in me?" the Osmosian asked, making Ben raise an eyebrow at his friend. "You know, since you're not available and all."
"Probably. I gotta warn you though. Jennifer's a really nice girl, and that might prove to be your Kryptonite," he said with a wide grin.
"You think you're funny, huh?" Kevin said, wrapping his arm around Ben's neck and rubbing his knuckles on top of his head.
"Kind of. Now quit it! I'm not trying to look like I got tossed around by Gallapagus, Levin!" he said, causing Kevin to let go of him immediately. Then he started smoothing his hair out again. "Thank you."
"Of course. Ben Tennyson wants to look good for his super hero idol," the Osmosian said with a smirk as Jennifer's helicopter started flying down from overhead.
"I'll settle for presentable," Ben said before Jennifer walked out of the helicopter in a red dress that had both boys staring. Though Kevin far more than Ben.
"Quit it." Ben mentally scolded himself before speaking aloud with a smile. "You look good Jennifer."
"What he said," Kevin said, forcing Ben to bite his tongue in order to stop himself from snorting out a laugh.
"So do the two of you," Jennifer said before looking around them. "Where's your cousin? Didn't you say she'd might be coming?"
"Guess she decided not to," Ben said with a shrug, not showing how upset he was.
"Hold on! I'm just a little late," Gwen said, stepping out of the house. And when he turned around, Ben shamelessly stared at her with no voice telling him not to.
It looked like Gwen got help from Verdona, who had a flair for the dramatic that couldn't be matched. And the dress Gwen was wearing certainly was that.
It was black while being made out of a comfortable, silky material that fit well enough to where it was neatly hugging her. It was long enough to reach her ankles with a small slit on the side, showing a bit of her legs. There was a gold bracelet and matching necklace to go with it, both with the Omnitrix symbol on them.
Her hair was even done up in a fancy looking bun, which was a hairstyle he never though he'd ever see on Gwen. And it looked really good on her. She was even wearing earrings.
Ben didn't think he had ever seen anyone more beautiful in his life.
"You're about one step away from drooling, Tennyson," Kevin whispered in his ear, clapping a hand on his shoulder. That managed to snap Ben out of his staring.
Gwen made eye contact with her boyfriend, and she gave him an apologetic smile. Well, at least her appearance helped her get a small start on the apology she owed him. Thank goodness for her grandma. All she told Verdona was to help her look like she was dressed to kill in about two minutes, and the older woman had done it in one.
"Still room for one?" Gwen asked, shooting Ben a smile that was both apologetic and nervous.
"Yeah. There is," Ben said before turning back around to Jennifer. "Alright. Let's get going."
Gwen trusted Ben. She did. But she had never been jealous of anyone before, and the idea of anyone putting their hands on Ben like Jennifer was doing right now made her want to crush the movie star like a grape underneath her heels.
"I know this is rich coming from me, but you oughta to calm down before you explode," Kevin told her.
"That should be me on his arm," Gwen said, not really caring who heard her.
"If you want it that bad, all you gotta do is one thing," Kevin told her, and Gwen bit her bottom lip. Now at this point she was wondering if it was really worth it to let the entire world think Ben Tennyson was single until they were adults. Ben had already reached his limit, and she definitely understood why now. She was starting to get pretty annoyed herself.
"I know I said it before, but you really do clean up nice," Jennifer said.
"All owed to my great taste in suits and your large pockets," Ben said with a grin that she returned. Then he looked around the room. "This is a pretty fancy looking party."
"Captain Nemesis sets them up from time to time. He likes to show off every so often. I got the feeling that you're not the type," Jennifer said with a smile.
"Not really, no. I help people, and that's enough for me," Ben told her, making the movie star smile.
"Well, I doubt he'd knock you for that. You want to meet him?" Jennifer asked, curling up closer to him in a more intimate way. Ben didn't seem to notice, as his face lit up with excitement.
"Definitely," he said with a wide smile before Jennifer steered him away.
Gwen felt a hand on her arm, and it was only now that she noticed that she had taken a step forward.
"You sure you don't wanna tell people? Preferably before you murder a famous movie star for touching your boyfriend," Kevin whispered with a raised brow.
"At this point, I might still go through with the murder," Gwen muttered, crossing her arms as she watched Ben walk up to Captain Nemesis. Her eyes were practically slits as she looked at Jennifer grip his arm like he was a lifeline.
Gwen had to admit that the girl was good. Doing small stuff to close the gap between the two of them while keeping his mind focused on the man he was actually here to see. And she could tell it was working given Ben's lack of awkwardness. It only made her more annoyed. Gwen knew the girl was putting the moves on her boyfriend, and she just had to sit here and watch cause of the choices she decided to make.
"This is going to be a long party," Gwen thought before grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing server.
"Excuse me miss..." Gwen shot the server a glare, and he rethought his decision to speak before walking away.
The Anodite then took the glass and knocked it back almost immediately. She couldn't believe she would ever drink alcohol so straightforward like that, but there was a first time for everything. Just being here and not raising a stink was taxing for her.
"Jennifer Nocturne. Lovely to see you again," Captain Nemesis greeted as he dropped a pen and pad into his servants' hands. Though his smile disappeared when he saw that Ben was next to her with a wide smile on his face. "I didn't know you were bringing a guest."
"Ben wanted to meet you, and certainly can't I refuse the man who saved my life," Jennifer said, giving his arm a small squeeze.
"Ah, yes. The new upcoming hero," Captain Nemesis said, barely managing to hide his displeasure.
"Let me just say that I'm a huge fan of yours. You were my idol when I was a kid. Still are, as a matter of fact," Ben said with a wide smile.
"Oh, really?" Nemesis asked, smugness quickly replacing his previous sourness.
Though it wasn't long after Ben's introduction that the people around him started to recognize him. And he was immediately flooded with attention. Attention that he didn't really care for, but Nemesis did. And then his annoyance returned tenfold.
"Sorry about that," Ben said, his smile returning once he was able to focus on Nemesis again. "It's amazing to see that a living legend is still alive and doing the right thing."
"A living legend, huh?" Nemesis said with a wide smile. "Yes, I'm sure if you live long enough, they'll say the same thing about you Beniton."
"Tennyson," Ben corrected. "And I don't plan on going anywhere."
"Evil pops up in all sorts of unexpected ways. The most surprising of sources could probably take you out one day," Nemesis said.
"I'm not worried about that. Any evil that gets in the way of me and my friends gets taken down, no questions asked," Ben said confidently, a small smirk appearing on his face. Nemesis' lip curled ever so slightly when the statement was met with Jennifer smiling wider at the hero and approving smiles and claps from other people around them.
"See? You can be charming when you want to," Jennifer told him.
"Only for people I actually like," Ben said with a shrug.
"You know... they're still casting for Vampire Summer 4. I think you'd make a great Dragula, don't you
?" Jennifer asked with a soft smile, putting a hand under Ben's chin and moving closer to him. The Anodite couldn't help but flush a little from the contact, and he leaned away a bit. He didn't just want to snatch himself away like she was infected or something, but the thought had come to mind.
Kevin watched with amusement as he saw Gwen grab another glass of champagne and down it almost the moment it reached her hands. If anyone else was even looking in Gwen's direction, they would've seen the way she was glaring at Jennifer similar to the way she glares at Charmcaster.
"If her eyes were weapons, half the building would've blown up by now," he thought in an amused tone. But his attention when was peaked when he saw several girls talking with each other. Girls that aren't fully focused on Tennyson were a rarity.
Kevin Levin knew an opportunity when he saw it, and he wouldn't be an opportunist if he didn't take advantage of the small favors the world gave him.
"Hello ladies," Kevin said smoothly as he walked over to the three girls. The resulting smiles he got let the Osmosian know that he was in.
"Gwen Tennyson?" a voice said, causing Gwen to momentarily turn around. The anger in her eyes momentarily faded in favor of momentary curiosity.
"Yes? Is there something you need?" Gwen said in a rather terse tone. That made the guy look significantly more nervous.
"You look very pretty," the guy blurted out, and Gwen blinked in surprise. She was under no illusions about how good she looked, but hadn't exactly expected to be complimented.
"Oh. Thank you very much," Gwen said, giving the guy a kind smile. "Sorry about the earlier attitude. Just some things I was thinking about. Nothing to do with you."
"Oh, that's ok," the guy, looking less nervous than he had before. "My name's Noah. Are you here alone?"
"Yes. Not exactly interested in mingling when it comes to parties like this," Gwen said, crossing her arms.
"Then why would you come?" Noah asked in a curious tone. "I mean, given who you are, I doubt your parents want to you attend to associate yourself with potentially rich socialites."
"Ugh. Definitely not. But I just thought I'd come to see if anything interesting would happen," Gwen said, looking back towards Ben.
To her surprise, Ben wasn't looking at Captain Nemesis anymore. He was looking dead at the guy she was talking to, and his glare was potentially incinerating.
"Ben?" Jennifer said, snapping Ben out of his daze.
"Sorry," he said, plastering a fake smile on his face. "My mind was just wandering. What'd I miss?"
"Well, that message has been well received," Noah said, looking at Ben with unease. "Is he always so..."
"Intense? At times, yes," Gwen said with a smile. At least she wasn't the only one suffering through bouts of jealousy tonight.
"Does he really think I can really hurt a girl who can shoot laser beams out of her hands and do magic?" Noah asked.
"All that matters is that you're a boy," Gwen said with a smirk.
"Is he always so overprotective?" Noah asked.
"It goes both ways, really. Neither of us are interested in dating at this point in our lives," Gwen said with a shrug. She noticed the flash of disappointment on his face, and she was glad she didn't have a chance to suffer through any unwanted flirting.
Still, if she had to suffer through being jealous, she was glad she wasn't alone in that department at least.
"Party was fun," Ben said with a smile, his hands behind his head. Jennifer had dropped them all back at Ben's house, and everyone was sitting on the couch.
"Fun isn't exactly the word I would use," Gwen said, breathing into her hand and wincing when she smelled traces of alcohol.
"Definitely fun for me. I got three numbers," Kevin said, holding up a napkin with a smirk.
"Good for you. I got to meet Captain Nemesis," Ben said in an excited tone. But then gave his girlfriend a gentle smile. "Plus the dancing was nice."
Gwen did smile at that. At some point during the party, Ben had managed to get away from Jennifer, and they had shared a couple of dances. He had danced with Jennifer and she with Noah just to keep up appearances, but it had always been special when it was the two of them.
"And thank you for not freaking out at the party when I was meeting Nemesis," Ben added.
"Not without cost. I needed two glasses of champagne to do it," Gwen told him, causing Ben to raise an eyebrow.
"You? Willingly drinking?" he questioned.
"I fully blame you for that, by the way. I wouldn't be so casual about it if I hadn't already tried it," Gwen said with an accusing point that made Ben grin. "I'm gonna have to drown myself in mouthwash so my parents don't smell it tomorrow."
"Better than the alternative of them catching you," Ben told her before giving her a hesitant smile. "Though I have to admit that I'm surprised you came at all."
"This party meant a lot to you. Because you got to meet someone you looked up to for a long time. Even if I couldn't do it in the way I would've liked, I'm glad I was there with you," Gwen said with a smile.
"Yeah. Me too," Ben said before looking up at the ceiling. Then he frowned. "Oh yeah. Jennifer was the one who pointed something out to me at the party. The weapons her kidnappers were using aren't really common, are they?"
"You mean those blasters?" Kevin asked, a frown making its way onto his face.
"It definitely wasn't alien tech. But it's not stuff you can just get on the streets either," Ben told him, causing Gwen to frown thoughtfully as well. "Most kidnappings like that just have the guys using actual guns, and we would've had to handle it more delicately than we did, but that begs the question as to how they got ahold of that stuff."
"You're right. They definitely weren't professionals who could source that kind of weaponry. It was far to amateur of a kidnapping," Gwen added.
"That is pretty fishy. I could make some calls. Tell you what I find out," Kevin said, getting to his feet.
"Yeah. Call me tomorrow if you find anything," Ben said. The Osmosian nodded before walking out of the door.
"I swear if some strange alien cult or something is trying to kidnap Jennifer, I'm going to be fully convinced that not even something as simple as a kidnapping can be relatively normal with us," Ben said, making Gwen grin.
"You expected anything less?" she questioned.
"Hoping is the word I'd use," Ben said as he started to remove his cufflinks.
"So... do you plan on starring in that movie?" Gwen asked as she was removing her earrings.
"What?" Ben asked in a confused tone.
"There was talk of you being Dragula for Vampire Summer 4. People like to gossip," Gwen said.
"Hell no. I doubt I could act to save my life. Besides, isn't that the role of the love interest of the vampire Jennifer stars as?" Ben asked.
"Yes. So it looks like you do pay attention sometimes," Gwen said with a smile as she got the last of her jewelry off.
"I like to know what I'm getting myself into before I say yes to something. And that's not something I want to get into," Ben said before looking up at the stairs. "You want to stay a little while?"
"Yeah. But I think we should talk first," Gwen said, putting a hand on his arm.
"About..." Ben trailed, looking slightly apprehensive as she sat him down.
"Nothing you've done. This is all me. I'm sorry what I said to you before we went to the party," Gwen apologized, putting a finger on Ben's lips when he tried to speak. "And don't say it's alright. It's not."
"It's just... I don't know why you even said it in the first place. If it's cause I looked at her, I'm sorry about that. But I don't want anyone else but you. I don't care how attractive they are," Ben said in an honest tone.
"I know that. I knew that when I said what I said. It's just...I got upset when I saw Jennifer kiss you like that. When it comes to you, I don't always think. And when I don't think, I make stupid, irrational decisions, and I screw up, and..."
"Gwen. Breathe," Ben said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You only get rambly like this when you get anxious. Just... take a deep breath, and tell me what's bothering you."
"I love you. And that is both wonderful and scary depending on the situation. So I really don't want to screw up, so you being ready to tell everyone along with the fact that I'm not doesn't really help matters. Even if you love me and I love you, things could go by the wayside," Gwen admitted.
"You'd think I'd break up with you?" Ben questioned, sounding baffled by that idea.
"Well, it'd be easier to date a girl you didn't have to hide your relationship with. One who doesn't keep ignoring how aggravated it makes you feel when you have to look at a girl who asks you out, and respond with 'no thank you' instead of 'sorry, but I have a girlfriend.' You want to go on dates and hold my hand out in public like all couples do, but can't because I'm still worried about how things will change once everyone knows we're boyfriend and girlfriend," Gwen explained.
"You've thought about this a lot," Ben said with a frown.
"More than I'd care to admit," Gwen said, blowing out a puff of breath.
"Then, let me tell you how I feel. I mean, yeah. I really don't like the fact that I can't tell people that I'm already happy in a relationship. I was not ready for how... forward girls are when you're a famous guy," Ben said, which made Gwen's eyes flash with annoyance. "I don't like how I feel the need to punch any guy that tries to go up to you either..."
"Noah's a nice person, thank you very much," Gwen told him with a smile.
"I'm sure he is, but the only thing that stood out to me at the time was how punchable his face was. But I'm willing to deal with it if it means I get to be with you," Ben told her.
"Can I ask you a question?" Gwen asked, and Ben nodded. "How are you so comfortable with the idea of telling everyone all of a sudden? I'm definitely not going to insult your intelligence by saying you haven't thought about the consequences of it. I know that you know, but you're ok with it anyway."
"It's because I'm so tired of keeping pretenses up. I wanna stop being asked out by girls I have no interest in. I wanna stop pretending like I haven't already found the girl I want to be with forever. Even if that means being looked at funny by everyone else. Plus with our parents support us for the most part, as well as Grandpa Max, Grandma Verdona, and Kevin actually supporting us all the way, I feel as if I have enough important people backing us to risk losing everyone else. Even if it means risking Julie and Emily," Ben explained, grimacing when he said the last sentence.
"'Those who matter don't mind, and those that mind don't matter,'" Gwen said, and Ben gave her a curious look. "It's what my dad told me. He told me that I couldn't date you and have the same life I had before. Something would have to suffer for it. And I'm really feeling that now."
"I think the point he was trying to make was that the people who care will still be there," Ben said.
"And that's the scariest part - discovering that people you care about will just walk away when the worst does pass. Emily's been my friend for the longest time, and the idea that she could just turn around and refuse to associate with me just because I'm dating you is horrible," Gwen said before groaning in frustration. "Then I think about how frustrating it is when I watch girls flirt with you and you can't say anything beyond 'not interested,' and I keep running myself in the same circle as to whether or not it's worth it."
"Well for what it's worth, you are worth all of this hassle. And I don't want to hear an argument otherwise," Ben said, kissing the back of Gwen's hand in a way that made the girl blush. Something about the sweet gestures from Ben of all people embarrassed her more than the suggestive ones did. "I can wait a while longer."
"I know. But I don't want to have to make you wait any longer," Gwen told him before smiling. "Despite all that macho stuff you and Kevin are into, you know how to be an absolute sweetheart."
"Yeah, well... I'd prefer to keep the macho image when it comes to other people, thank you very much," Ben said, clearing his throat.
"Yes. God forbid everyone knows Ben Tennyson is sweet to his girlfriend and loves to nuzzle his pet while making cooing noises," Gwen teased.
"I do not coo," Ben said, crossing his arms with a huff.
"You so do," Gwen said with a laugh.
"I hate you," Ben said with a groan.
"You're an absolute liar," Gwen said, resting her head on his shoulder with a smile. "Besides, you chose me."
"And that'll never change. Remember that," Ben said as Gwen pulled him into a kiss, bringing him down with her to the end of the couch. Ben smiled before deepening the kiss.
One of Gwen's hands had a firm grip on the back of his hair while the other was resting on his back. One of Ben's found themselves on one of Gwen's cheek while the other was holding her bare leg.
"Mmm," Gwen said through the kiss, and Ben couldn't help but smirk smugly.
"You should keep this dress," he said as he broke the kiss. Then he moved his lips to her neck.
"Like it?" Gwen asked, gripping his hair tighter due to the pleasant sensation on her neck.
"Love it," Ben said before gently biting at the flesh on her neck.
"I thought you didn't like vampires," Gwen gasped, grinning like a fool as she tightened her grip on him.
"Doesn't mean I can't adopt some of their practices," Ben said, his voice muffled since his face was practically buried in her neck. Any more words Gwen might've said were replaced with breathy gasps when his kissing and nibbling had grown even more enthusiastic. She could barely even think straight.
The moment had been completely broken when Ben's Ultimatrix started beeping loudly. Unfortunately, it wasn't the communication type of beeping. The beeping they could probably ignore. It was the 'shit is going down at the wrong time' kind of beeping.
"Ugh!" both cousins groaned in frustration before Ben sat up and brought up the alert up on his watch.
"Seriously? Dimensional wormhole?" Ben said, his eyebrows raised.
"I haven't even changed out of this dress," Gwen grumbled.
"Well, there's nothing hotter than a woman kicking ass in a dress," Ben said with a grin.
"Glad to see you've got your head in the game," Gwen said dryly before raising her hands and teleporting the two of them.
They teleported right in the middle of several Dimension 12 robots wreaking havoc at a warehouse. Captain Nemesis was also here, but he didn't look like he was holding up very well.
"Let's give him some help," Ben said before transforming. "Armadrillo!"
"You two see the alert?" Kevin asked over the comm.
"We're already here. It's not a threat that means the end of the world. Me, Gwen, and Captain Nemesis are here, so you don't have to take the time to come out here," Armadrillo said before uppercutting a robot in the air and blasting it to pieces with a mana blast.
"You got interrupted, didn't you?" Kevin said, who was clearly grinning if his tone was any indication.
"Smashing some robots will make me feel a little better. Later Kevin," Armadrillo said, stopping the call once his friend bid him farewell.
Making a giant leap from his position, Ben held his hands out in front of him while his elbows pistons were moving. The moment he hit the ground, a large shockwave launched four of the robots in the air. Ben then quickly changed into Diamondhead and blasted each of them out of the air with a flurry of diamonds.
Gwen jumped over a two of the robots slicing at her before sending out a wave of mana that cut the two of them in half. Then with a wordless electricity spell combined with a water spell, the one that was approaching her was shocked before it eventually exploded.
Looking behind her, she saw Nemesis being thrown into a wall by the main red robot, but Gwen held a mana cushion out to prevent him from hitting the wall.
"I can handle this girl," Nemesis told her in a dismissive tone.
"Sure you can," Gwen said skeptically before raising a barrier against the metal claws the robot sent at her.
Then she spun around rapidly, wordlessly casting Turbo that quickly expanded to the size of a car. The robot's saw blades got pulled in because of their proximity, and Gwen halted the spell at the right time so the robot would be launched towards Ben, who fired a mana blast at the same time she did, destroying it in midair.
"That's that," Diamondhead said, dusting his hands off before turning human again.
"What was that all about?" Gwen asked.
"That was Computron. An old enemy of Captain Nemesis. But he sealed them away in Dimension 12 a long time ago. How'd they get loose?" Ben said with a frown.
"Guess it's back to work figuring out another mystery. It can wait until tomorrow though," Gwen said with a devilish grin that sent a pleasant little shiver down Ben's spine. This woman was every bit of the devil when it came to tempting him, and he loved it.
"Ben! Ben! Over here!" a voice exclaimed, making the male Anodite curse silently. "Are you Captain Nemesis' new partner?"
A part of Ben was just tempted to flip the bird right in the camera and teleport away, but he figured that a more reasonable answer would work better. At least far as appealing himself to Nemesis went.
"No. I do my own thing with my team, and he does his own thing by himself. But when your job is helping people, you're bound to always run into people who have the same intentions as you do," Ben said with a fake smile. "Now if you don't mind, I need to head home."
"Not yet, Bennison," Nemesis said, and the word made Gwen bristle with irritation. Somehow, she doubted Nemesis had forgotten Ben's name. Not when practically the whole world did.
"Tennyson. And what is it?" Ben asked.
"I have a suggestion, if you're interested," Nemesis asked.
"What is it?" Ben asked in a curious tone.
"I propose a contest. A friendly contest of heroes. All proceeds to charity of course," Nemesis said.
"Well, I can't say no to that," Ben said with a smile. "All right. I'm in. Just tell me when."
"Tomorrow at noon. I'll handle the preparations," Nemesis said, waving a hand carelessly. "Now go get some rest. You're gonna need it."
"I'll certainly take it," Ben said before teleporting away with Gwen, who looked pensive. And he noticed. "Something on your mind?"
"It's a ruse," Gwen said.
"Huh?" Ben questioned.
"He's using you to increase his popularity," Gwen said with a frown.
"What makes you think that?" Ben asked, crossing his arms.
"For one, he didn't even bother to call you by your name. Even though pretty much the entire world knows it. Plus even if he somehow didn't know, it's common courtesy to at least apologize for the mixup. Two, that whole 'all proceeds to charity, of course' thing? It's definitely a line for the cameras. Plus if he wins the contest, the whole world will know that Captain Nemesis is better than Ben Tennyson," Gwen explained with a displeased frown on her face.
She could admit to herself that she was probably reading too much into a couple of sentences, but she felt like he was being flatout disrespectful to Ben.
"That sounds way too far fetched to be true to me. Besides, he should know he's not going to win. What I can do is all over the internet. People have written articles about my aliens - even if they're missing information, they're still accurate. I have an alien for just about any situation, and that's not counting my Anodite powers and having you and Kevin at my back. What reasonable person thinks they could beat that without a ton of help?" Ben asked, only getting a flat look from his girlfriend in response. "No. I'm not comparing Captain Nemesis to criminals."
"I'm not saying you should. And I have no doubt believing that he's a hero like you say he is. He's just a little more fame hungry than you thought," Gwen said.
"I don't believe it," Ben said, shaking his head. Gwen sighed.
"Maybe I'm wrong. It's just a guess of mine," she said before she smirked. "But enough of him. There's something that we were in the middle of just before we left. It's right on the tip of my tongue. Let me..."
The rest of Gwen's sentence was drowned out by a gleeful shriek when Ben picked her up bridal style and started walking up the stairs.
" How about I get it off your tongue for you?" Ben said, his voice coming out in a growl.
"Um... Gwen?"
"Yeah?" Gwen asked as she sat down for lunch.
"I'm starting to think that maybe you and Ben do need supervision," Frank said with a raised brow, making Gwen look down at herself. She immediately flushed from red from head to toe.
"Why does..." Natalie trailed as she turned around from the food she was making. She frowned when she looked at the numerous hickeys on her skin.
"Gwendolyn Lilith Tennyson..." the woman trailed in a warning tone.
"What? We didn't do anything more than this," Gwen said defensively, keeping her eyes down on the table.
"That's not the point. Your neck almost looks like someone assaulted you," Natalie said, pulling a pot off the stove.
"It's not that bad," Gwen said, almost wishing her night clothes had a collar. But no tank top in existence had a collar.
"Does this have anything to do with that Jennifer Nocturne girl that's been buzzing around Ben?" Natalie asked.
"Maybe... just a little," Gwen admitted.
"A lot," Natalie corrected, shooting her husband a knowing look. "Now the marks make more sense."
"The classic 'staking your claim' tactic Tennysons love to do," Frank said with a nod. Gwen only smacked her face against the table in embarrassment.
"Still, make sure nothing like this happens when we can see it. Or anything more than this to happen for that matter," Natalie warned her daughter, setting a plate of food in front of her.
"We'll be responsible," Gwen assured her mother, and that earned her a critical gaze before she got a tight nod in response. Something told the Anodite that her mother didn't quite believe that statement.
"Hello?" Kevin said, his voice muffled as he knocked on the front door. Gwen shot a mana beam at the door, causing it to open on its own.
"You're normally not up until the afternoon if there's no aliens around," she noted, looking up to face him.
"Surprising huh?" Kevin asked before noticing the food on the stove. "Is there any..."
"You can make a plate. I always make extra nowadays," Natalie said, gesturing towards the stove.
"You're right on time though," Frank told him. Something told Kevin that he was not just talking about the breakfast.
"Any news?" Gwen asked the Osmosian, taking a bite of food.
"Yeah. And Ben's not going to like what I found out," Kevin said with a frown. Then he noticed all of the marks on Gwen's neck. "Um... Gwen?"
"Not a word Levin," Gwen warned, pointing her fork at him like a lance. Kevin raised his hands in surrender. "Now what did you mean about Ben not liking what you found out?"
"Remember the kidnappers at Jennifer's signing? I traced the weapons right to the source," Kevin said while piling food onto his plate. "Their guns were made from one of Nemesis' companies."
"As in Captain Nemesis?" Gwen asked with a raised brow.
"I don't think there any others. Yet, at least," Kevin said.
"Are you talking about the superhero? I remember seeing in the paper that he's back in the public eye now," Frank said.
"Yeah, if he's giving advanced Earth tech to amateur criminals, I think it would've been better for everyone that he stayed retired. I'd probably be able to write it off as theft if it wasn't for the second part," Kevin said as he sat down at the table. "Nemesis is paying for the lawyers of Jennifer's kidnappers too."
"Yeah, that's no coincidence," Gwen said before her phone started ringing. She snatched it off the table, and the caller ID showed it was just the person she needed to talk to. "Ben?"
"Where are you?!" Ben yelled, making Gwen pull the phone away from her ear for a moment. "The competition's about to start!"
Gwen smacked her hand on her forehead. Right. She slept in late because she forgot about the contest. Ben obviously didn't.
"Um, about that. Listen, Nemesis..."
"It can wait until later. Get here," Ben interrupted before hanging up.
"Did he just... Oh, I'm going to kill you Benjamin Tennyson," Gwen growled.
"What happened?" Kevin asked.
"He didn't even let me explain. Just told me to get to the contest. As if it's more important than what I have to tell him," Gwen said with a roll of the eyes.
"Really? Then who was it that snapped at Ben when he was late for your Tae Kwon Do tournament because he had to deal with some Forever Knights? You said something similar to him, remember?" Kevin reminded her before taking a bite of food.
"Ugh. I hate it when you have a point," Gwen said distastefully.
"Relax. You can just tell him later. Nemesis can be dealt after Ben humiliates him in the contest," Kevin said with a smirk. "Besides, given his history of actual heroism, he might have a way to explain himself. I doubt it, but he might."
"I guess," Gwen said before standing up.
"You sure you don't want to finish?" Natalie asked, gesturing to her barely touched plate of food.
"I'll eat later. Just give it to Kevin. He can eat as much as Upchuck sometimes," Gwen said before going upstairs to change clothes.
"I resent that!" Kevin exclaimed after her before taking a second glance at her food. Frank laughed and Natalie shook her head when the Osmosian grabbed her remaining portions anyway.
"Way to defend yourself Kevin," Frank said in an amused tone.
"I only defend myself against the stuff that isn't true," Kevin said, making both of Gwen's parents smile.
"Today, it's the site of the greatest competition in modern history. Between Captain Nemesis and Ben Tennyson," Jennifer said. "It's old school versus the new hotness. In a duel to see who rules."
"Where is Gwen?" Ben questioned mentally, looking around the area. She was nowhere to be found amongst the crowd. He was wondering if his whole fake outrage thing might've just made her stay away, but he doubted that. She'd show up - even if it was just to yell at him.
"Our first event: Throwing train engines for distance," Jennifer said as Nemesis approached an engine. The older hero picked it up and threw it by quite a distance, which garnered some cheers from the crowd.
"Guess it's my turn," Ben said before cracking his neck and transforming, raising his hands to the sky. "Ultimate Humungousaur!"
The whole thing was for charity, so he may as well play it up his showmanship for a bit.
Grabbing the train with ease, he threw it with enough effort to just clear the distance that Nemesis had thrown his engine. That got even louder cheers from the crowd, but Ben wasn't focused on that. His eyes darted to the mane of red hair that was amongst the crowd, and that was the sight that made him smile when he could see the face that accompanied it.
"Wow! That's an easy win for Ben Tennyson!" Jennifer exclaimed. "Now it's time for the next event: a race!"
"A race? Easy. But I think I can just take the loss on this one. Make it more interesting," Ben thought as he moved to take his position next to Nemesis, who was having a rocket pack outfitted.
"You don't have a chance this time Tennimon," he said, and this time the mess up irritated Ben. This was what, the third time Nemesis got his name wrong? Gwen's words seemed a little more true to him now.
His idea about losing this challenge on purpose disappeared as fast as he came up with it.
"Watch me," Ben said before transforming into XLR8.
The gun went off loudly, and while Nemesis immediately used his rocket pack to gain a huge burst of speed, Ben hadn't moved an inch. And he continued to stay still until Nemesis was about three quarters of the way to the finish line.
"What took you so long?" XLR8 asked, leaning against the finish line pole when Nemesis was almost there. The older man's eyes widened in surprise at seeing him there, and Ben couldn't help but smirk he turned back into his human body.
"And Ben Tennyson does it again! There's only one contest left, and he's already won the first two!" Jennifer exclaimed as she approached Ben, who transformed back. "Do you still want to keep going Ben?"
"Yeah. This challenge can be winner take all," Ben said with a shrug. It was a bit overconfident on his part, but so far, Nemesis had far more bark than bite.
"Then it's settled. Your last test is over there," Jennifer said with a point.
"Tug of war? Alright," Ben said with a raised brow. He didn't see how this contest would be much different than the first.
"Fourarms!" Ben exclaimed as he transformed, raising his hands in the air.
"Captain Nemesis!" Nemesis said, holding his arms out.
"That's my thing," Fourarms said with an annoyed look.
"Then maybe you should trademark it," Nemesis said with a smirk. "That is, if I don't do it first."
"Guess Gwen was right about you liking fame too much. Time to knock you down a peg," Fourarms thought before cracking his knuckles.
The contest ended as soon as it began. Once Ben pulled with all three of his arms, Nemesis was immediately pulled into the mud.
"And it's all over! Ben 10 is the winner!" Jennifer exclaimed.
"Is this really what you wanted? That?" Fourarms asked, pointing to the crowd that was cheering his name. Nemesis just walked away from him, not even warranting that statement with a response.
"Ben!" Gwen exclaimed, running up to him.
"Glad you could make it. I mean, it was over pretty quickly, but... you know," Ben said with a smile and shrug.
"Sorry I was late. I slept in later than usual," Gwen said, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's ok. I wasn't really mad. Just wanted to get you back for the Tae Kwon Do tournament. Besides, it was a late night, wasn't it?" Ben said with a suggestive smirk that made Gwen grin involuntarily. But then she realized where they were standing.
"Ben..." she warned.
"What? People can't hear us, and I'm wearing a high collar today," Ben said, flicking the tall jacket collar in question.
"You could've created another body," Gwen said, raising an eyebrow.
"Didn't want to. That was a fun night," Ben said with a grin. Gwen rolled her eyes and was about to mention Nemesis, but Jennifer and the cameraman she was recording with started approaching them.
"Ben! Congratulations on your victory!" Jennifer said with a bright smile.
"Thanks Jennifer. You know, if acting doesn't pan out, you could make a killing as a commentator," Ben complimented.
"Thank you. I thought I did a great job too," Jennifer said with a laugh that made Gwen want to punch her. Hard. "Do you have time to go out again? Have you ever seen Paris?"
"Actually, I need Ben's help with a new threat. A hero's work is never done, you know," Gwen said evenly, her hand gripping Ben's arm hard enough to cut off circulation. He had to pat it a couple of times to make her loosen her grip.
"Oh. Maybe when you get back?" Jennifer asked.
"If I can, yeah. Later Jennifer," Ben said with a wave before Gwen teleported them away. He immediately rounded on Gwen once they were in a private spot. "What was that all about?"
"It wasn't just to get you away from Jennifer if that's what you're thinking. There actually is something I need to speak with you about," Gwen said.
"Shoot," Ben said, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Those kidnappers at Jennifer's signing got weapons from one of Captain Nemesis' companies," Gwen said.
"He does have one of the best weapon designers in the world on his development team. Any criminal would love to get their hands on weapons like those," Ben said with a shrug. "You saying you should tell him?"
"I think he already knows. Kevin figured it was theft until he found out that Nemesis is also paying for the kidnappers' lawyers," Gwen said, making Ben frown.
"Ok, that's a lot more difficult to explain away. Why would he do something like that?" he asked.
"You think there's a chance he hired them to kidnap Jennifer in the first place?" Gwen suggested.
"No, I can't believe that. Even if he is pretty hungry for fame, he's been rescuing people since I was a kid. Why would he..." Ben trailed, realization slowly making its way onto his face. "Their weapons were set to nonlethal. No one was ever meant to get hurt - it was just a setup for him to look like the hero. But he hadn't expected us to be there."
"Bingo. Didn't people think he had retired for the longest time?" Gwen questioned.
"Things did quiet down more on the local crime front because of his efforts. I guess with no one to save, his popularity dropped and he wanted to fix that. I get that no one was in any danger because of the weapons they gave him and the people he hired, but it's still not something he should be doing," Ben said with a frown.
"Exactly," Gwen said before giving her boyfriend a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry Ben."
"They say you should never meet your heroes, right?" Ben said with a mirthless smile. But then his gaze hardened. "But regardless of my feelings on the matter, he still needs to be stopped. Or at the very least, give us an explanation. Let's go find him."
"Have you found him?" Gwen asked on the Plumber's badge.
"Nope. His building's empty. I've searched any spot reporters might be at. There's no random threats or kidnappings. No nothing. Kevin?" Ben asked.
"Same. It's like he disappeared off the map," Kevin said.
"Should've just cornered him while he was at the contest. Shouldn't have gotten distracted," Gwen said in a frustrated tone.
"Well, hopefully this whole thing is just a misunderstanding and we don't have a criminal catfishing as a hero," Kevin said as a crack of thunder resounded through the air.
"Sounds like it's about to storm. He's probably not outside in this weather," Gwen said.
"Probably not..." Ben was interrupted by the Ultimatrix making its communication noise. "Neither of you butt dialed on your badges by accident, did you?"
"Nope. It's sitting on my dashboard," Kevin said easily.
"In my pocket," Gwen told him.
"So it's the Plumbers," Ben said before taking the calling "Tennyson. If this isn't important, it needs be saved for another time."
"This is very important." Ben sat up straight at the sound of the Plumber's voice. "Your mother was attacked, Ben Tennyson."
"What?!" he exclaimed, causing everyone to sit up straight.
"A man in red armor was the culprit. Despite his relatively low leveled tech suit, he still won," the Plumber said in a grim tone. "None of us are in any condition to give pursuit. I'm sorry."
"Get yourselves treated. I'll handle this. Next time this happens, you contact me immediately," Ben said before disconnecting the call. Then he audibly snarled. "Dammit!"
The whole point of the security detail was to prevent situations like this. But it seemed like he was a damned fool for thinking it'd still work out. In an instant, Ben abandoned his car on the side of the road by teleporting to Nemesis' building.
"Ben! We heard. I think you should wait until we get there to help you," Gwen said through the call.
"I can't wait. Nemesis did this to get to me. I know it. And now my mom's in danger because of him. He's going to pay for this," Ben growled before cutting his phone off.
He looked at the building before balling his hands into fists. When he was a kid, he used to stare up at the building in wonder; knowing that a hero was behind it. Now he couldn't look at the building with anything less than contempt.
The moment Ben walked in, he removed his human body by simply grabbing his cheek and tearing it off like an old bandage, the rest of the body slowly dissolving immediately.
Raising a hand, he absorbed all of the mana out of all of the trees and water that was in the area. It all turned a dull gray color, but the mana on Ben's head expanded as a dozen tendrils emerged out of his head. All the while, his expression hadn't changed from his cold fury in the slightest.
A slow clapping greeted Ben as he floated forward, his hands glowing brightly at his side.
"I thought I would have to call you myself to get you to show up, but you're quicker on the uptake than I thought you were. Color me impressed, Ten Bennison," Nemesis said with a smirk.
In an instant, Ben had flown towards him and hit him with a backhand powerful enough to send him flying through several plants and into the small stream of water on the side.
Immediately afterwards, Ben started tossing energized mana orbs that forced Nemesis to run, duck, and dodge in order to avoid getting blasted. Each orb was powerful enough to leave craters in the ground upon impact, and eventually one hit Nemesis and knocked him into a stone wall.
Holding his arm, Nemesis winced before snapping his broken shoulder back into place. His overcharged armor was definitely holding up, given how it had only suffered a medium sized crack. But he knew he needed to step things up or risk being blasted to pieces.
So he flipped over Ben while wrapping a cable around the young hero's torso. Which turned out to be a big mistake.
Grabbing the cable with two tendrils, Ben pulled as hard as he could while sending Nemesis flying towards him as he broke the cable around his torso.
Ben then slammed Nemesis down with a hammer blow before grabbing him by his leg with one arm, slamming his body into the ground from side to side over and over again in a berserker like way, each impact creating small craters in the ground. He drug his body across the ground far enough to reach the opposite wall before throwing him into the ceiling.
Before he even hit the ground, Ben pulled the fake hero back towards him with eight tendrils from his head and held his limbs up diagonally in the air. The remaining four tendrils that weren't holding his limbs had sharpened to where they resembled laser blades, and each of them was pointed at Nemesis' face and neck.
"Where. Is. My. Mother?" Ben growled, venom dripping from every word.
"Right up there," Nemesis said, his hand pointing upwards as best he could. "And so's Jennifer."
Ben's gaze followed where he was pointing, and both his mother and Jennifer were restrained by cables. The Anodite's cold fury changed into red hot anger in an instant, his hold on his tendrils only getting tighter.
"The movie star girlfriend, and the woman who's raised you since birth. I'm sure there's time to save one of them," Nemesis said with a smirk before tilting his hand, a laser blast firing at the cable holding them upward.
"No!" Ben exclaimed before releasing Nemesis and teleporting to his mother to grab her out of midair. While he was doing that, he held a hand out towards the spot Jennifer was falling at. But it wasn't necessary as a pink cushion of mana appeared underneath her as well.
Unexpectedly, a blast hit Nemesis in the back that knocked him to the floor. Then he was dragged backward, despite him using his fingers to try and stop himself. The pink tendril that was wrapped around his leg threw him into a wall while not letting go. Then he was dragged across the floor again before being sent flying by a mana beam that blasted a hole through his shoulder.
"Plan on doing something with my aunt, Nemesis?" Gwen said with pure venom in her tone.
"Not while I'm around," Ben said in a cold tone. Both cousins looked at each other before nodding.
Raising a hand at the same time, Ben and Gwen tightened their fists which caused tendrils that were both pink and green to spring up out of the ground. And regardless of how many Nemesis blasted, he was easily overrun and restrained to the floor.
"Don't even bother struggling. You're not getting out," Ben said in a deadly tone before creating an energized mana spear in his right hand. It was crackling so furiously, it resembled lightning more than mana.
"Ben. Don't," Sandra said, holding a hand out towards her son.
"He tried to kill you and Jennifer. And for what? Just so he could make me pay for taking his fame from him?! I don't even care about being famous! It causes me more trouble than it's worth! But he betrayed the very thing he once stood for fame!" Ben yelled, the spear in his hand crackling even more furiously. He eyed Nemesis with no mercy in his eyes. "Will an obituary sate that ego of yours? You'll be talked about for a few days, at least."
That last sentence really made Sandra feel uncomfortable.
"Ben, she's right. Think about it. The more you do this, the more you'll start to see it as something normal. Nemesis isn't like Vilgax. He's just a petty man who's angry at you because you took the fame he felt like deserved. Just lock him up and forget about him," Gwen said softly.
Ben stared into Nemesis' eyes, his tendrils tightening their hold enough to where he could tell Nemesis was losing oxygen. If he got away, he would just try again. Do whatever he could make Ben suffer. That was how this worked.
"The more you kill, the more you'll get used to it. Soon, you'll learn to like crushing all who stand in your way."
The words came back to Ben with a bitter taste to accompany them. But more than anything, it was a warning. Vilgax likely knew more than anyone what the path of killing entailed. And he needed to be better. He promised himself he would be better.
Besides, Gwen was right. Nemesis wasn't even a fraction of the threat Vilgax was. He wasn't worth the risk.
With a sigh, Ben made the energized spear disappear with a close of his fist. And he went from angry to calm almost immediately. It took all of the control he had left, but he managed.
"You're right. Both of you. I... I really shouldn't. I just..."
"I know," Gwen said softly before her gaze hardened, hitting Nemesis in the forehead with a mana bolt that knocked him unconscious.
"Are you ok?" Jennifer asked, coming up to Ben and putting a hand on his arm.
"I should be asking you that. Both of you. He didn't hurt you, did he?" Ben asked, checking both Jennifer and his mother for injuries.
"I'm fine. He didn't do more than tie me up," Sandra assured him.
"Me too. I'm sorry about Nemesis. I know he was your hero," Jennifer said softly, rubbing his arm comfortingly.
"I don't understand it. It makes me wonder. Has everything he's done been an attempt to get more popularity? Computron and his minions? Your kidnapping? Everything since he first became a 'hero?'" Ben questioned, staring at his former idol. "All of his life, has he put people in danger just to rescue them and look like a hero for the fame?"
"I wouldn't think about that. You'll just drive yourself crazy," Sandra assured her son. "Just remember the fact that you're the real hero. Not him. Even though you have your issues, everything you do is for other people.."
"I know. It's just a lot to take in," Ben said, rubbing his temples.
"I see I missed everything," Kevin said as he entered the building.
"You would've just saw me nearly kill Nemesis," Ben said sourly.
"Then probably it's a good thing Gwen teleported ahead," Kevin said, looking at Nemesis with disgust in his expression. "I'll take care of him."
Sandra followed Kevin when he walked over to Nemesis, who was being looked after by Gwen. The anger in her expression was as intense looking as Ben's, and chances are that if she hadn't been the one to stop Ben from killing Nemesis, she had a feeling that Ben would've needed to stop her.
She was well aware there were risks that came with simply being Ben's mother. Her being attacked when she just went with Gwen the store was proof enough of that. Yet despite the fear of potentially dying in the moment, the result it had on her son and her niece was more terrifying. She wasn't an expert on hate, but she felt like the look on their faces was exactly that.
And children should their age should never know how to hate - not like that.
"How is he?" Gwen asked when she was approached by Kevin and her aunt.
"Upset that Nemesis didn't turn out to be the man he thought he was. I can't say I blame him," Sandra said, her upset look changing into a glare as she laid her eyes on the fake hero. "This is the man Ben looked up to."
"And he turned out to be someone who isn't even a piece the man he is," Gwen said distastefully before looking over to her boyfriend. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Jennifer holding his arm.
"Alright, enough of this," Gwen thought. She knew exactly who should be there for Ben, and it most certainly wasn't Jennifer.
"Go ahead," Kevin said, holding the unconscious Nemesis over his shoulder. "I got this asshole."
"Kevin..." Sandra warned.
"Sorry," Kevin apologized. "But he is."
"That may be true, but try not to use those words around me," Sandra said.
"I'll try not to. Um, I can drop you off at your house if you're willing to wait until I take him to the police station," Kevin offered, gesturing to Nemesis.
"I'll take you up on that offer," Sandra said with a nod as they walked out the door.
Gwen walked over to Ben, and saw that he looked exasperated while Jennifer looked insistent.
"I already told you when we went shopping that I don't date," Ben told her.
"Yeah, you did," Jennifer said with a nod.
"And you still wanna be exposed to that kinda risk?" Ben questioned, pointing up towards the statue of Nemesis. "Just knowing me personally puts people at risk. I don't like putting people in that kind of danger."
"The first time was just because I was famous. And I've been in situations like this before. If I'm going to be put in danger, I may as well have my hero by my side to protect me," Jennifer said with a smile.
"Ok, time out," Gwen interrupted, causing Ben and Jennifer to look at her. "Ben, tell her."
"Really?" Ben asked with wide eyes.
"It's about time," Gwen said with a nod.
"Tell me what?" Jennifer asked.
"Well... I've kind of been dating someone else already," Ben admitted, making Jennifer's eyes go wide. Then she slapped him hard enough to jerk his head to the side. "Ok. I understand why you did that..."
"Why didn't you tell me that?!" the movie star said with a glare. "Did you just like the attention I was giving you?"
"Of course not. It's because... well, I'm dating her," Ben said awkwardly before pointing to Gwen. Jennifer's brows furrowed as she looked to Gwen, who gave the movie star a nonchalant wave as a smile broke out on her face. It felt good to hear that.
"You're kidding, right?" Jennifer asked.
"Nope. You're the first one outside of my family and Kevin to know, so..." Ben trailed.
"But... isn't she your cousin?" Jennifer asked.
"Yeah. But I don't care. She's my girl," Ben said with a grin in Gwen's direction. Jennifer saw that the girl rolled her eyes, but her smile only got wider.
"Oh," the movie star said.
"I didn't want it to get out at first because I really didn't want to find out how much things would change. More specifically, how just admitting that would affect our futures and our relationships with people that we know. But I know I can't live like that forever. Not to mention I'm completely sick of other girls trying to sink their claws into my boyfriend. No offense to you," Gwen said, linking an arm with Ben's.
"So... now you know. You can tell people if you want," Ben said, reveling in the feeling of Gwen's mana resonating with his.
"I could. But I'm not going to," Jennifer said, her eyes darting between Ben and Gwen. "This is... really, really, really weird, but... I don't want to be the one responsible for letting something like that get out. If people are going to know, it should come from your mouth rather than mine."
"She's got a point there. People probably won't believe it unless they see it. Plus we don't have to tell anyone straight out the gate. I'm just not gonna bother being careful about who sees what," Gwen said.
"Bout time. I've been waiting for you to," Ben said, making Gwen roll her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving him off.
"You could have just about any girl your age you wanted. You know that?" Jennifer said abruptly.
"I know that. But I love Gwen. So I pick her," Ben said simply before eyeing the movie star hesitantly. She had a surprisingly blank look on her face. "You ok?"
"Just surprised. I... I'll call my driver," Jennifer said before walking out of the building, pulling her phone out with her head bowed.
"She'll get over it. She's a movie star. Guys end up lining up near her feet anyway," Gwen said with a shrug.
"But fame's quite the barrier in finding someone you want to date. I can tell," Ben told her before blowing out a puff of breath. "So, you don't care if people know we're dating now. How do you want to do this?"
"I want to tell Emily, and that's it. And I know you want to tell Julie. But please, if there are some serious overreactions, do not lose your temper," Gwen said.
"I make no promises. But before I even think about going to sleep, there's one more thing I need to take care of," Ben said.
"The security detail?" Gwen questioned, making Ben nod. "What more can we do?"
"See what went wrong, and make it better," he said, biting on his tongue so his temper didn't explode again. "Nemesis was not good enough to where they couldn't get my mother away from there with only tech that's only level 2. Something went wrong, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."
A/N: This is coming a lot later in the day than I expected. Mostly cause while editing, I made an entire part to this whole thing that came to me out of the blue, and as I was writing it, I decided to turn that into its own chapter cause it tackles a topic that splits from the primary plot of this particular episode. I doubt it's gonna turn out to be very long, so I might upload it along with this one. Hope you enjoyed this one.