Ben sheepishly stood in front of his cousin and Hope. The two women were stunned by the friend's presence; they were practically staring at a ghost. The silence in the room was deafening. Hope and Gwen were both shocked for different reasons. For Gwen, she was witnessing a unicorn for the first time. Hope, on the other hand, felt her blood start to boil. Of course that idiot didn't listen to me. She growls at the person who so royally fucked her. The witch was about to tell the man off, but Gwen beat her to it.

"Ben…"

"Yeah it's me, Gwen. Listen, I'm so-"

"How dare you show your face here?" she snarls.

Ben was taken aback by the venom spat from Gwen's mouth. The redhead stood up and marched over to him, poking her finger in his face.

"How fucking dare you show your face to me, Benjamin."

Ben was astounded to say the least, he didn't know what to say.

"What, nothing to say? No lame quip or crappy one-liner?" Gwen mocks.

"I-"

"You what? Thought you could come here and apologize and everything would be okay like some shitty 90s sitcom!"

"Will you let me talk?" Ben asked, frustrated.

"No, I will not let you talk! Because I haven't heard you 'talk' for MONTHS! So, why the FUCK would I want to hear you speak now?" Gwen rants loudly.

A smack echoes sharply in the room and Ben lightly caresses the red handmark left on his face. His cheek was hot and the pain stung but it was incomparable to the feeling in his heart after seeing hot tears flow from Gwen's eyes. The redhead frantically wipes away her tears and scowls at the young man.

"Gwen, maybe we should hear him out-"

Gwen spins on the balls of her feet towards Hope. She points a finger in her face, "And YOU-", she stops; her lip quivering.

Hope knew what she was about to say and was waiting for it to come out. But it never did. Gwen marches past the witch and exits the room. Ben winces as the door slams, leaving the duo in silence.

"You couldn't just stay at the house," Hope says, her voice thick with disappointment.

She left without waiting for an answer. Ben stood alone in the room. All the motivation to speak his mind went straight out the window. He chuckled to himself. The man figured something like this would happen. At the time, rejection didn't seem like a possibility; but it remained a small dark thought in the back of his mind. It didn't take a genius to tell that Gwen was quite fed up with his shit.

It was Tennyson's turn to step out of the room where he spotted an officer leaning against the wall. They made eye contact and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. This would be the first resident of Bellwood to know of Ben Tennyson's return. Ben gives the older man a nod before walking past him. He didn't bother putting his hood up as he entered the main room of the station. Dozens of officers were gathered within the walls of the department. Once they took notice of him; the volume dropped to a hushed whisper.

They part the sea of blue for him as Ben headed in the direction of the entrance. Tennyson could feel the holes being stared into the back of his head. He ignores them, continuing his shuffle to the front.

"Is that him?"

"He's back?"

"Will he leave again?"

"Why is he here?"

Their voices echoed in his head like a broken record. He wanted to clamp his hands over his ears and tell them to go away. Whispers of criticism and questioning ate away at the little confidence of returning that he had. A set of glass doors entered his vision, indicating that he arrived at the entrance. He was about to push through them when a voice called out from behind him.

"Ben Ten?"

The man glances behind him to see a man in his late fifties dressed in a suit. He presumes the man to be the chief in the Bellwood department. He almost chuckles at the use of his hero name. That was something he hadn't heard in months.

"Will you be returning?" he asks.

Ben Tennyson didn't have an answer for him. So he ignores the man and exits the station. No reason to answer if he didn't have one. The rain had come to a halt leaving a cloudy sky. Brisk winds cut through his hoodie, and sent shivers down the man's body; he shoves his hands in his pockets in an attempt to warm himself. He noticed Gwen standing in the middle of the wet street. The man mentally recoiled from the cold glare she was giving him.

Ben shuffles forward in his soaked clothes to close the distance between them. He was about five feet away when Gwen raised her hand for him to stop. Dead silence. You could hear an ant piss. Ben felt like he was in a void, it reminded him of the Forge of Creation. Ben was getting tired of waiting. If you have something to say, just say it then.

"Gwen-"

"Let's go. You and me. No magic, no watch."

Ben widened his eyes in shock. He was about to ask what she meant until the woman put her hands up in a fighting stance. She wants to fight me? Is she crazy? Ben watched Gwen put her hair up in a messy bun and roll up the sleeves of her dress shirt. One glance into her eyes told Ben she was serious.

"Gwen I'm not fighting you-"

The man was interrupted by a paralyzing right hook to his jaw. It was like the woman teleported to him. Ben blacked out for a split second before finding himself face down in a murky puddle. He blinks away the daze as he pushes himself up. Ben gags on the disgusting liquid; between the mix of nastiness, he tasted iron. He stands to his feet and clears the rainwater from his face. Ben spits the remaining taste out of his mouth and puts his fists up.

The two circle each other like predators, waiting for the other's move. Ben throws a punch at Gwen's face, to which she easily sidesteps. The man strikes with another haymaker. Gwen ducks and steps into her cousin's defensive circle; she plants her palm against his chest and pushes him off balance. Ben stumbles back but catches himself before he tripped. He sucks his teeth; he knew the redhead was skillful in Judo and to many it seemed like a losing battle for him. But Carly trained him in hand to hand combat, so he was no pushover.

Ben charges forward and tackles Gwen to the ground. Fine, I'll bite. He straddles her with his weight, preventing her from moving, and swings without hesitation. He gets three good punches in before Gwen carotid-strikes him. Ben grabs at his throat, choking for air. Gwen tosses him off her with a powerful kick. Ben scampers to his feet, scared of being put into some dangerous Judo hold while on the ground. It was just in time to block the sidekick aimed at his head. Ben winces as her powerful leg makes contact with his Ulna bone. Gwen spins into a roundhouse kick. Ben watches it narrowly pass his face as he steps back.

Ben sucks his teeth. Why did they have to fight? Why couldn't they argue and just go home. He understood that Gwen was angry and needed something to release it on. Better him than anyone else that didn't deserve it. But this- this was too much. Tennyson's mind flashed back to their fight at grandpa Max's funeral. He couldn't tell what was worse, getting pummeled by Gwen's fist or magic. This time felt more emotional; closer to home, rather than a bout of rage.

He had a feeling that this time she was fed up with everything that he's done. Which he could understand because he hasn't been the best cousin or hero as of recently. And instead of talking things out, he just shut everyone down and disappeared. He'd be pissed too. Everything was his fault and he was willing to admit that. So why? Why am I crying? It's my fault Gwen's mad at me.

Tears streamed down the man's cheeks. There was a pain in his heart, that was indescribable. Ben shouts in frustration as he wildly swung at his cousin. She ducked and dodged through his barrage of lackluster punches. She interrupts him with a solid jab to his nose. That is definitely broken. Ben responds with a feint hook, but instead drops his knees to tackle the woman once more. Gwen's head hits the concrete, dazing her for a moment. She wraps her legs around the man's waist and begins to elbow the center of his shoulder blades. Ben keeps his head tucked on the side of her body.

He growls before using all his strength to stand from the ground, with Gwen still attached to him, before body slamming his cousin into the concrete. Gwen releases him on instinct; she gasps for oxygen from getting it knocked out of her lungs. The redhead rolls onto her hands and knees. Ben watches her from above, huffing and puffing. Gwen shoots her leg out to strike Ben's shin. She uses her upper body strength to launch herself sideways from the ground to kick the man square in the chest. Ben lands flat on his back, in the same puddle from before. Gwen plants her knee on his chest and cocks her fist back. Ben raises his hands to shield his face. But the punch never came.

Ben looks between his fingers to see Gwen hesitating. Blood and water dripped down her face and her breathing was labored; she still had her fist raised to strike. Gwen squints her eyes to keep the tears from falling and looks away for a moment. The woman carefully stood up with a disappointed look on her face.

"I don't want to see you again."

Ben's eyes widened in shock. That single sentence hurt more than every punch, blast, and kick he's ever received. She wouldn't even look him in the eyes.

"Or I can't promise you'll walk away."

And that was that. Ben watched his cousin's form shrink as she walked in the opposite direction.

"GWEN!" he cries out.

She doesn't turn back.

**PAGE BREAK**

Ben stomps through the doorway into the house. You could hear him from a mile away because of his wet clothing. Hope is hot on his tail with fumes coming from her head.

"You couldn't just stay home huh? You just HAD to involve yourself," Hope calls after him.

"I'm not in the mood."

"Frankly, I don't give a shit! You are a selfish, insecure douchebag who never thinks about how his actions affect others."

Ben turns to Hope with a scowl on his face.

"Like I don't know that!"

"And yet you still act like a child. When are you going to learn that you can't leave and walk back into people's lives like a revolving door. That's now how relationships work, you can't switch them on and off as you please."

Tears were threatening to fall again. He was frantically trying to wipe his face; the blood was making it hard to see. Hope sighs before walking into her kitchen to retrieve her first aid kit. She places it down on the counter and opens it slowly. Various ointments and sprays, bandages and gauze, and even the items needed for basic suturing were inside. Hope glances over at Ben and points at the chair.

"Wait!" she calls out before he sits.

The witch runs to her linen closet for a towel; she places it on her stool before Ben takes a seat.

"I can't have you ruining my furniture."

Ben lets out a chuckle. She always found a time to be comedic. Sitting made the physical pain worse somehow like his body knew it was taking a break and could turn off the adrenaline.

Hope takes a look at his face and groans, "You're filthy. I can't patch you up without a shower first."

Ben nods and stands from his seat. It would do him some good to be alone with his thoughts, he needed to reflect on today's events. He shuffles to the bathroom where he peels his clothes off; he twists the faucet handle and allows the water to run. Ben was about to switch the water flow to shower once it got warm enough, when the bathroom door swung open with a thud. Ben glances behind him to see Hope, with her kit, standing in the doorway.

Tennyson rushed to cover his body with the shower curtain. His face was tomato red in embarrassment from the sudden intrusion on his privacy.

"Excuse you!" he snaps at the rude witch.

Hope rolls her eyes, "Please, have you forgotten we had sex?", she replies nonchalantly.

"I know but that was just-"

"That was just…" Hope comments with a raised eyebrow.

"Nevermind."

"I'm only here to dress your injuries."

"How are you going to do that when I'm in the shower."

Hope points at the tub filling with water.

"Oh," Ben echoes in a moment of clarity.

"Sit. I don't have all night."

Ben steps in the tub and slowly lowers himself into the warm water. He immediately dunks his head underneath, and uses his hands to scrub the grime off his face. Hope dangles a bottle of liquid soap above the water.

"Right," he weakly chuckles.

Hope allows the man to scrub his face and arms quickly, so she may start her first aid. Her line of thinking was she could kill two birds with one shower- patching him up in the bathtub. Plus after a bit of soap and water, most of the injuries were found to be minor cuts. The gash on his forehead and his broken nose was what she was mainly concerned about.

The witch poured some rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and began to dab at his cut. Ben winced when the liquid entered his wound; a slight stinging and burning sensation. Hope wasted no time stitching the cut; she took her time and made every stitch tight. Ben hated how the needle tugged at his skin like little skeleton fingers poking at him. Silence leaked into the room; Ben was completely still in the water.

"I ran away today," Ben mutters.

Hope stayed quiet, but the man knew she heard him.

"A bunch of guys jumped out of a car with guns. I thought I was fast enough to stop them before they started shooting. But I was too late." Ben gulps before continuing, "Their lifeless eyes stared into mine and I was reminded of a hell that I wanted no part of."

Tears were falling before he even realized it.

"Ben, why did you come to the event?" Hope asks sincerely.

"I wanted to warn Gwen."

"Warn her about what?"

"About becoming me…The path she's on- this path is the reason why I'm the way I am."

"I don't think I understand what you mean," Hope admits.

"Nobody does."

Hope finishes her stitch and cuts the thread. She rests her hands on the side of the tub. The witch reached up to Ben's nose; she wanted to set the bone so it could heal properly. But Ben waved her away.

"I can do it myself.I think I'd like to be alone."

"Right," Hope weakly chuckles.

The witch gathers her first aid kit and stands up. She trudges to the door in silence. Before she pulls on the knob, Hope calls out to Ben.

"I'm happy you're back, really I am. But you need to figure some things out and you need to let Gwen do the same."

Ben was quiet until Hope was halfway through the door.

"Thank you."

Hope closes the door behind her, leaving all her worries and problems behind. She strides to her kitchen sink to wash her hands. Hope wanted to scrub herself clean of today's events. What a shitshow. Today was quite possibly the craziest day she had. The sorceress needed air; her proximity to Ben was choking the life out of her.

Hope casts a portal with the intention of focusing on other things. She walks through the swirling mana onto the ledge of the clocktower. Charmcaster brushes her blowing hair out of her face. The wind had picked up since the afternoon. Only darkness remained as the sun had set for the day. That was the main reason why she enjoyed the autumn and winter seasons. The woman felt a certain comfort in the nighttime; it was a heavy blanket that wrapped her up in the obscurity of night.

People say your vision is limited during the twilight, but Hope saw entire galaxies under the shade of night. When she glanced up into the black sky with all the stars, it was a reminder that bigger things lay in wait. During the day, you see nothing but the sun and clouds. And you can't help but feel alone and trapped.

"I knew you'd come here," Gwen sighs.

Hope peers at the woman leaning against the adjacent wall. It wasn't that she didn't know Gwen was there, but rather silently wishing she'd speak to her.

"I presume this is where you come to clear your head."

Charmcaster nods.

"I have someplace like that too. It's my grandpa's grave, but I can't be there right now."

"Were you expecting me not to show up?" Hope asks.

"No, not really. I figured you had as much to think about as me."

"Yeah…" Hope trails off slowly.

"How long did you know about-"

"For a bit," Hope answers for her.

"Is he staying with-"

"Yes," she interrupts her again.

Gwen bites her lip to keep from whimpering. She peers up into the night sky to keep her emotions intact. Was she really that oblivious to everything around her? Gwen curses herself for not seeing it earlier, maybe then she wouldn't have such a hard time accepting it.

The younger woman stepped closer to the edge. She glances down at the town of Bellwood, it was quickly becoming a city with a rising population. Tonight, all lights were off amongst the homes and businesses. Despite it being only 9PM, not a soul was awake at the moment. She could sense it, the collective tears of the mass population; emotions ran rampant in the town. Anger, misery, pain. Bellwood was crying herself to sleep. Gwen slowly exhales. Yet another tragedy added to the already scarred psyche of her hometown. She was starting to believe this town was cursed.

A curse composed of the filth rummaging through this place. The same vermin that plague this planet and countless others. A redness crept closer from the back of her mind. She clenched her fists. Every time it was innocent lives being lost. For what? Some insignificant goal of some crazy bastard? It wasn't fair. She could end it right now. Gwen can sense their putrid stench. All the stained souls in this world could be wiped out. It would take two minutes, five minutes tops. I could take their mana and they'd simply cease to exist. Gwen's face considerably darkens- the red light brightening in her head.

Hope places a hand on the woman's shoulder. Gwen tenses under her touch, but the growing anger begins to ooze away. Charmcaster keeps her hand firmly planted. They lock eyes for a moment. Hope catches a flicker of red from the woman's normally emerald eyes.

"You aren't alone," The snow-haired witch reassures.

"It definitely feels like it," Gwen mutters under her breath.

"Yeah I know," Hope agrees, a quick flash of the hell she encountered with Hex entered her mind.

"I'm sorry for acting out today. I lost my head and ended another person's life."

"Gwen, don't feel bad about Zombozo."

"I don't. He deserved the worst for the shit he pulled today. That's no debate," Gwen firmly states. "But that should have happened underneath a reasonable and cool demeanor, not a rageful one. At that point I didn't care about justice, I just wanted revenge."

"Having emotions comes with being human."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't learn how to control it. The hatred I felt today, I never want to act upon it again."

Hope nods in agreement. What Gwen was currently going through was something Hope was challenged by in prior years. She'll need to find the source of her anger and confront it. Sounds simple enough, but not many people are able to triumph over their emotions. Even the strongest warriors are beaten by hate and rage. It consumes and makes them a slave to their emotions. That was how she wasted ten years of her life; that's how Hex wasted his entire life.

"I could help…"

"No. This is something I need to do on my own."

Hope lowers her gaze to the floor, knowing why the redhead was quick to decline her help. Charmcaster assumes that Gwen won't ever be able to trust her again after going behind her back. A friendship she valued deeply was ruined with two poor decisions.

"Plus, I need you to keep an eye on the Forever Knights," Gwen adds.

Hope glanced back at Gwen, and saw she was being sincere.

"But-"

"Listen, no more secrets, okay?"

Hope scoops Gwen up in a tight hug. The first person to not lose trust in her after a mistake. The first place to judge her heart and not her choices. Gwendolyn wrapped her arms around the older woman with equal force. The redhead needed one of these after the day she had.

"No more secrets," Hope repeats.

The magical relationship has yet again blossomed after having its petals snipped. Fate has shined down on two of the most powerful witches in the current generation. This drama was trivial in the face of what's to come. A speck in comparison to the obstacles they must defy in the future.

Gwen Tennyson still has an interminable climb to the top to replace the once symbol of hope, Ben Tennyson. She, like every human, struggled with her emotions; a mountain that needed to be overcome. Her true thoughts on her cousin's return were yet to be determined. At the moment, she hated his guts. Could it stand as a source of anger for the usually positive and optimistic woman?