Welcome to the end of Changing of the Guard! We're finally here, and I'm so happy with the results! Changing of the Guard didn't so much diverge from my original vision as it grew beyond it, and quite a bit at that.

Now, don't worry: just because this is the end of the fic, doesn't mean we're done with Ben and co.'s story. There's still an epilogue after this chapter, and a planned sequel coming up, and of course, the Kryptonverse is only growing larger and larger. We'll have a lot more adventures down the road. This is just, as the chapter name says, the end of the beginning.

I hope you enjoy it! And stick around at the end for more details on what's to come!

Ben wants nothing more than to lie on his back and stare at the night sky following Vilgax's defeat, but Arcadia Oaks beckons. The city is more or less intact save for the utterly destroyed neighborhood the fight ended on, but nearly every block on the way downtown suffered some damage as a result of the constant blasterfire, and small fires burn everywhere across the city. A handful of buildings will likely have to be demolished, too, due to collateral damage from the Alpha-type drones.

All in all, and much like after the battle of New York, things could've been much, much worse.

Thus begins the clean-up; XLR8 zips around the city, making sure that there aren't any stray civilians or endangered pets, stopping at every small fire and giving Overflow the chance to shine he didn't really get in the fight against Vilgax. Diamondhead gets some work, too, forming crystal bracers that keep damaged buildings from toppling over. It takes about twenty minutes of non-stop motion for him to be satisfied that the city is in a good enough state to begin the lengthy rebuilding process, and for him to come back to the battlefield for whatever's next.

Vilgax and the Avengers are nowhere to be found, but Kevin and Gwen are still standing where he left them. Before he can ask where the heroes have gone, a tan-colored Humvee drives over to them, belonging to the National Guard, which has all but quarantined the town while he sped through it. Julie all but bursts out of it, shouting his name, tackling Ben and sending them both to the ground, giggling. Kevin and Gwen sit down beside them, similarly relieved and exhausted, nothing but relieved smiles all around.

"God, I'm so glad you're okay." -Julie says, barely holding back tears. She hugs him tightly, the adults giving them some space. "When the horizon exploded, I thought…"

"Yeah. I was afraid for a hot minute there, too." -Ben admits. "I hear you managed to evacuate the whole town down to Arcadia?"

"I can't claim much credit there." -Julie purses her lips. "That was mostly Claire and her shadow magic. Nearly killed her, too."

Ben's eyebrows rise. "Whoa, is she gonna be okay?"

Julie nods. "Toby's with her now, down you-know-where." -she says, warily glancing around like someone might be listening, even though the Humvee already left. "Vendel says she'll probably have some scars, so to speak, but she should be able to make a full recovery soon."

"What about your parents?" -Kevin asks, pointedly.

She sighs. "Well, they weren't too happy about this." -she says, holding up her prosthetic. "But I think it helped that they saw we're actually kinda capable of doing this stuff."

"Wait, why does it look like Upgrade now?" -Ben asks, confused.

Ship's head morphs out of her shoulder, chirping happily. Julie smirks, scratching at his non-existent chin. "This little guy stuck around after you asked him to help Stuart. He saw that my arm had been damaged in the fight with SixSix, so he decided to fix it."

"Upgraded it, too." -Kevin drawls. "Your girlfriend's packing some serious firepower now."

Ben shakes his head, baffled. "Jesus. So much happened in just one day." -he reposes. "Taking down SixSix, getting arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D. the entire invasion…"

"That's a typical day in the life for you." -Supergirl says, walking up to them. "Sorry to interrupt, Ben, but we wanted to speak with you all."

The teens look at each other, unsure what to expect. They rise, and follow the Girl of Steel - she leads them all into a more-or-less intact warehouse, a hundred yards or so from the crater they've been standing on, guarded by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, both survivors from the battle and newcomers, arrived in a half dozen Quinjets currently hovering over the town. The Avengers have assembled inside, Vilgax's crystal coffin in their midst - Tony stands next to the empty Iron Man suit, glaring at the alien, Captain Rogers is in the process of removing the upper part of his armor for comfort, Doctor Banner is snoring on top of a crate, covered by a shock blanket and guarded by the Black Widow, and Thor is steadily eating his way through a singed, family-sized Pop-Tarts variety pack he must've fished out from the rubble. Maria Hill and Director Brand come in right behind them, making some of the Avengers tense as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deputy Director surveys the room.

"No, S.H.I.E.L.D. being fashionably late to an alien invasion again?" -Stark drawls, scathing. "Couldn't be, right, Agent Hill?"

The woman in question narrows her eyes. "Not all of us get to break the sound barrier ten times over, Stark." -she easily retorts. "Maybe if you'd care to share your Repulsor technology, our forces might've gotten here sooner."

Stark snorts as Supergirl crosses her arms. "Where's Director Fury?"

Hill glances at Supergirl. "Busy." -she says, her tone clipped. "Logistical limitations aside, the World Security Council made some questionable calls regarding the coordinated response to this invasion. Director Fury is trying to get to the bottom of it."

"You sure he's not avoiding an awkward conversation about Kryptonite?" -she sneers.

"Knowing Nick, that's probably a side benefit." -Abigail agrees. "Don't worry, Kara, I'll remind him when I see him. Maybe whack him with my cane a bit for you, if you'd like."

Kara sighs. "I guess that's the best I'm getting for now."

Deputy Director Hill nods at Vilgax. "You couldn't kill the guy, I take it?" -she says, swiftly changing the subject.

"Vilgax's healing abilities made it all but impossible to finish him off." -Rogers says. "Ben found a creative solution around that."

Ben waves awkwardly. Hill narrows her eyes. "Are you absolutely certain he won't be able to escape his imprisonment, Mr. Tennyson?"

"Oh, he's stuck in there." -he confirms. "The crystal itself is not indestructible, so he'd have to be monitored and such, but he'll never be able to break out by himself."

She hums. "I suppose our S.H.I.E.L.D. technicians will have to confirm your claims once he's in custody."

"Yeah, that's not happening." -Stark says. "I think S.H.I.E.L.D. has proven a little too untrustworthy recently. You wanna run your tests, fine by me, but the squid man stays with us, at the Tower."

"Tony, be reasonable." -Hill frowns. "You don't have the facilities…"

"Au contraire, Agent Hill, I happen to have built a vault at the Tower for precisely this kind of post-battle souvenir." -he says. "Now with added magical wards, thanks to Doctor Strange."

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deputy Director turns to Abigail. "You're not going to say anything?"

Director Brand shrugs. "Sorry, Maria. We didn't beat Vilgax, so I don't think we get to make the call." -she says. "If anything, I think we should ask Ben what to do with the bastard."

Ben blushes under the metaphorical spotlight. "Oh, don't look at me. If the Avengers say they can hold him, I believe it." -he says. "Though, to be honest, I'm a little more worried about the Chimeran Hammer. I doubt you can just park that thing over New York."

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you." -Abigail winks. "The Kree Accuser has taken command of it under Imperial law. Things are admittedly a little up in the air regarding Earth's relationship with the Kree Empire right now, but it's pretty safe to say that we should be able to turn the Hammer into an asset for humanity's protection. Maybe keep any other potential invaders from trying what Vilgax did today."

Hill sighs. "Fury's gonna love this turn of events." -she laments, shaking her head. Ultimately though, she offers a tired smirk for Ben, Kevin, Julie, and Gwen. "But...I suppose what's important here is that you guys managed to hold the line when the rest of us couldn't. Your abilities are very impressive, and the way you handled yourselves under this kind of pressure is especially commendable."

"So, are you guys gonna let us go about our business, or…?" -Kevin wonders.

Hill crosses her arms. "S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol dictates we should take you in, register your Enhancements, and assign you a handler." -she says. "I won't complain if you do so voluntarily, but I think you've more than earned the right to choose what your relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. should be like."

Julie frowns. "What if we don't want there to be a relationship at all?"

"Then unless you prove to be too irresponsible with your powers, that'd be that." -Hill says, though she doesn't look too happy about it. "I do recommend you at least keep in touch, however. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but S.H.I.E.L.D. can help you with training, intel on threats you might be able to tackle, gear...our agency definitely has some changes to make going forward, but we do try our best to keep the peace."

The trio look at each other. Ben purses his lips. "...I think we'll let you know."

Again, Hill seems none-too-pleased about giving them so much leeway, but she seems to know that this is the best she's getting, so she agrees, shaking Ben's hand. She leaves, probably off to coordinate with the National Guard on the next steps for Arcadia. Director Brand doesn't leave, however; she steps over to Vilgax, beckoning Ben to join her.

"Y'know, I never met the guy." -she tells Ben, leaning on her cane as he walks up to her. "But I think I can see why Max feared him."

"It's hard to picture Grandpa Max being afraid." -Ben admits.

"True enough." -she says, with a knowing smile. "Max has been this...larger than life figure for as long as I've known him. But he's still a man, and he was afraid - of Vilgax's power, at the time, and now of the warlord's nemesis."

"Thanos." -Ben surmises. He turns, staring at the vitreous red eyes, forever stuck in a pained rictus. "I think Vilgax was afraid of him, too."

Abigail grabs her cane a little tighter. "Unfortunately, with very good reason."

"Care to fill us in?" -Stark pipes up, crossing his arms.

The Director sighs. "I've little time to spare at the moment, so I'll make this brief. As you know, Loki was merely in command of the forces that invaded New York. The Chitauri answer first and foremost to an organization known as the Black Order - and more specifically to its leader, Thanos the Mad Titan."

"So a squid man named like bug spray and a shadowy bastard with a World of Warcraft moniker." -Tony drawls. "Fun stuff."

"Not too fun, I'm afraid." -she says. "Thanos has wrought upon the galaxy a genocidal campaign that's perdured for centuries. We don't know his true motives - or if he even has any - but we do know his modus operandi."

"Randomly killing off half of a planet's sentient life forms." -Ben supplies.

Even the normally unflappable Black Widow seems taken aback by his blunt statement. "Half?" -Rogers asks, his voice uncharacteristically small.

"Half." -Director Brand confirms. "I imagine I don't have to break it down for you, but he has literally killed trillions. Some believe he wants the survivors to thrive off the newly abundant resources left behind. Others just think he is utterly obsessed with death. Whatever the case, he's been allowed to run rampant for centuries - and though he is far from reaching Earth by conventional means, practically on the opposite side of the galaxy, he clearly has some kind of interest in our planet."

"I'm surprised you haven't spoken up, Thor." -Natasha points out. "Seems like this guy's right up your alley."

Thor hums, crossing his arms. "I know the name, but not the man behind it." -he admits. "Asgard rarely concerns itself with the affairs of the greater cosmos. I myself have never been much for exploring beyond the Nine Realms, unlike my brother."

"Sounds about right." -Director Brand snarks. She sighs, then. "Regardless, it seems inevitable to me that we'll eventually have to face him directly - and superheroes notwithstanding, Earth is woefully underprepared for a showdown against the full might of the Black Order."

"We'll do whatever it takes to change that." -Captain Rogers promises. "S.W.O.R.D., S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers...we're all gonna have to do our part if we have any hope of tackling a crisis of this magnitude."

Ben nods. "I know we're just teens, but...you can count on us, too."

Director Brand smirks. "I know, Ben. All in all, I have to say, you really took option C to heart." -she winks, harkening back to their first conversation. "You are all heroes in my book, more than worthy of following in Max Tennyson's footsteps, and of course, of keeping custody of the Omnitrix. S.W.O.R.D. is in your debt, and at your service. Whatever you need, name it, and I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Director Brand." -Gwen says, and the others nod their agreement.

"Right, then. There's much to do ahead of us, but for the moment, I'll allow you to bask in your victory." -she says. "Keep your schedules relatively clear for me though, will you? There's a few outstanding topics I could use your feedback on, like the fate of the surviving bounty hunter Krabb, for example. We can use the opportunity to have a bit of a celebration aboard Excalibur, if you'd like."

Ben nods. "Sounds good." -he says. Abigail winks, and with a tap of her cane against the floor, she teleports away.

Something of an awkward silence follows in Abigail's absence; now that the adrenaline of the battle has worn off, the teens finally have a chance to internalize that they're standing in the same room as the world famous Avengers; on the other hand, the professional superheroes can't help but notice now that their fellow warriors are no older than seventeen. Ben, in particular, can't help but feel a little bit awestruck; he's devoured every bit of information available on each of the heroes before him - he knows Supergirl's height (six feet exactly), he has a collection of every Hot Toys premium Iron Man figure (pretty much what he saves all he earns at Mr. Smoothy for), and he grew up hearing Grandpa's tales about Captain America and the Howling Commandos (he cried the first time he told them the one about Bucky falling off the train).

And now they're here, resting in a random warehouse around the alien warlord they all helped defeat. What even is my life?, he thinks to himself, baffled.

"I've gotta say, Tennyson." -Stark says, nodding at Vilgax and finally breaking the ice. "This wouldn't have been my first call, but it was a pretty inspired choice."

"It's a little above my pay grade." -Rogers admits. "But Tony's done some measurements already, and he's verified your claim that Vilgax isn't going anywhere. Well done."

Ben blushes. "Thanks. I wasn't 100% sure it would work, but I'm glad it did." -Ben says. "I meant what I said - I think we're gonna need him in the future."

"Right. Thanos." -Rogers muses. Beside him, Tony pales, despite himself. "If nothing else, at least we know who we're up against."

"He's really bad news, Captain." -Ben says, gravely. "Not to speak ill of the, er...temporally unmoored, but Vilgax is small potatoes next to Thanos and his Black Order, even by Vilgax's own admission. That's why he wanted the Omnitrix so badly, to level the playing field."

"Then I guess it's a good thing the Omnitrix is in good hands." -Steve smirks.

Ben blinks, the blush coming back with a vengeance. "Thanks, but...I'm surprised you aren't trying to take the watch from me yourselves." -he admits. "Not that I want you to, but...wouldn't that be the responsible thing to do? Not leave in the care of a teenager?"

The Captain's gaze softens. "Listen, Ben; given this incredible power, you could've done any number of things. Choosing to protect people with it...that's about the most noble and responsible option I can think of." -he says. "And maybe I don't know enough about this thing on your wrist to really say that - maybe there's a grander purpose to it, or a better way to use its power that I simply don't know about. But I do know a thing or two about heroes, being surrounded by them every day, and there's no doubt in my mind that that's what you and your friends are."

"The tech helps, Ben - I should know, huh?" -Tony pipes up, smirking. "But the person wielding it, that's the important bit. Your age, your past...they matter, sure, but what you do with what you've been given, with what you've earned? That's something else entirely."

"Vilgax is defeated and the people of Arcadia are safe." -Steve says, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Give yourself and your team some credit, son. This victory's yours."

They don't stay too much longer with the Avengers; Stark has to make some calls so his relief foundation can coordinate with the Department of Damage Control to bankroll the repairs to the city, Rogers wants to make sure that cooperation between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the National Guard is going smoothly, Banner is still conked out, and Romanoff volunteers to fly him and Vilgax back to New York.

Only Thor and Supergirl stick around with the teens; Supergirl clearly wants to talk to Ben, and the Thunder God seems to be sensing some kind of magic around town that's apparently piqued his curiosity - more than likely, he can feel the magic that gives life to Trollmarket below. The Alien Force crew (they haven't voted on it, but it's kinda catching on) split, two and two - Gwen and Kevin offer to show Thor around, while Ben and Julie invite Supergirl to Julie's home so they can chat.

"Are you both from Arcadia?" -the Girl of Steel asks, awkwardly, a few minutes into the walk.

"Born and raised." -Ben replies, with an easy smile.

"My family's from San Francisco." -Julie shrugs. "But I've lived here since I was a toddler."

"I see." -Kara hums. "Not that I've lived on Earth for too long, but I've never actually been to the West Coast before." -she admits.

Ben tilts his head. "Probably wishing it were under better circumstances, huh?"

"A little bit, yeah." -she smirks. "But it's not all bad. This Vilgax business led me to meet you guys and punch it out with a dude that didn't go down in a single punch, so I'm counting this as an absolute win."

Julie snorts. "Humble brag, much?"

"It's not as fun as it sounds!" -Kara chuckles. "You get a little starved for a challenge after a while."

"I think we'll take your word for it." -Ben says, diplomatically.

The trio arrives at Julie's home shortly afterwards; the house appears to have escaped the invasion relatively unscathed, aside from a couple of cracked windows they spot as they approach, likely a result of the many earth-rattling explosions. Julie doesn't have her keys on her, but Ship promptly morphs a facsimile out of the tip of her index finger, which is a little trippy for everyone involved.

"Cool, I have a skeleton key." -Julie mutters to herself.

Julie's parents aren't home yet, unsurprisingly - the whole town is crowded at and around City Hall, waiting for the all clear from the National Guard, which will likely take at least a few more hours. Ben and Julie all but collapse into the living room, exhausted, while Kara sits, cross-legged, in mid-air.

Also a little trippy.

"So, a couple of things." -Kara begins. "I know there were some pressing matters for the others to attend to, but speaking for all the Avengers, I wanted to thank you all. The sobering truth is that if not for S.W.O.R.D.'s intervention, we wouldn't have arrived in time to be of any help - and without your bravery and determination, Arcadia would be little more than rubble."

The couple look at each other. "Thanks, that...really means a lot, coming from you." -Ben admits.

"Now, legally speaking, the Avengers aren't allowed to associate with you. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have to worry about things like that, clandestine spy agency that it is, but as a civilian organization, we don't have the luxury of ignoring those kinds of rules." -she says. "Something about child endangerment and vigilante laws - I guess modern human society hasn't yet caught up to the Spider-Mans and Ben 10s of the world." -she jokes. "That being said, we don't want you to think we don't care; we want to support you, to make sure that you're ready for whatever challenges lie ahead in your journey - and that, should you want it, once you come of age, you'll have a place with the Avengers."

"All of us?" -Julie asks, disbelieving.

Kara nods. "There's no superpower requirements for joining the Avengers." -she shrugs. "Iron Man and War Machine have no powers beyond their suits, for example. And Hawkeye has no powers at all, he's just really freakin' good with a bow."

Ben shakes his head, his eyes wide. "You really think we're Avengers material?"

Kara frowns. "Ben, you and your friends managed to hold the line against an alien invasion practically on par with the Battle of New York, all by yourselves. How on Earth does that not make you 'Avengers material'?"

"It's just…I never dreamed that that was a possibility." -he confesses. "Even when I obtained the Omnitrix, I never really believed I'd be a hero of your caliber."

The blonde's gaze softens. "Oh, come on, none of that." -she admonishes him. "Contrary to what the media would have you believe, being a superhero is not equivalent to being a celebrity. There's a spotlight that comes with it, sure, but there's nothing glamorous about what we do - no 'caliber', as you put it, that matters in the moment, when you're out there putting yourself on the line to save and protect people."

She takes a hand to the shield on her chest. "The icons and bright colors have their importance, but at the end of the day, even if we wore no costumes and nobody knew our names, we'd still be out there, fighting the good fight - and we believe you'd be right there with us. If there's any actual criteria to becoming an Avenger, it's simply having the drive to help and protect your fellow man that prompts you to go beyond - to surpass the normal limits of empathy and selflessness, and put yourself on the line for a total stranger just because it's the right thing to do."

Ben nods. "I understand." -he says. He smiles, despite the sobriety of the moment - the words would certainly be different, but he can almost picture Grandpa Max giving him this speech. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Good to hear it." -Kara says. She produces a card with a few numbers on it. "We're headed back to New York tomorrow morning, but Tony will be staying - he's moving back to Malibu for a couple months, I think, gearing up to finish his move to New York and getting some much needed rest while he's at it. If you need anything, feel free to pester him - heck, tell him I sent you."

"R-right." -he says, gingerly taking the card. Don't mind me, just got Tony Stark's phone number, no biggie, he thinks to himself.

"Also, we might be a bit busy for the next couple weeks, but we'd like to extend an invitation for you to visit Avengers Tower sometime soon - it'll let us get a better handle on what your powers are, and maybe even spar a little. I know for a fact that the Hulk is itching to trade a few blows with that four-armed form of yours."

Julie snorts. "Wow. The Hulk wants to spar with my boyfriend." -she says, almost spellbound. "This is nuts, I love it."

Ben purses his lips, though. "What about…?" -he trails off, pointing at Kara and then back at himself.

Kara sighs. "Power Girl. Yeah, I know." -she says, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Can you bring her out?"

He nods, popping the dial on the Omnitrix and fishing for the Kryptonian silhouette. He doesn't need to do this anymore, now that he's been given Master Control, but it still feels right, at least for the first transformation in a while. Julie raises an eyebrow, confused - and her confusion turns to shock and awe as Power Girl stands in her living room, following the customary green flash.

"…well, this is new." -Julie says, meekly. "How long has she been a thing?"

"Like, an hour?" -Power Girl says, rubbing the back of her head. "Kara touched the Omnitrix and Azmuth had it scan her DNA for this new form."

Julie's eyes widen. "Oh my God, do Thor next!"

Power Girl winces. "That's the thing, it's…kind of invasive. While I was first transforming, I got to live through some of Kara's memories - mostly scenes relating to this transformation's powers, but also some more…personal stuff."

Kara purses her lips. "What did you see? I promise I won't be mad. I know you didn't do this on purpose."

Power Girl sighs. "Nothing embarrassing. I guess I saw you as a kid, running through some kind of ruined city. Escaping a doomed planet. Crash-landing on Earth."

The blonde takes a deep breath. "Right." -she says. Kara shakes her head, a cynical smile on her face. "How messed up is it, that you're the only Earthling I know who's ever seen Krypton?"

"Is that your home planet?" -Julie ventures.

"It was." -Kara mutters. "Krypton was destroyed when I was a girl. As far as I know, I'm the only survivor. The Last Daughter of Krypton…until now, it seems."

"I'm so sorry." -Power Girl says, downcast. "I never meant for this to happen."

Kara spares a wavering smile for her. "I'm not going to pretend that this isn't a little bizarre and upsetting, but you have nothing to apologize for. If not for Power Girl, the Hammer would've flattened half the country." -she reminds her. "I just need to figure out what this means to me; should I try to teach what I remember of my people's ways to a part-time Kryptonian? Should I get on my knees and beg you to use that DNA forge of yours to bring back my species somehow?" -she asks, serious, then smirks, seeing the teens' growing tension. "Should I be offended that your costume completely forgoes the traditional House Crest, or envious that you somehow make a boob window work?"

Power Girl blushes madly, while Julie cackles at her embarrassment. "Oh God, kill me now." -the doppelganger mutters.

"See, that's gonna be a tough ask, now that you're a Kryptonian." -Kara drawls, amused. She puts a hand on Power Girl's shoulder. "Listen, Ben, I know this is an awkward situation, but this is my problem to figure out. I appreciate your concern, but I'll find a way to get through it. You don't need to hold Power Girl back on my account - let the world know that they oughta think twice before messing with a Daughter of Krypton for me, will you?"

Power Girl nods, fervently. "I will." -she promises. "And...for what it's worth, I'd be honored to learn more about Krypton and its people."

Kara offers a slight smile. "I'll keep your interest in mind. And I'll be looking forward to your visit - I wouldn't mind testing just how tough that Diamondhead transformation of yours is."

On that note, the Girl of Steel steps out of the house, and promptly flies away to rejoin her team. Julie shakes her head, awed. "I'm not gonna lie, I think I finally get the hype." -she mutters, giving Power Girl an appraising look. "I can totally buy that those muscles could bend steel no problem."

"I feel like it's kind of a faux pas to ogle this particular alien." -she says, rising an eyebrow.

Julie shrugs. "Supergirl doesn't have to know."

Power Girl snorts, shedding the transformation with a flash. "Rampant xenophilia, I tell ya." -Ben says.

"Oh, please, this one doesn't count." -Julie argues.

"Kryptonians are aliens, Jules." -Ben teases.

"Right, but Power Girl just looks like a hot amazon lady. It's just like Thor."

"Still an alien, sorry." -Ben shrugs.

"Then maybe you should give my suggestion of getting an Asgardian transformation some further thought, huh? Proper permission given, and all."

Ben chuckles. "Heh, I'll think about it." -he says. "Not like I'm on a first name basis with the God of Thunder yet."

"The operating word here being 'yet'." -Julie notes. "Don't forget we have an open invitation to join the Avengers once we turn eighteen, y'know, as you do."

"In addition to a pending celebration at S.W.O.R.D.'s orbiting space station, and an offer from S.H.I.E.L.D. to help us 'set up our operation', whatever that means. Yeah, I know." -Ben mutters, baffled. "I don't think this is quite what I had in mind when I picked up the Omnitrix."

Julie rolls her artificial shoulder a bit, perhaps unconsciously. "We've had our ups and downs." -she allows. "But...honestly, I wouldn't change anything about the past couple months. Our world got so much bigger, I don't think I could ever go back to how things were."

Ben grabs her hands, rubbing his thumb along the back of the prosthetic one, intentionally so. "I'll always carry some regrets. Lots of things I could've done better." -he whispers. "But...you're right. I don't think I could give up the Omnitrix, not after everything we've been through."

Julie smiles, reassuringly. "So, Ben Tennyson...what's next?"

He sighs, tiredly, the day's events finally catching up to him. "I'm grabbing a shower, eating my weight in frozen pizza, and sleeping for no less than eighteen hours." -he says, truthfully.

Julie chuckles. "I meant after the obvious post-battle maintenance, honey."

Ben hums, looking up to the stars. "Honestly? I'm not sure. But I think we can all figure it out together."

Pre-empting some complaints here, I know there wasn't enough interaction between the Avengers and the Alien Force. I rewrote that fragment three times and decided I couldn't make it work - the logistics of a post-battle environment don't really allow for that kind of fun conversation. Even the Avengers only managed to grab a silent lunch together after the Chitauri, y'know? There's relief efforts to coordinate, bad guys to put away, and rest to be had. It simply felt too contrived to me to have that kind of scene in this chapter, so I opted to trim it down to what you got here. I hope it was still enjoyable.

Instead, my plan is to either release a one-shot or an entry into the AO3 exclusive anthology fic "From His Vantage Upon the Moon" where the Alien Force get to have some fun at Avengers Tower, compare their powers with the pro heroes, that kind of stuff. I might also have to do that for Kevin, Gwen, and Thor's visit to Trollmarket, if it gets too long for next chapter, but I haven't decided on that yet.

I also have the original "bible" for this fic - planned chapter summaries, small character bios, plot beats I wanted to hit along the way, that kind of thing. Changing of the Guard was only supposed to be about 11 chapters long, but it naturally grew to nearly double that length - not necessarily a bad thing, as I did manage to hit almost every plot beat I wanted in the end. I'm not sure if that's something you guys would like to see, but if you do, let me know! I might put it up as an addendum after the epilogue, post it on Tumblr, or just make it a publicly accessible Google Doc.

As I said, the next chapter is an epilogue! We'll touch base with several characters (not just from Earth!), try to make sure all the dangling plot threads are either addressed or will get followed up on in the sequel, and just all around have a fun last hurrah for Changing of the Guard! I hope you'll tune in, and I thank you for sticking with this fic all the way through to the end. It's been a fun ride, all things considered, and I'm very proud of the end product. Leave a comment if you'd like, or reach out to me on Tumblr (darthkvznblogs), my ask box is open to all!

Until next time!