Bride of beetlejuice asked for this one. :) Here you go, Amiga! :) Enjoy! :)

Balan Wonderworld belongs to Square Enix. Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. Melody belongs to VinnieStokerLover. I only own Rachel.

A Safe Haven In A New Friend

Ben was at a loss.

And not because of a battle.

He sighed. "Whampire, what can I do?" He asked. "Ever since Melody and I battled Attea, she's been locked up in her room working on college work from what she told Rachel. She barely comes out."

Whampire looked thoughtful. "Did something happen during the battle?" He asked.

"Just the usual. Why?" Ben asked curiously.

"Well, this is just a theory, but it's possible Attea might have said something to Melody that's got her very upset."

The hero thought for a moment. "You know, Attea was flirting with me," he said. "And I didn't like it, especially since it was in front of Melody."

Whampire nodded. "That could do it," he said.

"But what can I do to convince Melody that Attea's flirting means nothing to me?"

The Vladat sighed. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait this one out, Ben," he said gently. "When Melody came in and for the past couple of days, I've noticed her energy has been stressed and when I asked her if she was alright, she made it clear she wanted to be alone."

The boy looked devastated. "I...I just want to comfort her," he said.

"I know, Ben," the alien said, knowing that the young man loved his wife very much. "And when she's ready to come out, you can comfort her."

Little did they know that Rachel was listening and she shook her head. "This isn't good," she said to herself before going to check on Melody. She knocked gently, but got no response. Curious, she tried the door handle and found it wasn't locked. When she stepped in, she saw the half-Vladat slouched at her desk and fast asleep. Rachel shook her head, deciding enough was enough.

She fell into thought as to what to do. The people she would usually call for these situations were unfortunately out on missions, as were most of the aliens, so she wasn't sure what to do.

She happened to spy something white and looked to see it was a white tuxedo in Melody's closet, which made her smile as it was part of a couple's costume both Ben and his wife had done a while back. Suddenly, Rachel gasped softly, the white tuxedo giving her the answer on who to call.

Heading out of the room, she got her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" A deep, but pleasant voice said on the other end.

"Uncle Balan, it's me," she said. "I have someone who needs your help."

Melody was asleep before she began to sense an unfamiliar aura and she slowly began to wake up, but just as she yawned, something was poured into her mouth and she gagged a little as she swallowed it, noticing it had little taste and she went to get up, but noticed she suddenly felt tired, though she had just woken up. As she fell forward, she felt someone catch her and she looked up as her vision was going blurry from sleepiness, so she couldn't identify who was there.

"W-Who?" She asked, unable to form more than that.

"Shh," a deep voice cooed to her softly, much like how a father or mother would do to calm down a child. "Sleep for now, Melody. Let your dreams guide you to a calm, peaceful place."

Her eyes closed and her head gently drooped, to which whoever caught her lifted her up and soon vanished from the room with her. Rachel peeked in and smiled at seeing something on the desk and she went over, picking it up to see it was a white card with a gold letter B and the edges were trimmed in red and gold. Smiling again, she nodded and headed out to make lunch.

Melody noted that she was covered in something soft when she woke up, sitting up and rubbing her eyes until she opened them to find herself on a bed and she was covered in a blanket that was very soft. She ran her hand over it and noticed it was like fur, but she could tell it was faux. Still, it made her want to snuggle under it and go back to sleep.

The door opened then and she looked up to see a tall person walk in, pushing a cart in front of him. He paused at seeing her awake. "Ah, I thought you might be awake, my dear," he said, smiling.

Melody gasped as she recognized his voice. "You," she said before her guard went up. "Who are you? And why did you kidnap me?"

The tall being smiled and came closer, pushing the cart closer to her. "Please stay calm, young one," he said. "You needn't be afraid."

She looked at him. "I'm not afraid," she said.

He looked at her and placed a hand on her folded hands, making her jump and gasp before she seemed to freeze and her hands were trembling a bit. "My dear, you're shaking like a leaf in the wind," he said gently. "That college paper is stressing you out, but the cherry on top is that jealous girl flirting with your husband."

The half-Vladat looked at him in shock. "How do you know about that?" She asked.

He smiled. "My niece and a good friend of mine told me," he said.

She blinked. "Your niece and a friend?" She repeated.

He chuckled. "Rachel was right; you are curious," he said.

Melody blinked. "Okay, back up a bit," she said. "I'm getting confused and I don't even know your name."

"Ah, of course," he said, standing up and bowing. "Do forgive my lack of manners, Your Highness." He straightened. "My name is Balan and you are currently in my theater."

She blinked. "Balan and a theater?" She asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Rachel called me and said you needed my help. Ben backed her up and told me what had happened."

Melody was surprised. "How do you know Rachel and my husband?" She asked.

Balan smiled again. "Rachel is one of my nieces and I met Ben a while back when he needed my help," he explained.

She kept a close eye on his energy readings as he spoke and though she was amazed that his aura was bright and glowed, she could also see he was being truthful. "Okay," she said, relaxing a bit. "So...what do you want with me?"

"Nothing, save for your time and a smile," he said. "Tell me, my dear Melody, what was it about that battle that made you so upset?"

She looked away, not wanting to talk about it at first, but when a gentle hand cupped her face and gently turned her head to look at him, she looked at his golden eyes, which seemed to be coaxing her to tell him. She sighed.

"It wasn't the battle, but more what Attea said," she admitted. "And how she was flirting with my husband."

"What did she say?"

She was quiet for a moment. "She called me a freak and said no boy in their right mind would want me as their wife."

She teared up a little and Balan pulled her into a hug, holding her comfortingly. When she felt this, she clung to him, tears spilling from her eyes as he rubbed her back soothingly. "Shh, give that jealous girl no more thought, my dear," he said softly.

She sniffled before resting her head against his shoulder and he brushed a hand over her head. She was quiet until she finally lifted up her head, looking at him. "Sorry," she said softly.

"No apologies necessary, my dear," he said kindly, handing her a handkerchief, to which she gratefully dried her eyes. A bowl with cool water and a washcloth appeared in front of Balan and he wrung out the washcloth before gently brushing it over her face. Melody closed her eyes trustingly as the cool water felt refreshing. She opened her eyes a moment later and gazed into the tall being's gold ringed eyes and smiled.

"Thank you," she said.

Balan nodded. "Pay that jealous girl's words no mind, Melody," he said, his voice becoming more soothing.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right," she said. "She's not worth it."

He nodded. "Now, what is this paper you are working on for college?" He asked.

Rachel and Ben were in the kitchen talking when the young man yelped as fingers poked his sides and he jumped up out of the chair, whirling around as he heard familiar laughter and smiled at seeing his wife was behind him. "Melody," he said, hugging her and she hugged him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said before giving him a look of mock anger. "But if you ever put me through that again, I will make you suffer."

He chuckled, seeing she was only playing. "It was Rachel's idea," he said. "I just went along with it because I was worried about you and love you."

She smiled. "I love you too, honey," she said before they kissed.

Rachel went up to Balan and hugged him. "I knew you would help her, Uncle Balan," she said.

"But of course," he said. Smiling. "Our dear Melody is family after all."

The half-Vladat smiled, feeling better not only because Balan helped her with her college paper that had been stressing her out, but also helped her regain confidence that Attea's words had no effect on Ben.

Thanks to a new friend she had found a safe haven in.

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GoldGuardian2418