Chapter 17: Ringing in the Bennenium
December 31, 1999
"Remember that song Annie? I used to sing it to you when you were a baby."
"Turn it off," Gwen whimpered. She had her face buried in her knees and her hands over her ears, but she could still hear the monster on television.
"It's just a movie. This isn't even a scary part," Ben said. She felt his elbow brush against hers and she knew he was shaking his head at her. She wanted to yell at him, but...
"Mother?"
"Unlock these chains. Quickly!"
Gwen shivered. She couldn't help it. She loved horror movies, but why did Ben have to pick this one? 'It's funny,' he'd promised, and she believed him. The worst part was that it was. To him. He giggled up a storm even as she cringed. She'd been ready to turn the movie off the second she saw the magic book and it only got worse when Bruce Campbell played the tape. That was when she covered her ears for the first time, but she could still hear the words that sounded so much like the ones she cast with. Then the monsters came and -
Didn't Ben know how many times she'd had just this nightmare?
"You were born September 2nd, 1962. I remember it well because it was snowing. So strange it would be snowing in September."
"Ben!"
"That thing is not my mother!"
Gwen spun around and buried her face in Ben's shoulder. "Turn it off!"
"Okay!" Ben said and the movie died with a click. "Sorry. I thought you would like it."
"It was creepy," Gwen muttered into his shirt. She felt him shift and for just a second she thought he was going to put his arms around her to make up for it. But he wasn't moving, he was shaking. She shoved herself up and swatted him on the arm even as her face burned. "And it isn't funny!"
He held his hands up in surrender even though he was still grinning. "Okay, okay. Sorry."
She stared at him just to let him squirm for a few more seconds before she snatched up the Evil Dead II box and gave it the best evil eye she could. "I can't believe Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra let you watch this."
Ben's smile faded even as he rubbed the back of his head. "Let might be pushing it."
"Ben!"
"It's Dad's. I'll put it back tomorrow." He cleared his throat and finally looked just a little sorry. "I really did think you would like it."
She thought about letting him squirm a bit more, but she knew that he was probably telling the truth. They'd been having a marathon of movies and games since dinner ended and, until the last movie, it had been the best night ever. "I know," she said and let him off of the hook. Almost. "I get to pick the next one."
"I get veto rights."
"You have to watch half of it."
"A quarter."
"'Kay." With that she turned around a little on his bed and fixed the pillows behind her. He must have been waiting for it, because he yanked at the blanket they were 'sharing' as soon as she moved. The thing was huge and thick and he had half. It wasn't her fault that his 'half' was the bit over his lap, and he only got that much because he was sitting so close to her. He was close enough that she could feel his elbow and knee brush against hers every time either of them moved.
She had the rest of the blanket wrapped around her because she needed it. His room was so cold that she'd actually borrowed a pair of his socks because her poor little toes were freezing. They still were, even under two pairs of socks and the blanket. She should have brought her flannel pajamas tonight, not her midnight blue ones. She would have if she'd known that the heat wasn't working.
"Come on," Ben said as he tugged at the blanket again with just as little luck. "I said I was sorry."
Gwen almost didn't. Almost. Then she saw him shiver as he sat there in his jeans and black t-shirt and sighed. He snatched up the blanket before she could change her mind. "So, what do you want to do now?"
"We can play a few more games," he answered and reached over her for the controllers that they'd dumped on his nightstand when they started the movie. She winced as she looked at the pile of cups and remotes and controllers that looked ready to go down in a landslide at any moment. They shifted, but the only thing that fell were the noisemakers that they were saving for the big moment tonight.
"Not it!" They said together before the paper whistles hit the ground. Then, "Jinx!"
Ben made a face. "Rock paper scissors?"
Gwen sighed. She didn't know how Ben cheated, but she knew did. And that he copied her on purpose just to drive her nuts. Not that she'd let that stop. The game took forever, though. She only glanced over at the clock to see how much time they had, but the numbers made her stop. She blinked because it seemed so wrong. 11:40? It couldn't be. There wasn't any way that six hours could have gone by that fast. "I don't think we have time."
"What are you...?" Ben started to ask when he turned and looked. She thought he'd looked disappointed, too. Instead he clapped his hands together with an evil glee. "Finally!" He shoved away the blanket they'd been fighting over all night like it was nothing and rolled off of the bed. He took a second to brush his hands over his clothes as he hurried over to the door.
Gwen scowled as she looked down at her pajamas. She'd gotten changed right after dinner, but he didn't. She never gave it a thought until now, but she should have known he was up to something. "You're going to get caught."
Ben grinned in that annoyingly smug way of his and slipped out of the door without saying a word.
If he was going to get in trouble, she had to watch. She hurried over to the door and peaked out. The hall outside was empty for once. She'd heard people go back and forth all night, but of course the Doofus got lucky. She watched him go downstairs and waited for him to come running back up. When he didn't, she stood there and waited for the yelling. None came, or at least, none that she could hear over the music. Or the crowd.
It seemed like every adult Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra had ever met was packed in downstairs. Over packed. They had actually rented outdoor heaters so people could party on the patio despite how cold it was. There were so many people downstairs that the house felt hot. No wonder the heat wasn't working. Gwen didn't even know Ben's parents knew that many people. Heck, they'd even gotten her parents to come and that was something she thought would never happen.
There were so many people that someone should have seen Ben. She kept waiting, but nothing happened. Which meant that she had his room to herself. She grinned and closed the door. She'd been waiting all night for this and it finally happened. She was finally going to get him back.
She just had to find his favorite thing in the world; his ultra-rare gold Sumo Slammer Card.
It should have been impossible. She was sure it was before she came over today. She'd come and visited a few times since summer and it always amazed her that anyone could find BEN in the disaster area he called his room, much less a little card. The place was so bad that she was always afraid to take off her shoes, but Aunt Sandra must have cracked the whip. Now it almost looked like a human lived here now instead of a rare ape. The stacks of dirty dishes were gone and so was the pile of overused socks that he'd been growing in the corner. It was so neat and organized it almost looked like her room.
She'd worn her shoes up, but they were in the corner by his closet now. If it was a little warmer she wouldn't have even bothered with her socks. He'd even vacuumed. She wouldn't have believed it if she didn't see the marks in the carpet for herself. Not that the carpet was clean enough for her to take the sleeping bag that was already laid out on the floor.
No, Ben could have that. She was the guest, after all.
If she had time, she would have taken pictures. She was sure that his bedroom wouldn't look like this tomorrow. She didn't. Even if he didn't get caught she only had a few minutes to snoop. She wouldn't have a prayer if she hadn't watched Ben slip the card into the shoebox with all his best stuff. A card would have been impossible, but she had a chance with the box. It only took her a minute to go through his dresser. It would have taken longer if she was willing to actually touch anything inside. There wasn't any box, but she did get a good look at his Christmas present as it sat on top of the dresser and mocked her.
To make things worse, it mocked her with a picture of him and her in their gi's. They were both grinning as they held up their new belts - blue for her and green for him. She glared at the twin grins. Her own gift was making fun of her. So not fair.
Stupid frame. She'd thought that a digital picture frame would be perfect Christmas gift. She'd seen him looking at hers the day after the funer-
The thought stopped there. She couldn't-
Even after all this time she couldn't stand to think about those three days. It just hurt too much. The only thing that made the memory even the least bit better was...
For just a second; she let herself remember the feeling of Ben's arms around her as she cried, of him being there for her. She didn't know how she could ever thank him for it, but the frame was a start. Or it was supposed to be, anyway. She saw him looking at hers that day, so she got him one of his own. She'd loaded it with every picture of the two of them she could find. Not just from their first summer together, but from the second and karate. She even raided Aunt Sandra and Grandpa Max's collection so now they both had pictures going all the way back to the day they were born.
She never knew how many photos there were from when they were little. It took her weeks to scan them all.
Ben seemed happy when he unwrapped the frame, but she had to admit that it was a relief when she spotted it on his dresser instead of shoved in a drawer somewhere. She knew it wasn't his kind of thing usually, but she still she thought she had given him the perfect gift.
And then he had given her hers.
Just a minute ago Gwen was so mad that she'd stomped across her living room as she followed Ben into the kitchen. She'd been so mad that she was ready to bean him with the stupid bread that he needed for his stupid sandwich that he somehow couldn't find by himself. She couldn't believe that he'd even ask her for her help after...
A minute ago she'd been so mad, but now she just felt like an idiot. Now she just stared at the little box in her hand and tried to remember how to make words. "You said you forgot."
"Forgot Christmas?" Ben asked as he stared at her until she felt even worse. Then he blushed a little as he glanced back at the living room. His parents and hers were still sitting out there and talking. They'd been laughing a second ago from the look on her face, but they weren't paying any attention to them now. They never saw Ben pull the small box out of his pocket. They weren't even looking over, but she saw his cheeks go a little red anyway. "I just didn't want them to say anything."
He was embarrassed. She couldn't believe it. She stared at the box and tried to figure out what it might be. It had to be bad if he was acting like this. She shook the box and heard something rustle inside. "It's not going to bite, is it?"
"Just open it."
She was pulling at the ribbon before he even finished saying the words. She only winced a little as she opened the box and waited for it to explode. It didn't. She still gasped, though, as her hand went to her mouth. "You told me you didn't have it!" She tried to sound annoyed, but she couldn't. Her voice came out hushed as she stared at the Keystone of Bezel. She'd worried for months that she'd lost it somehow, or that someone had stolen it.
Which, she guessed, someone had.
She looked at it now and suddenly didn't mind. He'd polished the tan stone and brown stone until it shined in the light, which only made the black rune inscribed on the face stand out more, and there was a long gold chain attached to the top.
A necklace. He'd made it into a necklace.
Ben leaned over and cocked his head to the side as he stared at the runestone. "Oh, you meant THAT Keystone of Bezel? There are so many, how am I supposed to know which one you wanted?"
She should have hit him, but it was too perfect. Her hand moved from her lips and she brushed her fingers over the fine gold chain. The little links flowed over her fingertips like water. "Why?"
He rubbed at the alien watch on his wrist and looked even more embarrassed as he looked at everything in the kitchen that wasn't her. "I get to keep my souvenir of our first summer on all of the time, so I figured that you should be able to, too. If you wanted to."
"Thank you," she whispered and had to blink quick to keep from tearing up. Her fingers slipped through the chain again as she lifted the necklace free from the box. It only took a second to find the clasp at the end of the chain and she could have opened it even quicker, but it felt wrong when she tried. "Help me put it on?" she asked, and her eyes met his for only a second before she realized how interesting her sneakers were.
Both of their hands shook just a little as he took the necklace from her. She turned around and lifted her hair out of the way as he slipped the chain around her neck. She swore that she heard him squeak as he did and her breath caught. She tried not to shiver at the feel of his fingers as they fumbled with the clasp and brushed against the back of her neck.
She tried so hard, but she couldn't help it.
Neither of them complained.
That was six days ago and she hadn't taken it off yet. Gwen smiled to as she touched the charm through her pajama top. It was something she'd caught herself doing so many times since she put it on. She didn't even notice it half the time, she'd just feel the rock under her fingertips while she grinned like an idiot.
It was worth the worry, she had to admit.
Not that she would ever tell Ben that.
Or let it stop her from getting revenge for all of the times she'd torn her room apart looking for the charm. She really wanted to tear his apart, but she couldn't. The room was so clean that if she did she knew he would figure out what she was doing.
She knew she could find the card. It was just a matter of time. Time she didn't have. Not only would Ben be back in any minute, but she needed to find the card tonight. There was a Sumo convention in New York next week and she had a pen-pal who promised that he could get it autographed by the show's creator, but only if Gwen mailed it in time. In time meant Monday. If she was lucky it might even make it back in time for their birthdays.
If she could just find it.
She opened his closet and found most of the mess that had been in his room. He had stuff packed in to the ceiling, and just looking at the cramped space made her let out a panicked little laugh. She was sure that there wasn't enough magic or Plumber stuff in the world to find her if she ever went in there. She closed the door a little harder than she had to and took a deep breath as she tried to build the nerve to open the door again.
"Ben doesn't care about that stuff," she said to herself, and she hoped she was right. No, if she wanted to find the box, she had to think like Ben. Where did he hid stuff when he was home? There wasn't any room in the Rust Bucket. The only real safe place was under their bunks...
Her eyes went to his bed as she hurried over, and she was so sure she'd found it that she grinned.
The grin faded the second she looked. He'd cleaned, but he had missed the dust bunny ranch under his bed. Or what looked like a topographically correct map of Montana when she tilted her head just right. Complete with mountains and forests. If she looked hard enough, she might find some kind of dust bunny people building a dust bunny society under there.
She didn't want to look any closer than she had to.
Fortunately, she didn't need to. The familiar cardboard box was right near the foot of the bed. As always, Ben shoved in everything that mattered to him. Souvenirs from their adventures, his white and yellow belts-
And a little stuffed lion.
She brushed her finger across the lion's back and remembered the little blue bear that was sitting on her bed at home. Then she carefully moved the stuffed animal out of the way so she could keep digging. She finally found the card at the very bottom of the box, and the gold foil shined in the lamp light as she carefully picked it up. She stared at it and let the evil little grin she'd been saving out. Next week she was going to ask to see it, just so he could worry for a while. "Oh, is that the card you were looking for? I'm so sorry, Ben," she practiced to herself. Revenge was going to be so sweet.
She was already imagining the look on his face when he saw the autograph. It wasn't as good a present as the necklace, but it was close.
"Hey!"
Gwen's head shot up when she heard Ben's shout. "I wasn't doing anything, Doofus!" she snapped back even as she dropped the card back in the box and shoved it all back under the bed. It was so not fair. Ben got away with everything. She tries one itty bitty kinda bad thing and she gets caught...
She spun around, her mind already racing for some kind of excuse, but she was alone in the room. The door was still closed.
"Ben?" she asked.
"Ben!" Aunt Sandra's voice echoed back, only she was a lot louder and angrier.
Gwen didn't hear what Ben said next, but she had a feeling that whatever it was got him into more trouble. Which meant he'd be back in just a couple of seconds. She threw herself on to the bed and wiggled back into her spot even as she reached for the blanket and threw it over her legs. Then she sat back on the pillows and looked as innocent as she could.
She watched Aunt Sandra drag Ben in by the arm. "Mom, I didn't - Come on, let go! You're embarrassing me!"
"What did the little Dweeb do now?" Gwen asked. She tried to look as innocent as possible even as her heard pounded in her chest. It didn't work, but it didn't matter. Neither of them were paying any attention to her.
Aunt Sandra glanced over at Gwen for just a moment before she kicked the door closed behind her and knelt to look her son in the eyes. "Now, honey. I know at your age you want to try new things and push your boundaries, but you're not old enough…"
"Mom! Not in front of Gwen!"
Gwen smirked a little and raised her hands as they turned to look at her. "No, please keep going. Just pretend I'm not here."
"Gwen," Aunt Sandra said with a sigh as she shook her head.
Gwen pouted. "Oh, come on… You can make it my birthday present!"
"Gwen," Aunt Sandra repeated as she ran her hand through her short blond hair. She gave Gwen a quick pleading look before she turned her attention back to her son. "Maybe in a few more years, Ben, but for now…"
"Mom..."
"Sandra," she corrected by reflex and Ben's face fell just a little. Gwen still didn't know where Aunt Sandra got the idea from, but she'd thought that her aunt had finally gotten over - "Mom," Aunt Sandra corrected herself before Gwen could even finish the thought and pulled Ben into a hug. "In a few more years, maybe, but for right now, I want you to stay my sweet little angel."
"Mom!" Ben groaned as he shot another glance over at Gwen.
The grin went away when Aunt Sandra nailed her with the squint-eyed mom look. "And what were you doing while Ben was sneaking around, Gwen?"
Gwen froze and squirmed on the bed. She'd fought down the urge to hide under the blanket during the whole horror movie, but now her fingers tightened on the edge of the blanket. "Watching-" she started to say. Aunt Sandra turned before Gwen even finished lying and stared at the TV.
The blank TV.
He'd turned it off. How could she have forgotten?
Aunt Sandra didn't say a word as she got up and walked over to the nightstand. She didn't say a word, but she didn't take her eyes off of Gwen either, except for a moment to glance down at the remote. Gwen heard the party from Times Square come up on the Television, and she felt the Doofus staring at her. She knew he was the one smirking now, and it so wasn't fair. She'd have glared at him if she was brave enough to take her eyes away from Aunt's.
Gwen swallowed hard as the woman bent over and she was so sure she was going to get yelled at. She didn't know how her Aunt knew about the snooping, but she was sure that she did. It had to be some kind of mom superpower.
Then Aunt Sandra whispered, "Don't prank him too bad," right into her ear. Gwen nodded out of shock than anything. Aunt Sandra gave her a smug little grin and a quick kiss on the forehead before she stood back up. "It's almost time. I want you two to enjoy your first New Year and then I want you to go right to bed, all right?" Gwen nodded, but she didn't have to see Ben's face to know that he was rolling his eyes. Aunt Sandy sighed. "Ben?"
"Fine."
"I'll keep an eye on him, Aunt Sandra," Gwen offered with a little smirk at Ben. The smirk got bigger as he glared back.
Aunt Sandra shot her a look that said she couldn't decide whether to smile or sigh. She settled on sighing. She opened her mouth to say something when the music outside picked up a little and someone started calling for her. "Thank you, Gwen." She gave her son another look before she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. "I wish you weren't in such a hurry to grow up."
"MOM!"
With that Aunt Sandra stood and walked out. "Happy New Year."
Gwen managed to wait until her aunt closed the door before she crossed her arms and said, "I told you so," she paused, "angel."
Ben glared at her as he tried to rub his mother's kiss off his cheek. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not beat yet."
"Whatever it is, just give it up. Come on, let's watch the countdown. Don't ruin the night."
"No. We have to do it right," Ben glanced down at the Omnitrix.
"No, Ben."
He ignored her and twisted the dial.
"There are too many people. And someone will notice a blue dinosaur, no matter how fast you move."
"What about..?"
"And vines."
"But..."
"Not even Grey Matter."
"He's too small anyway." Which was so vague that Gwen almost asked. "Fine, I don't need the watch anyway. I have mad ninja skills now, thanks to you."
She pushed herself to the end of the bed so she could grab him. She'd make him sit down if she had to. "You're going to get me in trouble, too!"
Ben didn't even pretend to care. "Be right back." With that he slipped out of the room before she could even get up.
Gwen sighed and waited on the edge of the bed. She didn't bother to root through his stuff, she was sure he would be back before she could even touch the box again.
And she was right.
The door flew open. Gwen expected to see Aunt Sandra dragging Ben back through the door again, but it was just Ben. Only now, he was grinning.
Grinning and holding a single crystal flute in his hands. "Told you I could do it," Ben said. He looked more pleased with himself now than he did even after going hero. He closed the door behind him and carefully walked over to sit down next to her on the bed. "With a couple of minutes to go, too."
Gwen stared at the glass and felt her stomach tighten. No, she stared at the bubbly beige colored liquid that filled the glass almost to the brim. Champagne. He'd gotten champagne. "How?"
Ben's smile faded just a little as he swirled the drink around in the glass. "I saw the bottles on the kitchen counter when Dad called us downstairs to talk to..."
"Grandpa," Gwen finished as they both looked down. This year was their first Christmas ever without Grandpa Max at least stopping by. She remembered just how excited they'd been to see him on the last day of school, and the thrill of opening their presents early, but...
Grandpa could have kept the new magic book he'd given her if it meant she got to see him at Christmas. She missed the running commentary he always made as she unwrapped her presents. And he missed watching her mom and Aunt Sandra spend the day together without fighting once. He called that night, too, and she tried to tell him. Her and Ben both, but she knew that he didn't believe a word of it.
She didn't even know if Grandpa was paying attention. He sounded so distracted at Christmas, and there was something off about his voice today. At first she thought he was catching a cold even though Grandpa never got sick. She was sure that virus' couldn't survive the stuff he ate. She didn't figure it out until she said goodbye.
Grandpa Max sounded old.
She never thought of Grandpa as old. Even when he started complaining about his back he didn't sound old, just sore. But he sounded so tired when he called at Christmas, but she didn't worry much because he promised to be back by New Years. Then he called at dinner and promised to be back for their birthdays. It would have been different if he'd just tell them what was wrong, but he wouldn't. Not even after her and Ben begged. All he said was that everything was fine and that he'd tell them if it wasn't.
And the worst part was that her father and Uncle Carl didn't say a word. It would have been so much easier if they'd said something. Even if they said something mean about Grandpa, because she could get mad at that. And she knew Ben would, too, but they didn't. They just shared a look. She still wanted to be mad - she wanted to yell at them both even though it was just a look - but then her father was hugging her and she just couldn't.
"The bottles were still there. I filled up a couple of glasses and was on my way back when I saw my mom coming. So I hid one glass behind a photo and let her take the other one." There was definite pride in his voice and the smile came back as he added, "Just like Grandpa Max taught us."
Gwen crossed her arms and scowled. It was one of a thousand little tricks Grandpa taught them, but that didn't make it right. "He didn't do it so you could steal drinks."
Ben shrugged. "He didn't say not to, did he? Besides, its traditional, isn't it? And I'm going all out to ring in the Bennenium!"
"Gwennenium," Gwen corrected. She let out an annoyed sniff and would have rolled her eyes if she didn't have them locked on the drink. "And for the last time, the new Millennium doesn't start until next year."
"Not even in your dreams," Ben said as he swirled the liquid around in the glass. "And if it isn't the new millennium, why is everyone going nuts downstairs?"
"For the same reason Grandpa was so happy when he went a million miles in the Rust Bucket. People just wanted to see the numbers roll over. That doesn't mean its the new millennium."
"So they just want to party? Why didn't you just say so? Everyone wants to party." Ben smirked at her. "Well, almost everyone, anyway."
"I party!"
"Yeah, that's why you brought a book tonight."
She had, but only out of habit. She'd forgotten about it until Ben brought it up. "You're just mad because it's not a picture book."
Ben stuck out his tongue. "Well, you go do read then. I'm going to celebrate!" He swished the champagne around in the glass as much as he could without spilling it.
Gwen couldn't take her eyes off of the champagne. There was so much in the glass. Even more than she'd seen her mom and dad drink on their anniversaries. "You're going to drink it all?"
"Yup!"
Gwen hesitated. She couldn't believe that he even wanted to try the stuff. She should just let him. He wasn't going to listen and he'd probably be as funny as all the idiots she'd seen on the Spring Break shows. He'd either be funny or he'd get sick, which would be even better. It would teach him his lesson and he'd get into SO much trouble.
They were way too young to even think about it. She knew it, and she knew that he knew it, too. He was just being stupid. No, he was being worse than that, he was...
"I wanna try some," Gwen said, and her voice was barely a whisper.
Ben snorted and brought the glass up to his lips. "Go get your own then."
She thought about trying the Bambi eyes on him. That trick almost always worked on her father and Grandfather. It worked on almost everyone. Everyone but Ben, anyway. Ben she either had to outsmart or out race. They were the only things that worked. Almost the only thing, but she didn't want to trick him. She watched him watch her even as he tilted the glass back and said the one word she almost never said to him. "Please?"
Ben stopped and for a moment he looked like was going to laugh and drink it all right in front of her. Then he let out a little breath. "Fine. Get your cup."
Gwen made a happy noise as she reached past him and grabbed the closest cup off of the nightstand. It was only after he poured half of the drink in that she realized that it was his. "Eww. I don't want your germs," she said when he tried to hand the cup back. He rolled his eyes, but he didn't say a word as he handed over they crystal. She took it in both hands and sniffed the bubbly liquid inside. It was strong, she thought, but it didn't smell all that bad.
Ben was sniffing his cup, too, but he wasn't trying to drink it again. Instead his eyes went to the television and hers followed. There were just a couple of minutes left. "We drink at midnight, right?" Ben asked.
"I guess," Gwen said. She thought that was how it worked, but she never really thought to ask. What if that's bad luck? "Maybe we're supposed to drink it right after, or..." she started to babble even as she wished she had her laptop so she could check.
Then the floorboards outside the door creaked and it didn't matter.
"Happynewyear!" They said together, the words in a rush. They clinked their glasses together – well, clunked. Plastic cups don't clink very well, and drank. The crystal felt cool on her lips, and Gwen tilted the glass back to take a little sip, just in case. That was the plan, right up until she watched Ben down his half-glass in one quick gulp.
So she did the same thing. She might have liked a sip, but now she felt her whole face scrunch up as tears filled her eyes. The champagne burned in her mouth and all she wanted to do was spit it right back out. If she did, though, she'd never hear the end of it. So she swallowed hard and started coughing as the drink hit her stomach like fire. She waited for Ben to start laughing at her and forced her eyes open just so she could glare at him, but he was coughing, too. His face was bright red, too. The only time she'd ever seen his face redder was the day they'd spent at Monument Valley and he refused to wear sunscreen.
He wiped his eyes with the blanket and forced them open to look at her. "Gross," they said together.
"People drink this for fun?" Ben asked as he started to scrap at his tongue with his t-shirt sleeve.
Gwen followed suit with the sleeve of her pajamas. The cotton tasted a lot better than the Champagne. "Dumb people."
"If you were any redder, you'd look like a lobster."
"I'm not as red as you," Gwen said back. She didn't know if that was true or not, but she sure hoped it was.
"Yeah, right…" Ben said with a snort, which turned into a hiccup. He blushed again and clapped his hand over his mouth.
Gwen wanted to laugh at him. Instead she put her hand on her stomach. The sharp heat from the champagne was dying down into a much more pleasant tingly warmth. She rubbed at her stomach as the heat started to spread out. It was kind of nice, but in no way worth the taste it left behind.
Her eyes went to her other hand, to the empty glass she was still holding.
Her first drink.
And her first out and out broken rule. That thought gave her a little thrill. She glanced at Ben and realized it was all because of him.
Of course.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gwen realized that she was grinning a little and she didn't really know why. "Hey, it's my first New Years Eve. I get to smile if I want."
"Well," Ben muttered. "Not at me."
She shifted a little closer to him and smirked. "I'll smile at wherever I want!"
Ben glared back at her before he shook his head and made a point of turning his back on her. "Spaz." He bit the word out, but he didn't sound angry. Not really. If anything, he looked twitchy.
Gwen's only answer was to move even closer, until her chin was just behind his shoulder, just to drive him nuts. Ben felt it, but instead of just looking over his shoulder at her like a normal person, he spun around.
The smile died on Gwen's face because he ended up a lot closer than she expected.
Way too close.
They were so close that she could feel his breath on her face and it tickled enough to make her shiver. She stared at him and she knew she should move back. She was just about to, but he grinned and she froze -
-as he flicked her on the tip of her nose with his finger.
"What was that for!" Gwen shouted as she threw herself backwards and covered her poor abused nose with her hands.
"Made you blink!" Ben said with a how of laughter that was big enough that he fell back on to the mattress.
"10!" The words came from the television while a dull roar came through the floor from everyone partying downstairs.
Gwen glared at him as he kept giggling and almost started screaming at him. Almost, but that would have only made him laugh more. No, she knew what she needed to do to get him back. It was time for her favorite game. She wondered how deep she could make him blush this time. A hug made him so red. This... If she was lucky, he might actually glow.
He must have seen her smirk, because he stopped laughing as he gave her a crossed look. "Stop it."
"Nine!"
There's another tradition," she said, her voice a teasing sing-song as she rolled over onto all fours and crawled up next to him. Her leg slid up against his arm and pinned the Omnitrix between the two of them.
"Eight!"
He looked more panicked now than he had when he'd thought the Omnitrix was going to blow up. "What? N..no there isn't."
"Seven!"
"Yes, there is!" She watched him squirm. She loved it when he squirmed. She put her hands against the wall on either side of his head and leaned down over him. He leaned back until the pillows stopped him from going any further.
"Six!"
She stopped when their faces were only inches apart. Her body hummed with the heat of the drink as she waited for him to freak.
She could always count on him to freak.
He didn't freak.
"Five!"
Ben stopped squirming and just stared back. The blacks of his eyes had never seemed so big and she couldn't take her eyes off of them. She swallowed hard and licked her lips as her heart pounded in her ears. He was supposed to freak...
"Four!"
Instead he leaned up.
She didn't... It was supposed to be a game, she thought to herself. He was her cousin.
She closed her eyes as she felt his lips press against hers...
Then she felt him start to pull away, but it was too quick. She wanted more. That thought pounded in her head as she leaned down to keep the kiss going. Ben let out a little surprised noise that was almost a moan as he stopped backing away. A moment later she felt his free hand on the back of her neck and he pulled her closer...
The house shook with noise and Gwen jumped away in surprise. It took her forever to realize it was cheering, and that they'd missed their first New Years.
"Beat you. Beat you at your own game," Ben's voice sounded strangled as he sucked in air and stared at her. A blush covered his entire face, but she knew that hers was worse without even looking.
Gwen could only nod. Her lips tingled too much for words. She felt his trapped hand twitch against her leg, but she couldn't move.
Her first...
They stared at each other, frozen.
Gwen couldn't figure out if she was breathing too fast or not at all.
She was just about to make up her mind when she heard footsteps outside in the hall again. Only this time they didn't walk by on the way to the bathroom. They were coming in. She looked down and saw the crystal flute still in her hand. Her fingers were almost white around the stem. Gwen's heart froze. It didn't matter that Ben was the one that had taken it, if anyone saw her holding it she was dead! Deader than dead!
God, she might even be grounded!
And then the glass was gone.
She blinked and saw it in Ben's hand. Well, she caught a glimpse of it as he slipped out from under her arm and leaned over the edge of the bed. He pulled himself back up a second later.
Gwen forced herself to roll over and prayed that whoever it was wouldn't notice her blush. She tried to calm down, but every time she did she looked over at Ben and she felt her face heat up again. Her face heated up and the tingling on her lips got worse. Ben sat down just as Uncle Carl stuck his head in. Gwen turned to him and forced a smile on her face even though she knew it had to be the fakest looking thing in the world.
"We know dad, it's time for bed," Ben said. Anyone else would have thought he was bored out of his mind, but Gwen could hear the edge in his voice. He stood up and went for his pajamas.
"Good," Uncle Carl said as he looked at the two of them. His brow creased and Gwen felt the panic build in her chest. It only went away a little when he shrugged and nodded. "Good night you two. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year," Ben and Gwen said together. Ben's voice cracked a little while her words came out in a panicked rush. Uncle Carl either didn't notice or he was just in a hurry to get back to the party. He turned off the lights and closed the door.
It was dark, but just enough light came through the door that she could see Ben standing in front of the dresser. He was staring at her and not moving as he held his pajamas in his hands. She watched him say something, but he didn't make a sound. Finally she realized that he had to...
He had to...
Gwen felt a babble forming in her throat as she scurried under the covers. She pulled them all the way up to her chin as she turned her back to Ben. She still heard him getting changed even though she tried so hard not to listen. Her hand clutched at the pillow and she would have hidden her head under it, but that would have made things so much worse somehow.
She almost did anyway when she heard another rustle a moment later, until she realized that he was getting into the sleeping bag. After that he didn't make a noise, and neither did she. She just laid there in his bed, curled up on her side with her knees tucked up under her chin. She brushed her hand against her lips and thought that they felt puffy and hot.
Her first...
He was her cousin! What if her friends found out? Or her parents? Or his? They would freak! They wouldn't let her see him again! And it was all because of her stupid game.
It had been her life's dream once, to never have to spend time with him again, but now... Now... "Ben?" She asked before she realized that she had no idea what to say.
And he didn't say a word.
She felt too alert of everything as she laid there. It was quiet enough now that she could hear him breathing. She buried her face in the pillow to block it out until she realized that it smelled like him. He was everywhere, and it was too much, too fast. Her heart pounded so loud in her chest that she was sure that everyone downstairs could hear it.
She was sure that there were going to be outraged screams. That Uncle Carl was going to figure it out and come charging back up with her parents right behind him. The they were storming up the stairs right now to-
She strained to listen for them, but all she heard was the sleeping bag rustling as Ben rolled over and over in it until he finally stood up. She thought that maybe there was too much light in that spot for him to sleep, that he was just going to move the bag to a better spot.
Then she felt the bed behind her move as he climbed in.
She couldn't help the nervous giggle. They'd spent half the day lying in bed together - most of it fighting over the same blanket even though there were two more on the bed - and she never gave it a second thought.
Now it felt weird.
Things never felt weird with Ben before. Annoying, sure. Scary, sometimes, but never weird. Now it did, and it was all her fault.
The bed stopped moving. She could tell just from the sound of his voice that he wasn't looking at her as he said, "I'm not sleeping on the floor. It stinks down there."
It didn't. She knew it didn't.
"Okay," she said. She felt the bed shift again and the champagne burned in her stomach. Then she felt his hand on her back and she almost leapt out of bed. "What're you doing?" she asked, her voice just short of a shriek, as the touch became a shove and he pushed her to the edge of the bed.
"I don't want to catch chicken pox again."
It took a moment for her to realize what he meant, and when she did the tension in her chest broke. "That was six years ago! I don't have chicken pox!"
"Yeah, but who knows what else you've picked up since then?"
"Doofus," Gwen snapped at him and pulled as much of the covers around her as she could, only to have Ben pull them back. They fought until neither had as much as they wanted, but at least they were sure that the other wasn't comfortable either.
It didn't feel weird after that.
Good.
He didn't say another word to her after that. Not even goodnight. She wondered if he regretted the kiss.
She wondered if she did.
She didn't know what she'd been thinking. It must have been the champagne. She could still feel the heat of it in her stomach. There wasn't any way that she was ever drinking another one glass.
He was Ben, for God's sake. The pinnacle of grossness.
That stupid drink.
Gwen laid there with her back to him and brushed her finger against her lips again. They felt weird under her fingertips and it took her a long moment to realize she was grinning. She'd never touched her own grin before.
Her first kiss.
She wanted to giggle or shout, but she didn't make a sound. She just laid there and ran the words through her head again and again, and they sounded better each time. She felt like she was buzzing, or calling up magic, and she knew that there wasn't any way that she'd ever fall asleep. Not tonight, and maybe not ever again.
And she didn't. She was still wide awake when Ben started snoring behind her. She couldn't help listening to the soft wheezing sound he made and a part of her remembered how annoying it used to be. She listened to it now and she couldn't remember why. She barely noticed it as her breathing fell into the same rhythm and she drifted off to sleep.
She remembered why she hated his snoring about an hour later when it woke her up. There was a world of difference between him snoring a couple of feet away and his snoring right in her ear. She woke up and tried to move away, but she couldn't. For some reason they had both moved towards the middle of the bed while they were asleep and now he was sleeping pressed up against her back with his left arm wrapped around her waist.
"Ben," she whispered as she tried to pull away. She barely moved before his grip around her middle tightened and the Omnitrix dug into her stomach. She stopped moving and he relaxed. "Ben! You're snoring!"
"Sorry," he mumbled as he moved his head a little. A second later he was asleep again and his breath tickled the back of her neck, but he at least he wasn't snoring.
But he hadn't moved.
She knew she should move, or hit him until he did. If their parents found them like this they would never hear the end of it.
She should, but he felt so warm behind her. He was so warm and she was too comfy and too tired to worry about anything.
He'd kissed her, she thought one last time with a smile as she snuggled a little closer to him and took his hand in hers. She didn't wake up again for the rest of the night.