Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was a little busy with something called life. Then I was also trying to work on the other 1 or 2 chapters. Anyways here you go, enjoy.
T T T…-thoughts"T T T…"-Bible verse
Ch. 3: Sunday
Azmuth Building…
Rest of the day had been pretty easy for the Tennyson cousins. No one trying destroy the city or the planet, and crimes as serious as small robberies were handled by local authorities. Ben 10,000 and Gwendolyn had returned home ready to rest.
"So, what do you want for dinner tonight?" Gwendolyn asked as she and Ben entered their home.
"Don't know. What do you what do you have in mind?" Ben asked while head for the couch and sat down.
"Hm. I seasoned some green vicetopus tentacles just the other day", said Gwendolyn walking to the couch.
"In that case, do you need any help?" The question surprised Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn was the cook of the home. Often times, she would be the one making dinner while Ben worked the late nights patrolling or fighting crime. By the time came home, she was already in bed and his dinner would be left out.
"I don't know. Usually, when it comes to dinner, I like to…"
"Hey, it's alright, I don't mind," he said as he kissed her on cheek. His action caused his cousin to blush. "Let's see what we can make." Ben got up and headed to the kitchen. He opened the cabinets to see what was there to make. "We can cook up some quinoa. And I think we have some frozen organic Vaxasaurian cycad in the freezer."
"That's something. Ok, I'll get started on the tentacles and quinoa," said Gwendolyn getting out the an oven pan and a couple of pots.
"How about I cook the quinoa. I know a special recipe for it." Gwendolyn thought to herself, not sure what to think about Ben cooking. Ben knows a recipe? Not sure if was a good thing or bad. He looks confident enough, so I guess I can give him a shot. The woman agreed to let the man prepare the quinoa.
The two began to prepare dinner. Gwendolyn was taking care of the vicetopus and cycad while Ben began working on the quinoa. Ben took out a pot and placed it on the stove. Gwendolyn watched as he cut the green onions and tomatoes, fried them in melted butter, and prepared everything else for it. He actually knew what he was doing.
"I didn't know you could cook", said Gwendolyn as she she continued watch her cousin prepare to make the quinoa.
"I can cook. It's just that I don't do it often. 'Sides, I'm probably not as good as you." Ben proceeded to pour water and salt into the pot and waited for it to boil. Gwendolyn asked her cousin, "When did you learn to do so?"
"When I was a teenager. I mean, I wasn't going to live with Mom forever, I needed to learn to cook for myself and some other things. So I took a cooking class along with a couple of other classes the during the summer at the rec center by our high school. They started doing one of those summer programs for kids and teens out of school."
She remembered that year quite well. It was six months prior to moving out of his family home and into his own apartment near Friedkin University. "Oh yeah. Kevin would tease you about it, too."
"The ironic thing is, when he wanted to make a Valentines Day dinner for you, he ended up asking me to help teach him how to cook. He actually took same the class I had." Ben sighed as he remembered his brotherly relationship with Kevin. "As good as the class was. They didn't teach you anything about making alien dishes. That I learned from Grandpa Max."
Plumber HQ, 13 years ago…
Max was in his private quarters cooking an alien dish. A 17-year-old, scrawny teenage boy entered the kitchen and greets the magister. "Hey, Grandpa Max."
"Benjamin, just in time. Dinner's almost ready", Max announced as he stirred the pot of a neon blue soup with various alien meat and produce scattered around the kitchen counter.
Ben's felt a chill go down his spine. Normally, dinner was something to look forward to, except if Maxwell Tennyson was the one making it. Often times, his food consisted of insects and animal meats you would never think about eating, or alien foods. On a few occasions, his food have actually tried to kill him.
"Tell me it's not another alien dish", Ben groaned as he saw the alien ingredients in the kitchen.
"Come on, Ben. You two never tried this or any other alien cuisines I make. If your going to be a Plumber, you might want to learn to eat the foods the natives eat. Never know when you will be shipped off world and for God knows for how long. It could be the only thing available to eat."
"Yeah. Wait, did you say 'you two'?"
"Didn't I tell you? Gwendolyn is coming over."
Ben's face lightened up for he was always glad to see his favorite cousin. Maybe this dinner won't be so bad. Ben heard a knock at the door.
"Well, speak of the devil. Benjamin, can you get that for me please? Thanks son."
Ben hurried over to the door. The door slid open revealing 17-year-old Gwen Tennyson .
"Gwendolyn!" Ben hugged his twin cousin. Gwen hugged the boy back.
"Ben! How are you, cuz?"
"Tennyson", a boy a year older than the cousins with long, black hair, a x-scar on his chin, and a necklace with 11 carved into the pendent called Ben's last name.
"Kevin, what's up?"
"Nothing new, bro," Kevin greet the smaller boy with a head lock and a nuggie. Ben laughed at the brotherly greeting.
"So, what's Grandpa Max cooking?" asked Gwen.
"Some alien dish, as usual", Ben answered. Gwen cringed at the thought of Max making another wierd dish.
"Come you three. Dinner is ready."
"Sweet!" Kevin shouted in excitement. Ben and Gwen looked the teen as if he was crazy. Kevin looked back at the cousins confused at his excitement for Max's meal. "What?"
"Since when do you eat alien food?" Gwen asked.
"Uh, hello. Deals in the galactic trade and sometimes black market. Traded on other planets since I was twelve. A lot of them taste better than they look or smell?"
Ben looked at the food. A neon green soup with various extraterrestrial meat, bone, and vegetables. On the side of his bowl was a slice of French bread, the only human looking thing on the table. Ben look at Max and Kevin eating like nothing was wrong. The only other person who wasn't eating was Gwen. Gwen continually stirred her otherworldly soup unsure if to taste it or not.
Max saw that his grandchildren were not eating, but rather looking at their meal. Max was not surprised. He admitted that he had a questionable taste in food. He tries to encourage his grandchildren to try the new cuisine. "Come on, try it. It taste better than it looks. Promise."
"Yeah. It tastes pretty sweet?" Kevin agreed with the magister as he ate.
Ben became suspicious at Kevin's attempt to encourage him to eat the foreign dish. "How do I know your not lying and is just trying to trick me?"
"Because I'd be pranking Gwendolyn as well. Didn't think about that did you?"
He had a point. Gwen was not the type of person you would want to prank, he and Ben learned that the hard way last time. Ben and Gwen each took a spoon of the blue soup. They looked at their meal, then at each other. Ben volunteered to take the first bite, "I'll go first." Ben gulped as look at the strange meat in his spoon and said, "Down the hatch."
Ben closes his eyes, then puts the spoon in his mouth and swallowed it. Gwen follows her cousin's lead. Max and Kevin watched the cousins tasted the soup and waited for a reaction. Both cousins wince as the food went down their throats. Their eyes opened wide and froze.
"Ben, Gwendolyn? Are you guys okay?" Kevin asked his brother figure and and girlfriend. He wondered if whatever was in the soup did something to them.
"This…is…great!" Ben started eating his soup like he would be eating his chili fries or meatball subs. "I can't believe I never really tried this."
"Yeah, it's pretty good, Grandpa", Gwen said before she started eating the soup.
Max was surprised at their reactions, especially his grandson's. Despite this, he was glad. For years, he had been trying to get his grandchildren to eat his food like he would do with his sons. It seems he was more successful with them than their fathers. The four continued to the alien soup in peace.
Moments later, the four were finished. Ben had already gone through two bowls of soup. Max got up and headed to the kitchen and asked his teenage guests, "Whose up for dessert?"
"Is it an alien one?" Ben asked rubbing his soup filled stomach.
"Nah, chocolate cake. A normal chocolate cake."
"Sure, I'm up for a slice or two" said Gwen.
"I'll clear the table for you", Ben offered as he stood up.
"Thanks, Ben."
Ben picked up the empty bowls, plates, and silverware from the table. Then he followed his grandfather into the kitchen. Max put the dishes into the sink, then went to his fridge to get out the cake.
"Ben, can you get the smaller plates from the cabinet and the silverware and cake cutter from the draw?"
Ben got the utensils and plates from the draw. "Hey, Grandpa. Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"About the soup…"
"I know you like it, Ben."
"Enough to learn how to make it?"
Max paused for second before looking back at him. The elderly man was wondering if he hear him right.
"You want to how make the soup?"
"I was thinking about you telling to trying more alien things. I wasn't too into it at first, but after that, I guess it wouldn't be so bad as to learn about cooking more alien dishes."
That was the last thing he expected to hear from his grandson's mouth. Maybe more from Gwen since she a little more otherworldly, but not from Ben. Not only Ben now is more open to trying his food, now he wants to learn how to make it. Hearing those words come from his mouth made him happy. The only thing that would make it better is if Gwendolyn asked to learn as well.
"Alright. How about you come back tomorrow night? I mean, if you don't have anything planned for that night."
"I'll be there, Grandpa."
Flashback End…
Max had taught his grandchildren to prepare various otherworldly foods. Since then, Ben and Gwendolyn had come to love and appreciate alien cooking. Ben even started eating his mother's vegan meals.
"Alright. Dinner should be ready in about 45 minutes. I'm hitting the shower. Sweating like a pig." Gwendolyn went to the bathroom in her room to shower. Ben layed back on his recliner and turned on the television to log into his Netflix account .
Gwendolyn walks into the great room dressed in a royal blue nightgown with a leaf and vine black pattern. She sees Ben searching through Netflix for various shows and movies.
Ben looks at the woman and asked, "So what movie do you want to watch? Until Dawn, White House Down, Lion King…"
Ben continued to search through the movies until something caught Gwendolyn's eye. "How about Predator: Extinction. I heard it was pretty good."
"Alright. Predator: Extinction it is" Ben clicks the remote and the movie begins to play. Gwendolyn lays down on the couch.
About 30 minutes into the movie, Gwendolyn checks the time. "Dinner's ready."
"Great." Ben pauses the movie, then follows his cousin into the kitchen. Gwendolyn is already setting a plate of quinoa, green vicetopus tentacles, and Vaxasaurian cycad. Gwendolyn passes the man a plate.
"Thanks, Gwendolyn."
"No problem."
Ben walks over to the pantry and gets out a bottle of pink moscato and two glasses from one of the cabinets.
"Want some Gwendolyn?"
"Yes, please."
Ben chuckles then pours the moscato into the glasses. He passes one of the drinks to Gwendolyn just as she was done setting her plate. The two went back to the great room to finish the rest of the movie undisturbed. After nearly two hours, the movie had ended.
"Well, what do you think of the movie so far?" asked Ben as he got up to stretch.
"Pretty good. Now we can wait for the next one to come out."
"Next one?"
"Oh yeah, they showed the trailer for it at the movie festival a couple of weeks. Heard it's gonna be great."
"Got any plans for tomorrow?" Ben asked.
"Sometimes I go to church on Sunday mornings. I do plan on going this week. After that, I got to do some grocery shopping and clean the house a little. Lucy is coming in tomorrow."
"Cousin Lucy? I forgot she was coming tomorrow. "What time does Lucy come in?"
"I think around 7 at night. Maybe a little later because she needs to check in with Grandpa Max at HQ."
Ben hadn't seen Lucy for a few years. He started reminiscing the fun he used to have with her. "Remember the pranks we used to pull on you when we were kids?"
Gwendolyn twitched an eye remembering the past pranks usually involving her shapeshifting. "Yeah. Good times", she said in what sounds like a half growl.
"I'll put the food away" Ben said to Gwendolyn as walked into the kitchen.
"Ben…"
"Don't worry about it", Ben said with a smile. "Besides, I might come to Church with you tomorrow. Can't remember the last time I went. Heck, maybe I can go through a whole sermon this time."
Gwendolyn stood as she watched Ben shifting things in fridge to make space for the left overs. Gwendolyn shrugs and begins to wash the dishes in the sink.
Next Morning…
Ben is checking himself in the mirror in the hallway fixing his black tie before putting on a green vest then checks over his black pants and shoes. Gwendolyn comes out of her room while putting on her earrings. She had on a light blue dress with pinkish stripes on the sides and carried a black purse. Ben looks at the woman and says to the woman, "Don't you look beautiful today."
"I'm supposed to. It's church."
"But still…" Ben came up to her and smiles at the woman. "Let's get going. Other wise we'll miss the train." The Tennyson cousins walked out to the elevators.
After a half a block of walking from the subway, Ben and Gwendolyn soon arrive at the Catholic Church. As the pair got closer, people started to stare and talk. An African American man greeting guest at the entrance spots the duo walking over. "Gwendolyn. Good it is to see you."
"Nice to see you, too, Michael. How have you been?"
"God is good my dear. God is good." The greeter looks at Ben. He shakes his hand smiling. "And Benjamin, didn't expect to see a man like you here. It's been a while. "
"I know. Honestly, it's nice to be here." Ben looks at the crowd of people talking and looking at them. "What's with them?"
"Uh, hellllooo. The 'Heroes of Heroes' coming to church like any other mortal man. It's bound to generate a lot of talk", said Gwendolyn.
"Don't be a dweeb, Gwen", Ben said playfully. He hadn't called her that in years.
"That's Gwendolyn to you." Gwendolyn poked the man in the chest. Ben laughed at his cousin.
"Careful, you two. Someone might think there's something going on between you two. Is there something going on between you?" Micheal points out.
Both cousins immediately stopped their teasing. Their faces blushed as they stumbled on their words trying to deny Michael's comment. The cousins looked at the greeter smirking at their reaction. Knowing they have been beaten, they decided to continue their way into the church to find a seat.
An Afro-Latino man came up the podium and opened the Bible. He began, "Buenos mañana everyone, how are you all on this blessed Sunday?"
The crowd answers back in a waves of joy. "Today, we shall talk about amor y matrimonio or love and marriage. Before we begin, let's ask our selves: what is love? Well, that is a good question. Love comes in many forms. We have love for our God and Savior, love our families, love for ourselves, for our neighbors, for our significant other, just to name a few.
Ben looks at Gwendolyn listening to the priest's words. The priest continues his sermon. "Love is patient, kind, gentle. It is not jealous of anyone or anything, it is not possessive. An certainly it does not know evil. The next question is what does it mean to love and be loved? Is love a feeling we get when we have companions? When God was finished creating the Earth, he said to Adam, "Man should not be alone." Every animal, big an small had a companion, had a match. Except for Adam. When God could not find a suitable match for him, he took one of Adam's ribs while he slept and from that rib he created another human being and called her woman for she came from man. And that woman was named…"
The crowd roar's the name of the mother of the human race, "Eve."
"Eve was her name. At that moment Adam and Eve fell in love with each other. When the serpent deceived the young man and woman into eating the forbidden fruit, Adam chose Eve over God. And even after banishment, he stayed with her, loved her, and had children with her. He gave up everything. He could of stayed in Eden and lived a perfect immortal life and let the woman suffer her mistakes, but his love for her was too great. To love someone means to you are willing to do anything, sacrifice anything for that person. He sacrificed Paradise for his wife. To love someone is to love another as if they were ourselves. Now, love between two people is a beautiful thing. Today we have people marrying and divorcing for the most ridiculous reasons. Often times, those reasons are selfish reasons, reasons to please one self and not about the other. In Ephesians 5:25-29, the Bible states, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church." We must treat our mates as if they were ourselves. Did you know in many abuse cases, the abusers mistreats other because they don't love themselves? Because of this, they take out there anger, sorrows, frustrations on others. Well, how can you love someone if you can't even love yourself? This passage talks about loving your significant other as if they were you, as if they were your own flesh; treat them well. It does not matter what kind of relationship you have with your lover. Whether it be straight relationship or a gay or lesbian one. Gay and Lesbian, you say? Before we get into that detail, yes I support it. It's weird, but I support it, because in my opinion, it doesn't matter. I believe the only thing that matters is the for love God and each other. We focus to much on sexuality and marriage norms that we forget the most important thing: love for one another."
Ben smiles at the sermon the priest is giving the crowd. His words rang true. He looks back to Gwendolyn with her Bible open on her lap, listening to the priest's words. Ben brings his focus back to the man. Halfway through the service, Ben's cellphone starts to ring. He looks at the caller ID. A picture of Lucy from five years ago. Ben looks at Gwendolyn and whispers, "I gotta take this."
Gwendolyn nodded. Ben gets up from his seat and heads towards the hall. Once out of the main lobby, Ben answers his phone. "Hey, Lucy. What's up?"
"Ben? Is that you?" Lucy asked unsure if it was her too serious cousin.
"Who else?"
"Nah. It can't be you. You sound too…happy."
"Had a bit of an attitude adjustment. Enough about me, how are you?"
There was a pause in the other line as if the response and tone of voice didn't match the man's personality. "I'm great."
"You tone of voice says other wise."
"It's just that, the last time I spoke to you, you sounded different from now."
"Like I said, attitude adjustment."
" Okay. Hey, I have an special announcement to make when I arrive on Earth."
"What kind of announcement?"
"It's a surprise. Can you tell Gwendolyn when you see her? I've been trying calling her, but she wasn't answering her phone. I'm guess she's in church and she has her phone on vibrate. Do you know if she is in church?"
"She is. As a matter in fact, I'm in church with Gwendolyn."
"Wait, you…in Church."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, it's such a surprise."
"Didn't think that you had…"
"Time for church when I'm constantly looking for bad guys to catch. I've been getting that 'didn't think you had time for' crap since yesterday. Any ways, I know you'll be coming to Earth tonight. What time are you will you arrive?"
"My ship comes at 7 o' clock, but I have to stop by Terra HQ to check in with Max. Can you pass along the announcement message to Gwendolyn, please?"
"No prob. See you tonight."
"See you."
Ben ends the conversation. He walks back into the sanctuary and takes his seat. Ben and Gwendolyn looked at each other and smiled. They spent the rest of service listening to the sermon.
Azmuth Building, One hour later…
The pair arrived home from church carrying bags of groceries. Gwendolyn begins to take off her earrings and says to Ben, "I'm going get undressed and then I'll start with the kitchen. After that, I'll see if I can get started with dinner."
"What is it you plan to make?"
"It's a Lenopan dish. Can't say it's name though."
"You know where Lucy's staying?"
"You said she could sleep with us in one of our spare rooms. I don't know if your going to pick her up or if she has a ride."
"Actually, I was going to just teleport her here. She asked if we can meet at HQ. Oh, by the way, Lucy said she has an announcement to make when she arrives." Ben said as he started undoing his vest and tie and headed to his room.
"What kind of announcement?"
"She said it was special. That's about as much I know." Ben came back out in wearing his house clothes. "I'll get started on the great room."
The Tennyson cousins spent the day cleaning the house. As Ben wiped down the tables and mirrors, he thought back to today's sermon. To love someone means to you are willing to do anything, sacrifice anything for that person. Yes, he always loved Gwendolyn, but she was his cousin, family, he was supposed to love her. He would lay down his life for her. He thinks back to the incident that happened five years ago and how he has changed. He begins to think about his relationship with his friends and family during that time. Notably, her. On occasions, when Gwendolyn was given assignments with high mortality rates, Ben would insist that he goes with her or volunteer to her place. There were times when he would ask his grandfather to give him the more dangerous missions. Half the time, Max would deny this and try to get him to relax. It often works.
The phone rang snapping Ben out of his thoughts. Gwendolyn picked up the phone and answered. "Hello? Lucy! I'm fine. Ben's with me. Yeah, he told me. Really? It's not another animal you brought from your home world, is it? What could I have possibly done to make it hate me? It tried to bite the moment we met. You promise? Yeah, we'll meet you there. See you."
Gwendolyn hung up. She could hear Ben laughing in the great room. Gwendolyn came into the great room looking at Ben unamused. Ben stopped laughing he looked at his cousin. "So…how is she doing?" He asked as he tries to give her an awkward smile.
"She's fine. She says she's not too far from Earth. They just entered our solar system." Gwendolyn looks at the clock. "Right now, it's 5 o' clock. I'll finish up with dinner. Then I'll get ready."
"I done here. I'll go get ready", Ben told the woman. Gwen went back to making dinner for the three of them.
Plumber HQ…
Ben and Gwendolyn teleported into the base. They were met with two gray skinned frog-like aliens. One short, pudgy, and in a Plumbers uniform and the other tall, skinny, and dressed like a mechanic.
"Hey, Ben. Hello, Gwendolyn", greeter the shorter of the two.
"Driba, Bulkic. You two know where Grandpa Max is?" asked Ben.
"Probably in his quarters. He's got a couple of visitors", said the taller of the pair.
"Visitors? As in more than one?", asked Ben. The cousins knew it was only Lucy coming.
"Bulkic, you weren't supposed to tell these two", Driba scolded the taller one.
"About what?"
"The surprise, Bulkic."
"Which surprise? The ring or the…"
"Shut up, Bulkic! You spoiling it!" The shorter Galvan finally had it with the dumb genius friend's slip up.
"Okay, okay, never mind. Forget we asked." He and Gwendolyn walked away as the the Galvans continued to bicker.
The Tennyson cousins reach the door of the magister's living quarters. Gwendolyn knocked on the door of their grandfather's private quarters. The doors slid opened with an elderly man at the door.
"Grandpa Max!" Ben and Gwendolyn happily greeted in unison.
"Ben. Pumpkin", the magister greeted his grandchildren the door.
"Gwendolyn!" A blonde hair woman with purple eyes wears blue jeans and a pink shirt with a black star, black jacket and fingerless gloves ran up to the woman hugged her.
"Lucy! Long time, no see!"
"Cousin Lucy!" Ben greeted and hugged his alien cousin.
"Cousin Ben! You're…uh…"
"What?"
Lucy searched for the right words to describe his past behavior. She hadn't expected him to show affection. "Not so…bitter."
Ben raised his hands and put his head down as he chuckled. "Okay, I can handle the truth. Yes, I was bitter, but I'm a changed man, for the better." Ben hugs and kisses the woman on check. A man about his age with brown hair and goatee enters the living room and joins the four. Ben asks Lucy, "Who's this?"
Lucy introduced the man to Tennyson cousins, "Cousin Ben, cousin Gwendolyn. I would like you to meet Daniel Fennec."
"Ben 10,000, it's an honor to me you," the man said with a slight Scottish accent. He shakes Ben's hand and kisses Gwendolyn's hand. "You must be a lucky a woman."
Gwendolyn gave the man a confused looked. Why did he say I was lucky? "Why do you the think so?"
"Your Benjamin's wife, are you? To be married to a man like him…"
"Whoa…wife?" Gwendolyn blushes at the man's some what complement. "Hold on there…"
"We are not married," Ben quickly denied.
"Daniel, these are my cousins I was telling you about."
"But Lucy told me you two were married each other."
"YOU WHAT?!" Shouted in unison as they glared at Lucy.
Lucy sighed at the man and explained, "I was joking. I was telling him about when we were younger and how you well you two used to work together. I said sometimes you guys acted like a married couple." Ben and Gwendolyn unwound as Lucy cleared up the whole misunderstanding. "Speaking of marriage, guess who's getting married?" Lucy took out her right hand. On her ring finger, was beautiful silver ring with amethyst gemstones. The pair looked at the ring in awe. Ben and Gwendolyn remembers Bulkic's words as they put two and two together. Which surprise? The ring or the…
Max walked in between his grandchildren and placed his hands on each of theirs shoulders. "Benjamin, Gwendolyn, meet you new second cousin-in-law."
Ben and Gwendolyn looked at each other not sure what to think. Daniel and Lenopan woman happily Eskimo kiss. Gwendolyn was first of the pair to say, "Congratulations."
"So, when is the wedding?" Ben asked rubbing the back of his head.
"Seven months", Daniel answered.
Lucy slide next to her fiancée and hugged his arm. "The reason why I came to Earth was to check out venues to hold our wedding ceremony. Isn't that right babe?"
"That's right, my pretty Sludgepuppy," Daniel agreed. The Lenopan and the human share a deep passionate kiss. Ben and Gwendolyn looked at the couple awkwardly.
Azmuth Building…
After spending an hour at Plumbers HQ, four finally arrived at the top floor of the Azmuth Building.
Daniel whistle as he saw the cousins' home. He looks at the balcony overlooking the city. Daniel complemented, "Nice place you have here."
"Thanks", said Ben.
"I'll set up the table", Gwendolyn said.
"Let me help, Gwendolyn. Four hands are better than two", Lucy said as she shapeshifted into a tetramand. Lucy followed her second cousin into the kitchen leaving the males alone.
"I guess I'll show you to the spare room," Ben said picking up Lucy's bags. He then leads Daniel to the spare room they have.
As they walk through the hall, Daniel sees various pictures of Ben and Gwendolyn at different ages. He one picture that catches his eye was a picture of 10-year-old Ben and Gwendolyn with Max at Mount Rushmore. Just as Ben opens the door to the spare room Daniel asks the hero, "Is this you and Gwendolyn."
Ben looks back at the framed picture. He smiles at the memory of him, Gwendolyn, and Max visiting Mount Rushmore for the first time. "Yep. That was our first summer road trip with Grandpa Max. The summer I obtained the first omnitrix. That was a wild summer." Amazing what twenty years can do to man. Ben and Daniel enter the spare room and settle the luggage inside.
At the dinner table, Gwendolyn and Lucy had just finished setting out the meal Gwendolyn had prepared earlier. The men came into the dining room and took a seat. Daniel looked at the table of different spread of Lenopan and Terran foods set on the table. One of the dishes that interested him was a pan of dark purple spotted slugs over a bed of grass. "What is this?"
"Roasted geophagoslugs on sawgrass. A Lenopan delicacy", said Gwendolyn as she took a seat next to Ben as Lucy took a seat next to Daniel. The group started filling their plates with food.
Ben looked at the couple talking about their wedding. "Well Lucy, you and Daniel are certainly happy together. How does your family feel about this? Considering the fact that you would be the second person in your family to marry a human being."
Lucy took a second to think back to her family's reaction to Daniel's proposal. "At first, they were…how can I put it…not thrilled." Ben was not surprised. Even though his and Gwendolyn's second cousin, Joel, married the Lenopan, Camille, and Lucy became the first Lenopan Plumber, many Lenopans still felt that humans are inferior to other alien species and see them as more of wild animals needed to be "tamed". Lucy continued, "But after getting to know him and learn a little about human culture, they've started to accept him into the family, just a little. Though, they don't completely approve of our relationship. My parents are still trying to hook me up with other Lenopan males, but I'm sticking with Dani. I just hope that our wedding won't turn like Joel and cousin Camille's."
The Tennyson cousins gave a small smile to the couple. Even though Lucy got on Gwendolyn's nerve in the past, she was happy that she found her significant other. "And what about you Daniel? How you does your family feel?" asked Gwendolyn.
"Well, when they first met her, they were skeptical especially my mother. I mean thinking about. Your child is dating a person whose not even human. It's a new, but strange thing to them. We were always taught that all creatures pair with their own kind. Lion goes with lion, sheep with sheep, human with human, so this a new, strange thing. A little bit out of our comfort. 'Side, they always though if anyone was going to marry an alien, it'd be my little brother, Thomas. He was the most supportive. He was always into the not so average world. He's a work for National Geographic as xenosociogical journalist. He travels to different planets writing articles about the different alien cultures. He also wants to become an xenanthropologist later on. He loves anything exotic. Custom, objects, and people , especially women."
"When we first met, we really hit it off. He wanted to learn everything about the universe and all it's different alien cultures and sciences. He would always ask questions about my people. I never met a human who was so interested in our species. He's like the little brother to me. Reminds of my older brother when he was young. So curious about everything, sharing ideas and coming up with theories. Hopefully, they will get along when wedding day comes", said Lucy.
Daniel looks back at the Tennyson cousins and asks. "Well, what about you two?"
"Huh?" Ben asked as he and Gwendolyn gave a confused look. It was their turn to tell them about their relationship.
"How did you two end up together?" Daniel clarified the question.
"We told you we're not married", Ben said.
"No, I mean as a team."
"Well, as you know, when I first found the omnitrix, we were 10. School was out for the summer and it was going to be our first cross country road trip. Well, originally it was supposed to be just me and Grandpa Max. Gwendolyn had other plans, but her parents thought it would be better for her and I to spend time together and learn to get along. Sure did work, just not the way anyone excepted", Ben explained.
"Wait, wasn't Max a magister?"asked Daniel.
"Not yet. He was retired at the time. Ben finding the omnitrix was the reason why he came out of retirement. In fact, the omnitrix was originally sent to Max, but since we're his grandkids, the pod that carrying it landed near Ben", Gwendolyn said before continuing to eat.
"Must had been a lucky lad? Against all odds, the omnitrix could of landed anywhere, anyone could of obtained it, but it was you."
"Luck had nothing to do with it. A old friend of my grandfather's was transporting the omnitrix to Earth to give it to him. Unfortunately, Vilgax got wind of the news and attacked her ship. She sent the omnitrix to Earth in a last ditch effort to send it Max", said Ben.
"How was she so sure Max would receive the omnitrix?" asked Lucy.
"Part of it was the transport pod. The pod had a DNA tracker in it. Since my grandfather's DNA placed into the tracker, it used the data to track him. According to her, once the pod was close enough, it detected my grandfather's DNA in me. In turn, the pod landed near me. The omnitrix had a DNA tracker of it's own. It would attach itself to any life form with that specific DNA signature."
"So wait. If it had Max DNA signature, why did it land near you?" Daniel was intrigued by Ben's back story.
"Remember, I'm Max's grandson, so I have part of his DNA. Because my DNA was a close enough match, the omnitrix mistook me for him and ended up attaching itself to my wrist. Only Max and people directly related to him signature could wield the omnitrix."
"But, Gwendolyn is Max's granddaughter. So, you or Gwendolyn could have obtained the omnitrix" asked Lucy.
"True. So could my brother, his kids, my uncle, my father, and of his descendants", said Gwendolyn.
"Well, I be damned", was all Daniel could say. He tried to soak in every bit of information the Tennyson cousins told them. Ben thinks this is the first time he told anyone outside his immediate family.
"Yeah. Because of that, we had one hell of a summer. When aliens and villains attacked, or the world needed saving, we had each other's back no matter what. Of course we had some help from our many allies. Since then we became each other's favorite cousin", Gwendolyn said looking at Ben.
"Greatest alien fighting duo in the universe, baby!" Ben shouted as he drew Gwendolyn closer to him. Gwendolyn laughed at her cousin's cheerful behavior.
"After hearing all the stories of your heroism, the universe couldn't be in much better hands. Anyone would expect your children to do the same", said Daniel.
Ben and Gwendolyn faces blushed at Daniel's comment. "Children?!" Both shouted in unison.
"Have you two ever considered having kids?"
"Well, uh no. Between the Plumbers and saving the world/universe from certain doom, we haven't given it any thought." Now that the idea came up, Ben started to wonder if he would want kids.
"Imagine them having a baby together. Oohh, it would so cute", said Lucy as she and her fiancée laughed. Ben and Gwendolyn started to laughed along awkwardly at the idea of them having a baby.
Later Night, After Dinner…
Dinner had gone well for the four. Daniel liked the Lenopan cuisine Gwendolyn had made and Daniel and Lucy shared the story of how they met.
Everyone was in bed and asleep, except for Ben. He couldn't stop thinking about it. Seeing Lucy and Daniel happy together made him wake up to a sudden realization. Almost everyone he knew, all his friends and family members were already married and had families of their own. Even his second cousin Clyde, manage to married a gorgeous woman and has two kids. The only person he knew that was not living such a life was Gwendolyn and possibly Kevin E. Levin.
Ben always wanted to settle down some day. One of his goals in life was to have a wife and a family of his own. He doesn't know why. Something about it felt right. Was it his instinctual programming telling my him he needed to find a mate and breed? No, there was something else, something more to it.
Unable to sleep, Ben got up and went to the kitchen. He opens the cabinet and grabs a cup of water. Just as Ben closes the cabinet door, he finds Gwendolyn in her night gown leaning on the door way. "Can't sleep?" she asked.
"Yeah, but it's nothing really." Ben knew he was lying to himself.
Gwendolyn examined her cousin's face. He tried to hide his face the best he could. He didn't want Gwendolyn to worry about him. His behavior did the opposite. She knew this kind of behavior meant something was bothering him. She places a hand on his shoulder and asks, "What's wrong, Ben?"
Ben turned his head to his female cousin and gave a small smile."Nothing Gwendolyn. Just having trouble sleeping, honest."
Gwendolyn looks at his face further examining it. She sees one of his eyes twitching. She says to him, "Your eye says another."
Ben sighs and drops his façade. Gwendolyn was right, there was something eating him up inside."Gwendolyn. Have you ever thought about the future? Your future?"
"Like?"
"Like, where do we see yourself in who knows how long? Do you see yourself getting married, having kids? Y'know, settling down."
"I have, but I just didn't find the right person to do it with. Why do you ask?" Ben looks away again. Now Gwendolyn was really worried. "Does this have to do with dinner earlier?"
"I just got me thinking. I'm 30 years old, everyone I know have a spouse, a kid of their own. It's just…"
"I bet your time will come. Maybe your situation is just like mine, you just need to find the right person. Look at me. I'm the same age and I haven't settled down just yet."
"You had Kevin."
"Yeah, but it turns out, he wasn't that person. We were good at first, but we started to see things differently, had different goals. And then, we had a falling out. Is it that the same reason with you and Julie? What about Kai? Or Ester?" Ben thought back to his previous relationships. They were good at first, but things started to change. Gwendolyn decided to steer the conversation in a different direction, one not focused on them. "You know, Ken and Roxanne are going to have another baby."
Ben looked up at Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn smiled at her cousin. "You heard me right. Ken and Roxy are going to another kid and lil' Shannon is going to have a sibling."
Ben looked at Gwendolyn and smiled. "That's great. Good for them. Does anyone else know?"
"Not at the moment. I was the first one they told. They wanted to tell both of us, but you were with Shannon and they didn't want to disrupt yours and Shannon's bonding time. Plus the fact that girl doesn't know she's going to have a brother or sister. Yet."
Ben and Gwendolyn shared a laughed. The cousins stared at each other in their matching emerald green eyes as if in some kind of trance. Ben held Gwendolyn's hand in his own. The two felt leaned closer to each other.
Ben's omnitrix communicator rang snapping the cousins back into reality. The only time it rang was when there was trouble. What could be going on at this time of night? Ben answered the omnitrix. "Ben 10K, here. What's the trouble?"
"Ben!" a frantic female voice shouted on the other end of the call.
"Shar? Is that you? What's wrong? Where's Rook? Is everything okay at home?"
"No, it is terrible. There was an attempt and Rook was badly injured."
"WHAT?!"
To be continued…
-Green vicetopus- another species of vicetopus, but unlike their predatory red cousins, are herbivores with their diet similar to macaws(parrots).
-Gwendolyn in the flashbacks will be called Gwen to differentiate between the future and past self. The only time her past self will be called Gwendolyn is in the speaking roles.