Chapter 36: In Which Kevin Becomes the Doctor
I uploaded this chapter a day early because tomorrow is going to be really busy for me and I didn't know if I was going to be able to upload in time. So here you go.
Not gonna lie, this chapter may be a little boring for you. When I was writing it it started to drag on a bit (even though I was happy with the final product), but then I proofread it and it was interesting again. So I don't know. You've been warned though.
As for the Alice in Wonderland Parody, like I said, it won't be for a long time. Like not until Ultimate Alien maybe. Just so you know.
Now, before I end this long Author's Note, I would like to point out that I am not happy with the way the creators depicted Albedo. You'll see what I mean in this chapter.
Sam found Kevin on her doorstep wearing a Doctor Who-like business suit.
She started, blinked a few times in confusion, and finally just asked, "Why?"
He tugged at his shirt collar. "I thought your dad might hate me less."
Sam shrugged. "It's worth a shot." She led him inside her Japanese styled house and into the living room. Said living room was full of reds and browns and oranges like the rest of the house: a red couch and arm chair, an orange rug, wooden flooring and chocolate brown walls. On the oval orange coffee table laid a single laptop.
"You know I've always wondered something," Kevin mused as he surveyed the room.
Sam turned on the laptop. "What's that?"
He gestured to the house. "Do you have an Asian great-grandpa or somethin'? 'Cause the outside looks like something from Japan and you look…" Kevin made a feeble gesture to her flaming red hair.
Sam smiled. "I'm Irish with some Russian from my mother's side. We bought the house from this Japanese physicist."
"He let this crib go?" Kevin gave a low whistle. "What's wrong with it?"
"I think he mentioned it was haunted or something." She scrunched up her face to recall that long ago memory. Kevin looked at her alarmed. Sam eventually just shrugged. "It's probably nothing. Oh, my parents are already online." She gestured for Kevin to sit next to her.
"Ain't you worried about the whole haunted thing?" he asked her anxiously.
Sam gave him a confused look. "Why would I be? I work for Cordelia."
Kevin immediately thought about Cordelia's Medusa-styled hair. "That's a good point."
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. "You ready for this?"
Kevin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "As I'll ever be."
Sam hit the ACCEPT button on the screen and out popped a video square with her parents. Irene was smiling at her, this time in a brown business suit that matched her hair. Alexander was dressed more comfortably in a red dress shirt and slacks, his kind face unsmiling.
"Hi, mom, hi, dad," Sam said as brightly as she could. She could feel Kevin stiffen beside her.
"Hi, sweetie," her mother greeted back. "So, is this the boy you told us about?"
"Yes, this is Kevin Levin."
"How do you, ma'am," Kevin said nervously, his salesman smile slipping.
"So, tell me, Kevin, what are you doing with your life?" Alexander asked in a casual tone. His face showed the true hostility he was feeling.
"Uh, well, I'm still in high school, sir, so…"
"I just figured that since you're wearing a business suit, you might have some idea of what you wanted as a career." Alexander gave Kevin a snake-like smile as the boy squirmed. His idea, which seemed brilliant before, had quickly backfired in his face.
"I think he's trying to impress us," Irene told her husband. She gave Kevin a smile. "I give him points for trying."
"I'm not saying it wasn't a smart move," Alexander quickly said, "I'm just pointing out that first impressions are important."
"Whatever you say, dear," Irene said with an eye roll. "So how long have you been dating?"
"A few weeks," Sam answered.
"How did you meet?" Irene asked. "I know it was through work, but I want to know details."
Sam and Kevin spared a look at each other. Their minds whirled for a possible lie they could tell the adults, but nothing solid came to mind. Then Kevin blurted out: "We met at a club."
"Yes," Sam cottoned on. "I was going after a guy and he got in the way."
"I did not."
"You got in the way of my escape plan."
"Yeah, and I got a date out of it." Kevin smirked at her. Sam elbowed him and turned back to her parents.
Irene was grinning at Alexander. "That reminds me of how we first met! You were assigned to off my stalker, remember?"
"How could I forget?" he scoffed. "I still can't figure out why you needed my help. You tased the hell out of him."
"Wait, that's not what dad told me," Sam suddenly interjected, confused. "You told me you met mom at an Aerosmith concert, when she flung her-"
"Okay!" Alexander blurted as his wife gave him the evil eye. "What have I told you about divulging top secret information to outsiders?" he said more calmly, eyeing Kevin.
"How is that top secret? You told my friends about it."
Irene plastered on a poisonous smile. "It was so nice speaking to you Kevin, and it was great to see you Sammy. I'm afraid we have to cut this short though. Your father and I have to have a little talk." She glared at Alexander, who was looking terrified. He gulped as Irene cut the connection.
Sam and Kevin looked at each other. "That went better than expected," Sam admitted. "I thought he was going to grill you or something."
"I thought he was trying to burn me through the screen," Kevin confessed, fingering his tie. "So, what did your mom throw at that Aerosmith concert?" he asked as cautiously as he could.
Sam punched his shoulder.
"OW! I was just curious!"
"Albedo's albino?" Carter's outraged cry echoed through her room. Ben cringed as the smoothie she was holding was crumbled in her fist. Pink frothiness spilled out of the wreckage and onto the floor, but she paid it no mind.
"That was my-"
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Shouldn't we clean-"
"This always happens!" Carter roared. "Almost every time there's a villain, they just have to go with some stereotype. Either he's black, or Italian, or Russian, or, in this case, albino! Freaking albino! As if they haven't been tortured enough." She quickly got out her phone and typed out a message with one hand, since the other was still covered in strawberry banana smoothie.
Ben noticed this, but curiosity got the better of him. "What do you mean, tortured?"
"Haven't you heard of the African witch hunts?" Ben shook his head. "It's been happening for years. Hell, the last one was just a few years ago. In east Africa, albinos supposedly have magical powers, so they were chopped to pieces so witch doctors can use their bodies in potions."
Ben blinked the horror and disgust mixing in with his disbelief. "You're kidding."
The door opened and a maid came in with a mop and a bucket. As she began to clean up the mess, Carter continued: "I wish I wasn't. And it's just as bad here. Albinos easily get sunburned, so they tend to wear a lot of clothing, even in summer. Their eyes can't handle the sun's UV rays very well, so they often wear sunglasses outside."
"And I guess people call them vampires," Ben added solemnly.
The maid quickly cleaned up Carter's hand. "In olden times, people were genuinely afraid of vampires, and since they fear the sun, people thought albinos were vampires or the reincarnation of Death or something. Hollywood picked up on that and helped propel the 'evil albino' stereotype. You can find them in almost any movie."
As the maid left the now spotless room, Ben thought of one such film. "The Da Vinci Code!"
Carter nodded. "The assassin is albino, which makes no sense because an albino won't make a good assassin. They have too many eye problems for such a delicate job. And they're almost always portrayed as evil," she moaned as she fell on the couch exhausted.
Ben sat right next to her. "But Albedo is evil," he pointed out, his brow furrowed.
Carter weakly shook her head. "You said it yourself; Albedo only wanted his original body back. Yes, he did commit murder and other crimes, but his goal wasn't evil."
"But the universe was in danger of being ripped apart."
"I never said Albedo wasn't selfish. I'm just saying he's not as evil as you make him out to be."
"But you admit he's evil," Ben said triumphantly.
"No, I'm saying that just because he's albino doesn't make him totally evil. He's probably just as human as you and I."
"But we're not totally human."
Carter was about to argue some more, but then she puffed out her cheeks and slowly exhaled. Her body sagged in its sitting position, exhaustion rolling off her in waves. "I'm too tired to argue with you, Tennyson."
"Why are you so tired?" he asked. "The takeover shouldn't have made you this exhausted."
"I'm tired from my rant," she said. She peered over at him. "Give me some good news."
"I got a C-plus on my physics test," Ben said triumphantly, puffing out his chest like a proud rooster.
Carter raised an eyebrow. "A C-plus? You?"
"Yes, me."
"That is good news," Carter said, leaning over and pecking his nose. "Congrats."
"I know," he said giddily. "Now my parents can't ground me."
"And…" Carter made a circle motion with her hand that clearly meant 'get on with it.'
"And…what?" Ben asked, confused. His eyebrows crinkled for a moment, and then he lit up. "And more time fighting aliens!" He looked at her expectantly.
Carter stared at him for a good, long minute before sighing deeply. She reached out for the TV remote on the coffee table and turned on the plasma screen. She quickly switched to a martial arts channel and turned up the volume.
"What, we're watching TV now?" Ben asked, searching Carter's blank face. She looked at him through narrowed eyes and glared. "What?"
"And more time for me!" she said over the noise, her voice layered with outrage. Ben jerked back in fright, breathing heavily as white puffy clouds erupted from his mouth. Ice was covering the floor and frost clung to Ben's shoulders.
He gave a weak chuckle. "Cold shoulder," he said, pointing to the ice. Carter glared daggers at him and he immediately dropped the charade.
"God, I'm stupid," Ben said before putting his lips to hers. Immediately the temperature in the room heated up as the snow evaporated. The frost on his shoulders turned to liquid and the wet cloth clung to his skin.
Ben let go and was surprised to see the slightly glazed over look in Carter's eye. She was always clear sighted, her eyes sharp but warm. Now they were cloudy, her eyelids heavy and creating half-moons.
And then she opened her mouth: "Does it always take you so long to get a hint?" The causticity in her voice melted the clouds. Her eyes sparked with sardonic wit as her mouth curved into a familiar smirk. It was so familiar, so strangely endearing, that Ben wondered why he was the only one to enjoy it.
I swear to God Ben, if I find out she's only dating you because of all this god crap…
His stomach dropped and his shoulders drooped. He let go of her, his hands falling to his knees. His damp shoulders ached when she put a hand there.
Carter quickly drew out the water from his shoulders and created a little ball out of it. "Something wrong, Tennyson?"
"Why are you dating me?"
She stopped playing with the water ball and fixed him a piercing gaze. She eyed Ben's stooped demeanor, the taut shoulders, and his wide eyes staring back at her. Carter wasn't much of a liar; she could easily fool someone with her acting, but she played on half truths. If she couldn't tell you something, she said, "I can't tell you that." She didn't bother with hiding anything, since brutal honesty could easily get the results she needed.
But she knew that such thinking wouldn't work on Ben, so Carter said, "Because I had a crush on you back when we were ten."
Ben blinked, his fearful demeanor giving way to a pleasantly surprised one. He smiled slightly as he said, "Really?"
Carter rolled the water ball in her hand before absorbing it into her skin. "Well, it wasn't as first. I thought you were kind of a jerk," she added, making Ben lose his smile. "But you grew on me and then I had a crush." That perked him back up.
Elation was coursing through him, the high in his brain reaching the sky. He didn't want to say it-he didn't want to ruin this moment-he had to know-
"You're not dating me just because I'm Ventus's host, then?"
Carter fixed him a serious gaze and declared, "I don't give two shits what others think of us, Ben. I'm dating you because I want to, not because someone told me to. Get that through your cousin's head, will you?"
He started. "How do you know?"
"Aquaria has hearing like a bat."
"Just like my mom."
"You know it," Carter said as she finally turned down the TV volume. For a second her boot vibrated and she quickly got out her black cell phone.
"I still don't know how you fit your cell phone in there," Ben said, gesturing to her boots. Carter opened the text and gave a little chuckle. "What?"
She gave him her phone and Ben's eyes went huge. The text showed a picture of Kevin in a tasteful brown business suit. He was posing, one hand leisurely on his hip with the other slightly loosening the tie. One eye was closed in a sultry wink, and he had his winning salesman smile aimed at the camera.
"Oh my God," Ben choked out.
"I know! The picture quality is amazing," Carter said dramatically. She grinned at the face he made before scrolling down to see the written part of the text: I like this Doctor Who, if you know what I mean. ;)
Carter snorted and typed back: Please keep your comments to yourself. Or at least off my phone.
Poo on you! Also, Evan wants you to bring Ben to DJ's studio.
"Who's DJ?" Ben asked, peering over Carter's shoulder. She turned her face to his so that their noses were just touching.
"One of Evan's friends. I think Gwen modeled for him."
"Gwen modeled for someone?" Ben asked, surprised. "He's a photographer?"
"And a painter, and a DJ…"
"…DJ the DJ?" Ben wondered out loud, fixing Carter a very confused look. Carter held up her hands in surrender.
"Yes, we think his parents hated him," she said. "But apparently he needs you for something."
"Sure, I'll go, but after you buy me another smoothie."
"What happened to your-oh. I'll buy you another one."
Ben kissed her cheek. "Thank you."
"Haven't been here for a while," Gwen mused as she and Evan walked through DJ's house, this time without little Brittany. "I hope he's not mad that I didn't call him back."
"To be honest, I don't think he noticed," Evan confessed sheepishly. "DJ can be a little scatterbrained sometimes, especially when he's on a new project."
"What's his new project?"
"I have no idea. He's going to show it to me now." Evan walked through the open art studio door to see DJ, once again in front of a canvas, his blue flannel shirt opened to reveal a black t-shirt. His jeans were once again covered in paint marks, though his blue tennis shoes remained unscathed.
"Hey, Dee-jay!" Evan shouted knocking DJ out of his concentration. The boy with cinnamon-colored skin smiled and yelled back, "Hey, Ev-ay! Hey, Gwe-nay!"
"Oh, God, I'm a part of this too?" Gwen murmured to herself as DJ wrapped her and Evan in a bear hug. He let go and said:
"That's right. Get used to it."
"You got something to show us, D?" Evan said, gesturing to the covered canvases in the corner of the room.
"I wanted your input before I hung them up," DJ told Gwen as he led them to the corner. "I think you'll like them though."
Gwen was curious as to why a great artist like DJ needed her thoughts on a painting, but she soon realized why when he pulled away the white sheet.
The paintings were all Gwen. The first was of her in a gigantic white frilly dress, something a little girl would wear at a party. Ribbons cascaded around the skirt like a wedding cake, the hem dotted with baby pink roses. The bodice had big pink bows all over it and the sleeves were short and puffy. But the strangest thing was that the Gwen in the painting was ripping her dress apart, revealing thin womanly legs and a hint of large breast. The expression on her face was of one of intense hatred, her teeth bared as she clawed off the girlish ribbons from her body.
"You even got the freckles right on that one," Evan remarked to DJ. Gwen took another look at the painting and indeed saw that through the angry exterior, childish freckles were showing though.
Tearing her gaze away, Gwen focused on the second one. This one came as a relief. It was simple: Gwen was in her normal blue sweater and pencil skirt, a happy smile playing on her face. She had her back to the audience, but she had twisted her hips so that her hair swirled around her as she faced the front. She was holding her hand out to the person in front of the painting, as if asking them to hold her hand.
"I like this one," Gwen said as she appreciated the second painting's simplicity. There were indeed no special effects to it. It was simply a painting of her as she normally looked against a bright backdrop.
Her sense of relief faded to amazement as Gwen stared at the final painting. It depicted a purple night sky with pink stars. A luminous silver half-moon hung in it with Gwen sitting in its crook. The Gwen in the painting was magenta-her hair, her clothes, her skin- and was a nice contrast to the other colors in the painting. Her feet were hanging over the edge of the moon and one hand was reaching out to touch a pink star.
Gwen put a hand to her mouth as tears pricked at her eyes. She closed them, trying to stifle the sense of complete joy from over taking her. She eyed DJ, who was looking at her expectantly.
"No one has ever done this for me," she croaked, putting down her hands. "This is…unbelievable."
"I'm taking that as a good thing," DJ said contentedly. "So, if I had an art show, which one would you want me to use?"
Swallowing her elated tears, Gwen pointed to the moon painting. "That one. Definitely that one."
"And I'll keep this!" Evan held up the painting of Gwen ripping her own clothes off and held it under his arm.
"Dude!" DJ leered.
"Evan!" Gwen cried in outrage. Evan put the painting down and held up his hands in mock surrender.
"DJ, you have more guests," Brittany said as she walked into the studio. She was followed by the rest of the gang, the boy part of it ogling the studio. The girls immediately shouted, "Hey, Dee-jay!" and went over to hug the artist.
"Hey, la-dees!" DJ shouted as the three embraced. "How are my favorite models doing?"
"You modeled for this guy?" Kevin asked Sam as she let go of her friends.
"Plenty of times," she answered back.
"Oh, my God, you're wearing a suit," Gwen piped up, seeing it for the first time. "You look good."
"Permission to study your boyfriend, ma'am?" DJ asked Sam seriously.
"Permission granted," she said just as seriously. He immediately went up to Kevin and studied him from head to foot. Kevin just stood there uncomfortably. He sent a beseeching look to Sam, who held up a finger asking him to wait.
"Okay, I got an idea for a picture," DJ finally announced. "Gentleman, I need you to change into t-shirts with superhero logos on them and put jackets over them. Evan will show you wear to find them. I need to go get my camera." With that he walked out of the room.
"What…?" Ben asked Carter. She gave him a sly smile.
DJ's backyard was simple: a white picket fence, a well-kept green lawn, a patch of flowers hidden in the corner, and a large tree tucked into the back. Kevin, Ben, and Evan were standing in the middle of the lawn, the girls milling around them.
After setting up the camera, DJ ordered, "Kevin, get in the middle of Ben and Evan there. Unzip your jackets but keep them closed. Ladies walk up behind them." When they all did just that, he said, "Guys, stand a little apart-just an inch! Now put your hands in your pockets and try to look relaxed."
Easier said than done, though Evan seemed capable of doing so. His jacket was a strange item; it was clearly old leather, soft to the touch, but it was dyed an acidic green color. Big, bulky belt buckles were strapped onto the arms. On closer inspection, you could see that the arms had been cut straight across to create straps. The belt buckles had been strategically glued onto the straps to make them seem like they had been buckled in.
"Relax, gentlemen," DJ told them. "Roll your shoulders back and try to look cool. Like Evan." Ben and Kevin turned to the boy on Kevin's left. He indeed looked cool. His hands were in his jeans pockets, his shoulders rolled back. He was slouching slightly, and his smile was easygoing without being too carefree.
"I don't think I can pull that off," Kevin said gruffly, crossing his arms.
"Then smirk. It suits you," DJ told him dismissively. Kevin frowned. "Ben, try to look a little less constipated, you're ruining the picture." Ben cringed when he heard the immature giggling surrounding him.
"Okay, people, let's make this work," DJ called out. "Okay, okay, that's perfect! Keep still! Ladies, rip their jackets open from behind."
The girls immediately snaked their arms around the boys and pulled open their jackets. DJ snapped the picture, creating a blinding flash of light that left squiggly lines in the boys' eyes. He then pulled them all over to see the final product.
There was Evan with his at-ease posture, grinning as Gwen revealed his t-shirt with the Green Lantern symbol on it. In the middle, Kevin was smirking evilly, a contrast to the Batman symbol stretched over his chest. And finally there was Ben, who was smiling sheepishly as his jacket revealed the Superman emblem hidden in the folds.
"Awesome picture is awesome," Kevin stated solemnly, much to the agreement of the others.
"How'd you come up with this?" Ben asked DJ.
"Got it from Sam's little brother, though he mentioned that he saw it at a wedding," he revealed. Ben and Gwen looked at Sam in confusion.
"You have a brother?" Gwen asked her.
"Yeah, but you'll probably never meet him," Sam confessed.
"I sure haven't," Kevin snorted.
"Why's that?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He doesn't hang around the house much."
"I wonder why," DJ remarked in an ominous tone.
Inside the house
Kevin gave a low whistle as he surveyed DJ's Hall of Artwork. "This is awesome, man."
"It should be," DJ said. "A lot of them won me awards and funding for art programs in need."
"That's so awesome," Gwen remarked giddily.
Kevin turned back to another portrait, this one of Sam. She looked younger, wearing an oversized red sweater on her thin frame. She had her arms wrapped around a ghostly thirteen year old boy. He was obviously related to her; the flaming red hair proved it.
"Is this your little brother?" Kevin asked Sam curiously. She took one longing look at the boy and tore her gaze away.
"No," she said curtly. Kevin frowned.
"Then who is it?"
"Todd. My older brother."
"Why is he see-through?"
"Think about it…"
"…Oh. Oh." Kevin looked horrified, from the apparent death or from his tactlessness, no one knew. Gwen sucked in a breath and Ben put a consoling hand on Sam's shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said, meaning it.
"I'm sorry you found out," she said, walking away to Evan and Carter. She then brightened and said, "Hey guys, look at this!" The other three looked at each other, confused on how to proceed. Ben then shrugged his shoulders and led the way over to the others.
It was a portrait, a black and white picture depicting an autumn day. Leaves were piled on the blacktop, possibly from the row of trees in the background. Evan was happily sitting in a leaf pile, the scattered remains of the little hill all over him and flying up into the air. Carter was kneeling down to pick out a few leaves from his ponytail while Sam was laughing uproariously at Evan's silly expression.
"That was a good day," Carter remarked. Sam and Evan nodded in agreement.
DJ tapped Ben on the shoulder and led him away from the group. "I've got something I think you'll enjoy." Ben looked back at the chattering crowd before heading for the portrait in the back of the hall.
Ben's eyes bugged out and he tried to stifle the sound coming out of his throat. This picture was in full color, though the amount of black Carter was wearing suggested otherwise. She was sitting, leaning against a bed, right next to a bedside table. She was wearing a simple black dress, the neck up to her collarbone and with long, flowing sleeves. The skirt was knee-length, and matching black pumps were added in the picture, but Carter had kicked them off. One leg was stretched across the floor, the other brought up so her knee was at chest level. She gave off the appearance of exhaustion, but the soft smirk on her face and the carnal light in her eye suggested otherwise.
DJ took one look at Ben's face and said, "When's your birthday, Tennyson?"
One of the things I like about Omniverse is that the artists' gave Gwen freckles. I just can't get over how cute she looks. XD
And yes, there is a wedding picture where all the guys in tuxes have their shirts opened by their dates to reveal the superhero logo underneath. You can find it on the Internet if you're interested.