Me: Howdy, y'all. Guess what time is a-comin'?
Ben: Ice, lose the Southern accent.
Me: But it's fun! *notices Ben's stern look* Fine. I feel sorry for your kid already.
Julie: Ben will be a wonderful father.
Me: He'd better otherwise I'll cause him to go through hell. *notices that Ben is about to say something* Don't reveal any potential spoilers, Ben!
Ben: Fine. *pouts*
Gwen: What time of the year is approaching, Ice?
Kevin: For you to upload the new chapter.
Me: Well, of course it is time to upload a new chapter, but that's not it.
Sarah: Your grandpa's surgery.
Me: Do not remind me of that.
Nelson: Can you drop a hint?
Michael: Yeah, Ice. Drop a hint!
Me: Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost its wheel and the Joker got away.
Kai: Christmas is a-coming! But why did you sing that version of Jingle Bells?
Me: I felt like it! OK. So we can start on our little performance for you guys, I shall get the disclaimer over and done with for the last time. I own nothing aside from my OCs and this plot. I also don't own the song. Oh! I have an important announcement concerning the fan-series at the end of the story. I'm just uploading all the remaining chapters at once while I still have them in my head! *plays backing track*
You'd better watch out. You'd better not cry.
You'd better not pout. I'll tell you why.All: He's making a list! He's checking it twice!
He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
You'd better watch out! You'd better not cry!
You'd better not pout! I'm telling you why!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
He sees you when you're sleeping!
He knows when you're awake!
He knows if you've been bad or good!
So be good for goodness sake!
Little tin horns and little toy drums!
Rootie-toot and a rummy-tum-tum!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town! Oh!
*awesome guitar solo…which we try to imitate*
He's making a list. He's checking it twice.
He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
You know he sees you when you're sleeping!
He knows when you're awake!
He knows if you've been bad or good!
So be good for goodness sake!
Oh, you'd better watch out! You'd better not cry!
You'd better not pout! I'm telling you why!
Santa Claus is coming to town! (Me: To town!)
Santa's coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming!
Be good because you know he's coming!
Santa Claus is coming…to town!
Me: When you see a line that means it's the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one.
Everyone: ENJOY!
Chapter 7: Uh-oh. Spaghetti-oh."How are the others?" Max asked.
"They were ambushed by the robots who poisoned Ben and Gwen. They'll do anything in their power to stop them from retrieving the SonaLotus. But they managed to activate their hyperdrive and get out of there in time," Rosalie announced.
"Please tell me Julie and the baby is OK," Ben pleaded weakly.
"Sweetie, save your strength," Sandra instructed softly.
"Mum, please. If I'm going to die today, I want to die knowing that the love of my life and my unborn child are safe," Ben retorted.
"Geez, you guys are in love," Rosalie remarked.
"It's almost sickening to watch," Max joked, which earned him death glares from Ben, "Oh, you know I love Julie as if she were my own grandchild, Ben!"
"Oh really? I'm not convinced by the way you yelled at her before!" Ben spat.
"You know I didn't mean that," Max defended.
"Try telling her that," Kai butted in, "Look. I love Julie like she's my own little sister. So, like Troy, Ella, Michael, Sarah and Nelson, I'm protective of her."
"What about Ben?" Gwen interrupted.
"He's her boyfriend. He doesn't fit into the sibling category, Gwen. Anyways, look, we all love Julie and want her to be safe. If there's one thing I love about her, it's that she's not afraid. Look. Like you, I have no idea what happened to Julie, Sarah and Michael when they disappeared 3 months ago. But since then…well, let me put it this way: if they weren't fearless before, they sure are now. We have to trust her, we have to trust Sarah, we have to trust Michael; we have to trust everyone, even Kevin. They'll come through in the end," Kai promised.
"Dr Anders!" Sandra and Lilly screamed.
"What's happening?" Dr Anders asked breathlessly as she raced in.
"Ben and Gwen have passed out," Carl told her.
"What's happening to them?" Frank demanded.
"It's a side affect from the poison. From what Julie, Sarah and Michael have told us, it's the most painful part of the process. It causes them to slip into a coma and will stay that way for the remaining two days they have left," Dr Anders explained.
"Two?" Lilly whimpered.
"It's midnight," Dr Anders stated.
"No! My little baby boy! Come back!" Sandra wailed in Carl's arms.
"I'm sorry, Sandra. The process has already started as we speak. As of now, the toxin is slowly finishing it's job. Unless the others return with the SonaLotus soon, there'll be nothing any of us can do and the others will be back in time for their funerals," Dr Anders apologised.
"How did they end up like this?" Carl whispered.
"Max didn't tell you?" Dr Anders said in disbelief.
"I haven't got the chance to yet," Max confessed.
"These robots attacked the base. They were all fighting them. Ben was trying to make sure that Julie got to safety. However, the robots fired from the guns and Ben pushed Julie out of the way and took the shot himself. Gwen did the same with Sarah. That's how they got here," Dr Anders explained.
"So you're saying this is Julie and Sarah's fault," Sandra and Lilly concluded.
"No! We're not saying that at all! They didn't see the shot! Kevin's warning couldn't be heard over the racket! Ben and Gwen are heroes. Besides, there's a destiny about those Julie and Sarah. Neither of us know exactly what the destiny is yet. But they know it's important. That's why everyone is doing everything in their power to make sure that Julie and Sarah are alive and protected. And if we have to die to make sure they're safe, then so be it. Also, for Ben, he didn't just save the love of his life. He also saved his unborn baby," Kai retorted.
"Oh Kai, we had no idea. I apologise for the conclusions made by my wife and sister-in-law," Carl apologised.
"Rosalie! How are Julie and Sarah coming along?" Frank asked her as she appeared (she disappeared when Ben was telling Max off).
"They've arrived at SonaLotus," Rosalie announced.
Chapter 7: We're Screwed"How long until we arrive at SonaLotus?" Sarah demanded as she and Julie walked in.
"We've arrived," Michael answered.
"OK. You guys just have to get in, grab the flowers and get the heck out of there. If the robots cause any trouble on the planet, Gluto and I will take care of them from the ship," Julie told them.
"I shall remain on the ship to help Gluto protect Spirit. I'm not saying that you can't defend yourself, Spirit, because you can and you do it well; even better than Faith sometimes," Tetrax started.
"HEY!" Sarah screeched.
"But, for the sake of all our lives, for the protection of yourself and the child, extra precautions must be taken. If we didn't and you got hurt or killed, Ben would strangle us with his bare hands if he survived," Tetrax finished.
"Ben will survive. So will Gwen. I will do anything in my power to make sure that my boyfriend and my best friend are alive and well," Julie swore.
"OK. Gluto, land the ship," Kevin instructed.
"Rodger."
Gluto then landed the ship successfully in a small patch of grass near the cave which has been rumored to contain the SonaLotus flowers. Sarah, Nelson, Michael and Kevin went into the vaults and grabbed a gun and hoverboard each. The only thing Sarah grabbed was a hoverboard. She didn't see the need to grab a gun if she had the sword Zac and Vanessa gave her and her sister when they went to Sonakine to battle Hunterous three months before this incident.
"OK, everyone. Let's roll out," Nelson announced as the foursome walked out of the ship.
Julie, Tetrax and Gluto watched as they entered the cave. They couldn't shake up the worry and the fear they each felt. Something seemed off about this mission. They were only attacked by those robots once. Normally, they would have tried to attack them more than once. Unless...
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the beautiful Spirit Skye. I'm sure the boss has special plans for you."
They turned around and saw one of the robots standing there with his gun pointing at them. Tetrax and Gluto immediately moved themselves in front of Julie with their weapons ready. However, the robot simply called in the remaining members of his army and they all swarmed around them...
"OK. Which way should we go?" Kevin asked as he referred to the 5 different tunnels.
"Sarah, what are you doing?" Nelson questioned as his wife started fiddling with her sword.
"I've set the sword to locate SonaLotus. It's kind of like a GPS sort-of-thing. All I have to do is point my sword at each of these entrances. If the blade glows, we go down that tunnel," Sarah explained as she pointed the sword at the first entrance.
"Not that one," Michael stated.
Sarah pointed her sword at the entrance directly opposite of the first entrance she tried. Same result. She tried the entrance next to that. The sword did not glow. She then pointed the sword to the entrance opposite of that entrance...only to get the same result as before. She then pointed it at the remaining entrance. The blade then glowed.
"This is it. Come on. We haven't got time to waste," Sarah stated as they ran down the tunnel.
"There it is!" Michael exclaimed.
"Come on! Let's go get it!" Nelson added.
"I don't think so."
"How did you get here? There are alarms around the place to prevent scum like you from getting in," Sarah growled.
"Sonakites might be a powerful species but they have to install better security."
He then simply threw every security system they had disabled on the floor for the foursome to see. They looked appauled and pissed off like hell. They thought this was too easy.
"I swear to God, if you've done anything to my little sister, there will be hell," Sarah threatened.
The robots then dragged out Julie and Tetrax roughly and pushed them onto their knees. Suddenly, Julie started screaming in pain and clutching her stomach. This got everyone worried.
"Julie, what's wrong?" Kevin demanded.
"I just had a contraction. Everyone, I think I'm going into premature labour," Julie groaned as she suddenly became frightened for her life.
Chapter 8: Retrieval
"WHAT?" Tetrax, Sarah, Nelson, Michael and Kevin exclaimed.
"Guys, we have to stop the labour from progressing further before her water breaks," Sarah announced.
"If a woman goes into labour sometime after 28 weeks, the baby has a chance of survival," Nelson reminded her.
"Nelson, we're not human, remember? If a female Sonakite is pregnant, she has to reach full term so the body is ready to cope with the shock and pain of giving birth. If she goes into labour before then and delivers, the shock of the labour process and delivery would kill her," Michael explained.
"Julie, has your water broken yet?" Sarah asked her.
"No. But I think it will soon," Julie sobbed before screaming in pain.
"Is there any way to stop this?" Nelson asked his wife worriedly.
"I know the potion that will stop the labour. But SonaLotus is one of the key ingredients. Without that flower, the potion won't work and it will only speed up the labour," Sarah answered as she tried to soothe Julie.
"What about the remaining ingredients?" Tetrax asked.
"I can zap them here. But due to the tight natural security, I can't use my powers to retrieve them," Sarah responded.
"OK. Here's what we'll do. Nelson, Kevin, you'll help me battle this baffoons. Michael, while we distract them, go and retrieve the SonaLotus. Sarah, start making that potion. ATTACK!" Tetrax exclaimed.
The plan then went into full throttle. Julie continued to lie on the ground in pain and praying that her water doesn't break. Sarah immediately used her powrs to zap the ingredients (excluding the SonaLotus) and the utensils needed and immediately started making to potion. Tetrax whipped out his guns and started taking out his fair share of robots. Nelson built a powerful armor around himself and started whooping the can asses which belong to his fair share of robots. Kevin then absorbed some of the wall and started beating his fair share of robots into scrap metal with nothing but revenge on his mind; revenge for causing his friend, his girlfriend and his god sister to suffer the way they are suffering now. And Michael snuck his way past them and reached the room which contained SonaLotus. But when he approached the room, holograms of Zac and Vanessa.
"Grrr. Mum, Dad, I don't have time for this," Michael groaned.
"Why do you need the SonaLotus flowers?"
"Because Ben and Gwen have been poisoned by a toxin which has been mixed with a quickening agent called InstaDeath and they only have 2 days to live. And Spirit has gone into premature labour!" Michael explained brethlessly and out of frustration.
"How many do you need?"
"3," Micheal answered.
"According to the Sonakite Law, to retrieve the number of SonaLotuses you desire, you must complete a test to prove you are indeed telling the truth."
"Great. This could take a while," Michael groaned, "Alright. What must I do to retrieve them?"
"What's taking Michael so long?" Nelson asked as he threw a robot into the wall.
"He has to complete a test to see if he's telling the truth," Sarah answered as she sprinkled in some herbs and mixed them into the black substance, "How are you doing, little sis?"
"Not so good. The pain's getting worse," Julie moaned.
"Michael, whatever test you're doing, hurry the bloody hell up!" Sarah called out.
"To prove you are indeed telling the truth, you must walk across this iceberg in your Pyronite form."
"Easy enough," Michael scoffed.
"Blindfolded."
"You're kidding me, right?" Michael asked.
"If you fall off once, you will not earn the SonaLotuses you desire."
"Well, here I go," Michael muttered as he approached the iceberg, went Pyronite and covered his eyes with the blindfold. Ben, Gwen, Julie, this is for you.
Stretching his arms out wide for balence, Michael then proceeded to slowly walk across the iceberg which melted slightly with every step he took. When he was halfway across, he nearly lost his balance and fell into the mucas pit below. Thankfully, he regained his balence and continued onwards. The holograms of Zac and Vanessa watched on closely, hoping that their second eldest would not put a foot wrong. After all, the life of their youngest child is at stake here. Suddenly, Michael felt something underneath his lava-covered feet that wasn't ice. He walked a little further before taking off the blindfold and saw that he did it. He successfully crossed the iceberg.
"You have done very well, my son. You have earned the SonaLotuses you desire."
"But use them well. If you do not use them for the intentions you have, they will evaporate."
Michael then transformed back into his human form and raced into the room. He picked three SonaLotuses and raced back to the others to find that the robots have been dismantled and that they are all surrounding Julie and Sarah. He raced towards them and handed Sarah the SonaLotus.
"Am I on time?" Michael asked.
"Yes. Her water hasn't broken yet," Sarah responded as she picked off all the petals and sprinkled them into the potion.
The colour changed from a murkey green to a crystal blue. She then held the bowl up to Julie's mouth. But she refused. Kevin immediately knew what it's about.
"Look, Ben's going to survive, OK? Michael has the SonaLotus. We can save them. I really do not want to tell Ben that his girlfriend died whilst saving him. Please drink the potion," Kevin relented.
"You're lying," Julie denied.
"He's not. I have them right here," Michael announced as he held the bunch up, "Look. I had to walk across an iceburg situated over a mucus pit in my Pyronite form blindfolded just to get these. I don't want to have gotten these for nothing. Now will you just drink the potion?"
Julie then glanced at everyone surrounding her. They all looked worried. Suddenly, she had another contraction and screamed in pain. Sarah took the opportunity to pour the potion into her little sister's mouth and let it run down her throat. She had no choice but to swallow since she did not want to joke. Once she drank it all, she lay down and slowly, the contractions stopped. They immediately knew what it meant. The potion has worked.
"Rosalie!" Sarah called out.
"Please tell me you bring good news," Rosalie pleaded as she appeared.
"Can you take these with you? We have to stay here for 20 minutes," Sarah requested as Michael handed the SonaLotuses over to her.
"Why?" Rosalie asked.
"We'll explain later," they promised.
Nodding, Rosalie disappeared taking the bunch of SonaLotuses with her. All they could do now is pray that they were not too late.
Chapter 9: Reunited
"Dr Anders, Kai, I have the SonaLotus," Rosalie announced as she reappeared.
"OK. What do we do now?" Dr Anders asked as she approached Ben and Kai approached Gwen.
"Are they still breathing?" Rosalie questioned.
"They are and won't be if you don't quit stalling," Kai sighed in frustration.
"Hold them under their noses and let them inhale the scent," Rosalie instructed.
They then held the flower under their nostrials and prayed for the best. After a little while, colour returned to Ben and Gwen and they actually started moving and opening their eyes. Everyone sighed in relief. Carl and Sandra and Frank and Lilly immediately embraced their child sobbing out of joy. And let's let them have the emotional reunion, shall we?
An hour later, Ben and Gwen are now walking about and dressed in their usual attire. They are waiting in the office for Julie, Sarah, Gwen, Nelson and Michael to return from their voyage. Ben's leg is even jittering and Gwen is shaking in her seat with anticipation. This was annoying everyone else in the room, but they didn't say so. They understood why they are anxious. They had to admit they were anxious themselves.
"Where are they?" Gwen whined.
"Gee, I never thought you'd be that excited to see us," Kevin teased as he, Julie, Sarah, Nelson and Michael appeared.
Everyone cheered and had their emotional reunion. Michael pulled Kai into a tango bow and kissed her passionately. Kevin kissed Gwen and twirled her around in the air. Ben pulled his pregnant girlfriend into his lap and kissed her with all the love and passion he had inside him. Of course, after their emotional reunion, they had to tell everyone what happened on their mission.
"Well, we arrived, but Julie and Tetrax got sprung by the robots on their ship and they were taken hostage and brought to the cave which caused Julie to go into premature labour," Sarah started.
"Are you alright?" Ben asked her worriedly as he checked her stomach.
"I am now. We stopped it in time," Julie assured him.
"So while Tetrax, Nelson and Kevin were fighting the robots and Sarah was making the potion, I had to complete a test to earn the SonaLotuses. I had to walk across an iceberg which was standing over a mucus pit in my Pyronite form blindfolded. If I fell into the pit, I would not get the flowers. I managed to get across succesfully and you get the rest," Michael finished.
"I can't believe you went through all that just to save us," Gwen gasped.
"And we'd be more than happy to do it again," Kevin swore as they went to kiss...
"GET A ROOM!" everyone else exclaimed.
They all just laughed and agreed that is has been quite a few days and that they should get some sleep. Ben and Julie had a sleepover at Sarah and Nelson's house. Julie is lying with her back towards Ben and he is hugging her from behind. Technically, they are spooning...in the innocent way. Don't get any bright ideas, people!
"It's been quite a few days," Ben remarked as he kissed her shoulder.
"Yeah. You getting poisoned, me nearly having the baby 2 months early," Julie listed.
"Please don't remind me of those events. The last thing I want in my life is to lose you or our baby," Ben confessed as he rested his hand on her stomach where the baby is kicking.
"Believe me. That's not going to happen anytime soon," Julie promised.
"And I won't let that happen. You are my true love and I will love you until my dying breath," Ben swore as he turned her onto her back and kissed her fully on the lips.
"Likewise," Julie whispered as she kissed him back.
At that moment, they started making out until they fell asleep in each other's arms. Gwen and Kevin did the same as Ben and Julie before falling asleep in each other's arms as well. As for the remaining couples (Sarah and Nelson and Michael and Kai)...well, they were exhausted and all they wanted to do is sleep the night away. And that's what everyone did. They slept until 10:30am and woke up to Max telling them they had a couple of days off.
Epilogue: The Great Escape
"Are you sure you guys want to work on Hot Shots now?" Kai asked them.
"We'll be fine. We'll do an easy music video so we can make sure that Julie takes it easy," Michael promised.
"But why this song?" Gwen asked.
"We've been wanting to do this for a couple of months now and we thought this was the perfect opportunity," Nelson shrugged.
"And you're gonna play the instruments?" Kevin assumed as he referred to the fact that Julie is standing at the keyboard, Sarah is sporting an electric guitar, Nelson is sporting a bass guitar and Michael is on drums.
"Yep," Sarah replied.
"Are you ready to rock and roll?" Ben asked.
"Hit it, baby," Julie answered.
"3, 2, 1," Kai cued.
They then started playing the introduction to the song. After that, they added in the lyrics with Kai adding the necessary effects.
Nelson: Paper bags and plastic hearts.
All our belongings in shopping carts.
Sarah and Nelson: It's goodbye!
But we got one more night.
Let's get drunk and ride around.
And make peace with an empty town.
Nelson: We can make it right.
Sarah and Nelson: Throw it away! Forget yesturday!
We'll make the great escape!
We won't hear a word they say!
They don't know us anyway!
Watch it burn! Let it die!
Cause we are finally free...tonight!
Michael: Tonight will change our lives.
It's so good to be by your side.
Julie and Michael: But we'll cry!
We won't give up the fight.
We'll scream loud at the top of our lungs.
And they'll think it's because we're young.
Michael: And we'll feel so alive.
Julie and Michael: Throw it away! Forget yesturday!
We'll make the great escape!
We won't hear a word they say!
They don't know us anyway!
Watch it burn! Let it die!
Cause we are finally free...tonight!
All of the wasted time,
The hours that were left behind,
The answers that we'll never find,
They don't mean a thing...tonight!
Julie: Throw it away. Forget yesturday.
We'll make the great escape.
Sarah: We won't hear a word they say.
They don't know us anyway.
Girls: Throw it away! Forget yesturday!
We'll make the great escape!
Boys: We won't hear a word they say!
They don't know us anyway!
All: Throw it away! Forget yesturday!
We'll make the great escape!
We won't hear a word they say!
They don't know us anyway!
Watch it burn! Let it die!
Cause we are finally free...tonight!
Me: Ladies and gentlemen, that is the end of our story.
Ben: What made you decide to upload the remainder of the story as the one chapter?
Me: So I could do it while I still had the ideas in my head.
Julie: What made you choose The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls as the final song in the story?
Me: I heard it and I thought it'd suit it.
Gwen: OK, everyone. IceGirl has an announcement to make.
Kevin: And it's pretty important so you have to listen carefully.
Michael: You may not like it.
Kai: Well, at least that's what Ice told us. We don't know what it is either.
Me: Well, here it is. I'm not continuing the fan-series.
Everyone: WHAT?
Ben: You're cancelling the fan-series?
Me: Not exactly.
Julie: What do you mean 'not exactly'?
Me: The fan-series will continue. I just won't be writing it. JBAL19 said she'd take over for me. I've even sent her a note on DA containing all the events. I'll continue to prequels. I just won't write the main stories.
Gwen: But...
Kevin: How do you know there's a but?
Sarah: With Ice, there's always a but.
Nelson: She does have a point, you know.
Me: When it's time to begin Ben 10: Alien Force Fan-Series Two, I will return. JBAL19 and I will team up. I will write one story, she will write the next one and the pattern will continue until the final story in season 2 where the two of us will team up to write that.
Michael: There's gonna be a season 2?
Kai: Cool!
Me: Well, we have to go now. You know the drill.
Everyone: ENJOY OUR FINAL PERFORMANCE!
Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Let your heart be light.
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Make the yuletide gay.
From now on, our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friend who are dear to us,
Gather near to us once more.
Through the years we will all be together,
If the fates allow.
Hang a shining star upon the higest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Christmas...now...