Chapter 12 is here! This is definitely a longer chapter than the last three. Hope you enjoy it. :) Oh yeah, I haven't seen the episode "Goodbye and Good Riddance" yet, so I'm only gonna guess what Ben's parents and Gwen's parent's look like. And their house isn't going to be destroyed. :)

Chapter 12: Home at last!

"Mom!"

"Benny-boo! Oh, look how much you've grown!"

Ben blushed violently as his mother called him by his nickname, but honestly, he missed being called that. Ben's mother, Sandra, took her son into her arms and hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Mom," Ben said, trying to wriggle out of the hug, "Can you stop hugging me now? I think I'm going to explode!"

Sandra kissed the top of his head and finally released him. For a woman in her thirties, she was still pretty. She had shoulder-length brown hair and soft, gentle blue eyes, and she wore a matching hair-band. Her husband, Carl, was at work, but her brother-in-law Frank and his wife Lily was there at the Tennyson household to pick up Gwen. The teens were in the RV, keeping away from the windows in case anyone saw them.

"Thanks for taking Gwen with you on vacation, Dad," said Frank to Grandpa Max, "We really appreciate it."

Grandpa chuckled. "No problem, Frank. We spent a lot of time together, and I hope we can do it again next year."

Frank smiled, showing his pearly-white teeth. He had short brown hair and electric-green eyes like his older brother Carl, and his wife Lily had shoulder-length red hair and chocolate brown eyes, and those eyes were watery as she hugged Gwen.

"Oh, my darling Gwen!" she said, her voice all choked up, "Did you enjoy your vacation? I hope your cousin wasn't a nuisance or anything."

"Oh yeah, he was a big nuisance," her daughter answered, "A very big one, but to be honest, I enjoyed my vacation all the same."

Lily hugged Gwen again, more tightly than before. "I'm glad to hear it, sweetheart."

While Frank, Lily and Sandra started speaking to Grandpa, Ben and Gwen kept glancing at the RV.

"I wonder what they're doing in there?" asked Ben, scratching his head.

"Who knows?" his cousin replied, "Just hope they're keeping an eye on Ralph. He's a bit wild, if you know what I mean."

"No duh, Gwen."

"We'll definitely have a hard time with him. The others might be easy, except him and Leila."

Ben nodded. "Especially Leila. I don't exactly trust her after what she tried to do to me."

"And she doesn't exactly trust us, either," Gwen said, nodding in agreement, "And I'm sure the others don't trust her as well. Except maybe one."

"And who's the person that's crazy enough to trust Leila?" asked Ben, crossing his arms.

"Well," she started, smiling, "I don't think 'trust' is the right word. The word we're looking for is 'like'."

The ten-year-old boy's eyes widened. "'Like'? Man, whoever it is must be really crazy!"

Gwen chuckled. "Would you believe it's Arden?"

Ben's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Arden? As in 'Heatblast'? No way! You can't be serious! Him? Like Leila?! Is he out of his mind?!"

"Shh!" said Gwen, putting a finger to her lips, "Can't you ever be quiet?"

"Sorry!" Ben answered, "But what is he thinking? How can he like you-know-who?"

Gwen shrugged. "Don't ask me. I noticed that he was looking at her the whole time after the scream scene. He looked very concerned."

"Concerned? He should be concerned about finding a doctor before he flips and gets together with that girl!"

"Actually," Gwen replied, "They would look quite cute together as a couple."

Ben slapped his forehead as he noticed a gleam in her eyes as she said that. "Let me guess. You're gonna act like Cupid and try to get them together, right?"

His cousin smiled innocently at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about, my dear Benjamin."

The ten-year-old boy shook his head. "I'll never understand girls. Ever."

Chapter 12 is done! Tomorrow, exams end (YUSS!!!!!!!!!!!), and I'll be free (sort of). I hope you guys like this chapter, and maybe in chapter 14, they'll be learning about teen life (and probably about other things as well). :)
Reviews are welcome:)
Til next time! ;)