Ben turned off the telephone and clicked on the Omnitrix. Not to activate any alien´s powers, but to open the ramp of the Rust Bucket IV as well to let Kevin know he was coming. Despite the smooth sound produced by his car, Ben could hear the faint sound of music coming from the bridge, but it silenced abruptly when the car came closer.
The old deposit of airplanes that Kevin used in the old times as lodgings to the Rust Bucket II had given place to a factory a few years before, so now he had landed his new ship in a meadow not much far from Bellwood. It was completely safe, since the ship had advanced defense systems. Ben knew that, while he drove up the ramp and into the ship, a small camera had registered his movements inside his car, as computers analyzed his figure, confirming that the visitor was really Ben Tennyson and not some intruder using a stolen plumber badge. Not that Kevin went paranoid or something. Despite the relative peace of the last months, there was always the possibility of any of the bad guys paying him a visit, or even a two-bit human thief trying to invade the ship after the precious technology. However, it wasn´t this subject that busied Ben´s mind now. Classic music never had been among Kevin´s musical tastes, unless he had changed more than he seemed during his years out of Bellwood.
The attitude of Ben´s best friend and almost brother, as this one ran to greet Ben, just increased the hero´s suspects. Kevin was huffing, his face blushed and angrily frowning as he swiped his sweat forehead with a hankie.
"You took so long that I thought you woudn´t come anymore" he admonished as Ben stepped out of his car.
"Sorry" Ben aphologized "I was stuck with some errands. Why are you so red?"
"Oh this?" Kevin scratched the back of head "I was... pushing up. Too much time on my hands, y'know."
"Hmm. Okay. Let´s wait for Gwen, so I´ll tell you both about the mission."
"Forget her. She´s choosing her wedding dress with her mom and grandma" Kevin sighed as they strode to the bridge "If I know those two hags well, they won´t let the poor thing go until the shop closes"
"Huh-huh "Ben smiled as he shook a finger "Gwen´s just called and told me she´s on her way. It´ll just take a little because she has to go back to home to get her car. They went to the bridal shop with Aunty Lily´s."
"No way!" Kevin exclaimed. His jaw dropped, giving enough space to put a big orange in his mouth "How did she escape from them? Using the "Statua" spell?"
"Dunno. Why don´t you ask her when she comes here?" Ben finished the subject as he reached one of the terminals and sit for an entertaining game.
Although Kevin´s new ship was slightly smaller than the gigantic jet from the old times, it had enough space to hold three cars and other advances. Like a small bunker with bathroom and even a with frigobar and other devices needed to prepare simple meals. There, Kevin was far more confortable than Gwen probably was in her own home.
In face of Kevin and Gwen´s insistence of marrying during their summer vacancies, Gwen´s parents asked that at least they´d in their house until their wedding. Despite her fiancee suspects, the Anodyte agreed merrily, seeing that as a proof that her mother and father were finally accepting her union with Kevin. But the younger couple arrived to Bellwood carried with bagages just to find Gwen´s parents house crowded! Both sides of her family, the Tennysons and Wilkes (Natalies´ relatives), had come for the marriage as soon as they received the good news. Of course most of those people stayed in local hotels; but Natalie had received some of her closest relatives in her house, including her older son, Ken, and her mother, the "sweet" Grandma Grace. Still, Gwen´s parents opposed firmly that the younger couple went to a hotel (as Kevin suggested, while he tossed the bags back into Gwen´s car). Grandma Grace would be brokenhearted if she thought she had expelled her beloved grandaughter from her own home! Besides, among the Wilkes family a commited couple NEVER slept together before the marriage!
It was obvious that was a trap, but there wasn´t how to throw that on Frank and Natalie´s faces. Gwen still argued that she was more Tennyson than Wilkes, and that they weren´t in the 19th Century, but her father talked her into relent it "Sweetie, " he said gently "we know, and the Wilkes know too, that two young healthy people wouldn´t spend together five years living like Disney couples (which earned him a glare from his wife). But you know how these formalities are important for your mother and grandmother. You and Kevin will have plenty of time to be together after your wedding."
So, Gwen resignedly hád to share her former room with Grandma Grace – something that Ben woudln´t wish even for Vilgax. Kevin would stay in Ken´s room. But the young Osmosian noticed immediately that his future brother-in-law wasn´t much happy about sharing his room, so he declined nicely the offer. Even with he and Gwen in separate rooms, it wouldn´t look much decent they staying under the same roof. He could find another place to stay. Excepting Gwen, who was a little annoyed at Kevin´s retreat, the rest of the family approved his decision, satisfied with his respect at the Wilkes´ traditions... at least until they learned where Kevin moved to.
Everyone expected that he would be with his mother, but instead he preferred moving to his ship, where he would have more freedom. That made him loose a few points among the older Wilkes (Aunty Joyce referred to Kevin as a "homeless" in a reunion with her closest friends); by other hand, it earned him come admiration and envy among the younger members of the family.
Ben had left his parents´ home years ago, but he understood those boys pretty well.
"Can´t believe! " he entused as he searched through the games options into Kevin´s terminal "You founded out Summo Slammer Tournament Edition IV?! Since my old videogame bust out, I never found this version again." He peeked above his shoulder at his friend, who was pacing in circles like a beast in a jail. Ben shook his head.
"If you´re like this now, I don´t want to be around when Gwen´ll go to the delivering room." he commentd.
"She should have teleported" Kevin mumbled, as he sunk in a chair close to Ben´s "C´mon, give meat least a hint! You called telling me to drop whatever I was doing because you had something urgent to tell us and now you´re full of secrets!"
"You just said you hadn´t much to do besides pushing up." Ben said with a frown. The older man backed away in embarassment.
"Well, actually... I was searching for a place for our honeymoon."Kevin confessed shyly.
Ben´s eyes widened out in repproval.
"You STILL haven´t chosen a place?" he admonished " You´re marrying next week!"
"Don´t sweat it you too" the Osmosian stood up and pointed at Ben an annoyed finger "Gwen´s entire family was bitching us into going to the Niagara Falls. I ended up saying that I was planning a surprise to my fiancée, so they would leave us alone. All those women found my idea veeeeery romantic." he finished, joining his hands together on his large chest to emphatize the female Wilkes' fussy attitude.
"And what does your 'fiancée' think?"
"She told me that you two had visited Niagara when you were kids,so she didn´t see the need to go back there." Kevin said with a shrug, too distracted to notice the strange look on Ben´s face. It was during his visit with Granpa Max and Gwen to the Niagara falls that psychotic Kevin 11 and Vilgax showed up to get him, eleven years ago, so Gwen hadn´t any good memories from that place. Fortunately, the present Kevin was worried with subjects much deeper than his past sins.
"Why just married couples have to see water falling, after all? To feel like peeing all the time?" he asked.
"I guess that it´s your last chance to run away" Ben joked "I´ve heard that barrel factories are getting rich, there."
"I´m not going to need a barrel to jump from a skycraper." Kevin sighed heavily.
The bitterness contained in that phrase made Ben turn around in shock. Kevin was sunk on a chair, his head and arms leaning on the control pannel.
"C´mon" the Ultimatrix own turned off his game, stood up and walked toward his best friend. Tenderly, he took Kevin´s shoulder "I know how it´s hard to put up with aunty Lily´s relatives - well, my side of the family has a few , too" he added, remembering of Aunty Vera "But I never saw you caring so much about about what people say about you. Excepting..." something dawned on him, causing to Ben´s eyes wide up in alarm "...Gwen´s?"
Kevin didn´t answer or look at him, his mind lost in sad thoughts. Ben stood in front of Kevin and bent over him, forcing the Osmosian to look up at his face.
"Something happened between you?"he demanded.
Kevin looked away for a few seconds, before hesitating and giving in.
"If you´re asking we had a fight, no, we hadn´t." he explained "It´s just I´m pissed off because of Gwen´s bachelorette party."
"But you had promised to not have any bachelor or bachelorette parties!" Ben exclaimed in disbelief.
Gwen had refused firmly to have that kind of celebration and Kevin supported her reluctantly, even though he was a little upset about giving up on his bachelor party and its classic cake with a dancer inside.
"And since when anyone into that family respects our wishes? I eavesdropped some of her futile cousins planning the party. They´re going to drag Gwen to a hotel room with some silly excuse, then the doorbell rings and comes a stripper dressed as a cop, y´know how it is. ' Gwendolyne Tennyson, you´re under arrest' and he'll take it all off, until he'll stand in his briefs and cop hat..." he trailled off., because Ben was cracking up. The younger man couldn´t control it, so he fell from his chair. He didn´t turned it upside down because the chair was stuck on the floor.
Kevin jumped to his feet and grabbed Ben´s shoulders, giving him a very angry shaking up - a remarkable act, since now Ben was as brawny as him and slightly taller.
"What's so funny?" Kevin snarled.
"Sorry", Ben stood up and rubbed his eyes, the look in his face denying the aphologize "I was laughing cause I can´t figure out Gwen brushing onto a stripper wearing a cop hat. Why didn´t you tell her?"
"Why? Doooh! Whenever I try to talk to your cousin, one of those bitches shows up from nowhere and pulls Gwen to see this or ask that. And when one finishes, another comes and then another and another. When they finally leave Gwen alone, she´s too stressed to listen whatever I have to say so we end up having an argument. Same thing if I try to talk to her on the phone. I can´t remember the last time we went out.. it´s always the preparations this, the preparations that! I always have to stand aside and put up with those bratty younger cousins of hers ' Hey, Kev, what do I have to do to become Ben 10´s sidekick? Does it take a test, or I´ll just have to wrap myself in aluminiun sheet?'" he mimmicked his tormentors´ gibberings in a falsetto voice "And the old guys are even worse. They glare at me and whisper whenever I walk past them, but not so low that I can´t hear what they're saying."
Ben awaited patiently until Kevin took a pause to breath.
"I knew that it had to be something serious to make you so depressed. The Kevin I know would hit the roof and make sure that the stripper wouldn´t go to the hotel." he simply commented.
"You see, even I can´t recognize myself." Kevin agreed in exhaustion" But the worst thing of all it that I can´t recognize Gwen anymore. That people ask her opinion of everything just to do the exact opposite of whatever she wants. At first, she complained, but then her mom came and gave her the look, and Gwen had to give in. Now she doesn´t even argue anymore. It´s like... as if something is dying inside of her." he concluded as he lowered his head and closed his eyes, as if it was too painful to express the fear that had been burning inside of him for weeks.
The smooth weight of his friend´s hand on Kevin´s shoulder made the Osmosian look up to see Ben smiling at him.
"I can proof that you´re wrong." Ben started "Gw..."
A low, persistent noise interrupted him, calling the men´s attention for the main control pannel. Right in the middle, a blue, shining bulb let them know that someone was using a plumber badge to open the ramp. Kevin turned on a screen to confirm that the last member of the trio was coming. He shot at his best friend a warning look.
" Not a word about this, or you´ll kiss all the Summo Slammers goodbye." he threatened.