A/N: I decided that I needed to update this one. Please be patient. It's the first time I've been able to get on a computer for fun in two whole days. Driving and school have been taking their toll on me.

Disclaimer: I own Mandy, Carson, and Melody and everyone else who is not in the Ben 10 series. You are not allowed to use them without my permission.

'If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day
That nobody died'
~'If Everyone Cared', Nickelback

To Build a Team

"You should've told me it was this bad," I hissed, trying not to be mad at Melody. She wasn't even supposed to be in Bellwood in the first place. So I couldn't pin all the blame on her. "This isn't even possible anymore. We're walking in on an ambush by just entering the city limits. You saw our welcoming party."

"It's gotten worse since you left," she said from her position in the passenger seat, legs folded neatly beneath her petite frame. "Everything collapsed after the fire. Mandy and Carson are having a hard time keeping the team together. I'm going solo half the time without my partner." Her eyes noticeably narrowed in my direction, a playful glimmer in them. "And everyone else just ripped at the seams. You were the rock that held us all together. And I don't mean that literally or anything."

I winced at the thought of those licking, lapping flames surrounding the people who had taken me in and the girl who I had once loved. They had watched me run away. I could've saved them. The rest of her words were virtually lost on me. "It took a turn for the worse," I remarked, leading the car down the dark side alleys of the city to get to the apartments just south of our hideout where one of our head contacts kept his place. "I've never gotten a reception party so early from the Knights."

"But this car has definitely seen enough of those." A soft laugh came from Melody, her black eyes flickering to me for a moment as she moved stray strands of her ivory hair behind one ear and out of her face. "It's been blown up... what, nine times?"

"Plenty more since then," I commented, watching the apartment building rise up in front of me. The whole thing was made of old brick. Rotting shutters were hanging on the sides of the windows, some of them even missing. The place was a meth-head's home and one of the best places to find intel that anyone could ever get. It was a sacred haven for those who knew how to use it properly. Lucky for me, Mandy had a guy who knew a guy whose cousin knew a guy that hooked us up with this place. The girl gets around...

"You go get him," I said, neatly swinging the car to a stop on the side of the street where there was no risk of getting slammed into with another car. "I'll wait here for you."

Without another word, Melody disappeared into the beat down building, her white hair flashing in the faint rays of light that pierced the overcast clouds that hid the crystal blue sky. I leaned back in my seat, thinking everything over.

Gwen had expected me to call about two hours ago. Had I? Not yet. I made a mental note to check in with her later.

And Carson and Mandy... They had changed. Carson was so much more serious. He wasn't even a shell of his former self. Carson had become someone else entirely. Mandy was still perky, but something was wrong with her. I could tell. Her eyes were darker than ever and she seemed almost haunted in the way she did everything. The only time she ever seemed like the girl I knew was when she was smiling, and she hadn't smiled a whole lot lately. I was worried for her.

Melody never changed much. She was quieter, but what else could I expect? It was an awkward position that she had put herself in, getting between me and Gwen and trying to break us apart so dangerously. I didn't blame her for being quieter. How could I?

Melody made her way back out of the building about ten minutes later, a little more bounce in her step. My old buddy followed her out, tousling his own hair to make it look messier. He hated having it look good. "Kevin, man, I thought you were dead!" he laughed, falling into the backseat of the car and slapping a hand on my shoulder.

"You couldn't get lucky enough," I snorted with a smirk, kicking the car back into gear and revving the engine so we were sent flying down the streets. The wheels tore across the asphalt, the sheer power of my car showing in every aspect of the ride.

"Naw," Bryce laughed, "I couldn't get that lucky. I owe you too much cash for gambling to have you wind up dead." His hand was retracted from my shoulder, and he sunk into the leather seats again. "So what have you been up to, bud? Kidnapping princesses? Dealing drugs? Selling counterfeits?" His arms folded behind his head as he kicked his feet up on the console, dirty shoes clear evidence that he had been busy with some work.

For some reason, Bryce always reminded me somewhat of Carson. They probably could've been distant brothers. I wouldn't have known the difference. Bryce had the same messy hair as Carson except in a shade of light brown. He had the thin and scraggly physique that no one usually liked, but Bryce was able to make it look good in his loose t-shirts and baggy jeans. He could've looked like a hobo too if people didn't see him right. Of course, Carson had more meat on his bones in comparison to Bryce, but their faces were nearly identical in every other aspect.

"Plumbing," I told him.

He just laughed. "Dude, ferreal?" he asked, Brooklyn accent shining through. His natural roots were always shining through.

"Yeah. Saved the universe twice with the Tennysons. Saved Earth solo once." My response was enough to keep him quiet for the rest of the way to the surveillance hideout. "So yeah, I've been plumbing." And I was relieved that he was quiet. Bryce almost had a bigger mouth than Ben half the time.

The car door slammed shut as Melody got out seconds after I had pulled into the spot just outside the tiny concrete building with metal reinforcements within the thick walls. Bryce followed her out quickly and I finally rose out of the driver's seat, stepping out into the parking lot. "This place hasn't changed as much as the rest of New York," I commented.

"This place hasn't changed since the day we found it," pointed out Melody, already at the door and holding it open for me and Bryce. My friend stepped in first. I followed close behind with Melody right behind me. She stayed close.

It took about two seconds for the girlish screams to kick in after the two massive black chairs had turned around to see who had come in. "KEVIN!"

Let's just say that I'm a hot item 'round the streets. Melody was lucky that she came when she did. I could've been gone if she had turned up any later.

My two favorite little hackers grabbed me in hugs. For being a couple of hot twenty-year-old twin brunettes, Amanda and Bethany acted more like they were seven. But I liked that. In a world of war and death, it's comforting to see people run around like little kids. Carson used to be that way too. But not anymore.

"Of course, I don't get that sort of reception," muttered Bryce from behind me, letting out a bit of an upset grunt. I saw the room's surveillance in one of the monitors mounted upon the largest wall and his arms were folded across his chest, bur I could see a soft smile playing across his lips. Melody was hiding in the shadows of the room while I was being attacked by hugs.

Yes, New York was home. And this was my family.

A/N: And that's everyone. Btw, a lot of you have already been predicting the future… Keep on reviewing! Thanks for reading everyone!

~Sky