-1Ben cracked an eye open at a distant sound. He rolled out of his bed and rubbed his eyes sleepily. The noise only got louder as he plodded over to the window. A large black truck sped past the RV followed by a brightly lit police vehicle with the siren blaring full volume. Ben looked for a backup vehicle to follow it but only the one pulled ahead.

Ben looked down at his watch fearfully. It face glowed threateningly in the darkness. Perhaps he wasn't meant to use it. Maybe that was why his bones ached even thinking about the pulse of pain that occurred as soon as he pushed the face down. He shivered and looked ahead with fake optimism. "Well the police are chasing them," he assured himself and strolled back to his bed grateful of some well deserved sleep.

Gwen looked down at him suspiciously, if not concerned, as he finally closed his eyes.

"Ben?" Gwen said as she shoved his shoulders lightly. He opened his eyes slowly only to squeeze them shut as pain serged down his optic nerves.

"Darn it, Gwen! What was that for!?" he hissed and buried his head in his pillow.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Stop shining that torch in my eyes!"

"I haven't got one, dweeb. It's daylight." Surely enough, when he opened his eyes, he saw that the whole vehicle was flooded with light. He groaned deeply. It didn't feel like he'd slept at all. He felt his wrist sting and glanced down at it. He pulled the watch to face height and realised that it was red. He obviously hadn't used it in his sleep or it would definitely have woken him up in a very loud and painful way. Gwen smirked when she spotted it and Ben had a feeling she was up to something.

"What?" Ben asked in annoyance. "I went for a walk."

"No you didn't," she grinned. "I saw you get up in the night so I poured your cereal around your bed so that neither one of your aliens could creep out without stepping on any." Ben raised an eyebrow. Gwen motioned a hand to the floor where, as she had said, the floor was littered with cereal grains. "See, untouched. I know you're not smart enough to notice." Ben frowned. "So what's going on?" She asked a bit more seriously.

Ben let her words sink in and began processing a reply. He smirked sneakily at her. "I went ghost freak, dweeb. Bet you didn't think of that!" He laughed at her predictable expression.

"You outsmarted me?" She sat down slowly.

"Yep! What're you gonna do about it?" Ben gloated in her face while stepping off his bed into the mess of cereal. "Oh man."

"I know exactly what I'm going to do about it." She jumped up and went to wake up Max. He turned to face her and yawned widely.

"Gwen? What are you doing up at this time?"

Gwen looked over at Ben with fake worry. "I think Ben needs a break from all this hero work, grandpa. He doesn't look too good."

"What?" Ben shouted. "I'm doing just fine-" he winced at the sharp sting in his wrist.

"See, grandpa." Max Tennyson looked between his two grandchildren and sighed.

"Why don't we just leave it for this morning and sort it out later." Ben nodded and Gwen did also, reluctantly. "Now why don't you two watch TV? I'll join you in a minute. As he got out of bed the two cousins went to watch TV. Gwen turned on the news.

"The news?!" Ben complained and lunged for the remote. Gwen skilfully whisked it from his reach and kicked him off her lap where he landed. He sat up and rubbed his head. "Can't you ever choose something decent to watch?"

"Actually, I wanted to know if that rare bird they found has been returned to the zoo safely," she said compassionately. Ben stuck his finger down his throat and pretended to hurl.

"Who cares?" Gwen looked down on him in disapproval but turned back to the TV. It was showing a high speed chase down the motorway in pitch black.

"Hey look. Isn't that our RV?" Max asked as he emerged from the bathroom and sat on the coach next to Gwen.

"It looks like it," Gwen replied. "And look who it is," she laughed, pointing at the window where Ben was watching them drive past tiredly.

"Hey! I'm on TV!" Ben exclaimed happily.

"The two robbers escaped with just over a thousand dollars stolen from the local bank. They were last seen at the very top of the motorway turning off the far left junction when they drove off road. Our police car lost sight of them before backup arrived," the reporter read out in a dull tone.

Max looked down at the boy. "It would have been a lot more memorable if you were on TV catching those robbers." Ben looked up at his grandpa and then back at the floor in shame. "Is there something wrong Ben?"

"Well, there was a police car and I'd only just woken up."

"That's not an excuse. You could see that they were getting away."

Gwen silenced them both. "I told you, grandpa. He needs a break from his hero work."

"No I don't! I'm doing just fine! I was just a little tired, that's all. It's no big deal really." Max looked at him sternly. Ben shrunk away from him in hush.

"I think Gwen's right, Ben. Perhaps we should take a weeks break. Don't you agree?" With that tone all that Ben could do was mumble an agreement. "That's great then. Do you know any activities we could do today, Gwen?"

The ginger haired girl smiled happily. "One or two."

234323432343234323432343234323432343234323432343234323432343234323432

"I can't believe this! You entered me in a marathon run?!" Ben moaned to his cousin as he walked miserably along side his granddad.

"Yes," she replied matter-of-factly. "It's a fun and easy way to keep fit." She flexed her arms happily as she walked. Ben raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Easy!? Fun?!" he coughed in sarcasm. "Sometimes I wonder how we're related." Gwen didn't cast him a look. He stopped and sniffed the air loudly. "Is it just me or do you smell hotdogs?" he questioned in hope.

"No," Gwen followed his suit a little more politely, "just the overpowering stench of dweebitis and car fumes." Ben looked at her with mild distaste.

"I swear I smell hotdogs." He sniffed again in conformation.

"I can't smell anything either, Ben. Maybe you should let it drop," Max sighed tiredly and Gwen nodded in agreement.

"Isn't this supposed to be a healthy week anyway?" Ben growled in protest.

Ben stopped. "Since when did we agree on that?" He hissed in annoyance when they didn't reply and jogged a bit to catch up with them.The trio walked in comfortable silence, observing the modern, somewhat dirty architecture. After a few minutes Ben noticed Gwen squinting at something they were approaching. Her expression shone when she recognised the red and white striped shade ahead. Ben looked at it sceptically.

"Is that a market store, grandpa?" Gwen pointed out. Max followed her gaze and nodded.

"Looks like it. I wonder what they're selling…" He lead his grandchildren towards it. Ben watched it curiously with a grin creeping onto his face. He had a very good idea what it was already.

"Do you smell… hotdogs?" Gwen's eyes widened slightly and she caught Ben's grinning face.

"Well duh! Like I have for like the last century!" Gwen turned to Max, dumbfounded.

"It's probably just coincidental. There are a lot of food stands around this part of town," he assured her.

"Yeah, and like you could smell it. I just have super senses-"

"And no common sense," she giggled.

"Where where you when they were handing out maturity?" Ben retaliated without humour.

"I don't know, probably the same place you were."

"Now, now you two. We don't want to be late for this run do we?" He began to cross the road.

"Uhh, yes we do!" Ben crossed his arms and began to follow his relatives. He was stopped by a strong waft of smell which caught in his throat pleasantly. He looked back in longing, glanced down at the white face of the omnitrix, sighed, and plodded after his cousin.

234323432343234323432343234323432343234323432343234323432343234323432

"How the hell did you talk me into this?!" Ben complained loudly as he undid his laces and pulled his shoe from his foot allowing it to breath.

"Phew!" Gwen held her nose and fanned her hand in front of her face at the almost visible plume of stench that drifted past her face. "When did you last wash?"

"Yesterday," he replied innocently and sniffed his foot. "Geez, that's gross!" He dropped it back to the floor and stuffed it in his shoe doing the lace back up as fast as he could.

"You're telling me? You smell worse than usual…" Ben sniffed under his arms instinctively and shrugged. "And you're sweating all over the place!"

Ben wiped his forehead on his sleeve. "Well it is hot." Gwen almost laughed at him.

"It's freezing. Why do you think everyone's wearing thick coats?" Her cousin looked around and shrugged again. "Are you okay?"

"Well I feel fine." He jumped to his feet and stretched his arms flexing his fingers. "Never better even." Gwen raised an eyebrow but left it be as they were motioned to the start line. She turned to her cousin jokily.

"Bet you can't beat me to the finish line!" She challenged.

"Bet I can trip you up before then!" The whistle sounded to signal the start of the race. "Psyche!" he shouted back at her as she distractedly lagged behind. After only a few metres he felt a gust of air cool his sweaty face as she jogged ahead. He growled. He watched as the contestants, including his bratty show off cousin, ran into the distance. He cursed his poor stamina and glanced into the crowd.

He saw his grandpa wave at him in encouragement. To his annoyance, he noticed other's parents smile at him in jest and laugh to eat other casting him sideways glances. The spark of anger it ignited seemed to trigger something. Something he didn't notice until he saw Gwen pass with by with a blurred expression of surprise. He felt his wrist ache and a sudden burst of adrenaline pulse through his body and focus on his stiff limbs.

The crowd seemed to warp around him so he could barely even catch their faces. Barely paying attention to where he was going he closed his eyes against the various insects which zoomed passed his face, occasionally catching his skin. The wind couldn't seem to keep up with him.

He watched his arms distort with speed at his sides in awe. He only realised, as he crossed the finish line, that this felt just like it did when he was XLR8. He came to a halt and sprayed gravel in front of him.

The air was silent as all eyes focused on him for a terrifying moment. The smell of burnt rubber crept up his nostrils. He straightened his posture slowly and glanced down at the device on his wrist. It was almost a mischievous white glow it gave him. He couldn't stop a grin from crossing his face.