I don't own Ben 10.

Opposing Sides

Act 2

Chapter25

"So....This is kinda awkward...huh?" Benjamin said from his side of the table. He really didn't know what to say. They had been at the library for about an hour so far, and there had been only silence between the two of them.

"Yeah it is." Gwen said looking at the older boy.

After they had obtained the information they needed from Dr. Animo the group had headed immediately to the location of the Eternal Keep. However upon there arrival they were somewhat surprised. It was a normal 22 story office building...or at least it looked that way. If you were really paying attention you could see some severe security measures...and those were just on the outside of the building.

After they had talked it over for a while they decided the best option was a stakeout, to learn the ins and outs of the building, and the great thing about Plumber tech is that you don't even need to be there. Max and the kids had simply parked the Rustbucket in a nearby parking structure with a good view of the Keep and left it there to both record visual information on the comings and goings of the Forever Knights, and to scan the building for the location of the Null Void Projector. However with all the advanced security around the building the scan was going to take some time...some time being about two days, which was about two days too long for the group of children. Since the initial scan had started it had been about a day and a half.

Since they shouldn't be seen around the Keep they decided to stay at a local hotel rather than inside the RV. They had taken the original external scan of the building so they could begin creating their plan, which relied heavily on the element of surprise. Not only the surprise that the main HQ of the Forever Knights was to be attacked, but the fact that there were two sets of supercharged children would also work to there benefit. As they had seen first hand in there battle with Animo.

In order to confuse the enemy, Benjamin and Gwen were going to be on the front line. If Benjamin was in alien form along with Gwen they would never suspect that something was wrong as the second set of heroes worked during the distraction and slipped in and stole the Null Void projector. So in order to prepare for this upcoming event the two teams were taking time to get to know one another, however this process was...

"Really awkward." Gwen continued. "but at least your not as annoying as my cousin." she said in an offhand manner, as she rummaged through the pile of books in front of her. When she found that the book she was looking for was across the table next to Benjamin she reached halfway across the table. "Could you hand me that?" she said pointing to the book. The older boy picked up the book and placed it in her hand.

"Come on cut him some slack, Hes a ten year old boy. Thats what there supposed to be like. Plus girls are supposed to mature faster, so of course he's gonna bug you" Benjamin said trying to defend his younger self. "Though he does seem a little more...devious than I was. Must be because he has you around all the time." he said the last like it explained everything.

"Great so I'm the cause of his behavior, if I wasn't around he would be a little more mellow. Like you." Gwen said as she pointed across the table at the older boy. "Hey...do my parents exist in your world." she said looking up from the book Benjamin had handed her.

"if you mean uncle Frank and aunt Lilly., then yes those two do exist in my world. They wanted to have kids, I think, but they never had any." he said looking a little uncomfortable talking about the fact that in his world her parents were childless. "But there really nice, when I visit them they always seemed like good people to me." he said trying to make the situation less awkward.

"Hmm...So Gwendolyn and I have different parents." Gwen said writing something down in a notebook she had purchased earlier that day. "Its strange that we would be this similar. Though I could also say the same for you. You seem to be almost exactly like Ben but you've never had any interaction with me, as a cousin. Very interesting" the young girl said continuing to jot things down in her notebook.

"are you studying me?" Benjamin said suddenly feeling very unnerved by the girl in front of him.

"No just making observations about the differences between our dimensions. Its really interesting stuff." she said looking at him, excitement in her eyes. "and once I'm back home ill be able to study without that annoying doofus around all the time." she said half annoyed and half not meaning it. Benjamin could sense the not meaning it portion, and decided to say something he had been meaning to say to her.

"Thank you." he said Honestly. Gwen stopped writing in her notebook and and put her pencil down.

"Why exactly are you thanking me?" she said looking at him suspiciously. Whenever Ben wanted something he would always say something nice first...even if it didn't make any sense.

"I'm not really sure...its just that after my first summer with the Omnitrix I couldn't tell anyone about it." The older boy said looking down at the watch on his wrist. "so I spent an entire year until the next summer, keeping it from everyone, my parents and friends." He suddenly got a very lonely look on his face. "especially my friends. I would disappear often and be late or absent from school if something came up, they thought I was into something bad...and so did there parents. So most of them avoid me now. Some of the neighborhood kids I look after every once and a while still talk to me on a regular basis. But its not the same." he grabbed the watch and began to fidget with it. " Gwendolyn is the first person I have been able to talk with like a friend for a long time. So I just wanted to say thank you for being there for Ben, even if he drives you up a wall sometimes." Benjamin gave her his warmest smile.

"Y..Your welcome." Gwen couldn't help but blush a little. She was beginning to understand what Gwendolyn saw in him. "Anyway, we should go save Gwendolyn." she said closing her notebook and standing up, also trying to avoid looking him directly in the eye. "If she is anything like me, she is probably about to murder Ben."she said half jokingly, as she laughed some, then stopped suddenly "but seriously... she might kill him." she said motioning for Benjamin to follow.

I'm going to kill him. Was the only thought on Gwendolyn's mind. There time together had started off not that bad. She had started by asking him questions about himself, to see what Benjamin was like when he was younger. However after a couple of hours he had found something very interesting. He had found her buttons. They were usually well hidden but he had found them quite easily, and despite their large caustic warning labels he had decided to start pushing them anyway.

He had started off by asking her all about he time as a "Villain" which she had tolerated since at first he didn't mean it mockingly. Then however he had started in on her crush on Benjamin. However it had taken a while until she was actually angry enough to start yelling at him. At first it was just questions about when she met him and what it was like not growing up with him... then however he had suddenly started asking questions like. "so when you two tying the knot anyway." and other childish things such as the "Kissing in a tree" ditty that kids often used to tease one another, and that had been about thirty minuets ago....he was going to be strangled.

"Yooouuu liiike Beeenjaaamin." he repeated over and over. They had returned to the hotel to await everyone else but had forgotten that they themselves did not have a key since Ben had misplaced it. So they were waiting outside the door sitting against the wall. She was at her breaking point. She now understood why Gwen acted the way she did. However the younger girl had built up defenses and retorts all designed to thwart the young boy....where she had none. Then he said his chant one to many times.

"NO I DON'T!" she said spitting venom at him. she decided to try and put an end to his annoyance by taking things one step too far. "In fact the only reason I'm around him is because I need him to get home!!" she said shaking with rage. The young girl hoped that her display would put an end to his juvenile tactics.

"You don't mean that?" he said suddenly looking very hurt and serious, as Gwendolyn took a deep breath and collected herself.

"No...but you wouldn't stop. I had to do something or I was going to try and strangle you. So I yelled the first thing that popped into my head." She said still recovering from her outburst. "Sorry about that. But you have to learn to stop. Its really annoying." she said honestly.

"You may want to explain that to him though." Ben said pointing down the hall. Gwendolyn's eyes moved in the direction his finger indicated. There at the end of the hall walking mechanically back toward the elevator was Benjamin. Gwen was running over to them.

"BEN!" Gwendolyn called, completely throwing there naming convention out the window.

"I know you you were just yelling at Ben but I don't think he understands." Gwen said pointing back at the older boy. "You go deal with him, and I'll deal with this one." she said closing in on Ben like a great white circling a baby seal.

Gwendolyn was off like a shot trying to get to the elevator before it closed. However she came up short. Just as she made it to the doors she only saw Benjamin for a split second before they closed. His face was hard to read, the only emotion she could read before the doors closed was disappointment. She began kicking herself mentally, as she walked back over to the other two children. Gwen had Ben by one ear and was leading him into their room. As the three entered the room Gwendolyn walked over and fell face forward on the bed she shared with Gwen.

"I cant believe I said that." she said throwing a pillow over her head. "Why would I do something like that, to the only person from my world who actually cares about me." she said half yelling, though the words were muffled somewhat. "I'm an idiot." she said flatly from under her pillow.

"Well, you didn't mean it. So just apologize. I'm sure he will understand." Ben said, with Gwen still holding onto his ear.

"I don't want to hear that from you." Gwendolyn said. "You made me mad enough to say it." she threw her pillow and hit him smack in the face.

"ow..I'm not the one who said it though." he said defensively, until Gwen began pulling on his ear again. "OW OW OW...I'm sorry alright." he pleaded with his cousin.

"Darn straight you are." she said pulling once more before letting the boy go. "Gwendolyn, hes right. Just apologize and explain yourself to him and I'm sure he will understand. Your... important to him." she said remembering her conversation with Benjamin, she also had moved in closer to Gwendolyn so that Ben couldn't overhear the last part.

"What?" The older girl said as she sat up to face Gwen. "What did he say." she said suddenly. Gwen said next to her on the bed as Ben went into the bathroom saying something about suing her for trying to tear of his ear.

"Just that your the only person other than his grandfather, and a couple other Plumbers, that knows about his...unique hobby. And that he enjoys having you around." Gwen said remembering the smile he gave her. She shook her head to clear those thoughts. "anyway..." the door to the hotel room opened suddenly.

Grandpa Max and Benjamin both entered at the same time. As Gwendolyn went to go and say something, The older man started in first.

"The Full scan of the building is completed, now we can find the location of the Null Void Projectors inside. However we don't know if Driscoll is here or not so we have to make sure we plan this carefully." Max said trying to impress upon them the severity of what they were trying to accomplish. However Gwendolyn and Benjamin didn't even have a dent. She sat on the bed looking over at Benjamin who would not meet her gaze.