Just in case you missed it in every previous chapter, I don't own Ben 10

Opposing Sides

Act 3

Chapter 29

As Maxwell Tennyson, drove around town he could only think about two things. One was his grandson, the other was a deadly alien that wanted something with his grandson. Both thoughts, did nothing to comfort him. It had been about two weeks since the ritual had been preformed and he wasn't sure what to do. He had actually not answered the phone the last time his son had called him wanting to talk to Ben no doubt.

He knew that if he kept looking...maybe just, maybe something would turn up. He had been concerned when Ghostfreak had begun his search for Ben, but ultimately it seemed ineffective. Neither of them had been able to locate the young boy. After two or three consecutive nights of incidents in which Max was certain that the culprit was the ghostly alien, they just stopped. Which the older man wasn't sure weather or not to be happy or upset by this.

As he found a place to park for the night, the cell phone he had bought on his second trip with Ben began to ring. It alarmed him slightly, it almost never rang. If it did it was usually Ben's parents, but it was much to late for them to be calling. He slowed the RV and came to a stop at a parking space near the city park, and opened his cell phone.

"Hello." The older man said after he brought the phone to his ear.

"Is this Maxwell Tennyson." he heard a gruff voice from the other side of the phone.

"Yes. May I ask who's calling." Max said with a little uncertainty in his voice.

"This is the Local Sheriffs department, I think we may have found something of yours." the gruff man said as Max could hear him passing the phone.

"Hey grandpa." Ben's voice said somewhat cautiously. The boy sounded like he might be scolded if he said the wrong thing.

"BEN!!! are you alright, where were you, what happened, I..." however before he could continue Ben interrupted.

"I'm alright grandpa, but the officers here said that they want you to come pick us up ASAP." he said a little apologetically.

"What do you mean us." Max said suspiciously.

As the two children waited in the reception area of the police station, Gwen began to become nervous. She wasn't sure how Ben's grandfather would react to seeing her. He might just immediately report that she was a homeless child and that she needed to be taken care of by social services. She really didn't want that. As her mind reeled at the possibilities before her she was suddenly aware that Ben had taken her hand into his own. The look on his face said " don't worry." so she took a deep breath. It had only been an hour ago that she had been helping him. In order to affirm that she was feeling better she gave his hand a slight squeeze.

The door to the sheriffs department suddenly swung open as Maxwell Tennyson came bolting in. he looked around hurriedly and found what he was looking for.

"Ben!" he shouted, as he ran over and grabbed his grandson up into a crushing bear hug. "I was so worried....i missed you." he said holding Ben tightly to himself.

"I missed you too, grandpa. Well this you." he said enigmatically. "its good to be home." Ben said as his grandfather set him down.

"come on, we have a lot of catching up to do." Max said as he held his hand out to his grandson, who oddly enough took a step back. The older man eyed him for a second until he saw the young boy take the hand of the girl who had been sitting with him. Ben looked into his grandfather's eyes, the only interpretation Max had for that look was "not without her." and it didn't look like he was going to back down on this. The older man wondered what had happened while they were gone.

"You too....Gwendolyn." Max said trying to remember the girls name correctly. "we have a lot of ground to cover. Both literally and metaphorically." as he reached out once more for his grandson's hand, this time he accepted it with a smile. However before they even made it one step to the door there was a hand on Max's shoulder. It was the officer with the gruff voice.

"Were going to need you to fill out some paperwork." he said setting a pen and a huge stack of papers down in front of the older man.

"...you were in another dimension...one where you two are cousins...and everything there was from two years ago?" Max said incredulously, as they finished telling him there tale. Leaving out some of the details to protect the innocent...or themselves. "Thats amazing... Ive been looking all over...its no wonder that I couldn't find you." the older man said his eyes still watering. He hadn't cried but he had thought about it.

"so what are we going to do about Gwen, grandpa." Ben said motioning to the girl sitting in the seat next to him. "we cant just abandon her to some orphanage, or something like that." he said looking very serious. The girl in question however had barely said a word. "i wont let that happen." the young hero said looking over to reassure Gwen.

"I don't know..." Max said considering, the options for such a situation. "well we could..." he was about to say let social services handle it, but when he looked at his grandson he could see that the young boy would vehemently oppose such a decision. He hemmed and hawed for a while. His brain trying to decide what to do when a loophole presented itself to him. "Well why don't we take her with us for now...then after summer is over we can make a decision then." he said smiling at his grandson. Who jumped up in triumph.

"thank you grandpa." Ben said as he gave his grandfather a tackling hug, however he instantly pulled away and turned to Gwen who had a smile on her face for the first time since entering the RV over an hour ago. "See I told you he wasn't mad." Ben said matter of factly. Gwen turned to face the older man.

"Thank you, Mr. Tennyson." she said politely.

"You don't have to be so formal... how about uncle Max, instead. Mr. Tennyson is to stuffy for me." Max said smiling at the girl. "and if Ben is willing to stick up for you this much then you must be important to him, and I wanted to thank you, Gwendolyn, for watching out for him." he said with sincerity.

"No problem, and you can call me Gwen." she said holding her hand out for him to shake. He reached out and accepted her offer.

"well I don't know about you two but I'm wiped out." Max said, as he realized they would be changing there sleeping arrangement. "Well. You two can take the bedroom and ill sleep out here in the foldout cot." he said pointing to the back room.

The two children changed into there pajamas, Gwen who had been using her younger variants clothes for the past week had to resort to using a pair of clean boxers and one of maxes old shirts. They then proceeded into the back bedroom. Inside there were two mattresses one big and one small. The big one was the master bed that his grandfather used and the smaller one was on the floor, which was designated for Ben.

The young boy threw himself on top of his mattress. And pulled the covers up over himself.

"Are you sure I can have the big bed." Gwen said sounding uncertain. "it is your RV after all." she stood still and waited for his reply.

"are you kidding grandpa would kill me if he found out I made you sleep on the floor mattress." Ben said with emphasis on the kill part of his little speech. "plus it really doesn't matter to me, I can sleep anywhere." he said remembering the chair he had slept in at Tammy's house.

"alright. If you insist" she said as she got into the large...well large for an RV...bed. As she lay down for a moment she let out a sigh of relief. It was only a temporary grace from her fate but at least she would get to spend some more time with Ben before having to leave. "well at least you know how to treat a lady." she said as she pulled the covers over herself.

"Ha...lady." Ben said sarcastically to himself, mostly out of reflex. As he was immediately hit in the face with a pillow.

"Jerk." Gwen said flatly as she brought her pillow back up to her level. As Ben was about to complain or retaliate he was suddenly dumbstruck as the young girl leaned down and quickly placed a kiss on his forehead. "Thanks." she said as she darted back under her covers, leaving Ben completely confounded.