A single roman candle burned off into the distance. Its' flickering light foreshadowing only half the face of one, dark sinister man, his eyes cold as the coolest of ice, and the soul he carried along with it, could easily be matched.

Laughing maniacally to himself while setting his gaze upon the magical staff that snugly held a medium sized purplish orb in its claw like casing. The tall, light in skin tone man, began to whisper in the dead of silence, a small, incoherent chant. Making the orb shine brighter than its' undertone, transforming the glowing glass ball into what looked to be a hollow like view of a certain red headed female.

The man who had been sitting alone in the shadows quickly placed a soothing, satisfying grin upon his lips. "There you are my sweet Gwendolyn." He deeply cooed, sliding one of his large calloused fingers covered in iron, across the vision of her face. "And here I thought I had lost you." He leans slightly into the glowing orb, bringing it closer to his soften features, watching, as the girl's face fell in sadness, tears dripping endlessly down those pretty little cheeks of hers'. "Now, now." He caressed onto her vision once more. "Hush... we'll be together again soon… and those intoxicating powers of yours will be mine once again." He heavily sighs in a mocking gesture. "Shame that a delicate, and beautiful creature such as yourself, is going to have to die…"

As quick as the light flickered on, darkness remained hovering in his world once again. Only his deepened fits of menacing laughter was left, filling the blackened empty room that had finally consumed him…

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

Kevin and Gwen just stood there in silence, none of them saying as to one word to even try and break the quiet. Kevin stared on into what he considered were the most beautiful green eyes he had ever laid his own upon.

Gwen intently glared back into his, realizing then, that they were like her own doorways to his very soul. As if anyone who dared to take a look, could see his most, deepest, darkest secrets. The story of his life seemed to be hidden behind those gorgeous obsidian pools of his.

Finally, Kevin broke their silent bond, and he quickly began picking what little debris was left on the girls light pink, v-neck t-shirt. "So…" He choked out, clearing his throat, showing signs of being slightly nervous by blushing madly once again. "Mind telling me why you took off the way you did earlier?"

Gwen quickly lowered her head, sighing out a heavy breath of air, finding the log next to them, just as good as any to sit on. Because if Kevin really wanted to know what was seriously wrong with her, the story she was about to tell was going to be more than endless.

"Sit." She said shortly, patting the log she was now setting herself up on. Kevin complied, and sat down next to her. Waiting, for her not so simple explanation.

Gwen turned her head away from the concerned man beside her, staring intently at the moon that had lit up their surroundings, as she began telling her story, speaking, ever so softly. "Orthos, was somebody who I had grown very close with, just over two years ago." Her face hardening at the memory of the man. "I met him through Grandpa, and the plumbers. He seemed like someone I could relate too. Someone, who I could completely trust and confide in. But-"

"Did you love 'em?" Kevin asked too eagerly, squinting his eyes, and slapping himself a dozen times over mentally for asking such a thing. He didn't mean for his question to come out sounding so pained and desperate. Luckily, all the girl did in return, was smile up at him in suspicion, not letting his embarrassment carry on any further. "I.. I mean, ya know, I was just-"

"No." Gwen held up her grin, interrupting the Osmosian. "Not really. Sure, we were close, but, it hadn't gotten to that point yet. At least, I don't think it had."

"Oh, well that's good I guess." Kevin smiled, rubbing the back of his head shyly. "Anyways..." He urged the red head to continue, saving himself from another heated hot flash.

"He and I started dating for a while. Things were going good. Life was good. I even remember, after another year of dating, him begging me for the longest time to move in with him, but…" Gwen sighs, folding her arms over her chest. "I just wasn't ready, you know?" She finishes, finding herself staring back into Kevin's dark orbs once again. Kevin noticed then, that Gwen was starting to welt up with tears. He knew that this "Orthos" guy was more than bad news, that the man had to have done something beyond horrible to this one of a kind, sweet hearted young girl. But why? What kind of a man, any man for that matter, would want to do such a thing to her? Secretly, it was hurting him deeply. It just wasn't right, and in Kevin's dark, and vengeful mind, Orthos was definitely going to pay, regardless. Orthors was deserving of all that was coming from the Osmosian. It was a known fact that Kevin was going to make him realize.

"So, when I told him that I wasn't ready to go to the next level." The red head choked on her words, bringing her knees up to her chest for more comfort. "Things with his attitude and demeanor against me began to change. He became almost psychotic, and his true intentions of wanting to be with me in the first place showed on the last mission that we worked together on." She finally let the tears loose from her face, wiping them off as they fell. "He almost killed me, Kevin… I.. I almost died. If Ben wasn't there-"

Kevin's eyes automatically went wide, he didn't exactly know what to think, or how to register this newest piece of information. Biting his tongue, and holding in his obvious anger, he let the girl continue on with her heart wrenching story of her past. But seeing the distraught written all over Kevin's face, Gwen slowly moves her tale along, leaving out the part of her almost dying, for the time being. "I vaguely remember that it was raining heavily that night." Gwen shivered slightly at the terrible memories that plagued her. "Like I said, we were on a mission. Pretty standard actually, just your basic bad guy. I was there, due to the fact that all of my college courses were on a mid summers' break. So naturally, I was able to help out this time around." She turns her face to the left, away from Kevin. The less she gazed into his hurtful features, the easier it was for her to keep on talking. "Things were all going to plan, until Orthos and I were alone, and that's when he decided to strike out at me… When all hell, had broken loose…"

Flash back:

"Gweeeen." Orthos sing-songed out to her, as she ran from the broken pieces of wall he had busted himself through, trying to reach to her. "I know you're in here." He breaths in the unsettling dust that filtered through the air, moving his long brown bangs from his sight. "I can sense your manna, Gwendolyn, and I must say it's absolutely riveting." He takes a look to his left and then to his right, Gwen was nowhere to be found. "Come out, come out where ever you are…"

Gwen ran to the next room that was located just to the front of her, trying to get as far away as she possibly could from him. Stepping behind a broken down wall from a previous fight with the other alien that had been arrested by the Ben and the plumbers recently, she crouches down, silencing as best she could, her fast and labored breathing. The man after all had incredible sonic hearing.

"Gwen!" Orthos shouted out in frustration. "You know you can't hide from me forever!" He arches his head to the side, now getting a heavy whiff of her scent. The breeze of the cool night air was obviously helping towards his benefit that night. "Oooh." He heavily drawls out. "Now I know where you are my sweet, and delicate-"

Walking over to where he had caught the smell of her scented perfume, he heatedly lifted up the wall that the girl had been supposedly hiding herself in seconds earlier, smiling meniachley to himself at his accomplishments of finally finding his ex-girlfriend. But…

She wasn't there.

Letting out a loud, aggravated growl, Orthos threw the broken down wall behind him. The man was pretty strong, and it took little energy for him to move an entire side of a building. Taking himself deeper into the small, low tinted lit room, Orthos paused for a moment, to gather up his surroundings.

Gwen was still in there… He could feel her presence. She was there. He knew she was, she just had to be. There was no other way out. No windows to break out of. No extra doors, nothing… Besides, there wasn't anything signaling his inner radar, telling him otherwise.

Suddenly, a bright pink orb shot at Orthos, knocking him to the ground, as his head smarted against the cement pavement just below his feet.

Shot after shot had been taken towards the young plumber. Gwen had been struggling for the last five minutes to find that extra strength to try and keep her attacker at bay, running from him, caused her to lose more than anticipated. Then, Gwen's chest began to tighten from all of the strained pressure of fighting him off, desperately firing manna after manna, trying to keep him back, and away from her. With all the extra raw energy she was using, it was now working totally against her. Also realizing that she was slowly starting to losing the fight, and Orthos hadn't even begun his wanting torment against the girl.

Orhtos smiled wickedly at her, bringing himself up from the cool dampened floor, showing no signs of even being hurt. Gwen stopping dead in her tracks, as he made his way closer to her, effortlessly.

Gwen's manna bombs didn't even scar him. No wounds of any kind. It was as if he were suddenly immune to them.

Waving his pointer finger in mock disappointment at her, he simply breaths out, "Naughty, naughty, Gwendolyn." His face lingering mere inches from her own. "Is that how you're supposed to treat a guy who's madly in love you… by taking them down?" He then leans in closer to her left ear, grinning as he whispered, "When all he really wants in return, is your undying love and affection?"

"Save it!" Gwen spat out, spitting droplets of her own saliva against his cold stony features.

Orthos didn't even flinch at her motions of hatred against him. "Now see?" He brings a tender finger up to her face, gliding it affectionately down to her rose bitten cheeks. "This is what makes you unattractive, dear Gwendolyn." He hissed, shoving the crimson haired beauty, without mercy, to the ground. Her head slamming hard against one of the boards, knocking her out cold.

End Flash back…

At this point, Gwen was sobbing beyond her control. She was more than scared. She was downright terrified, and with good reason.

Kevin didn't know what to say, or for that matter, what to do on handling the situation he found himself getting into. The feelings he was having towards her, were basically all new to him. Normally, girls wouldn't make him act this way, but Gwen? She was different, and he instantly found himself falling for her.

Hard…

To make things even more confusing for Kevin, Gwen had suddenly collapsed into his open chest, sending a wave of heated blush up to his already crimson face. Kevin could only sit there for a few seconds, with no response, and showing little comfort. He wasn't sure of himself at the time. Should be so bold enough, as to wrap one of his arms around the girl? But, when he felt Gwen pushing herself further into his warm, broad chest, he knew right then on what he had to do…

He instinctively wrapped both of his arms lovingly around her, trying the best way that he knew how, on comforting the sobbing, beautiful red head.

"And that's when I found Ben, and Grandpa hovering over me." Gwen finally choked out, taking in a long ragged breath, trying her hardest to calm her unraveling nerves. "I never knew what really happened, or how things went down after that. All I remember were those two fussing over me."

"Gwen." Kevin spoke up in a low whisper, as the girl hid her face further into his chest. "I won't let him get to you." He found himself promising her. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that Orthos doesn't lay a single hand on you ever again." He then places a delicate finger under the red head's chin, forcing the girl to look up at him, straight in the eyes. He wanted her to physically see that he meant every single word that had escaped from his mouth. That it wasn't just another silly little game that would eventually break her heart. "I promise, Gwen. You hear me? Nothin's going to happen to you."

"You don't know Orthos." Gwen pleaded, trying to reason with the raven haired hero. "He'll stop at nothing to find me, Kevin. Do you understand?" Her voice began to crack and rise. "He doesn't have morals, or the slightest thoughts of mercy for that matter… and if you get in his way..? I.. I can't let that-"

Kevin, without giving himself, or her, another second of thought, bent over, and instantly kissed her. Gwen's face lit up naturally with satisfaction, and without so much as skipping a single beat, she passionately responded by kissing Kevin right back with the same fire and intensity as he, was pushing against her.

The two were lost once again, in their own moment of bliss.

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

"What's taking them so long?" Ben wined, tired of waiting for his friends to return, as he looked to his watch that was located on his wrist. "Oh... Right." He sighed in frustration, huffing under his own breath. "My watch doesn't tell time."

Max simply rolls his eyes at his grandson, letting out a small chuckle in pure humor at the young hero. "Patience is a virtue, Ben. Remember th-

"BOOOOOOOOM!"

Max and Ben fell back instantly. The sudden explosion caused the two to fall hard inside of the motor home. Ben never hesitated on getting himself back up from the tile flooring, as he raised one of his arms on top of the kitchen table, pushing himself upright, and quickly taking his leave out of the door. "KEVIN! GWEN!" He shouted out in fear, as he made his way into the fire lit forest, the trees having been slightly burned on impact. Grandpa Max also got himself up off the floor, following after his grandson, fear ringing in his chest for the very worst.

Ben maneuvered in out between the trees, screeching his voice into the air like a mad man for his two teammates. Max, who had grabbed a few high levels of alien arsenal, just before he busted out the door with the brunette hero, was keeping a look out, watching Ben's back for any sudden, and unwanted intruders.

Finally coming upon a clearing that Ben knew hadn't been there naturally from all those years of visiting the place, saw Kevin, as he was slowly making his way up from the damp, forest floor.

"Kevin!" Ben said, rushing to his side, panic smearing all over his already 'scared beyond belief' features. "Where's Gwen?"

"Shit!" Kevin growled out. "I don't know! We were sitting here talkin', and the next thing we knew-"

Suddenly, Gwen's high pitched screaming filled the thick smoky air that had been lingering around the three men. Ben began to panic once again, and ran closest to the direction on where he could've sworn her voice was carrying from, figuring that she had to have been close, he turns himself back around, glaring back to his comrade. "We have got to find her, Kevin." He said gravely.

"You don't think I know that!" The dark haired man said, grabbing Ben's jacket collar, then, throwing him back down and away from him due to his own frustrations of losing the red head. "You're not the only one who's worried about her!"

"I never said that you weren't, Kevin!" Ben retorted, lowering his brow in anger at the ex-con. "You just assumed that-"

"Calm down." The voice of reason interrupted, by shouting in their general direction. "We're not going to be able to find Gwen, if both of you kill each other off first." Max glares at the two boys in disappointment. "She needs help from the both of you. Got it?"

Setting their differences aside, Ben and Kevin quickly nodded in agreement. They knew Max was right. Gwen wasn't going to come back to them without the team's full cooperation with each other.

Gathering up what little reasoning that they had left, the three plumbers began to head deeper into the forest to see if they could try and locate Gwen, and fast. Max knew that they didn't have much time to bring his only granddaughter back to safety, and Kevin at this point, was beyond worried for her, silently hoping that when they do find her, she would still be alive.

Orthos was in fact a very dangerous man, and shouldn't be taken lightly as just one of those "throw away villains". He was cold, unforgiving, and more importantly, he had Gwen.

Knowing these facts, and coming up with that type of realization, Kevin had picked up his pace…

Okie Dokie! Another chapter finished! Once again, you guys just blow my mind away! You all are simply? AWESOME!

As always, enjoy, and please leave me a sweet, and wonderful review!

Thanks for reading,

The Spoon. :D