I Caught Myself

By: ParamoreXO

"He's alive," Kevin assured me, his tense muscles relaxing as he unleashed a sigh of relief. A trembling hand was pressed against my ghostly pale grandpa's neck, "His pulse is weak but I'm pretty sure he's gonna make it."

That was all I needed to hear. With my clammy hands I pulled out my plumber's badge from my pocket. "Should I call for help? I don't know how we're going to manage pile Grandpa, Uncle Carl, and my father all in a car," I glanced over at my Uncle and father's beaten bodies with a shudder. Through the heat of the battle there really wasn't any time to place them somewhere comfortable so they were both on the hood of Kevin's car. He was probably never going to forgive them for placing those nasty gashes in his beloved vehicle. "…well, unconscious at least. And we still have to find Ben."

Standing up from his crouched position beside my Grandpa, he turned to face me, "Might as well. Or we could just call your mom to pick them up while we get the plumbers to inspect the place. Maybe they know something about…well, whatever that thing was." Gently, he slipped his hands into mine, "Great job out there, babe. It takes a lot of guts to do what you did. I'm not sure if I could've done it myself, having to hurt a part of my family," I nodded, feeling my watering eyes start to burn. "Hey," Lifting a finger to my face and carefully hooked it under my chin. To feel his flesh graze mine so sweetly made me shiver. My eyes fell on his, getting lost in their humble serenity of darkness. "It was for the best. You did a good thing. You saved him."

"Thanks," I choked out, a sob catching in my throat. Flinging my arms around his broad shoulders, I buried my head into his chest. It was wet…maybe that was just because of my tears?

Even though he responded instantly by wrapping his arms tightly around my bruised body, his intake of breath was sharp once I touched him. Leaning back to look in his eyes, I could tell his smile was forced. "You okay?"

"Yeah…I think something happened to my shoulder, that's all. Gwen…you're face…you're bleeding!" Once he saw me start to roll his shirt up to take it off, he backed away. "Gwen! I'm fine, it's no big deal. It's you I'm worried about! You're face is bleeding!"

"I'm not taking chances after what happened to them," I pointed at the two bloodied men on his hood, "Now let me look at it! You're the one bleeding! It's your shoulder that's bleeding. I had my face on it. Now let me see it!"

This time he didn't protest. While he peeled the shredded and singed fabric off of his body, I had to restrain myself from sighing out loud as all of his well defined muscles were revealed. Not that I hadn't seen him like this before, trust me, I have. Every time I saw him shirtless, though, my mouth couldn't help but water. Even with the horrid cut on his shoulder, he still looked amazingly ripped.

I examined it closer, focusing on the crimson splattered wound. Feeling a surge of manna collect in my hands, I placed them over the mangled spot. I felt his muscles tense in pain, his teeth gritting tightly. "This might hurt a little," I told him sympathetically.

My energy flowed through him, covering his opened flesh and spreading out all over his skin, healing it as best as I could. I felt my manna flood his veins, soar through his body, shield his heart. The feeling was overwhelming, to be so close and to know that I was protecting him for once instead of the usual other way around. Which I didn't mind at all, it just felt good to know I was returning the favor.

The instant I took my hand away, a serene feeling settled in the air around us. His pit-like eyes rested on mine, "That was…incredible. Thank you, Gwen…wow."

I blew on my hand, trying to look cocky, "Eh, it was nothing."

His devious grin made butterflies flutter all throughout my body, bushing against my insides and making them tingle all over, "Here," I handed him my badge, "Make the call, I have to heal the others."

As I kneeled before my Grandpa, a somber feeling struck my heart, turning it to stone. It felt heavy in my chest to know that I had done all that to him. It was for the best. Kevin's words rang in my ears. With that, I rested my hands on his chest, patching him up with all my manna could offer.

KEVIN'S POV

In the distance, I could see the buttery glow of headlights spear through the black painted night. Glancing over at Gwen, she was bent over the hood of my car, luminous hands swirling with manna resting on her father's forehead. I winced as the sickening crack echoed inside my skull from when Max had punched him when he was possessed. It was hard to believe that some alien had managed to take control of anyone's body like that, let alone Max's. He was a really tough guy even in his old age. I guess he did have more wisdom than physical strength but he could still pack a pretty hard punch.

I think that's what worried me the most.

Shaking my head, I tried to rid the horrible thoughts from my mind. I had bigger problems at hand. Like, where was Benji? Even though I hated to admit it, I really did hope he was okay. Well, most of his well being. I knew his mental state was far from okay and was always going to be that way as far as I knew, "They're coming," I told Gwen, her eyes blazing with shocking pink manna.

Powering down, she kept her eyes locked on her dad. He still looked a little banged up, his upper lip still oozing crimson. "Good, I don't know how much more manna I can drain from everything around us without damaging anything."

Coming up to her, I rested my hands on her shoulders to steady her teetering body, "Careful there. You think you're going to be able to make it for when we search for Ben?"

She gazed up at me, those astonishing green eyes piercing mine with the mixture of feelings they held. "I just need a break. If I can sit back a little bit when the Plumber's get here, then I'll be—"

"Gwen, if you feel you need the rest then you're not going."

Her red brows knit together, eyes crinkling in the frustration I've seen scrawled across her gorgeous face oh-so many times. "I'm perfectly capable of searching for Ben, Kevin. You know that."

"Of course I do," my words tumbled onto her hair as I pulled her into me, the rich scent of her shampoo flooding my nostrils. I couldn't tell…was it mango or watermelon that she scrubbed in there? Or maybe jasmine? "I don't want to take any chances of you getting hurt."

She sighed, the roar of her Aunt's car's engine closing in on us, "I know, and its sweet you care so much." Her hands rubbed up and down my arms, that hungry feeling trickling into my senses once again. I knew I'd have to wait until this whole mess was taken care of, though, to do anything. "But he's my cousin, Kev. I really want to be there when we find him."

I let go as the ocean blue van pulled up next to my tragically beaten Camero with regret, "Okay, fine, you can go only if I decide you're in good enough condition by the time we leave."

Her grin was unmistakable, voice filled with mockery "Of course, dear."

As we crushed the willowy grass beneath our footsteps, my arms around her waist, Julie was the first to jump out of the car and run over to us. Wow…she looked awful.

"Kevin! Gwen! Thank goodness you're alive!" Her already tear stained face was streaking once again. Around her eyes were dark, runny smudges of mascara but since she never wore a lot of makeup, it wasn't as dramatic as you would think.

Letting go of Gwen, I watched as the distressed girl slammed into my girlfriend, sobs unleashing into her shoulder. Julie was hugging her so tightly that Gwen looked like she would suffocate. "Hey, Julie," I cut in, hoping to draw her away from my crushed girlfriend.

"Kevin!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me like a vice.

"Uh…" I patted her back very lightly, not really sure if it would help, "There…there?" Sniffling, the tennis player released me and turned towards Sandra, burying her head in the distraught mother's already soaked shoulder (she probably cried into it the whole care ride here).

Giggling, Gwen turned to her mom and Aunt who looked just as worn out as Julie was. "Oh, Gwen, I'm glad you're okay!" After embracing her daughter, the woman with matching red hair turned to me. "And Kevin…" Her gleaming eyes held mine. I thought I was going to die. Gwen's parents were probably the only two people in the world that could put me into this kind of traumatizing fear. "Thank you so much… for protecting her."

I smiled up at her, thankful for the words, "I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her."

Her eyes crinkled as her lips slipped into a warm motherly smile, "I knew she loved you for a reason."

"Mom!" Gwen elbowed the aging woman sharply, causing me to chuckle a little.

"Well, it's true! You only talk about him so much that I—"

"MOM!"

"Hey," I slid my arm around her tiny waist again, my heart doing a crazy twist to know that she really did talk about me a lot around her parents. "I think it's cute."

Her overwhelming green eyes cast downwards at her dirt covered shoes, cheeks growing redder. "You really—"

"CARL! FRANK!" Forgetting Julie was in her arms, sobbing into her shoulder, Sandra ran towards my car when she spotted her husband and brother-in-law, broken, beaten, and scarred.

Lili looked in the direction her in-law was sprinting in and froze. Her jaw loose on its hinges, she just stared at the two cold, pale bodies sprawled on the hood, "Mom?" Gwen tried in a gentle voice. I knew better, though. Her voice was fear itself. It wasn't enough to stop the tears in her mother's eyes, "Mom!" Gwen left my embrace and rushed to her faint mother, the woman's paling skin resembling a napkin. She had trembling hands held over her mouth, a strangled sob escaping into the shield of flesh she'd put up.

I didn't really want to be stuck with Julie, especially in the condition she was in right now, so I started to head over to Sandra until Julie's horror film scream nearly shattered my eardrums. "OH MY GOSH! WHAT DID YOU TWO DO TO MAX?"

I looked up at the inky black sky above, "Why me?"

Turning around, I saw Ben's girlfriend kneeling at Max's side, "He was attacked and so were the others…even Ben…"

Her impossibly moist eyes never strayed from Max, "Does Ben look like he does? Is it this bad?"

I winced, remembering Gwen's reaction to her vision of Ben. She'd said he was bloody…"Ah… no?"

A rumbling in the distance cut Julie off from whatever she was about to say. I looked up at the sky, now filled with a fast moving blinding light heading in our direction. "They're here," I helped Julie up to a standing position. "Listen, I know you're feeling really crappy right now but these three oldies are even crappier and need medical attention. Gwen and I need you to take Carl and Frank to a hospital while the plumbers test Max to see whatever attacked them. I don't think Carl or Frank were as possessed as Max so they're safe to go with you. So go get Gwen and Ben's parents outta here. It's not safe."

"But what about Ben!" She bit her lip for about the thousandth time since she had arrived. By the end of the night she would probably have it chewed off.

"He'll be fine, now go!"

Thankfully she was being sensible, even at a time like this. That was probably one of the best qualities that she had: sensibility in any situation. As she ran off to fill out my orders, I watched as the plumber's space craft came closer to landing. "Gwen!" Her fire red hair whipped around as her head snapped to face me, "Yeah?"

"Do you think you could help Julie get everyone in the car?" She glanced over at her sobbing Aunt who was grieving over her well alive husband's fully functional body. "I can try…"

"Thanks," I called to her, unable to look away as she helped her mom back into Sandra's car. Even in times like these, she was just so dang beautiful.

Suddenly, the summer air began to corrupt. Choppy gusts of cool wind hit me as they changed to a full on gale. Looking up my suspicions were confirmed: help was here.