A/N: Originally I was considering doing a Christmas oneshot, but no good ideas came to mind, so I wrote this instead. It's a Pierce and Helen sibling drabble They were both adopted by the same family, which made me think of what happened to their parents. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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"May the love of those around you help you through the days ahead."

-Anonymous

1. Introduction

"Pierce! I'd like you to meet someone."

The voice caused Pierce to look away from the TV to where his father stood framed in the doorway. There was someone standing a bit behind him, but Pierce couldn't make out the person's features too well. In fact, all he caught was a flash of blue before the small figure disappeared fully behind his father's back.

His father noticed that the person he had been leading was no longer by his side because he turned around. He murmured something too quietly for Pierce to make out, but he could guess that his father was coaxing the figure into revealing him or herself.

This gave time for Pierce's curiosity to grow. Who did his father want to show him? His father was a Plumber, one of the few human ones, but he rarely brought anything related to work home excluding secret files and weaponry. Never did he bring anything alive home.

And what else could this mysterious and shy person be if not from his work? He wouldn't randomly bring a stranger home especially seeing as he had a son with quills. Most people would be freaked out by Pierce's alien features. And whenever someone did come over that was unfamiliar with aliens, Pierce would be hidden away in his room with a warning ahead of time.

His father must have said something right because the figure stepped into sight, revealing herself to Pierce. The blue that Pierce had seen had not come from clothing like he had originally presumed. It was her skin color. And she had a tail. Yep, definitely not normal and definitely something that most humans would never see.

"This is Helen." His father spoke again and Pierce looked up at his father's face. It had turned grim all of a sudden. "Her family was killed by some aliens seeking certain tech. She was the only survivor."

A heavy silence descended upon them. The story was similar to what had happened to Pierce's real parents and because of this, Pierce's heart panged in sympathy. He remembered how distant and depressed he had been after the death of his family. No wonder she looked so sad.

Helen was still standing by his father, her light green eyes staring sadly at the floor. As Pierce looked closer, he could see salty streaks on her face and a few bruises and scratches on her slim body. Pierce had once had a little sister whom he had been fiercely protective of, but she had died along with his parents. But now, looking at Helen, he felt that same protective spirit rise up in him.

He took a few steps up to her until he was close enough to extend a hand to her. "Hello, I'm Pierce."

Helen stared at his hand for a minute and just when Pierce decided that she might not want to shake it, she reached out and took it. Her hand was warm in his, but it shook in his grip. Pierce wasn't sure if this was because she was shy or because she was still shaken by the death of her parents.

"Pierce, can you show Helen to your room? I'll go and get the first-aid kit." Pierce had nearly forgotten his father was there, but he nodded his head, pleased to be of help to the man who had helped him so much. But even more than helping his father, Pierce was pleased that he would be helping Helen.

"Come on Helen." Pierce spoke gently. To his relief, she followed him with no complaints. Sometimes survivors could be difficult and push against doing anything, but it seemed as if Helen had simply locked herself up in her despair.

He led her through the house until they reached his room. "Sit here." He motioned for her to sit down on the bed before sitting down himself. Another silence descended upon them as Pierce searched for the best words to comfort her.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened to your parents. I know how you feel." He offered her a very small smile, but she didn't see it because her eyes were pinned to the floor. "Mine were killed too."

This simple statement caused Helen's eyes to jolt from the floor and look into Pierce's eyes. She was clearly surprised that his family had suffered the same fate and that he had been taken in by the same man who had helped her.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but if you ever need to, I'll always be willing to listen." Pierce continued to speak, gaining confidence from the fact that he now had her total attention. They sat in silence for a few moments and Pierce couldn't help but wonder if the offer had caused her to shut down.

"Thank you." It was the first time he had heard her speak and it struck Pierce with surprise. He watched her carefully as she continued to speak in the same timid voice, "When I saw them…" She paused and Pierce nodded his head to indicate that she didn't need to say the dreaded word. Helen cast him a grateful look before continuing, "I thought there would never be someone who could help or would even want to… I thought I'd be alone, but you're so nice… You actually want to help…"

Pierce smiled at her and pulled her into a comforting hug. Helen broke into tears, which quickly wet Pierce's shoulder. However, he didn't mind. He just continued to rock Helen back and forth, thinking of his own little sister. It was just like being with her again except Helen didn't have any quills growing out of her skin and his sister had never been this sad.

Yes, things might be difficult for Helen as she got over the death of her parents, but Pierce was determined to make things easier for her and to protect her from ever being hurt like this again. He considered it his duty and even more than that, as time wore on, he grew fond of Helen. She was like the sister he had lost and protecting her filled a hole in his heart.

As for Helen, time would certainly help her as, but it was Pierce that took away the worst of the pain.

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A/N: I like it though I hope it's not too cheesy. Seeing as I don't know exactly when they were adopted or even if it was at the same time, I put my own spin on things. Maybe canon will one day contradict me, but for the moment, it works. The title is obviously a reference to the two being introduced to one another. Reviews are greatly appreciated as usual.

Twilight Phantom Dragon