A/N: Here is part 2 for the previous oneshot. Thank you for everyone for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this as much as you enjoyed the previous one.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot.
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"Sometimes you just look at someone and think…
Should you love them for who they were,
Hate them for who they are now, or...
Feel sorry for them because they had to change."
-Anonymous
6. Break Away
Five years had gone by and while she had seen Kevin plenty of times while on missions, she had never actually been around long enough to have a conversation. There had been no times to ask him why he had turned evil or why he had chosen to become a monster once more.
"I'll be home in a bit." Gwendolyn told Jake over the phone.
"On time?" He asked, voice momentarily become vulnerable. Both of them knew that she was often late for dates because of urgent Plumber business. Sometimes she had to skip altogether. He understood, but she could see the hurt that it caused him.
"Tonight is just you and me." She promised. "See you."
After slipping her cell phone back into her pocket, Gwendolyn began the walk home from the Plumber's office. It was a mildly chilly evening, so most people were already hidden away in their warm homes. This left the sidewalks to Gwendolyn and the occasional pedestrian hurrying past.
Breathing in the crisp air, Gwendolyn thought about her relationship with Jake. She was content with the relationship. Yes, content was the right word. Not 'madly in love', not 'swooning over one another', just content and happy with it.
A crash from the alleyway snapped Gwendolyn back to her surroundings. Quickly she whirled around, mana forming in her hands in readiness to deal with the threat.
"That'll teach you to try ripping me off." A voice snarled.
Kevin. She instantly thought. A second later, Kevin in his mutant form walked out from the shadows. He was glaring at the alien he had thrown into a trash can, whom Gwendolyn recognized as Argit.
"Hey buddy, pal, I wasn't trying to rip you off. I was just making the most of the situation." Argit spoke rapidly, his arms raised in self-defense. "You understand that, don't you?"
Kevin's eyes gleamed. "Of course I understand that." Argit relaxed and picked himself up from the ground. "But that doesn't mean I like having others cheat me." He raised his fiery arm and blasted fire to incinerate Argit.
Except Argit did not become a smoking carcass. When the rat-like alien opened his eyes, he noticed that a pink mana shield had formed around him. A sigh of relief escaped Argit.
Kevin's eyes narrowed as he noticed that Argit was completely unharmed before lifting to look at Gwendolyn. "You should've let me roast the rat."
"I don't let people die." Gwendolyn answered coldly.
Argit chuckled, "I'd love to stay, but…" He scampered off quickly, sneaking glances every few steps to make sure no one was on his tail. To his relief, neither of them followed him.
"You let him get away." Kevin noted angrily.
"You could've chased after him." Truthfully, Gwendolyn would've chased after Argit to get him locked away, but she didn't want to allow Kevin to escape. Maybe this time she could actually capture him.
"True… But then I wouldn't have your charming company to chat with."
"I'm not here to talk, Kevin." Gwendolyn summoned up more mana and readied it for blasting at him.
Kevin smiled, almost pitifully. "Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable if I wasn't so monstrous." In a flash, Kevin's alien features retracted and he was left standing with a smirk on a very human face.
The mana disappeared as Gwendolyn gaped at him. "How did you do that? You couldn't turn human before."
He smirked; proud to have taken her off-guard. "I'm much better at manipulating my powers than I was before. It's rather useful. I can be a monster when I need to terrify people and I can be human when dealing in... less violent settings."
Gwendolyn glared at him and snapped, "You're a monster in either form." There was just something about being near him that made her angry. Maybe it was because the feelings of betrayal always bubbled up, maybe it was his infuriating cockiness.
"Maybe," Kevin shrugged nonchalantly. "Now how 'bout we talk."
In response, Gwendolyn fired off a volley of mana at him. However, he was gone with his XLR8 speed before the shots even got close to hitting him.
"You're so predictable, Gwendolyn." Kevin whispered into her ear from behind. "Do you want to know who killed Cash? I did. I heard what he said to you and…"
Gwendolyn slammed her arm backwards in an attempt to elbow his stomach, but he was already gone. Once again, he was standing a few feet in front of her.
"You've been following me." Gwendolyn stated, feeling a chill rise up her spine.
Kevin smirked. "I wanted to keep tabs on you. See what you were getting up to… And besides, I missed you."
"You're lying." A fist of mana formed in front of her and slammed towards Kevin. Once again, he dodged, disappearing into the shadows of the alleyway.
"Of course I missed you. Haven't you missed me?"
"I miss the old you. Now come out and fight." Her eyes skimmed her surroundings for any sign of the man. Cautiously she took several steps into the alleyway.
"Wouldn't it be more interesting if we did something else instead?" Kevin taunted from his hiding place in the shadows. "We could talk, have some fun…" His voice trailed off suggestively.
Gwendolyn raised a glowing sphere of mana to illuminate the area. "Or I can slap some handcuffs on you and we can head back to the Plumber's base." Her mana revealed Kevin from where he had been hiding in the shadows.
"An excellent suggestion, but not one I'd want to participate in. The Null Void isn't really my choice for a good travel location."
"It's not your choice to make." Gwendolyn muttered before firing some mana at him. However, this time she also quickly formed two solid beams of mana on either side of him. When Kevin moved, he ended up tripping over one of the beams.
Chuckling, Kevin muttered, "I forgot how smart you could be."
Before Kevin could rise, Gwendolyn fired mana blast after mana blast at him. The repetitive blasts kicked up a dust cloud that obscured Gwendolyn's vision of Kevin. When the dust cleared, Kevin was gone.
Suddenly his arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her into a tight embrace. He murmured, "I love you." Before she could hit him, he released her and ran off into the night.
Gwendolyn, still shocked over the encounter, looked around, almost expecting him to reappear. But he didn't. For now, Kevin was gone. His words and the tone he had addressed her with echoed through her mind as she began walking home.
Upon arriving home with the encounter still fresh in her mind, she found Jake reclining in the entry hall. His eyes told her everything, reminding her of the promise she had made over the phone.
Immediately Gwendolyn burst into rapid apology. "I'm so sorry, Jake. I was walking straight home and I told the Plumbers not to disturb me when I heard some crashes in an alley. I couldn't let it go without checking it out."
Jake's lips were pressed together tightly, but he nodded. "Did you get the criminal?"
Gwendolyn sighed, "He got away…"
Seeing the despair on her face, Jake's impatience fell apart and he approached her with compassion on his face. "Hey, it's okay. You'll get him next time." Silently Gwendolyn thanked Jake for understanding. And for not asking who it had been.
"Thanks Jake." She accepted his hug, borrowing her face into his shoulder. Quietly she reminded herself that this was the man she was with now and that he was the one who truly loved her.
"Come on, I'll go heat up dinner. We can still have a special night."
The rest of the evening proceeded perfectly though Kevin's final words still echoed in her mind. It wasn't just that he had said those words. No, that hadn't really struck her. The thing that had struck her was his tone. It had been lucid unlike the rest of his words. It had sounded just like the old Kevin before he had betrayed them.
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A criminal had to be really good to avoid capture for six years. Kevin was that good. Since that night when he had told her he loved her, Gwendolyn had never encountered him alone again. She had fought with him plenty of times with other Plumbers, but never one-on-one like in the alleyway though she could hardly consider it a fight.
It wasn't until today that she faced him one-on-one again.
It started out like any regular mission. Ben, Gwendolyn, and two other Plumbers had gone to stop a dangerous deal involving the dealership of weapons and the torture of prisoners whom the weapons were being tested on. Kevin had been there in his mutant form, directing things. Along with Kevin, there was a score of other aliens, way more than had been expected.
"I'll take Kevin." Ben quickly instructed. "The rest of you hold off the other aliens."
With that, he turned into Humongousaur. He grew to his maximum height and charged towards Kevin. There weren't many aliens who would get in the way of a charging Vaxasaurian. Unfortunately, a rough-looking Tetramand tackled Humongousaur from the side, sending them both to the ground.
Kevin smirked and spread his wings. Gwendolyn watched him, knowing that he would take his leave while Ben was distracted with the Tetramand. She couldn't just let him go.
Gwendolyn ran back to the van they had used to get here. Quickly she withdrew a hoverboard from the back and jumped on it. She could still see Kevin as he flew off. Gwendolyn pursued him.
Kevin cast a glance back at her, smirking. A chill ran down Gwendolyn's spine. Despite the fact that she was chasing him, that smirk had made her feel as if she was the prey in this situation. Gwendolyn shook the thought off, firing mana at him.
Her shots hit him, causing him to stagger. Gwendolyn allowed herself a smirk before firing more mana at his wings. Once again, she got a direct hit. This time, Kevin dropped a few feet before catching himself. He shot another glance back at her, no longer smirking.
Gwendolyn called after him. "Surrender or I'll blast you out of the sky."
"Not likely." Kevin responded.
When Gwendolyn fired mana at him, he dove down to dodge the mana. A large ball of mana formed in her hands, which she slammed towards him with all her energy. The mana hit his back directly, causing him to roar in pain. He began to spiral towards the ground. Gwendolyn didn't have time to celebrate her victory before one of his tentacles shot out and wrapped around her waist.
The two of them fell together to the ground. Gwendolyn braced herself for impact, mildly surprised that he hadn't flung her at the ground to smash her body against the rocks below. His body hit the ground with a large thump. The impact caused him to release Gwendolyn who fell to the ground from a relatively low distance.
Picking herself up, Gwendolyn approached Kevin with caution. He was breathing raggedly, each breath seemingly taking up a lot of effort. The mana that had formed in her hands dissipated as her eyes slid over him.
"Kevin…." Gwendolyn murmured softly. This was the closest anyone had ever gotten to capturing Kevin. All she had to do was bind him until the others arrived to help her take him back to the base. Regardless of everything, she still felt concern for him.
Her voice caused Kevin to open one of his eyes to watch her. "You got me." He stated before closing his eye again.
Gwendolyn didn't smile. "Yeah I did. Can you turn human?" It would be easier to transport him if he was human. That and talking to his mutated form unnerved her. It would be simpler to question him if he was human.
She was surprised when his form did shrink down, so that he was human again. Truthfully, Gwendolyn had just been waiting for him to pull a trick, to say that he really wasn't that badly hurt and that he was just a good actor. She wouldn't have put it past him to do something like that. But here he was, battered and bloody and not going anywhere.
"You're not going to try and run off?" Gwendolyn asked, curious at his lack of action.
Kevin opened his eyes to regard her. "Do you want me to?"
"Of course not." Gwendolyn glanced back in the direction they had come from. There was still no sight of the others, but she figured it would only be a matter of time before one of them came. When she looked back at him, he was shifting himself into a sitting position. "Stay down."
"What? You think I'll be threatening if I sit up?" Kevin smirked at her before a wince of pain crossed his face. Gwendolyn watched him cautiously before relaxing when he made no moves to go any further than a sitting position.
An awkward silence broke out upon them until Kevin broke it by saying, "You know I was serious when I told you I still loved you."
Gwendolyn glared at him. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't have betrayed us."
Kevin rolled his eyes. "You don't even know why I went back to doing crime."
"Okay, so why did you decide to betray us like that?" As much as Gwendolyn had always wanted to know the answers, there was a part of her that was afraid of this conversation. She didn't like the calmness in Kevin's voice. Fervently she hoped someone would come soon.
"I ran into some old partners. They told me if I didn't help them out, they would kill me. And then they would hunt you down to kill you." Kevin paused.
"So you went along with it? But why'd you keep doing it?" Tears were threatening to fall from Gwendolyn's eyes, but she kept them at bay.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
Kevin sighed. "Crime sucks you in. They wanted me to do more deals, more heists. The more I did, the more I enjoyed it. Eventually I knew that if I stopped, they would tell someone and I'd end up in trouble. I didn't want that. It was easier just to turn evil."
"Easier for you." Gwendolyn scowled at him. "Can't you think about anyone but yourself?"
Kevin glared at her. "It's not like I was happy to betray you or any of the others. I…" His voice trailed off.
"You couldn't help it. I get it." Gwendolyn crossed her arms. She wanted to turn away from him, but she knew that turning away would be the worst thing to do at the moment. It would give him a chance to strike or to run. She couldn't risk it.
When Kevin opened his mouth to say more, Gwendolyn promptly cut him off. "No, I don't want to hear any apologies or explanations. You could've admitted your crime the first time around and you could've gotten off easily. I would've been hurt, but I would've understood. It's too late now."
"Too late for a second chance?" Kevin asked.
Gwendolyn froze. As much as her heart wanted to give him a second chance, she knew that it was a fool's choice. He would just ruin things again. Going through the heartache once was more than enough. She didn't want to risk a second time.
"You should've asked earlier." Gwendolyn informed him, doing her best to keep her voice from showing how much she wished that he could have another chance. "You're going to be imprisoned for life after all you've done."
"Gwendolyn…"
"Shut up!" Gwendolyn snapped at him. She couldn't handle his vulnerability. It was making her heart crack all over again and she didn't like it.
"But I want to say I'm-"
Kevin was cut off by the sound of an engine running. Instantly Gwendolyn wrapped mana around Kevin to cut off any chance of escape. He stood up, but that was the only movement he did. Gwendolyn was surprised by how calmly he stood there.
The van pulled up to them and Ben came out. He stared wide-eyed at Kevin before looking over at Gwendolyn. "You got him?"
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak after the conversation she had had with Kevin. Ben gestured for one of the other Plumbers to get the energy cuffs they kept in the van.
"No funny moves," he told Kevin sharply.
Kevin smirked, replying in a derisive tone, "Whatever you say, Benji."
Ben glared at him, but didn't respond. As the Plumber attached the energy cuffs to Kevin, Ben began questioning Gwendolyn, "How'd you catch him?"
"I hit him out of the sky and he fell. The fall must've hurt him since he didn't try running." Gwendolyn quickly said, neglecting the details of the encounter.
Ben nodded his head. "Nice job." He turned towards one of the Plumbers. "Call ahead to the base and tell them we've got Kevin." The Plumber nodded and went off to follow Ben's orders. He smiled grimly at Gwendolyn. "Come on. We better get going."
Kevin was put in the back of the van, in the prisoner's cell. He didn't struggle at all though he made multiple snarky comments. No difficulty arose from transporting him and they all arrived at the base. Kevin was instantly taken away to the high-security cell that he would stay in until the upper-level Plumbers decided what to do with him. A doctor was sent to examine Kevin.
In the end, the choice was clear. Kevin would be sent to the Null Void for the rest of his life. While they got the Null Void Generator ready, any visitors with high enough clearance were allowed to go and speak to Kevin.
After Ben had taken his turn, he approached Gwendolyn at her place on a balcony. "You can go talk to Kevin now."
Gwendolyn's lips pressed together tightly as she stared at the setting sun. "I already talked to him back when I was waiting for you guys to show up." She didn't want to listen to him again. It was just too painful.
"Okay." Ben nodded his head in understanding. "The doctor's reports came back. I still don't see how you managed to keep him from escaping."
"Why?" Gwendolyn asked curiously. "What'd the doctor report?"
"He's not that badly hurt. Normal people wouldn't have been able to run away after that fall, but Kevin's mutant body protected him fairly well. Plus, he's got a high threshold for pain. If he had wanted to, he could've run off."
Gwendolyn froze, thinking back to the conversation. "Maybe he was still in shock from the fall. Or maybe he didn't think he could get away fast enough before I hit him down again."
Ben stared at Gwendolyn, shrugging. "Maybe." His tone led her to believe that he had a different theory, but she didn't question him.
Because she had the same theory. Could he have stayed around because he actually wanted a second chance? Because he wanted to show her that he was ready to change once more? Gwendolyn wanted to believe it even if it didn't matter anymore. He was going to the Null Void and she would never see him again. That was that.
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It had been a year since Gwendolyn had last seen Kevin. He was still in the Null Void like he was supposed to be. The old saying, out of sight out of mind, was a lie. Kevin may have faded away from the news, but Gwendolyn still thought about him constantly.
Ever since that last conversation with him, it had been increasingly harder to be in a relationship with Jake. Her mind would sometimes play make-believe and pretend that Jake was Kevin. It was unbearable, but Gwendolyn couldn't tell Jake. It turned out that she didn't need to.
One night, she was lying awake in bed. As usual, her thoughts were haunted by Kevin's last few words and the revelation that he hadn't been as injured as he had pretended to be.
"Gwendolyn, can I ask you something?" Gwendolyn was surprised to hear Jake. She had thought that he was already asleep.
Turning to him, Gwendolyn replied. "What do you want to ask?"
Jake took a deep breath. "Do you love me?" When all Gwendolyn did was stare at him in shock, Jake continued. "You've been distant for a long time now... Do you really love me?"
She couldn't lie to him, not with how nice Jake was about it. She couldn't lie when he looked this vulnerable and weak. "No…" Gwendolyn watched his face for any sign of anger, but he just looked sad.
He sighed. "Is there someone else?"
"I'm not cheating-"
He interrupted, "That's not what I meant. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. What I want to know is if there's anyone else on your mind…"
It was Gwendolyn's turn to sigh. "…Yes." Jake watched her sadly, waiting for her to elaborate. "It doesn't matter anyway. He's gone forever."
"But you still miss him." Gwendolyn nodded. Jake paused and added in a pained voice, "It's Kevin, isn't it?"
Gwendolyn shifted uncomfortably in the bed. She didn't want to talk about Kevin with anyone, let alone her boyfriend. Finally she admitted, "Yes. Like I said, it doesn't matter. He betrayed everyone and he's in the Null Void."
Jake's eyes stared at her with a burning anger. It surprised Gwendolyn even if his words proved that he wasn't angry at her. "He should've realized what he had. He was wrong to betray you and everyone else."
"I think…" Gwendolyn paused, thinking about the encounter from the year before. "Last year when I caught him, I think he was trying to say he was sorry. He asked for a second chance, but I told him it was too late." He watched her sadly, the anger leaving his eyes.
"Would you give him a second chance if he ever came back?" Jake asked.
"…I don't know." Gwendolyn sighed. A silence fell upon them, each left to their own thoughts.
"You know why I haven't proposed yet?" Gwendolyn blinked in surprise at Jake. She had always thought it was odd that he hadn't proposed, but she had never brought up the issue. "I've always suspected that you didn't really love me, but I was too scared to ask about it. I was afraid you would say no because you were waiting for someone else."
"Jake… If you did propose, I wouldn't say no."
He looked at her in surprise. "But you don't love me."
"You're a good guy, Jake. You're nice and I'm not going to find anyone better." The words were hard to admit, but Gwendolyn knew they were true. Maybe she didn't love him, but who else would be as nice as he had been? He could never take Kevin's place in her heart, but life was good with Jake.
To her surprise, he answered, "No."
She blinked at him. "Why not?"
"I don't want you to be stuck in a loveless marriage." As Gwendolyn opened her mouth to complain, he cut her off. "Look, maybe Kevin will come back someday and he'll be different. Maybe you'll want to give him that second chance and I don't want to drag you down. I don't want to be a burden."
"You're not a burden."
"Not yet." Jake smiled at her though the smile didn't meet his tired eyes. "I'll stay with you for the rest of my life, but if he ever comes back and you want to go to him, I don't want to stop you."
His thoughtfulness brought tears to Gwendolyn's eyes. She pulled herself closer to him, embracing him. "I don't think he'll ever come back, but thank you. You're the best."
Jake smiled sadly down at her. "Yeah. Good night, Gwendolyn."
As she fell asleep, Gwendolyn wondered how she had ever been lucky enough to find someone so nice. So willing to let her go if it meant her own happiness. Even if she thought he would never have to let her go, it was still one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her.
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It had been eight whole years since Kevin had turned evil. To her knowledge, he was still fighting in the Null Void. Either that or he was dead in the Null Void. Things with Jake were good even if some people wondered why the two hadn't gotten married yet. Gwendolyn had brought it up a few times, but Jake had always answered with a reminder that he wasn't going to become a burden.
Then the letter arrived. It was written on regular paper, which surprised her since most letters these days used holographic projectors. The envelope was blank. Gwendolyn wondered who it could be from before opening it. In messy handwriting, the letter read,
Gwendolyn,
I got out. I know I should've stayed in there, but I hate it there. I wanted to come home and when the chance opened up, I took it. Don't worry, I'm not out to do more crime. I've been thinking a lot and I'm tired of doing crime. You can ask the native farmers in the Null Void. I actually protected them a few times in exchange for food and shelter. I've given up crime forever.
Now I want to know. Would you give me a second chance? The last time I asked, you refused. Maybe I don't deserve a second chance, but I'm asking you to give me one anyway. I'll stay good, I promise.
If you want to contact me, just write a letter and leave it in your mail-box. I'll come by and get it. Consider it before you go and report me.
Even if you do report me to the Plumbers, I'll always love you.
The letter was left unsigned, but Gwendolyn knew there was only one person who it could be. She re-read the letter again before taking a pen and a piece of paper. She began to write.
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A/N: The End. I thought this was a good spot to end off. I really wanted a happy ending, but I also wanted an ending that wasn't clear-cut happily ever after. That's why I chose to end it this way. Overall, I really enjoyed writing this two-shot (is that what you call an oneshot with two parts?). I've discovered that writing Evil!Kevin is a lot of fun. Maybe I'll do some more Evil!Kevin if the idea comes. The title refers to Kevin breaking away from his evil ways to ask for a second chance.
Reviews are always appreciated!
Twilight Phantom Dragon