Okay, I'll warn you all now

Wow… Uh, the review quotient really sky rocketed. Uh, coughcough abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz coughcough lol Sorry about the update. I started school this last week so I really have been trying to find time (last Monday to be exact). You guys are my main priority! Not a day goes by that I don't think about getting this down for you, my loyal readers! That and those freakin' plot bunnie are killer. But I must warn you all now. Chapters are going to become a little scarce since I started school, but I promise an update by at least Saturday! So there's my explanation. -does dramatic sigh and signals to read on-

Chapter 7

The car ride away from the mannequin factory was, needless to say, rather quiet. No one was angry, or depressed in Ben's case, it was that they couldn't really find anything to say. It was all fairly confusing to Gwen. She couldn't figure out what had happened, nor could her cousin in the backseat. He appeared to be brooding, probably kicking himself for going that far on Cash, but who wouldn't agree that he had deserved it? Cash, that is.

The last thirty minutes were hectic in ways as Kevin took Cash to the hospital, muttering about how he didn't need a hospital as well as another punch in a rather private region. J.T. of course had been way past surprised when they had pulled Cash's limp form out of the building. Gwen snapped him out of it by suggesting he go with them to the hospital. She had basically dumped J.T. on Kevin as well, but it would be better if he explain. Lying was one of the things he did best, after all.

So this left no room in the car, so Gwen and Ben were forced to wait outside for Kevin to return. Gwen spent those minutes asking her cousin a couple of questions while examining the remarkable healing of his head. He allowed her to inspect him, but seemed to refuse answering any of her questions.

So, now they were all back in the car with minimal conversation and little to no eye contact, thinking over the events that had taken place. Ben himself wasn't at all sure how to wrap his head around the random bout of extreme revenge, or so he considered it. It was all so strange, that he just couldn't justify, nor rationalize, how it came about. It sickened him in so many ways. He had loved beating the living hell out of Cash, was utterly thrilled when his features had taken on a more pleading side, and was enraptured by the way the blood had… Oh, the blood. He retched just thinking about all this sick and twisted things he had thought, earning him a concerned look from Gwen. He waved her off and tried thinking about other things, with little success of course.

He just couldn't get over how unfair it was. He helped people and this is what happens in return? No, it was more or less just his luck. It had always sucked, and look where it got him now? It infuriated and nauseated him simultaneously at how freakin' ironic it was. He clenched and unclenched a fist at his side as if there was an invisible stress ball there. A lighter side of his mind was happy there was no actual stress ball there as they usually caused more stress than they helped. A deep voice interrupted him, as it almost always did.

"So, what do we know about your weirdness?" Kevin grinned. He hadn't affected by the earlier situation at all. On the contrary, he was proud of Ben for doing what he did. Gwen, however, wasn't amused.

"Kevin, be nice." She scolded, her elbow slipping from the window slightly as he made a somewhat hard right. Ben was glad she was being nice, but he much preferred a joking tone than one full of sympathy.

"Well, let's see… Evil is embedded in my DNA, it happens to be from the alien I hate the most in the whole universe…"

"Don't sugar-coat it, Ben." Kevin snorted, smiling sarcastically in the rearview mirror. Ben rolled his eyes.

"And you kinda lose it when you get mad." Gwen completed. Ben gave her a questioning look, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He gets bad news over the phone, he tore his room apart. Gwen was injured during a fight; he goes all out on the attacker. He was actually more protective of Gwen than he thought now that he considered it.

"That is true, huh…" Ben frowned. Anger had kind of been his preset reaction the past couple of hours. It was going to be hard not being able to use the emotion he seemed to use most.

"I don't think it's a bad thing. You probably made Cash look better." Ben wasn't looking at him but he heard and extremely loud smack followed by a couple of choice swear words. Energy powered slap. Not a good way to start your evening.

"How are you going to explain this to your parents?" Gwen asked, throwing a scowl at Kevin who was still trying to rub the stinging out of his cheek.

"Damn, you made it numb." He mumbled. Ben considered this with a frown on his face.

"I'll tell them at one point." He decided, leaving the answer open a little.

"So, you're going to lie?" Gwen looked at him a disapprovingly.

"Not lie, just not tell them the whole." Ben may tell his parents a lot about their lives, but there was also quite a bit he didn't say. Their grandpa's death was a good example. Anything to save them some stress. Gwen didn't pursue the subject, and neither did Kevin though he was still absorbed in trying to return the feeling to his cheek, so they fell into silence until they arrived once more at Ben's home.

"Did you have fun?" Was Sandra's greeting as soon as the trio walked in. Ben put on a smile, which wasn't very hard for him to do. It was almost laughable how that intense moment passed for him and nobody knew except Kevin and Gwen.

"Yeah, it was a good idea to go out." Sandra smiled at him as Ben mentally kicked himself. That was going to contradict later if they ever found out.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that we didn't find anything on our end." Sandra said regretfully, taking Ben's hand. He was embarrassed that she seemed so extremely regretful.

"Really, it's okay. I didn't expect anything to come up anytime soon. Don't worry okay?"

"So sweet, just like your father." Ben couldn't help the blush that lit his cheeks. He looked at the floor to avoid Kevin's eyes, knowing how that would go as Kevin's favorite age seemed to be five.

"Oh, but I'm cutting into your social life, aren't I?" Sandra realized, backing off so her son could escape if he so wished.

"Where's dad?"

"He's in the kitchen, talking to people who might know something over the phone." Ben nodded and took his leave, straining himself to walk calmly up the stairs rather than dash up them. As soon as they entered, Kevin couldn't help himself.

"'Just like your father'? Wow, Ben, you must really be shweet." Kevin cooed in a gushy voice. Ben frowned angrily and shoved him before settling himself on his bed, looking in the opposite direction of him in the childish side he rarely showed anymore. Kevin chuckled. He enjoyed the spats they had, it proved how close they actually were, but he would never admit that of course.

"Maturity must be the most difficult struggle in your life." Gwen threw at Kevin not unkindly. She walked to the bed and sat down next to Ben who had relaxed and looked like he was spacing as he stared at the books on his floor without seeing them. Kevin snorted at the jab and fell flat onto the bed behind them, bouncing them both with his heavy impact.

"What are you guys going to do?" Ben asked, life returning to his eyes, but still not looking away from the book on the floor.

"Baby-sit you." Ben whipped around and glared at Kevin, looking to see the joke. Kevin stared evenly back, showing he wasn't kidding.

"Not even. Go home and we can regroup later, preferably in the morning." Ben stated, letting his irritated gaze fall back onto the small book pile.

"But Ben, what if you…?" Gwen let the question trail off as they all knew how to complete it. Ben grimaced, unnerved by his lack of self-control.

"I know. Maybe if I just keep it cool, it'll be alright." That was more or less wishful thinking on his part. What if it wasn't just anger that set him off? His first time was basically shock, so almost anything is possible.

"Are you sure you don't want us around?" Gwen asked gently, noticing the indecision on his face.

"Not really." The thought of accidentally attacking his parents made him paranoid and slightly sick.

"Don't worry. We got your back if you freak out again." Kevin assured, a hint of a smile of his lips, but his urge to retain a tough image getting in the way. Ben did smile at him, a small one, but a true one. He was seriously a good friend when you got around the whole jackass personality. They agreed upon staying together, but, to give Ben some alone time, they decided to sit on the roof and check on him through the window every so often.

"Your cousin is seriously too good. He could be playing a video game or sleeping or something, but no, he goes and reads a book. And not just any old book, a Biology text book." Kevin shook his head after checking on him nearly a half an hour later. Gwen shook her head. Normal for them was obviously not normal for Kevin. But, then again, when was Kevin ever actually normal? She wasn't surprised he was reading a biology book either. It contained a few chapters on DNA that could possibly give them more information.

"He's just doing a little research." Gwen defended lightly. Kevin just snorted.

"A lot of good that will do against alien DNA."

"It always feels better to be doing something rather than nothing." Kevin understood that feeling. That was basically why he always leapt before he looked. There were a few more moments of silence as a different thought circled Kevin's head until he felt it had to be said.

"… You know, how come you've never let me take you out?" Gwen jumped at the question in shock.

"This is hardly the appropriate time for that Kevin!" She sputtered, blushing a deep crimson. Energy surged and molded around her hand in warning. Kevin looked down at the roof tiles, completely unintimidated, another thought showing in his eyes. Gwen caught these and her features took on softer tones while the energy faded from her hand.

"You're still dwelling on what I said with Mike, aren't you? Look, I said I didn't mean that, I really didn't." Gwen's reference to Mike Morningstar made Kevin clench a fist at the very thought of the life sucking bastard.

"But it was true. I waited to long, didn't I?" Kevin looked at his shoes, finding them much more interesting then Gwen's reaction. She didn't know how to respond.

"Perhaps, if you asked at better time…" Gwen could only give him hope for now, unsure whether or not she could go through with it. Kevin looked neutral to this, neither upset nor happy. More time passed and Gwen stood to go check on her cousin. The silence had grown rather uncomfortable anyway.

She stumbled, slipping a little as she stepped down to the sill. The scene was fairly peaceful and she smiled at the position her cousin layed in. He had fallen asleep with the book covering his face. She landed lightly into the room and crossed over to his bed. Gently, as not to disturb him, she lifted the book from his face and dog-eared the page before setting it on his dresser. His face wasn't as peaceful as a sleeping person's should be unless they were having a nightmare.

She shook his shoulder slightly and he relaxed. She remained wary, but it seemed he was fine now. A small amount of drool sliding down his cheek told her he was heavily asleep and probably fine now, but could she risk leaving after that? Perhaps the shake had landed him in a different dream so he would be fine. It was a nicer way to think about it.

She left him after a moment's hesitation, knowing Kevin would be pleased to know he was now doing something 'normal'. Unfortunately, Gwen was blissfully unaware of the danger lurking in the back of his mind.

Darkness was everywhere, blinding, suffocating. Not a speck of white anywhere and he felt he may have gone deaf as well as there was not a sound to be heard. He must be dead, there was no other explanation. He had gone insane again and his friends were forced to kill him. It had to explain this hell that he had gone to.

"No, Tennyson, I wouldn't call it hell." A voice broke through the darkness and suddenly, he could breathe and hear, but his sight had still not returned to him. However, the voice that had talked to him -or had it been someone else? - might as well have been a devil.

"You humans and your crude conceptions of the after-life."

"What do you want?" Ben snarled, not at all pleased at the one who disturbed him.

"I've already told you, what ever you want."

"And I've already told you to fuck off."

"Now, now, Ben, must we resort to vulgar insults? Perhaps if you had another chance to know where I was coming from…" That hit Ben in what he assumed to be his heart, but he couldn't be sure of anything anymore in this thick darkness.

"You… You're the one… You made me…" Ben couldn't form the sentence, but the sentient being understood anyway.

"Didn't you like getting revenge on your neighborhood bully? I'm sure he'll never even come near you again."

"I managed to resolve it with words last time! I don't need your help, or your influence so just back the hell off!" Ben looked wildly around for the ghost, hoping to find something he could optically focus his hate on. The phantom just laughed at him, incensing him more.

"But where did that get you? If memory serves it came down to a fight anyway."

"How do you know that? You weren't there."

"I have my sources." Ben didn't like that. The ghost could access his memories.

"Just leave me alone! I don't need your influence shadowing me, I don't need your power, and I don't need you! So get the hell out of my head!" An applause of one was heard, but unable to be pinpointed.

"Such bravery in the face of the most feared race in the galaxy, I applaud you. But separation proves impossible now. My being is fused to yours, so you are doomed to an eternity with me." The phantom began to laugh again, a raspy choking sound and Ben tried to drown it out, clasping his hands over his ears. Nothing could stop the sound that brought him so much anger, so much sorrow and so much pain. He was drowning in the darkness again, the very feelings choking off his entire being until he felt these would be what he would become. A hollow shell of pain and hatred. When a suddenly sensation hit him, everything seemed to tune out. Actually, it was less of a sensation and more of a bump. A shaking to be precise. It shook him from his place in the dark and he began to fall.

Free. He was finally free of the phantom. For now. He slowly drifted into a dreamless and uneasy sleep, unable to shake the fear, even in an unconscious state.

I hope you all aren't offended by swear words. And I hope I didn't go to far with Ben. Here is the nest installment and be prepared for more. I refuse to start something and then not finish it! Oh, and by the way abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz, you didn't annoy me at all. I just checked my email today and found it very funny to discover all the reviews I got. lol Thanks to all of you for getting my butt in gear and I hope you still look forward to what happens next! Chao, Xangabell