It was a long flight so far, but Gwen had spent the first majority of it sitting in front of a giant fish tank, wracking her brain for things she still called spells. Inside the glass tank bubbles slipped in the form of air as the sleeping mermaid laid curled up in the white fraction of sand at the bottom of her tank.

Needless to say, it had been one long day.

Around this time Gwen was starting to think her promise to the naga of fixing her sister would never get brought about. There were to many mana strings flowing around Unta to catch onto, to many to sort through to find the human strand.

"This would be so much easier if I could stay focused." she muttered under her breath gently as she shook her head again, opening her eyes to sigh. "Maybe I just need a break..."

"Ice cream?" Kevin's voice asked from behind her as he offered her a waffle cone full of strawberry ice cream. Gwen sighed, taking the cone from him and glaring at the opened book in front of her.

"Remind me where you got this?" she asked him as she set a finger on the tattered book page.

"Isn't it better not to know?" he smirked as he sat beside her, looking inside the yellowing pages. "How can you read that crap?" he was rewarded with a quick slap to the back of his head as Gwen glared up at him.

"I'm trying to work here." she grumbled, eating at the ice cream as she flipped a page. "And shouldn't you be driving or navigating or something?"

"The ships on auto pilot, Gwen. Now, what are you doing out of bed with my kid in your belly?" he asked snide like.

"Oh for the last time Kevin Levin I am NOT pregnant! If I was carrying ANY kind of baby I'd feel his or her mana!" she glowered back to the book.

"Oh? So you don't deny sleeping with me now?"

"I will blast you into a million tiny pieces, or, better yet! Destroy your libido." she turned her face toward him, sighing gently. "I'm tired and I can't figure this out and it bothers me because I'm supposed to be able to understand this and be better at th-"

"Ok, then shut up." Kevin shut the book, shoving the last bit of his ice cream into his mouth.

"KEVIN! Do you have any idea-ahh! Put me down!" she shrieked and worked on not dropping her ice cream as Kevin grabbed her up one handed and tossed her onto his shoulder.

"Yes yes, bitch away my dear, it doesn't matter. You're going back to bed, you're going to stay there, and you will relax." he said in a very demanding tone after chewing and swallowing his treat.

"But I have to-"

"No, you want to. But you won't, not right now, right now you're going to shut up before I drop you into that fish tank." he barked.

"You're still an ass hole." she grumbled, using one arm to hug his neck as he switched her hold to a princess like style.

"I know, I've been practicing." he said with a chuckle. Gwen sighed gently as she let her throbbing head rest against his shoulder, after bidding a warm congratulations to Gorg she had decided to try her hand at meditation. The one place she new was free of anyone who's company wasn't overbearing or busy was Unta's room.

So she'd stumbled through the dark until she found it again, relaxing and chatting with the mergirl before the watery speech was slurred and Unta decided it was time she slept.

That was, of course, only after she pointed out a 'spell book' she'd known of under the table for Gwen to read through.

So that was where Gwen had spent the last three or four hours, just relaxing and spilling her mind trash to the mergirl and reading through the book all while trying to change the condition of her quiet friend. Her non-existent progress had earned her quite a migraine to boot.

The annoying mechanical swish of the electrical doors only made the pounding worse as she gripped Kevin's shirt. Sure he aggravated her, but she cared about him, it might not have been love anymore, but it was still important.

But was it ever love? She thought it over while rubbing her temples, sighing as she finished her ice cream. Kevin moved his hand in holding her as he set her on the bed with a smile.

"You, sleep, do a jigsaw, I dunno, just shut up and relax for once." he ordered as he sat and started unlacing his boots.

"If I had a pillow I'd hit you with it." she said simply, rolling onto her side to watch him. He really had grown up, it hadn't been to long really, but it had still been enough to change him.

His arms were built, his hands still big but worn even more than before, and his hair was still long. He sighed, laying on the bed and looking up at the canopy as Gwen snuggled to his side, his arm around her as she looked up with him.

It wasn't a romantic hold, it wasn't anything more than friendship. Gwen swore this up and down in her mind. All that they had left was friendship right, he didn't really love her. He loved her, sure, but he didn't love her now.

Right?

'No more reflections.' she thought tiredly. "Hey, Kevin, when we get back to Earth, are you going to stay there this time?" she asked after a pause. He shrugged, sighing as he blinked a bit.

"I'm a wanted criminal and supposed murderer on Earth... and have a really girly bed on my ship, did you notice?" he turned his head to her and Gwen could only laugh, hugging his chest.

"Well I never!" he faked a hurt gasp, one hand to his chest as he upturned his nose.

"Oh shut up." she smiled, resting her head again. "I'll see about getting to pardoned." she said with a yawn.

"Gwen, they won't pardon me twi-" but she shoved a hand over his mouth.

"You, sleep, do a jigsaw, I dunno, just shut up and relax for once." she said as she mimicked him with a smirk. He moved her hand, smirking himself.

"You're a little brat." he kissed her forehead, causing her to blush as he sighed again. The peace was interrupted though as Hinu rushed in.

"Kevin, get in the Captain's room right now! We're being hailed!" he barked, hair tussled.

"What? I have the ship cloaked and masked, how-"

"Just do it!" Hinu snarled, pointing at the door. Kevin stood, growling low as his skin rippled, the vulpimancer in him trying to come out in anger. Gwen set her hand on his, standing next to him, it was warmer to the touch so she knew he was fighting transformation.

"I'll go with you." she said softly, smiling to try and calm him down. He hesitated but finally nodded, holding her hand in his as he started walking.

"Did they give a message in the hail?" he asked as they entered the hall, Hinu a bit in front of them since his tail was outstretched.

"Just that it was urgent, and that they were pissed." Hinu said dully, trying to calm his breathing. The walk was quiet and quick and once inside the room Kevin let her hand go as he sat in a chair, pressing his fingers on a screen and talking in an almost foreign language to the naga hybrid.

"Kevin, what can I do to help?" she asked, standing behind his chair.

"Just relax, I've got this." he said with a smirk as a large halo screen flew into view. The screen opened, the static buzzed and then switched on, a woman sitting in her own captains chair as he tapped her fingers in an annoyed way.

"Ahh, there we are. Took you long enough. I heard you have my grand daughter. And since she's still in that human form I had to get a ship to bring her home in so she wouldn't explode in space travel." Kevin groaned as the woman spoke quickly and at length.

"Grandma Verdona? Grandma! Hi!" Gwen leaned around the chair and waved at the woman happily. "How'd you find us?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh Gwen, you are ok. I knew you would be. You look so flush, I'm so happy. And mana dear, I am a bit older and wiser than you think after all." Gwen giggled as her grand mother waved her wrist about as she spoke.

For an all powerful alien, she sure was stuck in the 60's.

"Anyway, ready your ship to be transferred, I'll just take Gwen home from here." Kevin's growl returned quickly.

"I never agreed to any transfer, nor will I, and if a beam comes within an inch of my ship I'll worp drive!" he snarled, nearly standing from his chair. Gwen moved her position, standing in front of Kevin and holding her hands up.

"Calm down Kevin, just-"

"I'LL take her home. Back your ship off!" he barked. Gwen sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders. She squeaked a bit when Kevin hugged her hips to him, holding her close. "She's on my ship, so she's apart of my crew. No member gets tossed just because your ship has bigger canons." he glared.

"How dare you talk to me like tha-"

"It's ok grandma. I'll be fine with Kevin. Can you relay a message to Grandpa Max that I'll be home soon?" she asked gently, unconsciously leaning into Kevin's hold.

"Gwendolyn I promised your grand father I'd bring you home safely." Gwen sighed and rubbed her head more.

"Grandma, I'm fine. I'll be home soon, in fact, you can follow us back-"

"No way!"

"So that you make sure I get home safely." Gwen finished like she'd never been interrupted, staring Kevin down with a serious expression. He gave her the same expression back then glowered, tightening his grip.

"Well, I guess that'll work kiddo." Verdona said with an almost all knowing smile.

"I hate your grandmother." Kevin whispered harshly, Gwen shushed him though with a finger as she shook her head.

"We'll talk later, ok grandma?" Gwen said with a smile as she turned her head to the screen. Verdona chuckled, nodding.

"Alright kiddo, I'll have my ship follow your friends. See you when you touch base on Earth." she smiled, waving before the transmission was cut.

"Gwen we are not having her ship foll-"

"Shut up Kevin." Gwen leaned down, kissing his forehead and sighing. "How much longer until we get back to Earth anyway?" she asked as Hinu moved his fingers along flat screen control panels.

"A day tops I guess. I was trying to save fuel." Kevin groaned, resting his head on her shoulder.

"You're awful touchy feeling lately, aren't you Kevin." Gwen muttered, letting him hang onto her form.

"Let me..." he muttered, hugging her waist tighter. And she looked down, patting his head with a smile. He didn't want to go back to Earth, that much was apparent.

After a while Kevin lifted her up, no quarrel beyond that from her as he walked back to the room. He set her down, sitting on the bed, back to her as he left his head down.

Gwen watched as he sulked, an obvious sign of his hatred of her leaving. "Hey... Gwen?"

"Yea Kevin?" she sat up, leaning on his back.

"Remember the first kiss you ever gave me?"

"Hmm?"

"On the roof of your house, it was back when you were 15. You'd decided to stay here instead of going with your grandma to learn more about mana control." he leaned back a bit and Gwen wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Yea, I remember. you told me you didn't want me going anywhere. That you thought it was lame." she smiled at the memory, glad she could remember it. Kevin took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Well... I don't want you going..." he muttered.

"But Kevin, Earth is my home."

"Not that! Gwen!" he groaned, looping his fingers with her hand. "I... I don't wanna loose you again..." he muttered. Gwen shivered a bit, that side of him only she knew. His sensitive funny side, the pieces of him she could remember, how he grumbled at fruit pulp to screaming like a girl at chipped paint on his old car.

"I know you don't." she squeezed his hand back, letting him lay down as he stretched, an arm open in invitation for her to join him. So she did, resting while laying snuggled to his side.

"Then don't?" he asked softly, a gently squeeze to her hand. But she didn't reply, not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't think of the an answer.

She was friends with Kevin, they were in love at one point as well, but did that love still exist? Was she still in love with him now after all this? She really was rethinking her earlier thoughts.

She could think later though. Right now she just wanted sleep, snuggling up to Kevin was comfortable, when she was with him everything seemed to hurt less.

Of course there seemed to be a lot of drama tied to being around him just as well. Things seemed to get blown out of proportion, or just flat out blown up.

'Oh well, I'll think after a nap. To much going on right now.'

-

"Ben, are you ok?" Edwin called from outside the bathroom, knocking once again. His only response was the vomiting noise Ben had been seeping out since yesterday after eating at the gas station. They'd decided to stop and get food after hearing Gwen was safe and coming home, and apparently the food didn't agree with Ben.

But it shouldn't have lasted this long. He finally opened the door, walking in to fill a glass with water from the sink and pass it to Ben as he gargled it and spit it out.

"No more gas station chili dogs for you it seems." Edwin said as he sat on the sink top. Ben groaned then, waving his hand up to hush Edwin.

"Don't talk about food... I may never eat again." Ben slumped to the floor, swishing the water around in his mouth repeatedly before spiting it back in the toilet and flushing.

"I feel so sick." he whimpered out, looking up to lean himself against Edwin's legs.

"How about this, if you're still sick in the morning, I take you to the doctor. That sound ok?" Edwin asked, running his hand through Ben's hair with a smile. Ben looked up, giving his own smile as he looped one arm around Edwin's leg.

"I love you. You spoil me." Ben cooed, but Edwin just rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Without me I sometimes think you wouldn't survive as just plain old Ben Tennyson." Edwin said, tangling his fingers into Ben's hair as he leaned down, kissing his forehead.

Ben smiled, pulling Edwin down ever further. "Don't kiss me, you just threw up." it was the worst way to interrupt, one of Edwin's fingers on his lips.

"True." he went back to resting his head on his legs, looking at his watch. "I'll take another acid reliever and then get dressed. You still going with me to help pick up Gwen?" he asked the last words in a hopeful tone. His partner rolled his eyes, patting his head with a smile.

"I have to go to work sometime this week Ben." he said smoothly.

"But Eddie-"

"I'll need to go in tomorrow and then Saturday to make up for this." he smirked, flashing it at Ben before shrugging. Ben only grinned, but then stopped abruptly, hand on his stomach as he turned quickly to the toilet before he could make a witty reply to his boyfriends playful manner.

He really was never going to eat another gas station chili dog.

At least, not from that gas station.