Only Tetrax, who knew Ben often turned up at the most convenient moments, is unsurprised to see him in the room. Even yet, it didn't guarantee that Tetrax would overlook his months-long abandonment of his companions. The crystal alien remained motionless, his arms crossed. However, Lucy's jaw is on the floor in awe, just as a young child would be upon first seeing a mall Santa. She rushes forward without thinking and flings herself into his arms. The blonde buries her face in his chest as salty tears sting her eyes. Tetrax raises an eyebrow at the event; despite their perilous missions around the cosmos, Lucy has remained emotionless. And now, here she is sobbing in the arms of the man who left her.

In a similar way to when her beloved died in her arms on the battlefield, Carly is trapped in time. She can't move, despite her mind screaming at her too. Nothing felt real, like a terrible, twisted fever dream; the woman felt sick. Carly witnessed Lucy give the man a teary hug, destroying any chance that this was a dream. Her own tears flow down her face. She wanted to resent him for abandoning them, but her heart had other ideas.

Cooper is surprised to see Ben even though he nearly perished by his side the day before. Perhaps it was more in response to the mere fact that he showed up. He didn't take anyone's word for anything, being a man of action himself. The blond still harbored resentment at the man for his earlier deeds; this is something that won't be forgotten easily.

While glancing between Ben and her boyfriend, Elena's face remained emotionless. She could tell that he wasn't at all surprised. It was unusual for Cooper to be able to hide this from her because he typically couldn't keep a secret to save his life. She really couldn't give a damn about Ben's absence; it seemed that she was the only one who had picked up on his self-importance years ago. Even yet, she found it upsetting how much stress it placed on the group as a whole.

Ben enters the room slowly, his heart racing with each step as his eyes scan the faces of his friends. Rejection anxiety crept into his head from the bottom of his spine. He kept his hands clamped to his sides so that others couldn't notice how much his hands trembled. He lost track of the words he mentally practiced during the drive here. Mid-step, he stopped in his tracks, unsure of what to do. On his forehead, he could feel sweat droplets forming. Never in Ben's life has he felt more anxious.

Then, out of nowhere, Lucy runs into his arms, jumping into them like a child welcoming their father back. He stood there frozen, dumbfounded by the blonde's actions. As she sobbed against his chest, Ben felt tears seeping through his shirt. Ben looks at his friends' expressions again; some have tears in their eyes, while others are indifferent. He didn't deserve any of it. Why did they continue to worry about him? For what reason were they crying for him?

Ben pushes Lucy away, refusing to allow them to forgive him so readily. He arrived here to clear things up. Ben had to accept accountability. Lucy looks up at him through red, puffy tears, perplexed as to why he shoved her back. She notices that he is attempting to wipe away his own tears. Ben Tennyson swallows his qualms and turns to confront his buddies with resolve.

"Almost a decade ago I was bestowed with the most powerful weapon in the galaxy at the measly age of ten," Ben begins solemnly. "With that came an immense amount of responsibility, especially for a little kid. By no means was I perfect; I failed too many times to count. But never once did I give up. I went on to make a name for myself after defeating numerous galaxy-threatening foes on the battlefield. I was crowned the savior of the universe."

Tetrax questions the man's intentions as he casts a skeptical glance in his direction. Ben keeps talking despite the curious looks.

"Then, my best friend passed away—or rather, I killed him. Despite Gwen begging me to stop. I will never forgive myself for that as long as I live. After that day, my life slowly down spiraled. I continued to lose important people in a selfish attempt to do things my way. By the time I understood that my success banked on the people around me who continuously put their faith in me, it was already too late."

Ben extends his wrist to show the group his watch. "A blessing for those it saves, and a curse for whom wields it. But if this was just the watch's fault then I would have told Azmuth to take it off me a long time ago. See, it's me, I'm the problem; my lack of self-awareness cost me more than I can afford."

"I won't lie. Ben Ten sees in black and white; I put people into two categories: those who need to be saved and those who need to be beaten. And I never took the time to reflect on who I labeled as what."

Hearing her cousin's subsequent statement, Gwen's heart felt as though it had stopped.

"That's the reason Kevin died and that's the reason Max died," Ben confesses. "I didn't come here to tell you a sob story. I came here because I want to change and I need your help."

"Help?" Lucy mutters under her breath.

Cooper speaks up, "And what if we don't want to help you?"

"Well, that's okay too," Ben admits.

"Good cause I don't want to help you."

"Cooper!" Elena snaps at her boyfriend.

"What? He's a selfish prick who left Gwen," Cooper snarls. "He didn't change a year ago when we were risking our lives to save his ass! Or before that when he left us for the same motherfuckers that killed Azmuth. Now he wants to change on his own terms and I'm supposed to be cool with that?"

"Cooper, he's trying-" Gwen begins.

"Fuck that! He doesn't deserve to be a hero anymore."

"You act like you've never made a mistake before," Lucy hisses with tears in her eyes.

"I know the bitch that killed my mom ain't talking to me."

Tetrax whistles, "Let's not say anything we'll regret."

Lucy turns to face the blond. "Yeah and I fucking hate myself for it," she fires back. "But that doesn't give you the right to shit on someone who's actively asking for a second chance."

"Last time I checked, the person you wronged is the one who grants the second chance. So, realistically, he can ask all he wants; I don't have to accept it."

"You're acting like a real dick right now," Gwen interjects smoothly.

"Yeah because I have to! We see this man for one second and he already has y'all splitting at the seams." Cooper turns to Gwen. "You see your dead grandpa and boyfriend and suddenly things are just hunky-dory between you and him?"

Gwen menacingly wags her finger at the blond. "You will watch your tone. I am still the leader of this team-"

"What team? You're too busy playing politics, Lucy and Tetrax are out exploring the galaxy, and I have WAY too much work to do for me to be here hearing this shit." Cooper chuckles, "I mean you didn't even tell us about your little family brawl at the police station."

All eyes suddenly turn to Gwen. Being halfway across the galaxy when this occurred, Tetrax and Lucy were extremely interested. Carly turns to Gwen for clarification. She doesn't recall the redhead ever saying anything similar to this. Gwen simply looks ashamedly down at the ground. The blonde is correct; she concealed not just Ben's attendance in Bellwood that day but also the fact that she has blood on her hands. She made the chief vow that nothing would be revealed. She might have wondered how Cooper knew about that if she hadn't known him to be an incredible genius.

The room is suddenly filled with a flash of green, and everyone feels a surge of wind.

"Ben wait!" Hope calls out after him.

Ben is no longer there, and the only indication that he left is an open door. It was already too late.

"Oh wow! What a surprise!" Cooper shouts.

Gwen stalks towards Cooper. "You couldn't just keep your fucking mouth shut."

Tetrax stands between the blonde and the approaching woman. The last thing he wanted was for a fight to break out because it was their first time seeing each other in a while. Hope rushes outside and onto the sidewalk while ignoring the disputing group. She is greeted by the brilliant sun and passing autos. She scans the entire length of the street for any indication of his whereabouts.

"Ben!" she calls out for him.

AUTHOR's NOTE: Sorry for the short chapter I just wanted to break it up because the next part is important. Enjoy!