Hmm… I don't know what to do… I'm going to stick to third person so when Ben leaves I can stick with Rika so don't get too confused here.
Also, I've just since learned they're going to continue Alien Force, even after WoWp1&2. I may or may not incorporate his new aliens (once we find out what they are). It all depends on when the 3rd season comes out. If I haven't finished the story by then, I will incorporate them. If I have, then I'll incorporate them into a new story.
ooo
"Thanks for the money, mom…"
Sandra smiled, hugging Ben. "Don't worry about it, Ben. I'm just glad you're back… After I thought I'd never see you again…" She sniffed in, tears falling onto his shirt.
He gave a warm smile, gently prying her off of him. "I have to go, Mom. I'll be back later to get Rika."
"Don't go off and get yourself into trouble. I'll never forgive myself for letting you go if you do!"
Ben smiled, waving as he walked off.
"Phew, he's gone. I never thought he'd leave!" Rika sighed, looking around the house. "So what's here to do, eh?" she looked behind her, falling smoothly onto the couch.
"I feel sick," Carl groaned, clutching his stomach as he walked out of the room.
"Sick?" Rika sat up, looking concerned.
"I don't know exactly when Ben'll be back, but you're welcome to help me out," Sandra smiled, wiping the leftover tears from her eyes.
"Help? With what?"
Sandra brushed off her hands on her pants, looking around the room. "The house needs a little fixing up. Your father—Ben's father's fixing up the car, no matter how terribly he does it…" She'd never been used to talking about Carl in any other sense than 'Your father,' so talking to Rika about him was a big change.
Rika smiled. "I could help clean… I know a lot of about dead organisms."
Sandra's smile turned forced. What, did she mean like dead people? "Err… You do mean dead dust mites, right?"
Rika laughed nervously. "Yeah, we'll go with that. Santehniku nav iebraukts gimenes…" Guess Plumbers don't run in the family…
Sandra gave a questionable smile to the alien language. "Now… I'll be right back."
Rika nodded, lying back on the couch once more. I hope Ben comes back soon.
Sandra made her way to the kitchen, where her husband Carl was wiping his face of motor oil. "Oh! What happened?" she asked, concerned.
Carl laughed. "Little mishap. Nothing big."
"You lie almost as bad as your son. Go clean up." She shoved him off toward the hallway. "And don't touch anything until you get to the bathroom!" she shouted after him, shaking her head soon after. She reached down to open the cabinet under the kitchen sink, containing all of the cleaning supplies the family needed. After gathering the right tools for the job, she headed back toward Rika.
"All right, Rik…a…" The woman's jaw dropped, seeing the room.
"Oh! Back so soon?" Rika laughed. "The living room is clean. What else needs to be done?"
Sandra was stunned. How did the girl clean the room? More importantly, how did she clean a room that normally takes Sandra three hours to clean in less than a minute… with no cleaning products?!
Rika's smile dropped, seeing her stunned expression. "Uh… did… I do something wrong?"
Sandra soon smiled, rushing up to the girl. She dropped the products on the floor and rushed her up the stairs toward Ben's old room. "Here. Here. See what you can do about cleaning up Ben's old room."
Rika smiled. "Sure! You know, this is really fun."
"Oh good, I'm glad. It's not exactly one of my favorite things to do...," she mumbled.
Rika ran into what seemed like Ben's room, which almost seemed obvious from the clutter on the floor and scattered across the surfaces of desks and tables.
"There was a time when Ben kept his room clean. Somewhere between the start of high school and his interest in girls…" Sandra tapped her chin. "Well, anyway, have at it. I'll be downstairs washing dishes if you need me."
Rika nodded. "Okay." To Rika, this was an opportunity to get to know Ben better. As much stuff as he took with him when he moved out, there were still little odds and ends left behind. An old computer, old drawings from when he was younger, crumpled-up homework papers that missed the trashcan by his desk… The only thing that seemed to be missing were articles of clothing so commonly seen scattered around rooms.
Rika intertwined her fingers, stretching out her arms over her head. She pulled a leather tie off of her upper arm, pulling up her hair with it. She tied a knot to secure her silver hair, then took a good look around the room.
The first thing that caught her eye was the computer. It was strange, yet a piece of technology that Rika was familiar with back on her home planet. Though hers may have been more advanced, the similarities were probably close enough so she could work with it.
She pulled the desk chair over, rolling close to the desk. Shaking the mouse turned the computer on, revealing a picture Ben must've taken (or maybe even Gwen or Kevin) during a battle. With closer examination, it looked like a moth-like creature sliding down an ice slide. Now Rika thought it was for fun, and not during a battle.
Rika laughed, then began searching through the directories. Documents, Program Files, Pictures… She clicked on the pictures file, as it was a file containing history of Ben and his friends.
Sumer Vacation was the name of the very first file in that folder, which seemed interesting enough. The first picture on that list was of Ben and Gwen when they were much younger. Eleven years ago at the very most. One thing that caught her eye was the absence of the Omnitrix. That set a timeline. "Even back then… Childish, but cute."
The next picture was of their grandfather's aptly named motor home—as listed on the name of the photo—The Rust Bucket I.
After a few uninteresting photos of the inside of the vehicle came a few uncommon photos of the Omnitrix in its base form—bulky, black and white, watch-like object stuck to his wrist like glue. You could tell the pictures were self-taken, as the camera was crooked and his arm was in an awkward position. They must've been taken just after he received the Omnitrix.
After those came a picture of Gwen in the night, a marker drawn all over her face. "So he was quite mischievous… Either that or he really hated his cousin back then."
The next picture was of Gwen and Ben. They both looked upset about something, though Rika assumed it was because they were forced to have their picture taken together. The picture directly after that was of Ben pushing Gwen away from him only seconds later. Rika laughed at the immaturity.
There were hundreds of pictures from the vacation, one picture of Ben and Gwen smiling to end it all. It seemed like no matter how much the two got on each other's nerves, they'd grown closer over the trip.
She moved back and looked through the pictures in the main folder, a picture of Ben and a girl caught her eye. "Julie…" It was another self-taken picture of the two kissing. Rika growled, turning off the computer in a fit of jealousy. She stormed out of the chair, almost knocking it over, and rushed to the other side of the room.
"Ta voib gorijo v peklu…" She can burn in hell…
ooo Back to Ben! ooo
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T GET THE KEYS FOR ANOTHER WEEK?!"
This was the fifth place I've gone. Even my last place didn't have any openings, having rented out my old apartment to some girl only a day after Kevin told them.
It was annoying, really. All I asked for was a furnished apartment. I didn't care how many bedrooms, or if it even had a bathroom, just a damn place to live. Living with my parents isn't as fun as it looks. I can't go hero without freaking my Dad out, or leave whenever I want without them asking questions.
Then there's the Rika factor. I can just hear them now, "Keep your door open!" Oy. What do they think I'm doing, anyway?
No. Not with Rika. God, no…
Not now, at least. I'm in the middle of a crisis and all they can think about is my sex life with Rika… That's parents for you, though…
ooo
After another five complexes, I finally found one that suited my needs. Two bedrooms, one and a half bath, large, open, flat-like layout, a patio in the back with a great view, and it's furnished, all for a decent price.
On my way back to my parents, keys in-hand, I had time to think about what to do with Rika. The only thing I could think of to hide her in plain sight was to change her skin tone. Rika's done some crazy stuff before, but I don't know if she can pull that off.
It's not uncommon for humans to have deformities, and her ears wouldn't be too hard to hide anyway so they wouldn't be a problem. Her golden eyes can be fixed with contact lenses. I'm sure I can make her legal and get the correct documentation from Kevin if it comes down to it.
I carefully stepped off the bike, hanging up a new helmet on the handlebars. I assumed I was allowed to open the door without knocking, so I did so, walking into the house. "Mom? Dad? Rika?"
The door shut. "HI BEN! Oh! You're back, you're back, you're back!" Someone attacked me from behind, throwing their arms around me. Blue arms. Rika.
"Why do you smell all lemon-y?" I asked, disregarding her overbearing hug.
"Oh. I've been cleaning the house! Doesn't it look great?"
"You've been cleaning?!" I turned around, her arms releasing from me. "Did Mom make you do it? MOM!"
"Yes, hon, I'm here. What's wrong?" Mom walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel.
"Have you been making Rika clean the house?"
"She asked if there was anything to do and I offered her to help me! She agreed, and cleaned the entire thing on her own. She even said it was fun!" Mom spoke defensively.
Rika growled. "It was fun, Ben! Plus, you have no say over what I can and can't do! You don't own me, Ben Tennyson!"
"But I own you," Mom laughed.
"Do not."
"Do too! If not legally, then black mail ought to do it! Rika, I have the cutest little picture of Ben when he—"
I reached over, clasping my hand over my mother's mouth. "Okay! All right, fine."
Rika smiled. Mom did as well, so I removed my hand.
"Don't worry. I saw enough pictures I wanted to see for one day."
I sighed. "You already showed her?"
Mom shook her head. "I had nothing to do with this," she said, walking off back toward the kitchen.
Rika smiled. "Your computer."
"Damn it… Which ones did you see?"
"Oh… Summer vacation… Julie…," she choked on the girl's name.
I scratched my head.
"Yes, Ben, be nervous."
"Am I going to die?"
She laughed. "No, but she might."