Mantinas: I'M SO SORRY! You have no idea how sorry I am it took so long for me to post this and then for it to come out so short! But this crumby chapter kept giving me trouble! So much trouble it gave me(sounding like Zim)! BUT! There is a surprise at the end here that I hope you'll like.

(X)(X)(X)

It was something of a miracle, for nothing of this magnitude could be anything else. That night when his father came home he flashed an alarm clock and asked what he wanted to know. Ben told him, his eyes facing the floor, fear keeping him from doing anything else, that yes, he apologized and that Julie invited him over tomorrow.

And there he was, practicing tennis with Julie in a make-shift court in her backyard where her father kept a net up for when his business buddies came over and for her to practice. His form was off and he wasn't very good, but then, Julie seemed only a step above him. They were practicing, which relaxed Ben a little.

"Okay," She said, panting after returning the ball to Ben's side of the court-another point for her. "Next we should try soccer."

Ben nodded, glad to be done. Though he knew this was practice, it was still male pride to hate losing to a girl. Stepping out of the tennis field Julie ran over and picked up the soccer ball from her garage and kicked it over to Ben who kicked with his inner right foot over to his left and back before kicking it over to Julie again.

Julie was impressed, Ben was actually dominating this portion of their training. He kicked the ball up in the air and let it land on his head where he kept it balanced for a good five minutes, but they found his true gift lied in being the goalie. This was made apparent due to their newly formed regiment which consisted of them being every position as they dribbled the ball with their feet from one end to the other and whenever she managed to make it to Ben's side he'd make himself the goalie(a fifteen second stop in the game for them to get into position) she kicked and no matter the angle, she never made one. But then again, she wasn't as well acquainted to this sport as she was tennis, but she wasn't going to doubt that he'd make goalie on even an all-star team.

"You are awesome, Ben!" Julie cheered as Ben blocked another kick.

Ben blushed and scratched the back of his neck. No one's ever complimented him on sports except for…

Well, let's skip that for now. "Thanks, Julie." Ben muttered.

Julie smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder.

That night, upon his father's request, Ben told them about his time at Julie's. Both parents seemed happy about the outcome, Ben could still tell that his father was a little angry that they weren't dating yet.

Going upstairs, Ben got ready for bed as part of his curfew. Laying down in an empty bed was something he still had to get used to, but at least he fell asleep easier this time, the night before was a mess.

Ben opened his eyes to alien surroundings, but a spot he knew well now, his head laying in the lap of his friend. His upset friend as he noted once he moved his head enough to get a good view.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked.

Kevin did not look at him as he responded.

"I was given the choice to come back, Ben." He said it solemnly. "And I was going to, but when I was going to state my choice…I was told my mom disagreed with their decision and that I should remain here until I'm older."

Ben remained quiet, taking this in, and knowing full well Kevin needed to vent.

"I don't hate my planet, nor am I angry or hate my mom." He turned to Ben and looked into his eyes. "I wouldn't mind staying, my mom's all alone with grandpa and dad gone, but the thought of leaving you there alone…I don't know, maybe I'm being paranoid, but still."

"Kevin," Ben began and let it drop, not finding the words.

"But I promise, Ben." A look of determination on his face and piercing, galactic eyes. "I promise I will see you again."

"I made friends with Julie!" Ben blurted out. He didn't want to say it this way, but for some reason, especially with that look he was given, he couldn't stand it. "I broke my alarm clock after our last meeting here and my dad said I had to try and make it up to Julie if I were to get another alarm clock."

Ben closed his eyes not wanting to see Kevin's reaction after telling him to not complicate things. A gentle hand rested in his hair.

"It's okay, Ben. I expected something like this to happen. Are you getting along?"

Ben nodded He knew Kevin was being cool with this because he could do nothing and he also wanted him to have friends. It sounded horrible, but that was the reality of it all. After all, he understood the position Ben was in without being there.

"She even complimented me on my soccer skills."

Ben knew, just knew without looking Kevin was smirking.

"Well, you are great at it."

Ben chuckled.

"Everything will be alright, Ben. I promise; I'll see you in person again. In a few years, I'll be there. I promise."

Ben felt something wet land in his hair. Looking up he saw the tears that were falling. Without thinking, Ben stood on his tiptoes and placed his lips on Kevin's chastely. That seemed to surprise Kevin into stopping his tears and make a blush grow on Ben's cheeks.

It was sweet, tender, and just right. Though none of that registered in Ben's mind as Kevin fell to the floor of the boat. With a shout, Ben cradled him in his arms.

"Sorry, Benji…It wears you out doing this long-distance."

Kevin weakly placed his right hand and pulled Ben's face closer to his…

Ben woke up with a start, his new alarm clock beeping at him angrily, as if cursing him for being one of the few children in the world that get up so early on a Saturday.

Part One End

Yep, one part has ended. I wanted an intermission showing Kevin's mom going to the council, but I later decided to add it to this chapter, but when writing it, the above came to my mind and, well, I like it better this way. I hope part two(chapter 7) will be easier to write and be posted sooner. I'm sorry this sucked so much. :(