Disclaimer: Both characters and products of the Justice League Unlimited and Ben 10 franchises do not belong to me.

Author's Note: I am sorry for the lack of updates. I will try what I can when I can. Please enjoy the story.

Author's Note #2: First, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I know this story has been done a lot but I simply needed to do my own variation. Some of you have noticed I used the Ultimatrix instead of the third form of the Omnitrix. I personally liked the Gauntlet looking Ultimatrix instead of the smaller compact version of the third Omnitrix. I apologize for forgetting to mention that I will be using the Ultimatrix in the story in place of the Omnitrix, with all the Omniverse aliens in the Ultimatrix's database.

Author's Note #3: I am not all too familiar with every single alien and episode of Ben 10 and Justice League Unlimited, so I am sorry if I leave some things out or some parts seem strange. I am familiar enough to write a story though. The Ben X Whoever pairing is still being debated but all I see is Supergirl right now. I might consider using a younger Zatanna, putting Zatara in the story as Batman's friend instead of an older Zatanna or maybe Batgirl, who knows?

Chapter 3: Welcome to the New World

Ben and Gwen opened the doors to the temporary meeting room of the Justice League. With the exception of Green Lantern and the now resigned Hawkgirl, the remaining five heroes stood side by side. They regarded the teens carefully before Superman spoke up, "Ben. Gwen. First, you have the sincerest thanks from the Justice League and I'm sure, the world, for all you have done for the past few days. None of it would have been possible without your tremendous assistance."

A few of the other heroes nodded in agreement with Superman before he continued, "That being said, we honestly do not know how to proceed with...well, with anything that has to do with you until we hear your side of the story. Do you both plan to stay here or are you hoping for a way to go home?"

Ben and Gwen looked at one another, surprised expressions on their faces. With the rush of events that happened for the past few days since they got here, they did not really have any time to sit down and really take in their situation or even think about what they wanted to do from here on out. In all honestly, they did not want to think about home. The deaths, the loss, and the horrors they faced flooded their thoughts way too fast and pain blossomed in both of their chests.

"Of course, if you choose to stay, the League would welcome both of you with open arms." Flash grinned at the two, his hands on his hips.

"We wouldn't say it exactly like that, but yes, if you choose to stay in this universe, the League will use all of its resources to make your lives here comfortable." Surprisingly, it was Batman who spoke up, his eyes glued to both the Tennysons, "We have also come to the consensus that if you choose to stay, we will extend an invitation to join the Justice League to both of you."

Both cousins blinked, a bit taken aback by the straightforward proposition. Stay and become part of the League or go back home to graves and loss. Gwen gently placed her hand on Ben's arm before looking at the League, "We need some time. Time to sort out our thoughts and to get our lives straightened out. When we first entered your world, we were thrown into the fray and really had no options but to fight. Right now, we aren't even sure if we want to be involved in hero work again. Plus, we don't even know if we can go back home. I don't know about this universe, but in our universe, traveling between dimensions is no small feat. Some of the most powerful and intelligent creatures could do it I'm sure, but right now, I don't even know where to begin to find a way back to our own universe. That is, if we want to go back." Gwen's slightly bitter and sad tone in the end made a few of the Leaguers raise their eyebrows but made no further comments on the matter.

Ben on the other hand, seemed to be in deep thought, regarding the older heroes in front of him then looking back at Gwen. She was right of course. For the moment, they needed to sort out their thoughts and face the reality of what happened to them. They needed to get things straightened out before they decided on anything that could change their lives. Whether it be to stay in this new world and start anew, or try to find a way back home so they could rebuild.

The League looked at one another, not quite sure where this left them all. Letting out a small sigh, Ben ran his hand down his face, "Look, I know with everything that has happened to you guys, I'm sure you aren't that willing to trust complete strangers from another world again. But the fact that you all seem so welcoming and forward with us is...nice. But it is also a fact that the lives we left behind right before we got here, was hell."

Ben felt Gwen's hand gently take his as they stood side by side. It was just like that moment they faced Vilgax. He remembered coming to the realization that it was going to be just the two of them, him and Gwen against the world. He then realized that part of the hesitation was that they were both a bit unwilling to let others into their world, into their lives that were shattered just a few days ago.

He gave Gwen's hand a slight squeeze before speaking again, "We lost everything before we got here. We lost our families, our friends, and people we loved like no other." He felt Gwen squeeze his hand a bit tighter, "All because we chose to become heroes, because we fought and made too many enemies. One of my worst enemies had come to Earth for vengeance, and my family and friends paid the price."

Gwen looked at Ben, her eyes wide, "Ben no, it wasn't your fault! Vilgax is the one to blame, he was pure evil! It was all of our faults, if we just had been more vigilant in keeping Vilgax locked up or destroyed him while we had the chance, we wouldn't have lost anyone!" Tears were threatening to fall from Gwen's emerald eyes as she squeezed Ben's hand a bit harder.

Ben's own shoulders sagged a bit, his eyes closing as he let out a small sigh, "But the fact is, he was there for me Gwen... He came to hurt me and to hurt me, he killed everyone around me. He wanted to hurt me by hurting you and Kevin and everyone. It was my fault he came to Earth."

"No Ben, it wasn't your fault! It wasn't..."

The League looked at one another awkwardly, save for Batman who was staring silently at the two. They were clearly an audience to a conversation that they had no right to be listening to. On the other hand, they were learning a bit about what happened to these two young heroes. None of which sounded good at all.

Ben and Gwen stared at one another for a long while, both having remembered the audience they had around them before Gwen turned to the group of heroes, "We need time."

Superman nodded, knowing there really wasn't much else he could say, "Take all the time you need. Sort things out, get some rest... Heal."

Batman stepped forward, his cape closing around his body fully as he looked at the two, "Any expenses that you two need will be fully covered during your stay in this universe. Even if your stay is temporary, an official explanation of how you arrived in this world will not go over well with any government body right now. The League, rather I, have many resources available to help you both in that regard. I will work on providing both of you with official identities, papers, records, and other necessary logistical needs."

The cousins nodded slowly, a smile forming on Gwen's face as she stepped forward, finally releasing Ben's hand, "We are very grateful Batman. Though we have no way of repaying you right now, we offer our sincerest gratitude."

Batman scoffed, "This is very small compared to the things you both did to save this planet. I don't need or want any repayment from either of you."

Gwen covered her mouth, giggling a little while Ben just grinned, "Oh right... You are some kind of billionaire aren't you? I don't think I've met a billionaire before, maybe a millionaire here and there but..."

Flash zipped up to Ben, slapping him on the back, "Well, since Batman is taking care of things for both of you, does that mean you're both going to stay with him in Gotham City?"

Batman turned from the room, heading towards the now partially hidden staircase to the Batcave, "No. Gotham City is no place for them to stay in while...settling into the new universe. Especially when they are trying to find some peace and quiet. They won't find any here while I am working and rebuilding the manor."

Flash scratched the back of his head, "I'd offer to let them stay with me at Central City but my apartment might be a little small for three people..." Diana and J'onn nodded their heads in agreement, both living in similar situations.

Superman stepped forth, "Well if it's rest and peace they want, what better place than out in the countryside with fresh air and open plains? I'll take them to my parents' farm in Smallville. They will be happy to have some company and I am sure Kara would welcome people her age around the farm for once."

"Kara, your cousin?" Diana raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms, "She certainly has been trying to follow in your footsteps as Supergirl."

Superman winced, nodding his head, "Yeah well... If she wants to use her powers for good, who am I to stop her?"

"It's settled then. Ben and Gwen will go with Clark to Smallville to recuperate for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Diana and J'onn will head to the UN to deal with any remaining problems. Flash, Lantern, and I will be dealing with any major criminal activity that come up." The older heroes all nodded in agreement before departing the room for their own preparations, leaving Superman, Ben, and Gwen alone together.

Looking at one another before smiling slightly, the three let out small laughs. Ben grinned, "So, Smallville huh? Is that where you grew up?"

Superman nodded, "It's a pretty nice place out in the countryside. I grew up on a farm, helping my Ma and Pa out a lot."

Gwen tilted her head, "Your mother and father, are they like you or...?"

Superman smiled, shaking his head, "No, they are human. My circumstances are a bit...different. Long story short, I'm an alien from another planet. Kind of like J'onn except from much further away. I'm from the planet Krypton. Ma and Pa found me in my spaceship as a baby and raised me as their own. It wasn't until later that I found out more about my origins but that is a story for another time."

Ben and Gwen nodded before Ben raised a hand, "But you guys mentioned a cousin, Kara. Diana mentioned she was following in your footsteps as Supergirl...meaning she is like you?"

Superman nodded again, "Yes, Kara is like me but from Krypton's sister planet, Argo. She's not my flesh and blood cousin but she is my cousin in all the ways that count. Another story for another time because we should really get going before it gets too late."

Both cousins looked towards the clock before looking back at Superman, "How long do you think it will take us to get there?"

The Man of Steel shrugged as he started heading for the door, "With both of us flying, an hour or two. With me carrying Gwen, maybe a little longer."

At that, Gwen raised an eyebrow, "Can't we just take a train or a cab? How far is Smallville from Gotham?"

Superman chuckled, "Quite a while away I'm afraid. Don't worry Gwen, I promise I won't drop you."

Gwen shook her head with a smile, her red hair swaying back and forth, "I don't think you'll drop me Superman, I just thought it might be hard on you to fly for such a long time while carrying someone."

Superman laughed as the three of them left the manor and walked out to the large front lawn, "Trust me, you weigh practically nothing to me and I can fly for quite a while before feeling any sign of fatigue. I'll be fine."

Both cousins nodded before Gwen looked at Ben, who brought his arm up and was cycling through the various aliens in his database. He stopped, looking at Superman, "You said you were an alien, didn't you Superman?"

Clark nodded, titling his head to the side slightly, "Yes I did, why?"

Ben grinned, walking up to Superman and holding his Omnitrix up to the Kryptonian. The Omnitrix gave a small beep before a recorded voice similar to Ben's own, spoke up from the device, "Uncatalogued DNA detected. Please standby." Superman blinked a few times as the green glow of Ben's gauntlet turned yellow, beeping a couple of times before a yellow light shot out of the side of the watch, moving up and down Superman several times like a scanner, "Unknown DNA sample acquired. Scan complete."

Ben grinned a little wider, pumping his fist into the air, cheering, "Boo y-" He was cut short when the Omnitrix gave an angry beep, his recorded voice speaking from the watch again, "Unknown error. Scan incomplete. Error." He brought his watch down, staring at it with astonishment.

Gwen moved up to him with a curious expression, "That hasn't happened before. I wonder what happened... Is the Omnitrix okay?"

Ben frowned, pressing various buttons on the gauntlet, cycling through the number of aliens before looking up at Gwen with a nod, "Yeah the Omnitrix seems to be fine, I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe his alien data is too close to human? Or maybe it's the different dimension...strange. I'll take a look at it later."

Gwen nodded at Ben before turning to Superman. The Man of Steel gave her a sheepish smile before holding his arms out and lifting her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, getting a firm grip before nodding. Seeing she was comfortable, Superman took off into the air. He turned in midair to look down at Ben who finished scrolling through the Omnitrix before slapping his hand down onto it.

Ben once again felt his body transform, melding into another alien and once more walking in the shoes of another race. As the bright green light of his transformation faded, in the place of the human boy stood a large Pterodactyl-like creature. It had a beak-like mouth, small wings that resembled a glider which were connected to a jetpack-like structure on his back. He had a large yellow beak, green eyes, red skin, black and green clothing on his shoulders and waist, green braces around his wrists and ankles, and yellow wings. He spread his wings and spoke in a parrot-like voice, "Astrodactyl!" He gave off a dinosaur-like squawk before the jetpack fired off, a green blast of energy launching him into the air.

Superman gave his form, and his voice, a surprised look, "You know Ben, I can't get over your transformations. It really is amazing how you can become a large variety of aliens with so many different powers."

Gwen giggled, shaking her head, "Careful Superman. Ben already has a big enough head. Don't go complimenting him too much and he might revert back to his ten year old self."

Astrodactyl gave an indignant squawk before speaking up in a parrot-like manner, "Gwen! I so do not have a big head! And it's not like you were any better when you were ten, you 'dweeb'!"

Gwen's mouth opened slightly, "Hey!"

Superman could not help but laugh, shaking his head at the light-hearted banter between the two cousins, "Alright guys, lets head out. Ben, I won't be going at my top speed since it'll be hard on Gwen, but I will be going pretty fast. Think you can keep up?"

Astrodactyl did his best to smile, waving his arm at the Kryptonian, "Lead on Superman, I am sure I can keep up with you. My jetpack is pretty fast you know."

"Ha, if you say so Ben! Don't say that I did not warn you!" With that, Superman shot off, Gwen giving a little yelp despite trying to prepare herself for it.

The green flame shot out from Astrodactyl's jetpack, propelling him forward right behind the Man of Steel.

/0/

A few hours later, the two aliens, and one disheveled redhead, landed on a quaint and rather large farm. Pressing the Omnitrix symbol on his left shoulder, a green flash enveloped Astrodactyl, leaving Ben in his place. While Ben stretched his arms and legs, Gwen said thanks to Superman before getting down, trying her best to fix her hair which was swept around by the wind.

"It's quite early in the morning, won't we be bothering your parents right now?" Gwen gave Superman a worried look as the three of them walked towards the main house.

The Man of Steel smiled at her, shaking his head, "Oh no, Ma and Pa start their day really early. They would be up hours before me back in the day. In fact, I can hear Ma in the kitchen now, getting breakfast ready." Knocking on the front door, Superman called out with a very slight midwestern accent, "Ma! Pa! I'm home!"

The door opened to reveal a kind looking, gray haired woman wearing a warm smile, "Clark! Goodness, we didn't expect you home, it's so good to see you honey." She then reached out to give her son a big hug, the Man of Steel laughing and hugging her back, lifting her up off the ground slightly before letting her go.

"Clark? Is that you son?" From around the corner, a slightly balding, gray haired man wearing glasses joined the woman at the door, a big smile on his face, "It's great to see you son, come in, come in. Who are your friends?"

As both of Superman's parents made way for the three heroes to step inside, Gwen gave them a polite smile, moving forward and holding her hand out to the woman, "My name is Gwen Tennyson, I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion so early in the morning."

Ben took the opportunity to hold his hand out to the older man, "It's a pleasure to meet you sir, I'm Ben Tennyson, thank you very much for inviting us into your home..."

As the woman shook Gwen's hand, she grinned, "My! Aren't you two quite the polite young people. You aren't intruding at all, any friend of Clark is a friend of ours! I'm Martha Kent, over there is my husband Jonathan."

"A pleasure to meet you both. Just like Martha said, you are welcome at our home any time."

"Sorry about this Ma, Pa, I didn't have the means to contact you with everything that happened. I hope you were alright out here?" Superman gave them a worried look before glancing around the place.

"Oh dear, those winged people had no reason to come out here, don't you worry. You weren't hurt were you?" Martha reached up to cup her son's face, giving it a little pat.

"Oh hon, you know nothing can keep our boy down!" Jonathan gave a hearty laugh as he patted Superman on the back.

"Pa's right Ma, it wasn't anything we couldn't handle, don't you worry." Superman gave the two a big smile.

Ben and Gwen smiled, seeing the invincible Man of Steel acting like a teenage boy in front of his parents. No matter the age, no son could win against loving parents, could they?

"Come to the kitchen dears, I was just making breakfast! I hope you like pancakes, bacon, and eggs!" Martha made her way to the kitchen, waving her hand at the trio.

"Oh I'm starving!" Ben eagerly made his way to the kitchen while Gwen rolled her eyes, following close behind.

"Everything alright son?" Superman turned to look at his father, who had one eyebrow raised, "We mean it when we say you and your friends are welcome here any time, but you usually don't bring people home unless you think they need help on some level. Those two there seem like they are just kids, I hope nothing bad happened to them."

The Man of Steel glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen door before looking back at his father, "Well Pa, I don't know the details but... I think they both went through something bad, something they shouldn't have. Especially at their age. I can see it in them, just as I see it in..." Batman, he did not say. A tragedy, a trauma that haunted them. He could see it in one of his closest friends, and it frightened him slightly to see it in two people who were so young, "The point is, I just wanted to bring them somewhere to relax, to let go of their worries for a little while. What better place than home?"

Jonathan reached out to squeeze his son's shoulder, "Well, I hope they can find some peace of mind here then. They can stay as long as they want Clark. We don't mind at all. It's getting a little lonely here with Kara going out to do her Supergirl things."

Clark winced, "Ah...she's still pretty persistent about that, huh?"

"She wants to follow up on her big cousin's footsteps. Can you blame her? Look at all that you have done."

"I guess... I just hope she stays safe while doing it."

Jonathan laughed, "Like you do son?"

"I stay safe!"

"All the time?"

"That's not the point Pa!"

Shaking his head with a smile, Jonathan gave Clark another pat on the back, "Come on son, lets get some breakfast."

/0/

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ben was already wolfing down three pancakes, two eggs, and a boat load of bacon. He yelped when Gwen slapped him on the back of the head.

"What was that for?"

"Slow down, the food is not going to run away from you. You're being rude at the table." Gwen cut another piece from her own pancake, taking a slow bite as she looked apologetically at Martha.

The older woman had a cup of tea in her hands, taking a sip before smiling back at Gwen, "Oh don't you worry hon, Ben's a growing boy. Trust me, Clark was a much messier eater, and he ate enough for five people back when he was a teenager! You go ahead and eat how you want Ben."

Sticking his tongue out at Gwen, Ben resumed his attack on his plate. Gwen just let out a sigh, shaking her head as she took a sip from her own cup of tea. When Ben started coughing because a bit of bacon went down the wrong pipe, Gwen casually slipped a glass of orange juice towards him. He grabbed it and gulped it down, hitting his chest with his other hand.

Superman and Jonathan walked in on both Gwen and Martha sharing a laugh as Ben took deep, exaggerated breaths, claiming he could see the light on the other side.

"Martha, it's been decided that Ben and Gwen are going to be staying with for a while. I hope that's alright."

"Oh it'll be a joy to have them around. It'll liven the place up. I'm sure Kara will be thrilled to have another girl her age around the house!"

"Kara... That's Superman's cousin right? Supergirl did you say?" Gwen tapped her chin, trying to remember what was said before.

"Yeah, Kara is my adoptive cousin from the planet Argo. A sister planet to Krypton, where I'm from. She's been trying to follow in my footsteps for a while now, I just hope she does it without getting into too much trouble..."

"Oh Clark, she is doing fine! She helped that young girl from that Bat fellow's city not too long ago. What did she say her name was? Babs?" Martha had turned back to the stove, putting portions of food for both Superman and Jonathan.

"I think it was Barbara dear." Jonathan took his plate before giving Martha a little kiss on her cheek and sat down next to Ben.

"Right, Barbara!"

"Sorry Ma, I just came to drop these two off. I actually have to get back to the League. There is a whole lot things we have to do after the whole Thanagarian takeover. I'm afraid Batman will try to resolve everything by himself. I promised Alfred I would look after him, I really don't want to disappoint him!"

"Oh well dear, you go on then. We'll be sure to keep Gwen and Ben good company."

Ben half stood up from the table, "Are you sure you all don't need our help?"

Superman shook his head, "We'll be fine Ben. To be honest, it'll mostly be logistical stuff by this point that we'll be helping out on. With how unfamiliar you are with this dimension, it's probably best you just stay here and recuperate. Don't worry, we'll be fine." With that, Superman turned and left.

Sitting back down, Ben relaxed, taking another sip of his orange juice when Martha spoke up again, "Now I don't mean to pry, and my husband and I have seen some mighty interesting things in our life time, but did I hear Clark say you two are from a different dimension?"

Gwen nodded her head, "I suppose since you are Superman's parents, and seem to know everything about everything, there is no harm in telling you. Yes, Ben and I are not from your world, or even your universe. While it has a lot of similarities, such as there being the United States and Earth, there are a lot of differences too. I've never heard of Metropolis, aside from a very old German movie. Or Gotham City or the Justice League."

Ben then raised his hand, "It also seems like the alien interaction with your world is very different from ours. Where we come from, there is an organization called the Plumbers that deals with and interacts with alien life all across the universe. Gwen and I are part of the Plumbers, along with..." Ben cut off, shutting his mouth into a thin line.

Giving her cousin a worried glance, Gwen reached under the table with her hand to grasp one of Ben's hands, giving it an encouraging squeeze, "The point is, we are from a universe different from yours. We aren't even sure how we got here, let alone how to get back."

"My, that's a mighty interesting story you two have." Jonathan scratched the top of his head, giving Martha a quick worried look at Ben's reaction before quickly standing up, "Look at the time, we've got to start our duties around here. Ben, Gwen, would you mind lending us a hand?"

Thankful for the change of subject and being given something to do, Ben stood up, shrugging off his signature green jacket, "Of course Mister Kent, if I can help with anything, please just ask."

"Gwen dear, would you help me make my rounds with the animals?" Martha had grabbed one of her sunhats, offering a different one to Gwen.

Nodding her head with a smile, Gwen stood from the table, gratefully accepting the sunhat and slipping it on, "Of course Mrs. Kent. I love animals. Do you have many on your farm?"

"Oh we have all different kinds. It's how we get fresh milk and eggs all the time."

/0/

Kara Zor-El, now slightly well known as Supergirl, flew through the air with a smile on her lips. She loved flying, feeling the wind through her hair and the sun warming her body as she zipped across the sky. While she could fly in the city, she had to be more careful and made sure not to dally too long, especially in a place like Gotham. How Barbara kept up with the constant crime wave there, Kara had no idea.

Seeing her house in the distance, Kara sped up slightly, having missed Ma and Pa despite only being away for a few days. She abruptly stopped in midair when she heard Pa cry out, her head snapping towards the barn and shot forward towards it.

"Pa?" She flew in through the open doors and did a double take when she saw a large, orange dinosaur-like creature holding Pa Kent in his hand, looking menacingly down at the man. Feeling anger swell up in her chest, Kara snarled, flying forward towards the creature, "Hey ugly!"

The orange dinosaur turned towards her voice, his eyes widening as she delivered a vicious blow right across his face. The dinosaur flew back with a grunt, soaring across the barn and smashing through the painted red wood wall. She moved fast, catching Pa Kent in her arms and letting him down, "Pa, are you alright? It didn't hurt you did it?"

Pa Kent stared at Kara with his mouth lightly agape, completely bewildered. Kara misinterpreted this as shock from being attacked by a giant orange dinosaur. When she heard the said dinosaur groan from outside the barn, she clenched her fists, flying towards the hole it had made, "Run Pa! I got em!"

Pa Kent finally snapped out of his shock, reaching a hand out, "No Kara, wait!"

Not clearly hearing him in her state of action, Kara flew through the hole and hovered up in the air, glaring down at the dinosaur creature. It was groggily getting up onto its feet, holding the side of its head. If she did not know any better, she swore she could hear it muttering to itself about a truck hitting it.

"I don't know what you are, or what you want. But you made a big mistake attacking Pa." Once again flying towards the creature with her fist reared back, Kara made to deliver another blow to the monster's face when a tendril of purple energy shot out and wrapped around her body. She was thrown back, smashing into the ground hard.

"Ben!" Kara coughed dirt and grass up, wiping them away from her face as she stood up, bringing her arms up in a combat stance. She paused when she saw a redheaded girl and Ma Kent running up to them.

"Hey! Get clear from here! That monster is dangerous!"

Both women stopped, staring at her with wide eyes. The redhead glared at her, purple energy surrounding her hands as she stepped forward, "Who are you calling a monster?"

Now utterly confused, Kara froze where she was, stopping the charge she was about to make on the dinosaur.

"Kara! Kara stop!" Pa Kent came racing around the barn, waving his arms frantically over his head as he stopped between her and the orange dinosaur, "Kara, these people are your cousin's friends! Humungousaur caught me when I fell off the hay trolley! He saved me!"

Looking from Pa Kent, to the still groggy orange dinosaur, to the redheaded girl glaring at her, to Ma Kent, back to Pa Kent, Kara's eyes had widened with each passing moment, "What?"

"Oh dear...Ben dear, are you alright?" Ma Kent had moved up to the big orange dinosaur, reaching up to gently pat the creature on the cheek.

With a deep, yet clearly understandable voice, Humungousaur spoke with a nod, "Yes Mrs. Kent, I'm alright. I think it was more of the shock than actual damage that had me stunned. She packs quite the punch..." Reaching up to the Ultimatrix dial on his chest, Humungousaur was enveloped in a green flash of light. In his place, was a handsome boy with brown hair and vibrant emerald eyes rubbing the side of his head, "I'll be alright."

Releasing the mana energy around her hands, Gwen ran up to Ben, gently prying his hand away from his head and checking around herself.

Letting out a little sigh, Jonathan scratched his head, "Well, that was quite the little ordeal! I'm sorry about all of this Ben."

Laughing a little, Ben waved his hand, "Oh no, it's alright sir. She was just protecting you. To be honest, if I saw a random, giant alien holding my mom or dad in their hands like that, I would probably react the same way!"

"Ben..." Gwen gave Ben a stern look as she touched around the side of Ben's head under his hair.

"What? I would!"

"Ben..."

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Kara stepped forward, waving her arms this way and that, "Who are these people? How did that dinosaur turn into a cute boy? What do you mean they are friends of Clark? What are they doing here?"

"Kara honey, before all of that, don't you have something you need to say to Ben?" Raising an eyebrow, Martha crossed her arms, giving the young Argoan that disappointed motherly look.

Shrinking slightly at the tone and look Martha was using against her, Kara linked her hands behind her back as she looked down, "I'm sorry for hitting you Ben. Though I did it with good intentions, it was uncalled for and premature. I hope I didn't hurt you?"

Gwen hummed as she finally released Ben's head, "He seems fine, not much in there to damage in the first place so I think he'll be alright."

"Yeah, I- Hey!" Ben glared at Gwen before giving her a playful shove with his shoulder, "I'll have you know, I am a genius."

"And who in their right mind told you that?"

"Well, it was...it was someone you don't know!"

"Oh really... Well that's certainly convenient. Please, introduce me to this 'person I don't know' so that they may enlighten me to your genius."

"They wouldn't want to meet a dork like you."

"Whatever." Gwen smirked, using her old insult for the first time in a long while, "Dweeb."

Both cousins paused when they heard a giggle, Kara having covered her mouth with one hand while the other waved at them, "I'm sorry, you two get along so well. Are you siblings?"

Both the Tennysons answered at the same time, "Cousins."

Ben then looked at Gwen with a big grin, "But I guess we mind as well be brother and sister."

Gwen nodded in agreement before moving forward with her hand extended out towards the blonde, "I'm sorry about all the confusion, I'm Gwen Tennyson, it's nice to formally meet you Supergirl."

Taking the redhead's hand, the last Argoan shook it before shaking her head, "No, I'm sorry about the trouble I caused. Please feel free to just call me Kara." Turning towards the brown haired boy, Kara offered her hand to him, "I know we didn't get off to a great start, but I hope we can be friends too."

"I'm Ben Tennyson. That was some right hook!" Ben took Kara's hand, giving it a firm shake before releasing it, "I'll be honest, I haven't had someone deck me then call me cute in the span of five minutes before. It was an interesting experience."

Her cheeks turning slightly red, Kara huffed, "I did not call you cute!"

Cupping his chin, Ben took on a thoughtful expression, "I swear you called me a cute boy during your frantic questioning."

"Oh she most definitely did dear."

"Ma!"

"What? You did."

"I did not!"

Giggling a little, Gwen waved her hand, "Let's pretend you didn't Kara. Ben has a big enough head as is."

"Gwen, I think it defeats the purpose of saying I didn't say that when you add in 'pretend'..."

"Oops."

"You totally did that on purpose."

Seeing the three get along so well had Jonathan smiling warmly before he turned to look at the barn, "Oh boy...getting that fixed is going to be a task." He touched the Humungousaur size hole in the back of the barn with slight worry.

"I'm sorry Pa, it's all because I acted too rashly..."

"Oh, I can fix that no problem." Ben stepped forward with a grin, holding up the Ultimatrix.

Kara looked at Ben curiously, seeing the green gauntlet-like device around his left arm. Ben pressed the small button under the dial, making it pop up slightly and a hologram of Humungousaur appeared. Cycling through quite a variety of different aliens, Ben nodded when he found who he was looking for. Slapping his hand down onto the dial, Kara had to shield her eyes as Ben was enveloped in a green flash.

When the light had died down, Kara's mouth fell open when in place of Ben, there was some kind of robot made of golden metal with black stripes all over it standing there instead. It had a transparent, circular green glass plate in the middle of its chest with the same dial that was on the gauntlet Ben had in the center. She could even see gears visible inside of it.

"Clockwork!" The robot pumped its arms before speaking with a German accent, "Mister Kent, please move aside."

Nodding his head and trusting Ben knew what he was doing, Jonathan moved to stand with the other three, watching with interest what Ben intended to do.

Pointing both his hands towards the barn, Clockwork fired green blasts of energy. The two humans, plus one Argoan, watched with fascination as the barn seemed to put itself back together until the giant hole in the wall was completely gone. Nodding at a job well done, Clockwork tapped the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest, and in a flash of green light, Ben was back to normal. Patting the now fixed wall, Ben turned to look at Jonathan, "Well Mister Kent, good as new."

Giving Ben a big smile, Jonathan stepped forward and gave Ben a big pat on the back, "Thank you son, you saved me a lot of work and trouble!"

"Well it was partly my fault, I couldn't just leave you hanging sir."

"What the heck was all that? How can you transform like that? What was that power?" Kara rushed forward, grabbing Ben's left arm and lifting it up, "Is this what helps you transform? Into that robot and that dinosaur?"

Blinking in surprise but nodding his head, Ben let Kara look at the Ultimatrix as he spoke, "Long story short, the smartest being my dimension named Azmuth, made this device so that he could experience the life of different alien species. He made it so different species and people could understand each other better and maybe stop conflicts from happening. But with every good thing, people think of bad ways to use them, so he had to send it away. By chance, I found it when I was ten and it bonded to me genetically. Once it got on, it would never come off. It's impossible to detach it from me, unless you disintegrate me down to my last atom."

The three Kents tried to take in the information the best they could, all three intrigued by Ben's quick story and having some follow up questions. While Martha and Jonathan had no urgency, Kara immediately jumped in, "You started using this when you were ten? Other aliens? Wait, did you say 'your dimension'. Are you from a different dimension? Wait, how do you know Clark?"

Clapping her hands together, Martha got everyone's attention, "Alright everyone, how about we all head back inside the house. Kara dear, you just got back from your trip to Gotham right? How about you get yourself sorted while I prepare lunch. With Ben and Gwen's help, we finished our morning routines really early. Lets all get cleaned up and talk about things over lunch. Deal?"

"Deal!" Both Ben and Kara spoke at the same time while Gwen nodded, thanking Martha while both Kara and Ben raced towards the house.

"I'm sorry about Ben. When he hears the prospect of food, he sometimes forgets his manners..." Gwen gave Martha that 'suffering yet still adoring' older sister smile.

"Oh Kara is the same way, except about fun and interesting things. Why, the first few times she was on the farm, she would get excited about every new animal she saw." Jonathan laughed as he made his way back towards the house with Martha on his arm.

/0/

"You freed Clark and the other members of the League?" Kara gaped at Ben and Gwen, having paused from taking a sip of her soup.

"It was kind of by accident. We saw the prison transport ship which looked different from the others and guessed something important was there. We never would have guessed it was filled with Earth's heroes." Gwen shrugged at the blonde.

"Well I'm glad it all worked out that way. Why, without you, who knows what would have happened to my boy and his friends." Martha gave Gwen and Ben's hands a pat with a grateful smile.

"Oh I'm sure they would have escaped on their own somehow Mrs. Kent. With how smart Batman is and how tenacious Wonder Woman is, I know one of them would have gotten themselves free one way or another."

Ben nodded along to Gwen's words, "Yeah, hard to believe they would just sit back quietly." Turning to Kara, Ben posed a question to the last Argoan, "Where were you during the invasion Kara? You don't seem like the type to stay out of things without good reason."

Kara smiled slightly, "I had my hands full helping Batgirl around Gotham. The Thanagarians invading caused chaos everywhere, but Gotham has always been a bit on edge. As much as I wanted to help Clark, I couldn't just abandon Barbara by herself, especially with Batman gone and Robin going off on his own to Jump City, she was really backed up against a wall."

"Robin?"

"Oh...yeah. Robin is, I guess was, Batman's first sidekick. They had...a disagreement and Robin decided to strike out on his own. That just left Batgirl to look after Gotham while Batman did things with the League."

Ben stroked his chin, "Seems like a complicated situation. You and Barbara must be great friends."

"Of course, I would say she is my best friend! Anyways..." Giving both cousins a look, Kara raised an eyebrow, "I think people from a different universe is much more interesting than my social life, don't you?"

Laughing quietly, Gwen nodded her head, "I suppose that's true. What would you like to know?"

"Continue the story you told me about one of your adventures! You said Ben was having trouble with some ghost?"

Ben jumped in, "Ghostfreak! Yeah. Well I guess I wouldn't technically call him a real ghost, more of a phantom-like alien. Yeah sometimes the alien transformations in my watch take a life of their own or glitch out I guess. There was this time I was this alien tiger called Rath..."

/0/

Martha and Jonathan had called it a night early, leaving the three youngsters in the living room to animatedly talk and swap stories.

"So you two are looking for a way to get back home? Is that why Clark brought you here?"

Gwen and Ben looked at each other with troubled expressions, before Gwen gave Kara a brittle smile, "We...aren't sure if we want to go home."

Kara gave the two a confused look, "Why? Why wouldn't you want to go home? Don't you have friends and family who would miss you? They're probably looking for you right now!"

Gwen had a pained look on her face while Ben just became still, looking straight ahead. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, devoid of emotion as he clenched his fists, "We don't. There's nothing left for us back home."

"What do you mean...? Your grandpa Max, your girlfriend Julie, not to mention Gwen's boyfriend Kevin..."

Ben suddenly stood up, cutting her off and snapping at her with a slightly raised voice, "We don't have anyone anymore!"

Drawing back, Kara stared at Ben's burning emerald eyes, transfixed by the rage in them.

"Ben!" Gwen's voice cut through all of Ben's emotions and thoughts, making him stare at her with wide eyes before looking at Kara.

He took a step back before turning towards the front door, "Sorry..." He ran out, slamming the door shut behind him.

When Kara made a move to stand, Gwen raised a hand at her, shaking her head, "Please let him be for now. I think he needs some time alone..."

Lowering herself back down onto the couch, Kara's shoulders slumped, looking at Gwen with some remorse, "I'm sorry...was it something I said?"

Gwen gave the blonde another pained look before letting out a long, drawn out sigh. She seemed to be collecting herself before speaking, "It's...difficult for us. With everything that happened as soon as we got to your universe, we haven't had the proper time to process everything that occurred." Clasping her hands together on her lap, Gwen looked up towards the ceiling, tracing the random patterns here and there, "We did have a family, friends, people we loved with all our hearts... People who we trusted to be by our sides until the end of our days. We never imagined they would be ripped from us so suddenly."

Kara sat there silently, her heart aching at the familiar words she had constantly said to herself the first few weeks on Earth. Sure she still had Kal, but who could truly get over the death of their entire planet, no matter how much time passes or whoever you meet.

"We're both barely sixteen you know. But we've been doing this hero business for a few years now. Saving people. Fixing mistakes, saving worlds. Of course we considered the dangers, the harm that could fall on us but what we didn't consider, was how devastating our work could be to those closest to us. Not on the scale that we woke up to only a few days ago. Ben and I have had many enemies, from entire species of aliens to secret human organizations hell bent on obtaining alien technology. We've had run in with corrupt heroes, bounty hunters, to the most vile evils from all across our universe. But one that sticks out as the most persistent, and more vile, was an alien named Vilgax. He chased Ben everywhere when we were younger, trying to get the Omnitrix from Ben, then again when he resurfaced a few years later. We thought he was handled, we thought there wasn't anything more he could do. But we were wrong, so wrong." Gwen wiped a small tear from her eye with the sleeve of her borrowed shirt. Kara had moved over on the couch, wrapping an arm around Gwen and giving her an encouraging squeeze. With a small smile, the redhead nodded, "Thank you."

"I'm sorry Gwen, I didn't know... Even if I didn't know, I said something cruel to you both. I hope you can accept my apology."

"You didn't do anything wrong Kara. Ben...he just hasn't really processed things yet. He feels like he needs to be strong for me. He blames himself for everything that happened and refuses to listen to anything I say. I just hope in time, he'll let me in."

/0/

Ben stormed out of the house, trying to control his heavy breathing and the bad memories from flooding back. Clenching his fists as he walked in no particular direction, he glared down at the ground. Stumbling on a root, Ben fell to his knees, pressing his palms into the dirt. Unable to help himself, Ben let out a scream, slamming his fists into the ground again and again, sending dirt and grass flying left and right as he punched and punched and punched. He turned, shifting his target to the tree to his left and just wailing away at the bark.

Ben screamed and screamed and screamed and did not hear the person calling his name until he felt a strong pair of hands grip his wrists, "Ben! Snap out of it!"

Exhausted with bloody fists and a now hoarse throat, Ben collapsed forward, only staying up thanks to the hands around his wrists. His breath came out in pants, the chilly autumn air making his breath visible every time he breathed out. Having finally calmed down, he straightened himself out, looking over his shoulder to see the concerned looking Kara holding his wrists.

"K-Kara..."

"Have you calmed down? If you try to punch our precious tree again, I'll have to get violent." She gave him a weak smile.

"No...I'm alright. Thanks. I'm sorry for punching your tree."

"It's alright. He's tougher than he looks. I think he hurt you more than you hurt him." Shifting her hands to grasp his, Kara turned Ben's hands over to take a look at his knuckles. Wincing at the missing skin and blood all over, she turned his hand left and right, " We'll need to disinfect them and get them wrapped up."

"I'll be fine."

"No, you won't."

"I said I'll be fi-"

"Gwen told me what happened to you two."

Ben went silent, just staring over Kara's head with a blank expression. Kara kept her eyes on Ben's hand, "She told me what you two lost. What you went through. I understand."

Yanking his hands away from hers, Ben glared at Kara, "How could you possibly understand what we went through? I lost everyone! Everyone! My grandpa, my parents, my aunt and uncle, my friends, the girl I loved! Because of me everyone was..." Losing steam, as well as knowing Kara was not the right person to take his anger out on, Ben shut his mouth, looking away.

"You know, I'm not from Earth. Clark and I say we're cousins, but we're not actually blood related. I'm from the planet Argo. It was a small planet next to Clark's home planet, Krypton." Ben listened quietly, sitting back and shifting his gaze onto Kara, "I don't know if you know, but Krypton had a catastrophic collapse and exploded. Clark survived thanks to his parents putting him in an escape pod and shooting him out to space, where he eventually landed on Earth and was found by Ma and Pa."

Standing up and brushing herself off, Kara stretched her arms over her head, "My planet, Argo, was pretty close to Krypton when it collapsed. As you know, a whole planet exploding is no small thing. Argo was inevitably caught in the blast and was knocked out of its orbit and away from our solar system's sun. The people who survived all the earthquakes, tidal waves, and shock waves were faced with an increasingly freezing planet. Distress signals were sent out but...well. We were a solar system with only two occupied planets, and no other races had any reason to come. No one heard my people's cries for help, and the devastation left us with no feasible way to achieve space travel. We were on our own."

"My mother was Argo's chief physician, and as a last ditch attempt to save us all, she put herself and her family all in cryogenic stasis. Hoping we would survive until someone came to help us. Unfortunately, the planet only got colder and colder, and even our technology couldn't work forever. They died, one by one, because their stasis pods failed. Mine would have failed too, if not for Clark finding me." Kara stared up at the night sky with a smile, "Clark happened to come back to the remnants of Krypton, and heard my people's distress call. Unfortunately, he found us too late. Everyone but me had already died. The next time I woke up, almost thirty years had passed. I'm actually older than Clark you know! By sixteen years." Kara turned, giving Ben a teasing smile, "So I guess I'm actually older than you too!"

Ben gave her a tired smile, having been rendered speechless by the whole situation.

"Our stories may be a bit different, but believe me when I say I understand what you are going through. I understand what it means to lose everything and everyone you know. And believe me when I say..." Kara knelt down in front of Ben, reaching out to take his hands again, "Don't shut people out. Don't lose yourself to the despair of everything that has happened. And most of all, don't forget the people still here and those that need you."

Grasping her hands back, Ben held onto Kara's strong ones, leaning forward to bury his face into the crook of her neck. Freeing one of her hands to stroke the back of Ben's head, Kara held him tight, trying her best to comfort the tragic hero. Ben let his tears fall, taking comfort in her warmth under the unblinking stars.

Author's Ending Note: I will try my best to update both stories as much as I can. I hope you enjoyed.