July 15, 2016
Galveston, TX; 9:20 am
"So much for 'boarding starts at eight,'" Gwen mumbles under her breath. They had woken up at the crack of dawn to leave the Rust Bucket in a parking garage and then walked to the port to wait for their cruise to arrive. When they arrived at seven, with no luxury boat in sight, Max reassured them that the ship was just running a little late. There was still no ship at eight, and the crowd was getting antsy. By nine, most of the crowd left angry and demanded refunds. Gwen knew that they should have left with the rest of them, but they were in the front of the line and lucky enough to have shade, and they were not going to give that up in the off chance their cruise ship miraculously showed up.
Max was looking more tired than usual, so Ben offered to grab drinks for them. Even with the thinned crowd, Gwen was still concerned about how he was going to weave in and out. He responded by holding up his arm to show off the Omnitrix and fell back off the dock before anyone could notice. Gwen rolled her eyes as the green light emitted from below them, but she couldn't help but smile a little. With how calm things have been lately, she was starting to miss seeing his alien transformations. If they don't end up on the cruise, maybe they could find some abandoned query or someplace to let loose. It certainly beats sitting around here all day.
At that moment, a small yacht stopped in front of her. "Is that the Tennysons I see?" a familiar voice asked.
"Donovan!" Max called out. "Surprised to see you here. You're not trying to build another undersea resort again?"
"Heavens, no," Donovan replied. "We were just going out for some sailing."
Gwen was wondering who the "we" the man was referring to when a boy around her age appeared from behind him. "It's good to see you again, Gwen," the boy said warmly.
"Eddie?" Gwen asked, not completely believing what her eyes were seeing. Much like everyone else she hadn't seen in the last eight years, Eddie looked entirely different from the pompous brat she met when they were ten. He still looked like a trust fund baby, but he'd given up on imitating his grandfather, now focusing on being his own person.
"We were preparing to sail when we saw you all standing here," Eddie explained. He looked among the crowd, then returned to look at her. "Is Ben not here?"
"He's… around," she says cautiously.
Eddie gives her a knowing look before turning to her grandfather. "Well, you're more than welcome to join us. Unless you'd prefer to wait for them to announce the cruise was canceled." Those who had been eavesdropping on their conversation grew angry at the news and stormed off.
"I figured as much," Max sighed. "So where are we headed?"
Eddie helped Gwen load the luggage aboard while their grandfathers took the time to catch up and go over their weekend plans. The two families hadn't seen one another since their first Summer trip. Gwen had assumed her grandfather would have spoken to his old friend over the phone, but it seemed that they were both too busy to stay in touch over the last eight years. She felt a wave of guilt pass over her that she quickly shook off when Eddie gave her a concerned look.
"Edwin," Donovan called. "Show Gwen where the spare rooms are."
Eddie noticed her confused look and whispered, "We're spending the weekend out at sea. You don't mind, do you?"
"No, of course not," she replied a little too quickly. "It's not any different from our cruise."
Eddie led her through a series of doors until they approached two doors. He opened the one on the left, gesturing inside. "It's not much, but I hope you like it."
The room had a queen-sized bed with a dresser and TV across from it and an en suite bathroom. "Trust me, this may as well be a penthouse compared to the Rust Bucket." Hell, it was even nicer than her room back home. "Where would Ben be staying?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"Across the hall." Eddie opened the door opposite, revealing its mirrored layout. "Take your time unpacking and meet us back on deck when you're done."
Gwen watched him walk down the hall and let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so nervous. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she wasn't sure how to act around Eddie and his grandfather. It was a different situation compared to Kai and Kevin's. Eddie knew about the Omnitrix, but he wasn't a part of their world like the others. Then, there was the matter of her current relationship with Ben.
A red flash emanated from her bathroom, and Ben stepped out, holding three water bottles and looking embarrassed. "So, change of plans?"
The two unpacked while Gwen caught him up to speed. He seemed somewhat excited about having the yacht to themselves, but Gwen quickly reminded him that they were still guests and had to be respectful. He thanked her by sticking his tongue out, to which she responded by throwing a pillow at him from across the hall. Ready for a full-on pillow war, Ben threw the pillow back in retaliation, but Gwen cast a spell to pull the door shut and put an end to his childish antics.
Ben swung the door open. "Hey, no magic!"
"Come on, Doofus." Gwen pushed past him with a smirk. The two explored the ship as they made their way back to the deck. Though it was no cruise ship, the yacht was still large enough to host a decently sized party and had the amenities for a full staff. However, Donovan and Eddie were the only two on board prior to their arrival. It was something Gwen wanted to ask about later on.
Donovan was the first to notice them once they were on deck. "Ben, when did you get here?" he asked. "Well, I shouldn't be too surprised. I remember when you were younger, how you would up and disappear and reappear whenever I took my eyes off you."
Ben smiled and scratched the back of his head. "It's good to see you too." He stared at the two older men sitting under an umbrella. It was the first time in a long while that Max looked relaxed and enjoying himself instead of meticulously planning something in his head. Seeing him like this, Ben could tell how much of his age was showing.
"Where's Eddie?" Gwen asked, looking around.
"He's steering the ship," Donovan replied. "I'm sure he'd love some company."
Following Donovan's instructions, the two cousins found their friend manning the wheel. Eddie turned to look at them and was slightly taken aback. "Wow, you're huge." He said wide-eyed.
Ben instinctively walked in front of Gwen, which caused her to roll her eyes. "He's talking about you, Doofus."
"Sorry, I probably sounded creepy." Eddie let out a small laugh. "You've packed on a lot of muscle since the last time I saw you, Ben."
It must look impressive to someone who hadn't seen him in eight years. But Gwen had been watching his growth over the years, even if most of that time was spent looking at her aunt's Facebook posts. It was mostly lean muscle that he'd gained from his Plumber training, but it was still far from what his future self looked like. Over the years, she often compared herself to Gwendolyn, noting how she'd begun to grow into her future body. She wondered if Ben had been doing the same.
Eddie pressed a couple of buttons, engaging the yacht's autopilot controls before letting go of the large wheel. "It's been so long," he said with a smile. "What have you two been up to?" The cousins shared a wary look, causing their friend to chuckle. "Secretive as ever."
Eddie motioned for the two to follow as he led them through the ships until they came upon a small office. There were blueprints and documents sprawled out on the large desk and the nearby tables. But what caught their eyes was a large model city in the center of the room.
Ben's eyes narrowed as he examined it, tracing his hand along the roads until he stopped at a tower in the center. "Where did you find this?"
"I made it," Eddie said proudly.
Gwen was impressed. She knew he'd take after his grandfather, but she hadn't expected such a grand vision at such a young age. Ben, however, continued to look over the model, seemingly criticizing the layout. She could hear him muttering under his breath how the structure was wrong or a missing street. Gwen observed him and his rude ramblings, watching as all of his ticks and tells began to fall into place, laying his thoughts out in a way only she could see. It was like reading an old book that she had forgotten the plot of. And then the recognition hit her, too.
"Omnitrix City." It was nothing more than a whisper, but it was enough for Ben. His green eyes were now on her, and she watched the emotions swirling within them—fear, curiosity, admiration, and, above all, excitement.
Eddie looked between the two, confused. "What's Omnitrix City?"
"Nothing!" Ben said, distancing himself from the model city. Gwen could feel him putting up a wall, but it was too late. She was already inside.
After looking over the plans Eddie had made, the three ate dinner with their grandfathers. Donovan told them tales of their younger days, and Max would correct him on how they really happened. Everyone was having a good time laughing and watching the starry sky above. At some point, Ben had excused himself and hadn't returned. The others hadn't noticed, but Gwen had begun to worry. It was close to ten when Eddie stood up and called it a night. Gwen took the opportunity to make her leave as well.
She made her way to her room, and just as she was about to close the door, she stopped and stared at the door across from hers. She took a deep breath and pushed through the hesitation, knocking softly on his door. Unfortunately, there was no response. She tried the handle and saw it was unlocked. Peeking in, she found it empty save for his suitcase and pillow she had thrown at him earlier. Panic began to set in, but she did her best to keep it at bay. Instead, she sat on his bed and waited for his return.
Ben had been lying in a lifeboat, hanging off on the back of the ship. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he left, but he was certain everyone had fallen asleep. He wasn't sure why he had left like he did, but he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that no one looked for him. If he wanted to, he could have turned into Jetray and flown back to shore, but then he'd have to find them in the middle of the ocean.
Pulling out his phone, he saw that it was near midnight. He'd hardly checked his phone all day since there was no reception, but he could see he had received some texts. There were a couple from his mom wishing him a safe voyage on the cruise (he'll have to let her know that there was a change of plans) and a small thread from Julie. He knew he tended to forget about her whenever he was on these trips with his grandfather, but he'd practically stopped all contact with her after his talk with Gwen.
He locked his phone without a second glance and stumbled his way through the darkness. He stopped in front of Gwen's room, a hand inches away from knocking and waking her up. But, once again, he chickened out. He walked into his room, turned on the light, and was shocked to find a sleeping Gwen wrapped herself in his sheets.
"Gwen?" he asked, uncertain if he accidentally entered the wrong room.
Her eyes struggled to open against the bright fluorescent lights above her. She wiped the drool from her cheek and searched the room. Finally, her eyes set on the boy in the doorway.
Ben felt a chill run down his spine and turned to leave. "Sorry, I'll just take the other-" He turned to leave but was flung back onto the bed as the door slammed closed and the lights went dark. "What are you-"
"Where did you go?" Gwen asked, pulling his head into her chest. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, you didn't do anything wrong! It's my fault for waking you up."
"Was it because of the model Eddie made?"
Ben went silent.
Gwen ran her fingers through his soft hair. "You're not like him."
Ben didn't have to ask to know who she was referring to. "You don't know that…."
"You'll never be him," she said firmly, pulling his face up so their eyes could meet. She touched his cheek, and a warm pink glow illuminated the space between them. She could see the sadness and fear that had taken a deep root inside of him. But in his eyes, she could find the specs of his love and admiration for her. "I won't let it happen."
He wanted to believe her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and express all the feelings he'd kept locked away for far too long. But he wasn't allowed to. He averted his eyes, feeling too ashamed to look at her. Gwen pulled him back into her arms and rubbed his back until they both fell asleep.