Chapter 7

"I love you," Ben states firmly.

A look of confusion is painted across Hope's face.

"What are you talking about?" she asks. "You steal a car from your own house, run from the police, and come here to say this? What is wrong with you?"

"Look, the past several months I haven't a clue what I'm looking for. But if there is one thing I can confidently say is true about me, it's this."

"And what is 'this'?"

"That I love you," Ben repeats.

Hope sighs, "Look Ben, it is great that you're coming to terms with yourself or whatever but don't come to me with random bullshit."

"It's not 'random bullshit', I love you."

Hope shivers, "stop saying that!" she scolds.

"Why?" Ben yells back.

"I don't have time for this. I need to help Gwen with some stuff."

"I've been thinking about this ever since I got back but I didn't know how to tell you."

"Well this isn't it."

"I wanted to show you that I've changed."

" Is this your solution? And change? If anything, you've gotten worse since you've returned!"

"I don't know how to deal with the emotions I've been feeling!" Tennyson admits.

"Then ask for help like you said you were originally going to do!"

"That's easy for you to say!" Ben shouts angrily.

Hope gasps, "Easy?" she continues, "Nothing in my life for the last 15 years has been easy! I've struggled with accepting myself since I was 14 years old. You can not fathom the amount I have suffered."

"If you had it so tough then why the fuck do you look at me like I'm some sick dog?" Ben snaps, waving his arms in the air.

"Because you can be BETTER than all of us and you're acting like this! You're the one that everyone puts their faith in!"

"Not anymore."

"Oh yeah and whose fault is that?" Hope snarls, her eyes lighting up. She passes her hand through her hair and sighs, "Listen you have two options: you can drop being a hero and leave, or you can stay and get help."

Hope didn't want to argue. She needed at least a little bit of sleep before tackling the tasks Gwen asked of her. She shuffles past the man in the direction of her room; before she disappears around the corner, she glances back.

"You can say you love me when you earn it."

By the time sunrise was over, Ben was gone; it was n othing that Hope hadn't anticipated. However, she slid down the wall while weeping gently when she saw the guest room tidy and the empty log home. At a million beats per minute, Charmcaster's heart was on the verge of breaking. While she sobbed quietly on the ground, Hope cradled her head in her hands. Hope didn't want to be interrupted, so she ignored her ringing phone.

The door creaked open ten minutes later. Charmcaster didn't even look up to see who was uninvitedly entering her home. She heard a set of brisk footsteps and felt a warm embrace around her torso. She recognized Gwendolyn right away. The redhead didn't say anything or ask any questions, simply gripped Hope tightly. That moment would be remembered fondly by the silver-haired witch.

"Ben… he left," Hope mutters.

It wasn't sure if Gwen had heard her or not, but the woman didn't stop hugging her best friend for the rest of that morning.

**PAGE BREAK**

Ben stares longingly at the enormous city in front of him, a familiar place with a plethora of memories, both good and bad. Out of respect for the planet's creator, he never expected to set foot on it again. Save for one structure in the megalopolis's core, the roads and buildings were deserted. Ben didn't remember it being this lonely; the sight of hundreds of empty skyscrapers gave him a creepy feeling.

Tennyson gazed at the massive doors. The entrance was more technologically advanced than the majority of cities on Earth. Yet he possessed the best key in the universe—his watch. Ben was greeted by a little beep of confirmation as the doors began to unlock as he held the gadget up to the keypad. Tennyson blows away the dust that has accumulated on the set of doors. He enters the foyer and looks up at the lofty ceiling, which is adorned with multiple green chandeliers. Countless lights flash to welcome the young man.

Every time Ben arrived here, he was reminded of his first visit. A brat that rushed about touching everything even when warned not to. A conceited adolescent who thought he was unbeatable at the time. Azmuth sure knocked him down a notch. It was his first visit to a strange planet. Children his age would spend their entire lives unaware of the existence of aliens. Galvan Prime would be the beginning of an endless series of adventures with Gwen and Max. That's what he believed, at least.

Ben Tennyson mumbles to himself as he begins to ascend the stairs. The smartest man in a dozen galaxies and he can't even come up with an elevator. It made him wonder how Azmuth was able to climb them. He chuckles to himself, knowing that the creator of his watch almost never left the safety of his office. He could count on one hand how many times Azmuth had visited him. The thought of loneliness entered Ben's head. Did Azmuth ever get lonely? Probably a stupid question considering how busy the little alien always seemed to be.

Ben didn't even bother knocking when he got to the Galvan's door. He tried the knob and it was surprisingly unlocked. The door opens to Azmuth's familiar spacious room. Dusty shelves of books fill the young man's view. He half expected Azmuth to be sitting at his desk with a solemn frown on his face, waiting to scold Tennyson. But the room along with his desk was empty. Azmuth is alive. Ben remembers his cousin saying. He didn't take Gwen for a liar, but the man couldn't help but wonder. Where is Azmuth?

Ben yawns as he peers down at Omnimatrix for the time like it was a regular watch. Then it hit him; the watch was about to lock onto Azmuth's DNA and track him like a beacon. Tennyson was never good at navigating the watch's features, but it always worked out in the end. All he had to do was twist, press, and squeeze until he got what he was looking for. This new watch looked nothing like his old one. These new symbols were throwing him off. This thing actually had menus! Well it was a lot more organized, he'll give it that. Ben gazes over a red Plumber symbol with a single word underneath that read: "Distress". Well if I can't find him then he'll just have to find me. The Omnimatrix began to blink red.

Ben pulls up a chair and plays the waiting game. He sat patiently all afternoon well into the night. The shine of the bright red moon in his face awakens the slumbering ex-hero. Tennyson groans before stretching his limbs; he plants feet on the ground and stands up. Ben yawns as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. The blinking red light confirmed that the distress signal was still active.

The sun rose twice more in that period of time. It would seem that no one was coming. He was alone in an abandoned city. Though the dryness of his throat or the rumble of his stomach could not distract him from his goal. Ben's determination to meet Azmuth never disappeared; the man was certain his old mentor was not dead. The moment Ben Tennyson had stepped into that office, he had already made the decision to stay until Azmuth showed up.

Tennyson stares up at the ceiling through half-lidded eyes, wondering if sleep would once again take over. Ironically, this was the best sleep he's gotten in weeks. No nightmares plagued him like they did back in Bellwood. A weak chuckle escaped the man's lips as he stretched his arms upwards; a child reaching for the stars above. And when it seemed like he'd reach them, a sharp creaking disrupted the silence of the room.

Ben, not even on guard, lazily tilts his head towards the sound; he peers into the darkness and attempts to make sense of the moving shadows. When his eyes finally allowed him his vision, Ben saw what looked to be a door opening. The man was bewildered by the sight considering that the wall was normally guarded by bookshelves. There was no place for a door to be. At least that's what he originally thought, then he remembered he was in the home of the smartest being in multiple galaxies;. a trap door hidden by some shelves was elementary at best.

A sleek metallic black robot moves into the dim light. A robot with a small gray creature inside. A robot being piloted by Azmuth, his mentor. The man was in the heart of a robotic body. Ben notices the close similarity to one of Cooper's battle suits, but this one looked like it had an upgrade. Literally. The symbols natural only to a Galvanic Mechamorph were depicted on the piece of technology. Though he was surrounded by black and green parts: it was nice to see Azmuth again. The small alien gave Ben a firm nod in greeting.

"Hello Tennyson, I didn't think you would have stuck around as long as you did."

"Wait, this whole time you were on the other side of that wall?" Ben says with concern.

"If you want to put it simply, then yes I was on the 'other side of that wall'."

"It's never easy with you, is it?" Ben asks, standing up.

"Que the part where your cousin gives you the 'try looking in a mirror for once' snip," Azmuth preaches.

The mood immediately changes with the mention of Gwen. How could it not? Part of the reason for being here was because of her. Ben slumps back into his comfy chair and throws his head back.

On the exterior, Ben maintained a calm demeanor, hoping that Azmuth wouldn't realize how close he was to a mental breakdown. It was Azmuth. It was really Azmuth. His second father and mentor. The last time they saw one other, the small alien was dead on the ground, and the man stood over him. Watching his dead teacher had an unfathomable toll on him, leaving him numb to everything that followed. Everything took a turn for the worst at that point in time, and he lost his motivation to be a hero. And both of them were speaking as if nothing had happened.

"Is this the part where you tell me why you're here?"

Ben sighs, "You're awfully sassy today." "And I was getting to that," he adds with a cough.

Azmuth steps closer, revealing a bag in his robotic hand, "Maybe we'll start with this," he offers.

Ben leans down to see a paper bag with oil streaks on the bottom, along with a large white cup. The aroma was the second thing that delighted his senses; it was a savory aroma that could only belong to one delectable item. Hunger floods the man's judgment at that time, and Ben yanks the meal away from Azmuth. He rips open the bag to see what he was thinking: scorching hot fries with pockets of fiery chili splashed over them and topped with a sprinkle of warm cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos.

Ben did not hesitate to grab a handful like a no mannered toddler and stuff them in his mouth. If this is chili cheese fries then this must be! He reaches for the cup and puts the straw into his mouth, taking a considerable sip. The delicious food that clogged his palate was quickly washed down by strawberry smoothie. I knew it! The man spent the next five minutes in silence wolfing down his favorite meal. He let out a satisfied, and appropriate, burp once the final fry was eaten and the last sip taken.

"How did you get Mr. Smoothie?" Ben questioned, knowing the answer was most likely that he made it in some elaborate lab.

"I had it delivered," Azmuth states, plain and simple.

Ben shrugs his shoulders as he didn't care about the origin of the food, because of how amazing it was. He realized that was the first taste of the restaurant he had since returning from his homeless era.

"I'm assuming you didn't come out here to feed me."

"Right, the same way I'm assuming you didn't come here for an Omnimatrix repair."

"Right." Ben begins again, "I want to talk."

"Talk? I'm quite busy. What about?"

"I don't know," Ben chuckles. "Tell me again, why did you choose me for the Omnimatrix?"

"What am I? Your papa, about to read you a bedtime story?"

Ben leans back in his chair and puts his feet up on the dusty desk.

"And I didn't choose YOU for anything. The watch was supposed to go to your grandfather."

Ben's mood noticeably dampened at the mention of Max.

"But the watch ended up choosing you anyway and there's nothing we can do about it," he adds quickly. "I don't regret anything," Azmuth finishes.

"I do," Ben admits calmly.

"You shouldn't."

"Come on! Look at me! I'm a mess."

"Good grief, stop with the self pity already! You're the savior of the universe for crying out loud."

"Yeah well not anymore."

"That's not a title that you just throw away, Benjamin. You earned it through blood, sweat, and tears. It will stick with you for the rest of your life."

"I hate this! I hate being a hero and I hate my life!"

"You know what your problem is? You act like being a hero is a full time job that you'll eventually retire from, and live a happy life on some beach until you die."

"And so what if I do?"

"If you think every time you transform into an alien to save another person's life is nothing more than work, then I have lost faith in you entirely."

"You wouldn't be the first…"

"Are you speaking of your cousin?"

Ben crosses his arms, finding sudden interest in the ceiling.

"The woman who chased you across the galaxy when the Plumbers hunted you for crimes, the same woman who fought against the entirety of the galactic organization for you, the one who saved you from said organization, the very same woman who STILL took your side after you murdered her grandpa? Tell me, Ben, when exactly should she have not lost faith?"

Ben sucks his teeth, he wasn't in the mood for a lecture from the alien. Why do people insist on teaching him some grand lesson as if he wasn't in this exact position because of the same lessons.

"As much as you were a pain in my butt; I rather have your ten year old bratty self."

Ben briskly stands to his feet and glares at the old alien, "If you're just gonna shit on me then I'll get out of your hair," he snarls.

"I'll never understand why humans take it as an insult when they're compared to another version of themselves. You'd rather whine than try to recreate that image."

"Maybe because ten year old me was a puppet!"

Azmuth sighs, "A puppet? You did as you pleased! If anything you were the puppeteer because you didn't listen to anyone, you crafted your own path. Anything I said, you'd do the opposite, does that sound like someone who is being controlled?"

"Tch. It was a mistake coming here, I don't know why I thought differently," Ben utters as he turns to find the door.

"Then leave!" Azmuth shouts at the man. "Like I know the current version of you would. But any past Ben would be eager to prove me wrong, even the Ben that was running from the Plumbers two years ago. They would be eager to show me that they're a million times better than his ten year old self. Tomorrow's Ben should be better than Today's."

Ben glances back at the mentor and sees something he's never seen before; tears run down Azmuth's face, making no attempt to dry them. A needle enters Tennyson's heart at seeing the stoic alien shed tears on his behalf. A pinch of pain echoes through his veins, leaving his whole body paralyzed.

"Don't be like me… Cynical of the whole damn universe, left to be completely alone in the end," he chokes.

Ben's eyes meet the floor, "I don't know what to do," he mutters.

"You have friends, ask for help, and accept it. Please. If there is one time you listen to me, let it be this one."

Ben trudges over to crying mentor. The alien that made his life what it is. Tennyson didn't even know where he'd be if it wasn't for that fateful day. Probably just a boring kid with a boring life. Gwen would have eventually tapped into her Anodite powers and Max would have taken her under his wing. But he'd be left in the dust. No. That isn't where he wanted his story to end.

"You were the best thing to happen to me. Not the watch. You. Do you understand, Ben Tennyson?"

"I… do."

Azmuth pleads with the standing human, "Then be better."

**PAGE BREAK**

Gwen takes a deep breath as she touches herself, rubbing little circles on her clit. Another groan escaped her lips before the redhead sighed and removed her hand from her shorts. This was also not working. She snatches the cup of warm whiskey on her bedside and hastily sips it. Even with the help of her father's old brown liquor, she couldn't get off. Gwendolyn is desperate for a stress-relieving remedy and has tried everything she's read on the internet. Masturbation and booze were simply not cutting it.

Meditation did nothing for her either; everytime she closes her eyes, she's reminded of her earlier mistakes. She was seconds away from just sleeping herself with a spell. Who was she kidding, it has been a while since she built up a resistance to status spells. Between the fiasco with Ben at the police station and the tragedy at the park, her stress levels have rocketed upwards. The council has been asking her to respond to the world and she hasn't even thought of a single word to say. Can't they make a fucking statement without looking to me for once? Gwen didn't want to become the leader of this new peace-keeping corps, and somehow she's been placed in that position. She didn't want any linear hierarchy in the organization; that's how people became power hungry.

Hearing that Ben disappeared, again, did not surprise the woman. How very like her cousin to run when things got hard. It seems that this was quickly becoming a pattern for the man. But seeing Hope so distraught from his absence, it could only mean one thing, Ben was gone for good. Gwen is starting to regret not taking the watch for herself like Cooper suggested. If she had the Omnimatrix then no one would question her. When people saw that symbol all doubt vanished.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on her window. Gwen looks up from her bed and sees only the night sky. She walks over nevertheless, hoping to distract herself from her problems. As Gwen opens her window, cold air enters the room; she checks left and right but sees no one. Suddenly, a familiar floating visage appears in the air. Gwen was perplexed when she noticed the blonde's disembodied funny grin staring at the active camo de-activates, slowly revealing the rest of the man's armored body.

"Can I come in?" he asks.

Gwen steps aside so he can fly in quickly. Cooper lands in her room; the nanobots return to his bloodstream, leaving him in jeans and a blue hoodie with a bag in hand.

"Sorry, I didn't use the front door. I didn't want to attract attention- well anymore than the present attention you already have."

Gwen closes her window, "Where are they anyway?" asking as she peeks outside in search of the news crew stalking her home.

"I sent them a zip bomb. One they won't be able to deal with on the road. They're probably returning back to the news station as we speak."

Gwendolyn laughs heartily; that is probably the funniest thing she's heard all day. Leave it up to Cooper to make people fuck off.

"And I brought the stuff your mom needed," he informs, holding the bag up.

"You're the best, Coop!" Gwen thanks happily.

Coopers pulls a large rectangular bottle from the bag to present to Gwendolyn. "This is for you. I figured you might need it," the blonde insists boldly.

Amsterdam she reads off the label in her head. Maybe there is a way to reduce her stress.

"Wait here," Gwen instructs before rushing downstairs to give her mom the bag and retrieve two cups. She pours a glass of the liquor for her friend. They tap their cups in cheers and take a well deserved sip. The cool bitter liquid washed away her negative thoughts. It wasn't long before the cup was empty; she wasted no time refilling and taking another sip. Cooper let out a chuckle at the seemingly thirsty woman.

"Sorry," the sorceress apologized quickly.

"No no, please enjoy yourself. I brought it here for you, after all."

They sat in silence, enjoying the other's presence. Quiet wasn't something the two experienced often, so they took what they could get. Cooper was the first one to break it.

"How are you, Gwen?" he asked genuinely.

"Just peachy."She glances at the blonde who greeted her with a weak smile. "I'm fine," she says with a sigh. Those blue eyes continued to stare into her soul, patiently waiting for the truth to reveal itself. "Really. I'm okay," Gwen restates firmly. Cooper places a hand on Gwen's shoulder and squeezes it assuringly. Gwen's face dropped into her hands, "Awful," she finally admits.

"You can talk to me."

God how long she's waited to hear those words. But where to begin? What exactly hasn't gone wrong? Things in Bellwood were back to square one; fear swarmed the streets just as it had a couple months ago. She didn't want all this responsibility; everyone looked to her for answers that she, herself, didn't have. Gwen only stepped up because it was necessary, not because she wanted to. Now she was the leader of a reformed Plumbers, top representative for Earth's reconstruction, number one hero, and she didn't want any of that.

"I want things to go back to normal."

Cooper whistles at the grand wish, "What even is that anymore?"

"When I would spend the summers with…Ben and grandpa Max."

"Gwen…"

"I know. I know that can't happen," Gwen mutters before looking up to the blonde with tears in her eyes. "But I want it to. So bad."

Cooper instinctively held Gwen in his arms tightly. He wanted the same dream. For months. Ever since his mom died. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were. It took him a while to realize it wasn't an achievable goal.

"Ya know Elena has me going to therapy?"

Gwen pulls away and chuckles as she wipes her tears, "Really?" She sniffles.

"Well more like she begged me to come to one of her sessions to sit in. At first I was skeptical knowing there were more important things than sitting around talking about your feelings. Then I actually sat down and listened to what she had to say. And it was interesting to say the least."

"Yeah? Well I don't think it'll suit me. I already know what's wrong with me," she jokes.

"Sure, but she tells you the 'why' and I think that'll do wonders for your mental health."

"I have so much to do-"

"Then reschedule it."

"Coop I can't-"

"You just said you didn't wanna do it anyway so c'mon."

Gwen gives him a look of disapproval and Cooper responds with puppy dog eyes.

"C'mon please? Just sit in for ONE session."

The redhead rolls her eyes and groans, "fine".

The taller man immediately squeezed his friend in a hug. He was sure this could help Gwen like it did him. He couldn't resist giving her a big goofy smile, and Gwen shot him a sweet smile back.

In her mind, Gwen scoffs at the idea of her sitting in at some therapy session. No way in hell would she be caught dead going to that. There was nothing wrong with her that she couldn't fix herself. It wasn't that she didn't condone the usage of such resources for her friends, especially after the war they went through. Rather, the reality of her attending seemed quite silly to her. What is a normal therapist going to tell an alien superhero?

Lying to Cooper left a pit in her stomach, but it was the only way to prevent him from pestering her. She had work to do, people to meet, and cities to protect. Plus Gwendolyn did not want to appear as if all this responsibility was breaking her. She wanted to be strong like Grandpa Max…and Ben. They pushed forward no matter what, even when things seemed impossible.

Gwen searched her memory for instances when Ben seemed distressed in his early adolescence. As far as she could recall, he would go on these "long walks" whenever he wanted to clear his mind. That's what he told Granddad, at least. But no, Ben would scour the area for bad guys to pummel as stress relief. Maybe she needed a little freaking exercise to take her mind off things, not sex or alcohol. With her new idea still fresh on the mind, she bid Cooper farewell in order to get some "sleep".

Gwen looks up as her friend takes off into the sky. He quickly vanished into the night sky, leaving the redhead with half a bottle of liquor and a grin on her face. She spent the next several moments staring aimlessly out into the inky darkness of the horizon. Then Gwendolyn rushes to her closet and goes through every piece of clothing until she reaches the end of the rack. She softly thumbs the silky pink and violet material as memories flood back to her. Flashbacks to the simpler times she mentioned before with Cooper.

Lucky Girl twists her hips in front of the mirror to check the fit of her outfit. There isn't a single scratch on the material (due to Cooper's redesign). She twirls a few times to ensure the undisturbed suit. She'll be the first to confess that it did have a faint odor of sweat on it. Gwen couldn't exactly put a diamond costume in her mom's washing machine. The woman fastened her black utility belt and took up her Lucky Girl mask. She feels the latex of the mask she used to conceal her identity, the corners of the mask stretched to imitate feline features. Her index finger runs along the tiny symbols engraved onto the mask's back. A charm to keep her identity hidden, although the physical mask did little to cover the entirety of her face.

The whole idea of Lucky Girl was to show ten-year-old Ben that she could "kick butt" just as much as her cousin. She was sick of playing the damsel in distress or the innocent bystander. Gwen used to be envious of Ben's ability to defend himself against alien threats so simply. In a feeble attempt to console her, Grandpa Max would also refer to her as "special." She grew so infatuated with magic that she was willing to do everything to learn it, and she practiced judo until her muscles gave out.

And yet still little Gwendolyn was in the shadow of Ben Tennyson. Even when they formed a team with Kevin, she was nothing but a side character. When she put on this mask that all changed, she would play the main part in her own story. Gwen supposes she now had the opportunity to write her own story, with no worry of Ben standing in the spotlight. But why does she still feel empty?

Gwen holds the mask up to her face; it glows a bright pink before sealing in place. Now for the finishing touch. She walks over to her nightstand and opens the bottom drawer, revealing a sea of lotions, perfume, and other makeup goods. She pulls out a pearlescent marble and clenches her fist around it. A small flash of pink creeps out between her fingers before the marble bursts and left a glistening silver wand in her hand. Gwen watches it progressively grow into a lightweight bo-staff, a nigh-indestructible weapon imbued with nano-technology and presented to her by Cooper.

Lucky Girl twirls the staff around in her hand like a marching band leader does their baton. She swings the bo-staff around in an offensive manner, slashing through the air at her imaginary opponent. Gwen flips the weapon and tucks it under her armpit, as she sinks into a defensive position. She circles her invisible prey, eyeing it carefully before swiftly striking with a poke and over-the-head smack. It was like she never put it down.

When Gwen looks out her window, the news crew is not present. She rapidly exits and gently falls 15 feet below, on her front yard. The staff is javelin-thrown into the air as Lucky Girl sprints over the grass, hops onto it, and flees into the darkness. As the crisp air brushed over her face, a smile slowly appeared. In an effort to stop the wind, Gwen raises her hands, but it just obscured the full moon's alabaster hue.

Lucky Girl spread her feet apart to properly balance on her magical flying staff. She flew above homes toward the city, her hands sticking out to the sides like wings. Without a worry in the world, she sailed through the skies. She let all of today's events fade from her memory. The shackles of responsibility were broken, if only for a moment, the woman felt free.

Gwen moves toward the deserted textile mills where the Forever Knights usually hid in the west. The witch floated high in the cloudless sky with the rising moon to her back. Unaware of her presence, she gazes at the silver ants that are scurrying about. Lucky Girl is a scarecrow who stands still atop her staff while keeping a close eye on them. Her long hair is trailing behind her. Then, in an instant, she was no higher than the crumbling warehouses' sheet metal roofing.

The first to notice the mysterious woman was a random knight, who dropped the crates he was holding and reached for his sword only to be launched through a crumbling brick wall by a minor mana collision alerts the other knights, who pulled their weapons and hurried over to the scene. Those using laser muskets aimed and opened fire on the opposition. To protect its master from harm, the seemingly animistic staff zigzagged from left to right. In order to avoid the lasers, Lucky Girl dives into a front flip off the staff and onto the railing of the catwalk below. The witch scampers across the flimsy sheet metal partition and pounces on the careless knight.

She gets off of him and kneels down to sweep an attacker's legs with her staff. Gwen sprang up at the same time his back touched the ground. Fortunate girl rotates her staff to send any approaching lasers back to where they originated from. Numerous knights collapsed on the floor, their armor smoking. This was too simple for the skilled sorceress, Gwen huffs in irritation. Her eyes scan the area in search of any other advancing enemies. She was surrounded only by fallen knights.

Her hair stood on end upon hearing the slow claps behind her. Gwen spun around ready to strike, but lowered her weapon after seeing Hope standing there.

"Oh no by all means! Don't let me stop you," Hope gibes.

Gwen looked the witch up and down, "What are you doing here?" She replies.

"What you told me to do, but from the looks of things here you seem to have it under control."

"I was just letting off a little bit of steam," Gwen admits softly.

"This is supposed to be your stress reliever? What happened to smoking weed?"

Gwen raises an eyebrow at the woman but lets the comment go.

"Oh smoking is where you draw the line? But beating up the Forever Knights gets a pass?"

"They're bad," Gwen states without hesitation.

"And using them as a punching bag because you're mad at the world isn't?"

"Since when did you become so judgemental?"

"When you and Ben stopped acting like yourselves," Charmcaster confesses quickly. "I mean did you even get any information out of them? Or did you just beat them senseless?"

Gwen scoffs, "They didn't put up THAT much of a fight."

When she refused to recognize that they missed out on important information, Hope gave her a wary look. In fact, the statement she made in its place was much more alarming and didn't sound like the generally compassionate heroine.

"That's not the point. How are we supposed to question them now?" Hope urges the woman, although she already knew the answer. The witch just wanted to hear what she'd say.

"When they wake up of course."

"They'll be a lot less willing to cooperate after getting tossed around."

"Oh they'll talk," Gwen mutters. "I'll make sure of it."

Gwen was behaving more like Hope's former self, which was precisely what Hope was terrified of. Her dark eyes only served to reinforce her way of thinking.

"No."

Their eyes meet each other in a menacing manner.

"It's my mission-"

"No. I won't let you go down this path," Hope interjects.

Gwen chuckles, "Try and stop me."

Author's Note: I know everyone is surprised to see me but I got a comment over on AO3 that basically told me to wake tf up. I'll be real I did abandon this story but I got my mojo back so lemme cook a bit. I'll finish this story I promise.