Back at Gwen Tennyson's house, the atmosphere is much happier than it was before. Compared to the previous apprehensive looks, Ben is now getting a lot more grins. He overlooks them, his thoughts returning to Carl's demise and how odd the entire incident was. He tried to think of reasons why his haughty adversary would commit suicide, but he was at a loss; it seemed unthinkable that such a thing could happen.
What or who may have caused him to react in this way? It didn't appear that there was any mental instability in this case. Throughout the entire fight, Carl displayed utterly uncharacteristic behavior; something about him gave off the impression that he was under control. But by what? If there was an external source, that is.
Ben's thoughts were so preoccupied that he failed to notice his redheaded cousin crouching down in front of him. She had a worried expression on her face; to be honest, this was the first time she'd ever seen Ben think this hard. Gwen was curious about what was going on in his thoughts. Everyone else was too preoccupied watching television as it broke the news of Ben's return to the world. She'd like to speak with him individually and discuss future plans. Politics would normally not be emphasized by her, but after just dismissing all of her staff, she knew she would need Ben's backing.
"Everything okay?" she asks the solemn man.
Ben sighs, "I don't know."
"Me and you both."
Ben briefly shifts his gaze to Gwen's, and he quickly detects the weariness hidden beneath those green eyes. Despite the fact that she had dark bags under her eyes, the woman was smiling softly when she looked at Ben. Those once-bright, vivid eyes of green had turned dim and melancholy. What had they done to his precious cousin? Ben gently presses his palm against her cheek. Gwen leans her head toward the comfort of his hand, closes her eyes, and breathes deeply.
"Oh Gwen…" he mutters. "I'm sorry."
"Don't," she whispers sharply. "Please."
Ben dabbed at his cousin's tears which were on the verge of falling with his thumb. He can't possibly undo the harm he caused her, but he can try his damnedest. She had every right to cut him off; she didn't require his apology. Ben was aware of what she needed.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Hearing his earnest remarks, Gwen's head drops onto his lap and she sobs like a baby, her sorrows muffled by the man's jeans. As she broke down in his lap, Ben stroked her hair while keeping her out of sight from inquisitive eyes. He doesn't say anything and doesn't need to. Ben cherishes the woman underneath him as if he shared his mother's womb with her, and it didn't take a genius to realize Gwen felt the same way. The Tennyson family has been reunited with the reunion of brother and sister.
**PAGE BREAK**
Gwen's schedule for the following weeks has been the busiest it has ever been. They tried a coup against her position as interim leader of the newly founded peace corps on Earth after kicking her panel members to the curb. That didn't last long, though, as her cousin Ben Tennyson supported her decision to reconstitute the panel as a group of heroes to stop further corruption. Despite needing some persuasion, all but one of Gwen's friends accepted her offer to give them the vacant seats. Cooper, who was still clinging to the notion that Ben hadn't gained their trust. She'd be biased if she disagreed with the blond, nevertheless, they needed to give Ben a chance to show himself.
The redhead was most startled by Elena's participation because, despite the war, their relationship has been, to put it mildly, rocky. Despite numerous attempts to communicate, Elena and Gwen are never able to move past the small talk phase. Although Gwen would like to believe that her relationship with Elena has improved, their continued awkwardness suggests otherwise.
Since Cooper isn't working with the group, Elena adamantly joined to keep everyone together. She admitted that politics weren't her strong suit and that she would much rather spend the day in a lab alone. Elena's distaste for politics was understandable, and Gwen respected the woman's decision to continue joining. Gwen, who also did not care about politics and couldn't handle being around politicians, can never comprehend human greed.
The influence of H.O.P.E. is felt throughout the galaxy and is only growing. To aid planets attacked during the brief fight, hundreds of thousands of volunteers banded together under one cause. She soon realized that the Plumbers caused more harm than she had originally believed after seeing the data collected after the conflict. There were a few civilizations that didn't have a home globe to return to or worlds without any dominating sentient species living on them. Some planets had their economies tossed into a blender, while others had their society overthrown by the superpower.
She yearned to see these devastated worlds and meet the residents, but she couldn't afford to leave Earth at this time. She didn't have time to even sleep, much less travel off-world, between the struggle for political dominance and organizing adequate humanitarian help for the inhabitants of Earth.
With everyone who could pitching in to help, days swiftly grew into weeks. She will always be appreciative of her friends who are accelerating the reconstruction process. With a crew behind them, Elena and Cooper in New York were able to build infrastructure utilizing nanobot technology, providing the people of Earth with access to technology that they had never seen before. The cities were being rebuilt in greater and better ways than before. Tetrax and Lucy were happy to serve as Earth's representatives in charge of overseeing interstellar humanitarian aid. They served as Gwen's eyes and ears across the galaxy, disseminating her message of peace throughout the entire cosmos.
Unfortunately, crime did not end, and there were others who wanted to harm innocent people who lived among them; there will always be people like them. That is a situation that Gwen will never be able to control. Ben and Carly took the initiative to engage these opponents of prosperity in combat. Along with training the Peace Corps militia and other government organizations established to combat interstellar crime, they did more than just battle. Ben was able to persuade the heroes to stand together in battle rather than defend their individual causes. Ben managed to assemble every able-bodied hero in three days. It truly was a miracle.
Although not everything was perfect, and there was still much to do, Gwen looked forward to the day when everyone could sit down and enjoy a well-deserved meal with their family, smiling and laughing as they enjoyed each other's company, without having to worry about war or other thoughts of suffering.
As she records her closing thoughts for the day in her logbook, Gwen hums an elementary melody. She looks out the window of her office at the sinking sun, the sky a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and purples. The silver-haired witch with the world's most bored expression leaning against the redhead's bookcase now draws her attention.
"You don't have to wait up for me," Gwen confesses. "I'm sure you want to see Ben."
"Just hurry up and finish writing in your diary," Hope huffs, crossing her arms.
The woman's caustic remark raises Gwen's eyebrow; it's not out of character, but it seems a little excessive. It's not like she instructed the witch to stand by and observe her for two hours.
"Do you want to say what's on your mind or are you going to be moody for the rest of the night?" Gwen chirps at the sassy woman. "Again."
"Ben is going to be late again," she murmurs.
Instead of finishing her brief notes, Gwen puts her notebook away and concentrates on the sorceress' words since she found them to be more interesting.
"I mean we call and stuff but I just want to see him," Hope goes on.
"Oh? You mean this last generation witch is able to use a cellular phone?" Gwen jibes.
Hope narrows her eyes, "Har har har."
"Ben is doing me a huge favor right now, but I am sure he misses you just as much as you miss him."
"You think so?"
Gwen chuckles, "I know so." "Now c'mon let's get out of here; I'm starving!" she says whilst dragging the witch out of the room.
"I forgot how much I missed this!" Rath shouts as he ducks underneath a laser beam.
"Ben! Focus!" Carly yells as she returns fire at the smugglers engaging them.
"Lemme tell ya something you group of deadbeat smugglers! The Earth is already shit enough without you trying to make a quick buck off old Plumber contraband!"
"Fuck off, Tony the Tiger," one of the smugglers shouts as he throws a plasma grenade.
"The fuck you say?" Rath growls.
At Rath's feet, the lethal plasma grenade comes to a standstill. The enormous extraterrestrial tiger crushes the container with his foot, setting it ablaze beneath him. Ben held his stance with a snarl on his face as the resulting shockwave caused the ground to tremble.
"Ouch," Rath snarls sarcastically as he stomps toward them.
The squad of smugglers unleashes a salvo of lasers from their guns in a last-ditch effort. Ben moves swiftly through the gunfire, dodging lasers as he leaps onto the boxes the smugglers were hiding behind. He snatches his first victim in his iron grip and throws the helpless victim against a pillar behind him. A second person raises her gun to shoot once more, but Ben uses his razor-sharp claw-like appendage to cut the gun in half. The woman is quickly caught by her headgear and hurled through the wooden ceiling, scattering splintered wood in all directions.
The third smuggler, who was larger than the others but somewhat less intelligent, threw down his weapon and took a boxing stance with his hands raised. Rath swiftly backhanded him, sending him right through a concrete wall. They scurry away from the savage alien as Ben advances toward the final unfortunate victim. He begs Ben to let him leave. Rath replies with a growl and a loud snort.
"Please man, it was just a job."
Rath catches the man by the neck and raises him into the air as he chokes on his words. Their faces are mere millimeters apart as he draws the smuggler in. Rath looks at the beseeching man with narrowed eyes. When they get caught, they all say the same thing. "It's just a job" till that laser gun he's smuggled kills an innocent child after falling into the hands of some low-life thug.
These jerks smuggle anything and everything to anybody and everybody; it's never just a "job" to them. These men don't give a damn about what happens to the goods or who gets wounded as long as the buyer pays their fee. There is neither responsibility nor accountability. How could this little thief equate his terrible crime to something as basic as a job? Rath tightens his grip on the man's throat. Getting rid of these criminals would be in the best interests of the entire globe; individuals who would commit crimes in these challenging times should not be allowed to participate in what the future promises.
"Please…"
Ben keeps his hand firm and disregards his cries. Only the repentant deserve mercy; this man and the rest of his gang do not. Rath's eyes are eternally dark, and the smuggler stares into them knowing it is the last thing he will ever see.
"Let him go," Carly calls out behind them.
Rath doesn't budge a bit, so Carly pulls out her 9mm pistol and aims it at the alien.
"I said let him go , Ben," Carly commands.
Rath waits for what seems like an eternity, then lets out a loud sigh and releases the man. As he edges away from the extraterrestrial, the offender is gasping for oxygen and crying. When the alien tiger is engulfed by a green flash, Ben is standing there as a human.
"Being a bagger at Ralph's grocery down the street is a job. Remember that the next time you come to work ."
Ben walks out of the facility, brushing by the blonde without saying anything. Police cars are already waiting outside; Ben gestures them inside for cleanup duty, and scores of officers rush past him inside the building. Ben starts to move in the direction of the black automobile that is parked on the lawn but pauses when he hears his name being called. With an angry expression on her face, Carly rushes up to him.
"What the hell!"
"Those scumbags got off easy."
"Last time I checked we didn't kill suspects."
"Suspects?" Ben scoffs. "It was very obvious that they were the perpetrators."
Ben is forced to look at Carly when she pulls his arm.
"You think this is a joke?"
Ben narrows his eyes at the blonde. "Those assholes got what they deserved."
"After all we've done, look me in my eyes and tell me you truly believe that."
He keeps looking into her calm, blue eyes, but he never speaks. His lip trembled as if he were worried about disappointing her. He casts a shame-filled glance at the ground.
"Say it," she insists. "With everything you've done, and everything I've done; would you kill me too?"
"Stop."
"Would you?"
"You made your point, Carly," Ben mutters.
"We, of all people, can not judge others for their sins; we will uphold the law and protect the innocent, that is our job."
"Spoken like a true soldier."
It was Carly's turn to narrow her eyes. "I won't let you go down this path again."
Ben yanks his arm away from her grip and climbs into the passenger seat of the vehicle, slamming the door behind him. Carly sighs and moves over to the driver's side of the automobile.
"We're tired," she blurts out. "We aren't thinking straight."
Ben chooses to remain silent and avoid the debate by simply gazing out the window. Although she wasn't mistaken, he didn't want to think that his actions were motivated by his weariness. Every now and then, there would be this itch, which seemed like a moment of clarity when all the world's problems would suddenly become obvious in black and white. It was initially a lingering effect, but when he came face to face with depraved individuals, his judgment became instantly clouded.
It wasn't certain either; Ben would be plagued with this executioner responsibility at various times. Although he fought Carl with no emotion, he fervently desired to save him. When the mentally unstable man brandished a gun at the hero, he was unaffected. But in this situation, he was eager to murder some goons who had never been tried. Over an ideology he didn't even support, he was given a second chance by his friends and the rest of the world, yet he quickly dismissed a beggar's pleas for pity.
Ben looks over at Carly as she carefully negotiates the busy downtown streets. "I'm sorry," he chirps.
Although Carly keeps her eyes on the road, the hero notices a smile breaking out on her face. She was totally correct; they were exhausted from combating crime on a daily basis; they had witnessed horrific atrocities and their victims. Anyone would find it difficult to maintain mental clarity through all of that. Ben reflects on their time together and how she always had his best interests in mind. Carly was always watching over his shoulder, prepared with advice to offer him, just as that demonic voice had whispered into his ear, telling him to slaughter the criminals.
They return silently to the flat they stayed at. Given its proximity to the city's high-crime regions, Gwen had advised them to use it as a base of operations. They were generally called out three to four times a night, and that was only for situations that required Ben Tennyson. As the other heroes joined in the patrolling of the city, it decreased steadily, but Ben is adamant about playing his role. It didn't matter how frequently he had to get up throughout the night.
They haven't seen their residence in the last four days. For the entire damn week, the two had been pursuing those smugglers. Their clothes had more holes in them than Swiss cheese, and their bodies looked like they had attempted boxing with Edward Scissorhands. They smelled bad, were exhausted, and were emotionally depleted.
"I got the shower first last time, so it's your turn," Ben moans as he plops into a chair.
"Say no more," Carly mutters.
Ben is barely conscious and drooling on himself as Carly shouts to him that she's finished showering. He's unsure whether he could get out of the chair he put himself in. He likely wouldn't have gotten up had it not been for the smell of his own body. He drags himself into the shower and stutters to undress before plunging into the ice-cold water. Ben, who is far too indolent to change it, lets the ice-cold water fall over his sore muscles. He had read somewhere that ice baths helped muscles heal. As Ben scrubs away the muck from the preceding days, Hope enters his thoughts. He remembers her telling him that she was assisting Gwen with some work, so he wonders what she's been up to during the last couple of days. Hope didn't say what those jobs were, so it's safe to assume they were mundane.
Ben exits the shower and hastily dries off before entering his room. Putting on a set of flannel pajamas and a black t-shirt, he leaves feeling rejuvenated. Ben notices the blonde sitting cross-legged on the couch, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and shorts, and gazing at the TV. When he sees that she is watching the news as he sits down next to her on the couch, he immediately groans.
"I ordered pizza," she announces.
"You ever get tired of this shit?"
She gives him a look. "What? Pizza?"
"Ugh no, this!" he points at the television screen.
As she continues to watch the evening news, Carly shrugs.
"You are something else," he mutters, grabbing the remote and changing the channel. "Watch something interesting for once."
"Hey! I was watching that!"
"And I was falling asleep," Ben reticules. "Ah here we go!" Ben declares after stopping his channel flicking on Sumo Slammers. "Something not mind-numbingly boring."
Carly rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "Oh brother," she murmurs.
"What? You said that like there's something incorrect about that statement."
"Are you a child?"
"Are you suggesting that this glorious piece of media is strictly for children?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"See this is why you'll never find a man, Carly."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't get me wrong you're smoking hot," Ben counters. "But you're just plain boring."
Carly's face is getting redder with each word.
"You watch the news for fun, you follow all of the rules, and you hate Sumo Slammers," Ben counts off. "You can't get much lower than that."
Ben turned to face Carly, who had a frantic, angry expression on her face and steam rising from her ears. "What did I say something wrong?"
"Ben…" Carly spits.
Ben couldn't explain what happened since it happened so quickly; all he knew was that he had ended up face-first on the ground with a red, stinging handprint on his cheek. Maybe he went a little too far.
"Sorry," he breathes.
"Hmph," Carly pouts as she turns her nose up at him.
"You know I love you," Ben chirps as he rubs his cheek and sits back on the couch.
"Don't say things you don't mean," she mutters.
"What? We've been partners forever, of course, I love you," Ben insists with a laugh. He playfully slips his arm around her shoulder and draws the pouting woman close.
"Whatever."
"Why are you so grumpy? I said I was sorry," he says gleefully.
"You didn't mean it."
Ben draws her in closer. "I meant every word." He tilts her head to look at him. "I think you're smoking hot and I love you," Ben confesses, leaning closer to her. "We can work on the boring part," he hums.
When Carly feels his lips gently press against hers, a spark that had been slowly igniting in the pit of her stomach exploded into a brilliant flame. Like hers, his lips were warm and somewhat chapped. The blonde whimpers as her partner intensifies their kiss; it was bursting with potential heat. She hadn't kissed anyone in a long time, and although she was clumsy and appeared inexperienced, the younger man gently guided her.
The scene is wonderful, yet she knew that this was wrong. How dare she fraternize with her superior? That's what she learned in the Plumber schoolhouse: this only led to conflicts between ranks. This is not typical of her; she wasn't a rule-breaker. So why? Why did she find it enjoyable? Why didn't she stop? Why did she crave more? This was the only rule she didn't mind breaking.
Carly, who is hungrier than ever for more, climbs into her boss' lap and wraps her arms around his neck as he does the same around her waist. Upon Ben's tongue slipping past the blonde's open lips, she lets out a groan into his mouth. Carly gladly lets him use his tongue to probe her mouth as their tongues collide in a passionate struggle. They're gazing lustfully into each other's eyes when they finally break their embrace for a breath of fresh air.
"We shouldn't be doing this, sir," she breathes, the voice of reason showing its face.
"I love it when you call me 'sir'" Ben whispers.
Carly attacks his lips with fervor; to hell with the voice of reason. She eagerly presses her tongue into his mouth as she cups his face. She couldn't get enough of him. Carly gasps as Ben slides his hands down her back and firmly grabs her ass. Carly had no idea her boss would touch her like this; he gripped her ass like it was his. As their kiss heated up, they squeezed noses together and a stream of drool dripped from their closed lips. Carly's lungs were screaming for air, yet she didn't want to end the kiss. Ben does it nevertheless, and she whimpers.
Her dissatisfaction with the lack of contact fades immediately when she feels Ben attack her neck with his lips. He laid a trail of wet kisses down her neck. She couldn't stop muttering his name while he had his way with her. Ben licks her jugular, softly sucking on her pulse. The voice of reason kept returning, warning her of the huge amount of trouble they'd be in if they were caught, but the idea of being discovered simply dampened her panties.
"Sir…"
Ben reaches between them and runs his hand down Carly's shorts. He grins as he casts a sly look into her intense blue eyes.
"Oh wow, how could my law-abiding subordinate be so wet when breaking a rule?"
He briefly stroked Carly's heated core as she feels his fingertips brush against her moist panties. He teases her once more with fast, erratic touches, and she gasps. When Carly feels his two fingers pressed against her nether lips, she bites her lip and shuts her eyes in ecstasy. He finally touched her where she so desperately needed him to.
"I-I-," she stumbles over herself.
"Doctrine says a subordinate must follow the instructions of their superiors," Ben teases.
Carly humps his hand shamelessly in an effort to get him to move his fingers more quickly. What did she do to deserve this torture?
"And remind me, who is my subordinate?"
"I am!" she cries out immediately.
"And that means?"
"You can do whatever you want with me!"
As he lowers his fingers down her underwear and stops his index finger on her clit, Ben has a mischievous grin on his face. Carly's eyes widen as she cries his name once more; at this point, she would fucking beg if she had to.
"That's right; you're MY subordinate and I can do whatever I want with you ,"
After sensing Ben insert his index finger inside of her, Carly lets out a loud gasp. Ecstasy makes her feel as though she is on the surface of the sun, but she is unfazed by the intense heat. Under his touch, the blonde melted, and all of a sudden, nothing mattered.
Then she is startled awake by Ben yelling her name.
When she opens her eyes, Ben appears in front of her and wears a worried expression. He has a two-liter bottle of Coke and a pizza box in his hands.
"I ordered some pizza since you were out like a light when I came out of my room," he announces.
"Sir?" she groggily answers.
"Come and eat, I said."
Carly hobbles over to the kitchen table and slouches down. Before sitting up, she combs her unkempt blonde hair out of her face. Ben looks at her but attributes her actions to exhaustion.
"You good? You haven't called me 'sir' in a minute," Ben jokes.
"I'm fine; my head just hurts," Carly lied.
"Well get some pizza in you and you can go back to bed."
Numerous slices—Pepperoni for Carly and Buffalo Chicken for Ben—were eaten in silence by the two. Ben pours himself and Carly a glass of Coca-Cola. It's about time they had some real food after surviving on trail mix and energy drinks for the previous 72 hours. Carly raises her glass and takes a long, well-earned swig.
"So when's the last time you've been touched?" Ben randomly inquires.
Carly nearly spits her beverage out in response to the startling question posed in such a casual manner.
"What would possess you to ask that?" she chokes out with a cough.
"I dunno, just making conversation," Ben shrugs as he takes another bite of his pizza.
Carly has a faint blush on her face. "Well, it's none of your business."
"What a boring answer," he scoffs as chows down on the last bite. Ben stands up to throw away his paper plate. "We will work on that."
His final remark causes Carly's heart to skip a beat and immediately brings to memory what he stated in her dream. Her blush comes back and she is now fascinated by her half-eaten slice of pizza. There's nothing to work on, asshole. You can't just go around asking women when the last time they fucked was.
"Anyway, I'll see you later, I'm going to see Hope."
When the sorceress was mentioned, her heart sank momentarily, but she couldn't put her finger on why. She pushes the risky idea from her mind and keeps her head bowed until she hears the front door close. Then it came to her like a nerdy kid watching his first porno.
"Damn. I'm in love with my superior."
As soon as Jetray touches down in front of Hope's cabin, a green light transforms him back into Ben Tennyson. Ben knocks three times on the oak door and waits. When the door opened, he was in the process of adjusting his hair. Hope is displaying her trademark poker face as she stands there. Ben smiles broadly as he hands the flowers to the witch.
"I didn't know you were coming."
"I thought I'd surprise you," Ben responds, stepping inside the cabin.
"Aw, are those flowers for me?" Gwen teases from the couch.
"I didn't know you were here."
"I thought I'd surprise you," she mocks with a chuckle.
Ben sniffs the air. "Are you drunk?"
"Of course not," Hope denies as she stumbles past the man.
"Uh huh," Ben says as he spots an empty wine bottle on the coffee table.
Ben sits down by pulling a stool up from the counter. As soon as he entered the room, he noticed the stench of alcohol emanating from both of them. What sort of illicit behavior is Hope engaging in with his cousin?
"I expect this from Lucy but you and Gwen?" Ben scolds. "Shame."
Ben is given a suspicious look by Gwen and Hope before they both start giggling.
"I expect this from Lucy but you and Gwen?" Gwen mocks with a fake masculine voice.
Hope cackles at the impression. "Shame."
"Like I'm drunk, not stupid, since when do you care what I do?" Gwen blurts out as she takes a sip from her glass.
"Right? Who are you trying to fool with that false endearment," Hope comments.
"Whatever; give me some of that," Ben demands as he grabs Hope's glass out of her hands and downs the contents.
"Hey! That was mine!"
"You can share!"
"Give it back!"
In an effort to reclaim her priceless stolen liquid, Hope instantly climbs into the man's lap and crashes her lips against his. Not wanting to waste any wine, her tongue licks what's left off of his lips before invading his mouth in search of more. Naturally, their tongues collide as they taste the luscious Rosé off each other's breath.
"Ugh get a room," Gwen shouts with a roll of her eyes.
As they sloppily make out, Hope tacks the man's arms to the couch. Ben doesn't object, content with the circumstance he finds himself in. Unfortunately, it stopped just as abruptly as it began as Hope climbed off of him and returned to the couch. Hope belches loudly before laying her head down on the cushion.
"I'm tired," Hope murmurs.
"Me too," Gwen agrees before standing up. "I think I'm going to head out."
"Huh? Are you nuts? You're not going anywhere," Ben chides. Ben gently nudges Gwen back onto the chair as she casts him a perplexed glance. "You and Hope are going to stay right here." Ben leans over to kiss Hope on the cheek. "I trust you ladies won't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
"Where are you going?" Hope pouts.
"Back to the city, baby."
Hope moans in disappointment, and Ben kisses her cheek again, vowing to return tomorrow. Hope's eyes are still filled with tears. He had only recently arrived, and she didn't want him to leave. She sees him drop a kiss on Gwen's head before walking to the front door. The witch calls to him to persuade him to stay.
"Ben! Please…"
Ben approaches Hope again with sad eyes and a warm smile. He kisses her on the lips, then the nose, and finally the forehead. He was sorry he had to leave, but they all had obligations to attend to, and he would be damned if he didn't show.
"I'm sorry. Next time."
Hope whimpers in response.
"Next time, I promise!" Ben insists. "Be a good witch for Gwen." He waves at his cousin. "I'll catch you later, sis."
And with that, he was gone, and Hope was restored to the silence she despised so much.
Ben scowls as he ascends the stairs to his apartment. He didn't want to say goodbye to Hope, but he couldn't leave Carly hanging for the night. What if he was needed in an emergency and Carly was wounded because he wanted to be with Hope? He would never be able to forgive himself.
Ben enters his temporary residence with his keys. He didn't actually need the lights on because the metropolitan skyline provided adequate lighting for the space. Ben enters the living room and strolls past the couch before doing a double-take and spotting Carly dozing off. Ben also notices the scattered empty beer bottles on the table. Although she never drinks on the evenings when they were supposed to patrol the city, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she had been drinking. In light of the fact that she disliked alcohol due to her father, Ben is left perplexed by this scenario. She had to have started drinking as a result of something.
"What is with everyone and alcohol today?" he whispers to himself.
Ben scoops Carly up in bridal fashion and brings her to her bedroom, where he carefully places her on the bed. The man covers his partner with the blanket before turning to depart. When Ben thinks he hears her mutter something, he looks back, but he only encounters stillness. To get some sort of rest, the hero exits the space and enters his own.
"Stay," she repeats, more clearly now.