Wow, two in a day. Or is it two in two? Whatever, must be a record. Enjoy part two of my skeleton of a time traveling Ben 10 story.
"Well, kids. Looks like we're gonna have to make a pit stop." Those words brought fear into the hearts of the two young children sitting in the back
of the rusted old RV. "Grandpa, we're not really doing a pit stop, are we?"
Max Tennyson glanced into the rear-view, eyeing his two grandkids for a moment. He grinned, shaking his head. "Nah, just gotta fill the old girl up."
They continued across the stretch of desert for another ten minutes, before pulling into a gas station. The facade of the building was faded,
once a bright green, rust creeping along the sides of the gas pumps. "A 7-11? That's like the most normal-weird thing we've seen so far."
Ben grinned at Gwen, who smiled nervously at him. "I'll fill her up, you two can head inside and get some snacks."
Max pulled the keys from the ignition and stepped out of the RV, moving towards the gas pump.
The two ten year olds crept towards the convenience store, Ben eyed the few cars filling the parking lot.
A hallowed out husk of a bus sat on one end, two cars, a 4x4, and a State Trooper's Cruiser, all sat in the old lot.
As the two entered the store, Gwen glanced nervously at Ben. "I gotta pee, be back in a minute." She squeezed his hand, then pulled away.
Ben wandered the snack aisles, grabbing a bag or two of chips, some chewing gum, and a box of energy bars.
He smiled softly as he imagined what he would've bought when he was ten, the first time he was ten.
He took his goods over to the counter, forgoing the chips once he saw the price.
He walked over towards the bathrooms, stopping at a magazine rack, and turned his gaze
towards the lot. His eyes shot towards the register, a six foot tall trucker stood with his hands in his pockets.
Ben picked a magazine from the rack at random, gazing over the edge of it at the trucker.
The trucker's eyes turned towards him a for a moment, then towards the bathrooms.
The trucker wrinkled his nose, then shrugged. He took his change from the cashier, gave Ben a nod of acknowledgement, then stepped outside.
A semi-truck pulled up beside the station, and the trucker ran to it with a grin. "Hey, Kal! It's been forever!" Ben let out a sigh of relief, his attention drifting back to the magazine he had grabbed at random. He heard a groan of pain from the bathrooms, the magazine was forgotten in a moment. "Gwen!?" Ben pounded on the door, she let out another groan. "Gwen, I'm coming in!" He moved to kick the door, when he heard her shout. "Don't! Go get Grandpa, please!" Ben hesitated, then sighed. "Okay."
Max followed Ben inside, an eyebrow raised. He knocked on the restroom door, a hand on the doorknob. "Pumpkin? I'm coming in."
He eased the door open, slipping inside before Ben could get a look. Ben paced nervously outside of the bathrooms,
she hadn't brought anything with her, had she? Maybe that last monster they fought was carrying a virus,
and that was the best case scenario in his mind. Max and Gwen came out around eight minutes later,
Gwen with her arms around her waist and a blush on her face, and Max with a half-hidden grin. "Well, turns out your cousin's blooming a bit early." Ben's eyes widened, then he relaxed. 'Wait, blooming?' His eyes widened again, his glance at Gwen confirmed it.
The kids sat in the RV, Max had emptied the waste and was currently filling the water tank. "I can't believe I've gotta go through puberty, again!"
Gwen groaned, placing her head in her hands. Ben sat across from her, his head on the table. He glanced up at her,
a blush slowly forming on his face. "Well, getting to see you growing might not be all that bad." Gwen frowned, her face going red. "Perv."
Ben grinned at her. "Don't worry, you aren't alone." Gwen's frown faded, and she snorted. "Seriously, Ben?" Ben blushed heavily,
sitting up in his seat. "You think I took laundry duty because I wanted to?" Gwen's anger was replaced by immature snorting.
Ben watched her getting lost in the moment, and smiled to himself. He reached across the table and took her hand.
"I love you, Dweeb. I hope you realize that." Her laughter dwindled, and she smiled fondly at her cousin. "I love you too, Doofus."
The two leaned across the table, and their Grandpa entered. "Well, looks like-" He stopped by the driver's seat,
his two grandkids sat stiffly across from each other; their faces bright red. He slowly got in the driver's seat, eyeing them in the mirror.
"Did I interrupt something?" The two looked to each-other, eyes wide. "No, nothing!" They both stuttered out.
Now Max really wanted to know about this future of theirs.