July 7, 2016

Plumber's Outpost, Mojave Desert; 2:16 am

Another sleepless night.

Gwen hadn't been able to sleep well since she spoke with Ben. Since then, she's settled in with the other insomniacs. At first, they were cautious of her still under orders from her grandfather, but it wasn't long before they warmed up to her and would offer her coffee and a place to sit.

Tonight, however, she was alone, seeing as her new acquaintances had managed to get some sleep. She was working on another pot of coffee when a familiar face turned the corner.

"You're still up?" Kai asked.

"Just having a hard time sleeping," Gwen replied. "I was thinking about hitting the gym. A good workout might tire me out. You're welcome to join me."

"Isn't drinking coffee a little counterproductive?"

Gwen thought about how she must look with her freshly brewed mug.

"You're right," Gwen admitted. She was about to throw it down the drain when Kai poured herself a mug.

"You're still taking karate, right?" Kai asked. "Spar with me."

Gwen's head felt fuzzy.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said.

"Feel free to go easy on me if you're worried about hurting me." Kai took a sip of her coffee as she left the room

Gwen couldn't shake the sneaking paranoia as she followed Kai to the gym. It was subtle yet almost primal, like a deer sensing its predator moments before death. Why was she feeling this now? She's had soldiers surrounding her for days, ready to strike at the slightest misstep. Not even Kevin made her feel this anxious.

The anxiety persisted even as they entered the gym. It was as big as her high school's, easily able to fit a basketball court and then some. And yet there wasn't a single person inside.

The two went to the back, where a ring was set up for boxing. Kai handed Gwen gloves and other protective gear. Once she had finished fastening the headpiece, she noticed Kai had forgone everything except the gloves.

Gwen felt dizzy.

"Want to throw the first punch?" Kai asked. Gwen didn't move. "Fine by me."

In the blink of an eye, Kai was lunging toward her. Gwen barely had enough time to raise her arms to block the incoming attacks. At this rate, Gwen was nothing more than a punching bag.

Gwen dodged one of Kai's punches and tried to grapple her in place long enough to catch her breath. Kai, however, kicked off the ropes sending them both falling backward. Gwen felt the girl's full weight as she fell on her back, loosening her grip long enough for Kai to escape and pull her into an armbar.

Go easy, my ass!

"That the best you got, Lucky Girl?"

Gwen muttered a spell under her breath and felt her strength double in power. She lifted her arm, bringing Kai with it, and slammed her into the mat. Kai tried to tighten her grip, but Gwen felt nothing and repeated to slam her again and again.

After the fourth slam, Kai let go with a defeated "uncle."

"What the hell, Kai," Gwen huffed between breaths. She dropped the spell's effects and felt the pain return with a vengeance. "You're acting like I killed your dog or something."

"Yeah, something like that- FUCK!" Kai let out a scream as she tried to lift herself up. "Damn, you did a number on my back."

Gwen lifted Kai to a sitting position ignoring the slew of curses thrown her way, and began to chant a spell. A vibrant pink glow illuminated her hands as she pressed them to Kai's back. Kai felt a burning heat radiate throughout her back muscles before they all cooled to a slight numbness.

"God, you're gonna end up putting doc out of business," Kai said.

"All I did was accelerate your natural healing process," Gwen said. "It'd be a different story if your injuries had been worse."

Kai stood up and stretched her back. She had read the reports but was amazed at how far the redhead's magic had progressed. Kai had a sneaking suspicion that the girl had found herself a teacher, but she could look into that another day.

Gwen was feeling weak, but thankfully she had avoided the effects of mana exhaustion. The last thing she needed was to be admitted back into the infirmary. She'd spent most of the last month unconscious as it was.

Once the two had finished their post-fight break, Gwen returned to her previous question.

"So you gonna tell me what that was all about?"

"You did something to Ben, didn't you?" Kai asked.

"If you're talking about what happened in Phoenix, I already talked with grandpa about it," Gwen said, averting her eyes. "We fought and took things too far."

"I'm talking about before he joined the Plumbers," Kai sighed. "He's changed, everyone knows it, but he won't talk about it. The only thing we know is that you seemed to have up and disappeared from his life. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together, Gwen. So I'm going to ask you again." Kai stepped forward, jabbing a finger dead center into Gwen's chest with every word. "What did you do to my Ben?"

"Your Ben!?" Gwen practically growled. "News flash, Ben isn't your God damn pet. Now get your finger out of my face before you lose it."

Kai took a step back but refused to back down. "Ben will always be my pet, but he's also my friend. I can't just sit back and watch him be miserable for the rest of his life."

Gwen was shaking. "You lost that right when you turned your back on him. He loved you and was willing to die for you, and you abandoned him! And now that he has a new girlfriend, you want to come back into his life and fuck everything up again."

"Wha… What the hell are you talking about, Gwen? He just had a schoolboy crush. We were never that serious."

Gwen couldn't hold back the tear any longer. The weight of her words pulled her down to her knees with a resounding thud. "I'm sorry…."

Kai was starting to get a clear picture of what was going on. She placed her hand on Gwen's shoulder and said, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," and walked out of the gym.

Ben had been stuck in the infirmary for days and was going stir-crazy. Dr. Beck told him he should be able to leave in the morning after getting some more rest, but all he's done is rest. To make matters worse, he's been an anxious mess anticipating the talk with Gwen. But she hadn't visited him once since he woke up.

He decided to look over the text conversation he had with Julie the previous day. It was the first time they had really talked in weeks, so he had hoped it would keep him distracted, but he was sorely mistaken.

Ben: Hey I heard you called

Ben: Sorry I've been really sick lately

Julie: Don't worry about it you need the rest

Julie: And make sure you don't give your cousin a hard time

Julie: She's taking care of you the least you can do is not cause her anymore trouble

"What the hell did they even talk about," Ben thought. After reading that, he had thrown his phone into his bag and forced himself to sleep. Now it was three in the morning, and he wanted nothing more than to go for a run. Not that he would get very far without the watch. There's nothing but desert for miles.

He was considering reading when the door to the infirmary opened. "Who's there?" Ben asked. The infirmary lights were still off, making it difficult to see his visitor.

"It's me," Gwen said before turning on the lights. "I didn't know if you would be awake, but I'm ready to talk."

Ben looked her over and couldn't help but think she looked like shit. Her hair was a mess, and she was covered in sweat. But what drew his attention was how red and puffy her eyes were.

Had she been crying?

Guilt began to pool in the pit of his stomach as she slowly stepped closer to his bed. He watched as she stood before him opening and closing her mouth, unsure of what to say. She was shaking, and her eyes would dart around the room, trying to focus on anything that wasn't him.

"I- We- How can I-"

"I'm sorry," Ben interrupted her. "I shouldn't have forced my feelings onto you. I said I'd do anything for you as long as you'd have me, but as soon as you wanted to end it, I lashed out and got angry with you." His voice was cracking, and his own tears threatened to pour out. "I thought I was over it and that I had moved on, but when I saw you in the Rust Bucket, everything came flooding back. I'm so sorry for how I treated you, Gwen. I'm-"

Ben felt his head pushed into something soft. His nostrils were filled with a sweet and sour scent that was unmistakably his Gwen.

"Shut up," Gwen said. "Don't say another word." She was crying again. "How many times are you going to make me cry over you, Ben!? I was ready to apologize for all the shit I caused you, and you decide that now is the time for you to grow up and take responsibility? Fuck you!"

Ben couldn't hold it in anymore. He buried himself into her arms and cried. When was the last time he allowed himself to be this vulnerable?

"You never forced anything on," Gwen sobbed. "I loved you more than anything in the world, and I should have fought for us, but I was so scared. I didn't know what to do, so I just froze, and before I knew it, you were gone." She pulled his head up so she could look into his eyes. They were puffy and red but still a vibrant green. She still loved them. "I'm so sorry, Ben."

He looked back at her. "She still is an ugly crier," he thought to himself. He leaned his forehead against hers. She flinched at his touch but soon eased into it.

Her heart was fluttering. She missed his touch. Gwen thought that if they spent a century like that, it would still be too short, but she knew this would have to end sooner or later.

"I love you, Ben. I probably always will, but we can't live like this." Gwen pulled away. The pain on his face was heartbreaking, but she knew this had to be done. "I came on this trip because I needed closure from you. I need to move on from you and hopefully find someone else to love like you did."

Ben wanted to stop her. To tell her that Julie meant nothing to him and that he'd drop her in an instant because she wasn't Gwen, and she never will be. But the look on Gwen's face told him everything. This was what she wanted, and he needed to be better than his past self. He needed to respect her choice and allow her to move on. Even if he never will.

"Okay," Ben said. They knew that so much more needed to be said, but now was not the time for it. So instead, they sat in silence, side by side, enjoying their last moment together before reality returned to tear them apart.