Velagarix: thank you very much!

"You know what the funny thing is?" Gwen asked him. For old times ' sake, he had invited both her and Kevin to talk on a Mr. Smoothy. Hope had promised she'd show up eventually, but she had wanted to go to the mall to buy even more clothes. Ben couldn't judge her too much, since he had recently renovated his wardrobe as well, exemplified by the new dark green shirt he was wearing that had quickly become one his favorite ones.

A bit over two months had passed since both he and Hope had partially dropped their responsibilities. They were practically living together in his room, and since his parents were always so busy, it left them with privacy and less potential to bother his mom or dad. But they had both liked Hope and hadn't hinted for her to move out or anything. Ben imagined it was good for them that he was happy. His days of crying over Kai were long gone.

"What?" Ben questioned, drinking from his smoothie with more manners than he had during his teenage years.

"You and Charmcaster both decided to just live normally. I find that funny because I'm kinda itching for the opposite."

"Oh?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me you're bored of university?"

"It's not quite like that..."

"But it's half that," Kevin spoke for Gwen. "You know I'm set for life and all, so I never like to put any of us at risk."

"Can't judge you for that," Ben remembered the taydenite car they had acquired on Khoros.

"But ever since Servantis invaded..." Gwen continued. "I just... I feel like when I got Charmcaster's spellbook. Suddenly, I could do so much stuff, and I just couldn't stay put watching you have all the fun."

"It's not always fun." Ben reminded her. "You know that very well."

"Ben, I was the voice of reason, I know." The comment drew a smile from Ben. "It's not always daisies. But sometimes, I feel like I should do more with my abilities. Grandma Verdona would be so pissed if she saw I was simply studying and nothing else."

"She would." Ben nodded. "But hey, you did your part and are still doing it. What do you plan on doing now?"

"I'm thinking of finishing university, of course. I don't feel like dropping out."

"Two and a half years for nothing doesn't sound good on the CV." Kevin pointed.

"That, and I genuinely like my course, don't get me wrong." Gwen clarified. "But I'm thinking of being reckless. Kinda the opposite to what you're doing."

"Hey, I'm not being useless. I stopped a bank robbery yesterday without a single person getting injured."

"Except for the robbers." Kevin chuckled.

"I turned into Rath. What did they expect?" Ben shrugged. "Besides, I never use lethal force on these low-level thugs."

"I don't think I will apply for the team." Gwen refocused on the previous subject. "I think I want to operate alone. I'm hearing the team will extend their operations to the entire country soon."

"They're being very decent." With the likes of Swift, Cordella, Helen, and Lucy – not that the others were levels below – there was constant talk of even expanding the team globally. Villains were everywhere, after all. Ben was happy for all of them. "Like Grandpa said when I filed my resignation, they can be in multiple places while I'm just one."

"I'm still pissed they took our name," Kevin grumbled.

"Shame on us that we didn't take royalties." Gwen joked. "We could have profited from it."

"Now all the merch goes to Daniels Enterprises." Ben pretended to be bitter. "What will we do without the money?"

"Hey, Tennyson, I hear Burger Shack is hiring."

"I'd rather work on Mr. Smoothy, thank you very much."

"Remember, an employee can't consume the goods they make for the job they're in."

Ben rolled his eyes. "I'll just stick to being an off-time hero. In ten years, I'll worry about finances."

"I'll tell you that when you have to take out a mortgage to buy you and Charmcaster's place," Kevin said. "Speaking of which, are you moving out?"

"I don't plan to." He clarified. "My parents aren't bothered. And she is also fine with it."

"Ben, would you answer me a question?" Gwen suddenly spoke.

"Sure, go ahead." He replied, confused as to what it would be.

"There's no way you call her Charmcaster all the time, right?" Her tone was teasing. "Do you guys have nicknames?"

"I bet she calls him Benny."

"Argit calls me that." Ben gritted his teeth. "And she has a name. Surprise, she isn't called Charmcaster, but" He added as soon as she noticed Gwen opening her mouth to speak. "It's private. She likes to keep it private. So, I won't snitch on her."

"So noble!" A familiar voice spoke a few tables away from theirs. There came Hope, wearing a black V-neck dress that went all the way down to her knees, high heels, sunglasses, and a large black sun hat. She carried a few small bags in her right hand. "Hello, Benny." She gave him a peck on the lips and sat down on the only vacant seat at the table.

"Uh..." Kevin began. "You're looking different."

"Mhm." Gwen agreed, unable to keep her eyes away from her. "I don't think I've seen you using anything that weren't robes."

"One has to vary their wardrobe, Gwendolyn." Hope smiled, removing her sunglasses and storing them in a black purse Ben hadn't noticed before. He wondered if it was somewhat magical or if she had enchanted it to be. "You didn't even order a smoothie for me? I'm offended, Ben."

"I can get one for you-"

"I'm playing with you, dear." Her smile grew wider. "You're gullibe sometimes."

"Oh, sorry for believing in you, girlfriend." Ben rolled his eyes, but he couldn't not smile at her antics.

"I forgive you for being such an honest boy." Hope turned her now decidely blue eyes onto Gwen. "You're the smart one, Gwendolyn. You ought to have known I wasn't given Charmcaster as my name."

"Probably not."

"My father had a similar name." Hope stated. "Spellbinder. I based myself on him. But..." She lightly sighed. "We're family now, aren't we?"

"You tell me." Gwendolyn leaned forward, a hand beneath her chin.

"I think we are." Hope spared him a glance. "You two feel like siblings, not cousins. So, do you want to be my sister-in-law, Gwendolyn?"

"It's better than archnemesis, isn't it?" Gwen smirked. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Gwendolyn Tennyson."

Hope chuckled as she took Gwen's hand. "It's also a pleasure to meet you, Gwendolyn... I'm Hope."

Gwen's eyes widened ever so slightly. "That's... that's a beautiful name. So, not Heather?"

"Definitely not Heather."

"And definitely not Caroline," Kevin commented under his breath, but everyone heard it. His tone was a mix of bitterness and amusement. Ben couldn't suppress a snort, and neither could his girlfriend.

"So... Hope." Gwen tried. "Do you have any leads on Darkstar?"

"No." Michael had completely vanished from Legerdomain, it turned out. There was an indication he was now on Earth – after all, where else could he be? – but there was nothing concrete. "I am looking as hard as I can. I don't know if he has freed himself of that rune you placed on him."

"At the time, I thought it was ingenious."

"Talk about humility." Ben mused, earning a glare from the redhead.

"I didn't think he would be cunning enough to escape while looking like a zombie. Much less starting a wild hunt."

"Can't the Plumbers help?" Ben asked. "Or even the team?"

"The team is busy always being the first to respond to threats." She answered. "And I don't know if we could strand the Plumbers' resources now when they're already trying to prevent more chaos from what the Incurseans and Tetramands are doing."

Ben didn't need any reminders. The conflict between Attea and Looma's empires had grown in scale to the point that other planets were now involved. When Attea had come to him months ago, he thought it would be a small feud, even if they had giant armadas. But now, what could he do to keep the Plumbers away from the fight like she had asked? At least they weren't military involved – yet. Ben knew that eventually he'd have to get involved, probably to end the conflict, if he could.

"Then it's up to us," Ben stated.

"I'd offer to help seeking, but-"

"It's okay." Hope spoke first. "We know that if we locate him, you'll help."

"That guy can't throw in the towel," Kevin said.

"Most villains can't," Gwen added.

"But he is just petty. In a pathetic way."

"That's Michael for you," Hope said. "Since you know now, I can tell you he forgot my name. Can you believe it? You know I was suffering from what I went through with my father-"

"You mean when you killed us three?" Ben knew he could get away with that sort of comment, and it seemed like Hope was getting used to it since she just went on with the retelling.

"And he showed up. You know how charmed I was, Gwendolyn."

"I do. You couldn't believe that he said he wanted me instead of you."

"It's just that ever since I met you... things were always so much in your favor. You were a prodigy, being five years younger. Then I find out you're also an Anodite. And even afterwards, my uncle prefers you."

"I wouldn't go that far-"

"But he does." Hope smiled sadly. "He loves me, sure. But he is tired of me. He hasn't forgiven me for turning him into a totem."

"Can you blame him, though?" Kevin's cheek was almost as magnificent as Ben's was.

"No... probably not. Right, so Michael shows up, seems so bright and handsome, and I'm already a wreck, so I just tell him my name despite it being so sacred to me."

"But he forgot."

Hope nodded. "He always wanted you. He was using me. I hate him for that. I... Never mind." Ben knew something was up by the way Hope spoke. He would be certain to ask her what was up later. "Regardless, how does one mix up Hope with Heather? It's absurd."

"Like you said, it's Michael. The less said, the better." Gwen turned to Kevin. "Should we go now?"

"Sure, babe." Kevin removed the car keys from his pocket. "I gotta do some repairs on the ship. She's pretty wrecked up."

"She?" Hope echoed.

"Don't mind him," Gwendolyn said as the other couple got up from their seats. "He has a horrible tendency to think of vehicles like girls."

"My favorite quote from him is 'treat a car like you treat a woman.'" Ben decided to join in on the slander.

"I don't know what you two are talking about." And then he just walked away to the car, leaving the three laughing on the table.

"Take care, you two," Gwendolyn said and then followed Kevin to the car with a smile splattered across her face, and the couple watched as the blue and black car drove away until it took a turn two streets away.

"I lied to them." Hope spoke as soon as the car vanished from sight.

"About what?" Ben couldn't say he was surprised.

"About Michael. I know where he is."

He found himself frowning. "But why not tell them?"

Hope shifted on her seat. "I wish to deal with him myself. He is no threat."

"Hope... you can't put pride above reason..." Ben warned.

"I have you." She grasped his hand. "I'm not going defenseless. Besides, he's probably on the move. Attacking now would both ruin our afternoon and be costly."

"Look, I'm not going to take a stance now. I might call Gwen if we need to."

"She's sure gonna love the opportunity to be a hero..." Hope chuckled. "Oh, Ben, we are more than enough to deal with Michael."

"Even so, I'd hate to take a risk." Ben pointed. "I can't afford losing you."

A smile graced Hope's lips. "Neither can I... fine, I see your point. But we're still ourselves. And you're a magnet for danger."

"I have you watching my back. What's better than a superpowered girlfriend?"

"Magic isn't a superpower," Hope said. "Anyone could learn with enough practice... though some are more suited to perform it."

"And I can point to only one person who is decidedly a better magician than you," Ben stated.

"My uncle?" Hope guessed.

"I was gonna say Bezel." He smirked. "You beat Hex, remember?"

"Only because of my wits, Ben." She was being unusually humble. "In a pure magical duel, I'd be outmatched by his experience alone."

"But you're queen of Legerdomain," Ben argued. "You hold a lot of cards. And he is a retired mage working as a teacher."

"I was thinking of visiting him." The change of subject was unexpected. "I know he's angry at me, but-"

"It's been almost two years. Give it a try. He doesn't say bad stuff about you on a whim. When I came to him, he was reasonable enough."

"It's a bit complicated." Hope sighed. "He never saw to eye to eye with my father, but the two were brothers, that's to be expected. Even if they were different, they loved their home and family. After my father was killed, my uncle was broken for a time. He resorted to violence, crime, you name it."

"He really was a jerk. I thought he couldn't be trusted when Gwen told me he was one of her teachers."

"I don't blame you. I wouldn't have trusted him either, until he started to speak nonsense about redeeming myself and whatnot." She smiled again. "The irony isn't lost on me, by the way."

"What? I didn't even notice." Ben mirrored her grin. "But give it a try. God knows I need to visit Elena soon... if you let me."

"I'm not that possessive, Ben," Hope smirked. "I know you have no interest in her. But you wouldn't mind I tagged along, I reckon."

"I would never mind your company." He leaned forward on his seat. "You always make my day brighter."

"You made my life brighter..." The look she gave him was mesmerizing. "I couldn't live on if I didn't have your company."

"You're overstating it, Hope."

"I'm not." She insisted. "I was in the hole, Ben. I didn't have a home anymore; I was alone, and no one would help me. I was always so sarcastic at first, but I hated the possibility of you getting tired of me and... ditching me. Letting me to rot."

"I wouldn't-"

"It'd be understandable if you did." She cut him off. "I was... I still am obnoxious at times-"

"That's not remotely true." Ben had to disagree with her opinion. "You're always awesome to be around."

"I'm trying to be better, dear." Now her eyes seemed lost. "It's a bumpy road; I know it to be. One's path towards something better is never easy. But I'm trying so hard-"

"You're doing a wonderful job."

She gave him a tiny smile. "Thank you. If anything, I'm doing it for you. I don't want to slip back into the prison that was my mind before we met."

"That's why I'm not letting you kill or torture Darkstar." Ben's tone was dead serious. "We're gonna capture him and deliver him to the Plumbers. Revenge kills and sickens the soul."

"What a deep statement from such a shallow teenager." Hope played around. "But I get your point... I just find it hard to justify keeping people like Michael alive..."

"Hope..." Ben braced himself for the harsh word that would exit his mouth. "Not everyone deserves or wants redemption... but think of how you were, for as long as I knew you, a terrible villain. One that tried and succeeded in killing us... who was both a tyrant and mad... but now we're here, and together, can you believe it?"

"Yes, I... I was terrible. But it also allows me to see exactly who doesn't want such redemption."

"Then we try to lock them away." Ben insisted. "It's not my job to be an executioner, we talked about this.

Slowly, Hope nodded, but it seemed like she was still in deep thought. "Are you happy, Ben?"

"Huh?" That came out of nowhere. "If I'm happy?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Hope..." He chuckled incredulously. "I'm the happiest guy in the world. I have a beautiful and powerful girlfriend. I feel like I'm in control of my life again, and I'm finally over a lot of torment. I'm not sad Servantis or Zs'Skayr are permanently dealt with, if I gotta be honest."

"Of course... I'm happy too... You made me truly happy... I can't thank you enough, my dear..."

"Don't need to thank me, Hope." Ben smiled warmly. "But I would love a kiss or two."

Hope laughed softly. "I never imagined it... that I'd have a happy ending."

"Are we in the end, though?" Ben tilted his head. "I feel like it's only the beginning."

"Yes, of course. But unless something terrible happens, I don't see us drifting apart. Truly."

"I... I agree." Having been in previous relationships, in the beginning it was like nothing could separate him and Julie, him and Ester, him and Kai... but for the first time he felt like it was more than just him being completely charmed for them... it felt like his relationship with Hope could withstand the test of time. "I wouldn't wish for nothing else than to be with you for as long as possible."

Hope nodded, a curl of her white hair falling near her neck. "Can you tell me something, Ben...?"

"Of course I can."

The witch took a deep breath, preparing herself. "Do you... Do you love me?"

Did he love her?

Two months together wasn't a lot, but it was also enough to realize if it was just a crush, an admiration, and nothing else. Even if there was physical passion, emotiona or attraction... eventually it would wear off. Like he once felt about Elena. But with Hope, he just said he wanted to stay with her as much time as possible... maybe that would entail marrying her, having kids. Maybe. Ben was still scared about the idea of children.

But they were so young... They had so much to live for, so many reasons to fully appreciate the world together.

Ben didn't need to think twice.

"Yes, Hope... I love you."

The words couldn't have garnered a more positive effect on his girlfriend. She beamed with affection, smiling widely at him. And Ben smiled back.

"I love you too, hero."

I wanted to wrap the story up, but it isn't the end of things. I'm considering writing a sequel, perhaps to tie the loose ends I left on the story like the Incursean-Tetramand war, Rook on Petropia, Michael, and other plot points that might be explored. Do tell me if you'd want to see that, I will take somewhat of a break from Ben 10, but if you guys want a sequel, a sequel will come eventually. But this concludes Ben and Hope's getting together act. It's been a fun journey writing a couple that'd never be canon, and I appreciate all the support. Do follow my profile if you fancy HP and PJO. For now, that's all, thank you for reading this!