Distant

Max had been a soldier for most of his life, both in the military and for the Plumbers. As a young man growing up in the Cold War era, he'd never imagined that there could be anything more frightening than a nuclear bomb. They were just so powerful, being capable of leveling entire cities, that his young mind could not conceive of any force beyond it. It was terrifying, but it also gave him a sense of safety. No matter how bad the aliens got, they had the bigger stick.

That was until he had to use one on an Vilgax; and it didn't even kill it.

Since that time, he'd learned that Vilgax, while highly dangerous, was far from the worst. He and his comrades had fought against the horrors of deep space, from the most benign but out of place Nosedeenian on one end to galactic warlords on the other. But there was no fighting the eldritch abominations the size of entire star systems that drifted between galaxies. You just kept you head down and prayed they never found you.

Max had seen plenty of his squad-mates (and later his subordinates) struggle with both the knowledge of their insignificance in the universe as well as the tangible dangers Plumber work put them in. He'd seen men break in their first week or after twenty years. It did not matter; in due time, the nightmares would come for all of them. Rose had been his light through that darkness, but not everyone was so lucky.

Which was why it broke his heart to see the gaze of veteran soldiers stare back at him through the eyes of his grandchildren.

They hadn't told him what happened on their mission to stop the omnitrix from exploding, but Max knew the signs of someone recovering from a brush with the reaper, as well as he knew the signs of survivors guilt. Gwen struggled with one, Ben with the other. And that was probably just the tip of the iceberg.

The kids were stronger than he could ever have imagined, though. They'd found strength in their bond, now stronger than ever, and he could not be happier for them. And he'd be lying if he said that waking up to find the two of them a mess of tangled limbs in one of their bunks wasn't heartwarming in and of itself.

Their parents were going to love the pictures he'd snapped of that.

For his part, Max knew how to deal with traumatized people. Make sure they have a social safety net (the kids fulfilled that role for each-other better than he ever could). Don't rush them, let them set the pace. Make sure their environment was consistent and that it was normal. And be there in the event that they wanted to talk.

All of these things he could provide in spades, and while they did not heal, they at least learned to smile again in the weeks since they returned. He provided the stability, they provided each other with support. It was working, slowly, but it was. It was good.

But summer was ending.

The RV parked itself on the sidewalk of a familiar house. Sitting in the passenger's seat, Gwen closed her eyes and took a fortifying breath. It's time. And if she just kept repeating that to herself, she might actually learn to accept it.

"We're here sweety." Grandpa said, eyes distant. He wasn't keen on this either. "I'll go greet Ben's parents, can you wake him up for me?" Gwen smiled gratefully at her grandfather. An opportunity to say goodbye in privacy. Sometimes, grandpa Max was just the best.

"Yeah," she started, throat dry as a desert. "I'll go do that." Unclasping her seat belt, she began to move the RV while she heard grandpa move out the door behind her, only to quickly spin around and embrace the man. She could feel his deep laugh vibrate all through her as she laid on his chest. They hadn't had a good hug in a few weeks, and Gwen could not for the life of her remember why that was.

"Thanks grandpa." For the trip. For taking care of them. For loving them.

Grandpa went to one knee so they were of a height with each-other and embraced her back, her head tucked under his chin. "It was my pleasure sweety. I'll see you soon." He broke the embrace so he could look her in the eye. "And I love you, never forget that." Gwen blinked back tears, not really understanding why his words made her feel so emotional. He'd said them often.

Maybe she'd just needed to hear.

Grandpa rose, knees popping, and he grinned down at her. She could see where Ben got it in that moment. "Now go grab your cousin." With that he turned to walk out the RV door, but not before tossing a final bit of advice over his shoulder. "And don't forget to tell him that you care."

Gwen nodded and she stood still in the middle of the Rustbucket for a moment after Max had left. Colored orange and red by the light of the slowly setting sun, the place still felt like home, more so than the memory of her own room did. She missed it already.

Moving past the kitchen, lounge area and the cots, she found something she'd miss even more: Ben sleeping at the back of the RV, the same evening light spilling over his small frame. Like the RV, she took a moment to take him in. He was still wearing his lucky clothes, though at her insistence he'd started washing them more often at least. And shower more than twice a week. For all that he looked peaceful lying there, his brows were furrowed and he was twitching with discomfort. She walked over and settled herself next to his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"No, please- it should've been me, it should've been me-"

Gwen closed her eyes, her heart going out to him. She knew this nightmare all too well. She leaned down and placed her forehead against his, lingering till she felt him calm. When she pulled back, foggy green eyes met her own.

The look in them told her that he needed no explanation, but she provided one anyway to fill the silence. "Time to get up. You're home." She told him. Ben closed his eyes again, his face scrunching, and shook his head.

"No, I'm not." He whispered but got up all the same. She watched him stretch and stand, her heart racing as the prospect of him leaving came closer. She reached out for him but he stepped away, towards a small storage compartment that grandpa Max had hidden all over the RV and pulled out a device.

Coming back over, he held the burner phone out to her, silently. She took it, but raised an eyebrow in question.

"I upgraded it in the last few days." Ben explained. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an identical phone, flipping it open to reveal a contact list of two: 'Grandpa Max' and 'Dweeb extraordinaire.' She snorted and opened her own phone to find that her contact list referred to him 'The magnificent Ben 10'. She snorted harder.

"I didn't know you even knew the word 'magnificent'." she teased. Ben grinned in response, cheeky as the day summer began. It didn't quite reach his eyes.

"There's no call costs or anything. You tap either of us, you get connected. Gramps has one too, obviously."

Gwen nodded in understanding. An emergency phone. "That'll come in handy next time its ever Hero time." She remarked. He nodded and put his phone away, picking up his bag and moving towards the door. She followed after pocketing her own device. Once at the door though, right before rounding the corner, he halted and turned back to her.

She came to a stop right before him, close enough to see the veins in the whites of his eyes, and saw the same question on his face that she'd been asking herself for weeks. How are we going to do this without the other? Were they just going to back to never seeing each-other again? Or only seeing each other once in a while for family gatherings or Hero time? Could they even, considering the way they were now?

Ben took a deep breath and hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder. His mouth moved silently for a few seconds before he averted his eyes again, his movements tense. "I better… go. Call me-" he said, gesturing vaguely to the pocket that carried her new phone.

"I know." She picked up for him, averting her eyes to the floor as well. "I'll call you if an alien shows up, we'll kick its butt."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to meet his gaze again; this time there was determination, that stubborn conviction that always made her feel safe. Funny, how within the span of a minute they could go from her comforting to him, to him steadying her.

"Call me," he repeated, giving her shoulder a light shake for emphasis. "When you need me." The silence that followed was no silence at all, not to her. She heard everything that he couldn't bring himself to say.

Call me, if you're in trouble.

Call me, if you can't sleep.

Call me, if you need to talk.

Call me, if you stub your toe and need to swear for a bit.

Call me. It doesn't matter why.

Of course he didn't say any of that. Why would he, if she heard him all the same?

Ben lasted three hours before the fear found him, and the guilt.

His parents were asking about his trip and he was regaling tales of his many adventures in things like shopping malls and tourist traps, as well as the hazards of being on the road in general.

"And then grandpa Max rounded the bend and BAM! There was a herd of sheep in the middle of the road!" Ben exclaimed enthusiastically, to the amusement of his parents.

"So, what happened next? Lambs meat for dinner?" Sandra asked, to which her husband rolled his eyes.

"Wouldn't put it past my dad." He muttered.

Ben snickered. "Nah, he hit the brakes so hard the Gwen fell off the couch in the back of the Rustbucket and rolled all the way to the kitchen. It was hilarious!"

Their parents sighed and facepalmed at the boy's perception of 'humor', but they grinned fondly, if a little long-suffering. "At least no one got seriously hurt, right?" Sandra asked behind hand.

"No mom we were all-" Ben cut himself off, eyes going wide and all the joy leaking from his face. "...fine." He finished, eyes going down to the dinner table, where his arms lay folded before him. He eyed the dial of the omnitrix, and for a split second he thought he saw orange and red light in the green display. His mind snapped back to the pain of its periodic pulses and the sound of roots scraping over each-other.

His ears rang, his heart sped up and he was overwhelmed by the feeling that he needed to get the accursed thing off as quickly as possible. There's gotta be a lock or something, or its stretches, something, anything!

Distantly he heard someone shout his name, but he only realized that both his parents had been calling out to him when they had both gotten up and grabbed him, his father by the shoulders and his mother keeping his hands apart.

"Ben! Stop hurting yourself!" Sandra yelled, tears streaming down her face.

Hurt-? I didn't- Looking down at the omnitrix again he saw that his wrist around it was a mess of scratches, some of them leaking blood. But the omnitrix was still in its place.

Ben leaped up from his chair, knocking both his parents away in the sudden movement, his char falling to the floor with a loud bang. Panting, bloody fingers reached for his face and found it wet before his fingers got there. Looking at his parents, seeing the confusion and fear for him in every inch of their posture and expression, Ben knew he had to get away now.

"I'll- I'll go and clean it up." He explained before racing out of the room and up the stairs before his parents could stop him, breath coming in fast pants and his heart beating faster than XLR8 could run. He all but stumbled across the hallway, going straight past the bathroom where he should've grabbed the first-aid kit, as he pushed open his bedroom door and slammed it behind him. Spotting his new phone lying on his desk, he pounced on it and flipped it open, selecting Gwen's number as soon as it popped up.

She answered on the second ring. "Are you alright Ben?" She asked, sounding about as miserable as he felt. Falling back on the bed (too large, was his bed always this huge? He felt like he was going to drown in it), he took steadying breaths. She's fine, I'm fine. His silence unnerved Gwen though, as her voice filled with fear. "Ben?"

"Why does there have to be anything wrong for me to want to talk to my favorite cousin?" He asked teasingly, voice still watery. The answering snort she gave him was so easy to imagine that he could all but see her roll her eyes.

"I'm your  only  cousin, doofus." She informed him, curtly, but there was a gentleness in her voice that told him she knew exactly how frail he was right now.

He swallowed, mouth dry. "What about Lucy?"

"She's twice removed. Doesn't count."

That brought a genuine smile to his face. Gwen being sassy was familiar, and comfortable, territory. "Ouch. Someone's jealous she didn't get to be the flower girl."

"Was there anything you wanted, Ben?" She snapped, but there was no heat in it.

He was silent for a moment, staring up at his ceiling. Somehow it had become as strange to him as the occasional hotel they'd sleep in if grandpa wanted to spoil them a little on the road. He wondered if Gwen felt the same about her own room.

"...how're you doing dweeb?" He asked. And wasn't that a loaded question if ever he asked one. They'd gotten so used to conveying their feelings with touches and looks, it felt strange to actually verbalize it. It made it feel too real.

Gwen seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he could hear her swallow on the other end of the line. She did answer though. "I'm… okay. My mom's keeping me busy, pestering me to plan for all the clubs and events she wants me to pick up again." At the start of the summer she'd loved all those things. She sounded like she'd rather eat a shoe right now. He could sympathize with that.

"Tiger mom is at it again." He asserted, wincing. The sigh he got for it was tired, but not angry.

"It's better than doing nothing." She grumbled. Ben didn't respond. After a long moment of silence, Gwen spoke up.

"I have to go Ben. My mom's giving me suspicious looks, and I can't give her a reason to take the phone." She drew in a deep breath. When she spoke up next, her voice was clearer. "We'll see each-other Friday when grandpa comes over to show of all the pictures. You'll be fine till then?"

Ben swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry. He glanced at his still bleeding wrist. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn't be fine, that he needed her with him. That he wasn't going to be able to sleep without her there. That he'd rather duke it out with Vilgax as just Ben than having to wait four days to see her again. That he missed her.

Instead he said "Of course! I'm a hero remember? I can manage anything."

Gwen didn't snicker, or scoff, or shoot him down. Instead she replied with a smile in her voice. "I know you are."

Ben was glad she couldn't see his face turn red across the phone. "Uhm, goodnight, Gwen."

"Night Ben. And..." She hesitated for a second, but soldiered on anyway. "You know that I care about you, right?"

Ben's spirit lifted and his resolve hardened. "I guess you're tolerable, for a total nerd queen."

Gwen's frustrated groan was music to his ears. "Forget I said anything. Sleep tight you ingrate-"

"I care about you too. And-" He swallowed. In for a penny… "I miss you."

Gwen's silent was not an awkward one this time. Instead, it felt like the silences they'd share after a hard day on the road, the sort in which they didn't need words, only touch. Lacking that, he'd settle for the sound of her breathing on the end of the line. He didn't know what that said about him, that just that soft sound was enough to calm his nerves.

"Hey, doofus," she started in a whisper. He leaned in to hear her better. "I'm going to prepare for bed, but when I'm in there do you want, I don't know, call again? We- we don't have to talk, just..."

"...yeah, sounds good. Half an hour?"

"Half an hour." She affirmed and the line went dead.

Staring at the phone for a long second, his gaze shifted to his bloodied left arm. He sighed and walked over to his bedroom door, opening it. His mother stood before it, first-aid kit in hand. She looked unsure of what to do.

"We heard you talking and figured you'd want privacy..." Sandra started, eyes worried.

Ben smiled a watery smile and raised his wrist. "Can you… can you help me bandage this?" He hadn't felt this much of a kid in months. It was nice in his own way.

His mother wasted no time disinfecting the wound, bandaging it and giving him hugs and kisses whenever she saw a chance to. He squirmed and protested but relished the love none-the-less. His father hovered in the background, smiling encouragingly, but with a gaze that told him that this was not over. But they'd wait for him, Ben knew. His mother wasn't a control freak like Gwen's, and sometimes his father had so much of grandpa in him that he honestly forgot who he was talking too.

They'd give him time.

When his wounds were cleaned, he prepared for bed, bid his parents goodnight and went to bed. She spent the remainder of the evening with his phone beside his pillow, whispering with Gwen about everything and nothing until he drifted off to the sound of her breathing getting heavier.

It wasn't a permanent solution, but it was enough for now.