Chapter 5 – Real

Mount Rushmore; South Dakota; January 20th, 2010; 11:46PM.

Gwen spent the entire day trying not to get lost in the halls and corridors that ran through out the base which surrounded her but, when Max showed them around a bit, she found there were individual rooms for each of them and more. Each room was bare aside from a bed only slightly larger than the Rustbucket's bunk and a single dresser for clothes but, she only had two different outfits so she would just put her current day clothes to wash and dry while she showered which was the only other thing in the room along with the toilet.

She laid awake staring up at the ceiling, the silence was deafening and keeping her eyes closed was pointless as she'd gotten ready for bed an hour ago; she knew if she could hear his heartbeat that she could be asleep in a matter of minutes but, there was no good reason for them to sleep together. Gwen curled up and grabbed a pillow, leaning her against it and tracing the cotton with her fingers, she wasn't sure if she should even risk sneaking around Grandpa as he always had an eye for things like that. He already got suspicious with one day on the Rustbucket with the doofus, if she caught them sleeping together again it would mean answering questions she wasn't prepared for. Realizing she'd never get to sleep, she sat up in bed, wearing her second outfit, a pair of pajama's she'd bought while out shopping the morning prior, they didn't reveal much but they were thin, teal, and silky smooth yet it still didn't compare to his warm chest; she turned frustratedly and placed her bare feet on the cold metal floors, taking a deep breath to collect herself, Gwen stood and walked over to her door pressing her hand against a pad beside the door with no handle, which slid open as her handprint turned green.

She peeked her head out into the corridor, turning to look in either direction, and proceeding to tip toe through the hall as quietly as possible to tap on the door adjacent to hers, the one Ben had taken up refuge in earlier that day, "Psst…" she knocked on it a few more times a bit louder but, heard nothing from inside, not even a shuffle, however; a loud clanking was slightly muffled but still echoing from down the hall to her right.

When Magister Trinity and Max gave them the tour, they showed them each of the facilities including but not limited to the training room which used hard-light hologram environmental simulators akin to Tetrax's only with armed drones and realistic virtual projections. Gwen walked down the hall slowly as she heard another loud clanking, and possibly a small concussive explosion which she picked up her pace at the sound of. Reaching the end of the hall there was a set of sliding double-doors where beyond was the simulated environment, on a screen embedded in the wall above her while in use, she saw right above the door a projection of everything he was doing in the simulation.

He was using his newest transformation, which he had dubbed Big Chill, to fight off three Pyronite's each with identical flaming skulls and volcanic rock for skin; she approached the screen as he she watched him fight in awe, sometimes it almost amazed her how quickly he got the hang of these new aliens. Plus, she'd gotten so used to his powers that when she looked at any of his aliens, no matter how many faces he changed into ten or ten thousand, she could only see him…

…

Big Chill was in a humid, jungle environment surrounded by trees, vines, and flora as three hot headed Heatblast's came from each direction on foot, using his intangibility only worked to a certain degree when dealing with intense blasts of heat coming from every angle; he dipped and weaved through the air with his wings, gracefully dodging their individual blasts of fire. It was noticeable that Ben's transformation was far more physically fit than the specimen he scanned, with his wings spread out he revealed a body far leaner with no hunch and an eight-pack unlike Magister Trinity but, still shared his thin build and bug-eyes along with all of his abilities.

He inhaled and blasted one of them with a wave of cold as his breath met a pillar of flames colliding in an explosion of steam that masked the area, it took a bit of effort but, Big Chill focused and pushed even harder as his breath turned into a bright-blue beam, over powering the Pyronite and freezing him solid.

The Heatblast-copy's body heat intensified before exploding outward melting his confinement and, sending chunks of ice out around him when Big Chill landed on of the chunks phased through his body and he barely noticed, they all cupped their hands before blasting him with waves of heat simultaneously, he turned on his heels sending an explosion of cold out in the form of a bright blue beam which he exhaled toward the ground at his feet causing a massive burst of pressurized frozen air to release omnidirectionally. The three blasts of fire were stopped and dispersed as the Pyronites were sent flying back, hitting some trees and landing in bushes; all three of their heads were smoldering as the fire had gone out and it began to snow around them. The entire jungle around them had been completely frozen over, including the ground.

Big Chill phased through the top of the ice-burg he'd created atop his enemies and floated into the air, "End simulation!" he shouted as he lowered himself through the air and the massive life-like jungle around him vanished, leaving him in a large metallic room with silver shuttering and advanced hologram projectors in every corner.

He touched down and slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, an explosion of green light revealed Diamondhead stepping out and approaching the control center on the other end of the room by the exit, "One more time… this time maybe Vilgax in a city… or…" he was talking to himself until the door behind him slid open revealing Gwen standing with her arms folded and her hips tilted.

"Or a bed with a lullaby and a night light?" She teased as she took a step forward, noticing that Diamondhead no longer wore his suit with a vertical black and white divide, instead; his torso was covered by a sleeveless black top with white pants from the waist down… just like Ben Ten Thousand… "What happened to Diamondhead's suit?"

Diamondhead scoffed, without turning around he knew it was her and didn't need the distraction, not when he had to get stronger, not while that Knight was still out there, "It happened when I recalibrated the data on the Omnitrix's codon connection… I don't a hundred percent remember what that means but, Greymatter did so…" he continued to type into the training program console with his thick fingers, taking care not to break anything as she tapped her foot.

She tried to shake it off, tried not to think about what that meant for the future, "You need to get sleep, you can't train all night long."

"Says you, I have to keep training… If I'm going to stop that Knight, I need…" he trailed off looking away.

Gwen looked down as she stepped into the room with the metal plating being even colder than the rest of the base, at least they had air conditioning and heaters in here; she walked up to him and rounded the giant walking chandelier, looking up into his yellow pupils, "It's the middle of the night, you need rest. You don't have to keep working yourself to the bone like this…"

Diamondhead didn't make eye contact with her, he stopped and looked out at the room as his crystals audibly shifted with every movement, "Yes, I do," he took a few steps forward, passing her entirely as he approached the center of the room, "That Japanese Forever Knight would have beaten me if we'd stayed on that street, he would have killed us both."

"Is that what has you so wound up?" Gwen chuckled and turned around, facing the vast empty room aside from Ben standing in front of her, "Well, you were smart, you thought faster than Grandpa in strategy, and I'm sure you could have-"

Diamondhead turned around, shouting down at her, "You don't get it!" He noticed that she'd backed up a bit, frowning at him as he hurt her feelings, "I don't care that I might have lost another fight, I'm terrified that I might've lost you agai-" he stopped himself, turning around and clearing his throat, "Never mind, forget it."

Gwen stomped her foot on the metal plating, "Benjamin Kirby, you better finish that sentence if you're going to yell at me for no reason! What do you mean again?"

He folded his crystalline arms across his chest, looking down at the ground with a bit of shame, "There's no point in trying to sleep, I'll just have another nightmare…"

Raising her brow, she leaned back a bit, "You have nightmares about… losing me?" it was incredibly sweet and something she had no idea he had an issue with, it was downright flattering.

"It's stupid… just forget I said anything about it," Diamondhead turned back to the buttons and dials that ran the simulator and started setting up a city battle scene; Gwen tapped her index fingers together nervously before taking a few steps toward him, reaching her hand out.

"How long have you been having them?"

"A week or two, I guess?"

"Is it something I did?"

"No!" Diamondhead shouted in frustration and approached the control center again, Gwen following him and coming from behind.

"We'll figure it out together," she noted as her petite hand reached out and grabbed his bulky, crystal arm, wrapping her hand around one of his thick diamond-fingers, "What do you have nightmares about exactly?"

He sighed and let go of her hand, turning away from the panel as well, "I have the same dream that you're being dragged down into those pits on Xenon, when we were finding Azmuth and those plants took you I thought you were…" if he had tear ducts, his eyes would water over but, he just glanced down at the ground in shame, "The closer I get to you the more I realize I need to protect you… and when I close my eyes I see my worst fears come to life, I'd rather be in here getting ready for the next fight…" Diamondhead turned and shook his head, starting to fiddle with the panel again as Gwen put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"What about the night before last night? When we slept in the Rustbucket… did you have a nightmare then?" She didn't look up at him because then he would see her beet-red face as he stopped and blinked.

"I guess not…" he responded.

"Well… if you want, I mean…" Gwen stuttered and pulled her hand away, looking down at her feet which she nervously tapped together, "What if I kept you company tonight? You know… to help you fall asleep," he noticed that she was playing with her hair and her cheeks were turning red the longer he stood staring silently.

He was shaken from his thoughts by the warning alarm beeping from his Omnitrix which signaled a red flash of light and an explosion of energy as Ben returned to his normal self; "I should keep training…" he responded as he turned away but, he wasn't expecting her to grab his arm and pull him away from the control panel.

"Remember what I said about thinking about yourself for a change…? About being selfish for once? Come spend the night with me," she finished her sentence with a bright blush, looking away with an embarrassing smile that she tried her best to hide, "Please?"

How could he possibly say no to that face now? Her glittering emerald eyes were almost identical to his own but, when he saw them in her and not a mirror, he was transfixed by them; suddenly he'd do anything to make her feel better and he could tell it wasn't just something he needed but, something she wanted.

"Alright," He surrendered with a half-smile as her face lit up and grabbed his hand dragging him out of the room with a giggle echoing through the chambers.

"C'mon!"

Lying down with her was like having a warm body-sized pillow that curled up and wrapped itself around you only she felt much better, curling her leg around his as though she were a snake with her arm on his abdomen and her head nestled into his chest so she could hear that heartbeat, that sweet lullaby she'd almost gotten used to entirely.

"See?" Gwen whispered as she grazed her fingers up his chest from outside of his shirt, "This is better already…" her voice sounded droopy which made him happy because he knew she wasn't offering for his sake alone, it was pretty clear she needed help falling asleep too. Suddenly, he was able to rest as he felt her head right over his heart, he closed his eyes and the nightmares were gone because she was here, she was right here, and she was safe with him. It was peace of mind he didn't know he needed as he brushed her growing hair that seemed to get a tad longer every day, his warm hands caressing her scalp made it impossible to stay away as she was finally able to sleep.

Ben was almost asleep himself, surprisingly it felt like she was a security blanket of some-kind, but better because blankets didn't make the cutest squeak ever when they yawned or give him the most endearing looks during sparing matches. He couldn't explain it even if he tried, it was just an amazing feeling having her close as he couldn't help but place a kiss on her forehead, falling asleep himself. Even though he couldn't see it, her lips curved into a smile as she nestled closer to him and when the comforting texture of her head snuggled into him, he was out like a light.

…

Ben woke up in bed, at home in his room, where he quickly realized he was late for something important; he got dressed as well as he could, combed his hair, changed his clothes, and even sprayed some of the cologne he knew she would like.

Dinner was soon as he couldn't be late for his date, he popped the dial to the Omnitrix, turning the dial until he landed on XLR8, slapping the watch transformed him and from the emerald light a black and blue blur burst through, zipping through the house and into the street at mach ten.

He passed a flower stand, picking up a bouquet of roses and leaving money in the jar to pay for it all in a single microsecond; as the papers and loose items from the stand were sent flying from the gust of wind his speed generated. XLR8 ran with grace up the side of a building, arriving, and exploding with a flash of green light as Ben stepped from the glow holding a ruined bouquet as the speed had shredded them, "Hey," he announced as he arrived at a rooftop restaurant, lights twinkling in the background as other people were served, eating, and conversing.

The one shining jewel out of them all, Gwen was wearing a bright-blue blouse under a crop-top jean jacket with white jeans and shoes but, she had her hair up in a pony-tail; she was stunning as he approached her with the ruined flowers, "Wow, you shouldn't have…" she giggled loudly, covering her mouth partially, "No, you really shouldn't've," her giggle gave him goosebumps somehow as she grabbed them and looked them over.

"It looked like I may have been going a bit too fast," Ben chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her neck, their faces close but, it didn't seem to bother either of them, "I'm sure I'll find a way to make it up to you," his warm smile was contagious as she laughed.

"I bet you will…"

Ben sighed looking around at the glittering night-sky and then back to her, "You know, for the past few years I've been feeling pretty unlucky…"

Gwen gave him a heart-warming smile, confident in herself as always, leaning back as if referring to herself, "And now?"

He smiled down at her as their lips only got closer and closer to closing the gap between them, "It feels like I've been struck my lightning in the same place twice," as they were about to seal the moment with a kiss… a sudden gust of speed zipped by him as Gwen was pulled from his arms by Six-Six who appeared behind her, holding an energy pistol to her head as Vilgax floated up from the side of the building, appearing to be standing on some sort of hovering craft.

"You kept from me something I desired, now I will take from you what you desire most!" He snarled as Six-Six tossed her back over the ledge, falling thirty-stories as Ben screamed running to edge of the roof to watch as she hit the-

…

Mount Rushmore; South Dakota; January 21st, 2010; 3:46AM.

Ben woke with a cold sweated gasp, sitting up and almost screaming but, looking around the room he quickly realized it was all in his head as his breathing only got heavier, he wiped his brow and realized he was perspiring; Gwen was safe and next to him, sleeping soundly as she'd shifted in the night but, he didn't wake her up so that was a win in his book.

His nightmares weren't getting any better and now even having her safe in his arms, where he could look down and reach out, caressing her cheek, knowing she was okay the threat of the future was still imminent but, she could take care of herself. It didn't make him feel any better as he laid back down and held his hand on his chest, trying to settle his nerves. Staring up at the ceiling and sighing, Ben smiled warmly when Gwen gave out her squeak of a yawn and change positions to wrap an arm around his waist, hugging him tightly. At least one of them was getting a good night's sleep.

He tried his best to focus on getting rest and hoped he wouldn't have another bad dream before morning, however close to morning it was, he couldn't tell; trying not to focus on the images that plagued his mind, of violence, an inevitable danger always looming. The feeling that something terrible could happen at any moment and it would be his fault just for wearing the watch in the first place.

It was safe to say he didn't get much rest, no matter how many times he managed to fall asleep and wake up staring at the same ceiling, with the same comforts.

…

Mount Rushmore; South Dakota; January 21st, 2010; 9:58AM.

Ben eventually did manage to get to sleep but, was woken up by something touching his nose… he tried to swat it away but it giggled at him and poked his nose again until he decided to open his eyes where Gwen was directly on top of him, looking up at him from under the blanket, still partially resting on his chest.

"He's awake!" she shouted in a soft voice, having just woken up herself, celebrating as he groaned at her.

Gwen scoffed as his hands moved to rub his eyes, and she rested her ear back down on his widening chest, listening to his heart beat just a bit more, she noticed his muscles were firmer and stronger every day as they both grew so fast, "I am now, thanks to you, dweeb."

"Don't be a sour puss," her hair spread out across his chest as she dug her head into his shoulder, inevitably tickling him as she deliberately brushed her nose and lips up against his neck giving him goosebumps; he chuckled uncontrollably grabbing her by her petite waist in retaliation, pulling her over onto the other side of the bed, her back against the wall.

"Don't do that or I'll do this," he pinned and mounted her reaching for her sides as he tickled her into a fit of giggling and begging for mercy, she squirmed underneath him as she tried to speak through the laughter, "There is no mercy for those who tickle and get tickled!" Gwen tried fighting him off but, he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them to the bed as their laughter subsided, they realized he was on top of her, in his boxers, inches from her face, their hearts beating so fast already.

Their cheeks simultaneously heated up sending crimson out across their faces, "I-I…" Gwen tried to say something but, the closer he got to her the less she had to say as if her mind had stopped needing to work; her eyes slid shut slowly as she pursed her lips and he lowered his face.

Their lips brushed up against one another so softly at first, they weren't sure if they were actually kissing or not for the first second or two, then it became a bit more clear when Gwen leaned up into it, deepening it for the next few seconds before pulling away. Leaving them both stunned and obviously incredibly red, Ben pulled away his arms as he noticed he was still pinning her, setting her free before leaning back.

"T-That was our first-" he stuttered.

Gwen touched her lips lightly as her face was steaming hot, "We just…" she felt her heart beating out of her chest as she thought of the word.

"Kissed," they said simultaneously… he backed away slowly as they both sat upright on the bed, facing each other.

There was a pause as Gwen didn't know what to do so she instinctively fixed her hair for a moment, taking a hair tie and wrapping her hair into a ponytail as one of her bangs hung at the right side of her face.

"Uhm, did you happen to feel a… I don't know how to describe it…" Gwen muttered the last part as she touched her index fingers together, something he knew she always did when she was nervous or anxious.

"Spark?" Ben asked as he stood up, facing away as he adjusted his shirt and grabbed his pants, pulling them up and zipping his fly.

Gwen held her hand out, gesturing to him, "Yea, exactly that a… spark," she asked nervously looking around the room as he rounded the bed and sat on the bunk next to her, at angles she couldn't yet see his face in, "If you didn't, I get it… I mean I don't know what I expected," her voice was all too clear in intention as Ben read her like a book, he turned with a smile which caused her to blush harder.

"Sorry, I just don't know," Ben said, even with that goofy smile on his face, the one she loved and couldn't get enough of; she blinked at him as her expression shifted from disappointment to confusion just before he finished his sentence, "I think I'll have to try again to make up my mind…"

"Wha-?" Gwen squealed as he tackled her back first into the bed, mounting her hips once again and pressing his lips up against hers softly for just a few seconds, so she melted into his kiss while she had the chance, wrapping her arms around his neck. He tasted her chapstick which had a hint of strawberries in it, it was heavenly as she tilted her head to deepen the passionate kiss further.

As they separated again, he sat up and swung his leg off of her, nodding to himself, "Fireworks…" he chuckled as he dusted his hands off jokingly, she reached up and grabbed him, pulling him down into the bed giving her the leverage she needed to stand up, giggling as she did; when she turned around it was hard for her to hide her heated cheeks and uncontrollable grin.

"I felt it too…" she said, hugging her arms.

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, sitting up in her bed as she stood in front of him; "Does that mean that this is… real?"

Gwen gave him a longing smile that warmed his heart, nodding at him as she tightened her hands around her arms, "I think it does…" she shrugged trying to act normal.

Ben smiled, patting his legs, "Good."

A simple expression that meant the world to her, hearing him say that, seeing his smile widen when she confirmed it; it's not like anything had changed but, the idea of denying it as just odd flirting was out the window, whatever they were, it was real.

The moment was interrupted when a knocking came at the door, "Morning pumpkin, I'm waking you up so the three of us can talk strategy… are you already awake?" Grandpa shouted from outside the door.

Gwen waved frantically at Ben for him to stay quiet, fighting off laughter, "Yea! I'm awake!" she shouted.

"Great, let me go wake up your cousin then!" Max shouted through the hall as he walked away, toward the door right next door. His eyes widened as they immediately made eye contact with each other prompting him to move as quickly as possible.

Jumping out of her bed and grabbing his shoes, Ben slid them on and popped the dial on his Omnitrix at the same time as he slapped it and appeared in a flash of light as Big Chill, he nonchalantly turned around to face her, waving as he backed into and phased through the wall behind him into the room juxtaposed to hers that was supposed to be his, hearing the knocking from Grandpa already; he slapped the symbol on his chest as fast as he could with an explosion of light leaving him in his human form.

Another knock came, "Time to wake up, sport," Max announced, "We have Forever Knights to take down!" Gwen heard him echo from the other side as she knew he couldn't see her but, she held a hand over her heart and waved back… all she could think about were his lips and how soft they turned out to be.

"Right! I'm awake, I'll be out in a minute!" Ben shouted as he approached his untouched bed and fell back first into it; he let his breath settle as he processed the last fifteen minutes both his first and second kiss and it was with Gwen… the mega-dweeb, the giant nerd, the cutest, kindest, most understanding and accomplished person he knew… damn, he knew now she was right. This was getting real.

He stood up and approached the small closet they called a bathroom, staring into the mirror he realized so much had changed since he'd found the watch; the face he saw staring back at him was an unfamiliar one, eyes which once were filled with joy now only held apprehension and determination. The only time he felt anything at all was when she was around, no matter who she was, that had to mean something, didn't it? And yet, everything he ever grew up knowing told him it was wrong.

As Ben ran from an unjustified Government, which he'd saved more times than he could count, he found himself realizing how absurd the stigma around dating a Cousin was in the first place; in the U.K. it's perfectly legally to marry a Cousin, in Africa they even have a common saying 'Cousins are made for Cousins,' and Martin Ottenheimer, an American anthropologist, once said, "Humans have to define closeness, who is too close to marry and who isn't. But if that closeness is decided on the basis of wrongly interpreted genetics, then it is not justified."

It was fair to say, and only common sense, that after several heated moments with Gwen, he went online and did some research into the subject himself at home; while there was a lot of hate, he found one thing in common with most posts, blogs, articles, and theories… love is love. No matter what form it takes, if it's real love, it will find a way through the darkness regardless of how hard you or anyone else tries to snuff it out.

Perhaps it's what brought them together again in the first place, he certainly didn't plan on caring about her coming over, he hadn't seen her in years or known her in almost half a decade but, they just connected anyways. He couldn't quite explain it, and he wasn't sure how he would to anyone else but, he didn't need to yet; if there was anything he was good at, it was keeping secrets and procrastinating.

He shook his head and splashed his face with two hands full of cold water, turning the water off and drying his face; he looked into the mirror and realized he was still in the same black shirt that Grandpa had bought him the day before. And the same cargo pants that he always wore, also splattered with minor blood stains, and sweat. Suddenly, he cared about what Gwen saw him wearing… like an urge to look decent around her; he quickly raised a hand to feel his forehead making sure he didn't have a fever. He took a sniff of the shirt and recoiled, realizing he should have washed it but, why would he bother if he could transform and go out for a run?

…

Mount Rushmore; South Dakota; January 21st, 2010; 2:26PM.

Ben and Max stood at the helm of a large circular table with blue-glass which projected a massive holographic image of a globe out in front of them, spinning slowly as Gwen emerged from the hall to their left twenty minutes later completely dressed in her teal blouse and white jeans; tying her hair back into a pony tail again, she sported her Kevlar-Sleeve with her charms glowing ever so slightly on approach. When she looked up she noticed Ben had on a black hoodie with an emerald trim running across it, "Took you long enough, dweeb…" he gave her the same goofy smile she loved but, she only saw what he was wearing including new jeans and sneakers, nothing fancy but, it made a big difference to her for some reason. She couldn't put her finger on it but, it made her just a bit weak in the knees, he definitely cleaned up nicely and it suddenly had her questioning her whole outfit.

"Where did you get all that?" Gwen asked folding her arms and referring to his new threads, trying to suppress the heat that moved up into her cheeks; he didn't notice and just looked down with a smile, pulling it out and glancing over it.

"XLR8 decided to go shopping in a small town about eighty miles away, don't worry I moved too fast for cameras to even see me…" Ben's cheeks turned red when he made eye contact with her, immediately prompting her to blush back at him with a smile that could just melt. Neither could look away from the other's lips, his were so smooth and hers were so full, it was so wrong and yet it felt so right, "I-I'm sure Grandpa would give us a bit more money if you wanted me to pick you up something," once again finding himself rubbing the back of his neck.

Gwen didn't really respond; she was too flustered and only kicked invisible rocks at her feet when he offered as a minute or two passed and Grandpa took his attention away from the data on the hologram, glancing at them individually.

Max blinked as there was a long pause between the two with no context for him, "Did I miss something?" he asked putting his hands on his hips and looking between them as they shook themselves out of it.

"No! No, I just meant I'm sure doofus p-probably would get caught, I bet he stopped at a comic book store or something," Gwen tried giving her best to roast him but simply turned folding her arms and rubbing the sleeve he gifted her for comfort which she found herself doing more often lately. Max just raised his brow in response, Ben was going to respond but the situation seemed to resolve itself as Grandpa decided to proceed anyways.

"Let's get down to business then," Max announced as they both grew more serious expressions, focusing on his debrief, "Magister Trinity has a connection with an agent in the FBI who've been tracking the Forever Knights for years, they gave us a detailed list of locations across America that the Knights have been using to traffic alien technology," the globe zoomed in on the continental United States and dropped two dozen red pins across the maps, scattered across the entire country, "However, we've managed to pinpoint a single location that's had triple the amount of traffic than usual in the last six months; it's also the location directly connected to the purchase of the parasitic weapon I told you about," Max zoomed the map in on a single red dot over the state of New York, just three-hundred miles shy of his home-town of Bellwood, "In the small town of Santa Mira, a facility referred to on the books only as the Hatchery is where we'll find the heads running the Knight's operation."

Ben narrowed his eyes at the map and tightened his fist shouting, "They're in New York?!" Gwen and Grandpa glanced to him, slamming his palm on the table as he screamed it but, quickly regretting it as he looked over at her, clearing his throat and readjusting himself, "I mean, we have to drive all the way back?" he disguised his anger with annoyance.

Max was being generous with the odd behaviors as he wasn't sure exactly what to expect, he hadn't spent time with them in years and this was only day four so he didn't let it stop him, smiling and putting his hands back on his hips, "Well, unfortunately it seems that way but, the good news is we won't be driving back."

Gwen raised her brow, "What do you mean, Grandpa?"

He chuckled in response as he pulled a pair of silver keys from his pocket, dangling them in front of the two who took a few steps around the table to get a better look, "We've got access to plenty of extra-terrestrial air crafts here in the base, it'll only take us fifteen minutes at most to get there."

Gwen took only a few seconds to do the math in her head, giddily looking up at the man in awe, "You have vehicles here that can travel over mach ten?!" Ben could only smile as he watched her lips curve into a wide smile when Max nodded, she was still a nerd at heart.

"Comfortably," Grandpa responded as she squealed a bit in excitement.

Ben rolled his eyes with a half-smile and put his hands in the pockets of his new hoodie, "So, why don't you guys just drop me off and I'll go Way Big and just step on the place… problem solved."

"Problem not solved," Max corrected him and zoomed the hologram in by swiping his fingers intricately across the glass in front of him; the building in Santa Mira they were supposed to raid was isolated and guarded with the projection marking the exit and entry points, "We need to find out who they're supplier is, someone wants to sell these parasitic weapons and they wont stop at the Forever Knights…"

Ben smiled turning his glance to the building, "Alright fine, I'll use Upgrade to download all of their computer software into a drive and then I'll turn into Way Big and step on the building…"

Focusing on the projection more than anything else, Grandpa gestured his hands at it, "If you have to use force on them, that's fine but, we're still technically fugitives so we can't go and make a spectacle of ourselves…" Max reasoned as Gwen moved to back him up.

"Especially if people see a two-hundred foot tall walking doofus stepping on buildings, they'd have helicopters surrounding us like that," Gwen snapped her finger at him for emphasis, "We need to be covert, and I mean we, Ben," she was scolding him just like she used to but, there was something entirely different about it now; instead of giving a furious growl or sticking his tongue out and making noises at her to mock her, he just looked away with that half-smile he was still wearing, probably annoyed at her.

It wasn't until she saw the heat rising in his face that she realized he was only looking away because he was hiding the fact that he was blushing, "Obviously, we're partners…" he muttered as he shuffled his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

Gwen was taken aback for a second before smiling warmly back at him, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "G-Good!" she announced through her flustered tone, "Don't you forget it."

"We all need to be partners if this is going to work," Max corrected again as he finally took his eyes off the plans and gave his grandkids a serious expression, "If we mess this up, they'll relocate and it'll take the FBI months to find them again…"

Gwen could visibly notice the shift in Ben's expression as he looked up into the man's eyes, and then back to the holographic plans, his eyes scanning over the exit and entry points, "We should wait till nightfall, then go in through that north exit," he pointed up at it and the artificial intelligence in the hologram system highlighted it for them, "It seems to only have two guards protecting it at any given time after eleven 'o'clock, we can use that as an extraction point too since it faces the freeway exit," he lifted his finger to point directly at the adjacent highway which highlighted the exit for him.

Max raised a brow, a bit surprised to see his intuitive perspective take over so quickly; he had a keen eye for detail just like his grandfather, "That sounds like as good a plan as any, we'll call it midnight; after you two get in through the extraction point you'll need to go up a flight of stairs to your left, three stories until you reach a vault and a dead-end…" closing his eyes and turning back to Gwen, he gave a long sigh, "There's no telling how many guards with advanced tech they'll have strutting around, the facility itself is already massive."

Ben narrowed his eyes up at the image, "Don't worry, we'll handle it; you can quarterback us through from the Rustbucket, ready to bust in if you really need to," He was only partially lying as he knew the vehicle couldn't break through the defenses of the facility even in assault-mode but, Max was getting old and neither of the two could deny that it would be a good idea for him to hang back.

Gwen spoke up, "Ben, don't you think having him as back up could-"

Max interrupted her by shaking his head, "No, there's no sense in arguing it, as good as I might be… I'm getting old," he hated saying it out loud but, he was turning sixty-four in June and his last mission left him sore for weeks, he had to face facts, "And you two are in a league of your own, you've proven that much to me in these last few days…"

She smiled up at him with a nod, "Thanks Grandpa, we won't let you down."

"I'm still leveling the building," Ben cut through the nice moment a few seconds later with these words as he had his hands on the glass, staring up at the facility with infrared scans of the guards stalking around it; his glare narrowed as Gwen rounded the glass, getting closer to him slowly.

She chuckled nervously, "What do you mean?"

"I won't make a spectacle of it; no giant transformations or huge explosions but, that building is coming down… one way or another," He looked up at the image with visible anger she could tell he was holding back; while looking at the scans he only saw the Forever Knight that had haunted him for the better half of a week now, any time he felt a twinge of tightness in his back, he remembered that armored face-plate.

Max didn't know how to respond but, before he could come up with a reasonable explanation, his granddaughter cut in and put a hand on his shoulder just as she had done a day or two prior, the fire in his eyes instantly dying down as he turned from the image to look right into her eyes; she didn't say anything she just shook her head with a concerned expression, after a few seconds of silence, she spoke, "It would be less suspicious for everyone if we just took what we need from them and left as quietly as possible… please?" she gave him an endearing look but, one that affected him in a way he'd never seen in his sixty-years of life. Like she tethered him to reality when he drifted too far from the moral ground they're supposed to stand on when fighting crime as general heroes.

Normally, he'd expect Ben to lash out and give an argument on why it would be better to bring the place down to rubble and how it would be much easier that way but, instead he just took a long breath and exhaled, "Okay, quietly then."

Gwen smirked up at him, "My hero…" she whispered slightly into his ear, in a teasing singsong tone.

Blinking in astonishment at the absolute total flip in dynamic he was witnessing, Max was at a loss for words noticing clearly more than just cuddling during a movie night, it was deeper than that and anyone with eyes could see that, even his boys; clearly the kids were letting their guard down around him and hiding their behavior at home which was a good sign that he was reobtaining their trust but, pointing out the elephant in the room would only ruin that.

"Well, it looks like we have eight odd hours before we need to get into gear," Max dispersed the hologram and pulled out a drive that Magister Trinity gave him before pocketing it as the blue glass hummed turning grey, "I'm going to get the Rustbucket loaded into one of the confiscated ships, you two go try and get some rest."

They each gave an individual nod as Gwen pulled her hand back and watched Ben retreat into his own room after Max stepped away, walking passed her without a word as he entered his room and the door closed behind him, part of her wanted to knock on the door and say something but, her feet ended up taking her into her own room to her bed. She knew he had a lot of pent up aggression and stress regarding this case as he'd been working it for longer than either her or Grandpa, as far as she knew at least. He was impressive when setting up tactical strategy though, something she knew but seeing the look on her Grandfather's face while he talked was confirmation of her theory. So, he of all people should know that leveling the building was a bad idea and yet he was clearly agitated when they agreed not to anyways. Her mind couldn't help but race, assuming maybe she had over stepped, or perhaps hurt his feelings… falling flat on her back on the bed and staring up at the silver-platted ceiling, she gave a long sigh blowing a long strain of hair out of her face. Whether she liked it or not, this was getting too real.

…

Mount Rushmore; South Dakota; January 21st, 2010; 6:58PM.

After taking a long shower just to stand in the hot water and think deeply on the recent developments and feelings she was experiencing; Gwen's clothes were washed and dried by the time she was done sulking, including her underwear which she moved to put on first, she remembered briefly that one of the more prominent physical changes she went through since their famous summer vacation was that… she didn't need a bra when she was ten-years-old.

Now, she had guys interested in her but, of course she turned them all down for one reason or another but, with Ben she always felt so safe and comfortable; like she could be herself around him no matter what it was and it wouldn't gross out or offend him, it certainly wouldn't surprise him. None of the guys at her school made her blush the way he did when he complimented her, nobody made her feel as special or as cared for as he did in the last half year.

Suddenly, her thoughts were racing a thousand miles a minute on her own looks and body image, she never did wear much make up besides the essentials like mascara and foundation, maybe concealer every now and again; she gripped the bra in her hand and, still having not fully dressed herself, walked into the small bathroom to stare in the mirror. Taking a look down from the mirror at her own chest, back up at the mirror and finally landing on the bra in her hands, did she have an attractive body? Gwen had never considered the size of her breasts or how they would appeal to anyone but, as she grabbed them and pressed them together in the mirror, she began questioning herself. Was her chest not big enough…or too big? What if her relationship with Ben escalated and he didn't like what he saw…? She knew every teenager had hormones that made them feel insecure and irrational about their looks but, now she was experiencing it herself and it all felt too odd. Dropping her hands, she watched them bounce as gravity let her breasts fall naturally, Gwen huffed not knowing what exactly to make of these uneasy feelings and anxieties she had.

She quickly wrapped the bra around her chest, tying up the back clips and adjusting the straps over her shoulders, taking a few more seconds to glance at the mirror, turning around to look at her own rear, running her hand up the side of waist to feel the curve… she was appealing, right? Gwen had always been pretty confident in her body image but, now that she actually had someone she actually wanted to impress, it was an entirely different game. And this wasn't someone she just wanted to flirt with, they'd already kissed twice meaning she couldn't possibly play it off as a flirtatious game anymore… it was something that she had to deal with one way or another, it was definitely real, not a game.

At least her underwear matched her bra, that was something… or at least it was something she read would be important for impressing guys in a magazine once; knowing Ben he wouldn't ever care either way, he never was one for style… until today at least, he looked so good and he must've bought new cologne too because he smelled great and he was so- It almost made her cringe when the actual thought echoed into her head, "I can't believe I just thought the words 'Ben was so hot today,' I'm officially losing my mind," She stared into the mirror and fixed her hair into a pony-tail before dragging her hands down across her face, walking into the middle of the room to retrieve the rest of her clothes from the bed when she felt a chill run over skin suddenly.

"Boo!" A raspy voice shouted with an immediate chuckle as it floated quickly through the wall, leaving a cold gust of air rushing through the room as Gwen squealed leaping onto her bed and scattering the rest of her clothes as a flash of green light exploded leaving Ben in Big Chill's place, his eyes were closed and he was laughing uncontrollably with his hands on his knees.

Gwen's entire face turned completely red, a look between embarrassment and enraged fury crossed her face as she covered up her underwear with her hands, the only reason she hadn't kicked him in between his legs already was because she was pretty sure he hadn't seen her at all yet. It took only a few seconds as he wiped a tear from his eye and looked up, for him to gasp as he staggered back a foot or two.

"Knock much?!" Gwen shouted in anger but, her face was just red as she looked away and covered as much as possible.

"I-I…" Ben backed up hitting the door frame to her closet, having realized he transformed back and couldn't phase through walls anymore, his eyes immediately looked at the scanner for opening the door, "I heard the shower turn off a-and… I waited like fifteen minutes I swear, I thought y-you'd be dressed by now."

"Well!" She announced gesturing to herself as his face heated up almost as much as hers, he pulled on his collar and averted his gaze, "I'm not! Dumb dweeb!" shouting felt like the only proper way to respond to someone walking in on you dressing yourself, so she went with it even though the panic on his face was absolutely adorable. Her expression softened when he covered his eyes with one hand and she lowered her hands just a bit, thinking about what she was just considering before he walked in, she stood up.

Pressing his free hand against the wall a few times to get it right, he used his other hand to shield his vision as his palm print finally opened the double doors and he stepped out, before leaving he heard her call out to him, "W-Wait!" she shouted as he stuck his hand out, holding the elevator-like door to look back apprehensively.

"D-Do I look good?" Gwen asked quietly biting her lower-lip, standing boldly with her right hand wrapped over her left arm, she might as well have been in a bikini but, she only ever wore a one piece before turning twelve so, he hadn't seen that much either. She was showing off more skin to him than any girl ever had before but, more than that, she was showing off more skin to him than she had ever shown anyone ever. It was only about ten seconds but, it might as well have been an hour for them as Gwen wrapped an arm around her waist, "Don't just stare like that…"

Ben stopped and smiled in awe when she said this, looking directly into her eyes from the door as gravity practically forced his hand to drop to his side so it could close, "Sorry, I-It's just, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met…" she didn't see his face after that as he allowed the door to slide in front of him, giving her privacy and cutting off the conversation.

Little did she know, the moment she was out of sight, he let out an exasperated gasp with his face burning up and sweat trickling down his temple; it was the same feeling he got when they fought behind the Rustbucket and she had him pinned against the wall with her face only a few inches from his… only without the adrenaline. He wasn't dumb and knew what a boner was but, this was something a tad more complex than that… his heart skipped a beat choking out those last words because he really did just see the most beautiful girl he'd ever met. He was only barely able to keep his composure for those few precious seconds that he hoped made a good impression.

As the door shut in front of him, cutting off their conversation; Gwen took in the words he'd said for a moment, looking around as her breathing got a tad heavier, instinctively she grabbed her pillow and fell onto her bed squealing into the cotton to muffle her fawning. It was kismet, she knew it had to be, if magic was real so could destiny be; as soon as she started questioning her body image and whether or not she was attractive… he came stumbling into her life like a careless doofus just to trip over himself and tell her how great he thought she looked. It was impossible to keep the giggles and squeals from coming out but, she could keep her face pressed against the pillow to muffle them instead.

It was also a relief to know he wasn't angry with her in any way after the debriefing, maybe she was just reading it wrong, even without using her spells it was almost like she had a certain degree of control over him; Ben had clearly grown through training with Tetrax and fighting scum on the streets of some of the worst cities in the state of New York. He took things more seriously in all regards, he got decent grades, and wasn't neglecting his parents or family in any significant way but, there was something underneath it all that was dark and brutal. Something that could only peek through all of that light that seemed to shine off of the Tennyson boy, when the shadows did peek through the light, like when he wanted to level the building, or start an argument with Grandpa on the Rustbucket, or when they were fighting Deka in October… something would snap in him that screamed for justice in a very unjust world, he hated having to leave the Knights to continue their illegal activities and she could tell.

Each and every time she saw the darkness stir up like a fire in his eyes, it was her guiding hand that brought him back to reality, something about her touch calmed him down and chained those demons that tried to get out. Part of her felt like it was a cheap romantic drama but, another side knew it was all too real and it needed to be taken seriously. That was a lot of responsibility but, considering her feelings, it felt almost like instinct to keep him in the light… changing the future was one thing but, no matter how much it changed it would always need Ben Ten Thousand, one way or another. Gwen cared enough about her doofus to stand by his side through anything at this point, as she hugged her pillow tightly, she murmured into the fabric, "Anything…"

…

Mount Rushmore; South Dakota; January 21st, 2010; 10:05PM.

Gwen woke suddenly to a loud knocking on her door, pulling her drooling face from her pillow, "I hope you're dressed; Grandpa says we're leaving in thirty-minutes!" Ben shouted as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, she must have fallen asleep while getting lost in her thoughts but, to answer his question, no she hadn't gotten dressed and so she rushed to stand and grab her scattered clothes laid out over the comforter.

"I-I'll be out in a minute!" She shouted as she practically jumped in place putting her pants on one leg at a time.

Ben shrugged and waited for her, leaning up against the wall and shoving his hands back in his pockets, he yawned and looked up at the ceiling once again; he tried to nap but, he was too anxious… he tried to loosen his nervous by scaring his dweeb of a cousin and only ended up making himself more anxious. He tried to get his mind off what he saw, even if it was only a brief few minute interaction, it was still seared into his memory. Her chest, her thighs, her midriff… he shook his head to get the thoughts out of his minds eye.

Instead he replayed the battle scenario in his head as many times as he could just like when he was back in bed earlier, to stop himself from imagining other things, he went over the extraction point and who he would transform into first; he thought of scenarios for pretty much any circumstance so long as he had Gwen by his side, speaking of whom.

The door slid open at her palm print and she stepped out of her room five minutes later, "Alright, I'm ready," she looked different in his eyes for some reason spite wearing the same outfit she did earlier, he couldn't stop staring because no matter what he did all he saw was what she was wearing underneath. Even as he tried to picture combat sequences, all he could think of was her standing out in front of him, biting her lip, trying to be modest and yet appearing as the sexiest-

"Uhm… Ben…?" He blinked as his thoughts were instantly interrupted, looking up at her as she called out to him with her hands on her hips.

"W-What?" he stuttered.

She blushed and crossed her arms over her chest, pointing at her face, "My eyes are up here…" looking away in embarrassment with cheeks turning red, just then he noticed that he'd spaced out after she walked into the hall, spending almost a minute staring directly at her chest.

His cheeks heated up and he choked on his own saliva for the first time in his life, his mouth dried up and he could barely speak, "I-I was just… I mean… uhm," he tried to think of a good excuse or retort but, she cut him off in a sort of serious tone. She saw it again, the absolutely adorable embarrassment on his face when he thought of her, when he stared at her, she didn't know why but, that was the exact reaction she wanted from him.

"Just don't stare at me like that…" Gwen emphasized with a serious tone turning on her heels before curving up a devious smile, whispering under breath so only he was in ear shot, "When people are around," she finished without turning around.

Ben's eyes perked up at those words, it meant she was just as on board with his sneaking around idea as he was but he saw her smile, walking away confidently towards the hangar bay as his cheeks cleared up; he blinked in confused astonishment, "I can't believe I fell for her… of all the girls out there," he said to himself with a wide smile as she stepped out of ear shot. He shook his head quickly and slapped his cheeks for good measure, it was go time, hero time; he turned to the corridor and jogged over to catch up with Gwen who walked in with him, side-by-side, partners.

It was time to take their lives back.