Ben 10 fanfic - Resolution

Disclaimers:

Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force and their respective characters belong to Man of Action

Author's Notes:

Okay, so, this is a weird little "what I think would happen" fic set in the Ben 10k universe. It takes place after the Tennysons adopt Devlin into their family and I just wondered what Gwendolyn's reaction would be when she meets the son of the man she fell in love with all those years ago. I'm assuming bits of Alien Force does happen (namely Kevin and Gwen getting together), but at the same time something occurs to make Kevin become Kevin 11,000 and still leading to Devlin being born.

--

Gwendolyn had promised to visit Benjamin and his family once she returned from an off-world mission. And today would be the day she would fulfill that promise. Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to it.

Arriving at her cousin’s home, Gwendolyn rang the doorbell. Footsteps scrambled from the inside before the door slid open and out lunged a young boy who bore a striking resemblance to Ben.

“Aunt Gwendolyn!” he greeted brightly as his arms wrapped tightly around the woman.

“Who is this handsome young man who sounds just like my nephew Ken?” The sorceress chuckled, fondly mussing the young boy’s hair.

“Aww Aunt Gwendolyn.” Ken pouted as he tried to straighten his hair out. “Didja kick alien butt when you were off-world?” he asked eagerly. “Oh! And I gotta get someone you should meet!”

Before she could respond, small fingers curled around her wrist before she was half-dragged into the living room.

“Stay right here, I’ll go get him!” Ken declared before running upstairs.

“You’re sure a sight for sore eyes.” An aged, familiar voice smiled.

“Grandpa!” Gwendolyn beamed before embracing the retired Plumber. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“I thought you were going to stay for a few days. Where’re your things?” Ben asked as he walked in from the kitchen.

Gwendolyn shook her head, “I’ll only be here for dinner. I don’t want to be difficult.”

“You know what’s difficult? Getting two ten-year-olds to clean up the spare guestroom without using their powers. That, Gwendolyn, is difficult.” Ben stated grimly.

“Well now, I can’t let the efforts of my nephews go to waste, can I?” She smiled. “And I’m quite surprised you’re actually enforcing the no-going-hero-unless-necessary rule.”

“Heh, what can I say, I learned hard work builds character.” He chuckled.

“Come now, Gwendolyn, you should take it easy once in a while. You’ve only been back for what? A day or two at most?” Max reasoned.

“And if I remember right, weren’t you the one who went back in time to make sure I didn’t take being a hero too seriously?” Ben pointed out.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stay for a few days.” Gwendolyn laughed.

“Besides, it’s not like the other Plumbers can’t handle things. So don’t worry about the galaxy for the next few days.” Max added.

Gwendolyn suppressed a sigh. It wasn’t the galaxy she was worried about. Ever since she had heard of the latest addition to the Tennyson household, the sorceress was apprehensive about visiting.

“Come on into the kitchen, you’re just in time to help me make a batch of my famous Snail Stew.” Max beamed.

“Wait! Aunt Gwendolyn!” Ken called out, “You haven’t met Devlin yet!”

Turning, Gwendolyn’s eyes widened at the sight of the adopted boy following after Ken. Without warning, memories of years long gone flooded her mind. They surged in a deluge, all of these Gwendolyn thought to have been buried, forgotten.

She felt her eyes mist with tears and quickly she blinked them away. Drawing a deep breath to regain control over her emotions, Gwendolyn opened her arms out. “Nice to meet you, Devlin. Come give your Aunt Gwendolyn a hug.”

The lad shyly approached her before he walked into the hug, hesitantly returning it. Gwendolyn found herself holding him tighter than she intended and quickly broke away.

“Didja bring us anything cool from off-world, Aunt Gwendolyn?” Ken’s cheerful voice was a welcomed distraction.

“Hmm, let’s see...” She tapped her chin thoughtfully as the charms embedded on her sleeve began to glow. Ripping cloth sounded, followed by a small portal opening just beside the sorceress. She slipped her hand in and pulled out three brown packages before the portal sealed shut.

“Looks like I do have something. This is for Gwen when she gets back home with Kai, make sure to tell her not to get this wet.” Gwendolyn instructed. “This is for you, Ken.”

The young boy eagerly took the gift and proceeded to unwrap it. Inside was a small sphere of a dull gray hue. He looked at it in confusion, “Um, what is it?”

“Give it a squeeze.” Ben suggested.

The moment Ken’s fingers closed around the sphere, his fist began to vibrate. The trembling became too great for him to control that he had to open his hand. The sphere took on a bright green hue before the smooth surface started to crack and out emerged a miniature version of Ken no bigger than three inches.

“Whoa! Cool! It’s a mini version of me!”

“Whoa! Cool! It’s a mini version of me!” the diminutive Ken echoed in a high-pitched voice.

“A mimican ball.” Max laughed, “The longer you hold the ball in your hand, the longer it will take on your shape.”

“This is so neat, thanks Aunt Gwendolyn!”

“And this is for you, Devlin. Since we may not get a lot of chances to get to know each other, I thought this would be a good way for you learn about me.” She smiled and gave the last package to the dark haired boy.

Unwrapping it, Devlin found it was a crystal that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. “It’s very, um, sparkly.” He commented.

“Did your mnemosyne crystal fragment recently, Gwendolyn?” Max asked.

She nodded, “Yes, and I thought it would make a good gift for the newest member of the family.”

“But what does it do?” Devlin stared curiously.

“Well, a mnemosyne crystal is sort of like a diary for your memories.” Gwendolyn began, her eyes resting on the fragment. “You hold it tightly in your hand while thinking of something you want to remember and when it glows blue it means it’s done recording it. When you want to remember something, you just look into it and the crystal will figure out what it is you were looking for.”

“Can I try it out?” Devlin asked.

“Sure, do you want to store something?” She was careful not to meet his gaze.

He shook his head and the glittering object in his palm began to glow.

On the smooth surface appeared Gwendolyn when she was ten. She was busy typing something on her laptop when the aforementioned machine was engulfed by the familiar form of Upgrade.

“Ben that’s not funny!” Gwen yelled angrily. “Get out of my computer!”

“Only if you do my summer homework for me.” Ben replied cheekily.

“No way, Ben! Get out of there! I was working on something!”

“Your father and I didn’t exactly get along when we were kids.” Gwendolyn chuckled to Ken. The fragment she had given Devlin contained memories from her childhood, back before she or Ben ever became full-time Plumbers. She only hoped none of her more recent memories were in it.

“Alright boys, it’s about time for me to get dinner ready. Ben, come help me in the kitchen.” Max motioned, “Why don’t you two show Gwendolyn to her room?”

“Sure, great grandpa!” Ken nodded as the elderly man headed towards the kitchen.

Ben quickly whispered to Gwendolyn “Don’t worry, Kai left a couple of casseroles in the freezer.” before following after Max. The sorceress shook her head in amusement. Some things never change.

“This way, Aunt Gwendolyn.” She felt slender fingers curl around her wrist and turned to find Ken pulling her towards the stairs. “C’mon Devlin!”

“R-right.” He stammered as he pocketed the crystal.

Ken and Gwendolyn exchanged idle chatter as the two boys led her to the guestroom. Gwendolyn was doing all she can to focus on Ken and avoid looking at her other nephew. It may sound cruel, but she couldn’t deal with him right now. The young boy had reminded her of so many broken dreams and forsaken hopes she once had for her life.

When the two boys left, Gwendolyn allowed the memories she had assumed lost to return. Some were tender, like a first kiss shared in secret or being in a warm, protective embrace. Some were painful, like watching someone leave or a broad-shouldered back turning to her in regret. Some were bittersweet, like a moment of intimacy between forbidden lovers or the last glimpse of hope before reaching the point of no return.

How could you, Kevin? How could you be so heartless as to abandon your family? Your own son? She trembled in quiet rage. After all you’ve done, how is it possible that I still love you?

She tensed in confusion at her last thought. Why would she think that? How could she think that? Kevin was a threat, a criminal. He was heartless and cruel and had tried to kill her family on more than one occasion. Other than that he meant nothing to her.

Didn’t he?

The tears streaming down her cheeks proved otherwise.

--

“Hey Devlin, wanna go have some fun with my mimican ball?” Ken suggested, gesturing outside.

The dark-haired boy shook his head, “Maybe later?”

“Sure, you know where to find me.” Grinning, Ken headed out to see what mischief he could have with his omnitrix and his new toy.

Devlin quietly retreated to his room to climb into his bed. Making himself comfortable, he retrieved the gift his adoptive aunt had given him. He was planning to store some of his own memories into the crystal when it suddenly started to show him another glimpse of Gwendolyn’s past.

She was no longer ten in the vision. She was older, her hair grown long, her powers developed. She was flying, desperately trying to catch up to someone. She flew faster, hair whipping about her face as she abruptly landed before the tower housing the largest null void projector.

By the gates stood a figure.

Biting down on her lower lip, she drew closer.

“Tell me Ben was wrong.” She pleaded. “Tell me that you’re here to stop whoever it is that’s trying to release all those criminals from the null void.”

“I’d like to.” The familiar voice rasped, “But I can’t.”

“Why would you want to do that, Kevin?” She demanded.

“Because everyone messed things up for me. So why the hell shouldn’t I mess things up for them in return?” The dark-haired man growled.

And Devlin’s eyes widened when he recognized the figure Gwendolyn spoke to was his father.

“You know I can’t let you do that.” Gwendolyn warned. It was obvious she didn’t want to fight, but she had no choice.

“Why not, Gwen?” He asked casually, “What do you owe them?”

“That’s not what it’s about, Kevin.” She frowned, “I thought you understood that.”

And suddenly she was in his arms.

“I do understand. I just don’t care about them.” He whispered softly into her ear. “But I do care about you, Gwen.”

She made no motion to pull away or resist the embrace. “No, you don’t,” she hissed bitterly, “You only say that because you know how much I wish it were true.”

“But it is true.” He insisted, his eyes staring intensely into hers. “Come with me, Gwen. I’ll protect you from whatever the null void releases. Together we can own the galaxy!”

For a brief moment, Gwendolyn looked like she was going to say yes. But she didn’t need to say anything. The anguish in her eyes was answer enough for Kevin. The regret in their eyes was unmistakable before the red-head pulled him in for a kiss.

It would be the last time their lips would meet without blood being spilled.

Shortly after, Ben and the rest of the plumbers arrived.

Devlin dropped the crystal onto the bed before burying his face into his hands. He knew what happened next. His father was sent into the null void and he eventually escaped to Saturn.

Why did his aunt give him this thing? It only reminded him of how horrible a person his father was. How he never really cared for Devlin or his mother. Was she as cruel as Kevin was to give him such a twisted present?

He stormed out of his room, doing his best to keep his form in check. He knocked, rather urgently at Gwendolyn’s door. “A-Aunt Gwendolyn, I need to talk to you.”

A startled sob slipped through the door before the sorceress answered him. “Y-yes, Devlin?”

“Do you hate me?” He demanded.

She was completely taken aback by his question. “What?”

“Do you hate me?” He repeated.

“W-why would you think that?”

“Because you wouldn’t give me something that would hurt me if you didn’t!”

“What do you mean?” She looked genuinely confused. “Did something happen-”

“Why would you show me how nice my father could be?” he cut in, “I didn’t need to know that he decided not to care about me or my mother when she died. I was happy to think he was as bad as they all say.

Angry tears poured down Devlin’s cheeks, “But then you went and showed me that he was nice to you and that he cared about you! Do you hate me because I was born as someone else’s son?”

A palm smacked smartly against the young boy’s tear-stained cheek. Gwendolyn loomed over him, emerald eyes ablaze as she shook in suppressed fury.

“Calm down, child.” She frowned, “I gave you the fragment where I kept my fondest memories of Kevin because you are his son. I wanted you to have a reason not to hate him. So many people already do, why add you to the list? Even if Kevin is a despicable person, a father should never be hated by his son.”

Devlin touched his cheek gingerly, realizing his error. “I-I’m sorry.” He mumbled.

“So am I.” She replied, kneeling down so that she was eye-level to Devlin. “Look, Devlin, I’m sorry that my memories hurt you. I never intended for that to happen. I just don’t want you to grow up thinking Kevin was always a monster. He was good at one point, granted it was in his own way.”

“You’re the first person to say that about him. Not even my mom spoke about him that way.”

“I’m sure your mother believed he was good somewhere deep down. Otherwise, why else would you have wanted to free him from the null void?” Gwendolyn smiled.

“Aunt Gwendolyn, do you think...” Devlin paused, scuffing his feet on the hallway floor, “Do you think if...”

“If what?”

He took a deep breath, “Do you think if you had been my mom, he would have cared about me?”

Gwendolyn blinked before gathering the boy into her arms. “I don’t know, Devlin.” She whispered, “But you have a new family now who love and care about you very much. Isn’t that what really matters?”

Devlin nodded as he returned the hug. “I guess so.”

--

Additional Info:

I totally made up the mimican ball (based on the word mimic) and the mnemosyne crystal (based on the Greek titan Mnemosyne who was all about memories) but if Man of Action ever do use those terms in the future or even right now, that would be like so awesome 8D