Chapter Text
Children
Max Tennyson blew out a long breath as he glanced in his RV's rearview mirror. This. This right here is what he was most afraid of. What he just knew would happen by not shielding his family from his job.
He saw his grandchildren start to squirm under the blanket they shared. Max could hardly remember the last time he'd seen them cuddle like this. Under happier circumstances he'd be delighted. But he knew whatever happen during those days they spent in space without him was likely the cause of their abrupt closeness. No, he was sure of it. And if the looks they gave him on their return were any indication of how things went, the details they were keeping from him might dwarf the news he was currently sitting on. Still he decided to hold off on telling them for...well as long as possible. He could tell just by looking at their sleeping faces that anything could break them at this point. For now, he had to handle them the way he should have from the start. The way he wished he had handled their fathers. Like children.
Dweeb
Ben Tennyson let out a yawn as something soft tickled his face. Red hair. He looked down to see what it was attached to. A dweeb. A living, breathing dweeb. Relief washed over him every time that realization hit him. He closed his eyes, pulling her sleeping form closer. A sorry attempt at going back to sleep. His pre-Xenon self would be disgusted by his current behavior. But keeping Gwen close was the only way to hold the anxiety at bay and she didn't seem to mind it. In fact, the cuddling seemed to help her too. Unfortunately, his body was done with sleep. He guessed watching her sleep was an ok way to pass the time.
Secrets
Gwen Tennyson was pulled from her thankfully dreamless sleep by a sudden jolt. Her head and hands were pressed against something too firm to be a pillow. The doofus. It was his chest. She looked up. His arms tightened around her shoulders as their eyes met.
"Hi."
"Hey."
"You can…uh…let me go now."
"Oh! Sorry…" Ben released her, scooting away towards the corner of the bench. Gwen wasn't sure, but his face looked redder than usual. Maybe hers did too.
"Alright kids, we're here." Max's form appeared in the doorway.
"Where is "here" exactly?" Gwen asked, standing up. Before her grandfather could answer they heard the RV door click open. Soon a short woman with graying red hair came into view.
"Grandma!" both children jumped up to her.
"Hi kiddos!" Verdona Tennyson knelt down, wrapping her arms around them.
"I missed you and your grandfather so much this summer." She kissed each of their foreheads before standing back up. She turned around, motioning for the summer trio to follow.
"Come on inside. There's a late dinner and warm cozy beds waiting for you."
Ben and Gwen exchanged a look.
"Wait. I thought you said we were heading to D.C. to drop Gwen off." Ben looked to his grandfather in confusion. Verdona's expression became downcast as a frown overtook her husband's face. Suddenly Max looked ten years older.
"We were; however, that was before our last little...detour. Don't worry. Your parents will be here soon. You'll just go back home with them." He ruffled Ben's hair before walking forward to stand next to his wife.
"Enough talk for now. I don't know about you two, but I'm starving. Let's get inside."
That seemed to satisfy the kids. Max figured it had more to do with their current emotional state than the explanation itself. Their reactions to seeing Verdona were the happiest he'd seen either of them since before their trip to Xenon. He was grateful for that. Maybe she could get them to open up about what happen. She was always better at that type of stuff than he was. If it weren't for her, he would have never been honest with their sons about the Plumbers. Then again considering how things were looking now maybe that would have been for the best.
Insomnia
Ben had a stomach full of normal home cooked food. He was freshly showered (at his grandmother's request). And tucked into a real bed for the first time in months. He couldn't sleep though. It was all the sleeping he did on the Rustbucket. Right? It wasn't. It was Gwen. He needed her. Without her in sight angry butterflies infested his stomach and wildvines drug her down to her death on repeat in his mind.
Ben considered getting up and going to her room. Concern for his grandparents' possible reactions to finding them in the same bed was nonexistent. Still what if she didn't need him? What if she didn't want him? For some reason that second thought hurt more than the first. His inner struggle was cut short by a small knock at the door.
"Come in."
Even in the dim moonlight Gwen's hair and eyes shone.
"Hey, I... Uh, couldn't sleep." Ben cocked an eyebrow.
"...okay?" A look similar to her usual one of annoyance crossed Gwen's face. Her left hand found its home on her hip.
"So, are you gonna scoot over or should I just lay on top of you?" Both children's eyes got wide at the unintended implication.
After a pause, Ben silently scooted to one side of the twin-sized bed, leaving her ample room. Gwen slid in making sure not to touch or make eye contact. She hoped the red on her face wasn't noticeable in the moonlight. It was. Or at least it would be if Ben wasn't adverting his gaze as well. A few more minutes passed before either child was brave enough to steal a look at the other. When they finally did, they found a pair of bright green eyes meeting their own. Yes, being near each other was better than being apart. But if they wanted the full effects of each other's presence touching was mandatory. Ben reached out and placed his hand over hers. Gwen gave him a small smile. If he hadn't been concentrating so hard on her face, he would have missed it. She pulled his hand with her as she turned her back to him scooting a bit closer in the process. Now they were snuggling. Spooning to be exact. Once again Gwen's hair tickled his face as the scent of strawberries wafted into his nose. Sleep no longer seemed like an impossible task.
Food
Carl and Sandra Tennyson arrived at their parents' home right at the crack of dawn. Being a Plumber definitely had advantages in the transportation department. Before Carl could even raise his hand to knock on the front door his mother opened it.
"Hi, mom."
"Hello, sweetheart. And hello Sandy." She gave her son and daughter-in-law a sad smile as they both enveloped her in a hug.
"It's good to see you, Verdona. I just wish it was under better circumstances." She nodded in agreement.
"Well it's no use standing out here. There's a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen and a Pumpkin loaf in the oven." Carl winced at his mother's last statement.
"Who made it?" Verdona gave him a small smirk, closing the front door behind them.
"Don't worry, honey. Your father is still in bed. The kids too, but that's probably not a surprise." Carl let out a small sigh of relief that Sandra couldn't help but smile at. Max's cooking seemed to be more than an acquired taste. Sandra scanned the living room.
"Where are the kids?" Verdona waved a hand to the staircase, walking towards the kitchen island.
"They're in Carl's old room. I would have just set them up in the living room, but I thought they might prefer a night in a real bed instead." Carl and Sandra shared a look. Verdona answered their unsaid question, taking a seat.
"We put Gwen in Frank's old room, but she somehow made her way into bed with Ben." She smirked. "You really should see how cute they look cuddled together like that again." She was happy to see some genuine smiles come to Carl and Sandra's faces at that. Yes, things were dark. That didn't mean every fragment of joy and happiness needed to disappear from their lives.
"I think we'll just have some coffee for now." Carl made his way to the cabinet he knew held the mugs. Sandra sat down opposite of Verdona. A timer went off. Verdona rose up and went to the oven.
"Looks like the bread is done." The pleasant scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger became stronger as she opened the oven to remove the pan.
"Something smells good." The three turned to see Max enter the kitchen, still in his clothes from the day before. Sandra rose to give the man a hug.
"Hey, dad." Carl set two mugs of coffee down before hugging his father as well. Max smiled at the two.
"I'm glad you guys were able to make it here on such short notice." Sandra gave a small shrug coming out of the hug.
"We had some business to take care of in Washington. Coming here made more sense regardless of…" She trailed off, remembering why they were all here in the first place. Verdona cleared her throat.
"Well this loaf isn't going to eat itself. Come. Sit. We'll all feel much better with something in our stomachs." They all readily obeyed.
There was no use arguing with Verdona especially when it involved food.
Truth
Gwen awoke to the smell of what she hoped was her grandmother's eggs and sausage and the low rumble of more than two voices. A true grin made its way to her face.
"They're here!" She jumped out of bed, causing Ben's upper half to fall off the side of the bed.
"Ow! What's wrong with that nerd brain of yours now?" He pulled himself up, rubbing his injured forehead. Gwen turned to him with the most Gwen look he'd seen on her face since…well before everything.
"Our parents, Doofnugget. They're here." Gwen didn't wait for his response. She hurried out the room and down the staircase, Ben unknowingly hot on her tail. When they turned the corner that led to the kitchen she came to an abrupt stop, face falling.
"Where are my parents?" All four adults turned to look at the kids simultaneously. Ben offered up a reasonable explanation.
"They're just still on their way. Right, dad?" Carl barely met his son's gaze, let alone offered him an answer. Verdona knelt down to Gwen's eye level, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Why don't you come get something in your stomach first. Then we can talk abou-"
"No!" Gwen shoved her grandmother's hand away.
"I don't want to eat. I want to know why Grandpa's had that same sad look on his face for the past week. And why you, uncle Carl and aunt Sandra all look that way now. Where. Are. My. Parents?" Tears were starting to trail down her face. Ben looked at her, lost. Not knowing if he should place a hand on her shoulder, wrap her in his arms, or stay exactly how he was. His parents and grandparents are looked at each other, having a complete conversation through only facial expressions. Finally, Max took the lead, pulling out a chair and gesturing to his granddaughter.
"Alright. Come sit down, Pumpkin, we'll tell you everything."
Resolve
In the end, everything turned out to not include much information. Frank and Natalie Tennyson were missing. Specifically, Natalie had gone missing on her way to visit her family. And Frank took it upon himself to find her. Alone. Neither the Plumber nor the witch's life force could be sensed on Earth. Verdona was sure of it. She and Natalie's mother had tried countless times. That didn't mean they were dead though. No. They were just somewhere else which was common for members of the Tennyson clan. What wasn't normal was for them to go dark like this.
Carl told his niece he planned to lead an intergalactic search team himself. Max quickly cut him off saying he needed to stay here with his family. He would go instead. Everyone protested that idea.
"Grandpa, no! Tetrax already said it's too dangerous for you to leave earth." Gwen hugged her grandfather tight. Max rubbed her back letting out a soft chuckle.
"I will be okay, Sweetheart. I have less conspicuous ways of traveling the galaxies than Tetrax's flying mansion. Plus-" he motioned to Verdona who placed an arm around his shoulder. "With a little luck from your grandmother I'll be untraceable." Both children narrowed their eyes, quirking a lone eyebrow at the man. But no more questions were asked, and no more explanations were given.
It was settled.
Max Tennyson was going to bring his son and daughter-in-law back.
Part 1: End