Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bellwood:

Ben rushed through the city as XLR8. He was just getting ready to go home, when he got a distress signal. He was very annoyed, so he was going to wrap this up as quick as possible.

He saw it was just a few common criminals robbing a bank. He quickly knocked them all out and tied them up before leaving.

Ben And Hope’s House:

XLR8 made it back to his house before turning back into a human. Normally he’d stay out for longer, but there was no way he was going to miss this. He saw his wife setting up some decorations.

“Hey Hon.” He said before kissing her on the cheek. “How are the decorations coming along?”

“They’re coming along just fine. Magic makes setting up this kind of thing a whole lot easier.” Hope replied.

Ben smiled, then decided to help his wife with decorations. After a few minutes they were done. Then, they heard someone open the door. Gwen, Kevin, Devlin soon entered the room with Ken and Faith. Today, they asked the Levin’s to pick up their kids from school so they could set up their party.

“Surprise!” Both Ben and Hope said to their kids.

Both Faith and Ken’s eyes lit up when they saw the decorations.

Soon, more people started showing up. Max, Rook, Lucy, Sandra and Carl, Hex, and many more showed up to the party.

The kids received many gifts, from the recently released “Sumo Slammers Next Generation” video game to a hover board. But the presents that stood out the most to the kids were the ones from their parents.

“Faith. Do you know how old I was when I first got the Omnitrix?” Ben asked.

Faith’s eyes lit up, she hoped this was going where she thought it was going. “Ten.” She answered.

Ben smiled at his daughter. “That’s right. The same age you are now. So…” Ben then handed her a grey orb. “I think it’s time you get your own Omnitrix.”

The pod then opened and the watch attached itself to Faith’s wrist.

“I’ve got an Omnitrix!” Faith shouted with joy, while showing everyone in the room.

“Now who do I wanna turn into first? Humungousaur? HeatBlast? Feedback? Oh, I know. Rath.” Faith said.

“Faith. I should tell you that you only have ten aliens. Just like I started with. If you want more aliens, you’ll have to work for it, just like I did.” Ben said.

Faith looked slightly disappointed, but she was still excited about her gift.

“Ok. What aliens do I have?” She asked curiously.

“XLR8, Stinkfly, Spitter, Grey Matter, Upchuck, Goop, Spider Monkey, Ditto, Wildmutt, and Ripjaws.” Ben answered.

“Aw. No Rath?” Faith said.

“Well if you don’t like it, I can take it back.” Ben said.

Faith quickly changed her tune. “No no. I love it. Thank you dad.”

Ben laughed and smiled at Faith. “You’re welcome dear.”

Ben had carefully picked the aliens to give to his daughter. He picked aliens that would help her escape from danger, but also could have fun with. He knew how much she loved Rath, but decided not to give it to her because of its inherent temper.

Hope then walk towards Ken.

“I think it’s time I give you your present now Ken.” She said as she pulled a book from her magic bag.

“A spell book!” Ken shouted with joy as he took the book.

“Not just any spell book. This was my first ever spell book. And your aunt Gwen’s too. Because she stole it from me.” Hope said. Then she stuck her tongue out at her former rival, while Gwen did the same.

“Let it go Hope. I gave it back… Eventually.” Gwen responded.

Both Hope and Gwen then started laughing.

“Anyway, this book is very special to me. Make sure to take good care of it.” Hope said.

Ken then smiled. “I will. Thank you mom.”

Hope smiled back at her son, then she hugged him.

“I’ll be sure to teach you a few tricks from that book.” Said Hope after she let go of Ken.

Three Hours Later:

After the party was done and all the guests went home, Faith and Ken went to their room. Ken read his new book and tried practicing some of the things in it. While Faith transformed into Ditto and started playing games with herself.

“This was the best day ever!” Faith said to both her copies and her brother.

“Yep.” Ken replied while smiling.

Meanwhile, Ben looked out at the city from his balcony, with many thoughts going through his head.

“Kids grow up so fast.” Hope said while walking towards him.

“Yeah.” Ben replied.

Hope then turned to her husband. “How did you feel, when you gave her the Omnitrix?”

“I was happy that she was happy. She’s wanted an Omnitrix ever since she could form words. But I’m also worried. What if she gets hurt?” Ben answered.

“We’re parents, it’s our job to worry about them. I’m worried too, about giving Ken my spell book. But I guess we’ve gotta let our kids grow up at some point. Right?” Hope said.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Ben replied before kissing Hope.

Chapter Text

Ben And Hope’s House:

The next day, the family got up and ate breakfast.

“So when are we gonna start fighting bad guys?” Faith asked excitedly.

Ben looked at his daughter with a worried expression.

“Not right now. You’re too young. I gave you aliens you could use to escape danger, not get into daughter.” Ben answered.

“You were ten when you started.” Faith objected.

“That was different.” Ben said.

“How?” She asked.

Ben couldn’t think of an answer, and Faith smiled when she realized she stumped her father. Then Ben sighed.

“Fine. I’ll take you to a small scale battle. But only a small scale battle.” Ben said.

Faith smiled at her victory.

“But not right now. You and Ken need to get to school.” Hope said.

“Oh, ok.” Faith said disappointedly. Then, she transformed into XLR8.

“Race you.” She said.

Ben smiled and also transformed into XLR8. They both then rushed to the school.

Hope then pick up Ken and flew towards the school as well.

Madison Elementary School:

The family soon arrived at the school.

“Yes, I’m the winner!” Faith shouted.

Ben transformed back into a human and smiled at his daughter. Of course he let her win, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Hope and Ken arrived not long after.

“Have fun at school kids.” Hope said after she kissed them both on the forehead.

“Bye Mom, bye dad. Love you.” Faith and Ken both said.

“Love you too.” Both Ben and Hope replied while waving at their kids.

Once they were out of sight, Hope turned to her husband.

“So, where are we going to patrol today?” She asked.

But before he could answer, his home security system answered for him. Someone had broken into their house.

“I guess we’re going back home.” Ben said.

He then transformed into XLR8 and princess carried Hope.

Ben And Hope’s House:

They soon arrived back at their home. Ben put down his wife.

“Let’s split up, we’ll cover more ground that way.” Ben said.

“And then the monster picks us off one at a time.” Hope replied jokingly.

Ben laughed and then said. “I see your point. Ok, call me if you find anything too dangerous.” He Said as he handed her an ear piece.

The two then split up to look for the intruder. And Hope soon found them. And the second she realized who it was, she relaxed a little.

“Ben, I found the intruder. But it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just Michael.” Hope said to him through her ear piece.

Michael was offended. “Just Michael?! I am Darkstar, and I will have you fear me Heather!”

Hope rolled her eyes. “My name has been public for years, and you still can’t remember it.”

Michael tried to absorb her energy, but before he could, Hope appeared beyond him and defeated him in a single blow.

“Exes, they never can just move on.” Hope said.

Little did Hope and Ben know, another one of their greatest enemies was watching them.

“Laugh while you can, soon I will have your planet and my revenge.”

Then, the figure revealed themselves to be Zs'Skayr.

Chapter Text

Madison Elementary School:

Faith and Ken were sitting in class. Faith was waiting impatiently for it to end, while Ken careful listened to what their teacher said.

“Come on! Come on! Recess, please!” Faith thought to herself.

Mercifully, the bell rang, and everyone was dismissed.

Everyone then went outside for recess. Faith looked around for a specific classmate. Someone then tapped on her shoulder, she turned around and saw someone who looked like her. She was startled, but then relaxed, knowing who it was.

“Psych!” The figure said before turning into a blonde girl about the same age as Faith.

Faith laughed and said “hey Mina.”

Mina was Lucy’s daughter, and Faith’s best friend. She always looked forward to spending time with her, whether it be by playing video games or pulling the occasional prank.

“Your brother’s still looking at books?” Mina asked curiously as she saw Ken reading not far from where they were.

“Yeah, he’s a big nerd.” Faith replied, while also smiling.

Mina then laughed and said “he should learn to have some fun.”

“Yeah, I’ve been trying to get him to do that for a long time, and I haven’t made any progress.” Faith replied.

Just then, the two girls saw a group of bullies circling a boy who started crying.

Faith immediately jumped into action. “Hey, leave him alone!”

One of the bullies then turned to her. “And who’s gonna stop us, you?”

“That’s right.” She replied. She was about to use the Omnitrix, but then remembered that her parents forbid her from using it at school. So she instead jumped at one of the bullies and tackled them, then she hit each bully with a lot of ferocity. Although some of the bullies did manage to get some hits on her as well.

“What is going on here?” One of the teachers said.

Faith was now getting bashful. “Oh, hi Ms Jackson. We were just playing and,”

“I warned you about getting into fights young lady. I’m calling your parents.”

Faith gulped when she heard that.

Once it was time for the kids to go back home, the angry face of their mother greeted Faith.

“Faith Tennyson! What have we told you about getting into fights?!” Hope said.

Faith looked at the ground, unable to look her mother in the eyes.

“We’ll talk about this when we get back home.” Hope said as she flew them back to their house.

Ben And Hope’s House:

Ben got back home and brought chili fries for the whole family. Normally, Faith would be happy to see her father bring chili fries, but she was scared of what was coming next.

“Faith, isn’t there something you should tell your father about?” Hope asked.

“What?” Faith tried to play dumb, hoping to avoid the inevitable.

“About school.” She said.

“What happened?” Ben asked curiously.

Faith took a deep breath. “I got into another fight today.”

“What?! We’ve told you so many times not to get into fights.” Ben said.

“I didn’t use the Omnitrix.” Faith said trying to defend herself.

“Good. But that doesn’t make it any better.” Ben replied.

“Well what was I supposed to do?! Let those jerks bully that poor boy?!” Faith objected before running to her room.

“Faith, wait.” Ben said, his tone changing to a more sympathetic one, but he soon heard her slam her bedroom door.

He then turned to his wife. “What do I do?”

“Maybe give her some space, and then come back to talk to her.” Hope suggested.

“Maybe I was too hard on her.” Ben said.

“No, we were too hard on her.” Hope replied.

After about ten minutes, Ben knocked on Faith’s door and opened it, carrying chili fries in one of his hands.

“Hey, your fries are getting cold.” Ben said.

Faith turned away. “I’m not hungry.”

Ben then took a deep breath. “Look, Faith. Your mother and I are happy that you care about people. But you can’t let your anger control you like that. Fighting isn’t the answer to everything.”

Faith then relaxed. “I’m sorry daddy, it’s just that, whenever I see someone getting hurt, I just wanna do something, you know.”

“I had the same feelings when I was your age. And I got into a lot of trouble because of it. But those feelings were also what made me become a hero. Anger can be destructive, but it can also be a useful tool if used properly, just like the Omnitrix.” Ben said while pointing to his and his daughter’s watches.

Faith smiled at her dad before he continued. “You’ve got the spirit of a hero Faith. I’m sure that boy was grateful you stood up for him. And I know that when you grow up, you’re going to be a great hero.”

“Thanks dad.” She said before hugging him.

Ben hugged her back. “You’re welcome, now come on. Your fries aren’t going to eat themselves. And if you don’t eat them, your brother, mother or I might.” He said while smiling.

Faith laughed and then started eating her fries.

Madison Elementary School:

The next day when the kids sat at their desks, the boy Faith saved yesterday approached Faith.

“Hi.” He said. “Thanks for saving me yesterday.”

Faith smiled at the boy. “You’re welcome. I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Faith.”

“I’m Carl.” The boy responded. He got ready to leave before Faith stopped him.

“Hey, you wanna play with me and my friend at recess?” She asked.

“Sure.” Carl responded.

Chapter Text

Ben And Hope’s House:

It was finally the weekend, which meant no school. Ben and Faith were playing “Sumo Slammers Next Generation” together in the living room.

“Hey, quit spamming.” Ben said.

“Learn to block.” Faith replied while smirking.

Meanwhile, Ken was in his room reading his spell book. Normally, he’d be playing with his dad and sister around this time. But he wanted to master magic as soon as possible. Just then, he heard a knock on the door.

“Hey sweetie, can I come in?” Hope asked.

Ken invited his mother in and she sat down next to him.

“How’s your magic coming along?” She asked.

“I’m trying, but I’m still struggling. I’ve only managed to learn how to create a shield so far.” Ken answered.

Hope then saw the page he was on, it was about magic blasts, so she decided to help him.

“Come on, let’s take this outside.” She said.

Once they were outside, she summoned a table with empty cans already stacked onto of it.

“Creating a magic blast isn’t like creating a shield. A shield needs to be solid and firm. Energy on the other hand is always flowing, it needs to be free. Try relaxing, just let loose a little.” Hope said.

Ken did just that, and after a few tries he was finally able to create blue energy blasts and fire them at the cans.

“I did it!” He shouted with joy.

His mother looked at him with pride. Then she started feeling nostalgic. This reminded her of when her father first started teaching her magic, as well as some of the lessons she gave Ben back when they started dating.

“Good job Ken.” Hope said.

The young boy smiled at his mother. “Alright, what’s next?” He asked excitedly.

“Now, we rest.” Hope answered.

“Rest? But how am I going to become a great sorcerer if I don’t dedicate myself?” Ken asked.

Hope then looked at him with concern. She once thought the same way he did, she let magic consume her, it became the only thing important to her, and her uncle encouraged this. But she wasn’t going to let her son go down the same path she did.

“You shouldn’t let magic consume you Ken. Magic should just be one part of who you are. You need time to relax, have fun, be a kid.” Hope said.

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” Ken commented.

Hope then took a deep breath. “I am. Magic was once the only thing that mattered to me, I studied it day and night, becoming completely obsessed with it. But it didn’t end well for me. It’s only when magic stopped being my obsession did I truly become strong. I am a powerful sorceress, but more importantly, I am a hero, a friend, a wife, and a mother.”

Ken pondered these words for a moment before responding.

“Alright mom, I’m going to go play with Faith and Dad.”

Hope smiled and watched as her son ran back inside. Ever since she was pregnant with Faith and Ken, she promised herself that she would give her children a better life than she had. So whenever they started doing things that reminded her of her past self, like Faith’s anger and Ken’s over studying, it worried her. Sure, the contexts were different, but she didn’t want her children to go down the same path she did.

Once she was by herself, she thought about the conversation she and Ben had the day Faith attacked the bullies.

A Few Days Earlier:

Ben and Hope laid on their bed, but before they turned off their lamp and went to sleep, they decided to talk.

“I’m worried about Faith and Ken.” Hope said.

“I am too, but like you said, we’re parents, it’s our job to worry about them.” Ben replied.

“It’s not just that. I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to make sure they didn’t turn out like I did. So when I see them act similar to what I used to be like, it makes me fear that I failed as a mother.” Hope explained.

Ben then got closer to his wife and hugged her. “You haven’t failed as a mother Hope. Our kids are nice and kind people, and you’re one of the biggest reasons why. You give them guidance when they need it, and you always give good advice.”

Hope smiled at her husband. “Yeah well, I’m not the only one who does that. Their father does a pretty good job parenting too.” Then she kissed him.

End Of Flashback:

Hope walked back inside and saw her family playing a game together, then she smiled.

“Hey, no fair, you’re spamming.” Faith said to Ken.

“Now you know how it feels.” Ben said with a sly smirk.

Ben was right, she had given her children the childhood she never had. And nothing could make her happier than that fact.

Chapter Text

Ben And Hope’s House:

A month had passed, and both Faith and Ken grew more skilled with their powers. They decided to spare with each other while their parents watched.

“This takes me back. Reminds me of when me and Gwen first got our powers.” Ben said nostalgically.

Hope smiled at her husband. “Speaking of nostalgia, do you know what tomorrow is?” She asked.

Ben smiled back at her. “How could I forget? Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary.”

“Yep, I was thinking we could go on a little vacation. Just the two of us.” Hope said.

“What did you have in mind?” Ben asked curiously.

“It’s been a while since I last went to my castle in Ledgerdomain. I was thinking we could go there. Plus, it will give us all the time in the world.” Hope suggested.

“That sounds lovely dear.” Ben replied.

Ben then called their kids over to them.

“What’s up dad?” Faith asked.

“Tomorrow is our anniversary. So tomorrow we’re going to be leaving for a vacation.”

Both kids looked slightly disappointed. They never liked being away from their parents.

“How long will you guys be gone?” Ken asked.

“It depends on your perspective. A week for us, only a couple of minutes for you.” Hope answered.

“How?” Faith asked confused.

Hope then proceeded to explain Ledgerdomain to her kids. How it’s actually where she was born, how time works differently there, and how she was its queen.

“So wait, if you’re a queen, does that make me a prince and Faith a princess?” Ken asked.

Hope thought about it for a moment before responding. “Technically, yes.”

“And that also makes me a king.” Ben added. His wife sarcastically rolled her eyes in response, but a small smile also formed on her face.

“I wanna go!” Faith said excitedly.

“Sorry, this is a special vacation for us. But we’ll take you both there sometime soon. Ok.” Hope replied.

Although slightly disappointed. Both kids were still excited at the promise of getting to visit the Kingdom they didn’t know they had.

The next day, Ben and Hope were getting ready to leave. But before they could, Hope needed to bring one thing. She went down to an area where they kept multiple artifacts, then she grabbed what she needed, the Alpha Rune.

“Why do you keep that thing?” A voice asked behind her. She turned around and saw Ken standing behind her.

“I see the way you look at that stone. Every time you walk by it, you look at it with anger, like you hate it.” Ken added.

Hope took a deep breath before responding. “I have a lot of bad history with this stone, but even things you hate can be useful under certain circumstances.”

“What kind of bad history?” Ken asked concerned.

“That’s a story for another time.” Hope replied before leaving with the Alpha Rune in hand.

Her past wasn’t something she was comfortable talking about in depth with her kids. They knew she used to be a villain who fought their father as well as their aunt and uncle. But to what extent they didn’t know.

Ben was waiting in the living room with a suitcase in hand. Faith was also there. Once Hope and Ken both made it to the living room, Hope summoned the Door To Anywhere. Then Ben and Hope hugged their kids.

“Good Bye kids. We’ll be back soon.” Both Ben and Hope said after they let go.

“Bye mom, bye dad.” Both replied.

Then, Ben and Hope entered Ledgerdomain. Then the Door To Anywhere closed and disappeared.

Chapter Text

Ledgerdomain:

Once Ben and Hope arrived at Ledgerdomain, they took a moment to look at the castle.

“Wow. It looks just like it did the last time we were here.” Ben commented.

“Come on, let’s go inside.” Hope said.

Once the two went inside and unpacked, they felt hungry, so they went to the dining room.

“So what are we going to eat?” Ben asked curiously.

Hope smiled in response. “You’ll love it, trust me.”

After she said that, their food arrived. It turned out that they were going to eat chili fries.

Ben smiled once he saw what they were eating. “I should have known.”

Two Hours Later:

“I’m going to destroy you.” Hope said after she transformed into Dragorina.

Ben smiled at her while transforming into Fasttrack.

“Bring it on.” He declared before running around the castle dodging Dragorina’s fire and rock golems. He was doing pretty well for a few minutes before he was caught off guard by Dragorina’s tail, which threw him into a nearby wall. Ben transformed back into a human, while Hope did the same.

“Looks like I win again, hero.” Hope said while smirking and helping Ben get back on his feet.

“Hey, I’m still close to catching up. The score is 3-2.” Ben said.

“But what about all the times you lost during our honeymoon?” Hope replied while grinning.

“I’ll catch up one of these days.” Ben answered.

“Whatever you say, loser.” Hope replied sarcastically.

Hope mentioning their honeymoon got Ben feeling nostalgic again. Hope’s castle in Ledgerdomain was where they decided to have their honeymoon, and it was one of the best weeks of their lives. Getting to relive it again was an amazing feeling for both of them.

Ben’s inner thoughts were interrupted by the realization that he felt slightly colder. He then saw Hope wearing his jacket.

“Winner’s prize.” She said while smirking.

Ben smiled back at her before kissing her on the lips.

Four Hours Later:

Ben and Hope made their way to the bedroom. “Today was a really fun day, wasn’t it Hope?” Ben said.

They then opened the bedroom door and Ben saw that Hope had decorated the room with candles and flower petals. Hope turned to her husband with a sly smile on her face.

“The fun is only just beginning, Benny.” She said.

Ben replied with a sly smile of his own.

Their vacation continued like this until it was time for them to go back home.

One Week Later:

Ben and Hope made their way to the Door To Anywhere.

“That was fun.” Ben said.

“Agreed.” Hope replied.

“Thank you Hope. I couldn’t have asked for a better anniversary present.” Ben added.

Hope smiled, then they entered the Door To Anywhere and returned to their home, where Ken and Faith were waiting for them.

The two then hugged their kids.

“Welcome back, did you guys enjoy your vacation?” Ken asked.

“We did, but we also missed you guys.” Hope replied.

Ben nodded his head before smiling. “Now who’s up for some chili fries and smoothies?”

“Me!” Both kids shouted as Ben and Hope laughed.

Little did the family know, someone was watching them.

“Ugh! She took the stone with her, I couldn’t steal it.” Zs’Skayr thought to himself.

“But no matter, I’ll still have it again soon.”

Chapter Text

Madison Elementary School:

Faith and Ken were talking to their friends, Mina and Carl.

“So it turns out, we’re the prince and princess of our own realm.” Faith said excitedly.

“Wow. What’s this ‘Ledgerdomain’ like?” Mina asked curiously.

“Well, I don’t know. We haven’t been there yet. But mom promised to take us there one day.” Faith answered.

“Mom says it’s where she grew up before coming to earth. But she hasn’t really told us anything besides that.” Ken added.

“She doesn’t like talking about her past, and neither does Grand Uncle Hex whenever he visits.” Faith continued.

“I wish she’d tell us about it. She says we can tell her anything, but she won’t do the same for us.” Ken lamented.

Ben And Hope’s House:

Ben and Hope had just beaten another villain. After they sent them to the Null Void they began making their way back before Hope subconsciously stopped to look at the Alpha Rune. Her eyes were filled with hatred for the stone.

“You know you can’t keep your past from our kids forever. Someday you’re going to have to tell them.” Ben said, startling Hope.

“I know, but how do you tell your own kids ‘hey, your mother who you love and look up to temporarily killed a bunch of people including your father’?” Hope asked.

“Not exactly something they talk about in those parent help books.” Ben replied while Hope gave him an unamused facial expression.

“They already know you used to be a villain.” Ben continued.

“And honestly, it was hard even telling them that much.” Hope replied.

Ben then walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her.

“You’re ashamed of your past, and I’m glad you are, and it is a hard thing to talk about. But if you want them to not end up like you used to be, you’re going to have to be completely honest with them. And no matter what, we’ll all still love you.” Ben said comfortingly.

Hope wrapped her arms around Ben as well, before briefly kissing him on the lips.

“You’re right. Thanks hon.”

Ben then thought of something. “I’m sure Kevin and Gwen had this problem too. Maybe you could ask them.”

Hope thought about it for a moment before responding. “Yeah, I think I’ll go visit them.”

Madison Elementary School:

“So have you gotten any new aliens in your Omnitrix?” Carl asked curiously.

“No. I’m still trying to figure out how to unlock Rath.” Faith answered.

“Why Rath?” Carl asked.

“Rath has always been my favorite transformation my dad has. Something about him just speaks to me.” Faith answered.

“Have you tried turning into Grey Matter and writing down the code to unlock Rath?” Ken asked.

“I did that after you suggested it the first time. I couldn’t understand what Grey Matter wrote.” Faith answered.

“Well don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get Rath eventually.” Said Carl.

“I hope so.” Faith replied.

Four Hours Later:

It was almost time for the kids to go back home. Once Ken and Faith’s names were called, they got up and said goodbye to Mina and Carl.

Carl was slightly sad that they were leaving, but looking forward to seeing them again, especially Faith. He had developed a crush on her, one she was too oblivious to see.

Faith and Ken walked out and saw their father waiting for them.

“Hey kids. How was school today?” He asked.

“It was good.” Both answered.

Ben then transformed into XLR8. “How about we race again Faith?”

Faith smiled while activating her Omnitrix and also transforming into XLR8. “You’re on!” She declared.

Ben picked up Ken, then the two began their race. On the way, a man stool a purse from a woman. Ben was about to step in and help but before he could, the purse was already returned and the crock was hanging on a nearby lamppost by his pants. Faith had already taken care of the situation.

Ben was filled with both pride for his daughter and nostalgia for when he first used XLR8 as a kid. Then he continued their race.

Ben and Hope’s House:

“Yes, I win again!” Faith declared. Ben had once again lost on purpose, but it was clear to him that she was rapidly improving.

“Your mother won’t be back for another hour. How about we watch some Sumo Slammers until she gets back?” Ben suggested.

Faith and Ken immediately agreed and rushed to the couch. Ben smiled and soon joined them.

Gwen And Kevin’s House:

Hope knocked on the door, Gwen answered.

“Hope!” She said while hugging her cousin in law. “To what do I owe this visit?” She asked.

“I need advice, I was hoping you and Kevin could help me.” Hope answered.

Gwen smiled. “Sure, come on in.”

Hope made her way to the living room, Gwen called down her husband and they both sat down.

“So, Gwen says you need advice?” Kevin said.

Hope took a deep breath before responding. “Yeah, it’s about me and the kids. I’ve been struggling with telling them about my past, but I know that I have to at some point. I was wondering if you had a similar experience.”

“Oh yeah, I did. Back when Devlin was a kid, I was terrified of telling him about who I used to be. But eventually, Gwen talked me into it and I did.” Kevin said.

“How did he respond?” Hope asked.

“Well, he didn’t really know how to respond at first. But after I had a talk with him, Devlin was able to process it and understand why we told him.” Gwen answered.

“My main goal was to make sure he never ended up like me. And he became a good kid. He got to go to college early just like his mother, I couldn’t be more proud of him.” Kevin added.

“Uncle Hex says Devlin is one of his favorite students.” Hope said while smiling.

Kevin and Gwen smiled back with pride before Kevin continued. “It’s scary, but it will be worth it. You’ll give your kids a better life than you had. It’s all just a matter of finding the right time, and using your past to teach them important lessons.”

“And you’re not in it alone. You’ve got Ben to help you.” Gwen added.

Hope took a moment to process what the couple said, then she smiled and got up. “Thanks guys, I needed to hear that.”

“Anytime Hope.” Kevin said while waving.

“Say hi to Ben and the kids for me.” Gwen said while giving Hope a goodbye hug.

“Will do. Goodbye guys.” Hope replied. Then she got an alert.

“What is it?” Gwen asked with concern.

“It looks like someone is trying to break into our house.” Hope answered.

“Want us to come with you?” Kevin asked.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, but if it is something bad then having some extra help wouldn’t hurt.” Hope answered.

Gwen and Kevin nodded before grabbing onto Hope as she teleported the three of them to their her house.

Chapter Text

Ben And Hope’s House:

Ben was watching Sumo Slammers with his kids when an alarm went off.

“Looks like another villain wants to prove something again.” Ben said.

“It’s probably those Circus Freak losers.” Faith said.

“Can we come with you?” Ken asked.

“If it’s someone weak like the Circus Freaks, then sure. We can take them down, together.” Ben replied while smiling.

He then paused their show and changed the monitor to show the security cameras. When Ben saw who the intruder was, his expression turned to fear.

“Zs’Skayr?” He immediately turned into XLR8, grabbed his kids and ran out of the house. He then stopped at Grandpa Max’s home.

“Go inside, find Max, and don’t leave until either me or your mother come get you.”

“You said we were going to fight the bad guy together.” Faith objected.

“That was before I knew it was Zs’Skayr. Now go, now!” Ben replied, and his kids did what they were told. Ben then rushed back to his house.

When Ben arrived back at his home, he saw that Hope, Gwen and Kevin had just teleported at the entrance.

“Ben, where are the kids?” Hope asked with concern.

“They’re safe at Max’s place. Zs’Skayr is the one who set the alarm.” Ben answered.

As soon as Ben finished speaking, all three of them were filled with terror.

“We’ll have to stick together. I think I know what he’s after.” Hope said.

Max’s Home:

Faith and Ken looked around the house, it seemed that Max wasn’t home right now. Max’s security system hadn’t gone off because it was programmed to not recognize the kids as a threat.

“We should go back and help dad.” Faith declared.

“But he told us to stay here.” Ken objected.

“And if we can beat that bad guy, we’ll show that we aren’t little kids anymore and are heroes. I’m going back, whether you’re coming with me or not.” Faith replied.

Ken thought about it for a moment. He knew it wasn’t a good idea, but the image of proving himself to his parents tempted him. He sighed.

“Hold on Faith, I’m coming.”

Ben And Hope’s House:

Zs’Skayr made his way to the artifact storage room, he searched the area until he found what he was looking for, The Alpha Rune.

“There you are.” He said before trying to grab it. But when he touched the Alpha Rune it burned his hands. He quickly let go and floated back in pain.

“It’s no use Zs’Skayr. I put a seal on the Alpha Rune.” Hope said as she and the other three heroes walked into the room.

“An unforeseen setback, but I will have that stone.” He replied menacingly.

Immediately, the four started attacking Zs’Skayr. Ben transformed into Ultimate Feedback and blasted Zs’Skayr with electricity, Hope and Gwen combined their powers and fired mana blasts at him, while Kevin absorbed a metal that negated his intangibility. Zs’Skayr decided to tactically retreat. He pondered his next move until he saw Faith and Ken sneaking into the house, as well as the room they were in.

Faith had transformed into Spider-Monkey while Ken had his book in hand.

“So where’s the bad guy?” Ken asked.

“Right behind you.” Zs’Skayr said menacingly.

Faith and Ken both jumped in fear, looking at the monster in person, they both felt terrified.

Just then, their parents as well as their aunt and uncle arrived.

“Kids?” Ben said worriedly.

“Zs’Skayr, leave our children out of this, or I’ll make you wish you could die!” Hope shouted angrily.

Zs’Skayr scoffed at the threat. “We both know that’s not happening.” He then possessed Ken.

“No!” All four heroes said in unison.

“Ken?” Faith asked with concern, then the possessed Ken grabbed her by the neck and held her in the air.

“Your choice Tennysons. The Alpha Rune, or both your children die.” Zs’Skayr said menacingly.

Both Ben and Hope were furious at the ghost alien, but before they could do anything, Zs’Skayr screamed in pain and left Ken’s body, he had been attacked from behind. A figure grabbed both kids and ran towards the four heroes.

“Devlin, you finally made it.” Both Kevin and Gwen said, happy to see their son, despite the circumstances. The teenager had absorbed the same mental as his father, that combined with his magic allowed him to free Ken from Zs’Skayr’s control. Thankfully he also happened to be on semester break and visiting his parents. Kevin had texted him about the situation when he heard Zs’Skayr was involved, knowing that his combined osmosian and magical powers would greatly help in the battle.

Devlin handed the kids over to their parents, and they both immediately hugged them tightly.

“We’re going to talk about this, but we’re glad you’re both safe.” Ben said.

“Thank you Devlin.” Hope said gratefully.

In response, the young teen smiled at her. “You’re welcome aunt Hope.”

Just then they heard a nearby machine activate. That’s when they realized where they were.

“This is the room with the Time Machine, Zs’Skayr was setting a trap.” Ben realized.

“How observant.” Zs’Skayr said on the opposite side.

They all tried to escape, but it was already too late. Each one of them was pulled into the portal. Now they were all going to end up in defeat points in time, maybe even in defeat timelines all together. It didn’t really matter to Zs’Skayr where they ended up, what mattered was that they were out of the way for now.

Now all he needs to do is figure out how to undo Hope’s seal on the Alpha Rune.

Chapter Text

Augstaka, 7 Years In The Past:

Ben and Faith fell onto the ground from the portal. They looked around and saw that they weren’t on earth anymore.

“Where are we?” Faith asked.

Ben recognized where they were. “We’re on the Highbreed home world.” He answered.

As if on quo, multiple Highbreed surrounded the duo with worried and curious expressions on their faces. Then a voice called out from behind the crowd.

“Ben Ben Tennyson?” The voice said.

Ben immediately recognized the voice. “Reiney?”

“Fear not fellow Highbreed, these two are our friends.” The Highbreed Supreme said to his people.

“Wait, dad you know this guy?” Faith asked.

“Yep, this is Reinrassig III, seventh son of the Noble Highbreed House of Di Ralla, direct descendant of the Pure Blooded High Order of Rasecht. But I call him Reiney for short.” Ben answered.

“Reiny, this is my daughter Faith Tennyson.”

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Faith Faith Tennyson.” Reiney said.

“Why did he say my name twice?” Faith asked.

“He just does that.” Ben answered.

“So what brings you to our home world?” Reiney asked curiously.

Ben then proceeded to explain that he and his family were sent into a time portal because of one of his enemies.

“I don’t know what point in time we are in right now, but we’ve got to find a way to get back.” Ben said.

“The Highbreed are indebted to you Ben Ben Tennyson. If there’s anything we can do, we would be happy to assist you and your offspring.” Reiney replied.

Just then they all heard a loud explosion in the distance.

“What was that?” Faith asked.

“Highbreed rebels. There are still some groups of Highbreed who want to restore the old way.” Reiney answered.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go stop them.” Ben said.

The three then made their way to the scene where they saw a group of Highbreed rebels attacking.

“Restore the glory of the Highbreed!” One of them shouted.

“The war is long over, we are all cured.” Reiney stated.

“We were made impure, and you are part of the problem!” Another one shouted.

“I once thought as you do, but I learned to accept both myself and other beings in the universe. Why can’t you do the same?” Reiney asked.

“Silence! Death to the false supreme!” Another rebel shouted before the group charged for an attack.

“Find a safe place to hide Faith.” Ben said to his daughter.

“No dad, I wanna help!” Faith objected.

“It’s too dangerous.” Ben countered.

“Which is why I need to help. I’m not going to let anyone get hurt.” Faith said with determination.

Ben signed, remembering that he was just like her when he was a kid. “Alright, but if you’re going to do this you’re gonna need a strong alien.”

He then smiled at his daughter. “And I know just the alien for the job.” He then grabbed Faith’s wrist and started turning her Omnitrix dial, then he popped it open and pushed it down. A green light engulfed the two of them.

When the light disappeared, Ben had transformed into a Highbreed. “HighBen!” He shouted before activating the ultimate feature on his Omnitrix. “Ultimate HighBen!”

But right next to him, his daughter had transformed as well. “Rath!” She shouted. Right now, Faith was both excited to finally have her favorite alien, and angry at the Highbreed rebels.

“Let me tell you something Highbreed rebels! Now that Rath has Rath, Rath will tear you apart, then put you back together, and tear you apart again after I eat you up!” Faith declared.

Before any of the Highbreed Rebels could question what the appoplexian had just said, Faith jumped at one of them and started attacking them. Ben and Reiney followed soon after.

Soon the three heroes defeated the rebels and saved everyone there.

“The Highbreed are once again in your debt, Ben Ben Tennyson. And yours as well Faith Faith Tennyson.” Reiny said.

Ben and Faith both turned back into a human.

“Aw, it was nothing.” Ben replied.

“I’ve got Rath, I’ve got Rath!” Faith shouted as she jumped around in joy.

Ben smiled at his daughter’s excitement. He was getting nostalgia for when he first got his favorite alien, Feedback. But he was also still worried about his daughter’s safety and whether she was ready for the responsibilities of a hero or not.

“Well, now we’ve gotta get back to our own time, but I don’t know how we’re going to do that.” Ben stated.

“Perhaps I can be of assistance.” A voice said behind them. Ben immediately recognized that voice. “Professor Paradox.” He said with a smile.

“I should have known you would get involved.” He continued.

“Dad, you know this guy?” Faith asked.

“I know a lot of people.” He responded.

“Anyhow, I must take you and your family back to your own time, if you wish to save the universe from Zs’Skayr we will need to act fast.” Paradox stated.

“Alright then, let’s go.” Ben responded.

Chapter Text

Alternate Timeline:

Hope and Ken fell onto the ground through a portal. They looked around and saw a city that looked very similar to their own.

“When are we?” Ken asked.

“I don’t know, it doesn’t look like anything’s changed, maybe we only got sent back a week or something.” Hope theorized.

Just then, they heard a loud explosion from a distance.

“Whenever we are, a heroes work is never done. You wait here Ken, I’ll be right back.” Hope said to her son.

“No, I’m coming with you. I wanna help.” He objected.

“I’m sorry, but after what happened with Zs’Skayr I can’t let you walk into danger again.” Hope replied.

“Whatever this is, it can’t be as bad as that ‘Zs’Skayr’ guy. I had the best magic teacher in the world, I’ll be fine.” Ken answered.

Hope was touched by her son’s flattery, but was still apprehensive about letting him join the battle. But, she knew he was right. He and his sister had already won many battles this past month, granted they were against low tier villains, but that’s what probably caused the explosion.

“Alright, come on.” Hope said before the two floated to the scene.

When they arrived, they saw that the circus freaks were the ones behind the attack. But they looked slightly different from their usual selves.

“These guys again?” Ken asked before his mother made their presence known.

“Don’t you guys ever get tired of this? Causing chaos, getting beat, going to jail then breaking out to do it all over again.” Hope said sarcastically.

But what they said next surprised her. “Who are you?” One of them asked.

Hope was confused by their question. How could they not know who she was? Not to brag, but she was one of the most famous heroes in the universe, and someone who had beaten them more times than she could count. Even Michael didn’t have that bad of a memory.

But she brushed her confusion off for the time being, right now she had a job to do.

“Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself.” She said before her hands started glowing with mana.

But before either side could do anything, three mana blasts appeared from the sky and took down the circus freaks.

Hope and Ken looked around to see where the attacks came from before seeing a familiar face.

“Aunt Gwen!” Ken shouted.

Gwen then lowered herself to where the duo were. Now that they got a closer look, they saw that this Gwen also looked slightly different from the one they knew.

“Charmcaster?” She asked with confusion and hesitation.

Hope smiled at her former rival. “Charmcaster. Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

“Neither is ‘Gwen’. I’ve gone by Gwendolyn for years.” Gwendolyn said before looking at the young boy.

“And you, Kenny. I thought your parents grounded you. What are you doing here, and why do you look different?” She asked.

Hope then realized where they were. “Well, it’s a long story. But to cut to the chase, we’re from an alternate timeline.” She explained.

Ken looked confused before his mother turned to him.

“Ken, the machine didn’t send us back in time, it sent us to an alternate timeline. You see, thanks to a villain messing with time, our timeline was changed, what we’re in now is what the future would have been if that villain never changed history.” Hope further explained.

Ken tried to comprehend what his mother just said, but was having trouble.

“Don’t think about it too hard. Time travel is a big mess.” Hope said before turning back to Gwendolyn.

“Don’t worry Gwendolyn, unlike your timelines Charmcaster, who died trying to obtain magical power, I turned over a new leaf.” She reassured her.

“Wait, how did you know that’s what happened in this timeline?” Gwendolyn asked confused.

“Back when the change was first made, I asked Paradox to show me what my original fate was. I was horrified at first, but thanks to Ben giving me some encouraging words, I got over it and changed my fate. And now, here I am.” Hope explained.

Gwendolyn relaxed a little before responding. “Well, that’s good to hear. I always believed you could become a good person, and know it seems I was right all along. Did anything else change in your timeline?”

Hope got a little awkward for a moment before answering. “Well, yeah. You see, in my timeline, me and Ben are… married.”

Gwendolyn was taken aback by the news. “Wait, really? What happened to Kai?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t really kept in touch with her. Ben was going to propose to her, but she broke up with him that night before that time traveling villain incident took place.” Hope explained. But she was purposely leaving out a detail. Because of some strange alien laws, in order to legally marry Ben she had to defeat Kai in combat. So she walked up to her and punched her in the gut. It was an awkward situation for everyone involved, and Hope didn’t like talking about it.

“Kai briefly broke up with Ben when he was planning on proposing in this timeline too, but they got back together a few years later. That villain must have caused a butterfly effect.” Gwendolyn said.

Just then, Ben 10K arrived on the scene. “Charmcaster?! Kenny?!” He asked confused.

Gwendolyn then proceeded to explain everything that Hope had told her. Throughout her retelling of the story, Hope noticed something was wrong with this version of her husband, he had a black eye.

“What happened to your eye?” She asked with concern.

Ben 10K seemed to tense up when asked about his eye, but quickly gave an answer. “Oh I got it from a recent battle with a villain.”

“Ben, I’m married to you in my timeline. I can tell when you’re lying.” Hope replied.

She wasn’t a stranger to Ben getting injured, but he never acted like this when that happened. She knew her husband well, and even though this wasn’t her version of Ben, it was still a version. She could tell something was wrong, but she wasn’t sure why he would lie.

“Look, that’s not important. We need to get you two back to your own timeline. I’ll see what I can find.” Ben 10K nervously said before turning into XLR8 and running off.

“Somethings wrong with dad.” Ken said.

“Technically, he’s not your father. But yes, something isn’t right. Do you know what it could be?” Hope asked Gwendolyn.

“No idea. This isn’t the first time this has happened. We’ve tried getting him to tell us, but he never opens up. I’m very worried about him.” Gwendolyn answered.

Little did the three heroes know, someone was watching them. Kenny had snuck out and overheard the entire conversation. He didn’t reveal himself so as to not get in trouble, but he didn’t like what he heard. This witch stole his dad from his mom in her timeline?! If only he could time travel again and correct this mistake.

But as for what was wrong with his father, why he lied, he knew the answer, and he didn’t like it.

Chapter Text

Alternate Timeline:

Hope, Ken and Gwendolyn made their way to the headquarters which doubled as Ben and Kai’s house.

“So you don’t have a Time Machine here?” Hope asked Gwendolyn.

“No. But I have to ask, why did you guys build a Time Machine in the first place?” Gwendolyn asked curiously.

“I was actually the one who pitched the idea. We’ve been sent back and forward in time so much that I thought we should have our own machine in case we need to time travel as a group. Since the time travel spell doesn’t work with more than three people and is limited in what it can do.” Hope explained.

“I see. Has Professor Paradox said anything about it?” Gwendolyn asked.

“He’s ok with it as long as we use it responsibly.” Hope answered before she realized something.

“Wait, Paradox… Where is Paradox? You’d think that all of us getting sent throughout time would catch his attention.” Hope asked.

“Well, he’s always had terrible timing.” Gwendolyn replied.

Both Gwendolyn and Hope laughed at her comment.

“He’ll probably come get us soon. In the meantime, there’s something I’d like to take care off.” Hope said.

“What is it?” Gwendolyn asked curiously.

“Do you remember that villain I was telling you about that changed the timeline?”

Gwendolyn nodded her head in response.

“I want to make sure he can never return.” Hope continued.

“Alright, just tell me where he is and what to do.” Gwendolyn responded.

After Hope told Gwendolyn everything she needed to know, Hope turned to her son.

“Stay here. We’ll be back soon.”

Ken was about to object, but he saw how serious his mother was, so he decided to listen to her.

Hope and Gwendolyn then teleported away. Ken decided to explore around the house. It was quite different to the one in his timeline. It was still weird for him to imagine anyone other than his mother being with his father, and he honestly didn’t like it.

“I can’t wait to get out of this timeline.” Ken thought to himself.

It wasn’t long before he bumped into his alternate self. The two stared at each other for a brief moment before Ken spoke.

“You’re the alternate me.”

Kenny got angry at him and said “no I’m not! You and I are not the same! We don’t even have the same mother!”

“How do you know that?” Ken asked.

“I heard your mom’s conversation with aunt Gwendolyn, I know everything.” Kenny answered.

Ken was shocked, but he had no time to process the information before Kenny continued.

“My mom and dad are destined to be together. You’re moms fate is to die a villain.”

“Don’t you dare say that!” Ken shouted angrily.

“Do you even know what your mom did?” Kenny asked.

“I know she used to be a villain, but she changed. Uncle Kevin was the same.” Ken objected.

“That’s not the half of it. I did some research on her. She sacrificed thousands of souls to bring her father back, including Uncle Kevin, Aunt Gwendolyn, and dad’s souls. She killed them.”

Ken couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re lying!” He shouted at his counterpart.

“You don’t believe me? Ask her yourself.” Kenny replied.

Ken couldn’t take this conversation anymore and ran away. Now that Kenny was alone again, he developed a sad expression on his face.

The truth was, his mother wasn’t perfect either. She and Ben 10K would constantly get into arguments when they thought no one else was around. Sometimes, Kai would even hit him. What they both didn’t know was that sometimes Kenny would witness these arguments and how violent they would become. He tried going back in time, hoping that would fix their relationship, but it didn’t. He wanted them to stop fighting, to love each other again, but nothing he did seemed to work.

“If my parents can’t be happy, why should his be happy?” He thought to himself.

After some time, Gwendolyn and Hope returned, and Professor Paradox along with Ben and Faith arrived not long after.

“Hey Hon.” Ben said before Hope ran up to him and hugged him and their daughter.

“Where’s Ken?” Faith asked before he appeared.

“There you are.” Hope said. But Ken couldn’t look her in the eyes. “Is something wrong?” She asked with concern.

“I ran into this timeline’s version of me. He said you sacrificed thousands of souls, and killed dad and Aunt Gwen and Uncle Kevin. It’s not true, right?”

Hope looked at the ground, she knew this day would come. “Yes, it’s true.”

Ken said nothing, he backed away slowly before running. And Faith didn’t know how to process that information.

“Ken, wait!” Hope shouted.

Ben then put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go talk to him.”

Hope nodded her head in response.

“Faith, would you mind coming with me? You both need to hear this.” Ben asked before Faith nodded her head and the two left to look for Ken.

Chapter Text

Alternate Timeline:

In didn’t take long for Ben and Faith to find Ken, he was sitting by himself on a balcony.

“Hey Ken.” Ben said.

“Hey.” Was all Ken could say in response.

Ben and Faith then sat next to Ken before Ben spoke again.

“Do you mind telling me what’s on your mind?”

“All my life I looked up to mom, she was my hero, and I wanted to be just like her. But now, I know she did something so evil and wrong. How can I ever look at her the same?” Ken answered.

“I see. Do you feel the same way Faith?” Ben asked. Faith didn’t say anything, she just turned away from her father.

“I understand how you feel. But you already knew your mother used to be a villain.” Ben said.

“I didn’t know she was that bad.” Ken replied.

Ben then took a deep breath before continuing. “Well, did your alternate self tell you that she was being corrupted by the Alpha Rune when she did that?”

Ken then turned to his father. “No, he didn’t.”

“The Alpha Rune corrupts vulnerable people. Your mother had a really hard life and was desperate to see her dad again, and it destroyed her mind.”

“So that’s why she hates that stone.” Ken whispered to himself.

“But you know what else? When she did bring her father back he was disappointed in her and sacrificed himself to bring everyone she killed back to life. She was the only one who suffered long term consequences over it.” Ben continued.

Ken and Faith took a moment to take everything their father said in before he continued.

“Do you remember that story we used to tell you two at night when you were little? About the Knight and the Witch?” Ben asked.

Both children nodded their heads in response, but were confused as to how the story could be relevant.

“Well, that story was based on my and your mother’s life. Just like the witch in the story, she wasn’t really evil, she was hurting. And just like the knight in the story, I was hurting too. But we helped each other, and we eventually fell in love and had you two, and both our lives were made better because of it.” Ben said with a smile, and both his kids smiled back at him before he continued.

“She actually got to meet her father a second time, after we started dating and she became a hero. And that time he said that he was proud of her. Your mother used to be a villain, but she was also a victim, and all the bad things she did are in the past. She changed and now she’s a hero, and more importantly, she’s a wife and a mother.”

“So do you think you guys can forgive her?” Ben asked.

“Yes, I think I can.” Ken replied.

“Me too.” Faith added.

Ben smiled at his kids before saying “Great. Now come on, let’s go home.”

Ben and the kids walked to where Hope was and the twins immediately ran up to her and hugged her tightly. Hope was surprised by this, but was also extremely happy.

“I love you mom.” They both said.

Hope smiled and hugged them back. “I love you too.”

After she and the kids let go of each other, Ben turned to Paradox and asked “so you ready to take us home?”

“I will, but first I must reveal something to you all.” He then transported the family to a realm where they could observe events throughout the timelines.

“Ben, Kenny once told you that you were destined to be with Kai, and he was correct. But what he didn’t tell you was this.” Paradox then directed the family’s attention to multiple portals that showed many different versions Ben and Kai arguing with each other.

“And that’s not the worst of it. I’d advise the children look away for this part.”

The kids could sense the seriousness in the Professor’s voice, so they closed their eyes and covered their ears.

As soon as they did so, the portals changed to show Kai beating Ben. Ben and Hope were horrified at what they were witnessing.

“So that’s why he lied about his black eye.” Hope thought to herself, but she was also really angry. Sure, she and Ben had the occasional argument, but she would never beat him.

“How dare she lay a finger on any version of Ben!” Hope thought to herself.

“The children can open their eyes now.” Paradox said before Hope gently touched them to let them know that they could watch again.

“I once thought that Ben was doomed to stay in a loveless marriage no matter what, until you came onto the scene.” Paradox said while pointing to Hope.

“You two fought destiny and won, and now every Ben in every timeline and universe is free to be with whoever they love.”

Ben looked at his wife and smiled. Not only did he rescue her from her fate, but she rescued him as well.

He decided to give her a kiss as a thank you, and she greatly appreciated it.

Chapter Text

The Observation Realm:

Ben quickly realized something. “Where are the Levin’s?”

“We will pick them up shortly, and then we will need a place to formulate a plan.” Paradox answered.

Hope looked at her children and smiled before adding to the conversation. “I think I might have a suggestion.”

Ledgerdomain:

After Paradox had picked up Kevin and Gwen from the Stone Age and Devlin from a timeline where apes were the dominant species, he sent the heroes to Ledgerdomain.

“So that is your castle?!” Faith and Ken asked excitedly while pointing to the nearby building.

“Yes, and this is my realm. Welcome to Ledgerdomain, the world I was born in.” Hope answered with a smile on her face.

The children were excited to finally see the realm their parents told them about. They looked on in amazement at the dimension, taking in every detail before the heroes entered the castle and sat down in the dining room.

“So I’m guessing that going back in time to stop us from going in the time portal is out of the question.” Kevin said.

“Indeed.” Paradox replied solemnly.

“Figures. We’ve been through enough time travel adventures to know it’s never that easy.” Ben added.

“So what do we do?” Gwen asked.

“Right now, Zs’Skayr still can’t touch the Alpha Rune, but he does have an army of Ectonurites on his side. Each someone who was once human. He’s even got Max.” Paradox explained solemnly.

“So that’s why he wasn’t home.” Faith thought to herself.

“Wait, what if we had an army of our own?” Ken suggested.

“What do you mean?” Faith asked while everyone else in the room wondered the same thing.

“We just got back from a journey through time, maybe some of the people we met could help us.” Ken further explained.

Paradox thought about it for a moment. “With both the Highbreed and your original future selves, we might be able to pull off a victory before Zs’Skayr can figure out a way around Hope’s spell.”

“Then it sounds like we have a plan.” Ben said while he and the rest of the heroes stood up.

“Great, let’s get going!” Faith said.

“No, you and Ken are staying here.” Ben replied.

“What?! But I wanna help.” Faith said argumentatively.

“Zs'Skayr is far too dangerous for you two. Remember what happened last time you didn’t listen to us about him?” Hope replied.

“But I wanna help you guys, to show you what we can do, to make you proud.” Faith said.

“Do you feel the same way Ken?” Ben asked curiously.

Ken nodded his head in response.

“You know, you guys don’t have to be heroes to make us proud.” Hope said.

“You’re our kids, we will love you no matter what. You could have chosen to live a normal life, and we would still support you guys every step of the way.”

Both Faith and Ken were touched by what their parents said.

“Thanks guys, but I still wanna be a hero.” Faith said.

“I do too.” Ken added.

“I have a copy of the most powerful weapon in the universe attached to my wrist, Ken has a spell book filled with powerful spells, we can do things no other kid can. And there are a lot of people counting on us, Grandpa and Grandma, Mina, Carl, Great Grandpa Max, Grand Uncle Hex, and Billions of other people are in danger. And we have the power to help, I’m sorry guys, but I’m not going to just sit here and do nothing when I have the power to help.

Both Ben and Hope’s expectations changed were amazed and proud of their daughter’s maturity.

“Alright, you guys can help, but we still don’t want you going anywhere near Zs’Skayr.” Ben said.

Faith and Ken smiled at each other before replying. “We can work with that.” They said simultaneously.

All the heroes then got ready for the battle. Ben and Faith transformed, Hope put rock golem armor on herself, Ken and Gwen, since it would protect them from being possessed, and Kevin and Devlin absorbed the appropriate metal, Paradox dropped them off and then left to find more recruits.

“So, this is it, the final battle of this war.” Gwen said.

“It’s hero time!” The Tennyson family shouted unitedly.

Chapter Text

Bellwood Present Day:

Ben, Hope, Kevin and Gwen made their way back to the house, while Faith, Ken and Devlin handled the rest of the Ectonurites.

Faith had transformed into Ditto and split herself into multiple copies that spread out. Knowing that the Ectonurites couldn't possess her as an alien and also knowing that she couldn't detransform until all the dittos were close together.

Faith originally wanted to turn into Rath, but her father warned her against using just one alien.

Flashback, Ledgerdomain:

"I can't wait to use Rath!" Faith said excitedly.

"Are you sure Rath is the right alien for the job?" Ben asked.

"Of course he is, he's super strong." Faith answered.

"But you'll be going up against ghosts. What good is strength if your opponent can just fade through your punches?" Ben asked.

Faith couldn't believe she didn't think of that.

"You know, when I was a kid I had a favorite alien too." Ben continued.

"Feedback, right?" Faith asked.

"Yep." Ben said while smiling at his daughter briefly before continuing.

"But using him all the time ended up making me losing him for a while. I don't want you to go through that."

Faith took a moment to process these words before realizing that Ditto would be the better choice.

Ben was proud of his daughter not only for taking his advice, but also for thinking outside the box.

Present Day:

The kids continued fighting the Ectonurites, they they heard some shots being fired. They looked and saw Rook with his blaster, as well as Lucy and her Husband Johnathon.

"Hey Rook, hey Mr and Ms. Stocker." Ken said to them while backing them up.

They briefly smiled at him before continuing to fight off the Ectonurites.

"Hey Ken. Do you know what's going on?" Rook asked.

"It's a long story." Ken answered.

"Then we better focus on dealing with this situation instead of talking." A voice said from above. They looked up and saw who it was.

"Grand Uncle Hex?!" Ken said.

"I was planning on stopping by for a visit before all this happened. Are your sister and parents ok?" Hex asked with concern.

"Faith turned into Ditto and spread around the city. And mom and dad are at the house with Aunt Gwen and Uncle Kevin to fight the bad guy who started this." Ken answered while continuing to fight the Ectonurites.

"I see. Then I will go to assist them. I trust you three to look after my grand nephew and niece?" Hex asked, then Rook, Lucy and Johnathon nodded their heads before Hex left.

The four heroes then ran around the city, spotting one of Faith's Ditto's being attacked by an army of Ectonurites.

"Leave her alone!" Ken shouted. Then, his eyes started glowing purple and his armor began to shed.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" He said again, this time with an echoed voice before he became an Anodite and pushed away all the Ectonurites that surrounded her.

But just as quickly as he transformed, he detransformed.

"What was that?" Faith asked.

"Your brother's an Anodite." Rook answered with disbelief and amazement.

Ben And Hope's House:

The four heroes had made it to their home.

"Zs'Skayr! Show yourself!" Hope demanded, and she got a chilling response.

"I couldn't touch the Alpha Rune. No matter what I did. But now I figured out why." Zs'Skayr said before casting a spell.

Immediately, Hope and Gwen's armor were destroyed and Zs'Skayr possessed Hope.

"Your spell makes it so only you can touch it." Zs'Skayr continued now in Hope's body.

The rest of the heroes were horrified as Zs'Skayr used the power of the Alpha Rune.

"Oh this is perfect. I get ultimate power, and you have to fight the woman you love." Zs'Skayr stated menacingly.

But just then, a portal opened next to the heroes, and Ben 10K walked out.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late."

"We?" Zs'Skayr asked before he briefly looked outside and saw a bunch of Highbreed ships floating in the sky, then he saw Gwendolyn and the alternate Kevin walk through the same portal.

The reinforcements had arrived.