THE ROAD SO FAR

Ben's parents were kidnaped by Ectonurites supposedly led by Darius. With the help of Zs'Skayr - an alien who is the genetic source of Ghostfreak's DNA - Ben was able to save the lives of his parents with ectoplasm, but later Zs'Skayr seized the opportunity to possess Ben's father.

Gwen's mother Natalie told Natan Salas that Gwen was interested in him and invited him for dinner at their house. When Ben tried to contact Gwen over the phone, Natalie made him believe Gwen was on a date with Natan, leaving him heartbroken.

With Zs'Skayr's help, Ben killed one of Darius' lieutenants.

NOW

Chapter 3 - Who Let The Dogs Out?

Late at night, Ben and Zs'Skayr - still possessing Carl Tennyson - returned to Ben's house.

"Now, let my father go." Ben folded his arms.

"Without my information and without my help, that innocent man we saved earlier would have died. We can save many lives, Ben," Carl-Zs'Skayr argued.

"I really appreciate that, but I'm worried about my dad's life now," Ben said in a very serious tone, "Either you leave on your own, or I'll lock you up again and wait until the effect of the Ectoplasm wears off and my father returns to normal."

"I agree that we don't need to involve your father in our business, of course. You should only drink a little bit of Ectoplasm, and-"

"And you're going to possess me and have full control over the Omnitrix and all my aliens," Ben said sarcastically.

"It would be the quickest way to end Darius and keep your family safe, a goal that you and I have in common," Carl-Zs'Skayr replied, "And I can help you with something else too... The pain that you're feeling because of Gwen's betrayal... I can make it go away, son. "

"Shut up!" Ben replied angrily, "And don't call me son. You're not my father!"

"Alright, alright." Carl-Zs'Skayr raised his hands defensively, "But think carefully about everything I told you, please. You need me, and I need you. "

Carl blinked a few times, and his eyes - once completely black with white pupils - turned back to normal.

"What happened?" Carl asked confused.

"You're just tired, Dad. Come on, I'll help you get to the bedroom. Mom is already sleeping." Although Ben's parents now knew he was a hero, Ben chose not to tell Carl what had happened to him that night.

Before going to sleep, Ben looked at his cell phone and saw that there was a missed call and a message from Gwen, "I'm sorry, Ben, but we had visitors here. I forgot the phone in my bedroom, and I didn't hear you calling. I'm going to sleep, but I'll leave the phone on. If you need me, you can call anytime, okay? I love you, baby cuz."

Ben had mixed feelings as he read the message. He liked the tender tone of it, while his pessimistic side expected something cold like "I'm dating Natan now. Bye." On the other hand, he was quite upset because he knew about Natan, and the optimistic side of him expected a good explanation from Gwen without him having to bring up the subject.

He also liked that Gwen said she loved him. But she called him a cousin. Was that a subtle way of saying she loved him just as a cousin? (Do 'normal' cousins actually love each other?) Or was the cousin's part only a red herring in case someone else - like her parents - were to see the message? Or did she just genuinely prefer to call him 'baby cuz' rather than some clichê cheesy affectionate nickname? (was that weird or hot?)

Ben knew he was not thinking clearly at the moment. He was tired and it was late. The best thing to do would be to go to sleep and figure things out the next day.

Ben and his parents went to lunch at Gwen's house - these small family gatherings between the Tennyson brothers, Carl and Frank, happened very often.

"Carl, Sandra, Ben, I have to tell you the news!" Natalie said with a broad smile as everyone was eating, "Yesterday, Gwen's new boyfriend, Natan Salas - yes, the son of that famous magician - came to visit us! I gave the lovebirds some privacy, of course, but I peeked a bit from the kitchen, and I saw that Gwen even let Natan kiss her!"

"WHAT?" Ben almost choked. He knew he had to pretend something like that didn't bother him there in front of everyone, but that was very difficult. Gwen let a boy kiss her?

"Mother!" Gwen complained, "Natan is not my boyfriend! And I did not let him kiss me. I like him just as a friend. I told you that a thousand times, and I said the same to him too, right after I slapped him across the face for stealing that kiss."

"I used to do this all the time when I was still dating your father, dear." Natalie giggled. "When we were around other people, I'd let Frank 'steal' a kiss from me, and then I'd slap him to pretend I was angry because I didn't want anyone to know that I gave him so much freedom. Remember that, love? "

"I remember, honey, but you're embarrassing Gwen," Frank said, noticing their daughter's clear nervousness at those comments.

Ben completely forgot about the food on his plate. There were many thoughts buzzing around in his mind - all about what to do to Natan as a punishment for kissing his girlfriend. He could roll over him using Cannonbolt, or he could use Wildvine and grow some very painful seed to use against him or let Benwolf's animalistic instincts take over and "tell Natan something".

Natalie noticed her nephew's obvious annoyance, "Ben, my dear, why don't you ask out that girl, Lucy, Camille's cousin? Joel told Frank that she's also training to be a S.E.C.T. agent, just like you. You and Lucy would make a perfect couple. "

"Mom, can you stop playing matchmaker?" Gwen was visibly annoyed at Natalie's suggestion.

"Sweetheart, it almost sounds like you want your cousin to be single forever!" Natalie scolded her.

After Gwen and Ben had finished their lunch, Gwen called Ben to play video games in his bedroom, an excuse for them to talk away from their parents.

"Oh, when I get my hands on that Natan, he will learn what's good for him..." Ben said, frowning with anger.

"Well, it wasn't exactly his fault. My mom gave him the wrong idea. She made him believe I liked him, and he had no idea I have a boyfriend. Me slapping him was punishment enough, I guess." Gwen said.

"Still, stealing a kiss is unacceptable! He deserves a bigger punishment. At least a good scare and some scratches," Ben said, with one hand over the Omnitrix.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I could agree with you, but did you forget you stole a kiss from me too when we were at the Spider-Apes' Island?"

Ben scratched his head. "Err... you let me steal that kiss, and you had no boyfriend back then."

"I did not let you steal anything, and I didn't have a boyfriend, but you thought I had one, and you kissed me anyway, Doofus! What did you deserve for doing that?" Gwen asked.

"Okay, maybe the slap was punishment enough for Natan for now, but if he does that again, I'll teach him a lesson he will never forget," Ben took his hand off the Omnitrix. Then he sighed and asked hesitantly, "Be honest with me, Gwen, please. Do you like him? I know you loved seeing him on TV, and you went to the movies with him on a date! Why would you do that?"

"Ben," she looked deep into his eyes, "I did not go anywhere with Natan. He came to my house, and we watched a movie while my parents were making dinner. Inviting him was my mother's idea, and I didn't even know it. And, yes, I used to have a crush on Natan before, just like I've had other boyfriends before, but... Ben... it's you. It's always been you, and now I can't ignore the fact that anyone else is not you, and I want you." Gwen pressed her lips against Ben's in a chaste kiss that lasted a few seconds, but much less than Ben wanted - they couldn't risk their parents catching them kissing.

"Let's tell them, Gwen." Ben held the redhead's hands. "They'll be mad, but I know Aunt Natalie. She didn't want to tell anyone about the wizard blood in your family. She'll want to keep this a secret as well, and she will know that if she keeps pushing more 'boyfriends' on you, you're going to tell them the truth, so she will stop to keep the secret. Honestly, I think she already knows about us."

Gwen let out a deep sigh. "My mother knows, but it's all intuition. My dad doesn't even believe she's right, and it's better to keep things that way... There's this company. They offered a job for my dad, but then we would have to move. Dad really likes it here and he doesn't think the extra money would be worth the change, so he didn't accept the offer. But I am afraid that if he knew, he would accept it, to separate the two of us."

"Crap!" Ben lowered his head.

"Let's try to solve the easier problem first. Why did you call me yesterday, Ben?" Gwen asked.

Ben told her the whole story about Zs'Skayr and the Ectonurite they killed.

"I'm sorry I was not there to help you, Ben. Anyway, you can't let Zs'Skayr possess you," Gwen warned.

"I know. But I also can't ignore Darius and his Ectonurites. They already came after my family! And Zs'Skayr is right, without his intel, an innocent man would have died last night."

Gwen scratched her chin, and remained in deep thought for a few seconds, until she said, "I think I have an idea ... But it's morally wrong. I'm not sure if we should do it. Your call."

Ben was staring at Gwen's lips as she talked... "I'm ready to do a lot of morally wrong things with you, cuz... I-I m-mean, what's your idea, cuz?"

That night, outside Bellwood Hospital.

Ghostfreak phased through the hospital walls and into a patient's room, a young blond man in a vegetative state.

"Who is this guy?" Zs'Skayr's voice echoed in Ghostfreak's head.

"A former neighbor of mine. His name is Nick. When he was 18, he got involved in a car accident. He has been like this ever since. His parents divorced, got married again to other people and moved out of town... No one cares about him anymore ... A charity institution covers his expenses here," Ben's melancholic voice answered back.

"Wait a second! You don't want-" Zs'Skayr began to say.

"I really hate the idea of doing this to Nick, but I can't bring Darius down without your help." Ghostfreak placed his hand over the young man's open mouth and let Ectoplasm drip on it. "After this is over, you will bring Nick back here, do you hear me?"

A few seconds later, Nick's eyes turned completely black with white pupils.

"I can't believe you gave me a broken vessel!" Zs'Skayr - now possessing Nick - complained as he got up from the bed. "I am still trapped in a cage in the Null Void, and my powers are severely limited here. I can't do much with this guy. I need you to make it work, Ben! Grab a glass, put some of Ghostfreak's Ectoplasm in it, and drink it when you get back to human form, please. We will end Darius quickly."

"Honestly, I do not trust you enough to give you complete control over me and all my aliens," Ghostfreak replied.

Nick let out a long sigh, "Okay, it's going to be harder this way, but I'll see what I can do. I have your phone number, when I feel like this body needs a recharge of Ectoplasm, or if I need your help, I'll call you. And when you need me, just turn into my genetic copy Ghostfreak, and I will literally be inside your head."

Nick jumped out of the bedroom window, graciously fell on the floor, and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

A few days later, Ben received a call from Zs'Skayr asking to meet him at a nightclub in New York City. With the speed of XLR8, it wasn't long before Ben arrived there, with Gwen tagging along.

At the entrance, Ben and Gwen identified themselves as "Nick's guests", and their entry was immediately allowed.

"I can already imagine my mother complaining about me coming to a place like this," Gwen whispered to Ben, as they followed a security guard towards the VIP area, past the crowd dancing to electronic music.

"And I can already imagine your mother complaining about you coming to a place like this with me," Ben replied.

"And don't forget we're here to meet a ghost, which makes things even worse," Gwen said and they both laughed, even as the laughter was muffled by the loud noise of the music in the background.

The VIP area was a quieter place, lit by a blue flickering light. There were a few comfortable velvet sofas there too. 'Nick' was dressed in an elegant purple suit, with pink tie and black social trousers. In another couch across from Nick, there were two very attractive twin sisters with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair wearing matching purple dresses with black stripes. The dresses were very short, leaving their legs exposed, and skin-tight. They appeared to be only a couple of years older than Ben and Gwen.

The twins stood up and each grabbed one of Ben's arms, "Come play with us, handsome!" they said in unison in a seductive voice.

"S-Sorry, I-I already have a girlfriend," Ben replied very nervous. He was actually glad he had the 'I have a girlfriend' excuse, because there was just something off about those sisters that he couldn't quite explain what it was, but it was making him have a really bad feeling about them, despite their stunning looks.

"Get your hands off him or you two will not have hands anymore!" Gwen pushed them away from Ben, very furious. She seemed oblivious to Ben's negative feelings and was acting out of jealousy.

The sisters stared at Gwen with an angry frown.

"Girls, I'm sorry. You can go now, please," Nick-Zs'Skayr said. The twins left as requested, but visibly upset.

"We thought you'd be using your resources to defeat Darius, but it looks like you're having fun in nightclubs and hiring prostitutes. Ben will not give you a recharge of Ectoplasm again," Gwen said with her arms folded.

"This nightclub is the last place Darius is going to look for me. And the twins, they're not what you think. A very long time ago, they were alone in the world. I turned them into Ectonurites, and I took them under my wing as if they were my daughters. Those girls are one of the few who have remained loyal to me and survived Darius's 'coup d'état'. We were discussing attack plans before you arrived," Nick-Zs'Skayr proceeded, "Please, forgive them. They're overly flirtatious sometimes." He forced a smile.

Gwen didn't buy that. She was sure that Zs'Skayr actually expected her and Ben to have broken up over Natan and had instructed his… daughters? nieces? whatever… to prey on a vulnerable Ben.

"Please, sit down, I need to discuss something important with you. Do you want drinks? It's on me," Nick-Zs'Skayr asked.

"We don't," Gwen refused before Ben could say anything, and then whispered in his ear, "We don't know what he might put in the drink ... and you're too young to drink anyway."

"Hey, of course I know better than to accept drinks from strangers," Ben whispered back.

"Straight to the point then," Nick said, "Today is the D-day. We found the current locations of Darius and some of his top lieutenants. In a few hours, my people will move forward with simultaneous surgical strikes everywhere across the globe. I'll take care of Darius myself. He is very powerful, I admit, but if you let me borrow you for a few hours, Ben, I'm sure I can handle this easily."

"No way," Gwen interjected, "We will help you defeat this guy, but you will never possess Ben."

Nick-Zs'Skayr sighed, "I'm not sure if a host like Nick can take this kind of fight, but ok. I'm going to need an Ectoplasm recharge from my genetic copy now before we go, Ben."

Hidden in the midst of the trees, Ben, Lucky Girl and Zs'Skayr could see an old building. It used to be an asylum, already decommissioned many years ago. But though it appeared abandoned and empty on the outside, it was Darius' 'palace', and it was full of Ectonurites.

"I'm ready," Ben said with his hand over the Omnitrix.

"Go with my genetic clone. Fight Ectoplasm with Ectoplasm," Nick-Zs'Skayr suggested.

Ben nodded, but when he slammed the watched, he accidentally turned into Benwolf instead of Ghostfreak.

"Benwolf might not be a ghost, but Benwolf can beat any ghost!" The lupine alien said in his usual angry tone voice.

"What an amateur mistake. That's why I wish you had let me take control..." Nick rolled his eyes. Then he grabbed Benwolf's hands, which glowed in a black light for a few seconds.

"What have you done to Benwolf, ghost?" The alien hero snarled.

"I've charged your claws with Ectoplasmic energy so you can hurt any Ectonurite in our way. You're welcome," Nick said, visibly annoyed at Benwolf's temper.

Lucky Girl couldn't help but to laugh at Ben's angriest alien.

"What are you laughing at, Lucky Girl?" Benwolf turned his attention to the heroine.

"You, Benwolf. Why?" Lucky Girl said, with her hands on her waist and a defiant look on her masked face.

Benwolf stood mere inches away from Lucky Girl, lowered his head, and... licked her mouth.

"Eww, this again..." Lucky Girl complained as she wiped Benwolf's drool.

"You're lucky that this dog here loves pretty kitty cats," Benwolf said, "Now let's go!"

"I think we should wait for the watch to time out and let you get another alien," Nick-Zs'Skayr suggested.

"Let me tell you something, Zs'Skayr, if you're scared and want to stay here, stay. But Benwolf will finish off Darius tonight!" Benwolf ran toward the asylum.

"Damn," Zs'Skayr and Gwen chased after him. The three of them entered the building after Benwolf brought down the front door.

The place was full of scary Ectonurites, but they themselves were frightened by the arrival of the trio and only followed them at a distance, without any attempt to attack.

"That's it! You ghosts are right to be afraid of Benwolf!" The lupine alien snarled as the trio advanced.

"They are not afraid of you. They are afraid of me. They've never felt an ectoplasmic aura like mine before," Nick-Zs'Skayr stated. And then he spoke in a louder voice, addressing the Ectonurites there, "You don't know me personally, but you certainly heard whispers and legends about me. I am Zs'Skayr, your true High Ecto-Lord!"

They heard a laughter from a distance, "High Ecto-Lord? I had forgotten about your talent for coming up with ridiculous titles, old friend." Seeming comfortably seated on a throne in the main hall, there was a ghostly figure who looked like a man in a white suit. The scariest thing about him were his blood red eyes. It was Darius.

Nick shot a death glare at him, "I'm going to kill you, traitor."

"If it were that easy, you would have done it already, old pal," Darius said with a smirk, "Of course, I have to give you credit. You're possessing someone here on Earth while you're still rotting in that cage in the Null-Void. It's a good trick, but it's all smoke and mirrors. Your powers are deeply limited in this state. Unlike me," and then Darius addressed the Ectonurites around him, "and I am going to kill anyone who refuses to attack the intruder!" he yelled.

"And I am going to kill anyone who stands with Darius!" Zs'Skayr shouted in response, "Even with 'limited' powers, I am still far more powerful than this fake king, or he would not be so afraid of facing me himself. Choose a side wisely, children."

The Ectonurites turned their heads back and forth between Zs'Skayr and Darius several times, until one of them simply flew upwards and phased through the ceiling, opting for running away. Immediately, all the others followed him.

"Looks like it's just us now," Nick smirked.

"Benwolf is tired of all this talk!" Benwolf jumped at Darius's throne, but was intercepted mid-air by a huge white dog with tentacles on its back and sharp claws.

Benwolf engulfed in combat with the canine ghost, "Let me tell you something, ugly dog, this is a dogfight, and Benwolf is the biggest dog of them all!" Using his claws, Benwolf shoved the dog away.

But several other ghost dogs joined the first one and began to circle around the trio. Lucky Girl noticed that the beasts looked like demonic versions of Ben's alien Wildmutt.

"Zs'Skayr, old friend, I know very well that humans are not always as loyal as we expect them to be. Fortunately, it is possible to turn beings from other, more loyal, species into Ectonurites too, such as Vulpimancers." Darius smiled as he petted one of the ghost dogs. Then he began levitating toward the ceiling. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave now, important appointments I can't miss and all this stuff, but don't worry, my pets will keep you company. GET THEM, BOYS!"

To be continued

Author's notes

* Again, I'm sorry about the long delay. I was working on a Bwen video project that was taking too much of my writing time. I decided to pause it so I could get back to writing. If you are interested in my progress on the video, send me a PM or add me at discord - csgt#2995 - we also have a Bwen group there.

* Ben stole a kiss from Gwen back in WB&LG chapter 10.

* Lucky Girl comments "this again" because Benwolf also licked her back in WB&LG chaper 19. Also, I made my Benwolf into a composite character between Benwolf and Rath, because I think both are very similar (even MOA thinks that too, since in the Reboot Kevin will get a Loboan alien as a counterpart to Ben's Rath). I've actually been doing that ever since I introduced Benwolf - he already used Rath's catchphrase when talking to Kevin, and there have been many references to his animalistic instincts and anger as something Ben can't quite control.

* The Ectonurite Twins are unnamed minor characters from Omniverse. I'm accepting name suggestions for them.

* Thanks to Aurora Nightstar for beta-reading this and for the chapter title suggestion