CHAPTER TWO: LOVE ME, LOVE MY PET

Staff House, Surfer's Paradise, Sunset Island, B.C., August 5, 2010

"Okay, groms. Huddle up."

After he and Lo had gotten back from their date – which had left Lo utterly giddy and squealing "EEEEEEEE!" all the way to her room – Ben had called the others to the common room. "We all know that Lo's 16th birthday is in two days," he said. "We also know that she was not counting on having any kind of party or celebration." He took a deep breath. "That changed 30 minutes ago."

Gwen paled. "Oh, no. Ben…what did you..?"

"I promised, Gwen. Lo's getting a party."

Reef burst out laughing. "Yeah, and I'm the dumb one?" he asked, before he cried out. "OW!"

After swatting Reef on the arm, Fin met Ben's gaze. "I'm assuming you need help?"

"With the Vreedles running loose? Yeah, Fin. I'll need some extra hands."

Emma nodded. "Lo's our friend too, Ben. Of course we'll help!"

"Yeah, bro. Grom code," Broseph agreed. "Never pull a backside on a grom – or grom-ette – in need. If our surf-sister's missing out on a special day, we're in."

As he glanced to Kevin and Gwen, Ben knew he was coming to the hard sells. "Gwen?"

Gwen still frowned. "Our priority has to be on the Vreedles, Ben."

"I'm not disputing that," Ben said. "But don't you remember your 16th? How we all busted our humps?"

Gwen's frown wavered. "That is not fair."

"I'm just saying, Gwen," Ben pressed. "If Lo were still…the way she was when we first met, it would be one thing, but she's pulled a total 180 since then. She deserves her Sweet 16, now!" He grinned slyly. "And didn't you say "I love you and owe you forever," on your party day?"

Gwen sighed. "You big fat cheater," she muttered. "Fine."

Ben's grin grew. "Thank you," he said. "Kevin?"

"Forget it, Tennyson. I heard Ridgemount's squeak. If you think I'm listening to that for the foreseeable future, think again."

Gwen frowned. "Kevin…"

"Last I checked, babe, you also owed me for your b-day," Kevin said. "You kill that impending guilt-trip, and we're square."

Reef grinned. "Duuuuuuuuude! Total genius move!"

Fin wasn't as impressed. "Real classy, jailbird."

Ben wasn't deterred. "You want out, Kev? Sure," he said. "Just thought you'd like to get in the good books of a hotel-chain heiress. But whatever; you don't want to, you don't want to."

Kevin arched an eyebrow. "Huh. Emotional blackmail and leveraging your relationships. And here I thought I hadn't taught you anything."

'Oh, God.' Ben sighed. "You in or out?"

Kevin shrugged. "Whatever."

Emma spoke up. "So what is it you need us to do?"

Ben thought fast. "Okay…I'm hoping to make a case to Lo's dad that she deserves a party, but I'm not dumb enough to automatically assume he'll agree," he said. "Gwen, Kev, since you'll be pulling double-duty with the Vreedles – same as me – you can focus on a scaled-down party here at the staff house; just a cake, soda, decorations, what have you."

Gwen sighed. "Okay. That sounds fair."

Ben turned to Fin and Emma. "Fin? Emma? You're on guest detail. You'll coordinate with Lo to draft a guest list and invites." His face turned sheepish. "You…may end up getting more help with that than you want, since Lo made up with her old friends."

Fin sighed. "So we're stuck with a bunch of spoiled heiresses. Yay."

Ben chuckled. "From what Lo told me, Fin, they're not that bad. Heidi may have ditched her, but Lo said that one of her other friends, Flor, basically read her the Riot Act about it."

Fin arched an eyebrow. "Huh. Maybe we can hang with her."

"Good to hear," Ben said. "Reef, Broseph, once we have a location, you'll be on setup for the main event. Johnny's handled things like this before. You can work with him to get any supplies and contacts we'll need…and work out a plan that doesn't involve the RCMP showing up."

Reef's hand snapped to his brow. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"We're all over it, bro," Broseph agreed. "So…what's your job?"

Ben sighed. "The worst one possible," he said. "I'll be the guy begging Mr. R to let Lo have her party in the penthouse."

Emma winced. "Ooooh…"

"I know. If anyone wants to tag along – just so I have a witness that he'll be less inclined to kill me – I'd appreciate it."

Reef's hand shot up. "Count me in, bro!"

Fin blinked. "Ohhh-kaaay…you're way too eager about this, Chowderhead."

"What? Can't a grom be stoked to help out a fellow grom and a grom-ette on said grom-ette's b-day?" Reef retorted.

"Oh! My gosh!"

That excited squeak drew everyone's attention to the upper floor, where Lo had poked her head out of her room. "Now my new crew and my BF are helping with my Sweet 16? You are all so the best EVER! EEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Kevin winced. "And there goes my other eardrum."

Lo wasn't done. "Fin, after work, you have to come with Emma and I and meet my old crew! We're going pre-party shopping tomorrow!"

Fin chuckled nervously. "Uh…sure, Lo."

Lo beamed. "My new BFFs and my old BFFs all on the same spree! Could this week get any better? EEEEEEEEE!"

As Lo withdrew to her room, Fin sighed. "And now we all have tickets to the guilt-trip."

Ben could only nod. "Welcome to my universe, Fin."

XXXXXXXX

Surfer's Paradise, August 6

"Uh…Octagon? You sure this'll be where we kin find Tennyson?"

After ditching their vehicle, Octagon and his brother kept to the back-road paths – as they always did back home, like Ma told 'em to – until they came to a fancy-schmancy-looking building. "Heck if'n I know, 'Boid. I just figger this'll be a good 'nough place t' start. Even if he ain't here, we kin scrounge up enough swag t' tide us over 'till we find 'im."

Rhomboid scratched his head. "See, that's why yer the brains o' the outfit."

"Yeah, yeah. Just stay heshed an' outta sight," Octagon groused, as he started circling around to the back of the hotel, with his brother close behind. Making their way to the rear pool, Octagon kept to the rear hedges with Rhomboid, peering out only to scope the immediate area. 'Dang it, all these folks are within grabbin' range of their valuables…'

"What are you two supposed to be?"

Turning, Octagon and Rhomboid found four young humans – two boys, two girls – standing behind them. One of the boys – which were both on the pudgy side – laughed, pointing at Rhomboid. "Wow, you're fat!"

Rhomboid blinked. "H-Huh? How come yer callin' me fat?"

The other boy started laughing. "He even talks stupid, too! He's way funnier than the old mascot!"

At that laughter, Octagon saw that his brother was starting to get upset…which officially got his dander up. He knew he'd told 'Boid they had to lay low…but there was one rule of the Vreedle clan that took precedence over everything.

Vreedle Rule One: don't let NOBODY mess with yer kin. EVER.

Turning towards the laughing brats, Octagon stalked forward. "Think thet's funny, huh?" he spat. "Care t' guess what makes me laugh, ya spoilt li'l varmint?"

Before the brat could answer, Octagon quick-drew his plasma-pistol, aimed, and fired, sending a bolt of molten energy whizzing by the brat's ear, to detonate in the hillside, far in the distance.

"Poppin' the heads offa spoilt li'l turds thet don't git when I tell 'em t' git."

All four children were silent. The first boy spoke first. "Y-You can't do anything to us! Our Dad'll get you fired!"

"Boy, do I look like I work here?" Octagon snarled. "An' do I look like yer dumbass pappy is somethin' thet scares me? Ah got better thangs t' do then clean yer guts outta our boot treads…less'n ya run off yer mouth 'bout my brother agin."

His eyes narrowed, as he aimed his weapon at the brat's head. "Now GIT."

The kids didn't need anything else; they all ran off screaming.

Rhomboid looked stricken. "Aw, Octagon, Ah didn' mean t' get ya riled up an' bust our cover…"

"Don' worry none, brother. Vreedle Rule One," Octagon grumbled. "Course, thet just means we gotta git, 'fore Tennyson an' his posse draw a bead on us…"

"You three are so gonna love my newer BFFs! Oh! There they are! Fin! Emma! Over here!"

As he saw the quartet of human girls stride across the yard, Octagon shoved his brother behind a larger hedge, before ducking down himself. Peering through the brush, he saw one of them – a cute little brown-haired thing with a flower in her hair – run over to two more human girls: a redhead and a short-haired blonde. "Fin, these are Flor and Veronica; Flor, Ronnie, you already met Emma, and this is Fin McCloud, who started working with me, this summer." Her tone turned strained. "You…kinda remember Heidi."

Fin folded her arms. "Yeah."

Heidi sighed. "I said I was sorry, okay?"

Flor glanced at Fin, an eyebrow arched. "I hear you surf," she remarked. "Sail or no sail?"

Fin shrugged. "No sail…but I might grab one after I shred the hell out of Gromfest."

Now both of Flor's eyebrows were up. "Skateboarding or inline skating?"

"Boarding, in the off-season. Just an endless concrete wave."

Flor started to smile. "Bungee jumping? Cliff diving?"

Fin laughed. "What else do you do with a cliff?"

Flor looked ready to burst. "Mi hermana de otro hombre!"

Fin blinked. "Uh…and that means..?"

"My sister from another mister!"

Emma blinked. "Uh…what just happened, Lo?"

The first girl – Lo – giggled. "Flor's a total sports nut – you name it, she's tried it!" she explained. "You'd never guess it, since she's from real old money; her folks are total European bigwigs, and her grandpa's some kind of concert piano legend."

Flor groaned. "Which means that every visit, I get the guilt trip for not being able to play," she said. "Don't get me wrong – Grampi is wonderful – but…it does get old."

Fin sighed. "Preaching to the choir, girl. My dad's a shrink. Not only do I get the same kinda trip, I get a psychoanalysis chaser. Not fun."

By then, Veronica had fixed an eye on Emma's outfit, chewing her lip anxiously as she compared it to Lo's outfit. "Um…is that what you have to wear at work?"

Emma sighed. "Unfortunately."

Veronica managed a smile. "Okay…it's not irredeemable; all you need is a dash of colour on the dress to match that gorgeous red hair!"

Emma started to smile back. "Really?"

"Totally! Put a sash or a pareo around the waist, and you're fetch!"

"I'd listen to Ronnie, Emma," Lo said. "I may know clothes, but Veronica's a total savant when it comes to fashion!"

Veronica blinked. "But I'm not French, Lo."

Emma chuckled nervously. "That's not what she meant."

Lo nodded, before she frowned. "In any case, Kelly would never go for a wardrobe adjustment."

"Are you sure?" Veronica persisted. "I could talk to her…"

Stricken, Fin waved her hands. "J-Just wait until later, Whitmore! Our pals are going to have to talk to her about booking time for Lo's Sweet 16, and we do not need her cranky beforehand!"

Heidi looked confused. "Hold on. Lo, I thought all party options were denied!"

"So did I," Lo admitted, before she gave a sugary smile, "until Ben totally came to my rescue."

At that, Heidi started to grin, while Flor arched an eyebrow. "Something you wanna catch us up on, chica?"

Blushing, Lo shrugged. "Well…even though working at the DR is mostly heinous-to-the-maximus, it…did have a silver lining!" she admitted. "The first part was meeting my totally awesome new crew…and the second part was…meeting Ben."

Fin gave a snorting laugh. "Although part two took a while; she and Ben were cats-and-dogs until they admitted they were hot for each other!"

"F-Fin!"

Heidi smirked. "Called it!"

Veronica squealed. "Girl, I'm so happy for you..!"

"Hold on, Ronnie," Flor said, her face and tone wary. "Girl, this isn't a repeat of Hunter Markham, is it?"

Lo huffed. "Not even close, Flor! When was the last time that tool ever even tried to remember my birthday, let alone plan a party?"

Emma was lost. "Uh…and this Hunter guy would be..?"

"Lo's last boo," Veronica said, looking sad. "They started going out at the start of the school year. At first, he was all nice, but that went bye-bye pretty quick."

Lo frowned. "I know, Ronnie! And yes, Flor, I know that you all warned me, and that it took me catching him looking at Stanhope's naughty-pics on his phone to dump his unfaithful butt!" she exclaimed. "Ben is nothing like Hunter! Trust me on that one!"

Flor started to calm. "He's good to you?"

Lo's smile came back. "Ridiculously good, Flor. Our first kiss was my best ever…although every one since comes close!"

Fin started to go a bit green. "Yeah, I can say they're the real deal, Ibanez. They've been sugary enough to raise my dental bill."

That was enough to reassure Flor. "Okay…but I'm reserving judgment until I meet him," she said. "You know how it is."

"Yeah, I know: Sirens don't leave their sisters in the surf," Lo said. "Now, give us a few minutes to lose the uniforms, and we can hit the mall!"

As the human girls headed off, Octagon smirked. "Well, boy howdy…here I thought we was gon' have to turn this island upside-down."

Rhomboid's smile was goofy as he watched the flower-bearing girl – Lo – walk off. "Gosh, Octagon…she's sure purty…"

"Focus, 'Boid," Octagon chided. "Who'd she say she was courtin'?"

Rhomboid frowned. "Dunno, Octagon. Somebody named…wait. You sayin..?"

"I'm sayin' we jus' got ourselves a whole new lead, 'Boid. Chances are, we tail them, we find Tennyson," Octagon replied. "An' even if not, we scope out the island and get eyes on supplies in the meantime. Thet's called a win-win."

Rhomboid looked hopeful. "Okay, Octagon…but if'n we off Tennyson early enough, do we hafta call Boss fer a lift right away? Hopin' t' go courtin' afterwards…"

"Priorities, 'Boid. Work first. Courtin' after."

XXXXXXXX

Ridgemount Residence, Penthouse suite, Surfer's Paradise

'Okay. I can do this. Just a quick talk with Lo's Dad…the ex-Ranger multi-millionaire…about why he should let Lo have a party in his penthouse. No biggie.'

As the elevator dinged with each floor they passed, Ben steadied himself. 'It's nothing I can't handle. Mr. R and I are on…fairly good terms…right?'

Next to him, an anxious Reef gulped. "Just wanna say, bro: mad props for being up here. I mean, asking a favour from a scary rich dude who's also a badass military vet and the father of the chick you like? Takes stones, man," he said. "And if it helps, you can totally use me as a human shield. Like I said before: it's always the good-looking comedy relief that gets axed first!"

Ben sighed. "That only works in horror-movies, Reef," he replied. "And I'm still not teaching anyone – you or Fin – the Zero-G."

Reef's expression was forlorn. "Aw, come on, man! I'm up here on death-row with you! What's a bro gotta do?"

"The Zero-G is Grandpa's secret, Reef; it's not mine to throw around."

By then, the elevator had reached the penthouse. Once it came to a stop, the doors slid open…but instead of the imposing figure of Lo's father, Ben found only her little brother. "Hey, George. Your dad busy?"

George folded his arms with a smirk. "Nah. I could let him know you're here…after you change into something."

'Oh, God. First Reef, now this.' Ben put his hand to his head, feeling a headache coming on. "I told you before, George. The Omnitrix is not. A. toy."

George shrugged. "Guess I'm not moving, then."

Before Ben or Reef could react, another voice interrupted, as a hand grabbed the scruff of George's collar and pulled him back. "Actually, you are, George," Ty said, as he stepped into view. "Sorry about that, man. You wanted to see Dad?"

"Yeah, Ty," Ben answered. "I…had a little favor to ask."

Ty chuckled. "Lo's Sweet 16 bash?"

Reef blinked. "Dude! How'd you know?"

"She is my sister, Reef. I've had to help with more than half of the first 15 B-Days," Ty said. "Plus, I heard her squeaks from up here."

Ben scratched his head. "Well, squeals aside, Ty, you have to admit that Lo is way different from…who she was when she had her last party!" he reasoned. "This is a big deal for her. She's earned this."

With an approving nod, Ty smiled. "Okay," he relented. "Dad's not busy. He was just talking with Mom."

Ben paled. "Not…in the kitchen, right?"

Ty looked equally nauseous. "Made sure of that, bro. They're in Dad's office."

George blinked. "Huh? What's the big deal about the kitchen?"

"George. TRUST us on this," Ben said firmly. "You do NOT want to know."

"You do not EVER want to know!" Ty agreed.

George scowled. "Fine. Whatever." With that, he walked off.

Reef gulped. "Sure you don't want a witness, bro?"

"I'm sure, Reef," Ben said. "Wish me luck, guys."

Ty nodded. "Good luck, man." With that, Ben headed into the penthouse.

As he strode through the living room – and sent a longing glance towards the beautiful wide-screen TV – Ben spotted Lo's Mom, sitting on the sofa, talking to someone on her cell-phone. "No, Eleanor, you haven't missed Lauren's birthday! It's tomorrow!" she insisted. "We'll be sure to have the webcam ready for you to say..!" Her voice trailed off, and her face went pale as she spotted Ben. "Uh…M-Mrs. Ridgemount? Can I call you back? It's just…s-something came up! Love you, too! Bye!" Putting her phone away, Gloria managed a nervous smile. "B-Ben! Hi! I…I didn't hear you come in!"

She was still scared of him.

Ben tried not to let the hurt show on his face, and put on his own smile. "Hey, Mrs. R," he greeted. "Was that Lo's Grandma?"

Gloria nodded. "All the way from Scotland! She always calls Lo on her birthday!" she confirmed. "We actually convinced her to try a webcam, this time!"

"Cool," Ben replied. "So…is Mr. R. busy? I had something I wanted to run past him. Is now a good time?"

"Hmm…well, he was expecting a conference call, but not for another half-hour," Gloria mused, before she paled again. "W-Why? There's not going to be any more…strangeness going on, is there?"

"No, Mrs. R! No, no, no!" Ben assured her. "It's…related to Lo's Sweet 16."

Those were the magic words. "Oh?" Gloria asked, starting to smile. "You two have plans?"

"Pretty big ones, if I can manage it, Mrs. R," Ben answered. "I kinda volunteered to plan her B-day bash."

Gloria's eyes went wide. "You…what?"

Ben sighed at her dumbfounded expression. "Your confidence in me is truly appreciated, Mrs. Ridgemount."

Gloria flinched. "Oh, I…I didn't mean anything by that, Ben. It's just that…some of Lo's past beaus could barely remember her birthday! Having one step up and actually plan it is…such a surprise!"

Ben smiled sheepishly. "Well, Lo's been through a lot, the past little while. She's been so awesome about…my brand of space-insanity, plus she's been working so hard. I thought that she deserved to have her special day be as special as it could possibly be," he said. "And I admit: that sounded incredibly cheesy, after hearing myself say it."

Gloria was beaming. "Not at all!" she chimed. "If anything, it's wonderful to hear that my little girl has a man who cares so much!" She motioned towards her husband's office. "Go right in!"

'Okay. Now for the tough part,' Ben thought. "Thanks, Mrs. R!" he replied, as he walked further into the penthouse, up to the twin oak doors. Seconds after he tapped on the wood, he heard the click of an automatic unlock, and opened the left door. "Good morning, Sir!" Ben greeted. "Did you have a minute?"

Sitting at his desk, James was going through a pile of paperwork. "If you make it quick, Benjamin. I'm expecting a call from a contact in Cabo," he replied. "Nothing serious, I trust?"

Ben shook his head. "No, Sir. It's not serious – in the sense that it's an island-wide crisis – but it is kinda…urgent."

James arched an eyebrow. "Would it be related to the unknown radar contact that one of my Air Force Pals spotted coming down off-shore, yesterday?" he asked. "I would have preferred not to have lied to him about not knowing what it was."

"No, no! It's not about that, Sir!" Ben said. "We have that in hand…though we certainly appreciate the cover." He gulped. "I recently…found out that Lo's birthday is days away; specifically, her Sweet 16."

James nodded. "That's right," he agreed. "Gloria, the boys and I were planning a little celebration for her – a little family-only dinner, followed by a video-chat with her grandmother."

"I'm sure she'll love it, Sir. Us at the staff house were planning a little party for her, as well," Ben said. "I was just wondering…is that as far as celebration options can go?"

James met his gaze with a frown. "Tread cautiously, Benjamin."

'Oh, God.' Ben wanted to run for his life, or at least duck and cover, but he couldn't. He'd promised. "I…I think I know what you're worried about, Sir," he said, "and…and it won't happen! What I'm proposing will not be a repeat of…the first incident!"

"Forgive me if I'm less than convinced, Ben. Lauren assured me that her party wouldn't get out of hand; the RCMP reported otherwise."

"And if this could end up like that, Sir, I would agree with you, 100 percent!" Ben declared. "But Lo is not the same girl that had that party, Sir. She's done a complete 180, work-wise!" He smiled anxiously. "Am I wrong?"

James' frown started to wane. "Continue."

'So far, so good.' Ben took a breath. "What I'm suggesting is just a fairly small get-together up here; nine people, max! It would be the six of us, plus three of Lo's old school-friends!"

James arched an eyebrow. "Flor, Heidi, and Veronica?"

Ben nodded. "That's them, Sir."

James thought it over. "Well, Ms. Ibanez has always had a good head on her shoulders. Veronica…well, she's more of a follower," he reasoned. "Ms. Laramie, on the other hand, struck me as one of Lo's enablers…"

"She won't be this time around, Sir. We'll make that clear up front. Plus, Fin packs one heck of a stink-eye!"

James chuckled. "I see," he said. "And no alien-related shenanigans?"

"This party will be an alien-free zone, Sir."

"See that it is," James said firmly. "I realize that may not be entirely under your control, but I can't keep making excuses to law enforcement, or my insurance adjuster. If shenanigans keep happening in one spot, someone is going to call me on it."

Ben gulped. "Understood, Sir. Any alien shenanigans will be left outside your doorstep."

"Good," James continued. "So…I'm assuming that the real reason you came here is because you needed a venue for this party?"

Ben held his breath and nodded. "Yes, Sir," he said quickly. "L-Like I said, this would be a small shindig – nothing like the last incident! The circle will be small, and all human shenanigans will be kiboshed on-sight! You have my word on that!"

James' stare was thoughtful, but still made Ben's hair stand on end. "Hmm…well, Benjamin, I appreciate that you had the guts to talk to me about this," he began. "And I agree that Lauren has made huge steps forward since summer started." He sighed. "And so, under those circumstances, and considering this is a huge milestone for my little girl…I suppose I can't exactly refuse. Provided that it's a small get-together, with no shenanigans of any kind, I'm willing to let you host Lauren's birthday party here. Gloria and I were planning on having a date-night on the 8th; we can arrange for George to visit one of his friends that night so you nine can have the space to yourselves."

Ben let out the breath he'd been holding. "Thank you, Sir!" he exclaimed, extending his hand. "I promise, you won't regret it! Lo will be really happy!"

James shook his hand. "Make sure that I don't regret it, Benjamin, and we'll be just fine," he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my Cabo call is in a few minutes. I need to get this business sorted out if I'm going to have any hope of training for the Games during the Cabo trip."

Ben blinked. "The Highland Games, Sir?"

"The very same. If I can toss a boulder, a caber, and do the Farmer's Walk in Mexican temperatures, I may just break my own records."

Ben had to whistle. "Wow. You are hardcore," he murmured. "S-Sir!"

James chuckled. "Appreciate the sentiment, son, but you haven't seen anything yet," he said. "The current World Record in all three events has been held by my father, Wallace Ridgemount." He sighed. "Even today, years after Dad passed, his records stand."

Ben's expression saddened. "I'm…I'm so sorry to hear that, Sir," he said. "Th-That your Dad passed, I mean!"

"Appreciated, son." James steadied himself. "Was there anything else?"

Ben shook his head. "No, sir," he replied. "And…thank you again, sir!" At James' nod, Ben hurried out of his office, heading back to the elevator.

As the elevator dropped him back at the Front Desk, Ben found Ty, Johnny, Reef, and Broseph waiting for him. "Okay…you look like you're in one piece, bro," Reef said. "So..?"

Ben deeply inhaled…and grinned. "Provided it's just us groms plus Lo's old crew, and no alien shenanigans…we have the penthouse on the 8th!"

Broseph whooped. "Righteous, bro!"

Reef high-fived him. "Epic negotiating, Hero-Dude!"

Ben shrugged. "Hey, small price to pay for my lady's special day."

Ty looked nauseous. "Dude. Keep the sugary stuff on the down-low?"

Ben chuckled. "Yeah, I heard it, too. My bad." He turned serious. "Okay, we've got a venue. Now we just need catering. Any luck with that, Johnny?"

Johnny was grim. "Sorry, man. Every caterer in town is already booked solid, and the ones from out of town will never make it in time," he answered. "That just leaves internal catering…"

"…which means Kelly," Ben finished. "Great."

Ty smirked. "I wouldn't worry too much about her, man," he said. "Johnny? You remember that thing you told me about? The leverage you had on Kelly?"

"You mean that photo I swapped to get Lo and Emma their jobs back? Yeah, I remember, Ty. She shredded the only copy; that's no help."

"I know," Ty answered. "I just know how to get more."

Both Ben and Reef were intrigued now. "Care to enlighten us, bro?" Reef asked.

"Just leave the grindage-gathering to me and Johnny, guys," Ty said. "We know just what button to push."

Broseph frowned. "Just don't do anything too down-low, bros. Lo's B-day doesn't need any bad karma."

"Relax. We're just helping Kelly work off some of her bad karma, Broseph. Nothing majorly bad."

Broseph still looked sceptical, but he nodded. "Okay, bros," he agreed…before he grinned. "Think we can sneak a sesh before any of us have to get back to work or party-planning?"

Reef grinned. "Like you even need to ask, bro!"

Ty shrugged. "It is going to be another hour before Kelly gets off shift…"

Ben sighed. "Sorry, guys. My next priority is Vreedle-hunting with Gwen and Kevin."

Broseph wilted. "Bummer, bro."

Johnny looked worried. "I never really heard the low-down on these Vreedle guys. Are they bad news?"

"Well, they're not on Vilgax's level, if that's what you mean," Ben answered. "Picture a couple of hillbillies cloned in the lab of an amateur geneticist on a D-level budget, and then given high-powered weaponry with no instruction manual, and you've got the Vreedles at their smartest."

Ty chuckled. "That…almost sounds funny, Ben."

"Trust me, Ty: they're not," Ben said firmly. "Yeah, they're not winning any IQ-contests or Galvan scholarships anytime soon, but that makes them more dangerous, not less. Add in their itchy trigger-fingers, and you've got a mess waiting to happen."

Reef's smile collapsed. "Ouch, bro. Total ouch."

"Yeah. I just hope that's not what some innocent bystander ends up saying."

Ty looked worried. "Good luck, bro. We'll shred a few waves for you."

Ben half-smiled. "Thanks, guys."

Johnny started typing on his computer. "Just give me a couple minutes, guys. Got a few things to finish up first." Once Reef, Broseph, and Ty were out of earshot, Johnny stopped typing, and turned to Ben in a panic. "Okay, Ben? I know you've got world-saving to do, but I…kinda have an emergency of my own, here!"

Ben was instantly serious. "What's the problem?"

"What do I do about Emma?!"

Ben blinked. "What?"

Johnny blurted it all out at once. "After the whole Charmcaster mess, she and I patched stuff up and agreed to go on a date but we haven't talked about it since and I don't know what the heck I should do and now I think I waited too long and now she's gonna..!"

"Johnny, breathe!" Ben exclaimed. After letting his friend catch his breath, Ben continued. "I hear you, man. I get how you're worried about showing a special lady a nice time. But you're probably overthinking it; we've all been a bit busy the past few days, right? You and Emma haven't had time to talk this over. She's cool; she'll understand."

Johnny started to calm. "Okay," he said. "But what do I..?"

Ben expected that question. "Talk to her, dude. Ask her when is a good time. That's the perfect way to transition into what you both want to do. It'll go from there." He chuckled. "That's from a guy whose sweetheart used to hate his guts, and Emma already likes you. You are way ahead."

Johnny started to smile. "Huh. I…I never thought of it that way," he said. "Thanks, man."

"No problem." Before Ben could say more, his Plumber badge started to beep, prompting him to check it…and grimace. "Oh, crap."

Johnny looked worried. "Problem?"

"Yeah. Kind of a good-news-bad-news situation," Ben said. "The good news is that Kev and Gwen found the Vreedles."

Johnny gulped. "And the bad news?"

Ben was already running for the back-alley entrance. "The Vreedles have found the Sunset Beach Mall!" Bolting out the back entrance, he popped up the Omnitrix's dial, selected XLR8, and slammed down. Once the wave of Omni-energy dissipated, XLR8 darted off, leaving only a blue-black blur in his wake…

…and trying not to think of the fact that Lo was at the Mall.

XXXXXXXX

Sunset Beach Mall, a few minutes earlier

"This. Is. HEAVEN!"

As she, Emma, Fin, Flor, Veronica, and Heidi sat in the mall spa, in spa-robes as the staff gave them manicures, Lo had to sigh blissfully. "I know, right?"

Emma sighed again. "Definitely see why you had such a culture-shock when you started to work with us. I've only been here once, and I can barely remember the staff house!"

Fin nodded. "I can see the appeal."

"Totes, right?" Veronica agreed. "And we still have time for that little B-Day spree?"

Lo glanced at the wall-clock. "We should," she answered. "Given my budget, my spree's gonna have to be minimized, so it shouldn't take long…"

"Uh, hello?" Flor laughed. "This is our B-Day gift to you, chica. One outfit from each of us, free of charge!"

Lo sniffled. "Have I said how much I love you three?"

Heidi shrugged. "A reminder always helps."

"Well, I totally do!"

Emma chewed her lip. "So…everything is good now?" she asked. "You four are all okay?"

Flor nodded. "Like I said, for Ronnie and I, there was no problem."

"Good," Fin said. "No offence, Laramie, but my new surf-sis here just saved your butt from getting a sandal-print."

Heidi sighed. "Are you girls ever going to let me forget that?"

Flor chuckled. "Eventually," she said. "Which reminds me: Lo's upcoming B-day shopping spree also includes a party outfit for you and Red, on us."

Emma looked guilty. "W-Wow…um…thanks, but that's a bit much."

Heidi arched an eyebrow. "No offence, Mackenzie, but you're not exactly in a position to refuse wardrobe upgrades."

Fin's eyes narrowed. "Do we look like charity cases, Laramie?" she snapped. "I swear, it's like you want me to introduce your butt to my foot."

Flor sighed. "Nobody's saying anything about charity, hermana. This is pure gratitude," she said. "You were there for our sister when we should have been. That's it."

Heidi smiled nervously. "Uh…yeah. That's what I meant," she agreed. "So…can I borrow someone else's feet in the meantime? You know, since I managed to stick both of mine in my mouth?"

Fin relaxed, and gave a half-smile. "Maybe at the shoe store," she relented. "Think you can manage not to chomp on toe-jam until tomorrow, then?"

Heidi grimaced. "No problem."

Once their spa-session was finished, the six of them headed to the spa's change-rooms to change back into their day-clothes, before they headed out of the spa. "You're sure we can't convince you to tag along, Lo?" Veronica pleaded. "There's a sale on that's just calling to us, and some of the squad will be there; they'd love to see you!"

Lo sighed. "Uber-tempting, Ronnie, but that's a no-go. Was planning on chilling with Ben later today," she said, as she smiled. "And after he agreed to organize my Sweet 16, he's more than earned make-out seshes forever."

Flor's eyes went wide. "Wow. Not sure what surprises me more: that a guy willingly volunteered for party-planning, or that you just used "forever" in the same sentence that you referred to a guy."

Lo had to admit, she'd surprised herself, a bit. "Well…what can I say?" she asked, as they strode out of the spa. "That's just the way that Ben makes me…oh."

Her declaration went flat as she saw who was coming out of the sporting goods store. With a new racquet in her shopping bag, Julie's eyes were wide as she saw Lo. "Oh. Uh…hi."

Lo crossed her arms. "Hey."

Julie smiled awkwardly. "Uh…sorry, I didn't quite catch your name, since I was in a bit of shock…"

"Lauren. Lauren Ridgemount," Lo answered. "So, how are you liking Daddy's hotel?"

Julie's surprise grew. "O-Oh! It's…It's really nice!" she said. "So…your Dad owns the hotel?"

Lo nodded. "It's part of his chain. Daddy has properties across the globe, but I think this one is his fave."

"Oh. Cool," Julie replied. "W-Well…nice to meet you! Maybe I'll see you on the tennis court?"

"Doubt it," Lo said, her eyes narrowed. "I don't play games."

Her tone surprised her squad-mates. "Whoa, girl! Dial back the 'tude!" Flor admonished.

"Yeah!" Veronica agreed. "You're acting like she's Cecilia! What did she do to you?"

Lo steadied herself. "Girls, this is Julie Yamamoto, Ben's ex." She emphasized the last word. "Apparently, she thought that her being here was a sign they might get back together."

That instantly chilled Flor, Heidi, and Veronica's disposition. "Really," Flor said, her glare starting to form.

Julie raised her hands. "Yeah, I'll admit, that…might've been bad timing," she said. "I'm re-evaluating that."

"You do that," Lo hissed. "Ben moved on. Back. Off."

"Ship! Ship-ship!"

That strange squeak seemed to come from Julie's bag, as her hand flew to grasp its underside. Fin blinked. "Okay, what was that?"

Julie flinched. "N-Nothing!"

"Ugh. Whatever," Lo muttered. "Come on, girls. Time to bounce." With that, she turned to walk away…

…only to walk into something large, squishy, and stinky.

Stumbling back and suppressing her gag-reflex at the same time, Lo realized that the something was actually a someone. The person – tall, pudgy, and pale-skinned with scraggly dark hair under a grimy ball-cap with equally grody overalls – turned around. "Huh? Somethin' just brush up aginst…oh!" The sight of Lo made him pause, his face going red. "Uh…um…h-howdy, l'il miss," he stammered. "Was actually lookin' fer somebody else, but…kinda glad t'see yuh agin."

Lo blinked, as she processed his garbled English. "Wait…"again"?" she repeated. 'Is this walking chum-bucket STALKING me?!'

Julie started to back up. "Uh…Lauren..?"

The chum-bucket took off his cap. "M' brother said I should wait 'till we was done workin' 'fore courtin', but I just wondered if you'd care t'…"

Lo didn't need to hear where he was going. "EEEWW!" she shrieked. "Make me barf, why don't you, you creep!"

Julie shook her head. "Lauren, you really don't want to do that..!"

Lo was too flavoured to listen. "It's bad enough that you've been stalking me, but you can't even sneak in a freaking shower?! Have you smelled yourself?! Oh, and news flash: I HAVE a boyfriend, and I am not looking to downgrade!"

As her words caused the chum-bucket to start to tear up, a second scuzzy-looking guy, shorter and leaner, walked out from behind him. His lip curled in a snarl. "Girlie…you better not be talkin' 'bout m' brother 'Boid."

"Uh, do you see any other stank-bags around here?"

Julie buried her forehead in her hands.

The second guy's eyes narrowed…as he drew a high-tech pistol from his jacket. "Wrong answer, girlie."

The first guy – "'Boid" – looked grieved. "Aw, Octagon, she didn' mean it," he protested. "Do ya hafta blast her?"

Octagon rolled his eyes. "Ah swear, 'Boid, sometimes ya make it sound like we ain' from the same batch," he muttered. "Vreedle code, 'Boid. You wanna take her back to Ma an' explain why ya let her mouth off 'bout kin?"

Lo blinked. '"Vreedle"? Wait…oh, CRUD!'

At his brother's flinch, Octagon smirked. "Thought so." His finger tightened on the trigger. "This is fer yer own good, 'Boid…"

In the breath before Octagon fired, a blue-black streak whizzed past him, snatching Lo away and dropping her behind cover, before zipping back to grab Fin, Emma, Flor, Heidi, and Veronica, all before Octagon got his shot off. As the plasma-blast hit the space Lo had just been – leading to a series of colourful curses from Octagon while every other mall-goer erupted into a panic, running for their lives – Lo managed to see who had saved her.

Catching his breath, Ben in his speedy-lizard form – XLR8, if Lo remembered right – turned to her. "Everyone alright?"

Lo was about to thank XLR8, but Heidi's reaction stopped her. "EEEEEEEEEKK! M-Monsters!"

Emma and Fin both flinched, before they played along. "O-Oh no! Monsters!" Emma cried, feigning fear as best she could.

"Run for it!" Fin shouted.

Lo felt beyond stupid, but she had to play along. "S-Someone help!" she faux-shrieked, as the others started to run. Once everyone was out of earshot, she silently mouthed "Sorry!"

With a shrug, XLR8 popped his visor up to give her a wink, before blurring back into action, racing towards the Vreedles. Lo quickly ran after the others, to leave her boo to his superhero business…

…though she couldn't help but suppress a bit of guilty glee that Ben had saved her before his ex.

XXXXXXXX

With Lo and the others safely out of the way, XLR8 breathed a sigh of relief…that quickly turned short-lived, as he realized that he still had a whole mall-full of collateral damage. Octagon's shots had sent the mall into a panic; patrons were running screaming every which way, giving him no room to maneuver. "Excuse me…excuse me…pardon me…oh, come on! Good-guy coming through..!"

In a rare flash of actual intelligence, Octagon realized that their quarry was at a disadvantage. "Like glop-fish in a barrel, 'Boid!" He reloaded his pistol, and took aim. "Easy money..!"

"Ship, GET him!"

Julie's voice interrupted Octagon's threat as a green-black streak leapt from Julie's bag and splotted onto Octagon's weapon, seeping into the metal and merging with it. "Shiiiiiiip!"

Octagon pulled the trigger, but instead of shooting XLR8, the weapon backfired, knocking Octagon on his rear. "What in tarnation..?!"

As the glob leapt off his gun towards Julie, Rhomboid bristled, and hefted his own weapon – the plasma custom-job – onto his shoulder. "Gall dang it, Octagon! He's got that little filly with the livin' tech-suit with him! Thought Boss said she took a hike!"

Octagon drew his backup pistol. "Guess not, 'Boid," he replied. "And that might just be a good thang; we can get paid fer offin' Tennyson and make extra by sellin' that l'il green-black turd on the black market like we wanted to, last time!"

As Ship flowed out of the discarded weapon, the little Galvanic Mechamorph resumed his true state: a quadrupedal green-black, circuit-inlaid multipod, with an eye-dot resembling a computer's power-on icon on his head…only this time, his midsection seemed a bit pudgier than normal. 'Huh. Wonder if Julie's been overcharging him,' XLR8 mused, before he focused on the situation at hand. 'So, someone's got another hit out on me? Didn't think the Forever Knights were desperate enough to hire these clowns.' By then, Ship had hopped back into Julie's arms, ready for their next attack; time to change tactics. "Covering FIRE!" XLR8 shouted, as he blurred towards a side-corridor. With a nod, Julie darted behind a support column for a few seconds, keeping out of sight long enough for Ship to flow over her, morphing into a suit of high-tech armour of height equal to Fourarms, complete with a visored helmet that turned opaque. Her own change complete, Julie stepped back into view, her hands morphing into plasma-cannons as she peppered both Vreedles, forcing them to duck under cover.

Once he was out of sight, XLR8 tapped the control dial, leaving Ben behind in a wave of green light. Popping the Omnitrix's dial back up, he started to cycle through his roster. 'Okay, okay…civilians in the combat zone…gotta minimize crossfire,' he thought. 'Almost every offensive option here risks collateral damage; need something that can force them into the open AND force civilians out of…hold on.' He happened to glance up…and saw a Wi-Fi router that fed directly to the mall's security office. 'JACKPOT! Grey Matter can hotwire the mall and turn the security systems against them!' Twisting the dial, he selected the form of his Galvan alter-ego…but just as he was about to slam his hand down, the image shifted to another familiar form. 'Huh. Not what I was expecting,' he mused with a smile, 'but he'll work, too!' With that, he slammed the dial back into the frame.

At the contact, the Omnitrix started cycling up, sending another emerald wave over Ben, this time going deep, deep into his DNA, finding each carbon atom in his chemical makeup and swapping it for silicon. Not content to stop there, the Omni-energy brushed the newly metalloid living matter into ordering itself; living circuits began to weave themselves through the new life-form. Ben's bones, skin, and organs began to liquefy and metallize, his body absorbing the energy that was reshaping it…

…and when the green light dimmed, a taller, humanoid version of Ship's original form remained, the control dial on its chest. Ben's voice came from its head-pod, as though he was talking through a microphone. "Upgrade!"

His change complete, Upgrade flowed up the wall and into the router, which gave him complete access to the security system, to control – and modify – as he saw fit. As the wireless signal easily directed fragments of his nano-flesh towards the specific systems he needed, Upgrade locked onto Julie's cell-phone signal, and patched his transmission through to her helmet. "Julie! I'm in the security system, and I'm about to go Home-Alone on Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber! Once I give you an opening, PASTE 'em!"

Julie's face briefly appeared on the comm-line as she nodded. "Got it!"

As they started to peer out from behind cover, the Vreedles looked perplexed. "Octagon? Where'd he go?" Rhomboid asked.

"Dang if I know, 'Boid," Octagon grumbled. He raised his voice. "Gotta say, boy, ya went an' saved us a buncha trouble bein' here so's we ain't gotta hunt ya down! Now git on out here an take yer medicine, or me an' 'Boid'll start lightin' up these dumb folks!" He started to take aim at a trio of mallgoers who were trying to flee down the escalator…only to be sent flying as a security barrier under his foot popped up. As the elder Vreedle hurtled through the air, the pylon turned green-black and shifted into a trebuchet-like claw that grabbed Rhomboid and threw him in the opposite direction, giving Julie a perfect target. Her plasma-shots took Rhomboid full in his bloated gut, blasting him into the wall.

Ben's laugh came over the PA system, as the three mallgoers ran for safety. "The only ones who'll be taking their medicine are you two clowns!" he mocked. "Man, Connor and the Forever Knights must be having a serious budget crisis if YOU'RE all they could afford to take me out! I'm almost insulted!"

Coughing, Rhomboid got back up. "Huh?" he asked. "Octagon, you didn't say nothin' 'bout any Ferever Nights payin' us…"

"Oh, so it's not the Forever Knights? Good to know, 'Boid. Thanks!"

"Hesh up, 'Boid! He's tryin' ta make us blab 'bout who's bankin' us!" Octagon snapped. "Not thet it'll do ya no good, boy! Git out here, or 'Boid'll lit the whole dang place up! 'Boid? Give Lucille 'er wake-up call, an' when she's up, blast the whole dang second floor!"

'Boid was gleeful. "Music to m'ears, big bro!" he chortled, as he tapped a few buttons on his custom-weapon, which made it start to glow as it powered up.

If he'd had sweat glands, Upgrade would have felt cold beads across his forehead, if he'd had one. The second floor still hadn't been evacuated yet. "Fine. I'm up on the second floor in the security office. Just take the escalator."

Rhomboid paused. "The what?"

Upgrade sighed. "The moving stairs, 'Boid."

"Oh. Knew thet."

Octagon sighed. "Jus' git movin', 'Boid." With that, the two of them climbed onto the escalator and started to walk up…

…but halfway up, the escalator cut out, and their own forward momentum sent them falling flat on their faces. Snarling, Octagon got up first. "Dang it, he's got the whole dang place booby-trapped..!"

Upgrade's laugh interrupted them. "Oh, wait…did I say I was on the SECOND floor?" he chortled. "I meant to say I was on the first. Don't worry; I'll help you get down!" At that, the stairs turned green-black, as shackles formed by their feet, to latch onto their ankles.

Rhomboid gulped. "Aw, dang it…don't think this is good, bro…"

"You're thinking right, 'Boid." Once the shackles were latched on, the escalator ran backwards at twice its normal speed, the shackles releasing a few seconds later, to fling the Vreedle brothers clear across the main plaza, to land in a heap by the fountain.

With a cough, Octagon struggled to his feet, in time to see Upgrade flow out of the security console. Following suit, Rhomboid reached for his weapon, only for Julie to blast it out of his reach, sending it skittering away. "Gall dang it!" Octagon cursed. "'Boid, think it's time we went an' vamoosed. We'll have t' try an' get 'im later..!"

Octagon had been inching for the exit as he'd spoken, only for a wall of mauve energy to block his path. "Not happening, Vreedle!" Gwen exclaimed, as she and Kevin ran up to Upgrade and Julie. "Sorry we're late, Ben!" Her tone cooled as she spotted Julie. "Oh. Hey, Julie."

Julie smiled wearily. "Hey, guys."

Kevin glanced to Ben. "Another classic back in the roster, huh?"

Upgrade nodded. "And just in time, too, considering these two were gunning for my hide specifically."

Kevin whistled. "Dang. Didn't think they were that stupid."

Octagon bristled. "Levin, if'n you'd been offered the amount we'd got fer Tennyson's hide, you'd be sittin' here with us."

"Not likely, Vreedle."

By then, the Omnitrix had started to time out, depositing a normal Ben in Upgrade's place with a flash of ruby light. "Too bad you're not cashing in, Octagon. All you two are getting is a jail cell," he said. "Give up your client and maybe the judge'll go easier on you."

Rhomboid looked worried. "Uh…Bro..?"

"Ferget it, 'Boid. We roll over, an' we're toast, an' thet's just assumin' Ma don't whup our hides first!" Octagon snapped. "Just let me think fer a spell…"

Rhomboid persisted. "B-But, Bro..!"

"Oh, fer the luvva…what is it, 'Boid?!"

Rhomboid pointed to his weapon…which was now crackling with energy. "It's Lucille, Octagon! You know how she gets sore when we wake her up!"

Octagon's face fell. "Huh. Thet…thet ain't good."

Julie looked stricken. "I hate to say it, but I'm with the Vreedles on that one."

Kevin squinted at the weapon. "That almost looks like an XV-9000 Plasma Launcher…but the lockwork is off," he mused. "The framing and action kinda look like…oh, don't tell me you spliced it with a KR-8700 Energy Mortar!"

Rhomboid gulped. "Okay. Won't tell ya thet," he said. "Even though Ah did."

"Oh, CRAP!" Kevin cried. "Guys, that thing's gonna blow! This moron crossed an XV-9000 with a KR-8700!"

Gwen blinked. "And that's bad?"

"Babe, those two weapons use fundamentally different power media! The only way they work is if you use an accurately tuned conversion module; the conversion process is highly unstable otherwise!" Kevin exclaimed. "That kind of mix is volatile even if Azmuth was tuning it, which these two are not! That weapon's drawing more energy from its plasma core than it can get rid of; when it goes, it's taking out the freaking mall!"

Ben paled. "We gotta get it clear of here!" he cried. "Julie, blast open a skylight! Gwen, once the ceiling's open, fling it into the sky! That's the only safe space!"

Julie nodded. "You heard him, Ship! Heavy artillery time!"

"Ship-ship!" At once, Ship leapt off Julie, and morphed into a large, fighter-jet-like spacecraft, its wings loaded down with weaponry. Once Ship sighted his target, he opened up, blasting open a large enough hole in the ceiling, allowing Gwen to fold an energy bubble around the weapon and fling it high into the sky, where it exploded in an impressive blast.

With the disaster averted, Ship morphed back into his normal state, to land in Julie's arms. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ben turned to the Vreedles…only to find them gone. "Aw, crap!"

Gwen was equally dismayed. "How did I know they'd bolt while our backs were turned?"

"Same reason you know that ducks fly south, Gwen: pure instinct," Kevin said. "So, back to square one?"

Ben groaned. "Looks like it," he agreed. "Julie, you and Ship should probably get back to the hotel before the cops show up; we'll need to call up the Plumbers' damage-control unit, too."

Frowning, Julie nodded. "I know the drill, Ben," she said…though Ben knew she wasn't done. "So…you and the owner's daughter?"

'I hate being right.' Ben chuckled nervously, scratching his head. "Uh…yeah. I…really didn't see it coming, either."

Julie's expression didn't change. "You move on fast."

Kevin gulped. "Uh-oh. Here it comes."

Ben frowned. "That's not fair, Julie."

Julie shrugged. "I guess I should be thankful you even remember my name."

Ben's eyes narrowed. "You do not get to complain about this, Julie. I'm not the one who tossed all our history in the trash; that was all you. I was willing to fight for us. You weren't."

The tightening of Julie's jaw and the moisture in her eyes told Ben he'd struck home…which made him feel worse. "I haven't been with anyone else, Ben. I'm just surprised it was so easy for you..!"

""Easy?!"" Ben repeated. "You call moping around so much that Grandpa basically strong-armed me into a summer job "easy"?!"

Gwen coughed. "That's not exactly how it went down, Ben."

Ben sighed. "Yes, I know, it was really Plumber witness-protection, but even if it hadn't been for the Forever Knights, he'd probably have done it anyway!" he corrected. "Bottom line, I was not looking for another relationship, Julie! Even after getting here, I was in a bad place, and Lo was there for me!" He calmed himself. "I didn't mean for it to happen, but I am not sorry about getting together with her."

Julie looked like she was about to say something, but Gwen's voice stopped her. "Don't waste any more time with her, Ben. She's not worth it," Gwen said. "We have more important things to deal with."

Ben couldn't help but gape with surprise at his cousin's words. Julie was even more so. "G-Gwen?" she asked. "I…I thought we were friends..!"

Gwen just glared at her. "That was before you hurt my cousin, Yamamoto," she snapped. "You didn't see how down he was after you bailed. You did that to him." She sighed. "I admit, I'm not fussy about Ben dating Lo, especially since she already bailed once…but she came back. That puts her ten feet above you, right now!"

Julie shrunk back. "And you, Kevin? Am I dead to you, too?"

Kevin shrugged. "Yeah, I never had that much skin in the game to begin with, Yamamoto. I don't think I can really top anything Ben or Gwen had to say."

"I…I see," Julie murmured. "Then…then I won't bother any of you, anymore." She took a deep breath, and wiped her eyes. "You…you should probably get going. Ship and I can make it back on our own." She turned to go. "B-Bye, Ben."

"Yeah. Bye." As he, Gwen and Kevin headed away from Julie, Ben let out a groan once she was out of earshot. "Okay, that was what I was expecting the first time I saw Julie," he said, "and it still bites the big one."

Gwen patted his shoulder. "You got through it, Ben," she soothed. "That's all anyone can do for something like this."

Ben sighed. "So why do I feel like crap for saying all that?"

Gwen chuckled. "Because you're not a complete jerk, and you actually care about a girl's feelings."

Kevin snorted. "Just don't go too far down that road, Tennyson. Take it from a guy that knows the other side: jerks get a bad rep, but they ditch a lot of those crappy feelings. For me, jerkishness was a solid strategy."

Gwen huffed. "Oh, really?"

"Was, Gwen. Past tense. Costs outweighed the benefits, which is why I gave it up, okay?"

Gwen calmed down. "Okay."

Putting his turmoil aside – as much as he could – Ben focused on their mission. "Do we have any way of tracking the Vreedles? Knowing them, they may have gone to ground."

Kevin thought about it. "I may know a few local contacts that they might go to for new hardware. Shoddy as it was, that custom job packed a punch. Now that it's toast, they'll need a replacement, especially if they're still gunning for Ben."

Gwen nodded. "We can also check with the Plumbers' Intelligence Section; they might be able to ID any local players in the alien weapons-tech business."

Ben started to feel better. "Okay. Sounds like a plan," he said. "And with a lot of Lo's party-planning taken care of, we should be able to handle it."

Kevin chuckled. "So the Plumber mission went sideways, and the party-detail's going well. Knowing Ridgemount, you'd think it'd be the other way around."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kev."

XXXXXXXX

Staff House

After she and her peeps had been cleared to go home by the evacuation team – and Heidi had breathed into a paper bag long enough to calm down from her first "monster sighting" – Lo caught a lift back to the hotel with Flor. By the time she hopped out of Flor's car and bid her squadmate good-bye – complete with hug – the setting sun was just about to dip under the horizon. Making her way to the staff house, Lo found Ben sitting on the porch, his jacket off and to his side, leaning back against the steps. Spotting her, he sat up. "Hey, beautiful," he greeted. "You okay?"

Smiling back, Lo nodded. "I am now," she replied, moving to sit next to him, curling her arm around his. Her smile turned apologetic. "Sorry I had to scream and act like you were a monster. I don't think any of my squad is quite ready to find out about…all of you."

Ben chuckled. "Don't worry about that at all, Lo. I wasn't even thinking about it," he replied. "I have to say, though: you were pretty convincing!"

Lo shrugged. "What can I say? Ronnie always did say that I'd be a great actress!"

Ben's grin turned teasing. "Well, you've certainly got the "dramatic" part down," he teased.

"Shut up!" Lo laughed, giving him a playful shove. Her expression turned serious. "You're okay, though, right? I'm pretty sure I heard laser-blasts as I was running out!"

Ben nodded. "I'm fine, Lauren. I managed to unlock a new alien that let me use the mall security against the Vreedles. Plus, I had Gwen, Kevin, and Julie for backup."

Lo nodded…until the mention of Ben's ex in that context made her brain call time-out. "Wait…Julie? How could your ex help?"

Ben paused. "She had Ship," he answered. "Wait…I didn't tell you about him, did I?"

Lo shook her head. "No…but would it have anything to do with the squeaky voice I heard in her shopping bag?"

Ben chuckled wryly. "Probably. Ship's a smaller version of Upgrade – the alien I unlocked today. He's a Galvanic Mechamorph – essentially, a liquid-metal robo-symbiote. He can morph into a short-range star-fighter, as well as a suit of powered armour."

Ben's earlier statement suddenly made terrible sense. Lo's expression fell. "So…your old girlfriend was actually able to help with your superhero stuff? Like a sidekick?"

Ben snorted. "I wouldn't say "sidekick," Lo. "Ally" works better."

Lo felt her eyes sting. "That's why you saved me and not her. You knew she'd be okay."

Ben paused. "Lo…"

"And she was actually able to help with your superhero stuff," Lo continued, as the stinging turned to a moist burning. "She was an asset to you, and I'm just a liability…"

"No, Lauren." Ben gently took her by her shoulders. "Stop thinking that way. I do not think less of you just because you can't stand on the Plumbers' front lines. Nobody does."

Lo sniffled. "Gwen does."

Ben chuckled. "Actually, a few minutes ago, I just heard Gwen say that she ranks you above Julie," he admitted. "I doubt she'll ever say so to your face – yet – but I think you're winning her over. Gwen thinks you're more reliable than Julie. That says something."

Lo's burning eyes began to abate. "R-Really, baby?"

Ben nodded, and held her closer. "Absolutely, Lo. In a way, I'm glad you're not inclined to do what I do. Not having combat capabilities – like ours, anyway – means you're less inclined to follow me, Gwen or Kev into the kinds of crazy situations we get into, which is one less thing to worry about."

Lo giggled. "Um…you do remember how the rest of us got dragged into the last three situations, right, Ben?"

Ben paused. "Uh…okay, bad example," he said. "But you get what I'm trying to say, right?"

Lo nodded. "I do," she answered, and hugged him tight. "Thank you, baby."

"Any time, beautiful."

Lo's sly smile came back. "That reminds me, babe," she purred. "I mentioned this to my BFFs earlier, but you deserve to know, too. You stepping up to plan my party?" She batted her eyelashes. "Gets you infinite smooching privileges."

And she punctuated her declaration by grabbing Ben's shirt collar and pulling him closer, to plant her lips on his as she wreathed her arms around his neck. Ben's surprise was short-lived, as he enfolded her waist in his arms, returning her kiss tenfold until they both had to come up for air. "Wow. Starting to see the upside to being a party-planner."

Lo giggled. "Only starting?" she teased. "Then I have some work to do, boo." She laced her hand with Ben's and stood up. "The next set of waves isn't coming in for a little while…and everyone else is out of the staff house. You. Me. My room. Smooch-fest."

Ben's grin was utterly goofy – the one she absolutely adored. "Works for me." Smiling back, Lo led her boyfriend into the staff house, and up to her room for some long-overdue TLC…

…though she still couldn't completely banish the unease that knowing Ben used to work with Julie had conjured.

XXXXXXXX

Surfer's Paradise Hotel

With the sun now dipped behind the horizon, the sky above Surfer's Paradise was now a dark mix of violet and blue…which suited one hotel patron just fine.

The very minute she'd gotten back to her suite, Julie had flopped face-down on the bed, to sob into her pillow. She'd considered going for a late-night court-session to clear her head, but the thoughts that raced across her mind – specifically, how badly she'd screwed things up with Ben – weren't going anywhere.

"Shiiiiiiip…shiiiiiiiiip…"

As Julie sobbed on, Ship slowly crawled towards the bed, trying to hop up beside her…but his increased bulk made that impossible. "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip…" His cry turned bleating, pleading for Julie's attention, but she couldn't hear him over her sobs. Turning, Ship waddled towards the bathroom, his motions becoming slower and slower, and his cries turning more frantic. "Shiiiiiiip! Shiiiiiiiiiiiiip!" Then, as Ship made it to the bathroom, his bleating reached a crescendo.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!"

SPLOOOT!

Moments after that metallic splatter, Ship bounded out of the bathroom, back to his slim size, feeling better than ever. "Ship! Ship-ship!" With that, he hopped up onto the bed, to nuzzle into his owner's side…

…and remained oblivious to the second sound of metalloid paw-steps coming from the bathroom, along with the tiny squeaking bleats that followed.

XXXXXXXX

Omnitrix Database

File-name: Upgrade

Species name: Galvanic Mechamorph

Home Planet: Galvan B

Abilities: Subject is composed entirely of a silicon/carbon nanotech slurry; no internal organs have been discerned, but subject's entire body behaves as both a pseudo-organic nervous system and a multi-adaptive circuit board. Subject can regenerate damaged body segments with ease, and can alter its size, shape, and elasticity. Subject projects a moderate-strength wireless signal, enabling communication with any device or system capable of transmitting or receiving similar signals. Subject is capable of duplicating any technological system in its internal databank, and can integrate seamlessly with any existing system; upon integration, subject can augment the system's current functions and/or add new functions. Alone, subject can project a weapons-grade energy-beam from its optic sensor, as well as exert above-average physical strength, speed, flexibility, and durability. Subject can absorb multiple energy media, but is most easily energized by direct electrical current. When overcharged, subject can convert excess energy into additional mass; this allows for a method of asexual reproduction, where sufficient excess mass can "bud" off of the subject.

Description: Given the scientific and technological achievements of the Galvan people, it is ironic that one of their greatest creations happened by complete accident. In an effort to terraform one of Galvan Prime's uninhabitable moons – Galvan B – the Galvans developed a self-adapting nanofluid, capable of integrating with and converting existing matter on an atomic scale. Upon deploying the nanofluid upon their moon, the Galvans were delighted to see an entire ecosystem develop on Galvan B…but to their surprise, a sentient species arose from the nano-primordial fluid. These "Mechamorphs," as they came to be called, soon began to grow by leaps and bounds – almost as fast as the Galvans themselves. It was not long before they came to join the galactic community, with the help of their "parents," the Galvans.

Today, the Mechamorph people are known and respected for their unparalleled intuition and experience with mechanized technology. Many Mechamorphs are employed as engineers, repair-personnel, and inventors. Given their ability to fuse with and control technology – often covertly – more daring Mechamorphs can find work as covert operatives amongst the Plumbers…though there have been rumours of Mechamorphs with defective ethics codes that hire themselves out to less scrupulous employers.

Author's Note: If I ever take longer than a year to update again, please shoot me. Moving on…

Next Time:

With party-planning on-track and the Vreedles on the run, Ben seems to have a bit more breathing-room…

…but a certain pain in Lo's neck and a new addition to Julie's household threaten to derail that.

Can Ben and the groms round up this little dickens and collar the Vreedles while making sure that the hotel's party-history DOESN'T repeat itself?

Find out, when Lo learns the hard way that "It's My Party, and I'll Scream If I Want To…"