More Than Ever

AN: I have literally been off and on writing this for possibly a year, and uh, I thought I'd throw this one out while I try to get the next chapter of Escape out. It's a little AU and maybe a bit OOC, but because of the situation mostly. So it's situational-out-of-characterness. And it might have some errors and typos and stuff. Sorry.

Let me know what you think! I have some other Albedo stories too that I'm thinking about posting. :)

One-shot for now. ^^ Might change if people ask.

The sun had just began setting, but Albedo found himself already missing it's warmth as he pulled his black hooded-coat closer to him to keep it from whipping around in the cold wind. He could have just zipped the thing up, if it weren't broken, but he supposed beggars really couldn't be choosers. And he had been reduced to nothing more than a beggar on the streets of Bellwood, so he would know. Albedo would take anything he could get, at this point.

He shivered as the air hit his face, and he suddenly wished he hadn't cut some of his hair back with the scissors he'd found last week. He should just let it grow out, but it was already below his chin in some places.

He continued down the sidewalk until he reached a store that people were exiting from. He could go that way, since nobody knew who he was these days-not wearing a red jacket and showing off his weird hair and eyes helped-but he'd rather not have to face people at all. He didn't want to see the confusion, pity, or sadness in their eyes when they saw him. He didn't want to wonder what he looked like in their eyes.

Albedo turned and headed down the alley by the store instead, knowing that he'd rather face a stray dog or cat any day.

When he turned at the end of the alley to go left and continue his path, however, he didn't expect to see what he saw. At that moment he almost wish he'd gone the other way.

Standing just around the corner and right in front of him were five young men, all tough and burly. They were a trashy lot, too.

Albedo liked this better, though. He preferred a fight to pity any day. So he stood tall and ready, hoping his trashy hooded-coat, bloodied but bandaged right knee and torn black T-shirt made him look tougher, too. They'd be pretty much even, then, probably.

Albedo learned a long time ago, that just because someone looked weak, didn't mean they were, and the same could be said about someone who looked tough. So he wasn't scared as he watched them whisper to each other and laugh. They were trying-and failing-to scare him.

"Well," one of them began with a huge smirk, "Look what we found."

Albedo gritted his teeth, but tried to hide it. He knew that any emotion looked weak, and the strongest look would be to remain emotionless. Presentaion is important.

Another one smiled as he said, "What say we see what he's got on him?"

Albedo wondered what they'd hope to find, but didn't say anything. Surely they couldn't all be blind, though? He looked homeless, and in fact, was.

Suddenly both of the men, along with the other men, moved aside and a Necrofriggian walked forward. Albedo shivered at just the sight, and realized what they had in mind as he started backing away. It was cold enough without an alien like that.

The men quickly caught his arms and held him still though. Another man held his back in place, and the alien approached him until he was standing a few feet from Albedo. Albedo felt another shiver run down his spine, but not because of the cold, this time.

The Necrofriggian looked down and blew ice onto the ground around Albedo, slowly blowing the ice onto his legs as well. Albedo bit his lip at the coldness wrapping around his feet and legs, trying hard to hold back a whimper as he continued struggling to get free.

"Hey," they heard another person speak, "Didn't anyone ever tell you to pick on someone your own size?"

If the mock in the alien's voice, and his choice of words weren't enough, then Albedo still would have seen the Omnitrix symbol on the Methanosian's chest. It was Ben 10, or rather 'Swampfire', and he probably didn't know it was Albedo being held and about to be searched for every last thing that was worth something on him.

The men glare at Swampfire, and the Necrofriggian stops at Albedo's waist to face the other alien too, "Well," the Necrofriggian said, "We'll just pick on you, then."

Swampfire jumped towards the group, knocking the men down, but the Necrofriggian quickly blew ice at him, attempting the freeze him completely. Swampfire shot fire from his hands and onto the ice with a laugh, "Really? That the best you've got?"

The Necrofriggian gritted his teeth and jumped back, creating distance between itself and Swampfire, "I'm just getting started."

By then, the men were getting up. Swampfire turned to them quickly and muttered something about not having Rook with him before shooting vines toward the men and wrapping them up.

He turns back to the alien in time to get ice daggers shot through him, but his vines regrow. Enraged, the Necrofriggian flew up and past Swampfire, then froze a car quickly before throwing it back over at Swampfire.

Swampfire ducked, and the car missed him and almost hit Albedo instead, crashing into the alleyway and into the ice wrapped around Albedo, knocking Albedo free and into the stone wall behind him, but the ice cut into his lower thigh, making it hard to run, even if he wanted to.

The Necrofriggian froze and threw several more cars their way. Finally one hit Swampfire, but didn't injure him and he quickly ran forward to try to throw his vines around the Necrofriggian.

While the battle raged on, Albedo gritted his teeth as blood ran down his leg. He cursed under his breath when the Necrofriggian threw more ice daggers at Swampfire, and missed. The ice daggers flew at Albedo and he quickly move to dodge them. Luckily none of the daggers injured him badly, but one of them had the neck of Albedo's coat pinned to the wall-thankfully it missed his neck-and another had grazed his side and pinned him to the wall there too.

The Necrofriggian was about to freeze another car when Swampfire jumped and landed on him, then he quickly tied his vines around him to hold him still. Swampfire sighed in relief as Plumber trucks appeared on the road outside the ally, "I'd say that was a fair fight, but you should have had more than five people with you."

Swampfire turned and noticed the hooded boy now. He walked over as several beeps marked the end of his transformation.

Ben gritted his teeth at the sight of blood, and he began searching his aliens, but the Omnitrix wouldn't allow him to transform again. He walked over and crouched down to look at the places where ice pinned him to the wall, "Ew..." he muttered under his breath at the injuries, "That must hurt..."

Albedo wanted nothing else but to run. Ben 10 was so close to knowing it was him. He pulled the ice dagger out of his side where it'd grazed him, holding back a whimper of pain. The one that caught his hood was stuck in the wall, though, so he pulled harder on that one, but then Ben push his left coat sleeve off his shoulder and off his arm, "It'll be easier to just take off the coat for now. You need medical attention."

And then...Ben 'helped' pull Albedo's hood down.

Confused bright green eyes met fearful red ones.

"Albedo?" Ben asked after several minutes of silence. Albedo glanced away for a moment, but finally turned back to Ben. There was nothing to say. He'd try to get the Omnitrix so hard that he nearly killed others to achieve his goal, and now he just wished he could make a time machine. He didn't want to fight anymore.

Ben sighed quietly and leaned forward to push Albedo's coat off the rest of the way before he stood and moved aside for a Plumber medical crew to walk over.

Albedo watched Ben as the medics put him up on a medical bed they'd rolled over.

He couldn't help but wonder what would happen to him after he was taken care of and bandaged. Would they send him back to a Plumber prison cell? Or did these Plumber medics not know or care about him? No, surely Ben would tell everyone about him...

Ben said something to one of the medics after a moment, and Albedo couldn't tell what he said, but he knew it probably had something to do with why that same medic put a syringe to his arm.

Within seconds things were blurry and Albedo could only hear them speaking, but not the words they used. He tried to say something, to make them back away, or to at least offend them, but he couldn't form words, because he couldn't actually remember any words.

He listened as voices filled his mind instead, and images tried to come up, but they didn't make sense. Nothing made sense, now that he thought about it.

Colors and blurred faces, and muttered and whispered words filled his mind, and then there was a perticually loud voice, "Albedo," the voice said, "Albedo."

Was it calling him? Was something calling him? Or someone, rather?

Suddenly, he realized it was really loud as it spoke again, "Albedo, wake up."

He opened his eyes as he gasped for air that he didn't need. He glanced around what looked like a Plumber prison cell, except for the medical kit, and other medical tools and supplies on the desk by the bed.

Ben was sitting on a chair by his bed, staring at him with a worried look on his face, and that's when Albedo remembered that he'd been given some sort of medicine to put him unconscious.

He felt like he'd been in his dream-like state for only minutes, but of course it probably only seemed that way. He sat up and winced a little at the pain in his side, which helped to further remind him of the situation he was in. A bad one, to say the least.

"You okay?"

Albedo glanced over at Ben who seemed on edge and nodded. He could be better, in the way that Ben had clearly meant, but the situation...was not 'okay'. He didn't want to ask if he'd be staying in the cell, though.

Instead he let his eyes wander over things in the room, and noticed then that he was dressed in black, soft pants and a black T-shirt. They were certainly more comfortable than what he'd been wearing, and he almost felt that he should thank someone for it.

Continuing to glance slowly around the room, taking things in, he noticed a empty glass cup on the desk by the door, and he realized that he was hungry. He'd probably have to wait until whatever time they fed their prisoners, though.

"Don't bother looking for a way to escape," Ben muttered suddenly, and Albedo turned to glare, but Ben continued, "You're not actually being held here."

"Right, I'll just wait until you transfer me before I start thinking of ways to escape," Albedo snapped sarcastically.

Ben looked surprised for a moment before realization crossed his face, then he said in a softer tone, "I mean I don't actually plan on locking you up."

Now it was Albedo's turn to be surprised, "What?"

He couldn't believe Ben said that...surely he wasn't serious? Or maybe it wasn't really Ben?

"I might change my mind, though..." Ben said, "So...don't get your hopes up."

Albedo continued to stare at him in shock, "You mean...the Plumbers don't know?"

Ben nodded a little, "Don't get any ideas, though."

"What about the medics who saw me?"

"They don't know."

Albedo shook his head a little, "I don't understand," he admits.

"What, you? I don't believe that," Ben laughed a little.

Albedo found himself smiling, which helped to confuse him further. How and why were they getting along? Albedo wanted to say something harsh to Ben, but...he just couldn't. He felt hope in his heart.

He looked down for a moment, trying to understand everything, but there were some things that just didn't make sense.

Ben smiled softly, "I don't know what I'm doing, actually. I was just thinking about this a few days ago, that if I had the chance to attempt to...turn you away from the monster that you are, then I-I'd take the chance. I know we weren't friends to begin with...who am I kidding? I hated you... But...it's hard to explain."

Albedo let out a relaxed sigh, feeling as if some of sort of burden had been lifted from his shoulders, "More than ever, I want to change what I've done."

"Don't stay in the past, then."

Albedo couldn't help the small smile on his face.