Disclaimer: Man of Action owns Ben 10 and all the characters in this story.

In what was becoming a familiar flash of light, Paradox, Devlin and Kenny appeared in the Levin household.

Paradox immediately lifted his gold pocket-watch to check the accuracy of their arrival. Then, he regarded the two teens in his characteristic, jovial intonation. "Here we are. As a reward for your services, I have brought you back to your own time just before Kevin arrives. This should shorten your situation here by a few hours. He will be here in exactly three minutes. It's been a pleasure working with you youths. I hope we can do this again sometime. Too-da-loo!"

Then, with a friendly wave, he was gone and the boys were standing alone.

In the middle of the Levin household's living room.

Devlin had noticed the moment they arrived- Kenny was setting off the bio-sensors. However, Paradox had spoken so quickly and made his leave so abruptly, he hadn't been able to get his complaint in edgewise. He was certain the scientist had done it on purpose… no one as brilliant as Paradox miscalculated something like this.

They were hosed.

Kenny, very observantly, stated the obvious. "Paradox set us up, Dude! Your dad's like, less than three minutes from burning us both!" The poor kid sounded terrified at the prospect.

Devlin was still so tired. He decided that he really hated time travel. As soon as he was done with what he knew, would surely be a brutal workout imparted by his mother, once she found out about this. He was going to sleep for the rest of the weekend. He regarded his cousin with an exhausted smile. "Man, you just faced a much worse version of my dad than what's about to walk through that door. Doesn't that lessen your fear of him even a little?"

Kenny thought about this a moment and responded with complete conviction. "Not in the slightest, Cuz. Your dad is scarier- by far!"

Devlin couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of that assertion, (although, he secretly agreed) as he threw an arm affectionately around his younger cousin and ruffled his chestnut brown hair. "I got ya, Kenny. Just follow my lead."

The older teen walked to the kitchen and slid into a stool. He placed both elbows on the counter, bringing both hands under his bangs to rub his tired eyes.

Kenny was just joining him at the neighboring stool when they both heard the front door slide open. The brunette tensed automatically, making to turn around. However, his older cousin's hushed command stopped him. "Don't speak and don't make eye contact!"

The younger teen laced his fingers and froze in place.

Kevin had been alerted by the bio-sensors that Kenny was out of his son's room about a block out from reaching the house. His automatic response was indignation. He couldn't believe the gall of this kid to disobey a direct order! Then, he assessed it better and realized the timing of the alert was odd. The boys knew, he was about to get home. Why would they risk getting caught now?

He had every intention of getting an answer to that inquiry as he walked in to his home and found his son and nephew sitting at the kitchen counter, both their backs turned to him. He made a conscious effort to keep his temper in check until he got the answers he wanted. "There better be an exceptionally good reason for you not to be in the bedroom, Kenneth Tennyson," Kevin's voice was calculated ice as he spoke, "And considering the fact that you're conscious and I don't see any blood gushing out of you, I doubt very much that is the case. You have ten second's to give me whatever pathetic excuse you have for being out here, Runt."

As Kevin spoke, he'd folded his arms over his chest, making his way over to stand directly behind his nephew. He could tell by the slump of the brunette's shoulders, the boy was likely terrified.

Devlin didn't stop putting pressure on his aching eyes, speaking up on behalf of his younger cousin. "Kenny wants to go home, Dad." The raven-haired teen couldn't help the weariness that seeped into his voice.

Kevin noticed the languor in his son's inflection. It sent a slight twinge of concern through him. But, facts were facts. His best friend's son had disobeyed him. He wasn't going to let the kid off. "No. He agreed to stay for three days of his own free will, yesterday. He can't punk-out after a little over twenty-four hours just 'cause he knows, he'll get off better with Tennyson. You know that's not how I function, Devlin."

The raven-haired teen turned to lock eyes with his father. An unvoiced plea in his dark rimmed emerald eyes that bled into his exhausted voice. "Just, let him go, Dad!"

Kevin schooled his demeanor into a stoic mask, but an alarm was going off in his head as he analyzed his son's eyes. Something was very wrong. He gesture with his head to the front door. "Fine, take him home. You have fifteen minutes to get back here. Then we'll talk."

Devlin nodded gratefully to his father and tapped his cousin on the shoulder. "Come on, Dude. Go get your stuff."

Kenny straightened, swung the stool around to face his uncle and stepped off. Then, he wrapped his arms around the shocked raven-haired Osmosian in the tightest bear hug he could muster, which actually knocked the wind out of the completely unsuspecting Kevin. He sent a questioning look at his son.

Devlin just smiled tiredly and shrugged in response. He didn't really get the brunette teen, either.

'Thank you, Uncle Kevin!" Kenny looked up at his very confused uncle with a bright smile and released him before running for his older cousin's bedroom to get his bag.

Both Levins followed him with their eyes. "Devlin…?"

The raven-haired teen raised a halting hand immediately. "When I get back, Dad… I promise."

Kevin shot him a look that was amazingly, both concerned and intimidating simultaneously, passing him on his way to his and Gwen's bedroom. "Definitely, Kid. You have fifteen minutes. After that- I head out after you."

Yup, he was definitely hosed.

The moment he walked into the house after dropping off Kenny, Devlin made his way to the kitchen. He knew both his parents would be there waiting for him. His father wouldn't have wasted a moment before calling his mother, once he saw his eyes. He'd probably called her before he'd left the house with his cousin.

Gwen was getting something out of the kitchen cabinet, but turned as she heard her son come in. She made her way around the counter to stand next to her husband, who was leaning against it with his arms crossed. The moment Kevin had called and told her something was wrong with Devlin- she'd rushed home from headquarters. Her husband had been vague, but said it was imperative she get home right away. He'd looked impassive since she'd arrived and had barely spoken a word to her beyond a hello, followed by a quick peck on the cheek. He was obviously worried about their son.

Now, as her boy walked into the kitchen, she could sympathize completely with the man beside her. A shocked gasp escaped her gaping lips. She instantly darted forth, placing both hands on her son's cheeks. Worry inundated her emerald eyes as she examined his. It had been years since she had seen this on an Osmosian, certainly not on one she loved! "God Devlin! What happened!"

Devlin smiled reassuringly at his mother and placed a loving kiss on her forehead before enveloping her in his muscled arms. He'd missed her so much. Even if he'd seen a younger version of her a few hours ago. He found he'd missed her, terribly.

Gwen found herself confounded by her son's behavior. Nevertheless, having a teenager openly offer a hug was rare, so she indulged and returned the hug fervently.

When he released her, Devlin looked pleadingly into his mother's green eyes and voiced his request. "Mom, I'm too spent to explain everything. Nothing in my mind can harm anybody but you anymore. I'm going to block out some of it for your protection, but I need you to probe me and catch Dad up, okay?"

Gwen didn't fully understand the odd request but she could certainly indulge her son. She placed her hands on both his temples and both their eyes glowed magenta as he guided her through everything that had happened since they had gone to work that morning. It was like watching a movie in fast forward, only you could understand all the images perfectly.

She was starkly aware of the gaps in the information he was allowing her access to. It was disconcerting, to say the least. Like a poorly edited movie that randomly jumped scenes. What made it worse, though, was that everything blocked off concerned her. He was allowing her to see everything else, however. Therefore, as she broke their link, she was unsure how she was supposed to feel about what he'd done. Did the ends justify the means?

Gwen scrutinized her son, who had an incredibly contrite expression on his face. A determined frown now adorned hers. "Show me everything, Devlin."

The teens eyes widened in horror at his mother's request. He shook his head violently. "You don't need to see anymore, Mom. You know what I did already." He was almost begging.

Kevin stepped forward now, coming to stand next to his wife. The command in his voice left no room for argument. "Do as your mother asks, Devlin."

'Oh, God!' Devlin sent an almost pained look at his father. "Dad, you have to believe me. You have no idea what you're asking for." He brought his hand up to caress his mother's cheek and added in a pained, low voice. "What she's asking for."

Gwen could see the obvious agony this was causing her son, but she had to know. She could not pass judgment on his actions without knowing everything. "Please Dev," her voice was soft and pleading with no hint of condemnation, "I deserve to know what happened to me."

The desperation in his mother's voice broke the teens resolve and he placed both his hands on her temples. He re-established the link and opened the floodgates of his mind to everything that had happened, unfiltered. He fed her the information as fast as he could in the hopes that it would sting less.

It didn't.

The moment the data stream ended; Gwen collapsed to the floor, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Kevin immediately kneeled over her, concerned, "Gwen are you, alright?" He'd seen her collapse during probes before. But, not in years.

Devlin choked back the guilty tears that threatened to break through at watching his mother on the floor, a result of what she'd forced him to show her. He couldn't stand it anymore. He had to get out of there. "Dad, she can tell you everything when she feels up to it. You know where to find me when you need me." With that, he literally fled for his room.

Kevin was about to call after him, when Gwen put a hand on his arm, garnishing his attention. "Don't Kevin. We need to talk." Her voice was so small and anguished- her husband had absolutely no choice but to acquiesce.

Devlin didn't know how long he'd been in his room, when he heard a knock.

It woke him. Woke him? When had he fallen asleep?

He sat up on his bed as both his parents entered. His mother promptly, coming to his side and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, which he returned with vigor. "I love you, Sweetheart. You are my miracle. Don't ever forget that." As she pulled away, she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

It was obvious to Devlin, this was his mother's way of letting him know that she forgave him and wasn't going to seek further retribution for what he'd done. The teenager let out a relieved breath. He wasn't getting his butt handed to him in the gym. Unfortunately, for him, however- he had two parents.

Gwen got up and sauntered over to her husband. She wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling him down for a quick kiss, then smirked up at him coyly. "Don't take too long. I'm really tired. I might be asleep when you come in." She finished her statement with a mock pout, which made her bottom lip protrude just, so.

Kevin gave her a longing glare. God, he wanted to nibble her lip when she pouted like that! Why did she even tease him like this when he had to discipline the boy? Did she enjoy torturing him? Probably. That made the retribution all the more fun, though. His eyes traced the curve of her figure, landing on her rear-end as she left their son's room, heading for theirs.

"You know, you stared at her butt like that when you were a teenager. I think it hypnotizes you."

His son's voice snapped his thoughts away from the ginger and brought him back to the task at hand. He sent the teen a knowing smirk. "You have no idea, Kid."

He straightened to his impressive full height, moving closer to his son. He brought both hands behind his back, grasping them there. He regarded the boy curiously. When he spoke, there was only inquisitiveness in his voice and he was smiling. "Where is it, Devlin?"

Dread settled uncomfortably in the teenager's stomach at his father's request, regardless of how pleasantly he'd worded it. He knew this man too well and he knew exactly what his father was referring to. He reluctantly gestured towards his desk.

Kevin strolled leisurely towards the desk and picked up the small communicator-sized device. He examined it as he came back over to his son's bed and sat down on it, propping one leg under himself, facing the teenager. He was really impressed. This was advanced tech… even for him!

He kept looking the device over instead of the teenager as he spoke. Despite his currently growing ire, he couldn't help the genuine pride that laced his words. He kept his voice completely leveled and conversational. "You know, I brag about you, Devlin. At the Plumbers headquarters nobody believes the crap, you come up with." Devlin cringed. The way his father had worded that didn't sound like a compliment, at all.

If his father noticed, he pretended he hadn't as he continued. "The kind of unique son you are..." Kevin suddenly looked up at his son, lifting the dimensional gateway and nodding at it. "This uses fourth dimensional math to triangulate the coordinates in the Time Space Continuum?"

The dread inside Devlin was only increasing with each word his father spoke. This was not the normal conversation his father was making it out to be. He wasn't stupid enough not to answer, though. "Fifth dimensional math, Dad."

Kevin let out an impressed whistle and grinned. "Wow! That's amazing! Cooper is going to go insane trying to decipher that kind of programming!" He followed this with a sinister snicker at what he knew, would be a daunting task for his Plumber friend.

And there it was.

Devlin rubbed the bridge of his nose defeated. "Aww! Come on! Not Cooper, Dad!"

Kevin pointedly ignored his son, getting up and heading to his desk to rummage through his computer's data files. He continued speaking, his voice now taking on a conspicuously fake, overly-dramatic, insanely happy, proud intonation. "Yup! Everyone at the office is going to hear what a generous, brilliant, special boy I have." A second later, he suddenly went completely serious, turning disturbingly cold onyx eyes to the teenager. "What file are the specs under, Devlin?"

The raven-haired teen couldn't help the flinch nor the shudder that ran through him at the menacing undertone to his father's question. Kenny was right. His father really was terrifying!

It took him a moment to find his voice. "I-It's in the personal files, Dad… under 'Cross-time Gate'." He didn't even know why his dad bothered asking. The man was a notorious hacker. He was just screwing with his head, now.

Kevin smiled insanely again as he quickly typed something into the computer. "No, it's not." He commented in a sing-song intonation. Then, he shut the computer off and turned to his son, completely serious once more. The edge to his voice could have cut glass at this point. "Not anymore, anyway. They are officially, Plumbers' security files now."

Devlin rubbed his eyes and moaned. "Dad, it took me over two years to design that!"

Kevin came back and sat on the bed again, same position as before. "Considering how much time you'll have on your hands for the next eight weeks, I'm sure you can build another one in half that time- maybe even a third. Although, you might seriously consider using some of that time to build yourself a new computer. Your hard-drive is trashed." He deadpanned casually.

Devlin's eyes shot wide with horror and locked with his father's. He didn't care about the computer. He could fix it in a few hours (though, for the life of him, he had no idea how Kevin fried it that fast). However, his father was confiscating his designs, his work and caging him up for how long? The unchecked spike in his temper morphed his voice into a scandalized shriek. "You're grounding me for two months? Did Mom forget to mention, I saved your butt?"

In the blink of an eye, Kevin rammed both open palms into the headboard Devlin was reclining his head on. His arms now flanked either side of the boys face, as he leaned menacingly over him and shot the teenager a furious glare that literally made the teen shrink into himself after flinching. His anger colored his baritone into a near growl. "Don't forget who you're talking to, Devlin! You are out of your mind, if you think I will allow you, for a second, to use that tone with me! How arrogant are you to presume you can insult my intelligence? We both know, this isn't about what you did when you traveled back! It's about you blatantly, pissing over my punishment the first shot you got! You showed complete insubordination and disrespect to me and dragged Kenny, who needs this discipline, along with you! You let me down and ultimately, failed your own best friend! Do you really think you do him any favors by getting him out of crap like this? Or, were you just so pissed off at me, you stopped caring about him altogether?"

Kevin violently snapped back his arms, coiling his hands tightly into fists. He sat back on the bed, facing away from his son. He had to rein in his temper before he lost control. He couldn't loose it with his son. He shut his eyes tight, breathing in and out slowly as he angled his head back and cracked his neck.

Devlin watched his father, his anger long since replaced by shameful attrition. When he spoke, he sounded so much younger than he was. "In that moment, I was so pissed off at you that I didn't think about what it would mean for Kenny at all, Dad."

The older Osmosian could neither make eye contact with him nor keep the anger out of his voice when he responded harshly. He hadn't fully reined it in yet. "I know, Kid! The question was rhetorical! You're smarter than this!"

'Ouch!' The dark-haired teen wasn't ready for how deeply the enmity in his father's comment would sting. He wasn't sure he'd ever gotten him this mad before. "Dad, I'm really sorry!" There was a sob in his voice as he blinked back genuinely remorseful tears.

Kevin found that sound mitigated his anger almost into oblivion. He sighed and locked eyes with his son sympathetically. "I know you are, Son. The problem's that you aren't sorry for the right reason." When the teenager's emerald eyes narrowed in honest confusion, he explained. "You're sorry for not doing what was best for Kenny… Now that your temper isn't overriding your judgment, you're probably sorry about disappointing me and you're definitely sorry you got caught, because it means the loss of your freedom for the next couple of months- your car too, by the way." Devlin cringed again. Not the car!

"But you are entirely too full of yourself to feel sorry for what you actually did, Kid. If Paradox hadn't left you where he did, which we both know he did on purpose; you would have tried to cover this whole thing up as if it never happened! You're proud of what you did. You are nowhere near sorry." Kevin let out an exasperated breath and ran a hand aggravatingly through his hair, pulling out the tie and letting the long raven locks flow freely down his back.

Devlin silently considered every word his father had spoken. He couldn't find fault with any of it. His father knew him to a tee. He felt incredible self-loathing at the accurate depiction. He was wrenched from his moping, however, as his father continued.

"When you were little, you acted out to test your boundaries. It was annoying, but understandable. All kids do that. Now, you're pulling this kinda crap, just out of some twisted thrill you get out of defying me, regardless of the inevitable consequences."

'To a freaking, tee!'

"Do you have any idea how frustrating you are to deal with now, Devlin?" Kevin didn't expect an answer. He just released another discomfited sigh.

Devlin was amazed how well his father understood him. He'd always known they were kindred, but hearing him analyze the faults within his own psyche so poignantly was honestly flabbergasting. His dad was right. He didn't like pissing him off intentionally. The man was his idol, but there was an unbelievably thrilling challenge and satisfaction, he drew from the prospect of besting him at anything. Not to mention, his father was the pinnacle of an authority figure in his life and something dark and twisted inside him, compelled the teen to rebel against the very idea of what he stood for. How sick was that? "I don't know how to change who I am, Dad."

Kevin scoffed humorlessly at this. "You can't change who you are, Kid. Believe me, I'm exactly like you." Then suddenly, he chuckled as if remembering some old joke. "God! Ma was right! You are my retribution for what I put her through as a kid. My penance is having to raise myself!" He brought up a hand to rub his eyes and then shook his head, regarding his son with a mirthless smirk. "I don't want you to change, Devlin. I'm trying to show you how to adapt- to turn your negatives into positives as you age and, believe me, I can handle anything you can throw at me. I deal with way worse than you, daily. I just need you to understand the difference between right and wrong. The line between those two blurs at times with you, Kid."

Devlin was really wallowing in self-pity now, but something in his father's voice alighted a seed of hope. "You turned out okay."

The smile on the older Osmosian's countenance turned sad, as he responded. "My childhood was a nightmare, Devlin. I had to crash and burn to learn every lesson in life the hard way. I won't allow that to happen to you." The conviction in his voice dictated his intention to keep pelting his son with this wisdom (the hard way, if necessary) until the boy learned or tired himself out… whichever came first.

Kevin leaned over and brushed the teenager's bangs back so that he could better assess his energy-damaged eyes. "Whoa! Those really are ugly. No wonder your mom wasn't into me when we first met." There was obvious humor in the disparagement.

Devlin couldn't help smiling at the poorly-timed joke, even if it was kind of at his expense, also. "Mom wasn't into you because you were a maniac and she was ten. Hormones don't kick in that early, Dad."

His father regarded him unfazed. "I was into her. Your mom was a hot ten-year-old." Devlin's face instantly twisted into a perturbed, grimace. "Then again I was a little advanced for eleven. You'd be amazed, the stuff you pick-up living on the streets in New York... How did it feel, Devlin?" Kevin appeared to be searching for something, deep in his son's eyes.

Shame flooded the teenager at his father's unexpected question. He knew what he was referring to. It was so personal, though. He felt the blush creep up his neck, averting his eyes to the bed. "I don't want to talk about that, Dad."

"Not talking about it doesn't help you any, Kid. It actually makes the craving worse and believe me; now that you've tried it, the craving will come. Not to mention, the guilt and the stigma. This is what we are, though, you and I. It is part of our nature: the darkest part. I never wanted you to sample life energy, because I know how addictive it is. Regardless of its inability to overpower you physically, you can still get hooked on it psychologically. Talking helps." Kevin put an encouraging hand on his son's shoulder and nudged him to look at him.

Devlin hesitantly met his fathers understanding gaze again, uncertainty written all over his aspect. "How can just talking about it make it easier?"

Kevin shrugged easily. "I don't over-analyze it. Nevertheless, it works. I sleep every night next to a living; breathing, life-energy-battery that I've actually tasted and I engendered another one that's down the hall within easy reach. Now that you have sampled what it's like, you can imagine the kind of temptation that posses for an Osmosian."

This was certainly news to Devlin. He'd never even thought about how having him and his mother around affected what was in essence, a recovering addict. His father had to deal with the urge all the time. How did someone even negotiate something like that? The teenager found a whole new respect for his father. The awe he felt found its way to his voice. "Who do you talk to about it, to control it?"

Kevin was glad the kid was opening up. He had no idea how dangerous his son could become if he developed a taste for that kind of energy. The boy was one of the most resourceful beings he'd ever known. "While I was a pre-teen and early in my teens, I was still locked-up in the Null Void. I had a friend who taught me to talk through it. Now, whenever I need to, I turn to Tennyson or your mother. Ben has an amazing ability to relate. I've always suspected, there's an Osmosian somewhere in his watch. Your mother has always had the innate ability to understand me. Not to mention, she relieves the cravings in a whole different way." He smiled in a distinctly inappropriate way as he spoke the last part and his eyes unfocused at the thought of the red-head. He wondered if he could still catch her before she got out of the shower.

Devlin shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms. A hint of anger came to his voice. "Way too much information, Dad!"

Kevin chuckled at his son's discomfort and crossed his arms in mock indignation. "It's your fault I'm stuck in here instead of there. Don't blame me if my mind wonders. You saw what she did before she left. For that matter, stop procrastinating! Tell me how absorbing life energy felt, Devlin!"

The teenager had to really, consider his answer a moment. He looked down at his hands. He could almost feel them tingling with the power the raw energy had brought with it. "It was amazing, Dad. I don't even have anything to compare it to. It was bliss. I wanted to get lost in that feeling forever. Nothing else mattered." His voice grew low and angry, as he continued. "I lost all touch with my humanity. I wanted to drain every drop out of him. He didn't deserve to have that kind of power… to experience something so magnificent."

Devlin's emerald eyes shot up in shocked horror at what he'd just admitted. The realization was daunting. He wasn't going to kill Kevin 11,000 for some righteous reason. Not to avenge his mother or all those the monster had hurt and murdered. He'd lost control. He wanted the power. He wanted the feeling to last longer. He was a murderer!

Kevin wasn't surprised when his son dashed out of his bed, rushing to his bathroom. He just got up and headed for the kitchen to get the kid some water. He was going to need it once he stopped retching.

Fifteen minutes later, the teenager finally emerged. His father was splayed on his bed, his back propped up against the headboard and pillows. He was analyzing the inner workings of the cross-time gate. He didn't look up at him as he spoke, but his voice held no recrimination. "How do you feel now, Devlin?"

For some unknown reason both his father's question and the nonchalant way he'd posed it, caused an acute spike in the raven-haired teenager's tenor and the remorseful tears came with his tirade. "How do you think I feel, Dad! I tried to murder someone, just for the freaking, thrill of it! I saw another living thing twitch in agony and couldn't care less! All I wanted was that feeling! I'm a freak, Dad! A murderous, freak!" Devlin wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to will the shuddering and angry tears to stem.

Kevin contemplated him with a pained, sympathetic look. "No you're not, Devlin. You know, you can believe the voice of personal experience. Come here, Son." He patted the space on the bed next to him.

When the teenager remained stubbornly standing in the same distraught position, his father huffed out a tired breath. "Devlin, you're exhausted. Come sit. If you don't want to be near me, I'll stand." It was somewhat underhanded to take advantage of his son's already guilt-ridden conscience by making it sound as if he actually believed the teenager didn't want him around, but it worked. His son promptly sat on the bed, his back turned to him.

Kevin smiled. He looked so much like Gwen when he pouted. He was so big for his age that it was easy to forget, he was still just a child. "It's going to be hard having a conversation with the back of your head, Kid."

Devlin just shrugged and slumped, his arms still crossed, sulking.

Kevin rolled his eyes and in a flash, had his arms locked around his son's torso, back flipping him onto the bed. The teenager landed on his back with a look between surprised anger and poorly concealed amusement on his face. He looked up at his father who was now lying on his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows. He had an infuriatingly superior smirk on his face. "You really do like making everything difficult for me. Don't you, Kid?"

The raven-haired teenager just huffed petulantly and glared at the ceiling.

Kevin just kept on smiling at him. Although, his next words cut him more than the boy could ever know. "I've actually done it, Dev. I've gone all the way… back in the Null Void. The energy screws with my inhibitions, not my memories. They were murderers and scum that wouldn't have hesitated to do the same to me, given the chance. Nevertheless, it doesn't make a difference in the end. I remember hearing them scream as they lost everything that they had to me. I remember not caring that they no longer existed, so that I could maintain that high." Devlin turned emerald, commiserating eyes to lock with his father's pain-filled obsidian. "Worse of all, I remember what I did to your mother…"

"You did nothing, Son. You indulged in something you had never known and caught yourself before you went too far."

Devlin shook his head, despair twisting his features again. "But, I didn't catch myself. I could have killed him, Dad. I tried. I don't know how he survived. He could just as easily be dead." He sounded positively terrified at the possibility.

Kevin swept his son's bangs back out of his eyes. "If you would have killed him, you would have learned to live with it, as I have. What you feel now is the healthiest thing you can feel about this. Connect how you feel right now with what you know absorbing life energy feels like, Devlin. This feeling is the ultimate form of control for us. It's what keeps me from ever hurting anyone else this way again."

They both laid there in silent introspection, Kevin interlacing his finger, staring at the bedroom door and Devlin staring up at the ceiling. After a few moments, the teenager broke the silence with a hushed inquiry. "Dad, I'm never going to be the same again, am I?"

Kevin placed a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed affectionately. The boy turned to him and found his father smiling back warmly. "No, Son. You're not. But, that's true about every choice you make in your life. Our choices, in the end, become an intricate tapestry that defines who we are."

Devlin let out a long, relaxed breath. He was finally feeling better. He decided to see how charitable his father was after this little emotional chat. "Dad, do I really have to be grounded for two months? You already took the gate!"

Kevin promptly rolled his eyes irritated and huffed out a breath, propping himself up off the bed and heading for the door. "The punishment stands, Kid. We both know the specs to this thing are crystalline in your memory, regardless of what I did to your computer. You're grounded for being an insolent, defiant, arrogant jerk. Now, if you'll excuse me… I have a tired red-head waiting for me."

Devlin couldn't help getting another jab in. He was grounded forever, anyway. He quickly turned onto his stomach, propping himself on his elbows to face his father, just as the older Osmosian was about to exit the room. His emerald eyes glinted with mischief and he sent his father an incredibly cruel smirk. "Always so eager to fight an unbeatable war… aren't you, Old Man?"

Kevin paused and turned to face him. Confusion ghosted across his visage a split second, before he caught the meaning of the statement. He fought the urge to flip off his own son, deciding on mock laughter instead. "Oh, that's really good, Kid!"

Gwen was going to kill him for this, but he was not going to let the smug little bastard have the last word. He leveled a supremely, triumphant glare at his prone teenage son, smirking back evilly. "Your mother is almost five months pregnant, Devlin. She's just not showing, yet." When the teenager shot up instantly with elated shock written all over his face, he added. "Your, smart-ass little comment, just got you grounded until the kid is born. She could use you around the house the next four or five months."

With that parting comment, Kevin was out the door to find Gwen, laughing sadistically to himself.

Devlin just sat there stupefied a moment, before yelling out in frustration.

"HOW DOES HE ALWAYS DO THAT?"

FIN

A/N: Please Review!