A gust of wind blew her bright red hair across her eyes as she made the walk to the front door of her home. With a tilt of her head to allow the red strands to flow out of her vision and a strained effort to unlock the door, she stepped inside to set down the heavy bags of groceries she'd brought in. Fortunately, the kitchen counter was merely a few steps from the door. Soft, almost unnoticeable footfalls resounded from behind and she turned to see her daughter entering the kitchen, fully absorbed in her phone as any typical teen would be these days.

"Gwen, go get your father and tell him I'm ready to go." She said.

Her daughter briefly made eye contact before returning to her phone's screen and started typing away with a silly grin as she stopped just short of colliding with the counter's edge.

"Just a sec." She said.

"Now, please." She said sternly.

Gwen looked up at her, taking in a short breath before offering a complaisant smile and nodding faintly as she set her phone on the counter and absently made her way through the corridors of their home.

Natalie got to work expertly setting all the various groceries in their respective places, a long disregarded art from years of being a homemaker. As the last contents were being set in the cupboard, a small sound chirped from behind her, she turned to see the light flashing on her daughter's phone and picked it up off the counter.

"Gwen, you left your phone!" she called toward the upstairs.

After a moment of silence she sighed and reached to set the device back on the counter, just as another chirp came from the phone.

Natalie glances at the screen out of habit and sees the message illuminated there, 'Good morning, beautiful.'.

She scoffs and mutters to herself.

"Don't tell me she got back together with that Kevin, again."

She pressed her thumb against the still illuminated screen and hesitated briefly before swiping the pad of her thumb across the glass and revealing the source of the message. The name above the salutations was not the delinquent ex, but in fact Ben, her very own nephew. She immediately scrolled up through the messages, following back the line of suggestive responses, single and double entandre, and suspicious plans being made. All the while, her hand covered her mouth, to hold in a gasp, or her breakfast, even she did not know as unseemly implications raced through her mind.

It took a few moments for her to notice her husband had entered the kitchen, remarking something unremarkable and retrieving his car keys from their resting place in a wicker bowl by the door.

"Nat, what's wrong?" he said, finally noticing her demeanor.

She shook her head slowly and shoves the phone at his chest, which his inelegantly fingers into his palm.

"Wha-"

"Tell me I'm wrong about this." She cut him short.

As he stood scrolling through message after message, she snatched the phone back and pointed at the sender's name.

"Look at this," she said.

She scrolled and recited the words on screen. "'I already miss you', 'I can't wait to see you again', 'Goodnight, beautiful. I love you'?!"

He sighed heavily at the bombardment of uncomfortable thoughts, offering a lifeline more for himself than his troubled wife.

"Maybe that's just how teens talk to each other these days?" he offered, in hopes this scene would change and be forgotten as soon as possible.

"Don't be an idiot. Look at the picture she sent him, this isn't normal, Frank." His face visibly sours at seeing the photo of his daughter in only a negligée. "You're right, I know," he said.

"So what should we do about this?" he asked.

"Hey mom, have you seen my phone, I think I left it…" Gwen paused upon seeing the object in her mother's grip.

They both turned toward their daughter, visibly affected by the revelations since the last time they laid eyes on her. Natalie held up her daughter's phone with a cold sneer.

"Is there something you want to tell us, Gwen?" she said bitterly.

Gwen warily grabbed the phone from her mother's hand.

"No…" she offered in a questioning manner.

"What is going on between you and your cousin, Gwen?" she asked coldly.

Gwen clutched the phone meekly to her chest.

"You went through my phone?" she asked in disbelief.

"Answer the question, young lady," her dad added.

Clearly pained by the invasion of privacy, she glared back at her parents in defense against their betrayal.

"It sounds like you already know," she said.

Her dad groaned audibly and began pacing around the counter, acting like a wounded animal in its last moments.

"I can't believe this, you…you think you're dating your cousin Ben?" Natalie said.

Finding a resolve inside herself at the sickly bite in her mother's words, she shot an adamant glare at her parents.

"We are," she said.

"Alright, this twisted little fantasy of yours stops now. Honestly, I thought you were smarter than this Gwen, you can't seriously think you have a future with him," she said.

Gwen lets out a soft shuddering laugh and looks around the room absently in disbelief as her eyes sting with encroaching tears.

'Why should you expect anything else from her?' she thought.

Gwen practically sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom, wiping away the free-falling tears and slammed the door shut, locking it tightly. She dropped to her bed and curled up, holding her pillow and using it to deaden her sobs.

One thought broke her from her lamentations, and with a final gasping sob, she dialed her phone, wiping away tears that continued to drop.

She heard his voice by the second ring, the genuine warmth from him threatening to break her. She could barely manage to choke down a sob and force a word out.

"Ben…"

He knew right away something was wrong, of course he did, but it's worse than whatever he could be thinking.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

"…They know."

She waited for him to tell her it was going to be okay, that their world wasn't crashing down around them. He only confirmed her fears. Her parents must have called his the second she left.

'Stupid' she thought.

He is going to hear it too. His parents are going to treat him like he is weird, and gross. They'll look at him like her mother looked at her.

"Just…get here when you can."

A bittersweet smile evened out her troubled face.

"…I love you too." She tentatively hung up the phone.

Any happiness she felt is shattered by the rattling sound of her doorknob and the subsequent pounding on her door, and her mother's demands that she unlock it. She falls back on her pillow and wraps it around gingerly her head, covering her ears to the racket and silencing the return of her quiet sobbing.

Ben slipped his phone into his pocket after hanging up with Gwen.

"I guess we don't have to ask if it's true," he said.

"Guess not," Ben said.

Ben stood up and followed his dad's arm out the door, and walked to the kitchen table to talk.

His mom had been quiet all this time, looking as concerned as ever and deep in thought. Ben was about to speak when she finally began.

"How did this happen?" she asked.

"I…Don't…" Ben started.

"How long has it been going on?" Ben's dad asked.

"Not…long." He said.

"What does she think about all this?" she asks.

Ben looked at his mother, completely without an answer. He opened his mouth to say whatever words would come when hits dad fired another question at him.

"Are you having sex?"

Ben released an exasperated scoff and let his head fall into his hands in exhaustion. Groaning between his fingers, he shook his head vigorously to revitalize himself and stood to leave.

"So you're adult enough to make a decision like this, but not adult enough to deal with the consequences? A man has responsibilities, Ben, that he can't just ignore!" his dad called after him.

Ben stopped at the door and arched his head back to face his parents.

"Exactly. Where do you think I'm going?"

Gwen heard his car parking in the driveway and rushed to the window to see him walking up to the front door. She quickly cleaned her face off, and ran out of her bedroom.

Ben meanwhile, was blocked by her parents who had no interest in letting him inside.

"Ben!" she called as she ran down the stairs.

Ben take that moment to squeeze between her parents, and run to meet his girlfriend halfway, hugging her fiercely.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner." He said.

"Don't worry about that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Mom and Dad haven't decided to disown me yet at least."

Her dad clears his throat loudly to get their attention. Ben sighed and looked at her, silently asking guidance on what to do next. She smiles bittersweetly and shrugs her head to tell him they should just relax and let things play out.

"Sit down, the both of you," Frank said.

"It's okay, come on," Gwen whispered with a soft smile.

They sit down right beside each other on the nearby couch, with Ben holding his arm around her protectively.

Natalie sighs and waves her hand dismissively at them.

"Don't, just don't. Ben, move to the other side of the couch."

Ben stared at her with an almost humored look but stayed where he was.

"Don't be difficult, come on." Frank added with a lazy tilt of his head.

The small trace of humor left his face and a hollow stare replaced it.

Before any true dissent could root itself in him, Gwen silently slid a short distance away, letting his hand fall from her shoulder to land in the empty space between them.

The subtle look of satisfaction on her mother's face was cut short when she caught Ben's hand and held it firmly, offering him a gentle apologetic smile.

"Whatever, let's get started," her mother said.

Gwen felt her entire body stiffen, thoughts racing through her mind,

Gentle pressure enclosing around her hand relaxed her in a moment. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, returning the familiar grip on her hand.

"We're not going to ask any questions, I don't want to know how this…thing started, just that it stops before things get any worse," Natalie said.

"Stops?" Gwen whispered.

"We want you to know, as bad as this is now, in time we'll be able to forgive you, both of you." She said.

"Whatever you're going through will fade soon enough and we can forget this ever happened." Frank said.

Ben squeezed her hand tighter, leaning forward slightly.

"Forgive us?" Ben reiterated.

"Yes, I know this doesn't seem like something you can come back from but we understand, you're young, you got caught up in how you thought you felt for each other and confused familial love for…something else," she said.

Ben looked to Gwen in the hope that she'd quell his anger, but the tears welling up in her eyes only solidified his feelings. He shook his head and growled a rough sigh.

"Hold on, just…" He said.

"Don't…" Gwen said, putting her hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"No, you heard them, they'll forgive us for being together, as long as we admit we're just confused teenagers making a mistake." He shot back at their eyes as the word lingered.

"Watch your tone, Ben," Frank said.

"Do you actually think you can talk us out of our feelings?" he asked.

"Your feelings aren't real! You're just dumb kids, you don't even know what love is!" he said.

"I expect this kind of idiocy from you, but how you managed to drag Gwen down to your level, I'll never know." Natalie muttered.

He shot up and stood in front of them.

"Say what you want about me, but don't talk to her that way!" he said.

"Ben..." she grabbed his hand haphazardly to try and get him to sit back down.

He stepped forward, pulling away from her grip and continued.

"As long as I've known her, Gwen has always done the right thing, always made the right decision. If…if she's choosing to be with me, that should be enough for you!" he did his best to hold back.

Ben was never the well-behaved, quiet type, even so, it had been years since they have seen such a defiant fire in his eyes. The conviction in his words left them speechless for a moment.

Gwen looked up at him with awe and a heartfelt admiration, it was all she could do to stop the tears from falling from her eyes at his earnest opinion of her. she stood up and held his hand as she stood next to him to emphasis his point.

"Mom, Dad…I love him." she said trying not to tremble.

"I love her." he said seriously.

Her dad seemed to soften a bit, and he turned to his wife as if for a cue as to what they should do next. but her mom only scowled at them, further disappointed by their declarations.

"You two obviously need some time apart, to get your heads on straight," she said.

Gwen hung her head, releasing a silent sigh.

"You'll never change…" she practically whispered.

Gwen squeezes Ben's hand, signaling her next action and begins to guide him to the front door.

Her parents chase them out the door onto the porch, each trying to convince them to stop in their own way.

"Gwen, honey, don't do this," Frank said.

"How dare you, we're not done with you yet, get back here this instant!" Natalie yelled.

The chase continues down the driveway, as Gwen left Ben on the driver's side of his car, she quickly entered through the passenger door, ignoring the frantic calls from her mother. She slammed the door shut and locked it, just as her mother reached for the door handle.

"Gwendolyn, if you leave now, don't come back!" her mother screamed and pounded on the car window.

"Go," was all she said to Ben. And he promptly backed up out of the driveway.

Both of their phones rang almost nonstop as they fled through the streets toward an unknown destination. Between the endless cycle of calls and texts from their parents, one name appeared on screen, breaking the monotonous chain of 'Mom's' and 'Dad's'.

"Grandpa…" Gwen said softly.

Ben looked at her phone, then at her.

"They told him." He said certainly.

"Should we…?"

Ben sighed.

"There's nothing to say."

Gwen turned off her phone, silencing the cacophony once and for all.

Ben absently followed her example and they each tossed the dead devices in the back seat.

No words pass between them as they drive along east-ish-bound, the soft music on the radio barely drowning out the noise of the road.

A few minutes after entering the interstate, she suddenly threw her head back against her chair.

"Damn it!"

"…Are you okay" he asked.

"Yes…" She whimpered as tears fell from her eyes.

"…I don't know," she said.

He quietly pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned his body toward her as best he could in the small compartment, gently placing his hand on her back.

"She doesn't get it," She said.

"We finally get to be together and she just wants me to go back to lying to myself."

"I know."

"'Dumb kids'," she scoffed.

"I guess I am dumb for thinking this time, just this once, they'd just be happy for me."

She covers her eyes with a hand and continues to fight back the tears.

"How can she think this isn't real?" She clutches hard at her shirt.

He reluctantly removed his hand from her in order to exit the car and quickly make his way to her side. While a but stunned, she watched him out of the corner of her eye, as he opened her door and pulled her out into a strong embrace.

"Listen to me, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. We know what's real," he took her hand and held it to his chest, holding it firmly against him "I know this is real," he said.

Her face contorted in contrasting agony and joy as she trembled softly in place, no longer trying to hold back the tears or the flood of emotion taking over her.

"Oh, Ben," she said through choked sobs.

He kissed her, desperately, the heartbeat pounding in his ears drowning out the roar of the cars speeding by.

'Yeah. This is enough…more than enough.'

On the road, they can almost forget what led them here and just enjoy feeling like a couple on a road trip, nostalgic about their summers in the Rustbucket as kids.

"So, what's the plan? We obviously can't just keep driving forever," he said.

She ponders silently for a moment, then inhales sharply.

"Do you still want to run away with me?" she asked.

He paused for a moment, then smiled lovingly.

"Definitely," he said.

Later, while parked outside a gas station on the side of the highway, Ben stood in a mock-runners stance pretending to wait for a racing gun to fire.

"Ready…go!" He exclaimed.

They both set out across the small store, picking treats and basic supplies nearly at random. They return to each other shortly, both entirely satisfied with the other's bounty.

"Mission success!" Ben shouted.

"Shh-shush, not so loud." She chided through her own chuckling.

They dumped their haul on the counter and as the cashier is ringing up the items, Gwen pointed to the glass display case behind the counter.

"And um…

The cashier followed her finger to the small box behind the glass.

"Sure."

Was all he said as he opened the case and took out the pack of condoms before setting it on the counter.

Both teens are staring aimlessly around the store, refusing to look at each other.

"Uh…"

The man set down the last candy bar he scanned to stare at her again.

"A couple more?" She practically whispered.

The cashier sighed quietly and removed two more boxes from the display case and added them to the pile.

After paying and retrieving their purchases, the two fearless heroes speed walk out of the gas station and get in the car, tossing the bags into the backseat and driving away, hoping to leave the awkward scene behind as quickly as possible.

A few minutes from the gas station Ben suddenly snorted out a chuckle.

"Your face was so red."

"Uh, so was yours." She said.

"Well I was surprised." He said.

"Why, we're obviously going to need them, I just hope we got enough." she said, craning her head toward the back seat and the bag of supplies.

"Y-yeah, no I- it's just…" He stammered.

She glanced up at him, a devious realization in her mind as she leaned over to his seat, pulling his jaw to meet her before planting a sweet kiss on his cheek.

"Your face is so red." She grinned.

The hours passed pleasantly on the road, filled with childish games and nostalgic remembrance.

The sound of Gwen chuckling softly diverted his attention from the heated game of 'I Spy'.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Do you remember the last time we ran away together?" she asked.

"Hmm? No…" he answered curiously.

"It was our last summer in the Rustbucket, I was moving to a new school even further away, and we both thought we'd never really see each other again."

"Oh…that. We didn't make it very far."

"You were so cute. You had no idea where we'd go or how we'd get there, you just held my hand and off we went." she giggled.

" Hey, I had a plan. I just hadn't thought of it yet" he shrugged.

Gwen grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, Ben. Really,"

Ben looked at her, subtly pulling her hand toward him and leaning in, parting his lips as he crosses the threshold between their seats.

"Eyes on the road, Ben," she said dryly.

"Yep," he said.

He flew back to his position in the vehicle with a sharp jolt on the steering wheel, quickly correcting the disturbance and centering the tires between the lines once again.

She dove toward him, quickly kissing his cheek before returning to her seat, with a wide smile across her face.

Ben slowed the car, winding through a beaten dirt path through a small clearance of tree and bramble. He pulls the vehicle to the foot of an unassuming mountain and brings them to a halt.

"We're here."

She glanced toward where the words left him, while unlatching her door and soberly removed herself from the car.

She silently moved to the side of her boyfriend who had already found his way to the base of a derelict old ranger's outpost several feet away. He removed the plumber's badge from his pocket, and held it through the glassless window, receiving a satisfied beep from inside just before a panel slid out from the wooden wall and revealed a numbered touchpad.

Ben pressed a short sequence of numbers, prompting yet another hidden secret to emerge. This time, the dark grey face of the mountain slowly separated in front of them, returning a circular polished metal door in its place.

"Kinda makes you wonder if there are any mountains that aren't secret bases." She said.

"I wonder what the Plumbers are hiding in Mt. Everest." He said.

She chuckled, but then somberly paused and thought about it for a moment. "You don't think…?" she questioned.

Ben quickly shook his head in dismissal. "…Maybe." He added with a shrug.

They casually walked closer to the mountain, until they stood between it and their transportation.

"What's this place called again?" she asked.

"Grandpa said they always called it 'The Lot' since it's basically just a storage facility for intergalactic vehicles the plumbers 'impounded'." He signed quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

They walked up to the giant metal door and it lit up automatically at their presence. Ben held his plumber's badge up in front of the door, and the old metal groans, then slides open with a creak.

They stare into the dark looming path ahead of them and he holds out his hand, which she gladly takes ahold of.

"Ready?" he asked.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, prompting her to return the welcomed pressure.

She looked at him, unconsciously searching for any hesitation. Not a single doubt in those loving green eyes shined back.

"Ready."