Inspired to write this after watching "The End of an Era", for this one little detail bothered me...

This fic is dialogue heavy, so if that's not your cup of tea, be warned!

Gwendolyn

"So you're telling me not only was the dwarf star core stolen, not only was the base attacked by the rogue Chronosapien Maltruant, not only has Kenny been secretly fighting crime as some time traveling savant- which I can't believe he didn't tell me about- but Uncle Ben and Magistratus Rook's younger selves showed up to stop Maltruant and preserve a universe-saving time loop?!"

Gwendolyn shrugged. "In a nutshell."

15-year-old Devlin Levin blinked, then jumped to his feet from the couch in outrage. This action knocked Zed, who had been resting her head on his lap, to the ground.

"And I missed it?!" he hollered. "That is so not fair!"

"Maybe next time you'll think twice about constructing dark matter afterburners in the garage."

"The explosion wasn't that bad, Gwen!"

"Our garage is currently in another dimension! We still can't find it!"

Devlin heaved a deep breath and plopped back down on the couch. This prompted Zed to reclaim her spot on on the teenager's lap, which in turn prompted him to absently pet her head. "Fine, fine, I'm sorry. I just wish I could have been there. It would have been so awesome, seeing all you guys in action like that. Kenny even got to be part of it!" He crossed his arms. "I still can't believe he didn't tell me Paradox reached out to him- I could have helped! Some best friend he is."

Zed whined in sympathy.

Gwendolyn gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure he had his reasons for not telling you, Dev. Maybe Paradox told him to keep quiet about it, or any number of other reasons." She smirked. "Either way, I'm sure you can ask him about it once both your and Kenny's latest groundings are over."

"Hmph. Not even going to let me off the hook for the sake of friendship, huh?" Devlin asked with a mischievous smile.

"You two have survived worse. And don't feel too broken up about missing out. This whole debacle wasn't that exciting, especially after Maltruant left..."

Ugh, that had been a huge mess. They had had to get the rest of the party guests evacuated, do inventory on the weapons lock-up to see if anything else was taken, get Subdora and Exoskull squared away, give on-site medical treatment to Rook and Kevin who both managed to break their ribs (proto-tech armor was nigh indestructible, except apparently to dwarf stars cores), and what felt like a hundred other tasks. By the time the ordeal was settled, it was in the early hours of morning and decided it would be best for the group to go home and rest. They would be having a smaller, more intimate retirement party for Grandpa Max later that week.

Gwendolyn was a little steamed about it, really. She had been looking forward to this party all month- it would have been the perfect time to tell everyone. But once she had bid Ben and his family goodbye and helped Kevin back to the ranch-style home they shared with Devlin and Zed, it was only when they were unlocking the front door did she realize that in all the commotion she hadn't been able to make the big announcement. She had so wanted to surprise her family! If Maltruant wasn't already in pieces by now, she would have torn him apart herself.

"Going off the look on your face, I'm guessing you didn't get to tell Dad and everyone your big surprise?" Devlin asked knowingly.

Gwendolyn shook her head. "No. I suppose if its waited this long, another week won't kill me."

"Maybe you should tell Dad now. He's probably hopped up on painkillers, so he won't be able to get mad you told me first."

"I doubt it- you know how your father feels about those. And I also doubt this will anger him." At least, she hoped not. "If he's going to be angry about anything, it's how he got defeated so quickly by Exoskull. Ben wouldn't stop teasing him about it."

Hence why Ben went home with a black eye.

"Yeah, that part of the story threw me off." Devin leaned back in thought. "Exoskull is tough, but even if he was jacked up with the star core, Dad should have put up a much better fight. Give him a few dents, at least."

Zed barked in enthusiastic agreement.

Devlin was more right than he realized. Gwendolyn had gotten a play-by-play of the fight from Jimmy while medics were trying to hold Kevin down. According to him, once Rook had been knocked out, Kevin had tried shooting the cyborg with his blaster and gotten rhino-charged into the wall for his efforts. It was kind of pathetic (not that Jimmy would tell ever Kevin that to his face- the reporter was still a little afraid of him). It was completely unlike Kevin to go down easily. The Osmosian may have no longer possessed the various alien powers that made him Kevin 11000, but he was still formidable with just his matter absorption abilities...

"... which he didn't he use at all," Gwendolyn muttered. Her eyes widened in realization. Oh, Kevin...

"Gwen? Is something wrong?" Devlin asked his dad's girlfriend.

"Nothing," she lied quickly. "Devlin, you and Zed go back to bed. It's late."

Devlin yawned. "Technically it's early, but okay. You gonna hit the sack too?"

"Not yet. I need to have a word with your father."

"Oooh, is he in trouble?"

"I haven't decided yet."

After she watched Devlin go into his room, Gwendolyn made her way to the master bedroom. There she found Kevin exactly as she had left him- sitting on the edge of the bed, gingerly applying cooling pads to his ribs. He had changed out of his proto-tech armor and into a pair of dark gray pajama pants. His long, glossy black hair stood out against the stark, white bandages that swathed his muscled chest.

She took a moment to appreciate the sight before speaking up. "Hey, babe."

Kevin spared her a glance before focusing again his chest. "Hey."

She frowned, but took a seat next to him and took the cooling pad from him, applying it to a different part of his ribs. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a cyborg rhino with a dwarf star power-up." He gave her a tired smile. "What does it say about my life that that's considered normal?"

"In our family, normal is purely relative," she replied with a giggle. The giggling stopped when she saw a full orange bottle on the night stand. "Kevin! You haven't taken any of your painkillers yet?!"

So much for him being too hopped up on painkillers to get angry. Not that it was unexpected. Kevin absolutely despised anything that dulled the senses, but taking into account how much pain he was likely in, she had hoped he wouldn't be so stubborn.

"I don't need them," Kevin muttered, looking away.

Gwendolyn raised an eyebrow, then gently poked him in the ribs.

He grimaced. "Ow! Gwendolyn!"

"I thought so," she sighed. She crossed her arms. "Broken ribs are a serious injury, Kevin. You can't just tough out the pain! The doctors said-"

"The doctors can suck on their stethoscopes!" Kevin snapped back venomously. "If I say I don't need them, I don't need them! Back off!"

"Kevin!" Gwendolyn scolded warningly.

The man immediately looked remorseful. He looked away again. "... Sorry. You don't deserve that. I'm... I'm just tired."

He certainly looked tired, but then again, he always looked that way nowadays. However, what he didn't mention- not that he had to, as Gwendolyn already knew- was that painkillers reminded him of the "11K" days. He had been so energy drunk he hadn't properly felt pain in years. (Seeing him stub a toe after being cured was both a humorous and depressing experience.) Even three years after being released, he still avoided anything that could replicate the feeling, from alcohol to his hated painkillers.

She took his hand into her own and gripped it tightly. "Apology accepted. All I ask is you take one of the pills for now. We can think of an alternative later. Okay?"

"... Okay."

Gwendolyn smiled and pecked him on the cheek. Kevin moved to get up, probably to get a glass of water, but when he gave an agonized wince Gwendolyn forced him to sit back down.

"I'll get you some water," she told him. "You lay down and keep applying those cooling packs. And remember to lean against the headboard- you're not supposed to lay straight on your back yet. "

Her boyfriend simply nodded in lieu of a sarcastic reply of "Yes, Mom," but Gwendolyn knew he was thinking it. She stood and entered the room's adjoined bathroom. Along with getting the glass of water, she snapped her fingers and magically shifted from her uniform to a pale blue nightgown. She returned, handed Kevin the water, and lay down next him on the opposite side of the bed on top of the covers. She didn't allow herself to relax until Kevin swallowed the pill. After that she snuggled into his side and draped her arm across his abdomen, wary of his chest. They remained this way quietly for awhile, and soon enough Kevin set aside the cooling packs. Plumber-issue painkillers always worked fast.

"... So, Devlin was disappointed about missing all the excitement aboard the space station," Gwendolyn piped up, playing with a lock of Kevin's hair.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I told him next time to think twice about building dark matter afterburners in our garage."

"They wouldn't have exploded if he had just calibrated the-"

"That's not the point, Kevin."

"I know, I know. 'He needs to understand boundaries', right?"

"You have been learning," Gwendolyn teased, patting his arm. She sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Devlin is a good kid, but he has this reckless streak that would put teenage Ben to shame."

"Don't go comparin' my kid to Tennyson," Kevin huffed. "And any reckless behavior is Kenny's influence- why else for the Omnitrix ban?"

"I don't think Kenny's entirely culpable," Gwendolyn reasoned. "I can think of some very reckless actions his father has taken over the years... or in the last few hours..."

To his credit, Kevin barely reacted to the dropped hint. He just gave her a side-eyed glance. "Gwendolyn, you've never been the kinda woman to dance around a subject, and I have no patience for dancin' around a subject. If you have somethin' to say to me, please just say it."

Well, if he insisted. But she wasn't going to get angry, annoyed, or any variation of the emotion. Not if this was for the reason she thought it was.

"Kevin... you do know you're allowed to use your powers, right?" she asked gently. "The Plumbers haven't banned you from using them or anything recently."

Kevin gave her a weird look. "Course I know that."

"Then why didn't you try to use them against Exoskull? Why did you- recklessly, I might add- only rely on your blaster?"

Kevin's eyes widened, then he closed his eyes and cursed. "Dammit, Rook!"

The sorceress chose not to reveal it was Jimmy who blew the whistle. Rook had a higher chance of surviving.

Ignoring any protest from Gwendolyn, Kevin stiffly got up from the bed and stalked to the other side of the room, agitatedly running his hands through his hair. Gwendolyn followed after him.

"And it wasn't just then, was it?" she went on. "I've been thinking about it, and I can't remember the last time I've seen you use your powers. Have you used them at all in recent months?"

"Of course I have!" he retorted, turning to face her. "Ask Tennyson or Rook! I've used them plenty of times!"

"Then what about today was so special you couldn't use them to coat yourself in steel and prevent your ribs from being broken?!" she shouted. "You're going to be 'keeping the Rooters in line' starting next week, Magister Levin! You know better than anyone how dangerous the Null Void is, so you need to be at the top of your game! Or about as top of your game as you can be with broken ribs!"

"Could you please shut up about my freakin' ribs?! And don't call me that!"

"Call you what? Magister Levin?"

"Yes!"

"It's your rank!"

"One you and I both know I don't deserve!"

Any reply from Gwendolyn died in her throat. All she could do was send her boyfriend a stricken look.

"... Kevin, I thought you were past this," she choked. When he didn't respond, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Talk to me. You've always been able to talk to me, Kevin. What happened?"

He neither spoke nor moved for what felt like an eternity. Gwendolyn was almost afraid he would blow it off, but her fears were put to rest when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"You guys have way too much faith in me," he muttered.

"Kevin..."

"The star core," he began to explain. "I felt its power the minute Argit walked into the room. But it was so dull I didn't think it was anythin' important- just a buzz in my head. I get those whenever I walk past an open outlet or Tennyson's watch. I also didn't know it was comin' from Argit until Exoskull took it, and I didn't feel it's full power until he plugged it into his armor. I wasn't anywhere close to him but..." He shuddered. "It felt amazing. If I hadn't been so ticked at our dear president, I would've let it show."

Kevin stopped hugging his girlfriend and pushed her back, but kept his hands on her shoulders. "I was tempted, Gwen. I wanted it so badly I could taste it. It took all willpower not to run up to Exoskull and snatch the dwarf star for myself. So I kept my distance and didn't use my powers, figuring if I took them out of the equation I wouldn't make an attempt. Then I got my ribs broken." He rubbed his chest. "It's a small price to pay in the long run, if you think about it. Wouldn't want me to become a monster again, right?"

"You were never a monster-" Gwendolyn tried to argue.

"YES I WAS!"

Gwendolyn didn't continue. She would wait until he said his piece.

"As much as I appreciate the support, it doesn't change the fact I was a monster," Kevin went on. "I wasn't sick, I wasn't troubled, I was a Grade-A, certified, out-of-my-mind monster! I hurt innocent people! I hurt Ben! I hurt you! I hurt my damn son! You guys might've 'cured' me, but it would be so, so easy for me to go right back to bein' that beast. Even now- it's been four years and I'm still not all right in the head! I'm angry all the time and you have to keep an eye on me! If I was tempted to go back for someone like Animo's pet robo-rhino, what happens when I'm faced with a real threat, like with Aggregor?! It's happened twice before now, including Aggregor, and it'll happen again! I can't be Kevin 11K again, Gwen! I don't want to- aargh!"

He doubled over, clutching his chest. In his over-excitement, Kevin had strained his injury. Gwendolyn caught him by the arm and gently led him back to the bed.

"Lemme go, I'm fine," he grunted.

"No, you're not, Kevin." Gwen shoved him unceremoniously onto the bed. "And I'm not talking about your injury."

He had officially confirmed her theory. He was afraid of using his powers again due to a single moment of weakness. It was just like when he first came home three years ago.

Back then, he had recently completed a year of therapy for residual insanity- after all, madness wasn't like a lamp; you couldn't just turn it off by cutting the power, and especially not when you were energy-crazy for over a decade. When he arrived, he treated everything with an air of caution. He didn't use his powers and he didn't talk to anyone aside from close family/friends as his old temper and aggressive behaviors persisted. He had also vehemently disagreed with Max's decision to let him rejoin the Plumbers, or being allowed to roam free in general, even with the pardon he received due to aforementioned madness. Despite how much he loved being a Plumber, he didn't think he was worthy of the position anymore. It had taken much prodding from Gwendolyn, Ben, and Devlin to make him reconsider.

As time passed, Kevin slowly but surely became re-accustomed to everyday life. He went on missions with her or Ben, had guy-time with Ben, officially reconciled his relationship with her (not that they hadn't done a good chunk of reconciling during... one-on-one therapy sessions), reclaimed Zed, and worked to build a better bond with his son. These days it was like they had the old Kevin back, albeit with angry mood swings and the occasional depression episode. He had come very far in his recovery, so when Max offered him Rook's old job, he accepted with vigor. Who knew the Null Void and the Rooters better than him?

All that progress, gone, because of one stupid moment of self-perceived weakness on his part. It was as if a dark cloud of self-loathing was emanating from the dark haired man, and it broke Gwendolyn's heart to see it take over. However, there was no way in hell she was going to let it continue.

"I've let you say your piece. Now, you listen and you'd better listen well," Gwendolyn commanded, poking his sternum in the one place she knew wasn't injured. "One, you can't not use your powers. It's impractical for someone of your occupation."

Kevin was unimpressed. "Yeah, kinda figured that one out with the broken-"

"Kevin Ethan Levin, now you shut up about your freaking broken ribs!" Gwendolyn snapped. "I said listen, not talk!"

Kevin wisely shut up.

"Two, you want me to say it? Fine. Kevin 11000, Ultimate Kevin, and Kevin 11 were monsters. They hurt me and my family more times than I can count." Her hard expression softened. "But they weren't you. They weren't the super-cool, muscle car-driving, ultimate bad boy Kevin Levin I've grown to love so much. They were so different from this you, the real you, that I don't consider you to be the same people. They were just nightmares your energy-absorption created. I know Ben and the others feel the same way. They know those nightmares swallowed up the real you and drove you to commit those horrible acts. That's why Ben forgave you, Kenny forgave you, Grandpa forgave you, Rook forgave you, your mother forgave you, I forgave you, and even Devlin forgave you! Because they knew the monster they feared and had to fight wasn't really you." She took Kevin's face in her hands. "I've told you this before. I've been telling you this for the last four years and I know you know this."

Kevin didn't reply, but he did reach up and place one of his hands over one of Gwendolyn's.

She took a deep breath before continuing. "And three... maybe you're right. Maybe you will become that nightmare again. But if you ever do, it will never be for as long as last time because Ben and I will never fail you like we did then."

Kevin inhaled sharply. He removed Gwendolyn's hands and grabbed her shoulders again. "Gwen! You guys didn't fail me-!"

"We did," Gwendolyn said, her voice becoming thick. "Kevin, we gave up on you. I gave up on you. I didn't even do that when you were Ultimate Kevin." Her eyes started to well up. "In the beginning, we did everything we could to try to help. We'd catch you, lock you up, then you'd escape and the whole process started over again. But as the years went by, we just... stopped. Stopped looking for you, stopping trying to find a way to fix you once we figured out the Dominus Librium wouldn't work again, stopped trying to bring you back to us. Even Ben, being the workaholic he was during that time... I made him swear not to try to kill you again, and in all honesty he didn't want to. He vowed to bring you home one day, if only for me."

She bit her lip. "But after all those encounters you two had, seeing you get worse and worse... eventually he didn't see the point in trying anymore."

And that was saying something, seeing as how much of a workaholic he had become. After the "incident" when he was twenty, Ben slowly transformed into a no-nonsense mega-hero. The man went longer and longer without transforming back into a human as time went on. It had put a huge strain on his relationships with his friends, family, and then-fiance Kai. It certainly didn't help when, seventeen years ago, Kevin went rogue again.

Thank goodness Gwendolyn had remembered that time travel spell and the instance when she was a kid where she met her older self (it had gone a little differently than she remembered, but hey, shifting timelines and whatnot). After the visit, Ben had returned to almost his old self, and regained his former drive to get Kevin back. But two years later Kenny was born and certain tasks had to be put on hold.

And then ten years ago...

"... and then, during the last battle between you and our Plumber team..." Gwendolyn struggled to say.

"... Ben chucked me into the Null Void and I stayed there for the next six years until Devlin busted me out. I remember," Kevin finished. "I don't blame Ben. There wasn't a better choice and he was tryin' to protect you. I hurt you pretty bad then."

Understatement. She'd been comatose for two weeks from mana drain. Not that she was going to tell Kevin that.

But for all intents and purposes, Gwendolyn and Ben had abandoned him there. They didn't ask if any of the Plumbers stationed in the Null Void had seen him, and they didn't bother to see what he had been up to when he wasn't causing trouble. They hadn't even known Devlin existed until he came to free Kevin! It was... it was just easier not to think about him, after all the pain they went through.

They had thought they weren't getting him back, so they tried to move on- not that Gwendolyn really could. She could distract herself with working on her second doctorate, mage duties, or dating. But no man she went out with in Kevin's absence measured up. No matter what he did, her love for him didn't falter.

"That was our mistake," the Anodite said, calming down and sitting next to her beau. "We should have never left you there. The minute we had you, we should have gone right back to work on curing you. Instead, we abandoned you and left you to your insanity for another six years. 13 years- you have never been insane for that long before. If we'd done something sooner, maybe you wouldn't be struggling right now. For that, I am sorry."

Kevin sighed and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. "You don't hafta apologize, I would've given up on me too...but if it makes you feel better, apology accepted."

Only Kevin would be concerned about making Gwendolyn feel better when he was the one hurting. It was one of his most lovable and infuriating qualities.

"Thank you. My point is when we cured you four years ago, Ben and I made ourselves a promise." Gwendolyn gained a determined expression. "That no matter what you did or how far away you got from us, we would never give up on you ever again. We would keep fighting and trying until you were with us once more. Ben deserves his best friend, I deserve my boyfriend, and your children deserve their father."

She then, rather surprisingly, whacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" Kevin yelped.

"Now stop this guilt trip, Kevin!" she scolded him. "This was one time you were tempted! It happened plenty of times during therapy, and you didn't even go through with it! You exercised control, although you got hurt in the end. You knew you were in for the long haul with this recovery, and you may never be one hundred percent, but have a little faith in your friends to bring you back from the brink if the day comes.

"So please-- don't do this to yourself anymore. Don't deny yourself your happiness because you're afraid of what might happen. It's hurts me and everyone else to see you like this, and you don't deserve it after all the crap you've been through in your life. Alright?"

Kevin frowned and rubbed the back of his head, clearly thinking everything he'd heard over. His eyes went through a wide range of emotions before he finally exhaled loudly through his nose and said in deadpan, "You and Ben are really good at makin' me feel like kind of a jerk. You know that, right?"

"You are kind of a jerk," Gwendolyn laughed. "Then again, so is Ben. It's why you get along."

"And you're not?"

"No, I'm the nice one. I balance you two knuckleheads out and that's why we get along."

"Eh, true." The ex-con gave his girlfriend his now-usual tired smile. "Alright. I can't promise this... that this'll be the last time I feel this way. But for now, I'll try to not let it get in the way of my job or my life. Sound good to you, baby?"

"It's all I ask." She smirked and shook her head. "Good thing too. Honestly, babe, you're a little too old to be angsting this much. Leave that to Devlin and Kenny."

Before he could deny being old- which he totally would have- Gwendolyn gripped his scarred chin and kissed him. He sat stunned for approximately three seconds before he cupped his hand around the back of her head and returned the kiss with fervency.

Gwendolyn knew Kevin well enough to know he wasn't completely alright. If one heartfelt speech followed by a kiss were enough to fix all his issues, he would have been healed ages ago. For now though, the darkness surrounding her lover had dissipated, and that was more than she could have hoped for. Any further healing would come to him in time, she had no doubt.

The kiss had progressed into Kevin pinning Gwendolyn onto the bed and roughly increasing the pressure on her mouth. She was about to end it while she was still clearheaded, as any further activities (as desired as they were) would aggravate his injuries, when he suddenly pulled away.

"Children," he mumbled, mostly to himself.

"What?" Gwendolyn asked breathlessly.

Kevin gave her a hard stare. "Earlier. You said my children deserve their father."

The redhead's eyes went so round she looked like a startled owl. She'd been so caught up in the moment before she hadn't realized she'd made a slip.

"Oops..." Gwendolyn said, avoiding eye contact.

He sat up and forced her to do the same. "Gwendolyn Eleanor Tennyson... is there somethin' you'd like to tell me?"

She chewed her kiss-swollen bottom lip, then groaned in defeat. "Okay, fine. I suppose now is as good a time as any."

Kevin crossed his arms, waiting for her to continue.

"I said children because it's no longer just Devlin." Gwendolyn reached over and took Kevin's hand, placing it over her stomach. "Kevin, I'm pregnant. We're having a baby."

You all saw that little twist coming a mile away, I'm sure. I love Devlin, but I want my Gwevin baby so here we go.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Kevin.

Notes:

"Well, maybe next time you'll think twice about constructing dark matter afterburners in the garage."

According to Derrick J. Wyatt, Devlin was home grounded with Zed during the events of the episode.

He certainly looked tired, but then again, he always looked that way nowadays. However, what he didn't mention- not that he had to, as Gwendolyn already knew- was that painkillers reminded him of the "11K" days. He had been so energy drunk he hadn't properly felt pain in years. (Seeing him stub a toe after being cured was both a humorous and depressing experience.) Even three years after being released, he still avoided anything that could replicate the feeling, from alcohol to, of, course, painkillers.

I included this bit in order to introduce how Kevin hadn't completely recovered from his time being evil.

"The star core," he began to explain. "I felt its power the minute Argit walked into the room. But it was so dull I didn't think it was anythin' important- just a buzz in my head. I get those whenever I walk past an open outlet or Tennyson's watch. I also didn't know it was comin' from Argit until Exoskull took it, and I didn't feel it's full power until he plugged it into his armor. I wasn't anywhere close to him but..." He shuddered. "It felt amazing. If I hadn't been so ticked at our dear president, I would've let it show...

I feel absorbing energy was like an addiction, and like with any addiction, a person is going to struggle with keeping off it for a very long time. Kevin clearly has that problem here.

She took a deep breath before continuing. "And three... maybe you're right. Maybe you will become that nightmare again. But if you ever do, it will never be for as long as last time. Because Ben and I will never fail you like we did then."

Everything after this is purely speculation. I believe the events of "Ben 10,000" and "Ken 10" occurred a little differently thanks to the shifting timelines, but mostly stayed the same. I also speculated as to why Kevin had gone insane again- I assume there was an enemy, like Aggregor, where he had no choice but to absorb a lot of energy. It drove him crazy and made him run. Unlike with Ultimate Kevin, Kevin was not so easily cured and eventually the Tennysons got discouraged. Devlin's appearance was the catalyst for them regaining the drive help him and finally curing him.

After the "incident" when he was twenty, Ben slowly transformed into a no-nonsense mega-hero.

As confirmed by the creators of Omniverse.

"You are kind of a jerk," Gwendolyn laughed. "Then again, so is Ben. It's why you get along."

I paraphrased a line from "Absolute Power, Part 2" here.