Archive of Our Own ^beta

In a universe where everything is so different according to the original timeline (well… she thinks it's not that different), the world is still held up great and normal like the others. Heroes, villains, aliens, and civilians all acting accordingly. But Ben, or Jennifer in this case, is not the omnitrix user of this timeline. It's Glen (Gwen).

Or so that's what professor Paradox told her when she found him tucked away in the community library, where he was looking through the local Bellwood city and national newspapers.

“Wow, what gave it away? And here I thought you were just a time walker, professor.” She gasped in a fake surprise, catching him off guard.

Truth to be told, she wasn't like other Ben's and Jen's of the interconnected universe. This Jennifer is different, in a bad way. Like, perhaps remembering her past life in the real world (Real? But this is real too, what does that make her past reality to her now?). And things have been interesting, trying to keep the normal limit up by bare minimum.

“You should know I intentionally befriended her, when the summer vacation was rolling around. Just so I would be unavailable for the fateful trip.” Jennifer gives a sly smile as she crosses her arms and leans her back against the wall.

The two stare at each other. In the back of her mind, the brunette falters as the man's- man? Is he even a man at this point? He's not even mortal, something worse that holds too much value to protect the whole time space paradox that spans across the Ben 10 universes. Eldritch god? No, he's too young to be considered, even if he got to see over the veils of time and beyond what mortals could ever look and live to tell the tale. He was not there when the first abyss was introduced into reality, nor is he equal arms to Dagon. Which is another problem. Ah, she's spiraling again, but it feels too exhilarating to stop now, to understand this creature, the entity right in front of her. Even if fear brushes against the ends of her hair in wary.

“...You are not from around here.” Professor Paradox states.

“Never seen a little ol’ soul be reincarnated from a different universe in general?” She winks in response, a bad habit of her trying to ease up the mood. But awe, who cares, poking fun and making assumptions of dangerous beings is what she lives for, hehe. (Like she did with Sugilite when she was accidentally involved with one of Glen’s hero work, the supposed deity of Petropia kept blushing? Illuminating nervously as she teased. Double damage with Tetrax involved too. Maybe there is a reason why Glen doesn’t involve her in cool travels across the stars. But excellent plan and execution on her plan to keep her own peace.)

“Some, but few. Definitely not from a completely different universe from this rooted one altogether.“ Easy going playful emotion slowly comes back. He looks at her in interest, more than previous minutes when he had bumped into her and thought she was involved with Glen/Plumbers of this timeline.

“Say, not to throw you off, but is this the you that met Ben 10 for the first time in Los Soledad? Or after dealing with the Chronosapien Time Bomb from Vilgax?” She asks him, but soon gets distracted as she waves at a school friend as they pass.

“Quite the popular one aren't you, seems like somethings are still a constant despite the odd changes.” He notes.

“At least I don't accidentally damage small businesses or have negative opinions.”

Paradox shakes his head with a pleasant smile. “And here I wondered why this timeline alone had an anodite spark Kennedy Tennyson in the mix of business.”

“Oh that? I doubled and gave mine to him, honestly a world troubled with aliens and magic is not really my cup of tea. And I never really wanted it.” Her gaze shifts from him to her fingers, examining her newest chipped nail. Transferring a spark wasn't so hard, all she had to do was pour everything she had of mana to construct Ken's mana core and fill in the cracks to kick start the engine. Not that she regrets one bit.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and you would keep this a secret from this timeline’s Verdona?” Jennifer raises an eyebrow.

“Of course.”

Silence over takes the two. Jennifer shifts her focus to the windows to see outside. It's sunny today, just after a rain storm, with wet leaves glistening under the late afternoon's sunlight. She's forever grateful to see the sun and moon again, to experience life as whole once more. Away from behind the veil of the void. The entity next to her would understand. Time is just a fickle thing to experience the soul tearing loneliness to be lost in the void, at least Percival Dachs here had entertainment to learn about time space continuum. She (He? They?) had nothing, had nobody.

Well ok, this guy was a genius from the start. She was just a regular old civilian, working her way through and trying to survive the crippling economic state of end-stage Capitalism. Then got stuck behind the veils of death for a long time.

Interesting times.

“... The original Ben timeline, as you already know, had the misfortune of Eon collaborating with Vilgax, if you truly needed to know.”

“Oh, I know. I just wanted to see what time version of you, if you get my drift, Jamie Lee Curtis.” The name, the reference comes out too smoothly as she answered. She misses the odd twitch of movement from the time walker and continues on.

“I felt the faintest bit of time frazzlement, my timeline’s omnitrix user almost got whipped out of existence thanks to Eon and Original Vilgax's plans, but no worries since this timeline is so off the course that it took more time for the shockwave to get here, only for the reboot to counter faster.” Jennifer rambles, still clearly remembering the events that conspired.

Professor Paradox grabs her shoulders (they almost go for her neck), and reality around them is fallen apart, where they now stand near a swirling time storm.

“.... Jamie Lee Curtis..? How do you know that name, that was only told by my mother's… grandmother where she hoped… if I was ever…” His breath is heavy, eyes wide blown and unfocused, he is living his memories back to back as those that once lost to him returned. “..What are you..?” There is a dangerous look in his eyes.

“You know, don't you?” It's more of a statement.

“Know what?”

“You know more than me.”

“Perks of being an outsider just like you time walker.”

“But you didn't forget.”

“It's all about give and take, first rules of magic.”

“Magic is just unexplained ways and powers that haven't been explored or researched. And do not bring up spells as mana fuels the impossible to bend to its will.”

“Then I suppose the principles of Exchange, like business. Wait no, it's forensic this time, Locard's exchange principle: where two objects come into contact, there is a transfer between them. You, time walker, gained the knowledge of time but lost yourself, your past insanity was its transition. I, on the other hand, was lucky enough, or pathetic if you want to see it one way, never ever had the chance to have what you have, to learn any beyond knowledge, so I retained everything.

“Does this ease you, Percival Dachs?”

Reality forms back again like a shattered mirror reversed in video. Everything is back to normal and they are now outside of the library with the sun now setting.

“I'm sure you still have many more questions for me to answer, young lady. But I must go.” He straightens out his white coat.

“I thank you for making me remember what I have once lost.”

“This is your last time visiting this time line?” Her face falters.

“I'm afraid.”

“The celestial beings of this time line are coming, aren't they?”

“As much as I experienced insanity in the beyond, I do enjoy my job and simply existing.”

A gust of wind blows across the parking lot, dust attacks her eyes and when she opens back to see no one but the empty closed library.

She’s left alone. She had been eager to wait for this day to come so she could throw off the time walker, which she did successfully, but too anticlimactic. Like how she convinced Ken to become rivals with Charmcaster, only for them to start dating. Or how she intentionally camped out in the scene where Malware and Glen to have their hero-villain dynamic to reach its max, only for her cousin to use the watch to heal his damaged DNA. Well, at least she gets to poke fun at Ken and Malware in general. (How in heavens did aunt Natalie let Malware and Albedo live with their family is always a big mystery.)

Maybe she had been too involved with this time stream in general than she thought had been. Perhaps it's not how she was directly being involved with the fate of the journey, but the directions she pushed the narratives to become.

Intentionally befriending her, Julie Yamamoto, going to summer tennis camp at age 10 with her, where she proceeded to overwork herself and throw up bad. Good times. Pushing Ken to be more interested in hard rock/metal, then pipe lining multiple events to become a hard rocker with special interests with magic. I’m sorry aunt Natalie, you have to see Grandma Verdona more frequently. Or the fact Rooters were fastly dealt with by a rather convincing letter with evidence.

“Lady Jennifer,” a voice informs her out of nowhere.

Oh right, she might have took over the Flame Keeper’s Circle after the whole Dagon saga. Strategically using her surprise involvement from hostage to faux priestess position with charming persuasion. Now that Dagon is defeated and sealed tightly beyond this realm, forever knights left with lesser casualties but disbanded (and maybe working for the Plumbers now teehee, sorry Glen), and this timeline’s Vilagax never had the chance to absorb the great old one.

The esoterica soldier fades out from a shadow nearby.

“The Circle is ready for proper reformation under your guidance with Dagon’s wishes.” The soldier bows. Checking her time, she realizes it is time and casually saunters over to them. Stuck between Dagon’s influence beyond mortality and their innate mortal bodies, the cult had always interested her. Not to this degree to be directly involved for her taste, but she accidentally seized the power.

(Accidentally? No, she wanted the very cult from the beginning. Dagon is not her main interest, and he is gone. But the cult itself is a gold mine. Seems like she is too involved to back away now.)

“Already time?” Jennifer takes the offered hand of the soldier to escort her to the cult’s new location, smiling along the way.

Sorry grandpa Max, guess she is being involved in this whole ordeal as a civilian. Being in Ken’s supposed position of uninvolvement was fun, just enough related to the problem to experience the excitement their adventures brought. But it's not enough.

With the soldier, she disappears into the shadows to reform and conduct projects for a better earth. Just a little though.