Chapter 1 -

It was just an ordinary day in the city of Bellwood. Everything seemed perfectly normal. Well, as normal as the city of Bellwood could get.

"Now that I think about it," Ben muttered. "Everything seems TOO normal. I mean, no aliens falling from the sky, no Kyper seeking revenge, and no jail breaks."

"I concur." Rook agreed. "It is nice that everything and everyone is safe, but it seems almost too good to be true."

"Whatever." Ben shrugged. "I was personally looking forward to a work free day, anyway."

Ben and Rook were both sitting out side Mr. Smoothie, drinking their fill. Ben had already drunk two smoothies as he relaxed in the sun, but his partner, Rook, seemed to be on edge. Rook was always the one to be on edge, though. However, it irritated Ben that Rook would be so uneasy when there was nothing to do. Sure, the situation seemed too good to even be real, but who cared? It was nice to get a break every now and again, anyway.

Ben set his third smoothie (which was now empty) on the table, sighing. He lied back in his seat, thinking of something to break the silence. "Have you heard about that new recruit?"

"Hm?" Rook mumbled, not really listening.

"You know, that new Plumber coming to HQ sometime today." Ben muttered as he closed his tired eyes. "The one who just finished their training."

Rook's attention snapped back on. That was it. That must have been what was different, or out of balance. Rook had been a little off that morning for some strange reason, so he hadn't been able to pay attention much to the gossip going around HQ. Naturally, Ben had heard everything perfectly. Why hadn't he told Rook earlier?

Rook wasn't sure if the new Plumber coming to HQ was something bad or not, but he knew that something big was going to happen. He hadn't ever told anyone before, but he always felt on edge or out of balance whenever something big was about to happen. Rook wasn't sure exactly what made him feel this way, but he did know that something was indeed about to happen. He just hoped that it was good, not bad.

The rest of that day had gone by care free, despite Rook's unease. The next day, however, brought something new.

"Where are we going, again?" Ben asked for the millionth time in the truck.

"HQ." Rook answered.

"And … why?" Ben asked impatiently.

"Sir Max wants to show us something."

"You can just call him Max." Ben sighed.

By the time they got to HQ, everyone was moving and working at full pace. Rook and Ben walked through the crowd until they got to the meeting point. Like usual, there was Grandpa Max waiting for them at a corner. Ben greeted his Grandpa with a smile. Rook did his usual 'sir' meeting, which made Ben roll his eyes.

"It's great that you two are here." Max said with enthusiasm.

"What did you want to show us?" Ben asked, with excitement.

"It's not WHAT, it's who." Max pointed out.

Just as he said the words, someone rounded the corner. Rook was the first to spot her. He looked for a brief moment, but turned away, so she didn't think he was staring. In walked the new Plumber that had transferred to Bellwood. She had a mature figure and was tall. The first thing that Rook noticed was that she was cat-like. In fact, she looked just like a cat, but she had the figure of a human. Her base color was snowy white, but she had black markings here and there. There were black marking on the tips of her ears, arms, ankles, and her tail. The top of her head had long, black fur that Rook took for as hair. Some of it draped over and covered her eyes, but she would occasionally flip it back. She wore blue and yellow shorts along with a small blue jacket. Her jacket was unzipped, showing her navy colored shirt underneath it.

Once she rounded the corner, she looked at the group, as if deciding what to do. She flicked her tail to and fro. She then caught Rook's eye, looking away just the same as Rook. When Ben followed Rook's broken gaze, he saw the cat-like Plumber as well. Max then looked behind him, smiling.

"Chess come here and meet my grandson and his partner." Max encouraged.

Chess gave a shy smile and began walking towards them with grace that reminded Rook of a panther. When she saw Max, she gave him the same greeting as Rook had. She then turned to Ben.

"It's an honor to meet you, Ben Tennyson." she greeted kindly. She held out a paw, which Ben stared at for a moment. Once he got the memo, he smiled back and shook it. Her paw wasn't exactly like a cat's, but she did have fingers like a human.

She then turned to Rook, who smiled kindly back at her. She seemed to look away shyly, but turned back to him.

"I'm Rook. Rook Blonko." Rook greeted formally as he shook her hand.

"I'm Chess." she seemed to purr.

Chess had joined them in patrolling that day. Ben hadn't been as excited by the idea as much as Rook had. For some odd reason to Ben, he thought that Rook was showing great interest in her. Then again, Ben was curious, as well. He had seen many different aliens since he was ten, but none were like Chess. She seemed to be a human-cat creature, but Ben didn't seem to mind cats that much. After all, he was used to Rook.

However, Ben wasn't too fond of the idea that Chess was tagging along. She didn't really have to, but Rook suggested that he and Ben show Chess around while they patrol. It had taken Ben some time to get used to the fact that Rook was his partner, so he didn't like the thought of Chess coming along, as well. Therefore, Ben came up with a plan to ditch Chess. He knew that Chess had a kind heart and liked Ben, but she wouldn't shut up.

"How many aliens do you have? Is Rook a good partner? What happened to your team? Did you split up? Are you really human? Do you like earth? You must if you risk your life to protect it."

When Ben looked over at Rook, he was just smiling and rolling his eyes playfully. How could he stand Chess? Ben hadn't really noticed how when he wasn't looking, Rook would glance at Chess and whisper things in her ear. Ben had then noticed when Rook whispered something and Chess giggled. When Ben turned around, both were looking at him, but looked away as if nothing had happened. That was when Ben put his plan into action.

"You know, I think we'll patrol faster if we split up." Ben suggested.

Chess lit up. "Alright!"

Before Ben knew it, Chess had reached over to Rook, grabbing him by the arm and flying off in the other direction. Crap. That wasn't part of the plan. Ben grumbled to himself. Well, on the bright side, he at least could get some peace and quiet. Then again, without Rook he wasn't really sure where to go. Ben decided to leave planning to Rook.

Rook and Chess patrolled the dark streets in silence. Rook wasn't sure what say or do. For some strange reason, his stomach felt light, as if it were flipping. Rook had never experienced this new feeling before, so he assumed that he hadn't eaten enough that day or that he was getting a small stomach flu. Rook sure hoped he wasn't getting sick.

"Are we going to patrol the Undertown?" Chess asked, breaking the silence.

Rook thought for a moment. "Well, we were told to patrol the streets, so I would assume not."

Chess placed her hand on her chin, thinking. She grinned and looked at Rook. "Were we told NOT to patrol the Undertown?"

"Well, no ..." Rook answered.

"Were we told to ONLY patrol the streets?" Chess said, this time more sly.

"No." Rook answered simply.

"Well, then I would 'assume' that we could patrol the Undertown." Chess said with bliss.

Rook was surprised at how slyly she had surpassed their instructions. Normally Rook would have Ben to do that, but Chess did it with more grace and simpleness. Rook couldn't help but smiling at this. When he looked over at Chess and saw she was smiling back, Rook couldn't help but looking away, feeling slight heat rising to his face. Once Chess saw this, she just giggled and began to walk quickly in the direction to the Undertown. Rook wasn't sure what made his face feel hot, but he just shrugged it off and followed Chess.

After going through the tunnel and getting to the Undertown, Rook wasn't sure what Chess was coming at. "You haven't ever been here?"

Chess shook her head. "No. I wanted to see what it looks like."

From the looks of it, the sight was astonishing. Her eyes seemed to shine from the sight of aliens from all around the universe gathered in one place. In fact, Rook had to keep a close eye on Chess and walk quickly if he was to keep up with her.

Once Rook had caught up with her, he grinned. "I would get the impression that you have never seen other aliens before."

"Hm?" Chess hummed. "Oh, no. I've seen plenty of other aliens. You know, from training to be a Plumber and everything. I was raised on earth, so I'm pretty familiar with humans."

"Oh." Rook said, trying to process everything.

"How long have you been on earth?" Chess then asked, looking at him with golden-yellow eyes.

"About four months." Rook answered.

Chess flicked her ears with curiosity. "Well, where do you come from?"

"The planet Revonnah." Rook answered with a grin.

"Never heard of it. Is it nice there?" Chess pondered.

"It's alright." Rook seemed to say shyly.

Chess gave a small purr. "I'm from Feruendo. I can't really remember much about it, though."

Rook had just grinned as he was about to say something, but he was interrupted by a loud clattering noise. Rook then turned to Chess, wanting to tell her they should check it out, but Chess was already rushing into action. Rook just gave a surprised expression before rushing after her. Once he had caught up with her, he saw what the noise had been. There had been two robot-like aliens that had completely smashed a stand. The stand contained many different types of tech and gadgets. The two robot-aliens were grabbing what they could and putting the merchandise in a giant sack.

The merchant just lied on the ground in a daze, not sure what to do. When he turned and saw Rook and Chess, he looked like he had wanted to see something more. Perhaps Ben. Then again, he was in desperate need of assistance, so the sight of the two rushing in to help brought him hope that his stand still had a chance of surviving.

Any other aliens or creatures that saw the event just ran off in another direction to get away from the crime scene. By the time Rook and Chess got to the scene, the last of the witnesses had run off, leaving the merchant and the robbers alone. At first, when Rook and Chess appeared, only the merchant had seen them coming. The robbers seemed too caught up in taking what they could to notice the approaching Plumbers. As a result, one of the two had stopped grabbing items as he turned to the merchant, grabbing him by the collar of his suit.

To Rook's horror, the alien then shook the merchant while holding him upside down. Gold and silver coins then fell out of the merchant's pockets. Once the robber gave the stand keeper one last shake, he threw him into the distance, being finished. Rook was about to jump into action when a sudden rush of wind passed him. He looked just in time to see Chess flying by. Although she seemed to be moving at light speed, Rook could see every movement made.

Chess flew by the robber that had tossed the merchant. As she passed him, one of her paws shot out, hitting the robber with inhuman speed and strength, sending the robber flying a good yard or two, sliding on his back. Once Chess had delivered the blow, she instantly went for the flying merchant. She ran over just time tome to catch the small alien in her arms. Once she had caught him, she instantly stopped and placed him gently on the ground.

"Get out of here." Chess hissed.

The merchant took one last look at his stand before deciding to listen to his savior, spinning around and fleeing from the scene. It was then that both robbers were fully aware of what what happening. The robber that he been knocked to the ground quickly picked himself up, recovering from the shock. The other had set aside the bag of merchandise, preparing for combat.

Rook was about to pull out his Proto-Tool, but the robber that had set aside the bag suddenly rushed at him, knowing that Rook would make a move. Rook then dodged out of the way just as a fist was thrown at his face. Rook took a few steps back, giving himself room to make his own move. With only a few seconds to do anything, Rook pulled out his Proto-Tool just as he dodged another blow.

At first, Rook had set his tool to be in the form of a hand sword, but this proved to be useless. When the thug had swung his arm at Rook, all he could do to block it was use his tool, but the hand sword seemed to have no effect. Both robbers seemed to be wearing some form of armor. Knowing that the hand sword wouldn't do anything, Rook then took another step back, changing the setting to be a taser. When the thug's hand reached out, his finger tips touched the tool. Once a sudden surge of energy passed the robber, he instantly pulled back.

Deciding it wasn't worth it, the robber quickly turned around and grabbed his loot, making a run for it. As as the robber ran off, abandoning his companion, Rook sprinted after him. Rook was fast on his feet and ran much faster than the fleeing robber. Thinking quickly, Rook changed his Proto-Tool to be a bow. Quickly taking aim, Rook fired and hit the robber on the back. A sudden energy surge went through the thug's body, sending him to the ground in a heap.

Once Rook turned around, Chess was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the other robber. She would either dodge or block any blow that came her away. The robber seemed surprised at her speed and strength. In one swift move, Chess kneed the robber in the stomach of his armor. Rook expected nothing to really happen, but the strength was enough to make the robber back up and hunch over in pain. Chess was about to throw another blow when the thug quickly recovered and charged at Chess. Rook gasped and got ready to come to her aid, but he was surprised to see she didn't need it.

Once the thug charged at her, Chess was ready. The two arms that were outstretched towards Chess collided with Chess's. They interlocked hands as brute force shoved Chess back. She dug her back paws into the ground, but the thug kept pushing forward, making Chess side against the hard ground. Dust began to fly up from her paws digging into the ground even as she slid. Chess clenched her teeth from the sharp pain that was inflicted on her paw black pads. Chess shut her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, this time they were full of determination. Not only did she dig her paws into the ground, but she also braced her legs, stopping herself from sliding.

Once they both were pushing against each other with equal force, Chess gave a sly grin before taking a strong step forward. The thug seemed to suddenly become frightened as Chess took another step, pushing against his arms. All the thug could do was keep his arms straight, letting Chess push him back. No matter how hard he tried to keep pushing her back and weakening her, Chess just seemed to over power him as she took more brave steps.

Knowing that Chess had unnatural strength, the thug was now extremely afraid. His friend had fallen and his powerful opponent had overpowered him. Before he could react, Chess twisted her arms, sending the thug barreling to the side. Once he hit the ground, the robber let out a pained moan, his arms feeling as if they had been torn. He quickly tried to pick himself up off the ground and make an escape, but Chess was faster.

Positioning herself, Chess then pounced forward and landed her front paws on the robber's back, sending him back onto the ground. Trapped under her strong paws, the robber just gave in, feeling as if she had stolen all his strength. Chess raised one of her paws and shoved his face into the ground, making sure he had finished struggling. Chess gave a satisfied grin before standing back up.

Rook was standing in pure amazement, as if he had been frozen to the ground. Once he saw Chess stand up, breathing heavily, Rook then rushed to her aid. "Are you alright?"

Chess took in a deep breath and looked at Rook warmly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Paws are just a little sore."

When Rook looked down, he saw that her pure white fur was tainted with scarlet blood. From Rook looking down, Chess stole a glance, too. She seemed just as surprised. The pain hadn't seemed to catch up to her until she wiggled her toes, feeling how badly her paw pads had been cut. Seeing blood suddenly made Chess dizzy. She then fell to the side, but was caught by Rook. Once she came to her full scenes and realized that she had fallen into Rook's arms, she seemed to slightly blush. Before she got stand back up, there was a snicker.

"If you wanted to be alone, all you had to do was ask, okay?" Ben said aloud as he walked into the scene.

Both Rook and Chess stared at Ben, blushing and dumbstruck. Then Chess stood up and they both seemed to step a foot away from each other. They looked away from each other and seemed to try being innocent, as if they past few seconds hadn't happened.

"Sorry." Chess muttered.

"It is nothing." Rook said, trying not to look into her gaze.

Ben had a sneer on his face, but when he surveyed the scene, he looked surprised. "Did I miss anything?"

Rook had an annoyed look, but he brushed it off. "Nothing much."

"Oh, good." Ben said, as if he hadn't really cared. Once he saw that Rook was getting more annoyed, he just laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll call HQ."

When back up had arrived, they seemed to be amazed by the scene. The two subdued criminals both lied in different positions, but both in pain. One had been shocked into passing out with jolts of pain here and there. The other one, however, was in a worse state. He was half buried in the dirt ground, limp as a rage doll. Once one of the Plumbers touched the robber's side, the thug seemed to moan out in agony. After looking a little closer, the back up figured out that his arm muscles had been ripped.

To 'fix' things, some Plumbers helped rebuild the stand the best they could and returning everything to the merchant (who had returned to make sure that his possessions were alright). Another group had dragged the criminals into a carrier that would take them to an infirmary. Chess had been offered to be taken there, but she had denied the offer. Since Rook had been worried about her, he had 'borrowed' some cotton wrapping and offered to cover Chess's wounds. She had at first looked like she would deny the help, but she then allowed Rook to wrap her sore paws.

Rook had wished that he had something to clean the wound, but he assumed that Chess would do that herself when she returned to her living quarters. He just mainly wanted to wrap the wounds so they wouldn't get infected. When Rook was finished, Chess could hardly stand up. Not only the had pain gotten to her, but so had the thick wrapping. Rook had then allowed her to lean on him until they got to his truck. Ben had even supported her other side while they walked.

Ben would often shoot Rook a perverted look, but Rook would then give him 'shut up or else' kind of look. When they had gotten Chess to the truck, the sun was beginning to set. Rook had driven Ben home, letting Ben off. Rook had then driven Chess to her home.

To Rook's amazement, Chess lived in something high class. Her apartment building was a little further away then Rook's, but hers was much more fancy and nice. Rook had helped her walk inside, but he had expected her to live in one of the normal apartments. However, she lived much higher. In fact, to Rook's amazement, she had a pent house.

As they walked through the bottom level to get to the elevator, Rook had that same strange feeling as before. He felt kind of sick, but at the same time nervous. Rook hadn't ever felt the sensation, so he wasn't sure how to react to it. As his nervousness had progressed to his stomach flipping, Rook made a decision. Once they had gotten to the elevator, Rook had then said his good-bye. Chess had looked disappointed that he wouldn't come up with her, but she just nodded.

Just when Chess pressed the button that would move the elevator to her pent house, she placed one of her paws on the doors, looking at Rook for a moment. "We should team up more often. You know … missions and stuff."

Rook had looked surprised. Chess at first thought he would've said no to the idea, but he just nodded. "Alright."

Chess gave a purr of delight before she allowed the doors to close. Once she was alone, she leaned up against the elevator railing. Just from asking Rook to do more missions with her, her stomach had felt light and she felt as if her face was heated. She just silently purred with happiness that she would be able to 'team up' with Rook again.

Here's the first chapter of Forbidden Love.

Chess belongs to SilverDorumon (DeviantArt). We're partnering up to make this fan fiction.

This is also my entry for her contest. If you're wondering, the contest should still be open. I believe it ends January 31th.

((I DO NOT OWN BEN 10. CHESS BELONGS TO SilverDorumon (DeviantArt). I OWN THIS FAN FICTION AND THE IDEAS I PUT INTO IT SO THIS IS COPYRIGHT REDWOLFPRODUCTIONS.))