Disclaimer: I do not own "Through the Trees", nor do I own Romeo and Juliet. All properties belong to their respective owners; I am but a muddy, lowly fan.

AN: First Shakespeare fic, first fic in a while actually… Inspired by the song "Through the Trees" from the movie Jennifer's Body. No set timeframe, just snapshots of the characters and their thoughts during and after the play. Also, I do not have a Beta so… Sorry if there are any mistakes.

Just a head's up: Some scenes are based off of the 1968 movie because it works better for my purposes, sometimes I just changed a small detail. Kudos if you can catch them!

Through the Trees, our Realizations and Grief

All alone in an empty room,
Nothing left but the memories
of when…
I had my best friend.

Benvolio leaned against the window frame of the largest window in the Montague parlor thinking about the month before last. Before Rosaline rejected Romeo, before they crashed the Capulet's party, before both of his best friends met their untimely ends. He wished he could go back and live in that time forever, never having to go through the pain and loss that had come with that final separation. Romeo, Mercutio, and he had known each other for years, they had been inseparable from boyhood, yet over a matter of days they had been forced to part in a most permanent way.

He sighed and turned toward the door, he had people to visit and errands to run, he could continue mourning later.

And I don't know how we ended up here,
I don't know but it's never been so clear.
We made a mistake dear.

Romeo entered the Capulet's crypt, wondering how their love had come to this. His wife was dead, and he was about to poison himself to join her. He vaguely wondered where they had went wrong, was it his rash killing of Tybalt, was it their rushed wedding, or was it their falling in love to begin with? These were among his last clear thoughts, his heartbreak then overtaking him. Romeo gave his apologies to Tybalt, and then went to his beloved wife.


And I see… the broken glass in front of me.
I see… your shadow hanging over me.
And your face, I can see…

Juliet's eyes fluttered as she awakened from her sleep of nearly two days. Her hand moved across the stone where it was resting, bringing her memory of the past few days back to the forefront of her brain. Her eyelids were heavy and hard to lift, but lift them she did. Her vision cleared after a few moments and she realized she did not hear any noise. Where was her Romeo? Did the friar not say he would bring her Romeo to her when she awakened? She lolled her head to the side and slowly lifted herself into a sitting position. Through her muddled consciousness, she wondered what was going on. The clouds in her head lifted when she spotted both Paris and her Romeo lying nearby her. She lowered herself to be closer to Romeo, crying out when she realized her husband was dead. During her hysteria she saw the splinters of what must have been the bottle that held the poison he used. Her ears picked up nearby voices and she reached for her love's dagger.

Through the trees,
I will find you;
I will heal
the ruins left inside you.
Cause I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now,
until I'm set free,
go quiet through the trees.

Benvolio walked slowly through the grove of trees, remembering how Romeo would always come here to avoid everyone while he was mooning over some girl or another. He then sighed and picked up his pace. Those days were over, Romeo would wax poetic no more.


And I remember how we used to talk
about the places we will go when we were off,
and all that we were gonna find.

It was a fairly short trip to Mantua, but Romeo was not thinking about the trip. Rather, he was reminiscing over his recently deceased friend. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that it was shocking that Mercutio, the bravest of all the men he knew, was the first to die. Mercutio and Romeo had always talked about traveling, seeing the country. Who knew what they would have found. Now that would never happen, because brave Mercutio was dead.


And I remember watching our seeds grow.
And how you cried when you saw the first leaf show,
the love was pouring from your eyes.

Paris was preparing for his wedding, so sure that no man could be happier than him at that moment in time. He was marrying the woman he loved after all, who could be happier than he? He paused to look out the window at the trees. He remembered one day when he was younger, he was visiting the Lord Capulet with his father. He and Tybalt had been talking outside of the house by the orchard when Juliet ran over. She was so excited. The seed he had helped her plant at the edge of the orchard the last time he had visited had finally sprouted. She grabbed onto his hand and guided him over to the seedling to show him the leaf. He hadn't had the heart to tell her that the seedling she was so excited over was a different kind than the one they had planted.

Paris shook his head, smiling, and continued readying himself for the happiest day of his life.


So can you see
the branches hanging over me?
Can you see
the love you left inside of me?
And my face…
Can you see?

Lord Montague walked among the trees, the branches casting shadows over his shoulders. He had gone for long walks every day since his wife's death. He had been so lonely after she left. Unlike many couples, he and his wife had been in love. It pained him so that he lost his wife and son in one swift blow. He closed his eyes and leaned against the nearest tree. Please let them be happier in death than they were in life. He thought and then continued his walk, much wearied.


Through the trees
I will find you;
I will heal
the ruins left inside you.
Cause I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now,
until I'm set free,
go quiet through the trees.

The Nurse's eyes watered as she thought of Juliet, bless her soul. Yet another little girl that was taken before her time, just like her own daughter. Nurse couldn't help but feel guilty for everything that had happened. She had helped the girl marry Romeo and then told her to marry Paris. Not only was that probably confusing to Juliet, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Juliet was so in love with Romeo that she really should have known better. The Nurse gave a remorseful parody of a grin and continued on with her work.

Cause you're not coming back
and you're not coming back.
No~
No~
No you're not coming back
you're not coming back.
Take my breath
as your own,
and take my eyes to guide you home.

With his hand around the bottle that held the poison that would bring him to Juliet his pain riddled mind spun a wistful little fantasy.

Juliet's chest rose jerkily when he grasped her hand. Her movements synchronized with his own, she opened her eyes and smiled. She rose to kiss him, and they walked away, free to love and be loved by each other for the first time.

Romeo opened his eyes to Juliet's motionless body and brought the bottle to his lips.


Cause I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
and I'm still here…
Cause I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
and I'm still here… No.
Cause I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
I'm still here breathing now
and I'm still here…

Lord Capulet sat at his desk, his mind having wandered to his late daughter. He had been so hopeful for her and Paris that he didn't realize her eyes and heart were elsewhere. He was sorry to say that he probably would have continued on with the wedding even if he had known. For all his talk about not wanting his daughter to turn into his wife, his actions spoke volumes.


And you're not coming back.
(I'm still here breathing now)
and you're not coming back
(I'm still here breathing now)
cause you're not coming back
(I'm still here breathing now)

Benvolio thought of his friends and his friend's wife with sadness written in his eyes and drawn on his face. What kind of life could they have led if things had gone differently? Would he have liked Juliet? Would Mercutio have ever settled down? What would Romeo and Juliet's children have looked like? There were so many questions that would never be answered, because they're gone, and they're not coming back. Benvolio cleared his mind and continued on his way to the grave yard. Soon it would be time to move on; however he would never forget the men and woman who had died in the tragic love story of Juliet and Romeo.


Until I'm set free…


Go quiet through the trees.

AN: Hope you liked, please leave a review. Thank you for reading.