His heart was frantically pounding against his chest like a chained dragon attempting to break free from its bonds. It would beat mercilessly and then skip a few beats as he breathed in a fresh breath of cold, chilling air from the forest. Only one thing could ever make Ben Tennyson react in this sense.
Fear.
As the winds thrashed against his vulnerable face, Ben kept hold of Gwen's hand. They were both running through a forest, winding twists and turns from obstacles like trees and rocks. The moonlight gave them a clear path to follow while the stars would try to deceive them.
Her hand was sweaty in his, but he knew he had to hold on. The Earth had been attacked by Vilgax, who finally managed to get the Omnitrix off of Ben's wrist. The evil squid-alien wasted no time and taking revenge on the planet and its inhabitants. They were the only two left.
"Ben!" Gwen shrieked as a laser burst whizzed past their heads and struck a tree near them, setting it ablaze.
"Come on Gwen!" he encouraged, "Just a bit further. We might be able to lose them at the cliffs!"
Hot on their trail were two hovering reddish-brown robots. Without the Omnitrix, Ben was not able to defeat them and Gwen's mana had been depleted due to some electrical pulse fields that she had rescued Ben from.
The violent winds caused small, sharp twigs to spring free from the ground and storm through the air – some even left cuts on the cousin's bodies where there clothes did not cover. Blood would trickle from these wounds and fly freely into the air.
"Right there!" Ben cried amongst chaos and thunder. The clouds were blacker than the darkest night, and threatened to bring a fierce storm.
Just up ahead, Gwen and Ben could see where the tree line ended and dropped off. It was the cliff they had been running towards, but neither of them knew how far the drop actually was.
"Agh!" Gwen screamed as a blast of laser fire struck her leg. It burned worse than getting any degree of fire damage. She toppled to the ground, with no hopes of getting back up on her own.
Feeling her hand leave his, Ben spun around and reacted so quickly that one might think he was in XLR8 form.
Making an attempt to stand, Gwen found two arms lifting her from the ground. Her grassy-green eyes stared up at the person valiantly carrying her through the forest, being ever so thankful for having anyone like him in her life.
They could both feel the heat of the flames behind them as each laser blast that missed its designated target struck flora - setting it to flames.
Gwen closed her eyes and pressed her head into Ben's chest. There wasn't anything else she could do right then in there, and she knew that he would come through – saving her like he always has.
Suddenly, his running stopped abruptly and Ben turned to face the incoming alien drones.
"Ben...why are we-" Gwen stopped as soon as she looked behind them. The cliff they had arrived had was much steeper than they both anticipated. More than twenty feet to the bottom. Her breathing began to speed up. There was no were left to run.
The buzzing sounds of the robots closed in on them and surrounded every other possible exit. This was it – no escape route, or alien to come to their rescue.
Even though the situation looked bleak, Gwen could see something in Ben's eyes. There was obviously fear, but something else was apparent. Determination.
"What are we going to do..." she said with a shimmer.
Ben breathed slowly, but heavily. He then closed his eyes, as if he had a master plan ready to spring and save them both. "Just hang on to me tightly, and don't let go."
Gwen wanted to question him, she wanted to figure out what he could be planning to do. However, actions can describe everything much quicker.
Suddenly, wind was racing around their bodies as if trying to hug them. Gwen noticed that the cliff they had just been stranded on was about fifteen feet above them both, and rising. He had jumped.
Ben's arms squeezed her tightly and his back was facing the ground – or what would be the ground in a matter of moments. She tried ever so much to turn him around, she wasn't going to let him sacrifice anymore for her. He had already done so much.
A loud cracking noise was heard from the middle of Ben's body, and a cry of agony erupted from his throat. His breathing changed from steady, and heavy, gulps to brief gasps. It sounded as though he had punctured one of his lungs.
The noise rang into Gwen's head. It was horrible and gruesome, and she never wanted to hear anything like it in her life. Especially not from someone she cared for.
"Ben!" she screamed in a panic. His body had acted as a cushion for her, and his organs were probably crippled. "No...no!"
She stared into his eyes, they were wide and fearful. The pain he was experiencing...he hadn't expected it. Blood ran out the corners of his mouth, which would stain parts of his skin red. Gwen attempted to put her arms around him, only to find out something even worse.
Her fingers laced around his back, hoping to sit him up right. But she stopped when she felt a something sticky covering him. There were heavy pools of blood followed by a sharp object jutting out from his body.
Knowing not what else to do, she began to cry. It was all over. Vilgax had finally annihilated every single Earthling – and Earth's selfless hero.
"Ben..." she sobbed between heaving breaths and watery tears, "I'm so...sorry that this happened." Gwen turned to look into his eyes once more, but this time she saw something different. They were now calm and focused on her.
His voice was barely audible, and it had a cringe to it like he was straining to even move his tongue. "We...did all we could. You saved me from Vilgax's...ship." Ben coughed and his eyes shut tightly as he winced form the pain of moving.
"But I can't save you now!" she shouted, angry at her own failure. "Ben...you're like this because of me. I should have been the one to fall, not you."
He moved his hand to cup around her chin, it hurt without measure, but there wasn't much he could do now. "I might never have told you this, but I would never have let you hurt yourself for me. There's no way I could bare to see you in pain."
Gwen's eyes twinkled from the moonlight phasing into her tears. "And you think I can stand to see you like this."
"Why can't you?"
The redhead slightly turned her head. Now wasn't the time to speak, or describe anything with words. Actions have always shown hidden meanings and portray things much more thoroughly. Now was the time to act, like she had always done around Ben. Acting...to mask her feelings for the selfless hero.
Gripping the back of his head, she leaned into him. He didn't try to resist, nor could he being in his injured state. However, even if he was perfectly fine, Ben would have went with her motions.
Slowly, Gwen moved in towards his face and Ben closed his eyes – knowing exactly what was about to happen. Maybe it was a bit late to explain such deep feelings, to explain such a long history of ruses fabricated to hide these feelings, but it was the last moment of their lives.
In one brief instant, Gwen's face was an inch away from his, and the next, attached to his own. Their soft lips locked together, bringing them as close to each other as they had ever been – but always wanted to be. She could taste the blood that had tainted his mouth, but it didn't phase her. No one was around to judge them, to stop them, to ruin what they had forged over such long years of countless arguments and quarrels.
Backing away, Gwen was the first to speak. "Every time...you have come around I always feel safer, as if I am at my own home. But now...Ben...can you promise me that everything will be alright? Can you fix all of this?" While she knew the answer, she couldn't help but hope that Ben could make a miracle happen. He had always found a way out of the worst situations.
Breathing softly, he ignored her questions. They both knew they were meaningless. Holding one arm out to her, he said ever so silently and gentle, "Welcome home."
Gwen's face tensed up, as she knew what was going to happen in just a few moments. However, feeling so safe and comfortable by him, she crawled over towards him – ignoring the pain from her burned leg – and lie beside him. He tenderly put his arms around her waist. It was all so sudden, but the feeling had always been there.
In only half a minute, a familiar buzzing sound become audible. The drones had found them. Gwen took a heavy sigh. She was scared, and Ben could feel her shaking. He tighten his grip around her and lightly pressed his lips against the back of her neck. "Just close your eyes," he whispered then.
She did as she was told. The girl's eyes shut tightly, never to open again. In merely a matter of seconds, they could both feel the heat of intense flames creep up all around them. The grass was lit ablaze and the smell of smoke filled their nostrils.
Soon, the warmth of the fire crept up their legs and danced over their bodies – leaving no trace that anything ever existed in that spot.