A Ben 10 one-shot! Haha, I got the strong urge to write it while coming home from training. It's based on the song Forever and Always by Parachute. I don't own Ben 10.

Kevin had a knack for arriving late on their dates but this was ridiculous. Gwen had been waiting in the café for two whole hours. He had always made sure to call or text her when he knew he was going to be late. This was the first time. She looked out of the glass windows and scanned the parking lot; there was no sign of Kevin's green automobile. Her stomach churned and she couldn't take it anymore; she went up to the counter and asked if anyone had seen him.

"Sorry miss, I haven't seen any guy in a black shirt come by yet."

"Thanks," Gwen thanked the man grudgingly and went back to her seat. Just as she sat down, her phone rang.

"Knew he would call," she muttered to herself, a relieved smile forming on her face. She flipped open her phone and saw that it was Ben calling. Her heart sank.

"Hey Gwen," Ben squeaked out, he cleared his throat and continued, "Uhh … Kevin can't make it for your date today."

"Why?" Gwen held her breath and gripped her phone tighter.

"Something happened," Ben replied hurriedly, "come to the hospital as quick as you can. I'll meet you there."

Something bad had happened to Kevin, she could feel it. Gwen grabbed her purse and ran out of the café ignoring the amused look the guy at the counter gave her. She flagged a cab and gave the driver directions to the only hospital in town.

The taxi started and her mind automatically wandered to the day Kevin had asked her the question. It was a December afternoon. Kevin had invited her over to his place for lunch. They had already finished lunch and were leaving his house. Kevin had locked the door and caught up with her on the driveway. Out of nowhere, he got down on one knee and with an extremely hopeful expression he asked, "Gwen, wanna marry me?" It definitely wasn't the most romantic way a guy could propose, but to Gwen it was perfect.

"We're here!" The driver announced, snapping Gwen out of her daydream. She paid him and yanked the door open, slamming the car door shut a little too hard before sprinting through the entrance of the hospital

"Kevin," she gasped, "Kevin Levin." The lady at the front desk looked through the pieces of papers in her folder. Her eyes widened and she called for a nurse to accompany Gwen to Kevin's ward.

The nurse explained what had happened to Kevin while taking Gwen to the ward. Blood rushed from Gwen's face and she could feel her arms shaking. She tried to tune out the nurse's voice but she still caught bits of the conversation, "… accident … we tried everything … not long left …" Those few words alone were enough to frighten Gwen.

Walking to his ward felt like walking through a never ending maze. Gwen lost track of how many right and left turns they had made. After what seemed like eternity, the nurse led Gwen to a ward at the end of a corridor. Gwen took deep breath to steady herself. She rearranged her features into a calm expression. She pushed the doors open and stepped into the ward.

She walked to his bed. She had never seen him this badly hurt. He was bandaged all over and there were tubes were inserted into his arm. An oxygen mask was strapped to his face. Kevin heard her come in and with great difficulty; he lifted his head and grinned at her.

"Hey," that was all she managed to choke out before her breath caught in her throat. She sank into the chair beside his bed, grabbed his hand and started drawing circles on his palm with her thumb.

Kevin chuckled, "I'm the one hurt here, come on cheer up. I'll be fine." He tried to comfort her, wincing at the stabbing pain in his chest when he exhaled. Gwen gave a nervous laugh.

"Hey remember you said when we get married you want a boy," Gwen began; she tended to rant when she got scared or nervous.

Kevin smiled at her and continued, "yeah, and you want a girl."

Gwen giggled, "We're going to live in a nice house aren't we, and you promised me one on a hillside. We'll be grandparents one day, imagine that!"

"Yeah," Kevin closed his eyes. His grip on Gwen's hand tightened. It felt so small and vulnerable in his large calloused hand. Ironically, he was the one in the hospital, strapped up to beeping machines and aching all over.

"Kevin," her voice came in a whisper, "Wait here alright." He felt her hand slip out of his and heard her walk out the door.

Gwen rang up a nearby church and asked a pastor to come to the hospital. She went to the ward next door and found a couple watching over their child who was sleeping in the hospital bed. She borrowed two rings from them. Exiting the ward with the rings in her hand, she called in a few nurses into the room.

By the time she had come back into the ward, she found Ben and the pastor waiting for her. She glanced at the pastor, "it's not the best time but could we get married now?" The pastor looked from her to Kevin. He gave her an understanding nod and sighed.

"Can't wait to marry me, can you?" Kevin teased with a strained grin.

The pastor said a couple verses, and then, "do you Kevin Ethan Levin take Gwendolyn Tennyson as your wife?"

"I do." Kevin declared, making Ben roll his eyes.

"And do you Gwendolyn Tennyson take Kevin Ethan Levin as your husband?"

"I do."

The nurses and Ben applauded. She leaned over Kevin and gave him a tender kiss on his cheek. She swore she saw tear tracks on Kevin's cheeks. This was the first time she had caught any sign of him crying. 'And the last' a small voice in the back of her mind added.

The beeps coming from the monitor beside the bed became slower. Kevin held her hand, taking a deep breath he said in a low voice, "I'll love you forever you know, even when I'm not with you. I'll never stop, remember that."

Her grip on his hand tightened as if trying to prevent him from slipping away from her. Every time she held on harder, his grip slackened even more.

The beeping stopped completely. Kevin's eyes slipped shut, the ghost of his last smile still etched upon his face. Gwen's chest heaved with uncontrollable sobs and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her calm façade had finally cracked.