Just something that came to me while I was ill, it's funny how you can busy yourself when you're ill. Anyway, this is the result, it's a bit sad but it's been a while that I wanted to write something of the sort. It's Benvolio's pov.

Disclaimer: All that you recognise is not mine, they belong to the wonderful mind of Shakespeare who gave us one of the most beautiful love stories ever written! I just fool around with them once in a while!

My Story

Verona was quiet at night. Now even more so than usual. The time for parties and celebration seemed over. The two important families of Verona: the Montagues and Capulets had both lost children in the past, yet now things were different. They had lost their children, the heirs to their families wealth. The story of Romeo and Juliet had soon become a famous one, even outside the city's borders people knew of it. An impossible love that ended in tragedy. Yet no one thought of the tragedy of those left alive, this is my story.

In the matter of a few days I lost my best friend, my cousin and his wife. A wife I didn't even know he had until after they both died. Romeo had always been a dreamer, yet I was so too. While Romeo dreamed of women and romance, I dreamed of peace. Mercutio always made fun of us.

"What is to happen to the Montague family if their boys spend their days dreaming? You are lucky I am there to keep your minds on the present!" was what he would say. Romeo would immediately react and try to defend ourselves while I would just smile and return my attention to my book. No one ever won an argument against Mercutio, everyone knew that, yet Romeo always chose to ignore it. Besides, I knew Mercutio was right. We did spend our days dreaming, at least I did. I let them both argue as much as they wanted, it was very entertaining, Romeo could actually come up with some good arguments, he made me proud. Mercutio enjoyed the banter, it was one of his ways of having fun.

He had many ways of having fun, he always made us laugh even with the more serious things. In fact he was probably the only one who could see the funny side of a funeral. I remember how the three of us had to do our very best not to burst out laughing at the funeral of a distant aunt of Romeo's. But then again, I had only seen the woman twice in my life, once was at a party, organised by Lord Montague, Romeo's father, and the second time was when she had died and we had to come and greet her. She hadn't changed much in those five years time, she was still as ugly as she had been the first time I saw her. I can still see Romeo's face when he saw her for the first time.

"This can be no family of mine!" he had whispered in panic "she looks like a living corpse, no one in my family is that ugly."

"Well, you can be happy you didn't inherit her looks, or I doubt you would've had so much luck with the ladies as you have now." Mercutio had answered, causing the three of us to collapse into fits of laughter.

We made up a strange group, and often people wondered how we managed to become friends at all. You see, Mercutio was a womanizer, a joker, loud and boisterous, he could never go anywhere unnoticed. Romeo was quieter but could make quite a lot of noise as well when he wanted, he was a romantic soul, always searching for true love, the eternal optimist! He had an innocence about him that made Mercutio and I want to protect him even more. An innocence he lost all too soon. And then, there was me, I was the quietest of all three, my nose always buried in a book. I often joked I was there to pick up the pieces those two left behind them. I was the one hiding Romeo from the girls he had decided he didn't love anymore, I comforted the girls when they were rejected by him and I comforted him when his charms didn't work on a particular girl. I calmed Mercutio when he was too winded up or when I could see he was once again ready to fly at Tybalt.

Some people found it strange that I was happy with such a part, yet those two were my life. I had lost my parents at an early age, I had witnessed my mother and little sister burn, trapped in our house while I couldn't do anything to help them. I went to live at my uncle's house then and found my refuge in books. I became a ghost, Romeo was the only one who managed to bring me comfort, yet I didn't talk.

And then, Mercutio came into our lives, I can still see the young blond boy with blue eyes sparkling with mischief. He and Romeo had met a while before and Romeo had told him about me. I was a bit taken aback when he reached out his hand to me and hesitatingly took it.

"I will make you laugh again." Was the first thing he told me. And he did.

He always managed to make me laugh even in the most difficult of times. And so we formed our group, we were inseparable and always did everything together.

Of course we had our differences. Mercutio's hate for the Capulets was greater than that of Romeo and me together. Even though he wasn't part of the Montague family, he had made it his duty to uphold the family's honour by doing what we could not. Fight for a cause we didn't know. I never understood why he hated the Capulets so badly and whenever I asked he just laughed it away as he always did. We lived our lives happily enough, wreaking havoc wherever we passed, or to be more specific, wherever Romeo and Mercutio passed as I was always the one trying to put the pieces back together. But all this changed in a short matter of time.

In fact, it happened so quickly we didn't even realise what was happening, Mercutio certainly didn't. It had all started innocently, we had gone to a party at the Capulet's house, of course we weren't invited but Mercutio insisted on going and it might take Romeo's mind of his latest fancy. So we had gone, when we returned home I noticed Romeo was acting a bit strangely but paid it no mind. After a while he disappeared, Mercutio insisted on letting him be and I listened to him as usual. I will always regret that decision. If I had gone after him than maybe things could have gone differently. We didn't see much of Romeo the following morning and in the afternoon Mercutio and I were walking alone when we encountered Tybalt and his fellow Capulets. Before I knew what had happened the two of them were fighting. Romeo had appeared out of nowhere and together we tried to make them stop fighting. Moments later, Mercutio died in my arms. I was overcome by grief it didn't register in my mind that Romeo had killed Tybalt until my eyes came to rest on his still body and my cousins form nearby. With strength I did not know I possessed I dragged him away from the square. My mind was in turmoil, one of the persons closest to my heart was dead, I knew at that precise moment I would never laugh again.

The prince banished Romeo from Verona and with that the last remaining piece of my heart broke. It only took a few minutes for me to lose my two brothers. The three days that followed were a blur, I barely remember what happened, except for Mercutio's funeral. That was burned into my memory, I will not risk forgetting it.

I took it upon myself to visit Mercutio's grave every night. By doing so I sometimes went to see Tybalt as well. Though he was the one to kill my best friend I had forgiven him even before he had died. Instead I blamed our parents who didn't do anything but watch their children die for an old grudge, and what was more, their children had to fight each other for something that happened even before they were born. I had to do my utmost best not to start insulting my uncle, for even though I blamed him for Mercutio's death I knew he too was consumed by grief, he had lost his only child to banishment and another to death, for Mercutio was like a son to him. And though I knew he loved me like a son as well, I could never replace Romeo, who was his own flesh and blood nor could I ever live up to Mercutio who had made him proud. I would never make him proud. I was too peaceful for that and this town didn't know peace.

As I entered the family tomb I let my fingers glide along the casket that held Mercutio's body. I sat down on the floor next to him and waited. I don't know what I was waiting for but it was the only thing I could do. I couldn't talk to him about my day as I couldn't remember what I had done, nor could I read to him, it brought back to many memories. Suddenly I heard what seemed like a cry. I stood from my place and retraced my steps, as I stepped out into the moonlight I tried to find the source of the noise, but there was nothing.

My gaze slid towards the Capulets' family tomb and I noticed the door was slightly ajar. That was very unusual. Before I knew it my feet had carried me to the entrance. Nervously I stepped in and made my way down. As I passed Tybalt's casket I whispered a soft prayer under my breath. Further down I noticed several torches were lit, on a stone table was what looked like a body. I realised with a jolt it had to be Juliet, Lord Capulet's daughter, I had heard she had died as well. As I approached I noticed she was lying in a strange position and the more I approached, the stranger it seemed. Once I was close enough I noticed there was another body lying next to hers, I just didn't know who.

I took a few more steps until I recognised a blue bracelet I'd recognise everywhere, as I had the same. I ran all the way towards the stone pedestal hoping with all my heart that I was wrong. As I reached them my heart sank as I recognised my cousin's still form. I desperately tried to wake him but he didn't move, distantly I noticed the girl had a dagger in her chest but that did not interest me at the moment. I cried out to Romeo to wake, this couldn't be happening, it was all a bad dream.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and met the tear-filled gaze of Friar Laurence. He silently led me away from the scene and brought me to the church, he told me to wait there. When I heard other voices and other cries I joined them in the tomb. Calmly, as if nothing had happened I met up with my uncle and aunt who had tears in their eyes. I surprised even myself with my acting skills as I pretended not to know that my cousin was lying there, a few feet away from me. As my uncle motioned towards the still body I let my grief wash over me once more, I cried. Unashamedly, I cried for my brothers, for our lost innocence, for my lost youth. I cried for all the children of Verona, who like us were forced to grow up much too soon.

The funerals were joined, there came a truce between the two families and life went on as before. But not for everyone. My aunt had left Verona for the estate they had in the country, she said she couldn't bear to stay in the city. Lady Capulet died of illness shortly after her daughter had taken her own life. My uncle and Juliet's father had thrown themselves in their work, to the outside world they seemed fine, but I knew better.

It's been a year now and I still have to laugh. It will not happen anymore I believe. Every night I go to their graves, they have all been put together, Mercutio, Tybalt, Romeo and Juliet. I go to them and read to them like when we were small children, afraid of a thunderstorm. I don't know if Tybalt and Juliet would appreciate it but it is the only thing I could do. During the day I lock myself up in my room, with my memories. Friar Laurence has come to see me several times already, telling me I should go out more often but every time I decline his invitation. I know that I have returned to the ghost I once was.

In my dreams I hear voices. I see my parents and little sister, they seem happy. They are standing in a field with flowers around them, then in the distance I can see other people coming towards us. Two are hazy but the other two I would recognise everywhere. My brothers join my family, they seem happy, eyes sparkling with mischief, and they call out to me. They say: "Come, join us brother." And I want to, I desperately want to join them but I can't, and I wake.

Tonight I am on my way again towards my brothers, strangely enough I have caught myself calling the place home. It's strange to call a tomb home but it is for me. I feel weak and tired, I haven't been eating properly lately, my walk is slower than it used to be, my feet can barely carry me. I walk into the tomb and lay myself between the tombs of Mercutio and Romeo. I haven't brought a book this time. I take the knife in my hand, it is a dagger my father gave me, I have never used it before. The blade glints in the darkness, quickly, before I can change my mind I plunge it in my chest. Darkness comes over me.

I wake in a field filled with flowers, I hear voices in the distance, curious I sit up. There, in the distance I can see several people, they look happy. A girl, a bit younger than me with her hair flying in the wind is crying happily as she is trying to run from a young man, slightly older, who is trying to catch her. An older couple is looking at them, sitting in the grass holding hands. Another man joins the first and together they manage to tackle her to the ground, they roll around for a while until at last they lie still, breathing heavily. Another couple walks in their direction, they all seem about the same age. The young girl gets to her feet and runs towards the couple. She drags the other girl away from the man and together they leave, giggling.

Unconsciously, my feet start taking me towards them. The elder woman looks up and notices me, she nudges the man next to her who I assume is her husband and together they turn towards me. The man motions for the others to be quiet and looks back. They all turn towards me and for a moment I pause, I feel like an intruder, I think it might be better for me to turn back and let them be. Just as I am going to turn back, the man motions for me to come forward. Hesitatingly I do as he asks. As I approach I can make out their features and can't help but think I should know them. My attention shifts to the other people. There, the two men I care for most are standing off to the side, Romeo has his arm around who I can only assume to be Juliet, they seem happy. Mercutio is beaming back at me with a glint in his eye that I remember well, what surprises me most is that Tybalt is standing next to him a small smile gracing his features. I turn my attention back at the people in front of me and with a jolt I recognise my parents, which means that the girl who was fooling around earlier is my sister, my gaze locks with hers and she smiles at me, I tentatively give a small smile back.

My mother comes forward and envelops me in a warm hug, I wrap my arms around her and feel tears spilling onto my cheeks yet I do not wipe them away.

"Welcome home, my son." She whispers.

Home. I am home.

The End.