A/N: this one I had planned out for awhile, but it's taken me longer than I had hoped to get it started and keep it going. So here's Gwen's piece of the 'Heroes' series

Disclaimer: All the characters are owned by Man Of Action.

Scarlet

I felt my body being ripped at by what felt like hundreds of thousands of tiny hands. They tore at my flesh and ripped me to shreds and I could feel my body unravelling faster than a ragdoll with tattered seams. And through every horribly agonizing second of it, I was wide awake, my eyes closed to block out the images of my bright scarlet blood pooling around my body as it slowly turned cold as ice against the ground and the snow that I laid on.

I could distantly hear Kevin's voice crying out my name, that silent sedctiveness still lingering in his voice whether he knew it or not. He was my love, my one and only, my true. I would cling onto every memory I had of him. Forever.

I have to say that Kevin was one memory I would never be able to let go of. His transformation from villain to hero was miraculous. If there was any chance of a movie on us and our lives, Kevin's story would bring tears to the dark and brutal eyes of the strongest men everywhere.

I felt tears pricking my own gaze and the pain began to emanate like a soft glow, growing lighter as it came closer. Like the pain growing stronger as Death came closer, his cloak wrapped tight around his body of bones and his weapon of choice clutched in a thin hand. He would come for me any time now. I could only wait and endure the endless nightmare of agony that swelled through my limbs and abdomen as the thoughts of dying swirled through my head.

The din of the battle had died away as quickly as it had stirred up. I stared bluntly up at the white sky, afraid the blood around me would stain the snow a bright scarlet.

I didn't want to die. That single thought echoed through my skull.

Rushed footsteps crushed through the pristine icy snow, becoming louder as they closed in on me and all my undermined glory of the death that marred what little I had left. I felt a warm body close beside me and the touch of Kevin's rough and warm hands caress my broken skin as my name touched his lips every few seconds, pleading for me to come back from my injured state; the state that had me near Death and staring him straight in the eyes, challenging him to take me without a fight.

Ben's voice was soft and far off as if he were in another galaxy. I could hear the pain coming off of his words as he said, "She will always be a hero, Kevin."

I winced at my boyfriend's name, knowing he was so near to my body as my mind was so severely distanced from him. From above, I could watch my cold body as Kevin caressed it with tears streaking down his stony cheeks, his dark orbs of pure black obsidian showing the storm of sadness that raged on inside of him.

All I could see was scarlet.

The snow beneath me was scarlet.

All I knew was scarlet.

The color of my pain was scarlet.

"She still will be."

Kevin's gentle but confident words pulled me from my whirlwind of pain. His fingers touched the ground, pressing into the concrete sidewalk beneath the layers of snow. Slowly, armor of broken gray concrete covered him.

Then, even slower, the armor began to cover me. I felt myself being pulled back out of Death's bony grasp and back down into my body as Kevin whispered over me, "Gwen, don't leave me. I love you too much. You can't die. You can't leave me alone now. I need you." His lips pressed to my forehead for a long moment before his tears fell onto my own cheek. "You're my only one."

The concrete faded from both of us quickly and I felt him clutch me in a grip so tight that I thought he might send me right back into the hands of Death. He was gasping for air as he cried, holding me as I held him right back, breathing, living, alive as ever in his muscular, broad, warm arms that closed around me like a blanket of strength.

No words passed between us. None were needed.

Only one thing is stronger than Death and it is called Love. It is the sole power that has faced Death head on and lived. Love conquers all, just as heroes do.

A/N: there's Gwen's little one-shot. Please don't forget to review. I read all of them and they all mean the world to me.

~Sky