Author's Notes: After watching both Vengeance of Vilgax and Inferno, I've felt the desire to sit down and write. Vengeance of Vilgax was a great episode and I liked Inferno as well. This takes place between the two episodes and it's Gwevin (what a surprise). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.

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"It's not the face that makes someone a monster; it's the choices they make."

~Anonymous

83. Heal

Kevin drove the car in stony silence. His mouth was curved upside down into a frown, a frown that deepened every time he glanced at his reflection. If it hadn't been his precious car, he would've smashed every reflective surface so he wouldn't have to face the hideous face that looked back at him. It barely mattered that his powers had improved, given the fact that they came along with this body.

"Kevin." Gwen called his name softly. She was sitting in the passenger seat of his car and had been watching him with concern for a few minutes now.

His hands tightened around the wheel. He didn't look in her direction.

After a few moments of silence, Gwen spoke again. "Kevin, are you still worrying about how you look?"

It was incredible how she could read him like a book sometimes. Then again, he wasn't doing much to hide his displeasure of his transformation. It might not be quite as bad as his previous form, at least this one lacked extra appendages, but it certainly didn't look human.

"I'm fine." Kevin lied.

"Kevin…" Gwen stressed out his name, making the boy shift uncomfortably at the reproachful tone in her voice. "Tell the truth."

The car came to a sudden brake, jerking Gwen forwards in her seat. She blinked in surprise as Kevin turned his body to look at her. His eyes were narrowed, but it appeared that he was glaring more at himself than at her.

"How do you think I feel now that I'm a monster?!" He shouted angrily. "Ever since I turned back, I swore to myself that I would do everything I could to keep from becoming a monster. And now, I end up turning into this! I'm a hideous monster!"

With that bout of anger out of the way, Kevin seemed to deflate. When he spoke again, his voice was trembling and he was staring at his hands. "I had friends, life was good." He seemed to have forgotten that Gwen was there. "Then I'm turned into this monster, this freak. There's nothing I can do about it."

Gwen reached out a hand to cradle Kevin's cheek. He flinched, but didn't move away from her touch. "You're not a monster, Kevin."

Kevin lifted his eyes to stare at her. "How can you say that when you're looking at me?"

Gwen stared back. "It's who you are on the inside that counts, not your appearance. You may not look human right now, but you're still the same Kevin that you were yesterday. We'll find a way to get you back to normal, but until we do, I don't want you saying you're monster. Because you're most definitely not a monster." With a light smile, she added, "A monster wouldn't have saved me from Spidermonkey."

Kevin watched her quietly for a few moments before asking, "What if this is permanent? What if I remain a monster forever?"

It had been a secret fear of his for a very long time. The first time he had started thinking about his monstrous form back when he was 11, he had been scared that he would never revert back to his regular self. When he had, he had been overjoyed. And now, he was a monster once more. What if this time his body refused to change back? What if was stuck like this forever? He wouldn't be able to live a normal life like this.

"You won't." Gwen said firmly. "I'll do everything I can to find some way to turn you back. Maybe all it needs is a bit of time and it'll wear off." Her voice was hopeful and it made the boy feel slightly better.

"Maybe." He muttered back though he wasn't entirely convinced. Maybe time was all it would take, maybe they would need to find some other method, and maybe he would be stuck like this forever. The future was uncertain.

"Just keep hoping. Everything will get better eventually and until it does, I'm always open if you need to talk. You don't need to coop everything up inside of yourself."

Kevin was silent for a few moments and Gwen was afraid that he would reject the offer, but instead he nodded his head. "Thanks Gwen."

He pressed his foot down on the pedal and the car began to accelerate. They drove the rest of the way to Gwen's house in a comfortable silence. As Gwen got ready to get out, she turned back to the raven-haired boy.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I think I'll be fine now." He smiled at her and she smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Kevin." Gwen got out of the car and walked to her house. She gave him a wave before opening the door and disappearing inside.

If Gwen didn't think he was a monster, maybe things really weren't that bad. Maybe they would get better and he would be back to normal. She was right; there was no reason to despair right now. He still had his friends, he still had her. After all, if she didn't think he was a monster, then he most definitely was not a monster.

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A/N: I had fun with this. I hope it's not too cliché. I mainly wrote this because in Inferno, Kevin seems to be a lot more accepting of his appearance than he was in the previous episode, so I couldn't help but imagine Gwen talking to Kevin about it. As for the title, it was possibly one of the only themes that fit this slightly. While there was no physical healing, the word heal can also mean to soothe or reconcile. Anyway, reviews are always appreciated.

Twilight Phantom Dragon