A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated for a long time. Inspiration has been rather stagnant and I've been working on other projects. This piece came to me while I was staring at my screen, trying to think of a one-shot to write to update my long-neglected collection. That's not usually how I find inspiration (usually it just barges into my head whether I want it or not), but it worked this time. The pairing is future!Benlie.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot.

"Death, the one appointment we all must keep, and for which no time is set."

- Charlie Chan

43. Dying

The fight had started alright with Ben battering away at the aliens who had kidnapped her. Everything was going to turn out fine because this was Ben and Ben was unbeatable. Sure, the thought was arrogant, but he had never lost when all things were done and over with.

Then things took a turn for the worst. The leader of the gang, a burly alien with one eye and a large mouth on his chest, shot a laser at Big Chill. It connected, sending the Necrofriggian flying back into the wall.

"Ben!" shouted Julie. Even if things always turned out okay, concern welled up inside of her.

The black smoke cleared from where Big Chill had collided with the wall, but there was no Necrofriggian there. Instead Ben lay against the wall, his chest shaking. He looked down at himself, eyes widening.

"What just happened?" He stood there, momentarily the goofy kid he had once been, taking in his appearance as the leader laughed.

"A specialty of my eye." He tapped his head to indicate the large, purple eye there. "It disables technology of any sort, includin' that fancy watch of yours. What do ya say ta that?"

Julie knew that Ben worked out to keep his human form in top condition, but it wasn't enough to take down an alien mob leader. He didn't have any weapons either, leaving him utterly defenseless. And yet, he was still standing, glaring in defiance.

"Get out of here, Ben!" It was the only solution, Julie had decided.

"I'm not leaving," Ben replied, his eyes shining with determination. "Not without you, at least."

The alien leader laughed. "You'll hafta go through me." He cracked his knuckles, the mouth on his chest stretching into a wide grin.

"Don't worry Julie. I can take him." And quietly she told herself, that everything would be okay because this was Ben and that alien was just a random mobster, no one special like Vilgax or Aggregor. Certainly he could beat this guy.

With that, Ben charged towards the alien. He side-stepped the alien's initial punch before delivering a punch of his own against the alien's tough skin. This only intensified the alien's laughter.

"Ben, leave!" Julie yelled, struggling against the bonds that held her. They didn't seem so strong now, almost as if their strength was slowly fading. Her jaw tightened as she increased her struggles. If only she could get out faster… Then they could make a safe getaway together.

"I already told you I'm. Not. Leaving. Without." The last words Ben spoke were uttered slowly, matching each time that Ben managed to dodge his opponent's moves. Just as his mouth opened to say "You", the alien switched tactics, swinging out his leg instead of an arm. The man fell to the ground.

"Ben!" The bonds were so weak now. If only she had worked out a bit more, then maybe she could've torn through already.

"And now I'll kill the great Ben 10,000!"

There was a sickening crunch as the alien brought both beefy arms down upon Ben's body. And then silence as Julie felt her whole world swirl away into darkness. Vaguely she was aware that the chains had snapped, the metal dissolving just like her vision.

However it didn't matter that she was free. Nothing mattered because Ben was the only thing left in her sight, his skull and rib cage shattered. He was dying, if not already dead, and there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it.

She sat up, chest heaving. Tears dripped from her eyes, leaving salty trails down her face. Ben! No, Ben, not Ben! He can't die.

Slowly as her vision became focused, she noted that her surroundings weren't the dark warehouse that the battle had taken place. They weren't even some unknown headquarters where the aliens could've taken her after the battle. No, it was the familiar scene of her bedroom. Which meant…

Julie looked to her side, a small sigh of relief escaping her at the sight of a snoring Ben. It had all been a horrible nightmare, nothing more.

And I got so worked up about it. Julie chided herself softly, using the sleeve of her nightgown to dab at her eyes. Ben's perfectly fine. Nothing will happen to me or to him.

And so with those quiet reassurances, she felt her breathing steady itself and the loud hammering of her heart slow (how Ben could've missed it, she didn't know, but he had always been a hard sleeper).

"All just a bad dream." Julie murmured softly to herself. She reached out a shaking hand to touch Ben's warm skin, further reassurance that he was still alive.

However, there remained a seed of truth within the horrible vision. Over the years, Julie had forgotten just how dangerous an occupation Ben had. She had grown used to him coming home after every mission, safe and sound. She had let herself forget that he could very well die out there.

Julie took a deep breath. Yes, the risk would always remain, no matter how invincible Ben appeared or how many times he came home. This thought almost triggered the start of more sobbing, but she stopped herself beforehand.

Yes, Ben could be blown apart on any adventure, but he might also pass away softly in his sleep. He could be beaten to death or he could catch a disease and wither away in bed. There were so many ways for a person to die and just because Ben faced death far more often than the average human, didn't mean he would die soon. Dwelling on it would only turn her paranoid.

Smiling to herself, Julie laid back down. She edged closer to Ben before closing her eyes. Yes, death could strike at any minute and that was not a fact to be forgotten, but she shouldn't have to become swamped with fear.

After all, there was a time and place for everything, death included.

A/N: This theme was especially difficult to come up with an idea because I wanted to avoid something cliché. Hopefully I've managed to do it. This turned out a lot harder than I originally anticipated (maybe it's because I wasn't inspired in the usual fashion). I had to rewrite the ending several times before I was satisfied. Theme is obvious here. Review and let me know what you think. It might take a while to respond to reviews because I'll be going out of town, but rest assured that I will eventually respond to them.

Twilight Phantom Dragon