Author's Notes: Wow, I'm on a roll with these. It's so nice to have motivation and time to write. Sadly the break will be ending next week and then all my lovely time will be gone. I've got a few more ideas that I want to explore, but we'll see how much writing I can get done. This is another short one (this time, Gwevin), but I hope to finish a longer piece soon.

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

"We come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly."

- Sam Keen

75. Mirror

Kevin glanced furtively around the empty room, going so far as to check out the door several times. Satisfied that he was completely alone, he walked up to the large mirror and took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Gwen, I wanted to ask you something." He started, putting all the charm possible into his voice. "It's really important and..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"No, that's not right." Kevin paused, trying to think of a way to make the words not come out wooden, and then he started again, "Gwen, we've been dating for a long time now and I know you love me and I know I love you too and I know I don't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else, so… Argh!"

Kevin punched the wall at the mirror's side, glaring angrily at his reflection. His reflection glared right back, accusing him for not being able to do this. He had sounded like a bumbling fool, not like the debonair man he usually was (or thought he was). Why was it so difficult to get out a few words?

Maybe it was because this was important. Maybe because it required planning and didn't just rely on spontaneous activity. Maybe because it was such a huge step, because it would lead to a huge change in their lives. He wanted it to be absolutely perfect like in those romantic movies they occasionally watched.

Kevin snorted. In the movies, it seemed so easy. It was just get down and pop the question. There was none of this struggle, none of this careful planning. It was scripted and simple.

Was that the trick? Using a script? Kevin considered it. It would be easy, but it wasn't honest and it wasn't Kevin. Scripts didn't make reality, they just mirrored it. Or tried to. He tried to think of himself stealing the words from their mouths and using them on Gwen. It would be laughable; it would feel like a lie because they wouldn't be his words. They'd be the words of some script writer somewhere else.

He stared deeply at his reflection, trying to see what Gwen would see. They would be going to a fancy restaurant soon for dinner, so he had dressed up nicely for the occasion, even washing his hair from the labors of the day. The plan was to eat and then take her somewhere where he could do it. Well, at least he knew he would look good doing it. He smiled at his reflection, briefly admiring himself, before setting his face into a neutral expression.

Let's try this again. Kevin squared his shoulders and then lowered himself in one smooth movement into a kneeling position. Simultaneously, he pulled the velvet box from his pocket and presented it in front of him. Imagining Gwen standing there, it almost seemed like she was there in the mirror, he asked while exposing the ring,

"Gwen, will you marry me?" There, simple and not beating around the bush with excess words. Just the way he liked it.

"Well, it certainly took you long enough to ask."

Kevin gasped. He caught her reflection in the mirror before whirling around to face her, keeping his hands and the box behind his back.

"Gwen, I thought you weren't coming around until later." The words stuttered out of his mouth. He felt his face grow hot and his hands begin to sweat. Numbly he wondered how many other guys got caught practicing for the big moment. "What made you decide to come earlier?"

"I got off early and decided to surprise you." She walked towards him, smiling. "I guess we were both surprised." Her eyes flickered from his face to the mirror behind him, trying to catch the reflection of the box he was holding. However, he was much too tall and she couldn't see.

"Got that right." Kevin looked away. All his careful planning had fallen to pieces and now there was no way to rectify the moment. For lack of anything else to say, he added, "You weren't supposed to see that."

"So are you taking it back?"

Kevin looked back at Gwen. She was standing in front of him now, arms folded and face pulled into an unreadable expression. He knew that pose; it meant she was disappointed in him. He also knew that he wasn't going to let her stay disappointed in him.

"No." Kevin pulled the box out from behind him, presenting the shining ring to her. Though he didn't kneel again, he did repeat, "Will you marry me?"

A radiant smile burst on Gwen's face as she embraced him. "Of course I will."

They pulled apart and Gwen held out her hand for Kevin. Smiling broadly, he slipped the ring on her finger and then embraced her again. They kissed to seal the deal.

It hadn't been the movie perfect proposal Kevin had been thinking about. It hadn't been done in the moonlight or at the top of a bridge or anywhere else particularly romantic. It hadn't been done with music playing or birds singing or crickets chirping in the background. It hadn't been done with style; in fact, he hadn't even been facing her when the question had first left his lips. It hadn't followed any of his plans.

But to the two of them, it was perfect.

A/N: I hope that wasn't too cheesy at the end. Thank you for reading and thank you to all my reviewers.

Twilight Phantom Dragon