A/N: had to hurry up and kick my writing up a notch for the day. This is called insanity. Im going to hate my vacation… so much inspiration, so little time to write it all out…

Okay, to be honest, I had this planned out before 'The Final Battle' so the whole drowning thing was actually in my head before that…

Disclaimer: why do I even write these things anymore???

They were going to die. They were all going to die.

"Kevin, why did you have to drive off the end of the pier?" Ben asked as the car sunk to the bottom of the watery wasteland.

All three of them were surrounded by green, polluted water. It was the prime example of littering and what it could do to some places. Each of their eyes could only see a few feet ahead before the murky waters just cut off all vision, only allowing them to see more green ahead. A watery wasteland was the perfect way to describe it.

"It was an accident, I swear!" he defended, holding his hands up, ready to surrender to her after the next attack.

The car gave a heart-stopping lurch as the tires slammed against the floor of the ocean. Each teen knew this was a bad sign.

"Definitely should've made it submersible," groaned the dark teen as he felt water seeping slowly through the windows. He was so close to having it perfect, but tiny droplets made their way through the edges in the glass that cut close to the frame. Tiny droplets that could slowly amount enough to flood the car. "Should've made it submersible," he repeated.

"Think anyone saw us?" Ben asked, looking up as if he could see through the roof. If a miracle occurred, someone had seen them and was calling the police for help. Again with the miracle part of it…

Gwen let out a sigh. The glass was cold against her fingers. It was icy because of the freezing water that pressed in. "Only a miracle." She curled her fingers up in a tight ball, nails digging into her palms. She was furious, but beating the crap out of the window wasn't going to help. "Only a miracle…"

There was a cold silence. Each was feeling their own emotions, all of them being relatively the same.

Kevin knew he should've done something to prevent this. He was the one driving. He was the one who could've gotten the car to float with enough work. The dark teen let his head fall against the top of the steering wheel, pressing deep into his forehead. It didn't hurt, but after a while, it began to. Regret. Remorse. Guilt. This was his fault and only his. He was the only one who could feel it, so deeply and painfully. It was like a thorn that someone had jabbed into his heart.

"I cannot believe we're going to die like this," Ben groaned, smacking his palm against his face. He was in shock mostly. He didn't want to believe it was real. Ben wanted this to be some kind of twisted dream that he'd wake up from just as they were all running out of air or something.

Gwen's hand kept pressed against the cold glass. "We're not going to die," she assured her cousin as another drip of water passed her fingertips. She knew this was real and this was how it was going to be, but there was no use drowning in the fact that this was how three of Earth's biggest heroes were going to die. She didn't want Kevin to be feeling guilty or pained by thinking he caused this and Ben's smart remarks probably weren't helping. So refusing the facts was the best way to go.

"It's my fault." Kevin knew it was true. Why deny it? "I drove us off the pier."

He was already guilty. Gwen was right. "No, it's not your fault. Don't say that." She slugged his arm good enough to leave a bruise he wouldn't forget any time soon.

"But it is," he argued, now leaning against the window on the driver's side instead of having his forehead against the wheel. "I drove us into the water."

"While we're slowly dying," Ben said, immediately getting daggers in the form of a glare from his cousin, "How about we tell each other some stuff? I mean, how bad can it be? I know Kevin's got a record that I'd like to know before I leave Earth."

"Not like you'll have a chance to ask me in Heaven," Kevin snorted. "I'm not even gonna be there with you guys." Having Gwen for eternity, on Earth or not, wasn't an option. He knew he was going down, not up. And it was going to suck. He'd miss seeing Ben's ugly mug each day and a strange smoothie obsession. And he'd miss Gwen, without a doubt.

Gwen wanted to smack him across the face. But she wouldn't. That would really hurt his feelings as if he wasn't already down in the dumps enough. "Fine, Ben. Tell us something." It couldn't hurt to just talk in their final hours, could it?

"Back when we were ten," Ben began, "I stole your laptop and broke it and then bought you a new one."

Alright, that backfired. "Benjamin, I already knew that," Gwen sighed.

His face fell. "Oh."

"When I was in the Null Void, I pretended that a rock was Ben's face and then pounded it into dust."

Both Tennyson's looked at Kevin, wondering and awed.

"Let's just say I had more than a few anger issues and fighting against the both of you didn't ever help it much." Kevin gave the slightest shrug. "Doesn't matter now. Not when we're all dying."

"Quit saying that," Gwen said fiercely.

"Well, it's true!" pointed out the dark teen.

"Just shut up!"

The car was silent as more water trickled in slowly and the air supply depleted. They had another hour at the most.

"Cell phone signal is down," Ben announced, shutting his phone and dropping it onto the car floor. "Since we're underwater, it doesn't really work too well to be honest."

Gwen rolled her eyes. She found it was probably her turn to say something. "Okay, when I was little, I used to have nightmares that Kevin was coming after me. He was still in his monster form and he always caught me and snapped my neck…" She found herself shivering as each vision replayed itself from before.

"How is that going to make this situation any better?" Kevin's head whipped up to look at her, eyes already full of grief that were coated over with another layer of the emotion. "Come on, I can still know that in Hell! I don't lose memories, Gwen!"

She never thought of that and immediately regretted saying anything.

Another silence followed.

"My turn again!" Ben announced, trying to stop the awkwardness. "I am part Swedish."

Kevin had to ask about this one. "Really?"

"Oh yeah!" Ben waved his hand in a 'Pshaw' motion. "Of course I am! I eat a ton of Swedish Fish. They're practically all I eat most of the time. Where do you guys think all my allowance goes?"

"Smoothies," both his cousin and Kevin replied at once.

He sank back into the seat, feeling very dejected. How could they think all his money went into smoothies?

"Hey, Gwen," Kevin started. He didn't want to die this way. "Maybe if you made a mana bubble, the air in it would be enough to float us back to the top."

"If we're surrounded by water, it'll be filled with water, not air. We wouldn't go anywhere. I'd just be wasting my powers on nothing." Gwen wished his idea would work, but it wouldn't. "I'm sorry."

"This is still my fault," he breathed. If knowing that Gwen had nightmares of him killing her didn't bother him enough in Hell, knowing that he really did kill her would haunt him for the rest of his miserable, useless life in a pit of fire. "I still let you die."

Her face burned. "If you keep saying that, I'll kill you so that Ben and I have more air. Would that make you happy?"

"Yeah."

She reached out and slapped him. "Never say that again. Never ever."

Kevin didn't know she held that kind of anger. His cheek stung where her palm had made contact and it felt like it was on fire because of the heat that spread there.

Ben's eyes got all wide. He had to change the topic before their little fight got worse. "Okay, Kevin's turn to say something."

"I'm afraid of alligators," he offered.

"We already knew that," Gwen hissed, keeping her emerald gaze cast out into the murky waters that surrounded the car.

"Gwen's turn," Ben said. They were still mad at each other, he could tell. The tension was almost tangible and electrifying. He was scared for his life as if he weren't already dying.

"I hate Kevin." Her statement was blunt.

"My turn!" announced the brunette boy in the backseat. This was growing hopeless with each turn. "I scream like a little girl whenever Sumo Slammers comes on. It's pretty sad…"

Kevin only rolled his eyes.

Gwen kept her gaze out the window.

"And next up is Kevin again!" Ben was still trying to keep the emotions of the car upbeat and lively. How could it hurt? They were all suffocating anyways.

"I'm in love with a red-haired beauty." His head went to rest upon the glass of the windows, still icy cold, still frozen. Water seeped down, causing his hair to be wet and turned it an almost darker shade of its raven color. Kevin knew they couldn't bother him about this one if he went somewhere else in the after-life. This was the end and he wanted to let them know the truth about things before the team was ripped apart forever, the cousins soaring while Kevin was engulfed in flames every waking moment of the day.

"I'm in love with a moron," Gwen said, knowing it was her turn. She wanted Kevin to know that she really did care even when he was being annoying and stupid and obnoxious. She loved his smile and his hair and the way he talked like he was some real bad boy in a gang or something. He had too many flaws to count, but each one only brought her in closer and left her wanting more of what she couldn't have. She loved the way his stupid jokes brought a smile to her face and the way he wouldn't let her ask him out and how he just did everything his way. "His name's Kevin and he thinks he's going to Hell."

His head didn't turn away from staring out at the green water.

"I know he's not because he saved Earth. But he thinks we're all dying so he thinks he's going to be punished. He's not because we'll drag him with us wherever we go."

Kevin's lips curled up in a smile.

Ben put his hands up to cover his eyes and squeezed them shut as tight as he could. "Okay, you two can kiss now. I'm not looking."

Peeling himself away from the window, he leaned over to Gwen. "Before we die?" he asked her softly, hand resting on hers.

The girl only nodded and leaned in to touch her lips to his just one time. Before they died, she wanted that special moment with him. Even if her cousin was sitting in the backseat.

She felt the skin touch and the electricity passed through her like a thousand volts of lightning. It was magic, she swore, no matter how much Kevin doubted the existence of such a thing. She wanted the rest of her life to be like this, sitting there. Leaning over to him. His lips against her, rough but comforting and passionate. She wanted to drown in him. Just everything she could think of was only Kevin and this kiss.

He loved the way a tiny moan escaped her. She was enjoying it and he liked pleasing her. Anything to make her happy in those final moments. He felt her tongue pass along his lower lip and he closed his hand tightly around hers. Kevin leaned his forehead to touch hers.

Ben was shuddering at the thoughts of his cousin and his ex-worst nightmare.

Gwen pulled away first, knowing that they both needed what precious little air was left in the car to breathe with and kissing was only going to leave them gasping for more of it. When it didn't come, it was over and done for. She took a breathe. Air still filled her lungs. "Thank you," she sighed to Kevin. Her nose brushed against his. "Thank you."

Her breath tickled his lips and he loved it. Kevin reached up and tangled his fingers in her hair, wanting nothing but more of the kiss that had made him feel so alive. "I'm sorry we can't have more of that," he murmured softly, tenderly.

"It's all I ever wanted." She moved her hands up and twined her fingers behind his neck. "I just wanted you."

Ben could still hear everything, the silence almost loud despite their non-subtle whispers of love. He only wished Julie were with him so he could tell her how sorry he was that they could never have a special kiss like that. For Gwen and Kevin, it was only natural. They were meant to be together for the rest of eternity. With him and Julie, it was a miracle they were still together. He still wanted to let her know everything he had forgotten to say up until that point.

"I love you, Gwen." Kevin's husky voice was breaking.

A small tear turned her eyes into truly glistening emeralds. "I love you too, Kevin." Her chest ached as the air turned sour as she drank it in.

"Guys," Ben said, finding himself nearly choking.

"It's the end," Kevin said with a cough. He kept breathing whether he liked it or not. He wanted a miracle to occur and save them.

Gwen felt her lungs ablaze. It hurt without enough oxygen to keep her going.

Kevin gave another tiny cough. "I'm sorry. It's my fault."

She wanted to hit him, but she couldn't get her hand to move. She was so weak and so tired and cold. Water still seeped in through those tiny holes in the glass.

"I'm going to try something," Ben said with his final breath. "Hold in as much air as you can."

They both did.

Ben found barely enough energy to slam his hand down on the face of the Omnitrix and howl "JETRAY!" before grabbing Kevin and Gwen's shirts and blasting his way through the windshield. Glass shattered silently, the car instantly filling up with water.

He kicked the alien's speed to the highest possible level and broke through the surface of the water. Ben soared upward a few more yards before returning to the pier that they had driven off of. He placed his cousin and her boyfriend onto the wooden planks before changing back to his human form, still dripping wet.

Kevin's chest rose and fell as his body came to life, spluttering for air. He spat the water onto the dock beside him, coughs racking his whole body. He pressed himself off the ground and looked up at Ben who's lips were moving, but no sound could be heard.

The redhead was still.

The raven-haired teen looked over to her, finding her unmoving and deathly white. "NO!" he cried, his own voice not even heard by his ears.

Ben was watching his cousin, eyes saddened. "Kevin," he began, but the sixteen-year-old didn't even show any signs of hearing him. "Kevin, come on, let it go."

He didn't. He took her hand in his and rubbed it to get the blood flowing through her again. "Gwen! Gwen, it's me! Come on, you're fine! You're fine!" Kevin's strength was charged up now. "GWEN!"

Yet she didn't move.

Grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into his chest, Kevin held her like that for a long while, sad that he'd lost the one thing he'd ever loved. He'd given her everything he had. He'd given her his first kiss and she had been his first love. Now he would never have another kiss like that. He would never find a girl that could make his mouth feel electrified and have his emotions let loose like that, so scared for rejection but so desperately wanting more of that love that he'd felt.

"Kevin," Ben repeated. "Kevin, let go." He put his hand on Kevin's shoulder.

The raven-haired teen held her into his black shirt. He wanted her heart to be beating beneath her ivory skin and for blush to rise in her cheeks.

There was a cough. Then fluttering green eyes. Some gagging came out of the girl as she vomited water all over the wooden boards, but Kevin still wouldn't let go as tears filled his eyes and he pressed his lips into her hair, never letting go. He would never let go. Not as long as there was a sliver of hope.

Ben just sighed relief. "Kevin, let go. She needs to breathe."

There was no response from him. He only held her tightly.

Gwen was ghostly pale. She buried her face in Kevin's chest. "Ben, he can't hear you," the redhead said as soon as she could catch her breath again. "The speed you went up at blew out his eardrums."

"He's deaf?" Ben asked.

She only shrugged as her boyfriend cried into her. "He could be. I'm not sure if it's permanent or not." Gwen's arms laced around Kevin's neck. "I'll break it to him later."

With a nod, her cousin started off towards the city of Bellwood once again.

A/N: No, Kevin's not deaf. He's just blocking out Ben cuz he's pizzed. So anyways, this is my last fic before I leave. I'll miss you all! Keep reviewing while I'm gone. I read them all, but I'll get to them as soon as I get back which should be… the Tuesday after this Tuesday or something like that. Bye everyone!!

~Sky

P.S. i know what your thinking. don't ask why Ben didn't think of the Omnitrix before. it would've ruined the fic. lol.