Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or its characters.

This came about because of my own mixed feelings about the classic story of Romeo and Juliet. My reaction to it was a bit of Ben's and a bit of Kevin's. But you'll see. Do enjoy. :3

Gwen read it to Ben on their twelfth birthday. It had been a present from their Grandpa Max, and she thought that her illiterate cousin could use a little William Shakespeare in his life. Ben listened patiently, forehead scrunching up as he tried to make sense of the old English dialogue. He smiled at the couple's sweet first meeting and seemed content with the story, but when it was over, Gwen looked at him again and he was frowning.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I hated it," he answered. "It was stupid. Romeo and Juliet were both stupid."

Gwen scowled at him. "You uncultured little dweeb! Can't you just appreciate classic literature?"

Ben didn't say a word in reply as she'd expected; he just glared at her and stomped off to the back of the RV. He seemed so upset that Gwen doubted it had anything to do with her comment.

Later, she asked him, "So…what was the real reason you didn't like the story?"

"It's like I said. Romeo and Juliet were both stupid." He reached for a nearby pillow and squeezed it. "They let all that fighting get to them and it killed them in the end." He hugged the pillow tighter and glared at Gwen's feet. "Fighting doesn't solve anything."

As surprised as Gwen was to hear that coming from Ben of all people, she saw the pain in his eyes and had no choice but to accept it.

She mentioned it to Kevin while they were waiting in the car for Ben to come outside. The response he gave was a vaguely appreciative noise and a small smile.

"I liked that story," he said. "Read it when I was ten."

Gwen gave him a surprised look, but she was only half-serious when she asked. "Really? You read Romeo and Juliet at that age?"

"I was bored. Living on your own ain't fun. Somebody'd dumped it in the trash, so I read it."

Gwen couldn't help but be a little pleased. "That's nice to hear. Ben's never liked it much. He hated the fact that they died at the end."

"That was my favorite part." Kevin grinned. "They died together, you know? Nobody can judge you when you're dead. Nobody can separate you."

Gwen was contemplative for a moment, just looking at him. His response to it was so different from Ben's, but there was still something very similar about the two.

Kevin noticed her watching him and frowned in confusion. "What?"

Curious, Gwen asked, "If you had managed to kill Ben all those years ago, what would you have done then?"

Taken aback, at first Kevin didn't reply. Then he chuckled. "I would've killed myself next." He looked back towards Ben's house. "Nobody can separate you when you're dead."

Gwen sat back in the passenger seat.

The story of Romeo and Juliet never again had the same meaning.

END