"Peter? Peter Parker?"

Peter jumped slightly. He had been sitting with Gwen under a tree in Central Park for a few hours now. She dozed lightly in his lap now, not awakened by his movements or the woman who was speaking to him. "Who are you?" He asked warily.

"Jemma Simmons, PhD."

He smirked. "Do you always give out your qualifications when you greet people?"

"No because that would involve talking about both of my doctorates." She replied with a smile.

"Ok, now you're just bragging."

She grinned. "Maybe a little. I'm here to make offer-"

"One I can't refuse?" He asked with a laugh but the smirk slid off his face when she didn't even look slightly amused.

She sighs and picks a new tactic. "I know what it's like, being ridiculously smart, having all this brain power and nowhere to use it. I was 17 when I graduated with my PhDs and I had all this will and no place to apply it."

If Peter wasn't so freaked out, he would have made a joke about how she was still bragging. "What do you want? Who do you work for?"

She passed him a business card and his hand tightened around Gwen's shoulder protectively. "Hydra? Are you kidding me?"

"We're no longer affiliated with Antisemitism, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh that's great. World domination aside, I'm glad you've gone into indiscriminately killing instead."

"We want to achieve what's best for the world, Mr. Parker, and your work with Dr. Connors was very impressive, especially for a 16 year old."

"You're kidding right? That work turned him part lizard."

"And with the right tools, the right team, the right-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," he interrupted angrily. "There is no right with genetic experimentation. I don't know if you know this, but all of Manhattan was almost scaly."

"With a little-"

"No, there is no little anything! The answer is no!" His voice was getting louder and people were starting to look but Gwen still hadn't stirred.

The woman, Simmons, sighed. "It's a shame. I'll give you a week to rethink your answer," and Peter could only think of how bizarre it was that this woman who seemed like a real life Disney princess could be so unhinged.

She nodded to Gwen. "She'll be awake within the hour," and he feels his stomach plummet to somewhere near his shoes. "I really would reconsider, Mr. Parker. We have ways of making you comply," She said in a sickeningly sweet way.

She started to walk away and he surprised even himself when called out to her. "Simmons," he said darkly, even as he cradled the unconscious Gwen to his chest. "If I ever see you again, it won't end well."

He didn't bother to watch her leave or try to go after her because he didn't want to leave Gwen alone and didn't need Hydra knowing that he is Spider-Man on top of every thing else. All he did was remove the dart from her neck and whisper into her ear as she woke.

Peter couldn't bare to look at Gwen, not while she was crying. If he did, he just might renege on his promise to Captain Stacy again.

"Peter," she began shakily and he wanted to hug her, comfort her, tell her everything would be okay but he couldn't because he wasn't sure if lying to her was the best idea. "I should be able to make this decision, too."

"This isn't like the Other Dude!" He snapped, not saying his alter ego's name just in case Hydra still had a tail on him. "With the Other Dude, I can just not be him if it comes to that. I can throw away my suit and become an investment banker. They don't want me because of the Other Dude. They want Peter Parker. I can't stop being him as easily."

Gwen sobbed a bit harder and she went to hug him. The strength it took to duck out of the way of her arms was astounding and left him feeling physically ill.

The look on her face hurt him just as much as the break up. Her face and eyes were red which was extremely pronounced against her blonde hair; her mouth was slightly parted as she looked up at him through damp lashes.

"I don't want to look at you," she finally managed, and though this was along the lines of what he was hoping for, it didn't hurt any less.

When Jemma returned to her apartment, she was greeted by the sound of sizzling butter and smooth Jazz.

"Director?" She called out tentatively. He always made sure she are well when he came to debrief, but the music is new.

"In here, Agent Simmons."

Director Coulson was halfway through cooking a full English breakfast and Jemma couldn't help but smile. It was nice to come home to something so domestic after being threatened by 16 year old scientist.

"How'd it go today," he asked as if wondering if she got that promotion she was gunning for.

She sighed. "Well I think he is appropriately freaked out by Hydra. He has a good head on his shoulders. I think he knew not to trust them from the get go."

Coulson rested a hand on her shoulder sympathetically. "Yeah, but if it was someone else, they would have killed his girlfriend and anyone in a fifty foot radius. You did what was best for him, even if he doesn't know it."

Simmons nodded. "What now? This'll all be for naught if we don't get him safe before his week is up."

"Now, I have to make a call to a friend. One who sympathizes with teenage orphan scientists. One who thinks I'm still dead."