Earth 616
"Another hard day at the office, tiger?"
Peter collapsed on the couch with a sigh. "Yeah." He replied to his wife. "We're working on a really important story for the paper about a money laundering scam, at a laundry mat."
Mary Jane laughed, "Wow. That is sad, but at least it sounds interesting."
Then, it was Peter's turn to laugh. "I wish. This is actually one of the most boring articles I've ever worked on."
MJ rolled her eyes as she pulled a pan out of the oven. "Well, you're home now. Just forget about work and relax."
"But I can't, MJ." Peter somewhat complained as he pulled out some of his old papers. "I just miss all the articles I've written about Spider-man."
"Pete, you just did one three days ago."
Peter chuckled, "You know what I mean!" He started to look through his prized papers. "I wish I could get another amazing story, like the exploding gem heist, or the attack on OsCorp, or..." Peter stopes his rant as he came across a paper he had almost forgotten about.
"Peter?" MJ asked, "What is it?"
He sighed, "Or the night Gwen Stacy died."
MJ winced. She left her casserole and came to the sofa. Peter was staring intently at the paper. MJ took a seat next to him and looked at the article.
Gwendolyn Maxine Stacy was found dead at the George Washington Bridge by her boyfriend, Peter Parker, at 10:00 last night. Upon examination by the coroner, it was found that Stacy was killed by a case of whiplash...
"I really can't be jealous, can I?"
Peter looked up from the paper at MJ. He was confused by her question. "What?"
MJ shrugged, "At first, I was really jealous of Gwen. I knew she really loved you, and you really loved her and I actually almost felt like a rebound girl."
"MJ-" Peter tried.
"But then I realized I was wrong," MJ interrupted. "And you actually really did love me." It was then a few seconds before she continued. "I know she'll always have a special place in your heart, and I'm ok with that."
Peter smiled, "You're the best. You know that?"
MJ smiled, too. "Yeah." She said, then kissed his head. "I do."
As she went back to the kitchen, Peter looked back to the paper.
I miss you, Gwen. he said to himself. I really do.
Earth 65
"Hey, Gwen! How much longer you gonna be?"
Gwen popped her head up from searching through an old box. "Uh, hopefully not too much longer, Dad!" She yelled back.
"Alright. Just be done by the time I get back with the pizza."
Gwen let out a laugh. "Can't promise!" She had been working on these boxes almost every spare minute she wasn't at school or out stopping criminals as Spider-Woman and they still were taking over her room.
Capt. Stacy laughed, too. "Good Luck!"
"I'll need it!"
As the door down stairs shut, Gwen sighed. "How much more stuff can be in these?!?"
She reached in and pulled out an old picture frame. She quickly looked at the photo and put it in the trash. Gwen was about to pick something else from the box, but then she realized what the picture was of. She reached back to the trash and took another look at the photo.
Gwen smiled when she saw the picture. It was of her, Harry, and Peter sitting on the steps of Ben and May's porch, eating ice cream. They had to be about 10 years old, meaning that picture was about 5 or 6 years old.
They all looked so happy, like nothing could spoil the fun they were having-
Gwen could feel the tears well up in her eyes. No, stop it, she told herself. You've already forgiven yourself.
"Peter," she said, quietly. "I sometimes wonder what it would've been like if you got bit by the spider instead of me. I can just see you trying to make jokes and getting a kick out swinging on webs. And you would have been smart enough to make the web shooters yourself-"
She choked up a little, but she settled herself down.
"I miss you, Peter. I really do."
