This fic follows the story from the "Amazing Spider-Man" film from 2012, as well as the things already stated in the fic Nightingale. However, you will also see my own version of the 2002 film (the one of Tobey Maguire) with the newer Spider-Man and Gwen in the mix. (To those who prefer MJ and especially her with Peter, I'm sorry, but ever since I first saw the ASM I just cannot help but prefer Peter/Gwen...)
The first three chapters are in 1st person POV, each a different one, each adding a piece of the puzzle, weaving the story together (at least that's the idea)... the last chapter will be in 3rd person POV. It all connects either to the movie, things already stated in Nightingale, or the upcoming Encore. Enjoy!
The Return
By: Lalaith Quetzalli
A boy with a the powers of a genetically enhanced spider and a wish to use that power for good things; a girl with a genius intellect and bravery and the desire to use those things to aid the boy; an enemy willing to use the bond between them to destroy them both, and the return that saved them all.
The Boy
It was all a mess, really. It had been so since I'd moved to downtown New York…Well no, actually, if I was honest to myself, I knew things had gone wrong since before that. Since May in fact. Since she died. She, the heart of our team, a dear friend, almost a sister: Silbhé Salani…
Some things can only be understood by realizing just how abnormal life, and particularly mine, truly is. My name is Peter Parker, for the first fifteen years of life I was pretty normal, except for the part where I was always being bullied, by Flash and any other boy who believed himself better than me just because they were good at sports. Then everything changed…drastically.
I was considered by some a nerd, even a genius, just because I was moved ahead one year while in elementary school. Considering I know someone who finished MIT at seventeen, and another person who got three Master Degrees at nineteen; graduating high-school two months before turning eighteen isn't really that much. The fact that when I was graduated with two best-friends (while I used to have none) as well as a girlfriend (the love of my life: Gwen Stacy) and while secretly being one of New York's Mightiest Heroes: Spider-Man, that was more.
It all began when I was sixteen. For twelve years the death of my parents in a plane crash had haunted me when, unexpectedly, I found a new clue. It was an accident really when Uncle Ben found dad's old briefcase in the basement, while we were supposed to be repairing a pipe…or the heater, I'm not even sure which. The briefcase seemed empty at first glance; but then I found a folder inside, with papers on a research my father was supposed to have been working on around the time of his death. That got me interested, so I began investigating.
My biggest clue was Dr. Connors, the man had been my dad's colleague, and he was working as a scientist at OsCorp in that moment. So I slipped into OsCorp as part of a group there on a fieldtrip… If I had just known all the lasting consequences doing that would have…Well, I wouldn't do anything different, but probably I would have taken a moment to take a deep breath before actually jumping off the edge, figuratively.
It was in that fieldtrip that I first connected the love of my life: Gwen Stacy: daughter of the chief of police, classmate, science genius, and my reason to be the best man I can be. While we may have had classes together, we had never actually talked until that day. She actually helped me, as she noticed I wasn't supposed to be there. We became friends after that.
It was also during that fieldtrip, when I began snooping around, trying to find something related to the project of my dad's that I had read about in those files. I ended inside a room with ten genetically altered spiders. They were supposed to be in sealed glass containers but, somehow, one got out, and bit me…that changed everything.
It was shocking, after feeling so sick that I might die, to wake up and discover I suddenly was faster, stronger, far more agile and with much better reflexes than a normal human; I also no longer need glasses, was healing faster and somehow could pretty much glue myself to surfaces like walls, ceilings and such.
At first it was in good fun. I experimented with my powers, learning more about them. I'd always liked skateboarding, and my new abilities made it even more interesting. I also got my revenge on Flash, more of a humiliation that anything, but still. On the side I was working with Dr. Connors on his regenerative serum…I really should have known there was a reason why my father held back on the missing part of that formula…
Things were going so well…until I was stupid. I was having so much fun, I forgot I had responsibilities, at home, to my aunt and uncle. Then when I was chastised, I got angry and stormed out the house. If I'd never done that, if my uncle hadn't gone after me, worried for me… It was so dark, and our neighborhood really wasn't the safest. There was a robbery, and my uncle… he just wanted to help. He was shot…he was killed…I got there just in time to witness him die, there was nothing I could do.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
That was one of the last lessons Uncle Ben ever imparted to me, and the one that has come to mean the most. It's become the bases for my whole life: both as Peter Parker, and as Spider-Man.
After my uncle's death, I went off the deep end. I finished creating myself a suit, then replicated the kind of thread spiders create their webs with, only with the properties to adjust to my size and capabilities. I began hunting down any lead, trying to find the one responsible for Uncle Ben's death. Not only I didn't find him, but I ended up with the police after me, calling me a vigilante, an anarchist…the last one was Captain Stacy in fact, Gwen's father, which didn't help me any, neither as Spider-Man, nor as the boy who liked his daughter.
Then came the Lizard, and my own turning point…The Lizard was causing mayhem in the Williamsburg bridge, I went to stop it. As several vehicles were thrown off the bridge I fired webs to keep them hanging from the bridge itself, not actually bothering to check them in case there was someone trapped. My priority was the Lizard. But then…I heard that man, screaming for someone to help his son, who was trapped in one of the vans. That moment, the instant when I chose to help an innocent instead of persecuting a criminal; it changed me. I think it might have been then that I actually became a hero.
If there's one thing I can be very thankful for, was having Gwen in those first days. She being there, knowing my secret, supporting me…she became my best-friend, my girlfriend, my confidant…my anchor. I'm equally grateful that now, more than a year later, she's still here. I hope she always will be.
I have always known, will always know, just how fortunate I am to have Gwen Stacy by my side. Not only is she beautiful, and intelligent, and brave; there's also the fact that, from the very beginning, she knew exactly what she was getting into with me, and she still stayed. I remember precisely how she said it that night, when I went to her for help with the wounds the Lizard had inflicted on me, a set of gashes that went across my chest. I had no one else I could trust, it had to be her. She helped me, and then we talked…
"Every day, for as long as I can remember, my father has left every morning and put a badge on his chest, and strapped a gun to his hip." She said softly, almost sadly. "And every day, for as long as I can remember, I haven't known if he was gonna make it home."
Yes, she knew indeed what she was getting into.
After that came the attack at the school. The first time I actually faced against the Lizard out of my own free will, and not by chance or accident, or anything like that. And I did it, in no small part, for her; because I needed to stop him from hurting her. And really, I must have been crazy, beyond crazy. I mean, a spider, an insect, defying their natural predator: a reptile?!
Gwen didn't like me fighting the Lizard, but if I didn't, who else would? Ok, granted, I'm not the only hero in the states, or even in New York, but the Lizard was my responsibility, because I helped create him. I gave Dr. Curtis Connors the missing algorithm for his formula, the same one my father had been working on. It was until I saw the Lizard, until I understood who was behind its monstrous-image, that I began to realize why my father had kept those things a secret. Still, I had to stop him if I wanted to even begin to make things right.
The fight in the school was interrupted when the police arrived and Dr. Connors decided to leave. I tracked him through the sewers, eventually making it to OsCorp. Really, that day must have been one of the most stressful in my whole life. What with the fight I was involved in, the fact that I'd sent Gwen to OsCorp earlier to get an antidote ready so I could 'cure' Connors (only to later learn he was heading that way, which put her in danger), and then when Captain Stacy decided it was a good night to try and arrest me!
It was definitely one hell of a night. I was forced to reveal my face to my girlfriend's father, then ran away with trigger-happy cops after me, a bullet actually graced my thigh. It wasn't life-threatening, but it certainly impaired my mobility some. Then…the only good part of the night: turns out the father of the kid I'd saved on the bridge operated one of the cranes high on South Manhattan. And he contacted others operators. They all placed the cranes just right, so I could get to OsCorp in time to stop Dr. Connors.
Things should have gone right after that, they should have…Gwen got the antidote ready, she wasn't hurt by Connors, she managed to get the blue serum to her father, who in turn took it to me. Then he worked on distracting the Lizard while I got the serum to the GANALI device (we needed it not only to 'cure' Connors, but also all the policemen who had been infected by him during the persecution through South Manhattan).
So, because everything was supposed to be so well planned, of course something had to go horribly wrong. I cannot even begin to recount exactly what happened. I only know that Captain Stacy did all he could to keep the Lizard off my back, and it cost him his life…I clearly remember the last thing he said to me, the last thing he asked of me:
"You're gonna make enemies. People will get hurt. Sometimes people closest to you… So I want you to promise me something, okay? … Leave Gwen out of it. Promise me that. … Huh? You promise me."
He was dying, so I did, I promised him to stay away from Gwen, even though back then I already loved her so much…in the end it was a promise I couldn't keep for very long.
I attended the funeral in secret, not daring to show my face when I still felt so guilty. Even when Gwen went looking for me, demanding the reason why I was staying away from her…even then I kept my silence. Not like she needed me to actually say something, she already knew, or at least could imagine what was going on.
Still, I tried, I tried so very hard to keep my promise. I gave the excuse that I was no good for her, though Aunt May didn't like hearing me say that. I decided that even if Gwen hated me for the rest of her life, at least she would have a life, right? Only, I couldn't imagine what kind of life I was supposed to have without her.
The realization came to me several weeks later, while one of my teachers was berating me for arriving late to her class, again…
"Sorry, Miss Ritter." I tried to assure her. "It won't happen again, I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr. Parker." The woman told me with a sigh.
I didn't actually answer her, it's not like she was expecting me to. However, in that moment, I got the irresistible need to say something, one phrase I was quite sure only one person would be able to understand the significance of; a person who was, in that very moment, seated right in front of me. So I leaned close to edge of my seat, and whispered low enough for only her to hear:
"Yeah, but those are the best kind…"
Yeah, I just gave up. It was awful, but there was nothing I could do. In the end, my love for Gwen Stacy was stronger than the promise I made to her dying father…I just hoped we wouldn't end up regretting it one day… In any case, I know I will always do my best to protect Gwen, I know she's no damsel in distress, she can do things on her own; still, doesn't stop me from wanting to protect her as best I can. I shall always do that. I believe together we can do wonderful things, and if it's up to me, we'll be together for a very long time…
Some things changed after my fight with the Lizard. One in particular was my Aunt May. We never talked about it, but I'm quite sure that after that night she knew I was Spider-Man, or at least had very strong suspicions. Still, as she chose not to ask, I also chose not to comment on it. I just hoped if she ever happened to find out outright, it wouldn't be because I died.
Eventually something else freaky just had to happen. Though, thankfully, I wasn't responsible this time. Some sort of alien army attacked New York. I could see there were other heroes like Iron Man and Captain America handling the situation. It occurred to me briefly to approach them and offer my help, but Gwen didn't want me putting myself at too much risk, and I didn't want them to go tracking me down later on. They might like being in the spotlight and what-not, I much preferred my anonymity. In the end it wasn't that hard, I heard the Captain talking setting a perimeter, so I worked on helping them keep it, without showing myself too much. Gwen would have been proud of me.
Later on I learnt Gwen too had been helping, aiding the people evacuating. I nearly had a stroke at that. Still, I should have imagined something like that. Not the kind to sit quietly at home and wait for me to come back, my girlfriend. But then again, that's one of the very reasons I love her so. At least she was alright, we both were.
Time passed, we finished junior year of High School. Gwen and I were together, and she was so supportive, I could have never asked for a better girlfriend. It was on that summer that things changed yet again, when Gwen told me she was taking the option offered to her to graduate ahead of time. She would be taking just a few more classes until December, then graduate (while I would be staying until next June). Even during that Fall Term, she would be spending a great deal of time as assistant to Dr. Bruce Banner, who was said to have recently begun working with Tony Stark in some private projects. I felt bad about not being able to spend as much time with her in school as I had before, but I knew she wanted to make a name for herself as a scientist, and after the mess that had been Dr. Connors, the opportunity of being Dr. Banner's assistant was too good for her to pass up. Of course, neither of us could have imagined where the whole thing would take us eventually.
I should have known, when she told me about the Hulk, about working in the Avengers Towers, that it was only a matter of time before I crossed paths with them.
Some group of villains had taken Avengers' Tower hostage, which seemed simply ridiculous to me but still. Iron Man was said to be unable to interfere, as the leader had threatened to bomb the whole place up if they so much as got an idea that he was close. So, to help, he was staying standing within range of several cameras so the criminals knew he was out there. The rest of the Avengers, except Hulk and Thor, were standing with some members of what I later learnt was S.H.I.E.L.D., trying to make a plan.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked, arriving from behind them.
I barely managed to dodge a kick from the redhead known as Black Widow, followed by an arrow shot by Hawkeye.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, raising my hands in a neutral stance. "I come in peace!"
I heard what must have been Stark's snort through a radio in between them, apparently he was still in communication with the rest of his team.
"Who are you?" Captain America asked.
"Spider-Man." I answered simply.
"We have heard from him all around New York, never been able to track him down…" A woman, whom I later learnt was called Maria Hill, commented.
"With all due respect ma'am, I don't work for the government." I said simply. "The closest I've gotten to working with the police was the time they wanted to arrest me so…"
"We're not government." The black man with a patch on his eye said in a serious voice. "We're the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division…"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. for short." Hawkeye quipped.
"I'm Director Nick Fury." The man finished. "We're quite interested in you Mr…Spider-Man."
"Something tells me, Director, that you have information about me I would rather you don't know." I muttered in a low voice.
"We know who you are." He said directly. "Have known since your involvement with Connors. It was my decision to leave you out of the Avengers Initiative due to your youth. We contemplated issuing an invitation once you had graduated…"
"An invitation I wouldn't be able to turn down?" I asked bitterly.
"Youth?" Widow asked, eyes suddenly asked. "Graduated what? College?"
"High-School in fact." I decided if the Director knew who I was, there was no point in hiding too much. "I am seventeen years old."
"You wanted a kid as an Avenger Fury!" I heard Stark yelling through the radio.
"Excuse me!" I interrupted. "I'm no kid. I've fought before."
That shut everyone right up.
"I did not come here to fight you but rather the bastards causing trouble." I told them. "I came to ask what you planned on doing."
"We have no definite plan yet." Fury admitted. "We never imagined something like this to happen. Until Stark manages to contact either Banner or at least JARVIS inside, we have no way of coordinating something."
"So you're not doing anything!" I blanched.
That was enough for me to make my mind, I turned and began walking away.
"What are you going to do Spiderboy?" Hawkeye asked.
"It's Spider-Man." I corrected coldly. "And I'm going to get you someone inside. If you're willing to risk everyone inside to gain the upper hand, I'm not."
"Who do you have inside?" Stark's voice surprised me.
"My girlfriend." I answered honestly, and then I was gone.
The whole thing was a royal mess.
I played a keen whistle I had on my cell-phone, it was the signal for Gwen to know I'd gotten inside and was about to go into action. While I would have liked her to get under cover at that signal, I knew she would be doing exactly the opposite, but at least we were on the same page. Or that was until the Hulk appeared on the scene, right beside my girlfriend!
Only the fact that my Gwen was standing behind him, completely calm, and smiling convinced me that things were alright. Then, when one of the criminals tried to attack her and the Hulk not only shielded her but slammed the criminal in question against a wall I knew she would be perfectly fine.
Then came the need to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D.
The fight was over, a bunch of agents were taking away the criminals to interrogate them and find out what exactly they had been planning. Though it looked like they just wanted to get some money from Stark. I contemplated taking off, but I could see the looks several of those present kept shooting my way and I knew I wouldn't be allowed to leave. And even if I did, they knew who I was, which meant they could track me down. At least if I talked to them then and there we could leave my aunt out of it. Gwen…well, I didn't keep my hopes up.
I noticed her hanging in the back of the room, pretending to be too nervous to just leave. I knew she was waiting for me, so I did the only thing I could do, being careful not to call attention to myself, or to her, I used one hand to signal two words for her:
+They know.+
It was enough. She would understand immediately what I was talking about, particularly since those looking at me weren't being exactly discreet. What I wasn't expecting was when, instead of leaving, she walked straight to me, to stand by my side.
That finally called everyone's attention. Only the Avengers and a small number of Agents were still in the room, something I was thankful for.
"Shouldn't you be leaving now, Miss Stacy?" Her boss, Dr. Banner, asked her.
"I think I'll be staying for a while yet, boss." She replied with apparent calm.
"I'm not sure you realize what you're doing miss…" Another man, of about the same age, in a suit, told her. "What you're getting into."
"I've already lost my father, so don't try and tell me what I know or don't know about anything." She practically hissed at him. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
Then, with measured motions, she entwined our hands together.
"Gwen…" I whispered in the softest voice I could.
"This is my decision Peter…a decision I have the right to make." She whispered back. "I'm not leaving you alone."
She was right of course, so I said nothing else, instead I just brought my free hand to the back of my head, and pulled off the mask.
The first few minutes were extremely tense, what with Gwen suspecting that they might have hired her as Banner's intern only because she was my girlfriend. It didn't help matters any when they admitted that, while they hadn't known at first, they had originally hired her because of her connection to Connors and his work; and then, when learning about me, decided she would be 'useful' on that front too. I was furious and if it weren't for the fact that the rest of the Avengers too seemed to be taking offense to the whole thing I might have reacted badly.
In the end it was decided that things would stay pretty much as they had thus far. I handled small criminals while the Avengers dealt with more serious and powerful villains. We could also call on each other for help if it became necessary. I was offered an internship with Stark, as we both had a pretty keen interest in Engineering (he was fascinated by my web-shooters), I also worked with Banner on the side from time to time. I wasn't getting paid, but got good college credits and a chance to spend more time with Gwen, which was definitely a plus.
At first I regretted spending less time with the friends I had made since the beginning of Senior year. People like Harry Osborn, whom I had known when we were younger and in the same Junior-High, before Uncle Ben lost his job and I had to get a scholarship to continue my studies; though we'd both changed a lot since then. Then there was Mary Jane, my neighbor, and one of the prettiest girls I'd ever seen (second to my Gwen of course). Harry was a good friend, and since Flash's change from being a bully to a friend MJ hung around us more often. I thought Harry might actually like her…Still, Gwen would always be much more important than any number of other friends.
Weeks passed, and months. Gwen graduated with a number of other students that were either ahead, like her, or had had to stay behind for an extra term. It was a rather small ceremony but still pretty nice. I briefly regretted not being able to graduate with her, but then I reminded myself I was being the supportive boyfriend. Besides, since working in Stark Tower we had been able to spend more time together, which was great.
Being in Stark Tower so often afforded me other opportunities as well, like training, so I actually knew what I was doing when I fought instead of just wildly following my instincts. It was good, while at first I was all black and blue, a time came when I was injured less and less, that made Gwen happy too.
In February we met two new inhabitants of Stark Tower. One was Loki Odinson, the half-insane (or so they said) Sorcerer adoptive brother of Thor, who was apparently a Frost Giant; and his wife, a human girl, barely a few years older than Gwen and I and already a Professor with three Master Degrees: Silbhé Salani.
Their story turned to be quite amazing, once we heard it. There was a lot of it I didn't understand, since I didn't get much of magic, it went too much against what I knew of sciences. Still, if there was one thing I did understand it was Loki's and Silbhé loyalty to each other. The fact that she'd stood by his side even when the world saw him as an enemy, that he'd been by her side even when she was sick and dying. I thought it was a wonderful example and hoped Gwen and I would be as lucky to stand next to each other no matter what.
Also, after the first slightly shocking meeting, I really couldn't imagine Loki as a villain. Maybe because I never actually saw him during the Chitauri attack in New York. Or maybe it was just that the looks he kept directing to his wife, which reminded me of my own to Gwen; I couldn't imagine someone who cared so much being evil! Still the mischief…that I liked! It certainly made life in the Tower more interesting.
Then, of course, things had to get complicated. There was that attack on the Tower when we were all out, handling some minor villain. I know Darcy, Jane and even Silbhé got the worse parts of the attack; yet when I arrived all I could think about was my Gwen. When I arrived to find her there, on the floor, looking so scared, and with a gun beside her…I couldn't believe it. I was so terrified for her, yet so proud at the same time. It was enough to make me dizzy.
Then, the next day we learnt just how serious the situation was. A Titan, or something along those lines, after both of my newest friends: one because he believed her to be some kind of goddess of Death, and the other because he'd betrayed him. He had the rest of the Chitauri army, and power greater than any of us Avengers. And we would have to fight him. On one hand, I loved the idea of fighting beside my new teammates, using my powers for good. It was like my uncle had said in that voicemail he left me that awful night:
"…if anyone's destined for greatness, it's you, son. You owe the world your gifts. You just have to figure out how to use them, and know that wherever they take you, we'll always be here."
Yes, he would always be there, here, in spirit since he could no longer be physically. And not only him, but also Aunt May, Gwen, the Avengers, and all my other new friends. So, for them, I had to do the right thing, I had to fight.
A plan was made, Loki, who'd had his magic returned after the attack on the Tower was going to act as a bait of sorts to attract Thanos and his Chitauri. The chosen battlefield: the dessert in New Mexico. As part of the plan, Phil, Happy (Stark's driver) and the girls were teleported to the Salani manor the night before. I hated saying goodbye to Gwen, especially seeing the fear she was trying to hide in her eyes. But we both knew how necessary it was that we fought that battle. So I did the best I could, I promised her I would do all I could to go back to her. It wasn't until days after the battle had passed that I learnt how close I came to losing her instead.
It wasn't until days later that I learnt why exactly Silbhé had ended up in New Mexico with Thanos, in the middle of our battle; the fact that I owed her my girlfriend's life, and it was one debt I would never be able to pay back…
In that moment just her arrival with the Titan was enough to throw me, throw us all off. Especially Loki. It was so bad I actually had to save the sorcerer a couple of times as other Chitauri took cheap shots at him. Of course he saved my life too later on. And then…
Loki's pained cry was enough to freeze everyone in the battlefield instantly. None of us Avengers understood what was going on until we watched Silbhé fall to her knees, her body only kept mostly upright by Thanos painful looking pull on her hair. And…the magical golden bracelet that had never left her wrist, was laying in the sand…
"I…will not be used…to d-destroy tha…that which I…I love a-above all else." She said in a voice that, even with the obvious pain, managed to sound strong.
"You are not Death." Thanos practically snarled as he pulled on her hair.
She winced but did not cry out, I couldn't help but admire such bravery.
"No. But you will soon be dead." She stated. "For I am Nightingale, wife of Loki…and he will destroy you, utterly and absolutely."
It was almost like she wasn't being held captive; more than that, like she was absolutely in control, like it didn't matter that Thanos was holding her, because she'd already won…it was almost like she wasn't dying before our eyes…
"Not before I've destroyed him." Thanos hissed. "And you will make a good start."
I heard the beginning of Loki's scream, but before it'd even fully registered I was already on the move myself, shooting the first web.
"It's alright Loki, I've got this." I told him, throwing myself into action.
I took advantage of several light-poles conveniently placed as well as a few nearby rocky outcrops to swing myself right into the path where Thanos had thrown Silbhé. I quickly created a small web with which I helped myself to stop her without injuring her further.
Almost immediately we were on the sandy ground and I began checking her signals to make sure she was alright, or as much as one could expect, completely ignoring the sounds of the battle as it went on behind me.
"Peter…?" She asked, confused as she finally noticed me.
"It's alright Silbhé…you're safe now." I told her, still a bit put out by the whole thing and not knowing what else to do. "I've got you."
"Lo…ki…?" Was all she said, asked.
"He's taking care of that bastard, with Thor's help." I told her. "They'll be here any second now. Then we'll all get back to New York and make sure you'll get better."
"No you won't…I won't…" She told me, sounding a bit too calm.
"Wha…?" I didn't understand.
"You cannot save me from this Peter…" She told me quietly. "No one can."
I wasn't fully aware when the battle finally ended. I actually wasn't paying much attention to anything until I suddenly had Loki beside me, looking at his wife with eyes full of apprehension. I moved carefully then, allowing him to hold her in his lap.
"Here…" Loki produced both deamarkonian from his hands, holding them up to her. "We need to get this back on you already…"
"It's too late." She told him softly, though I heard.
"Don't say that." He seemed about to snap. "Just…don't. It's never too late."
"I'm sorry Loki." She whispered.
They said their goodbyes then, and my heart almost broke. I wanted nothing more than to go to Gwen and hold her tightly in my arms right then. In fact, that's exactly what I did the moment I saw her again, back in the Tower. And I still remember with painful clarity how she collapsed in my arms the moment her eyes laid on Loki and the deceased Silbhé. I could only hold her, tightly against me, thanking all the gods that she was alright. As bad as I felt for her death, for Loki's loss, I could only be grateful that I wasn't in their place. Days later, upon learning what exactly had happened in the mansion, I would be thanking any and all gods once again.
Days later, during the funeral, I didn't actually get to talk with Ms. Salani, Silbhé's aunt, and yet I couldn't help but think of Aunt May. For a minute I couldn't help but wonder if she would look like that if I were ever to die. It didn't help that Ms. Salani seemed to have something in common with Aunt May in the sense that she knew what her niece had been into, even if the two never talked about it…
Thor left with Loki back to Asgard about two weeks or so after the battle, and a couple of days after the Sorcerer finally had his breakdown. I think it might have been on purpose, Thor wanted his brother to have his breakdown when he was still surrounded by friends, god knows how Asgard would be receiving him…
After that, it was like none of them Avengers wanted to be together anymore. Steve took his motorcycle one morning and left, just saying he wanted to do some traveling, see how much the country he served had changed. Natasha and Clint went back to taking secret missions from S.H.I.E.L.D., and Phil pretty much went with them. Jane and Dr. Selvig returned to New Mexico to continue their own work, though I heard Darcy hadn't gone with them, instead she was training to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent herself. Stark and his fiancée had moved back to Malibu for a while, though they never said the reason. Banner for his part went to Africa to work on some research…and he took Gwen with him.
It hurt, especially when she couldn't make it to my graduation. Still, I didn't dare tell her that, the last thing I wanted was to make her feel guilty; and at least I had MJ and Harry, and of course Aunt May was there too.
On the other side, I got to have the whole Summer with her, as Banner had given her an extended vacation. I learnt then how she was pretty much taking online classes and between that, the classes we had taken together during the last year and the credits earned through her work with Banner she was likely to receive her degree soon; without ever actually attending college.
The summer was wonderful, spending all that time with my girlfriend. Even if I'd lost a lot of friends in less than a week, at least I still had her…and Harry and MJ, even if they didn't know the truth about me.
Of course the Summer had to end eventually. I moved out of Aunt May's house and into a small, cheap apartment with Harry. I didn't know what surprised me more, that he was willing to room in with me, or that he didn't mind living in such a small apartment (because it was the best I could afford to pay my half, and I would never accept living in an apartment where he paid everything). I had even gotten a job, as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle, to help with my expenses. I still had some money I'd earned when I'd actually helped in Stark Industries with something, but it was going to run out sometime: what with rent, amenities, school, and then there was the supplies I needed to create my biocable. Tony had allowed me to use his supplies and one of his labs during the months I had been part of the Avengers, that had all changed when everyone had left. Avengers Tower was still there, and Stark industries, but the people that truly mattered were gone…it made me feel empty.
So the Summer ended, and Gwen had to leave again. Harry and I began college, while MJ went to auditions for some acting jobs in between taking shifts as a waitress in a small dinner near her own apartment. She thought I didn't know that last part, but I'd seen her more than once while I was swinging around as Spiderman. I even made a point to check up on her every so often; the last thing I wanted was for something to happen to Harry's girlfriend. I never expected that kiss! I didn't even want to know what Gwen would have to say about it.
In the end I decided not to tell her anything until I saw her in person. It was going to be hard enough already, and I had no idea how I was going to convince her it hadn't meant anything. MJ may be beautiful, I may have called her an angel, once, when I was six and she'd just moved to the house next door to Aunt May's; but she was no Gwen, she would never be. And Gwen, she and no one else, was the love of my life.
The plan had been simple: Gwen had told me she would be getting Thanksgiving weekend free. Stark had even promised her use of his own plane (since this time she was not only with Banner, but also Tony and Pepper, working on a Stark expo across Europe). Like I'd already been expecting, something went wrong, there was some kind of storm in Italy or something, and they didn't allow any plane to take off until the next day. Which meant she wasn't actually in New York for Thanksgiving. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, not if we consider just how bad Thanksgiving went. Mr. Osborn might be a genius, rich, and a lot of other stuff, but he was a bastard. A bastard who didn't deserve the life he had, or the son, and he certainly should have never insulted either Harry, or MJ as he did.
Then everything went absolutely nuts!
xXx
Aunt May was in the hospital, as a consequence of the attack from the menace known as the Green Goblin, Harry was god-knows-where and MJ had been taken hostage by the same aforementioned villain. It hadn't taken me long to track him, what I never expected was the scene I came upon: the goblin was standing on top of the Tower bridge, holding in one hand a cable keeping aloft a tram with at least a dozen screaming kids, and in the other…MJ! And I still didn't know why exactly MJ was involved!
"Spider-Man!" He called with a mad yell the moment he knew he had my attention. "This is why only fools are heroes!"
I just stood there, balanced on the tension cables holding the bridge up, mind working a mile a minute as I tried to both understand what MJ had to do with anything and at the same time just how to save her, and the kids.
"Because you never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice…" He began in the craziest voice ever.
Then, as if things weren't nerve-wracking enough already. She had to arrive…and up the ante.
"If you're trying to put him before the kind of choice I think you are…" Someone yelled from the foot of the tower. "You have the wrong girl there!"
The Green Goblin's attention was called immediately, as was mine, and we both stared in equal shock as she stood there, blonde hair swaying in the wind…
She, Gwen, she was there, at the very foot of the bridge, challenging the goblin as it if were nothing at all…I didn't even know she had arrived already! I hadn't hear a thing from her since two days before when she'd told me all flights had been cancelled! And now she was placing herself in the greatest danger…why?!
"You want me?" Gwen challenged as she began climbing up the tower by the metal ladder on a nearby beam. "I know you do. So how about we stop the little-kid games and you let Mary Jane go, she has nothing to do with this. It's me you want."
"Gwen?!" I hear MJ gasp, in shock.
"You don't exist!" The Goblin yelled.
That actually took me by surprise, though somehow Gwen seemed unaffected by the statement. She just kept climbing.
"Oh, but I am very real." She assured him. "So, what will it be Goblin? Because I really hope I'm not climbing all these steps for nothing…"
"You know I want to kill you, and yet you're still climbing." The Goblin commented, voice tinted with disbelief.
"You have my friend, my innocent friend." Gwen stated, as if it were obvious, and for her it was. "Besides, I don't really think you want to kill her, we both know what a certain someone would think of you if you did…"
"You know…?" He began, and was that hesitation I noticed in his voice?
"I know." Gwen replied simply. "He doesn't know yet, but then again, he isn't looking at all the cards at the same time. He's down there right this moment, you know? He's watching you, watching us, watching everything…can you comprehend what he's thinking, watching you do something as insane as this? What he'll think when he realizes just who you are…? I'm sure you can begin to imagine. Is that really the kind of legacy you want for yourself? Moreover, the kind of memory you want to leave Harry with?"
It was as she said those words that I took a quick glance down, I saw him, Harry, standing at the foot of the tower, watching everything with wide eyes, as if trying to comprehend the meaning behind Gwen's yelling. I did my best to do the same, Gwen obviously thought Harry's presence there was of some importance to the Green Goblin…but that meant…It dawned on me abruptly. Mr. Osborn was the Green Goblin! Oh Lord…
I was pulled out of my musings when Gwen finally reached the top of the ladder. I knew she was stubborn, and it was unlikely that I would be able to stop her…I still couldn't help but try.
"Gwen…" I whispered her name in a low voice.
"Peter…" She whispered my name back, low enough so only I could hear her.
"Why are you doing this?" I couldn't help but blurt out the most important question.
"Do you remember the Nightingale?" Her question took me off-guard.
I had two images clearly in my mind: first that of Silbhé the night before the final battle against Thanos and his Chitauri, when she'd left with Gwen for the Salani Mansion. The second, far more painful, was that of her shrouded body in Loki's arms.
"How could I ever forget her?" I sighed. "I'll forever owe her so much…"
"Then you must know why I am doing this." She told me calmly. "For she did the very same thing for me…besides, it is the right thing to do. Why should MJ have to suffer for something that's in no way connected to her?"
"You shouldn't have to either." I pointed out.
"Oh, but this is like that question Phil asked me that time, last year." Her voice sounded wistful. "When he, and everyone else, was thoroughly convinced there was no way I could know what I was getting into. Well, I knew then, and I do now."
I was filled with so much pain and despair, for so long I'd fear losing her, had contemplated if I hadn't made a terrible mistake by breaking the promise I'd made to Captain Stacy. In that moment the despair was greater than ever, so much I felt it might incapacitate me.
"Remember Nightingale Spider-Man." She told me one more time as she reached my enemy. "Whatever happens, save the children."
"You're a crazy little girl, aren't you?" The Goblin asked with a crazy chuckle.
I bristled, wanting more than anything to take him down, but there was nothing I could do yet.
"This is my choice." She said one more time. "Now let MJ go."
He did, which surprised me greatly.
"Gwen…" MJ began, so terrified, both for herself and for her friend.
She still had no idea that Gwen wasn't the only friend of hers standing right there…
"Just go MJ, now, before things get worse." Gwen told her.
"I don't understand…" MJ whispered brokenly.
I hated not being able to help Gwen, but I knew I couldn't just leave MJ there either. I had to take her away from the danger, if only so Gwen's actions wouldn't be in vain.
"Mary Jane!" I called her.
She didn't react to me calling her name, I imagine she either didn't notice, or thought I'd hear someone else and picked it up. It didn't matter much in that moment, really.
"I'll get you down." I told her.
I shot a webline at her, then used it to lower her to the first level of the tower. I would have placed her all the way down, but Harry was on the first level already.
"You two need to get out of here!" I yelled at them.
Still, I didn't actually stop to see if they followed my instructions, I had other things to worry about, like the Green Goblin, and Gwen.
When I turned to look at the Goblin again, he had Gwen in the very position he'd had MJ before, holding her up by the neck, her feet dangling on empty air off the edge of the bridge tower. She wasn't crying or fighting, no, she just hung there, unmoving; she'd already accepted what she saw as the irremediable end to her situation…and yet I refused to accept it just yet.
"Gwen!" I screamed her name in panic.
I could see her hands signaling to me, I wasn't paying attention to the actual words, though I had a pretty good idea what she was saying. Reminding me of the choice she had made. I wanted nothing more than to get her out of there immediately, but I knew that if anyone were to get hurt, or killed, particularly those children in the tram…she would never forgive me.
"This is your doing!" The Green Goblin began yelling at me. "You could have been my ally, instead you chose to be my enemy. You caused this! This is the life you have chosen! So what will it be Spider-Man. Let die the woman you love…or suffer the little children? Make your choice, Spider-Man, and see how a hero is rewarded!"
I was standing on a ledge, figuratively as well as literally. I knew that the moment he finished what he pretended I would snap. If I went against Gwen choices, she would never forgive me; if I followed them, I would never forgive myself. It was a lose-lose situation. I could see Gwen mouthing words 'I love you', and 'my choice'. In the end I forced my mind to clear and focus; I was ready to act, even if I knew the end result would still be terrible no matter what.
"Choose!" The Green Goblin yelled.
And then they were falling. On one side of the Tower, my love, and on the other, the tram with a dozen children. All of them innocent, and at least one was going to die. I could only pray the gods for forgiveness, and then I jumped.
In the last moment I shot a webline in Gwen's direction in a last desperate attempt to save her. I didn't see it actually reaching her, but I couldn't focus on her either. I had children to save, and if I didn't then losing Gwen would be an even worse torture than it was already going to be.
I didn't quite have a plan, so when I ended up suspended in mid-air, holding the cable on which the tram hung with one hand, while the other I kept up, with a webline holding both myself and the tram up. I then had no idea what else to do.
I was absolutely lucky when I noticed the ship approaching the spot where I hung. The conductor yelled me to hold on, he was getting there. I managed to do it, barely. Still, their help was the first thing that went right since the nightmare that was that night had begun. The loss of Gwen hadn't hit me just yet, and I hope I would be able to hold on a little longer. I still had a villain to take care of, in Gwen's memory. I couldn't let what had happened to her, happen to anyone else.
"Spider-Man…" I heard several voices calling me.
The children were screaming my name. They were delighted by the fact they were alive, and possibly the fact that I'd saved them. Only the adults, with their solemn expressions, seemed to be able to understand what it was that I'd lost in my decision to save the dozen innocent children. But it was alright, they were innocents, it was better if they didn't have to understand death just yet, if they got to be children at least one more day.
"I have to go now." I said, more to the adults than the children.
"We will make sure the children get to land." The conductor of the boat assured me. "You go and make sure that monster pays for what he's done."
"Go Spider-Man!" The children chorused still thrilled.
I nodded at them before shooting a webline to the bridge and pulling myself up. Yes, I was going to make the Green Goblin pay…
The Goblin was still standing on the very top of the bridge tower, as if silently observing me. He began saying something I do not know what, I was just so furious…I didn't even dare take a look over the edge of the bridge, try and see if I could find my love, I was too afraid to see her broken body either on the bridge itself, or the water…
I used the momentum from my swinging to deliver the hardest kick I possibly could to the chest of the Green Goblin. He stumbled backwards a bit. Still, the advantage wasn't mine for long as he countered with a couple of punches and I went flying off the tower yet again. My reaction was instinctive as I shot another webline, I missed my intended target, which was a lightning rod at the highest point of the tower, it would have allowed me to swing back to where he was; instead I caught one of the tension cables, and ended going through a window and straight into the Tower itself. For some reason the Goblin chose to jump on its glider and went after me.
There was an exchange of kicks and punches and while I did manage to land a few, I noticed that my strength was waning. I was losing, and a part of me didn't care that much…
Right then a hard kick to my ribs had me folding over in half, then it was followed by a double punch on me back, so hard I pretty much went to through the floor, landing at least two levels bellow, though still in the tower itself. My instincts were yelling at me about incoming danger, but my body just hurt so much, it was becoming harder to move. Then, right as it seemed like my spider sense was about to make me snap, I heard something else:
"PETER!"
I knew that voice. I knew that voice!
My reaction was instinctive, as I rolled to a side, evading the dropping kick the Goblin had aimed at my head, before flipping back on my feet. I blocked a couple of punches and then shot a series of weblines in quick succession, doing my best to hold the Goblin like I'd once held the Lizard. It wasn't until I was confident that it would take him at least a minute to release himself, that I turned my back on him to search for the voice that had called my name.
My mind still couldn't fully process things, even when my heart was absolutely sure just whose voice I'd just heard. It just didn't seem possible…Yet there she was, standing on a landing a level above me, flanked by MJ and Harry, whose eyes were fixed nervously on the villain fighting to get free of my webbing. However I had eyes only for her, my love, a love I'd thought lost beyond all hope for salvation. Yet she was standing right there.
I was in so much shock I didn't notice much of anything until I suddenly had blonde hair right in my face, arms wound around my back, and sobbing was reaching my ears. I reacted instantly then, holding her tightly too my chest, so much a part of me feared I might be hurting her, still, I couldn't bring myself to even think about letting her go.
"You're alive…" I gasped into her hair. "Oh God…you're alive…"
"I'm alive." She agreed.
"How?" I asked. "I mean…I threw a webline, but it didn't reach you."
"I honestly do not know." Gwen told me. "I'm just so thankful for it."
"Me too. You're right. That's all that matters."
For what seemed like forever I did nothing except hold her, reaffirming the knowledge that she was alive; that someone, somehow had saved her life. I did not know who it might have been, but I would owe that person forever…
Then, a roar of what might have been my name, abruptly tore my attention back to the rather disastrous situation we were in. The Green Goblin had finally finished tearing the web keeping him in place, all except the one I'd shot straight at his face. It was blocking his eyes, and most of his mouth, so, in the end, he simply ripped the mask off.
"Peter…" I heard him call my name.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing, even when a part of me had come to the conclusion of the most likely person to be beneath the goblin's costume; it was still a hard pill to swallow.
"Can't be…" I whispered in shock. "You're a monster…"
I moved instinctively, pushing Gwen behind my back protectively, I'd already had to watch her be hurt once on that day, I wasn't about to allow it again. If the Goblin wanted to hurt her he would have to get through me!
"Please, Peter, don't let it take me back." He said as he dropped to his knees. "I need your help. I'm not a monster."
"You killed those people on the balcony." I hissed, not believing a word he said. "You could have killed your son…"
It was a painful reminder, as I turned to a side at the same time Gwen and the Goblin did. MJ and Harry were still on that landing, watching the scene in mute shock. MJ holding Harry, who looked as if his whole world had crumbled around him in an instant, and maybe in a way it had. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten they were there. In any case, it was too late now, the truth was out, not just mine, but Mr. Osborn's as well.
Not a word was said, for the longest time it was as if each of us had been rooted to our spots. And then… it was like a switch being flipped. Something began changing in Mr. Osborn's eyes, we could all practically watch the insanity…the goblin…creeping in.
I was still trying to think of something to do when I noticed a shimmer right behind him. An instant later a figure was standing right then, placing a hand on the base of the Goblin's cranium, right above where the suit reached. Mr. Osborn collapsed then again, seizing.
"Dad!" I heard Harry yell from above.
I was still processing the identity of the person who had made an appearance out of nowhere, when Gwen's pull on my arm distracted me. Harry was coming. She helped me stop him, and we were both thankful that Mary Jane did not interfere.
"Easy Harry…" I began.
"Let me go Spider-Man!" He demanded. "I need to get to my dad!"
I needed so much for him to trust me, I didn't even think about it as I ripped off my mask, throwing it aside. MJ gasped, but that was all the reaction I got.
"Harry, Harry listen to me, it's me, Peter. I need you to listen." I called to him strongly. "I know you're worried about your dad. But you cannot just rush in. We don't know what he might do…"
"That man is hurting him!" Harry yelled. "I have to help him! If you're truly Peter, help us!"
"We do not know that for sure." Gwen pointed out calmly. "And I very much doubt it."
"I promise you, I am Peter." I assured him. "and like Gwen, I doubt he's here to hurt your dad. I'm quite sure he's here to help us, already has in fact." I looked over my shoulder, fixing my eyes on the newcomer. "I'm right, aren't I, Loki?"
Chapters come weekly!
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