*Disclaimer, I do not own Spider-man or any of it's characters*
An older woman sat at a bench across from her husband's grave. She did this often, so often she had almost become familiar with the regulars here. The employee's and others who were here often all knew her, waving to her as they came and went. She knew people thought it was bad for her to spend such a large portion of her days in a cemetery, but she was fine with that. Being here with her husband made her feel better.
One evening, she stayed particularly late, not wanting to leave her husband's side. As the sun was setting, she saw something swing into the grave yard. Looking up, she saw Spider-man. He looked around, clearly checking to make sure no one else was nearby. After a moment, he took off his mask and stood staring at a certain headstone. He looked no older than 25, his eyes, however, aged him. Whoever he lost was extremely important to him. There was a moment of silence, he just stood. Then after another few moments of silence, he spoke. "Hey Gwen," he said as he sat down, wrapped his arms around his legs, continued to talk to Gwen.
"Sorry I haven't been by in a while. Been kind of busy these past few months… this city seems to always be in trouble." He smiled a bit, and then paused, clearly trying to stay composed.
"It's been over three years now… since Electro and all; since you saved New York. It's funny, people call me the hero, but that's only because they never met you. I'm not nearly the hero you are… were. Gwen Stacy, you were all kinds of amazing. When I think about how different my life would be if I never met you, I just shake my head. I don't think I would be here if it weren't for you. No, I know I wouldn't be. Without you, Dr. Connors would have changed half of the city into giant lizards, that's for sure. And thanks to that giant brain of yours, I was able to get close enough to Electro. If only Harry- no not Harry- the Green Goblin hadn't shown up. Harry didn't know what he was doing, I should have told him the truth… if I had maybe you would still be here. Either way, you were the real hero that night. I owe you so much Gwen… and I'm sorry I can't make it up to you." He paused for a moment, and the women could see tears in his eyes. Wiping them away, he continued.
"You know, I was really going to follow you everywhere. I wanted to be with you forever. We were going to move to England, get a small apartment we could barely afford, and just be together. I was going to watch you live your dreams and become the famous scientist you deserved to be. Your future was so bright. You were going to make it to the top of some big research company, and I would continue fighting crime on the side. You would have helped me of course, always updating my suits and equipment with your latest inventions. I saw us getting married. I saw us with a family, could you imagine what that would have been like? Our kids would have been brilliant and beautiful, just like you. I know there's no way for you to come back to me, but I wish there was. We had such an amazing future ahead of us Gwen… I'm so sorry that it was taken away from you.
"I know you wouldn't blame me. You wouldn't have wanted me to feel guilty about what happened. You would tell me how you don't regret a second, and that it was your choice to be with me. That stubbornness, that determination… that's one of the things I miss most about you. That, and everything else. I miss the way you would smile and laugh at me when I did something stupid. I miss the way you would take my hand whenever we would walk down the street. I miss the way you would tell me that you loved me. I miss the way you were so passionate about everything, and the way you cared for others. I miss the way you gave me hope… Gwen, you were my everything." His voice was getting quieter, his breath was weaker. She could see his body trembling a bit. This young man who saves the city on a daily basis was still just a kid; A child who lost so much so young.
After a long moment, he continued. "I don't know why I'm bringing this up, but I feel like I need to tell you. I've kind of starting seeing someone. Her name is Mary Jane, or MJ sometimes. You would have liked her, and she would have liked you too. I'm not sure how serious we are yet, it hasn't been that long and I don't want to rush anything. But she makes me feel better about…life. Everything got dark after I lost you Gwen, and I really didn't know what else to do. After a while, I met her and it started to feel better again. The world was brighter, than it had been. Not completely bright, but lighter than before. Maybe one day I'll bring her here, but not for a while. For right now, these little talks will still just be you and me. I'm not ready to let you go quite yet." He stopped for another few moments, and the woman felt tears in her eyes.
"Oh, and you should know that Aunt May says hello. She still meets with your mom often. Your mom's better now, she's working again. You would be proud of your whole family, your mom's gotten more high profile cases lately, and all of your brothers are acing their classes. You're oldest brother finished his first year at NYU with honors. You'd be so proud of him; he really looked up to you. They all miss you as much as I do." When he was taking a break between thoughts, there were suddenly sirens nearby. He sighed and said "I guess Spider-man's work is never done" he stood up, but didn't leave just yet.
"Gwen, before I leave, I just want to say I love you. I miss you. I hope you know how much you mean to me." He reached into his back pack, and pulled out a small rose. "I'll see you later Gwen" He took off by shooting webs at a nearby tree, and was gone.
The women stood up, and walked by Gwen's grave. The headstone read "Gwendolyn Stacy: Gone Too Soon." She spoke to Gwen for just a moment "You really were taken too soon, Gwen Stacy. I'm sorry I never got the chance to meet you. I'm Marie," she said, placing a small flower on the headstone. From that day on, Marie always stopped at the headstone of Gwen Stacy, just to remind herself of a girl whose heart was so kind and so pure, that it gave Spider-man hope even after all this time.
