Loose Ends

Warnings: Some innuendo and implied sexuality.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: In the comic books, Gwen Stacy has children with Norman Osbourne. I was wondering how they would fit into the movieverse and somehow this was born.

Gwen Stacy was everything an Osborne should be.

Norman Osbourne had chosen her to marry his son. He picked her for her keen mind and influential father and wholesome good looks. Her modelling job was glamorous, but not trashy. She had her own money, and so wasn't after a trust fund. She was intelligent and ambitious enough to oneday work for Oscorp if Norman hadn't already chosen her to run it.

In short, she had all the qualities that would balance out Harry's lacks. Everything that he didn't have, she did. Norman had no illusions about his son. All it meant was that he had to be more thorough in his preparations. Harry might eventually be the pretty public face of Oscorp, but Gwen Stacy would be the force driving it.

Norman pointed her out to his son, like a man giving a dog a scent and letting it slip the leash. The expectation was clear: Harry was to seduce and marry Gwen with the dogged (pardon the pun) determination of a hunting dog dragging down it's prey. In this area at least, Norman believed his son capable. Harry had plenty of charisma, if nothing to back it up, and by the time the honeymoon was over, Gwen would find herself with an interest in a multi-million dollar company. Who wouldn't be able to resist that? Harry was the bait to lure her into the trap containing an even bigger, shinier bait.

What Norman hadn't counted upon was the trashy red-head that had already sunk her claws into Harry. He sulked and resisted, and in the end didn't even bother to show up and meet Gwen. Norman was left sitting at a restaurant with his son's future wife, looking at an empty chair and struggling to keep the Goblin from surfacing and killing the maitre d' just on principle.

"My apologies," he said with a forced smile. He imagined gutting the red-head and his smile grew more sincere. "Harry is rather absent minded these days."

"It's alright," Gwen says, folding her menu and giving him a sweet, surprisingly charming smile. All melting sugar and spice, like the girl next door. "It doesn't mean you and I can't have a nice meal."

This is a twist he hadn't seen coming. He'd picked her out as a partner for his son. He had no interest in another wife for himself. He already had the son he needed – disappointing though he was – and one must work with the materials one had at hand. The company must go from father to son. That was the way of the world. Another child could lead to legal problems and disruption of the smooth line of inheritance. As a daughter-in-law, Gwen would be a valuable asset, securing the line of succession. As a wife, she'd be a liability and possibly a threat.

He knew these things, but Gwen smiled at him, and he couldn't help but be flattered. In the back of his mind, the Goblin stirred with goblets of dark, gloating amusement, but there was little to catch it's interest and it sank back under again.

Norman folded his menu and put it aside.

"Why don't we try the sea food platter?"

Half a bottle of wine later, and they were both mellow and laughing over a truly terrible joke about ionic molecules. Norman noticed that Gwen's nose crinkled prettily when she laughed. She leaned across to re-fill his glass.

"More wine, Mr Osboarn?"

"Gwen, I've told you. Norman. Or should I start calling you 'Miss Stacy'?"

"Point taken," she said. "…Norman."

His name was a ripe invitation on those full lips. He picked up one of the prawns and held it out in silent invitation. She parted her lips and let him slide it into her mouth. She chewed slowly, her blue gaze meeting his in a bold challenge.

Norman suddenly had to take a deep breath.

"Perhaps you'd like to come up to my house later on?" He said. "For a nightcap."

Her lips curved in a smile.

"I'd like that, Norman."

He summoned the check and they left the restaurant in short order, his hand resting on the small of her back.

It was extremely good luck that Gwen was unable to reach Norman before he died.

Certainly if he'd known she was pregnant, he would have taken the time away from his busy schedule of torturing Spiderman to tidy up that particular loose end.

As it was, Norman died, impaled on his own glider and never knew he had fathered twins.