Chapter 2

It had been a very long night, and by the time Peter Parker made it home he found himself exhausted. He lived in an apartment on the eighth floor of a dingy little red brick building. The rent was modest and the placement of the apartment made it very easy for him to sneak in and out. When he came into his window and took off his costume, it was stained with sweat and smelled awful.

There were several rips and tears thanks to the fire and shrapnel, and the smell of smoke would be permanent. He had multiple backup costumes, luckily. It seemed like one super villain or another was always more than happy to make a new tear, so he found it handy to have extras already lined up. Peter kept them hidden in a small trunk beneath his bed.

For tonight, though, Spiderman was finished. It was time for Peter to get some well deserved sleep, after a much-needed shower. He finished taking his costume off, leaving him in nothing but boxer briefs, and crumpled it into a ball. He'd dispose of it the same way he got rid of all his other costumes when they weren't salvageable - burn it. All he wanted right now was to clean up and get a little sleep before his morning classes.

Of course, as if the very thought could summon another distraction, there was a knock at his door. Peter grabbed a pair of sweatpants quickly and pulled them on before he ran to see who it was. Glancing in the peephole was the one person that he didn't expect. Outside of Peter Parker's tiny one-bedroom apartment was none other than Gwen Stacy.

It had only been a couple of months since they last spoke, but she still managed to look even more beautiful than Peter remembered. She'd gotten a haircut in the intervening time. Once-long blond hair was now trimmed down much shorter, but it hadn't lost its shimmering golden quality. Her blue eyes were haunting, the kind of eyes that stayed with a man for years. She was dressed very strangely and it took Peter a moment to recognize the uniform.

He opened the door right away, and Gwen flashed him that mischevious smile of hers. She exclaimed excitedly, "Tomorrow's my first day!" There she stood, in the uniform of a New York City cop.

Peter's jaw dropped a little, and Gwen walked in before he could say anything. Eventually he said, "You finally did it, huh?"

"All that hard work's really paid off, yeah," Gwen laughed. "And all I could think to do was come here and see my ex-boyfriend. A little sad isn't it?"

"Are you kidding?" Peter couldn't believe his ears. "I'm so happy for you!"

Despite how tired he was, mustering up enthusiasm for her was easy. Back in high school Gwen had been on the honor roll, and well on her way to being valedictorian (Peter was her only real competition). Things changed with the sudden appearance of superhumans, though. After her mother was killed, Gwen turned her attention towards learning to protect people. For years Peter had been there and watched her grow, eventually finding her dream of becoming a police officer. Now here she was, about to start living the life she wanted. That's half the reason Peter had left her alone - he wanted her to live a normal life.

Gwen watched Peter as he shut the door. There was a sadness in her eyes, one that he couldn't ignore. He was physically incapable of it. Walking closer, Peter went to embrace Gwen, but she took a step back. "Don't," she barely managed to say, "Look, Peter… you were a really big part of my life, and I wanted you to know about this. I'm not here to get back together or anything like that."

"Sorry," Peter tried his best to smile, "Old habits die hard, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Gwen's smirked at him, and it made Peter feel just a little lighter. "Were you at the gym or something? You smell terrible." She held back a laugh.

Nodding, Peter figured it was a good idea to go along with her idea, "That's it, exactly. Got a really good workout."

"Well get showered," she ordered, "And then get back out here. I feel like celebrating. Let's go for a drink."

"Huh?" Peter was appropriately dumbstruck. "But I though you said-"

"It's just for tonight," Gwen's smile didn't fade for even a second, "Now go get washed up, okay?"

Peter was at a loss for words, but maybe that was for the better. This was the best thing to happen in his life for quite a while, and when he talked he tended to screw things up. For as witty and sharp as he could be when he was Spiderman, Peter Parker was still a bit of a verbal klutz when it came to normal human interaction. Instead of talking he just did as he instructed, and went to clean himself up. He silently hoped, the entire time, that Gwen wouldn't notice the crumpled costume on the floor.

George Stacy sat alone in his home with all the lights turned off. His daughter was off celebrating her graduation from the academy, which left him with time to think. His excitement for her had made it impossible for him to sleep, and tomorrow she was going to begin working under him to help protect the great people of New York City. He sat in a comfortable rocking chair with the scotch he only ever took out on special occasions. Slow sips allowed him to savor it, and he wondered what tomorrow would be like.

The phone rang, very unusual for such a late hour, and he answered quickly. "This is Stacy," his voice was gruff.

"Captain Stacy," the person on the other end of the line was unfamiliar. "Good to hear your voice. It's been so very long."

"And who am I speaking with?" Stacy attributed his lack of recognition to the late hour, and the fact that he was currently nursing his third drink.

But a genuine sense of menace came as the man went on, "Oh come now, names are such a… trivial thing. Truth be told, I don't even know if my name would do you an ounce of good. I don't exist anymore, at least not officially."

With more authority, George said again, "Who is this?"

"Just an old friend," the man chuckled, and something about the laugh made George's skin crawl. "I'll be in touch very, very soon."

There was a distinct click, and then a dial tone. George hung up the phone, unsure of what had just happened. All he knew for sure was that this was bad news, one way or the other.

To be continued…

Author's Notes: Thanks for continuing to read! There is quite a bit more. For updates on this (as well as other stories) be sure to go "Like" my official Facebook page. You will also find lots of other fun things there, such as contests and prizes. The link can be found in my profile! Also, if you liked what you read, or had constructive criticism, then feel free to leave a review.