Rachel sends questions at a rapid fire speed as I grab her hand and walk outside. There's so much running through my own mind that I literally pay her no mind. I know, I'm a terrible mother.
I sit down on the porch as Rachel keeps asking who the girl is. I finally respond. "Honestly sweetie, I'm not entirely sure myself."
How on earth could a younger version of me be here? How do I even know it's really me? Well, that it's kinda me…? It doesn't match up. She has to be a clone, a trick, a fraud!
Wait a second, Gwen, I tell myself. Remember what Doctor Strange told you? I have a sudden flash back to that crazy night when I lost my powers for nearly 4 years (See 177 Bleecker: A Spider-Gwen Adventure for the full story of that night!) Doctor Strange told me that there were other universes, just like our own. Maybe...
Maybe one of these... Other... Universes is where she-me is from?
Oh goodness, my life is always going to be an insane mess, isn't it?
*ring* k-click
"This is Doctor Strange. What do you need, Gwen?"
"Hey Strange. Hey, so we got a bit of a predicament going on right now... It's a... It's a little odd."
A pause on the other line. "... OK... What kinda odd, or dare I say, strange, things are going on? Wait! You're not having crazy dreams again, are you?!"
I shudder at the mere mention of those dreams. "No, no, nothing like that. No, it's just.. Here, just get over to my place as fast as you can, OK? You remember where it is right?"
I can almost hear Strange roll his eyes over the phone. "Of Course I do. I enchanted it when you moved in 4 years ago! I'll be over as fast as I can... I'm in the middle of saving the world again, but once I'm finished, I'll be right over."
The indifferent attitude Strange displays towards saving the world would be concerning coming from any one other than him. But he knows he can do it and wants to brag as much as possible in the meantime. I roll my eyes.
"Alright, thanks. Do you need any help with the world saving? You know that that's my job too, and-"
I'm cut off by The Good Doctor's interjection of, "NoI'mGoodButIGottaGoSeeYaLaterBye!" and a dead tone.
Well. I guess that's that. Rachel's been off playing in the dirt while I've been taking care of "Grown-up Mommy Stuff". I call for her and she comes running around the corner, dirt falling off her and onto the grass as she goes. Goodness, I love her so much.
I grab her muddy hand and take her back inside. It's time to get to the bottom of this.
I walk back in, Peter and young-me sitting on the couch in our living room. Peter, bless him, is still taking all of this really well. Heck, he almost seems to be enjoying it. Little-Me is still a little shaken, but seems to have adjusted well.
I sit down next to her. As soon as she notices me, she blurts out, "We decided that you're gonna be referred to as Gwendolyn and I'm gonna be called Gwen, OK? That way we can tell who's being referred to!"
I half smile and give a soft chuckle. "This must be as weird for you as it is for me, huh?"
"Yeah.. It's kinda weird... Well, a lot weird... Gwendolyn," she adds.
I laugh again. "Strange stuff like this tends to happen to us, Gwen," I respond. "It kinda comes with the job, I guess."
She just nods.
"Anyways, I just called a friend up for some help. He'll be meeting with us real soon. Hopefully he can help us get to the bottom of this mess. In the meantime, how about we go get some food and we talk about stuff? Just us Gwens," I add, shooting a look to Peter, making sure it's OK with him.
"Yeah, that's a good idea! I'll take care of Rachel. She'll have to sit this Girl's Night out." Peter scoops up our daughter and walks out.
Gwen gives me a very excited look; she obviously loves food as much as I do.
... Which makes sense, I guess.
"Where are we going? All this crazy has made me hungry af..."
I stand up and respond, "I'm going to take you to the best pita place here in New York."
"Pitas? What are those?" Gwen gives me a questioning and slightly doubting look.
I smirk and say, "Girl, your world is about to be turned upside down."
"Holycowthesethingsareamazingandijustwanttostuffthemallinmymouth!" Gwen nearly shouts then covers her mouth abruptly. Man, I remember being that socially awkward...
"Right? This Place is my favorite," I say as I gesture around the restaurant, the Blue Olive. It's one of my favorite places here in town. "Peter-my Peter - took me here on one of our first dates, and I've loved coming ever since."
Gwen stops shoving food in her mouth long enough to develop a kind of distraught and confused look on her face. "Hey Gwendolyn... Like... How did you even find time to have a... Like, A life?"
I laugh. "Honestly, balancing all that was one of the hardest things I ever did. Um... Well, honestly the biggest help I got was from Peter. I knew he loved me from the way he never let go, no matter how often I let Spider- Responsibilities get in the way, and so... " I drift off, seeing the clouds that had started to gather in Gwen's eyes as I began talking about Peter. I suddenly remember what she told me about her Peter while we were eating.
"Hey... Hey. Look at me Gwen." She looks up, her eyes glistening a little with the rain falling from the storm in her heart. "Listen. What happened to Peter isn't your fault. And just because your Peter is gone, that doesn't mean that there isn't someone out there who is going to be there for you every day. You'll find that somebody. You're still way too young for that kind of stuff right now anyways. Don't let it bother you, OK? "
She looks back down to the ground, up at me, to the side and takes a sip of her drink. She sighs deeply and then begins to explain, "I.. I know. I know that. It's just... I mean, I never thought Peter would be the one ever anyways. But just seeing how happy he makes you, I can't help but wonder..."
I cut her off. "You can't think like that, Gwen. Your universe is how it's supposed to be. But I know there's someone there who will make you happy, OK? You just have to find him. I dated a bunch before Peter finally had the guts to ask me out. It just takes time. But it'll happen. Just keep going."
"She's right you know. There's a Ying for every yang for everyone in every universe." Doctor Strange says, suddenly materializing next to us.
I'm used to this crap, but Gwen isn't and flips backwards into the seats behind our booth in reflex.
I sigh. "Strange, we talked about this. You can't materialize out of nowhere, especially While I'm in civvies."
Strange responds indignantly. "You know I always freeze time whenever I appear. No one even knows I'm here other than you two. Speaking of, nice to meet you, Gwen Stacy of Earth-68. I think I know how to get you home, " Strange says to Gwen, who's starting to poke her head around the bench (and somehow already got her mask on. How'd she do that?) to meet the mysterious magician, the man who is her key home.
... I hope.
