A lot can happen in 5 years. Truer words have never been said. What happened during those 5 years you may ask? The roster kept on expanding, with new members like Batgirl. Dick, he's no longer Robin, he's now Nightwing. Tim Drake is now the new Robin, he's a good successor. Wally and Artemis, their relationship is still going strong, and they've retired from the team, though I still keep in touch with them. I can't say the same about Conner and M'gann. They broke up, and M'gann is dating Lagoon Boy. Kaldur, his old flame got killed, and he found out Black Manta's his dad, and he left us. And what of me, fortunate reader? I'm still Spider-Man, working with the team, the occasional comic relief. I go to Empire State University. But a year ago, my worst fears came true. Gwen Stacy, the girl I loved, died. Now I know how Kaldur felt.
Honestly, I miss the people we were once, those 5 years ago. After Gwen's death, I consumed myself in my studies, my work for the Bugle, and my duty as a hero. But my friends could tell I was grieving. Dick, Wally, Artemis, Conner, and M'gann were all there for me, like true friends. They helped me heal. They helped me smile again. They helped lift my spirits up when I was down. If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be Spider-Man anymore.
Anyway, I got into Mount Justice after giving Jameson my usual photos. Then Nightwing asked me and Batgirl to come over. I came in and saw Babs in her Batgirl suit, and Dick in his Nightwing suit. Okay, the thing is, I like Batgirl. She's a good teammate and a good friend. I like every opportunity to work with her. After Gwen's death, I've been debating whether I like Barbara as more than just a friend. "Hey Dick, hey Babs," I said. "Hey Pete," she replied, "what's up Nightwing?" Nightwing looked at us and said, "Hulk's attacking Gotham. Can you two handle him?" Now I'm sure there was a reasonable explanation for Hulk's supposed rampage. "Sure thing Nighty, nobody knows Hulk better than me," I said. Babs elbowed me and said, "come on Webhead, let's go."
We got to Gotham and Hulk smashed a police car, roaring. "Something's off about Hulk," said Batgirl. "How so?" I asked, "because when he's really pissed, he usually acts like this." Hulk looked at us and yelled, "ROSS AND ARMY KILL BETTY! HULK SMASH PUNY ARMY!" Now I was confused. "Hulk smash puny army?" I confusedly asked. "He's under... LOOK OUT!" Batgirl yelled, and we dodged his mighty fists. Once Batgirl and I were safe, I said, "hypothesis, Batgirl?" She panted, "Hulk's aggressive looking face, it's a result of fight or flight mode. Notice his pupils, they're dilated! He's hallucinating his worst fears!" I nodded and Batgirl threw a smoke bomb at Hulk, provoking him further. Now that he was distracted, I leaped and punched him square in the jaw, the impact knocked him smack on the ground. "You calm now?" I asked, and Hulk shrunk back down to Dr. Bruce Banner. "You can take that as a yes." Batgirl then put an antidote into Dr. Banner and sighed in relief. Bruce groaned and I asked, "Bruce, what happened?" He rubbed his head and said, "some guy in a scarecrow costume gassed me... I watched Betty die..." Scarecrow. I may not have met the guy, but from what Dick and the Bat Family have told me, he's dangerous. "Betty's not dead, Dr. Banner," assured Batgirl, "what you saw isn't real. Spider-Man, take Dr. Banner back to New York. I'll look for Scarecrow." I nodded and said, "be safe out there Batgirl." She nodded and left. As Dr. Banner and I left, he said, "you know, that Batgirl looks like a real keeper." I chuckled and said, "yeah, she does." Wait, did Bruce just figure out I got a crush on Babs?