A.N. Thanks for the reviews! And I just want to say my heart goes out to all of those affected by what happened in Boston on Monday.
On with the story! ENJOY!
Eleven
On the same Sunday Peter hadn't slept for the rest of the night. Instead he ended up just laying in his bed staring at the ceiling watching as it got brighter outside his window. He spent the day trying to shake off the dream but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried it just wouldn't leave him alone at all. It was tiring and all consuming. It refused to leave him alone. After a while he couldn't take sitting around the house anymore so he grabbed his suit and went out with his makeshift police scanner.
He would've called Gwen or gone to see her but she was working. The problem with Electro was getting worse. He had been seen again since he had attacked Oscorp. Peter hadn't gone looking for him either. He didn't know how to stop him and he wanted to have some idea on stopping him before he squared off against him again. Peter also didn't know where Electro was hiding because there have been very few power surges since the attack at Oscorp. Peter wondered if he disappeared but hadn't bothered reappearing yet. Oscorp was busy looking for Electro so they could put an end to him destroying the city before people really got hurt or even killed. So, Gwen was working extra shifts to try and help Oscorp out. Peter wondered if she wanted Oscorp to find him first so he wouldn't have to fight Electro ever again.
Once Peter was done with his patrol around the city he got a text from his girlfriend letting him know she was out of work and stopping to get something to eat since her family had probably eaten by now. Peter asked her where she was headed and realized he was only a block away from where she had stopped to get food. Just as Peter ended up on roof across from the place she was getting Chinese food from in Chinatown he saw Gwen walking into the building. Peter went around to the ally dropping down to the pavement and crossed the street to the restaurant. He leaned against the wall just outside the down waiting for Gwen to walk out. After the rotten night and day he had he just wanted to talk to his girlfriend.
"Gwen!" Peter called after her.
"Oh, hey," Gwen smiled. "What are you doing here?"
Peter shook his head walking over to his girlfriend wrapping his arms around tightly her for a moment. He dropped his head down on her shoulder for a moment. Gwen gently touched his shoulder as he released her suddenly. Peter saw her studying his face carefully so he dropped his head. Gwen put her hand underneath his chin forcing him to look up at her.
"What's wrong?" She frowned. "Did something happen?"
"No," Peter shook his head. "Nothing happened; I've just had a really bad day."
"Tell me," she whispered encouragingly. Gwen gently touched his cheek with one hand running the other along his shoulder. She stepped closer to him for a moment seeing an unexplained pain in his eyes she didn't understand at all. "Tell me."
Peter turned away for a moment pursing his lips not knowing how to explain what was bothering him to her. He could practically feel her staring at him. He knew she just wanted to help him but he didn't know how to let her help him right now. When she asked him to tell her he couldn't help but wonder if she would think differently about him. He knew it was silly the moment the thought ran through his head. He took a deep breath taking a step away from her before he turned back around to look at her. She looked at him worriedly.
"I had a nightmare last night." Peter whispered.
"Bad?" Gwen went over to him.
"I – I saw you die." Peter could feel tears prick his eyes again as he thought about his horrible nightmare again. "I couldn't, - I couldn't, - I couldn't."
Peter kept shaking his head back and forth as he talked. Gwen wrapped her arms around her boyfriend trying to calm him down. She felt him shaking in her arms as she did so. Peter dropped his head down to her shoulder again before he wrapped his arms around her. He dragged her tightly against his body for a moment just happy to have her standing with him, safe and whole. He wants to believe that she'll always be completely safe with him but maybe he's wrong.
"I'm okay," Gwen said softly. "It was just a dream."
"It was my fault." Peter blurted out suddenly. "It was my fault."
"What?" Gwen asked, confused by his outburst. "What was your fault? I choose to be here with you, Peter. If something does happen to me it's my fault, not yours."
"No," Peter shook his head. "I – I tried to save you but… In the process it was my fault you died. I tried to save you when you fell off of a bridge and I used my web shooters. The sudden stop broke your neck. It wasn't an enemy who killed you, it was me."
"Peter, it was accident." Gwen shook her head. "First, it was just a dream, Peter. Second, you didn't do it on purpose to intentionally hurt me. Besides, I'm perfectly fine. Nothing actually happened to me. And in the future if I ever fall off of a building or off of a high place you'll know not to try and save me that way. It was just a dream, it doesn't mean anything."
"It bothers me." Peter shook his head. "Why would I dream about that?"
"Considering the promise you made to my father it's not too surprising." Gwen said.
"Great," Peter muttered. "So, I'm feeling guilty for breaking my promise so my subconscious decided to come up with the worst scenario possible."
"Maybe," Gwen shrugged. "Now do you want to get something to eat with me?"
Peter just nodded wrapping his arm around her as they walked back across the street to the restaurant together. His nightmare stayed with him in the back of his mind. He knew he was never going to completely shake it but for right now he wanted to just think about something else. He wanted to push it to the back of his mind and just forget about it for a while. He wrapped his arm around Gwen's waist pulling her closer to him. Gwen wrapped her own arm around his neck pulling him closer to her as well. She leaned her head closer to his head placing it gently on his shoulder as he placed his chin on the top of her head. Together the two of them walked into the restaurant.
Peter was almost afraid to go to sleep any night afterwards but once he finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion he slept peacefully. There were no more nightmares. He dreamed but they seemed relatively normal nothing like the intensity of his dream watching his girlfriend fall to her death and end up the reason for her very death. A week passed without any nightmares occurring. Peter was grateful to be without the nightmare coming back to haunt him. Gwen asked about it periodically throughout the week about whether or not he had anymore nightmares about her but he shook his head no whenever she asked. He didn't want to talk about it anymore and he didn't want to think about it. The nightmare had seemed so random to him like it had come out of nowhere. He did think about his promise to her father all the time but he never wondered if he had done the right thing.
Peter didn't think it was right for him to make a decision about Gwen without Gwen getting a say in what happens in her life. If she wanted the danger to her life gone all she had to do was tell him to leave. He thought it was right to leave the decision about what she wanted to do with her life in her hands. Whenever Gwen asked about his dream she seemed so unconcerned about what had happened to her in the dream and more about what it's doing to him right now. She asked and once he shook his head she would just walk up behind him gently rubbing up and down his back offering comfort to him.
Also over the week both of them had set aside trying to figure out what happened to his parents and to focus instead on trying to stop Electro from actually pulling off destroying what was left of the Stacy family. Since Peter hadn't been sleeping very well anyway because he had been terrified to close his eyes he had camped out on Gwen's fire escape while she slept. He didn't know what Electro was planning or if he would attack them at their apartment considering the places he's already gone after them. Once at a school and the second time it was at Gwen's place of work. Peter wanted to make sure they were perfectly safe. He kept showing up on her fire escape until one morning Gwen found him fast asleep on her fire escape. Peter had wondered when she woke him up was whether or not she was going to kill him. Although considering he hadn't been sleeping well it had been the best night's sleep he had since Friday night.
"Peter," Gwen nudged him gently. "Peter wake up."
"What?" Peter shook his head.
"Peter, you're freezing!" Gwen shook her head. "Tell me you haven't been out here all night! You're ice cold! Get up and get in here!"
Peter grabbed his backpack before he slipped into her bedroom. He could barely feel his hands. The cold didn't affect him quite as much as it did normal human beings but it did the longer he was exposed to it. Normally his spandex suit kept him even warmer. He dropped into her chair by the window as she grabbed a blanket wrapping it firmly around her boyfriend. Gwen was shaking her head as she sat down beside him. She rubbed his shoulders trying to get him warmer.
"Your lips were starting to turn blue." Gwen commented.
"Same color as my suit?" Peter asked.
"Almost," Gwen shook her head again. "Why didn't you go home? Never mind why you didn't you go home; why didn't you come in here? I don't lock the window anymore; you have free access all the time. It's too cold for you to be out there all night. What were you thinking?"
"I didn't think I'd fall asleep." Peter yawned.
"You haven't slept well in days." Gwen said. "What did you think was going to happen? You were tired, your body needed sleep, and so you slept."
"It's the best night's sleep I've had in days." Peter realized.
"No nightmares?" Gwen asked carefully.
Peter shook his head feeling Gwen gently ran her hands along his arms. She could feel how cold he was through the blanket she had placed on him. Peter lifted the blanket motioning for her to get underneath the blanket with him. Gwen gave him a grin before she laid down beside him resting her head on his shoulder kissing his cheek gently. She wrapped her arms around her frozen boyfriend feeling how cold he was. Peter wrapped his arms around her tightly kissing her forehead feeling her nice warm body pressed tightly against him trying to get warm. Peter slept better afterwards taking it one night at a time.
Gwen had insisted he cut his babysitting of her family short because it wouldn't do any of them any good if he was too exhausted when it came time to come head to head against Electro again. It would just end up getting him killed along with her family. Peter conceded to it as well but he had her send the texts she received from Oscorp about the power surges to him as well.
Now, they were dealing with their new problem. Peter and Gwen were completely alone on her floor in the Oscorp Tower discussing their problem with Electro. They were trying to figure out how to neutralize a capacitor without destroying it in the process. Peter was sitting at Gwen's desk while she was pacing in front it. Peter was looking over the map of the city which had been littered with red dots. However, unlike before when there were dots everywhere and constantly being added to the map. Now, there were no dots being added every day. Something new was starting to occur across the map instead. Peter was pouring over the map Gwen had placed in front of him. He was shaking his head back and forth.
"So, now there are no power surges in one place?" Peter asked. "It's spread out across different sections."
"I wonder if he found a different way to absorb power." Gwen pondered. "It would make sense, with everyone looking for him he'd need to hide. Since he works for Oscorp he must know we're tracking him."
"He's probably going to remain whenever he's bunkered down until he decides what his next move is going to be." Peter pointed out. "We have to make sure we're ready for whatever that move might be whenever he decides to attack."
Gwen nodded in response to coming around to the other side of her desk to sit with him. She pushed a pile of capacitors towards him. Peter picked one up. He twirled it in his fingers for a moment holding it up for her to see it as well. Gwen raised an eyebrow at him wondering what he was thinking as he pursed his lips at the capacitor carefully looking it over.
"So, what should we try first?" Peter asked. "How can we stop a capacitor from holding electricity without destroying the capacitor itself?"
"What about super freezing it?" Gwen asked. "Electricity doesn't move as well when it frozen. Maybe we could use nitrogen to freeze it."
"What happens once it thaws out?" Peter asked. "The odds it can still work even though it's been frozen are high. What can we do to keep it from holding electricity after we freeze it? We need something to keep it from holding electricity anymore."
"We'd need a non-conductor for that." Gwen pointed out.
"What if we could fuse it with a non-conductor?" Peter asked. "Maybe then it might block the pieces that hold the electricity from gaining any or from being able to release the electricity once it has it. It would also keep it from losing its integrity."
Gwen nodded in response following him as he rose from his chair walking over to a work table with some power tools sitting on it. Gwen followed him wondering how they would be able to safely infuse something or someone full of a non-conductor. Peter took the capacitor he had and cut it in half looking it over for a moment trying to figure out the best way to stop it from holding any sort of electricity. Gwen looked over the other half thinking the same thing.
"What if we only have to get a trace amount into his blood stream?" Gwen suggested. "What if we could inject him with enough latex or rubber to keep him from conducting the electricity? If there's enough rubber in his bloodstream it might keep him from being about to hold the electricity in his body or turning his body into pure electricity. The rubber may ground him and keep him from absorbing anything. But now the question begs how should we get the rubber into his system? And how do we decide how much to place into him in system? Too much and we could damage his organs or even kill him."
"I don't know," Peter shook his head. "I don't know. There's no way we can test how it will work on him if we test it out on a capacitor. It can work on a capacitor but we don't know if it will kill a human."
"We can use the simulator." Gwen said suddenly. "We can dial in as many of the specifics we know into the computer and test out different theories with no danger to anyone or anything."
Peter nodded in agreement following her to the same simulator they had tried out his formula on. He wasn't entirely sure how well the simulator worked but it was as close as they could get to testing on the actual problem at hand. And they could do it without risking Maxwell Dillon's life in the process. They just wanted to strip him of his powers. They didn't want to hurt him or end up killing him by accident. They both wanted to be 100 percent sure or as close to 100 percent sure they wouldn't kill him in the process. The two of them kept working for hours watching as each process failed over and over again. Both of them were beginning to get frustrated as every different test caused a failure. After a while they two of them decided they both needed a break before they went crazy from staring at a screen watching the same results flashing over and over again.
Peter shook his head as he watched the very disappointing words scroll across the screen again. Peter dropped down into a chair beside Gwen who was looking over the screen in front of her. He could she was thinking about something rather intently by the way her face was scrunched up and she was staring off into nowhere. For a few minutes neither of them said anything, instead they just stared at screen trying to figure out where exactly they were going wrong. Peter dropped his face into his hands groaning softly. He sighed heavily rubbing his eyes as they felt rather strained at the moment.
"We're going to go insane at this rate." Gwen said suddenly.
"What?" Peter asked confused.
"Einstein's definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." Gwen explained. "Here we are, just sitting here staring at this screen trying the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Few more hours of this and we'll have surely lost our minds."
"I'm pretty sure we've already lost our minds." Peter countered. He caught a confused look out of the corner of his eye. "I run around the city dressed in blue and red spandex constantly almost getting myself killed. And you date a guy who runs around the city in blue and red spandex who almost gets himself killed in the process. I've fought a giant mutant lizard and a guy made out of electricity. I'm pretty sure at this point we could be considered insane by the public never mind Einstein."
"Good point," Gwen conceded.
They were both silent again for a moment as Peter looked around him at all the different tables set up beside both of them. He noticed a set of papers sitting on one desk next to him. On them was some sort of formula but it looked different than those he had seen before when he had been here. Before they were all focused on a decay rate algorithm but now the formula seemed to be of something else instead. Peter picked up the stack of papers looking through them for a moment. Gwen turned her chair to face him as she saw him curiously flipping through a stack of Oscorp papers.
"What are these for?" Peter asked.
"Those are for a new formula my boss has us working on." Gwen explained. "I think I mentioned it before. It's for a steroid formula to enhance humans without using any animal DNA but without the nasty side effects of steroids. They're trying to create a formula that doesn't have the shrinking problem for a man's genitals and without severe anger either. They want to use the formula to help people heal faster and to even be able to heal so well it can cure cancer. This used to be behind the cross-species department and behind the robot department because with the cross-species we may have been able to re-grow whole limbs like Dr. Connors wanted to. With Dr. Smythe's robots we may have been able to do something like what's seen in Star Wars, with attaching a new limb. With this formula it can heal, it won't re-grow anything. It was bumped up after both of the heads of the departments went completely insane. One's locked away in an institution for the criminally insane while the other had his robot kill himself instead taking the antidote like a normal person."
"Bet your boss is just thrilled to be behind those two." Peter shook his head. "Must seem like the position is cursed with bad luck. Does the formula work?"
"No," Gwen answered. "We've gotten a lock on the physical affects so we can get the ones we want but we're having trouble controlling the rage. Physical side effects are always easier to control. The mental ones, however, are like trying to predict the weather in New England; virtually impossible."
"Sounds like a good idea though." Peter shrugged. "Enhance just human attributes without adding in any animal instincts or behaviors and keep the human mental abilities the same. In theory it sounds like a great idea but making it into a reality is probably a lot harder."
"I think this what they want for Norman Osborn." Gwen said suspiciously. "Our boss has been breathing down our necks for the last few days to work a little faster on getting to the right formula. It seems like someone else has been pressuring him, normally he's a pretty easy going guy. The interns have been wondering whether or not he was going to have a mental break he's been so worried. I mean, we're dealing with two problems here. We're trying to stop some guy from running around attacking people which everyone in Oscorp is working on. And then each individual level is working on their own experiments so we've got double the pressure to get out work done. Getting this formula done has become my boss' number goal."
"I can't blame him." Peter shook his head. "I wouldn't want to have the fate of the CEO of my company resting on my shoulders for so long. I haven't seen you working on this formula very much."
"I work more on the power surges." Gwen shrugged. "Most of the head interns have been working on the power surges all the time so someone is always on it. The rest of the interns work on their department projects instead and only work on the power surges if they believe they might know something or if they have an idea. I've been more focused on getting to the bottom of the power surges from the beginning."
Peter nodded in understanding dropping the papers back down on the top of the desk. Peter sighed looking at the screen in front of them again before he ran his hand through his hair slowly. He turned his attention back to Gwen who looked a little worse for the way at the moment. Both of them were tired and were getting nowhere right now.
"Let's take a break." Peter suggested. "Go get something to eat or a cup of coffee and then we can get back to work."
"Okay, sounds like a plan." Gwen nodded.
Peter waited for her while she grabbed her things from her desk helping her into her jacket before both of them left the Oscorp Tower. Both of them walked down the street together towards a little coffee shop on the corner not too far from the Tower. Peter held the door open as they walked inside out of the cold air. As the two of them got in line together they saw a little boy standing in front of them ordering something to eat along with a soda and a coffee. Peter and Gwen looked up at the sign behind the counter deciding what they wanted to eat when the little boy in front of them took his order from the counter. As he turned around he dropped his soda. Before Peter could think about what he was doing he reached out catching the bottle of Pepsi easily.
Peter let out a rush of air as he turned to the little boy. From where he was leaning over he could see the little boy was wearing jeans, a simple pair of sneakers, a sweatshirt, and underneath his sweatshirt a red and blue Spider-Man shirt. Peter almost smiled until he looked up at the little boy's face who was staring at him in awe for a moment. Peter immediately recognized the boy his mind quickly putting together where he had seen this boy once before and why he was looking at him they way he was now. Peter held out the soda to him.
"You dropped this." Peter said softly. "Jack."
"It's you." Jack whispered awed. He took the soda carefully from Peter. "Thanks."
"No problem," Peter said. He waved as Jack ran off to where Peter could see his father was sitting with who he assumed to be his wife and Jack's mother. Peter let out a deep sigh thanking Jack silently for not shouting out who it was when he saw him.
"That was Jack?" Gwen asked an eyebrow raised. "The one you saved on the bridge that night?"
Peter nodded as he stepped up to the counter to order. Gwen followed suit glancing over her shoulder once to look at the little boy sitting with his parents. Peter had told Gwen everything about that happened on the bridge that night. It was the night everything changed for him and he decided to help people instead of hunting down his uncle's murderer. Jack had been a big part of why he changed his mind about everything. Peter had also been very confident that Jack wouldn't tell anyone he had seen what Spider-Man looked like or what Spider-Man actually looked like to everyone. Besides, Peter didn't know what to do to make Jack not decide to tell anyone. He just figured Jack wouldn't say anything because he was grateful to Spider-Man and he liked him. So far, he had been right.
Peter and Gwen ordered a cup of coffee each as well as something to eat. Once they got their orders they decided to stay and eat there instead of heading right back to Oscorp. Once they finished eating Peter got up from where he was seated to throw away their trash. On the way out both of them waved with smiles towards Jack who was still sitting with both of his parents. Jack waved at both of them gaining the interest of his parents who looked over at the door to see who he was waving at. His father shot his son a look not recognizing the kid he had seen just walk out the door.
"Who was that, Jack?" He asked.
"A friend," Jack answered.
His father nodded satisfied with his son's answer turning to look back at the two teenagers again. The both of them had hailed a cab since it had been raining outside. Peter was holding the door open for Gwen so she could get in. Once she was in the cab Peter got in behind her shutting the door before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Gwen leaned into her boyfriend seeing through the window they were being watched by Jack's father. She nudged Peter to look into that direction as well. The minute Jack's father saw both of them looking over at him he just smiled politely waved and turned back to his family. Peter tightened his hold on her shoulders as he smiled over at her.
"Still think Jack didn't say anything?" Gwen asked.
"Nope," Peter shook his head. "Even if he did tell his father or mother I wouldn't be upset with that. They seem like nice people. His father did help me that day when I was trying to get to you at the Oscorp Tower. If it wasn't for him I don't know how I would've gotten there at all."
"Next time don't get shot." Gwen teased.
"It wasn't intentional." Peter turned towards her. "Wait a minute. Next time when I tell you someone is coming after you, leave. You were the reason I was in such a hurry. I thought you were going to get yourself killed!"
"I was fine." Gwen whispered defiantly. "I slowed him down long enough for you to get there, I protected myself just fine, I finished the antidote by staying, and I got the antidote to you."
Both of them were aware of how close the cab driver was. Neither of them needed anyone else finding out about his secret. The two of them kept teasing each other the whole way home. Both of them had decided against returning to Oscorp because both of them needed to call it a day before they lost their minds. Peter and Gwen dropped off at Gwen's apartment because Peter just decided he'd swing home instead of paying for a cab. Gwen teased him about getting soaked on the way home because of the rain. Peter just shrugged saying it wasn't the first time he had gotten caught out in the room on rooftops. Gwen was about to go into her apartment building when she stopped short turning around to face her boyfriend once more. Peter saw her stop and turn around looking at him for a moment before she went back over to him. Peter ignored the staring from the doorman as his girlfriend motioned for him to come closer. Peter stepped under the overhang the doorman had to stand underneath.
"When did you get caught in the rain before?" Gwen asked.
"What do you mean?" Peter asked. "It's not the first time it's rained in New York since I became Spider-Man."
Gwen couldn't help but notice the flash of sadness and remorse in Peter's eyes. She knew he had been caught in the rain not too long ago when he tried to save Maxwell Dillon from getting killed but there was something else there. Almost like there was something else, something she didn't know about, and Gwen only remembered one other time Peter could've been caught in the rain recently which would've caused the look in his eyes. But from what she knew he hadn't been there. Had he?
"I know," Gwen shrugged. "Just something about the way you said it, seemed off. There was something in your eyes, almost like you were remembering something awful."
"What?" Peter shook his head.
Gwen eyed him for a moment with the same look she usually reserves for a problem she's trying to solve but then again she's trying to solve something right now. Peter avoided eye contact after she scrutinized his eyes for a moment wondering if she was able to read his mind by looking in his eyes. Peter could still feel the heat of her stare anyway. Peter knew she wasn't going to stop looking until she understood what the flash in his eyes had been. She wasn't going to stop until she knew what he had been thinking about when he said it hadn't been the first time he had gotten caught in the rain.
"I was there." Peter mumbled. "I was talking about the funeral. I was there."
"What?" Gwen asked. She shook her head. "Why didn't you come talk to me? I needed you! I knew – I knew I had felt you staring at me when I was leaving the church."
"I was trying to stay away from you like your father wanted." Peter explained. "I didn't know what to do. I wanted to be there for you but I didn't want to break my promise at the time. I thought I was doing what was right keeping my promise to your father and staying away from you. And then I saw how much it hurt you to stay away because you didn't just lose your father, you lost me too. I know it was wrong, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"I needed you," Gwen was still shaking her head.
Peter could see the tears forming in her eyes once she looked up at him. Gwen couldn't help but remember how she had felt when Peter hadn't showed up at the funeral. She had wanted him there more than anything because she had needed a shoulder to lean on. Gwen felt herself getting pulled into Peter's embrace. Peter wrapped his arms around her tightly letting her bury her face into his chest. Gwen wrapped her arms tightly around her boyfriend wishing he had been there then. She could feel Peter gently rubbing her back holding her firmly against his own body keeping her from going anywhere.
"I'm so sorry." Peter whispered.
"Next time just break the promise sooner." Gwen poked him in his ribs. "Deal?"
"Deal," Peter agreed easily.
Peter leaned back slightly wiping away the stray tears that had rolled down her cheeks with his thumbs. Gwen ducked back into his embrace without a word. Peter wrapped his arms around her again complying with what she wanted. It had sucked when he hadn't shown up for the funeral. She had needed him there to lean on. She had wanted to count on him and she thought he would've come. She understood when he didn't come because he had made a promise to her dying father but it didn't make that day any easier. Gwen didn't know whether or not knowing Peter had been there at some point during the funeral made her angry or happy. She honestly had no idea how to feel about that new piece of information. Peter just held Gwen against him letting her bury her face into his chest.
Gwen and Peter stayed that way for a while until she calmed down. Peter wiped away anymore stray tears away from her face with his thumbs. Peter looked down at his chest where there were several wet spots on the shirt from her tears. Peter smiled softly as he looked over at his girlfriend holding out his shirt towards her. Gwen saw him holding his shirt out at her.
"You got me all wet." Peter teased.
"Sorry," Gwen smiled. "But if the superhero thing doesn't work out you have a job as a Kleenex."
Peter nodded in response wrapping his arms around his girlfriend once more. Gwen giggled as she was pulled into Peter's embrace. He shook his head feeling her wrap her arms around his neck tightly. Peter kissed the side of her head gently as he released her. Gwen kissed him once more before she turned around and went into her apartment building shooting him another look over her shoulder as she went inside. The doorman held the door open letting it close as he turned back to his post looking over at Peter for a moment. Peter just smiled in response to the look he got from the doorman. He honestly didn't care what the doorman thought about him whether he thought he was a complete idiot without any sort of manners or if he thought he was just a rude teenager. Either way he honestly didn't care at all about what the power mad doorman thought, the only one whose opinion mattered to him just walked into the building.
Peter waved to the doorman before he turned ducking back into the pouring rain and down the alley next to Gwen's apartment building. Peter changed into his Spider-Man costume shoving his street clothes into his backpack before he quickly spun a web pulling himself up higher towards the top of the buildings. Despite the rain pouring down all around him it was still freeing to travel through New York. There was nothing out there like letting go of one strand of webbing to let himself fall freely before he shot another web to catch himself. Like this he was in completely control. He had built the web-shooters, he controlled when he shot his strands to catch himself, and he decided how he moved through the city.
Peter let out a loud whoop as he passed by where Gwen's window was and her apartment. Peter took a deep breath as he plunged towards the earth again before spinning another web letting it pull him away towards his own home. For a moment he wondered if he was actually going to make it home on time for once but he was wrong as he heard several sirens going off. Peter shook his head following the sirens through the city to lend a helping hand to the officers. It's going to be another long night, Peter thought to himself. So much for being home on time.
Peter had been late that night getting home again but his aunt had fallen asleep on the couch so she hadn't really noticed how late he really had been. Peter just covered her with a blanket making sure she was warm before he went upstairs to his own room to collapse. But before Peter had been able to fall asleep that night he noticed a newspaper sitting on his desk with a note pinned to it. Peter picked up the paper realizing his aunt had left it here for him, probably in case she fell asleep or didn't see him or just didn't remember. Peter read the note over.
Thought you might be interested.
Love Aunt May.
Peter frowned looking over the newspaper wondering what his aunt wanted him to see. On the front of the paper it said New Photographer wanted! Peter smiled remembering a conversation he had with his aunt a few days ago when he mentioned Gwen had asked him if he wanted to work with her at Oscorp.
"So, did you say yes?" His aunt had asked.
"I said I'd think about it." Peter shrugged. He plopped down at the small kitchen table. "I don't know if I want to work at Oscorp. It's a good idea and I could probably get the job if Gwen recommended me. They look at there like she's the best thing since sliced bread."
"Why don't you want the job?" Aunt May asked. "You love science and you'd get to see Gwen every day. Where's the hesitation?"
"I don't know," Peter looked down shaking his head with a shrug. "I don't know."
Peter kept fiddling with the placemat on the table as he pursed his lips. He heard his aunt walk over and sit down on the other side of the table with a cup of tea in her hands. She reached out and gently placed a hand on his stopping his fiddling. Peter looked up at his aunt seeing a warm smile there. She may not be his biological mother but she was his mother in every other way. She was always there for him when he needed her. She doted on him and mothered him like almost every other mother on the planet. She encouraged him to do what he wanted and was there when he failed or got hurt.
"Why don't you look for a job in photography?" Aunt May asked. "You want to go to school for it. Why not start now if you can?"
"Who's going to hire a high school kid with no prior photography experience?" Peter asked incredulously. "No newspaper is going to want a teenager on staff."
"I wouldn't be too sure." Aunt May shrugged. "Oscorp has Gwen on staff which is one of the biggest companies in the world and they don't seem to mind she's just a teenager. There's plenty of newspapers around here you could try. Apply. What's the worst that could happen? They say no? You'll never know until you try. And if you don't want to work at Oscorp than you should try to get a job doing something you love. That's what you were planning on anyway, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Peter nodded. "Alright, I'll give it a shot, Aunt May. Thank you."
Peter kissed his aunt on the cheek thanking her again for kicking him in the butt. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the offer from Gwen to work at Oscorp but unlike her he didn't to go to work every day as a scientist. He wanted to be out in the world and get to see things other people don't get to see. That's what he liked about being a photographer. He always tried to get photos from angles most people wouldn't see so he could share the unique shot from his strange point of view.
He shook himself out of those thoughts looking over the article advertised on the front of the newspaper for a photographer. He sat down at his desk chair so he could better look over the article. Peter quirked his lips looking over the article wondering what he was going to do. After a moment Peter pulled open a drawer on his desk sifting through it to get a manila folder out. He then proceeded to go through his photos to pick and choose which ones were his best for a portfolio to give to the editor of the newspaper. Peter put together a group of his best photos for a portfolio. Once he had a good collection he debated whether or not to add one he had of Gwen. It was the one from the day when he had his butt handed to him by Flash.
Gwen was sitting on the picnic table reading a book in the picture. It ended up being one of his favorites. He had dyed it several different colors because he liked it so much. He had it done up in black and white as well. Peter thumbed through the copies for a moment before he stuck the original into the folder as well. He shrugged placing the folder back on his desk underneath the newspaper. Peter took a deep breath with a shrug climbing into bed turning out the lights. He wondered if they'd like his photos at all at the Daily Bugle.
A.N. So, what'd you think? Jack made a return! Gwen and Peter are trying to find a way to safely stop Electro. Peter's nightmare is still haunting him. He's looking for a job at the Daily Bugle.
Seriously, review! Please! Let me know what you guys are thinking! But as always don't be rude, feel free to express your opinions politely. And don't be rude to the characters either.
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Thanks for reading! :)