- Hey, friends. I hope you're all doing well. It's been a while since I last released a new story. My job has kept me busy for the past couple of months but I've worked on the sequel to the Avenging Spider whenever there was free time. Like I mentioned before, the basic format is very similar to Our Precious Moments. Certain plots of the story will continue for maybe three chapters but it will mostly be a series of one-shots.
The first chapter takes place about six months after the previous story ends. I hope you enjoy.
...
In the busy streets of New York...
"C'mon, we should get home before it starts to rain."
"Mommy, wait! My balloon!"
As the young woman tried to walk down the busy sidewalk with her daughter, a complete stranger bumped into the little girl by accident. The man uttered a brief apology before he continued on his way but the collision made her let go of the string that was tied to her balloon. The red balloon quickly floated up beyond their reach and ascended towards the cloudy skies.
The seven year old child began to cry as she tried to chase after the runaway balloon. "No, come back!"
"I'm sorry, honey." Her mother said, giving her a hug. "I'll buy you another one next time."
"Can't we get it back?"
"I wish we could but I'm afraid I can't jump that high. Unless we learn how to fly, we won't be able t-"
"Yoink!"
The sound of a cheerful male voice coming from above made them look up and their eyes widened in awe at what they saw. Spider-Man swung in from the west before he let go of the strand of webbing. Catching the runaway balloon by the string, he fired another web-line at one of the light posts on the street and slowed his descent enough for him to land in front of them without so much as a stumble.
He knelt down in front of the child, holding out the pink string of her balloon. "I presume this is yours?"
The seven year old girl happily reclaimed her red balloon. "It is! Thank you, Spider-Man!"
Peter ruffled her hair before he stood up and turned his attention to the older woman who was presumably the girl's mother. The expression on her face was rather hilarious...for she was staring at him with a look of utter amazement.
"Are you alright?"
She snapped out of her bewilderment and nervously extended her hand. "Yes, I'm fine. I-I just never thought we'd ever meet you in person. Thank you so much for your help."
He accepted her hand, giving it a friendly shake. "It's my pleasure, ma'am."
"Can we take a picture with you, Spider-Man?" Her daughter asked.
"Sure, so long as it's okay with your mom."
"Please, mommy?"
"Of course. We'd be happy to."
She fished her phone from out of her pocket and moved to stand beside Spider-Man. The child let out a squeal of excitement when he lifted her over his head and placed her on the back of his shoulders. She and her mother posed with their fingers held out in a peace sign while Peter simply gave two thumbs up. Making sure that they were both smiling, the young mother finally hit the button to take the photo. There was a flash of light and an audible click before their fun group picture was saved onto her phone.
He carefully lifted the little girl off his shoulders and set her back down on the ground. She threw her arms around the hero's waist to give him a big hug. "Thanks again, Spider-Man. This is the best day I've ever had."
Spidey ruffled her hair once more. "I'm glad I could help. Balloons are awesome, aren't they?
"Yeah! I like red balloons the best. It's my favourite colour."
"That is a good colour. Here's a little tip for you in the future...always tie the string of the balloon to your wrist. That way, you won't be able to lose it as easily."
The young mother placed her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "We'll be sure to remember that, Spider-Man. Thank you again."
"Anytime, ma'am." He said before Karen's voice suddenly chimed in within his mask.
"Peter? You have an incoming priority call from Ms. Romanoff."
"Okay. Just give me a moment."
Peter gave a playful salute to both the little girl and her mother. "I'm afraid I have to go now. It was nice to meet you both. You keep that balloon safe, sweetheart...and remember to always listen to your mom."
She nodded with a happy smile on her face. "I will, Spider-Man. See you later!"
The two ladies waved goodbye to the Avenger as he leapt up high into the air and swung away on a web-line. Firing another strand of webbing at the next building, he activated his comms again.
"Alright, I'm ready. Patch the call through."
His A.I. partner obliged. "Understood. One moment please..."
The Black Widow soon came on the line, her voice sounding calm yet worried at the same time. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, Peter."
"It's fine. I just saved a stray balloon from getting away." Spider-Man said with a smirk. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"
"Where are you right now?"
"Uh, I'm just swinging past Central Park. Why?"
Natasha took a deep breath. "...Wanda's gone into labour. Her water broke while she was taking a shower."
Peter almost lost his grip on the strand of webbing in his hand. "What? But she wasn't supposed to give birth for another month."
"I know. It could just be another strong contraction but Carol and I have moved Wanda into the medical bay to be safe. Dr. Cho and May are helping her now...you should get here as soon as possible."
It took a lot of effort on Peter's part to remain calm. His twin children may possibly be coming into this world now and he wasn't even present for it. It would take too long for him to web-swing all the way back to the Compound from here. Fortunately, he had a more faster method of traveling at his disposal.
"Understood. I'll be there shortly."
The young Spider ended the call and swung towards the nearest empty rooftop. Once his feet touched down on the roof, he held out his right hand and span it around in a clockwise circle. Golden sparks of energy flickered in the air before they linked together to form a human sized portal. On the other side of the portal was the front lobby of the Avengers Compound.
He walked through the portal with all haste and it immediately closed behind him.
...
"Peter!"
Natasha stood in the waiting area outside of the medical bay, waving at the webslinger who was sprinting down the hall. Maria was sitting in one of the empty chairs behind her while Carol leaned against the wall with her arms folded. The two of them were looking very concerned about the Scarlet Witch. Darcy was the only one not here as she was visiting Jane in New Asgard. Spider-Man's mask receded back into the suit, revealing his young face that appeared just as worried for his pregnant girlfriend if not more.
Peter stopped in front of the Black Widow, feeling a little breathless. "Is she okay?
She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Wanda's fine...but she's ready to give birth. May and Helen started the operation just a few moments ago. They've asked us to wait outside."
"May I go in?"
"I'm afraid that's no longer an option. Dr. Cho is already in the midst of delivering your twin babies with the help of your aunt." FRIDAY informed "You going in there now might distract them from this delicate procedure. I know it's difficult...but the best thing for you to do is to wait here until they're finished."
Peter wanted nothing more than to be there for Wanda right now but he knew FRIDAY was right. He retreated back into one of the empty chairs and sat down beside Maria. She reached over to hold the young Spider's hand, intertwining her fingers with his.
"She'll be alright, her and your kids." Hill whispered reassuringly. "Helen and May know what they're doing."
"Yeah...I just wish I could do more to help her." He muttered, looking down at the floor.
Carol put her arm around Peter's shoulders. "You're here for Wanda now. That's the most important thing."
The whole place soon grew silent as they waited for the operation to be over. Captain Marvel's and Hill's comforting presences helped to ease some of the worry in Spidey's heart. Even so, it was tough for him to remain seated in his chair. The med-bay doors may be closed but he could still hear his girlfriend crying out in pain as the good Doctor encouraged her to keep pushing. Natasha was pacing back and forth on the floor, desperately hoping that the operation would be a success. After a very long hour, the mechanical doors finally slid open before May stepped out. She was decked out in light blue medical scrubs. Her surgical mask, gloves, and medical cap had already been removed in the delivery room. The professional nurse made certain to wash her hands thoroughly before she came out here. Assisting Dr. Cho with the safe delivery of the Scarlet Witch's children had been a long complicated procedure and she was feeling more tired mentally than physically.
Peter stood up from his seat and approached his aunt. Natasha and the others were right behind him. "I'm glad you're here to help, May. How is she?"
May removed the band that was holding her hair up in a bun before she gave him a comforting smile. "Wanda's obviously tired but she'll be okay...her and my newborn grandkids. Go to them, they're waiting for you."
Spidey gave her a brief hug before he rushed into the med-bay without any hesitation. He quickly spotted Dr. Cho, who was standing beside one of the beds. She looked away from the medical report in her hands and greeted him with a nod. Sitting upright on the bed was the Scarlet Witch...understandably weakened from the operation she just went through for the last half hour. Despite that, she was still strong enough to hold two small babies in her arms. An exhausted smile graced her face when she saw her boyfriend finally enter the room.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner." He said, caressing the right cheek of her face. Her auburn hair had turned into a disheveled mess and her skin was drenched in sweat from the agonizing birthing process...but to him, she looked just as lovely as ever.
Wanda raised her head to give Peter a loving kiss. "It's okay. I think you arrived at the right time...say hello to your son."
She handed the baby in her right arm to her boyfriend, who held onto him with gentle care. The boy had already cried himself to sleep and was now napping away his fatigue in peace. It was good to see his little chest rising and falling...it meant his newborn son's breathing was normal and he possessed a healthy pair of lungs.
"Hey, buddy." He whispered with teary eyes, almost overwhelmed by the growing joy in his heart. "Your mom and I are so happy to finally have you and your sister with us."
May returned with the others just in time to see Spider-Man peck his lips on the sleeping baby's forehead. She and the Black Widow quietly approached him from behind while Captain Marvel and Hill moved closer to the bed to check on the exhausted Scarlet Witch.
Natasha smiled as she looked at the sleeping child. "Your son's beautiful, Peter."
"So is their daughter." Carol said, observing the baby girl in Wanda's arms. In contrast to her brother, she was wide awake and staring up at her mother curiously. "Who's the older sibling?"
Helen checked the recorded times of birth for the twins on her medical report. "Their son is...by about twelve minutes."
The Scarlet Witch blinked twice before a chuckle escaped her lips. The same thing happened to her and Pietro when they were born. Her fraternal twin came into this world twelve minutes faster than she did, a fact he never failed to bring up whenever they got into an argument. It was both weird and strangely amusing that the same thing would happen again, only with her children this time.
Wanda held out the little girl for her boyfriend to take. "Your daughter wants to meet you too, Peter."
Spidey nodded before he passed their slumbering boy back to her. Gently grabbing hold of his other child, he retreated back to where the Black Widow and his aunt were standing. Maria sat down on the bed and put her arm around the young Sokovian mother. Wanda laid her head down on her friend's shoulder to rest for a moment.
"How are you feeling?" Maria asked quietly.
"Like I could sleep for a week. I'm tired as hell...but at the same time, I've never felt happier in my life."
"I can see why. Your two kids are the cutest things I've ever seen. They clearly inherited that from both you and Peter."
Wanda smirked. "You think so?"
Hill gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. "Definitely. If your kids ever master that puppy dog eyed look of yours, they're going to be unstoppable."
The two ladies and Captain Marvel broke out into laughter at the possibility. Peter didn't hear them though as he was too busy staring at his daughter in wonder. His heart practically melted from how adorable she looked. In turn, the little girl gazed back at her father with innocent green eyes...eyes that she inherited from her mother.
"Welcome to the world, little one. I'm your dad and this is your grandaunt."
"Hello, sweetheart." May greeted. She reached down with her finger to playfully touch the tip of her grandniece's little nose.
She and Natasha chuckled when her nephew's daughter grasped onto her finger. Peter just grinned at his little girl's adventurous gesture...like most newborn babies, she was very curious about the world and people around her.
"...Have you both decided their names yet?" Carol asked.
The Scarlet Witch kissed her son on the cheek. "Yeah. Peter thought of a good name for our daughter while I've managed to come up with one for our little boy here. It wasn't easy to choose though...the two of us talked about it for months before we finally made our decisions."
Natasha smirked. "I remember. You both asked me for suggestions many times. I'm not sure if you actually used any of them though."
"We did...well, sort of. There was a Turkish word you once mentioned that I really liked and decided to make it part of his name."
"Oh? What are you calling him?"
Wanda raised the sleeping baby above her head. "Everyone...I'd like you to meet William Kaplan Maximoff, soon to be Maximoff-Parker in the future."
"That's a wonderful name." Helen praised, putting away her medical notes. The others nodded or smiled in agreement. "What does Kaplan mean though?"
"It's a Turkish word derived from Kablan, which means tiger." The Black Widow explained. "Usually, it's used to describe someone who has an indomitable spirit or possesses great courage."
"Right. I believe our son will grow up to be a man who has both of those qualities in spades...or at least I hope anyways."
Carol gave her an encouraging pat on the back. "I'm sure both of your kids will, especially since we're going to do our best to help you both raise them right."
"And what's my grandniece's name?" May asked. Her finger was still being held onto by the baby girl.
Peter looked over at Wanda for a quick second, who simply nodded with a loving smile on her face. The young Spider smiled back at her before he gazed down at his daughter. "I've thought it over for a long time...and there was only one name I came up with that would suit my little girl the most. I just hope her namesakes are okay with it."
Maria raised a curious eyebrow. "Her namesakes?"
Spidey nodded as he turned to meet his Aunt's gaze for a moment. Carefully handing his daughter over to her, she accepted the baby into her arms with a slightly confused look on her face.
"If it's alright, I'd like to name my daughter Maybelle Mary Parker. I don't know much about mom but it's thanks to her and you in more ways than one that I'm even here today. I figured this would be a good way to honor the both of you."
May could feel her knees beginning to go weak but she managed to keep herself standing somehow. Out of all the names Peter could've picked, he chose to name his daughter after her and his birth mother. It was definitely a surprise but a very good surprise...one that filled her heart with warmth and happiness.
With tears welling up in her eyes, May pecked an affectionate kiss on her grandniece's cheek first and then her nephew's. "Nothing would make me happier, Peter. I know Mary would feel the same way...it'd be our privilege."
...
- For those who don't know, William Kaplan AKA Billy or Wiccan is a superhero in the Marvel comics who's supposedly the reincarnation of one of the Scarlet Witch's and Vision's deceased sons. Maybelle is the name of Peter's and Mary Jane's daughter from one of the BattleWorlds mini-series...where the first superhuman civil war never ended.
- I decided it's best to name Peter's and Wanda's children after them as a homage rather than try to come up with some bad original names myself.
- Title sucks, I know. See you all next time, friends.