1Author's Note: This story has been on hold for a long while, and I've wanted to do the next chapter for a long while, but I just didn't have the time. I'm so sorry to all you fans out there who have been waiting for this. Here it is.

Dark672: I think most of my readers disagree with you. I'm glad you agreed with my decision to kill off M.J. though of course this is a comic-book like story.

ShadowGirlFawkes: A father-son team up? Peter doesn't even know that his son has powers!

Morph: Well I had to wait so long for it I was a little excited.

Dark Daimon: I'm sorry if it appeared that I just dropped the story, but I honestly didn't mean to. Summer kind of had me hopping.

GoldenSunGeek: This is a slightly AU fic which I explained in the begining. Rosie was struck blind instead of killed, Doc Octavius did turn good at the end and turned himself in after he drowned the perpetual sun without killing himself.

Super-hero Fan: Sorry it took me so long to update.

Chapter 7: The Funeral

"Rise and shine." Felicity's voice entered Ben's dreams as light poured in through the bedroom windows.

Ben sat up in bed realizing he was still fully dressed. "What?" He asked looking around. Then he realized what room he was in really, and who was there, and why he was there. It all came flooding back.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, I should've just let you sleep..." Felicity said apologetically as she came and sat on the edge of the bed. "But would you like to have some lunch?"

"Lunch?" Ben asked slightly confused.

"It's two in the afternoon." Felicity said with a slight smile.

Ben smiled. "Sure... But then I think I have to go. Did your mom have any luck in tracking down my dad?"

Felicity frowned. "No... I'm sorry." She said putting her hand on his arm.

"It's okay. I didn't expect her to have any luck." Ben said shaking his head. "I'll track him down."

"If you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me." Felicity said with a smile as the two made their way downstairs.

Felicity's mother had set out two plates for them, and two glasses of water, and some food, but had gone herself to work.

Ben sat down and stared at his plate for a while as Felicity began to eat. "Something wrong?" Felicity asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm sorry." Ben said shaking his head. "But... I'm just not hungry." He stood up. "I have to go find my father. Thank your mother for me. I might see you in school tomorrow, I might not..." He paused.

"It's okay." Felicity said standing up. "Do you want to go out the front door, or would you prefer to leave the way you came in?"

Ben smiled. "I'll use the front door." He said heading over to it. "Thanks for letting me crash here last night, I really didn't know what to do."

"Anytime Ben." Felicity responded with a nod as she opened up the door for him. "Just remember that you owe me a movie." She said with a smile as he left.

Octavius Residence

There was a rather loud knock at the door, and Mike was the first to open it. There stood Ben, not exactly to his surprise. "Hey man." Mike said letting him come in.

"Hey." Ben said rather vacantly as he came in.

"You okay?" Mike asked a little concerned.

"No." Ben answered.

Mike paused as the two went down to the basement, sitting in the beanbag chairs Mike had down there. "What happened? Your dad came by here last night? I'm assuming he found you?"

"No." Ben answered again.

"I guess your talk didn't go well?" Mike asked for clarification.

"It's so much more than that..." Ben said shaking his head.

"What?" Mike asked confused.

"Mike, you know who your father is, right?" Ben asked.

"What kind of a question is that? Everyone knows who my father is. Otto Octavius, a genius physicist who created something he couldn't exactly control, who committed crimes, and who is paying for them." Mike answered. "Why?"

"Because I don't know who my father is." Ben said shaking his head. "All this time I thought... I thought... And now..."

"You're not making any sense." Mike said shaking his head.

"She's dead!" Ben yelled. "My mom is dead! And my dad is responsible!"

Mike's face blanched. "Your dad killed your mom?"

"No." Ben said shaking his head. "My dad is..." He wanted to tell him, he wanted to tell Mike everything, he usually did tell Mike everything, but there was something that held him back. "What do you know about the Green Goblin?" He asked.

"Not much." Mike responded hesitantly. "He was Spider-man's first real foe, wore green armor, seemed to have enhanced strength and durability, and seemed to have quite an arsenal of weapons accessible on a purple air glider, a prototype of some kind."

"Green armor?" Ben asked.

"Yeah..." Mike answered. "Why?"

"Nothing." Ben lied, and he didn't know why. This wasn't like him. He shared everything with Mike, why not this? Why not...

"Your mother is dead?" Mike asked for clarification.

"Yeah..." Ben paused. "She was killed by a green goblin copycat, if not the real thing."

Mike's expression was one of definite surprise. "A copycat?"

"Yeah..." Ben said looking down. "Hey... um... how's the school project coming along?"

Mike could sense that Ben didn't want to talk about it, and that was okay, tragedy like that could affect anyone in a myriad of ways. "Have you spoken to your dad since last night?"

"No..." Ben paused. "After we got back from our talk we found out... He ran off... I ran off... I spent the night at Felicity's."

"Why didn't you just come here?" Mike asked.

Ben shrugged. "Because I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I see." Mike said with a nod. "Well your dad did come back last night, chances are he might be at your house."

"I guess I should go there and look for him, or go around the city again." Ben said standing up. "I'll come by later to work on the school science report."

"Okay. I was thinking maybe later on we could go up and actually visit my dad, I need to get a few questions answered." Mike said standing up to show him to the door.

"Sounds like a plan." Ben said with a nod, understandably not very enthusiastic at the moment.

Parker Residence

It didn't take long for Ben to get here, he only lived a few blocks. The car was gone, his father hadn't taken that last night when he'd left the first time. He paused going forward towards his door. He didn't know if he could face what was inside, or who was inside. The memories, or worse, his father. He stopped just before laying his hand on the door handle, turning it slowly.

The door was locked. Ben sat down, slumping down as he sat with his knees to his chin in front of the door. He remained that way for a few long hours, just thinking. It was around dinner time that his father's car finally came around the corner. Ben didn't even notice it.

His father got out of the car, and walked up to the stairs in front of the house. "Ben..." His dad paused.

Ben didn't answer at first. He didn't know if he could to be honest. He didn't trust his voice. Finally he just stood up, and hugged his father. Tears finally coming down his face.

"I know." Peter said as he patted his son. It was that moment that he remembered the last time he had given Ben a hug. Ben was seven and had just come home from school with a rather big bruise and a black eye. Not because he was beat up, but because he had taken a few punches while standing up to some bullies for Mike.

The flashback ended as suddenly as it had began, and both of them made their way inside. Silently. It was a few moments of just standing there looking at the house before either of them spoke.

It was a mess, things knocked all over, blood and burns all over the place. Ben's face blanched at it, but Pete looked almost like he had seen it before. He probably had.

Ben realized at that moment just why he had been angry at his father. "Come on Ben." Peter said with a smile as he looked to his son. "We've got some work to do."

Ben felt like yelling, he felt like doing something, but why? What would he do? What would it accomplish? He was so confused, so... angry. But what could he do? He just followed his father's lead. Picked up the other end of the table and set it back on it's side.

Neither of them spoke until they were finished at least getting the place back in semi-order. They would clean it later. Both of them sat on the couch. "Where did you go last night?" Peter asked looking over to Ben.

"Lot of nerve you have asking me that." Ben snapped. "I spent the night at a friend's."

"Whose?" Peter asked.

"Felicity's." Ben said obviously angry.

"I'll have to thank her mother." Peter said looking to the Television, which was turned off.

"Where did you go last night?" Ben asked, turning the question around on his father.

"Uh..." Peter paused a second.

"Never mind." Ben said leaning his head against the back of the couch. "I guess I should already know the answer." He paused. "You went out doing whatever it is you do in brightly colored tights."

"Hey." Peter said looking to Ben.

"What? You picked the costume, not me." Ben said shaking his head as he stood up.

"You used to like Spider-man, you adored him as a kid." Peter said standing up as if to follow him.

"I grew out of him. I've outgrown a lot of things." Ben said looking to his father. "Unlike some people I know."

Peter paused and hung his head a bit. "You blame me don't you?"

"Of course I do dad." Ben snapped, probably a little quicker than he should've. "Do you see anyone else in this room that puts everything but his family first? I spent more time here with mom than even you did."

"That's not fair." Peter started.

"I don't have to be fair!" Ben yelled. "My mother is dead! My father ditched me! As far as I'm concerned you're responsible for her death! You killed her!" Ben was screaming, and his father was just standing there taking it, as if expecting it.

"I do what I do because..." Peter started.

"It doesn't matter!" Ben yelled, and before he knew what was happening he moved forward. He was angry, a punch went flying, and for some reason Peter's spider sense didn't go off, he wasn't expecting it. It hit him hard in the left cheek and sent him to the ground.

Ben's strength was greater than he realized now. Peter stood on his hands and knees, shocked. Ben stood staring as if hardly believing what had happened, like watching a bad movie.

He started to run, but was stopped by his father's voice. "It's okay." Peter said getting to his feet. "You're angry, you don't know what to be angry at. I know I've been there."

Ben felt like yelling again, but he didn't.

"Come on. We have to get things ready for the funeral." Pete said as he offered Ben a hand for a handshake. "Truce?"

Ben shook his father's hand but didn't say a word. His father smiled and pulled him into another hug.

Tuesday

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." The pastor went on as the large group of people stood underneath the deep blue sky on Tuesday morning.

Ben and Peter stood there nearest the casket, both in suits. It was the first time Ben had worn one. The Octavius family was next to them, and then a bunch of people that Ben didn't even recognize, a few that he did but had never met personally, such as John Jameson, and on the other side of Peter was Normie, tears in his eyes.

The service ended with a hymn. Peter was the first to put a flower on the casket, and Ben did afterwards. Followed by a few others. Headed back to the cars Ben was stopped by Normie. He didn't say anything, just gave Ben a hug and a pat on the back. Mike was next to approach him, shook his hand, and Rosie gave him a hug. Felicity was there, she gave him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek.

Ben looked around, his father wasn't next to him anymore. He was a little ways up the nearby hill. Ben followed him, coming up behind him. He saw the tombstones his father was looking at. "Benjamin Parker, Beloved Husband, and Uncle" and "May Parker, Beloved Wife, and Aunt"

Both were silent as they just looked, heads bowed, at the tombstones. Ben had never met either of them, but he had seen pictures, and heard stories. These were the people that had raised his father, the people that made him the man he was today.

Ben sighed, breaking the eerie silence. "If only you could have met them." Peter said looking up to Ben.

Ben smiled. "Come on dad. Let's get home." Ben said putting a hand on his father's shoulder.

It seemed like the ride home lasted only for a brief moment or two, and was soon over. They were back at the old house, now cleaned up, and fixed up. They both walked in silently, and sat down at the same time at the table rather silently.

"Ben." Peter said looking over to his son.

"Yeah dad?" Ben asked suddenly looking up from the spot on the table he had been staring at in almost a trance-like state.

"Happy Birthday." Peter offered a weak smile.

Ben smiled a little bit, briefly. "Thanks dad." He said with a nod. To be honest he had completely forgotten about his birthday, and it didn't seem all that important now. What he would've asked or wished for, he couldn't get.

END

Author's Note: PLEASE REVIEW!