Prologue

The day was sunny and peaceful until the sound of the Green Goblin's cackle ran through the air. His head looked up and he saw smoke coming out. He raced to where the smoke was coming from. There was a scream of a woman and he recognized the voice. It was Gwen Stacy. The other woman he loved. He was holding onto her by the collar of her lime green jacket. Her boots were coming close to falling off. He was playing with him.

He attempted to attack him but he just glided out of his way. "It's time you learn what it's like to loose a love Spider-Man." the Goblin said. He was floating over the George Washington bridge. Peter's eyes narrowed behind the mask. The Goblin dropped her. She plummeted toward the water. The Goblin flew off. He was torn between making a decision. Save Gwen or let the Goblin fly off? He shot a web to Gwen's body. There was a Swik as it wrapped around her upper right shin.

"Did it!'' he exclaimed. He pulled her back up. He held her in his arms. Her long blond hair shimmered in the sun with her black headband still in place. She wasn't breathing. She was dead. Tears streaked down his face from behind the mask. "No.'' He looked at her again. "She can't be." He rose his left arm in the air making a fist with his head looking up. "You will pay Goblin!'' He lay her now cold dead body down on top of the bridge and shot a web. He swung off into the skyline looking for him. He was getting his revenge on the Goblin.

20 Years Later

There he was again. On top of the George Washington bridge facing the Goblin again. He had just recalled the memory, or what he thought was a memory, just minutes ago. The Goblin threw a pumpkin bomb. It hit him and he started to fall toward the water. "Now now Peter." the Goblin said. "You can't leave just yet." He grabbed him by his costume. "The party's just getting started!" He laughed and pulled him off into the night. Peter was getting too old for this job. A 60 year old man was beating him in a battle. Well Norman had always stayed in shape. He sent a web toward a nearby building and pulled himself away disappearing before the Goblin realized it. He swung off into the night and into a nearby subway station. He changed out of his costume and entered the subway. He had to go to 67th street. Just his luck. They had just passed it on the last stop.

He punched the door and left a slight dent. It was too much of a hassle being a cop and single parent by day and a superhero by night. He sat down in a seat and fell asleep. He awoke an hour later to find that it was his stop. He got off of the scummy subway and back up into the night air. His apartment was still several blocks away. He looked around and pulled the suit of red and blue spandex out and put it on. He shot a web and started to swing back to his apartment. He crawled up the side of the building and hopped into the bedroom where he found MJ's suitcase laying. She was finally back from France. He smiled. A 16 year old boy sat in the room next door. He looked just like his father. Those thick big old glasses, the brown hair and blue eyes. He heard some noise coming from his parent's room. He smiled and realized that Peter was home. He opened his room's door and walked to the one right next to it. He opened the door. Peter stood there with his costume still on but without his mask on.

"Dad?" Ben said. "What the hell?" he was dumbfounded. "You're Spider-Man?" Before Peter had a chance to answer Ben ran out of the room and the sound of the door of the apartment was opened and then quickly shut. Ben ran down the stairs and then out the door of the building onto the street.

"Not another." Peter said. He looked out the window and saw Ben running down the sidewalk. Peter shook his head. "Why did I have to keep it a secret from him?'' He threw the mask up against the wall. He kicked the dresser over. He ripped the suit off of him and threw it out the window. It dropped down to the street below. "I will never be Spider-Man again."

Several blocks away Ben was still running. He looked behind him and didn't notice the taxi coming toward him. He turned his head and saw the taxi coming at him. It wasn't stopping he jumped out of the way with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes again and he was hanging onto a nearby billboard about 20 feet up from the ground. He shook his head. "No this is impossible." Ben said. "I can't be-" He looked around. He shrugged and did the famous web shooting pose his father had been making all these years without him knowing. A web shot out and he started to swing. The night the original Spider-Man had retired a third one had been born. He didn't want to be like his father. He didn't want to keep his secret from his own son. He wanted those close to him to know.

Hours later he walked back into the apartment building and up the stairs to the apartment. As he entered the door he found a drunk MJ and Peter fighting. "Shut up Mary Jane!'' Peter yelled. "I didn't loose him!"

"Yes you did!" MJ yelled back in a slurred voice. Ben walked right in front of the two and they both quit yelling.

"Lay off the drinking Mom." Ben said. "You're acting like your father." he went into his room and shut the door behind him.

"He's right." MJ said. Tears ran down her face. "I am acting like my father."