Pete was dead on his feet.

His eyes were still hurting, a kind of deep internal throb combined with a terrible itch that made him want to try and scratch his own eyes out. Added to the wall of fatigue that was pressing down on him, Pete felt like finding a quiet corner somewhere and sleeping for a week. He'd done that once before after gaining his webbing, after watching blood seep from his wrists with the knowledge that he was going to die beating in his heart, panic at the thought that with every pulse he was losing more blood…

When the bleeding had finally stopped and his body felt like it was cased in cement, he had curled up behind a billboard on a building that was advertising something he couldn't even remember and passed out. When he awoke it was to the odd holes in his wrists and the knowledge that something else had been stolen from him, just as something else had been given.

Pete was aware in an idle sort of way that he was starting to sway, that floaty feeling of unconsciousness hovering just below the surface. The sudden feeling of his spider-sense buzzing in warning made him jump, catching the ceiling before he quite knew what he was doing, everything screaming at him to run. The sudden calls of his name and the realization that the warning had faded made him freeze, and he looked down at the ones on the floor looking up at him in shock at his sudden movement.

"You see!" Porker called out suddenly, stomping a hoof and glaring up at him. "It's stuff like that that makes me think you're a Jumper. What happened?"

"Spider-sense went off," Pete answered without thought, his brain that sluggish sort of exhausted that loosened tongues. It only caught up to him what he said when he watched Mr. Davis take a slight step back, expression unreadable. What had happened caught up to him then, and he felt something rise in his chest. He didn't know what it was, not exactly, that pale burning in his heart of an unidentifiable emotion rising within him a feeling he had grown long used to at this point, but he recognized in an idle sort of way he didn't like it much. He let himself drop to the ground, rolling in order to land on his feet.

He wound up dropping into a steadying crouch, but he didn't land on his face, which was a plus.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Davis said, keeping his hands far away. "I don't…" he hesitated. "I don't mean you any harm, Pete."

"You're a copper," Pete said, voice heavy with the simple truth that he'd been informed of since he was small. Don't trust cops. Don't tell them who you are. Don't tell them what you are. Keep your head down, keep small, keep away. In some ways, Pete didn't know if that crossed over in this situation, but it still burned in the back of his mind like fire and made the prickling uncertain tension he always felt a good deal more concentrated.

Mr. Davis had that frown on his face, slightly troubled, slightly off-put, but he sighed, finally nodding. "I concede that fact, and I…understand your experience has placed you in a situation where it makes sense that you wouldn't trust cops…" he hesitated. "And I also understand that there is a very good reason for that, and that in your world and in your time, you have every right. But here, and at least with me… Pete I don't want to hurt you. The only thing I want is to help you. If you can't trust me yet, that's fine, it's earned, I respect that. Just," he sighed, "All I ask is you give me a chance." He paused, his eyebrows pinching slightly together.

Pete stared up at him, taking in those eyes whose color he still didn't know, meeting them directly and still feeling that buzzing in the back of his skull. Pete knew that that wouldn't go away, not for a while, if at all, but if it would help make them all more comfortable, he would bury it. If nothing else, it would help him be able to alert Miles whenever his father was near, and they were with him as Spider-Man. He couldn't do it all the time, of course, but being able to help Miles keep that secret would be good in the long run. Pete would be sure to offer his services in that regard.

Once the room stopped spinning.

Pete recognized he was swaying, even in his grounded position, at around the same time Mr. Davis reached out to catch him again. He closed his eyes against the sudden movement as Mr. Davis' hands guided him back and into his arms, fighting both the spike of pain from his spider-sense, and the nausea of the roll. He felt as Mr. Davis maneuvered him closer against him, carefully repositioning him in a bridal carry that he might have rebelled at if he could find it within himself to move. Two smaller hands helped position him, exhaustion warring against the warning in his skull as he was adjusted to lean against Mr. Davis' chest, his head cradled on his shoulder.

Pete kept his eyes closed as he was moved, fighting against the dizziness that the movement caused. He felt himself being gingerly lowered, even smaller hands reaching up to help guide him down, and then he was placed on the couch again. He instinctively snuggled closer to the back of the couch, pulling away from Mr. Davis, and actively seeking heat once the man's own heat was lost. He was cold. A few blankets were suddenly thrown over him, which he instinctively burrowed into. He felt a small weight rest above his head and felt the familiar hand of Porker tangle in his hair. Another weight rested on the couch next to his feet, and he peeked down to see Miles sitting there, wide and worried eyes fixed on him.

Rio was suddenly before him, holding more of what looked like the iron pills from last night, as well as…

"I'm just drinking all of your juice, huh?" Pete asked tiredly. Rio just gave him a gentle smile. Porker helped push him into a temporary sitting position, Porker leaning his body against Pete's to keep him upright. Pete took the pills and downed the juice he had had last night without much thought, Porker lowering him carefully until he lay back on the couch once he was done.

"I'd want to get you a transfusion if you were a patient," Rio said softly as she touched a hand to his forehead, feeling his skin, her eyes filled with gentle concern.

"I'll be fine," Pete answered, blinking heavily. "I just…need sleep."

"Then sleep, bud," Porker said. "You're safe with all of us."

"Say goodbye to Peni and Gwen first, though," Rio said softly. "They have to go home."

"What?" Peni asked, her voice tight, she looked up at Rio with wide eyes, Gwen also looked shocked.

"Did either of you tell your parents or guardians that you would be staying over?" Rio asked as she turned her focus to them. Pete watched as Gwen clapped a hand to her mouth, Peni kicking at the ground beneath her. "Do they know where you are?" she pressed softly, her voice gentle, but there was steel in her eyes.

"No," Gwen finally mumbled, frowning. "But we can't…" she paused, and made eye contact with him, her eyes boring into his. She looked so sad, so worried… Pete felt like he had disappointed her somehow. "We can't just leave like this…"

"Pete has to rest," she emphasized, "you won't be abandoning him if he's sleeping, and I know that if you were my kids and I didn't know where you were…" she hesitated, shaking her head, her expression heavy. "Even with the super-heroing I would be very worried about you," Rio said, and she put her hands on her hips, her mouth in a slight frown, and that steel had softened to concern. Both Gwen and Peni looked very uncomfortable at that statement, scuffing the ground, their eyes and head lowered. "If you both go back to your parents and you explain what happened and have them call Porker, then we'll be able to talk to them, so they know who we are and what happened from our end. Do you have a video call ability, or is it just audio?"

"It's just audio, so far, but I can work on it!" Peni chirped, clicking her heels together in a smart motion. "If you guys want, I can also upgrade your cellphones to be able to communicate with everyone, even across dimensions…" she bobbed on her toes, her expression a mixture of enthusiastic and quietly wheedling. Even with that guilt she was still trying to stay.

"That's a wonderful idea, Peni, and I would love for you to do so eventually, but for now, you both should go home and explain what happened, so they aren't worried," Rio smiled at them both. "We'll be here, and so will Pete. You can absolutely come back at any time, but you should both talk to your parents first."

"She's right," Mr. Davis added, "you both should go home and talk to your folks. Would it help if they knew I'm an officer and Rio is a nurse?" Pete quietly thought it would do the opposite to know Mr. Davis was a copper if it were his family (whatever was left of it) but judging by the way both of the girls were looking at Mr. Davis it might actually help them.

Huh.

"My dad actually is a police chief," Gwen said, frowning slightly. "Captain George Stacy," she clarified at Mr. Davis look of interest, "so it actually might help."

Another surprise.

"Captain Stacy's a good man," Mr. Davis said, an eyebrow rising. "I know him in passing though we don't work together. Have you…um…" he paused, rubbing a hand up the back of his neck. "Have you met an alternate version of me ever?"

"No, I haven't met a lot of the people that my dad works with" Gwen frowned. "But my dad's pretty familiar with a lot of precincts, it's possible that he has."

"Alright, well…maybe we could take a picture or something before you go, so they know what you're saying's true."

"That's a fantastic idea," Peni called out, clapping her hands. "That'll make it easier to explain why it's a good thing that I have the dimension hopping tech and show them who I'm going to meet! I'll get one of Peter B later."

"Okay, everyone, smi~le!" Porker suddenly called out, and Pete looked over to see the pig pull a camera out of nowhere. It wasn't anything like Miles' camera, which had been small and thin, instead it was a bit closer to one that he was familiar with. It was small, square and had the bulky black shape that Pete knew - it even had a flashbulb on top of it. Gwen, Peni, Rio, and Mr. Davis all turned surprised expressions Porker's way, and they were all greeted with a bright flash, followed by loud complaints at the sudden brightness. A moment later and Porker's camera spat out an undeveloped picture, which Porker pulled off the camera, shook a few times to develop the film, and then grinned at.

The looks on their faces were priceless, almost all of them wide-eyed, Peni in mid-blink as Gwen opened her mouth as though about to ask what was happening. The sight of Porker taking that picture and shoving it into the Goober was even more surprising. Peni's, Gwen's, and Pete's goobers all gave a bright ding, Peter B's probably doing so an entire universe away. Porker turned the camera around to face Pete and Miles, Porker's arm stretching out far enough to capture Porker himself in the frame as well as he held it far enough away that he could lean back and be in the picture, too. Another picture was taken, and the process was repeated, only this time the sight of Porker's wide grin and…odd hand gesture where he held up his fingers in the form of a v, Miles wide and shocked eyes, and Pete's own shocked expression stared back at him before it was shoved into the goober to a repeated ping.

"Alright, there you go, photographic evidence." He grinned wide. "Hey, Peni, if you need any help getting the goobers to accept pictures," he winked, "I'm your pig!"

"…" Peni stared at him for a moment, before frowning. "I hate you."

Porker mock gasped, wiping away a tear. "I'm just trying to help!" he called out, before exploding into wails, an almost literal fountain of tears gushing everywhere. Pete stared at this in wide-eyed shock and shuffled further away so the water didn't touch him or his pile of blankets. Peni finally burst out laughing and ran up to Porker, hugging him tightly.

"I don't hate you," she called out brightly. "Thank you very much for the pictures, even though they break every law of physics there is. Also please don't cry anymore or you'll get Pete wet."

"Can't have that!" Porker called out, hugging her as well, and stopping the tears as suddenly as they started. "Now you girls get outta here. I've got a bit longer before I have to go, I'll watch out for him for a while."

There was a further pause, the two girls looking at each other, before they both gave firm nods of agreement. Pete was not expecting the sudden weight thrown on him, letting out a surprised "oof!" His arms were trapped under the blankets, so he wasn't able to do more than look down at the form of Peni who had thrown herself into his chest and was hugging him as best she could through the blankets and the odd angle.

"We'll be back, Pete," she said, and pulled back. Gwen was next, though she didn't so much throw herself on him as she did give him a grin and reach out to press her own hand into his hair.

"Take care, okay?" she told him. "Stop bleeding everywhere."

Pete scoffed. "I'll do my best," he assured her quietly, twisting his lips into the grin that was expected of him. Miles suddenly left his spot by Pete's feet, running off into the house once again and returning with Peni's clothes and Gwen's uniform.

"Thank you!" the two girls chorused, before Peni looked at Gwen shyly out of the corner of her eye.

"Would you mind coming back to my universe, and then I'll go to yours before returning back to mine? I need to talk to my aunt and uncle about what happened, and I think it would be helpful for them to meet you in person." Peni finally turned wide, pleading eyes to the older girl and after a moment Gwen gave a nod.

"Sure! That'll probably go a long way to convincing my dad that you're all safe to be around, and I'd definitely be happy to help with your aunt and uncle," she grinned.

"Thank you!" Peni chirped, and ran over to her SP/dr. She climbed in, and Gwen hopped onto one of the legs. They gave one last bye, one last chorus of "thank you so much for everything!" before just like that they were gone in a swirling portal that disappeared almost as soon as it appeared.

Porker was the only one left of the outside Spiders.

Pete didn't know how he felt about that.

Porker was also…texting, it looked like. Pete saw Peter B's name on the display, before the text was sent and Porker relaxed back onto the sofa. Pete allowed himself to inch back closer to the pig now that the fountain of water had stopped and felt Miles' weight return to the end of the couch. Porker patted him on the head gently and finally stood up again, cracking his back, and pulling a large pillow out of nowhere, which he placed under Pete's head.

"Hey, kiddos, I'm gonna talk to the adults for a bit, you two mind occupying yourselves for a bit?"

Pete felt a white-hot burst of anger rise up in his chest, for a moment clinging to it sharply, but Miles shrugged. The realization of how young the other actually was hit him right around that moment, the fact that he was obviously used to being kept out of more adult conversations hitting him almost immediately afterwards.

"Okay," Miles said simply, and leaned over to the table they had to the side of the chair, picking something up from its surface that had numerous buttons, and was small and kind of ovoid in shape. Miles pressed one of the buttons and…

Pete stared in shock as the flat rectangle that had been across the room from them the whole time suddenly turned on. Pete fell off the couch. In his defense, that hadn't been the initial plan, but he had leaned towards the flat screen that was suddenly showing a moving image, and he had suddenly found himself flopping forward as his equilibrium deserted him. He landed in a crouch, too many hard lessons about giving into weakness beating in his heart and running through his shaking limbs. Miles gave a sound of surprise that he barely heard over the ringing in his ears.

This world's Aunt May had had one, a small boxy thing that wasn't at all like the model Pete had seen in a magazine, one that had displayed his own death upon its screen, but this was even stranger. What on earth…?

A hand on his shoulder jerked him out of his rapid thoughts, turning to see Miles staring at him with worried eyes.

"Pete are you okay?" he asked, and Pete shook himself off, staring at the television and then back to Miles.

"I'm okay, yeah, sorry, I just…that's a television?" he asked, pointing to it.

Miles looked at it, before his expression brightened in understanding. "Do you want a closer look? We can drag the pillows and blankets over there to see."

"…That…that'd be nice."

"Okay, cool. Hold on a second." Miles began dragging pillows and blankets over towards the television, making them into a little nest. Pete felt his attention drifting again, groggily looking around the rest of the room and realizing that the adults had left somewhere between when Pete's attention had attached to the remote, and then the television. They hadn't been around to see him fall and that was…gratifying. "It's done, come on!" Miles called, and Pete turned to see what Miles had put together, finding a comfortable looking pile of pillows and blankets. Pete crawled forward and flopped onto it face-first in one of his more graceless moments.

Miles snorted with laughter and adjusted himself so he could sit next to him.

Pete pushed himself onto his folded arms so he could stare up at the television again, taking in the image, the soft sound coming from it. It wasn't anything like he had ever seen before, so thin and he still couldn't see any of the components he knew of that would make it work. Pete hadn't spent a lot of time looking into television. It was a rich person's toy, and something he had no time for, but this was interesting. This was something that was apparently a lot more widely accessible. How on earth did it work?

"If you have something you want to know I can Noogle it," Miles said, waving that…thing that was and was not a camera, smiling at him.

"What…" Pete paused, frowning at the realization that anything that he wanted to ask felt like a world away, thoughts as fleeting as minnows in a pond, catching light but impossible to grasp.

"If you'd like I could just channel skate a bit, so you see what we have on?" Miles offered, and Pete gave a tired hum in agreement. Miles began flipping through the channels, bright colorful image replaced by bright colorful image, to dark and somber. Animated, real people, so many…and then he saw something surprising.

"Hey, wait," he managed, pointing at the television. Miles stopped switching the channel, the two of them having stopped on something very familiar.

The picture was in black and white, the man and woman on the screen dressed in outfits that Pete would see in his own world. The setting was even familiar, looking pulled straight out of the Hollywood of his world. He stared at it for a moment with wide eyes, and finally, softly.

"Did your world use to be like mine?" Pete asked. "Was it in black and white, too?"

Miles gave a bright amused sound, and Pete felt annoyance rise, feeling his head duck a little lower, only for Miles to tap him lightly on the shoulder. "Oh no, hey, I'm sorry for laughing, I wasn't making fun of you. It's just I asked the same thing when I was little, so I totally get the immediate question. Nah, just…old cameras couldn't record in color, so everything was just black and white."

Pete frowned slightly, feeling something hot rush through him, something that almost felt like… "Oh," he said softly, finally, "I was just thinking…maybe there was hope for my world, too. Maybe…maybe we'd get color…" as he finally succumbed to sleep, he recognized the feeling as disappointment.

And then he felt nothing at all.

…

Miles blinked as the words registered in his brain, opening his mouth to answer them, and finding he didn't have the words. What did you say to answer that kind of hope when, from what Miles understood, that was impossible? Though maybe it would gain color? Maybe it'd be like the gradual progression of television into color? Maybe Pete would wake up one day and find that he had peach-toned skin, and…blue eyes? Green? But the answer didn't come, and he didn't know what to say when it already seemed like he had crushed that hope. As he looked at Pete and realized that the older teen had fallen asleep, he felt the knot of tension in the pit of his stomach tighten.

Miles couldn't even apologize, now, didn't even know if an apology was needed. After a moment's hesitation Miles began shifting so he could lean up against Pete, gradually allowing his bodyweight to rest on him, trying to do it slowly enough to not wake him. Pete was cold, even through the pajamas, and Miles began carefully bringing blankets from the pile up around him. Blood loss would do that to you, and the thought hurt.

Miles had been so afraid. He had seen the wind blow back through Pete's hair and the absolute horror that had filled him had frozen him where he stood. The sight of Pete's eyes going black, the blood that had come pouring out of him without reason… Miles had a feeling he would be the one having nightmares later. Losing bits of his soul… It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all, and if somehow physical contact with someone helped Pete sleep better, then he was going to do his best to provide it.

Miles hadn't been there for the time when Pete apparently punched Porker through the wall of Aunt May's house, but he had seen the aftermath of it when he had gone to check on her after the entire collider situation was over. Her expression as she talked about the nightmare that she and the other two had heard had been…haunting, after Miles found the hole and asked about it, since he didn't remember that particular damage being done in the fight. The frown on her face as she indicated the hole Porker had smashed through her wall had undercut the initial fear though, and Miles had had to smother laughter. The nightmare on his family's couch in their own home that he had definitely seen had also been haunting, and also removed all traces of humor from the situation. It had been…immensely gratifying to see Pete fast asleep when he had woken up in the morning.

Miles had met up with his mom in the hallway leading to the rest of the house, his dad still dead to the world, as well as the rest of the Spiders. His mom had been smiling at the corner of the room, her expression soft, hand on her mouth thoughtfully. The sight of Peni curled up on Pete had brought a wide grin to his mouth, stifling a laugh at the sight. The teasing he could unleash later would be perfect, but the sudden realization that Pete seemed calm hit him. There was no frown on his face, none of the usual tension, just…sleep.

Miles would still tease him later, but the immediate amusement was gone.

His mom asked if he would like to help make breakfast, and Miles had immediately agreed. It had been such a good morning… Watching all his friends reacting to spice, though Peter B had a handle on things he hadn't expected, had been as funny as it was horrifying. Miles had been primarily excited at the idea of feeding them some good wholesome food that was easy to make large quantities of. Pete definitely needed to eat more, the ribs digging into his back were proof enough of that, and it scared him a little. Miles was aware of what his own appetite was like now that he had a Spider metabolism, he couldn't imagine both that and an inability to gain access to regular meals.

And then It showed up.

Miles was angry. He was filled with an impotent rage towards that thing that had latched onto Pete, that was taking him apart piece by piece. He was angry at the world that Pete was living in for being so awful. He was angry that his friend had been beat because of his left-handedness. He was angry at the fact that Pete had been literally burning matches down to his fingertips just to feel something.

Miles was angry at himself for being weak.

So, he was going to do what he could for Pete, he was going to do what he could to channel that anger into something productive, and he was going to see if the trick to helping Pete sleep really was being in physical contact with another Spider.

Maybe it had to do with their spider-sense? Maybe it had to do with the fact that Pete knew someone was watching his back? Either way, Miles was going to do his best to make sure Pete slept well, and for a good long time. He deserved it.

Miles turned the volume down even lower on the television and began looking up the history of television. At least he would be able to offer Pete some information when he woke up. Maybe that would do for an apology…

…

Porker followed Miles' parents into the second story of the townhouse, and into what looked to be a spare bedroom. Porker immediately moved to the dresser in the corner of the bedroom and leapt up onto it so he could be more at their level. Usually he wouldn't bother about his height, but he needed to keep on an even playing field and he had a feeling this discussion would be long. He'd have mercy on all their necks.

Rio and Jeff took seats on the bed behind them, turning anticipatory gazes his way and Porker gave a heavy sigh.

"So, anyone else feel like they've been running a marathon with two broken legs or is that just me?" he finally asked. Jeff gave him a weak grin while Rio gave a tired huff of a laugh.

"I was thinking more a twelve-hour shirt with no breaks," she said.

"Being expected to clear a street during a supervillain attack without backup," Jeff added. "And it's in a rich neighborhood so no one wants to listen."

"Those both sound like nightmares," Porker agreed with a wince. "I'm sorry to put you guys through this. I know this can't be what you expected when you let us into your home. I just wanted to thank you for that again, and to apologize. I don't think anyone expected all this to happen, I'm sorry to drag you into it."

"Neither Parker nor you had any idea about Pete?" Jeff asked.

"We hadn't, no," Porker sighed. "Like Peni said last night, we didn't have contact with each other over long distance yet. Peni went a bit more gung-ho about it and decided that jumping between worlds might be easier than connecting the worlds through something she hadn't had any experience with, which is why the chat feature is new," he explained, making a mental note to tell Peni the explanation he gave them as soon as he got an opportunity. "Pete was the one that we got to last and the one that…we hadn't had much contact with at all. He kept to himself, refused to have us in his universe most of the time, but he was in agreement that finding out what happened to your Spider-Man was a priority. He was worried, too, but he didn't use the watch much and he never took off his mask, and to top it off, it wasn't like we had any idea to check that he was somehow a teenager or had an attachment to the beyond," he waggled his fingers, before giving a brief huff of annoyance. "We had no idea and he probably thought that if he kept far enough away it wouldn't bring any danger to us." Porker's mouth turned down at the corners.

"I'm sorry," Jeff said finally. "You're right. He seemed like he kept all his secrets close to his chest. He's a very quiet young man."

"I told the kid to lighten up," Porker finally said. "Told him to stop being so cagey and just…" he sighed. "I don't like this thing called hindsight. It's a #$%. I really shouldn't have pushed him like I did, but I felt like he needed the pushing at the time. The kid's from the 1930s, he seemed like he had a lot of things that he would be interested in if he only let himself be, you know? I mean hell, he fell off your couch trying to get a better look at your TV."

"He fell off the couch?" Rio asked, starting to stand up, Porker raising a hand before she could.

"He's fine, it's fine. I heard it as we were leaving, but I don't think he would have appreciated it if we walked back." He tilted his head slightly, listening, an ear angling in that direction. "They're talking about…oh." Porker sighed. "He's tired, but he's fine."

"About what?" Rio asked. Porker hesitated, meeting her eyes closely and finally putting his fingers together, leaning forward a little.

"Miles found a black and white program, Pete asked if your world used to be like his. He was disappointed when the answer was no," Porker answered. Rio and Jeff had a brief look of understanding that shifted to something softer. "He's asleep now. Miles is keeping him company."

"Is that wise?" Jeff asked. "He doesn't have the weird…connection you guys have."

"He punched me through a wall, and I have that connection," Porker answered, waving off the concern, and then blinking at the way Jeff started straightening, his attention on the living room. Porker waved him down. "It's okay, I shouldn't have said it like that. I think that Peni was able to sleep like that because Pete knows her and because she was there before he fell asleep. I shot into his space and got beat because I startled the hell out of him. Miles'll be fine, I promise, he doesn't register as a threat and he's acclimated into Pete's space."

Rio and Jeff exchanged a glance before nodding.

"Alright," Jeff agreed, shooting a glance at his wife.

"I'm sorry about all this, really," Porker sighed. "If…" he rubbed his face, "I think I would have still brought him here," Porker admitted, straightening, his face as serious as it got. "He was going to die if he didn't get medical attention. I just would have gotten him out of here faster. I'm sorry about the danger we put you in."

"It's fine," Rio said, leaning forward. "He would have died," she reaffirmed, "and…" she sighed. "Both of us chose a profession with an element of danger to them, my husband more than me. But that doesn't change the fact that this is what we do. Admittedly it never involved a being from the beyond that none of us can see or touch, but I wouldn't have wanted you to take him anywhere else." Rio took her husband's hand in hers, Jeff nodding once, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"She's right. I'm glad you came here. Though that brings up the question of what are we going to do?" Jeff frowned. "I meant what I said about having him stay with any of us…" he trailed off, and Porker nodded.

"Yeah! I rattled off a text to Peter B, he'll be calling soon, I think. We should all be involved in this decision."

"Agreed," Rio said and sighed. "Until he calls…what do you do for a living, Porker? Do you have a job outside of Spider…um…Pig?"

"Spider-Ham, actually!" Porker chirped, grinning brightly. "And since you were kind enough to ask…" Porker jumped to his feet, giving a bright introduction to Rio and Jeff's combined baffled expressions, and all the while his ears were perked, listening for any tells from Pete or Miles as they waited for Peter B to call. Porker honestly thought that Peter B had been overreacting. MJ had been married to him once before, she'd have remembered what it was like, and he was sure that she'd forgive him soon.

Porker just hoped he was right.

…..

MJ had had a restless night.

Between the meeting of the other Spiders and seeing just how happy Peter was with them, to the suddenness of their departure, and Peter's quiet promises that he'd be back as soon as he could… MJ had been expecting him back that same night, and the fact that he hadn't shown up yet meant that something, somewhere had gone terribly wrong. MJ wished that Peter had a cellphone or something that he could use to call her, but she didn't think the little goober that Peni had given him could be used for that kind of communication yet.

They had discovered that there was a distress beacon, a communication feature between the watches, and the obvious means of travel - though Peni had assured them she would explain that and the watches themselves in greater detail later - but no way to contact any other means of communication. That had worried them initially, but Peni hadn't been able to fix it at the time as they couldn't have extended contact with each other due to the newness of the portal system. They had wanted to connect Pete to the system so badly, lacking that contact with their friend had been a blow that she could hear in their voices at times. She had understood. She had agreed.

MJ was missing that ability to contact them without a watch now.

MJ had made coffee and was curled up on her couch, trying to force herself to focus on the television show she had turned on. At this point it was background noise, something she couldn't even concentrate on, her thoughts all skipping to the thought of Peter in an alternate dimension somewhere, hurt or even dead. That's what had happened to the other Peter, wasn't it? The blond one that Peter had described with wide eyes and hushed words? It turned her stomach.

MJ had finally started to get him back, the man she had married, the one that had been there through everything, was she really going to lose him again so soon?

The sound of her doorbell ringing made her almost spill her coffee over the white couch in her eagerness to stand up and answer it. MJ placed her cup on the coffee table, stumbling as she hurried over to the door. She threw it open and came face to face with Peter, holding flowers and carrying a bunch of tupperware. His face was pulled into one of pure apology, and MJ felt a wash of relief flood through her.

"Peter!" she exclaimed, and carefully ushered him into the house, closing the door behind him. "Where have you been, I…"

"I'm so sorry, MJ," he started, his voice tangling with hers, and the two of them paused. "I'm sorry," he said again. "Things…happened. We found Pete, you know, the Peter from the 1930s? MJ, he's seventeen. He has this thing following him, and the Lizard almost killed him, so we took him to Miles' mom, who's a nurse and I…"

"Wait, wait," MJ hushed him, taking his face in her hands. "Pete, slow down," she commanded, meeting worried brown with affirming green. "Take a deep breath." He did so, breathing deep, and she held him through it until she could see the anxiety start to loosen its hold. "Alright, now release." He did so heavily, almost physically slumping and the last of the tension washed out of him. "Okay, good. Now sit down, I'll make you a cup of coffee and then you'll explain what happened, okay?"

"Okay, MJ, thank you," he finally said, his voice heavy with relief. He held out the Tupperware and the flowers, MJ taking them from him with a smile. "I brought you breakfast. It's homemade, Rio, um…" he hesitated, obviously thinking on how to explain Rio. "She's Spider-Man's mom, we…" Peter rubbed his face. "So much happened."

"Coffee first," MJ reminded him softly with a smile, "and then explanations."

"Okay," Peter agreed, heaving out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to just…leave like that. I had meant to come back."

"It's okay, Peter. I was married to you long enough to know how this works. I didn't resent you then, and I still don't resent you now. It's fine," MJ said with a grin. "I usually got a bit more of a warning, but it's okay. Thank you for the flowers and the food, though, I'm glad you put in the effort to say sorry, even though it really is fine, Peter," she smiled, pressing a kiss to his temple, feeling him relax the rest of the way. "You look nice."

"Thank you. You always look nice," he said softly, a soft smile on his face. She laughed and went into the kitchen. After setting the flowers, which were odd – they smelled nice, but their colors were a little too bright, a bit too saturated - into a vase that had been given to her by Peter's late Aunt May, she set to making coffee. The Tupperware was opened then, and she smiled at the contents. They had chilled slightly, but it wouldn't take much to heat them up again. She hadn't had a proper breakfast, and this was very welcome.

Taking a deep breath, she clung to the joy that she felt deep in her soul at the sight of Peter happy, well, and unhurt and set about heating up the chilaquiles as the coffee brewed. Peter joined her in the kitchen a beat later and began setting the table up for her. It made her chest ache, the familiar domesticity in the routine dearly missed. It was so nice to have him back here, so nice to have him back into her life, even though they were going slow this time. Every so often though, it was hard not to fall back into old habits, which was why when he wrapped his arms around her from behind and tucked his chin over her head, she found herself leaning into him.

Peter smelled like a soap she didn't recognize, but it was clean and fresh, and Peter himself smelled like he always did. For a moment she just breathed, sharing heat, feeling that new softness combined with hard muscle wrapped around her.

MJ had missed this.

The chilaquiles had warmed by then and she stepped away, Peter letting go easily, clearing his throat and backing away. She poured the chilaquiles onto the plate he had brought over from the pan and placed that pan in the sink. Pouring two cups of coffee while Peter washed the pan for her, and she placed both coffees and her own plate onto the table with the silverware he had already laid out for her. Routine. Familiar. Welcome.

They sat down together, and Peter took a breath, thinking, when the watch that Peni had given him gave a sudden chirp. Peter looked at it, blinking, and opened a text, only to suddenly have a picture form into being above the watch on a holographic screen. Peter blinked in shock, leaning back from it, only to grin in sudden realization.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, laughing. "This is Jeff, he's Miles' father, he's a police officer and actually not that bad of a guy! He was nice enough to let us into his home and helped make room for us along with Rio, here, who's a nurse, and who was also wonderful enough to make us breakfast" he indicated the husband and wife duo as he explained, letting MJ take a good long look at first the taller and very broad-shouldered man that looked a bit like he had no idea what had just happened, and was caught mid-word. He had a strength to his posture and a firmness in his stance, but there was a certain softness in his eyes, and she could tell that he was kind from the way Peter spoke of him. The woman, Rio, she assumed, was petite but stood as firm as her husband, and had a warmth to her that was visible even through the picture. MJ had an instant desire to get to know them.

"And you remember Peni Parker," he indicated, pointing to the girl who had brought all the Spiders back together, who was blinking oversized eyes, her stance leaning away from the camera, obvious surprise in every line of her body. Even so she practically radiated energy, her stance so wide and so exaggerated that it was almost hilarious, hinting at that bounce that MJ had been very fond of when they first met. She wondered about Peni's connection to her Peter, whether they shared the same father, whether Peter was her father, wondered what tied her to Parker. But at the same time, she recognized Peni as her own person, fiercely clever and brave. "And this is…"

"Gwen," MJ finished softly, staring at her picture. She had known it was Gwen. Had heard her voice, listened to Peter as he talked about finding this small living version of their friend, the one that could have been, listened to his voice break, felt her own tears in her throat when he first told MJ about her. It was painful. It was amazing. It was a miracle in a half-shaved blond haircut that MJ could have seen their own Gwen wearing, a Spider and a hero. MJ was so happy for her. She was so happy that she lived.

The suspected loss of Gwen's Peter was strange, Peter talking about the fleeting hurt looks that Gwen would give him, the way she had struggled to meet his eyes at times in the same way he had, but Peter had talked about how it was an exchange he was happy with, had wanted.

MJ wanted them both.

She wanted them both and she missed Gwen so much. MJ wondered if the universe had something against them both at once, if they counted as too much of a good thing and one or the other had to be taken in order for the universe to remain in balance. All she knew was that she missed Gwen, and she knew in the heart of her being that Gwen had to miss Peter. Either way, it was good to see her. MJ hoped that they were friends in Gwen's world, and hoped that she could get to know this one better.

For now, it was enough to know that she lived.

"Yeah," Peter finally said softly. "That's Gwen," he agreed, and there was equal loss and fondness in his voice. There had been too much loss.

MJ was tired of it.

Peter finally checked the other message that had flashed at some point and revealed three more people in a second picture. "Oh, that's Peter Porker," Peter said, indicating the…pig that appeared to be holding the camera, his other hand held up in a peace sign, a wide mischievous grin on his face coupled well with blond hair and bright blue eyes. It was odd to think of this pig as some facsimile of the man in front of her, but there were enough similarities that it amused her.

"That's Miles," he said, pointing to the kid sitting there with a wide-eyed look of shock on his face, and MJ felt a grin pulling at her mouth at the sight of the kid that had such a profound impact on her Peter. Enough of an impact to make Peter try again, to have him come back to her. She could see the energy and the enthusiasm, and just…this spark there even under all that heavy confusion and concern. She could tell he was an amazing Spider-Man. She could tell he was a good kid. And then…

"Peter…" MJ's voice was quiet, staring at the one that Peter hadn't introduced, likely for the fact that MJ knew him instantly at first sight, had watched that face as it grew and changed into the face that she had kissed at every opportunity she could get. She knew that face, but she had… God, MJ had never seen it like that. Had never seen him look so tired, so…sick, so hurt, so pinched, his cheeks the hollow of the very malnourished. Or so white, the black hair and eyebrows standing out starkly against the literally white skin, off-set by black-rimmed eyes that looked so exhausted, so hurt, and yet so jaded. "Oh, Peter, what happened?"

"That's…that's the reason it took so long," Peter finally said, sighing. "That's Peter Benjamin Parker," he introduced, looking at her significantly, and MJ kept her eyes on the faded gray of this Peter that was so different and yet so similar to the one she knew. "We've been calling him Pete to keep us separate, he's from the 1930s and…I'm not going to lie, MJ, his life…it sounds a bit like a horror story." Peter scrubbed a hand down his face, looking more tired than she had seen him in a while. "His uncle Benjamin? He was…well, he was cannibalized. The Vulture ate him alive." MJ felt a pit open in the bottom of her stomach, horror spreading through her, shock and disbelief reflected on her expression as she stared at him. "It…it stays pretty terrible, MJ," he said softly, "and it doesn't let up."

MJ laced her fingers together on the tabletop before her, meeting his eyes directly with an unwavering gaze. The message, she thought, was clear: Hit me.

Peter sighed. "So, he also got his powers by accident, but…it came with a whole other…" Peter grumbled, looking frustrated. "It takes his soul, MJ," he finally burst out with. "He gives it…he gives it pieces of his soul, and I just… I don't know what to do!"

"Explain, Peter, please?" MJ prompted, softly.

"It…" Peter rubbed his face again. "MJ, I felt like I was staring into the Void. There was a thing today, something that I couldn't see, I couldn't feel, it didn't even register on my spider-sense…but it was there. It was connected to Pete and it… I saw it breathe, MJ. I saw air pass back and forth across him with absolutely no visible cause. I saw him…I've never actually seen him afraid before, MJ. He looked so scared, he wanted us to stay away and it just…" Peter sighed. "He called it a god of spiders. It's one of apparently many gods. One of them attached to Kurt Conners. It like. Changed him… But not in the same way ours did? Not with chemicals or with science but like…magic, transmogrification, like a curse. A werewolf, only with scales and no hope of turning back."

MJ stared at him as Peter talked, stared at the gesticulating hands, watched his face that was so serious, so drawn.

"Kurt ate his family, MJ," Peter whispered. "Mary and Billy are gone. And the thing that has Pete? It operates on different rules, but it's changing him, too. It's turning him into a monster, and Pete is…he's so scared. He's so scared and he's so young. He's only seventeen, and from what I can tell… He's completely alone in his world. He has nothing and he has nobody." Peter sighed, sitting back and rubbing his face. "He gave up parts of his soul today to keep it away from us, to keep us safe, and it took his eyes. He was still wearing glasses when we first met him, it hadn't fixed them. His webbing though, MJ? It's completely organic, comes out of his own damn wrists and he can eat it to recycle it just like a normal spider, and it's antibacterial. It's amazing! But it's just one more thing that it tore from him, it makes him bleed, and it hurts him, MJ. Blood just…it poured out of his eyes and I thought he was going to die, he already lost so much blood… We surprised him during a fight with the Lizard and Kurt…that thing took the opportunity and just about gutted him from hip to shoulder, if it got any deeper and if our skin was any softer it would have… But it took his eyes and it gave him eyeshine like a cat or a wolf spider, and it's just. It's ripping him apart piece by piece, MJ."

"What are we going to do about it?" MJ asked immediately, leaning forward, her eyes hard as resolve built up in her chest. "Can we do anything against this thing that has him?"

Peter paused, before a wide grin split his mouth and he looked at her with eyes that spoke of adoration. "I love you," he said, and MJ felt a rush of happiness spread, a smile pulling at her mouth. "Jeff had an idea," Peter finally said, leaning forward, a frown on his face. "He suggested that…" Peter paused, looking at his wrist as it chirped again. He frowned as he read the text and then looked up at her. "We're going to call Porker in five minutes. I think we're not the only ones talking about this."

"Good," MJ said, her eyes flashing sparks a grim determination filling her. "The more people on this the better. He might not have anyone in his world, but we're damn-well going to give him people outside of it. That spider god thing wants to be a dick?

"It's got another thing coming."