Peter finally let M.J. back down to the floor, but his arms were still wrapped around her waist, her hands clasped around his masked face.

"Are you okay?" she asked him. There was a gentle, compassionate look in her eyes, as if she could see the doubt and uncertainty lurking behind his mask.

"That's a loaded question," Peter answered. He couldn't even begin to properly explain to her what he was thinking or feeling.

"Just start talking," M.J. said. "You're good at that, right?"

A half-snort escaped Peter's nostrils.

"So I've been told at least," he replied. He peered around the area, just to make sure they were alone even though his spider-sense wasn't indicating the presence of anyone nearby. He then removed his mask so she could look him in the eye properly and so he could look at hers.

He wanted to talk to her as Peter Parker, not Spider-Man.

"The only good thing is that mine and Kate's mission was at least a partial success; we shut down the dome, but she still got hurt again," he began. "We started to get overwhelmed, so I had to get her out of there before we could fully destroy it."

"I'm sure you guys at least bought some time," M.J. tried to reassure him, "so that's good at least."

"I'd like to think so," Peter said, "but then Sam and Eli both came back injured, and Sam's still unconscious. On top of that, the WorldMind hacked Riri's armor and turned her against her friend. She might not even want to put it back on again, and honestly, I couldn't blame her."

M.J. didn't respond, so there was a moment of silence between them. Peter eventually managed to gather his thoughts again and continued.

"I'm the one they're all looking to, M.J," he said. "Sam might have the inside knowledge, but every time a plan needs to happen, they all look to me. I feel like they're all expecting me to be this great figure, the last Avenger who always knows what he's doing, but...I'm not. I'm just some college kid who's in over his head, and it's almost got some of them killed."

Peter's voice was starting to pick up in speed and intensity.

"I mean, things went bad enough this time; what happens when we try to go out there again? Will they all end up dead because of me? I don't know! I don't have any answers, I just..."

With his brain on overload and his heart rate speeding up, Peter backed into the wall, slowly sinking to the floor below. He just stared at the ground for a moment, his mind lost to the infinite thoughts plaguing his mind. He was so lost that he only barely registered M.J. sitting down next to him.

"Peter, I...I don't have the answers for you," M.J. said as she struggled to begin. It was enough to draw Peter's attention though, so she continued. "I don't have some master plan for you to enact that will save the day, and even after two years of dating you, I still have no clue how you pull the things through that you do so often. In this case though, I think that you might be forgetting the real reason these people want to fight with you."

Peter tilted his head in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"They didn't come to you because you're some mythic hero that has all the answers," M.J. replied, "they came because, for a while now, you've been the only one willing to step up and do anything like this. Every day, you go out there into this dark world and try to give a little bit of light, and that doesn't come from your strength, your speed, or your spider-sense."

M.J. put her hand to Peter's chest, letting it rest against his suit.

"It's because of this," she continued. "Your heart, your will, your love for all people, that's your greatest superpower. THAT'S why all of them have come to you. Sure, they probably are relying on your experience too, but they came to you because they've witnessed your heart every time you go out there, and they want to join you in that."

Peter could feel his heartbeat steady a bit at her words. M.J. smiled at him, and his mind started to reel itself in.

"Spider-Man isn't the real hero," M.J. said. "It's Peter Parker, the person behind the suit. That's who these people are following."

Peter allowed himself to smile for a moment, but then a thought entered his mind. His eyes strayed for a moment as he mulled it over before turning back to M.J.

"Then maybe it's time they know that," he said.

Peter's spider-sense then went off; it was only a light buzzing, just enough to indicate someone was coming their way. He slipped his mask back on and stood to his feet just in time for Sam to come around the corner, still holding the metal ball in his hand.

"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" he asked, obviously noticing their guest.

"No, no it's fine," Peter replied. "It's good to see you up though. How are you feeling?"

"Definitely been better," Sam replied, "but I think I'll make it."

"Good," Peter said.

"Anyway," Sam continued, "I think I have a plan, or, at least an idea."

Peter's eyes widened.

"Let's hear it."

Riri just sat there, staring at nothing. Really, she didn't even feel present, her mind replaying the events in L.A. over and over again; the suit getting locked up, then restarting with something else in control. The shock, the confusion, the desperation and even the PAIN on Amadeus's face as it attacked him and even managed to injure him was singed into her brain in an endless loop that she couldn't stop.

She had already cried out all the tears she could on her way back; now, she just felt far off, the world around her barely even registering. She just kept reliving the incident in her head, as if she was stuck in a time loop where she was still trapped in the suit...

Riri heard something faint, like a tapping noise or a knock on the door, but she didn't move, her brain too locked in to direct her in the direction of the sound. She heard the door close, and soon, she could at least tell it was her best friend who was in the room, now by her side.

"Hey," he greeted softly. "I just wanted to check on you, see if you were doing any better."

She said, nothing, her eyes remaining still.

"Ri."

"Mm?"

"Look at me."

Slowly, she turned, finally meeting Amadeus's eyes, which were filled with compassion and grace.

"I understand if you need more time," he said, "but I'm here, when you're ready."

Riri turned her head back to the position it was, staring down at the floor. Her best friend started to get up and had even opened the door to leave.

"I can't stop thinking about it," she admitted. Now the tears were threatening to return, and she looked up to Amadeus, who closed the door and came back beside her. "I can't stop thinking about how it attacked you, how it HURT you...and there was nothing I could do to stop it..."

Amadeus wrapped her into a hug, which she returned.

"It's okay," he said.

Riri took a couple of deep breaths.

"I don't know if I can go out there again," she said. "What if something goes wrong, and I turn on everybody else. What if I..."

"Hey, hey," Amadeus said, moving back so he was facing her again, his hands still on her shoulders. "Don't go down that road; going back out there is your choice, okay? You don't have to if you don't feel comfortable."

Riri wiped her eyes.

"What do you think I should do?" she asked.

Amadeus took a moment to think before he responded, "I'll always choose to have you by my side out there. I also know that, if anyone can figure out how to keep that thing out of your suit this time, it's you. I can't make that decision for you though, Ri. You have to decide how you're going to handle this, but I promise you that nobody here, especially not me, would think any less of you if you said you didn't want to go back out there with us."

Riri nodded her head. She was so torn; she still wanted to help, but she couldn't even think about the suit without coming back to what just happened.

There was a knock on the door; it was Sam.

"Hey guys," he said, "Spider-Man said he wants to talk to us in the common area."

"We'll be right there," Riri spoke up. Amadeus looked at her.

"Are you sure?"

Riri nodded again, and she rose up, the two of them exiting the room together.

Peter watched from the shadows of the hallway as Amadeus and Riri walked into the main room, joining the others in forming a semi-circle. The whole team was gathered now, and they were all waiting for him.

"Are you sure that this is what you want to do?" M.J. asked from just behind him.

Peter let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah," he said, turning to her. "Are you sure you're good with it though? If not, I can always say something similar, just without..."

"No." M.J. cut him off. "If this is what you feel is best, then I support you in it, as long as you believe you can trust them."

Peter turned and looked at the group of five individuals waiting for him. Even now, he could tell that they weren't entirely the same people that formed their first plan together in the city. They were all just a little bit different, a little more mature, and in some cases, probably a little more jaded. He could tell that, if not fully, they were all at least beginning to understand on some level the responsibility that came with this job.

"I do," he said to M.J. She said nothing in response, only offering a small but earnest smile and nodding in the direction of the room. Peter then turned and walked out, eventually stopping a brief distance away from the team, with M.J. by his side. There were no more murmurings among them regarding what this was about, their eyes and minds now solely focused on him.

"Thank you all for seeing me," Peter began. "I know that our first attempt at saving the world didn't fully go as we all planned, and it hit some of you harder than others. Sam thinks he has the means for us to make a new plan around, but first, there's something I'd like to share with you guys."

Peter looked down for a moment, the silence in the room almost deafening. He reached up, grabbed the bottom front end of his mask, peeling it off to where it hung behind his head like a hood. He returned his gaze to the faces of his teammates, who wore a variety of different looks ranging from surprise to confusion.

"My name is Peter Parker," he said, "and I've been Spider-Man for over four years now. I'm originally from Queens, and I'm a student at ESU."

He then gestured to his girlfriend.

"And this is M.J," he added, "my girlfriend."

"Wait," Kate spoke up suddenly, "I was RIGHT?"

Peter glanced to M.J, who met his look before turning back to Kate.

"Looks that way," M.J. finally replied. She was clearly fighting the tendency to roll her eyes at Kate's self-satisfied look.

"Okay," Amadeus said, speaking up. "I mean, not that I don't appreciate that you're trusting us, but...why are you telling us all this now?"

Peter thought about it for a moment, trying to find just the right words to convey his intentions.

"Because I want you all to know and understand just who you would be following into whatever we do next," he finally answered. "I don't know what each of you thinks of me or what expectations you might have had, but if any of you thought you were following some experienced battle-hardened Avenger into this fight, you're not. You're following a naïve kid who just happened to get bit by a radioactively enhanced Spider when he was just a freshman in high school. You're following someone who honestly doesn't know how he'll save the day until the moment presents itself most of the time. You're following someone who is just trying to do the right thing as best he can, and if I'm being honest, doesn't always succeed.

If this means that you don't want to be a part of...whatever this is anymore, I understand. I won't blame any of you if that's what's you decide; really, I'll probably agree with you. I never set out to form some second-generation Avengers team. I want each of you all to be home and safe, because the thought of losing any more teammates, especially people that look to me, is terrifying. I've lost so much, both during the Snap and before; not just teammates, but other people that I cared about. I've seen horrible things; I've been beaten down in every way imaginable, but somehow, I'm still here.

I don't know if I can handle this alone, but I'm still going back out there. I guess what I'm trying to ask in all this is...are you guys willing to follow a kid from Queens into Armageddon one more time?"

There was silence among the group; some of them looked at each other, while others just stared at Peter, causing his heartbeat to accelerate a little.

Kate was the first to speak up.

"I'm in," she said, smiling. "Always."

"Me too," Eli replied. "Like you, I'm just someone trying to do what I can."

"You know I'm in," Sam replied.

Peter nodded, looking to Amadeus and Riri.

"Honestly, I would've thought it would be a downgrade, but...fighting alongside Peter Parker actually sounds even better than Spider-Man," he replied. "I'm in."

"Me too," Riri answered, prompting Amadeus to turn to her.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

She nodded her head. Her eyes face carried a nervous expression on the surface, but also conveyed a firm sense of resolution.

"Alright," Amadeus said. "Looks like we're all in."

Peter took a breath, letting it out as he glanced at the faces of his teammates. They had seen what was beneath the mask, they knew who he was now, and they still were willing to face the unknown with him.

He just hoped he was as ready to face it with them.

Hope you all are still enjoying it!

Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" John 6:35