Chapter One: Stay With Me


I watch in horror as the gear turns clockwise, it counts my seconds for me.

One… two... It rattles with each turn… three...

I move my right hand further up the thick spider web attached to my other hand, the one that keeps me from falling to certain death. The web that is being slowly nudged in between two gears. Hopeless, I try a sad attempt to climb but after only a few seconds the web only swings from side to side and I am still bound at the same height as before.

Four

Just before it could count my last second something stops its time. For a second I thought time had stopped, but the grunts of desperation told me otherwise. I look up frantically searching for an explanation. When I look up I should be seeing spider-man with his head hanging over the side of one very high drop, on top of him, an estranged person metal covering most of his body and leading up to his neck, spots of green near the sides of his face. Instead, I see Peter Parker, someone I love more than life itself, I see him struggling to hold Harry back as well as hold onto me and my heart sinks. Not necessarily for my own life but for his, but he's stronger than that, I know it. Then I found what I was originally looking for, my delay, Peter had stuck his foot in between two gears stopping the entire system's chain of movement.

"Peter?" I'm not sure what I was looking for by calling his voice, maybe confirmation that he was okay or that I was going to be.

Peter shot his web into Harry's neck and he was shot back into the wall, numerous gears crash into him. Then it happened— my last second— if only time could freeze in place. I gasped for air in panic as I watched my thread of hope snap. I began to fall, along with the gears that held everyone in place, where I counted my seconds and watched Peter take on more than he could carry.

Without hesitation Peter jumped after me, I wanted to scream his name as a cry for help or anything but nothing would leave my mouth. I was overwhelmed with the horrible, terrifying sensation of falling. It made it difficult to breathe, maybe, hopefully, I'll die before I hit the ground from suffocating. I heard the very delicate sound of one of Peter's webs flying towards me but I can feel it might not be enough. As I watched him fall towards me I started to wonder if I have never craved his touch more. The feeling of his arms wrapped around me, his forehead resting on mine, or even his hand holding my own.

I closed my eyes waiting for impact against the concrete, I was more focused by the feeling of tears rolling down my cheeks that when the feeling of Peter's web latching onto my stomach startled me. I opened my eyes to see Peter trying to find something to hold onto but even through his mask, though, I knew his eyes never leave my powerless body for no more than a few seconds. I clasped onto his web as tightly as I could even though it was holding onto me tighter than I could ever. I twisted my head to one side staring down, seeing the floor growing closer and closer. I looked up at Peter for the last time with more tears in my eyes than before and I sneezed my eyes as tightly as I could, pleading for a painless death.

I feel the harsh yank of his web meeting its maximum length, for a brief moment, my body is shot up into the air but instantly pushed back down. As I move in and out of consciousness I let my arms and legs go limp. The last thing I feel is my hair brushing up against the floor as I swing back and forth.

It's okay, I think to myself, the worst of it is over. I'm dying now.


At the last given second I grabbed onto a piece of metal, it felt like metal, I didn't care to check what it was beforehand but only to calculate if I could safely grab onto it without it breaking within my grip. I carefully watched her, panicking when I saw she darted back up. Come on! Gwen! Come on! I thought as I pulled the web up to meet with the metal as quickly as I could.

I fall gently onto my feet, quickly experiencing the unsettling feeling of falling. It was strange the feeling had been so normal up to this point. I collect my thoughts as I slowly raise myself to match Gwen's level. My breath becomes heavier as I step closer to her evaluating the damage I have done to her as she hangs from my web. For a second I thought I was frozen with panicked, terror, anger, and love but each emotion pushed me a step forward. Nothing mattered to me more at this moment than her, I needed my hope.

"Hey," I whisper softly, "hey." I lift her to cut the webbing, never taking my eyes off of her face, I sink us to the floor resting her body in my lap and cradling her head with my arm. "Hey, Gwen, hey," I said a little louder.

I was screaming already, not loud not yet but in my head. I couldn't think. What to do! What should I do? Was repeating over and over again. I take the hand that isn't holding up her head and gently shake her shoulder.

"Gwen, breathe, Gwen," I say desperately, I was on verge of tears but I couldn't admit that I had hurt her.

She's not dead. I hissed in my head. She's not!

I looked at her helplessly and it was even I had given up holding it together. Why should I? When the only thing I loved most was in front of me limp. I broke the one promise that should have mattered to me most. I guess the best kind of promises is the ones that are kept. My unsteady hand reaches up to touch her face and then her hair.

"Stay with me…" I repeated over multiple times, pleading. "You stay with me!"


I looked around the room, searching for the voice telling me to wake up. Confused and frustrated I wanted to yell back I was, but I didn't, for some reason, if I told them I felt like a lie. Another broken promise.

I was suspended to something preventing my feet from reaching the ground, I've never seen anything like it. Each attempt I gave to free myself resulted in me swinging slightly back and forth. It was just high enough where I couldn't push myself up using my feet but too low to be able to grab anything for support. I tried connecting it to something, it seemed so wildly unusual yet something I've seen hundreds of times. Where have I seen you before! I thought frantically in my head. Then it hit me, it was a spider web.

"Peter!" I scream, "I'm okay! I'm okay!"

He can't hear me, so, he continues torturing both of us.

We were still in the clock tower, or at least I was, there was no sight of him anywhere. I hung awkwardly from the web trying to search for what it was attached to but it was so high up my eyes couldn't render the distance. It was then I noticed the condition of the clock tower. It was clean, still dusty but no gears had fallen out of place. It was as if nothing had happened.

"Stay with me, stay with me… stay with me…" His pleas continued and I heard the sadness in his voice, but why can't he see I'm okay, why can't I see him or tell him myself? "You stay with me!"

Tears slowly started rolling down my face in frustration and the mental exhaustion of being tortured by Peter's cries. I closed my eyes and rolled myself into a ball resting my forehead on my hands which were wrapped around the web. Peter's comforting words filled my head, he thought I was gone. He thought I was dead, there was no question about it. After a while, he had me convinced that I was too. I am dead.

It felt like hours of being stuck in one cycle, his cries, followed by mine, his pleads, and then mine even though it must have only been a few minutes if not seconds. I managed to stay in my ball covering my ears for protection but I uncovered them hearing the unmistakable sound of footsteps. I looked at where they were coming from, half expecting Peter to walk out of the shadows. Slowly my father walked out to where I could see him, he looked no different, he was even wearing the same clothes I last saw him in. The ones of the he wore before he threw on his uniform. Starstruck, I could only mouth 'dad?' without a word he helped me down from my imprisonment.

All I could do was stare at him trying to process what I was seeing. I wanted to touch him, reach out and touch his arm. He can't be standing in front of me, he is supposed to be dead, like me. Or maybe that explains it, maybe because we had both died we can be together again, it's only one part of a happy family, but I'll take it. I'll take anything.

"Dad? How are you… Are we…" I started to ask so many things but I trailed off not fully wanting to admit my faith.

The counters of his mouth lifted slightly the same way they used to when he was alive, he pulled me into a tight hug, I sunk into his embrace and hid my face into his chest. Just as I did when I was younger and afraid, just as every child would hide against their father. He felt real, his heart thudded against my ear and I could feel the warmth of his skin radiating through his clothes. It was a safe feeling. I felt at home. I had wished for this moment nearly every day for more than a year, so, when he tried to pull away I panicked and clung to him tighter. My fingertips gripping at the sleeves of his shirt so tight I was sure that he couldn't even resist this if you wanted to.

"Gwen?" He whispers, smoothing down my hair.

"Mhm?"

"It's okay, Gwen. All of it is. I can't keep you from loving anyone, especially, when I'm not around to stop you." He exhaled through his mouth, I felt the rise and fall of his chest.

I hated that he said it, it made it feel less real. The fact that he couldn't be stuck in an embrace with his daughter as he speaks to her because every other possibly resulted in him being dead, each outcome had no difference. Only for a few seconds did I hate what he was saying and then I remembered the context.

"Sometimes we love too much, even though it might not always be in our best interest, and besides, we don't choose who leaves a mark on us, they just leave one without warning." He continued to speak when I pulled back to look at him, I rested my hands on his forearms holding tightly as he held onto my elbows, tears filling my eyes as he gave me his blessing. "There are very few instances where I believe that breaking promises can be an admirable thing to do. But I believe you both were right to do so. I can see that keeping away would have only caused just as much damage. I trust you, Gwen. And I love you too much to keep you here with me."

To keep me here? What did that mean? I stared at him with my eyebrows pulled together. My mind ran quickly as I tried to piece together what he meant. To keep me here… I wanted to ask him, I wanted to know why he said it. I had slowly started to form the words but they sounded off. It sounded like my words had been pushed together. I admitted defeat when he rested both of his hands on either side of my face and brushed the tears away from under my eyes using his thumb.

"So, please, wake up. Your mother and brothers need you, Gwen." He whispered, I could see how hard it was for him to ask because his eyes were starting to water. My eyes drifted down to the stare at the floor which caused yet another tear to fall, he moved my face up again so that I could look into his eyes as he spoke. "He needs you."

As he spoke his last three words Peter's cries were wiped crossed me once again. While speaking to my father they had turned into very faint background noises, so faint you could barely hear them. The same words were being repeated over and over again. Stay with me… stay with me. I tried my best to block them out again only because they were causing so much damage keeping me from thinking of other things.

As much as I had missed my father he was right, I had to go back. Not necessarily because they needed me but because I needed them. My mother, brothers, and especially Peter. By staying here I only lose more than I would gain. My own words pulled me into realization. Here. Here means accepting my death. I was being given a choice, stay here or be given another chance at life. It was so clear now and the fact I had missed it questioned it made me rethink each and everything thought I had had since waking up in my own personal afterlife. I had to wake up, there was no other choice, my father is right. I began to panic, god knows how long I had to wake up before my choice was made for me.

I knew that our time together was nearly a very close end as Peter's pleas grew louder and louder. My dying wish was coming true, I was waking up. I quickly pushed myself into his arms and hugged him tightly before it was too late. After only seconds I pulled back and pushed myself onto the tips of my toes to kiss his cheek.

"I love you, Gwen," He smiled at me resting his hands on my shoulders. I knew he could tell that I had made my choice and he was pleased with it because I knew he was saying goodbye by the tone of his voice. "You have no idea how proud you have made me."

"I love you too, daddy."


A/N I cried a little while writing this ngl but all is well now... at least Gwen lives in this universe. I kinda consider this to be more of a prologue to the story not only because it is kinda short but this is pretty much just the movie scene rewritten, so, not much of my known storyline takes place but there were a few good setups. More and longer chapters are to come soon!

I hope everyone enjoys this story! As much as this chapter was painfully to write (in terms of tears shed) it was really fun.