I don't own Spider Man or Marvel. This is a sequel to my other one-shot 'The Unforgivable Punisher'

"It is excellent To have a giant's strength, but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant" William Shakespeare and Liz Allan

A Punisher Who Is Tired of Punishment

New York as seen in the year 2023. The hordes of people rushing and bustling through the rainy streets of the immortal city to get to their jobs urgently. An army of taxi's engulfing the city's roads in a few unneeded traffic jams allowing the rain to spit and sputter on their wheels. The number of criminals walking the street getting ready with their guns at the heel to put a bullet into an old man's chest just so they could get his car.

Peter shuddered his eyes at the memory of his uncle's last moments in life. Even after seventeen years, it still plagued him. He estimated the memory would always haunt him even after the day he died. Peter laminated this usual ritual of his mind as he stared at the rainy city from the window in his apartment he had rented.

Small beer in hand, the old young man took another sip of his drink. His temporary home only consisting of the one bed, an empty suitcase, a table filled with his gadgets and suit with finally a broken down tv to boot.

Peter didn't care that he was currently living in a crap hole. Since he had gone into his exile as the Punisher, the crime killer had lived in far worst places then he ever did as Spider Man. True he could have gone back to May's, but he knew better than to put her through anymore pain.

Past Prologue

Sixteen years and not one single letter to the woman who was as good as his mother. Not since that night, when she saw him evolve or degenerate into the Punisher. When she saw him to use his powers to kill Hydro Man. He still remembered the look on her face, the pure shock took hold of her. She looked at him like he was monster even more so than Hydro Man who just killed her best friend's niece a few minutes ago. Peter remembered that horrible night, how he just ran away from New York in shame of what he did. Disgusted of the vow he broken as Spider Man by taking a person's life criminal or not.

He remembered running away from her like a scared little boy into the nearest ally he could find. Feeling filthy, images of MJ's dead body before him. One of the first real friends he ever had, killed by such a maniac. Then there was Hydro Man the newbie thug he killed, he hated him for what he did to MJ, but he Peter himself hated what he did to the villain. He hated that he did the one thing Spider Man would never do.

He felt filthy, even more so when the symbiote had bonded with him. Perhaps that's why he made his Punisher suit black. A reminder of his lowest point.

Peter in the memories of his last moments as Spider Man just saw a garbage bin in front of him. He felt it call to him, call to his red and blue suit which he adored so much. Hearing voices spur out of the bin.

"Traitor."

"Hypocrite."

"Liar."

"Looser."

"Puny."

"Venom."

"PUNISHER!"

The young man with tears in his eyes gave into the voices in his head and shoved his Spider Man suit into the bin. Turning his back away from it, from that life forever.

Present Time

Peter sighed from that memory. The day his life as Spider Man died, and his life as the Punisher had been born. When he swapped a Spider for the Skull. Now here he was back in his home city seventeen years later since the deaths of MJ and Hydro Man. The youthful high school lifestyle he once bore had now faded away. Instead of a young student who when to Midtown High, now stood a man who shades under his tired eyes. His hair ruffled along with a few white lines, with a small beard around his jaw.

Since he had become the Punisher, he somehow had ended up looking older than Uncle Ben.

Now, he was back here. Manhattan revisited, the only reason he came back here was because he heard from few sources of a new big man on the screen. Some new nasty git calling himself the Kingpin. After seeing how damaging Tombstone and Hammerhead had been to this city. He couldn't sit by and allow what happened seventeen years ago happen again. This new Spider Man should not have to endure that.

Which still surprised him, five years after he quit that gig. A new kid came calling himself Spider Man. Even had the same powers, along with a couple of new ones like going invisible and even using this electricity attack. From what he saw on YouTube, this new Spider Man could be Spectacular. Though Peter hoped he could be better, that this new kid could become the best Spider man. Some kind of Ultimate Spider Man. A guy who could do a better job than he ever did.

Peter didn't have any plans to meet him. All he cared about was finding this Kingpin and ending him before he could make any more monsters for Spider Man had to fight. Just like what Tombstone had done.

Peter sighed, no more dwelling on the past or the recent. The Punisher needed to be ready for his moment of war. Finishing off his beer, Peter threw the can outside the window of the rainy street and walked back to his desk. Taking out his usual techno tools Peter began to configure his equipment. Peter's sources had informed him that this Kingpin like his predecessors had a few hard hitters he would need to contend with. Scorpion, Bulls eye and some perfected assassin called the Prowler.

Each name was enough to cause Peter enough concern, each one had a bullet with their name on it.

As Peter was formulating his plans and developing his weaponry. A sudden door ring had echo throw his flat, Peter became oddly alerted. The reason his reaction was so odd as it was not triggered by his Spider sense nor by his paranoia he gained as the Punisher. For some reason he was automatically - alerted to this minor change in his flat. A change which forced the crime killer to answer.

Peter stood up from his chair and walked towards his rusty decaying door. He began to turn the doorknob ever so slowly. One…two…three and the door had been opened, released for him to see a person Peter was both expecting and yet at the same time was not expecting in a million years to ever see again.

"Hi, Pete." A small soft voice answered.

Pete's eyes widened. Liz Allen, here she was after seventeen years. The young cheer leader like him had changed, in time Peter had last saw Liz she had cut her hair short. Her eyes gained a few small wrinkles. She wore black camisole, white jacket, and white trousers along with a pair of black Italian shoes.

Pete wasn't surprised by her new posh wardrobe. Ever since she took over her parents' restaurant. She needed to look the part of the manager. Still, it didn't explain why she had come here of all places to see him. "Liz." Peter tried to formulate a response.

"Can I come in." She asked formally.

"Ehh...yeah sure." Peter moved away from the door to allow his ex to enter in his home. Liz took a quick look around. Even at his Punisher suit and guns. She didn't look surprised at any of the objects around her. Peter guessed it was because of the letter he sent her a year ago, however he didn't feel that was the only reason for her blunt observations.

As his former girlfriend sat down on his bed, Peter decided it was time to break the silence. "So…. How have you been?"

"Fine." She replied in a deadpan nature. Doing her best not to show any emotion. Overtime Pete had learned to read people's emotions through their physical and vocal aspects. While examining her in this moment he could tell she saw this visit to him as nothing more than a job. A job, she didn't want to do but needed to do.

Peter none the less decided to still play the role of host "Do, you want a drink or something?" He offered.

"No." Liz once again answered in a dead tone voice. "No, thank you Peter."

"So, there goes Petey." The crime killer thought. Remembering the nickname Liz had given to him during their relationship. Just another sting of the life he left behind. "So, how is the restaurant." Trying to force some small talk.

"It's going well, after my parents retired. They offered it to me. It was some kind of 'surprise' graduation present for me." She summarised plainly rolling her eyes.

This wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. Sure, the restaurant was five star and as manager a terrific way to stay financially secure. Yet, it wasn't the job she wanted. This wasn't the life she wanted. She was a cheer leader; she was good acting. She had been full of life, not someone who was meant to be behind the desk.

Did she take the job because it was easy to get or did, he break herself confidence that badly?

"How did you know how to find me." Peter asked.

Liz gave him a quizzable look "You know, you really need to work on your code names. I mean 'Ben Watson'? When I looked over the restaurant takeout orders I knew it was you. All I had to do was print out a receipt and just follow the address." Liz admitted coldly.

Peter sighed. One of the first rules of the job was to be careful of the convenient takeout. Even if it is a place you're renting for a couple of days. There was always the off chance that someone or worse something could put two and two together.

Peter tried to change the subject "How is your gang these days? Sally still…."

"Why are you here." Liz barked.

"Huh." Peter questioned taken by surprise.

Liz stared at him fiercely "Why after all this time, are you back in New York Parker…. Or should I call you Punisher?" Not allowing her shield to breck down.

Peter looked down the floor sorrowfully. While it was true Liz would have known about his double life due to the letter, he gave a year ago. However, he knew she along with the rest of the world knew he had been the original Spider Man for a while. After, he killed Hydro Man and dumped his suit. It turned out in the alleyway some kid with a phone recorded the whole thing. The swinging, the dumping of the suit. Enough evidence to prove he was Spider Man. Peter remembered the Bugles headlines. 'Peter Parker AKA Spider Man AKA Biggest Liar of Them All!'

Suppose it was fitting title considering the last incident when Venom tried to reveal his identity the first time. When Jonah along with the rest of New York questioned and prodded on him if he was the web slinger. Each time he denied and even convinced the Bugle to drop the story. For Jonah, when he found out his suspicions turned out to be right along, the journalist made sure Peter would pay in blood for such humiliation to his precious newspaper. Revenge for being taken for a mug twice on the possibility Peter Parker was Spider Man. Revenge for hiring and paying a salary for the man he was trying to bring down. If Peter thought J.J hated Spider Man before, in the last ten years of bugle papers had been nothing but his former boss raving in tantrums about the original Spider Man in his editorials. Even when Peter became the Punisher, J.J still didn't relent on his slander about him. Even ignoring the new Spider Man.

Now, after Peter's quick walk-in memory lane. The crime killer returned to the here and now to answer his ex's question "My job." He answered.

"Your job?" Liz asked "So, in other words putting more people into the cemetery."

Peter sighed tiredly "There is a new big man Liz, he's just as bad as the rest of them." Peter confessed.

"Bad like you, you mean?" Liz angrily responded getting up from the bed.

Peter turned his head away from her "I'm nothing like them." Peter answered ghostly.

"No." Liz said bluntly "Wearing a black ski mask, going out at night. Finding people to put a bullet in. Yeah, Pete your definitely nothing like those hoods." She explained sarcastically as she walked past him to be more to the rainy window.

Peter closed his eyes just yearning for this reunion to be over with. "Why did you come here Liz."

Liz went into her blue handbag and took out a letter. Peter could recognize it as the one he sent her a year ago. Should have known it would come back to bite him. "I guess you read it."

"You think?" She answered bitterly. "Why did you send it?"

"Because I felt I owed you an explanation." Peter admitted.

"The real reason?" Liz asked.

"Because I wanted to say sorry, and I really didn't know how to say it." Peter told his former girlfriend. "Liz, the man I am now. Is just a shadow of regret. For the last seventeen years all I have been thinking about is the people I let down. You, Gwen, Harry, M.J…. Aunt May. I realised all I ever did in our relationship was tell you lies. I guess a part of me that was still Spider Man, a part that didn't become the Punisher tell you how much I regretted how I treated you. How much I made you suffer because of me." Peter confessed putting his hand onto his face. Ashamed of the transactions of his youth.

Peter didn't know how she would react to this answer. The scenarios which filled his head was maddening. He expected her to just leave his flat, he expected her to slap him. He expected her to just scream into his face about how he was the worst boyfriend whoever lived.

What he didn't expect from her was a simple question "Why did you come back to New York Peter?"

Peter was slightly taken back by this question. Not just by the question itself, but her attitude to it when asked. She wasn't angry, she wasn't sad. From the tone of her voice, it was calm and curious. Not a hint of negativity. It was a question the crime killer needed to answer honesty. Liz deserved that at least.

"The reason I went into exile was because of Mark."

Liz's composure broke. Her tough attitude shattered by this answer. Hearing, her brother's name. To hear he was one of the reasons for her ex's self-banishment had caught her off guard completely. "What?" Was all she could ask.

"Mark, John, Otto, Flint, Max…. Eddie all of them Liz. When I killed Hydro Man. Something, woke up in me." Peter looked at his knuckled lifting them up for him to see in plain view "Liz, there is a monster in me. There was always a monster in me. I don't know when it came, how long it had been in there. I just knew it had taken over me. It killed the best of me along with Hydro Man."

"I couldn't be Spider Man anymore. I couldn't be Peter Parker anymore. I couldn't be the man Uncle Ben could be proud of. Anytime I looked at a thug or a super villain all I saw was dead meat. Killing became a drug for me. It didn't let me go. Anytime I saw a scumbag doing something I just ended it. I didn't know why they did it, I didn't care why they did it. All I wanted from them was to be in ground." Peter confessed feeling his whole being socked in a bath of blood.

Once he calmed down Peter finished his confession "That's why I left Liz, to protect them. Mark, Eddie everyone who became a supervillain because of me. As Spider Man I would send them to jail. As the Punisher I would send them to an early grave. I allowed myself to be consumed by this killing drug. Not one of them was safe from me anymore. I owed it to them to run away. To surrender my life. To be the worst of them all. That was my curse that was my punishment, Liz. To make sure none of them died because of me. I ruined their lives enough. I didn't want to end it as well."

"Even, if it meant I could never have an happy life again. A life that would have allowed me to be loved. I deserve to be hated Liz. Everything the bugle said about me. They were right on the dot" Peter looked towards his Punisher suit, seeing that dam Skull on the chest "I wish I could throw it away Liz, seeing all these things that I have done. I wish I could turn back time and make things right. Now, I know that is too late. I just wish I could have been better for you. Better for everyone. I wish you could have had the best of me."

Liz just stared at Peter, not acting. Not talking just staring. She walked up to her former boyfriend. She pushed her arms up and hugged him. Peter was taken back by this response. His body froze, unprepared for this confrontation. It took a while but finally he returned the hug. She, feeling her warmth again eased some of the scars he had carved for himself over the years.

After a good five minutes Liz finally let go. She grabbed her purse and made her war towards to door. Before she opened the knob, she turned around to face her ex. Her gaze being one of sympathy "Petey, you don't have to be this person. Yeah, it's been seventeen years. That doesn't mean it has to be it. You can still get out of this. You can be Spider Man again, even with the new guy around. I don't see a guy who is fixing a problem. I just see a Punisher, who is tired of being punished. If you want this to be your life fine, I can't stop you. Just remember, don't shoot your life away like Mark did."

Peter frowned remembering an all too similar speech she gave during his first encounter with Molten Man. "Call your Aunt Petey, I know it's been a long time. Even with the Hydro Man murder but she's misses you. Gwen misses you. Harry might be another story but don't give up on him. Just, promise me you won't give up on yourself." With that Liz Allen left the apartment. Giving one last look at the crime killer who she hoped would become a crime fighter once again.

Peter turned away from the door. Feeling, a loss more so then often. Hearing the voice of murder, of punishment trying to tackle him to ignore the words of the former cheerleader. One hand his Punisher suit was begging him to go out and slay the Kingpin along with his cronies. On the other hand, the image of Liz Allen, begged him to throw away that suit into the rubbish in another ally.

Peter sighed, hating this feeling of unknowingness of debating. His confliction came to a halt when he heard the TV from next door "In later news, it was reported that Walter Hardy formerly known as the phantom thief 'The Cat' died yesterday in Ryker's prison. Walter Hardy was solely responsible for a number of New York's most infamous heists. Until he murdered Ben Parker and was captured by the original Spider Man. For the remainder of his life, was spent behind bars ending his criminal escapades. It was reported that before he died his last words were 'I'm sorry. Ben Parker I'm so sorry. On other news..."

Peter backed away from the wall he was listening from, he was gone. Walter Hardy was actually gone. The man who set him on this path was no longer with the living. He was dead, dead like Uncle Ben was. Another dead man. Another man who died in misery by punishing himself with his past mistakes. A man like Walter Hardy was a man Peter Parker had turned into.

Peter, walked up to his Punisher suit. Placing his left hand on the white skull on the suit's chest. Feeling a sense of emptiness from the touch. Now, he knew why he made the suit black. It wasn't because of his time with the Symbiote. It was because black was the same colour Walter Hardy wore when he killed his Uncle Ben. An outfit for a man who lost his way and forwent everything he originally tried to strive for.

Peter took his mobile and called a number "Yes police, I am Peter Parker. I have information about the Kingpin... I also want to hand myself in for a number of murders."

The Allen Apartment a few hours later

Liz returned to her home after her confrontation with Peter. Her head still trying to figure out what had happened in the last hour. Her thoughts were interrupted by a.

"Mum, Mum you got to see this!" Liz turned to see a young seventeen-year-old boy. Like her he had tanned dark skin, brown hair, dark eyes, and black spot on his cheek. He was wearing Captain America Pj's as he sat on the red couch watching the TV.

"What is it, Marcus?" Liz asked her son as she walked up the couch and leaned on it.

"They got him! They got that Punisher guy, weird?" Her son told her.

Liz's eyes widened "What?" she gasped. She took the remote to push the volume up.

"After seventeen years, Peter Parker the Punisher, has finally been apprehended. The original Spider Man handed himself into authorities earlier this afternoon. What will become of the fallen hero turned crime killer is anyone's…."

Liz looked away. Seeing Peter being taken away in handcuffs was just too much for her to bear.

Marcus looked at his mum concern taking over his face "Mum, are you okay?"

Liz wiped away a small tear "Yeah Markey, I'm good." She lied to keep a facade so her son be at ease.

Marcus looked at the TV "Didn't you date a Peter Parker?" He asked.

"Yeah, but it wasn't him" She lied "It was another Peter Parker, he was such a nerd no way he would ever be someone like the Punisher."

Marcus nodded solemnly "So, who is the guy anyway?" Marcus remembered his mum's and her friends' stories of the original Spider Man back in the day. Before he turned crime killer. While he was a fan of the new Spider Man who popped up, he always had a small interest in the original.

"He was someone who lost his way but needed help to find it again. Someone like your Uncle Mark…. someone like your Dad Marcus."

The End

I think you know who is farther is.