Chapter Seven

A/N: Hi, friends! I promise I have not forgotten about you and our pals, Peter and Julia. Life's gotten a little hectic, but I wanted to give you an update where our spiderlings are at. Thank you for your patience! Enjoy!

{ Julia }

Julia stumbles through the portal into the Avengers compound. The orange sparks fade behind her and Stephen as does the chaos with it.

It's so quiet.

Julia doesn't know the past time she wasn't hearing a million thoughts pour inside her head. Instead she hears just one.

Stay awake —

Stay awake —

Eyes open —

Head up —

Stephen pales with each passing second, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Oh, no you don't." Julia lifts him onto her shoulder and hauls him upstairs to the med bay.

"Hang in there, Stephen," she says, laying him on one of the gurneys. "We didn't make it all this way for you to crap out on me now."

Julia —

She webs the monitor closer, grabs the telemetry wires, and adheres them to his chest. She flips on the machine, adjusting a few settings and his heart beats, faint and weak on the screen, but it beats nonetheless.

Julia —

She rummages through cupboards and shelves for saline, assembles an IV, and inserts the needle in his arm. "I'm gonna prep for fifty CC's of parenteral injections," she tells him, turning away and searching for the chemical.

Seventy-five —

"Seventy-five," she corrects, "might as well make it a hundred and kill you from overdose."

"It wouldn't kill me — "

Julia screams. She turns to face his floating ghostly form, clutching her heart that beats a hundred miles an hour. She didn't expect his voice to come from outside his mind.

"Why are you astral projecting?!" She shouts.

Stephen looks at her curiously.

How is she doing that?

It's like she —

"How are you — "

"It's a long, thrilling story and one we don't have time for." Julia walks through him, finds the chemicals, and preps his arm for injection.

Stephen hovers above the floor, his wispy figure floating above his corporeal lying at her hands. "You're telepathic," he realizes.

"And you're dying."

"I'm not the only one suffering from malnutrition."

"I am not the one who caused this!" She bellows, staring him down, her chest heaving. This isn't about her. She may have lost weight, she may have been overexerting herself, but this doctor, this patient, this friend is dying. She doesn't have to help him, he let her down. He was supposed to protect her and he failed. He gave up everyone in the world to save her and it wasn't worth it.

I didn't say —

I didn't mean —

I tried —

I'd change it if I could —

Julia shakes her head, her chin wobbling, and angrily wipes her eyes. She draws the liquid from the vial into the syringe and delivers the injection. Stephen's astral form slips back into his body and she takes a breath with him gone. She cleans the station, discarding materials and returning unneeded supplies and watches his vitals slowly improve as minutes pass. She hangs her head, drawing a breath of relief that he's stable, and webs a chair to his bedside.

Thank you.

Julia puts a hand on his shoulder as she sits down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

It's okay. I don't blame you.

"And I don't blame you," she tells him. "Sometimes life just sucks."

It sucks ass.

Julia looks at him, resting on the bed with his eyes closed but his brain still clearly functional. "I literally never thought I would ever hear you think that."

That's why I think it and don't say it outloud.

I've thought it before —

Julia laughs. She doesn't think he meant for her to hear that last thought, but he doesn't really get a choice. She does, sometimes, but the Inhibitor's been giving her such pain, she hates turning it off and on. She's grown used to hearing others. She doesn't know what it woul be like if she stopped, if she went back to before they changed her.

She doesn't know how her and Stephen made it, but they did. She didn't think they would ever get free of that place. And Stephen definitely didn't think he would see the outside of that containment unit.

Julia senses him falling asleep, and hopes the idea doesn't plague his dreams.

She senses another presence approaching amid a jumble of emotions: tiredness, relief, anxiousness, excitement. A monitor at the door beeps, and Julia looks at the detection alert displaying a layout of the compound with the landing platform illuminated red.

Tony's here.

Julia —

Stephen —

Where'd you go, kid?

Which means —

Where are they?

Warmth grows within her chest —

Where is she?

Where is she?

The lights flicker —

Julia Julia Julia —

The lights surge —

Julia takes off running. She charges down the corridor, lights sputtering with electricity as she passes, and follows the stream of thoughts flowing from Tony and Peter making their way to her —

But there are more voices, coming from a different direction —

And she knows them.

She slows to a halt, straining to hear them over the roar coming from Peter, and part of her can't believe what she's hearing.

"Julia!"

She looks to see Peter landing from a web and sprinting toward her and her breath leaves as he enters.

"Kid?" Tony calls out, not far behind. He's ditched his suit for the sweatshirt and jeans we wore underneath. Peter pulls off his mask as he stands before her, and fiddles with the fabric as if to hide his fumbling thoughts like —

Like he was planning to do something else but now those plans are ruined.

Julia hears them again and turns back to the railing overlooking the floors below.

Is she here?

What is this place —

I wish I was back in bed —

Are they okay?

I'm gonna get fired if I'm late again —

Where is he?

Where is she?

"Julia?" Peter softly says. "What is it?"

She looks back at him. Dark circles line his eyes and his hair is matted from his mask and his nose is bleeding and probably broken and he is looking at her with worry.

Julia's eyes wet with tears.

The light above bursts —

"Jesus!" Tony yelps.

And they're plunged into darkness. Peter's shoulders raise as he scrunches his nose, shielding his head a little at the glass raining down.

"What the hell was that?" Tony mutters, looking around for the source.

Julia jumps over the railing —

"Her," Peter says.

She swings down to the lobby and follows the thoughts entering the compound. She hears Peter close behind.

Great, so, now I have superhero teenagers tearing up the joint —

Julia tunes out Tony's grumblings as he takes the stairs four flights down, and jogs over to the foyer with Peter. Happy emerges alongside Pepper ushering in May, Christine, and her father. They're dressed in a mix of pajamas and scrubs and anything they could throw on as they were dragged out of bed and picked up from work. Confusion and worry radiate from them, so much so that Julia doesn't understand how they're not the ones lying in hospital beds with how much worry sickens their stomachs.

"You said you'd found her?" Her father asks, trailing close behind Happy. "Where is she?"

"Is Stephen all right?" Christine adds.

"What about Peter?"

Pepper steps to the side and gestures across the way, gently saying, "Ask them yourself."

The adults freeze in their tracks, staring at them in disbelief. Julia feels a lump rising in her throat as her father steps forward and in the smallest of small voices, whispers, "Jules?"

Is it —

Is it her?

Peter —

Julia Julia Julia —

Julia nods at her father, unable to find her voice drowning in tears.

"Jules," he breathes. He moves toward her, relieved, as she runs into his arms and hugs him tightly. Tears fall from her eyes in big drops onto his shoulder and the warmth she feels inside pales in comparison to the love pouring out from him.

"Dad…" She whimpers, and he just holds her tighter.

"I thought I lost you," he whispers. "I thought I'd lost you both…"

Julia sobs into his neck. She caused this. All this worry. All this pain. And it just brought them closer together.

Elizabeth —

I miss you so much —

But she's okay —

Our baby's okay —

Julia cries harder.

"Oh, Jules!" Christine bawls.

Julia snivels, wiping her eyes and nose as she lets go of her dad and her aunt drops to her knees in front of her.

"We were so worried!" She exclaims with a hug. "We didn't know what happened, how to find you, who did this to you — I mean, are you okay?" She asks, tenderly rubbing her arm.

Julia looks down, realizing she's wearing her black Arachne suit and her hair is a mess and she knows she looks like she's lost weight and how frightening this must be for them but this is a good moment. This is a happy moment, one that shouldn't be overruled with fear.

She gives her a smile. "I'm okay. Stephen's okay, he's upstairs."

"Upstairs?" Christine repeats, searching for answers from one of the people who brought her in.

"Med bay," Pepper says.

Christine brings a hand to her mouth. "Oh, my God…"

What happened —

Is he okay —

How bad is it —

She stands upright, already searching for Happy to guide her to the stairs. He starts to lead her in that direction when Tony enters, anouncing, "Everyone take a chill pill, he's fine. Julia got him all set up, our nurses are in with him now."

Julia —

You helped him —

That's my girl —

Thank God she learned from her father —

She's just like her dad —

She's just like Elizabeth —

Julia reaches for the Inhibitor on her neck but stops short of turning it on.

Christine —

Please —

She looks at her aunt. "He wants you to be there when he wakes up."

Christine shares a puzzled look with her dad.

How does she know that —

He must have told her before she came down —

Julia lowers her hand from her neck, suddenly grateful the collar of her suit covers most of the metal imbedded in her skin.

"Right this way," Happy says, and Christine leaves with her guide but quickly backtracks to Julia.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She places a kiss in her hair and gives her another squeeze before disappearing from the foyer.

"Stay as long as you'd like," Tony throws over his shoulder. He meanders through Pepper, kissing her hand, and ruffles Peter's hair as he walks by, saying, "You'll be safe here." He stops in front of Julia and her father and pulls off his colored glasses. "I'm… sure you have a lot of questions."

Her dad wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Right now, I just want to spend some with my daughter." He grins at her and for the first time in what feels like years, Julia genuinely smiles.

Tony nods and steps back to be with Pepper.

"C'mon," Julia's dad says, "you must be starving. Let's get you some food."

"Cafeteria's downstairs!" The blonde shouts over her shoulder as she walks down the hall arm in arm with Tony.

Julia's dad steers her toward another corridor and Peter —

Wait —

Don't take her away —

I just got her back —

She looks back at him and he's looking at her with these wide eyes and his thoughts are going berserk with sadness and disappointment and —

May clears her throat. "Walter, will you go with me to the cafeteria?"

Julia and her father pause as May walks over to them, chuckling, "I just get so turned around in this place."

Julia notices Peter standing alone with his eyes downcast as he clutches his mask.

Please please please go with her —

"I don't see why…?" Julia's dad's voice trails off as he turns, confused, to look at her. "Jules, you don't want to — "

"Dad." She stares at him then widens her eyes, glancing at Peter several times.

This is so embarrassing —

Her dad shakes his head, not understanding. "No, I'm not letting you out of my sight — "

"Walter," May asserts. "Give them five minutes."

Her father looks at May who just points to her and Peter standing fifty feet apart when they want nothing more than to be together.

"Oh!" He exclaims.

Peter lazily drapes his mask over his face.

Julia drops her face in her hands.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Her dad nods, no longer looking any of them in the eyes, and bounces on his toes. "Sure, we'll go get some food. We'll, uh, we'll see you in a minute."

Julia flashes him a tight smile as he leaves with May. She turns away from them to the glass curtain wall where the sun's just started rising with its soft hues of pink lightening the navy sky.

Julia —

She's so —

Beautiful —

Julia smiles and looks to Peter. His eyes, filled with relief, soften as she meets his gaze and amazement is etched into his brow like it's the most amazing thing she's standing here but it's amazing to her that he's standing there and he came for her, she didn't think he would but he did and he's here.

"Peter…"

"Julia."

She runs to him and he runs to her, throwing her arms around his neck as he collides into her, holding her tightly—

So tightly —

And he smells like sweat and smoke and blood, and her stomach plummets to the floor with guilt but he's holding her —

He's holding her —

He's real and he's alive and he is holding her.

Julia dreamt of this moment in the Commission. She never truly believed it would come true but it did and it's her fault. It's her fault he had to find her, rescue her, force her to come to her senses —

Blinded by her pain, so numb to it all, grieving her mother —

Tears fall from Julia's eyes. She shouldn't have fought. She shouldn't have believed the lies they told her, she knew it was too good to be true, but she did it anyway. She didn't want to hurt Peter but she thought it was right, she thought it was good —

She sobs into his neck. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Peter says, pulling back to look at her. She wipes her wet cheeks. "Hey, hey, hey!" He takes her gently by the shoulders. "It's okay! Look! I'm okay!"

"Peter, your nose is broken."

"And I'm okay! Mr. Stark's okay, we're all okay. Well, Doctor Strange could be better, then again, we all could be better, but he's gonna be okay! That's the main thing!"

A laugh bursts through Julia's tears.

"You're okay," he says, softer this time, and brushes his knuckles along her wet cheeks. Which is dumb because her eyes just wet even more at his gentleness.

Peter takes her face in his hands and Julia closes her eyes, reveling in his touch.

"How did you find me?" She asks, breathless. "How do you always find me?"

The corner's of Peter's mouth turn up. "I never stop looking. Not in a crowded hallway, not in a boring class, not across a city. I always look for you, Julia."

He steps toward her —

"And I always find you."

And her breath catches in her lungs. Peter pulls her into his arms and she melts into his chest.

"I'll always find you," he mutters into her hair.

As if he knew —

As if finding her was the last thing he'd ever do.

Peter would never give up, on anyone, but knowing he never, and will never, give up on her?

Well, that's a whole new kind of superpower, isn't it?

Julia kisses him.

Without hesitation, without second guessing, without even deciding to do it because she needs to. She needs him to know how much she cares, how much she loves the lengths he would go for her —

(how much she loves him — )

Julia pulls back, realizing she probably should have given him some sort of warning.

Peter blinks a few times and she flashes him a timid smile. It was probably too soon to jump back into how things used to be.

"C'mon," she says, taking a step back. "Our people are waiting for us."

She turns away to the hall her dad and May disappeared through and hears a web launch. Julia feels it stick to her back and yelps as she's tugged backward and spins into Peter's arms. Bumping into his chest, she looks up at him and —

Clearly it wasn't too soon.

It wasn't soon enough.

She watches as Peter's eyes roam her face and a smirk rolls onto his lips. "Let 'em wait," he says. Julia smiles as he reaches down and presses his lips to hers.

And something explodes in her chest. It travels through her like a chain of lit firecrackers, burning away the tension and confusion and fear over the past three chaotic weeks.

And Peter's thoughts are just going crazy, she can't keep up with them all, but at the front of it, he's just saying —

Julia Julia Julia —

She separates her lips from his with a laugh. "I'm glad to be back, too, and not that I don't love this, but I'm starving."

"Oh, thank God." Peter bends over, clutching his stomach. "I thought I was gonna pass out a while ago."

Julia laughs. "C'mon, drama queen." She helps him upright and he drapes an arm around her shoulders as they cross the lobby.

"I thought I was the dancing queen," he remarks.

"You are any queen you want to be."

"Well, we know one thing's for sure." Peter looks over at her. "She's a killer queen."

Julia rolls her eyes. "Oh, my God." She slips out from under his grasp, Peter laughing and desperately trying to get her to come back into his arms. "Unh-unh!" She exclaims, pushing him away. "Get out of here! Get away from me with that cheesy pickup line…" She heads down the stairs as Peter follows behind explaining how, cheesy or not, it picked up her.

And it's Peter.

Holy crap, it's Peter.

And everything's okay.

{ Peter }

Peter pops the last bite of french toast into his mouth. He shouldn't have done that but it's too good to go to waste. He glances at Julia across from him. She was eating, she ate a lot, maybe even more than him, but now she's just staring at her plate and mindlessly dragging her fork through the leftover syrup.

Peter glances at the clock on the wall. It's six-thirty, but it feels like it should be midnight a hundred years later with how long this night has been. Mr. Stark brought them some clothes; May scrounged up some of Peter's own stuff from the trunk in their car and Julia's in some of Pepper's leggings with her dad's zip-up jacket. It fits nicely on him but on her it just looks like she's drowning in it. But familiarity and comfort are to be expected after traumatic events.

(Uncle Ben — )

(no —)

(stop it — )

Pepper enters from upstairs, professionally dressed and ready for the day, and no one would ever know she's been up as long as the rest of them. She makes her way over to Mr. Stark, leaning against the self-serve station and watching them all behind his glasses. Peter focuses on their conversation, tuning out May and Christine's idle chatter, and listens.

"The story's already breaking," Pepper says. "We need to get this press release out now."

Mr. Stark frowns. "We need to get our story straight." He stares at Julia and makes his way over to them, his watchful eyes never leaving her, and panic rises within Peter for no apparent reason other than he doesn't know why Mr. Stark looks so serious and that now does not seem like a good time to peruse Julia's head.

Mr. Stark slides onto the bench, sitting next to Peter, across from Julia and her father, and Pepper quietly approaches the table. May and Christine's conversation fades as they watch the boss man sit at their table.

Julia doesn't even look up from her plate.

"How you holding up?" Mr. Stark asks her.

She shrugs. "I'm holding."

The Avenger leans forward with a sigh, setting his hands on the table. Julia still doesn't look up.

"I get it," he says. "It's been a long night. For all of us. Word's already got out that Roxxon is up is smoke, same with all the serums. We need to know your involvement with them over the last three weeks. What was the organization called?"

Julia picks at her food. "The Commission."

"And its purpose?"

"Save lives."

"You believed that?"

"I didn't have a choice."

"And your abilities? Was that your choice too?"

Peter looks at him, baffled. "Mr. Stark…"

"Tony," Pepper chides.

Mr. Carpenter sits up straight, his chest puffing out as he inhales a deep breath, and Peter sinks down in his seat as much as he can. He glances at May. She shakes her head a little, signalling for him to not get involved but it's too late for that. They're all a part of this whether they like it or not and hostility not going to help.

The only one unphased by his remark is Julia.

She finally looks at him and leans forward on her arms. "Three weeks ago I woke up in a recovery room and was ordered to find the Juvenator. Manfredi made it seem like it was my choice but it wasn't. I never had one." Julia stares him down, and Mr. Stark stares right back.

"And the attacks," he says, picking at his nails. "Harry Thompson, Roxxon, that was… that was you?"

"If the suit fits."

Peter glances between her and Mr. Stark. He's never seen her so cavalier, nor his mentor so calculating.

"People are gonna find out, FBI's gonna want to arrest you so just answer me one thing." Mr. Stark sniffles, and he says it all so casually as if trying to match her indifference that it has Peter on the edge of his seat. "Do you still want to help The Commission?"

And something snaps in Julia. A clear fire burns behind her eyes that Peter prays he is never on the receiving end of.

"You mean do I want to help the psychopaths who tortured, kidnapped, and manipulated me into doing their dirty work? You're seriously asking if I want to help them?"

"Okay," Pepper interjects, placing a hand on Mr. Stark's shoulder. "I think we got it. Thank you, Julia. Tony?"

He rises from his seat, leaving them at the table as Pepper escorts him away. Christine leans across to Mr. Carpenter, asking what that whole thing was about, and before Peter can talk to Julia, she storms out of the room.