The Extraordinary Spider-Man - Vol 1

Chapter 7: Thankful

Likenesses used

Vera Setta as Monica Rappaccini

Tauã Baccarin as Edward Rappaccini

That night, Peter and Aunt May were having dinner in the living room, watching the news on TV. Specifically, they were having Aunt May's famous linguine and rice.

"I don't really watch the news this often, so it looks like I've got some catching up to do," Aunt May admitted.

"Not sure there's much to catch up on," Peter responded with a mouthful of rice.

"In other news, the red vigilante was last spotted stopping a convenience store robbery. After a brief fight, he took down three thugs, protecting the cashier. There was definitely a mess left behind, and according to one of the thugs, the vigilante was-"

Peter quickly grabbed the remote and switched the channel to an episode of Friends.

"I'd rather spend time with Monica and Chandler right now," Peter lied with a smile on his face.

"All good. Looks like you really 'need a break' from the news," Aunt May joked.

Peter groaned. "May, the line is 'We were on a break!'"

"Oh, right."

"You have gotta get better with your pop culture references, grandma," Peter said with a sly look.

"Rephrase that before I take that plate of food and throw it at your face," Aunt May casually threatened.

"Did I say grandma? Sis, your hair looks greater than ever!" Peter complimented.

"Why, thank you! I'm actually thinking about getting blonde highlights. Should I go for it?" Aunt May asked.

"Maybe. I could see you pulling them off," Peter responded.

"Thanks!"

Peter put his fork down. "May, how have you been feeling recently?"

"Oh, I almost forgot! If it's okay with you, I was thinking of signing us both up for therapy. I think it'd be really helpful for us to talk about it more. Especially since a trained professional will be helping us out. Are you in?" Aunt May offered.

"So, wait, therapy? Like, we'd actually be seeing a real therapist?" Peter blurted out.

"We'd be seeing a therapist that specializes in family counseling. And we'd go weekly. I'm gonna be going regardless, but whether you want to or not is completely up to you. Whatever you choose to do, I'll understand," Aunt May explained.

Peter looked at the TV, before looking down at his food. He then looked at Aunt May.

"I'm down."

Aunt May smiled. "Sounds good. I'll give them a call tomorrow morning."

"Well, you're not the only one here with an offer. Remember my friend Harry?"

"From the funeral? Yeah, really nice young man. What about him?"

"Well, he invited us to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family. My friend Gwen and her family might be going as well. You down?" Peter asked.

"Oh, that's really nice of him! Yes, I'd totally be down to go! Tell him I say thanks!" Aunt May exclaimed. "It'll especially be a good way to celebrate Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving without Ben."

Peter put his hand on Aunt May's shoulder. "It'll be great."

Aunt May nodded. "You're right."

"Plus, Harry even insisted we don't bring anything. He says his family's got it handled."

"That's nice of them."

Peter finished up his food and got up. "Anyway, I'm gonna go upstairs. Talk to you later, May."

"Right back at you, Pete."

Peter took his plate to the kitchen sink, and then walked up to his room. Inside, he walked over to his desk, where the prototypes of the incomplete web-shooters were. Different chemicals and dismantled watch parts were scattered on the table, as well as Peter's chemistry notes. Peter pulled up his laptop, which had tabs for the web-shooter blueprints, his father's unfinished work and notes on the molecular adhesive, and costume tutorials.

"Another night of this," Peter sighed.

Peter poured some methanol in a beaker of carbon tetrachloride, causing a small chemical reaction as a little web fluid started forming. Peter looked over at the web-shooter prototype, which already had a sample of the webbing inside of it. He pressed the nozzle down, only for the webbing to shoot out in multiple directions, with some of it sticking onto Peter's face.

"Gah!" Peter exclaimed as he pulled the webbing off.

Peter turned to his bed and pulled the unfinished costume from underneath it. He also pulled out his home ec notes, and looked at the different costume designs he came up with on his notebook. Right now, the costume had dark yellow reflective sunglass lenses, and incomplete black webs were outlined on a majority of it. Peter looked at the blank torso piece of the costume.

"A few more tweaks, a spider in the middle, and we should be set."

On Thanksgiving, Carmilla's car drove up to the crowded driveway of her mother's house.

"Alright, let's go inside," Carmilla said to Mac as she parked the car.

Mac put his hand on Carmilla's shoulder. "Wait. Let's talk."

Carmilla sighed. "What is it?"

"Look, this is the fifth time I'm gonna say this, but I'll say it again. I'm really sorry about how I acted the other day," Mac apologized.

"Mac-"

"Carmilla, listen. You know that wasn't me. I love you more than anything else in this world, I-I just don't know what was happening that day," Mac insisted. "I-I-"

"It's okay, Mac."

"I would never hurt you, Carmilla. Please say you forgive me."

Carmilla looked down for a bit, before looking at her husband. She smiled, causing him to smile as well.

"I forgive you."

Lighting up with happiness, Mac tenderly kissed Carmilla.

"Great, then let's go inside," Mac declared, opening the door.

The two got out of the car and walked over to the trunk, opening it. Mac pulled out their container of mashed potatoes as Carmilla closed the trunk. The two walked up to the door, and Carmilla rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Carmilla's mother Monica Rappaccini opened the door.

"Mom!" Carmilla happily exclaimed as she hugged her mom.

"Oh, Carmilla!" Monica said. "How's my beautiful daughter doing?"

Carmilla chuckled. "We're doing great, thank you."

Mac hugged his mother-in-law. "Monica, you're looking prettier than ever!"

"Thank you, Mac. You guys better not disappoint us with your mashed potatoes!" Monica joked.

Mac smirked. "We definitely won't."

They all walked into the house, where Carmilla's other family members were.

"Robert! Louis! Uncle Charlie!" Carmilla greeted, hugging her relatives.

"Carmilla!" Carmilla's older brother Edward exclaimed. "You guys made it!"

Carmilla hugged her brother. "Edward! Of course we did!"

Edward walked over to Mac and hugged him. "How's my brother-in-law doing?"

"He's doing great, thanks! What have you been up to?" Mac asked.

"Not much. Still cheering on the Jets, and my Tinder game is going really strong!" Edward bragged.

Mac smirked. "Nice."

Carmilla rolled her eyes. "That's my brother for you. Please tell me you remembered to bring the green beans."

"Of course I did. Would've broken mom's heart," Edward said. "Dinner should be ready in about half an hour, by the way."

"Alrighty. I'll head to the kitchen," Carmilla said, walking over to the kitchen.

Edward turned to Mac. "Yo, man. You were already jacked before, but holy shit. What's your secret?!"

"Oh-oh, just work out all the time. Eat a lot of meat, protein shakes, the good stuff, you know?" Mac quickly responded.

"My God, you weren't kidding when you said he was rich!" Aunt May exclaimed as she pulled the car up to the Osborn mansion.

"Tell me about it," Peter agreed. "When you have a dad like Norman Osborn, you're definitely gonna be living in a castle. Hell, they probably have a pool in there."

"Honestly, if you get close enough with Harry, maybe they'll pay for your college tuition," Aunt May casually suggested.

"May!"

"Kidding! Anyway, let's go inside."

Peter and Aunt May got out of the car and walked over to the mansion, with Peter ringing the doorbell. A few seconds later, Harry opened the door.

"Peter, Mrs. Parker, you guys made it!" Harry happily greeted.

Peter hugged Harry. "Hey, man! Thanks again for inviting us!"

"No prob, thanks for coming! Hey, Mrs. Parker!" Harry said, hugging Aunt May.

"Please, Harry, call me May! Thank you so much for inviting us to your home!" Aunt May thanked.

"Again, thank you guys for coming!" Harry thanked. "Come in!"

Harry led Peter and Aunt May inside.

"Wow! Your house is beautiful!" Peter complimented.

"Thanks!" Harry responded.

The three took the stairs up to the dining room, where Emily was preparing the food.

"Mom, this is my friend Peter Parker and his Aunt May," Harry introduced. "Peter, May, as you can see, this is my mom!"

Emily walked over to hug Peter. "Nice to meet you! I've heard a lot about you!"

Peter chuckled. "I can imagine."

"All good things, I promise!" Emily assured as she started to hug Aunt May. "It's really nice to meet you, May. Both of you can call me Emily."

"And you can call me May. Nice to meet you too!" Aunt May replied.

"By the way, Gwen and her dad are in the other room," Harry revealed.

Peter smiled. "Oh, sweet!"

Aunt May chuckled. "Real subtle of you."

Harry led Peter and Aunt May to the next room, where Gwen and her dad were waiting.

"Captain Stacy! Great to see you again!" Aunt May proclaimed, hugging George.

"Feeling's mutual," George agreed. "How have you guys been?"

"Better," Aunt May vaguely responded.

George turned to shake Peter's hand while Aunt May walked over to Gwen.

"Peter, it's nice to see you again," George greeted as he shook Peter's hand.

"You too, sir," Peter responded.

"You must be Gwen. It's so nice to meet you!" Aunt May said as she hugged Gwen.

"The honor's mine, Mrs. Parker," Gwen insisted.

"Looks like all the introductions are out of the way," Harry chuckled.

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, guys, just letting you know that dinner's about to be ready!" Emily called from the dining room.

"You guys are in for a treat," Harry promised.

They all went into the dining room and sat down. Though there was one empty chair.

"Norman! Dinner's ready!" Emily yelled to Norman's office.

"Coming!" Norman called back in response.

Norman came in, and everyone sat down.

"Peter. Gwen. Nice to meet you both," Norman said as he eyed the two teens. "Harry tells me you're quite the geniuses."

Peter smiled. "I do my best, sir."

"Same. School can still be really difficult. Not that we don't appreciate being called geniuses though," Gwen clarified.

Norman waved his hand dismissively. "Modesty doesn't get us great minds to our highest potential. Embrace your intellectual gifts all you can."

Harry quickly took this chance to change the subject. "So, does anyone want to say anything?"

"Well, we're not a very religious family, but I have to say. Thank God that you're all here!" Emily joked.

Everyone laughed, especially Harry and Gwen.

"I would like to say something if that's okay," Peter announced.

"Absolutely, Peter. Go for it," Norman encouraged.

Peter got up. "Every Thanksgiving, Aunt May would usually cook dinner for us and Uncle Ben. She still makes the best turkey ever, and honestly, it was always a highlight. The three of us would eat together, chat, and most importantly, talk about what we're most thankful for. I'm thankful for my Aunt May, as I know she's always gonna be there for me despite the hardships. I'm thankful to have Harry and Gwen in my life, as I barely had any friends before them. I'm thankful that you've all invited me and Aunt May to celebrate this day with you guys. It really means a lot to us. Thank you."

Peter got down, and everyone else clapped.

"That was beautiful, Peter. Very well said," Emily complimented.

"Yeah, it meant a lot to us," Gwen agreed.

Peter blushed. "Thanks."

"Anyway, I think it's time we feast," Norman suggested. "Unless anybody wants to say anything else?"

"I do, You really couldn't have said it any better, Peter. I really cannot thank you guys enough for inviting us. Like Peter said, it's our first Thanksgiving without Ben, and I initially thought it was gonna be difficult. Now that we're here, I know it's gonna be an amazing time," Aunt May declared.

"I want to say I'm thankful for my family, my friends at the station, and the very fact that we were invited to come here in the first place, so thank you," George expressed.

Gwen followed up. "Same. I can't stress how flattered my dad was when I told him about the invitation. Other than that, I'm thankful for my amazing family and friends, this delicious food on the table, our overall health and well-being, and our school coffee shop."

Everyone chuckled, and Harry took that moment to speak. "Pretty much the same stuff. Thankful for family and friends, and I'm overall happy you guys could be with us today! Let's all dig in!"

Everyone started digging in. The dinner consisted of roast turkey, turkey stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

"So, Peter. Gwen. Harry tells me you guys have been helping him a lot with algebra. I wanted to thank you," Norman said, putting green beans on his plate.

"Oh, no prob! It helps that Gwen and I are some of the few that actually enjoy math," Peter admitted.

"That doesn't mean it can't be a pain at times," Gwen pointed out.

"I remember my stats class from my senior year of high school. That was not pretty," Aunt May reminisced.

"Math wasn't my strong suit either," George related. "I couldn't stand any form of it. If you had told me forty years ago that my daughter would be a genius, I would've laughed right in your face."

"Well, I already laugh at you every day since you can't stand helping Simon and Phil with their homework," Gwen chuckled. "You always tell me to do it."

Peter looked confused. "Simon? Phil?"

"My younger brothers. My mom and them went to have dinner with relatives downtown," Gwen explained.

"What exactly are your future plans, Peter? College? Job?" Norman asked.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't grill him, Norman."

"No, it's okay," Peter insisted. "I want to do something in science or engineering. As for schools, it'd be cool to go to NYU or Empire State or-"

"Columbia?" Norman suggested.

"Maybe," Peter responded, stuffing mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"Maybe? Peter, I have no doubt Columbia would be a perfect fit for you. I graduated from there in '78. Double majored in chemical engineering and business administration," Norman explained. "You should definitely apply there if you can. Then again, you have three years to decide all that. Who knows? Maybe we're looking at the next Tony Stark here."

Peter nodded. "Thanks for the advice."

Norman put his fork down. "You're welcome."

"Wait, has anyone else been hearing about that vigilante on the news?" Harry asked.

"Oh no," Gwen groaned.

"What is it?" Aunt May asked.

"I don't know if there's a proper word in the English dictionary I can use to describe how I feel about that guy," George vented. "He's nothing but a troublemaker. All he does is going around beating up thugs and attracting attention. He needs to leave that to us."

Aunt May put some more green beans on her plate. "I agree. All the guy wants is attention, and he's honestly just looking for trouble."

"I mean… I think he's just trying to do the right thing. He's taking out the bad guys, and well, that-that's good," Peter stuttered.

"I agree. The guy seems like he has good intentions. I don't see how's creating a problem," Gwen agreed.

"Well, here's the thing. This guy always leaves a mess whenever he screws around with the baddies. He doesn't care about law and order at all. He's just doin' what he wants to, beating up whoever looks bad to him. The guy's only appeared a few times in public, but he's already become a real pain for us. Hell, he's probably some punk with a selfish vendetta. If there's a crime going on, my guys and I will have it handled," George asserted.

The room was silent, though the awkwardness was broken by Harry a few seconds later.

"So… can anyone pass me the stuffing?"

Everyone started laughing, though Peter had to force himself to go along with it.

"God, we thank you for the blessing and joy of family. Thank you for those who are gathered with us today and those who are far away. May we all see the many ways you provide for us, comfort us and protect us. Bless this food to make us healthy and strong. Amen," Monica prayed as she and everyone else at the table let go of each other's hands.

"Well said, mom. As always," Carmilla said. "Dig in, everyone!"

Everyone started collecting their food, and Mac started placing an excessive amount on his plate.

"You know, I've been told you have to eat a lot to gain muscle. Safe to say you know your stuff!" Edward remarked as he saw Mac's plate.

Instead of responding, Mac started sweating as he grabbed his knife. He put some cranberry sauce on his plate, only for it to transform into something much more gruesome.

Blood was splattered everywhere on the ground. Gunshots and explosions were still heard in the background as Mac ran with his gun. Mac aimed it at the opposing soldiers and continued shooting, killing most of them.

"Ahhh!" one of Mac's comrades screamed as he fell to the ground, having been struck in the chest by a bullet.

"NO!" Mac shouted as he continued shooting the other soldiers. One of them ran over to Mac with a gun, only for Mac to quickly tackle him to the ground.

"Fuck you!" Mac yelled as he started repeatedly plunging his combat knife into the soldier's chest and neck.

"Mac! Mac! Are you okay?!" Carmilla called out.

"Fuck you!" Mac yelled back.

The table gasped, as Carmilla covered her mouth in shock. Mac got up, putting his hands on his head, hyperventilating.

"Yo, what the fuck did you just say to my sister?!" Edward roared as he got up.

"Nothing, just leave me alone," Mac dismissed as he walked away.

Carmilla got up and walked over to her husband, holding him. "Mac. Honey, it's okay. Just talk to me, please."

Mac shook his head and let go of Carmilla. "I really can't."

"Yes, you can. I'll understand-"

"You'll understand? You weren't there! You didn't see everything I have!" Mac shouted. "None of you get it."

Mac started walking away again, only for Carmilla to continue approaching him.

"Mac, please-" Carmilla started as she put her hand on Mac's shoulder.

Mac grabbed Carmilla's throat and pinned her against the wall, prompting the entire family to start gasping and screaming.

"M-Mac! Please!" Carmilla begged.

"You son of a bitch, get off her!" Edward angrily demanded as he ran over to Mac.

Mac kicked Edward in the chest, knocking him back. Heavily breathing, Mac let go of Carmilla. He looked at the horrified and angered family, before looking back at Carmilla's teary eyes. Panting, Mac quickly walked out of the house.

Walking through the streets of Queens, Mac pushed his way past some people. Still panting, he made his way over to a bench and sat down. Already sitting on the bench was an annoyed Peter, who was scrolling through his phone. Mac groaned and put his hands on his head as he contemplated everything. Peter looked further irritated as he looked at slanderous articles of the vigilante on his phone.

"What's your story?" Mac asked.

Peter looked over in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"You're clearly bothered by something, as am I. You want to talk about it?"

Peter sighed. "It's complicated."

Mac shrugged. "Try me."

"I mean, it feels crazy opening up to a stranger, but I guess I gotta let it out. There's a certain side of me that I found out my aunt doesn't like. On top of that, there's this girl I really like, and her dad doesn't like said side of me either," Peter opened up. "But here's the crazy part. They don't know that that side of me exists, err, I mean they do know. But they don't know it's me. Not sure if that makes any sense."

"So what you're saying is that they don't like you for your deeper qualities or something? Or a potential double life?" Mac questioned.

"Something like that. I just want to… well, I'm not sure what I would do."

"Do whatever you think is right, honestly. I know that sounds cliche, but if there's something in the back of your mind that's giving you even a tiny bit of uneasiness, that should be telling you something," Mac pointed out. "As for these habits of yours, be proud of them. Do it if you feel it's right. Problem is, not everyone's gonna like you or your intentions. After a while, you learn not to give a shit."

"That's true, but it's just so hard not to care. No matter what I do, I'm just worried that it's gonna hurt people," Peter admitted.

"I know how you feel," Mac related. "I tried to do something good, and now, it feels like everything's gone to shit."

"Tell me about it. It's like, I go through this huge change, and I'm trying to put it to use. And it feels like I can't please anyone."

"Looks like we're pretty much in the same boat. I got into a massive fight with my wife a couple days ago, and what just happened at Thanksgiving dinner… not pretty. It was completely on me."

"Ouch. I'm sorry, man. If it makes you feel any better, my Thanksgiving dinner got heated at a certain point as well."

"It's 'cause they didn't like your habits, right?" Mac asked.

"Pretty much," Peter confirmed. "As for your wife, the only advice I can really give is to remind her that you love her. You gotta own up to what you did and admit you were wrong."

"Believe me, I want to. But I doubt she wants to see me right now."

Peter took that moment to pour his heart out. "I totally get that. I know it's much easier said than done. But my uncle was killed a couple weeks ago, and we got into a huge fight before it all happened. Told him he wasn't my dad. As traumatizing as it was, I'm thankful I got to be there when he was dying. Gave me a chance to tell him I loved him."

Mac was silent for a few seconds before responding. "Mate, I'm really sorry about that. Your uncle seemed like a great man."

"He was. Still is. What I'm trying to say is, don't ever wait to tell someone how much you love them. What happened between you and your wife had to have been tough, but all you can do is remind her that you'd do anything for her."

Mac nodded and got up. "You're right. You're absolutely right. It's gonna be tough as hell facing her, but I'm gonna tell her I love her."

"You go and do that. I'm gonna go home and be proud of who I am," Peter declared.

Mac held out his hand. "That's the spirit. I'm Mac, by the way."

Peter shook Mac's hand. "Peter. Thanks a lot for this talk. It really helped."

"Likewise. Have a good night, Peter."

"Thanks, you too!"

Mac turned around and headed the other way, while Peter got up from the bench and started to head home.

Disclaimer: Spider-Man and any other Marvel characters are created and owned by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. I do not have any ownership over them.

I'm still going crazy throughout all this quarantine, as a lot of you are, I assume. Luckily, it still gives me time to work on this story. I definitely want to thank you all for reading and sticking with this story, especially since you've had to put up with the slow burn origin. I also thought it'd be cool to use Morena Baccarin's real-life family as the cast for Carmilla's family lol.

I'm still outlining out the rest of the volume, and planning out which other characters, specifically villains, will appear. You guys are in for a treat. Other than working on this story, I've been doing homework, watching movies, and zooming with friends A LOT. I hope you're all staying safe and healthy as well.

As always, the next chapter will be out around next week, and I usually don't hint at what's to come, but I can't help it this time, because the next chapter will end on an insane note. I really hope you're all growing attached to these characters, and again, favs, follows, and reviews always keep me further motivated! Thank you!

Guest - I'm gonna assume this is the same guest that previously suggested a bromance between Peter and Mac. I actually thought about your ideas and decided to use it as inspiration for the final scene of this chapter, so I hope you appreciated that! Thanks again for the constant support with this story, and I hope you stick with it!

-redbird12