Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man

Chapter Two: Meet The Parkers

Blinking, Sarah opened her eyes to find herself, not in a swirling vortex, going through time, but in her foster care employee's (Carol's) car. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up straighter in her seat. She'd had that dream before. Only it wasn't just a dream - it was a memory. One that haunted her every night since she'd been banished to this strange new world.

"Sarah, honey," Carol said, her voice soft but firm, "Are you awake yet/"

"Yeah," Sarah said, brushing a lock of brown hair out of her eyes. Instinctively, her hand went to her locket. The only thing she had left of her past that was tangible. The only part that people actually did believe.

Because, of course, who was going to believe that she was from another time? No one, that's who. Even though people believed superheroes going back in time - they didn't believe her. Probably because most shrinks said she was using the time travel story as a way to cope with what happened to her.

In their opinion, she was badly mistreated, and left for dead, probably thrown out of a car, when her parents couldn't or wouldn't take care of her anymore. Either that, or she was a product of gang violence.

"We're almost to your new home," Carol said, breaking through Sarah's melancholy thoughts. The woman sounded too cheery. "Good old number 50."

"I didn't know 50 was a lucky number," Sarah said, blinking again. She wasn't trying to be sarcastic, as she was most of the time she spoke with Carol. She'd simply never heard of 50 being called a lucky number.

"Well, you better hope it is," Carol said, her voice now sounding strained. "Otherwise - you're going back to Chicago."

"You mean we're not in Illinois anymore?" Sarah asked, looking out her window. Sure enough, she saw a build board that said: New York - Proud Home of The Avengers! With a sigh, she leaned back in her seat. Not that she wasn't excited about being in New York - who didn't dream of visiting it? - but she wasn't too into the whole superhero thing.

Not when everyone that she had met had treated her like she was some sort of damsel in distress. Yes, she had to use a wheelchair, yes, she couldn't walk or run - but she could darn well roll her wheelchair out of the way of an oncoming super villain. She didn't need some big shot grabbing her out of her chair, only to drop her somewhere even less safe - and then forget all about her as the villain turned the other direction.

She could handle herself, most of the time. Frowning, she swore to herself, that if any superhero lifted her from her wheelchair, she would make them go back and get, or at least pay for a new one. Part of the reason she was passed on from home to home so often was because her foster parents were tired of paying for new wheelchairs.

That, and the fact that they didn't like having to put in extra work for Sarah. Most of the parents she'd been with had either taken her in for the money, or done it to get some good publicity. And those who had done it out of the goodness of her heart didn't realize how cruel some of the other children were to her.

And so, in some cases, she had to call Carol and asked her to find her a new home.

Please, thought Sarah, closing her eyes and closing her hand around her locket. Please let me be able to stay here. I'm tired of moving.

"You okay back there?" Carol asked, glancing in the rear view mirror. Sarah could see the worry etched into her brown eyes. As much as Sarah was sarcastic to her, she loved her a lot. Carol had become sort of an aunt to Sarah.

"I'm fine," Sarah said, moving her hand away from the necklace. Even though she'd been here almost 6 years, she never stopped wishing on with her necklace. She still held out hope, that whatever magical force had given such extraordinary power on that day would come back to her. Help her stay where she was.

So far that power hadn't come back to her. It was like it had been locked away deep inside of her.

"So," Carol said, again breaking the silence between them. This only happened whenever they were getting close to her new foster home. "Are you excited?"

"I guess," Sarah said, shrugging. "I mean, I've been to so many homes that I know what to expect. Get out, say hi, have a trial for a few weeks, and if they don't like me I'm off to the next home."

"Hey, now, don't be so glum about things," Carol said, turning onto a small residential street. Despite herself, Sarah sat up a little straighter. "I think these people are the right ones for you. For real, this time."

"You said that about home # 25," Sarah responded, brushing her hair back.

"The only reason you didn't stay at #25 was because Mrs. Hutchens was in a car accident," Carol replied, pulling into the driveway of a small, tan house, with a brown roof, and a very plain dark brown door. It also had a small garden, with what looked like tomatoes, sunflowers, and even a few lilacs.

It looked...promising.

Up until the door opened and Sarah saw an elderly, short haired woman, and a teenager walk out. Her piece of hope disappeared instantly. This woman already had someone to take care of. Possibly he was another foster child like her.

"You didn't tell me she had a kid already," Sarah hissed to Carol as she got out of the car. The woman gave Sarah a quick glare to silence, her, before she smiled and greeted the two people coming towards the car.

"Mrs. Parker, Peter!" She said, loud enough for Sarah to hear. "It's so good to see you in person!"

"It's good to see you too, Carol!" Mrs. Parker said, giving Carol's hand a shake. "Is Sarah here? Did you get here all right? Is she okay?"

"We got here fine, Mrs. Parker," Carol said, taking back her hand and leading the two over to the car. Sarah begrudgingly unbuckled and got out on the other side of the car, putting her wheelchair out first, and then lifting herself into it. Then, hoping to avoid contact as much as possible. "Come meet the Parkers, Sarah. Don't worry, they don't bite."

Holding back a retort, she rolled around the car to meet them. Peter, who looked to be 15, offered her a gentle smile and a wave. May, however, opened her arms up and embraced Sarah in a hug.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Sarah," May said, taking a quick step back and taking good, long look at her. Sarah smiled back, unused to so much kindness. It had been 6 years of moving from home to home, with people treating her, while sometimes not badly, like she was visible. And now, getting all this attention was a little, strange to her.

"It's nice to see you too," Sarah said, folding her arms self-consciously. May smiled encouragingly at her, and then went to sign some paperwork with Carol. This left Sarah and Peter alone.

"So..." Peter said, startling Sarah. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. They were a sharp, light blue, with a twinkle in them. And, for some reason, Sarah felt that she could trust him. She knew that he wasn't one of those mean kids who would hurt her. "Do you travel often?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, letting out a little chuckle, and rubbing the back of her head. "This is my 50th home so far."

"Your 50th?" Peter asked, his eyes going wide. Blushing, Sarah nodded. "What happened?"

"Uh…" Sarah said, not sure if she trusted Peter enough to tell him why she moved so much.

"You don't have to answer that," Peter amended quickly, realizing how personal their conversation was becoming. "I was just - taken off guard is all."

"It's okay," Sarah said, giving him a little smile. "No one's really asked me how many homes I've been to. Not any of the kids, anyway…"

"Oh," Peter said, nodding. Sarah nodded as well, and they both lapsed into silence. It was just becoming awkward when Peter decided to break the ice. "So, you heard of Spider-Man?"

"Spider-Who?" Sarah asked, blinking. Of all the superheroes in the world, she had never heard of a Spider-Man. Ant-Man, yes. The Wasp, yes. But Spider-Man?

"Spider-Man," Peter said, sounding a little disappointed. Seeing Sarah's blank stare, he took out his flip phone and began looking for a good photo. He came handed it down to her. "Here."

Sarah came closer and looked at the tiny screen. On it was a blurry, grainy image of a man in a blue and red suit, with a pair of white stuff for eyes, and a black web design covering everything but the eyes.

"Cool," Sarah said, handing the phone back. "What does he do?"

"He's a hero," Peter said, closing his phone and putting it back in his pocket. "And he lives right here in New York."

"Oh, great," Sarah sighed, looking up at the sky. "Why me!?"

"You have something against superheroes?" Peter asked casually, standing back up. He looked a little unsure of what to do. To stand, or to squat, that was the question.

"Only the ones who pick me up without my consent - when I'm perfectly capable of moving out of harm's way on my own." She said, surprising Peter with her tone of voice. She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I've got a beef with heroes that do that. Is Spider-Man one of those types?"

"Not that I know of," Peter said, shrugging. Then, putting his hands into his pockets and then pulling them out again. "Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but what if you were in real danger and someone saved you?"

"You don't think I could do it?" Sarah asked, raising her eyebrows at him. He shrugged, looking nervous.

"I dunno, it's just -" He rubbed the back of his head and looked at his shoes for a moment. "I don't mean to be rude or anything - but would you be able to out run something like that? What about your wheelchair?"

"How about I show you how capable I am," Sarah said, determination glinting in her eyes. Peter, unsure of what else to do, shrugged.

"Sure," He said, then glanced back at May and Carol. "We should probably do it before they get back."

"It won't take that long," Sarah said, smiling mischievously. Since her 30th home she made a habit of going to the gym and lifting weights. Nothing like arms that could push her 50 miles per hour, if she pushed herself hard enough. "We'll race to the stop sign...down there."

Peter followed her pointing finger, which was way down on the other side of the street. And not the way Carol had driven in. His eyes widened as he watched Sarah ease onto the sidewalk. With one last glance back at the other two, he came to stand next to her.

"You sure about this?" He asked nervously. "I mean, what if your wheel gets something blocked in it or -"

"I've done worse," Sarah responded, waving away his concerns. "Why? You afraid to lose?"

"No," Peter said, going into a squat and preparing to run. Peter knew he could probably beat her, but...he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Maybe he should let her have this win. "Ready to go on your mark."

"Ready...Set…" Sarah shook out her hands and placed them both on the top of her wheels. "Go!"

And with that, she left Peter in the dust. She was going as hard as her arms would allow, while Peter was holding back just slightly. But when Sarah glanced back and laughed, he couldn't take it. With a sudden burst of speed he started to catch up to her.

From behind them, the gasps of both Carol and May could be heard. Then, Carol's voice rose into a shout as she called for Sarah to come back. But she ignored it. This was the closest she'd ever come to running. Feeling the wind whip past her face, her arms pumping, her heart beating fast…

"Hey...Sarah!" Peter said, coming up beside her. He was out of breath, and struggling to keep pace with her. He had thought that he could out distance her, but now, he wasn't so sure. His legs were beginning to burn, now. "Carol's….calling for you."

"Sorry!" Sarah said loudly, putting on more speed. "I didn't hear what you said!"

Then, suddenly, as if in slow motion, one of the cars up ahead started to pull out of the driveway just meters ahead. Grabbing her break, Sarah pulled it, and leaned her weight to the right, so she would do a 360 turn before she ran into the car.

Unfortunately, one of her wheels skidded into a crack, and with the moment going at what it was she went tumbling out of her chair and into the grass of someone's yard. Her heart beating fast, Sarah couldn't believe what had just happened. She'd never had an accident like this before. She'd mastered using a wheel chair - or so she thought. But it seemed, that she wasn't as good as she'd thought.

"Sarah!" Peter said, coming to her side. Sarah pushed herself up and her gaze swept the yard for her chair. "Are you okay?"

"Where's my chair?" She asked, just as she spotted it, several feet away, stuck in a crack on the sidewalk. Blinking, she stared at the place where the chair met the concrete. It looked...almost as if something was covering it.

Before she could ask Peter what had happened to her chair, however, Carol and May came running over. Both their faces encased in worry, however Carol's was also red with anger.

"What were you thinking?!" Carol shouted angrily, pulling Sarah's wheel chair out of the ground and over to her. Then she grabbed Sarah under the arms, and gestured for Peter to take her legs. Together they lifted her into the chair. "Do you know how dangerous that was? You could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry," Sarah said, putting her hands down to the wheel. But Carol grabbed the handlebars and began pushing her out of the grass. "Hey!"

"I'm not letting you pull a stunt like that again," Carol said sharply, completely oblivious to May and Peter, who were trailing behind. "What if you crashed your wheelchair again? Do you know how much they cost?"

"Yes," Sarah said, testily. "That's probably why so many families dumped me."

"Yeah, right," Carol snorted, and making Sarah look back at her. Carol was on her last nerve, and she was trying very hard not to say anything hurtful. But when you're worried about someone, and angry as well - that can be hard.

"What do you mean - 'yeah, right'?" Sarah asked. But Carol shook her head. She didn't want to hurt this child she'd come to think of as her own. "Carol - I want to know!"

"Fine." Carol said, pulling up beside her car. She parked Sarah a few feet away, and then began pacing. "You know why people don't keep you?" Sarah shook her head. "Let me tell you why. It's because no one wants a kid who thinks they can do anything. And especially one that gets her wheelchair crushed every other week. That's why you've had 50 homes, Sarah. After this, no one's going to want to take you in. You'll be in a house, where other kids who are unwanted live. So you better consider what you've been doing - and put a stop to it."

Sarah stared at Carol, speechless. Inside, she was shaking with fear, regret, and guilt. But then, anger began to sprout. How could Carol, the woman who she had contacted when she was tossed down a stairwell, left in a car - used as a slave - think this of her? Yes, maybe some of the people didn't like the fact that she was a thrill seeker, or that she got into trouble a lot - but could she really help it if she was around superheroes all that much?

Bad things just happened around her.

When Sarah didn't respond, merely stared back at Carol, her face a mask, the woman sighed and got into her car. Sarah still stared at her, wanting to say something, but not having anything to say. She couldn't get any words out.

"Good bye, Sarah," Carol said, sounding sad, now. She gave her a small smile. "Hope I don't see you soon."

That was a little joke between the two of them. As usually meeting soon after being put into a foster home meant something was wrong. But right now, it felt like a slap on the face. No, worse, it felt like Carol had slapped her on the face, and then slammed a door in it, locked it and walked away.

Blinking, Sarah realized she had tears coming down her face. Reaching up, she tried to wipe them away, but she couldn't stop them. This was years and years of tears being held back - and right now, at this moment, she couldn't hold them back anymore. Her emotional barriers had been crushed.

"Sarah, honey are you all right?" May asked, coming around to face her. With a compassionate look, she came in to give her a hug. At first, Sarah didn't respond. She sat there, unsure if this was real.

Then, as May put a hand on her head and gently patted it, she reached up and hugged the woman close. As she did, she could feel the love and compassion flowing from her. It was like some sort of magic - a healing one that helped Sarah to let go of all the feelings she'd held back for 6 years. All the sadness, the loneliness, the anger, the guilt, and the hurt.

She let it all out.