April 19th - 2019
Peter stood in front of Captain Stacy's grave. The day was cloudy and also a rather cold evening of spring. He hadn't been at the location for a long time since he broke the promise he made to Gwen's dying father. A night he couldn't forget even if he wanted to, one that would forever haunt him.
He did want to say something very important to one of the many men he admired most. The same man showed a younger Peter Parker that he wasn't using his gifts for actual good like his Uncle Ben originally wanted him to. He also helped to place Peter in the path that began shaping the individual he now was.
1957 | 2012
"Hey, Captain," Peter smiled rather nervously. He feared what George could be thinking about him after everything that happened over the recent years.
Peter did accept Gwen Gwen in his life, despite the risks, but he still couldn't help and think that he was doing something wrong. It's something that he would forever have to live with.
"It's been a long time since I was here for the last time and I'm sorry about that. I do know that I… failed you, not once, twice… and it's something that I'm always thinking about." He confessed while looking down to the gravestone surrounded by the recently trimmed grass.
"I understand why you made me promise that I do. In your place, maybe I would probably ask for the same thing. My actions almost cost Gwen's life and I'm often recalling that single night, but..." He cleared his throat. "I just can't do that Cap...I tried to… in the end, I probably caused us far much more suffering. I love her… so much, if you only could understand that. She's just the woman of my life and I can't stay away from her unless she wants me to, and that's just… like I said, difficult. It's what she wants too."
He silenced himself for a few couple of minutes. He then moved his eyes away from the grave and to the city, deep in thoughts.
"I want to spend my whole life with Gwen. Wake at her side, have breakfast together every morning and maybe one day..." He finally smiled, imagining a not-so-distant future.
Peter exhaled deeply and looked back to the grave. "Okay, I'm just gonna say it… I-I'm going to propose. Yeah… and I wanted to tell you this because you're her father and you deserve to know it beforehand."
He continued, "What I can promise is that I'm gonna take care of Gwen with all my strength, and I sincerely hope that, wherever you are, you approve of it. It means a lot to me."
Peter silenced himself once again, waiting for some kind of response, even knowing that such a thing wouldn't happen. He did feel guilty and happy at the same time, about proposing to Gwen, because it was something that he always dreamed of doing soon. She was his first love, his first proper girlfriend, and possibly his future wife.
"I hope that you understand, Captain," Peter said, touching the grave with the tip of his fingers as he paid his respects. "I'll take care of her." He whispered, before walking away from the gravestone and heading out.
"I promise…"
Gwen hurried inside the restaurant across the street since the rain began to take over the city. She hadn't brought any umbrella along with her. She wore a black coat over her white blouse and dark blue jeans.
She carefully opened the door made of glass which caused a little bell to ring above her. She sat down at one of the empty tables, waiting for someone to attend to her.
The restaurant was almost empty. The only customers besides her were a young couple who were drinking what looked to be orange juice.
Gwen was on her lunch break, though she wasn't that hungry. She normally had lunch with her boyfriend, but he went to sell some new pictures for the Bugle. He was also acting kinda weird recently, like leaving the bed early in the morning, leaving behind only a note explaining that he went to patrol the city earlier than he usually did.
She retrieved her phone from her purse and checked for any missed calls or messages. She was about to text Peter if someone hadn't interrupted before she could even type something.
"What would you want today, Miss Stacy?" An unknown, but gentle feminine voice questioned her.
Gwen raised her chin to meet the person, an extremely pretty and red-haired waitress. She wore a black skirt and a white buttoned shirt.
"Oh, hi. How do you... know my name?"
"One of the boys has a list of the most frequent customers, special treatment." She smiled, kindly.
"Thanks, I guess… but you can call me Gwen. What about you?
"Mary Jane, nice to meet you, good lookin'. Most people call me MJ, though." She replied, surprised by the blondie's friendly treatment towards her.
"Nice to meet you too, MJ." Gwen smiled at her sympathy.
"Likewise." Mary Jane nodded." So, craving anything?" She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from her skirt's pocket.
"I guess a hot chocolate would be nice."
"Then a hot chocolate will be on its way," MJ spoke, before walking away to prepare Gwen's order.
There was something with this girl that got Gwen's attention. She sounded so energetic and she initially seemed to be a nice person too.
Gwen went back to her phone. She began texting her boyfriend.
GS: Hey Bugboy.
PP: Hey yourself Gwendy :)
GS: What are you doing?
PP: Catching a bus to Rykers, you?
GS: Lunch, be careful there.
PP: I will, and I'm sorry for not being with you. I have to do some things, it's for a good cause though.
Gwen frowned.
There he is, acting weird again. He's hiding something.
GS: Peter, what are you hiding from me?
She raised an eyebrow.
PP: :0 what are you talking about Gwen? This is a very serious accusation ;(
"Here it is, doll," MJ announced, interrupting Gwen from replying to her boyfriend.
MJ removed the cup from the plate she was carrying and placed it in front of her client.
"I hope that you like it."
"Thank you, " Gwen smiled, taking a sip. "Yeah, it's very, very good."
MJ smiled back and nodded as she walked away from the table.
Gwen again reached for her phone and got surprised by Peter's desperate texts.
PP: Gwen?
PP: Are you still there, Gwen?
PP: Are you ignoring me? :'(
PP: Please forgive me...I can cook something just for you for dinner! Or I can massage your legs, your pick. I could also do what you wanted before with the suit.
Gwen laughed, shortly.
GS: I'm mad at you, but now I'm just going to drink my hot chocolate...without you so...bye.
PP: What? C'mon Gwen...you can't be serious.
She placed her phone back in the purse, leaving Peter alone on the chat while she focused on drinking her hot chocolate. She smiled and watched the rain slide against the restaurant's transparent windows.
Harry found himself inside of a dark room, sitting on a chair while facing a holo-screen in the wall right in front of his figure. He held the small device his father once gave to him moments before he passed away after many years of prolonging his life.
He watched the recorded footage from Oscorp over the past years.
He waved his hand in the air and to the right, selecting the footage recorded fours years ago when he requested Spider-Man's blood. What Peter didn't know is that they literally could change the world if the spider venom worked, it could cure diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, and even more, but Peter's selfishness didn't allow any of that to happen.
Peter pushed him to his limit by using an unfinished serum to cure himself, and that almost cost Gwen's life, because of Peter's actions, at least that's what he thought about his former friend.
And now I'm building… something, for my reasons. Am I being selfish? Harry asked himself, conflicted.
He grabbed the bottle of scotch from the floor and started to drink its contents as he kept opening some other files through the virtual screen, thinking about what was right and what was wrong.
If there was even time for that at this point.
Ryker's Island
After walking through many blocks of the enormous prison, Peter and two guards finally arrived at the cell where Connors was waiting for his presence. One of the guards opened the door and gave him a nod to move inside.
He walked in and spotted Connors sitting in the chair beside the table which was the only thing inside of the room along with a lamp that was hanging on the ceiling. His hands were cuffed and were also lying over the metallic and empty table.
"Peter Parker," Curt spoke.
"Doctor Connors." Peter sat down.
"Not much of a doctor anymore, I'm afraid. " He smiled, sadly.
"You didn't unlearn what's in your head." Curt nodded. Peter continued, "You wanted to talk with me."
"Yes. There's this man… Gustav Fiers."
"I don't think I know him."
"You don't. He goes way back. Your father and I only heard stories about him."
"I… I don't follow."
"I believe Fiers and Norman Osborn once joined forces. Regardless… he came yesterday. He asked for my help… against you."
"What are you talking about? What's the deal with me?" Peter questioned, puzzled.
"I believe he's looking to… kill you."
"Yeah, everybody seems to want that," Peter spoke. "I'm already used to it."
"I don't mean you know who… but Peter Parker himself."
Peter deadpanned. He leaned in. "Why?"
"I don't know, Peter. Maybe something to do with Norman. Harry's in it too."
Peter widened his eyes. "Fiers and… Harry as well?
Connors nodded.
"That's impossible," Peter released a desperate and short chuckle. "He's locked up at Ravencroft. He can't harm me or my family, I made sure of that myself."
"Fiers seemed pretty confident about it. As for Ravencroft, you know what happened to Max there. You should count him out just yet."
"Where does this Fiers live?"
"I don't know."
Peter buried his face in his hands, thinking about what to do next. It was happening again, but this time, it seemed to be a lot more dangerous and personal.
"He threatened my family… I refused to do anything against you, but could… do you look out for them? They mean everything to me." Connors begged. "I know I shouldn't make any requests, especially to you, but if something happens to them… I... "
Peter looked at Curt once again. "I will. Do you need anything else?"
"No... but thanks for coming by, just… just make sure they are okay."
"Yeah," Peter rose from his chair. "Thanks for telling me this, Connors." He turned on his back and walked towards the door. "Take care."
Peter left the room."
"You too," Connors replied, alone once again.
Empire State University - Gwen's office
Gwen sat down next to one of the many available tables in the lunch area. She took the gum out of the plastic and moved it to her lips. She took her phone in her hands and began to search the internet for something that was in her mind. Her search brought several links for hundreds of websites, but the one that grabbed her attention was the one about five likely motives about why one's boyfriend could be acting so strange all of the sudden.
I can't believe I'm doing this...
She scrolled down the page and read its contents.
1- He's cheating on you.
"No! Peter would never do that to me." She snarled, annoyed.
2 - He's turning gay.
"Of course not. Not after all this time… I think."
3 - He will break up with you soon.
"Not again… ugh." Gwen held her chin on her wrist.
4 - He doesn't have any money to pay for the dates.
"This doesn't bother me, though.
5 - He's going to ask you to marry him.
Gwen's eyes widened at the last suggestion, it made some sense after all.
"Probably not…. right?" Gwen chuckled, awkwardly. She deadpanned. "Could it be true, though? I mean we're… both 24 years old, we're also dating for ages so… nah. We would have talked about that before… surely."
Gwen wasn't expecting anything like it. Could her boyfriend truly be planning such a thing? She of course would accept, there was no one else she'd rather spend her life with. Persons like him were rare, men like him are even rarer. She wouldn't let him go.
Oh boy…
New York
Spider-Man swung with ease through the city while wearing his new and improved suit that was near perfection on his mind. He thought about what Connors had just told him. If Harry was really after him, that meant the people close to him would be in danger. He wouldn't hold any punches back if that was the case.
Everything began to now make sense, the night in the alley could have been their first move towards him.
Spider-Man landed on the Daily Bugle's rooftop, unzipped the hidden pocket on his hip, and retrieved his phone. He typed May's number while he stood on the edge of the building, looking over the city.
He stretched his arms while he had the phone crushed between his cheek and shoulder.
"Hey Aunt May, is everything alright?"
"Hi, Peter. So far so good. What about you kids?"
"We are good, thankfully."
"Good, come by when you have a chance, okay?"
Peter nodded to himself. "Understood, ma'am."
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"I… I'm going to the Bugle." He replied. "Sell some photos, you know."
She chuckled. "Good luck with the Jameson guy then."
He laughed back. "Thank you, I might need it."
"Okay then dear, I will leave you to whatever you do."
"Huh? Erm, okay… bye, Aunt May"
"Bye!"
Peter turned the call down and let out a rather confused expression. Sometimes, May sounded like she knew something but she didn't want to tell him, yet she kept hinting about it.
That was kinda weird...
Peter shook his head and retrieved his clothes from the backpack, dressing them over the suit, before walking towards the door that would lead to the Bugle's maintenance room.
Eventually, he finally arrived at Betty's desk.
"Is Jameson inside?" He questioned.
"Hi, Pete. Yup, let me just check-"
"No need, it will be quick." Peter interrupted Betty as he headed towards Jameson's office. He quickly turned the knob and without a warning, stepped inside of the room.
Jameson was found reading his rival's newspaper, smoking a cigar while having his feet lying over the large desk.
Jameson looked up to the intruder. "Parker?! How dare-"
"Here are the photos you need." Peter threw the folder into Jameson's desk. "He's wearing a new color. It's exclusive."
"Let me see it!" Jameson quickly leaned forward. He grabbed the folder and checked the photos with a huge grin. "Oh… this is a goldmine, I can see the headline already. Spider-Man finally embraces the dark side!"
Peter grunted in disapproval. "Whatever, just pay me." He demanded.
"Two hundred."
"Two hundred?!" Peter protested. "You gotta be kidding me!"
He looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Three hundred."
"I want seven hundred."
"Seven?! Are you mad?!" Jameson let out an outraged expression. "This is an assault! Call the cops!"
"Fine… I'll take somewhere else then. I'm sure there's another newspaper waiting for these" Peter threatened to grab the folder.
"No!" Jameson quickly grabbed the folder and moved it close against his chest. "We have a deal, you thug."
"Do we?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes! Check with Betty!"
Peter grinned. "That's just... great to hear, boss."
Jewelry Shop
"What about this one?" The short salesman handed Peter a beautiful golden ring with a tiny and delicate piece of crystal on top of it.
"It's perfect," Peter eyed the ring, contemplating such a small and precious object, an object that would cement his love with Gwen forever. "How much?"
The price was settled in the thousands.
Peter sighed, he didn't have that much money to buy such right now. He also didn't want to buy a cheap one.
"Hold this one for me," Peter handed the ring back to the salesman. "I will be back soon. Thank you."
"No problem, I understand." The salesman smiled.
Peter got up from the chair and walked towards the door, noticing that the heavy rain was back again.
Damn.
He called Gwen. She would be ready anytime soon after finishing at Empire State. They usually went home together, but maybe that wouldn't happen today.
Heavily exhausted, Gwen was found packing her things to finally end the day but got interrupted as her phone moved. The screen showed a photo of her and Peter making silly faces on their new bed.
She greeted, "Hi."
"Just hi? No 'love' or something more caring?" Peter joked. Gwen giggled. "I knew it."
"Silly one, you got me now." She smiled, lovingly.
"So… can I come to pick you up?"
"I would enjoy some company, sure," Gwen replied, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Yes… then?"
"If you insist." She teased.
"Because you don't like it, right?"
"You never know," Gwen hinted. "Maybe I'm getting tired of you."
"That's impossible, you can't."
"What makes you say that?" She grinned, playing along.
"Well, you don't get tired of someone that does everything for you. You just love me too much."
"Hum… you have a strong point." Gwen agreed with his argument. "Coming?"
"I will be right there," He replied. "Hey?"
"Huh?
"I love you."
"I love you too, bugboy." Gwen smiled.
"See you soon."
"Bye."
With that done, she put her phone back in her purse and grabbed some folders from her desk. She turned the lights off and closed the door.
Spider-Man jumped off the building and fired a biocable till the last second possible as he swung close to the cars. He gained enough height and momentum and swung above the cars as he landed on another rooftop. He ran towards the edge and jumped again, still with the adrenaline flowing through his veins. He felt faster and stronger. He could abruptly land without worrying about breaking a leg or anything else.
He swung at high speed under the heavy rain as he headed towards Gwen. Traces of water slipped down his lenses, the suit became tighter for some unknown reason.
Suddenly, his special sense triggered, making him look down to the streets. He spotted a silver car at high speed being reckless by evading other civilians' cars. Immediately after spotting the car, he heard the sirens coming from behind him.
A chase.
This time, Spider-Man didn't fire a web but allowed the gravity to do its work by pushing him back to the ground to fire a web-line in the last second, correcting his trajectory, before violently landing in the car's front. While he landed, he smashed the metal material that covered the engine with his feet.
"Hi," Spider-Man said to the two robbers. One was driving while the other was holding a bag in the passenger's seat.
"You!" The driver yelled.
Spider-Man punched the glass that shattered and quickly grabbed the driver by the collar of his jacket, before throwing him out of the car and into the air. He shot webbing towards the flying robber to stop him from falling on the ground, instead he trapped him in a network of webbing across the street.
He faced the lone thug only to see a gun aimed at his chest.
A muzzle blast then took place.
Gwen stood in front of the University's entrance. She held her recently bought a black umbrella that helped her evade the rain. It had been an hour and still, there was no sign of Peter. Nothing out of normal though. He wasn't known for attending his appointments in time.
Here I am… waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up so that we can go home together. For a moment, I forgot he's Spider-Man and that he's probably finding someone to arrest.
Gwen sighed. She was extremely fine with him being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. One of his gifts was just being late.
After a couple of seconds, a smaller type of car stopped right in front of the entrance she was in front of. The passenger's window was automatically lowered and revealed the waitress Gwen met earlier.
"Wanna have a ride, blondie?" MJ smiled from the driver's seat.
"Oh, I'm actually… waiting for my boyfriend, but...um, you know what? I'm in." She closed her umbrella as she opened the door. "I appreciate it… red." She set the umbrella between her feet.
"Late boyfriend?" MJ drove the car back to the main avenue.
"Always." Gwen nodded. "Let me just text him real quick." She began typing a message for him, letting him know that she had managed a ride back home.
"What 's his name?"
"The one and only, Peter Parker," Gwen replied, glancing at the traffic in front of them.
"Parker... I remember seeing that name somewhere."
"He takes photos of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle, probably from there."
"Oh right, that makes sense. He's like his personal photographer of sorts." MJ nodded. "That must be pretty awesome, right? Do you know Spider-Man?"
Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he once came over for a cup of tea with us."
MJ laughed. "That would have been pretty cool."
"It would," Gwen questioned, "So, what can you tell me about you?"
"Me? Well, for starters, I have been here on the island ever since I left my parent's house. I do some shows here and there. Acting is my passion." MJ replied.
"That seems pretty exciting. The week shouldn't be boring around you."
MJ nodded in agreement. "That's why you should hang out more often. And I also work at that cafeteria to gain some extra money... I like to meet new people too." MJ smiled. "What about you, Gwen?"
"I work at Empire State, scientific stuff."
"Ha! I wish I was that smart." MJ affirmed, making the two women laugh together. "Are you married? Children?"
"No, no." Gwen shook her head, blushing. "Not married… nor kids"
MJ shrugged her shoulders in agreement. "Me too, not looking forward to that yet-"
Suddenly, a car at high speed along with a shattered front window drove right beside Mary Jane's car, alarming the pair.
"What..." MJ again got interrupted by the sirens of the police cars that followed the first car. "Where's Spider-Man now?"
"Right? I was thinking about that too." Gwen said, concerned for her boyfriend's state. "... he's usually around."
Spider-Man slowly started to regain his consciousness. He sat straight up, noticing that he was in the middle of the street and with a large number of curious people surrounding him.
"Hey man, are you alright?" A civilian asked.
Spider-Man stood on his feet, only to feel an insane amount of pain coming from his chest as he accidentally stumbled on the car parked in front of him. One of the civilians approached to help him but Spider-Man lifted his hand, stopping him from coming closer.
He finally spoke, "I'm okay, just a scratch. I don't need your help."
He ran over the car's hood and fired another biocable, ignoring the pain caused by the bullet on his chest. After some brief time, he was already back on track and after the robber's car.
Let's finish this.
Spider-Man landed on top of the car. With both hands, he ripped the metal in the ceiling apart to grab the driver from the top. He brought the robber close to his face and stared at him with deadly eyes.
The robber pleaded for mercy.
Even if it's not what Spider-Man wanted, he threw the bandit away and did the same thing he did with the previous robber, evolving him around webs. He jumped off the car, landing behind it and on the street. He fired two webs from each hand towards the car's back, making it eventually stop as the tires squealed.
When everything was back to normal, he ran over the car and jumped to high heights. He swung towards home as the police cars surrounded the stolen car.
"Here we are." MJ stopped the car in front of Gwen's apartment.
"Thank you." Gwen smiled kindly. "If it wasn't for you, I would probably be soaked by now."
"No problem, call me if you ever want to do something fun, bring Peter too."
"I will, thanks again." Gwen smiled at MJ's kindness. "See you later! " She opened the door and headed towards the main entrance before nodding to the doorman.
"See ya!" MJ waved her hand at Gwen.
Back at the apartment, after finishing his duties, Peter was now in the bathroom, facing himself in the mirror. He only wore the pants of his black suit as he slowly started to clean his chest with a white towel that was now stained with his blood.
How didn't I notice that shot coming?
While removing the lost blood out of his skin, he noticed the gunshot wound wasn't open anymore. Instead, a tiny scar took its place.
Wow...
Peter looked at himself through the mirror. He then focused on his own brown eyes, seeing a much more tired expression than before.
For a very brief moment, he didn't recognize the man right in front of him. He shook his head to forget such thoughts.
Suddenly, Peter remembered something very important. "Oh crap! Gwen!"
With that, Peter hurried outside the bathroom and started his search for the apartment's keys and a new set of clothes. In the middle of the search, he heard the sound of the living room's opening and quickly made his way there.
"Gwen? I'm so sorry." Peter apologized, stepping inside the living room.
"Figures." Gwen closed the door and turned back to Peter, noticing something that immediately got her worried. "Why is your chest… like that?" She approached him and eyed his torso.
Peter looked down at the stains. "Oh, this is nothing. It's fine."
Gwen put her hands on his bare chest, noticing a new scar close to his shoulder. "Nothing?! What happened?" Her eyes were filled with concern.
"This? Well, I got shot, and… stuff happened."
"Oh my god, Peter." Gwen grabbed her boyfriend by the hand and led him to their bedroom, before making him sit on their bed. "You were after that car with a broken window, weren't you?"
She grabbed a medical kit from under their bed and sat beside him, before starting to clean his chest better.
"Couldn't have been anyone else."
"Why did you let this happen?" She focused on bandaging the already closed wound.
"I don't know, that since I told you about… it failed me this time, but I'm okay-."
"No, you are not okay." She met his eyes. "You got lucky it wasn't anything deep, but what if it was?" She tried to hold herself in order not to let her emotions get in the way. "You could have died. You could have left me and your Aunt. What would we be without you?"
"Hey, Gwendy… hey," Peter placed both of his hands on Gwen's cheeks and brought her close. "I'm okay, alright?" She turned her eyes away, evading his eyes. He continued, "I already said that I won't ever die, only of old age." He gently made her look back at him.
"How can you be so sure?" She questioned with a weak voice. "You aren't immortal just because you have gifts that no one else has."
"I just know. You need to trust me, okay?" He pleaded with his eyes.
"I trust you, but you can't promise that you are bulletproof.' Gwen leaned her forehead against his. "You know that's not possible."
Peter smiled. "I've already beaten impossible odds." He continued, gaining a weak giggle from his girlfriend. He smiled and slowly leaned closer. He captured Gwen's lips, assuring her that everything is going to be fine.
He broke the kiss and whispered, "Thank you, for everything."
Gwen placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed Peter away. "Let me just finish this."
"Sure." He still couldn't believe that he had the luck to meet such a beautiful woman.
Thousands of people on Earth and Gwen had chosen him among all those people.
Gwen noticed that he was observing her and looked up with a huge smile. She gazed at his eyes, well aware that they're mentally flirting with each other in the most unlikely situation she could ever imagine.
They were indeed a very odd couple, but a happy one.
"What's it?" Gwen eventually broke the silence.
"You're beautiful." Peter grinned. "Like, super... extremely beautiful."
"Thank you." She giggled.
"How did you get here?" He asked, moving a trace of her blond hair behind her ear, before cupping her cheek amorously.
"I met this nice girl called Mary Jane, she gave me a ride," Gwen explained. "Have you seen my text?"
"Sorry."
"It's fine. She invited us to do something fun, someday." Gwen patted his chest, feeling his hardened and toned muscles, and looked up to greet him with her green eyes.
"Oh… sounds like a good idea."
"Yep." Gwen ran her hand on his hair. "What about Ryker's? "
"There is someone who wants me dead, and they wanted Connors to help them with that." Peter didn't mention Harry's name since he wasn't sure if that was true or not, and he didn't want to trouble Gwen with the man who once tried to kill her.
"Why?" Gwen changed to a more serious expression.
"I don't know, but Connors isn't someone that usually lies so I'm taking his word. I'm watching over his family as well."
Peter moved a single hand to her thigh.
Gwen let him have his way and questioned, "What are you going to do about it?"
"I'm going to take care of that, don't worry because this isn't something new for me," He leaned closed and gave her a quick kiss. "Just call me whenever we are not together, okay?"
"I will," She kissed his hand resting on her right cheek. She noticed that his hand was moving further on her thigh. "Um, do you want to say something now?"
"Yes… I love you."
"I love you too." Gwen gave him a tiny peck on the lips. "Now… go take a proper bath because we're watching that horror movie I told you about."
"Can't we do that later?"
"I know what you want, but bugboy… you smell of blood."
A/N: MJ is finally introduced. I hope that most people enjoy her character. She isn't here to take Gwen's place.
06/05/2021: Chapter was overhauled. Fixed errors, improved pacing and dialogues.