November 15th - 2020

Helen's Apartment - Manhattan

It was now or never.

After fighting so many enemies and being part of so many battles, the current one somehow felt the hardest one, as shocking as that sounded, but he needed to remain strong, strong enough to reveal the biggest secret he had been carrying for almost eight years since he got bitten by the spider his father helped create.

His gift and burden

"Peter? You were going to say something?"

Helen asked, sitting in the red and comfy chair on the other side of the living room.

Peter was brought back to the present with such a question. He could see Gwen's brother sitting over the carpeted floor, waiting for him to reveal what he said he would.

Gwen Stacy was found sitting beside him on the larger couch. She was there to give him the support he could, and he was needing it.

The secret she was trusted with for years was about to be exposed to her whole family. She didn't know how they would react, but she was expecting them to accept him as they had been doing for such a long time by now.

Maybe they were better off not knowing it, that's what he often thought, but at the same time, he felt extremely guilty for hiding his secret from the family he was now part of for the entirety of his life.

She would understand if he decided to keep the secret only with her and May. It wasn't an easy decision, and there wasn't a correct decision as well.

It was his choice and only his.

"You can do it," Gwen whispered, intertwining her fingers on his. She noticed how tense his muscles were at the moment. To say he was nervous would be a monumental understatement. His shaking right hand proved her thoughts. "I'm here for you."

Peter looked over his shoulder and at her, before nodding with a smile.

He raised from the couch and stood in the center of the living room, surrounding himself by the Stacys. "There's no easy way to say this, but... there's also something that I carry with me... for quite a long time now, something that I have been hiding from most of the world."

"Oh…" Helen found herself concerned. Many things were speculated in her mind.

"I… I didn't hide this because I don't trust you guys. Gwen was the first person to discover it during our… well, our first kiss. I think you remember what I mean, Mrs. Stacy." He looked at her, before continuing, "... I did what I did to protect all of you. It's not something that I'm proud of, but it was needed."

He sighed heavily. "Now that Elizabeth is coming… I feel that it is time for you guys to know my whole story, just like she will know as well."

Peter moved both hands to his waistline and pulled his shirt up, exposing the chest part of his perfect Spider-Man suit along with the red and blue sleeves.

"This... this is who I am."

There were many things that he would have to explain to the Stacys, starting with the infamous spider bite.

November 27th - 2020

Gwen adjusted the cushion behind her back, making herself more comfortable for the umpteenth time in the past hour. She shifted her legs slightly, stretching out to her toes down the sofa. She was sitting in the middle of the corner sofa, her body positioned to face the large LED TV above the fireplace.

The other part of the L- shaped sofa was empty.

As for her lover, he was found sitting down over the rug in the floor and had his back against the bottom of the furniture, with an incredible array of photos and papers gathered around him.

She turned her attention back to the TV and the program she was currently watching, a culinary show which featured seven participants that would create the most tasteful foods a living being could come with to see who's the better cook in the end. She had just started to watch such types of TV shows, mostly because of her food cravings.

Every plate looks glorious. She said to herself.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the program to finish as the credits rose on the screen, followed by a massive gurgle from her stomach.

Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed, patting her rather large bulge lightly. She could deal with the other side effects of pregnancy – the backache, the sore feet, the need to use the toilet every couple of hours, the ridiculous mood swings, headaches, and nausea – but the constant hunger was driving her mad. It wasn't as if her hunger's demand was general, but specific cravings for only certain types of food.

She slowly moved off the sofa, heading around it and walking calmly into the kitchen.

A light jingling told her that Ren was following, the familiar clinking noise of his collar giving away the presence of the now-massive animal in their apartment.

She walked past the cooker and stopped in front of two of the many oak-faced cupboards around the room, opening them with one hand and scratching Ren behind the ear with another. The cupboards were stuffed with food, but there was nothing there she really wanted to eat.

She shut the cupboard doors with a grunt and moved to the fridge freezer, opening up both doors of the unit at once. Gwen began to root through the draws of the unit, searching rather methodically. Eventually, she found something.

"Hmm, a nice bowl of chips would be nice," She turned her head to look at the dog. He cocked his head in reply. "Eh, Ren? "

She grabbed the bag out of the freezer and headed over to the cooker, double-checking the instructions on the back of the packet. She could cook basic meals rather well.

Gwen threw a large portion of chips into a pan, placing that in the oven and setting it to cook. Then she walked over to the sink, resting her arms on either side and gazing out of the window that led to the now dark city.

It was a rather stormy evening, with a vast rain lashing from the sky in an almost vertical direction, and snow, lots of snow, even for a city used to snow the current quantity in the streets of the city was beyond what they were used to. Global warming was no joke.

Because of the water, the urge to drink something came into her mind.

She hadn't been drinking coffee during her pregnancy, and she didn't feel like drinking tea right now. She had exhausted their supply of juice and there wasn't anything else appealing to her in the fridge.

Gwen had also drunk their stocks of hot chocolate milk, though she did crave that right now.

"Hmm… how did Peter make it?" Gwen couldn't exactly remember the way he had cooked the chocolate with the help of his Aunt's recipe, a few weeks ago. She had found it incredibly delicious.

Gwen turned back to the cupboards and grabbed a couple of bars of chocolate, tearing them open and shoving the contents into a pan. She placed it onto the stove and turned it on, smiling at her resourcefulness as she watched the chocolate melt.

Two minutes later the kitchen was filled with a burning smell, and Gwen was rather alarmed at the development. She ran a wooden spatula through the melted chocolate, finding lumps of burnt chocolate at the bottom. She frowned, Peter had simply melted some chocolate and added milk. Her attempt was a lumpy and burnt mess in a pan, hardly perfect.

She decided to give up and get him to make her some later on, so she shoved the pan into the sink to wash later.

Eighteen minutes later the chips were done, and at least they were done well. Gwen poured them into a large bowl and headed back into the living room, happily munching her way through the food. She stopped as she caught sight of Peter in the same position on the floor. She hadn't realized that he was asleep on the floor, and she placed the bowl on the table with a tender smile.

Gwen approached him, slowly lowering herself down onto the floor and patting him on the shoulder.

"Peter?" She picked the bowl of chips up again and waved it in front of his face, wafting the smell under his nose. "Wake up, bugboy."

"I don't want to lick... what?" She chuckled as he slowly woke up, muttering slightly as his eyes opened. His usual waking-up, the confused look turned to one of embarrassment. "I was asleep? I shouldn't have been, sorry."

"Hey - don't worry about it," Gwen gave him a light peck on the cheek. "But you're working too hard, as per usual."

Peter complained, "Yeah, well... blame Jameson, he's killing me, and the new project isn't helping either."

"You need to rest a bit, you can always finish it some other day. " She suggested.

"You are… you're right, honey." He agreed.

"Good," Gwen leaned into his shoulder, shuffling along with the rug next to him. She felt an arm slip around her shoulders and heard Peter yawn as she pressed another kiss onto his cheek, digging her hand into the bowl and continuing her snack. Another hand sneaked into the bowl as Peter stealthily reached for a chip, he succeeded but she gave him a light slap on the wrist as punishment. "Oi, get off my food!"

"Smells like you burnt it though."

"I tried to make hot chocolate like you did, with proper bars of chocolate," She shook her head sadly. "Didn't work."

"Did you melt the chocolate using hot water or just over the stove?"

"Over the stove."

"There's your problem," He grinned. "If you just heat it directly you'll burn it, you have to use a bain-marie."

"I see," Gwen took another mouthful of chips as they both fell silent. She glanced around at the piles of papers and photos surrounding them. "Bit of a mess."

"Sorry," Peter looked a bit sheepish. "It's how I work best, as you know."

"No problem." Gwen kissed his cheek and then glanced at the photos again, finding a very old one. " Wow... you still have this one? " She placed the bowl over his lap and leaned forward to pick the photo from the ground.

"Careful now," He said as she went to take the picture in her hand. "The Debate Team," He said, glancing at one of the first photos that he had taken from Gwen. "I can never get rid of this one, your smile is just… so breathtaking."

"It feels like… many ages ago, but thank you." Gwen gently stole a kiss from her husband and returned the photo to the pile. "I've been meaning to ask you something, what are we going to say to Liz about her... grandparents?"

Peter looked over his shoulder and at his wife as he caressed the smooth skin of her hand with his thumb.

That was one topic that he was also thinking about lately.

It was something that Liz would miss in the close future, even more, when she gets to see her friends with their grandfathers.

Peter spoke, "In time… maybe we should tell her that they aren't with us anymore. They were gone long before she could know them… and when she's old enough, we'll tell her the whole truth."

Gwen nodded. "I hope she doesn't get too much down because of that." She looked at her husband, with a genuine concern over her face.

"She won't." Peter gave her a tiny peck on the lips. "She will be strong, just like her mother."

Gwen smiled. "And as pretty as her daddy." She leaned Peter's shoulder as he rested his head beside hers.

He tightened his grip around her, wishing that the moment could last forever.

Just like that, wrapped in each other's arms, enjoying the cozy silence while their little girl isn't there to stir things up and have the first-time parents pursue her around the apartment.

December 9th - 2020

The discomfort was now even bigger, and the pain reached the highest levels she ever experienced in her brief lifetime. She couldn't resume her sleep because the most crucial moment in her life so far had just arrived.

She now needed her husband's help to overcome this last barrier in their way so that they could finally meet their daughter, that was the moment she had been impatiently waiting for nine months.

"Peter...?" Gwen gently stirred his shoulder as he slept next to her. He was such a heavy sleeper he didn't notice she was already awake this early in the night. "Honey?"

She drew soft circles against the skin of his cheek in the hope of finally waking him up.

"Hmm..."

Peter half-opened his eyes, lazily, instantly seeing his wife breathing heavily while sweating lightly. His eyes shot open as he sat in the bed, slowly realizing what was going on inside their bedroom.

"Hey - hey, what are you feeling?" He asked, placing a hand against her sweaty forehead.

"She's… she's coming, Peter," Gwen replied, placing both her hands over her stomach.

"You mean… you mean Elizabeth?" He could see the pain she was suffering through her deep green eyes.

Gwen frowned in annoyance. "What do you think?! Of course, it's Elizabeth, your daughter!"

"Already?! Oh my god… yeah, right. Calm down now." Peter shook his head, before caressing her left arm. "... okay, um... we shouldn't panic. I read that panicking is the first thing to avoid, you know?"

Gwen groaned in pain. "You're the one panicking...!"

Peter ignored her remark. "We just need… to wait here." He gestured to her to not move and then left their bed, hurrying towards the window covered by the white curtains, opening them quickly to the side.

"It's not like I can go anywhere," Gwen mumbled.

December's weather was brutal, the last week had been nothing but blizzards. The entire street asphalt was covered with snow which would make it incredibly difficult to drive around with a pregnant woman.

He couldn't place Gwen in danger, even less when their daughter was about to come.

"What is it?" She asked weakly after noticing her husband with an agonized expression spread across his face.

"The streets are filled with snow. I'm not sure I can drive the car through such thick snow, too risky. What if we get stuck in the car?"

"Oh god..." Gwen looked up to the ceiling before closing her eyes.

Peter went back to her and kneeled beside their bed. He could hear the tremendous amount of pain behind her voice, and that sent his heart racing around the edge.

He began reassuringly, "The emergency services can get to us though. I'm sure they'll have vehicles that can get to us."

She frowned. "What are you waiting for?"

"Okay… okay!" He kissed her forehead and stood up. "Hang on, Gwendy."

Gwen affirmed, "It's not me that you have to tell that to."

He walked around the bed and towards his bed stand, grabbing his phone as he called the emergency and tapping his foot impatiently while he waited for someone on the other end of the line to answer him.

After a few brief yet eternal seconds of hearing the standby music track, the voice of a young woman could be heard.

"This is New York City Emergency Services, how may I help you?"

"Hi! We need help quickly, erm... my wife has gone into labor and I need help… I mean we need help." Peter was aware of just how hysterical he sounded. "But there's a snowstorm out there and we can't get to the hospital from our apartment."

"Keep calm, sir. Firstly, I need your address"

Peter replied with the information, rattling it off rather quickly. His eyes were focused on Gwen however, she had sat on the bed and adjusted a pillow behind her back. Her eyes were closed as he could see pain flicker across her face as she had another contraction.

"Right, sir. I can see why you have a problem, the weather reports are horrific for the area, "

She continued,

"A special ambulance is already on the way towards your home, now I just need your names."

"My wife is Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy and I'm Peter Benjamin Parker."

"Aren't you the one who takes pictures of -"

"Yeah, yeah yeah... it's me. Can you tell them to hurry up?" Peter replied, impatiently. "I need assistance."

"Help is on its way, don't worry."

"Thank you very much. I have to get back to my wife now." Peter locked his phone and placed the device back on the stand before joining Gwen in bed and sitting beside her, taking her hand on his. "Help is on the way. You need to relax now."

"Peter, listen to me," Gwen cupped his cheek with a single hand, forcing their eyes to meet. "You have to help me until they arrive, there's a chance… you might have to deliver the baby."

He swallowed rather forcibly, this was his worst-case scenario for the birth. "Come again, honey?"

"Please, Peter. I really need you right now."

He nodded his resolve. "Right… tell me what to do and I'll help you."

"Well... I'm already into established labor, my waters went a few minutes ago. Surprisingly quickly actually." She grimaced again, looking away from him. "We'll need some supplies. Towels, water, snacks. And this could take anywhere up to eight hours, I should try to keep myself busy."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I just do!"

"Okay." He got off the bed and quickly headed inside the bathroom, grabbing a large pile of towels. Peter sprinted back to the bedroom, tossing them down, and then rushed into the kitchen.

He threw open the fridge, grabbed several bottles of water, and gathered them in his arms as he went back to Gwen.

"Here we go." He placed the bottles over the stand beside her side of the bed.

She raised an eyebrow, concerned. "And the snacks?"

"Ah… forgot about the snacks." He sprinted back into the kitchen, grabbing several packs of biscuits and crisps before returning to her. "Got 'em."

"Right." Gwen took several deep breaths, closing her eyes as she did so. "Don't panic now, Peter. You have to keep calm, okay?"

"Shouldn't it be me saying that to you?"

"Yes, but you're hopeless in these situations, I'm not."

"Fine." Peter crawled back to the bed and sat beside her, holding her hands as they intertwined fingers and looked at each other's eyes. "I'm sure you're going to be okay,"

He kissed her warm and flushed cheek before carefully touching his forehead against hers. "As you said once, we need to hold on to hope. Everything will be alright."

"I'm... scared." Gwen shut her eyes at the sight.

"Don't be. Tonight, you're going to be holding our daughter for the very first time… and I'm here for you." He gently captured her lips to try and ease her.

Gwen broke the kiss and made contact with his brown eyes. "You have to keep me busy while they don't arrive."

"Yeah... you said to do stuff, right?" She nodded. "We could... maybe put the Christmas decorations up?"

She rolled her eyes. "I can't do that."

"Then you can order me where to put the decorations on," At her disapproving gaze he shrugged. "Right, point taken, that's inappropriate. A film instead?"

"Peter..." Suddenly, there was a rapid set of knocks at the door.

"Yes! Yes! Oh my god, yes! He leaped up, practically jumping for joy. "We're in here, it's unlocked!

There was a thump as the door opened, followed by rapid footsteps and Ren's barking. As the medical team entered the room, Peter could not have been more relieved, a huge smile broke across his face.

Gwen appeared much more relieved as well, her lips moving in a silent 'thank you'.

Peter stood back as the four members of the team began to unpack various pieces of equipment. Gwen waved her hand at him though, gesturing for him to come closer. He did, gripping her hand once more.

He looked at one of the team. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just hold her hand and try to keep her happy."

Gwen snarled, "At least he should be able to do that!"

Hours later...

Peter stood over the cot, just watching. They had decided to have the cot in their bedroom for at least the first few months, so they could keep a close eye on the baby - Elizabeth, as she was called. It was Gwen's idea, and she was right. It was lovely to have their baby so close.

Their perfect child.

Elizabeth Stacy Parker was a beautiful baby, though all babies were probably like that in their parent's eyes. She had the exact eyes of her mother, green in color and filled with curiosity and intelligence. Her delicate and smooth skin was rather porcelain in color, though not quite as pale as Gwen's.

He had suspected that Liz would have the same hair color as his, but he was wrong, it was blonde. She would likely be a mini-Gwen in just a few years. But that wasn't a problem for him at all.

And then there was the look Elizabeth had about her. Gwen was already asleep, tucked in bed. He could even hear his wife's now far calmer breathing, but the baby was wide awake. He figured she would be sleeping or crying, but she happily lay in the cot with her curious eyes constantly watching him.

He sneaked another glance at Gwen and realized she was completely out for the count, before returning to Elizabeth with a smile. He carefully wrapped his arms around his baby and pulled her up into his arms, making sure to support the head as he had been previously told. She squirmed for a couple of seconds before settling, still watching him with her deep and emerald-colored eyes.

Quietly, he silently stepped outside of their bedroom and walked towards the living room with Elizabeth in his arms.

"So..." His voice drew Elizabeth's attention once more. "This is your house, Liz. Can I call you Liz?"

Elizabeth's eyes continued to stare at him, and he was sure he caught some eye-rolling.

"Yeah, I guess I can," He reached the large closed window, stopping as Elizabeth made a cooing noise. Her gaze was now off him and towards the dark sky, the sun was already starting to come off as some rays of light mixed themselves with the snow that was still brushing against the window.

It was one beautiful view that he had been sharing with his baby for the past few minutes. He couldn't fully realize he now had a daughter, a child who would forever be his biggest priority in the whole world.

Liz flicked her gaze between the window and his face, rather happily watching both. Peter guessed the sky was probably intriguing for a newborn due to all the vivid colors and there was also the blaze coming from the sun itself.

After a few minutes, he moved away and settled down on the sofa.

"You're so... beautiful, you know?" He smiled and very delicately kissed her forehead, before touching his own against hers. He could swear that a very tiny smile was coming from her lips.

Suddenly, a very calm and continuous bolt came through his mind, exactly like his special sense of sorts, but not as louder. He felt as if they were somehow connected and such a bolt was triggered by the forehead touch. He didn't pay that much attention because of Elizabeth, but he had noticed it.

He stood on the couch with Elizabeth held by his arms for a few more couples of seconds before she finally fell asleep as he observed her. He caressed her cheek with his thumb and whispered, "I love you."

Peter smiled and decided to take his eyes off her for a moment as he carefully leaned in towards the coffee table in front of the couch so that he could take it in his free hand. He then began to search for May's contact.

He thought about doing a video call to show her his newborn daughter. Thankfully, May usually wakes up very early in the morning. He hoped May had learned how to use the device Helen gifted her during the last Christmas.

May finally answered the call. "Got kicked from the bed and into the dog's house?" She smiled, not understanding why Peter had called her so early in the morning, she couldn't remember the last time he did such a thing.

"Gwen always needs her natural pillow," Peter silently laughed, careful to not wake his few hours old daughter. He moved the camera a few centimeters to the left so that Elizabeth would appear in the camera's field of view. So… this little bug-girl here is my daughter. "

"Oh my god...!"

"Shh," He interrupted her, something he rarely had the nerve to do. "I've just got her off to sleep."

May's expression immediately softened to a wondrous gaze as she noticed the sleeping baby in his arms. "Oh, Peter. She's so beautiful! What a blessing." She continued to glance at Elizabeth. "How is Gwen?"

"Rather tired I guess. She's sleeping now, she deserves a long rest." May nodded sympathetically. "But Christ… I thought I was gonna have to deliver Elizabeth myself, the medical team only just arrived in time."

"Well, you seem to have managed most of the labor it seems, unlike your father," His Aunt grinned. "He just passed out at the first sign of blood, almost missed your birth!" She revealed, remembering the night when Mary gave birth to Peter.

"Heh, well it is pretty scary from our point of view. We have no idea what's happening."

"Suppose that's true," His Aunt began to examine Elizabeth once more. "I reckon you should probably take someone off to bed though, not that I'm trying to butt in or be an interfering Aunt already that is."

"You're not her Aunt, you're her granny," Peter stated, earning a genuine smile from May. "I'll take her off now though, you should come here later to see her when you can."

"When Gwen is fully rested, I'll come over. She needs to have a break now, without any disturbance," May took a final glance at Elizabeth. "See you soon darlings, and give my love to your wife."

"I will." Peter nodded as they said their goodbyes to each other. He turned the call down and placed the tablet back on the coffee table.

Elizabeth was still fast asleep, surprising him with how relaxed she was about her surroundings, she never stirred.

Peter headed out of the living room and back to his bedroom. He lowered Elizabeth into her cot next to Gwen's side of the bed. He pulled up the blanket she had kicked off sometime earlier from the bottom of the cot to cover the baby, tucking her in snugly. He also grabbed the plushy Spider-Man seal that was at the bottom of the mattress, placing it next to Elizabeth.

He smiled, kissed her on the forehead, and sat back on the bed, careful not to disturb Gwen. That care wasn't needed as he heard motion behind him before a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and Gwen leaned her chin over his shoulder.

"Showing her the house?" She softly asked, kissing his shoulder blade and then moving her lips to the back of his neck.

Peter nodded. "Yup. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I'm okay," Gwen planted a kiss on his cheek. She whispered amorously, "Couldn't have done this without you."

"Sure you could, not as nearly stylish though," He joked, hearing a weak giggle from his wife. "My Aunt already knows her."

"What did she say?" Gwen caressed his naked and toned stomach.

"She couldn't stop saying how beautiful she is," Peter gave her a tiny peck on his wife's lips. "Like her mother is,"

There was a few seconds of silence as the two lay there, watching the cot happily.

"I love you Gwen… and today's been just the best day ever."

"I agree, though I haven't felt pain like that for a hell of a long time. But it was worth it, most definitely. I think we deserve this, don't you?" She paused, shifting in his arms and intertwining her hands with his own. "I love you too Peter."

Then they lapsed into silence, Gwen falling asleep first. Gradually Peter closed his eyes as well, falling into a sleep filled with pleasant dreams for the first time in months.

A/N: It's finally here. The chapter I have been waiting for months, basically the whole time. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

19/03/2022: Fixed mistakes. Minimal story changes.