An Abandoned House - New York

"I heard you two talking about her, the blonde child, so… again... where's the girl?" Ezekiel dragged a chair so that he could sit and face the man he tied up on his own seat.

"What girl? I know no girl." He gasped, being dragged inside the house by his captive took a physical toll on him.

Ezekiel sighed. He harshly stood from his seat and moved his hand to the side of the man's head.

He yelled in pain.

The thug felt as if his head was being boiled from inside.

Ezekiel took his hand back. "Hey… don't pass out now. Look at me, if you like remembering who you are then answer me... where... is... she?"

He breathed fastly. "She's… well, Warren has her… we are only responsible for delivering people like her to him."

"And who do you work for?"

"Hammerhead… he's in the business too. " He kept gasping between his words. "... but Warren has her now, he decided to keep her for the moment…"

Ezekiel wanted to tear him apart, every nerve of his body agreed with him, but Peter wouldn't like that. He wanted to remain true to his way, at least try to.

They were never the same.

"Where?" Ezekiel demanded, placing his hand back in the thug's face again as he shouted in agony.

"Hell's Kitchen…! Hell's Kitchen…"

She… she was always near us. Ezekiel thought to himself.

He retrieved his phone from his jacket and opened a map in the screen. He then placed a pen in the man's mouth so that he could point the location in the phone.

"Where in Hell's Kitchen?"

The thug leaned forward so that the pen could make contact with the screen. He then spat the object in the ground. "There, I told you everything I know." He looked over his shoulder and saw his partner lying in the ground behind him, passed out. "What are you going to do with us…?"

Ezekiel kept eye contact, thinking of how he should proceed in the coming minutes. He rose his sleeves and sighed. "There's a few details we still have to talk about before anything."

"Pete…! You're fine!"

Gwen lowered her backpack to the ground and turned her husband over so that he would lie on his back. The puddle under his head showed the bit of blood that came from a cut in his forehead.

It was problematic to get him out of the rubble, but she managed to regardless of the heavy work.

The rain was beginning to cease.

Gwen moved him against a wall so that she could gently clean his face with a bit of her shirt she pulled off.

"Hmm…" Peter groaned slightly as he regained his consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes and spotted the woman of his life standing on her knees and besides him. "Hey… ah-!" He protested in pain as she touched his face.

"Just hold still." Gwen focused in cleaning the cut.

Peter noticed a man webbed against the opposite wall. "Who's that?"

"Someone that got here before me," Gwen answered, without taking her eyes off him.

One of Joseph's men… He realized.

"How did you…"

She moved her wrist in front of his eyes. "Sneaked this one from your Aunt's house after leaving Olive with her. I came prepared." She sneaked a tiny smile to herself.

"Oh…"

Way to go Peter… pissing off a girl like this…

Gwen continued her task of fixing him up the best way she could in the current conditions.

Peter spoke delicately, "I just… remembered of that night in England."

"Which one?" She asked, curious.

"The one that we talked about your article, and then Jameson's offer."

"Which you didn't take… yes I remember."

He affirmed, "You wanted me to."

Gwen narrowed her eyes at his bruise, noticing the blood was ceasing to come out. "Yeah, well, you missed the city and everything else you have back here."

"It's not like…." Peter unwillingly stopped himself from talking further. He eyed the building above him, what was left of the rooftop. "What are you thinking about all of this?"

"That you're lucky I've found you here." Gwen smiled slightly at him.

Peter took a second to frame her smile in his mind. He spoke lowly, "I know."

Her work was done. She sighed and teased, "I'm glad you didn't lose an arm or a leg, it would be hell to drag you out of here."

She stood up. Peter questioned, "About that, how did you know where I was?"

She picked her phone and dialed a number. "It was pretty easy, just had to follow the destruction."

Peter chuckled. "But I mean how did you get here?"

Gwen moved the phone against her ear and looked at him. "I had a little help of a friend of yours, Harry Osborn? He knew where you would be." The call began. "I've got him, Harry."

Peter smiled. How much of a fool he was for treating him the way he did.

"Hey, Gwendolyne. How's our hot head doing?"

Gwen saw him coughing, briefly. Peter cleaned something in his hand with his shirt.

She joked, "Well, the usual, beaten up, bleeding, covered in dirt. He's fine."

Peter stood up and groaned in pain as he adjusted his stand on his injured foot.

Gwen continued, "He will live this time. Can you get to us?"

He replied, "The whole block is being closed by this… gang?"

"Oh, yes. Peter's work."

Harry inquired, "What do you mean?"

"We'll fill you in later. Get to safety first. We know our way out."

Gwen finished the call.

Peter began, "I have to go back, I was about to know where Liz was. I'm so close now."

"About that, Ezekiel is already on his way to her."

"What?"

"Yeah, then I decided to look for you so that you didn't do anything stupid. I trust him, he will get our daughter."

Peter was taken by surprise. He nodded to himself, hoping everything goes well with Ezekiel. He was putting all his faith in him.

"Here," Gwen took off the web-shooter and gave it to him. "You can swing us out of here now."

Peter smiled kindly, wrapping the device around his free pulse. "Thanks."

"Sure." Gwen nodded and turned over her shoulder to make sure they were good.

Peter immediately spoke, "I mean, thanks… for saving me." He smiled shyly as she looked back to him. "... you always do."

Gwen took a second to herself before replying lowly, "I… I almost couldn't this time."

Peter slowly nodded, realizing once again the situation he had put their marriage into. "Yeah…"

"Suit up now, the web-clips should get us away.

After dressing up while being watched by Gwen throughout, Peter delicately moved a hand around her waist, bringing her closer.

She put hers over his shoulders.

They looked into each other's eyes, before Spider-Man shot a web-cable above them and flew their bodies from the ground.

There she was. The woman in the picture he often carried with him. She was laid over the Hospital's bed, with an station working next to her bed.

His younger sister.

He looked at her unconscious expression from besides the open window. The symbiote never letting go of his body.

"Eddie… is that you…?" She whispered, weakly, slowly regaining her sight.

He found her worse than last time. Time was running out.

"It's me, Mary." Eddie replied, the symbiote retracted and left his face exposed under the shadows in the room.

She moaned in discomfort before finally opening her eyes. She could see him through the darkness. "You… you are wearing… that thing, aren't you?"

"You know I have to." He replied, somberly.

"I… I don't want to."

Eddie recalled when he tried to take off the symbiote off his body, despite the consequences he would have to endure, but it didn't want a new host, it didn't consider her fit enough.

The symbiote had become selective. But there is another yet to be recovered again.

He unfolded his arms and approached the side of the bed. "There's no other way, Mary. I'm giving my best to find it. It will make you feel better, I promise."

"I have been… waiting and waiting, I-I don't think I can… hold on for much longer."

He insisted, "But you have to, you know I need you… us together… again. The guy I work with is helping sustain your treatment while I don't have it… but I will, soon."

"Oh, Eddie… we could have been together before, we could have… but you went your own path, and look at what it has costed you." She observed the large white spider located at his chest.

He put his covered hand over the mattress. "I… I made mistakes, but this… this is what helps me… help you." He paused, shortly. " We will be able to be a family again, without father or anyone else, just us."

She sighed, closing her eyes. "Not me and you… but you and her…"

"Mary…"

Her voice found some strength again, "You have to find her instead, and be well so that they don't take her from you too."

"Mary, I've went after every file, connection, any trace… anything. I keep reaching a dead end no matter how deep I go."

He saw the tiny drop of water rolling down her cheek. "If you were here you could have kept her safe with you… I miss my girl."

Eddie sighed, lamenting the turn of events. "I am sorry… I'm truly sorry." He noticed the monitor notifying him that a new dose of medication was being applied.

He looked back at his sister. She was now sleeping again, unable to fight against the effects of the medicine.

She looked paler, weaker and traces of her new formed hair spread across her pillow.

Eddie adjusted the covers above her shoulder, making sure she was protected from the cold.

After taking one final look at her, the symbiote covered his face. There was much to do, and little time left.

Months ago…

"Why are we here, dad?" Elizabeth asked, sat besides her father in the edge of one of the tallest buildings in the city, admiring the view.

They always enjoyed doing that together.

Peter wore his complete red suit aside from the mask in which his daughter held in her hands. "Just wanted to have a quiet moment with my baby girl."

She smiled. "I'm not really a baby anymore, though."

"But you're my girl, right?" She nodded, shyly. He chuckled softly and snaked an arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer. "Feels like we haven't done this in ages."

"I don't think we have, dad." She watched the sunset.

"There's a lot going on recently, maybe I haven't been the best father, I can see that."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "You are… the best father I could wish for."

He smiled, kissing the top of her blonde hair. "Thank you, honey." He continued, "With everything going on, your training sessions with Matt, your mom and her work, me retiring from the Avengers… you're basically taking care of your brothers at this point."

"They're not too bad."

They shared a laugh.

Peter spoke, "Yeah, they aren't." He sighed, "I… I just… you're growing so fast, Liz.

"What do you mean?"

Peter cleared his throat. "I don't think I'm the best with words, not like my uncle for sure… but once you asked me to give you more responsibilities, right?"

She nodded.

He continued, "Well, I'm not gonna be able to hide your gifts from you, you already have them, so you're different than most children, you have to be responsible with them, and it can be a lot to ask from you so soon… but I can see you're doing alright so far, so… no more kid's stuff…"

She looked up to him.

"I wanted you to have the childhood I didn't, but you're maturing so fast I can't even keep track of it," He paused, taking the time to find the best words. "People... we know we will be gone one day… I… I won't be here with you eventually, your mom as well, and you can't ever be ready for it, so you will have to be your brother's shield, you're the oldest, my first child, and I'll always be proud of you."

She fell into his tight embrace, feeling as if she didn't weight anything for a minute.

Elizabeth whispered, "I love you, dad."

He brushed his nose on her hair. "I love you too, Liz."

Present Time

With an accurate and effortless precision, Spider-Man landed them both at the top a rooftop so that he could check how much he still had left in those old cartridges.

Gwen exhaled deeply, catching her breath. She could never get used to it. "Wow… that was something." She approached the edge of the building.

Spider-Man smiled, checking his pulse.

She looked over the city, getting the perspective she rarely had the opportunity to live nowdays.

Gwen pointed out, "This city is a living postcard, isn't it?"

"I think we have about ten minutes of swinging time," He turned his attention back to her, understanding what she meant. "Yeah, New York… you can't ever get it wrong."

She laughed briefly. "I guess you can't."

Spider-Man walked forward so that he could stay besides her. "Gwen… why did you… truly come back to me by yourself?"

She hugged herself, not taking her eyes from the city. "You were clearly over your head, doing everything by yourself, I didn't want you to get lost with all this stuff… I guess there's the whole marriage vows too."

"Um… yeah."

"Look, I know you think you have this duty to protect me all the time and keep me away from your troubles, and I'm glad you always cared this much about me, but in the end you're supposed to come to me so that we can figure out a problem together… I don't want to be the last to know what you're up to."

Peter sighed and replied quickly, "I'm aware of that, Gwen… I-I…"

"... come on," She gestured for him to pick her up so that they could head towards their destination.

He insisted, "I wasn't… trying to protect you, you always did that by yourself, you probably protect me the most, it's just… once I said I wouldn't get into big troubles again as our family grew bigger…"

"You and me both," She reminded.

Peter continued in disappointment, "Yeah, but I couldn't stand by my word, the reason why I didn't tell you anything beforehand is that I didn't want you to get involved, any of you, I thought I would be able to handle everything and that it would soon be over, I guess I was afraid…"

"Afraid of what…?" Gwen questioned, sorrowfully.

He finally said, "... of losing the one woman I love the most in my life… I-I probably wanted to protect myself, you know? Back at England and now here, the fact that Spider-Man could once again directly interfere with our lives more than it already does makes me afraid. I guess… I guess I care too much about others, when I should care the most about my family."

Gwen put her hands in her waist, now it was her turn to not know what to say. She cleared her throat, controlling her breath. "We… we should get going before we're seen."

"... okay," Peter went to hold her hand but something caught her attention first.

"What's that doing here right now?" She looked up past him.

Peter followed her gaze and turned over his shoulder, spotting a helicopter not that far away from them.

He could see some armored men sat on both entrances, carrying what looked to be some long range fire-arms.

"They aren't Joseph's men, I think they are the same group that went after me in the sewers. They must have heard all the recent noise I caused… we have to go." Spider-Man almost caught her hand so that they could swing away were not for a projectile that was shot at his back.

His body was electrified as he felt his muscles become overly rigid.

Gwen couldn't regain her stand after he accidentally released her hand, she stumbled backwards and towards the edge of the rooftop.

Spider-Man shot a web-line at her cleavage and held her still with his one free arm that was shaking rapidly, she was halfway into the air, her feet barely touched the border.

"G-Got you… Gwen…!"

With little time left before the helicopter finally arrived too close to them, Spider-Man fought his condition and pulled out the projectile that was biting his skin. He threw it to the floor and dove with arms open towards Gwen, throwing them both at gravity as more projectiles landed at their previous location.

I love you, dad.

I love you too, Liz.

Her eyes slowly opened, seeing the dirty floor she was lying her bruised face against. Her hand rested besides her expression, and behind her, the gates of her cell could still be seen.

Elizabeth sighed.

She missed her father. She didn't know what she had done to deserve such treatment.

She missed everyone.

Why didn't you come for me…?

Elizabeth wanted to let a tear out, but she noticed some chattering coming from the other side of her cell.

She brushed the tiny drop of blood from her lower lip with her sleeve and groaned as she slowly raised from the ground.

"Oh, she's finally awake. Like I was saying, this thing was a hard one to deal with."

Elizabeth was immediately alerted by the sight of dark Spider-Man like figure standing still in the other end, with an unknown man talking from behind him, probably some Warren's thug.

The figure observed her through his curvy white eyes.

He continued, "She's a real fighter, cracked this guy's nose before we captured her. Warren wanted to keep her, but I heard she's not helping herself with that."

She moaned slightly, in pain. It wasn't easy having her face smacked against those cold bars.

Venom remained in silent.

"I guess Warren is probably gonna open her up, you know? The guy is obsessed with studying these freak's power."

Elizabeth coughed briefly.

The man looked up to Venom, feeling uneasy at his presence, but obeying the orders he had of bringing him to her room.

He spoke, "Is that it… then?" He waited for a response. "You don't talk much do you?"

Elizabeth moved her eyes back and forth between them.

He sighed, now frustrated. "Look-"

A sharp blade originating from Venom's back went straight through the man's chest, spilling blood in the wall behind them.

Elizabeth brought her hands to cover her mouth as the man dropped dead into the ground.

Venom took a few steps closer to her cage and crouched in front of the gate. She moved backwards, hitting her frame against the wall behind her.

His eyes narrowed slightly at her expression and stood that way for a minute, before standing up and changing his right hand into the shape of an axe.

Elizabeth gasped and closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow.

He raised it above his head.

She heard the sound of something metallic being crushed instead. She opened her eyes and saw the gate split in half in the ground.

The strange figure wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Elizabeth moved her left foot outside the gates, and then the other, trying to ignore the body located not much further from her.

I'm fine… I'm fine...

She had a free path. She had more than that.

She had a chance now.

Queens

"Hold on…!" Spider-Man crashed inside the leftovers of an old burned house, destroying what was left from the wall made of brick he had just collided against.

He landed on his back and over the ground that was filled with dust and more old debris, never releasing Gwen from his hug that kept her protected from the landing.

His web-shooter had just ran out. He was lucky to have found a hiding spot after leaving the helicopter a few meters behind.

He had a brief window to find somewhere to hide.

Peter took his mask off and threw it aside. He breathed harshly as he observed their surroundings, catching his breath. "J-Jesus… that was lucky, I guess." He gasped, finding room for a brief chuckle. "What do you think, Gwen?"

His eyes focused in the destroyed ceiling, filled by many holes.

Gwen didn't respond.

Peter looked down to her. "Gwen…?" She wasn't moving, at all.

He moved her to the side and into the ground, crouching besides her. "Gwen?" He moved both hands to the side of each cheek. "Gwen, hey! Come on, Gwen!"

She moaned slightly without opening her eyes. "Hmm… aren't… you… my… savior?"

"What...?!" Peter moved a hand against her shoulder as he stood above her. "No, no, you did not just do that…!"

Gwen began laughing lowly.

He continued, "No…"

She chuckled harder.

"What is wrong with you, woman?!" Peter playfully pushed her to the side and away from him as he sat down again, supporting his weight with both harms.

She chuckled again, amused. "Oh, poor you… it's not like you haven't done anything worse."

Peter sighed and dropped his back into the ground. "You almost got what you want the most that is me dead by a heart attack."

"Really…?" Gwen teased, amused by his exaggeration. "Let me see it then."

She joined him and lowered the side of her head against his heart while she moved an arm around his stomach.

He looked down at he. "What-"

"You sound good enough," She smiled, moving her hand up to his chest, resting for a moment.

Peter sighed. "I think I'm okay now after everything I've ever done, you've got your revenge."

She looked up to his eyes, raising her torso as she stood over him. "No. Definitely not." She mocked.

They shared a genuine laugh. Despite everything, and the dirt, the unexpected down time they found themselves in brought peace to their spirits.

Gwen spoke shortly after, "You've got dirty all over your face," She chuckled, brushing the dirt off his cheeks with her hand.

He protested lighty, but she made him look more bearable regardless.

Their faces accidentally stopped inches from each other. She never took her hand off his cheek, but kept it there, keeping him close.

He sighed again, taking a second to admire her features, her emerald eyes, tiny tone, the almost hidden freckles, everything that made her stunning in his eyes.

Peter began softly, "You know, you have the skill of making anywhere, no matter how dirty it may be, romantic."

Gwen smiled genuinely. "That's… I'm honestly thankful for that."

They both leaned towards each at the same, connecting their lips together and engaging themselves into a deep kiss that lasted an eternity in their minds, something they truly had been missing for days.

Peter broke the kiss and held her chin delicately. He said gently, "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled, weakly.

"Come now, we're not far from Aunt May now."

Ezekiel stormed inside the seemingly abandoned warehouse that was now under fire. He protected his front view with his hands.

"Elizabeth…!" He called.

She was supposed to be there. That was the address he was given by the henchmen he captured.

Unless he lied. He wasn't expecting fire to be part of it.

He went further as small parts of the ceiling landed besides him. He wondered how the place had come to such state.

Something bad must have occurred. There were many unconscious bodies lying in the ground.

He only hoped Elizabeth was still alive, and hopefully out of there.

He had to be certain.

Ezekiel called again, "Elizabeth…?!" A large chunk of wood from above in the ceiling was about to drop over his position, he quickly dove forward, panting slightly afterwards.

He regained his breath, just to hear some grunts from his left side. He looked over his shoulder and saw a girl standing over a man while relentlessly punching him in the face.

Elizabeth…

"Don't… ever… get…. near me again…!" She landed consecutives punches in each side of his face, her knuckles getting bruised by doing so.

"Elizabeth…!" Ezekiel rushed towards her, taking her off him from behind.

"Don't touch me...! Stop!" She fought back, not realizing who had grabbed her. She tried to get past him and back to Warren.

"Hey, hey! It's me, honey!" Ezekiel held her in his arms while she kept struggling. "It's me!" He held her head gently with both hands so that she could look him in the eye

Her entire face was filled with tiny cuts. She must have fought dozens.

"Ezekiel…?" A tear began to slid down her right eye.

"You're safe. I've found you." He caressed her cheeks, delicately.

She sobbed. "They wanted to hurt me…"

Ezekiel embraced her, pulling her head against his chest. He could feel his jacket getting wet by her tears.

"Uncle Ezekiel…"

Ezekiel spoke softly, "It's alright, it's alright." He closed his eyes, assuring her she was safe with him in his embrace.

He could hear the man she was beating moaning slightly from behind them, but that didn't matter to him.

Ezekiel whispered, "You're safe, Liz. I'm not letting you go… not anymore." He nuzzled her hair, comforting her.

She sobbed slightly, hugging him back.

I've got you… He sighed heavily.

He arrived in time, she was there with her life intact. If he had taken too long… she might have done something worse than giving the man a beating.

Ezekiel would never forgive himself had he allowed her to get through that. But he wouldn't have to.

He fulfilled his task. She was his family, once the only family he had in his world. He wouldn't make the same mistakes again.

"Everything... will be alright, Liz. I promise you."

"Thank God you're alright, dear!" May hugged her nephew after he came knocking on her door, now wearing casual clothes over his suit.

Gwen smiled from behind him, standing near them in the porch, a place that held many memories to her, not all of them good.

Peter sighed, hugging his aunt back. "I've missed you, May." He dropped his chin over her shoulder.

May caressed the back of his neck. "You guys are safe here now."

She could very well see how Peter's last days were, the bruised skin in his face didn't lie.

"Did Harry get back?" Peter asked, worried.

May nodded, "Yes, he's putting Olive to sleep in your old room." She continued, "Come inside now, please."

Peter let go of his Aunt and stepped inside, seeing Mary Jane and Flash sat in the couch and next to each other. "What are you guys doing here?"

Back at the porch, May embraced Gwen. "How are you holding up, dear?" She moved her hands over Gwen's shoulders.

She smiled, tired. "It's been tough, I won't lie. It seems the world is after us while our daughter is missing." She sighed, heavily.

"You're a strong woman, Gwen. The best I could wish for my nephew to be with it… I know that we will all get through this, together, and our girl will be back in no time." She smiled, reassuringly.

"Thank you. I sure hope you are right, May."

May nodded. "I think I am. He's lucky to have you, you've taken good care of him…" She teased, "... and I hope the mister has done the same to you too!"

She laughed, shortly. "He's managing." They both shared a comforting chuckle.

Gwen felt better already. She couldn't count with her fingers how many times May had been crucial in their lives.

Now inside the living room, Peter greeted their long time friends. Flash rose from the couch and went towards Peter so that he could hug him.

Flash patted him in the shoulder. "Last time we talked things didn't sound too good. We just wanted to make sure you guys were alright, we've seen the news."

Peter sighed heavily. "Yeah, we ain't having a great time right now… and Elizabeth is missing."

Flash tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"We got ambushed at the Stark Tower, I told her to use her gift and leave the building… but I haven't seen her ever since." He explained, coughing in his hand again.

Flash noticed the marks of fight all over his friend's body. One of his hands was entirely bandaged.

Gwen interjected from behind them and next to May. "Ezekiel went after her. We're waiting for them, any minute now… hopefully."

"You guys really trust that guy? He's kinda weird." Flash inquired.

"About that, it's a long story-" Peter began coughing again.

Gwen approached him. "Sit down, Peter. You've been through a lot. You need to rest for a bit." She helped her husband sit in the comfy chair.

"I'll rest when I'm dead," Peter replied, weakly. He breathed heavily.

MJ spoke from the couch. "That's not healthy, Pete. Listen to your woman."

"Thank you, MJ." Gwen smiled to her friend. "You do talk some sense into this man-child."

She sat over the armrest of Peter's chair.

MJ nodded.

"Hey now…" Peter protested.

"I will get you guys some water." May headed towards the kitchen.

"Thanks, May." Flash sat besides his wife once again.

"Where's Sarah?" Gwen asked.

MJ answered, "She's with Flash's brother, we didn't want to bring her here in this moment, it doesn't feel too safe to be in New York nowadays."

"I understand that, our twins are at England with my mom too, I didn't want to risk their safety as well." Gwen thankfully took the glass of cold water from May's hand and took a sip.

Peter did the same. He thanked her and continued, "With the Avengers gone, I don't have the influence I used to. I'm trying… but now I'm just a criminal that refused to keep arresting his friends. People don't believe in us anymore."

"You did what you had to do, Peter." Flash insisted.

He sighed. "That's what I used to tell me every night…"

The doorbell rang. Their attention was turned towards the door. They stood quiet for a minute.

"Hold on," Peter stood up and slowly opened the curtains so that he could see who could be outside.

"Who is it?" Gwen asked, anxious.

Peter smiled. He didn't reply.

Instead, he approached the door and opened it, giving view to the two figures outside standing next to each other.

"Dad…!" Elizabeth hurried to hug him as Peter immediately kneeled so that he could be in her level.

"Elizabeth…!" They embraced each other.

Peter kept her closely with his arm around her back, tightening his grip around her. He buried his head against her ear.

She was all bruised, her delicate skin was filled with tiny cuts.

He had never seen his daughter like that. He wished he never did. "Oh, honey…"

Ezekiel watched them from the porch.

Elizabeth rested her head over his shoulder.

"They… they tried to hurt me, dad… they did." She said, weakly.

"It's alright, sweetheart." Peter caressed her hair. "Dad's here now…" He could hear her sobbing slightly.

"Liz!" Gwen approached them, hugging her as well. "What happened to you, honey? Who did this?" She asked, nervously.

Gwen quickly inspected her daughter, touching her cheeks gently. She lifted her chin, seeing the marks of tears from under her green colored eyes.

"Mom…" She looked at her mother. "I've missed you."

"Oh, baby… I've missed you so much." Gwen leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"You're safe now." Peter kissed her ear.

He sighed in the embrace, relieved that his daughter was back, but regretting the loss of her innocence by to the world she was put in due to his existence.

He looked at Ezekiel, exchanging a look. "Thank you." He whispered.

Ezekiel nodded.

"Come, honey." Gwen took her hand, gently. Elizabeth left the embrace. "Mom is going to take a look at those bruises."

"Go with your mom, Liz." Peter rose and caressed her cheek.

The pair left for the kitchen after being briefly greeted by the rest of the individuals in the room.

Ezekiel stepped inside and carefully closed the door, standing in front of it.

Peter placed a hand over his shoulder. "Thank you, Ezekiel."

"You don't have to-" Ezekiel was cut short once Peter pulled him into a thankful hug.

Peter whispered, "... thank you, brother."

Ezekiel allowed himself to live the moment. He wasn't expecting it. "It's alright."

"I'm glad you guys are back and alive." Harry Osborn walked down the stairwell that led to the bedrooms.

Peter turned on his feet and watched him come further inside. "Hare…" He continued, "I shouldn't have…"

"We're cool, man." Harry smiled, reassuringly. "What matters is that everyone is back together."

Peter exhaled deeply. He nodded, in agreement. "I've heard you're taking care of children as well."

He chuckled. "Yeah, well… Olive won't sleep by herself, she was concerned about the three of you.

"She's truly something else." Peter smiled.

"How's Liz?" Harry inquired. Ezekiel stood by Peter's side.

Ezekiel answered, "She's in shock, but she's getting better… quicker than I expected."

Peter sighed. "I fought everyday of my life since she came to us so that she never had to go through something like this."

Harry crossed his arms. "You can't predict the future, Peter. That's not the gift you gave. You did your best."

"Yeah…"

The girls returned from the kitchen. Gwen held her daughter's hand. Elizabeth had a few bandages over the tiny cuts in her face.

Gwen gestured her to sit down with Flash and MJ so that she could rest for a moment.

Peter exchanged a quick look with Elizabeth as she sat besides MJ. He winked and she smiled in return, before giving the couple a few minutes of attention.

Gwen approached them while May stood by the couch, talking to the trio.

"She's doing better now, her bruises are all superficial." Gwen informed, relieved.

"Thank God," Peter put an arm around her waist. Everything seemed to be slowly getting better.

Harry gave his advice, "Now we take it easy, we shouldn't be rushing into anything. There's a lot going on outside."

"Well-" Peter heard the trigger from within his mind, something wasn't right. He began looking around the room.

"What's wrong, Peter?" Ezekiel asked.

"I…" His eyes landed at Gwen. He spotted a tiny red dot flying against the skin of her forehead. His eyes widened. "Get down…!"

The sound of loud and sharp shot from outside the house met their ears as a bullet came straight through the window.

Peter jumped towards Gwen and landed over her in the ground. Ezekiel and Harry immediately dropped down once they realized what he meant.

Silence.

Peter stood above Gwen. He looked up to her, "Gwen…!"

She breathed heavily. No marks or anything. She was unscratched. "I-I'm not…"

Harry asked quickly from the ground, "Ezekiel?!"

"I'm good!" He answered, moving his back against the wall besides the window.

"Find who shot us!" Peter ordered, still holding his wife against the ground, protecting her with his own back.

Ezekiel shut the door open and stormed out side.

Gwen looked to their side and towards the couch. "Oh no…"

Peter noticed her expression. Confused, he followed her gaze.

To his horror, May was still standing besides the couch whose occupants were laid down against it.

She had her hand against her stomach and a huge stain of blood could be seen within the fabric of her shirt located in the region.

May looked at her bloodied hand, and then at her nephew. "Peter…" She began breathing harder.

"No, no…" Peter rose from the ground and slowly walked towards her, fighting the state of shock he found himself in.

He caught her in his arms once she threatened to fall as her strength failed her. "No… no, Aunt May…"

Her breath began ceasing as she laid her head over his arm. Peter held his arm under her back to support her, his shirt was filled with stains of blood.

Peter moved his shaking right hand up to her cheek, caressing it. The skin of his face turned redder.

The realization was kicking in.

"... May… don't… don't…"

A/N: … that happened. I won't go in details about what's to come regarding that, but it will be a breaking point in the story while building the bridge towards the last run.

I've went all in with this chapter. Thing is, I've tried to not focus on battles this time, I've focused in the characters themselves and their interactions. I think it's to you guys' liking. I also tried to avoid writing something too depressive, Elizabeth's storyline being a good example of that, but I also didn't want to go too light with it.

Being the daughter of Spider-Man is tough. Even he can't protect his loved ones forever, as evidenced in this chapter in many situations.

I hope everyone had a good read with this chapter. I tried my best to honor these characters so far, and maintain the TASM spirit as well despite the many directions I have taken, Ezekiel is vastly different character in the comics, for example.

I've grown attached to them, every week when possible I write something, four years at this point, almost five. It's crazy. But 2019 will surely be the end of the story, I need to close this, for everyone that has followed the story so far, and to myself.

I've been applying some changes to many previous chapters, mostly re-writing the same thing but better. There's a log in the chapters edited that tells what changed. But that's for those who keep re-reading the story.

Queenbandit : I will keep your request in mind. "Time" was a really special chapter to me and I would definitely want to do something similar again, I just have to find the right moment in the story again. Thanks for the input, I hear you.

Now I'll take some days off, so a new chapter this year is unlikely, but it won't take long .

Well, I think that's it, folks. Here's to happy holidays, I wish you all the best and I thank you for sticking up with me, I'm really grateful.

Happy 2018 Holidays.