May 16th - 2031
Lutheran Cemetery - Queens
Peter watched the many attendees that made their way past him so that they could gather an amount of the already collected dirt from the ground, before respectfully dropping it over the now closed coffin inside the grave.
And one after another they paid their respects to the late May Reilly Parker, walking away from her final resting area so that others could say farewell.
Some patted Peter on the shoulder, others spoke some brief but kind words to him as they wandered past him, but he could barely pay attention to any of that.
Her neighbors, distant relatives and friends were saying goodbye to her, but not Peter, not yet.
He didn't want to.
All he could do, all he wanted to do, was to focus all of his attention to May's closed coffin.
He tried to accept the sight near his eyes.
A part of him, a very important part of himself, was also being buried within the casket.
The weight she had in his life couldn't be measured and the same could be also said about the void she now left in its place.
It was Gwen Stacy's turn to walk past him as she held the twins' hands in each of her own, they approached the border of May's grave next to Ben's.
She wore a dark coat, also similar to her husband's suit.
Aiden and David didn't talk much, they couldn't entirely understand the entire definitive reality that took place near them, but they could already feel parts of it.
Gwen taught them how to proceed with the ceremony and they followed her instructions accordingly. She then took a small amount of dirt in her own glove and dropped it over the coffin by herself.
Peter heard David ask her a question after she stood up, but the answer he was given didn't seem to leave him in the best spirits, nonetheless she comforted them the best way she could considering the circumstances.
They left the opening and Gwen led them towards their father. She approached him and briefly let go of Aiden's hand so that she could touch her husband's arm.
Aiden hugged her leg for the time being.
She moved her hand against his cheek and caressed the skin, wiping away the incoming tear that left his right eye and dropped down his cheek.
Peter sighed heavily and kissed her hand, before taking it on his own, squeezing it gently.
Gwen tilted her head slightly to the side as she watched his expression, heartbroken at the image of her grieving Peter Parker.
Such image reminded her of the time she attended to her own father's funeral, she truly understood how he felt, but maybe not entirely.
Peter had been living with death and tragedy around him since he was just a child.
It began with his parent's tragic demise, then his Uncle's, shortly after then her father George also passed away, a man she knew he respected a lot, and now, Aunt May.
The woman that basically raised him and the one person that always found the time to look over her nephew despite how rough things could be around them, and even when he didn't want her to take care of him.
But she insisted, she always did, and in the end, she always managed to bring the very best out of Peter Benjamin Parker and even Spider-Man.
She would be truly missed, she already was.
Gwen herself couldn't imagine what life could be without such woman at their side.
Her husband now only had her to rely on, she and the their children were the last of his family.
The Parkers would have to endure, like they always did. She thought to herself.
Gwen cleared her throat as she felt her own tears fight her to come out. She gently took her hand off him and held her son's again, before walking them away towards somewhere else where they would be able to lift their spirits once again.
Peter was left alone.
The crowd began to turn smaller with each minute that went by, yet he remained there, waiting for the very last second until he could wake up, or maybe for the moment where May would call him in his phone, just something, but in reality, deep inside of him he knew he had to accept that both things wouldn't happen, not anymore.
He wanted to give the both of them the best life he could. He once wanted to grow older and provide them with anything they could possibly wish in their late lives, to thank them for being there for him when he thought he would be truly alone in the world.
For sheltering a lost child and raising him as one of their own.
May was his last chance of accomplishing that, but he failed there as well. The creation of his one gift was the epicenter that caused their lives to be taken away of him.
It all came back to that.
The wind brushed against his hair and clothes, the silence kept him connected to the two gravestones set besides each other.
Peter bit his lower lip as he observed the two gravestones in front of him, trying to keep his emotions back, but his tears found their way out of his eyes and down the skin of his cheek nonetheless.
I'm sorry, Aunt May….
The two persons he could not save. The two beloved ones Spider-Man failed to keep them safe, despite giving all of himself for his family.
Peter felt a small hand touch his own. He looked down to his side and found his blonde haired daughter there, holding his hand.
"Dad…" She fixed her green emerald eyes at him.
He could see she had been crying before.
"Hey you..." Peter brushed his sleeve against his face to wipe the tears away. He cleared his throat.
Elizabeth sighed and gazed the stones in front of them. "I wish… I wish could have seen Ben... and May together."
"... I hope we all will someday, Liz."
"You mean... when we get up there… in the sky?" She focused on his distant expression once again.
He remained still in a brief silent, never taking his eyes off May's grave. "... that's what I choose to believe in, honey."
Elizabeth squeezed her father's hand slightly harder, keeping him close to her.
She never expected any of that to happen. She expected May to overcome her injury and be well once again, but reality hit her hard.
Now she faced such reality in front of her. The world she was used to had now taken a significant turn and her eyes were open to things she never once thought of.
Elizabeth looked up to her father and hardened her grip over him. "... dad… I… I don't want you to go up there too…"
She begged.
Peter exhaled deeply. How would he talk to a grieving child about death?
He stood on his left knee and faced her, watching his daughter's eyes that anticipated a response. He moved a trace of her golden hair behind her ear and delicately wiped the tear off her cheek.
"Liz…" Peter then released one tear of his own. He sniffed lightly. "I…"
She pulled him into a desperate hug and rested her head against his shoulder.
Peter caressed the back of her back, feeling the material in his suit getting covered by water. He closed his eyes and allowed her emotions to fully come out as he kept her safe in his arms.
He knew how she felt. He couldn't let the pain and fear change the wonderful young girl she was, she needed the support, they all did.
He had to be strong, despite every thought in his mind telling himself to stay there and do nothing, to mourn May all by himself, to take the pain and lock it inside him.
Experience told him how he should instead stay away from such path.
As a family, they would have to rely on each other now. He only hoped no one else would have to suffer anymore.
He knew he had to end it, all the suffering, all the threats… all the pain, the very tale that would remain years after Spider-Man was long gone, it had to be different.
He had to be sure, for everyone's sake, there was too much at stake, many lives, dear lives and futures to guarantee.
An end to the pain was needed.
May 18th - 2031
St. Brendan's Catholic Church - Manhattan
"Shoot… all of them, that's what we all were told as we entered the village," Eddie spoke, sat besides the priest in the pew close to the altar inside the church.
Father Thomas listened to him keenly, looking over his shoulder and at him.
He continued, "By that point we had spent days isolated from our main unit… everyone was on edge... everyone was hungry, thirsty and tired.
"... then... shoot all of them," He repeated to himself, pulling the memories from deep inside his mind. "... the chief kept shouting that in front of us, everything and everyone was now an enemy."
"What did you do then, Eddie?"
He shook his head, looking at the ground but focusing nowhere. "We didn't know… what to do, those people in the village didn't seem to have anything… bad with them, the children were just riding their bikes in the dirt and the women carried water buckets over their heads."
Eddie continued. "... I couldn't allow him to start a civilian bloodbath that would then turn on us… and as everyone reluctantly raised their rifles at them, I pulled my own… and shot him from behind."
He pictured the man falling down into the ground after taking the shot. "He was out… gone, and they looked at me, lost, just as I was. When I approached him, I noticed he had pulled the pin from the grenade in his hand before he died, it exploded inches from my position… taking many bits of myself off me in the process."
The priest briefly analyzed his figure, he seemed healthy despite the story he had just told him.
"Yet here you are, but… I feel like you didn't do it for them, the people there in the village. Why then?"
He sighed. "... there's someone that needs me, someone I should be able take care of, I gave up everything I had so that I could sustain the treatment… and we all would be court martialed or worse… I couldn't allow him to jeopardize that, so I took my weapon… and I shot him in the back. Nobody besides us would know. He left two children and a wife."
"I see… but now you've finally told me this story after so many years."
"You are… the only person I talk to, father. And I guess… I guess I want someone to know part of my story, there will be many in the coming days, not all of them good."
He tilted his head to the side. "I think you're a good man, Eddie, even if you're afraid of realizing that."
"Being good... in my life never got me anything, father. It was always about moving the barriers in front of me by myself… and I had to, otherwise some would never make it." He looked to his left arm, watching the symbiote come from underneath his sleeve and towards his hand, reaching his fingers.
Thomas followed Eddie's gaze, staring the same thing he did. His suspicions turned out be true. "... if I have listened to you, others would too, you just have to allow them to."
Eddie sighed heavily. "I… I can't, all they would see is a monster, and perhaps they're right. I still need to find something, people might hate me for what I am and what I did, but there's always men out there willing to harm them without they knowing, I stopped a lot of them." He stood up and closed his fists. "I must keep doing what needs to be done until then."
Thomas held him by his left arm and insisted, "But then what, Eddie?"
"Then I hope I will leave one good thing in this world, father." He gently moved the priest's hand off him, before nodding and walking towards the main entrance.
Eddie already had found a name, and the three of them now might have a chance of be reunited once again.
Thomas rose and spoke from far behind him, "There's always another way."
"Not this time." He continued, "I can't hesitate, father, I never did… not now, not never."
Peter moved his injured hand under the constant flow of water that was coming from the tap inside their bathroom, watching the dark stain found in the middle of the each side of the hand.
It was a bad injury, one that would probably leave a mark on him for the rest of his life. It could have gone much worse, though, considering how much stronger his opponent was.
He could barely fight him back, it was all about enduring the most pain he could while trying not to die.
Peter sighed and looked up to his shirtless expression found in the mirror above the sink.
He may very well write a single book regarding the story of each scar and stain he had spread all over his torso more.
He leaned himself with both hands over the sink and gazed the flow of water moving towards the drain slowly disappear from his sight.
Where do we all go now…?
After closing his eyes, he thought briefly about his Aunt and cleared his throat afterwards.
Peter looked up to the mirror once again and saw his figure be replaced by the bright red and blue Spider-Man that kept looking at him through other side.
They stared at each other.
Peter sighed. He whispered to himself, "I'm not too sure that's the answer anymore…"
He finally turned on his feet and stepped outside the bathroom, before entering the bedroom he had been sharing with his wife for many years at this point.
She could be seen sat over the mattress, resting her back against the headboard. She wore one of his shirts alongside her blue pantie.
They exchanged a quiet look. Peter turned the lights off and slightly dropped his chin as he walked around the bed so that he could sit besides her.
He dropped his weight against the headboard and sighed heavily.
Gwen looked over her shoulder and at him. "Hey, bugboy." She greeted, softly.
He met her big green eyes. "Hey…"
She asked delicately, "How are you doing?"
"I'm… okay, I guess."
"You don't have to ignore me, you do know that, right?" She whispered amidst the darkness around them.
He remained in silence.
She nodded to herself and moved her sight towards the open space between the curtains in the window.
Peter held her chin, gently. She immediately focused on him once agai. "I just have been… it hasn't sunk in yet, it does but then it doesn't… and I'm reminded of everything once again, it doesn't feel good."
Gwen squeezed his hand that had just touched her. "It hasn't to me too." She lowered herself in the bed and rested her head over the pillow. "You think it gets easier the more older you get but… it really doesn't."
Peter followed her and laid his head over his own pillow, moving his right arm underneath it.
They both found each other's gaze despite the darkness between them, they remained inches from each other.
She closed her eyes and spoke, "Maybe... if I could have stood somewhere else instead."
He sighed, heavily. "It… wouldn't matter, Gwen. Maybe you would have gotten hurt instead... I brought this to ourselves. She's… gone because of me."
I paid the price, again.
Gwen frowned slightly at him. She insisted, "... we chose to be with you."
He raised the question, "Did you? Or did I allow you to choose in the first place…?"
"What are you saying, Pete?" She moved the palm her hand up to his cheek, paying attention to his eyes.
"I don't know if can be… if I can do this… with you near me, I want people around to stop getting hurt."
"You're not… trying to get away from us, right?" Gwen questioned, legitimately worried.
He shook his head in response and kissed her pulse. "I have dragged all of you into so much… bad stuff, Uncle Ben, Connors, your father and now Aunt May."
"You're assuming some of us weren't aware of the risks. Connors once tried to strike me when I was seventeen, Peter… and I almost fell to my death as well, I had all the reasons to stay away from you, but I didn't."
He argued back, "Then you know better than anyone that these things might happen again if I fail at protecting you like I did with… Aunt May." He paused. "I don't want more blood in my hands, Gwen. Who will be next? Liz, Aiden… you? I won't be able to take it."
She silenced, allowing herself to gather all the words she wanted to let out. "Ask your children if they want their dad somewhere else that isn't their home, in their innocence or not, they have their heads turned at you and it will forever remain that way." She continued, "As for me… I chose you… to be with this man I trust my whole life with, Peter. I chose you to build and share a place we would call our home… and from that you were the one I wanted to have children with, to make me a mother just like I made you a father, despite everything, despite the danger and risks, the love I have for you… weights more than anything else in this world."
He observed her expression, and determination.
Gwen was a strong willed woman that could do anything she wanted, including talking something into him.
And she was right.
Gwen continued, "... May passed away aware that absolutely nothing would stop her from being the mom you once ceased to have, and that you didn't need a powerful sidekick out there at your side, but instead you only needed a family, she knew the strength that can have."
Peter cupped her cheek. He leaned in, touching his forehead against her as they closed their eyes at the touch.
"She's... in a better place now, all of our gone beloved ones are, waiting for us, eventually."
Peter held her cheek and made her look at him. "Then promise me… you won't leave me too, Gwen. Just… promise me this one thing."
She remained still. "Can you make that promise to me, Peter?"
He inhaled deeply. "I… I…"
Somewhere else...
"Watch yourself, midget!"
One of the nightclub's member protested after a short and hooded figure strolled harshly past him and into the busy crowd inside the club.
The many flashes of different colors coming from the ceiling brushed against everyone in the figure's way, the loud music didn't interfere with her sense's, and the target remained sat in the stool besides the bar.
She was finally getting near him. He laughed at someone's joke as he was given another drink.
He noticed some unexpected movement from behind him and before he could wipe his grin off, he had been already been pushed towards the ground by the back of his shirt.
"What-"
His head smacked against the floor. His eyes flickered as he tried to regain his senses.
The figure punched him in the face twice as a way to keep him alarmed. "I don't suppose you remember me!?" The feminine voice asked, harshly.
The party went on, only a few had noticed the occurrence due to the loud music that took place within their space.
She then felt someone grab her by her shoulder. She resisted and held her position, before shoving away the man behind her with a quick strike by her free arm.
She resumed her attention to the one in the ground whom she kept trapped by her powerful grip, gifting him many punches meanwhile.
"Don't you ever get near me or my family again…!"
She had tracked the man who kidnapped her weeks ago.
A bottle was then struck against her head, tiny bits of glass landed over her clothes and spread all over the floor.
She released the man, turned on her back and quickly slid her right leg against the thug's, causing him to land on his back.
She noticed a door besides the bar being open by a group of five provoked armed men that rushed towards her.
Time to go.
She quickly re-joined the crowd and tried to move herself between everyone in her way while hearing the many curses coming from the group that were after her.
I'm never gonna make it this way...
She looked up to the ceiling and quickly jumped towards it, before crawling her way towards the back door she used to sneak her way inside.
There were a pair of men guarding her exit.
She landed over the first guard's head, locked her legs around his neck and used her strength to spin him into the ground.
She then got up and threw her shoulder towards the one that stood in front of the door, crashing it open.
As they landed on the alleyway, she panted heavily, but she couldn't rest and resumed her pace once the men after her reached the now doorless exit.
"Drop this damn moron already…!"
A bullet flew over her shoulder, she gasped in shock, afraid of getting herself shot. She jumped over a closed dumpster and ran against the wall besides it as more bullets landed behind her.
She returned to solid ground and entered the street, standing in the middle of the traffic.
Think, think, think…!
She heard a horn from her back and leaped into the air so that the bus didn't turn her one with the asphalt.
She could barely catch her breath once her chasers were seen shortening the distance between them. She looked up to the buildings and hesitated.
There's no way I would pull it off...
She never properly tried in the first place.
She spotted a large bin truck passing in the other side of the road and chose to fire a web-cable to its rear, holding the web-line tightly in her hand as she was pulled and dragged on her back through the road.
It hurt like hell. Nothing would be left of her hoodie if she remained that way.
As she struggled to pull herself closer to the truck through the webbing, she frowned, concentrating herself to achieve the one thing she wanted in the moment.
She teleported into the truck's back, landing over a good amount of trash.
She was breathless.
I did it…
She pulled her hoodie off and moved the clothing under her head, before pulling the Spider-Man mask up to her forehead, making room for the bruised face of Elizabeth Stacy Parker to come out.
"Wow…"
Elizabeth sighed heavily, arms opens above the trash and eyes staring at the moon in the dark sky above her.
She used her sleeve to wipe a trace of blood found in her lower lip due to a tiny cut and finally noticed where she was lying her back upon.
"Eww…" She gasped in discomfort as she raised her chest and sat in the truck.
Elizabeth found a small piece of broken glass besides her and took a minute to observe her expression.
She had her father's mask on top of her head, fringes of her golden hair popped out and brushed against her face.
She looked worse, and it would show.
Yet they could never know, not now.
Elizabeth pulled her hoodie up once again, and slowly brought the mask down to her neck, never taking her eyes off the glass.
She stood still amidst the trash while the truck wandered through the colorful streets of New York, embracing the change that was taking place within her.
Queens
After leaving the comfort of his wife's arms about an hour after she finally fell asleep, Peter crossed the empty and dark street just to stop in front of Aunt May's house.
He was having trouble to join Gwen in her sleep, it had been the case for quite a few nights at this point.
A lighten lamp besides the main door kept the porch illuminated, the only source of light that was left in the house.
He could spot the bullet holes in the living room's window.
Peter sighed heavily.
He took his right hand off his jacket's pocket and took the day's newspaper from the ground next to the mailbox.
He stood still before he climbed the steps, gathering the amount of courage needed to face his new reality. He finally took a few steps forward and reached for the door, opening it with his keys.
His shadow appeared in the dark floor in front of him the moment he fully opened the door.
He inspected his surroundings.
Everything was quiet, not a single sound could be heard from within the house, but only its memories.
Follow me and I'll show you.
He turned the switch on and closed the door behind him.
The main hall remained exactly how May left it before.
He went further inside, ceasing once near the entrance of the living room so that he could look over his shoulder and spot the now dry stains of blood near the couch.
… not choice, responsibility.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
Peter resumed his walking and took a turn towards the stairs that led to his old bedroom.
The door was already slightly open, he moved inside and sat in his bed, placing the newspaper besides him.
Maybe everyone has a part of themselves they hide… even from the people they love.
He fixed his eyes at his old computer that he gave to May once he moved out to England.
She learned fairly quickly how to properly use it, he didn't have to teach her for very long.
Peter sighed and caught the newspaper in his hands once again, reading the front page that informed of a different type of Spider-Man that had been spotted in the skies of New York City.
Venom.
He dropped the paper into the ground and brushed his face with his hand, filling the entirety of his lungs with air.
His old room somehow kept him grounded no matter how everything else tried to pull the rug under his feet again.
Maybe one of them would come upstairs and tell him to get ready for dinner.
Maybe Uncle Ben would warn him beforehand that May had cooked them some meatloaves, and that everything would be alright.
Perhaps Peter would finally tell him that they weren't actually too bad at all.
… you're a pretty good dad.
Peter smiled weakly as a single tear came through his right eye and slid down his cheek.
"I miss you guys…" He whispered, wiping his nose with his hand. "I wish I could have spent more time with you…"
He sniffed again.
Peter cleared his throat and rose from the bed. He made his own way back to the main hall and stood between the living room and the kitchen. He leaned his shoulder against the wall so that he could face May's favorite room, where he had been taught most of his culinary skills thanks to her.
They had lots of spare time together when he was younger.
He could see the small box of eggs over the sink. She had asked him to buy one to her before he came to visit her many days ago.
It was still there.
A tiny smile formed on his lips.
He spoke lowly, "Rough night…" He found her voice in his thoughts once again.
Sweetheart, it's alright. It's okay.
He kept the kind smile with him for a little longer. He could almost see her in front of him.
She was preserved in his mind and heart, everything that made her the woman he loved like she was his mother.
And she truly was.
He felt comforted, at peace. She would be forever with him. No matter where he ended up in his life. He slowly realized that.
Peter switched off the lights inside the house and headed towards the porch, closing the main door for good.
He slowly sat down in the steps and finally caught his breath after so many days of constant struggle.
The damage he had caused to the abandoned house in the other side of the street could still be seen, it would most likely remain that way for awhile. His car was also basically done after they recovered it from the debris.
Lots of explanation had been throw around in order to convince the officers as to how the vehicle even got there, but that was something Ezekiel himself volunteered to do.
His head wasn't paying much attention to anything else besides the condition of Aunt May after she got into the hospital.
He opted to fix the vehicle by himself instead of moving the stones to buy another one, if it was indeed fixable. He wanted to focus in alternative things for the time being, and maybe teach his children a thing or two about it.
The street remained in absolute silence, it reminded him of the many nights he had to sneak towards home while wearing the entirety of his suit so that no one could spot the dreaded menace wandering in their street and then breaking into the poor lady's house.
That would have given Jameson the best day of his life.
Peter sighed heavily and dropped his chin towards the ground.
A car far away in the south side of the street slowly headed towards Peter's direction. He didn't notice it until the headlights greeted his front view.
The lights weren't getting off him so he finally focused on his visitor who turned the engine off and moved one foot outside the car.
Gwen stepped into the cold ground and closed the door as they found each other's eyes. She hugged herself and slowly walked towards him.
Peter didn't take his tired eyes off his wife.
She somehow had realized he was off bed and went to find him in the only place she thought he could. She never missed it.
Gwen sat besides him in the stairs and leaned her head against his shoulder, getting comfy and warm enough next to her husband.
She gazed the stars in the sky above them.
Peter watched her serene expression for a moment, while important words about their future had to be revealed, nothing had to be said between them in the porch.
That could come later.
He leaned his own head against hers and joined her gaze, finding comfort in her embrace and in the shining stars that sent their lights upon them.
Brooklyn Bridge - New York
Venom released the man by loosening his grasp over his right leg. He fell for a second towards the water under Brooklyn Bridge, screaming loudly in horror.
The symbiote shot a dark web-line to his right foot and held him once again. The man panted harshly as he was pushed back to Venom's position through the webbing.
Venom grabbed the collar of his shirt with one hand. His tongue slid against his cheek, tasting the fear, before speaking, "The sea will feel like solid concrete when your body makes contact with it… unless you explain to me how her name vanished years ago?!"
The man flinched at the terrifying sound that was the beast's voice. "I… I don't know!"
Venom opened his mouth and showed his sharp teeth, before biting the air in front the man's nose. "You took her from us, you were the last person she was seen with it!"
"Please…"
"Actually… I think would rather pull your guts out of your belly and make you watch me as I eat them instead of letting you go right now." He cackled, amused.
"No, no… wait, don't… I-I was told not to mention this to anyone!"
Venom abruptly leaned himself closer. "By whom?!"
"I don't know! Years later he came to us with a big fat case of money and asked us to do it since we were the ones who dealt with her case, we couldn't see his face."
"I don't see him here with us, right?" Venom's saliva landed on the man's face as he spoke. He quickly grabbed him by the neck with one hand. "What did he want?!"
"T-To make her disappear…! So that she could never be found anymore, we took her name off the radar years later after she got adopted!"
Venom tightened his grip over the man's neck, almost crushing it. "Would you consider that a good decision now under your current situation?"
"N-No…! Please, I told you everything I know." He begged, dealing with the pain he was suffering by Venom's hand.
"Not everything…!" He continued, harshly, "What is her name now? Where can I find her?"
"I can't remember…"
Venom suddenly bit his shoulder, pouring blood everywhere down his shirt while causing him to scream loudly in agony. He retreated and asked again, "Her… name…?"
He gasped heavily, a big chunk of his shoulder might be gone. "Argh…! I-I… I think she's called… O-Olive!" He continued, "Here, take this drive with you, everything I ever worked on is there, names, addresses, everything!"
"Olive…" Venom whispered to himself, taking the drive from his hand and on his own, before the symbiote covered the tiny device.
"Let me go now, I'm bleeding… I-I need a doctor." He begged.
Venom focused his murderous sharp and curvy eyes back at the man. He smiled, "Here, have a bath then."
He let go of the man and watched him be dragged down towards the river, crashing against the water and disappearing from sight.
Olive…
May 20th - 2031
"Thank you, dear." Gwen watched her right hand from her seat besides her desk. "My nails look so pretty now."
Olive smiled happily from the other side of the table. She held the purple colored nail enamel, feeling proud of the work she did for the past twenty minutes.
"You're welcome."
They were having fun inside Gwen's office despite her having some work to do, but she was managing both things pretty well regardless.
Her children returned to school after life in the city calmed down a bit. She only hoped that the city would remain in such way.
Gwen smiled back and returned her attention back to her laptop. "So, how do you like my office, Olive?"
"It's very nice, I wish that when I grow older I can work in a place like this too!"
"Whatever you may want in the future will be right before you, you will just have to leap towards it." She winked, playfully.
Olive smiled again.
Someone knocked on the door, gently.
Gwen eyed the door. "That must be our lunch."
Olive jumped off her chair and stepped in the ground. "I'll pick it!" She hurried towards the door and opened it.
Ellie greeted from the entrance. "Hey girls!"
"Hey, Ellie." Gwen replied. She knew her for many years by now, before Ultron took over, they had endured a lot together. "Tell me you've got something delicious to us."
"Food for two, just like you asked." She looked down to the girl in front of her. "Aren't you a beauty?"
Olive flushed and was given the plastic back that contained their food.
Ellie caressed her hair and continued, "I didn't know you had a second daughter."
Gwen replied, "For the moment... I don't, but I'm taking care of Olive as if she was one of my own."
Olive's smile grew wider.
Ellie nodded in understanding. "Well, I will leave your fine girls to your lunch then."
"Thank you." Gwen spoke.
They were finally left alone as Olive strolled back to the desk and sat in her seat, before moving their food above the table and between them.
Gwen opened their foam food container and Olive already licked her lips at what she was seeing in those containers.
"Roasted garlic clove chicken, that's quite the plate actually."
"It looks so good!" Olive grabbed her plastic fork and knife so that she could start eating the tasty food. She filled her mouth with food.
Gwen chuckled. "Well, you certainly are hungry." She watched her devour her food. She sniffed her food. "Um… that's… does my food smell… different to you, Olive?"
Olive leaned herself slightly against the desk. She shook her head and mouthed, "It smells just like mine, really good." She returned to her plate.
"Somehow I'm not hungry anymore, maybe later… you eat how much you want now, honey." Gwen closed her container and returned to her laptop.
Olive nodded. "What do you do here?"
"Basically, I'm a molecular scientist." Olive didn't bat an eye as she looked at her. She laughed. "Right, so… my job is to search, understand or possibly teach the concepts behind a cellular structure that work on a molecular level."
Gwen waited for a response.
Olive remained quiet.
"You didn't understand that either." Gwen smirked.
"Um… so, you help people too?"
Gwen answered, "You could say that, thanks to this I even got to help Peter sometimes."
It took a moment for her to finally realize something after her response.
Wait…
Gwen returned to her laptop and began using the keyboard just as fast, opening files after files until she found what she was looking for.
The sample… I still have it…
She remembered the one day she retrieved a small part of the symbiote from Peter after he first arrived home with it.
She had the intention to analyze it and check for any anomalies, after all, he had just found what looked to be an organism that was stuck within his body.
The sample was frozen later when the Sinister Six was defeated. She didn't want to deal with such thing anymore, but having the sample frozen somewhere in the building could maybe prove useful now.
"Olive… dear, you just helped me a great deal."
"How are you holding up?" Harry took a sip of his coffee early in the morning
Peter paid attention to the TV set in the wall behind and above the cash register.
He was being told of a fire that took place in Ryker's Island in the previous night, within the section where Wilson Fisk was jailed.
There were many casualties. He doubted the fire was indeed an accident like the media was painting it to be.
"I'm taking one day at the time." Peter answered, without moving his sight away from the news.
Harry analyzed him. "If you want me do anything for you, just say it, Pete."
He finally made eye contact with him. "This is good enough, thank you."
Harry nodded. "And the kids? Are they doing alright?"
"Better than I expected, honestly." He continued, "Liz seems to be the one more shaken by it."
"I can only imagine." Harry took another sip.
"I guess… she's afraid the same might happen to me, you know?"
"After what she just went through, she may have realized what the world can do to anyone, specially her father."
"Yeah…" Peter sighed. "I thought I could protect her from such thing, make her have the childhood I didn't, that was one of the conditions I told myself I had to live by before I became a father, but now? I'm not doing so good at that."
"Well.. she's the daughter of Spider-Man, her life would always be different when compared to most children. Don't be too harsh on yourself."
He shook his shoulder, frustrated. "I guess I'll try, Hare."
"We'll mourn her now, Peter. You shouldn't worry about anything else in the meantime, just… take it easy for the time being, alright?"
"I"m not so sure I can."
"Why?"
He looked up to the TV again. They were reporting the many sightings of this Spider-Man look alike throughout the city.
"There's that… and there's also the man who took Gwen as well, who compromised my identity to Fisk."
Harry joined his gaze. He remembered Venom too well. "I'm not forgetting him anytime soon."
"The city is also on the glimpse of collapse, one can say a civil war is taking place in the entire country… and while the odds seem to be turning back to us again, I think I must help keep my city together too. If I took my time to mourn…"
"It will be tough, Peter. A lot of people want you gone and worse, it's dangerous, maybe you shouldn't… fight this one battle. It's dangerous, how many times will you try to get yourself killed this month?"
"I...I have to do this, Harry, no else will… I don't think I will be able to live the rest of my life aware that I did nothing to bring our people together again. Olive is the living proof of what this chaos is doing to people." He paused. "Many years ago I… I made a promise to myself, probably the only promise I can actually try to fulfill in a lifetime… that I would be that person you could rely on in this city… as Spider-Man, and I intend to keep this promise, now more than ever."
Harry could never understand how he came to be friends with a person like him, he was filled with kindness, always have been.
Yet, he feared for his friend. Peter's bravery could still cost him a lot in the long run, and he worried about the realm of scenarios that could be. His determination was far too strong within him.
He asked, "Assuming… we overcome all of this and everyone's well, what's next? Did you think about that?"
Peter exhaled deeply. "I don't know, Harry. I think I will have to do what's best for my family… what's the best for the people who still believe in me, and those who don't anymore."
Harry nodded and took another sip, watching his friend find himself lost in his own thoughts. "You know… when you thought I was dead, and after I first woke up back at the manor with this colossal pain in my stomach, the first thing I thought… was how I would get back to you, I was afraid… that I had lost you back there, but then I was told you were alive, and for a moment… nothing else gave me such joy, it kept me going as I dealt with the pain, that's how important you are to some people, Peter… to a lot of people."
"You should have come to me much earlier instead of hiding there."
"I didn't want to mess your life up. I heard you were happy and I couldn't risk taking that away from you."
Peter smirked. "You always have been an idiot."
They shared a laugh together.
"I guess you're right." Harry continued, "But seriously, Peter, how are you even going to stop… Venom?"
"I still want to talk to Eddie, maybe he can listen to me."
"About him.. Harry opened his backpack that was set besides him and took a file in his hand, before moving it into Peter's. "I'm not too sure he can be reasonable with after everything he went through."
Peter frowned at his suggestion and reluctantly opened the file in his hands, clearing his throat as he absorbed the information he was given.
"He joined the army shortly after he cut all ties with me and disappeared… during his service he suffered major injuries to his limbs, losing… a few, suspended not longer that, no news about him since then…"
"It makes sense, the suit must be keeping him in one piece, as to how he got it… that remains a mystery."
Peter looked back at him and asked, "How did you get this?"
"I dug a big hole."
He focused back in the file. "... Jesus…"
"I don't think Jesus will be helping you, Venom… or Eddie, isn't someone easy to contain if you end up having to, Peter. He's far stronger than you are, he doesn't tire… and he doesn't stop. This is one battle you will be at no initial advantage." Harry continued, "I don't suppose you have a spare symbiote, right?"
He shook his head in response. "Even if I did… those things are complicated to live with it, it can bring the worst of you… I don't even know how Flash managed."
"You told me before, yeah." Harry recalled when they clashed again and Peter wore the symbiote against him. It didn't end well for him. "We'll find a way… meanwhile I'll just pay this coffee, wait for me."
"Right…" Peter watched him stand up and walk towards the woman in the register Harry told him about.
He dropped the file over the table and hesitated for a moment. He eyed his bandaged hand, before slowly taking the wraps off.
He brought the same hand up in the air in front of his eyes.
The dark stain that could be seen in the middle of his hand was now slowly spreading itself towards his pulse and further, crawling under his skin, before emerging briefly on top of it, taking its place.
Peter concentrated his sight at it.
After Venom pierced the very same hand back at the warehouse, a part of the symbiote spread to his hand and only just now he realized what was going on with his limb.
No one knew, yet. Many years later, and the disease caught up with him once again, but maybe something good could come out of it this time.
One good thing.
Perhaps we'll stay on even ground instead...
A/N: Here we go.
With this chapter I wanted to let Peter and everyone mourn the death of Aunt May considering how important she is to the mythos, but I also wanted to move the plot forward at breakneck speed so that the story concludes before we reach a milestone for me that would be chapter 80, I want to take advantage of the fire I still have with me.
There might be a few surprises here and there, along with some requests, I still like to write simple things for these characters.
Huge thanks to everyone that are supporting and reading the story, you guy's words give me that extra motivation, and as usual I will keep a log in my profile regarding the status of the next chapter.
Until then.