It took Ian nearly twice the usual time to get home from the beach. It was nearly impossible to drive with his spidey sense pulling his attention in a million different directions. People were waking up to find that the Windy City had grown cold and hostile in their absence. Many were crying out for help, but there were no heroes around to ease the transition. They'd just have to find their own way to make in this strange new world.

Ian arrived at the place he'd called home for the past two years. He spent a few minutes sitting in the parking lot with the keys still in the ignition. He knew that the day had finally arrived where he'd be forced to tell Hannah the truth. He had good reasons, but he'd still been lying to her. Perfect Sam was back and Ian was a liar. There was no question who Hannah would end up choosing. He hoped his next apartment would be half as nice as this one.

Ian texted Hannah to come outside. This was one conversation they needed to have in private. Nearly twenty minutes passed with no reply. It was odd behavior for Hannah. Between checking her email and calling clients, her phone rarely left her sight for more than a few minutes. The throbbing in Ian's skull intensified. Something big and bad was coming. He had to get Hannah before it was late.

Ian raced into the apartment. In his haste to get inside, he ripped the door off the hinges. What he found was like something out of a horror movie.

Sam grabbed both of Hannah's wrists. "Help her! She's my daughter! Why won't you save her!"

Electricity crackled and the lights flickered. Hannah screamed and the smell of smoke filled the air.

Ian rushed forward, but it was too late. Hannah rolled off the couch and hit the edge of the coffee table with a sickening thud. Ian rushed to Hannah's side. Both wrists were badly burned and she had a nasty gash on her forehead.

"Hannah!" Ian shouted. "Are you okay? Open your eyes!"

Hannah moaned but didn't open her eyes.

"What did you do to her!" Ian shouted at Sam.

Sam blinked a few times. "Nothing." He looked down at his blister covered hands. "I woke up and she was screaming."

Ian didn't believe that lie for a single second. He picked Hannah up and raced to the door. She was limp and barely breathing. He prayed the first aid kit was still in the trunk of his car.

"Where are you taking her," Sam cried. "Is she okay?"

Sam reached for Hannah and Ian shoved him back. Sam stumbled backward and knocked over the pile of bins in the corner. With Sam momentarily distracted, Ian ran out into the parking lot. He tossed Hannah into the passenger seat and sped out of the parking lot.

Ian drove three blocks before pulling over in the parking lot of a convenience store. He popped open the trunk and grabbed the first aid kit. Over the last few years, Tony had taken an interest in medicine. It was his way of making amends for the thousand of lives that had been lost during his time manufacturing weapons. Ian hoped Tony was half as good at making medicine as he was at making weapons. Hannah was going to need a lot more than a few band-aids.

Ian dumped the first aid kit out on the front seat. It took him only a second to find the wound spray. He shook the bottle and sprayed the foam on Hannah's head and arms. Her skin knit back together like magic. Thank goodness for Tony Stark and his tinkering.

Hannah gasped and opened her eyes. "What happened?

"Sam hurt you." Ian placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up. "He burned your wrists, but you're okay now."

Hannah looked around and saw that they were no longer in the apartment. "We have to go back!"

"Forget it. I'll replace whatever it is when we get to New York."

"You can't replace my husband!"

Ian's jaw dropped. Sam had nearly killed her. Why on Earth would she want to go back? The blood loss must have been making her delirious.

"We have to go back for Sam." Hannah dove into the driver's seat. "He must be terrified!"

Ian leaned over and grabbed the keys before Hannah could start the engine.

"He has superpowers!" Ian shouted.

"Yeah, I figured that out when he nearly stopped my heart!"

"He could kill you!"

"I've been living with Spider-Man for two years and I'm still alive!"

Ian's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Yes Peter, I know who you are. Don't act so surprised."

Ian's head was spinning. He'd been so careful. How had she figured it out? Why hadn't she said anything?

Hannah crossed her arms. "Bet you're wondering how I figured it out."

Unable to string together a coherent sentence, Ian nodded his head.

Hannah let out a slow breath. "You burned a handprint on the kitchen table. Whenever you and Sam fight the lights go out."

"That wasn't me! That was Sam!"

"You have sticky hands."

"I eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!"

Over the years Ian had gotten paper, computer parts, and Hannah's hair stuck to his hands. To explain why his hands were sticker than gorilla glue Ian started eating PB&J sandwiches for lunch every day. His co-workers teased him for having the pallet of a three-year-old, but at least they stopped asking questions.

"You're super strong."

"I'm not that strong!"

" I saw you throw a guy twice your size into the lake!"

Ian was starting to panic. "I had an adrenaline rush!"

So she had noticed. Ian had hoped that Sam's return would overshadow his slip up.

"I saw you fall off the roof and walk away without a scratch."

"I have good balance!"

"Your office and our apartment are filled with spiders." Hannah shuttered. "It's like you're their king!"

"Thor's Hammer cheaped out on hiring an exterminator!"

Ian glanced in the rearview mirror. A spider was building its web in the back seat. No matter how much Raid he sprayed they always came back.

"You wore the costume to a Halloween party!"

"I found it during a scavenging mission!"

Ian hadn't been planning on attending the company party. He didn't have a costume and wasn't too keen on socializing outside of work hours. Then Hannah batted her baby blue eyes and asked if he was coming. A lapse in judgment led him to put the suit for the first time in years. They kissed and the rest was history.

Hannah glared at Ian. "You and I both know that...thing is no costume. I tried the mask on and some weird computer lady told me I wasn't an authorized user!"

"It's just a little side project I've been working on. You know I like to tinker with things!"

"I've been doing your laundry for two years. All your underwear says, Peter Parker!"

Ian didn't have a witty reply for that one. Defeat by tighty whities. Unbelievable.

"Fine! You figured it out! Ian threw his hands up in the air. " I'm Spiderman. Happy now?

Hannah nodded. "Yes."

Ian laid his head down on the steering wheel. What a disaster. This wasn't how he'd hoped she would find out. He'd planned out an entire speech peppered with apologies and I love yous.

Ian sighed and dialed a number into his phone.

"Please don't call the Avengers!" " Hannah begged.

"We can't let him loose in the city. He could hurt himself or someone else."

Hannah looked at her wrists. The skin was pink and tender. "They won't hurt him, Will they?"

"There's a protocol for situations like this."

Ian couldn't promise that Sam won't be harmed. The Avengers never liked to take a life but had to do what was necessary for the greater good. He hoped Sam wouldn't put up a fight. Hannah couldn't bear losing him a second time.