Author's Notes:
Hello…Goodbye…(I really will try to finish this before the sequel comes out, so sorry for the wait…again, thank you so much for your patience with me)
I've also done quite a bit of revision over the earlier chapters, I think they're much better now and resemble my style of writing more, so feel free to go check them out ^^
As always, enjoy, and don't forget to review!
Chapter…7
Funny thing...memories. Isn't that what makes us who we are? Aren't we just a sum of our them...and the ones of us…?
They can bring back so many moments of our life, our greatest triumphs...and the greatest tragedies, in a blink of an eye, making us relive them all over again...often we can't stop them from overflowing our head…and that's where our hero was at…
Flying through that portal was probably the longest journey Miles has ever been on...considering it took him all over various realities, both outside...and inside his head...from his earliest childhood memories with his uncle, first school day, his mom's cooking...his dad's comforting embrace, whenever he had a bad dream…
Growing up in his neighbourhood, idolizing Spider-Man...being Spider-Man…
We've been on this journey with him, we've all seen him struggle, fight for what was right, no matter the odds...only once in his life Miles didn't fight back...only once did he accept his fate...only once he let the person he loved go...a mistake he would never make the second time...besides, he had a promise to keep, one that would guide him until the end of their lifes…
And after all that, he's back at the Blue Spider's lab...and what he's about to face is far worse than any Kingpin, or Multiverse Collapsing...she is his whole world now, and if that was taken away from him...oh well, better not too dwell...not right now...
"Ok, everything's in place, we managed to install the implant and some stabilizing programs with it, they should keep her vitals stable until natural regeneration kicks in...assuming it all works, once Gwen goes through the void again, all of the side effects should be gone...but there's no telling of the damage she already suffered…I should be going back to my place...I really hope this works, for her and all of us...", said Peni, while looking over the monitors one final time.
"So how should we go about it? Any suggestions?", Miguel stepped in the middle of the room, looking over his spider comrades.
Few silent seconds later, after thinking it all over for the last time, Miles spoke out.
"Send us to my dorm room...please...I'll get her back...or...I'll at least make sure she won't be alone when…..thank you...all of you...wish us luck.", he said with somewhat gritted teeth, trying his best to keep it together, still hoping for the best...always dreading the worst…
They got Gwen out of the tank, her lifeless body falling ever so gracefully into Miles' arms...he almost laughed at that, even like this, she was still so...perfect…
He opened the portal for them, and stepped into their uncertain future…
The setting was very familiar, the beds, the view...the same darkness...and in the middle of it all just two people, separated only by the very fabric of space and time itself...no biggie…
He laid her down carefully on the floor with some blankets...their first kiss was like this….maybe...maybe it would help...somehow...
"Gwen...c-..can you hear me..?...", he started as softly as humanly possible…
"Please...say something...anything...just a sign you're still in there...please Gwen I can't, I can't do this without you anymore, you mean too much to me, don't do this...what am I gonna tell your dad…", Miles was rambling, his head spinning, he felt sick from all this, felt like he was dying slowly along side her…
"Come on, you…you don't wanna piss him off...right?...Gwen…?...god...DAMMIT!", he hit the floor so hard, he almost broke his wrist, but he didn't feel it...he didn't feel anything at this point just...lost...hollow...
"NO, NO, NO, NO fuck...THIS IS NOT HOW IT ENDS...not again...Gwen wake up please...please...please…", he held her as close as the world would let him, cradling her in his arms...broken...desperate...alone...
His mind was empty...his heart emptier...the only sound left was the beating of his heart...the only other...was very quiet...and filled with anguish...Then a voice...his own voice...suddenly possessing a life of it's own...
Then you're left in the dust...
Unless I stuck by ya...
You're the sunflower...
I think your love would be too much...
Or you'll be left in the dust...
Unless I stuck by ya...
You're the sunflower...
...you're...the….sunflower…
...You know...there is a saying...it's by Plato...he said that… "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything…", who says that the old ways are wrong…
*khe* Every time I'm leavin' on you
You don't make it easy, no *khe*...
Wish I could be there for you,
Give me a reason to, oh ouch...sorry...I don't remember the rest...but you go right ahead...I'll just...listen for a while...
"Gwe-...heh….haha...HAHAHHA!", he bursted with laughter out of pure, raw emotions, hugging the ever loving crap out of her, the pain subsiding, the joy of his love being back, overflowing his veins, filling him anew with the purest form of life.
"Oh thank you, thank you! DON'T YOU GO OUT ON ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME?!… Are-...a-a-are you alright..? Can...you stand?", he barely got his shit together to ask, the euphoria of having her back...it was something he couldn't even think to control...
"Damn I feel so...light...am I dreaming again Miles…? Tell me...am I... dead..?", she said with dimmed eyes, not sure of her own being.
"No no no no, everything's fine, you're just...a bit out of it that's all, you'll be fine in just a second, I'm sure of it", he wanted to believe that…he wanted so badly.
"Miles…..why can't I move….?...
And then came the question...that one, horrible question to wreck the poor boy's heart...again...and again...and again...
"You...you'll be fine, you're probably just dizzy, weakend from all the-", but he was cut off by a familiar, trembling voice.
"Miles why can't I move, I can't feel my legs Miles…Miles I can't...I can't-"
"Shh shh shh...don't worry...I'm here...as long as we're together everything's gonna be ok...I promise", he said to her tenderly, kissing her head, trying not to expose his utter fear of the worst...Gwen might never walk again...might never be a Spider...be herself again…
"M-miles?...Would you finish the song for me...please, I…I really want to know the lyrics *sniff*, take my mind off things…", she pleaded with a weak voice, staring blankly at the dark void of the room's ceiling…
And so he listened...she listened as he finished his-...their song...
Every time I'm walkin' out,
I can hear you tellin' me to turn around,
Fightin' for my trust and you won't back down,
Even if we gotta risk it all right now, oh…..
SOME TIME LATER...
They were all gathered back at Miguel's lab, going over Gwen's condition, Miles never stepping away for one second…
"...I have good news…and some bad news, which comes first?", he sighed deeply before speaking…not a good sign.
"Gwen?", Miles reinforced his love, holding her hand.
"Just...be honest, how bad is it?", the girl looked…indifferent, like she didn't really care about what's happening around her.
"Well, it looks like most of your body will recover on it's own, the brain seems to be intact, internal organs are working well too...but…"
"But what?", she quickly asked back.
"Eh...there's no easy way to say this Gwen, you...might never walk again…your nervous system is…a mess…I know It's not fair...but at least you're still with us…I'm...so sorry...We'll leave you two alone, come on Peni…"
"I'm sorry Gwen...I-I should have been quicker, I'm so sorry-", the little girl ran off before Gwen could comfort her...she needed some of that too right now…
"So...heh...I guess you... won't see me dancing anytime soon...I'm not that great at it so...meh…", she really tried to keep her cool, to act tougher than she felt…just smole and mirrors…and Miles knew right away…
"Gwen I...I really don't know what to say", …but he too didn't have the words, not just yet.
"What's there to say? I'm paralised from waist down, happens to the best of us, right? I'll...never walk again...never run...never fight, or swing...never dance…", the sound of her voice slowly breaking down, her facade falling…"How could there be a God?", was the only question on Miles' mind…
"I'm so, so sorry sunflower…", he hugged his ugly crying love...the one time she wasn't the most beautiful thing in the world…
"Shh...It's gonna be OK…we'll be ok…", he ran his hand through her golden locks, and along the girl's back.
"Why Miles?...Why does it have to be like this…?", with heavy tears tuning down her face, she nearly broke down completaly. Not many words can really express what a person in her state is feeling…imagine losing your very being, a part of your soul, imagine feeling that loss every single moment…
A few moments would pass until he gave out his answer…it was short.
"It doesn't…", were his only words, spoken with eyes wide open. Pulling back he kissed her again, as for goodluck…to both of them.
He walked off to Miguel, who was still monitoring Gwen. Their exchange was quick…
"How are we gonna fix her?"
"I don't know…"
"Ok, so who does?"
"I don't know"
"Look there's gotta be someth-"
"THERE-*sigh*...kid listen to me...I don't think there's anything we can do for her now, except being there for her", he cut Miles off, looking down at the floor…he too felt awfully guilty for all this…he was the one who gave her the cursed device after all…
"Come on, it's the future, there's gotta be some, some reconstructive technology or or or SOMETHING!", he pushed on stuttering.
"It's not magic kid...science has it's limits, especially when talking about human life…That's just the way of things…I'm sorry…Wait-"
And then it hit him..."Magic…"
"Magic? W-what magic?'', Miles asked him confused.
"The mystical kind…look, there's all kinds of really weird stuff out there…most of it really extreme, like next level dangerous stuff, stuff I don't really get involved in...but you know what?...There was this one time I met someone who just might be able to help her...but it's a long shot", explained Miguel, looking more tense than usual…almost a bit…afraid? Very unlike him.
"I'll take anything, do everything to make her whole again... so tell me, who is it, some kind of doctor?"
"He is…and he is one of a kind….."
TO BE CONTINUED...
