Hello!

THE REVIEWS! OH MY GOODNESS!

Thank ya'll sososo much! I love 'em!

-Homey :D

Disclaimer: Spider-Man does not belong to me. (and I'm sure you all are thankful for that).

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

The doorbell rang at five.

"Oh my god," Gwen breathed, clutching her chest. "Oh my god MJ! I can't do this! I can't-" She fumbled for her purse, wondering where she'd put her car keys.

Mary Jane laughed. "Cool it, Gwen. It's just Aunt May." She pointed to the door, where you could just make out a wrinkled hand through the mail slot.

Gwen sighed with relief. "Okay. Fine. Answer the door."

Mary Jane stepped forward, still giggling. "Girl, you've got it bad!" She yanked open the door and then clamped her mouth shut.

"Um…hey," Peter said. He was standing off to the side, to the left of his Aunt. Oh. So he'd been there after all. "Uncle Ben couldn't make it."

Aunt Anna came bustling into the room, cheering when she say Aunt May.

"You never come to see me anymore!" She exclaimed, rushing forward to throw her arms around the petite woman. "Oh, and you look gorgeous, May."

She shrugged meekly. "I try."

The two women headed inside, directing the three teenagers into the living room until dinner. They all took a seat: Mary Jane, straddling the arm of an overstuffed couch, Gwen, cross legged on the floor, and Peter—perched on the very edge of a recliner.

"It's, um…thanks for having me," he muttered. "I mean, uh, us."

Mary Jane folded her arms across her chest. "Where's Uncle Ben?"

He lowered his eyes. "Out with his friends. I'm not sure."

Gwen looked back and forth between the two of them. There was definitely tension with them—some secret neither of them were inclined to tell. She just hoped it wasn't a romantic one.

"So," Gwen said after a moment, pushing a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Science is, um, challenging."

Peter looked at her and smiled. "It's okay. I'm having a interesting time trying to keep up with it."

"Oh yeah, I totally get what you mean."

Mary Jane stood. "I'm going to go see if I can help Aunt Anna in the kitchen."

Gwen started to get to her feet. "I'll help-"

MJ waved her away. "No, it's fine. You guys talk. Science really isn't my forte, anyways. Too 'blah' for me, you know?" She smiled a knowing smile and waggled her fingers at Gwen and skipped out of the room.

Peter exhaled slowly. "She's, um, unique. That's for sure."

Gwen laughed and moved to sit on the couch. "That she is. I love her, though."

"She and Harry would get along well…" Peter mused quietly.

"Who?"

He looked at Gwen. "Harry Osborne. You know, Norman Osborne's son."

She shook her head.

"Of Oscorp," Peter said after a moment. "They've been in the news a lot lately."

"Oh, well." Gwen sighed. "We don't watch the news. Mom hates it. She says it's full of depressing junk targeted to the amygdala."

"The part of your brain that creates fear," Peter specified. "Among other things."

She nodded. "And basically, that's what the news does. They create fear in people." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. "And other things."

Peter laughed. "That was an awkward day in science."

"Eh." Gwen shrugged. "Science is science. There's no need getting all shy over it. Especially since I want to be a scientist." What? Why had she just said that! She'd never told anybody that—not in her whole life.

Peter smiled. "You want to be a scientist?"

She forced a smile. "Uh…yeah. Sort of."

"Sort of."

"A lot."

"A lot's a lot different than sort of," he said.

Gwen shrugged. "I don't specify. I'm a mystery."

Peter nodded thoughtfully. "That, you are. I hardly know anything about you except you want to be a scientist, you don't like guys that drink beer-"

"Correction: I don't like underage guys that drink beer."

"Okay. Uh, let me think. You don't watch the news, you're more or less brilliant, and your dad is the police chief of New York."

Gwen nodded. "That…about sums it up. Minus the brilliant."

"Oh, please. There has to be something more."

She smiled shyly, looking at the floor. "There's not. I'm not very complex."

Peter leaned back in his seat. "Okay. Here's a question. Why would a girl like you be nice to a guy like me?"

Gwen blinked. "A guy like you?"

"Yeah." He laughed—it was a forced sound. "I'm, um, not your average jock. Actually, I'm not any kind of jock. I'm uncool. Sort of."

Gwen tilted her head to the side. "Huh. I didn't think so."

Peter blushed. "Then what did you think?"

"I thought…" She looked to the left, trailing off. "I thought…"

"DINNER TIME!" Mary Jane suddenly screeched.

Both of them jumped a foot in the air. A mischievous-looking redhead came barreling around the corner, stumbling over her own feet.

"Dinner time," she wheezed. "I really need to start exercising again. Crap."

Gwen stood abruptly. "Dinner. Yum." The word was emotionless.

They all took their seats. Somehow Gwen and Peter ended up across from each other, which was probably Mary Jane's doing.

"This post roast looks delish, Aunt Anna!" She enthused, dishing up a hearty slice for herself. She turned to Gwen. "Doesn't it look just lovely?"

She kicked MJ under the table and grinned. "Absolutely."

"Right Peter? Doesn't Gwen-er-the pot roast look lovely?"

"Sure," he said slowly. "Um…can I get some for you, Aunt May?"

"Yes please," the little woman said. "It looks fabulous, Anna."

"My mother's recipe." She shrugged. "It's not much."

They were halfway through their meal when the phone rang. Anna hurried to get it and emerged from the kitchen moment later, looking frantic.

"May—it's for you."

"Me?" She wiped her hands on her napkin. "Give it here. Hello?"

Gwen watched, stupefied, as Aunt May's face slowly drained of color. She stood abruptly, and her chair fell back, banging against the hardwood.

"Aunt May? Aunt May?" Peter jumped to his feet. "Aunt May-"

"It's your Uncle," she said, lowering the phone from her ear. "He's dead."