Sorry it's been a while, guys. I've had summer projects and vacation. Things are really confusing at the moment, but I promise you, things will get amazing.

SPIDER-MAN: DARK WOUNDS

THE STAMP:

His voice was burning a hole through my brain. I was tired of the bitching, the complaining.

"What do you take me for? An idiot?"

Shut up.

"Well?"

Shut up!

"…"

Thank you.

"PARKER!"

Dammit.

"No…" I answered groggily.

"Good. You don't want to know what I would do if you did." There was shock in his voice.

"Can I go?" I wanted to get out of there.

He stared blankly at me. White powder dusted his upper lip.

"…See you tomorrow…I guess." I managed to make out through my confusion.

The door popped as it opened. Probably not a good sign, but also not my problem.

"Parker!" he called me back.

For Christ sakes.

"Four-fifty…take this to Betty." I was shocked. That was twice what I expected. "Merry Christmas..." he said under his breath.

I smiled as I left the office. Jonah does have a heart.

xXx

I checked my phone for the time as I waved a cab over. The snow was horrible to swing through without my costume, which was at home.

12:19 PM

This counted as a small victory for me. I have never been good at being on time, not to mention early.

Beep, beep, beep.

I answered the phone slowly. I wanted to celebrate my victory alone for as long as possible.

"Hello." I answered fake happiness laced within my resentment.

"Peter! Glad you gave me your cell number. This makes things a lot easier." the voice on the other end beamed in a German accent. Octavius.

"Oh, uh, hi, Doctor Octavius."

"Peter, I need you to come down to my lab. My mother is flying in from Germany and I want you to meet her."

"Uh…I dunno. My schedule is pretty packed. I'll see-"

"Can you make room?" Otto sputtered, desperate.

Otto wasn't gonna let me go until I agreed. So much for my schedule.

"Yeah. I think I can make it." I responded, reluctant.

"Great! Great…see you in an hour?"

"Yeah. See you then." I hung up. "Crap."

xXx

I looked at my phone as I climbed the steps to Octavius' lab, trying to dodge ongoing pedestrians and the occasional railing.

1:02 PM

I had almost made it to the door when my spider-sense went off. A man, with an oddly shaped head bumped into me and entered the lab. Not wanting to attract attention or get anyone hurt, I ran around to the back of the building and climbed to the roof. Otto put in skylights because he believes in "being green." That made it easy for me. I peeked over the edge and found, to my excitement, I could hear through the windows.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

Octavius.

"Yes…yes you can."

Creepy guy.

There was a moment of silence. The look on the weird man's face told me he had screwed himself over.

"Well?" Otto laughed.

"Uh…uh, well, I was wondering…you are Octavius, right?" He was buying time.

"Yes, I am." Otto seemed proud of himself. "Why do you-" Otto was interrupted when his mother entered the building, carrying a suitcase and purse. She looked at the circus-freak and stopped, embarrassment taking over her face.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had company, Otto…" she muttered in an incredibly thick Germany accent.

"Oh no, mother, it's quite alright. Come in, come in." Otto smiled as he began to walk over to his mother. The man with the weird head held his hand out.

"Lemme." he smiled. Otto smiled back. The goofball walked over to Mrs. Octavius and picked up her bag. They stared at each other for a second, awkwardness building up. The stranger backed up and ushered Otto's mother to go ahead. She smiled politely and walked towards Otto.

My worries began to lighten. Maybe my spider-sense was him bumping into me? I began to head back down and enter the lab myself when suddenly my spider-sense exploded and the visitor dropped the bag catching Mrs. Octavius by the neck.

"Argh!" she cried in shock and pain.

"What are you doing?" Otto yelled, running over. He was stopped short by the barrel of gun, a gun held by flat-head.

"Wanna risk it?" A smirk on his face. Otto was speechless. He lost whatever spine he had the second in mother was in pain. Poor bastard. I needed to get in there, but I had no costume. I decided to use my last resort I pulled out my phone and speed-dialed 1.

Bring, bring, bring.

"911. What is your emergency?"

"There's a man here. He has a gun. He's taken two hostages; a man and a woman."

"Where are you?"

I gave her the address and hung up, feeling weird that I had to call the police, and turned my attention back to the lab.

"Who-who are you?" Otto asked, hands raised in the air.

"Name's Hammerhead." he replied in a scruff voice. That would explain the freaky skull.

"Otto…what's-what's going on…?" Mrs. Octavius coughed.

"Calm down, mother. Every-everything will be alright." Otto reasoned. "Just stay calm." he turned his attention back to Hammerhead. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything from you. My boss is giving me everything I want. I just gotta give him what he wants."

"And…what does he want?"

There was silence. I could feel the tension in the air, it almost felt like I was going to chock on it.

"You." he hissed and shot his mother point-blank in the side of the head. She slumped to the floor, the surrounding area covered in blood. My stomach churned and I had to resist the urge to vomit.

"MOTHER!" Otto screamed, studying her lifeless body, laying in a pool of blood. "You monster!" he hissed as he charged Hammerhead. Hammerhead wasn't ready and was caught off-guard. Otto swung and landed a clean hit to his jaw. Hammerhead took to the ground against his will and was pinned by Otto. Otto managed to land two jabs to the face before Hammerhead used his trademark weapon; his head. He grabbed Otto by his shirt collar and smashed his forehead into Octavius' nose. Otto screamed in pain as he fell back, holding his nose. Hammerhead got up and snatched his pistol.

"I was gonna let you off easy." Hammerhead sighed as he wiped off his lip "Now you're screwed."

Octavius got up, fear in his eyes. He raised his arms, hoping that would somehow calm down the angry guy with a gun.

"Dumbass." flat-head swore and fired a shot into Otto's stomach. Otto doubled over, holding the wound. He took a few deep breaths and looked up at Hammerhead.

"I thought hired help got jobs done."

Hammerhead's face tightened up loosened. I was still trying to process what was going on. The police hadn't showed up yet, Otto was shot and his mother was dead. What a great day.

Without a word, Hammerhead unloaded a shot into Otto's chest and another into his lower stomach. Octavius fell and didn't move. I was speechless. My mentor was dead. I dropped from the building and leaned against the wall letting the memories sink in. I sniffled a few times and entered the lab to wait for the police after Hammerhead had left. No one on the street heard the commotion. My life was covered in the blood of others. To my surprise, I had no urge to cry.

I still needed to do some Christmas shopping.

xXx

I entered the mall lazily. What happened at the lab wasn't going to affect my Christmas shopping. The clock in the mall read 4:06 PM. I checked my pockets, just to be sure I had everything. I had my phone, seven hundred and sixteen dollars and my list. I looked at my list to make sure I knew what I was getting.

Ben:two hundred dollar gift card, ash tray.

Gwen:necklace.

Harry:?

Jonah:Fruitcake.

When first making this list, the fruitcake remark was a joke, but now, I was actually going to do it. Harry was a tricky shopper. When your best friend is worth over a billion dollars, it's almost impossible to get him a gift. I decided I was going to play it by ear.

xXx

4:55 PM

I had gotten everything on my list. The problem was that Harry was still without a gift. Octavius' broken body riddled my brain and made shopping harder than expected.

My phone rang again and set my mind in place. The caller ID read "Ben." At least it was a friendly face.

"Hey, Ben."

"Peter! Thank god…are you alright?" Ben took a deep breath and sighed.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" I replied, confused.

"I heard what happened at the lab…"

Crap. I forgot to tell Ben about Octavius' lab.

"Yeah…I forgot to tell you 'bout that…" I replied, sounding embarrassed.

"How…? What? You forgot to tell me? How the hell is that possible?" Ben gasped, partially angry.

"I dunno…" I wandered. "I guess I was just trying to keep my mind off it…"

"OK…well, at least you're safe. We'll talk when you get home tonight."

"OK. I guess I'll see you then." I ended the call there.

My mind switched subjects almost automatically, and before I knew it, I was thinking of Harry's gift again.

xXx

Ten minutes had passed and my new gift for Harry was "a girlfriend." I smiled at the irony and erased the stupid joke. The words were halfway gone from my list when my phone rang again. Harry this time. Speak of the devil.

"What's up, Harry?"

"Nothin' much." Harry answered enthusiastic. "Just checkin' to see if you were coming over tonight."

"Yeah…yeah, I was planning on it. Why?" I puzzled.

"Just checking. By the way, my Dad will be home."

"He's not working?" I expected him to bring up something about his Dad being a crime lord. Nothing came up.

"Nah. That won't stop us though. My Dad doesn't care…well, ya know, about anything." Harry said with a heavy heart.

"I'm sure he cares about stuff, Harry…" I assured.

"Maybe."

"OK, well, I gotta go. I'll see you at eight." I rushed, realizing that I needed to get him a present.

"Yeah, sure, see ya." Harry hung up fast.

I put the phone in pocket and looked at my list. In an instant, an idea exploded into my head. I put pen to paper and in a single, neat line wrote Harry's ideal present: A caring father.

xXx

8: 12 PM, Oscorp.

I slowly made my way to the top floor of the sixty-five foot skyscraper, home to both Oscorp Industries and Harry's home. The elevator stopped at the top floor with a sudden halt and I stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. Harry's home was halfway down the hall. It was the only apartment on the top floor. Hell, it was the only apartment in the whole building. Clutching the present tight in my right hand, I knocked on the door quickly. After all the brain-storming, I decided to get Harry a framed picture of us in our third grade class play and a fifty dollar iTunes gift card.

Harry sung open the door quickly, a huge smile on his face.

"Pete!" he sung, throwing his arms in the air.

"Harry!" I laughed, throwing my arms in the air, too-mocking him. I slid my way past Harry but stopped dead in my tracks. Something gold caught my eye. Something, familiar. It turned around, showing it's face. Gwen.

"Uh…" I moaned, my brain dying.

"Heh, yeah…never gave me a chance to warn you." Harry smiled.

I wasn't shocked that Gwen was there. I was shocked as to the NEW Gwen. The hoodie and sweatpants were replaced by a t-shirt and skin tight jeans. Her pony tail unraveled into a swirl of blonde beauty. A purse sat in the spot next to her.

"So…you ARE a girl." I joked, smiling.

"Ah, funny, asshole." she half-smiled.

"Please, take a seat." Harry said, extending his arm towards the couch.

xXx

10:50 PM

The "party" was surprisingly fun. Despite the fact it was just me, Harry and Gwen, it was fun. I had to head out soon, but my brain kept telling me "no." I had spent most of my time talking to Gwen while Harry joked about us. It was a nice feeling talking to Gwen again. I was afraid things had gone sour since Kong's party.

"Pete?" Gwen purred, leaning towards me. "I-I think we have to talk…"

"OK…about?"

"Well, I was hoping we could do it in private." she glanced at Harry, sitting in the adjacent arm-chair. Harry caught her glance and looked around.

"I think we're safe." he nodded. "I didn't invite anyone else."

"Could you uninvite yourself?" I smiled.

"Pfft." Harry spat, getting up and heading towards the bathroom. "Had to piss anyway."

The silence between us was unsettling.

"Well…" I broke the ice, hoping to open up for Gwen's side.

"I'm not gonna make this anymore uncomfortable for you." she explained. "…I like you."

"That failed." I joked. It made me way more uncomfortable. "Does that explain the new look?"

"Sorta." she smiled, pushing the hair out of her face. "I thought it would help you concentrate more on me…"

"Well, it worked." I grinned, leaning in towards her.

"Ya know, I've liked you since like the third grade…" she confessed, her face slowly turning red. She leaned even closer, our faces inches apart. My breath was heavy and my heart was pounding.

"Do something!" My brain yelled at me. That's just what I did. I jumped forwards, my lips meeting hers. At first nothing, the shock to her system seemed to paralyze her, but soon she was kissing me back, her tongue pushing it's way into my mouth. I did the same. Me and Gwen were best friends. Even more so now! The kiss was natural. It was like we had been kissing for years. We knew what to do, when to do it. The toilet flushed and our lips unlocked, our bodies sliding back into the seats we were in before Harry left.

"That was a quick piss." I noted.

"Amazing what the human body can accomplish." Harry smiled, gripping his crotch.

"Beautiful." Gwen smiled.

"So…" Harry feel into the arm-chair. "Was the 'kiss' as magical as you expected.

We were stunned. There was a brain inside of that skull of his.

"We-uh, I don't know what you're-" Me and Gwen stuttered almost simultaneously.

"I'm not stupid, guys. I always knew this was going to happen one day. I just had to sit back and wait for it." Harry began to relax but his eyes darted behind the couch me and Gwen were sitting on. We turned out heads abruptly and noticed, the man himself, Norman Osborn.

"Hi…Dad." Harry struggled to say.

"Son." Norman acknowledged, turning his head to me and Gwen. "Who is this beautiful young lady?" Norman smiled at Gwen, showing his perfect white teeth.

"Oh, thank you, Mister Osborn." Gwen blushed, placing her left hand across her chest.

Norman turned his glaring eyes to me next. "This must be the prodigy himself, Peter Parker." He offered out his hand to me. I was always uncomfortable around Mister Osborn. He seemed to favor me over Harry because of my scientific intellect. I always wondered how me and Harry stayed friends. Harry says it's because he doesn't care if his Dad approves of him. I say it's because Harry needs help with science homework. Tomato, tomahto.

"Uh, yes-yeah, it was great to see you again, Mr. Osborn. If you don't mind, I kind of have to go home. Ben's expecting me…"

"Very well. You're not leaving without a Christmas present, Mr. Parker." He dug deep his suit pocket and pulled out a hundred bucks. Fifty for me, fifty for Gwen. Gwen's was a solid fifty, mine was broken into two twenties and a ten.

"Thanks so much!" Gwen beamed. She was always so polite.

I thanked him as well, smiling politely even though something about him seemed wrong. I took a peek at the money just for shits-and-giggles. My mind exploded and my heart stopped. I stopped breathing for a quick second.

There, on one of the twenty dollar bills, sat the same red mark that the junkie had given the drug-dealer two nights ago. Norman realized something was wrong and questioned me quickly.

"Something the matter…Peter?"

"Uh…no, no. Everything's great…just great." I smiled, trying to hide my shock.

"Good to hear…" he responded. "I have to get back to work now. Nice seeing you both." He turned to walk away, back down the long hallway to his office.

I took another look at the twenty to make sure it was still there. It was. Daring me make a move.

Maybe Harry was right.