Author's Note: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter!
"When a family breaks you don't hear the crack of the breaking. You don't hear a sound."
― Judy Blundell
The number Gwen dials isn't Peter's.
Even through the haze of shock and pain—gunshots, much to her surprise, really do and truly hurt, like corrosive acid eating through her shoulder—she knows she can't call Peter. Her boyfriend would come rushing down to Oscorp and straight into a trap. She doesn't know what Mr. Osborn wants, but from the way that Dr. Lahey is slowly unraveling before her, the stakes are high.
"Hurry up!" Dr. Lahey snaps sharply, pacing the floor now, the gun clutched tightly in his right hand. Beads of perspiration roll down his cheeks.
"It's ringing." She supplies calmly. She's already been shot once; she has no desire to have that happen to her twice.
"Stark Industries. Pepper Potts speaking." Pepper's chipper voice fills the line and Gwen lets out a ragged breath.
"That him?" Dr. Lahey freezes, turning to face her now.
"Peter, it's Gwen." She tries to keep her voice light and upbeat. She can't risk giving Dr. Lahey any indication that something is wrong. He might ask to hear the call on speakerphone then and she would be completely screwed.
"Gwen?" Pepper questions, her voice perplexed. "What's going on?"
"Oh, work is going really well." She lies through clenched teeth. "Listen, I really need you to come down to Oscorp now. I'm in Lab 12 and I just realized that I forgot my lunch."
"Hey!" Dr. Lahey interjects sharply. "Not too much info! Or I'll, well." He gestures to the gun in his hand the point is moot.
"Gwen, are you in trouble?" And thank God Pepper understands, that she can decipher the message that Gwen is secretly relaying.
"Yes." She breathes.
The sound of typing suddenly fills the line.
"Okay, are you alone?" Pepper's voice is soothing, like a warm blanket and a mug of hot chocolate on a freezing winter day.
"No." She glances at Dr. Lahey uneasily. The man she once regarded as a mentor is staring at her with wild eyes, his appearance disheveled. He's lost his mind, Gwen deduces, or is under so much stress that he doesn't care what happens to him now.
"What are you answering?" Dr. Lahey growls, moving towards her. "Hurry up!"
"Peter, I have to go now." Gwen wants to cries. She's terrified that she'll bleed out in this lab, that she won't be able to hold her family once more, that she won't be able to kiss her boyfriend again. She's too young to die.
"Don't worry." Pepper reassures her softly. "I've got security cameras up and running. I know where you are."
"Hang up!" Dr. Lahey roars.
"Gwen, just hang in there."
"Goodbye Peter." It kills her to end the call, but she forces her finger to press the button. Pepper's voice fades away and Gwen places her phone down on the floor. Glancing up at Dr. Lahey, she forces her expression to stay neutral, lest she tip him off that something is wrong.
"Is he coming?" Dr. Lahey asks hurriedly, his words colliding over each other. "He is, isn't he?"
"Yes." She lies. "He'll be here soon."
"Thank God," Dr. Lahey sighs. Then, chuckling darkly, he turns to the intern bleeding out on the ground. "Gwen, just so you know, this isn't personal." He grins at her. "You're really my best intern."
"You shot me." She feels compelled to state, though she automatically wishes she could take it back. She can't risk riling him up and getting shot in the other shoulder. She's losing enough blood as it stands and even with her hands applying pressure on the wound, it's not enough.
"Yes, well," Dr. Lahey shrugs. "Desperate times and all that." He then grins at her. "But as soon as Peter comes, I will make sure you are taken to an ambulance as soon as I am able, you have my word."
She doesn't say anything to that.
The blood continues to trickle past her fingers and there is now a little puddle forming beside her. She might be able to last a few more hours at most before she bleeds out, but only if she can manage to lessen the amount of blood spurting from her wound. Gingerly shrugging out of her lab coat, she grits her teeth as she rips the strong material into shreds.
"Here." Dr. Lahey insists, coming to kneel next to her. "Let me help."
She wants to refuse, but she knows that she isn't as coordinated now. It might take her too long to tie the compress into place. Besides, she's already been shot. What else does she have to lose?
"Thank you." She murmurs, allowing him to take over. She winces as he ties to the strips in place.
"The bleeding should stop now." He replies softly.
She doesn't reply.
"Gwen," He sighs for a moment, running his free hand through his hair. "For what it's worth, I am sorry."
He's been pushed back his breaking point, she knows that. She may not know why or how exactly Peter is connected to all of this, but Gwen knows Dr. Lahey, deep down, is a kind man. Sure, he's definitely going to jail for this—she isn't sad that he is—but she can understand his desperation. He has a wife and two kids that he'd do anything for.
"Dr. Lahey." He glances at her, biting his lower lip nervously. "I do forgive you."
He doesn't say anything. Rising from the floor, Dr. Lahey begins to pace the floor once more.
Gwen slumps back against a bench and tries to control her breathing. Exhaustion and fatigue are starting to chip away at her, but she knows she needs to stay awake.
"Spider-Man," She sings softly, the tune familiar and comforting to her. "Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can." Her eyes slip shut and she pictures Peter's face in her mind. He beams at her and the pain in her shoulder starts to fade away. "Spins a web any size, catches thieves just like flies." She wondered who had made that song. She wanted to thank them, whoever they were. Because of them, she had a new way to tease Peter. "Look out," Her voice slurs, the syllables all drawn out. "Here comes the Spider-Man."
By the time her body hits the floor, Gwen Stacy is already unconscious.
Pepper forces herself to take three deep breaths before calling Tony.
The first breath forces her mind to ground itself in the here and now and not the possible what-ifs. Like what if Gwen bled to death before help could arrive, what if the man in the lab coat shot her again, or what if there was nothing she could do to help the younger woman.
The second breath steadies her breathing and her heart rate. She can't give into panic. She's been in plenty of stressful situations before—even before Tony became Iron Man—and so she has to just give her body a moment to adjust. She won't let adrenaline rule her, not when she needs her rational mind to work.
Lastly, the third breath gives her the strength to actually pick up the phone and dial Tony's number.
"Hey, babe." He greets, flirtatious. "Miss me already?"
"Tony, there is a situation at Oscorp." She keeps her voice steady, refuses to give into the pinprick pain of the tears welling up in her eyes. Glancing at the security camera feed—thank you Tony's classes in hacking—she can see Gwen's slumped over body and the bloodied bandages on her shoulder. She doesn't have much time. "It's Gwen."
"What's going on?" His tone shifts, grows commanding. She can hear Natasha's muffled voice in the background, obviously inquiring about the phone call. "Pep?"
"Gwen has been shot and is being held hostage." She hurls the words out of her mouth as fast as humanely possible. "Oscorp wants Peter."
Tony lets out a colorful set of curses that would make even a sailor blush.
"You've got eyes on her?" He finally asks.
"I've hacked into their security cameras. She's in Lab 12, on the 5th floor."
"And the bastard that did it?" Tony growls.
"Still there." She reports back. Then, quietly, she adds, "What about Peter?"
There's silence on the other end of the line. Then, a long sigh.
"The team is meeting up back at the Tower now." He replies. "We'll tell the kid then."
"Tony, Gwen . . ." She can still make out the faint rise and fall of the younger girl's chest on the screen, but the blood is beginning to soak through her bandages. "Gwen is in bad shape."
"Just keep an eye on her." She can hear the roar of the engine on the other end of the line and she can't help but sigh in relief. "We're on our way back right now."
He hangs up.
"Hold on, Gwen." Pepper mutters to the screen, though it makes absolutely no difference. There's nothing the former CEO can do but sit here and watch the monitors. Gwen could die right before her eyes and she is powerless to stop it.
That thought breaks her heart.
"Just hold on."
"You sure you want to do this?" Jane asks him hesitantly. "I mean, I can cook dinner or we could go out—" She wrings her hands as he begins to chop the onions on the cutting board.
"Jane, I know how to prepare meals." He winks at her. "My mother used to insist upon her cooking lessons. A warrior must always be prepared, she'd tell me."
"But, just what are you making?" Curiosity gets the better of her and she leans in, trying to get a better look at what he has simmering in the pot.
"You'll see." He snakes an arm around her waist and pulls her in for a quick kiss. Then, pulling back, he fondly pushes a strand of her hair out of her face and tucks it behind her ear, "Jane, I—"
"Hey, big guy," Darcy calls from across the kitchen, breaking the romantic atmosphere. "Phone for you." The intern holds up the small communication device that mortals rely upon. As the God of Thunder comes to take it from her, Jane's friend rolls her eyes. "Shouldn't you guys have like super secret communicators or something?"
"Indeed." Thor replies jovially. "Stark said he was working on some sort of mechanism for that."
"Okay then." Darcy mutters, turning away. "In the meantime, we're going to go buy you a phone." She begins to walk away before he can say anything.
"Yes?"
"We need you to come in." Steve's voice is strained, his tone caught between fear and fury. "It's Peter's girlfriend, Gwen. She's been shot. Oscorp wants to trade her for Peter."
"Thor!" Jane exclaims, prying his fingers from the phone. "You're breaking it."
"I shall be there." He speaks into the phone and then hands it to Jane. "Something has come up, I have to—"
"Go." The scientist presses a kiss to his check. "Just be safe."
He nods, and extending his hand, summons Mjölnir to his hand, ripping one of the coat racks from the wall. Then, he vanishes out the door and as Jane runs to the window, she can catch a glimpse of him as he flies out of sight.
"Dude!" Darcy exclaims. "Thor, what have we said about . . . Jane?"
"The Avengers need him." She says softly, trying not to let her fear get the best of her. She's watched Thor leave once before and he hadn't returned to her for a year after that. Would he come back this time?
"Hey." Darcy smiles softly. "You know what we need to do? Get some chocolate!"
And before she can wallow any further, Darcy has her out the door.
"The kid know yet?" Tony inquires as he and Natasha meet up with Steve in the elevator. After a mad dash across town, they'd managed to make it back to the tower in record time. With the rest of the team on their way, the inventor hopes that they can launch a rescue mission within the hour.
"I just got here myself." Cap replies, an undercurrent of worry coloring his tone. "And unless Clint said something—"
"He doesn't know." Natasha interjects. "I didn't tell him." Then softly, she adds, "We can't risk Peter taking off."
She has a valid point. Knowing Peter, he would take matters into his own hands and that would lead to him walking straight into Norman Osborn's trap.
"We have to tell him." Tony insists.
The elevator dings and the trio purposefully make their way towards the armory and the shooting range. Peter's laughter resounds through the space and soon, both the teenager and Clint come into view.
"Hey!" Peter waves, grin as bright as the sun. "We're just shooting Fury!" He gestures to the targets along the back wall.
"Kid's actually a pretty good shot." Clint supplies, a rare smile tugging his lips upward. "Maybe not that skilled with a bow and arrow, but he is pretty good with everything else."
"Peter." Steve starts, but he is unable to say anything else.
Immediately, the teen stiffens, his shoulders slumping.
"What's wrong?" He nearly shouts, eyes widening. "Is it Aunt May? Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine." Tony assures him.
"Peter," Natasha places a hand on the teenager's shoulder, offering her support. "It's Gwen."
In soft voices, they tell him the whole story, or what they know of it. Peter, for his part, manages to stay upright and calm. He nods and asks questions in a calm tone.
"I'm going." Peter finally tells them at the end. "I have to go. This is because of me, isn't it?"
"This isn't your fault—" Tony insists, but Peter shakes his head.
"But it is!" He nearly screams. "They want me, don't they? And they won't stop until they get me?"
"That's what it looks like." Natasha supplies, eyes downcast.
"Then, that settles it, I'm going." He folds his arms across his chest, acting every inch like the defiant teenager he is.
"Clint." Natasha glances to the archer and the two share a glance.
"Sorry about this Peter." He mumbles before pinching a nerve in the teen's neck, immediately rendering him unconscious.
"This is for his own good." She justifies it and the rest of the team just nods. She's right, after all. Peter might not be able to see it for what it is, but Oscorp is setting a trap. They want Peter and they may even kill him. Who knows, really, but they'll be damned if they hand him over.
They'll rescue Gwen on their own and keep Peter safe.
They aren't called the Avengers for nothing after all.
"Let's go." Steve finally commands. "Gwen doesn't have much time."
Author's Note: Next chapter, the rescue mission. Please review if you have a moment. Thanks!