Hey there! Are y'all ready for a second chapter (or a first one, considering the other was a prologue)?

IJustWannaBeAHero: Thanks for your review, buddy, and all I have to say about it is: wait for it!

Thanks to all of those who followed/favorited the story! It keeps me going!

Oh and… I do not own The Amazing Spider-Man. (At least not yet. Muahahahahaha!)

Day 1

Philo was walking quickly in the late summer rain. She had arrived in New York about an hour ago, and had struggled into the traffic to find a parking place near the address written on the small piece of paper she was now clutching in her hand. Her car was parked about a kilometer from Peter's house, but she didn't mind walking or getting soaked; she was too happy to finally be there. She could make out the ghostly lights of the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the distance, the sheer sight reminding her of where she was and making her walk with renewed vigor, a small skip in her steps.

She couldn't keep the wide smile from her face as she knocked on the door of the cute suburb house that was Peter's. She was probably looking like hell; hair dripping and clothes sticking to her skin, but she was way too excited to think about that. She heard footsteps in the house and she fidgeted in impatience.

The door finally opened, letting out a young, brown-haired, very grim-looking boy. Peter, she realized.

"Hi!" Philo all but squeaked, eyes shining and smile almost hurting her cheek muscles.

Peter didn't reply right away, instead furrowing his brow.

"Hi…" he said slowly.

Philo's expression faltered instantly when she noticed the look on his face: his eyes were red and puffy, like he had been crying for a long time, and were circled with wide purple bags.

"Hey," she added uncertainly, "I'm Philomène."

Peter didn't answer, nor did he give any indication that he had heard her.

"Paradis? Philomène Paradis, the couchsurfer?" She was starting to think she was not in the right place, and she looked around nervously.

But Peter's eyes lit up mildly in understanding.

He tried to smile. The result made Philo wince.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, stepping aside to let her in, "I had completely forgotten about that. Sorry, I'm sorry."

Philomène walked in the small doorway, looking at him hesitantly.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." She put her bright smile back on. "I'm here now, so it's no problem!"

"Yeah…" Peter agreed gloomily, his expression contradicting his statement.

Philo dropped her soaking wet backpack on the carpet and heard a different voice calling from what had to be the kitchen.

"Who is it, Peter dear?" A dark-haired woman appeared in the doorway, wiping off her hands on a kitchen towel. Peter didn't reply, just stared at his feet and vaguely pointed his thumb at her.

"It's, uh…"

"Oh, my! What date is it today?" The woman suddenly exclaimed. "We can't already be the 25th?"

"Well, yes," Philo answered sheepishly since Peter seemed determined in glaring a hole through his already worn shoes.

"I'm sorry I surprised you," she added, running her hand through her hair, "I should have called when I arrived in New York…"

"Oh no, dear, it's not your fault, there's only so much that has happened recently," the older woman said with a glint of sorrow, "we had completely forgotten about your arrival. I'm May, by the way, Peter's aunt." She extended her now dry hand towards Philo, who shook it frankly, retrieving a bit of her earlier good mood.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ma'am," she greeted, looking at her in the eye like she had been taught to in order make a good first impression. May looked tired as well, but not as much as Peter. Philo glanced at said boy, who was starting to squirm antsily.

"Okay, can we eat, now, Aunt May?" he asked dryly, already walking towards the table.

Philo raised her eyebrows.

"Sure, dear, you may sit down," she added for Philomène.

"Uh," was all she could think to say.

She sat down in front of Peter, who kept looking down at the table.

Well, she thought, that's not how she had imagined her stay. She really hoped it was only a one day thing. Furthermore, she was getting confused as to why, little bit more than a week ago, in his messages, Peter had seemed like a funny and happy guy, eager to meet her, but now he was all dark and silent. Philo wondered what could have happened to him in-between.

The supper was mostly quiet, with May asking the occasional question and Philo trying to answer with as much words as possible in order to fill the lead-heavy silence. She didn't hate silence, on the contrary, some silences were light and comfortable, she knew it, but this one was wrong. Something was off, something she had missed, and she was feeling increasingly awkward.

After they had eaten (Peter mostly only poking in his plate with his fork), Philomène had insisted, despite May's protestations, to help with the dishes, and they had finally come up with a compromise. May would wash and Philo would wipe, while Peter would disappear God-knows-where. Probably in his room, Philo mused.

May showed the girl her room after that. The guest room, Philo realized, eying the small one-sized bed and the blank walls.

She thanked May before she left, and settled her backpack in a corner of the room. She sat down on the bed, testing the mattress. It would do, she decided.

Philo looked around the room, and settled on her back lazily, bringing her hands under her head. She thought about her first experience in the Parker house, about May's kindness and Peter's mood.

She sighed, thinking about tomorrow. She hoped Peter would be in a better state of mind, since he had suggested in his messages to show her around the city.

"Ça va être lourd…" she muttered in her mother's tongue.

Translation: "It's going to be heavy."

There! Chapter two. I've got a few of those that I've already written, but I like leaving them to marinade for a few days and then coming back to them, spotting mistakes and unclear sentences.

Sooooo, first meeting with Peter? How was it? And May, is she in-character? What about Philo, is she a sympathic, likeable OC? Tell me if I this gets OOC, and tell me what you think about the story to date!