Disclaimer: So, I just very recently saw the premier of X-Men: Day Of Future Past. Suffice to say, it was a blast, astonishing and even a little emotional at times. And that post-credits scene… you know what? Maybe you should go see it if you haven't already.
As usual, I don't own the rights to Spider-Man or any supporting characters.
Chapter VIII
Ever since her father was killed in action almost a year ago that day, Gwen came by the cemetery every other weekend to pay her respects. She often brought a bouquet of neatly wrapped flowers to the burial site of the late Captain George Stacy. More often were those times she'd sit down on the grass in front of the grave with her legs folded Indian style and she fell quiet, reminiscing of the times her dad tied her shoes as a child or drove her to her first date. It made her tear up sometime. Other times, Gwen broke out a smile. She liked to remembered those happier days she shared with her dad before the day he sacrificed himself to save an innocent bystander from being crushed by fallen debris.
When Gwen learned of her father's death, she blamed Spider-Man. Not for causing it but failing to act in time. Gwen accepted that her father's death was due to Doctor Octopus, but she still felt the need to place the blame squarely on Spider-Man. To this day, Gwen still couldn't understand why before his death, her father seemed to vouch for Spider-Man as if they knew each other personally. Gwen often argued with him about that, but there seemed to be changing George's mind about Spider-Man. Or maybe Gwen was being unfairly judgmental about Spider-Man.
Whatever it was, one thing was clear; her father wasn't coming back. Gwen understood that and that was the reason she was strongly considering moving to London. She just wished that Peter would make up his mind and stop being so noncommittal. She didn't want to go without him but she didn't want to wait for him either. It was difficult for Gwen to determine if she was being unfair to Peter as well as Spider-Man. For all she knew, Peter probably was Spider-Man. If that was the case, then she'd probably understand. Unfortunately, the idea that Peter Parker, as great a boyfriend as he was, was also a masked web slinging vigilante was tenement to complete and utter nonsense to Gwen.
Deciding she'd been sitting amongst the dead long enough, Gwen gathered herself and stood up straight just as her father did ever so often in his career. She whispered, "I miss you, Dad."
Then she started on her way down the stone path that led to and from the cemetery. Along the way down the path, Gwen caught brief glimpses of other people and various graves paying their respects to those they loved and lost in life. That was a notion to which she could wholeheartedly attest. She half-expected Peter and May Parker to be there as well, since this cemetery was also where Benjamin Parker was resting in peace. Maybe it was good that Peter wasn't there; otherwise, Gwen would've likely tried to pressure him more. That was something she couldn't bring herself to do since in retrospect, it wouldn't have been fair to Peter.
Continuing along the path to where she parked her car, Gwen caught sight of a particularly large man kneeling over a set of gravestones. Not large as in rotund or chubby or fat like Kenny Kong, but tall and muscular. Gwen couldn't see the man's face as he had his back to her, wearing a black leather coat and black boots. For some reason, Gwen approached the man and was inwardly hoping he wasn't a crazed streaker or some random psycho. Then he turned his head and face directly to her, and Gwen froze in place.
The man appeared to be in his mid to late 30's, grizzled and sported short black hair and a faint beard. At least a handful of scars and wrinkles lined his face, like he hadn't slept in days. Or years. Gwen's first instinct was to turn around slowly and walk away. The second was to bolt for her car, drive off and never return to the cemetery. But the man simply remained there, eyeing the young woman as though he was studying her, and Gwen took a brief glance at the gravestones he stood over. She couldn't make out the names but she noted the letters, C, A and S. The man stood up straight without taking his eyes off Gwen one time, and Gwen was finally compelled to speak.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snoop. I was just leaving when I noticed…" she paused when the man turned his full form toward her, and Gwen noticed a pale skull on his black shirt. Instantly, she knew who the man was. "Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I'll go now."
As Gwen went to depart, the man said in a gruff voice, "It's Gwen Stacy, isn't it," Gwen stopped when she heard her name and looked back at the man in the black coat. "I knew your father, Captain Stacy; he was a good man, one of the few."
Gwen breathed a sigh of relief even knowing the identity of the man in the black coat. "Thanks; I'm guessing that you're Frank Castle. My dad never talked about you much."
The man neither confirmed nor did he deny his identity, instead stating, "I used to be him, but Frank Castle died with his family. It's probably for the best that your father never mentioned me."
Assuming that his point was made, Frank Castle began to take his leave and walked by Gwen as he went. Gwen looked at the three gravestones and then noted a forth one. It dawn on her that the forth with meant for Frank Castle himself, due to his name being engraved on the stone. She also was aware of the exploits of a vigilante waging a one-man war against organized crime, punishing killers and rapists, psychos and sadists. The Daily Bugle, the New York Times and other outlets called the vigilante the Punisher – and Gwen just met him in person. Gwen spun around to confront Castle as he was still walking away. What she was about to ask was likely against her own better judgment, but her personal curiosity won out.
"Before you go, I have to ask," she said, halting Castle in his tracks. "Why do you do what you do?"
Castle didn't turn to address the young woman directly but he replied, "Si vis pacem, para bellum."
Gwen was confused, but she understood the reply and deduced it to be Latin – essentially a dead language. "If you want peace, prepare for war. What does that have to do with anything?"
This time, Castle turned to face Gwen. "Sometimes, the law isn't enough to get the job done, and that prompts the pursuit of a more natural form of justice. I don't do what I do out of the need for vengeance, an emotion response, but to punish those who prey on the innocent. You and everyone else know my exploits, but keep reading the obituaries and you'll understand."
Gwen didn't venture to ask any more questions out of a need for her own preservation, and Castle took that as his moment to depart. He still had a lot of work to do. This left Gwen alone to collect every thought that welled inside her, even consider that she and Frank Castle had something in common – the loss of loved ones. There was that little part of her that wanted some form of vengeance for the death of her father, but like Castle – vengeance was an emotional response. And she didn't have the heart to pursue natural justice. Ironically, based on his exploits, Frank Castle had nothing more than a black heart.
Upon returning to the surprisingly quieter than usual Manhattan streets, Gwen drove her car down the road as if nothing happened or was even on her mind. But there was a lot more on her mind than she'd let on, especially since she was traveling down a street all too familiar to her. Eventually pulling to a stop at that particular area and leaving her car, Gwen approached the base of a building nearby and looked straight up toward the top of the building. She remembered watching the news that day one year ago when Spider-Man was fighting Doctor Octopus. It was also the same day that George Stacy, her father, gave his life to save a child.
Gwen knelt down at the point where that masonry came down right on top of her father just as he was shielding that young boy from harm. A tear dropped from her eyes and down her cheeks. It hurt knowing that this was the site of her father's death. Yet at the same time, Gwen was proud of her father for giving his life to save another. She still wished that Spider-Man had been there in time to save him. He didn't and that was why Gwen distrusted him. It didn't matter how many times Spider-Man saved so many others, for in Gwen's mind, he failed to save the one person that meant the most to her.
Unbeknownst to Gwen, Spider-Man was at the exact same site of Capt. Stacy's death. He was perched atop a roof looking at Gwen but staying well out of sight of her. For good reason; Gwen blamed Spider-Man for her dad's death. Spider-Man blamed himself for failing to act, never mind that he was fighting Doc Ock. Even though he'd abandoned the battle, Spider-Man was still too late save Capt. Stacy. It weighed on his mind as much as Uncle Ben's death…
((One year earlier –
Police sirens blared across the jam-packed street when Capt George Stacy arrived at the scene. Stepping out of the squad car with Lieutenant Jean DeWolff, Capt. Stacy took a full accounting of the situation. According to the earlier report that came through the police chatter on route to the scene, Spider-Man was going head-to-head with Doctor Octopus. Capt. Stacy noticed several vehicles flipped on their heads, prompting the FDNY and NYPD to seal up the area. Suddenly, Spider-Man came flying out of a broken department store and slamming back first into an overturned car. Following the web slinger out was the nefarious, eight-limbed mad scientist himself. He stalked toward Spider-Man using his four mechanical tentacles before extending two of them toward the hero.
The arms grabbed Spider-Man and pulled forward toward Doc Ock where they came face to face. "I've grown tired of you frequent meddling, Spider-Man." Doc Ock said.
"What can I say," Spider-Man replied. "I've got a talent for frequent meddling."
"Not for long." Ock said as he reared back one of his tentacle.
Spider-Man managed to squirm free by shooting webbing into Doc Ock's face, then by kicking the villain in his husky frame. Flipping backward and planting the ground, Spider-Man fired a pair of web lines at Ock but Ock blocked them both with two of his metal arm. Ock yanked Spider-Man to him again but Spider-Man kicked the mad scientist in the face before flipping back again. Ock recovered and flailed every one of his tentacles every which way while Spider-Man stayed on the move by ducking and dodging the appendages. Spider-Man swung around Ock and avoided the tentacles while he was airborne and ever webbed two of the arms together. Dropping to the ground, Spider-Man pulled hard on the line and brought Ock to the ground, but Ock sent his two free arms after Spider-Man.
All the while, Capt. Stacy and Lt. DeWolff took cover behind an overturned car with their guns drawn. "DeWolff, coordinate with the FDNY. Have them get any civilians in the area to a secure location."
"Maybe we should just call in the National Guard. You just that Spider-Man and Octavius are going to cause more harm than good." DeWolff stated with her dislike of Spider-Man evident.
"Spider-Man is keeping Octavius busy while we get these people out of harm's way. So get it done, DeWolff. That's an order." Capt. Stacy said.
Spider-Man managed to get in close to Doctor Octopus and wailed on him with punches to the face, at least until one of the tentacles grab hold of one of his feet. The arm pulled Spider-Man and held him inverted while the other three arms beat him one after the other. Spider-Man shot another glob of webbing into Ock's face, forcing the villain to flail his arms around. The momentum of the arms flung Spider-Man into the side of a destroyed truck. Ock was still struggling to get the webbing off his face while the police and fire departments were getting the civilians to safety. It wasn't without difficulty; the arms were going all over the place and snapping at several people at a time. Ock eventually got the webbing loose and saw Spider-Man down.
Rather than take the fight to the wall crawler and waste time, Doctor Octopus went on the opposite direction and started climbing up the side of the nearby building. Spider-Man recovered just in time to spot Doctor Octopus ascending up the building and gave chase. Seeing Spider-Man going after Ock, Capt. Stacy saw this as a chance to properly coordinate an evacuation of the surrounding area. He, Lt. DeWolff and several cops and firefighters started escorting civilians to safety. Meanwhile, Doctor Octopus was three quarter of the way up the building and steadily approaching the rooftop. Spider-Man suddenly right in front of him, blocking his way up.
"Step aside, Spider-Man. I've become very tired of your interference." Ock demanded.
"Oh c'mon, Ock. I'd think an upstanding lunatic like you could use about five more minutes of a butt-whooping." Spider-Man retorted.
"Suit yourself, you pathetic, four-limbed excuse for an arachnid."
Doctor Octopus sent one arm at Spider-Man, but Spider-Man simply hopped from one perch to another. "Them's fightin' words, you poor imitation of a Giant Squid," he quipped before dodging another arm. "Don't make me get Captain Nemo on you."
"Silence!" Doctor Octopus shouted and sent another arm at Spider-Man.
Another arm came at the web slinger followed by another and another. Spider-Man continued to avoid the arms by bounding from perch to perch while waiting for a chance to fight back. Meanwhile down below, the NYPD and FDNY worked to get people to safety with Capt. Stacy leading the effort. By his count, at least a dozen or so civilians were escorted to the safety of the parked emergency vehicle where Lt. DeWolff was coordinating things on her end. Capt. Stacy idled and looked straight on the building that Ock and Spider-Man climbed. He could barely make them out as high up as they, but the rapid movement of Ock's arms and Spider-Man's agility made them easy enough to spot.
Doctor Octopus managed to snag Spider-Man across the chest with one of the arms and he proceeded to slam the hero into the wall. Spider-Man was pinned to the wall and fought to push the arm off of him, versus Ock's efforts to force him right through the wall. It was like a reverse Tug O' War between them. Spider-Man shot a line to Ock's coat and pulled him forward before catching him with a fist, forcing the villain to release him. Ock fell a few feet before his arms arrested his fall and then they went after Spider-Man again. Spider-Man went for Ock and they collided on the side of the building that suddenly became their battleground of sorts – all while Capt. Stacy was watching from the street below – and inwardly supporting Spider-Man.
Spider-Man managed to pin Ock to the building's side and drove his back into the brick, all before Ock grabbed Spider-Man from behind with one of his arms and flung across the sky to the side of another building. Spider-Man crashed through a window. Doc Ock used the respite to continue his climb toward the rooftop, until a pair of web lines snagged him once again. Suddenly, Spider-Man returned and collided with Doc Ock. The impact caused bits of the wall to become dislodged from the wall and sent it tumbling to the street below. They were still evacuating down below with Capt. Stacy directly the authorities in their efforts. He then caught movement nearby.
A small boy was down on the ground in the fetal position, directly below where Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus were fighting. Chunks of masonry were raining around the boy and he was too scared to move – and Capt. Stacy knew that if the boy didn't move, he'd also certainly be killed. It was at the moment that Doc Ock regain control and slammed Spider-Man into the wall, causing a large chunk of masonry falling directly toward the boy. Spider-Man saw the debris and the boy but Ock wouldn't let him move. Capt. Stacy had to move fast and he did. He jumped over and shielded the boy just as the debris reached them.
Spider-Man punched Doc Ock off of him before he looked straight back down, and his eyes widened in horror behind his mask. Seeing both Capt. Stacy and the boy down on the ground with debris all around them, Spider-Man leapt down. Meanwhile, Doctor Octopus also saw what had happened and with equal shock, he quickly made his escape.
Spider-Man quickly landed and rushed to the scene. He frantically dug the boy and Capt. Stacy from the debris. The boy was okay save for a few cuts and bruises and was taken by a couple of firefighters to safety. Capt. Stacy wasn't so fortunate, lying face first on the ground. Spider-Man turned him over and saw the extent of the damage. He cradled Capt. Stacy's head to support it. Capt Stacy opened his eyes to see the web slinger looking down on him.
"You're going to okay, Capt. Stacy. You hear me? You'll get help, I swear. Just stay with me."
Capt. Stacy wheezed and coughed up a trickle of blood enough indicate internal damage. He muttered very weakly, "It's too late. Tell me that boy is safe."
Spider-Man nodded and replied, "He's okay; you saved him."
"Good," Capt. Stacy said with a hard cough. "I need you to do something for me, son. I need you too…" he was belched trickles of blood in between words.
"Hey, hey, hey, listen! Don't talk, Captain. You're going to make it, you hear me," Spider-Man begged the fallen officer. "Please, just stay still."
Capt. Stacy continued regardless of the pain. "My daughter. She loves you, son. She loves you very much. Please… take care of her, Peter."
Spider-Man was stunned at the sound his real name. "You know… you know who…"
Capt. Stacy smiled weakly, replying, "I've known all along, Peter. Just… be good to Gwen. For me."
Those were his last words to Peter Parker, not Spider-Man before Captain George Stacy passed away in Peter's arms. And Peter could nothing but bury his head into the fallen Captain's chest and weep, all the while hoping that Gwen would eventually forgive him.
Peter was still waiting for that moment when Gwen would've forgiven him for her father's death. The day of Capt. Stacy's funeral, Gwen had told Peter that she held Spider-Man responsible. She vowed to make him pay. Out of respect for Capt. Stacy, who'd known that Peter was Spider-Man for who knew how long, Peter didn't tell Gwen his secret. That seemed to actually exasperate the issue further. He still felt guilty for allowing Capt. Stacy to die, so maybe Gwen had a good reason to hate Spider-Man. So what would Gwen have said or thought if she ever learned that the guy she loved was also the man she hated?
Spider-Man didn't have much time to think about it when he looked back down toward the street. Gwen had spotted him and was staring at him with a cold, accusing glare. It was as if she was saying to him, without opening her lips, How could you let him die? Why didn't you save him? You're supposed to be hero. Just the mere thought of those accusations broke Peter's heart more that idea of telling her the truth or not telling her at all. Seeing that Gwen was still glaring at him worse that any beating he'd ever gotten, Spider-Man bounded off the rooftop and swung as far away from her as possible.
When Spider-Man was gone, Gwen returned to her car. Then when she was alone with no one else in sight, she finally broke down into tears.
Author's Note: This was a fairly Gwen-centric chapter in my view, focusing mostly on, well, Gwen and her reasons for hating Spider-Man. I decided to include a flashback of the day that Capt. Stacy died while Spider-Man battled Doctor Octopus, and I tried to make as faithful to the comics as possible, right down to Capt. Stacy revealing that was always aware that Peter Parker was Spider-Man.
Hope you don't mind the Punisher cameo. That was really just for a little bit of fun since he's one of my favorites. So, leave a review and I'll shall return soon.