Disclaimer: I'd probably apologize for the long wait in getting the next chapter up, but I think it's actually works to my advantage. I won't make as many mistakes and I have more time to brainstorm. Plus, I've been distracted again with work and music and Destiny.

Yep, I've been playing Destiny. It's amazing and addicting and spectacular and amazing and engaging and amazing and awesome and it features the voice of Tyrion Lannister himself, Peter Dinklage. Did I mention it was amazing? Uh, sorry, I got carried away.

I don't own the rights to Spider-Man.

Chapter XIX

The penthouse was empty when Harry got there with the urgent matter to speak to his father, to warn him about the Green Goblin's return if her wasn't aware already. Reaching the study, there was no one there to greet Harry. Norman was missing, Hendry was missing and not even the men paid to repair the damage from the Vulture attack were present. Harry went room to room to from his dad's office to his bedroom and back to the study but found nothing to suggest that his dad was around. Sighing with some mark frustration, Harry dropped to the couch and rubbed his chin while going into thought.

"Harry Osborn…" a voice said. Harry looked around for the source of the voice before it said, "Up here."

Harry looked up and found Spider-Man hanging upside down above him. "What are you doing here?"

Spider-Man lowered himself to the floor where he dropped and landed on his feet. "To be honest, I came looking for your father. He's… in trouble."

"From the Green Goblin? Yeah, I kind of heard about his big comeback among other things." Harry replied.

"Other things?" Spider-Man asked.

"Don't you watch the news or read the papers?" Harry stated.

"I try not to." Spider-Man implied.

Harry wasn't too surprised when he explained, "Wilson Fisk took over OsCorp and shut out my father. After that, the police claimed that Donald Menken killed himself, but that part I don't believe. I think the Goblin killed him. I just don't know why. Unless…"

"Unless what…?"

Harry though for a moment and it began to dawn on him. "You don't think my dad is working with the Goblin, do you? I know he can be ruthless, but to be involved with murder…"

Spider-Man tried to come up with the best possible way to ease Harry's mind without revealing that his father actually was the Green Goblin. He couldn't exactly come out and saying Norman Osborn was a raving lunatic to his own son. More over, Harry was Peter's best friend and ironically, Peter was the young man who Norman himself considered a more worthy son. If Harry ever knew that his father was a psychotic supper villain bent on taking over the city, everything would've been turned inside out. So Spider-Man needed to be as gentle as possible.

"Harry, there are certain things that you might not know about your father, some of which you might not want to know." he said.

"Like what," Harry asked. "Like, my dad might be involved with the death of an employee? That he might be working with a psychopath, providing him with OsCorp tech so he can take down his industrial foes? Things like that."

"Yeah, things like that." Spider-Man said.

Harry stood up from the couch and roamed around the study, grabbing a bottle of liquor of the table but nit drinking from it. "I'm not willing to believe any of that is true. My dad might be pompous and arrogant and a stickler for perfection, but I refuse to even consider that he and the Green Goblin can have any sort of collusion. I refuse to believe it."

"I can see that, I believe you. I hate to say it, but maybe you should consider the possibility that there are things you don't know about your father." Spider-Man explained.

"There're a lot of things I don't know about my father. He's hardly given me the time. Growing up, I was always an afterthought to him. But he's still my father." Harry snapped.

"Harry…" Spider-Man said.

"You know the worst part of this is? There're people out in the city that are ready to write my father off as a bad person. He's not a bad man. He might be a pain in the ass most of the time, but he's not a bad man."

"I fully understand what you're thinking, Harry. I don't like the ideas about you father any more than you do." Spider-Man replied.

"You understand? Do you, Spider-Man? Do you understand," Harry asked almost accusingly. "If that's the case and you honestly claim to understand, then you'll leave. Right now, get out of my father's home."

"Harry…"

"Get out. Leave me alone. Leave my father alone, Spider-Man. Get the hell out." Harry shouted and pointed at the window.

Spider-Man knew enough by that point that he'd overstayed his welcome and bounded toward the open window. He said to Harry, "I'm sorry to have disturbed, Harry."

"Just go." Harry replied coldly. A second later, Spider-Man was gone.

Harry breathed heavily when he opened the liquor bottle and took a heavy gulp from it. He finished about half of the bottle, felt the bitter taste on his lips and then threw the bottle into the fireplace. Then he kicked the table over on its head. Every action he was taking was a response to the discussion with Spider-Man about Norman Osborn possibly working with the Green Goblin. Just the idea of his own father in league with a lunatic super villain enraged Harry to the point of rampaging around the penthouse.

Eventually halting his rampage, Harry sat back down on the couch to collect his thoughts and clear his head. He realized that he needed to face his father, so he took his phone out of his pocket and dial the corresponding numbers. Harry knew his father wouldn't take kindly to him calling especially when and if he was working, but it was important to Harry that his father set about setting the record straight. Along the way, maybe he would've found out where his dad was now if he wasn't home.

Norman wasn't a stupid man. He knew Spider-Man would've gone straight to his home to face him. After that, he Spider-Man would've tried searching for Norman at OsCorp next. That was one of the many reason why Norman, or rather the Goblin, built a secret hideout in an abandoned dock. He couldn't trust that Kingpin or Silvermane or some ambitious hood in a mask wouldn't have found his weapons and equipment. One would've probably accused Norman of being just a bit paranoid. But anyone who thought as much would've been dead.

The secret lab had everything Norman needed to improve the various weapons and gadgets in the Green Goblin's arsenal. That included the chemicals used to make the pumpkin bombs that Green Goblin was so fond of using. Norman was already hard at work in concocting a particular bomb specifically for Spider-Man that. The theory of the bomb's use against the wall crawler was sound, in Norman's mind anyway. All he needed to do was test it against Spider-Man, which meant drawing Spider-Man out into the open.

It didn't take long before he received a call on his private line via the headset in his right ear. Only a handful of people knew the number when Norman answered. "Speak…"

"Dad, it's Harry."

"Not now, Harry. I'm busy." Norman said while he continued to tinker with the bomb.

"Dad, this is important. Spider-Man was just here at the house." Harry said over the line.

Norman stopped what he was doing and asked, "What did he want?"

"I don't know. He said he was looking for you; said you were in danger from the Green Goblin. He's back, Dad. He killed Donald Menken last night," Harry explained over his phone, receiving an eerie silence from the other line. "Dad?"

"Is he still there?"

"No. I told him to leave. I told him to go because he sounded convinced that you were working with the Goblin," Harry explained. "He was practically accusing you of working with the Goblin."

"And you let him leave? What the hell is wrong with you, Harry?"

"What?"

Norman was upright and stomping around the lab shouting, "You had Spider-Man there at the house and you didn't think to tell me right away? How stupid could you possibly be?"

"What are you talking about, Dad? Spider-Man accused you of working with the Goblin, for Christ's sake. He accused you of being involved with Menken's murder. What was I supposed to do?"

"You should've kept him from leaving so he'd get what was coming to him, you idiot." Norman shouted, unknowingly sounding more like the Goblin than he should have.

Harry wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from his father, which left him stunned and almost speechless. Now he was starting to think Spider-Man was right and all the pieces were starting to come together. He knew that his father was pompous, arrogant and in the past, even corrupt, but Harry never once even considered that his father was that ruthless. Harry always pretended like it was all just lies. But now he was starting to think that his own father and the Green Goblin were in league in some capacity. And he needed to know why.

"Dad, I have to know; are you working with the Goblin?" he asked and braced for the tirade to follow.

"What did you say?" Norman sounded different over the line.

"Ever since he first showed up last year, the Goblin's been seen using from OsCorp. At the time, Menken claimed the tech was stolen for a competitor. Or was it ever really stolen?"

There was no immediate response, raging or otherwise, and Harry was starting to worry that he'd gone too far this time. Then, Norman responded, "I don't have to explain or confess anything to anyone for any reason, especially not you, Harry..."

"…Quite frankly, I don't expect you to fully comprehend any of the affairs of OsCorp, and why would you anyway?" Norman continued.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked.

"Don't play the innocent or the ignorant with me, Harry. The day you were born, I expected you follow in my footsteps. I gave up my genes to make you what you should've been. All that fierce intelligence and what did you do with it? You went and completely squandered it."

"Don't do that, Dad. Don't turn this around on me."

"You spent more time boozing away on alcohol than actually making something of yourself. You couldn't possibly understand the kind of work I do when you passed out somewhere. If you were anything like Peter Parker…"

"There you go again, bringing Peter into the mix. Every day, it's always Peter this, Peter that. I'm so sick and tired of hearing you singing his praises while not giving a rat's ass about your own son." Harry bellowed loud enough to damage the receiver on his phone.

"Maybe I would give a damn if you were more ambitious in life, instead of casually pissing it all away. At the end of the day, you're nothing but a spoiled, petulant child with a trust fund and no ruthless ambition to be more than that." Norman snapped over the phone.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure I'd be a big success with the crime bosses, just like you." Harry shot back in anger.

"You're nothing but a failure to the Osborn name, and I'm ending this conversation now." Then Norman ended the call.

Harry held the phone in his palm for a moment before throwing it across the length of the room. The phone slammed into the wall and shattered to pieces. Harry dropped to the couch where he cupped his face into his palms, fuming and enraged over how the call to his father led to a massive argument in a matter of seconds. At that point, Harry was no longer in denial as to whether or not his own father was in league with Green Goblin. Unfortunately, Harry didn't know the entire story about just how close his father was to the Goblin.

Norman felt next to little remorse toward Harry, instead still working diligently on the bomb. He was still tempted to call Harry back, but he took the Bluetooth from his ear and threw to the ground. He then stamped it underneath his heel for good measure. Or was the Goblin who stamped it? Either way, Norman was angered that Spider-Man came looking for him but not surprised that he did. Spider-Man was the only one who knew the truth about Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin. And that was knowledge that would cost him… dearly.

Spider-Man continued on his patrol of the city in search of the Green Goblin well into the afternoon hours. Thus far, he hadn't seen any sign of the Goblin since that morning and the scuffle with those mercenaries. Spider-Man deduced that they were on the payroll of Kingpin, Mr. Negative and Silvermane. They were the least of his problems with the Green Goblin on the loose. At the same, time, Spider-Man expected the Green Goblin to target them again. That meant he needed to be ready for not if, but when the Goblin struck.

Then Spider-Man heard the familiar Game of Thrones ringtone of his phone and attempted to answer it while still in mid-swing. He fumbled with the small device before losing it completely and it went into free fall. Swooping down, Spider-Man barely managed to grab the phone before reaching the side of a building and clinging to it. After briefly reminiscing about all the reasons he didn't try out for the football team back in Midtown High, Spider-Man checked the ID on the phone. It was Gwen, so he quickly answered the phone.

"Hey, Gwen. It's me; what's up."

"Hi, Peter. I need a favor." Gwen said over the line.

"Sure; what do you need?"

Gwen was unusually silence for a moment before she replied, "I need Spider-Man. I need him to come to the roof of my apartment as soon as possible."

Peter was baffled but secretly expecting this would happen, though he still tried to play it off. "Why do you need Spider-Man?"

"Peter, I think it's time we stopped dancing around this. I'll be expecting Spider-Man." Then Gwen hung up.

Spider-Man was left to think to himself, Oh boy, Parker. Moment of truth.

Gwen waited on the roof of her apartment for a while longer than she hoped. After her talk with Mary Jane and in light of other events, she decided she couldn't just feign ignorance anymore. It was time to confront Spider-Man once and for all and get it out of the open. Another five minutes or so passed, and Gwen was starting to get antsy that Spider-Man had yet to show. She turned to head back for the door and found Spider-Man crouched atop the exit. Gwen was only slightly started by the sight of the web slinger but not all surprised that he appeared. It had to be a habit of his to do that anyway.

"I heard through the grapevine that you wanted to see me. Is there something I can do for you?" he said.

Gwen took one or two steps closer before she halted. Then she said, "You can start by taking off the mask."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, especially when in broad daylight and when somebody could be watching." Spider-Man stated.

"I'm not going to keep pretending that I don't know anything, especially after what you told me about Ben Parker," Gwen retorted. "Ether you come clean with me right now, or I take off that mask and find out for myself. Your choice…"

Spider-Man understood exactly what Gwen was saying and decided it was time to come clean with her. He hopped off the exit and approached the young woman, who didn't back away once from him. She was obviously not afraid of Spider-Man and she didn't try to scream. Spider-Man didn't sense any danger; no police and no super villains. Gwen did halt him with one hand, making him keep a reasonable distance from him and telling that he was close enough. The moment was tense and unbearable for both of them before Spider-Man went to remove his mask. Gwen tensed up in anticipation.

Then the mask came off, Spider-Man had his head down like a luchadore wrestler ashamed to reveal his face. But there was no hiding it now. He raised his head and faced Gwen, revealing what she learned for herself; Spider-Man was Peter Parker. Peter was Spider-Man. They were one and the same, all the time. Gwen pressed her lips together, still trying to come to terms with the fact that the man she blamed for her father's death was also the man she loved.

"Wow! Just wow!" Gwen finally said.

Peter threw his arms up and replied, "Yep!"

Gwen tried in vain to laugh it up but she couldn't. She was a mixed bag of emotions. "How long," she asked. "How long have you been… doing this?"

Peter replied, "Two years, give or take a month."

"You've been Spider-Man for two years, and you didn't think to tell me."

"I couldn't…"

"Yes, you could. You could've told me the truth from the beginning. Why didn't you?" Gwen asked and sounded like she was about to cry.

"I wanted to tell you, Gwen. God knows I wanted to. But if my enemies ever found out who I was, they could target the people I care about the more," Peter explained. "I could never live with myself if something happened to you or Mary Jane or Harry or Aunt May."

"Like that alien monster that kidnapped me last Thanksgiving." Gwen said.

"Venom," Peter confirmed. "He's the only one that knows who I am… so far."

"As excuses go, that's not… terrible. But still, you kept the truth from me, Peter. You lied to me." Gwen said.

"I had to protect you, Gwen," Peter argued. "I didn't want to lie to you, but now it doesn't matter. You know who I am."

"Yeah, I do. So I have to ask; what now?"

Peter was conflicted now more than he'd ever been, even when he was off fighting petty crooks and super villains alike. Now, Gwen knew he was Spider-Man; not surprising since Peter essentially gave some pointed hints about his identity anyway. There was a part of Peter then thought Gwen was going to turn him in to the cops, maybe as payback for letting her father die. But Gwen wasn't that kind of person, not by a long shot. As he was reconsidering Gwen's question of what they do now, Peter realized he didn't have an answer for her.

"I don't know, Gwen."

"You don't know," Gwen repeated, to which Peter shook his head. "I'm leaving tomorrow night, for London. I want you to come with me, Peter. Please."

Peter knew that was coming from Gwen when he replied, "You know I can't, Gwen. This city needs me."

"I need you too, Peter," Gwen claimed and approached Peter, not Spider-Man. "I understand that you want to honor Uncle Ben's memory. And, knowing the truth about Spider-Man and Peter Parker, I can forgive you for my father. But you don't owe this city anymore. You've given them everything."

"Gwen…" Peter mused.

Gwen was shedding a tear and whispered to Peter, "Please... come with me, Peter."

"I can't. I'm sorry," Peter replied, and he could see the hurt in Gwen's eyes. Then they heard the distance sound of sirens in the distance. Peter said, "I'm sorry, Gwen."

Then he slipped his mask back on and rushed to the edge of the roof. Gwen instinctively wanted to follow but stayed where she stood. Peter looked back at Gwen and he could still sense the pure, genuine hurt in her eyes. It didn't come from the knowledge she now possessed of Peter and Spider-Man being the same person. It came from the fact that as long as there was trouble in New York, and perhaps anywhere else, Spider-Man would always get in the way. And, he would always have enemies. Gwen's safety was something Peter refused to risk. Gwen had to know that, but it didn't make it any easier for either of them.

Before Gwen could say anymore, Spider-Man – no, Peter – leapt from the ledge. Gwen rushed to the ledge and spotted Peter swinging away from her. It felt like a cold metaphor to her; Peter was leaving her behind to put his own life in danger for others in need. Maybe Gwen was being selfish, but of all the people who needed Peter Parker and not Spider-Man, she needed him the most. And this day could've been the last time Gwen would ever see Peter again.

"I'm sorry, too."

Author's note: It's taking longer and longer to get these chapters out… which is a good as I stated in the disclaimer. I wish it would translate into more reviews, but that's just me talking.

The primary purpose of this chapter was to put focus on the secrets people keep from those close to them. I.E, Harry thinks his dad is working with the Goblin but doesn't realize Norman actually is the Goblin. That argument over the phone was done with interchanging scenes, a nod to the film Ransom.

As for the interaction with Gwen and Peter/Spider-Man, I've debated for a while exactly how and when they'd reach that point. I elected for sooner instead of later. I'm not sure if it had the effect I wanted, but I leave it up to those who've been reading up to this point.

Any thoughts or questions are welcome, but no flames please.