Summary: [What if? storyline] What if Norman Osborn had died early on and his wife Emily had lived? Enter the Mother of The Goblin.

Warning: Story contains child abuse.

Great Reward

The elevator bell dings. The double doors to the Oscorp penthouse opens. A pair of adolescent blue eyes scopes the living room, looking to see if anyone resided. The reserved space is quiet.

Harry sighs in relief as he plops his backpack on the pricey sofa. He had an unexpected eventful day. He was among a group of Midtown High students held captive. They had visited an arcade when trouble struck. A heist suddenly came into play. Guns were shot. Screams echoed as commands were shouted. While held prisoner, he had glanced at the robber's true face. After the scoundrel entered a tussle against Spider-man, the students were questioned by New York City police and then released. He is glad to be home.

But such tranquility quickly expires.

His body freezes when he hears the large doors open. In walks a tall, beautiful woman. Her brown pixie haircut smooths itself around her head. She wears a modish dark gray pants suit and matching high heels. Her profligate shoes clack with each systematize stride. Her perfectly manicured fingers holding green nail polish nicely stand against her fashionable outfit.

"Hi, Mom," Harry quietly greets.

Emily Osborn. Mother of Harry Osborn, wife to deceased Norman Osborn. She became head of Oscorp after the businessman's passing. She worked tirelessly to maintain control. Ever busy, she usually resides in one of her many meetings or somewhere down in the labs. Yet she knows that her son had come home. Her brown eyes land on him.

"Back from school?" she asks. A chill encases her voice. Her aspect is like a snake. She is quite charming in her own way. She is also quite poisonous.

"It was a half-day today," Harry explains. "The teachers are using the rest of the afternoon for their department meeting."

"And has that delayed any grading?"

"Uh, no."

"Have you received anything back?"

"Well, Mom, nothing really important came—"

"Let me see your test," she directs.

The teen sighs. He could never halt his mother from her goals. She readily shows her own authority. That is how she keeps her position. He pulls out the stapled packet from his backpack. Reluctantly, he surrenders it. He watches his mother analyze the red markings. Her brown eyes narrow when she comes to the end.

Raising her sharp eyes towards her boy, she softly criticizes, "Another F?"

Harry winces. Her disapproval cuts through him without stop.

"What happened?" Emily asks, her voice overflowing with an eerily calmed fury. "I thought your grades have been improving?"

Trying to defend himself, Harry answers, "They have been. This is only one test. It's just that he's been super busy lately and Peter hasn't had time to tutor me—"

"Peter!" she bitterly shouts. She catches herself in a boorish act. She calms herself and delicately asks, "Why are you relying on him? You're an Osborn. Osborns are capable of achieving on their own."

The teen is aware how his mother detests the intelligent brunet. She would always act courteous around him. Yet, even with the genius absent, Harry feels the need to defend him. "Mom, he's my best friend. He only wants to help me succeed."

"And I'm guessing your best friend was nowhere to be found when you were attacked at that arcade."

Mothers will always find a way to gather information about their children. Harry assumes she was contacted by the police. She must have also caught word from the news. No doubt anchorman J. Jonah Jameson is screeching about the wall-crawler's unwanted presence at the popular teen hangout spot. In its typical fashion, The Daily Bugle briefing spins the situation against the web-spinner.

"It got pretty crazy at the arcade," Harry searches to assert himself. "That robber came outta nowhere and started screaming at everyone. We just got, um, separated. That's all."

He realizes he sounds unconvincing. His mother circles him. She watches his movements, listens to the pitches in his voice.

"Harry," she calls when she stops. "Never doubt the motivations of other people. I only want you to have better connections. Even at Midtown High. Peter may have a bright mind, but unless he pushes himself to do something great, he'll be stuck in his aunt's basement with no promising career."

"Come on, Mom. You're exaggerating. Peter just needs a little tutoring in the social world. I pushed him to join photography either for the yearbook or school newspaper. And he did it. He took photos when the school came to Oscorp last semester."

Emily gazes at her boy. Surprisingly, her eyes soften as she smiles.

"Look at you taking charge." She gently places her soft hand on his cheek. "You look so much like your father."

Harry stays in his position and stares bleakly towards the floor. "I only look like him. And that's all. You always remind me of that."

As Emily pulls her hand away, her smile leaves.

"I'll be in some board meetings for the rest of the day."

Her heels click as she walks towards the double doors. She is determined to not allow her husband's company fall out of the Osborn hands.

Left alone in the room, Harry sighs. He loves his mother. He only wishes she is less critical.

"Mommy? Are you OK?" A little boy had heard his mother weeping. He wanted to see if she was fine.

The woman was sitting at the table in the kitchen. Her eyes were covered by her fingers, which held green nail polish. She removed her hand when she heard her son. A fire had relocated them. They had moved from their manor to a newly designed penthouse up in the Oscorp tower. They were both alive. Therewas still lost in their hearts. Only one culprit was responsible.

Lifting her hand, the woman struck her child's left cheek.

The little boy clinched his eyes in pain. The sting was powerful.

"Your father never should have lost his life!" Emily declared. "That wreckage took him away from me. My Norman."

She always reminded the man to relax when he was alive and was working long hours. She had been a caring woman. But the loss of her husband opened her to see the cruel world.

The child struggled to lift himself up. He had wandered into the lab one night. He was forbidden to go there. Accidents happened. On that fateful night, something had gone wrong. A fire had broken out. His father had saved him from the flames. A part of him felt the same way.

"I'm sorry."

Sorrow enveloped him as he walked away. Bits of that tragedy entered his mind. All he could remember that nightwas the vile green smoke.

The pale moonlight fills the dark room. Long shadows cast to the ground. While they are ordinary objects like plants, sofas, and bookshelves, their extensive forms makes the mostly unlit room seem ominous.

Harry walks from his living room to the kitchen in his penthouse. The TV is on. He grabs himself a snack. He has no need to go to bed despite the late hour. There is no school the next day. With his mother busy in her office, he is free to roam. He also finds it difficult to sleep.

All is quiet until he hears a voice. "Pst! Harry!"

The auburn boy looks around. He doesn't see anyone, so he looks up. He spots the familiar red and blue costume. "Spider-man?"

"Came by to see how you were doing." Like his heroic name entails, Spider-man sticks himself to the ceiling. "So, uh, how are you doing?"

Harry had enough of the unneeded action brought down by bad guys and heroes. He glares at the unwanted visitor.

Spider-man picks up the negative attitude. "OK, cool. No need to worry about breaking your mom's dont-talk-to-strangers rule. It's a good rule, in fact. For safety and stuff. But you know who I am. One of the good guys. You can trust me."

The auburn teen sighs as he relents.

"It isn't so easy to get through," Harry replies. "Things could've ended differently if you hadn't shown up. I know I should probably talk about this. I was thinking of calling a friend."

Spider-man perks up. "Oh, really? Someone like your best friend?"

"I dunno if you had a chance to see who you were saving. Some of us got separated."

"Erm, better to take shelter than doing something stupid like risking being a hero. You should always leave that to the professionals."

Harry glances away and turns quiet. He mentally debates if his mother is disappointed in him for not taking action back there. Emily despises cowards. Yet she didn't lecture him then. It was only on his grades, which is something they've been arguing about for some time.

Spider-man notes the young Osborn's behavior. He releases himself from the ceiling. His red boots dock themselves on the expensive carpet.

"Let me make this brief so I can be on my way. Wouldn't want you to think I'm eavesdropping." He grows serious. "I was hoping you can tell me a thing or two about the robber you saw. Did he have any noticeable physical bearings? Like a tattoo? Or a scar?"

He watches as Harry looks to the ground, thinking back to that situation. He keeps quiet so the teen can analyze in peace. But such tranquility runs out. His Spider-sense activates.

BANG!

Swiftly, the web-head leaps to the side. A bullet shatters a vase. The water soaks into the floor. The flower splatters.

The two boys turn and see Emily. Keeping her arms straight out, she holds out a handgun with both hands. Her fingers are fixed on the trigger.

"Mrs. Osborn?!" Spider-man gasps.

"Mom!" Harry cries.

"Get away from my son!" Emily orders.

Spider-man lands on his feet.

((In the animal kingdom, mothers protect their young. Here's a prime, scary example.))

"No need to be swinging that thing around, Emily," Spider-man urges, pointing towards the gun.

"Don't call me by my first name!" the woman snaps. "We are not on friendly terms!"

"But everyone loves their friendly neighborhood Spider-man! Except Jameson. But I'm wearing him down."

Emily grunts. She appears like she is prepared to shoot again. "Harry, move away from this masked menace."

"I just came to talk to your son!" Spider-man explains. "He saw who the robber was. I was hoping he could tell me a thing or two of what he saw. Trust me. No one is happier seeing him unscathed."

The woman scowls.

"Uh, except maybe his own mother," Spider-man sheepishly adds.

"I won't allow this trespassing," Emily yells. "Your kind is putting everyone in danger."

"My kind?! I'm the one trying to put the bad guys away!"

"You endanger the lives of citizens, you damage property—you're probably making your own mother worry sick with your reckless swinging around!"

"Hey, hey! I am careful! I always make sure to wash my hands after turning in some baddies." He needs to let the Osborns know that he means no harm. He gently advises, "If there's someone you should watch out for, it's Harry. I know you don't wanna lose him like you did with your husband."

The auburn teen uneasily watches the hero and his mother. His father, a prominent businessman, had his death printed in the newspapers. Such knowledge was made public.

Emily loathes how her husband is mentioned. She refuses to have him tarnished by the vexatious wall-crawler. Slowly, she walks in a circle. She now stands in front of her boy. Keeping her stance, she narrows her eyes. "Get out."

"Lemme guess: Don't ever talk to you or your son again?" Spider-man only receives the glare. Deciding it is best, the hero shoots his webs and leaves.

Harry watches the masked ruffian take his exit. He then hears his only parent lower her weapon. The two remaining family members are left alone. As questions rise, he breaks the silence. "Mom? What was that? I know Spider-man is an amateur hero. But he did save me and the other students. Do you really think he's that big of a menace?"

Emily doesn't answer. She thinks back to the conversation held against the web-head.

"Mom?"

She looks at her boy.

"Come with me to the lab," she instructs. "I have something to show you."

Harry doesn't know how to respond. His mother never wants him there. His curiosity grows. Before he takes a step, his phone vibrates. Pulling the device from his back pocket, he looks at the screen. The caller is Peter Parker, his best friend. He hadn't seen the brunet since the incident. He went home alone. He slides the response to ignore.

Quietly, he follows Emily.

The Oscorp lab prides itself with the latest technology. Yet the atmosphere feels like a horror movie. Eerie green lights are the only source. Computer screens mount the walls. Lab tables are piled with beakers and flasks. These house cryptic chemicals. Giant vertical tanks hold mysterious solutions. Numerous levers and buttons tantalize the impulsive side.

The young Osborn is aware of all the tedious board meetings that need to be held. But once a decision is made and a project is green lit, the labs are the place where the company made its name. He is aware of what he will one day inherit and control. Such pressures are tough to comprehend. The intoxicating power can quickly overturn the owner's head.

Harry returns to the reason he is down in the basement when he hears his mother shuffling between drawers. His mother hadn't said a word since they exited the penthouse. The stillness was difficult to bear as the elevator descended. But that is never unusual for the parent and her child.

"What did you want to show me?"

He watches as she turns around. Emily is holding something in her hand. He sees a bottle that glows with a mystifying green liquid. He stays still as his eyes remain glued. No other part of his body moves.

"What is that?" Harry finally asks.

"Your father's work," Emily answers. "He called it the Oz serum."

The teen grows confused. "I thought Oscorp worked with machines?"

"That is what your Grandpa Ambrose and those before him worked on," Emily explains. She then turns disgusted. "The name Osborn has always been a proud one. It was poisoned by that worthless sot of a businessman Ambrose. Your father, rest his soul, studied hard at Empire State University. He had to work endless hours in his company to bring back what was rightfully his. So he could give his son a good life."

Harry hadn't heard much of his mother's separate life before his birth. Because Oscorp was going under construction, the teen believed she wasn't drawn to Norman because of his name. He is aware of what his deceased parent sacrificed for him.

Emily, looking to move forward, regains her poise. "Thanks to your father, Oscorp has expanded into other areas. Bio-engineering was something he was looking to tap into. It is only a year ago that I came across some of his notes that he worked on before his last days. The final results was the exhibit you and your classmates saw last semester."

"Dad was working on something like that? How come?"

"He was looking to further evolve mankind."

A chill races down Harry's spine. He always imagined his father as a hard worker. He wonders if the man he respects is really like the mad scientists he sees in movies. Questions rise within him. "What do you mean evolve? How did he do his work?"

"He had some insects and other lowly creatures to experiment on."

"What? Wasn't that dangerous? What if something bit him?!"

Emily doesn't share such disbelief. She sternly replies, "He's a scientist. Not an ape."

The auburn looks away. His mother insists no secrets are between them. He concludes that secrets are kept from him. Something about his bloodline doesn't feel right. He sometimes feels cursed.

"And I intend to do the same," Emily adds. "As far as I know, one little spider got away for a few hours. That was the same day your school came to Oscorp. A quaint coincidence."

Harry takes a moment to collect himself. He understands the older Osborn is aiming to keep the company on top. New grounds need to be broken in order to achieve that goal. He yields to his mother. "What do you want me to do?"

Emily keeps herself straight and answers, "I need to inject this into you."

Harry's eyes widened. "What?!"

"This is how you'll be able to tap into that extra power I know you have. Your abilities in strength and agility will be activated tenfold. With this, you'll be able to outshine that wretched Spider-man."

The auburn boy shakes his head. "Why would I need to outshine him? I'm not a superhero. My place is supposed to be head of Oscorp one day. You and Dad said so yourselves."

"It's not about competition," Emily tries to reason. Her first statement is a lie. But she truthfully tacts on, "If you did notice anything about that robber… If that robber saw you seeing him, this'll be best for your protection."

Harry turns silent. He couldn't believe what his mother is planning. He grasps her reasons. Yet he couldn't agree with them. To him, he has other options.

Emily walks closer to her son. She gently places one hand on his face. "I've already lost your father. I don't want to lose you as well."

Harry feels the warm hand. He weighs his options. Despite his mother's pleas, he remains doubtful. "It just seems like a lot of work… a lot of power and responsibility."

"You know what your father always said, 'With great power…'"

"…'Can come great reward'," Harry finishes. After giving some thought, he knows what it means to be an Osborn. He closes his eyes and nods.

He wants to make his dead father proud.

End Great Reward

Emily Osborn-Lyman, for initial appearance in a photo, see Spectacular Spider-Man #180, 1991 ("The Child Within: Part 3 of 6"). For full appearance, see Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin #1, 2000. For her possible return as Emma, see Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #789, 2018.

Author's notes: IDK where this idea came from. But I thought it'd be interesting to guess and write some opposites between Norman and Emily: While Norman ignored Harry and wanted Peter as his son, Emily wanted something greater for Harry and showed disdain for Peter. Coincidentally, like with the comics, at least she knows how to handle a gun. Hope you enjoyed it!