Sorry for taking so long. This chapter ended up getting pretty tricky to maneuver around, especially towards the end. I pretty much had a draft done, but then I felt like I wanted the last interactions to be deeper and better written. I got to a point, though, where I felt like I was taking too long and decided to just get this out cause. I may end up changing this chapter a lot later on, but for now, here it is

UPDATE: As I now have a decent idea of how I want to end this story off, I think it's appropriate for me to say that there will be a level of bullshit that is not consistent (at least probably since I haven't done enough digging to find out) with the Marvel universe. Unfortunately, I wrote myself so far down a hole a few years back that I can't figure out a way to keep this consistent with Marvel cannon while still keeping true to what my original goal was with this and also not include a bunch of cheap "cameos" that make zero sense. Basically, from now on, this is still a "fanfic" on Gwiles that is creating completely original lore...

...

...What the fuck am I even doing...

The sharp light of the moon that pierced the cold darkness of the night would eventually be replaced by the mellow, warm light of the shining sun. The gloomy interior of the Morales apartment would soon transform into a place of vibrancy and light.

A groggy Miles began to stir after getting several hours of more sleep than he had gotten during the past weeks. The smell of spices, rice, eggs, and fresh herbs wafted its way into Miles's nose. The sharp crackles of bacon and eggs being fried to perfection acted as his alarm clock for the day. Miles slowly opened his eyes and would awaken to the sight of his mother scurrying around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the small family. Despite all the noise of clanging pots, scraping bowls, and loud frying, there still seemed to be a method behind the madness. A sense of calmness within the chaos could be seen as Rio cooked a breakfast that seemed to always produce a perfect bite throughout all the years without fail.

Miles felt a wave of guilt as he watched his mom cheerfully maneuver through her cooking. Throughout all the chaos he had been going through, he never really shared much with his parents until after the fact. His mom must be worried sick every time she has to watch her son swing out of a window, wondering if it'd be the last time she sees him. Cooking could be the one thing that gives her a sense of control and calm in the middle of all the chaos and worry she lives through every day now. Her one way of being able to support her son through all his troubles, no matter how insignificant as it may seem. Miles, still half asleep, slowly got up from the couch and made the walk over to the bathroom.

"Morning mi hijo!" Rio said brightly when she caught eye of Miles finally waking up. It was almost like the half dead, exhausted person that he saw last night was kidnapped and replaced by an energetic identical twin.

"Morning, Mamie." Miles sleepily said, stifling a yawn. The waking hero made his uninspiring trog over to the bathroom. The warm sunlight flooding the apartment gently kissed his tired skin, a stark contrast from the chilly gloom that covered the walls just several hours earlier.

At a pace that seemed to be at half the speed of reality, Miles went through his usual morning routine. The scrubbing of a toothbrush applying a messy slab of toothpaste almost grinded at his waking ears. The cool spray of water slapped at his beaten skin. When he was finally finished, Miles grudgingly walked out and over to his bedroom, silently wondering if he could avoid the further confusion that would likely be waiting for him as soon as he opened that door and met Gwen #2 if he simply avoided her. Despite these reservations, Miles summoned up the motivation to open his bedroom door and greet Gwen.

However, the short haired, blonde girl was nowhere to be seen in his bedroom. Instead, what greeted him was the sight of his normal, empty bedroom that Miles had been accustomed to see. Everything was in the exact same clutter as he had left it when he left her to her own in there. Everything except for his bed where there seemed to be an attempt at being made, though a very failed attempt as the sheets were almost crumpled towards one corner. His bedroom window was also open, allowing a gentle breeze to flow into his messy room. Miles ran up to the window and closed his eyes in frustration. "Cmon Gwen." He muttered. He quickly put on the black and scarlet red suit that he had just removed and dove out the window.

Unknown to Miles, Jeff would also walk into the messy room and see the open window. "Hey, kiddo, you ready to talk... about..." His voice trailed off as he caught only a glimpse of black and red flash from the corner of the window. Unfortunately for Miles, the flash was also all the dad cop needed to see. A sense of heat began rushing in, as if someone was pouring hot water that somehow traveled from his gut, through his chest and to the very top of his head, forcing a feeling of wanting to burst. Instead, all Jeff could do was clench his fist. "Unbelievable! This kid is unbelievable!" Rio, taking a break from her cooking, walked over with concerned eyes. She stared at the window, searching for answers relating to her son that wouldn't come to her. Answers to questions that seemed to be building a barrier between her son and her and her husband. A barrier that was nearing torturous for her because of the feeling of helplessness when it came to her son, whom she had spent all her energy on caring and protecting. The most she could do now was comfort the steaming man next to her. Gently, Rio patted her husband's chest and, with a loving smile, motioned him over to join her for some breakfast.

Jeff sighed but reluctantly followed her. "What are we gonna do with him?"

"He's grown up now." She said sadly, though doing her best to offer a reassuring smile. "He needs space."

His heart felt like a hammer was being slammed against an anvil by a blacksmith as Miles desperately searched for Gwen. Waves of emotions came crashing into his mind. Confusion, for why she decided it would be a good idea to sneak out into a world that wasn't her own. Anger, not at Gwen herself, but rather at the misfortune that seemed to take pleasure in constantly bombarding Miles with problem after problem after problem. Desperation, coming from his urge to protect Gwen, regardless of whether she was his Gwen or not.

Over an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of the slim figure of a girl swinging around New York. During a quick pit stop at a hot dog stand, Miles was exchanging his money for a steaming hot dog of the freshest quality that New York City processed meat could provide.

"Hey Spidey, how are you and your girl?" The vendor asked as Miles was lathering his hot dog with condiments.

Miles paused, allowing bright red ketchup to overflow from the bun and begin to drip into his once shiny black suit. "What?"

"You and that other spider chick you're sometimes with. You know, the one with the white suit. I saw her swinging by around here earlier. She was going pretty fast, like she wanted to get away from something. Everything alright between you two?"

Despite the mask covering his eyes, Miles stared deep into the man's eyes. "Where?"

"She was going over there. Everything good?" The man pointed towards the northwest direction

Without hesitation, Miles sprung into the air towards his finger, leaving the disgustingly appetizing hot dog to flaw innocently onto the floor. "Hey!" The vendor shouted as he watched his product be wasted. A web slapped onto his chest with green dollar bills stuck inside.

"Keep the change!"

Miles swung frantically towards the direction that the man pointed towards. His eyes scanned wildly through the steel forest of grand buildings, looking for any sign of a slim, white-suited figure. His heart felt like a hammer pounding against his chest at a rapid rhythm. His arms felt sluggish and yet, at the same time, were infused with an energy that would refuse to stop moving even if he wanted to stop. His eyes looked back and forth at a headache-inducing speed while his breathing quickened to an unhealthy pace. Miles couldn't understand why he felt such a strong level of panic. Every reason he could think of simply didn't feel like a right answer.

After almost another half hour of anxious searching, Miles came across the Empire State Building when his eye caught sight of a small figure at the middle of its spike, almost like they were glued to its side.

Miles swung his way to the spike, landing a little away from the sitting figure. He took a moment to take in the view in front of him. The afternoon sun by now was shining at full might, pouring its light onto the river of skyscrapers below. Sparkles of sunshine reflected all throughout the ripples of glass and steel. The city noises thundered throughout the City That Never Sleeps, and yet, Miles still was able to feel peace so far up on the giant skyscraper.

Milss shifted his gaze over towards the resting figure towards his left. Her knees were huddled close to her body with arms wrapped around them as she gazed off towards the skyline. Her maskless face revealed a girl that almost seemed entraced, whether it was by the pure sight in front of her or because she was deep in thought.

"You know, if you wanted a tour, you could've just asked." Gwen turned to finally see him take a seat next to her. "I'm sorta good at that sorta thing."

Gwen, now fully broken from her trance, cracked a small smile. "Good at what? Getting a girl to be with you?"

Luckily, his mask was covering his now red face. "What? No, no, no. That's not what I meant."

A soft laugh escaped from Gwen's mouth, where Miles realized that she didn't boast the subtle yet iconic small gap between her front, top teeth. As the two sat in each other's company in silence, Miles felt a pain in his heart. He almost felt overjoyed at first when he thought about finally being able to be with Gwen once again. However, the depressing realization that this Gwen was simply a different person than the girl he loved would kill all traces of happiness within him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Gwen eventually said to break the silence.

Miles could only respond with silence. His gaze broke from the skyline as he looked over to the girl next to him. It was haunting how she was almost a mirror copy of the Gwen he knew. It felt like a blessing in disguise that this Gwen still kept her original haircut with locks coming down from both sides still in order to serve to him a constant reminder that this still was a different person. It would be unbearable for him to have to see the exact copy of the same girl that he loved be alive and well, mocking him with her very existence, before eventually leaving him as well.

Miles noticed a small corner of a book peaking out of Gwen's lap, hidden between her body and her knees. "What's that?" He nodded towards the corner.

Gwen looked down and stretched out her legs, revealing a sketchbook that contained a detailed drawing of the New York City skyline in front of them. Though it was only a pencil sketch void of any colors, it still contained a burst of life within each stroke. Every building, every window, contained the tiniest of details that came together to produce a vibrant picture. Gwen also added a building at the very front and a sketch of herself, watching peacefully over the horizon while a sun casted its beams over her.

As his eyes studied the latter element of the drawing, another sense of anguish consumed Miles. He remembered the drawing Gwen gave to him so long ago. A drawing he's cherished all this time and loved simply because it was drawn by her. The drawing in front of him, though objectively much higher in quality, seemed to reflect that drawing. Yet, it was still missing him complementing the lonely girl. It was missing the emotions behind every stroke to create the drawing that Gwen had dedicated towards it. It was missing the love that Gwen poured into it. Her love that she hoped that Miles would be able to translate from her drawing. Any raw emotions that he might have been able to feel from another reminder of his Gwen couldn't be made anymore. The copy had already forced out every drop of it already. Miles could only feel numb.

"It's a... nice drawing." Miles was able to muster out.

Gwen smiled. "Thanks. It could be a lot better, though. The buildings need a lot more work. The roads need more details, and all the angles are off. It's really just a quick sketch, if anything."

Miles's eyes widened in shock that someone could criticize something so intricate and detailed, especially when it came from the same hand that drew it. "Well... it looks fine to me."

Gwen let out another small laugh before another silence came over the two, this one much more agonizing for Miles. Now, instead of a quiet peace, he simply felt a faint annoyance from the mockery beside him. A part of him wished that there he could lash out in anger at the girl next to him. Not because of her, but because of what she meant to him. A forgery. A reminder of what he lost.

"What was your Gwen like?" New Gwen suddenly asked.

Miles suddenly coughed wildly. "What?" He said, a bit too loudly though there was nobody around to hear.

"Well, you obviously knew a Gwen the way you act with me. What was she like?"

"Uh... well... um..." Miles struggled to find the right words. How could he describe someone like Gwen? Someone who was the perfect person for him? Especially when he was describing her to someone who is her. "She was... great... you know." He didn't understand why he felt so awkward talking to her about his Gwen. After everything the two had been through together, why did he feel so awkward talking about her? It was then that Miles noticed that he felt something strange coming off of this new Gwen. He couldn't understand why, but something in her aura made him feel off. Normally, he didn't mind talking about his Gwen. In fact, he used to love reliving his treasured memories that he shared with her by simply retelling their stories.

"Just great? Cmon, there's gotta be more to her."

A nervous laugh escaped from Miles's lips, but his mind slowly was able to organize a jumbled mess of words. "She was just amazing, y'know? She'd always have my side. She was just... the one."

Gwen smirked at the boy next to him. "She sounds pretty great."

"Yeah... my Gwen was pretty great." A brief moment of silence passed before a snort suddenly came from Miles's side. He looked over to see Gwen covering her mouth, trying her hardest not to laugh, but several more snorts continued to escape. "Gwen?"

"Your Gwen." Gwen laughed out. She held up a finger, trying to excuse herself, but she only began to laugh harder. "Your Gwen." She bursted out laughing. Miles could only stare with confusion and shock as the scene unfolded in front of him. Gwen's face suddenly began to twist in a horrifying way. Her eyes shot straight up to the point where Miles could see a part of her whites while eyebrows squinted to the very center of her face as if they were being melted. Her mouth smiled in a devilish manner, causing her lips to curve upwards to their very limit all whilst a loud, maniac laugh exploded through. Time seemed to slow down as Miles witnessed this devilish creature take the face of the girl he loved and turned her into a figure of nightmares. Slowly, to the point where Miles couldn't even notice it at first, her laugh began to change tones. At first, it sounded like that of a witch obsessed with street drugs, but it slowly began to get deeper, rougher.

During her transformation, she suddenly got up and leaped off of the building. Miles tried to reach for her at first before he noticed that everything beneath him was gone. Every street, window, sidewalk, car, and person was replaced by a black, bottomless abyss that the imposter was falling into. However, despite her falling figure disappearing into the hole, Miles could still hear her crazed laughter as if she was still right next to him. Her laugh, still containing the rough, deep nature, began to sound like that of a grown man that continued to bellow through the trapping abyss.

Miles remained stuck at his current position for a few moments, horrified at the scene that had just played out in front of him. Every thought that raced through his head told him to run, by the Spiderman in him of course got the better of him and, despite his many doubts and hesitations, rose up and dove into the hole to follow her.

"Gwen!"