I am so sorry about the delay with this chapter. I was working on multiple fanfics at the same time, and I had to rewrite this chapter a few times because I didn't like how it was coming out. I originally planned on it being longer, but decided to split it into two parts.

Thank you all so much for the continued support!

Thank you snowcloud8 for another review, yes the suffering and angst! I hate that I'm addicted to it, more to come!

Miguel's Perspective

Sleep was impossible for Miguel to achieve after the mysterious intruder incident. He remained awake in his bed, keeping a watchful eye for any abnormalities as he sat up, his back pressed against the bed frame. Madame Webb's warning plagued his mind. The sense of dread that overtook him was nearly crippling; he felt like he would go completely immobile if he dwelled on it too much. Everything was riding on him being able to defeat The Spot, and prevent Miles Morales from creating anymore canon interruptions.

His lover was curled up beside him, her arm draped over his thigh as she slept. It had taken her awhile to relax enough to fall asleep again, her focus seemed to keep being pulled to the corner of the apartment. He didn't know what she was looking for, but her eyes refused to break contact with the dark corners of the room until she eventually drifted off to sleep. Staring at her made the pit of his stomach drop, guilt and fear intertwining as he watched her peacefully doze. He had no idea how he was going to tell her that she was an anomaly, the very thing he had created an entire society around to stop. His failure didn't only put his life in danger, but hers and their unborn baby as well.

The pressure was too much to take, his nerves twisted in him like someone stabbing and turning a blade in his flesh. He was upping his dose of stimulant injections, hoping it would control his emotional state, but it wasn't working. The deepest corners of his brain whispered for Rapture, making sweat begin to bead on his forehead; his heart rate quickening. He argued internally with himself, knowing one injection would completely numb his pain and quiet his brain, but the withdrawals afterward would be literal hell on Earth.

Miguel peered down at his hands, his palms turned upwards. They trembled even as he curled his hands into fists to steady himself.

How could you even think of the drug that put you in this predicament in the first place? You wouldn't be Spider Man without this drug, you would have a normal life, you would have peace!

Miguel's thoughts turned into him scolding himself. Being Spider Man wasn't all bad, he had met the love of his life because of their connection of being Spider People, he had that much to be thankful for.

She stirred in her sleep, her brows furrowing, a whimper resonating from her throat. She was having another bad dream, he assumed. He wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her close. She looked so small and helpless at that moment. He could see her baby bump move, the fetus pushing against the womb, the little growing hand leaving an imprint on her skin.

Miguel couldn't contain himself any longer. He bit down on his knuckle, stifling his emotions. He thought of Gabriella, how he had failed to protect her. He thought of Gabriel, who he wasn't ever going to be able to talk to again, how confused and upset he was going to be from his sudden disappearance again.

"Miggy…?"

Miguel glanced down to see her staring up at him drowsily, rubbing one of her eyes.

"I'd prefer not to be called that." Miguel replied, he tried to keep his tone soft, but the reminder of his brother's nickname made him tense.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her eyes widening when she realized he was tearing up.

Miguel hastily wiped his eyes, realizing this was the third time she had (almost) seen him cry in two weeks. His strength was waning, his mask slipping, his mental state deteriorating.

"Miguel, you can talk to me. You keep holding everything inside, that's not good for you." She pressed.

"It's hard to explain. I wish I could tell you, but I can't."

Miguel saw her eyes narrow on his with his response, knowing she wouldn't accept it.

"If you can't confide in me, then confide in your brother. I know he wants to see you again." She suggested.

"I can't do that." Miguel managed to say, facing away from her.

He heard her huff in annoyance, and felt her shift beside him as she sat up, her hand pressing against his thigh for support. He could feel her steely gaze on him as he continued to avoid eye contact.

"What do you mean by that? I thought you made great progress today with him." She chided.

"It's nothing, mi vida, go back to sleep." He dismissed, still keeping his gaze from her.

She let out a chuckle humorlessly, shaking her head in frustration, removing her hand from his leg. She repositioned herself, dangling her feet off the bed like she was going to stand up. The prolonged silence filled the room with thick tension. Words begged to be spoken at the tip of Miguel's tongue, but he held it in.

She couldn't know the truth, not yet.

"I don't understand you…" she finally said aloud, her back facing him. "You constantly push me and everyone else away, then you get me pregnant, then push me away and disappear again. Then you're nurturing and caring, but won't call me your girlfriend or lover, then you tell me that I mean the world to you and that you love me, but you're still hiding something…"

Miguel's eyes bored into the back of her head, wanting to confess everything; silently pleading for her to understand the complicated situation without him explains why. There was a detached tone to her voice, like she was far away and disengaged, it worried him.

"Maybe we jumped the gun too quickly with all this." She added, her hand rubbing the slight bump of her stomach. "I was so desperate to be loved by you…"

The finality in her tone made him reach for her shoulder, but she stood up from the bed, her back still facing him.

"I don't know if I can do this- this indecisive flip-flopping… not while I'm putting myself through this." Her hands were cradling her stomach, in reference to her pregnancy.

She finally turned to face him, her eyes glassy but no tears fell. He stood up now, approaching her, his heart in his throat; his stomach felt like it was weighted with stones.

"What are you saying?" Miguel questioned her, cautiously.

"I think we need to take some time to think about things." She headed toward her back pack, opening up the designated clothes drawer he set aside for her, and started packing.

"What are you doing-" Miguel reached for her shoulder again, but she aggressively shrugged him off. "You're doing all of this because I won't speak to my brother again?" He questioned.

Judging by the look she shot in his direction, he wished he hadn't said that. Fury burned in her eyes, her mouth agape as she prepared to retort.

"You think this is only about your brother? For fuck's sake, Miguel, did you not hear a single thing I said just a moment ago?! All that shit you told me in your brother's hallway, I'm guessing it means nothing to you?!" She shouted, her face scrunched up and distorted in anger.

Miguel lifted his hands defensively, trying his best to remain calm and disarm her current turbulent mood. He hadn't seen her this upset since he had returned to her universe the night she told him she was pregnant.

"Of course I met those things, but my brother is what seems to have set you off." He explained, keeping his tone even.

She groaned in frustration, letting out a harsh breath as she quickened her pace with packing. He felt his heart sink as he watched her.

"Please, mi vida, let's not make any rash decisions, take a second to breathe." He cooed.

She threw her back pack down with a surprising amount of force, and bounded in Miguel's direction. She jabbed a finger harshly into his broad chest, staring up at him in rage.

"It's a little too late to talk about rash decisions, Miguel! The point I'm trying to make isn't just about your brother, it's about you! Whenever you open up or I feel like I'm actually getting to know you, you take three steps back and close up and distance yourself. I understand that you're not comfortable talking about certain things, but I'm having your baby, Miguel! That has to mean something, right?! Enough for you not to keep me in the dark, open up, and stop keeping secrets from me." She ranted.

"There's so much I want to tell you, but please understand that I can't. It's very complicated." He tried to cup her face, but she shoved his hand away. "I know it's hard, you just have to trust me on this."

"Why can't you tell me?"

Miguel didn't answer, he just peered down at her in sadness. Her angry expression morphed into something unreadable and eerily calm. She turned on her heel and went to pick up her back pack in silence.

"Please don't do this…" Miguel beseeched, taking a step in her direction.

"I think I need some space." She clipped, her back facing him again.

After she finished packing her bag to her satisfaction, she zipped it closed and abruptly stood up, wobbling slightly from her new shifted center of gravity from her pregnancy. She hurried over to the apartment door.

"Don't go!" Miguel called out to her desperately.

She paused, lingering in front of the door, waiting for him to say his peace. Miguel sighed heavily, unsure if his pleading would change her mind.

"Don't follow me." She interjected after he said nothing else.

On that sour note she left.

Lyla materialized next to him, her holographic head whipping back and forth from the door to him. "What are you doing?! Go after her!" She chided.

Miguel's shoulders slumped as he pinched the bridge of his nose, hanging his head in defeat.

"It's no use, Lyla, she wants to know the truth and I can't tell her what Madame Webb said. You know what's at stake."

"Yeah, but letting her walk away like that?!" Lyla stressed.

"She's right, I think she needs space to clear her head. She's having pregnancy mood swings more frequently lately, I'm sure she'll settle in a bit."

Lyla cocked an eyebrow at him. "You can't pin all of that on mood swings, Miguel."

"Of course I'm not, but I've updated her watch to check her hormone levels and vitals for any changes. Her estrogen and progesterone levels are very high right now." Miguel explained.

"I'm just surprised you let her go off by herself after you had an intruder lurking around in here." Lyla mumbled.

He felt his heart skip a beat. He was so caught up in her he had forgotten about the mysterious person or thing that had been in his apartment. He advanced toward the door to run after her, but Lyla stopped him, informing him that she had used her watch to open a portal and leave.

Miguel swore he locked down her watch's ability to open portals. Something didn't seem right.

It had to be another ambush.

Reader's Perspective

My brain was running on autopilot.

I opened up a portal to travel to Earth 616, surprised that I was even able to do so ( I thought it was going to be one of those "I know it won't work but I'll try it anyway" moments).

It had been awhile since I've been in this universe. It was the middle of the night here, too, but I trusted my memory to guide me through the outskirts of the city and into the nice little suburb that hugged around the outer perimeter. The houses always looked so cozy; the whole neighborhood asleep without a single light inside any of the homes on. I spotted the home I was trying to find, recalling from when I was last here to visit.

As I approached the door, I hesitated knocking, debating internally if it was a good idea to disturb someone in the middle of the night. I decided to knock, quietly at first because of my uncertainty, then harder the second time. I sensed someone coming toward the door, and could hear muffled and confused voices speaking in the house. I took a deep, rattling breath as I heard the door unlock from the inside and the knob twist.

MJ answered the door, wrapped up in a robe, her appearance as disheveled as I'm sure I looked. Her eyes widened in recognition as she saw me.

"Sunshine? What's wrong?" She asked, her eyes noticing my backpack.

Peter B came up behind her, looking just as sleepy and confused. His expression switched to alarmed when he saw me.

"What's going on? What are you doing here?" He pressed.

"I'm sorry to disturb you and wake you guys so late. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't so desperate… can I spend the night here tonight?" I asked.

Peter and MJ exchanged a quick glance, then let me inside. They led me to the living room, gesturing me to sit down.

"I'll go get you some water." MJ offered, heading to the kitchen.

"Is everything okay, did something happen with Miguel?" Peter questioned, still alarmed.

"He keeps hiding things from me, I think I just need some space to figure things out." I averted my eyes, wringing my hands together as I explained. "He will tell me he loves me, then won't say what our relationship is, you know? Then he'll get all cryptic… I just can't take it anymore, Peter."

Peter's brows furrowed as he contemplated my words. He rubbed his chin in thought as MJ returned to the living room with a glass of water for me. I thanked her as she sat beside Peter, both sitting across from me now.

"I don't want us to actually end the relationship, I mean if it even is a relationship, but the indecisiveness is killing me. I don't need the doubts now, especially this far along." I pointed to my baby bump.

"Why don't you start from the top, let us know everything that happened if you're comfortable." MJ suggested gently.

I told them everything.