Chapter 20 – Purgatory

The last haunting image that Gwen saw before that light overflowed her vision was his peacefully resting smile… he may as well have been asleep. She, along with Mr. and Mrs. Morales, felt their atoms buzzing like a conductor. When the sphere of light cleared, they found themselves with Miles' prone form on the floor of an all-too-familiar hospital… the one place they had hoped to never come back to… they were back in Nueva York's ICU on Earth 928B, Miguel's dimension.

Immediately upon arrival, a herd of footsteps stampeded their way; the doctors and nurses, having prepped for this emergency, rushed over with their medical equipment to surround the boy. Gwen and his parents were pulled away with feeble resistance so they could lay him on their stretcher, strap him with their first aid kit, then get to work resuscitating him.

The three trembled in each other's arms like a group of rescued shellshocked survivors. Watching this scene felt almost like an out-of-body experience to the girl especially; her nerves were going haywire as she sat there, utterly paralyzed… and utterly powerless.

She, as Earth 65B's Spider-Woman, was powerless when she had no means to get to him against the Goblin, and she was powerless now within reach.

Why…?

What did I do in any world to deserve this?

Why does this family have to suffer?

Is it to punish me?

Am I really that bad of a person?

In her questionable rationality, it seemed to make sense; fate was never particularly kind to any Spider, especially Gwen Stacy… for her, it was either death or suffering, and she right now couldn't differentiate the lesser evil.

Why…?

Why did I have to fall for him?

Why did he have to fall for me?

Would it really have been better for both of us if we never met at all?

Gwen shuddered at herself… how can I be thinking this?

He isn't dead yet… not yet… please, not yet.

His eyes remained gently shut, his head bobbing limply, as the medics bounced his chest up and down with their hard compressions against his swollen area; if he was conscious, he'd be crying out in pain… but she could feel nothing from him… not even a slight tingle.

"WAKE UP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs; it came out of her involuntarily. "SPIDER-MAN ALWAYS GETS BACK UP!" Rio and Jefferson were holding her back now. "SO WHY AREN'T YOU MOVING!?" If this teen girl had screamed any louder, she was going to lose her voice.

Just then, she felt a tingle that spiked into overblown waves of electricity… and they heard a sharp gasp from the arching boy… he was awake… and tearing the space down with bloodcurdling screams like his feet were being dipped into boiling water.

"MILES!?" Gwen cried as she lunged forward on all fours, only to be stopped by a handwave. "WHAT'S… W-WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM!?" Her shouting could barely be heard now, her pain signals from him persisting. "WHY IS HE SCREAMING LIKE THAT!?"

One of the nurses checking him jerked his head up in alarm. "His pacemaker's been fried!" he told the others. "It's literally burning him alive!"

"B-Burning!?" gasped Rio, who was also short on breath. "Like fire!?"

"It needs to be cut out and fixed! Right now!"

Gwen's knees were glued to the polished floor, stretching her hand vainly, as her best friend… her true love… was hoisted off the floor by his stretcher, which robotically formed a set of wheels by itself, and carried off for surgery… away from her grasp again. Even after he disappeared from her view, his cries fading into distant silence, her pain signals didn't relent.

Even in their own distress, Miles' parents held her protectively, and it made her feel dirty… she didn't deserve this… she deserved to have her own sanity dangling by a strand… she deserved to suffer alone. Yet, she didn't fight or pull away from them… she just sunk into their arms weeping pathetically.

Curse the fates…

Curse the Spot…

Curse the Goblin…

Curse Miguel…

Curse Miles…

Curse myself…

Curse everything!


Miles had some idea of where he was… he just didn't know how or when he ended up here. He was somehow standing in a room full of doctors… they were all gloved and huddled around a table with their surgical tools. The room was dark, except for the harsh LED lamp hovering above their obscured patient, whom they were currently operating on.

He stood here, somehow weightless and free of any hurt… the last thing he remembered… he was trying to think hard… in his house… he was walking towards somebody… Gwen… yes, she was in his house… he was struggling to get to her when… everything blanked into nothingness… and then he woke up in a strange unfamiliar place… he was bellowing in pain for some reason… like he was being branded with red-hot iron… and he could hear her screaming for him too.

Something happened to me… didn't it?

His mind started piecing things together as he turned his attention back to the operation.

Who is that patient…?

As he inched towards this procedure, it didn't feel like he was walking… more like he was floating… in full control, but remote… like his 'body' was just doing whatever he thought of by itself.

Peering over their busying shoulders, he recognized their patient as swiftly as he could see in a mirror, even with a mask and a cap hiding most of his face… it was him… not just some variant from another dimension… but himself. They were cutting into his body, exposing the meat and organs inside, to remove what looked like… his pacemaker… it was all blackened and scrunched up.

Wait… am I having one of those out-of-body experiences…?

A darker thought crossed him.

Or… am I dead?

He didn't feel entirely weightless… he was still somewhat grounded… so he was neither alive nor dead… he was probably floating in some sort of purgatory.

It was also here that Miles saw for the first time what his heart truly looked like… and it sickened him. It not only resembled a yellowing blood-caked fist, but its size had quadrupled so much that he could see visible stretch marks on its thinning barrier… much like a bubble gum before bursting… which meant that his heart could literally explode at a moment's notice.

Something right then appeared in the corner of his eye, but when he turned his head, it was gone… it looked like a tall figure… bald, even… and it was somehow familiar, though he couldn't figure out why. Having seen enough of his own surgery, he decided to follow his curiosity.

His curiosity led him out of the operating room and into the hallway. While his 'eyes' were clear as day, his hearing was muffled, like he was swimming underwater… it probably had to do with his physical body anchoring it. That same figure kept appearing in his peripheral, yet every time he tried to lock eyes with it, it kept disappearing… he wondered if he was being stalked by another spirit or… an angel of Death... but there was also something about its bald lean frame.

Uncle Aaron…?

He was now in the waiting room, lost again, when something else drew his attention to a row of chairs, to a sight that would have otherwise churned his stomach… Gwen was sitting crookedly between his parents, her veiny bloodshot face buried into his mother's arms like she had been screaming for hours, having lost all sense of control, while his dad tried brushing her arm softly… none of which did anything to soothe the crumbling girl.

Oh, Gwen…

In his phantom form,Miles wished he could shed a tear for her… for all of them.

Another figure came charging his way; it was a big man with blonde hair… George Stacy. He was about to try and figure out how he ended up in this dimension when he spotted Hobie's goober on his wrist; he had given him one too. He knelt in front of his daughter, holding her puffed face in his large hands, as he uttered words of comfort that were again inaudible to him… whatever he had said managed to calm her down soon after; her breaths could be seen easing.

Oh, Gwen… I'm so sorry!

She sat idly for a moment, resting her gaze, when she looked up sideways and saw… him. If she had popped her eyes out any further, they would have been rolling on the floor. She sprung out of her chair, mouthing his name as she dashed to him with open arms.

Wait… can she see me?

A thrilled Miles readied for her embrace… when she passed through him like a ghost, her arms crossing into each other, right as he vanished into thin air… gone.

"No… no, no, no!" Gwen flailed her hands like she was trying to catch flies. "He was right here!" She veered to the three adults, noting their alarmed stares. "I'm not crazy! I saw him!"

"I know, sweetie." Her dad wasted no time pulling her into another hug; his voice became a soft whisper. "It's okay."

"I'm not crazy…"

In truth, she wasn't so sure anymore.


In a matter of hours, or however much time had passed, Miles felt the aching heaviness returning to his body, including his fingers and toes. His hearing had also returned, for his ears could pick up beeping and hissing noises from the machines next to him, all that were once again secured and injected into his limbs. He also had a respirator masking his mouth and nose, the one connected to that hissing machine… each time he breathed now, it was like doing an extra workout.

Am I really alive…?

On one hand, his insides didn't feel like they were on fire anymore, but on the other, his skin felt tight around his cramped muscles everywhere, especially his bandaged chest… so it wasn't too long after the surgery, thankfully.

Like fuel being pumped into a car, his memories came flooding back… he was at home with his family… Gwen was there… he tried to reach her… and then he fell into what one could describe as peaceful nothingness, as far as he could remember.

When he came to, he could have sworn that he woke up in the flames of Hell, condemned to eternity for whatever sins he had no idea he committed and was in too much agony to think of.

Now that that was over, he squinted through his eyelids to see his parents sitting exhaustedly at bedside, his mom wrapped in a blanket while resting on his dad's shoulder; their faces looked worn and leathery, like they had aged a few years. To get their attention, he stirred on his mattress while mumbling under his mask; it was hard to even speak anymore.

"Miles!"

"Mijo!"

"Hey… guys." he managed to say, barely able to hear himself.

"Oh, mijo! My beautiful baby boy is alive!" Cradling his head, she showered her son with a million kisses then sobbed into his pillow next to him, howling like a stray dog.

"I'm… sorry… mom." Miles looped an arm around her, which was like moving a dumbbell now, and stroked her hair gently. "I… love… you." he whispered into her ear, coughing.

"You have nothing… to be sorry for, baby!" she whimpered, holding him tighter, her tears wetting his face. "I'm just glad… you're okay!"

Miles patted his mother some more until her shuddering settled somewhat.

His dad stooped over, pumping his fist with a watery smile. "You're a hell of a fighter, son." He tried to sound strong, only to come off as rusty. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks… dad." The mask couldn't hide the boy's smile; he knew what he was really saying. "I… love… you… too." He sounded almost like a robot with his slowed speech… an antique one.

Soon enough, their doctor entered the room and greeted the family with a brisk nod; his mute smile lacked that reassuring vibe from last time… it was noticeably colder. Rio kept ahold of her son's hand as they faced this man in the white coat; she was subconsciously holding her breath.

"It looks like you pulled through." he stated to the young man while swiping through his tablet. "How are you all feeling?" It was more of a courtesy than a question, the answer being all too obvious.

Jeff answered tiredly, "Like we've been through hell."

"I… second that." added Miles with a snicker, which broke into more coughs.

"I have some news…" The doctor adjusted his glasses before continuing, "… if you could step outside for a moment."

Miles knew all too well what this meant, and he raised his head from the pillow. "You… can tell me… doc." he interjected; his neck felt like concrete. "It's… okay… I'm ready."

His mom lowered him back on his pillow. Closing her eyes, she held her breath… she and her husband knew it too, but part of her hoped for a silver lining too.

Clearing his throat, the doctor proceeded with his diagnosis. "Your son… is very lucky to be alive, even with his unusual abilities. We managed to reinstate his pacemaker without too much trouble." He inhaled through his nose, blinking a few times as he prepared them for the bad news. "Unfortunately, it can only do so much anymore."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked, holding his own breath.

"His heart could…" he looked to the boy hesitantly.

"Just… tell me." Miles insisted.

"Unless we can get a transplant, you will die sooner than later."

Even with their backs to him, Miles could feel his parents dying inside, their last hope ripped away from them. His mother's tight grip loosened around his hand, robbed of all strength.

"We lost the heart…" she croaked, her cries starting back up, "… because of that green bastardo!"

"I'm so sorry." was all that the doctor could say as he looked at her pitifully.

Turning away with his head down, he left the grief-stricken mother to cry in her husband's shoulder… she couldn't breathe anymore… she wouldn't stop howling… their world was ending.

Their son's already wounded heart broke for them again… he could only imagine how Gwen was going to take this news after the miserable state he saw her in.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Gwen was standing right outside, pale as a ghost, when she overheard the dooming diagnosis, hitting her with the ultimate insult to injury. She was ready to rush inside and shower Miles with love, believing that he would be saved by his new heart… until hearing that it got destroyed. It had to be a lie… fate couldn't be this cruel, could it? She then wanted to rush that doctor and call him a fraud, but she was immobilized by her newfound despair when he passed her into the hallway.

This isn't real…

Gwen didn't want to see Miles anymore… not after that… and she ran… not knowing where… but anywhere that was away from this wretched place. The young patient heard the retreating footsteps, recognizing who they belonged to, and sighed defeatedly… everyone knew it was over.


George spent the rest of this horrible day keeping a watchful eye on his daughter. He had seen her depressed before, but this was different… her mind was hanging by a thread, which made her look almost alien in appearance.

As a father, it crushed his spirit to see his little girl in such a hollow state after seeing her so joyous hours before. He really wanted to help her in any way he can, but he himself had been in this purgatory beforeand knew that nothing could console her at this time… all he could do was be her rock like always.

That night, he laid awake in his bedroom when he heard a quiet knock at his door. Gwen stood outside in her pajamas that looked too big for her while hugging a pillow under her arm; this was something she hadn't done since she was a small child. Her face was pale, there were bags under her reddened eyes, and her hair was an absolute mess.

"C-Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked timidly, her lips barely moving.

"Oh, sweetheart." He wrapped her in his arms, sinking her head into his torso. "Of course, you can… you can sleep in here as many times as you want."

"T-Thanks, dad."

The old man watched as she climbed onto his large bed, taking the side that his wife used to occupy, and curled on her side facing him… she looked so small… so fragile. Laying down next to the girl to face her as well, he brushed her with his hands rhythmically until a restful smile stretched across her parched face.

"Dad?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm, her eyes remaining shut. "Do you ever question why all this happens?"

He shrugged a little. "Sometimes, sure."

"Do you ever feel like we're just… pawns in a twisted story that someone wrote?" This was an admittedly weird question, but she went on anyway. "It just feels like I'm being tortured for his sick pleasure… yeah, I'm just assuming this author's a guy."

"That's an interesting way to put it."

Gwen opened her eyes again, sighing frustratedly. "Why does the universe hate Gwen Stacy? And why does it hate Miles? Does it just throw us into all these situations just to see how we react? To see how our characters are built through suffering?"

"That's no reason to lose hope." said George. "He's a strong kid… just like you."

"I'm done being strong, dad." her voice broke. "I'm just done with everything."

"Gwen…"

"Does it make me a bad person to wish he never existed…" tears streamed from the girl's face, "… just so I'd be spared from losing him?"

"No, it doesn't," her dad answered unsurely, "but that's part of love… and you know what?" He got her to look at him as he smiled. "I wouldn't trade my time with you or your mother for anything."

Gwen didn't know what to respond with, except cry into his chest some more… she felt so pathetic. She didn't deserve this, and nor did Miles, and she felt even worse for fleeing… she was no hero… she was a coward.


By the next day, the news of Miles Morales' heart attack had already spread across the Spider-Verse like wildfire, which shook his closest companions to their core. Unfortunately, many of them were too occupied with their own plights to visit him at the moment, all promising to do so once they could.

Luckily, Peter B. Parker and Hobie Brown found the time to go see him. When they found their young friend in his sickbed, they too were taken aback by his sickly appearance; other than his hair, there were little to no traces of the spirited young hero that they fell in love with. His parents were with him still, looking older than ever before, having pretty much taken residence here.

"Hello, Peter Pan." greeted Hobie in the cheeriest manner he could muster.

Miles barely moved as he fluttered his eyes open and grinned under his mask. "Hobie… Peter." He managed a feeble handwave. "W-What's up… guys?"

"We, uh…" Peter inhaled shakily, "… we heard what happened and, uh, wanted to come and see you."

Miles nodded, smiling gratefully. Forcing his hand off the bed, he extended a fist so he and Hobie could bump it. He briefly glanced past them to see if Gwen was with them too, but she wasn't.

Hobie read his mind. "Give her time… she'll come around."

The boy blinked slowly. "I… h-hope…" he paused longer, "… that she… will be… be…" he scrunched, somehow forgetting the last word he was supposed to say; he couldn't even think anymore.

"She'll be okay, kid." Peter finished for him. "We'll make sure."

Miles nodded again, moaning incoherently.

The two older Spiders thought they could stomach this, but it was much harder than they ever anticipated… even Hobie, the hardcore punk rocker, had a hard time keeping his composure for this younger teen who was once so full of life.

Sitting next to his bedside, Hobie took his hand in a rare display of affection. "Gwendy could never shut up about you, ya know? Couldn't stop talkin' the chicken off the bone. She always talked about how cool you are with your invisibility and electric powers." He chuckled with a headshake. "Kind of annoyed me, to be honest."

Miles laughed along with him.

"I kept teasin' her to just marry you and have babies."

Miles laughed even harder.

"I was the one who told her to go see you, because who gives a fuck about Miguel and Jessie?" He squeezed the boy's hand tighter. "I can see now why you mean so much to her." He hurried to put his mask on as he bowed his head. "I regret not spending more time with you… I woulda asked you to join my band with your voice and all."

"T-Thanks… Hobie." The boy smiled brighter. "I would be… honored."

Hobie's next intake of air gave away his true emotions… he was weeping under his mask and desperate not to show it. "You're my lil bruv…" his voice finally cracked, "… just wanted you to know. I love you."

"I… love… you… too." Miles looked towards Peter, who smirked as best as he could, and told him, "Thanks… for being… my mentor."

Peter nodded in return, holding back his own tears. "I'll name one of my next kids after you… if my MJ's up to it."

Everyone, including Miles' parents, laughed together.

They stayed at his side until he drifted off near the evening. Hobie left first while Peter lagged behind, feeling guilty that he didn't have as much to say. As he turned for the doorway, he exchanged a knowing glance with Rio Morales, who smiled with a nod, then shifted it down to the bed.

"Goodnight, Miles." he whispered, and then he was gone.


When Peter arrived home in his 616B dimension, he greeted MJ with a stiff hug before he headed upstairs to admire the sleeping form of Mayday in her crib. She looked so beautiful, so fragile… so young. He tried his hardest not to picture his little girl in that other bed, but his mind of course worked against him in that moment.

His wife, sensing his vulnerability, pulled him into a hug as he came undone and wept on her shoulder.

"I love you guys… so much." he choked between sobs. "You two… are my greatest gift."

"I know, honey." she cooed, rocking him gently. "I love you too."

Peter, with all his power, couldn't do a damn thing about this… all he could do was pray for a miracle, or divine intervention.


Gwen could hardly focus on anything anymore. Having lost her sense of self, she became almost robotic. She would go about her days missing more classes and ignoring her assignments while battling crime in the streets as the so-called Spider-Woman; this routine would pass like a montage to her.

I'm worthless.

Meeting him was a mistake.

Falling for him was a mistake.

What was I thinking?

Against petty criminals… she stopped pulling her punches. She didn't care who got hurt anymore, whether it was them or herself… she just didn't want to feel anymore. She was a Spider, after all… and Spiders didn't deserve happiness, no matter how much of it they gave up already just to protect their stupid cities.

Why does he have to die…?

"Gwen…"

Why wasn't it me?

"Gwen!"

It should have been me!

"GWEN!"

A gruff voice shocked the white Spider out of her daze, and she suddenly remembered where she was… she was in a shadowed alleyway… there were bodies strewn all around her… all still breathing, lucky for them… her knuckles were smeared with blood… one with a tooth stuck on… she really had stopped pulling her punches.

For whatever reason, she couldn't move her other hand… something had ahold of it. When she tried to fight out of this hold, it only gripped her tighter. Turning her head, she saw a black figure seizing her wrist.

"Noir?"

"You with me, kid?"

Nodding absently, she relaxed her hands as he released her.

"You sure did a number on these bums." he stated, adjusting the brim of his hat.

"Why are you here?" Gwen asked bluntly.

"I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine." she lied, turning her back as she crossed her arms.

"Look… I'm doing everything I can to clear your name," he waved around at the unconscious bodies, "but this isn't going to help your case, I'm just saying."

She veered back to him, her fists pumping with rage. "DO YOU THINK I GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE!?" Her shouting echoed off the walls. "I AM ABOUT TO LOSE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT!"

"Is that why you're avoiding him now?" he asked her calmly.

This question provoked a violent response from the girl as she hurled her fists at him, which he blocked and countered all too easily. In her blind rage, she went for another attempt, only to end up on the ground in a rear waist-lock.

"I know you're scared, Gwen."

"SHUT UP!" She tried thrashing out of his hold. "YOU DON'T KNOW ME!"

"I know what it's like, trust me."

"Shut… up!" She tried hitting him again with her fists, which he simply absorbed. "I'm not… afraid."

"Yes, you are… and it's okay." He was whispering softly now. "I'm sorry about what you're going through."

"I don't… want him… to die." she whimpered, finally giving up. "I can't… imagine… life… without him." Her mask got sticky from her tears and snot. "I want him… to live."

"It's okay." Noir repeated into her ear, loosening his hold into a hug. "We're in this together, okay?"

Gwen concurred with a nod as she freed herself from the 90214 Spider-Man and swung away from the scene without another word. How could she feel weightless and heavy at the same time, even as she propelled herself through the air, which somehow felt constricting now?

What do I do…?

What can I do…?

What will I do…?

I can't watch another friend die…

But how would he feel if I wasn't there for him?


During band practice, Gwen finally imploded… her hands, armed with her sticks, became a whirlwind of destruction as she reduced her drum set to tatters. When the smoke cleared, her drumsticks slipped from her sweaty fingers, clanking on the stage, as she broke down on her stool… if she kept this up, her face would eventually prune and fall off.

"Hey…" MJ approached her with caution, reaching out with her hand, "… what's wrong?"

"M-Miles…" she croaked, "… he's back in the ICU… doctors say… he doesn't have l-long."

"Miles?" clarified the redhead, kneeling as she laid her hand on the drummer's shoulder.

"I don't… know what to do." She bounced rapidly while sighing. "I love him more than myself… he deserves the world… and I wanted to share it with him."

"Go and see him." MJ affirmed, forcing her to lock eyes.

Her other two bandmates came forward as well.

"If I was you," said Betty, "I'd lay with him until his last breath."

MJ frowned over her shoulder at her. "I'm not sure that's helping—"

"Are you really going to let him suffer on his own?" That question silenced the auditorium. The pianist continued. "You have something that very few people ever get in their lives… and I wouldn't waste it like this."

"She's right." Glory chimed in. "If you don't go to him… you're the stupidest girl in the world."

Their words seemed to reach the blonde as she relaxed in front of her lead singer with a resting smile… they were right. She recalled her dad's words… he was right too. Losing is part of loving, no matter how hard she tried to fight it… and she wouldn't trade her time with Miles for anything.

"Go on, get outta here!" MJ cocked her head to the exit with a watery smile. "We were gonna replace this old set anyway."

"Thanks, guys."

"Whatever happens, we're here for you… okay?"

Gwen nodded with a sniffle.

Standing up from her stool, she slung her bag over her shoulder and waved to her friends as she left… she wasn't alone… not anymore… never again.


It was on a Saturday of that same week that Gwen, dressed in her best possible clothes, returned to the hospital with her father; she wanted to look beautiful for him. It was also here that George Stacy formally introduced himself to Rio and Jefferson Morales.

"We met the other day, but I didn't really get to introduce myself." He extended his hand to shake theirs. "George Stacy, pleasure to finally meet you."

"Jefferson Davis… Morales." he corrected himself.

"Rio Morales." She beamed, even with the lines all over her face. "Nice to meet you too."

"I hear you're a cop too." He turned back to Jefferson. "I used to be Captain."

"I'll be… quitting soon." The man gazed downward.

George nodded solemnly. "Same here."

Rio looked to Gwen, who was staring off wistfully. "I'm glad you're here, mija." she said to the girl, embracing her warmly. "Come on, he's right inside."

When the young blonde was led into the room, she could have sworn that she was in a party. The room was full of flowers, balloons, and love letters… and all their spider-friends were here too, all of them greeting her.

And there was Miles; he was laying on his side facing the door where she came in. As soon as he laid his droopy eyes on her, he beamed like a Christmas tree.

"G-G… Gwen." he struggled to say, breathing raggedly. "H-How… a-a-are y-you?"

"Better now." She sniffled, wiping her tears as she knelt beside him. "Are you okay?"

"Better." His voice was impossibly frail.

Gwen sniffled again. "I'm so sorry, Miles… I was so scared."

"It's… okay… Gwen."

"It's not." she argued, losing control of herself again.

"You're here… now." he concluded. "That's… all… that matters."

Smiling still, the boy patted the space next to him on the bed, inviting her to lay with him. She wasted no time accepting his request and carefully veiled their bodies under the blanket as they laid nose-to-nose on his pillow, just staring into each other's souls. All she wanted now was to be as close to him as humanly possible, to feel his warmth in her arms. Even in this state, he was the most beautiful thing in the world to her.

Resting her palm on his cheek and brushing his temple with her fingers, she decided to share with him a secret. "I actually have an interesting story to tell you. I was never going to tell you before, because I was afraid it would freak you out and scare you off."

This piqued his curiosity as he raised an eyebrow.

"I took a little detour to this dimension called Earth 8 where…" she decided to cut to the chase, "… you and I… are married with kids… twenty years." Her blue eyes began to sparkle. "As it turns out, there is a world where you and I are happy together."

Miles showed no signs of discomfort… just pure glee. "That's… amazing."

As she shook, her tears wetted the pillow. "Is it too much to want that?"

"No." he assured, his weak hand brushing her face now. "It never… is."

The rest of the world, including the room itself, vanished around their bed as they shared in this quiet moment together, absorbing every possible detail they could.

"If this smile was all I had left of you… you'd still be more of a Spider-Man than anyone else… I wouldn't trade that for anything… not for any other variant of you… because you are my only Miles Morales."

Hearing this from the girl, his own tears started wetting the pillow. "And I…" he began, holding his mask steady, "… would never trade y-you… for any… other… Gwen Stacy."

They pulled each other closer, their foreheads connecting, and sobbed joyously in each other's embrace. Everyone else was quiet, all viewing this touching scene through oceans; Pavitir himself, a usual sucker for romance, was mutely crying while Hobie held his shoulder.

"Every time I can spare… I'll spend it in this bed with you, always at your side."

Peni burst into tears as Noir pulled her into his chest, holding her steady… it wasn't fair.

Peter, who was sitting in his own chair with Mayday in his arms, gazed at Miles' parents, particularly his mother; he, along with her and her husband, knew what was truly coming next.

Rio Morales ogled this young couple with a heartbroken smile that was somehow mixed with contentment… and renewed determination. She wanted nothing more than to give Miles and Gwen their happy ending… and by God, she was going to do something about it.


That very same night, both parents sat adjacently at their kitchen table… next to the very same spot where their son dropped dead. Rio's slumped posture contrasted with Jefferson's rocky one. When she took his hand, he turned his stubbly face to her.

"You and I both know what has to happen now…" she spoke softly, "… I can't stall any further."

Jefferson couldn't say anything as he sagged in his chair defeatedly.

"It's the only way to save our angel."

His cheeks became wet as he bowed even lower.

"If we don't do this… how can I live with myself?" She held him tighter. "It's time, mi amor."

A deafening silence filled the room for almost a minute, the air uncomfortably still.

"But first…" she concluded, "... I'd like a word with this Miguel O'Hara."

TO BE CONTINUED.


Author's Note: This chapter was borderline nightmarish to write, not just because of its length, but because of the themes and emotions. We have only 4 chapters left!

Next chapter... An Impossible Decision.