"You go first." MJ lightly pushed Alya forward. "You know what he's feeling."

After some brainstorming, MJ figured out where Peter was. Ever since the first day of school, Peter had been making his way up to the rooftop of Midtown High, just to get away from the noise and the crowd.

She had no reason to believe that he wasn't there right now.

"Okay." Alya nodded and slowly walked over to him, her heart breaking at the sight of his blotchy face. "Hi."

"H-Hi." He hiccuped, turning away from her, not wanting her to see him like this.

"Um…." She had no idea what to say. Nothing seemed appropriate right now and she didn't want to try only to end up making him worse. She didn't want to bring up Katya, it didn't seem appropriate. So, she just wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping it would be enough.

"She's g-gone." Peter slouched into her hold.

"I know. I'm sorry." She whispered, waving Ned and MJ over.

The two immediately rushed over to embrace Peter, not knowing what they could say that could possibly make things better. They were on the same boat as Alya.

"Peter….there's some people here who—"

Peter's muscled tensed and he broke away from their group hug, shooting up to his feet to land in a fighting stance. He sensed someone else's presence and after the night he had, he didn't want to trust anyone.

Alya looked up to find Pyotr and Petrov perched up near the large clock on the building, waiting to come down so they could talk.

"Hey, wait." MJ placed a hand on his shoulder. "Wait."

"Sorry about May." Petrov spoke softly once he and Pyotr hopped down.

"Yeah. Sorry, I got some understanding of—"

"—No, please don't tell me that you know what I'm going through." Peter stopped them before they could start.

"Okay." Pyotr understood perfectly, so he didn't push the matter.

"She's gone….and it's all my fault." Peter's lip quivered. "She died for nothing. So, I'm gonna do what I should've done in the first place."

"Peter…."

"Please, don't." He shook his head, reaching for the relic, but MJ held it back. "You don't belong here. Either of you. So, I'm sending you home. Those other guys are from your worlds, right? So you deal with it. If they die, if you kill them….that's on you. It's not my problem. I don't care anymore. I'm done. I'm really sorry that I dragged you into this, but you have to go home now. Good luck."

Alya hated herself for it, but during Peter's whole speech, she couldn't help but think about how that's exactly what she's been trying to tell him this entire time.

It was a shame that May had to die for him to get it.

This whole thing could've been prevented if he had just listened. If he had asked for help, then maybe they could've found another way.

She was a little angry with him, and she was a little angry with Doctor Strange, but she was also a little angry with herself. Why had she gone along with all of this? She could've told her parents what was happening. She could've called Tony to ask if he could help.

But she didn't.

"My Uncle Ben was killed." Petrov admitted. "It was my fault."

"I lost…..I lost Gwen." Pyotr teared up. "My, uh…..She was my MJ. I couldn't save her. I'm never gonna be able to forgive myself for that. But I carried on…..tried to, uh…..tried to keep being that friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, because I know that's what she would have wanted. But…..at some point, I just stopped pulling my punches. I got rageful. I got bitter. I just don't want you to end up like me."

"The night Ben died, I hunted down the man who I thought did it." Petrov continued. "I wanted him dead. I got what I wanted. It didn't make it better. It took me a long time to learn to get through that darkness."

"I wanna kill him." Peter's words startled Alya. In all the years she's known him, she's never heard him speak like that. This whole situation was changing everyone for the worst and it was time to wrap it up. "I wanna tear him apart. I can still hear her voice in my head…Even after she was hurt, she said to to me, that we did the right thing. She told me with great power—"

"—Comes great responsibility."

"Wait, what? How did you know that?" Peter remembered when Ben told him that a few years ago, but he never really understood it until today.

"Uncle Ben said it." Pyotr added. "The day he died."

"Maybe she didn't die for nothing, Peter."

"Alya, I think you should go home." Peter told the girl as they made their way downstairs into the lab.

He hoped that she wouldn't fight him on this, but she didn't need to be here.

She shouldn't be here.

"I think you're right." She nodded in agreement, which shocked him.

"I never should've you asked you to be apart of this. That was totally irresponsible. I can't let you put yourself in danger again. Not because of me. We got lucky in Europe, but next time….."

He shivered just thinking of that train hitting Alya. They were lucky that he was quick enough to take most of the impact, but that didn't mean they would get that lucky again.

"I get it." Alya blew out a breath. "I don't like the person I'm turning into because of all this. I'm lying to my parents, to Steve, I'm sneaking out in the middle of the night, my sister is a nervous wreck because of me. I'm always gonna be there for you, but I can't do it like this."

She had never set a boundary like this before, but it made her feel ten times lighter. She was realizing that just because Peter needed her help, didn't mean that she needed to be the one to run out there and ignore her instincts.

"I understand." Peter nodded. "If anything happened to you, I…..I can't lose you. You're too important to me."

"You, too." Alya offered him a smile. "Be careful, okay? Come find me when it's all over."

"I will."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what." He promised, pulling her in for a hug. "Do you….do you need me to walk you home?"

"No." She shook her head. "I can manage."

She wanted to hold onto him for much longer, but they both needed to part ways. It was hard to let go of the people you loved and Alya knew that she had been clinging onto him a lot tighter than she should've been.

Before she left the room, she said her goodbyes to Ned and MJ. She had a feeling that something was going to go wrong, but there was nothing she could do about.

She had to learn to accept that.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that her decisions might have been influenced by the fact that she clearly expressed that she didn't want to be an Avenger. Maybe she was overcompensating for it because she felt guilty for feeling that way.

"Hey, kiddo." Petrov smiled at her. "Going home?"

"Uh, yeah." She nodded, blinking back tears. "I'm not supposed to be here anyway. I kind of snuck out. I really messed up."

She noticed the look of disapproval Petrov was giving her and even though she didn't truly know him, it still affected her. She's been disappointing nearly everyone lately.

How was she even supposed to go home after this?

Her father clearly told her that she wasn't supposed to see Peter, but she did it anyway, even going as far as to lie and leave the house in the middle of the night.

Steve was always so patient with her, but she was sure that this was going to be the thing that would finally make him crack. She wasn't positive that she would be able to handle that.

And her mother...

She didn't even want to think about her reaction. She didn't want to think about how she was the cause of the woman's pain.

"Well, you look like you regret it." Petrov finally spoke after a few moments of agonizing silence. "I'm not gonna stand here and lecture you about it. I do think you're making the right call."

"Thanks."

"Come here." He opened his arms, allowing her to fall into them. "Sometimes, you're gonna mess up. But that's what your parents are there for. They will always be ready to catch you when you fall."

"Hey, Bean." Pyotr jogged over when he saw the sad looking face. "Go on home, okay? We've got him."

Those seemed to be the magic words for her. As soon as Alya heard them, she felt less hesitant to leave. "Promise?"

"We promise."

Alya took a deep breath and allowed Pyotr to join the hug before they all pulled away. "If I don't see you guys again…..it was really nice to meet you and the other me's are really lucky to have you."

Despite the circumstances, it was really cool to meet these guys. They were really nice and she wished that she could have more time with them.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again." Petrov winked. "Anything's possible these days. Now, go on home. We've got it from here."

Alya smiled and left the room, taking her time as she walked through the hallways, only stopping when she reached the main door. Her hand reached into her pocket to pull out her phone. She saw how many missed calls she had, but decided not to worry about them right now.

Her fingers scrolled through her contacts until she found the exact one she was looking for, pressing on it to dial the number.

"Hello?" The person picked up on the second ring.

"U-Uncle Tony?" Her face crumbled at the sound of his voice. "I need you."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"You know, you have to go in at some point." Tony turned to look at Alya.

He and his niece didn't speak very much these days, their relationship was still steadily on the mend, but as soon as he got her call, he dropped everything to go and pick her up.

To his surprise, without even being prompted, she told him everything. From Peter and his friends not getting into MIT, to them going to Doctor Strange for help, all the way up to the multiverse and Aunt May's death.

She didn't leave a single detail out.

Tony was shocked by how much these kids managed to get themselves into, but he didn't scold her for it. That's not what she needed right now. Her parents would get to do that once she stepped inside, but right now, she needed his support.

"They're gonna be so mad...they've never gotten mad at me before."

"There's a first time for everything, 'Nado." Tony shrugged, catching a bewildered look from the child in the passenger seat of his sport's car. "What? You're almost thirteen. You're gonna screw up. It's normal."

"Not for me. I don't like lying and sneaking around."

"Well, good." He answered. "Because that means you're gonna learn from your mistakes. I'm gonna be honest with you. What you did was stupid and really, really irresponsible and if your parents don't ground you, I might end up doing it myself. That's how serious this whole thing is."

"I won't do it again."

"Don't tell me." He shook his head, pointing at the brownstone. "Tell them."

Alya looked over at the house and saw that the lights were on, which meant that everyone was awake. She supposed she should be glad that Yelena was in Russia, because if she wasn't, she was sure that the blonde would have a whole lot to say to her.

She still might, it wasn't like she was going to stay in Russia forever.

"And remember, whenever you need me. I'm a phone call or a train ride away. Stop by the Tower some time, Bruce is staying with us now and the investigations are almost over with...It won't be that bad. Tell me Morgan I said 'hello', alright?"

"Uncle Tony?"

"Yes, kid?"

Alya blew out a breath, turning back to face him. "I love you."

Tony's breath got caught in his throat, listening to the three words he never thought he'd have the privilege of hearing again. It took his brain a bit of a minute to convince him that he hadn't just hallucinated that.

"Thank you for helping me."

"Always, Alya." He choked out. "I love you, too."

Alya forced a smile before she hopped out of the car and shut the door, climbing the steps to the house before making her way in. Tony didn't pull away from the curb until he was sure that she was inside the house, but as he did, his heart didn't feel so heavy anymore.

As Alya entered the living room, she kept her eyes on the floor, knowing that everyone was staring at her, but she didn't want to see the looks of anger and disappointment on their faces.

No one said anything at first, they kind of just let the silence hang in the air.

A singly tear rolled down her face and she sniffled to try to stop her nose from running. Still, no one said a word.

The silence was killing her. What were they thinking? Did they hate her? Were they angry? Did they just not care?

"What were you thinking?" Her mother's voice cut through the air like a knife and before she knew it, the woman was towering over her.

Alya couldn't remember a time where she had seen her mother get so upset at her. But it wasn't as if she didn't deserve it. "I was mad….you wouldn't let me see Peter."

"So you wanted to get back at us?" Natasha bristled.

"No!" She vehemently shook her head. "I wanted to help him…..I had to help him."

"Help him with what?"

"He made a mess….We went to Doctor Strange and Peter asked him to cast a spell that would make everyone forget that he's Spider-Man—"

"—What?!" Wanda's eyes widened. "Does he know how dangerous that is?"

"He does now." Alya mumbled. "He messed the spell up and now there are a bunch of bad guys from different universes running around. One of 'em killed Aunt May….and there are two other Peter Parker's from different universes."

Natasha just ran a hand of frustration over her face.

How were they supposed to handle this?

Seriously, what were they supposed to do with this?

"I shouldn't have left the house." Alya continued as she tried not to break down. "I wanted to help…but I can't…..he— he went too far this time and there's nothing anyone can do. I'm sorry…..I didn't want to lose him— I can't lose him."

Once the full apology was out on the open, she couldn't hold back any longer. Her throat tightened and her vision blurred. As much as she tried to control herself, she couldn't seem to. Her breath hitched and her chest heaved up and down.

She just hoped that her parents didn't hate her after this.

Natasha looked down at her and watched her cry, trying to figure out what to say next. "You really scared us, Alya. When Daddy and I tuck you in at night, we trust that you're going to stay there, not sneak off. We were worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry, Mama."

There was nothing to debate, Alya knew that her mother was right.

"You lied to us." She continued to drive the message home. "You lied to me. You lied to your dad. You lied to your sister. You lied to Uncle Steve. That doesn't make us feel good, Alya. You're not a liar and I really hope that this isn't going to become a habit, because it's going to make it very, very difficult to trust you."

Alya's hand flew up to her mouth so that she could bite her nails. How did she manage to mess up so badly?

"What you've done is selfish and dangerous and I know that I raised you a lot better than that. This isn't you, Alya. I don't know what's going on, but this better stop. I can't…..I can't keep—" Tears momentarily blurred Natasha's vision and she knew that if she continued, she was going to break down and that's not something she wanted to do in front of Alya.

"Mama?"

"Do you know how much we love you?" Natasha steeled her features. "Do you have any idea how I love you? I love you so much, that it hurts."

"I'm sorry." Just another thing that Alya was doing wrong.

Why couldn't she get it together?

"No!" Natasha quickly shook her head. "I'm not blaming you. I'm telling you this, because I want you to understand something. You and your sister were gone for five years. How old were you five years ago?"

"Seven."

"A big chunk of your life, right?"

"Really big."

"Think of how much time passed between you being seven, up until now." Natasha put it into perspective, because it was something that Alya really needed to hear. "You were gone for that long. You disappeared in my arms and I didn't see you for five years after that. But then, we were able to bring you back and everyday, I know how lucky I am to have you here with me. I can't lose you again, Alya."

Alya wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and went limp just thinking about what she had just been told. She knew that she had been gone for five years, but she never really understood it this way. Her mother must've been devastated and then she turned around and put her through this?

"Mama, I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Natasha rubbed her back, lifting her up onto her hip. "I know."

"I'll never do it again, I promise." She sniffled. "I promise. I don't wanna hurt you, Mama."

Tears leaked from Natasha's eyes, but she quickly blinked them away as she held her youngest in her arms, making her way over to the couch to sit down next to her husband.

She didn't know how long she and Alya just sat there, holding each other, but it must've been a while because Bucky's voice nearly startled her.

"Come here, Alya." The man spoke for the very first time since Alya got home.

Alya's grip tightened around her mother's neck, but the woman bounced her gently to tell her that she needed to get up. They could cuddle later, but right now, her father wanted to talk to her.

But it only made the twelve year old nervous.

If she got her mother to her breaking point, then this encounter with her father probably wouldn't be pleasant. He wasn't afraid to tell her when she was being a knucklehead, while Natasha preferred a more gentle approach.

Bucky was probably going to yell at her. He's never yelled at her before, but there was a first time for everything. He had to be upset with her after what she did.

She was very surprised when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist before he pulled her into his arms, cradling her head.

"Don't ever do something like this again." He pushed her up to look in her eyes. "Do you understand me?"

He was so upset when he Wanda came to them to tell them what was going on. He swore he wasn't going to let Alya get away with it, not this time, but once he saw that she was okay, eh crumbled.

Like Natasha, he lost her once and that was painful enough.

"Y-Yes." She nodded before she was pulled back into his embrace. "You don't hate m-me?"

"What?" His features hardened. "Why would I ever?"

"Cause I s-said I h-hated you." Alya hiccuped due to an overflow of emotions. "I d-didn't mean it. I-I don't hate you, Daddy."

Alya's tears were enough to make anyone cry. Bucky hadn't even been thinking about what Alya said to him. He was just concerned for her safety.

"I know you didn't mean it, Babydoll." He smoothed some flyaway hair out of her face. "Of course I don't hate you."

"M-M'sorry."

"I forgive you." He kissed her nose. "I want you to remember something, Alya."

"W-What?"

"You're gonna mess up and you're gonna do stupid things, or get involved in stupid things. We don't ever want you to be afraid of coming to us, no matter what anyone else says or does. Whatever it is, you come to us and we'll work it out together. Because Mama and Daddy are always on your side, do you understand me?"

"Y-Yes, Daddy." Alya nodded.

"I don't know what any of us would've done if we lost you." Bucky sucked in a quick breath.

"I-Is that why you s-said I c-couldn't see Peter?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I know it didn't feel good and I know how much you love Peter, but I need to be able to protect you. Your safety is a priority. I would never do anything to hurt you. We can talk about him visiting the house, but it's gonna be a while before you two get to hang out on your own."

Now that she was more receptive, she could understand why the decision had been made. Bucky was never trying to cut her off from Peter completely, he just wanted to make sure that she was safe. "Oh." She rubbed at her eyes before she looked over at her uncle.

The normally docile man didn't look pleased with her, but he crooked his finger at her anyway.

Alya hesitantly walked over to him, not used to the sour look on his face.

"I'm s-sorry, U-Uncle Steve."

If it turned out that she was at odds with him, then it would break her. She swore she might fall apart completely if he told her that he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore.

Steve didn't say anything in response, but he did wipe her tears away.

Alya just didn't know what to make of it. "I w-won't lie to y-you a-again. P-Promise."

Steve nodded, hearing what he wanted to hear from her before he pulled her onto his lap the same way her father did a few minutes ago.

Alya remembered a particular episode of 'Spongebob' where the title character just collapsed in a fit of sobs. She used to laugh at the thought of it, but right now, that's how she was feeling.

"Ssh, Princess." He rubbed her back. "You're okay."

"S-Still your P-Princess?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Always."

"Wanda? Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Wanda looked up from the book that she was reading and thought about what she had just been asked. Alya had given her quite the scare and they still hadn't addressed the elephant in the room.

"Come on." She waved her over, patting the empty space beside her.

Alya shuffled over to her big sister's bed and climbed on top of it with George tucked under her arm. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied...and I'm sorry I snuck out...I'm sorry I asked you not to tell on me and I'm sorry I made you sad."

Wanda just nodded and put her book down. She had this whole thing planned out. She was going to chew Alya out for what she'd been doing, but right at this very moment, the poor girl looked like she was going to explode form guilt.

There was no reason to add to that.

"I forgive you, Alya." Is what she said.

"You do? But I was—"

"—You were wrong, but that doesn't mean that I don't still love you."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. You're not the only who makes mistakes. One day, I might do something stupid and you'll be there to tell me that you love me, just like I'm doing it now. Now go to sleep. We've got stuff to do tomorrow."

Alya giggled, laying down while Wanda picked her book up again. The older girl was right about them having stuff to do tomorrow.

They both had a ton of lines to write.

Wanda, for her part in keeping Alya's activities a secret and Alya, for the whole list of reckless things she's done so far.

Neither of them seemed to mind much. Wanda was glad that her sister was safe and sound and Alya was happy that everyone still loved her even though she messed up.

Lines didn't seem so bad when it was all put into perspective.

"Aunt Nat...Uncle James..."

"What are you doing here?" Natasha asked Peter, though she wasn't unkind. "We heard about May. We're sorry about that, kiddo. Alya told us everything."

"Yeah, I figured she did." The teen scratched the back of his neck, feeling very antsy. "I hate to be rude, especially after everything I put you guys through and I'm really sorry about all of that, but I really need to speak with Alya."

"It's five in the morning, Pete." Bucky raised a brow. "Why don't you come in and get some sleep. When Alya wakes up, you two can talk."

"No." He shook his head. "I really messed things up. Alya was only trying to help me and she tried to get me to ask for help, but I wouldn't listen. Doctor Strange is casting a spell that's going to make everyone forget about me. It's the only way to fix what I broke. So if I can just see Alya...I'm running out of time...Please, just let me say goodbye."

Natasha and Bucky shared a look before they ushered the boy inside the house. They had so many questions to ask, but they kept them to themselves, not wanting to take up any time.

"She's in her room." Natasha told him.

"Thank you." Peter ran over to the staircase.

"Hey." The redhead's voice stopped him. "We love you, you know. Don't forget that...we're always going to be here for you."

"I know." Peter forced a smile. "I love you, too."

With that, he turned around and hightailed it up the steps, never stopping until he reached Alya's room. The girl had fallen asleep in her sister's room, but her father carried her back to her own room in the middle of the night so she would actually be able to get the proper amount of sleep.

"Alya?" Peter gently shook her arm.

Alya's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at the sight of him. "Peter. You're okay. You came to see me."

"I promised you that I would." He sat down on her bed. "Listen, I have to tell you something and I don't have much time. Doctor Strange is casting a spell that's going to make everyone forget about me."

"What?" Alya's eyes widened.

"It's the only way to fix the mess I've made." He continued. "Alya, I'm so sorry that I dragged you into this. I'm supposed to be protecting you, but all this time, I've been the one putting you in danger. I have to fix it."

"Peter, no." She shook her head, her heart beginning to race. Even when she had nothing, she had Peter. Now she was going to lose him. "I can't...how am I supposed to be without you?"

"You'll manage. Just like you always do." He encouraged her. "You're the strongest person I've ever met. You can do it. I'm not your whole life, I was just a part of it."

"A big part...one of the biggest parts. You can't leave me, Peter." She choked back a sob.

"I'm not leaving you, Alya." Peter assured her, knowing that his time was almost up. "I'm always gonna be here."

"But I won't even know you! You're my brother and I won't even know who you are!" Alya whimpered before an idea popped into her head. "Come and find me...come and find me and then tell me everything. I'll believe you, I will...just come and find me, p-please?"

"Okay." Peter nodded, his heart breaking in a million little pieces. "I'll come and find you."

"Promise m-me?" Alya lifted her pinky finger. "You h-have to."

"I promise, Alya." He linked his pinky finger with hers. "I've gotta go, kiddo."

"I l-love you." Alya couldn't remember every feeling this hurt in her entire life. "Even if I-I forget...you have t-to remember."

"I'll remember." He nodded, standing up. "I love you, too, Buggeroo. Always."

Alya stood up and threw her arms around his waist. She wanted to beg him not to go. She wanted to hold him so he couldn't leave.

Was this her punishment for not doing the right thing?

Anything but this. Anything but this.

She felt Peter's arms returning the hug and he squeezed her once and kissed her forehead, before untangling himself from her grip.

It killed him to do it, but he had to go.

"Peter, n-no." Alya reached out for him, but he kept moving towards the window, opening it before he stepped out onto the fire escape. "Please, don't leave me? I'll be g-good."

Peter didn't respond, tears of his own cascading down his face so much so, that his vision blurred and he had to blink them away. If he turned to look at her, he knew he wouldn't be able to leave, but this was for the best.

He had to protect everyone he loved.

Especially Alya.

She was all he had left of his family and he couldn't put her in any more danger.

"P-Peter!" She sobbed throwing herself at the window, banging her hands on the glass. "C-Come back I n-need you!"

Peter couldn't bear to listen to any more of this, so putting his mask on, he shot a web and took off.

"P-Peter!" Alya screamed so loudly, it should've woken up the entire neighborhood. "D-Don't leave me! Don't leave m-me!"

Through her tears, she let out a blood curdling scream that had both of her parents rushing into the room within seconds of hearing it.

Alya didn't even notice them. She was so focused on calling Peter that she couldn't pay attention to anything else.

"Alya..." Natasha had never seen her daughter like this.

So distraught...so inconsolable.

But Bucky had.

The day they took her from him in the Red Room.

It was hard to watch then and it was hard to watch now. But this time, he didn't have to stand still. He could actually do something about it.

He took all but two steps to get to his baby before he pulled her away from the window and cradled her like an infant. He sat down on her bed, but he didn't say anything.

He knew that nothing was going to be able to soothe her. That wasn't the goal.

The goal was to prevent her from hurting herself and to let her know that she wasn't alone.

Natasha placed a hand over her mouth, unable to watch Alya break down like this. Every scream tore at her heart and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Alya looked like her whole world came tumbling down and, it kind of did.

Things just weren't going to be the same again.

Bonus Scene:

Alya's eyes didn't shine the way they normally did as she closed her locker. She was going to be late for her history class if she didn't hurry up, but she didn't seem to care.

Lately, she had been feeling empty inside. Like a part of her was missing.

She just couldn't figure out what it was.

So she walked around with a dull look on her face, unable to fix the hole in her heart.

"Oh. Excuse me." Someone apologized once they accidentally bumped into her.

She managed to tear her eyes from the ground to see that it was someone she had never met. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. He looked pretty sad, but there was plenty of that going around.

"It's okay. No harm done." She shrugged her shoulders before heading off to her class.

The stranger watched her go with the same agonized look on his face. He didn't move from that spot no matter how many people walked past him. His classmates bumped into him several times, but he didn't budge. The bell rang, which meant he was late, but he still didn't move his feet.

Not even when the hallway cleared out, did he snap out of it.

"Mr. Parker." Mr. Harrington called out to him. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I'm so sorry, Alya..." The boy whispered before turning on his heel and walking the other way.