Merry Christmas! Because you've been so nice, here's another chapter. I know, not very Christmas like, but it has Christmas colors with the reds of Spider-Man's suit and Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation and the green of the Lizard, Doc Ock's coat, and we're finally getting Norman Osborn!

Chapter 4

It wasn't until the following morning that Peter returned and when he did, he came in with Norman Osborn in used clothes. Peter was now in his red and black suit, that Frost thought looked exactly like the suit her Peter wore as Spider-Man for the last 3 years.

"Um, guys, this is Mr. Osborn," Peter announced to everyone in the basement/dungeon.

"Hey, it's "doctor,"" Norman corrects him.

"Sorry, um. Doctor Osborn, these are my friends. This is Ned and MJ.

"Mary Jane?"

"It's "Michelle Jones," actually," MJ corrects him.

"Fascinating," Norman said before heading towards the cells.

Okay so not Mary Jane, but still, hell of a coincidence, Frost thought.

"Do you think there are other Ned Leedses?" Ned asks MJ.

"Octavius?"

"Osborn?" Otto asked.

"What-what happened to you?"

""What happened to…?" You're the walking corpse!" Otto replied, still can't believe what he's seeing.

"What do-what do you mean?"

"You died, Norman, years ago."

"You're insane!" Norman replied in disbelief.

"God, I love it here." Max exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" asked Peter. "He's standing right there. He's not-"

"Dead. They both died…fighting Spider-Man. It was all over the news." Flint informed him. "Green Goblin impaled by the glider you flew around on and a couple of years later; you, Doc Ock, drowned in the river with your machine."

"That's nonsense! Spider-Man was trying to stop my fusion reactor, so I stopped him. I had him by the throat and then I…" Otto said, trying to remember what happened next, before realizing: "...and then I was here."

"Ah, please, let me tell you something." stated Max. "I was whupping Spider-Man's ass. He'll tell you. And then he caused an overload. I was stuck in the grid, absorbing data, I was about to turn into pure energy, and then…and then, uh…and then…" He realizes, "Oh, shit…I was about to die."

"Max, do you know? Do I die?" Connors asked, but Max is still shaken from his revelation.

Frost had a thought. "Wait what year does everyone think it is or remember it being before arriving here?"

"It's 2014," stated Max.

"It was 2012 last I recall," said Connors.

"What? No, it's 2002!" said Norman.

""2002?" It's 2004!" Stated Otto.

"Those were the years you died. But I thought it was the year 2007." Flint Responded.

"Before arriving here, it was 2017 on my Earth," stated Frost.

"Well, right now, it's 2024," said Peter.

"Are our Earths out of sync when it comes to time?" Asked Otto?

"No, it seems Norman, Otto, and Flint are from one of Earth and Max and Dr. Connors from another. I think we were all pulled through both time and space," said Frost.

"I never told you my name," stated Max.

"That's because I know of all five of you on my Earth. You were all rogues of my Spider-Man. My birth personality worked with Doctor Connors, but at Mercury Labs."

"What about you?" Peter asked her.

"I was fighting my Spider-Man in the forest outside of Central City, so that I could be rid of Caitlin."

"The birth personality you mentioned earlier?"

"So, you're like me? But right now, you're like the Goblin?" Asked Norman.

"I suppose so, but my powers come with my personality."

"Oh, like Doctor Banner and the Hulk!" stated Ned.

"Sounds kind of familiar. With Caitln's Boyfriend dead, I would be whole. I was about to kill him. But..." Now it seemed she was talking more to herself than to Peter, "there's no way he'd ever kill me, he'd rather die himself than let that happen. Was it Savitar? Was he mad at me for failing? Or…" As she ponders this in sadness, she doesn't realize she's transforming. Her skin starts to get more color in it, her blue lips change back to pink, her eyes turn from blue to brown, and her white hair to auburn. Caitlin Snow is back. She gasps for air, like she was underwater and can finally breathe.

"Oh my god, Where am I? Where's Peter!?" Caitlin asks. She then looks around to see she's near several of Peter's rogues and screams, stepping back further into the cell. "Don't hurt me!"

"It's ok, Caitlin is it?" She nods. "I'm Peter Parker, though not the one you know apparently. You're in another universe. These are my friends Ned and MJ."

Ned waves, a tad flustered at the beautiful woman.

"'Sup," MJ says.

Suddenly, Doctor Strange teleports back in by another circle of sparks.

"Oh, great, you caught another one," Strange said, un-exuberantly (again).

"No, no, wait, Strange, he's not dangerous!" Peter tells him, but Strange already starts teleporting Norman to the last cell via sparkle circle. "It's okay. Um, what is that?" pointing towards the magic cube device.

"It's an ancient relic, the Macchinda di Kadavus. I trapped your corrupted spell inside and once I finish the proper ritual, it'll reverse the spell and send these people back to their universes," Strange replied.

"And then what, we perish?" Demanded Otto.

"Nah, no thanks. I'll pass on that," said Max.

"Let me out of here. Peter!" Norman cried out.

Feeling bad for Norman, Caitlin, and the others and remembering what his Aunt said, Peter makes another request of Doctor Strange. "Strange, we can't send them back, not yet."

"Why?" he asks.

"Well some of these guys are going to die."

"Parker, it's their fate."

"Come on, Strange, have a heart."

"In the grand calculus of the multiverse, their sacrifice means infinitely more than their lives." Peter is Devastated by that statement. "I'm sorry kid. If they die, they die," Strange apologized and tried to reinsure.

Strange begins to move parts of the Macchinda di Kadavus through magical telekinesis. Peter looks from Ned and MJ to the cells with worry. The others in their sells look worried, dreading what fate has planned in their universes.

Norman cries out for help, "Peter!"

Caitlin lays on the cell floor, crying and internally cursing Frost for preventing her happiness with her Peter. Sad that she was going to die before doing other milestones with him. She looks over towards this Earth's Spider-Man, "I don't want to hurt my friends or my Peter. I just want to go back home to him. I love him."

Peter feels bad for his doppleganger's girlfriend, for Norman, and the others. Wondering if he should listen to what his aunt said earlier about helping. After several seconds of Strange's telekinesis on the Macchinda di Kadavus, a button pops up. Strange puts his hand over the button, but Peter webs it. Realizing what he's about to do, Strange turns to Peter.

"Don't-"

Peter then web pulls it towards him and uses the magic gauntlet to teleport Strange into Flint's cell.

"DUDE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Yells Ned.

"Peter, you gotta go! Go!" Demanded MJ.

"Get out of here!" Demanded Ned.

"Okay!" He replies as he runs out of the basement.

"This is why I never had kids," he says to himself as he simply walks out of the cell after Peter, with the forcefield not affecting him. Flint tries to follow, but the forcefield does stop him.

Several minutes later, another sparkle circle appears in the basement/dungeon. As it stays open, it reminds Caitlin of a magical version of a Stargate or Portal from those video games.

I've been spending way too much time with Cisco and Peter, She thought.

"Hey, Strange, you know what's cooler than magic?" Said Peter, voice from the sparkle portal, followed by a scream of pain that Caitlin assumed was from Doctor Strange. "Math."

"Don't do this," asked Strange and then a second later said, "Ow!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but…" He said before then flips through the portal with his mask on and holding the Macchinda di Kadavus, back into the basement/dungeon. "...I have to try."

The portal then closes.

"What happened?" MJ and Ned asked him.

"I fought with Strange and I totally won!"

"What!" Ned exclaimed.

"Look, I stole his ring thing," Peter hands Ned an odd looking ring.

"Oh!" Ned exclaims again.

"I was swinging through the city, and then I went through this…" He said, taking a break to pull his mask off. "...massive mirror thing and then I was back in-"

MJ interrupts, "Where is he?"

"He's trapped, but I'm not sure for how long."

"You could have just left us to die. Why didn't you?" Asked Otto.

"Because if he's anything like my Peter, he saves people," Caitlin states.

"She's right, he's not a killer," said MJ. Peter looks at her with admiration, before turning to the cells.

"I think I can help you guys. If I can fix what happened to you, then when you go back, things will be different, and you might not die fighting Spider-Man," Peter states

"What do you mean "Fix us?"" Asked Max.

"Our technology is advanced-"

Norman interrupts, "I can help you. You know, I'm something of a scientist myself. Octavius knows what I can do."

""Fix?" You mean like a dog? I refuse." Otto growls.

"I can't promise you guys anything, but at least this way you actually get to go home and have a chance. A second chance. I mean, come on, isn't that worth trying?"

Caitlin is loving his optimism, it reminds her of her Peter before Thawne created the singularity.

"Trust me, Peter. When you try to fix people, there are always consequences," states Connors.

"I"ll take my chances. I can help you too. I'm a bio-engineer on my Earth. Frost robbed me of months away from my Peter, hurting my friends. I've been trying to cure myself, to no avail. But I trust my Peter, so I can trust you to help me," states Caitlin.

"Thanks, miss-" Peter says

"You can call me Caitlin, Peter," Caitlin tells him.

"Thanks, Caitlin. And as for the rest of you, you don't have to come. Heck, I also didn't know that the Lizard man could talk. But, if you stay here, you're gonna have to deal with the wizard."

"Ah, so, we go along or die. Not much of a choice, is it?" Connors says.

"I just want to go home," Flint states.

"Well, I myself don't want to be killed. Especially by a guy dressed like Dungeons & Dragons. So, what's your plan?" Max asks.

Peter looks like he is now on the spot, "I have it all under control."

Peter, MJ, and Ned take a few steps away to whisper what the plan is

"What are we gonna do about this thing," Peter said, referring to the cube.

"Uh, well, we need to find somewhere safe for it, right?" said MJ.

"Yeah, sure."

"Yes," says Ned.

"You gotta take it," Peter says, handing the cube to MJ.

"Wait, what?" she exclaims.

"If something bad happens, I'll text you and you just push the button, and then it's all over and they'll be gone."

"But, we're going with you, we're not going to leave you."

"You can't go with me, it's too dangerous. You guys have already done enough."

"Peter, we're in this together," Ned states.

"I know we're in this together, Ned. But, I can't do this if you're in danger. Okay, so, for me, MJ, please just take this?" MJ looks at him with worry, "Please?"

"Fine," she consents and Peter hands her the cube. "Thank you. But, Peter, if I don't hear from you, I'm pressing the button."

"Sure"

"Okay," then says a bit louder and to the six in their cells. "And I will do it!"

"Yeah, we all believe you, Michelle," says Max in disbelief.

"No way that's his girlfriend, no way," Connors states.

"She'll do it," Peter tells them.

"Absolutely, she will," Ned agrees.

"I'd do the same for my team, as well," states Caitlin.

Peter then turns to Ned and MJ, doing some form of best friend handshake that kids come up with.

"Okay, see you later," Peter tells Ned

"Be safe," Ned replies

"I will, you too."

The end of the elaborate handshake ended with two point finger guns at each other, that gave off electricity, most likely from Max.

"Whoa!" Peter and Ned both exclaim at once.

"Okay," Ned says before finally leaving. MJ gives him a quick peck on the lips.

"Be careful, okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, you too," He replies

She then leaves, following Ned. After they leave, Peter turns back to the six stranded.

"So, uh…who's coming with me?"

The six look around at each other.

"Well, I'm in! But, if this goes sideways, I'm gonna fry you from the inside out." Max states.

"I already volunteered, can't exactly do it from this cell." Caitlin states.

Played a little fast and loose with how Caitlin and Frost would change into each other in late season 3. While by s4, fear and anger would cause Caitlin to turn into Frost (though that's post Julian balance cure or Lucius Fox's in the case of The Flash and Spider-Man), I figured sadness and depression would do the inverse.

I'll probably do another two chapters for New Years Eve and Day.

Again Merry Christmas and a Kwazy Kwanzaa! Hanukkah was weeks ago, but have a happy belated Hanukkah!