All three of them stood at the outskirts of the party house on the sidewalk, with Ben glaring at Nova and his nephew, whose glares neither of the teens had the courage to look him in the eye. They were both looking down at their sneakers for scratch marks.

Nova turned her head when she heard sobbing coming from Ben's car nearby and could see Mary Jane in the front passenger seat, crying in her hands. Nova felt her heart sink before glancing over at Peter, who was beside her, looking glum and regretful on his face. Something happened, and Nova wondered if it had to do with Liz she overheard from Kong's buddies. It was hard to tell at this moment, but it seemed something had happened between the two.

"What a shame," Ben finally said through the silence as the booming music and partygoers chatting could still be heard in the background behind them. "I am highly disappointed in both of you, but especially you, Peter." The old man shifted his glare towards his nephew, with his hands ajestor to his car behind him. "Whatever you did in there to make Mary cry, I am terribly hurt and yet want you to explain to me what happened in there, right now."

Nova kept glancing over at Peter, and they all awaited his answer about what had really happened.

There was a pause in silence, and Peter didn't look up from the sidewalk as the sobbing cries of Mary Jane slowly subsided to a slight hush.

"Nothing happened," Peter mumbled as he kicked up gravel beneath his old, worn sneakers. "It was nothing but a misunderstanding and I didn't do anything wrong," Peter kept adding.

"Well, something did happen," Ben lowered his hand as he studied Peter, who stood there. "If you don't want to explain, that's fine. I won't push you on it, but you better apologize to Mary when we get in the car, got it?!"

Peter nodded, but remained quiet most of the time, with his head bowed.

Even Nova couldn't tell if Peter was telling the truth, but she knew he was close to tears.

Ben sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose while lifting up his glasses. "Look," Ben continued, "I know something is going on, but I can't help it if you two don't talk to us." He removed his hand from his face and said, "That includes May too. We're here to help you, and we're here for you both. We care about you. Even though we worry about both of your…" He paused for a moment, "behavior. If there's anything you two need to tell us, we're willing to listen."

Nova felt the guilt building up in her chest; she couldn't bear to keep it inside any longer and she desperately wanted to tell Ben. But the moment she opened her mouth, Peter jumped in before her, saying, "There's nothing to talk about."

Nova sealed her mouth again as she could feel Peter's eyes darting over at her from the corner of his eye. She knew what her cousin was thinking: don't tell anyone.

Ben sighed once more before glancing away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Peter, there's something I need to tell you. Actually," he paused for a moment, "This goes out to the both of you." Ben turned to them once more.

Nova looked up to Ben, but Peter kept his head down, staring at his shoes as Ben continued to speak. "I know I don't talk much about him, but… Richard, my brother would say the same thing if he were still alive…"

Peter quickly snapped his head up and stared at his uncle. "Don't you dare bring him up," Peter growled in an angry tone that made Nova jump. She had never heard that attitude from Peter before. But she was also confused who this Richard guy was until she realized it was Peter's father.

Ben would softly look at Peter before he continued speaking, even if it angered his nephew talking about his father, it was obvious the old, gray haired man had something to say to them. "Peter, listen. If your father was here, he would say the same thing I would be saying. Bless his soul, but your father had this philosophy that he would hold so strongly, which he would say countless times and time again to me. You see, Peter, I was like you. Always reckless and angry for no damn reason just because I was frustrated for not-well… let's say I was a bit envious of your father when we were young," he lightly chuckled, "it was that kind of stupidity. But your father eventually straightened me out to become the man I am today. What I am trying to say is, your father believed that if there were things in this world that you could offer, things you could do well-or even better than anyone else. You don't have to be unique or special of any sort, but you have an opportunity to be that something in time."

Nova kept her attention on her foster father, listening to every word he spoke to them. She could see in his eyes that had a soft tone, he would always look upon them. But there was a hint of sadness and pain behind those eyes and voice as he mentioned about his brother. Nova wished she had met the man, for he sounded as wise as Peter. Now she knows where he got it from.

But Peter, on the other hand, looked more angry and it was hard to tell if he was even paying attention, for his mind seemed to be somewhere else at the moment. It was scaring Nova but she kept listening to Ben as he continued talking to the teens.

"That's what your father would tell me," Ben said as he looked at each of his adopted children. "And you shouldn't try to be something you're not, or be less than who you are. Great things are going to happen for you both, sooner or later in life. Just remember these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' Do you both understand?"

There was a pause in the silence before Peter made the first response. "If he knew so much," he muttered before bolting away down the street, yelling, "Where is he?!"

Neither Ben nor Nova knew how to react as they equally stood and watched Peter run away until he was completely out of sight.

Nova snapped out of it when she heard Ben sigh in defeat. "Let him go; he'll wake up when he's ready." He said softly before turning towards the car.

"Wait!" Nova called out, feeling her voice returning to her. Ben turned back to her. He looked broken. "Let me go after him."

"No," Ben told her, "That's too risky."

"But let me try!" Nova begged, taking a hold of Ben's hand. She looked up into his eyes. "Peter is like a brother to me. We never keep secrets from each other, and I can help him."

Ben's eyebrows arched as he looked at her. "Do you know what's going on with him?" he asked.

Nova hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, but please understand: I get it because we're somehow… linked, in a way, and I feel like I'm the only person who understands that we're somewhat similar."

Ben looked at her, hesitating himself before looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know," he mumbled, "I just hate the thought of you running around New York scares me... but... if you believe you can bring Peter back home safely, I might put a little trust in you."

Nova felt at ease and hugged Ben tightly. "Thank you... Dad," Nova said for the first time calling Ben her foster parent dad.

She could feel Ben stiffen before receiving a hug in return, but tighter as he held her close. "You grow so much, Nova," he whispered to her. "I'm lucky to have a daughter like you."

Nova could feel tears swell in her eyes before she pulled away. "Love you too, dad," Nova smiled before fully backing away. "Keep the door unlocked and don't stay up for us. I'll have him home in no time!" She said before turning and running in the same direction Peter ran.

Ben watched as Nova went into the distance. His heart became heavy in the process. "Be safe," he said, unable to say it to his foster daughter before heading into the car.

Mary Jane was quiet in the passenger seat. "Where are they going?" She asked, looking a bit calmer than before but still looked worn out from crying. "Are we going after them?"

Ben shook his head. "No, they just need to find themselves for a moment." He said before starting the ragged engine. "Right now, I need to take you home. Your parents might be worried sick about you."

A thunderstorm rolled above the city as Nova dashed above the tall buildings, trying to find Peter. As Nova looked, she felt a magnetic pull as if she knew something was nearby. The pull pulled her in a direction she was so unfamiliar with. But the problem was that it felt like she was being pulled in two different directions for a moment, but one felt right to follow, while the other, for some reason, felt off and weary.

"Where is he…." She mumbled as she leaped over another building and desperately looked around the area before taking another jump.

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning in the sky, followed by a rumbling sound that made her lose her balance and completely missed the landing. But she managed to get a grip to the side of the building with her spider powers, sticking to the wall, but sloppily ramming into the side of it with her body. Suddenly, she heard movement behind the walls coming near. A window slid open as a man peaked out and looked from side to side. Even towards her direction. Nova held her breath as the man shrugged before drawing back inside and slid the window shut once more.

Nova sighs with relief as her body relaxes and is no longer transparent anymore. "That was a close call," she told herself, before looking back at the dark, heavy clouds above. "Maybe I should go to the lower ground," Nova said to herself as she guided herself down the building. But she saw something leap in the distance, drawing her attention.

"It can't be…" she muttered as she went after the figure. It was fast and jumped from rooftop to rooftop with elegance and speed. "Peter?!" Nova called out and saw the figure stop, then turned to her.

It was Peter! Overjoyed and happy to see her cousin, she sped right up to him, but it quickly faded when he turned away and jumped down the side of the building, vanishing behind it.

"No! Wait! Peter!" Nova called out to him and peered over the area he had fallen into. She could barely see him, but there was a tiny speck below that she eventually jumped down herself. Once she reached the bottom on her feet, Nova was once again relieved that it was Peter.

"Leave me alone," he told her as Peter leaned against the wall, hugging himself.

"No," Nova refused as she carefully approached him. "Let's talk, you and I. Tell me, what is going on with you? You're making everyone worry, and you shouldn't run away like that."

Peter sighed heavily, but his lip was quivering before he whispered. "I don't know... I just... I just... Ugh!" He quickly turned and banged his fist against the wall. "I just feel like a screw-up! That's all!"

Nova backed away, letting Peter calm down before approaching him once more, but still kept a distance between them. "I know Peter, but do you think running away is your solution?" She asked as she awaited for him and he shook his head in response. "And the fact you hurt MJ-"

"I did nothing!" Peter snapped at her, making her completely jump back. His face quickly softened before looking away once more. "Liz was the one who came up to me. I tried to get her off of me, but she had me cornered and I could not get her off of me without… well… I did not want to risk hurting her but she did try to kiss me while I was unwilling."

Nova was shocked by what he was telling her. "Hold up, Liz forced herself on to you?" Nova questioned.

Peter defensely looked at her. "Do you think I like Liz?! She was drunk and talking crazy about me wanting to compare her to MJ and kept asking me, 'Do you think I'm pretty? Do you think I'm better' yada yada!" He went on as he seethed with anger.

"Yeah…. That does sound like typical Liz…" Nova mumbled, not liking Mary Jane's friend. "I believe you, it's just, I'm a bit shocked she came onto you like that."

"Think about how I felt!" Peter pointed to himself, "I'm trying to get this girl off of me and I got blamed for something I was so uncomfortable with and trying to get out of it."

"Why could you tell Ben and I in the first place?"

"I…. I felt embarrassed," Peter said before kneeling down to the ground and grasping parts of his hair on his head. "I did not know what to do, I just froze like I did before and could not get myself out of the situation. No one helped me, they just rooting it on while I was begging someone to get her off of me. No one helped me…"

As he said that, the rain started to pour upon them. Nova felt horrible about what Peter went through and went over to comfort him, kneeling down and giving him a tight hug in the process. Peter quickly hugged her back as he started to cry. Now she was aware of what he went through. "MJ now hates me…" Peter cried as Nova gently hushed him before pulling away as she lifted up his face to look at her.

"Peter, like you said before, there was a misunderstanding and you were the victim," she told Peter, "If she knows you, she would know you would never do such any kind of act. Trust me, I thought it was weird and out of character for you."

Peter sniffed, his hair drenched from the rain pouring on them. "But I became a real jerk, haven't I?" He asked.

Nova shrugged. "You were, but not a borderline Flash kind of jerk, if you are asking," Nova softly smiled at him, wiping the rain away from her face.

Peter lightly smiled back but it dropped as he looked back down. "I can't believe Uncle Ben brought him up," he mumbled as he lowered his head.

"Who?" Nova asked quietly as Peter looked at her with a 'really' look on his face. "Oh…. You mean about your dad," said she softly. Peter nodded before going back into his slump.

"He should have not brought him up at all," he mumbled, "I try so hard, I honestly have. But no matter how much I try, I could never be like him and never solve his research he left behind. He probably thinks I am a failure."

Suddenly, a flash of lighting made both teenagers jump and scoot back so close to the wall as they huddled together, looking a bit frightened by the unexpected flash.

Nova suddenly started to chuckle. "If that is not a sign, someone might have just disagreed with you," Nova looked at Peter, who did not take it so lightly. Nova sighs as she pushes her wet bangs away from her face and leans against the wall. Her eyes trailed up to the sky as the rain trickled onto her face. "You know, someone once told me mistakes happen, the one reason why they put erasers on the end of every pencil. But the one advice I could never forget is the time we all went camping one year," Nova said as Peter looked over at her as he seemingly seemed to be paying attention for once. "Do you recall the time you over cooked your marshmallow?" Nova asked and Peter tried to think back.

"I think so…." He said, "I think I was around nine, I think," his mind wandered a bit as he thought back.

Nova nodded, "Yeah, anyway, Ben told you it's okay, because if you remove the outer skin from the marshmallow, you get the good side of it."

Peter's eyes slanted, as water dripped from his brow. "What does that have to do with this?" He asked.

"You are burned, scorched from everything you face today, but you have a chance to shed it all," Nova said as she turned and took both his hands into hers. "You can lift yourself up again and come back anew, like Ben told us," she said before pausing. "Just because you are knocked down, doesn't mean you run away." She said, slightly to herself.

Peter was silent for a moment before lightly smiling at her, "You hang out with Uncle Ben too much." He teases.

Nova slightly smiled. "Maybe, but it doesn't make him wrong. For he has been trying to raise us and honestly, we have been giving him and May a rough time."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Mainly me…" he sighed, "I should apologize when we get home."

"You better," Nova said before pausing in silence, "and… I think it's time we should tell them."

"No!" Peter yelleded out. "We can't tell them!"

"Why, Peter?" Nova asked. "Why won't you trust them?"

"Because I don't want to lose them too!"

There was silence as a loud thunder rumbled overhead. This time, they did not jump as they both sat there in silence as the rain didn't seem to let up at this point.

"Peter…" Nova mumbled, "They love us and have raised us. Do you really think they would abandon us?"

"I just don't want to risk it..." Peter responded softly, "what if they can't accept it and call us mutants?"

"Then we have each other," Nova offered that Peter was taken aback by her comment. "We are always there for each, no matter what the situation is," Nova continued, "If they do kick us out, which I doubt, neither of us would be alone."

Peter nodded with agreement. "Yeah…" he said, "you're right, we do have each other," he smiled, "What would I do without you?"

Nova shrugged, "You might be solving things on your own, probably?"

"That sounds like a nightmare," Peter mumbled, as he realized the rain had subsided. Even Nova noticed it as well.

"Let's go home," Nova suggested before getting up and offering her hand to Peter. He seemed glad to accept it and she helped him back up onto his feet. "They must be terribly worried about us; we should head home before we catch a cold."

Peter nodded in agreement. "So…. Do we have to tell them?" He asked as Nova nodded, hooking her arm around his wet shoulder.

"If you think you're ready," Nova told him, "I won't say anything unless we're both comfortable. But I think it's best we do it sooner rather than later, because they're getting suspicious already."

Peter nodded as he leaned against her shoulder. "You're right, maybe it's best. Let's go home."

Nova smiled before leading Peter out of the alley as they made it back home.

As they walked away, something was watching from the shadows with glowing yellow eyes. It tried to reach out to grab the two teens. But seeing and hearing their conversation gaved a change of heart. It's thought of a woman and her son he had left behind and desperately wanted to see them again. Slowly, creeping back in silence, it turned to the other direction. It was heading home