After enduring the trials and tribulations of the past few years, Peter's academic success was a testament to his resilience. His recent achievement of receiving his doctorate from Empire State University was a moment of pride for his entire family, a beacon of hope in the face of adversity.

As MJ embraced him, her words of encouragement echoed the unwavering support of his family. "You've done us all proud, Tiger," she said, her voice filled with love and admiration.

"If Ben were here, he would be as proud as I am," Aunt May cried.

Ben patted him on the shoulder proudly. "Way to go, bro."

"Congratulations, son," said Reed as he shook hands with Peter.

"What do you plan to do now, Doctor Parker?" Sue asked.

Peter had no idea; honestly, he didn't think you would ever get this far. However, the idea that Ghost Spider gave him all those years ago about starting his own company didn't seem far-fetched now.

"I don't know," he said in all honesty. "But I'm certainly going to use this opportunity to help the world in a lab coat rather than in tights."

MJ laughed. "Well, whatever you decide to do, I'll be with you every step of the way, Tiger."

Reflecting on the recent past, Peter's resilience in the face of adversity was truly remarkable. Despite Norman Osborn's relentless interference, Peter remained steadfast, his determination unwavering.

Ben Urich from the Daily Bugle finally uncovered his identity as the Green Goblin. After his last fight with Peter, he escaped prison without his identity being revealed, but this time, he was not as fortunate. He also made the fatal mistake of harming Jessica Jones, who was currently pregnant with Luke Cage's child and nearly got beaten to death because of it.

He then blackmailed Peter into freeing him in exchange for his aunt's life, and Peter reluctantly agreed. Black Cat offered her help, though she was still furious over Norman Osborn after he nearly killed her boyfriend, Flash Thompson, drugging him to drive a truck into Peter.

However, MJ knew that Norman Osborn could not be trusted and contacted SHIELD to inform them of the situation. It was good that she did as Norman led them into the jaws of twelve of Peter's worst enemies. However, the villains soon had to contend with not only Ghost Spider and the Scarlet Spider but also Captain America, Iron Man, Yellowjacket, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four.

To say they were a little overwhelmed would have been an understatement, but Norman then tried to re-enact Gwen's death with MJ, this time at the George Washington Bridge. Unfortunately, he failed as Peter learned from his mistakes the last time and wasn't alone either. Additionally, he was able to locate Aunt May, so everything ended well on a high note.

"Well, with Norman finally behind bars, things are starting to look up," said Peter.

Unfortunately, as usual, Parker luck came into play, this time in the form of a woman who called herself Queen-Spider. A mysterious and powerful figure, she unilaterally decided to make him her mate and to control him by kissing him, using her unique abilities to transform him into a giant spider.

Regretfully, Peter was not able to fight back. While she was seducing him, she transformed him into a giant spider. She also created a bomb that would disrupt the human cognitive processes and kill people who did not have the insect gene.

She had intentionally wanted Peter to give birth to her offspring, but he ended up dying before he could. However, Peter was very much alive and returned to his human appearance when he ripped through the husk of his spider body and managed to disarm the bomb in time. As for Queen-Spider, she was reported to have been killed when SHIELD attacked her base.

And if that wasn't enough, Peter began having trouble with an old classmate, Charles Weiderman. Shockingly, he had been bullied even worse than Peter in high school, but while Peter had a father figure like Uncle Ben, Charles' father was beaten up at home.

Peter tried to make friends with him, but after Charles drew a knife on his tormentors and then lied about it, Uncle Ben forbade Peter to speak to him again.

Like Peter, Charles was a scientist by heart and created a porous polymer compound that could completely cover a soldier and protect him from harm. His 'skinsuit' was a groundbreaking invention, and when he realised that it could be composed of the energy-absorbing metal Vibranium to protect the wearer from any impacts, he saw the potential to revolutionise the field of protective gear.

Peter did what he was asked, but Charles lied to Tony, saying that it was Peter's idea so that he could get the funding. Then, to make matters worse, Peter discovered that he was using shortcuts in his experiments and, knowing how dangerous tampering with Vibranium could be, told him to pull the plug on the experiment.

Sadly, Charles didn't heed his warnings and proceeded, resulting in an explosion that caused him to be encased in his skinsuit. In an attempt to duck out of responsibility, maddened by the chemicals in his suit and Peter trying to convince him to turn himself in, he went on a mad rampage, becoming the second Molten Man.

He turned his anger on Peter's family, but when he couldn't locate them, he settled for destroying Peter's apartment and family home in Forest Hills. Peter was finally able to force him into an atmosphere chamber at Stark Industries, causing his skinsuit to harden and immobilise him from the inside. While the doctors were able to give him the bodily fluids he needed, they weren't able to free him, meaning he was possibly going to be trapped inside his own skinsuit for the rest of his life.

Peter's immediate concern, however, was that his family no longer had a home. Tony Stark offered them a place at Avengers Tower, where they introduced his family to the rest of the Avengers.

MJ still couldn't quite believe this; she was now living in the lap of luxury with Earth's mightiest heroes. That said, she could have done it without Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine, making a few frequent passes at her, but other than that, it was fine.

"You know I always dream about living in this kind of luxury," said MJ as they prepared for bed.

"Guess there are perks of being a superhero; we don't even have to pay rent any more," Peter joked.

MJ giggled. "Yes, it's just a shame I can't tell my friends that I'm living with Earth's mightiest heroes."

"And all it took was having our places destroyed," Peter sighed as he got into bed.

MJ hopped into bed after him and cuddled close to him. "You're thinking about May's place, aren't you?"

Peter sighed as he wrapped his arm around her. "I've been living there for a long time, and now it's gone because of me."

"Peter, it wasn't your fault," said MJ softly. "You were only trying to help, and May doesn't blame you."

"I know," Peter nodded. "I just wish there had been another way."

"You did the best you could now; just sit back and relax so I can take care of you."

The two of them kissed passionately, and soon, MJ was on top. They began to have a blissful night.

Aunt May adapted well to her new home and became close to Jarvis, Tony Stark's butler. She was also proving to be quite formidable, as was proven when Logan walked into the kitchen with a glass of brandy in his hand and a cigar in his mouth.

She told him in no uncertain terms that smoking or brandy was not allowed in the kitchen in the morning. He did his best to stand his ground that he was no match for Aunt May and walked out, not before she told him to put a shirt on if he was going outside, much to the astonishment of the other Avengers.

Unfortunately, living with the Avengers did cause one slight little problem. A photographer from a tabloid paper called MJ made her way into the tower without her husband and quickly wrote that she was having an affair with Tony Stark.

Robbie called in the next morning and told him about the articles. He wasted no time and instantly made his way over to MJ.

"Where's MJ?" Peter asked as he entered the kitchen.

"She's in the living room," said Jessica Drew, a.k.a. Spider-Woman.

"Don't get so worked up, kid," said Logan, smirking slightly as he placed an arm around his shoulders. "Not your fault that Sweet-Cheeks mess things up."

"Don't do it, man," Luke Cage advised cautiously.

"I'm just saying if she had the brains to go with that beauty, she wouldn't be with you in the first place, right?" Logan smirked.

Peter had never been so furious in all his life, and with all his strength, he punched Logan so hard that he was sent flying across the room and smashed right through the window. Unfortunately for Logan, they were on the 500th floor, and everyone could hear his screams as he fell towards the ground.

"He had that coming," Jess winced.

"I think Stark is going to have to get his money back windows; they're supposed to be unbreakable," said Luke.

Peter instantly went to the living room and found MJ in tears, with Aunt May and Jarvis comforting her.

"Peter—" she said tearfully as he entered the room.

"MJ," said Peter, hugging her. "It's going to be all right."

"It was the best night of my life. I wanted it to be perfect, and he ruined it."

"It'll be okay, MJ," Peter assured her.

"He ambushed me, and I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse, not without compromising when everyone else. I didn't think—"

"You've got nothing to apologise for," Peter assured her.

"He's right; he should have ambushed you like that," said Tony as he entered the room. "Don't worry, I'll sort this mess out. Neither of you have anything to worry about."

"Thanks, Tony," said MJ gratefully.

"Now, let's take you to bed," said Peter. "I bet you didn't sleep well last night."

Aunt May and Jarvis watched as the two of them left the living room, and Jarvis inadvertently placed his arm around Aunt May, not that she minded.

Peter escorted her through the kitchen, where she saw the broken window.

"What happened to the window?" MJ asked.

Peter shrugged. "Oh, just doing some house cleaning."

"Remind me never to get on his bad side," Luke whispered to Jess.

Tony was as good as his word and managed to get the article in the tabloids retracted by threatening the photographer with his own infidelity.

Gwen then arrived at the tower to give Peter her report on her investigation.

"You really come up in the world," said Gwen as Peter gave her the tour.

"It pays to have friends in high places," Peter shrugged.

"Bringing another girl to live with you, kid?" Logan smirked as he leaned against the wall.

"Is he a friend? Gwen asked.

"Not really," Peter sighed.

"Tell me, kid, how do you seem to attract so many women?" Logan asked curiously.

"Maybe it's because he's a decent human being," Gwen suggested. "Besides, we're not together. I'm here solely to give him peace of mind regarding his daughter."

Logan blinked. "You have a kid?"

"Had," Peter corrected. "She was taken from us just after she was born."

"Oh, uh, sorry to hear that," said Logan sincerely.

"Let's have this conversation somewhere else," Gwen suggested.

"You read my mind," said Peter.

They made their way to the kitchen, where Jarvis gave Gwen a sandwich,

"For you, Miss Ghost Spider," he said politely.

"Thank you, Jarvis," she said. She took the sandwich and lifted her mask just over her nose. "You know I'm in half a mind to live here as well if the food is as good as this every day."

"You honour me, ma'am," Jarvis chuckled. "I'll leave the two of you alone for this private discussion, and I will see that you are not disturbed."

"Appreciate it, Jarvis," said Peter gratefully.

Gwen watched as Jarvis exited the kitchen and noticed Aunt May waiting for him by the door.

"So, how long have your aunt and Jarvis pinned together?" she smirked.

"More or less ever since we arrived," said Peter, feeling somewhat awkward. "I have to admit it's a little strange."

"Because he's not Uncle Ben," Gwen assumed.

"That's part of it," Peter admitted.

"I think Jarvis is a much better match to your aunt than some of the previous people she dated, a certain Otto Octavius, for example," said Gwen with a slight smirk.

Peter groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Anyway, to get back on topic, I managed to locate the man who received little May," Gwen informed him.

Peter's face lit up. "You have?"

"Yes, and Norman ordered him to take care of her," she said, and then she noticed Peter's distorted face. "But he didn't kill her; Norman wasn't entirely forthcoming about who she was. He was tempted to raise her on his own but decided it was safer to put her in the system."

"So she's alive," said Peter relieved. "But she now thinks that her parents abandoned her."

"At least it gives us a chance to find her," said Gwen softly. "He also told the agency people her real name, which makes it a little easier to find. However, she's been moved around so much that finding her is going to take a while."

"At least we're getting close to getting her back," said Peter softly.

"I won't rest until May is back with you and MJ," Gwen promised.

However, Gwen got a little sidetracked after the House of M incident. Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. The Scarlet Witch, had powers of old; she could now rewrite reality. In this new reality, she married Peter, and they had a son and no memories of their former lives.

Fortunately, Wanda was able to fix it, but in doing so, she decimated the mutant population to only a few hundred. Additionally, both Peter and Gwen still had memories of that altered reality, which was more than a little disturbing.

"So you still remember everything?" Ben asked as they sat on a rooftop.

"Every moment," said Gwen with tears in her eyes. "I was so happy, and so was Peter, but it was all a lie. We had a son, Ben, and now he's gone, and I am trying to find Peter's daughter. It just feels so wrong."

"Gwen, I can't imagine what you're going through, but I think it's just as hard on Peter," said Ben gently. "He doesn't even know you're alive."

"I don't blame Peter," said Gwen as she looked at the setting sun. "But it does make me wish I had that kind of life."

"I'm sure you'll find it someday," said Ben softly.

"Just not with Peter," Gwen sighed.

"I may not be Peter, but I am the next best thing," Ben offered.

Gwen laughed. "Sorry, Ben. But we agreed that you shouldn't act on Peter's memories between us."

"Yeah, it would be strange dating an ex-boyfriend who was never your ex-boyfriend," Ben agreed.

Gwen couldn't help but laugh. "Not that you're not sweet."

"I'm sure there's someone out there for the two of us," said Ben as they watched the sunset. "But perhaps you should reveal yourself to Peter soon."

"Only until I'm certain that Peter's life is back on track," said Gwen.

Ben frowned. "His marriage is much more stable, he's got his doctorate, and now he's living with the Earth's mightiest heroes. How is that not back on track?"

"Because things are starting to rumble in the superhero community," Gwen informed him. "You forget I still have Peter and MJ's memories, so there's going to be an event that will shake the entire world."

"Well, that's not foreboding or anything," said Ben. "Can't you stop it from happening?"

"I'm afraid some events are meant to happen, and if I intervened, the outcome would not be the best," Gwen admitted. "While some of my memories of future events are clearer than others, some are distorted like a dream you can't remember."

"So you're saying that while you can nudge certain events, you can't change the outcome completely," Ben concluded.

"Unfortunately, some events are beyond my control," Gwen sighed. "Don't forget the memories I was given from a different reality, where Peter never married MJ."

"And I suppose we can't stop these events, but we can at least ensure the outcome is more favourable," said Ben.

"Let's hope so."

Unfortunately, life for Peter got even more complicated when his powers began to fade, and if that wasn't bad enough, Morlun had somehow returned from the dead. Repeating his weakened state, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to eliminate him while he was being operated on in a hospital he attacked.

MJ attempted to stop him, but she was no match with him with an upward broken arm. However, upon hearing MJ in distress, Peter awoke, and he savagely attacked Morlun before succumbing to his own wounds.

As it turned out, that wasn't the end of Spider-Man. Somehow, he mounted, rejuvenating him. To say that MJ was relieved would have been an understatement.

"How many times do you have to scare me like that?" MJ cried as she buried her head on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, MJ," said Peter, sincerely hugging her. "It's not I doing it on purpose."

MJ gave a small laugh. "I know, but you could have at least told me that your powers were fading. If that ever happens again, you tell me right away. Do you understand?"

"Okay, I promise I'll tell you if something is wrong with me from now on," Peter promised.

"I'll hold you to that, Tiger," MJ smiled and kissed him.

"Ah, young love," Jarvis smiled at Aunt May.

"You know there were times when I worried about those two," Aunt May smiled.

She then wrapped her hand around Jarvis's and leaned against his shoulder.