MJ had been discharged from the hospital and was now at home, but she was devastated over her daughter. She was currently in what was meant to be their little girl's bedroom, and she had a hand over the empty crib.
"Mary, it'll be all right," said her sister, putting her arms around her.
Upon hearing about the kidnapping, Gayle and her boys immediately made their way to New York. She and Aunt Anna did their best to comfort MJ through this difficult time.
"How can it be all right?" MJ cried. "I held little May for only a few seconds before she was taken from us. It was the happiest day of my life since marrying Peter now…"
"Sh, sh, sh," said Gayle gently. "I'm sure the police will find your little girl; you just have to have hope."
Normally, MJ wouldn't be reassured by that; while babies being kidnapped from hospitals was not a common occurrence, they were hardly ever found until much later. However she knew that Ghost Spider was looking for it at that moment, but it still seemed like a long shot.
"How's Peter taking it?" Gayle asked.
"I think he's taking it worse than me," MJ sniffed. "I mean, he's lost so much in his life: his parents, his uncle, his girlfriend, his aunt and now our little girl. He's barely talking and focusing so much on his work."
"At least your husband cares about your children," Gayle sighed. "And Peter has been a real father figure to the boys; you know he helps them with their homework every now and then."
MJ chuckled. "He would have made a terrific dad."
"And I'm sure you would have made terrific mom," Gayle smiled.
MJ then cried into her shoulder, and Gayle rubbed her hands against her back.
Peter was at the Baxter Building concentrating on his work for Doctor Richards. He was so busy concentrating he wasn't paying much attention to everything around him.
"Yo, Parker!" Johnny yelled. "I'm talking to you!"
Sue then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Johnny, he's not in the mood to talk."
"The way he's been, he doesn't seem to be in the mood to live," Johnny pointed out.
"Give the kid a break," said Ben as he walked up, looking at Peter sympathetically. "I would be downright moody if my kid had been kidnapped."
"Yeah, I know," said Johnny, looking at Peter. "But he's no good to anyone like this; he needs to talk about it."
"Johnny's right," said Reed.
"He is?" Ben blinked.
"I am?" said Johnny, equally as surprised.
"From what his wife told me, this isn't the first time he suffered loss," said Reed. "When his first girlfriend died, he was pretty much closed off to everyone around, and he blames himself for not being able to do anything."
"It's not his fault that some nut job kidnapped his girl," said Johnny.
"I know, but that's what he believes," said Reed, then approached Peter and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Peter, we need to talk."
"Hmm," said Peter, looking up. "Oh, Doctor Richards, I just finished those equations you gave me. There are some interesting readings if you want to go through with…"
"Son, we really need to talk," said Reed.
"About what?" Peter asked.
"Look, Peter, I know losing your daughter is difficult. I can only imagine how I would feel if Franklin had been taken from us just after he was born. However, keeping those feelings inside is unhealthy, especially when this is your wife to consider. Maybe it would be best if you took a little break and helped the family."
"You're firing me?" Peter asked.
"Of course not; this is just a leave of absence so that you can get everything sorted," said Reed.
"B-But…"
"Peter, I'm only thinking about what is best for you and Mary Jane; she's concerned about you."
"What about working on my PhD?"
"I'm sure your teachers at the University will understand; I will even vouch for you. You have a great mind, Peter, but you need to focus it elsewhere right now."
Peter began to make his way home, and he was sick and tired of everyone telling him what to do. Ben insisted that he take over being Spider-Man for a while; Ghost Spider told him to focus on the situation at home and allow her to look for May, and now Reed was forcing him.
When he got home, Gayle greeted him.
"Peter, I thought you were at work," she said.
Peter sighed. "Doctor Richards thinks I should take a break for the family." He then entered the house and looked around for MJ. "Where's MJ?"
"She's trying to arrange a counselling session for the two of you," she said.
"Counselling?" Peter stared.
"Peter, I'm not going to pretend to understand what the two of you are going through, but you do need help getting through it," said Gayle.
"I'm getting sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do," Peter groaned. "I'm not a stranger to loss; I've been through all this before."
Gayle sighed. "From what I've heard, you're not having a particularly easy time going through it. Peter, if the smartest man on the planet is saying you need to take a break, maybe you should listen to him?"
Peter wanted nothing more than to argue, but deep down, he knew she was right.
"How are the boys doing?" Peter asked, wanting to change the subject.
"They're doing great. You've been a big help with their math and science homework," Gayle smiled as they entered the living room. "They see you as a father figure."
"Well, I had a great example," Peter shrugged as he sat down on the couch. "I never really knew my father either, but Uncle Ben was always there for me."
Gayle nodded. "I can't help but feel jealous of Mary. She really knew how to pick them."
"Sometimes I feel like the lucky one," said Peter. I've never actually had a good relationship with girls.
"Oh, Mary told me," Gayle chuckled, then looked at him sympathetically. "She also told me that one of them had been murdered."
Peter nodded. "Her name was Gwen Stacy; I really thought we would spend the rest of our lives together."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up," Gayle apologised.
"If it weren't for MJ, I would probably still be stuck grieving," he said. "I did a few harsh things to her, but she stayed beside me and helped me through it."
Gayle nodded. "And you helped her; I have a feeling it wasn't for you supporting her. Both me and Mary would never reconcile, and the boys wouldn't have a favourite uncle."
"I suppose so," Peter nodded.
A month passed, and Peter and MJ began taking counselling sessions, which helped. However, as everyone feared, Norman Osborn was alive and well and immediately bought the Daily Bugle and used it to turn the entire city against Spider-Man, making people believe he was a murderer.
In truth, Norman Osborn orchestrated the entire thing, but he now had two spiders to contend with. This made life difficult for the would-be bounty hunters who tried to collect the award for them, as they had yet to learn who the real Spider-Man was.
Together, they proved that Norman had orchestrated the entire thing. Humiliating, he had no choice but to return the Daily Bugle to Jonah, who showed his gratitude by continuing his slander on Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, Gwen was still trying to track down May, but it was challenging. She was still determining if she was in the same country. She only had one lead, Allison Mongrain. The difficulty was trying to investigate without revealing Peter was Spider-Man.
Fortunately, she had an ally in Nick Fury, who knew Peter's identity. Using his contacts, he was able to locate Alison Mongrain, which was, in fact, her real name, and found that she was living in Europe.
Gwen considered calling Peter but did not get his hopes up too high and decided to go by herself. According to Fury's information, she was currently living in an apartment in Paris. She was able to find the apartment building and the room she was living in.
She sneaked inside without anyone noticing and waited until the woman arrived. When she turned the lights on, she was shocked to discover Gwen sitting there.
"Bonjour," she said.
Allison immediately dropped everything she was carrying instead at her in shock. "G-Ghost Spider? What are you doing in Paris?"
"I think you already know," said Gwen as she sat up. "A month ago, you stole a little baby girl and her parents, and I want to know where she is right now."
"Why do you care?" Allison asked.
"Her parents happen to be friends of mine," said Gwen, starting to approach. "Don't act so surprised. Peter Parker is a friend of Spider-Man, so it makes sense that he's a friend of mine as well."
"I don't have her if that's what you're asking," Allison gulped as she backed up against the wall.
Gwen then placed her hand against the wall and looked him in the eyes. "That much, I figured, but you're still gonna tell me everything now. Including who you worked for."
"Or what?" said Allison. "We're not in New York; the police here can't charge me for a crime I committed in another country."
"But you're still an American citizen, and many would consider your crime to be rather heinous," said Gwen, leaning closer towards her. "After all, you did steal a little girl from her parents. I think the French authorities would be more than happy to hand you over to the United States."
"You're going to turn me in anyway, so why not tell you anything?"
"Because it might very well lighten your sentence and spare you a lot of pain."
Peter and MJ were back home having a cup of tea with Felicia, who had taken Ghost Spider's advice and actually became friends with MJ. Shockingly, she actually had a relationship with Flash Thompson. However, she had yet to tell him about her past criminal activities.
"How are you two holding up?" Felicia asked.
"Everyone's been very supportive," said MJ. "Though I still wish we had answers as to why someone took our little girl."
"Could it be that they know about Peter's nighttime excursions?" Felicia asked.
"Very few people know that I'm Spider-Man, and most of them are superheroes," said Peter.
"If I recall, there is one villain who knows your identity, one who has made your life a living hell," Felicia pointed out.
"Wouldn't put it past Norman," Peter admitted. "I was shocked to discover that he was alive and that he was the one responsible for cloning me. Unfortunately, we don't have any solid proof that he was behind it. No one even knows that he was the original Green Goblin."
"You could tell everyone," said Felicia.
"And that could reveal my identity to the world; I just can't risk it."
"Ghost Spider is still trying to find leads, though we haven't heard from her for a while," said MJ.
Peter then heard his mobile ring and immediately answered it. "This is Peter Parker speaking."
"Peter, it's me, GS," said Ghost Spider. "I managed to locate your child's abductor, and she's been very cooperative."
Peter's eyes widened. "She told you what happened to little May?"
MJ's eyes lit up the moment, and Felicia became very quiet.
"She claims that she was working for Norman Osborn and gave the child to him," Ghost Spider informed him.
"So Osborn was responsible," said Peter through gritted teeth.
"He mentioned to her that he was going to take little May to his hunting lodge just outside of New York. I'm heading back to New York now," Ghost Spider informed him. "Can you wait for me before you do anything drastic?"
"You can't expect me to stand around while my daughter's life hangs in the balance of that madman," said Peter.
Ghost Spider sighed. "Can you at least call Ben for some backup? You really shouldn't be facing Osborn alone."
"I will, I promise," said Peter and entered the call. He then looked at MJ and Felicia. "You heard all that?"
"Every word," said Felicia.
"You think Norman has our little girl?" MJ asked.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," said Peter. He then looked at Felicia. "Felicia, can you look at MJ while me and Ben confront Osborn?"
"Of course," said Felicia.
"Be careful, Tiger; I want to lose you too," said MJ.
"I'll be fine, I promise, and with luck, we'll have a little girl back."
Peter instantly called Ben and informed them of the situation. They made their way to Norman's hunting lodge. Peter had absolutely no idea why he had a hunting lodge just outside of New York, but his immediate concern was that of his daughter.
He soon lavatory, which overlooked the hunting lodge, and it looked perfectly normal.
"Do you really think May is in there?" Ben asked.
"I don't know, but if we don't, I hope we can find some sort of trail," said Peter.
"Then let's proceed," said Ben.
They then made their way into the hunting lodge, for they couldn't swing as well as they had hoped, as the trees weren't exactly stable. They also had yet to learn whether Norman was home, but they proceeded nonetheless.
They went through the vents and were soon inside the lodge, but there weren't many guards, which was a little concerning. Additionally, he had yet to decide where exactly to look. Still, Peter figured it would be in the most heavily fortified room.
They soon found a room with two guards watching it, and they quickly sprung into action. They wept the guys and tossed them onto the ceiling, sticking them in place and ensuring their mouths were covered. They then drop down in front of the door.
"You sure this is the room?" Ben asked.
"This place must be important if it had guards," said Peter.
"After you then," said Ben.
Peter then burst down the door and made his way inside. The second he did, a vase struck his head.
"Spider-Man, you are right?" Ben asked, rushing in.
"My head is ringing, but otherwise fine," Peter moaned. "But what hit me, and why didn't my spidey sense go off?"
Ben just stood there in shock. "I have a pretty good idea."
Peter looked up, and his eyes widened as he was face-to-face with his Aunt May, who had died a few months ago.
"What do you monsters want with me?" she yelled.
"May Parker?" Ben stared in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"And how you will live?" Peter asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, looking at them fearfully. "I just woke up a few moments ago."
Peter suddenly sensed his spidey sense going off on one look, and Ben told him that his went off as well.
"Get down?!" Peter yelled.
He quickly dived towards Aunt May, and seconds later, there was an explosion. Peter frankly was able to use his body to shield Aunt May, who had fainted when he looked up to scum face-to-face with Norman Osborn, dressed as the Green Goblin.
"Norman!" Peter glared. "Who is this woman?"
"Why, Parker, I'm surprised you don't recognise your own aunt," Norman laughed.
"Pete, keep it together," said Ben. "We can figure out who she is later. Don't forget why we are here."
Peter nodded and looked at Norman. "Where's my daughter?"
"Oh, I left her in the hands of one of my associates," Norman smiled. "Even if I don't know where she is or if she is still alive, I do enjoy watching you searching desperately for your beloved daughter. Now you know how it feels when someone takes their child from you."
"What happened to Harry was not my fault!" Peter snapped.
"Lies," Norman glared.
Ben then quickly webbed Norman's mouth. "I think we've heard enough from him?"
Norman ripped webbing off his mouth and glared at two of them. "As much as I would love to destroy the two of you, I know very well I won't stand a chance in such a confined space. Plus, I love to enjoy watching you squirm as you desperately tried to hold what family you have left."
Norman then immediately tossed a pumpkin bomb right at the ceiling, creating an explosion. He quickly took off, flew through the hallway he had created, and disappeared into the night sky.
"Should we get after him?" Ben asked.
"No, we need to find out if this really is Aunt May," said Peter, looking at the woman beside him. "And we need to know more about what happened to little May."
"I'll see what I can find here," Ben offered.
Peter nodded, picked up Aunt May, and jumped out of the hole in the ceiling.
Peter immediately took Aunt May to the Baxter Building so that Reed Richards could determine her identity. He easily confirmed that she was indeed his aunt, which left the question of who was the woman they buried a year ago.
Peter immediately updated Ghost Spider, who was on a plane to New York.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I was really hoping she was there," Ghost Spider apologised.
"No apologies necessary, and Reed has confirmed that the woman I rescued is indeed my aunt," said Peter.
"At least that's some good news," said Ghost Spider. "Ben sent all the information he had gathered at the lodge. I'm currently looking through it and hoping to find some new leads by the time I land."
"Do you think she's dead?" Peter asked.
"I honestly don't know. But it sounds like Norman is more off his rocker than normal."
"Yeah, I picked up on that," Peter nodded.
Then suddenly, he heard explosions outside and quickly rushed to the window to see several explosions erupting across the city. He also saw the Green Goblin flying through the smoke.
"What's going on?" Ghost Spider asked.
"It's Norman; he's calling me out with explosions," said Peter.
"He's trying to bait you. You should wait until Ben arrives before confronting him."
"He's still at the lodge; he'll still be a few hours, and I can't risk innocence being killed while I wait."
Peter suited up and began swinging towards Norman, who finally stopped tossing bombs around when he saw him.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Norman sneered. "All alone, are we?"
"This is between you and me, Norman; leave everyone else out of this!"
"Oh, no. I want to make you suffer as long as possible," he said and began tossing more bombs at him. "I want the entire city to blame you for this disaster; I want them to hate you."
"I'll keep saving people even if the world hates me!" Peter yelled as he dodged the attacks.
"Ah, but what about your lovely wife?" Norman smirked. "Constantly worried about him and the dangers that you put yourself through. Then, of course, there are the dangers you put your entire family through and all those around you."
Peter instantly jumped off the building and noted the rubble was now falling onto the streets. He quickly fired some webbing and formed a net to catch the rubble before it landed on the people below.
He was suddenly tackled by Norman's glider and flew across the city.
"Maybe you should think more about yourself than the people below," said Norman as he pulled out a dagger. "You would live a lot longer if you did."
Peter fired some webbing straight into Norman's eyes and quickly kicked the thruster. They were now crashing down towards the ground, and Norman had just removed the webbing moments before the crash to the ground.
Peter jumped off the glider, grabbed Norman simultaneously, and landed perfectly on the ground. However, Norman began laughing maniacally and ranting.
"Spider-Man is dead! Spider-Man is dead!" he laughed.
It was clear to Peter that Norman had finally lost his mind, which made webbing him much easier.
The authorities quickly took Norman, and with him now arrested, Peter felt a massive weight being lifted off his shoulders. Of course, the people still blame him for the damage done, and he dreaded to think about what the next headline of the Daily Bugle will be.
Peter met with MJ in the Baxter Building while they waited for Aunt May to regain consciousness.
"You sure that this is not another hoax?" MJ asked.
"Reed's sure, and he's going to be a full enquiry regarding the woman we buried," said Peter.
MJ then looked at Peter. "Peter, now that my modelling career is back on track, we can get an apartment that we truly want, but I don't know if I can do this anymore. Every time you go out, I'm always worried that you won't come back, and then there's the fact that your double life impacts our real lives."
"I'll do it for you if that's what you want," said Peter, grasping her hand. "But you know what happened the last time I stood aside and let a criminal go free."
"I know, but can you at least try?"
Peter was about to answer when Read entered the room.
"Peter, your aunt is wide awake; you can see her now," he said.
Peter wasted no time and entered the lab to see that his aunt was wide awake.
"Peter," she smiled. "What's going on?"
Tears appeared in Peter's eyes. "A lot, Aunt May, and we have much to talk about."