Super-spider Something

Summary: After the battle with the Inheritors Gwen Stacy(aka Spider-Woman) returns home after getting some advice from an old friend.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

So she had survived. Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Woman had survived the multi-universal battle against the Inheritors, beings who fed on the essence of spider-people.

It was so weird being with all these different Spider-Men and Women...especially when most of them were differing version of the man she loved and lost...he died and it was her fault.

Peter Parker.

There was one, the one in charge, she remembered at the start how unwilling he had been to put her into any sort of danger.

It was only later she discovered why.

His Gwen Stacy had died and he blamed himself.

It's so funny and ironic how they're mirror images of each other in that sense.

Now as the they started to go their varying ways, head back to their own home worlds she just had to talk to him...to ask him something so she saddles up next to him and grabs his arm. "Can we talk?" she asks as she pulls him away.

He scratches his head in the same adorable fashion as her Peter. "Ok, sure," he says, not sounding too certain.

Once they're alone enough Gwen cuts to it, knowing they don't have much time. "Did you..." she starts and then stops.

"Did I...dance the Macarena? Once but I've had all pictures burned," Peter jokes.

Gwen laughs. "No," she tells him off.

Peter smiles at seeing and hearing that laugh. God it has been so long since he's heard that laugh...or seen that smile. He...it's been a terrible thing this battle against the Inheritors but just to see Gwen...a version of her that has spider powers...you know a Spider-Gwen so to speak has just been...well Peter hasn't decided yet what it's been but it's not been bad. He's certain on that.

Gwen gathers herself and tries again. "Peter...my Peter is dead," she states it.

That sobers Peter up. "Sorry."

"That's what everyone always says," Gwen says, sounding a little annoyed about it. "I wish they'd stop...but I know they just say it because they don't know the truth, don't understand but I think you do."

"Do I?"

"You blame yourself for my death...don't deny it I can see it in your face. I know you too well, Pete."

Peter doesn't deny it.

"Peter's death...it was fault. I acted irresponsibly and made him think it was ok to act like that. He had to die before I learned the lesson of the responsibility this mask brings," she says holding hers up. Peter...he thought he needed to become special like her, allow himself to be absolved of all responsibility, get revenge on the kids bullying him, so he injected himself with some kind of genetic serum that turned him into a lizard-man. Gwen doesn't know if it was the effects of her stopping him when he lost his mind or the serum itself having some sort of side effect but the result was Peter died in her arms...and everyone blames her, she means Spider-Woman, for it. But they can never blame her as much as she blames herself.

Peter can hear the sorrow in her voice. Dammit, he hates that. "My Uncle had to die before I learned it," he tells her back.

"Ben?" Gwen queries.

Peter nods.

"God, Pete. I'm sorry. I can guess you loved him as much as my Pete did...and I'm really dragging this into a long take aren't I?"

Peter smile genially at her. "Take all the time you need," he offers her.

Gwen takes a few breaths. "I..it's...did you move on after me? Find someone else? Be happy?"

Peter looks at her blankly.

"See the thing is there's this guy back home...and he's so sweet and understanding and smart and funny and..."

"You totally have the hots for him," Peter can guess from the tone of her voice.

Gwen blushes. She means he is cute...incredible blue eyes, messy curly dark hair, body to die for...not that she's that shallow or anything. She means it was an accident she saw it. She was swinging by his place...literally swinging by his place and he came out the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist...uh where was she? Oh right answering Peter. "Kinda, yeah...but..."

"You're feeling guilty. Feeling like you deserving happiness is a betrayal," Peter sums it up because he knows the feeling all too well.

"You too?"

Peter nods. Ok he's up to speed. "It does linger with you for awhile, that. Can't deny it. It's not an easy thing to just push aside. Even when I first started dating someone new it's at the back of your head. Like a ghost haunting you. What I'm about to say sounds easier than it is to actually feel it. If your Peter was anything like me than I know the number one thing he would have wanted was you to be happy. That's all I ever wanted when I was with my Gwen. Admittedly I made a bit of a mess of it from time to time but it was what I wanted. After she died it took a long time for me to realise she would have wanted the same."

"She would have," Gwen assures him because she would.

"That's the trick to moving on. Understanding that it's honouring what they would have wanted for you and is not betraying them or dishonouring their memory as long as you remember them. If you really like this guy then tell him. Don't let the opportunity pass you by."

"Did you do that?"

That's actually very complicated because he was all set to marry MJ once and he really wanted to. To this day he's not really sure how that all fell apart. So anyway short answer is, "Yes...so don't repeat my mistake because so far another opportunity hasn't come round yet."

Gwen hugs him. "Thank you."

Peter hugs her back, resting his head on her shoulder for just one moment to remember what it felt like. "Go home, be happy," he tells her.

"I'll try," she says with a watery smile.

Home.

Gwen swings through the skyline of New York...her New York.

And what does she find upon returning, everyone asking where Spider-Woman is.

When she's here they can't wait to get rid of her.

When she's gone all they can do is ask where she is.

And seriously Bodega Bandit is the worst arch-nemsis ever. A fact she tells him as she tosses his worthless hide into the dumpster for the 5th...no 6th? 7th time? She's done it a lot of times. So many she's lost count.

Afterwards she just slides down against some garbage cans wondering how she fixes this. She hasn't been home you know. Not to her father, not to the cute guy she was telling Peter about.

She's been away so long, longer than she realised, she doesn't know how to explain it...plus you know the impossible position she put her father in by revealing herself to him when he was the cop put in charge of her capture.

MJ isn't answering her calls so seems like she's been dropped from the band she's drummer of.

Can her life get any worse?

She can't let it be this way.

She can't be the only spider-person across all reality who's failed at this. She means seriously there was a Spider-Pig and his town loved him. She's being outdone by an anthropomorphic pig.

Plus looking through the social media stuff there's some sort of rumour about a mysterious 'Blur' running around New York, taking down criminals.

Great.

Someone's taken it upon themselves to replace her.

She has to try and fix this. Has to. She can't hope to pick up the pieces of her life while she's a wanted fugitive. There has to be some way she can show them that she's not the bad guy, uh, girl here.

Only then can she look her father in the eye, go see that boy she likes and tell him how she feels. She can't do that before she clears her name and risk dragging him down with her.

Gwen's lips curve up involuntarily as she thinks on that boy. She lets out what could be construed as a dreamy sigh. She met him after one of her band's concerts when she was feeling low and he just...well was nice. She was just sitting outside, fairly depressed when he came and sat down next to her and somehow got her to talk about her problems and he did the most remarkable thing.

He listened to her. The first person in god knows how long to actually listen to her and not just yell at her and they stayed in touch, became friends and now she was feeling something more for him.

He's an important reason to her now why she has to fix all of this somehow. She gets what she believes is her chance when she finds out there's this loon flying around causing trouble called 'The Vulture'.

Ugh...Jameson and his labels. What a grade A...moving on.

Point is Gwen reckons if she can take this guy down she has a chance at demonstrating that she can be the hero this town needs...even if she is not the one it deserves.

Ok, so she thinks she may have just ripped that off a movie.

And her plan goes totally awry ridiculously quickly. She managed to lure the Vulture out, basing her ploy on the idea this guy, Adrian Toomes is his name, is doing it for the same reason Peter did what he did. He wants to be special. He's an old guy, at the end of his life and he's trying to make a mark before he goes. It's ego...which made it easy to play on that angle.

Only right now, after snagging him with a web-line, he cut it and she is plummeting quite helplessly toward her death. They've flown away from any tall buildings...and it's too high. Way, way too high for even her to survive the fall.

Think, Gwen. Think...

Then suddenly a virtual blur slams into her.

It takes Gwen a moment to realise someone has caught her. She is in a pair of powerful arms. There is a loud thump as they land...on a garbage scow.

God the smell.

Her saviour lowers her down to her feet and Gwen gets her first chance to look at him. Work boots, jeans, a blue t-shirt with some weird S-Shield emblem on it...yes she's working her way up to the face. Lets see now...huh a red cape? Have to admire the bravery of wearing a cape. The mocking quips running through her head right now...let her tell you, a lot of them.

That's when she finally looks at his face. Strong chin, covered by stubble, incredible blue eyes, staring at her with an intensity you feel into your soul. Messy, curly black hair...man Gwen loves running her hand through his hair...

Wait!

Gwen does a double check. Messy, curly black hair, incredible blue eyes... "Clark?" she whispers in shock the name of her crush...and since when did he have superpowers?!

He folds his arms across his chest and arches an eyebrow. "Hello...Gwendolyne," he greets her back, the use of her full name showing they're in that 'we so need to talk' moment.

There's only response to this. To quote the great Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap, "Oh boy!"

Author's Note: Yeah, so don't know where this idea came from nor could I really think of a title but here it is. Though I will admit my new, undying love for Spider-Gwen. Thanks to everyone who has previously written reviews.