- It's been some time, friends. I trust all of you are doing good. I realize I've been gone a while but life got very busy for me...more than I'd actually prefer. It's good to be able to write again, especially when I'm back home where I belong...even if it's only for the summer.
- A lot of people have been asking for this one but given the lack of imagination at the moment, I'm not sure I did a good job with it. I'll leave such judgement in your hands though.
- You guys have always been fair in the way you offered critique and here's hoping you'll continue to do so. Please enjoy!
...
The Queen of Symkaria felt a little bit nervous as she checked her appearance again in the mirror.
Her nervousness was understandable...after all, she was finally going to meet the woman who raised Peter Parker to be the man that she loved.
Her boyfriend reassured her many times before that there was nothing to worry about and his Aunt May would adore her when they met. Sable didn't doubt Peter's words but it was difficult to shake off the tiny bit of worry in her mind.
"She's almost here, Sable. Are you ready?"
The Symkarian Queen straightened her hair once more before she opened the door to leave the bathroom. Awaiting on the other side was Peter, whose eyes looked at her with some concern.
"Still a bit nervous?" He asked, holding Sable close.
Sable sheepishly smiled as she pecked a kiss on Peter's cheek. "Unfortunately...but at least the feeling isn't overwhelming me."
"Believe me, I understand. I always get jittery whenever I'm meeting someone new." Peter murmured with a embarassed chuckle.
She couldn't help but chuckle with him. "Is that how you felt when we first met?"
Peter playfully smirked as they walked to the living room. "I thought you were beautiful when we first met...even if you were pointing a gun my way at the time."
"Oh...that's right." Sable said, blushing in embarassment. "I-I'm sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just happy to be here with you now."
Her heart warmed up at those words and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm happy to be here with you too."
Peter leaned in and gently kissed Sable with a smile. Her body shuddered in delight at the sensation of his lips pressed against her's and she eagerly kissed Peter back. Their little make-out session lasted for a bit until the doorbell's jingle sounded out in the apartment.
"Looks like she's here." He whispered, reluctantly pulling away. "You ready?"
She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Peter quickly kissed Sable again before he went to open the front door. With the door out of the way, the Symkarian Queen was able to see a elderly yet kind looking woman, smiling happily at the sight of her nephew.
"Hello, Peter." She warmly greeted, giving him a tight hug.
Her boyfriend eagerly returned his Aunt's hug, slightly lifting her off her feet. "Hey, Aunt May...where's Jay?"
The elderly woman removed her coat and shook off the few remaining snowflakes in her aged white hair. The winter cold had settled in New York in a thick blanket of snow and it still wasn't done snowing yet.
"Jay's spending the day with Jonah, reprimanding the stubborn boy about his misuse of authority as Mayor." May explained before she finally noticed a beautiful silver haired young lady watching them.
Sable patiently stood behind, looking on at her beloved Peter greeting his Aunt when the elderly woman tilted her head in her direction and looked on with curious eyes.
"And who might you be, young lady?" Aunt May asked.
The Symkarian Queen gave a small nervous smile as she stepped forward and offered her hand. "My apologies. My name is Silver Sablinova and I'm Peter's girlfriend. It is good to finally meet you."
"Silver Sablinova...now I know why you look so familiar." Aunt May said, shaking her hand with both of her own. "You're just as beautiful as Peter described you to be, your majesty."
"Come on, Aunt May. Don't embarrass us." Peter mumbled, scratching the back of his head while Sable blushed at May's praise.
Aunt May giggled as she took a seat on the couch. Her nephew excused himself to prepare some tea for them all, leaving Sable alone to sit across from the kind old woman.
"I must admit that I am a little surprised." She said, breaking the brief silence.
"Hm? what do you mean, your majesty?"
Sable politely shook her head. "It's alright for you to call me by my name, ma'am."
"Only if you use my name as well. Peter often calls you Sable so I will as well." The elderly woman stated.
"Very well...May." The Symkarian Queen smiled before getting back to her earlier thought. It was a nice name befitting the kind lady. "I was just wondering why you didn't seem shocked to learn that I was Peter's girlfriend."
Aunt May chuckled a little. "Believe me, dear. I was very much surprised to learn that my Peter's girlfriend just happens to be the Queen of Symkaria. In this day and age though, I've grown used to hiding my shock."
Sable thought about that for a moment and she had to admit it did make sense. In a world where actual superheroes and heroines existed, it only seemed natural for a normal woman like May to become accustomed to bewilderment.
"...Do you love Peter?" May suddenly asked.
The Symkarian Queen's eyes rose at such a direct question and her face turned a little red once more. "I-I'm sorry?"
This time, the elderly woman's face turned serious and Sable felt a slight chill go down her spine. How May could look so innocent yet threatening at the same time was something she couldn't fathom.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like this. It's just...over the years, Peter's suffered much when it came to trying to find love." Aunt May said with a sad sigh.
Sable's eyes softened...she knew what May was talking about. Every now and then, Peter confided in her about the friends and loved ones he unintentionally lost in his career as Spider-Man. It angered her when he revealed some, like MJ, recently chose to distance themselves from him because they no longer wanted to be part of his life and problems.
The flames of her anger died a little when Peter comforted her with a kiss and explained it did hurt to have Mj and some of the others leave but at the very least, he knew they were safe.
"All his life, he's been alone." May continued, looking right into Sable's eyes, "I was overjoyed when I heard about you but he's my son and I have to be certain that you aren't playing with his feelings...do you love Peter?"
Without any hesitation on her part, The Queen of Symkaria firmly held May's hand and stared back with a serious gaze.
"...The day Peter professed his love for me was the happiest day of my life, May. I will never give up the love we have for anything." Sable passionately asserted, her face blushing all the while. "I love Peter Parker with all my heart and soul."
Silence set in for a moment as May maintained her gaze into Sable's eyes before her lips finally curved into a warm smile. The last person she asked this question to was with Mary Jane but when she gave her answer, May had detected a hint of reluctance in the super model's green eyes.
With Sable though, she couldn't sense any reluctance or wavering conviction in her eyes at all. The Symkarian Queen truly loved Peter and she would never leave his side...it was all May needed to confirm.
"...That's all I needed to hear, Sable." The old woman smiled, wiping a single stray tear away. "Please take good care of Peter."
Sable pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Peter's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I swear to never let him go."
"Good." May whispered before pulling back.
The two ladies slowly broke the hug and shared a small chuckle before Peter finally stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a tray full of hot tea in cups.
"Sorry I took so long." He said, setting the tray down. "The old water heater wasn't boiling when I needed it to."
Aunt May patted the side of her nephew's face. "It's alright, dear. I was just getting to know Ms. Sablinova better."
"Wait...you didn't tell her about any embarassing stories of me as a kid, did you?" Peter asked, wrapping his arm around Sable's shoulders.
"No, of course not. At least...not yet." She joked with a small laugh.
Peter sighed in relief, much to the amusement of both his Aunt and Sable. The Queen of Symkaria was glad to see the way her beloved and his aunt interacted. It was obvious that they were both very close to each other and it reminded her of the good times she had with her own mother as a child.
"All jokes aside..." The elderly woman said, "Ms. Sablinova is a lovely young lady, Peter. Make sure you treasure and treat her well."
Peter held Sable closer with a smile. "I always will, Aunt May. I promise."
May happily nodded before taking another sip of tea. Peter and Sable followed suit and drank some of their own tea. The hot drinks helped to warm them up from the slight chill in Peter's apartment.
"...So when can I expect to see my grandchildren?"
Peter and Sable choked on their drinks at such an awkward question and coughed out the trapped tea in their throats almost immediately.
...Maybe she shouldn't have joked about such a thing just yet but May couldn't help herself from chuckling at the cute awkward expressions on Peter's and Sable's blushing faces.
...
- Old joke at the end but I really couldn't come up with anything else. It was really hard to write this after being away for so long but I did the best I could.
- I did miss doing this though and I wanted to update at least once more at home before going back to the Orient. It was very surprising to see how many people came to like this story during my absence and I truly appreciate the support. Thank you and as always, reviews are welcome.