Peter skidded to a halt as he reached the bedroom, and his expression darkened as soon as he did. As soon as he caught a glimpse of the white silky material, his mood soured and without bothering to knock, he stormed into the room and snatched the suit from Gwen's hands.

"Hey!"

"You are not doing this!"

In disbelief over his words, she folded her arms across her chest in annoyance. "And who are you? My father?"

"Get mad all you want, you're still not doing this."

"Peter-"

"No, I'm serious Gwen! Putting on these suits… doing these things brings us nothing but trouble and pain and I'm done."

"You may be done, but I am not! That's my brother that they're holding, I'm not going to sit by and do nothing."

"How can you be so naive?" He raised his voice. "That is not your brother, that is another one of their tricks!"

At this, Gwen's expression hardened. She turned around quickly, running her fingers through her hair, and when she spun to face him once again, she laughed. He dropped the suit on the bed and sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be talked out of doing this.

"I am not naive."

"I didn't mean-"

"Caring about this does not make me naive, and it does not make me vulnerable. I am capable of handling myself, even in the worst situations. I know why you're trying to stop me, but I can make my own choices and if there's even the slightest chance that it could be my brother… then I have to find out."

Peter thought about what he was going to say next. The last thing he wanted to do was argue and push her into doing something even more stupid, but he couldn't let her walk into a trap either.

"I know… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell." He sighed. "And I know that if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't hesitate either… but we can't just barge in there without a plan. It could end badly that way. If we're going to do this then we have to think it through. You have to be more careful now, and I'm not willing to risk everything."

"Peter, please… I need this."

Licking his lips, he weighed up their options carefully. "Alright. We'll go there… but here's the deal, I will distract them, while you investigate. If Simon is there then I want you to take him and get out, I will follow once I've dealt with whoever the caller is."

Gwen shook her head in protest. "Absolutely not. If there's a fight then we fight together."

"But-"

"I'm not unable, Peter. I know how to take care of myself. You don't have to worry, I'm not going to do anything that would risk my life, or the life of our baby… I'm not going to put our family in jeopardy."

Knowing that nothing else he could say would change her mind, he nodded in agreement. He stood up, with the suit in his hands, and offered it out to her. She hesitated briefly before taking it, but quickly discarded it on the bed and wrapped her arms around him, then pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"Look, I know that you are scared to death of losing it all, we are not gonna let that happen."

"Yeah, it's just- I already made that fatal mistake with you once… and if I make it again-"

"You won't." She assured him. "I know you won't." Then smiled, "now, let's go kick some ass."

With that being said, she picked up the suit from the bed and watched as Peter reached into the same box, and pulled his own out. Once they were both in their suits, they headed down the stairs, but Gwen stopped as she realized that they had no clue on the location of the caller.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing her perplexed expression.

"How are we supposed to know where the call came from?... In a city this big, it's impossible to track without a caller ID."

Peter thought this through for a second, unsure of how to answer. "Well, whenever we've had trouble, Oscorp is never far behind. I doubt that it's any different this time around."

"Yeah, I guess it would be pretty obvious to start there."

Heading outside to the truck, Gwen hopped in the passenger side as Peter got into the driver's seat. He started the engine without a word and pulled out onto the road. Gwen remained facing the window, with her eyes glued to the outside world and a thousand thoughts rushing like water through her mind. Though mostly she was replaying the events of the night her family were killed, trying to work out how she hadn't noticed her brother not being there. If it was her brother.

"Don't worry, we'll get there as soon as we can. I promise." Peter said, reaching over and placing his hand on her knee as they hit a red light.

She turned her head to face him. "Yeah, I know. I'm not thinking about timing, I just… I feel like such an idiot."

As the light turned green, Peter returned his hand to the steering wheel and his eyes to the road, but glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Hey! Don't say that. You are not an idiot." He scolded. "Why on earth would you say such a thing?"

"Because how could I not realize that there were only three bodies and not four? That's my own family and yet I- I completely forgot about my brother."

"Well, we don't know that for definite yet. It could all just be mind games."

"And if it's not?"

"Then we'll deal with that too." He stated firmly. "If it is him then I don't think you forgot about him on purpose… it came out of a place of grief."

She sighed, watching the road as they pulled into the Oscorp parking lot. "That doesn't make it okay. All this time… it's not- never mind. Let's just get this over with."

"Okay." He agreed. "Just don't stress yourself out over it. If it happened then it's in the past and you have the chance to fix it now."

With only a nod, she opened the door and stepped out of the truck, slamming it again behind her. Peter got out the other side, and walked beside Gwen as she headed towards the back entrance of the building. He reached for the door handle, but she quickly stopped him as her senses began to tingle.

"No!" She yelled. "Something isn't right."

Before he was able to speak, something grabbed him from behind and threw him across the lot. He landed on the ground with a roll near a black Mercedes, and got back on his feet despite the pain. Gwen turned around, but found the guy from Starbucks blocking her path.

"Wha- it's you?"

"Is your surprise genuine or are you just happy to see me?"

"I- I- … Stop playing games, you freak!"

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Eddie… Peter's new enemy."

Annoyed by his presence, Gwen swung her hand with a force that knocked him to the floor when it collided with his face. Peter raced back over to the entrance and forced himself in between Gwen and Eddie, who was already back on his feet.

"Lay even a finger on her and you are dead!"

"Oh please, you couldn't kill me last time. What makes you think it's any different now?"

Peter froze, trying to decipher the meaning of Eddie's words. "No… it can't-"

He broke off as he watched Eddie's face twist and contort until his entire body became enveloped in a substance that looked like sticky tarr; one that he recognised instantly. He backed up a few steps as it grew bigger until it was twice the size of them.

"He is Eddie… and together, we are Venom."

Shifting into a fighting stance, Peter aimed his arm so that it pointed towards Venom's monstrous face and shot a web that temporarily blindsided him and attempted to throw a punch. Venom simply lifted Peter as if he were nothing but a rag doll and slammed him into the wall. Gwen bit her lip to keep from yelling, and looked around frantically for something to use against Venom. Spotting a dumpster at the side of the building, she fled over to it and picked a medium sized metal beam, hitting it against the dumpster in full force.

Venom recoiled, dropping Peter and clutching his head in discomfort. Peter fell to his knees, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Gwen went to race over there when a child-like voice screaming her name stopped her in her tracks. She turned around and her jaw dropped.

"Simon." She whispered, all but forgetting the fight for a moment.

Her attention was quickly pulled back to Venom as she heard Peter yell in pain. She spun around to see that he was forced to the ground on his stomach, with his arm being held by Venom at an angle that would only need a little pressure before it snapped. Picking up the metal beam, she once again hit it against the dumpster.

Venom screamed, dropping Peter's arm and almost curling up in a ball. Hitting it once more to ensure that Peter had enough time to get back up, she turned back to the boy that had called her name.

"Simon… run!"

As she yelled the words, the boy gave her one last desperate look before fleeing the scene. Once he had disappeared from sight, she lifted the beam and hit it again, this time doing so repeatedly. Venom's shrieks were loud, and pierced through the air like a knife to skin. While he was down, Peter recovered from the hits he'd taken and searched the area for something to light a fire with.

Despite Gwen hitting the beam repeatedly, Venom fought through it and advanced towards her. Upon reaching her, he snatched the beam from her hand, snapping it in half and taking a swing at her. She ducked backwards to dodge the hit, watching wide eyed as he discarded both pieces. Peter raced over, but was unable to reach them before Venom struck her, landing a hit that sent her body into the wall and following it up with a hit that slammed her head into the glass window of the Oscorp building.

Peter picked up one of the discarded beam pieces and forcefully hit it against the dumpster, creating an even bigger sound wave that caused Venom to retreat back to hiding inside Eddie. Using this to his advantage, Peter shot a web that entangled Eddie and then ran at him. Both men tumbled to the ground, with Peter coming out on top and throwing punches at Eddie.

Gwen pushed herself up from the wall, and wrapped her arms around herself to keep from falling over. She stared blankly at the fight unfolding and froze, unsure of what to do, knowing that Peter wouldn't be happy if she put herself at risk. The sound waves died out, and as Peter went to throw another punch, Venom resurfaced, catching his wrist and forcing him back until he was able to shove him off with little effort.

Venom got back to his feet, but made no move to attack, confusing them both. Finally able to move, Gwen hurried over to Peter and grabbed his arms, trying to usher him away through fear that a move would be made.

"Interesting…" Venom sneered, moving a step towards them. "She fights beside you still, in spite of your secret." He snickered. "Could it be that you haven't told her?"

"Don't!" Peter warned as Gwen looked at him questioningly.

Venom simply laughed. "She's bound to find out sooner or later… wouldn't you rather it be sooner?"

"Stop!"

"Go on, Peter! Go on and tell her your little secret."

Gwen's eyes widened. "W- wait, what secret?" She stammered. "What's he talking about?"

Venom leaned in closer to Peter, almost completely in his face. "If you don't tell her, then I will… and I won't be so kind!"

"What secret?... Peter?" She tugged at his arm, attempting to get his attention.

"Go on…"

Peter's shoulders slumped and with a sigh, he turned to Gwen with eyes full of fear and regret. He swallowed hard, feeling the guilt inside him about to burst. There was only one way forward now.

"I lied."

Gwen didn't speak, though she attempted to a couple of times. Peter remained standing with his heart pounding in his chest, anticipating what would happen next. Silence was not a good start. He looked back at Venom, who quickly shrunk back into Eddie. Peter stepped towards him, but before he could say or do anything, Eddie had fled the scene.

"Y- your head… Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." She whispered, with her mind only half focused.

Peter cast his eyes downward, knowing full well that those words didn't mean a thing. He wanted her to speak again, but knew that she wouldn't. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly then reached out, attempting to touch her. She moved away, causing his hand to brush only thin air.

"Gwen, I-" He broke off, noticing the hurt in her face. "I'm sorry."

She didn't say anything. Not even so much as an okay or a nod. Instead, she walked away; heading back to the truck and not bothering to see if he was following behind. Even as he got inside the truck, it was quiet enough to have heard a pin drop. Peter knew better than to try and talk. Her silence was all the evidence he needed, as it plagued the entire ride. As soon as he pulled the truck into the driveway and switched the engine off, she wasted no time in getting out and heading inside.

He remained inside for a second, dreading what would follow. Though whatever happened, he knew that it was his own doing. She was not at fault for his inability to be honest with her. It was something he had regretted from the moment she had asked him back in the hospital, but it was too late to take it back now. With a heavy heart, he forced himself out of the truck and followed her inside, closing the front door behind him.

Gwen paused for a moment as her mind flashed back to events that had happened. Hurrying across the hall, she caught up with Peter and stopped him before he entered the kitchen.

"Hey... Uh, Peter..." She began, relaxing a little as she glided her hand over her stomach, trying to ease her anxiety. She felt beyond sick just thinking about what answers he would provide, but had too many questions not to ask them.

Leaning back against the doorframe, he stopped for a second, with a feeling of dread over the conversation that he could sense they were about to have.

"Yeah?" He questioned.

"Back in the parking lot... When we were confronted by Venom... You said something after he kept pushing you and tormenting you..." She prompted.

"A lot of things were said... Which words exactly are you talking about?" He asked, though he was afraid that he already knew.

"Come on, Peter... You know which words I'm talking about." She said, unimpressed with him pretending not to know.

"I said I..." He sighed. "I lied." He finished hesitantly. The words had tasted bad the first time he'd said them. It was torture to have to repeat them. A torture he deserved to feel.

"Yeah I caught that then, but lied? Lied about what?" She questioned.

"The night we fought Harry." He told her.

Swallowing hard, Gwen forced herself to continue the conversation despite her head already spinning. "What do you mean you lied?" She quizzed.

"I'm so sorry, Gwen." He muttered.

"N-n- No, I don't want to hear your apology, I want you to clear things up for me." She demanded.

Knowing that no matter how he said it, the end result would be the same, Peter decided that he had no choice anymore. He had to come clean with her and accept the consequences of his dishonesty. He closed his eyes for a second, thinking of where to start, then opened them again and spoke.

"I lied about what happened the night that we fought Harry." He admitted.

"No... You're joking. This has to be some sort of joke." She denied, fear laced in her voice.

"I wish to God that I was joking, but I'm not. I lied to you, Gwen. I promised you honesty and I failed." He insisted.

"Tell me... T- Tell me the truth." She demanded, struggling to keep her voice steady as her eyes glossed over.

"Oh I really don't think-" He began, but she was quick to interrupt.

"Don't! Don't tell me what you think is best for me right now. You said you lied to me, so tell me the truth." She pleaded.

"Venom was calling you, pretending to be your dead mother. I tried to warn you that it wasn't really her, but you wouldn't listen. Later that night, you got up and left me, leaving only a note behind. I was upset by what you did, but when I woke up and you were gone, I looked everywhere for you. I realized you'd gone to fight Venom or Harry... Or both, and I followed my senses which led me to the fight. You almost got yourself killed because you were blinded by the thought of revenge. Don't worry, you didn't kill Harry, he kinda got himself killed... But you walked into that fight and barely walked out alive. Despite what I said, you allowed yourself to be fooled by his tricks and allowed it to overpower your feelings for me." Peter explained, biting his lip, feeling ashamed as he anticipated her response.

Her eyes wide with realization, Gwen remained silent as she felt her whole body begin to shake. She gripped the door frame to support her weight as she feared that her legs would fail her, but despite the ease on her feet, she struggled to breathe; her chest feeling like she was buried underneath a tonne of weights.

"I..." She tried to speak but her voice cracked and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it steady if she finished her sentence. It wasn't just his lie, but the fact that it was her actions that had led to that awful night. Silently, she cursed her inability to remember.

"Gwen, I am so... I'm so sorry." He muttered, feeling pathetic. "Are you- Are you okay?" He asked, although he knew it was stupid.

She glared at him in disbelief. "You just admitted that you lied to me and have been lying to me about that night for over a year and- And you just told me that everything that happened that night was because of me... No, Peter. I'm not okay. Not even a little bit." She answered, her voice low and heavy with distraught.

"I should have told you a long time ago, I know. But I didn't. I was stupid, and I was scared... And I was also wrong." He admitted.

"Wh- Why didn't you just tell me?" She asked, feeling her head begin to throb.

"Because I didn't want to hurt you. You were already on a fragile path and I was afraid that if you knew then you would lose it." He answered truthfully.

"So you lied because you thought that I couldn't handle it. You thought I was weak." She snapped coldly.

"No, that's not-" He began to protest.

"Yes! That is exactly how it feels, Peter! Though you wouldn't know that because I have never... NEVER been dishonest with you because I thought you couldn't handle the truth! You lied to me, and what's even worse is how long you kept up with that... With that lie! You brushed off all of my nightmares as just classic PTSD... You hated when I didn't tell you something when all the while you had done worse! You stood at that altar on our wedding day, you looked me in the eyes and you made a vow to be honest when this whole time you were keeping a secret from me!" She screamed at him. "This... This h-hu-h..." She stuttered, unable to finish the sentence or stop the tears from falling. "Oh my- This- I... I can't even... I can't think straight. It hurts so bad that I can't- I can't breathe." She cried, her few spilled tears becoming more frequent as she lost her composure.

Peter winced at her tone and cast his eyes down at his feet. He couldn't bring himself to lift his head and look her in the eyes. The shame he felt was just too strong, and knowing that he had caused her extreme amounts of pain made him hurt too. He couldn't be mad at her for how she'd reacted, she had every right to be upset with him. He was even upset with himself; and angry too. Hearing the evidence of how bad he'd screwed up had ignited a burning hatred of himself, and he fought the urge to go find Venom and let the monster beat him.

"Look... Look at me, Peter!" She demanded.

"I- I can't." He whispered.

"Look at me! You looked me in the eye when you admitted to lying to me, so look at me!" She demanded again.

Not wanting to make the situation worse, he lifted his head and looked her in the eyes, feeling like his heart was being strangled as he took in the sight of her face; her eyes red rimmed and glossy, her bottom lip plastered in ripped skin from the mere force of her biting it, and a cut on her upper cheek from the hit she'd taken in the fight. He already knew that he was to blame for it. All he could do was live with what he'd done.

"I have forgiven you in the past for some pretty huge mistakes. Calling me stupid and selfish because you were in a panic, constantly breaking up with me because you let your fear take over and so much more... B- But this? Peter, I don't know if I have it in me to forgive you for this. I mean I- don't... I don't know if I can even trust you anymore." She cried.

"You- You're hurt. You're angry, and you have every right to be. You should be mad... Hate me, even. But you can't hate me more than I do myself right now." He stated, his voice dry.

"I'm beyond hurt, Peter! I feel like you just ripped my heart out and smashed it with a hammer! I can't- I can barely speak clearly right now and I can't think, I can't breathe... It feels like death." She snapped. "But I don't hate you! I love you and this- This is killing me! I don't want to fight but I can't just forget about this! You… you lied to me for over a year. All that time you could have just come clean with me, yet waited until Venom prompted you to do so…" She sobbed, clutching at her chest as breathing became a challenge.

Before she could say anymore, she felt her legs begin to shake and feared that they wouldn't hold out much longer. Pushing herself away from the doorframe, she found herself unable to move and let her back hit the hardwood again as she fell back against it.

"Gwen, please... I'll do anything. Anything that you want me to do. Just please... Give me a chance to prove that you can trust me... Here, let me help you!" He pleaded, reaching out to help her move away from the door.

"No!" She snapped, shoving his hands away and finally finding the strength to move away. With her weight fully back on her own two feet, she began to stalk away. Peter moved after her, reaching out to her again only for her turn and shove him back. "D- Don't touch me right now!" She screamed, hurrying into the bathroom and slamming the door shut in his face before he could enter.

Peter let his head drop against the door with a harsh thud and closed his eyes with a sigh. He couldn't recall a time where he'd ever felt worse than he did at that moment. The one person he'd never wanted to hurt, yet he'd allowed his fear to take over and destroyed her more than the truth would have done from the start. He felt the door move, indicating that she had sunk down to the floor, and his heart ached as the soft cries turned into painful sobs accompanied by gasps for air and the sound of heaving. Sighing in defeat, he turned around and slowly walked away from the door, knowing that the only thing he could do was leave her be for a while and try to talk to her when she was ready; if she would ever be ready.

He sank down on the couch, running his hands through his chestnut hair before it all hit him. His face creased in pain and in his own company, he let the tears come. Although he'd had good intentions, his lies had done only harm and he'd done the one thing he never wanted to do; hurt her.

"Peter…" Her soft yet broken voice cut through his thoughts.

He lifted his head, not bothering to hide that he too, had gotten upset. His heart lit up slightly, in the hopes that she'd decided to talk, but then he noticed her shaking hands and the panicked expression on her face. She had her arms wrapped around herself too, as though she was holding herself up. Unable to find the words, he questioned her with his eyes.

"I'm bleeding."

As the words left her lips, she doubled over in pain. Peter, in both shock and horror, jumped to his feet and rushed to her side. He could feel her reluctance to allow him near her, but she didn't protest when he put her arm around his shoulder and helped her to stand straight. He remained calm despite the fear that gripped him inside, knowing that panicking would get them nowhere, and focused solely on getting to the truck.

The ride to the hospital passed fairly quickly, and it all passed in a blur as they went from the emergency entrance, to being ushered into the same room they'd been in less than forty-eight hours ago, with a bunch of tests being run and questions being asked. Peter paced the room, this time without any traces of humor. He was too busy kicking himself mentally for all that had gone down through the night. Gwen didn't speak, or even acknowledge his presence in the room as she stared blankly, awaiting answers. Both their heads snapped up as the door opened, and the same nurse came back with a clipboard in her hand.

"Is- is everything okay?" Peter jumped in hastily.

The nurse looked firmly at two of them, not oblivious to the awkward air between them. She looked down at the clipboard and her expression softened.

"According to your records so far, and the tests we've run this evening, yes. Everything seems perfectly fine." She answered. "But, the pain and bleeding were caused by high stress levels."

"So, the baby isn't in danger?" Gwen asked, fiddling with her fingers.

"No. Well, at least not yet. Though I should warn you that an increase of stress as of this point will put you at greater risk of a miscarriage." She informed them. "Please don't panic yourself over this, it's highly unlikely that this will occur, you just have to be mindful of the things that could cause a rise in stress levels." She added, eyeing Peter as he winced at her words.

"Yeah, tonight's just been… it doesn't matter. I will try to remain calm from now on."

"That would be for the best." The nurse hesitated. "Mr Parker, would you kindly step outside for a second?"

"Certainly." He agreed, taking one last longing look at Gwen, before leaving.

"Sorry, is there something more?"

"I just wanted to inform you that there are options…"

"Woah, hold up… what do you mean by options?"

"There are plenty of women in your situation who we help out with our programme every day."

"My situation?"

"Oh yes. See, we take these kinds of things very seriously, and if you feel like you can't speak up because your husband is-"

Gasping in realization, Gwen shook her head. "My husband is not one of those."

"Really?" The nurse questioned in surprise. "My apologies, I just thought-"

"Thought what? That because I am stressed that my husband caused it?"

"It's just that many victims of domestic-"

"I can't believe this! Listen lady, stress can be for many reasons, it doesn't make it his fault. I am not a victim of anything. I find it highly unethical of you to insinuate such absurdity, but let me tell you that you are severely mistaken. Peter would never dream of harming me. He's not some kind of monster! He has never and would never put me in danger. Peter is a caring and compassionate man, and I find it incredibly insulting that you jump to conclusions without asking questions first. I am sorry to be rude, but you really need to mind your own business!"

Gwen glared at the woman, who just stood speechless with the clipboard in her hands. "I think we are done here."

With that being said, she slipped out of the room only to be confronted with Peter leaning against the wall as he waited. She gave him a stern look, but said nothing as she led the way down the hall.

"You didn't have to defend me, you know."

This earned him a frown. She stopped abruptly and turned to him. "I wasn't defending you, Peter. She made an assumption and I corrected her on that."

"But, I heard what you- those nice things you said about me."

"Oh, and what do you want? A receipt? It's simple, she was wrong and I put her in her place. Don't read too much into it, Pete." She snapped. "And don't think that this fixes anything because it doesn't. You hurt me deeply by lying to me, and I am done talking about this."

She walked on ahead, not bothering to wait for his response.

"Good." He sighed. "I deserve this."