Return to Form: A One-Shot
This epilogue takes place 5 years after Gwens of Future Past*
"So. You're from the future. You're future Spider-Man."
"Well, not your future, and, frankly, that's an egregious over-simplification of my identity, but,
basically, yes."
I'm sitting in Avengers Tower, having returned like just 10 minutes ago from another
earth-shattering, time-altering event.
Business as usual.
What's not usual is the guy sitting across from me.
Now, this is not Spider-Woman's first rodeo, you know? This isn't the first time I've met
displaced Spider-Heroes from other universes and times. In fact, just A Spider-Man from the
future is pretty tame compared to when I teamed up with a past version of myself from another
timeline (see Gwens of Future Past!, the story you just finished reading!).
It is, however, the first time in a while that this had happened. I had kinda figured most of my
timey-wimey superheroing was behind me at this point. Since I'd turned thirty a couple years
ago, I had done what we in the business called a "soft reboot." That basically means my
superhero mantle went into the Hall of Fame, and I started taking on a mentor role for a newer,
younger hero (who just happens to be my adopted daughter, Ava Stacy-Parker AKA Ghost),
which means when there's a big disaster, I usually hang back. Does it make me feel old that I'm
basically retired at only 35 years of age? Yes, it does. Regardless, it means more time with Peter
and Rachel, who's a whole ten years old now, which is crazy. How time flies.
And gets shoved through the universe's rinse cycle.
Like today, for instance. Tempus Simia, a time-traveling villain (yes, he has a monkey aesthetic,
no, he is not actually a monkey. Maybe metaphorically though) who found some of Kang's tech
that Damage Control missed after our battle 5 years ago, finally managed to actually get a
functioning time window going. In the center of the city.
Since this was Code Red, I was called in, alongside pretty much every other Avenger, to stop the
cataclysm. We did so pretty handily, as Tempus Simia is C-Level at best, despite the havoc he
caused (Usually it's just a large machine he claims can time travel, but is really gonna just
explode as soon as it turns on). Calling in a Red Alert is a precaution, more than anything, just
because mangled time can get out of hand quickly. But, according to Future Spider here, he was
traveling through dimensions, when the time window opened, and he got pulled through on his
way back to his own dimension. And his landing caused damage to the device he used to travel
in the first place.
Which is why we were now in my office, shooting the breeze.
"Alright, well, I would be losing my mind right now, if this was my first tangle with time-space
nonsense. But it's not. You don't get through 20 years of superheroing without meeting some
anomalies."
Future Spider-Man seems to tense a little at that. Wonder how high-strung this guy is.
"Hey, so I know like, secret identity and everything, but who are you?"
He looks at me for a second, and I can feel him weighing his options. His doubt passes, and he
pulls his mask off, revealing his sharp features and slightly unruly hair. Wow. He's a looker.
"My name is Miguel O'Hara. I'm a science experiment gone wrong. I use my abilities to help
those who can't help themselves, and run a secret Spider-Society to help the innocent across the
Multiverse." (hmmm… that sounds suspiciously like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse!)
"...Why didn't I get an invite?"
"What?"
"Well, why didn't I get an invite to this Spider-Society of yours? I like to think I'm a decent
hero, so…" I'm trying to play it cool, but honestly, I'm a little upset.
"It's because I already have one Gwen Stacy I have to deal with, and I don't think I could handle
another," He retorts curtly.
"Hey, my guy, that's no way to talk." Man, what a jerk!
Miguel's back curls down from the tight line he'd had been holding for the past minute. "I know.
I'm sorry." He meets my gaze again. "It's hard to remember that each version of us is different,
Peter to Peter, Gwen to Gwen. No, the real reason is because, when Lyla and I started searching
for help, you were one of the first candidates her algorithm pulled up. Smart, strong, a team
leader and player, and been in the game for a while. But we saw you and your family, and I- Lyla
ran some numbers and arrived at the conclusion that you wouldn't want to spend any more time
away from them then you already did." His gaze drops to the floor again. "I know how important
family is."
I'm trying to solve an internal debate -do I comfort him? Keep telling him off? Ask what hair
products he uses?- when Ava bursts in. "Gwen! Are you done with-Oh wow." She stops short at
the sight of Miguel, who looks up at the sudden disturbance. "Um. Oh, so Tony says that he can't
figure out how to rewire our future guy-"
"Miguel."
Ava blinks in surprise. "What?"
Miguel smirks a little and repeats, "Miguel. My name is Miguel O'Hara."
She blinks again before continuing, now addressing him. "Oh. Well, uh, Miguel, it looks like our
tech guy can't figure out how to replicate the future tech in your dimension travel device using
what we have on hand right now. He's pretty brilliant, so I'm sure he'll have something by
tomorrow, but it looks like you're stuck here for tonight." She laughs before adding, "Hope you
didn't have any hot dates planned."
Miguel smiles, but it's a sad smile. He's got some baggage for sure. "No, nothing planned." He
glances back at me. "Guess I'll just hang around here, then?"
Before I can say anything, Ava pipes up. "Well, I mean, we do have that guest bedroom back at
home. It's literally for when we have interdimensional strangers over."
I pause, smile, and turn to Miguel. "She's right. If you think you can handle sitting through a
little league soccer game, you're more than welcome to stay with us tonight."
Miguel blinks in surprise before giving a small smile again. "That sounds like fun."
"So…do you know me in your world? Am I cool?"
I roll my eyes, surprised it took Peter this long to ask Miguel anything about his universe. He
asks everyone who comes through here (an anxiety-riddenly high number), and is always giddy
at the answer (well, except when the world's Peter died tragically. (See Masks and Gwens of
Future Past!))
"Actually, I don't know. I come from a future where Spider-Man- er, Peter Parker- has been dead
for a long time. It's a long story, but I became…y'know, super… because I was inspired by
Spider-Man and tried to recreate his abilities." He pauses. "Although, it was an accident that I
got these abilities."
"How is it in the future? Do they still have, like, soccer and cars and-?"
"Guys! This is the last 5 minutes of the game and Rachel's team needs to score just one point to
pull ahead of the other team! I need your cheering power!" I always get a little tense at these
soccer games. I know Rachel is good, and I want her to win because of her skill and practice, but
also… she's my kid. Of course I want her to win.
The guys exchange looks and then proceed to cheer even louder than Ava and I.
I smile, and try to cheer just as loud, much to the chagrin of the family next to us.
Though it was a tough game, Rachel's team, the Black Dogs, beat their opponents, 3 to 2.
Rachel runs up to me after her team all hi-fives the others. "MOM! Did you see how good I was
at stealing the ball?"
"I sure did!" I reply (even if she only stole the ball once the entire game). "You did so great!"
"Thanks! Hey, dad, did you-!" She pauses as she notices Miguel for the first time. She leans back
over to me and, in a very loud whisper, asks, "Um… who's that?"
Peter throws his arm around Miguel's shoulders, grinning. "This, sweetie, is Miguel! He's one of
mom's friends from work!" Miguel looks super uncomfortable, but only for a moment, before he
regains his composure, smiles, and gives Rachel a thumbs-up.
"Oh. OK….anyways, I did so good!" Rachel returns to shouting, as Ava scoops her up (as well
as she can) and spins her around.
"You sure did! You did great, sis!" Ava gives her a one more hug and then puts her back down.
"Y'know, I thought I heard from mom that if you did great at your game today, she and dad
would take us for…Ice Cream?" She turns to me, a mischievous look in her eye. "Was that
right?"
Before I could even think of protesting, Rachel explodes, screaming - appropriately, I suppose,
"YES! AbsoLUTELY! I did SO GOOD! We get ICE CREAM!"
Both Peter and Miguel jump back, as I smile. "Of course, we can get ice cream. Miguel deserves
to have some fun with us."
Peter throws his arm around both me and Miguel. "It'll be a party!"
Ava, Peter and Rachel are running around on the playground, having already finished their ice
cream, leaving me and Miguel sitting on a bench to the side, watching them mess around. It's
nice to see Ava have so much fun; she's been struggling under the weight of superheroics, as
everyone does.
"This is nice."
I blink, taken off guard by Miguel's softer tone. "What?"
"This. I told you earlier that my team didn't recruit you because of your family. And that's true,
but…well, it was my decision. I had…" He gestures around, searching for the right word, and
settles on, "...this…. once, and lost it. You need and deserve this."
I sit back, considering this. "Well, thanks, but… deserve is kind of a strong…word?"
"No, it's not." Miguel points to Rachel. " How'd you and Peter manage to work her into your
lives?"
I tuck my legs against my body and hold them. "Well, it was hard, that's for sure. It was difficult
to manage both his job and my street work. And of course it was a long talk between both of us
on whether we could even have a child, and if my radiation would hurt her during pregnancy,
and what kind of hero-ing could I even do while pregnant, and at the time I wasn't with the
Avengers due to some wild magic shenanigans, so it was just a lot to balance on our own and…
well…."
"But you managed." He points to Ava. "And her?"
"Oh man, where to start?" I rest my chin on my knees. "After a younger, alternate universe
version of me came through a portal, Ava wasn't far behind. Turns out Ava could phase through
dimensions - Don't ask, she can't anymore. Tony stabilized her phasing so she could stay in this
dimension with me after Kang destroyed her old-"
"You fought a Kang?" Miguel asks, near slack-jawed.
I sit a little straighter. "Yeah, I mean with all the help of the Avengers this time, but yeah. Kang
was destroying universes, Ava's included, before he came to mine and tried to destroy it. We
stopped him, sent alternate-dimension-me back home, and, after finding her old dimension
destroyed, and talking it over with her and Peter, we took her in."
A silence settles in, as Miguel clocks his head a little bit. "And… Despite all that… you don't
know if you deserve this life?"
I meet his gaze for a second before turning away again. "Well, yeah, I know, I've worked a lot
but deserve-"
"Stop. Stop, stop, stop. Gwen, believe me, I've heard enough self-doubt from countless Spiders.
Hell, I've indulged in it myself plenty of times. But I know, for sure, that you deserve this life
you have. They need you, and they love you." I say nothing, silently watching Ava wrap Rachel
in a hug as Peter hugs the two of them. It's beautiful, a miraculous moment, one that, in many
moments throughout my life, I never thought I'd see.
Miguel puts his hand on my shoulder as my vision blurs and tears wet my cheeks.
"Well, if you need anything else, just let us know. We'll be just down the hall." I close the door
to the guest room as Miguel nods, and turns over in the guest bed. He's tired from dimension
hopping and playing tag with Rachel before she tired herself out. I can hear him snoring already
by the time I make it to my room. Peter's waiting for me, his bed lamp on so he can read. Right
now, he's been on a Charles Dickens kick, currently in the middle of Hard Times (which only
makes me think of the Paramore song). He looks up when I walk in.
"Everything good with Miguel?"
I nod. "Yeah. He's already asleep." I walk past the bed into our small bathroom to brush my
teeth. A few moments pass, before Peter says, hesitantly, "Is everything OK, Gwendy?"
I spit out my toothpaste, into the sink. "I think so."
I look back up and into the mirror, noticing Peter is leaning in the doorway. "You sure? I don't
have your heightened senses, but I know you well enough to sense when you're in your feelings.
What's up?"
"I….I had a conversation with Miguel… at the park. I told him about how much we've worked
for… all this. I started to say…well, I started talking about…" I falter a little, not sure how to put
it together.
"Your impostor syndrome?" Peter suggests, trying to be helpful.
I glare at him, annoyed that he nailed what I was trying to say. He does know me well. "Yeah, I
guess so. That. Anyways, he kind of rebuked me for feeling that way." My stern look melts away
again. "He told me that he had lost his family, and basically told me not to waste having you by
feeling sorry for myself, for events out of my control."
I'm close to tears, my vision blurring, and look at Peter, expecting him to be full of sympathy
and care.
He's not. He shrugs, and says, "Well, yeah. I've been trying to get that into your head for years."
I nearly shove him out of the bathroom, before remembering that if I did, he'd go flying through
the wall.
"Peter! I'm trying to have a moment, I just need a little comfor-!" He pulls me into a tight
embrace. I don't cry; I'm too surprised. It takes me a moment, but I slowly realize how long it's
been since he held me this close. Since he's held me quite like this.
After a moment, I look up at him, knowing that something that comes so quickly still means a lot
to me. "Thanks. I need that."
"I know. Sometimes I just forget."
"I do too."
Another pause. "Our life is pretty chaotic." Pause. Then, "We need to slow down for each other
every once in a spend all our time on Ava and Rachel…we forget each other."
"Yeah, we do." I take a long, pregnant pause before continuing, "I still don't know if I deserve
you. But I am grateful every day that you're here." I pull him into another embrace.
"I'm thankful, in so many ways, for you too." Peter looks over at our bed. "We should probably
get to bed, huh?"
I catch his meaning. "Yeah, we probably should."
We sleep very well, all night, right next to each other.
The next morning, Miguel, Ava, and I head back to Avengers Tower. Tony called at 8am sharp to
let me know he'd completed the Universe Rolex (as he called it), so after a quick… embrace, I
got my suit, got ready for the day, and headed out.
Tony is waiting at the door, his hoverchair humming softly.
"Alright, so I'm going to act nonchalant about this tech for the rest of the morning, but wow!
This future tech is incredible. A shame I couldn't just keep it…just a little longer…"
Miguel snatches it out of Tony's hands. "Sorry. I've disrupted the timeline and the universe and
…uh… whatnot. You know how it is."
Tony looks incredibly perturbed, but relents. "Alright, well, we better get you back, then. It
should work now."
Miguel turns to me, and says, "Well, this has been fun, but I gotta get back, I imagine. So…"
I hug him, knowing he'll never understand what his visit helped me. "Hope you make it safely.
It's been a lot of fun, Miguel. Maybe I'll see you soon."
Miguel chuckles. "Maybe." He presses a couple of buttons on the watch. In a flash, orange and
purple hexagons emerge behind him, forming a sort of tunnel. He puts out his hand for me to
shake, but I pull him into a hug.
"Thanks, again. And if you ever just reallllllyyy need an extra hand…."
This time, Miguel actually laughs. "Will do. Take care of what you have, Gwen. It's all you'll
ever get." And with that cryptic sign-off, he walks into the portal and suddenly disappears with a
small zap.
"Dang. I really wish we could hold on to at least one piece of tech from our dimensional visitors.
Ava's suit broke, his watch is the lynchpin of reality apparently, why can't I…." Tony begins to
trail off, hovering away, leaving me and Ava alone.
"Mom, do you think that we have each other in every universe?" Ava asks, startling me. In the
five years since Peter and I adopted her, she rarely calls me mom.
"Uh…well, I don't know. But I am sure that every version of you has someone who loves her.
Whether it's me, or Dr. Foster, someone does." I pull her close and hug her. "Either way, I am
glad that I have you, that you fell into my life. I love you, Ava."
We stand there for a while, holding onto each other.
—-
And that's IT! I don't know if I'll ever come back to this story to actually write out the last
chapters, but I wanted to at least end it on a nice note, giving these characters an ending. Thanks
to everyone who's read and commented and helped me write these stories for like a decade.
BYE!