Preview of Chapter 40

(Avengers Mansion)

Opening the entrance to his mansion, Peter closes it behind him, takes off his mask, waits patiently as the rapid pitter patter sound gets a bit louder. Before long a little grey blur launches itself at him and he catches it. 

“Hi Jeff,” he greets his pet land shark with a fond smile. 

The little guy has his tongue out and is wagging his tail in excitement, clearly happy to see his owner. He is even wagging his feet in the air in an effort to try and get closer and lick Peter’s face. 

Peter huffs in amusement at his unusual pet, "You're a menace, you know that?" He says affectionately, giving Jeff a good belly rub. The land shark squirms in delight, its razor-sharp teeth harmlessly gnashing the air.

"I swear dat ting is more dog than shark," a gravelly voice announces from behind him.

Peter turns to see Ben Grimm trudging into the foyer, looking particularly put-upon. The baby Phoenix is perched atop his rocky head, its feathers glowing with a soft orange light as it preens itself contentedly. He can’t help but grin at the sight of his friend, who can match the Hulk in terms of strength, is being overwhelmed by bird comparable to a canary.

Peter cannot fight the impulse to mock his friend, "You would make the loveliest cherub statue.”

"Very funny, Webhead." Ben grumbles as he points to the bird on his head, "Dis cosmic chicken won't stop using me as a roost and has been peckin' at my head for hours."

“Does it hurt?” Peter asks his friend.

“Not da point.” Ben states before he points at Jeff, “And dat ting has been stealing my sandwiches every time I make one.”

Peter looks at his pet shark and makesa mental note to start training it and the bird, to prevent them from misbehaving. “Maybe you should stand in the fountain and start spewing water," he suggests with a laugh. "Make it feel at home."

"Go stand in da middle of traffic." Ben shoots back as he gently plucks the bird from his head with one massive hand and deposits it onto Peter’s shoulder. "Now dat I’ve been relieved of duty, I got a meatball sandwich to get back to."

The man lumbers off, but not before Peter calls out after him, "Hey, are the others around?"

Ben pauses long enough to answer over his shoulder, "Carol an’ Wanda are in da study. Hope's in da kitchen with Thor. Logan's raiding yer liquor cabinet."

Peter nods in thanks and watches his friend go. He was able to speak with Ben the day after his big reveal back at the Baxter Building since the hero has been spending so much time there. When they spoke, Grimm told Peter he was more disappointed in the younger hero than he was upset with him. He lectured Spider-Man on how good leaders don’t keep important information from their teammates.

Jeff seems to sense his shift in mood, nuzzling against his chest with a small concerned sound. The baby Phoenix trills softly, its warmth intensifying slightly against his neck.

"Guess it's time to face the music," Peter mutters to himself. The bird on his shoulder chirps in encouragement as he sets Jeff down gently and walks to the media room.

With a deep breath, Peter heads to the media room. The sound of a movie playing suggests it's not just background noise, and he braces himself for what waits inside. The baby makes a soft cooing sound, as if sensing his unease.

He enters to find Carol and Wanda on the couch, with Hope sitting cross-legged in front of them on the floor. They're watching a black and white noir film, a choice that surprises him—especially from an audience more inclined to select Die Hard over Double Indemnity.

He hesitates to interrupt for a second before he clears his throat and announces, “Ladies.”

Hope glances his way first, her eyes narrowing. "Look who finally grew a set and decided to show up," she says, her tone cutting but not unkind.

Peter winces and rubs his neck, “Okay, I deserve that.” He says with a guilty look on his face, “I figured you guys need time to process and cool off before I came waltzing back.”

He looks to the ladies to gauge how they are reacting to seeing him. Carol doesn’t seem mad, more disappointed really. Wanda has this look that tells him she wants to get something off her chest. Hope is definitely angry, but she's staring at the ground instead of at him.

She’s still peeved— that much is clear, but her anger isn’t fiery like the day of his confession. More like smoldering embers.

"Must be nice," she says with a hint of resentment. "Having Jean teach you to play with cosmic fire while some of us were left to burn."

So she isn’t mad at him then. But she is mad over the unfair circumstances of his situation.

“Hope,” he starts gently, “Believe me when I say this, Jean is not the same Jean everyone knew. She let go of her humanity. And believe me when I say, right now it’s easy for me to be hosting this thing cause it’s only as dangerous as woodpecker.”

The bird chirps angrily and pecks his head.

“See.” He says, ignoring it even though it does, hurt a little.

Hope a little in amusement at the sight.

Peter turns his sights to the last person in the room. He looks at Wanda, who remains quiet for the moment, as her gaze lowers to her hands. He wonders what she is thinking and hopes that she’s not blaming herself for all this. He knows she does blame herself for the mutant extinction, and how the X-Men relied on the Hope to harness the Phoenix to save the mutant race, essentially robbing her of a childhood to train her. Wanda blames herself for all of it.

Wanda looks up at him, her expression inscrutable yet softened by something he can't quite place. There's a flicker of hesitance, then resolution in her eyes. "Can we talk?" she asks abruptly.

Surprised but willing, Peter nods. "Sure."

Wanda looks up at him, her expression inscrutable yet softened by something he can't quite place. There's a flicker of hesitance, then resolution in her eyes. "Can we talk?" she asks abruptly.

Surprised but willing, Peter nods. "Sure."

He follows Wanda out of the room and into the den, where they can have some privacy. He braces himself for what she has to say.

He cocks his head slightly at her statement; confused on what she’s referring to.

"The world I made," she clarifies, her words laden with regret and memory. "Where everyone's desires came true." She looks straight at him now, eyes unwavering but full of old wounds. "Your desire."

Peter stiffens as understanding dawns on him like a sudden chill. That world—her world—where he'd been married to Gwen Stacy, where they had children and happiness together, where he'd lived a life both extraordinary and simple. A superhero and movie star. His Unlce Ben was alive, so were his parents. A life without sacrifice or pain or cosmic burdens. He remembers waking up from that perfect dream into the harsh reality of his real life—and the strain it put on his already fractured relationship with Mary Jane back then.

His silence makes Wanda press on. “I know you hate me for it,” she continues, voice cracking slightly at the edges before steadying itself again. “Like most of them do.”

Peter takes a breath before he takes a seat. “I did,” he admits with brutal honesty and he can see from the corner of his eye that Wanda is afraid of what he is going to say, “I was mad beyond anything you can imagine. So mad that when the world changed back I had thoughts about killing you and your brother." The confession hangs in the air between them, raw and unvarnished.

Wanda flinches as if struck, her lips parting but no words coming forth.

“But I forgave you not long after.”

Wanda looks startled by his confession. She still stands, almost afraid to move closer. “Why?” she asks, incredulous.

He gains a small fond smile, “You can thank Mary Jane for that.”

Wanda remains silent, waiting for him to continue, her eyes a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. Peter leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as if the weight of the memory presses down on him.

"After everything changed back," he begins slowly, "I was a mess. I avoided talking to MJ for days until she and enough and confronted me. I told her everything. At first, I thought this was it. We’re gonna break up for good this time. But then she surprised me. She told me she always knew Gwen and I would have ended up together if... well, if things had been different. If Gwen had lived."

"She said that she knew Gwen was my first real love," Peter continues, "and that I would have married her and had a family. But she also said that even though she loved me, and wanted me to be happy with her instead of Gwen—she pushed us together more often than not." He lets out a breath that sounds like a laugh but isn’t one. "Said love makes people do stupid things, even at their own expense."