Last preview for Chapter 39.

Mary Jane is still getting used to these transitions.

One moment she's Red Sonja, warrior woman from some barbarian age traveling around New York City with sword and steel bikini on display for the world to gawk at. The next she's Mary Jane again, supermodel turned actress turned superhero and fully clothed by whatever magic allows her to switch forms between floors of an elevator.

It's trippy as hell.

Anyway, she is in the elevator now with her girlfriend Felicia and their guide Ben, who has been mum as to why Peter called them. Said guide has been rather mum as to why their shared boyfriend called them and asked them to come here. Whatever it is though, can’t be good. Grimm’s face has been grim since they got here.

Mary Jane makes a face and groans internally, ‘Peter is a really bad influence on me.’

She can hear Sonja snort in her mind, and not because she found her dumb joke funny.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Ben Grimm hold his hand out, “Ladies.”

He did the same thing when they got on the elevator. MJ smiles at his old school gentleman behavior, “Thank you.” She says and walks off the elevator.

Black Cat walks off without a word beside her. The two turn to the Thing who has yet to come off the elevator, that both are surprised to see can hold him up.

“You’re not coming with us?” Felicia inquires.

He rubs the back of his neck and gets sort of sympathetic and uncomfortable look on his face before he says, “‘Dis sort of ting is personal betweens da three of ya.” The man presses a button and the doors close. “Good luck.”

They watch the doors close before Felicia comments, “That was cryptic.”

MJ hums and nods, before she looks at her business partner, “What do you think is going on?”

“Knowing our man?” Felicia says with a wry grin, “He wound up in some trouble and wants to reassure us he’s fine when he’s really not.”

MJ sighs and shakes her head, “Yeah that sounds like Peter.” She comments. She then walks down the corridor with Felicia beside her and asks, “You think it has something to do with Mt. Rushmore?”

They both got the notification when the news hit. A national monument was destroyed, dozens died, and Spider-Man was being blamed. MJ can only imagine what was going through his head right now.

The playful look on Felicia’s face vanishes as she looks down as they walk, “If it does, then we’ll be there for him. Whatever he needs.”

A loving smile creeps onto Mary Jane’s face and she nudges her girlfriend playfully, “Look at you being mature supportive girlfriend when our man needs it.”

Felicia rolls her eyes at her but still smiles, “Whatever. He isn’t as fun to play with when he’s moody.”

Mary Jane giggles at her shared lover trying to play off her obvious concerned for their beau.

The two reach the end of the corridor and stop in front of a metal door, with the words medical on the door. And before either one can assume their man is hurt, Sue Richards steps out.

Sue closes the door behind her and gives them a warm smile, “Oh good, you’re here.” She acknowledges their confused looks and continues, “He’s inside.”

“Mary Jane,” Sue greets with a gentle tone, “Felicia.”

“Hey Sue,” MJ replies, “What’s going on?”

Sue hesitates for a moment before she says, “I think it’s better if Peter explains.”

MJ furrows her brows at this, “Is everything okay?” She asks, noting the look on her face.

Sue looks at both of them before she says, “It will be.” And gives them another comforting but sad smile before she steps out of the way and lets them in.

The women exchange a worried look before they walk into the room. They enter an observation area and they immediately see Peter looking through the glass. The first thing they notice is the state of his costume. Torn and dirty and in desperate need of repairs. The second thing is how much he looks like crap. MJ has seen him beaten up before but this is new level of exhausted that she’s never seen him at before.

He turns to them and grabs them both to bring them into a tight embrace. “I’m glad you’re both here.”

“Hey easy, Tiger,” MJ says with as much care as she can while hugging him back, “Whatever it is, we’re here to help now.”

Felicia puts her arm around him to and rubs his back, “Yeah. Just so long as it’s nothing ridiculous. Like you died again and came back to life.”

Peter lets go of them and doesn’t say anything. He has that look in his eyes and its pointed at Mary Jane. The one where he knows something she doesn’t and is trying to figure out the best way to say it. Because he is really scared and concerned about her.

MJ knows what she has to do here, she has done this thousands of times already. “Tiger,” she says again, “Tell us.”

He glances back at what he was looking at through the glass before turning back to them with a tired voice, “I need you both to see something.”

His tone worries them but they move forward and look into the other room. And what Mary Jane sees shocks her to her core.

“Who’s that?” Felicia inquires.

Mary Jane unintentionally answers her with a question to nobody, “Gwen?”

Felicia looks at the redheaded supermodel in confusion, “Gwen?” She says before a look of realization crosses her face, “Gwen Stacy? As in your dead girlfriend?”

“Not anymore,” Peter says with no humor whatsoever as he stares at the unconscious blonde below.

Mary Jane’s hand moves to her mouth, eyes wide and unblinking. She steps closer to the glass, as if needing to see the impossible reality from every angle.

Peter watches them with a mixture of guilt and relief, the emotions tangling like webs and pulling his insides taut. He runs his hands through his hair, the exhaustion seeming to settle deeper into him as he waits for them to process what he still can’t quite believe himself.

Mary Jane finally turns back to him, her voice choked with disbelief. “How?”

His exhausted eyes meet hers. “You remember that cosmic power I had years ago? The Enigma Force?” he questions her and she nods. “Norman was messing with that and after I freed it, it used a part of the Phoenix Force to bring her back and then made her into its host.”

“What?” Felicia, completely lost by what he just said, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Peter sighs and looks down in guilt, “Gwen now has cosmic powers inside of her.”

Mary Jane cannot tear her eyes away from the glass. “But why?” MJ’s voice cracks at the edges, a fragile thing barely holding together under the weight of this revelation.

He shrugs uncertainly, “I don’t know. Jean said something about her valuing life as much as I do. So she was a great choice for a host.”

MJ takes in a deep breath, trying to ground herself in the surreal reality before her. Peter’s been through so many impossible things; she should be used to this by now. But Gwen being alive—it's like seeing a ghost made flesh. No wonder he looks like he's been through hell.

“Oh my god,” she breathes out again. “How are you holding up?”

He gives a small shrug, eyes flicking back to Gwen as if afraid she’ll vanish if he doesn’t keep watch. “I don’t know yet.”

Felicia touches his arm gently. She knows what they’re both thinking: What does this mean for them? For all of them? “We’ll figure it out,” she says with confidence and more sincerity than Mary Jane’s used to hearing from her.

Peter nods but doesn’t look convinced.

Mary Jane watches him, feeling the weight of the moment press onto her. She reaches for Felicia’s hand without thinking, needing that familiar connection as they both stare through the window at a piece of their past suddenly thrust back into their lives.