Preview to Chapter 39

He walks through the hallway between Reed's lab and the medical wing of the building. Which isn’t too far. But as he rounds the corner, he stops when he sees a familiar trio walking his way. Two he’s not surprised to see, because they live in the building, but one is certainly a surprise. 

“Laura?” He says, seeing her with Franklin and Valeria.

She nods in greeting, “Spider-Man,” before she gestures to the kids, “They heard you were here and wanted to come and see you.”

“Uncle Ben said something happened,” Franklin tells him, “But he doesn’t know if it was good or bad. Just that it’s hurting you.”

“Which does not make sense,” Valeria adds, “If it hurts you, then it is clearly bad.”

“Felicia would say different,” Peter mumbles under his breath. He shakes his head to refocus, “But uh, it’s complicated.”

Valeria does not like that explanation, as she crosses her arms stubronly,  “We’re smart. We can figure it out.”

"It’s emotionally complicated," Peter clarified, his tone gentle but firm.

The young girl's confident demeanor faltered as she processed his words, "Oh," she said, stumped.

Peter huffs a little in amusement. These two are the smartest kids he’s ever known, Valeria in particular, but that just science and technology. Everything else, like people and emotions, they have a lot to learn.

He smiles beneath his mask, appreciating the innocence of their ignorance. "It's gonna be okay," he assures them, mostly to make himself believe it.

The kids exchange a glance that says they’re not convinced but won't argue. Valeria finally shrugs, "If you say so."

“But let us know if we can help,” Franklin adds.

Peter nods in appreciation, “I will.” He says happy to see his number one fan eager to help others. He then turns his sights to Laura and asks, “So, not to sound rude, but why are you here? Last time you were eager to bail as soon as possible.”

He notices the slightest hesitation in Laura's eyes before she responds with her usual bluntness, "I'm living here now."

His eye’s widen in surprise, “Here? Why?”

“Mom said with her here, it’ll help get dad to go out more if we have someone watch us,” Franklin cuts in, excited.

“And she is fun to have around,” Valeria adds, her own voice being genuinely warm from her usual tone.

Spider-Man’s eyes shift between the two before looking at Laura. Noticing a warmth in her eyes she definitely did not have the last time he saw her as she looks at the two kids. He doesn’t know her that well, but she’s always struck him as the quiet and brooding type, like Daredevil or Logan. Not one to crack a smile or care about what others think of her. But here she is, being someone that Franklin and Valeria want to have around.

Then again…

He looks to the kids again, speaking in a playful conspiratorial tone, “You guys like her because she lets you get away with a lot and can survive anything you put her through, don’t you?”

The children seem to freeze for a moment before Valeria grabs her brother's hand and bolts. 

Peter shakes his head and laughs fondly at the two retreating children. But this momentary reprieve leaves him when he recalls Gwen, and all the emotions he’s been dealing with come crashing back. 

Laura picks up on this and asks, “Are you alright?”

The hero lets out a long, weary sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. “You ever have days where you wonder why God loves to mess with you?”

“I’m not one for religious beliefs,” Laura responds, her tone even and measured, “And to be honest, certain organizations have done nothing to make the prospect seem appealing.”

Ooh he forgot about that. Peter scratches his head, “Right, sorry. Kind of forgot who I was talking to.” He then looks to her again, “So it sounds like you’re getting along with the kids. How’s that been?”

Laura lifts one shoulder in a casual shrug, her face betraying little emotion. “It is not unpleasant. Valeria is very smart and Franklin has an active imagination.”

Peter is able to pick up some hints of warmth in her voice. “Sounds like you’re fond of them.” He notes with a small smile tugging on his lips.

She shrugs, “I suppose.” She says in her usual impassive tone. She then brings up another topic, “I met your younger counterpart.”

Peter waits, expecting her to elaborate, but she remains silent. “Was it on good terms?” He finally asks, curious about the encounter.

“We were playing a flag football game.” Laura explains as she recalls the day, “He showed off a lot. It seems when you were young, you were quite arrogant.”

Spider-Man sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, “Yeah. I also remember being much angrier.”

Although for some reason, he hasn’t seen much anger from his mini me. Wonder why that is?

“You were very competitive,” Laura adds.

“Still am,” he admits with a chuckle, “You should see me in Mario Kart.”

She regards him quietly, as if considering saying something.

Peter raises an eyebrow beneath his mask, “What?”

“Your younger self said I was pretty.”

His eyes bulge from his torn mask, and he stammers, “Oh wow. Uh. Sorry about that.”

He expects her to look at him like he's insane, but she just stares at him with those emotionless eyes. It's unnerving.

After a moment of silence, she says flatly, “I need to go watch the children,” then turns and leaves.

He watches her go, more confused than before.

(X)

Peter enters Reed’s personal lab and finds the man furiously typing away at his on his holographic displays. Holograms of Gwen float around the room and the smartest man in the world is stretched all over the lab. Reed doesn’t look up when Spider-Man enters, too engrossed in his work.

Though the man does know he entered. “Peter,” Reed greets him while sifting through the data.

“Reed,” he greets the man back, “What’d you find out?”

Mr. Fantastic swipes his hand, dismissing some holograms before looking at Spider-Man, “Based on preliminarily analysis, you are correct in your worries about the Enigma Force choosing miss Stacy as its newest host.”

His suspicions confirmed makes his stomach sink. This was not what he wanted. He removes his tattered mask as he takes a seat, trying to come to terms with what is happening. But how can he? A cosmic entity brought back the first girl he’s ever loved as a reward, and yet it’s not feeling like a reward. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to be feeling.

“Is there anything else you can tell me?” Peter asks Richards.

The man shakes his head negatively, “Unfortunately, no.” He says looking back at the holograms, “There are patterns of unusual brain activity I can’t decipher. It might explain why she remains unconscious.”

Peter goes quiet for a moment, contemplating a choice he has to make that will greatly affect everyone, before he asks. “Hey Reed, can you shut off those cosmic detectors you have installed? Just for a second.”

Reed looks at his fellow genius curiously, eyebrow raised and all, before he does as he asks. He presses a few buttons on his screen.

Peter takes a breath and closes his eyes, “Jean.” He calls out.

Now Reed's brows knit together in confusion before a swirl of fire in the middle of his lab pulls his attention as Jean Grey materializes before them.

The fiery haired woman looks between the two men before addressing the man that called for her, “I had a feeling you’d call.”

Peter looks at her for a second before he glances at Reed, who is dumbfounded by a woman he thought to be long dead sudden appearance. He sighs and says to the man, “Reed, there’s some things I forgot to mention, and I will. But right now, I need answers.”

He turns his attention to the White Phoenix, who did not come alone. She in fact has on her shoulder the Phoenix that the Enigma Force had hatched. And it is excited to see Peter as it chirps and flutters off Jean’s shoulders and into his waiting palms.

Reed looks at the creature curiously before he gets a look of dread, “Is that…?”

“The Phoenix Force reborn,” Jean answers the man as she looks at the animal as well, “Albeit, not as powerful as it once was. At least, not yet.”

Peter looks at the baby bird in his hands with some apprehension. He is concerned about what he has to tell the others now that this thing has hatched. He can’t keep it a secret, because he is not locking it away like Xavier basically did. No matter how good his intentions were, the man had imprisoned power he couldn’t understand because of his fear of said power. Peter won’t make that same mistake.

And the little bird seems to hear these thoughts because it chirps some more, happy chirps he can tell, and leaps on to his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Reed stands in silent astonishment, his mind a whirlwind of confusion. Completely discombobulated, he finds himself lost for words, his only recourse being to observe intently, hoping that the unfolding events might eventually yield the answers he seeks.

Peter turns his attention back to Jean and asks, “Can you tell me what’s going on with Gwen?”

Jean considers his question, something of a somber expression settling on her face, one that Peter didn’t think she was capable of making anymore. “This is new territory for both the Enigma Force and Gwen,” she states, “She’s reborn, a newborn as far as her existence is concerned, and she carries all the memories of her life to the point of her death and after.”

Reed listens in on this conversation and finds his voice, though a little lost still, “If Miss Grey is telling the truth—”

“I am,” Jean states with confidence.

“Then it’s possible the neural activity I’ve recorded are miss Stacy’s mind trying to…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, knowing Peter will understand what he means.

And he does. Gwen not only remembers dying but being dead. How the hell can someone process that? The thought alone gnaws at him as he struggles to comprehend the magnitude of it. It’s one thing to deal with the trauma of an untimely death, but to carry the burden of awareness beyond that? To retain the consciousness of being gone for so long? To have those memories stirred from a dormant past and awakened into the present? He thought he was worried before, but now? Now this revelation amplifies his anxieties, multiplying them into something almost unmanageable.

He slumps in his chair, feeling the weight of impossibility crush him. His mind races with questions, each more daunting than the last. How does Gwen reconcile with a world that moved on? How does she step back into the life that was abruptly taken from her? What does it mean for her to be reborn with the knowledge of her own end? His heart aches at the consideration of her pain, of the mental labyrinth she must navigate. He tries to imagine himself in her position, but it is too overwhelming to even contemplate. This was not a reward. It was a cosmic curse wrapped in a cruel gift. Despite the love he still holds for her, he worries about what this means for them and if he can help her through this.

Jean, seeing and sensing the turmoil he is going through, sighs as she walks over to him and places her hand on his shoulder before speaking gently, “Peter, I know what you’re going through.”

“Do you?” he finally asks a little more harshly than he wanted.

“I do,” she assures him, unbothered by his understandable outburst, “More than you can imagine.”

Peter glances at her and remembers who he is talking to. If there is anyone that understands or comes close to understanding what he is going through, then Jean sure as heck does.

“So what do I do?” He asks, hoping for some insight to make this easier for everyone.

Again, Jean knows what he is asking, and seems to think about an answer for a moment before she says, “There isn’t an easy answer I can give you Peter. For helping Miss Stacy, telling your friends, or informing your teammates about everything.”

Peter thinks about it. Frankly the easiest thing for him to deal with right now is telling his teammates. As angry as some will be, I.E. Rogue, Alex, Logan, and maybe Hope, he knows that if he talks to them then he will get them to understand why he hid it from them.

Peter sighs and runs his hand through his hair, “Alright. I know what I have to do. Reed, call Tony, Steve, and Strange. If I’m doing this, I’d rather do it once.” He gets up from his seat, the phoenix still on his shoulder, “And I’m also telling everyone else too. With Tweety here, can’t keep what I am now a secret anymore.”

The bird chirps angrily and pecks at his cheek.

“Hey, watch it. I am not against feeding you to a stray cat or Jeff.”