The gun in the mirror(a spider in the ground.). [OLD ]

"Oh." It's small, quiet enough that no one but him hears it.

Peter looks at her, then the smoke, then her again. 

Her hands tremble, why are they? -Trembling she means. She isn't scared, she knows she isn't but they still tremble. 

She stands, the rest of Peters acquaintances get ready to leave.

"She won't be able to do her night life for six weeks." She rings her hands together, trapping the smoke inside.

The boy with the blonde hair nods," Thank you Mrs. Parker." 

She cringes, just a little, it never felt right to just..prevaricate she supposes.

The girl she had stitched groans as she gets up.

The boy with the sunglasses tries to help her up but she waves him off.

She limps, her hair matted with blood.

She stops her,"Shower first." She turns to the boy with the shades." Change."

She doesn't want the neighbors spotting the hero's leaving. They have to many nosy neighbors, she thinks, too many for them to just leave.

She goes upstairs, the mess of t-shirts on the floor are too small for him.

She silently apologizes to Peter for going through his closet, teenagers need privacy after all, and he gets none in this tiny home of theirs.

Digging through what was frankly to little clothes for him she finds a stretched out shirt, she racks her mind for memories, seeing no significance or importance she grabs it, including a shirt of hers for the girl she stitched.

She passes through the bathroom, she looks a mess, her hair is a mess; strands are looking wildly everywhere, how did she say hello to anyone? She leaves the clothes for her on a bar stool.

When she reaches downstairs the boy with ash blonde hair has a sweatshirt on, keeping on the green pants.

They sit around the table, the TV blaring some nonsense about flat earth and vaccines.

She gives a shirt to the  kids, she looks at Peter, he looks back.

She throws the shirt to him, he catches it.

"Peter," Ash blonde says,"Why didn't you tell us?" 

His shoulder tenses. She wrapped her hand into his, suffocating it, a snake enveloping its prey is what she is reminded of. She had read that kids needed more physical affection than adults, and he was alone for the most part, he needed more.

"It didn't seem important." He responds back, he mumbles,like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

"Not important? How is this not important!" Shades argues," You could've told us." He tenses a little more.

"We're a team." His grave tone makes it sound like they were a good team, his eyes look saddened at the confirmation he was hiding something from them.

"Were." Peter corrects, he looks like doesn't want to be there.

Ash nods," We were a team, you should have told us when we still were." His calmness is a stark contrast to shades.

She goes to the kitchen, getting a carrot and cutting it with a knife.

"I'm not the one who ran away."

"We didn't-" a pause," We didn't run away."

"We had been ordered by-"

"Let me guess, off brand shield?" 

Silence hugged the room, it was awkward.

"Look man, director wants you back, you don't have to tell her about your wife, or anything really."

"But you'll have to tell her in this report of your's." Her hands are shaking, making the knife unstable.

It slips, it cutting her hand.

A small drop of blood falls.

Blood leaving the drain, hot agony entering her body, and she can't breathe shecan'tbreatsheshecan'tbreath-

The creaking of the floor board alerted her. She turns around pressing the knife against the attackers throat.

The child's, because that's what all of Peters acquaintances are, eyes widen.

"I'm sorry." She apologizes, the girl, startled, nods mutely.

She coughs awkwardly after a minute.

 she's direct," How did you meet?"

"In an alley way." She remembers the men he had fought, big and burly and he ,a child, fighting them. He was slow, tired, he still is." He was fighting."

"I was the damsel in distress I suppose." She was, but she no one to rescue her.

"Ah." She says," Love at first sight?" She nods her head.

"No, he.... My dad, he introduced me to him, I helped him for a time." She looks up, the girl stares, her eyes have a yellowish hue.

"What happened?" Her curiosity was not unfounded.

"I lost myself." Her hand wanders to the small scar at the back of her neck.

"I met him, again ,a little while later." The ring she wears is cold, impractical, but it carries significance of happiness with Peter, away from him she really isn't anything.

"I can tell he's happier with you." She says," He's lighter." She looks where the boys are talking, the struggle they have to communicate.

A ringing echoes through the air.

"Hello, director." Shades says," Oh, uhh, yeah." 

"We'll be there in a minute." He looks to the crew.

"Goodbye Peter." Ash says," Thank you for sheltering us."

They leave.