"you brought me back to her for a reason"
Peter stepped through the sparking portal, the universe he was entering still foreign and unfamiliar despite the time he had already spent there. This wasn't his world - his New York City had been different, its towering skyscrapers and winding streets both achingly familiar and alien all at once.
He supposed he should have gotten used to traversing the multiverse by now, after everything Dr. Strange had put him through in recent weeks. Recruiting him for this mission had been unexpected, pulling Peter out of his self-imposed exile after months of grieving everyone he had lost. Most of all, he missed Natasha, the woman who had been like a mother to him. The Black Widow...Peter squeezed his eyes shut against the threatening tears. She had sacrificed everything for that cursed Soul Stone, just like Tony had given his life to stop Thanos. They were both gone, when Peter had been the one meant to die in their places.
The survivor's guilt was still there, gnawing at his heart, but Dr. Strange had given him purpose again. There were threats across the multiverse that only Spider-Man could help stop, he said. Peter had a responsibility. So he went where he was needed, trying not to think about the lives he had left behind.
Peter opened his eyes to refocus on his surroundings. This universe's New York looked dirtier, grittier somehow, as if it had seen decades more wear and tear than his version had. There were small differences everywhere - an extra building here, a missing sign there. Definitely not his Earth.
Checking the device Dr. Strange had given him, Peter started down the sidewalk, weaving between the crowd rushing by. The several blocks to his destination passed quickly, and soon he was standing outside a nondescript apartment building. Behind one of these doors was the contact Dr. Strange had told him to find, someone called 'Nat.' She was supposedly this universe's version of Nick Fury, a former spy turned director of a global security force. Peter just hoped she would be willing to help him.
Taking a deep breath, Peter walked up to the front door and buzzed the apartment number Dr. Strange had provided.
"Yeah?" a staticky female voice said through the intercom.
"Hi, I'm looking for Nat?" Peter said hesitantly.
There was a brief pause before the voice replied again, a tone of curiosity in it this time. "Who's asking?"
"I was told you could help me with something. My name's Peter."
Another pause, longer this time. Peter was about to buzz again when the intercom crackled back to life. "Come on up. Apartment 5E."
The door buzzed as it unlocked, and Peter stepped inside, climbing two flights of stairs to the apartment number specified. His spider sense wasn't detecting any danger, but his nerves still jumped as he knocked on the faded brown door.
A deadbolt turned, a chain rattled, and the door swung inward. Peter started to greet the person standing there, but the words died on his tongue.
Long red hair cascaded over slender shoulders, the same vivid shade he would have recognized anywhere. Her face was wearier, her eyes more haunted, small lines etched at their corners that hadn't been there before. But it was unmistakably her.
"Natasha?" Peter choked out.
The Black Widow's eyes widened in alarm. She yanked Peter inside and shut the door firmly behind him. "How do you know my name?" she demanded. "Did HYDRA send you?"
"What? No, no," Peter said quickly, holding his hands up. "I'm not from here. I'm from another universe."
She glanced him over critically, one hand drifting toward the knife Peter was sure she had hidden under her clothes. "You'll have to do better than that. Why are you really here?"
"It's the truth," he insisted. "I'm working with Dr. Strange, traveling the multiverse to deal with some threats he detected." Peter activated the device on his wrist, and a hologram of Dr. Strange flickered to life.
"Greetings. I am Dr. Stephen Strange," the miniature recording stated. "If you are viewing this message, I have sent an associate of mine, Peter Parker, to your universe to request assistance. Please provide any aid you can; the fate of your reality may depend on it."
Dr. Strange's image vanished, leaving Natasha staring at the spot with an unreadable expression. Slowly, she looked back at Peter. "You do seem to know me. Does that mean...in your universe, am I...?"
Peter's throat tightened. "You're gone," he said quietly. "You died to help stop Thanos from wiping out the whole universe. You sacrificed yourself for the Soul Stone."
Natasha sucked in a small breath, her eyes flashing with pain before she lowered them. "And in your world...were we close?"
"Very," Peter said, voice cracking. "You were like my mom. After my parents...and my aunt..." His words failed him, tears welling in his eyes.
Natasha gaze softened. She stepped forward, tentatively reaching out to cup his cheek in one hand. Peter didn't even think; he acted on instinct, surging forward to wrap his arms around her in a hug. Her familiar floral scent enveloped him, the same perfume she had worn in his universe.
"Oh, Mom," he whispered, choking back a sob. "I missed you so much."
Natasha tensed briefly in surprise, then slowly brought her arms up to return the embrace. She stroked Peter's hair soothingly as he cried into her shoulder.
"It's alright," she murmured. "I'm here now."
They stood like that for a long moment, neither willing to let go. When Peter finally drew back, scrubbing the tears from his face, Natasha studied him with a bittersweet smile.
"I guess you aren't so different from my Peter after all," she said. "He was always quick to hug me, too." Her expression turned distant and sad. "He was my biological son. I lost him years ago, when he was only 17 years old. Having you here now...it's like being given a second chance."
Peter's heart ached for this version of himself she had lost. "I'm sorry," he said helplessly. What else could he offer besides empty words?
Natasha shook her head, banishing the ghosts of the past. "What matters is that you're here now," she said briskly, "and you need my help. Tell me everything."
So Peter did. He started from the beginning, explaining how Dr. Strange had visited his self-imposed exile to recruit him for a mission across multiple universes. How they had detected dangerous anomalies forming, threatening to collapse reality itself if they couldn't find a way to stop it. Natasha listened intently, only interrupting occasionally to ask insightful questions. It was so similar to the way his Natasha would discuss mission details that Peter had to keep reminding himself this wasn't the same woman who had helped raise him.
"Dr. Strange sent me here because he believes someone in your universe has been manipulating energies they shouldn't," Peter concluded. "He said you would be able to help track them down."
Natasha nodded thoughtfully. "He's right, my resources should be able to turn up something. I still have contacts here and there from my spy days." A small grin turned up the corners of her mouth. "I might be retired, but I've still got some tricks up my sleeve."
"So you'll help?" Peter asked hopefully.
"Of course. Like your Dr. Strange said, we have to secure our own universe first if we want to have any hope of saving the multiverse." Natasha moved briskly toward a desk in the corner of the living room. "Just let me make a few calls..."
Over the next couple hours, Peter watched in admiration as Natasha worked. She was in her element as she tracked down sources, cross-referenced information, and identified connections and patterns only she could see. This was Natasha at her finest - the brilliant strategist and spymaster who had led armies and toppled regimes. Peter mostly stayed quiet, responding promptly whenever she asked him a question but otherwise trying not to interrupt her focus.
Finally, as afternoon was shifting into evening, Natasha leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smile. "Got it," she announced. "One of my contacts came through. There have been unusual energy readings coming from an old warehouse by the docks. Significant spikes in temporal and quantum fluctuations, suggesting someone there is meddling with forces they shouldn't be."
"That's great!" Peter said, relief washing over him. He had completed the first step; now he just had to deal with whoever was causing the anomalies. "I should head over there right away to check it out."
He started to stand, but Natasha held up a hand. "Hold on, soldier. I know you're eager to rush into action, but we need a plan first. You'll accomplish more if we strategize our approach."
Peter ducked his head sheepishly. "Right, good idea, Nat." He should have known better than to charge ahead without thinking.
Natasha regarded him with a knowing look. "You haven't changed much from the Peter I knew. Always leaping before you looked." Her tone held exasperated affection. "But you have good instincts. We just need to temper that recklessness with some strategy."
She smoothed out a map of the city, pointing out routes, cover opportunities, and potential ambush points. Peter did his best to focus, though Natasha's close presence was still distracting. He couldn't stop stealing glances at her face, reassuring himself she was really there. The act of planning a mission with her, side by side, felt so poignantly familiar that he had to keep resisting the urge to call her 'Mom' again. She wasn't his Natasha, he reminded himself, no matter how much it felt like she was.
Finally, Natasha seemed satisfied with their strategy. She checked her watch, tapping the face contemplatively. "We should wait until full dark to approach the warehouse. Less chance of being spotted that way. We've got a few hours to kill first." She eyed Peter critically. "When was the last time you ate?"
Peter thought back. "I'm not sure. This morning, I think?" Food hadn't been a top priority lately.
Natasha made a disapproving noise. "That won't do. You need to keep up your strength. I think there are still some pizza rolls in the freezer..."
She busied herself in the small kitchen, and soon they were sitting across from each other at the table with steaming mugs of tea and a platter of freshly baked pizza rolls between them. The scene was so domestic that Peter's heart clenched. How often had he and his Natasha shared a meal just like this, talking and laughing about everything and nothing?
"Thanks, Mom," he said without thinking.
Natasha's eyes snapped to his, filled with mingled sadness and joy. "It's good to hear you call me that again," she said softly. "I've missed it."
Peter ducked his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make things weird."
"You didn't." She reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "I'll never stop missing my Peter. But having you here now feels like I've been given a piece of him back."
Peter turned his hand to return the grip. "I feel the same way about you. My Natasha was my family. Getting to see her again through you...it means more than I can say."
Natasha smiled, though her eyes looked suspiciously moist. "Then I'm glad you came here today."
They passed the rest of the evening in comfortable conversation, reminiscing about memories of their own versions of each other. Peter told Natasha about his world, growing up adored and protected by the Avengers and by the Natasha in his universe. Natasha described her Peter, her amazing boy she had conceived and raised all by herself all those years ago. The stories were different but parallel, tracing the profound love and meaning they had found in each other across universes.
Eventually it was time to set out for their mission. Natasha double-checked her Widow's Bites and spare ammo before nodding to Peter. "Ready when you are."
Peter pulled his mask on, the familiar fabric settling into place. "Let's do this."
Natasha drove them to the empty warehouse district near the docks, parking a block away to approach the rest of the distance on foot. They slipped through the shadows, using Peter's enhanced senses to avoid the few guards patrolling the exterior. Natasha picked the lock on a side door to get them inside, moving with practiced stealth.
The cavernous interior space was mostly empty, with catwalks crisscrossing high above the concrete floor. A few stacks of crates were scattered around, but the far end of the warehouse was taken up by a complicated array of glowing machinery and computer terminals. People in lab coats moved between control panels, monitoring incomprehensible streams of data.
"Bingo," Natasha murmured. "That looks like our temporal anomaly source."
Peter's gaze swept their surroundings. "I'll web up the perimeter to keep anyone from escaping. Then we can take out the scientists and shut down whatever they're doing over there."
"Solid strategy," Natasha agreed. "Be careful, Pete."
Peter crawled along the walls and ceilings, using his webs to silently immobilize the patrolling guards. Once he was satisfied no one would be leaving, he dropped back down beside Natasha.
"Ready for phase two, Mom?" he asked.
In response, Natasha drew her pistols and strode straight for the scientists. Peter had to scramble to keep up as she marched up to the lead researcher and pressed a gun to his back.
"Hands up and turn around slowly," she ordered.
The man complied, eyes wide with shock. "Who are you? What do you think you're doing?" he blustered.
Natasha ignored his protests, quickly disarming and restraining the other scientists. Once they were all contained, she turned back to the head scientist with a dangerous smile.
"My kid and I couldn't help but notice the illegal temporal experiments you're conducting here," she said sweetly. "We're going to need you to shut that down now."
"No!" The man took a step toward his machinery, but Peter blocked his path.
"Yeah, sorry, but we can't let you keep ripping holes in the fabric of reality," Peter said.
The scientist scowled. "You can't stop us. Our work will elevate humanity to its next evolution!"
"Right, you know what, stop right there. We've heard the whole 'reshape reality for the greater good' speech before," Peter said. "How about we just skip to the part where you surrender?"
The man shook his head furiously. "I won't let you destroy everything we've accomplished!" Before Peter could stop him, he pulled a small device from his pocket and slammed his hand down on the red button.
Alarms began blaring throughout the warehouse as the machinery whirred to dangerous life. A portal swirled into being, pulsing with chaotic energy. Reality seemed to warp around it like a black hole.
Peter acted on instinct, webbing the remote from the scientist's hand and hurling it away to shatter against the far wall. But the portal continued to spin out of control, beginning to pull in debris around it with its gravitational force.
"We have to shut it down!" Natasha yelled over the noise.
Peter looked desperately between her and the portal. "Get everyone out of here! I'll try to find a way to power it off!"
Natasha gave him a fleeting look of concern, but nodded. She herded the scientists toward the exit while Peter approached the crackling portal. He searched rapidly for anything that might deactivate it - a plug to pull, wires to disconnect. But the technology was unfamiliar, and the portal was growing more erratic by the second.
An idea occurred to Peter. Shooting a web, he swung up and over the portal, landing on the catwalk directly above it. Bracing himself, he fired web after web down into the gateway, trying to clog its opening. For a moment the webbing seemed to stabilize the event horizon, slowing its rotation. Then the portal flared, melting through the webs with a shockwave of energy that blasted Peter backwards.
He tumbled off the catwalk, briefly disoriented as he fell toward the concrete below. At the last second he managed to twist and fire another web, using it to swing himself towards a stack of crates that broke his fall. Gasping to regain the breath that had been knocked from his lungs, Peter staggered back to his feet.
The portal was raging now, columns of light spearing erratically from its center as it disgorged its stored power. Peter's heart sank. He didn't know how to stop this, and soon it would tear itself apart along with the entire warehouse.
A slim figure darted through the buckling reality around the portal. It was Natasha, sprinting directly for the heart of the maelstrom.
"Mom, no!" Peter screamed. Terror seized him in its icy grip as she reached the event horizon. This was Vormir, happening all over again. He was going to lose her.
Natasha glanced back, gifting him one last, sad smile. Then she dove into the portal and was gone.
"No!" The cry was ripped from Peter's throat. He couldn't lose her again. Not after having just gotten her back. Gripping a fallen I-beam to anchor himself against the portal's pull, Peter edged as close as he could get.
"You brought me back to her for a reason!" he shouted at the universe, at fate, at whatever cosmic entity might be listening. "I won't lose her again!"
With a desperate cry, Peter hurled himself into the portal after Natasha. Chaotic energy engulfed him, tossing him violently through a vortex of silence and sound, light and darkness. He tumbled over and over until he was no longer sure which way was up, or if those terms had any meaning here.
Just when he thought he might come apart at the seams from the forces shredding his body, Peter was ejected violently from the portal. He hit the warehouse floor and skidded several feet, dazed. Slowly sitting up, Peter shook his head to clear the spots from his vision. His senses were still reeling, but he could make out Natasha's slender form lying motionless nearby.
Peter crawled over to her, heart in his throat.
"Mom?" he choked out.
To his immense relief, Natasha's eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him in alarm.
"Peter?" she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"I came after you," he said, helping her sit up. His eyes anxiously scanned her for injuries, but she seemed miraculously unharmed. "When you went into the portal, I was afraid that I would lose you again, just like on Vormir."
Natasha gave a shaky laugh. "You always did have more heart than sense. But I'm glad you followed me, Peter. We need to finish shutting down the portal."
Peter looked over at where the portal still raged, though it seemed smaller and less volatile now. "What did you do in there?"
"The only thing I could think of," Natasha said. "I sought out the power source and attempted to overload it. Disrupt the energy flow from the inside. It was incredibly risky, but it seems to have weakened the portal at least temporarily."
She started to push herself to her feet, swaying unsteadily. Peter scooped an arm around her waist, supporting her weight.
"I've got you," he murmured. Together they limped toward the portal, stopping at what seemed a safe distance. Peter angled himself slightly in front of Natasha, shielding her with his body. If it came down to it, he would drag both of them out of the blast range. Or make the sacrifice play himself, if there was no other option.
But Natasha simply watched the portal thoughtfully, her keen eyes analyzing. "Now that I've disrupted its power source, it may take one final blow to destabilize it completely. If we can introduce an outside energy surge, it should interrupt the event horizon enough to collapse it."
Peter snapped his fingers. "I think I can synthesize a pretty powerful energy pulse with my web shooters. If I modify the cartridges..." He pulled out his web cartridges and quickly reconfigured them. After a minute, he nodded to Natasha. "Ready when you are."
She gave him a sly smile. "Together then."
Natasha pulled one of her pistols and checked the clip. Peter aimed his web shooters.
"On three," Natasha counted down. "One...two..."
"Three!" they shouted in unison. Natasha emptied her clip in a series of precise shots. At the same moment, Peter released the makeshift energy pulses from his web shooters. They impacted the portal simultaneously, their combined force shuddering through the event horizon.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the portal imploded with a silent concussion that hurled Peter and Natasha backwards. They tumbled together, Peter curling protectively around her. Slowly, the dust settled around them.
Peter lifted his head warily. The warehouse was in shambles, but the portal was gone. They had done it.
"We did it," he said in dazed relief, rolling off Natasha. He helped her sit up again. "Are you okay, Mom?"
"Still in one piece," Natasha confirmed. She winced slightly as she shifted, one hand going to her ribs. "Mostly, anyway."
Peter immediately looked her over again, concerned. But Natasha waved him off. "Just some bruises. I'll be fine." Her gaze turned solemn. "Still can't believe you came after me, Peter. That was incredibly reckless."
Peter looked down. "I know. But I meant what I said. When you disappeared into that portal...it was like watching you leap from the cliff on Vormir all over again. I couldn't go through that." He met her eyes pleadingly. "I couldn't lose my mom again."
Natasha's stern look softened. She pulled him into a fierce hug. "You're not going to lose me. We protect each other - that's what families do." Drawing back, she smiled tenderly and cupped his cheek. "My brave, loyal, darling boy. However reckless, I'm proud you came for me, my baby."
Peter leaned into the familiar gesture, closing his eyes with a shaky exhale. They had done it. The portal was closed, the threat neutralized. And most miraculously, he hadn't lost Natasha. They were both still here.
Eventually Natasha drew back, her expression growing businesslike. "We should get out of here before the cops show up. They'll have questions we can't answer."
Peter nodded, rising and offering Natasha a hand up. Together they slipped out of the decimated warehouse into the night.
The walk back to Natasha's car was quiet, both wrapped in their own thoughts. Peter's mind kept replaying those heartstopping moments of Natasha running into the portal, being sure he was about to watch her die again. He couldn't shake the cold dread that had gripped him.
Natasha seemed to sense his turmoil. As they reached the car, she stopped and turned to face him fully.
"Peter," she said gently. "What's going on in that head of yours, baby?"
Peter clenched his fists helplessly. "I just keep thinking about the portals, and especially Vormir, and having to watch you die over and over again. First on that cliff, now almost here..." His breath hitched as tears stung his eyes. "I can't go through that again, Mom. Thinking I've lost you forever. It would break me."
"Oh Peter." Natasha enfolded him in her arms again, one hand stroking his hair. "I wish I could promise nothing will ever happen to me. But you and I have dangerous lives. As much as we might try to protect each other, we can't control everything."
She pulled back to meet his eyes, her own green ones shining with emotion. "What I can promise you is this - no matter what happens, I will always be with you, baby. We have a connection that goes beyond physical presence, across universes, even past death. You will never truly lose me, just as I could never lose you. We're a part of each other, always."
Peter let out a shaky breath, managing a small nod. Natasha was right. Their bond ran deeper than any physical separation could sever. They would carry each other in their hearts, two halves of the same soul.
Natasha thumbed a tear from his cheek. "I know it's hard being so far from your home and the people you love. But you don't have to carry these burdens alone. You have me for as long as you're here." She smiled gently. "We look after our own. It's what families do."
Peter nodded again, resolve settling on his shoulders. With Natasha by his side, he could face whatever came next. They would protect this universe together, and each other.
He pulled her into one more hug, pouring all his love and gratitude into that embrace. "Thanks, Mom," he whispered. "For everything. I love you so much."
Natasha held him close for a long moment. "I love you too, baby. I'll always be here for you," she murmured back. "My sweet boy."
Finally they drew apart and got in the car. As Natasha pulled away from the curb, she glanced over at Peter. "What's next for you? Will you be heading back to your own universe?"
Peter considered, then slowly shook his head. "Not yet. Dr. Strange said there were other places that needed my help first. People I'm supposed to find." He looked at Natasha hopefully. "But I was thinking...maybe you could come with me?"
Natasha arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Across the multiverse? That does sound intriguing." A smile curved her lips, the spark of adventure in her eyes. "Why not? I've been in need of a little more excitement lately. Besides, retirement doesn't suit me."
Peter grinned. "Really? That would be amazing!" Having Natasha at his side throughout this mission would make the endless realities feel a little less lonely.
Natasha gave him a playful look. "Try and ditch me now, little spider. You're stuck with me."
They drove back to her apartment to regroup. Peter checked in with Dr. Strange, who was pleased to hear the anomaly had been dealt with. He assigned Peter the coordinates for the next universe that required his help. But for now, he could rest.
Natasha ordered takeout while Peter cleaned up from their mission. Soon they were seated on the couch with heaping plates of Indian food, relaxing in the quiet apartment. Natasha flipped idly through the TV channels until she landed on an old sitcom rerun.
Peter sank back against the cushions, letting the familiar voices wash over him. Exhaustion from the day's events settled heavily on him, his eyelids growing heavy. Gently, as if Peter was still that little boy she had raised, Natasha lifted her arm in silent invitation. Peter curled against her side, head coming to rest on her shoulder. Her fingers carded soothingly through his hair as she held him close.
"Get some rest, little spider," she murmured. "You've earned it. I'll be right here when you wake."
Lulled by her steady heartbeat and the hypnotic motion of her hand, Peter let his eyes drift shut. He was already half-asleep when Natasha brushed a featherlight kiss over his forehead.
"Sweet dreams, my son. I've got you."
And cradled in his mother's arms once more, Peter fell into a peaceful sleep.
He was home. He had his mother back.
And for Peter, that was enough.