Amazing Spider-Man: True Purpose

(K'un Lun Temple)

On top of a stone table lies Spider-Man's cold and lifeless body. Monks of the Kun Lun temple wrap his body up as Master Yu Ti watches with heavy eyes. Hope, who tries to hold back her tears but is unable to, is next to him at his left. At his right stands Steve Rogers without his mask and with a sorrowful expression. Thor is next to him with both a saddened and angered look. Logan leans at the entrance with a blank face. They all watch silently as they watch a dear friend to them be prepared to be buried.

As they watch this they are in their own thoughts. Logan thinks about the people that will have to be told. The guy's ninety-year-old aunt, his redheaded ex, and whatever other heroes that don't know. Steve thinks about the younger man's last words to him and about the potential fallout of this. Not only the hostility that will be worse between the Avengers and X-Men due to this but all the villains that Spider-Man has had to deal with over the years will most likely be looking at his death as an opportunity to run rampant. They have don't it before after all.

When they finish wrapping the young hero's body, the monks give a quick silent prayer and vacate the room.

Yu Ti looks to Captain America and says, "We will preserve his body until the travel arrangements can be made."

"...Thank you," Steve says, not looking at him after a moment of silence.

Yu Ti nods and begins to leave but stops next to Hope. He places his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She looks at him as if asking a question. He looks back as if he doesn't know the answer. He removes his hand and leaves the heroes alone.

The room is filled with heavy and solemn silence. Nobody speaks, all the heroes in the room merely look on at the corpse of the youngest and possibly brightest Avenger they have ever known. Regret, shame, and so many other emotions can be felt through the air. Each hero who has known Spider-Man for so long can only wonder what they did wrong that brought this on. 

Finally, the silence is disrupted when Steve's boots echo through the room as he walks toward the corpse. He places a hand on the chest and says solemnly, "You were good enough. More than enough. I just hope you knew that in the end."

Spider-Man's last words are still ringing in his head. He was sorry he wasn't good enough. Steve does not understand how the fallen hero could have possibly thought that. He has never seen a hero with more heart and more conviction than Spider-Man. The fact that he thought he wasn't good enough made the war veteran's heart break in half. How in the world could Spider-Man possibly think that he wasn't good enough? After everything he's done and accomplished?

'Maybe because you didn't say it enough,' he heard a voice in his head. A voice he heard often and always told him right from wrong.

And was it ever right this time.

He takes his hand off the body and begins to walk out of the room, past Thor who was still standing in the same spot. He stops at the entrance, looks out into the hidden city with a hard expression, and says to Wolverine, "We can't waste any more time. We need to finish this."

Hope looks back at him aghast at his words, "Waste time?" Steve doesn't turn around as the girl walks to him with tears coming out of her angry eyes, "He's dead! How can you think it's a waste of time to mourn him after he just-?!"

"Kid," Logan cut her off calmly before she got too loud, "He's right. We all want to mourn. But we need to finish this. Otherwise that," he gestures to Spider-Man's body, "would have been for nothing."

She looks at him with her mouth wide open and her wide teary eyes. Trying to think of something to say but is rendered speechless. She knows they're right. And that makes it worse somehow. She and everyone else should be allowed to mourn but they can't because it would be a waste of time right now. They can mourn later, but they can't wait to beat Scott and his followers. She is so mad at that thinking that she just storms out, wiping her eyes as she does.

Neither one tried to stop her. Both knew she needed to be alone for now. Steve glances at Logan and begins to give orders, "Gather everyone. Tell them to prepare. I'm gonna talk to Tony."

Logan nods and stops leaning against the doorframe and begins to walk down the steps out into the courtyard.

Steve looks back at the last occupant of the room and asks, "Thor?"

His head still lowered, the thunder god responds, "I'll be out in a moment Captain."

The Avengers leader nods and walks out.

Thor, now left alone in the room, walks forward and kneels before the stone and begins to say a prayer, "May the Valkyries welcome you and lead you through Odin's great battlefield," Thor started saying, "May they sing your name with love and fury. So that we may hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla and know that you have taken your rightful place at the table of kings. Where the brave shall live forever."

He finishes his prayer and rises from his knees. He looks at the young hero's body with sad eyes, "You gave your life valiantly for ours. Sacrificed yourself to save me and others from the clutches of the enemy," he takes a deep breath and clutches his hammer tightly, "I swear to you, on my honor as the prince of Asgard, I will not let it be in vain."

He begins to walk out as well and stops at the door. He looks up to the clear sky and gives a small sad smile.

"And wherever you are, may you be at peace."

(Unknown Plane of Space)

Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump

Fifteen minutes of continuously banging his head against a stone pillar nearby and Peter can definitely say he is not dreaming.

Also that he may have lost a couple of IQ points.

This was the scene in an unknown plane of space. At the center is a chunk of rock where Peter Parker is currently banging his head against one of the four pillars on the rock. And all around is the vastness of space. No nearby planets or suns. Yet somehow it is illuminated. Defying logic that Peter relies on so heavily.

"Is the young hatchling finished with his ritual, Uatu?" The Living Tribunal, who really is in front of him and not a figment of his imagination, asked the Watcher.

The ever-present Watcher answers while still looking at Peter, "I believe banging one's head against a hard surface helps humans to come to terms with difficult situations."

Well, he's not entirely wrong on that.

"I'm okay," Spidey says as he raises his hand in a placating manner while his head is still pressed against the pillar, "It's just a lot to take in. So I'm probably gonna need another fifteen minutes, maybe an hour."

And with that said he continues to bang his head.

Thump Thump Thump

"As entertaining as this is, time is of the essence."

Oh yeah, he's not alone with those two. There are, in fact, ten other cosmic beings that Peter recognizes from the Avengers files. Huh, looking back, he realizes Captain America was in the right in making him read those files.

Anyway, the impatient one, who also enjoyed watching him hurt himself, was Death herself. To her left, his right, the Master of Lies, and everyone's least favorite devil, Mephistopheles. Others are also present, such as Infinity and Eternity, Master Hate and Mistress Love, Master Order and Lord Chaos, The Inbetweener, and of course, the ever-so-popular planet-eating bottomless pit known as Galactus.

Oh boy, is he in it deep. He has been in it deep before but now he is so deep, he went past China and into space and then beyond. 

Well, thumping his head against a pillar isn't helping so he might as well start asking questions.

He rubs his head to help the headache he has, whether it's from the situation or the self-abuse he doesn't know, and turns around to face the cosmic beings.

He walks up to Uatu, since he's sure to answer him without belittling him, and asks, "Okay can you clarify a few things for me first."

Uatu nods.

"Great," Peter says. He puts his hands together like he's about to say a prayer as he takes a deep breath, "Okay, so this is all real and not a figment of my imagination or something Mysterio cooked up, right?"

Uatu nods and says, "Correct."

"I died and instead of eternal peace I'm brought here?"

"Yes."

"And you said that this is a trial for the earth?"

"I did."

"And that I'm the basis you're all using. So if I don't make a good defense then the earth is gone?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Uh-huh," Peter says. He clicks his tongue a few times and then says jubilantly, "Alright well before I go back to banging my head, can you tell me one last thing?"

"Of course."

"Why in the world would you choose me?"

It's not an unfair question. At least that's what he thinks. After all, there are dozens of better choices than him to use as a president for the earth's defense. Like Captain America, Abraham Lincoln, or Gandhi.

They brought him here and he died. So it's not crazy to think they can't bring in someone else, even if they are already dead.

Uatu looks at him with a conflicted expression, "It is difficult to explain."

"No, it isn't."

They both turn to the source of the grating voice and see Mephisto walking toward them.

He smiles sinisterly at the tall being, "Come now Watcher, you know the reason why he was chosen."

Spider-Man looks back and forth between the Omnipotent being and the devil. He stops and looks at the Watcher and says, "Okay if the master of all lies is being honest then I'm guessing it must be something really bad."

Uatu doesn't answer him, which doesn't exactly fill him with comfort, 'But then again I haven't been comfortable since I got here so this is like a drop of water to an ocean of uncomfortableness I'm having. Is uncomfortableness even a word? Oh wow, I really did lose some IQ points. Hang on a sec, if I'm dead then how did I bang my head against a stone pillar? Is it a magic pillar or something?'

"Spider-Man?"

The Queens-born hero is taken out of his thoughts when the Watcher calls him.

He shakes his head and says, "Sorry I kind of drifted there for a sec. What were we talking about?"

"You were curious as to why you were chosen and not someone else."

Spidey nods and says, "Right, now I remember. Uatu, seriously, whatever it is, you can tell me."

Uatu takes a breath and starts talking again, "You are aware of the origins of your powers, the web of life and destiny, and your role in it, correct."

Peter nods at that, "The spider that bit me was destined to bite me or some such. And as for the web, I'm an important part of it or something."

He recalls all of the encounters he's had with both of the Madam Webs, Ezekiel Sims, and big cosmic spiders that make him pee a little when he thinks about them. He of course does not mention most of these things to his friends for the sole purpose of it sounding ridiculous. He still likes to think that the spider that bit him was by accident and not because he was chosen. He hates that he can't argue with all the evidence that says it wasn't science that gave him his powers.

But them's the breaks.

"You are the most important part of it," Uatu tells him, once again bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Okay, fine," He says begrudgingly, "I'm the most important part. That still doesn't tell me why I'm here."

He hears Mephisto chuckle condescendingly and sends him an annoyed look.

"And just what are you laughing at Mr. I-think-I'm-smarter-than-everyone-but-I'm-really-too- stupid-to-realize-that-capes-are-no-longer-cool."

The corner of the red devil's lip slightly twitches, but his smug smirk remains, "It's ever so simple my dear young arachnid," he says, "You being the most important part of the web means that your choices matter."

Still confused, the Queens-born hero sends him a look saying as much, and asks, "Care to elaborate on that Mr. I-use-Justin-Bieber-music-to-torture-souls-in-hell-but-I'm-secretly-a-huge fan-of-his."

This time Mephisto gives no reaction at all and says, "You're the reason the earth is doomed."

"...What?"

(K'un Lun Temple)

Captain stands at the door to the chambers Tony Stark has been in since they arrived in K'un Lun. He hadn't realized he arrived at his destination until he almost collided with the door. His mind was too preoccupied with recent events.

Knock Knock Knock "Tony? Are you in there?" He calls out but doesn't hear a response. He pushes the door open and walks in to see a mess of a room.

Open and closed books are scattered everywhere. Mostly stacked on the floor almost touching the ceiling, while some on the desks and very few on the bookshelves where they're supposed to be. A single candle nearly melted down completely next to a computer with multiple windows open and currently running some data that Steve cannot discern.

And on the ground leaning against the desk is the man the good Captain is looking for, Tony Stark, the Invincible Iron Man. Although if Steve is being honest he's never seen the man more vulnerable in his life.

Red puffy eyes are the first things he notices on Tony as said super genius looks ahead with vacant eyes. Next is how damaged his armor is. By now Tony would have fixed it or at least replaced it with one of his many others. Now though, multiple plates are missing, wires are sticking out, and sparks are going off. And the last thing he sees is in Iron Man's hands, something he recognizes. An Avengers key card. And he can make a pretty good guess on whose it was.

Steve kneels next to Tony and places a hand on his friend's shoulders. He nudges him gently, "Tony."

He doesn't immediately respond or give any kind of reaction to the Captain, just slowly blinks. After two seconds he turns his head to the Avenger leader and says, "Hey Cap."

"Are you okay?" Cap asks him even though he knows the answer.

Tony goes back to stare at the wall and says, "I figured it out. I figured out how we can win."

Steve's eyes widen and he smiles slightly, "That's good we can-"

"But I couldn't do it in time," Tony says interrupting him and Steve losses his smile, "I couldn't do it in time to save him."

The number of times has he heard Spider-Man say that to him makes Steve understand why his friend is like this right now.

Tony continues, "I've made a lot of mistakes. And I don't just mean recently."

Steve sighs, "Tony-"

"No it's true," Stark cuts him off as he continues, "I uh used to sell and manufacture weapons of mass destruction, just because I could. I mean there was nobody better than me, right?"

"But you stopped Tony," the WWII soldier told him sternly, "You stopped. You're not that man anymore."

Tony scoffs at his claims and smiles in bitter amusement, "Aren't I? Cause it seems like I haven't changed. Because as much as I create, I still seem to be destroying a lot more. The superhero civil war. I could've sided with you. I should've sided with you but I didn't. God I-I turned the Avengers against each other."

Steve clenches his fist as he continues to hear Tony talk. 

"How about the Illuminati, huh? All the genius decisions we made with that group. Like shooting Banner into space," he says with a scoff, "That was brilliant. He came back with an invasion force, beat us all into submission, and made almost everyone turn against us. But you were dead so you wouldn't really remember that."

Having heard enough, Steve quickly lunges at Tony and grabs him by his collar. He picks him up and pins him up against the wall.

"You listen to me you egotistical, narcissistic son of a bitch," the patriotic Avenger says through his clenched teeth to his teammate, "You do not get to sit here and feel sorry for yourself."

"...You didn't let me get to the best part," Tony says morosely, unperturbed by Steve's actions, "I thought I could deal with the Phoenix as quick as it came with a suit of armor. Like most of my problems, I thought I could fix it just by blowing it up. Instead, all I did was make a bad situation even worse. And because of that, I lost someone who I considered a son. Only he longer saw me the same way after what happened."

It was at this point Steve noticed the tears gathering in Tony's eyes. He knows what Stark is referring to. The mass mind wipes Spider-Man asked Strange, Stark, and Reed to do so that nobody knew who he was. Save for a select few that he trusted.

And Tony wasn't one of them anymore.

"...I could have gone back for him," Steve said as his grip on his teammate loosens, "I chose to leave him behind while we evacuated the others," he lowers his head, "I could've stayed and helped, while the others evacuated the rest. Any one of us could have stayed to at least help him. But we didn't."

He finally lets go of Tony and walks away as the billionaire listens on.

"The fact is Tony, we all share the blame, but sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves isn't going to bring him back," he looks back at him, and Tony can practically see the fire in his eyes, "Spider-Man gave us a chance. We can't let it go to waste. You want to make it up to him, then finish this."

The billionaire genius watches the American icon walk away and asks, "What are you gonna do?"

Steve stops at the exit and answers, "I'm going to call in some backup."

(Unknown Plane of Space)

"How in the hell is it my fault that the earth is doomed?" Peter asks the smug demon lord. The Queens-born hero is willing to take responsibility for a lot of bad things that have happened. So long as there is a perfectly good reason.

Or at the very least, he was present for it. But the world ends because of a cosmic dodo bird he has never associated with. Well, he will not take the rap for that. No siree bob. He has enough guilt thank you.

The devil's chuckling brings attention back and said devil says, "Oh no need to be worried, we will be getting to that in a moment. But there are others who will be going first."

"Now see here you Satan reject," he tells him as he jabs a finger at him, "You can't just drop a bombshell like that and expect me to ignore it."

"That is exactly what you will do."

He flinches at the loud voice that echos all around him. How does he keep forgetting that there are others present? They're not exactly easy to ignore. Particularly the one who told him to shut up.

He turns his attention to The Living Tribunal, who thinks he might be annoyed with him, it's kind of hard to tell, and listens when he speaks, "Your ignorance in this matter does not excuse you from the consequences. Nor does it from your race. Furthermore, you will wait until we arrive at Mephistophele's testimony so that you may hear what you have wrought."

Peter gulps as Uatu steps forward and bows, "Forgive him for his brashness, Tribunal. He is an earthling and they have yet to fully grasp the workings of the universe."

He breathes a sigh of relief. He is very thankful Uatu is here with him. The guy always did have a soft spot for the earth and its inhabitants. Though that comment made it seem like he wasn't. Peter feels like he should stick up for humanity, but it will probably only get him in trouble. So he'll just shut up for now.

The Living Tribunal nods and says, "Mephistopheles, you shall speak first."

The demon king bows, "Thank you, oh glorious Tribunal," he turns and calls out, "Master Order and Lord Chaos, please come forward."

Two giant heads float beside the area Peter is on. One looks like Charles Xavier's head, but not him, the other is deformed and ugly looking.

"First, clarify if this human is the one you both deemed worthy to be bestowed the title of Spider-Man."

Huh? His superhero name is a title? Since when?

Both giant heads nod (he thinks?) in affirmation and Master Order says, "He is."

"Why did you choose him?"

Master Order answers again, "We believed him to be worthy. He has proven time and again that he can bear the mantle and the burden that goes with it."

"Wait, what?' Spider-Man couldn't help but ask.

Mephisto smiles a little and looks back at the two big heads, "May you please elaborate?"

This time Lord Chaos speaks, "The mantle of Spider-Man is given to the chosen avatar of the web of life and destiny. He who bears the mantle is also one held with certain expectations."

"Such as?"

Order answers, "To be a protector."

Spidey puffs his chest a little and proudly declares, "Then I guess I've been doing my job right."

The devil smirks smugly and asks, "Are there any other expectations the mantle holds?"

"Yes," this time Chaos answers, "one other expectation is that he is to be a great hunter."

Mephisto looks back at him all smug and then asks, "And has he accomplished this?"

Both say, "No."

The air deflated from Peter's chest. Crap.

Mephisto looks back to the two and says, "May you please explain."

Order does so, "While he has been a protector, he has also ignored the most crucial part of being a spider."

Oh, that doesn't sound good.

He asks them, "And that would be?

"A spider always finishes its captured prey." Chaos answers.

He raises his hands immediately, "Whoa, hold on a second," he says to them alarmed and serious now, "I am not about to start killing people just because two big heads tell me I'm supposed to. No offense."

By the look they're giving him, he can assume that they are offended.

"Even when ending one life can save hundreds more."

He pauses for a quick second to think about how right that statement tended to be. He shakes his head hard at that and stubbornly says, "Look I don't care what you say, I will not kill anybody."

Order responds, "And we respected your choice in the matter. However, because of this, we have had to intervene."

"What does that mean?"

Mephistopheles steps forward with a smile on his face, "I believe I can answer this for you," he turns around to look at the two big heads, "if it is alright with Order and Chaos," they nod and he turns back to him, "Tell me Spider-Man, you've noticed how unfortunate events occur around you, yes? For example, when you've defeated your enemies, you were unable to fix a disruptive point in your life."

He raises an eyebrow at the question and answers "Yeah?"

Somehow his smug smirk became even more so, "Essentially, you were unable to bring Order into your Chaotic life."

Peter pauses for a moment as he thinks about the devil's words. Especially the two he enunciated.

Two seconds later it clicks in his head, "Wait, are saying that-?" He snaps his gaze at the two big heads and looks at them sharply, "You two are the reason my life goes to hell whenever I try to do the right thing?!"

Chaos responds, "We are merely influences in the universe. We keep the balance."

He asks angrily, "What balance?"

"Order and chaos," Order answers, "For every life that you save is an establishment of order. Alas, that also weakens you, for you see chaos is what gives you strength."

His anger leaves him as he becomes baffled at this, "Huh?"

How in the world was having a chaotic life, or more accurately a life where everything went down the toilet and everyone spat on him and belittled him, give him strength?

"You have two sources of power that you draw upon to give you more strength," Chaos tells him, "One of those is Chaos Energy, similar to what Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, wields."

Huh, so that's where Wanda's powers come from. He always figured it was some internal energy type thing. Like how she just makes the energy on her own. While strange its not unheard of. After all, most mutants draw power from inside themselves. But evidently, Wanda's power comes from somewhere else, and apparently, he also has access to that stuff. He is now imagining himself floating around in a red leotard for some reason.

He shakes his head to rid himself of that image before he looks up at the big heads and asks, "And how would I get this chaos energy?"

Chaos answers him, "As we stated, one way for you to gain chaos energy is by ending lives. But due to your constant refusal to do so, we had to resort to another method.

Spidey makes a snide remark, "Making my life a living hell?"

"Creating chaotic moments in your life, so that you may establish order," Order answers, "Your powers function similarly as your earth's solar panels do. By merely attempting to bring order to chaotic moments in your life, you absorb the chaos energy."

Spidey gives the two a baffled look. That makes no sense. How is manipulating him and everything around him, while he tries to fix it, give him power?

Before he can ask, a certain devil decides to interrupt, "I believe he has grasped enough knowledge to understand what his title entails," he looks to Uatu and gestures to him to step forward, "Your turn."

The Watcher does so and waves his hand in the air to create transparent images that Spider-Man immediately recognizes. 

"Do you recognize these individuals Spider-Man?" He asks him.

Spider-Man nods and answers, "Yeah, those are my guys. My uh villains."

Indeed that is what The Watcher is showing him and the others present. He is showing stilled images of Vulture, Rhino, Electro, Hydro-Man, and a lot of others Spider-Man has fought over the years.

"Do you see a similarity amongst all of them?" The omniscient being asks him.

Spidey hesitates because he doesn't see one. Most of the guys are animal-themed, but others have powers of electricity or sand or something. So he takes a shot, "Uh, they're forces of nature?"

Uatu nods, "Correct."

Hey, he's a pretty decent shot.

"Master Order and Lord Chaos," Uatu calls to the floating big heads, "You stated that he has proven himself worthy of the mantle of Spider-Man, yet he failed in the hunter aspect of the title. So may you please explain?"

Order explains, "The mantle of the Spider is ultimately chosen by the great weaver. However, we still have the right to test the chosen. Should he fail at any point then we can remove the champion's power or choose another but allow him to keep his abilities. Thus far Peter Parker has passed all the trials given to him, but two."

"One of those was the Hunter," The universal peeping tom (what else would you call him?) says, "However, that is not entirely true."

He waves his hand again and this time shows the first battles Spider-Man had against his villains. Each one he is standing victoriously over his defeated foe, although not without injury it seems.

"A true hunter survives all forms of nature," He stated, "Whether they are other predators, prey, or forces of nature, a spider endures and conquers. Though he may not have finished his battles in a preferred way, Spider-Man still achieved victory with all odds against him."

Darn tootin' he did! And it wasn't easy either. Peter can't count the number of times he's had his butt handed to him by these guys. But no matter how much he was hurting, he still kept going. And thank goodness Uatu is his lawyer. He can show all these guys that. And by proxy, that Earth is worth saving. He still has no idea what his being good enough to be Spider-Man has to do with it, but he'll ask when he wins this.

Unfortunately, his internal celebration is cut short when Uatu steps back next to him.

'That was it!?' he mentally shouted to himself as the Watcher/Flaker stands next to him and he gives him an incredulous look, "What're you doing!?" he asks, "That's not enough to defend me!"

The Flak-Watcher calmly turns to him and responds, "You needn't worry. Everything will turn out fine"

He wants to ask more, but the Watcher is on his side. So maybe he shouldn't worry so much.

(K'un Lun Temple)

'I hope that they are at least willing to listen,' was the thought going through Charles Xavier's head as he walked through a hallway of the K'un Lun temple.

He had just received some information that could very well help in this fight against the last two remaining Phoenix Five, Scott and Emma. That the majority, if not all, of the X-Men and mutants that have sided with Scott have had a change of heart. He was told it was after the attack on Wakanda that they began to have doubts. And it was also that they were not allowed to have doubts because Emma Frost constantly read their minds. She threatened any who had traitorous thoughts. Such a thing makes his stomach turn.  Fortunately, such a thing motivated many of his people to break away from the two cosmic-powered couple and join the cause to stop them. He only hopes that with everything that's happened, the Avengers don't just dismiss it.

He stops at the door where he can sense the Captain's thoughts permeating. He senses mostly caution and unease.

He enters the room and sees the Avengers leader leaning on a table with his back to Xavier while on the phone saying, "I understand. I'll be there. Thank you."

He hangs up the phone, places it on the table in front of him, and leans on it as he hangs his head with a sigh. Whatever the conversation the good Captain just had wasn't a pleasant one.

Charles clears his throat to make his presence known, "Steve?"

Rogers turns his head halfway, not fully looking at him, and says, "Xavier. I assume that you have some news."

"Yes," he answers. He takes a breath and says, "Rogue reached out to me and she said she and all the others want to help stop Scott and Emma."

Cap doesn't respond, just continues to lean on the table.

Charles continues, "She said that they want to meet somewhere in Minnesota. She told me the exact location."

A bit more silence, before Steve says, "Can we trust them?"

"Yes," Charles answers without hesitation.

The WWII veteran nods in acceptance and turns his head back, "All right. Set the meet."

Charles nods, "Thank you," he says. He takes a breath for the next part, "I'm concerned about how some of the Avengers will react when they see certain people with the others."

Cap sighs and turns fully to Charles with tired eyes, "If you're referring to the ones who kept some of the Avengers prisoners inside their minds by making them live a continuous loop of escaping only to be brought back to the cells, then you are going to have to have some realistic expectations."

"I understand," Xavier responds, "I'm just asking that when this is all over, if there are to be consequences, then they shouldn't be punished too severely. They saw the error of their mistakes and they now wish to rectify that."

Steve looks at Xavier's face and sees it full of regret. Charles has always been one for peace and Unity between mutants and the rest of the world. But since he stepped away and didn't take the lead again, the X-Men have been falling apart. With Scott and Logan making separate schools, Magneto being a leader that Scott allowed in Utopia, and all of them depending on a young woman to take on a cosmic power to restore the mutant race. The man takes responsibility for what his X-Men have been doing.

Responsibility.

Cap flinches at the word. A word one person has built his entire life around. All Spider-Man tried to do was live up to that word. A word that Spider-Man's uncle taught him the meaning of and a code that every hero out there should live by.

With great power, there must also come great responsibility.

'Maybe I should take some responsibility for my part in this,' Rogers nods as he thought to himself. He looks to the mutant professor and says, "I'll talk to my team. And I'll also talk to Hill and get her to show leniency on your people."

Charles breathes in relief and says, "Thank you, Steve. This means a lot to me."

"I'm not doing it for you," Rogers immediately says, "I'm doing this because I'm also responsible for this," he pulls out the wooden chair from the table, sits on it, and clasps his hands together, "I could've handled the situation with Scott better. Or maybe talk with the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. or someone in regards to restoring the mutants without having to rely on some power beyond anyone's control. Then maybe this whole situation could have been avoided."

That is what has been on his mind ever since his first confrontation with Scott. The man made some good points. He said he and his people never did enough for the mutant population. The Avengers and like often stood back and watched as the world hated mutants. Groups have openly attacked them and they barely acknowledged it. The accusations were not inaccurate, if only harsh. Truth is often like that.

Charles shakes his head and tells Cap, "Steve you couldn't have known all this would happen. And with everything that's been happening since Wanda's episode, you all couldn't do much anyway."

Captain America's eyes widen slightly at Charles' words. He closes his eyes, leans back on the desk behind him, and lets out an airy laugh, "Heh, so that's what he felt," he says as he slumps his shoulders, "I used to say stuff like that to Spider-Man all the time. It wasn't his fault that a policeman was killed from falling debris, it wasn't his fault that Green Goblin killed the woman he loved, and it wasn't his fault that some mugger killed his Uncle."

Charles…. did not know that. He always sensed guilt in Spider-Man, a tremendous amount of it, but he did not know why. He asked Logan and he told him that he should just trust Spider-Man. The fact that he had Logan's trust and respect, which was something Charles knew was difficult to obtain, he decided not to dig into his mind and respect the arachnid-themed hero's privacy.

"Fact of the matter is Xavier," Cap said, bringing out the telepaths from his thoughts, "We all share the blame for what's been happening with the X-men and Phoenix. Whether it's from inaction on our part for the mutants or Scott's resolve to rely on a cosmic force, we all share the blame. And we all should take responsibility for everything we've done."

'It's what Spider-Man does, and I have no right to do any less,' Charles heard Rogers think.

He doesn't know what to say. What can he say? He can't disagree with him, because he knows he's right. Charles left after Wanda's episode. He didn't return to his X-men when they needed him. What gave him the right to step aside and make Scott, someone he considered a son, bear the burden of leading the mutant race? To tolerate and hopefully conquer humanity's hatred towards mutants and bring an era of peace and unity?

Now with everything that's happened, that fool's dream may have become just that, a fool's dream.

"I didn't tell them," he says grabbing the WWII vet's attention, "about Spider-Man, I mean. I didn't have the heart to."

Steve looks at the telepath curiously and says, "I didn't realize they were close."

Charles shakes his head, "They weren't," he says, "Well not all of them. Bobby was friends with him and Johnny Storm. And when Johnny passed, Logan told me Bobby had a hard time coping."

He recalls how Logan told him Iceman was just wandering through the school with a depressed expression. Not even Kitty Pryde, his girlfriend at the time, was able to help him.

He then recalls how Bobby got better and how Spider-Man helped. It made him smile amusingly at the memory.

Steve raises an eyebrow at Xavier, "It makes you smile how depressed your student was Xavier?"

The professor waves his hand and shakes his head quickly, "No, no. Goodness no," he amusingly says, "It's just I remember Logan told me that Spider-Man was the one that helped Bobby out of his 'funk' I believe it's called. You see, Bobby was in Manhattan, he wanted to get away from everyone that was trying to help him. But then an incident with the Frightful Four occurred."

Captain America tries to remember the event. When he does, he gets a look of realization, "That's right," he says with a small smile, "That was when Spider-Man, Iceman, and Firestar teamed up against them."

Charles nods and says, "Yes, the Frightful Four thought they could win against the Fantastic Four now that they were down a member. But they didn't realize that Spider-Man was Johnny's replacement, nor that the others were not present at the time. Anyway, to make a long story short Bobby caught them in mid-fight, and Angelica, who I heard was just passing by at the time, joined in as well."

Cap raises an eyebrow, "That little team-up helped him out?"

Charles nods as he smiles in amusement, "Yes, especially what Logan told me when Bobby got home."

(Flashback, Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters)

Logan was sitting in the mess hall of the school and is reading a newspaper with a huge smile on his face. Standing just behind him Kitty Pryde with a big smile herself.

"Oh my god," Kitty says while trying not to laugh, "When he sees this he's gonna flip."

Logan starts chuckling and says, "Yeah, and the worst part for him is that we're never gonna let him live this down."

"Not a chance."

"Hey guys," they both hear Bobby call out to them and they look up to see him standing in front of them, "What's up?"

Kitty puts on an unassuming smile as she walks up to her boyfriend, "Hey baby, you feeling better?"

He gives her a small smile and nods, "Yeah, you know that trip was just what I needed," he says as he wraps his arms around her waist, "I know you were trying to help, but I just needed some alone time."

Logan can see Kitty's lips quivering from not laughing, "Really? By yourself?" She gives him a faux questioning look, "Are you sure there weren't others that helped you?"

He quirks his eyebrow at her odd behavior and then shrugs with a smarmy smile, "Weeell, I might've had a little help from Spider-Man and Firestar, but to be honest babe they needed my help more than anything."

She nods in agreement while her pleasant smile threatens to turn into an amused one. It's obvious to Logan that she wants to say something, but she's a good girlfriend and she wouldn't set fire to her boyfriend's reputation in the school.

However, if someone else were to start the fire-

"Yeah, I bet you were an 'amazing friend'."

-she has no problem fanning the flames.

She loses her composure as she falls back to the cafeteria table laughing uncontrollably at Logan's comment. All the while, poor Bobby has a confused expression as he looks between the amused Wolverine and at the hysterical Headmistress of the school, "What's going on?"

At that, Logan holds up the newspaper he and Kitty were looking at for Bobby to see.

The front-page picture is of Spider-Man, Iceman, and Firestar standing in front of the Baxter Building with the frightful four; consisting of the Wizard, Titania, Hydro-Man, and Trapster, at their feet. The headline is what catches the attention.

"Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends"

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Bobby shouts as he snatches the paper out of Logan's hand and glares at it in disbelief, "Who the hell- Oh that son of a- Of all the stupid things that come out of his mouth, this has got to be the stupidest!"

'Well, Angelica said she liked it.'

Logan decided to share this moment with the man that made it happen via Facetime on his phone. Said hero is only showing his masked face and the sky in the background.

Bobby glares balefully at the Web-Head as he thrusts the paper in front of the screen, "If you think for a second I'm just going to let this slide, then you are in for a huge disappointment!"

Logan can see him frothing in the mouth. Oh, he can't wait for his reaction when he's told the truth.

'Would you relax, it's not even a real newspaper."

There it is.

His face is frozen in shock with anger. Like a picture of the Hulk except actually funny to look at.

"What?" Bobby asks in disbelief.

He quickly looks at the paper again and sees that the newspaper says 'Avengers Daily'.

He lets out a breath of relief as he collapses on the seat of the cafeteria table next to his girlfriend, who has now calmed down.

He looks to the phone screen and smiles amusingly, "Okay Web-Head, I'll give it to you. That was a good one," he jabs a finger at the phone, "Don't think I won't get you back for that one though."

'Eh, I doubt that you'll have the chance since you'll be on damage control.'

Bobby looks on confused and asks, "What are you talking abo-" he stops and gets a look of shocking realization. He snaps his head back to the newspaper and Logan could guess he's now focusing on the masthead.

The newspaper's name.

"You didn't."

(Flashback End)

After retelling the tale of 'Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends', Charles can't control how hard he's laughing and Steve isn't faring much better.

Trying to regain his breath while still chuckling Rogers asks, "Oh god I remember that paper. He made sure all the Avengers had a copy," he shakes his head, "Heh, what happened next?"

Xavier runs his hand over his face to rid himself of the redness he has, "Bobby tore the paper apart and then began threatening Spider-Man. And of course, Logan decided to add fuel to the fire by telling Bobby that the paper was circulating the entire school and Utopia."

That surprises Captain America, "You're kidding."

Charles smiles happily and shakes his head, "No, as mad as Logan was at Scott, he couldn't help but spread that particular news to all that know Bobby. It was the first time that Scott, Logan, and the others put aside their differences and merely shared a laugh. Even at Bobby's expense," his smile turns sad and he lowers his head, "It's strange how Spider-Man never realized how much he helped."

Rogers imitates Xavier's sad smile and responds with, "It's also strange how he never realized his greatest gift wasn't his powers, but his heart."

Charles lifts his head and looks to the Captain to elaborate.

"Most don't seem to realize it but Spider-Man was a close call," he closes his eyes and mentally invites the Telepath to read his mind, which he does so, "Everything that's been done by him and to him, he would have been the biggest villain the world would have ever seen."

Charles would normally assume that the good Captain was exaggerating, but with the mental images Rogers is sharing, Xavier can see why he would say such a thing. He sees how the WWII veteran often looked on to the younger hero and was always amazed by his feats. Defeating villains that outclassed him by a wide margin, saving civilians in impossible situations, and even saving his villains from their demise.

But when said hero's most intimate details were shown to the Avenger, the professor can feel the fear that the Captain felt when thinking of the young man's future.

"It truly amazed me that after everything he's endured, Spider-Man never turned evil. I've heard of individuals turning to villains for a lot less than what he's gone through."

He is now seeing the Captain reading classified files on Spider-Man. He sees one about the alternate reality Wanda created and in it Spider-Man has married a blond woman that was dead long before that incident. Killed by her neck snapping after being thrown off a bridge by his greatest nemesis, the Green Goblin. After he returned, his already strained relationship with another woman became even more so.

More mental images of files, news reports, and even first-hand experiences with the Wall Crawler begin to emerge. All of these memories showing how much the Avenger's leader admired him.

"But he never gave up, even when life knocked him down, and it hit him hard, he always got back up with a smile on his face and a bad joke out of his mouth." He lets out a breathy laugh at the thought of Spider-Man's bad humor.

Charles stops reading his mind as he waits patiently to ask the Captain a question that he's wanted to ask since the mountain rescue.

Once he sees the patriotic man compose himself he asks, "Steve, do you think we can win this fight."

Rogers shakes his head no as he stands up and grabs his famous shield, "Not alone, not as we are now," he places the shield on his back and stands tall, "The Avengers and X-Men need to fight together on this. It's the only way we can win against Scott and Emma," he looks Xavier dead in the eyes, "United under a common cause."

The world's most powerful telepath lowers his head at the thought of that common cause being the young boy he raised like his own.

"But we're also going to need something else."

Charles gets confused and lifts his head to look at the Captain, "What?"

"A ticking time bomb."

(Unknown Plane of Space)

"You know, I can't help but feel that this has not been going well in my world's favor."

For the past hour or so, just an estimation really, Spider-Man, the Earth's only chance of survival, 'No pressure right', has had to listen to cosmic beings list out every single time people from his world disrupt natural law and order.

And boy was that list long. He didn't even know about half the stuff they mentioned. Granted they complained about him too, but they mostly focused on others. The Inbetweener talked about the balance of order and chaos and how humans kept disrupting it. Eternity and Infinity mentioned how much earthlings messed up the space-time continuum by constantly traveling through time and messing with history. And Galactus of course is currently mentioning how they kept messing with his meals.

'Big baby.'

Anyway, with Uatu as his lawyer, he thought he had a chance. The all-mighty peeping tom of the universe could've pointed out all the redeeming qualities earthlings have. Like love, compassion, cool music, and pizza.

But he hasn't. All he's done is point out Spider-Man's redeeming qualities and feats! And even though it is incredibly flattering, Peter can't help but feel that Uatu isn't doing a very good job when it comes to EVERYONE ELSE!

"You needn't worry," he doesn't even look at him as he says that.

"See you say that, but I can't help but to worry," he starts flailing his arms around, "Especially since all you've been doing is defending me but leaving earth out to dry!"

"Earth will be fine so long as you return."

Okay, that annoys him. He makes sure to give Uatu the stink eye as he says, "You know what. I am getting sick and tired of all these vague answers. I need straight answers."

Just as Uatu turns to respond, Spider-Man gets all up in his face, by standing on a rock, "Why am I here? It doesn't feel like I need to be here. Every time I try to talk, someone tells me to shut up," he pointedly looks at the Tribunal for that. He shifts his gaze back to Watcher and adds a sternness to it, "Why. am. I. here?"

Seeing that he's tired of receiving vague answers, the Watcher sighs and says, "You are the basis on how they will judge the earth. But more than that, you are also ultimately the deciding factor."

He looks at the Watcher confusingly, "What? Isn't that the same thing?"

"No," he shakes his big head, "the Living Tribunal will decide the fate of your world based on your testimony."

His eyes widen at the shocking news, "I'm sorry, what?"

Uatu snaps his head to the planet eater and urgently says, "Galactus is almost finished, we must-"

Spidey waves his hand to interrupt Uatu and get his attention back, "Hold on, you're saying that all I have to do is convince him that the Earth is worth saving."

"Yes."

"And you couldn't tell me this, why?" Peter asks incredulously.

Uatu gives him a pointed look, "Because then you would have acted out more during this ordeal."

"...Mean, but true."

"Ahem," they both turn and see Mephistopheles looking at them smugly, "are the two of you finished?" he looks at the Omniscient Watcher while he gestures to Galactus, "Your turn."

Meanwhile, Death is standing on the sidelines waiting for her turn to speak. Throughout the entire time, she has just been waiting for Mephistopheles to call for her, so she can do her part in his scheme and be done with it all. Though in actuality she merely will let him think that.

The devilish dealer walks away to stand next to Death, likely to try and start a conversation with her about how his ingenious plan is coming together. The fool.

"This is going as planned," his aggravating voice tempts her to just do away with him, " Soon we will both get what we desire."

Ah yes, the promise he made that would mean no more revivals and rebirths in the universe. An empty promise it was though. The fool believes himself to be clever enough to fool her. If she was allowed she would eradicate him on the spot. But alas she is bound by laws. It's the only reason she tolerates his presence near her.

"Have care, demon," she says to him without looking at him, "You should know better than to be so confident. When a plan as clever as this reaches its climax, it has a tendency to fall apart at the most crucial point."

She is of course referring to his past dealings, and though not many tended to backfire on him, there were still quite a few. Most notably the one made with Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider.

He winces slightly at the jab but still keeps his sinister smile, "You needn't worry. I still have my trump card," he sees the Watcher walk back to the hero's side, "And now it is time to play it."

Yes, it is time for his greatest plan to come to full fruition! Years of planning and manipulation shall finally bear fruit! And he will at last gain all his black heart desires

"Master Hate and Mistress Love, please come forward."

Back with the Queens-born hero, he waits for Uatu to stand next to him to say, "Nice job with Galactus. That was the first time you defended Earth and not me."

Spider-Man notices the solemn look on the Watcher's faces and worriedly, "Hey, why the long face? You just kicked judiciary butt."

The bald moon dweller sighs and looks to Spidey with regret, "I'm afraid at this point you must defend yourself, Spider-Man."

His eyes widen in shock at that, "What, why?

"Because," he hears Mephisto say and looks and sees him facing him with a twisted smile, "For this, he cannot say anything in your defense."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ah yes forgive me," He feigns an apologetic look, "I forgot to restore that moment in your memories," he shifts his gaze to Uatu and smiles evilly, "Would you be so kind as to remind him?"

Peter turns his head questioningly and sees the Watcher glaring at the devil. Obviously hating the request the hell lord made. Before he closes his eyes and opens to look at Peter apologetically.

"Forgive me."

Before Spider can ask what for, Uatu lifts his hand and shines a light on him.

Then it all came crashing back.

His marriage, his would-be child, and his deal with the devil.

Once it all settles, he collapses to his hands and knees. The shock is evident on his face as he tries to make sense of what he just saw. Of what he remembers.

"I was-I was married to Mary Jane?"

"Indeed you were," Mephistopheles answers jubilantly as he walks to the devastated hero, "And you sold me that marriage to save your dearly beloved aunt. All because you could not live with the consequences your choices wrought. Had you done so, your world's mutants would have been restored by a revived Jean Grey. So you see Spider-Man…"

Mephisto stops just at the edge of the young man's fingers and then bends down slightly.

"The destruction of your world is your doing."