Amazing Spider-Man: True Purpose

(Jean Grey School For Gifted Youngsters)

On the steps of the Jean Grey School, Bobby Drake, also known as Iceman, and Kitty Pryde, also known as Shadow Kat, sit in silent and somber reflection. Their minds are on the deaths of two good people in their lives. One was a dear friend, even if he was annoying, and the other a mentor, who was practically a father to them and so many others.

Spider-Man, Peter Parker to his friends like Bobby, and Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men. Both had made huge impacts in their lives, 'Although I'd never tell webhead that.' And both died rather pointless and avoidable deaths.

Upon returning to school with their fellow X-Men, most of the younger students wanted to celebrate that new mutants were appearing all over the world. There was no desire among the staff to do so, however. After all, it didn't exactly feel like a victory. They let the kids have their fun, but they didn't want to be a part of it.

They hear the doors open up behind them and muffled music, but they don't turn to look.

"Hey guys," Rogue calls out gently as she can over the music behind her, "The kids are kind of gettin' rowdy. Need a little help."

Kitty sighs as she responds, "Be right there."

As the headmistress stands up they hear the sounds of jet engines and they look up to see the Avengers Quinjet. They become worried that they are here to arrest some of the X-Men, but that worry quickly leaves when they see who exits and the jet leaves immediately after.

"Logan!" Rogue shouts happily before she quickly runs out to hug the man.

Logan catches her and returns the hug with a small smile, "I'm alright, kid."

Bobby watches the man release Rogue and approach them. He notices the feral man is not his grim usual self. He would ask what's got him in a good mood but what he wants to hear is something a little more important.

"You going to Spidey's funeral?" Bobby asks.

"Nope," the man responds as he walks past him and Kitty. Acting as if nothing is wrong.

Bobby clenches his fist in frustration as he gets up and goes into the mansion after him. The man barely reacted to not being able to attend a good friend's funeral, he can't be that heartless.

"C'mon, that's not right!" Iceman as he steps through the doors shouts angrily.

Logan continues his trek upstairs as he walks past Beast, who was coming down them, and dismissively responds, "It's fine."

Beast looks between the feral mutant and the ice-powered one and asks, "What's going on?"

Bobby ignores him, "No, it's not, man! I mean you fought with them from the beginning! So you should-"

"He's not dead anymore."

That stops him and everyone else cold and they all say at once, "What?"

Wolverine stands on the steps and looks at them with a smile on his face, "Ole webhead is back on his feet."

Too shocked to say anything, and frankly not believing what he was saying, Bobby just leans back against the large wooden doors.

But as shocked as Rogue is, she still asks, "Are y'all serious?"

Logan nods, "Saw him walking and still talking."

"How?"

He shrugs, "You got me."

Hank postulates the only possible explanation, "Did Hope-?"

"No," Logan immediately responds, "Far as she can tell, the Phoenix has nothing to do with that chattering monkey's resurrection. Hell, it might be some kind of byproduct of his powers."

Hank's scientific mind can't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

Again Logan just shrugs and continues his trek upstairs with Hank on his heels asking more questions.

Meanwhile, after a few moments of shocked silence, Bobby just begins to laugh and Rogue and Kitty become a little worried.

"Bobby? You okay?" Rogue asks.

Bobby raises one hand to placate them while the other goes to rub his eyes, "I'm fine 'sniff'," he says as he looks up with a happy smile, "This is just so typical of that webhead. Here I am crying and being all sad about the guy being dead, and that tool has the nerve to come back to life. I mean I already ordered flowers for him and Xavier and now I can't ask for my money back. Not to mention the guy…"

The girls just listen to him rant and ramble about his resurrected friend, all the while thinking about how this happened and what this could mean. An Avenger came back to life while the founder of the X-Men didn't.

'That ain't right,' Rogue thinks in slight frustration as she continues to listen while slightly clenching her fist, 'Why did he come back? What makes him so special?'

(Funtime, Inc. A Stark Enterprises Subsidiary)

"So after they finished with their testimony, Uatu, again kind of just stood there and let things play out," Spider-Man says as recounts the events of his afterlife experience in some new clothing now that his webbing wore off, "Then after them, Mephisto called Galactus and he said…"

As he continues to talk, the Illuminati members are as gobsmacked as they had been for the last few hours. All four men present just continue to listen with rapt attention. Honestly having an incredibly hard time believing anything that the recently reborn hero is saying. Reed, Tony, and Steve find a hard time believing this story because frankly, it sounds so outlandish. Not because of the beings he's mentioned, they have SHIELD files on them thanks to Reed, Strange, and other reliable sources, but because the situation seems entirely ridiculous.

Stephen Strange himself is only having a hard time believing this because of one reason. 

"...least that time Uatu defended the earth and not just me. I was worried that the big judge would think he was being a bit biased, but he just stayed silent for the most part."

"Peter, Peter, Peter!" Tony calls out with hands up to signal him to stop, "Stop for a second," he rubs his forehead, "Kind of overwhelmed here. Give us a second to process all this."

Peter softly scoffs, "You think you're overwhelmed, try going through it."

"Touche."

While the other three try to absorb the information, Stephen finally gets an opening to ask, "Why you?"

His fellow Illuminati members look at him for a second before turning to Spidey, silently asking the question.

Parker looks down at the table, at his reflection, and answers, "You know I asked Uatu the same thing. I thought, why not Cap or Gandhi or Abraham Lincoln? And he told me I wasn't only the basis but also the deciding factor."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Steve asks him.

Peter shakes his head, "As it turns out no," he takes a breath, "You see when all was said and done, I had to convince the Tribunal that earth was worth saving. And not only did I have to truly believe that, but I also had to…" he stops and closes his eyes and clenches his fists, "...I had to make a defense for my part in the Phoenix."

They look at him confused as Reed voices their question, "What are you talking about?"

Peter gets a look of shame and says, "I don't know the exact details," he clenches his fists tightly, "All I know is that I made the singular stupidest decision of my life. And I barely even remember it."

"What did you do?"

The younger man keeps his eyes closed as some tears escape from them and he solemnly answers, "I made a deal with Mephisto."

Every single one of the Illuminati members becomes shocked beyond belief at this piece of news.

(Flashback To the Trial)

Having just been reminded that he sold his marriage away to the devil himself, Peter Parker is devastated. From the memories Uatu returned, it seems his aunt May was shot and was laying in the hospital dying and the only way to save her was a deal with Mephisto. And the demon lord didn't want his soul but instead his marriage.

'But why?' Peter thinks to himself as he tries to absorb this information, 'And how is it connected to the world being doomed?'

He hears Mephisto clear his throat and speaks jubilantly, "Well now that he remembers enough, shall we proceed," he turns his attention to the two beings, "Mistress Love and Master Hate, would you mind going into detail about this humans misdeed against the two of you."

They both nod and the lady goddess steps forward and looks at Peter with clear disappointment she speaks with a melodious voice, "This mortal soul committed a heinous and abhorrent crime. He threw away an unconditional love he had with another mortal, Mary Jane Watson," he feels even lower now, "It was rare and beautiful and you threw it away. And the universe was lesser for it."

Peter can't help but ask, "How?"

"A domino effect," Mistress Love explains, "While in your perspective, your love life seems insignificant, it does have an impact on the world around you because it had an impact on you."

Peter jerks back at that, not knowing what she could mean.

Not caring about his reaction, Love continues, "You see, in your marriage, you were becoming a man that was not only worthy of bearing the mantle of Spider-Man but a man that was also shaping the world around him. Whether he realizes it or not. An example of this would be the man you know as Wolverine. A rather crude and violent man would have had a beautiful life with a love much like yours."

"Wait what?" Peter asks in shock, "How is it that my marriage would have done that?"

"It would have been an inspiration to the man. He would have seen the love that the two of you had for each other and desired to gain it as well. In the form of a returned Jean Grey."

If he was shocked before, he is now gobsmacked, "What?"

Mistress Love nods with a saddened expression, "Yes, Jean Grey would have returned to earth as a result of an event similar to the one your world is currently dealing with, but not so tragic. Had your marriage still existed, then Logan and Jean would have been together and had a beautiful family."

Peter looks down with eyes wide and heart-wrenching, "Logan would have been married too?"

Is he really responsible for such a drastic change in the world due to his marriage? He and MJ can't be that important.

Can they?

"Some mortals in your history have often said it," she speaks up, "Love is a powerful force. It is capable of creating life as well as ending it. Love can start wars and end them. It can inspire or bring despair. Yet you gave away a magnificent aspect of your life for selfish purposes."

That knocks Peter out of his funk as he bolts up, "Selfish?!" Peter shouts defensively, "I did that to save my aunt's life!"

"Because you despised yourself for your part in her demise," Master Hate responds with his deep grating voice, "You could not live with yourself, so you bargained away something you believed was not as valuable."

He shakes his head vehemently, "No no that's not true! I just-"

Master Hate interrupts him, "You hated yourself for your decision in revealing your identity to the world even when you knew the consequences would be dire."

"None of you could understand!" Peter yells angrily, "You think it's easy to live with something like that! To live with the fact that you got someone you love killed!"

"Yet you still despise yourself!" Master Hate yells back just as angrily, "You constantly torture yourself for your failings! You never allow yourself to be at peace!"

Peter reels back before he shouts, "I can't let myself forget those mistakes! Besides, aren't you the guy who wants hate in the universe?!"

Master Hate groans in frustration, "Mortals. You always think so simply," he glares at the man, "My desire is to see hate satisfied!"

"What the hell does that mean?!

"Enough," The Tribunal speaks and his voice reverberates across the realm, "The webs champion shall control his temper."

"Me?!" Peter shouts in indignation before he gestures to Hate, "What about him?! He was shouting too!"

"DO NOT SPEAK TO ME IN SUCH A MANNER!"

Peter holds back his voice as he realizes who he just yelled at.

(Present)

Peter looks at his reflection on the table blankly. He just waits for the older men in the room to give their feedback.

And he does not have to wait long.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Strange yells at him as he bolts up from his seat, "Yelling at the Living Tribunal?! A deal with Mephisto?! How many more idiotic decisions have you made that we aren't aware of?!"

Normally Steve would reel his friends from losing their tempers, but in all honesty, he feels the need to yell at the younger hero himself. Hell, the kid made an even bigger stupid decision than every time Tony did. Combined.

Tony and Reed meanwhile don't know what to say. Tony because he just got his memories of Peter back so he can't make an unbiased statement, while Reed feels like this is a situation he can't provide helpful insight.

Doctor Strange begins pacing back and forth as he continues to rant, "Of all the stupid decisions in history, you somehow managed to top all of them!" Strange then focus his frustration on the revived hero, "How could you do something so stupid?!"

Peter calmly responds, "Because I was a selfish brat who didn't know any better."

"Well, I agree with that completely!"

"Strange," Captain Rogers calls out to him, "Enough."

"No! Dammit, Steve, no! This isn't something that can be just looked over! We have to talk-"

"Doc!" Tony this time interrupts him as he raises his hands in a placating manner, "I get you want to chew the kid out, but how about you do it after when he finishes his story? I mean the ending can't be that bad if we're all still here right?"

Strange wants to retort, but mulling it over for a few seconds, he can't help but agree to a degree. So he takes a breath to compose himself. He waves his hand and his seat is returned to its position, but he doesn't sit in it. Instead, he opts to stand in the corner of the room. Not being able to be near Peter right now.

Seeing things have calmed down, Steve motions to Peter to continue, "What happened next?"

Peter takes a breath, "Well after Love and Hate said their piece…"

(Flashback)

Peter is on the floor with his head down in shame. After hearing both god-like beings tell how bad he's made things, he can't imagine how it could be worse.

"Wait what else did they say?"

"Not important. Anyway-"

While Peter is wallowing in his misery, Mephistopheles steps forward with a kick in his step. The demon lord is pleased with this outcome. Peter can't imagine what is going through the monster's head, but he knows it's not anything good. After all, he caused this but somehow makes it seem like it's Peter's fault.

And Peter feels inclined to agree.

"It would seem it is time to pass my judgment," The Living Tribunal states, "Does the Totem carrier have nothing to say?"

Peter wants to say something, anything in his defense, but can't. Frankly, after everything Love and Hate said he can't come up with anything to excuse his actions. He doesn't even want to. He feels like he-

"Mistress Death, can you please come forward."

Both Peter and Mephistopheles become surprised at this. The latter because he did not expect the Watcher to call forward Death, who holds no love for the humans and would certainly not help in any capacity. At least he's sure she wouldn't. Why would she?

But Peter is only surprised because it was Uatu who called Death. The guy is supposed to be defending him and earth. He's pretty sure Death won't have anything nice to say. Then dread fills him as he can imagine what will be talked about. All the people he's failed. All the lives he couldn't save because of his screwups. Why would Uatu call for her?

Love and Hate step away and Death takes their place at being the center of attention.

"Please, summon the soul of Benjamin Parker."

Peter's heart shoots up his throat and chokes him. He looks at Uatu in shock as Death hesitates for a moment before she waves her hand.

A flash of light later and a man that he's never stopped thinking about appears just as he remembers him.

With a kind smile that breaks Peter's heart, Benjamin Parker greets his nephew, "Hey there, kiddo."

"Uncle Ben."

No. Not him. Of all the people in Peter's life, not-

He lunges forward and hugs the man tightly as tears fall freely from his eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey come on champ," Ben Parker says gently to his nephew as he holds him tightly, "Is that any way for a hero to be acting?"

Peter just holds him tighter and continues to apologize.

"What is this!?" Mephisto asks angrily as he comes forward, and Peter quickly reacts and gets in front of his Uncle Ben, "This man has no business here!"

Ben places a hand on Peter's shoulder and steps around him and stares at the devil fearlessly, "Well considering it's my nephew you're trying to pin this whole thing on, I think I have every right to be here, spooky."

The demon lord glares banefully at Ben, "Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?"

"I couldn't care less," Ben responds as he turns his back on the devil and addresses the Watcher, "Is it possible for me to speak to my nephew for a few moments?"

Uatu turns his attention to the one in charge, "Living Tribunal," he addresses with a bow, "I would ask you to allow this man to speak to Spider-Man."

Raising a nonexistent eyebrow, "Why should I permit such a thing?"

"Because it'd make a huge difference," Ben responds before Uatu does.

Peter immediately panics and as he tugs on the man's sleeve he says, "Uncle Ben!"

The senior Parker looks to the younger one with an amused smile, "Relax kiddo, I got this," he says before he gets serious as he looks to the Tribunal, "Look a guy like you I'm assuming is a big picture kind of guy. Meaning as far as the small stuff that happens in the world goes, you couldn't care any less."

Peters dealt with people like that. Maybe not cosmic level, but certainly people from home. Like the Avengers and how they don't think street-level stuff is as important as the big stuff like Hydra and whatnot.

"Well I'm here to tell you you're wrong," panic in the young hero gets even worse as he listens to his uncle call out the Tribunal, "The small stuff matters. If enough of the small details you think don't matter change, then you wind up with a different big picture. Get what I'm saying."

Peter can't help but be terrified about what his Uncle is doing. The man is speaking to the most powerful being in the universe so casually. Hell, he's even going so far as to lecture the guy.

If Peter could, he'd have messed up his pants.

After a few moments of silence, the Tribunal responds, "Very well I shall permit this."

Peter releases a huge breath he didn't know he was holding as his uncle thanks the Tribunal. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see his uncle giving him a smile full of mirth.

"What are you looking so scared for?" He asks sarcastically.

Peter tries to respond but is completely tongue-tied at his uncle. So he just opts to hug the man again.

The older man just laughs at his nephew's action, "Easy there son. I may be a soul but I'm still an old soul."

Peter chuckles at the bad joke as he reluctantly releases his uncle and wipes his eyes, "Sorry, Uncle Ben it's just-" his smile turns into a sad look, "I'm so sorry, Uncle Ben."

Ben gets confused, "Now what could you possibly be apologizing to me for?"

Peter closes his eyes and turns his head away in shame, "The night that you died, I could've prevented it. I could've stopped the man that shot you, but I didn't."

Peter waits for the shock and anger from his uncle. He expects that this is the reason why Uatu brought this man here. To have him confront his greatest mistake. The one that started it all.

"Oh is that all?"

Peter whips his head around back to his uncle, who just looks at him with a look of understanding, "Son, I don't blame you for that. You felt like the world was giving you your due. You lost both your parents before you even got to know them, kids your age didn't like you because you were different, and me and your aunt May could hardly keep the lights on," he places his hands on his nephew's shoulders, "You didn't have it easy kiddo. And it still hasn't gotten any easier from what I've seen."

Peter gets curious about what he means.

Ben nods to the Watcher, "Mr. Uatu there filled in the blanks for me. You being an amazing hero and all. I'm not surprised though. I always knew you were meant for great things kiddo. I'm real proud of you."

Peter feels so much happiness in hearing his Uncle Ben say that to him. He's always just believed his uncle would be proud of what he does, but to actually hear him say it fills him with so much joy.

But that joy starts to subside when his Uncle Ben's face forms a frown, "Although you have made your fair share of mistakes it seems. Including what you did that brought all this on."

Peter's heart drops as he says, "Uncle Ben, I can-"

"Stop right there," Ben Parker says raising his hand to stop him from talking, "I'm about to do something that frankly is long overdue. Something that someone should have told you a long time ago," he looks him dead in the eye with a very serious expression, "Grow up," Peter's recoils at that, "What you did was not a selfless act of love to your aunt, but was a selfish and frankly childish act out of your need to alleviate yourself of guilt. You asked that wonderful woman, Mary Jane, to give up years of love and devotion, a beautiful life that the two of you built, for yourself. Not for May, for you.

"But-"

Ben lifts a finger to his nephew's face, "No, you listen to me, Peter," he says as his expression changes to a pained one, "I love your aunt May. She is the love of my life. My soulmate. And when I saw what happened and how much pain she was in, it tormented me because there was nothing I could do. I just had to wait for her to either keep living or for her to pass on. Either way, I just didn't want to see her suffer anymore."

Ben then gives him a hard look that makes the younger man flinch, "Meanwhile, all you could think about was how it was your fault. How it was your life as Spider-Man that was responsible for her getting shot. And you were so desperate to right this wrong, and after you went to everyone you know that you thought could help but couldn't, you made a deal with the devil."

"And while I doubt you would've sold your soul to save your aunt May's life, you still went ahead and did something just as bad. You gave up your marriage and asked your wife to do the same," Peter gets a pained expression at that, "How do you think your aunt would feel if she ever discovered that? Hmm?"

Peter doesn't answer. He assumes it's rhetorical because the answer is obvious.

"Do you think she would have been happy? That she would be proud?" Ben continues as he shakes his head, "No. She would have been ashamed and riddled with guilt. She would be been devastated to know that for her to live, you sacrificed your marriage to the devil. All so you don't have to feel guilty."

Peter looks down in shame as tears flow freely from his eyes and he drops to his knees. He's right. Of course, he's right. Peter didn't do this for anyone but himself. Here he stands trying to defend his actions against some cosmic beings when frankly he has no real defense. His actions were despicable and unbecoming of a hero and a human being. He deserves everything wrong that has happened to him since.

"Look at me."

He doesn't want to, he doesn't want to see the face that's haunted him for so long looking back at him with disappointment.

"Look at me."

But he can't ignore it either, so with great reluctance he looks up and sees not disappointment but a pained expression.

"I am not doing this to be cruel to you son. I am doing this because I love you. Because I want you to be the man that I know you can be. The man that your parents and I can be proud of."

Peter hangs his head in shame, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Ben sighs as he gently responds, "I know you are, son. I know," he takes a breath obviously not done, "Now here's another lesson, open up more," Peter lifts his head up and looks at his uncle confused, "You don't have to do this alone Pete. You have friends, people you can trust with your life and the lives of May, Mary Jane, and everyone in your life that would be in danger because of what you do. You just need to open up more."

Peter wants to tell him it's too dangerous, how if more people know then the chances of his loved ones getting hurt just skyrockets.

But Ben guesses that already, "I know it's a risk. But you risk your life and their lives anyway by doing what you do. The best way to minimize that risk is by trusting the people you know can help."

He places his palm on the hero's chest and gives him an encouraging smile, "Open up that big heart son. The possibilities it will bring will be worth it."

Peter looks down in thought and can see where his uncle might be right. Trusting his fellow Avengers with his identity would be a huge help. There comes the risk of them revealing his identity by mindreading, possession, or clones, 'God I hate clones,' but he can find ways to minimize the risks. He weighs the pros and cons and sees the pros are worth it if he can minimize the cons.

"One last lesson," his uncle says taking him out of his thoughts, "And Peter, I really want you to take this one to heart," he grabs him by both his shoulders and gives him a hearty smile, "Peter Parker matters just as much if not more than Spider-Man."

Peter's eyes widen at that statement.

"All throughout this, you always say that Spider-Man does so much more good in the world than Peter Parker can do. And well that may be true on some level, it also could not be further from the truth. You care so much about so many people, that you can't help but want to fix everything. You often see a problem and you try your damnedest to come up with a solution."

"That big heart is and always has been Peter Parker's heart. Spider-Man," he gestures to the two big heads, "from what they said, is supposed to be a killer, but you aren't. Even after hearing how much easier your life could get if you did, you still would never do that."

"Spider-Man is just a mask. Peter Parker is the man beneath that mask. And you can do some amazing things too. All you have to do is try."

All his life he's heard from people close to him the exact same things his Uncle is saying to him right now. He just never listened because he thought they could never understand.  

He sags in complete relief, "I'm such an idiot."

Ben lets out a soft laugh, "You're young. You still have a lot to learn."

He really does. He screwed up so much and he's supposed to learn from every screwup. But it feels like he hasn't done that lately.

'But that changes now,' he thinks to himself as he clenches his fist with determination.

Seeing this, Ben smiles, looks his nephew in the eye, and says, "So, are you gonna get up from that dirt and show them who the man beneath the mask is? Or do you want to keep crying?"

Peter looks up at his uncle and smiles a big wet smile. He rises to his feet as he wipes his eyes and when he's done he nods at Ben before facing the Tribunal.

"I screwed up," he tells the Tribunal before looking at all the cosmic beings present, "I screwed up big. I take full responsibility for what happened. I cheated death out of a life that was hers to take," she raises an eyebrow at his confession before he gestures to a livid demon lord, "And even though Mephisto was the one who messed with my life, I was the one who made the deal that allowed him to do so. I convinced the woman I love to do this for me. So it's all on me. I take full responsibility."

The Living Tribunal does show any indication of how he will act as he asks, "And why should I allow the earth and its inhabitants to continue to exist? There are still their actions to consider."

Peter looks down in thought before he looks back at Ben and then back at the powerful being, "People make mistakes. It's a part of life. Sometimes a necessary part. It's how we grow, how we learn. And we still have a lot to learn, we just need the chance to do so."

The Tribunal stays silent as he thinks about the hero's words. While Peter is hoping for the best, he is also prepared to do whatever it takes to convince the man. Even giving up being Spider-Man and letting someone else take the reigns. He remembers Madam Web mentioning that after the whole Spider Island incident. If he has to give it up then so be it.

"Uatu," The Tribunal calls out to the Watcher who steps forward, "Take his soul back to earth."

(Present)

The older men are once again stunned silent. Not knowing how to respond again.

Peter meanwhile just sits there with a soft smile. Obviously happy about that brief reunion.

"Well, what happened next?" Tony asks.

Peter just shrugs, "Well Uatu took me to earth and I pulled an Obi-Wan on Hope."

"You showed up as a ghost and told her to go to the Dagobah?"

"Exactly."

(Flashback)

Peter comes back in a flash of light, after giving Hope some words of encouragement. He sees his Uncle is still here with a big proud smile on his face.

"Like I said," Ben says as he walks to his nephew, "Peter Parker can do some amazing things too."

Peter gives him a sheepish look, "I wore my mask."

Ben waves him off, "Semantics."

Peter laughs with his uncle.

Ben stops laughing before he gives his surrogate son a hug, "I love you, Peter. Don't ever think otherwise."

Peter returns the hug with just as much affection, "I love you too, Uncle Ben."

They both pull back and notice that the senior Parker begins to fade.

Ben lifts his hand up to see this and says, "Well I guess I'm done here," he places his hands on the younger Parker's shoulders, "Do me and your parents proud son."

Peter looks at him with a smile full of emotion and nods, "I will."

Ben nods back before he says, "And Peter, the next time something happens to your aunt, and you feel responsible, don't."

Peter flinches at that as he lowers his head.

Ben continues, "She is not always going to be there kiddo. She is over ninety years old and has had health problems for years. She won't always be there. You need to be okay with that."

Peter swallows hard the retort and the emotions that want to come out. He's always known this, but truthfully he's never been at peace with it.

Ben's soul is nearly gone as he says one last thing, "Good luck champ. And always remember, with great power-"

"Comes great responsibility." Peter finishes for him.

And just like that, he was gone. But instead of feeling regret, Peter felt something foreign. Something that he has not felt in the longest time possible.

Peace.

"There is still another matter to discuss."

His inner peace is brought to a halt as he turns his attention to the Tribunal, wondering what else there could possibly be to discuss.

Whether he sees this or not, he doesn't show, he merely continues, "The Phoenix Force is in need of a host after young Hope. One that can better manage the power."

(Present)

He finishes his tale and the men in the room have worried looks.

"Why do I have a bad feeling that you volunteered?" Strange asks rhetorically.

"Because you know me well enough to know that I am that dumb," Peter quips.

Silence for a few seconds before Strange, Richards, Stark, and Rogers all start ranting.

"Are you seriously out of your mind?!"

"Didn't we just fight the X-Men for this very reason?!"

"How is it possible for someone to make this many stupid decisions?!"

"How could you possibly think this was a good idea?!"

Meanwhile, the youngest of the gathered group just sits there with a patient look as he waits for an opening to explain. He was expecting this of course. After everything that's happened, why would they think it's a good idea for the Phoenix to be around?

Though he is kind of annoyed at how they just straight up ignored his situation with his uncle.

"Can I say something now?" Peter says gaining their attention, "I know you all are against this and I know you would have been when I made the suggestion, but I wouldn't have made it if there were better options."

Steve, being the most level-headed one in the group, asks Peter, "What are you talking about?"

Peter stands and begins to pace as he recalls what was told to him, "Okay, so the Phoenix Force right now isn't the big threat it was not too long ago. After Hope and Wanda used it to restore the mutants, it died. But being what it is, means it will come back. And when it does it will look for another host."

While three of the four Illuminati members don't fully understand, Strange figures where he's going, "You volunteered because you don't want some other poor soul to carry that burden."

Peter raises his hands defensively, "Hey after everything Hope went through and after this whole war with the X-Men, I figured this would be the least worse option."

Reed Richards rubs his head to alleviate the migraine he has, "Okay, but what makes you think you could handle the power better than anyone else."

Peter lifts two fingers up, "Two reasons. First I'm all about power and responsibility. It's my whole schtick. You all know that," they nod in agreement, "And two, I have the capability to manage it."

"Come again?" Reed asks in surprise.

Peter rubs the back of his neck while he explains, "Well remember me mentioning the two big heads Order and Chaos at the trial," they nod, "I also mentioned that I essentially have access to chaos energy."

"Which is the same power Wanda uses," Tony says in revelation.

Peter nods, happy to see he got it, "Exactly! See I can now use that power to keep it in check."

While they can see how this plan has some merits, they are obviously still very concerned.

Cap decides to voice his concern, "Will that be enough?"

"Well, that and something else."

Captain America asks, "What else?"

At this point, Peter gets an uncomfortable expression on his face as he shuffles in place.

He looks to the resident magic user and asks, "Can you and I get a cone of silence or something?"

Strange raises an eyebrow at his request, "Why?"

He points to the three men he's not speaking to and says, "These three don't need to know and the only reason I'm telling you is because you are the only one who could help me."

"How?"

"Cone of silence," the good doctor seems reluctant, so Peter gives him a pleading look, "Please."

Strange rolls his eyes as he sighs exhaustively and walks to the younger man. He waves his hands around before he casts a spell to give the two of them privacy in the room. The rest of the men merely watch on and wait as the two go into the conversation in the cone of silence. The younger man seems to be still hesitant to tell Strange something. The Sorcerer Supreme says something with a look of annoyance, which makes the young hero slump. Peter says something and Stephen gets a look of confusion.

Peter says something else then Stephen's expression morphs into bewilderment. Strange says something and Peter nods with an embarrassed look. They do this two more times. Strange just looks at Peter in bewilderment before he rubs his face in exasperation. He waves his hands and the cone of silence disappears.

Tony looks at them both with amusement, "Well that was entertaining. It was like watching a Charlie Chaplin film."

Steve gives Tony a look before he focuses on the two in question, "Is there anything we need to know?"

Doctor Strange shifts his gaze to Peter then back at Cap and says, "No," he turns around and waves his hands to create a portal, "I'll be in touch."

The man steps through the portal and closes it behind him. The resurrected hero looks to the remaining members, who are all looking at him for an explanation.

He gives them an embarrassed look, "Look if I thought you guys needed to know, I'd tell you. But since you don't, I won't."

"What happened to the trust?" Tony asks jokingly with a hint of genuine hurt.

Peter raises his hands and says, "It's not about trust, it's more about…" he struggles to find the right word, but comes up short and sighs, "Look, just trust me on this. You don't need to know."

The three of them regard his request for a moment before they agree.

Peter sighs in relief, "Thank you," he says before he brightens up, "Oh I just remembered, I brought you guys something. I figured you'd want to study it."

He then places the buckets he brought with him on the table. Tony and Reed look and see the bucket is full of blood, guts, and other stuff they don't recognize. All in all, it was disgusting.

The billionaire genius looks at the poor genius and asks, "What and why?"

Peter then smoothly replies, "What it is, is this gunk was a part of the cocoon I was in when I came back to life," now the two geniuses look at the buckets with intrigue, "And why, well I figure your scientific minds wouldn't be able to help themselves."

Reed and Tony look at each other, silently agreeing that he is right, and they take their respective buckets and place them on the floor next to them.

"Speaking of which," Steve says as he ignores the buckets that the two geniuses took, "What exactly was that back at the temple?"

Peter knows what he's referring to, "You mean the husk? Well that was my old body more or less," seeing the confused looks he continues, "See, my old body couldn't handle the strain of both spider powers and cosmic dodo powers, so what they did was essentially take apart my old body, at least my insides, and put together a new body."

They all get disturbed looks on their faces.

"I'm trying not to dwell on that so can we please move on."

The three older men are happy to do so.

Mr. Fantastic stands with his bucket in hand and walks to a fellow FF member, "Well I'm more than happy to give you a ride home, but the first thing you need to do is come over before you head home. Got a couple of kids that need to see you."

Peter gets a big smile, "More than happy to cheer them up."

The two of them begin to head out while talking about how that particular reunion will go. Once they leave, Tony and Steve are the only ones that remain. Both not knowing what the other is thinking but can guess very well.

"The X-Men are gonna be pissed," Tony voices his thoughts, "When they find out, and make no mistake it will get out that Thwippy has the fire dodo in him, they are gonna be pissed."

Cap sighs and nods in agreement, "I know," he says as he rubs his eyes, "I'm thinking about all the scenarios that this will eventually lead to, and frankly not one ends well."

The billionaire playboy nods in agreement with that. He is smarter than Steve and he can see even more scenarios where another fight between Avengers and X-Men will break out. Especially if either side acts impulsively or does something stupid.

"Not unless we do something different."

Tony gets taken out of his musing and looks at the leader of the Avengers, "What are you talking about?"

Captain America looks down in thought before he says, "For too long it's been human and mutant problems. It's never just been problems, even though that's what they are. It shouldn't matter who is doing what. If there's a situation, then we all need to stand together. Avengers and X-Men."

Understanding what he means, but not seeing his point Tony asks, "Where are you going with this Cap?"

Cap picks up his iconic shield and slides it on his back, "I'm thinking of putting together a new team," he says as he looks at his longtime friend with a smile, "Something uncanny."

(Hell, Mephistopheles's Realm)

Deep within the fiery pits of the underworld, a realm of eternal torment, a scream of anger that would be equivalent to the Hulk can be heard echoing throughout the landscape. Souls that have been damn to suffer for eternity for their sins in life, or for selling it to gain unobtainable riches in their life, actually find a bit of joy in this scream because they know who it belongs to.

"AAARRRGGHHH!"

A large blast of hellfire incinerates many lowly demons that are nearby. The souls that are on torture racks get burnt to a crisp but strangely enough have smiles on their faces.

For the one who is responsible for tormenting them is now throwing a temper tantrum.

"DAMN THAT ARACHNID!" Mephisto shouts as loud as he can as he picks up a large boulder and tosses it over the horizon, "DAMN THAT INSUFFERABLE WATCHER! AND DAMN THAT TRAITOROUS CUR FOR HER PART IN THIS!"

"Be careful how you speak of me, demon. Even within your own realm."

He stops his raging destruction for a moment as he huffs and puffs. A baneful smile forms on his face as he turns to Death who just appeared out of nowhere.

He gives a humorless chuckle, "Forgive me Mistress Death, but I have a tendency to express myself in such fashions," he loses his smile and flares hatefully at her, "Especially when I'm BETRAYED!"

Unperturbed by his anger, Death calmly responds, "I did not betray you Mephistopheles. Your goal merely aligned with mine. That was all."

"Oh yes how silly of me," he says sarcastically, "But that still begs the question of why?"

Death becomes silent as he continues to rant.

"Why would you do this? Hmm? After everything, everything the humans have said and done, why would you help Uatu save them? It can't be because that bald peeping fool convinced you! He has that oath never to interfere so I doubt it was him! And I also doubt that it was that human soul Ben Parker! You do not get so easily swayed! The only one who's ever had that power over you has…been…"

He stops his ranting as the realization sets in. He slowly turns to look at Death's face, searching for something that tells him he is right in his epiphany.

He finds it and glares hatefully, "It was him wasn't it," she doesn't say anything and a rueful smile forms on his face, "Heh of course it was. Who else could it have been?"

She doesn't look away as he continues to speak.

"It's interesting, isn't it? How a single man suddenly garnered his attention. Why do you suppose that is?"

His questions are of course rhetorical, but they still prompt Death to respond, "Does it matter?"

His rueful smile is still in place as he continues, "How long has it been since you've seen him? In one perception it's only been a few thousand years. A drop of water in the bucket of eternity," he pretends to mull it over, "Then again, when the multiverse is thrown in the mix, it's been much longer, hasn't it? After all, a thousand years multiplied by infinity, well that's hard math even for me."

Death does not respond. She doesn't even so much as twitch.

"How long did you have to go alone in existence? That was all because of him, you know. Yet despite this, you still went out of your way to help his favorite toy."

She regards him for a moment before she walks away, "I'm done here. There's nothing else to be said."

Not liking being dismissed again, and forgetting exactly who he's speaking to, Mephisto gets mad and says, "Daddy's little girl still the stupidest bit-!"

He is flung back and pinned against a brimstone pillar as a dark miasma surrounds him.

"I warned you to have care how you speak of me little demon," her grip tightens and he groans more, "Even in your realm, my power dwarfs your own."

She releases him and he collapses on the ground trying not to cough.

"And do not think of me to be a fool. I know of your true desire."

He rubs his throat as she leans in closer to him. He tries not to shrink back, but despite recent bravado, he is no fool to think he is on par with her.

"Remember destiny is a fickle thing. I, however, am not. I was at the beginning and I will be the end."

She vanishes in a swirl of dark energy.

Mephisto looks at the spot she vanished from for a few moments before he says, "For now."

He gets up from the ground and goes to sit on his throne. He goes deep into thought, 'It is unfortunate, but not at all unsalvageable. I do have contingencies. I just did not count on the Phoenix being part of the equation. Which means I will have to adjust. '

Hundreds of thousands of years of subtly manipulating humanity to meet his own end, he's learned to have plans within plans. He admits that his old deals often involved souls being traded for his favor. But when it became known and humans started to be smarter he had to do the same.

So souls no longer became the currency he often sought after. Instead, it was merely small things. Assisting an architect with his addiction by making sure his building design had a chimney placed in a certain spot. A marriage that one would view as not being as valuable as a life. Giving financial aid to corporations to corrupt a single soul, essentially changing that soul's destiny to the opposite of what it was meant to do.

All in all, subtlety is key. It's the only way he can gain what he wants and not be stopped by anyone. Cosmic beings or mortal men.

He just needs to adjust again. Use the contingencies he has in place.

He gets an evil grin, "And if all else fails, wipe the board clean."