Not Him, But Still You
“I need you to explain to me what happened.” Happy said. “Because I sure as hell don’t understand.”
“Here, I’ll explain.” Gwen said. “He needs to rest.”
They all climbed onto the plane and Happy took off as Peter collapsed into the seat he had occupied on the journey there. “Are we headed back to New York City?” Happy asked. Gwen nodded and Happy set the course. Then he joined the rest of them in the cabin. “So?”
“The short version? Strange cast a spell to make everyone forget who Peter was so that he could try to have a normal life. Only he messed it up by trying to make it so you, May, Ned and MJ would remember him inside the spell. It backfired and started bringing everyone who knew that Peter was Spider-Man from every reality into this one. Hence the villains coming here, Green Goblin, Doc Oc, etc. etc. Two other Peter Parker’s came here,” she gestured to Peter 2 and Peter 3. “The three of them cured the villains, but reality was ripping itself apart and the only way to fix it was for the spell to be recast as it was originally intended. So that’s what they did and then no one could remember Peter at all. It was like he had never existed. But it turned out to be a whole plot to get Peter out of the way because Doctor Strange has completely lost it.”
“Well shit.” Happy muttered. He pointed to Peter 2 and Peter 3. “So you’re both Peter’s from other realities.” He turned to Gwen. “And who are you then?”
“I’m Gwen. In my reality I was Peter’s girlfriend and I was the one bitten by the spider, not him.” Gwen explained.
Happy turned his attention to Tony, who was pointedly looking at the ground. “So who are you?”
Peter swallowed hard and said, “I think he has to know. He’ll find out.”
Tony raised his chin and pulled off his sunglasses and hat in one fluid motion. “I’m from a different reality too, one where Strange didn’t screw me over with whatever bullshit he’s trying to pull here.” Happy released a strangled cry and flung himself at Tony, squeezing the life out of him with a bone crushing hug. He was laughing and crying. “Good to see you too old friend.” Tony laughed.
When they parted Happy’s face was red. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”
“Technically it’s not.” Tony reminded him. “I mean, it is. I am me. But, I’m not the you that you’re thinking of.”
“I know, I know. But still, it’s you.”
***
They landed at the airport around midday and upon peering out the cabin windows saw that Pepper was standing there waiting for them, her hand clasped in Morgan’s. Tony turned a glaring case upon Happy. “Did you tell her we were coming?”
“No, of course I didn’t.” Happy retorted defensively.
“It’s fine.” Peter said evenly. “She probably tracked the plane. And she’ll remember me now. I’m sure that’s all it is.”
“Right.” Tony said sourly. “That’s probably it.”
“We’ll distract her and you can sneak off.” Peter 2 suggested, eying Pepper wearily.
“I need to talk to her.” Tony said suddenly. “But Morgan… Morgan can’t see me. It’ll only confuse her.”
Happy rushed off of the plane and strode over to where Pepper and Morgan were standing. Peter focused his mind on listening in to their conversation, his enhanced hearing picking up on their voices. He was sure that the other Peters and Gwen were doing the same.
“Pepper, hey,” Happy said, “Listen, you’ve got to take Morgan inside. She can’t see this.”
“I’m a big girl.” Morgan protested, but Pepper nodded.
“Come on sweetie, it’s just boring adult stuff.” Pepper whispered dismissively as she led Morgan into the airport. A few minutes later she returned alone. “What is it, Happy? Is he…”
“Peter’s fine. It’s- well- you’ll have to go and see for yourself.” Happy stuttered uselessly, searching for the right words and coming up empty.
Peter went to the door of the plane and slowly climbed down the steps. Peter 2 was already at the bottom waiting for him, making sure he was alright.
He was completely back to normal now. But everyone was still guarding him as though he would collapse at any moment.
Gwen followed him down and next was Peter 3. Pepper practically ran over to hug Peter. “I’m so sorry, Peter. Your aunt… this shouldn’t have happened to either of you. You both deserved happiness.”
Peter sighed and said, “It’s good to see you, Pepper.”
He and his friends parted to make a path for Pepper as Tony began his descent of the steps. Of course he had to be dramatic about it, practically moving in slow motion. When he came into full view and Pepper looked up she sucked in a sharp breath. She was soon crossed the space between them, awaiting him at the bottom of the steps. When they were at eye level she moved her hand to his stubbled cheek. Her eyes glistened as she whispered, “You’re not him. It wasn’t a question, but Tony still shook his head in answer. She nodded, swallowing hard and said, “Explain.”
Peter decided he needed to give them space so he strode into the airport. He found Morgan sitting on the ground with some figurines in the hands and dozens more strewn around her. “Hey, Morgan.” He said lightly, smiling at the little girl.
Her head snapped up and she grinned at him. “Hi, Peter!”
“How’s it going?” He asked. “Did you get some new ones?” He settled himself on the ground beside her and started looking at her figures. There were definitely more than there had been the last time.
“Yeah!” She replied and starting picking up various ones to show to him. “This is Monica. These ones are Makkari, Druig, Sersi, Ikaris and Thena. This is Shang-Chi. She’s Yelena- another Black Widow. And this one is Hawkeye, but her real name is Kate.”
Peter smiled down at them, gently taking Monica from Morgan’s hands. “What powers does she have?” He asked.
“Uh,” She screwed up her face in concentration as she tried to think back to the card explaining her powers that Pepper had undoubtedly read to her. “She can blast things with her hands.”
“Woah! That’s awesome.” Peter said.
“She can run super fast.” Morgan continued, pointing down at a girl with braids and a red suit. “And she turns things into other things.” She added, pointing down at a girl with black hair and a green suit.
Peter wondered how Morgan could remember all of these names and powers so easily when he could barely manage with them in real life. He’d seen Sersi on the news when the Celestial appeared in the sky and snatched her up, and yet he still couldn’t come up with her name until Morgan had just said it.
“Wow! You’ve got a lot of little guys, huh?” Gwen said, in a voice that was clearly tailored to children.
“I don’t have you though.” Morgan said, tilting her head to the side and scrutinizing Gwen. “You’re a hero right?”
Gwen glanced up at Peter, hesitant to answer.
“Yes, she’s a hero.” Peter said when Gwen still didn’t answer after several more seconds.
Morgan leapt to her feet and ran across the room to a little machine that was sitting on the rustic looking coffee table. The machine looked like a printer with a dome on top of it, strangely reminiscent of the case the rose was in in Beauty and the Beast. Morgan picked it up and brought it across the room. She pressed a button and a cross-grid of purple lights shot out of it and scanned up and down Gwen’s body. Gwen jerked back a little before she realized the lights were nonthreatening.
“What’s your name?” Morgan asked.
“Gwen. Gwen Stacy.” Gwen replied.
“Hero name?”
“Spider-Woman.”
“Same powers as Peter?”
She nodded. Morgan pressed some more buttons and then the glass dome was shining with a golden-white light. Peter looked away as though it were the sun and didn’t look back until the light had dimmed.
And there, sitting in the center of the dome was a figure that looked just like Gwen. Morgan unscrewed the dome from the rest of the machine and grabbed up the figure, passing it over to Gwen. “If you’ve got one for me, you’re going to need ones for the two Spider-Man’s who are still outside.”
***
Peter was pacing around the sitting area of his apartment, wringing his hands as he went. Every couple of seconds he glanced at the little Roman numerals clock he had hung on the wall. He was just waiting until three o’clock, the moment when the school day would end and he would be free to go and find MJ and Ned. He had been itching to run straight to the school and burst into their class, but Gwen had gotten him to see sense.
So he had spent the time since they’d returned to the apartment moving everything out of the third bedroom and placing a bed inside. The fabricator found a new home in the corner of the sitting area, along with everything for BARF and all of the books and research they’d compiled.
Gwen and Peter 3 had decided that for the foreseeable future they would share Gwen’s room. Peter 2 would take Peter’s room and Tony would have the third bedroom. Peter was quite content with sleeping on one of the couches. He was rather fond of the couches, in fact he liked all of the furniture he’d picked out for the apartment.
Peter 3 and Peter 2 were settled on the couch not designated as Peter’s bed, following him with their eyes as he paced. “Pacing like that is not going to make time go any faster, you know that right?”
“Yeah, I know. But it isn’t going to make it go any slower either.” Peter shot back.
It was two forty-five, he only needed to wait for fifteen more minutes and then he would be free to go and find his friends. “All of this pacing is not good for you though. Pacing is bad for stress.” Peter 3 said.
“I don’t think that’s how that works.” Peter said with a laugh, but it was strained with his worry. “What if they don’t remember me?”
“They’ll remember you.” Peter 2 tried for reassurance.
“And what if they don’t?” Peter said, running his hands through his hair anxiously.
Peter 3 stood and placed his hands on Peter’s shoulders. “Hey.” Peter was forced to stop pacing, otherwise he would have to run Peter 3 right over. “Breathe. If they don’t remember you then we’ll figure it out. We’ll keep searching until we figure it out. But I swear to you, we will figure it out, no matter how long it takes.”
Peter forced himself to breathe more slowly and evenly as Peter 3 dragged him over to the couch to sit between him and Peter 2. “Let’s play a game.” Peter 2 said.
“A game?” Peter asked skeptically.
Peter 2 shrugged. “Yeah, a game.”
“Okay, what game?” Peter 3 asked.
That was how they ended up shooting webs at the spider in the opposite ceiling corner of the apartment trying to see who could get the closest to it without killing it. Peter 3 had just landed one between its pincers when Peter 2 announced, “Well there you are, Peter. It’s three o’clock.”