Chapter 15
ACCEPTANCE
As Peter rode up the elevator with Jan, he still couldn’t believe the day he was having. He had not only been accepted into the Avengers, but was now being taken by Jan to meet up with some mysterious guest to which, as Jan said, couldn’t wait to meet him. Peter could tell from Jan’s giddy smile that she was hiding something, and thus decided to just ask for a hint. “Well, at least tell me this, is this a big fan of Spider-Man?”
“You could say that,” Jan answered with a coy tone, as a he way of saying ‘not telling.’
Despite not getting a solid answer, Peter still chuckled a bit. “Okay fine, I’ll let you surprise me. But to be honest, I can’t think of anything that can top all that’s happened today.”
Suddenly, the elevator stopped with a singing sound could be heard, signaling to both Jan and Peter that they reached the floor they were heading to. All in which led Jan to give this sly remark. “Don’t be too sure, bug boy.”
It didn’t take long for the elevator doors to open and reveal the mansion’s rooftop pool area. As both he and Jan walked out of the elevator, Peter still looked a bit confused as to why his new female teammate brought him up here. “Okay,” said the befuddled Peter as he looked around his new settings. “Pool’s nice and all, but where’s this…” Suddenly, once he looked straight ahead, Peter finally saw the ‘guest’, which in turn, caused his one healthy right eye to grow huge with shock.
Sure enough, it was revealed to be Gwen, who wore her long, blowing, blonde hair down and dressed in a pink t-shirt, and red jeans. She was sitting on one of the sunbathing chairs, waiting anxiously for Peter to show up, and appeared to be a bit nervous to see him.
For Peter, who stood there with his jaw wide open when spotted Gwen, the girl he cared for the most, on the roof of the Avengers Mansion of all places. “Gwen…?” he whispered in disbelief, then quickly turned to Jan. “How did she get here?”
It was here that Jan’s giddy nature disappeared and was replaced with a more mature demeanor as she turned to the flabbergasted Peter to answer him. “I’m how,” she replied, shocking Peter even more. “After the tournament, when you went back home to rest up, me, Tony and the rest of the Avengers briefly stopped at Times Square for a victory celebration, I met up with her and after talking a bit, I agreed to bring her here to see you.”
This only made Peter give Jan a dumbfounded look, for he remembered having the ‘stay away from loved ones to keep them safe’ discussion they had during the tournament and reluctantly agreed with her on it. “But I thought you said-?”
“I know what I said, Peter,” Jan chimed in, cutting Peter off and briefly turned away from him to look at the still waiting Gwen. “And yeah, believe me, I really did try to tell her about the dangers of being around superheroes, but she wouldn’t budge, mainly because she cared about you that much. Also…” As she delved deeper, she remembered just a few minutes ago when she kissed Hank, which actually made her heart pound and blush wildly. “I just realized how good a feeling it is toe love someone, and have that person love you back.” Moments later, Jan turned back to the befuddled Peter with a warm smile. “I can tell that that’s what Gwen wants from you no matter what Pete. And I’m willing to think…that that’s what you want too.”
It was here that Peter couldn’t disagree with Jan, for as far as his feelings were Gwen were concerned, she was right. As such, he gave the founding Avenger a silent nod.
After getting her answer, Jan gave Peter a soft but serious look as she walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “So, here’s the deal, Pete. If you really do want to be with her, just make sure she truly understands the dangers of dating a superhero, and more importantly, try all that much harder to protect from here on out. Got it?”
Peter was genially moved by Jan’s words and he could sense the truth in them. After all, he already vowed that he would take better care of his Aunt May now that she knew his secret, why shouldn’t he do the same for Gwen, especially sense the love he feels for her is more than mutual. With this in mind, Peter took a deep breath, and with a look of resolve, he gave Jan a small nod as he have her this answer. “Got it.”
“Good to know,” Jan replied, convinced that Peter knew that his responsibilities to keep his loved ones safe was now greater than ever. She then noticed a flower pot of red roses nearby and seeing this as a way to help Peter in his meeting with Gwen, she reached over, plucked off one of the roses and presented to the young man, all with a small smile and wink. “Now go get her.”
A grateful Peter gave Jan a returning smile as he took the rose. “Thanks Jan.” With rose in tow, Peter turned to the waiting Gwen, and proceeded to walk towards her.
Upon watching Peter leave, Jan made her way to the elevator at first, but once she made it to the doors, she couldn’t help but be curious on how this ‘soap opera’ would play out. As such, she quickly shrunk back down to her pixie size, wings and all, along with her black and yellow Wasp dress, and secretly flew behind Peter to watch upcoming reunion with the blonde girl he loved.
As Peter got closer, he grew more and more blown away by Gwen’s almost angelic beauty. It wasn’t until he was five feet away from her that Peter took a deep to settle his nerves. “Okay, here goes nothing,” he thought, then took a moment silently clear his throat to address Gwen, who still had no idea he was standing there. “Uh, hey Gwen,” Peter called out somewhat sheepishly, much to the annoyance of the shrunken Wasp, who was eavesdropping on the two teens while hiding behind a plant.
Gwen soon felt a surge of emotions when she heard Peter’s voice, all which caused her to turn around to see him and was horrified to see still injured face. “Peter!” she cried out of concern, then shot out of the chair and ran to him. Once she finally appeared before the once again nervous Peter, and saw his face up close, Gwen placed her right hand over her mouth as her worry soon turned into sadness. “Oh my god, your face!”
“Hey, it's okay Gwen” Peter said trying to be reassuring, as he always hated seeing Gwen depressed, especially over him, and tried to be optimistic for her sake. “Trust me, it’s a lot better than it was two days ago. And hopefully by tomorrow, I’ll be as good as new. Kudos to one of my spider powers being able to heal a lot quicker than normal.” Moments later, he presented somewhat sheepishly presented her the rose.
Gwen did take the rose, but she was far too concerned with Peter's face to really enjoy it. “Right…” Gwen replied in a somewhat deflated tone as she placed the rose on a nearby bleacher, still hating to see him injured despite that she sensed that he was telling the truth on how he was recovering nicely. However, this was also one of the amazing things he could sense becoming Spider-Man, and as student of science herself, she still couldn’t resist trying to find out how this was possible. “Good lord, I still can’t believe you were Spider-Man this whole time,” said Gwen in pure astonishment. “How you’ve been able to do all these…incredible things!” Moments later, Gwen’s amazement soon turned to disappointment she remembered this detail. “Just as I also can’t believe how you kept this from the people close to you.”
Peter shared in Gwen’s sadness, as well as still hating himself for not telling her and May about his secret life as we web-slinging superhero. “Yeah, I know. Not telling my friends and family about this is…not something that I’m proud of.” Suddenly, upon seeing that word, Peter was soon reminded of someone else that he had not seen since the tournament. Someone whom he had not only called his friend but was also someone he reluctantly fought. “Hey, did you see Harry after the tournament? Is he okay?”
Upon hearing that question, Gwen soon felt instant heartbreak as she looked up at Peter. “Yeah, I did,” she replied grief stricken. “And yes, he’s fine….physically.” And it was here she went on to recount the last time she saw the young Osborn…
…. It was at Ravencroft, a day after the tournament and Gwen was standing in front of a reinforced plastic wall, with Harry, now clad in a white jumpsuit on the other side, inside a holding cell. Accompanying Gwen were both her father, Captain Stacy and a tall, muscular bald white guard that was assigned to guide them through the Institute throughout their visit.
Harry, instead of being happy that Gwen was here to visit him, looked at the girl with utter contempt. “What do you want?” Harry asked her coldly. “I’d thought you’d be getting cozy with your new boy toy. You know, the guy who was supposed to be my best friend?!”
Naturally, Gwen was confused and shocked by Harry’s remark. And what was more troubling, she had an idea as to what he was referring to but didn’t know how he would know about that night she, Harry, and Peter were all together that night. As such, she decided to try and probe deeper while trying to be as gentle as she could. “Harry, what are you mean?”
“Oh, don’t act innocent!” Harry snapped, then walked closer to the glass wall so he could say this to Gwen up face to face. “I was listening to what you and Peter were planning that night I told you that I thought I was the Goblin! How you two were going to dump me and Liz so you could be together! You might as well just come clean and say that you really love a backstabber like Peter instead of me! If you really do care, you’ll do that right here, right now!”
Gwen was hesitant at first, but deep down, she knew that Harry deserved to know the truth. And with her eyes close, she sadly nodded her head to Harry, which caused him to angrily look down. “I’m so sorry, Harry. I truly am. But Peter and I didn’t want to start are relationship by going behind your back! As much as we hated to hurt both you and Liz, we needed to be truthful and-!”
“Save it,” Harry chimed in, looking back up at Gwen fuming with anger. “I don’t need your excuses, or your pity! Dad was right about you being a weakness.” As he continued, a sinister smirk appeared on Harry’s face when he came to this memory. “And if there’s any good came out of my father’s funeral was that I got my payback in letting you think that you were the only one to keep me from going back to the Greene.”
It was this confession that caused Gwen’s eyes to light up with shock and disgust. “You used your father’s staged death to make me stay?! The man who turned you, his own son, into a monster for his own sick ends?!”
“SHUT UP!!!” Harry screamed in rage as he stomped closer. “Don’t you dare insult my father!”
Though George knew that there was nothing to worry about thanks to the plastic wall, Harry’s outburst still caused his father’s instincts to kick in and rush to Gwen’s side. This also caused the guard to step forward into Harry’s view with a taser in hand. “Behave yourself, Osborn!”
Once Harry saw the guard, he gave him a cocky smirk. “When I get out of here pal, YOU’RE the one who needs to behave, pal!” he said defiantly, he looked over him to face Gwen to give her an angry scowl. “And as for you, I’ve got better things to do, and I don’t need an anchor like you slowing me down! I’m done with your excuses, I’m done with your lies, and more importantly…I’m done with you! We’re through! So do us both a favor by leaving and never speaking to me again.” After saying such harsh words, Harry literally and figuratively turn his back on Gwen to face the wall.
For Gwen, hearing the bitterness in Harry’s words cut like a knife. She could see that the symbiote, as well as his father’s manipulations, have truly changed the boy who, despite all else, still loved like a brother.
George hated seeing his daughter in such sorrow, and he gave Harry an angry look of contempt because of it. “Come on, honey, let’s go,” he said to her softly, then proceeded to lead her away from Harry’s cell, with the guard not too far behind him.
As for Harry himself, he just angrily faced the wall and clinched his fisted his fists, all while shedding tears of anguish after enduring the betrayal of the woman he loved, and silently declared that he will never forgive her, or Peter. And vows that one day, once he’s out of Ravencroft, he will make them pay…”
…back in the present, a depressed Gwen finished her story, all which left Peter stunned and angry on how Harry used his father’s fake death and Gwen’s own guilt to make her stay with him.
Finally, after a few seconds of silence, a seething Peter spoke up. “Gwen, I-I’m so sorry! I can’t believe would do that to you!”
Gwen gently placed her hand on Peter’s mouth to quiet him and have him look at her. “Peter, listen!” she told him softly, but sternly, looking into his hazel eyes. “Yes, Harry did use his father’s funeral to guilt trip me out of spite, but we have to remember that he acted out of anger. You and I both know that he’s not evil like his father, and right now, he’s in a place where he can get the help that he needs. For now, all we can do is give him space and time and hope and pray that he’ll accept their help.”
Though Peter was still angry at Harry for his actions, he as he looked into Gwen’s kind, blue eyes, he realized that she had a strong point in that Harry, deep down, is not a heartless monster like his father, and was at a place where he can help find himself again and make the first step towards redemption, as well as in a place where he can’t hurt anyone. With this in mind, Peter took a deep breath to calm down and gave Gwen an understanding nod.
Gwen could see that anger was still present Peter but was glad to see that he understood. And as such, she decided to take both of his hands as she brought back the matter of where their relationship on where it stands now. “Speaking of ‘help’, I could’ve done that you know, had I known that you’ve been Spider-Man all this time. In fact, there were a couple of times that I did, with Doctor Connors and getting out of that underwear hideout from that Octopus guy.” Gwen could sense that Peter was about to give her the whole ‘superhero life is too dangerous’ speech, and thus held up her index to finger to prevent him from talking. “But before you say anything,” she said quickly, catching Peter by surprise before he could interject. “I get it, okay. I know why you think we shouldn’t be together and pushing me away is the only choice you have to keep me safe. But can’t you love me enough to let me make my own decision?” Once she saw Peter’s surprised expression, she knew she had his undivided attention and continued. “I know, from experience, that there will be risks. But I want to face them with you! Being a superhero is too big for you to handle alone, and you’re going to need support. Not just from the Avengers, but from the people who love you the most! Like your aunt…” Gwen soon brought her right hand up and gently rested it on Peter’s right cheek. “…and me!”
Upon feeling Gwen’s touch, Peter felt his heart racing, and hearing her profess her love for him the second time easily better than being accepted into a world-renowned superhero team. And while the possibility of her life being put at risk by being him was present, he remembered Jan’s advice on trying all that much harder to protect him, and it was a responsibility he was willing to take. And so, having decided to no longer keep her at a distance, Peter used his right hand to gently take Gwen’s hand off his cheek and placed it close to his chest and over his beating heart. “As long as I can remember, my life has never been easy, even before the spider bite. And now that I’m an Avenger, I have a feeling that it’s going to be even more of an emotional roller coaster.” As he went on, Peter looked into Gwen’s hopeful eyes. “But I also know that for so long, you’ve always been there Gwen, and there’s not a day that I’m not grateful to have someone as caring as you by my side. And if this is what you really want, then…you’re welcome to join the ride. And I swear to you, on my soul, I’ll do what ever it takes to be there for you whenever you need me….as well as love you for the rest of my days.”
Hearing the words that she wanted Peter to say for so long caused Gwen to gasp happily. “Peter…!” she whispered, her eyes now watering and on the verge of shedding tears of joy.
From here, both lovestruck teens slowly closed their eyes and lean towards one another, so they could have the kiss to begin their relationship. However, just as their lips were inches away from touching, they stop and back away from one another when they hear what appeared to be a tiny female making a happy squeeing sound, like a girl about to see her favorite TV couple get together. Both curious, Peter and Gwen turned to where they heard the noise.
Sure enough, it was that of the shrunken Wasp, who upon seeing that she’s been found out, flew into view. “Sorry,” she said somewhat nervous, but still clamped her hands together in a somewhat begging posture. “But please, don’t mind me! Just keep doing what it was you were about to do!”
Suddenly, Wasp could hear her Avengers’ I.D. card beeping, and as she pulled it out to answer it, she saw that it was Tony calling. “Jan please,” Tony said with urgency. “Would you give those kids some privacy?”
Wasp let out an annoyed groan, feeling like she was getting pulled away from her live action soap opera just as it was getting good. “Fine,” she told Tony, and after putting her card back into her belt, she turned to Peter and smiled at him. “Hurry up and kiss the girl, bug boy, then come inside and join the party!” With that said, the Wasp flew away from the two teens and headed over to the elevator to go downstairs.
This left Peter smirk at Wasp giddiness while Gwen just giggled. “Oh, the people that I work with,” Peter said with a sigh, then looked back at the blonde he just professed his love to. “Well Gwen, welcome to my world.”
Gwen only smiled at Peter’s remark, for while she couldn’t disagree with him, she’s now gotten used to seeing weird things, from villains in Peter’s rogue’s gallery, to unintentionally becoming part of a superhero fighting tournament. And to show her acceptance of being part of Peter’s anything but ordinary life, she gently wrapped her arms around her neck, closed her eyes and went in for that kiss.
A happy Peter wasted no time in wrapping his arms around Gwen’s waist, then closed his eyes as he leaned in…and finally pressed his lips against hers, finally engaging in the kiss that both he and Gwen wanted for so long and holding each other tighter as the kiss deepened.
From defeating Osborn for good, joining the ranks of the Avengers and getting the girl of his dreams, Peter finally felt like he was on top the world. Though he knew his back luck will return to rear its ugly head in the future, he was content to worry about it later, as he wanted to saver this long, passionate kiss with Gwen for as long as possible. For despite the burden and responsibility of being New York’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, he now knew, in more ways than one, he didn’t have to go through it alone anymore.
THE END