love is a battlefield

The days past by had become lost on Gwen. Had it been weeks since she had been taken? Or perhaps time had even stretched as far on as months. Wondering if there was any sort of news of her disappearance, mostly for the fact that she was still stuck under the guard of Kingpin and his men, as each day passed she lost that much more hope. Doing what she could in order to stay alive, looking for an escape at every turn, she had to hand it to Kingpin, he knew how to keep things in order, right where he wanted them. Wondering what the main goal was in all of this, she'd listened in on as many conversations as she could, and through her placement that hadn't been hard. It was obvious that this had to do with her involvement with Spider-Man, but what would come of it? Threats constantly wavered over her head, and yet they were never acted upon. It was this that rose more suspicion to Gwen, as of now she seemed to be nothing more than a pet.

It was sick what had become of her , an object to gawk upon. It was there that the threats came in. Not only was there the fact that she was involved with Spider-Man, someone who'd played a part in putting some of these men behind bars for a time, members of their families as well, but it was the fact that she was a Stacy as well - her father having played a part in putting his share of New York's least desirable away as well. Something about tonight, however, would be different than prior experiences yet.

It was safe to say that the return to New York had gone without flaw. Genuinely surprised, was Gwen, to have been offered a job at OSCORP. Of course, with everything that had happened, the outpour of incidents in which the corporation was involved, it was only natural that the blonde would hold suspicions, and yet at the same time, perhaps this was her official chance to get on the inside of things.

Once Peter left England, that left Gwen with more time to herself, more time for her studies, and furthermore, more time to devout to volunteering for things. The second the chance to work with the symbiote was offered, she had been amongst the first to sign up, selected as well. The chance to work with the man behind it all in a smaller setting, Norman Osborn himself, although he didn't actually come around that often, that didn't leave him from being any less impressed by her work and findings, the effects it had on things which it bonded to. 

Admittedly, curious for her own reasons - for Peter, although she shouldn't have been, new information she would be returning to New York with along with that job. Certain that her recently bloomed friendship with Harry while he'd been in England with his father was a part of the reason she'd landed the position, Gwen wasn't in any place to complain. It was nice to have someone to confide in with Peter gone, and someone to relate to about missing the city. More than a few nights spent having dinner with the Osborn men, she found that they were actually much less intimidating than they appeared to be on the surface.

Little did she know what all was going on behind the scenes, and what intentions were laced with her job offering and return to the city. It was what would have her in the situation that she was in now, passed out in the back of a darkened van - taken.

"Miss Stacy, a ride home?" It had all started out simply, just as she'd left the building the limousine pulled up to the curb, the window rolled down, Norman Osborn inside. Content with walking until she could manage to hail herself a cab, this seemed more convenient, and never for a second did Gwen think there were ill intentions involved.

Small talk during the ride, getting a little carried away having been asked about her studies that were going on, on the side, still attending classes while working for OSCORP, she didn't notice the limo had taken them to the wrong location until it came to an abrupt halt and Norman said his goodbyes. Looking out of the window, confusion on her expression, she laughed nervously, not fully grasping onto her bag. "But… this isn't my place." she commented, the man releasing a laugh in response. No where near where she was supposed to be, no where near where anyone who might care would see her get out, it was hard for her to grasp what was going on for the sheer fact that she didn't want to believe it.

"I'm well aware of that, Gwendolyn, but this is the end of your ride." Opening her mouth, only the word 'but-' was spoken before she would be cut off. "I said get out!" Not wasting another moment arguing, the shout causing a startle, she grabbed her bag and reached for the door handle. "No, this stays behind, your cellphone too." Growing uneasy, scared, the bag was snatched from her and she exited the limo without another option.

You Get What You Give - New Radicals

I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt

The Kids Don't Stand a Chance - Vampire Weekend

Brothers on a Hotel Bed - Death Cab

Cabin Fever - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Floorplan - Tegan and Sara

Blues from Down Here - TV on the Radio

Dimensions - Arcade Fire

The Name of the Game - Abba

Jilted Lovers - The Naked and Famous

[One letter, never sent.]

Dear Peter,

How sad is it that I can't think of a better way to get in contact with you than a letter? Of course there's calling… there's always calling, but anytime I try to pick up the phone all I do is stare at your number, the call screen waiting to be activated… that picture of us that I stupidly hang onto.

When it comes down to it, you left… and in the process, you took my heart with you. I know that I was harsh, but I didn't know how to react.  You told me that you were leaving and at that point it all just sort of sunk in, you were really gone. I know I was the one who said that we were holding onto something that was maybe impossible to hold onto, but I guess I never expected you to let go, and it all happened just like that.

While it's been a few months, I've found that I still can't say goodbye to you, not really. Despite how it might have seemed and how rough things became, selfishly, you coming to England meant the world to me. I've been on dates here and there, trying to move on, but nothing compares to what we had, and - I need to stop. 

There is a point to this letter that's not to tell you things you don't wanna hear about. I wanted to let you know that I'm heading back to New York. Remember how OSCORP was involved over here? Well, I did a few things to involve myself with their study, and was offered a job by the time it was all through. By Norman Osborn himself, actually, so… that was pretty great.

Peter: I guess this is really goodbye, then.

Peter: I don't wanna leave with you hating me.

Peter: Gwen. Please.

Peter: That's never what I wanted.

Peter: Who knows, maybe you'll be better off this way. One less thing to worry about.

Gwen: I don't see it that way, but you know what? I'll give you what you seem to want, but can't seem to say.

Peter: Sometimes love isn't enough.

Peter: I don't want it to be... but what if it is?