#mariah's work

Your normal job covering a museum grand opening was interrupted by half a dozen explosions. It knocked off a giant chunk of the wall; and you were on one of the very top floors. 

You fell to the ground with the vibrations of the floor. When you looked up, people were scrambling to get up and flee to the staircase. 

Instead of doing that, you grabbed your phone and dialed Peter’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Pete,” you said. “Busy Spider-Man-ing?”

“Sure am,” he said. “Just your average car chase down by Midtown. Why?”

You swallowed. “‘Cause there may be a job for you-”

“At the museum opening?” he asked. “At the museum opening you’re covering?”

“That very one.” You bit your lip. “Look, there was, like, an explosion. A terrorist attack, maybe? I-I’m not sure...”

“Get out of there!”

“No, I, uh-”

“Everyone get down on the ground!” The scratch of metal against the floor made your ears ache. You turned around and gasped, seeing the four long tentacles that made up Doc Ock. 

You only grew more in fear when you saw the rest of the team of Peter’s worse enemies trailing right in behind him. Kraven, Electro, Vulture, Sandman, and Mysterio.

Fearing they would recognize you, you ducked behind a display of old artifacts. You clutched the phone tight. “Peter?” you whispered into it. “The Sinister Six are here, and I’m thinking they’re looking for you.”

“Oh God,” he said suddenly. “They’re not looking for me. They’re looking for you.”

“What?” you whispered. “How?”

“Ock knows my secret identity now, you know that. And with it... he knows you, too. I bet he told the others. He’s going to use you against me. Oh man, oh man! I need to... I need to go. I’m on my way, okay?”

“They’re after me?” you asked. You waited for that to set some kind of fear in your bones, but it didn’t. 

“Yes. I am so sorry, babe. I can’t - I can’t believe I put you in danger. I should have... I could have-” 

You interrupted his rambling. “Is it weird that that makes me feel better? Like, they’re not going after you, so...”

“No! That is so weird. ___, you need to get out of there.” 

“Okay,” you breathed. “I will. I can see the stairs from here.”

“Good. Go!” he whispered loudly.

“See you soon.”

You hung up and tucked your phone into the pocket of your jacket. People were on their knees, hands at the back of their heads. You started to sneak around them, ducking behind displays and shelves and underneath tables. 

When the coast was clear, you started to crawl towards the staircase. Until-

Your phone slipped out of your pocket and the fell to the ground with a loud clank. Your body stiffened and your head snapped up, and you saw Doc Ock turn and look right at you.

You grabbed your phone, got up, and sprinted towards the stairs.

“There she is! Don’t let her get away!”

“Crap, crap, crap!” you muttered. 

You skipped a couple of steps in between giant bounds up the stairs. You dialed Peter’s number without really looking. It was a skill you learned simply because you got yourself into trouble so often.

“I’m on my way!” Peter shouted once he answered the phone.

“And I’ve got Doc hot on my trail, so... how close are you, Pete?” You pushed opened the door to the roof and shut it behind you. You ran up to the ledge and hopped on. 

“I don’t know, a couple of blocks away? Why? Wait - oh no, no, no, no! You are not jumping. You can’t do that to me!”

The door burst right off its hinges as Doc tore it off like it was nothing.

“Pete, time’s up. You better be there to catch me.” You looked down at the street below. It was so small. You were so high...

“I’m not there yet! Just wait a second!” he called.

“I don’t have a second.” With confidence, you said, “You’ll catch me.”

You had to do it. You jumped right off. You sucked in your scream that you so badly wanted to let out. The rush of falling hundreds of feet towards the road made your stomach completely leave your body. The air on your face hurt. But it didn’t last long, because Peter swung by, his arm around you.

You put your arms around him as soon as you swung upward. You looked up at his masked face and then back at the museum. “Aren’t you going to take care of that?” you asked.

“I will,” he said. “But first I am getting you home. You are absolutely crazy, you know.”

You marked another day off your calendar and took in a deep breath.

One more day until your birthday. 

You smiled to yourself, glancing out the single window that your tower had. Tomorrow night, the lights would appear in the sky, the same way they had for as long as you could remember. 

You had dreams of going to see them in person, with your mother. But she wouldn’t let you. She was terrified of you getting hurt, and even though you could handle yourself, were an adult, and tried to prove yourself time and time again, she would only get angry. 

She was gone, getting things for dinner. You were home alone, which you liked most. You would sit at your window, your hair (all seventy-five feet of it) hanging out of the window and almost touching the grass. That is the closest you ever got to touching the ground. You would try to take in as much of the warm, sweet smelling summer breeze as you could from your tower way above the ground.

Tired of looking at things you couldn’t ever be a part of, you sighed and turned away from the window, standing up and heading towards your bedroom. Your hair followed you as you went up the winding staircase, plopped on your bed, and shut your eyes.

You just wanted to be free.

A few minutes later, you woke up to the loud sound of the shutters being shut. You jumped in alarm, pulling your feet up on the bed. You leaned in close and heard two heavy footsteps.

Definitely not your mother’s.

You got up and quietly moved across the floor with bare feet. You eased yourself down the stairs and saw a man standing in your living room.

You struggled to hide your gasp of surprise. Your mother once told you that men had pointy teeth and none of them could be trusted.

Was that true?

You didn’t want to find out.

You grabbed a frying pan off the wall and snuck up behind him. He opened up a satchel and sighed. “Alone at last-”

You smacked him so hard in the back of the head that he tipped right over, unconscious. 

You dragged him to the closet and forced his body in there. To keep it shut, you pushed your mother’s favorite chair against the handles. You grinned triumphantly. Now all you had to do was wait for her to get home.

When she finally did ask you to throw your hair down and climb up it, you could barely contain your excitement. You pulled her up faster than normal, grinning with absolute delight.

“Hi, Mother,” you said, “welcome home.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I have a very big surprise for you!”

“So do I,” you gushed. “Look, I know you don’t think I’m strong enough to handle myself out there, Mom, but I have something that might change your mind.”

She laughed, swinging her legs over the window and stepping inside. “I hope you’re not still going on about the stars.”

You fought not to roll your eyes. “Astral projections. And, well, yeah, I’m leading up to that.” You walked over to the closet. 

“Because I thought we’d dropped the issue, dear...”

“I know, but I just wanted to say-”

She glared at you. “___,” she warned.

“Please?” you pressed.

“I mean it - no!”

“Oh, come on!” you whined. “I just think you should-”

“Enough with the lights, ___! You are not leaving this tower! Ever!”

You jumped. Never had she screamed at you like that.

Never had you been more frightened.

Seemingly exhausted, she dropped down in a chair. “Great. Now I’m the bad guy.”

You ducked your head so that your hair would fall around you like a curtain. You stepped in front of the closet. “All I was going to say, Mother... was... I finally know what I want for my birthday.”

“And what is that?” she asked grumpily. 

“New paints? Like the ones from the white shells you once brought me?” you lied. 

“Well that is a very long trip, ___. Almost three days time.”

“I know, I just... I thought it would be a better idea than the... the stars.” You faked a smile.

She nodded. “Alright. And you’ll be alright while I’m gone?” 

“I know that I’m safe so long as I’m here,” you said. 

She hugged you and kissed your hair. “I love you very much, dear.”

“I love you more,” you said.

“I love you most.”

She left a few minutes after, with a basket packed with food. You lowered her down and waved her off, and once she disappeared through the bushes, you were off to the closet, frying pan in hand, ready to face the guy in the closet.

But first, you grabbed the satchel that he was carrying and pulled out the thing inside. It was only one object - a pendent hanging from a gold chain. In the middle of the pendent was a glowing green stone.

You turned towards the mirror and slipped it on over your head. He hung off your neck and rested just below your chest. You touched it, eyes wide.

You took it off quickly, because you couldn’t keep wasting time. You hit it under the stairs the hurried back to the closet.

You opened the door and-

He fell out, unconscious. He landed right on his face. You winced. 

You managed to get him in a chair and tied him up with your hair. Then you cowered in the darkness, terrified, because he was starting to wake up.

When his eyes finally opened, he looked around. He yanked on the bounds and groaned. “Is this... hair?”

“Struggling...” you tried, then bit your lip. “Struggling is pointless!”

“Huh?” he asked, squinting into the darkness.

“I know why you’re here, and I am not afraid of you!” 

“What? Look, lady, I just came in here because I thought it was empty. I went up your tower, and-” He stopped and looked around. “Whoa - oh no! Where is my satchel?”

“I’m not answering questions until you answer mine!”

He frowned. “Fine.”

You stepped out of the darkness slowly. His eyes widened. “Who are you, and how did you find me?”

“What?” he whispered.

“Who are you... and how did you find me?” You pointed the frying pan at him.

“Are you serious?” he asked. “I wasn’t looking for you! Now where is my satchel?”

“If you’re not here to find me, then...” You crossed your arms. “I want to propose something to you.”

He sighed. “Which is...?”

“I’ll let you go with your satchel if, and only if, you take me to see the lights.”

He leaned in. “The lights?”

“Yeah,” you said. “The astral projections. Those streaks in the sky? They appear tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah. That light thing they do for the Sorcerer Supreme’s daughter.” He nodded. “Why do you want to go see that?”

“Because it’s my dream,” you said simply.

“Oh, your dream. I get it.” He rolled his eyes. “I am gonna have to say no.”

Desperately, you gripped the arms of the chair he was on with both hands. You leaned in close. “Please,” you said, sounding incredibly desperate. “You are the only one that can take me.”

He stared at you for a long moment. Then his eyebrows furrowed together. “Are you trapped here?” he asked.

You swallowed. “Yes,” you said. “Please, Mr...”

“Uh, it’s Stephen Strange.” 

“Right. Please. I need... I need someone. It can’t be a mistake that you came across my tower.”

“Right, because there are so many around. I should have picked another,” he muttered.

“Stephen,” you whispered. “Please.”

He sighed and looked at you again. “Alright. Fine, I’ll do it. But get me out of this... this hair. Right now. And explain to me how the heck it is this long.”

“Got it.”

Not too long after, he was climbing down the side of your tower. You were standing up on the windowsill, frying pan tucked under your arm. You were looking down nervously.

This was your dream, yes, but - but could you do it?

“You coming?” he called up after you.

You bit your lip and nodded. You took in a deep breath. 

Here I go, you thought.

You jumped down, your hands forming around your hair to slide down it like a rope. You laughed in glee until you almost touched the grass - then you jerked to a stop, pulling your feet up. You were scared.

Hesitantly, you let your foot touch the soft, green blades. You gasped softly and dropped down. Then you fell to your knees, letting your palms run across the tops. You grinned. You had never smelled anything fresher, or felt any floor softer.

“I can’t believe I did this,” you breathed. You looked up to the sky, feeling the warm sun on your face. 

Oh gosh, this feeling.

“Hey, weirdo,” Stephen said. You looked at him. “Are we gonna go on and do this or what?”

“Yeah,” you said. You stood up and brushed the grass off your knees. “Sorry, I just... this is my first time outside.”

“Ever?” he asked. You nodded. “Jeez. That’s... crazy. So when am I going to hear this backstory of yours?”

“Uh... never,” you said. 

“What, really?”

“Really. I’ll only be with you two days, Stephen Strange. I can’t give my secrets up to everyone.”

But not only two hours later, you were running away from a group of police officers that were intent on arresting Stephen.

“What are they chasing us for?” you screamed.

“Uh... I may have stole some things.”

“Stole some things?” you asked.

“Yes. Like the necklace that you refuse to give back!”

You gasped. “That’s stolen?”

“Of course it is!” he said. “That is why I was hiding with it!”

“Oh my gosh.” You grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. You pointed to subway station that was abandoned - and, from the sign, partially unfinished. “In there?”

“Sounds better than getting arrested,” he said. He ran ahead, going down the stairs first. When he got to the bottom, he turned around to reach for you. You landed on the bottom step and gasped-

The cops were coming down fast.

You gripped the bottom of your hair, leaving about three feet dangling down. You tossed it up and let it wrap around an exposed pipe. When you yanked it down, it piled up a large mountain of rubble and broke one of the water pipes. Gushes of cold water filled the place, and the rubble on the staircase made a tight wall.

“Oh no,” Stephen whispered.

You ran to the other side, but the ceiling fell there, too. You were blocked in on either side, and the water was filling up.

You kept moving, hitting the walls. Stephen was trying to as well, but it wasn’t budging.

He sighed. “Stop, stop, ___. Stop!” He grabbed your shoulders. “It’s too late, okay?”

“It’s not...”

“It is.” He shook his head. “We’re trapped.”

The water was up to your knees now. You sat down in it, anyway, letting it pool around your waist. You dropped your face in your hands. “I am so... I am so sorry, Stephen.”

“Why are you sorry?” he asked.

“This is all my fault. I never should have left.” You shook your head and looked at him. “And now I am getting you killed.”

“Don’t... don’t worry about me. You saved my life from being arrested.” He snorted. “Ironic that now I am about to die instead, but...” He pressed his lips together. “I can see that I am not making you feel any better.”

You sniffed and wiped your face. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he replied. 

“Why do you... why do you steal things?”

“Because... because I need to pay for surgeries. Of course, I ruined my chance by becoming wanted here in New York.” He raised his hands up so you could see how scarred they were. “A year ago, I got into an accident so bad that it paralyzed my hands. They healed, and I could move them, but... but they shake.” He hid them.

“And I ruined your chance to get that surgery,” you whispered. You shook your head. “I am so sorry.”

He nudged you. “Why don’t you just tell me something about you?”

“Okay, I, uh... have magic hair that glows when I sing.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You... what?” 

You grabbed your hair in realization. The water was rising to your neck and you stood up. Stephen did, too, wrapping his arms around you when you almost fell. You grabbed onto his arms and looked up at him. “I have... I have magic hair that glows when I sing!”

He shook his head, not understanding. But the water was filling up fast, and it was already to your shoulders. He tried to lift you up as you started to sing.

“Flower gleam and glow,” you gasped, and Stephen’s head was under. He was holding you up. “Let your...power shine! Make the clock rev-” You were under now.

Underwater was glowing bright with your hair. Stephen was watching with wide eyes. You grabbed his hand and swam to wear your glowing hair was leading you - to a part of the structure that was weak enough to break through.

He kicked through it for you, and you and him both got caught in the current that dragged you outside of the wall. 

You fell on the ground, first, and Stephen after. You both burst into harsh coughs as you rolled over, trying to get all of the water out of your lungs.

“Are you... okay?” he managed.

You nodded.

“Great. Now... now can you tell me how your hair glows?”

You looked at him and smiled. “It doesn’t just glow.”

You sat in front of him at the end of the subway. He was staring at you while you wrapped your hair around his entire hands, covering every inch of them.

“So can you tell me what you’re doing, or...?” he asked.

“I can,” you said, smiling. You glanced up at him. “You scared?”

“A little. I’ve seen a lot of doctors work on my hands, even studied the injuries myself, but never thought of wrapping magic hair around it,” he muttered. 

“That’s your loss,” you said. You cradled his hands in yours. “Okay, now... don’t freak out, okay?”

“Okay,” he said softly. He looked at you with an expression you couldn’t identify. 

You shut your eyes and began to sing. “Flower gleam and glow, let your powers shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, change the fate’s design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine.”

You opened your eyes and pulled your hair away. His hands weren’t even scarred. They didn’t shake. He turned them over again and again, his face nothing but shock.

“So?” you said, breaking the tension.

He looked at you and-

And he threw his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “You... you fixed my hands. No surgeon anywhere could do that. I... I had given up hope. I didn’t... I can’t believe you...”

You laughed breathlessly. “It’s nothing.”

“That works for everything, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“I think so,” you said, “Until... it’s cut. Once it’s cut, it looses its power. Then... then I’m normal.”

“Huh.” He nodded, looking at his hand. “I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

“You don’t have to,” you said, waving your hand. “Really, it isn’t anything.”

“But it is,” he said. “I... thank you.”

“I was happy to do it.”

“It’s - it’s...” He finally pulled away. “Well, I guess... I guess we need to keep on moving if we want to make it to see those lights.”

You made it to the real part of the city. The real part where everything was awake and bright and real and loud and busy. You were overcome with emotion, and Stephen was right there with you, finding joy somehow in your reactions.

He took you to see everything. Every tourist attraction... he bought it with his own money. You were overcome with emotion and in awe of how intent he was on giving you your dream.

He took you to the top of a building just as the sky grew dark. On your way up the elevator, you looked at him. “Where are we going?”

“Best night of your life, I figured you might want a decent seat.” 

At the very top was a balcony. You gasped, seeing the bright lights of the city. “Oh my gosh,” you breathed. 

“Like it?” he asked.

You shook your head, unable to find the words. You were so in awe of the bright lights that were such a strong contrast against the black-blue of the sky. But even the feeling of witnessing all that was in front of you...

Was nothing compared to the feeling of getting to see Stephen right in front of you.

You stepped closer to him and he leaned against the railing. You did, too, reaching for his hand. He let you take it. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t ashamed of himself.

“I want to thank you,” he said softly.

You looked at him. “For what?”

“For... everything.” He shook his head.

You smiled, eyes locked onto his.

Angel in disguise

Stories in his eyes

Love for every true heart that it sees Was it just a lucky day

That it turned to look my way

Or is it Heaven right before my very eyes. You flipped his hand over and traced your fingers across each line in his palm. He watched you happily, unable to tear his eyes away from you. You went up each of his fingers and back down, meeting at the center of his palm each time.

He showed me all new things

The shimmer of moonbeans

I was blind, but now he's helped me see. I was lost but now I'm found

His happiness surrounds

And now I find that my dreams can come true. 

“Hey,” he said softly. 

“What?” you mumbled.

“I want to ask you something,” he said.

You looked up at him.

“Do you have to go back?”

Cause I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life

I'm holding you safe here in this heart of mine

I can't live without you cause my soul would die

You know I'm telling the truth, I'll spend the rest of my life loving you

“Yes,” you whispered. He nodded. “But I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t,” he said.

It didn't start this way

It happened just one day

You smiled at me and I saw you, differently.

Now I'm a tremble just to be

A part of you as we

Begin a life that's sure to never end.

“I have to.”

“You don’t.” He closed his hand around your fingers. “You can be with me.”

Cause I’m gonna love you for the rest of my life

I’m holding you safe here in this heart of mine

I can’t live without you cause my soul would die

You know I’m telling the truth, 

I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you

“Whether I stay with you or not... “ You breathed. “I need you to know how much it means, having you be here with me.” His forehead touched yours.

“Do you know how much you’ve changed me?” he asked. 

You looked up at him, smiling. His eyes shifted and he nudged you, getting your attention on the sky.

Where shoots of electricity began to spread across the ebony sky.

You sucked in a breath, eyes widening at the sight. There it was, so up close, so real. If you reached up your hand, you were sure you could touch it. You tried to, stretching your hands out so that your fingertips might just graze the light...

All those days, watching from the windows. All those years outside, looking in. All that time, never even knowing just how blind I’ve been. Now I’m here, blinking in the starlight. Now I’m here, suddenly I see. Standing here, it’s all so clear, I’m where I’m meant to be. And at last I see the light, and it’s like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light, and it’s like the sky is new. And it’s warm and real and bright... and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything looks different...

You looked back at Stephen, who was pointing to a different part of the sky. 

Now that I see you.

You grabbed his hand, getting his attention. “Stephen?”

“What is it?” he asked, ducking his head close to yours.

“I... want to give you something.” Out of the pocket of your dress, you handed him the necklace. “I was... afraid. But the thing is, I’m not afraid anymore. You know what I mean?” 

He pushed that hand away and grabbed your free one. He pulled it up to his cheek and let it lay there. “I’m starting to.”

He cupped your waist with his other hand and brought you close to him. He pulled you in against him, and slowly, began to sway.

All those days chasing down a daydream. All those years living in a blur. All that time never truly seeing things the way they were. Now she’s here, shining in the starlight. Now she’s here, suddenly I know. If she’s here, it’s crystal clear, I’m where I’m meant to go.

“And at last I see the light,” you both sang softly, looking into each others’ eyes.

“And it’s like the fog has lifted,” he sang.

“And at last I see the light...”

“And it’s like the sky is new,” you sang, and he spun you both around.

“And it’s warm and real and bright... and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I see you. Now that I... see you.”

He leaned in. His nose brushed yours. He pushed your hair out of your face. 

“Now that I... see... you...”

His lips brushed yours gently, then he pulled back. 

You kept your eyes shut, waiting for him to just kiss you.

“I need to know,” he said, thumbs stroking your cheeks, “are you going to stay with me?”

You opened your eyes. The lights were gone now. You were just looking at him, dim now.

“I don’t... I don’t know.”

He sighed and nodded. He dropped his hands and stepped away.

You reached for him. “Stephen, I-

“I should get you home,” he said.

“I wish you wouldn’t,” you said. “I want to be with you, okay? Forever.”

He looked at you. “You’re being serious?”

“Of course I’m being serious,” you breathed. You laughed. 

He took you in his arms, lifting you off of your feet. His face was buried in your neck and you were wrapping your arms around his shoulders. 

“I’ll go get a ride for us,” he offered.

“Okay.” You grinned, not knowing where you were going, but grateful that it wasn’t back to the tower.

He walked back to the elevator without you.

You stayed up there for several long minutes, tapping your fingers against the railing. You were eager just to go. You were looking down below, waiting, waiting, waiting-

And seeing Stephen getting dragged into a police cruiser.

“Stephen?” you cried. You gasped. “Stephen!” 

He didn’t hear you. He struggled and struggled-

And then he was shoved inside.

“Oh no,” you whispered. Your heart was in your throat. You didn’t know what you would do-

“___?”

You turned, gasping loudly. “Mother?”

Your mother was there, standing at the elevator. “Oh, you’re alright. My little girl.”

“Mother,” you breathed. You ran to her, throwing your arms around her body. 

She hugged you tight. “Don’t worry, that man will never touch you again.”

“Touch me?” you asked. You looked up. “Mother, he... he didn’t take me. I left on my own.” Your eyes widened. “That’s what you told the police, didn’t you? They’re taking him because they think he took me! We have to stop them, we have to-” You tried to run around her, but she stopped you by grabbing your wrist.

“No,” she said sternly. You froze in fear. “We are going home.”

Back in your tower, she cleared out every memory you had of Stephen. You even had the necklace still, and you hid it from her so she wouldn’t see.

You laid on your bed, staring at it. You sniffled, feeling tears streak your cheeks. Your heart was hurting so badly. 

You held up the necklace, at first by the chain, then by the pendant. You angled it, squinting your eyes. 

You realized something. 

The shape of the pendant, the designs inside... they matched every shape in between each of your paintings. You stood up, your heart thumping louder and louder. You stood up and spun in slow circles. 

They were everywhere.

You fell back against your dresser, shocked. 

The Sorcerer Supreme’s missing daughter. You were her.

“What was that noise?” your mother called. “___, what’s going on up there?”

You stumbled out of your bedroom. “I am the lost sorcerer,” you mumbled.

Your mother growled, “Speak up, ___.”

You glared at her. “I am the lost sorcerer. Aren’t I? Did I mumble, Mother?” You stepped out fully, hands curling into fists. “Or should I even call you that?”

“Do you even hear yourself?” she scoffed, walking up the rest of the stairs. 

You pushed her. “It was you! It was all you.” 

“Everything I did was to protect you,” she said.

You walked around her. “I have spent my entire life hiding from people who might use me for my powers, when I should have been hiding... from you!” You turned.

“Where will you go?” she asked. “He won’t be there for you.”

“What did you do to him?” you asked.

“That criminal is to be sentenced to death for his crimes.”

You gasped, hand on your heart. “No...”

“Now it’s all right, it’s all right,” she cooed. She reached out to touch your hair. “Everything is as it should be.”

You caught her hand. “No!” you shouted against clenched teeth. “You were wrong about the world. And you were wrong about me! And I will never let you use my hair again!” You pushed her out of the way.

She stumbled back, getting knocked into the mirror. It tipped over and shattered.

You glared at her, then hurried to the window.

“You want me to be the bad guy?” she mumbled. “Fine. Now I’m the bad guy.”

Just as you swung your leg over the tower, she dragged you back. “No!” you screamed, thrashing. You tried to hit her, but she grabbed your hand and pushed you to the floor. She dragged you to the wall, where she had chains - ready to lock you up. “No, get away from me!”

“Stop fighting me, ___,” she growled. “Stop. Fighting me!” 

She put a cloth over your mouth and chained you to the wall. You were helplessly stuck there.

Unknown to you, Stephen was outside of your tower. 

“___?” he cried. “___, let down your hair!”

You screamed against the cloth at your mother, who grabbed your hair and threw it down for him to climb up. You cried and pleaded, begging her not to do it. But she only smiled and did it, anyway.

A few minutes later, he appeared and fell through the window. “___, I thought I’d never see you again.” He looked up, smiling, and gasped.

“Stephen!” you screamed against the cloth.

A moment later, your mother appeared out of the shadows and stabbed him in the stomach. He fell to the ground in agony, and you cried out.

“Now look what you did, ___,” she said. “Oh, don’t worry. Our secret will die with him. And as for us? Well, we are going where no one will ever find you again!”

You kept fighting to get to him, even if it was impossible. You just wanted to touch him, to heal him...

She unchained you and opened up a door in the floor that you never knew existed. She dragged you towards it and you fought harder.

“Oh come on, ___! Enough already! Stop... fighting me!” 

“No!” you screamed, the cloth falling off your mouth. “I won’t stop! For every moment of the rest of my life, I will fight. I will never stop trying to get away from you.” You shook your head. “But... if you let me save him, I will go with you.”

“No,” Stephen gasped. “No, ___.”

You ignored him. “I’ll never run, I’ll never try to escape. Just let me heal him, and we can be together just like you want. Forever, just like you want! Everything will be the way it was. I promise! Just like you want. Just. Let. Me. Heal. Him.”

She let you go. She chained him up tight and you wasted no time to run to him. You helped him onto his back and he looked up at you in teary pain. 

“Oh, Stephen,” you whispered. He cried out your name and you hushed him, touching his face, his hair. “It’s alright, I’m here. I’m here.” You looked at his wound and tears filled your eyes. “Oh, I am so sorry. Everything is going to be okay though, just-” You picked up your hair.

He pushed your hand away, like he did with the necklace only a day before. “No, ___,” he grunted.

“I promise, you have to trust me!” you said.

“No,” he replied.

“Come on,” you pleaded. 

“I can’t let you do this,” he said, looking into your eyes. 

You shook your head, feeling absolutely broken. “And I can’t let you die.”

“But if you do this...” You cupped his cheek as he managed to spit out, “then you will die.”

“Hey,” you said softly, smiling. “It’s gonna be alright.”

You put your hair over the wound and closed your eyes, ready to sing.

“___?” he breathed. “Wait...”

You looked at him. He pushed your hair back, and you leaned in. Just as your lips brushed his, though, he grabbed all of your hair at the back of your neck and cut through it with a shard from the mirror your mother had knocked over earlier.

Your hair fell off of you, leaving a short cut left at the base of your neck.

“Stephen, what...” You looked at him in horror.

“No!” your mother screamed. She grabbed at your hair as it changed. She was starting to age quickly. As she fell apart, she stumbled towards the window. “What have you done? What have you done? No, no, no, no... no!” She fell out of it. 

You watched her fall, then, in the silence left, you wrapped your arms around Stephen. You pulled him into your lap and cried out his name. 

“Stephen, no, no, no, no... stay with me, Stephen! I’m right here, you have to stay with me-” you pleaded. He coughed and you stroked his face, then lifted his hand up and put it on what was left of your hair. “Flower gleam and glow, let your... powers shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine...”

“___,” he breathed. 

You looked at him, sobbing now. “What?”

“You are my new dream,” he breathed, not looking at you.

You shook your head. “And you are mine.”

He died in your arms not even a second later, and you were left all alone in the world.

His body laid limp in your lap, and you stroked his face as you softly sang.

“Heal what has been hurt, change the fate’s design. Save what has been lost... bring back what once was mine.” You dropped your head so your forehead touched his. “What once was... mine.” 

As you started to sob, your tears fell on his cheek. 

And in that single tear that you shed, a light of gold. 

You kept weeping over him, until you noticed a light coming out of the wound that took his life. You looked up and in shock. 

You remembered who you were the daughter of. If your real mother was full of magic, then you were, too. Not just your hair.

The light vanished and you leaned in to look at Stephen. His eyes partly opened, and a wash of breath ran out of his lips. 

“___?”

“Stephen?” you asked. 

He looked at you and smiled. “Did I ever tell you that I had a thing for (h/c)?”

You gasped in delight. “Stephen!” you cried. You threw your arms around him and pulled him close.

He embraced you back happily, You sobbed into his shoulder and he pressed his face into the skin of your neck, smiling happily. You pulled back to kiss him passionately, feeling the warmth of his lips on yours.

You were overjoyed to be with Stephen now. You both left your tower without looking back-

And he, being so supportive and head over heels in love with you, even insisted that you find your real mother.

Your mother was someone called the Ancient One, and she was overjoyed to see you. Your reunion was sweet, and she told you of all that she went through to find you. The lights were meant to call to you home to her, and they worked.

“I knew they would,” she said. “And now you can join me in your destiny of magic.” She looked at Stephen. “You too, Stephen Strange.”

You both joined your mother in Kamar Taj. Together, you both studied and practiced to become sorcerers. 

Stephen often told the story of how you both met again and again to Wong, who was less than enthusiastic about hearing it. But he listened, anyway, because he liked you. 

“No I know what you’re thinking,” Stephen said, “Did ___ and I ever get married? Well, I am pleased to tell you that after years of asking and asking and asking... I finally said yes.”

“Do people typically laugh at your jokes?” Wong asked, annoyed.

He didn’t answer. He was watching you for a response.

“Stephen,” you scolded from across the room, a book in your lap.

“Alright, alright. I asked her.” He crossed the room and you stood up, taking his hand in yours. “And we’re living happily ever after.”

“Yes,” he said. “Yes we are.” 

He leaned down and kissed you passionately.

It was Monday night, and you were sitting at the small dining room table with your dad, eating dinner ordered from your favorite restaurant. As he scraped the bottom of his plate with his fork, he said, “Oh, you’ll never guess who called me today.”

“Christine?” you guessed.

“How did you know?” he asked. 

“Who else would call you, Dad?” 

He raised his eyebrows. “Okay, ouch.” He laughed and you smiled. “Anyway, she invited me to a banquet on Friday. One thrown by the other doctors at the hospital.”

“Oh, yeah? Are you going to go?” you asked. 

“I told her I would,” he said, nodding. “And then she said she’d like it if you would come, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Would you want to come?” he asked.

You tried to suppress your excitement. “I mean... I guess it would be fun. Is there, like, dinner and dancing and stuff?” you asked. 

“Yes, there’s like dinner and dancing and stuff.” He grinned. “But you have to bring a date or you can’t get in. I’m going to be Christine’s, so I can’t be yours.”

“Well, who am I going to take?” you asked. “It’s not like I have a boyfriend or anything-”

“No, and thank goodness you don’t,” he said. You rolled your eyes. “Look, you don’t have to be dating this person to get in. Just... ask one of your friends. Ask Peter. Or Ned, if you want.”

“Ned probably wouldn’t going...” You bit your lip. “Alright. I’ll ask Peter. He should think it’s fun.” You put your fork down and stood up. Before you left the kitchen, you said, “But don’t you dare eat my food, Dad!”

Later that night, after several hours of homework and projects, you were laying in your bed, hair wet from the shower you’d taken a few minutes before. Your laptop was propped up on a stack of textbooks. You were video chatting with Peter, since he was on a field trip with the decathlon team until Friday. He was currently sitting in his bed. 

“How’s D.C.?” you asked.

“Same as last year, pretty much.” He looked over to the bed next to him. “Jeez - I’m gonna have to turn the volume up to hear you,” he said. “Ned is snoring like a lawn mower over there.”

You laughed. “Yikes. I bet that’s fun.” 

“So fun,” he said sarcastically. 

You sat back against your pile of pillows. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Shoot,” he said. 

“So my dad got invited to this banquet with all of the doctors he used to work with-”

“Fancy,” he interrupted.

“Yes, very. Anyway - I’m invited too, but I have to have a date. I was wondering if you wanted to be my date. Not, like, my date-date, but just go with me so I can go.” You shook your head. “I am making this awkward for literally no reason. Ugh. Okay. Do you want to go to the banquet with me, Pete?”

He laughed, showing all of his teeth. “When is it?”

“Friday.”

“Okay, we’ll be back in Queens by then. Yeah, I’ll go with you. They’re gonna have fancy dinner, right?”

“I’d assume so.”

“Sweet,” he said. “I’ll definitely be there, then.”

On the day of the banquet, you dressed in a dark blue dress. You did your hair for the first time in a while, even taking the time to do your makeup the way girls did in the YouTube tutorials. You walked out of the bathroom - your dad was waiting outside - and smiled up at him, pulling at your sleeves.

“You look great,” he said. “So beautiful.”

“Thanks,” you said.

“Is Peter ready?” he asked.

“I told him to be ready by seven, so I hope so,” you said. 

“Come on, Christine is waiting outside,” he said. He held out his arm to you. You took it, beaming up at him as he left the house with you. 

Christine was standing by her car, wrapped up in a glittering shawl that covered her black dress. “Oh, you look so pretty!” she gushed, looking over you. “And look at you, Stephen. Finally in something other than a levitating cloak.”

“It breaks my heart to leave my cult uniform behind,” he joked. He opened the door for you and let you inside of the backseat. He took the passenger seat, leaving Christine to drive. “I sent Peter’s address to your phone.”

“Okay,” she said, shutting the door. “Is this Peter guy your boyfriend?”

“No, he’s just my best friend.” You sent him a text. 

On our way! Be ready.

“He’s been her friend since they were freshman,” your dad said.

“Ah. Well, I’m happy that I get to meet him today.” She met your eye in the mirror and smiled.

She pulled up in front of Peter’s apartment. Peter was standing outside, dressed in the same tuxedo he wore during homecoming last year. He smiled when he saw the car, waved, and jogged up to the curb. You leaned over from your seat and opened the door for him, peeking your head out to smile. 

“Hey,” you said. “Don’t you look fancy.”

He grinned. “And look at you - you finally look presentable.”

You scoffed, leaning back in your seat so he could get in. “Rude.”

“Hey, Doctor Strange-”

“Peter,” your dad replied, shaking his head. “You’re allowed to call me Stephen.”

“Right. I-I know.” He swallowed. “Sorry.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “This is Christine, Peter.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking her hand. 

“Nice to meet you, too. Alright, everyone buckled up?”

“Uh-huh.” You felt your phone vibrate on your lap. You looked down at it, checking your two new text messages.

They were from Peter.

You look really pretty tonight.

I’m texting you this because if I say it out loud your dad might use magic to kill me.

You grinned, cheeks burning and heart fluttering. You looked up at him. In the blue-darkness of the car, he smiled at you. 

“Thank you,” you breathed.

The banquet was in a hotel ballroom, and it was decorated with lights that flickered like candles. In the yellow glow stood dozens of doctors and nurses all dressed in fancy gowns and expensive jewelry. You felt nervous as you stood in the middle of it all, Peter next to you. Your dad and Christine were getting champagne from the bar - and you and Peter didn’t know what to do.

“How do people usually act in fancy ballroom parties?” you asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, the fanciest place I’ve been is... a three star hotel.” He looked around. “Should we act like we’re doctors? I feel like we should act like we’re doctors.”

“Peter, we are very clearly high school students.” You looked around. No one was looking at you, and yet... it was like everyone was looking at you. 

“Right,” he muttered, rocking on his heels. “We probably look worse just by standing here.”

You took in a deep breath. “Okay, well... are you hungry?”

“Not... really?” he said.

“You said you were only coming because of the food.”

“I wasn’t serious! And I am way too awkward to eat. And what if they’re serving just snails?”

“What kind of doctors do you think these are?” you asked. “I am sure the food is catered-”

“Okay, I know. It’s just... I am kind of nervous.” He pulled on his collar. “Can you tell I’m sweating?”

You giggled. “Why are you so nervous? Because of the doctors?”

“No,” he admitted. He looked at his shoes. “Because... of you.”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “Because of me?” you asked. 

“It’s not like that, I-” He stopped and sighed. 

At the same moment, the lighting lowered and the music got louder. You looked around, watching a few couples pull one another to the center of the room. They wrapped their arms around one another and swayed slowly, not really dancing, but not standing still. 

“Do you wanna dance?” he asked. 

“Me and you?” you asked. 

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m... really nervous, so if you could just answer...”

“Yeah, we can dance,” you answered. You laughed and took his hand.

He walked beside you to the center of the ballroom. He turned towards you, slowly raising up your hand. He held it carefully. The look in his eyes made your heart skip several beats. Another hand touched your waist and pushed you closer to him.

And slowly, you both were swaying.

You were incredibly aware of how close your face was to his. You were alert to the fact that Peter was holding your hand and touching your waist and guiding you around in a slow moving circle. Wicked Game played from the speakers loudly, but if felt like it was no more than a whisper around you.

“This is the song that played in Friends,” you whispered. “On Ross and Rachel’s first date-”

“Is that really what you want to talk about right now?” he asked. He laughed softly. 

“No, but... I don’t know... what to say right now.” You blinked slowly.

“Me neither,” he said. “But I’m not nervous anymore.”

“You’re not?” you asked. 

“No,” he said. “Not at all. What about you?”

“I... don’t know,” you said. “I can’t tell.”

He drew you even closer and you moved your arm so that it went around his shoulder. You dropped your head and shut your eyes. This moment was so perfect, so right, so unexpected... and you didn’t want to miss it. It had to be over soon, because this moment of pure bliss couldn’t last forever. Moments like these never did.

Suddenly, the swaying stopped. You felt disappointment because you didn’t expect it to be over that soon.

You opened your eyes and looked up at him.

“I... have to go,” he said. He pulled back. “I’m sorry. I really am. You have no idea how badly I want to stay.”

“You don’t need to explain it to me, Peter,” you said. You smiled at him. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah.” He gave you a serious look and took both of your hands. “Yeah, I’ll see you later.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to your cheek quickly. Then he was off, running out the doors, pulling his tie off of his neck. 

You watched him go. 

When the doors shut behind him, you sighed and walked to the corner of the room. You grabbed a plate and went through the food line. You snorted when you saw a tray of snails sitting right in front of you. 

Your phone buzzed and you checked it. Your heart fluttered at what it said.

Stay there, because I’ll be coming back for another dance.

You bit your lip and clutched your phone to your chest for half a moment. Your heart was swelling with pure happiness.

“Just friends, huh?” Christine asked from behind you. She winked when you turned around, scooping some food onto her plate.

“That’s how it used to be,” you said. “Where’s Dad?”

“He had to go,” she said. “Cult emergency.”

“Cult emergency?” you asked.

“I notice your Peter is gone, too. Funny, huh?” she teased. 

“Oh. Yeah, he just... had an... an...”

“Avengers emergency?” she asked. “It’s alright, I won’t say anything. I kind of figured. And I don’t know which one he is, but... he’s the Spider-Man, isn’t he?”

“You’re really good at this,” you whispered.

“I know, right?” She grinned and nodded. “So you wanna shove a bunch of chocolate cakes in our mouths now that the boys are gone?”

“Definitely,” you said. 

You were watching TV with Cassie. It was late at night, and you were spending time with your stepdaughter while you waited for your husband to get home. She was snuggled up against you, her cup of water in her hands as she stared at the old cartoons playing on the screen. She giggled softly at the characters at the same time your phone buzzed.

“Oh,” you said, reaching for it. You grabbed it off of the coffee table and saw the call you were receiving. 

“Is it Daddy?” Cassie asked. 

“Uh-huh,” you said. You answered it.  “Hey, babe, peanut’s been asking why you’re so late-”

“___? ___, thank goodness, you’re alright. Where’s Cassie?”

You blinked. “She’s... on the couch. Why?”

“Listen to me. I need you to grab her and go hide in our bedroom. Lock the door, okay?” 

“What?” You turned back to look at Cassie. “Scott, what’s going on?”

“Go! Just listen to me!” he shouted angrily. The call cut. 

You stared at your phone screen. Cassie lifted her head from the couch. “What did Daddy say?”

“I don’t-”

The window broke as someone fired a gun through it. Cassie screamed and you gasped before running across the room to grab her. You picked her up in your arms and carried her quickly up the stairs. 

Running into your bedroom, you set her down. “The closet! Go!” She listened to you and you locked the door. You stood back, patting your pockets in search for your phone.

And you realized that you’d left it in the living room.

“Oh gosh,” you breathed, hands on either side of your head. 

The intruder slammed his fists against the door. “You’d better unlock the door, or you and your daughter will be in more trouble. I told Ant-Man I knew where his family was. It’s time he pays for everything he did to me.”

“I-I have a gun!” you lied, stumbling backwards as his foot slammed against the door again and again.

“Yeah, you think a gun will stop me?” 

He kicked the door twice more. That was all it took for it to crash down into three places. You prayed that Cassie wouldn’t scream, no matter what happened.

“Where’s that gun, huh?” He smiled, holding weapons you had never seen before. You didn’t respond, so he looked around. “I heard a little girl. Where is she?”

“I’m not going to let you go near her,” you said.

“Fine. I’ll deal with you, first. Then I’ll deal with her.”

The man hopped forward, grabbing your neck and slamming you against the ground. You brought your fist forward and hit your knuckles against his mouth. His head snapped backwards, blood pouring out from between his lips. He cursed at you and hit you, then wrapped both hands against your neck. 

“Imagine how that husband of yours will feel once he sees you here, dead?” 

Your eyes fluttered, feelings veins inside of them pop. Everything began to blur and you heard Cassie cry.

But he was pulled off of you suddenly, and you were able to suck in all of the air your lungs desperately needed. You turned on your stomach, vision still blurry as you saw Scott punch the intruder straight in the jaw. Hope grabbed his arms from behind and bent them in a way that brought him to his knees.

“Go see if they’re alright, Scott,” Hope said, breathing heavily.

“No, I need to-”

“Scott! Just go, okay?”

Scott turned to you and he bent down to help you up on the bed. You held your throat and tried to speak.

“Hey, hey,” he said, pulling you close. “I’m here, it’s over.”

“Ca...Cassie,” you managed. You got up and ran to the closet. Throwing the doors open, you saw her on the ground, cowering against the wall. You fell to your knees and she cried out your name before getting up on her feet and throwing her arms around you.

Scott breathed out in relief and fell behind you, wrapping you both up in his arms. He kissed Cassie’s head and looked over her.

“Are you girls okay?” he asked. He shook his head. “I am so sorry, I thought that I was going to be here fast enough and I... oh gosh, I am so glad you are both okay.”

“Daddy,” Cassie whimpered, turning and putting her arms around his neck.

“It’s alright, peanut,” he said. “Daddy’s here.”

Hope came back upstairs. “He’s all taken care of,” she said. “___, c’mon. My dad is downstairs. We can make sure you’re alright.” 

You nodded. Scott held his hand out so he could touch your arm for as long as he could before Hope took you downstairs. Then he turned his attention to Cassie, who was looking at the floor.

“Everything is going to be okay, peanut. Nothing like this will ever happen again.”

“I... I froze, Dad,” she whispered.

“You what?”

“She needed me and I just hid and cried.” She ducked her head.

“That’s... that’s good, though, peanut. She told you to hide. You are supposed to listen to-”

“How am I supposed to help people like you if I can’t even help my mom?” she asked, looking up at him with teary eyes. 

“Peanut,” he said, hands on her arms. “She was protecting you. That’s what parents do.”

“I wanna help people, too.”

“And you will one day,” he assured her. “But right now, it’s ___’s and my job to keep you safe.” She nodded, and Scott tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Oh, peanut.” He picked her up and closed his eyes. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Daddy,” she breathed. “Can we go see if Mom is okay?”

“Since when did you start calling her Mom?” he asked. 

“Since now. She wasn’t even scared, Daddy.”

ten years after the events of infinity war

Peter and his family - Aunt May, his wife, and his four year old daughter, were struggling to escape Queens, alongside everyone else that lived in the city.

Peter’s hands were tight on the strap hanging from the bus ceiling. The entire vehicle was packed front to back with terrified people. Peter had one arm around his wife, who had both of hers on the shoulders of their little girl. May was holding onto the child’s hand, looking around at all of the people, her lip between her sets of teeth.

The bus’s brakes squealed as it slammed to a stop. Everyone fell forward. Peter caught you and May, stomping his feet on the ground to stay glued down.

“Daddy,” your daughter squeaked, looking up. “I wanna go home.”

“We can’t go home,” he said simply. He didn’t look at her.

No one really expected Thanos to come back. No one expected him to unleash an army of his children and slaves on New York, desperately seeking to destroy the Avengers once and for all. Or - maybe Peter never expected it, because he had left the Avengers right after his daughter was born.

He had abandoned his duty as Spider-Man the second she let out her first cry. He couldn’t bear risk his life every day when this small life in front of him needed him to be alive. So he quit his job, cut off all contact with the Avengers, and decided to just be Peter Parker.

He knew it was selfish. But what kind of father wouldn’t put his daughter before everyone else’s?

The apartments from Third Street all the way to the edge of the bay were overtaken by aliens. Peter got his family out ahead of time, making sure that they had everything they needed.

“End of the line!” the bus driver screamed at the front of the bus. “Everyone off!”

You looked at Peter in alarm. “End of the line?”

He tapped your shoulder and started to push his way through the crowd of people making their way to the front of the bus. “End of the line?” he asked the bus driver.

“Roads are closed,” he said. 

Peter looked out the windshield, and saw that it was true. People were walking.

“No, no, no-” Peter shook his head. “You don’t understand, man, my kid needs-”

“What? What does your kid need that our kids don’t need?” he asked angrily. “End. Of. The. Line.”

Peter went back to his family and took the backpack from you. You looked up at him. He picked up his daughter, too, and shook his head. “We’re walking.”

May touched your arm. “That’s okay,” she said. “We’ll get to the ferry, don’t worry.”

You pursed your lips. 

“Come on,” Peter said.

You both stuck to the crowded sidewalks. You held May’s hand so you wouldn’t separate from her. Her silver grey hair, which fell in a curtain down her back, kept getting in her face, because she was looking around in every direction, scared of what might be coming soon.

Peter’s spidey senses began to buzz. He tried to ignore them, because during a situation like this, they would bug the crap out of him. 

“Oh my gosh,” you gasped, “Peter!” You grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop.

Way up in the sky, a ship shaped like a ring was lowering itself down to Earth. His eyes widened and his stomach hurt. It was so similar to the ship he was on ten years ago, the first time Thanos attacked. 

“Oh gosh,” he said. 

“Peter, what do we do?” May cried. 

The breeze picked up wildly as the ship broke through the sky. Peter grabbed you and May. Your daughter started to cry. He pulled you the opposite way and dragged you into an alleyway. He crouched behind a dumpster and laid your daughter in your arms.

“What’s the plan?” you breathed.

“What plan?” he asked, teeth clenched.

“Pete,” you said, shaking your head. “You wouldn’t have stopped running if you didn’t know how this was going to end.”

“Look, last time these guys came around, bad things happened.” 

“I know,” you said. “I was there.”

He nodded towards the girl in your arms. “She wasn’t. I’m thinking of her right now!”

“Peter,” you scolded gently. “Listen to me for a moment.” You handed your daughter to May, who began to stroke her hair and hush her. You reached in the back pocket of your jeans and pulled out an old flip phone. You placed it in Peter’s palm.

“Before you ask, this is the phone that Captain America gave Tony.”

He looked at you. “How did you get this?”

“When Tony died, and you quit the team, Pepper made sure I had it and knew what it did.” You smiled sadly. “Captain America is gone now, too, but the White Wolf isn’t. If you call, that’s who you’ll reach. And with him is the Black Panther and all of Wakanda, eager to help us when we are in need. I think it’s safe to say that we need them.”

“It isn’t my job now-”

“It is. It always has been.” You shook your head. “You’re Spider-Man.”

“I’m not,” he said. “Not anymore.” 

“Babe, you are.”

“There are others now. Miles is-”

“He isn’t you! The world needs him, but it also needs you.”

“I’m not... him anymore. It’s been too long. No one needs me anymore.”

You remained patient. “I know you don’t leave the house without taking your web shooters with you. I know you have nightmares about a repeat of what is happening right now. I know you’re scared of dying again. And trust me, I’m scared, too. But our world needs Spider-Man. We have Thor, and White Wolf, and the Black Panther, and even Captain Marvel... but we need Spider-Man, too.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to think about never seeing you again.”

“Then don’t,” you said. You grabbed his face and dragged his head down so he could kiss you. For several long seconds, you kept your face pressed to his. You broke away and touched your forehead to his. “I am so in love with you, Peter Parker.”

His face twisted up as he tried not to cry. “I’m not leaving you.”

“You don’t have a choice,” you said. You pushed him back.

He looked over at his daughter, and at May. “She’s right, Peter. She always is.” May nodded. 

“Can you guys get out of the city safely without me?” he asked. 

“I think so,” you said. You nodded.

“No need,” a voice said. Peter turned around and saw Doctor Strange slowly landing on the ground. He turned to the left and opened a portal. On the other side, Wakanda. “King T’Challa’s sister has provided a safe place for you to hide.” He looked at Peter and smirked. “I was prepared.”

“Thank you,” he said. He turned back to you. You just kissed him again. He looked down at you and shook his head. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, Spider-Man.” You stood up and picked up your daughter. She looked at Peter and reached her hands out for him.

“Daddy, don’t go,” she said. 

He took her in his arms. Cradling most of her weight on his left, he picked up her arm and held her hand. He touched his forehead to hers and smiled.

“Daddy will be back to find you soon.” 

“Promise?” she asked.

“I promise, baby,” he said. He kissed her three times (the exact amount to get her to laugh) and passed her back to you.

He hugged May, and then-

One of the aliens, a large thing with sharp green and brown scales, stepped out of the shadows. Your daughter screamed and you gasped, turned her away from the thing.

“Peter!” you screamed.

He stood in front of you right away, yanking his sleeves up to expose the web shooters he kept on his hands. Stephen stood next to him, hands up. 

“You three need to go!” he shouted. 

“Go!” Peter added. “I’ll see you later, okay, babe?”

“Okay,” you said. 

“Daddy, no!” your daughter screeched, opening and closing her small hands in his direction.

“I love you, sweetheart.” 

You hopped through the portal. May followed, and, after you glanced one final time at your husband, the portal was shut.

You turned, your skin automatically feeling like fire in your sweater and jeans. You squinted against the bright sun that was up in the sky.

A figure approached you. 

“Welcome to Wakanda,” she said. “I’m Shuri.”

“___ Parker,” you said. 

“I know.” She smiled. “Follow me, I know where you can stay.”

After you died, Peter did everything he could to possibly bring you back. But when there was no way to save you, he tried other things. 

At first, he did ask Doctor Strange for an opportunity to use the Time Stone. But when he told Peter no, Peter decided that he would build his own object to change the universe that we was in. 

Peter created this thing - and with a turn of a knotch, everything around him could change. Change into a universe where you were still alive. 

When he found you, he fell on his knees and told you everything. His plan was to not tell you that he was from an alternate universe and that where he came come, you had died because he couldn’t save you - but he did. 

And the funniest thing was you believed him.

You fell on your knees, too, and you told him that you had lost him. You were so shocked that he was alive, but grateful, too, because you hadn’t figured out a way to get to him just yet.

“I was going to find you,” you cried, moving your hands through his hair. “I was so desperate to find you. But you found me.”

“I had to,” he breathed. “I can’t live without you.”

He spent more time there than he did in his universe, because in his, he couldn’t hold your hand or kiss you or hear your voice. He couldn’t smell the shampoo you loved most or feel the softness of your skin. He needed you all of the time, and he just couldn’t stay home, where he knew that you weren’t.

But he was stretching himself out too thin. Literally. Peter was beginning to fade. His color was going away, and the white of his skin suddenly became transparent. You noticed this with sudden terror. You grabbed both of his hands.

“Peter!” you cried. “Look what you’re doing to yourself here.”

“I’m fine,” he lied, pulling his hands away. He shook his head.

“You can’t sit there and tell me that you’re fine,” you argued. “You’re vanishing.” You got up and grabbed the device that allows him to travel from universe to universe. “You need to go!”

“What? No!” He pushed the thing away and grabbed your arms. “Baby, please. You gotta hear me out.”

“Hear you out? Peter, if you stay here, you won’t make it.”

“___,” he whispered. He was so scared and so desperate. “I can’t live without you.”

Your eyes welled up with tears. You shook your head. “You don’t belong in my universe, Peter. You know that.” You threw your arms around his shoulders and kissed him right on the mouth, pressing against him until there wasn’t any space left, because this was it this was it this was it-

And with your other hand, you turned the device he made, forced it into his hands, pulled away, and pushed him back.

He staggered, looking at it as it sat in his palm. He looked up at you and shook his head, his eyes full of tears. 

“I love you,” you said.

You were standing off to the side of Tony, closest to Peter. Your stomach was tied up in knots at the thought of the war they were all planning so easily. 

Was it just you that didn’t want to fight?

You looked back between the two groups - the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy - and you stepped back from them. You stuck your hand in your pocket and felt the slick, cool back of your iPod. 

It was old, and the screen was cracked, but it was your favorite piece of home. Home before you had your powers and had to leave. Home before your only goal was to fight. 

You stepped back from the group and turned around. Everyone was so caught up that no one really realized that you were gone. You sat down on the slab of a red rock and popped your earbuds in your ears. You turned the music on. A song from the early 2000s played in your ears. It was bubbly, and fast paced, and when you shut your eyes, you felt like you were sitting on your bed again in your new apartment, just being yourself.

But then you opened your eyes, and you were back on Titan again. On this stupid, stupid planet. 

You couldn’t hear anything over your music, but you could see the pair of legs standing right in front of you. You plucked an earbud out and let your eyes trail upward. It was that Star-Guy.

“Uh... hey,” you said.

“Hey,” he responded. “You good?”

“I’m... okay,” you said. You scooted over. He took a seat. 

“Listening to music?” he asked. 

“Uh, yeah.” You handed him an earbud and he put it in.

For about thirty seconds, he listened to your song. He scowled and shook his head. “You call this music?” he asked.

“Uh... yeah?” you replied.

“Well, you’re wrong.” He held up a finger and reached into his jacket. He pulled something out - something that looked like an iPod. “I’ll show you real music.” He handed you one of his iPods and flipped through his songs. When he finally settled on one, he nodded, and looked at you.

You listened close to the music that flooded into your ears. 

My sweet Lord My Lord My Lord I really wanna see you I really wanna be with you I really wanna see you, Lord But it takes so long, my Lord My sweet Lord My Lord My Lord I really wanna know you I'd really wanna go with you I really wanna show you Lord That it won't take long, my Lord Hallelujah My sweet Lord Hallelujah My Lord Hallelujah My sweet Lord Hallelujah I really wanna see you I really wanna see you I really wanna see you Lord I really wanna see you Lord But it takes so long, my Lord Hallelujah

“Have you heard this before?” he asked.

“No,” you said. “I’ve... I’ve never really listened to this kind of music.”

“You mean good music?” he teased.

“My music is good, just so you know.” You rolled your eyes. 

“Sure,” he teased. He turned up the volume. 

You looked at him. “Hey. Thank you. For this.”