After finding the kids that turned the restaurant into a mad house, Peter decided to swing around and patrol the streets until he found himself within a reasonable distance from his apartment. He liked the feeling of web-slinging in the early summer air just as the night sky started to settle in. It was like swinging in a fantasy land or something. He eventually came to the edge of his neighborhood and decided to take a breather on a nearby roof. He landed in his signature pose and adjusted his position to sit down, hanging his feet over the side. Just as he was feeling comfortable, he pulled out his phone to make a call. He dialed his best friend Ned, thinking that he should talk to him about the last day of school the following day. The phone rang three times before Ned finally answered.

"Hey" he answered in an exhausted voice.

"Hey, you O.K., you sound stressed."

"Just a little bit man" he replied.

Peter started to wonder what troubling him. Ned was someone that wouldn't usually stress unless the situation was extreme. He remembered how full of energy he was earlier that the day, and how excited he was for summer vacation. Now he sounded like he was exhausted, maybe from working on one last assignment that he hadn't finished. "What's up" Peter continued.

"My parents just told me that were going to visit my extended family in Oahu."

"Well that's awesome man, I wish I could go to Hawaii."

"Dude, I don't think you completely understand what's happening."

"Well I guess, cause' it sounds like you're bummed about going when you should be excited."

"Cause' we're there for two months."

"TWO MONTHS" Peter exaggerated, spinning his body to the right.

"Yeah man."

"Do you know when you're leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"WHAT!" he loudly whispered underneath his mask.

"That's why I'm so exhausted, I've been packing everything for the past hour. My parents are really stressed about the whole thing because they kind of forgot about it and told me very late."

At this point, Peter could not believe what he was hearing. His best friend was going to be gone for most of the summer, and he would have no one to be with. Obviously, he would have Aunt May around when he was home, but no one that could fill up his free time as Peter Parker. And knowing that the Avengers weren't as active as they used to be, he knew that they wouldn't be calling anytime soon.

In disbelief of the situation, he shifted his eyes in multiple directions and shifted his body around some to find comfort. At one moment, he stopped to look down at the street where he thought he noticed a recognizable figure. But the spot he thought he saw it was now vacant, almost as if the figure had vanished in seconds. He thought that someone may have been watching him, but he just let it pass and continued his conversation with Ned.

"That's rough dude, do you know why you're gone for two months?"

"I don't know, and I know I'm gonna be tired of it after the first week," he said, feeling the urge to explain his crazy family. "My cousins are fun and all, but my uncle's wife is ridiculously annoying. And the part of the island they live in doesn't get the best coverage, so there's not much internet access or phone use."

"So... you're saying that there may be no way to call you at all?"

"Most likely, yeah."

"Well, can I at least see you before you go?"

"Oh..." he chuckled as he came to the thought he was about to tell him, "don't worry. My parents are putting me in school for the first half of the day before we leave, because why not!"

Peter was about to reply, when his phone started to buzz and his screen lit up. He saw that Aunt May was calling, probably to check if he was coming home. Realizing that he needed to be home soon and he was only four blocks away from his apartment, he made that bold move to dismiss his aunt's call and end his conversation with Ned to get home.

"Hey, listen man, I feel bad for you, but my aunt's calling and I gotta get going, alright. I'll see you tomorrow, bye."

"Pete..." Ned gasped, as Peter ended the call. He really didn't want to leave his friend hanging like that, but he knew that his responsibility to May was more important, now that she knew about his activities as a spandex-wearing superhero. He stuffed his phone into the small pocket in the back of his suit, and leaped into the streets below. He swung as fast as feel could back to his apartment. The lighted windows passing by made him feel like he was on the Millennium Falcon just before it jumped to light speed. He soon saw his apartment in the distance, and in one long intense swing, pulled on his web to increase the dismount speed for when he let go. The adrenaline rushed through him as he pulled all his weight into one leaping flip, and soon landed onto his roof.

He scurried down to his bedroom window, and saw his aunt sitting on his bed facing the door. He lifted the window and slipped in. May stood up in a bit of a shock, she still hadn't gotten used to him suddenly leaping in out of nowhere. Peter took his mask off, fixing his hair as she brought herself back to normal. "Sorry I'm a bit late," he stressed to her, "there was a group of kids ransacking a restaurant when I was walking home and Ned called me afterwards." Peter knew what he said was truthful, but it was more difficult to convince Aunt May of what was truthful or not.

Before, she had always been understanding that Peter was going through some extraordinary changes in his life. He was offered an internship and grant by Stark Industries, he was struggling to be a normal kid, and he had a hard time trying to impress a girl he liked. She could tell that he was stressed, but thought that he needed a bit of a breather. Now that she knew, she contemplated everything he said, which put a wedge between the two. She thought if he was hiding a secret that big, what else could he be hiding. She didn't know how to approach the Spider-Man angle either. On one hand, she knew that Peter had always come home safely every night, but then she would think about that one night he comes home bloody and torn-up, or even if he doesn't come home at all.

She gave a condescending smile to him thinking of the irony of his activity. "Well... I'm sure you took care of those children," she said crossing her arms, "kids these days need to start listening to their parents if you know what I mean." Peter was puzzled for a moment, then realized what his aunt meant. He figured that this conversation would come up again sooner or later, though he preferred the latter. "Do we have to have discussion again," he asked uncomfortably.

"Peter, we have to, otherwise I don't know how I'm going to make it through every day" she complained, "I don't want to see you get hurt. I don't want to see you throw your life away just so you can play hero."

"I don't think I'm throwing my life away May, I'm using my abilities to help people, not to pleasure myself," he argued, his voice now growing in volume.

"But it's fun for you, isn't it?"

"Yes... it is fun at times. But not for the reasons you would think." May was now feeling scared, scared for Peter's life, scared of the constant worry she was in, and scared of being alone through it all.

"Just because you had an O.K. night, doesn't mean you'll have one tomorrow," she protested, her voice rising over Peter's. Her eyes were now starting to tear up from all the emotion building up. "I just don't understand why you must constantly go out and put yourself in danger."

"May, it wouldn't be as different if I enlisted in the military" Peter objected, now getting defensive.

"But at least you would have other soldiers to protect you, here you're on your own with now one to help you" she said losing balance.

She started to collapse on his bed in sadness, and Peter rushed to her before her legs went too weak, embracing her in a hug. At first May felt reluctant about it, lazily wrapping her arms around his neck. Peter had a tight grip around her waist, and he soon started to tear up as well as her emotions vibrated between their bodies.

"I don't think I'll ever be alone in this, Ned will probably never stop asking questions about it, Mr. Stark will keep checking in on me, and there's always you to keep me coming home."

May picked her head up a little from the pocket of his shoulder, tightening her grip. "I just don't want you to end up the same way Ben did," she sobbed into his ear. Peter soon had a familiar lump in his throat and his body felt heavier than it was. He closed his eyes tightly and nudged his head against hers. "Ben is my fault," he exclaimed, "and I don't want to lose you the same way." He released his grip on May and slid down onto his bed. He sat slouching over with his hands over his forehead, breathing deeply. May stood over him still wiping tears from her face and trying to hold back more.

"You're the best person in my life, and the times I don't think of Ben haunt me. If I forget what happened... I would lose my purpose for being Spider-Man. You remind me that I'm the one responsible, and that I owe you and everyone else protection." Peter now had a couple of tears running down his face. "I can't just... have these powers and sit around doing nothing with them. I don't want to disappoint you, but I can't let Ben down either."

May sat beside Peter, wrapping her arm around him. She snuggled up against him before kissing the side of his head. She tapped his back a couple times and finally signed, "Alright."

"What?"

"Alright, for Ben," she said slightly louder, "But expect you to do some things, for me." Peter was a bit relieved that she understood why he did what he had to do. However, he was a bit nervous about what May was going to have him do to keep his superhero persona.

"First, I want you to call or text me at five and ten so I know you're O.K. If you don't fifteen minutes after, I will call, and you better answer." Knowing that he could easily follow through with this, Peter understandingly nodded.

"And secondly, I want you to find a job by the end of the summer. You need to be committed to something that has real-world applications and consequences, plus I could use a little help with the mortgage."

Peter pondered the thought for a while, thinking of how he was going to pull this off. How can I be a superhero and hold a job while trying to make a curfew? However, he knew that if he rejected her terms, she would likely limit his time as Spider-Man. Then, he remembered that Ned wouldn't be around for most of the summer, and that would give him more free time anyway. And with a heavy heart, he reached out his hand and replied, "It's a deal." May took his hand and shook it briefly before embracing him in one more hug.

Staring at the ceiling, she wondered if she was making the right choice, and if the consequences would come back to bite her in the end. But she trusted Peter to keep to his promise, and that it would be enough, hopefully. Letting go of her nephew, she stood up and smiled sweetly, "Come on, I made pizza casserole."

"Awesome, just let me get out of the suit first," he replied as May walked out of his room. He pressed the spider symbol on his chest to let the suit fall to his feet. He searched around for clothes that were hanging around to slip on, while he continued his thoughts about how this summer would go. He thought what she was asking was somewhat impossible, as he slipped some black athletic shorts on. Then he noticed a Mets shirt hanging over the far side of his desk and reached out for it. As he lifted it up, a picture frame sat face down underneath it. Peter seemed somewhat curious about it, but at the same time, knew exactly what it was. He adjusted the shirt to his comfort, and reached out for the frame. His eyes met the picture, and he focused on one of the three people in it. The feeling in his throat returned for a moment, and Peter felt his stomach tighten.

Never again, he thought, and he set the frame back to where he found it, this time in an upright position. Taking one last glance at the picture, he whispered to himself before joining May for dinner, "Alright."

-------------------------------

A/N:  Wow, this one was hard to write, but here is Chapter 4. Mostly difficult to structure a scene between May and Peter when she knows he's Spider-Man. I think I was probably rushing through it all, but for what it is, I like where it's at. And I hope you do too.

And I don't like that I'm taking Ned out of the story, but just imagine all the questions he'll have when he comes back. It'll be like finding out he's Spider-Man all over again, which is funny and makes their relationship more relatable. 

Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please comment and vote if you liked it. Another update coming next weekend. 

Hope everyone has a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, be safe out there and God Bless this Beautiful Country!!  

BYE!!