EPILOGUE PART II
alternate universe

FINALLY MANAGING TO MAKE HIS WAY TO COLLEGE, Peter knows it's going to be hard doing it on his own. MJ and Ned are both ahead of him, not only that but they have absolutely no idea who he is – that's probably the hardest part. Hopefully making new friends won't be so hard.

The boy walks into the lecture hall with his laptop, that he had managed to scavenge, and an apprehensive look on his face. It's already quite packed, many of the seats already filled by the students in the class. He takes note of the way most people have ventured to the back, obviously not wanting to sit up near the lecturer.

So that means he will have to.

There's about five available seats, all of which are next to another person. Taking a deep breath, something he has adopted for when he's nervous, the boy sits in the first one. The girl beside him turns her head, almost as if she's surprised somebody had chosen to sit next to her.

"Uh hey," Peter speaks awkwardly, not knowing how else to respond. A timid smile appears on her face as she looks at him, she's just as awkward with her mannerisms as Peter has been.

"Hi," the voice matches her appearance, the tone soft and quiet for her presumably shy nature. "Your first day too?"

"Yeah, you?"

His face reddens when he realises what he'd just said, her 'too' obviously meaning its her's as well. The girl doesn't pick him up on it, nodding her head to his question as if to save him from further embarrassment which he is incredibly grateful for.

"Most people here seem to have their little groups already. I've been sitting here for twenty minutes and nobody has even looked my way," She speaks, eyes looking around the room.

"Yeah, I noticed. Somebody ran into me in the doorway and didn't even stop to apologise" Peter recalls which causes a small bout of laughter to fall from her lips.

Maybe making friends is easier than he thought it would be.

"A lot of people take this as a second year class. I'm doing it as an elective though, to be honest I'm really bad at science," The girl admits with a small frown. "Like, what even is the difference between an ion and an atom? I always thought they were the same,"

"Why did you take a science subject as an elective if you're not good at it?" Peter questions.

"Well, my sister is a scientist of sorts and I thought that if I take this then at least I'll have some help. The other options were like math and advanced stuff that I would be worse at,"

"Your sister's a scientist?"

"Yeah she used to be involved with Stark Industries,"

Peter's eyebrows scrunch together in what appears to be pain at the mention of the name. The girl doesn't seem to notice, scribbling in her notebook.

"But that didn't work out so she's about to start at this new company, uh Oscorp or something? Some guy with lots of cash who wants to start up all these experimental things," She adds on and Peter freezes, the name sounding incredibly familiar.

Oscorp — Norman Osborn.

Parts of these stories sound like something he's heard before, the entire situation on replay in his mind.

"Hey, uh, I didn't get your name. I'm Peter Parker," the boy introduces.

She looks at him again, her face bright as she smiles at him. "Isabella Stacy,"

There it is. Peter sharply inhales, memories of the brunette haired girl from the other universe flooding in. Her sister had worked as Oscorp and she had ended up dying at the hands of the Green Goblin, although the villain in her universe was Harry Osborn rather than Norman.

Isabella had turned into what she had because she lost her sister and father, both of whom were involved with Spider-Man. Peter has never met the Gwen in this universe, nor does he want to if that's what happens.

Hearing the stories from the other worlds, he knows what happens here. Norman/Harry turn themselves into this monster, unintentionally, and then bad things happen. People die, Gwen dies, Isabella dies.

"Peter? Are you okay?" Isabella asks.

"Ye-yeah. Sorry I just lost myself for a second there," Peter stutters out and she smiles in response.

"Happens to the best of us,"

Yeah, it does.

He wonders if this is what the other Isabella was like before she lost her family, if she was as smiley and shy as this version. The Isabella he had met was a little more defensive and whilst she was kind to him and his friends, she in no way radiated the shyness that this girl does.

"So, you have a sister? I've always wanted siblings," Peter tries to keep the conversation going, trying to find out how similar she is.

"Yeah. Gwen, she's a few years olde than me. Really smart and all scientific. I don't understand what she's saying half of the time but she was a big help with my high school work," Isabella replies, fiddling with her pencil.

"That's cool. What degree are you studying?"

"A Bachelor of Arts. So science really has absolutely nothing to do with any of this but I couldn't find anything else to pick, that I'm able to pick yet anyway. I'll be studying a lot,"

Peter nods his head, a tiny smile on his lips.

"Science never was my thing. It is probably best that I don't help you because I'll mess it up,"

They're so alike, this must have been what it was like for her to meet him having known another Peter Parker. Everything from her family to some of her interests, it was Isabella Stacy in a nutshell.

When the class starts, Peter keeps sneaking glances at the drawing she is still sketching. There's science notes around it but every free second is put towards finishing her picture. It's interesting, almost as if she's on autopilot — within seconds she's able to switch from one to another. In fact, it's almost as if she has no choice in it.

The image is incredibly detailed, a man standing in what looks like a laboratory. Peter's eyes scrunch together when her pencil moves to drawn behind the man, large lines sprouting from his back.

The lecturer brings his attention back to him with his final goodbyes, stating that the class had been a successful one and that they'd continue the following week.

Peter goes to stand when he notices Isabella is still seated, staring out at the front of the room with almost a lifeless gaze. The pencil continues to scratch against the surface of the paper, in almost desperate strokes.

"Isabella?" Peter calls out her name, crouching down beside her chair. His words don't seem to reach her ears, gaze still focussed in front of her. "Isabella?"

It's almost futile, nothing working. The boy's eyes trail down to the paper and he sucks in a sharp breath, the image finally set in stone. The man is still there but instead of lines, the objects sprouting from his back are long, mechanical arms. That's not the most confronting part, because in the corner he can see a familiar masked hero — Spider-Man.

She's drawing him. Not just him either, but also Doctor Octavius.

Isabella's hand moves to the top of the page and begins to write, using words rather than displaying things in picture form. Peter watches as the letters form those words.

R U N

Peter can see the distressed expression on her face.

R U N  S P I D E R M A N

Isabella begins to shake slightly, hand once again relocating to draw something else. It's detailed and whilst he can't see the actual person in the drawing, the mask is enough to clue him in on what's happening. Green Goblin.

T H E Y  A R E   A L R E A D Y  H E R E 

G R E E N  G O B L I N — a small arrow points to the mask.

O T T O  O C T A V I U S — an arrow directed at the man with the arms.

V E N O M — several dark, filled in circles are pointed at.

"Isabella!" Peter's voice is a little louder now, trying to get through to her. Most of the class has already left, not taking any notice of the two of them. "What's happening?"

G W E N.

"Gwen? Isabella, what's wrong?"

H E L P  G W E N

Peter sees the dreaded image in the very right of the image. A girl hanging by a very thin string spider's web, completely lifeless — just how Gwen had in the other universe.

Peter places a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder to try and provide her some comfort in her trance. One final time her hand moves to the only free space on the paper and she writes out two final words.

H E L P M E

NOTE!

This is the end of the story! I've had so much fun writing this, it's been one of my favourites. The support has been absolutely insane, like I can't believe how many people have read, commented and voted on this story. Thank you all so so much for the support, it really kept me motivated to keep writing this.

I have been thinking of writing a sequel that would be set in the Amazing Spider-Man universe but I'm not a hundred percent sure yet. I'll definitely let you guys know!

Thank you all again!!