Mysterio was right.

Of course he was, why wouldn't he be correct? Peter shouldn't really be so surprised by this turnout (Mysterio had even told him, but he still ignored it), but he still was.

He would have to see the Green Goblin. Again.

Harry would feel horrible if something bad happened to him because of his father. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

He couldn't let that happen.

He still couldn't believe that he had thought, even for a split second that Mysterio would give up that easily. That, despite everything, he would be able to go on with his life.

He was so stupid. Nothing was normal for him, not since his parents went off and died, since Ben had gotten shot and May fell ill and nothing went right for him.

He had thought he had gotten a break, when he had the fortune to be noticed by Bruce Banner, to be adopted by Tony Stark, to have a family that would forever love him, but he ruined it all.

He was just a - a jinx on everyone's lives; whenever he was a part of the equation, something bad happened, no matter what it was.

Now, he was ready. He was prepared to do anything for the safety of his family. He couldn't - wouldn't - let them die. 

He wouldn't let anything get in his way.

~~~

"So, what's the plan?" Peter asked suddenly as he entered the kitchen, causing Tony to drop his coffee, said beverage spilling onto his hand. He let out a loud swear, waving the hand around in the air.

"Warn a man, why don't you?" Tony exclaimed, now running his hand under water. "And what do you mean, plan? Peter, you aren't joining us on this. We've established this, you went after Mysterio once and that didn't work, we aren't risking you again."

"Like hell I'm not coming!" Peter shouted, the rare feeling of anger flooding his veins as he clenched his fists. "Are you really saying that this isn't my fight? The Green Goblin, Mysterio, those are my villains, Tony! I'm the one that they fight, I'm the one that knows all of their tricks, so why the hell do you think I'm not going to come?"

Tony turned around, trying his best to patient towards Peter, but anger sparked in his eyes even as he poised a calm expression. "Peter, I'm not going to fight with you on this. I don't want you to get hurt, that's just - no, Pete."

"Please, Tony, I have to do something, I can't just sit here and watch while you guys go and risk your lives for something that's my fault to begin with!" Peter exclaimed, passion and determination filling his voice.

 Tony looked at him, noting the hidden desperation in his voice, the thirst to prove himself that not many others saw.

"You can come," he conceded after several tense moments. "You have to stay out of danger though, Pete, I swear. I'm not having you run headfirst into danger."

"... I promise," Peter spoke reluctantly.

~~~

He may have promised, but what Tony didn't realise was that if he needed to break that promise, he would. No doubt.

At that current moment, Peter was dressed in his Spider-Man costume, sticking on a building after he got told he was supposed to be a 'look-out'.

"Can I be an actual teammate now? Over."

"Why are you -? Pete, we've talked about this," Tony said with an exasperated tone.

"And I'm bored? Please tell me your decision. Over."

"Peter, you know our decision," Steve put in, knowing Tony was busy trying to find an in to the building where Tombstone, the Green Goblin and Mysterio resided.

"I'm going to keep saying over until you let me. Over."

"I've found an in!" Tony announced. "Peter, you can join us if you stay out of trouble. No self sacrificing from you, please."

"Of course! Over."

"You - I'm not even going to question it."

"I taught him that!" Harry's voice suddenly appeared, shocking everyone but Peter.

"Ned, stop letting Harry have the microphone, it's his turn on watch now," Peter said, the grin obvious as he spoke.

"Aw man, this is gonna be so boring..." Harry murmured as he got further away from the microphone.

Peter swung down, the confidence filling him already, the fear barely peeking through as he pushed it down.

"So, what's the gossip?" he asked, the adrenaline making him back into his Spider-Man persona quickly.

"Tombstone isn't here, the Goblin and Mysterio are. We don't know what tricks they're going to pull, but they're sure to be nasty," Steve spoke, authority obvious in the way he held himself as he talked.

"Okay that's good, Tombstone is not a very nice man," Peter said, trying to be as official-sounding as Steve (and failing utterly). "Mysterio's illusions are nothing to be, like, trifled with, so make sure that you don't underestimate it. The Goblin?... He gets in your head without the illusions. Shake it quickly."

"Cool," Clint said, fiddling with his bow. "We ready to go inside?"

"Yep!" Spidey said cheerfully.

That's where it all went wrong.

~~~

The illusions, despite Spidey being fully aware that they weren't real, were still hard to shake.

Over and over again he had watched Uncle Ben die, he had been blamed more times than he could count, one time Tony had even died - and that was the most traumatising one, really.

It was only the reassuring voices of his teammates that kept him from losing his mind to the constant death following him.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a split second before they darted open again to his spidey sense alerting him.

"Tony is fine," he repeated to himself quietly, "he's perfectly fine, he's not dead, he's okay."

"Yeah, you're right, Pete," Tony encouraged. "I'm here, I'm alive, I'm - just beginning to realise we should really knock Mysterio out before he messes with Peter even more."

"We need to find him first," Clint said, gesturing around the room. "He went somewhere hidden so he could mess with Peter. The Goblin isn't in this room - he's probably thinking up ways he can -"

"Shh," Steve hushed him quickly, pointing up to the ceiling. Sure enough, Mysterio was there, hidden far up at the top. Clint could most likely hit him if he tried hard enough.

They all got distracted as Peter dropped to the ground to his knees. His eyes were wide open as he took in gasps of air.

"It - it stopped? I don't - understand -"

Looking back up to the top, Clint cursed.

"He's gone."

"Can you guess who's here?" Tony said drily, pointing back to Harry who had just walked into the building.

"Harry!" Peter hissed. "What the heck are you doing here? Your dad's here, you could be in danger if you stay here."

"I'm fine, I just needed to tell you that I don't think he's here," Harry whispered urgently. "I thought I saw him at Oscorp but I -"

His sentence was cut off as he got picked up off the ground, a big hand clutching his throat as Harry grabbed weakly at the hand.

"Famous last words," the Green Goblin grinned, the yellow teeth glinting in the light.

"Let him go, you don't want him," Peter said, the determination obvious in his eyes. "You're using your own son against me. Leave him out of this."

"Now, Parker, why would I want to do that?"

Peter lurched forward and punched him after those words were spoken. "Don't call me that. Don't ever call me that. I'm Peter Stark, not Parker. Keep that in mind."

He hated to lose his name, he hated to lose his final connection to his parents, Aunt May and Uncle Ben, but he couldn't bear it anymore.

He would rather be a Stark with a family than a Parker with nobody.

Tony was quick to grab the Goblin after he was stunned from the punch - had he not expected Peter to go against him after what happened?

Did he not understand that Peter was not going to be gone that easily?

He walked over to him slowly. "And remember that."

Harry jumped up, horror on his face. "I'm so sorry, I'd heard rumours of him at Oscorp so I thought it would be better to come and tell you and -"

"Hold that thought," Tony said, peering out the window. "Okay, I've found Mysterio. I'll go and capture him, can you scout out the area?"

"We can do that," Steve nodded.

Their guards were let down. They thought they were done, they thought the villains had been captured - or were at least going to be.

Nobody had noticed Beck come crawling back in.

Peter felt a smile come alive on his face, on everyone's faces. As they turned to him, their smiles disappeared, fearful looks replacing them.

And as Peter collapsed to the ground, he could only be grateful the rest of his family were safe this time. His life was a small price to pay for that.

His skin paled, his breath eased, he felt at peace.

The world mourned Peter Parker.

~~~

"I told him not to come," Tony choked as he stood at the ceremony with everyone else. "I should have done more - should have insisted he not come. Oh God, this is all my fault."

"It's all our faults," Harry murmured, his eyes visibly red as he struggled to keep his composure. "I was the one who distracted him, even after he told us not to go in. I was too damn curious, and now he's dead, and I can't do anything about it -"

"Harry," Gwen spoke softly, placing a hand onto his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

He buried his face into her shoulder.

"I knew the guy was there," Ned muttered, "I watched him enter the building, he had the same signature as Mysterio, I should have known it was Beck, dear God I made my best friend die -"

He continued muttering things of the same sense, his head in his hands as he pondered ways he could have gotten Peter to - 

"Come here, Ned," Pepper said, speaking in a quiet yet soothing tone, putting her arm around his shoulders as they shook with silent tears. "It's not your fault, don't say it is," she admonished him gently.

He didn't answer.

"I failed him," Tony realised in horror. "I said that I would keep him safe, that he would be okay and he isn't, he's gone and he thought I could save him and I just - I didn't."

The group stood together in silence, the tears falling in unison.

"My boy," Tony murmured in disbelief.

They left him alone to say goodbye properly.

~~~

This was a short, depressing ending. Haha you're welcome. It is currently midnight so I'm not on time but eh.

The next chapter will be a thank you and will reveal the name of the next book - and there will be one eventually - as well as my plans for it!

Very exciting, I'm sure.

Anyways, love you all, I'm gonna miss you in the time that it takes for me to write the prequel in advance before I post it. Aha.

Love you 3000 :)

~ Hunter