"Peter!"

Just as he let himself sink back into the couch, the sound of his name being called reached his ears, and he forced himself back onto his feet. Taking one last look at where he was just sitting with thoughts of how it looked even more comfy, he trailed off into the kitchen.

Gwen was there waiting for him, with the fridge door wide open and one hand on her hip. Upon his entrance, she glared at him. He swallowed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, already knowing what this was about.

"Y- yes sweetie?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Don't be a suck up when I'm mad." She warned, unimpressed by his greeting. "Listen, did you eat the chocolate cake that was right here this morning?"

"Erhh… no." He gulped. "I haven't seen any chocolate cake." He fibbed.

"Peter!"

"Okay fine, I have seen chocolate cake but no, I didn't eat it." He admitted.

"I suppose you're going to tell me it was Casper the friendly ghost." She rolled her eyes.

"Not exactly."

"Come on, come clean and admit that you ate it. This morning there was a whole cake on the top shelf of this fridge, now there's nothing but a plate of chocolate crumbs. Food doesn't just vanish into thin air!"

"I didn't eat it!" He insisted. "But I erh… I may have given it to Simon in exchange to get him to do his homework."

"You what?" Gwen shrieked. "Peter, that was supposed to be for dessert tonight! You do remember that your aunt May is coming for dinner tonight, don't you?"

"Oh, damn it!" Peter cursed, planting his face in the palm of his hand. "I completely forgot, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." She sighed. "But we have less than two hours until she gets here and what am I supposed to serve after the meal?" She stressed. "Sorry my brother accidentally ate the dessert, so here's some raisin bran instead… It's mortifying."

Unable to help himself, Peter laughed as he crossed the room to where she was standing. Her dramatics over chocolate cake amused him, and it wasn't the first time something so silly had made her mad. Each time it happened, he had dealt with it by laughing and cracking a joke, though she never found it the slightest bit funny.

"Don't you think this is a bit extreme over a little bit of cake?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're stressing way too much over something so small."

"No, I don't think it's extreme!" She denied. "After all the help she's given us, the least May deserves is a decent meal."

"Come on, chill out a bit. Nothing a run to the store can't fix."

"A run to the store? Peter, I woke up at noon, I have yet to get dressed since I've been trying to tidy up ready for this evening and I still need to prepare the food to cook. I don't have time for a run to the store!"

"No, I meant me." He corrected her, still laughing.

"Oh… well, can you take Simon with you? I still have a lot to do before May gets here and I think it would be easier without any distractions."

"Yes. I'll go and ask him to join me now." He agreed. "But Gwen…"

"Hmm?"

"I don't think crying over chocolate cake is a good look for you." He teased with a grin.

Gwen scowled, not seeing the funny side of his joke. She shut the fridge door with a medium slam that shook the entire appliance, getting the point across to him.

"I'm not crying over chocolate cake, I just don't want to be a bad host, you're the one who suggested getting it since you said it was her favourite!"

"Hey, I was playing…"

"My hormones don't like your jokes." She pouted.

"Ah, so that's what this is really about." He stated as he realized what was going on. "Should have guessed it."

"I'm sorry." She said sheepishly. "It's just been weird these past three months. One minute, we're being attacked every time we leave the house and now nothing…"

"Uh, Gwen, isn't that something to be happy about?" He frowned. "We didn't even need to fight them, they just left. In my eyes that's a win."

"Yeah, you're right." She agreed. "It seems odd to me, that's all."

"It is odd, but I'm not gonna dwell on it. We've got too much to be happy about rather than stressing over it." He shrugged. "I should probably get off to the store before it closes, but can you manage around here on your own?... Will you be able to reach the oven?"

"Easy there, I'm not that big yet." She laughed. "Just go, I'll be fine."

Peter nodded in acknowledgement and headed back out of the kitchen, leaving her to return to making preparations. Without having to worry about what to whip up for dessert, she was more focused on the main course. As she heard two sets of footsteps, followed by the door being shut, headed up the stairs, wanting to get dressed before making a start on the food. Throwing her phone down on the bed, she turned to the closet and sighed.

"Now, if only I can find something that still fits." She muttered to herself.
____________________________________

Eddie could hear Venom laughing as the truck that was parked in the driveway was started up and pulled out onto the road. He waited until it rounded the corner, then came out from his position behind the wall and walked up the pathway towards the front door.

"I don't know about this…" He hesitated.

"We've come this far, and after all this time they won't be expecting it. Do not fail me now, Eddie." Venom hissed.

"Hmm, I'm already going to Hell. They can just add killing an innocent baby to the list of things I am tortured for." He muttered.

"Quit your whining." Venom snapped. "And what are you waiting for, knock on the door and let's get this plan on track!"

"I can't do this…"

"You don't have a choice… think about it. If we take this away from Peter, we can break him and then, when he's at his lowest, we can finally squish the spider."

Eddie found himself having second thoughts. Venom had thought of every last detail of the plan he was about to carry out, and he had been on board with it. Until now. Though he was more afraid of the consequences that would follow if he backed out now. Venom didn't speak to him, but he didn't have to. Eddie could feel his impatience growing, and knowing that he had only a matter of seconds before he would lose control to him, he raised his fist and knocked hard on the wood.

Gwen paused as a knock on the door caught her attention, and leaving the meat joint she was preparing down on the counter only half unwrapped, she crept out into the hall. Before she reached the door, she glanced up at the ticking clock on the wall and frowned. May was not expected for another hour and a half yet. It wasn't unusual for her to arrive earlier than the arranged time, and with that in mind, Gwen shrugged and reached for the handle, opening the door.

"You're a little early, I haven't even-"

Her sentence was cut short as she opened the door and instead of May, it was Eddie standing on the doorstep. Before she had the chance to process, he swung his fist, hitting her in the face. Unable to catch herself, she fell back, landing on the floor as Eddie barged through into the house.

Gwen wasted no time and scrambled to her feet. She remembered her phone upstairs on the bed, if she could reach it then she would be able to call Peter without fighting Eddie and taking a greater risk. Quickly deciding that this was her best option, she fled towards the stairs and ran up them as Eddie gave chase.

A few steps away from the top, Venom reached out and, despite the distance, grabbed hold of her hair, pulling her back and causing her to lose balance and fall back down, knocking a framed photo from the wall as she did. Crash landing at the bottom of the stairs, amid shattered glass, she attempted to move and dropped back against the wall as an intense pain tore through her foot. Glancing back up the stairs, her eyes widened when she saw Eddie coming back down them and she forced herself up off the floor, clutching a particularly sharp shard of broken glass in her hand.

Waiting until he reached the bottom, she gripped the broken shard harder and took a swing at him, slicing through his cheek. Eddie yelled in pain, but before he could retaliate, she plunged the shard into his shoulder and using the opportunity, she fled into the kitchen, barely able to apply pressure to her foot.

Gwen reached the counter as Eddie appeared in the doorway, and wasting no time, she pulled a large steak knife from the drawer and pointed it at him. Venom laughed maniacally, and using a web, he flicked the knife from her hand with little effort.

"She's injured, use that to our advantage!" Venom growled.

Eddie's eyes drifted down to her feet, one firmly on the ground while the other barely touched it, and he smirked as he advanced towards her. She knew she should have made an attempt to move, but she found herself frozen in place. He was inches away from her and she was unarmed. Her web shooters had not been repaired yet either. As she glanced around, she noticed an empty glass within her reach and moved subtly to grab it. Eddie stamped on her foot and at the same time, she smashed the glass against his face and dug her fingers into the open wound across his cheek. She winced as he roared in anger, but Gwen gave him no time to retaliate and gave him a shove causing him to stumble backwards. With room to move, she made a break for the front room only trip as Eddie stuck his leg out in her path.

Landing on the kitchen floor, the pain in her foot worsened and she attempted to get back up, the pressure was too much and she fell back against the wooden boards. Even with his face pouring blood, he continued towards her and in a feeble attempt to get away, she propped herself up on her elbows and crawled across the floor. Eddie moved quickly and grabbed hold of her foot in an iron cast grip, dragging her back into the hall and stopping abruptly.

Gwen's eyes widened as she saw the knife that she had previously been holding in his other hand. With a struggle, she rolled onto her chest, exposing only her back to him.

"Excellent!" Venom hissed. "Now, finish her!"

Eddie raised the knife high in the air with the intention of bringing it down, but stopped as his eyes caught hers. He could hear Venom filling his head with threats, trying to pull him into the dark, though the knife remained in the air.

"What are you waiting for? I told you to FINISH HER!"

He had to make the choice. In less than a few seconds, Venom would make it for him if he didn't. With a heavy sigh, he broke eye contact, knowing that he wouldn't be able to follow through with what he had to do if he maintained it.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a choice…" He whispered.

In a last attempt to defend herself, Gwen raised her arm and instantly, black tendrils emerged from Eddie's back, gripping her tightly and pinning her hands above her head. With everything in place, Eddie brought the knife down.

"Oh no you don't!"

"Huh?"

As Eddie turned around, a heavy black handbag collided with his face, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his backside. Before he could get back up, a lamp was smashed over his head, temporarily blindsiding him.

"You were too late, we are out of time."

"What do I do?"

"Taking them both would destroy Peter, but the old lady is not my concern. For now, we retreat but we return later. We cannot let that baby be born, Peter must suffer."

"You had better leave or else I will feed you a mouthful of handbag… and you best believe I carry rocks in this thing!"

Weighing up his options, Eddie glanced at his attacker, then scrambled to his feet and scurried out the front door. Despite the pain, Gwen forced herself into a sitting position and laid eyes on her hero.

"M- May?" She questioned in between heaving breaths.

"Nothing like a woman's handbag to be used as a weapon." May quipped, though the smirk on her face was replaced by a frown as she took in the sight before her.

As May moved to offer out her hand, Gwen shook her head and snuck a peek at her foot, now tinted with a mix of red and purple bruising.

"M- my foot, I can't move it." She explained.

"Do you have any ice?"

"Freezer. Bottom drawer."

"Alright. Wait here, and don't try to move." May instructed her.
____________________________________

Peter glanced over to Simon, sat in the passenger seat with a purple box in his lap that contained a fresh chocolate cake, and he smiled as he pulled the truck back into the driveway. They'd managed to get to the store just minutes before closing time and mission; replace the chocolate cake had now been completed.

Looking up, his smile vanished when he saw that the door was wide open. The sensation of pins and needles traveled through his body and that was all he needed to figure that something was wrong. Turning his attention back to Simon, he swallowed.

"Wait here in the truck, don't move until I tell you to, okay?"

"But why?"

"Please, don't ask any questions. Can you do this for me, buddy?"

"I guess so." Simon sighed.

Peter gave him a nod before getting out of the truck. His fingers were grazing his web shooters, ready to use them if needed, as he made his way over to the front porch. Upon entering, he saw no signs of anyone who shouldn't be there and lowered his arms back to his sides. Still, something didn't feel right as he continued into the front room.

"Take it off please, it hurts too much."

"It's going to hurt a lot more without icing it."

May was the first of the two to notice him standing in the doorway, and without a word, she got up from where she was sitting and hurried over, pulling him further into the room. He was about to ask questions, but closed his mouth as he laid eyes on Gwen. He didn't need to ask anymore, he already knew what had happened.

Gwen looked up at him and he felt his heart sink. Dried blood dyed strands of her blonde hair red, accompanying a black bruise on her right cheek. As his eyes scanned the rest of her body, he felt anger burn through him stronger than he'd felt it before. Several cuts and bruises ran down both arms, visible even despite the shading provided by the blanket that was draped over her shoulders. Though the worst injury he saw was her foot. The skin around her ankle was red and beginning to swell underneath a deep purple.

"What… what happened?" He brought himself to ask, though he really didn't need to.

"Eddie paid a visit while you were gone." Gwen informed him, her voice hoarse and dry. "If May didn't show up when she did, I… well, I think you can figure out the rest."

It was only when he felt a sharp stab in both hands that Peter realized he was clenching his fists, feeling the already burning anger increase. Deep down he had known that the last three months were too good to be true, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. Though,  as usual, reality had smacked him in the face. Part of him wanted to leave again, go find Venom and put an end to the fight once and for all. The angry part. It was the rational part that made him hesitate. As much as he wanted to go and fight them, he didn't want to leave again and risk them returning to finish the job.

"This is too far…" Peter began. "He's not getting away with this."

Fear flashed through Gwen's eyes. She recognised his tone, and she didn't like it one bit. It was the tone he used before he acted out of anger and did something that got him hurt.

"Please don't tell me you mean what I think you do…"

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I can't lie to you. I mean that exactly the way you think I do."

"Peter, you can't just go and pick a fight with them, you'll get yourself killed."

"... This shouldn't have happened to you. It's me that they're after…"

"No, please. You're not thinking straight, you can't-"

"And it's me they're gonna get." He finished.
"Please… you don't need to be out there fighting them alone." She pleaded. "I want you to stay here with us."

"I'm sorry, but this has to end."

Peter turned, despite the part of him that wanted to listen to her and headed for the door. Though before he could get out, May moved to block his path, trapping him in the room.

"You don't understand, Aunt May."

"No, Peter. I understand plenty." She corrected him. "But I won't let you walk through this door."

"I have to! He's not gonna stop and this needs to end!"

"Yes it needs to stop, but look at her, Peter."

With his patience wearing thin, Peter folded his arms across his chest and glanced over his shoulder. It was a bad idea, but May was stubborn and wouldn't move. Gwen lifted her head, but quickly averted her eyes elsewhere, making it clear how she felt.

"That Eddie may need to be stopped, but you are needed right here even more." May added. "Think about that before you go off and act out of anger."

"I can't stay-"

"But you can't go… She needs you here, not out there where she doesn't know if you're safe or not."

"May, please-"

"The choice is yours of course… All I'm saying is that revenge will not lead you down a good path." She said, removing herself from the doorway. "And remember; with great power, comes great responsibility."

Peter drew in a breath upon hearing those words again. The same words that had guided him once before. As it sank in, his expression softened and he unfolded his arms. Anger continued to grip him, but it was of no use to him if he was stuck in the house, and having lost the battle, he forced himself to turn around and sat down on the couch.

"She's right…" He began.

"You're staying?" Gwen questioned.

"Yes. I'm staying."

With that, Gwen managed a smile and reached for his hand, feeling relieved about his decision.

"For now." He added, locking his eyes on her.

"Peter, don't talk like that. It scares me."

"Don't worry about it, you've been through enough already for tonight."

But she did. She knew better than to believe that he would let it go. It had been a while since he'd been this angry about something. Though she made no further comment, knowing that, in a way, he was right. It did have to end. No longer having the energy to continue to stress over it, Gwen remained quiet, watching as he eyed the ice on the coffee table then closing her eyes as he picked it up.

"You need to keep this pressed to your foot." He stated. "It'll hurt worse if you don't."

"I know."

"Tell me honestly, is it all as bad as it looks?"

"Yes and no." She answered. "I can barely feel any of it, but my foot does hurt pretty badly."

"Hmm…" He hummed. "I would feel better if you got checked over… who knows what kind of injuries there could be that we can't see."

"I don't know…"

"I'm with Peter on this one." May cut in. "After all, it's not just yourself that was in danger tonight."

Gwen closed her eyes, too worn out to think straight, and glided her hand over the bump that had grown over the past few months. As stubborn as she was, this time they were right.

"Alright." She agreed. "But what about Simon?"

"I'll take him for tonight or however long is needed." May offered.

"You don't have to do that, we can figure-"

"Oh, nonsense!" She interrupted before Peter could finish the sentence. "You both need time, and it'll be best for her if she's not having to worry about anything other than taking care of herself."

"You make a good point, but are you sure?"

"Positive." May confirmed.

"He's out in the truck right now, I think it's best that he doesn't see the state of the house or anything right now, I don't want to frighten him."

"I'll go and talk to him, then we shall bus back to mine for the night."

"Thanks, Aunt May." Peter smiled weakly. "No clue what I did to deserve you, but I'm glad we have you."

"Hush now, before you make an old woman blush." She chuckled and then turned and trailed out into the hall.

Peter turned his attention back to Gwen and his smile faded as she struggled to balance without putting pressure on her foot. Without hesitation, he got up and without bothering to ask, he lifted her arm around his shoulders, taking the weight off of her.

"I can handle it, Peter." She stated stubbornly.

"And risk making it worse? I don't think so." He responded. "I've got you… I've always got you."