Loading the empty plates, glasses and cutlery into the dishwasher after having just seen May out, Gwen paused for a moment as she saw the bloodied empty packaging that used to contain the beef joint, and swallowed hard to keep herself from getting sick. Noticing her pause, Peter jumped up from the table and took the packaging away, binning it.

"Hey, what is it?" He asked worriedly.

"Just the- The sight of the blood on the packaging, it uh... Doesn't make me feel great." She admitted.

"Well, in that case, why don't you let me do the cleaning up?" He questioned.

"Oh, are you sure?" She asked, feeling guilty for slacking.

"Absolutely. Go on... And while I do this, why don't you go and get ready for our little evening out." He insisted.

"Okay... Thanks." She said, trailing out of the kitchen.

Heading up the stairs into their bedroom, Gwen walked over to the closet and glanced at all the clothes that were hung up on her side and then down at a small box on the floor below. Pondering it for a brief second, she picked the box up and placed it on the bed, tracing her fingers along the lid. Losing the will to resist opening it, she carefully lifted the top and reached in to pull out its contents. As she felt the smooth, silky material between her fingers she sat down besides the now empty box and stared at her suit. She stood up suddenly and headed over to the doorway, listening out to see if Peter was still busy in the kitchen, knowing that he would not be happy if he caught her bringing out the old spider-suit, and once she was certain that he was still busy, she closed the door up and began to undress herself. Picking her suit back up, she slipped into it with little effort and glanced at the mirror, almost having forgotten how it had felt to wear the suit before.

It had been a long time since their super alter-egos had seen the light of day and even their suits had been stored away at Peter's request to focus more on living their lives together than running around trying to fix everything that was wrong with the world. Though despite its time stored away in a box, it still fit her well with the exception of being slightly tighter around the stomach. Gwen smiled at the thought of how, in just a few short months, it wouldn't fit her at all, and silently laughed at how ridiculous she would look in it with a bulging baby bump being made super obvious by its tight fit design.

Wrapped up in thoughts of the near future and how different their lives would be in the near future, she didn't hear Peter enter the room, or turn to see the surprise look on his face until he cleared his throat. Her jaw dropped as she turned around and saw the serious look on his face.

"Peter!" She gasped.

"Take it off!" He demanded.

"Wait, it's not what you think." She told him.

"Take it off." He repeated.

"I... Don't be mad, I wasn't thinking about doing anything crazy, I was just... Remembering how it looked and felt to wear it." She explained quickly.

"I'm not mad." He said with a chuckle. "Just don't make a habit out of wearing it." He added.

"Like I could." She replied. "Even if I wanted to, in a few months it wouldn't even fit and would look mighty ridiculous if it did." She laughed.

"Oh, Gwen... What on earth am I going to do with you?" He asked jokingly. "And God knows what you'll be up to when your little mini-me arrives." He added, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Ah, now that's a little unfair. It might not even be a girl." She protested humorously. "For all we know it could be a mini-Peter running around causing chaos." She joked.

"Touché." He raised an eyebrow. "Now, come on you goofball, get ready. We've got a lot to be happy about." He prompted.

"I'm on it." She said as he left the room to give her some privacy.

Moments later, Gwen emerged from the bedroom a baby blue, knee length dress that clung onto her arms as the straps hung loose off the shoulders. Peter smiled and took her hand, leading her out to the truck. Their destination was only a few blocks away and it didn't take them long to get there. Peter pulled the truck up into one of the empty parking spaces in the parking lot of the local Starbucks, and switched off the engine before they headed inside together. It was in their luck that the place was pretty empty, with only a few of the regulars scattered around the seating areas, which meant that they were able to order and take a seat without a long wait. Once they were settled at a table, Peter raised his drink and smiled.

"To us." He said.

"Us?" She questioned.

"Yes. To you and me, and to the little he or she that will turn the family of two to a family of three." He expanded, raising a toast.

"Oh... Yeah, in that case... To us." She repeated clicking her own plastic cup against his.

Smiling at one another, they both took a big sip of their drinks to complete the toast. Placing her cup down on the round wooden table, Gwen leaned in close to Peter and pressed her lips against his in a smooth kiss, licking her lips as she pulled away with the taste of cherry in her mouth that had lingered on his lips from drinking. She let her forehead rest against his for a moment, before a familiar feeling came over her and she stood up quickly.

"Where are you going?" He questioned.

"Excuse me for a second, I'm really sorry but I have to use the bathroom." She informed him, and walked towards the door with the word GIRLS labeled above it after receiving a nod from him.

After finishing up, Gwen walked over to the sink and washed her hands, as well as her face, before pushing open the door. With her eyes downcast at her feet, she didn't notice a man heading towards the door with the word BOYS labeled above it and collided with him. Shaking her head, feeling startled by the incident, she mentally kicked herself and forced herself to look up at the victim of her clumsiness.

"Oh God, I am so sorry. I should have been looking where I was going." She apologized.

"Meh, tell you what... Let me get you a drink and take you back to my apartment and we'll call it even." He offered.

"Uhh... I'm actually here with someone and I'm also married so it's not gonna happen." She told him.

"Come on... I'll make sure your man never notices you're gone." He insisted.

"Gross!" She muttered under her breath. "Look, I've tried saying this the nice way but since you're not taking the hint I'm going to be extremely blunt with you. I said no. I am happy with my partner and I'd be a damn fool to ever betray him like that. Goodbye." She stated, stepping aside to walk past him. "Jerk." She sighed.

As soon as she was right beside him, the man took the opportunity to grab her by the arm and forcefully shoved her against the wall. He leaned in close, waving his finger in her face; the smell of cigars on his breath making her want to throw up.

"I wouldn't have done that, bitch!" He snapped.

Hearing the commotion, Peter's head snapped up and his eyes immediately fell on Gwen, trapped against the wall by a man he did not recognise. Slamming his hand down on the table, he stood up and rushed over to them and yanked the guy back by his jacket without hesitating.

"Jesus Christ! Gwen, are you okay?" He asked, beyond worried.

Still catching her breath, Gwen nodded as she made eye contact with Peter. Tearing his eyes away from hers, he turned to the stranger and all traces of friendliness disappeared from his face only to be replaced by stone coldness.

"Listen up, and listen good, if you ever touch her again, you're dead." He threatened.

"Ah, so I guess you're the husband... Ha, what's a scrawny thing like you going to do to a man like me? Cry at me to death?" The man mocked.

"Don't test me, asshole!" Peter warned.

The man stopped for a moment, causing Peter to relax, then smirked as he swung his hand unexpectedly hitting Gwen in the face. Clenching his fists until his knuckles were white, Peter let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, then swung his fist, causing it to collide with the man's nose. Wincing at the stinging sensation in her cheek as she cradled her face, Gwen's eyes widened as she saw the punch.

"Peter..." She called his name.

He glanced at her briefly for a moment before the man's foot flew into his face, sending him flying to the floor. Without reacting to the hit, Peter jumped back to his feet and charged at the man, catching the attention of innocent bystanders. The man gripped Peter around the waist and flipped him over his shoulder.

"Peter!" She cried frantically as the vibration of his body hitting the floor brought her back to reality. She moved forward, but ducked backwards again to avoid being hit by the man's flying fist. Allowing Peter to get back on his feet, she took the chance to jump in between the two of them and used her hand to shove the man back before turning to Peter.

"Move, Gwen. I don't want you getting hurt again." Peter warned her.

"No, absolutely not! Come on, he's not worth it. Let's go!" She pleaded.

"Move out of the way, Gwen!" He warned her.

"Stop it!... Look, he's already down so let's go!" She pleaded again.

"No, I have to finish him." He protested.

"Peter, please!..." She begged, this time making eye contact with him. "Don't stoop to his level... I love you, and we're starting to attract attention... I just wanna go home." She pleaded.

He stood for a moment, looking over her shoulder at the man, who seemed to have given up on fighting after Gwen's intervention, then he looked her in the eyes. After a few seconds, he relaxed his shoulders and opened his arms to her. She fell in instantly and he felt her relax too, much to his relief. He thought about apologizing to her, but decided against it because of all the eyes on them in the cafe.

"Yeah, come on... Let's get out of here." He decided, noticing the cafe workers beginning to swarm the man.

Slinging his arm around her shoulders he walked with her out to the truck that was still located over the other side of the parking lot. It was getting late by the time they got back home and they both had decided to call it a night. Laying down in bed in the dark; Peter on his back and Gwen on her side with her back to him, he was surprised when near silent whimpers filled the silence of the room.

"Gwen?" He questioned, rolling onto his side and reaching out to her, placing his hand on the curve between her hip and chest. "What's wrong?" He added.

With a sigh, she turned around so that they were face to face, and despite the dark she could just about make out the shape of his head in the dark. She drew in a breath before she spoke.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit upset about what happened tonight." She admitted.

"The fight?" He questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah... Peter, I don't want you getting into fights when we're out and about. It was hard enough when you were Spider-man, but getting into them without your alter-ego disguise? I'm worried that it's going to draw attention to you. I'm scared for you..." She admitted.

"You don't have to be scared, Gwen. I can easily walk away from a fight." He assured her.

"Then why didn't you walk away tonight?" She asked.

"The guy had it coming..." Peter answered.

"Stop it, I'm serious!" She huffed.

"I am serious, Gwen. What do you expect? For me to be the guy who lets it happen? Because we both know that isn't me. I mean, I'll never be the guy who just stands back and watches while the world hurts you... That will never be me." He declared.

"Just... Please be careful." She pleaded.

"I'll be fine." He assured her.

"I mean it, Peter." She insisted. "I can't stand the thought of something happening to you. That would break me." She added. "And with all the changes that are about to happen, I need you. I need you now more than ever." She finished.

"It's okay, Gwen. I don't ever want you to stop needing me, and I promise that I'll always be careful from now on. I don't want to let you down either."

_ _ _ _

Eddie stormed down the street. It was past midnight but he didn't care. All he could see was red. The rage he felt was stronger than he'd felt anything in a long time. There was only one place he could go without feeling judged for it. The only place he'd ever found any shred of peace; the church.

He couldn't shake off the events that had taken place with the pretty blonde and the guy that had fought him over her. Just the thought of them caused heat to rise to his cheeks. More than anything, he was angry with them; at the girl for her snobby rejection, and at the guy for his interruption. He was also angry with himself though. It was no secret that he was a man with many demons, but he hadn't a clue what had compelled him to behave so disgustingly towards a woman. That was probably the main reason why the event had ignited a hatred for that guy; he'd been the villain of their evening, and had watched as the hero won. He wished nothing more than to have a moment where he could be the hero in someone else's story. But he knew better than to dream of such a thing. For a guy like him, redemption did not exist. He could pray all he wanted, but in the end he was still hell bound.

The church appeared to be empty, with no one around and so Eddie slipped into the pew at the front silently, closing his eyes and beginning a prayer. No images filles his mind, only darkness. A darkness that had been consuming him for many years. He knew that it was only a matter of time before it won completely. He wasn't strong enough to fight through it.

"Eddie..."

His eyes flew open and darted around the room frantically as the echo of the rough, gravelly voice that had called his name reached his ears.

"Who- Who's there?" He asked, his voice trembling from the deep emotions he'd been drowning in only seconds ago.

"Eddie Brock... A complete waste of a man... Nothing but a broken shell of the person he dreamed of being as a young boy..."

The taunting of whoever was with him inside the church had caused his eyes to gloss over, but he refused to give the person the satisfaction of watching him break. Instead he stood up from the pew and walked out into the middle aisle. Saying a silent prayer and making a cross over his heart for forgiveness, he let out a heavy breath.

"Listen up, you sick freak! I don't know how you know my name, but you don't know me!" He yelled. "On top of that, you're hiding somewhere in this building because you're scared to come and say these things to my face. You're weak! Nothing but a coward!" He roared.

"Ha! You're even more pathetic than the last one... You know, you won't be saying that when you find out about the gift I am going to offer you."

Eddie froze. Gift? What on earth did they mean by gift? It sounded shady. He knew that coming from a stranger who was too afraid to show their face that it was shady. But he found himself curious all the same. He was already destined for Hell, so the outcome didn't scare him. If this was what killed him, then it would at least shorten his miserable experience.

"Gift?... What exactly is this gift that you speak of?" He questioned aloud, hoping that there was no one around to hear him.

"Make your way to the bell tower, Eddie. It is there that you shall find out."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Eddie's curiosity got the better of him and without being completely in control of his movements, he found himself walking towards the church altar then making a right turn before continuing through a small door and up a winding set of concrete stairs. The cold night air hit him when he first stepped foot on the ground of the bell tower, but he sucked it up as he waited expectantly for whoever had called him.

"Alright. I'm here... Now, show yourself!" Eddie demanded.

He listened out carefully, but could hear nothing but the howling wind of winter. On top of that, there was no one else up there with him, causing him to begin to believe that he'd imagined the whole thing and had climbed the staircase completely unaware. He sighed in defeat and turned back towards the stairs, but stopped abruptly as a mass of sticky black substance blocked the way, barging through the entrance. Eddie's eyes went wide and he backed away as the black mass took the shape of an oversized beast and began moving towards him.

"What?" He gasped, swallowing his fear.

"Join forces with me, Eddie... Together we can be stronger than ever. Stronger than those you have come to hate."

"I'm not following..." Eddie stated confused.

"Tonight you had a run in with Peter Parker and that little bird of his... And now I can sense that you have a hatred for him. I can help you, Eddie..."

"How? Wh- What do you mean, help me? No one can help me." He stammered confused.

"Wrong again. I can help you. See, I also have an axe to grind with Peter and if you allow me to make you my host, I can grant you extreme power. Strength. The greatness needed to be the man that you really want to be."

"Host?... Come on, this is some sort of joke. It has to be." He said skeptically.

"No lies. No jokes. This is real, Eddie. I am real. Grant me access to your body and I will make sure that Peter Parker regrets the day he crossed you."

"While the idea of getting revenge on that prick sounds very appealing, I'm gonna have to give this a hard pass." He declined.

"Oh, that's a total shame... Of course, with Peter being Spider-man he could end you in a heartbeat. That is... Unless you change your mind."

"NO!" Eddie exclaimed, this time more confidently. "I had a fight with a stranger in a bar. I don't want to ruin his life though. It's not worth it." He added.

"Even if he should ruin yours?"

"... My life is already ruined. He can't possibly make it any worse." He resisted.

"Oh, but he could... In more ways than one."

Eddie pondered the thought for a moment. One particular question nagging away in his mind. "Just out of curiosity, what exactly is it that you could do to the guy if I were to grant you access to my body?" He finally asked.

"I could eliminate him, and anyone else who stands in your way of greatness. For I know all of his strengths, and his weaknesses"

"Right..." Eddie thought aloud, his mind racing with endless thoughts.

"Why do you ask?... Changed your mind, have you?"

"No." He said firmly.

"That's too bad." The strange being said. "Because I'm going to take you anyway..." It sneered.

Before Eddie could move, the black mass had surrounded him, seemingly dissolving to a puddle but then creeping up his leg until his entire body was encased inside it. Slowly it slithered down his throat until it had disappeared entirely. For a second, Eddie remained paralysed as he gasped for air. Suddenly, he was able to move again, and found himself almost flying down the staircase of the bell tower, with thousands of images racing through his mind.

"Don't shut it out, Eddie. Let it in... You need to see what I am trying to show you."

"Wh- Who are you?" He stammered.

"I... I am Venom."