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"DID YOU HEAR ABOUT CAPTAIN AMERICA?"

Alissa shifted in her seat, glancing across the table at Xavier who looked as if someone told him Stranger Things had been cancelled. Brian was sitting next to him, rolling his eyes. On the other side of Brian was Nate, smiling down at his plate of Chinese food. Scott and Kelli were on opposite ends with Liz and Carter sitting in the remaining seats. Sensing a rift in their daughters life, they decided to take the family and anyone they wanted to invite out to dinner. It was nice and rather sweet, but Alissa couldn't bring herself to invite anyone. Conversations of Peter would've popped up the entire time, and she didn't want that.

"What about Captain America?" Scott wondered, forking over some rice to get to his orange chicken. Alissa placed her elbow on the table, sipping on her watered down soda, eyeing her own orange chicken.

"Him and some of the other Avengers destroyed an airport and were arrested for it and put in some prison, I think. But a few days ago, they all broke out and are on the run as war criminals," Liz answered, sounding a bit unsure.

"Really? How do you know?" Xavier asked, receiving a distasteful look from Liz as some food fell from the boy's mouth as he spoke. Brian grimaced, rolling his eyes at the boy he called his best friend. Nate just snickered under his breath, contently eating his food, his hand holding Brian's under the table.

"It's all over the news," Brian said, having been the one to bring the topic up. "Tony Stark isn't saying anything about it. It's really weird."

"Why would he? His best friends are war criminals and people are gonna make accusations. He probably doesn't want to be in the crossfire of it all," Carter said, wiping the corners of his mouth, blushing as Liz lifted her finger and gingerly wiped away some sauce. The girl giggled, eyes flicking back down to her plate when she resumed eating her food.

"What about, uh, Spider-Man?" Suddenly Alissa didn't feel so hungry after Nate spoke. "Do you think he's a war criminal, too?"

"What?" Brian basically squawked, gaping at his boyfriend who looked like a deer in the headlights. "Are you—No, no way."

"Dude, Spider-Man's amazing. He can do no wrong."

Alissa pushed her plate away, clearing her throat. A heavy weight weighed down on her chest just thinking about Spider-Man. Just the mention of him had her mind spinning and pictures of Peter popping into her mind and it made her heart ache. She didn't want to feel her heart flutter for him. She didn't want to see his smile that she missed. She didn't want to see or think about him.

"May I be excused?" Alissa asked, facing her parents. All eyes were on her, but she ignored it, needing to go to the bathroom and clear her head.

"Is everything okay?" Scott questioned, resting his hands on the table. A worry line was etched into his forehead, Kelli's eyes turned down and lips jutted out.

Alissa nodded, standing up even though neither parent straightly answered her. "Yeah, I just gotta use the restroom," Alissa dismissively answer. Scott and Kelli shared a look of worry, but didn't say anything else. Alissa let out a sigh and walked around the table, smiling at some other students from school that were sitting at a table off to the side when they smiled at her.

Alissa walked down the hall, quietly entering the bathroom. Luckily, no one was in there, making it easy for Alissa to stand in front of the sink and sigh as much as she felt necessary. Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror, almost taunting her with the blank expression on her face.

Her hands were wrapped around the white sink, the water running and playfully swirling around the sink. A sigh surpassed her lips, gaze drooping down. Boy did she miss Peter. Only a few days had past since she last spoke to him and every day she contemplated texting him just to ask how he was doing. Her friends didn't even mention him, Gwen not once uttering a single thing about him as they sat through a run through of the musical, the first show being three days away. It did make Alissa happy to see that they weren't begging or prying for reasons why she wasn't talking to Peter, but in an odd way, she kind of missed it. But she didn't want think about it.

School was finally out of session for a couple of weeks with Christmas approaching faster. A few more presents were placed under the tree, Christmas spirit running high in the Caverly home. Alissa made sure not to let her and Peter's tension get in the way, making time to build a gingerbread house with her brothers and their friends, making it a celebration for all of them passing the first semester.

Alissa was beyond happy to know she had passed all of her classes with B's or better. Carter nearly failed history, but he scraped by just enough (thanks to Liz) and that was perfectly okay with their parents. Brian had passed as well, and he even won the winning goal of the second to last hockey game of the season. There was only one left on December 23rd, and Scott and Kelli promised to attend, and so did Alissa's friends.

Alissa let out a heavy breath and scooped her arms under the water and splashed it on her face, letting out a little gasp at how cold it was. She straightened her back, reaching to the side and yanked some paper towels free, wiping at her hands and face with her eyes closed.

The door squeaked opened, her eyes snapping to the side to see Liz. The girl offered her a faint smile, her red sweater matching the tint on her lips. Alissa took a step back, tossing the towels into the trash beside the door before facing Liz.

"I'm not gonna pry, and I'm not gonna ask how you are," Liz said, earning a thankful smile from Alissa. "I already know somethings going on, and you're upset, but it's none of my business."

"Thank you, Liz," Alissa weakly said, inter locking her fingers together. "I know everyone's worried, and I guess, they have a right to be when I won't tell them why."

Liz shifted, leaning her back against the tiled wall. Alissa moved too, making sure she wasn't standing in front of the door incase anyone came in. "I don't blame you," she told Alissa. "I don't like talking about boy troubles, either."

Alissa couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "How'd you know?"

Liz laughed as well, tilting her head with a small grin. "It's not that hard to tell when you can hardly look at Peter or even talk about him," she stated. Alissa snorted out a laugh, twisting her lips. "But, I will say, he looked a little lost without you by his side."

Alissa shrugged. "Yeah, I'm a little lost without him too."

Liz nodded, folding her arms over chest. The door opened, one of the employees offering the girl's a timid smile before she entered a stall. Liz turned, heading for the door with Alissa behind her. They made it into the hall, just about to make it to the dining area before Liz stole a glance behind her. "Word of advice, though—don't let him be lost for too long. I know boys do stupid things and make us mad, but, it's hard to stay angry, especially when they're only doing it to protect us."

Alissa titled her head, her question reaching Liz's mind before she even had to speak it. Liz snickered. "Peter's bad at lying, but don't hold it against him. He's crazy about you, ya know. He lied because he doesn't want you to get hurt hurt, and if that isn't love, then I don't know what is."

With that, Liz headed left, leaving Alissa standing in the hallway with her words echoing in her mind. "If that isn't love, then I don't know what is."

° ° °

"Alissa, oh my, hello dear! Come in, come in."

Alissa softly smiled, thanking Aunt May as she entered the apartment, the warmth enveloping her as she tugged off her coat. A sweet smell of cookies lingered in the air, a fresh batch of only slightly burnt peanut butter cookies resting on the dining table. Some of Peters school stuff was still carelessly placed around the living room, making May sigh. "I've asked him five times to clean up, but he's too busy in his room," May said.

"If it makes you feel any better, my house looks like a tornado came through, and then came back again," she offered, resulting in a laugh.

"Is it bad if I say that makes me feel a tad better?" May murmured, making an unsure face.

Alissa lightly chuckled. "Not at all," she said, making May smile. A comfortable silence rested over their heads, enjoying the others presence for a few seconds.

"I was just on my way to get Thai for Peter and I. I kind of burnt the meatloaf again, so I made cookies to try and help the smell, and I have to go pick up our order," May explained, grabbing her own coat and sliding it up her arms. "I could get you something—"

"Oh no, it's okay, I already ate," Alissa kindly denied. She glanced to the hall, nudging her head towards Peters room. "Um, is Peter home? I kind of need to talk to him."

May grinned, nodding, "Yes. Will you tell him I've left to get the food? He seemed pretty busy when I checked on him earlier."

Alissa sweetly smiled. "Of course."

May grinned, patting Alissa's cheek. "I'm glad he has you in his life. He's been so lost since. . ." May let out a shaky breath, not quite ready of her late husband, but she was getting there. She cleared her throat, plastering a smile on her lips. "You really make him happy. It's good to see him smiling again."

Alissa bit her lip, the heat rising to her cheeks. "Well, he makes me happy, too."

May grinned in awe, opening the door. "Help yourself to some cookies, dear."

Alissa nodded. "I will, thank you, May."

With that, May left, leaving Alissa alone in the living room. The girl decided against taking off her shoes, not knowing how long she would be staying. She wasn't exactly sure why she showed up, but, there was no going back now. She bared the snow to get to Peter after her conversation with Liz, and she wasn't about to leave now. She was brave once, and she could be brave again.

With a heavy shaky breath, Alissa folded her coat in her arms and headed down the hall, trying to be quiet so the floorboards didn't creak beneath her feet. She could hear music softly playing under the crack, an unknown smile creeping up when she heard the familiar sound of Time to Pretend coming from his radio.

She stood in front of the door, softly knocking.

"Not now, May," Peter dismissively responded, sounding a little different. Alissa frowned.

"Actually, it's me," she said. The music continued and Peter didn't respond. She knocked again. "Pete?"

"I'll be out in a few minutes, May," Peter said, confusion coming to Alissa. The girl rolled her eyes and opened the door. To her surprise, Peter wasn't in his room like May was led to believe. Instead, a small audio player sat on the corner of his desk. With her eyes locked on the player, she suspiciously knocked again. "No thanks!" Peter's voice said from the player.

Alissa scoffed and shook her head.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, closing the door behind her. She headed over to the player, turning it off. She set her coat on his desk chair, peering around the bedroom.

Everything looked the same since the last time she was in there. The only difference was that there was trash strewn about his room, and something poking out of the bottom of his closet. Alissa headed over, pushing opened the doors only to see his old Spider-Man suit laying there. Biting her lip, she picked it up, a small smile coming to her lips. She'd seen newer clips of Spider-Man since the whole ordeal with Captain America, seeing that the teenage hero had a new and improved suit.

But she'd also heard that he'd taken on a blue skinned villain only days after their fight in her kitchen. Frowning, Alissa turned around, noticing his TV was on but the sound was turned down. That's when her eyes landed on the news, a broadcast of Spider-Man fighting the blue man that the city had named Electro. Her eyes widened and she frantically headed over, moving his desk chair and rolling it in front of the TV, turning up the volume.

"—2 injured so far, and it appears that today is just not Spider-Man's day in his second battle with Electro." The footage turned to the side, showing Spider-Man attempting to web up the shocking villain, but failing as the webs begin to fry and snap. Alissa gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Absentmindedly, she was tightly clutching the suit as if she was holding Peter's hand, protecting him from any harm. She wasn't sure how long ago the fight had been, but she knew it was recent or else she would of heard about it from Brian or the girls by now.

"Looks bad, doesn't it?"

Alissa screamed, pushing that chair back, her body snapping to the side to face the window where the voice came. "What the hell?!"

There, in Peter's window, stood the notable Spider-Man. Her mouth clamped shut, eyes still enlarged. Peter nervously laughed, climbing inside and closing the window. Alissa didn't move. She only stared at him. Peter removed the mask, concern clouding his eyes.

"You're—You're really him," Alissa whispered. She already knew Peter was Spider-Man, but seeing him in the suit made it so much more real, and terrifying. He could have been shocked to death. Peter breathed out a laugh, wincing as he moved around the chair, going to sit on the edge of his bed. Alissa blinked, shaking her head, running her hands over the fabric of his old suit that looked like a onesie compared to his new suit. "I mean, I already knew you were him. Now—"

"Now it's real," Peter finished for her. Alissa peaked up at him through her hair, the corners of her lips tugging upwards.

Peter clasped his hands together only to hiss and pull them apart quickly.

Alissa frowned, glancing to his hands. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, going to sit beside him. She rested the old suit on his bedside table, staring at his face.

He shook his head, trying to brush his pain off. "I-I'm fine," he grumbled, not able to meet her gaze. Alissa gave him a look. "I am! I—hey! Ow!" Peter cried as Alissa grabbed hold of his wrists, noticing the gadgets on his wrists were singed. "Be careful with me. I'm in a watt of pain."

Alissa raised a brow, a laugh rising in the back of her throat. "Did you seriously just make an electric joke?"

Peter shrugged, trying to hide his smile. "Isn't it. . . shocking?"

Alissa rolled her eyes and sighed, letting go of his arm, attempting to keep herself from laughing. Peter faced her again, glancing to the gadgets that were easily fried and would need to be replaced. He slowly breathed out and lifted his hand, unclasping them, relieved when they were finally off of him.

His eyes flicked up, notching how Alissa's brows were furrowed and a worry line was creeping into her forehead. "Hey, don't worry about me," Peter tried to assure the girl, "I'm fine, Alissa."

Alissa sighed. Her eyes briefly looked to his lips before they went back to his eyes. Sincerity swam around in his eyes, his lips almost unsure of which direction to point in. "You could've told me," she said. "You're one of my best friends."

"I know, and that's why I couldn't tell you. I wanted to, I promise, I did, but I couldn't," he said, Alissa only rolling her eyes. "It would put you in danger. If people were to find out my identity, then they'd find my weakness and—!"

Alissa's head moved back towards him, waiting for him to finish, but his mouth clamped shut, his legs moving so he was standing by his closet. His cheeks tinted pink, clearly flustered by the smirk that was on Alissa's lips. "Your weakness?" Alissa stood, daring to take a step closer. All of her anger over the lies and excuses he fed to her and their friends seemed to extinguish entirely, being replaced with love and admiration for that boy who still owned her heart. She would never forget how he'd lied to her, but he did it to protect her.

"He lied because he doesn't want you to get hurt hurt, and if that isn't love, then I don't know what is."

Alissa stepped closer, feeling braver. Peter gulped, unsure of what her motives were. "What's your weakness?"

Peter shifted, staying in the same spot while Alissa moved closer, finally standing in front of him, her smirk clear and making his heart and mind simply go crazy. He didn't let his nerves get the best of him, hiding them by standing taller, a smile adorning his lips, Alissa's growing wide. "Uh, it's not a what," Peter softly said. "It's a who."

Alissa nodded, biting her lip as her hands reached out, taking Peter's in her own. Peter took a step closer, Alissa doing the same. Their eyes locked, matching smiles and making their cheeks flame up and hearts almost skip a beat. "Oh, who?"

Peters eyes shifting to her lips and back to her eyes. "You," he truthfully confessed. Alissa nearly wanted to squeal in excitement, her breath catching in her throat.

"You. You're my weakness, Alissa."

Alissa giggled, running her thumb over Peter's suit clad hand. He let go, his hand gingerly touching her chin to make her look up at him. "And that's why this"—he motioned to themselves—"can't happen. You could get hurt, and I have to protect the one that I can't live without—"

"But that's not just for you to decide," Alissa firmly stated, stepping closer and placing her own hand over Peter's. He sighed. "It's my decision, too, Pete. I can't change who I want to be with, and neither can you."

"But you could get hurt," Peter tried again, Alissa shaking her head.

"I don't care," Alissa replied. "You're the one that I want, Peter. I don't care if you're Spider-Man because underneath that, you're still the same boy I fell in love back in preschool."

Peter let out a breathy laugh. "Preschool?"

Alissa playfully rolled her eyes and let go Peter's hand. "Oh, shut up," she said.

She attempted to turn away, but Peter's hand clasped around her waist and spun her back around to face. This time, they were closer, chests touching and breaths fanning their faces. Alissa bit her lip, carefully wrapping her arms around Peter's shoulders.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Peter asked, gently touching his hands to her waist with a nervous look on his face. "Spider-Man and all?"

Alissa nodded, eyes locking on his wet lips. "Yes, Spider-Man, and all."

Peter couldn't hold back a grin. "Me too," he said. Alissa beamed, yanking him in and happily kissing his lips. He snagged his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to her. Alissa smiled into the kiss, eyes closed and body tingling all over.

Finally she could call Peter Parker hers.

° ° °

It's hard making a chapter sad and gloomy when all of the songs that play are happy ones, and as a result, here's this!

FREAKING FINALLY MY BABIES ARE TOGETHER. THE SHIP HAS SAILED.

And since was never really established, what should their ship name be?
Pelissa? Pali? Aliter? I seriously suck at coming up with ship names, so, if you have a better one, please feel free to comment it below.

Anyways, a lot happened here! I know Liz doesn't know Peter's Spider-Man, but I thought she could in this!

And hey, the villain was finally mentioned! Electro! I know some people didn't like him in the Amazing Spider-Man film, but he's gonna be bit different than that since this isn't based off of the movie! He was mentioned in another chapter if you didn't catch it when Alissa bumped into him and he was wearing a hood!

Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter because I did! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!