The baseball bat clattered against the porch, rolling to a stop at Aunt May's slippered foot. Her eyes widened, darting between the two Peters — one older, worn, and tired, the other impossibly young, no more than eighteen and glowing with quiet determination. For a moment, the porch light flickered, as if the universe itself couldn't decide if what she was seeing was real.
Peter B. shifted awkwardly, raising a hand.
"Uh… hey, May. You're... uh... you're looking great. Still got the swing, huh?"
Aunt May's lip trembled. "Peter."
Peter B.'s throat closed. He wanted to hug her, to fall into the comfort he had lost in his own world, but before he could move, May's gaze slid to the other Peter. The younger one.
"You're Peters from another dimensions." She whispered, fragile but sharp.
Peter inclined his head respectfully. " Yes, Aunt May and we're here to make sure your Peter didn't die for nothing."
The silence pressed in like stone. Then May drew in a steadying breath and stepped aside.
"Then come inside. All of you."
The Shed
May slid a key into the shed lock. With a flash of white light, the door slid ooen. Light spilled out, revealing not gardening tools, but steel walls and glowing panels. The shed wasn't a shed at all.
With a hum, the floor dropped like an elevator, carrying them down. The chamber below bloomed into view. Rows of suits gleaming in glass cases, vehicles sleeping like dragons in shadow, blueprints and prototypes scattered like the fingerprints of genius.
Peter B.'s jaw dropped. "Oh… my… god."
Miles stepped forward, wide-eyed. "This is crazy. It's like… a superhero museum. But alive."
Peter B. whispered in awe, "This… this is a Spider-cave."
Gwendolyn leaned against a desk, smirking. "So, When are you gonna build one of these, hmm?"
Peter opened his mouth to deflect but she didn't wait. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
The room went silent.
Peter blinked, then kissed her back. Simple. Certain.
Miles nearly fell over.
Peter B. pointed between them, sputtering. "Wait, wait, wait—you two are a thing? Like—actual power couple thing."
Gwendolyn just grinned. "Told you. My super nerd."
Miles muttered under his breath. "Man, why did that sound so cool?"
Gwen's Silence
Gwen had gone still. Her face unreadable, but inside, her chest cracked wide open. Watching them laugh, kiss, share that unspoken bond—it was a knife twisting deeper.
Her Peter. The one she buried. The one she couldn't save.
Her fists clenched. Her throat burned. She turned and slipped out of the shed before anyone noticed.
Outside, the night was cold. She pressed her head against the shed and whispered, "Peter…" Her voice broke. "Why do I have to keep seeing you everywhere… but never have you back."
A soft whirr answered.
"You're wrong. Peter will live as long as you carry him in your heart." Gwendolyn said gently.
Gwen looked up to see her counterpart step out. Her eyes were soft with knowing.
"What do you mean?" Gwen rasped.
Gwendolyn stepped closer. "You're not the only one who lost him. In my world… Peter died. Or maybe… he lived too much. He was reborn in my current universe through the cycle of reincarnation just like all souls are. Sixteen years in obscurity, but when he remembered, he came back with spite and stubbornness. You heard it once from Peter but I'll repeat it again. He wrestled the Lizard barehanded. Took on Vulture with nothing but his fists. Saved my dad when no one else could. He shouldn't have made it this far but he did. Because he refuse to quit."
Her voice cracked but carried fire. "He's not just some tech guy. Not just a hero in red and blue. He's the kid who looks at impossible and says: 'Watch me.' "
Gwen's breath hitched. Tears spilled, raw and unstoppable. "And he loves you."
Gwendolyn nodded, steady and kind. "And he would have loved you too. In every universe, Gwen… Peter Parker always finds you Spider-Woman or not. And you always find him."
That broke her. Shoulders trembling, Gwen pressed her mask to her chest as grief finally flooded out. Gwendolyn wrapped her arms around her, holding her as if she were hugging herself from another life.
The Plan
When they returned, the air was heavier, sharper.
"Listen," Peter said, his tone steeled. "If we can't shut the collider down… then we blow it up. Kill Kingpin and Doc Ock if we have to"
Miles flinched. "That sounds… a little extreme."
Peter's eyes hardened. "Kingpin's plan is to bring back Richard and Vanessa. If he succeeds, it'll spark a new Big Bang due to the merger of seven universes, one strong enough to destabilize the entire Web of Life and Destiny in extension the multiverse. Portals will tear open everywhere across the spiderverse. Planets, people, whole cities ripped from their homes. If we stop it, the damage is manageable, little tears that will heal over time. If we don't everything burns. If the worst comes to shove I'm even willing to use nukes."
Peter B. frowned. "And where exactly are you planning to get nukes?"
Peter didn't even blink. "Fort Tilden. This reality never decommissioned the silo after the Cold War. I already hacked their computer."
The room went still.
Miles's eyes trembled. "You're serious. You'd really do it."
Peter met his gaze. "If it's between one city and seven universes? Between millions of lives and infinite lives? Yeah, Miles. I'd push the button."
Peter B. muttered, "This just got way above my pay grade."
Before the dread could settle, Aunt May's voice cut through. Calm, iron-edged.
"Well. Sounds like you kids need help."
She reached into a drawer, pulling out Sharpies and name tags.
Gwendolyn, Gwen, Miles and Peter B.s spider senses tingled. They looked up and the air shifted.
Three figures in a large web.
A trench coat swept past. A fedora dipped low. A man stepped into the light, grayscale skin flickering like an old film reel, coat flapping though there was no wind. His voice was gravel and desert sand.
"Where I'm from, the sun sets in black and white. The wind smells like gunpowder and cheap whiskey. I am Spider-Man Noir."
Next came the whirr of machinery. A sleek mech rolled forward, its eyes glowing with friendly red light. Inside, a girl waved brightly.
"Konnichiwa! I'm Peni Parker, and this is SP//dr" The mech beeped in cheerful agreement
Finally, a cartoon pig waddled in, snout twitching, red-and-blue suit stretched over his round belly.
"The name's Peter Porker. The Spectacular Spider-Ham. Don't ask about the origin unless you want to rethink bacon."
The shed fell silent. Miles' jaw dropped. Peter B. rubbed his forehead.
And then like a spark the hum began.
The tingle. The resonance.
Spider-sense, shared across seven lives at once.
Seven spider-people. Seven universes. One rhythm.
For a moment, they simply stood together in silence, letting it flow through them.
Connected.
Stronger.
Unbreakable.
Together.
Read 38 chapters ahead on P.A.T.R.E.O.N
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