Chapter 80: Up for Grabs Part Four

Chapter 80: Up for Grabs Part Four: Hijacked by Goblin

At Oscorp, right down the hallway, Norman Osborn made his way down the hallway, passing security, with a stoic expression right on his face as he passed the security.

“Mr. Osborn did you….” managed one of the security guards.

“Not a word, I have important work to do this morning, and I’m not to be disturbed,” said Osborn as he made his way right down the hallway and opened the office door, before he slipped inside and locked the door behind him.

With a grin, Osborn plugged in a portable drive into the computer.

“Let’s see what you’re up to, Osborn,” muttered Osborn, as he prepared to access the information containing Oscorp’s mutant regulation projects on the computer.

X-X-X-X-X

At the same time, Spider-Man dodged the attacks from the Green Goblin, who cycled right around him and launched pumpkin bombs right at him. He moved the best he could, tired, battered, beaten, and bruised. Explosions echoed right throughout the city, as the citizens watched from the sidelines, eyes widened in absolute horror, as they watched the show.

“Okay, Goblin, you want to dance, let’s dance,” muttered Spider-Man as he sprung up, but Goblin zipped right out of the way.

“Come on, Spider-Man, I rule the game now,” said Green Goblin, as he launched a pumpkin bomb but Spider-Man dodged it and then spun around, before he tried to kick Goblin right off of his glider.

Evasive moves by the Green Goblin, before he dodged around, shooting in the air like a cork, before he spiraled down right on Spider-Man and tried to zap him right in the chest with a bolt of energy. Spider-Man landed right hard onto the ground and Goblin reached down.

“I can do this all day, Spider-Man,” taunted Green Goblin, but Spider-Man webbed right onto the glider but Goblin kicked it, causing Spider-Man to lift off on the ground and caused him to lift right off of the air.

While clung onto the back of the glider, Spider-Man felt his head spin.

“I’ve got to stop this mad man, before he takes out innocent people,” thought Spider-Man in pure desperation, as he managed to swing him and kick the Green Goblin, which caused Goblin to knock right off of his glider.

The glider crashed on one roof and Green Goblin landed right onto his feet right on the ground. Spider-Man aimed a kick which Green Goblin dodged, before he zapped Spider-Man right out of mid-air with an attack and then the crazed villain grabbed him from behind.

“Sorry, Gobby, but my head doesn’t come off,” managed Spider-Man as he struggled.

“Oh, but it will, I just need to twist hard enough,” said Green Goblin with malice, as he tried to twist like a bottle top but Spider-Man elbowed him twice and then tried to web him up but Goblin crouched down, as the webbing spun around mid air.

Pumpkin bomb, which Spider-Man rolled underneath as it exploded right onto the ground, as Green Goblin did not let up his assault. Neither did Spider-Man, despite not getting any sleep for over a day and having the fights with Hammerhead and Doc Ock during that time period.

Goblin had waited, and bided his time, for others to wear Spider-Man down, to strike when he was mostly beaten.

Yet, he was not out, as Spider-Man managed to shoot a web ball right in the Green Goblin and staggered him. Goblin slid off of the building, but his glider was right off of the side of the building.

“Catch me if you can, Spider-Man!” shouted Green Goblin as he shot right off into the night, but Spider-Man shot a line of webbing right onto the glider.

“Not again,” muttered Spider-Man as he was pulled right across the sky, as he was thrown right from side to side, as the Green Goblin pivoted around him.

His web line snapped and Spider-Man spiraled to the ground. With a swift move, he clung onto the wall but Goblin dove right at him, blade protracted right from the edge of the glider, which Spider-Man dodged.

“Spider-Man, I’d thought you’d appreciate a cutting remark,” said Green Goblin but Spider-Man dove right back up but Goblin dodged Spider-Man’s attempt to kick him off of the glider, but Spider-Man landed on his feet. “Ah, is Spidey getting sleepy? Rough night, well maybe I should just put you to bed, permanently!”

Two pumpkin bombs, as Spider-Man watched barricades above him being placed up, to get the civilians back, not that he was sure how much that would help, with that trigger happy mad man.

“Time for the Spider to go splat!” shouted Green Goblin, but Spider-Man managed to dodge the assault, before he sprung up, running up the flying debris that Goblin had created by his latest pumpkin bomb and he kicked Green Goblin right in the face, to knock him down, but immediately, Goblin’s glider backed up and landed nearly on the ground.

Goblin landed on it, with grace and agility, before he reached right into his bag.

“Well, silly me, I forgot to pack enough party favors,” said Green Goblin, as he shrugged his shoulder. “I hope you enjoyed your early morning exercise, Spider-Man, we’ll be back for more later.”

“No, you’re not getting away that easily,” said Spider-Man.

“Can’t let Osborn get away, no matter what,” thought Spider-Man. “If he’s been messing around with that formula, he’s unhinged, a danger, to everyone, especially himself.”

“My new gang should keep you limber right now,” cackled Green Goblin, as he waved his hand and from the shadows, several mobsters, wearing pumpkin masks on his head.

“Really, pumpkin heads, you really had to go there,” managed Spider-Man.

“Ah, you know what they say, when I took over the Kingpin’s empire, I had to give it a personal touch,” said Green Goblin, but he zapped Spider-Man with an energy bolt from his glove. “Get him boys. A nice holiday bonus for the man who gets the best shot.”

Green Goblin blasted right up into the night and Spider-Man found himself surrounded by enemies and also a few straggling civilians which did not make his job any easier.

“Everyone get back!” yelled Spider-Man, as he moved down to fight his latest enemies.

First priority was the guns, which Spider-Man managed to disarm from most of them. The soreness in his body had to be ignored, the fact that one shoulder still stung due to being shot, and every little thing, without sleep. He had to press on, that was one of the hazards of the great responsibility that he had.

As he took out his frustration of everything that happened over the last number of days, nailing one of the gangsters with a punch. Spider-Man spun around and then webbed two of the gangsters right together. They crashed right together.

“Get him!”

“You’re the one who’s going to get got, I guess,” said Spider-Man as he webbed the hands together, as the civilians around him were backed off, as he mentally applauded Captain Stacy and the rest of the police force for his work in keeping everyone mostly back, to make his job easier.

Well mostly, as he had to evade the attacks of three of his enemies. As there was a civilian that he had to swing out of the way from the assault.

“Go get him, Spidey!”

Spider-Man remained focus on the battle. He looked up, but the Green Goblin was mostly gone.

“The fact I can’t see the Goblin anywhere, quite frankly scares me,” thought Spider-Man as his heart thumped, his head felt light, as he webbed the last two gangsters to the light post. “Blast it, one of my web shooters is busted. That’s just all I need. Firing webbing awkwardly, going to have to take a minute to fix it I guess.”

Spider-Man staggered over.

“Any sign of the Goblin,” muttered Spider-Man to Captain Stacy.

“He flew off, just after he sent those thugs in right after you,” said Captain Stacy.

“He’ll be back and I’ll be ready for him this time,” said Spider-Man as he shook his head from side to side, to clear the cobwebs. “I know you can handle everything from here, Captain.”

Captain Stacy nodded.

“Everyone remain back, this is considered a war zone area, you don’t want to be here, your safety is far more important than anything, we’re only doing this for your protection. Get back to your homes.”

“Got to repair my web shooter right now, that garage should be good, abandoned by the looks of it,” thought Spider-Man. “Got to have everything in order, when I fight the Green Goblin. But look on the bright side Spidey, at least nothing worse than the Green Goblin can happen.”

X-X-X-X-X

In the pile of rubble right in the city, the robotic arm of Doctor Octopus came to line, and hooked onto the large pieces of debris. The arm began to pull debris off, with two arms being freed now, and began to work, as the arms dug right through the debris.

X-X-X-X-X

Spider-Man sat right on a crate, as he looked right at fixed web shooter. Right as he sat there, his web shooters out, he made sure he had a complete supply of webbing. He had been trying to make an effort of not running out of webbing at the most crucial times. He had made that mistake too many times when he was first starting out at Spider-Man.

As the Spider-Man fan blogs would not shut up about. Ever.

He was kind of scared that he had fan blogs devoted to him.

Actually, he really was scared that so many people had time on his hand that they worried about his supply of webbing, but that was beside the point.

Spider-Man looked at both of his web shooters, repaired, although these had been through the ringer, he might be able to get a few more months out of him.

“Webbing locked and loaded, yeah, web shooters fixed, costume burned, my face scratched up and scrapped, by we can’t help that right about now,” thought Spider-Man as he held out his cell phone as he pulled off of his mask. “Might as well, it’s Gwen, I better tell her about how I got side tracked before I look for the goblin.”

“Hi, Gwen, sorry about not answering sooner,” said Peter.

“Peter, something bad has happened, I’m really sorry for bothering you but I think you’d want to know about this,” said Gwen as she took a deep breath.

“Gwen, okay, I probably do, what is it?” asked Peter as there were any number of possibilities that went through his head about what could have happened and none of them rather good.

“Harry…he’s in the hospital, he overdosed on painkillers!” managed Gwen and it took Peter a minute to register that.

“No, he’s….I can’t believe it, Harry…” managed Peter as his mouth was dry. “Is he…”

“Barely, but I don’t know, I know he had painkillers after he broke his collarbone right after that incident with the Vulture,” managed Gwen. “But, he’s been taking ever since and he’s been getting worse and worse and….Pete, I don’t know why he didn’t tell us.”

“I think he tried to tell me one time, but…he never brought it up and everything got sidetracked,” said Peter with a deep breath. “This is all my fault, I can’t believe that I could have missed something like this.”

“I can track down criminals but I can’t tell that one of my friends is spiraling out of control,” thought Peter. “What does that say about me? Is Spider-Man consuming my life? Maybe I can’t connect with the normal person anymore.”

“I didn’t see anything either Peter, I mean yeah in hindsight, but…he has to be okay,” said Gwen.

“Gwen, he’ll be okay,” said Peter, in an attempt to reassure the both of them.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same again,” thought Peter bitterly. “Damn it, why did this have to happen? Nothing I accomplish as Spider-Man matters if I fail to see something like that. I knew Harry was messed up, but I thought that’s just because of his father, but I never thought it would be this bad.”

“Pete?” prompted Gwen.

“Yeah I’m still here, just thinking,” said Peter in a tired voice. “It’s just….on top of everything else, it’s been a long night.”

“Peter, I don’t know how much we could have done, if we knew, you know how Harry is, I suppose we could have made him get help,” said Gwen as she remained frustrating. “But is that really good if he didn’t want to help himself? We could have at least tried but…”

“I know, I just wish I would have been more observant in picking out what is happening,” said Peter.

“We both should have seen something but we didn’t, but, Peter, Harry made some really bad choices and…I don’t really know what’s going to happen next,” said Gwen. “It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself is. If it’s your fault, it’s mine too…”

“No, Gwen, I’m just…I just feel helpless that one of the people that I can’t save is my friend,” said Peter.

“I understand, Pete,” said Gwen. “I can’t imagine Harry’s dad being too thrilled about this, given how he is, wherever is?”

“Well, about twenty minutes ago, he was on a glider, trying to throw pumpkins at me and blow me up,” said Peter and Gwen just remained silent for only the briefest moment.

“No, no, no, no!” yelled Gwen.

“My reaction exactly,” said Peter. “So, to make a long story short, I found the Master Planner, Doctor Octopus, stopped him, he tried to blow me up, that didn’t end too well for him, and the moment I caught my breath, the Green Goblin bared down on me.”

“Peter, this is…I can’t even describe it,” said Gwen. “If Osborn remembers who you are…”

“My thoughts exactly, I remember the last time I fought the Green Goblin,” said Peter. “I don’t like to admit this, but I just barely beat him. And after what’s happened tonight…”

Peter sighed.

“Goblin wants revenge on me,” said Peter, as he clasped his hands. “No matter how beaten, bruised, battered, cold, tired, and worn down I am, it’s got to be me.”

“Does he know?” asked Gwen. “About Harry? I wouldn’t be surprised if the bastard did know...and didn’t care.”

“I don’t know, Gwen,” said Peter. “I suppose I could ask him the next time he’s trying to blow my head off.”

There was a long pause.

“I suppose you have to go right now, with him being out there,” said Gwen.

“Yeah, Gwen, listen, if this is it, if I don’t get out of this, remember, I love you and your support means everything to me,” said Peter. “Forever and always, to the end. So thanks and I really appreciate you putting up with what I had to do as Spider-Man.”

“You will get out of this Peter Parker, you will beat the Green Goblin again, and I love you too,” said Gwen firmly.

Peter just pulled his mask on and sat there and pulled himself up.

“Let’s do this, Goblin, you and me, wherever you are,” thought Spider-Man.

X-X-X-X-X

The calm before the storm, the tranquility before the absolute insanity. While most of the civilians were evacuated from the streets, many put up a fight. People who had attempted some last minute Christmas shopping and were being shooed away for their own safety.

“Look, you got to let me through, my wife and kids will kill me if I don’t get their gifts.”

“I really don’t know what to tell you,” said Captain Stacy in a firm voice. People who waited to do their Christmas shopping until the last possible moment tended to irritate him, because there was always some disturbance about two people fighting over something on this day, likely the popular toy that their children wanted and they should have gotten months ago.

That was beside the point.

“Make sure to block in those barricades and be prepared to deal with anyone who comes by,” said Captain Stacy as he turned to see Spider-Man. “The Goblin hasn’t shown up yet, but he’s been spotted in the area.”

“Yeah, well I’m ready for them, just do your best to keep people out of harm’s way,” said Spider-Man.

“That’s what we intend to do, worry about the Goblin and my people will worry about vivilians,” said Captain Stacy as he turned. “And, thanks Spider-Man, don’t think that this isn’t appreciated ever. At first, I was apprehensive, but there are just some things that my men and women can’t accomplish. No matter how skilled they are. If only one day the city would be safe enough where we didn’t someone like you.”

“I’m dreaming of that day too,” said Spider-Man.

“I’d imagine,” said Captain Stacy. “You risk your life and limb, despite the consequences. No one would had any sense would fault you if you had turned around.”

“Hey, you do good yourself, Captain, and you don’t have my spectacular Spider-Man skills,” said Spider-Man.

“Oh, I’ve made my share of mistakes,” said Captain Stacy with a far off look in his eyes. “First day on the job, I got shot, reckless, stupid, impulsive, but that’s the risk you take to do the right thing.”

Spider-Man stood there and his spider sense went off.

“Here he comes, for better or for worse,” said Spider-Man as he prepared himself, as the civilians who were ushered out of the area, saw the Green Goblin bursting down from the sky on his glider.

“Round two, Spider-Man!” cried Green Goblin as he aimed a pumpkin bomb right at Spider-Man who dodged it.

“You’d have better aim if you’d have your eyes shut!” shouted Spider-Man as he sprung up, but Green Goblin sent another bomb right at him.

“Maybe, but if first you don’t succeed, try and try again, until something blows up,” said Green Goblin as he dove at Spider-Man on his glider, blade extended but Spider-Man dodged it.

Goblin circled in the air around, Spider-Man aimed a kick right to the Green Goblin, but Goblin dodged it. Spider-Man webbed right onto a flagpole and swung right at him and then nailed Green Goblin. Goblin was staggered.

“Oh yeah, Spidey, you’ve got to break the cheerful family news.”

“Listen, Osborn, there’s something that happened, I need to talk to you,” shouted Spider-Man, as he grabbed Green Goblin and bashed him head first right into the glider and caused it to slide to the ground.

“Not in the mood for talking, in the mood for explosions,” said Green Goblin as he held two pumpkin bombs but Spider-Man just narrowly dodged the first and launched into the air with the second explosion.

Spider-Man tried to web up the Goblin. Narrowly avoided and evaded.

“Osborn listen to me!” shouted Spider-Man but he had to dodge the attack and another. “Your son, Harry, there’s something that you need to know…”

“What does anything that involves that disappointment hold relevance now?” asked Green Goblin, although his animated voice gave way momentarily to the cold and harsh tone of Norman Osborn. “You’re just trying to distract me, but it won’t work, today’s the day where we finish this one once and for all.”

“Look Osborn, your son, he’s not well,” said Spider-Man as he struggled to draw breath. One of his ribs had been cracked in the fight which made movement, not to mention breathing to be a rather tough endeavor.

“That’s not news,” said Green Goblin with sadism as he grabbed Spider-Man’s wrist and forced him immediately back. “I’m disappointed. I expected a better fight…”

Spider-Man cut short the Goblin’s words with a swift punch right to the face. The wall crawler slammed Goblin right onto the ground.

“No, listen your son, he was found….” managed Spider-Man but he barely got a sentence out, before his pumpkin bomb sent him right at him but the web slinger narrowly ducked it. “Osborn, Goblin, whatever, listen, your son, he’s barely alive, he was found, he overdosed on pills, pain killers…”

Goblin paused for a few seconds.

“THAT DISGRACEFUL LITTLE WHELP!” shouted Green Goblin angrily as he hurled a pumpkin bomb right at Spider-Man who dodged it. “Ruining everything, just like he always does, it would be kinder if he did die…”

“Now, Osborn, he’s your son,” said Spider-Man as he paused but Green Goblin held the pumpkin bomb.

“My son, yes, but he couldn’t wait one day, just one day to screw up, until I had this city in the bag,” muttered Green Goblin as the pumpkin bomb hovered in is hand. “No, I raised Harry to know better, to know never to be dependent on that filth, YOU HAVE TO BE LYING!”

Green Goblin hurled another pumpkin bomb and Spider-Man dodged it.

“No, I’m serious, Harry’s clinging onto life, he might not last another day,” said Spider-Man.

“And to see his father and his best friend fighting it out, while he’s in the hospital, that’s…I have no word for what that is, maybe messed up” thought Spider-Man.

“I couldn’t have, he couldn’t have,” said Green Goblin. “Well this is all his fault, so why should I care?”

“Because you’re his father maybe?” prompted Spider-Man, in a very disgusted tone. “I can’t believe you Osborn, is all you care about your power, influence, and reputation?”

“Don’t you dare judge me, you have no idea what I’ve sacrificed, I’m trying to make this a better world, I’m trying to save humanity,” said Green Goblin as he cracked into Osborn. “He should have been more like you, from an academic standpoint, yet he doesn’t care and he threw his life away. For what?”

“Maybe he thought that was the only way to get your attention,” said Spider-Man, who braced himself. Osborn did remember who he was, it was clear.

“I’m a good father,” whispered Green Goblin. “I gave Harry everything and this is how he repays me?”

Goblin paused immediately and Spider-Man stood there.

“My son, he’s ungrateful, he’s lazy, he has no ambitious qualities, and now he’s a hopeless addict,” muttered Green Goblin. “Yet, he is my son”

Green Goblin turned and made his way over to the glider.

“Go home, Spider-Man, but another day, we’ll finish this properly,” said Green Goblin. “I need to see to my son but one day…”

“I’ll be ready,” said Spider-Man. He really did not want to let the Goblin leave but this was for Harry and to sooth some of the guilt that he had at the fact that he not caught the signs of what occurred with his friend.

“It will make my triumphant that much glorious,” said Green Goblin as he prepared to mount his glider but immediately Spider-Man’s spider sense flared into over drive.

A robotic arm grasped onto both him and the Green Goblin, and held them into place. Behind them, was Doctor Octopus, scrapped, battered, bruised, with blood shot eyes, and absolutely enraged behind belief, as he held by Spider-Man and the Green Goblin firmly in his grasp.

“You will not dismiss me so easily, arachnid.”

Doctor Octopus turned to them.

“I demand you to let me go immediately,” said Green Goblin as he struggled against the grasp of Doctor Octopus.

“Green Goblin, an excellent bonus,” said Doctor Octopus in a purely sadistic voice. “Our paths have not crossed as of yet, but I don’t share well with others and consider this a preemptive strike. I respect your power, which is why I will kill you.”

Green Goblin managed to break immediately free from the grasp from the grasp, as did Spider-Man. Doctor Octopus recklessly swung right around, as Spider-Man tried to web him but his webbing was sliced right through. Several more attempts to secure the good doctor in place had been in vain.

“There’s nowhere to web sling Spider-Man, my body might be broken, but I still have my ability to use these to end you, as long as my body can draw breath, I have control,” said Doctor Octopus as he tried to aim right at Spider-Man. “And you’re not getting out of here either, Goblin.”

“That’s your opinion, incorrect as it may be,” said Green Goblin as he launched a pumpkin bomb directly at the power source.

Goblin zipped off and Doctor Octopus found his modified arc reactor fried and the inability to control his arms as he smashed to the right and the left. Spider-Man found himself knocked over the edge, as Doctor Octopus screamed, as his limbs twitched right out of control and he was sent right off of the side of a building, before he crashed right to the ground.

Spider-Man looked down right at the form of Doctor Octopus, who laid down, his arms twitched slightly, but were not as mad and spastic as they were moments ago. The web slinger found large pieces of the building that he stood on were smashed out and he dropped right down to one knee, but he eased himself right down

“Lucky to not have my skull cracked open,” thought Spider-Man, as he saw the panicked populace down on the streets. “Goblin’s gone, Ock’s out I hope, but it’s over, for better or for worse it’s…”

Spider-Man hunched over. Vision hazed. Movement very limited, lungs tightened, the ravages of several intense fights and very little sleep. Yet he moved over, and heard the sirens in his ears. A little girl cried, shaken, but physically unharmed, and several police officers looked to be doing their best to ensure that no one went into the wreckage.

His eyes set right on a downed body, right slumped onto the wreckage, blood oozed right through his shirt and his legs bent at an awkward angle. His blood ran cold, when he saw who it was.

Captain George Stacy laid on the ground, eyes glazed over and blood dribbled right out of his mouth.

“No,” breathed Spider-Man as he felt his fingers numb. “Sir, Captain Stacy, please hang in there, there’s going to be help coming.”

“Are the children safe?” managed Captain Stacy in a weakened tone, a faint whisper that only they could hear. “The one’s that I pushed…nearly crushed…”

“They’re over there, in shock, but you’re bleeding, you can’t…I’ll get help, there’s got to be an ambulance coming,” said Spider-Man as he tried to grab Captain Stacy but what little strength, he was pushed away.

“Damn it, you need help!”

“Gwen’s going to kill me.”

“No, the civilians, some of them need…more than me….”

“No, you need it, you’ve lost so much blood, please, let me help you.”

“That’s part of the job…I knew this the day that I sighed on. Make sure everyone else gets out of here alive. Civilians first, always.”

“But…”

“No, Peter, you have to.”

Spider-Man remained rigid.

“How?”

“I suspected…but with the Sinister Six and Gwen, the way you reacted, then I knew.”

Captain Stacy began to cough violently, as he could barely draw breath.

“All my fault…this is….I’m not going to…”

“No…take care of her…take care of each other….”

Spider-Man breathed heavily, panicked, and having lost the inability to think coherently.

“No, if I let you die, she’ll kill me, she’ll never forgive me…”

“She won’t, she loves you, and she’ll understand. The city is in good hands.”

It appeared that Captain Stacy had used his last bit of strength and his breath slowed to a glacial pace. It was only seconds, which felt like long tedious hours, before Spider-Man could not sense any signs of life.

Captain George Stacy, a man who had served and protected New York City for years, was dead.

Spider-Man stood over the body, paralyzed by his own guilt.

“Should have saved him…should have saved him…had time…why did I have to freeze up…he wouldn’t let me…I should have…oh my God, this is, how many more lives will I destroy or end.”

Spider-Man turned as accusing eyes looked towards him.

“He’s dead, Stacy’s dead!”

“It’s Spider-Man’s fault!”

“I can’t bring myself to argue with that point right now!”

The New York City Police force turned right to Spider-Man. Jean DeWolff turned towards Spider-Man as she looked at him. Any emotion quickly left at her face, as she took a deep breath.

“Spider-Man, you’re to come with us, for investigation, come on, don’t do anything irrational.”

Investigation meant he would likely have to be forced to unmask.

His identity would be plastered all over the media.

Thus more people would be endangered and have their lives ruined. Or worse.

Spider-Man immediately sprung up, and recklessly web swung out of the area right away, as he heard warning shots right behind him.

There were no coherent thoughts. Only scatterbrained instinct, his attempt to protect everyone around him, while he still could.

There was no thought of where he would go.

There was no thought where he would end up.

His heart thumped again his chest.

Words failed him.

He would be alone.

He could never go back.

He was a fugitive from the law.

It was going to be a very lonely Christmas.

He was alone.

X-X-X-X-X

Bad news seemed to be in this holiday season. Gwen snatched the cell phone right into her hand, she doubted it would be a social call.

“Hello.”

“Gwen Stacy, this is never an easy call to make, but your father, he fell in the line of duty today.”

“Dad’s…NO, there has to be some kind of mistake, he’s….”

Words failed her.

Dead, her father was dead, deceased, struck down, no more. She had felt suddenly cold. This entire last couple of weeks had to be a nightmare, she was going to wake up any minute.

Then it struck her, it was much worse.

“George Stacy was a good man and a respected leader. There was a fight between Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Spider-Man, and things went bad, Ock’s arms appear to have malfunctioned and knocked debris everywhere. People are making assumptions, but nothing’s official. He died a hero, he pushed children out of the way.”

“I’d…well thank you, for letting me...telling me about this…”

Her voice cracked as she tried to hold back.

“We’re all really sorry and…well if there is anything that you need…sorry about your loss and….”

It sounded like man on the phone was about to wish her happy holidays, but realized that might not be the best thing to say. The phone hung up on the other end and she just held her cell phone.

Harry was clinging onto his life. Her dad was dead. And Peter, she knew Peter would blame himself for everything that happened.

Being the daughter of a police officer for her entire life and for two years the girlfriend of a super hero had hardened Gwen to a lot of things. She didn’t get overly emotional, because she either had to deal with them or she would likely worry herself into illness.

Yet, she broke down and cried.

Just everything, it was too much.

“Merry Christmas, Gwen,” she thought bitterly.

She felt all alone.