One

Gwen Stacy could hear rain pelting the window as she woke. She gently turned off her alarm clock staring out the window absentmindedly. She didn't know exactly what she was looking at through her window whether it was the dreary day, the rain, or her empty fire escape. It had been a few days since the horrible incident at Oscorp Towers. Everything was beginning to be rebuilt, people were returning home, and everything was getting back to normal. As far as Gwen knew there had been few lives lost including her father.

Gwen would've added Peter to list of the deceased had he not sent her a text the morning after letting her know he was still alive but he couldn't come see her because of his wounds. The text had been sent in the middle of the night but she never heard her phone go off. She hadn't even been in the same room as her phone for the entire night. Gwen had gotten the news of her father's death only mere minutes after the police found him on the roof. They sent someone over immediately to inform his family. Gwen could still see the horrible look on her mother's face when the officer explained he hadn't made it. Everything else the officer said was lost on all of them. Her youngest brother Simon was asleep when the news came but Howard and Phillip were awake watching the news when Gwen was dropped off. It was barely an hour later when the news came. In an instant she watched her family completely break down unable to cope with this horrible news. She consoled Phillip until he managed to fall asleep on the couch with his head in Gwen's lap.

Her brother Howard was a shoulder for her mother to cry on as they continued watching the news well into the night. She had barely gotten any sleep along with her brothers and mother once they did it was fitful at best. Gwen had gotten the least amount of sleep out of all of them because she was far more concerned with watching the news than getting some rest. She was hoping for some word on Spider-Man. She wanted to know Peter was alright. She needed to know he was alright after the news she received about her father. However, none of the reporters knew anything about Spider-Man other than if he had dead he was nowhere to be found as there was only two people on the roof when the police made it to the top of the Tower.

Gwen had thought about getting her phone to text Peter but Phillip woke up if she tried to remove him from her lap so she remained on the couch until morning when her youngest brother strolled in the room rubbing his eyes. He looked so cute and innocent in his pajamas they all broke down again because they knew he didn't know that his father would never tuck him in again. Gwen remembered Howard sitting up and looking around the room trying to figure out how they were going to tell him. Gwen was the first to move as her brother sensed the tension in the room.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Why are you all in the living room?"

"Simon," Gwen kneeled in front of him. She had changed from her clothes she had been wearing yesterday into something more comfortable. She had stolen one of Peter's sweatshirts and was wearing it now because it smelled like him making her feel like he was there with her still. "Did you tell Daddy that you loved him yesterday?"

Simon thought it over for a moment. "Yes, before I left for school."

"Did he tell you he loved you?" Gwen asked softly. She felt tears prick her eyes. "Do you remember yesterday morning before he left?"

"Yes," Simon nodded. "Why?"

"Hold on to that memory." Gwen said softly. "Because there's something important we have to tell you."

"What is it?" Simon asked softly.

Gwen knew her brothers all of them seemed so much older than they really were but that was how they were raised. They took responsibility for things, they all acted like adults, and sometimes it made it easy to forget how young her brothers were. Looking into Simon's eyes now she could see just how young her brother really was and how much it would hurt him.

"Daddy is gone." Gwen said softly. There were sniffles behind her. Gwen watched as her brother took in the scene around him. Most of them were wearing the same clothes they were wearing yesterday. All of them were in the living room with tearstained cheeks watching the news. It looked like they had been here all night. "He died trying to save the city."

"When?" Simon asked his lip quivering.

"Last night," Gwen answered.

"Why did you want me to remember yesterday morning?" Simon asked.

"Because you should never forget simple things like that." Gwen said softly. "You should remember all of the things dad did for us."

After that Gwen retreated to her room which is when she found the message from Peter letting her know he was still alive. She sent him a message back but she never got a reply from him. She figured he was sleeping the fight off while trying to heal. Gwen hoped she would see him at some point today though.

Today was her father's funeral.

She sent Peter a message letting him know about the funeral but there again was no answer. She found it odd how she hadn't seen him. She hoped his injuries weren't worse than what she's managed to gather through the news. Gwen has managed to piece together enough information to figure out what happened while she was trying to make an antidote while staying alive. She saw Peter had been making his way to Oscorp when he was intercepted by the police presumably her father since he must have seen Peter before arriving at Oscorp with the knowledge of who he really was. She learned Peter had managed to take out most of the police before her own father pulled a gun on him. According to most people online and the news no one had any clue as to why Captain Stacy who had been so hell-bent on capturing Spider-Man suddenly let him go even instructing his men to hold their fire. Gwen ventured a guess to say Peter told her father she was in danger which is why her father showed up at Oscorp at all.

Gwen also knew Peter had been shot though she wasn't sure how badly it affected him. She knew it was what slowed him down on his way to her but she didn't know how quickly he could heal because according to reports he seemed fine afterwards. Everything about what happened on the Tower though was sketchy at best. Dr. Connors confessed to killing her father and that Spider-Man had stopped him from releasing a toxin instead Spider-Man released an antidote which she made but no one knew that. Gwen also knew Spider-Man had not been on the Tower when they arrived or at least she's sure they didn't think he was there.

Gwen didn't really care in how the fight went or how her father's death happened. All she knew was that her father was no longer in her life it didn't matter the how or why to her. It wouldn't return him to her. She sighed as she laid in bed dreading what lay ahead of her today. Today they would put her father six feet beneath the Earth. Today would make everything seem so much more real. Gwen watched the rain as it continued to hit the window. It was the only sound she could hear in the apartment. There was a small clinking noise in the kitchen but Gwen assumed it was just her mother pouring herself a cup of coffee just as she did every morning. Gwen didn't want to get out of the bed. Gwen couldn't remember the last time she hadn't wanted to get out of bed so badly.

She hugged Peter's sweatshirt even tighter wishing it was him here instead wrapping his arms around her holding her close. She needed to lose herself in his embrace. She needed him as an escape right now because without him all she had was reality. She needed to lose it even if it was just for a moment that this crushing weight would disappear it would help. With Peter here she wouldn't feel so alone. For right now the smell of his sweatshirt helped as it eased the tension in her frame relaxing her.

With a sigh she threw off her comforter leaving the sweatshirt in her bed because she knew she would have the real thing soon enough. She dressed somberly in the clothes she had laid out last night for today. She carefully put her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed her coat, an umbrella, and gloves before she left her room. Howard was already in the living room in a black suit. He just finished with his tie when he saw his elder sister enter the room. Gwen smiled warmly at her brother resting a hand on his shoulder from behind the couch. He smiled back but both knew their smiles were empty. They both could hear their mother rummaging through the kitchen trying to keep busy so she wouldn't fall apart on them. Phillip entered the room next with his tie on somewhat crooked. Phillip walked sadly over to his eldest brother before sitting on the coffee table.

"Dad always fixed my ties for me." He said sadly.

Howard pulled his little brother in front of him sitting him down on the coffee table. Gwen came around the couch to sit on the table by her little brother. She placed an arm around his shoulder as Howard fixed his tie for him. Gwen saw tears roll down her little brother's cheeks as Howard took their father's role fixing his tie for him. Gwen gently wiped them away as she saw her youngest brother come into the room. He had his whole suit on but his tie. Howard, Gwen, and Phillip knew their father still tied Simon's tie whenever he needed to put one on. Gwen waved him forward patting the couch in front of her for him to sit down on. Simon had tears in his own eyes as he sat down in front of his sister. She carefully and slowly tied the tie for Simon making sure it was just right before she smiled at her brother as best as she could. She could feel tears in her own eyes as she opened her arms to hug her brother who looked ready to cry.

None of them noticed their mother standing in the kitchen doorway with tears slowly rolling down her cheeks as she watched her family pull together. She couldn't have been prouder of Gwen or Howard if she tried the way both of them were pulling through for their younger siblings. They had always been good to them but this took the cake. They were doing something small like hugging them or fixing their clothes but they were doing it together. They weren't turning on each other because they were sad instead they were turning to each other. She took a deep breath wiped her tearstained cheeks and joined her wonderful children in the living room. She sat down between Howard and Simon on the couch and pulled them all into a hug.

After a few more minutes they gathered themselves up and went downstairs. There were a few dozen policemen waiting with a car to take them to the church. With heavy hearts they got in and were silent the whole way.

The ceremony was a somber event. No one spoke or moved during the rifles or the speeches. Everyone who got up to speak only had wonderful things to say. Some people spoke about George Stacy's character. Others spoke about his morals. The policemen who gave speeches were the best by far from what Gwen thought about everyone who had spoke. The policemen talked about how hard it was working under him but they never once questioned his motives because they knew he would always do what was right. They respected him. They trusted him. None of them doubted his decisions. Some of them told funny stories in remembrance breaking the tension in the building but only for a few fleeting moments.

For a while though Gwen had a hard time concentrating on what anyone was saying up on stage because she was too busy scanning the crowd looking for a familiar face. She kept turning around to look at the door waiting to see if he would come through late with some silly excuse. She wondered if there was an issue somewhere he was tending to. Before she took her seat she sent him a text message asking him where he was but she got no response throughout the entire ceremony. Gwen frowned at the door wondering where her bug of a boyfriend had gotten to. She hoped he was alright. She couldn't take it if she lost her father and then something happened to Peter in the same week. The more she stared at the door as the ceremony begin to come to a close the more concerned she got for the safety of Peter. The city had been relatively quiet crime wise over the last few days but now would probably be a perfect time for someone to perform something illegal. Almost every cop in New York was here for this funeral. She wouldn't be surprised if Peter was taking over for them for the funeral but she was surprised he wouldn't be there for her.

She wanted him here. She needed him here. She needed a shoulder to lean on. Gwen was afraid that if she broke down around her own family it would completely fall apart. With Peter she knew she would be able to lean on him and he would just be there to wipe away her tears. He would hold her until she felt better whenever that may be. She couldn't believe he wouldn't come.

After the ceremony came to a close everyone was to return to the cars to drive her father's casket through the city one last time before he was brought to the cemetery for his final resting place. Gwen went out separately from her family who stayed behind to talk to a few police officers. Instead Gwen took her umbrella and followed many of the others outside into the pouring rain. She managed to make it down the church steps before she felt like someone was staring at her. Gwen continued walking away from the church until she felt such an overwhelming desire to look up. Gwen moved her umbrella out of the way to look up at buildings surrounded the church. She knew what it felt like when she caught Peter staring at her during class or when they were supposed to be studying together or when she was cleaning his wounds. It gave her chills. She felt like he was looking through her straight into her soul. It felt like he was opening his own soul for her to look at when he did so. She could've sworn she felt him staring at her.

Gwen carefully looked over the rooftop of every single building hoping she would see him there watching over everyone but she saw no one there. The roof tops were completely empty. Despite the hundreds of people who gathered to honor her father and to support her and her family she felt completely alone.

Gwen and her family drove slowly through the city feeling dread welling up in all of them because this was final now. It gave so much reality to what had happened. They would never see their father again. He would never hug them. Kiss them. Tell them what to do. He would never walk through the door after work again. He would never tease any of them again. He wouldn't be there to remind them how important it is to follow the rules and to do good with their lives. He would never tell them they could be absolutely anything they wanted to be again. Most of all he wouldn't be there for the most important days of their lives. He wouldn't be there for their graduations. He wouldn't be there for them getting married, having kids, and getting older. He would miss everything.

The weight of it sunk in on the drive through New York. Gwen kept her eyes forward determined not to look out the window and up at the sky. Peter wasn't coming. That was clear. What wasn't clear was the why.

Peter wasn't responsible for their father's death. Their father was. He choose to be a police officer, he choose to go up on that roof, he choose to help Peter, and he choose to put his life on the line to protect everyone. Peter never asked him to. She didn't think it was the guilt of his death weighing down her boyfriend. But she also didn't know what weighing him down either. The worst part of it all was the wondering and the fact that it was making other people start to wonder too.

"Where was Peter?" Her mother asked. "I didn't see him inside."

"I don't know," Gwen whispered.

Her mother looked like she wanted to say something else but she didn't. Gwen was thankful because she didn't know why Peter wasn't there and she didn't want to discuss getting stood up by her boyfriend at her father's funeral with her grieving mother right now. Her brothers seemed to also want to say something but they just stared at their sister instead hoping she was alright. As they knew she probably wanted Peter around. He had been all she talked about for days on end when they first started dating and even after the spat at dinner as Gwen did her best to try and change her father's opinion of him. Gwen never thought his opinion of Peter would change when he found out he was the one running around in tights helping people.

After everything was all said and done they returned to their home later on that afternoon tired and depressed. Their mother prepared some of the food that was left for them but none of them were very hungry so they picked at their plates. No one looked up from their dishes as they ate either because no one wanted to look at the empty chair at the end of the table. Instead they stared at their plates and once they were done they placed them into the sink before going off to do their own things. Howard sat in the living room with a book in his lap. Their mother remained in the kitchen for a while cleaning and organizing all the food in the fridge. Phillip and Simon went to their own rooms. When Gwen checked on each of them she found Phillip had his headphones in and was reading a comic book on his bed. Simon had his own little TV on in his room and was playing with his toys.

Gwen stayed in her own room for half an hour before she couldn't take it anymore. She had been sitting at her desk the entire time still staring out the window at the fire escape. After half an hour passed she picked up her phone and called Peter's cell phone but again there was no answer. She was tired of whatever this was changed from her clothes she had worn to the funeral and grabbed her coat. She wanted to know what was wrong with Peter and where he had been so she was going to find him. She told her mother she wanted to get out of the house for a little while to which her mother agreed only telling her to take a coat and umbrella with her along with a 'be careful' and an 'I love you' two sayings which were quickly becoming a staple in their home.

Gwen knew where Peter lived he had told her before where he lived. She took a cab to the address Peter had given her what seemed so long ago now after everything that happened. Their time together seemed so far away in her mind. It was locked in a part of her mind before pain overtook her life. It was the happiest time in her entire life. She never felt more alive than she was with Peter. She had never been very into the dating thing before she met Peter. She remembered what had brought on her interest in dating not just the cute boy who had gotten beaten up trying to defend some kid against Flash. Her mother had asked her a few days after the little incident with Flash if there was anyone she was interested in this year. Her mother asked this question every year at the same time with usually the same results, a no from her, and her father telling her mother not to bug her about it. She knew her father had always been thrilled she didn't date very much.

This year was different though, she remembered, because she didn't answer with her usual no instead she had looked down blushing as she helped her mother and father in the kitchen. Her father who hadn't been looking at her told her mother the usual to not bother her about boys. Her mother on the other hand had noticed her blushing without answering and nudged her.

"Who is he?" Her mother had asked.

Gwen remembered how quickly they both had her father's attention. He spun around to look at both of them curiously as he realized his daughter hadn't actually answered her mother's question. He saw the blush and guilty look on her face as she realized she was caught. He frowned, thinking someone had finally caught his daughter's eye. He was beginning to think he was going to get lucky and wouldn't happen until she had moved out, apparently he was wrong.

"Come on, tell me." Her mother prodded. "Who is he?"

"It's nothing," Gwen said.

"Nothing doesn't make a girl blush like that," her mother teased. "Now tell me who he is. I want to know everything about this boy!"

"Peter," Gwen answered softly. "His name is Peter."

Gwen watched as her mother grinned excitedly urging her to tell her more about this boy named Peter. She had to wonder whether or not her mother was more excited about it than she was. Gwen hadn't felt this way before not about anyone, not even her first kiss, or her first crush. It was like every time she thought about Peter her insides just turned to mush and she couldn't help the smile that would spread across her face. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to avoid her mother's questions. While her father may have been dreading her first real boyfriend or real crush as it stands right now her mother hadn't been able to wait patiently enough.

"What else?" Her mother questioned.

"He's in most of my classes," Gwen elaborated. She could see her father listening intently. "He's second in my class."

"So he's a senior as well?" Her mother asked. "Have you talked to him? Or is this more of a crush from afar sort of thing?"

"Yes, he's a senior too." Gwen answered, trying not to smile. "I have talked to him, mom. I'm not a stalker."

"When did you talk to him?" Her mother asked. "Come on tell me everything."

Gwen smiled softly giving up. "I talked to him a few days ago, after he got had gotten beat up by the school bully. He-"

"He got into a fight?" Her father finally spoke up. Her mother frowned shushing him asking Gwen to continue as she realized there was more Gwen had been trying to say when her father interrupted. Gwen shook her head at her father.

"He didn't get into a fight," she clarified. "The school bully was tormenting someone and Peter tried to stop him. He ended up getting beaten up when the school bully decided to go after Peter instead. Peter didn't even take a swing at him from what I saw. It was Flash, the guy I tutor every week. I stopped the fight and when I got to class I spoke to Peter."

"Nothing wrong with that, right George?" Her mother asked pointedly. "Sounds like Peter was just trying to help someone and ended up getting hurt. Was he alright?"

Gwen remembered she filled in her mother the rest of the story and what she had said to Peter before class began. Her father reminded her that wasn't allowed to go on a date with someone until they've met him first. Her mother only saw it as an opportunity to tell her daughter to feel free to invite him over whenever she felt it was the right time. They would be more than happy to meet anyone Gwen was interested in. Her mother asked at least once a week afterwards about Peter wanting to know if there were any new developments. There was only one time Gwen remembered she offered up information about Peter without prompting from her parents. It was after his uncle had died. Gwen had told her mother what happened wondering what she should do. Her mother told her to do whatever had felt right when she saw him next. The next time Gwen saw Peter she hugged him in the hallway doing her best to offer support.

Gwen took a deep breath trying to brace herself for whatever she was going to find when she finally got to Peter.

As Gwen left the porch of Peter's house she had mixed feelings about what had just come from her conversation with Peter her now ex-boyfriend. She didn't know what to think. Figuring out that it was her father's request Peter stay away from her had been easy to put together. She had guessed by Peter's small actions on the porch. Gwen felt it in his touch as he had wiped away her tears and moved closer to her as she had to him. For a brief moment it looked like he was going to break down and hold her in his arms to take away the pain but he stopped himself. Almost like he had to remind himself of what he was supposed to be doing. She had seen it in his eyes. There was pain there as he told her he couldn't do this anymore, that he couldn't see her anymore. She could see in his eyes it was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn't want to send her away anymore than she wanted to be sent away. She knew it wasn't his decision to break up with her.

Her father wanted her to be safe after he was gone and being with Peter wasn't safe in any way shape or form. Peter was Spider-Man. He had enemies now and some of them were going to stop at nothing to hurt him. They would use her to get to him if they found out who he was. Something Dr. Connors had managed to do, something her father had done, and they wouldn't be the last to know. Being with Peter even if he was normal would be dangerous because she knew he had the power to break her heart. She was truly in love with him and nothing was going to change that any time soon.

Gwen although didn't feel safe as she walked down the stairs away from Peter. She felt cold and even more alone than she had before. Peter could understand what she was going through. He had lost two fathers as far as Peter or she was concerned. If anyone could relate to what she was feeling it was him.

Then there was one more thing that bothered her something she didn't want to feel. She felt anger and resentment building towards her father. He made this choice without her. He told Peter to leave her alone so she would be safe without her. She knew there probably wasn't a whole lot of time to talk about it but she didn't care. It was his place to decide who could or couldn't be in her life. It should be up to her whether or not she puts her life on the line for her boyfriend because it's her life. She didn't want to be angry with her father right now because he was gone. His dying wish was for her protection. But the anger remained. She had lost her father. And now she had lost Peter. Her father's death was a devastating blow but losing Peter on top of that was making it all seem worse. Even in those few minutes on the porch she didn't feel like everyone was looking at her in pity. Peter looked at her with understanding. No one else could possibly imagine the pain she and her family were going through but Peter could because he had been there himself.

Her father had managed to rip away the only person who wasn't making her feel even worse, the one person who could make it better, and make his death ten times worse than it had been. The hole she felt where her father had been widened to include the hole losing Peter had made. She felt empty inside right now. She took a deep breath though and trudged on.

Gwen kept herself focused on moving and getting home because if she didn't she was going to go back to Peter's and demand to know what gave him the right to decide anything about her life without her. She wanted to go back and demand he break his promise to her father but she knew it would be wrong to ask Peter to do that. If Peter wanted to break his promise than he would have to come to her because she wasn't going to ask him to break his promise to her father it would be his choice. She hoped he would change his mind because she wanted him around. She didn't want to go back to how it was before she got to know Peter. She couldn't even begin to remember what it was like before she had him randomly dropping in on her. She couldn't remember what it was like before she knew what it felt like to kiss him, hold him, and to be held by him.

She wanted to be with him. She didn't care about the danger. Gwen knew she was completely in love with him and it was wrong to deny those feelings. Without him around she felt empty. She felt like she was missing something. It was awful without him.

A.N. Thank you for reading this! Please, let me know if you want anymore to this story. REVIEW. Please!

Good or bad reviews are more than welcome just don't be rude about it, that's all I ask. I'm looking for feedback as a future writer so I like to try my hand at all sorts of different types of stories. So, please review, I really appreciate it! :)

So, thank you once again for taking the time to read this!