Just Out of Reach

Epilogue: Souls Meeting

"I was a fool. I told a lie. I did you wrong. I made you cry. So now I'm walking all alone down the darkest street in town. Standing in the rain while my tears keep falling down. I'm soul searching. How could I say goodbye to you? I'm soul searching. I made you cry. How could I leave somebody like you? How could I do all the silly things that I do? What makes me try the way I do. Act a fool the way I do. I need you so bad baby. Won't you come back to me? I'm soul searching." - Solomon Burke

* * *

"We'll be back with more info on the Stark press conference after the break."

You slid a bit deeper into your sofa and Webs purred as he curled up on your chest. Thandie leaned over a bit out of the kitchen to groan, "Are you really watching the news? Why are you torturing yourself?"

Shrugging, you focused on scratching Webs between his ears just how he liked.

"I guess I just want to see it."

"You were there, though," Thandie pointed out.

"Well you spent so much time on my makeup and hair that I obviously want to know how good I looked on camera," you commented, leaning your head back against the sofa and smiling at her.

Thandie rolled her eyes, "Wow, for a second there I thought you might have been watching it for him."

Peter's face suddenly flashed across the screen in the top right corner as the news anchor turned to the camera. Thandie pretended to go back to her architectural designs but you could tell she was listening in.

"News from the Stark press conference today that took place on the front steps of Stark Industries. Longtime intern, Peter Parker, who will be a junior at Empire University this coming fall, gave a statement that both shocked and informed the people of New York."

The image cut to the press conference and you saw Peter standing behind the podium. He was dressed nicely in a pair of dress slacks and a nice button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his biceps. You could see yourself too, standing a few rows behind leaning up against the glass wall of the café just off to the left of the screen. But your attention was on Peter.

"Good afternoon," he spoke calmly and with a sturdy voice, "As many of you know, I have been interning as Tony Stark's personal intern for almost six years now. I was chosen by Mr. Stark my freshmen year of high school to start the internship program due to my grades and all-around level of understanding in the scientific field. Since working with Mr. Stark, I have been integral to many of his projects, and I have been grateful for his mentorship."

Peter shifted and adjusted his collar before looking up from his notes and into the camera, "But I am not here today because of any of my work as an intern for Stark Industries, but because of my work elsewhere in an entirely different field. For the years I have been working with Mr. Stark as Peter Parker, I have also been working alongside Iron Man and the Avengers as Spider-Man."

An eruption of murmurs and camera flashes started to stir from the crowd but Peter raised his hand.

"I know many of you must have a thousand questions, and I promise that a few of them will be answered. I have kept my identity as Spider-Man a secret for so many years because when I was bitten by a radioactive spider as a thirteen year old kid, I had a lot to learn. I was young, naïve, and needed to hone my skills before I could ever step fully into the roll as an Avenger. This line of work is dangerous, as many of you can tell by the loss of my partner three years ago, Cindy Moon, who went by Silk during her time in the field before she was killed.

"I was young, still learning the ropes on how to be a hero, balance school, and a social life. I wanted to ensure that not only did I perfect my craft as a hero, but I also wanted to not rob myself of a normal life. However, I can no longer live this split-persona as I start to navigate through adulthood. Though my identity was chosen to be kept secret by Mr. Stark, the Avengers and myself in the hope to keep my family safe from targeted attacks, the ones I love have recently been targeted regardless of my identity being known to the public.