Showing Her The Ropes

Epilogue

Stepping out of the cab, Gwen's eyes filled with wonder and excitement as she took in the sight of Oxford city center. She turned her head to watch as Peter paid off the cab driver and took hold of their suitcases, taking the lightest one into her own hand. For a brief second her eyes flickered down to her broken wrist that was still in a cast, and became annoyed by how helpless it made her feel. Though not wanting to ruin the moment she'd been dreaming of since high school, she pushed the feeling aside and focused on getting up the steps to the Travelodge Hotel; having booked a room earlier that morning to use in the meantime while they looked for a suitable apartment to rent over the next year until she'd finished her studies.

As they entered the building, a fair sized place with blue and purple carpets, mahogany coloured walls and a staircase on either side that led up to the rooms, Peter placed the suitcases down below the receptionist desk while Gwen spoke. After checking in, a man wearing a standard black suit and a dickie now helped them with their luggage as he led them upstairs to one of the vacant rooms, unlocking a door with the number 24 screwed on in gold metallic letters. Once alone after being handed the keys, they put all their luggage down and turned to face one another. Gwen smiled. Peter smiled harder.

"We made it." He stated, as he took in the sight of the room.

"Yes we did." She agreed, gazing at him with a warmth in her eyes, different to how it had been back in New York. "I love you, Peter." She added.

"I love you too, Gwen." He responded, wrapping his arms around her. "And it feels so good to finally be able to be with you and not have to worry about anything bad happening." He said, having made peace with his worries.

"My only question is what do we do now?" She wondered aloud.

"Now?" He questioned.

"Yeah. Not like right now. I mean like now that there's no more threats or bullseyes on either of our heads… Do we just live life normally now?" She explained.

"Hmm… I never really thought about it before, but since you mentioned it… Yeah, I guess. We can still help people, when needed of course, but we can live without fear and having to pull these Mission Impossible type stunts." He answered, putting some thought into the matter as he spoke.

"But people already know who we are. I mean… Not us, but they sure know about our super powered alter egos, and that alone is enough to bring threat to our door." She pointed out.

"Right, I know that. Look, can we just put the subject on the back burner and enjoy ourselves?" He questioned.

"Of course. I- I'm sorry, I don't know why it crossed my mind. I still can't remember the full details of what happened the other night, perhaps I'm just being edgy." She explained. "You know what? I'm gonna freshen up a bit to get my mind straight." She added, moving in the direction of the bathroom.

Slipping inside and closing the door behind her, the first thing Gwen did was walk over to the sink and rinse her dusty feeling hand that wasn't encased in a cast. Once she was satisfied that her hand was clean, she cupped it under the running tap and brought the water up to her face, splashing it over to wake herself up. Opening her eyes, she looked into the mirror and drew in a breath.

"Why can't I remember?" She sighed, frustrated with the holes in her memory.

Rubbing her eyes clear of grit, she turned towards the door, feeling exhilarated by the change of scenery.

'You may not remember… But I do!'

Gwen stopped abruptly with her hand resting on top of the door. She spun around, confused about where the voice had come from and even more about who it belonged to.