The Many Loves of Spider-Man

Peacefull Illusions (Danielle Moonstar, aka Mirage)

"Spidey... I need you to calm down..." She whispered into his ear, her voice as calm as it could be. She wanted to help the hero out, see if she could do anything at all that will make it clear that others do care for his safety. Many times she has seen people disregarding him, but she knew the service he did. The missed opportunities to even develop further connections were washed away by his guilt and responsibility. "Just relax..."

She was Danielle Moonstar, the mutant known as Mirage. She was using her powers to create illusions to get the hero to a more comfortable state. While her powers originally only work by creating illusions of the person's fears, her mutation has evolved and now allows her to create any kind of illusion from the person's mind.

It was because of her powers that she did not look to have her normal appearance right at this moment. Her appearance had shifted in his mind, looking exactly like one of the few people who cared about him. Her dark skin was replaced by a pale one and with her black hair turning blonde. She knew, thanks to his memories, that the illusion placed on him was making him see Gwendolyn Stacy.

"G-Gwen?" His whisper made it into her ears, the desperate tone in them made it clear to her that he still felt guilty about the death of Gwen Stacy. She could feel the quiver of his hands, only made possible because she was holding them on her own. She could even see just how lost he was already into the illusion. "I-Is that really you?"

She needed to think, a way to answer his question without sounding like herself. She needed to be Gwen Stacy, act like her and even possibly do things the woman would have done. So as she saw his mind open for her about the female in his mind, she knew what to do. It will probably hurt him in the end, but she knew that it had to be done.

"I am..." She whispered, her eyes looking at him with calmness in them. She saw him let out a sigh, his expression changing into a weak smile as soon as her voice reached his ears. "But, what happened to you, Peter?" She questioned, acting as if she was the real Gwen Stacy. In doing so, the female wouldn't know just how the man in front of her changed appearance so quickly. He had the same age as Gwen Stacy when the real one died in his arms. "You're older..."

"Y-Yeah... I am" His weak voice made her heart clench a bit. She could feel the pain he was holding back, one that she needed him to let go off. It was tying him down, a force that did not let him move on with his life. He deserved to be happy, to smile for once in his life. "Now that you're in front of me... I... I don't know what to say..."

"Me neither..." Her voice sounded just like how he remembers, delicate yet slight girlish because of the age she had when she died. "Except..." Danielle was still thinking that she should have just helped him normally, but she knew that he would not have opened his heart to her. He was opening it for Gwen, so she shut her mouth and just brought his dream to life. Tobe able to talk with Gwen one last time. "I sure have missed you..."

"I have missed you too, Gwen..." Danielle made a smile, one that was able to make the hero smile once more. The more he talked with her, the more she could see that he was letting go of the past. It brought her happiness knowing that he was moving on, which was only possible because of her mutant ability.

Dani went for the kill, trying to eliminate any remaining knot he had of the past with a single kiss. Her lips met with his own, enjoying the loving embrace she currently had on the arachnid hero. Peter kissed her back with fervor, as if knowing that all may end soon. It lasted seconds, but she felt her entire life pass in just a single kiss with him.

"I'm happy that I got to see you again..." She voiced, her illusion ending slowly as to give Peter time to assimilate it. Her eyes were letting tears run down without a care, and she could see the same happening with him. Both of them were crying, their foreheads touching each other as their hands intertwined together. "To see that beautiful heart of yours once more..."

And with those last few words, her illusion faded, which replaced Gwen Stacy with herself once more. Her appearance was finally seen once more by the hero, who was still crying in their embrace. Her heart ached just by looking at his pained expression. But she could also feel that he had finally moved on.

"Thank you..." She tightened her hand against his own, their hands still intertwined with each other. She wanted to become his support, the pillar in his heart. Just acting as Gwen Stacy and actually doing the things she did as her, made it clear to her that Peter Parker was more than she could ever ask for. "For everything, Dani..."

"Anytime..." Her heart skipped a beat as she heard him say her name. She was happy to know that he was grateful for what she did for him. She really tried to hide it but she really wanted to kiss him again. Not as Gwen Stacy, but as Danielle Moonstar. So she went in again, kissing him for a second time in less than an hour.

She parted her lips from his own, with both of them reclining their foreheads against each other. She felt that this latest kiss had been the best kiss out of the two. He had accepted her with no illusion in place. And she closed her eyes, just enjoying the peace around them.