Kim Possible and Spider-Man: The Spectacular Sitch

The City's Farewell

The pressure of the shower was weak. To Gwen, the temperature was very tepid. It was clear that the Parker's were behind on their water bill. Her arms wrapped around her to feel any warmth, adding to the feeling of everything closing around her. While she was grateful to May for welcoming her into her home, it didn't remedy the other problems she was facing. She felt alone, thinking that she would have to face the world on her own, and everyone would look at her with sympathy for the rest of her life. She feared that she would be remembered as the dead police captain's daughter. And while that may be true, she hoped that it wouldn't turn out that way.

She worried that she would lose her two closest friends in Harry and Peter. There were clear reasons why she worried about Harry, but Peter's circumstances were starting to question herself. Would Peter want nothing to do with her after all this? Surely someone as kind as Peter doesn't want to deal with all this drama. She thought.

The uncomfortable shower time prevented her from lingering on these thoughts and rushed to dry off with a warm towel. As soon as she was dry enough, she dressed in some clothes that she grabbed quickly before entering the shower. Looking in the mirror, she recognized the shirt from her trip to Niagara Falls with her father a couple years before. A smile formed as the memories from the trip filled her brain. His face looking back at her with such wonder and pride came back, and the happy memory brought a tear to her eye.

Downstairs, Peter was sitting on the couch in the living room. He just stares ahead of him, contemplating the status of his life. Captain Stacy is dead. Mysterio is gone. Spider-Man is New York's most wanted. Harry is likely to never speak to you again. And because of me, Gwen is alone. Way to go, Parker. You've officially out done yourself.

Soon enough, May comes into the living room, hoping to watch the newest episode of "The Big Bang Theory." As soon as the episode starts, Peter becomes distracted by the science chatter. He asks what the show is about, and May explains.

"It's quite funny," she remarks. Peter is astonished that she would watch anything involving science, math, or pop culture. "Well," she responds, "you wouldn't know if you weren't so busy." Peter had to agree, and silently continued to watch.

"Why don't you invite Gwen to join us?"

Peter considers it for a moment, but disagrees. "I doubt comedy is a priority for her at the moment," he says.

May turns to him, slightly irked. "It's not about the comedy, Peter. How do you think we got through losing Ben?"

Peter considered that perspective, and remembered that he and May relied on each other during the first couple weeks after Ben's death. He felt guilty now. Gwen was upstairs all alone, thanks to him for many reasons. So what was he doing sitting there thinking badly about himself?

After checking the guest room, Peter swore he heard a sniff from behind the bathroom door. He knocked lightly, hoping not to startle Gwen. He whispered her name, and asked to enter. She said it was open, and Peter let himself in.

Gwen was on the floor. She looked cold. Her hair was still wet and all she had on was a pair of gray sweatpants and a maroon shirt that was stained with her tears. She looked up, unintentionally giving a sad frown that made her sob again.

Peter entered and sat next to her. He reached around her and Gwen fell into the crook of his shoulder. His other arm came around her.

"I stained his shirt," she muttered against him. "He loved the shirt."

Peter hugged her tighter. "It's okay."

They sat there a bit, and at one point May thought they wouldn't come down. And they almost didn't, but Peter convinced her to, and they all had a nice quiet evening together.