Spider-Gwen 2 || Hanging by a Thread

Proud || George Stacy

"There's a light that shines wherever you go"

-My Father's Daughter, Olivia Vedder

"GWEN!!"

It was like nothing George Stacy had ever seen before... and it was something he hoped he'd never see again. A wall of electricity surged outwards from Spider-Man as he dispersed the energy of the miniature sun, immediately enveloping Gwen as she landed behind him. 

He was left to do nothing but watch helplessly as Gwen was yanked from the ground, the high voltage making her skin translucent and making his daughter's skeleton appear in brief flashes, the horrifying scene making George scream all the louder as she finally hit the ground, rolling for a few feet before coming to a stop as smoke curled off her form.

George raced over, nothing else in the world existing except his little girl as he reached her, falling to his knees and holding her face. "Gwen...?"

There was no movement. No breathing, not even a pulse.

George's brain threw out possibilities as fast as it could to protect him-you're hyped on adrenaline and can't feel her pulse, the suit she's wearing makes it harder to detect a heartbeat... 

"H-hey, kiddo..." He choked out, knowing that she'd gotten a bit too old for that term of endearment but not able to think straight as he turned her face towards him again. "...Breathe, Gwen. Breathe, breathe, breathe..." George's composure unraveled as his insistence turned to begging, none of it enough to get her to respond.

"Gwen!!" George cried out, staring into the half-masked, lifeless face of his daughter. "Gwen, no!! Please, Gwen, breathe!"

"Breathe!!"

"Breathe in... breathe out..."

George Stacy's attention hadn't once wavered during this whole session. He watched as his seven-year-old daughter inhaled and exhaled as her gymnastics instructor advised, doing a different pose with each breath.

"Do you think she stands out too much?" The voice to his left asked. George glanced over at his wife, who was watching with similar pride in her eyes, but had a slight bit of reluctance.

"Stands out?" George chuckled. "Isn't it a good thing if she's standing out-?"

"No, no, not like that..." Helen Stacy corrected herself, still watching their little girl as she executed a twirl. "...I just meant the outfit."

A smile crept onto George's features. It was true, Gwen was the only one in her class with a mint-green ballet outfit. All of the children around her were wearing more plain shades for their outfits, and it made Gwen stick out like a sore thumb. "I like it.... and I know that she does, too." He told Helen. "That color is kind of a mother-daughter thing at this point, isn't it?"

The comment made Helen sigh, the concern dissipating as she smiled at her husband. Helen had always been a big fan of the color, and ever since Gwen was a baby, she'd been buying clothes or toys that were mint green. Luckily, Gwen had become fond of the color herself, as evidenced by the absolute confidence she radiated in her outfit.

"Okay, everyone! Let's take a break for a few minutes, go find your parents and they should have brought a snack for you..."

The instructor's words made George tense up. "A snack??" He whispered-shouted to Helen, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't worry about it, mon capitaine." Helen chuckled, dropping a bit of the language she'd grown up speaking as she dug into her purse. "Se souvenir des choses est la raison d'être des mères." She added, a grin on her face as she teased her husband in a language she knew he wouldn't understand.