Him & I

Part 2

*One Month Later*
Laura woke up again screaming from another nightmare that she was unaware was fake. They were cutting her open like a frog and had her connected to multiple tubes. Blood had a greenish tint to it from the chemicals they were pumping in her body. She felt everything. What was more terrifying was the sight she woke up to. Torn sheets and a pillow completely shredded. She looked at her trembling hands and started crying. Peter came in and held her. Laura cried as her body numbed from the painful memory. She was so numb that she couldn't even feel Peter holding her.

"Why?" She sobbed.

"Why what?" Peter whispered.

"Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep trying to help me?" She looked him dead in the eyes. It hurt him to see that even in her eyes, she's a shell.

"Because I believe that you're still so much more than what you think." He said truthfully.

"That's where you're completely wrong Peter Parker." Laura whispered. Peter didn't argue back. There was only one thing was on his mind that he felt if he kept it bottled up it's be too late.

"Laura," he paused. "The truth is, I still love you. That's why I'm doing this. The second truth is because I do genuinely believe in you." He said looking out the window of her room.

Ironically it was his room from when this building was the academy. But he didn't expect her to remember it let alone the great memories they shared in here. It hurt his hopeful heart knowing that she may not remember it. Or even remember the great memories they shared.

"Why do you still love me? I'm nothing now." Laura asked dryly.

There's no way that he can love her when she can't love him back. The Laura he loves has been gone for a long time. She can't come back even if she tried. And she's tried for the past month. But that Laura is dead now. Not only is she no longer a child that used to know what love was, but at any given and wrong moment, she can't trust that she won't turn into the beast she's scared of. The beast they will be scared of. The Laura he thinks he loves now is a broken glass that was shattered and ground into a fine power. She's just a person that will break his heart in the end.

"All because you think you're nothing doesn't mean you are. I know it seems pointless to try to help you become someone again but please, please give me a chance." He leaned his forehead on the side of her head.

She thought about it for quite a while. Laura would be lying if she didn't have a tiny flicker of hope in her from his words. But was it a false sense of security? Last time she changed, she ended up an anti-humanity weapon of destruction. The real question was, can she hope for a new life? But who's to say it'll actually work? Deep down Laura knew she couldn't live like this. Not if she wanted to survive. Again, did she want to live? Was she just secretly spiraling into her demise? Eventually she made a decision.

"Ok." She whispered.

"You'll allow to me try?" Peter asked with so much hope.

"Yes. I can't live like this and deep down I don't want to find the answer if I do want to live like this." A few more tears fell that Peter instinctively wiped away.

Laura gave him a weak smile. Was he her savior? Her hero? The one who's meant to help put all of her peaces that are left, back together. This is survival mode now. It's this, five minutes of hell and then a road to recovery, or burning in pain till she's only ashes. She needs to find a way to survive because there's no way anyone could ever survive living like this. He may just be her only hope. For once she's wanting physical comfort.

"Peter?" She looked up at those brown eyes and remembered loving them so much it hurt. She's remembering. Now she sees them and feels a different kind of pain.

"Yeah?" He whispered.

Laura's eyes started to fill with tears. His willingness to provide for her showed in his expressions from head to toe. The look in his eyes. His facial expression. The way he loosened up, knowing that she needs him. That love that though she can't feel that same emotion, will be there if she just tries hard enough. Oh what it would be like to love like that again. The memories slowly trickled into her conscience. Hoe he made her smile like a love struck teen from a cheesy romcom. She felt like her vulnerable 9 year old self. She felt scared and hopeless.

"Help me." She whimpered out.

He kissed her head and held her close, intertwining their hands. Feeling fresh tears fall onto his skin. It took everything in him not to cry. Though he was strong enough to handle her, he couldn't bare to see her in this much pain. This also angered him and made him want revenge. Not a healthy mindset but it can be worked on tomorrow, he supposed.

"I will, I promise." He said. It's all he could say without pouring every emotion he was feeling out onto Laura. She was not ready for that strop yet. It was definitely too soon. So he swallowed it up and kept his focus on her. Comforting her. Making sure that she was safe. That she did not leave his arms at this moment in time. Better yet, maybe even fall asleep there. As long as she's safe. As long as he can hold her in his arms and whisper to himself, "She's mine again. My Laura." Though it'd be a pipe dream for now. All she could think at this point was "It's just him and I."