The Amazing Spider-Man 3

Chapter 4

"Aunt May...I can explain," I said.

"I'm not sure you need to," she said. "It all makes sense now...the meatloaf, you disappearing all day and returning hurt, the blue and red laundry, Spider-Man 'disappearing' after Gwen's accident. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry," I replied.

"You didn't want me to worry?" She rubbed her forehead. "I worried more not knowing than I would have of I'd known."

"Are you sure? I just didn't know how you would take it, knowing I go out and risk my life on a daily basis."

"Not very well, that's for sure. I just don't know...how could you keep something like this from me?" I looked down at my feet. "Peter, how did this happen? How are you able to do all of this?" I sighed, then walked up to her.

"That night I came home late, the night with the meatloaf, I had been to Oscorp," I began.

"Oscorp? You went there after your father..."

"I wanted to find out what he was hiding, and why he disappeared. In his briefcase, I found a file. It was labeled with two red zeros, crossed out. Inside was an equation: the Decay Rate Algorithm.

"So, I snuck into Oscorp as an intern. Apparently, Gwen worked there. I finally managed to break away from the group, following a man who carried a file labeled with the same two red zeros. He went into a room, and after he left, I snuck in.

"I was looking around, and that's when I was bitten by one of Dad's spiders. It worked, and now I've gained strange powers."

"And that's why you were acting so strange?" Aunt May sat on my bed, and I sat beside her.

"Yes. But I didn't realize what had happened yet. Later, I went to Curt Connor's house..."

"You went to his house?" Aunt May gasped.

"And I gave him the Decay Rate Algorithm. The problem was, we didn't realize that the equation was unbalanced. I went back to Oscorp, and we started testing.

"Then I forgot to pick you up. I got mad and ran off. Uncle Ben followed me, but I climbed a pole so he wouldn't find me. After that, I went to a grocery store to buy some milk, and I was short two pennies, so the grocer wouldn't let me buy it. The next guy in line robbed him and ran off.

"The grocer asked for help, but I said no, since he was rude to me like that. Then Uncle Ben did the right thing, and he was punished, when it was all my fault."

Tears had formed in Aunt May's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I should have helped anyway..."

"Peter, stop blaming yourself. You did make a mistake, but it wasn't your fault. If you hadn't have been at the store at all, it still would have happened..." Aunt May's voice shook with the last several words.

"But I could have stopped him."

We stayed silent for a minute.

"Keep going," Aunt May said softly.

"So I decided to seek revenge. I went searching for Uncle Ben's killer. And then everyone was calling me a vigilante, so I became Spider-Man.

"Meanwhile, Dr. Connors used the serum on himself, and, since the equation was unbalanced, he ended up transforming himself into a giant lizard. And, of course, that was my fault as well, since I had given him the equation that Dad had kept a secret. So, I went after him. Captain Stacy died, and he told me to stay away from Gwen, to keep her safe.

"I want to stay away from her, but I love her too much. I want to keep her safe. Then she almost died because of me. She insisted to help. I tried to hold her back, but she still came. Then she had her accident, and I just can't be with her.

"I've had more supervillians to fight, and Gwen and I have struggled with our relationship. And Dad ran away with the research because it was being used as a weapon. He didn't want to leave, but he would have endangered his family if he didn't. And he left me.  I guess we're kinda alike, letting the ones we love go to keep them safe...

"I never told you because I didn't want to endanger you.  If you didn't know, no one else would.  That way you would be safe.

"So yeah, I'm Spider-Man, Aunt May. I'm Spider-Man."

Aunt May stared at me in shock, then pulled me in close for a hug. "When you said you were cleaning the chimney, you were saving civilians from that fire, weren't you?" I nodded. "Were you really naked?"

I laughed. "No. I was hiding this suit." Aunt May smiled a little, then stroked my cheek.

"I knew you were a good person, Peter. I just didn't realize you were a vigilante."