Saving Grace

Forty Nine

Peter Parker hasn't talked to Grace Stark in two months.

That's partly on him, though; he won't call her — or even just text her. He doesn't know what to say. And, anyway, he's not even sure if she wants to talk to him.

Happy certainly doesn't. Peter's called him a hundred times and he's never answered, forcing Peter to just leave him voicemails. Tony hasn't called, either, and Peter is definitely not calling him. You don't call Tony Stark — Tony Stark calls you.

He doesn't know if Grace is the same way, though. If she isn't — if she's the exact opposite — that could be why she hasn't called him. But if she is, then she just doesn't want to talk to him. Which, if that's true, then why?

There was something between them in Berlin. Peter felt it. Things happened between them in Berlin — not big things, like a kiss or something, but still.

He comforted her at the airport battle, and they talked for what felt like hours in his hotel room. And then there was the plane.

He'd never gotten close to a girl like that before. He's never felt this way about a girl before. Liz Allan, the girl he and his friend Ned used to stare at all the time, was a mere infatuation. Peter realized that now.

Looking back, he realized that in that hotel room, when he asked her what her favorite book was and her insanely blue eyes lit up in excitement.

But he can't text her. Because he doesn't know what to say.

He sighs, settling for rewatching his video diary instead.

On his laptop screen, the words, 'a Film by Peter Parker,' appear, then fade out as a shot of New York out of a car window fades in.

"New York," Peter hears his deep narrater voice saying. "Queens. It's a rough borough, but, hey, it's home."

"Who are you talking to?" Happy suddenly asks from the front seat. The camera immediately jerks over to him.

"No one," Peter's voice replies. "Just making a little video of the trip."

"You know you can't show it to anyone," Happy says. It makes Present Peter remember that, at one point, he actually considered showing it to Grace, but then realized he looked like a dork in the whole thing.

"Yeah, I know," Peter's voice replies.

"Then why are you narrating in that voice?" Happy asks.

"Uh... Because it's fun."

"Fun." Happy puts on his sunglasses.

"So, uh, why do they call you Happy?"

Happy presses a button on the rear view mirror, causing a partition to go up between the front and back seats. Peter can see his past self reflected in it. He remembers that Grace texted him at that moment, so he had to stop the video to read it.

The scene cuts to Happy walking towards a plane. Peter, of course, is behind the camera.

"Come on. I'm not carrying your bags," Happy says. "Let's go."

"Hey, should I go to the bathroom before?" Peter's voice asks.

"There's a bathroom on it."

It cuts to inside the plane, a shot of the cockpit. Peter's voice is amazed. "Woah. No pilot? That's awesome."

Then, he sits down directly in front of Happy, who raises a brow at him. "Is that where you're gonna sit?"

"Yeah," Peter's voice replies.