This is taking too long.

Acting as a second set of eyes meant being away from the chaos on Queensboro Bridge and hiding in the abandoned hospital a short distance away. It would end up going to that location anyways, regardless of what Peter did. At this point, Keira just wanted the whole affair to be done with so they could go home.

I shouldn't even be here.

She had thought about leaving Sophia with her mother, but Keira knew that would raise a lot of questions regardless of the excuse she came up with.

"You have a three month old baby, you shouldn't be focused on anything other than that, no matter what you think you're doing!" She could almost hear her mother say. So, Keira left her with Harry, giving a vague reason for her departure.

Does that make me a bad mother?

She promised Harry that she would be back in a few hours at most. She wrote him instructions, telling him to at least try to stay awake until she got home. Milk was in the fridge that just needed to be heated up, diapers in the cabinet in her room, call May if he needed anything.

Once this is over, we can all live normally.

At least, that's how she justified this to herself. How else could she justify letting Peter die? God, when she thought about it like that, she knew it sounded awful.

God, this is boring.

She didn't need to be a second set of eyes, really. What was going on was between Peter, Norman, and Mary Jane.  Besides, if something went south, she had an escape plan. The extra glider weighed her feet down and the boots could have been a little bit more comfortable, but she wasn't in a position to be choosy. It was a fast escape in case she needed to leave before the police arrived or whoever.

Right, because you're a criminal.

God, if Harry ever found out about this, or worse, Sophia, it would all be over. She'd be lucky if they ever wanted to see her again. That is, if she and Norman didn't go to prison first. Neither of them were suited for prison. The kids couldn't live normal lives having their last name.

Then no one had better find out.

Keira gently cruised away from the windows and aimlessly weaved between the crumbling walls and wood structures. She had long ago learned to drown out the screams she heard, not just the ones from tonight. If she didn't hear screaming, then nothing was wrong.

God, you're so pathetic.

She found a small chunk of wall hidden behind a larger wall that looked one push away from tipping. She touched down and sat behind the smaller wall, her back to it and the windows. If something didn't happen soon, she'd just go home.

Back to my room with my daughter, son, and husband in my house.

As it turns out, something did happen. A loud crash came from nearby around where she had been a few minutes ago. She heard a cry that sounded like Peter's come with it. Then, a small explosion followed by another, louder crash. Peter screamed again.

Oh, so now you hear the sound of someone in pain?

A voice that sounded like Norman's followed, but she couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Norman's glider land on a ledge. She knew what it was there for.

I'm throwing that in the river after this; no sense in tying a murder weapon back to us.

They started smacking each other around, but Keira could tell Norman was getting more hits in; she knew what the material of his suit sounded like when hit. She could hear Peter running out of breath an energy. They were right behind her.

Just get it over with. Leave us alone.

"You've spun your last web, Spider-Man. Had you not been so selfish, your little girlfriend's death would have been quick and painless. But now that you've really pissed me off l'm gonna finish her nice and slow. MJ and I... we're gonna have a hell of a time." She heard Norman say. Her heart began racing.

Finish it, just let it end.

Unlike what she was expecting, she heard Norman grunt before the large wall behind her began to tip. Not on her, but it landed square onto Norman.

Oh please God no.

She heard him struggle to get up, but him getting up was a relief in and of itself. Keira heard Peter throw him to a wall on the other side of what was left of the room. She heard punches, not daring to look and reveal herself.

That, and you don't want to see Norman hurt.

"Peter, stop! It's me!"

What the hell are you doing??

"Mr. Osborn?" Peter asked, shocked.

"Peter, thank God for you."

"You killed those people on the balcony."

"The Goblin killed them, I had nothing to do with it! Don't let him take me again! I beg you, protect me."

Ah, a false sense of security... clever.

"You tried to kill Aunt May, you tried to kill Mary Jane..."

"But not you. I tried to stop it. But I couldn't stop it. I would never hurt you. I knew from the beginning if anything ever happened to me, it was you I could count on. You, Peter Parker, would save me, and so you have. Thank God for you. Give me your hand. Believe in me as I believed in you. I've been like a father to you. Be a son to me now."

Good, good almost there... what the hell am I even thinking??

"I have a father. His name was Ben Parker."

See? You never meant anything to him. Once he's gone you don't have to worry anymore.

"Godspeed, Spider-Man."

Keira saw the glider extend it's blades and lurch forward. She screwed her eyes shut, just waiting for it to be over with. She heard it make contact and a scream of pain.

That's not Peter.

Her heart skipped several beats it seemed. She heard Norman mutter something, but she couldn't make it out. Finally, she peeked out from on top of the small wall.

No.

What she saw sent her into a wave of nausea. The glider hadn't even gotten near Peter. Instead, there Norman was, impaled by the glider's blades and slumped over. Her eyes watered as she looked at the sight, no matter how much she wanted to look away. She couldn't.

No.

And Peter... Peter... he stood there with his hands on the glider... pushing it further in...

No.

Finally, she shrieked and jumped over the debris she hid behind. Peter jumped at hearing her, turning around just as she got close.

This isn't real.

"Mrs. Osborn? What are you--"

"What have you done??" She cried, forcefully shoving him to the ground. Even if she didn't have the Serum in her system, it wouldn't have made a difference. She ripped the glider away, catching Norman's limp body before it hit the ground.

No, no, no...

Keira sat down, cradling Norman's body in her arms with her lip wobbling and her eyes filling with tears. Once she pulled a hand away and saw it was covered in blood, she let out a strangled sob, crying into the damaged chest plate.

NO!

Peter watched her for a moment, her screams echoing around the crumbling walls. When he said her name again, she looked up with puffy eyes and a soaked, red face.

He did this.

"You..."

"Mrs. Osborn, I'm sorry, I--"

"You did this!! You killed him! It should have been you, you fucking waste of human life!! You are the menace they say you are, you... you..." She shrieked.

"No, you don't understand, I--" Peter tried to defend.

"Oh, I understand plenty, Parker." Keira hissed, her voice a low growl from crying. "We just wanted to live in peace without you fucking everything up! Because of you, my daughter has to grow up without her father! The Goblin was right, you did destroy everything! You've ruined everything! You killed my husband! It's all your fault!!"

Peter knew better than to reply. Keira continued to let out choked sobs, heaving for breaths. Once she got her voice back, she didn't even bother to look at him. Norman's motionless body already summoned enough rage.

It's all his fault. He deserves to suffer.

"Someday... someday you're going to regret this." She snarled, her voice eerily familiarly distorted. "Someday, Parker, you're going to regret putting on that suit and messing with my family. I will rain down every agony to make you suffer in ways you can't even fathom until you're begging me for death. You won't know when, but you will know my pain tenfold. I will destroy you and everything you love. Aunt May... Mary Jane... I will make your life a living hell."

Of all the threats Peter had ever received, this was the first that truly made his skin crawl. This wasn't just an adversary on the streets or someone he had tangoed with on a few accounts. Keira Osborn had been wronged in a way no one ever should be and she was determined to make him pay for it.

"Go." She hissed. When Peter didn't move, she finally jerked her head in his direction, the rage of a thousand demons in her eyes. "I SAID GO!!"

With no other choice, Peter inclined his head and swung away into the night. Keira watched him go, still cradling Norman's body in her arms. She brushed some of the stray hairs out of his eyes before shutting them with her hand. Ignoring the blood, Keira gently kissed him one last time before resuming her sobs into his chest, much softer this time.

I'm alone. It's just me here, all alone.

***

Harry was just barely nineteen. He had no idea how to take care of a baby. For what felt like the hundredth time that night (really just the third), he gently set Sophia back down into her crib after getting her to sleep. He let out an exhausted sigh, resting his arm on the edge of the crib and his head on his arm. If this is what his parents had to do all night every night, he was wildly impressed. If he could apologize to his dad once he got home for having to deal with him as a baby, he would.

Harry left his sister's room and shut the door just as he heard a noise come from his father's study. At first choosing to ignore it, he shrugged and headed back down the stairs to maybe down another cup of coffee. Before he could even reach the first step, Harry heard another noise, this time sounding much more human as opposed to a thump. More specifically like a poor attempt at holding back a sob.

Now curious and a little worried, Harry knocked on the shut door of the study.

"Harry?" It sounded like Keira, her voice incredibly hoarse.

"Mom? Is everything okay? I didn't realize you were--" Harry was cut off once Keira opened the door. She sure didn't look alright. "--back. Are you okay? What happened?"

Keira took a moment before giving a response. She pulled him into a crushing hug, Harry feeling his shoulder get wet from her tears.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry..."

"What? What happened?"

"It's... it's your father, Harry, he..." She couldn't conjure up the word. Panicked, Harry pushed past Keira into the study. His eyes fell on his father's body lying on the lounge seat. His jaw fell open, realizing what he was looking at. Harry rushed to his father's side, instinctively checking for a pulse.

"Oh my god... Mom, what...?" Harry asked, his voice quivering once he realized there was no pulse. Keira slunk inside, kneeling down next to Harry.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." She said.

"What happened? Who did this?" Harry asked, now frantic with tears trailing down his face. Keira's face hardened.

"Spider-Man. Spider-Man killed your father." She said in a low tone. "What's more, I know who he is."

"Spider-Man? He did this? Why?"

Keira sighed, knowing better than to lie. What was the point?

"Harry, you need to listen to and believe me. There was a lab accident several months ago. One of the human subjects went insane and took our equipment, terrorizing the city..."

"What are you telling me?"

"It was Norman. He was the Green Goblin. It wasn't something he could control and we tried to fix it, but..."

Harry's eyes were wide. It seemed like he was trying to form sentences but no sound came out.

"Dad...?"

"Yes. Harry, you can't blame him. It was an accident and he had no control over what he was doing. Everything he did, he did it to protect us. We were always the priority. He would never have hurt any of us, but those who would, he dealt with. It wasn't pretty or exactly moral but..."

"I get it."

"You do?" Keira looked at Harry with a mix of shock and relief.

"I'm not exactly... happy about it, but... I believe what you're saying, Mom." Harry's face shifted slightly. "And Spider-Man was the one who killed him. For protecting us?"

"Yes."

"Who is he?"

Keira let out a sigh and took Harry's hand.

"It's Peter."

If Keira thought Harry had been shocked by the previous information, it was nothing like his expression now. Completely dumbstruck and in disbelief.

"No... Pete? You're... you're kidding. That's not true."

"It is. Harry, I would never lie to you about something like this. Think about it."

Harry paused for a moment, suddenly understanding. Why Peter was late for work so often, why he was out late, why he had been acting so strange...

"Peter killed my father." Harry said, staring at Norman's body with a stone expression.

"I know it's hard to take in and he's your friend, but-" Keira started, but Harry cut her off.

"He killed my father. We can't let that stand. Friend or not, he has to pay." He said, still not meeting her gaze.

"He will, kiddo. One day soon, Peter Parker will pay. I promise." Keira said. Harry looked at her before falling into his mother's arms, allowing himself to finally cry. Suddenly sent back to many years ago when Harry would seek her out for comfort after a nightmare, she rocked him back and forth while stroking his hair gently.

Except this time, this wasn't a nightmare they could wake up from.

***

The funeral was a quiet affair with only a handful of people in attendance. Keira held Sophia in her arms with a numb expression throughout most of it. She thought about letting her mother take care of the baby after she had offered to do so, but Keira declined. She had been vague with the details, no more vague than what the papers had printed, but her mother was there for her. Sympathized with her. And even if her mother was hesitant to believe it, she eventually understood that Spider-Man was the problem.

His identity was a secret Keira shared with Harry alone, however.

Peter was in attendance as well, sat next to Mary Jane and Aunt May. They barely made eye contact, but when they did, Keira stared daggers that could pierce even the hardest of man's soul. No one was any the wiser, but they still refused to talk to each other during the entire thing.

Harry still accepted Peter's sympathy hug.

Keira had been very clear when she told Harry he had to pretend like he had no idea, that nothing was wrong between them. Once the time was right, then they would make moves.

Now was not that time.

Keira stared at the casket with a blank expression as people began to leave, giving her last words of condolences. Harry stood next to her, watching the flowers shutter in the wind. A few stray tears leaked down.

"We will make this right. You will not have died in vain. I promise you, Parker will pay." Keira said lowly, barely loud enough for Harry to hear. Gathering up what little they had left, she and Harry walked back to the car and sat inside with the squirming Sophia.

Keira looked at the hilltop one more time as they were driven away.