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Nellie's eyelids fluttered open, cold droplets caught in her eyelashes. Her body was suspended in air, the wind nipping at her exposed skin like sharp glass. The world around her was blurry, but her eyes soon adjusted, pretty lights and the night sky clear above her. She was unsure if she was even awake, her body aching and shivering. Her soaked dress clung to her like a second skin. There was a bitter, coppery taste on her tongue. Blood.

She felt completely disoriented, but the bridge coming into view above her struck something in her mind. She remembered the color red, like a rose. She could envision blue, like the ocean. She recalled white light, like the kind that poured into her childhood bedroom on Sunday mornings.

Nellie realized she was being lifted, a force pulling her by her waist. She tried lifting her head, but she saw white spots and leaned back again, her body dangling from whatever it was hoisting her up and away from the frigid water below.

Peter. Tony. MJ. Ned. Those that she'd grown to care so much about came to mind. Her eyes focused on the sparkling stars like freckles across the sky. She smiled.

Peter. Negative. The fight. She fell. She was submerged. Fear. The cold. She frowned.

Everything came flooding back in, and she gasped for air. Peter came into view, his mask now no longer covering his face. She could see the speck of gold in his brown eyes. She could see the relief on his face upon realizing she was looking at him.

His webbing was holding her right at her belly-button, and soon, she was high enough that he reached down and grabbed ahold of her with his hands. A tear glistened in his eyes and he laid her onto the safety of the bridge.

Peter held Nellie's head against his chest as she heard a sob escape his body. She was shaking from the cold, but his arms and chest offered her warmth and comfort.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Peter repeated over and over again, his hand clutching the side of her face.

Nellie still felt foggy, but the fear she had once held had not yet returned. She leaned into him as she trembled, her hand reaching to feel her locket, but it was no longer around her neck. She remembered it falling just before she did. She didn't feel as whole without it.

"Peter, my locket." She croaked out, blood falling from her lip onto his arm.

Peter chuckled, yet still tears fell from his eyes, "I'll get you another, Nells. Don't you worry. There are plenty of lockets out there, but there is only one Nellie Jenkins."

He looked down at her and wiped the blood off of her lip with his gloved hand. Nellie could hear his heart pounding as her ear was pressed against his chest. She let out a relieved sigh, her eyes closing. In his arms, she felt safer than she ever had before.

"How you doin', kid? Ready to go home?" A familiar voice caused Nellie to open her eyes and she was met with a warm smile from Tony Stark.

Home. Her body stopped shaking at the thought. She felt warmer. Tonight hadn't turned out the way she'd anticipated, but she was going to her new home, where she would never have to worry about being hurt again.

"Where, where is he?" Her eyes scanned the surrounding area, but Negative was no where to be seen.

"He's being handled. I'd heard about him before―well, the person he used to be before that shit gang turned him into a lightning rod," Tony shrugged, kneeling down to where Peter and Nellie sat on the ground. "I wonder what would happen if he stuck his finger in a socket. . ."

"Don't kill him," Nellie spoke up, her body sore and making it hurt to exert any energy to move.

Tony narrowed his eyes, "He tried to kill you, Nellie―"

Peter shook his head, "I actually don't think he was going to."

Tony wet his lips, "Peter, your girlfriend looks like a wet dog right now because that asshole dumped her over the bridge."

Nellie, for one of the first times all night, let out a small laugh. Tony always cracked her up, even if his jokes were about her current appearance. He was probably right.

"I don't think his intention was to truly let go of her in that moment. We were fighting, and it just happened. My webs didn't reach her until she was so close to the water, but Negative stopped fighting me the minute I leaned over the railing and tried to catch her. It was as if he was letting me save her," Peter explained, his voice hoarse.

Tony nodded, looking puzzled. "Alright, well don't get your panties in a wad, kiddos. Iron Man doesn't kill anybody―usually. I've got him on lock down; next time Fury's ass comes around Negative will be his problem. I'm done with the battles for right now. It's time for me to suit up for what really matters. . ." His dark brown eyes found Nellie's, and he smiled genuinely. "Let's get you home, Nellie."

Nellie had never felt so many emotions in one night. She had seen with her own eyes what betrayal and lack of love could do to someone―Negative was a lost, tortured soul. She hoped one day, despite how close she was to death because of his actions, that he might find himself again. She could tell he did not want to be the villain the Maggia had turned him into.

She also felt grateful. She was grateful to Tony and Pepper, for offering her the chance to be a part of a family again. She was grateful to her friends, MJ and Ned, who had sent her about a hundred texts combined worried about where she had disappeared to at Homecoming.

And most of all, she was thankful for Peter Parker, for showing her a stronger love than her own flesh and blood or foster homes ever had. And, he'd saved her life, in more ways than one.

Once Nellie had gotten to one of Mr. Stark's many residences, he had a private doctor check her out. She was given some strong painkillers, but aside from the busted lip and some bruising, she was alright. Peter's web had reached her in just the knick of time, easing her impact with the water.

"Peter," she called out, his figure barely visible through a crack in the door as he spoke out in the hall with Tony and Pepper.

Her eyes wandered around the bedroom, the walls painted a soft lilac color. Beautiful, original art from over the last century was hung around the room. Her bedspread was soft as silk, but fluffy and warm. She still felt chilled from the icy waters, and did her best to keep her mind off of it.

Peter poked through the door, shutting it behind him, "Hey." He smiled, approaching her where she sat tucked away in bed.

Her hair was damp now from a hot shower, and her Homecoming dress was pretty much destroyed, draped across a chair in the room. Peter had offered her the t-shirt he'd worn underneath his button up earlier in the night, a white cotton material with the NASA logo on it. She could smell him on it, and it comforted her to know that even though he'd be leaving soon, she'd have a piece of him with her despite that the locket he'd gifted her was somewhere submerged underneath the Queensboro Bridge.

"Hi," she smiled back at him, sitting up against the headboard. "I wanted to thank you―"

Peter shook his head and his thumb rested on her chin, his other fingers lifting her face towards his. Their lips met and she smiled into the kiss, his other hand gently pushing her damp locks away from her face. That was when she realized, that it wasn't this mansion that would be her home, or any of the other dozen houses Tony Stark owned. Her home was within the people she loved―Peter being the one she loved the most.

His soft lips released hers and he pulled back, but rested his forehead against hers. She was breathless, and in awe, just looking at him. She could see the fear from the events that happened on the bridge still present in his eyes.

"I thought I lost you, Nells." He admitted, his jaw clenching.

Her fingertips trailed down the side of his face, her pointer finger crossing his bottom lip, "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

He nodded, pressing his lips against hers once more. This time, she could taste the salt of a tear on him.

"Oh," Peter pulled back again, and reached into his jean's pocket, "I found this for you."

Nellie looked as his hand retrieved something from his pocket; he held out his hand, his fingers folded over something.

"What is it?" Nellie questioned, a smile gracing her face.

She reached down and unfolded his fingers, revealing a tiny Forget-Me-Not flower, the same shade of blue as the petal in the locket he'd given her.

"Where on earth did you find a Forget-Me-Not flower between here and the Queensboro Bridge?" She grinned, cocking her head sideways.

Peter shrugged, "I may or may not have plucked it from someone's front porch flower pot, but―"

Nellie shook her head, giggling as she pushed Peter gently. He caught her hands in his and intertwined their fingers. She felt her heart thump in her chest, and suddenly she felt nervous around him again, like he did in the beginning.

"I think I am in love with you," She whispered breathlessly, her hands shaking as he held onto them.

Peter smiled, his dimples showing and eyes almost sparkling.

"I know I am in love with you, Nellie Jenkins."

Nellie could feel the small flower enclosed in her fist, a reminder that no matter what happened, she would always carry Peter in her heart. She would never forget him―her first love and her saving grace.

For the first time in her life, Nellie could finally say that she had found a home, and it wasn't a place with a roof and four walls―it was within an incredible boy named Peter Parker.