"You doing okay?" I ask Peter and take his hand as New Asgard fades in the distance. All I get from him is a nod in reply; and I don't blame him, I know it's different for him. This is the beginning of when things really begin to change. Because from here on out, there's hardly any proper beds, decent food, or any sleep. It's all staring over your shoulder and pushing down the paranoia and anxiety. "Are you missing your hair yet?" I tease in the hopes of lightening the mood.

It earns a light chuckle out of him as he runs a hand through his now short hair. "A little bit? What about you?"

"I did the first time I had to cut it." I sigh and fiddle with the ends of my hair. "Then it reminded me a lot of Nat, and I didn't mind so much. Plus, it's hair—it's gonna grow back. But if I'm being honest, I really miss your curls."

Peter laughs, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're gonna miss them more than I am."

"I guess, we'll both be dealing with an adjustment period." I sigh and fiddle with my hands. "It's not too late, you know. Fury's clearing your name, and Mysterio certainly won't ever be a problem again. And before you get upset with me, it's only going to get infinitely worse from here."

"Lia, I know. You've given me the run-down. Rarely sleeping, constantly on alert, horrible food, and always moving forward." I avoid looking at him and fiddle with the bright red ends of my hair. "We've talked about this, and nothing will change my mind about it. Now or ever."

"I know, but I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't warn you at least one more time." I lean back and close my eyes for a second just to enjoy the sunlight on my face.

"So—" Peter draws out the word, "—you never really told me about your new powers. I mean, if it's because you're not comfortable talking about it, that's fine. It's just, we—we have to sit here, and I'm curious."

"Love, take a breath." I lift my head and smile at him. "I never really brought them up because—because I'm still trying to figure them out."

"How did you even discover them—beyond the supernovas—I mean."

"You remember that letter I found—the one from my grandfather? I found out that during the Blip, Trish talked to and recorded everything my Gran could tell her about her life." I sigh and try to think over how to phrase all of it. "So while I was gone, I started branching out—trying to work with the energy of more than just shadows. I figured out, I can channel the same energy that builds into supernovas into other things." Peter's eyes go wide as I hide myself from his sight. "I have a few more tricks, but with everything that happened with Mysterio, I don't think should give a demo."

"I appreciate that." Peter breathes, and I can see he's already fighting off a panic attack. "Anything else?"

"A few things, but they're not that different from what I do with shadows." I shrug. "The main tricks are manipulating what people see. It's helped me slip out of a few sticky situations."

"Have you—have you ever done that to me?" I look down at my hands in shame. "Wait, really? Wh-when?"

"Before—before Mysterio showed up, back in Venice." My fingers fiddle with the glass necklace resting against Dad's. "I hadn't seen you in months, and when I saw that your were coming to Europe, I—I just wanted to see you—even if it was just for a second. So I went to Venice. ARTI thought he was being clever and had us at the same hotel, but I was careful. The only time you got close was-was, um, when you went to the glass shop."

"You were—you were there the whole time?"

"Yeah, I was." My chest grows tighter as tears brim in my eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't do enough—that I couldn't stop Mysterio before he started. I was scared, and I knew I couldn't talk to you without putting us both at risk. But I should've—I should've just given you the drone part myself and stopped it all before it got too bad."

There's a moment of quiet between us before Peter moves to sit next to me. His hand finds mine. "You don't have to apologize to me."

"Yes, I do. Pete, if I had talked to you sooner, maybe Quentin wouldn't have done as much damage. You have every right to be upset and even hate me. Everything could have happened differently if I had just stopped being so scared."

"Maybe, but there's no way we can change it. Plus, Fury promised that he'll make sure no one will suspect I'm Spiderman when he's done. Quentin Beck is never going to see daylight again, and we'll get Bucky and Sam's help in stopping the REM trials. Then, it will all be okay."

"Seems like you have enough hope for the both of us." I smile ruefully as the truck stops. "And this is our stop."

It's a bustling little town up the coast from New Asgard, but lucky for us, enough people pass through here it would be hard to prove we ever came through. I keep glancing back to make sure Peter's behind me still. Once he's close enough I grab his hand.

"Okay, from here on out, you gotta remember the promise you made. Not everything is going to be easy—and not entirely legal, but I do everything I can to make up for what I have to do."

"I know. So what do we need to do?"

"ARTI, what's our best travel option?"

"I'm in the process of getting you a car as we speak." He replies and I see his progress across my lenses, "After that I suggest a cargo plane. Otherwise the trip will take too long and increase the risk of being caught."

"As if stowing away on a cargo plane isn't risky." I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose. "Okay, it's fine. We don't have any time to waste."

"Lia," Peter whispers as he takes my hand and squeezes it tightly, "are you sure you're okay?"

"Not really." I reply honestly. "There's a lot I'm gonna have to teach you, a lot of darkness that you don't know about, and literally no room for error. So, look around for a second and tell me what you think our approach should be."

"What do you mean?" He asks, but I'm pretty sure he already knows the answer.

"Should we act like tourists or locals? A couple or friends? Stand out or blend in?" I tell him as we continue to walk. "Every place is different, and you need to learn how to approach them just in case of—of an unforeseen situation."

"You mean if you get caught?"

"Pretty much, yeah." I sigh and avoid his gaze. "Either way, if we're gonna make it through this, you need to know how to do what it takes to hide. The rest of my survival tactics will come later. So—how do you think we she play this?'

He looks around us, analyzing ever little thing around us. "Well, it's a fairly large town, but there aren't any obvious tourists. So maybe play it as locals? Except, I don't think I can manage the accent."

I slide my fingers through his and roll my shoulders as I mentally put myself into the role I need to be for now. "It's okay. You can be my painfully American boyfriend."

Peter shakes his head at the slight change in my accent. "How do you do that?"

"Lots of practice. Plus, Nat helped me learn how to do stuff like this. She always said, 'you never know when you'll need to be someone else.'" I shrug and drag him along. "We should probably grab a couple of supplies before we head out."

"Supplies? What kind of supplies?"

"Energy bars, bandages—basically any first aid supply, items that will help filter water in a pickle, toiletries, and anything else that might help." I retort with a shrug as we enter the market and drop my voice to a whisper. "Most times I just eyeball it. Plus, we can't get everything in one place. It draws too much attention." I give his hand a gentle squeeze. "C'mon, we can't waste time."

It doesn't take us long to and pickup some of the supplies we need. I look around and sigh. "I swear, small towns can be a blessing or a curse. There's no in between." I push my glasses up my nose and watch as ARTI pulls up a walking route. "I hope you're wearing comfortable shoes. Because we've got a ways to go.

"Are you sure you don't wanna try shadow-stepping? Because you keep saying you need to practice, and this is probably the safest chance we'll have for a while."

It's not a bad idea. The only trouble is that there's a large risk of passing out or overshooting where we need to be and exposing us. "ARTI, can you get me an exact location on the plane and tell me if the cargo has been loaded up?"

"Already working on it." The AI retorts. I take a deep breath and try to make the world stop feeling so unsteady under me. I'd be fine if it was just me. It's not a constant calculation and factoring in another person, but it's also a safe guard. Peter's made it pretty clear that he will do whatever it takes to keep us safe.

The worst part is, he's right. I need to keep pushing my limits. It's the only way I'll get stronger and be able to withstand more. After all, it took me months to be able to handle my supernovas and just as long to be able to figure out and manage my light abilities.

A part of me worries that this is all some horrendous side effect of my initial run with the REM Trials. Maybe they did something to me that makes it harder for me to use my full potential. It's hard to accept, but I'm almost certain that's exactly what happened.

All I've had over the last few months is time to think—to wonder what and how I got myself where I was. The more I work on it, the more I start to believe that I would have reached this extent of my abilities so much sooner if the trials had never existed. Trouble is, they do.

Countless people have been changed forever—dead, traumatized, or self-destructive—because of someone's obsessive need for power, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that people like that will never have enough. It's why I've committed the past months of my life to stopping them.

"A cargo plane that fits the parameters has just been loaded up and waiting to taxi." ARTI says as he pulls up the description and exact location up on my lenses.

"Okay." I hold my hand out, which Peter quickly slips into his own. "Are you sure about this? Because even though I'm a lot stronger than I used to be, I'll probably just be dead weight that you'll have to watch for a while."

"I'm absolutely sure, and like you said, you're stronger than you were." Peter reassures, and I take a deep breath before taking the step.

It's calm and quiet in my head for a glistening, beautiful moment as I step from one end of the shadow bridge to the next. I am entirely shadow for that split second, which is the closest I seem to come to peace anymore, but it's gone as quickly as it came as my foot lands in the cargo plane. I smile at Peter as the seconds ticks by without my passing out. "Okay. That wasn't too bad."

"You good?" Peter's brows furrow in concern as he holds onto my arms.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you're really pale and swaying like you do before you pass out." He says as he nervously looks around for the pilots and wraps an arm around my waist. "C'mon, let's find a place to—" That's about all I get before every thing in my body decides to take a little nap.

I come to and see a stopwatch displayed across my lenses. Ten minutes and seventeen seconds. The shortest amount of time it's taken me to come round. "Not too bad." I whisper as I push myself up against a crate and watch Peter.

The look on his face sends another massive wave of guilt runs over me. His eyes are wide, constantly darting around with tears threatening to spill, but that immediately changes when he looks at me. Everything in him seems to relax.

"Hey," I whisper and turn his face to look at me, "it's okay. I'm right here. I'm okay."

He doesn't say a word, but the way he avoids my gaze and flexes his jaw says everything. Because as much as both of us try to prepare for everything, there's no way to. It's the same feeling I had when I saw the damage Beck did to him. How whenever he's sleeping, I have to remind myself he's here—he's alive and not fading away.

All I can think to do is pull him close and hold him until we both feel like we can breathe again. "Try to get some sleep. It's gonna be a long time before we get close to landing. I'll keep watch."

"But—"

"No 'buts.' You look exhausted, Pete." I sigh and cup his face in my hand. "Please, I need you for what's coming next, and it's best if you're rested for it."

"Trouble is, I don't think I'll be able to. I can't stop thinking about what's going to happen next, if May is okay, and a million other things."

I know exactly how what he's dealing with. Every night, ARTI would have to share memories or projections to take my mind of things until I was able to sleep. "I have an idea, but it would require a little light manipulation, if you're okay with it."

"Yeah. I trust you." He whispers and smiles as I slip my hand into his.

"What's one place you've always dreamed of seeing? It can be anywhere in the world."

"I never really thought about it." He muses for a second, "Show me your favorite place."

I pause for a second, thinking over every place I've seen, before settling on one. "This was one of my favorite places. It wasn't much of a tourist spot, so we got to wander around in peace. Dad always loved going to the most random places he could find. He said it's the only way you could truly see a place."

Peter startles a little bit as the image clarifies to the wide open mouth of the dragon. "Where is this?"

"Amsterdam." I tell him as I watch his face shift with wonder. "This is a research library that houses their largest art history in the entire Netherlands. Funnily enough, it's actually a pretty busy place, but hardly anyone was in this little reading room.

"I spent hours just admiring the way the sunlight streamed into the windows, how the books created their a kaleidoscope, and how peaceful it felt." I sigh and lean my head on Peter's shoulder, "I miss that feeling."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He whispers and squeezes my hand. "Have you been anywhere since you—?"

"Since I started running?" His silence is answer enough, "Yeah. There hasn't been much time for sightseeing, but you'd be surprised all the things I've seen."

"Like what?"

"The kindness of strangers, beautiful cities, rich cultures, and how much the world changed while we were gone. I saw communities of people that would have never met otherwise, who found each other and bonded in their grief. People who offered up protection when they knew what I was doing. Complete strangers who offered me food and a place to sleep because they understood, despite that I'd never be able to repay their kindness."

"But you did. Didn't you?" Peter asks as I look at him with confusion, "You got their family and friends home—out of the trials and back where they belong."

"Not enough of them." I reply with a shrug and turn back to the illusion of the library in front of us before dispelling it. "You should probably try to get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

I can feel his shoulders slump as he sighs, "Lia—"

"I'm serious. We've got a long way to go and won't be able to settle for a while." He just stares back at me, trying to figure out how to get through. "Please, Pete, just try to get some rest."

There's a long moment that passes between us before he nods and tries to settle against the shaking sides of the plane. I turn away and try not to let myself get caught up in the downward spiral of guilt, anxiety, and pain.

Maybe I shouldn't have let Peter come with me. He could have been fine back home. Things would have been tense and hard, but it wouldn't be running from an enemy you can't number or put a face to, rarely sleeping cause you can't let your guard down, and keeping yourself away from everyone and everything you know.

I look over to Peter and hating myself for the relief and comfort the mere sight of him brings. Tears prick at the back of my eyes. All I want is to keep the people I love safe, and Peter's almost at the top of the list. But I know there was no way he would have let me leave again. No more than I could have snuck away like before.

His features are soft and unbothered as he sleeps, and I have to restrain from curling up next to him. So, I settle for watching him—his even breaths, the peace of his features—and whisper, "I love you, Peter Parker. Never forget that."

A soft smile tugs at the edges of his lips, "Don't worry; I won't. 'Cause I love you too."

I let out a soft laugh and settle down next to him. Right where I'm supposed to be, and where things don't seem so messed up.

"How much longer do we have?" Peter whispers against my hair.

ARTI pulls up the countdown. "A couple hours. Then the real insanity begins."

"Then let's not worry about it just yet."

"Agreed." I whisper and let myself fall even deeper into his arms. "So, you excited to see Sam and Bucky again?"

"I didn't get to know them that well, but yeah. It will be nice to see people who understand."

"Some days it feels like they're few and far between." I sigh, "It makes me miss when the times everyone was together. Even after the big fight, we never gave up on being there for each other. I still remember calling Natasha and Wanda while they were running because I needed advice."

"About what?"

"About you." I bite my lip to hide my laugh, "It was back when you had a crush on MJ and didn't know who I really was. They always knew had the best advice and how to make things better. I miss them both."

"They both seemed pretty cool. I wish I could have gotten to know Natasha better, and maybe when this is over, we can see Wanda."

"I'll add her to this list of people and places to see. You can come with me if you want."

"As if I'd let you leave without me again."

"I'll do my very best to make sure that doesn't happen again." I look up into Peter's deep brown eyes that still make me smile and feel all warm. "I promise."

His eyes crinkle as he smiles. "I promise too." He pressed a kiss to my temple. "Now it's your turn to get some rest."

I try to argue but end up yawning instead. "Fine, but only because we shadow-stepped here. Otherwise, I wouldn't."

"I know, and I'll keep watch."

ARTI flickers to life and chimes in, "And I will wake you when it's time to depart."

"My boys." I chuckle, "What would I do without you?"

"Let's never find out." Peter replies and drapes his jacket over me like a blanket.