CHAPTER ONE: THE REVEAL

"Stop swinging and calling!" Brooke scolded a boy on the other end of her phone call.

"I'm not!"

"Oh yeah? What's that noise then?" Brooke waited for a reply.

"I'm on the edge of a really tall building," Peter, the boy, explained. "It's really windy."

"Did you bring a jacket?" Brooke couldn't help but worry about Peter Parker. He was the boy she has been babysitting since... well, since forever.

"The suit kinda has a built-in heating system, Brooke," Peter sighed.

"Sorry, I forget how high-tech your stuff is," Brooke mumbled as she placed the missing cog into her mother's old watch. "Do me a favor, go easy on poor MJ. She's never swung in her life."

"No promises," Peter stood up on the ledge of a building and stretched. "I'm really nervous for this date."

"You'll do great. Remember, she likes Peter Parker, not Spider-Man. Don't show off with dangerous tricks."

"She doesn't like Spider-Man?" Peter creased his eyebrows in worry.

"Of course she likes Spider-Man, I just meant that she didn't fall for Spider-Man, she fell for you," Brooke soothed his worries by backtracking her words.

"Thanks, Brooke," Peter said genuinely.

"No problem, Peter P," Brooke pulled out his little nickname. "Call me when you guys are done. I want to hear everything."

"Alright, talk to you later," Peter rolled his eyes. "Bye."

"Bye," Brooke drew out her goodbye until the teenager hung up. She set her phone on the table and bent down to peer through the magnifying glass to assess her work. Once she came to the conclusion that the watch was fixed, she screwed the back on and flipped it over to look at the face.

The blonde set the time and waited in anticipation for the tell-tale tick to sound. A small smile etched its way onto her lips and she clasped the time piece onto her wrist.

Brooke stood up and turned around to turn on the TV to a comedy channel. She set it on low volume as she started to 'cook' herself a bowl of ramen. This consisted of her opening the packaging and adding the seasoning while pouring hot water into it. Usually, she opted for a healthier option but she spent so long working on the clock that she didn't even notice that she was starving. Ramen saved a ton of time.

As the food soaked up the water, Brooke turned her attention to the TV.

"Boring," she mumbled as she switched her setting to Netflix. She put on a comfort show and checked on her noodles. Once they were good, she grabbed a fork and plopped down on her old loveseat to watch her show.

Brooke's apartment was very, very small. Only around 20m2. A lot of her furniture doubled as storage and her 'loveseat' was also a small bed.

This was all she could afford on a student's income, which was practically nothing. Her father tried his best to provide for her, but ever since the disappearance of her mother, his motivation for work dwindled to almost nothing. He did some online work and it was enough to help with Brooke's rent as well as his own.

Brooke didn't blame him, her mother's disappearance affected her too. The only difference was that she snapped out of it and decided to lead her own life.

She was currently enrolled in NYU under a computer engineering program. This is where she did get help. Her aunt on her mother's side, Pepper Potts, paid for her tuition. It was an enormous gift and Brooke made a point to visit her almost everyday.

This led to an internship at Stark Industries, but after her uncle, Tony, died, Brooke failed to show up. When her aunt needed her most, Brooke let her down.

Even though she lost her internship, Brooke visits her aunt every once in a while. Either out of guilt or loneliness, she didn't know. Aunt Pepper still pays for Brooke's education in spite of everything.

Brooke's phone buzzed on the table, alerting her that Peter was calling. She set her ramen down and picked it up.

"Hey, how was it?" Brooke smiled.

"Brooke you gotta hide!" Peter spoke erratically.

"What? Peter, what happened?" Brooke spoke in a hushed tone. She picked up her remote to turn on the news.

"It was Mysterio! He told everyone that I'm Spider-Man!" Peter was panicking on top of a bridge where helicopters caught up with him.

Brooke saw her friend on TV, talking on the phone on top of a bridge. MJ was glancing over the helicopters that surrounded them when she finally turned to her boyfriend.

"Dude!" She gestured to their situation.

"I gotta go!" Peter hung up and stuffed his phone in his pocket. He grabbed MJ and flung them off the bridge and even on a screen, Brooke could see the terror in MJ's eyes.

Brooke switched the television off and grabbed her bag that hung over the side of the loveseat. She made sure she had her wallet and keys before she kicked off her slippers and tied on her sneakers.

The girl ran out of her apartment and slammed the door behind her while locking it. Brooke hailed a taxi on the sidewalk and got in while yelling Peter's address. She felt bad for raising her voice at the innocent driver, but she didn't have time to worry about him. All she could think of was Peter.

When they were on the street of Peter's home, the taxi driver had to stop a few hundred feet away because the whole street was clogged with people and news vans.

"Sorry ma'am, the whole street's crowded."

"No worries," Brooke said as she took out a crumpled twenty dollar bill from her wallet. She waited impatiently for the driver to give her change. When he did, she stuffed it into her jacket pocket and scrambled out of the door.

Brooke threw herself into the crowd and shoved her way through. "Excuse me, sorry!" She said over and over again.

When she arrived in front of the complex door, a policeman stopped her.

"What's your business here?" He asked her.

"I'm a friend of Peter, he asked me to come," Brooke lied. It was her first time lying to authority and she felt her hands sweat with anxiety.

The policeman gave her a raised brow. She grumbled and took her wallet out to show him a picture of a 14 year-old Brooke and a 9 year-old Peter.

The policeman stepped aside so that she could be buzzed up. She pressed the intercom button on May's apartment number. No one answered so she did it a few times more.

"Hello?" MJ answered in annoyance.

"MJ, it's me! Let me up." A buzz followed Brooke's voice in less than a second and she disappeared into the apartment complex. Hundreds of people shouted behind her in aggravation.

Once Brooke reached Peter's landing, she made her way to the door marked with their apartment number. She knocked hastily and MJ greeted her.

Brooke threw her arms around the brunette and MJ reciprocated.

"I'm so glad you're here, Peter seems to handle it well," MJ told her. "But I can tell it's not going down easy."

"That's alright," Brooke nodded. "I just wanted to see him for myself."

When Brooke rounded the corner, she was met with a stressed-out Peter and a nervous May. Happy sat opposite of May, seemingly to keep his distance.

Brooke stood still, unsure of how to approach her long-time friend.

"Peter?" He finally met her eyes and when he did, all of the emotion that he held back suddenly burst out of him. He started to ramble on about the situation.

"Mysterio's lying, Brooke! You have to believe me, I never killed him," Peter took a breath, waiting for her to reply.

"Peter, I never doubted you for a second," Brooke bent down to his level. "You are a hero, okay? You saved everyone on earth countless times."

"But they all hate Spider-Man now, they're never going to get past all of this," Peter sighed and he sank further into his seat. Brooke grabbed his knees with a tight grip and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Peter, you are a great Spider-Man, an amazing Spider-Man. If the public doesn't realize that, then that's their problem."

"Well, it's also ours," Happy sighed and everyone gave him a blank look telling him that his timing couldn't have been worse.

Brooke's phone started to buzz and she looked down to see that her Aunt was calling. Biting her lip, Brooke excused herself and left the Parker residence.

"Aunt Pepper?" Brooke answered.

"Brooke, what the hell is going on? The news is saying that Peter is a criminal? This is connected to London? And Tony's tech is being seized."

"Oh God, Aunt Pepper I'm so sorry. Mysterio made up this lie that Peter killed him using Stark drones," Brooke quickly explained as she tried to call a ride to take her home.

"Is he okay?" Pepper asked. Brooke could hear the worry in her voice.

"He's fine, just annoyed and scared," Brooke responded. "I just left his place."

"You're safe?" Just as Pepper asked, Brooke opted for a taxi that was parked right outside.

"Yeah, I'm taking a taxi back home." Brooke told her. "How's Morgan?"

"Morgan's good. She's getting her hands on astronomy books now."

"A new week, a new obsession," Brooke joked. She watched as the buildings passed by, secretly wishing that all of these allegations against Peter would go away. She imagined him swinging care-free throughout the city.

"Just like her father..." Pepper sighed. "But she's happy, so I'm happy."

"You sound tired," Brooke commented.

"Gee thanks," Pepper joked.

"No, I mean, are you getting enough sleep?"

"... no," Pepper responded. Brooke sighed and shook her head.

"Take some melatonin, take a bath or shower before bed, take care of yourself, Aunt Pepper."

"I am, don't worry about me, honey," Pepper smiled through the phone.

"Do you need me to stop by?"

"I don't live in the city anymore, sweetie," Pepper reminded her.

Brooke rubbed the area between her brows in annoyance with herself. "Sorry, with everything going on I tend to forget things like that."

"I don't blame you," Pepper agreed. "I forgot about three meetings in the past week. Ever since... I just don't feel like running everything without him."

"The pain will ease over time. You just have to remember that they're watching over," Brooke bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying. She wasn't just talking about Uncle Tony, but about her mother too. She sometimes forgot that Pepper has lost not only her husband but her sister too.

"I know, that's what I'm holding onto."

The cab pulled up to Brooke's complex and she paid the driver and got out.

"I'm home," Brooke informed her aunt.

"Good, now you rest," Pepper gave a slight chuckle.

Before Brooke could respond, dark figures emerged from the shadows barring semi-automatic guns. They all were pointed towards her and Brooke couldn't help but let out a small scream.

"FBI, down on your knees and hands in the air!"

"Brooke? What's wrong, what's happening?" Pepper grew frantic again.

"I have to call you back," Brooke said softly as she hung up and got onto her knees with her hands steady above her head.

"You are under arrest for aiding and abetting in the murder of Quentin Beck as well as the manufacturing of army-grade weapons. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do will be held against you in a court of law..."

"What?" Brooke questioned even though she knew she shouldn't speak. One of the men yanked her hands down and handcuffed her. He tightened the restraints and jerked the girl up on her feet.

In a flash, Brooke found herself in an armored vehicle. No one said a word to her as they continued along their path. Once they stopped, the FBI men led her to questioning.

Walking in the building, Brooke was flanked by three FBI agents as well as two in front of her. She felt her breathing quicken as the realization settled onto her:

She has been arrested.

For doing nothing, mind you. Aiding in murder? She wasn't even in London! Manufacturing military-grade weapons? She has never touched any type of weapon in her life.

All of these thoughts were reeling in her mind and she didn't even notice another man in a suit step in front of her.

"Ms. Tompkins," the man sighed. "I am Agent Cleary, Department of Damage Control. Let's have a talk."

a/n sorry if this chapter seemed rushed, i just wanted it to match the feel of the first five minutes of the movie :)