chapter seventy-one
you're losing me

    "GOBLIN!" 

    His voice tore through his throat▬and it scared him at how different it sounded, as if it were someone else yelling after the Green Goblin whose laughter turned Peter Parker's blood into a boiling fury. He struggled to push himself up onto his feet, his ribs burning with pain. He heard Nina's scream. It surged through his veins and his limbs▬only for his spider-sense to spark and he dodged just in time as Dr. Octavius's metal arms flew overhead, desperately trying to grab after the Goblin's glider. 

    The metal talons latched onto the edge and the glider whirred and wheezed with steam as it fought the grip of Doc Ock. Peter One stumbled to the edge of the statue. "Nina, hold on!" he shouted up at her. He saw her terrified stare, glancing down and meeting his gaze. He thought of the dreams she told him about▬how each and every one of them ended; most by the hands of her very own nightmare. 

     Peter Parker had to save her. 

     He gritted his teeth and pressed his hand down onto the edge of the statue until it cracked under his fingertips. He felt his limbs buzz▬his bones vibrating with the strength he was forcing down. Peter One went to jump with Doc Ock keeping the Goblin still▬

     But Dr. Strange had other ideas. 

     "Strange, wait▬!" shouted Peter One, but it was too late. His jump was thrown off balance and he was thrown backwards into the tarps. He threw them off and watched as a bright, orange rope materialised from the sorcerer's hands. He flung it forward, and the edges looped around the artefact and pulled it free from the Green Goblin's hands. 

     But Strange did not even try to save Nina Hart. 

     "No!" there were a few shouts, all of them mingling together▬and it seemed like every Peter Parker was crying out for Nina Hart. Peter One stumbled free from the tarps just as the Goblin spun his glider and sliced Doc Ock's metal arm in half. He cackled as the jets of his glider burst and he shot up into the night sky, still with Nina screaming in his arms. 

     "NO▬!" Peter One didn't even think. He pushed his legs to a sprint. He felt his spider-sense swarm his ears like an angry hive of bees about something behind him. The Green Goblin had let go of that artefact too easily. But he didn't care. "NINA!"

     He leapt off the side of the statue with enough strength to send some of the scaffold crumbling. Spider-Man was boosted up into the sky and he flung his hand out. His webs flew after the Green Goblin, but they fell just short. "GOBLIN!" he shouted with fury, attatching a web around the Lady Liberty's arm and pushing up even higher. "PUT HER DOWN!"

     "PETER▬!" Nina's cry was lost in the wind. 

     His webs grabbed for the glider again. Norman Osborn's laughter was just an echo as he dodged with high speed. Spider-Man wasn't going to give up. He couldn't give up. Just as he thought the Goblin would evade him, he pressed his fingers on the trigger of his web shooters, and splitter webs jetted outwards. One of them struck the bottom of the Goblin's glider and Peter One was pulled across the skyline with a yell. 

     Just as he was pulled away from the Statue of Liberty, a ferocious explosion lit up the sky. Spider-Man glanced backwards and his eyes widened. The wind tunnelled him, the Green Goblin and Nina all forward. Behind them, the entire island and the construction shook. Waves billowed away from the shore. Blinding light exploded away from the top of the statue; spinning rings of bright, orange runes▬the spell. 

     The spell had been set free. 

     If the other two Spider-Man had wanted to help Peter One save Nina Hart from the Green Goblin, there was no way they could catch up now. He couldn't see them amongst the smoke and fire. He watched as the rings sliced like blades through the Lady Liberty's arm, and there was a horrifying groan. Concrete and copper shattered and began to chip away. Cracks fractured all up her arm before it something went snap. 

     The large reconstruction of Captain America's shield tilted dangerously. It dropped. Peter One's eyes widened. His heart dropped with the shield as it crashed through the scaffolding▬right to where his friends were standing and watching. 

     The Goblin cackled from above. "Tick tock, tick tock▬" he laughed, "▬goes the spider-clock. Who will you save? You're running out of time! Out of time▬!"

     He spun his glider on the spot and Peter One shouted as he was thrown around in a wide arch. He gripped the web tight, Nina's screams fuelling him with the strength to hold on. 

     The shield continued to fall. Scaffolding broke and shattered. The entire construction site at the Statue of Liberty was collapsing apart. He heard MJ's scream echo across the sky. 

     And then came a saving grace. 

    "We got your friends!" Peter Two's voice echoed in his comms piece. 

    "Yeah!" added Peter Three and there were two red dots diving down through the collapse. "You focus on saving Nina!"

     Peter One took a deep breath and was filled with a sense of determination. He managed to pull himself up the line of web he was dangling from. "You forgot one little thing, Osborn!" When the glider spun again, Peter One followed the momentum. "There's not just one spider out, tonight! Now let Nina go!"

     He tried to pull himself down to hopefully send the Goblin off balance and catch Nina while he had the chance, but Norman Osborn had predicted his play like this was a game of chess. Some silly, laughable game where the Goblin was the reigning champion. And maybe it was. This was the Universe's game, and it was always the Green Goblin versus Spider-Man, and Nina Hart's life was the Golden Snitch. 

     Peter One gasped and only just managed to zip a web to the side, missing the pumpkin bomb which exploded inches from his face. He cried out and spiralled downwards back towards the statue. 

    "Peter!" Nina screamed from Goblin's fierce, trapping grip. She struggled and hitched back a sob, horrified. Her heart pounded with a terror which froze her deep into her bones. She was trembling▬desperate to get away and to reach him; desperate to save herself from the same ending she's witnessed again and again. She had watched this, over and over▬she knew what will happen. She knew that Peter was too late. They were all too late.

     Norman Osborn's laugh sent chills down her spine and she fought against him, pushing and shoving▬squirming in his arms despite being over three hundred feet above the water below. "NO!" Nina cried, her heart racing and her skin crawling. She felt like a caged animal. "Peter▬!"

     She glanced down and she saw her boyfriend fall down towards the destruction on the island, and desperately reached a hand out▬even though she knew it was useless. Nina sobbed as she saw him do the same. 

     Down below, Peter Parker was in a daze. His ears were ringing and his lungs burned▬everything about him was in so much pain it took all of him not to pass out. He had to get back to her. He had to save her. He had to be quick enough. But he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. 

      Her name from his lips was barely audible▬just a miserable rasp that was distant and lost. 

     His breath hitched when his hair stood on end. He frowned and tried to twist his body, but it was too late. 

      Peter cried out when a pulsing wave of light hit him from the broken spell. It send him tumbling the other way. It pulsed right through him and he yelled in alarm, watching as his limbs seemed to break apart▬they split like he was nothing more but a glitch on a television screen, and just like that, the world around him turned into a blinding white light▬a bright flash. 

     When he hit the ground, he was somewhere else. 

     Peter groaned and dragged himself across the sand around his arms. He glanced up, confused and breathless. His heart skipped a horrified beat to see the Statue of Liberty nowhere in sight. His breathing was heavy, he glanced around and saw the tall buildings of Manhattan surrounding him. And yet, something felt very different▬different in a way that sent him on edge and feeling like he was walking on thin a beam over a pit of fire. 

     There was a loud creak above and a scream. His gaze darted upwards and it widened. Above, was a ginormous black web that stretched across the street between two skyscrapers. They looked like a spiderweb▬almost like his own webbing▬and yet it wasn't. It belonged to something else, something much more sinister. Peter's breath grew laboured once again as he noticed the bright yellow paint of a New York cab. The roof had been ripped off, the doors hanging on by broken hinges. Someone was trapped inside, sunspended above the city. And above her, casting a deadly shadow over her face, was a large cement truck. It was so heavy, that even the strange, black webbing struggled to keep it suspended in the air. The webs bent and strained, and the truck slowly dipped lower and lower to where the girl was trapped.

     He recognised her, even this far away. "Nina▬" he croaked. He didn't know how she got here. He didn't know where the Green Goblin was. He didn't know what was happening, he just knew he had to get to her in time. "No▬"

     Spider-Man's arms shook as he staggered to his feet. "I'm coming," he found it hard to breathe. He clutched his ribs. "I▬I'm coming. Just hold on▬" he knew she couldn't hear. "Hold on, Nina, I▬"

     Something moved at his feet. He fell backwards. Spider-Man felt the sand shift and twist▬drift around him in a non existent wind. He turned around and stared, bewildered as he watched the sand began to rise. It dragged him along. He tried to grab onto something▬anything▬to keep him from moving. He cried out and struck a web towards a nearby crane and pulled himself up. 

     "Marco?!" he let out, very confused as he watched the sand continue to  rise until it came together and formed the vicious face of Flint Marco standing tall above Peter One. "What? But I thought▬I thought we cured you!"

     The Sandman roared and raised his fists▬a gigantic monster filled with a fury he had not had before, even before he was cured. Spider-Man didn't know what was happening. He couldn't help but wonder if this was some sort of illusion. That maybe Mysterio had tricked him once again. He felt sick with fear. 

     He heard the gasps and screams of a nearby crowd watching on. When Sandman only got larger and larger, they all dispersed, clamouring and stampeding down the busy street. 

     A high-pitched ring pierced his ears and warned Spider-Man in split-second timing. He gasped and somersaulted out of the way. Sand rocketed upwards the moment Sandman's fist made contact with the ground. He landed on a broken construction vehicle and glanced upwards, hearing Nina's shriek like knives to his ears. The cement truck had dropped another few inches. The webbing bent to try and hold its weight, but it was beginning to fray. 

     Spider-Man didn't even consider how Nina was dressed differently than before. His spider-sense was going insane▬more alert than it had ever been, and it made him shout: "NINA▬!" 

     Nothing mattered anymore▬nothing except making sure he got to her in time. 

     A shadow loomed above and Spider-Man rolled out of the way. The car snapped in half, crushed under Sandman's foot. He leapt upwards and ran up the side of his leg, zipping higher into the night. Bouncing off Marco's head, he webbed his eyes and the Sandman howled with fury, stumbling. Peter Parker's heart was racing against time with the Universe, he could feel it as he scaled up the side of an old motel. 

     Once he was high enough, he held his breath and pushed himself off the building, flipping backwards and shooting a web. It soared over the Sandman's arm and latched around. Peter followed it. He circled Marco's upper arm and then launched higher, flying towards the black spider web. He stretched out his hand, his eyes set on the taxi. 

      The wind shifted. Spider-Man glanced to his right. His lenses widened. 

     "Argh▬!" something strange, huge and vicious wrestled him sideways. A monstrous screech rang in his ears and all he saw was a blur of black and long, sharp teeth. At first, he thought it was another Spider-Man until he got a better look at it. This was no Spider-Man. This was ... a creature Peter had never seen before in his life. Something that was moving, thriving and squirming over the figure of somebody▬like a parasite, living off whoever lay underneath ... if there was anybody beneath the skin of that thing. 

    "What the hell▬?!" was all he could manage before he hit the metal supports of the construction surrounding the old motel. "I have no idea what's going on right now!" Spider-Man was knocked back and forth until he landed a hit painfully to his stomach. Winded, he wheezed and tilted downwards. Head spinning, he fell once again. 

      That screech returned. Peter blinked, his vision dancing with black▬and he wasn't sure whether it was him on the brink of passing out, or that weird monster until the creature made contact with him again. 

    This creature hadn't been at the Statue of Liberty. It hadn't been one of the supervillains that Peter had battled over the past few days. He had no idea what this thing was, and that was when he started to come to a terrible realisation. But before he could fully comprehend what had happened, the creature pushed him into another metal beam and Spider-Man toppled downwards. He hit multiple scaffoldings and steel supports until finally, he landed so hard on a final support beam, that it dented. 

      He almost slipped off but managed to cling on with dwindling strength. His head was pounding, his ribs were even worse▬he felt like a squashed spider under someone's boot. 

      Nina's screams as the cement truck dropped another inch made Peter force himself to turn around. His heart dropped and he felt a surge of fear crawl up his throat to see the Sandman loom over him. He hitched his breath and tried to stagger backwards, until something slimy, black and tight wrapped around his neck. Peter wheezed and his hands groped the black webbing that latched around him and pulled him back down against the steel. He squirmed, coughing and spluttering, unable to move as the Sandman raised his fist. His cheeks were flushed behind his mask as he struggled to breathe▬

     Peter's vision blacked out for a second when Sandman's fist slammed down. When he came to, he coughed and wheezed a desperate breath, his fingers stinging as the creature's black webbing pulled tighter around his neck. He saw multiple fists as they raised upwards once again. He couldn't fight. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything when the Sandman brought his mighty fist down once again. 

     Nina's scream was distant. It felt like it was a hundred miles away. Spider-Man felt tears. He wheezed a sob, seeing her over Sandman's shoulder as he pulled away once again. He saw the cement truck drop even further. The webbing was holding on by a thin thread, seconds from snapping. 

    "No▬" struggled Peter, his heart pounding. "N▬no▬"

     He reached his hand up to her, even though he was miles away. He felt his vision start to tunnel as he began to pass out. They were miles away, universes, even, and yet this Nina Hart glanced down▬and he knew the look on her face; he knew exactly what she whispered on her lips. I love you▬

     And then the webs snapped. The cement truck fell. 

    "NOOO▬!"

     Peter's scream was strangled, muffled by a sound he did not want to remember, but knew he always will. A sickening sound of the cement truck hitting the taxi car with Nina still inside, and they fell down through the black webs. They fell, all the way down, and Peter Parker could do nothing. He could only watch as they hit the ground▬and Nina was lost in the carnage left behind. 

     The world around him twisted and spun. He yelled when he felt his body glitch▬and it felt like all of his insides were being ripped apart and stitched back together. And then Peter Parker's eyes opened once again, and he was still falling. He was back at the Statue of Liberty. 

     His breath caught in the back of his throat and he felt his stomach lurch▬he forced his arm out sideways and a web attached to the remains of the scaffolding last minute. He tumbled and rolled through the scaffold platform hallways in the shadow of Lady Liberty. 

      Spider-Man's back hit the barrier of the scaffolding and he fell forward. He sobbed, crawling his way across the platform. He was trembling and shaking, burning with pain and wanting to heave. He took a wheezing breath, feeling the need to scream with rage and grief. He crawled and he crawled. He couldn't give up. He wasn't going to give up▬

     His fingers reached the edge of the platform and he dragged himself the remainder of the way. His eyes glanced upwards, and he saw her again. His Nina. His Nina Hart. He saw her up in the sky, three hundred feet above the bay, in the Green Goblin's arms▬and there was no way Spider-Man would be able to reach her. 

     "Please," he begged the Universe. His limbs shook. There were rips in his suit. His voice was hoarse as he continued to gasp for breath. He tugged off his mask and coughed out sand. "Help..."

      He couldn't give up. He had to get to her. 

     Spider-Man gritted his teeth. He clenched his hands. "Come on," he muttered to himself. He took a deep breath and set his jaw. "Come on, Spider-Man. Get up." He managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees. He took another sharp breath through his nose. "Get up, Spider-Man. Come on..."

     Above, only seconds had passed since Peter One had fallen from the explosion of the Goblin's pumpkin bomb. Nina was still struggling, trying to see if her Peter was okay. "Peter!" she shouted only to squeal with terror with the Goblin snatched her back and hovered even higher in the air. "Let me go! Let me go▬!"

    She struggled, locking gazes with Norman Osborn, and her desperate cries were hitched into silence when she saw the freakish, crazed smile on his face. He chuckled lowly, leering in close to her. Nina trembled. "What shall it be?" he mused. "Will the spider win the game, or will he lose? Will he catch the ball before it's too late?"

     Nina was tearful. "Dr. Osborn," she tried to reason with him, her voice shaking. "P▬Please, you don't have to do this. We can help you▬"

     "Norman's no longer here!" snapped the Green Goblin, vicious and her heart squeezed with terror. "The Goblin has come out to play," he sneered close and she whimpered. "And the Goblin loves to win."

     "Please▬" she begged the Green Goblin as he lifted her up. She gasped and kicked her legs. Glancing down, she saw the water over three hundred feet below, and she was sick. "N▬No▬" she grasped the Goblin's hands, shocked at his strength. "Please, don't▬don't do this▬please▬!"

     "Spider-Man needs to learn," seethed the Green Goblin as he dangled Nina Hart in the air, "that there are consequences to his actions."

      Just as he was about to let her go, and Nina's scream got hitched in the back of her throat, another voice called out:

     "GOBLIN!" 

     Her gasp was strangled. The Goblin fixed his grip on Nina once more, keeping her suspended as he glanced back over to the statue. Her Peter Parker, Spider-Man, had returned. His suit was battered and bruised▬torn and ripped. His face was scathed and bloody. But he had made it back to her. He hadn't given up on her. He was crouched on the side of what remained of Lady Liberty's arm, his free hand clenched.

     "Let her go," seethed Peter One. "You let her go and leave her out of this. You want to play a game, Goblin? Then let's play and finish this! Just let Nina go!"

     The Green Goblin's grin returned. He chuckled and glanced at Nina. Her eyes were wide, her words silent with petrified fear. "Spider-Man!" he called out, filled with a crazed glee. "You're just in time for the final show!"

      Nina knew what was going to happen before it came to be. Her heart twisted and dropped in the pit of her stomach. "P▬Please, no▬"

      The Green Goblin let her go. 

      She gasped, but only silence left her lips. 

      "No▬!" her Peter let out and dived down after her. 

      Surprisingly, Nina felt numb. All of the fear, all of the desperation▬all of her determination and her dread which led up to this moment seemed to drift away with the distant wind. It left her, and what stayed behind was an empty feeling, as if she had already died. And in many ways, she has.

      She watched her Peter dive after her, just seconds too short of reaching her. Nina didn't scream, she didn't cry▬she just watched him. She watched him stretch out his hand, his fingers mere inches from her own, and yet they were so far away. 

      What seemed to matter most in this moment, was not her death chasing her▬just as it had chased all these years▬and finally catching up to her. No, that did not matter at all. What she cared about, what she wanted to remember, was that she could see Peter Parker's eyes. 

     If Nina Hart was going to die tonight, just like she was always supposed to, at least the last thing she saw was Peter Parker, not Spider-Man. 

     Her Peter Parker. 

     Even after all they've been through, all they have done and fought for, there was no way they could have prevented this moment. 

    The wind rushed around her. There was a ringing in her ears. Her vision tunnelled▬and yet everything felt slow, like she was falling through quicksand. She remembered how it felt to fall down the Washington Monument, and she remembered feeling as if she experienced herself falling as if she were floating above. This time, all she focused on▬all she could see▬was not herself, was not the world around her, but instead the desperate eyes of Peter trying to reach her in time.

     He wouldn't reach her in time. He never did.

     Peter cried out, but his cry for her missed her ears when the Green Goblin swooped in and pulled Spider-Man away. Nina watched them disappear into the distance, a single tear finally slipping down her face.

     She went to close her eyes, wanting to remember everything she could before she hit the ground when she caught sight of something in the corner of her gaze. A flash of red so quick she almost missed it. But then the blur of red got closer▬bigger. It dived after her. It pushed through the scaffolding and falling rubble. The Amazing Spider-Man dropped through the air, and the rush of the wind returned to Nina's ears. Her breath hitched and her heart began to race. 

     Arms wrapped around her. Nina was met with the thud of his chest with her own. Her fingers gripped onto his suit and the both of them fell together towards the ground. They spun and spiralled until the Amazing Spider-Man twisted his body and forced his hand up to the statue above. A single web stretched out, and threads like fingers wrapped around the remaining supports.

     Nina's silent gasp turned into a yelp when her body jolted. She clenched her eyes shut and held on tighter. But then she realised that she was still in his arms. Her heart was still beating. She could feel the tremor in her arms. Her eyes snapped open and she stared, shocked up at the Statue of Liberty. She let out a shaky breath, and her gaze slowly moved to the Peter Parker holding her. He watched her, breath hitched and frantic. He gripped her so tight, it was like he was squeezing her. 

     There was a long silence as if Peter Three was too scared to speak. 

     And then a soft croak made its way up his throat. "A▬are you okay?"

     Nina swallowed the lump in her throat. She was crying. She nodded quickly. "Yeah," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I▬I'm okay."

     The Amazing Spider-Man's brows knitted together as he fought back tears. He glanced down at her and held her even tighter, his grip shaking as well. "I saved you," he whispered to himself, tearful. "I caught you."

     "You saved me," repeated Nina in a similar whisper, and a weight lifted off her shoulders. She could finally relax. 

     She hesitated, but then she lifted her arms up and wrapped them tight around Peter Three's shoulders. She felt him slump and slip his arms around her just as tight, his head falling into her shoulder as he cried. 

*ೃ༄

    THE SKY WAS falling apart. 

    Nina was a little shaky on her feet, but she managed to stand by herself, staring up at the early morning sunrise that was shattered with tears in the fabric of the universe itself. The spell had ripped through the seams of the cosmos, revealing a world science had yet not been able to explain. A sea of purple met the earth's sky, and no matter how hard Dr. Strange tried to seal the tears in the multiverse, his threads only snapped. 

     The rules of the multiverse had been broken, the spell had been set free, and now this universe was paying the price. 

     Nina took another deep breath, watching as Peter Two and Doc Ock both landed on the ground beside her and Peter Three. Max Dillon, Marco Flint and Dr. Connors were both safe with them. Nina searched the wreckage and destruction at the foot of the statue for her friends, leaving both Peter Parkers and stumbling through▬grasping rubble and coughing, her cheeks flushed with the purple glow of the sky above. 

     She shouted their names. She called for her best friends, and they answered. Nina sobbed with relief when she saw Felicia, Ned and MJ run towards her▬all of them okay and alive.

    "Nina!" they shouted. Felicia was crying. 

    Nina ran straight into the arms of her best friends, holding on tight. She buried her face into Felicia's shoulder, sobbing. Ned gripped her jumper. MJ held them all close, closing her eyes and resting her cheek on the top of Nina's head. 

     The group of friends all shared a moment, shedding a few tears▬all of them filled with relief to know that they had made it out of this alive. That they were all still together; that they were okay. 

     When they finally pulled away, Nina sniffled and wiped back her tears. Felicia took a deep breath, doing the same. "What a time, hey?" she let out and the group of them all shared a chuckle. 

    "Um, here▬" said Felicia, holding out something for Nina to take. "I grabbed this before the shield fell."

     Nina's eyes widened and she broke out into a smile. "Spider-Plush!" she exclaimed with happiness and pulled the stuffed toy close. It was silly and childish, but she felt like the Spider-Plush had been through just as much as she had. It might just be stuffing and stitches, but she had grown attached to it. 

    "That thing needs therapy," MJ joked and they all laughed. 

    "Yeah, yeah," Nina laughed amongst her tears. She held the stuffed toy and chuckled at the little rip on his head. "He's okay. He just needs a few bandaids. And cuddles."

     A feeling weighed down in the pit of her stomach and Nina's smile faded. "Where's Peter?" she murmured. 

     Nina didn't wait for an answer and ran to the edge of the landing. Her gaze searched below the concrete stairs at the foot of the statue and towards the water. MJ, Ned and Felicia all followed.

     "NINA!"

     At the sound of his voice, she ran down the length of the landing. The others followed. "PETER?!" Nina clambered along, calling out his name. She skidded to a stop when she found him. The copper reconstruction of Captain America's shield had fallen into the water of the bay, and there was her Peter Parker. 

     And on the other end, was the Green Goblin. He looked like he hit the fall pretty hard, a little dazed on the opposite slope of the shield. His glider was discarded between the two of them, the lights dead and gone. 

     Once Nina reached the edge of the landing, she waved her arms. "PETER!" 

    He glanced over at the sound of her voice, and when he saw her, MJ, Ned and Felicia, he slumped with relief. He hitched back a small whimper to see them safe. To see Nina safe. 

     Across the shield, the Goblin stirred. Spider-Man grew tense. He turned to face the supervillain, something rising up in his chest that surpassed every ache of pain and every bruise▬a toxic cloud of hate that filled his lungs up until it became the very air he breathed. 

    The Green Goblin staggered to his feet under the purple and orange glow as the sunrise and the shattered sky met. He chuckled, pulling off the glazed eyewear from his face. He let out a tired breath, though he was not fazed. He let the eyewear fall to the copper surface, grinning at Peter who was crouched, rigid and ready. 

    Spider-Man took a deep breath fuelled by fury. He trembled with anger he'd never experienced before. The Green Goblin revelled in the sight of it. He pouted. "Poor Peter," he taunted, taking a few steps towards him. "Too weak to send me home to die."

    "No," seethed Spider-Man, his words just as toxic as his breath. "I just wanna kill you myself."

     A sickening grin slowly spread across the Green Goblin's face. "Attaboy."     

    From the landing, Nina couldn't tear her eyes away as Spider-Man and the Green Goblin charged. They met in the middle and her heart skipped a beat when Peter threw a punch so strong it sent even him off balance when the Goblin ducked. He webbed Osborn's foot to the shield and slammed his fist across his jaw. The Green Goblin hit the shield with a loud thud. Spider-Man leapt up and yelled, bringing his fist down. Osborn only just rolled out of the way. Nina heard the echoing sound all the way to where she stood▬a clang as Spider-Man's punch left a dent in the metal. 

     Peter Parker wasn't fighting to just knock the Green Goblin unconscious, he was fighting to kill. 

    "What's he doing?" whispered Ned, a little horrified.

    Nina felt her heart twist. "He stopped pulling his punches..."

    The fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin continued, and it only got more and more violent. Nina wanted to turn away, but she couldn't. She watched as her Peter dodged the blade that extended out of Osborn's suit. She watched him punch so hard, it left the Goblin stumbling. She watched him leap over Osborn and throw him over his shoulder▬and the entire shield shuddered. Spider-Man punched and he punched and he punched. He hit the Goblin over and over again, back and forth, again and again until Osborn's face was bloody and he was laughing. 

    Peter kicked him to the shield surface, heaving. Osborn didn't get back up. 

    He watched the Green Goblin lie in a daze for a moment before his gaze drifted to the glider lying nearby. He walked towards it. With a furious breath, Spider-Man picked it up. Limping slightly, he dragged himself towards Osborn as he lifted his head. He was going to finish this, just as he said. Once and for all. 

     Spider-Man raised the glider above his head. He yelled as he brought it down. 

     It stopped halfway. 

     Peter Two stood in front of the Green Goblin. He set his jaw, not saying a word. His hands gripped the other end of the glider and held it still, pushing against Peter One as he tried to force it downwards, his scream of fury sending chills down Nina's spine. 

     Spider-Man clenched his teeth and kept trying to push past his variant's strength, but as his gaze met the even, calm stare of the older Peter Parker, some of that toxic cloud dissipated. Peter One hesitated. He didn't need to say anything▬this Peter could read the words in Peter Two's stare. This is not what we do. 

     Spider-Man wasn't a killer. He saved people, not the other way around. if Peter Parker killed Norman Osborn, then he'd become no better than every supervillain he fought against. 

     Spider-Man was a hero. And heroes fought for second chances▬for everyone. 

     Peter One carefully lowered the glider. It dropped to the ground at his feet. He slumped again, hitching back a small cry. His cry soon turned into a gasp when Peter Two stilled. Something dug right into his back. His eyes went wide and he glanced down just as the Goblin pulled the knife out, chuckling. Peter Two collapsed to the ground.

     Before Peter One could drop down and help, the Green Goblin was on his feet once again. He clenched his hands, taking deep breaths. Osborn shook his head at him, as if disappointed. 

     "She was there..." he growled, his laughter chilling, "... because of you. I may have struck the blow, but you ..." his laughter echoed in Spider-Man's ears as he leaned in closer. "You are the one that killed her."

     His laughter turned into manic cackles. Peter One set his jaw. A whistle split through the air to his left and he held out his hand. The serum which the Amazing Spider-Man had chucked across the water landed in his palm and his fingers wrapped around it tight. As the Green Goblin went to attack, Peter One darted forward and slammed the needle point into Osborn's neck. He held it there as the serum emptied. 

    Peter pulled it out and the Goblin dropped to his knees. He gasped, the crazed gleam in his eyes disappearing as the scared and lonely whimper of Norman Osborn slowly returned; at last. 

     Spider-Man stepped back, the serum falling from his fingers. He swallowed his anger and watched Osborn frown up at him. "P▬Peter?" he glanced around at the wreckage, and his brows knitted upwards. His skin paled and he let out a shaky whimper. "What ... what have I done?"

     Peter One didn't answer. He had to look away. 

     Peter Three landed on the shield and raced to Peter Two still on the ground. Despite being stabbed, he seemed very calm. "You okay?" the Amazing Spider-Man murmured.

     Peter Two nodded. "Uh ..." he blinked and tried to keep himself focused on something. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I've ... I've been stabbed before, so."

    "Oh, good, good, good..."

    Peter One joined them and placed a gentle hand on his older variant's shoulder. "Hey▬" he winced at the stab wound, but it seemed like Peter Two would be okay. "Oh, man..." his gaze lifted to the Amazing Spider-Man beside him who grinned.

    "Hey," he patted his back. "Nice catch."

    Peter One smiled. "Nice throw."

     A sound very much like lightning crashed across the sky. All three Peter Parkers glanced upwards. Peter One swallowed harshly when he saw the sky. It seemed like the entire world was falling apart, piece by piece▬words were merging together, like ships colliding. 

     "What?" whispered Peter Two. "Is ... is that happening, or am I dying?"

    "Yeah, no, that's happening..." murmured Peter Three, eyes wide. "Yeah, that's ... that's real."

    "Are ... are there people in the sky?"

     Peter One frowned. He narrowed his eyes at the tears, spilling into this universe with waves of purple matter▬and it was then that he noticed silhouettes in the seas. Figures and shadows. Some tall, some small▬some with pointed tails and a figure that looked as if he wore a spider very much like Peter's own on his chest, glowing in the purple haze. 

     "I▬I gotta go," he let out.

    "Yeah, yeah, I got it▬" Peter Three urged Peter One onwards, before focusing on Peter two lying in front of him. 

     The Spider-Man of this universe leapt into the sky and attached a web towards Lady Liberty who still stood tall amongst the shattered scaffolding and construction around her. He zipped his way up to the very top where Dr. Strange hovered, right above her flame. Peter Parker landed on the tip, breath hitching as he gazed around at the collapsing universe. 

    "What's happening?" he asked loudly, shouting over the sound of words crashing together. 

     "They're starting to come through," said Dr. Strange, his face red with strain as he tried to keep every tear from breaking apart further▬but not even a man who was once the Sorcerer Supreme could contain this much damage. "I▬I can't stop them."

    Peter glanced around at the shattered sky, his heart beginning to race with fresh fear. "T▬There's gotta be something we could do. Can't you just cast the spell again? The original way, before I screwed it up."

    "We're too late for that! They're here." Strange glanced down at him as the entire sky turned into a purple haze. "They're here because of you."

     Something sank in Peter Parker's chest. He frowned, his breath hitching with a lump in his throat. Because of me. This was more than the spell rupturing. The universe was collapsing into this one; this entire universe was about to fall apart at the seams because one little thing changed tonight. The canon event had burst apart into pieces, and this was the result. 

     Dr. Strange had told him that somewhere out there, in some universe, circumstances happened that changed the universe forever. In a universe where Nina Hart was always supposed to die, something occurred that resulted in the opposite. And it was that decision that caused a ripple effect through every single universe and every single Nina Hart. 

     That hadn't been just any universe.

    Peter realised it had been his universe. This universe. 

    His gaze wandered down to the girl standing with their friends, her head tilted upwards as she and the others watched the sky break apart. Peter felt his heart break apart with it. 

     His decisions. His mistakes. His selfish wants to have both things▬Peter Parker's life and Spider-Man's life; trying to live them separately caused this. His determination to save Nina Hart's life no matter the cause is what led to this. And even if it hadn't been him who caught her in the end, it was his decisions which has led every other Nina Hart in the multiverse to be given a death sentence she never deserved. 

     With great power, he remembered both his Aunt May and Uncle Ben; their words echoing in his ears, Comes great responsibility. 

     That responsibility came with sacrifice in order to save people; to protect those who cannot protect themselves. He had to make sacrifices for the greater good▬for everyone else. 

     He took a shaky breath as he realised what he must do. 

     "What if everyone forgot who I was?"

     Strange hesitated. "What?"

    Peter swallowed the lump in his throat. "They're coming here because of me, right? Because I'm Peter Parker? This universe is collapsing because Nina ... because Nina's still alive? Because I never lost her ..." He pursed his lips and forced his tears down. He took a sharp breath through his nose to keep himself steady. "So cast a new spell. But this time, make everyone forget who Peter Parker is. Make everyone forget ... forget me."

     For the first time, it seemed Dr. Strange wanted to make a selfish decision. He shook his head. "No."

     Peter was touched, but he refused to let it get to him. He refused to cry. "But it would work, right? Everyone forgets me, I still ..." he clenched his jaw. He was tearful. "I still lose her."

     Dr. Strange stared at him, taken aback. "Yeah, it would work," his voice sounded heavy▬a 'but' hanging in the air. "But ... but you gotta understand that would mean that everyone who knows and loves you, we ..." he seemed to swallow his own lump in his throat. "We'd have no memory of you. It would be as though you never existed."

     There was a moment when Peter wanted to go back on his decision. When he wanted to throw away all sacrifice and selfless motivation. But he couldn't. That was his curse, and it was his alone to bear. He swallowed back his tears one last time. "I know. Do it."

     Dr. Strange's gaze was a mixture of pride, admiration and a heavy sadness at the thought of letting him go. He took a deep breath of his own. "You ..." he cleared his throat. "You better go and say your goodbyes. You don't have long."

    Peter nodded. "Thank you, sir."

    Strange offered him a little smile. "Call me Stephen."

    Peter let out a little breath and gave a sad smile. "Thank you, Stephen."

    Dr. Strange chuckled. "Yeah ... Still feels weird."

    Peter chuckled, too. His heart twisted painfully. "I'll see you around."

    With one final glance at Dr. Strange, Spider-Man turned to the edge of the copper flame and leapt off. He swung down to the shield floating in the water and landed in front of the two Spider-Men standing together. 

    He took a breath and stared at them, suddenly realising that all of the words he wanted to say had left him. "H▬Hey," he began, his words shaky. "I▬uh▬I'm ..." he walked up to them, his stomach churning with nerves. "I▬I think this is it. I think you're about to go home."

     They both nodded with small smiles. "Okay▬", "▬All right."

    Peter One nodded, too. "Um," he cleared his throat and fiddled with his fingers. "Look, I ... uh ..." he was getting flustered. "Thank you. I just wanna▬I want you to▬I wanna tell you that▬I don't know how to say this, I▬"

    "Peter," the Amazing Spider-Man cut him off gently, chuckling. 

    He met their gazes, soft. Peter Two smiled. "You know," he said gently. "It's what we do."

     Peter Parker smiled at his two variants. He knew that he couldn't have done any of this without them. He was eternally grateful. "Yeah," he echoed, "it's what we do." He hesitated. "Right. I▬I gotta find Nina, Ned, Cia and MJ. I▬" He went to leave, but then changed his mind last minute and rushed back to them. He threw his arms around both Spider-Men and clung on. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

     He relaxed in the embrace of both Peter Parkers, and he felt understood more than he had ever in his life▬and he felt at peace for the decision he had made. 

     This universe's Spider-Man stepped back and gave his variants one final nod▬one final goodbye. 

     At last, he turned to face the landing above. Peter's heart crawled up into his throat as he prepared himself for the goodbye he was going to dread the most. 

     He took a moment to gather his courage before swinging towards them. Peter Parker's feet touched the ground at the foot of the statue and immediately, his friends gathered him into a tight embrace. 

    Peter closed his eyes and nestled his head into the crook of Nina Hart's neck.

    He felt her squeezing him tighter. "You're okay." MJ let out a sigh of relief. Ned hitched back some tears and Felicia's claws dug into Peter's suit gently at his back. "We're so proud of you," Ned told Peter and he almost broke into tears. 

    Peter swallowed the ache in his throat, but it wouldn't go away. He stepped back and gently cupped Nina's neck as he checked his friends over. "Are you guys okay?"

    She smiled. Peter did everything he could to remember it. "Yeah, yeah, we're okay," she met his gaze. 

    He noticed a cut on her forehead and immediately cupped her cheeks. "Whoa, hey▬oh, my God, you're bleeding."

    Nina flushed at his concern. She turned shy and mumbled. "I'm fine, I'm okay," her heart fluttered and her hand rested on his chest. Here he was, beaten and bloody, and what concerned him the most was a cut she barely felt. "It's okay."

    He hovered. "You sure?"

   She nodded. "I'm fine," she whispered. "I promise."

    Peter checked it one last time, brushing some of her hair out of her face. His fingers lingered, and Nina tilted her head, her brows furrowing. Something about the look on his face made her grow a little unsure. But then he smiled and kissed her forehead. "Okay. Good."

     He glanced at Ned, MJ and Felicia, and the smile he had slowly fell away. Above them, the sky slowly started to turn back towards the orange of the sunrise as the tears were stitched back together by Dr. Strange's spell. But if they knew what the spell was, the smiles Peter's friends all shared would be long gone. 

    Nina noticed the way Peter hesitated. Her gentle frown returned. 

    MJ glanced between them all. "We ... we should go, right?"

    Peter's words got caught in the back of his throat. He gazed at them each in turn and wondered how he was going to tell them▬he didn't know if he even had the ability to speak. In the end, his eyes fell on Nina, and he found enough strength to murmur: "You ... You're gonna forget who I am."

     She blinked. Nina thought she misheard him. A broken chuckle escaped her lips. "W▬what?"

     Ned and MJ shared a glance. Felicia's eyes widened. "Wait, what?" she whispered. 

    "You're kidding, right?" added MJ. 

    Nina continued to watch Peter, wanting him to start laughing▬or to backtrack and say, just kidding, ha! I totally got you there! But he didn't. She shook her head gently. No, he had to be kidding. "F▬Forget? What are you talking about?"

     It hurt for Peter to speak. "It's ..." he took a step closer to her. Nina shook her head, tearful. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay. I'm gonna come and find you, and I'll explain everything. I'll make you remember me," he glanced at the others. Ned's tears made him grow tearful. "And it'll be like none of this ever happened. Okay?"

     "Yeah, but what if that doesn't work?" let out MJ, her voice growing tight as she tried not to cry. "What▬what if that doesn't work? What if we can't remember you? I don't wanna do that. I don't▬I don't wanna do that!"

     Peter clenched his eyes shut. His jaw tensed in his desperate attempt to keep himself calm for the group of them. "I know. MJ, I know."

    "But how will we▬how will we▬" Felicia's words broke away. "What if things go back the way they were? What if I don't▬what if I don't remember things I▬I got since I▬" she hitched back a sob. "I don't wanna lose what I got▬"

     Nina couldn't believe what was happening. She shook her head, her throat closing up. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. She couldn't have survived and beat all of her dreams and her nightmares to ... to lose Peter anyway. 

    "There's not something we can do?" continued Michelle, frantic. "We can't come up with a plan, or something? We always come up with a plan. There's always something we can do..."

    "There's nothing we can do," Peter said, his voice a soft, broken whisper. 

    A few tears fell down Nina's cheeks. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw something. She didn't want to lose him. "But ..." her words were no louder than a hitched murmur. Peter met her gaze, and she realised that ... that she'll never remember his eyes again. She'll never remember the sound of his laugh or the way he smiled. His voice wouldn't even be a distant memory. All of those years they spent together▬a childhood where they promised each other they'd never leave each other's sides ... Nina wouldn't remember any of it. She'd forget not just her boyfriend, but her childhood best friend. "But what about ... you promised," she watched Peter close his eyes again, on the verge of crying. "Where▬" her voice broke away, "▬we made a promise. We have a promise. Where you go I go. Where you go I▬"

     "I know," his voice broke, too. He took a deep breath, but it was shaky and shattered. "I know, I ..." 

     "I don't want to forget," she whimpered, pleading. "I don't wanna▬please, don't make me forget you."

     Peter Parker was crying now. He wiped away his tears and took Nina's hand. "It's gonna be okay," he tried to reassure her. She shook her head. It wasn't going to be okay. "It'll be okay. I'll still be here. I'll still ..." he bit the inside of his cheek, but it was no use. "I'll still watch over you."

     Ned sniffled and finally spoke. "You promise?"

     He met his gaze. Peter was hiding how he was shaking. "Yeah," he murmured. "I promise." He let go of Nina's hand and held it out to Ned. His best friend whimpered back a sob and met his hand with his own. Tears were shed as the two best friends silently did their secret handshake until Ned pulled Peter in close at the last move. Peter closed his eyes and held on tightly for a long time. 

     "I'll▬I'll come and find you, okay?" he promised his best friend. 

     Ned shed his tears. "I know you will."

    Peter didn't want to pull away, but he had to. He turned to MJ and Felicia. They were both crying. MJ tried to scowl, but it faltered the moment they looked at each other. "You better," she told Peter. "If you don't, I'll just figure it out. I've done it before, I can do it again."

     He chuckled at that, his heart light amongst the sombre morning air. Peter nodded and held his arm out. He pulled MJ into a hug, too. "I'm counting on it," he said. 

     When he turned to Felicia, she took a deep breath and set her jaw. She nodded. "You be careful out there, Spider," she whispered. 

    Peter managed a little smile. He nodded, too. "Yeah, you too, Cat. I'll see you around."

    Felicia Hardy wiped away her tears, trying to act tough, and Peter appreciated it, deep down. "If you need me, you know how to find me."

   Spider-Man gave her a playful salute before holding out his hand. "Quiet as a cat?"

    Felicia pulled him in for a quick hug, too. She had to stand on her toes. "Sneaky as a spider," she squeezed him before letting go. "Hey, thank you. For everything."

    "Yeah," he rubbed her shoulder. "You too."

   At last, Peter Parker faced Nina Hart once again. 

    She didn't hide her tears. Peter's heart shattered all over again. He stepped close to her. "Hey," he said softly, brushing away a tear with his knuckles. Another one replaced it. "It's okay," he whispered. "I promise, I'll fix this."

     Nina leaned in closer and rested her forehead against his. She wanted to remember everything right now before she lost it all▬every single thing. Every single photo, every single video, every laugh, every kiss, every hug and every tear. Everything that was Peter Parker in her life. Peter sighed a shaky breath, not wanting to let go of her either. "If not, I'll find you," she decided to promise him. "Even if I have to learn your name again, I will find you."

     Peter smiled at her. He cupped her cheeks again. "And then we get to live it all over again, yeah?"     

     She chuckled through her tears. "Yeah," she choked as the lump in her throat became overwhelming. As the lights of the spell above grew brighter, Nina Hart realised they were running out of time. Her breath hitched.

     Nina cupped his cheeks, too. "I love you," she told him. 

    Peter's gaze went gentle. His brows softened. 

    She bit her lip, but a small sob escaped her lips anyway. "I love you," she said again. "I▬I need to tell you that before I lose the chance. I love you."

     Peter Parker's word was tearing apart at the seams instead of the universe's, but right now, some part of it had been repaired. He smiled. He took a breath. "I love▬"

    "Wait," Nina cut him off and his brows knitted. She pursed her lips and gently brushed her thumbs along his cheeks. "Wait and tell me when you see me again?" She might be hanging onto threads that kept them together, but if there was one thing left unsaid, then maybe there was still a thread in this universe that would hold them close▬that would connect them; that would give Peter Parker a reason to make his way back to her. 

     Peter nodded. He swallowed many things he wished to say, and just settled with a soft: "Sure."

     He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her ... what? Peter didn't know. He just wanted more time. He wanted every minute of the world with Nina Hart. Right now, he just had to settle for one. 

     Peter Parker leaned in and he kissed her. He pulled her close around her waist and held her as tight as he dared. Nina whimpered some tears against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. They kissed as if the world was ending, and in a way, for them, it was. 

     Nina lingered on the kiss, her arms falling gently down until her fingertips traced Peter's jaw. She pressed her lips against his again, soft and tender, memorising the feeling for the last few seconds she had left with him. "I love you," she whispered against his lips.      

     Peter pulled away. He took a few steps backwards, giving her a gentle smile. He held onto her hand as long as possible, their fingers catching on until he finally let go. Nina's hand dropped to her side. 

     He stepped to the edge of the landing, bathed in the morning sunrise. Peter Parker stopped as he leapt up onto the concrete. 

     He glanced back. 

     Nina smiled. She nodded. Go get 'em, Tiger, she mouthed. 

     Peter Parker's smile brightened one last time. And when he leapt off the concrete edge, it was Spider-Man who swung away. No one more, and no one less.

*ೃ༄

    a/n: i am crying. again.

    i'm going to save my emotional author's note for the epilogue next chapter, but holy fuk...

    this is it. 

    (minimal editing).

    and just so you guys know if it was too confusing, that was tobey's universe in spider-man 3 which peter one experienced.