Chapter Two: Black as Night

[Spiderbob]

"More likely it's Peter with the crush."
The words escaped the spider's mouth in a tone that was barely audible even to him. The more she spoke of her Peter Parker, the more he became convinced that her Peter was also Spider-Man. He wondered what he was like, her Parker. He'd listen to her describe him, describe the friendship she had with him, but he still had an urge to meet him. He wanted to see, wanted to know how life had turned out for his other versions.
"Maybe I'll find me in this world."
He hoped that he would, but he knew it was a slim hope. Still, it was there. His seemingly neutral attitude changed to a sullen and depressed one as Victoria finished her response. She joked as if web slinging was something personal between the two of them. For him it used to be, but not with her. There used to be someone else, someone he had to share the joy webslinging brought. It used to be romantic, fun, and exhilarating. He could still remember the last time that held true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flash Back~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Quick! Natasha! Get up!”
His booming voice carried a sense of urgency and importance, and apparently it was enough of both to wake her. He watched as she went from her sleepy state to one of full alert in one fluent motion.
“What is it?! What’s wrong!?”
It took her only a fraction of a second to spot him clinging to the ceiling of their room. He noticed that she was confused to see him dressed his red and black attire but he interjected before she could question the matter.
“No time to explain! Hurry, get dressed! And put this on!”
He tossed her the small device the size of a wrist watch that he had been holding in his left hand. She caught it with ease. It took her but a glance at the machine to add to her puzzlement.
“A cloaking device?”
“It’s so we won’t be seen and detected on radar,” he explained impatiently. “Now hurry up!”
He was trying his best to rush her along. He had over slept and if he was to pull this off he would have to work fast. In moments she was dressed and ready to go. Without a word he scurried across the ceiling, leading her down the halls and up to the roof of their current resting place. She was having trouble following him due to the speed of which he had been moving, but she caught up to him. Again, before she could ask for clarification on the issue he had wrapped his arm around her waist and took off through the city. Even though he was in a hurry to reach their destination, he couldn’t help showing off to the woman in his arms, performing several flips, tumbles, and spins along the way. Finally, they made it.
“Peter. What’s going on? Why are we all the way up here?”
Though he was trying to keep a serious face, he couldn’t help but crack a smile at her bewilderment. He had taken her to the top of the Empire State Building, a fact that obviously had her baffled.
“You’ll see. Now look, over there.”
He led her gaze towards the morning sky and she strained her eyes to try and locate what it was she was supposed to see.
“I don’t see anything.”
The smile on his face grew uncontrollably and he was thankful that he was wearing a mask. His charade had worked.
“Hold on. Just wait a few more seconds.”
Her eyes narrowed as she tried harder to see what it was he was pointing at. Her frustration grew as she continued to fail in her attempt.
“I still don-“
Her voice came to a halt and her eyes widened as she realized why she had been brought out here. She stood their speechless as she watched the sun creep over the New York skyline, its rays weaving through and over the numerous structures of the city, illuminating them and the morning sky with an array of colors that seemed to dance in her eyes.
“Happy anniversary honey.”
She turned her gaze away from the breathtaking sight, beaming a heart filled smile at him, causing him to return the favor. Slowly, she removed his mask and showed him just how much she liked her gift.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~

Sadly for the spider, the experience was never again shared. A week later she was gone and he was forced to alter web slinging from a meaning of joy to a means of escaping his pain and coping with his loss.
It took Peter several moments to realize that he was silently staring at Victoria and had been the entire time he was reminiscing. Feeling a little embarrassed for having done so, Peter shook his head to clear his thoughts and regain his composure. He moved over to the right of Victoria and put his left arm around her waist. He cast his gaze forward, focussing on where it was they needed to go and trying to ignore the small awkward feeling he had inside.
"Hang on."
He gave her a moment to ready herself and then took off. Not wanting to waste any more time than they already had Peter took to a much faster means of travel than he had before, ricocheting of the trunks of the trees like a pinball. He knew that Victoria would keep them out of sight, though at the speed he was going he would have looked like a red and black blur to most people as he made his way out of the park and towards the city.