Spider-man and all its related characters belongs to Marvel.

The story is set in my own timeline, major inspirations come from Spider-man The animated series, Spectacular Spider-man and Spider-man (PS4) along with various comics I have read over the years.

Sitting stiffly on her sofa, May Parker stared at the television waiting for the breaking story that one way or another would mark the end of the long nightmare that she and her nephew had been living through these past few weeks.

Any second now, J Jonah Jameson was going to stop talking about crime rates or city elections or whatever piece of news that he was reporting on and get that look in his eye. The look that any loyal watcher of the man's broadcasts was able to identify, because nothing in all of journalism could get Jameson fired up quite like a story about Spider-man.

But on he droned, the news remaining Spider-man free. Instead of announcing the arrest of the Green Goblin and alleviating her fears, Jameson began talking about some repairs going on in Harlem's underground subway tunnels. Checking her watch May Parker saw that she would only have the pleasure of Jameson's broadcast for another ten minutes before he signed on over to the eleven o'clock news anchor.

She tried to ignore the sense of fear that swept through her as time continued to tick on by.

"No news is good news May." She mumbled to herself, but the old proverb didn't ease her anxiety. Because while she was certain that if anything terrible had happened to Peter, the monstrous Green Goblin would be quick to make it public, perhaps parading his body around the city, there were plenty of other dark alternatives nagging away at May Parker as to the absence of a big breaking Spider-man story

The Green Goblin, once just another one of these masked menace types that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere to terrorise the city and its people. But unlike many of her nephew's enemies who were only interested in stealing or serving some insane goal, the Green Goblin had quickly set his sights on becoming the next big man of crime, planning to overthrow the current mob bosses and sow chaos throughout the city.

He quickly proved himself a formidable enemy to Peter matching him in both strength and speed and there fights were brutal affairs judging by the number of cuts and bruises her nephew tried to keep hidden from her, but time and time again, Spider-man had been there to foil the madman's schemes and prevent innocents from being harmed.

It was a job no relative could love, but May Parker felt unmeasurable pride in Peter every time she watched a segment on the news showing him swinging into action. The city may not always appreciate Spider-man, but still he would continue to do the right thing and save the day.

For a time, it became like a scripted event. The Green Goblin would attack, cause some damage and then in came Spider-man who would fight tooth and nail to stop whatever the latest scheme was to seize power or weaken the cities various enterprises, and then the Green Goblin, realising that things were once again not going his way would turn tail and fly away.

Of course Peter would give chase, but sadly the Goblin had proven most elusive and had managed to evaded capture time and time again, allowing the city to know that the madness was not yet over, and that this would all repeat itself once again.

This all had changed when Peter had come home one day after battling the Goblin with a look of pure fear.

"He knows who I am."

From that moment on, the Parker household had been living on borrowed time. The Green Goblin had proven himself to be ruthless, attacking charity events, unleashing new monsters upon the city and transforming entire street blocks into war zones thanks to his battles with local mob bosses. Nowhere was safe. Peter said that the Goblin was mad and that there was no line he wouldn't cross to achieve his goals, which of course included the elimination of Spider-man. He has asked May to leave, but the thought of abandoning Peter, the last of her family, was impossible for her.

As amazing as Peter Parker was, he couldn't do this alone.

May had seen the way this ordeal had been treating Peter, living in fear, jumping at shadows, second guessing every decision he made, wondering if he was jeopardizing their safety or unwittingly playing into that madman's hands. That kind of pressure wasn't healthy for someone as good as him, and it had caused him to slowly change.

He had begun acting more violent, venting out his anger on those criminals who swore loyalty to the Goblin and refused to give either him or the Police even a clue as to the madman's identity or location. Every failed interrogation, every close call, every escape just kept adding to Peter's turmoil. It was becoming too much for him. Others had also begun noticing Spider-man's new brutality, Jameson especially, bringing more grief down upon her nephew.

It was all taking its toll on Peter and May feared it was only a matter of time until he snapped.

And then tonight, tonight Peter had sworn it would all be over, that he would make everything all right and end the danger to their lives, forever. May had wanted to believe in him as she held him tight against her, but no matter how good her nephew was or how amazing he could be, there were some things that couldn't be fixed.

May feared that no matter the outcome the Parker household would never be the same again.

"I'm afraid that's all we have time for tonight." Jameson's voice breaking May from her thoughts and back to her all too empty living room. "I thank you all for joining me here at the J3 news broadcast and I will now be handing you over to my colleague Charlie Snow. I'm James Jonah Jameson and I wish you all a heartfelt goodnight."

Rising from the sofa, May moved through her home in a daze, the only thing that was real to her was the phone she had removed from her trouser pocket. Her fingers were on autopilot as she quickly unlocked the device and began dialling Peter's number.

"Pick up, pick up." She prayed as she listened to the tone, waiting to hear Peter's voice and put to rest her fears.

Instead the dead dial tone mocked her. For a long minute she listened to it, waiting for something to happen, but it never did. Eventually the call disconnected and May found herself in the kitchen in total darkness.

She had experienced nightmares like this; that one night Peter wouldn't come home to her. They had taken many shapes and forms over the years, but the end result was that May found herself alone, forever cut off from Ben and Peter. Sitting in the morning sun, with her nephew eating his breakfast she had been able to easily dismiss those dreams and focus on what was before her, but here in the dark all those terrible visions came creeping back into her memory.

"Stop it May." She muttered. "Peter's going to be alright."

Guiding herself with the light from her phone, May reached through the darkness and found the light switch. Then pulling out a chair from under the kitchen table May Parker sunk down into it and once again began trying to call Peter.

All she received in response was the same mocking dial tone.

"He's not coming back."

Shaking her head, May tried to remove the whispers of doom that her mind was conjuring and began looking around the kitchen, as if anything there might be able to distract herself from the growing sense of emptiness and dread she was experiencing.

"He's dead, lying in some dark back alley. It could take days, perhaps weeks for somebody to stumble across him."

Her head eventually turned to the direction of the fridge, and there held in place by Peter's first homemade magnet was a photograph. Rising from her chair, her phone still clutched tightly in her hand, May took the frozen image down and remembered.

It had been taken on one of Ben's birthdays; the three of them were sitting around the kitchen table each wearing a party hat as a cake, holding many candles, sat before them. They were all smiling, but not the large put on for show smiles captured in images intended to be shown off, but those of genuine happiness because back then they were a perfectly content little family, and they had always believed it would last. Stroking the photo fondly May longed for the days when the problems of the world seemed so distant.

And Ben, how she wished he was here with her now. Patient, kind and always good, she knew in her heart that while he would never be able to fix all the problems he was always willing to try, just like Peter. How she missed him.

Dialling Peter's number once again, May carefully returned the photo back on the fridge and began moving out of the kitchen. She could not, would not, sit still any longer, if Peter was out there hurt then she needed to go looking for him. New York was a big place, but during his time as the web swinging hero her nephew had made many allies who May felt she could call upon to help in this time of need. It would be a needle in a haystack search, but she had to do something.

Listening to the phone's dial tone once again, May stepped into the hallway and reached for her coat when a voice she was all too familiar with came from her living room.

"This is James Jonah Jameson, coming to you live with a special news bulletin."

Moving faster than she had in years, May ran into the living room and saw that Jameson had once again returned to her television set and was pushing the previous newscaster off screen.

"Get out of my way Charlie." The man barked causing the man to quickly give up his protests and exit his chair. Smoothly sitting down Jameson stared right into the camera and began. "I am sorry to have to interrupt but mere moments ago; I received news of the most shocking nature and felt it was my duty to inform you, the public, of its contents."

May was now kneeling in front of the television, fear gripping her tightly with its cold touch. The look was in Jameson's eyes, there was no mistaking it. This was it.

"Minutes ago, Norman Osborn, founder and CEO of Oscorp Industries was found dead inside of his home by members of his family. While Police officers have closed off the scene and are beginning their investigation, we have had two witness's testimonies placing Spider-man there in Mr. Osborn's office at the time the body was found."

May Parker blinked. This isn't what she had expected.

Rolling his shoulders, forcing himself to stay calm Jameson continued. "While it is not yet known why Spider-man was there, the Police I am sure would like to take in that wall c-," he breathed through his nose. "Excuse me, I am sure the police would very much like to talk to Spider-man and ask him some questions that might shed some light on this grim situation. As of this time however there is no actual cause to suspect Spider-man is directly responsible but we here at the J3 news broadcast will stick to this story and keep you informed at every update. I am James Jonah Jameson and I will now return you to my colleague Charlie Snow."

May took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and thanked whoever was out there listening. Peter was alive. And for a brief second her fears had been put to rest. But as quickly as relief had come it was then replaced by questions, hundreds of questions. Why had Peter been at Norman's Osborn's home when he should have been dealing with the Green Goblin? Was Norman an unfortunate victim caught in the crossfire? Could Peter be blamed for Osborn's death? If so, how long was it before the papers began demanding the arrest of Spider-man again? And why hadn't Jameson talked about the Goblin? Had he escaped once again? Was Peter unable to call due to his commitment to the no doubt devastated Harry?

She could have gone on all night wondering all of these things and more when a loud thump came from upstairs followed by some glass breaking.

"Peter?" May yelled moving out the room and into the hallway, climbing two steps at a time she scaled her staircase and was outside of his bedroom door in record time. "Peter is that you?"

Opening the door May found Peter's bedroom in almost complete darkness. The only source of light was a few stray rays from the street lamp outside peeking through the curtains whenever the wind brushed against them.

"Peter?" May Parker ran her hand against the wall seeking out her nephews light switch.

"Keep the lights off."

"Peter?" May asked, recognising the voice as that of her nephews but not the tone. In all the years she had been privileged to have raised him, she had never heard him sound so defeated. "Peter what happened?"

A shadow broke from the darkness and came towards her, powerful arms wrapped around her body holding May tightly against it. For a moment she panicked, surprised at the shadow's speed and the force of the creatures hold on her but a second later and she heard a sound that broke her heart. It was mix between a howl and a whimper, a premature release of emotion trapped deep below the surface that was then followed by a broken sob. Peter was alive and home but he was also in pain.

"It's alright." May said trying to comfort him. With one arm returning her nephews bone crushing hug the other quickly got to work exploring his body. She feared he would be wounded, a bloody mess barley clinging to life. But instead of gaping wounds and running blood oozing from his sides, she discovered the perfect fabric mesh of his costume. After a few more seconds of blindly checking his chest and back May could safely say that Peter was no worse for wear than when he had left her, physically at least.

Another choking sob confirmed that as Peter started to become dead weight in May's arms.

"I tried, I didn't- I wanted to but I was just so angry and he-"

"Peter!" May almost yelled struggling to continuing standing as her nephew began sinking towards the floor, threatening to topple her over. Her nephew didn't stop or notice the predicament he had put them in, his hug continued to be unbreakable as his knees ceased to work.

"I couldn't stop it. I wanted to hurt him and then I, I jus- couldn't stop and…"

"Peter you have to help me." May ordered, using the last of her strength to maintain her balance and keep her and her nephew from collapsing onto the floor. Peter's iron hold on her loosened immediately and May had to grab at his arms in order to halt his descent as he fell like a lead lined rag doll towards the ground.

Struggling with his weight May, with a great deal of effort, managed to prevent Peter's head from banging against his bedroom floor. Only when she was certain that he was now lying on the flat surface did she release his arms.

Then having exerted herself May slowly lowered herself onto Peter's bedroom floor. She had plenty of nightmares where Peter had never come home to her and she had experienced many a time when her nephew had come home, broken and bleeding but this? This was something new.

He'd always managed to make a joke, give her a smile or at least try and put on a brave face as she did her best to help him recover but now…

Something terrible had happened and May was almost too afraid to ask.

Almost.

"Peter?" She whispered into the darkness. A small animalistic wail is what she got in response. Unable to call upon the energy needed to stand; May instead crawled on her hands and knees towards her nephew. He was curled into a ball close to his bed letting his tears fall free as more sniffs and sobs escaped him.

The damn was nearing its breaking point.

Sitting beside him, placing her back against his bed May threw her arms around him and pulled Peter in close, he allowed her to do this and quickly held her tightly once again.

She had thousands of questions to ask him and right now she wanted nothing more than to hold him like this until all the pain vanished but there was a pressing issue on her mind and if she didn't have it answered then they would never know peace.

"Is the Green Goblin gone?" She asked.

Peter's head nodded furiously. "He's gone." He managed to say.

The damn broke.

With no wounds to clean and no stiches to apply May couldn't find a reason or the strength to move them both out of Peter's dark bedroom. So she sat there holding him until her nephew's tears had dried and he stopped clinging to her like she was the last life jacket on a sinking ship.

It may have been hours later when Peter's hold on her once again loosened.

"I'm sorry." He croaked.

May didn't dare ask what it was that Peter was apologising for, whatever the answer it would wait until morning. Giving him a short hug of acceptance she used his bed as an aid in standing up then slowly she moved across the dark bedroom floor. Opening the door she reached out into the dark and found the light switch for the hallway. Turning it on she got a clearer view of Peter and what this night had done to him, the young adult looked exhausted and not just physically.

Ben had said there are many trials in life that take many forms. May would wager that this had been Peter's greatest. Only time would tell if he had passed or not.

"Can I get you anything?" Peter shook his head slowly. "Get some rest sweetheart, that's what you need."

She waited in the doorway until Peter slowly rose up from the floor. The light from the hallway hit his black suit causing it to have a momentary glistening effect on the material, as if it were made of thousands of shiny sequins. May turned to leave but stopped. For a second the white spider logo on his suit seemed to stretch and grow over Peter's chest. Blinking May studied the white spider carefully but found it was the same as it had always been, a trick of the light, nothing more.

"Good night Peter." She said, leaving him to undress. Leaving his bedroom door slightly ajar May slowly travelled downstairs. The television was still on and already the news was hot on the topic of Mr. Osborn's death but it seemed everything was pure speculation mixed with the few facts Jameson had already reported on.

Curling up on the sofa, watching the news with unfocused eyes May knew that it she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight. The Goblin was gone Peter had said, but rather than bring her comfort May was now hit with fresh worries as thousands of questions that only Peter could answer racked her brain.

Thank you all for reading. If you have any feedback or ideas you want to share please leave a review.

To anyone wondering, yes, Peter does have the black suit but I have no plans to do Venom in this fic

Spider-man will be more in line with his regular self next chapter, but I want there to be some residing emotion from this night through out the fic.

I wanted May Parker to know as I feel like Peter really should be able to trust her and get over the idea she will worry. Like Peter everyone who does know worries about you regardless why not have your mother figure in the inner circle?