epilogue

Morgan started awake. She was lying in bed in her dorm room. It was still dark outside, clearly the middle of the night.

She laid there, thinking. The dream she had just had was so vivid. So vivid. Like, she was really starting to wonder if it was a dream. She had seen her dad. For the first time in fifteen years. He had looked exactly as she remembered him.

She stared at the ceiling, trying to decide if she could figure this out in the morning. She tried closing her eyes momentarily, but she quickly realized that there was no going back to sleep now.

Morgan crept out of bed, careful no to disturb her sleeping roommate. She grabbed her phone and went out into the hallway. As she sat on the floor, leaning against the wall next to her door, she opened her phone's contacts. Who could she call? She knew who she should call, but she didn't want to bother him in the middle of the night. After hesitating for another minute, she finally gave in and called Peter.

After a few rings, he picked up.

"Hello," his voice was rough, she had definitely woken him up. "Morgan, is everything okay? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," she reassured him. "I just… this sounds kind of dumb, but I had this dream about dad, but… I don't know it just felt too real to be a dream… I can't explain it, it was so weird."

Peter was silent, and for a moment, Morgan was afraid he had fallen back asleep. "I'll be over in a few," he said. "Meet me on the roof?"

Morgan couldn't help but smile, "yeah I'll be there, thanks Pete."

She slipped back into her room and threw on a sweatshirt. She hurried up the stairs, and through the utility door out onto the roof. She remembered to prop the door open on her way out, so she wouldn't get locked out here like last time.

She met Peter up here pretty often. He was the one she always called when she didn't know what to do, and he lived nearby so it wasn't too much of a hassle (of course that definitely had nothing to do with why she picked NYU).

Peter was her big brother. Had been since they lost her dad. She had always been a little jealous of him because he actually got to experience what it was like having her dad around when he was in high school, but she could never hold it against him. Besides, he passed on everything he knew. When she got a bad grade on her Spanish quiz, Peter told her exactly what her dad had told him when the same thing happened to him. "Morgan, sometimes you're going to fail, and that's okay. Work hard and study what you did wrong, and next time, you'll show them that you knew it all along."

In the distance, she saw a familiar shadow swinging from building to building.

Peter landed on the roof and pulled his Spider-Man mask off, revealing his unbrushed bedhead. "Hey, Morg," he said, pulling her in for a quick hug with his free hand.

"Thanks for coming," she replied.

He shrugged, "Anytime. So what was this dream you had?"

They sat on the edge of the roof, feet dangling over the edge as Morgan recounted everything she could remember. Her dad asking if he had succeeded, his shock at seeing her as an adult. His regret in having to leave so soon.

"I told him he saved the universe, but he said… 'I don't know if I care about the universe when I look at you.'" Morgan was trying not to cry. There was no reason to be this emotional, it was just a dream… right?

Peter saw the confusion in her eyes and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Do you think it was real, Morgan?"

Morgan hesitated, "I… it was just a dream, but deep down… yeah I do. I think it was real. I think that was really my dad talking to me."

Peter nodded.

They sat in silence, both trying to figure out how that was possible, but ultimately coming to the conclusion that they would probably never know, and that was okay. It was a gift. Just like this time sitting out on the roof was a gift. They both treasured their time together, because they understood exactly how precious every second could be.