Spider-Man's eyes shot open, and he jumped up instantly. He was still in his costume, and he was in some sort of backalley. He looked around for some sort of clue...but found nothing. Where was he? Was he home? Was he in some other crazy world he didn't know about?
Spider-Man jumped on top of a roof and analyzed the streets. That's when he saw Iron Man fly past, giving Spider-Man a wave. As Spider-Man climbed higher, he saw the Fantastic Four flying in their hovercar. Spider-Man smiled. He was home.
Would he tell them of this entire new world? No, he decided. It could compromise everything, wreck havoc and cause panic. It was just a nice little reminder that maybe destiny didn't have anything to do with life at all, and that there was always someone watching.
"Have a nice trip, Spider-Man?" said that oh-so-familiar voice. Spider-Man turned around. Madam Web.
Her chair had appeared ontop of the roof where he stood. Spider-Man did looked at her. Was this Marvel's Madam Web, or Madam Web without a writing team. He didn't know, and he had no idea of finding out.
"How was that reality for you?"
"Interesting." he replied.
"I trust you will remember that Luck girl, won't you? Jordan Luck, the one that got you home."
"You knew about that other world, outside the comic book?"
"My dear boy, when will you learn?" she laughed. Her laugh echoed in his home of New York City, and she vanished in a whirlwind of smoke. Spider-Man who never cared for Madam Web or her crazy schemes, merely swung off. He wanted his Aunt May's meatloaf...even if he was a couple of days late.
Spider-Man looked around, saw the faces of the people from his world, and smiled. The city hadn't fallen apart. Everything was okay.
Forrest Hills, Queens was a nice neighborhood, and Peter Parker had hardly every enjoyed walking its streets. But before he went home to Aunt May he decided to stop into a shop that had peaked his interest.
Starbucks. Hey, it was in the same location here, too. Why hadn't he come here before? He was a caffeine fiend extraordinaire. Peter Parker pushed the door open, hearing the little bell ring which told everyone someone had just entered, and stuck one hand in his pocket. No money. Go figure.
But the real reason that Peter had come was to see how closely related the two worlds really were.
"Uh, hi? Miss? Does a Jordan Luck work here?" Peter asked an older woman standing at the register. She wiped her hands on her green apron. "We have a Jordan, but not Luck. Her last name is Clover. She's over there, cleaning that table."
Peter turned around to where the woman hand pointed, and he saw a young girl, a year or two older than him, wiping down one of the round tables with a cloth. Peter smiled, but heaved a disappointed sigh. Nope, not her. He cleared his throat and started to walk out the door, heading for home.
Aunt May was sitting at the kitchen table when he entered the door. Her face was grave, her hair a complete mess, and her eyes bloodshot, underlined with dark bags.
"PETER!" She screamed, running over to him. She nearly knocked him down with the powerful, long hug she greeted him with. "Where have you been, you worried me half to deaf! Oh, God! Never do that again! Never! You were gone for days, the police are looking for you, Mary Jane--"
"Aunt May, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you--I'm sorry."
"Where have you been? You tell me right now!"
Peter had started to sweat with the pressure. "I knew you wouldn't approve, Aunt May. I was...uh...I was involved in a...library...manhunt game...?"
"What?" she said, finally freeing him of her arms.
"Yeah. Uh, it was like a big quest. A scavenger hunt. It took days to find all the books--you know how big it is. I thought I left a note..." he lied. Oh, he had become good at lying. He had to, with all the places he had to go in such a hurry.
"Oh, Peter! I don't even care right now! Just, oh God, you're safe."
"Uh...Aunt May?"
"Yes, Peter?" she said, her voice near tears.
"Do you still have that meatloaf?"
She laughed and ran to the refrigerator. "You better call Mary Jane, Peter!" she said. "Invite her over. We have a lot of meatloaf left over."
And later they all sat around the dinner table one the panicked Mary Jane rushed over. She asked him where he was, what had happened, and he told her his excuse. But he told her in their secret manner, as the underlying I-Was-Busying-Being-Spider-Man message was understood, and that he would tell her later. He would tell Mary Jane, of course. How could he not?
And, as it turned out, the meatloaf was better than the one Jordan's mom had made. But only by a little bit...
A/N: Sorry for the short ending and for most of the short chapters. But like I said--this started out as a boredom write and it ended up being really short. But thanks to everyone who kept up with the story! Your reviews pushed it on, and I can't thank you guys enough.