Recovery Point - A Spider-Man fanfic

Summary: After the chaos that spiralled out of control, the city was left in shambles. An injured hero with a broken heart was surrounded by darkness, lying on the roof of Oscorp as his life slowly ticked away. Gwen is left shattered and mystified as their relationship strains. Wounds are still tender and promises are broken. Set in The Amazing Spiderman movie.

Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman

The most desperate battle that Peter Parker had ever faced ended just a few minutes ago. Captain Stacy was dead, his life's blood was slowly seeping away creating a crimson red pool around his unnaturally cold body. Curt Connors was leaning exhaustedly on a wall, his breaths were ragged and his eyes were tightly closed. Peter limped to the edge of the rooftop, clenching his mask in his balled up hand, still shaking from the ordeal. Using the last of his strength he unleashed an anguished cry from the rooftop, he sank to his knees powerless. He was gifted with all this power to make a change yet he couldn't even protect the people that were closest to the ones he loved. He looked down to the ground ashamed, guilty tears fell down his face.

How would he be able to face Gwen?

Her father just made him promise to leave her out of his dangerous life. Peter couldn't deny a man's dying wishes, it wouldn't be right for Captain Stacy to leave without any peace of mind. Peter wanted nothing more than to be at her side right now, she always knew what to say to cheer him up, help him back on his feet and go out there everyday to be the hero, Spiderman. Peter felt like his life was falling apart and his heart was being torn into so many tiny pieces it would be almost impossible to pick them all back up.

Why couldn't he have what he wanted for once?

Peter still mourned the loss of Uncle Ben and now Captain Stacy. He didn't want Gwen or Aunt May to share the same fate as them.

Raindrops fell freely from the darkened skies; it was as if the sky was crying for him, Peter Parker was the last person to deserve all this. With one last look at these surroundings, this memory would be burned in his mind forever. The scars that will remain will serve as a reminder of his failure to protect. He painfully groaned as he hauled himself up on to his feet. He felt so weak that his knees were shaking, and the desire to simply collapse got stronger. To fall in the darkness where no pain could enter and he could let go of his responsibilities, just for a little while…

Peter peered over the edge to see a city in chaos; he let out a long sigh. Cop cars were strewn all over the streets, glass and other debris were littered everywhere, it was a mess and it was his entirely fault. The burden on his shoulder grew heavier and heavier until Peter sagged under the weight and crawled over to Captain Stacy, settling himself next to him. He sat upright and concentrated on breathing, each breath was strained he assumed a broken rib must have punctured a lung. Peter reflected as he gazed upwards, the pitter patter of rain was somehow calming and refreshing from the heat of the battle.

Gwen clasped her hands together anxiously, her eyes focused on one point. The roof. A huge chunk of the building fell from the sky earlier on and afterwards there was nothing but silence and the occasional wail of sirens.

"Where are you Peter?" She wondered.

And what of her father as well? Was he okay?

Sitting on the side lines and suffering in silence was the worst feeling ever. She was kept in the dark about what was happening, only the chatter of the radio broadcasting the events from the view of a helicopter kept her updated. She couldn't take it anymore; not knowing whether the two men that she loved the most were okay and alive made her stomach churn. She made a mad dash in to the building and up the stairs. Several officers attempted to bar her way, but nothing could stop her and so, they followed her in pursuit.

Amidst the quiet surroundings there was suddenly was scuffle coming from the stairs leading to his location. Peter scrambled to put his mask on, painfully wincing from suddenly moving. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Gwen at the entrance. She stood frozen, all the blood drained from her face, her hands flew to cover her agape mouth and her eyes widened. Gwen let out an ear splitting screech as she frantically ran over to her father, shaking him violently. Tears were flooding her eyes as she shouted longingly. "Daddy!"

But it was futile. He was gone.

"Come back to me!" She willed. She wanted nothing more than for him to engulf her in a hug with his strong warm hands, holding her tightly so that she felt safe…So that she felt she was back home. It was like a never ending nightmare, she felt numb. On spur of the moment, Peter snaked his arms around her, he could do nothing more than comfort. His wounds were suddenly forgotten and Gwen became all that mattered.

Paramedics and the police were next to arrive on scene, they immediately arrested Dr Connors without hesitation and roughly shoved him down the stairs. Peter felt slightly sorry for him, as he still blamed himself for giving him the equation which was the spark to all this. Even at the end, Dr Connors saved his life as he was helplessly falling to his death. His hug tightened as the paramedics removed Captain Stacy's body and Gwen looked up through her tear welled eyes to see Peter in his wrecked Spiderman costume and her sight followed her father being taken away from her. She buried her face in to his shoulder uncontrollably sobbing. A few paramedics lingered, unsure of whether or not to treat Spiderman, it was hard not to notice the multiple rips in his costume revealing angry red scrapes and scratches. Not to mention the bullet hole in his thigh that was slowly dripping a dark liquid. The webbing from earlier had dissolved and the agonising pain flooded back in to his mind, seeping through his mental barriers. His limbs were aching and his body became more desperate for air. Without warning, his grip on Gwen slacked and he leaned backwards in dizziness. Gwen choked, suddenly aware of Peter's serious injuries, she stopped wallowing in her sadness, instead now she concentrated on keeping her boyfriend alive. She doesn't need another dead loved one tonight.

She slowly lowered him to the ground using her lap as a pillow, Peter groaned and his head lolled.

"Help him…Please!" She begged the paramedics who were jolted out of their thoughts. They rushed over and tried to stabilise him.

Gwen looked at her hands, they were covered in blood that belonged to her father and Peter. Her tears fell on to Spiderman's mask. Peter reached upwards and stroked her face, he was using up the last of his efforts to stay awake. His arm fell limply to his side and the last thing he remembered were a comb of hands over his body, the shriek of sirens and a fearful Gwen whispering as she cradled his hand "Stay with me Peter, don't let go..." The few words were incoherent as he slipped in to the darkness.

The next thing he saw as he opened his eyes was a bright blinding light. He blinked rapidly and immediately tensed in his unfamiliar surroundings. Peter held his hand in his view; wires and needles were poked in to him and he reached to carefully rip them out. Gwen slapped his hand.

"Don't you dare bug boy." She scolded, trying to lighten the situation as a way of consoling herself.

"Gwen? How did I get here?" He slurred, he still hadn't quite got his bearings yet.

"You were in and out of consciousness for most of the time on the roof, and I think you finally lost it in the ambulance when we were taking you to the hospital. They've treated your injuries. I've told them to keep your mask on and not to do any blood work in case they figure something out. But Peter, I was so scared that you weren't going to make it…" She trailed off, tears threatened to spill again.

"I'm okay now, Gwen. It'll all be okay." He said as gently as he could muster. He moved to one side of the bed patting the space beside him and offered Gwen a cuddle.

After a long period of silence Peter looked directly at Gwen. Her hair was messy, she had blobs of blood on her clothes and her eyes were puffy from the amount of crying and sobbing she endured. She looked tired, the usual gleam in her eyes had dimmed and dark circles were beginning to form underneath them.

"Gwen, you should go home. Get some rest…" Peter croaked.

"N-no, I want to stay here. With you." She mumbled attempting a smile to raise his spirits.

"Your family need you more than I do…You should go to them." This was where he would start to push her away, convincing himself that he didn't need Gwen in his life to carry on. He was just trying to do what was best for her and keep everyone happy, even if he wasn't. Seeing her happy and smiling was all the reward he needed.

"But Peter..."

He held up a hand, motioning to stop continuing.

"I'll be fine." He reassured her with his goofy smile. Before Gwen left, she rolled up his mask and leaned down to passionately kiss him. Peter savoured this moment; it would probably be the last kiss they would ever share. "Just stay safe okay? Get a taxi and stay out of any alleyways."

"Thank you..." She nodded and quietly left the room.

Peter insisted that he was fine and should be free to go, but the hospital staff were optimistic and reluctantly gave him a check up. He ensured the staff that his super powers would help him heal incredibly quickly. He hated being confined in a room, especially in a hospital, his daily routine of web swinging had shown him freedom and provided a wide berth for him to roam around in. He could no longer could stay still for long periods of time.

Slowly he walked with the aid of crutches down the hallway.

"Hey look it's Spiderman!" Someone shouted.

Spiderman in a hospital with crutches now that was a weird sight he chuckled inwardly.

People, injured or not, suddenly burst out of their rooms and lined the hallway, claps and cheers of appreciation exploded. Peter smiled and gratefully nodded with the occasional friendly wave as he walked down to the exit. They now recognised him as a hero!

He meandered home but not before stopping in an alleyway to get changed and then dragging himself to a local shop to buy eggs for his aunt. The shopkeeper looked at him quizzically, all of Peter's bruises and scratches made him seem like he was from a gang or was unfortunately a victim of a mugging. Judging by his build the shopkeeper guessed it was the latter, and took pity on him. He sold the eggs and Peter gingerly shoved them in to his backpack and limped home.

As soon as the front door rattled Aunt May jumped to her feet and wandered over, only to see a dishevelled Peter coming in. He rummaged through his backpack and to her surprise he pulled out a carton of eggs. She shoved them aside on a table and hugged him tightly. Fresh bruises were printed on his face and she could have sworn there was a slight limp to his walk. But Aunt May was just happy that he came home.

"Rough night." He groaned.

She sighed and patted his back before sending him off to bed as soon as possible, he looked like he was ready to fall and could use days of endless rest.

Morning came around too soon and Peter rolled out of bed earlier than usual; perhaps he would be on time for school for once, if he didn't come across any small crimes of course. Lightly he stretched his limbs testing his flexibility and seeing how well his bullet wound had healed up. There were traces of pain but that could be disguised easily. His leg could now support most of his weight so his limp wasn't as obvious as before. His mind flashed back to Captain Stacy's promise.

"Keep Gwen out of it."

Bidding his aunt goodbye, he set off to school. The weather was bright but this would be a very long and hard day…

The first stop in school was his locker, he hastily grabbed his books and slammed his locker closed. From a distance he could see Gwen walking towards him with a smile but he ignored her and walked to class. The shrill bell rang, signalling for class, the hallway was now full of life it would almost be impossible to catch up to Peter now who had left her alone in the middle of the corridor. Gwen felt hurt, after everything that happened, he just ignored her? She understood that he needed space, no normal teenager goes through what he's been through. She knew that he would even go as far as to blame himself and take the entire burden on his shoulders to bear alone. So she left him to himself and she carried on with school work, waiting for him to acknowledge her. Minutes turned to hours and hours turned to days. Peter Parker had acted as if he never knew her that she never existed. She shouldn't think about him all the time she scolds herself. Her father's funeral would be in a couple of days, surely Peter would have enough respect to come, right?

"My father died."

Peter stood there solemnly, knowing what was coming, he mentally prepared himself for him to be crushed ironically like a spider.

"His funeral was today. Even Flash turned up, where were you?"

"I was there as Spiderman, just hiding in the shadows like the coward I am." Peter thought in his head, he couldn't take it anymore. He was trying to protect the one he loved yet he ended up hurting her more.

"I can't do this anymore…" Peter gasped avoiding her gaze. He knew that he would crumble as soon as he looked in her eyes; he had to uphold his promise. To protect her.

"Do what, Peter?" Gwen said bewildered.

"I-I can't be with you..." His voice sounded so small, he was scared that he would hurt her even further. She was already frail from the death of her father. All this pain she is experiencing is his fault.

The next few seconds passed in a blur, the conversation suddenly took a turn for the worst and ended with Gwen leaving the door step. She turned abruptly and asked "My father made you promise didn't he? To keep me out of danger."

Peter nodded; he hung his head letting his hair cast a shadow over his eyes, still refusing to look at her. Both of their hearts were shattered, it was cruel how perfect they were for each other yet they could never be.

Even though the rain eventually stopped, it never stopped raining in Peter's heart. His life was full of pain, misery and loss, and he had just lost Gwen. Aunt May struck him, saying that he was good. He was good enough for her, and he knew that he was strong enough to keep Gwen out of danger. His resolve made sure that history will not repeat itself again.

And so the next day at school, Peter was back with a smile on his face, planning his words and rehearsing them as if they were a script. He left briefly to stop a robbery which eventually lead to a car chase, he managed to get out mostly unscathed, just a few scratches here and there so deemed himself fit enough to return to school. Peter looked down at this schedule. Biology. Gwen was in this class. This was his opportunity to make things all right again, to put events back on track, with a deep breath Peter placed his hand on the door handle. Time seemed to slow down as he swung it open, hastily walking to his seat behind the unsuspecting Gwen. This would be his last chance to recover the remaining pieces of his shattered heart and relationship with his girlfriend.

"Ah Peter, nice of you to finally join us." The teacher said sarcastically.

"Sorry! I promise, it won't happen again." Peter smirked, knowing full well that it would more than likely happen again.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr Parker."

"But those are the best kind…" He whispered under his breath, deliberately leaning towards Gwen.

With that, Gwen Stacy smiled…Looks like things would be okay between them after all…

The End

[A/N]:Andrew Garfield has won me over with his performance and looks. I swear he's the only guy I've seen to pull off the dishevelled hair look XD I've begged my parents to see it another thousand times but I guess I have to wait for the DVD and then watch it over and over again hehe! I have no idea why I decided to write a Spiderman fanfic so let me know if I'm any good and if not I won't show my face in the fandom again from embarrassment and failure XD Hope you liked it, sorry about the length as well! I wanted to put some more description in and more detail but that would make it even longer. I'm paranoid about spelling and grammar so I proof read it so many times and kept poking and prodding at it but if you do happen to spot one let me know since I don't have a beta reader. Thank you for reading! Drop a review, please? :)

Midnight Glider

18/07/12