Ghost of Christmas Not Your Past | Peter & Not!Peter

[st_ayedhidden]

Peter could not believe that his daughter somehow got sucked into another dimension. He was grateful that she was safe here and there was another version of him to look after her alongside the Avengers who used to be his friends. He did not know how to lighten the burden his daughter felt as him being captured. Peter didn't know if he could tell her the future in case it changed the outcome too much.


He walked the short distance to where Annie mentioned the other version of Peter Parker stayed. Maybe there should have been some preamble or he should have had Annie sent up the meeting, but what he had to talk to Peter about was something not for her ears.

Peter chose to walk right though the door and into the room. He searched immediately for someone who might go by the name Peter.

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[st_ayedhidden]

"You'll see!" He replied as he led the younger one around a corner.

Up ahead there were a lot of flashing lights from fire trucks and a building was ablaze. Also up ahead was the faint glimpse of something black and something else red crashing inside the building.

Peter didn't go in just yet. He landed beside one of the fire trucks. Inside was a red headed woman and a baby no older than 1. Peter's gaze on them was fond, but heavy.

"MJ knew one of Venom's only weaknesses is fire." He said when the younger Peter joined him.

[st_arkintern]

Peter lands neatly beside Peter; he's been getting better at his landings. After Peter explains everything about MJ and the fire quickly registers that the redhead has to be MJ. And the baby?

That has to be Annie.

Peter's expression warms a little at the sight of her.

"Yeah?" Peter looks up at the other Peter and wonders if he'll reach his height.

[st_ayedhidden]

His gaze lingered on his wife and child momentarily. He then turned to Peter and nodded.

"That's how I knew MJ was the one." He explained. "She might not have super powers, but she's a fighter and will fight for what's right."

Peter paused and then cocked his head toward the building on fire.

"Come on," he said. "The fire can't hurt us."

He headed for the building with a quietly grim expression.

[st_arkintern]

Peter nods solemnly, his lips pressed together. Peter knows that something bad's about to happen. Maybe it's the spidey-sense or the way that Peter's talking. Wherever they're going through, they're not going to find anything good.

Peter follows close behind Peter.

[st_ayedhidden]

The building they entered was on fire. They didn't need to go far to find Spider-Man and Venom fighting and neither of them were holding back their punches.

"Nice, Parker. Force us in here. You know how to hurt us," boomed Venom's voice. "Well, guess what, Peter? Now we know how to hurt you. Showed us your belly. That fragile little baby of yours makes you weak. Vulnerable."

Peter stopped and watched himself fight Venom with tight lips that formed a line.

"Oh, the things we're going to do to your horrid spawn," Venom threatened, than laughed evilly, Even if you beat us now, we'll never stop, Parker! We will get her. We will suck out her brains"

From somewhere back on the street, Mary-Jane's voice was yelling. Peter didn't look back, but Spider-Man did.

"It's empty!" MJ yelled. "You're the only ones in there! Do you understand?!"

"Gotta give you points, Parker," Venom continued, panting. "Never fought us like this before. Gotta do it again something."

Spider-Man went for a load-bearing column.

"N-No, Eddie..." Spider-Man said grimly. "Never again"

Venom looked surprised.

"What?" He said. "You can't do that. Spider-Man would never - "

The ceiling began to collapse and fire spread. Venom was crushed by debris. Only his hand stuck out and as the fire continued, the black on his arm slowly receded and what was left was Eddie Brock's arm.

[st_arkintern]

Oh no.

Peter feels himself tense up as soon as they enter the building. He sticks close to Peter -- the Peter who brought him here -- as he watches. As he watches, what feels like a heavy ball-bearing has settled down at the pit of his stomach. It takes all of his self-control to stay standing and focused.

Peter knows what it's like to be afraid for someone else. He's sure that the other Peter -- the one fighting Venom -- felt exactly the same way he did when he was sitting in the back of Liz's dad's car. The only difference here is that he refused to kill the Vulture.

This Peter didn't hesitate to kill Venom.

Peter turns to look at his older counterpart, his brows furrowed. "Why did you --" Peter swallows and shakes his head. "Why did you show me this?"

[st_ayedhidden]

Peter was quiet with the question, but beckoned the other Peter to follow him back out. Outside, Spider-Man joined MJ and a crying Annie.

"I did it for her," He said, meaning Annie. "When it was just MJ, somehow, I knew she could handle herself. She signed up for it. But Annie... she didn't ask for any of it."

Off in the distance there was an explosion on told of a building. Everyone's attention was drawn up to it, but Peter seemed to be expecting it.

"That was the day the Avenges died." He said "That every last hero died. Even Spider-Man. It just looked like him standing there, but that was just me. Peter Parker. A dad in a stupud red and blue suit. That was the day I learned what trumps great power... an even greater responsibility."

[st_arkintern]

Peter's gaze turns from the explosion over to Peter. "What happened?" he asks. "Annie has so many questions, she doesn't understand. She's not even really sure if you're alive or not and --"

He takes a breath.

"-- it's really hard on her, you know? I just --"

Peter presses his lips together. He's not even sure where to go from here.

[st_ayedhidden]

"If I tell her what happens, would it change the future?" he asked, sincerely. "I want to tell her, but I'm worried if she knows, things won't happen the way it did, and if they change...."

He shook his head and looked to the other Peter.

"This is for you, not her," He said. "I wanted you to see that sometimes I - we - need to make choices we never thought we would. That sometimes... being the hero is not the right choice."

It pained Peter to say so and it was in his face, but so was conviction.

"A man named Regent found a way to steal our powers." He explained. "He killed all the vigilantes that had no powers, like Daredevil and Luke Cage. But the others... He found a way to extract our powers and use them for himself. It's how the Avengers couldn't stop him. It's why he hunts anyone with powers down now."

[st_arkintern]

Peter doesn't know if things will change or if they won't, but he knows that telling Annie isn't his call to make.

"I won't tell her," he promises. "But... I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to kill... anybody."

[st_ayedhidden]

"I didn't think so either," He replied. "It's not something I think most people think they're capable of until they have to make that choice."

He looked to the other Peter.

"It's not like it doesn't stay with me, even to this day." He said. "Eddie might have been angry with me, but it was the symbiote that twisted his mind to the monster he became."

He straightened his back and looked up at the night sky like he was reading something in it.

"I don't regret it, though." He continued. "I kept my family safe. So, if you ever have to make that sort of call, do it when you know there's no other choice."

[st_arkintern]

Peter can't imagine a scenario where he'd be willing or ready to kill someone. Maybe it was idealistic of him to believe that he could always save the day if he just tried hard enough, but he didn't want to be a superhero that kills people. Maybe some superheroes could do it, but he didn't think he could ever be one of them.

But Peter's also intelligent enough to know that in a world with infinite possibilities, there's a chance that some day, like this other Peter, he'll be forced to make the same choice this other Peter did.

"Okay," he says solemnly. "Thank you."

[st_ayedhidden]

Peter nodded as a 'you're welcome' but it felt like a heavy one. Peter hoped this younger version would never have to experience the same sort of thing.

"I have to go soon." He said, but turned to Peter. "Promise me you'll look after her until she goes back home?"

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, I will," Peter says. That's a promise he can keep. One he would have fulfilled even if Peter didn't ask him to.

[st_ayedhidden]

He nodded again.

"Come on," He said. "We need to get you back."

Instead of heading back to the apartment, Peter walked over to the nearest building. The door opened easily and it was black again.

"Follow you heart, Peter." He said. "It's always been good to us."

[st_arkintern]

Peter doesn't immediately step through the door. Not yet. He feels that he needs to say something else, but he can't figure out what. All he wants to do is tell him thank you again, but he knows it's not thank you that he wants to say. There's so many conflicting, undefinable emotions inside of him that it's hard to know what to feel let alone know how to express it.

"I really hope that things work out for MJ and Annie. I really do."

[st_ayedhidden]

He smiled.

"They're both strong, stubborn women." He said, as if answering some unknown question.

[st_arkintern]

"And I really hope that someone's able to stop him."

Peter's not even sure if there's anybody left to stop him.

[st_ayedhidden]

Peter didn't answer him this time. He already has the answers if he thinks hard enough about it

"Enjoy your time at the Madonna Inn, Peter," he said as a reply. "Take advantage of it."

[st_arkintern]

"I will."

Peter steps through the doorway and when he does, he finds himself standing back in his room at the Madonna Inn. When he turns, he confirms what he knew even before he stepped through that portal:

The other Peter is gone.