Saving Grace || Peter Parker

part 4

The next morning, Nadia and Peter woke up to find that the 'Red Widow' was trending all over Twitter and had been highlighted on the news.

Though she had only been seen once, the thought of a new super-hero or vigilante excited and scared people. Her name was popular among the streets, but unpopular among the daily bugle.

"Spider-man has a new accomplice as it seems, as if he couldn't get more menacing. A new vigilante was spotted last night around Hells Kitchen and is being called the 'Red Widow'. No doubt, this person will become a menace to society. Leave the saving to the police force' stated the Daily Bugle, who couldn't make it more obvious they disliked her.

The attention was good, she thought. She'd be able to get recognised for good things, not bad.

"Do you have any idea where I could find a phone book?" Nadia asked Peter as the two were sat eating their breakfast.

He looked at her strangely "the library maybe? Why do you want one?"

Nadia sighed and clasped her hands together. "I don't know, maybe- maybe I could find my sisters numbers or my friends? It's my only shot"

He nodded in understanding. The two hadn't actually disclosed what was happening with her, but it was clear she was lost.

"Sure, I can drive you. I'd you'd want?" Peter offered.

Nadia nodded with a great full smile and the two finished up and headed to the car. They drove in silence, although it wasn't awkward but rather it was peaceful.

Nadia was relieved since in the two days she'd been there, everything seemed to move so fast that she could barley keep up. So the moments of peace she could have were heavily appreciated.

They pulled up outside of the library and Nadia ran inside, leaving Peter sat in the car as she reassured him she wouldn't be too long. She headed towards the phone books and started flipping through.

She got to the right page and placed her finger at the top, dragging it down slightly as she stopped at each number. She sat there for 20 minutes but the pages weren't changing. The numbers didn't exist.

She hurried over to the computers and typed in 'Stark Industries'.

Nothing.

There wasn't such a thing. Stark Industries did not exist.

Okay... she typed in Shield.

The only thing that came up were plastic shields and make believe.

Okay, she typed in Hydra. Then the red room. Then the avengers. Iron man. Captain America. Black widow. Hawkeye. Thor. Loki. The 2012 invasion. Sokovia. No. No. No. No.

Her mind was reeling and she couldn't breathe. Nothing existed. Her whole entire life was suddenly... gone? If they didn't exist, technically she didn't too.

Nadia didn't understand, she couldn't. Had any of this been real? Had she, I don't know, dreamt it all? She wasn't crazy, was she?

Her chest started to get tight and tears blurred her vision, she was choking on memories, dreams, of her life. The air was suddenly hot and the walls seemed to move around her, enclosing her in a state of panic.

"Peter?" She whispered. She needed Peter. She might not of known the boy long at all, but he was technically the only person on Earth who knew who she was. And he was the only person she knew too.

Nadia pushed the chair she was sat on backwards and made her way outside, not bothering to turn the computer of or say goodbye to the librarian who stared at her with confusion and concern.

She sped walked outside and ran into an alley. Her back hit the wall and she slid down to the floor, finally letting her tears fall freely.

Natasha was right when she said none of it was real.

"Natalia, hey-hey what's wrong? Look me, what's wrong?" Peter asked, rushing over to the crying girl and lifting her chin to look at him.

"It wasn't real-none of it was real" she sobbed, feeling ashamed and embarrassed "they aren't real, it was all a lie"

"What-what are you talking about?" He asked, gently rubbing her back.

"They don't exist, none of it exists. Stark industries? No. The avengers? No. Shield? No. My whole life was a fucking lie and I- I made it all. I must've dreamt it all or something- god I just want my sisters" she cried into his shoulder.

Peter was heavily confused, he hadn't a clue of anything she just mentioned. But what didn't make sense since she couldn't have dreamt it all. She couldn't have put herself so far into her dreams that they felt so real to her. That's what didn't make sense.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation-"

"Yeah" she nodded "I've gone crazy"

The boy sighed into her hair, not believing what she was saying. The look in her eyes had been so real when she spoke about her sisters or the other Peter Parker. It must've been real since she knew his identity.

He gently lifted her into his arms as the girl was so mentally and physically exhausted she could barley walk. He put her into the car and strapped her seat belt on and proceeded to drive them home.

As he looked over to her when he stopped at a red light, he realised she had fallen asleep. She looked peaceful when asleep, like nothing had hurt her, like she still held onto that innocence she once had.

Peter clenched his hands around the steering wheel and knew in that moment, he had to help her.

He had to prove she wasn't crazy, she couldn't be. He knew it, and he felt like he knew her. Even if he didn't as well as he thought he did.

Once they arrived home, he brought the girl inside and laid her on his bed before gently closing his door and heading downstairs.

He leant against the kitchen counter tops before calling his aunt.

"Hey aunt May, I was wondering if you could bring some clothes round? No, no everything is okay it's just I saved this girl and she doesn't have any clothes- okay thank you, love you too, bye"

Guess it was time that 'Natalia' met Aunt May.