Silken

Great Responsibility

Silk didn't know what exactly had happened in that building but the man who killed Ben Parker was now dead. Spider-Man had done what he had gone out to do. Peter Parker had done what he had gone out to do.

She stared at the boy as he sat on the edge of the hospital rooftop, in full costume. "You were right" he spoke quietly. "I should have left him to the police"

Silk said nothing as she continued to watch the boy. She still couldn't completely process that this was Peter Parker.

"I don't know what to do now" he spoke quietly as he continued to stare out and into space. "I let that man go before. I didn't stop him and then he killed my uncle. Then I may as well have killed him"

Silk sighed before walking over to the boy and sitting beside him. "This is not going to sound nice"

"I don't deserve nice" Peter replied quickly. "Go for it"

She was silent for a moment before speaking. "The possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility. Have you heard that quote before? Do you know what it means Peter?"

The boy didn't even question how she knew his name. "Uncle Ben used to say something similar... I have an idea but I'm probably wrong"

"It means that power cannot be simply enjoyed for its privileges, like you've been doing up until Ben's death. Instead, the possession of such power makes the holder morally responsible for what they both do with it and fail to even try to do with it" she rested her hand on the boys hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

"In other words you agree that this is my fault?" Peter asked with a confused look on his spidey mask.

"Yes" Silk nodded simply. "You let that criminal go and everything since has been because of you" she squeezed his hand tighter. "But that's no reason to give up. You need to learn from your mistakes" she stared into Peter's masks eyes as he finally turned to look at her. "You have the potential to do so much good, to be a man that your uncle would be proud of"

Peter nodded as he pulled his hand away and took off his mask, feeling suffocated by it. "You're saying I should be like you? A superhero?"

"I'm saying you should use your powers to help people, how you do that is up to you" she shook her head before motioning to his suit. "I certainly don't think that you should be wasting your powers on making movies and having fights with colorful men in some back alley arena"

Peter nodded as he looked down at the mask in his hands. "With great power there must also come great responsibility" the boy echoed his uncles words as he continued to think on them and how Silk had just explained them better than he had ever thought to.

"I'll leave you to think" Silk spoke as she slowly stood up. She decided to leave one last encouraging statement. "I know he still died, but I'm glad you chose not to kill him. Your uncle would be proud of that"

Peter's smile widened a bit as he nodded. "Thanks Silk"

"Any time Spider-Man" she nodded back as she backed away before shooting a few silky strands from her fingers at a taller building and swinging away.

Peter continued to stare at his mask for another minute before silently standing up and putting it back on. He decided then and there that if he could save someone he would do whatever he could to save them. Peter Parker wasn't going to be responsible for any more deaths.

Word count: 663

(I know this chapter is short as hell but this honestly didn't feel like it could be any longer without stretching it out to much. And I felt that with my writing style this deserved its own chapter)