When someone knocked on our door at 11pm, I never expected it to be Alice.
When I saw her standing there, soaked from the rain and her own tears, something in me broke.
I held her there for several minutes, trying to warm her ice cold skin and broken heart. I still had no idea what was going on, or why she was in queens by herself but once she'd calmed down enough, I finally let go and brought her inside.
I didn't want to leave her alone, but I knew we needed to get her dried and warmed up. To avoid leaving her for long, I raced to the bathroom and grabbed several dry towels before returning. The only warmth she was getting was from her soaked jacket, so it took a little convincing to remove it so we could replace it with a towel.
When I realized she was exhausted, I laid another towel on the couch so she could sit down. She didn't hesitate to take the offer, and once she was seated she began drying her face with the corner of the towel.
"Alice, what's going on?" I finally asked. I began removing her soaked through shoes and socks, though it took a little effort since both were stuck to her ice cold skin.
"My dad and I got into a really bad fight, he kicked me out." She explained, squeaking out the last part. She took a deep breath through the sobs, and my heart ached to see her in so much pain. "I snuck out again. When he caught me, I claimed that I was strong enough to protect myself. I guess he took that literally, because he asked me to leave."
"What are you going to do?" I asked, worried. She took a deep breath, and managed to speak clearly again.
"We still have our place in Malibu, I think I'll just get a plane ticket and head back there for a while." She explained, and I felt my heart begin to race.
I don't want her to leave.
"Alice?"
Immediately, we both turned around to see a confused May standing in the hall. She wore her usual tank top and pajama pants combo, along with her big, round glasses. Her expression shifted from confusion to worry, and she rushed over to us. I stood up, taking a few steps back so May could see Alice clearly.
"Alice are you okay?" She quickly asked, grabbing Alice's ice cold hands. When May realized how bad of a state Alice was in, she glanced from Alice to me. "What's going on?"
"May, can I talk to you in the hall?" I asked, putting my hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down a little. May hesitated, never breaking eye contact. Finally, she shook her head in agreement. Slowly, I turned May and gave her a slight nudge towards the hall.
"I'll be right back, make yourself comfortable." I told Alice. She nodded in agreement, and I followed May to the hall.
"She got in a fight with her dad, he kicked her out." I explained briefly. May's expression stayed panicked, and she shifted back and forth from foot to foot. "They still have their place in Malibu, she wants to catch a plane and head back there by herself for a while."
"She can't do that, I don't like the idea of her wandering around a mansion by herself." May said what we were both thinking.
"I know." I agreed, trying desperately to hold her gaze and remain somewhat calm for both of their sakes. "I was thinking that maybe she could stay here for a little while?" I asked hesitantly, not sure how May would react to the idea.
Once she processed what I said, she turned her gaze to the floor. We stood in silence for several seconds that felt like hours while she thought through it. I never took my gaze off her, hoping desperately that she would allow Alice to stay with us so she doesn't have to go back to California by herself.
"I'm okay with her staying here, but she has to go home eventually. I'm sure her dad's going to be worried sick." May pointed out, and I knew she was right. Even mad, Mr Stark loves Alice more than anything.
"Thank you." I told her softly, feeling as if a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders.
"But you guys can't sleep in the same room." May pointed out in a more serious tone. I quickly nodded in agreement to our little deal.
"I'll give her my room, I can take the couch." I quickly offered, wanting Alice to be as comfortable as possible.
"If that's what you want to do, I'm okay with that."
"Okay, thank you!" I told May, a little more excited. I jumped into May's arms, giving her a tight hug to say thank you. As soon as the hug was over, I raced back to the front room where Alice was still trying to dry herself with the towel. May followed close behind.
"Let's get you in the shower." May suggested, helping Alice back to her feet. May guided her to the shower, and just as they reached the hall I overheard May giving Alice the news, that she was more than welcome to stay with us for as long as she would like.
Once they were both gone, I took care of the wet towels and rushed to my room. Just as I bursted in, I realized that my room was a complete mess. Instantly, I panicked. I quickly got to work, racing around as fast as I could to clean up my mess of a room for our guest. After 5 minutes of frantic cleaning, my room looked way better. Feeling more relaxed, I pulled off the bedding and grabbed clean sheets to replace the used ones. Just as I began putting my bed back together, May came in.
"Who's pajamas should we give her?"
"Umm," I said to myself, moving away from my bed and towards my drawers. I pulled out a clean pair of blue plaid pajama pants, and grabbed a black tee shirt from my closet though I knew they would probably be too big. I walked back to May, who watched from the entrance and I handed her the pajamas. "Here, give her these."
May took the pajamas, and walked away.
Part of me wondered if I could just clear off my top bunk and sleep there, but then I remembered the promise I made to Aunt May. I finished putting the bed together nicely for Alice, then grabbed an extra pillow from the bed and grabbed a spare blanket from my closet. Once I confirmed that everything looked nice and clean, I took my things and made my way to the front room.
I smiled like an idiot as I began setting my things up on the couch. It was finally starting to hit me that this was real, that Alice was going to be staying with us for a bit. I've only known Alice personally for a little while, and she's already become one of my best friends.
Once I was nearly finished setting up the couch, Alice walked in wearing the pajamas I gave Aunt May. They were definitely too big, but they still fit her better than I thought they would. Her wet hair was no longer a tangled mess, and even wet it began to bounce up in it's natural waves.
"Is this for me?" Alice asked, pointing to the couch as I finished putting it together.
"No actually, you're gonna sleep in my room. I'm going to sleep here." I explained. Almost immediately, her expression dropped.
"No Peter, I can't take your bed! You should sleep there, I can sleep out here." She quickly offered.
"No it's okay, I want you to." I told her, giving her a reassuring smile.
"What if I refuse?" She crossed her arms, watching me intently.
"Then you can sleep out here, and I'll go sleep in the lobby." Almost instantly, she bursted out laughing at my response and once again, I was smiling like an idiot.
"Well then, goodnight Peter." She offered with a warm smile.
"Goodnight, Alice." I replied. She watched me for a moment longer, and I couldn't help myself. I walked over to her with my arms outstretched, and she walked into them. We held each other tightly and as we did, I didn't want to ever let go.
"Thank you." She whispered in my my shoulder. It didn't take me long to figure out that she wasn't just thanking me for letting her stay here, she was thanking me for making her feel safe and secure. For that moment, I pulled her closer to me.
"Anytime."
.
.
.
-Alice's pov-
It's been nearly 10 days, and I couldn't be happier.
Staying with Peter and May showed me what it's like to have a normal life, to have a normal family.
I continued going to school everyday with Peter, and it was kind of nice being so much closer to our school. I took the bus with him there and back which was something that took a little getting use to. I was nervous at first since a lot of the people on the bus seemed sketchy, but my nerves were calmed when Peter reminded me that we're both basically superheros and could easily take all of them if they for some reason decided to attack us.
Then when we got home, we did chores and homework. No helping my dad in the lab, and no training which was definitely a weird after having done it constantly for several years, whether it be with Natasha or Elizabeth.
Peter and May rotate back and forth every night for who's in charge of dinner. They agreed to include me in their cycle when I offered, but I suck at cooking. So instead, I bought fancy dinners for them on my nights to gradually pay them back though I knew I would eventually do something bigger for them. May tried cooking on each of her nights, but I'm pretty sure she gets her recipes from Pinterest and I don't know how to break it to her that when it says bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees, you can't speed up the process by baking it for 15 minutes at 600 degrees.
Almost every night, Peter went out in the city to fulfill his responsibilities as Spider-Man. My heart ached to be out there helping him, but I knew I couldn't and I didn't even have my suit. So instead while he was out tonight, I finished up homework at the desk in his bedroom.
Next to the desk, was a strong shopping bag I received when I bought 3 new outfits my first day of staying here. In the bag now, is 2 of those outfits and the outfit I wore when I came here. I easily could have afforded a new pair of pajamas, but I decided pretty quick that I like wearing his. Something about the scent of his bed and his pajamas brings me comfort, and helps me sleep better.
The desk buzzed as my phone vibrated next to me. I glanced at the screen briefly to see the notification telling me I have 946 unread messages from my dad. Part of me ached for him, but it hurt all the same so just like the other 945 texts, I ignored it.
I turned back to my AP Calculus homework, then jumped when I heard a noise from behind me. I whipped around in a panic, then relaxed when I realized it was just Peter knocking on the window.
I got up from the comfortable chair, and pulled open the window where Peter was waiting patiently on the other side.
"Hey, how's it going?" He asked casually.
"Pretty well, you?" I laughed. He's such a dork.
"Pretty good." He replied, looking away from me for a moment. "Hey, would you want to come with me for a bit? We could swing around the city."
I hesitated, and slowly put my head out the window to look at the ground below. I've jumped off so many buildings at this point that heights don't phase me, but all those times I had either my abilities or my dad to catch me. I trust Peter, but swinging around a busy city on a thread doesn't exactly seem reliable.
"Come on, it'll be fun." He added when he realized I was hesitant. I knew he was smiling even though his mask hid his face, and I gave in.
"Okay, fine. But if you drop me, you owe me a chocolate shake." I laughed.
"Deal." He replied, also laughing.
One leg at a time, I made my way out the small window. I used my abilities to make me feel more secure as I held on to the edge, and slowly transferred myself to Peter. He held me tightly around the waist, and I kept my arms securely around his neck.
"You ready?" He asked, and once more I glanced down at the ground. I worried that I would too heavy, but I realized I wasn't when he had no problem holding on to me securely with one arm.
"Ready as I'll ever be." I admitted, still laughing. This seems like a terrible idea.
My stomach dropped as he pushed himself and me off the wall. I screamed as we began falling, then he shot a web and we swung from it, my stomach catching up. The first few minutes or so, I had my face buried in Peter's shoulder. I only knew what was happening based on where my internal organs were trying to go. The first few minutes felt like a rough rollercoaster, then it got better as I got use to it and I gradually pulled my face out of Peter's shoulder. He still had a strong grip on my waist, so I knew that even if I lost my grip on him, I wouldn't fall. It began to feel like I was flying, something I'd only ever been able to temporarily mimic with my abilities. The city passed us by, and I was able to admire the lights from an angle I'd never been able to before. The lights glittered on the dark glass of buildings as we passed. It was beautiful, and thrilling. But my favorite part of it, was that I got to share such a special thing with Peter.
After quite a while, we both decided to stop. He took us to the roof of a tall building where we could both see all the lights, and Peter removed his mask. As far as I was concerned in the moment, it was just Peter and me against the rest of the world.
"So, how was it your very first time swinging through the city?" I asked, suddenly curious. We all have our starting points, and in our world they're typically a disaster.
"I'm not sure you need to know that." Peter laughed, turning his gaze from me to his hands as he fiddled with them.
"Oh come on! It can't possibly be as bad as falling 1000 feet off a building." I pointed out, nudging him as we both laughed.
"That's very debatable." He looked up at me, his gaze softening as his eyes landed on me.
"Please?" I asked, shooting him an innocent smile.
"Okay, fine." He agreed, laughing. "My first attempts were small, swinging across alleyways and my bedroom. But my first time swinging through the city, was a disaster. I didn't consider that in the city things would be moving. My first attempt was going great, then I turned a corner and smacked face first into a moving bus. I flew off, and plowed through several nearby cafe tables." He explained, and I bursted out laughing.
"Well, I'm sure glad I'm not the only one who had a near death experience."
"Didn't your dad have a near death experience?" Peter asked, and my smile dropped at the sensitive topic.
"Yeah, he was kidnapped in Afghanistan. The terrorists wanted him to build a weapon, but he instead used the materials to build himself a suit strong enough to get him out." I explained, watching the ground. It's a sensitive topic, but it still amazes me that my dad was capable of what he did. "I was only 5." I added, looking back up at Peter who was listening carefully.
"I'm sorry." Peter apologized.
We both sat in silence for a bit, watching the city beneath us. But this time, I wasn't focused on the lights. I was more focused on the man sitting next to me. Slowly, he took my hand in his and I realized he wasn't focused on the lights either.
"Alice," he breathed, pulling my attention back to him. He was already looking at me, but he was no longer smiling. "You need to go home to him."
Instantly, I felt as if all the happiness was drained from me. I've loved every minute of staying with Peter and May, but I know it can't last forever. Nothing does. Hydra's coming for me, and there's no stopping it. The only way we can win, is if I'm dead.
"I know." I replied softly, gently squeezing Peter's hand. Then even though I didn't want to, I let go of him and pushed myself to my feet. Slowly, Peter followed. "I'll take care of it soon. But for now, let's go home."
.
.
.
Even though it was Saturday, I woke up at 6 to start my day.
I quickly got ready, and packed up all my things in either my shopping bag, or my school backpack. I dropped off all my things by the front door, then grabbed Peter's key's before leaving the apartment even though neither of them were awake yet.
I made my way across Queens to a fancy restaurant my dad and I love. I picked up a huge breakfast of cream filled crepes, sausages, fresh fruit and hot chocolate for Peter and May. Then on my way back to the apartment, I dropped by the bank to pick up a little something else.
I was relieved when I got back to the apartment to find that Peter and May were still asleep. I set all the bags on the kitchen counter, and pulled out my phone. Finally after 11 days, I responded to my dad's texts, telling him that I was at Peter's apartment. Once the text was sent, I slammed my phone on a different counter and knew that my dad would be here soon to get me.
I pulled out several plates, and began to set up all the food nicely so it would be ready when they woke up. I guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought I was being, because just before I finished Peter and May both walked in at the same time, tired and confused.
"Good morning!" I greeted, finishing up by throwing the boxes and bags away.
"What's all this?" May asked, confused.
"Oh, I wanted to get you both breakfast to say thank you for everything." I explained, then remembered the little something I got from the bank. I walked towards the counter with my phone where my wallet was, and pulled out the card. "I also got this for both of you, I hope it's enough to make up for any of your troubles."
May and Peter both stopped to look at the back of the card, then at the same time their eyes became saucers. "Alice, this is $100,000!" May basically yelled. They're both definitely awake now.
"Is that not enough?" I asked, trying to think back to how much I have in my savings account. Immediately, May and Peter both panicked.
"No Alice, this is way too much!" She yelled, and frantically tried to shove the card back in my hands though I refused.
"No please May, take it." I asked calmly, making her stop to meet my gaze. "It would make me feel much better if you did."
Before May could respond there was a loud, rapid knocking at the door. I walked towards the door, my heart pounding against my chest. The second I opened it, I was tackled in a bone crushing hug. When my dad finally released, he kept his hands firmly on my shoulders and his gaze burned into my eyes.
"You miss, are grounded for life." He declared.
"How could I expect anything less?" I replied, and he pulled me into a tight hug one more time, kissing the side of my head as he did so.
When he released, my dad walked past me to thank May and Peter. Happy stood in the door, and I could tell he wasn't super happy with me for making them so worried.
"Alright Alice, time to go." My dad told me, picking up my shopping bag full of clothes. I was disapointed, but still excited to get back to my own room, and my normal life as weird as it sounds. But instead of leaving that second, I turned around and went back to May and Peter.
"Thank you both so much." I told them both, giving May a hug first.
"You're welcome here anytime." She told me as we released, and I gave her a warm smile.
I walked over to Peter, and pulled him into a hug. As usual, his hug was very comfortable and made me feel better. He even smells really good, and makes me feel safe. Everything about him just seems perfect and I don't understand it. If my dad and May weren't in the room, we probably would have hugged for much longer.
When we released I couldn't look at either of them without tearing up, so I didn't. I walked away from them without looking back, grabbing my school bag as I walked out the door.
It hurt to leave, but I knew that if Hydra didn't get me this weekend we would see each other again on Monday.
I can only hope that we still have a little time before I have to say goodbye.