A/N: HAPPY NEW YEARS! It's not new years where I live yet, but I decided to clear my entire schedule to finish this chapter just so I could give you guys a little new years present! As a bonus, this chapter is a little longer than usual and it's like the big finale. It's everything I've been leading up to but it's super duper sad and depressing so just beware.

Anyway, I'm not really going to talk about what's in the chapter just because it's so long and literally so much happens I wouldn't even know where to start. But I will refresh your memory on the last chapter. In the previous chapter, all the files vanished (*gasp*) and Peter got into a fight with Flash (it was 100% Flash's fault if you ask me) and Adie flushed the flash drive into the toilet. Oh and she made Ned promise to stop searching.

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"Remember:

with great power

comes great responsibility."
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Peter sighed, pushing open the door to his house and walking inside. He rubbed his jaw, feeling a small bruise coming on. He had hoped that he wouldn't have any obvious marks on his face from the fight, but his jaw told him that wasn't the case. Luckily, he came home on the bus today which meant he still had the chance to escape to his room and figure out some kind of excuse before Ben and May caught him.

"Peter?" May said, walking into the room with Ben right behind her. Peter sighed. Maybe he wouldn't have time to escape to his room. May walked up to him, a bright smile on her face which immediately faded away the moment she saw Peter's bruise jaw.

"What happened to your face?" May asked, cupping her nephew's face into her small hands. She lightly ran her thumb over the bruise on the jaw, her face twisted into a worried expression. Peter glanced at Uncle Ben who was watching him with a look that the teenager couldn't understand.

"I..."

"Did you fall down the stairs again, Pete?" Ben asked, a hint of a smile on his face, "You've got to start watching your step, champ."

Peter blinked at him and then looked at May who still look very worried.

"Er...yeah, that's what happened," Peter said, "I fell...down the stairs."

"Goodness Peter! You've got to start being more careful!" May said. Peter gave her a small smile.

"Sorry, Aunt May. It won't happen again," he said. She still looked worried as she shook her head.

"I'll go get you some painkillers. Stay right here, okay?" she said and then hurried back into the kitchen. Peter watched her until he felt Ben's gaze on him.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Ben asked, eyeing the bruise. Peter shook his head quickly.

"No, um, I just tripped on the last couple of steps and –"

"Did you win?" Ben interrupted. Peter stopped, looking at him.

"Um, what?"

Ben smiled knowingly, leaning against the couch and crossing his arms. He nodded his head towards the teenager's injury.

"Did you win the fight?" Ben elaborated. Peter shook his head in confusion. He thought Ben believed he had fallen down the stairs.

"I wasn't in a fight," Peter lied and Ben chuckled.

"Come on, Pete. I know a right hook when I see one," Ben said, "So did you win?"

Peter felt his face heating up from getting caught. He could never get much past Uncle Ben anyway. Peter sighed, clearing his throat as he looked down at the floor.

"Um, no. The teacher broke us up," he admitted. Ben shook his head in semi-amusement. He opened his mouth to say something when May walked back into the room with a glass of water and a pink painkiller in her hand. She handed the pill to Peter and then made him drink the whole glass of water.

Ben watched the two with a small smile on his face. He decided that he'd talk to Peter about this later.

-----

"I told you, it does not make you look fat," Tony sighed. Pepper glared at his reflection in the mirror.

"Yes it does, Tony. I mean, just look at this stripes! They're not flattering at all," she frowned, turning to the side. She glared at her reflection as if it would make the stripes flattering.

Adelaide was sitting on the chaise lounge with a can of soda in her hand, watching the scene and trying not to be amused. The world thought Tony Stark was a genius, billionaire, philanthropist and, yet, here he was trying to convince his girlfriend that she did not look fat in a particular dress and he was failing miserably. The teenager was glad she had decided to come out of her room for once: it proved to be very entertaining.

"Then don't wear that one," Tony said tiredly, rubbing his face. Pepper whipped around.

"Are you saying that I do look fat in this dress?" Pepper asked. The poor billionaire looked confused.

"What? No! When did I - look, all I'm saying is that if you don't like that dress, then just wear a different one," he said. Pepper pursed her lips, turning around to face the mirror again. Tony gave Adelaide an exasperated look.

"I can see you, Tony," Pepper said, "In the mirror."

"Of course you can," he mumbled, slumping in his seat.

"Adelaide, what do you think?" Pepper asked, looking at the teenager's reflection.

Adelaide looked like a deer caught in headlights and she suddenly wanted to teleport out of the room. She could see Tony fighting hysterics from the corner of her vision. She began to struggle to find an appropriate answer.

"I think that...um, I think you look good in every dress," she said, hoping it would suffice.

It did not.

"That's not helpful!" Pepper said, her voice rising a pitch, "This meeting is very important and I have to look like I'm in charge. Do you know how hard it is to make a room full of men accept that there is a woman in charge and that she is perfectly capable of running an internationally renowned multi-billion dollar industry on her own?"

"I'm so glad I left all of that behind," Tony mumbled to himself.

"Um...very hard?" Adelaide guessed.

They both earned a hard glared from Pepper. Sighing and shaking her head, she disappeared into the bathroom again, probably to try on another dress. Adelaide was suddenly very glad that she wasn't the CEO of Stark Industries.

"Tony! Can you zip me up!"

Throwing a look in the teenager's direction, the billionaire pushed himself off the couch and went into the bathroom. Just then, Adelaide's phone rang in her hand – it was Ned. She pressed the green button, holding it up to her ear.

"Hey Ned," she said, trying to sound calm. Inside, she silently hoped that he hadn't called her about the files. It was for his best interest that he dropped that whole thing.

"Hey did you hear about what happened to Peter?" Ned asked. Adelaide frowned. Peter? She hadn't talked to him since they decided to go to the library to story together.

"What happened to Peter?" she asked, feeling her heartbeat speed up. She began fearing the worst. What if the man who deleted her files got to him? What if he had kidnapped Peter just to get to her? Or worse...what if Peter was already dead?

"He got in a fight with Flash," Ned said. Adelaide was just about ready to start panicking when Ned's words settled in.

"Oh," she breathed, slumping back into the chaise lounge, "Oh."

"Yeah," Ned said, "It wasn't that bad, but I heard they were sent to the principal's office. It's just so weird, you know? I didn't think Peter would do something like that again. Flash probably said something really terrible."

Or Peter's been on edge...

Adelaide realized that with all the havoc with the files and the...the kiss...she had hardly talked to him and she doubted Ned had been either since he hated lying. This looked pretty bad. What if Peter thought she really was dating his best friend behind his back? She had to fix this. And the best way to do it was to just talk to him. Today, when they met up at the public library, she would just talk to him. It couldn't be that hard, right?

"Adelaide?"

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna talk to him just to see if everything's fine," she said.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea. Listen, I have to go but tell me what he says, okay?"

"Okay, bye."

Just as Adelaide hung up the phone, Pepper walked back out, wearing a different dress. She stopped in front of the mirror as Tony walked out.

"How's this one?" Pepper asked, her eyes still on her reflection. Tony came up behind his girlfriend and hugged her, setting his chin on her shoulder. A smile tugged at Pepper's lips.

"I think you look perfect," Tony mumbled to her reflection. She smiled and then turned around in his arms a moment later.

Adelaide suddenly wanted to leave the room.

"Keep it PG!" Adelaide said, getting out of the chaise lounge as quickly as she could and shielding her eyes, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

She could hear the two laughing behind her as she hurried out of the room.

-----

4:45 pm

"Hey, Uncle Ben, I need to ask you something..."

Peter walked into his Uncle's room, feeling slightly stressed. He was supposed to meet Ada at the library at 5 o'clock. The fight started at 5 o'clock as well. And there was only one of him. He doubted his abilities went as far as making duplicates of himself. He only had 15 minutes to figure out a plan.

"What's the matter, champ?" Uncle Ben asked, sitting up in his seat.

"What would you do if you had to be in two places at the same time?" Peter asked.

Ben raised an eyebrow.

"And you really can't miss either?"

"Not really, no," Peter said.

He doubted Ada would appreciate getting stood up again and there was no way he could miss the fight. It was his only chance to come out with his new identity. He had been preparing for it all week long. He had made a makeshift suit to mask his identity and he even had a superhero name. He really couldn't afford to miss either one.

"That's a tough pickle, Pete," Ben said, letting out a breath. He clicked his tongue.

"Tell me about it," Peter sighed.

"If I were in your shoes, I'd just pick the one most important to me," Ben said, shrugging, "and go to that."

Suddenly, the perfect idea struck him. It was brilliant! The perfect solution! He would first go the cage fight because it probably wouldn't last more than half an hour and he would just text Ada that he'd be running a little late because of traffic. Then, after he was finished with the fight, he would take a taxi to the library and meet Ada there. No one would suspect a thing and he would get to be in both places in one night. Ergo: the perfect solution.

"Thanks Uncle Ben, you gave me the perfect idea," Peter said, rushing out of the room, "Come on, we have to go to the library!"

About 15 minutes later, Uncle Ben pulled up in front of the public library. Peter grabbed his backpack which held both his costume and books. It was consequently heavier than usual but he was too excited to care. He was about to go to a fight! He was going to win money!

"Thanks for the ride, Uncle Ben," Peter said, starting to feel excited.

"Now wait a minute, we uh...we need to talk," Ben said, stopping him. Peter dropped the door handle, sitting back into his seat.

"We can talk later..." Peter said. He was going to be late if he didn't get going now.

"Well we can talk now," Ben said, turning off the car, "If you let me."

Peter let out a quiet sigh, glancing out the window.

"What do we have to talk about right now?" Peter asked. Ben gave him a small smile.

"Because we haven't talked in so long you're Aunt May and I don't even know who you are anymore. You shirk your chores, you have all those weird experiments in your room, you start fights at school –"

"I didn't start that fight, I told you that!" Peter shouted.

"Well," Ben said, "you sure as hell finished it." Peter let out an angered sigh, dropping his hands in his lap. He had gone out of his way to keep himself from fighting, but it wasn't his fault Flash was angering him into fighting. How could Uncle Ben possibly not understand?!

"What was I supposed to do, run away?" Peter asked angrily. Ben shook his head.

"No, you're not supposed to run away, but...Peter, look, you're changing. I know, I went through the exact same thing at your age."

Peter shook his head, trying not to smile. He had no idea how wrong he was.

"No," Peter said, "not exactly."

Ben took a deep breath, trying again.

"Peter...these are the years when a man changes into the man he's going to become for the rest of his life. Just be careful who you're changing into," he said, "This guy, Flash Thompson? He probably deserved what happened. But just because you can beat him up, doesn't give you the right to. Remember: with great power comes great responsibility."

"Are you afraid that I'm gonna turn into some kind of criminal?" Peter asked. Ben looked at his nephew with a sense of regret in his eyes. The boy had been through so much with his parents and now this bully...He dropped his eyes, shaking his head.

"No."

"Stop worrying about me, okay?" Peter said, "Something's different, I'll figure it out. Stop lecturing me, please."

"I don't mean to lecture and I don't mean to preach," Ben said quietly, "And I know I'm not your father –"

"Then stop pretending to be!" Peter shouted.

There was total silence in the car as the words hung in the air. Peter instantly wished he could take them back but it was too late. They were out there and Uncle Ben had heard them. The look on his face...Peter could see his heart breaking. The teenager looked away, unable to look his uncle in the eye as his face filled with shame.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Ben nodded slowly, swallowing as he looked at the floor.

"Right," he mumbled, his voice sounding flat, "I'll pick you up here at 8."

With one last look, Peter grabbed his backpack and got out of the car, closing the door behind him. He stood there until the car disappeared around the block, feeling terrible.

Clenching his fist, he turned around to call a taxi to take him to the fight.

-----

6:00 pm

Peter was almost an hour late for the fight and by the time he finally got there, the sun was already setting, casting an evening shadow over the streets. The dark, rainy clouds loomed over the sky like an omen.

"Yuh sure dis is where yuh wanna be, kid?" the cabbie asked, looking over his shoulder as he parked the taxi.

"Yeah," Peter said uncertainly, glancing outside at the building that was dimly lit by a flickering lamp post, "I'm sure."

"Dis is one of de sketchiuh parts of town. If I leave yuh here and yuh die, it's not on me, right? I don't wanna get involved wit' de cops, man," he said, shaking his head. Peter swallowed, silently cursing at the driver for scaring him.

"I'll be fine," Peter snapped, "How much?"

Peter's heart was hammering in his chest as he paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car. This was it, he thought as he watched the cab drive away, there's no turning back now.

Looking around, there was hardly anyone out on the streets minus a few of the sketchy-looking folk lingering in the dark alleys like wild dogs waiting to pounce and bite. Peter suppressed a shiver and pulled his jacket closer. With his abilities, no one could touch him. He would be fine. Now, he just had to get to the fight...

With a hand shaking from the cold, he reached inside his backpack and pulled out the advertisement for the fight. He was in the right place, he realized, looking up at the old, slimey brick building the cabbie had dropped him off in front of. Taking a deep, determined breath, he twisted the handle and let himself inside.

Instantly, he was surrounded by the sound of a wild, cheering crowd. He stepped onto the staircase leading downwards and closed the door behind himself, surprised by how much sound one little door could block. Clutching the paper tightly in his hand, he made his way down the stairs. As he got closer to the fight, the sounds grews louder. He swallowed nervously when he heard a man screaming. What had he gotten himself into?

Maybe he should just go now. He could walk a few blocks back to civilization before it turned too dark and then hail a cab back to the library where Ada would be waiting under the false belief that he was stuck in traffic. He could live without 2,000 dollars...right?

"Can I help you?" a man grumbled, pulling Peter out of his thoughts. He realized the man sitting behind the desk was talking to him.

"I'm here for the uh...fight?"

The beefy man studied him for a second, looking him up and down in a way that made Peter feel uncomfortable in more ways than one. Then, he silently pointed a set of stairs on the right. Nodding, Peter hurriedly made his way down the stairs, eager to get away from that peculiar man.

The sound of the crowd was deafening once he got closer. Bracing himself, he pushed open the door.

It was crazy. There must have been hundreds of people in the crowds and several dozen putting on a show, including the violent fight that was happening in the center of the arena. Peter watched the two men wrestle violently, mesmerized. He realized that he was about to be up there, in front of the cheering crowd. Suddenly, one of the men in the ring fell to the floor and the referee held the winner's hand in the air.

"WINNER!" the referee shouted and the crowd roared deafeningly. A man wearing a ridiculous shiny gold suit pulled the microphone from the referee's hands.

"Will the next contestant make their way over at this time for just 3 minutes in the cage with bone saw for the sum of TWO-THOUSAND dollars!" he announced and the crowd cheered excitedly once again.

Peter realized that he should probably get in position so he quickly pushed his way through the crowd and stopped behind the curtains that the man in the shiny golden suit was standing in front of. Peter quickly reached into his backpack and pulled his mask over his head.

He blinked nervously, feeling his stomach twisting itself into several knots. He wiped his hands against his thighs, trying to calm his nerves. This was really happening.

"...And the next contestant is...pst, what's your name, kid?" He almost answered 'Peter Parker,' but he stopped himself just in time.

Clearing his throat, he said, "The Human Spider."

"Human spider? That's it? That's the best you got?" the announcer said.

"Yeah..." Peter answered. What? It wasn't bad. In fact, it had taken him all week to come up with that. He was pretty proud of it, too.

"Oh, come on, that sucks," the announcer mumbled under his breath, turning away from the curtains. Squaring his shoulders, the announcer stepped forward, into the spotlight.

"The sum of 2,000 dollars will be paid to...the terrifying, the deadly...the amazing Spider-Man!"

The curtain pulled up and the crowd gasped. Peter blinked under the harsh white light, wincing.

"My name's the Human Spider," he said to the man standing behind him.

"Get out, kid!"

"No, he got my name wrong!"

"I said get out there, you moron!" the man said, shoving him into the light. The crowd began booing angrily as Peter towards the ring. He could hear people talking to him but their voices felt distant.

"...Bone Saw's gonna eat you up and spit you out, little man..."

"...I hope you