The Butterfly Effect: a Peter Parker Fan Fic

Epilogue

Forks and spoons clink against the china plates. A warm summer breeze wafts past, the smell of the roast chicken hitting me and causing my mouth to water. We have never had lunch in the backyard and sitting here, embracing the feeling of nature, I regret not asking for it earlier.

"Bon apetit, everyone!" mom announces right as three pairs of hands reach for the chicken. "Oh my God, if I knew you guys were that hungry I would've just ordered pizza."

"No pizza! I'm having take-away with Peter later," I state, shoving the little bite of heaven into my mouth. An unintentional moan escapes my lips and Cam snickers.

Even Phil can't hide his sly grin as he digs in, "so you and Peter, huh? That's quite serious, isn't it?"

My cheeks flush red, not in anger but in embarrassment. Who would have ever thought that Raven Garcia would be in a committed, serious relationship? I open my mouth to say something potentially life-scarring, but am rescued by the door bell.

"Saved by the bell," I retort, rising from my seat. "I'll get it."

Never in a million years did I think that we would come to this day. The day where mom, Cam, Phil and I enjoy lunch in the backyard of a brand new white picket fence house and where Phil can interrogate me about my love life just as dad would have.

Never in a million years.

I pull the door open to an unfamiliar man. In this mid-summer heat, he is fitted with a long black coat, long back pants and a black shirt. What is most puzzling is the black eye-patch that is fitted on his eye. 

His eyebrows lift at the sight of me, "you must be Raven Garcia. Stark's niece."

I begin to shut the door, eager to return to my lunch, "listen sir, if you're here for the lab, we already gave it away to someone who is probably more qualified than you, so--"

"--I'm not here for the lab," he jams his foot in front of the door, holding it open. "My name is Nick Fury, director of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D." He flashes me a badge as proof. S.H.I.E.L.D. It strikes me as familiar, a longing sense of deja vu taking over my mind. "I am here for you. I have a mission that I need your help with."

"How could I possibly help you?" I ask incredulously.

My heart pangs at his response.

"I know about your abilities. Quite impressive for such a young woman, if you ask me."

My hands ball into white fists at my sides. "What do you want?"

"I'm not forcing you into anything," he puts his palms up in reassurance. "But I heard about what you did with that Mary woman and I think you could help me with a situation involving a group of bad men. In L.A."

"L.A? That's on the other side of the country!" I hiss. "What makes you think I would help you?"

He sighs and discreetly hands me a large envelope from his peculiarly large coat pocket. "I think that someone's involvement will change your mind. My card is inside. We'll be in touch, Raven," and with that, he swiftly turns around and drives off, leaving me alone with the envelope.

I shut the door and tear it open voraciously. Inside are three large black and white photographs. I pull them out and almost faint at the sight.

It's... it can't be.

This is impossible.

It's a photo of my father.

My father kneeling down at Bloody Mary's body.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," Peter says, munching on his Delmar's sandwich.

I shake my head, bringing myself back to reality, "yeah I'm fine. But didn't you tell me to save my sandwich for wherever we're going?"

"What can I say?" he snickers. "I'm a hypocrite."

He continues to walk, leading me into a secluded part of the park into a kind of bush. And he walks right into it. Inside is dark and my claustrophobia kicks in. "Peter, why are we going into-- ew! Something just touched me!" I screech.

"Whoops. I think that was just my wrapper. Before you blame me, it slipped out of my hand!" he  shouts back. "Just hold onto my hand and close your eyes. Trust me."

Again, what choice do I have but to obey? I do so.

"Okay and..." we come to a stop before he calls out, "open 'em!"

My eyelids snap open. It's a small section of the bush where trees were removed. Fairy lights hang from the remaining trees, a single beanbag sits in the middle of the grass in front of a screen projected onto a blanket that covers a clearing. It's... perfect.

"Peter, this is--"

"--not enough?" he interrupts, shifting his feet back and forth nervously. "I know. I was going to go extravagant but I knew you liked things simple. The best part is that you can choose the movie!"

"Well, I was going to say it's perfect," I kiss his red cheeks. "And how about we binge watch Star Wars?"

His eyebrows furrow in something mixed between perplexity and content, "I thought you hated it!"

The corners of my mouth tilt upwards, reaching my ears, "but I love you. Maybe you'll convert me to a Jedi." He laughs excitedly and kisses my lips before running over to set it up. I anxiously take a seat on the beanbag and fiddle my thumbs.

Despite all the effort he's gone through to make this the best date I have ever been on, all that I can think about was that Nick person and his proposition. In any situation, I would have automatically said no, particularly since the mission is in L.A. But if my father is really alive and is somehow involved in it...

On the other hand, I need to be here for Peter. If that... vision I saw all that time ago is true then the worst is yet to come and I need to ensure that every moment with him is precious. "Hey Peter?" my voice wavers, my concern evident.

He finishes setting up and the movie begins to buffer. He walks over, plopping down and throwing his arm around me. "Yeah?"

I force down any evidence of my worry and snuggle onto his chest, "some bad things are going to happen. A lot of really bad things."

"Bad things happen all the time," he says in an attempt to comfort me, his hand rubbing my arm up and down.

"I know," I tell him firmly. "But this is different. This is going to be really bad. And I might need to... go."

I immediately regret opening my big mouth. Now he's definitely going to ask questions and I'm going to tell him how he dies.

Instead, he tilts my chin up towards him, "Raven, everyday that we walk and we breathe, we pose a risk to our own lives. Anything can happen to us at anytime. But we still live. Just enjoy this moment with me... even if you don't like the movie."

He's right. He's so right. I can't help but smile. "I love you."

His lips softly kiss the top of my head, "I love you too."

I rest my head on his chest, finding comfort in the sound of his heart beating.

And we lay like that, two messes of human beings, tangled up in eachother's embrace, watching one of the most famous movie franchises ever. Whatever it is, we can get through it.

Not only are we super-humans, but we have eachother. And nothing, nothing can get in our way, not after all we have been through.

And watching the way his face shifts between different emotions through the movie, I fall for Peter Parker all over again.