I Am Soul - Spider-Man / Peter Parker [2]

Chapter Twenty-Five - A Shoulder To Cry On

Last chapter of I Am Soul folks!

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2023

"Maria? Are you all right?"

Maria breathed heavily from her position on the Quantum pad. She was down on all fours with her head hung low having collapsed to her knees jumping through the vortex of time. She immediately pulled back her helmet and breathed in fresh air. Her heart thumped loudly and fast as it tried to understand what was going on.

"Everything is how it should be. All branches are clipped" Maria replied automatically. Her mind and mouth working for her without her thinking. She couldn't figure it out at all. She had just ran from her past. As Maria closed her eyes she suddenly felt a pair of strong hands grasping her arm.

"Come on kid, you alright?" The quiet and sombre voice told Maria who it was immediately. Looking up she found herself staring at the man who had suffered torture a thousand times over and still stood. Bucky Barnes. Maria had no right to cry beside this man, a man who had so much pain in his past that people were surprised he still fought.

"I am okay. Time travel is never easy ... you never want to leave" Maria admitted quietly. Bucky nodded in understanding. He knew who she had seen, who she had not wanted to leave and he didn't need her to explain. Slowly, Maria felt pressure on her arm as Bucky got to his feet and dragged her up too. A fact she was grateful for. The action pulled Maria out of her lethargic state. She couldn't fall apart, she wasn't allowed to. Not in front of people. Never in front of others, they couldn't see her weakness.

Taking a deep breath, Maria straightened her back sent a grateful nod Bucky's way before she stepped down off the platform. She could feel Sam and Bruce's unsure gaze but she just gave them a smile as she placed the empty case beside Bruce's desk and moved passed them. She was done now. She was leaving Thanos behind. It was over.

~8~

Maria sighed as she walked into her house, she reached up to pull out her hair bobble that was still holding back her hair. As she released her locks, her ears suddenly picked up the sound of chatter. But not chatter between the people of the house, there was a male's voice. Maria's footsteps stubbled at the sounds. She knew those voices, one was Pepper and one was ... Peter.

Slowing her footsteps, Maria kept her footfall silent as she crept along the wooden floor. Eavesdropping wasn't right but Maria couldn't fathom why Peter was in her house. She made her way through the building towards the living room where the conversation was taking place. Maria waited silently beside a pillar as she listened to the words they said and kept herself hidden. But from her position she could see Peter sitting on the couch with his back towards her whilst Pepper was sitting on the other end of the furniture, her eyes locked on Peter unaware of her daughter-in-law's presence.

"She's alright though?" Peter said his voice full of concern. Maria frowned as she tried to figure out who he was talking about.

"She's getting by" Pepper replied with a sad smile. The older woman wrung her hands together as she struggled against the grief of her words.

"And Morgan?" Maria's eyes widened in shock at the question; Peter truly was a good person, he cared about everyone he knew.

"She doesn't fully understand and she still asks for her father but she always will want him. They were close."  Maria hated that truth. There was nothing she could do change those facts or soften the blow when they had to explain it wasn't possible, that she couldn't bring Tony back. Thankfully, Peter's next words pulled Maria's attention from her continuous pain.