If Only
Part #3
Written by: Cynnamon Flakes / gobby_hero@hotmail.com

Peter had been awake for the past two hours, alone and thankfully awake as he regained some of the strength he had lost from his battle with the Goblin.

He knew that the blow to his skull had been serious. The pain in his skull told him so constantly, but he also knew that that normally would not have been enough to make him so incredibly weak as he was and had been for the first few days in this hellhole.

Part of it was the late-night crime terminations, and then they early morning work and his schooling. All of it combined but a bind on him, and left him tired and restless.

Everyone he came into contact with told him that he needed to get his priorities straight: Jameson, Harry, even Aunt May. He WAS keeping his priorities straight, only it wasn’t very productive money-wise to go out and save people’s asses. People took that more as a service, something that he could do just because he could. Well, he couldn’t. Who did they think he was, some rich millionaire like Bruce Wayne, who had all the police and just about everyone else on his side?

No, life was MUCH harder and more complicated than that.

He was Peter Parker, a nobody, who was a freelance photographer for a newspaper which hated his alter ego, and who desperately needed to get another job. He had no batcave, no mansion where he could live when he wasn’t Spider-Man.

And now he was stuck here. He had no idea what people were thinking about the mysterious disappearance of Spider-Man, and he was trying to avoid the horrible thought about what his family and friends were doing about his disappearance as Peter Parker. Were they even worried?

He knew Aunt May would be, he was the only person she had, and he her. But what about Mary Jane and Harry? Where they glad to have him missing?

Peter shifted uncomfortably and tried again to pull apart the handcuffs that were the thing that was keeping him there in that tiny, dark room. Well, besides the locked door, and the Green Goblin. But if he were able to break out of his bonds, he would have more of a chance. He would be able to train, keep fit, and practice shooting his webbing until the Goblin came back. Then he would catch the Goblin off-guard and escape.

If only he could get out of those blasted handcuffs!

---

It had been an hour since Norman had walked out of the Parker house. He had intended to go straight back to his mansion, disguise himself as the Goblin, and then confront Spidey- or Parker- but had refrained on doing so.

Instead he had driven to Central Park, and had pondered what to do with his newfound knowledge. Well, at least a part of him was pondering. The other was nearly bent with depression.

Peter Parker, his Peter Parker. The boy whom he had loved like a son. He had hurt Peter. Unwittingly, yes, but he was overcome with guilt none the less.

"Oh, snap out of it, Osborn!"

From inside him, the Goblin throttled Norman for his weakness. To any bystander who happened to see Norman sitting alone, everything would have appeared normal, except for a slight shaking. But within him, the Goblin was screaming at him to snap out of it, to realise that Peter had tricked him, and that they could play upon Peter’s human weakness to ultimately turn him to their side.

As he got into his car, he told his driver to take him back to his mansion, and to leave him alone for the rest of the day.

"Make sure the Security Guard knows not to let anyone in no matter what." he said to the driver, before he rolled up the window between him and the man. He lay back lazily on the leather seats, and smiled.

---

Peter had achieved what he thought impossible.

It had taken him nearly an hour, but he had gathered all his strength and finally accomplished what he had set out to do.

The blasted handcuffs were broken.

Part of it had been shear force of will and strength, twisting the metal apart, and the other had been smarts… he had pulled the handcuffs taught about the pole and had grated them against the pole, emitting a loud scraping sound… but the pain had been well worth it.

Peter carefully brought his aching arms from around the pole and rested them in his lap. He sat, gazing at them. They were raw and bleeding, and his gloves had been removed completely.

The metal rings of the cuffs were still attached to his wrists; he had only been able to break the chain between them, so that he was able to remove his hands from the pole. He knew that he would have to remove them soon, otherwise they’d most likely become infected.

Peter knew that he should try and stand. He knew that he should try and escape. He knew he needed to do a lot of things, but he could not find the strength of body or will to get up.

"Uncle Ben, please help me." Peter said softly. As if gaining strength from his words, he rose from the ground, hands clutching the pole.

There was a noise coming form behind him, but he ignored it, and tried to stand on his own. It worked for a moment, but he fell back. He closed his eyes, waiting for his body to hit the ground, but instead something stopped him. Warm hands wrapped around Peter’s torso, and then something picked him up. Peter looked up dizzily into the eyes of-

"Gobby." Peter said, and then he went limp and his head lolled backwards.

Norman groaned and hurriedly carried Peter out of the small room and upstairs, laying him down on one of his sofas.

Carefully, he shook Peter, and lightly slapped his face. If Peter didn’t wake up… well, that wouldn’t be good.

---

Peter drifted… he wasn’t exactly sure of where he was- he had never been here before. It was dark, but light at the same time, but there were no shadows. Everything felt—naked.

It was the figure off the distance that he noticed first. As it came closer to him, he was able to make out the features of whoever it was. Peter gasped.

"Uncle Ben?"

Peter ran to his uncle, and wrapped him in a huge hug.

"Ben! Ben, I’m so sorry! I could have stopped him! I could have stopped him!"

---

As Peter came to consciousness, he began to start screaming something. Norman frowned.

"Ben… Ben! I could have stopped him! No, I want to stay with you! I want to stay! I’m so sorry, I could have stopped him!"

Peter’s eyes flew open. He was staring up at Gobby and he clutched at his metal green arm in a panic. He did not know if Peter was really seeing him or not- so he decided to find out.

The Goblin yanked the mask off of Peter’s face, and looked down Spider-Man’s true face.

It was dirty and smeared, and he had tears streaming down his face. Peter Parker’s face.

The Goblin smiled. There was so much he could use against him now… so much that he could do.

As Peter regained his coherence of the things that surrounded, his hands fluttered to his face, and he gasped.

Norman’s smile grew even wider, if that were possible. Things were turning out very nicely.

---

*cackles* things are coming together rather nicely!

Thanks so much to Neni for helping me think up ideas- they will

work perfectly for my story!