After Peter left, Gwen sat alone by the bedside, looking at the night outside the window.
Moonlight spilled in quietly, spreading a layer of silvery white on the floor. She rested her chin on her hand, still thinking about tonight's events—Silk's words, Captain America's appearance, and that "You did well."
Samantha Wilson.
The Captain America of this World.
In her mind, Gwen compared the figure she saw tonight with the Steve Rogers in her memory.
The same determined gaze, the same steady aura, the same inexplicably reassuring presence.
She thought of the movies she had seen in her past life—the moment Steve picked up Mjolnir, the whole theater screamed.
What about Samantha? Could she pick up Mjolnir?
Gwen thought for a moment, then smiled to herself.
This World doesn't even have a Thor; who knows where the hammer is.
She lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The peeling wallpaper was still there, shaped like a chubby pigeon. She stared at it for a long time, her mind a mess—Silk, The Hand, Kingpin, Captain America, and that woman who said she wanted to "reclaim" her power.
Then she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.
Forget it, I'll deal with it tomorrow.
Early morning.
Gwen stood before the mirror, looking carefully at her face.
The dark circles had faded a lot; though a bit remained, they weren't very noticeable anymore. She patted her cheeks to wake herself up, then changed into her school uniform and walked out of the room.
Helen was busy in the kitchen; seeing her come out, she nodded with a smile.
"You look much better today."
Gwen nodded: "Got enough sleep."
She walked to the door, opened it, and found Peter already waiting outside.
"Morning, Gwen." Peter walked over, holding a paper bag.
Gwen blinked: "Morning. What's this?"
Peter handed her the paper bag, his ears turning slightly red.
"Coffee and a sandwich. You slept all day yesterday; you definitely didn't eat well."
Gwen paused, then took the paper bag.
Inside was a warm latte and a wrapped sandwich, still carrying the warmth of being freshly made.
She looked up at Peter.
He was pretending to look at the maple tree across the street, his ears red enough to bleed.
A wave of warmth surged in Gwen's heart.
"Thanks."
Peter looked back, glanced at her quickly, and then looked away again.
"It's—it's nothing. Let's go, or we'll be late."
The two walked towards school side by side.
Gwen held the coffee, taking small sips. The warm liquid slid into her stomach, making her feel warm all over.
When they reached the corner, Gwen almost bumped into someone.
"Hey! Watch out—"
The person turned around, and Gwen saw his face.
Blond hair, blue eyes, a handsome face, and that innate composed temperament.
Harry Osborn.
"Gwen? Peter?" Harry's eyes lit up when he saw them. "Perfect, I was looking for you."
Peter blinked: "What's up?"
Harry leaned in and lowered his voice, looking full of gossip.
"About last Saturday, did it work out between you two?"
Peter's face instantly turned red.
Gwen's face also reddened.
Harry watched their reaction, his lips slowly curling into a meaningful smile. That smile carried a bit of "as expected" certainty and a bit of "I knew it all along" smugness.
"Alright, alright, I won't ask." He patted Peter's shoulder and said in the tone of someone with experience, "Treat her well."
Then he waved to Gwen and turned to walk toward school.
After a few steps, he turned back to add:
"Remember to tell me about your next date; I'll give you some tips!"
Gwen and Peter stood there, glancing at each other.
Peter's ears were completely red.
Gwen couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Let's go," she pulled his hand, "we're going to be late."
Gwen stepped into the classroom just as the bell rang.
She sat in her seat and let out a long breath.
Sunlight shone through the window, drawing crooked patches of light on the blackboard. Mrs. Winterhalter's voice rang out, starting today's lesson.
Gwen rested her chin on her hand; as she listened, her thoughts drifted away again.
She thought of her conversation with Peter last night, of him saying "You did very well."
She thought of Captain America's dark brown eyes and that sentence: "Next time we meet, I hope you'll be stronger."
She thought of what Silk had said—about humanity, about morality, about kindness.
Of course, she wouldn't believe those words.
But she had to admit, those words made her think a lot.
"Gwen."
Mrs. Winterhalter's voice pulled her back.
Gwen looked up to see the old lady looking at her over her glasses.
"Come answer this question."
Gwen was startled, then saw Peter in the back row quietly pointing a pen at the blackboard.
She glanced at it and then answered the question fluently.
Mrs. Winterhalter nodded with satisfaction and continued the lecture.
Gwen peeked back and mouthed to Peter: Thanks.
Peter nodded slightly, his ears turning red again.
For afternoon rehearsal, Gwen showed up at the music room on time.
Mary Jane's eyes lit up when she saw her come in.
"Yo, back from the dead?"
Gwen nodded with a smile: "Fully revived."
Betty leaned in, sizing her up.
"You took a leave of absence yesterday; we thought you were sick. We all saw Peter waiting for you at the door this morning."
Gwen's face heated up slightly.
"No, just too tired." She sat behind the drum kit and picked up the drumsticks. "Let's practice."
Betty wanted to say more but was stopped by a look from Mary Jane.
The four took their positions, and the music began.
When Gwen hit the first beat, she felt her whole body relax.
The sound of the drums filled the room and also filled the messy thoughts in her heart.
After the song ended, Mary Jane nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad; taking a day off actually put you in better shape."
Glory pushed up her glasses and suddenly spoke.
"By the way, did you see the news from yesterday? The one where Captain America and Spider-Man appeared together."
Betty's eyes lit up, and she immediately put down her bass to lean in.
"I saw it! That female villain was so powerful, she could actually fight Spider-Man like that."
Mary Jane nodded, her eyes sparkling.
"When Captain America appeared, I almost screamed. She's so cool."
Gwen kept her head down, pretending to organize her drumsticks.
"Tell me," Betty lowered her voice mysteriously, "who exactly is Spider-Man? There are so many guesses online; some say a high schooler, some say a reporter, and some say a veteran."
"Definitely not a veteran," Glory analyzed, her tone certain. "Her figure is very slender; she should be female."
Mary Jane nodded: "I think it's a woman too. Look at those photos; even though she's wearing a bodysuit, you can see her figure."
Gwen kept her head down, trying to look like she was just seriously organizing things.
"If only I could meet her," Betty said longingly, "she must be so cool."
"Of course," Mary Jane said as if it were obvious, "she's New York's vigilante. Even though Jameson curses her every day, the fact is she saves people."
Gwen looked up and couldn't help teasing: "The videos online aren't very clear; what if it's a guy?"
The three of them looked at her at the same time.
Mary Jane narrowed her eyes: "Are you questioning our observational skills?"
Betty nodded: "That figure is definitely a woman's."
Glory pushed up her glasses: "I've done a skeletal analysis comparison; the bone structure is very different from an average male. There's a over 90% probability she's female."
Gwen blinked.
Glory, you actually do things like that?
"And," Mary Jane added, "my intuition tells me she's a woman. A woman's intuition is very accurate."
Gwen laughed.
"Alright, you win."
The four of them burst into laughter.
After rehearsal, Gwen packed her things to leave.
Mary Jane called out to her.
"Gwen."
Gwen turned back.
Mary Jane walked over and looked at her, a hint of seriousness in her gaze.
"No matter who you are," she said softly, "no matter what you do, we're friends."
Gwen was stunned.
Mary Jane smiled, patted her shoulder, and turned to leave.
Gwen stood there, watching her back, a wave of warmth in her heart.
She knew what Mary Jane was talking about.
She also knew Mary Jane didn't ask because of trust.
She would keep this trust in her heart.
Night fell.
Gwen changed into her suit and stood by the window.
Tonight, she was going to Fisk Tower.
Kingpin's territory.
She took a deep breath and pressed her earpiece.
"Alfred."
Peter's voice immediately rang out, carrying a smile.
"Copy that, Batman."
Gwen couldn't help but laugh.
"Stop playing. Tonight's mission is important; help me find an entrance to sneak in."
"Understood." Peter's voice became serious. "Fisk Tower, there's a ventilation duct on the third basement level that leads directly to Kingpin's private floor. I've sent the route to your mask's navigation system."
Gwen nodded and was about to set off when Peter suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, Gwen."
"Yeah?"
"There's something I want to tell you."
Gwen stopped.
Peter was silent for two seconds, then said:
"I've redesigned a suit for you."
Gwen was stunned.
"What? A new suit?"
"Yeah." Peter's voice held a bit of nervousness and a bit of pride. "I've been working on it for a while and just finished it tonight. I was going to give it to you later, but..."
He paused.
"You're going to Fisk Tower tonight; that place is too dangerous. I want you to go with better gear."
A complex emotion surged in Gwen's heart.
"Peter..."
"Wait a moment, I'll bring it to you."
A rustling sound came from next door.
A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on Gwen's window.
She opened the window, and Peter climbed in, holding a package.
He placed the package on the bed and opened it.
Gwen was stunned.
It was a brand-new suit.
A white base, a hooded design, black patterns spreading over the body like spiderwebs, accented with faint pink lines. The spider emblem on the chest was pink, simpler and more powerful than the previous one.
The goggles on the mask were a wide-rimmed spider-eye design, white, with a futuristic feel.
What surprised her most was that there was a cape on the back.
Lightweight fabric, with a good drape, shimmering slightly in the moonlight.
"This..." Gwen opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
Peter stood aside, watching her nervously.
"The material is a high-strength elastic polymer plus nano-woven fiber," he began to explain, speaking faster than usual. "The Kevlar and carbon fiber laminated structure remains the same; it's bulletproof, explosion-proof, and blunt-force resistant. The goggles used liquid metal coating technology, can change color and shape, and have integrated sensors and thermal imaging. The cape is specially made; it won't interfere with your web-swinging and can provide a bit of lift while gliding—"
As he spoke, he noticed Gwen wasn't reacting, and his voice gradually trailed off.
"You... don't like it?"
Gwen looked up at him.
Her eyes were a bit red.
"Peter," she said softly, "this must have been very expensive."
Peter was stunned, then scratched his head.
"It was okay... I saved up for a long time. And Harry helped me find some of the materials; he gave me the employee discount."
Gwen looked at him, a thousand words in her heart, but she couldn't say a single one.
This boy had done so much for her in secret.
She walked over and hugged him.
Peter froze.
"G-Gwen?"
"Thank you." She buried her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled. "Thank you, Peter."
Peter was silent for a few seconds, then slowly raised his hands and hugged her back.
"It's nothing." He said softly, "You're my Batman, after all."
Gwen couldn't help but laugh.
The two hugged for a while before letting go.
Gwen picked up the new suit and touched the fabric.
Very light, very soft, but she could feel that tough texture.
"I'll try it on," she said.
Peter nodded and turned around.
Gwen quickly changed into the suit.
The touch of the fabric was even more comfortable than the previous one, fitting her body without any sense of restriction. She moved her limbs and felt light all over.
"Okay."
Peter turned around; the moment he saw her, he was stunned.
The white suit shimmered softly in the moonlight, the black patterns outlining her figure, the pink lines accenting it like star trails in the night sky. The cape on her back hung slightly, making her look both cool and dashing.
She stood there like she had stepped out of a comic book.
"How is it?" Gwen asked.
Peter opened his mouth, and it took several seconds to find his voice.
"It's... very beautiful."
Gwen smiled.
She walked to the mirror and looked at the person in the reflection.
The white suit, the pink spider emblem, the wide-rimmed white goggles.
And that long blonde hair peeking out from the edge of the mask.
She suddenly remembered the comics she had seen in her past life—Spider-Gwen looked exactly like this.
Now, she had truly become her.
"Peter," she said softly, "thank you."
Peter stood behind her, looking at her in the mirror.
"Gwen."
"Yeah?"
"You're going to be a great Spider-Man."
Gwen looked at herself in the mirror, then at Peter in the mirror.
She smiled.
"Not Spider-Man."
Peter was startled.
"What?"
Gwen turned around to face him.
"It's Spider-Woman," she said, "or, Spider-Gwen."
Peter looked into her eyes and slowly smiled.
"Okay. Spider-Gwen."
Outside the window, the moonlight shone quietly.
Gwen took a deep breath and put on her goggles.
"Alfred, prepare for action."
Peter smiled and pressed his earpiece.
"Copy that, Spider-Gwen."
Two figures disappeared into the night together.