After

*Stomach growling sound*

Gwen woke up with a snort mumbling "Don' ea'me 'otdog-man!" She blinked. "Wha'?"

*Longer and louder stomach growling*

She put her hand over her stomach. "Oh, geez... that's embaressing. Sorry... Walt?"

The bed was empty. Déjà vu. The dummy was gone... again. She sighed. She knew that was the plan and like last time he'd be back on the shortest of whiles... but last time his weak explanation had pissed her off. This time... she didn't even see a note! "The stupid, insensitive-"

Walt creeped backwards into the bedroom whispering, "Hey, Gwen I just-"

"-Jerk!" She said vehemently glaring at him.

Walt froze turning around, practically naked with a tray with bowl of cherries, bags of nuts and chocolates and two steaming cups. He blinked. "Ok... I'll put them back if you feel that strongly about it."

"What?" She asked. "But I thought-

"I just woke up and-" he started.

*Dueling stomach growling sounds*

They both laugh.

"Sorry," Gwen quickly apologized. "I thought you "left" again without saying something."

Walt chuckling approached the bed with the tray "No, I did. To the kitchen. For a snack. I made us cocoa too." He kissed her cheek. "I'm still sorry about the last time. I'll remember. I won't do that again if I'm able."

She shook her head and kissed him. "I know. I'm sorry. You're a super thoughtful person. This looks great!"

Walt chuckled and fed a cherry. "Watch out for the pits. I'm glad you're pleased! I wanted a snack and figured you'd want one too if you woke up. I would've grabbed other stuff too but I figured healty is the way to go since you're eating for two and all."

Gwen almost choked. "What? I'm not pregnant... am I?"

Walt blinked crunching a nut and swallowed shaking his head. "Nooo... unless there's something you ain't told me I was thinking of the Symbiote. You know. Your "living spider suit"."

Gwen blinked. "Why would I..."

Walt chuckled. "Glucose... proteins... vitamins... it's subsisting off of your nutritional intake. You probably haven't been eating enough healthy foods for it and worrying about your own weight. It needs nutrients to survive. I've been doing some reading up."

Gwen froze. "You have?"

Walt nodded. "Duh. I am responsible for your health so I'm responsible for it's care too. Jubes is trying to be healthy for Shogo. My metabolism is super charged and I kinda bet Jen's is as well. You're literally eating for two. We're going to need lots of healthy foods around here." He held up a cherry. "Krakoa's awesome about growing us fruits, vegetables and nuts... but we need other things. Things that can benefit the island too. Before this place was all," he waved his hand indicating everything. "This and then the schools it was the Graymalkin Homestead. I think it can be that again. A farm. We'll start small. Maybe free range chickens, a couple pigs and goats. Clear a bit of pasture land. Fix up the old barns-"

Gwen placed her finger against his lips as she started laughing. "Easy farmer green jeans. You want to turn back time on the Xavier mansion/school to what? 150 years ago?"

Walt held up two fingers. "Dis dat a no?" He mumbled against her finger.

Gwen started laughing hard and removed her finger. "It's crazy! I love it! Only you would think of something like that."

Walt grinned. "Jubilee said the something. She also thinks it's a crazy idea but supports it. The Island of Krakoa needs certain things. It's fine for the vegetarians and those who want fish but at the end of the day it's a Micronation. It's dependent on a lot of other nations for it's options. But it's got this place and few others like scattered around the world. They're essentially "embassies" so this place is technically Krakoa. But no bodies using it. They just go to the one in the city. It's going to waste which is why Jubes proposed we use it. So why not experiment with it? Eventually when-" he paused. "When, uh... this is all over-"

Gwen kissed him. "When we leave," she told him.

Walt blinked then slowly started to smile. "Are you sure about that?"

She nodded. "I'm hesitant... unfinished business tou know? But yeah. I think, I want to go with you... and I know I want to be with you!"

Walt kissed her now. "I want that too... I want you to come with me and I definitely want to be with you! But I understand avout duty... we'll figure it out... make it work somehow! Ok?"

Gwen grinned and nodded. "Ok!"

Walt grinned too. "Ok... Okay! Right... uhh, when WE leave it's all going back to Krakoa anyway. If our small scale experiment doesn't work. No big loss. But if it does they can just pick a few mutants and start to expand on the idea. And we just got a bunch of big green woman power! Can you imagine Jen in a big pair of overalls and a pitchfork? Shoot we clear her name and market it right Hulk Veggies might become a brand name we can use! Jubes is already calling it the "Green Acres Project"."

Gwen shook her head chuckling. "Just so you're aware, I don't know the first thing about farming or milking animals or anything."

Walt grinned. "I know a fair bit but ranching is my area of expertise, not farming. That's why we'll start small with some of the things I do know. It's just a side experiment."

Gwen was still chuckling but she leaned her head against him. "Ok... guess it's as good a time as any to start adjusting to "country living"!"

Walt chuckled. "Most "country living" isn't done in renovated mansion/school/tree houses but yeah... the ranch ain't strictly normal that way neither... and on Prime it's gotten hard to tell what is and what ain't normal sometimes anyway!"

She fed him a cherry. "Speaking of... you need to go back."

Walt nodded and swallowed. "So I keep getting told... but you're all right. I do. I... I don't want to leave you... i don't want to leave any of you. But everyone has been pointing out the necessity and yall ain't wrong... still..." he shrugged. "I guess I'm a bit of a selfish person afterall."

Gwen reached up and pulled him into a kiss. "I dont think that's true at all. If you're selfish?" She whispered. "Then the world could use more of that selfishness. That's what I think." She sighed. "I don't want you to go either... but that's where you need to be. They need you there too... and if they need you? Then that's where I want you to be. Yeah?"

Walt nodded and whispered. "Yeah... ok... but even though I'll be right back for you... I'll miss you. I love you."

Gwen smiled and nodded. "I know. I love you too." She took his hands and pulled him up. "Sooner begun the sooner done."

Walt watched her start to dress him in the nude. She didn't hurry but she dressed him like she was sending him out into the unknown. His suit. Boots. Harness. She was something else. Strong. Compassionate. Incredible... "You're amazing, you know that?"

Gwen smiled helping him into his coat. She popped his hat on his head and gave him a kiss. "And don't you forget it!" She pushed him out the door and closed it before going back to bed... and she started to cry despite smiling.

She knew he'd be right back. It was foolish to feel that way... but she did anyway.

---

*It's foolish to feel this way,* Jubilee thought laying in bed trying not to cry as she smiled trying to pretend to be asleep.

"I'll be right back," she heard him saying moving around.

"Mama Wahwah," Shogo said as Walt held the kid. "G'nite-nite?"

"That's right," he said quietly. "Once you fall asleep... and I will be right back. You probably won't know I even been gone... but I will. I'll miss you, kiddo. So I need you to be good for me... for your mom. Take special care of her for me? You too. Cause yer my treasures. I love you both so much."

She changed her mind. It wasn't foolish at all she decided climbing out of bed. She put her arms around the two special men in her life... one of whom was crying holding her son. "We love you too," she said. "We'll be right here when you get back. You're our treasure."

"Sorry if I woke you," he said his voice was thick.

She shook her head. "Don't be... I'm so happy."

Walt nodded. "Me too." It was bittersweet.

Jubilee nodded. "Hurry home... and then hurry home."

"I will," he promised his family.

---

Jen was in the hall when he came out. She smiled at him and stopped him as he walked down the hall. She pretended to brush some lint off his coat and that she couldn't tell he'd been crying. "Leaving?"

Walt nodded and took a breath. "Yup. Just fir a little bit."

She surprised him and gave him a hug. "I'll keep them protected. Have a good trip."

She felt him relax a little bit and put his arms around her gratefully. "Thanks, Jen. I appreciate that."

They slowly let go of each other, smiling and holding hands. "See you soon?" She asked.

Walt nodded. "See you soon," he promised slowly letting go. He turned and walked away. "Friday... open the portal for extraction."

(("Understood Boss"))

---

-Prime-

"Hey welcome back!" Dave said. "I registered another collar use! You collared She-Hulk after... all... you ok, Walt?"

Walt stopped and nodded pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yup... just tired, David." He patted his shoulder. "Just tired."

Dave nodded. "Go home and rest up, Walter. Try and take it easy."

Walt nodded. "Yeah... I need to spend time with my family. I'll be good. I mught be taking tomorrow off. I'll see you"

"Hey Walt!" Dave moved his wheelchair to catch up to him. He handed him a small box. "The Thing you asked for... for the kid."

Walt clutched the small box tightly nodding. "Thanks."

Dave nodded as he watched Walt slip it securely in his pocket. "You're welcome. Hey I'm heading out too. Let me see you out?"

Walt smiled. "Ok."

---

Penny waved to the camera smiling a smudge of blue on her cheek. "Hello, Jubes, Gwen and Jen. We got your messages. I don't know when you'll get this video reply thanks to the time distortion. But we felt it was the best way to reply to you again."

The camera follows her as she walks around home. Everyone she passes by waves to the camera as well.

"We want you to know how much we appreciate you and your concern for Walter?" She says. "How happy we are to know that you care for him and us... and we want you to know that we all feel the same."

Penny walks up the stairs and into a room. It's been freshly painted in a coat of blue. Neo is on a step ladder painting white clouds and waves. "This will be a nursery and we're readying rooms for when you all come because we hope you will! We love you too! You're family! So when you are ready we will be waiting for you to come home! Until then!"

---

Walt knocked on the lab doorway. They plain unassuming man smiled. "Hiya, Boss! How'd it go?"

Walt stepped in and smiled. "Pretty good, Pete. Pretty good. Suit worked great." He looked around.

Peter Parker nodded and pointed to a seat. "Gwen's not in at the moment. She went home to start dinner. I got your message. What did you want to ask me?"

Walt nodded and took a seat. He looked at the web shooters Peter was working on. "Those them?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah. They're a mix of my design and the Spider-Gwen ones you showed me that Van Dyne made her. Pretty neat. They basically make their own webbing. No worries about "running out". They're almost good to go. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

Walt nodded. "Kinda... I was wondering if you had sometime for me tomorrow? I uh... I'd like your assistance with some personal training."

Peter Parker blinked. "With the webshooter?"

Walt nodded. "That and... I need general training for a specific mission I'm worried about. A personal project."

Peter smiled. "Well sure! I can probably get away from the lab for awhile but it's kinda odd you'd specifically want to train on something with me. What's the personal project?"

Walt looked up meeting his eyes. "The best ways to keep Gwen Stacy alive. I can't afford to make any mistakes. I need to be as good as or better than Spider-Man..."

Peter Parker sighed. "I see... so you've come to talk to someone who has thoight a lot anout that kind of thing."

Walt nodded. "Sorry if it's a big ask."

Peter nodded. "It's fine... yeah. Ok. I'll see you tomorrow."

Walt smiled. "Thank you, Peter. Say hi to your Gwen for me?"

Peter Parker smiled at the man who reunited them. "Sure thing. Speaking of I better get home!" He patted Walt's shoulder. "Do your best."

Walt smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Peter. I intend to."

[Walter Stark Penny Polendina F.R.I.D.A.Y Neopolitan Pyrrha Nikos Nora Valkyrie Yang Xiao Long Blake Belladonna Kali Belladonna Sienna Khan Willow Schnee Glynda Goodwitch Zwei Ahnassi Lifts-Her-Tail Senko Sayoko Shinozaki Roberta Cisneros Haruna Sasha Blouse Ilulu Rachel "Raven" Roth Manami "La Brava" Aiba Tsuyu "Froppy" Asui Haruhime Sanjouno Anastasia "The Baroness" Cisarovna/DeCobray Demona Mystique Pirotess Lydia Aela the Huntress Serana Mission Vao Curie Ada PAM KL-E-O Merida Gwen "Gwenom" Stacy Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee and Jennifer "She-Hulk" Walters

Will Return In

TBD

Coming Soon]