40. Marriage??

(Funtime, Inc. A Stark Enterprises Subsidiary)

"So after they finished with their testimony, Uatu, again kind of just stood there and let things play out," Spider-Man says as recounts the events of his afterlife experience in some new clothing now that his webbing wore off, "Then after them, Mephisto called Galactus and he said…"

As he continues to talk, the Illuminati members are as gobsmacked as they had been for the last few hours. All four men present just continue to listen with rapt attention. Honestly having an incredibly hard time believing anything that the recently reborn hero is saying. Reed, Tony, and Steve find a hard time believing this story because frankly, it sounds so outlandish. Not because of the beings he's mentioned, they have SHIELD files on them thanks to Reed, Strange, and other reliable sources, but because the situation seems entirely ridiculous.

Stephen Strange himself is only having a hard time believing this because of one reason.

"...least that time Uatu defended the earth and not just me. I was worried that the big judge would think he was being a bit biased, but he just stayed silent for the most part."

"Peter, Peter, Peter!" Tony calls out with hands up to signal him to stop, "Stop for a second," he rubs his forehead, "Kind of overwhelmed here. Give us a second to process all this."

Peter softly scoffs, "You think you're overwhelmed, try going through it."

"Touche."

While the other three try to absorb the information, Stephen finally gets an opening to ask, "Why you?"

His fellow Illuminati members look at him for a second before turning to Spidey, silently asking the question.

Parker looks down at the table, at his reflection, and answers, "You know I asked Uatu the same thing. I thought, why not Cap or Gandhi or Abraham Lincoln? And he told me I wasn't only the basis but also the deciding factor."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Steve asks him.

Peter shakes his head, "As it turns out no," he takes a breath, "You see when all was said and done, I had to convince the Tribunal that earth was worth saving. And not only did I have to truly believe that, but I also had to…" he stops and closes his eyes and clenches his fists, "...I had to make a defense for my part in the Phoenix."

They look at him confused as Reed voices their question, "What are you talking about?"

Peter gets a look of shame and says, "I don't know the exact details," he clenches his fists tightly, "all I know is that I made the singular stupidest decision of my life. And I barely even remember it."

"What did you do?"

The younger man keeps his eyes closed as some tears escape from them and he solemnly answers, "I made a deal with Mephisto."

Every single one of the Illuminati members becomes shocked beyond belief at this piece of news.

*****

(Flashback To the Trial)

Having just been reminded that he sold his marriage away to the devil himself, Peter Parker is devastated. From the memories Uatu returned, it seems his aunt May was shot and was laying in the hospital dying and the only way to save her was a deal with Mephisto. And the demon lord didn't want his soul but instead his marriage.

'But why?' Peter thinks to himself as he tries to absorb this information, 'And how is it connected to the world being doomed?'

He hears Mephisto clear his throat and speaks jubilantly, "Well now that he remembers enough, shall we proceed," he turns his attention to the two beings, "Mistress Love and Master Hate, would you mind going into detail about this humans misdeed against the two of you."

They both nod and the lady goddess steps forward and looks at Peter with clear disappointment she speaks with a melodious voice, "This mortal soul committed a heinous and abhorrent crime. He threw away an unconditional love he had with another mortal, Mary Jane Watson," he feels even lower now, "It was rare and beautiful and you threw it away. And the universe was lesser for it."

Peter can't help but ask, "How?"

"A domino effect," Mistress Love explains, "While in your perspective, your love life seems insignificant, it does have an impact on the world around you because it had an impact on you."

Peter jerks back at that, not knowing what she could mean.

Not caring about his reaction, Love continues, "You see, in your marriage, you were becoming a man that was not only worthy of bearing the mantle of Spider-Man but a man that was also shaping the world around him. Whether he realizes it or not. An example of this would be the man you know as Wolverine. A rather crude and violent man would have had a beautiful life with a love much like yours."

"Wait what?" Peter asks in shock, "How is it that my marriage would have done that?"