The votes for this chapter came down to a coinflip, but tails hit and I made this instead of Weapon X. Maybe next time, Wolverine fans.
Read the latest Spider-Gwen and...wow, probably one of the best issues yet. Not only do we get development on Gwen's relationships but we finally get some backstory done on Matt that helps explain his motivation. Ultimately it's revealed that his motives are just as petty and selfish as the other villains, but it actually makes him seem more human.
...Which leads to a slight problem since we find out that his motivations for going after Gwen are very personal, which makes him switching to Peter in the fic way more odd. Granted I already have plans for their dynamic and it doesn't take that much to incorporate it into the next chapters, but comic readers might be disappointed still. Hopefully I can do it justice.
It also confirmed that Matt did in fact betray Fisk, so on that front I'm set as well.
Speaking of the next chapter, change of plans: the dinner scene will be next followed by the carnival date. I'm sorry for the change, but the chapter really pumped me up to writing Matt and Peter's last conversation. Don't worry; I changed things around so that the Jack arc doesn't start immediately after, meaning the date still happens; only difference is it happens a chapter later.
Anyway, the end AN will have a question on the hypothetical Volume 2 I hinted at before. Please read it since it determines certain story events down the line.
Chapter 99: Family Matters
"Mmgh..." Gwen groaned and scrunched her face in annoyance at the first rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains. The events of last night came came back to her half-asleep mind and she desperately kept her eyes shut to try and lull herself back to sleep. She couldn't run away from it, but she could put it off for at least a few more minutes if she really tried.
She groped blindly and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the bed's other occupant, "Peter..." She smiled and snuggled deeper into his back, right arm draping over him in a clumsy hug to pull him closer. Any other time her dad would've flipped at the thought of them sleeping in the same room, but they had more things to worry about now than some (not so) innocent cohabitation.
They still kept both their clothes on, though; she wasn't willing to risk going farther than a little nuzzling with both her parents in the house.
A few more minutes of quiet passed before Peter eventually moved and tapped her wrist, "...Footsteps downstairs. Everyone's waiting," he mumbled.
"Five more minutes..." She didn't want to deal with this yet. Her mom and Jess said they talked last night, but she knew from experience that one talk wasn't nearly enough to solve a complicated relationship.
"Can't run forever, Gwen." His voice was almost teasing, but she could've just been imagining that. Peter didn't do teasing.
Gwen sighed and (reluctantly) separated from him with a frown on her face. He was right, but she didn't have to be happy about it, "Ugh..." She sat up and brought both hands through her face. She wasn't sleepy anymore, but the thought of going down there and facing everyone again after last night's clusterfuck was definitely on the high end of her 'do not want' list.
Having to go to a talkshow with Cindy later to play celebrity still topped that, though. There was always something worse to look forward to.
She looked back and grinned slightly when she caught Peter rubbing his eyes tiredly, "Hey." He looked back at her call and she leaned forward to kiss him, morning breath be damned. The gesture was fleeting and soon enough they separated, Gwen grabbing for her flip-flops under the bed while Peter grabbed his (unloaded, she'd made sure of that) pistols from the bedside cabinet.
It was funny. Just a few months ago she'd shuddered at the thought of him being even near a glue gun, and now there was a place on her cabinet just for whatever fancy pistols he had on hand.
You're being a hypocrite, the little voice at the back of her head said, but she ignored it. She was only human, and she'd made her share of compromises over the years. Compared to being a law-abiding vigilante, being forbidden from arresting the likes of Frank Castle, and having to keep S.H.I.E.L.D's involvement with the Incident secret it was easy enough to justify.
It was something she could live with, at least.
"...Spider-Man left town," he said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Just messaged me, said he and his partner were taking care of business and they'd be gone for the week," he replied.
"Hm..."
As soon as they went down Gwen was assaulted with the smell of bacon, eggs and freshly toasted bread, "Something smells good." She peeked into the living and was torn between smiling and cringing when she saw her mom, dad, Jess, Aunt May and Uncle Ben sitting in a small semi-circle in and around the couch. Her dad had a strict 'no-couch' rule when it came to eating in the house, but like a lot of things over the years he'd let up on it.
"Oh, there you are." Her mom beamed at her. Gwen suddenly felt even more guilty, "We were just talking about the time Ben and George went to Mardi Gras. I missed a
lot of things, apparently."
Yeah,
apparently. Gwen couldn't make out any bitterness in her voice, but she doubted they'd all just forgotten about what happened last night. Her dad definitely didn't given the way he was practically pouting down at his plate.
"You should've told us you were coming, son," Uncle Ben chided playfully.
"Wasn't exactly planned." Peter said, "...Sorry."
"Ah, no harm done. Come sit next to me, I was just getting to the good part."
Breakfast was...she didn't know how to describe it. She knew what it was like to duck around a problem and pretend it didn't exist and this wasn't that, not really. She'd learned a thing or two about reading people from Peter and she definitely didn't miss the awkwardness in the air when her mom and dad spoke to one another. As best as she could see it the problem was still there and they were trying to move past it.
She could only hope they succeeded.
Gwen's gaze lingered on both Jessica and Peter. The P.I didn't say much, but there was a calmness in her that Gwen couldn't deny; a far cry from her previous fight or flight demeanor from last night. Peter was the opposite. He looked out of place, almost like he couldn't believe that he was really sitting in the room with them. She was almost tempted to sit by his side, but her dad's overbearing gaze kept her still. Even knowing how far they'd already gone didn't stop him from having reservations.
"So what's everyone's plans for the day?" Gwen asked, mostly to try and keep from saying anything stupid to ruin the mood. She had to go to that talkshow later tonight, but until then she could go on patrol and check on MJ. Hopefully Jan managed to help her out.
"Oh, me and Jessica are gonna have a Ladies day later," her mom replied.
"You...You are?" The way she said it...cheerful and carefree, but was it really? God, she was getting fucking paranoid.
"Yeah, we uh...talked last night, hashed things out, but it couldn't hurt to try and get to know each other better." She coughed awkwardly and nudged her head to where Jess was sitting, "It was actually her idea."
"Trish suggested it. Not sure it's a good idea, but there you go." Jess shrugged, "George is gonna work with Kate on the insurance fraud case, so they'll be busy with that."
"I still think I can handle it myself, Jess," her dad said.
"I know you can, but Bishop needs experience solving problems she can't just shoot arrows at." Gwen couldn't stop herself from smiling. That was definitely her go-to solution to most problems, "Besides, it'll be good practice when the tagalong starts kicking and I have go take my 'break'."
Right, the baby. In all the chaos of last night she'd almost forgotten that it was another thing they had to deal with. Her potential little brother/sister was definitely another thing they were walking eggshells around.
"So...what about you?" Gwen asked Ben and May.
"Oh, we were actually planning to go out town for a couple of days," May replied, "An old friend invited us over to a barbecue and we thought it'd be a good idea to take some time away from the city, all things considered..." Gwen winced. The attention definitely died down, but people still remembered the Lizard and his parents, "...You could come with us, Peter. Take a break."
"Love to, but I can't exactly leave the city right now." He set the plate down, the food mostly untouched, "I gotta meet with Lana, Norah and Felicia later to see what we can dig up on Murdock..."
Gwen frowned down at her food and said nothing. Despite everything he was remarkably tight-lipped on what exactly the deal was between the two of them. She still remembered when that murdering bastard had her in his crosshairs, how hopeless she felt when he rubbed it in her face just how untouchable he was because of her own beliefs and the law's corruption. The fact that Peter was fighting him worried her to no end.
Finding out he was (apparently) possessed by a literal devil just made it worse...
"Huh...hope you don't mind me asking, but do you have any guy friends?" Uncle Ben asked, "You never seem to hang out with any."
"Well...you already met Bullseye," Gwen and the Parkers frowned at that. She still had no clue why he considered that psychopath a friend when Castle and Moon Knight were, by his own admission, 'shaky allies at best', "Why do you ask?"
"Ah...I was just wondering where that Harry kid went. You two were inseparable back in the day."
Peter's mouth twitched and her said his next words in a clipped monotone, "We had our differences." Meaning they tried to kill each other. Another sore point that she really needed to talk to him about, "It's over between us."
"A shame, he seemed like such a nice boy," May said, "Well, tell Lana she's free to come by for dinner anytime she wants. Her identity being outed must have been hard."
"Yeah...thanks, I'll tell her."
"So, to change the subject," her mom suddenly cut in, "I've been reading up on the Superheroes and all the Avengers stuff, but it's hard to understand what's really true and what's not. I mean, last I checked Gwen wasn't really a supermodel heiress...right? Cause if you are then you really need to tell me these things."
"God, no." Gwen snorted. She still had no clue who thought
that particular bit of fuckery up, "I mean like I said I'm a drummer in a band." Even if they hadn't had a gig in weeks... "And...I mean, it was slow going but it ended up...okay-ish." She just hoped her mom didn't ask about that night at prom. If she did Gwen would've honestly just swung away screaming 'lalalala'.
"Huh..." her mom shifted her gaze to Peter for a brief second before focusing back on her, "So tell me about one of Spider-Woman's adventures. I mean I read up on the thing with the UN embassy, but that can't be the only thing you've done."
"Well, there was that time with Mysterio..."
Recounting what happened with fishbowl head three months ago gave her an odd sense of calm. It was bizarre - back when her dad was still working in the precinct he tried to keep his work and home life separate, but now here she was giving a blow by blow.
You don't need to hear about how many times I nearly got shot, he said to her one day. Considering she'd said it shortly after she got her powers she'd been almost tempted to laugh from the sheer irony.
"Wait, wait, wait! This guy actually had a fishbowl for a head and called himself
Mysterio?" Her mom chortled and Gwen grinned. It was nice to hear her laugh again, "I mean, what? Who dresses up in a fishbowl and thinks 'oh yeah, this is good and menacing'?"
"You'd be surprised," Jessica said, "Nowadays any old asshole thinks he can put on a costume and he's the next big villain. I'm not complaining, though; it's way easier to track for pissed off clients when the people who attacked them have cars with their faces plastered all over it."
"You're already fighting Supervillains, Jess, so I don't get why you won't give the hero gig a try," Gwen said, "Before the you know what, I mean. You know what they say, with great power-"
"If you say 'With great power comes great responsibility', I swear I'll throw up on you." Jessica gave her a half-hearted glare and Gwen held up her hands in mock surrender. She knew for a fact that it wasn't an idle threat, "Besides, it's not my fault that people think I'm an expert at this shit. Ever since I got caught on camera people think 'some asshole in spandex robbed me, guess I better call the freak with super strength.'"
"The city's a madhouse, what do you expect?" Peter scoffed.
"So are Supervillains the in thing now? Are normal criminals just gone?" Her mom asked.
"Not gone, but even criminals follow fads," her dad replied, "The smart criminals still try to keep a low profile, but the two-bit hoods and thugs think that a costume makes them different. Better. All it really does is make it harder to keep a low profile."
"Huh, being a police officer nowadays must be weird..."
"You have no idea..." Her dad smiled bitterly. So far her mom still didn't know about the 'Captain Stacy vs Spider-Woman' hunt, which was a mixed blessing at best. They definitely needed to tell her before someone retweeted the damn thing, "I've still got some friends and rookies on the force who complain when I meet up with them. They tell me the academy didn't teach them about people bouncing around with glue guns and boomerangs."
"On the bright side comic sales are booming," Gwen chirped. Ever since the rise of the Superhero and Supervillain fad people treated the Captain America and Wasp comics like they were instruction booklets. She couldn't blame them; it wasn't like the police handbook had a section on costumed baddies, "I mean you can't complain
too much, right? I'll take a boomerang and glue grenades over guns. They're definitely less threatening."
"Is that why the prisons here churn them out like it's a revolving door?" Peter asked sarcastically.
"Yeah, I read about that too. That's weird..." Her mom sipped the coffee briefly before she spoke up again, "So...what about you, Peter? Any stories from the Spider-Man?"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth a stifling silence settled over the room. Gwen licked her lips nervously and looked around the occupants in the room. Jessica was calm as always, but her dad's posture turned rigid while Ben and May went from carefree and relaxed to absolutely anxious. Her surrogate uncle frowned and brushed a hand through the side where Vulture injured him.
They didn't talk about what happened that night, not really. She and Cindy were the friendly neighborhood Spiders, but Peter? There was a reason that discussing 'work' was quickly established as one of the taboos they had. It was hard to do it before the conversation eventually drifted to one of his 'team members' or the murderer or rapist he beat into a pulp to get info on something he needed.
"...Not really. Gwen's the big Superhero, not me," Peter muttered with a frown.
"Really? I mean I read about you and your...uh, they were called Defenders, if I'm remembering right?" She shook her head, "I mean I just wanna know what the truth is from the fiction. A lot of people seem to think you're a Supervillain for some reason."
"Helen, that's-"
"Because this town is full of judgmental assholes," Peter said, cutting off Ben as he did. Gwen saw Jessica smile wryly and nod at that in seeming agreement, "You can do everything perfectly and they'll still say it's not good enough. You can ask Gwen about that."
"I'm asking you, though. Tell me about Spider-Man." There was something in her mom's words. Insistent, certainly, but another thing she couldn't make out, "I wanna hear it from you."
"From me? Well, I'm like Jones: another freak in a city full of em." He smiled sardonically, ignoring the looks of worry Ben and May threw his way, "Fine, you wanna hear something? There was this guy I ran into, Turk Barret, and two Russians goons he was working with..."
"Wait, Turk Barret?" Jessica asked, getting a muted nod in return, "Him, really? That guy's a joke. I took his wallet once cause he wasn't paying child support for one of my clients."
"Yeah? Tell that to the girls he planned to traffick." The quiet went from stifling to downright smothering at the flippant response, "Found them at the docks. Four women, all beat up and crying. He goes up to them with this...fucking smile on his face and tells them to shut up, that they were selling for a thousand dollars a head and that if they were nice he'd give them bucket to piss and shit in. And if they weren't..."
Gwen was almost tempted to pull him away then and there, "Peter, you don't have to-"
"He puts up a tazer and...laughs when they start begging more," he laughed, the sound soft and bitter, "Then he tazes one of them and says, 'Scream all you want, there's no one coming. Go ahead, scream louder, no one gives a shit down here.'" He clenched both hands, "He wasn't feeling so smug when I snapped his arm and tasered him in the throat...not that it mattered in the end. He got out of jail soon enough, like every costumed freak we put away."
It was a gruesome story, but even then she felt a rushing sense of relief that he hadn't killed anyone. She'd learned to accept killing in self-defense, even if she'd do her utter damnedest not to do it herself, but the executions his 'teammates' got up to still unnerved and angered her.
Peter looked her mom in the eyes, "That what you wanted to hear?"
"Believe it or not, yeah," her mom replied casually, "I mean the things I've read about you...shit, you'd think you were Hitler's second coming or something. When you were talking about those men I could hear how disgusted you were, so at least I know where you stand. You're a good person."
"...You got real low standards for goodness, Stacy." He gave her a small smile at that. She couldn't tell if it was meant to be fond or biting.
"I've got a question of my own," her dad cut in, "Why are you...'working' with a man like Frank Castle? The things he's done and still doing...he's insane."
"We ain't exactly friends, Captain," he replied, "Besides, I can't afford to be picky. Not when I'm fighting the devil."
"Wait, what?" her mom gave Peter a disbelieving look, "Did you just say the devil? As in Christian brimstone devil?"
"Why the shock? We both came back from the dead, it's hardly the most unbelievable thing you found out." He shrugged, "Anyway, lemme rephrase that: I'm not fighting him so much as I'm entertaining him. If he wanted to he could snap my neck and there'd be nothing I could do about it. Only reason he hasn't is because he thinks it's funny watching us squirm."
"I can still help with that..." Gwen said, though the words came out less confident than she would've liked. She'd fought a lot of things over the years, but an honest to God
demon wasn't in her resume, "We can...do something."
"Appreciate the thought, but Murdock isn't someone you can beat to submission. If he was Castle or Bullseye would've put a bullet through his skull months ago." He looked to Ben and May, "Speaking of, you might wanna extend your trip out of town. I'd feel better if you two weren't living in the same city as him and his damn ninjas."
"We're not going to abandon you, son." Despite the situation Gwen couldn't help but smile at Ben's words. Stubborn as a mule, May called him before. It was one of the things Gwen loved about him.
"Nice thought, but I'd rather the two of you were safe..."
Breakfast ended on that awkward note. After promising they'd keep in contact in case anything came up the two of them left the house and walked towards the train station. Gwen peeked at him as subtly as she could. He said he was meeting with Norah, Felicia and Lana - and yes she was still on the fence about an underage girl being involved with any of this shit - later, and she was definitely tempted to skip out on the Q and A to try and help him out, damn what Teresa said.
"...You know you can ask me for help anytime you need, right?" she said in what she hoped was a casual manner.
"Yeah, I know. Same goes for you." He held her hand and squeezed it gently, "...Hey, that carnival I talked about a week ago is coming to town tomorrow. My invitation from last week is still open...and yes, Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy, I'm asking you out on a date. What do you say?"
Gwen didn't answer, but she liked to think her smile and kiss goodbye made it clear she meant yes.
Lana slurped her Red Velvet frappucinno and listened to Danika, Gayle and Kamala rattle off to one another about something cape related that she couldn't muster enough of a shit to care about. Across from the table Chat gave her a sympathetic look and Lana smiled, shrugging in a way that said 'what can you do?' before focusing back on her drink. She usually hated going to places like Starkbucks, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
She guessed you could call this hanging out, but honestly it didn't feel like it most of the time. Kamala and Chat were her friends before this whole secret identity bullshit came up, but she was pretty damn sure the only reason Gayle was hanging around her was because she felt grateful about the whole 'missing sister' thing...in addition to the fact that she was an even bigger cape fan than Kamala was. There were definitely stars in her eyes when she asked about the
one time - and she had to emphasize that it wasn't a daily thing - she teamed up with Hawkeye and Spider-Woman (and frog boy, but no one really cared about him).
As for Danika, she was still insistent on that interview. She would've thought she'd get tired of asking eventually, but so far she was still going strong. Honestly she was tempted to do it just go get her off her back.
She couldn't say it was all bad, though. It wasn't like Poey and the others were hanging out with her anymore and it beat loitering at the back of the school with no one but Sasha (and her weird fetish for burning down Disney World) for company.
"Been meaning to ask, but what's with the hood?" Kamala asked worriedly, "You hiding from something?"
"Nah, just getting in on the hoodie game. Everyone's doing it." Honestly it was the easiest way to keep a low profile. She wasn't as famous as Spider-Woman or She-Hulk (and thank fuck for that), but it was better safe than sorry. It was one reason she'd agreed to Starkbucks - its population was 90% hipsters and right now she was just 'too mainstream' for them to care about.
Except one.
She ducked and looked at the teenage girl sitting across the shop. Mexican by the looks of her, with lightly tanned skin, brown hair and an outfit that let her blend into the coffee shop's normal clientele. Lana didn't recognize her, but she pegged her being maybe year or two older than her. She wouldn't have stuck out normally, but she'd been following her since they left school. It could've been a coincidence, Lana supposed, but hanging out with Pete made it hard to see coincidences.
"...na? Hey, you there?" Danika's voice suddenly cut in.
"Huh? What?" She blinked and looked at Danika in confusion, "What'd you say?"
"I was asking how friendly you were with the rest of the Defenders."
"I'm not." She rolled her eyes. Another cape question; why did she expect anything else? "Look, we don't hang out or anything. We worked together to try and make sure this place didn't get overrun with fucking zombies, that's it." Two psychopaths, a schizo and a klepto Hanna Montanah...yeah,
no thanks, "Why, you think an interview with the Punisher's a good idea?"
"No, but Spider-Man and Black Cat? I'm sure people would be interested in that," she answered back shamelessly.
"Spider-Man's a jerk," Gayle muttered, lips curled in a light frown.
"You're just jealous he's fucking your Super crush." Lana scoffed. Granted so was she, but at least she didn't spend her time griping about how much of an asshole Spider-Woman was for those stupid blue shoes of hers. Not at all.
Seriously, though, blue fucking shoes? Was she colorblind or something?
"That's not nice, Lana." Chat admonished. She was the youngest person in the table, but good luck figuring that out with the way she acted. Sometimes she acted more like a mom than Lana's own parent.
"What? It's the truth," she shot back defensively. She liked Gayle, but she was definitely just like a teenage girl (and she knew what those were like) when it came to being herostruck, "Look, could we just stop talking about that? I don't need to be reminded of 'work' right now..."
"Speaking of work," Danika said, completely ignoring what she
just said, "I'm surprised you're spending so much time at school. I thought you'd be patrolling all day like everyone other hero's doing."
"I do actually wanna get a job, you know. Same reason you didn't drop out of school to run your blog full time." She still had no idea if Captain America's deal was on the table, but she was leaning towards no. Either way she had no plans of being a circus attraction, so she needed something marketable besides 'I'd make an awesome suicide bomber.'
"I guess." She took a bite out of her croissant, "So, what do you-"
Danika was cut off by the muted vibration of Lana's phone. The Superhero (yeah, right) looked down at the phone and furrowed her brows when she saw the singular message on the screen that came from Pete:
Outside. She looked out of the window the front entrance and found him sitting on his motorcyle across the street, his head covered by a dark helmet and visor that completely blocked his features.
That worked, she guessed...
The others noticed her sudden shift in gaze and followed where she was looking, "Is that...?" Danika muttered. Lana didn't have to say anything before the older girl's lips curled in an excited grin, "Oh, no fucking way! I gotta go talk to him! My Spider viewers are gonna
freak!"
"Not happening, Hart." Lana grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back down on the chair. She really had to thank small fortunes that enhanced strength was part of her powerset, "Trust me, you raise your phone even once he'll smash it."
"But-"
"But nothing. Just leave it." She gestured for him to go around back before she stood up, "I'll see you guys later."
She tightened her hood over herself and refused to meet her (possible) stalker's gaze. If she was right then she could end this here, and if she wasn't...well, she'd look like a paranoid asshole, but it was hardly the worst thing.
Lana went out the back, closed the door behind her and waited. She wasn't well-versed in spying 101, but she knew that every stalker couldn't wait too long or they'd lose the trail. She leaned across the wall next to the door and waited with her arms crossed.
It didn't take long, just like she thought. Her stalker was barely out of the door before Lana grabbed her by the collar and and shoved her against the wall roughly, one hand keeping her pinned while the other was raised in a glowing fist, "Who the fuck are you?" She snarled, trying to sound more threatening than usual. Another thing she picked up after hanging out with her 'group'.
"Easy, easy! I come in peace!" She held up both hands, though her expression remained calm, "I'm with Teresa. You know her, right?"
Lana's grip refused to budge. She'd heard about what happened with her and Gayle's sister, and it turned what suspicion Lana had to outright distrust. She didn't talk with her much, but anyone who did that wasn't someone she could trust.
"Look, we got off on the wrong foot. Let's just-"
"Tell her to piss off." Lana pushed her off and willed the rings of light away, "I don't care what she wants. If Spider-Man doesn't want to talk to her then I don't either."
Lana turned to leave, but the sudden firm grip on her shoulder forced her to stop, "I know Spider-Man's mad, but you guys can't fight the Hand on your own."
"...Let go."
She didn't. Lana grit her teeth and turned around to hit her. The other teen's eyes widened for a split second before she flipped over her and jumped through the air way higher than what could be considered normal. Lana just barely managed to figure out that attacking might not have been the best idea before the other Super (freak) landed and, without a second of pause, did a sweep kick that knocked her to the ground.
"Rrgh, you son of a-"
"Listen to me!" She pinned her arms to the ground and pressed a knee against her gut, "You can all be as angry as you want, but we can't fight each other! We're on the same side-"
"Let her go."
Her attacker looked up at the new voice and she froze when Pete appeared in a wisp of smoke, his gun pressed against the back of her head without so much as an inch distance. Powers or no she'd be dead before she could blink.
"...No one has to get hurt here." She held up both hands again and stood up slowly, allowing Lana to pick herself off the ground, "All I came here to do was-"
"I heard you the first time." Pete waited till she was stable again before he lowered the gun, "...You're Anya, aren't you? The apprentice she mentioned?"
"Huh, guess my reputation precedes me." 'Anya' gave them both a weak grin, "Sorry about the fight, but I did try to talk it out."
"Yeah, yeah..." Lana looked away with a scowl. Another Spider freak? This city was getting overcrowded, "Look, this doesn't change my answer: piss off."
"Yeah, I figured." She sighed and looked to Peter, "Look, I don't know all the exact details about what happened between you and Teresa, but I'm still right. You can't fight the Hand, not on your own with just that journalist and those Defenders guys. You need her and Ms. Page."
"I can tell you're a good kid, but trust me, that bridge is burned," he said, "Go tell 'sis' that she can stop sending her messengers. Unless she comes herself and stops acting like we're her damn toys I don't see any point in pretending we can work together."
Before she could respond to that Pete suddenly turned towards the back entrance and muttered something to himself. Lana almost didn't see him rush towards the ajar door and open it, "Uh...hi?" Danika looked up at him with a hesitant grin, both hands holding up her phone to record them, "...Anything you wanna say to your fans?"
Without another word he grabbed the phone from her hand and smashed it against the wall. Lana winced at the impact, though she couldn't feel too bad; she
did warn her, after all.
"Hey! You have any how much-"
"Get out of here, kid, before you get the wrong kind of attention." He nudged Lana towards the end of the alley and left, ignoring Danika's shouted complaints. She and Anya shared a look before Lana sighed and followed him out.
The trip to Winters' place was short and soon enough they met up with Black Cat and the owner of the apartment herself. Lana wasn't ashamed to admit that there was no love lost between her and the pop star thief (read: she could go fuck herself), but her view on the journalist was a bit more mixed. She didn't know her that well, but so far she hadn't done anything to piss her off. All Lana knew about her was that she'd helped Pete find that bastard Carter, which definitely made it harder to distrust her.
"You're late," Black Cat said as soon as they were through the door.
"Had to deal with something." He grunted and tossed the helmet next to her on the couch, "What happened to Mary?"
"She's fine. Left the Wasp building a little after midnight and tried her hand at the vigilante gig."
"...What?"
"She saved some kid from getting mugged in alley," she said casually, "It's not a big deal. She got in over her head for a bit, but I managed to keep her head - not to mention everyone else's - on their shoulders. You worry too much."
"And you don't worry enough." He scoffed, "What about you, Summers? Got anything?"
"Not really." The journalist looked like a mess. Her clothes were crumpled, her hair was messy and the bags under her eyes indicated someone who hadn't had a good night's sleep, "I've tried to pull all my contacts at the Bugle and any snitches on the streets I could bribe, but no dice. It's like Matt Murdock's a freaking saint: donations at the local churches, always does things by the book...hell, not even a parking ticket. It's like trying to dig up blackmail on Mother Theresa."
"You know we wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't cut off contact with that sister of yours," Black Cat said.
"Fighting Murdock with her is just exchanging one devil for another. Only difference is she'll talk your ear off about the greater good." He looked at the stacked notes on the dinner table and frowned, "There has to be something here. Money has to be going somewhere; Page wouldn't have sent us to get that info months ago if he was putting it all on hospitals and orphanages."
"Nothing concrete," Winters replied, "I mean there are some investments on businesses and funding political campaigns, but that's nothing we can actually take to the cops or do anything with. You can't just go around assaulting people because Murdock gave them money."
"Damn it..." He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it while Winters rolled her eyes and quickly opened the window to let the smoke out, "Bullseye hasn't come up with anything either. The criminals know that he's the Kingpin, but their word doesn't mean jack and none of them know about the inner workings."
"Castle and Moon Knight haven't had much luck as well," Black Cat said, "They've tried interrogating some of his damned ninjas, but they don't answer no matter what methods they use. Most of them even killed themselves rather than betray that bastard."
"Christ..." Lana cringed. A part of her was screaming to run, that she was just a kid and that this was nothing compared to finding the son of a bitch that shot her mom, but she stood her ground. She didn't run during the Incident and she wasn't going to run now, "Maybe that Spider-Girl chick was right."
"Spider-Girl? Do we have
another one?" Black Cat asked, voice annoyed.
"Teresa's apprentice." Pete said, "And like I said before, we can't trust her. She's shown already that she didn't care what happened to Mary. I'm not gonna trust her and hope she doesn't sacrifice one of us for the 'greater good'."
"We have no leads, Spider," Black Cat countered, "So unless you plan to convince Murdock to confess to the police I don't see what we can do."
"I do have one last thing, but I'm definitely hoping for alternatives here..."
"Well...we do have one," Winters grabbed a paper from the stack and placed it on the table, "There's a reason I asked you to get Striker. We're gonna need her help here."
"Need something blown up?"
"Not...exactly."
She tapped the paper and Lana finally looked down at it, only to freeze completely when she saw the name plastered on the top, "...William Hollister?"
"Yeah, according to what I managed to dig up Murdock funded part of his campaign; before he switched to the whole 'I have a Superhero daughter' thing, that is. He
might have something..."
"And all I have to do is, what, pretend to be the daddy's girl and ask him for it?" Lana shot back with a sneer. It wasn't Winters' fault, she was just doing the best she could, but she couldn't help the bubbling rise of irritation she felt. As far as she was concerned she was still Lana Baumgartner, damn what that asshole's papers said.
"Either that or we ask your sister..." Pete said.
"Not likely. Lily's into the fashion designing scene, not politics." Lana pinched the bridge of her nose and sucked in a frustrated breath, "...Look, what makes you think he'll even know anything? I don't like the guy, but I'm not sure he's actually corrupt. There's a difference between being a sleazy asshole and being a criminal."
"We won't know till we find out, right?" she asked back, "Look, what I actually need is for you to distract him. I managed to dig up his schedule and I found out that he should be in his office right now. I just need you to distract him so I can sneak in and yank some data from his computer. If you make him spill? Great. If not? We can try drudging through all his emails and invoices. Maybe we can find something."
"All you're going to find is his porno stash...but fine. Let's get this over with."
She and Winters went their separate ways with the other two and (after a change of clothes and a bath from the latter) they took a cab ride to Williiam's place. Lana had never actually been here before, but the sight of men and women in suits and the sterile insides already made her want to turn around and run. She didn't belong here anymore William would've belonged slumming it up on the streets of Hell's Kitchen.
"Yes, may I help you?" The secretary looked up at her with a picture perfect smile.
"Tell William his daughter's here to see him."
She blinked in confusion, "Um...sorry, but you're not Ms. Lily."
"Don't watch the news much, huh?" She saw Winters walking on by with a clipboard she took a deep breath. She had to act out, put all the attention on her, "I'm Lana Hollister! A superhero! And I demand to see my father
now!"
"I...you need an appointment-"
"Did you not hear me?!" The older woman recoiled back at her shout and Lana internally winced. Poor woman was just doing her job and here she was on the wrong end of her wannabe diva routine, "Do I have to use one syllable words? Show. Me. My. Dad? There, is that simple enough for you?"
"B-But-"
"That's enough, Lana!"
Lana turned to the new voice and grinned from ear to ear when she saw her 'dad' stomp towards her, his face red and looking filled to bursting. It almost made this all worth it, "Daddy!" She spread her arms mockingly and grinned wider when his right eye twitched and the people waiting in line for an appointment started whispering to one another, "What, no hug for your new favorite daughter?"
"You are not-"
"What? Not your daughter?" she taunted, "I mean that's what you told the news, right? That's what my papers say now. It's why me stopping Supervillains is so good for your campaign-"
That was as far as she got before he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her towards somewhere more private while Winters slipped into his office. She was strong enough that she could've shaken him off, but she followed along like the rebellious daughter caught after curfew even though she doubted she could get any info considering how pissed off he was.
Still, the petty revenge was all too sweet.
As soon as they arrived at an abandoned hallway she shrugged his grip off, which definitely took him by surprise, "Well, that was dramatic." She stuffed her hands into her pockets and smiled wryly up at him. The size difference between them was noticeable, but the last thing she felt right now was intimidated.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, barely restraining himself from screaming outright.
"What, I can't come visit my new daddy?" She probably shouldn't have provoked him so much, but she couldn't stop herself. This asshole was responsible for her identity getting outed and her mom having to leave town, so fuck being nice. Distracting him didn't mean she had to play along with his lies, "After all, you're the only parent I have left in this city!"
"Is that what this is? Petty revenge?" he scowled, "This is beneath you."
"Really? That's funny, I didn't think there was anything below...what did you call me again? Oh yeah,
gutter trash." She sneered, "I'm real curious how you managed to sell that affair, by the way. Can't imagine the would-be mayor paying for sex looks very good."
"Enough," he said in a way that he probably thought was intimidating. It just made him sound like he was constipated, "What do you want? Money?"
"That's your solution to everything, isn't it?" She crossed her arms, "I don't want your fucking money, asshole. The same way I don't want to live in your gilded cage and pretend that you're the good father the press paint you as."
"Then what
do you want?"
"Know anything about Matt Murdock?"
His eyes narrowed and his teeth bared open in a snarl, "How do you know that name?"
"Uh...I read the newspaper?" she asked back rhetorically, "Doesn't matter. Look, neither of us are idiots. We both know he's the Kingpin and I know for a fact that he funded your campaign."
"Emphasis on past tense. I've found other investors, due in no small part to your...endorsements," Was that actually a compliment? "You..." He hesitated, choosing his next words carefully, "Why are you asking about him? I know you're not recording me - blackmail isn't in line with your methods - but I don't understand why you'd be so curious about someone like him."
"So you
do know about him."
"Regrettably. I needed better funding and a good word, and what better than the lawyer who could get anyone lawfully absolved," He pursed his lips, "Your turn, why are you searching for information on him?"
"I'm doing what you outed me for: fighting Supervillains."
"You're in above your head, child." She rolled her eyes. Yeah, like she hadn't heard
that before, "If you're hoping for information then you're going to be disappointed. I only dealt with the man sparingly, nothing more."
That was a load of shit if she'd ever heard it, but she didn't press him on it. Her phone vibrated and she smiled internally; Winters was out, "Fine, if that's the story you're sticking with the new go ahead. I'll find it some other way."
She walked past him briefly before he grabbed her wrist, "Wait."
He shrugged off his grip again, "I said I'm done, asshole. Isn't that what you want?"
"You're spending time with those...criminals, aren't you?" She didn't have to say anything; they both knew the answer, "Do you have any idea what that does for your reputation, people tying you to the likes of Frank Castle and Spider-Man? You shouldn't talk to them anymore."
"Or what, you'll ground me?" She clicked her tongue, "You already took my mom, so what makes you think I'm going to listen to a single fucking thing you say?"
"You don't want to cross me, child."
"Same here. I'm doing what you say, stopping crimes with a big fucking smile on my face so you can get gullible assholes to vote for you, but that's as far as I'm willing to go. You get me expelled, put me in jail, I'm taking you down with me. You think my diva act out there or me hanging with vigilantes is bad? How bad you think your ratings will tank when I blow up a car park and tell people you told me to?"
"They wouldn't believe you." He didn't sound as firm as he liked.
"Really? They believe me when I tell them they should vote for your lying ass, you think they won't believe you'd tell me to do that? I'm a freak and you're a politician; wanna bet on who people hate more?"
"...Your mother should have taken you out when she had the chance."
There it was. Lana's sneer worsened into something ugly and she laughed, the sound echoing along the confines of the empty hall "There's the old bastard I know." Stuffed her hands into her pockets and pulled her hood up, "It was a real pleasure. See you around, 'daddy'."
She felt William's glare on her back till she left the building. Lana let out a soft breath and trudged to the cafe (not Starkbucks, thank God) that she and Winters agreed to meet up at.
Lana ordered two coffees and sat across the journalist, handing her one of the styrofoam cups as she did, "Did you get it?"
"Yup." Winters flashed the USB with a grin, "For a politician his systems have really crap security. It'll take days to get through all his emails and stuff, but hopefully we can find something about you know who inside."
"Yeah, here's hoping..." She tapped the side of her cup and frowned, "...Hey, I gotta ask: why're you involved in this?"
"Could say the same about you." Winters took a sip of her coffee and smiled, "I'm a journalist so digging up the nasty shit people try to hide is in the job description, but you...eh, no offense, but most people would think you're a bit too young to get involved in something like this."
"And you don't?"
"A few months ago? Yeah, probably, but I've learned not to judge by appearances." She shrugged, "We're all in this together and all that other cliche crap, so I'll take any help I can get."
"Yeah..." Lana smiled. It was nice not to be treated like the kid for once, "Thanks."
That's done. The segment with Lana and William Hollister changed as I wrote it: originally it was going to be less hostile and Lana's taunts have no effect, but I changed it so that Lana really gets under his skin and they get really nasty to each other. It also changes the dynamic around so that while Lana hates him she doesn't regard him as a threat or the big bad of her story.
Anyway, like I said the next chapter will be the Matt and Peter date that I know some of you shippers out there have been looking forward to 
Hopefully it lives up to the hype:
Questions:
1. Volume 2 question. Alright, so the main thing keeping me from writing Volume 2 is the fact that it likely won't have a climactic ending due to the 'main quest' being finished by that point. But still, would people like to see it? Some of the better fics in this archive and others don't focus much on the overarching plot and more on the interactions between the characters.
So yeah...would that work here? Would you guys read a hypothetical Volume 2 if we no longer had an overarching goal at all and it's basically a fucked up slice of life? Some of the cut arcs such as Jackal, Spider-Island etc etc make sense with the main plot being resolved, so I could insert them back in. Just want to know your thoughts.
2. Speaking of character interactions, I wonder if you guys prefer the healthy or messed up relationships between the cast. Drama is built on the latter, but the former might keep the audience from thinking it's going nowhere. I mean Noir's relationship with Gwen or Lana is fucked up beyond belief at times and yet those seem to get the most attention, at least in comparison to Gwen with Kate/her non-insane friends or Peter with Cindy.
3. Question for a future chapter. Gwen mentioned a talkshow she's attending and I want to make it light for a bit, so does anyone have any idea what questions she'd be asked in-universe by her fans and the host? It has to be funny and/or sensible. I don't really pay attention to celeb interviews so hopefully other people will have suggestions.
