A/N: Guest viewers, I know it seems like a slow start for this fanfic, but I'm asking you guys to give it a chance please. The first two chapters basically give you an idea of who Astrid Blake is and what her role in my fanmade MARVEL universe is. If you're patient and continue reading, you'll see that chapter 3 is where things start to pick up. :)


"That is impossible. Any relation to persons living or dead is completely coincidental." -Gru, Despicable Me

"Miranda!" Astrid screams when the thug pulls a gun. The woman catapults herself forward but she's kicked back by another thug. She falls, her vision swimming dizzyingly, and darkness takes her.

Blinding light. Light that pierces her eyes and makes her want to scream from pain and anguish. Her head hurts. It feels like a thousand tiny needles are poking her from the inside of her skull.
"Miranda..." Astrid moans softly. A figure kneels over her. Astrid gives a start in surprise. She's seen him before somewhere but she can't seem to remember where. Yet no matter how many times she's seen him the surprise never seems to wear off.
Astrid tries to speak past the lump in her throat. She wants to know where Miranda is. The doctor places his hand on her forehead then sweeps her hair back from her face.
"It's alright," the doctor says in soothing tones. "You've been badly hurt but I can fix that. I'll take care of you." His grey eyes bore into hers. "I'll take care of you." he repeats.


Astrid jerked awake to the sound of the bedside alarm. She reached out, fumbling in the dark until she felt the satisfying click of a button. The annoying sound of the alarm abruptly ceased. Astrid lay back against the pillows, her eyes searching the ceiling for answers. Much as she would have liked to go back to sleep she knew that once she was awake there was no going back. Besides, she had work today.

Astrid rubbed at the dark circles under her eyes, evidence of a lack of a good night's rest. It was hard to sleep well when she was having these nightmares all the time.

"Another dream?" she asked the emptiness around her. She sighed and slid out of bed, the old mattress groaning from the pressure. After six years of having the same recurring dream it should stop surprising her.

"It doesn't surprise me," she replied defensively to her tangled thoughts. 'I just feel like there's something missing from the dream.' After dreaming she always woke up with a sense of loss, like she'd just begun to grasp at something only to have it taken away from her again. It was beyond frustrating, and more than a little disorienting.

Flipping on the bathroom light Astrid then threw on her work clothes, which were a dark blue skirt and a white blouse. Elegant and uncomfortable. Perfect for business clothes. In under thirty minutes she was ready for the day.

Astrid entered the cramped kitchen of her apartment. There were clothes flung over chairs and unwashed dishes in the sink. She winced at the unfortunate sight. She'd been meaning to clean that up. Eventually.

As always, Astrid paused in the doorway of her kitchen, where a photo of her best friend was tacked to the wall next to the fridge. Her gaze lingered sadly on the picture.

"I had a dream about you last night," Astrid said wistfully.

The kitchen lights cast a white glare on the picture. Astrid kissed her thumb and pressed it over Miranda's face. "I miss you," she whispered. Miranda grinned back at her, dark curls framing her oval face, bright blue eyes smiling at her from behind those wire-rimmed glasses.

Turning away, Astrid poured herself a cup of coffee. She ate a quick breakfast then had to rush out the door so she wasn't late for work.


"Parker!"

Astrid jumped in her seat when she heard the eruption from her boss's office. From the safety of her desk Astrid watched as Peter Parker hurriedly made his way through the cluttered room of the Daily Bugle and disappear into the dragon's lair. She smirked, glad that it wasn't her being chewed out.

Astrid was a photo editor for the Daily Bugle. There was never an end to the excitement at her job. Ever since Parker showed up her days as a photo editor had taken a turn for the better. It was interesting to scan and edit Parker's photos of Spiderman. After awhile though Spiderman somehow lost his charm. Astrid liked her job, she really did, but after years of editing Spiderman photos it was starting to get a little, well, boring. Sometimes there was a break in the monotony, like pictures of squirrels in the park or old people playing chess. Ordinary things. God what she wouldn't give for some photos of the Avengers at the Battle of New York. Now that would have been interesting. Apparently Parker had been on his honeymoon when freakish aliens started falling out of the sky. Everyone else at her station was too afraid to go out and capture the battle on film. The fools.

The woman added some shading to the photo pasted on the computer. Type type, click. From out of nowhere her adrenals suddenly went on full alert, the hairs on the back of her neck going stiff. Her mouth went dry. Astrid took a deep breath, then let it out. Parker was approaching.

"Astrid? Um, sorry to bother you.. I have some-"

Astrid swiveled in her chair to face Parker. She smiled brightly up at the young man.

"Heya Pete! What have ya got for me today?"

Peter handed her a short stack of photos. She flipped through them slowly. Not surprisingly, they were all of Spiderman.

"What did Jameson say?" she asked as she studied the pictures.

Peter shrugged. "Oh, you know..." He cleared his throat and affected the barking smoker's voice their boss had. "Crap! Crap! It's all crap!" His voice resumed it's normal tone. "But then of course he wants to keep them." Peter shook his head wonderingly.

The odd sensation didn't fade with time. She still felt like her nerves were on end. Astrid was used to Parker's oddness though. Out of everyone in this office only he was the strange one.

Ignoring her sixth sense Astrid got back to business. "So Jameson wants these edited then..?" she held the photos aloft.

"Yeah." Peter nodded, jamming his hands in his pockets. "He never misses a chance to profane Spiderman."

Astrid nodded sympathetically. She knew that Peter was friends with the masked vigilante. It sucked to have your friend's name smeared by the public.

"Okay lemme just finish with these..." she gestured to the photos on the computer screen. Her voice trailed off when she looked at the last picture in the pile. The photo was taken at a street corner at night. Yellow streetlights clearly illumined a figure retreating from view. The figure was clad all in black with flame designs on the leggings. Short blonde hair escaped from the back of the face mask that the person wore.

"...thing wrong?" Peter was asking her a question. Astrid came back into focus. She quickly composed herself.

"Who's this?" she asked, holding up the photo. "It's not your usual stuff.." Astrid forced a laugh out. Inside she was trembling.

"Mmm..." Peter frowned thoughtfully. "I don't remember taking that one..." He took the photo back and tucked it into his jacket. Astrid gave him a questioning look.

"I only take photos for Spiderman," Peter said with a shrug. "I wouldn't want to get the other vigilantes in trouble by taking their picture. You know how crazy Jameson can be."

Astrid cracked a relieved smile. "I guess the 'other' vigilantes are a bit camera shy, huh?"

Parker nodded. smirking. "You could say that again. Well, take care Astrid." He gave a little wave and departed. The strange sensation that Astrid was feeling faded as he walked away.

Astrid could definitely think of a few heros who were 'camera shy'. Herself included. Geez with as much hell as Spiderman got on a weekly basis, most of the vigilantes preferred to keep a low profile. Some though, like the infamous Daredevil, liked to flaunt their presence by leaving their signature behind. Astrid could care less about signatures. She was out for justice. Nothing more, nothing less.

Astrid got back to work, her fingers flying over the keys. Her mind was back on Parker though. Parker and his odd behavior. Why had he taken the photo back? Was it because he was trying to cover for Astrid? Or did he really have no idea who the figure in the background was? Astrid sighed and rubbed at her temples. Surely Parker didn't know about her. He just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. Astrid would know if Peter knew about her being a vigilante. There would be no way he could hide it.


"What do you think?" Astrid asked Miranda as they pulled up to the high-rise apartments.

Miranda took a moment to study the ugly grey and brown building. Then her face split in an infectious grin. "Home sweet home!" she cried and bounded out of the car. Astrid laughed and followed after her friend.

On the inside the place didn't look so bad. A bit small, but it was the only place they could afford for now. Miranda stepped into their tiny two-bedroom apartment, a look of awe etched on her features. She turned about in a slow circle, taking in everything at once. Astrid watched from the doorway, biting back a smile.

"I love it! I love it here!" Miranda yelled excitedly.

"C'mon let's check it out," Astrid ran through the rooms, mentally planning out where all the furniture would be placed. The place could certainly use a paint job, and there looked to be a leak in the hall bathroom, but Astrid supposed they'd cross those bridges all in good time. Astrid was scrutinizing the first bedroom down the hallway when Miranda startled her by screaming.

"Can you BELIEVE it?" Miranda squealed from the doorway. She was bouncing up and down in excitement. "It's just like we've always dreamed! Our very own place... in New York!" the taller woman beamed at Astrid.

Astrid rolled her eyes playfully. "Well... It's not quite everything I've ever dreamed..." she paused for dramatic effect. "I'm still waiting for a superhero to come and sweep me off my feet!"

They both laughed at the inside joke. New York's vast population of superheros was just one of the reasons they'd moved to the city in the first place.

"Well watch out for Tony Stark," Miranda warned. "I've heard he does things like that on a regular basis."

Astrid crinkled her nose in distaste. "Ugh. No, anyone but Stark. Ple-ease." she looked pleadingly up at the ceiling, intending to direct this prayer to the heavens. Miranda laughed at the expression on her face.

"Aw he's not that bad," Miranda said defensively. "Conceited. Rich. Arrogant." she ticked her fingers off one by one. "But at least he's cute."

Astrid shuddered involuntarily. "I repeat: anyone but Stark."

Miranda stepped into the room and threw her arm over her friend's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "Don't worry Astrid. You're hero's out there." Sincerity shone through her blue eyes. "Just you wait. You'll see."


"I'm still waiting, Miranda," Astrid whispered. After all these years, she was still waiting. Astrid pulled the car into the parking spot. It had been a long boring day at work and she was relieved to finally be home. She ascended the worn gray steps up to her apartment.

"I'm home!" she called into the empty apartment. Silence greeted her. Surprise surprise. Astrid set down her beige handbag and tossed her jacket on the couch. Glancing at the clock she was startled to see that it was only 6:38. She had thought it was later than that.

"Just three more hours..." she muttered.

Astrid went to her bedroom, stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. The hot water ran over her skin and helped to ease some of the tension. Astrid leaned her head back, allowing the water to wash over her face. Just three more hours.


A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews are much appreciated :)