Author's Note: Really enjoyed "Into the Spiderverse" and wanted to write my own unique spin on it. Set in an AU world where Miles is already Spiderman but also a Private Eye set in 1940s New York. Thought it would be fun to play with the genre. Plus there isn't enough Miles/Gwen stuff out there so wanted to write my own. Please leave a review if you feel so inclined, all feedback good and bad helps keep me going.

Chapter One

Brooklyn. 1946

I sat at the desk of my Brooklyn apartment that doubled as an office. It was the only spot I could afford in Brooklyn and the flashing neon sign right outside my window reminded me why. If you didn't put the blinds down it felt like some sort of bastardized Christmas. The green and red illuminating the room and my papers like I was living in a Holiday ad. But there was no Holiday in sight, just another cold and windy January day.

I thought about moving but Brooklyn was where most of the action was. Harlem had it's charm but ever since they started building the new skyscrapers I had felt the money was coming in here. I wasn't exactly wrong but it wasn't the kind of money they gave to Colored folks like me. I could be the best Private eye in the city but what would it matter in a world where if I bent down to tie my own shoes they'd think I was there to shine their own.

Maybe I was just tired I thought as I closed the blinds. Maybe I was hungry. I could go down to Dragon City and get a few egg rolls and some chow mein to stick to my stomach. I checked my wallet and it told me that was a no-go. Raiding the fridge I found an unopened beer and half a grapefruit. I grabbed both and sat back at my desk. It was 5.49 and there was no chance in the world anyone was going to come in this late. Ten minutes til' close and I hadn't had a client in weeks. Funny thing, people spend money on gifts and not private eyes like me during the Holidays. Here was hoping someone needed me for something before rent was due.

The angels of New York must've heard my silent prayer because right then and there I felt a chill in my spine I knew wasn't from the weather. In walked a dame that looked like she was straight out of one of the movies. Tall, slim, with a razor sharp jaw, sea green eyes and blonde hair that looked expertly waved and curled into a chignon. She wore a gray reefer coat with a burgundy cap that made it all pop. Her heels with black and had some mud on them. She had walked far to get here. Made sense they never put any rail cars near here. Not near the "undesirables." What struck me most about her was her warm ivory skin. Even through her jacket I could see hips that would fill out any pencil skirt and legs that hinted at some sort of athletic hobby.

She wasn't the first white customer I had ever gotten but definitely the first white woman. It made her instantly captivating and made me instantly cagey. "Are you Miles Morales? The detective?" She asked, her voice had some girth to it, yet a softness that evened out the edges. I decided to stand, I didn't want the lady to think I was some sort of uncultured brute. Eh, who am I kidding? She was beautiful, and I didn't want to come off as the average alley Joe looking to make a quick buck.

"That's what it says on the sign" I answered with a smirk. It was funny, she didn't seem nervous to be in my presence at all. But my heart was going off like a rattling ration can in the back of a jeep.

"My name is Gwen, Gwen Stacy" she held out her hand for a shake, I shook it and made note of the lack of a wedding ring. Not that it mattered, I wasn't foolish enough to go down fantasy lane with a white woman. No matter how pleasant she appeared. For all I knew this was some sort of sick prank and her goon of a boyfriend was gonna walk through her after her and beat me blacker and blue for even looking at her the wrong way. "Miles Morales, private eye. Would you care to sit?"

"Mind if I smoke? I'm actually quite nervous and it helps me to relax."

"Knock yourself out Ms. Stacy."

"Thank you."

Gwen pulled out a lucky stripe from a jacket pocket, I offered her a lighter but she gently gestured to her own and ignited herself. I took her jacket and hat and hung it by the desk. Both sitting down her cigarette acted as a light against her face, casting her liquid eyes and full lips towards me like some sort of sensual nickelodeon.

"So what brings you here Ms. Stacy?"

"It's my husband."

So she was married.

"Husband? Where's the ring?"

"I sold it, along with other trinkets. Had to after his...passing. Only way I could stay afloat until I landed the file clerk job."

"Did he die in the war?"

"No. But he fought in it just like you."

"How did you know I fought?"

"Lucky guess. The way you carry yourself tipped me off."

She was as sharp as a tack, but that could also mean she had claws. Something told me there was more to Ms. Stacy's story than she was telling me. I decided to be patient and let her walk herself around the bushes a few times.

"My husband got himself into some trouble after he came back from the war. Actually before he left really. Sports gambling, horrid pastime. And he always bet what he couldn't pay back. He has a bookie, they call him Tombstone."

"Not a very cheery nickname."

Gwen let out a tiny chuckle at that. Then continued. " My husband got in too deep with him. During the war they let everything slide, but when he came back he owed and with interest. Tombstone told him that if he didn't pay up he'd kill him."

"Did he?"

"In the street like a dog, the police said there were no witnesses. But I think people were just too scared to say anything. Nobody in Manhattan was any moxie anymore. Those who didn't get licked by the bootleggers are getting twisted by someone. My poor husband decided gambling would be his noose."

"And you don't have any vices Ms. Stacy?"

"None that are relevant to this case" she said as she put out her cigarette and looked me dead in the eyes. I couldn't tell if it was a threat or an enticement.

"So you seem to know that Tombstone is the one who offed your man. Don't seem too cracked up about it, what's even the point of hiring me?"

Gwen smiled I had finally forced her to step into those rose bushes. "Tombstone is just an errand boy, I think my husband was involved in much bigger things. I used to hear him talking to his boys when they'd come over for cards. Walls are pretty thin. Heard him talking about a big shipment coming in. I think someone wanted that shipment or he was going to use it to pay back his bookie. But someone ratted him out and they decided why get a piece from him when they could get the whole thing for a simple bullet to the back."

"So you wanna know which of his buddies betrayed him and where your husband's money went."

"You're a smart man. I was right to come to you."

"You don't even know if I'm gonna take the case yet."

Gwen leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs with a smirk. "What if I told you I have information that the shipment came in and my husband hid the goods but I don't know where. What if I told ya' that if you find it I'll give you a cut? Enough for you to move out of this light show they call an apartment."

I weighed the offer, I still didn't fully trust Gwen, but her offer was appealing. And I needed the money, besides I knew some folks who could lead me right on Tombstone's path. I had heard of the man but played coy for the sake of theatrics with Gwen. Perhaps they could lead me right where I needed to be.

"You have a deal MS. Stacy, $4 a day, plus expenses. And a $2 deposit upfront." She wrote the check so fast I felt like she needed a lawyer in the room, not that she needed one. I was a man of my word and I would get started tonight.

"Be careful Mr. Morales, my husband dealt with shady men. They hide in the shadows until they're about to strike."

"Trust me Ms. Stacy with my complexion I don't have much trouble hiding in the shadows myself" I smiled. She returned the sentiment and stood up to leave gathering her things. Leaving me a card with her number to contact her if I got anything interesting. "What was your husband's name Ms. Stacy?"

She paused for a moment and bit her lower lip "Peter Parker." With that she opened the door to leave but not before turning back to give me one last tidbit of information "And please Mr. Morales...call me Gwen." And with a little wink she stepped out of the door and I got to work.

TO BE CONTINUED….