DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything save the story behind it.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

With Great power, come Great problems.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Peter Parker no kick-ass name given yet swung between the dark alleys of the buildings and roof jumped if crossing a main road. He was out late at night again; (this time on a weekend and an alibi) phone silenced.

He was still working on stealth but found his sixth sense could be used in place of stealth when he really focused. Still, best not to rely on something he didn't understand enough to trust fully.

"George, George, George of the Jun-gle; strong as he can be…"

Thwip!

"AahhAAHHaahhAAHHaahh – AAHHaahhAAHHaahh! Watch out for that tree!"

He swung across the street into the next alley, clinging to a wall as his webbing stretched close to its limit. "Damn it! It's still stuck in my head."

Slowly it dawned on him what he just did and looked out of the alley into the street. "And there went any and all stealth." Sure enough several dozen people were looking up at the sky for a Tarzan wanna-be.

THWACK! PUNCH! CRASH!

"Hello? What's this?" He turned back into the alley to the sounds of fighting. Some thugs? Perhaps a couple more dollars to be found wandering into Peter Parkers pocket?

Crawling along the wall, he followed the sounds of violence until low and behold…

WHACK! POW!

And you know, amidst all the meaty punching sounds, he could almost imagine he heard a 'Wham-a-lama-Ding-Dong' but without the Bop-she-bop.

Dare Devil.

Resident Bad Ass of Hell's Kitchen.

And he just put down a dozen thugs in under a minute using only a baton.

"Whoa."

And Dare Devil was now looking up at him despite the suit having or eye holes with which to see.

"Shit."

Peter now found his agility put to the test as apparently Dare Devil was also a Gold Metal Olympic Gymnast.

"Whoa! Wait! I haven't even done anything!" He jumped and crawled further up the wall as the hero followed him up along the fire escape ladder.

A Dare Devil using the fire escape ladder! This guy was hype.

"The fact that you have powers and wear a mask but did nothing more than watch the fight suggests you to be a villain." He growled out in what sounded like a Batman impersonation. He threw his baton in an ark that likely would have knocked Peter out had his sixth sense not told him to kick his foot out, deflecting it upwards.

He took this moment of witty hero banter to shoot a line of webbing across the alley and swing to the opposing roof. He picked up the fallen baton. "Cool! It's a baton and a grappling hook!" This might come in handy if ever he ran out of webbing compound.

"I didn't think you remembered that it was my birthday!" He clipped the baton to his belt and waved down to the teeth grinding hero below. "Thanks Devils Food Cake Man! Though a Hostess cupcake would have sufficed."

And swung away as fast as he could. He stopped some dozen blocks away when he felt his sixth sense was holding strong at a low hum. "Best make sure my new toy isn't bugged." Pun intentional.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

An hour later Dare Devil crept along an apartment rooftop listening to a faint beeping in his ear only he could hear. The tracking device in his weapon told him he was very close…

Right…

There.

In the middle of the roof and tacked to a little piece of paper.

Fat lot of good a handwritten note does to a blind man.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Uncle Ben had a lot of hobbies, one of which was philosophy. One of his favorite quotes was 'with great power, comes great responsibility.' Uncle Ben used that one whenever he saw someone doing something irresponsible or what he felt was irresponsible.

When most people thought about responsibility, they thought about their obligations. They thought about their jobs and families; boy scouts walking the strait and narrow.

In reality, responsibility was dependently construed by how the individual viewed it. Bank robbers obviously viewed their first responsibility to be toward themselves. Politicians to their bank accounts; soldiers to their country; Clergy to their God; Mothers to their children; serial killers to their desires.

Heroes to the people.

Being raised by two very good people, Peter Parker believed in responsibility and being responsible for ones actions. But his thoughts on responsibility differed from his Uncle's.

He saw super powered people on the TV all the time. He knew he had a responsibility to his powers. He saw what happened to people that didn't.

But he ALSO did not want a big ass target painted on his chest OR his back.

Right now he was leaning towards his family, himself, and his powers. In that order. He wasn't against doing the occasional good deed, but not to the extent that it would attract the wrong sort of attention to him. Super Villain attack for example. However, there were always exceptions. Super Villain attack for example.

He sighed. Super powers had too many damn responsibilities.

He looked down at some of the gadget schematics he'd been working on. He was already in an advanced Math class and passing with strait A's so he knew the teacher didn't mind if he worked on something else during the lag.

Thankfully, most of the class were getting by with B and C averages and were working to hard to know or care what he was working on.

"Hey Pete!" A pair of feminine hands planted themselves on his desk and over his schematics.

MOST of the class, he reminded himself. Unfortunately, as he was looking up to see who bothered him, said girl was leaning down to look at the schematics.

(Smooch)

The both turned beat red as they realized they lip locked and jumped apart.

"Peter!" The blonde exclaimed with a face growing redder by the laughing class around them.

"Debbie!" He exclaimed himself. "Sorry! It was an accident! An accident!" he waved his hands frantically defending himself. He knew his face was a glowing tomato as well right now.

The class bell rang and students stopped chuckling to gather their things and head to their next class, allowing the two to recover.

"Hmph! It better be! I'm just not that kinda girl!" Debra Whitman scolded him, though he could tell it was in jest from the small smile on her face.

He breathed a sigh and smiled, readying his own witty comment back-

"At least not without a date first."

Peter could feel his witty comment pouring onto the floor from his open mouth like a faucet. "Huh?"

She ignored his perplexed expression with a grin before bending down to look at the schematic again. And wouldn't you know it, the one girl in class smarter than he was snatched it up before he could. "Whoa. This is some high tech stuff you're messing with Pete."

He winced as he watched her crunch the numbers in her head faster than he could think.

She looked up from the paper in shock. "Pete. Are you building a grenade?"

He shushed her and looked about, relieved that the teacher and the students had all left the room. Debbie sat carefully in front of him and leveled him with a look that had him squirming in his seat.

Of all the luck. And just as he'd finished ranting to himself about responsibility too.

"Peter Parker, you are going to tell me what's going on or I am going to the authorities with this right now."

He nodded and his mind sought an explanation that didn't reveal too much or sound ludicrous. "Keep reading." He told her.

Debbie eyed him dubiously but continued to read the schematic and crunching the numbers, wondering what this would tell her. She sucked her bottom lip in concentration. "Its LIKE a grenade, but the components are all wrong. It doesn't hold an explosion…" Her eye caught something in the corner and she adjusted her glasses. "A dilution formula?"

He nodded. "For a powerful paralysis toxin."

"Paralysis?" Her eyebrows continued to rise. "I'm going to need more than that Pete."

He grunted and checked the empty room again. He decided to stick as close to the truth as possible to avoid getting the story wrong in the future.

"I know a guy." He lowered his voice. "A friend recently is coming into super powers." That was true enough.

Debbie blinked. "Mutant?" She asked with idle curiosity. The two had already many intellectual conversations and he knew she had no problems with them besides a scientific fascination.

He shrugged. "Maybe. Not sure." Also true. "He's thinking about maybe going into the Super Hero biz. I'm helping to come up with some gadgets."

Debbie blinked momentarily before breaking out into a wide grin and jumped up from her seat. "That's AWESOME!"

Unfortunately the shout of awesomeness attracted the attention of two young ladies outside the classroom. Both of whom scurried over after a certain rumor about two people reached their ears. And were now trying ineffectually to listen in.

Debbie sat down again with a bright smile. She didn't care for standard gossip but this was something she was interested in! "So who is it?"

Peter shook his head quickly. "Cant betray his trust Debbie."

She pouted cutely at him and he found himself almost giving in. "Aww. Why not?"

"You've seen the news Debbie." He let his voice show how serious he was about this. "Heroes wear masks for a reason."

She winced as her thoughts came back to her in proper alignment. To paint a target on yourself was one thing. To paint a target on your family and friends was another.

She smiled as her thoughts came rolling back to Peter. "I can help!"

This time it was his turn to be surprised. "What? Would you really want to?" He'd thought about it before and had to admit having someone to rely on besides himself would be a huge load off his shoulders. Especially once he got serious.

"Of course!" She exclaimed, excitement creeping back into her voice. "I know I guy who knows a guy!" Her own voice lowered and she reached a hand to grasp on of his. "And despite our friendly rivalry in class, you're my friend." Neither of them had a lot of those. "I'd help you with most anything you'd ask."

Relief flooded though him, which helped as his sixth sense hadn't gone off at all during the meeting. "Thanks Deb." He said in sincerity.

She smiled beautifully at him.

Something that the two girls peeking into the room did not miss, even if they couldn't hear what was being said.

They stood as the five minute bell rand and students rushed to get to their next class in earnest. Walking to the door, she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and tucked an address in his hand. "Friday night at eight. Don't be late! You have you're license right?"

He gaped at her as her earlier words rushed back to the fore front of his mind. "Umm, yeah. How'd you know?"

She smiled and handed him his own drivers' license, complete with weird photo. He'd gotten it two months ago on his birthday while his Uncle had been on one of his responsibility rants.

"It fell out of your bag." She sealed the date with a kiss to the cheek as she giddily skipped out of the room, missing the two young girls who were glaring something fierce at her.

She was too busy thinking about the only guy Peter hung out with enough that they would share a super powered secret with. And the only guy to ask Peter for help with anything science related.

She chuckled to herself. Imagine, Harry Osborne. Super Hero. A laugh escaped her lips at the thought.