Sorry for the wait. School's started and this last scene was really hard to write. I wrote it three different ways and wasn't happy, so I just forgot about it for a while. Then I remembered I need to finish this silly thing, so I just picked my favorite and made some edits. I think the problem with the first draft was repetitive dialogue. Hopefully it turned out all right.

Anyways, Read and review!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dictum Meum Pactum

Despite his show of force, Bruce Banner could not relax until 5 o'clock that evening, when the front door opened and in walked Amelia. She looked tired and smelled of chemicals, but appeared unhurt.

She gave a half-hearted smile at the sight of him waiting. "Hey, Doc."

Not entirely sure how to play this (concerned? Should he bring up Eddie Brock right away? Or innocent and pretend it never happened? Amelia had nothing to worry about, really, but that wouldn't ease her thoughts any). So he went for neutral: "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing," the girl said, but her voice was tense as she slung off her backpack and dropped onto the couch. "Just an old-friend-turned-homicidal-maniac attacking the school and almost getting my friends killed in the process. You know, no big deal."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bruce asked as he sat down in his chair. He had cleaned away all the mud and stench from the intruder, glad to have his seat back.

The girl heaved a sigh. A silent no.

But Bruce did not consider hulking out as a possible outcome to this entire ordeal and not get any answers out of it. They were going to talk about this whether she liked it or not. "Does it have anything to do with Eddie Brock?"

"Wha -" Amy looked up at him in surprise, her eyes widening. the doctor wondered if he made a mistake when her reaction wasn't frustration, but rather panic. She demanded, "How did you know? Who told you?"

Then, without giving him a chance to respond, the girl bolted off the couch, saying, "Oh, my god, he showed up here, didn't he? I can't believe it! How did he even know? I never told anyone! What did he say? Did he try to hurt you?"

"I'm sure he wanted to," Bruce said, standing up to face the pacing girl. The windows were starting to shake from her growing anxiety, and he knew from personal experience what would happen if he didn't calm her down right away. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Bruce got the girl to stop for a second and look at him long enough for him to say, "But nothing happened. I convinced him that attacking me would be a very poor choice."

"He bought it?" Amelia asked, her eyebrows shooting up. She seemed impressed, although probably not in the way he intended.

"Well, I can be intimidating when I want to be," he replied, trying not to feel offended by the idea that Amelia found him unimposing in any way whatsoever. Perhaps it was a good thing. It was probably why he managed to stay in hiding for so long.

She opened her mouth, about to say something else, when her gaze flicked to something behind him. Bruce glanced around, remembering he had left the TV on. Wondering what caught her attention, he listened to the reporter.

"...men arrested several nights ago were found all dead by this afternoon." The woman said, her voice grave but otherwise expressionless. "One was found hanging in his cell, one attacked an officer and was shot down, and a third expired from unknown causes in the hospital. The fourth man was hit by a car on his way to a court hearing - others were injured, but no one was seriously harmed. The fifth and final man was thought to have escaped custody, but was later found in an alleyway, shot execution style."

"What?" Her voice was little more than a whisper. Bruce looked back at her, frowning. The story had Amelia's rapt attention, although he wasn't quite sure what had her so interested. Or so pale.

"Police have not yet said if these deaths are related," The woman said and Amelia snorted aloud. Even Bruce thought it was sort of silly. You didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure that one out. "But they advise the public to remain in their homes at night. There has been a rise in petty crime in the city, and police are urging others to..."

"Amelia?" He asked, and the girl jolted like she had just been electrocuted. "Amelia, are you alright?"

"I..." she blinked, shook her head. "I'm fine. It's nothing. I just...got distracted. Um," Amelia threw him an uncertain look. "I have to go talk to someone. I'll be right back."

Bruce raised his hand to stop her, but Amelia was already out the door before he could say something.

OoOoO

I sat on the shingled roof, hugging my knees as I breathed in the crisp night air.

It wasn't as loud here as it was downtown, or even in Hell's Kitchen. I guess that was a plus about living in the Village. I could see why the Doc liked it here.

I was waiting for Spider-Man - there was a lot to talk about, especially my whole dealio with not being at Aunt May's and all. I was pretty sure I had come up with a full-proof excuse that might save me from extra trouble; I just wanted to see what Peter thought, and maybe refine it a little. He was always the better strategist anyways.

I chose not to meet at the Doc's, deciding to respect his need for privacy and the fact he doesn't want to meet any more new people than he has to. Eddie had been an unexpected scare, and while I still felt like I was the only one freaked out, I didn't want to rely on the idea that the Doc wouldn't get hurt the next time something like that happened.

I had to admit, though, I had no idea how the man could keep a cool head and still manage to intimidate Eddie at the same time. That took some serious moxie. What about him that was so scary that it sent Eddie running with his tail between his legs?

Doctor Banner had been pretty blasé about it - I couldn't help but feel he was hiding something from me. But what?

Well, it was a question that would have to wait until later.

I gazed up at the sky, wondering where Spider-Man was. It was freezing out, despite the lack of snow, and I really hoped he wasn't wasting time bagging crooks that the police could easily handle.

That's when I heard someone land on the roof behind me.

The scratching of feet on shingles, the grunt if a well-placed landing. I scrambled to my feet, being careful not to fall down the slope of the roof, as I turned around, smiling, "About time — Ah!"

I gasped, reeling back when I saw the newcomer was not, in fact, Spider-Man. I saw the red suit and the horns and I panicked, ducking behind the chimney. "Go away!"

"I mean no harm." His voice was soft, almost apologetic, trying to soothe me. I heard him approach, steps cautious as he got closer. "Please, I just want to talk to you, that's all."

My mind was reeling. How the hell did he find me? My mind panicked, going on pure animal instinct, unable to conceive that this was in any way a good situation. Pressing my body against the brick column, I shouted, "What do you want?"

"Please don't shout. It hurts my ears." he said, still maintaining a low tone, despite my reaction. "I just wanted to see if you were all right."

I slid further behind the chimney, breathing hard. What kind of so-called hero hunts down citizens like this, just to talk? Not even Spider-Man did that. "You know, good guys usually just build good PR by letting their actions speak for themselves. They don't try to settle things one-on-one."

"Somehow I get the feeling that my actions weren't as clear as I meant for them to be," he replied, sounding wry. "since you seem so convinced that I'm here to hurt you."

"This ain't my first rodeo. I don't appreciate being stalked, especially by the Devil."

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that," he muttered.

"Well, maybe you should've picked a better outfit."

"I never meant to scare you."

"Yeah, well, you botched that mission, didn't you?"

"Do you know anything else besides sarcasm?" The Devil asked, starting to sound a little beleaguered. What could I say? I was less than impressed with his execution.

"Are you kidding? I was born sarcastic."

"Very funny." He sighed, sounding defeated.

I saw his foot appear to my left and when the rest of him appeared, I quickly ducked around the corner, making sure to keep some distance between us. "Hey, I said stay back!"

The Devil came to an abrupt stop, sensing my movement. He raised a hand in a placating gesture. "I promise, God as my witness, I'm not here to hurt you."

He took another step forward. I flinched and had up a hand. "Yeah, right! You think I'm an idiot? Why should I believe a word you say?"

The Devil paused, his lips turning into a frown. Was he taking my panic seriously now? His blank gaze remained on me. He stayed silent.

So I spoke, breathing hard. "You think I don't know how this goes? I'm the only witness to a crime. You followed me before, and you followed me again. Here to clean up the mess. Make sure I don't snitch about what happened. Typical mob stuff."

"I'm not with the mob!" The Devil snapped immediately. I flinched again; that was the first time he actually sounded defensive — angry, offended even, to be accused of association. "I only came here to explain myself. I imagine you heard the news."

"Oh, yeah. The men that you beat up. They're dead now." I said, nodding my head. I squinted at him. "You?"

"No. I would never take another life."

Funny enough, I believed him. The righteousness, the sincerity. I peered a little further beyond the chimney, but remained cautious. "Then who did it? Who else knows?"

"I don't know," he replied, his head listing to the side. "I came here hoping you'd know. Who would be so interested in protecting you?"

"No one."

The Devil actually smiled, chuckling a little. "Forgive me if I don't believe you. Don't you have family? Anyone who'd have motive to, I don't know, protect you?"

I thought of Peter, but I knew already that he neither had the skill nor the morals to do the thing my mystery 'protector' (if that's what we're going with) was capable of. And no one else knew of my relation to the Rose. "No. No family. The Rose took care of that."

"What about your parents?"

"Like I said, the Rose."

He paused, apparently taking that in with some measure of gravity. "They killed your parents? Why?"

"How should I know?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders. Sure, he wasn't technically right, but at this point what difference did it make? "It's not like they sent me a letter. They took my mother and now I'm next, if I'm not careful."

"I'm sorry," he said. Quiet. Mournful. Like he actually knew how I felt.

I huffed and crossed my arms, leaning against the chimney. "Sorry's not gonna bring her back."

The Devil was silent for a long moment. Then I heard footsteps and a hand rested on my shoulder. This time I didn't flinch away, but I refused to look at him.

He said, "Let me help you."

I scoffed, throwing off the hand. "You can't help me." I said, turning away and walking further out on the roof. I came to the edge and looked down at the street below. A lone taxi went by, its engine filling the air with a low hum as its tires carved up the muddy slush, but there was no one else on the streets.

The Devil remained a few paces behind me. "You want revenge."

It wasn't a question. I cast him a frown over my shoulder. "Is the Devil offering me a deal?"

"I really don't like that name," he muttered, more to himself. Then he said, "I know you're putting yourself in danger. You think you're doing the right thing, but you're in over your head. Do you really think you can take down the Rose on your own?"

"I'm not in over my head," I whispered, crossing my arms.

"So you don't deny it."

I groaned, throwing my head back, turning back to him and throwing my arms out. "What, you think you can do better than me, what with your fancy suit and pretty little sticks?"

"You're not the only one who lost loved ones to the Rose," The Devil said, reproachful. "They're destroying this city from the inside out. It's easy to lose yourself in this kind of battle."

I opened my mouth to challenge him, but the Devil finished, "I know. I already have."

I looked him up and down, wondering just how bad his obsession must be. Apparently enough to dress yourself in a red demonic suit and beat people up in the street on a freezing winter night."So you want me to stop? Because I won't. I can't. You're too late."

But he just shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. "No, Amelia, it hasn't. I can still see hope in you. The hope and spirit that they haven't taken away from you yet."

"H-how did you know my name?" I asked, taking a step back. My foot met the edge of the roof and I wobbled, uncertain. Whoever this guy was, he was serious business.

"I have my sources. They care about you, Amelia. And they're worried." He said, and I went down my mental list of all the people who could've possibly contacted this guy, but I came up with a blank. "Trust me when I say that you don't want to go down this road you're on."

"But I want to help people."

"There are police for that. Doctors. Lawyers. You're just a kid, Amelia. Don't throw your life away."

"I'm not a kid," I said, clenching my fists. Of course, just another adult thinking they knew better than me, like they were so much wiser. "You said you wanted to explain yourself? Then do it. Because nothing else you can to say is going to stop me."

He sighed, shoulders slumping a little when he realized I wasn't going to be convinced otherwise. He looked to the side, grimacing as he thought for a second. "Fine."

The Devil took a deep breath, looked back at me. "I've been after the Rose for years now, keeping a low profile, making sure the media never gets a handle on me. It's been easier lately, with that Spider-Man taking up all the limelight. I've been taking the Rose down, bit by bit. It's been slow — they're made up of cell groups that are easily replaced, and members aren't allowed to know more than their station is allowed. Loyalty is inspired through fear — No one knows all the secrets. No one, except for one man."

"Who?" I leaned forward, my breath locked in my throat. This was what I had been dying to hear for so long. Information that I never had, could never get.

"They call him the Kingpin," The Devil said, spitting the name out like it was a curse. "No one knows his real name — if he even exists at all. But he controls the entirety of the White Rose, all within Hell's Kitchen. He's a disease that's been festering since the 70's, slowly gaining power and reputation, with absolutely no one to stop him. He's the one who ruined my life. He's the one who took your parents."

"What did he do to you?" I asked, almost too scared to know. I could hear it in his voice that the Devil had personal motives for hunting down this Kingpin. I kind of guessed after he mentioned losing someone, like I did. But this felt deeper, even more personal than what happened to me.

But the Devil just shook his head. "It's my cross to bear. I don't want to drag you anymore into this than you already are."

"Then why do you say you want to help me? What could you do, besides trying to convince me to stop? What if I help you find this Kingpin —?"

"The Kingpin is mine." he said so sharply that I clamped my mouth shut in surprise. He swiped a hand through the air, saying, "Do not get in my way. He's my battle, not yours. I'm not going to let him hurt any more people if I can help it."

"Damn, all right," I said, holding up my hands and stepping away from him. "I get it. I'll try my best not to get involved."

"I need better than that, Amelia."

I frowned at him. "I'm only doing this to find my mother. If the Kingpin hadn't bothered with me in the first place, I wouldn't even be here right now, talking to you."

"I thought you said she was dead," The Devil tilted his head at me, confused.

"I don't know, she might be," I shrugged helplessly, hugging myself. "But I can't believe that. I won't. I know she's still out there. I won't stop until I know for sure what happened."

The Devil was silent for a while, gazing out over the city. Or maybe he would have been, if he had eyes. I had a feeling he was the brooding type, with all this grumpy thinking stuff — then he said, "What if I look for her instead?"

I gaped at him, my arms dropping to my sides. "What? You'd do that?"

"You didn't believe me when I said I wanted to help you?" the Devil looked mildly amused at my shock. He smiled at me, looking genuinely pleased. "You're better off staying out of trouble. I know it's going to be hard for you, since you try so hard looking for it."

"I don't go looking for trouble!" I protested, but it was pointless. We both knew he was right, and I was just offended at being called out on it. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Okay, okay, I do. But I'm not just going to sit back and let things happen. I'm still going to find a way to help."

"If you must," the Devil relented, shrugging one shoulder. "I'd appreciate it if you stayed on the right side of the law."

"No promises."

"Yes, I know. You're bad at those."

"Hey!"

"Relax, I'm joking," the Devil held up a hand to calm me, and I was so stunned by his little chuckle that I couldn't even find the will to be angry anymore. It was weird hearing him laugh. It just didn't seem to fit with his image at all. "You take yourself a little too seriously, Amelia."

"I take myself just seriously enough, thanks," I scowled, folding my arms. "Is that all?"

The Devil considered for a moment, then nodded. "I'm glad you listened. I don't get many chances to speak for myself."

I shrugged. "Not like I could do anything else. Are you going after the guy who killed those dirtbags who attacked me?"

"Maybe. If he works for the Kingpin, though, then we'll have a bigger problem on our hands."

"What if he doesn't?"

"What if who doesn't?"

"What if the killer doesn't work for the Kingpin?" somehow, it just didn't make sense to me. Why would he try to protect my identity — Peter's identity? That's not something a mob boss would keep close to his chest. He'd use it to his advantage. This was not how he'd do it. "What would that mean?"

"I don't know," The Devil said, sounding just as curious as I felt. "I suppose that means he's working for someone else. Or maybe he's got his own agenda."

"To do with me?" I couldn't think of anyone in my life willing to kill. Okay, except Eddie, but he wanted me dead. "I don't know anyone like that."

"I guess it's just another mystery waiting to be solved," The Devil said thoughtfully. He cast me an enigmatic look. "Whatever it is, you're at the center of it, Amelia. Be careful."

And just like that, he was gone. A shadow into the mist.