If you thought you knew Claudia at her most angry, think again ;)

Now, some of you want me to read you own stories, and I promise you I will, but it wont be until I finish this one. If I start reading other fanfics I'll lose focus on my own, and that would be a real pain in the backside when things are getting heated! But I promise I will read them once I've finished :)

Happy reading!


"Rick, you bastard!" I screeched down the phone, pacing the living room while Martha wept on the sofa. I had never been so infuriated in my whole life! I knew that Rick had something to do with the note. Whether it was him of his friends I wasn't sure, but I knew he was involved. And there was no way in hell I was letting him get away with it. Rick had pulled many strings and crossed many line, but this was beyond the line!

"What's the matter, Claudia?" his voice was low and mocking. I clenched my fist, so tightly that I tore through the flesh. Blood spilled over, warm in my palm. Rage enveloped me, pushing me over the edge. I wasn't sure how long I would be able to hold on before I lost my mind. I'd kill him, I swore I would! How dare he mock me! Did he think this was funny? I pictured myself holding a gun to his head, demanding if he found the situation funny in that circumstance.

"Oh, you think you're funny, do you? Well, I have a news flash for you!" I screamed. "When I'm holding a gun to your head, I'll demand if it's funny before I blow your brains out!"

"Is that a death threat?" his voice was twisted, too calm. Mockingly sweet.

"You don't know the meaning of a death threat! I won't just kill you, Hammond, but I will tear you to shreds, limb by limb, and then I'll turn your brain to mush!"

"Care to tell me what I've done?" he asked, his voice still unnervingly even. In the background, I could hear men laughing. It was all I could do to not lob the phone across the room. They were laughing at me! Those sick, twisted bastards were laughing at me! Well, they didn't know much about me. They had caught me off guard that night, for I had been disorientated with fright, but now they were really starting to piss me off!

"Tell your friends that they need to watch their backs, Hammond. And I swear, if I hear from you or see you anywhere near Martha, I'll kill you!" and then I hung up, lobbing the phone at the wall and watching it shatter. While Martha cried her eyes out with fear I tried to control myself. My entire body was trembling, my hair in my fists. I think I was hyperventilating. All my happy emotions from the past few weeks vanished, and all that consumed me was firing rage that consumed my entire body. I sank to my knees and bowed my body as if I were praying, screaming into the floor.

I would protect Martha! I'd keep her safe, for after all the hell I had put her through, I owed her life itself. All I could think about was how to get rid of Rick once and for all. I needed to protect Martha, keep an eye out for Hammond, and I also needed to protect myself. I had known for long enough that he was going to make a move soon, but if he thought he could scare me out of my wits, he could think again! I had vowed to be ready for him, and I knew he would only wave off my threat.

I hoped he did, for then I could follow through with the 'tearing to shreds' business. There was no way Martha and I could live our lives in peace with him still lurking in the back of our minds, and I sure as hell wasn't about to let him get away with this stunt! He could get away with hitting me, he could get away with getting his mates to beat me almost to death, but he wasn't going to lay a hand on Martha. She was a whole other kettle of fish!

It occurred to me that we should go to the police. But I wasn't willing to leave the house. Besides, what were they going to do? If Rick had had any sense, he would have worn gloves when placing the bullet. I stumbled to my feet, locking the door and putting on the chain. Martha was cursing to herself, losing her mind with fright.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God!" she shrieked. "They really meant it! They're gonna kill us!"

"No they're not, not while I'm here." I told her through ragged breaths. "Unlike you, I'm not scared of him."

"No! I won't let you go up against him!" she shouted, rushing to her feet and grabbing me by my shoulders.

"He probably won't go through with it!" I shouted at her. "He's probably too much of a coward." It was a lie, we both knew it. Rick had taken to alcohol now, and even the men with the strongest willpower fell to the influence. Besides, he had his cronies, and I was pretty damn sure they wouldn't hesitate to pull a trigger on another human being.

And neither would I, not against them. I wanted revenge for what they did to me, I wanted payback for nearly battering my brains in. And I certainly wanted revenge on them for threatening my sister's life.

I didn't sleep that night, my heart never stopped pounding with rage. Martha fell asleep at around three in the morning, whereas I sat in the corner with my hair in my hands. I couldn't get control of my heavy breathing, and my body overheated with the hot fire of my rage. I'd kill him. I'd kill him! I went over all the scenarios of how we would meet. I'd be holding a gun out in front of me, I'd kick his face in, I'd conflict all the pain possible on him, just like he had on me.

Don't give if you can't take.

At dawn, I heard soft tapping coming from my bedroom. I closed my eyes, banging my head against the wall gently. I wasn't up to facing Peter, I didn't have the energy. I knew I would only end up lashing out at him, for I had bigger problems on my plate than improving our kissing sessions. But I also should have known better than to think he would go away and leave us be. I listened as the window in the other room slid up, and the soft thud as he climbed inside.

I stared at Martha, asleep in a ball on the floor a few feet away. The anger was wearing off now, and tears spilled over my eyes. What if I couldn't protect her? What if Rick got to her before I got to him? What if he put the bullet through her head himself? I wasn't sure I'd be able to live with that burden. I hadn't protected my parents, and that alone had nearly taken my life. Losing Martha would end everything. I wasn't ready to have my entire world ripped from under me.

I watched silently as Peter appeared in my doorway, his body stiff with awareness. His eyes landed on me on the floor, and then he looked at Martha. I simply stared at him and shook my head, wishing deeply that he would leave. I wasn't bothered if Martha woke up and saw him, I just didn't want him involved. However, like I expected, he rigidly walked towards me. He grasped my hands and pulled me to my feet, my legs stiff from being in the same position for over seven hours. As quietly as possible, he unlocked the door and slipped out with me, leaving it slightly ajar. My eyes never left Martha's form on the floor, for the moment looking to be content in her sleep.

"What happened?" Peter whispered, his voice frighteningly even. There was no point in hiding it from him. He already knew that something was wrong. He had told me about his sixth sense for danger, able to pick up on anything remotely out of place. He had told me how he had become Spiderman and explained his abilities, so I knew that I wasn't going to be able to keep quiet. When my safety was concerned, he was going to make it his business whether I liked it or not.

So I told him everything, from the note to the death threat I had screamed to the fright for Martha's safety. And I lost it. My knees buckled and I fell into him, my body trembling as I let out tearless sobs. He simply held me and stroked my head, and I was aware of how strong and agitated his body was. Every muscle was in knots with his silent fury, comforting and frightening me at the same time.

I should have been stronger. I should have been prepared for Rick's move, which I had been. I just hadn't been prepared for Martha. She had me tripping over my feet, had my mind in turmoil. I was terrified of failing her, and no amount of beatings could overrule that amount of pain and fear. A bullet between my eyes wouldn't scare me as much. I just... wanted to prove myself. I wanted to prove that I could pay Martha back for all I had done.

"Listen to me, everything is going to be fine, I promise." He whispered furiously. "I won't let anyone hurt you or Martha, I swear."

"I'll kill him, Peter, I swear I will." I choked, clinging to him.

"You won't, I can't have you going to prison on me." he said, only half joking.

"I can't fail her, Peter." I whispered, my voice broken. "I failed my parents, but I won't fail her." He shushed me again softly, roughly planting his lips to my head.

"Hammond won't get within a mile of either of you." he vowed. "Not him or his cronies." I clenched my eyes shut. It was a lie, and he didn't yet realise it. Because one way or another, they would get to us. I was going to be prepared, I just had to make sure I was in the right place at the right time. Dread flooded into me, for there was always going to be the 'What if?'.

"I should have said something earlier." He murmured, gritting his teeth. "The last week or so I've felt someone following us, or more so you. I didn't want to say anything in case it was me being paranoid." he sounded generally sorry, and I just couldn't get the willpower to be angry. "I didn't want to worry you in case it was nothing."

"It doesn't matter." I whispered. It didn't. Rick could follow me all he liked, so long as it kept him away from Martha. We stood in silence for a moment.

"Show me the note?" he asked gently. I nodded, slipping into the apartment and grabbing it from the counter. I went back to him and handed it over, and the blazing rage in his eyes made me take a step away from him. However, he hooked his elbow around my neck and pulled me back to him, kissing my temple. And then I heard the crinkling on the note. I glanced at his fist, watching as he crushed the metal bullet with next to no effort, and I swallowed in apprehension. This boy was capable of many things, that was for sure, and I knew he would easily destroy Rick. I wasn't about to let him make Rick suffer as little as possible.

"There's no way he's getting away with this." He snarled to himself. I looked up at him timidly, and his jaw was set. Images of himself as his alter ego had my heart racing, and not in a good way.

"I want to be the one to bring him down." I said. He locked eyes with me, instantly hating the idea. But I stared him down, determined to win the silent battle. He was not going to take that pleasure away from me. Rick had hurt me many times, had pushed me beyond the limit one too many times, and I hated him for all of those things among others. He was fake, dangerous, demanding, deceiving. It seemed only fair that I had the final showdown with him. Also, I wanted answers from him. I wanted to know why he was doing this to us. I wanted to know what his damn problem was and why he found it so necessary to actually threaten us. He had a motive, and I was determined to find out what that motive was.

Finally, to final a silent deal, I said, "He's mine."


Yay or nay? :D