"What part of I have somewhere to be are you not understanding?!" Spider-Man shouted while simultaneously jumping from wall to wall in an alley while two large men tried their best to grab a hold of her. The hero had been making her way to work when she heard the cry of a damsel in distress. When she went to check it out, there she was, cornered by these two low lives.
Spider-Man flipped off the wall and grasped onto the last bar of the fire escape ladder. Popping her legs out forward and kicking one man in the face. While he fell back into a pile of garbage, his buddy came charging towards Spider-Man, whipping out his pocket knife and slashing it in the air.
"Get down from there and fight like a man!" He challenged.
Spider-Man spun herself against the ladder and pushed herself off, catching herself with one hand on the opposite wall. She ran across its surface and shot a web at the man's chest just before giving it a tug as she pounced over to him, clenching her fist on the way down and smashing it against his face. Judging by the cracking sound that echoed off the alley walls, she knew it was safe to assume that she, once again, won.
The woman blinked away her tears, her purse still pressed protectively against her chest. When Spider-Man was walking over to her she lost it. Throwing herself in the arms of her hero, whispering words of thanks.
"It's my job. Get home safe." Spider-Man said, jumping high in the air and swinging off to work. Hoping to any high power that Lenny will accept another lame excuse as to why she was late...again.
Meanwhile, in the deepest depths of Hell's Kitchen..well in the heart of it but what's the difference really. Wilson Fisk had stacks of briefcases in front of him. All of which contained his recent earnings from the jobs he sends his workers to do. Felicia stood beside his desk, skimming through paper work of people who had done Fisk wrong. That's her job now. She's not out there with Eddie or any of the other goons, no, the only way Fisk was going to allow her to live was if she stayed where he can keep a close eye on her. That just happened to be in his apartment complex, working along side him as he let her in on the status of his underground businesses.
"Any word on Gibson at Fortune? Is he aware that he's three days late?" Fisk asked, eyeing the middle aged Asian in one of the files.
Felicia flipped through pages before stopping at Gibson's reports.
"He uh..hasn't turned anything in."
Fisk rolled his eyes, "Well, I'm giving him until this afternoon to deliver me my cut. If he's even a second late I want you to go over there and remind him who it is he's working for."
Felicia did a double take, "Me?"
Fisk straightened his tie before standing up, "You've been working hard, Ms. Hardy. I do believe that people can redeem themselves if given the chance to and I've given you that chance. Don't make me regret it."
Felicia nodded and grinned, "Gotcha, boss."
Fisk smiled and walked into the hallway, closing his office door behind him and leaving Felicia to take a seat in one of the cushioned chairs. She rested her forearms on the polished wooden table and ruffled her hair a bit as she looked through Gibson's files.
At the sound of the door creaking open, Felicia shot her head back up and rolled her eyes when Eddie walked into the office with a cocky grin on his face. His hair was spiked up at the top and trimmed at the sides. From what Felicia can recognize, his white button down was new and the blazer tucked under his arm still had the tag attached to it.
"Word on the street is someone has a job tonight. Congratulations, you're back in the game." Eddie mocked, plopping down in the chair across from Felicia, propping his feet up on the table. Wow, new dress shoes too.
Felicia went back to memorizing Gibson's file, "I don't even wanna be back in the game."
Eddie sucked his teeth and smiled, "Well, doll face, if you wanna stay on Fisk's good side you do as told."
Felicia shot him a glare and pushed the files to the side, "Do you need something? Or is it your soul mission to annoy the crap outta me?"
Eddie chuckled and shrugged, "I come in peace. Just wanted to see how my girl is doing."
"I'm not your girl." Felicia muttered, sighing as she reopened the files.
"I'll try again some other time," Eddie eyed her, finding it amusing how she seems to not care much for his presence, "Are they still looking for you?"
Felicia froze for a second, "I hope not. From what you told me, Beca should keep them away."
Eddie nodded, "Yeah, I hope so too. For Chloe's sake she better keep her on a leash."
"Stop using people as your own personal bargain, Eddie." Felicia murmured.
"Well when they don't cooperate they don't give me much of a choice." Eddie said, flashing Felicia his teeth through half parted lips. He stood up and drummed on the table as he walked around it to her side.
Looking over her shoulder, Eddie pointed at Gibson's picture.
"Little piece of advice, he cracks when you threaten his daughter. So if he gives you a rough time just tell him little Sophia might be home passed her curfew tonight when you push her into the Hudson- "
Felicia pushed her shoulders back, sending Eddie back a few feet.
"I'm not doing that, psycho!"
"Well then you better tell Fisk now that Gibson is going to be delivering a little later than expected." Eddie deadpanned.
Felicia stayed quiet. She furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at Eddie over her shoulder. Fisk was someone no one wanted to double cross. She was one of the very few lucky ones that lived through that. She couldn't afford for him to question her loyalty. But was she so far into his business that she had to resort to threatening a little girl in order to make sure she can live another day?
Eddie pulled out the chair next to her and hunched over, his left arm wrapped around the back of her chair while the other laid on the table, a finger pointed firmly on the file.
"Get the job done. Report back to Fisk and you'll be fine. If it makes it any easier, Gibson was the one who helped Fisk tamper with your powers."
Felicia turned to him, "What?"
Eddie hummed, "Mhm. So put that bad luck mojo into good use."
He stood up and walked over to the door when Felicia called after him.
"Hey Eddie.."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you dressed like that?" Felicia asked, referring to his newly bought attire.
Eddie smirked, "I volunteered to go with you. Gotta look the part."
"Fired? Wait but- "
Lenny sighed and continued to carry the pizza boxes over to the back room.
"You're always late, Beca. You've given me no other choice- I mean what do you do all the time?!"
Beca stood by the doorway with her hands waving in the air.
"Around.."
Lenny looked at her sympathetically, "You're a great kid, Beca. But with Felicia gone and you not being around for the deliveries I need people who want to be here."
"But I do want to be here. Just give me one more chance." Beca implored, biting her lip while her grip on the door handle tightened.
Lenny walked over to her and snatched the white shirt out of her hand. He walked around her and made his way over to the kitchens.
Beca cursed under her breath and exited the restaurant. Nothing like being fired to start off your day. Wanting to voice her complaints to someone, Beca strolled her way over to Richardo's diner where she found Chloe taking someone's order by the back booth. Beca took a seat in one of the stools and laced her fingers on top of the counter while she waited for Chloe to come back around.
Chloe walked back up the aisle with her head down as she ripped out the page from her notepad and opened the doors to the kitchen.
"Ricky! You have another number 3 with extra bacon!" Chloe called out, pinning the order to the wall.
"You got it, Chlo!"
Chloe smiled and walked back over to her station at the counter, seeing the familiar face smiling up at her.
"Beca. Hi!"
Beca waved, "Hellooo."
Chloe noticed the time and raised her eyebrow, "Shouldn't you be at work?"
Beca made a motor boat sound with her lips and tilted her head to the side.
"I actually just got fired."
Chloe frowned, "What? Why?"
"I'm always late and he finally got tired of it." Beca said, picking at the ends of a napkin. She pushed it to the side and propped her elbows up and covered her face with her hands.
"Why couldn't the spider give me eight arms so I can do multiple things at once."
Chloe chuckled and reached over to pull down Beca's hands, offering a small smile at the saddened face that was revealed.
"Babe, don't worry about it. You still have the Daily Bugle, right? Don't they still have that staff job open when Eddie got fired?"
Beca sighed and looked away, "Yeah since neither of us gave him a photo that showed Spider-Man behaving like the menace he is." Lowering her voice to match Jameson's.
Chloe smiled, "Go and talk to him. I'm sure he'll give you the job."
Beca matched Chloe's smile with one of her own, breaking eye contact to nod towards the coffee machine behind her girlfriend.
"Can I get a coffee first?"
Chloe giggled, "Coming right up."
After drinking her coffee and watching Chloe work, Beca left Richardo's and took the train to 39th street and second avenue where she walked along side the many New Yorkers. She looked up at the 49 story building that read Daily Bugle in big red letters along the side. Beca walked in through the lobby and made her way to the elevator and up to the top floor.
Betty licked close an envelop and looked up and smiled upon seeing Beca.
"Hey, stranger."
Beca blushed, "Hey, Betty. Is Jameson busy?"
Betty shook her head and cleared her throat as she raised her desk phone up to her ear and pressed a button. Beca turned her head to see Jameson jolt slightly at the sound of Betty's voice coming from the speaker.
"Jameson, Beca is here to see you."
Betty motioned for her to step into his office. Beca walked in and smiled sheepishly at the editor who sat back in his desk with his cigar hanging lazily from the side of his mouth.
"What do you want?" Jameson asked, with a tone that told Beca he didn't care much for an explanation.
Beca pulled at the hem of her shirt, "I was hoping the staff job was still open?"
Jameson looked at her and squinted his eyes, pulling out the cigar to huff out the smoke and placing it down in his ashtray.
"None of these," He gestured to the pile of photographs in front of him, "poor excuses of photos will survive a chance on the front page so yes, it is."
A dead silence fell between them. Beca chewed at her lip, unsure of what to say because she found directly asking for the job was awkward. She had already implied that she was interested.
Jameson raised his eyebrows, "Well..?"
"Can I uh..have it?" Beca asked, wanting to punch herself in the face for lack of confidence.
Jameson smirked, "You caught me in a good mood. Your poor excuse of photos actually survive on the front page so sure..send me photos and I'll give you 50 bucks."
Beca frowned, "That seems a little low. Doesn't the staff job offer more than that?"
Jameson shrugged, "Take your awkwardness somewhere else then."
Betty's voice filled the room through the speaker on Jameson's phone.
"Jameson, your wife is on line 1. She said her credit card got declined."
Jameson smiled, "There is a god," snapping his fingers when Beca opened the door to leave, "Mitchell. Sit down."
Beca spun on her heel and went to take a seat on the chair in front of Jameson's desk only to be told to stand up when she was just about to sit down.
"$140 and if the photos are good the amount might..MIGHT increase. Take it or leave it."
Beca nodded, "I'll take it."
Jameson shot her a wink, "Welcome back, kiddo. Go tell Betty to give you your badge."
Beca walked out of the office and went over to Betty where she retrieved her staff badge along with a "Welcome back". The photographer exited the building and made her way home.
Later that evening, Felicia was dressed in a tight black dress with her blonde hair pinned up in a high ponytail. Her eyes were popping out more with the help of her dark eyeliner. She walked into Fortune with Eddie beside her, slipping the host $20 to get them a booth in the back. Confidence bursting with each step she took as she and Eddie followed the man around the circled tables. The clank of her heels were muffled against the velvet carpet until she was finally able to sit down in the black cushioned booth.
Eddie motioned the host to leave and turned his head to the stairs that led up to the offices.
"Gibson should be just up those stairs. Whenever you're ready."
Felicia rubbed her lips together, making sure her lipstick covered every surface of her lips. Grabbing her purse that held her gun, she slipped out of the booth and shot Eddie a look before sneaking her way upstairs.
The waitress walked up to the table and held up a notepad. He smiled brightly before ordering two waters and a salad. While the waitress turned around to place the orders, Eddie raised his eyebrow when he saw Beca and Chloe follow the host to a table just underneath the chandelier that hung proudly from the ceiling.
"Well isn't this just wonderful.."
Meanwhile, Felicia reached the corridor of the second floor and walked over to the door with a plate that read Office. She opened the door and grinned at the men sitting in a round table, cards and poker chips scattered around.
A large man in a black suit appeared in front of her.
"No one is allowed up here."
Felicia stood there flashing her mega-watt smile. She turned to Gibson and tilted her head.
"Mind if I join in?"
Gibson sat back into his chair, his tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek. With a smile he gestured at the empty seat next to him.
"We were just about to start a new game."
Felicia sat down and pulled out $200 from her bra.
"Let's get to it then, boys."
Downstairs in Beca and Chloe's table, Beca leaned forward and smiled.
"So Jameson gave me the job."
Chloe smiled, "That's awesome! See I told you."
Beca bit her lip and smiled back, "Yeah. It'll be better than the side thing I had back then. At least with the staff job I get paid more with every photo I hand in."
Chloe giggled, "You're living the dream. Getting paid to take selfies."
Beca rolled her eyes at the fact that that is in fact what she's basically doing. They continued to talk about their jobs and how Chloe has Simon's birthday coming up and how she had no idea what to get him this year. Her brother changed interests every year and it was hard to keep track.
"Get him a playboy!"
Chloe swatted Beca's arm, "I am not getting my little brother a playboy."
Beca brought the straw from her soda to her mouth, "He probably already has one." Taking a nonchalant sip, earning herself a kick to the shin.
"You're an ass" Chloe laughed.
Beca licked her lips and squinted her eyes, "Am I stupid for agreeing to fight Jesse?"
Chloe nodded, "A lot can go wrong. But it is the only way to get a rise outta him, y'know. But hold back a little."
Beca grinned smugly, "So you think I can kick his ass?"
Chloe raised her hands in surrender, "I didn't say that."
Beca feigned offense, "You gotta root for your girlfriend, Chloe."
Chloe rolled her eyes, "I don't need to do anything." Blowing Beca a kiss before excusing herself to use the bathroom.
Beca watched her go and her eyes drifted to the other end of the restaurant where she saw Eddie smiling wickedly while twirling his fork into his salad.
Beca gripped at the side of the table and gritted her teeth. Before she can do anything, Chloe sat back down in the chair in front of her, telling her the line to the bathroom was huge.
Chloe noticed Beca's face change back to a smile, but she hadn't missed the pissed off expression.
"What is it?"
Beca glanced over at Eddie who was shaking his finger, telling her to keep his position unknown. Silently reminding her of the fact that Fisk was just one phone call away.
Beca sighed, "I uh...forgot to email my teacher my essay and it was due like an hour ago."
Chloe winced, "Which class?"
"Art history. Some paper on Picasso." Beca waved her hand, telling Chloe it wasn't a big deal.
Chloe smirked, "Well ask for an extension."
"Yeah, I'll do that."
Upstairs, the poker game was still going strong. Felicia slapped her cards down and all the men groaned when they saw she had a flush.
Gibson pushed back his chair and pulled Felicia up by the arm.
"That's the fourth one in a row! We don't tolerate cheaters here!"
Felicia snorted, "Funny..cause neither does the Kingpin."
Gibson pulled back and his face suddenly changed from angry to nervous.
"If he can just g-give me a few more days- "
Felicia shook her head, "By now you should know that he doesn't allow that. It's either during the deadline or..well I'm sure you're aware of the second option." Reaching into her purse and pulling out the gun.
The men that surrounded them pulled out their own guns and pointed them at Felicia.
"Boys boys..please. Gibson just needs to pay up and I'll leave."
Feeling the rush of control. The feeling of having this man begging at the palm of her hand. She found herself adding, "Or else Sophia will be a little late to dinner tonight. Considering how far the bottom of the Hudson River is to your house."
Gibson dropped to his knees, "Please. Take it out on me...don't hurt my little girl."
Felicia lifted his chin up with her dark red polished nail, "Honey, how else did you expect this to go?"
She raised the gun and pressed it to his forehead when the door swung open and Eddie appeared in the doorway.
"Oh, Felicia, you started without me." He looked over his shoulder, "We got company downstairs. The light of your life, as you called her, is getting suspicious."
"Well we better get going then." Felicia grinned, pulling the gun away and shotting Gibson in the kneecap.
Turning around to see Eddie fighting off the rest of the men, leaving one to stand against the wall in fear.
"I-I won't say anything- "
Felicia cut him off by swinging her leg up and using her heel to slash him in the face.
Eddie opened the window and swung a leg out, "Get the money and let's go. Beca probably heard the gun shot."
Felicia stuffed the money on the table into a duffle bag and went to follow Eddie out of the window while he slid down the roof and dropped down to the ground.
"Felicia.."
Felicia turned around and locked eyes with Beca who stood at the doorway.
"Hey, Spider."
Beca watched her pounce out the window before running over and smashing her fist against the wall when she saw Eddie swing them away.
A/N: woahhhh Felicia :O Eddie is getting to her head.
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