Fated To Be
Chapter I
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Second chances, so rare that some people never get a chance to experience them. Whether it be love or a great mistake made, a second chance was a blessing unlike any other. For the Black Cat it was hope beyond her wildest dreams. A chance to reconnect with the mask that had stolen her heart and invaded her senses. Spider-Man... he wanted to see her again. He'd actually gone out of his way to write her a faithful letter that melted her heart. He wanted to give them one more try. This time she wouldn't fail, she wouldn't step aside for the redhead, it'd just be he and her.
She scaled her way up his apartment building and entered the hall until she found his door. This was it, the moment she'd been waiting so long for. She made sure to dress her best like always with her tight black body suit that hugged her curves and let a more than generous amount of her cleavage on display. It was decorated and arms and legs and around her collar with white fur that matched perfectly with her snow-white hair and claws. She also made sure to keep her domino mask on, even if her secret identity was common knowledge.
She took a deep breath and gave the wooden door in front of her a knocking. She placed a hand to her hip and put on the brightest smile she could when she heard that voice she'd come to love on the other side.
"Yes, here I-" The door slowly opened to reveal his shocked face when he saw her. She'd seen him numerous times without his mask and out of costume, but his shocked visage after seeing her again after so long was a sight she'd make sure to log into her memory. "Felicia?" he gasped.
"Face it, tiger you just hit the jackpot!" she continued to smile.
The two immediately embraced and basked in the others warmth. How long had it been since they held each other like this? Too long would be the correct answer. Black Cat sighed in relief when she felt Peter's strong arms wrap around her waist and was happy to see his bright smile when she wrapped hers around his neck and gazed deeply into his eyes.
"Cat, it really is wonderful to see you. Maybe we can make it work this time...?" he said. She never even knew how desperate he was for this to work out just like she was.
"Mmm. From where I stand, Spider... It working already." and with that the two share a passionate kiss.
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Later that night, much to the terror of New York's criminal underbelly, the amazing Spider-Man and Black Cat prowl the streets together again. Unfortunately for the four poor crooks that just finished robbing the bank, they were about to learn this fact the hard way.
"An easy haul, huh, guys? That safe lock was like swiss cheese!" the head crook joked.
"Hey guys- " The Spider called from above as he and his partner got the drop on the thugs. Black Cat nailed one from behind while Spider-Man caught two with a split-kick. Peter had long since done away with his old red and blue PJs in favor of an all black suit with a large white spider design on the chest and back. Ironically it was actually modeled after the venom symbiote that he'd fought so hard to get rid of. "Wouldn't it be easier to carry credit cards?"
The only answer he received were groans of pain from the now downed criminals.
"Cat, you handle things here-" Spider-Man ordered as he noticed the leader of the bunch trying to make a break for the obvious getaway van parked in the street. "While I handle the smart guy who thinks he too slick for the big apple's hottest crime fighting duo!"
The man in question tried to flee but the Spider was too quick. He effortlessly flipped over him and blocked his path to freedom. He was stuck with nowhere to go. It was either face the Spider head on or turn around and deal with the Cat. This moment of hesitation didn't last long however as the Spider-Man made the choice for him.
"I-I..." he crook stuttered.
"Well he's wrong!" the masked hero stated before decking him with wicked right hook. With all four criminals out of commission it was time to wrap things up. "Now that we've got all of our flowers picked-" he began as he webbed up all the wannabe bank robbers in front of the bank that the Cat had dropped down. "Let's arrange 'em in a nice little web-basket for the police."
The four crooks groaned and complained as they were left dangling by a streetlight in front of the bank. No one had told them Spider-Man and the Black Cat were working together again.
Said Black Cat took this opportunity to have a little more fun. "Hey slimeballs, here's a little keepsake from the Black Cat!"
"ARGH!" a thug yelped in pain at the Cat taking a swipe at him with her claws.
"CAT!?" Spider-Man called in alarm before scooping her into his arm and swinging away. "Come on, Felicia! Let's get out of here!"
"I was just having fun, Spider. A cat likes to toy with her prey." Black Cat pouted.
"Uh... Right..." he said unsure.
Meanwhile unheard by the pair. "Lot's of luck to you Spider-Man! If she's your woman then you're gonna need it!"
Back with the superhero duo the two stood atop a rooftop under the moonlight. Black Cat knew what Spider-Man wanted to talk about, she'd got caught up in the moment and taken things a bit too far. But could he really blame her? It was just all in good fun, besides it wasn't as if she was going to maim or kill the guy.
"Felicia! What was that all about? We're the good guys. Once they're caught, that's it." he scolded.
"I-I'm sorry, Spider. Maybe... when I see creeps like that... It reminds me too much of my own criminal past... Maybe I'm attacking myself." She explained. It was an excuse. A poor one at that. She knew it and perhaps Spider-Man knew it too. She was just overindulging truthfully. She'd try to not let that happen again. "It won't happen again."
The two yet again embraced.
"I... I promise." she whispered in his ear, all the while not knowing his was praying things would work out.
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Unbeknownst to the Spider-Man it is in fact the Black Cat's very ferocity that would prove to be his salvation. It all started with the aid of poisoned weapons that lead to him being defeated by his longtime foe, Kraven the hunter.
Spider-Man had been out alone that night in the freezing rain doing battle against the hunter, in the end the poison took it's toll and the black-clad superhero was brought down to his knees. He couldn't move no matter how badly he tried to will his body. All he could do was sit there on the rooftop helpless while Kraven approached him, gun in hand.
"Honor, will be restored." the jungle themed man commented. He'd been waiting so long to catch the Spider. At long last, the hunt would finally come to an end.
"C'mon on Kraven, rifles aren't your style!" Spider-Man teased. "You've always wanted to pound me into hamburger with your bare hands, remember?"
Yes... Kraven indeed did remember. The last thing Spider-Man remembered was the searing pain of Krevenoff's fists before his entire world faded to black.
Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff buried the Spider-Man alive that night, six feet under in a grave befitting quarry such as himself. The hunt was at last over, but it still wasn't enough. He'd done away with his jungle garb and was now donning a black suit that was identical to his longtime enemy.
Kraven had gone insane. He believed the only way to regain what felt was honor lost again and again at the hands of Spider-Man was to supplant his enemy, ruin his reputation, and destroy his life. And he would have succeeded too if not for...
"WHERE IS HE!?" Black Cat screamed from behind as she caught Kraven in the back with harsh kick.
"AAGH!" the burly man grunted from the surprise attack. He wouldn't fall though, he would bury his foe's mate along side him. He turned to face the Cat and went for quick strike that she just barely managed to evade. "He's six fee under! Where you, fool-"
He finally managed to catch her with hard shot to the cheek that sent the Black Cat careening into the dirt.
"Will join him!" Kraven finished. Without wasting wasting anytime he mounted the much shorter woman and began to wrap his hands around her throat. What better way to destroy his arch enemy's life than by killing the woman he loved?
"N-No... NO!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as her claws slashed across the mans chest.
"UNH!" Kraven gasped. The pain, it was unbearable, and this feeling... almost like-
"What's the matter, Kraven?" Black Cat taunted, no mirth to be found. "Curare on my claws too much for the big bad hunter?"
Turnabout was fair play. She finally managed to get her leg free and kicked the struggling man off her. In his now weakened state he was unable to remain conscious and promptly passed out.
"HSSSSSS!"
Black cat now stood over her unconscious quarry hissing like a wild animal as lightning cracked like whip. She was... victorious.
Once the adrenaline finally wore off she turned her focus towards the grave that held her love's name chiseled on it. She got down on her knees and began to dig with her bare hands. "Spider... Spider! Are you down there!?"
Worry wormed it's way into her heart as she continued to dig, the white of her costume stained brown with mud. He had to still be alive, he just had to be!
Thankfully her persistence paid off and she found the love of her life buried beneath the dirt. She couldn't see his face due to the mask, but if she could she guessed it would look twisted up in pain.
"Spider! Talk to me!" Cat nearly panicked.
"S'okay... can breath again..." he sounded weak. Weaker than Black Cat had ever heard him, but she thanked whatever forces above that he wasn't dead. "Felicia... You saved me... Felicia... You saved me..."
Tears began to well up in those beautiful green eyes of hers.
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With Peter soon recovered from Kraven's attack, he and the Cat take down an array of costumed villains... such as Electro... and the villainous Venom! A symbiotic combination of alien entity and human who both hate Spider-Man, Venom comes close to defeating his nemesis... until-
"AAGGHH!" the alien symbiote screamed in pain. They'd come out of hiding to put an end to their ultimate enemy, not get shot in the back by that little minx Black Cat. He glared at her and the weapon at her side. "A sonic blast! We felt that! Now give us that weapon before we make you pay dearly!"
"Venom..." Black Cat began. "You're not even worth the effort of a wisecrack!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The villain screamed.
Black Cat wasted no time in giving the super criminal another sonic blast to the face from the sonic canon. The alien symbiote coiled in agony when it felt the sonic blast wash over it. The noise was immense and it could feel it's connection to it's host beginning to slip away as it started to melt like ice cream left in the sun.
Black Cat watched the villain known as Venom crumple to the ground and slowly saw the man beneath the goop revealed... Eddie Brock.
"One more blast..." Cat aimed at vengeful man. "And you'll be nothing more than a bad memory!"
Brock groaned. "G-Go ahead... Get it... Over with!"
If he insisted. She began to squeeze the trigger-
"CAT NO!" Spider-Man's voice rang out. Before the snow-haired woman could finish off her prey an all to familiar web-line shot out and relieved her of the sonic canon. The large device landed safely into the hands of her partner and could tell he wasn't all too pleased with her. He lifted his mask just below his nose to let her know just that. "He's defeated! We don't have to kill him!"
"But... he'd do the same to us! He was trying to!" Cat tried to reason.
"That's the point! We can't stoop to his level."
Black Cat sighed. "I'm amazed you've lived this long, Spider. But okay-"
"Oww!" Brock groaned again as he felt Black Cat's heel stomp down on his side.
"Oh! So sorry Eddie." She said with fake remorse.
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'THE SPIDER AND THE BLACK CAT' is what the front page of the Daily Bugle read, accompanied by a large picture of the two heroes locking lips. It was the hottest story in New York at the moment and it was also a situation that made Mary Jane's heart ache. The redhead crumpled the paper and tossed it away as if burned. She couldn't stand to look at it anymore. The image of Peter locking lips with another woman was too much to bare.
"Peter... is that why you left me? Was she in the picture all along?" Mary Jane Watson asked herself. She wanted to cry, but wouldn't let the tears fall. Instead she did what came naturally and reached over for her house phone. She sniffled once and hastily punched in seven numbers.
The phone rang once, twice, and... "Peter?" MJ asked.
"No. Felicia." The Cat answered on the other end of the line. Why was the redhead ringing Peter's home? What business did she have with Peter?
"Oh! I'm sorry. It's um-"
"Marry Jane. I know." Black Cat finished for her. "Goodbye."
Felicia had hung up.
"Um... Sorry to have bothered you." Mary Jane said sadly before hanging up herself.
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Black Cat was annoyed, it was over, Mary Jane had no business calling her man. "Hi hon, any calls?" Peter called from the doorway.
Cat's good mood instantly returned and she turned towards him with her award winning smile. "Wrong number."
Peter smiled as he moved in closer, his arms behind his back. "Good. I didn't want to be disturbed when I gave you this." Peter got down on one knee and revealed a small purple box with a diamond ring inside.
Black Cat was shocked. Was Spider really asking for her hand? "Spider! Spider!"
"I owe you my life, in more ways than one, Cat." Peter said as confidently as he could. "It's time for both of us to grow up. Will you marry me?"
No matter how hard Black Cat tried she just couldn't shake off her surprise. Still, the fact that Spider-Man wanted to marry her made her feel warm inside, though some dark thoughts did creep into her mind. Did he really want her or was she just a rebound girl? Part of her knew a part of him would always love Mary Jane, just like the redhead knew a part of him would also love Gwen Stacy even after her death. It was negative train of thought that she viciously stamped down. It didn't matter. She lost him once and she wouldn't lose him again.
"Yes, Peter! Yes!" she agreed and she could feel her eyes begin to mist as Peter gently took her hand and slide the ring onto her finger. It was beautiful, and a hard physical representation of their love. The two held each other close and shared a deep and loving kiss that only they could do. This was all Black Cat could ever want and for once Peter felt at complete ease with his decision. Things would work out this time. He could feel it.
The two finally separated and stared deep into the others eyes. Chocolate brown met emerald green and the two knew it was meant to be.
"Let's go celebrate! We'll do the town!" Peter suggested.
"That's sound like a dream lover, but first-" The pair separated and the Cat put her reflexes to work jumping through the skylight. "I've got a quick errand to run!"
"Cat, look out before you... go through the skylight." Peter finished blandly as his new fiancée was already gone. Oh well, his spider-sense didn't go off so he was pretty sure nobody saw her leave through his apartment... this time. Thankfully his landlord didn't care about his personal life as long as he paid the rent on time. Which reminded him, he had to remember to thank Felicia for the extra added income.
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TO BE CONTINUED...