As mentioned before this chapter will be from the other Spiders' POV. The first segment with Jessica Drew is particularly angsty with more focus on Jessica's internal thoughts than the dialogue. Don't worry, the next chapter will return to the lighter tone.

Aside from that we get set up for the next arc with the Spiders working together with the Defenders. Hope it works out :)

Jessica was never one for group outings. Came with the whole 'born with 15 years of memories that aren't yours' thing. As soon as she woke up in that pod she thought she was Peter Parker. She remembered Uncle Ben - no, just Ben - teaching her how to ride a bike and May teaching her how to sew clothes. Didn't help Peter, though. He still needed MJ- Mary Jane to patch up his costume every time he wrecked it.

That was another thing she remembered. Mary Jane. The person 'she' grew up with, the one 'she' had a crush on ever since 'she' figured out guys and girls were different. It was...hard to see her when the shitshow with Octavius was all said and done. Logically Jessica knew that she wasn't Peter and that Mary Jane was very much not into girls, but she couldn't just make the memories go away. Peter dating Kitty Pryde at the time definitely didn't help, nor was the idea that she had to like guys since, hey, she was a woman now so fuck all those 15 years of crammed in memories telling her she had something else between her legs.

Which led to the whole loner thing. She wasn't a Superhero like Peter; at least not most days. S.H.I.E.L.D took her in and that meant being an agent. Most agents didn't make friends - came with the line of work they were in when everyone was expendable and could be left behind. She did get manage to make a rapport with some of the other agents like Agent Wu, Agent Carter and a few others, but they weren't friends. It was...an understanding. She had their back and they had hers. They didn't go out to talk once the day was done or anything.

Probably didn't help that she was 15 then and 19 now. She got fast tracked on the whole agent thing and none of them were used to a teenager running around with them, powers or no.

It wasn't like she could spend time with Peter's friends either. Oh they tried to invite her when Peter told them, all smiles and open arms, but she knew. She saw the pity and uncertainty in their eyes. She didn't wanna be a charity case, didn't want to be just 'Peter Parker with breasts' like how she knew they saw her as. Peter could keep them. It was better for them both.

And now she was here with another May.

"Eat up everyone!" Mary Parker said with a smile. If she wasn't told beforehand Jessica wouldn't have recognized her. She'd seen a lot of May Parkers ever since she found out about the multiverse, but for the most part they were the same. Old ladies with heads of white hair and wrinkles that were far too many for someone looking after a teenager. More a grandmother than anything else. Even the May back home was the same despite being hardened after everything she'd gone through.

This May was young. Too young. This dimension's Peter told them she was 52, but she could've easily passed as a decade young. She didn't have any of the white hair from the May she knew and her wrinkles were graceful; not the harsh lines Jessica was used to. This May talked a lot too. Always smiling and asking questions like an overeager chipmunk. It would've been endearing if it wasn't so annoying.

She was also a pretty crappy cook considering most of the dinner was Italian takeout, but Jessica wasn't going to judge. She made friends with every fast food place around her block considering she tipped well.

Jessica sullenly poked at her bucatini and tried not to look too put off. They'd all dressed up for the dinner despite Parker's insistence that it was supposed to be a casual thing. Noir had put on a loose black suit and loafers while Mayday and Peni put on a pair of nice blouses, skirts and short heels. Scarlet was the only one who didn't follow suit, shifting her symbiote to an off the shoulder red shirt, torn jeans and sneakers.

Even she'd followed suit. The red button-up, white pants and dark flats weren't too fancy, but it got the job done. And it made it look like she actually put some effort in.

"So what do you guys do back home? Besides the whole Superhero thing, I mean," May asked.

"I'm still in high school, but I do some charity work in a women's shelter when I can," Mayday said, because of course she worked in charities. Jessica didn't have anything against the younger Spider but it did feel like she went overboard with the hero thing sometimes. With or without the mask it seemed like she focused on helping other people and never on herself.

"Charities, huh? Don't suppose I could convince you to do a little swing-by on the Salvation Army's next event? A new Spider showing up might boost donations."

"That's the group trying to get everyone homes, right? Count me in." Mayday beamed. She never knew May Parker - she told them all that she was born after her Great-Aunt May died - but that only made it easier. Unlike the rest of them she didn't have any expectations on who May Parker 'should' be outside of some stories told by her dad. Jessica felt jealous.

"What about the rest of you?" May asked.

"I'm not exactly built for getting donations." Noir smiled wryly. Aside from Scarlet she tended to get along with him the most. Not that she hated Gwen, Mayday or Parker or anything, it was just...hard to agree with them sometimes. They saw the world different - better - than she did. It was another reason she and her Peter had their disagreements. If it wasn't for him she would've let Octavius die for all the things he did.

"You won't know till you try it." Gwen said with a smirk. She and Parker were sitting side-by-side to May's right and it didn't take a genius to see they were holding hands under the table. To Jessica's left she saw Scarlet roll her eyes and make a mocking kissy face gesture at the two that they both ignored, "I mean you've definitely got the voice for it. Feel like I should be listening to you narrate whenever you talk."

"Charming." He scoffed and looked back to May, "Back home I'm an investigative reporter. Had some ideas for being on the science track but...didn't work out." World War II and being a socialist tended to make life difficult back home, from what he told her. Jessica could sympathize.

"I'm in! It'll be nice to stretch SP/dr's legs!" Peni said, loud and barely finished chewing. As smart as the girl was manners wasn't her forte, "Oh, and I'm...uh, the word we use is Protector, but superhero works! I don't really fight normal criminals. Mostly it's giant monsters, rogue AI's or crazy cyborgs. I do try to help out when I can, though! Even if it does make Uncle Ben kinda mad..."

"Ben, hm?" May smiled sadly. It must've been odd knowing that another version of her dead husband was still out there, "You're in school, I'm assuming?"

"Yup! But I get a free pass to skip if there are any emergencies." This time it was Peni's smile that became strained, "A lot of my classmates don't like it. They think I'm getting special treatment for nothing."

"Don't let it get you down, Peni. School's important but so is saving the city." Parker said.

"I know, it's just kinda annoying..." She puffed up her cheeks briefly.

"My turn, I guess?" Scarlet asked. Apart from Gwen she was the only non-Parker on the table. Which was probably why she didn't look nearly as awkward as the rest of them, "I'm still in college but I do some modeling gigs from time to time. Gotta pay rent."

"Modeling? You know I did some when I was your age," May said.

"Let me guess, you were young and you needed the money." Scarlet laughed lightly, "My first modeling gig ended up with me getting into a fight with a supervillain and losing two of my friends, so it wasn't very fun. Still, it's good money. Agencies pay big bucks for someone who can do their own dye jobs and make-up." She twisted her right pointer finger and the ends of her hair were suddenly dyed black.

"Man, I wish I could do that." Gwen pouted exaggeratedly.

"The Gwen back home could, so you should be able to. Just try it out," Scarlet said, "Aside from that me and my friends do some band gigs whenever we can find any. Gwen over there's the same, last I checked."

"I'm curious about something," Peni said, "When did you find out about Peter's powers?"

"Oh yeah, I was wondering that too," Mayday added, "For me and Peni it was kinda hard to keep it a secret."

"H-Hey, we shouldn't talk about this," Parker said, just a bit too quickly, "I mean it's not really important-"

"I found Peter posing in front of the mirror," May cut in shamelessly. The younger Spider-Man groaned and covered his face with his free hand while Gwen patted his shoulder comfortingly, "I was just coming back home and then I saw him putting on the suit. He was slow walking like he was making some big entrance then he took his mask off. Then I said 'what the fuck' cause, you know, my nephew was Spider-Man."

"Yeah, that'll do it," Jessica said, speaking up for the first time that night. The others turned to look at her like they forgot she was there. Rude, "I'm surprised your spider-sense didn't warn you. It's pretty much what it's supposed to do."

"Spider-sense? ...Oh, you mean his peter tingle." Gwen and Peni tried (and failed) to hold in their laughs while Mayday looked distinctly uncomfortable at the idea of any Peter Parker having tingles.

"Please do not call it that." Parker groaned, "And it didn't work on Ned back then either. I dunno. I guess it's because they're not dangerous? I mean they kept my secret."

"Surprisingly considering how big a mouth your friend has," Noir said. Mayday elbowed his side and lightly glared at him, "Hey, I call it like I see it. You weren't the one he kept asking if you lay eggs or spit up venom."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Jessica, right?" May asked. Jessica nodded reluctantly, "You didn't answer the question. What do you do back home?"

"Um..." She chewed on her lower lip. She was hoping that they would've just skipped her since Peni's question, "Any part time job I can. Like Scarlet said, need to pay rent." She gave a crooked smile. She couldn't exactly tell May that she worked as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Even if she didn't do any of the nasty stuff like assassination it wasn't exactly a good look.

"Not in school? College?"

"Kinda hard considering the whole you know what." May knew about her, Parker and Gwen made that clear, but aside from that it was pretty vague. In this world clones weren't a thing; or if they were then no one knew about it. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D gave her a fake I.D she never saw the point of going back to school. Wasn't like they'd let her go off to be a carpenter or something.

"Oh, yeah...that." Jessica raised a brow. Well, she certainly hadn't heard anyone call it 'that' before. Most people either just said it outright or didn't say anything at all, "So...do you live with the May from your world?"

"No. Why would she want a messed up copy when she has the real thing?" She hadn't meant to say it, but being asked that question by another May Parker, even if it wasn't her own, made her snap. May tried to give her a home and she refused it. She couldn't. How could she live in that house knowing it was all wrong? That the only reason they cared was because they thought she was another Peter?

May flinched, "Ah...sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's not your fault." She shouldn't be here. The way May looked at her, so full of pity and confusion, made her want to flip the table. This always happened. Once people found out about her history they either treated her like a freak or looked at her like a kicked puppy.

With the rest of them they could talk fine. Sure it was weird, knowing someone like Noir was another version of her nephew, but at least he was still Peter. He wasn't this weird copy in the wrong body.

The atmosphere at the table became heavy and quiet. Noir sighed and looked away while Mayday and Parker looked like they wanted to say something to get the conversation going again. Scarlet brushed a hand through her wrist but Jessica shrugged her off. The last thing she wanted was pity. At least with the assholes she could always hate them. She couldn't hate May for being a good person.

"Thanks for the dinner." She had to leave. Had to stop dragging them down. Before they could say anything else she put the napkin on the table and made her way upstairs in a rush. She couldn't breath. All she could see was May's look of pity and then she remembered every other one. Peter, Mary Jane, Kitty. She wished she was more like the Gwen from back home. She was a clone too but everyone treated her like she was the original. She didn't have to live knowing she was wrong.

The cold night air hit her as soon as opened the rooftop door. Jessica stopped at the edge of the building and finally breathed, "Fuck..." She gripped the edge of the low wall and panted. She had panic attacks sometimes. Her S.H.I.E.L.D assigned therapist taught her some breathing exercises, but they didn't really help. Most times it was best if she just didn't talk to anyone about the cloning at all.

Her breathing was almost back to normal when she heard the door open behind her, "Jess...?" Her grip on the edge tightened at the sound of Gwen's voice. The other Spider walked towards her slowly, afraid she'd run if she got too close. Jessica continued to breath in and out and looked ahead as the blonde finally walked up behind her. Gwen wasn't a danger and she shouldn't treat her like one.

"...I'm sorry," Gwen said softly.

"For what?" It came out in a harsher rasp than Jessica intended.

"For the whole thing." She breathed out softly and took up a place on Jessica's right side, "I just...usually you're so cool about the whole you know what that I didn't think you'd..."

"Freak out?" Jessica smiled bitterly, "Yeah, sorry. It's just...seeing May makes it difficult. With Peter I got used to it. There are so many Peters that I just put it at the back of my mind. But with May...I remember her raising me. Remember crying in her arms when Ben died. But those aren't my memories. They're just something Octavius put in my head because someone paid him to."

"May didn't mean to-"

"It's not about what she said!" Jessica snapped, "It's...It's the way she looked at me. That 'oh, this poor girl!' look in her eyes. I hate it. Do you have any idea what it's like, having someone treat you different the second they find out who - what - you are?"

"More than you know." The firmness in Gwen's voice surprised her, "I'm Gwen Stacy. Tell me. how many Spider-Gwen's do you see running around compared to the Peter Parkers?" Jessica didn't say anything, "I've seen dozens and dozens of Peters but other Gwens? I count two. No, every other time I hear about a Gwen she's either the girlfriend, the ex or she's dead because some crazy asshole decided to throw her off a bridge."

"But you know what the worst part is? Those looks. Those Peters who lost their Gwens look at me like I'm some kind of ghost come back to haunt them. Like I'm nothing more than a reminder of the one woman they couldn't save. So yeah, Jess, I know what it's like. Every time I meet a new Peter I wonder if his Gwen's dead and he's gonna look at me with this haunted look in his eyes. Because the spiders always choose Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy is just their tragedy."

"...Does your Peter ever look at you like that?"

"No, he doesn't." It was faint, but she smiled, "It's why it feels right with him. To him Gwen Stacy's just this french exchange student and he doesn't have any tragedy when he looks at me. I just...wish I could say the same." Jessica had heard all about her Peter. Her childhood friend who turned himself into the Lizard because he wanted to be special. One of the few where the spider missed him.

"Does he remind you of the Peter from your home?" Once people found out they always tried to look for similarities. The way they walked, the way she scratched her chin whenever she was frustrated. They came from him.

"Sometimes when he smiles after rattling off some big nerdy thing, but...no. Not really. My Peter was...angry. Bitter. Pete's like...he's like a sunflower if it was human." Jessica had to laugh at that. It was a...unique way to describe someone, "They both love science but they couldn't be more different if they tried. Same way he's not the same as Noir or Peni. They're all unique."

"...I don't belong here," Jessica said eventually, "Everyone else already knew about Parker's deal. I was just there when that Thanos guy attacked and now I'm stuck here." Story of her life. She jumps in with barely a clue to save a world and she ended up trapped in it.

"We're trying to find a way back home. It'll just take some time. But until then we gotta stick together, and that means if you need anything you don't keep it to yourself. Just tell us and we'll help. Spider guarantee."

"Easier said than done. But I'll try."

Gwen looked back slightly, "...You wanna come back? If not it's cool. I'll tell them something came up."

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna split. I can't deal with this now." She sighed, "Just...tell May I'm sorry and that it's not her fault. And that I'll come back again. But right now I need some alone time."

"Alright. Take care of yourself, Jess."

"Yeah...you too."

"You sure you're ready?" Noir looked back to Scarlet. He was investigating a new lead on the Harlem's Paradise crime family and she insisted on coming along. Apparently her tagalong was getting real antsy and she decided his job was as good a chance as any to try and let off some steam.

That and he didn't judge.

"Yeah. Just following your lead." They were dressed in full costume after leaving May Parker's dinner party. Peni and Mayday decided to stay in and have an impromptu sleepover, leaving the two of them alone. None of the others knew what they were doing and it was best they keep it that way. Despite their best efforts there was definitely a split in the group. He, Scarlet and Jessica could get into arguments with Mayday, Stacy and the kid. Peni tended to ping pong depending on what the argument was about.

And they definitely wouldn't have approved of what they were doing now.

This wasn't a job, technically. He'd heard rumblings about the boss of Harlem's Paradise, one Luke Cage. People said he was invincible, but then again they also said he was 10 feet tall with a pecker the size of a minigun so he wasn't sure he believed it. All Noir knew was that all the crime bosses tended to congregate in this place but despite that Harlem was apparently crime-free. An oasis in the desert.

He didn't buy it. Crime bosses kept their backyards clean but there was always something rotten underneath. Just cause people didn't see it didn't mean that it wasn't there.

He and Scarlet were crouched on the edge of the building across the club. Harlem's Paradise shined like a jewel. Lines of people took up the streets while the faint sounds of smooth jazz came from inside. If it wasn't filled to the brim with gangsters he would've been tempted to take a nip inside. It'd been months since he had a decent drink and heard a good chanteuse.

"We going in there or not?" Scarlet asked.

"And what? I was planning to investigate, not start a fight." He didn't really have a reason for it. Cases were drying up and he didn't like the idea of just sitting on his keister not doing anything. Long as they were stuck here he'd try to do some good.

"Seriously? Ugh, if I knew that I wouldn't have come..."

"Wasn't like I invited you. Thought you would've chased after Drew considering."

"Considering what?" The eyes of her mask narrowed. Creepy. Never got why she, Stacy and the Kid did that. The point of a mask was to be unreadable."

"Considering you're both stepping out." She looked confused "Pitching woo?" Still no reaction. He sighed and decided to be more blunt, "You've been sharing a bed and aren't exactly keeping all your clothes on. Get it?"

Scarlet's eyes widened and she coughed, "Y-You saw that?"

"Heard it more like." He had better hearing than most Spiders. Most times it helped, sometimes it didn't, "Not that it's any of my business but I thought you had someone back home?" Couldn't remember if it was a guy or another dame.

"It's more of an open casual kind of thing. Neither of us are built for the whole dating thing." She looked ahead to the club, "And with Jess...it's nothing serious. We agreed before we did anything that we'd cut it off once we found a way back. Till then it's just us 'sharing a bed'." She coughed, "Besides, you really shouldn't judge. Bet a guy like you's had a buddy or two."

"One I wasn't judging, and two I didn't." Felicia didn't count. That was a one night stand and they never did it again.

"Wait...really?" She 'blinked'. Again, disturbing, "Huh, I thought a guy like you'd be a real heartbreaker."

"Sorry to disappoint you." His spider-sense blared. Eyes narrowed, he looked around the crowd and saw shifty looking guy in a baggy coat looked around frantically before he ducked into the nearby alley, "Looks like we might get some action after all." He pointed the guy out to Scarlet.

"Sure it's not just a guy selling ecstasy on the cheap? It is a nightclub."

"Spider-sense wouldn't ring for some drugs. Something's wrong."

"You know I really want that. Be real convenient if I got a warning before someone tries to shoot at me."

They webbed themselves to the opposite rooftop and followed the guy down the alley. It was actually a couple of buildings down from the club itself so there weren't any guards or patrons to see, "This guy's paranoid..." Scarlet said as the guy did another 360 turn for the third time. Whatever he was packing must've been hot, "You sure he's dangerous? I don't wanna clock an innocent guy."

"Spider-sense never led me wrong before."

Eventually the guy stopped and pulled out a phone. He looked down at what looked like a map before he pulled something out of his jacket and set it against the wall, "Is that..." Scarlet trailed off when the guy stuck what was definitely a bomb against the wall.

Noir jumped down and stomped his back, pinning him to the ground while Scarlet ripped the bomb out of the wall. Thankfully it hadn't activated just yet, "You got it?" he asked.

"Yeah." Scarlet gave him a quick thumbs up and examined the casing. She clicked her tongue and tapped the countdown timer, "This is a pretty big yield. As in it would've taken out the next few blocks big."

"Know a lot about bombs, do you?"

"I helped my Gwen out with some stuff. Supervills and terrorists love blowing stuff up."

"I'm guessing the club was his target. Better to plant it here and make the club look like collateral damage."

"Then it's a good thing you both stopped it," a new voice cut in. Both Noir and Scarlet crouched down into battle ready stances as a man strode down the alley towards him. He was big, big enough to make him feel small despite the small height difference, with dark skin and a meticulously groomed suit that looked out of place in such a grungy place.

Luke Cage. The so-called Hero of Harlem turned mob boss.

He stopped when Noir pulled out his gun and aimed it at his chest, "Not another step." The would-be bomber tried to crawl away. Noir stomped the back of his head to knock him out, "We know exactly who you are, Cage."

"Really? Cause I don't know anything about you." His voice was calm, like they were just having a casual conversation. He didn't even look like he noticed the gun, "I do know that I owe you."

"Keep your thanks. We didn't come here to make sure you could keep your place on the table."

"I wouldn't have been as rude, but same," Scarlet said.

"Alright, we don't gotta be friends. That's fine with me." He took another step, "Just leave the guy here and we can pretend we never met."

"Yeah...leave the crazy bomber guy with the crime boss? Doesn't really sound like a good idea." Scarlet scoffed.

"Agreed. How about this: we're taking him with us so we can find out who sent him here. You go back to your club and have a good time, Mr. Cage, and we'll deal with him. No need to thank us." Noir sneered. He hated dealing with crime bosses. A lot of the time it came down to picking the lesser evil. The guy who blinds you in one eye instead of both. If he had his way he wouldn't choose at all.

"That's gonna be a problem. See, I need to make sure no one tries something like this again and I can't do that if you just hide him away in your spiderweb. So, let's make a deal."

"I already told you the deal. Leave him to us and turn around. Last warning."

"And I said I can't do that." They stared at one another for a moment before he let out a slow breath and scowled, "Fine, don't say I didn't warn you."

He charged forward and Noir shot. The bullets cut through the fabric of his suit only to harmlessly fall to the ground, "...Applesauce." He ducked the wide punch while Scarlet jumped to the wall, "Guess they were right about you being invincible." He dodged the next hit and kicked Cage in the cut. It hurt himself more than anything and he stumbled to the ground just before Scarlet jumped at Cage's back and pulled him away.

"I don't wanna fight you!" Cage said. Scarlet jumped off his back and aimed a kick down as she fell. Just like Noir the impact hit back and she hissed as she landed somewhat awkwardly, "Just gimme the guy and we can all walk away from this."

"Can't do that. Sorry." Scarlet shot two lines of blood red webbing to his feet and tugged. Thankfully he wasn't nearly as heavy as they thought and he fell on his back with a loud crash.

"Grab the guy!" Noir shouted. He webbed down Cage's arms, legs and head to keep him from getting up and looked back to Scarlet, "Hurry!" he shouted again. He got the feeling the webs wouldn't hold him down for long.

Sure enough he heard the unmistakable sound of tearing silk by the time he and Scarlet were back on the roof. They didn't stop running and as soon as they were able they broke out into a swing. Far as they knew Mr. Invincible couldn't swing on webs so they were safe.

They stopped when they were far enough away. Noir panted slightly while Scarlet dropped the jittery mook like a sack of potatoes, "Bulletproof guy. That's new." Her mask peeled away to expose her face, "What do we do now?"

"Like I said before, we ask some questions." He crouched in front of the unconscious would-be bomber, "I found an abandoned place a month ago and I've been using it as a safehouse. We can take him there."

"You think we should've let the bulletproof man have him?"

"Not a chance. Crime bosses are more concerned with breaking fingers than actually solving problems."

"Point. Well, we should probably call the others. Bit too late to keep it on the downlow now that we've got a mad bomber on our hands."

"Go ahead. Just be ready for Stacy, Mayday and the kid to start yelling at us."

The end segment went through a big change. In the original plan Noir and Scarlet actually beat Luke by using his need to breath against him and they suffocated him by covering his mouth and nose with webbing till he passed out. I cut it out cause I thought people would call bullshit at them defeating a two time Netflix hero.

He was also supposed to be the one they kidnapped cause they didn't wanna leave him there. I changed it to the bomber so the conflict is more them wanting to solve the bomb attempt their own ways rather than them just not liking each other. Yeah it's still a 'let's you and him' fight, but hopefully an understandable one.

Anyway, next chapter we go back to MCU's POV and meet the rest of the Defenders. Spiders vs Defenders (before they kiss and make up), ho!

Questions:

1. So what do you guys think now that you've seen them? Should we get more POV's from the perspective of the other Spiders or stick to MCU and Gwen?

2. Since we're discussing changes to plot what do you guys think of removing EDITH entirely? Mysterio is still dangerous without it and I have another reason in mind for Beck to target Peter.

Review Answers:

7thManiac - Some people do find them embarrassing. Teenagers mostly; adults tend to be more lax about it.

Star-the-writer - Mysterio fools no one after what happened with 65-Stark.

Dragon Rider 66 - Peni would probably barrage Michelle with questions and unbalance her. As for the Sphere, it was just another drone. She messed up the programming.

Gmac - Uh...Miles moved on from Gwen. He even got a girlfriend. There's no unrequited loved there.

JackTom - Propose? Uh...he's a 17 year old, I'm pretty sure he isn't thinking about marriage. Also, why isn't him staying at her dimension an option? It's not like it's a giant deal considering they can travel different universes with their watches. It's like taking a bus.

mrna prz - Gwen and Mary Jane get along in most media, though?

Cross-Z Magma - Yep, the fancy dinner date is definitely planned.