A/N: 06.16.2021

Back again! Here is the third story in the "Compassion" series and the sequel to "Rage & Revenge." I used elements from the "Getting Deep" mission during the "Silver Lining" DLC. Clearly, my timeline is very different, so how will that affect things? Let's see!

The Hardest Fights

With Yuri on temporary leave, she spent all her time at home, recovering mentally from dealing with the Maggia and the overall stress of being a cop. What surprised her was how much Spider-Man had been there for her. Spider-Man called Yuri every day and came by at least three times a week to check on her, often times more. On more than one occasion, she bought food for them. A couple of times, he even brought food to her. She even went so far as to let him into her apartment regularly and not just meet him on the roof. When they met up, they talked about everything; Yuri even went in-depth about her therapy sessions, unprompted most of the time. Spider-Man, despite not being able to use real names or details, talked to her about his days and the events, even mentioning how there could be a second Spider-Man someday.

Despite the oddities, Yuri came to the realization that Spider-Man truly had become one of her best, most trusted friends. It meant the world to her.

It was nearly 1 A.M. and Spider-Man was patrolling the city, searching for any sign of Hammerhead or the Maggia. But ever since Hammerhead escaped police custody after Spider-Man defeated him and saved the other Maggia Dons, Hammerhead had gone surprisingly, yet suspiciously, quiet. Despite no sign of Hammerhead, Sable International weapons and Project Olympus items still came up missing. It was honestly starting to irritate Spider-Man.

His phone rang and he answered, "Hello?"

"Hey," Yuri greeted.

"Hey, Yuri," he replied, relievedly. It was always good to hear her voice. Because it meant she was okay and was willing to talk. He took every conversation and day she rested as a victory.

"What are you doing?"

"Patrolling. Looking for any sign of Hammerhead. Nothing so far."

"Okay," she replied. "Did you eat yet?"

"Hours ago," he replied, swinging around a building. "You?"

"Just leftovers."

"Another repeating chapter in my life. When I have leftovers. That aren't spoiled. Anyway. How'd your day go?"

"Fine," she replied. "I cried during therapy. Again. God, I hate it when that happens!"

"Don't. You need to get it out."

She sighed. "Yeah."

He landed on top of a building. "Look, I'm getting nowhere tonight. Want me to come by?"

"No, no. Go home, get some rest."

"Okay. Tomorrow?"

"You know where to find me," she replied.

"Alright. Good night, Yuri."

"Good night, Spider-Man."

Despite herself, Yuri loved being at home. Home, she was done being a captain. At home, her current attire of flannel pajama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt was the most comfortable clothing in the world and completely acceptable. Sometimes, she had to take work from home, but, the rest of the time, she could shut off the world and just be. This leave she had taken was something she didn't realize she needed until it happened. She got to be home and she didn't have to think about every single time a crime was committed.

Spider-Man was right. She was out of control. She needed to stop. And it was helping.

Yuri had gotten into the practice of going through old boxes she had stacked around the apartment. Going from precinct to precinct, she had moved around the city about four times. This made the routine of unpacking all of her boxes seem like a moot point. She decided to open a few since she had the time. Inside the box she was currently opening was old case files.

Yuri exhaled. She had to ignore those. She wasn't working. By her own choice. Her therapist told her she had to stop being a cop for a while. She exhaled and picked the box up to move it to a closet for now.

When Yuri moved the box, she saw a picture fall out. She set the box down and picked up the picture, staring at the image of Calvin Redman, a supposed suicide victim. But Yuri knew Calvin was murdered by a known Maggia enforcer, Raphael Gabrielli. The official report read Calvin drowned but he was a well-known swimmer, near Olympic-level. Yuri remembered the face of Calvin's family when the news was delivered that no charges would be filed in relation to his death and it was ruled as a suicide. Of all of Calvin's family, Yuri remembered Calvin's mother screaming in anguish; his father's utterly devastated face. Yuri wanted to get Calvin's family justice. She failed.

Yuri sat on the couch, set the picture on the coffee table, and stared at it. Her rage started to come back and she started shaking. Her muscles tightened and she wanted to hit something. Or go out and do something extremely illegal. She knew where Gabrielli liked to hang out, where he was known to frequent. She could find him easily.

But she had to breathe and let the rage pass over her. This was always the hardest to do. But it was a necessary action she needed to take. It was the best and safest way to process the anger. Even drinking to cope was something her therapist didn't encourage, which Yuri admitted was fair. Intoxicated, she was liable to do a lot of things she would regret later. She kept breathing; it took her a few minutes, but she managed to calm down.

This was part of her therapy that she hated the most: accepting that she couldn't solve every case, especially a Maggia case. She knew how dangerous the Maggia were and how easily they could ruin lives. But she couldn't do anything in some cases. Some people wouldn't get justice. And she hated that. But she couldn't do anything to change it and she had to accept it.

She heard tapping at her window. She looked to see Spider-Man waving at her. Feeling more relaxed immediately, she smiled, walked over, and opened the window.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Good day, Captain," he replied.

She laughed, "Come on in."

"Thanks." He hopped in the window, closing it behind him.

"So, I heard about the Maggia hitting another Oscorp facility. And Silver Sable is back."

He took a deep breath and exhaled, "Yeah."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I'd feel better if Sable wasn't trying to kill me again."

"Let me guess," Yuri said, "she's mad Hammerhead is using her tech?"

"You guys Facebook friends?" Spider-Man asked.

"No. But I can't imagine seeing her weapons used all over New York by the Maggia put her in a relaxed state of mind."

"And how. Can't say I blame her though. Hammerhead's crossed the line more than usual. It's gonna come to a head. I gotta stop him and help her." He thought for a second. "Reverse how I ordered that last sentence. Makes more sense."

"Sounds like you and her are friends," Yuri noticed.

"I like to think so," Spider-Man shrugged. "I mean, she's shot at me, threatened me, attempted to kill me on numerous occasions, blamed me for everything going wrong around her… all I need to do is miss a dinner with her and she'll be another ex-girlfriend."

Yuri laughed. "Are your friendships really that bad? I think you exaggerate sometimes."

"You've shot at me before."

"Oh, that was one time! And we'd just met!"

"Semantics."

Yuri paused. "You've never missed a dinner with me."

"Give it time," Spider-Man replied.

She rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen to a couple of bottles of water.

Spider-Man looked around, seeing boxes open. "Moving?"

"Unpacking," she replied.

"How long have you lived in this apartment?"

"A year. And shut up."

Spider-Man put his hands up, briefly, in defense then noticed something on the coffee table. "What's this?" He picked up the picture.

Yuri walked back in, holding the water bottles. Once she saw he was holding Calvin's picture, her eyes widened. "Oh. Uhhh… it… it-it's nothing."

He looked at her, suspiciously. "That didn't sound like nothing."

"It's nothing. Just… it's an old case."

Spider-Man looked back at the picture. The more he stared at it, the more it looked familiar. Until it finally clicked. "Calvin Redman."

Yuri felt her mouth and throat dry up.

The details of the news report came back to Spider-Man. He looked at Yuri and exhaled in sorrow. "It wasn't a suicide. Was it?"

She paused. Then she shook her head.

Spider-Man looked at the picture again. A feeling of determination came over him. "What information do you have on this?"

"What?"

He looked at her, "Give me any information you have. I'll look into this."

Yuri wanted to give him the information. She wanted to trust he could get justice. But she'd seen Gabrielli get away with it, time and time again.

"No," Yuri said, shaking her head.

"'No'?" Spider-Man asked.

She set the bottles down, "No. No, this… this isn't a case you can handle, Spider-Man. This guy… he's untouchable."

"I can tell you think so. You won't even tell me his name."

"Believe me. You can't handle this one."

"Yes, I can. Let me have the info, Yuri. And trust me. I'll get this guy."

"No," she repeated. "No, no. I don't… I don't want to get my hopes up with this."

"I get that," he replied. "But I won't fail you this time."

He was so sincere, so earnest. It was giving her hope. And that was terrifying her.

"Please," Yuri said, sadly. "Please, stop. Don't. Not with this one. This one… I can't see it fall through again. It… it's one of my triggers. I admit it. This guy… he gets away with it. Time and time again! He's the embodiment of the Maggia. He kills! He ruins lives!" She started shaking again, "Just… knowing what he's done… how gets away with it!" She gritted her teeth, "Every time!" She exhaled, turning her back to Spider-Man. She took a few deep breaths, calming down. She turned back toward him. "Just… don't." She looked down at the floor, "I… I can't take it if…"

Spider-Man walked up to her and pleaded, softly, "Yuri, look at me."

She looked up at him.

"I let you down. I failed you… too many times. And I am so sorry for that. Because of my failures… you almost lost it and went down a dark road. That's my fault. You count on me and I let you down. I can beat supervillains but a crime boss outsmarted me? There's no excuse for that. I've been trying to figure out every way I could try and put some things right. Let me start with this. I promise on my aunt's memory… I am not gonna fail you again! I'm gonna get this guy."

She stared at him, "You don't have to make me a promise like that. I know how much your aunt meant to you."

"Helps keep me focused," he admitted. "And if I make that promise… you know I'm serious."

"That does help, I can't lie." She paused for a moment. "What about Silver Sable and Hammerhead?"

He smiled. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew he was smiling.

"How quickly we forget!" he said. "I'm a master of multitasking."

She scoffed. "Well… if nothing else… you are that."

"What's his name?"

She stared at him but finally relented, "Gabrielli. Raphael Gabrielli. They call him…"

"'Ralphie the Runner.' I've heard of him. Give me everything you've got on him."

"I… have a few friends in the force. Most of them like you."

"As they should!" Spider-Man declared.

Yuri laughed. "They'll get you copies on the rest of Gabrielli's cases. I'll make some calls and have someone meet you."

"Sounds good." He headed for the window.

"Spider-Man?"

He looked at her.

"Thank you," she said, quietly.

"I haven't caught the guy yet. Wait until I do."

Later, after getting the files from a different precinct than Yuri's old one, Spider-Man began skimming the files on Gabrielli. He was suspected in over a half dozen murders, most of which were eventually ruled as suicides.

Spider-Man shook his head as he scanned through another file. "No wonder Yuri's obsessed," he said to himself. "The number of crimes this guy got away with would drive anyone crazy. I'm getting pissed and I'm just reading these." Gabrielli was careful, meticulous, and that made Spider-Man all the more curious as to how he had gotten away with everything.

Spider-Man called Mary Jane to help dig into Gabrielli while he kept on the trail of Hammerhead and shutting down his operations. After a couple of hours, MJ called Spider-Man back with Gabrielli's address and a rumor of a luxury loft he visited on a regular. MJ determined Gabrielli's listed address was a front while the loft was his actual residence.

That night, after rescuing Sable from being tortured by Hammerhead's men and defeating a large group of them, Spider-Man followed up on the Gabrielli side of things, since Sable needed time for whatever plan she had for Hammerhead. Spider-Man crawled into Gabrielli's loft and had a look around. He investigated the loft, scanning each room as he went. He came to a study and scanning it revealed a vault hidden behind a bookshelf. He moved the books, cracked the safe, opened it up, and found a series of folders with names and dates.

Even pictures of the victims and the crime scenes before the police investigated and audio recordings of Gabrielli's conversations with Hammerhead.

"Oh, God," Spider-Man whispered. "Gabrielli must've kept these in order to prove to Hammerhead he did the jobs and they weren't just suicides. And to protect himself in case Hammerhead ever turned on him. Smart, if risky." He also found the name and address of a morgue. "The Maggia must have a doctor in the morgue." He took pictures of all the evidence then put the files back. He even took pictures of the safe and its location. He would leak the information and give the police a reason to investigate. He looked on the desk and saw another name.

Mindy Ford. There was an address and a time.

"Another hit!" Spider-Man rushed out of the loft, "If I hurry… I can make it!"

He had to race across town, but he managed to arrive in time to save Mindy and capture Gabrielli. Mindy was a former store clerk who witnessed Gabrielli murder a rival Maggia member outside her store as she was closing. Gabrielli was easy to take down as, thankfully, he went after Mindy alone. After tying up Gabrielli and alerting the police, Spider-Man stuck around until the police arrived, making sure no more Maggia came for Mindy. While perched on a light post, Spider-Man was about to leave when he noticed a cab stop near the scene and he saw Yuri exit.

As Yuri witnessed Gabrielli being loaded into the back of a squad car, she smiled and let out a sigh of relief. When Spider-Man saw the relief on Yuri's face, he found himself breathing a little easier as well.

They looked at each other. Spider-Man nodded and Yuri gave him a warm, grateful smile. Spider-Man swung away, Yuri gazing out of him until he was out of sight.

Spider-Man called MJ back, sending her the information he collected by Gabrielli's loft, and the Bugle leaked the information. This and Mindy's testimony was enough for the police to place Gabrielli under arrest on a multiple of charges. What would stick in court was a coin toss, but there was no way for him to escape some kind of conviction.

Gabrielli was finished.

The following morning, Yuri called Spider-Man, asking him to stop by as soon as she could. Just before 9 AM, Spider-Man was back at Yuri's apartment, finding her window already open. He went inside, finding her pacing and fidgeting. She looked at him, with tears in her eyes.

Spider-Man immediately started to worry. "Hey, what's…"

Yuri ran at him and hugged him with all she had.

Spider-Man stood, shocked. She had hugged him before but never like this. "Yuri?"

"They got him," she whispered.

He exhaled in relief. "Oh! That!"

"After he went after that woman and the information from the Bugle, they had enough for a warrant and to charge Gabrielli. They got him!" She breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Spider-Man harder. "They… finally got him. They said his lawyer is even looking to plead him out."

"Yeah, I heard."

"You did it. You got him."

"It was a team effort," he admitted.

"You kept your promise," she reminded.

He hugged her back. "I told you… I was done letting you down, Yuri. I did that enough already."

"No, you didn't. That's… something I was absolutely wrong about. I let… the few times you weren't perfect… erase all the times you saved everyone. You've been through hell. And you keep fighting. You had to deal with me… and you keep fighting. I blamed you for failing… when you didn't give up." She squeezed her eyes shut as tears fell. "I… wanted to put my failures on you. It's not your fault my officers died. It's not your fault Hammerhead or the Maggia are still around. You're… doing the best you can. And I still wanted it to be your fault."

"You didn't blame me," Spider-Man reminded. "Not after I stopped from going to the Bar."

"But I did before that," Yuri admitted. "That wasn't right to ever blame you. But I did. I wanted it all to be your fault. I wanted to shift the blame. Because it was easier for me… to blame you for everything going wrong. Including all the mistakes I was going to make. I almost lost it… and wanted to blame you for that." She looked up at him. "I'm so sorry for putting that on you."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I am so…" She felt tears coming to her eyes again. "Spider-Man… I am so sorry!"

"It's really okay, Yuri," Spider-Man reassured. "You've had to deal with a lot."

"And you haven't?"

"Not the same way you have. I'm serious, Yuri. I'm just really glad I've been able to be there for you."

"Me, too."

They stared at each other in silence. In some ways, they knew this was a bad idea; they were too close and he should leave. In other ways, neither wanted this to end.

A call came through on Spider-Man's phone.

"Uhh," Spider-Man said, "one sec."

"Oh, sure!" Yuri moved her arms from around him. "G-Go ahead."

Spider-Man regretted it a little that Yuri broke the hug. But it was necessary, for both of them. He answered the call, "Sable?"

"I'm ready," Sable said. "Meet at my base."

"On my way. By the way, I've been meaning to ask: how do you have a base in the city I don't know about?"

Sable ended the call.

"Yup. Should've expected that."

"She hung up on you, didn't she?" Yuri smiled.

"I have that effect on people," Spider-Man shrugged. "I'm used to it." He gazed at her. "Duty calls."

"Of course," Yuri smiled. "The job's not done yet."

"But Hammerhead almost is. We're taking him down, Yuri."

"I believe it. I believe you." She studied him. "Be careful. Please?"

"That promise I can't make," he admitted. "I gotta do what I gotta do."

"I get it. Go. Go be a hero, Spider-Man."

"I'll do my best."

"You always do."

He jumped out of the window and swung off.

As Yuri watched him swing away, she couldn't help but have one thought go through her mind. Spider-Man had the same thought.

It was a thought they had been lingering in the back of both of their minds for a while.

Today just cemented it, once and for all.

There was more between them than friendship.

A/N: So, what did you think? Please, give me your thoughts! I have one more one-shot planned and it should be up by Friday, if not sooner. Thank you all and see you soon!