Spider-Man's perspective:

Patrolling New York City seemed longer and harder lately. When other fathers were going home and seeing their children, Spider-Man's work was still not done. But he had a job to do.

He saw a man holding the case of a video game console in one arm, presumably with the system inside. This man was running from a security guard.

Spider-Man landed behind the apparent shoplifter and used a web line to yank the console away.

"You know," said Spidey. "I've been meaning to get this cool baby!" Although he would not have had much time to play it anymore.

The shoplifter charged Spider-Man, but The Web-Slinger's superior speed won out. His opponent was felled by a punch.

Spider-Man web swung away. Still some more patrolling before he could return home. Eventually, he did. There was MJ and their new baby, Pauline Mary. Or as her parents called her, PM.

"All OK with the baby girl?" asked Spider-Man.

"Yeah," said MJ.

"That's good," said Spider-Man. He had been worried that his own unique physiology might sicken the baby, but so far, so good.

Norman Osborn's perspective:

Norman was in the rec room in Manhattan Psychiatric Center and looking things up on his computer. It seemed that Peter Parker, who he knew to be Spider-Man, had become a father. Just like Norman was. And with this child came vulnerability. The same vulnerability Norman had. It absolutely killed Norman that his son was severely disappointed in him for having gone insane when he took the Goblin Formula.

But just because he was psychotic did not mean that Norman was not smart. The metallic neck brace he was forced to wear outside of his cell with its electrified bars sent paralyzing jolts through his body if he tried to take it off. Except that there were buttons in the back. From how asylum guards had taken it off in the evening, Norman sensed that you had to push the buttons in a specific combination. He believed he had this combination memorized. Sure enough, pushing buttons in this sequence caused the neck brace to open, and fall to the ground.

Norman made a break out of Manhattan Psychiatric Center. His superhuman speed and agility made it easy to elude the guards. Soon enough, he was in civilization again. He smiled. He grinned at the plot for revenge that was forming in his mind.

The poor Wall-Crawler. I am going to make him wish he was dead.

Peter Parker's perspective:

Peter and MJ's eyes popped open in the morning as he heard PM crying in her crib!

"We've gotta get her to the hospital," said MJ frantically.

"You sure?" asked Peter.

"I'm positive," insisted MJ. "Like a lot of mothers, I've developed a sixth sense for our child."

Peter and MJ rushed to the hospital. Dr. Branty did some checking and said, "I don't know how to tell you this... I'm so sorry..."

"She's gonna die," MJ realized.

"If only it were that simple," said Dr. Branty. "Here's the deal. She's afflicted with a virus we've never heard of."

"Can you cure it?" asked Peter.

"We will try," promised Dr. Branty. "But understand that research takes time. Time the little one doesn't have."

Peter, MJ and PM returned home. It had been three weeks since PM had been born. Was she already going to die?

Peter and MJ said nothing for hours before Peter's phone rang. He answered it.

"Hello, Peter," said The Green Goblin, alias of Norman Osborn.

"Don't tell me," said Peter with fury. "You're behind this, Osborn!"

"How did you guess?" asked Green Goblin sarcastically.

"You're taking my child away from me," said Peter. "For being my daughter. Was it just to get me to fight?"

"Pretty much," grinned The Goblin. "But I have a cure. Beat me and it's yours."

"When and where?" asked a determined Peter. After all, this meant that he may have a chance to save his daughter after all.

"Look for me in Yonkers," he said. "I'll lead you to my new home where I keep the cure. You have one hour until I decide to destroy it anyway, so chop-chop!"

Peter looked at MJ. Peter needed to tell her everything. "Good news... possibly. The Green Goblin may be lying, but he said that he has a cure for PM."

"There's that," MJ sighed with relief.

"He's challenged me to a fight," said Peter. "Pretty sure if I don't make it, our daughter still dies."

MJ nodded. "I'm messaging Felicia."

"I don't want any help," said Peter. This was personal.

"But you need it," said MJ. "I can see it in your eyes. You're too emotional. By yourself, you're an easy target."

"All right," said Peter. "You win."

"Don't I always?" asked MJ.

Spider-Man's perspective:

Spider-Man was web swinging towards Yonkers. Since there was not a moment to lose, and The Black Cat lacked super-speed, she held onto and rode Spider-Man.

"So what are you gonna do?" asked Black Cat.

"Get the cure," said Spidey.

"After that," The Black Cat drove her point home.

"I don't know," said Spider-Man.

"I think you're considering killing The Goblin," said The Cat.

"What makes you think that?" asked Spider-Man.

"He tried to murder your baby," said The Black Cat. "I'd think about it too. Don't know if I'd actually do it."

As a matter of fact, Spider-Man had been thinking about doing The Green Goblin in. But could he do it? Green Goblin was utterly insane! How could The Web-Slinger hold him responsible for any crime he had committed, including infecting PM?

But at the same time, he had put her life in danger. This was after kidnapping Peter Parker's close friend, Flash Thompson. Could Spider-Man really take a chance of him escaping Manhattan Psychiatric Center and trying something like this again?

Before he could answer that question, The Web-Slinger had swung into Yonkers and caught a glimpse of The Green Goblin on his Goblin Glider.

"Follow a distance behind," said The Goblin. "Or I won't tell you where the cure is."

So Spider-Man reluctantly followed a safe distance behind. He had to save his daughter. There was nothing he cared about more.

Suddenly, The Green Goblin descended towards the ground. Before he would have crashed, it seemed to open up, like an automatic door, and Green Goblin took this passage underground.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," lamented The Black Cat.

"Don't be trite," joked Spider-Man. But he was nervous himself. They dropped into the passage. The Spider-Sense tingled just before they landed in a large metal container. Obviously, strong metal, or it would not have broken their fall; Spider-Man tried punching through the floor, but hurt his right hand trying.

"Now's a good time for your Cat-Powers," suggested Spidey.

"Yeah," said The Cat. "But they won't work. They bring bad luck to enemies, not good luck to me."

Acid began leaking into the container, threatening to burn Spider-Man and The Black Cat to death! "Don't worry," the voice of the Green Goblin taunted Spidey over a microphone. "I'll make sure your wife and child are well taken care of." Laughter followed.

But that motivated Spider-Man to start punching the ground harder. After a few hits, he managed to break through. He descended, again with The Black Cat holding on.

They hit the ground. They saw a baby bottle filled a green liquid and labeled, "cure."

"No Goblin?" asked The Black Cat.

"My Spider-Sense would be warning me if he were trying to ambush us again," confirmed Spider-Man. But it made no sense. Why give up so easily without even taking the cure, to be used to force Spidey and Black Cat into another trap?

MJ's perspective:

Another of PM's regular cries of pain had commenced. "Aw, PM," MJ said softly. "Daddy's getting medicine for you."

Or he was dead. This was the part MJ hated most about married life: wondering if her husband was dead or alive. And he was thinking with too much anger in his heart to be one hundred percent.

At least The Black Cat was with him. Hopefully, she would keep Spider-Man from losing his mind. Otherwise, both he and PM would die.

Spider-Man's perspective:

The Black Cat was again hanging onto Spider-Man when the Spider-Sense started tingling. Spidey swung out of the way of a Pumpkin Bomb and onto a rooftop. He dodged an electrical blast from The Green Goblin's right glove. The Goblin was reaching into his bag for another Pumpkin Bomb when Black Cat's bad luck power caused the Goblin Glider to behave erratically. Spider-Man took the opportunity to yank The Goblin off his Glider and slam him on the ground! Spidey followed up by webbing up Green Goblin.

"You got me," confessed Green Goblin with a gleeful smile. "Go ahead and make the kill. After all, I tried to kill your daughter. And this was after kidnapping one of your best friends last year."

Spider-Man froze. What was he to do?

"It was around that time that you and Michelle Jones Parker got married, right?" asked The Goblin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Spider-Man.

"You know the psychiatrists can't keep me away from them," laughed The Green Goblin.

"That was a big mistake," said Spider-Man, advancing towards The Goblin.

"Don't," said The Black Cat, aiming her right hand at Spider-Man. He knew that the fur on Black Cat's forearm contained a grappling hook.

"Why?" asked The Web-Slinger.

"You'll live to regret it," promised The Cat.

"I'll regret it even more when he takes the life of someone I care about," said Spider-Man. "PM, MJ, Flash, Aunt May, you."

The Black Cat sighed. "That's a possibility. But you better feel right about this. I was a thief and I'd like to thank you for helping me out of that. I had to constantly fight off pangs of guilt. Not much of a life."

Spider-Man paused. Nonetheless, he said, "No. Even if I can't live with myself, I can't let him one day kill my baby."

The Green Goblin laughed. "This is quite entertaining."

"What of her?" asked The Black Cat. "You've always believed that with great power comes great responsibility. And since she seems to have inherited your powers, she'll probably follow in your footsteps. But she's gonna find out if you killed that creep." The Cat pointed to The Goblin.

"Not to avenge or save someone," The Black Cat continued. "In cold blood because you were afraid of what he might do in the future. PM will look at you in a new light."

That gave Spidey second thoughts. "If I teach her well, she'll hate and try to put me away in my old age. I don't want that to happen." He walked towards The Cat and hugged her.

Suddenly, the Spider-Sense tingled. Spider-Man turned around. The Green Goblin apparently had a hidden blade, because he had cut himself free of the webbing, and held a Pumpkin Bomb in his hand again.

He threw the Bomb. Spider-Man fired a web line at the bomb with which to toss it aside, but instead detonated it, killing The Green Goblin.

"I hope my daughter understands self-defense," said Spider-Man.

"I certainly do, Spider," smiled The Black Cat. "Beats cold blood."

Peter's perspective:

By the next evening, it was clear that the cure had worked on PM. Peter decided that it was time to hit MJ with it: "I feel terrible that I killed The Green Goblin, even in self-defense. I'm glad you had The Black Cat help me."

MJ nodded. "That wasn't the reason."

"Oh?" asked Peter.

"No," said MJ. "He had put our daughter in danger. Didn't want to lose you as well."

"Didn't lose either of us, did you?" asked Peter, kissing MJ on the forehead.