answers to reviewers questions or statements:
K.H. Grimoire: It's Ninja Assassin but I see your point.
Harbinger of Kaos: Logan will be about it in that regard. The rest of the people from Peter's past will be made under less than hospitable circumstances.
MCRasengan: Wade will appear.
Omni-Creator Kami of Anime: Considering every powerup you've mentioned in the past is almost always some universal reality warping thing or almost every mutant power imaginable, I doubt that. Besides, I already have something in mind for Peter that'll make him a hell of a lot more effective and still keep in line with the plot. Deadly as Jade is, she's still a non augmented human where's this Peter has a more willingness to kill or maim his opponents, plus add in the fact he's suffering from a mental illness or two and you have a terrifying individual. She'd have to hit him with everything she has and than some to have a chance of landing a hit. How is she gonna get a lesson considering he's not getting involved unless Laura ends up dead and Talia had a intentional hand in it?
DarkDevilKnight: He wasn't as crazy back than and whose to say that the woman wasn't a bit unhinged herself?
Nomad98: Yes, it is. Yes Peter's ex will appear in this.
gontheone: Talia's relationship with Batman at this point in time is complicated. She still loves him, but it's not to the same degree it used to be if that makes any sense, and Peter, well that's a whole other issue altogether.
crocojack7890: Sabretooth will, can't have the Wolverine without him, and the Hand will because of Elektra.
CRUDEN: Nah the Gala is something he'll have to suffer through in reality.
Guest: Leviathan's goals will be a little different, but mainly because Talia isn't creating it as some sort of counter to Batman Inc, or to spite her father or because she wants to rule thee world or something. For now it's made to combat her sister and Cain and the other factions that've turned on her. Deadpool will appear at some point.
DCMarvelfan2K20: Yes, he'll make a few more appearances in this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel or DC character seen, mentioned or used.
Peter hated crowds... simple fact.
He hated being around more than three or four people at any time, especially if they were all armed. He hated it even more when most of the people around him weren't exactly friends and would have no issue what so ever trying to either main or kill him if given the chance, it made being part of the League of Shadows an almost even worse Hell than the Pt on some days because of that. Peter wasn't sure exactly when he started to hate being around groups of people but he was willing to bet it was the day that he helped Talia escaped from the Pit when the rest of the prison's inmates realized that Talia wasn't a small boy but rather a maturing young girl that had just had her first bleeding. The inmates, men who haven't been with a woman in any shape or form for decades, weren't very happy with Peter when he helped her escape at the cost of his own freedom...
And they spent the next three years making sure Peter knew that.
"What do you think this is all about?" Laura asked as she and Peter stood off to one side of the room and watch as another three men entered, bringing the space's population up to a even thirty.
She was dressed in her suit, like Peter was in his, her cowl pulled up and covering her face while Peter left his mask sit just above his nose so he could comfortably drink his lunch.
"Staff meeting maybe?" Peter guessed as he watch Psylocke and Silencer speak to a large man with a pony tail and dressed in all black by the name of Creote.
The large man had arrived with another man, long blonde hair and a similar attire of black leather like material mixed with Kevlar. He heard the man was named Savant and he was apparently a really good blackmailer and he's been instrumental in helping Talia set up her operations in Gotham. In return, all the man asked for was protection from the inevitable fallout from when some of his 'contacts' had enough being blackmailed and decide to take their chances and kill him.
Considering who some of those people are, Peter couldn't blame him for asking Talia al Ghul for protection.
'Than again, not many people can keep the likes of Amanda Waller at bay' Peter thought with a snort as he looked around the room while trying to ignore the urge to start dropping people left and right for being within ten feet of him.
Some of them Peter recognized as Shadows from back when he was still a part of the League, they seemed content to give Peter a wide berth and he was content with staying away from him. Even though no one's come outright and said it, Peter knew Talia's decision to bring him back into the League, or what was left of it under her command, wasn't exactly popular. Many of these men and women borderline worshipped Ra's and probably still do and likely saw Talia's revocation of his excommunication as a sign of betrayal to their late master.
'Best keep an eye on some of them' Peter thought before his gaze flickered towards Psylocke 'Never know which of them might be playing for the other teams'
He still hadn't voiced his concerns to Talia about how Matthew Hagen was able to track them through the woods, hell he hadn't even told Talia that he saw the man. Part of it was pettiness on his part, he never forgave the man for swooping in and taking Peter's place as... as being close to Talia. But he also didn't want to risk tipping off Psylocke that her mistress was now suspicious of her. Peter was willing to consider that perhaps Matthew had some sort of psionic device to mask him from the telepath and Peter making accusations and discord in Talia's ranks may have been the man's goal all along...
Or it might risk forcing Psylocke's hand and Peter wasn't entirely confident he could beat her, not now anyway. He may be fast, and strong, but those kinds of things tended to not matter when your entire body can be frozen in place with either a telepathic suggestion or a telekinetic grip.
And that was before he even got into mind reading and manipulation.
'Best wait and see. I'm probably just misreading this whole thing' Peter thought before he noticed Laura was looking at Natalia with a certain look he's caught her looking at him with from time to time.
"Guess it's genetic" Peter said in a low voice, but loud enough for Laura to hear.
Even though half of Laura's face was covered, he could tell by the shape of her mouth that she was frowning as she turned towards him "What?"
Peter nodded towards Natalia as she spoke with Creote "Red heads"
Laura looked even more confused before a look of understanding crossed the features of her face that were visible and she growled.
"Oh shut up!"
Peter chuckled at this before wincing as Laura smacked him in the arm "Okay, okay... ow"
Several more minutes passed as more and more men and women appeared before Talia herself emerged. Everyone stopped talking as the Demon's Daughter, flanked by both Cheshire in her full assassin's garb sans the mask and her lawyer Maki Matsumoto silently made their way to the large table that was set up for the meeting. Talia stooped briefly to glance at Peter before nodding and taking her seat and loudly clearing her voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd please take your seats, we have much to discuss" Talia proclaimed before watching in silent amusement as her people scrambled to take their seats. Once everyone was seated, Talia nodded in satisfaction before turning towards Maki "Is the room secured Maki? I'd hate to find out that the Batman had somehow slipped a bug in here"
"It's secured Talia-sama" Maki said with a small bow "I personally saw to that"
"Excellent" Talia said with a nod before she turned towards the people before her and her face grew cold "As you all know, the League of Shadows has splintered. The empire that my father built, to change and save humanity and the world from itself, reduced to a few struggling businesses that I had set up to fund our endeavors. Our army which once numbered in the thousands now barely tops at a hundred while my traitorous bitch of a sister has men and women in the thousands, maybe tens of thousands and Cain is supplying his forces with what he believes are the 'next step in assassination'. And this isn't including the hundreds that abandoned us all in entirely..."
Talia paused and stared at each and every face that sat at the table with her with cold narrowed eyes.
"I am here to tell you that the Demon has and will endure through me. The vision that my father had for this world will come to fruition from my efforts, even if I have to drag the billions of ungrateful curs that inhabit this world into it by their hair!"
'Now there's an attractive image' Peter thought with a silent chuckle as he watched the meeting unfold in total silence.
He noticed that Natalia, Silencer and Psylocke had set up around the table, just so that they were in eye view of just about everyone present. Peter and Laura stood farther back along the wall, the shadows of the room partially concealing them from most. Peter knew wat they were, they were a show of force to some of the people here on Talia's part, to remind them who will be coming for them should they either fail miserably or think to cross her. Most of them kept glancing at the likes of Talia's guard and her lawyer oddly enough, but the only ones to glance in Peter's direction were the former Shadows.
It also didn't escape Peter's eye, that they all sat at the table in a way so that he was in their line of sight.
'Guess they know the real threat here' Peter thought as Talia continued to explain her plans for Gotham.
"We know that Cain is being supplied manpower through a series of shipments overseen by the Black Mask who in turn receives said men and women from a man that is simply know as 'The Preacher'" Talia said as she gestured for Maki to hand out the files she had in her hands "We have yet to identify who this 'Preacher' is and where exactly Black Mask is shipping most of these people through and to where. Which is why Savant and his partner Creote will be working with Widow in finding both"
"We will not fail Lady al Ghul" Savant said with a nod while Creote remained silent.
"You never have Savant" Talia said with a thankful smile before her gaze hardened as she addressed the rest of her assembled staff "I also wish to make the chain of command here clear. I am in command, but when I am otherwise engaged-" Talia nodded towards Peter who in turn waved when everyone looked at him "-Mister Parker here will be acting in my stead. Treat him as you would me, assume his command is my command"
A few of the Shadows that have been with Talia since her days under her father's command looked less than pleased by this while a number of the men and women present eyed Peter with suspicion. To many he was an unknown newcomer that knew next to noting about and were likely insulted that he had usurped them of whatever imaginary position they thought they had in her organization.
'But they will learn soon' Talia thought with a grin as she sat back in her seat and stared at them all with calculating eyes before they darkened in grim amusement 'And they may even come to seem me as the merciful one once my friend's ferocity is shown'
Peter tried not to fidget under the silent stares he was receiving from Talia's people, if there's one thing he hated more than crowds, it was crowds that looked at him all silently.
It was like being back with the League.
"Now that the hierarchy has been established, it is time to move on to why your all really here" Talia said, drawing everyone's attention back to herself "Today marks the beginning of the League of Shadows end and the rise of it's successor. Hence forth, we shall be know as... Leviathan!"
Her declaration was met with grim silence, some in understanding, some in acceptance, and some in seething ranger at what they believed was Talia disregarding the heritage of the League of Shadows. The grim silence was blissfully broken by Peter as he struggled to hold back a laugh and tried to cover it up by clearing his throat. Talia turned her attention to the man and raised a brow.
"Is there something you'd like to say Mister Parker?" she asked in a challenging tone.
"No, no, no" Peter said with a shake of his head "Really, I'm good"
"Your attempts to hide your amusement say otherwise" Talia said as she folded her arms across her chest "Don't be shy Mister Parker, I'd love to hear the joke that had you break your silence up until now"
"It's nothing" Peter said with a shrug "Just..."
"Just what?" Talia asked, her patience starting to wear thin.
"I mean... Leviathan?" Peter said as he reached up to rub the back of his head before he caught himself and cleared his throat "Doesn't that seem a little... corny?"
"What's corny about it?!" Talia asked with confusion.
"I don't know, it just is, to me at least" Peter admitted "I mean can you imagine fighting a guy and he asks you who you work for? It'd be like 'I work for... Leviathan' or something. How the heck am I supposed to say that with a straight face? Couldn't we've gone with Behemoth? That actually sounds cooler and less cliché sounding"
"We thought of it, but that was already taken by Nyssa" Widow remarked in a tone so dry that a desert seemed like a ocean in comparison.
"I was being rhetorical!" Peter scowled at the red head.
"I like it" Laura said with a small shrug.
"Of course you would side with the red head" Peter mumbled, causing the woman to glare at him with annoyance.
"I'm sorry, but what's that supposed to mean?" she snarled.
"MOVING. ON!" Talia said in a raised voice, cutting off any rebuke that Peter may have had for Laura and drawing everyone's attention back to herself "Later this evening I will be meeting with a man that I'm planning to replace the Black Mask with..."
As Talia began to explain her plans for the evening, Peter took this time to analyze the people Talia has trusted to help her wage her war against Nyssa, Cain and whoever was dumb enough to take her on...
And hoped he didn't have to... remove them, anytime soon.
...
These galas, Peter's noticed, tended to have a similar theme going for them.
Rich people meet, they socialize, scandalize, threaten and pretend to like one another while trying to find new ways to get even more money than they already have. Peter never understood the reasoning, money wasn't gonna exactly follow you into the afterlife once you bit it, at least far as he knew. Though he supposed that was the runt in the Pit in him, the kid that thought having a blanket big enough to actually cover his whole body for a night was the greatest thing in the world, that having two slices of very thin bread to go with the malnourished rat he caught and cooked to a tolerable level was practically a feast.
"You know, if there's one thing I'm thankful to your father for, it was that he never brought me to these kinds of things" Peter said as he and Talia sat in a car, waiting in line for their vehicle to be driven up to the drop off point several hours after the first official meeting of 'Leviathan'.
"I rather enjoyed them myself whenever he brought me along" Talia said as she examined her appearance in a small mirror in her hand.
She was breathtaking, there was no denying that in Peter's opinion. Her snow white dress, fitted with small diamonds that made her shine like a star in the light completely covered her body. No plunging neckline, no excessive amounts of skin displayed, just a thin material that teased the beauty she hid underneath, a pair of diamond ear rings, dark red lipstick, and a bit of blush to make Talia al Ghul possibly the most beautiful woman in the city that night.
"What's there to like about these things?" Peter asked as he tore his gaze away from the mansion that was hosting this party and regarded the woman sitting next to him "It's a bunch of rich guys, half of which I'm certain should be either in a dark, dank cell somewhere or being escorted to either a firing line or chair"
"Interacting with these people, watching them, talking to them, manipulating them, it's like a game" Talia said as she set her mirror down and turned her gaze towards Peter and admired his suit for the evening, he filled it out quite well in her opinion "There's just something thrilling about taking these supposedly powerful men and women and having them dance to whatever tune I fashion. A word in one ear, a misunderstanding accidently overheard by another and you can either ruin a enterprise or birth a movement"
"I just don't like the back handed comments and insults" Peter said with a shake f his head "Say what you need to say or don't bother at all"
"Poetic, if a bit naïve my friend" Talia said as their car reached the drop off and a valet moved to open the door for Peter and herself.
"I was thinking old fashion myself" Peter said as he stepped out of the car and offered his hand to Talia.
"Perhaps" Talia said as she climbed out of the car and slipped her arm through Peter's and gazed around at the various photographers that were taking various pictures of her, Peter and the dozens of others of Gotham's elite "Do try and behave would you? We won't be the only people here tonight with an agenda"
"Cain?" Peter asked with a frown as he and Talia slowly made their way up the stairs to the mansion's main entrance "Or Nyssa? Someone else?"
Talia's gaze drifted over the crowd until it settled on a man with blue eyes staring right at her with an intensity to rival her late father's...
"Someone else" Talia said as she held the man's gaze for a moment before turning away and giving Peter a warm smile "But do not worry, they won't be a problem"
"I'll believe it when I see it" Peter said with a eye roll as he and Talia entered what he thinks is the main ball room for the gala.
There was plenty of men and women dressed in clothing that he swore were almost as much as the jewelry Talia was wearing. A lot of them, the men mostly Peter noticed, were openly staring at Talia in a way that caused Peter's blood to boil while the few women who could bother to spare a glance at Talia were seething in jealously at the attention she was receiving over them.
It also didn't help it was a crowd...
"I feel like the most hated and envious man in the room at the moment" Peter said as he and Talia slowly made their way through the crowd and towards the dance floor.
"What's there to hate and be envious of?" Talia sked with a grin that told Peter she knew why, she wasn't blind to the looks of envy or jealousy Peter and even herself were receiving, though in her case it was mainly jealousy.
"Maybe I should've come to this thing with Honor instead" Peter contemplated with a hum.
"She hates these things more than you do it seems" Talia said with a sigh of false disappointment before a sudden commotion at the entrance drew her and Peter's attention.
It was Bruce Wayne, even Peter knew who the guy was despite his isolationist life for the better part of a decade. And on each arm was some kind of super model, one blonde and in a blue dress that was so revealing that he couldn't help but feel ashamed on behalf of whoever her father was while the other woman was dark haired and had more jewelry on her than a jewelry store.
"He tries to hard sometimes" Talia muttered as her eyes narrowed at the sight of the playboy.
"Huh?" Peter said as he glanced at Talia with confusion "Who does? At what?"
"The Detective" Talia nodded towards Bruce Wayne as he, with that 'charming' playboy grin of his, and his dates flowed into the ballroom, becoming the newest attraction to the various Gothamite elitists.
"Detective?" Peter said with even more confusion than before as he turned back to Bruce Wayne "He's a cop? Since when?"
Talia loudly inhaled and exhaled before answering "He's the caped crusader..."
"Still not following. That his YouTube name or something?" Peter asked as he tried to think of all the social networking sites that he knew Wayne was on.
"...He's the Batman" Talia said with a deadpanned look on her face "The Dark Knight. The man that my father saw as a heir to his empire and even a equal to some degree"
"Ohhhh..." Peter sounded with a blink before he glanced at Bruce Wayne to see the man and his dates laugh at something said to them "Huh, I thought he'd be... broodier looking. I mean the few times I saw him on the news he looked as happy as a whale on land"
"It's a act, what he's doing now" Talia said as she and Peter watched Bruce and his dates glide through the crowd "It's meant to convince others that he's not the Batman. That he's not some emotionally constipated bastard that wouldn't no what real genuine love or happiness would feel like if it was vital in helping him root out the evil of this cesspool of a-"
"I think I get it" Peter said with a cough as he suddenly found standing next to Talia to be as uncomfortable as walking on floor of glass, barbed wire and lemon juice "He acts all playboy-ish to hide the fact he's secretly a guy that dresses up as a bat and beats the crap out of the mentally ill, poverty stricken, outcast denizens of this city"
"He must be here because of us, or more accurately, me" Talia said as she watched Bruce slowly begin to make his way towards her and Peter "He wouldn't come to this gala unless he knew I'd be here"
"Why would you say that?" Peter asked with a frown.
"Because he's already attended several parties this week alone and this one has no actual purpose to it. It's just some of Gotham's elite getting together to party because they can" Talia revealed with a sigh "Him being here will complicate things"
"Well... if he's the Batman, and you don't want him interfering with your plans, why not just kill him?" Peter asked with a confused look on his face "I mean, just have a guy with a rifle camp outside his office, wait for him to either walk out or arrive and boom, blow his head off"
"It's complicated" Talia said with a shake of her head.
"What, does he have some kind of forcefield around him?" Peter asked as he spared another look at the man to see him getting closer.
"No" Talia said with another shake of her head "Though given what he's made in the past and the resources he has access to, it's a wonder that he doesn't"
"Is he super durable? Like Superman or something?" Peter pressed with slowly growing urgency in his voice as the man was getting closer and closer with his gaggle of models and ass kissers.
"No" Talia said as she pulled Peter towards the dance floor as another song began to play and she quickly placed Peter's hands on her and her's on him before she began to lead him through the dance,
"Can sense danger and avoid it like I can but not like I can?" Peter asked as he struggled to watch his feet and keep his eye on Wayne when he could.
"Not really" Talia said.
"Has one hell of a healing factor?"
"Nope"
"Than what's the problem?" Peter asked with a frustrated expression as he twirled Talia in a circle before bringing her close with a bit more force than needed "Hell, just put a bomb under his car and blow it sky high when he gets in it!"
"He's the f-... he's one of the founders of the Justice League and has a number of connections to various other heroes in the world" Talia revealed with a glare of annoyance aimed at Peter "And all of them will come crashing down on us... unless, I find a way to mitigate that for when the time comes"
It's something that Talia has been considering for a long time now. She knew in the long run that Bruce and his ilk would grow to become a far greater threat to Leviathan than Nyssa or Cain ever will, even if they were willing to go places that the 'Heroes' weren't. Assassination had come up a number of times, along with blackmail, bribery and even outright mind control but the risk far outweighed the benefits far as she could see.
"Well... if you need help..." Peter trailed off with a small shrug "I'm sure I can help think of something. Could fill a small capsule with my acidic like digestive fluids, concentrated like no one's business, and shoot him with it or something"
"I'll keep that in mind" Talia said with a nod.
"So, our meeting with your Manfred guy-"
"It's not his name" Talia corrected with a smirk "And he's already left. When we started to dance, it was the signal we agreed on for him to leave if I didn't find him first. We can't risk the Batman knowing he's about to make a power play with our help, not yet anyway"
"So glad you dressed me up in this monkey suit for no reason in the end" Peter said with a shake of his head and a sigh to match "I just love these kinds of wasted missions"
"I'll make it up to you later" Talia said with a scoff.
"I'm sure you will" Peter remarked dryly before he winced as Talia stepped on his foot "Ow!"
"I'm sorry" Talia said though the look in her eye clearly said she meant otherwise.
Peter shook his head in amusement as they continued the waltz. For the most part Peter let Talia lead him, a not so subtle attempt at revenge for dragging him to this thing. It was petty, unbecoming of a man of his age and experience and Peter absolutely did not care in the slightest. In fact, he loved it because he got to see Talia al Ghul scowl at him as she struggled to lead him through the proper movements of the waltz in subtle ways as to not draw attention to themselves.
It also gave time for Peter to examine Talia more closely, to appreciate how she smelled, strawberries he noticed, and how the eye shadow brought out the green in her eyes. They didn't have the same kind of coldness in them whenever he saw her speaking to one of her subordinates or Laura, or really anyone that wasn't him. He tired to not look into it too much, the last thing he wanted to do was risk getting his hopes up after all these years, but looking into her eyes, seeing that warmth, how it seemed reserved for him and him alone... it got a man thinking a little.
"Stop that" Talia said suddenly with a frown.
"Stop what?" Peter asked curiously.
"Looking at me like that" Talia said in a quiet voice that was barely audible over the sound of the music and conversations happening between her dancers and the crowd beyond.
"I'm still not following" Peter said with growing confusion, far as he knew, he wasn't looking at Talia funny. Sure he was focused on her face for a while, loving how the light reflected off her olive colored skin, how her hair seemed to shine-
"That look in your eye" Talia said with a sigh as she adverted her gaze "Your looking at me like-"
"Your the most beautiful woman in the room?" Peter finished with a small smile before he shrugged "That might be a tad bit difficult given that you are"
"You know fully well that I am not" Talia said with a tired grin.
"How so?" Peter asked as he spared a quick glance at the other couples in the room "Lot people here seem to notice"
"I'm not talking about my physical appearance and you and I both know it Peter. I've spilled and been covered in more blood than my body's produced naturally over my entire life" Talia stated with a frown "And I've ordered the deaths and killed more men and woman than I've strands of hair on my head. What part of that says 'I'm beautiful'?"
"Don't know really" Peter said with a shrug "Maybe I just have a warp sense of what's beautiful and what's not. Maybe I really don't focus too much on the physical aspects as much as you think. Maybe I also remember you taught me how to read and write. Or how you were there with me practically ever second of my recovery after you and your dad pulled me out of that hole and never once let me feel I should've stayed down there and died..."
Talia looked up at Peter, her eyes slightly wide "Peter-"
"Or you've had Psylocke place some sort of powerful telepathic suggestion on me to only ever see the good in you" Peter finished with a thoughtful look on his face before he broke out into a mischievous smile "Yeah, that has to be it. No other explanation"
"Your an ass" Talia muttered as she rested her head against Peter's chest.
"You love me for it" Peter teased gently.
"...Most of the time" Talia admitted with a chuckle.
Peter smiled at this before it turned into a frown as he spared another glance in the Batman's direction and saw that the man was watching them but pretending not to while his dates chatted to a few people.
"So... what will we do about him than?" Peter questioned.
"I have a few plans in motion that'll keep him off our back for the time being" Talia said as the song came to an end and she slipped her arm through Peter's and pulled him towards a table filled with various refreshments "But I'd advise you to avoid any confrontations if you can help it. It was bad enough you crossed paths with the Red Hood the other night!"
"You think I can't take him?" Peter asked with a raised brow as he let Talia lead him, ignoring the urge to turn around and give Wayne the finger.
If the man was gonna watch him and Talia, might as well have some fun with it.
"I have no doubt you can, but Wayne's strength isn't in his fighting skills or his wealth, it's his adaptability" Talia explained with a brief side glance thrown towards Peter "If he survives your first encounter, he'll put all his resources and intelligence into finding a way to beat you the next time"
"Assuming I let him live the first time around" Peter countered.
"Yes... assuming you do" Talia said with a nod and a grim smile on her face "Just remember my friend, stronger men than you have tried and failed"
"Yeah... well they weren't me!" Peter scoffed.
"Your right, they still would've gotten closer than you ever will" Talia teased, causing Peter to scowl at her.
"Absolutely no faith in me!" Peter sighed, rather dramatically in Talia's opinion before she stiffened and her mood quickly darkened.
'This should be splendid' Talia thought as she slowly turned to find Bruce Wayne standing only a few feet rom her, his dates for the time being, elsewhere "Hello Bruce, how's things been?"
Peter turned much more abruptly than Talia did and gave the man a growl as he eyed him up and down, looking for any possible weapons or signs of imminent aggressive action. While his spider-sense was silent for the time being, he couldn't help but feel threatened by the man's proximity.
"Talia" Bruce said, his voice devoid of all sense of warmth. His gaze flickered towards Peter and his eyes narrowed "And you are?"
Peter opened his mouth to answer, followed by a witty retort on top of that before Talia's grip on his arm tightened slightly and she beat him to the punch.
"He's a very old and very dear friend of mine" Talia said as she stared at Bruce with an unblinking gaze "You do know what friends are yes?"
Bruce glared at Talia and took a step towards her, causing Peter to slowly start moving to place himself between Talia and the man before Bruce's two model dates for the evening suddenly appeared and wrapped their arms around each of Bruce's.
"There you are Bruce! We've been looking all over for you! Are you gonna introduce us to your friends Bruce?" the blonde haired woman asked with a pout while the dark haired one eyed Talia up and down like a piece of meat.
'She probably thinks I'm another shallow slut that Bruce seems to attract like moths to a flame and thinks I might be joining the three of them in some ridiculous orgy later tonight' Talia thought with bile rising in her throat.
When she and Bruce were together, Talia would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy those nights, but that was years ago and the Demon's daughter likes to think she's somewhat matured since than.
Bruce flashed his two dates what Peter assumed was a charming grin though it looked a little more forced than before as he slid closer to Talia and quickly threw an arm over her shoulders.
"Certainly Becky, this is T-"
"Miranda Tate" Talia interrupted the man as she slowly reached up and removed Bruce's arms from her shoulders "And I appreciate it if you didn't put your hands on me Mister Wayne"
"Sorry Miranda" Bruce said with a sheepish grin "Forgot how anal you are about people touching you"
Talia hummed at the man before she turned her attention to the two models and gave them a brief once over and found them... lacking. While it couldn't be denied they were attractive, there was something about them that had Talia found unappealing, and she's worked with women that practically bathed themselves in gore and thrived off suffering.
"So your Wayne's latest bed warmers?" Talia said as she lifted her chin a little at them, these two were so far beneath her she almost felt ill just looking at them, let alone speaking to them. she didn't even want to imagine how his usual lover Catwoman had to feel about these two and she outrighted hated the woman most days "I must say, your a few steps down from the East End former stripper and prostitute that he used to sleep around with. That reminds me, how is Selina, Mister Wayne?"
Bruce's smile faded away and was replaced with a look that was slightly darker as he regarded the woman. His two dates stared at her with gaping expressions before they morphed into rage with Becky stepping forward with her hand rising.
"You worthless c-"
"Finish that sentence dear and I'm afraid you'll be picking your teeth off the floor. The Host doesn't approve of such talk and neither do I I'm afraid"
Bruce, Talia and the two models turned towards the source of the new voice while Peter froze and swore his heart skipped several beats. Slowly, Peter turned his head to gaze at the newcomer and was met with a woman around Talia's height even with heels on dressed in a skin tight black with a red spider on her chest. Her shoulders and collar bone were also red but possessed a black webbing pattern that reached down just past her elbows. The fingers to her gloves had a similar pattern as the did the top, sides and bottoms of her feet. Her eyes and a good portion of the upper half of her face were was by a black mask with white reflective lenses settling over what he knew to be bright green eyes.
Her red painted lips formed a smirk as the woman stared at the five of them but Peter knew her gaze and attention was on him and him alone.
"Uh, who are you?" Becky's friend, Peter couldn't for the life of him remember her name if it was ever even said, asked the newcomer while she eyed her attire with narrowed eyes.
"I'm chief of security here tonight believe it or not. My current employer wanted me to dress in my typical uniform instead of the lovely red and yellow dress I purchased and after having a few extra grand thrown on to my already overweight check, I couldn't just refuse" the woman answered, her smirk never faltering as she glanced at the two models for a moment before turning her gaze towards Bruce "Mister Wayne, I'm gonna have to ask that you either escort your dates out or you'll be thrown out as well"
"What? WHY?!" Bruce said with surprise while his two dates looked on in shock.
"Well one of them threatening physical harm to one of the party's invited guests, something that my boss, your host, abhors" the woman said, her lenses making a slight whirring sound as they narrowed at the billionaire playboy "And the other was seen stealing a few of the silverware from the table and hiding them in her purse!"
Bruce blinked at this before he turned towards his dark haired date who had the decency to look ashamed.
"They looked really nice" she muttered, unable to meet Wayne's gaze.
"You have twenty seconds to vacate them from the estate Mister Wayne" the woman said as she folded her arms across her chest "Or don't. I've always wondered what it'd be like to throw a man as rich as you are out a door with his hussies"
"Bruce, how can you let her say such things to you?" Becky nearly shrieked in outrage "Or us!?"
"I-I uh, well..." Bruce seemed to stumble over his words before the black clad woman took a step towards him and he immediately grabbed both women by the arms and began to pull them towards the exit "I'll just see these two off myself!"
"BRUCE/BRUICE!" the two women cried as they were dragged towards the doors, leaving Peter and Talia alone with-
"Your welcome for that by the way" the woman said as she turned and stared directly at Peter with a grin.
"Your help was appreciated, if unwarranted" Talia said with a nod of thanks "Miss...?"
"Jessica... Jessica Drew" the woman answered as she turned her gaze to Peter.
"Thank you Miss Drew, but really, we had the situation under con-" Talia said before Jessica's next words stopped her dead.
"I'm Peter's ex-wife"
...
And done.
Next chapter, The first move is made... and Talia finds a new friend in Peter's ex.