answers to reviewers questions or statements:
Harbinger of Kaos: I'd say the Jessica Drew of this story's moral code and ethics are close in line to someone like Lady Shiva. She isn't exactly a outright villain, but she's far from a saint and to imply she is or ever was would be an insult in her opinion. If anything, she's a highly efficient predator, the top of the food chain in most cases, and she knows it.
Omni-Creator Kami of Anime: Jean isn't the only red head that Logan's been with, but yes it was a reference to Jean and no before you ask she will not be appearing in this. No, Talia's warning to Peter about killing the Batman off too early and the Justice League getting involved is something that'll play into the story more once Nyssa makes her appearance. Why wouldn't Jess be eligible? Laura's technically an ex-girlfriend and she's still gonna be in it.
MCRasengan: Well she didn't try to kill him on sight, so I'd say she doesn't hate him that much at least.
CRUDEN: For a while I was thinking of having it be Silk.
Nomad98: She might.
Guest: Well they aren't trying to kill one another like Slade and his ex-wife are, so I'd say their relationship is pretty good in comparison. But we're gonna see hints that any relationship between them will be the very definition of toxic on both sides.
Kamenriderfan: Eventually yeah.
Mr No Bo Dy: Well a lot of other villains can be easily dealt with, not all of them possess some kind of healing factor or are practically immortal, a slit throat or a bullet to the head will take care of most of them and some just want to be left alone. And just because he's not as smart as Luthor is in terms of book smarts or science, he's got a few hundred years of experience, a literal army of assassins, a way to come back from the dead or prolong his life and arguably more resources than Luthor. Will it be easy for him to kill the guy off? Probably not, but it's far more plausible than perhaps Savage given the guy is just about as immortal as one can get in DC barring the likes of cosmic beings like the Endless, Lucifer and the Spectre. The Red Lanterns aren't really villains' so much as their anti-heroes, their more likely to attack the Sinestro Corps than Earth since their about punishing the guilty with extreme prejudice and Sinestro only ever really bothers with Earth because of the Green Lanterns and to some extent the Justice League. With them all dead, he really has no reason to even glance in Earth's direction unless something pops off there that's an actual threat to him though he may also keep an eye on someone or something that has managed to do what he couldn't and that's kill off the Justice League. The only real cosmic threat to Earth would be Darkseid who'll see that it's finally wipe for the taking. And who said that Jess would be angry that Peter's been dragged back into all of this like Laura was?
DevilBoy101: We'll get an explanation of why Peter's marriage didn't last... and why if it did, it wouldn't be very pretty.
Hbarrera98: Talia is aware of Logan and his history given that her father kept track of Peter after he was exiled from the League and once he joined up with the Wolverine, we can all safely assume that Ra's tracked down as much as he could about the man and she stumbled across it when she was trying to locate Peter through her father's notes. If the Wolverine was ever in the DC universe, I doubt Ra's al Ghul would be unaware of him. It'll be Jania Hudson's White Rabbit.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel or DC character seen, mentioned or used.
In the two days since Peter's unexpected reunion with his ex-wife, he expected a lot of things to go down.
First and foremost he expected some brutal, bloodied fist fight between Talia and Jessica that night at the gala or a barrage of back handed insults and jabs at one another's ego like most of Talia and Laura's conversations. When that didn't happen and Talia simply stared at the woman who in turn stared back, she did something that threw Peter and undoubtedly Jessica for a loop...
She invited her over for lunch!
After the gala and Peter and Talia returned to the penthouse, Peter expected to be hit with a barrage of questions on who the hell Jessica Drew was, how did they meet, when did they marry, and why Peter never mentioned this before. Instead Talia simply bade him good night and returned to her rooms, leaving Peter standing there waiting for a conversation that didn't seem to be in a rush to come. Even Laura wasn't put off as much as Peter thought she'd be when she heard that not only Jessica Drew was in town, but that she was coming over for lunch with Talia at some point during the week.
Eventually the dreaded day came when Jessica arrived for her planned lunch with Talia and all Peter could do was sit in the kitchen, his head in his hands as he waited for the inevitable...
"You look stressed" Laura said from her seat next to him, a book in her hands and a thin almost see through white bath robe clinging to her body.
Her hair was still a little damp from a shower she took, a rather long Peter noted, and she smelled like some kind of tropical fruit blend. It was almost enough to distract him from the fact that his oldest and longest friend was currently at the pool in the other room talking with his ex-wife over a few glasses of wine.
"You'd be stressed to if you had a crazy ex-spouse talking with your current... friend" Peter said as he looked up at Talia and scowled "How the hell are YOU so cam about this?!"
"Because Jess isn't my crazy ex-wife despite the past relationship we all shared and Talia isn't my fuck buddy maybe?" Laura said as her eyes briefly flickered over to Peter "And because I think it's funny. I wonder how long it'll be until their trying to kill one another? I give it another five minutes before one of them says something that'll set the other off. It'll probably be Jess that does it"
"Fuck you" Peter snapped in annoyance as he went back to burying his face in his hands while he listened for the screaming and fighting to begin.
"I'm planning to later tonight and work you up into a threesome with Natalia and me this weekend" Laura revealed as her eyes darted over the words in her book "Assuming you don't worry yourself into a early grave over the fact your crazy ex-wife, who last I saw was giving me the file that contained the papers you needed to sign to end your marriage, is now possibly comparing what sex with you is like to your friend slash boss slash now occasional lover"
Peter was silent as he stared at Laura' his eyes wide in horror and his skin looked a little paler than before. In the span of a heartbeat, Peter was at the doorway tot he kitchen and glancing towards the pool with sweat gathering on his brow.
"This is so fucked that I can't even find the words to properly describe it other than fucked" Peter said as he watched Talia and Jessica laugh over something. He almost wished his hearing was good enough to listen through the glass but something told him he won't like what was being said between the two women "Seriously, how are they friends already?"
"Maybe because their both unhinged bitches that should be locked up in that wonderful hospital called Arkham? Or that they put porn stars to shame with their sexual fantasies and fetishes?" Laura said in a deadpanned tone as she turned the page of her book "And have daddy issues?"
Peter blinked at this before he turned towards Laura "Are you talking about them or yourself with the last two?"
"I don't have daddy issues!" Laura snapped.
"Sure you don't" Peter said in a dry tone "And I don't have trouble telling if we're even having this conversation or not"
"Don't joke about that" Laura said as she snapped her book closed and glared at Peter from over her shoulder "Don't ever joke about that!"
"Or what, your gonna send me to my room without dinner, mom?" Peter responded with glare.
"If I have to" Laura said as she tossed her book on the counter and sat up.
Neither Peter nor Laura said a word as they both stared each other down, a private battle of wills waging between them.
"Just fuck and get it over with already"
Peter and Laura both turned to see Natalia enter the kitchen, dressed in a black shirt that reached down to mid thigh. The red head barely gave ether of them a glance as she brushed past them and towards the refrigerator and began to search it's contents for something to eat. After finding that all of the fruit was gone, she could only guess who's responsible for that, she settled on making herself a sandwich and grabbed the necessary items before closing the door and making her way to where the bread was stored.
She could feel Peter and Laura's gazes on her, one filled with annoyance and lust and the other filled with... well annoyance.
"Natalia, I didn't know you were back" Peter nodded towards the red head, hoping his tone didn't reveal how annoyed he is with her presence and her crass suggestion.
What was it about these people that made them think that sex was the only solution to a disagreement?
'It's like none of them heard of the expression talking it out' Peter thought as Natalia paused in making her lunch and glanced at Peter with a raised brow.
"I wasn't aware that I had to report to you on my comings and goings" she said.
"That's... not what I meant" Peter said with a scowl "I haven't seen you all morning so I assumed you were still out with Savant and Creote or you were given a new assignment"
"I was merely sleeping in" she answered before glancing at Laura and took her time to examine her appearance "I do hope this will be a common trend with you"
"Don't get your hopes up" Laura said with a eye roll "I didn't bring a lot of clothes with me and their all getting cleaned"
"Perhaps we should go shopping later" Natalia offered with a shrug as she returned her attention to her sandwich "Jade's been pestering me about a 'girls night out'. You can come too if you wish"
"Betsy and Honor not up for it?" Laura asked with a snort.
"No" Natalia shook her head.
"Betsy?" Peter repeated with confusion "Whose that?"
"Psylocke/Elizabeth" Laura and Natalia answered simultaneously, causing them both to share a glance before they chuckled.
"Oh..." Peter said as he glanced back and forth between Laura and Natalia before a sudden shout from the pool caught their attention.
Peter moved before Laura or Natalia could even blink.
...
Several minutes earlier...
...
When Talia first met Jessica Drew and learned of her previous marriage to Peter, she'd admit that she was a bit... put off.
It wasn't like Talia could talk, she was, even if for a brief time, married to Bruce and gave birth to his child not longer after said marriage's dissolution. But when Talia invited Jessica over for lunch and finally saw the woman's eyes without a mask covering them, her feeling about Jessica only increased. There was something in the woman's eyes, something she couldn't quite place but still recognized in a way.
It also didn't help she could feel the woman was trying to influence her in some way. It wasn't through telepathic suggestions, Psylocke would've already been here to deal with the woman if she were, but Talia's instincts were never wrong about this sort of thing and she made sure to keep the raven haired beauty in her line of sight at all time.
"So, you and Peter were married at one point?" Talia asked as she reclined in her seat and allowed the sun's rays to bath her bikini clad body in it's warm light.
Contrary to popular belief, Talia didn't possess many swimsuits to wear, most of her's in the past were in reality from some of her female guards and operatives that she borrowed from. Unfortunately that meant that Talia's choices were rather limited as it seemed that many of Talia's people seem to favor overly exposing bathing suits that make lingerie seem modest in comparison. The top that Talia had on just barely managed to hide her breasts' areolas and the bottoms felt and looked more like a glorified thong if she was being honest.
'I really need to speak with Honor about her choice in swim wear' Talia thought dryly as she spared a glance at Jessica's suit.
It was far more conservative in comparison, a red boyleg swimsuit that honestly looked like it was struggling to contain the curves that Jessica had. Her breasts looked like they were one deep breath away from popping free!
"Only for a little over a year" Jessica admitted as she took a sip of the wine Talia provided them and hummed in approval of the flavor "We met when he was stumbling through Asia and we started to work together in Africa where we met the Wolverine and joined up with his team and married soon after. Had quite the fun with one another and Logan's daughter"
"I can imagine" Talia said with a smirk before it faded and she glanced at the raven haired woman with a frown "What happened?"
Jessica was silent for a moment as she gazed out at the city of Gotham with an unreadable expression on her face "It fell apart after he took a few jobs in South America. Nothing too dramatic I'm afraid. We just... drifted apart"
"I doubt it was that simple" Talia pressed.
"It wasn't but..." Jessica trailed off as she risked a glance back towards the doorway that she knew led to the kitchen. After a few seconds, she turned back towards Talia and lowered her voice even further "But you are aware of certain... quirks of his, yes?"
"I am" Talia answered carefully "They can be quite... messy"
"That's one way of putting it" Jessica said with a snort as she leaned back in her chair and ran a hand through her hair "At first I didn't mind it. To last this long in our line of work, we're all a little screwy in the head to some degree. And it was never detrimental to our missions. So what if a few animals here and there ended up ripped apart because Peter was utterly convinced he was fighting honest to god assassins sent to kill him? It just made him all hot and eager and all the easier for me to get him inside of me in the best ways possible... it was nice"
"But?" Talia said as a sense of foreboding crept in.
She couldn't quite explain it, but the air suddenly shifted, the mood which was friendly and light had grown... tense, colder.
"But..." Jessica began before trailing off as she gazed out at the various skyscrapers that surrounded the hotel with a saddened look on her face "He... he snapped, for the lack of a better term. Afterwards, he was next to impossible to be around, always depressed and seeing things that weren't there, hearing things that were never said. After Laura took him to Alaska and had him committed to a mental institute, I filed for divorce and left"
"You abandoned him?" Talia said with her eyes widening.
"I did" Jessica admitted with a shrug as she held up a hand and stared at it with a curious look on her face as she waved it in front of her face before giggling "He needed help, companionship, a reason to pull through, and I decided the sex was apparently all I wanted from our 'marriage' so when it started to get more complicated, I pulled out. Laura tried to get me to reconsider, convince me that I should be there for Peter but I wanted nothing to do with broken man that ended up turning into something worse than a animal. I didn't even start talking to him until almost a year ago when Laura's father finally called me in and told me to, and I quote, 'get my goddamn shit together before I cut your goddamn head off'. Safe to say, I was rightly inspired to try and reconnect with my ex spouse"
"Mister Howlett has a way with words it seems. I'm glad you listened to them" Talia said a she tried to keep the anger out of her voice as she stared at the woman next to her.
Talia would admit that her abandoning of Peter after he was excommunicated from the League wasn't all that much better, but at least she tried to find him. Tried to make right what her father had done only to stop when her father forced her to choose between seeing him again only to watch him die, or to forget him knowing that if he's to die, it will not be by Ra's command.
But this woman, this Jessica Drew, she left him the moment she found that she needed to put more into her marriage than simply her body.
'Even I wasn't that ridiculous in my marriage!' Talia thought angrily as she found herself resisting the urge to grab the woman and strangle her.
"I sometimes wonder what it'd be like if I did stay with him" Jessica said as she continued to gaze out the massive windows with a distant look on her face "Would Peter have gotten better sooner? Would he and I still be married? Would we have polygynist marriage with Laura and perhaps a few more? So many questions, so many years, and still no answers..."
"Are you still seeking those answers?" Talia asked with her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Perhaps... is that a problem?" Jessica said as she finally tore her gaze away from the cityscape and smirked at Talia, her eyes... they seemed different now. They looked the same, but there was something about them that set Talia on edge.
"It... it might be" Talia admitted as she found her body tensing under Jessica's eyes.
"Not the sharing type Miss al Ghul?" Jessica teased as she turned on her side and rested a hand on her hip while the other kept her head propped up with a smirk that rubbed Talia the wrong way.
"I'm a very generous person, but you first must prove you are worthy of any generosity from me" Talia stated as she eyed Jessica up and down "And from what I've just learned, you haven't and likely never will earn it"
"I can be quite... convincing" Jessica cooed as she shamelessly admired Talia's body, her tongue darting out to lick her lips as she took in the other woman's curves and muscle "You can say I've got quite the talented tongue!"
"I'm sure you do my dear, but I can be quite stubborn" Talia said with a hint of warning in her voice "Do not test me Miss Drew"
"Back to formalities are we?" Jessica said with a amused shake of her head before she looked at Talia with a perplexed expression on her face "Peter's forgiven me, than again he once forgave Logan for stabbing him in the shoulder once for no reason, and I doubt Laura really gives a damn since in her mind she probably sees this as her chance to kept Peter to herself. Even Laura's ill bred brother Daken doesn't seem to min me anymore and I once shot him in the head for looking at me odd one morning..."
As Jessica continued to go on and on, Talia found her rage slowly beginning to build with each word the woman before her uttered. She tried to reign it in, it'd be unsound of her to exhibit her rage on the woman before her, especially since she knew nothing of her capabilities under than near decade old intel that Peter admitted might not even be relevant anymore.
'Peter mentioned that she's good at manipulating people' Talia thought as she tried to drown out Jessica's voice 'That she just knows how to get a rise out of people or keep them at ease under virtually any circumstance'
It was clear that Jessica possessed more than powers that were similar to Peter's in that she had enhanced strength and speed and could crawl on walls, but trying to... trying to know... where was she going with this?
'Why am I thinking of what she can do when I should be focusing on what I should be dong with that beauty's body-' Talia thought before she suddenly shook her head and slapped herself a few times for good measure 'FOCUS!'
"Something wrong Talia?" Jessica asked with a knowing grin.
"N-Nothing..." Talia said as she cleared her throat and reached for her wine glass before stopping "I just... I think I've had too much to drink today"
Which she found odd considering she's only had two glasses- which weren't nearly as sweet as that woman's juices had to be-
"STOP THAT!" Talia suddenly turned towards Jessica and glared "STOP DOING THAT RIGHT NOW!"
Jessica flinched at Talia's shout as the woman suddenly stood up and stared down at the green eyed woman with a venomous glare before she suddenly reached down and grabbed Jessica by the throat and pulled her up. Talia watched as a myriad of emotions flashed through Jessica's eyes before they began to slowly dull and the woman's face relaxed until it was blank as a canvas before a dark grin suddenly appeared and she began to chuckle.
'What in the name of God is wrong with this woman' Talia thought as she stared down the other woman.
"I'd advise you let go of me Talia" Jessica said in a calm but amused tone as one of her hands slowly rose and rested on Talia's wrist "It'd be... unpleasant if you don't"
Before Talia could respond, Jessica's grip tightened until it felt as if the bone in her worst would snap under the pressure. Talia let out a hiss as she shoved Jessica back and glared at her.
"Get out!" she snarled.
"Or what?" Jessica asked with a laugh as she righted herself and took a step towards Talia, her eyes filled with a dark promise of pain.
"Or I'll throw you out... honey"
Jessica and Talia both turned to see Peter at the pool room entrance, his eyes on Jessica.
Jessica giggled at this and turned towards Peter and quirked her head to the side "Really handsome? Now why don't I bel-"
Talia watched as Peter moved in a blur and slammed into Jessica who moved just as fast to block whatever strike he had for her. The glass cracked as Jessica was pushed into it, one of her arms up to block a grab for her neck while the other had her index and middle fingers pointed at Peter's heart, a small spark of green electricity dancing across her hand. Peter growled at the smirking woman as one of his hands had a butter knife aimed for Jessica's liver.
"Now there's the Peter I remember..." Jessica cooed as she released the arm that was meant to grab her throat and cupped Peter's face in a manner so longing that Talia found herself wishing she'd kept her hands around the woman's neck so she could choke the life out of her "I was starting to think he was actually gone after Laura's attempts to domesticate you. Nice to see you still have a bit of the old you in there still"
"I'm more than happy to help you remember a little more what I used to be like" Peter hissed as he dug the knife a little deeper into Jessica, drawing a small trickle of blood "Leave. Now!"
"And miss out on such promise?" Jessica purred as she lifted a leg and had it rest on Peter's hip "Oh I think not"
Peter growled at the woman before he suddenly backed away and turned towards Talia with a worried look on his face "You okay?"
"I'll be fine" Talia said with a wave of her hand before she glared at Jessica "Just get this, this... this THING out of my sight!"
"And here I was hoping we'd be eating each other out in the next ten minutes" Jessica said with mock sadness before she turned towards Peter and grinned coyly at him "I like her, so spunky!"
"Than you'll be falling in love with me all over again in the next several minutes" Peter said with narrowed eyes "Now get out"
Jessica pouted at Peter for a moment before she flashed him a charming grin that caused his heart, even after all these years, to still flutter.
"Fiiine, but only because your being nice about it" Jessica said with a sigh as she went about collecting her things before sparing Talia a brief glance and a wink "Don't be a stranger Talia. I'd love to chat more. Perhaps over dinner?"
"Fuck you!" Talia growled.
"Ooh, I hope you will" Jessica licked her lips at the woman before she turned her gaze back to Peter and winked "Don't be afraid to join..."
Without another word, Jessica grabbed the last of her things, threw on the oversized shirt she arrived in, slipped on her flip flops and silently made her way to the door. Peter watched Jessica go until she was out of his line of sight before turning back towards Talia. She was looking at the city now, and the faint reflection that Peter could see in the window showed rage, a deep seething rage as she gripped her arms so tightly that her nails punctured the skin and began to draw blood.
Peter cleared his throat as he took a step forward "Uh, do you wanna talk ab-"
"If that's the kind of woman you married after you left us, I don't even want to think of what kind of person you were back than" Talia interrupted in a curt tone "Perhaps my father had some justification in exiling you-"
Talia suddenly stopped and let out a shuddering breath "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, really. I get it" Peter said as he slowly made his way to Talia's side but was mindful to keep his distance "She obviously got to you somehow and your a little shaken because of it. Happens to the best of us"
"It shouldn't be happening to me" Talia snapped as she reached up and pinched the ridge of her nose with bloodied nails "What the hell was I thinking inviting her here?"
"I'm... I'm not sure myself" Peter said with a shrug as he glanced back in the direction that Jessica left "It could be... well whatever it was she was just trying to do to you now, it could've been that back than. I don't know..."
"Has she ever exhibited such a power before that your aware of?" Talia asked as she turned towards Peter with a hard stare "To be able to influence someone without using some sort of psionic based ability?"
"Not that I'm aware of" Peter shook his head before he frowned "But it's been years since I've seen her. Could be something she developed or acquired at some point..."
Talia slowly turned towards Peter and looked at him closely, she could see the confusion in his eyes even if it barely made it to his face "What is it Peter?"
"It's just... it's just Jess seemed... she seemed different, from what I remember" Peter said as he mentally compared the Jessica he used to know and the woman he just saw a few moments ago "She was always a bit of a flirt, but never like what we just saw"
"It's like you said, it's been years since you've seen her" Talia said in a icy tone as she turned to leave "Time tends to change people, not always for the better Peter"
"Yeah..." Peter said with a slow nod as he watched Talia slowly gather her things "I've noticed"
Talia stopped briefly to look back at Peter with an unreadable expression on her face before she resumed packing her things and silently headed for the door as well, leaving Peter alone.
"Whelp it's official... Talia hates my ex" Peter said with a shake of his head as he reached up to rub his temples.
"Hate may be too weak of a word there"
Peter turned to see Jade leaning against the window a few meters from him with a amused grin on her face. She was dressed in white transparent two piece micro bikini while her hair was done up in a messy pony tail.
"Jade..." Peter nodded towards the woman as he struggled to keep his eyes on the woman's face.
One would think that after all these years, all the ridiculously attractive women he's seen in various states of undress if not outright nude, he'd be sorta numb to seeing a incredibly attractive Vietnamese woman standing around in a bikini that made what he just saw Talia in look modest in comparison. But the reality was that Peter knew why after all these years why he could never not be distracted by them...
They were his weakness, plain and simple.
'Superman as a glowing green radioactive rock, Martian Manhunter hates fire and I seem to have a behavioral addiction for women' Peter thought as he watched Jade slowly approach him with a grin.
"I must say, your wife- oops excuse me, I meant your ex-wife has quite the... personality" Jade said as she sat on Talia's chair and leaned back in it with a amused grin "I think I might start to like her"
"Give it a few weeks and you'll be saying differently" Peter said with a tired sigh as he slowly sat down on the chair Jessica was using "I just knew this was gonna happen! Well not this exactly but things weren't gonna end in sunshine and rainbows"
"Are all of the girls you've been with in the past fun?" Jade teased.
"If by fun you mean insane? Than yeah, I guess" Peter said with a shake of his head as he gazed in the direction Jessica departed in "She wasn't always like that though. She used to be... well nicer I guess"
"Nicer?" Jade echoed with a raised brow.
"Less... whatever the hell that was with Talia" Peter clarified with a cough "She used to hate confrontations like that. That's why she partnered with me in the first place, so that if she does get into them, at least she has some backup. Or I'd act as a deterrent and put off the idea of a fight. Didn't always work but... things were a little easier for her"
"So what changed?" Jade asked with a inquisitive look on her face "What made shy and illusive turn into... what we just saw?"
"I- We... it's complicated" Peter said as he adverted his gaze from Jade.
"Head trauma?" Jade asked.
"No, far as I'm aware" Peter shook his head.
"Mind alteration from a telepath of some sort?"
"Again no, far as I'm aware"
"Her true self being unmasked when she felt conformable?"
"NO!" Peter said in a firmer tone.
"Than what caused her to have an apparent one eighty?" Jade asked with a scowl "Cause aside from drugs or magic, I'm not seeing what else could be the reason aside from her just naturally becoming a total bitch"
"She had a blood transfusion!" Peter snapped.
"...A blood transfusion?" Jade repeated with confusion.
"We were in the Congo a few years ago, we got hit by a rebel cell of some sort. I don't know, back than everyone seemed to be shooting at us for one reason or another" Peter explained as he ran a hand over his face "Anyway, she got shot and was bleeding out. The medic we had with us at the time, he said she needed a blood transfusion but her blood type was really rare. I happened to have the type she needed and so we did a transfusion..."
"Your blood drove her to... being less than normal?" Jade guessed.
"Something like that" Peter said with a shrug "The mind stops developing after you reach twenty five, give or take a few months. When I got my powers from Cain's latest attempts to make some kind of super assassin, my brain was still developing so the alterations to it were sort of... well in laymen's terms my brain sort went with it. But she was thirty when it happened, so we think that the sudden new developments her brain went through, it sort of-"
"Scrambled things around?" Jade finished with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Something like that, yeah" Peter said with a nod "At least, that's what we think. Maybe she's always been like that and having actual power, even if it was a little different from mine, gave her the confidence to start acting like her real self... I don't know"
'Curious...' Jade thought as she stared at Peter while the gears in her head turned and a hypothesis began to form.
It seems that Peter's powers were some sort of factor to his and likely Jessica's declining mental health. She'd have to see the files and research, if there still was any, on the procedure that bestowed these abilities on Peter to know for certain. Of course it's very likely the two are just really screwed in the head and they just happen to be people who have superpowers but Jade wasn't entirely convinced of that, there was something else at play here.
She just needed a sample to know for sure... and she had just the plan for that.
A rather fun one if she was being honest.
"Hey Pete?"
Peter looked up to see Jade grinning at him like her namesake and instantly felt a sense of dread fill him "Yeah?"
If possible, Jade's grin seemed to widen as she stood up and placed a hand on her hip and cocked it to the side as she stared at him with half lidded eyes and spoke in a coy tone that sent shivers up and down his spine and caused more than his spider-sense to tingle.
"You ever been out clubbing?"
...
And done.
Next chapter, The Iceberg Lounge...