The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 2: Despair and Hope

What am I going to do? Peter thought as he walked by store after store. I have to get MJ something amazing for our anniversary, but I don't have a clue as to what to get for her. It had been a stroke of luck that Mary Jane had wanted to do some shopping that day, so Peter had tagged along. Not just to keep his lovely wife company, but also to find the perfect gift.

Peter went inside a jewelry store to take a look around and see if there was anything that would catch his eye… and be within his price range. Now that he, MJ and Aunt May were living in Stark Tower, money wasn't as tight as it once was. There were so many items to choose from, which made finding the right one that much harder.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?" one of the store clerks asked politely.

"Just looking, thanks." Peter replied. I'll let you know if I've found something." He scanned display cases full of rings and earrings, but couldn't find anything that he thought would catch Mary Jane's fancy. MJ doesn't wear much more on her hand than her wedding band anyway. There were several necklaces on display, but they didn't show much promise either… then he saw an oddly shaped locket. Taking a closer look at it, Peter smiled slightly. The locket appeared to be in the shape of a spider.

MJ would get a kick out of this. It looks so much like one of my spider tracers… Peter thought, turning the locket over in his hands.

"That's a nice little trinket you have there…" A hand reached across his field of vision.

Purely by instinct, Peter grabbed the person by the arm, twisting around to wrap them in a vise-like grip. He lifted his eyes to see who had triggered such a swift reaction… "Felicia?"

"Nice to see you, too, Peter," Felicia sarcastically replied.

He let her go sheepishly, noticing that everyone in the store was staring at them. Putting the locket back, he and Felicia made a hasty retreat from the jewelry store.

Felicia turned to face Peter. "That was some greeting you gave me back there. What was that for?"

He rubbed a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "I'm sorry about that. I'm just starting to get used to the changes in my powers."

"Changes in your powers? What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"It's a long story. We can talk about it over some coffee." He nodded toward the café across the street.

Sitting comfortably at an umbrella-covered table, well out of earshot of the other patrons, Peter told Felicia everything…how he thought he was dying, the return of his enemy Morlun, Morlun's defeat, his subsequent 'death' and rebirth.

"A few days after I came out of the cocoon, I discovered I had these 'stingers'..." Felicia looked at him curiously. "Yeah, I know. Show you sometime, okay?" She nodded, understanding that a coffee shop was not the best venue for that. "I also have increased eyesight, kind of like infrared vision, and a much more sensitive spider-sense." He grinned guiltily. "That's why I grabbed you like that in the jewelry store."

"I heard a little about what happened… I'm glad that you're all right," Felicia said, still seeming a bit shocked at what Peter had told her while she held his hand. He wasn't sure what to think of the gesture, but he didn't shy away from it.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. If I had to go through something like that, at least I didn't go through it alone," Peter replied, giving Felicia's hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go.

"So, onto a cheerier topic. What were you doing in the jewelry store?"

"I was just looking around to see if I could find a wonderful anniversary gift for Mary Jane. I haven't had any luck so far." He looked at her hopefully. "I'm open to suggestions."

Was it his imagination, or did she look a little… hurt? Felicia turned her head to stare distractedly down the street. "Did you ever think about taking her on a trip to, say, Hawaii or the Caribbean?"

"Sounds good, but it might be a little out of my price range."

Felicia's eyes softened as she turned back to him. "I might be able to help you with that if you want. And what about your new job with the Avengers? Surely there have to be some perks…" Felicia said very quietly, especially the part about the Avengers.

"Not as many as you'd think… Let me get back to you. I was just using this time to look around, since Mary Jane needed to get a few things."

"Oh," Felicia replied, her tone conveying a little disappointment. Her attention seemed to be drawn over Peter's shoulder. She quickly composed her face into a pleasant mask as Peter felt the slight buzzing of a person approaching from behind…

"Peter, there you are. I've been looking all over for you and I was wondering where…" Mary Jane said with surprise as she saw Peter with Felicia.

"I just happened to run into Felicia, and decided that we needed to catch up."

"I see." MJ's eyes seemed to flash with annoyance.

"Well, just don't stand there, join us."

Peter grabbed Mary Jane's hand and brought her down next to him. Mary Jane gave a little yelp from the rough landing. She swatted Peter playfully, and they shared a laugh.

Mary Jane placed his hand deliberately into her lap before asking, "How are you, Felicia?" Peter noticed that the tone in MJ's voice was not overly pleasant.

"Can't complain." Felicia smiled politely, pointedly not looking at their clasped hands.

Over the next few minutes, Mary Jane and Felicia talked about this and that. As they were talking, Peter began to notice the tension forming between the two women. I smell trouble brewing and I don't need my spider-sense to tell me that this could get dangerous, Peter thought as he continued to watch his wife and ex-girlfriend talking.

Peter rose suddenly from his seat. "Well, will you look at the time? If you have everything you need, MJ, I think it's time to head on out," he prompted.

"Uh huh, I got everything I need right here," Mary Jane replied, snuggling up to Peter as she too got up from her seat.

"Take it easy, Felicia – and don't be a stranger, you hear?" Peter called, as he grabbed Mary Jane's hand and led her away.

"I won't, I promise. See you later, guys," came Felicia's overly cheery reply.


Felicia glided from building to building, her silvery hair blending into the slight shimmer of the moonlight. The moon was waning, now only a small crescent. She paused on the ledge of a building. The sliver in the black sky seemed a little like her heart these days. It was still there… trying to shine through. She hoped that it would wax full again someday…

Another painful jab, just like the ones she had been feeling all evening long, hit her deep inside her chest. She thought she had finally stopped flagellating herself over her long-ruined relationship with Peter. If only I hadn't been so immature… so shallow… back then. I couldn't see Peter for anything more than the boring scientist behind the mask. All I wanted was the excitement of swinging through the city with him… When she saw Mary Jane with Peter today, the two of them so clearly still very much in love, she had been reminded again of how much she had lost. That could have been us… that could have been me with that smile on her face…

Felicia didn't fault Mary Jane for her behavior today. If there was another woman in my husband's life, especially one he had been involved with, I don't think I would have been half as polite. But I guess Mary Jane knows that Peter would never even look at another woman.

She shook her head forcefully and relaunched the grappling hook. No sense dredging up the past, Felicia. You came out here to clear your head, not confuse yourself… Swinging through the city on patrol always lifted her spirits. Suddenly, a few blocks away, she heard a woman scream. She turned sharply toward the sound. As she neared the alley where a struggle was taking place, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a dark figure bounding between buildings. Friend or foe? she wondered as she reached the ledge, and peered down into the alley. The mystery figure, a man she was now sure, had gone down there and had somehow pulled the victim to safety. The woman, terrified, cowered in the shadows as Felicia counted five advancing on her rescuer.

"Who are you, punk?" one of the attackers threw out contemptuously. "Some sort of ninja wannabe?" His buddies, a few paces back, chuckled in amusement.

"I'm the last face you'll see before the gates of Hell welcome you in," the vigilante shot back in a smooth voice. As he did so, his face turned just enough so that the dim streetlight illuminated it. Paul? Again? What are the odds… She couldn't remember exactly what he had said he was calling himself – Dark Masquerader or something…

"Oh, I think Hell will have to wait a little while longer for me." The criminal pulled out a handgun. "You, on the other hand…" He fired several shots directly into Paul's chest. Felicia stifled a gasp. The woman behind him yelped and pulled herself into a tighter ball.

Paul stood impassive for several moments. He then shifted his shoulders left and right, as if he were adjusting a piece of clothing to get rid of an itch. The bullets clattered to the pavement at his feet.

"Oh, f#&…" the gunman managed to utter, before Paul's hand tightened around his throat. His pals took off running in several directions, swearing gruffly.

The Black Cat tossed a line down the wall, and slid noiselessly down it, landing lightly. Still grasping the criminal in a powerful grip, Paul turned toward the slight sound. "Cat," he said in recognition. "What are you doing here?" He squeezed a little tighter, causing the man to pass out. Paul let him fall unceremoniously to the asphalt.

"You looked like you could use some help," she told him teasingly, echoing his comments the first time they had met. She nodded down the street to the left, indicating she'd round up the ones who had gone that way. Without waiting for acknowledgement, she pelted down the street. She was in luck. Only two of them had gone this way, and they were fighting to get into an old Mustang.

Releasing a rope at her waist, the Black Cat tossed it with a practiced motion. A loop slipped over one of the muggers' torsos, and she tightened it sharply. He flew backward, landing on his rear with a grunt. By this time, she was close enough to deliver a flying kick to his comrade. Her black boots connected with the second man's temple. He crumpled beside the front wheels of the car.

She slinked over to the first man, crouched before him and leaned in close, fully aware of the effect she would have on him. "Are you going to be a good boy?" She brought her hand close to his face as if to caress it, but then released the claws in her gloves. He flinched, perspiration breaking out on his brow. "Or am I going to have to get rough? You know how cats like to play with their food…" She suddenly smelled the sharp tang of urine, as the man lost control of his bodily functions.

Paul's voice broke into her commentary. "That's enough, don't you think?"

She looked up. He stood before her, one assailant over each shoulder. His voice had been harsh, but his expression was one of respect. She nodded curtly and stood up, hand on one hip. She gave him a look full of attitude, that conveyed, What's it to you if it isn't?

Paul dumped the bodies of the unconscious thugs beside the car and addressed the one still awake. "Once you're in jail, you can tell your friends not to mess with the Dark Crusader." He hauled the guy up from the ground and menaced, "Or you'll be seeing worse than the inside of a jail cell." His black-gloved fist smashed down on the top of the man's head, knocking him out.

Paul turned to Felicia, with a completely different, almost humble expression on his face, as if a mask had dropped away. Now that she had a little more time to study him, she saw that his eyes were deep brown, almost black. He wasn't as young as she had first thought, either… maybe in his mid-thirties, but in excellent condition… he was about a foot taller than she was. The Dark Crusader looked almost uncomfortable at her appraising stare.

"Uh… thanks for the assist, Cat."

"No problem, Crusader. It was my turn. Is the woman all right?"

"Yes, she wasn't hurt. She was able to get to her car safely."

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments. "Well," he finally began. "I'd better call this in." He turned to leave. "We should do this more often," he called over his shoulder.

"Sure," she agreed, and watched him start down the street. He pulled a cell phone out of his costume.

As she watched him go, her mind flashed back to the first time she had tussled with Spider-Man. As foolish as it seemed now, she had grabbed him, pulled up his mask, and given him a deep kiss before traipsing away. That memory juxtaposed against the vision of Peter and Mary Jane together made her call out to Paul, a little recklessly… "Maybe we should…"

He turned back around, hand poised to punch in the digits. "What…?"

She blushed like a schoolgirl before continuing. "…Do this more often." She idly tucked a stray lock of platinum hair behind her ear. "We make a pretty good team."

He smiled self-consciously. "Do you mean like a 'crime-fighting' date?"

"Yeah." She tilted her head down, and looked up at him through long, black lashes.

"I'd like that, Cat." He paused in thought. "Why don't we meet here tomorrow night? Same time?"

"All right. See you then."

He smiled again. Then he jumped directly upward, and, an instant later, was over the rooftop and out of sight.

"It's a date," Felicia said to herself. Maybe her love life wasn't as hopeless as she thought. She hummed softly while she waited for the police sirens to draw near.

A/N: Hey, everybody, thanks so much for the reviews - Spidey fans are the best in the world! We hope that you will enjoy the rest of the story... and let us know, okay? ;)