FAMILY BUSINESS

Back inside the Osborn residence, both Gwen and Harry are watching the news report of the battle between the Avengers and the Zodiac ending, as well as seeing the sudden arrival of the Iron Patriot and S.H.I.E.L.D., something that caught both teens by surprise. After a few moments of being silent, a completely flabbergasted Gwen, who by this time is standing behind the couch, finally speaks her mind at what she's seeing. "What the?! What, do we have an 'Iron Captain America' now?!"

Harry, however, continued to look baffled at the screen, more specifically, at the Iron Patriot. "I guess," he told his girlfriend, then noticed Iron Man and looked at him with pure disgust. "At least he's doing a better job than that crazy jerk Stark."

It was here that Gwen looked at Harry, appearing to be offended. "Crazy jerk?"

"Well, with Stark running around the city in his armor trying to 'fight crime', he's still putting people at risk!" Harry argued. "Especially since he's now working with my father's web-spewing murderer! So yeah, from what I saw him do, I'd say 'Robo-Captain America' did a much better job at using that armor than Stark did!"

"Whoa, hold on!" Gwen interjected while holding her hand up to stop her boyfriend. "Now, this new guy in the blue armor may have stopped those hooded guys, Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers were trying to keep those guys AWAY from people! Not to mention the fact that he and the Avengers saved the entire planet hundreds of times!"

At this point, the disagreement from his girlfriend causes Harry's eyes to grow wide with anger and thus stands up on his feet, looking down at her as he exclaimed this. "Yeah, only so they can make the people THINK that they're heroes, and thus con them into being on their side," he said to a surprised Gwen with a raised voice and soon grew even more enraged when he remembers the other masked hero that wronged him. "Just like Spider-Man! Which only proves one of my father's files on him right! I mean, leave it to Stark to recruit the man who murdered my father into this little...!"Suddenly, in his rage, Harry noticed Gwen backing away from him and slightly holding her hand up to keep her distance as if concerned for her safety. Realizing this, Harry soon took a deep breath to calm himself and thus turned away in shame. "I...I'm sorry, Gwen It's just...this whole thing with dad being gone for a year and all this craziness, it's... it's just got to me at times, you know?"

Though she was relieved to see Harry calm, Gwen is still somewhat hesitant to approach him. But nonetheless stands up and walks over to him to provide such need comfort.

After taking a few more moments to recollect himself, Harry soon turns to Gwen with a saddened look. "But you know that I would never hurt you, right?"

"I know that, Harry," Gwen replied in a reassuring tone as she gently grabbed both of his hands, but also caused her to give Harry concerned look once more. "But, what's this about your dad's files?"

Hearing his girlfriend ask him such a question almost caused Harry to go off in a panic, but is only because he caught a brief glimpse of a painting of his father on the wall did he manage to recollect himself, for he knew it was what his father wanted him to do. "I'm sorry, Gwen, but I..."

Suddenly, the conversation is brought to a complete halt when they both hear a humming sound. As then around, it was that of Gwen's cellphone, which she had sat on the small table in front of the couch. "That's probably, Dad," said Gwen, then turns and looks at Harry with her gentle demeanor returning. "Just hold on, okay."

"Sure," Harry replied softly and watched as Gwen ran over to her phone, as well as wonder what excuses he can think of to keep his father's dealings with her.

As for Gwen, she silently hopes that the person calling her cellphone is her father and not an officer calling to give her 'bad news'. As she picked it up, she sees that the line belonged to was that of her father, and wanting not to worry him, quickly answered it. "Dad?"

Back in the ravaged sight of the Avengers and Zodiac battle, Captain Stacy is on his cellphone while observing the officers escort the civilians away and allow the employees of the engineering and construction company named Damage Control repair the damage of the fight. "Yes, honey, it's me."

"Oh, thank god!" said a relieved Gwen on the other line. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, and thankfully, so is everyone else around here. Still got a huge mess to deal with though." As he went on, George's tone soon turned into a more stern one. But more importantly, are you still at Harry's? And if so, I trust Harry was 'behaving' himself?"

Back at the Osborn residence, an embarrassed Gwen gives this answer to her overprotective father's question. "Yes, Dad," she told her, and upon hearing her father ask her this on the other line, she rolled her eyes in further annoyance, after taking a look at Harry to see that he's once again looking at his father's portrait, she walks a couple of steps away and puts the receiver close to her mouth so she can whisper this reply. No, I didn't tell him about the pepper spray in my purse, and no, I didn't use it on him!"

Meanwhile, back in the battle damaged streets, George feels relieved but still keeps his strict demeanor. "Good, because I didn't give you that for nothing, Gwendolyn Stacy," he then spotted his two trusted officers, that of Stan Carter and Jean DeWolff and thus puts his hand on the receiver and calls to them. "Carter, DeWolff, I'm leaving you two in charge!"

Both Officers Carter and DeWeolff both look at Stacy and give their captain a nod of acknowledgment, knowing he must leave to get to his daughter. "Yes, Captain," they said in unison and went back to keeping the pedestrians back and away from the battle-zone."

Afterward, George returns to his phone conversation with his daughter. "All right, heading over there now."

Over in the Osborn household, Gwen nods with Harry now looking at her. "Okay, I'll be waiting for you, Dad...yeah, I love you too. Bye." After hanging up, Gwen turns back to Harry, who just now notices him looking at her and despite finding it a tad upsetting, she nonetheless is pleased to have his attention to tell him this. "That was Dad."

"Is he okay?" asked Harry, playing the part of the 'concerned boyfriend.'

"Yeah, he's fine," Gwen replied. "And he's on his way over to come and pick me up."

"Okay," Harry told Gwen with a smile in order to maintain his supportive stature. "I'll come and wait with you downstairs."

Before the two teens could even leave the apartment, they are stopped in their tracks when they hear the stiff and almost unemotional voice of a middle-aged woman say this. "I'm afraid that won't be possible." This caused both Harry and Gwen to look straight ahead and see that it's none other than Emily Osborn, Norman Osborn's widow and more importantly, Harry's mother. As she walks into the apartment with black business attire, she is also accompanied by a tall, beautiful woman with long black hair with bright pink bangs, wearing glasses, a business suit and holding a briefcase.

Needless to say, the sight of his mother, along with a visually stunning guest, leaves Harry momentarily stunned for a few moments before he was able to speak. "M-Mom, I thought you were in a business meeting?"

"I was," Emily told her son, then turns her eyes to the tall woman next to her. "But, I had to put that on hold when our guest, Ms. Victoria Hand."

The woman named Victoria gives Harry a nod of acknowledgment while maintaining a very serious demeanor. "Charmed."

After watching Harry give Victoria a somewhat sheepish wave, Emily continued her explanation while keeping her stone-faced expression. "She brought to my attention more pressing matters," Emily then turns her attention to Gwen, who by this time looks somewhat bewildered about the current events and gives the young girl a less than welcoming glare. "Matters in which require 'immediate family' only."

Harry is clearly not pleased with how his mother just talked down to Gwen, and despite being somewhat hesitant about it, he decides to stand up to her. "Well, I need to walk Gwen downstairs first, plus I don't..."

"It's okay, Harry," Gwen interjected, not wanting to start an argument between her boyfriend and his mother. "I'll be fine waiting on my own. Besides, if this relates to your family than you definitely need to be here. So, I'll call you later, okay?"

A reluctant Harry let out a sad sigh as he nodded to Gwen. "Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Harry," Gwen told him with a small smile, then turned around and headed for the door.

As she watched Gwen walk away, Emily looks at Gwen with the same cold stare. "Thank you for understanding, Gwen," she told the young girl, looking down at her as if she were an annoying cockroach.

"N-No problem," Gwen replied somewhat shyly, as well as feeling a cold shiver crawl up her spine as passed by Emily. It was a feeling dark, cold feeling that she kept to herself for Harry's sake, but clearly did not like. Even as she opened the front door and left the Osborn apartment.

After watching Gwen leave, Harry walked over to Emily and Victoria, not at all pleased with having them make his girlfriend leave. "Well Mom, I'm here now, what's the family business you need me for?"

Emily, pleased to see that she now has her son's attention, turns to Victoria. "Go ahead."

Upon hearing that order, Victoria holds up and opens the briefcase. As she turns it around, she reveals that the inside of the case is filled with highly advanced technology and suddenly, a holographic image suddenly pops up and focuses into the image of the Iron Patriot, a sight that leaves Harry totally speechless. And what was even more shocking to the young Osborn was when he heard what the image said this. "...Hello Harry."