I'm back! I could never really abandon you guys; and even if I did, I would call child services just before I leave. I'm getting back on that writing horse, despite how freaky the concept of a literate horse might be to me. I know that I promised some grand explanation but really, I just want to get the story rolling again, so the big revelation might not be as awesome as I intended it to be. It involves the whole Mephisto deal and really, I don't wanna spend the rest of my life rehashing what was done to the spider-verse—I just want to get passed it. Don't get me wrong; I'm actually one of those people that respects Quesada's ballsy move, even though I might not agree completely with what was done. Cuz let's face it—dude screwed up a bit by letting magic rewrite and get its dirty paws all over Peter's continuity.

I haven't been able to keep up with the Marvel universe for a while (lack of money and other stupid priorities) so I'm keeping to canon with all my fics but picking up where I left off. Anyway, I'll insert past and current storylines if I find a great way to intersperse them with my stories.

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As a frightened woman began to run from an obvious superhuman battle—which had erupted before her eyes seconds earlier—she had barely gotten anywhere in hopes to start to meld into the running crowds, when a blur of red and blue zipped past her, ending its journey by smashing through the glass pane on a building. It all surprised the lady so badly that she stood stiff with shock for a moment, disregarding the instincts that told her to flee. But it was when a figure jumped out from where its crash had taken place that the woman confirmed her sneaking suspicion, one that assumed the mesh of colors that had gone by her was actually a person.

"Y'know…I really need a vacation of some sort from stuff like this" she heard the person say, whom she recognized to be the Amazing Spider-Man himself. The woman happened to be a native New Yorker, one of the few who knew for a fact how hard the hero in front of her tried to protect the city. So it failed to occur to her as strange when she lost all concern for herself, only to focus it on the Web-slinger. "Spidey!" she exclaimed, not hiding how scared she was for his well being. "What the hell's going on? Are you okay?"

Letting out a low groan, the costumed vigilante nodded in response to her question. "It'd probably be wiser for you to run, lady" he told her, hoping that she would take to her feet. Clutching his sides in pain, he saw that she was going to ignore his advice instead of taking off with everyone else, when she reached forward to steady him as he slightly faltered. "Who are these guys? What's happening?" she blurted out worriedly, resuming her questioning as she and Spidey briefly paused, looking on at the vicious fight between Kraven the Hunter and his adopted daughter.

"What's happening? I'm being kept out of the fight, that's what's happening" Spidey revealed, recalling the blow Kraven had dealt him moments ago when he had tried to interfere, something that even Ana kept shouting at him to not to do. Sirens that had seemed so distant now grew in decibels as squad cars inched closer to the battle royale taking place. Thanking the woman for her help and reminding her to leave, Spider-Man boldly attempted to re-try entering the fray, so he could help his…his daughter, turn the tide, seeing as she was barely holding up against the Kravinoff patriarch.

Their fight thus far had been bloody and violent, with Ana suddenly stopping after some time, causing Kraven to do the same. Facing each other down while noticing the cuts and bruises that they had inflicted on one another, Ana could visibly see the nascent plea in her adoptive father's eyes, begging her to reconsider her position; begging her to remain part of the Kravinoff family. It was why she knew he was holding back; he could and would kill her because he was simply superior to her in battle. But despite that fact, the only look she shot back at him was one filled with rejection, one that despised his offering with vehemence. A lifetime of lies stood between the two now as they faced off, estranging themselves from each other further and further with each second that went by. Wondering how she could defeat a hyper skilled Kraven, Ana almost didn't hear Spider-Man land quietly beside her.

She seemingly declined to acknowledge him, as the arachnid styled hero didn't hesitate stopping her from going through with her fight to the death. "…Ana…" he tentatively began, calmly reaching for her shoulder. Right then, his Spider-sense—if not completely gone—would've blared with an unrivaled intensity, because she whipped around in a flash, bringing a knife to his throat.

"What, Spyder? WHAT?" she growled, anger illuminating her eyes and making her expression seem even more aggressive than it was. She was positively fuming…but could not help but soften her expression a little when she saw that he did nothing but gaze at her, not even caring for his safety. Behind those bug white eyes that she had been instructed to dread and hate from a young age, Ana could pretty much make out the look that he had on, his tone also being a dead giveaway. He was…concerned…for her. She gradually lowered her knife but it didn't make the silence any less awkward between them. "What?" she repeated, less firmly but maintaining the harsh tone.

"…Ana, you…you don't have to do—"

"Stop. I will. I must" she affirmed as she lowered her gaze, her faint Russian accent sounding more pained than he had ever heard it, which had only been in viciousness. Spidey shifted his stare to Kraven who stood some distance ahead, patiently waiting but seething at the same time, glaring menacingly at the people still panicking all around them. His rage seemed to be exacerbated by the fact that his nemesis and his adopted scion were connecting. Burying the fury he felt for the self-proclaimed hunter before it distracted him, Peter turned back to Ana, who had since resumed eye contact with him.

"Ana, I…I've already failed you so badly by letting your life turn out this way. Please…just forget about this and-and…come with me" he pleaded, wishing at the moment that he could have real eye contact with her and remove his mask.

"To where, Spyder?" she bitterly asked. "And to what life? One where all is forgiven and we live happily ever after?" The implied irony in her words made the circumstance seem even bleaker, especially when he saw the tears brim in her eyes. "All my life I've had nothing but hatred for you, Spyder…and a great part of me still does. Should we pretend that it can suddenly change to affection?"

He knew that lying to her was out of the question. "I…I don't know" he truthfully admitted. "…But…I do know that it'll be a life where I'll always be there for you, no matter what. And I'll be proud to be your Dad…no matter what"

Ana Kraven had seen and experienced a lot of things in her life. But few of them resonated with her like the confession of this man, a man who was supposed to be a sworn enemy, who was supposed to be prey. She did not know how he could ever look at her kindly after all she'd done…after all that she had become. Unfortunately, it wasn't as if the core of her being thought of him in a completely different light. He still repulsed her because he was vile prey and she was a hunter; that had not changed. Never the less, she looked up at him with a nebulous yearning now, a look that showed just a peek of how curious she was about the possibility of the life he offered her It was a look that did more to conceal than show how confused, relieved, unsure she felt all at once, regarding his acceptance of her, despite flaws and all. She briefly considered reaching out a hand to cup his cheek, just to feel and convince herself that both he and the present moment were real. He was…her father…

And then reality, with its harsh truth, came crashing down. She had been kidnapped and raised by a man who was a killer, raised to be a killer, a hunter, just like he was and that was all she would ever be. "…Goodbye, Spyder" she simply told him before he could protest, turning back to face the one who had made her what she was. The hunter's fury meanwhile had reached a zenith and he was itching to release it all in battle. Ignoring the cries of Spider-Man behind her and the shouts of recently arrived police officers toting weapons at her and Kraven, whom she rushed at with a piercing battle cry, Ana was uncertain if her life would be there waiting for her at the end of their clash.

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Somewhere…that is Nowhere.

Sometime…where there is no time.

A dull pair of cold, blood red eyes burned with malice as they watched a scene that was unfolding on the earthly plane; eyes belonging to a being of immense and great evil, who leered wantonly as a familiar mortal hero faced a nerve wracking predicament. A mortal hero who was known to the world as Spider-Man.

Arising from a surreal throne of skulls and bones and fire, the malevolent entity who was none other than the devil Mephisto, continued to look on at the battle between Ana and Kraven the hunter through his mind's eye. At home in his hellish realm devoid of time, the event he now witnessed was not "happening" as he observed it, and it was neither past nor future. It was a moment whose existence was real, and that was all that mattered to the demon lord. He had once fiddled with the reality he had seen before him, meaning to divert it toward a path that was currently coming to fruition in the dimension where humans dwelt. Deep, hoarse laughter escaped his throat as he continued to watch what took place; Kraven projecting a mystical field around himself and the girl he fought so they would not be interrupted again, police officers struggling to make heads or tails of the situation, Spider-Man being a little more than simply frustrated as he recognized his own helplessness—it all filled Mephisto with a dark joy, a joy he didn't bother concealing as he laughed again, throwing his head back in a wicked mirth.

Growing bored very quickly, the foul avatar of the netherworld decided to skip to the end of his vision, and confirm what he expected to happen. The sight of Kraven, his arm at a throat of a dangling, defeated, battered and beaten Ana in mid-air, sent a cold chill of satisfaction through him. Spider-Man's reaction was no less predictable than what was expected of him; he continued to fight a mystical barrier that refused to fade, punching at it till his knuckles bled, warning and at the same time, pleading for Kraven to let Ana go. Mephisto quickly realized that whether he let the girl die instead of interfering—as he was inevitably going to—it would please him either way. The pain from both men losing a daughter they waged war on top of, would feed him great amounts of negative soul energy, which would be certainly be pleasing to him. But the route in the direction of the sequence of events he chose now, to his knowledge, would turn out something sweeter to him than the power and pleasure gotten from a premature death; it would earn him a soul.

A wrecked, damaged one, destined to be damned, the instant it freed itself from the mortal coil that tethered it to the physical realm.

There was no contest.

He could not wait to do what had to be done, an evil smirk still stuck on his face as a slow build up of energy from within him commenced. With the force finally gathered up to a limit that had it engulfing him completely, the Dark Lord of the Underworld prepared to pierce the veil of the material universe, and step into a moment that he would manipulate.

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Still furiously punching away at the impenetrable, mystical barrier, Spider-Man almost did not notice that time around him had unexpectedly stopped. When he finally turned his attention anxiously to the scene in the impenetrable bubble, he noticed that Kraven still held Ana above the ground, the two of them frozen, completely stationary. It astounded Peter even more because when he turned around to check if the crowd and police were seeing what he was, he found that they too, and everything else in the vicinity had been rendered immobile. "Whoa. Okay, either I'm a twilight zone actor and I just broke a stopwatch I didn't know that I had, or I've stumbled into something that is entirely a whole differ—"

Never getting to finish his quip, Spider-Man senses were suddenly assaulted by an offensive ambience, one that seemed to increase its intensity every second, until he was actually almost choking and gagging on the near-tangible presence of…of evil.

Oh man; Spider-sense would've given me an aneurysm for sure, if I still had it, Peter thought. He hadn't been able to act further, when he saw billowy red smoke come from thin air, continuing to grow and grow until it gradually, but surely, shaped itself into the Demon Lord Mephisto. Being struck silent by what he was witnessing, there was no way he could be any warier. "…Mephisto…?" came the Wall crawler's barely audible voice full of disbelief a moment later.

Maintaining a slow amble toward Spider-man and the mystical force field that held the hateful pair of hunters, Mephisto surveyed the scene, ignoring the palpable fear and anxiety that started to come off Spider-man in waves. After going up close to the satisfying image of time-paused violence within the enclosure that Kraven had created, the hell borne creature quickly turned back to focus his attention on a silent, tense Wall crawler, whom he was sure had no idea what was going on.

By now, Mephisto once again began to feel the event bore him; so he proceeded with his purpose. "Heed my words, mortal spider. Listen, and interrupt me you shall not." The warning did not have to be spoken, what with Peter being stuck in a spot, simply unable to process what was going on.

Mephisto then continued, all the while reveling in the hero's helplessness. "In another place, another time…an event happened; one so monumental that it changed your life…the irony being that you don't even remember what it was. You don't even know that it ever happened, which was the deal. You came to me…and 'dealt with the devil', as it were. Now, your life will unravel, hero". The demon-lord's words seemed to reek of an unspoken authority, proving powerful enough to be accompanied by a light show of conjured images, scenes that Peter recognized but could not remember. He saw Aunt May, near death, about to go…and he saw that he just would not let her go. And MJ, she…God bless her, she didn't give up either. He saw them trading a life they had, a life that he had wanted so badly to happen…a life that did or didn't happen?...he saw them trading it for Aunt May's then dwindling life…and from his point of reality, looking to a past that never happened…he saw as they unknowingly traded the life of their daughter as well.

To say that the revelation overwhelmed Peter was a gross understatement. And after it all, the only thing he could muster was a choked out question. "…Why…?"

Mephisto's ominous laugh hit Peter's ears in response, echoing in his mind and it told the hero all he needed to know. Someone like the foul creature in front of him clearly didn't need a reason to be evil; he would simply derive satisfaction from any misfortune, regardless of who it befell. "Fret not, mortal. When I leave, you will not remember the changed past, nor that I even appeared before you…because it matters not anymore. This is your reality: that you have let down your very own daughter."

Falling to his knees, Peter tried to fight back the anger, the pain and sadness that threatened to push him over the edge. All he had ever done his whole life was try to make sure no one got hurt because of his failure to act, but the bitter irony made it clear that the very same attitude and resolve within him, caused people around him to get hurt anyway. People he cared about, people he was supposed to take care of. But he had failed them. Just as he had failed Ben, all those years ago…

All the while, Mephisto had watched his grieving victim; taking delight in the fact that his very spirit had been crushed. "I would just let her die, but…she nobly tried to save your life" he spat out, pausing a bit before considering the revolting self-sacrifice of the mortal's daughter. "So I will spare her" Mephisto decided, his gaze yet again turned toward and settled upon the erstwhile battle.

It had been hung low in defeat till now, but Peter's head rose a bit when he heard she would live. "…You…you will?"

"Oh, but not to help you or her, be assured of that" Mephisto continued haplessly. He had started to once again grow wary of this insignificant rendezvous. "Any relationship that you two might have is most likely doomed, due to the tainting and loss of her soul during her time as a hunter, which is exactly how I deigned to make it. My plan was never to erase her from history, but to spoil her life and leave it "broken", as it were. I want her to live now because every second that she is alive, you will have to deal with the fact that you failed her, and that her ruined, damaged, wrecked life…is your fault. And so once again, I win" said the hellfire spawn arrogantly. It was a fact the web-slinging hero found unable to dispute, and it successfully pushed him over the edge. The horrible revelations becoming too much to bear, he spontaneously reacted to the emotion of rage that had swollen up in him, lunging at the dark lord. Didn't matter that he knew in the back of his mind that there was no way he could fight someone so powerful, and the futility was proved evident as he seemed to pass right through Mephisto's maliciously laughing figure, as if it were just smoke. Turning back to confront him again, a furious Parker was shocked to see that there was no one there, and then…couldn't seem to remember who or what he was looking for. The last thing he remembered was trying to fight his way into Kraven's makeshift arena…and then…

Screams of police officers yelling brought him back to reality, and quickly returning his attention to the fight, he was puzzled to discover that Kraven had literally disappeared into thin air. Only Ana was left, barely being able to keep herself upright in the aftermath of the battle, whose ending even she couldn't seem to recall. But her thoughts on where her "Papa" had gone to were cut short by policemen shouting at her to freeze. Their uneasiness reflected in their demeanor, which was one of uncertainty; they too had remembered seeing her fight the "hunter guy" that was always tussling with Spider-man, and they had no idea how he had managed to make a getaway.

Up till now, Spider-man could do nothing but stare as a battered Ana complied with the orders of the law enforcement and raised her hands over her head. But just as suddenly as he had lost it, he ultimately found his voice. "Guys, guys, it's okay…" he cautioned while approaching them, "she isn't who you should be pointing guns at. Besides…she saved my life." It didn't happen immediately but one after the other, each cop lowered their weapon, albeit very reluctantly. Taking one last look at his daughter's face, with blood and cuts rampant on it, Peter could feel his daughter's eyes burn straight through the tear-drop lenses of the mask, to meet his gaze.

It seemed to take longer than the mere seconds that it really did, but their shared look, though fleeting and abrupt, was more intimate than anything someone would've suspected. All Peter wanted to do was take her home, and take care of her, and never let anything awful happen to her ever again, even if he would have to do it against her will. But now in her eyes, he saw a need…a need to just be alone, to take time to process and come to terms with what and who she really was…and maybe, hopefully, to accept it. Peter's jaw clenched when he thought about what he was going to do, and his very being tried to resist him making the decision that somehow, he knew he had already made. His head nodded ever so softly, accompanied by a whispered; "Go" that she couldn't have possibly heard, but somehow reacted to, hesitating momentarily before turning and fleeing until…she was gone.

The police officers on the scene were considering berating the so called "card carrying Avenger" on why they had to let one of the brawlers go, but seeing the Wall crawler in an unusually somber, pensive mood, shut them all up. And as they all set out to deal with the gathered crowd and survey the damage done, Peter still stood in a spot, hoping, and praying that wherever his daughter was going to go…she would be safe. "…Be careful, Ana" he whispered yet again, before attempting to help the police in any way he could.

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-FIVE MONTH'S LATER-

"I said I'LL BE THERE IN A MOMENT!"

Peter groaned as he unsuccessfully tried to clean the sleep from his eyes. He looked at his watch, which revealed a blinking '3:30', earning a scowl from him and wonder about who the heck could be knocking at his door so early in the morning. He had just drifted off to sleep after some late-late night patrol, and he was having a wonderful dream where he wasn't on two major superhero teams and hadn't gone through what the media had called "Spider-Island", or the whole Sinister Six devoting their time to a dying Doc Ock as he had tried to take over the world. The past few months had been as tumultuous as they could get, and from someone who led a double life as the Amazing Spider-Man, that was saying a lot.

But though his life of recent contained a fairly high but regular amount of spider rigor, he at least still had his awesome job at Horizon Labs, being a genius all day, inventing and talking about genius things with other geniuses. He absolutely loved every minute of it. Nevertheless, as he walked to his door to stop the repetitive, methodic knocking, he knew in his mind that neither the good stuff nor the bad stuff could stop him from silently worrying every other second, about his child, who was out there somewhere. For the billionth time, he uttered a silent desire for her to be okay. Unlocking and opening his apartment door, a part of him naively wished that it would be—

"…Ana" he whispered, unable to move when he saw that she was the one who stood right in front of him. It had been raining out a short while before, which explained why part of her shoulder-length, curly blonde hair was matted against her face, amplifying the tired, exhausted look she had on. A simple shirt with long sleeves rolled up to the elbows, along with knee-length combat pants shorts indicated how underdressed she was, not to mention the fact that her feet were bare like she sometimes preferred. With both of them rooted to the spot, they lingered for a while, each waiting for the other to end the reticence.

"Spyder" she finally said, half intending it be a greeting. In all their previous encounters, Peter had never seen Ana tense as she was now. Not that the apprehension showed or distorted her blank expression, but even subtle and barely noticeable as it was, it still counted for something because the experienced, mature girl was someone who had unwaveringly stared death down many times in the past without balking. She was still wary of him and he could feel the distrust coming off of her. He quickly spoke up, trying to let her know that it was alright for her to be nervous, since he was too.

"How are you?" he asked, unsure why his voice was quieter than he thought.

"…I am well" Ana affirmed, and he noted she had a portable makeshift bag/sack that was closed up and held on to by a rope that she shouldered and grasped in a balled fist. In the end though, it occurred to Peter that it was good thing she was there; it meant that she was safe and he could allow himself to be relieved. He smiled, happy she was back, contemplating whether to hug her or not. He wasn't even sure if she liked to be hugged, especially by him. But none of that really mattered. What really did, was that she had come back.

"Anyway…welcome home" he told her, meaning every syllable. As he did, he saw a slight look pass over her face, one that he couldn't place, but he wanted to believe that…that it was of assent, of acceptance.

"…Home…" she echoed thoughtfully, pausing as he stepped aside to let her enter, and eventually walking in, ready for a new life…with her father.

But unfortunately, there was something that still bugged her. It was a cold shiver, an unpleasant tingling as vivid as the spiteful name that inspired it.

…Mephisto…

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Yes! I did it! I am finally back and was having trouble on how to end this chapter, and making it a worthy prelude to the awesome part that I can't wait for to begin, which is: the journey the Ana and Pete are about to undergo as father and daughter, and how they will come to settle in these new, strange roles of theirs. I have great ideas for arcs, featuring some well known bad guys and some OC's that I bet are gonna knock your socks off! Kinky, ain't it?! Plus, I'll eventually reveal bit by bit what Ana had been up to during the five months that she's been away. In the future, the fic's angst will definitely be toned down a bit, and I'm going to make it a bit upbeat and fun, especially when exploring how their lives are gonna intersperse. And don't worry; we're going to be seeing Ana with Spider-powers much sooner than you think. A certain red-head will also be making an appearance in the story too…

Next chapter: Ana meets the Fantastic Four, and Peter reaches out to a fellow hero who also has a "broken" girl in is care. Five guesses as to who the f $# it is! And no, the first four don't count.

On the other hand, I have this great idea for a fic spinning out of this one. It starts in the future, a while after the events in this chapter. It's gonna be called "Spider-Clan" (honest to God this idea has been brewing even long before Dan Slott started his awesome "Spider-verse" story that I've not been able to follow but am aware of). So in all likelihood, "New Responsibilities" might be getting canceled. Boo! I know! But make way for "Spider-Clan" which is a marvel styled team up fic where I pair Ana, true scion of Spider-Man (Peter Parker) with almost, if not all, the spider-themed characters in the marvel universe. I will be using original, sometimes multi-chaptered story arcs that I'm gonna put my heart and soul into, and I'll also be using a third Marvel character to temper the story sometimes, occasionally serving as the point of perspective. It'd go out great if I can settle down and do it right. Also, I know that it may be hard to sell Ana as Peter's daughter without the brief interaction between them being seen but, believe me I may have a way of recalling and letting that play out even during this seeming literary clutter I'm promising. Julia Carpenter (Arachne, Current Madame Web) will also be a prominent character, maybe the true supporting player in all the mania who I'm also going at hint at having a possible manipulative behavior streak. The characters are all going on her say. Ana kind of suspects something at one point and her response to the situation is just as interesting as the Julia conundrum.