Disclaimer: I'm a little bit busier than normal these days, what with a couple others projects being written up and all. But we'll jump off, oops, I mean cross those bridge when we get to 'em. Kay?

As always, I don't own the rights to Spider-Man, for he is the property of Marvel Comics, which for some reason is owned by Disney. BLASPHEMY, I TELL YOU!

Chapter XII
Turning Point

Ashley stirred herself awake from an all around restless slumber. She couldn't remember much of anything from the last twelve hours. At least not at first! Then she recalled encountering Venom and her subsequent attempts to reach out to Eddie Brock. Ultimately, Venom, or just the alien symbiote rather, won out and abducted Ashley. Ashley must've blacked out after the kidnapping, and that was why she remembered nothing else since then. Ashley rubbed her eyes and then realized that she inside her apartment. Did Venom actually bring her back home? Did Ashley succeed in reaching Eddie? Too many questions! Too few answers!

"How on Earth did I get home?" Ashley wondered to herself. Ashley looked out the opened window, and she didn't notice the shadow moving around in her bedroom.

"Ashley!" the shadows spoke out; and Ashley turned around startled.

"Eddie?"

Eddie did indeed step out from the shadow, in the alien costume minus the mask. "We… I brought you back here."

"I don't understand," Ashley said. "Why would you bring me back home like this?"

Eddie sat down on the bed; not that asking for permission would go much anyway. "I honestly don't even know anymore. All I don't is that you were right about the other."

"The other," Ashley asked, confused. "You mean the alien."

"The symbiote, I could feel it tearing my mind apart when I spared Spider-Man," Eddie said, his head hanging in self disgrace. "Even worse than that, now the symbiote sees you as a threat. It wants me to hurt you, but I can't do that."

Ashley seemed to now have a better understanding of what Eddie was going through. Basically, Eddie despised Spider-Man for ruining his career. The symbiote despised Spider-Man for rejecting it. Eddie and the symbiote came together with the common goal of eradicating a shared enemy. Then Ashley entered the picture, and Eddie was now in conflict with the symbiote. In essence, Eddie was in conflict with himself. His dark side, more or less! But why Ashley?

"There's no way I could come close to understanding how much you're suffering, Eddie," she said. "It must be so torturous for you."

"I can take it, Ashley," Eddie assured Ashley as he stood from the bed. "I can take the torture for your sake."

"My sake," Ashley wondered. "I sense it goes much deeper than that. Is that why you couldn't bring yourself to ever hurt me?"

Eddie pretty much dug up his own grave by that point, resting his symbiote covered hand on the wall. "Yeah! There's just no possible way that you could ever…" Eddie stalled himself. "…Ever love a monster like me."

That was why Eddie couldn't hurt Ashley, no matter how much the symbiote compelled him to do so. "I could love the man, Eddie. You could live a normal life again, but we have to get rid of the alien before it's too late."

Eddie would've likely agreed with Ashley, but the symbiote didn't see it that way. The alien engulfed Eddie's face and roared an inhuman sound. Then he lunged at Ashley and pinned her to the wall. Venom hissed at Ashley's frightened face and seemed to want to rip her head off, but he just froze. Ashley sensed that it was Eddie fighting the symbiote for control and Venom dropped Ashley to the floor. Venom sank to his knee holding his head in pain, and then the symbiote receded from Eddie's face.

"The alien's too strong," Eddie struggled to say, still holding his head. "I can't fight it off forever."

Ashley knelt down in front of Eddie and put her hands on his shoulder. "Yes you can, Eddie. You're stronger than the alien. You can still win."

Eddie was practically trembling as he seemed to be fighting the symbiote for control. "I'm… I'm sorry, Ashley. I so sorry."

Eddie jumped out the window, not even bothering to heed Ashley's pleas. Ashley rushed to the window just in time to see Eddie disappear into the city. Ashley leaned against the window frame, distressed that she was again unable to help Eddie. He needed help obviously. But as far Ashley was concerned, Eddie needed more than help. Ashley had to admit to herself that Eddie needed her. Point blank and period.

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Venom's trailed had once again gone cold, and it left Spider-Man feeling very uneasy. Add to the fact that Carnage was still on the loose, and Spider-Man was liable to be pushed over the edge. Truth be told, the web slinger would've much rather been playing Hide n' Seek with Black Cat. Or the Hobgoblin! Or any whack-a-do for that matter! By sheer twist of fate, Spider-Man found himself passing by the apartment home of Jean DeWolff. He felt somewhat compelled to check up on her. It wasn't out of some fantasy, but there were reasons. For one, Jean was Spider-Man's friend and one of his strongest supporters, next to Mary Jane. The second reason was that Jean knew Spider-Man's secret identity. Spider-Man sometimes wondered if Jean actually cared for him more than she'd ever admit. No way!

C'mon, Parker, he thought. You're not seriously thinking that Jean might be into you? Then again, that lady's been… he stopped himself and shook his head. Whoa, whoa, Parker! You're a married man. You don't get to think of Jean like that. You had enough of the same problem with Black Cat!

Spider-Man decided to finally head home and talk to Mary Jane. She had been strangely agitated as of late, as if she was in labor. That was a scary thought. If he only knew that the truth was closer to home than he knew.

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Jean had been in the shower for the past fifteen minutes or so, so she was generally unaware of Spider-Man's recent fly by of her home. The showerhead pelted her face with a steady stream of water. Jean kept her eyes closed and wiped her face at regular intervals and then lower her head. She opened her eyes, leaned against the wall with both hand and went into thought. What was she thinking about? Jean exhaled and shut off the showered, and then grabbed a towel and wrapped around her naked form. She stepped out of the tub and into the bathroom, standing in front of a mirror. Jean wiped the condensation from the mirror, taking a long look at herself. Jean was actually very attractive for a woman who was usually fully clothed and who smoked often.

Jean looked herself over in the mirror and sighed to herself, "What the hell are you thinking, DeWolff? There's no way he'd be interested in a bitch like you."

Jean shook her head at the thought of Spider-Man, or Peter for that matter, having any kind of interest in her. That obviously didn't shake off the fact that Jean had become very interested in Peter, and more than she'd let on. Jean threw on a blue bathrobe and step out of the bathroom into her apartment. She was still thinking about Spider-Man. In that way! She'd never, in her wildest dreams, thought she actually develop certain feelings for a guy in a mask. It actually made her feel tingly. Jean entered her bedroom and threw on a button downed t-shirt and pajamas, leaving her hair loose. She noticed that it was cold in the apartment. Strange! Jean didn't remember leaving her apartment window open. A new thought crossed her mind; she wasn't alone. Jean picked up her gun and quietly moved through her apartment. Something was definitely amiss. Jean moved to the open window and looked out into the city. She closed the window before turning back toward her home. That was when Jean was caught by her throat and thrown to the floor with a thud. Cletus Kasady hovered over Jean, still clutching her throat all while pinning her down.

"Hey, Jeanie, how ya been," he sneered. "Ya miss me?"

"Like a hole in the head, Kasady!" Jean wheezed, and she tried reaching for her gun.

Cletus noticed and he pushed the gun aside, and then he moved his face closer to Jean's. "You know, Jeanie, I always enjoy that feistiness of yours," Cletus began slowly undoing the buttons of Jean's shirt. "It seriously turns me on."

"Screw you!" Jean coughed.

Cletus was practically licking his chops. "Funny; that's what I had planned for you."

Suddenly, Spider-Man came crashing through the window, dropkicking Kasady off of Jean. "You're not touching her, Kasady."

"What makes you think," Cletus stood up and the symbiote took over his body. "You can stop me?"

Carnage quickly and violently tackled Spider-Man to the floor, knocking the wind out of Spider-Man early. Spider-Man kicked Carnage off before Carnage could drive a symbiote styled axe into his skull. Carnage snagged the web slinger with a tendril and threw him back and forth between the walls. Jean was very quick to reach her phone and dial up the police station number.

"This as Capt. DeWolff; I need immediate back up at my place on 412 Main Street Apartments."

The phone was suddenly shattered by Carnage. "So much for homely hospitality!"

Carnage went to throw Spider-Man right out the broken window and Spider-Man did go, but he snagged Carnage with two web lines and took the villain with him. Spider-Man and Carnage met outside the apartment walls and went back to slugging it out. Carnage shot off a series of blood darts which Spider-Man managed to avoid. Spider-Man retaliated with a series of web spheres, all of which wrapped up Carnage on impact. Spider-Man really needed to come up with a name for that attack. Carnage tore right through webbing and started slashing at Spider-Man with symbiote axes and lances and everything in between. Spider-Man dodged the attacks while remaining fixed on the wall and shot web lines at Carnage. Carnage willed a shield into existence and blocked the webs, but he was ill prepared to take a dropkick to his jaw. Carnage was rattled but he didn't go down, and he willed his finger into spikes. He shot the spikes out at Spider-Man, who just barely avoided being skewered and then blinded Carnage with webbing.

"C'mon, Carnage," Spider-Man shouted. "Catch me if you can."

Carnage ripped the webbing from his bug eyes and shouted back, "Think you can run from me? Think again," In a flash, Carnage climbed up the wall after Spider-Man. By the time Carnage reached, it came as a surprise that Spider-Man was nowhere in sight. "Come out, come out wherever you are."

"Surprise!" Out of nowhere, Spider-Man tackled Carnage to the ground and began wailing on him.

Carnage kicked Spider-Man off of him and went on the attack with symbiote blades extended. Spider-Man knew he couldn't rely on his spider-sense, so every dodging maneuver he could perform was dependant on sheer luck. Carnage dropped the direct assault and launched blood darts at his foe, which Spider-Man managed to dodge. Spider-Man returned fire with an onslaught of web spheres. Some of the spheres scored direct hits on Carnage. Others were blocked when Carnage willed his arms into a shield. Spider-Man used the momentary distractions to his advantage, leaping over Carnage without him noticing. From above, Spider-Man unleashed a net of webbing that tied up Carnage before landing behind him. Carnage was able to rip right through the net and snagged the web slinger's ankle via blood tendril. Spider-Man was tripped up and hit his head hard on the ground, after which Carnage whipped him around. Spider-Man was about half conscious when Carnage hurled him into an overhanging billboard. Carnage then shot blood darts at the supports, and the billboard pinned Spider-Man down to the ground. Spider-Man really had no idea where he was after that blow to his head earlier. Carnage leapt into view and lifted the fallen billboard before grabbing the delirious Spider-Man.

"After I get done shredding you to pieces," Carnage snarled to Spider-Man, who was way out of it. "I'm gonna paint this town red with your blood. And mine!"

Carnage willed his right arm into a scythe and reared back for the killing blow. Spider-Man couldn't defend himself. He didn't even know his own whereabouts. Carnage's maw grew into an inhuman grin at how easy it would be to kill Spider-Man. He never got a chance to follow through. Carnage was unexpectedly under fire from Jean, who had rushed all the way from her apartment to the roof. Jean fired her gun at Carnage with a relentlessness that even Carnage didn't expect. Carnage was driven back as he took bullet after bullet until he fell over the edge of the roof. Jean quickly rushed to Spider-Man's aide. She could easily tell that Spider-Man out of it. He likely had a mild concussion.

"C'mon, Parker," Jean begged. "Snap out of it."

Spider-Man was only vaguely aware of Jean's presence. "Jean, get out of here."

"The hell with that. I'm not leaving you here to die, Parker." Jean said.

Jean tried to help Spider-Man to a vertical base. Without warning, Carnage appeared and went airborne, readying an arm blade. There wasn't nearly enough time for the duo to move. So, Jean did the only thing she could do. Beforehand, Jean whispered something to Spider-Man.

She told him, "I'm sorry. I love you."

Jean shoved Spider-Man out of the way as hard as she could manage. Carnage landed directly in front of Jean. There followed a sickening sound and Jean's eyes widened in shock. She could feel the blade digging into her stomach. Carnage leaned in and the symbiote receded, allowing Cletus to hiss into Jean's ear. Then he pulled the blade loose and Jean slumped to the ground, going limp. A protesting Spider-Man reached his hand out, not to Carnage but to Jean. Jean's eyes remained open even as she slipped away. Carnage broke into a twisted cackling before slipping away into the city. Spider-Man moved toward Jean and tried to shake her back into consciousness, but it was already too late. Making matters worse, the NYPD could be heard down on the streets. Spider-Man didn't have any choice. Gently shutting Jean's eyes, he was forced to swing out of sight just as the police arrived on the roof led by Stan Carter. Stan rushed to Jean and checked her for a pulse. There was nothing.

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Still mildly concussed, Spider-Man came to rest on a gargoyle statue. He looked back. He could still hear the sirens even from a distance. Spider-Man ripped his mask off, and tears were welling in his eyes. He'd failed again. Another friend, another loved one had been lost. Peter held one hand to his eyes, while the other held his mask. His breathing became heavy. He was about to breakdown. Finally, Peter snapped. He let out an agonizing scream into the air, one that could be heard far across the city. Ironically, no one acknowledged the sound except for a single person. That person was Eddie Brock who, like Peter, was situated atop one of the stone gargoyles of the Chrysler building. Whether or not he cared, it seemed to Eddie that his arch nemesis may have finally reached his breaking point.

Author's note: Another chapter complete, and Jean is lost. What a tragic loss! Note the chapter title pays homage to the Spider-Man: TAS episode of the same name. Good stuff! Feel free to comment.