She-Hulk: (holding Scott up by the collar of his shirt) I am kinda offended that you didn't include me in your poll.
Scott: (trying desperately not to embarrass himself by taking in the lovely view of jade cleavage) Did you want to be in a Harem relationship with Spider-man?
She-Hulk: (Thinking for a moment) Not particularly, but I wasn't even considered.
Scott: You were, I just thought you'd much rather be with someone else (holds up list of plot ideas for her to read)
She-Hulk: (Reads and grins) I think that will work out much better.
Scott: Well, since you're here, let's do the Disclaimer and then we can have cheesecake. I learned how to make Dark Chocolate Cheesecake.
She-Hulk: Scott the Wanderer does not own Marvel Comics or any associated characters. He's making absolutely no money from this at all. Given his recent financial statements, suing him would be a waste of time and money.
Scott: Thanks for that. Real boost to the ego there.
She-Hulk: Hey, at least you know the girls like you for the cheesecake instead of money.
She was so very, very cold, but refused to shiver. ~You are not allowed to complain. Weapons never complain.~ The admonishment of her keepers rattled inside her head. Shivering or not, she was unable to move. The cold of early spring was enough to keep her hypothermic. Only her healing factor was keeping her alive for now. She had come to New York in order to try and understand herself. She was not quite sure why the city would help, but her instincts screamed at her that she belonged here. She had tried to ignore them, to go to Florida or perhaps Mexico, but it was to no avail. Every time she contemplated going somewhere else, part of her slapped it down. So here she was freezing to death, again, in the back alleys of the city.
"Now what do we have here? Looks like talent just waiting to be properly used." The minor crimelord known as Zebra Daddy was one of Wilson Fisk's men. As such he learned a long time a long time ago to make use of every opportunity. The girl huddled in the corner was young and from what he could see pretty, not as gorgeous as the blonde currently on his arm, but she would quite a bit as one of his girls. "Frank, Tony pick her up bring her along. We'll have to get her nursed back to health."
"Oh, that is so sweet, Daddy." The blonde on his arm cooed in a vapid tone.
~If she wasn't gorgeous, I'd cut her for sounding so fucking stupid.~ The though came unbidden to the pimp as he watched his goons scoop up the young girl. "Well, that's me. I find girls with talent and give them everything they deserve."
"But you haven't heard her sing. How do you know she has talent?" The blonde's voice took on an almost irritating tone. "Are you sure you are not one of those men my friends warned me about? I mean, wouldn't it be hard to be a pimp with equipment that small? Aren't pimps supposed to be able to break in their girls?"
"Oh that is it, Bitch!" Zebra Daddy prided himself on patience and self control. He could take a lot of shit, but listening to this vapid blonde insult him after an hour of inane bullshit was too much. He backhanded the blonde with every bit of force he had only to gape when she just smiled.
"Thou hast made thine last mistake, mortal." Gone was the vapid blonde lounge singer he had picked up. Before him in green tunic was almost literally a goddess. "I was going to let thou live on in misery, but striking me has sealed thy fate. No mortal strikes Amora the Enchantress unpunished."
Zebra Daddy knew at this moment he was pretty much toast. You don't live in New York and not follow the heroes and villains. He knew this Asgardian, despite not being as powerful as Thor, could snap him in two. He tried the sensible thing which was to run. Only his two goons had dropped the little black haired girl and were approaching him with a chain and lead pipe. "Frank? Tony? What are you….ARRRGHH!"
Amora stepped past the two men mercilessly beating the pimp with a contemptuous nod. She knew that the Kingpin would like execute them as he did not tolerate unsanctioned murders of his men. Her real concern was the young woman they had come across. She felt a connection to her as if her struggles for self identity were like her own. Squatting down next to the girl Amora checked her pulse and was shocked at how frigid her flesh was. "Thou art cold as the air in Jotunheim, Little Sister. I will help thee, if thou will help me."
The girl looked up into the green eyes of Enchantress and was shocked to see actual concern and kindness. She had seen that in only three other people her Sensei, her mother and the man from her dreams. Everyone else in the Facility had been unimaginably cruel. Even when she escaped out into the world, the Original was not this kind nor was the Super Soldier. After a few moments contemplation she barely produced a nod as she was too cold to utter anything without her teeth chattering.
"I will assume thou did mean yes with that, Little Sister." Amora smiled as she scooped up the girl. "I see we shall have to have thou properly fed, thou could use another stone in weight."
Peter looked over the case holding Ben's webshooters. His brush with Abomination on his way home made it painfully clear he needed to fight smarter. The designs made by the Jackal for Ben were actually much better than his old ones. Then again, the villain had better resources and more time on his hands. ~Well, it would be honoring Ben if I use these, and I can give my old ones to Jess like she keeps begging.~ Peter mused as he finally took them out of the case. He remembered practicing with these and how much he had liked the different triggering systems. It just hadn't seemed right to use them before.
"So, how do I look?" Wanda's voice interrupted moment before peter could get too far into memory lane. Stepping into view she unveiled her new costume. Abandoning the swimsuit and cape, Wanda now had a belted tunic over betacloth unitard coupled with thigh high boots. "After Jan dragged me to the Incredibles we spent a few hours redesigning costumes. Seems she is now a big believer in 'No Capes'. You should see her pestering Stephen about it."
Peter was so very lucky he had his mask on. Seeing the Scarlet Witch in her new costume had nearly made his jaw drop. She'd always been a bit risqué in her costume choices, so covering everything but her head was a hue change. Yet somehow she managed to make it even sexier than when she wore the Belly Dancer uniform (as the men called it). It took a few moments for him to trust that his tongue would not be tied. "Well, I can say that you are going to be responsible for creating a few traffic accidents and a lot of drooling idiots."
"Well, not exactly a direct compliment, but much better phrased than most I have gotten." Wanda chuckled as she approached to give him another kiss on the cheek. "Are you sure it's alright that I patrol with you tonight? I mean you are kind of…"
"…known for being a loner?" Spider-man continued the comment. It was slight unnerving how he thought of himself as Peter when the mask was off but Spider-man when it was on, but it kept him relatively sane…kinda. "Well, honestly you are one of the brave few to ask to come with me. Cap did once as did Natasha, but I think that was just to see what I was capable of. The other street level heroes like to stick to their own territories."
"Like Dare Devil and Elektra handle Hell's Kitchen, Luke and Danny handle Harlem, and Black Cat handles the Diamond District for the most part." Wanda observed. "So what is your territory?"
"All of New York. I'm kinda the go to guy for anything in the city." Spidey chuckled. "So, doth the fair maiden wish to travel by the swing of the web, or doth she fly like the angels she shames with her beauty?"
"Thor you are not, Spider-man." Wanda made the change in bearing that separated the warm hearted woman from the mistress of hex magic known as the Scarlet Witch. "I will fly, but if you continue with the bad Elizabethan speech, I might just hex your laundry to be two sizes too small."
"Alrighty then." Spider-man chuckled as he somersaulted out the open window, sprang off the fire escape and started swinging away. "Tally Ho!"
She ate everything that was put in front her quickly and silently, a lesson that had been beaten into her the moment she could chew solid food. Unlike normal starvation victims she had no need to pace herself. Her healing factor would keep her from suffering. After the second third large pizza she finally felt as if she could relax. Looking up from her plate she almost flinched seeing the smiling Amora just watching her.
"Obviously thou hast not eaten in some time." Amora observed with a small chuckle. "Thou would put Volstagg to shame with thine feasting skills and ye have much better manners, Little One. Tell me, what is thine name. Verily, I doth not mind calling thee Little Sister, but a name is oft times needed."
"X-23." She said as she looked at Amora through her bangs. She had read the files on the Asgardians, but as the Facility had lied to her about many things she was unable to see this kind woman as a villain. "They called me X-23."
"Nay, I care not what those heathens called thee. What name did thine mother gift thee?" Amora could see what they had done to this young woman as sure as she had been told. It made her blood boil, as children were precious no matter the manner of their creation.
"L-Laura. She named me Laura before she…she died." Laura stuttered for a moment. Amora was being as kind as her mother had been, but not in the same way. She didn't feel a motherly vibe from the older woman. It was somehow similar, but more like what she had felt the one time she was allowed to visit her cousin.
"Laura? It is a fitting name. Now that ye have been fed, mine sister, ye should bathe. I will arrange clean clothing while ye do so." Amora stood, offering a hand to help Laura. "Then we must talk of thine future and how it entwines with mine."
Jean Grey took one long hard look at the mansion that had been her home for so very long. True she had spent time away, but she had always returned. Then the horrible realization hit her. This was not the Mansion she knew. She had never set foot within those walls. Her Xavier Institute was in another Universe, demolished in a war that had destroyed every living thing except herself and the Enemy. A tear flowed down her cheek as she remembered the joy she had felt when she thought she was about to die. She would be reunited with her husband, children and her friends. The Enemy had cruelly left her alive, knowing that nothing else could kill her…ever.
"It would be so easy. I could reach out and snuff his life before he gains the power." She whispered to herself as she thought of how one of her oldest friends would become something so horrible. Then her husband's words hit her like Mjolnir. She couldn't kill a man who had yet to do the things she wished to kill him for. "No, I can't sink to his level. It might never happen here. M-Day didn't so this might not."
Unconvinced about her own arguments, Jean made her way to the cemetery. If they were anything like her memories they would have statues in their honor. She'd been right and was treated to sculptural talent that defied conventional methods. The statue of herself was so lifelike that one would think she was painted bronze and standing still. However she was not here for the art. She could feel the psychic impressions in the grave. Opening her mind a bit she reached out and took the memories of this world's Jean Grey from the corpse in the ground, something only possible the fragment of Phoenix Power that was fused inside of her.
"You were in love with HIM?" Jean said to the statue as she sorted through the memories. "And HIM? Did you have no taste?"
"So, why do you think Wanda told everyone that Spidey would know where to find her?" Jessica Drew was into her thirteenth margarita as he asked her very best friend that question. She was at this point pretty well bombed. "I mean, we both know where she lives. I'm pretty sure Natasha does to. But she specifically mentioned our Spider-man. Do you think she is making a move on him? Did we wait too long?"
Carol Danvers had to steel herself against the temptations of alcohol a long time ago. She still desperately wanted a drink in the worst way and even had a fully recovered liver to withstand it. Still she resisted. She was not going down that path again, no matter how much of the good stuff Tony had at the mansion. So her best friend getting hammered was very little temptation, until the object of their mutual affection was brought up. That made her want to steal the margarita right from her hands.
"Since when is he OUR Spider-man? Last time I checked we didn't ask him out…or agree to share him." Carol raised an eyebrow at her inebriated friend. There was no secret that Jessica swung both ways. It was something about the pheromones that she almost constantly put out that had slowly altered her sexual preferences. Still, the assumption that she would share Spidey with Jess was a step or two beyond anything they had discussed.
"Oh, damn. Did I say that?" Jessica paused for a moment as if trying to remember precisely had come out of her mouth in her slightly tipsy state. "Yep, I did. Ah well, just wishful thinking. Wanda is gonna get her claws in him and we can forget it. She wore out Hercules once."
"Ugh, she just lost her husband, Jess. She isn't going to jump back in the saddle so quickly. She's been burnt more than both of us combined." Carol pointed out. Neither of their histories with men could be describe as pleasant. "She probably needs a shoulder to cry on and we both know Spidey is the best at that."
"You're right. So what if Spidey is a big softy and will likely fall for her while she crying her eyes out. He's sweet like that. So what if she's been asking everyone what they think of him. I mean it's not like everyone likes the Webhead." Jessica sighed heavily before taking another sip of her margarita. "So what if she asked Wolvie where he lives. So what if I saw her picking out new lingerie at Victoria's Secret."
"She what?!" Carol had been looking away trying to catch the score of the game, but that statement caused her head to whip around so fast the ends of her hair actually cracked like a whip. "That's it we gotta go stake a claim on our Spidey. We're fighting fire with plasma. When does Frederick's open?"
"You know the drill, your money, your phone, and your necklace or I take them off your corpse." The lead thug growled at the elderly lady. He was already pointing his revolver at her throat, ready to practically decapitate her. His four buddies were watching in every direction for the cops or capes. "Come on, I don't have all night."
"It's men like you who make me so glad my nephew does what he does." She spat even as she fished in her purse for her wallet.
"What? He's a pig? Maybe we should rough you up a bit, give him the message that he should ignore us." The lead thug sneered. Before he could say anything more a glob of webbing completely enwrapped his arms, clogging the barrel completely even if the hammer could move.
"Five of you to rob this sweet lady? That's a new level of low." Spider-man chided the thug as he landed between two of them, using two strands of webbing he pulled hard making them collide together with a sickening thud that knocked them out. "Then again, I am saving you from the beating I am pretty sure she was going to give you."
The two thugs still able to move decided to try the high-low double team on Spider-man, only for them to collide in mid air and then slam into a light pole. A moment later the Scarlet Witch landed with a smile on her face. "That was almost worthy of the Three Stooges. So do you want the ring leader or…whoa."
"And that young man is for insinuating that police officers are less than human." Aunt May Parker delivered a vicious swing with her purse that knocked the lead thug off his feet and into a garbage bin. Satisfied that he was knocked out, she then turned to her favorite crime-fighter. "As for you, I expect you and your new partner at my house Sunday night for Pot Roast and Cheesecake. Seven o'clock and bring an appetite, it was on sale." Waiting for nods from the duo, she smiled and started on her way home humming a happy tune.
"Your Aunt is something else." Wanda chuckled after she recovered from her shock.
"Tell me about it. She took the cigar right from Logan's mouth first time he came to find me. Then she read him the riot act for not asking for a beer before taking it." Spider-man chuckled softly at the memory of the Wolverine actually backing down from the elderly lady. "I wish I had a camera phones back then, the video would have gone viral in ten seconds flat."
"I expect thou art feeling better, Little Sister?" Amora gave the young woman a bright smile. "Thou doth smell better. There is sleeping apparel on the bed, Laura. I have also arranged some clothing for thee so we may go to the Mall."
Laura nodded and gave a tentative smile to the Asgard. She was unused to such kindness without a price. Part of her was rejoicing at finding some semblance of family, while the darker part of her wondered when the trap would be sprung. Picking up the huge t-shirt with the webbing design she finally gathered the courage to ask a question. "Why are you doing all this for me?"
"Tis a fair question, Little Sister. I know mine reputation in Midgard and it is well earned." Amora sighed as she sat on the bed so she could look up into Laura's eyes. "I admit I was a dastardly villain, with but one goal in mine head. I wanted Thor Odinson as my lover. It took me many years to understand the source of mine desires. I was jealous, as thou would see. I was jealous of Sif and the ease in which she ensnared Thor's love." Amora paused for a moment. "I merely wanted what was not mine. I would attempt to seduce him. Cause conflict just to gain his attentions. I even offered to be second wife, but I was spurned for a giantess. I aspired to be third wife, but the Lady Jane stole that honor as well. I was so enraptured with the idea of having Thor's love that I never bothered to wonder if I truly loved him." Looking out the window, Amora sighed. "I did not. Not even a little. He was brash, arrogant and while not a dullard he lacked the razor sharp wit and humor of the man who actually captured my heart. I had not even known he had captured it at the time. I did not meet him often, but my thoughts drifted to him more as time passed. Despite not understanding mine feelings, I have loved this man for some time. He is strong for a mortal, braver than even the Thunderer had been, more clever than Loki, oft times shows the wisdom of the All Father and watches over the City not unlike Heimdall did the universe. He lives by a creed that will change the world more than any God could ever hope to: With Great Power come Great Responsibility."
"The Spider-man." Laura said after a moment. The facility had made her study files on every single superhero and villain in case she was ever contracted to kill them. Several had intrigued her and among them was the Spider-man.
"Oh, if my fellow Asgardians were alive how they would laugh. Amora the Enchantress ensnared by a mortal man." She laughed herself, but there was slight bitterness to it. "Thou doth see my dilemma? I have wronged him before. Ensnared his mind and almost made him betray his wife. They may have dissolved their union through no fault of mine, but I doubt he will be forgiving." Amora chuckles ruefully. "So I must earn my redemption. I have great power and I must use it responsibly. This includes helping you, Little Sister."
"So you are doing this to impress the man you love?" Laura felt a tear begin to well up in her eye as he heart began to ache. It felt a little like the pain she had suffered when she killed her mother.
"Nay, to impress him I would have sent ye to Westchester to be with thine kind." Amora smiled warmly as she reached out to take Laura's hand. "I adopted thee as mine Sister because I felt a bond to thee. I am doing all of this for thee because that is what family is for."
"Fourteen muggings, six attempted rapes, a jewelry store break in, and an attempted drive by." Wanda summed up the events of just four hours of patrolling. "I had no idea!"
"Yeah, it was a pretty light evening." Peter said as he pulled his mask off. It had already been a long day, so he had cut it short to avoid burning out. "Usually I patrol until three, but it's been a hell of a day. Not to mention it's Hump Day, crime's almost always slow on Hump Day." Without thinking about his audience Peter just pulls off the shirt of his costume. "So, what did you think?"
"Huh, what?" Wanda had always noticed how well built Spider-man was. He wasn't muscle-bound like Thor or Hercules, nor was he over developed like Captain America or Wonder Man. He had the perfect gymnast's body, which was the body type Wanda actually favored. Given his skin tight uniform, every female Avenge had discussed how fit he was. Still outside of battle damage to his costume, nobody had seen his bare skin. Wanda was shocked by the number of scars he had. They were all faded, but still visible to those who looked. Instead of marring his looks, they seemed to make him sexier. Part of her subconscious was evaluating him as a potential protector and those marks just confirmed he would do anything to protect those he loved. "I'm sorry I was lost in thought. I had no idea you were that busy. We really should start Patrols when we aren't dealing with a crisis."
"It would be nice, though honestly not everyone is cut out for Street level stuff." Peter sighed as he removed the webshooters. "Could you imagine Hercules breaking up a mugging? If the thugs were lucky they might be able to walk again."
"Yeah, though I would not mourn if he went a little overboard on the rapists." Wanda muttered as she removed her gloves. "So if this was a slow night, how bad is it usually?"
"Well, I'm factoring that I had very effective help tonight, but I usually break up about three to four times what we did tonight while patrolling about four more hours." Peter sighed. "Then there are the minor disasters I sometimes deal with. Or in one case I actually carried a Donor Heart through town because of a traffic jam. Not to mention the idiots in costume who like to play 'Hit the Spider' and not in the friendly way Carol and Cage do."
"They're not that friendly when they play that game." Wanda mumbled as she removed her headdress. "How do you keep sane?"
"Who says I am?" Peter shrugged. "Why don't you change in the bathroom, I'll get us a late night snack. That crappy movie they made about me will be on soon. Can you believe they cast Toby Maguire as me? Am I really that short?"
"Hmmm, Yes, but you have a much nicer ass." Wanda smiled as she made her parting shot as she headed to the bathroom.
Well, the poll is closed. We had 22 voters in the poll and 18 PM's/Review votes
1 Amora (The Enchantress) 22
2 Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) 11
3 Jean Grey (Phoenix) 11
4 Elizabeth Braddock (Psylocke) 11
5 Carol Danvers (Ms Marvel) 11
6 Laura Kinney (X-23) 11
7 Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl) 10
8 Silver Sablinova (Silver Sable) 7
9 Brunhilde (Valkyrie) 5
10 Wanda Wilson (Lady Deadpool) 4
11 Madelyne Pryor (Goblin Queen) 4
12 Bobbi Morse (Mockingbird) 4
13 Illyanna Rasputin (Magik) 3
14 Maya Lopez (Echo/Ronin) 3
15 Mattie Franklin (Spider-Woman) 2
16 Galacta 1
I am amazed by all the Spidey/Amora support. Not in a bad way, but a good one. Yes, this will be a Harem as opposed to the Pentad I was going for. I was going to take top two with a pair of others I had already determined. For you Doreen fans out there she is not completely out in the cold, I promise. She will have rather interesting relationship of her own.
Oh, Psylocke will be coming in a future chapter, I need a proper entrance.