Peter's fist began to clench tightly as he continued to watch Tombstone's evening interview. The man had spent the past forty-five minutes answering questions and behaving like the most decent person he'd ever seen. Really, if he didn't already know the truth about him, that's probably exactly what Peter would think. Despite his large size and unusual complexion, the man appeared to be giving off a genuinely warm persona. It wasn't even that he was smiling a lot or anything, he just seemed...comfortable.

Additionally, Peter had noticed that Tombstone was very careful not to brag about any of his accomplishments, which were actually much more than he'd expected. The man had apparently been quite busy over the last few years, quietly building a couple community centers and other things which he'd specifically remembered hearing talk about around the Bugle. There was clear physical evidence that these places were really helping the community and not just fronts for criminal activity, at least that he knew of. This was all very unlike Fisk, who'd made a point of making a public appearance at the opening of every place he ever had built or had funded in any way.

At one point, the reporter even questioned why this was the case.

"I do not wish to be remembered as the man who had to have his face next to every place he created," Tombstone had replied, "in fact, if I'm being honest, I don't care if I'm remembered at all. The only thing that I care about is results. Are these places helping my community; are my efforts making my home, my city a better place to live? If the answer to those questions is yes, then nothing else really matters, does it?"

Unable to stomach any more, Peter turned the TV off, running his hand over his face in exasperation. He then heard a key turning the lock of his front door; he looked up to find his wife entering their home.

"Hey," she greeted. "Sorry; it took Liz and I awhile to close everything down. How long have you been home?"

"Long enough to watch Tombstone do a sit-down interview," Peter explained, the frustration slipping through his tone.

"Really?" M.J. questioned. "Let me guess, he was trying to paint the picture of himself as an upstanding citizen, who's just trying to make a difference in this city."

"Something like that," Peter said with a scoff as his wife took off her jacket and came to sit down on the couch next to him. "The annoying thing though is that he actually did a pretty good job of it. Honestly, I'd even say he was more convincing than Fisk ever was, and he even had the advantage of having a normal looking skin tone."

"Well, did they ask him about the rumors of him being the next Kingpin of crime?" M.J. asked.

"They actually got that out of the way right off the bat," Peter explained. "He said that he was only doing an interview because he wanted to tackle those rumors head on and with brutal honesty. I thought for sure he was setting himself up to fail when he said that, but clearly, I didn't give him enough credit. He's smart."

"Then I guess you'll just have to be smarter to take him down," Mary Jane encouraged. Peter glanced over at his wife, who had a soft smile on her face, which made him feel a little guilty.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm sure you've had a long day, and here I am just dumping all of my frustrations on you as soon as you walk through the door."

"For better or worse, right?" M.J. said, reminding him of the vows they said to each other last year.

"Enough about me though," he said, taking her hand in his own. "How'd the rest of your day go."

"Pretty good," M.J. said. "Definitely busy, but good. As tiring as days like this are, I really enjoy them. I just love getting to know everyone, you know? I've gotten to where I can remember quite a few names of the ladies who frequent our stores now."

"Have I mentioned how proud of you I am recently?" Peter questioned.

"Mm, maybe," M.J. replied with an even brighter smile, "but reminders are always nice."

"Well, I am," he affirmed. "You work hard, you're sweet, caring, you're a good leader for your business. Also, the fact that I'm always the one with the best-looking date at social events is a nice bonus too."

"Wow, someone's definitely trying to earn brownie points tonight," M.J. observed.

"Is it working?" Peter questioned.

"Let's just say you're on the right track," his wife replied, her smile now having an almost mischievous nature to it. Somehow, even after almost a year into marriage, she still had a way of making his heart rate spike.

"Oh," Peter said, the mentioning of social events suddenly jogging his memory. "Also, you remember my friend Flash from high school that I told you about?"

"Yeah," M.J. replied, "the guy who used to stuff you in lockers and punch you in the face before becoming your best friend, right?"

"Wow, it really is hard to believe when you say it out loud," Peter replied. "Anyway, his mom actually called me earlier today. Apparently, he's finally coming home from his stint in the military, and she's throwing a welcome party for him tomorrow evening. You and Liz weren't planning on doing anything tomorrow were you?"

"Nope," Mary Jane replied as she shook her head. It didn't escape Peter's attention that her face fell ever so slightly at the mention of her best friend.

"Speaking of Liz, did she ever say anything more to you about what her and her brother were talking about earlier?" he questioned.

"No," M.J. said somewhat dejectedly. "I tried to ask her about it again, but she said that it was a family matter that she'd rather keep private right now. She did say that it wasn't a big deal though."

"Do you believe her?" Peter asked.

M.J. sighed.

"I don't know," she confessed. "Something in my gut just tells me that there's more to it that she's not telling me. Liz and I never kept secrets from each other, aside from your secret identity at first. Then again, if it really is a family thing, maybe it's none of my business anyway. Who knows; maybe I'm making a big deal over nothing."

"Hey," Peter said, "don't dismiss what your gut is telling you right away. Maybe it is nothing, maybe it isn't, but if you feel like something is off, I wouldn't just dismiss it at least until you know more."

M.J. tilted her head slightly, a curious expression on her face now.

"I expected you to try and reassure me that it was nothing," she said.

"I mean, that could be true," he said, "but I would never tell you to just disregard a gut feeling, especially if it concerns a friend."

M.J. then leaned in and gave him a kiss.

"Thanks, Tiger," she replied. "You always know what to say."

"I've just had plenty of practice," he reasoned. "Besides, you said it yourself: I'm the one that hit the jackpot."

Peter then leaned in, returning the favor with another kiss.


Robbie logged out of his computer, finally shutting it down for the night. It had been a long, long workday, and frankly, he was ready to get home. His wife had texted him earlier that she'd have some hot food waiting for him, which sounded like the best thing in the world to him right now. He hadn't eaten much today, which was something he was normally good about taking time for. He packed up his things and was just about to turn and leave when he heard a somewhat familiar voice speak up.

"Burning the late-night oil, are we?"

Robbie looked up to find that he indeed recognized his visitor, albeit much bluer in skin tone than before.

"You always were a hard worker," the man said, "just like me."

"You and I always had very different ideas of working hard, Lonnie," Robbie corrected him. "Anyway, it's late, so is there something that I can do for you?"

"Is there anything wrong with me wanting to stop by and see an old friend?" Lonnie asked.

"There is when I know it's never that simple with you," Robbie explained. Lonnie then came up closer to Robbie's desk, leading the latter to realize how long it had been since they last saw each other, since Lonnie now towered over him.

"I was just curious if you saw my interview today?"

"It was a busy day here, Lonnie," Robbie explained.

"Still, it could have been one of your people that got to do it," Lonnie countered. "It could have been a win-win for both of us."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you," Robbie replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Robbie then started to walk past the man when he spoke up again.

"Still trying to be the straight arrow, even after all these years."

Robbie halted his steps immediately at the mention of his old nickname. Lonnie then walked back in front of him, both of them just outside the office doors now.

"What do you want, Lonnie?" Robbie asked, a little irritation beginning to seep into his tone.

"I'd hoped we could be on the same team again," the man explained, "just like we used to be."

"We were never on the same team, Lonnie," Robbie asserted. "I used to think so, until I learned what kind of man you really are."

"Oh yeah, that day," Lonnie explained, rubbing his chin with his hand. "You know, I seem to remember that I wasn't the only one who was there that day. Sure, the police records don't show it, but you and I both know the truth."

Robbie could feel his heartbeat pick up its pace, but he fought to remain steady and even on the outside, refusing to let the man shake him down.

"Threatening me will get you nowhere," he said. Lonnie's face contorted into a wry half-smile.

"I'm not here to threaten you, Joe," Lonnie replied. "But I will say that, if you're not going to play on my side, at least do me the courtesy of having your reporters stop snooping around, trying to stir up trouble for me by creating false narratives."

"The Bugle hasn't printed anything against you," Robbie explained.

"No, but if I'm not mistaken, it was one of your people that stormed into my office, threatened my person and killed my security guards when they tried to stop him."

"Eddie wasn't himself," Robbie argued. "The truth behind that has been out for a while."

"True," Lonnie agreed, "but it created a story, one that I frankly won't tolerate getting out of control."

Robbie stepped closer to Lonnie, looking him straight in the eye.

"Be careful, Lonnie," he said. "If any of my reporters print something negative about you, it will be because you have given them something to print. If or when that happens, they will have my support backing them up."

Lonnie simply let out a sigh.

"Very well," he said. "I have nothing to hide. I just thought that I would try a more polite way of approaching you first. Just don't forget the debts you owe, Straight Arrow."

Lonnie then turned and headed towards the elevator, leaving Robbie alone with his thoughts. Ever since he'd first heard about Lonnie's rise as a supposedly legitimate businessman, part of him had wondered ever since if this day would come. The man had made no direct threats, yet it was hard for him not to feel a swell of fear slowly growing in his heart. He was not a man to be intimidated, but this... this was unlike anything he'd ever dealt with before.

At the same time, the simple fact that Lonnie had paid him this visit told him that the man was likely not as legitimate as he claimed to be. Lonnie himself probably recognized this as well, but he had been very careful not to incriminate himself in any way through his words. It was as if they were now playing a game of chess, and his once friend had made the first move against him. His most logical counter move was to get Peter involved, but he wasn't ready to do that just yet. He wouldn't be able to give him any new information anyway, but more than that, he wasn't about to risk drawing him into this.

He couldn't let someone else pay a price for his mistakes.


The elevator door opened, allowing Tombstone to enter the room. He walked up alongside his second in command, who was supervising the setup of their new lab. The man didn't even turn to greet him, his eyes remaining trained on what was going on around them even as he spoke up.

"How did it go at the Bugle?"

"Robertson isn't a threat," Tombstone explained. "At least, not yet."

"You want me to send someone to keep tabs on him, maybe shake him down if he needs it?" Hammerhead asked.

"That won't be necessary," Tombstone answered. "I'll keep an eye on him personally. Just make sure that if any of our people are out in public, everything continues to appear as legitimate as possible. One thing Wilson Fisk did get right is that he understood the need for everything to appear legal."

"Of course," Hammerhead replied.

"Right now, our top priority remains Spider-Man," Tombstone explained. "The Shocker may have kept him distracted long enough for us to get what we need for our newest operation, but the longer Spider-Man is still breathing, the greater a threat he becomes."

"May I suggest our newest asset?" Hammerhead said.

"Does he have his powers under control yet?" Tombstone questioned.

"Trust me, he'll be more than a match for the bug," Hammerhead assured him.

"With Spider-Man, I've learned that nothing is certain," Tombstone replied. "Still, we need to know what we have in our newfound asset. Send him out on our next run in an area Spider-Man frequents; if nothing else, it will serve as a sufficient test for him."

"I'll get right on it," Hammerhead replied, taking out his phone and stepping aside to make the call. Tombstone then returned his attention to the assembling of this new lab. He'd been involved in many enterprises over the years, but this had the potential to be his most profitable one yet. He had to be smart about this though; reporters snooping around would obviously be bad enough, but Spider-Man couldn't be allowed to discover this.

If it came down to it, he would see to that himself.


Hope you're still enjoying it! Can't wait to share more with you!

Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy out there!

"Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." Acts 2:36