Author's Note: Told you I would be back sooner rather than later! Not much to say here since it wasn't too long since last time. I'm personally glad to be back to doing this a little more regularly and hope you all appreciate it too. Enjoy!

Captain Stacy sat with Dennis Carradine in the latter's rehab room the morning after. The rehabilitated convict sat upright on his bed, arms folded, staring down at the floor as Stacy asked him questions.

"And you're sure he attacked you in the dark?" the captain asked.

Carradine shuddered. "It was like that night in the warehouse all over again. He turned out the light or something and I could see nothing as he snuck up on me. Then out of nowhere… boom! A web catches me and he dangles me."

Captain Stacy jotted a few notes down. "Uh huh, and what did he do?"

"He was demanding answers as to why I was here. I didn't say much, but I was far too scared to."

"I hope he left you alone after that?"

"Thankfully, yes, but I was trembling no doubt."

The captain continued to write before flipping his notepad shut. "I would say this is a crime, but apart from breaking in, nothing he did sounds particularly illegal. You're lucky he didn't threaten you. Just know that he won't be paying you anymore unwanted visits."

Carradine nodded. Captain Stacy then stood up and exited the room, meeting with Officer Stan Carter immediately outside. Carter was talking to some rehab nurses while twirling his baton.

"And so then I told Officer DeWolff-" his eyes darted to Captain Stacy. He stood at attention. "Captain Stacy," he said, saluting. "How was it?"

"Your faith in Spider-Man shall remain intact just so long as he doesn't set foot anywhere near Carradine from here on out."

He nodded. "That's good news, sir. Say, have you heard anything from Wilson about this? I have a feeling he would be the best man to inform."

"It's his rehab center so I'm certain he's already been informed. He won't have to deal with Spider-Man directly. That will be my job."

The nurses backed away as they talked.

"And rightly so. I take it your advice to him really got through?"

"Perhaps a little too much so to where he's taking matters into his own hands. Not to worry. As NYPD commissioner, I will enforce the rules."

The two continued to talk about this and more pressing topics as they exited the facility. The police department surely had turned over a new leaf with their affiliation with Spider-Man, but Captain Stacy hoped that leaf wouldn't be one to turn rotten so soon.

Peter Parker surveyed his school courtyard the morning after the Halloween carnival. Candy and wrappers still littered the ground near the fountain, but mostly it was cleaned up from the previous night. The way the students' shoes stepped on the wrappers made them appear powerful the way Peter thought of himself following last night's interrogation.

I've never felt so mighty before, Peter thought as he strolled up the school stairs. Whatever Carradine did regarding my break-in, I hope I'm not in too much trouble. Whoever the Kingpin is, he's more than likely sending a storm my way. To that I say, "Bring it on!"

Upon entering the school, Peter's chances of encountering students remained slim - it was only seven-thirty a.m. after all. He had heard nothing from Gwen since the previous night, but figured it would be wise to take a gander at their morning study corner near the front of the school to see if she was there. To his surprise, she wasn't. He shrugged and headed down the hall where his locker was located.

"Hey, Pete!" the voice of Harry called out behind him.

Peter turned to witness his best friend strolling up behind him, pounding his fist lightly on his chest. He waved while smiling as he approached Peter.

"Where'd ya go last night, man? I needed ya!"

Turning toward his best friend, Peter took a breath. "I needed some air. That Spidey costume was… a bit itchy."

"So was my costume, but you didn't see me walking away from where the fun was at. Sadly, I threw up on my costume, but, hey, my dry cleaning bills always come easy."

Peter winced at the term "threw up". "Wait! You did what on your costume?"

"...I threw up."

"How?"

"Flash dared me to scarf down several corn dogs so I did. Big mistake. I told him I wouldn't take any more dares from him."

Peter sighed in relief. "That's… that's good. Tell me, why are you friends with him anyway?"

"Us? We're just acquaintances is all. He only thinks I'm cool 'cause I'm rich."

Peter stood pensive. "That's okay, I guess. I hope for your sake, he doesn't offer any more dares."

"Whatever happens, I'll make sure he doesn't. For now, I might ask for your help in preparing for the next precalc test 'cause I'm still having a hard time comprehending the latest lesson."

"I'll do my best to be there for ya, man. I promise."

"That would be good, bro," Harry said, giving Pete a fist bump. "I'm gonna go see MJ in the library, but for now, I'm glad to talk to ya. See ya in class!"

"See ya in class, man!" said Peter, waving.

Man, with the amount of dares Harry and Flash pull on each other, I guess he had enough, Peter thought. Serves Flash right. Next thing we know, he might have dared Harry to jump off the Empire State Building with a bungee cable. Hope that never comes to pass.

Peter then made his way to his locker around the corner nearest to him. To his disdain, a couple was making out right on top of his locker door.

Peter seethed and waited for them to shuffle kissing positions. He almost couldn't reach the combination wheel due to the girl's hand getting in the way, but he just barely managed to turn it and get into his locker. He shuffled around his school supplies and book bag as he inserted them into his locker, waiting for the couple to go away.

He sighed. Another unlucky episode in the life of Peter Parker, he thought. Hope my luck in life hasn't run out yet.

He stood at his locker relishing his choices when a dainty hand came knocking on the metal of the locker door. Peter jumped.

"Anybody home?" the voice of Gwen called out.

Peter shut the door to reveal Gwen's pretty face on the other side.

"Oh, hey, Gwen," he greeted her, his voice shaking. "Staying company?"

"Maybe a little," she said, folding her arms. "Mind telling me what exactly you were doing when you left the carnival?"

Peter's eyes widened. Did she know?

"I-I was getting air and attending…" he looked around. "...I was attending Spider-Man activities," he whispered. "Nothing more."

"Peter… getting air isn't a good enough excuse anymore, even if I know what you're up to. Dad tells me there was a break-in at the rehab center last night. You sure that wasn't you?"

With a heavy sigh, Peter nodded.

"Yes… that was me."

Gwen facepalmed as she leaned against the locker.

"Why do you wanna know what's up with that?"

"What's up with what?"

She snapped her fingers in his face. "Don't pretend to be dumb! You seem to like getting into other people's business. On top of that, you lied to me… again! It would really help if you were one hundred percent honest about what you were doing even if I know about your double life."

Peter slumped. "Gwen, I-I'm sorry. I would've told you, but with the way you were telling me not to worry about Carradine the other day, I didn't think you'd approve."

"Then why are you worrying? It worries me."

"Gwen I'm sorry, it's just… There's something bigger happening and I still don't understand what the hell is going on; if Carradine being out of his cell is any indication of something bad, then I can't let it happen. It has to be my responsibility."

Gwen rolled her eyes.

"What?"

Gwen sighed. "...I'm sorry, it's just… I keep hearing you say that thing about responsibility and I just… I still don't understand."

Peter stared at the ground.

"I know you may not understand yet. You may not have to. You don't have my powers so I don't really expect you will… maybe not ever. Just know that I've been given a job to do. It's what Uncle Ben would have wanted. It's what the people of New York need me for: to guarantee their safety."

"Shouldn't you guarantee a good relationship with those who matter first?"

"I know I need to be better about that. Trust me when I say I care for you and I'm doing my best."

Gwen closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'll do my best to understand. I guess it's just hard for me to understand crime stopping outside of a police captain's perspective. Maybe I need to understand your methods better."

Peter nodded. "That would be helpful," he said.

"For now just don't tell me anything about the Carradine thing. I might need some time to think about it."

Peter closed his eyes. "I understand."

"In the meantime, we should probably head to class. I could use a little help with chemistry homework before it's due."

"You and I both. Look at you asking for help!" he said, nudging her shoulder.

She smiled, throwing her hair behind her ear. Soon, they were walking hand-in-hand toward Mr. Warren's chemistry classroom.

"You looked very stunning as Athena last night," Peter began. "Did I tell you that yet?"

"You hadn't yet, but thank you. I really tried my best to look like a literal goddess."

"That you did!"

She giggled at his comment.

"You were a great Spider-Man by the way - better than Kong I might add." She looked around and leaned in to whisper. "And between you and me, no one seemed to suspect anything."

"Well, that's a relief! I was starting to feel naked last night without my mask and worried that someone actually would."

"As long as it doesn't leak out somehow, I promise your secret's safe with me!"

Peter blushed and returned a smile. If he didn't have Gwen to support him with his secret identity, he had no idea where he would be as far as leaning toward a relationship with her. Although the whole Dennis Carradine thing came between them a bit, he was thankful that she disengaged before the tension came to a head. Hopefully nothing else like that would happen while they were still working out being together.

Later that day, Nicholas Lewis sat in his shady, black limo, examining his black and white ski mask he wore so often. Sunlight gleamed through the tinted windows, highlighting areas of interest on the mask as he tilted it about in his hand. He had worn this mask for many years, but now more than ever was the time he made it a point to keep it on while committing crimes or otherwise.

According to Dennis Carradine, their newest worry was a masked vigilante whom he had only seen in passing and newspaper clippings featuring blurry photographs of blue and red. Other than that, Carradine had only described what Spider-Man looked like especially after his last couple run-ins with him. With his appearance and inconspicuousness in mind, Lewis resolved to mirror their latest vigilante by donning the mask whenever possible. He did not want his identity leaking out whilst in undercover operations or otherwise.

The limo approached the nearest meeting point: a secluded warehouse underneath the bridge leading to Brooklyn. His boss had told him to meet here regarding last night's episode with Carradine and Spider-Man. With stakes like that, things were about to get pretty serious as far as circumstances.

The inconspicuous limo driver applied the brakes, stopping in front of the abandoned warehouse. Lewis applied his mask so as to cover his identity and remain undercover as instructed. The driver let Lewis off with a signal wave of his hand as Lewis stepped out of the car, preparing to face whatever the Kingpin had in store for him.

The immediacy of the limo driving off was hardly a surprise for Lewis as he was used to the Kingpin's chauffeurs letting him off without a word. As it drove off, Lewis strolled up to the decrepit building, hands in his coat pocket, the shade of the bridge above him helping him remain unnoticed from a bystander's perspective. With every step, he maintained his composure with a few deep breaths, prepared for the worst of orders from the Kingpin.

He entered the dark, decrepit warehouse, surveying the area to note the torn up pallets that sat in the corner and the flickering light dangling over the main hallway. What a fancy place to meet with a big business man, his thoughts said with sarcasm. Removing his hands from his pocket, he proceeded forward, raising his hands and spreading his fingers in case anyone was present and feared he had a weapon. His guess was correct as he turned the corner and standing beside the door ahead was a pair of Kingpin's uniformed bodyguards. With their rifles in hand, they eyed Lewis as he strode up the corridor with his hands in his surrendered position, ensuring them he was no threat.

Lewis eyed the bodyguards back as he neared the door.

"State your name and intention," the bodyguard said.

"Nicholas Lewis. I'm here to see the boss," he said with sinister undertones.

The guard on the right waved his hand. "Right this way."

From under his mask, Lewis scowled the bodyguard. He almost never got personal or visual recognition amongst the Kingpin's men despite Lewis being the Kingpin's personal hitman.

Taking a step forward, he pushed open the creaky door only to be greeted with the imposing silhouette of the Kingpin sitting at a desk. His broad shoulders stretched beyond the width of the chair in which he sat. The Kingpin cracked his knuckles as Lewis approached him in the dim light, his hand motioning for him to sit at the chair in front of the desk.

"Lewis; right on time as usual. Here, have a seat," the Kingpin spoke, a darkness lacing his sophisticated voice.

Lewis let the door close behind him and sat where Kingpin prompted him. Repositioning his fedora, he turned his attention to the Kingpin whose huge silhouette filled him with uncertainty, but he kept his composure by maintaining a stern grin.

Kingpin leaned back, touched his fingers together, and spoke. "It appears that my releasing Carradine attracted an uninvited guest, did it not?"

"The plan was to get him out of prison so he could secretly take down the Spider-Man with us. Seems like the vigilante already beat us to the punch by confronting him himself."

"Fortunately, Carradine held up his end of the bargain by not fighting or attempting to kill him within the facility. That would have been a nasty legal battle no doubt."

"He did well in upholding that and his dignity, but a mole I placed within the facility informed me that the vigilante interrogated him and is now on our tail. Carradine didn't say much other than your alias," Lewis said, fidgeting with his coat buttons. "Given your… inconspicuous nature, he couldn't possibly get much of a lead from that, now could he?"

Kingpin leaned forward in his chair a bit, his front side just barely leaning into the lamp light above the desk. "Not as I am now. By night, I have done a lot to maintain the integrity of our organized crime business. By day, I have upheld the most mischievous ploy of pretending to be a generous businessman. The public thinks I'm all about those spice imports and real estate, but in reality, I'm just a shadow of a man hiding in the shadows. If a red and blue spider-themed vigilante couldn't figure out my identity yet, no one could."

Lewis leaned forward, nodding. "You are most elusive, Mr. Kingpin, but even in organized crime, one can never be too careful. Might I suggest reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements? Pish posh! I wouldn't think-" the Kingpin stopped himself. "On second thought, the more men we put forth to protect us from these superhero vigilantes the better. Daredevil has already given us a lot of trouble that we will need the manpower to confront someone of greater strength and agility. This 'Spider-Man' is proving to be a most formidable and persistent foe."

"But of course," Lewis agreed. "And what must I do to ensure your safety?"

"Should the Web-head come breaking down your door first, under no conditions are you to discuss our secret operations. You are right that one can never be too careful in the world of crime and you've proven your loyalty to me by maintaining your level of care."

"I am most pleased to hear that. In the meantime, what will you do?"

"Should this situation escalate, I will hire more cops onto my payroll. That may yet turn the police against Spider-Man once more, but I won't get my hopes up if nothing of sorts comes to pass."

Lewis stared at the ground and took a breath. The only thing he could utter was a sinister, "Very good…"

Following a school day where he avoided Flash in gym, Peter visited his usual alleyway near the school to undress into his Spider-Man costume and apply the gloves and mask. Once his costume was secure, he cracked his neck and did a stretch to loosen up his joints that stiffened from doing laps in gym class.

"Guess even a more durable superhuman like me needs to loosen up after gym," Peter told himself. "I may as well take a swing around the city and get more exercise."

Turning toward the top of the building, Peter spun a web to propel himself off the ground and out of the alleyway. His web-swinging took him toward the expanse of Manhattan's concrete jungle, a thrill he experienced for the uncountable time and yet it was still so exhilarating. He made his way across the bridge that led him to Queens and stopped in the nearest sandwich shop to pay for a meatball sub in cash, all with no crime disrupting him for a change. For the next fifteen minutes, he sat on top of the nearest apartment fire escape mask up to his nose as he ate his New York signature sub. As he ate, he pondered what his next move might be.

I suppose I could do research on the publicly known kingpins in New York, Peter thought. Ah, but that wouldn't narrow it down much. I need to be discreet about this. Carradine said he was a crime lord, but there's probably dozens of them in the criminal underworld. Maybe I should-

A police siren resounded beneath him, the red and blue lights alerting him as he scarfed down another bite of his meatball sub.

"Oh, what now?!" Peter exclaimed.

He set his sub aside and pulled down the mask hoping to God the cop below didn't see his partially visible face. With enough force, he pushed himself off the fire escape and dropped to the sidewalk below, sticking the landing due to his superhuman endurance. The cop's light continued to flash as Spidey made a wary tread toward the driver's side. Once he was in walking distance, the officer rolled his window down, revealing the aging Captain Stacy.

"Spider-Man, a word," he said with a stern glance.

"What's the problem, officer?" Spidey said with a polite cheer to his voice.

"Word got out of your break-in at Fisk Rehabilitation Center last night. We interviewed Carradine who said he was lucky you left him unharmed. I'm sure you had your reasons, but attacking an unarmed rehab patient is strictly prohibited."

Oh, man, I knew I should have thought of a better distraction for the cops watching him, Peter thought to himself. "Sir, I'm sorry. I thought he was just a criminal on parole and that it wouldn't count as an attack. I was just… paying him a visit, that's all."

"Sneaking in through his window and intimidating him by turning off the lights does not sound like 'paying him a visit'. You nearly scared the man to death. Were you not a legal superhero, you'd be facing much more serious charges. That's why I'm letting you off with a warning."

Spidey slumped and sighed. He hated having to admit it, but the captain was right. "I apologize. As you know, I have a personal vendetta against that guy and… I guess I got carried away. You did tell me to take my job more seriously, right?"

"Not so seriously that you're acting out of line to intimidate a rehab patient. You're lucky I'm letting you off with this or else the law may have to revoke you and all superheroes of your legal status."

Once more, the hero sighed. "Yes, sir. I understand, sir."

"Good. Now be sure to operate within all legal parameters if you don't want anything like this to happen again. You must keep our trust if you wish to maintain a stable partnership."

With a lighthearted salute, Spidey said in a neutral tone, "Aye aye, Captain. I won't go busting in on any patients from here on."

"Noted. Now be sure to uphold that or there will be serious consequences."

With a nod, Captain Stacy rolled up his window as Spidey nodded back. The captain then drove off down the Queens avenue as Spidey stood there in the middle of the street, staring as his ally and role model drove off to attend other cop business.

Man, I guess I kinda did get myself into some shit the way Gwen suspected I would. The captain's right though; I shouldn't abuse my legal status by acting illegal. If I did anything to get that revoked… ah, who am I kidding? I don't wanna become the very thing I'm trying to stop.

The golden autumn sunset peered over the Central Park trees as Gwen rode the city bus home for the evening. Many trees had already shed their foliage for the year, Gwen observing some park workers raking what remained into piles. Like those workers raking the leaves, for her it was a time of year to organize her study materials and buckle down for the semester's end looming over her.

Her bus soon stopped in front of her apartment complex, her thoughts swirling with her school responsibilities as she strolled out of the vehicle. Sure, she was smart though her best priority was to maintain solid grades that would get her into good schools later down the line. She loved rivaling Peter's study skills as much as she loved him as a person, but regardless there was no competition.

Peter, she thought as she entered the building. I know he means well, but what am I to do if he gets into trouble? I know Dad better than he does, but if he gets on his bad side, there may be consequences for him and all other vigilantes. Still, I can't go exposing his escapades to Dad or Mom. I need to play it safe and ask for general advice.

Gwen approached her apartment number (seven twelve) and inserted her key to ensure that she could enter. To her surprise, it was already unlocked and she opened the door to find her mom in eighties-style workout clothes - a tie-dye full suit, brightly colored leggings, and sweatband - whilst doing stretches as part of her warmup.

"Oh, Mom!" Gwen exclaimed with a hand over her mouth. "You're… home early."

After finishing the stretching exercise, Helen reached for her DVD remote to pause the workout video she was acting along with. She turned to face her daughter.

"The insurance company put me on a different schedule so now I'm coming home earlier in the day," she explained. "I prepared this to be my new at-home hobby once I got my schedule. Surprised?"

"No, it's just… I didn't expect this. You look great though! Almost just like some kids we saw in eighties workout clothes last night," Gwen complimented.

"Thanks, love," Helen said with a smile.

Gwen nodded and sighed, throwing her bag next to the stool at the island countertop. Her mom raised an eyebrow, approaching her daughter out of concern.

"What's wrong? Everything okay?" her mother continued.

Gwen sighed again. "I guess, it's just… I don't know. You're in the middle of something and I don't wanna detract from it."

Helen mosied up to the stool nearest to Gwen and took a seat. "No, it's okay. If something's on your mind, my fitness can wait."

Gwen slumped, feeling both compromised, but relieved.

"Very well… have you ever, I don't know… dealt with somebody being stubborn before?"

"Everyone has at some point, I'm sure. Mine were my grade school friends, college professors, your father even. Your father especially has been known to bury himself in his work at certain points of our relationship."

"He has mentioned that a few times and… well, I feel the same thing coming from Peter a bit right now."

"Really now?"

With yet another sigh, Gwen said, "In a way, yes. He's been… he prioritizes… certain things I won't name over our relationship and… I'm not sure how I ought to deal with it. I've been giving him more grace after he used to leave me randomly at school gatherings, but… I'm just not sure right now. I feel like he's getting into shit that I can't handle. What do I do about that?"

Helen placed a finger on her mouth for a few moments. She soon removed her finger and spoke. "Maybe that's just how he operates."

"Huh?"

"If he's getting deep into things you don't understand, as long as it's not illegal, maybe he aspires to do similar things as your dad. He might be helping people in ways you don't yet understand."

"I feel like I should understand though since, well… Dad talks about how he operates within the law and I feel like Pete may be aspiring to do things outside of that and… I'm not really sure how to stop him."

"Has he said what he'll do?"

"Just acting like he wants to solve crimes is all," Gwen lied.

"That sounds like a fun hobby more than anything. As long as he's not disturbing the peace or digging into dirty business, that's perfectly okay. It's what your father does for a living after all. Maybe he just wants to be a cop. I see no harm in that."

"Yeah, but… what if that gets him into trouble? I wouldn't know what to do if he got hurt."

"The best you could do is come to his aid. Remember when I was a doctor?"

"You taught me first aid quite well, I'll say."

"Yes, and if worse comes to worst the best you can do is be there for him when he needs you. I know you two have had rough patches it seems, but as long as you both continue to support each other, things should work out fine."

Once more, Gwen sighed, but more reassured this time. "I guess if that ever does happen, I might just apply what you taught me. Never thought I'd say this, but, Mom… you go, girl!" she exclaimed, punching the air.

Helen giggled and gave an awkward fist bump to Gwen's held up fist. Gwen rolled her eyes. "Alright then. I'm glad we could talk that out."

"Yeah."

"I'm going to continue my fitness now if you wanna watch while you do homework or whatever it is you do after school."

"Sure!"

Helen continued her fitness routine as Gwen watched while continuing her studies. Smiling, Gwen admired her mother not just for her flexibility, but for her being there to assist in her time of need. She had a great support system between her parents and MJ that she considered herself fortunate to have all of them. Still, she wasn't used to being someone's support herself unless her conversation with MJ the previous night counted for anything. For what it was worth, she may have to wait for the right moment to be supportive for someone whether it be Peter or someone else.

Thank you all for reading! Be sure to Favorite/Review and hope to see you next time!