The night was cold in New York, the early signs of the approaching winter. Despite the that, the sky was clear of clouds allowing the crescent moon to illuminate the skyline where the lights from the streets couldn't. The faint sound of someone running across a roof fill the air as a woman leaps from one ledge to another, gracefully landing without losing her momentum. A few more rooftops and she stood at the edge of one that overlooks one of the many museums that littered the city. The woman, wearing a skin tight black bodysuit that showed off her muscular build with white gloves and a matching pair of boots, both sets sporting puffs of fur at the ends. Her long white hair framing her beautiful face, wearing a simple mask over her eyes and a mischievous smile.
"There you are, pretty kitty." From her vantage point Felicia Hardy, also known as the Cat Burglar Black Cat, could clearly see her prize; a solid gold statue of a cat with various jewels dotting around it. This was the one and only night the Golden Cat would be in New York, leaving Felicia this chance to steal it before it gets shipped off to its original country. She hops down the building, landing on a lower ledge before leaping off it, soaring over the street below and landing on the museum's roof as gently as a cat. She quickly made her way to the window, using her claws to carefully cut a hole big enough to unlock it. Opening it, she reflexively latches a line to the roof before repelling down, her eyes never straying away from her prize, save for making sure there wasn't any security measures in her way. "What? No trip lasers? And here I was expecting a challenge." She drew closer to the statue when a cramp grips her hisses in pain, placing a hand over the spot. "Where did you come from? I'm positive that steak was edible." She hung there grateful the cramp ended as quickly as it started. "That was weird." She said while reaching for the glass case that the statue was in. Suddenly, the cramp came back worse then last time, forcing her to curl into herself, the pain unbearable, even for her enhanced self. "Damn it! What the hell's going on with my body!?" The pain unbearable, she reluctantly abandons the statue, fearing the Super Soldier serum she was forced to take was acting up in a way no one saw coming.
Felicia, back to her slimmer figure and blond hair body, sat on the edge of the clinic's medical bed wearing her casual white and rose red outfit, waiting for her doctor to return with the test results. As she waited, Felicia racked her brain trying to narrow down what it was she ate that caused such a major cramp. "I'm usually so careful about what I eat. Could it have something to do with the serum?" She grabs her arms as memories of that day flash through her mind; the unwilling guinea pig of Fisk to test the Super Soldier serum her father had discovered decades ago. "If it is the serum, Fisk is going to pay." She vows under her breath right before her doctor enters the room.
"Ms. Hardy." The doctor began, her face having an odd expression on it. "Have you been craving food you don't normally eat?"
"No. I…". Felicia pauses, thinking back to the olive and pineapple pizza she had on a whim a few nights ago. "Now that you mention it, yes, I have. Is that what's causing the cramps?"
"In a way." The doctor sits beside the bed as Felicia gives her a look. "If I may ask, Ms. Hardy, how active are you…sexually?"
"Wha—what does that have to do—?" Her eyes widen in horror. "No…no I can't be. I'm on the pill! And I'd made sure they—. I can't be pregnant!"
"Well, if these results are to be believed, you very much are." Felicia grabs the clipboard and scans the results, recognizing the positive pregnancy symbol.
"How? I've made sure I was safe! Took every precaution!" She looks at the results closely seeing how far along she was. Her pupils dilate. "21 weeks!?" She looks at her stomach, now noticing it was more round then she normally was. "How did I not notice before?"
"People often miss things they aren't looking for." The doctor replies. "You didn't believe you were pregnant, so you never considered the extra weight as such." Felicia drops the clip board, staring at her stomach. Horrified.
"This can't be happening…". She looks at the doctor. "I went an abortion."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Hardy. Unless the fetus poses a health risk to you, it will be very difficult to find a clinic that will perform one." She picks up the clipboard. "And my test show both you and it are perfectly healthy."
"Make an exception! I don't want this kid!" The doctor gives her a glare.
"There is nothing I can do, Ms. Hardy. I'm afraid you must go through with the pregnancy." She turns to leave. "If you still do not want the child, there's always adoption." She walks out of the room, leaving a flustered Felicia.
Walking out of the hospital and into her limo, Felicia racks her brain some more, trying to think of who she was with five months ago. Her eyes widen as a name pop into her mind. "Parker…". She looks down at her stomach in both mild satisfaction and absolute horror. "How? I'm positive he…could they have been faulty or…is he too strong for them…?" Too distracted by her thoughts, Felicia hadn't noticed she was home until the driver starts knocking on the passenger window. She brushes past him with a quick thank you then rushes inside her home, making her way to her mother's study. She throws open the door, startling her mother, Anastasia.
"Felicia? What it is?" She stands to move beside her desk, noticing the tears in her daughter's eyes as she runs into her. Felicia holds onto her tightly while crying into her shoulder. "It's okay, Felicia. Calm down and tell me what happened." After another minute of crying, Felicia tells her mother about her pregnancy and who she suspects to be the father, leaving out his superhero identity. "Oh Felicia. How many times have I warned you about that lifestyle?"
"Please, mother. Not now. I need help figuring out what to do with…". She reaches down to caress her stomach but hesitates. "…the baby."
"It's up to you, Felicia. Personally, I'd love to have a grandchild. But, if you're not ready or willing to go through with it, I'll find someone to abort it." Anastasia told her daughter with a heaviness in her voice.
"Thank you, mother." Felicia said, hugging her. A few days past and even with her vast fortune, Anastasia was having a difficult time finding someone that would abort a twenty-two-week fetus. This left Felicia frustrated. Add in her growing appetite and cravings and she was on the verge of an emotional meltdown. In an effort to stave it off, she slips into her Black Cat costume, transforming into her bulkier form, quickly discovering how much tighter it was then heads into the city. After an hour of jumping across rooftops and grappling through skylines, she rests at the top of a skyscraper, overlooking Times Square. She resists the urge to feel her stomach, not wanting to build anymore of a bond then she had to. "I hate this. One night of fun and this happens." While watching the people down below enjoying their night on the town, she couldn't keep her mind from bouncing from Peter to Michael. A large wave of guilt floods her mind as a tear trail down her cheek. "Trust me kid. You're better off not getting involved with my mess of a life." The sound of a web shot reaches her ears making her eyes fly open. "Spider!" She looks around, quickly spotting his classic red and blue costume soar through the air above the people on the street. She poses to leap after him, happy to share this with the hero, but froze. "If the kid's his, he should know. But…if it's not…he'll probably try and talk me into keeping it." She watches him swing away before laying down to look at what few stars she can see; something he once said flashes in her mind. "But…if I don't feel ready to be a mother, isn't it my responsibility to abort and spare the kid?" She thinks about it for a few minutes. Then she grit's her teeth while clutching her fists. "Damn you, Peter." She sits back up to look out at the city, with a look of frustration. "I have the power to abort this kid…which means I have a responsibility…to use that power…to help more than just myself." She relents and finally lays a hand on her stomach, looking down at it. "I'm not ready to be your mother…that doesn't mean you're not ready to live."
"AHHHHHHH!"
Nineteen weeks later and Felicia is in labor, giving one last push to get her newborn son out of her. The midwife was quick to take the rather quiet child as the doctor cut the umbilical cord, finally separating mother from son. Anastasia was present throughout, supporting her daughter through the delivery, beaming with pride at Felicia and her new grandson. Once the child was clean and wrapped up, the midwife gave him to Anastasia, her joyful smile growing brighter.
"Such a beautiful baby boy." She looks over at Felicia, exhausted and on the verge of passing out. "Here, Felicia." She brings the baby to his mother as he fidgets in her arms. "Hold your son, and you'll see how wonderful being a parent really is." Felicia tilts her head to look at her newborn son, a head full of light brown hair with his eyes close and his mouth agape. A surge of emotions flood her being at seeing him, urging her to reach out and hold him. Only for her fear to win out. She turns her head away sharply.
"No…I don't want to be a mother. Take him away. I want nothing more to do with him." She forces herself to say, gripping the sheets so tightly her knuckles turn white. Anastasia is silent for a long moment, the only sound in the room being the heart monitor still attached to Felicia.
"Have the last four months really meant nothing to you?" Her daughter remains silent. "Felicia, if you let him go now, you might never see him again." She remains silent causing Anastasia to let out a disappointed sigh. "Have it your way. " She turns, heading for the door. "But don't you dare forget…". She looks back at her daughter with an angry glare. "…you chose this." As Anastasia leaves the room, the baby starts to fidget again, adding whimpers before letting out a sharp cry. Felicia, struggling to block out the sound of her crying son, could not stop her tears from streaming down her face, her mouth agape with a silent scream.
Eight Years Later
"Whoo-hoo!" Peter cheers as he completes a masterful somersault flip over Madison Square Garden, shooting out a web line in time to swing away before he crashes on top of a moving car. For the first time in such a long time, he was overjoyed with his life. Nearly ten years ago, he successfully overcame The Beyonder's screwed up tests and saved the Multiverse from his evil counterpart, Spider-Carnage. After that, Madame Web joined him in searching for the real Mary Jane, not one of Warren's water clones. It took some doing and more than a few fights, but eventually they came across another Spider-Man who can traverse the Multiverse, Miguel O'Hara. Together, the three of them managed to track down and find MJ. After bringing them home, Miguel extended an offer to join his Spider Squad, meant to protect all the Multiverses. But Peter declined, saying he needed a break from the spider team ups for a bit. Miguel respected his decision; he had a look that told Peter he wished he could do the same. He left after giving Peter a device to contact him if he ever changed his mind. Finally home again with MJ, Peter returned to crime fighting, got remarried to her and even reconnected with the Fantastic Four. After a few team ups with them, Reed offered him a job at his lab; with Sue due to have their child, he could use the help.
After nearly nine years of trying, MJ told him she was pregnant, filling Peter with a high he had never experienced before. "It's nice when things finally go my way." He lets go of the web line to land on a flagpole. "Soo now's probably where something dramatically bad happens, right?" He leaps off and swings down the street, the sound of something metal hitting the pavement reaches his heightened ears. Peter groans while looking up at the sky. "Oh, now you listen to me? Not that time I asked for ten million bucks?" He groans out sarcastically. "I'm starting to think the universe doesn't like to see me happy." He swings towards the spot where the sound came from, landing on a wall adjacent to an air duct with its cover knocked off. Inside, Spider-Man spots a boy crawling out while holding a bag of assumable stolen goods. The boy skillfully flips forward out of the duct, falling to the ground and landing without making a sound. Spider-Man blinks in surprise behind his mask, impressed. "Whoa. Don't see that every day. And coming from me, that's saying something." The super hero reaches down to turn on his spotlight, illuminating the boy with a start. "Hey kiddo. You shouldn't be out this late on a school night." In the light, Spider-Man got a better look at the kid; he appeared to be about seven or eight with light brown hair and green eyes that struck a familiar chord. 'Huh. Deja vu.'
In that moment of hesitation, the boy took off running down the alley. "Hey! Don't run!" Spider-Man calls out shooting a web line at the bag the boy was clutching. But right at the last second, the boy sidesteps out of the way, expertly avoiding the web. Leaving Peter flabbergasted. "Okay, kid. You have my attention now." He shoots a web line up then swings after the boy just as he turns the corner. Spider-Man swings over the building, meaning to land in front of the kid before he got to the street. But by the time he lands, the boy is nowhere in sight. "Where did—?" He looks around as he speaks. "Come on, kiddo. Don't do this. I know it seems like your only option, but trust me. There is another way."
"How would you know?" The boy yells out. Spider-Man quickly looks around, trying to pinpoint the boy. "Did you grow up in an orphanage your whole life? Get adopted and sent back over and over again by strangers who only gave a damn as long as you were useful to them?"
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that, kiddo." Peter replies, easing up just a bit. "Believe it or not, I also lost both of my parents when I was young."
"Y... you did?" The boy asks, peeking out of his hiding spot. "Did you grow up with powers, too?"
"Sort of." Peter could tell where the boy was now but stood standing with his back to him for the moment. "I don't know for certain how old you are, but I'm pretty sure I was a little older than you when I got my powers."
"Can… can you teach me how to use mine?" The boy asks with a hopeful voice that nearly broke Peter's heart. He turns around to see the boy, clinging to the wall, partly covered by shadows, the sight slightly startles Peter for a second. He smiles behind his mask.
"Absolutely. And—." He reaches out his hand towards the boy. "—I might have a place for you to stay while I do. But, on one condition." The boy gives Peter an angry look as the hero continues, pointing at the kid's hand. "You need to return that bag of stolen things." The boy hesitates for a moment then jumps down, placing the bag in Spider-Man's extended hand. "What's your name, kiddo?"
"Jack. Jake Smith."
"I sympathize with his situation Spider-Man, but I don't understand why you brought him here?" Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, said while current fiddling with his latest project. After learning the boy's name, Spider-Man swung the two of them to the Baxter Building where he worked alongside the Fantastic Four. Once they were introduced to one another, Spider-Man encouraged Jack to play with Franklin, the son of Reed and his wife Sue Storm aka the Invisible Girl while Ben Grimm aka The Thing watches over them.
"Reed." Sue said sharply. Reed looks to Sue then to Spider-Man before clarifying.
"If the boy does have powers, and I have no reason to doubt that, why didn't you bring him to Xavier's school? I'm certain he is more efficient at determining his powers then me."
Sue gives Spider-Man a sympathetic smile. "Reed makes a good point. He was the one that told us Franklin was a mutant."
"Sure, but he came to you, didn't he?" Peter counters. "If Jack was a mutant, wouldn't Xavier have found him by now?" Sue looks to Reed who ponders that. "Besides…". Peter continues, looking back at Jack nervously interacting with Franklin and The Thing. "I have a hunch."
Spider-Man stood beside Jack as Sue drew some of his blood, an act that made both him and Franklin flinch and look away, Jack fighting back tears until she was finishes. "You, see? That wasn't so bad." She said with a cheeky smile. Spider-Man grins behind his mask as Jack gives her a mean look, his eye drifting to the spot the needle had pierced, narrowing at how quick the puncture closes. Franklin stood beside Jack as Sue took the blood away, passing her younger brother, Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch as he enters the room.
"Fear not, fam! Johnny's in the building!" Franklin laughs at his uncle as Jack looks at him in awe. Ben and Spider-Man both shake their heads as they pass Johnny.
"Good. Then you can take over babysittin those two." Ben said with a slap to Johnny's back, making him gasp.
"Hey! We're not babies!" Jack shouts as Franklin glares at Ben.
"Who's the new one?" Johnny asks, after recovering from the slap.
"A kid I bumped into, Jack." Spider-Man replies walking past. "He's not a regular kid, so…be careful." He said in a joking way before following Ben.
"Thanks for the warning, Spidey." He said dryly. Johnny turns to the two boys then smiles. "Who's up for some indoor rough housing?" The sounds of the kids and Johnny fooling around fills the air, Reed is intently concentrating on the blood Sue drew from Jack, what he sees within it making his brows furrow.
"Your instincts were correct, Spider-Man." He looks up and moves the microscope aside to allow the masked hero to examine the sample himself. "His enhanced abilities do not appear to be a mutation. Rather, they seem to stem from…".
"Radiation." Peter finishes stepping away from the table to allow Sue to look as he gazes out the window at Jack and Franklin jumping onto Johnny's back.
"So, what chu saying is, the kid got himself bit like you, Web Head?" The Thing asks.
"No…not from a bite."
Sue slowly looks up at him as Reed and Ben look out at Jack with concern. "You're not suggesting…". She asks.
Spider-Man lifts his arm up to her, his eyes never straying from Jack. "Only one way to know for sure." Sue looks at his arm for a moment before grabbing a syringe, drawing a sample.
Ben moves to stand beside Spider-Man. "Any idea how, kid? Or who?"
"I have a pretty good idea. Yeah." He says, rolling up his sleeve once Sue was finished. "I hate to ask, since you've already done so much but…you mind babysitting for a bit?"
"No problem, kid." Ben replies, placing a stone hand on his shoulder. "Just promise me somethin." Peter turns to meet Ben's eyes. "Don't be too harsh with her. She's just as human as you are." He pauses for a second. "Right?"
Peter laughs as he releases a breath. "Right." Ben lifts his hand away, letting Spider-Man start to leave. As this was going on, Reed had returned to the sample, spotting something they had missed the first time examining it.
"Spider-Man…I noticed traces of a substance I've only seen in one other person." He lifts his head to address the hero. "Captain America." Behind his mask, Peter's eyes widen before narrowing into a scowl. He throws open the door and leaps into the air, swinging away as Jack calls out to him.
"Spider-Man! Wait!"
"Don't worry, Jack. Spider-Man's coming back." Sue said as she and Ben make their way to them. "He's asked us to look after you until then."
"W-where's he going?"
"He's lookin into personal business that can't be put off." The Thing said as he approaches the two boys. "In the meantime, why don't you show me and Franklin how good a climber you are." Ben picks up the two of them and takes them to the other side of the room where the wall had little on it.
Johnny looks at Sue with a questioning look. "Is it bad?"
"it's…complicated."
The dawn sun rose over the city skyline as Felicia stood on a balcony, leaning on its railing while wearing her latest lover's dress shirt and her lingerie panties. A satisfied smile on her lips. "Morning, babe." Her lover says with a deep, hungry voice. It sent waves through her that hit all the right buttons as she turns to look at him, a delicious specimen of a man. "Up for another ride?"
She giggles deeply. "Always handso—!" As she spoke, a red and blue blur rushes past, grabs Felicia and continues on so fast, the man barely registered it.
"Uh…Felicia?"
"What the hell, Peter!" Felicia shouts while trying to break free of his hold, on the verge of transforming. "Where do you get off, grabbing my like that?" Suddenly Spider-Man lets go of his web line and lands on the side of a skyscraper where there were no windows around. Pinning her against the wall in such a rough way startles her, having rarely seen this side of him before, least of all directed at her. "Peter? W-what's—?"
"You were pregnant, Felicia?"
Her eyes dilate. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
He thrust his face in front of her, the rising sun behind him giving his mask a menacing look. "Don't play with me, Felicia. Not now. Not about this." Though forceful, his hold on her wasn't enough to hurt her even as she was now. And his voice had a desperation to it she had only ever heard when one of his loved one's was in danger. In the face of his pleading demeanor, all she could do was simply nod her head, confirming his suspicions. Instantly, the hero's demeanor changes to his usual caring self, his hold loosening to comfort; his voice became soothing as he spoke. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've been there to help you through it."
Her eyes start to well up as she looks away from him. "I…I didn't want him. I was too late to abort and I was afraid you'd talk me into keeping him." She grips onto Peter as she cries uncontrollably. He reaches up to remove his mask, looking at her with his uncovered eyes. She slowly looks up to meet his concerning gaze.
"Felicia…". He says softly while pulling her into a hug, making her gasp. "Whatever you chose to do, I would've support you. Regardless if I was the father or not." She throws her arms around his neck squeezing him with all her strength while burying her tear-stricken face into his shoulder, letting out eight years of bottled-up pain, sadness and regret. Peter gently carries her up to the top of the building all the while. By the time they reach it, Felicia had gotten most of her emotions out, but still continues to cry. They sit there until Felicia gets everything out of her system. "How did you find out?" She asks, using her lover's dress shirt to clean up her teary face.
"I came across a boy robbing a store. He showed an uncanny ability to evade my webs and had even managed to hide himself by clinging to a wall." Peter looks at her. "He has your eyes, Felicia."
A sad laugh escapes her lips. "That sounds like something a kid of ours would be able to do." She goes quiet for a long moment. "Are you going to tell him?"
"Yes. He has the right to know who his parents are. I've also got to tell MJ and Aunt May pretty soon, too." He grabs her hand and gently squeezes it. "I won't say a word about you. If that's what you want."
"I thought I knew what I wanted. These last eight years…no matter how much I try, I couldn't get him out of my head." She dives into his chest about to cry again. "How do I face him and say I'm the mother who gave him away?" Peter wraps his arm around her, letting her lean on him as he sat their quietly, unsure about how to answer that. While they sat there, sirens could be heard down below. More than once, Peter felt the compulsion to act but forces them down. His desire to save others was strong, but not so strong that it would tear him away from those he cares about most. Finally, Felicia lifts herself off of his chest and looks down into the city. "I can't. I can't face him. I don't know if I'll ever be able to."
Peter caresses her cheek and kisses her on her forehead. "That's okay, Felicia. I believe that, one day, you will." He stands up, offering her his hand after putting his mask back on. "Until then, I'll raise him." She looks at his offered hand, a sad smile gracing her face as she takes it, letting him up her to her feet.
"How well do you think Red handle all this?"
"I'll let you know when I tell her." He smiles at her from behind his mask, picking her up then leaping off the building, swinging back the way they came as Felicia leans her head on his shoulder again, the weight of her past regrets a little less heavy.
"Go, Spidey!"
Back at the lab, Ben and Franklin are watching Jack manage to climb to the ceiling and all around it while Franklin floats close by. As they go about with that, Reed had finished analyzing Jack's blood, confirming his parentage. Sue and Johnny stood behind him looking at the results, with Johnny nodding his approval. Sue, annoyed by his remark, elbows him in the ribs. "Oof! What? It's a compliment! I mean if I were to have a kid with anyone…".
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Johnny. I swear!"
"I'm amazed at how compatible they are. Jack has such an amazing physiology, perfectly blending Peter's radiation cells with Felicia's super soldier serum cells into an organic-." Reed began, going off into an explanation.
"And~ we lost him." Johnny said as Sue lets out another of her numerous sighs.
"Better go find him before he gets lost in that big brain of his." Johnny and Sue turn and look up to see Spider-Man repelling down his webs like a spider, stopping at head level. By then, Reed had stopped his muttering to address him. "Should I expect the same from mine and MJ's?" Spider-Man asks.
"Possibly, as far as the radiation aspect is concerned. That is, of course, if Mary Jane had injected herself with the super soldier serum before conception." He clarifies.
"Right…". Spider-Man lets go of the web, flipping to his feet to land beside the Storm siblings. He turns to leave when Johnny places a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Pete. Joking aside, how are you holding up?"
"If you need to talk to MJ or your aunt first, we're more than happy to look after him longer." Sue adds, stepping beside him and placing her hand on his arm.
"Thank you. All of you. You guys have been amazing. But, ready or not, he's my responsibility. So, I need to do this now." He leaves with Johnny joining him. Sue looks to Reed, sharing a moment with him before they both look at Franklin hovering close to the dangling Jack.
"That's so cool!" Jack proclaims while hanging upside down. "I wish I could float around like that."
"It's not all that great. If I'm not careful, I could get dizzy and fall."
"And you two better be careful." Ben shouts from below. "I'm a good catcher, but I ain't that soft to land on."
"We will, Uncle Ben!" Franklin looks to Jack. "Worry wart." The two boys start snickering.
"I heard that, Franklin. You best be worryin about the next time I catch you." Franklin gets a little nervous.
As Jack is looking down at The Thing he spots Spider-Man coming into the room and lights up. "Spider-Man!" Jack pushes off the ceiling, causing everyone but Peter to panic as Jack grabs hold of a loose cable that was dangling from the ceiling. He uses it to swing over Ben, propelling himself towards the masked hero, doing flips and twists as skillfully as an acrobat. The Fantastic family watch in awe as Jack nears the floor, expertly landing with a roll before rushing at Spider-Man.
Johnny elbows Peter. "Really takes after his parents, huh?" Spider-Man gives a chuckling sigh in agreement, trying to figure out what to say to Jack.
"You're back!" Jack shouts, leaping through the air to collide into the hero's chest, nearly knocking him over.
"Oof! Hey, kiddo. You miss me?"
"Mmhmm! Franklin's been showing me what he can do. He can fly, Spider-Man! Fly!"
"Hey, I can fly too, ya know." Johnny throws in just as Ben and Franklin join them.
"Yeah! Uncle Johnny can go really fast!" Franklin said.
"Ha! I've seen the Web Head here swing much faster on his worst days, ain't that right kid?" Ben said, looking to Peter, who hadn't taken his eyes off of Jack.
"It's been known to happen." He replies with little enthusiasm.
Jack looks up at him with worry. "Spider-Man? Are you okay?"
Peter looks into the boys' eyes, reminding him of Felicia. "Yeah. There's just…something I need to talk to you about." Both Jack and Franklin get worried.
Suddenly, Ben grabs Franklin out of the air. "Come on, you two knuckleheads." He says while looking at Johnny. "Let's give Spidey and Jack a minute." As he passes, Jack and Franklin exchange looks while Ben and Johnny bump Peter's shoulders, both flashing him a smile.
Peter holds Jack tight to his chest before leaping up, shooting a web line and taking them to a window. They leave through it before he starts crawling them up the side of the building. All the while, Jack is trying to figure out what he could've done wrong. Finally, he stops climbing and turns, letting Jack see out into the city. "Wow!" Jack looks out into the day lit city, amazement all over his face at the view from so high up, his mind blown away by the sight of it all. After a long moment, he turns back to Spider-Man, the worry returning. "Spider-Man. Am…am I in trouble?"
The hero couldn't help but let out a laugh. "No, Jack. You're not in trouble. At least, no more then you are for stealing." Jack looks away, grumbling under his breath. "The thing is…I found out who your parents are." Jack whips his head back round, looking at Spider-Man with wide eyes.
"You did!?" He grips the man's costume tightly, unaware of the large tear stain Felicia had left not an hour ago, looking at his mask with pleading eyes. "Please, tell me who they are! I want to see them really, really badly!"
"I'm sorry, Jack. I can't say who your mother is. It's not my place." He could feel Jack's grip loosen. "As for your dad? Well…in a way, you've already met him."
"I have?" Spider-Man nods. Then, he reaches up for his mask causing the young boy to gawk at him with surprise. Reaching his mask, he pulls it off revealing his smiling face. One that looks very similar to his own.
"Hello, Jack. I'm Peter. And…I'm your dad."
"My…my dad….is Spider-Man?" His eyes narrow as tears appear. His grip getting tighter then before and far stronger than an average eight-year-old as his tears start flowing from his angry face. "Why?! Why did you abandon me!? Why didn't…you want me?"
Peter looks into his son's pain filled eyes. "I swear to you, Jack. I had no idea you were born much less existed. Had I known sooner, I swear I would never have let you go." Jack looks at Peter, seeing his own eyes well up as his hold grew slightly tighter.
Suddenly, Jack wraps his arms around Peter, hugging him tightly. "Dad!" Peter holds his son just as tightly, letting his own tears finally fall as well, having held them back for Felicia's sack.
"I'm here, kiddo. I got you now." He lays his lips on the top of Jack's head, kissing it. "I won't ever let you go again. I promise."
A monitor sat on in a dimly lit room, showing the entrance to a house in Queens. Suddenly, Peter enters the picture carrying a child to the front door. It opens before they reach it with his aunt May and wife Mary Jane there to greet them. The two women have surprised looks on their faces upon seeing the child; Mary Jane starts yelling at Peter as his Aunt May smiles gently at the child. Peter lets him down to allow May to guide him inside while Mary Jane continues to chew out Peter as they follow, closing the front door behind them. A deep chuckle rings out around the room before Miles Warren rolls up to the monitor. "What an unexpected development." He rewinds the footage before zooming in on Jack. "A little baby spider, ripe for the taking." He laughs aloud as another man walks up behind him, scowling at the monitor with disdain.
A few months pass and Jack was officially brought into the Parker family. Given Peter is the biological father, the adoption prowess was much smoother. Even more so with Sue there providing an amazing recommendation to his character. It didn't take long for Peter to adjust to being a father; despite not being his biological mother, MJ took everything with stride and quickly grew to see the boy as her son, regardless. But ultimately, it was May that made the whole thing nearly seamless with her complete acceptance of Jack. Reed and Sue also supported them, even letting him join Franklin with his studies; now that the two had a friend their own age that also had powers, they both had someone they could rely on while discovering the existent of their respected abilities. "And that's...it! Done!" Peter said with a cheer. He turns towards the two boys working on their lessons not too far away. "Hey Jack. Ready to hit the streets?"
"Yes!" The boy leaps out of his chair before gathering his stuff. "See ya, Franklin!"
"Later..." Franklin says as Peter and Jack leave, a hint of jealousy in his voice.
ack looks back, having caught it before looking at Peter. "Hey dad?" Peter looks at Jack who nods towards Franklin with a pout.
Peter looks to see Franklin and smiles, giving Jack a nod. "Hey, Frankie!" Franklin looks at him. "Wanna join us?"
Felicia leans against a window overlooking a crime scene; she was with her mother at her office talking about business when an armored van came rushing down the street. Felicia was about to change, but Spider-Man came swinging by shooting a bunch of webbing into its windshield. She had watched as he easily handled the crooks when suddenly, one of them makes a run for it. Her eyes widen when two kids appear and tackle the man down. What shocked her was the two kids wore costumes; one she recognized as Franklin Richards from the Fantastic Four while the other one…wore a mini-Spider-Man costume that was just a bit brighter. It didn't take them long to capture the crooks, all the while Felicia had watched. A smile forms on her face to have see her son in action, fighting alongside Peter. As she was looking at the three leave, Anastasia join her, spotting the masked child and realizing who he was. She glares at Felicia wearing a proud smile. "You made your choice, Felicia." Her daughter frowns into a scowl. "Being proud of him now won't change what happened." She says, returning to her desk. "You gave up the right to be that boy's mother long ago."
"I was young! I thought I knew what I wanted! But…". She replies bitterly before turning on her mother. "Haven't you made choices you regretted making the older you got?"
"Of course I have. But very few of them revolved around other people." She turns and looks pass Felicia to the web lines gently blowing in the wind. "It's a miracle he came back into our lives, Felicia. But, if you approach him now, don't expect him to greet you kindly."
Felecia looks back out the window as her eyes get moist. "Mother…am I worst then daddy?"
Anastasia looks at her daughter with a motherly frown. "That isn't a fair comparison to make, dear. He made his choices just as you made yours. And people got hurt because of them." She walks over to Felicia and hugs her. "And lets not forget, he came back to us the first chance he got. Now, what will you choose to do?" Felicia pulls away from her mother to look at the crime scene again, her mind slowly solidifies what she will do.
"We're home!" Peter and Jack announce, walking through the front door to his aunt's house with smiles and in high spirits. Jack was getting used to his powers much quicker than Peter had thanks to having an example to follow but also having a friendly rivalry with Franklin regarding who can master their powers first.
"Welcome home, you two." May said as MJ approaches Peter. "Dinner will be ready shortly."
"Thanks Aunt May." Peter says before kissing MJ. as she moves to greet Jack, she gasps in apparent pain, her hand going to her stomach. Both Peter and Jack move to help but she waves them off. "I'm okay, you two." She gives Peter a playful look. "Your daughter just kicked me."
"She takes after her mother." He replies, moving to her side and placing a hand on her stomach, feeling the baby moving about. "Always on the move." As the happy couple gush over the unborn baby, Jack starts to feel like he was intruding on a private moment and silently heads for his room. "Hey, Jack. Come and…Jack?" As he looks for his son, May steps out of the kitchen.
"Leave him to me, Peter. Why don't you two set up the table, in the meantime." With that, she heads upstairs. As she approaches his room, she could hear him fiddling with some clothes before opening his window. "Now Jack…". She says while opening the door, catching Jack in his costume, about to leave through his window. "…you know the rule about that costume."
He hesitates for a moment before stepping back into the room, his shoulders sagging. "I know. I just—." May smiles at the young boy as a wave of nostalgia washes over her. She moves to sit down on his bed as he avoids her eyes.
"You feel like a stranger when you're here, don't you?"
Jack looks up at her, his eyes open wide beneath his mask. "How did you know?"
"My dear, your father had that same look when he first moved in with me and his uncle. He was younger than you are and had just lost both his parents."
Jack removes his mask, letting May see the frustration and anxiety within his eyes. "How…long did it take for him to feel…at home?"
"Not long." May reaches out to him with both her arms open and a smile. "Because Ben and I made it feel like home." Jack drops his mask and gives May a hug. "We love you, Jack. Never doubt that."
"…I love you guys, too. May." Suddenly, his spider sense blares in his head; still holding May, Jack launches himself away from the window seconds before it blows apart when a man crashes through it, landing right where they were sitting. Jack looks to see an opposing man in torn, baggy clothes, an old disgusting rag covering his face except for his left eye and wild brown hair.
The man glares at Jack. "Shitting luck, kid." He moves faster than Jack could follow, grabbing his neck and pulling him away from May.
"Let him go!" May shouts. Just then, Peter appears at the door, web shooters primed. The man reaches into his baggy clothes and throws out a grenade right at May. Peter moves to save May as the man leaps out the broken window with Jack in hand. Before the grenade explodes Peter manages to grab May and rushes out of the room, using his body to shield both May and the approaching MJ from the explosion.
Meanwhile, the man carries the struggling Jack to a black van. He squeezes his throat, choking him until the boy falls unconscious before sliding the door open. "Take a nap, kid." He jumps into the van, closing the door behind him. "Go! Parker won't be far behind." He tells the driver, who nods at him through the rear-view mirror, speeding off.
Peter looks up once the shaking stops, looking at his family. "You two, okay?"
"We're fine, Peter. Go and save Jack!" MJ said. After a quick kiss, Peter throws on his suit and heads for the damaged room.
"Call Sue! Stay with them until we get back!" He shouts, leaping out the window in pursuit. While difficult at first, Spider-Man has been able to swing around his suburb him with much more ease nowadays. A skill he is thankful for as he quickly drew closer to the speeding van.
The driver catches sight of the masked hero in his side mirror, allowing a low growl to escape his lips. "Kaine! Get out there and kill him!"
The man, Kaine places Jack down before looking at the driver. "No need to tell me twice, Warren!" He slides open the van's door and flips onto the roof, just in time to meet Spider-Man landing near the front. "You're quick to action, Parker. Does that mean MJ and May are fine?"
Peter narrows his eyes at Kaine as worry starts to build. "Who are you? How do you know who I am? And what do you want with my son?"
Kaine throws a punch which Spider-Man catches, the two struggling as the van wizzes through traffic. "You can call me Kaine. And I know everything about you, Parker." His foot shot out, tripping Spider-Man enough for him to throw the hero over his shoulder and nearly off of the van, were it not for him sticking to the back. "And as for your son? You'll have to take it up with Warren."
"Warren?! Miles Warren?!" Spider-Man shouts as Kaine kicks him, sending the hero into the windshield of the vehicle behind them. Driven by his growing anger, he jumps off and continue chasing the van as Kaine laughs aloud like a maniac.
"Mary Jane. May. Are you two, okay?" Sue was quick to arrive once she received a call from MJ, already on her way to help the expecting mother prepare for the birth which was due any day now.
"We'll be fine. It's Jack I'm worried about."
"What about Jack?" The three women look up just as Black Cat lands on the hood of Sue's car. She looks around at the damage before asking. "What happened here?"
Mary Jane and Sue exchange looks as May steps forward. "A horrid man kidnapped Jack. Peter is chasing after him now, thank goodness."
"No…". Felicia breathes out, her eyes dilating while her stomach drops.
"Better late than never to care about him, Felicia." Sue said, saying what MJ wanted to.
Felicia glares at her. "Don't you start with that! I never stopped caring! I just—. " All three women see the regret in her eyes. "—I made a mistake. I know that. And I'll never forgive myself for it. But still…"
"They went that way, in a black van." Felicia looks at MJ who was pointing down the road. "If you hurry, you can still catch them."
Felicia gives her a quick smile. "Thanks, Red." She grapples away.
Warren takes a sharp turn into a closed down wharf, slamming through the locked gates with Spider-Man close behind. The impact shook the van so much that Jack woke with a start. "Wha…?" He hears Kaine on the roof, taunting his father as Warren races towards a docked barge. Glaring at him, Jack shoots a web line, catching the wheel and pulling it. Without meaning too, Jack rips the wheel off the dashboard, making Warren lose control of the van.
"You brat! You'll get us both killed!" He shouts over his shoulder as the van screams towards the wall of an abandoned warehouse.
"Hit the brakes you—!" Jack shouts as they crash through the wall.
Up above, Kaine had heard the two of them shouting. He turns in time to see the wall before leaping into the air and colliding with the pursuing Spider-Man. The van rams through the wall as they crash to the ground, rolling to a stop with Kaine once again blocking Peter. "Hope your kid's tougher than you, Parker."
"You should know. You are me, aren't you, Kaine? Or is Warren out of the cloning business?" Spider-Man retorts. Knowing Warren was involved, he realizes who Kaine was. Making this situation even more dire.
"I'M NOT YOU! I'M MY OWN MAN! I'M—!" Suddenly, Spider-Man shoots a web line and catches Kaine in his eyes, blinding him long enough to close the gap between them to punch the clone across the jaw. But as he goes down, Kaine lifts his leg and kicks Peter in the head. As they recover, Kaine tears off the webbing and lunges at the hero in a rage.
Inside the warehouse, the van had caused an overhead walkway to collapse, blocking the hole. The van continues on with Warren slamming the brakes, but it wasn't enough to stop the van from crashing into a support beam. Warren was barely saved thanks to the seatbelt but Jack was thrown through the windshield and crashes into the floor, the impact fracturing his arm. He grunts in pain, cradling his arm. The sound of the van door opening reaches his ears as Warren stumbles out, glaring at the kid. "You little bastard! You're proving to be just as infuriating as your parents!"
Jack climbs to his feet, giving Warren an odd look. "Parents? You…you know who my mother is?"
Warren chuckles while pulling out a syringe gun. "Of course I know. Your father has ruined my plans time and time again." As he spoke, he drew closer to Jack, who kept backing away from him. "I had finally had enough and decided the best way to finish him for good, was to create a clone that could do it for me. And who better to beat Spider-Man then Spider-Man?"
"That man…he's my dad's clone?"
"Got in one, kid. Kaine. My best clone yet. He's better then Peter in every way possible."
Jack maneuvers around a crate, keeping it between the two of them. "There's no way my dad will lose to that imposter! And what does this have to do with my mother?"
"So impatient. Keep that up and I'm liable to just not tell you who your deadbeat mother is!"
"Don't you call her to that!" Jack shouts. He kicks the crate in front of him, forcing Warren to jump out of the way. Jack shoots a web line that catches Warren in the arm. He pulls the line and is caught off guard when Warren uses it to lunge at Jack, knocking them into each other.
Back outside, Spider-Man and Kaine are in a similar struggle with Kaine gaining. Mainly because Peter is too distracted with saving Jack. Kaine pins Peter down while grabbing his suit, a manic gleam in his exposed eye. "What now, 'hero'? Can't even save your own son?" Peter grows furious as Kaine pulls back his fist.
"Get off of him!" Suddenly, Black Cat swings in and kicks Kaine off Peter. She helps him up as Kaine rises to his feet, glaring at the two. "Where's Jack?" She asks Peter, her eyes never staying away from Kaine.
"Inside the warehouse behind him. With Warren."
"Warren?"
"I'll handle this guy. Go help Jack."
"You sure, Spider? You'd still be struggling if I hadn't shown up." She says with a playful smirk.
"Because I was worried about Jack, not him. Now that you're here, though…".
"Alright, Spider. On your go." The two of them slowly circle Kaine, who keeps on guard. Once the two of them were on either side of him, Spider-Man shoots two web lines at Kaine, who catches both of them. Before he could throw Spider-Man around, Black Cat fires a grapple at his feet, tripping him enough for Spider-Man to throw him instead.
"Go Cat!" He yells, lunging for the thrown Kaine as Black Cat leaps for the door of the warehouse.
Back inside, Warren was using Jack's injured arm to maintain his hold of the boy, the syringe posed near his neck. "You can't imagine my joy when I found out about you, boy. Now, I can clone you and have him kill Peter, should Kaine fail. And then, I'll send him to your mother." He meets Jack's angry glare with an insane grin as the needle inches closer to his neck. "Just imagining the look on her face when her 'son' drops by out of nowhere and ends her!"
"I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY FAMILY!" Jack screams, fighting through the pain to get Warren off.
Just then, Black Cat bursts through the door and grapples over to them, knocking Warren off Jack and into a crate. "Get away from my son!" She growls, standing beside the stun boy.
"Your…son?" He mutters.
She glances at him until Warren's laughing draws them both back to him. "Looks like the 'cat's out of the bag' now, Felicia." Warren mocks while climbing out of the rubble. "Aren't you a bit too late to be playing at being a mommy?"
Felicia flinches while looking back at Jack, who stares at her with moist eyes. "Jack…". Felicia began, but was interrupted when Spider-Man and Kaine barrel through the blocked hole in the wall and crash into the van. Warren and Jack watch as Peter leaps away from the semi-conscious Kaine as Black Cat lunges for Warren, connecting a punch to his jaw, knocking him out. "That was for kidnapping my son."
Peter lands close by, seeing Jack staring at Felicia as she turns to look at their son. The three are quiet for a moment until the sound of sirens fill the air. They look at Peter who webs up Warren. "Let's leave these two for the police." He says, turning to do the same to Kaine, only to find nothing.
The three costumed heroes had left the warehouse before the police arrived. They spent a few minutes trying to pick up Kaine's trail but finding nothing. All the while, Jack who had a web case on his fractured arm, would give Felicia cold looks that were not lost on her or Peter. Finally, he leads them to the same skyscraper he had brought Felicia the day he found out about Jack, to let her explain everything to him, including why she gave him up. "That was the biggest mistake of my life." Felicia admits afterward. "I've been thinking of you every day since."
"…if that's true, why didn't you come back for me?" Jack asks, barely keeping his sadness and anger from exploding. He looks at her with tearful eyes and a sharpness within that reminds her of her mother. "Why did you just leave me there? You knew where I was, didn't you?"
Felicia to a deep breath, avoiding her son's eyes. "I couldn't…bring myself to admit…I had made a mistake. By the time I could…I felt it was too late to be a mother to you." She forces herself to look at Jack. "I'm so sorry, Jack." The two of them turn away, their own emotions too much to contain as Felicia cries while Jack seethes.
Peter looks at his son and Felicia, grappling with his own feelings and opinions. Trying to find a way to keep their bond together long enough to repair it. He looks out into the city and smiles behind his mask. "When I was a kid, Aunt May and Uncle Ben would take me to my parents graves on the anniversary of their deaths." As he spoke, Felicia and Jack turn to him. "We wouldn't say a word, just…stand over their graves and remember them. One year, I was…angry. At them, myself, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, the world, you name it. It was too much to keep inside so…I screamed out 'I hate you'." He moves to crouch between them, removing his mask as he does. "I cried after that, but my anger didn't go away. But Uncle Ben didn't scolded me. He just put his hand on my shoulder and told me 'It's okay, Peter. Let it out. When you feel better, we can start making things right." He puts his hands on both their backs as he looks between Jack and Felicia. "Things that happen in the past, happened. We can't ignore it but neither should we let those things completely control our actions." He wraps his arms around the two of them. "We can take this one step at a time, for however long it takes. We're family, after all." Felicia looks from Peter to Jack, watching as some of his anger ebbs away, replacing it with hopeful excitement.
Suddenly, Jack leaps over Peter and crashes into her, hugging her tightly while pressing his head against her chest above her breasts. "Please…mommy?"
Allowing a smile to grow across her lips, Felicia hugs him back just as hard while laying her head on top of his with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'll do anything to make up for letting you go. My son. My Little Spider." Peter joins in on the embrace as Jack smiles from ear to ear, listening to his mother's heartbeat.
Epilogue
Anastasia sits at her desk, scribbling away at some paperwork. Her pen suddenly stops as she lifts her eyes up to the ledge over her fireplace and at a framed photo of Felicia when she was a year old; seeing her grandson again after eight years struck a nostalgic chord in her that she had been thinking about the early days of her raising Felicia. She puts her pen down with a heavy sigh. "At least we can say we have a grandson." Her eyes drift to one of her holding Felicia and her husband standing beside her. "Oh John." A knock at the door snaps her out of it. "Who is it?"
"It's Felicia. Can you open the door? I have my hands full."
Anastasia thought she heard someone giggling as she stands up. "Honestly Felicia. You can do so many things with your powers, but opening a door…".
As she opens the door Anastasia is met with a wondrous sight. "Mother…". Felicia says with a smile while holding Jack. "Meet your grandson, Jack."
"Hi grandma." Jack says with a wave. Anastasia beams with joy as she moves to hug the two of them, allowing a few tears to roll down her cheeks in celebration.
