Peter wasted no time calling Reed and instantly insisted that MJ had a checkup by him in the Baxter Building.
"Really, Peter, is this necessary?" MJ asked that he was being scanned.
"Peter has every right to be concerned, Mary Jane," said Reed. "The vaccine should have cured you of your affliction, and we need to be current that you won't transform into a giant spider any time soon."
"It's only a precaution, Mary Jane," said Sue.
Peter looked at Reed. "So what's the verdict?"
"From these readings, I can determine that the vaccine did, in fact, work, but for some reason, it only stopped her from reaching Stage III and does not seem as if it will ever proceed any further than it has."
"Seems like there's nothing to worry about, and now I've got these cool powers," said MJ.
"That would appear to be the case," said Reed.
"But Max said when he gave me the vaccine that it would even cure me," Peter frowned.
"And don't forget that Kaine fell into the tank filled with the vaccine, and he did not use his powers. I suspect it wouldn't have any effect on you or the other spider-powered heroes. As with MJ, I can only assume that your sexual intercourse is what has caused this anomaly. Not to be indelicate, but how often do the two of you perform said intercourse?"
Peter had no idea whose face was redder than his or MJ's.
"Reed, they don't have to tell you that," said Sue, rolling her eyes.
"I'm sorry, dear, but it is important that I determine the cause of this anomaly."
"Well, before the whole Spider-Island thing, Peter and I have been trying to have another baby," MJ admitted.
"Ah, that would certainly explain it," Reed nodded.
"We missed so much with May," said MJ with tears in her eyes.
Sue hugged her. "It's perfectly fine, Mary Jane, we understand."
"So, is there anything you can do for her?" Peter asked.
"Oh no," said MJ abruptly. "You are not getting rid of these powers now that we know I'm completely safe."
"But MJ playing hero is no fun and games."
"And it scares me to death knowing that you're putting your life at risk, and someday our children might do the same. I want to be at least there to support them."
Peter could tell that MJ was very determined, but there was no convincing her otherwise. "Okay, I'm not going to argue with you. So, you're going to need a code name."
"I suppose Spider-Woman is out of the question?" MJ asked.
"I think we got one too many of those," said Peter.
"I suppose I could try Spider-Girl, but I think I'm a little too old for that," MJ pondered, then snapped her fingers. "I've got it. You can call me Spinneret."
A few days later, MJ invited Gayle, Felicia, Gwen, Liz and Carlie over for some girl time.
"I don't believe it. You get to keep your powers, and I get to lose my," Carlie fumed.
"And you're sure you want to go down this route," said Gayle, looking concerned.
"Gayle, Peter is training me and judging from girls, they're going to follow in their father's footsteps as well," said MJ. "I can't let them do this on their own."
"I'm just worried something is going to happen to you," said Gayle.
"Don't worry, Gayle, I'll be there to back her up," Gwen promised.
"You can count on me as well," said Felicia.
"I still can't believe I'm having tea with Captain Stacy's daughter, who was supposed to be dead," said Carlie in disbelief. Her eyes then turned to Felicia. "Along with a famous cat burglar, Black Cat."
"Ex-burglar," Felicia corrected, then she leaned in towards MJ with a smirk. "I hear you and Pete are trying for another baby."
MJ nodded. "Yes, and hopefully, he or she won't be kidnapped this time."
"We'll make sure that won't happen," Gwen promised.
"Plus, Norman Osborn is still rotting in his jail cell; there's not a lot he can do," said Felicia.
"I would like to believe that," said MJ.
"You don't have to worry about him anymore, Mary Jane," said Liz.
"He doesn't even know that Peter is Spider-Man," said Gayle.
"Unfortunately, he might be able to put two and two together now. Doctor Strange made a house call and warns us that the deceptive filter over Peter has now been lifted. Apparently, everyone who has seen him use his powers out in public was enough of a loophole to get people wise."
"Like me," said Carlie. "I began to suspect that Peter wasn't telling the entire truth."
"Norman Osborn is a blight on this earth, and look what he did to Harry," said Liz distastefully.
"Peter now has to be even more careful when it comes to his secret identity," said MJ. "This is another reason he wants to train me and the girls."
"Hopefully, if his identity does become public this time, there will be so much as a backlash," said Gwen.
"Don't worry, Peter isn't going to make the same mistake twice, not after what happened with the Civil War business."
"That was certainly some nasty business," said Gwen.
MJ looked at Gwen curiously. "So I never gained any powers the first time around?"
Gwen shook her head. "You did build up an immunity, but no, you never kept them. Of course, the key difference is you and Peter weren't married and weren't trying to make another baby."
"I still can't believe that you're actually from an alternate reality," said Carlie in disbelief.
"Do you wanna know what's even weirder? You were his girlfriend for a time," Gwen smirked.
"I was?" Carlie stared.
"Well, Peter seems to have a way of attracting a number of women."
"I think we all can see why," Felicia smirked.
"Oh, I agree," said MJ.
"Same here," said Liz.
"Do I need to toss a bucket of cold water over you girls?" Gayle asked, looking a little disturbed.
Everyone looked at one another and then burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, Peter was getting everything operational at Parker Industries and informed Harry of the MJ situation.
"She seriously wants to be a superhero?" said Harry, a little surprised.
"And I can't talk out of it," Peter sighed. "She even wants me to make her a costume; she even gave me a design."
"Well, she's a supermodel; she wants to look her best even when she is fighting crime," Harry joked.
Peter raised an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry," he said. "But should she really put herself in danger, especially when you're trying to have another baby?"
"I've done everything I could to dissuade her, but if you want to have a go, be my guest."
"Oh, no. I'm not gonna touch that can of worms."
Hobie then entered the office. "Mr Parker, Mr Lyman, we've just finished moving everything back from Horizon Labs."
"Good, that's excellent," said Peter as he stood up. "Anything missing?"
"No, everything is accounted for," Hobie assured him. It's a good thing you moved more sensitive equipment to Horizon Labs. I checked the security cameras, and there were a number of break-ins."
"Anything stolen?" Harry asked.
"Nothing of value, but a few materials have disappeared."
"Contact the police. I doubt they'll find the criminals, but you never know."
Hobie nodded and left.
"Looks like we'll be back in business in no time," said Harry. "But we are behind a few deadlines now."
"Given the chaos, I think the investors will understand, but we should probably double down our work just in case."
"Flash informed me that he knows a few veterans who are suffering from loss of limbs, and he agreed to put a good word in. Good thing you are able to fix all those bugs in the interface."
"Anything can be solved with time and money," Peter shrugged. "Most of that is thanks to Jay; I have to say he's a lot easier to work with than his son."
"So is John," Harry added. "Did you know that he is recommending us to NASA? We might be able to start our own aerospace program."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," said Peter, holding out his hand. "We still have a long way to go before we even think about challenging the final frontier."
"What about that joint product idea from Alchemax?" Harry asked.
"It is an intriguing idea, but we're also starting to get noticed by other corporations like Roxxon and how Hammer Industries and they don't exactly play nice."
"You fear they might send someone to do some corporal sabotage?" Harry frowned.
"I wouldn't put it past them; they've done the same with Tony for years."
"So you think we should improve the security?"
"We are getting the money to hire more personnel," said Peter. "We've already hired a couple of scientists; I think we can do with additional security officers."
"I'll have a chat with Hobie and see if we can improve the security system," said Harry.
Peter smiled. "Who would have thought that we would be able to run a successful company in just under a year."
"And Dad says I wouldn't amount to anything," Harry smirked.
A few days later, Peter had finally finished MJ's costume, who was now getting changed.
"So what do you think?" MJ asked as she stepped outside the bedroom.
MJ's costume resembled his, but it was red and white instead of red and blue. Additionally, the back of the mask was cut open to allow her redhead to cascade down.
"You look awesome, Mommy!" May beamed.
April looked at Peter. "Papa, when can we get superhero costumes?"
"Not any time soon," said Peter firmly.
The girls moaned.
"It looks great, Tiger," said MJ as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Still think I should have gone with the simple mask rather than the full-face one."
"A simple mask is hardly a mask; it only comes up your eyes," said Peter, folding his arms. "And I still think you should keep your hair hidden under your mask."
"But it would be such a hassle getting the mask on," said MJ. "Besides, it works well for our other Spider-Women friends."
"Gwen doesn't seem to have a problem with it."
"Her hair is shorter than mine," she said. She then looked at her new web shooters. "Thanks for the web-shooters, by the way."
"Organic webs might seem to be an advantage, but you have to drink a lot of fluids to maintain the webbing," Peter warned.
"Noted," MJ smiled. "Well, I think about going outside and fighting crime."
Peter immediately got up, startled. "Whoa, hold on. You just got the costume and want to fight criminals?"
MJ leaned over to him, smirking behind her mask. "You didn't exactly waste time fighting crime when you got your costume?"
Peter groaned. "I hate it when you do that."
MJ lifted her master just above her nose and kissed him. "No, you don't."
She then made her way to the balcony and waved goodbye to the girls before jumping off the railings.
Peter shook his head and looked at the girls. "Come on, you two, it's time for bed."
MJ was now swinging through the city, and it certainly got a lot different now she was wearing a costume and there weren't tens of thousands of spiders chasing after her. She was really enjoying this and could understand why Peter looked swinging around so much; it was relaxing.
"Just give us your purse, lady!" said a voice below.
"No, get away," said a woman's voice.
MJ looked down and saw an old woman being mugged in an alleyway. She swung down and landed directly behind the mugger without wasting a second.
"Didn't your mother tell you to be polite when speaking to a woman?" she said.
The mugger spun around. "What the?!"
MJ then fired some webbing before he had any time to react and soon found himself stuck to the wall.
She then turned to the old woman. "You okay, ma'am."
"I am thanks to you, but who are you, another Spider-Woman?" she asked, confused.
"The name is Spinneret," said MJ.
"Well, thanks for the help, young lady. Tell me, are you associated with the other spiders?"
"You could say I have a close relationship with Spider-Man."
"So you are his girlfriend?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you, ma'am."
"Well, I hope you are because I think the young man needs a good woman in his life."
The old lady then cheerfully walked away, and MJ stayed long enough for the police to arrive and arrest the mugger.
Jonah was back in his office the next morning and just got word of the new spider in town.
"Another one?" Jonah groaned as he read the Daily Bugle. "Seriously, we just came out of a pandemic of spiders, and now we have another spider vigilante. To make matters worse, it indicated that this Spinneret is in bed with that blasted Spider-Man."
John sighed. "Dad, Spider-Man is the one responsible for curing that epidemic and taking down a giant Spider-Queen."
"Am I seriously the only sane person in this city?" Jonah roared. "The sooner we rid this city of those spiders, the better."
John shook his head and began to make his leave. "Well, good luck with that, Dad. I've got to get going. I've got a date."
Jonah looked at the newspaper. "So, who is this lucky lady?"
"Oh, you've met, she's Peter's sister-in-law," John smiled.
"What?!" Jonah roared.
After calming his father down, John eventually made it to the cafe and was having a pleasant meal with Gayle at the Coffee Bean. John couldn't help but notice that they would get a lot of attention.
"Perhaps we should have chosen a more private venue," he said.
"Oh, let them stare; I don't mind one bit," said Gayle.
"You quite like attention, I see," John smiled.
"That's something my sister and I have in common. I wanted to be an actress when I grew up, but then I married my boyfriend, which was put on the back burner. I should heed my mother's warning; I shouldn't have married that young."
"You were in love; it's an easy mistake to make," said John. "Besides your ex-husband, who is to blame, not you. I can't believe that he abandoned such a beautiful woman and his children. Then he has the gall to kick you out of your home."
"Mary seems to be the only one in the family who's had any luck," said Gayle as she looked at her cup of coffee. "Peter has become a strong father figure to the boys, but I wish they had a proper father."
"Do you have regrets not following your dream?" John asked.
"A little, but working for Peter is wonderful. He truly wants to help people, and I'm glad I can help him."
John smiled. "I knew Peter when he was back in the Daily Bugle looking for Dad. Barely able to scrape by supporting his aunt, he's come a long way since those days. I mean, I always knew he was a bright kid; I never dreamed he would start his own company so quickly."
"And I'm sure he's going to hit even more heights."
MJ was on patrol once more; she was only making quite a name for herself, and she was starting to understand why Peter did what he did. It felt so rewarding to save someone without asking for anything in return.
"Hey, Spinneret, are you busy tonight?" said a voice above her.
MJ looked up and saw Gwen swinging overhead. "Not really, is something up?"
They soon landed on a nearby building, and Gwen began to explain.
"I can't be certain, but I think the Jackal somehow survived," she said.
"I thought the Queen killed him along with all his clones?"
"That is what Agent Venom reported, but it isn't the first time that a supervillain faked his death. I would like to confirm it myself. I have a lead, but I don't want to go in there without a little bit of back."
"You seem to be rather fixated on finding the Jackal?" said MJ.
"So would you if he cloned you multiple times, all because he has a crush on you," said Gwen.
"Point taken also. I don't like the idea of inclining my husband again. I mean, I still can't wrap my head around that old clone saga thing."
"Which is why I don't involve Peter in this," said Gwen. "The Jackal knows who he is but doesn't know us."
MJ nodded. "Then lead the way."
Gwen led the way. They went to Brooklyn, more specifically, an abandoned warehouse.
"Is it that all villains seem to think an abandoned warehouse the perfect place to hide?" MJ asked. "It's the first place anyone would think to look."
"Yet with every single superhero in New York, supervillains decide to stay in Manhattan," Gwen pointed out.
"Good point," MJ nodded. "So, how'd you want to do this?"
"A little breaking and entering."
"This coming from a policeman's daughter."
"Says the glamorous supermodel and actress."
The two of them giggled and then made their way into the warehouse.
They made their way into the warehouse and weren't a little surprised to find it completely deserted.
"So I'm guessing there is a secret lab somewhere?" MJ assumed.
"There always is," said Gwen.
They then began looking around for any clue, and that's when MJ saw the scuff marks on the concrete floor next to a container. She fired a web line at the container and gave it a good pull, revealing a secret tunnel.
"One secret entrance found," said MJ.
Gwen walked over and looked at her, impressed. "How did you find it so soon?"
"Oh, it reminds me of a scene in an episode I took part in," said MJ. "Looks like being an actress has its perks in the superhero business."
"Not going to disagree with you, but let's be careful. No doubt the Jackal is expecting us."
"Then let's not disappoint him."
The two of them went down the tunnel, trusting their spider-sense. So far, everything seemed fine, but MJ suddenly felt a tingling sensation.
"Move!" they both yelled in unison.
They quickly jumped out of the way in time to avoid a series of spikes shooting out from the ground.
"At one heck of a security measure," said MJ as he stuck to the wall.
"No joke," said Gwen.
They continued to crawl along the walls, figuring it was safer than walking across the floor. They kept going until they finally came across the secret lab at the end of the tunnel.
"Looks like we found the place," said Gwen.
"But I don't see your big green hairy host," said MJ.
"My apologies, ladies," said a voice above. They quickly somersaulted backwards as the Jackal landed right in front of them, smirking at them, "I really should have offered you some tea and biscuits."
"We finally found you, Warren," said Gwen. "I knew you were still alive."
"And I was hoping to keep my existence a secret," said Jackal, looking disappointed. "Oh, well, I just have to eliminate the two of you, and my secret remains that secret."
"You seem to be rather certain we can't beat you," said MJ.
"I don't believe we have the pleasure, my dear," said Jackal, looking at her. "You call yourself Spinneret correctly? Or perhaps I should call you Mrs Parker?"
"Great, the first supervillain I encountered, and he knows who I am," MJ muttered.
"He certainly does now," said Gwen, shaking her head.
"Oh, I don't intend to divulge your secret, my dear," said Jackal. "I may not be a big fan of your husband, but I would never dream of harming his family, unlike certain individuals."
"I find that hard to believe," said MJ.
"Ah, but I didn't say I wouldn't kill him if he got in my way, but unlike Norman Osborn, I don't see the need to harm him emotionally. True, I did create clones of him to confuse and harm him, but I have never actually taken a life."
"Yet you tried to get vengeance on Spider-Man," Gwen reminded him.
"Only because I was convinced that he had a hand in Gwen Stacy's death. It was only later that I discovered that it was truly Norman Osborn that killed her. Anyway, as un-convenient as it is, I'm afraid I cannot let you reveal my whereabouts."
"And we can't let you get away scot-free," said MJ.
They soon began to clash, and MJ was starting to understand how agile the Jackal was. Even with the two of them, he was able to dodge their attacks with very skilful acrobatics; he knocked MJ aside and grabbed Gwen.
"Now let us see who you are behind that mask," he said, ripping off Gwen's mask. The moment he saw her face, his eyes wide, and he dropped. "No! That's impossible! You have to be a clone."
"No, I'm the real deal, all right," said Gwen.
"This time, you were Ghost-Spider, and I had no idea?"
"Yeah, I must say it's rather creepy having your former science professor having a secret crush on you. Also, I don't appreciate it that you try to kill my ex."
"This has to be a bad dream," said Jackal as he backed away. "Any moment now, wake up and discover this is all a dream."
"Not likely," said MJ and struck him from behind, knocking him out cold instantly.
Gwen bent down and picked up her mask. "I knew it was that easy to take him down. I would have shown my face years ago."
"Let's call the police," said MJ.
A few moments later, the police arrived to apprehend Jackal and began confiscating everything in his lab.
"Why are all evil scientists crazy?" Carlie asked as she began examining the crime scene.
"No idea," Gwen shrugged.
"Well, at least he won't be causing more trouble for a while," said MJ.
"I say you did very well apprehending your first supervillain," Gwen smiled.
"Thanks, I think I can get used to this life," said MJ.
"Just remember it's not all sunshine and roses," Gwen reminded her.
"Oh, don't worry. After being married to Spider-Man for so long, I know there's going to be some bad days, but with friends like you, sure, we'll get through them."
"You can count on it."
Now that MJ has become Spinneret, I would like to announce that I plan on ending the story after the Kindred arc. As it's a good place to end things, and the way my story is going, Zeb Well's stories will be practically non-existent. That said, I may continue gradually as the Spider-Man issues continue until Marvel undoes One More Day.