"Wow is this really the building you live in?" Gwen says as the three of us walk through the doorway. I press the up button and Gwen sets her bag on the ground while we wait. "So how are you liking it so far?"

I shrug, and step into the elevator as it opens, "It's fine."

Kitty rolls her eyes, "Don't listen to Peter, it's awesome! He's kind of a kill joy."

Gwen giggles as the elevator closes, she's standing near the floor buttons, "Which floor?" Katherine reaches around Gwen to press the top button. Gwen just rolls her eyes, "Yeah I'm sure that you're living in the penthouse. Which flood do you actually live on?" She looks at me when she asks.

"That's it."

Gwen sighs and crosses her arms, "The joke isn't actually that funny, but if us going all the way to the top and then back down get's you two a laugh I guess there's not much I can do about it."

Katherine looks at me barely suppressing her laughter; I think we actually will get a laugh out of this.

The elevator stops at the top floor, Kitty and I walk out with Gwen trailing behind us. Kitty looks at me pleadingly, "Oh Peter, can I do it?" I give my usual shrug, and she takes out the spare key that I gave to her and opens the door. Katherine looks back at Gwen and breaks out laughing, even I can't help but laugh at her surprise.

Katherine and I are still laughing in the doorway while Gwen walks inside, "You guys were serious?!" Her face is still frozen in shock and I actually feel my eyes tear up from her expression, "I can't believe you live in the penthouse!" She looks at the two of us and crosses her arms looking annoyed as Kitty and I catch our breath. "How the hell did you afford this place?"

I hang my backpack on the hook by the door and throw myself on the couch. "Apparently, my aunt used to own it. It was supposed to go to my parents but as the last living relative, it's all mine."

Gwen hangs her bag next to mine and sits down on the armchair across from the couch. "It's sad that your aunt died but, this place is awesome. So when is your first party going to be?"

Kitty high fives Gwen and perches on the arm of her chair, "That's what I'm talking about!"

I snort, "How about never? I'm not exactly the partying type."

Gwen's eyes roll, "And why not? I'm sure like everyone would go with it in this place."

Sometimes I forget that Gwen is a normal person and not a social outcast. "I highly doubt it. Even if it were true I avoid most people in our school whenever possible. As far as I'm concerned you two are the only people that are even allowed up here."

She crosses her arms and let's out a humph, "Alright I get it. So what's up with all the boxes around here?" She motions to all of Katherine's unpacked stuff. "I thought you said you finished moving in?"

During the entire conversation Kitty has been leaning more and more to the point where she's now practically laying across Gwen's lap. "Oh that's my stuff."

Gwen looks at me shocked and I just point back at Kitty. "Katherine, why is your stuff in Peter's house?"

"Uh cause I live here too?"

Gwen blinks a few times blankly before answering, "Wha-?"

Kitty pokes Gwen in the stomach interrupting her question, "And another thing, I think you should stop calling me Katherine. It sounds so long and boring. Why couldn't I have like a cute name like Gwen?"

"It's actually Gwendolyn but back to wha-"

Another poke, "It's rude to interrupt me before I'm don't talking Gwen. So anyway you should call me Kitty ok?"

At this point Gwen just looks confused. "Uh, sure Kitty but-"

"Yeah just like that! Hey you want to see my room? Oh you can even let me unpack! God knows Peter would be useless, come on!" Kitty jumps out of the chair and drags Gwen up the stairs in less than two seconds.

I decide to use the rare silence to try and catch a nap when I hear an irritating buzzing noise. I sit up looking annoyed, I think anyone else could ignore it but with my enhanced hearing it is impossible to ignore. "How the hell do I have flies already?" I slowly walk around and track the sound to one of the many boxes in the room. Before I call Katherine down to tell her about it, I notice a label on the side, "This is… for me?" I open the box and right on the top I see a letter written in familiar font.

'Dear, Mr. Parker,

I hope that the abode is to your liking. Within this box are several things that I believe you would benefit from owning, most importantly a cellular phone which already contains my number, the password is spider….'

I set the letter aside for a second and grab the phone from the package. I enter in the password and see a singular text from a contact named, 'Employer' – Come tonight, I have another job for you, you may want to leave your accomplice. I can't help the smile that spreads across my face; I was getting bored. Although it is curious that he suggests I leave Kitty. In the rest of the box was, a laptop, a tablet, and various chargers.

"Hey Peter?" I look up to see Gwen calling down to me from the second floor and quickly shove the letter into my pocket. "Kitty says there's a box down there labeled, 'More junk' can you bring it up?" I notice the box on the floor near the kitchen and easily pick it up and head up the stairs. Gwen notices the phone in my hand as I walk past her towards Katherine's room, "Wait is that your cell phone?"

I see Kitty peak her head around the corner, "Peter doesn't have a- you have a phone!" Katherine walks over to me angrily, "What the hell man I thought we were buds but you hide your cell phone from me? Imagine all the times I was bored and could have texted you!" She points an accusatory finger at Gwen, "Now that I think about it I don't have either of your numbers! This is unacceptable, it's not fair that I let you call me by my nickname but you won't even give me your numbers!"

Gwen moves Katherine's finger out of her face, "I would use 'make' instead of 'let' in that last part."

After finishing helping Kitty pack Gwen noticed the lack of food in our kitchen and invited the two of us to her place for dinner. Never one to turn down food Katherine immediately said yes, I excused myself saying that I really did need that nap. With them both gone I was clear to don my suit and head to Fisk's tower.

I take off my helmet as Fisk's guards let me through the door. Fisk is sitting on his couch a glass of wine in hand. "No spaghetti today?"

He chuckles and gestures to the other side of the couch. "Not tonight, I can get you a glass if you'd like."

It's hard not to breath a sigh of relief when I sit on the luxury couch, "No thanks. So what's the job so secretive that you want me to do it alone?"

"Peter, do you have any idea how I got to where I am today?" I shake my head no, "I won't bore you with the details but you should know that I am a self made man. I run this city and I got here alone. From a gang I started, a company I built." Fisk presses a button on the remote and a picture of a middle aged Italian looking man appears. "This Anthony Costa is nothing compared to me. A gangster with connections, with little wit, and no strength his only attributes are his bravado, and his family. A new player on the New York scene, I would normally overlook him except that he has ties to the Costa crime family. His presence in my city is an insult, I've contacted his relatives and they claim that he's not here under orders."

It's not too hard to see where this is going, "And you don't believe them?"

"Would you?" Probably not.

"So you want me to like scare him?"

"No I want to scare his family, I want him dead." I look at the picture again. One middle-aged gangster. Easy enough, after all with this suit I'm practically unstoppable.

"And if I do this you'll continue to provide for Katherine and I?" Fisk nods. "When and where can I find him?"

Wednesday. During class it's hard to pay attention while I'm thinking about the hit. I've killed before, but those were random thugs, I don't feel sorry for them it's just the way the world works. Yet this is different, those were random I didn't know their names I didn't care. But this guy, Anthony Costa, this is premeditated. But I need to do this, because if I don't… What happens if I don't? I confirmed that Fisk will continue his support if I keep doing jobs for him, but will he really just let me go if I fail? No, you don't get to where he is by leaving loose ends.

"Peter!" Kitty shaking me snaps me out of my thoughts. "Helooo in there! Class is over!"

"Huh? Oh sorry about that." I look around and realize that we're the last two students in the room, "Let's go get lunch." I pick up my bag and start walking to the cafeteria.

"So what were you thinking about? You looked all broody."

I just shrug, Katherine may be in this mess with me, but she shouldn't have to deal with my thoughts, I'm still just speculating and I certainly don't want her to know about Costa. "Nothing, how was Gwen's place?"

I hold open the cafeteria door as Katherine talks. "It was fun, we had girl time, nothing that would interest you." I thank her in my head for not sharing the details. "Her dad is fine though, if you care."

That was weird. "What's that about? Did I say something mean about him or something?" I don't remember doing so.

She rolls her eyes, "You do remember that only like half a week ago some costumed creep broke into his office, people are saying it was a botched assassination."

"Botched? That's a big word for you, you've been studying?" She punches my arm and I can't help but to snicker at her frustration. "But even so, I would hardly be worried about an assassin that attacks when his target is gone."

Katherine crosses her arms. "But you're not Gwen." Ah so that's what this is about. "She's scared Peter, her and her mom are convinced that some super villain is after her dad. Don't you wish we could do something to make her less scared?"

I do a quick look around us as I grab my calzone to make sure no body is listening. I still whisper just in case. "Are you insane? That's the fastest way to wind up in handcuffs!"

She glares as she whispers back to me. "You don't know that, but if it was anyone else they would have been in handcuffs, don't you feel bad about what you're putting your friend through!"

"I did what I had to." She looks appalled at my answer, "Don't forget, that that's the same job that got us the home we live in."

She looks down and mutters almost under her breath. If it wasn't for my enhanced senses I wouldn't even hear her. "I know, you're just doing what you have to but that doesn't mean that you need to become heartless." She looks back up at me. "Peter two days ago you almost killed that man." She doesn't need to know that I tracked him down and killed him later. "I just don't want you to ignore the impact your decisions have on others. I realize that you're going to have to do more stuff like that. Just please at least think about the repercussions."

I sigh, I guess I can see where she's coming from. "I get it, you're right I'll make sure to take consequences in account from now on." She looks at me skeptically, I notice Gwen walking towards us with her tray. "Gwen's gonna be here in a second, we'll talk about this later."

Gwen sets her tray down next to Katherine's, "What's going on you guys look so tense?"

"Lovers spat?" I almost jump out of my seat when I hear Mary Jane from next to me. I'm the Spider! How the hell did she sneak up on me? On the other side of the table, Katherine is smiling at Mary Jane while Gwen is glaring. Before I can say anything MJ puts her hands up jokingly, "that was a joke Peter, I know you two aren't a thing."

At this point she might just be a part of my life I can't avoid. So I just sigh, "Hi." I'm sure my face when I say it more accurately conveys my feelings of 'fuck off.'

She looks surprised, "Well look at you being civil for once, didn't know you had it in you."

She's clearly mocking me. Her presence makes me want to grate my teeth together. "Don't push it MJ."

"Don't worry Parker." She winks at me and I almost gag, "You'll learn to love me." She turns from me to look at Katherine. "So how are you Katherine? Peter getting on your nerves?"

She's not even being clever about looking for gossip. Kitty just smiles, "Not really, I mean he's a little stubborn but I'm used to it."

Weirdly Gwen grins at Mary Jane, "What about you MJ? How's your boyfriend?"

I didn't even know she had one, who would date someone as annoying as Mary Jane? MJ's smile melts off and she levels a glare at Gwen, "You know Harry and I broke up."

"Really?" Gwen fakes ignorance, "Must have slipped my mind."

Mary Jane looks about ready to pounce before she closes her eyes and takes a calming breath. When opens her eyes she's smiling at Gwen, "Oh don't worry about it I'm sure you've been too busy worried about your father's assassin lurking about."

I didn't completely believe Kitty when she said Gwen was scared but now looking at how her face changes from laughing at MJ's misfortune to fear and anger, I guess there is more she's not telling me. Maybe this has gone too far. "That's enough Mary."

She just snorts and responds while still smiling at Gwen. "Don't look at me Blondie here started it."

Gwen's gripping the table angrily, her lunch fairly untouched. "As if money bags leaving you is the same as someone trying to kill my dad!"

The bell rings and I thank god. Mary Jane gets up with her tray. "We'll settle this later."

"What's your problem with Gwen?"

As usual Mary Jane is sitting next to me in health. The teacher is showing another video, Mary Jane looks at me annoyed. "I finally get you to talk to me and you have to bring up Stacy, can't we talk about something else?"

Now it's my turn to be startled, she actually sounds pained by my question, it's probably the first time I hear her sound sincere. I feel strangely compelled to indulge her. "Fine, what do you want to do after school is over?" It's been something that I've been thinking about more since getting my powers.

"I'm not exactly sure. I think I want to be an actress, or maybe I'll start a band." Her annoyed face changes to look at me with a slight grin. "What do you think?"

As much as I dislike MJ she is definitely one of the prettiest girls at our school, she's definitely got the looks for an actress. "I can see you acting, you do it all the time."

She bats her eyes at me and I can't help but to roll mine. "You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed. I feel like this is the first time you're not being completely fake with me. It's refreshing."

Mary Jane rubs her chin contemplatively, "How about this, if you stop being such a dick to me I'll be more real with you deal?"

What could possibly go wrong? "Deal." And if I want I can always go back to hating her.

It's midnight when I crawl out my window with Katherine already asleep in her own room. Only about a minute after I leave I get the files I get a call on my cell phone, I already know it's Fisk. I land on a flagpole and take a second to connect my phone to my helmet. "Fisk."

"Hello Spider. On the hunt I see?"

I checked this helmet twice for bugs, and the cell phone four times, just how the hell is he tracking me? "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Ha, I've got eyes allover this city. It would appear that we're in luck tonight. The target has just left his safe house, if you hurry you can get him while he's on the road."

"On the road? How am I supposed to fight a car?"

"That would be your job to figure out Spider, Your helmet is already preloaded with a tracking feature as I'm sure you know. One of my men has just tagged the target vehicle a black SUV Costa is sitting in the center back seat. Don't fail me."

I hang up and start swinging. I activate the tracking feature and swing towards my target, it may be on the other side of the city but with my abilities he's only a few swings away.

When the black SUV comes into view I swing in wide arcs zigzagging over the busy street. I drop onto the roof with a 'thud' One thug sticks his head out of the back right window, I grab him by the back of his suit and he quickly finds himself skidding on the street at sixty miles an hour. I swiftly hop into his seat next to a startled Anthony Costa "Mind if I drop in?" Immediately his goon in the passenger seat and on the other side of Costa have guns trained on me with their fingers on the trigger. "Tough crowd."

And that's chapter seven! What did you think? Not a lot of action I know but I wanted to focus more on the character relationships between Peter Katherine and Gwen a more, also introducing Mary Jane as more of a character than just a random antagonist. Next chapter Shadow cat makes her debut!