Author's Note: What's up, my people?! I'm back with chapter 11. You guys have been amazing when it comes to reviewing this story, along with giving it a favorite and a follow. I love y'all. You guys know how this works by now. Time to reply to some reviews!
Spiderhyphenman: Thanks, my dude!
NeoTyson: Yup, that's exactly how it went. When I saw Deadpool and Wolverine, I knew it was time for me to release the last chapter, lol. As for Black Cat and the mysterious villain, let's just say things should be really fun.
TaitanoRules555: Thank you! I'll try my best.
Guest: Thank ya! Also… I'll say you're in luck, considering we're going to get some Gambit and Rogue interaction in this chapter.
Jebest4781: Glad you're liking the story!
Guts2606: Thanks a bunch! And yeah, I want to update this more frequently, but life tends to get in the way. You know how that goes.
HollwDREAMScape: Thank you for your kind words! It's great to hear that you consider it as a worthy renewal of the 90's X-Men and Spider-Man shows.
GoatedReads: Thank you! I always love writing about Spidey's and Rogue's interactions. I know that probably shouldn't come as a surprise, considering this is a Spidey/Rogue fic, haha.
Billsazguard: Anybody know if this is a bot? lol
Looks like that's all the reviews. To everyone, make sure to leave a review, and I'll reply to it in the next chapter. This chapter is going to be shorter than the last two because life usually gets in the way with how much content I wanna put in, but hopefully, you guys will still be satisfied. Anyway, with that being said… let's get this party started!
Previously on Spider-Man & The X-Men: Dreams & Nightmares!
BGM: X-Men: The Animated Series – Previously On X-Men
"Aunt May, I promise my love for you will never end. Say hi to Uncle Ben for me."
"Grief's a lonely war. For something like this, Scott's gotta figure it out on his own."
"Sadly, much like Peter, Scott isn't simply battling mere grief."
"Well, I certainly chose quite the time to see you again."
"Emma?"
"The one and only."
"Rogue… Thank you. Thank you for everything. But… I gotta go."
"Just… try your best to take care of yourself, okay?"
"Gambit was so jealous of Peter hanging out with you that he felt the need to threaten him on the VERY FIRST day he moved in with us!"
"Just let me explain, Chere!"
"Save it, Remy!"
"President Kelly, I come to you with a proposal."
"Spider… The word on the street says somebody dangerous is coming after you."
"Okay, I'll bite. Who is it?"
Intro Music: X-Men '97 Theme Song
CYCLOPS
JEAN GREY
STORM
WOLVERINE
MORPH
ROGUE
THE BEAST
GAMBIT
JUBILEE
NIGHTCRAWLER
EMMA FROST
DEADPOOL
SPIDER-MAN
PROFESSOR X
SPIDER-MAN & THE X-MEN: DREAMS & NIGHTMARES
Chapter 11: The Master Plan
"BOY, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, BECAUSE I'LL HELP YA FIND IT!"
Rogue is absolutely furious. She couldn't believe that Gambit threatened Peter just because he was jealous. Despite Gambit's pleas, Rogue kept walking away from him, but the Cajun proved to be quite persistent.
"Rogue, if you would give me a chance to explain, then maybe we can get somewhere!" yelled Gambit, not backing down.
When Rogue realized he wouldn't leave her alone, this ultimately made her stop. She turned around to look at him, clearly not having the most pleasant look on her face while crossing her arms. She'll give him one chance. "Talk."
Gambit, who knew he was fighting an uphill battle at this point, would go on to speak. "Are you actually gonna listen to me, Chere?"
Rogue rolled her eyes. "That depends. Do ya plan on lyin' or threatenin' Peter again?" she replied, clear annoyance being in her voice. "Seriously, Remy, how insecure can you get? You've done some stupid crap before, but this might take the cake."
BGM: Avatar: The Last Airbender Unreleased OST – Zuko Beach Flashback
Gambit sighed heavily, trying to figure out where to go from here. "Look, I realize I went too far. I never should have threatened Peter, and I shouldn't have lied to you when Deadpool brought it up." he admitted, proceeding to come closer to Rogue and look at her pretty green eyes. "I'm not excusing my actions, but… I did those things because I still have feelings for you, mon amie."
When Gambit said this, it caused Rogue to look down, showing that she didn't want any eye contact. With Gambit stating he still has feelings for Rogue, now the question is does Rogue feel the same way? "Remy… you know why we can't be together. You know why I can't be with anyone." Even if she is attracted to somebody, whether it's Peter or Gambit, that's as far as it can go.
"Gambit don't care about that." he responded softly, but once he said this, Rogue finally gave him the eye contact he desired.
"But I do!" shouted Rogue, fighting back the tears in her eyes. "No matter how you look at it, I can't touch you, Remy! I will never be able to touch you!" This is something Rogue has to deal with for the rest of her life, and it never gets any easier to go through.
"Some things are deeper than skin." Gambit said, reaching for Rogue's gloved hands and held them.
"That's easy for you to say! You can actually touch people!" Rogue pointed out, proceeding to add, "I don't have that luxury! Because of my powers, I gotta make sure I don't kill anybody!" she exclaimed, pulling away from Gambit's grip.
Gambit could feel the pain in Rogue's voice. The struggle. The longing for someone's touch. Most of all, however, he could also tell his words weren't helping Rogue feel any better whatsoever. The two remained quiet for a few moments, essentially allowing the silence to take over the somber vibes.
Gambit would close his eyes and take a deep breath, thinking about what he wanted to say. It wouldn't come to him immediately, but once everything started flowing, he felt the need to tell Rogue something. "Even if you're never able to touch, there's no one else I would wanna be with." he honestly said, catching Rogue's attention. "I hope you understand me, because every word I say is true. I love you, my Cherie Amour, with all my heart and soul."
Gambit's declaration of love caused Rogue to become speechless. Was it the right time to bring it up? Gambit has no idea. He might've just ruined everything for the foreseeable future, but he couldn't hide his true feelings anymore. He couldn't let another day go by where Rogue didn't know that he loves her.
So, once again, the question is does Rogue feel the same way?
Not knowing what to do in this situation, Rogue turned around and closed her eyes, trying her best to allow her mind to process this news. But in the end… she could only say this.
"I…" she paused, signaling she was struggling with her words as she tried her best to fight back her tears. "I gotta go." It wasn't said easily. She was thinking about so many things. Too many things, to be exact. And because of this, it ultimately caused her to end up flying away, leaving Gambit by himself.
Gambit could only watch in silence as Rogue flew away, and in mere moments, he would have a single tear roll down his face.
Fisk Towers
BGM: Spider-Man TAS 1994 Soundtrack – Late At Night
"You've done well, Elektra."
This is the voice of no one other than The Big Man of Crime, The Kingpin. "Infiltrating the S.H.I.E.L.D. base while effectively managing to keep the bloodshed at a minimum is exactly what I expected from an assassin of your caliber." he complimented, while sitting in his large chair.
Elektra is a very beautiful, yet dangerous woman with long black hair, blue eyes, and donned a red one-shoulder body suit with matching boots, gloves, and wraps around her legs and arms. "Thank you, Mr. Fisk." she replied. "I assume your master plan is coming together nicely?"
Kingpin had a wide smirk appear on his features. "You would be correct, my dear. My master plan will surely-"
"Our master plan, Fisk." a voice interrupted, revealing himself to be no one other than Doctor Otto Octavius, AKA Dr. Octopus or Doc Ock.
Kingpin let out a sigh. "Yes, yes, Octavius. Our master plan, of course." he said, waving him off while going on to finish his statement to Elektra. "As I was saying, this master plan will surely bring us our long-awaited victory." Saying this, he rose from his chair and looked at Otto. "Octavius, are the subjects ready?"
"Thanks to my expertise, they've been ready," confirmed Otto, leading everyone to the laboratory.
"You're putting a lot of faith in these subjects." stated Elektra, mainly speaking to Kingpin. "Hopefully, they don't turn out to be disappointments."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Kingpin responded. "If they weren't dangerous, then S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have even wasted their time with them." When they went deeper into the lab, two girls contained in capsules could be seen. The two girls looked like they were resting, and one in particular has been resting for a long time, but now… it's time for them to awake from their slumber.
"Open the first capsule," Kingpin told Otto, and that's exactly what the evil genius would do. Releasing the first girl from her capsule, she immediately fell to her knees, opening her eyes to see where she was. And once she started to gain more awareness, she looked up to see who was responsible for awakening her.
Kingpin couldn't help but nod in approval. "Welcome, X-23. You've been held captive for some time, but I, The Kingpin, have awakened you. I have given you what you've always wanted. I have given you freedom!"
X-23 is a girl with long, black hair, that has green eyes, a black tank top, and black jeans. Around her neck, there's a mechanical collar for some strange reason. She doesn't know how she got here, nor does she really know what's going on, but according to Kingpin, he's the reason why she's free.
"Thank you for freeing me, my master. I am forever in your debt," said X-23, and when she said these words, Kingpin couldn't be happier.
In the next capsule, it released another girl who has been in a coma for a long time. Much like X-23, she didn't know what was happening either. To describe this girl's appearance, she has long, blonde hair, blue eyes, while having a black and gold costume, with its most striking feature being a gold lightning bolt design right in the middle. Around her neck, she has the same mechanical collar just like X-23.
"Carol Danvers, also known as the legendary Ms. Marvel." Kingpin began, saying, "I am The Kingpin, the one responsible for giving you a second chance."
Carol's memory seemed to be fuzzy. Very fuzzy. Everything was a blur to her, as her own mind instinctively tried to put the pieces of this unknown puzzle together. Unfortunately, something wasn't allowing the puzzle to be completed. "Where… Where am I?" she asked, holding her head. "What happened to me?"
"You're a welcome guest at Fisk Towers." Kingpin told Carol, having a pause before saying, "As for what happened to you, I'm sorry to say that you were in a coma for an extensive period of time."
This caught Carol off guard, causing her to look directly at Kingpin. "Why was I in a coma?" she inquired, and when she asked this question, this is when Otto would step in.
"According to your files, you were ambushed by the Brotherhood of Mutants, and unfortunately, after this battle, you essentially lost your life." Otto told her, bringing out a remote and pressed a button. There was a large screen within the laboratory, and when it turned on, it revealed a picture of Rogue. "This is the girl who's responsible for all of your pain, all of your suffering. Ex-member of the Brotherhood, current member of the X-Men, Anna Marie, who more commonly goes by Rogue."
Upon seeing an image of Rogue, Carol's mind started to become clearer. However, in the same breath, her realization also caused her to become enraged to the highest degree. She doesn't remember a lot right now, but she definitely remembers Rogue taking everything away from her. Just the sheer sight of Rogue was making Carol desperate for revenge. "I'm going to kill her."
"We know," Otto replied, raising an index finger in the air. "But before you do that, you must complete a mission, which I and others will accompany you on." Pressing a button on the remote again, Rogue's picture would switch to a picture of Spider-Man. "Spider-Man is an ally of the X-Men, and he's been the bane of our existence ever since his first appearance."
Otto stopped himself, observing the two girls and their mechanical collars. He was about to speak again, but Kingpin would cut him off. "We'll destroy everything Spider-Man loves and make him watch! And then, when he's at his lowest, we will finally give him his permanent end!"
The collars on X-23 and Carol started to beep, as Kingpin would declare, "X-23 and Ms. Marvel, I invite you to the death of Spider-Man!"
This statement triggered something within the minds of X-23 and Carol. It's like… they were being controlled. Being a witness to this, Elektra didn't know how to exactly feel, but something deep in her gut was telling her that this was wrong.
"We are honored to accept your invitation." Both X-23 and Carol said this in unison, making Kingpin have a hefty evil laugh.
"Good." Kingpin then turned his attention back to Otto. "Otto, contact Shocker, Scorpion, and Rhino about our plans." he commanded, clenching his fists while saying one final message.
"After this is over, a fool would have to be a daredevil to dare to challenge me."
Meanwhile, with the X-Men…
BGM: Marvel VS. Capcom 2 – I Wanna Take You For A Ride
Thankfully, Wolverine and Deadpool had stopped fighting each other by this time, but the only reason why they stopped fighting is because they made a deal. While Wolverine intended to go on this mission alone, Deadpool just would not let up at all. So, in the end, Wolverine allowed Deadpool to go on this mission with him, just as long as the merc with a mouth completely shuts up.
And we all know that isn't even remotely possible.
Most of the stuff from the X-Mansion was still in horrendous shape after the battle with Storm and Jean, and that includes Wolverine's motorcycle. Weirdly enough, though, one thing was able to make it out of the destruction.
A Honda Odyssey.
Deadpool was already in the passenger seat, and Wolverine was in the driver's seat. "Can't wait to go on this mission with ya, buddy." Deadpool said, turning to Wolverine.
"I hate you." Wolverine dryly replied.
"Oh." stated Deadpool, and eventually, the Honda Odyssey drove off.
"How long do you think they'll last before they fight each other again?" Jubilee asked her fellow X-Men.
"I'll give it an hour." Storm casually said.
"That's giving them too much credit," Morph spoke, replying to Storm's prediction. "I'll give 'em 11 minutes."
BGM: Spider-Man 2002 OST – The Clue
Nightcrawler shook his head while Beast could only sigh. Before they were able to say anything, though, they saw Scott returning to the group. "Scott, glad to see that you're ba-" Beast almost finished his sentence, until he realized Scott was with somebody he definitely wasn't expecting to see. And let's just say all of the X-Men were taken off guard by seeing who was with Scott.
Emma saw the X-Men's reactions and couldn't help but to smirk. "I've always managed to leave people speechless." She's just that girl, ya know?
"That's one way to put it," Storm said, now being on her guard due to the White Queen's appearance. "What are you doing here, Emma?"
Emma looked like she was about to respond, until Scott cut her off. "She's here because she needs to see Peter." It was a simple explanation, but also a vague one.
"Why would she need to see him?" Nightcrawler questioned, tilting his head while giving Emma a glance. "I don't mean or want to judge you, Emma, because it is not my job to judge. I only want more clarity." He felt like he needed to make that clear.
Jubilee felt the need to comment. "Kurt might not wanna say it, but I will. This seems very weird to me." Given Emma's… questionable history, let's just say Jubilee isn't going to trust her so easily. "She just randomly shows up because she needs to see Peter? Plus, how does she even know about him in the first place?"
"I have my methods," stated Emma, figuring that's all that needed to be said on how she knows about Peter.
"Well Scott, if Emma is choosing to be vague, then maybe you can go into greater detail for us." Beast was going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.
"Please do, because Miss Frost over here is not doing a good job at explaining anything." Morph added, looking at both Scott and Emma.
Scott looked at his entire team with a serious look on his face. This is eventually going to require a thorough explanation, but all of them were running low on time. It needed to be explained quickly, and this is what the leader of the X-Men would say.
"Peter is the key to finding Jean."
Chrysler Building
"Spider…" Black Cat paused, looking down at the city. "The word on the street says somebody dangerous is coming after you."
This warning piqued Spider-Man's interest, and obviously, he wanted to get to the bottom of this. He's fought plenty of dangerous people before, so this is nothing new to him.
"Okay, I'll bite. Who is it?"
BGM: Spider-Man TAS Soundtrack – Doctor Octopus
And at that moment, his Spider-Sense started going crazy, immediately alerting him of danger nearby, but he had no idea where it was.
"Something's wrong!" Spider-Man thought to himself, frantically looking around. Everything started to move in slow motion for him, and when he was finally able to determine what was happening, he knew he had to work fast. One shuriken was traveling at incredible speeds, and if something wasn't done soon, it became clear that Black Cat would be the one to take the blow.
No, he can't let that happen. He can't lose anybody else. He won't lose anybody else.
"Cat, watch out!" Spider-Man exclaimed, knowing his time was limited and jumped right in front of Black Cat, using his body as a shield. He grabbed her before the shuriken could strike her, but unfortunately, it struck Spider-Man right in his back, causing him to get cut and yell out in pain. With Spider-Man essentially pushing Black Cat out the way, the two were now in a freefall off the Chrysler Building.
Now it was time for Black Cat to work fast. Using a grappling hook to attach to a nearby building, they were able to land, albeit a bit recklessly. Once they did, though, Black Cat's first priority was to check up on Spider-Man. "Spider! Are you okay?!" By her voice, she was deeply concerned for him.
Spider-Man groaned, forcing himself to get back up, because hey, that's what he does right? "My back…" he murmured, trying his best to shake it off. "Don't worry about me, Cat. I'll live."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Spider-Man." Figuring it was time to reveal herself, Elektra jumped from the shadows and landed on the building Spidey and Black Cat were on. But if that wasn't enough, Doc Ock soon showed up as well, along with Shocker, Rhino, Scorpion, X-23, and Ms. Marvel.
"I've been waitin' a loooong time to get some payback," Rhino declared, slamming his fist into his palm.
"There's no where to run, web-head!" shouted Scorpion.
"You're finally gonna get what's comin' to ya!" Shocker said.
"SPIDER-MAN!" Doc Ock exclaimed, as his four mechanical arms extended. "This is where you DIE!"
Spider-Man and Black Cat analyzed the group before them, noticing some familiar faces, while also seeing some new faces. "Cat, when you said somebody dangerous was trying to kill me, I didn't know you meant it would literally be seven people."
"For what it's worth, I didn't know either." Black Cat replied, getting into her fighting stance.
Spider-Man sighed loudly, knowing a fight was inevitable at this point. He's still hurt after getting hit by Elektra's shuriken, but he had to fight through the pain. "Have I ever told you guys about how much I hate family reunions?"
END OF CHAPTER 11: THE MASTER PLAN
*TV STATIC INTENSIFIES*
BGM: Toy Story 2 – Woody's Roundup (Full Instrumental)
Deadpool: Hello again, MARVELous readers! Welcome back to the Deadpool and Honey Badger Podcast. Storm destroyed all our equipment last time, but even a literal goddess isn't enough to cancel us!
Wolverine: I have no idea why I'm still doing this.
Deadpool: We're doing this because we're best buds!
Wolverine: Who ever told you that?
Deadpool: MOOOOVING ON! Anyway readers, this chapter had some stuff in it, huh? We gotta talk about Gambit and Rogue first. Man, what a heartbreaker. That's some real soap opera stuff right there.
Gambit: I ain't ever gonna recover from this here.
Wolverine: I'd rather not talk about Cajun's heartbreak. This podcast isn't supposed to be The Bachelor.
Deadpool: Ah, but you see, Wolvie, ships get the fandom talking! It's a recipe for guaranteed engagement. But fine, we'll talk about something other than ships. There's a bunch of new characters that appeared in this chapter, with one in particular being rather close to you. The great X-23!
Wolverine: I refuse to comment on this.
Deadpool: Boy, you are AWFUL at podcasting, you know that? Then again, I guess it's right on brand, so I shouldn't have expected anything else. Let's get Cyclops in here to spice things up!
Cyclops: This is going to be a disaster.
Deadpool: Have more faith, Cyclops! Let's go back to one of your quotes in this chapter. You said Peter is the key to finding Jean. Care to elaborate?
Cyclops: Nope. I'm not spoiling anything.
Deadpool: Oh, come on!
*Podcast Ends*
Author's Note: You've reached the end! Like I stated in my first author's note, this chapter was shorter than the last two, but I hope you guys enjoyed reading all the stuff that's being set up for future chapters. It's gonna be a fun ride. Oh, by the way, remember that Spider-Man & X-Men: Evolution fanfic I brought up a long time ago? Well… it kinda exists now. The reason why I say kinda is because while the X-Men are definitely inspired by their X-Men Evolution counterparts, it's not actually X-Men: Evolution. I assure you, though, the influence is still there.
In that story, Spidey also takes a lot after the Spectacular Spider-Man show, but once again, it's not actually Spectacular Spider-Man. The story is called Broken Hearts. Check it out, give it a follow and a favorite if you end up liking it, and of course, I'll always welcome reviews. In fact, I kinda need all the reviews I can get on that story, because they're helping me make an important decision on what to do with Spidey. You guys will figure out what I mean when you read the fic.
BUT BEFORE YOU DO THAT! If you enjoyed what you read for this story, then be sure to leave a follow and a favorite! Don't forget to READ AND REVIEW! See y'all next time!