Amazing Spider-Man: True Purpose

(Coffee House)

It is early in the morning when Mary Jane finds herself sitting in a booth with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her and another one across from her. Ignoring the looks she is getting from the men and women in the place. She stares at her reflection in the coffee pensively. Wondering about a lot of things. What she is doing right now and what she plans on doing from now on. Peter, Felicia, and her career. And Mary Jane does not know which is going to be more complicated.

She wonders if she is doing the right thing in not giving up her hard-earned career for this life. She has seen what it's like to try and balance both lives thanks to her relationship with Peter. And now that she can do the hero thing she will have to figure it out for herself.

"Once we properly learn the mystic arts, it will be easier," Sonja tells her and while MJ can see the optimism in her words, she also knows it's not that simple.

What she managed to learn when she was at Strange's house and what little she read was that it could be a long while before she can do anything basic thanks to her limitations. The way she can perform requires proxies and/or conduits. Basically she needs tools and other objects imbued with magic. Diamonds and other precious rocks are great but expensive and not all reliable if they aren't the right size. She also learned that other natural materials, like obsidian and tree bark, do have the potential to be used but that's more advanced.

Which is why she talked to Peter about possibly committing more of her time to the hero life and less to her regular life. She told him it was Sonja's recommendation. And he told her no. He told her that she worked too hard and long for her career to throw it all away for a superhero life. MJ argued that she could actually be making a difference in the world. Like he does everyday.

But he wasn't having it. He said that she could be an amazing hero, and the world would be better for it, but he also said that her sacrificing everything she accomplished for an insane life like his is not what she's meant for. She has already sacrificed so much for him, she doesn't need to do it for the world too.

She smiles at the thought of how much he believes in her. How he believes she can be a great hero like him. But he wants her to still have it better than him. He wants her to still be an actress. Because that is her dream, always has been, and he doesn't want to see her give it up. Even though it means it will often take them apart, because she will be called away for roles, he was still adamant about her doing what she loves to do. She loves that man so much, she doesn't know how to show him.

"There is one way that is a good way," Sonja teases her and MJ rolls her eyes but does not dispute.

"Hey there beautiful," she glances up to see some guy with blonde hair slicked back and standing there with all the confidence in the world, "Need some company."

The smile he has plastered on is more creepy to her than charming. Years of experience help her tell the difference.

It seems that no matter the case when she's with Peter, the guys that hit on her just seem like creeps. In her younger days, she maybe would've given this guy some attention, lite-flirting at best, but after being with Peter, she doesn't even feel like glancing at guys like this.

"No thanks," she says as she looks back at her coffee, "I'm waiting for someone."

She's hoping the guy takes the hint. She does not want to come off as conceited and rude, that would be bad for her image, but she also doesn't like giving guys the wrong impressions. Too many times was she too friendly only for some of her fans to take it too far.

She can see from the corner of her eye that the guy places his hand on the table, "That's a shame. Cause a woman like you should not be kept waiting at all."

She takes a breath, 'More direct then.'

She gives him a disdainful look, "Unless that someone is worth waiting for."

She can read certain signs that guys give off when they are abrasive and overconfident. And this guy seems to be giving all the signs.

'Great~.'

He doesn't falter as he keeps what he thinks is a charming smile, "I don't see how anyone could be worth your time."

She rolls her eyes dismissively and then closes them, "Certainly not someone I meet in a coffee shop."

This guy clearly can't take a hint.

"Hey creep, can't take a hint?"

MJ looks behind her as does the guy and they see a beautiful platinum-blonde woman in a leather jacket and pants with a red shirt. The woman that Mary Jane was waiting on.

Felicia Hardy gives the man a hard glare while he looks at her in confusion, "Who are you?"

Felicia walks past the guy to sit in the opposite seat of the booth with MJ and doesn't look at him as she answers, "I'm the someone she's waiting for."

The guy looks back and forth between the two ladies, coming to one assumption, before he smiles a smile that makes the girls want to cave in his teeth, "Well-"

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Felicia says with arms crossed and a frown while not even looking at the guy, "It's not happening."

The guy raises his hands in a fake defensive way, "Hey now, I was just being friendly."

"The only friendliness you'll get from us will be from an electric pencil sharpener."

That seems to do the trick as the guy gets taken aback at the threat to his manhood. He looks at them both for a moment before he walks away without another word.

MJ looks across the booth to the woman and gives her a small smile of appreciation, "My hero."

Felicia scoffs as she waves off the comment and smirks in amusement, "Please, you could've taken the guy. One good punch to the jaw and he'd crumble to the floor."

"Especially if it was me he spoke to," Sonja adds and MJ reigns her in.

"So it's been a minute," Felicia decides to break the ice, "How've you been?"

"Glamorous life of an incredibly hot supermodel and actress. You?"

"Glamorous life of an incredibly hot thief and sometime hero."

MJ smiles at this, "Guess we're both triple threats."

Felicia smiles too before she sighs and asks the big question, "So why'd you call me up? Better question is how?"

"The 'how' is pretty simple," MJ tells her, "I asked Tony Stark to find your number and he found it under an alias."

"Stalker much?" Felicia jokes with a mocking smile.

MJ gives her own mocking look before she looks back down at her coffee, "As for the why," she sighs, "Well what's one big thing we have in common."

Felicia doesn't respond as she already knows the answer, "You talked to him."

The supermodel knows it wasn't a question and nods in confirmation, "Last night. He told me everything that happened," she sees Hardy's finger flinch on her cup so she tries a different route to make it easier, "Including the kiss he got from Silver Sable."

MJ wants to show the woman in front of her that she isn't mad. Not elated at the event in question, but not mad either. Just indifferent.

The thief flinches again and gets a tight smile, "Yeah I did not expect that. I don't think he did either, but it didn't look like he was complaining."

"I wouldn't have expected him to," Sonja comments and MJ shakes her head, "Deal with her later," but she doesn't think it'll be much later, "Right now I want to talk to you."

Felicia sighs despondently, "I get it. You want me to stay away from him."

She expected something like this when she got the call from the supermodel. Maybe not exactly like this but she did expect a confrontation. Something like the redhead telling her to back off.

Felicia's heart breaks a bit, and oddly enough so does Mary Jane's. Felicia has been in love with an amazing man she could not be with entirely. She claims to love Spider-Man over Peter Parker, but Mary Jane does not believe that. Call it a woman's intuition but the supermodel believes Felicia's past scars prevent her from accepting Peter as himself and not just Spider-Man.

Her own scars have prevented her from being with Peter. Yes, the 'hero life' was a huge factor in their breaking up but there was more to it than that. The memories of their former life suddenly appeared in her head and he obviously didn't remember at the time.

She had to live through the lifestyle of a cop's wife twice over. Only in one of those was she actually married to the guy. The biggest problem was that she had to do it alone. She couldn't confide in anyone. Not her family or friends. She had to sit at home and wait for him to come back all bloody and beaten. And each time seemed to be worse than the last. That was what it was like to be with Peter.

"It doesn't have to be like that anymore," Sonja tells her and MJ knows that. She can finally stand by him. She was not always a damsel in distress but she wasn't the partner he needed entirely, despite his claims otherwise.

But Felicia was. And could have been for a lot longer if it wasn't for her issues. Which is a good reason to talk with her. For too long they have been enamored with the same man and that caused a lot of friction between the two women.

"Felicia," MJ starts as she looks at the woman intently, "There are some things you and I need to discuss. And I'm hoping that when we do, things will work out for the best for everyone involved."

Felicia frowns at her in confusion, "What exactly do you and I need to talk about?"

After a few moments of silence, Mary Jane suggests, "Why don't we walk and talk?"

She can see the suspicion in the other woman's eyes. She wants to know what her motives are. MJ has every intention of telling her, but she needs to be sure of a few things first.

(Avengers Mansion)

In the famous team home, Hope Summers sits on the couch in the living room as she languidly eats some cereal by herself while she flips through the channels on the TV. The young woman is dressed in pajamas and her hair is disheveled. Not really caring since she was the only one in the mansion. She expected someone, anyone really, to be here but arriving yesterday in the afternoon and staying the night, she found that nobody came at all.

After the funeral yesterday and a quick lunch with Logan, they traveled to the city and he dropped her off here like she wanted. She was hoping to speak with Spider-Man since she really didn't get a chance the day prior. But he wasn't home so she decided to wait until he did show up. She found herself frustrated in the morning when he didn't arrive back. Even more so when nobody came back at all.

But she was taught to be patient so she made herself some breakfast and waited. Now it's been about thirty minutes and she finds her patience to be waning.

'Where the heck could he be?' Hope frustratingly thinks as she watches the early morning news and no mention of Spider-Man, 'He's not out doing his usual thing so where could he be?'

A flash of light and a thump blinds and startles her out of her thoughts and makes her drop her bowl of cereal on the floor. She quickly regains her vision to see the man she has been waiting on, on the floor flat on his face.

"Spider-Man?" Hope announces in surprise before she gets up from her seat and stands over him, "Where'd you come from?"

He lifts his head up from the floor but not his body, and answers, "Trust me when I say you don't want to know," he promptly lets his face fall back to the floor.

She raises an eyebrow at him, "What's up with you?"

This time he doesn't bother turning his head and keeps it planted against the carpeted floor as he responds, "Two days of all work and no sleep makes Spider Zzzzz."

She furrows her brows at his reference, "The Shining?"

His snoring stops and he turns his head enough to let her see him give her a tiny smile through his mask as he says, "It warms my heart to know that you've seen that," he turns his back down and asks, "What time is it?"

She looks at the digital clock under the tv, "Ten till eight."

He groans before he pushes himself up off the ground and stretches himself out, "Did you put on some coffee?" Hope shakes her head at him and he sighs in disappointment as he droops a bit, "Great."

He goes to sit on the couch and begins to think about what to do today. He would normally go about his normal routine. Patrol, maybe work, and, if life was willing, some time with Mary Jane. That last one in particular. But with what he just went through and what he has learned he knows he needs to change things up.

'And I still need to finish that talk with Jameson,' he thinks with a frown.

While he's busy with that thought, Hope looks at the hero and wonders where he's been. He's not hurt, no blood stains or anything, but he's obviously tired. He doesn't want to share, yet it can't be anything bad if he's not hurt.

'Guess it doesn't matter,' she thinks with a shrug before she considers whether or not now is the best to talk to him about what she wanted to talk about the day before yesterday, 'Well he's not mopey so it couldn't hurt right? …screw it.'

"Hey," she says grabbing his attention, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

He looks at her inquisitively, "What's up?"

She goes to sit down on the couch and starts, "You remember what I wanted to talk to you about the day before yesterday?"

He thinks about it for a moment before he remembers what she said, "About what you should do next?" Hope nods in confirmation and he recalls a question he wanted to ask her back, "Why are you asking me?"

Hope frowns back at him, "Like I told you the last time, you gave me some good advice so I figured you could do it again now."

While he's flattered she believes that he can't help but feel like all he did was repeat what was told to him. So he doesn't think he can really offer any other advice. Especially in what she should do next.

"Hope there are plenty of other people who can give you advice," he tells her, "People who are older and have been through more."

She nods in acknowledgment but frowns at him and says, "I know that but…" Hope pauses and frowns in thought as she tries to figure out the right way to say what she wants to say, "My whole life, everyone I trained under gave me different advice, and yet not a single one of them actually had said anything that helped when I had the Phoenix inside me," she looks up at him with a shimmer in her eyes, "Your advice, the one you said your uncle gave you, was the one that really helped."

And again while he feels flattered and now proud, he still can't help but feel like she should be asking someone else for advice. He knows when it comes to motivational speeches and wise words he is not the best. He'd say Captain America and Iron Fist would be better in those departments.

'Maybe Logan too,' he thinks too with some skepticism, 'Much as I like the guy, there's got to be a reason why that man is allowed to run a school full of young impressionable minds.'

But he digresses. The young mutant savior before him is looking to him for some advice. He was her last teacher before she saved the world. So maybe he does have some advice to offer her.

So he ponders her original question about what she should do next for a moment before he asks her, "What do you feel like you should do next?"

Hope is taken aback by his question before she thinks about it for a moment and then she shrugs, "I don't know. I saved mutants from extinction. That was pretty much what I was born for. Now… I don't know. I do know that a normal life is not for me."

He crosses his legs and looks at her curiously, "Why's that?"

She rolls her eyes up and leans back on the couch, "It's so boring," she says in exasperation, "I mean I can't really be myself when I'm with people my age. I think about how I could still help mutants and the world in general. The stuff they complain about; their phone's battery dying, who's dating and/or cheating on who, and 'my parents don't understand me' nonsnese," she rubs her eyes in frustration, "My god. Don't they realize that the world is so much bigger than their petty problems?"

He is getting flashbacks to his time in high school and college. He can relate to what the young girl is feeling. He often found what his companions and friends complained about to be tedious, especially when in comparison to his own problems. But over time he came to a startling realization.

"Just because someone is suffering worse than you, doesn't mean your pain doesn't matter."

Hope raises an eyebrow at him and questions, "More sage advice from your uncle?"

Peter shakes his head with a morbid smile, "No, personal experience," he says before he takes a breath, "My relationship with Mary Jane was and is not easy for her. A common theme when it came to us, was that my problems often outweighed hers in both importance and urgency. When she was having trouble finding a job, I was dealing with Venom. When she needed me to support her emotionally, I was dealing with Kingpin. I didn't mean to dismiss her problems, but…"

Hope picks up what he was implying, "But your stuff was life or death and hers wasn't."

He nods in confirmation and shame on his face, "For the most part. That doesn't mean it's okay to say so. Or ignore it and hope for the best. Which was what I did. I didn't really help her build her career. Granted she often told me she could do it on her own, but I know it was also because she didn't want to add an extra layer of pressure on me," he tugs on his uniform, "And because she didn't want this life leaking over into that one."

That was another common theme with him. His life as Spider-Man interferes and sometimes leaks into his life as Peter Parker and those associated with him. He has tried to minimize it as much as possible but he can only really do so much. He can't count the number of villains that know who he is and often take advantage of that knowledge.

"That doesn't seem fair to lay the blame on you," Hope states.

"When has life ever been fair?" Spidey points out, as she should know that better than most, "Anyway my point is, while the work we do is important, that doesn't mean we should dismiss the ordinary person's problems. I mean that is what we fight for. So that people who aren't like us can live their lives."

Now the young mutant messiah frowns in thought. Maybe she didn't give the whole normal things it's a fair shake, "So what are you trying to tell me? That I should give the whole normal life another shot?"

He shakes his head, "No. You said that your whole life was to prepare you for one moment. Now that moment has come and gone. You fulfilled that purpose. You're free. I can't tell you what to do. Nobody can. You have to do what feels right for you."

Hope becomes quiet as she goes into deep thought. She did what she was supposed to do. Now she can do what she wants to. It's weird how kind of scary the idea of that is. She was always told what to do and what she will do. Now she can choose.

The funny thing is, she already knows what to choose. She just needed to hear that she can.

"Can I be a part of the team?" Hope asks the hero.

Spider-Man smiles at her, "Sure. Be happy to have you."

Hope smiles back in gratitude, "Thanks," she says before she tries to act casual, "So with all that you said about Mary Jane hating the hero life, but willing to for you does that mean she'll be a part of the team you'll be in charge of?"

She tries not to show her excitement at the prospect of working with her favorite actress/supermodel.

"Most likely," Spidey doesn't notice, or care, since that question puts his mind elsewhere, "And the thought of that scares me to no end."

Hope looks at him in bewilderment and asks, "Why? She seems awesome. And you said she handled the superhero life when she wasn't super. She can totally handle whatever happens now."

He doesn't say anything. Just sits at the other end of the couch in silence as he gazes out the window. Eventually, he does start talking again, "There was this girl that I knew years ago. Sally Avril. She was, I wouldn't say a good friend, but she was part of this group I was involved with a lot back then. And she tried to be a superhero for a short time. The Bluebird."

Hope searches her memories of the name but comes up short, "Never heard of her."

"Not surprised," Spider-Man states, "Like I said, she wasn't a superhero for very long, and very few people actually knew about her," he voice sad tone to it, "Anyway when she started out she decided to try and force a partnership with me. Of course, I said no because not only did I know her as Peter Parker but also because she was doing it for all the wrong reasons," at her questioning glance he answers her, "She was only after the fame that came with it."

Hope looks at him in surprise before it turns into accusing, "Is that what you think your girlfriend would do?"

She may not know the woman personally, but she does not believe Mary Jane Watson would be a superhero for the sake of fame.

"Nonono, that's not what-'sigh'- Look, it's my fault that she died," he tells her and she looks at him in shock, "She kept teaming up with me and as a result, she felt like she was untouchable because I was always there to watch her back."

"Did she die in a fight?"

"No, car crash," he says recalling the day he received the news, "She was on her way to take pictures of me and she and the guy driving her, Jason, ran a red light and got hit by a bus."

Now Hope is even more confused, "How is it your fault then?"

He looks down in shame and recounts, "Prior to that, she was involved in another battle with me and I let her get hit. She asked me why I let that happen and I laid it on pretty thick. Told her she was in over her head and to stop being the Bluebird," he shrugs uncertainly, "She kind of listened to me. Instead of doing the whole hero thing, she decided to take pictures of me doing it."

That was something else that bothered him. When he was a photographer for the Daily Bugle, he kept it a secret from his classmates to avoid garnering attention. But when it got out, he made it sound like it was no big deal. Like it was easy. Which is why Sally seemed to think she could do it too.

"That doesn't seem like it's your fault at all," she tells him with some conviction, "You talked her out of it and she decided to do something else that was almost as dumb. It's not your fault."

While her argument was sound, there was only one problem, "That's the thing with me, Hope," he says as he looks at her morosely, 'Whether or not I am directly responsible for people dying, I'll always feel responsible." That stops her short of anything else to say, "I can't help it. And when it comes to the most important people in my life, I will always feel like I'm responsible for anything bad that happens to them."

She gives him a look that is almost like pity with a mixture of something else, "That is some serious hero complex you got."

He simply nods at her statement, "I know."

And once more, a few moments of silence come between them. While Hope thinks about his anecdote, Spider-Man waits for her to come to the conclusion he believes she will come to.

She eventually does, "You're not worried about whether or not she can handle it, you're worried about whether or not you can," she says and he does confirm but also does not deny it.

"She has been a part of my life for so long," he tells her with his voice breaking a bit, "An integral part that helped me get through the worst times. And I like to think I did the same for her, but not as much or as big," that's what he believes at least, "The thought of losing her to this life because she wanted to stand by me, I…I don't know if I can survive it."

He does not doubt Sonja as a capable warrior, and with the way her powers work in connection to Mary Jane's will and the fact that they are trying to learn to do more magic, then he believes they will be a force to be reckoned with. But even with all of that, he knows all it takes is a stray bullet or a moment of carelessness to- 'Don't go there Paker,' he chastises himself, 'It never ends well.'

And while he's busy trying to push back the worst thoughts, Hope decides to point something out, "You know the same can be said for her and everyone else that cares about you," she recalls how everyone acted when he was dead, "Back at the temple when you were dead, it was like you left this hole in our-er-their lives," she corrects herself with a small blush, "Like the future seemed bleaker without you in it."

Peter doesn't think that is true. Sure he's friends with a good portion of the hero community, but he doesn't think most would be thinking the world is lesser without him. Mourning and missing him is about as much as he expects.

But before either one can say more, Spider-Man's spider-sense goes off and he looks at the source.

The television.

"The heck?" Spidey stares at the tv in bewilderment as a newsman starts talking.

Hope looks between him and the tv screen curiously, "What is it?"

He stares at the news as he says, "I'm not sure."

Hope grabs the remote on the coffee table and turns up the volume.

"-After the Phoenix business, make no mistake, the clock has started again," the blue suit and tie man says setting Hope and Peter on edge, "What happened in New York was a wake-up call. There is still time to correct the ship, to stop this before it starts again."

"More mutant propaganda," Hope states as she glares at the man speaking, "Great. Just what the world needs right now."

Peter doesn't say anything. He just listens to the man. But even that isn't entirely true. Because he's not really listening to the man, he is just looking at him suspiciously. Something about him is making his spider-sense tingle. It can't be just his words. He's heard nonsense like this all his life and experienced it firsthand too. Maybe it's the tv that is setting him on edge.

As he ponders on that, he notices something odd about the man, "Something's wrong," he says before his eyes widen, "Turn off the TV."

"What?"

"Turn it off!" Spider-Man shouts before he leaps to the tv and pulls the plug out of its socket.

Hope stares at him perplexed by his panicked actions, "What the hell was that all about?"

Ignoring her question, he asks his own, "Who did you see?" Hope just looks at him even more weirded out, but he presses harder, "Who did you see?"

"I saw some guy.," Hope tells him while she has her hands raised defensively. But she blinks before she really thinks about the man she was looking at on the tv screen, "Actually, now that I think about it, he kind of looked like my dad."

Peter looks back at the tv warily, "I saw my uncle," he tells Hope, shocking her, "But at the same time I wasn't seeing him. There was this other person. Like my Uncle's image was overlapping that guy's."

Hope is bewildered by that. All she saw was a guy that looked similar to her father. She didn't really see anything weird about him other than that. But she was also getting angry at the guy so maybe she wasn't as focused as Spider-Man.

"We need to go," he tells her.

Hope would question why but seeing as he is now technically her leader she'll follow his orders.

"I'll go get dressed."

(Unknown Location)

She can feel her consciousness slowly return to her. As it does the headache she feels makes her groan a bit. She wants to rub her head but she can feel her hands are tightly restrained, as are her legs. She opens her eyes and takes a look at her surroundings.

It's a room that reminds her of Cerebro. But it's not sphere-shaped from what she can tell. It's more cylinder-shaped. And it's not plated like Cerebro. There are exposed areas that show wiring and such. She figures that it might be a rip-off version of Cerebro but not yet finished. So for now it's being used to imprison her.

Rogue had been in worse situations. And she is very grateful to be alive considering she got knocked out by villains. Most bad guys would not hesitate to put down heroes for good. Which means they need her for something. At that thought process, she realizes she is alone right now when she wasn't when she was knocked out cold.

'Wanda.'

CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK HISS~

She hears the doors to the room open and she sees two of the five assailants that had attacked her, the water woman and the giant turtle man, walking towards her with a cup of water and a sandwich in their hands.

'Guess it's feeding time,' she thinks as they stop just in front of her. She speaks first, "It's nice to put a face to the people who came up with the brilliant attack on the X-Men's home," they don't even blink at her sarcasm, "Not only that but y'all geniuses even had the gall tah desecrate Charles Xavier's mausoleum and stab Magnetos daughter. What's next? Taking a dump on Jean Grey's grave?"

The water woman scoffs at her and gives Rogue a look of contempt as she speaks with an Italian accent, "Genius choices? Your people nearly burned the world down in the hopes of restoring a species the world was better off without."

Rogue clenches her fist under the cuffs but keeps her face blank, "Newsflash sweetheart, both y'all are like us."

"That is where you are wrong, Bella Mia," the water woman tells her, "We have the fortunate blessing to be enhanced not by your filthy x-gene, but by the genius innovations of brilliant human minds."

Rogue wants to snarl. To tell the girl that doing such a thing, it makes her less than human since what they have done is unnatural. Mutates, to many mutants, were something of a bother. They weren't natural like them. They got their powers and abilities through science and sometimes magic. It was often a debate back home on whether or not they should include them in the X-Men, but more often than not that idea was shut down.

"Still means you are hurting people close to ya," Rogue says hoping to play the guilt card, "Gotta be a mutant or two in the family."

She gives a dismissive expression as she responds, "Well I cannot speak for my friend, but I had the misfortune of being the daughter of a friend of yours. Dominikos Petrakis. Or as many know him better as, Avalanche."

That bit of information surprises the captured heroine, "Avalanche's daughter?" Rogue sees in the woman's eyes the mention of her father infuriates her, "Guess no love lost between the two of ya?"

Rogue has dealt with people like this plenty of times. People who are so filled with anger and hatred, that it doesn't matter what their relationship with the victim is. This girl clearly has no love for her father. And she has never even heard Avalanche mention the girl so she was illegitimate. So his death was probably something she wanted.

When Rogue heard what had happened, she wanted to immediately fly to the city and find out what the hell could have possessed Avalanche to openly attack and declare "Mutants are back!" like he was one of Eric's acolytes again. In fact, she was doing just that when she saw something that made her blood boil. She was in the air and she saw Wanda Maximoff kneeling in front of Charles Xavier's mausoleum.

At the thought of the woman, she realizes what her captors were most likely after. The Scarlet Witch was responsible for the extinction of mutants. And these people obviously hate mutants even though they are mutants. So it stands to reason that Rogue is merely an assurance that Wanda cooperates or they harm the southern girl. And while a part of her thinks Wanda won't care enough about her to listen to their demands, she dismisses that when she remembers the kind of person Wanda is.

'She did take a blow that was meant for ya,' Rogue recalls before she forces down any gratitude she would feel, 'Doesn't make up for what she did though.'

"It is of little consequence," the water woman says but her tone holds plenty of malice, "The man was merely the one who inseminated my mother. He meant nothing. He never even knew of my existence. Not that it matters now."

Before she can ask what the woman means, the turtle man lifts the sandwich he had in his hand to Rogue's face, "Eat. It is peanut of butter and crushed fruit preserves."

Rogue narrows her eyes at him, she does not recognize his accent and she can't discern his ethnicity since he looks like a giant turtle. She looks at the sandwich. She is hungry but she doesn't trust these people to not put something in the food to keep her docile.

"Thanks, I'll pass," she tells him.

He doesn't move the sandwich away from her face. The water woman, she should probably ask these people's names, gives her an irritated look.

"Eat what we give you," she tells her as she raises a cup of water to her face, "While it would be enjoyable watching the whore of Magnetos starve to death, we are tasked to keep you alive for now."

Rogue glares back at the woman but lets her give her some water. But she doesn't swallow it. Instead, she spits it into the face of the water woman.

'Contact is made!' Rogue thinks in victory as she feels her mutant ability to drain someone's life force take hold. In truth, she didn't really know for sure if it would work since she did not know how this woman's abilities truly worked. But even if it didn't she can get some satisfaction from spitting in Dancing Water's face, 'Memories and abilities! Time to make use of them!'

Before the cup gets too far as DW reels back, Rogue grabs the cup with her teeth and tilts her head back. The memories she got from DW show that the woman has some kind of hydroportation ability. Meaning she can teleport herself and others through watery surfaces.

And since there is now a spill right in front of her, Rogue, with a good amount of experience drinking bondage games with her former beau Remy, finds herself free of her bonds.

Before her adversaries can recover from their shock, she kicks the Mzee in the back of his knee as hard as she can. The man falls over and off the pathway. Using the momentum from her kick, Rogue twirls back to a standing position and throws a punch to DW's face.

Unfortunately in her hubris and eagerness to dish out some pain, the southern girl didn't properly sort through the woman's memories. Otherwise, she would have known that an attack like this would not even faze the aquatic woman. Instead, her punch, which is covered in her shirt and gloves, just passes through the female S-Men member like the water surface she is.

"My~ aren't we pleased with ourselves," DW says with so much condescension, "I can assume you thought were that should you try to escape, we were meant to only detain you."

Admittedly that is what Rogue was thinking.

"Well not to be a wet blanket, Bella Mia," she starts to gather more water into her hands and Rogue leaps back as the woman blasts the platform with her water with enough force to tear through it like cardboard, "But you overestimated your worth."

As the damn thing starts to fall, Rogue quickly sees only one means of escape. The water that is on her platform where she spilled the cup. She leaps into it and goes to find their preferred target. The woman that is most likely going to be used by these people.

The Scarlet Witch.

In another part of the hideout, Wanda Maximoff herself regains consciousness but keeps her eyes closed. She is comfortable so she does not feel the need to wake completely. There is also a dull throb in her abdomen. She tries to recall what caused the throb but a voice stops her.

"Jew, Gypsy, Mutant," the voice with so much contempt is the first thing she hears before she feels a hand caress her cheek, "Yet so beautiful. It almost makes one look over the fact that you are not human."

She almost opens her eyes and yells but stops when a voice goes through her head, "Awaken liebchen."

She opens her eyes with a startle and sees a face she is familiar with.

'The Red Skull!'

She goes to kick him but the nazi steps out of her reach. She raises her hands to blast him with her powers but he stares back at her calmly. Almost as if he doesn't believe she will attack him.

And oddly enough she doesn't.

She quickly takes in her surroundings and sees she is in a bedroom. Roman style based on the design. The pillars and statues make her think of Roman design. Along with the braziers that are light with blue fire. She can sense something from them though.

She doesn't focus on that too long and instead focuses on the man who remains as if nothing is wrong.

"You needn't be afraid," the Hydra Leader tells her calmly, "Not you of all people."

For some reason, she believes him. Why? She knows who this man is and yet does not feel as if she is in danger.

"Your Red Skull," she angrily states to him and herself, "A nazi terrorist."

Not at all phased by her, he shrugs dismissively, "I prefer the term visionary. Lower your hands."

She feels a tug on her mind to do so but she resists it and glares hatefully at the man, "Go to hell!"

Red Skull flinches at her words. His body seems to almost tense up for a moment. He turns his gaze away from her and stares intently at a brazier that is lit. He walks to it as if he is mesmerized by it.

"It's funny you tell me such a thing," he says with his back facing her, "Hell. Depictions of it often describe it as a pit of fire. A place of eternal torment for damned souls," he looks back at her maliciously with a hint of something else, "And yet, such depictions do not do it justice. And neither does that word, hell. It does not describe what it truly is," he walks to her almost menacingly, "You see, I've already been there, frauline. And believe me, when I say, even my cruelty is lacking in comparison to what they make one go through in that pit."

Hearing him say such a thing makes her believe he has lost his mind, but seeing as how he is rather frightened, she'll play on that, "Then I find it a great comfort to know where you will go when you die."

His eyes narrow at her threat, "I have no intention of returning to that pit."

She smirks at him smugly, "I doubt you'll have a say in the matter with everything you have done."

"Ah, that is where you are wrong my dear," now it is he who has a smug smile, "For you see I was returned by the hand of god. And with it came a simple message. Retrieve a weapon of great power and do what came naturally to me."

She wanted to scoff at him for saying God had anything to do with his supposed resurrection but focuses instead on what he said.

"I will not be your weapon, you madman," Wanda tells him, figuring he means her.

He does not say anything else for a moment. Just stares at her. After a few seconds, he turns his back to her and says, "Walk with me."

She wanted to say no and find Rogue, but for some reason, Wanda feels compelled to do as he says. Not even wanting to question why that is, she lowers her hands and does so.

They walk for a bit until they reach the end of the hall and Red Skull pushes the doors open. For a moment the light blinds her, but she quickly adjusts and she sees quite a sight.

The room, if it could be called that, is basically an outdoor environment brought inside. But it's not just one environment, but several. It has a forest, a rocky terrain, an artic one, and even a swampy one.

"This is my school for gifted humans," Red Skull announces, "A haven and training facility to help mankind prepare for the inevitable war that is to come between your kind and mine," he begins walking down a spiral staircase and she follows after him, "I want them to be prepared for all the regions the war will likely take place in. My S-Men are the first line of defense. I have intentions of recruiting more when the time comes."

"And you have intentions of persuading me to join in your cause," she says as they continue down the steps.

"Yes," he says, not bothering to hide the fact, "You are an invaluable asset to my cause. After all, it was by your power that the mutant filth nearly left this world."

They eventually arrive at the bottom where a little pond is. They stop in front of it and she gives the man a fierce and defiant glare, "And what makes you believe you can persuade me into joining your 'Godly cause.'"

The Red Skull merely looks at her before he starts pacing around her, "It was rather admirable of you to protect your father's whore. Confusing but admirable."

Wanda feels some anger at the reminder the woman she saved once had relations with her father, "She is an ally."

"Is she?" Red Skull questions before he points out, "She wanted to kill you back at the grave site."

Not wanting to hear more but still feeling compelled to do so, she weakly defends her associate's actions, "She is angry."

Red Skull nods, "That I understand. Anger. I myself am quite angry at how the world is. All the filth that envelops the world. I wish to purify it. Rid the filth that envelops this beautiful planet."

For some reason, his words resonate with her. She is adamant about keeping Charles Xavier's dream alive but what if that is truly a lost cause? What if Herr Skull is the one true visionary?

"She blames you for Charles Xavier's death," Red Skull cuts off her musing, "As do many others. They all hate you for what you did for the world. You nearly eradicated the mutant plague and they despise you for it."

She wants to argue but again finds herself saying something else, "I did what felt right to do."

"Yes, that is correct," his words this time seem to have a better effect on her as he steps closer to her with his hand on his head, "You did what you know in your very soul is right. Many damn you for it, but they do not understand that the world was better for your actions."

His words echo in her ears and she feels her resolve to argue weakening, "Many died for it. Many more suffered as a result."

"A small poultry sum. Insignificant in the grand scheme."

She can see the grand scheme. She can see the true future. A future where the world is united. Under one banner. The Red Skulls banner. She can see herself standing by the man. A chain or collar around her neck to ensure she knows her place. But for the betterment of the world, it seems unimportant what she is. Especially since it is merely a privilege for her to be in the same room of greatness.

She looks at said greatness and states the obvious, "You want me to do it again," he nods in confirmation and she ponders what is required, "I will need time. And an immense source of power."

"Whatever you need shall be provided to you," he tells her as he places his hands on her shoulders, "With your power we will rid the world of the mutant menace. Use the world's fear to it under a common cause! To rebuild it and reshape it under the flag of one! Mine."

She is once more blessed with the vision of a better world, "Yes. It is better that way."

"Excellent," he says before he turns his head in another direction, "I must attend to something. Rest for now. You will need your strength for what is to come."

As he walks away, she stares at him retreating form, "Yes, Herr Skull," she feels such elation that a great man such as he trusts her, "I serve the eternal Reich."

A hand grabs her face, "All Ah needed to hear."

She immediately swings her fist around and it connects with the filth that dared to touch her, "Remove your hand from me!"

She sees it is her fathers whore, Rogue, and sees the woman trying to use her hex powers, "Don't need ta touch ya anymore, sugah. Got what I needed," she tries to focus some more but all she is managing to do is make some energy flair from her hand, "C'mon you confusing stupid-"

"It will do you no good," Wanda announces as she begins to cast a spell, "For only a witch of my caliber can truly control this power!"

She fires the blast and it hits the ground at Rogue's feet. The ground caves in and the southern girl falls in.

Wanda steps up to it and looks down into the abyss, "Trailer trash. What my father saw in you, I will never know. Perhaps merely to have a companion in his bed. I doubt you are good for much else."

Wanda descends down and quickly looks around to find her attacker. She finds the woman standing by what looks to be a body on top of an operating table. But she does not care for the corpse. Only the soon-to-be one.

"You think you can look down on me," Wanda walks to Rogue but the southern girl does not turn around to acknowledge her, "You who has been nothing since the moment she was torn from her mother's womb. Left alone until my father took pity on you. Only to be abandoned again, and another fool took you in. I wonder if you also kept Charles… warm… at…"

She stops dead in her tracks as she stares in horror at the sight before her. Charles Xavier's body with his head sliced open and his brain missing.

As if a fog had been lifted. Her thoughts are clear from whatever had happened. And based on what she is seeing right now, she can surmise what had happened to make her act the way she did.

"He took Charles for his brain," Wanda realizes, "And has somehow infused it with his own."

Rogue collapses to her knees as tears fall freely from her face.

(Central Park)

Mary Jane and Felicia walk through the park on the same path that the supermodel had walked with Peter a few days prior. It is different during the day. More people, kids, and tourists, are all about. People with dogs, people jogging, and people having nice picnics. She even sees a few ice cream carts.

But she isn't supposed to be focused on all that. Her attention is supposed to be on her company. The woman she has been silently walking with for the last few minutes.

They have made attempts at some small talk, both of them. Mary Jane asking if anything fun happened outside of Felicia's usual activities and the infamous thief asking her if she had anything interesting going on outside of her acting and modeling.

Both of them said no. And though she can't tell if Felicia is lying, Mary Jane is. She felt kind of bad for lying to her frenemy, and yes that is the most accurate way to describe this relationship, though she is not sure why she feels bad. Which is what led to the silence. The redhead got lost in her thoughts on why she decided not to tell the platinum blonde of Sonja.

It wasn't because she didn't trust the woman, which admittedly was a bit of a surprise when she really thought about it. Felicia, despite all her faults, is not the kind to betray someone's trust so quickly or easily when it's been well-earned. She never revealed Peter's identity when she knew it. Not even when she was extremely mad at him.

'And that happened plenty,' MJ thinks with a frown as she recalls both lives.

In that other life, when Felicia found out about them being married, she brazenly attacked Mary Jane in her own home. Openly declaring that she plans to steal Peter from the famous actress once she makes him realize he made a mistake. She was even planning to break poor Eugene "Flash" Thompson's heart just to hurt Peter. Though somewhere along the way Hardy had a change of heart. She is not sure what it was that made her care about Flash to not do what she originally intended, but MJ was thankful. And more than that, Mary Jane started to see the woman in a different light. She wasn't just the temptress that harbored feelings for her once husband, there was more. So much more that she was kind of scared of how much of a kindred spirit Felicia was to her.

"Ice cream! Get your ice cream!"

A vendor shouting brings her out of her thoughts as she realizes at some point, the both of them have sat down on the same bench she was on with Peter.

'Okay these coincidences are getting weird,' she thinks with a frown as she looks around.

It was nighttime when she was with Peter so it looks very different, but this is definitely the bench they were sitting on when they talked. Before she recalls that conversation, something catches her eye.

Something that makes her close her eyes and turn her head away in embarrassment, "Oh god."

She may have muttered but her companion hears her and raises an eyebrow at her, "You okay?" Felicia asks.

"Fine," Mary Jane says, not turning her head but opening and flicking her eyes in the direction she is trying to avoid, "It's nothing."

Felicia narrows her eyes suspiciously before she looks in the direction the redhead is trying to avoid. All she sees is a bunch of people. Maybe someone in the crowd. She doubts it since it's mostly kids with their parents. All of them lined up with getting some ice cream and popsicles that are shaped to look like-

"Oh god," Felicia says in realization and gives the redhead an embarrassing side look, "The Cookie Monster?"

"Oh my god! He does that to you too!?"

Both women look at each other aghast before one of them snorts and then they suddenly start to laugh hysterically. Covering their faces as they do so, both in embarrassment and to hide their blushes from each other. All the people around them give the women bizarre looks while the two just continue to laugh out loud. After a few minutes, they end up having tears in their eyes and trouble breathing.

"Oh god, what is wrong with him!"

"I don't even know where to start! I mean don't get me wrong, I don't mind the action as much as I do his impression."

"When he says 'cookies~'."

"Or goes "Nom nom nom."

"I can't even look at a bag of cookies without being aroused and ashamed because of him!"

"Right?!"

They end up swapping some more "war stories" for the next hour or so. Mentioning the various uses for webbing, public locations that were out of the public eye, and the few particularities that they only have done with the brown-eyed man. They end up just laughing at the absurdity of their shared experiences with Peter Parker. Their laughter eventually turns into giggles and they end up leaning on each other for support as they are too out of breath

When their laughter dies down, both know they are leaning on each other but neither one moves away. They don't mind how close the other one is. They are kind of surprised at how comfortable they feel with each other. Despite their history, it seems that they can get along well enough.

For Mary Jane, her surprise is more so due to her situation of living two lives.

Felicia is not uncomfortable with talking with or being close to the redhead but she is weirded out by how comfortable she is. She can only really say she felt this comfortable with one other person and she doesn't like what that potentially says right now with the supermodel.

"He told me he loves me," she blurts out and then bites her lips to stop herself from saying more.

She doesn't get the angry response she expected, and instead feels the actress nod her head, "I know. He told me," she informs her, "He also said you ran off right after."

Felicia looks down in regret as she explains her actions, "I told him I didn't remember who he was underneath. It was like everything that mattered about our relationship was just wiped away. When he showed me who he was, it all came barreling back. All the good times that I didn't even realize I was missing from my life."

Hearing the pain in her voice makes Mary Jane take pity on her, "A while ago, he asked Doctor Strange to wipe the memory of who he is from everyone.

"I know he told me," Felicia frowns as the memories she lost are still in the process of returning, "But I'm not everyone. We had- I-I thought we had something real. I know I wasn't fond of who he was underneath, but now that it all came crashing back, I realize how much I was missing."

MJ stops leaning in her friend, because that is what Felicia is, and tells her resolutely, "Felicia it wasn't personal. The whole world knew who he was and the people he cared about were in danger. He had to make everyone forget."

"Including you?" That question stops the redhead short and Felicia nods in understanding, "That's what I thought."

"Felicia-"

"It's fine," the notorious thief interrupts her and looks down to her lap where her hands are, "I get it."

"No, you don't," MJ places a hand on Felicia's knee in a way to comfort her, "It wasn't that he trusted me the most. It was that he didn't want to do it all alone. He couldn't stand the thought of letting me forget because he'd have nobody to come home to."

She recalls the day like it was yesterday. She prefers not to think about it, but the day they came back and she still knew who he was when everyone else forgot was a hard day for her.

"As strong and capable as Peter is, he hasn't changed much since he started out," 'This time around,' she thinks before she continues, "I hated Peter for making sure I remembered. Because I felt more alone than ever. What he did wasn't selfless, it was completely selfish. And I told him as much. And told him that if he wanted me around then he had to choose between me and Spider-Man."

Not bothering to ask the obvious, Felicia asks the less obvious, "What made you go back to him?"

That was the question, wasn't it? Why is it that no matter what, MJ always seems to go back to him and vice versa? It is both a complicated and simple answer.

"I love him, Felicia," Mary Jane tells her, "No matter how far I go. No matter who I try to be with, and no matter what he does, I can't make myself move on from him. I love him too much. And the thought of him not being in my life hurts so much it's unbearable."

In a way, Mary Jane can understand why he couldn't let her forget. They have been there for each other for so long that they are practically codependent. They rely on each other more than they do anyone else. Heck, Mary Jane kept her knowing him being Spider-Man before she even knew Peter Parker. 

So in reality, he has been able to depend on her before he knew her.

Felicia, seeing how passionate the woman beside her seems to be for their shared love, feels something she hates feeling but has started to feel plenty ever since she regained her memories.

Guilt.

She has not felt guilty for much in a long time. But since regaining her memories of Peter Parker, she now sees how much of an influence he has been to her. How he was turning her into what could practically be considered a hero. She has done plenty of good, but she cannot say that she has done better without the influence that was brought on by being with Peter.

And now, she feels guilty for all the years of trying to take something that did not belong to her. No matter how much she wanted it. Spider-Man's, or Peter Parker's, love and affection. It seemed clear to her now that the only person who he truly belonged with was the woman sitting beside her. Because at least she can live both sides of the man.

'So can you,' a little voice in her head tells her but she doesn't believe it.

"Felicia," she looks at the redhead as said redhead gives her a hard look, "I need to ask you a question and I need you to answer as honestly," not even getting a chance to respond, Mary Jane just asks, "Do you love him back?"

Completely blindsided at the brazen and bluntness of the question, Felicia can only stare stupefied at the actress. She did not expect this from her.

Before she can think of a response, something catches her eye. She sees a crowd begin to gather around not too far from where they're sitting.

"The hell?" Felicia forgets the questions as she and MJ get up from the bench and head over to the crowd.

As they get closer they see that the assembled crowd has a variety of tools on them. Shovels, sledgehammers, crowbars, and all sorts of things.

"A mob?" MJ questions as she and Felicia glance at each other beige they continue their approach.

They walk through the cord to see what they are surrounding. And once they do they see a young boy who looks to be no older than ten standing behind a man who is most likely his father. The thing about the boy though is that he looks like a fox.

'A mutant,' the two women think in realization before they see a man step toward the father and son with a bat in hand. That does not sit well with MJ.

MJ quickly steps up and shouts, "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

The man, who has a crazed look in his eye, turns to her mad gestures with his bat, "He's a mutie! He needs to die! He is not human!"

The crowd shouts in approval but MJ is not having it, "He's a child!"

The guy is practically foaming at the mouth when he says, "He is an abomination! They all are! They will not rest until we are all dead! It is up to us to deal with them first!"

The crowd roars. She has seen plenty of fanatics, she is a celebrity after all, but this is something else. The entire crowd is composed of so many people. And while MJ is not ignorant of mutant plights, she knows that there is no way that these many people hate mutants so much to form a mob and attack children in broad daylight!

"Felicia! Something's wrong!" MJ shouts over the crowd.

When she looks at her companion she sees that there she is now sporting the same expression as the crowd, "Kill her too!" Felicia announces vehemently, "Kill the mutant lovers!"

The crowd shouts in approval and they begin to approach her. Frightened for a moment, MJ steals her nerves and makes the motion necessary to transform. The bright light shines and blinds the crowd. The light dies down, and where once stood the famous actress, now stands Red Sonja.

The warrior pulls out her sword from her sheath and stands between the crowd and the victims, "Unless you wish to lose your heads in a more literal sense, I suggest you step away now!"

The crowd is now hesitant but still does not retreat. They cast weary eyes at her and the blade she wields. One brave, or foolish really, soul steps out and defiantly states, "She cannot take us all at once! Kill her!"

The crowd charges and Sonja, knowing already she cannot fight them for they seem to be plagued with something, turns around, grabs the father and son, and runs as fast as she can. Which is rather fast as she was in the center of the park, but now at the edge where she drops the father and son down.

She doesn't wait to hear thanks or to instruct them on what to do next, but instead rushes back to the back where she left Felicia Hardy. She sees the woman is still amongst the crowd, so Sonja weaves through them and grabs the thief before leaping high. She lands a good distance away before setting the woman down.

Said woman seems to be coming to, as she blinks and shakes her head, "Who the-?" Felicia looks at the woman in bewilderment, "Mary Jane?"

"Red Sonja," she tells the notorious thief and gets a confused look, "But the woman you know is my host," now Felicia is even more confused, "It's quite a tale. One that we will share with you. But not now. For there is a great threat that is making the denizens attack mutants with rage."

Felicia stares at her for a few moments before she nods, "Okay, but I left my gear back at my place."

"Then I shall help you travel there faster," she offer the woman her hand which was hesitantly taken. She sets the woman on her feet, "We must make haste. There is a great evil permeating the air and making the denizens frenzy."

Felicia stares perplexed at the warrior woman, "Do you have to talk like that?"

No. But Sonja felt it necessary to make sure Felicia knows there is a distinction between the two redheads.