Once Caty and Liz noticed that Danny was actually having a great time with a cute redhead they decided they didn't have to stay for the rest of the party. They saw their friends, danced, and enjoyed each other's company. Neither of them were truly the partying type anymore. Caty felt like she had so much responsibility and was getting antsy.

She decided she wanted to walk Liz home before going on patrol. Things seemed eerily quiet on their way home. They were completely oblivious to all of the chaos currently going down in the city and to the fact that they had targets on their back. They wouldn't be oblivious for long.

Caty felt the intense sensation of her Spider-Sense again. She looked around, but couldn't see anything. She let go of Liz's hand and pushed her to the side while pulling her mask down. She heard an almost silent whirring behind her and turned to see a costumed Goblin riding some kind of death glider. He grabbed Liz and started to fly off.

Spider-Woman shot a web at his glider trying to keep him in place, but he turned around and sliced the webs with blades coming from his glider. [color=ff9900]"Uh, uh, uh. Not so fast, Spider-Woman! If you want Ms. Allan alive meet me at the Manhattan Bridge for a Halloween Showdown! And don't even think about asking your boyfriend Harry the Spider for help."[/color] He then flew off towards the bridge leaving her both confused and distraught.

[color=E137E3]"Boyfriend? Harry the Spider? He thinks I'm Gwen and Harry's Spider-Man?"[/color] She didn't stay long to think about it and swung after the two. This guy seemed to be after her, but didn't even know who she was and he knew who Liz was. She didn't know who he was or what he wanted, but there was no way she was going to lose Liz. Not after she lost her dad.

[hr]

Spider-Woman arrived at the Manhattan Bridge and noticed Liz atop one of the suspension towers. She tried to rescue her, but was immediately knocked out of the sky by the Hobgoblin. [color=ff9900]"Not so fast, Spider-Woman. Beat me and she lives. Lose and you both die."[/color]

Spider-Woman didn't have time for this clown's games. She webbed him down from off his glider and started relentlessly assaulting him. She was glad that she got back into the dojo. Her movements were more fluid and precise and she landed more hits than he avoided. The opposite was true for her, but when he did land a hit she realized just how strong he was. He was as strong as her. So she didn't have to hold back at all.

Round two between them became more intense. Frustrated from his inability to make decisive blows he jumped back on his glider and launched two pumpkin bombs at her. She shot a web at them both and launched them back towards him. He avoided the first, but the second pushed him and his glider back. He was mostly unscathed and it caused him to laugh. [color=ff9900]"You have to do better than this or poor Elizabeth will end up like your father."[/color]

Even the eyes of her costume widened at the masked freak's words. He wasn't talking about her father. He was talking about Gwen's... Captain Stacy was dead and it was all her fault. This guy wanted to hurt her. [color=E137E3]"Who are you? What did I ever do to you?"[/color]

[color=ff9900]"Nothing personal between us. Blame your boyfriend's father. He destroyed my life so now I'm doing the same to his son. Though to be fair on a completely different scale. But as for who I am? You may call me Hobgoblin!"[/color]

[color=E137E3]"A stupid name for an even stupider man! I'm not Gwen Stacy and I'm not dating Harry! I'm dating---actually, nevermind. You don't need to know that. But you do need to know that I'm going to kick your ass."[/color] Spider-Woman said more pissed off and determined than before. She wasn't going to let this man get away with murder or take anymore innocent lives.

The two charged at each other. Hobgoblin extended the blades once again trying to impale her, but Spider-Woman jumped onto his glider and the two started boxing with nowhere to run. The chaos of the glider fight cause them to fly up towards the top of the suspension tower where Liz was. Hobgoblin feeling furious over the fact that he couldn't beat Spider-Woman despite how hard he attacked her decided it was time to play dirty.

Hobgoblin brought the two of them over to Liz and grabbed Spider-Woman's neck so she couldn't stop his plan. With his other hand he reached down and grabbed Liz by the neck. [color=ff9900]"You may claim not to be Miss Stacy, but it doesn't matter anymore. You pissed me off so now I'm going to make sure you feel even more guilty tonight."[/color]

[color=E137E3]"Please! Don't! She has nothing to do with this!"[/color] She tried to break free from his grip, but the more she struggled the tighter his grip got.

Liz looked at Caty beyond the mask with tears in her eyes. [color=99d6ff]"It's okay... I love you. Don't let him win. Don't let any of them win."[/color]

Spider-Woman struggled desperately to break free. She had to save Liz. She couldn't lose her. She watched as Hobgoblin released his grip around Liz's neck causing her to fall to the ground. Right after he dropped Spider-Woman as well and hovered above to watch the show.

Spider-Woman had to act quick. She shot a web at the top of the suspension tower and once it was attached she looked down at Liz and shot a web towards her leg. She stopped her right before she could hit the ground, but Spider-Woman heard a sudden snap. She connected the two webs and climbed down towards Liz. She ripped her down from the web and checked to see if she was okay. She wasn't. She wouldn't wake up.

[color=E137E3]"Liz... Liz, wake up. Don't do this to me! I need you. I can't do this without you. I already lost my dad. I can't lose you, too."[/color] But she did. Liz was dead. She knew it and Hobgoblin knew it and it was all her fault. What good was she as a hero if she couldn't save the ones closest to her?

Hobgoblin hovered down to gloat. [color=ff9900]"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I BROKE THE SPIDER! I WON! I WO---"[/color]

What he won was Spider-Woman's unrighteous fury. All she could see right now was read. She tried so hard to do things the right way, but sometimes criminals were just evil and irredeemable. She didn't care that Norman destroyed his life. That was no excuse to kill innocent people. But him? He wasn't innocent and she was a witness to that fact.

She placed Liz gently on the ground in the middle of his gloating and turned to web his glider. She yanked it with enough force to send it and him flying into the side of the bridge causing the glider to explode into pieces and a few of his bombs went off in the impact.

Unfortunately for them both he was still alive. Seriously injured, but still alive. That was fine for her. She wasn't done with him yet. She rushed towards him and started beating his face in. She wanted the pain to stop. Hers or his, it didn't matter. Before she could finish what she intended to do she heard the sound of a rocket's engine behind her. The sound stopped before the sound of heavy metal hitting the ground followed after. [color=FF4500]"I think he's had enough, kid."[/color]

Spider-Woman turned around to see Tony Stark, no Iron Man right there on the bridge with her. Under normal circumstances she would've been fangirling, but this wasn't normal circumstances. She dropped Hobgoblin on the bridge and looked back at him. He was completely unconscious. Had she actually gone through with her last punch, he would've been dead. She then turned back to Iron Man. [color=E137E3]"He... he killed my girlfriend and my best friend's dad, because he thought she was me. This is all of my fault. I have to make it right. Why should he get to live?"[/color]

[color=FF4500]"I asked myself that very question. Once for myself and once for my enemy. A man named Obadiah Stane worked for my father and I. But he wanted more. He wanted the company so he secretly had my father killed. Unfortunately for him, I'm better in every way and the rightful heir so the company went to me. He didn't like that so he tried to kill me as well. Tried to blow me up with one of my own weapons and when that didn't work he had me kidnapped by terrorists. I built my first armor in that cave because I realized what the weapons my company and I made had been doing. Destroying and taking lives. Almost took my own, but didn't. So I asked myself, 'Why do I get to live and not all of the people I killed with my weapons?'. I came to the conclusion that I survived so I could make up for every life that I took."[/color]

His words resonated a lot with Caty. That was exactly how she felt and exactly why she worked so hard following the night she killed a man.

Iron Man continued. [color=FF4500]"I freed myself with my new armor and resolve and eventually confronted Stane with the evidence. He then revealed to me that he was behind my father's death. I wanted to kill him so desperately, but my girlfriend stopped me. She reminded me why I decided to keep the armor on after I freed myself. To protect lives. Not take them, not anymore. They may not deserve to live, but they don't deserve to have the power to kill the good inside us as well."[/color]

[color=E137E3]"Thank you, Iron Man."[/color] Caty said finally. [color=E137E3]"You really don't know how much I needed to hear this."[/color]

[color=FF4500]"No problem, kid. And call me, Tony. I see me in you so I guess this time I just had the right words to say."[/color] Tony walked over to Hobgoblin and picked him up before pulling a business card out of who knows where. It had the Avengers logo on it with the name 'Tony "Iron Man" Stark written in the center with his phone number underneath. He handed the card to Spider-Woman. [color=FF4500]"Call or come by the Tower anytime. Mask or no mask. I already know who you are, Miss Davis. In the meantime I'm taking this one to SHIELD. I'm sorry for your loss. Don't drown in the darkness. Have someone you can talk to."[/color] He gave her a nod before flying off with Hobgoblin still unconscious dangling in his arm.

Caty walked back over to Liz and just cradled her in her arms. She couldn't believe she was gone.