EasilyAmused

Spider-Man: Childhood Friends (Jones Sparrow and EasilyAmused)

Looking around the room, she was surprised to see just how many things had changed compared to the last time she had ventured inside of his room. He was such a different person because of that suit and even his camera was collecting dusty. The view of the camera left her heart dropping in her chest. The stuff really changed Peter both inside and out; and it was nothing more apparent than the fact that his camera was covered in dust.

A small sigh left Black Cat as she turned her attention back to Peter and listen to him talk, nods lifting and dropping her small head. He really was screwing some things up by staying in the suit. How he didn’t recognize it was a bad thing was beyond her but she couldn’t hold it against him. It wouldn’t be far for her to lecture him and verbally beat him up for it. God knows whatever she says couldn’t be half as bad as he’s doing to himself. The fact that he still would consider her the world’s most fantastic girl, her face blushed behind her mask. It was nice to hear that he still thought of her in such a manner; you can’t blame her for questioning it considering recent activities.

“Look Peter…” She said softly kicking her shoe lightly against his carpeted floor. “I expected the foul names, but I didn’t expect the hit. I’m glad it snapped you out of it but please know I didn’t mean anything I said. And I’m sorry for saying it but it seemed like the only way I could get you out of the path you were on. So, I’m sorry…” She said with a nod before backing away to the window. It’s not that she didn’t want to be there with him it had to do with the fact that she was dressed as Black Cat and the pain on her face and the beautiful colorization would make him feel even worse. “I’ll probably come over tomorrow so you can have your space.” Climbing out the window she blew him a kiss, “I’m a text or call away if you need me sooner okay?” With that she jumped off and left.

Lexi got home and received a chewing out from her parents for skipping school, it wasn’t surprising but all she could do was nod. Of course the panic was more intense seeing the large bruise on her cheek, she explained that she tripped and fell hard but she didn’t break her teeth so she was fine. While her parents didn’t completely buy the story they accepted it and let her go to bed.

The next morning Lexi took her time putting on her makeup on doing her best to cover the bruise as much as possible. She did rather well compared to how it looked without the makeup and it was almost invisible.

“Lexi.” Her mom’s voice called from downstairs. “Come downstairs, we have something to talk to you about.”

Lexi’s heart began to slam inside of her chest as she started down stairs in a white sweater and blue jeans with a scarf in her hand and her purse. That was until who she saw in the living room. “Uncle Matt!”

“Lexi!” The thirty year old said standing in the living room, his arms extended outward waiting for a huge. The raven haired girl dropped her things and ran into his arms. The man seemed surprised behind his black glasses with the red tint as he let out a gasp upon the impact of her. His hands patted her until he found her head, and measured her against his chest. “Has it really been that long since I’ve seen you?!”

“It’s been a few years.” Lexi said with a laugh as she pulled back and looked up at Matt. Matt Murdock is a close friend of the Rogers family; he went to law school with her father and is her God-Father in case something happened to her parents. An accident when he was younger caused him to go blind but he’s one of the best lawyers around (outside of his dad), “What’s brought you here?”

“Well…” Matt said dragging out the word and looking in the direction of her parents before back down at her. “Your dad brought to my attention that a certain someone who caused a family friend a lot of pain has been caught. But as we know, you can’t have someone represent you have a personal relationship with but… a friend of a friend can.” He said with a smile before Lexi’s blue gaze turned to her parents.

“Mom… dad… what does he mean?”

“Lexi, you need to take Matt to meet May and Peter. They caught the guy who murdered Ben…”

Matt cut off Lexi’s mom before she could continue. “I’ll explain when we get there but the sooner the better.”

Lexi nodded before guiding Matt to the door who used his cane also to follow. Her mom asked about her bruise and she said she was fine. Climbing into the car Matt asked about her bruise and knowing full well that lying to Matt was impossible she told him that she got hit but she really didn’t want her parents to know so she told them that she fell. “Please don’t tell them, it was a mistake and a miscommunication and I don’t want them to worry.” All Matt could do was nod and during the drive Lexi told him about Peter, someone he had never met but knew that the two were friends. The more she spoke the happier she got, even though she wasn’t completely certain how she felt with the situation that had dealt with the day before but one thing was certain; she still loved him.

Parking in front of the house she climbed out of her bug and walked to the door. Knocking on it she turned to Matt shaking a finger at the man. “Be nice.” Matt held up his hands in defense with a grin, “Peter’s a great guy and I don’t need you picking on him.”

“Well, as your God-Father I’m entitled to pick on him.” He said with a grin as the door handle turned.

Spider-Man: Childhood Friends (Jones Sparrow and EasilyAmused)

She caught the pipe with ease, tapping the diamond nails against the tube to hear the thing hiss in displeasure inside. This stuff was bad news and she had no intention on allowing it out again. She nodded to his comment about being careful and took off without having much to say to him. Right now, Black Cat had a mission and that was to deliver this to its owner.

Doctor Otto Octavius was sitting in his lab looking under a microscope before he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around in the chair he stared up to see the figure of Black Cat standing in his office. “Oh wow.” He said in surprise as he removed his glasses from his face.

“Wow indeed.” Black Cat responded spinning the pipe upon her hand. “I have something to belongs to you.” She tapped the pipe and it let out a loud hiss much to the surprise of the Doctor. “I need you to listen to me Doctor. This is the stuff that infected a young man and has trailed itself to more people. It needs to go under lockdown and never let out.” She tossed the pipe to him which he caught in surprise. “It does not like loud noises, especially impact with metal.” A nod left her before she leaned forward putting her masked face near his wide eyed expression, “And allow me to make one more thing clear. If this stuff ever gets out again I will hold you personally responsible. It injured many, many people and needs to be kept under lock down and – or – removed from this earth. I will leave the choice up to you but I don’t want to see it out again. Am I clear?” All the Doctor could do was nod. “Ppppuuurrrfect.” She said standing upright with a smile at him.

“That being said and seriousness out of the way, nice place;” She said looking around with an improving nod. “Comfortable and quant without being unwelcoming; I may have to stop by and learn a thing or two about science from you.” She gave him a playful bow and went to the window. “Have good day Doctor.” With that she swung away.

This time, instead of returning to school like she should have she went to Peter’s house. Landing silently on the rooftop, she peeked down and gazed into his room to see him inside. Opening the window, she swung herself in and landed gently. Standing upright she tilted her head to one side. “This is probably a stupid question but, are you alright?” She didn’t dare take off her mask; she could feel the redness heating up and forming into a large bruise on her left cheek. The last thing she wanted to do was for him to see just how much pain he had caused her. But; let’s face it, it took him punching her to snap out of the craziness that was holding him hostage.

Robin Hood (EasilyAmused & Jones Sparrow)

Poor man! Walking around Grand Central Station surrounded by people and trying to get through with his cane; it can’t be ease. His face didn’t looked injured but she was surprised to see him pull down his glasses to reveal such entrancing green eyes. Her heart slammed against her chest as he slowly got to his feet and she followed suite. Yes he wasn’t kidding, he would find her and he did.

As they began to walk she couldn’t help but grin at his comment about… well himself. Her blue eyes rolling playfully as she led the way to a bench for them (well her) to people watch while they talked. “I’m glad I have your interest. I can only hope I can keep it.” She said with a nod as she tucked her skirt under her and sat down. “And it’s not what you can do for me; it’s what I can do for you.” She took in a small breath before she began.

“I know you’re concerned about where I stand among the people who do and don’t want to see bad things happen to people trying to do what’s right. But not only do I know these people but I have influence and access to things that you don’t. My father being who he is has access to things and wants to show me this and that; even though he refuses to let me join the force, he’s more than willing to show me anything I ask. Not only that, I work with the two people picked to collect information. The FBI agent and an incredibly talented lawyer,” A shrug lifted and dropped her small shoulders as she turned her attention forward to the people. “If they are working together there could be problems; while the FBI agent is good at seeing the top layer, it’s the lawyer I’m most concerned about. He’s good, too good and might be closer than anyone’s aware and just not saying anything.”

“I know you’re not one for taking a helping hand but I can at least see what path they are on and help you defer from it so you won’t get caught.” She spoke in an incredibly soft whisper to the blind man. “People love to talk to me and I can be both noticeable and unnoticeable to others. You’d be amazed at how many people buy the ‘ditzy blonde’ thing; which allows me to get out of a lot of situations. I’m not asking for much, just for a chance to help.” She turned her blue gaze back to him and tilted her head to one side. “What do you say?”

Spider-Man: Childhood Friends (Jones Sparrow and EasilyAmused)

As far as she was concerned, Doctor Octavius was the only one who could even help them right now. He created the stuff so he had to have some way of containing it. Upon the apology from Peter, she watched his face closely, he wasn’t lying or asking for any form of pity… some couples fight about silly things while others, super-powered couples, fight about whether an evil being was taking over your body or not. Isn’t it funny how different couples are now-a-days?

When he took off, Black Cat slipped back on her mask and followed him. His hurry outweighed her ability to keep up with him and soon she was lost in trying to find him. Shit! Swinging around the city became annoying until she heard some screams of a familiar voice and she hurried in that direction. Spider-Man was in the middle of a construction site with loud banging noises. The ooz seemed to disagree with the commotion and seemed to cling for dear life to Peter as he ripped it away. When his forearms showed she knew that could only mean one thing, he was naked under that suit and off Black Cat went.

Peter always left his window unlocked which was a blessing for her because it would be awkward to explain to Aunt May why she was attempting to get into Peter’s room to get some of his clothes and explain why she wasn’t over as often. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to that conversation, or any conversations regarding recent events at all. Climbing into the window she gathered some underwear, a shirt, pants with socks and shoes and threw them into his bag and jumped back out the window without making a sound.

Arriving back at the construction site, she found Peter lying on the ground looking exhausted. Well he can’t be that exhausted, he’s not done yet. “Being naked in New York is considered Public Indecency young man.” Black Cat said landing near him and tossing the bag to him. “Maybe having some clothes on will help you think more clearly though I can’t really argue all that much.” She said with a hint of playfulness in her voice before she turned her attention to the pipe in which the ooz was hiding in.

“Maybe you should close off each side, tripping it inside and I’ll deliver it to the Doctor with a warning craved into it. I don’t have the strength to pitch the pipe shut but you do.” They needed to trap this thing and inside of a metal pipe was perfect.

Robin Hood (EasilyAmused & Jones Sparrow)

She impressed him!! She impressed him!! The blonde was fairly certain she could have fainted on the street. In all the chaos she remembered that he had handed over the business card and it was needed at this moment! She big her lower lip as she awaited his answer; her heart still slamming in her chest and echoing in her ears; even the grip on her phone tightened as she listened intensely for a response from the hero/villain (depending on who you talked to) on the other end of the phone.

“Okay. I’ll see you then.” She said quickly into the phone out of nerves as they hung up. Her gaze went down to the time and she memorized it as if her life depended on it. Poor Marian found herself almost pacing at the front of Grand Central Station, had arrived a good twenty minutes prior to the meeting time; she had a lot of time to work up her courage and her nervousness at the same time.

She knew what she was going to say, she had it mapped out her in head. But the night he had walked her home replayed in her mind. He was so gentleman-like and humorous to boot. The conversations while they were at the party was nice, the comforting and relaxing laughter was wonderful, not to mention the usage of his jacket to walk home. His jacket! She should have run home and grabbed it! Yeah that would have been the smart thing to do but let’s face it she would have had to have been thinking passed her nerves.

Turning to hurry home to get his jacket, she nearly stumbled over the poor old man who had just recently fallen. “Oh!” She said in surprise and was instantly to her knees to help the blind man up. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” She asked in a worry as she raised his head gently to look up at her. Even if he couldn’t see her, she needed to check to make sure he was alright.

Spider-Man: Childhood Friends (Jones Sparrow and EasilyAmused)

There are times in one’s life when things go in slow motion and Black Cat had one of those moments. That feeling of being pulled in an opposite direction caused her body to turn and start towards Spider-Man with a large amount of force. Her only reaction she could do was turn her head to one side and take the instance punch to the face. Even with her mask, the impact was a painful one and she felt backwards onto the rooftop, motionless for a moment.

She stared up at the sky for a moment. Peter called her a bitch and he hit her. Then again she triggered it and she knew it. She knew what she was doing and expected the foul language but she didn’t expect the hit. Sitting up slowly she held the side of her face wincing behind her mask in pain. Attention slowly rolling upward as Spider-Man started towards her. She flinched and crawled back slightly with stumbling feet and visibly shaken. As much as she wanted to think that wasn’t Peter… it was…

At least, that was her first impression until she saw him grabbing at his mask. Why… why couldn’t he take it off? Her blue eyes expanded behind her mask. That… that looked like… “No…” She said softly as she watched the tentacles form back into the mask. How did that stuff end up on Peter? How did he not notice?! Was… was that what caused him to lash out so harshly?! Half of her believed it could have been Peter snapping but the other half, that other half always filled with hope, believed that the reaction was the tentacle stuff. She watched Spider-Man take off of the building and almost instantly started after him.

Chasing Spider-Man around New York City was difficult without his increased power but she was able to predict where he’d swing next and launched herself hard enough to tackle him in mid-swing and cause the two to tumble along another rooftop. Jumping up, Black Cat kept her distance. “Listen…” She began in a stern but soft tone.

Reaching up, she slowly pulled off her mask, revealing the face of Lexi Rogers; left cheek bright red and throbbing but she didn’t care, even if she did just spit out some blood. “Listen to me. You’re one of two things right now; you’re either really pissed at me or you’re really pissed at yourself but I need you to listen.”

She slowly placed her mask on the ground next to her, wanting to make it clear that it was Lexi Rogers speaking to him and not Black Cat. “Remember when I was in the hospital and you thought you had lost me… well you did. I did die, and I went to a place that I can only describe as a field with a forest next to it. I couldn’t talk while I was there but I could hear and see; feel and move. Uncle Ben found me. He told me when I came back I needed to tell you something. I should have told you sooner but I didn’t know when would be a good time. I’m going to tell you now Peter Parker and you’re going to listen. Your Uncle Ben has been watching you, and he’s so very proud of you.” Her eyes began to water but she kept her distance from him. “He’s proud of you for taking care of Aunt May, for doing well in school and mastering your gift. He still loves you, and even after this he will still love you and still be proud of you but you have to overcome this. You have to stop.”

“I have an idea, the suite’s probably not going to like it but it’s the only thing I can think of that will help. We need to get you to Doctor Octavius. He has to have some way of containing it. Now we can do this the easy way were you swing there and I follow you or…” She tapped the ends of her fingers together and her diamond claws came out. “We can do this the hard way.” As timing would have it, she spit out more blood. She was willing to fight him if it came down to it; she’d tie him up like she had done with others in the past and drag him to the lab herself. But this had to change.

Spider-Man: Childhood Friends (Jones Sparrow and EasilyAmused)

The confrontation left everyone gasping, and even Lexi’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe he would go that far. Something was very wrong and she had to snap Peter out of it. His casual exit left everyone in shock and the bell rang as Peter pushed open the doors and left the building. Something was very wrong with Peter and Lexi could sense it. This needed to change and it needed to change NOW.

Lexi left school, very unlike her and dawned her own suit to chase down Peter. The police scanner in her helmet picked up a radio call of injured car robbers and evidence of Spider-Man’s presence. Something was seriously wrong with Peter and she was determined to get to the bottom of it!

Swinging around the city felt like hours with how much stress she was under and trying to figure out exactly what could be wrong with Peter. All she knew what that she was pissed. She finally found him on top of one of a roof. Coming up behind him, she flicked out her whip and sent it at him, grabbing his wrist and turning him to face her before releasing him. “Tisk Tisk Spider-Man, skipping school.” She said in a form of a lecture. “We need to talk. Correction.” She said holding up her hand. “I need to talk and you need to listen.”

Her voice was stern and rather pissy as she spoke. “I don’t know what’s happened to you but I don’t like it. You’ve become a horrible jerk and it’s really getting on my nerves. Now you threaten Flash when he wasn’t doing anything wrong and probably the most hurtful thing is that you are flirting with other girls. Don’t deny it because not only do I hear it from other guys and girls but I’ve seen you checking out other girls; even when we’re walking hand and hand. Am I not good enough for you anymore?! If you’re interested in someone else you need to tell me so we can part ways because all you’re doing it hurting me.” Feeling as though he might be spacing out on her she cracked her whip against the roof top. “What’s gotten into you!? You’re picking fights, checking out other girls and unnecessarily injuring people. I don’t care who the people are, you don’t unnecessarily injure people and you don’t pick fights!”

Her voice was snappy and rough. Lexi rarely got mad but his reaction to Flash, his actions towards criminals and his treatment of her had pushed her over the edge. “You want to fight do you? Then come fight me!” Knowing full well that he would argue with her, she knew she needed to knock some sense into him and if anyone could do it, it was her. But she needed to get him somewhere else. “Maybe Flash was right, you are weak. Weak! Pathetic! Loser! And most of all, a freak! The weak pathetic loser freak Peter Parker! Why would anyone actually like you?! It’s a joke! HA! PATHETIC PARKER!!” With that she fell backwards off the building and began to swing away.

She needed to get him away from people, even though he had strength against her; she was quicker than him and (most of the time) she could wiggle herself out of any hold in order to get herself to have the advantage. Getting away from the main section of the city she landed on an abandon building with a very light thump and looked around. This should be interesting but maybe she could knock some sense into him; even if it meant some personal injury against her own self. At least she’d have his attention enough to talk to him; hopefully he was pissed enough to chase her down.

Robin Hood (EasilyAmused & Jones Sparrow)

Marian’s heart was about to explode out of her chest as she listened to the phone ring. What if this was a fake number? What if it went to voicemail? What kind of voicemail would she leave? ‘Hi this is Marian, you told me to leave you alone but I’m leaving you a voicemail anyway, call me back bye.’ Yeah… that would come across wonderfully. He had a point, she knew many people and had a lot of friends that would love to see him behind bars but at the same time, she had an inside that most people would never have. And it is something that could be rather helpful to him and his cause.

She was thankful that she had told the secretary that she was going home because she didn’t feel well because her heart nearly stopped when the voice echoed across the speaker system of her phone. He answered, he actually answered!! Her heart picked up speed as he spoke and when he asked how she got the number she couldn’t help but giggle into the phone. “Well, I met a guy at a party…” She said as she walked down the street with a grin on her face. “And at the party he happened to give my boss his business card. Unknown to my boss, that business card was rather important. So instead of it becoming recycled, it ended up in my possession.”

Stopping as she walked, she happened to look to her right to see the donut shop she’d normally stop at to pick up her breakfast for her and her old friend. A small sad sigh left her and before he could say something she responded, “Sorry, I just passed a bakery and it made me think of a friend I haven’t seen in a while.” Shaking her head, she felt like an idiot but she couldn’t let this chance to go to waste.

“I did, however, call to make a donation.” She nodded, yeah because he was around watching her… maybe… her gaze moved to the crowded streets of New York City only to realize just how many people were actually on the phone. Shit, even if she wanted to tell if he was close of not; she’d never truly know. “While I’m sure this is a safe line to talk on, I’d rather make the donation in person. Is there somewhere we could meet that I could make said donation?” Her gaze scanned the faces around her. “I don’t know if you could meet me, per say, but I did meet a sailor last night you might know who could meet me somewhere soon. What do you say?” Her heart pounded and echoed in her ears; she could only hope he wouldn’t be able to hear it through the phone and she bit her bottom lip hard awaiting an answer.

Spider-Man: Childhood Friends (Jones Sparrow and EasilyAmused)

Peter was… well he wasn’t Peter anymore and his reaction to her question said that. Her head jerked back in surprise and her eyes narrowed slightly. She didn’t like how he had responded and it wasn’t like him to say such a thing. Smirk at causing someone so much pain and finding it humorous. What was going on? Her head tilted to one side and all she could do was stare at him; she couldn’t even eat, his comment made her feel sick. It couldn’t be him talking, something must be bothering him. He couldn’t have meant that, not her Peter…

The next couple of days got weirder and weirder. Peter began to style his uncontrollable hair and wear more… not-so-Peter-like clothing. She could appreciate the confidence but she could have sworn that she’d catch him looking at other women the way he’d look at her. He’d reassure her that she was seeing things but… he almost stopped looking at her in that same desire seeking sort of way. The longing to be with her almost seemed to be disappearing and she couldn’t figure out what was different between the two of them. She stopped showing up at Peter’s house to see if he would come her way or surprise her by swinging in the window but to no such luck. She wasn’t avoiding the house per-say but she was concerned that he was finding other girls more attractive that if she was to show up at his house she’d fine another girl having a study session with Peter.

Lexi found herself leaning up against her locker, stress covering her small face.

“Lex… you okay?” Flash said as he stopped in the hall to look at her with concern upon his face.

“Peter’s been…” She began before her head dropped looking down at her shoes, a shaky sigh left her before she continued. “Acting really different and I’m concerned.”

“Hey hey hey…” Flash said softly stepping forward and placing his hand gently on Lexi’s shoulder. “There’s no reason to be upset I’m sure everything’s fine.”

Lexi let out another shaky sigh before looking up at Flash and giving him a small smile; hopefully he was right.

Robin Hood (EasilyAmused & Jones Sparrow)

Marian’s fingers tapped along the bar top as she awaited her drink. A few familiar faces were in the bar that night and she gave them pleasant smiles and small waves. The place had become rather popular and she couldn’t deny her deserve to try the drink and food. But she also could deny her want to see if she could find the infamous Robin Hood and if he was to hit somewhere, it would most likely be at this restaurant and place of gathering.

Taking her drink as the bartender dropped off her drink and the whiskey for the gentleman next to her. She didn’t really pay him any mind because her own thoughts were wondering rather intensively as she stared down at her drink in thought. Her name echoed through her ears and her head jerked, blue eyes staring at the old man who somehow knew her name. The wink gave it away and her heart skipped a beat in her chest before she turned her attention forward. He was here! He was actually here and talking to her!!! This, this was a situation she had wanted for a long time.

Her heart sank as he began to talk, what… he, he didn’t want her to… to… excuse me?! He’s got it all wrong. She could help, if anything she could be a huge help for him and his cause. She could tell though, when he mentioned that he knew she was the police chief’s daughter and the people she knew; it almost sounded like he cared about her and didn’t want her to get into trouble. Which was slightly ironic for being the cause of all the trouble with the police…

Her mouth opened to respond before her name was shouted and she was so surprised to see the handsome FBI agent show up unannounced (kinda) that she jumped a little in shock. He had, ironically, slipped in between her and his personal target and began to talk to her. She couldn’t help but have a conversation with Guy, for he was rather interesting but she kept glancing over at the old sailor before he left. SHIT! She couldn’t let him get away; they needed to talk more about this. Looking for an excuse to leave, she was cut off by the announcement from the bartender and watched Guy run out the door. Damnit there goes that idea… but as Marian turned back to the bar, she realized that she did have friends who wanted to see Robin Hood get into trouble, but her friends held something that she could use and get Robin Hood’s attention one more time.

The next afternoon went smoothly. Marian found herself talking more and more to Guy, he was interesting and full of stories that she was listening to him closely and instead of doing most of her work; she was lost in his talking. It wasn’t until she had some time for lunch that her ‘master plan’ came into action.

Getting into Mister Taylor’s office was easy and she collected his recycling from the box under his table. Carrying out to the dumpster she found exactly what she was looking for; the business card for Jonathan Smith, the young man she danced with at the party, the young man who worked for charities and the young man who was actually Robin Hood. Shoving the business card into her pocket she dumped his recycling, hers and a few other people’s from the office before returning inside and dropping back off the bens. Avoiding conversation with as many people as she could, she grabbed her things and wondered outside. Pulling out her cellphone, she dialed the number and slowly walked down the streets of New York listening to it ring, her heart pounding in her chest.

The Merry Men were well equipped when it came to technology; especially phones. Every number would link through many different outlets and find the exact name belonging to the incoming caller. After going through Gwen’s computer system, documenting who called and from what number, it would be redirected to Robert’s personal phone, the name of the caller popping up on the screen; whether it would be listed in the phone book or not. Yes, the Merry Men were good.
Ring Robert’s phone buzzed, flashing the name “Marian Anderson” on the screen.